The man and woman were trapped in a bunker half-buried under rubble. If not for the faint shouting Willow heard from the ground level, she might have passed by them without giving it a second thought. As it was, the survivors looked haggard. If she had to guess, they were recent arrivals in Pyong-gang, likely after their previous home was overrun by the horde.
She could see the look in their eyes when they were unearthed. It said, not again.
“You need to move west. Get to the first outpost and head south right away.”
She wasn’t sure whether she sounded as confident as she hoped, but the two survivors nodded readily.
“There’ll be others along the way. Stay in groups no larger than five and you should be fine.”
They moved quickly, though not as quickly as Willow would have liked. The cold chill was lessened by the smoldering fires around them, but it would no doubt be freezing cold once they made it out of the town.
“I think that’s the last of them.” she huffed. “We should go back and meet up with the others.”
Seunghyo swept the area with his eyes, looking for any signs of life. It had been two hours since the small city had fallen into ruin. They had found twenty survivors, but the number was dropping.
Time was running short. The horde was thousands of Frostbitten, too many for them to take on even with the help of Halmae and Grim. The best they could do was clear the town of survivors and then head back to provide support for Hana and her family.
Back at the silo’s entrance, Halmae and Grim were already waiting. The bleak look on their faces told Seunghyo they hadn’t been as lucky in their search for survivors.
“What’s next?” Grim rasped.
Both Halmae and Willow attempted to contact Hana and Youngho but with no luck. More than likely, the distance was too great for them to communicate. No one spoke, but there was an unspoken acknowledgement there was the chance there was no one left to communicate with.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“We need to head down and close the gate,” Seunghyo said finally. “The longer it’s open, the more likely something comes out that none of us can defend against.”
Halmae nodded. “Fine, the four of us’ll-”
“No,” Seunghyo interjected. “We won’t stand a chance if the Frostbitten overwhelms us up here or, God help us, if they get into the silo behind us. We need you both to keep the town clear until we return with the others.”
“What about the wraiths down there?” Grim asked. “The two of you won’t be able to take ‘em on yourselves.”
Willow and Seunghyo traded looks. Both hoped they looked as confident as they sounded. “We won’t have to.”
***
Seunghyo’s instructions were clear.
The silo was built during the Soviet era, but the laboratory and research facility were developed later. On the east side of the silo, there was a corridor that would lead to more lab facilities, the gate, and the gate control room.
“The Cradle,” he had called it.
Jinyoung shivered as they walked. The temperature dropped lower the deeper they went. Almost as if whatever was at the end of the tunnels was sucking the heat out of the air. Maybe even the earth itself.
“You did well back there, Jinyoung,” Youngho said.
Upon hearing his name, his back stiffened. Ever since the earthquake, he hadn’t spoken to the old man and except for a few comments here and there, Youngho had been the same.
His response came slowly and awkwardly. “Thank… you.”
Even in the dark, he could see his sister roll her eyes at the two of them.
“You’re using all three, aren’t you?” Youngho asked. “[Charge], [dash], and [scan].”
He wasn’t sure how to respond, so he just nodded. And mumbled softly.
“Yes.”
[You have been [scanned].]
Jinyoung whirled on the old man. Not necessarily in anger, but in shock. Until now, [scan] had been able to tell him when he was being targeted by monster attacks and skills, but this was the first time it had informed him of another player’s actions.
But the old man’s knowing smile gave him pause.
“Got you, boy.”
His cheeks flushed and he quickly turned away, stomping his feet and moving past Hana into the lead. The old man had always known exactly how to get under his skin.
Hana didn’t realize what was going on, but she’d seen enough of her family to know what they were like together. “Jinyoung, wait-”
A raised hand stopped her before she finished. Jinyoung didn’t duck down or take up a defensive position, so he hadn’t spotted an enemy. It was something else altogether then. Something that would give him pause. He turned slowly and looked Hana in the eye before speaking.
“It’s a Hidden Quest.”