Oath of the Survivor

Garth couldn’t help but shake his head as he saw another group approach the city. Refugees had begun pouring into the city once again over the last several weeks. His unit had to work double duty last week due to the sheer number of arrivals, and with this latest group Garth estimated that they would have over one thousand new citizens added to Nierburg. Even though it meant less rest for himself and his squad, it was worth it to see the city continue to grow. It was almost unrecognizable from when Garth had first arrived, and he thought about how well the people from Duilleag had adapted and integrated. With time, he was confident that all the newcomers would do the same.

He looked at the woman leading this group. She looked weary, the exhaustion plain on her face mirrored in the expressions of the people following her. Only maybe in her early thirties, the bags under her eyes and worry lines made her appear far older. Hopefully a few nights of good rest behind city walls will do her good. Looking to his team, he met Mary Ellen’s eyes and nodded. She returned the gesture and stepped forward.

“Welcome to Nierburg, my name is Mary Ellen, and we’re here to help you get settled in.” With the smoothness that only comes with practice, she ran them through a series of questions while Terrance had them perform their verification scans and Joseph tried not to stare at her too obviously. The line of refugees made their way inside in short order, and Garth had to say he was impressed with Mary Ellen’s abilities. She wasn’t much of a fighter, but she had a way with people.

The woman in charge nodded her thanks to the younger woman as she began to walk towards the entrance to the city, and Garth stopped her to ask the same parting question he had asked every group. “Why are you only arriving now?” The haunted look told him everything he needed to know. She looked like she was considering saying more, but Garth waved her dismissal. “You don’t have to share. Your story looks like it’s the same one I’ve been hearing a lot lately. Get inside, get some rest. You’re safe now.”

He watched the woman make her way in before turning his gaze out to the edge of the forest. Despite the clouds and ash, the trees left standing formed a wall of vibrant red and gold on the other side of the empty plain. These weren’t just slow-moving refugees who had been making their way to Nierburg, these people were captives, just like many of the others he’d seen. The specifics varied, but the theme had been consistent across the vast majority of these groups. They had been held by various groups of bandits or marauders; forced to salvage for supplies, do hard labor, or worse. They had been beaten, malnourished, and broken. Then out of nowhere, a monster attacked. This was the haziest part for many of them, some claiming it was a wild beast, others that it was a knight in midnight black armor.

Whatever the truth of the matter, their captors had been beaten, attacked and forced to retreat, giving them opportunities to escape. At first it made Garth think of Kyle, but that thought was quickly dismissed. Nobody had seen hide nor hair of the young man in months, and these refugees were coming from an entirely different direction than the ones who identified him before. No, Kyle was dead, and Garth had to accept that. Besides, the methods were decidedly more brutal. While Kyle prioritized the safety of the people he helped, this new person seemed much more concerned with putting down their captors. Garth’s best bet was that a defector from Central Defense had taken matters into their own hands.

“Garth, big boss wants to talk to you!” The voice belonged to Terrance, and it snapped him out of his contemplation. He looked back towards the gate, where the younger man gestured towards a Communication Array. Garth nodded, trading places with Terrance. “This is Captain Boltsbury.”

“Captain, I am sending Rathman’s team to come cover the gate. Report to my office as soon as they complete the handoff.” DeRosa’s voice was flat, but Garth could tell that something was bothering the man. “Yes, sir. Would you like me to bring my team, or just myself, sir?”

“Your team will not be necessary, though if they could be standing by that would be wise. We may have a deployment coming up, but we will discuss the details shortly.”

“Yes, sir.”

As he stepped away from the Communication Array, he saw Terrance turning away. Eavesdropping as always. Garth noticed this pattern of behavior over their time working together, and in conjunction with some of his other misgivings only reinforced Garth’s mistrust of the other man. He didn’t know if he was working for DeRosa or somebody else, but Garth was confident that Terrance had ulterior motives. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it at this point.

Rathman’s team arrived just minutes later, and despite the tension between the two captains the handoff went smoothly. Gathering his team just inside the gate, he addressed them. “I’ve been called to discuss a matter of some importance with the Councilman. I don’t know the specifics, though there is a chance that we’ll be called to deploy depending on what we discuss. Get food, get off your feet, but be ready. If I need to call on you, I expect you to answer and to be here quickly. Is that understood?”

A resounding “Yes, sir!” came from his team, and he nodded in approval.

“Then you’re dismissed. I’ll update you all as soon as I have details one way or another.” The young people dispersed, and Garth made his way to the office of Victor DeRosa.

“Thomas, it’s good to see you. How long have you been working here?” Garth was pleasantly surprised to see one of the young men from Duilleag at the front desk, and the two clasped hands. “It’s good to see you too, boss. Been here about a month now. After everything that happened in Central Communication the Councilman wanted to bring a couple of folks over, make sure that he has closer ties. I take it you’re not here to catch up with me though.” With a chuckle, Thomas gestured for the older soldier to follow him. Garth obliged, and the two made their way through the maze of hallways while they caught up. Soon, they stood before a large wooden door. Thomas took Garth’s hand once again. “It was good talking to you. We’ll have to grab a beer one of these days, see if we can get the whole group back together.”

“I’d like that a lot. Take care of yourself, Thomas.” With that, the young man left, turning a corner and out of sight. Garth opened the heavy door, and was shocked to see not only the Councilman, but also the current director of Central Defense. “Councilman DeRosa, Director Reynolds. Reporting as requested.”

DeRosa was sitting behind his desk while Reynolds was gesturing towards a map on the desk, both thoroughly engaged.

“Captain, you’re later than expected. Sit.” DeRosa didn’t even look up from the map, pointing to a chair. Garth followed the instruction, trying to contain his curiosity. They looked at the map for another minute or so, before DeRosa and Reynolds turned towards him. DeRosa was the first to speak, cold eyes meeting Garth’s.

“You are familiar with the rumors surrounding the recent spike in refugees?”

The Councilman’s tone made it clear that he knew the answer to his question, and he continued.

“Whoever is attacking these groups, they are causing quite a disruption. While their motives may well be altruistic, the reality is that we simply don’t have the infrastructure to support this constant influx of unproductive unawakened.”

Garth knew that it was certainly adding some strain to the city, but he had a hard time believing it was as large an issue as DeRosa was making it out to be. Still, he kept his mouth shut, listening to the man as he continued.

“Furthermore, they pose a risk to our eventual goals of expansion. Director Reynolds and I are of a mind that it is likely a deviant awakened with powerful combat-oriented abilities. We have had limited communication with a fringe group nearby that has established respectable order, and are in negotiations for them to join as our first satellite settlement. We would like you and your team to go meet with their awakened leader, a man going by the name ‘C.’ You will work with him to lure out and defeat the deviant who is a problem for all of us. Secondly, we want you to report back to us the condition of the camp and the treatment of the citizens. If it is found to be appropriate, we will continue negotiations. If not, we will take a more… direct approach.”

Behind DeRosa, Reynolds nodded his agreement before he spoke.

“Our records show that you were over Level 20 before the cataclysm, and given the hardships you’ve endured and your performance we would expect you’re closing in on Level 40. Is that assumption correct?”

Garth swallowed hard as he tried to keep his expression neutral.

“Getting close, sir.”

Reynolds nodded.

“Then this campaign will likely push you through to it. Perform well, and assuming your skill selection is anything decent there will likely be a promotion in it for you.” He handed Garth a sealed letter.

“You’re dismissed, soldier. Gather your team, you leave first thing in the morning.” With a salute, Garth stood and left the room. He was still shocked that he’d received an assignment from the Councilman himself. That didn’t just happen to normal gate crews, making assignment well beyond his expectations. He contacted his team, and asked them to meet him at first light.

Following the map, it took them nearly two days to reach this mysterious “C,” and he breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the camp. The fall colors were breathtaking as they walked through the forest, but the night they spent on the road was colder than they expected. His squad were all clearly nervous, and Garth couldn’t blame them. This was the riskiest assignment they’d been on, other than perhaps the “supply” delivery they’d done with Rathman. As they approached, Garth was impressed with the discipline he saw. Men in dark combat fatigues patrolled the perimeter, and he was quickly spotted. He kept his hands raised high, holding the letter as a sharp-looking man approached.

“State your business.”

“I’m here as part of a delegation from Nierburg. This letter is from Councilman DeRosa, to be delivered to one “C” in charge of this camp.”

The man took the letter and examined it, before gesturing for a young woman to come stand guard while he went deeper into the camp with the letter in hand. Nobody spoke a word for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the largest man that Garth had ever seen turned a corner and walked right towards them, letter in one hand and a massive battle axe slung over the opposite shoulder.

“You’re the folks from Nierburg, huh?” the giant asked, voice booming.

“Don’t look like much, but here’s to hoping you’ll be of some use.”

Garth saw his team flinch at the man’s volume out of the corner of his eye, and he had to suppress a sigh. They’re just so green. Trying to salvage some semblance of control, he looked the giant in the eyes.

“You’re ‘C’ I take it? Let me be clear about something – I frankly don’t care one way or another how you approach me, but you will treat my squad with respect. Otherwise, you and I will have a problem.”

There was a moment of silence, the tension between the two men building. It was broken as the large man laughed, slapping his stomach with the hand holding the note.

“I think we’ll get along alright. And drop the ‘C’ nonsense, call me Cornelius.”

~~~

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