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—---------------
/Later…/
/Caw!/
"Less... Can you 'caw' in a lower tone?"
"... caw..."
"..."
Standing in front of a tall gate-like structure on the opposite end to the entrance gates of the Bunker, Dale, Testros, Ubuk, and Sarferato could be seen waiting as a massive crowd of people chattered in the background.
A sea of people of over a thousand, discussing with each other... Sometimes even fighting.
This led to many of the Expedition team being employed to prevent them from taking things too far, but things weren't going well.
After all, the Expedition team almost left them all to rot and die, none of those left behind were happy with how things went, even if they were saved in the end.
Thanks to this, they started to see Dale and Testros in a better light then even those they grew up with, causing a fissure within them.
But now wasn't the time to deal with their inner conflicts, they needed to get out of here.
"..."
Dale was mostly standing in the shadows next to the tall machine, sitting on a chair with his helmet on as he rested his eyes, a rare moment to recover his stamina.
He wasn't trying to sleep per se, yet he wasn't thinking of anything in particular, only breathing calmly as he waited for the portal to open or whatever the Stelar Path was.
Ubuk was next to him, sitting on the ground, its head tucked within its feathers as it also took a rest.
It would soon work hard once again, as Dale and Testros decided that it would be for the best if they crossed the gate with the others before riding Ubuk back into the forest.
The maps they had would suffice for the way back to the Central City of the Karkavan, and given the bird's speed, they would arrive within a few hours at most.
Monsters on the way would be unlikely as they would move within shallow parts of the forest, but anything could happen, not that it would affect them in any way.
Albeit this time, Sarferato would join them, so given how the saddle only supported two at once, Dale was unfortunately demoted to standing atop Caladgolg, which wasn't bad but he would lose some of the comforts of standing with Ubuk's feathers.
Testros on the other hand had his eyes fully open as he witnessed what stood in front of him with silent emotions.
These were the survivors, the descendants of his companions…
The future he wished to see, was here, within reach.
Through the union of the presents, Resko, and the Survivors, the foundation for the unlikely future he never thought he would witness would form.
With the knowledge they recovered from the Wall, this would future would eventually be realized yes, but how long would that take? Multiple lifetimes? Generations?
Hundreds of years.
But now, trained people, experts who grew with those techniques would join them and fill in their gaps...
He understood Dale's concerns, he shared them also...
Yet, he decided to believe in them... Something that made him laugh.
To put his faith in people he had never seen before...
It wasn't something easy to do, yet he did.
It made him disappointed with himself, as the idea of giving in the safety of his own people over an old ideal... Was disgusting.
He started to question... What was he truly fighting for?
This question had slowly formed within his lips ever since he learned of their presence... No, even before that when he arrived at Wall after all those years.
He needed to arrive at an answer, it was close... What he desired.
His heart wished for.
"..."
Slowly but surely, he started to feel his body grow lighter…
...
"... Is everyone here?" Sarferato asked as he looked at a middle-aged man with a dark beard approach him from the side
This man was Retero, one of the Master Raiders, the few still alive.
After the fall of the Wall, separating people into infantry and whatnot became meaningless as they weren't fighting in any wars anytime soon.
So instead, they took all of their Warriors and turned them into Scavengers.
Civilians that little training were called Scavengers while those who received proper training were called Scouts.
Depending on how proficient they were, they would receive extra Titles but they would always be denominated Scouts.
Only the best of the best would be deemed a Raider, someone that had high Strength, Intelligence, Knowledge, and a Strategical mind to observe the field and adapt to sudden situations.
Only these people would be given the most dangerous of tasks such as exploring old ruins that were still full of danger, and traps, and were protected by the haywire defensive mechanisms.
Most died... Not to the ruins of the past but to the monsters that prowled them.
Around a decade ago, their numbers were over 300, and the elites of their settlement of over 4000.
Now... Less than 50 remained, and their numbers were less than half of what they once were.
"Yes, we've sent out the fastest Scouts to go over all individual settlements… Albeit, unfortunately, we were unable to recover all as a few were… Empty."
"Signs of struggles were present in most of the empty ones, they likely… Are beyond saving at this point."
Many beasts prowl the dark, and when disaster struck and their resources were spread thin, those who lived far away or were unwilling to gather with the crowd were unfortunately left to fend for themselves.
Some out of confidence, either in themselves or in them, others out of fear... Some out of necessity.
Their own supplies were not meant to be shared, each had their own circumstances.
Sarferato would never curse at them, he only felt hurt not all were here as he was sure their families were the most pained.
Despite the overall cheerful atmosphere, cries and fights still resounded.
"Thankfully, we didn't lose any Scouts in the search and the escorting of the people to this location, but there were a few severe injuries due to clashes with beasts and other creatures."
"They should be fine with proper rest, something I didn't quite believe I would be able to say again." The man said with a small smile
"The supplies from the outsiders came in handy…"
"..."
Sarferato's expression twisted, as he raised his right hand, telling Retero to stop talking.
"We should make this clear before we proceed old friend."
"This isn't a warning or a threat but only a suggestion, so bear it in mind." Sarferato spoke as his eyes sharpened
"They aren't outsiders anymore, we are."
"So mind your words outside and anywhere from now on, I don't want to see these spread out amidst the others, not if we wish to blend in with the natives since that is what they are."
"We've been living too long in the forest and most of us were born within it, you included, we cannot claim the outside as ours anymore, no matter what the others may think."
"It... May be hard to convince the younger ones..." Retero spoke as sweat fell from his forehead
"Leave that to that boy over there, we should focus our attention on those our age." He said as he turned to Dale momentarily
"Remember this from now on and make sure to correct others as well if you hear them talk like this as well."
"... Punish those that refuse to accept otherwise." Sarferato said as his eyes flashed red
"UNDERSTOOD!" Retero said that he felt the pressure come from his leader, he realized his appearance wasn't the only thing that changed as his pressure was now several times higher
Just thinking about what to do next made Sarferato's expression twist even more, but in the end, he made the hard choice:
"Those whose condition we're unaware of... We can't stay back to confirm their state."
"We'll be proceeding as normal."
"..."
Retero knew this would be the answer, it was the right choice, yet he couldn't help but close his eyes in pain.
"... After this is over and the Stelar Path is stabilized, we'll form search parties to seek all of them so we can reunite them with their families."
Sarferato didn't believe his own words, even if they were still alive now, lost somewhere unknown, they wouldn't be by the time help arrived.
And that was the most painful reality of them all.
"Tell the research team to open the passageway, we'll be sending everyone through after confirming the condition on the other side."
"Once we confirm it, everyone is to make camp and wait for my return so we can join the Village without complications, this is to be enforced at all costs unless emergency strikes."
"In case conflicts do arise, just buy time, we can discuss the rest once we're outside."
"Understood!" The man replied as he turned around to do what he was told
…
/SPARK!/
/BZZ…/
/Shine!/
Not long after, the entire place trambled as sparks of lightning gathered around the gate, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
It was a natural reaction, an electrifying sensation that coursed through their skin as their hair stood on end, making many of the kids smile in their naivety.
A prismatic layer of film slowly formed from the center of the gate, extending to its edges, waving around like water.
Everyone held their breaths, it was time.
The moment of truth.
/Step…/
For some reason, Dale had been chosen to be the one to take the first step, making him extremely annoyed.
But as a reward, his Reputation Score with the Survivors jumped by 10, maybe as a consolation prize for him risking his life for them… Again.
At the very least, he had more leeway to ask things from them in the future if the need did arise.
/Flooup!/
He crossed the gate, his body vanishing with its undulating surface.
...
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Notes
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