Dark clouds gathered in the distance, as though dusk had set early. Briggs descended into the underground airship hangar, now repurposed into a shelter for the people. Thousands of human warriors stood assembled, men, women, even fresh conscripts driven there by recent attacks, some seeking refuge, others vengeance.
Briggs stepped onto a platform, his hand rests on the cold metal railing with standing Hendrick by his side. His voice was calm & resolute, carried across the chamber.
"Our time is grim."
The soldiers fell silent as their eyes fixed on him.
"Our loved ones, our children, our world, once again all stand on the brink, I was a fool to believe peace could be our answer. It wasn't… war has come, and as we speak, the enemy marches toward us, we alone stand between them and what we hold dear, our lives, our homes, this world."
A ripple of unease moved through the crowd, some lowered their gazes, clutching at keepsakes pulled from their pockets, pictures of family, tokens of love. For many, the weight of his words cut deep, their hearts are filled with doubt and fear.
Briggs' grip on the railing tightened until his knuckles whitened.
"This war will claim some of us, perhaps too many, but mankind shall endure. Still… I will not command this choice of you. If you wish to live and return to your families, then go, leave now, while you can."
Silence stretched as Briggs closed his eyes, waiting, a few shuffles echoed in the vast hall as some soldiers turned and departed. Their footsteps faded, leaving behind those who chose to stay.
Briggs opened his eyes, the crowd had thinned, but those who remained stood firm, their resolve etched on their faces, he was satisfied.
Slowly, he drew a dagger from his belt, without hesitation, he dragged it across his palm, blood welled and dripped onto the floor beneath him.
"Those who remain… are my soldiers. Your hearts have aligned with mine, and so I entrust you with my life!"
A roar erupted, soldiers smiled, lifted their weapons, their voices shaking the chamber.
Briggs raised his bleeding hand high, "we shall defend our homes with our own flesh and blood! We are the bastions, the last line of Karlea! Between life and death, we stand. And we shall show Morfel's forces that humanity is no livestock, we who were the first in this world, we thrived for thousands of years, and we will reclaim it again!"
The soldiers screamed their war cries, weapons thrust into the air, the sound thunderous with defiance.
Briggs lowered his hand, already wrapping a strip of cloth around his wound, he glanced at Hendrick and gave a short nod.
"From the ashes of our past, we rise armed, for years, humanity studied, experimented, and prepared, and now…"
The side doors groaned open, Asha, Leticia, and several researchers in lab coats wheeled in racks of strange metallic weapons, unlike any steel forged by man, they shimmered with an otherworldly glow, to the awakened eyes among the soldiers, the weapons pulsed with ethereal energy, as if enchanted.
Briggs spread his arms, "here are the tools to rival the Veyrith's might, a humanity's breakthrough!"
One by one, soldiers reached out, their hands trembling as the weapons were passed to them, each soldier felt power in their grip.
Briggs stood tall above them, his bandaged hand raised high, "now go and face the Veyrith with the wrath of mankind!"
The chamber erupted in thunder, the stone walls vibrated with the soldiers' cries, their chants swelling like a storm.
"To humanity!"
The roar carried them out through the underground passages and onto the surface, Gates creaked open as streams of armed men and women poured forth, their banners snapping in the wind, the metallic shimmer of their new weapons glowing faintly against the dusk.
They did not march as a broken remnant but surged as a tide, fanning out across the borders of their base. Positions were claimed, archers in the high ridges, vanguard bracing in the trenches, ambushers cloaked by the forest's edge.
There, in the growing dark, Karlea's last bastion waited, their blades hummed like restless spirits. The air was thick with tension, but also with resolve.
Hidden in the shadows, they aimed to strike first, and when Morfel's army came, they would find not prey, but hunters.
Inside the ward, Garm have regained his consciousness, Markus who is tending to a concoction, suddenly noticed and checked out on him.
"Garm… you're awake."
Cher and her team dragged their feet back through the gates, uniforms clinging with sweat from the day's grueling training, Gil and Eric were still at it, bickering, their voices carrying across the courtyard, Mana, as always, clung to Cher's arm.
But at the base entrance, she froze, her gaze locking on a familiar figure.
Cher's breath hitched, there, standing upright though supported by Markus and a slow-dripping dextrose at his side, was Garm. His body looked thinner, worn by the ward's long confinement.
"Dad…!"
Without a second thought, Cher broke into a sprint, throwing herself into his arms, tears welled and spilled as she clung to him, trembling in relief. Everyone around them can't help but smile witnessing this warm moment.
Garm wrapped an arm around her, and pressed his chin gently to her hair, "I'm here, Cher."
Cher pulled back just enough to look up at him, her small fist thumped against his chest in frustration, "Don't you dare scare me like that again."
For a moment, Garm only smiled, a quiet, weary but proud smile, his hand reached up, ruffling her damp hair with the same gentleness as when she was small,
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
Her lips quivered, guilt breaking through her relief. "I… I failed to protect you, father."
But Garm shook his head firmly, his eyes locking with hers, filled not with disappointment, but pride. "No, Cher, you've more than you realized, I am alive because you were there." His smile deepened, as though her very presence was enough to soothe him. "I am proud of you!"
Cher threw her arms around Garm once more, hugging him even tighter than before. He chuckled, his voice weak but teasing, "Cher… you should probably take a bath now."
Her face turned bright red. "Dad, you idiot!" she squeaked, flustered, and darted out to her room, her embarrassment chasing her down the corridor. Laughter followed in her wake, her father's warm chuckle, and even a few smiles from those nearby.
Not long after, Commander Briggs entered quietly, Garm immediately noticed the bandages wrapped around Briggs' arm, his brow furrowing with concern. Gil, Eric, and Mana trailed behind, greeting their commander with respect before heading back toward their quarters. Briggs gave them a gentle nod, though his eyes lingered a moment longer on Garm, as if sharing an unspoken word.
Meanwhile, back in her room, Cher lowered herself into the bath, she couldn't stop grinning, her heart buoyant with her father's recovery. The joy spilled out of her, she even danced a little afterward, humming softly to herself, but in her excitement, she slipped on the damp floor.
"Ow! Ha, ha…" She winced and laughed at her own clumsiness.
Later, with her hair still damp, she sat at her desk combing through the strands, her thoughts floating between relief and happiness. Just then, a firm knock came at her door.
"Cher, you there?" Hendrick's voice called from the other side.
She blinked, then hurried to respond, "Uh, yeah, Hendrick, I'm here."
"Good," he said, his tone calm but edged with urgency, "Commander summoned you to the office, this is urgent."
Cher froze at Hendrick's words, excitement at seeing her father again still tugging at her heart. But duty came first, she sighed and replied quietly, "I'll be there."
Later, outside the commander's office, she fidgeted nervously, she rehearsed excuses in her head, anything to find a way back to her father's side, with a deep breath and a firm nod, she steeled herself and entered.
Her eyes widened, inside stood fourteen others, fully clad in uniforms and armed as though bound for a perilous mission, at the center, Briggs stood with Hendrick at his side. Mana slipped in just after Cher, then Gil and Eric, still bickering as usual, Briggs called out to get their attention.
"I'm sorry to summon you all at this hour,"his tone was calm but carries weight, "before anything else, I want to say, Cher, I'm glad, Garm, one of my most trusted captains and a friend, has awakened. I know you've missed each other. But…" He paused, his gaze sweep the room. "I must ask you to heed me in a selfish, urgent request."
The room rippled with murmurs, Hendrick quickly cleared his throat, restoring order, he stepped forward with a sealed metal disk in his hands.
"This," Hendrick explained, "contains records of our combat training exercises, we need it delivered safely, the one we entrust it to a close ally, Jack Connor, who waits on the northern shores, several days from here, a carriage has been prepared for you."
Though Briggs' words carried authority, Hendrick knew the truth, this was no mere mission. It was a diversion, the commander could not convince them to abandon the war outright, so instead, he sent them away, Hendrick understood but never objected.
Cher frowned, her lips parting. "But Commander…"
Briggs cut her off sharply, before her emotions could affect his decision, "sorry, Cher, my decision is final, I'll see you here in a few days."
He turned his back on them, his eyes closing, heavy with bitterness.
The group hesitated before filing out of the room, Cher lingered at the doorway, her head bowed but unable to speak. Without another word, she followed the others toward the gates, where two armored cars idled in wait.
Gil's eyes swept the area, his brow furrowed, something felt… off. But he kept his thoughts to himself, waiting for confirmation.
They climbed into the first vehicle, behind the wheel sat their driver, who introduced himself sd Ed. He wore Kevlar beneath an armored jacket, a pistol strapped at his side, beside him sat a metal box, not the kind used for ammunition, but something heavier, something out of place.
Gil's suspicion deepened, though he kept silent, merely watching.
Ed pulled the gear shift, with a sharp crack, the engine roared to life. The car moved forward, kicking up smoke and dust as it sped from the base.
Cher glanced out the window, watching the base drew further the distance.
Gil leaned forward, and asked the driver out of curiosity, "so, Ed… this place we're heading to, sir Jack's was his name… you know him?"
Ed gave a short chuckle without taking his eyes off the road, "Yeah, yeah, he's that cool guy, sure." His answer was brief as if hiding something.
Gil frowned, catching the hesitation, he sat back in silence, for now. Cher, sitting across from him, noticed the tension turned to ask, "are you okay, Gil?"
He forced a smile and nodded, "yeah… just fine."
Eric, already slouched and bored, muttered, "He's probably just got a stomachache, that poopy boy."
Gil smacked the back of his head, earning a grunt from Eric, but his thoughts stayed tangled. The driver's words, the sealed box, Briggs' urgent mission, it didn't add up.
Outside, the forest thickened as the convoy rumbled deeper into the night, shadows stretched long across the path, Gil caught a glimpse of the undergrowth moving unnaturally, he narrowed his eyes but said nothing.
Eric soon drifted off, head lolling against the window, Mana had curled against Cher's shoulder, fast asleep, Cher stroked her hair also lost in her own thoughts.
Only Gil remained wide awake, eyes darting between the dark trees and the back of Ed's helmet, his mind piecing together the fragments of a scheme he couldn't yet prove.
The night grew darker still, and the hum of the engine became the only constant sound they hear.
A few more hours into their journey, the convoy slowed to a halt, the headlights cut across the empty road, casting pale beams into the trees.
Ed, the driver, stretched and yawned. "Quick break, gotta take a leak., he hopped out as he disappeared toward the tree line.
Inside the car, Eric and Mana remained fast asleep, unmoving despite the sudden stop.
Gil caught her eye, pressing a finger to his lips, she frowned but nodded, quietly, he slid from his seat, leaning forward toward the driver's side, his hand lingered over the locked box. One last glance at the tree line, Ed was still gone.
Click.
The lid lifted with a soft creak, Cher tilted her head, expecting hidden weapons or secret orders, instead, sealed packets of rations, enough for weeks, Gil's eyes widened, "No combat supplies, this is all a ploy!"
He then scrambled, reaching into Cher's pack, he pulled out the sealed disk, his chest tightened as he twisted it open, empty, nothing but air.
His throat went dry, "we've been deceived," he whispered.
Cher's face drained of color, "Wha… what do you mean? What's going on?"
Gil snapped the disk shut, shoving it back into her bag, no time to explain. He leaned over and shook Eric awake with more force than usual, "wake up! Quick, summon Betsy, we're going back."
Cher, shaken by Gil's intensity, finally understood, the mission is all a plot, something terrible is happening back there.
Eric jolted awake, drool glistening on his cheek, "huh? Wha…"
Before he could finish, Gil grabbed his collar and slammed his forehead into Eric's nose.
"Gah! Ow! Ow!" Eric rolled across the floorboard, clutching his face, a streak of blood seeping between his fingers.
"No time to explain, hit me later. We need to go back!" Gil barked.
Eric blinked at him through watering eyes, stunned by the rare urgency in his tone. Grumbling, he swiped the blood away and nodded.
Cher shook Mana gently awake, Mana blinked in confusion but, seeing Cher's expression, nodded too, the four scrambled toward the door.
Only for Ed to block the exit, hand outstretched, "hey, hey, what's going on here?"
Cher didn't hesitate, she caught his arm, twisted it sharply behind his back, and forced him down to the gravel in one fluid motion, "now!"
The others slipped past her.
Behind them, the second car, doors opened, boots hit dirt, a handful of personnel strode toward them. "What's with all the commotion?"
Gil ignored them, he gave Eric the signal, Eric whistled, a piercing trill that cut through the night air.
Above, wings tore through the sky with a thunderous caw, Betsy circled in the sky preparing for a landing.
"Let's go!" Eric shouted, waving his arms.
The personnel rushed forward, "stand down!"
Cher faltered, Mana's grip trembled, but Gil's voice cut through, "Commander won't let them shoot, trust me!"
The three of them exchanged a quick nod, together, they sprinted toward Betsy as she descended, wind from her wings scattering leaves and twigs.
"Hey!" Ed's voice barked behind them, he had pistol in hand but instead of aiming, he hurled it into the grass in frustration. "Damn it! We let them escape!"
Those who were left behind glanced at each other in confusion.
Near the giant gate of the base, a lone figure staggered in the dim torchlight,
Trance, or what remained of him, shuffled forward, pale as ash, his body swaying unnaturally with each step.
The two guards stationed at the gate stiffened. "...Tra… Trance?" one called, the other stepped forward cautiously. "Hey, are you okay?"
A guttural wail ripped from Trance's throat, his body convulsed violently, his back tore open as slick, writhing tentacles burst free.
"An attack!" The guard had no time to scream before a tentacle pierced through his chest, lifting him into the air, his comrade barely unsheathed his weapon before another appendage whipped across his neck, dropping him lifeless to the ground.
With a roar Trance hurled himself forward, grotesquely as he running on all fours, the massive iron gate exploded and splintered under his assault, crashing open with a metallic shriek. Inside the shattered threshold, Briggs stood waiting, his knuckles gleamed, reinforced with the new enchantment.
"I've been waiting for you… friend."