Hours had passed since Félix's death. Kobayashi returned to the command center to report the completion of the task. However, as soon as he entered the command center, three commanders were checking the cameras.
— Ha! Kobayashi, come here and look at this.
The cameras showed groups of slaves who had escaped during the "revolt". More specifically, two groups.
One contained five slaves who fled to the West, carrying only the clothes on their backs. The other group had three members, one of them carrying sacks of potatoes.
— Where were these cameras from? — Kobayashi commented.
The commanders exchanged glances for a moment.
— Headquarters ordered new cameras to be installed across the base, she suspects we have a traitor. So only commanders have access to their locations.
— I see. — His response was mechanical, expressionless.
— But this is a pain. — He scratched his head. — Because of them we will have to start patrols earlier.
— Do you already know who will command this patrol?
— I am not sure, but Carl was talking with Natália a while ago.
Kobayashi's eyes widened, he tried to hide the surprise and concern on his face.Without saying a word, he headed to Carl's office, his steps were heavy as if he felt anger at the situation. As soon as he reached the door, it was possible to hear people talking inside.
Kobayashi was sweating cold, he knocked on the door waiting for a response.
— Lieutenant Kobayashi Rech reporting, sir!
The response took a while, which worsened his concern even more. But after a few seconds, he heard:
— Enter.
As soon as he opened the door his face turned pale. Standing there was her, holding a glass of wine with her right hand while her left rested on her back. Her fingers covered with a white leather glove wrapped around the glass like a spider.
She wore a black hat with yellow details, a golden eagle was placed in its center. Below it, her black hair fell down to her waist like a nocturnal veil.
But what caused fear was that face, that expression always with a small smile. Her skin was too white, no, it was pale, as white as the snow outside, she looked like a ghost or a walking corpse. The red lipstick on her lips gave a terrifying air, as if they were painted with blood.
Her uniform consisted of a black overcoat with a belt at the waist. She had a pair of golden epaulettes on her shoulders. White boots rose up to her calves, each boot had three arcs that held and firmly fixed them to her legs.
It was impossible to see what she wore under the overcoat, it was her intention to hide her weapons. Perhaps a personal code, what no one sees no one feels.Natália Lumi, that was her name.
Delicately she took a sip of the wine while staring directly into Kobayashi's eyes. Her brown eyes seemed to camouflage among her dark circles.
— Good that you arrived, I was already planning to call you. — Carl said while arranging a chair. — Come, sit down.
— Good is who...
— A true leader shares the sweat of their subordinates, I do not mind standing.
Her voice was extremely calm, but it did not bring comfort, it was the same calmness a farmer has before slaughtering his pig.
Even hesitant, Kobayashi sat down. The silence that followed was uncomfortable, the only sound was Carl searching for papers in the drawers. He pulled out a list with the names of all detected fugitives.
— I would like you and Miss Natália to take care of the group that went south. And of course, as long as they are not absurd numbers, I will assign as many soldiers as you deem appropriate.
Kobayashi tried to hide his concern.
— Why would a commander be sent to retrieve slaves?
Carl stared at him as if he knew something.
— You do not need to know the reason, just know that you will participate in a patrol in two days.
Something was wrong, something was very wrong. No one sends patrols to retrieve slaves after two days, this must be done as soon as possible to prevent them from going too far. Besides, commanders are never sent on missions like this, unless...
— And the group that went West?
— I already took care of that, my men should return within an hour. — Natália said right behind Kobayashi's chair.
When did they leave? No one reported any patrol this morning. Did she send soldiers in the middle of that chaos? Why did she not do the same with the group that went South? There were many questions in Kobayashi's mind, and he would not know the answers until tomorrow arrived.
— How many soldiers will go along?
Natália took over Carl's words.
— Seventeen.
Seventeen soldiers to capture three slaves, this was a bad omen. They know something.
Carl offered some wine to Kobayashi, he accepted out of politeness. No matter how sweet that brand was, it went down as bitter as bile. Natália did not take her eyes off him for even a second while he was in the office.
It was like having a ghost haunting his back. She did not reach the commander position only through written tests or connections. She was a special case, even in the world before this problem with the sun, merit was nothing more than a bad joke.
Who in the world rises in rank purely by merit?
After the planet began to cool brutally, merit started to be more valued. After all, there were no longer as many cell phones or internet to document everything, people had to trust more in what they saw.
Natália's feats were so glaring that it was impossible to ignore. The best of the best, the one who seemed born from the snow. Always with that small smile on her face, as if she never felt pain.
That person had her attention taken by Kobayashi.
When he finally left the office he let out a sigh of relief, it felt like a huge weight had been removed from his back.
The farm seemed to be functioning normally, the damages were being repaired. Soon the Barn and the plantation warehouse would be rebuilt, the only problem would be getting more slaves to compensate for those who died.
In total, 15 slaves died.
Kobayashi found himself reflecting in the bathroom while washing his face, his hands were resting on the sink when some soldiers appeared.
— Kobayashi! — He slapped his back. — Do not want to have lunch with us today?
— Thanks but not today.
— The guys will gather to play cards later, sure you do not want to come?
— I am sure, thanks.
When lunchtime arrived he headed to the field, towards the body disposal area, there were still some people digging graves, it would be a good excuse to help them.
The sky was clearer than usual, it was possible to see a bit of blue among the clouds. The wind was weak, the soldiers were in no hurry to finish the job, trivial conversations dominated the place. Some talked about the situation of the farm and how it was changing, at least little by little.
— It seems the night shift will increase the number of guards.
— Damn, in that infernal cold or inside the facilities?
— Seems like outside, near the fences.
No one knew if this situation would be permanent or just temporary. In the best case it would last until the cameras were fixed, but due to the severity of the destruction, it was very likely that things would not return to normal anytime soon.
When the last body was buried, the soldiers gathered to store the tools and leave. The only one left behind was Kobayashi, taking advantage of everyone's distraction he moved away into the disposal area, heading toward Félix's grave.
He was already quite far when he entered the forest, he looked around to make sure he was not being followed, then began searching for the marked tree. But as soon as he touched the first tree he suddenly stopped.
A chill ran up his spine as if a specter had possessed his body. His eyes were fixed on the tree trunk, his heart raced.
— Why did you stop?
A voice full of sadism came from behind him, her shadow was projected on the tree in front of him. For a brief moment he thought about drawing his knives and killing the witness.
As soon as he threatened to grab one of the knives... Inside his mind the result was shown. His arm that would hold the knife would be broken, his head would be severed. All in a matter of seconds, no, it would be so fast that his eyes would barely have time to blink.
— I see your body has good instincts, that is very good for a Cinza.
It was Natália. The worst possible person had followed him.
But how? When did she arrive? Kobayashi had made sure no one was following him, how did she hide like that?
— Tell me, why are you in a place so far from the Farm?
Kobayashi took a while to respond. — It is not safe for me to train in the base, you know that.
Natália widened her smile and closed her eyes momentarily.
— That is true, I had forgotten about that. — She opened her eyes again. — But you seemed to be looking for something.
— I was just looking for the most resistant tree to practice.
Kobayashi's answers remained firm, always trying to maintain the same posture free of uncertainty.
— How diligent, I believe I can help with that.
They stared at each other.
— That tree over there seems the most suitable.
Kobayashi turned pale, she pointed exactly at the tree where Félix was buried. Inside himself he questioned all the time she had been observing him, how much she knew about him.
— What is it? Looks like you saw a ghost.
The wind blew, shaking the branches of the trees, like a wolf about to attack its prey. Silence preceded chaos.
— Tell me. — Her tone sounded threatening. — You are not hiding enemies of the state here, are you?
Kobayashi no longer knew what to say, the words would not come out. If she really knew, then there was only one option to end this situation.
But the real problem was not her being a commander, that alone was already problematic. However, the fact that she was a Cinza with the title "Born of Snow", someone clearly dangerous, made this decision uncertain.
— I have to praise you, after all it is very common to hide uncertainties. But sometimes even you let it slip when you are worried.
Slowly he slid his knives. But as soon as he blinked, Natália's face was far too close to his.
— I would not do that if I were you.
A short golden-handled blade was at his neck. It was so sharp that the mere touch already cut his skin.
— I can make you a proposal.
Kobayashi's breathing was heavy, as if every breath his lungs pulled in would be the last.
— You say you come here to train, right?
— Yes, ma'am.
— Then why do we not have a little Sparrying?
It was impossible to tell by her face if that was a joke or a slow death sentence.
— If you win I will turn a blind eye to this situation.
Her smile widened even more, now showing her teeth, curiously they were a little larger and sharper than those of a normal human.
— But if you lose. — She tilted her head and whispered in Kobayashi's ear. — You will have to exterminate that camp.
There was only one truth, that woman did not truly care about the mission or what would happen to the farm. Natália only wanted her sadism satisfied.
She removed the blade from his neck. — I fear you have no other option. — She raised her eyebrows. — Oh no! You do. — She pointed the blade at Kobayashi again. — I can kill you and this Félix right here if you prefer.
With no other choice, Kobayashi was forced to accept the Sparrying. At least this way he could have some chance to live, even if insignificant.
— Great, but first let us go to a more open area, it is not a problem for you, right?
— No problem at all.
They walked to a nearby area where the forest ended, leaving a vast expanse like a frozen desert.
Each of them stepped back, opening a significant space between the two. It was all or nothing, he could not run and there were no witnesses, if someone died they would be swallowed by the snow.
— Very well, you can start—
Kobayashi did not wait.The blade left his hand like a silent projectile, cutting the air toward Natália's face.
She intercepted the knife millimeters from her right eye, gripping the edge between her fingers. The glove was instantly torn, but the skin remained intact.
— What an impatient guy.
The blade broke in her hand with a dry crack.
Kobayashi advanced from the side, pulling another knife. On the way, he plunged his hand into the snow and threw it at Natália's eyes. The cut came right after, aiming for her throat.
Even with her eyes closed, she grabbed his wrist in the air, as if she already knew where it would be. The side kick hit his abdomen with enough violence to fold Kobayashi's body and throw him several meters away, dragging through the snow.
— You resort to very dirty tricks.
Natália did not advance. She remained on guard, giving him space, like an instructor allowing mistakes to correct later.
Kobayashi charged again.
She stepped aside and struck his right hand with a dry blow. The impact exploded in the air like a compressed discharge. The knife was launched into the sky spinning rapidly, while the bones of his hand collapsed with a wet sound.
Without allowing him to react, Natália struck both palms against the sides of his head simultaneously. Kobayashi's world went silent in an instant, his eardrums ruptured, and sound disappeared, replaced by a grotesque buzzing.
She lifted him by the collar of his uniform and threw him again.
— If you keep going like this, you will lose.
She brought her hand to her mouth, theatrically.
— Oops. I forgot, you cannot hear me, can you?
Finally, Natália opened her overcoat. The golden-handled blade reflected the dull light of the sky. The inner uniform was white, far too thin for the climate, but she did not seem to feel cold.
— If you cannot hear me, then I will advance my turn.
Kobayashi blinked.
She was already in front of him.
He tried to raise his arms, but his fingers were severed as if they were made of wax. The blade had barely slowed.
Instinctively, he tried to run.The side kick broke his right leg on impact, throwing him aside like a structureless doll.
The difference in speed was absurd, running against her was a useless gesture.
— I thought you would resist a little more. It seems you are not much stronger than common "Cinzas".
He tried to crawl, but this act was nothing more than a fleeting shadow of escape.
Defeated, Kobayashi stopped.
— A lieutenant like you is an insult.
Natália sheathed the blade, turned Kobayashi's body over and mounted him.
— In a normal Sparrying, blades are not used. — She grabbed his neck. — Do not worry, I will not kill you. But I will tell them we had a "small" disagreement.
POFTH!!!
She threw the first punch, the impact exploded, digging a hole in the ground. Kobayashi's jaw broke instantly.
— I will forget this unfortunate incident, I will believe this Félix died frozen.
POFTH!!!
Kobayashi's face was completely disfigured, unrecognizable, every bone in his face was broken and fragmented.
— Think of this as a superior disciplining her subordinate.
Natália's hand was completely red, the snow was painted red. But she did not stop punching, Kobayashi's breathing was already slow and clearly difficult.
— I will tell Carl that Anantoly was the traitor and order him executed in your place. He is a pure human after all, it does not make much difference.
She finally got off Kobayashi, but kicked his ribs, making his body be thrown against a tree. The tree trunk cracked, while his ribs shattered.
— But I will demand one thing from you.
Natália crouched and made Kobayashi sit with his back against the tree. Then she pulled her arms back and charged them into his torso. The sound of bones breaking echoed through the forest, making Kobayashi vomit blood.
— Remember, I won, so you have to kill everyone in that camp. I will make sure not to give you any firearm or blade.
His body spasmed from intense pain and blood loss, he was already severely anemic. Soon he would faint.
CRACK!!!
Finally, Natália broke Kobayashi's left leg, leaving him completely without structure.
And thus, like the sadist she was, she bent down, reclining her body over Kobayashi's ear. At least some of his eardrums had regenerated, enough to hear.
— You know, it has been a long time since I have been observing slaves fleeing to the south. So I thought it would be much more interesting to see you destroy what took years to be built. — She nodded toward Félix's body. — Than something you built in a single day.
Her black hair mixed with Kobayashi's blood as his consciousness abandoned his body.
— It is much more fun to play with those who have a lot to lose.
Sadistically she grabbed Kobayashi's hair and forced him to look at her face, so his last vision before fainting would be that smile. That cursed one that would haunt his dreams forever.
Like a spiral.