The Music Speaks

‘Not that I expected us not to lose the flag…but that’s still disappointing.’

With a deep sigh that releases cold condensation in front of my face, I place my hands on my hips and scan the area around me. If I want any hope of retrieving the flag, I’ll first need to find my way back to the team.

As I look around, what grabs my attention the most is the terrain rich in fir trees. Despite this place being a cold hell, barely fit for life, there is a surprising amount of greenery. While I half-expected the Tundra to only consist of frozen land for as far as the eye can see, a direct opposite of the desert, I find myself surprised to see much more vegetation than I anticipated. Even beyond the fir trees, which are made to survive this environment, patches of grass still manage to thrive in the shallow zones, whether it be on the mountains in the distance or on the ground.

It is only after I’ve stopped running that I realize just how deep the snow has gotten, now arriving all the way to my knees in the deepest parts of this ecosystem. I let out another sigh as I look down at my legs, then decide to keep on marching forward. Not wanting to sink any deeper, I try to maintain a light step as I advance. The snow is troublesome, but an idea quickly pops into my head. I recall the snow clearing machines I would see near my apartment in winter. Though our winters never left me knee-deep in snow, the ingenuity of the machinery inspires me. Imitating it, I manifest my aegis in front of me, and use it to push away the snow as I walk forward.

‘Honestly, I think the desert was better than this’

Another thought crosses my mind as I walk aimlessly. Curiously, while I was running away, or rather, distancing myself from Sylvia’s team, I did not run into any other [echoed]. I’m unsure if this is because other teams have been active in this area or if it’s because they’re hiding, but their lack of presence has made me uneasy. From what I remember, this area should have echo-blessed variants of foxes, caribou, and in the worst case scenario, polar bears. However, for the short time I’ve been here, I’ve seen nothing of the sort, even in the distance.

‘...weird.’

I consider my options as I keep on heading forward. Frankly, the options are few. On one hand, I could obviously return to the desert zone and retrieve the abandoned Bassline. With it, my search for the others would be much easier as it’s made to be all-terrain. Not that my improvised snow clearing mechanism is bad, but there are definitely more noble uses for my aegis. Plus, I have a good idea of where the Bassline would be.

On the other hand, I could wait for them to contact me. Surely, given enough time, someone would reach out to me, or at least I’d like to believe. The problem with that, however, is that it seems like the communication device we use has a certain range, that or Camille is in trouble. It must be one of the two because It’s hard to believe that, if she could, she would not have reached out to me by now.

As I ponder my options, a voice resounds from my watch.

[Your team has purchased an item : Regroup beacon]

‘It announces purchases? It didn’t do that last time… Is it because I’m so far away?’

[Your team has purchased an item : Regroup beacon attachment - vocal message.]

A few minutes pass without any further notifications from the watch.

‘...Wha-’

[Your team has activated the Regroup beacon. An arrow and a distance indication will appear on your watch for the next two hours. The arrow will point to the location of the team member who has activated the Regroup beacon.]

‘...Convenient.’

[The regroup beacon vocal message will now be played.

Is it recording? It is? Hello? Alright I’ll believe you if you say it is. Well, It better be, this thing wasn’t cheap at all, and you’re telling me it’s one use only?! Broad daylight robbery if you ask me!

Don't want to interrupt Lady Thunderblade, but the timer is running out…

Argh! Alright, Alright. I’m starting, I’m starting! Ahem, Hello everyone, I’m still in the desert with this guy here…what was your name again?

…Lycard Palmfire….

Yeah, my buddy Lycard, from the FullCastle team. A twist of fate put us together as we fled from the Sandworms. I was going to eliminate him, but it turns out this guy, and not the FullCastle Lady, is the team leader. Would you believe that? Well, I sure didn’t, so I made him buy his life from me as proof, and he did! At quite the hefty price at that.. Am I not simply a genius?

L-Lady Sophia, the timer…

Don’t rush me!! Either way… part of our deal was that if we could, to bring his team back to him, 100 points per head! So, if you can, do that, and we’ll get the points he promised. In any case, by the time you receive this message, I’ll be heading to the zone marked on our map when we had the flag, just follow your arrow, and meet you all there!

End of message. Would you like to listen again?]

‘I’m glad to hear Sophia’s fine, but I do feel bad for this Lycard guy…’

Now, I can either follow the arrow and meet Sophia in the special zone, or backtrack, and bring back Sylvia’s team along with me for 300 points. It seems like an easy choice, but I don’t feel like they’ll be happy to see me if I show my face back there again.

‘Talyndra has quite the temper… and Feyrin is already crazy, but if it’s Sylvia…she’ll at least hear me out…right?’

With that in mind, I finally decide to turn tail and return to the area where I left them to fight against the Sandworm. I ran away for a few minutes, then walked forward for another dozen or so. If they beat it already, it wouldn’t have been for long, so they should still be in the surroundings.

My assumptions are proven correct when I return. The body of the great Sandworm lies lifeless on the cold ground of the Tundra, and not too far from it, I can see Sylvia’s team, or rather I see Sylvia, and assume that her team is near.. I steel myself to go meet them, ensuring that I am mentally and physically prepared in case Talyndra or Feyrin decides to lash out at me. However, before I reveal myself from the concealing embrace of the fir forest surrounding the clearing where they fought the Sandworm, I notice that they are not alone.

As I look closer, it seems that they are in some sort of altercation, but not with [echo-blessed] creatures, but rather… another team. Curious, I focus on my hearing, hoping to understand the situation.

The first thing I hear is the words coming out from a tall man with golden hair.

‘Oh, I recognize that guy... Peregrine wasn't it?’

“Well well well, it appears that the great Sylvia FullCastle is alone…” He says, a smug look on his face.