Eric was a medic in the Snowy Mountain Rescue Team, stationed in a small village at the foot of Dragonspine, on the Mondstadt side. His daily job involved responding to distress calls from the snow-covered mountains and heading out with his teammates to perform rescues.
Dragonspine was an unforgiving place, with a year-round temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius, perpetual snowfall, and over a meter of snow blanketing the ground. Hidden beneath the thick snow were treacherous and unpredictable terrains. Add to this the frequent blizzards and roaming monsters, even seasoned adventurers rarely ventured into the mountain unless absolutely necessary.
Despite the risks, accidents were common, with several casualties every year. The rescue team was dispatched two or three times weekly to assist those in peril, usually young, inexperienced individuals or adventurers desperate for high rewards.
Although everyone was responsible for their own decisions when entering the mountain, the rescue team valued every life and would attempt to save as many as possible when conditions allowed.
On this particular day, the rescue team received another distress call. Now, Eric and two teammates set off for the location.
"They're on that peak over there," explained the distressed brother of the victims. "My sister-in-law lost her footing, and my brother tried to grab her but ended up falling, too. Luckily, he used his wind glider to land on that summit, but now they're trapped."
Eric surveyed the environment, calculating the feasibility of a rescue.
'They stood on the edge of a cliff. The victims were about 20 meters away horizontally and 50 meters below, stranded on an isolated peak with steep, sheer walls. The mountain peak offered a small patch of flat terrain, but it was surrounded by dangerous slopes.
The current blizzard reduced visibility significantly, making it impossible to confirm if there was anything solid on the summit to anchor a rope. Even if there were, the high winds made attempting to cross with wind gliders nearly suicidal.'
"Waiting for the storm to pass would take at least two hours," Eric muttered grimly. "But in these conditions, they might not survive that long."
The brother sank to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "It's all my fault! I dragged them into this... I'm… I'm! A terrible brother..."
The rescue team felt equally helpless. Many of their missions ended in failure—sometimes arriving too late, other times unable to act at all.
"You're sure they're on that peak?" A raspy voice interrupted the group's despair.
The brother looked up to see an elderly adventurer with white hair and a weathered face. "Y-yes! I saw them land there before the storm got this bad. I told them to stay put and sent the distress signal."
"Good. If they've stayed put, I can save them."
"Really?!" The brother grabbed the old man's leg, pleading. "P-p-please, save them! I'm begging you!"
Eric turned to the adventurer in surprise. "How? The wind's too strong, and we can't use wind gliders!"
The old adventurer chuckled. "I know this area like the back of my hand. Even in a storm like this, I can land on that peak safely. I'll bring them down one by one."
He tossed his gear onto the snow and stepped onto a hoverboard. "Wind gliders? Those are relics of the past. This thing laughs at wind and snow!"
Before anyone could respond, the old man launched himself off the cliff on his hoverboard, disappearing into the storm.
"That's the new hoverboard everyone's been talking about in Mondstadt?" Eric exclaimed, watching in disbelief. "It really can handle the wind and snow?"
The old adventurer navigated the storm with precision, landing smoothly on the summit. Scanning the area, he quickly spotted the couple huddled together on the snow-covered ground.
"Hey! Get up! I'm here to take you down!" he shouted.
The pair looked up, their faces caked in ice. They had been bracing for death, crying in each other's arms.
"You... you're here to save us?!" the man stammered. The woman tried to speak but could only sob silently, tears freezing on her cheeks.
"Less talking, more moving. I'll take one of you now and come back for the other in half an hour. Who's first?"
The woman shrank back, glancing at her husband, who immediately pushed her forward. "Take her first! Please!"
The old adventurer didn't waste words. He strapped the woman onto his back with a rope. "You, stay low and hold on tight! I'll be back soon."
The hoverboard cut through the storm effortlessly, its stabilization system compensating for the violent winds. Despite a limited maximum altitude of 20 meters, its superior gliding capabilities made the descent quick and steady.
Within minutes, they reached the base camp, where the adventurer sheltered the woman in a derelict hut and sent out another distress signal. Then, without pause, he headed back into the storm.
Eric and his teammates, carrying the old man's belongings, eventually made their way down to the base camp. Other rescue teams had already gathered there, assisting the survivors. Both victims had been successfully brought down.
"What about the old adventurer?" Eric asked.
"He left after ensuring they were safe," someone replied.
Eric and his team recounted how the old man had used a hoverboard to defy the storm and save the victims. Everyone was astonished. In such extreme conditions, where survival seemed impossible, the hoverboard had proven to be a game-changer.
"Hoverboards..." Eric murmured to himself, recalling the old adventurer's fearless plunge into the storm. "If we learn to use those, maybe we can save more lives in the future."