I just kept running hoping that Viking made it out okay, but I deep down I knew that it wasn't possible. The tall mushrooms around me looked like they were dying. I didn't see any other creatures. There was only the black mud underneath me. This whole place was becoming a graveyard. I didn't meet a single other being in this dark forest. It felt like days of running, but eventually I got to the border of the dome. Finally, I thought. I ran right out of the dark dome and my eyes were met with a blinding light.

"Ack!" I screamed as I covered my eyes. It was so bright. The shining sun was overhead. Birds were chirping.

It took time for my eyes to adjust to this awful light. As soon as I could see, the first thing I noticed were the trees and shrubbery. The giant mushrooms nowhere to be seen. It turned into a regular forest. Some rabbits in a corner chewing on some leaves. I didn't exactly know where I ended up, but I knew I was out.

I smiled in relief. It was over. But there was something wrong. When I entered the dome, my connection to the Queen was cut off. That sudden chill that I got when that happened never truly left me. But now that I was out, I expected that chill to subside. But it didn't. I didn't feel any different. Was the Queen not connected to me, I wondered. Did being in that dark bubble cut me off permanently or perhaps it was just temporary? Anyways, I didn't think anything of it. I was certain that my connection would come back eventually. If it wouldn't be fixed by the passage of time, then the Queen would certainly do something.

In the meantime, I pressed forward. If I could find another one of my brothers or sisters, I could let them know and then the Queen would know.

I eventually got to a dirt road. As I followed it, I came upon a patrol - one that had been recently attacked. I was tired, but I didn't falter. I rushed over to them to investigate. The patrol consisted of my brothers. There were also some who didn't seem to be a part of our army. Bandits, I thought. As I checked up on the bodies, I found only one who was alive. He looked to be struck by a blunt object, but he was still breathing. I laid him by the side of a tree and shook him awake. I didn't have time to be gentle.

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"Wake up," I said as I continued to shake him. He slowly awoke. And as soon as he did, his breathing became erratic. It was getting faster and faster.

"Stay with me. Stay with me," I said, but he wasn't dying.

"Abandoned. Gone. Lost," he mumbled.

"What happened here?" I asked.

"The Queen. We've been abandoned. Gone. Lost."

He kept repeating mumbling his words. Perhaps, the head injury was more serious than I thought.

"Listen," I said as I assumed he was connected to the Queen. If my words reached him, then the Queen would be able to hear my words as well. "General Kull has betrayed us. He has betrayed the empire. We have lost control of Hiroga City. We need immediate support."

"They're all gone. Everything is gone," he muttered under his breath.

I couldn't tell if the Queen had gotten the message or not. I left him alone and checked up on the others. I hoped that at least one other would be alive - hopefully somebody who hasn't lost their minds.

As I was checking up on one of my fallen brothers, I looked back at the injured member. He picked up one of the electric crossbows. I didn't think anything of it. Perhaps, he regained some sense of himself as a soldier. That was what I thought until he aimed it underneath the roof of his mouth.

"Wait. Stop!" I yelled, but it was too late.

He fired one bolt, and he was dead. If it had been another time, I might have been shaken, but I wasn't. I just didn't care. I continued looking for survivors, but with no luck.

I pressed forward carrying my blade and crossbow. If there were bandits in the area, I had to be careful. A lone roach was easy prey. But I wondered whether it really was just a couple of simple bandits. Not many would have the guts to attack an imperial patrol without expecting being hunted down.

I proceeded quickly and carefully along the dirt road hoping to find another patrol.