The Southeast Military Base

18:02

At the base though, it seems that everyone is in stress after the whole chase happened and because of the Great Leader's abduction. Some people went around the city to ask the veterans about the cause in the meantime, yet RY4N remained the one most worried from them all, of course, moving around and waiting for the soldiers to come back with some news. So when they do come back, he doesn't even say anything, simply waiting for the response.

[IZA4K]-Master RY4N, I'm afraid that none of the people near our area have seen anything close to what we've described to them. Nobody saw any figure running around, especially with the ruler being with it.

[RY4N]-But it can't simply disappear into thin air! Go and see if it left any trace!

[IZA4K]-With all due respect, I don't think it left any trace behind. If anything, I don't even think it went in the Underground City from what it seems. The guards around the tunnels do not know anything about a running figure either, so how is it possible for it to go in the city without anybody seeing it?

[RY4N]-Then if it didn't, it has to be still around the tunnels, right?

[IZA4K]-Even so, it doesn't seem like it. Again, the guards didn't see anybody leaving or entering the tunnels. And, to be honest now, it's more like a relief to know that. What if the guards truly saw the figure? Wouldn't that mean they would've seen the ruler too? Announcing their Leader about CHE5TER who, somehow, is alive? A rumour which could go wild around the whole Council??

[RY4N]-But it's better than getting him killed, IZA4K! Whatever the figure wants, I don't think it is as peaceful as it seems!

[IZA4K]-Then what do you suggest us to do, huh!? You saw it yourself! That intruder simply vanished in a blink of an eye the moment we were close to catching him! And there is no way it was any device we use! It's like as if he teleported!

[RY4N]-We will go and search for him, okay?? We won't stay and do nothing knowing damn well that something is happening! If you believe that it isn't in the Underground City, then we will look around the City of Above!

[IZA4K]-But the city is huge, RY4N! Even if we look everywhere, there is no way in Hell we will simply find it by wandering around! There are hundreds of buildings with several apartments, who says that the abductor didn't go in one of those?? It will take us good years to only look around all of them, not to mention all the other possible spots in which it might hide!

[RY4N]-Do you have any other idea, IZA4K? We are talking here about the ruler! Whoever took him will cause us all trouble if it knows who CHE5TER truly is! We cannot simply let it slide! What if it was one of the M soldiers for example? It will put our city in danger if so! We need to go and find him at all costs, dead or alive, you hear me!?

[IZA4K]-...

[RY4N]-Now go and prepare for our new mission! We will go and investigate the City of Above for the rest of the day!

[SESoldier3]-But it's still daytime! We work only during the night, remember? What if the soldiers see us?

[RY4N]-Does it seem like we have anything better to do now? Go and get ready! All of you! We will meet at the entrance from the tunnels!

So, most of the soldiers went to prepare. Of course, those that weren't even present at the base when this whole thing happened most likely don't even know about the whole problem that occurred. They got informed about it, of course, since the alert went to all the soldiers of the base through their communication devices, but again, they weren't present, even if some of them tried to hurry to the base and help out.

But while the soldiers are preparing themselves, it seems that the Officer hasn't rested enough, since his head spins around and the whole new stress doesn't help either. If CHE5TER is a boy that attracts danger and injuries, RY4N is the type of being that an injury doesn't even touch him, but illnesses can't just simply avoid him though. Sure, it isn't something serious yet, it's just a headache caused by the powerful energy of the suns which these brothers aren't used to since they are children of darkness, but it affected him pretty badly. Compared to CHE5TER who leaves the city pretty often, even during the day, RY4N is only used to the night schedule of the outside, barely seeing the suns himself. So it might explain why the Great Leader didn't get affected so badly.

MY4 was standing by his side, in the morning and even now, to make sure he is okay and he gets the recovery he needs. Her and some other Healers of the base have treated the ill ever since they got back from the outside mission, a reason why she stood more at the base these days. Before, she was barely seen in the base since she didn't have anything to do here ever since CHE5TER has recovered from His injuries, so she took her time to stay more at the shelters. But now, the base needs her, a reason for her to come back.

[RY4N]-...It's just a great time for new problems like this one to appear, I swear.

[MY4]-You have to take it easy, RY4N. Your sunstroke is still affecting you. Stressing yourself might not end up so well for you.

[RY4N]-MY4, I can't just simply stay and do nothing. It's not just my brother in danger now, it is the whole city. If an enemy really found out about us and our hiding spot, it won't take long before Death will start dancing on our graves again.

[MY4]-And what if it's not an enemy? Maybe we are just exaggerating again like we did when CHE5TER disappeared. It turned out to be alright, remember?

[RY4N]-I doubt it is the same thing now... CHE5TER was bleeding, for real this time, and the cause of it was that intruder. Whatever he wants, it can't be something good. He knows something if he took the ruler, he knows something if he even got here. He could've taken any of us, yet he took the Great Leader Himself...

[MY4]-But CHE5TER is powerful, right? Maybe He can still defend Himself from this new enemy. We've underestimated His potential many times, and everything turns out to be okay in the end.

[RY4N]-MY4. He almost died. Even he has his own limits, no matter his power. If we are talking about thousands of soldiers after him, who says he will survive while fighting them all? Don't you remember that we don't even know what happened that day to cause all of his injuries to begin with?

[MY4]-...But what if it's not... the same? We have to hope... right?

[RY4N]-*sigh* Yeah, we have...

They look a bit down, since they know very well that now it's a bigger threat than ever. A complete stranger, entering a military base without even being noticed by a single soldier, harming the Leader, the ruler of this city Himself, without giving even the smallest scar to anybody else, then disappearing into thin air without anybody knowing where the man went... This is something new for sure, for all of them, so of course it explains their worry about the whole thing. If it turns out to be one from the M soldiers' side, the city might die even in a matter of days.

But while they stay silent, it seems that the small group of friends arrive to speak with them too. Officer KYR4, LUK3 and C0NNER, two which didn't even took part in the chase since they weren't present at the base at that time and one that simply continues being himself.

[KYR4]-Okay, RY4N. We are ready for whatever the others have talked about. So what exactly happened in the base this morning? LUK3 here doesn't know how to even explain properly.

[LUK3]-HEY! I GAVE YOU THE BEST EXPLANATION I COULD DO!

[KYR4]-Aha...

[C0NNER]-...Is it true? Did the intruder of today really took the Great Leader?

[RY4N]-Yes, it is... He appeared out of nowhere in the ruler's office and injured him, then ran outside of the building without leaving any trace. Where is N04H?

[LUK3]-Huh? What's up with him?

[RY4N]-I have a small task for him since the whole problem. Nothing much.

[LUK3]-Oh, well... he is at the training ground as always! He has two more months of training with his weapon and then he can start the whole preparation for the role itself. Though who knows if the guy thought of a personal Defender yet...

[RY4N]-Can you tell him to look around the Underground City today while we are out on the mission and see if he can find the abductor? Or even CHE5TER alone if anything? Our city is smaller, so no need of more people. You can tell him it is a small training too.

[LUK3]-Well, I don't know how happy he will be the moment I will tell him the task though. He is a bit irritated that we left him at the base so many times and even needed to put him train alone since the missions needed me. But it's not my fault he chose that role!

[RY4N]-At this point, we won't need him to do the other year for the Investigator role. If anything, we should at least teach him the basics of the whole equipment and what to do during the missions. Looking at how the problems progress, he won't have time for any training anymore...

[KYR4]-What about the Council meeting of today? Sure, we go in a mission now and all, but will we be back in time for it?

[RY4N]-We won't go today either, alright? I will announce the Council that something came up at our base and we can't be present.

[KYR4]-Okay, fair enough... That's a relief to be honest.

[C0NNER]-So... are we going, or...?

[RY4N]-We are, don't worry. Let LUK3 announce N04H first and then we can leave to search for the ruler.

The City of Above

37:41

And yet in the meantime... it doesn't seem like the ruler is in any danger as they think. He is standing on the ground, having a small rest to get rid of the pain faster, while the boy simply watches the view of the city over and over again, almost as if something bothers this strange figure.

[??]-...So? Have you rested, LENKOV?

[CHE5TER]-You know, it gets pretty annoying to call me "LENKOV" all the time, little boy.

[??]-Isn't it the name that you go by though?

[CHE5TER]-It is my family name, not the name that I use. You understand now?

[??]-Okay... then how should I exactly call you if the name "LENKOV" annoys you?

[CHE5TER]-Seven works for me.

[??]-Seven? So you are "Seven LENKOV"...?

[CHE5TER]-Oh, dear gods... No. Seven is a nickname, got it?

[??]-Mhm... But why "Seven" exactly? Are you the seventh LENKOV of your family or something?

[CHE5TER]-No. I'm the eleventh.

[??]-Oh, your family sure is big then... So what's up with the nickname "Seven" then? What does this have to do with your name?

[CHE5TER]-It's simply from my blood code, child. Never heard of people going by the codes they have?

[??]-I did... but I asked for your name.

[CHE5TER]-Well, I won't like the idea of giving my true name to a stranger that much, you know?

[??]-Oh, so you are playing that game... Alright then. Be it as you wish, "Seven".

So of course the Great Leader doesn't say anything since this boy is strange in His eyes. But it sure gets late since the suns are going down slowly.

[CHE5TER]-...You don't plan on letting me go any sooner, do you, child?

[??]-Well, I can let you go even now. I do not mind. But if you leave, you won't get your ore back as you wish, you know?

[CHE5TER]-So what exactly should I do to win it back? Should I fight you again?

[??]-You can try, big guy, but I remember I wiped the floor with you when we first met. So if you do not want that to happen again, I advise you to calm yourself down.

[CHE5TER]-Little boy, I do not play games here. I have work to do, and you do not help me with anything keeping me to stay just for an ore. Do you even know what it is if you want to keep it so badly?

[??]-But do YOU know what it is if you wish to do the same thing? Why are you complaining about my behaviour if even you aren't aware of its use?

[CHE5TER]-*sigh*

So of course He got annoyed by this response. It's true, He doesn't know what's its use either, so He has no counter arguments. He takes a small break from the conversation, getting a bit up to watch around the city from His spot, a bit annoyed by a thought.

[??]-...So? What are you thinking about? You plan on how to steal it from me?

[CHE5TER]-Oh, I would love to. But... that's not what's in my mind.

[??]-Alright, then what are you thinking of?

[CHE5TER]-It's nothing you should bother yourself with, boy. Mind your business.

[??]-*sigh* You are a cold man, god dammit...

So, the boy starts moving from its spot and goes towards the ruler's position, sitting down next to Him with no mean of harm.

[??]-Okay, I see that we've started it on a wrong foot... Look, I am no enemy of yours, and I do not plan on being one. I am a simple guy with a few questions, that's all. I do not want you to get a bad impression about me, alright? So how about we start it all over again?

[CHE5TER]-...

[??]-...Allies?

Yet the ruler wasn't looking at the boy at all. He avoided eye contact with this stranger, looking at the city lost in His thoughts, before He finally gave up and noticed the young guy that was watching Him.

[CHE5TER]-...Alright. Allies.

[??]-That's more like it... So? What's on your mind? Anything bothering you?

[CHE5TER]-Don't force your hand now, kid. You are lucky that I do not have anything with me at all.

[??]-I'm just trying to help, no need of feeling attacked now.

[CHE5TER]-*sigh* I'm just a bit... worried, alright?

[??]-Worried about what?

[CHE5TER]-About... my people.

[??]-...Why so?

[CHE5TER]-Last time I... disappeared like this... my brother made a whole scene over the building and thought that I was dead. Knowing what happened last time, I doubt it is a difference now... Especially when he knows that it isn't my fault this time. So I guess I'm a bit concerned about what's happening with them now, yet I cannot go back on my own until my body doesn't heal. I don't even have an Energy Killer with me to help myself, so it will take a while and stress him even more...

[??]-But he has to learn to survive without you sometimes, right? What's the big deal here? People lose others every day, who says he can keep you alive forever?

[CHE5TER]-Heh, it's funny when you don't even know what you are talking about... But even so, have you ever lived the moment of losing someone close to you to even argue on this subject?

[??]-Who says I didn't, though?

[CHE5TER]-Really? Did you lose a sibling as well?

[??]-I had many siblings, Seven. Even thousands of them. People that I once knew and call them all my brothers and sisters.

[CHE5TER]-No. I mean... a brother by code.

[??]-Hm?

So, the ruler shows the boy His right arm, hand on which He has the signs of connection of the code line with His other siblings, an Error and an Original, an M born and an R born. It doesn't seem to light up, being dark since His other brothers are far away from Him, nor does the sign that represents Him to have a powerful light as it should. And with this gesture, the boy understands now why this man is so attached to a simple sibling. A code line will remain together for their entire life, no matter what happens, and once one of them dies, it hurts even worse than any being you ever loved. A curse, even.

[??]-...You are an Error?

[CHE5TER]-Realised in the end? Yes, I am the youngest Error of my code.

[??]-So this is why you are so worried?

[CHE5TER]-Mhm. Knowing my Original, he might be already searching for me everywhere and getting angry for not finding me. And it concerns me the fact that he got sick a few days ago and still feels unwell...

[??]-Is he by any chance a guy with light brown hair and dark brown eyes?

[CHE5TER]-Hm? Yes, he is. How did you know?

[??]-I might have... met him... to say it gently. When I kind of abducted you, heheh...

[CHE5TER]-Really? How was he?

[??]-Well, I guess he was... confused? And a bit pissed, heh... He kind of gave me some good bullets in the head, not gonna lie... I still feel them even now.

[CHE5TER]-Yeah. That's my brother, RY4N...

[??]-RY4N... Heh...

It doesn't seem that the ruler is any tensed as He was before now, maybe because He is trying to get as much rest as possible, or maybe because He feels that this boy is no enemy in the end. Who knows His intention, though? Maybe He wants to make the boy speak, thinking that if He says a few words about Him, the boy will do the same.

[??]-...Mind if I ask you a few things, Seven?

[CHE5TER]-Depends on the subject. What do you want to know?

[??]-Well... can you... tell me more about this city that we are witnessing now?

[CHE5TER]-Hm? You don't know about the City of Above? I guess it isn't much to say about it though, but why do you wish to learn about it?

[??]-City of... Above? So the underground one is also another city?

[CHE5TER]-...What do you mean? You are not from the Underground City?

[??]-No, I'm not. Is it... a bad thing?

[CHE5TER]-But if you aren't a citizen of it, then where did you come from?

[??]-I am... a lost soul, I guess. I do not belong in the city of the underground or the City of... Above. I am no citizen of theirs. That's why I asked you.

And it confused CHE5TER for good now. It is the first time He hears someone saying that it's not a citizen of the underground, nor of the above.

[CHE5TER]-...Then where are you from?

[??]-I guess I'm an outsider of these cities. I live in an old village, maybe far, far away from here. Yet something seems to have happened and the next second, I somehow wasn't home anymore, present in the wilderness, following a strange sense that led me here. To be honest, I don't even remember entering the city to begin with. I feel like I've went on its streets, but I just don't remember these exact moments. I simply found myself next to the thief of the ore threatening me. As if I followed the ore that was... calling for me.

[CHE5TER]-There are villages outside the city? How come? Aren't the demons a threat to your people?

[??]-Demons...?

[CHE5TER]-The demons? The creatures of the outside? The huge and corrupted-looking beings with such a wild growling that could paralyse you the moment you hear it?

[??]-Oh, those creatures... What a weird name you guys gave them. My people simply call them "living creatures", but I guess "demons" isn't a bad one either... Yes, they are a threat to us for many years, but we manage to defend ourselves as long as we have a source of light during the night. Some people stay awake to supervise the area and switch with others every hour so that everyone can take some rest.

[CHE5TER]-So if there are beings that live outside this city, does that mean you guys have your own machine too?

[??]-Hm? There is another machine besides the one that gave us life?

[CHE5TER]-I mean, we have one too. So that's why I'm asking.

[??]-Oh, um... I guess then? But now that I found out about this city, I am pretty curious to learn more about it. You know... since it's the first time in my life I see something like this... I don't think I will leave to find my village any sooner. So? Do you think you can show me around, Seven?

[CHE5TER]-If you promise me that you will show me around your village too, then I will.

[??]-Heheh... Alright. I will give you my word. Once we get the chance, we can go and search for my home. My brothers won't even believe me that I've found such an advanced city out in the wilderness...

And so, the young man finally got from its threatening phase to simply being an ally of the Great Leader it doesn't know about. It sure is strange for CHE5TER though, an outsider coming on their territory, entering their base so easily and also beating Him too, yet now standing as a simple being enjoying its life like all the others. Another survivor just like Him.

[CHE5TER]-...By the way, how should I call you, little one?

[??]-Hm?

The boy was confused at first when the question was asked, looking a bit down to think of something, but then it looked back at the ruler and gave Him a gentle smile, inventing a name just like He did.

"...Call me General, if you wish."