WorldFall: Echoes of Extinction

Like the North Star?

The blows landed in rapid succession, and soon Albert was hurling out blood. After immobilizing Albert, the Lieutenant swung his body away.

"Enough." He barked angrily.

_The Lieutenant's skill is most definitely a strength skill. At close combat, none of us stands a chance._

The Scavengers slowly pulled back, the two groups slowly backed away, never taking their eyes off each other.

"The same applies to you." He sneered at his soldiers.

"But-"

"Are you going to be the cannon fodder when the Military starts the mission to retake the Ruined city?" He raised an eyebrow at the soldier.

Silence descended between them. The soldiers grumbled, wanting to massacre the settlement, but the Scavengers were more useful alive. The Scavengers muttered among themselves as well, knowing well they were only spared because they were needed for another death.

"Let's move." The Lieutenant got into the backseat of an Offroad truck. His bloodied face took in the settlement and the dead soldiers, and then his eyes locked with Neemo's for a split second. He rolled up the window as the trucks sped back towards the Stronghold, also destroying some shacks in the process.

"Do you know the gravity of what you've done?" A voice came from one of the shacks. Uncle Benson walked out, his face void of any bruise or injury.

"You embarrassed the Stronghold Military. Do you think they would just forget about it?" He continued.

For the first time, it didn't sound like the Head Miner was bootlicking.

"Should we flee?" Someone said.

"To where?" Another asked.

"...The South Farm settlement."

"You think that's possible? They would kill you themselves the moment they know what brought you to them."

[Mission 'East Mine Settlement Revolt' Completed]

[Congratulations! You have received 50Exp, 1 Stat Point]

[Generous amount of Exp detected. Would you like to pay your debt now?]

[Y/N]

“Yes.” He said amidst deep breaths. Luckily he was able to avoid the 24 hours interest increase.

[Debt paid. Loan Shark Offer: 75 Exp]

_Fuck you._ He spat out.

[Remaining Exp: 47 Exp]

He heaved a sigh of relief. Not only was he able to pay his debt, but he had Exp to boast of, and he even got to test his skills. But wasn't the price too high?

He stared at Elias's body on the floor, his mother beside him. Her hands wrapped around him as she begged him to wake up.

Similar scenes happened around. The grief went beyond those that had died but those that were still going to die.

The settlement had no proper medical facilities.

Most of the injured were in critical condition. With no proper medical facilities and radioactive particles lingering in the air, even minor wounds could become fatal if left untreated. 

“Don't lose hope. The gods will preserve us.” A voice echoed, but no one paid attention to it.

Neemo slumped to the ground. gods?

He never believed in them. Why didn't they save his parents from dying?

Rumours claimed humanity had advanced science so far that it had begun to rival the gods. Enraged by mankind's arrogance, the gods had supposedly joined forces to destroy it.

Neemo had never believed the story. Why worship gods who were supposedly jealous of humanity? And if the rumours were false, why had none of them intervened when the Science Collapse Era began?

The grief hung over the settlement like a blanket of doom under a blanket of pain.

By noon, Neemo, Alessia, and Elias's mother were standing by two holes dug, holding a silent burial for the father and son.

The grave reminded Neemo of the dead soldier. He couldn't conclude if the Stronghold soldiers had somehow heard about it and came for it, or they came for something else.

The soldiers would never interact with them if it wasn't compulsory or an order. He knew their disdain was that high.

By evening, Neemo had 'taken' a few things he felt he needed from the scattered materials. Soon, a small fight happened over the materials of the dead again.

Neemo smiled wryly. The dead were dead, alright, they had no use for it, but sometimes he couldn't help but think: perhaps at times they do behave like animals.

“You alright?” Alessia sat beside him as they stared at the dark sky.

“Yeah.” He replied simply.

“My father once said, the sky was once filled with stars.” He started.

“Like the North Star?” She pointed at the single star in the sky that was like a shining dot on a spread of black.

“No… like many and countless stars. He said they would form something patterns called constellations.” He said, awe in his voice.

“I always knew there was more than one star.” She said, her voice light with amusement. “When I was young, I saw three stars in the sky, but when I told them in the morning, no one believed me. They said I was hallu… hallucinating. That's correct, right?”

He nodded at the word, then continued to stare into the sky of nothingness.

“The body.” He said slowly. Alessia tensed at the statement. “I think we should leave it for now. Someone might know about it and be observing us.” 

“But I didn't tell anyone, not even my sisters. Elias definitely told his parents but they would never snitch on him.” Alessia said.

“When was the last time the delivery truck came from the Stronghold?” He asked, surprising Alessia.

“Around two months ago.” She said as if stating the obvious.

“This morning, I caught the whiff of wine on Uncle Benson's breath. His stupid cheap wine should have finished about a month ago.”

“That stupid piece of shit.” Alessia's hands dug into the earth.

Uncle Benson, being the Head Miner, had more chances of coming in contact with the Stronghold people. As far as matters were concerned, he might have a method of communicating with them.

There was no way he could have gotten wine if not from the stronghold the old fart would do anything to curry favor from the Stronghold people. There were also the questions he asked early in the morning. If he had by any chance heard anything, he would think twice before selling them out but the later looks on his face proposed he hadn't expected it to escalate.

“I will kill him.” Alessia rushed to her feet. Neemo grabbed the hem of her skirt, yanking her back.

“Another death won't do us any good. Believe it or not, we still need him to negotiate with the Stronghold people anytime they come.” He tried to reason with her, but she only kept silent.

She stood back up. Neemo couldn't see her face in the dark, but he could see she was staring at the North Star, and the tapping of her foot told him she had not agreed.

“Alessia,” He said, his voice soft and low. “I know you loved Elias and you are like my elder sister. I can't bear to lose you after losing Elias. If we disregard Uncle Benson's importance, anything could go wrong with whatever assassination plan you are planning at the moment. If you get caught…” He didn't complete the statement, the thought of it alone made his heart tighten.

“Are you done?”

“...”

She punched his stomach. “I didn't love him… Nee.” She faced him. “Do you think if I had told him, we would have… we might have been a thing?”

Neemo clutched his stomach tightly. “Idiot. Both of you are idiots. All these years, and neither of you realised the other was in love with the other."

He prepared for another punch, but it never came. Rather, it was the string of words that hit him.

[Mission: Revenge of a Brother]

[Description: Head Miner Benson leaked the scavenging of you and your friends. The news of a well-preserved body from the Science Collapse Era has attracted the attention of the Stronghold Research. Your brother, Elias, died in the retrieval process]

[Requirements: The price of blood should only be paid in blood. Kill Head Miner Benson]

[Reward: +35 Exp, 1 Stat Point, 1 Random Reward]

Neemo chuckled slightly, until now Uncle Benson was a suspect but now the System had confirmed it, whether the system was correct or nor he didn't know and for now, he didn't care.

_It seemed Uncle Benson is bound to die_. His eyes turned cold.