A piercing scream echoed through the ancient forest:
"Hey! We have been on the move for five hours now! I think it's time to rest!" Star yelled at the cloaked figure striding ahead.
The four soldiers trailing behind her exchanged uneasy glances, but remained silent. The stranger, who had not uttered a single word since they began their flight, simply continued walking. The six of them were still deep within the sprawling woods, and the hooded man's stoic silence was unnerving.
"Hey!!!" Star bellowed, stopping abruptly. Her face was a mask of cold fury, her four soldiers stopping with her.
"You! Who are you?! Why are you here?! And why the hell did you risk your life to save us?!" she demanded.
The man stood still, a silent statue.
"Are you going to answer me or not?!" Star's fists clenched in rage.
"We don't know where you are leading us... You might even be one of those things in a human size!" she snarled, summoning her sword.
"If you want to live, follow me... If not, you are free to stay behind," the stranger finally grunted, his voice a low rumble. He didn't even turn to face them as he resumed his relentless pace.
'Why? Why does this voice sound so familiar?' Star thought, her hand trembling on the hilt of her sword.
"Commander?" the fox lady whispered, drawing Star's attention.
"What?!" Star snapped.
"I say we follow him," the lady said softly, then added, "We are in an unknown planet, with giants who want our flesh... He survived here, and we don't know how long he has been on the planet, which means he knows more than us."
"Do you think I don't know that?" Star hissed back. "His punch seems to have frozen that Giant... Even if it was for only a few seconds, it provided us with the time to escape... He must truly know something we don't." She turned her gaze to the stranger, who was already a considerable distance away.
"What is your order, Commander?" the human soldier asked.
Star stared at her team for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "There is nothing we can do," she said, before adding, "For now, let's follow him, and keep your guard up... We don't know where he is leading us."
____
[Ten Minutes Later.]
"...?!"
All five of them gasped in surprise and disbelief, staring at the wooden house that stood before them, nestled right in the heart of the massive forest. Star looked up, the raging storm above them, before lowering her gaze to the glowing lights that illuminated their path around the house.
"Won't this attract those things?" she asked, her voice hushed.
"The trees are both big and thick, and their leaves work as a cover... No matter how big a giant is, it can't just rush in here... Besides, we can defend ourselves."
"We?" Star raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Don't worry, if we wanted you dead, you would be dead," the stranger said, gesturing toward the trees.
Star and her team looked up, their eyes widening at the sight of drones, their cameras and guns all aimed directly at them, taped to the trunks of the trees.
"Calm down, David! They are friends!" the man called out, waving his hand.
They watched as the guns on the twenty drones lowered in unison, and the door to the house swung open.
"...?!"
Star was stunned, staring at the young elven guy who walked out of the house.
"That is David, 17 years old kid, and is already one of the best inventors I know," the man said, finally turning around to face them.
"Welcome to our home." He removed his hood, revealing his face.
"Uncle Vancouver?!" Star blurted out, stunned, a moment of disbelief rippling through everyone present.
"...?!!"
********
"Done," Joshua said, his face cold.
"Good... If he dies, I won't have to worry anymore," Matilda nodded.
"What about Sunny."
"What can he do? His uncle is the last line of hope he has, if he dies... Everything is over for him."
They watched as the missile separated into two, its head shooting towards the mansion.
WHOOSH!!!
Vancouver and the three barbarians looked up, frozen in shock as they saw the projectile hurtling toward them.
"What the?!" Vancouver was speechless, staring at the missile heading straight for his home.
He discreetly pulled out an unknown white hexagon-shaped object.
'David... I will have to gamble with your gadget,' he thought, and crushed it.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
At that exact moment, the missile hit, turning everything into dust.
_____
[Outermost.]
In a small room, old and new gadgets lay scattered across the floor. A young man stood before a lady with long red hair that touched the ground, a wide smile on his face.
"Thank you so much, Lady Morgana... Thank you!" he said, his voice full of gratitude.
"If it hadn't been for you and Lord Vancouver... I wouldn't have gotten anywhere with my skills... I am truly grateful!!"
Morgana smiled and patted his head. "Okay now, stop being so polite... It's irritating."
She moved her crimson gaze around the room, taking in the parts of countless unrecognized machines, and sighed.
"Okay, David, what are you building again?" she asked.
David's smile grew brighter as he rushed to a large table in the room. He activated his cosmic brain and pulled out a small, circular object, which he placed on the table.
"As you know, Wendigos are giving us a hard time... all the nations, I mean. But with this... all Wendigos can be wiped out," he said, his eyes filled with pride as he stared at his greatest invention.
"All Wendigos? With just this small thing?" Morgana asked, pointing at the object, clearly skeptical.
"I know it sounds unbelievable... But once I finish it, you will see... This small thing will save the Galaxy," he said, looking up at Morgana.
"You believe I can do it, right?"
Morgana stared at him for a few seconds before sighing. "Wiping the Wendigos has been a dream of countless men and women, and they're all dead now, either eaten by those monsters or died of natural causes... The main thing is, none of them succeeded." She turned and walked toward the door.
"The Wendigos are far from what you understand, child... You should focus on inventing something else..." She stopped and looked at David over her shoulder.
"Something that won't get you killed," she said, walking out and closing the door behind her.
'No!' David clenched his fists.
"I just don't have the money for the parts! I know I can do this... But---"
BOOOM!!
"...?!"
David looked up in shock at the smoke that appeared before him. When it cleared, Vancouver was standing right in front of him.
"What?!"