VRRRrrrr...
Dusk arrived on the temporary base for the militia. Several trucks worth of soldiers had been staying on hold for a couple of hours. Per Dusk's instruction, the task leaders top the advance.
"How is everyone?"
"Nothing yet, boss. Nobody seen them leave the city either."
"Who saw them last?"
"Hey! Come here." A young fella came. "This boy here, boss."
Dusk took a quick garner around the place. His view was fixed not on the boy, but on another one of his men.
"What about him?" His pointer found a man. "Mister! Can you come here?"
"!!! Oh! Yes, boss!"
That man was the opposite of the last one. Not just "on the older side" he was probably over 50 years old. He had [Carrier: 60] even at his age, which alone made him valuable for expeditions.
"What happened with the necklace, mister?"
"Your deputy took it, sir."
BAM!
DU LAX! "Why gave it to him?"
"I-I thought that letter was from you and sir Eric? H-he was with some men! They said they were Mr. Cyntral's men... I'm sorry. I thought... You made up... OH, GODS!"
"Fuh... It's alright, mister. Can you tell me everything?"
"Yes... I'm sorry. Yes, young master- err, boss. Just... Please save the girl."
"I will mister... I promise you, okay?"
---
"WHERE is this truck, Du Lax?"
"It's just up ahead! I sent them there, I know where it is."
Two humvees were racing through the woods. Du Lax was guiding new faces. Two men and a woman. They were looking for the reserve force's truck.
Behind them were four more men on their own ride.
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"If you do what you're told and not send our target, we won't need to go."
"I-I'm sorry..."
They left forty-two minutes from the reserve troops, It shouldn't have taken that long to catch up.
"B-by the way. What issues that boy caused Cyntral?"
"Nobody knew. We're told to pursue him and bring him to our boss, that's it."
"Heh! He must be stupid trying to mess with the Cyntrals! You see, I knew he was a bad one. I caught him stealing a few trinkets myself! And that little shi-"
"LOOK we're not here for interviews! Keep your eyes on the road and continue driving!"
"Y-yes, ma'am..."
Du Lax had the wheel. He could see a map where no other could. Part of his upgraded capability from cybernetics enhancements.
The level of his [mini map] is barely passable, though. But, it already had the ability to track a desired point as wished.
SCREECH
"UGH!"
The lady of the group yanked the fat man's collar. He slammed the break in response. The Humvee was so close to turning itself over.
"Du Lax! Just point to this map, where are we going!? Prove you're not trying to lead us off!"
"Y-yes... Yes... H-here. I sent them here."
He pointed to an area in the map. No more telling than others, it was just filled with trees on the map. But for those who knew...
"This place... Do you know where you sent them!?"
---
"Arthros horde's nest?"
"Yeah, around this part."
In another car, three people were in it. They were still far from reaching the horde's nest. They just left a couple of hours ago just behind the young boss, Dusk. They also used smaller motorcar, so their speed wasn't that comparable either.
"So, the militia is to take the hordes on a war?" The only female, Erika asked her captain.
"Nah. Just some lizards. They found it near some old reservoir more east." The head of the team, Char answered.
"That's far east, right? Why are we here?" Lemmon "Lemmy" is the star mind of the team.
"Ahhh... That boy Eric knew where they were taken, I guess? Crafty one, he is."
Although looking no older than 15 compared to humans, Char was way older than most. He is a race called the halflings. They start their early days like a human but stop growing when they reach their teens.
The redhead captain was also like that. Despite his looks, he had been living for more than half a century.
"I've never really liked that black-hearted prince."
Said the woman clad top to bottom with black. Erika was a tall woman with her hair tapping her shoulder. She had the features of a beauty but had the expression of the combat veteran she was.
If her past could be changed, she could have been a saint. Not only her looks but the fact that her [Light Element] level was high was also a plus.
"He IS very clever. Very fitting of his position."
Lemmy was also the intelligent type. He was a classic mage. One of the most battle-tested the country has. He has four magic elements that reached the late 80s.
"Captain, so what we're going to do once we find them."
"Bring him to that little prince. I believe the young boss can take care of the rest."
"Alright, then. Find them, captain. You're good at it."
---
Tracking people isn't my specialty...
Dusk was still searching for the truck. Without any navigational skills, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"UGH! DAMN IT!"
Not only that, the monsters roaming around the fortress made it harder for him to move. Most would use a more covered vehicle. But he was desperate, so he still used his bike.
"EXCUSE ME! ANYONE THERE!?"
But by some divine intervention, he would find teens in the woods. He turned his line of sight to the source of the girly voice. But the teen he found wasn't Nina. He found someone that redefined his situation.
"BROTHER!?"
"VINNE!?"