POV Chao
Shortly after Raizen left the camp…
“Nate…did you feel it?”
“Yes, I think I did. He felt a little scary to be around. I only noticed it after we moved into the tent, and even then, it was still kind of barely there. I really thought my mind was playing tricks on me, but you just proved it didn’t…”
“No, I’m glad you felt it too. I thought I was losing it. None of the other people at the Outpost reacted to the feeling…and then when it was time for them to do the defense thing, he went out by himself…by himself Nate. They told me it was thousands of Goblins, and he went out by himself…That’s not the scary part Nate…it’s the fact he didn’t even take an hour to come back. I felt something dreadful from beyond the walls of the Outpost, and I basically ran to the room they gave me. I couldn’t help it…my entire body shivered…even my knees felt weak… and before I knew it, he was in room telling me he’s ready to go.
“I had to be near him the entire time on the way here…that feeling that something dangerous is near me…I could barely talk the entire time…Even though I think it’s a good decision to move there, I can’t help but think if it’s the right thing to do.”
“…We’ll talk about it more when my brothers get back.”
~ ~ ~
Pov Sergeant Johnson
“So, what do you two think? Should we upgrade the Outpost? And don’t say it’s my call.”
“But it really is your call Sarge…all the folks that live here now will listen to anything you say.”
“Rickers is right Sarge, everyone listens to you. Well, we do too, but your Sarge so it makes sense.”
‘These guys…’
“Flattery isn’t going to get you out of answering the questions. I promise I won’t judge.”
“Ah fine fine…might as well upgrade it Sarge. We’re running out of space anyway, and that sneaky merchant said the Upgrade will make the Outpost bigger. We got no problem bunking, but some of those city folk like Cambell over here, are probably sick of it by now. Plus, a lil danger never scared us before, especially not since we became these cultivator things.”
“Ah can it Rikers…but anyway Sarge I’m all for it too. We been defending the Outpost just fine through all of these waves anyway, and all three of us are 3rd Cycle. And we got quite a few at the 1st and 2nd Cycle out there so why not.”
“Hmm, decent enough points from both of you. Though I don’t think we should upgrade. At least not yet. We’re at the 3rd Cycle sure, but all three of us need to fight at full strength to defend against the waves, and that’s only 1000 Goblins and 2 Hobgoblins. If those numbers get doubled, I don’t think we’d be able to handle it without injury.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“If folks want more room, then they’d have to get strong enough to warrant the danger that might come with an upgrade.”
“See Sarge you didn’t need to ask us anyway.”
~ ~ ~
POV Kimberly
‘Damn Vampires…of all the Outposts in the Tutorial, I get stuck with the one controlled by Vampires. And that damn Rico, why the hell would he agree to turning into one. Now he’s going around trying to convince the whole damn Outpost to agree to the transformation because he believes every single thing those bastards are telling him. Damn Idiot.’
Knock Knock
“Kim! Are you coming or not? The Dungeon isn’t going to clear itself you know.”
“Argh...I’m coming, I’m coming.”
After Kim left her room…
“You know Kim…you can’t keep brooding in your room forever. You change things that way.”
“Who said I wanted to change anything hm?”
…
“Hey don’t look at me like that!”
“Whatever you say Kim…anyway, are you excited for the Dungeon? They found it underneath a bush!”
“I’m looking forward to it just a bit…I’m just surprised it took us so long to find it, it’s literally right behind the Outpost.”
“Yeah no one thought to check underneath a bush. Apparently, someone fell on top of it, while running from a Dark Rabbit.”
“Damn rabbits.”
“Damn Rabbits indeed…but Kim…are you really not going to do anything? The people listen to you, you know…you shouldn’t let that man convince everyone to go all blood sucker on us.”
“You know they can hear you right…but your right…let’s talk later.”
‘Tessa’s right though. I can’t just sit here and let that idiot convince people that becoming a Vampire is the way to go. I don’t care that they call themselves Vhampryls, or that they don’t need to drink human blood to survive, or that they try their best to be nice to us. A Vampire is a Vampire! And they still need blood! Dammit let’s just focus on the Dungeon.’
~ ~ ~
POV Raizen
Shortly after another successful defense of the Outpost…
“So that’s how it went down. They seem like good enough people, and the one brother I met, said we wouldn’t have to worry about leadership arguments. I do think it was weird of him to mention it, but I’ll take it at face value for now. Oh, and I didn’t see anyone I knew, but hopefully someone will be able to reunite with a loved one.”
“I just hope nothing happens to them between now and the end of the stage. Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something else. What do you want to do after the Tutorial Raizen? Of course, we don’t know exactly what to expect or even if we’d be able to stay together, but it doesn’t hurt to try and plan.”
“Well Richard, I want to have a home. Some place I can call home, do what I want, live how I want, and not worry about someone or something telling me what I can and cannot do. It sounds childish I know, but I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot of people calling themselves kings and queens once we get back, and I’d rather not have to deal with that.”
“Raizen. It sounds like you want your own country. Is that something you think you’re ready to handle?”
“Not sure Richard, and I don’t really know if that’s what I want, but I definitely know what I don’t want and it’s to have to listen to someone else when I don’t really want to. Again, childish I know, but that’s just how it is.”
‘I kind of had these thoughts already, but it sounds really childish when I vocalize them like this…but I’m not ashamed of it. I know how I feel, I know how my flames feel. Being a subordinate to someone else is not apart of who I am, I can literally feel the rejection at thought through my flames.’
“…Well Raizen, I can tell you this. If we do end up being sent back together, I hope I can be there to help you start this country. I have no doubt in my mind that everyone here will support you. In fact…well…actually never mind that, just trust that we will all be there to support you if its possible.”
‘He didn’t even give me a chance to say anything before he just left in a hurry. Sounds like he was hiding something. Hmm…I’ll ask Irene later.’