The Airfield was two and a half miles away from the city gate, and four miles by road. They were offered a cart ride for a reasonably low price, but they decided to walk the short distance instead.

The road wasn’t particularly well kept due to the various carts that now dotted back and forth along the thick artery. A few months ago, it would have been a different story, but now the merchants in the area had begun getting used to the completely foreign transportation method, so now packed loads were coming and going near constantly.

Third mentally made a note to bring up the possibility of paving over the section once the highway connecting the port was completed, but he knew that wasn’t exactly a short project so for a while at least, they’d have to settle for avoiding puddles.

“Want one?” Third asked as he caught Yala staring over toward a pile of greenish fruits in the back of a slowly passing wagon.

Blushing when she realized she’d been caught, Yala shook her head rapidly so as to not be a bother, but Third had already started moving to catch up with the man pulling from the front.

“You mind?” Third simply asked, holding out a coin as he motioned towards the contents behind the man.

The cart puller looked as if he’d seen a ghost when Third approached him, but the proposed deal was too great to turn down, so the man greedily accepted, dropping the handle of the cart and allowing the two to pick from the ripest of the lot. “Sure you don’t want more?”

“Two’s fine,” Third confirmed, clutching a fruit in either hand with Yala mirroring him beside. “Right?”

“Yeah.” Yala quietly agreed with a nod.

“Thanks,” Third waved as he turned away from the wagon and directed his attention towards the soft yellow and green fruit he’d never seen before.

It only took a few pitiful seconds for Yala to realize third had no clue how to eat a Hyrrup Nut. It took a lot of effort for her to restrain a giggle, but she managed and sent a prodding finger towards the pulpy nub at the top of the fruit.

“Push your thumb in there.” She explained, demonstrating on her own fruit in one hand.

Third tried to follow along but he found it much more difficult to locate than she’d made it seem.

Working slowly, Yala then used the small hole she’d created to peel back a corner of fleshy skin away from the prized core.

Third again tried to follow along but struggled to find the grains of the fleshy pith, so in the end Yala was forced to trade her exposed fruit with his mangled one.

“Now what?” Third honestly asked while awkwardly glancing over the unappealing brown lump.

“Try it.” Yala explained while peeling the last of the stringy material from Third’s poor attempt. Once satisfied, she bit down carefully, exposing the soft innards underneath the thin woody shell.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

With a satisfied grunt, she turned her eyes to Third expectantly.

Hesitantly he followed her example and bit carefully on the tip of the plum-sized nut.

The flavor was similar to peanut-butter mixed with coconut, it wasn’t unpleasant so he sent an approving nod towards his short companion.

Chuckling with satisfaction, Yala returned to licking at the soft nougat-like substance while Third struggled to maintain any semblance of clean hands as the delicate shell crumbled in his grip.

After a few more minutes of walking, with only a few more interesting goods passing by them, they came to a wide bend in the road where the new section had been added to link with the air-field.

Sending a final glance back towards the city, the two shared a weak smile.

Yala, realizing she’d truly be away from her family for the first time, broke her staring contest with the city first as her eyes slowly filled with tears.

Third on the other hand hesitated as he turned. He couldn’t place it, but something felt off as he looked back toward the distant walls and towering castle.

Three eighths of a second later, a powerful blast of sound rippled through the air and tore across the sparse forest bordering the city.

“Mom!” Yala cried out as her senses aligned instantly to the latest information.

Third wasn’t as quick to realize the situation despite his prior warning, only once a blur of black crossed his pupil did the thought even materialize.

“Come on.” Third shouted, pulling Yala’s hand and dragging her away from the capital and further down the road-branch.

“Mom… Mom is back there, I have to—” Yala protested while trying to wrench her hand from Third’s tightened grip.

“Shut up.” Third countered poignantly without pausing a single step. “Turning back isn’t the same as helping.”

Again, Yala attempted to protest this but another crack of explosive sound allowed fear to win out. Her steps soon caught up underneath her as she tightened her grip onto the hand dragging her roughly.

Third paid no mind as he continued down the road with phone clutched in his right hand, he’d gotten rather good at handling the company directory app by the point so with no more than a handful of taps he’d found the contact information of the person he was looking for listed conveniently underneath ‘GCA’.

Tapping the phone icon he set the device to speaker and dodged a pair of carts that’d entangled after the chaos sent their pack animals wild.

“Careful,” He warned behind him with a quick glance to make sure he hadn’t been dragging a detached stump.

“I see it.” Yala nodded with a mixture of fear and adrenaline burning in her eyes

“Hello? Bad time can we…” The phone’s speaker began to bark out as an echoed blast came through in a shallow delay.

“What is taking so long, send out everything!” Third cried into the phone, likely shocking the pants off whoever’d been listed under Security Chief for Gaurdia Capital Airport.

“Umm—” The woman’s voice again began before a realization dawned causing her tune to swiftly change. “I’m sorry Sir. I have conflicting orders in this situation. Is it not still too early to reveal certain…”

“—EVERYTHING!” Third reiterated in a shout. He had an inkling to what it was she was referring to, but at this point, with him this close and the opportunity to save lives in front of them, the company had no choice.

“Yes sir,” The woman in charge of the airfield’s defenses gulped with an awkward salute into the phone.

The call ended just as they were finally coming into view of the large concrete structure built to service the small airfield.

And in perfect timing too, as right as they cleared the tree line a group of red and green glowing shapes cascaded from atop small, rounded pylons jutting from atop the building.

The first group consisted of six smaller drones strapped with payloads of three quarters of a pound each, they rose quickly reaching the height of the forest canopy in a matter of seconds. As soon as they sped off, a dozen more aircraft began rising from behind to take their place.

Third was hopeful as he watched, but Yala’s face was only struck with even more fear.

Drones of either side soon filled the air, the first battle using the ‘fire vs. fire’ method had now commenced.