WorldFall: Echoes of Extinction

Thousands Beasts Slayer

_I just had to loose myself to anger and excitement.__ He rested on his knees wondering how bad he had miscalculated.

“Neemo…Thousands Beasts Slayer” He heard Uncle Benson say like the word was a foreign language.

“Did you loose your hearing.” Adrel's voice boomed.

“Neemo. Get out here.” Uncle Benson turned backwards instantly. Afterall there was only one Neemo in the settlement.

He smoothed the invisible creases on his trousers as he rose. He hadn't expected anyone to cover for him, especially when more than half of his age mate had been forcefully conscripted.

His eyes locked with Adrel and the soldier grinned. The brief reaction drew curious looks from thr people and soldiers as they wondered what relationship was between the duo. Where had Neemo come across the soldier to begin with?

Under the eyes, Neemo took steady steps forward. Once outside the kneeling circle, he stopped and levelled his head against Adrel's. 

"Thousands Beasts Slayer.” Adrel sneered as he dragged Neemo forward and tossed him towards the line.

“So much for my aura.” He grumbled as he picked himself off the dust. He joined the line, twisted till he locked eyes with Adrel again, and he smoothed his trousers again.

Adrel raised an eyebrow, Neemo gulped as he caught a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Load them up.” The Lieutenant twirled his finger in the air.

The Armoured Personnel Carrier resembled a long, narrow steel coffin on wheels. Its windows sat so high that little sunlight could reach inside. On its side, the Crystal Army insignia stared back at the..

Behind them, families shouted messages of luck and farewell to their conscripted but Neemo knew it was a dream. If they were lucky, those that would return would be a single digit, if any of them came back.

“Alice! Promise me you would come back.” He turned abruptly at Alessia's voice. His eyes darted to the second APC - the one loading the females - and his heart dropped.

Alice was part of the conscripted females.

“Neemo.” He heard Alessia call out. “ Please protect Alice.” She stared at him, her eyes almost void of life.

Neemo opened his mouth, then closed it. He wasn't certain he could protect himself but the past days had been to rough for her - they just lost Elias and now, Alice.

The next moment, his vision flickered and rows of words appeared.

[Mission: Promise To Alessia]

[Description: Alessia has asked you to protect her elder sister, Alice. She is among the conscripted females being sent to the Forward Operating Base. Danger lurks about the Ruined City FOB.]

[Requirements: Ensure Alice survives the Ruined City deployment and returns to the settlement alive.]

[Reward: +80 Exp, 2 Stat Points, 1 Random Reward]

[Failure: Death of Alice]

A shiver ran down his spine at the last row. His eyes turned serious as he nodded at Alice.

“Thank You.” She mouthed while she comforted the youngest sister, Anastesia.

Inside the APC, Neemo sat on one of the two narrow metal benches screwed into the wall. The soldiers kept squeezing more people in till they were pressed against each other.

The engines groaned to life, with the high windows they weren't even given the grace of waving goodbyes. The journey dragged on for hours and was nowhere near comfortable, the roar of the engine reverberated in the back room, and every bump in the road sent their bodies bouncing off the metal benches.

It made Neemo wonder if the driver did it intentionally or was just a very bad driver.

An hour of torture later, the APC halted and the door was opened allowing gush of fresh air and sunlight into the backroom.

Neemo and the rest alighted with the others to the setting dim orange sun, the night clouds were settling down filling the air with chilling cold.

“The Stronghold?” A voice called behind him.

“No. The Forward Operating Base.” Neemo replied, his squinting eyes on the georgia font words that stood on the gate. 'Apex FOB’

The FOB was surrounded with electrocuted fenced wires that stretched beyond and blended into the forest, outposts stood at intervals and on these outposts were soldiers manning high damage machine guns.

Before them was a thick metal gate, its frame not only reached the inner edges of the fence but it also went deep into the ground, sitting on a 35mm magnetic retractor.

“Line and get in.” A Soldier ordered and the Crystal Army insignia - Two Crystals connected to each other but revolved around an octahedral crystal, the octahedral had an inner circle of what looked like DNA strings - on the gate split down the middle.

Neemo scanned the other line in search of Alice and was surprised to see she was already looking at him. 

“It's all going to be fine.” She mouthed at him with a reassuring smile.

Neemo smiled in return, it was funny how both sisters had the habit of mouthing words when they were nervous.

His heart fell has the gate hissed shut behind them. He had contemplated fleeing but he doubted he could go beyond the walls, and if he did escape the gates they had been on the road on the hours, it was unsure of far they were from the stronghold.

He knew for a fact that they were not in anyway close but he had no sense of direction to follow. Afterall Ruined Cities were cities that existed during the Science Collapse Era but had somewhat survived the test of time. The probability of a ruined city close to the Stronghold was low.

Strongholds were always in search of this cities for lost knowledges, resources and ultimately, to rebuild it into a stronghold. Crystal Stronghold was once a ruined city itself.

Once inside Apex FOB, they lined before the building facilities on the grass. Some cadets moved about handing them worn out and faded military uniforms.

After the first wave of distribution, military nutritional bars were also shared. Neemo squinted trying to read the words on the bar. To his sides, some teenagers had already opened and bitten into it muttering something about it being tasteless. 

Their eyes glinted at the beauty and appeal of the nutrition bar and thr material quality of the old uniforms then thunderbolt struck them.

“Have a good night rest.” A soldier dissapeared into the building facility leaving them with under the chilling night cold and the search lights.

“Blankets…something.” They muttered between themselves not that if the soldier heard, it would change anything.

“Arise! You lazy buffoons.” A soldier stood on a raised platform, his uniform was neat and stuck to his body showcasing a fit and muscular body. The badge on his uniform was different from the rest - the army insignia had four arrows around it. 

With this Neemo was able to get a grasp of the command structures - the Lieutenant's badge had three arrows, Adrel and the remaining soldiers had two arrows, the Cadet from the night before had a single arrow.

The conscripted soldiers steered at the soldier wondering if he wad crazy. They were all awake, not that anyone could sleep under such cold yet it seemed like the soldier needed to insult them to boost his ego before he started addressing them.

“I am Captain Maroove currently in charge of Apex FOB and taxed with the vanguard advance of Bleckam Ruined City.” He peered into them.

By now, the remainder of the FOB had arranged themselves behind the army. They numbered less than 120 with the Cadets being more than half. It seemed they - the scavengers - were the main force for this 'Vanguard Advance'.

'Is there some sort of divide between the military.’ Neemo furrowed his brows.

The soldiers didn't seem to mix, not because of ranks but something else.

"From this moment on, you are soldiers of the Crystal Army. You will obey every order without question. This operation is also a training exercise for your superiors.” He gestured towards the cadets. “You will be assigned to teams under their command. Every. Order. Must. Be. Followed!”

Captain Marrove turned and left the platform without waiting for any reply, not that he was ready to hear one. A 'three arrow' soldier took the platform and proceeded to draft the males into teams.

The women were taken into the buildings to perform menial chores. Apex FOB was new, and its proximity to Bleckam made it difficult for the Stronghold to send additional personnel. The conscripts offered a cheaper alternative.

The males around him gleed at the premise that they would be going on a mission and interact with people from the stronghold.

But the look of contempt on the Cadets faces told Neemo something else.