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/A few minutes before…/
"Hum…"
Wuril's father, the last Division commander, sat on a wooden box as he stood still, his hollow eyes open as he seemingly stared at nothing for several minutes on end at a time.
Just as his appearance might suggest, he looked as if he was about to die.
And albeit that may be the truth, right now, he had no such plans for his already overdue death.
He didn't even wore any armor or anything that might suggest he was a fighter, though expecting that out of him might've been too much.
Even if old people tended to be stronger due to the experience, this old man already went beyond that.
'This isn't good.' He thought without blinking
'At this rate, not only we'll fail at our original objective, but we'll also die in the process.'
'And with us, everything I stood for in these 90 years will vanish also.'
'My efforts to keep our legacy going… And to even build upon it... Sigh.'
'It's too soon to give up, however.'
He felt as if had these thoughts 1000 times over by now, and each time he went through them all, his will to keep going was chipped a little.
For now, the people were okay, but from their previous hopeful eyes, they were now hollow and tired.
He wasn't the only one worn out from many years of struggle, from hunger and the injuries of countless attacks against them and their family.
Some may even see death as some sort of freedom by now, and he didn't know how to change that.
The pressure of them having left behind their companions, how tight must their chests be?
And as the supplies they stole diminish, they realize what the others outside must be feeling.
To that, most chose ignorance, as it was too painfully to face reality.
"Hum?"
But suddenly, he raised his head, looking above.
'Is that?...'
His eyes seemed to change, and for a moment, the shadow of an eye formed in his empty eye sockets.
The world then changed, everything vanished and only little waves of flames now existed within the darkness.
The people far away became tiny fireflies, a few burning brightly like campfires in the night.
A few were even stronger, but nowhere near what he saw above him.
A strong sun seemed to slowly descend upon him, almost blinding him momentarily.
/Squint.../
But the old man was strong, his eyes only squinted momentarily before the light from the sun was suppressed and cleared, revealing a pair of humanoid beings.
This showed that the sun did not came from one but two beings.
One whose fire burned strongly and steadily… It was a fire that went through many experiences and was thus aged, yet its youthful vigor still remained.
It burned with purpose, a flame whose heat had tempered a will of great substance.
And one whose fire burned violently and brightly… A fire so strong that it seemed about to burst into a glorious explosion.
Like setting gaze upon a volcano, this fire contained itself as it could not handle what it could do... Or was it because it did not know what it could do?
It was a fire that had much to learn, much to see, and a desire that yearned to be satisfied.
Two different flames but very similar in nature, in synch as they searched for something.
Them.
"..."
The old man immediately understood, their salvation had arrived.
As such, albeit slowly, the old man got up from his box, dusting his pants and shoulders and using an old cane as he moved to a pair of massive gates in the corner of the massive underground complex.
Around him, only old boxes empty of supplies were left, even a few cobwebs could be seen around, it was an area they had mostly abandoned.
There were signs of children having played here before, far away from the loud adults.
Small toys and scribbles on the ground, a small sign of the human ability to ignore trouble... Or mayhaps, it was just the innocence of a child.
/Thud/
And there, he waited, tapping the end of his cane against the ground as his body went rigid… Until…
/Knock knock!/
The metallic gate was tapped a few times, it wasn't a strong tap, weak even, but he could feel the vibrations on the gate pass through the metal and onto his foot...
The old man couldn't hear what was coming from the other side, but he could tell what they were speaking about by feeling the metal tremble, even if only slightly.
With it, he confirmed his suspicious, smiling a little.
...
"... How we're getting inside…"
/Clears throat…/
"... Let me help you with that." He said as he touched the wall lightly
…
""!""
Dale and Testros' expression warped as they heard a voice echo from with the metal, but before they could reply, the voice echoed once more.
"I apologize… It wasn't my intention to startle you both."
The voice was ragged and dry, even a bit sharp.
It was worn out and old, full of wisdom.
The man took a slight pause between certain phrases, but it was certainty not because he was thinking about what to say, yet they couldn't say it was because he needed to rest either.
He wasn't slow, but his speed made it seem slower then usual.
"These doors are rather solid, so sound doesn't pass through as easily, and given my age, I'm not fit to scream through them anymore…"
"So I had to employ a few tricks, if you two don't mind."
His voice seemed to come from the entirety of the gate, as if it had come to life to speak with them.
"..."
/Shrugs/
Dale looked Testros and the latter shrugged, so amidst their stalemate, he spoke:
"We came here from the settlement nearby in search of the Expedition team, what happened?"
Silence... Followed by a reply:
"... That much I have figured out."
"But do pardon me for my rudeness, may I ask with whom do I speak with right now?" The old man asked as he heard Dale's voice
"Me?"
Hearing the words from beyond the gate, he looked at Testros and he tapped his shoulder with a smile.
He was giving him the reigns of this conversation.
Thinking about that and the mysterious man's question, Dale arrived at the same problem he had when he first introduced himself to the Survivors.
Who was he?
"I'm… Just someone trying to kill whatever's causing trouble in the forest..."
"So I and my friends may rest easy, that's all."
"I see, then why are you here? I fear you lost your way, I might even say you are directly opposite to your destination." The voice replied, a small tint of amusement hidden within its tone
"I… We made a… Detour upon learning of the existence of Survivors…"
"Ah… So that is the reason... Survivors…"
"You're not wrong, that's exactly what we area, perhaps even less now."
"One day we may have been given the honor of being called that, but after so many years, I fear we're now just... Dregs."
"Either way, young man, it seems our objectives align."
"..."
'How does he know I'm young?' Dale thought silently as he looked at his refection in the metallic gate.
"You wish to restore balance to the forest and save those that were once part of something greater than themselves, and so do I."
"Your reasons do not matter, and I'm sure you question mine too, so let's both look away for a moment in sight of a greater goal."
"I'm not quite aware of what you know, but I'll tell you what I think about it all."
"I chose to flee when I realized I lacked the means to do what you now proclaim with confidence."
"I tried to save others for a very long time, but with each year that passed, I realized our numbers decreased."
"I was not meant to be a leader."
"Maybe it was luck as one day we were close of achieving this goal of mine... But I call it incompetence."
"Nonetheless, escapism is only a temporary measure, and even then, so far, I have only led my group down a deeper grave far from the sun."
"Young man, if you came all the way here, then you must've learned of our purpose…"
"What do you plan to do with it?" He asked in a deep tone, almost threatening
Although, it felt like he was question Dale's morals and not enforcing his own agenda...
"Is that even a question?" Dale asked without hesitation
"If possible, I'll use it to bring the others beyond the forest, that's all."
"..."
Hearing his words, the old man closed his eyes.
"Conviction and no hesitation, no wonder it is you that carries the blade."
'The makings of a Hero or the signs of a Fool?'
"What?"
"Either way, child, I had fun talking like this, it had been decades since I was given the chance to speak in such a carefree way with someone… Anyone."
"But it won't lead us anywhere."
"We talked about our reasons, now we shall proceed to ourselves."
"You speak with Sarferato, previously known as the Towering Shield, Division Commander of the Southern Corps… The last one that still stands."
"... The only thing I was ever good at..." He spoke in a low tone, but due to that, Dale and Testros did not hear it as it did not pass through the metal
"Sigh… If that holds any meaning…"
"Through Military Law, I'm now in charge as the Commander of the Corps… Or what's left of it anyway."
"I can tell you wear the armor of those that once fought with us, and albeit I'm unsure of how it came into your hands, I'm afraid we have no sway to make inquiries."
"Please, I request of you… Assist us in saving what little remains of our legacy."
"If you have any other ideas, I won't hesitate to cooperate... But if not..."
"Helps us activate Project Burnout."
""!""
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Notes
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