November 19, 2056
4:34 P.M.
Vicerole, Underground Caverns
Renee Luna
Nothing on this damn island is making sense.
First deadly machines named 'Stalkers' that'll tear you apart in mere seconds and now a mysterious group of people that are Vicerolien born? How can that be? At a glance, I would say she's around twenty years of age. The rest also seem young except Andino who looks closer around his mid-thirties to forty. Assuming he also was born here, just how long have these people been here?
"T-That's ridiculous," Flash stutters. "You mean to say you were born here? On this desolate island devoid of life? I know squatters like their peace and quiet but here of all places?"
Aria only frowns at his statement. "That's not a nice thing to say about my home... I'm also starting to dislike this squatter word of yours. Cretino..."
"It's true, Shards." Andino's voice draws everyone's attention to him now, "You may find it hard to believe but this island is not as devoid as you make it out to be. Come I'll show what I mean..." Is all he says before continuing forward as a faint light appears at the end of the tunnel.
Upon reaching the opening, I expected for us to finally emerge on the surface... but that's not the case as I stand in awe at what lies ahead. Around me, the shards share the same feeling.
When Andino stated that he would take us back to his village, I presumed he meant a small camp of sorts... but I was wrong. In this enormous cave opening, numerous small structures occupy most of the space with distinct silos that stretch from the ground up to the ceiling of the cave. From here, I can make out the abundance of people walking in between the buildings as well. Hanging above are also artificial lights that illuminate the entire area.
"J-Just what the hell am I looking at?" A shard next to me is the first to speak.
"This my friends," Andino announces before turning to us with his arms extended to his sides, "is our home."
I barely have enough time to process his statement when all of a sudden, Carl collapses behind me.
----------------------------------------
After an anxious half-hour wait outside the clinic, my eyes finally catch sight of Macy and the town's doctor emerging from the front entrance.
"How is he?" I'm the first to ask as the two approach me and the rest of the company.
"He's doing fine now," she starts, "He's awake now and I left Carel to look after him. Mainly because she wouldn't leave his side."
"I see... That's good to hear." I sigh a breath of relief as I hear the others behind me do the same.
"Sorry I couldn't be of much help," a new voice makes me look back up to see the doctor taking a step forward, "I am not suited to dealing with such severe injuries..."
"You did all you could, given the circumstances. Just having him back awake is more than anyone could've asked from you, doc." Macy finishes while giving a pat on the back to the doctor which seems to reassure him.
With the scare Carl giving us finally passing, I focus my attention back to the surrounding environment we find ourselves in. During the thirty minutes we waited outside, people had begun to appear to watch us from afar while talking amongst themselves in their unknown language. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't on edge with all the prying eyes on us but eventually we soon came to the realization that they were just curious about who we were. Still, it wasn't until now did Frost finally gave the gesture for everyone to relax.
After another few brief moments, Andino appears again, this time with an entourage following close behind him. Among them are children who are more than willing to come up to us and greet themselves.
"Ciao! Come ti chiami? Sei nuovo qui? Ha dei begli occhi, signorina!" A small boy says to me while jumping up and down ecstatically with his friends.
"Uh-" Before I can say anything else, I turn to see Aria approaching to shoo the little ones away.
"Beat it, kid. Capo has some things to discuss with them about."
The boy frowns and sticks his tongue out at her before fleeing away with his friends to their calling parents.
"Sorry about that. We don't get many visitors," she says, laughing a bit.
I-Is that supposed to be a joke...?
"My apologies for the young ones, Shards. Their curiosity gets the best of them you see," Andino soon says to Macy as she turns to see him slightly bowing.
"No need to apologize, it's only natural for them to be curious about us."
"Yes indeed. Now, if you'll allow me, I'll guide you to a place where we can begin discussing everything you need to know."
Macy nods, and after assigning two shards to stay with the siblings, she follows his lead as the rest of us trail shortly behind.
----------------------------------------
I hadn't noticed before due to still being on edge, but after wandering through the settlement for some while now I've realized that the air in here is different from the caves. It's only now slightly warm compared to the inferno we were in before. Thinking about it now, these enormous silos could be how they're ventilating the area but it's just a guess as most things here can't be explained.
How did they get the materials to construct everything here? What's their source of power that allows them to generate enough electricity to power the homes, streetlamps, hydroponics, and the massive amounts of LEDs above us? Clean water, clothing, modern medicine; these things just don't appear out of thin air. Add on the sentient Stalkers trying to kill us and this island officially just became ever more uncanny.
After a little while, we reach what I would assume to be the town hall where Andino waits for us at the doorway. Before entering, however, Macy pulls us aside to speak amongst each other away from prying ears.
"Only Frost, Cruz, Luna, and I are going in this time," she says before looking over to Flash, "I trust you can keep things in check while we're inside, correct?"
"When have I ever let you down? I think we'll be alright for the time being."
"Good, make sure you all get some rest as well."
Stolen novel; please report.
He nods before turning to address the rest of the shards. With Cruz also finishing up addressing his shards, the four of us head in where we are promptly escorted to a room where a circular table sits in the middle. Andino and his people stand on the other side of it, with Aria being among them. Again, they speak in their language with each other before finally gesturing for us to take a seat along with them.
"So," Andino starts with a long exhale before looking up at us with a smile, "Before I begin, I would like to know your names so I can properly address each one of you if need be. I'm sure that won't be a problem, will it?"
"Not at all, I'll start. I'm Major Macy of Black Shard Company and to my right is my second in command Captain Frost and next to him is the Captain of Crimson Shard Company Cruz. To my left is Luna."
...
Thats it? Oh right... I don't officially have a rank...
"A pleasure to meet you all. With that out of the way, what would you like to know?"
"To start, can you tell us exactly how long you and your people have been on this island? From our understanding, this island was supposed to have been evacuated during the Incident that took place in 1960."
"I can't say for certain, but from my understanding, I know my parent's parents have lived here for their entire lives. That may give you an estimation but as for this incident you speak of, I do not know of it whatsoever."
Parent's parents...? If that's true and if they lived to around sixty that puts them well past the date the incident occurred. Yet they have no recollection of it occurring...
"I see..." Macy says looking over to Frost who is just as equally complex. "So, you've been here for all your lives then?"
They nod in unison.
No hesitation from any of them. They must be telling the truth but it's just so surreal taking it all in.
"I-I'll go next, " Cruz clears his throat, "During our first encounter, you called us out by using the name Shards. How did you know who we were?"
For some reason after this, the room suddenly becomes heavy as the faces of the people across from us advert their eyes.
"Your clothes and gear. Once we had seen them, we recognized the similarities between you and the other shards that lived on the surface..."
Other Shards? Do they mean-
"White Shard!" Frost jumps up, "You know about them? What happened to them?"
"Frost, sit down. Andino, explain."
"I'm so very sorry to say this... but your friends that you are looking for are dead." His words hang in the air for almost an eternity before Frost rises again to his feet.
"What!? What do you mean they're all dead? That can't be! What do you know!" Frost can barely contain his rising voice.
"Frost please-"
"They butchered every last one of them, I'm afraid. I wish I could've intervened to save their lives but any act on my part would've put my people at risk."
"By they, do you mean the Stalkers?" Cruz asks again, "Are they the ones responsible for their demise?"
"...Partially. While the Stalkers were indeed the ones who massacred those shards, they were most likely ordered to do so by the command of The Divine Right." Andino says solemnly.
As soon as he speaks those last words, a slight migraine hits me before fading away a few seconds later.
"The Divine Right?" Macy inquires.
"A faction that rules over the majority of the population on Vicerole. We used to be a part of said group, but the last chief grew fed up with their extreme beliefs and left to start a separate village some time ago."
"There's more of you down here?"
"Yes. Very much more. Although since we've separated, I do not know the current status of the Divine Right and each of its settlements. The same goes for them, however. Had it been another village your squad ran into; you might have already been dead by now."
I can feel my stomach twisting and turning. I get the feeling that the only reason we've survived so far has been pure luck. The helicopter crash, the initial stalker attack, falling several meters down into a cave... and now this. Just how long much longer will this streak continue until it finally ends... The thought alone makes me want to vomit again.
"Why are you helping us?" Macy speaks once more, "By us being here you put everyone you know at risk. What do you get out of all this?"
Andino takes a moment to ponder on it but only for a moment before looking back up at her, "It might be due to how this village was taught about certain things differently, but we can see what the Divine Right is truly about. Its followers have been fed with lies and as such have been misguided. Some of those followers were our friends, family members, and lovers that are no longer the person we once knew. I may indeed be endangering my folk with my selfish request... but I truly believe your kind has the power to put an end to the Divine Right. And I'll do everything I can you help you achieve that."
With his request coming to a close, another heavy silence settles over the room. Looking over the others, I can their expressions ranging from uncertainly to dubiety. They exchange glances, searching for reassurance, and after a moment, Macy releases a heartfelt sigh.
She leans in, her gaze steady as she addresses the group, "That's quite the request you've given us. A grand one at that as well. You're asking a lot from us considering we're down more than a quarter of our initial men."
There's a moment of silence as the weight of her words settles on Andino. Tension hangs in the air, each member finally contemplating the enormity of the task in front us ahead us. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Macy speaks again. This time with a spark of determination in her eyes.
"Fortunately for you, we've faced even grander challenges in the past," she says with a smirk. "After what you've told us about what happened to White Shard, there's simply no way this Divine Right can continue their way of living. We may not be able to do much at our current state, but once the calvary arrives they're going to regret ever coming out of their holes.... No offense."
"Calvary?" Aria chimes in.
"We have a fleet off-coast," Cruz states, "We haven't been able to contact them due to being underground but once they know what we're dealing with Atlis will be able to start an offensive on the island."
"On that topic," Macy adds, "since you know your way around these caverns, would you be able to lead us back to the surface? Preferably as close to White Shard's last position was. We still need to assess the compound they were stationed at for ourselves."
"Of course, but are you planning on continuing on your journey so soon?" Andino grows concerned.
"Actually... If I can make a selfish request of my own, can you provide me, and my fellow shards shelter for the time being? It won't be long, just enough to everyone get their energy back and for the injured to recover a bit."
"Of course," replies Andino, his voice resonating with compassion. "I will allocate an area where you and your men can rest. I'll also have some of my people provide you with food and water."
"We have food, just water will do just fine, and somewhere where we can clean ourselves. We don't want to be too much of a burden to your settlement."
"Nonsense, it'll be our honor to serve you. After all, we haven't had visitors in quite some time now." he chuckles.
"You're right about that." Macy laughs.
Seriously... am I missing the joke?
----------------------------------------
We, mainly the other three, continued to discuss amongst each other for a little while longer before eventually calling it for the day. I think they would've kept going had it not been for me nodding off and catching the attention of Frost. The fatigue is only now starting to set in and ironically, I think the heat from the caverns earlier was the only thing keeping me awake.
After another few moments of walking through town, we finally arrive at a series of storages that Andino had emptied for all of us to rest comfortably.
"Sorry again. We tend to build only what is necessary and this was the best we could find to accommodate all of you," Aria explains.
"It's better than where we've slept on our time here. Thank you," Macy says to her as she smiles and bows before leaving us be.
With that, we begin to disperse between the buildings while the majority make a b-line to the washroom to rid themselves of dried blood, sweat, and whatever else is stuck to them. I, however, could care less how I look or smell and make my way inside where I find myself a nice corner to sit and lay my head against. Every muscle of mine aches and I can hardly keep my eyes open enough to see Frost coming up to me.
"How are you feeling?" He asks.
"Tired... so very tired..." I moan.
"You should at least take off your vest and gear so you can feel more comfortable."
"...Can't... take them off for me."
"A-Are you sure?"
"Mhmm."
Through my half-closed eyes, I see him come closer as he kneels to take off my vest and scabbard. My breaths become slower and shallower as he now proceeds to sit next to me. I don't say anything but soon feel him move me to make my head rest against his shoulder.
"You stink... you know that?" he whispers into my ear.
"Don't smell me... pervert..." Is the last thing I say as my eyelids close shut but not before feeling a warm sensation on my forehead.
With his comforting presence ever near, I drift into slumber effortlessly, reassured by his proximity. So much so that when I feel his touch slip away from me, I awaken to find myself amidst a familiar serene landscape of snow-covered grass and trees.