With the repairs being done, the 4 figures boarded the transport machine and improvised the Chief's turrets into the the top of the vehicle and have Keven attach it there firmly. Then they asked Kevin if he wants to go with them and refused  cowardly. They didn't force Kevin and boarded the vehicle and started it.

The Driver role has been taken by Lester and  Bill was on the back of the machine and holding to the spoiler of the machine. Millinda was operating the Chief's turret and Auburn was supporting Millinda, acting as her assistant.

Then with a few parting words and  thanks to Kevin ,Lester started the core engine of the transport machine and drives away from the fortress and will head to their beloved nation to give an alert. With the machine looking further away. Kevin glanced at them and prayed them good luck and then walk inside the fortress and sealing all the gates and fortress coating the it with thick metal. This was the function that the mechanics know off.It was handed into them in hope they would stay behind and guard the iron box of fortress to death.

Kevin lied to the battalion, being locked in the closet was just a pretense made by Kevin. As the Third Head Mechanic, it was his duty to maintain the weapons and machines to its best condition. The Fortress   is also a ''machine'' therefore he must maintain it till he can't. So Kevin headed into the control tower and open a hidden pod. Then he entered the pod and lay his body inside the pod, then with a quick mechanical sound, two needle like rods stab into the back of his head and then with a sound of electricity buzzing. The Body of Kevin turn lifeless as he offered his electrons to the fortress in order to give it life and become a living fortress.

  Then with him as the operator of the fortress, he was reminded that the body of Bill was still on the fortress and quickly scanned for it. When he found out that Bill was being preserved and his brainwaves are still intact then he tighten the seal of the pod which Bill's body lies to and sealed it with 2 more layers of  of protection. Now all that is left is to wait for the army of barbarians to come.

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******

With the roaring engine, the transport machine streak the land in haste. With the any terrain  compatibility of the vehicle . They cross the desert effortlessly and was currently following the marks that the barbarians  left on the current wasteland.

   Surveying the are carefully, Millinda was on full alert mode as she quickly glances at any movement that comes into contact with her eyes. That state of paranoia that Millinda right now was terrifying, due to the experience in the fortress she have become more focused and have never broken her concentration even once.

  And Bill who is still holding the vehicles spoiler, he was also preparing for any threat that might surprise them, after all they will never know when something pops up and attack them. It was better being  safe than sorry.

   Towards the heat, Lester was squinting his eyes out  in order to see the land ahead of him. The wasteland they were in right now was akin to a dungeon fall of traps. One misstep might end with their deaths or worse!

The Sound of the pebbles rolling and wind blowing the dust harshly is also adding more trouble because of the visibility of the land added with the bright sunlight was making it harder to maneuver the vehicle carefully.

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   Hours passed and it was current  the middle of the day.  The Vehicle was still streaking through the barren land and pass on small hills and rocky roads. Looking around carefully, Bill and Millinda still have not find any signs of barbarians. Even with the amount of speed they and distance they have covered, they still have not caught any signs of the massive horde of barbarians.

"'Bill, do you see any signs  of barbarians yet?'' asked  Lester

''Not yet'' as Bill reported with a monotone tone

''Then please keep up the watch then'' as Lester ended the electron contact with  Bill. Then Lester look at the road in front of him and stayed focus.

Roads  passed and  yet there was still no enemy contact heard. Lester was starting feeling conscious and contacted Millinda with the Electron receiver of his VernonSuit and asked. ""Is there anything out there Millinda?''

""None so far'' Millenda glance and surveyed the are and said ''There are no signs of anything at all, all i got in front of my eyes are dust,pebbles and dead trees.''. in a monotone voice.

  Lester received Millinda's respond and then quickly put his focused on the road ahead of them was the bridge cliff that connects the wasteland and the plains and territory of the nation Lester belongs to.

   Lester put his foot on the pedal and increased the speed of the vehicle,within the road was logs and rocks that were easily crushed by the transport machine and it streak through the rocky roads like nothing and then in front of the vehicle lies  a bridge that  they will be crossing.....which they should be.

   But Lester look at the scene in front of him, the 'bridge' they need to cross was now utterly  filled with barricade. Lester stop the vehicle and used his Electron receiver and said ''Breakthrough it or Have someone remove it?''

And in Unison the three answered ""Breakthrough it, we don't have time for careful measures''.

  Then with  a step on the pedal, the  vehicle raised its speed and landed in front of the bridge and with a scratching sound, the tires gripped the dusty earth and charged straight to the barricade! With everyone bracing for impact the vehicle collided with the object and punctured the barricade effortlessly! Without waiting for anything Lester step and put more pressure into the energy pedal and the vehicle's speed rose up high and dashed towards the plains.

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 Meanwhile, two figures clinging on the cliff were staring at the passed over barricade and took out a roll of skin and with some sort of dye, put in letters  of few sentences and tied it into the Crow and started flying up high into the sky. And with a quick action, the two leaped using their arms and disappeared in the shadows.....

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

******

    Without spotting the figures the vehicle rode through the plains and now streaking with more speed than ever. Passing through rivers the ones on the top of the vehicle has finally notice the tracks of footsteps and followed them. While following them, a site of a ransacked forest with all of the tree's fruits were taken and the  such as trees were chopped down possibly for construction.   Lester didn't dare staying further and hit the pedal and drive away out of the forest.

   Within the plains they were more increase of tracks and markings form a tree being dragged. Following the left behind tracks was much easier now. Passing through 2 bridges and one hill,the group that is on the vehicle was  welcomed by the sight of a village. Fear and anxiousness grows through Lester's heart. Increasing the vehicle's speed they stop right at the center of the village.

 Then the four personage within the vehicle step out and look horrifyingly at the dismembered town militia's and the gruesome scene was then imprinted on their minds as they look at the poor fellows who were now pilled like logs.

  Lester look at the scene quietly and parted a few words before taking a glance at the villagers. Walking through the pile of dead villages, Lester knelled one of his leg and inspected the bodies. "'(The villagers were stabbed at the top of their heads and was not missing any body parts unlike  the poor militia's. It seems that they were ended without suffering too much)'' Lester then recalled the words of the leader known as BAR KHAN. ''(This is the Mercy of the Strong huh)'' Lester thought about the mercy of the Strong's meaning  but nonetheless he  only thought for it a second and said in his mind ''(No matter what kind of mercy you have, life is life. And you can't just decide to take it whether your weak and strong)'' angrily, he clench his fist and started walking to the vehicle.

  It may sound cruel leaving them here, but now it's not time for them to stop. Lester signaled his comrades and called them back to the vehicle. Then without looking back the vehicle keep carrying on driving leaving the dead village behind its tracks.

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   The vehicle traveled more distance and have entered  a sandy area. The Sandy area was a wide land with each sides there were view of the endless blue sea. Ignoring  the beauty of the white beaches Lester bitterly admired the  movement capability of the barbarians. Covering such distance is an amazing feat, and with such work speed they were able to gather food and construction material for the deduced Siege camp that they will probably build and still have the stamina to carry them over. The Barbarian's abnormal strength  were known through the continent when the news of their appearance were made known.

 And because of that power, the nations formed their own countermeasures and the VeronSuits was one of them. And because of the Suit, they  can now continue going on without sleeping and eating. They only after all needed to inject the nutrients into the Vernonsuit  so it can stabilize and make them healthy.

  Still streaking along the sandy area, the vehicle rode with no effort towards the dunes and climbed smoothly through the sandy hills. Within the heat, Millinda retreat back inside the vehicle to stave of the scorching heat that was emitted by the sands. Bill has stayed there silently and  have kept surveying the area in alert.

  Despite, Millinda retreating back to the vehicle, she was not willing to engage on any conversation, was it the fear of getting close as they near their deaths or is it that she just want's to continuously steel her mind? Lester didn't dare to ask. Simply because  he was turning all of his attention to the road ahead and didn't dare to make any mistakes while driving.

  With the vehicle finally arriving at the end of the sandy area, they were greeted by a plain looking grassland and stopped for a quick survey and move on forward. Millinda also have gone back manning the improvised Turret and  Auburn was back at supporting her. Then after a few distance  Bill saw  a horde of figures and then   relayed to Lester ""Looks like we caught up to them'' said Bill on a monotone voice.

''I see, keep your guard up and prepare for contact'' then Lester switched to all channels of the electron receiver and continued ''Everyone, lock and load  and ready yourselves.''. After ending his transmission Lester halted the vehicle and checked on his equipment's and readied his blade.

******

  Within the horde a crow landed  on top off BAR KHAN's shoulder. Taking off the skin that was tied on the leg of the a medium size crow, he then read the few words of sentences for it and then turn serious. ''(It seems the rest of the fools have really chased us)'', and judging by the time the crow arrived, then the chance of the enemy being behind their backs were high. BAR KHAN turned into one of his men and ordered for the Overlord type's to look out for them. The normal kinsmen won't be able to handle those fools ,so in order to prevent more deaths the overlord type's would be use to initiate battle when they appear.

  BAR KHAN was now fiercer, he have set his goals and rather have any of those fools  bother him and let his kinsmen take care of them, and with a resolute voice he said inside his mind  ''(I can't be stopped now, not that we have gone this far and a few distance we would see the lands that will save my people from hunger before everyone of us vanished)''. Then he clench his fist and ordered all his kinsmen to move faster  and with look worthy of being a leader, he  then increase his pace faster than before.!