Mundane. BLEAK. Humdrum. These are words that could accurately be used to describe Helston on a day-to-day basis. The weather wasn't particularly interesting either, a light mist shrouding the small town like a blanket, though this was relatively typical, waters brought over from the eastern gulf no doubt. The soft glimmer of sunlight was beginning to slowly make waves throughout the quiet town. Everything seemed normal, in Helston standards.

The town certainly couldn't compare to the normal of Dadena City--a city with scrapers that reached far beyond the clouds. At least, these were the exaggerated tales that were told. It was situated way up north past Eastbourne and Mineral Grove. Not an easy or particularly safe trek to take, but worth it for some. Dadena City was unlike any other. Bustling with life, dazzling colours, and a cathartic cacophony that only the city folk could actually appreciate for all its glory. Yet the city life certainly didn't come without its flaws. Underground weirdos and the ever-present attempts of the unions were always something to keep on the mind.

Even still, this was certainly something our dear Luca always missed. A day didn't go by that he didn't miss the city and the underground world that pervaded below it. Looking out over the rooftop was unlike anything else. An experience that was difficult replicate in the flat land that was Helston. And yet, here he was, doing just that. The town was beginning to move, early-birds preparing for their equally early work. A number of individuals in the quiet neighborhood had gathered around a large tree(common to this region), their gaze look up towards the canopy. The wind of gentle this morning, creating a soft whisper amongst the branches and the leaves.

"Should we wake him?", someone said. "Leave em. He's here like this often". An older stout woman gasped, "But what if he falls?". Her husband pulled her away, "He won't. He never does." Another woman shook her head in disbelief, "I found him upon me rooftop the other morning. As sound as a rock I tell ya." The stout woman gasped again at this remark, her husband fighting harder to drag her along.

This was indeed true though. High up near the canopy was Luca, his tall lanky figure awkwardly sprawled out upon a large protruding branch. His arm was dangling off the side and his snore was like a cat. Surprisingly nimble for someone of his height. The murmurs from below broke him from his slumber. The hard bark to him as comfy as any silk comforter was to another. though perhaps this was less of the feeling and more of the experience. This was as close as he could get to the rooftops of Dadena City.

Luca's eyes opened wistfully as he sat up and yawned, his legs dangling over the side. Seeing him wake up, the small crowd began to disperse, "Be careful where you lie kid. I reckon you might fall and break your neck next time." Luca shook his head, refuting the statement in a rather unbothered kind of manner, "I am not a kid." he said, surprisingly deft in the manner that he kicked off the branch and landed softly on the dew covered soil below. The man stared at Luca, though the latter was paying the man little attention as he wiped himself off, "Completely missed the point" the man muttered, walking off.

---

Back inside the house, Finnes, his personal attendant and she's basically my mother figure was laying out plates on the table, an iron spatula in her hand full of meatless spud(a potato mix, usually with meat. A popular breakfast in Halston). "Come come. Sit before your breakfast gets cold." she said, motioning towards the empty chair at the table. The 21 year old Luca crossed his arms and pouted as Petra came stomping down the stairs, followed by her twin Petyr who was trying to consolidate her.

"How was I supposed to know that you liked him?"

"Umm...because I told you!" Petra yelled at her twin.

Finnes looked up from filling the last plate with spud, her face vexed, "What the hell is going on?"

"You knew I liked him and you kissed him anyways."

"I did not. He kissed me first!" Petyr retaliated.

"That's beside the point!"

"Hellooo!!!" Finnes snapped, grabbing their attention at last. "Both of you sit down please. We can discuss this later"

Petyr shrugged as Petra glared at him, but they both inevitably took a seat opposite of eachother. Looking back to Luca, Finnes rolled her eyes, "Now what are you pouting about?"

Before he could respond, a loud explosion could be heard from outside, a fair distance away from where they were. The light brought on by the explosion seeped through the windows as a tremble rippled through the house. Everyone stood still and remained very quiet until the trembling came to cease. Petra was the first to rush to the window, gazing out towards the distance. "And here I thought we moved out of Dadena City to get away from all this bull" she snarked.

Finnes put the iron spatula in the sink and wiped off the dried spud that had got on her hands, walking over to the window to look out beside her, "We came here to keep Luca safe." she said matter factly, looking over to Luca and giving him a motherly wink. Luca smiled as he fiddled with his fingers, "What could that have been?" he asked, his essence bubbling with curiosity. Petyr seemed rather unphased by it as he stuffed his face with a spoonful of luke-warm spud, "Probably just typical union fodder. The resistance can handle it I'm sure."

Petra snapped, "That was no typical explosion. And that light? No way!"

And then the siren went off and Petra immediately moved to grab her gear from out of the closet, "Gen-Alert" she said bluntly, latching something to her waist. "Wait wait wait!" Finnes stepped in, but Petra pulled out her phone and shoved the screen in her face, "Look. The coordinates of whatever the hell created that light and tremor have already been posted on the Net channel. The resistance is gonna need all the help they can get." Putting the device back in her pocket, she moved towards the door. Petyr finished slurping down the last of his spud and moved towards the closet to get his own equipment, "I'm in." he stated, prompting a simple nod of approval from Petra.

Luca watched as they opened the front door, "Wait for me!" he said in an exuberant hurry. Thrilling things like this always got him exhilarated. The potential danger took a backseat to his own curious inner workings and what may lie out there. This type of chaos reminded him of the city. He always sought it whenever it came to him.

Finnes made a zag towards him and stood in the way, "No the hell you're not." Luca pulled away from her, "Yes I am! And you know you can't stop me."

This was true and Finnes knew it. She watched as Luca went to grab his own gear, frowning, but knowing there wasn't anything she could do to stop him. "Fine! I'm coming too then." Petra raised an eyebrow and looked at her in shock, "Seriously Fin?".

"Yes, seriously!" she insisted, grabbing some gear she had stowed in a drawer, "If Luca is going, then I'm going too."

Petra looked at Finnes with a crossed expression, "Luca may seem awkward, but we personally trained him. He can hold his own. Plus he's special like me and Petyr. You know we can do certain things that you can't. And for something of this magnitude, you should probably stay back and keep us posted if anything happens within the town."

Finnes didn't respond. She simply brushed past them as she began towards the coordinates that had also popped up on her phone as well. "Are you coming or not?" she said curtly, not looking back at the three of them. Luca, Petra, and Petyr all looked at each other and shrugged.

"Wait..." Petyr said suddenly, a grin forming on his face, "Aren't we gonna take the car?"

Brisk night air danced around Venser as he huddled in his jacket, a muggy, wet sense of autumn rising from the cityscape. The wind was saturated with that familiar melancholic tone; a calm that held no storm. Fall had always been his favorite season for this reason, this soft murmur of subtlety and indifference contrasting the constant whir of machines and thoughts and people.

"My mind wanders too much." the ginger said aloud, responding to his own stream of introspective consciousness. It was really more of a brackish river at this point, though, his awareness swelling beyond its banks with an empowering down-pour of insomnia. His eyes had been glazed yet alert all night; Restlessness drove him to grab his thick wool coat and head to this place in the dead twilight. His breath felt warm against his snug face mask; his hair flowed like a waterfall out of his loose beanie. He gave a quick glance to the display on his phone; 3:02 AM. The perfect time for late-night thoughts on the rooftop of a grocery store. At least, it was for Venser. He unlocked the device with a quick, rhythmic sequence of taps on the screen, and pulled up the text he had sent to Ezi. It was more of a habitual, time-wasting check than an actual examination of what he wrote.





Ezi would see the messages in the morning, their contents secure between him and his guardian; private servers in Dedana and Venser's own make-shift brand of VPNs made sure of that. Careful attention to detail in the process of ensuring anonymity was Venser's work, after all. It was also the reason he couldn't sleep a lot of nights, so many nebulous variables and ongoing projects crowding his mental space. Night terrors, of increasing frequency, didn't help either. They were the reason he sat out there, looking out into a dim and messy skyline of Helston. He stared at those stout buildings to rid himself of that shaky feeling that comes from waking up in a cold sweat. It was like washing your hands after butchering beef; grease and blood scrubbed off of Venser's mind by the fall air. Silence was therapeutic to the red-head.

And in the dead quiet that deep night brings, Venser found himself becoming drowsy. Lost sleep culminated its debts and pushed them upon the ginger, his eyelids becoming heavy as he gazed out into a blurry, tranquil night. He laid down on the cold, course roof and closed his eyes for a few minutes, the minutes soon expanding into a prolonged rest that covered hours.



A dull, electronic buzzing aroused Venser from his slumber, the overcast sky above casting patchy shadows across his body as he brought himself up to a sitting position. He reached into his baggy pockets, taking out his phone and revealing Ezi to be the one calling him. He answered quickly, greeting his companion with a groggy "Is there a problem?"

"Nah, its good news this time Ven. Not like last time." Ezi chimed, the wheezing of machines and hardware audible in the background. "We finally got some stuff coming from the resistance. Radar information; they're tracking the trajectory of something pretty high up. Or, I assume thats what all these degree signs mean." the boy continued, the typing sounds of a keyboard joining the cacophony of noise originating from Venser's phone. "Alright, download the info as it comes up and," the ginger rubbed his temples as his grogginess began to fade, "and I guess start sending it over to Foxtrot 11. He pays us by the gig, so this should nab us a few credits."

"Did you sleep well Ven?"

"As well as I can. You?"

"Fine. You're getting too good at slipping out without me noticing, though."

"You're 12. Don't keep tabs on me," Venser concluded, quickly ending the call and stuffing the phone into his pocket. It was around noon now, the sun high in the sky but still soaked up by a thick blanket of whispy, mist-like clouds. Down below, the grocery store had now begun filling with a moderate crowd of customers, the community of Helston waking from its catatonic state to serve the needs of the individual. Posters clung to the establishment's broad, white front wall. Many advertisements were present, but none as recognizable as the ones publicizing both the Lunar Hail and its accompanied Festival of the Quiet. Venser thought that perhaps he should attend these popular, city-wide celebrations this year; at the very least to capitalize on cheap drinks and food. Perhaps Artemis would like to join him, since she's been rather cooped up in that bakery lately. It might do them both some good.

Venser thought of many little things like that as he descended from the roof and blended into the crowd below, his lanky form slowly strolling through into the concrete and metal mass of the supermarket. At around 1:15 Venser had satisfied himself with his idol window-shopping and finally procured all he was interested in; a pack of cells, little enough to power a phone or small radio, and some chewing gum for Ezi. Both were nearly dropped when the building began to shake, an unexpected jostle that rocked shelves and emphasized the sudden, dramatic flare of light seen outside. Hanging lights swayed overhead as small screams and gasps came from those around Venser, the impact fading as quickly as it had come. Regaining his composure, Venser began to stalk towards the front of the store as others around him discussed this curiosity with an air of worried gossip.

“What was that? The unions at it again?”

“I’m not sure. Missiles surely don’t light up the sky like that,”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. But, what do you think? Call to Arms or Gen-Alert?”

Venser's phone buzzed once again, a quick text from Ezi conveying a simple message:









An excited Venser hastily began walking out of the supermarket, his jacket pockets laden with power cells that had been extracted from their now disabled, alarm-triggering packages. He held his phone in his right hand, texting one last person before he visited Venito and asked to borrow his hand-pistol.

The sunrise was Artemis’ favorite part of the day—symbolizing a fresh start, while casting a faint, yet fervent, crescendo of warmth after a chilling night. The mornings were calming for her, savoring each glorified moment with meditative appreciation, even in the coming of the colder seasons. Her morning routine buried her past with tranquility, pacifying the darkness placed carefully in the back of her mind with the aid of habitual movements: making coffee with her breakfast, doing yoga after her workout, making sure Meredith takes her medication, etc. Artemis prefered the early start, which made it all the more easier for her to open up the bakery and welcome in the morning regulars.

Artemis’ apartment shared the same building as the bakery, being just above it, in fact, located on a corner with heavy foot traffic, thus welcoming all the employees of the neighboring businesses. Some come and go within seconds, grabbing a quick coffee while others requested their pastries heated or their sandwiches modified. Artemis catered to the public pleasantly, rather enjoying it since it beat her previous work with it’s more innocent gratifications. The rush continued smoothly, resembling a typical busy morning which was seemingly redundant, but all the while, satisfying for her. The business had large windows that allowed the sun to light up the shop, adding to it’s cozy ambiance with delicious-looking pastries and the scent of comforting coffee. As time continued, the sun’s morning glow transitioned into its afternoon rays, signaling the end of the morning rush and the start of a midday break. A familiar face walked in, the bells on the door rustling together to sound his entry.

“Jayce, how are you doing today?” Artemis spoke softly with a glimpse of a smile. She averted her eyes to him for a quick moment, remembering that same, grey long sleeve that he wore two weeks ago, paired with tan joggers that he hasn’t washed since the stain from drops of coffee he accidentally spilt days ago. He copped a very skaterish fashion, dressing up his otherwise casual outfit with silver chains and expensive jewelry.

Jayce always eyed Artemis before he would actually respond to her welcome, unaware that people could notice his eyes carefully scan over her appearance. She ignored it though. Jayce had that wide smile that he couldn’t seem to rid of in the presence of her, “I’m well! How is Ms. Artemis?”

“Oh you know,” she paused, wiping crumbs from the countertops into her hands, clearly tired of answering the same question all day, “Same thing, different day.”

Jayce chuckled, “I think the phrase goes ‘same shit, different day’.”

Artemis released the crumbs in her hand into the trash, turning quick on her heel and responding abruptly, “Well, I like to keep my language appropriate for the sake of my customers.” She mimicked his smile for a second, showing off her comeback with a little attitude.

He shook his head, “Naw. I think it’s just that you don’t get angry. You’re too sweet for your own good.”

“Being angry is a waste of time,” Artemis retorted, uninterested in his dispute. She quickly poured his usual cup of coffee and handed it over the counter to him.

Jayce reached over to take the offered coffee, “Yeah, well try saying that when someone comes at you with a knife.” After pulling her hand away, he quickly grasped it. Although it was with playful intentions, the comment attached made it darker, causing it to stir her mind with unease and irritation that was protruding from it’s shackles, yet she somehow subdued any defensive maneuvers that she would otherwise perform. Jayce chuckled, trying to lighten the moment from watching her expression fall into concern, “Relax, hun. I’m only messing with you.” He set down a large amount of cash for the small coffee.

“Watch out,” Artemis replied, coldly, “You might lose that hand next time.”

Jayce leaned in with a smirk, whispering seductively under his breath, “Feisty. I kinda like it when --.”

In that moment, the ground shook with tremors. Ones that Artemis’ combative mind could only identify as a possible sign of invasion. The luminous light shined through the bakery, tinting it’s insides with color, but Artemis saw the hues coat everything with signs of danger, but also opportunity. In seconds, she removed her apron, moving to open the door to escort Jayce out of the shop. “Will I see you to--” she interrupted his question with the slam of the door. She locked it, turning over the open/close sign, and lowered all of the blinds so that the inside was well-hidden.

Artemis rushed to shut off the appliances, running to the back to follow stairs up to the apartment. The T.V. played faintly in the background as Meredith rocked back and forth in her chair with knitting needles in hand. Rushing through to her bedroom closet, Artemis began to pull clothes out that buried a safebox with an intricate locking system. Unlocking it hastily to reveal expensive twin pistols that shined with luxury and intensity despite it’s cracks and scrapes from use. Beneath it lied a suit that had specific Devlon technology that aided in defense while being adorned with gadgets that went unnoticed by most viewers. Unfolding the incredible material, she eyed it’s thick fabrics with it’s thin, yet very protective, plating. Artemis took a moment to quickly suppress the playbacks that swarmed her mind from just the mere look of the previously used battle outfit. Artemis changed into it without dwelling on the memories, hiding the suit beneath a flexible, black turtleneck and black, cargo pants. As she looked herself over in the mirror, she only prayed that her attire wouldn’t become damaged enough that it would reveal the union colors of the suit.

“Meredith,” Artemis called out, stuffing clips of ammunition in her pockets while fast walking towards the living room, “I’m going to be heading out there.”

Meredith, calmly placed in her rocking chair and unshaken by the alert that sounded through the atmosphere, turned to Artemis with a look of concern, her hands still knitting away with ease, “You’re going to go out there? You normally decide to stay.”

The expression on Meredith’s aging face portrayed innocence and worry, but Artemis knew what she had to do. Artemis moved in closer, kneeling down to grasp her frail hands gently, stopping her from her swift knitting, “I know. I just--I need to do this. The reward could be big enough to pay everything off.”

“It’s not worth putting yourself in danger. The bakery will provide just fine,” she insisted, rubbing Artemis’ callused hands with assurement.

“I’ll be just fine, don’t you worry.” Artemis spoke with the same tone, holding a gentle smile before pressing her lips against the back of Meredith’s hand. Artemis knew that the bakery wasn’t providing enough income for Meredith’s medical bills, so she felt that she could repay a great debt by providing to Meredith what she provided for her.

“My dear,” Meredith paused, “I can see the fire that lies behind your eyes. It’s been there since the day I met you. I’m just afraid of what might happen when it surfaces. I don’t worry for your safety, I worry for your mind.”

Her words were metaphorical, but nonetheless true. She had a way of speaking with wisdom, and what she speaks is truth. The truth of it was worrying, since Artemis hadn’t faced battle since her retreat from the union. Artemis pursed her lips, taking in the statement as best she could before pressing on, “I’m going to give you this,” Artemis moved to place one of her pistols on the nightstand beside her, “I will try to be as quick as I can.”

Meredith chuckled lightly, “Don’t underestimate me dear. You know I can hear them coming from a mile away.”

Artemis returned the chuckle with a hopeful smile. Meredith did have a strange sense of knowing when anybody was coming. As if she could hear them even before their footsteps, no matter how quiet they would try to be.

Artemis took her phone out, opening a message from someone she now considers her ally: Venser. She replied.







Artemis’ motorcycle roared as she sped through the streets. Her blonde ponytail whipped behind her with the tails of her olive green scarf that covered her face up until her crystal eyes. She felt a strange sense of home--within her union armor, rushing into the heat of battle with the enemy unknown. Although, she chose to bury that lifestyle for good reason.

Upon reaching the site, she felt an anchor in her gut, similar to the one she felt during her betrayal to the unions. Artemis ignored it. She needed to do this for the sake of the reward so she casted the apprehension away and gazed off into the horizon towards the sounds of battle. Each gunshot brought back a ounce of her shackled being, while every explosion withdrew haunting memories of her past. It was hard for Artemis to find the balance between the woman she wanted to be, and the soldier she used to be. She shook her head.

Eying the crowd, the amount of people were intimidating and it was almost guaranteed that none of them knew of Artemis since she laid low in Helston. After she reveals herself to the resistance and puts her abilities to use, she’ll potentially become recognized. Who knows what would be made of her afterwards. Her decision to participate with the resistance was quick, and she didn’t think the entire thing through--but Artemis had good instincts and everything would generally fall together in the end. Her hopes were still high.





She waited for Venser, hoping that he would help her in a plan to engage. Unsheathing her pistol, she held it in hand, trying to get familiar to its weight again, and trying to find comfort in using her talents again.

Traffic had already begun to back up as they took off down Pebble 82. The streets were lit with an unfamiliar energy and vitality of its residents. Some cascading towards the highways, while others far more inclined to bunker down in their homes. It was quite an unusual sight indeed. Gen-Alerts were a regular occurrence, but the magnitude that this incident had caused during the mid-morning bustle brought a level of suspense and urgency that was unprecedented. The light of the sun had begun its dance for those outside, the usual perpetual mist waning a bit from its normally oppressive nature as it retreated back into the stratosphere.

And when mist eased up, as did a bit of the tension on the road. This certainly made things easier for those who were heading out in droves to the great beyond, heading out to confront something they had yet to understand. Yet it was this very mystery that tantalized Luca's senses. It was scary how little he feared, how uninhibited he was. Most people had their reservations when it came to the particulars, yet Luca hardly had any. Each occurrence and experience was yet another way for him to delve into the crevices of the matter and extract whatever it was that he could.

He sat in the back seat of the family jeep as they turned on Highway A, his long legs somehow crossed onto each other, the window down and his fingers lightly tapping the top of the window seal. He gleamed out at the others cars that were heading their direction when the sound of the live news suddenly resonated throughout the vehicle.

"This is Candice Little of the Helston Public News. We come to you with a live update on the current situation plaguing our small town. Sources tell us that an encroaching force looms on the horizon. Details of the explosion that shook our town remain a mystery, but reports indicate that the unions are not at fault. We repeat, the unions are not at fault. Resistance officials have yet to give word on the perpetrators, but we will certainly be the first to let you all know as the situation unfolds. Please remain safe during these uncertain times.

Candice Little, Helston Public News."

Finnes was driving, though the sudden shock of the situation almost made her swerve. Her mouth was practically to the car floor, "Not the unions? How is that possible?", she said, looking over to Petra who sat in the passenger seat beside her. One could easily tell that Petra was perplexed by the sudden news, she groaned loudly, her fingers massaging the vanes that had formed on her temples, "It's not...". Petyr remained in contemplative silence, his pensive gaze focused on the passing terrain. It was sometimes difficult to dissect what was going on in his brain. He was always the most adaptive and analytical of their group, always one step ahead.

Luca seemed unperturbed however. He simply minded his time, using his breath to draw ephemeral shapes upon the window.

---

The makeshift campsite came upon them quicker than they had anticipated. A mass of movement from an amalgamation of resistance members, military personnel, and resident Helston volunteers flooded the area. They parked near a motorcycle, Luca being the first to evacuate the vehicle after taking a keen interest in the sounds of the not-too-distant combat looming off somewhere in the distance. He looked around curiously as he always did while Petyr and Petra retrieved their weapons from the trunk--Finnes came upon him, clasping her hands together nervously and looking out to the crowd as Luca was. She couldn't help but shake the unsettling feeling that crept up on her ever since the news report on the radio. Not the unions? The idea still vexed her spirit.

Petra appeared behind them, a long gun like device strapped to her back, its frame so large it stuck out over her shoulder like a long sword and was well past the length of her own body. "You gonna be alright Fin?" she asked the Union refugee, lightly tapping her arm. Startled from her thoughts, Finnes's body tensed up to an abrupt jolt. She rested her hand gently upon her chest once she noticed it was just Petra, a deep sigh of relief escaping her lips, "Oh...you startled me. Yes, yes. I'll be alright. I just...I don't understand."

"Whatever it is, we'll handle it. We always do. Right Luca?" , Petra said to Finnes, though addressing Luca simultaneously. Luca turned to her with a smile, holding up an exuberant thumbs up and nodding in agreement, "Mhmm!"

Petyr was the last to join the gang, coming up to stand alongside his twin sister and Luca. He looked out to the crowd as well, examining everyone who was there, grasping for some kind of signal that things were to commence shortly. He was analyzing every detail. From the people, to the sounds, to the setting, and the resources laid out before them. Whoever their adversary may be, he would devise a strategy of applicable extermination. Though he preferred the expression, Hatching a Devil's Egg--thank you very much.

Petra looked at him knowingly. She could already hear his brain ticking away like clockwork.

Venser glided through the fluster and rush of Helston like a snake through tall grass. The patter of thick boots on pavement, the occasional cock and test-fire of a fire-arm in the distance; it was a potent hum-drum that blanketed the city almost as thickly as the smog. Capable and willing people had been mobilized, tromping like cattle that had just felt the singe of a brand. Venser noticed crowded buses barge ahead of personal vehicles on major roads; little toy soldiers were already being shipped out to those magical coordinates that had lit up everyone's phones only minutes before. The mystery of what was there, however, had visibly bolstered the swarm of civilian militants. That dramatic flare of light attracted everyone like moths.

Through the grunge of that alley way, under the wires and barbed fencing of that street-corner, and Venser had come upon the bunker-like residence of Venito. Stained concrete walls possessed a mouth of solid, varnished wood. It was a simple door that sported a greasy brass knob and basic geometric patterning; almost as stout and oily as the tenant that lived behind it. Venser rapped the door and listened as it responded with the heaving stomps of a man fueled by annoyed curiosity. Not even his wide, heavy door could fully muffle the sound of Venito's own grumblings. Venser took off his face mask, loosened his shoulders, and started counting out his currency. The quick fwish of the door's spotting hole heralded Venito's appearance.

"Who the fuck is knoc- oh, its just you shorty. Why the fuck are you out? Shouldn't you be cooped up in that house of yours?" Venito growled, his eyes bulging out towards Venser as the red-head made eye contact. "Thought I'd take a walk, maybe go down to the circus they're setting up outside of town. Said you need some fire-arms to get in though; tickets won't cut it." The ginger responded, hoisting a handful of silvery coins towards the slit in the door. "Psh. Must be the end times if you're finally getting your ass up to respond to a Gen Alert. All I got is my revolver and shotgun; submachines are for me." Venito stated, his meaty paw scooping the money up and slamming the spotting hole with a casual air of business. After a moment of hearing Venito sort through certain drawers and the likes, the door was unlocked and swung open as the barrel-chested man thrust the weapons and ammunition into the arms of Venser. "Alright, you got your shit, now go on and get yourself killed." The large man retorted, beginning to close his bulky front door before Venser's foot stopped it from meeting the wall.

"You still have my bike back in that garage of yours?"

"Its collateral, pay the part of the debt like we talked about and you get it back."

"I think I'll be able to do that; give me till tonight and I'll pay you that and a little something."

"Fuck off kid. I'm not giving you the bike, just leave an-"

"All the cash I make off working this Gen Alert gets wired to you. You'll get it as it rolls in; Ezi's working the computers anyways."

Venser watched as Venito's face made an inquisitive expression, one half-way between distaste and tantalization. The ginger could feel the weight of quiet thought as the stocky man pondered his proposition. Venito's hand let go of the door knob, plunged into his pocket, and brought out a gold-colored set of motorcycle keys. "Five silver down, right now. Don't fuck me over Ven, I know where you live." Venser chuckled at the threat; it was one of Venito's favorites. The broad man quickly clutched the coins, and the short red-head swiftly swiped the keys.



Tight alleyways and streets turned into the narrow gaps between cars and buses in congested traffic. Pebble 82 was a mess, a blob of noisy vehicles and regular wrecks that Venser was lucky enough to speed through. Soon the sight of the resistance front come within view; a make-shift camp crawling with excitable civilians and overworked officers. Venser could smell the scents of burning power cells, sweaty adrenaline and smoky gunshots before he even arrived. The wild frontier of Helston.

Venser's motorcycle screeched to a halt outside the camp, musty dust coming up in a flaky plume around him as he hopped of his bike and began checking his weaponry. He breathed in deep through his face-mask; the air was so much cleaner outside of the main city. The ginger wiped off his fire-arms and began inserting stolen power-cells and ammunition into their respective ports, feeding the metal beast just like Venito had shown him the first time he rented a weapon. At ten years old, his stubby fingers were barely able force the shells down into the revolver.

The ginger tied his hair back, smothered it with his beanie, and drew a pair of round sun-glasses over his face. The pump-action shotgun was slung over his zipped-up jacket, the mammoth of a handgun holstered on his belt. He scoffed a bit at the gear that other people surrounded him with; vests and leg-guards and helmets that made the red-head feel under-dressed. He'd have to do with just a thick pair of jeans and three layers. As long as the situation stayed free of union influences and excluded any projectile shots foreign to the resistance, Venser felt this was worth it. Foxtrot 11 would pay big bucks to get front line photos of whatever the hell was going on at Helston. The red-head would have Artemis to guide him through, anyways.

Stalking around the camp looking for his female companion, Venser soon came within ear-shot of a familiar voice and that of a more dignified, nervous character. Their conversation was distant, but Venser's snooping nature did him well to decipher their dialogue. He could have sworn the woman sounded almost like the grocer from the supermarket he had been at before.

“What exactly is this enemy? It doesn’t seem like it’s any of the unions.”

“We don’t know, but they are not human. When the assault begins, we’re packing things up here and going back to Helston. This area will be swarmed and we need to prepare the town’s defenses, and evacuate everyone southwards, to Halos City.”

“So, these people here are more or less charging into their deaths?”

'Heh, fun. I can't integrate into the insensitives without being made cannon fodder.', Venser thought, looking around at all the non-Aeons that would soon become military-mandated meat shields to some inhuman force. But that was exactly what had Venser thrilled as well as somewhat terrified; that alien enemy. A factor that could ensure his photos became valuable leaks on a potential resistance cover-up, as well as seal a gruesome fate for him if he wasn't careful. Venser quickly patted his jacket for his phone, making sure it was still with him. When he felt it, he reassured himself that this was all worth it. If this evolved into what he thought, Venito would be the one getting the short stack of cash tonight. This was all definitely worth it.



Only about a moment of time passed before Venser received Artemis' text and double-timed himself over to where she was, shoving through crowds and the like as more people and equipment began to fill the camp. Spotting her from a distance, the ginger quickly zig-zagged through the base until he popped out from behind a corner and nearly surprised her. His greeting was equally sudden and brash, almost complimenting his unexpected materialization from the make-shift militant tents.

"To answer your question, their game plan is to start lobbing non-Aeons at the threat so they can leave. And yeah, we have a threat; inhuman and most likely originating from the meteor. We're fucking with aliens and they want to high-tail it back to Halos City. I say, for now, we act like good little resistance pets until we can get our pay-day. But we do it on the Aeon personnel carriers." Venser spouted, dust kicking up around his boots in small whirls of whispy movements. After his initial spiel, however, he shrugged and looked up at Artemis, adding, "But, I'm not the veteran here." He pointed a single finger at the pistol she still held in her hand.

Being lost in a trance of memories wasn’t planned for Artemis, but her crystalline eyes were narrow and spaced. She stared into the distance, towards the booming sounds of battle that somehow called out to her—not to the baker or the caretaker that she portrayed herself to be, but the warrior within that embeds itself beneath her condemning fortitude. She took a breath in, and she tasted the metal and blood again. She furrowed her brows, and she remembered the expressions of war. She blinked her eyes, rapidly to shake her thoughts away, but still, she felt pain.

Venser crept out from the corner of her eye and Artemis gasped, jumping back lightly in surprise and shaking the daze that consumed her. She looks around in confusion, obvious that she was lost in thought. First, Artemis took in her surroundings, eying the gathered fighters and discerning the type of crowd that she’d fight alongside. It was different than what she remembered. They didn’t bear the union colors, they didn’t organize themselves in squads of uniformed militants, they didn’t have strict supervisors instructing their coming suicide. They were a diverse group of simple citizens of Helston, but they bore a bravery that bled more genuine than Artemis had seen within the Unions. A peculiar group formed and Artemis squinted in wonder from the strange aura that they released: a short girl, a masked man, a smoking militant. Beyond the three was another group that appeared incompetent, but somehow released a sense of hidden intimidation. She couldn't pinpoint how the tides of battle would flow.

Artemis looked to Venser, then to the gun in her hand. She sheathed the gun into the holster that scrunched the fabric of her pants around her right thigh. She listened closely to his spiel, becoming reminded again of the lionheart that Venser was—he spoke bluntly and straight to the point, with confidence and certainty. He was a worthy companion to Artemis, and she valued the glimpse of kindness that lied just behind his imposing and cautious demeanor.

She stood in silence, thinking, after he finished speaking. The rundown he gave her stirred her stomach with emotions. Her gut tightened at the thought of inhuman creatures since she prepared more for a union attack in which she’d have more of an upper hand. This reminded her of the difficulty that went hand in hand with every battle, but also her instincts that made her rise. The aeonic fighter within her jostled her body. Artemis swallowed hard before speaking sternly, “We’ll ride into the fray with the rest of them, but refrain from engaging on the enemy until we understand enough about it to initiate some sort of counter-attack. It doesn't look like they're giving us much time to strategize since they're already piling people into the convoys. From the sounds of it, we might be on the wrong side of victory. But maybe Helston will meet it’s saviours today.” Artemis paused, “The sun is bright.”

Artemis walked closer to Venser to truly see the determination in his eyes. She let out a sigh, almost appearing afraid to join the battle, not from the situation at hand, but from the release of restraints that she bore for so long, “Venser. I’m not sure how well you are with a gun, or how well you serve in battle, but,” she stopped herself from becoming emotional or showing weakness, “I know you’re full of surprises, so I’ll try to not picture your dead body at the foot of some alien.” Artemis let out a faint smile before proceeding past him to join the others to board the convoys. Whether he would follow behind her or not, Artemis let her mind scurry back to it’s memories for the short moment that she had left before returning to the battlefield once again. Venser’s smart. Their instincts will work together, Artemis was sure.



As much as Artemis tried to prepare herself mentally for combat again, she found that it still came at her as hard and fast as the red creature did towards the many fighters of Helston. One by one, they met their fate, whether it was as gruesome as being eaten alive or as fast as being thrown an absurd distance towards the concealed horizon. Artemis’ breaths were quick, not from physical exhaustion, but from her slow awakening in the midst of what felt to be a dust storm. The small aliens charged themselves towards her mercilessly and in groups. Her aim was rusty, but she steadied her shots well enough to shoot down the creatures before they got too close.

Artemis felt cowardly, leaning against the convoy for camouflage and safety. The enemy was far too unknown for Artemis to charge in confidently, so she watched from a distance and saved her ammunition. Bullets seemed to have little to no effect on the red creature and it’s speed was impeccable given how strong it was. Helston didn’t deserve to face a creature of this magnitude.

It wasn’t until the reveal of the first aeon that the morale of Helston would increase. He was strong with his abilities and he casted confidently, almost as if the range was his specialty. Artemis, on the other hand, preferred close-quarters, but her fighting techniques were geared towards humans, not aliens. The array of bullets that continued to rain upon the creature wouldn’t allow for her to engage anyway. The masked man hurdled pillars of earth towards the creature—a powerful attack, but too slow in comparison to the creatures high speed. His next attack showed a weakness of the enemy: the light from his ability caused the creature to become cautious.

Artemis saw her chance to dart into close-quarters once the creature became shrouded in a cloud of dust. The gunshots ceased from the enemy being obscured. Artemis bolted forward and unleashed blasts of aeonic power from the heels of her boots, causing her to close the gap between the cloud of uncertainty and her quickly. Within the instance, the trimming of her suit became tinted with blue and yellow as aeonic power flowed through it’s complex material. It was faint beneath her clothes and could only be seen if looking close enough. But with the speed from her blast, she could only be seen hurling herself into melee range and disappearing into the cloud.

Artemis skidded in a circle along the dusty terrain, taking in as much as she could before the creature would notice her close-presence. It was tall and mighty, humanoid looking but with menacing teeth and threatening tentacles that protruded from it’s face. She was now close enough to hear the snarls of it’s wrath and anger, eying it’s body as she skid to try and find any weakpoints, but it’s skin appeared thick and protective, especially in it’s hands and feet which implied knowledge of close-quarter combat. Her scarf barely held on from her speed as she ducked her chin into it’s thick fabric to avoid inhaling the debris, readying herself. The best way to attack in the moment would be to match the speed of the creature, so she clenched her fists as the gloves of her suit hissed with aeonic power. With a jab of her fist, a mix of electricity and extreme force jolted at the creatures stomach. She uppercut with her other fist at the same spot, causing the creature to lift up from it’s feet from the combination of her aeonic strength and her blast attack. The blast caused the the cloud of dust to disperse quickly as strings of lightning flew out with the wind of her enhanced force, revealing the two of them. Assuming that a shower of bullets would follow the reveal, Artemis blasted from her feet again to disengage fluidly. The creature was stunned by her attack, but regained his composure quickly and assumed a stance for his next attack.

Artemis tried to flee from his sight, but she noticed the lack of eyes on the creature. She found cover by the convoy as she pondered. She learned two things thus far: it probably senses the presence of them somehow since it can’t see, and it quivered at the conjured light. The fight seemed to take a hopeful turn as Artemis continued to study the creature.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦...𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘲𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘰𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘳. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦, 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢, 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦, 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮(𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘺, 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵) 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘸 𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 and 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣, 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘹𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘺, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦.

𝘚𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘺. 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵, 𝘢 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. "𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨?" 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘶𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘦. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. "𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯..." 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵. 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘵, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘈 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢. 𝘏𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯, 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘫𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘈 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘴, 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 '𝘯𝘢𝘪𝘭' 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳'𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘺, "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵! 𝘐 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵! 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘵!"

𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦, "𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦... 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭." 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴/𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘶𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘵, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘌𝘋 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘥, "𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 get in one 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘵, 𝘸𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥....𝘢𝘴 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘯". 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. "𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴?" he 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘮 𝘯𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦, "𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 fine. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦. 𝘏𝘦'𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳."



"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺?" 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘱𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 j𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘯𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰, 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺, "𝘐 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸..." 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. 𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. "𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦. 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶." 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘪𝘻𝘻𝘢𝘻𝘻. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘢𝘻𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺, 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘫𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘶𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵. 𝘖𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘧𝘧, 𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘜-𝘞𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥. 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘗𝘦𝘵𝘺𝘳'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘭. 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘥, 𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘨. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘚𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 𝘎𝘶𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯. 𝘏𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘨. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘣𝘦, 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘺. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦-𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢, 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘢 minor wound 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘜𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘬, 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘧. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮ed 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 and she had a deep gash on her shoulder. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨.

𝘓𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘶𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘱 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵, 𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 '𝘙𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳', 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘵 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦.

𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵. 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘬𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘈𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘠𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘏𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘵. 𝘏𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘵.

𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘢'𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘩. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘧𝘵 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘸. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭, 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘺, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳e 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦.

𝘈 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮, 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥, 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴...

Ꮦ Ꮒ Ꮛ Ꮢ Ꮛ Ꭵ Ꮥ Ꮑ Ꭷ Ꭵ Ꮭ Ꮭ Ꮼ Ꮥ Ꭵ Ꭷ Ꮑ Ꮆ Ꮢ Ꮛ Ꮧ Ꮦ Ꮛ Ꮢ Ꮦ Ꮒ Ꮧ Ꮑ Ꭶ Ꮛ Ꮧ Ꮢ

---

★ Side Note:

For the Helston characters, I just used the Fairy font from this text website. If you guys don't like this tidbit of lore, I can delete it from the end of my post. :)

---

---

There was a moment in time where all seemed to have finally be in their favor. Korvo, who up until recently thought he would be once again the lone wolf in a battle of lions, had been surprised with outcomes of other Aeons coming onto aid. This monstrosity had been pushed, tripped and soon enough snuffed out of existence with so many Aeons in the fray. It was merely a matter of time, witnessing all come to a ear close he knew the casualties would be high, the numbers would be a detrimental loss to Helston, and he would once again had to see more men and woman buried and mourning. But, the silver lining was that, this didn't have to happen anymore. This could be sto- Something was off, victory was on the palm of their hands, but there was a tremor under the heel of his boot, it began to shift the earth ever so faintly yet it grew increasingly potent with every passing moment. The hood of Korvo's shawl dropped, turning to what seemed to be the source that emanated from withing the crater. Behind the mask, Korvo's eyes widen in horror, as a beast peered its ugly presence from within the such, towering above all the people. It's massiveness was enough to halt his movements, awe and fear of what would come rushed throughout his core. A grit of the teeth, damning all that had brought this misfortune. Korvo felt useless and dozens, upon dozens of options came to mind on how to defeat it, all ended up grim. Those who were lost layed on the surface of the earth beneath his feet. Blood, gore and death was what now permeated throughout the scenery. What was once another ordinary day at the construction site had now shifted itself to a walking, breathing nightmare.

The survivors began to ran pass him. The monsters continued the assault, but at this juncture Korvo felt time move slowly. Perhaps-- A voice called out, snapping him away from his trance. The quadrupeds were gaining momentum again, one had leaped towards the youth and was quickly taken care off by another Aeonic blast. The young woman from before began to shout retreat. Korvo turned once more to witness the giant and resorted to run away for now. He darted with no remorse towards the carrier, witnessing the other Aeons do the same, he decided to take the wheel. Dropping the empty mag from his gun, he immediately reloaded and began to open a path towards the carrier's driver seat, a dead man took its place, which Korvo had to remove. A silent apology followed by a tug and push. Replacing the man's position and turning on the engine. It took awhile, perhaps it took too much damage during the skirmish. Korvo began to get frustrated, bite his lip, notably getting angry almost. He opened up a small compartment under, began to shift and twist the vehicles wiring before a spark emanated from such, bringing the carrier back to life. At this point, he heard the woman on the hood once again. "On it! Hold on to your things, I'm not about to be subtle!"

He lifted the handbrake, hit the gas causing the wheels to run in place, shifting the weight of the carrier and turning in place, shifting gears and dropping set brake the carrier lunched at full speed. The monsters began the pursuit. Korvo was not too worried about running them over; some made it to the hood and were quickly disposed off with a couple swerves. His hand pulled out the window and began to shoot at any who were in the near proximity before him. Damn it, where to, the way to Helston was blocked, they had no options but to continue northward, Korvo didn't have much time to think and he decided to get on the highway, from there he took the first exist left and now it seems they were headed towards Dedana City... In this small interval where the distance began to become clearer and the shifting noises of screams and violence had turn to that of road travel. The skies had turned into a fall of meteors much like before; this was no random circumstance of fate... This had turned into a full on war. A lot came to mind; he wondered if an evacuation was ministered on Helston, he wondered if Venito was safe, if grandpa made it out. The circumstances… He should’ve listened to his sense when all this began, but now it was all just a little too late. In their way to Dedana, a single fleeting thought remained. There were far too many people with him, and some didn’t look their best. The beats could be seen ever after such a distance, the monstrosity that skyscraper’d unto the heavens, not concerned about the possibilities of retaliation, it was free to do as it pleased and it was right. None held any power to do anything against it as of yet. Not even at its brightest, the moment nightfall struck, they would lose their powers and become no more useful than a handful of soldiers. Korvo knew his limits, and so… maybe it was time for him to humble himself a bit, maybe it was a time where he needed to ask for assistance. For a moment, Korvo hesitated on making a decision; his helmet blaring red began to slowly change to it more subtle blue, the worse that read “Out of Combat” were almost a mockery to what seemed to be the start of something bigger. A deep inhale, follow by a slow, controlled exhale.

Korvo's hand began to press the touch pad on his wrist, dialing a number which only displayed the name, Emergency Only...

"Ashwin... It's me. I know I haven't called in awhile, but- I need your help, I'm on my way to Dedana. I'll meet you at Aurora's Medical Facility. Get a few rooms up, I bring friends."