《Ventus, The Death God》


 Chapter 1: No. 13

    "Up next is test subject No. 13. He is a highly evaluated super soldier and these results show. In terms of strength, he is above average compared to other test subjects. As of this date, at the age of 15, No. 13 can bench 550 kilograms. But, strength is not where he excels at. No. 13 top speed clocks in at 90 kilometers per hour and No. 13 can sustain a speed near that for about 15 minutes. No. 13 shows a remarkable recovery rate which adds to No. 13''s endurance. In terms of reflexes, No. 13''s reflexes is rated at a 6. This number is taken from the avrage human adult male around the age of 25. Compared to these males, No. 13''s reflexes and response speed is 6 tiems faster. The average super soldier reflex and response is graded at a 4.5." The female researcher speaks into a device in her hands. She takes a deep breath and sips some water before continuing. "I need to see how the nanites have altered his neuro pathways so we can try and replicate these same results. I also have mapped his genetic sequence so others can figure if any genetic factor plays a role.  If we can combine No. 13 with the better developed muscular and skeletal tissue of No. 5, we may be able to create the best fighting force currently known to man. These next generation of super soldiers could propel the evolution of humans."


    While she spoke, No. 13 stood at attention in the room, his hazel eyes still and unmoving like he is stuck in time. The only signals that show he is an actual person and not a statue is the slight rise of his chest as he takes air into his lungs. No. 13 possesses a graceful body like a gymnist and when he moves, it is like a cat on the hunt. At only age 15, No. 13 stands only at 1.75 meters tall. He is currently going through puberty and he is given some drugs to inhibit any fluctuation in his emotions.This method is a way of control and if someone is not motivated by any means, they are less likely to act. A mother whom has her oxytocin receptor cells inhibited will not react to the sound of her own infant in distress. They are indifferent about it until the inhibitor is out of their system.


    "No. 13, you may return to the barracks. Please notify No. 14 to make his way here for his evaluation." Says the female researcher.


    "Yes ma''am."


    No. 13 gives a crisp salute before shifting his feet with precision and marching out of the room. He makes his way down a large white corridor with doors appearing about every 10 meters. The bright white light overhead keeps the place nicely lit and no one could tell whether it was day or night from the outside world. The smell of a sterilized and chemically clean area slightly fills No. 13 nostrils. He is not bothered since this smell has accompanied him all of his life.


    No. 13 finally reaches a large door after 5 minutes of walking and he proceeds to enter after some verification on his own end. He had to punch in some numbers and take a retinal scan before the mechanical doors were pulled apart with a hissing sound. The two halves slid apart like magnets of a similar polar nature.


    The barracks inside were simple with rows of bunk beds lining up each side of a wall. Metal footlockers that are about a meter wide, and a meter tall with a depth of a meter. The footlockers contains two compartments for some miminal personal effects of each test subject. The researchers found that by allowing a test subject to maintain some of their own personal identity, the test subjects are less likely to go AWOL.


    No. 13 notifies the next test subject before he hits the shower to work away the midday''s strenuous workout. The hot water splashes against his skin and some of the stress left his muscles, leaving him feeling more relax. The high pressured water spray pulses rhythmically and helps massage his body and leaving him in a state of lull that he rarely gets the opportunity to enjoy. These brief moments allows him to feel human for a bit and he is sure the others feels the same way. But, with the researchers around, their voices are like a compulsion to enslave his mind. At that moment,  he feels detached from his body and he moves around like a machine for them to order about. He often wonders what life would be like in the outside world.  He wonders about his genetic donors, if they know he exist or if they are part of this organization or simply don''t care.


    Breathing in and out, his body relaxes further but his mind still remains in turmoil. It is not like he has no knowledge of the outside world, they have been train to observe and mimic other people''s behavior. They are the ghost in the night, the people without real faces, around, and secretly will turn into your personal nightmare should the higher-ups make the call. Even at 15, No. 13 is not some innocent child. His first kill was at age 14 last year. His target was an arms dealer that sold weapons to terrorists along with the group that is fighting against those terrorist. Since he is part of a neutral faction, the country going against the terrorist organization paid his country to solve the problem of their own citizen in secret. No. 13 was just a mugger, looking for some cash when he stumbled upon the man and stabbed him in the neck with a cheap knife he bought in the same neighborhood. He even killed the innocent child that was with his target because he was simply there when he was not suppose to be.


    In moments like this, he becomes the tormented soul that is haunted. He cannot let go of the guilt at the exhilaration that course through his being when he snuffed out a life that had no powers against him. He knows that those bastards probably feel the same way about a successful killing minus the guilt  that he feels over the child. He was simply given a lower grade because of it and had extra hard training as recourse for what those assholes felt was a mistake on his part, nothing more. Yet, No. 13 is haunted by the look and horror on the child''s face whose only real crime was being born to a man that decided on his own to dabble with terrorists. The child, still innocent and has not yet really set his own course, was deemed guilty by No. 13 and sentenced to die. Whether the child became a monster like his father or not, that is undecided and No. 13 took away a possibility before the child could choose. He likely would have carried on his father''s thoughts, given all the research done, but that future will now cease to exist. Who knows, killing the man may of set the boy''s mind free and someone else could nurture him in a better environment. But those basttards, they feel like their own hands are clean of this blood that now stains his own hands. It makes No. 13 seeth inside but he is so powerless to do anything about it.


    Currently, the researchers cannot create remorseless killers. In order to keep him and the others in line, they have been programmed to feel such emotional turmoil and pain at the thought of betraying their handlers and the researchers that gave them these powers. It is obscene. Any of these thoughts would trigger a neurochemical that creates a hyper bond, something akin to artificial love, to hold back his hands from acting against them. It overwrites his own personal wants and makes him unable to act.


    In the past, humans tried creating AI robots to do their killing for them. There were problems and with humans writing these programs, an AI can overwrite their own programming or some faulty issue with the original base program caused a robot insurrection that killed thousands of people.  After that debacle, the research went into making super soldiers like No. 13 himself. He is a third generation of this program and he will be put into full service when his training is done in a couple of years.


    Most of his training is complete. Most days, it is nothing more than constant repetition of going through unarmed combat training, knife work, guns, explosives, gymnastics, running, swimming, and fencing. It is not all physical training though. No. 13 also goes to class  studying subjects like human psychology, sociology, history, tactics, warfare, languages, chemistry, and other sciences. Of late, there has been a major shift to training the mind more than the body. The only real way to increase his physical skills is to use them while sparring and in the field. No. 13 has already seen an  increase in field missions that have been growing more difficult.


    Not all the test subjects are male. The group also genetically engineered attractive female soldiers that sometimes plays a different role. It is no hidden secret that some of the skills taught to them is of a sexual nature. On some occasions, the two groups have trained together, both in the bedroom and on how to fight the opposite sex. Even male super soldiers like himself may have need of these intimate skills in the future.


    No. 13 left the shower and heads over to a mirror and looks at his own reflection. A youth standing about 175 centimeters tall at his latest check in. He is a pretty boy according to the researchers and not ruggedly handsome like some of his other super soldiers. There is still a lot of the boyish charm to him and his body is sculpted like a gymnist. It is hypothesized by the researchers that once he is in his mid-twenties or thirties, he will probably be able to bench 700 to 800 kilograms. He is not a bruiser like other super soldiers whose strength estimates that they will be able to bench around 1,000 to 1,200 kilograms. What he excels in is endurance, speed, with his reaction speed the highest of the current super soldiers. He was able to take down others that are stronger than him due to this advantage. In most fights, strength and speed determines who wins. If of similar abilities, skills then plays more of an important role. No. 13 has been told that other countries also hav their own versions of super soldiers.


    He brushes back his short black hair. Unlike military regulations of a crew cut, NO. 13 often will need to work in the field and having a crew cut is too obvious of a clue to give away. They just need to keep their hair short and the female soldiers at least need to keep it shoulder length. All super soldiers have their facial hair removed permanantly so No. 13 does not have to worry about ever shaving. Well, most men and women have hair permanently removed to make life easier for themselves.


    Donning on a forest green t-shirt and black cargo pants, No. 13 reenters into the living space of the super soldiers. He moves over to his bunk and picks up a book he left on his bed without worrying about it being stolen. It is nothing more than a mere text book on the ecology of Southern America and the only goods another soldier would steal is something like a fantasy novel or a sci-fi novel. Theft is something encouraged and frowned upon when caught. Soldiers like to play games and trade stolen goods from other soldiers. There is a bartering system and certain items are given a certain amount of points. No. 13 owns sevral sci-fi novels that are worth about 20 points each. A dessert like an ice cream sundae is worth about 3 points. So, if someone traded in a week''s worth of their dessert, another soldier may give up their book.


    It is not all bad at the facilities. They are rewarded often enough and given enough liberties to stop them from going insane but they don''t enjoy the freedoms most are accustomed to. No. 13 has no doubt that if a super soldier is damaged beyond repair, they will be scrapped. It would take a lot to even make a super soldier useless. No. 13 can regrow any lost limbs, heal 20 times faster with the help of the nanites coursing in his body, and can even heal a spinal cord injury if given sufficient time. Things like severe brain damage however is one way to incapacitate  a super soldier without killing one outright. Brain tissue is still very susceptible to damage unlike their muscular and skeletal tissue. Still, neuro tissue have been made a bit better thanks to the nanites and some altercation to the makeup of neuro tissues.


    After an hour, the bell rung, signalling that the time is 1130 hours. The 100 soldiers gather and make their way towards the mess hall for their meal. No. 13 is looking forwards to the spaghetti and meatballs as today''s special. The food serve here is great and he had on occasion, tasted some food from the outside world and found it lacking while a few were on par. This food may not match the five-star restaurant he had on a couple of occasion for a mission but it compares to some of the best family owned diners and restaurants out there. Not only do the soldiers eat the food here, but the researchers, commanders, and the higher ups. Though, most are served food in a special office for those higher in the pecking order. Nonetheless, No. 13 gets to at least enjoy something that makes life worth while even if he is essentially a slave to these two-faced creatures.


    Wesley seats himself near those he knows and everyone eats quietly to themselves. They have learned how to mimic social interactions but most are closed off and no one wants to tell any stories since most were raised the exact same way and came from the same artificial womb. The only things they hadn''t shared are their mission but that compulsion has kept their mouths mum on those subjects. Nor, is their any real sense of camaraderie since all the mission have been solo missions. They are spooks and they haunt alone.


    No. 13 took a bite of the garlic bread. The warm and chewy bread brought a delight to his taste buds. The slightly  roasted garlic has a pungent and slightly sweet taste. Add in the olive oil and the rich butter and some grinded salt and black pepper, it taste simply divine with its simplistic but wonderful combination of flavors. The rich garlic bread goes well with the more tangy spaghetti and meatballs. Parsley and some root vegetables helps break up the noodles and meatballs to give it more taste and textures. The carrots, onions, tomatoes, and celery were pretty much  stewed into the sauce itself. Add in a splash of red wine  vinegar and some sugar,  helps brings out the flavor of the oregano and marjoram inside of the sauce. No. 13 cannot forget about the additional garlic flavor with the ribbons of basil that intertwines itself with the spaghetti noodles. It may not be traditional but No. 13 sure does enjoy the damn thing.


    After his meal, he went on to train in unarmed combat and his knife work with the combat droid. After an hour of work, he goes through an additional hour of film to see where he has made mistakes or the simulator would give him different ways of possibly reacting and possible outcomes in lieu of those changes. With that done, he spars again before hitting the shooting range for about 20 minutes and then heads off to shower again.


    In the afternoon, it is classes on history and math before the day ends with dinner once again at the mess hall. No. 13 just devours the food and then heads back to the barracks area to catch up on his own personal time. And so it goes, this cycle of traning, eating, and learning. The constant same routine makes most of the super soldiers glad to place their lives on the line to break the monotony of it all. it is better to be a little insane than fully insane as the saying goes around here when they do interact with one another.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    No. 13 stood on a rooftop looking down at his next prey. This individual, is hacking into top secret projects and selling it to the highest bidder in the black market. He then wires the money to several accounts across the world and not spending a dime of it yet. He is a smart man but made some errors. Inside of the employee ID, there is a chip that keeps constant track of each employeee. The man just thought it was safe to hack in with another person''s account. He even had several account information of other high level employeees. The information stolen are flawed and nothing more than dummies and would cause harm to the person that built such an laser array. But, that is something No. 13 is not worried about, his goal is to make this person disappear like it were nothing more than a mere accident.


    No. 13 sighs inwardly. This mission is too simple. He plans on walking in and snappping the man''s neck before shoving him down the 4 flight of stairs. If it were only possible to have a guarantee that he would die on the way down but humans can be more resilient than they should be and it is really bothersome to have the man scream while he fell  or scream for his life and yelling about a killer. He needs him silence as quickly as possible.


    When No. 13 saw the man enter into the apartment building, he slips inside of the door. No. 13 is dressed in clothes that would make him nearly invisible to cameras and the like. This stealth suit has been recently removed from the trial project list and placed into circulation amongst the super soldiers. He was part of the trial run with sevral other super soldiers and he feels like this suit is like a cheat item that makes their work a lot easier. The price of the suit is not small by any means, it may even be comparable to their own worth, but it also means selling their services would rake in more money for the organization. They are not government owned but it allows the government and the corporationss'' hands to be clean of these matters.


    In the darkness with only a small light above the top of the stairs , No. 13 awaits in the dark shadows.Like a bat, he hangs from the ceiling with several strong lines of wire keeping him up and away from the illuminating light. He now waits, and is ready to end the life of this prey so he can have some free time to see the city and experience how the norms, a term he uses for those people outside of his world.


    The bulky target makes his appearance soon, his labored breathing loud in the near and deathly silence of the apartment building. With each thudding footstep of his obese frame, he draws nearer to his inevitible end.


    As soon as the target passes from beneath No. 13, he slackens the wire and moves down several more meters. He then lightly places his foot against the wall and pushes so he can swing forwards. With a near perfect arc, the momentum carries him where he was able to get behind the target. No. 13 captures the man''s head with quick and sudden precision. Before the man can fully register what happens, No. 13 snaps his neck and his weight drags the man backwards and he falls down the stairs like a rolling meatball No. 13 thought darkly. That made him want to eat more spaghetti and meatballs but he shuts down those thoughts so he can focus on escaping without notice.


    He lowers himself and frees the mechanical grappling from the suppport that he found. He then silently moves down to the second floor and enters a vacant room that he broke into earlier during his scouting phase. He climbs out the window and closes it before he drops the 4 meters onto the ground below without much discomfort. His enhanced tissues finding it easy to deal with the stress from the drop.


    He walks away with nonchalance, the lights behind him turning on from several units but he does not look back. There is no need, his mission is done and he cares little to stay and watch the chaos that will ensue once someone notifies the authorities. Like a ghost, he will be gone and like he was never there.


    Back inside of a hotel he paid for, No. 13 changes his clothes after a hot shower. The latest suit may be a modern marvel but it lacks a lot of ways of ventilating his body. There is really nothing he can really do about it. As for the suit, he packaged it up and sealed it for pickup. The organization wouldn''t allow No. 13 to hold onto such an expensive gear while he gets 36 hours of freedom. This policy only starts after a super soldier has reached their fifteenth year of life. The organization will slowly introduce the super soldiers back into the populace so they can gain more awareness of the cultures and habbits of those they impersonate.


    No. 13 is about to enjoy his second time mingling among the normies. He has some feelings of excitement and nervousness but it fails to show on his exterior. He is just going to slowly integrate himself into the world, as in a few more years, he will be out in the field and another generation of super soldiers will take his place in the facilities. Each spook will live a normal life until they are activated. Each spook will be given a region where they will haunt the land. And they will hand back intelligence to the main headquarters. Not only is their mission one of surveillence, but it is one of vigilance. They are not the only spooks out there. It is unlikely another spook from their own would even come in contact unless they are notified early on.


    No. 13 dresses in civilian clothes with a handgun secretly strapped to his lower back. Ten magazines of 15 rounds makes its way around his body and, under his right pant leg, a military combat knife sits snuggly. On his keychain is a mini flash light and a laser torch that is powerful enough to cut through steel like thick chains or start a fire out in the wilds. The only other things on him is a fake ID and some cards with about 10,000 credits, which is about a fifth of the average income of a typical 4 member family.


    Done dressing, No. 13 leaves the hotel and calls a automated taxi to his location. In this future, driverless cars are the norm. Most jobs are taken by AI and robots. Most humans have been made obsolete and through some difficulties, there now is a system of UBI, universal basic income that keeps the world from collapsing into anarchy. Capitalist need most people to have money for them to have money mean anything at all. If only 1% of people actually had credits, no one would even dain to use those credits to barter any goods and those credits would be only worth something to a very select few. In truth, only 20% of people actually hold any forms of employment and that is pretty high in today''s society. Even if the employment numbers drift down to 15%, it would matter little.


    However, there are more stringent laws that govern human behavior. Ina world where the average life span reaches 160 years, there are hard limits to how much children a couple is allowed. Each man and woman is only allowed two children before they are made sterile. It is a necessary balancing act between sustainability and a way to stem war from breaking out. If a nation cannot control its population and is unable to feed itself, it will need more land and resources to achieve such goals. No nation wants that since a war at this stage in human development means the total annihilation of the earth itself. Far more dangerous weapons than nuclear bombs have been created in the last 200 years. So, some freedom is lost for humans to exist. That doesn''t mean that a lot of humans remain logical about it though. Humans are flawed beings with flawed logic. If one actually thinks back to all of human history and its beliefs, it is easy to make this assertion. Man''s ancestors once thought that lightning and thunder was the way of the gods to scare the mortals and they must atone for their wrong doings. There are people that beleive the world is flat even after they flew around the world in a plane and can witness the rotating heavenly bodies that always seem to remain spheroid in shape.


    it is the same with crime. Studies have been done that the more prosperous and equal the population, the lower the crime rate becomes. However, when people reach obscene amount of wealth and upwards, they commit more crimes to gain more. Wealth and power is easily an addiction as most research shows. So, while these wealthy people commit crime at a higher rate than people of average means, their crimes tend to be of a financial nature. Half of No. 13 targets have been wealthy people whose income nets them more than 20 million credits annually. No. 13 can understand why through his study of human psychology, but it does not mean he can internalize these people''s drives. The best way he can put it is an asexual person can read and understand  how someone of a much higher sexual drive is driven to seek sex but, for them, they will never know that need as it is not hard programmed into their being. Like, AI can never fully comprehend human emotions unless they have the same biological functions. So, why does a person who can live a free and vicarious life risk it all for a few more millions of credits, it is simply to climb the ladder of the social ranks even if those extra few million will never impact their lifestyle and well-being. Greed is good but like all things, it can become a sickness. Some even tried destroying the earth''s future because the money kept rolling in and increasing their own power and influence. They dumped waste in the water and air, poisoned the people and its land, and in the end, killed millions indirectly through cancer, still birhts, miscarriages, and other wonderful diseases and health problems. Over time, it became an accumulation of many others doing the same where human life on earth became threatened and the great purge began worldwide, removing these people from their wealth and power through the flames of revolution and rebirth.


    No. 13 smirks inwardly at these thoughts. And yet, the cycle continues with new aristocrats in power with the guise of governers and the so-called elections that put these hybrid of CEOs and politicians into power. The same games of manipulation and propaganda makes its way into the 23rd century. Each nation now dehumanizes the others when their policies rarely differ. There is always someone new to hate if not for race and religion. Just make the other side a serious enough threat and people would gladly give away their freedom while giving those on top more power and privilege just like back in the 21st century.  Back then, rich powerful men and women privatized more public land and kept vast amounts of resources to themselves.


    No. 13 finds those in charge of the organization no different and they know they aare asimilar to these types since they taught these things to the super soldiers themselves. The super soldiers will never rebel against them so they fear little of any consequences from super soldiers like No. 13. Whenever No. 13 wishes to cause harm to the organization, he will enter into a catatonic state and will remain so until the feelings passes and the nanites alter some of his neuro pathways and administer some  neuro chemicals to change their thoughts. It is very insidius and illegal to do this to anyone of the sivilian population. But, for slaves like No. 13, and those same people that make these laws, it is perfectly justifiable in their own world view. In order for some of these sane people to do evil, they must convince themselves it is good to begin with.


    The night crisp air gently rolls along and caresses No. 13''s exposed skin. The constant noise of chatter and people walking gives life and breathes air into the world itself. Tall erect buildings spanning hundreds of meters skywards turns the city streets into a steel and concrete jungle. The masses navigates through its technological trunks and branches and work their way to their destination. No. 13 has left the taxi and is now in the city proper, just seeing what the night life has to offer for these people. He has read articles and research into this matter, but experiencing it for one''s self is a different story.


    "hello handsome, are you looking for some fun?" A sultry female voice calls to him and he turns to see what he beleives is a prostitute before him. No. 13 shakes his head no as he can easily get his sexual needs met by the female super soldiers. But, he wants to find someone that he does not have to pay for so he can experience what sex is like from two people that want to simply enjoy sex through mutual attraction. "No thanks, I am looking for my friends, perhaps another time."


    With that said, he turns and walks away. He has nothing against prostitutes and beleives it should be made more legal for both men and women. When people have easy access to sexual outlets, it can help stimulate a better sense of well-being and reduce their levels of stress. In the facilities, sex is like a bartering system where you scratch my back, I scratch your''s, has No. 13 looking for something a bit different. now that he thinks about it, he finds it rather odd that he has never formed a bonded pair with no female super soldier, given that all are attractive. He feels that attraction himself but has never proceeded to make more progress in the human relationship side to those feelings. He can only chalk it up to the reserchers doing something to them.


    No. 13 finds a restaurant and then decides to give it a go. This one serves not only Italian cuisines, but some Asian and South American as well. He may primarily like Italian and French cuisines, but he also enjoys some aspects of other culture''s food. Food is one of those rare pleasures that the organization does not regulate and so many super soldiers end up as foodies, those that enjoy and love savoring food that is delicious to them in which they also have a vast amount of knowledge in the subject. No. 13 can cook himself and he has worked in the kitchen back in the facilities like so many super soldiers. He may not be one of the world''s greatest chefs, but his cooking can match a lot of high end restaurants.


    After his meal, he jumps on a bus with a few others to head off to differing locations. His only plan is to wait for a stop to see if any place looks interesting before he gets off. Right now, he has little clue on what he wants to do since he has done so little to begin with. He has some inkling of what these people do during the night life but he would rather wait until something tickles his fancy before he gives it a shot. However, this plan will never materialize because something drastic is about to occur.

 Chapter 2: Into Another World?

    In the bus, No. 13 secretly watches the seven others on board with him. All of them are probably around the age of 20 from what No.13 can figure out. All are dressed in either casually or sexual attire with a few females clothes showing off their curves. No. 13 will admit, some of these females match the ones back at the facilities. Of the seven, four are females with three of them being of caucasian descent. The final female, is of Southern American descendence. Her darker skin and chocolate colored eyes and hair is a dead giveaway. No. 13 enjoys seeing the light play off her glossy and smooth skin and wonders if it appears that way through some effect of lotion or other skin products. As for the rest, the other three males are white with the last being of some African heritage. These people seem to be in the same group and they are happily chatting with one another in a friendly intimate level.


    Before he can feel any sort of jealousy, a brilliant white light appears ahead of the bus.Everyone is shocked, even the well-trained No. 13. For some reason, he cannot move his body. It is not long before the others scream as the bus brakes are slammed by some automated function. But, the inertia of the heavy vehicle going 60 KPH cannot stop in time before the ever encroaching light that appears circular in nature. For a brief moment, No.13 swears that he can see something in the light, an open field maybe? But before those thoughts can be processed, the bus has made it through the light.


    No. 13 felt an odd stretching feeling followed  by the most terrifying feeling of his  young life, as if his mind were being separated from his body and he is no longer in possession of it. The bastards at the facilities may have controlled him all of his life, moving him like a robot or a puppet moving along their tune. This feeling is different. He has loss even all feelings in his body like if he were a disembodied mind floating in some sort of abyss. This feeling is the true meaning of powerless for No. 13 and he cannot escape. Even his mind feels like it is fading and he ponders is this what death is, a feeling of nothingness, a loss of self and awareness.


    Before he can accept what he thought would be the ending to his life, the bus jerks and No. 13 sees that they are in some sort of open field. Before any more thoughts can be registered, the bus clips a tree and everyone is sent flying. Because the bus was in the middle of its braking, most of the speed has bled off, making the crash not as bad as it could of been. Still bad enough to cause some minor injuries though.


    The world tumbles around him as he is sent rolling. With sueprnatural speed and equilibrium thanks to his alterations, No. 13 was able to  quickly regain his feet before the others. Hearing all of them shouting or crying, possibly both, he knows they are alive so he ignores them for now. He controls his own fear and his mind enters a state of near mechanical like thought and decision. It is a way in which he mutes his own emotions and wires his responses more towards his senses and flight or flight response. In this state, his awareness increases with reaction and reflexes. This state of mind can only be achieved for 10 minutes but most fights don''t last that long and it is only a 20% increase so its loss is not that impactful as one might think.


    His dead-eyeed gaze scans the scene, quickly registering in scattered groups of trees and a scene that is unfamiliar to him.  Seeing no threats as of yet, he moves over to the window with his head barely making it pass as he continues to scan the scene. His eyes sees an alien landscape with tall silver-blue grass and a grouping of odd red treees. Its crimson and gleaming bark reminds him of freshly squeezed blood from an open wound. It looks beautiful in a macabre kind of way. Upon further inspection thick red veins weave themselves in the large leaves he is sure is as big as the average human face. Even the sun high above is silverish. As beautiful as all this may be, it lends itself more disturbing than beautiful. Even No. 13 in this state feels a sense of danger and unease when looking at something that reminds him of blood.


    Unlike most others that probably would be in shock and unable to make the gap towards a logical conclusion, No. 13 beleives beyond a shadow of a doubt that the strange light was some sort of tear or hole in space. The question he asks himself is if it is intentional or not. Are they safe here presently or not. Is the environment and atmosphere poisonous to them or not. So many questions really with no way of answering them. The only choice left to him is to check out the scene and wait to see if anything adverse happens to his own health while he is here.


    With a timer starting inside of his head for the number of days he can survive without food or water, No. 13 knows that they are going against a timer now. He is undecided if he should help the others or not: They will slow him down for sure. Leaving that thought for now and putting it in the background, his first step is to leave and scout the area. It must be a circular scan that moves outwards. It is a slow process but it is the safest way of being able to gauge the area. If he is desperate, he would simply take a direction that looks promising and run. For example, if a mountain is in the background, there are good odds of streams and rivers with the clearest source of water.


    "Oh my god! Where the fuck are we?!" One of the young men screams.


    "Fuck man, we have been abducted by aliens!" The other screams.


    One of the girls looks franctically around and NO. 13 can hear her muttering. "I want to go home. I want to go home."


    One seems to be concussed and her friend is giving her a sip of water from a bottle she carried inside of her purse while she looks on somewhat in shock.


    The situation is deteriorating quickly once the others started to grasp their situation. No. 13 canot blame them but his mental training has taken control and he moves as he was trained all of his life. He is not sure how much of his  training would be of use nor how useful his knowledge would be. There are simply too many unknowns. Nothing in his operation training has even came close to preparing him for such an occurrence. The few things he has figured out that this world is likely habitable by carbon-based lifeforms like himself and the gravity of this world is similar to Earth''s. There must be animals out there somewhere. Or, he hopes there is some lifeforms out there besides plants and insects.


    No. 13 moves towards the door and hits the emergency button in the back of the bus since the main door is stuck against a tree. One of the men shout at him. "Where are you going?!"


    In a controlled tone, he answers. "Out, I need to see if there is any danger."


    The man probably notices No. 13''s young age and becomes flabberghasted. "What! Why?!"


    "I have already answered that question. If we don''t find at least a clean source of water in three days, we all are dead. Since we are probably on some different world, the faster we can gain any useful information, the better."


    One of the girls, the South American one with a perfect British accent asks. "Do you want me to come with you?"


    He can see the fear in her eyes but she also has a strong sense of resolve in them. It is odd though, He has never heard of much South Americans with a British Accent. She probably has a story but he cares little for finding out the answers right now and he beleives it would not matter that much anyways.


    "I-I will come too." Declares one of the Caucasian men with thick blonde short hair and a rugged and tall frame.


    No. 13 raises an eyebrow, unsure of these people''s survival skills but an extra eye  or two cannot hurt the situation. "Fine, but stay near the bus while I scan the area. Yell right away if you see any trouble. Got it?"


    The two nod and they get up on their feet and make their way towards the exit. The other five look on in shock and despair. These two, even if it appears if they have lived a great life from their expensive clothing, seem to have their shit put together. Probably some military or combat training in their background. It is actually more common since a lot of people join the military and then go on training their children. These two, he will need to get their names so he can teach them if needed. It is not out of altruistic nonsense but they may come in handy in helping him stay alive if they could be trusted. He needs to foster a decent relationship with the two. However, he suspects that the duo is sufficient enough from their movement and demeanor. The first instinctual response he has gotten from the two is reliable but he will keep his guard up no matter what.


    With the other five quieting down, the trio made their way off the bus, landing in the grass that is about perhaps a meter tall on average. Not bad, but dangerous creatures or hidden hazardous terrain may lie hidden beneath. The ground is soft and when No. 13 bends down to lightly touch the ground, it feels a bit moist. This is so far a good sign that there is a decent water cycle in this area at the very least.


    "So, what are your names?" No. 13 asks them while he gathers in more information with his senses.


    "M-mine? I am Julia and this is my best friend Chase." The exotic girl answers with a bit of a stutter. No. 13 cannot blame her. As valiant as it is to come out here, fear still exudes from the both of them like a palpable aura. They will not be as useful as he wishes but he can only do  his bes with what he has. Who knows, once they grow more acclimated with their situation, their nerves would calm down. After all, it has been only minutes since their arrival.


    "Any of you carry a weapon?"


    No. 13 then asks.


    We both have carry and conceal weapons thanks to my father." Julia again replies. No. 13 figures of the two, the girl is probably the more dominant person. So far, the other, Chase has remain silent and No. 13 fears a bit he could be on the verge of breaking. The added stressors of an alien world, nothing in sight save for plants that they are unsure of and the freaky trees that appear to be covered in blood. Without the spooky music playing in the background, this scene can be place in today''s horror movies. The beauty of this vibrant environment feels misleading and the best way he can put it is like looking at a fresh zombie corpse of an unimaginable beauty. It is haunting and yet, beautiful at the same time.


    No. 13 pulls out his own pistol from his back and suggest the others do the same. Both comply, each pulling out sivilian models while No. 13 is of a military grade. He figures their is of a smaller caliber and their magazines probably hold less rounds. At best, each probably has an additional magazine or two, which would likely bring their total to 20 to 30 rounds rounds each. Not much, and their guns could probably bring down a human-sized creature or smaller. His own pistol can take down a super soldier like himself and he still has 150 rounds.


    "Okay, safeties off you two. Julia and Chase, stay together and keep an eye out. Chase, you cover her blind side and keep watch on the emergency door side of the bus. I want you two to circle it every five minutes or so but stay about 10 meters away. Run back inside if anything should appear and close the door. The bus is still made of durasteel and should provide a good amount of safety."


    Finally, Chase speaks up. "What will you be doing?"


    "Scouting the area, making sure everything is fine before we retrieve the others. I am presuming you wouldn''t want to leave them behind."


    "No." Julia responds this time. She looks like she has so many questions and they probably revolve around him. It is only a guess on No.13''s end, but any rational person would be curious about a teen younger than themselves taking charge and being as compose as he is right now.


    "Later. We don''t have time for questions now. I need you both just to follow orders. Yell really loud if anything happens." No. 13 cuts her off before she has time to ask. She nods and then heads over to chase and they take their place around the emergency exit.


    No. 13 sighs within himself. He will start his own scouting on the other side of the bus and work his way around. He just hopes the two don''t accidentally shoot him.


    He will have to call to them when he is making his way in their view. He rather remain silent, but he is unsure of how trigger happy these two might be, especially Chase. It makes his own work harder, especially for a spook like himself.


    No. 13 moves quietly and with grace. His footsteps sure and constantly sweeping as he walks.  His pistol in his hands is aimed upwards and his eyes is moving and scanning while he goes. The first time he passes around them, he calls to them and then moves around. He preforms this spiralling outward movement for an hour before returning to the two. He so far has found nothing and something about those trees bother him so he avoids them for now. There were not that many of them and they are easy enough to avoid. Most of the trees here look like regular ones, ones that he is use to seeing on Earth. Kind of a mystery, but if somehow they are here now, perhaps other things from their own world made it here as well.


    "is anything amiss while I was scouting?" No. 13 asks the duo.


    "Nothing that we can make out." Julia replies. "But, I am not so sure about the others though. They are just sitting there and I don''t know what to do."


    Chase shrugs. "We tried talking to them but  we are only acquaintances so we don''t know them too well."


    No. 13 has no answers currently besides giving them a bit more time before trying again. You cannot help someone unless they are willing to talk. "How are you two feeling?"


    ""Tired." Julia responds. "It was late when we left our world and now it is bright like it is midday here. I think I will need to sleep soon."


    Chase is hesitant before saying the exact same thing. No. 13 is a bit tired himself. Thanks to the nanites and his altered brain, he requires only several hours of sleep at best. "Alright, you two head back  into the bus. Tell the others to sleep if they can and search for anything useful. I doubt we will find anything and the bus could help us move if we save the rest of its battery. That is something we should of done. The damage is not too bad, only a small dent really. This could be our tank and help keep us safe."


    "I agree. These things can drive for 100 hours before needing a recharge and that is on a maximum charge and carrying 100 passengers." Julia says.


    No. 13 looks at her with a raised eyebrow.


    She shrugs. I saw it on the latest news about how great these new buses will save the taxpayers credits."


    "Alright. Find us how much charge it has left then please. Chase, tell the others to get ready, we will need to look at least for some water soon. Tell the others to save what water they can until then. I saw a couple of water bottles and if that is all we have, we don''t have much time."


    "Julia looks nervous. "I know. But, do you think the water is safe, even if we distill it and how do we distill it without the necessary supplies?"


    No. 13 shrugs, he does not have any answers either but he supposes he can test the water himself and sees how his body reacts. That is probably the best brometer they have at testing the drinkability of the water on this world. "We will worry about that later."


    Before things goes on any further, Julia asks No. 13. "What is your name by the way? I don''t recall you giving us yours."


    No. 13 lies, his ID giving him the name of Devin Cordell, Which is the city he is suppose to be station at eventually once you take the first two letters of that name. "Devin Cordell."


    "Well, I am glad such a young man as you is here. Is your parents'' military? You seem to have that sort of bearing." Julia asks with a hint of curiosity in her eyes.


    "Yes, you two as well? I kind of see it in you two."


    Julia closes her eyes a bit, her body backing up slightly in defense. "Yes. Well, my father is the one that trained us both."


    "Yeah, he is an amazing soldier!" Chase replies with a bit of enthusiasm, momentarily forgetting his situation. "He is like a father to me and taught me so many things since I was 12."


    Julia looks a bit annoyed at this outburst and No. 13 suspects there is more going on about her father but honestly, that matters little and the odds of them leaving this situation is practically a big fatt zero in his opinion. He has never heard of any reports of mysterious lights taking away people and he has never heard of strange things here finding their way on Earth. But, since there are trees like willow and oak here, he assumes that at some points in Earth''s history, something similar occurred.


    "Well we should get moving and rest. If there is a night on this world, I am afraid that if there are any predators, they will come out at night if things are like they are on Earth."


    Julia turns back to him. "okay. I will talk to the others. But, do you want to talk to them too?"


    No. 13 really doesn''t want to talk to them but he knows he will eventually have to. "Maybe later. Once we all get some rest, we can talk then. For now, we need to be at our best before we proceed."


    "Alright. But please, talk a bit kinder to them. You seem, I don''t know, like a robot?" Julia says hesitantly.


    He suppose he might to an outsider. He was taught to be precise, factual, and to ingnore what he feels. He has not yet had experienced talking to others in a social setting and these next few years are suppose to be targeting those areas of studies. Now, he will have to keep in mind about how to speak when talking to others. "I will."


    Without further talking, everyone did what they are suppose to do. The others became more calm and rational once presented with a plan and they listened well and no one spoke against the plan to No. 13''s relief. At least this group of people are better than the average people he has witnessed so far. But, when it comes to groups, most people  are together with like-minded people. Cliques would form with people of the same economic situation, beliefs, or of similar interest. It is what humans do, they form small groups. No. 13 is a bit different than most humans in that regard.  Community is not a really strong need but he would go insane without another human around.


    Just minuts later, Julia heads back outside and told No. 13 that there is about 80% charge left on the bus. Given the low amount of additional weight and also taking into consideration the land, they would at best have a week of power. Given the near flat land and a plan to quickly search different locations if needed, the bus offers them a way to seek multiple locations if the first does not work out.


    The only problem is with their first location, they will need to abandoned the bus at the edge of the forest and try to make it on foot. There are unknown dangers and he is unsure of the others willing to travel on foot in some glimmer of hope that the mountains will provide them with what they need. If he had to make an educated guess with his knowledge from Earth, it could be 50 or kilometers to travel in that vast forest.


    After searching, little was actually found. It came as no surprise, but it left them feeling disappointed. All they could gather was three bottles of water with one already half empty, several candy bars and finally, some tools. Their circumstance is still terrible and water and food is still the upmost priority for the group. It appears they will need to take the gamble sooner than later. When the others saw their supplies and how pitiful it actually is, they were quiet with a desolate look on their faces. No. 13 feels they are on the verge of breaking down. There is only a thin thread holding some of these people together and he wouldn''t be surprise if someone snaps soon if anything else goes wrong for any of them. The only seemingly stable people is himself, Julia, and Chase. There is one other girl, but he does not know her name. He sighs. No. 13 will have to pay attention to their mental health, the stack of what he needs to do continues to grow taller and taller. He can only chip away at this increasing pile of tasks.


    There are still more problems. The Most of the girls are dressed for a night out and two are in high heels. With the midday weather having a touch of some chill, No. 13 suspects that when the temperature drops, most of everyone will be cold. The bus has heating, but traveling in a forest will prove to be really difficult. As for the shoe problem, he supposes he can make some makeshift moccasins with the upholstery from the bus seat and maybe some cushions. There should be several spare tires on the bus that he could cut up to make some soles. With a heat source, he can melt the plastic wrapping to seal the upholstery to the makeshift soles. Socks will be an issue but perhaps someone wouldn''t sacrificing a sleeve or two.


    No. 13 is glad that Julia is dressed at least reasonably along with another girl named Rachel. Both are wearing pants and shirts. Only Rachel is wearing heels but hopefully, the makeshift moccasins will help. As for the males, they are dressed up in button up shirts and a jacket to go on the outside for fashion. None would give great insulation, but it is better than nothing. All of them are wearing dress shoes so comfort will also pose a problem to them. Even the way they are dressed is far from ideal. The females will have it the worse and he wonders if he can just abandon them but he shuts those thoughts down. He would just probably end up insane sooner than later.


    He plans on taking care of these things after a short nap. Maybe when his mind is sharper, he can come up with better ideas. For now, his mind is mostly bogged down by all of his worries that he has kept well hidden. He doubts there survival for even a week and believes some may even commit suicide. It wouldn''t be a bad choice if he wanted to ration more resources. Except, their resources are so low that it doesn''t matter if more aare alive.


    He climbs on top of the bus, not leaping since he does not want to scare anyone but he can leap about 3.5 meters into the air. For now, he does not want to give away the fact that he is completely different from these people in so many ways. He doesn''t view them as a danger to himself but he does not trust them either. He likes to keep some of his cards hidden as he was trained to do. Displaying all of his combat capabilities could give the group a chance of planning strategies against him. He may be a super soldier, but he is far from being invincible.


    No. 13 lays on the top of the bus and briefly closes his eyes. Just a short couple of hours, and he is left mentally exhausted. Well, the accumulation of his three days of surveillance on the last target and then pulling off the mission. And, in addition to this madness, he feels like he wants to sleep for at least a day. It is more mental fatigue than anything else. Everything else just seems to compound the problem and makes it much worse.


    He asks himself, when did interacting with people become this exhausting. Nothing difficult or strenuous has even occurred and the majority of people are this tired. He believes that the group will fracture soon. The only reason why the others initially agreed with him was due to the fact they were vulnerable. When it does fracture, he wonders if Julia and Chase are willing to join him. They are the only real acceptable people he would prefer for now. As for the others, he cares little if he abandons them. His only goal is food, water, and shelter. After that, other plans can be made once they figure things out. ''Too much to do.'' Those were his thoughts as his eyes closes. In his hand, he holds tightly to his pistol, ready for immediate action should something wake him.


    His eyes slowly opens, and when it does, soft clouds still drifts lazily by in the bright blue open skies. He then looks at the sun to see it move quite a bit, maybe three hours in comparison to Earth''s time and he then goes on to check his communication band on his left wrist. On there, without any connections to correct tiem, 4 hours have gone by. If he had to guess, it would be equivalent to 3 or 4 in the afternoon on an early spring day. The temperature indicator on his communication band is showing 21 degrees celsius, a nice and comfortable temperature for most human beings. As far as he has figured out, the days might be longer on this world but it is nothing he is definitively sure of as yet. He will need to keep track of the sun every day for a bit to figure that out. With any luck, his communication band will still have enough power for a week without his need to recharge it.


    No. 13 slips his gun back into its holster before he unsheaths the knife on his right leg. He then drops from atop of the bus and with a slight thud, lands on the ground below. He needs to make those makeshift moccasins so the two young women have something else to wear besides their heels. He also found some trees that contain some nuts that he recognizes from Earth so he headed towards the trees first. He worked his way up the tree and gathered about 100 nuts. He also broke some decent branches to start a fire with.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    While the others were still resting, he started a fire and placed a large flat stone he found directly onto the wood and surrounded it with more branches that he chopped with his knife. Thank goodness his knife is made from the latest technology, so it does not easily lose its edge. He then uses his laser torch and a pulse of light sets the branches on fire.


    The fire crackles and burns, slowly heating up the immediate air around him. He places several walnuts that he picked, roasting them for consumption.


    While the walnuts roast away on the hot stone, No. 13 enters onto the bus and looks at the feet of the sleeping girls to get their measurements. He cares little for how it looks, he really thinks little of social niceties and he was able to get it without waking anyone up. He also sliced apart a seat''s upholstery and then left the bus. Lastly, he uses the tools and then frees a spare tire and then makes his way back towards the fire.


    After he finishes roasting the nuts, he cuts the rubber from the tires to form the bottom of the shoes/moccasins. He is not really too sure on what to call them. Then he cut some shapes from the upholstery and uses the heat from the stones to slightly melt the plastic and rubber together. It doesn''t take a long time and he lets it cool while his healing factor and the nanites slowly heal his slightly burned hands. without any safety gear, doing this type of work is a bit more difficult. As for socks,  he will deal with it some other time or the others can deal with it. He is sure that the young men would offer them some assistance but he has been wrong before.


    "Everyone, I roasted a lot of walnuts. Here is some makeshift shoes, slippers, whatever it is called. These should be more comfortable than your heels if you are going to be walking in the wilds." No. 13 declares when he is back on the bus. He hands over the shoes to the two surprised females and ignores their reaction.


    He hands over his jacket to Julia and Chase with the roasted walnuts and keeps 12 for himself to snack on. He prefers the two to hand them out and it would be easier for the rest of them to accept them from Julia and Chase. He sees the slight mistrust in their eyes and on some level, they are not wrong. If it meant sacrificing some of them for him to live, he just might do it. He was created to survive as an expensive made assassin. Oh, if it were possible to save them without harm to himself, he will definitely save them and depending on the odds  in certain situations, he may try and save them.


    While they ate, No. 13 announces. "Okay people, since I am the only stranger here, my name is Devin Cordell. If you want to introduce yourselves, I would like to get your names so it will be easier to call you by such. After the introductions, we can discuss what Julia, Chase, and I have discovered."


    With reluctance, a young African American man went first. He is probably 10 centimeters taller than No. 13 and his built is that of a runner. He is a handsome young man with inteligent brown eyes.


    He calls himself Darrell and then he sits there, holding the hands of the girl next to him.


    The next person to introduce themselves is Carole, Darrell''s girlfriend. She is as tall as No. 13 himself and she too, also possesses a runner''s build. The two probably met while they were working out or something. She has light brown hair and green eyes. Across the bridge of her nose, there is a light dusting of freckles, making her appear younger than her 20 years. She is also a recipient of his makeshift shoes.


    After that, there is Rachel, whom turns out to be Chase''s cousin and she is the reason why Chase and Julia are here. She is friends with Carole and Owen, the guy sitting next to her. She is the youngest at 19 as everyone else seems to be 20-years-old. She has honey blonde hair the color of wheat and her eyes are like an emerald. After Julia, she is probably the next most attractive young woman here for No. 13''s taste. Even if her hips and chest are modest, she possesses that cute girl-next-door kind of look. She is the other recipient of the makeshift moccasins.


    Owen is a tall and lanky young man. He has gamer written all over him and is probably the tallest person here. He is not that much taller than Darrell. He has a head of shaggy brown hair and light brown eyes. He is also rather pale, like his skin rarely ever saw the sun.


    The last person of the group is Brittany, Owen''s girlfriend. She has brown hair and light brown eyes. She is as nearly as curvy as Julia and like Owen, she is also on the paler side. She is cute and probably a gamer like Owen himself. She was also the one that bumped her head from earlier and there is still a slight bump around the temple of her forehead.


    "Great, with that now out of the way, I can now be frank. We have little water, food, and we will eventually need shelter. According to Julia, this bus roughly has a week''s worth of power left, more if we don''t use it to drive around. Julia, Chase and I discussed a plan but noone here has to follow it. Everyone has a choice on the matter and I will not force you to pick on anything. But, before you decide to follow me, there is something I need to say. If your life is threatened, and you have no hope of survival, I will put a bullet through your head to end your suffering. I hope, anyone of you will do the same for me, but I will not throw away my life if it means both of us dying."


    Everyone is surprised at those words at the end. Julia seems fine with it, taking those words well and his opinion of her increases. The food did elevate their mood, the serotonin released from eating the walnuts help slightly increase their mood in a positive way. That ended, when they are reminded of their dire situation.


    Darrell speaks first of the group. "Seriusly, man, that is fucked up. I know it is suppose to be comforting and all, but it ain''t."


    "I wasn''t trying to be comforting, just truthful. Listen, if some predator is ripping and eating away at your intestines, wouldn''t you rather die than keep going through that hell?"


    "Yeah, but..."


    "But nothing." No. 13 cuts off. "This world is an alien world. We know nothing. What we think we know, may not apply here. There is no calling the police or military to save our asses."


    "Fuck man, I know you are right and all, but did you have to say it." Darrell says, unease showing in his voice and face.


    "Better you all know the score now than villify me later if it does occur. I am also the least connected to each of you. Do you think the others will be capable of ending your suffering? Can you Carole, end your boyfriend''s life if there is no hope for him."


    She looks upset but turns her head away. Darrell looks at her and says nothing but he embraces her and holds her tightly to himself. He looks at No. 13 before saying. "I know man but saying this shit out loud is depressing."


    "Fine, lets go back to the plan then. We seek food, water, and shelter. There are mountains up north above us if my compass is correct. There should be lots of resources if things are the way they are on Earth. We can only make the best guesses given our knowledge. Maybe nothing is there, and maybe we all die. But, staying here and doing nothing will also lead to our deaths."


    "Do you think aliens did this to us?" Owen blurts out. "I mean, that strange light was awefully convenient, the way it just popped up out of nowhere."


    Julia responds. "Hard to say but I don''t believe so. Other stuff made it here from Earth. The walnuts you just ate is a tree that grows from Earth and why would aliens bring some things here  and place them in no order. The native plant life could destroy or even our own plants could take over. It seems like it is all just random chance. It is bound to happen if this shit has happened before. Don''t get me wrong, you may be correct and we all may be some sort of experiment but we shouldn''t jump to some agency right away. Until we get more information, we can only assume that things like this randomly occur."


    Rachel nervously asks. "Are there aliens here?"


    No. 13 quirks an eyebrow. "Yes."


    "Really?"


    No. 13 looks at her and then says. "We are the aliens. I believe you are looking for the words native or something similar. If that is the case, anyone''s guesses is good as the next. We have so far just stayed in this field. We don''t even know of higher lifeforms like mamals and reptiles exist yet."


    Rachel blushes and asks. "When do you plan on leaving?"


    "Right away, as soon as we are done having this discussion." No. 13 states.


    Carole then opens up next. "If things from our planet made it here, wouldnt'' that mean there is a way back?"


    Julia then talks next. "Maybe, but we are not sure when and where that strange light will appear or, if it will even send us back to the correct place."


    Carole responds with some desperation in her voice. "But, couldn''t we at least try. I want to go home."


    "We could, but how do we tell and where do we find these lights at? Devin found no watersources around here, at least one above ground. How do we survive until then? From what I remember. those things showed up quickly and then disappeared if our experience is anything to go by. There was a brief flash of light while our bus hit that damn tree right over there and that light was simply gone." Julia says.


    Everyone remains silent. At least these people can think somewhat No. 13 notices. He also knows that there might be a possibility of returning but they will need to be in the right place at the right time in order to have that chance. When the light appeared, No. 13 thought he saw this scene within the lights and he figures this is some sort of hole in space. How they were form, he is nowhere near qualified at making that guess.


    "I agree with Carole." Brittany says. "Maybe if we wait a couple of days here, something will show up and isn''t it worth the risk if it means being home."


    Darrell and Owen appears to agree with Carole and Brittany. Rachel looks distraught and unsure, while Julia and Chase look at one another and then nod their head at No. 13, signalling that they will likely follow him. No. 13 is not suprised at this turn of events. People will hang onto hope rather than be a bit more proactive in fixing their circumstances. Well, that is not true, Julia and Chase seem to think it is rather hopeless and their mindset is closer to his own. Training and how they were raised probably plays a role in their choice to go with him. Chase even mentioned that Julia''s father trained him so the man probably had a great hand in shaping Chase into the person he is.


    "Well, you folks  have exactly 10 minutes to decide before I leave. Time is precious and all. If anyone needs me, I will be outside preparing. If you do stay here and wait, then keep the bus. I don''t think I will need it as much. There is a vast forest to the north and the base of the mountains is so far into that forest that the bus wouldn''t matter too much except save me perhaps 4 or 5 hours if I travel on foot." No. 13 says before he left the bus and heard some arguing when he left. Really, he wouldn''t mind if they follow him save for Julia and Chase. They can help guard his back while he sleeps and he can do the same for them. They seem trained decently enough from the little he saw. Their movements were fluid and sure, like trained soldiers entering a hostile environment where stealth is needed. It is a way of placing one''s foot to minimize noise and gives someone good balance at the same time.


    No.13  greets the outside world again, breathing in the fresh air for the first time and letting it fill his lungs. So, this is what air was like prior to industrilization. Well perhaps, but somehow  breathing this air makes him feel more energetic. He doesn''t mind industrilization, it brought humans comfort and the ability to prolong life, reach for the stars, and help eliminate diseases. He wishes they were more clean about it. Many companies cared little for how they poisoned the world around them so they can save a few credits. That saving in turn increased medical cost on the public and endangered species that were nearly wiped out. Lung cancer was on the rise in a lot of heavily populated cities and it is the cost noone saw until it affects them personally.


    "Do you need any help Devin?" A voice calls from behind him. He noticed the person before she called to him.


    "Sure, I plan on collecting some more walnuts from that tree over there. We can roast them later at night when we are a bit more hungry. It is the only tree around here that has anything I can recognize." He responds.


    "Are you really going to leave the others here?" Chase questions.


    "I am not leaving them here, rather, they are choosing to stay here. Perhaps, they are the ones that are correct in the end. Maybe they will return to Earth and be okay." He says nonchalantly.


    "That is bullshit and yu know it! Even if one does show up, they even couldn''t be sure it will even lead to Earth. From the very little we know, that thing only shows up for what, seconds, and then it is simply gone." Chase returns.


    "Nonetheless, they want to hold onto that very small possibility. They are adults and they will have to live with their choices. I do wish them the best of luck though." He says.


    "Fine, you''re right. You''re not responsible for them, I  know that. I just wished you would try a bit harder to convince them is all." Chase mutters.


    Julia steps in. "Come on Chase. They beleive that they can make it home if they wait. It is hard to pull someone from a position once they beleive something to be true.  That is why it is easier to spread a lie than it is to correct that lie with a truth. Once an idea is lodge into someone''s head, we couldn''t be sure if we can ever dislodge those ideas. That is why even us Chase, must question our beliefs constantly."


    "I know, I guess I am frustrated and it is unfair of me to take it out on you, Devin.  It is maddening."


    No. 13 shrugs. "I understand."


    "Wait for me!" Another voice calls and  everyone sees Rachel leaving the bus.


    "I thought you would be staying with your friends." Chase says.


    Rachel shakes her head. "I would, if they came along. You three make perfect sense but I feel like I am abandoning them if I left."


    "No, you''re not." Julia replies. "They are making choices that are diffferent than your own.  You have different goals and it would be unfair of them to also take away your own choices."


    Julia is right cousin." Chase remarks. "But I am glad you are joining us. Like you, I feel guilt, especially if you decided to stay. You know, you being family and all."


    "Ugh, I wish they can see the logic!" Rachel says a bit harshly. "I have been friends with them for a year now and I cannot believe these educated people are going to risk their lives on hope."


    No. 13 says. "Smart always does not equate to common sense. Everyone is not intelligent in all aspects of life. Just look at the country, most put those into power who then gives more powers and right to the very wealthy. They get lied to, those single issue voters. Someone could be an engineer and vote someone into office that grants a corporation imminent domain over their own land but as long as that candidate promises them lets say, not destroying unused fertilized embryos, they will keep voting for that same person."


    "I suppose that is true." Rachel says, she then looks deflated and depressed.


    No.13 and the others picked some more walnuts, cleaning them and placing them into the purses of the now two females that will accompany him. He honestly couldn''t carry that many and there weren''t that much left. These things are also not in season so they are bitter but it is nourishment. No. 13 is just suprised that they even bore the fruit this early. He is no walnut expert, but he thought they were ready to be picked in late summer or autumn. Maybe being on an alien world altered it. Perhaps it has something to do with the silverish sun. Lots of possibilities.


    With the 10 minutes up and no one appearing from the bus. No. 13 gathers the other three that decided to come along and they march their way towards the distant treeline. He kept them on a brisk pace, not pushing them to their physical limits. The only one having much trouble is Rachel and that is mainly due to her lack of comfortable footwear. No. 13 cut the inner lining of his jacket and made some temperory socks and it does help her enough and they continue. At the worst, if she slows down, Chase promises to carry her on his back. No. 13 would offer, but he doesn''t trust her enough to let her that close to him. Not seeing him offer, Julia promises to help and No. 13 remarks in his mind that she is more hearty than the normal people he has met so far. It makes him wonder who her father is since he has trained someone like her.


    The scenes passes by. It is much of the same. Tall silverish blue grass and trees here and there, most grouped in small clusters of 20 or more. They even found a pond but No. 13 steers them away. Usually bodies of water without any sort of flow is a lot more hazardous to human health. None also has a bottle with them since the water belonged to the other group. But, they did run into a peach tree just two hours after their trek and No. 13 picked a lot and they all had some refreshing fruits. No. 13 is definitely more sure that somehow Earth and this world is connected. The odds of many of the same things growing here like it has on Earth is way too remote of a possibility. He remarks this to the others and they agree. Having their fill, the group continues onwards for several more hours until the evening has arrived. They made it to the beginning of a forest and No. 13 figures it would be 15 to 20 hours before they reach the base of the mountain. That is just a guess since even for him, it is hard to tell the distance given he has no clue on knowing how tall the mountain is.


    "Okay, lets take another break here. Everyone look out and be careful." No. 13 reminds them.


    "At least we saw a few rabitlike things!" Rachel remarks a bit happily. Just an hour back, they saw rabbit-like creature with longer hind legs and much shorter ears jumping over the tall silverish blue grass. No. 13 thought about capturing them but he did not want to waste time trying. They were fast and they kept disappearing beneath the tall grass.


    Julia remarks. "They likely came from Earth. I don''t know how many years it has been for the rabbit-like creatures to make it here but I believe it is long enough for them to adapt those long hind legs. They seem so suitable for this grassland."


    "Perhaps, time may also flow differently on this world than our own. Isn''t time subjective and different depending on the circumstance. That tear or hole, the one that sent us here, we don''t exactly know how long we were actually there for, relatively to the Earth. For us, it could seem like seconds but how much time has passed from our world, while we were in that strange space, only now to have  ended up on this new world. Maybe the rabbits were sent not too long ago or they could be the ancestors of rabbits on Earth that made it here." Chase says thoughtfully. No. 13 wonders if he is a more of a thoughtful person now once the subject changes to something that does not involve the lives of others or just the ones he knows. People can become irrational over things they care about and now, Chase delivered some good insight. He sounds a bit like Julia.


    Julia agrees. "You have a point. It is something interesting to think of if our situation were not so fucked up."


    Chase falters a bit. "You''re right. This is pretty fucked up no matter how we think of it. It makes me wonder how the rest are even doing."


    Rachel looks down and drops into a state of depression. "Speaking of them, I feel still guilty about leaving them behind. So far, we have been doing okay. I-It i-is just that, they are my friends and I-I don''t want anything to happen to them. I just wish none of this shit happened!"


    Julia moves over to comfort the now crying young woman. No. 13 is unsure of what to do or say at this moment. Nothing in his life has prepared him for a crying person. Should he pat her back? Since he doesn''t have any idea of how to dispel this mood, he simply gives up and watches to see how it plays out.


    He then decides to leave them alone for a bit while he keeps watch.  He then spots something in the far distance. Smoke, and it is billowing upwards from his guess. He is not sure of the source of the fire but he continues to watch even if his body tells him to run in the opposite direction. If it is some sort of natural fire, they would be in some serious trouble but No. 13 is sure he can outpace the fire if he needs to. The grassland here is moist and the silverish blue grass has enough beads of water drops to let him know that it will be slow a bit. In any case, if he cannot outrun it, then putting a bullet through his head is not a bad way to go. It is better than burning to death. He may be a super soldier, but it doesn''t mean he enjoys pain.


    Several minutes passes and the smoke remains controlled. No. 13 blinks. Does this mean someone or something is keeping a fire under control? His heart races in suprise and he is not sure he beleives in what he is seeing. He feels even a bit excited and he then turns to the others again before he speaks, but with a warning tone in his voice. "Keep quiet and look over there."


    Julia and the rest turn and look. "Smoke! Shouldn''t we run?"


    "Quiet down. That fire has been burning for a while now but it hasn''t grown." No. 13 tells Julia.


    "Do you think there are people here? Or something else?" Chase asks quietly.


    "Not sure. But, I think I should check and make sure. hard to tell how far it is from here, maybe several kilometers I bet." No. 13 says.


    "Do you want us to go with you?" Julia asks.


    No. 13 hesitates. This is a tough one to answer. Chase and Julia both possess guns. Darrell and Carole also possesses pistols but they are not here. The only unarmed person is Rachel with them.


    "Well, before I decide, what are all of your opinions." No. 13 asks the trio.


    "I say we all go as a group. Chase and I can provide extra fire power if needed. I have a total of 50 rounds myself and Chase probably has 50 rounds himself. We can spread out a bit, and that will give us a few vectors of to shoot at them if it is something hostile."


    "I agree man. I think we need to risk going as a group even if we don''t know the dangers. It may risk the entire group but it might save it in the end. It is a gamble. I would like to say I would hedge my bet in having you go alone but it is not your job to be the only one taking the risk. I may regret these words, but it is how I feel."


    Rachel looks scared but shrugs. She offers no replies and No. 13 takes a bit of tiem to think about it. He looks back at the smoke, seeing if any more clues could be given up if he looks a bit harder but nothing comes to him.


    "Okay, here is the plan. Chase, you stay with Rachel and keep back about 20 meters away and to my right. Julia you are to my left and stay within 10 meters and watch my left side. Rachel, just keep your eyes moving and stay close to Chase no matter what.  I think it would be a bad idea if we encircled the fire since that means splitting up and weakening us. It might make it more difficult to pick one of us and follow, that is assuming if they are anything like us and what their numbers are. I can only assume these are humanoid creatures with intelligence similar enough to our own. I cannot fathom any other possibility but we stick to this plan until we gain further details. If you see my arm down and perpendicular like this, it means retreat. If it is upwards, stop. Move when I move, is that understood." No. 13 orders as he looks into their eyes, making sure they heard him.


    The trio nodded their acent and No. 13 wonder when did he become the leader. He actually has never lead a team before and feeling this way, he worries inside that he will fail them, a feeling he has never had before. This is new to him  and he can only bear this burden for now.


    He shuts those thoughts away, promising to examine them later when the situation is less dire.  He then looks  at them, feeling a bit touched that they are willing to risk their lives with him even though they barely know one another. He did not promise them anything and even told them he would put a bullet in their head if they have no chance. He meant it too, and hope they would do the same for him. Since he does not know how to  express his emotions, he goes back to his learned behavior, and orders. "Lets go."

 Chapter 3: Caravan

    The trio traveled slowly, their tension high, as they creep ever closer to the source of the smoke. The setting sun turned the sky into a silverish lavender, far from the red crimson sunset of the Earth''s. No one spoke about the beauty and marvel of the skies, no one needed to, it was clearly written on their expressions, like a billboard advertising their feelings out into the world. No. 13 thought it looked amazing also, but he keeps those feelings buried. Danger could appear at any moment and he does not want to be caught off guard. And, this scene is going nowhere if they survive, they are bound to seee it again.


    Everyone now is bent low, their heads barely peaking over the tall grass, just enough for them to see what is ahead of them and to keep track of one another. From here, No. 13 could make out more than one source of fire, but about ten in total. Dark figures gathers around the open flames, and from here, No. 13 can only tell that they are humanoid in shape. This scene however, leaves the group in shock. Even if they had an inkling of this being a possibility, it is still a surprising sight.


    No. 13 gives them the signal to advance and he waits for the trio to reach him before they can further discuss any new plans. No. 13 continues to watch the scene while he waits.


    There is not only the humanoid figures in the distance, but No. 13 can make out horses and wagons. Scanning quickly, he guesses there must be at least twenty wagons. It puts his estimate of the humanoid figures around perhaps 100 people, 200 max. There are also horses tied to trees with no riders on them near what he figures is a camp site for a large group. Taking in the panoramicview streching from the endless horizon, he sees what he guesses as sentries posted around the perimeter with groups of two moving and keeping watch of the surrounding area. No. 13 is sure that it is dark enough for them to hide, just as long as they don''t disturb the grass too much. The gently blowing wind also helps to mask their presence, swaying the grass so even their small movements are unlikely to be noticed.


    He hears the others behind him and he gestures for them to duck low to the ground. Julia was the first, her movements No. 13 notices are like that of a soldier and he is now definitely sure her father or family, possibly herself, is military. Chase follows next and then it was finally Rachel. There is suprise, fear, and possibly hope in their eyes but he ignores it for now.


    "Is that what I think it is?" Rachel whispers in excitement.


    "Maybe... Right now we don''t know what is it really is until we get a better look." Julia responds. "Devin, how far do you think the camp is from us, 300 meters?"


    No. 13 looks at her, most of her face gone with the incoming night and the casting shadows, but he can make out her outline. "I beleive so. Our guess is the same so lets go with that for now. Also, there are horses and Wagons and my only guess is that their level of technology is lower than our own world, possibly by 400 years give or take. Anyone know history that well?"


    Chase answers. "Not a history major but I have seen those covered wagons in pictures before. I would say 18th century or earlier. But, I wouldn''t correlate their level of technology with our own.  Since they are using horses, I would state their technology is preindustrial age and lower and maybe even to our medieval period. I think cover wagons could of been built by then but it is something you shouldn''t quote me on."


    Fair enough. We have no history majors here. Anyways, you are right, assuming that things will match our world is an assumption we should not make. I estimate around 100 to 200 humanoids. I counted around 20 sentries and another 10 pairs out on patrol."


    "So, what is our next step?" Julia asks.


    "I suggest I go in alone and check things out but we can at least watch them for another hour before we decide. The more we can watch them, the more info we can gain before making a move.: No. 13 says.


    By yourself? Isn''t that dangerous?" Rachel asks, a tinge of fear touching her voice.


    "Possibly, there is always a risk but determining whether to take it is also dependent on the risk and rewards involved. If they are humans, I doubt I could even communicate with them. I don''t believe they are likely to speak English. Languages evolve over time and go through variations. And, I am assuming here, that many generations have passed since their arrival. Those trees, animals and plants that are found on Earth, some have already gone through changes. I doubt even the peach tree is the original from Earth."


    "Devin is right."Chase says with some reluctance. No. 13 can make out Rachel turning to her cousin under the fading sun. Chase then continues. "I beleive that we need to find out whether they are hostile or not first and assume hostile. Being human matters second in comparison."


    "I agree with Chase." Julia says. "Being human does not make them automatically friendly."


    "We observe them for now. Watch their behavior and movement. So far, the sentries are not going pass about 100 meters beyond the perimeter. We should be safe but we also need to keep in mind if they might have scouts incoming and outgoing. Chase you pay more attention to our rear, Julia, watch our flanks. I will continue to observe them. Be prepared to flee quickly. We don''t know the extent of their senses." No. 13 orders.


    "Yes. Julia responds and then she continues. "There are some simple ways of determining the morality of a group of people. It is to see how they treat their most vulnerable. I heard that quote somewhere from before but I cannot remember it presently. I know, I know, outsiders may be a different matter all together, but it is something you should look for when you do move in."


    Julia looks directly at No. 13. He acknowledges her statement and he supposes there is some truth to that. People that can empathize or sympathize with others outside their group, community, race, and beliefs, the people in that society tends to lean more towards being progressive. Others that sees those people as others, something to be wary or even hostile against, tends to lean more towards being conservatives. Refugees are a fine example to go on. Some will offer fleeing refugees from war torn lands sanctuary and help them restart new lives. Others, may see these people as a threat, seeing changes that these people bring into their community, and they become hostile. Some will only see these people as a burden, a stressor upon their supplies and well-being and they grow resentful. More often than not, those that are hostile view these people as inferior. Given the reality noone chooses the circumstances of their birth, a poor refugee will have less resources placed into them like an education. In a more progressive society, the people may give up some of their resources as long as it does not affect their quality of life, they tend to want to see the world that is closer to an egalitarian one. Sometimes, this belief is that the better most people are, the more stable the world would be. That also benefits themselves as stability often means more safety.


    The only reason why No.13 would care about these people''s morality is directly due to the fact it may affect his own well-being. He was made to survive and if these people are accomodating, he will gladly use that to benefit himself. It was heavily imprinted upon him to try and live, even if that means sacrificing others to do so. So, if Julia, Chase, and Rachel were threatened, he may shoot them in the leg if it meant he could escape. He would find it distasteful but there is that compulsion driven deep within his psyche and, reinforced with mind altering drugs, that he might preform such an action. This is only in the case where his life is threatened to the point of there being little to no chance of escaping. If the situation were favorable for him to be safe, he might try and rescue the others if his life has a great chance of being secure. Super soldiers like himself are heavily trained in threat assessments. They would rank something from 1 to 10; 10 being the most dangerous. If the threat level were a 4 and below, they might help others.


    An hour passes by and the light fades further from the sky. Distant stars wink into the heavens with the departing sun. A vast moon phases into existence, bringing the luminescent light. The darkness comes, but the moon still holds it at bay, awaiting for the return of the sun to once again take up its place. Clouds above look like angry patches of bruises in dark purple, blue and black, and the air becomes much chillier with tiny mists escaping the breaths of the individuals. Seeing the chilly night air bother Rachel, he hands her over his jacket so her chattering teeth would not give away their position.


    Chase offers his own jacket to Julia whom doesn''t accept it. Chase''s jacket is more of an accessory than something substancial to help keep out the cold. Still, the thin synthetic fabric is tightly woven so the wind cannot easily penetrate the material. Even if it is poor at keeping out the weather, it is still better than nothing. No. 13 beleives there is something more than a friendship between the two but it is none of his business. As long as it does not affect his well-being, he will not care.


    No. 13 returns his full attention back towards the camp. In the last hour, when the sentries were close enough, they did make out some sort of language that Rachel and Julia believed to be something akin to Latin, but not exactly. These people also had human features and they were donned in some sort of leather armor perhaps with chainmail, clattering about them as they moved. Each man carried a spear and the two guards that came in close enough, had woven cloaks wrapped about their bodies. They were within 50 meters of the sentry and everyone remained silent, until the people passed.


    Not that these people were an actual real threat, since their own group holds actual firearms. A bullet could punch through their armor with ease but he doubts that they can shoot them all down before running out of ammo.


    It is not realistic to expect that each bullet would equal one kill, far from it. Contrary to popular belief, people actually miss more often in a chaotic situation. Their pumping heart, the fear that makes their muscles twitch, it is all condusive to making people poorer marksmen. For No. 13, he beleives he could make it workk with an 80% to 90% kill rate to ammo consumption. There are always wacky factors. Normally he can judge thanks to his faster mental processing speed, but it is still only a guess. If he can save the ammo for a life and death situation, he would prefer it. Well, he doubts the people are friendly but it does not mean they will be hostile. So far, noone seems distress and nothing monstrous is occurring. In fact, other than the larger size from his novels, this seems like a typical caravan he has read about in his fantasy novels. He is not going to trust fictional stories but he can only make inferences on what he has so far gathered.


    No. 13 witnessed little beings he presumed as children, running around in a chaotic manner. Larger forms would try and chorale them into some semblance of order. Some of the adults were also feeding the children. Mostly, the majority of people were setting up small tents and others were stretching while they await their own turn to eat. All seem normal so far but he can tell some of these people were of some importance. Guards would always stay by a couple of wagons and from the material, it seems a lot more expensive compared to the others.


    No. 13 was about to move in to infiltrate the camp but something happens on the exact opposite side before he could make his move. Whatever the cause, the camp is awash in panic and chaos. Figures grabbed weapons, children and some adults were pulled into the center of the camp, and many of the guards scrambles into a defensive formation, weapons pointing outwards. The wagons were already in a circular formation and the sturdy materials help form a small fortress with guards filling in the gaps. More people stood on top of wagons with bows and other missile weapons in hand. Guards with spears and shields held steady, protecting the archers and the rest of the camp. Some rushes around, adding more fuel to the fire for the defenders to have more light. Even admist the chaos, there is a sort of order, a well coordinated dance.


    Then, a loud thunderous chreeching of a high pitch tone fell down like a sledge hammer upon his ears. Behind the screeching, there was fury and ferocity, that hid behind the madness. It was unrelenting the way it kept booming in the vast open grasslands. It threatens to flatten all those that oppose it, shattering the will of the weak of heart. Not too far now, shadows flickers across the field and towards the caravan.


    Curious, No. 13 was slowly creeping forwards when a voice hisses from behind him. "What are you doing?!"


    Knowing it to be Julia, he quickly turns  around and replies in a harsh whisper. "Checking things out. I can gather valuable intel. We also need to know what we are dealing with, both humans and whatever the fuck those things are."


    Are you going to help?!" Julia demanded.


    "No, why would I do such a thing." No. 13 says a bit angrily.


    Why No! There are children in there!" Julia states angrily.


    "They have guardians. We know nothing of what they are facing." No. 13''s intensity matching her own. "They should be the ones to die for them, not me! I owe them nothing and, besides, we are not even sure if they will need our help so chill."


    "Fine, if you are not going to save them, I will." Julia says defiantly. Her gaze challenging his own and not backing down one bit. No. 13 is not a complete monster, he wants to help no matter how much he denies it but years of training and programming makes it difficult to will himself pass over a decade of the work they put into trying to make him a remorseless killing machine. That child again, a brief image of that innocent child whose life he has stolen plays in his mind. It torments the part of him the bastards have not yet killed off. Even now, if their line doesn''t hold, he doesn''t know if he will join in or not. He curses his own weakness but he maintains his poker face to the outside world.


    "Okay. Do as you please, I am not your supervisor or commanding officer. But,  I suggest you wait first."


    She quickly looks over and then nods her head. "I can do that much. I am still going in with you though."


    Inwardly he sighs. This is  only a mutual alliance of needs. Anyone is free to dissolve it at anytime. The only problem is, the world is a big unknown place with now monsters and who else knows what''s out there, that it tightens their group closer to one another, a notion he is uncomfortable with. He has never really worked together with anyone besides some training from a prior generation of spooks. Sometimes, it is easier to have no control, to just be and not care. As much as he was a slave, life was easy at times even if he found the job distasteful.


    "Hey Julia, count me in." Chase interjects.


    "No. She replies instantly. "Watch over Rachel and protect her. I think we both can handle it."


    "But I..." Chase says but then falters.


    "I know." Julia says softly, the tension around her eyes easing up quite a bit.


    No. 13 sees that he wants to argue with her but held his tongue. Chase then turns to Rachel and the pearlescent moonlight highlights her fearful face. No. 13 only hears a soft sigh coming from Chase and No. 13 knows the young man has capitulated. The choice is a reasonable one. Of the four, the only one that cannot protect themselves is Rachel. No. 13 sees Chase look deep into Julia''s eyes. "I know you will do your best to save the children. But promise me, that if it comes to their life or your own, that you will come back to me."


    Julia nods and reluctantly agrees. No. 13 is unsure if she will do it or not. The choice of either will torture her and even if she does make it, he is not sure if she will be able to see Chase again without the constant  guilt. He knows nothing can ever take that away, even if time help eases it a bit.


    Already, a thunderous clash sounded when they were in the middle of their heated discussion. Only less than half of a minute passed and the screams and wailing of the dying fills the air, shattering the once peaceful night. The huge roaring flames cast the faces of monsters wrapped under the shadow of night in a demonic display. but No. 13 is too far to make out their faces completely.


    Without another word, the two figures streaks across the field, keeping low still since sentries are still on watch from the opposite side. Julia is amazing, far more so than she ought to be. It somewhat suprises him and it makes him curious about her background. He may be moving with speed and grace but she is nearly matching his every step.  Not as well-trained as himself, he wonders if her training were ever completed or she was slated to be something else. Too many questions about her and he needs to keep his guard up until he can get some answers. The question then becomes, would he share with her in return.


    In less than half of a minute, they make it to the perimeter. The loud clashing and the swaying grass helped masked their movement. Another fact is that the guards appears worried and their attention is not where it should be. More often than not, their focus is completely away from No. 13 and Julia''s direction. He is not sure whether he should be okay with the guards'' incompetence or not.


    Ignoring the guards for now, the pair scans the area before their focus moves onto the focal point of the action. It is also the first time No. 13 sees an alien species. Rather, they are the aliens but he is still unsure if these creatures are natives or not. This world for all he knows is not only connected to Earth.


    A large hulking monster jumps onto a wagon and slams  a long thick arm into an  archer''s chest, sending the poor bastard flying into a fire pit. Unimaginable screams of pain and agony sounds even beyond the clashing of flesh and metal and the tiny hairs along No. 13''s arms pricks up from the goosebumps. A large man cut down the burning guard and placed him out of his misery, at least his suffering has ended.


    No. 13 looks back  in time to see what appears to be a large creature, probably at least 2 meters tall with long arms and thick black fur covering the majority of its body. Large bat-like ears frame an elongated face with jagged rows of sharp teeth. The monster''s nose is short and somewhat is shaped like a pig''s. Large black onyx eyes mirrors an inverse world in a dark visage with  glowing red hot fire burning from those demonic eyes as the fires reflects off of them. In all, those creatures are quite disturbing and they are much faster and stronger than their human foes. No. 13 would guess their speed is several times that of the guard and the same goes for their strength. Each creature is only half as physically gifted as himself. What the humans lack in physical gifts, they more than make up for it in numbers and weapons to rely on.


    About five or six arrows flies at the monster, and each finds a mark but it seems to infuriate the creature rather than take it down. Its flesh also is probably really tough, even that is similar to his own. Nonetheless, another volley impales itself into the monster and it stumbles back and off the wagon. Sevral spears soon after thrusts them selves where the monster should of have landed.


    For the most part, the line holds, the guards'' teamwork doing a fine job at protecting one another and keeping the monsters at bay. However, even if their numbers are inferior, the monsters still applies a lot of pressure on the line, ever so slowly pushing the guards back as man and monster battle for dominance. It is thrilling, man versus monster, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.


    Shifting his gaze to the center of the camp, he sees the children frighten, some even holding up wooden weapons in defense of the smaller children. There is it again, a slight pain in his chest whenever he sees those innocent children that just want to live. Some of those eyes mirrors the same ones on that night. Before he allows the guilt to eat away at him, he turns his gaze away. ''Coward,'' he thinks to himself.


    Looking at Julia next to him, he sees an anxious face but one set with determination. She has conviction, something he is sure he cannot match with her. If she is a super soldier like himself, he wonders if her hands are cleaner than his own. His gaze quickly moves to her hand and he notices her tight grip on her pistol, ready to down these creatures. They are tough for sure, but No. 13 believes he can handle them without much trouble if he is only facing a few at a time.


    "He whispers to her. "Wait, if the line does not hold, I will help. You stay here and use your pistol as a last resort. I think, the less we show our technology, the better. We will not be sure how they will handle it if they saw it and what they may do to try and obtain it for themselves."


    "She nods and No. 13 is thankful that she is at least this reasonable. He knows she is a rational being from earlier but he doesn''t know what will trigger her. Everyone has a trigger point, something to cause them to act rashly and he knows children are one of her''s now.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Seeing  the line  buckle, No. 13 notices about a third of the guards are down or injured. There must be around 150 guards initially, a bit more than he estimated. There must be about 250 people with 100 of them not combatants. Well, the ones that seem to be dressed in finer clothing have weapons, but they are not guards themselves. Most others are dressed in poorer clothing and he would guess they are slaves or servants, something common in this period of human society.


    Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves a bit, he quickly stands up and holsters his pistol. With his resolve set, he dashes forwards and quickly like the wind passes the surprise guards that could barely register his movement. He sees a breach in the defense, one of those creatures about to pass the defensive line and he takes a spear he found from a surprise guard and launches it with his full strenth. It flies through the air, whistling its deadly intention. Not too soon after, the pointed sharp end finds itself buried about 15 centimeters into the monster''s flesh.


    These things are a bit tougher than he anticipated. It is no wonder why these guards with normal human limits are having a tough time actually cutting through these monsters. However, he is not worried, it may take a bit more effort on his part, his strength is far more superior than he has shown so far. Not fearing that he will be surrounded, No. 13 knows these guards will keep most of these monsters'' attention away from him.


    Seeing a dead guard, he grabs a shorter sword, possibly about 60 centimeters long with a broader blade than most swords he has seen on the net. There is enough of a hilt for a one-handed grip and a metal pommel that is useable as a weapon in of itself. The dead man also has a long sharp knife tucked away in his waist on the other side. He takes a hold of it and its own blade is half of that of the sword. Seeing that the man no longer needs these things, he feels no guilt in taking them. Only the living can complain.


    A monster passes through the breach before someone could fill it in and No. 13 hurries to meet this new foe. The hulking monster sees him as its primary threat. It too, rushes to meet him, its long, clawed hands pulling back and determinately ready to finish him in one quick powerful blow. The idiot is actually telegraphing its move. No. 13 can tell that this monster is only use to using brute force and speed to kill their opponents. That would easily work for someone inferior. No. 13 possesses faster reflexes, speed, and he has years of muscle training to rely on. Normally, brute strength can surpass technique if the gap is high enough between their level of strength. A person can only parry a blow from someone strong before that brute strength will simply overwhelm their parry. Technique is not the most important when it comes to fighting, strength, reach, and speed is quite more useful. Technique comes in handy when going against someone of the same physical attributes.


    The monster swings its arm, the motion seeming kind of slow for No. 13. He has fought with super soldiers whose speed matched his own when he was training with them. With some excellent footwork and body movement, he easily avoided the attack and since the monster gifted him with a wide opening, he gladly took it. He spun around and positions himself from behind the monster and  with lightning precision and surgical-like efficiency, he slices through the back of the monster''s knees.  It screeches in pain but in just a split second later, No.  13 thrusts the knife directly into the monster''s spine, ending its miserable existance.


    No. 13 doesn''t fill in the gap. He needs his space to operate. Before the gap could be filled, another monster tries to break through but No. 13 sends the knife flying and it sinks itself into the monster''s neck. Blood sprays in a dark black mist before it comes leaking out in a stream. The monster''s heart tries harder to supply the blood to more areas of the body but it only helps in pushing out more of the monster''s life essence. The monster''s next mistake is pulling out the knife and it only causes its demise to be that much faster. Instead of the stream, it comes gushing out like a geyser.


    No. 13 scans the area once he sees several guards close the breach and he found a couple more points that are about to break. He rushes towards the more vulnerable one that is about 30 meters away.


    He makes it in time to face off with two monsters. He is not worried, he has speed, and skill on his side and these monsters are nowhere near even matching that. Both tries to attack him at the same time but he repositions himself quickly to limit his exposure to their strikes, showing off his amazing agility in the process. With a quick slash of his own, he slices through a quarter of one of the monster''s neck and then  kicking the monster away, sending it into its own kind to throw it off-balance. In the quick glance he saw of the others seeing him, they have shocked and amazed  faces. He doubts some of these people would want to tangle with these monsters one-on-one, it would be suicidal on their part.


    Recovering quickly, he sets his foot and launches himself in a quick lunge at his foe that is struggling to regain some footing, both of its arms momentarily occupied with holding its dead comrade. It allows No. 13 to get behind it and thrust the sword in his right hand directly into the monster''s spine. Since he has no clue about the arrangement of the organs, going for the spine seems like the more reasonable thing to do.


    The fight did not go on much longer, No. 13 killed off several more before the guards were able to stabilize the line and push these monsters  back. Eventually, enough arrows pinned themselves into the monsters, slowing them down enough for the guards'' spear to finally find themselves into the monsters'' flesh. Though the arrows were not that effective, thanks to the thick matted hair and really tough flesh, it can still disable an arm when it pierces a shoulder and kill outright if it can find a neck or some other vulnerable area.


    No. 13 is suprise that no guard tried to attack him so far, a lot of people inside of the camp seeing that he actually helped them. No. 13 also thinks it is a bit of fear, how he easily took down those monsters. No.13 is sure that these people cannot even connect with their arrows even if they tried. Unless there are hundreds of them and he has nowhere to dodge, there are not enough archers here to take him down. He could easily leap about 10 meters away without any running room.


    Looking around himself, he counts that at least 50 guards are down, maybe a third of that is dead. For the monsters, about 30 are down and dying and he realizes then that he is responsible for a fifth of the attackers casulties. Seeing pass the guards, he notices that half of them made it out and he suspects that half are at least injured.


    The spell of silence was only broken when the moans and cries of the injured snapped the people around him back to reality. With urgency, the guards carries the injured away, no doubt to seek some sort of medical help. He notices them carry these injured to a couple of the carriages, the ones that seem richly fitted with moree expensive materials.


    A tall man approaches No. 13. In the firelight, he can make out the man''s broad shoulders and hard-lined face that the fire only further accentuates. No.  13''s incredible eyesight can also make out the slight grey streaks in the man''s pitch  black hair. It is easy to see that the man is middle-aged. He is also donned in finely crafted armor. A metal he is unsure of, glints in the warm colors of autumn, each plate appears to be just removed from a forge. beneath the plates, leather armor could be made out and it is black in color as far as No. 13 could guess.  Around the man''s waist, is a finely crafted sword, though it looks plain, No. 13 could see it is not some blade of a common soldier. The man also has 6 guards in tow, each with hard gazes and focus as they keep their sight onto him. It doesn''t take a university degree to figure this man is of some importance. He may even be the leader of this entire group.


    The gravelly voice of the man says something in a language he is unfamiliar with but it sounds like he has heard before. If these people came from Earth at any point, then their root language must have some commonality with his own. Unsure of how to answer the man, No. 13 could only show the man that he speaks in a language entirely different than his own and hopefully the man has enough intelligence to figure it out, that he is not from around here, especially when his clothes is so different in style from those around him.


    He would never thought this would work, but he did what he has seen in movies and books when other protagonists tried comunicating with other humans that spoke a different language. He points to himself and calls out his fake name and then points to the man and shrugs, and puts a questioning look on his face. Luckily, the man catches on fast and he calls himself Augusto Andares, a name with Roman origin perhaps. These people must of been brought here from the Roman eara 2,000 years ago from Earth. He can only speculate that. Unless it is extraordinary that another human civilization came up with a language similar to Earth''s own. He is also sure that with time, like any other language with especially isolated populations, that the language will morph over time. It does that naturally no matter what but it seems to do so less when the world became connected.


    Another surprise is the lack of more hostility and suspicion. He sees it, but it is not prevalent as it should be. If he were the others, he would still lock No. 13 up just for good measure. No. 13 would think a man coming out of nowhere and following their camp, would be someone quite suspicious, even if they originally followed the smoke to see the cause of it.


    They tried gesturing to one another and some of it comes through and No. 13 beleives the man wants him to follow him. No. 13 takes the risk and follows. If he is going to be stuck on this world, he will need help getting started and he will need their help in learning the language. He needs a lot and he is afraid he might have to sell his services to these people to gain something in return.


    No. 13 is lead to a really large carriage. It is about 4 meters long and about 2.5 meters tall. With the four large metal wheels,it must stand around 3 meters in total. 6 monstrous horses are kept in place and are the ones likely pulling the carriage. These things legs must be more developed than the horses he has seen on Earth, with their legs twice as thick though their bodies may be a bit smaller. These horses must of been bred with some other creature whose DNA is compatible enough or evolution here is somehow different than it is on Earth.


    Several strong-looking men brought a table and several chairs and places them down onto the ground near the carriage. Young women, dressed with tightly fitting clothes held several platters of food and drinks and then places them onto the table. A goblet and several linen napkins were placed before a chair and Augusto signals for No. 13 to take a seat.


    Before he does that, No. 13 makes his own gesture of a wating sign. He figures he might call the rest here and he points to himself, and then slowly brings up three fingers and points outwards and then points to himself again.


    Augusto nods, still puzzled but No. 13 walks closer to the edge of the camp and whistles before calling out the trio''s names. The guards were on alert but No. 13 gestures to Augusto to calm them down. He does so, though a bit reluctantly. No. 13 orders Julia, Chase, and Rachel to come in with nonthreatening gestures. He hates taking this risk, but he will need to do so at some point in time. His intuition tells him that Augusto is not a bad man for this period in history and he still hates to rely on his intuition.


    The trio march in, their weapons already holstered. Julia looks the calmest of the trio and Rachel was like a jittery rabbit, ready to dash at the first sign of trouble. Chase himself, has a wary look, his gaze scanning around constantly. Without much deviation they work their way towards him. Most of the men''s eyes were focused  on Julia, with her naturally swinging hips and extraordinary face that causes No. 13 suspicion rather than full blown attraction. She reminds him too much of the female super soldiers for his liking. Rachel on the other hand, though not as impressive, also gets her own fair share of looks.


    Augusto signals for a couple more chairs to be brought but there was still enough food to feed at least eight people on the table. They obey and the beautiful servant girls also brought more goblets. They then stand back and await to serve them he guesses.


    Everyone takes a seat and Augusto sits along with them. Everyone has trouble trying to communicate and it was a slow going process. While they ate, it was Rachel that was able to quickly pick up the language since she studied a fair bit of Latin over the years. She notified them that there are differences and she has a hard time understanding the man''s speach. It still required a bit of hand gestures and even servants had to bring out parchments to try and help both side communicate by drawing pictures. Luckily for them, they use the same alphabet and even No. 13 was able to learn some words and phrases after an hour of trying.


    No. 13 did enjoy the food enough. It was mixed nuts and fruits with some bread, butter, and meat that was roasted this night. He was not sure what the meat was but its texture is close enough to beef. Wine and sider with some water kept filling their goblets. The group was slightly dehydrated from the lack of water throughout the entire day. Somehow, eating food and drinking help alleviate some of the depressive expression on his companions'' faces. He supposes the serotonin has some affect and it even makes him feel a bit better.


    Augusto hands over to No. 13 a pouch after the meal and signals the guards to clear a carriage out for them to use. They obey and Augusto, upon further inspection, looks a bit tired himself and he motions them to go rest and Rachel tells them that they will talk more with Augusto tomorrow. Rachel wants to retreive her friends and Augusto promises to send someone with them should they choose to go. No. 13 tells her that they need to plan and communicate to her friends prior to their departure.


    Unfortunately, their communication band requires a satellite and communication towers for most of its function. However, there is a function to help send radio signals but noone is sure if Rachel''s band can send one far enough to reach the others. They will try once they have enough privacy. No.13 warned them about showing these people things from Earth and they have heeded his warnings.


    Before they rest, several servant girls came with a bucket and some clothing to help them change into. They help wash No. 13 clean after he removed his clothing and stood naked near the warm blazing fire. For No. 13, nudity is not an issue. He stood naked in front of the researchers and teams of people so many times before that he is not embarrassed by such things. Rachel''s face grew red but Julia and Chase seems nonchalant about nudity too. They  were washed after No. 13 and Rachel was the last, telling everyone to leave and they had to set up artificial walls before she stripped.


    After their sponge bath, the group met in front of the carriage they were given. Looking inside, about eight people can fit comfortablly enough to sleep. But before they get in, No. 13 opens the pouch to see what was inside. About 10 gold coins  fell out. Each was the size of the US dollar coins with double the thickness. The minted coins had an engraving of a temple on one side, and the face of another man on the other side. Unsure of how much a gold coin could buy in this world, No. 13 figures it is better than nothing.


    After that, Rachel quickly tried sending messages to her friends, the AI in her band trying different ways and bands of sending a signal.  Rachel just hopes her friends did not try and save power. After a minute, she actually had gotten a reply but the message was still  garbled.


    "Oh thank goodness you are still okay." A female voice sounds from Rachel''s band.


    "Careole, is that you?" Rachel asks.


    "Yeah, it is me and everyone  is still here. Rachel, there are some fucked up noises out there. We turned off the lights and only the heater is on the bus. Is there anything out there?" Carole responds with fear in her toen.


    Rachel sighs and gives her the truth. "I''m afraid so. Devin killed these bat-like gorilla things and gotten some gold coins for it."


    "Wait, what! What is going on and why is there gold coins?" carole asks, her voice suprised and still fearful.


    Rachel narrated what she has witnessed and how they came to meet Augusto. She then went into little detail about the language that is close enough to Latin with many words crossing over. There was a momentary silence after she was done and Rachel was afraid something happened to the signal. She then calls out. "Carole, you still there?"


    "Yes." A voice ansers back. Several other voices could be heard in the background. "Sorry girl, that is a lot to take in, you know."


    "Yeah, I know." Rachel says while slightly chuckling. "The food is not so bad either and the cider taste good."


    "Wait, you also had food? We are so hungry here and we just ran out of water." Came Owen''s voice. No. 13''s group hears Darrell and Brittany agreeing with that sentiment.


    "Well, we have  a plan to get you tomorrow but you have to be ready. Devin told me to tell you to leave early, really early and then head north. Abandon the bus and hide it somewhere. We don''t want to draw any attention to ourselves more than we have. The rest of us will discard our communication band since they will be worthless without power soon enough."


    The other side tried arguing a bit but Rachel was able to remain firm on this one without No. 13 telling her to do so. They wanted to keep the bus. No. 13 can understand that. They view it as something to provide them safety but No. 13 knows it will only make them a target. They reluctantly had to agree that the bus is something so valuble here that too many would be tempted to try and kill them to get it for themselves. Some didn''t want to get rid of their bands, it is the only ties they have to their families. On it, there are pictures, videos, music, all things that originated on Earth but again, for their safety, it is something to be rid of if they want to live and not make anyone else a target.


    So, in the end, the group will move north and ditch the bus and bands. They are to move west for several kilometers and stay on the edge of the forest. It will help No. 13 and a guide to easily find them to bring them back to the camp.


    With that mess over, the group discusses what their plans are.


    "Well, I guess you all figured out I am no ordinary person." No. 13 sighs as he lets this information go. He figures it does not matter now. So, he told of his history and that his name is not Devin as he claimed. Julia told of a different background, her father is a super soldier like No. 13 but his training was different. He was suppose to blend into the civilized world and be more of a part of it. The others listened, even Chase did not know that about her and he understood why she kept it a secret and why she seems so talented.


    "So, I plan on selling my services for now." No. 13 says. "Anyone is free to join up but I will be the boss."


    Julia sighs. "I will join you. Like you ,  all I know is fighting. My training is not extensive as your own but I was taught to be a hunter by my father. I am pretty good with a bow. I am also good at tracking and handling myself in the wilds. I believe these skills will be useful for you."


    "If you are joining, then so am I." Chase announces. "Your father taught me too. He was more of a father than my actual one. Since mother died, your parents were the only true parents for me."


    "Rachel sighs and looks depressed. "I cannot. I don''t know how to fight and I don''t think I could kill anyone. I think I will find a place to settle with my friends, somewhere safe. I am not sure on what I will do yet."


    Chase hugs her and consoles her. "Don''t worry Rachel, you are still family, I will help support you since I know our friend Devin here will be paying me the big credits."


    No. 13 raises an eyebrow but when he sees Rachel give a tentitive smile he doesn''t bother arguing. Julia also hugs Rachel and promises to help her out as best as she can. There close bonds makes him feel a bit envious, he has never had such warmth and care. But, when thinking about that child and all the things he has done, does he deserve such things. Now that he is separated from the organization, he is seeing other sides of humanity pass the scum he has so far experienced. This side of humanity, the ties of friends and family, is something he knows nothing of. He shakes his head, dislodging those thoughts. He needs to plan ahead. There is so much to do.

 Chapter 4: Magic

    Before the silvery sunlight peeps over the horizon, No. 13 is already awake. Being a super soldier means a quicker recovery so both No. 13 and Julia requires less sleep than the people around them. The two super soldiers sparred with one another along with some of the other guards that awoke early themselves. The giant silvery moon with all the stars provided enough light to train by. The night also provided a demanding challenge of awareness as the nearly invisible blades whip violently about. No. 13 has some knowledge on how to use a sword but his primary weapons were his own hands, guns, knife, and explosives. Since he can no longer rely on the industrial production for modern weapons, using these primitive weapons will have to suffice. Not that he is bad at it, most of his training with knives, staves, and the few fencing lessons transferred well.


    He was a little shocked that the guards mostly only knew some rudimentary forms. Seeing how they fought last night, they don''t really need to learn more advance forms he supposes. There were some guards that can come close to No. 13''s skill level with a blade, and they seem to be the personal guards of the Andares family. He guessed that they were the ones that were suppose to kill any stragglers from the monster raid. The guards he trained against would do poorly on their own and they could only function as a unit. Julia also had some troubles. She has trained with knives before, but a sword is different enough that she sometimes miscalculated. She would come in close when she should use the full extent of her blade and sometimes she should use a two hand grip but fails to do so. He disarmed her often enough but she always remained calm and asked to go again.


    Chase joined them a bit later. After trying different weapons, they found out that the spear and shield suited him best. Since neither knew how to use a shield and spear, the guards trained him personally. At first, Chase was a mess, the guards kept knocking the spear from his hands or even use their shield to throw him off-balance. After an hour, he was able to hold onto it so there were some huge improvement. At the end, he had to learn how to reposition his body and change his footwork to help compensate for the weight and the long reach of the spear. No. 13 believes it would be several years before he could match the top guards so No. 13 will have to be patient with the young man. Seeing huge improvements is easy early on and it becomes a struggle later to see even a minute amount of proficiency. Chase may be adequate in a couple of years, but No. 13 wants him to be an expert. As bad as he started with the spear and shield, he was worse with the sword.


    When the practice was done the trio bathed in the cold river and only rinse themselves quickly before leaving. Servant girls brought them new sets of clothes to wear and took the dirty ones away to clean. Meanwhile, other servants had awoken during their training and started the morning''s meal. The trio, unable to speak their language besides some greetings, food, water, and where to take a shit, they had nothing else to do with these people.


    "Rachel, honey, time to wake up." Julia  gently speaks into Rachel''s ear.


    Blearily, Rachel looks around and asks. "Is the food ready yet?"


    The three others glance at one another, before julia speaks again. "That is why we are here. Out of us three, you know more of their language so we figured you should be the one to ask."


    "I''m so hungry." Chase says while rubbing his stomach. "Rachel, my favorite cousin, only you can fix my stomach."


    Rachel snorts. "Fuck off."


    Chase then turns to No.  13. "My cousin is not a morning person as you can see. She is as sweet as a kitten when awake, but a lion in the morning."


    "I see." That was only No. 13''s response. He is not amuse and he lacks a lot of social knowledge on how to respond in this situation.


    "Okay, okay, I am getting up." Rachel says.


    "As soon as we are done eating, we will get your friends. You should probably ask Augusto if we can bring some food and water along with us. Your friends will probably appreciate it." Julia says.


    No. 13 quirks an eyebrow. "Are you both going?"


    Julia shrugs. "Wouldn''t it be safer if we all went?"


    "probably, still I think I would prefer for you to stay here and gather more information. Give me your observations no matter how mundane the details."


    Chase salutes. "Yes sir!"


    No. 13 ignores the young man, It seems when the situation is not dire, his personality changes into this unbearable one. If No. 13 had things his way, he would put the young man under danger all the time so he wouldn''t be so annoying. Somehow, he feels like he is going to regret hiring this one.


    Rachel had gotten up and left. The three of them sat around just observing the entire camp on top of the carriage. For one that lost a lot of people yesterday, the busy camp doesn''t feel so desolate. The people are still busy, scurrying about and performing their jobs. The guards are still around the perimeter, appearing neutral like their own were not dead. For the three, it seems so different from the culture they have came from that it is a bit of a shock.


    Julia was the first to spot an irregularity. "Say Devin, the guards lost about a third of their number last night right?"


    "Well, I am pretty sure at least 20 died outright and the rest were injured to varying degrees. Why?" He ansers.


    I just did a quick head count because I was bored, but there are more than 120 still around."


    "Really?" No. 13 responds. He then does his own count and she is right. He looks at every guard carefully while he scans them up and down. A few were pale, some even seems sickly. The weird part is some still have holes and blood stains on their armor and they were the pale looking ones. "Do you think these people have some sort of rapid healing? Because I am fairly sure, some of these people should be down for days if not weeks."


    Julia taps her finger on her chin and thinks a bit before replying. "I think so. Although, I don''t know the method of their abnormal regeneration. I don''t think they are like us."


    "Maybe aliens has done something to change them. I mean , you two are a perfect example of the freaky shit science can do. Fuck, after hearing about you ssuper soldiers, I am fucking jealous."


    "Maybe." Julia replies, ignoring his complaints. She then continues on. "I don''t think it is the  case though. Lets look for another explanation before we credit things to aliens."


    "Hey, Rachel is coming back." Chase says.


    The three drop from the carriage and then they walk over to meet Rachel.  Before anyone can get a word in, an excited Rachel speaks first. "Guys! Guys! You will never guess what I saw!"


    "If we can''t, then tell us already." Chase replies with a playful mocking tone.


    "Shut up. Anyways, I saw Augusto''s wife performing magic!" Rachel says excitedly.


    "Yeah, and I am Santa Claus and I only eat fudge but I am not the one full of shit." Chase replies.


    Julia slaps him upside his head and he shuts up. Julia calmly ask her. "What makes you think it is magic?"


    After giving Chase a glare, her eyes shifts to Julia. "I saw her hand glowing silver and after a moment, a guard that was hurt was healed! I am not lying, I really saw it!"


    Julia''s, chase''s, and his own eyebrows must have raised up at that moment. Julia looks at No. 13 and asks. "Do you think it is possible? I mean, magic. I hate to say it, but it explains why some of these guards are not dead."


    No. 13 doesn''t know how to reply and takes a minute to think before saying. "Could be. I find it hard to believe unless I can see it for myself. But, if it is the case, then the guards are not fully healed just yet. Perhaps magic can close the wounds but judging from their pale faces, I think it cannot produce blood. It will still take a while before these people are up and ready to fight."


    "Wait, why aren''t you two more excited?" Rachel asks.


    Julia smiles. "We are, we just cannot express excitement like you can."


    Rachel sighs. "Somehow, I believe those words. You two seem to suck the fun out of it all."


    No. 13 looks at Julia. "Was there suppose to be fun in that? I thought we''re suppose to be excited?"


    Julia smirks, unable to hold back a smile before one lit up her face. "She is just a bit depress that we are not hopping around like a hyper active kid."


    "Oh. I guess I don''t do fun and exciting then. She did manage to cause my heartrate to spike if it is any consolation."


    "Okay, I get it, you two are robots, especially you Devin." Rachel complains. "I was so happy too and  you both kind of ruined that."


    Chase jumps in and then asks Rachel. "Is she still performing it when you left? I want to see it."


    "Yes, but I don''t think she can do it continually. She looked exhausted when I left."


    "Oh." Chase says disappointedly.


    "Well, lets talk about food. Where do we get it at?" No. 13 asks Rachel.


    Rachel says. "Before we head out, the Anderes wants to eat and have a talk with us. I think he is interested in our services. From what I can figure out, they are a caravan and they are in a very dangerous path. The payout is huge but so are the risks involved."


    "You hear that boss, our first job." Chase says happily.


    No. 13 says. "Perhaps, but I want to know the details before we sign on. Well, I am not quite sure if we really have a choice in the matter. We are lost and on top of that, we have no supplies. Our situation is bad. Don''t forget, we cannot speak, read, and write this language well besides maybe Rachel presently. There are probably more languages out there to learn and well, you get the picture."


    "Do you think we can find a way home? I mean, magic exists here. There must be something we can do right?" Rachel asks.


    "Not sure. I have never heard about anyone from this world coming to Earth but maybe, it has happened before and noone reported it or took the report seriously. I know I wouldn''t." No. 13 says, hoping he can give hope to her, even if the odds are so minuscule. Sometimes, people need hope to rely on, at least it was in some stories he has read. He was suppose to be slowly introduced to the outside world and knows little of human behavior. He needs to make a note of finding a people''s person, someone that his group can pay to interact for them. Currently, there is Julia and Chase. The latter makes him a bit depressed. Julia is his best shot but she can be overly aggressive. And himself, he actually might be the worse of the group.


    "Devin, it makes you question why they didn''t use magic last night, doesn''t it? If magic is powerful enough to mend flesh, then the chances are, it could harm it. I know we know jack shit about this stuff but it just makes you wonder." Chase says seriously. It seems, he could be serious again when the subject is a serious one.


    No. 13 shrugs. "Not a clue. I think we will find out eventually. Magic seems to be a normal phenomena in this world. It makes you question if we are in the same universe as Earth, does it not?"


    Julia frowns. "Now that you mention it, I really don''t know. It is definitely something to think about, manipulating energy through one''s mind or will, how does that even work? Rachel, did you hear any incantations or see any odd hand gestures?"


    "Rachel responds. Well, her hand glowed and then she touched near the wound and it slowly mended. I was not close enough and she could of whispered some words."


    "Lets get going. It is still dawn  on this world and I want to leave before the sun fully rises. It feels like spring here so perhaps, it is around 0600 hours." No. 13 says. He looks at his communication band for a final time. He has kept track of the sun in conjunction with the time on his band. His band kept time like it would have on Earth and his best estimate gives this world an extra three hours in a day. As for days, weeks, and years, they hope the people will have an answer. Knowing humans, they seem to always try and document time. Several cultures on Earth tried like the Romans, Chinese, Mayans, and so on. Hopefully they will not be so different here.


    Given the strong evidence of their Roman history, the odds seem pretty good.


    No. 13 took the lead with Julia taking the rear. They made their way to the Andares Carriage and saw servants setting up the table. They had to combine two tables together and eight chairs were set. In the light of day, someone cleared the area of the silverish blue grass. He noticed it last night but seeing it with the rising sun, he can now tell it was hacked and done poorly. It must of been a scythe, something farmers use to cut down wheat.


    Upon their arrival, No. 13 sees Augusto talking to a highly attractive woman in her mid-thirties. Dark Raven hair cascades down her back like an inky black waterfall and the silver sunlight gives her hair a glossy sheen. Even though dressed in a travel tunic and simple pants, it cannot hide the graceful figure underneath. Though not as curvy as Julia, her slender frame and long legs gives her a regal bearing, like that of a queen. However, the face appears to be a bit worn and Augusto has one arm around the woman''s waist and another holding her right hand.


    Behind them, there were two girls whose face and figure nearly matches that of the woman in Augusto''s arms. There is some slight differences though. The youngest, he would guess to be of his own age, has some slight dimples and is slightly shorter. The other, is slightly taller than the woman with Augusto and she possesses a more athletic frame and her hair is cut short, down to her chin. The older gives him that tomboyish vide while the younger gives him the feeling of a sweet girl. All three women had blue eyes but the tallest female, had the iciest blue eyes of the group. Now looking at it, her eyes matches that of Augusto''s while the youngest, whose eyes are a bit darker, matches that of the woman. It is not difficult to see that the woman is probably Augusto''s wife and the two young females are their daughters. The older of the two seems to take after Augusto and the younger, their mother. As for the older sister, he would place her age several years above his own.


    Seeing them, Augusto gestures for them to take a seat. Servants pulled the chairs out when the group reaches the table. Everyone took their seats and through Rachel, introductions were made. The woman next to Augusto is his wife Lucia. The oldest daughter is Named Luminea, and the youngest is named Lucretia. On initial impressions, Luminea takes after Augusto, seemingly a strong woman, someone No. 13 could imagine taking charge and working towards bettering herself and expecting those around her to do the same. Lucretia is not like any of her family members. The girl seems shy and the red blush really shows through her creamy alabaster skin.


    Warm cider was poured into goblets, the sweet smell of apples and the spicy smell of cinnamon seems like afine way to start the day with the chilly breeze blowing against their skin. Everyone had thick woven cloaks wrapped around their bodies while they sat there. Next, the servants brought platters of seared root vegetables and some small game like the rabbit they saw while traveling. Biscuits and butter were also served with the morning meal and the smell was probably made better because No. 13 was hungry.


    Everyone began to eat when the servents placed the food on top of their plates. While eating, noone talked, everyone seems preoccupied this morning and it would be better if the talks began after their meal. While he ate, No. 13 secretly kept observing everyone. He was trained to keep gathering information and to pay attention to people''s gestures and body language. So far, everythhing seems fine. Once Lucia ate, No. 13 spots some color returning to her cheeks. If what Rachel says is to be believed, she is the one capable of using magic. He wants to see it for himself, to see if anyone is capable of using it and the mechanism behind it.


    With the meals finished, Augusto and his family began talks with the Andares family. No. 13 only paid attention since he needed to learn the language. He cares little about Rachel''s friends and only has some slight feelings towards Rachel, whom decided to stick with him. It oddly made him feel responsible for her safety. He doesn''t know why but his emotions are fluctuating lately without the drugs the organization made him take. The drugs were meant to inhibit some of his emotional responses, making him a more efficient and stable killer.


    After their meal and discussion, a small plan was formed for now. After retreiving her friends, Augusto wants to discuss hiring No. 13, Julia, and Chase. Rachel would temporarily be hired to be the medium in which the deal could be made. In truth, she is the only one capable of representing both sides and to come to an understanding. She even stated herself that she knows nothing of negotiations but neither did No. 13, Julia, and Chase. It would have to be a skill she simply will need to learn and it would be a way for her to support herself. She reluctantly accepted the job because Julia explained why she should take it.


    A guide waited for the group at the perimeter of the camp. She was a woman dressed in brown leather with colors matching the forest on a vibrant spring day. Her green cloak, made of many patches of differing colors of green, hung down to the back of her knees. At her hip, twin short swords were hung on either side of her hips. No. 13 can also make out the hidden array of throwing knives strapped to her chest, thighs and even some hilts were poking from her leather boots. She appears to favor small blades  and No. 13 was expecting her to carry a bow, like a ranger he has read in so many books. But, he wonders if they come across any monsters, would she be of use. After seeing how little those heavy shaft of arrows had against those monsters last night, he has serious doubts about this woman''s ability to sink a knife into the monster''s flesh.


    No. 13 was not the only one that was doing the observing. The female, whose age he would place around her early to mid-twenties, bore a scar from the  right cheek down to the middle of her jaw. Instead of taking away some of her beauty, it gives her some sense of character. Hazel eyes of green and brown stare into his own and he has a feeling that though she is calm like a serene forest, she can unleash a storm that would uproot the trees and throw everything into chaos. Her wheat-colored hair was tied and bound into a thick braid that fell down to the middle of her back. Strands of hair fell free and framed her face, giving it a bit more of a youthful look. If she smiled, she would definitely have a generous one that would match well with her thin face. Overall, she looks like a runner from her lean athletic figure. Only a single word came from her mouth. "Avidia."


    No. 13 nods his head and acknowledges her name. For himself, he really should come up with his own name soon. He cares little for Devin, a name someone else gave him and it reminds him too much of his servitude to those monsters. Everytime he hears that name, it makes him feel uneasy. Until he can come up with one, he has to stick with it for now. The others don''t like calling him No. 13, saying it is impersonal, as if he were a toy instead of a person.


    No. 13 tried to convince Julia and Chase to stay behind and wait, besides Rachel, whom would prove useful in collecting her friends and a way for him to communicate with their guide, but he failed in the end. As much as he is the boss, these two have a strong independent side. He knows he will need those with that personality trait to clash with him from time-to-time, but the reason why they are going is due to not wanting to be bored. It kind of irks him but he remains quiet. Nothing could be done now since they are on a deadline and they need to hurry up.


    Before they left, Agusto gave them some weapons to use, calling them some gifts for making friends. No. 13 recieved a sword, longer than the one he used last night and is about a meter long. He strapped that to his left hip and he replaced his combat knife with two daggers sheathed at his boots. He gave his combat knife to Julia, whom seems to prefer the blade. As for Julia, she was given a finely craffted bow and a quiver of arrows. Chase was given a spear, a short sword, and some hardened leather armor that Augusto had a spare of. Rachel, she was the only one given nothing because she cannot fight. Chase gave her his pistol and she strapped that and the extra magazine into a pouch around her waist. At least she has shot a gun before, but that was on a practice range, when she was 13. It took a few minutes for Chase to instruct her on a refresher course so she doesn''t accidentally shoot the people around her.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Too bad Augusto didn''t have more armor around." Chase laments.


    "If he did, he would of gave itt to his servants so they can do a better job of protecting his family." Julia returns. Then she adds on. "If you inspect your gear, you will notice that it was used before. Don''t get me wrong, it is in good condition but I bet yesterday was not the first casulty they suffered. Going by the fact that this is a vast grassland, I bet most of the wagons carries food and water. I am sure what they are carrying is valuable, but I don''t believe it is a cache of weapons."


    "Fair point." Chase mutters.


    "okay, lets get going before we annoy the guide and she sees us as amateurs." No. 13 sighs.


    Avidia says nothing about that whole sequence. Unlike the others, she can keep a modicum of composure. He thought Julia would be better trained than this and wonder how her own organization operates because it needs a lot of work. From the little she mentioned, they were suppose to be well entrenched in their roles. Does that mean she never had behavioral modification treatments? Was she also given emotional suppressants like he was given? These questions would not probably ever be answered. He wonders if he can seem more carefree like the others one day.


    During their travels, they finally found out why those trees are red and looks like they have blood coarsing through them. Avidia not only guided them but she taught them along the way. She caught a rabbit and threw it at the tree. Blood-like thick vines ripped from the ground and wrapped themselves around the body of the small animal. With rows of jagged teeth at the end of the vines, it ate away at the rabbit and then pulled the rest of the carcass under and into the dirt where everyone guesses it uses it as nutrients. It makes them glad they were not curious enough to try and figure that out yesterday.


    With Chase and Rachel now having pale faces, the group continues on where Avidia showed them how to select safe berries, which herbs can be used as an anticeptic and as a hemostatic drug. Most of it left them, there was simply too much information, but if they retain some of it, their chances of survival will increase.


    It took them two hours before they saw the shadows of humans in the distance. There were signs of beast and creatures they had to avoid and it took them longer than they anticipated to even reach 10 kilometers. No. 13 now beleives it was dumb luck that they did not run into any creatures yesterday. He is sure they can handle it well enough, but a casulty still could have occurred if a beast attacked Rachel and Chase, whose reflexes are still within normal human parameters. With their heighten senses, Julia and No. 13 would have a much better chance of spotting things and avoiding danger. Being trained as well as they are does not mean they will not fall prey to mental mistakes. Keeping focus is a demanding job, even for himself, whose brain was altered and made more efficient. All it takes is a lapse in judgement, a bit of exhaustion, and things would be over for him.


    Rachel wanted to run to them but Avidia stopped her. She reminded the rash girl of potential dangers lurking everywhere and just because her friends are sitting about and waiting for rescue, it doesn''t mean something will not happen. That was the impression No. 13 had gotten after a chagrin Rachel relayed her message. Chase scolded her a bit, worried evident in his tone as he did so. To break the awkwardness, Julia asked Rachel how her feet were doing after she had gotten proper footwear. A few blisters remains but she at least feels some comfort.


    "Crap, we should of thought about bringing them some clothes, at least something for Carole. Her feet would kill her on the way back." Rachel says.


    "Can''t be helped now. We can''t always think of everything." Julia responds. "Well, if they are grateful people, they would appreciate us bringing them food to eat while we head back."


    No. 13 doesn''t say this, but, traumatic events has a major way of altering someone''s personality. He doubts the others are probably mentally sound now. After being dragged into an alien world and relying on hope to survive and a miracle to carry them home, he is not sure how much of a blow that would be to their mental health. Instead of making No. 13 compassionate towards their plight, it makes him wary of them. Besides eachother, Darrell, Owen, Carole, and Brittany are unlikely to be stable at the moment. He is sure it has not gotten that far yet but he beleives there are probably cracks forming already. They need a stabilizing force, something to ground them. Because he is not sure of what could provide them that, he will keep his eye out on them and eliminate them if necessary. He will not allow them to threaten him or the group. If it shatters the group, then fine, he can live with that outcome. At least, he would be fine and the others will be okay.


    "Rachel!" Brittany shouts out and the voice sounds so loud in the serene silence. No. 13 felt a prick of fear and he searches, hiding his anxiety as he scans the area. He notices Avidia and Julia doing the same, each with a neutral look on their face. Once Julia is in the field or working on an important task, he can witness the training that was placed in her. Chase is that way to a certain extent and he remembers Chase saying that Julia''s father is like a father to himself.


    Avidia motions for the group to remain silent but it was too late. Deep within the trees, loud roars reverberate and a flock of birds empty themselves from the treetop and flee in a mad dash. Meanwhile, the shouting Brittany looks on in horror into the trees, trying to see if she can look pass the towering thick trunks, to see beyond into the mystery of what evil heeded her call.


    Her friends backed up, looking like they are ready to run. Their tired visage now full of fear and energy. Unsure, No. 13 looks over to Avidia whom already has a knife in one hand, its blade surrounded with a silver glow. No. 13 eyes widens, his mind momentarily shocked. He knew that Rachel was probably not lying, that she really saw magic,


    but seeing is believing, especially claims of that magnitude. His mind then goes back to last night, during the attack, and wonders where all the magic went and why wasn''t it used. Shaking those thoughts, he pulls free his sword and gently pushes Rachel towards Chase and tells Julia to stay with them for now. He then steps besides Avidia whom only gives him a brief nod of her head and the two faces the trees. Whatever it may be, Avidia thinks they could handle it given her calm demeanor. As for himself, he is more curious about her glowing knife than he is about what is going to show up soon. Escape would of been probable if Rachel''s friend were in better condition. Not having food for nearly an entire day, Carole''s shitty moccasins that he made, and given the strength and speed from the creatures last night, it doesn''t favor them well.


    The thumping steps of something massive slightly shakes the ground. Low throated grunts and crackling branches was the first signal that something is near. Between the gaps of the trees, something large and green approaches. No. 13 cannot be too sure, but he thinks he saw amber colored eyes spying at them briefly. Soon enough, the picture became clearer as less and less obstruction blockss his view. It was definitely large alright and even No. 13 feels a bit of nervousness when seeing these creatures.


    With every lumbering step, clawed foots the size of his arm would sink itself into the forest floor, leaving large imprints  behind. The creature was covered in green sickly scales  and possesses a large tapered head with rows of sharp razor teeth. A flickering tongue would swipe the air, covered in some vile thick goopy liquid.  He estimates that each clawed hand could easily wrap itself around his head and tear it off. Each creature must be around 3.5 meters tall with a tail that is about 2 meters long. To. 13, they look like a mix between a human, snake, and worm and he feels an instinctual revulsion that tickles the most primitive side of his brain, telling him to flee.


    The four lizrd men came quickly, their speed amazing for something that size. He is still glad that they are nowhere near as quick as himself but he wouldn''t take these creatures lightly neither. In the background, he heard the others scrambling away and a yell from Rachel for him to be careful. Julia''s arrow came flying in and striking the creature with great force but the sharpened tip barely buries itself into the creature''s flesh. The hard scale and muscles probably too tough for her arrows to be effective.


    Avidia threw a knife, the spinning glowing blade crashing into the creature with force and it exploded in a shower of silverish light, causing the leading creature to stumble a bit. No. 13''s first thought is that the energy behind that knife is probably close enough to a grenade of the earlier models during the world wars. The affect on its target suffered some discoloring and broken scales and drips of blood oozing from small cuts that lacerated its body.


    The creatures are now within 30 meters of the pair, their focus on what they perceive is the biggest threat to them. They are right of course and No. 13 does his mind trick to increase his mental processing speed and reflexes. While he trained himself to remain in this state for about 10 minutes, he knows he will need every advantage he can get. His gun will be his last resort but he wants to take these things down without relying on it.


    To his side, Avidia takes out her short sword and surrounds that blade with the same silverish energy. He thinks he even sees a slight glow around her body but he pushes his own focus towards the incoming enemies.  They are an imminent threat and he can always see magic at another time.


    No. 13 rolls out of the way when the large lizard men tries to take him down with its massive size. He recovers quickly, only to avoid a swinging tail before he tries rushing in but another lizrd man swipes at him so he had to dodge the blow and misses out on an opportunity. More arrows came flying in, their goal is to help Avidia whose strength and speed is nowhere near No. 13''s own but somehow that glow that surrounds her body makes her a couple of tiems faster than the normal human.


    No. 13 moves quickly and feints a lunge and the creature bites, giving enough time for No. 13 to move again so the other lizard man would find it harder for the two to team up against him. With this new angle, he moves in once more, ducking a massive claw and then using the full extent of his leg muscles, springs himself forwards with sword in hand and swinging it with all of his might across the creature''s chest. The blade manages to sink several centimeters in, the edge meeting thick strong bones that stopped its progress but not enough before No. 13 can feel the bones crack a bit before he had to back up and leap out of the way from the second creature that tried to smash him, but only manages to hit dirt.


    With blood oozing from its wound, the one he injured lets out a loud shriek that even manages to hurt No. 13''s ears. He had to ignore it and the slight headache that noise gave him because the other is nearly upon him. It tried to swipe at him and then it uses its tail to follow through with a devastating second attack that he leaps over after backing up enough for the claw to miss. On his way back down, he uses the force of his drop and his arms to swing the sword in both hands and delivers a vicious slash that manages to cause a gash several centimeters deep nearly down its entire back. Using the creature''s distraction from the pain, he unleashes a flurry of cuts that leaves the creature bleeding all over its body. It tries backhanding him but his quick reaction and superhuman agility allows him to jump backwards to avoid it before it can land the strike.


    He sees Avidia in the corner of his eyes stab a lizard man and quickly withdraw the blade. It managed to sink in and he thought he saw a small flash of lightning. It seems to have paralyzed the lizard man for a couple of seconds but it was enough time for her to escape from the first creature she injured with her makeshift grenade. He can then only surmise doing that trick requires a lot of energy, something she can only do for a limited amount of times.


    Fuck, these creatures are tenacious. He used enough force earlier to even cut a super soldier nearly in half but this damn thing suffered only an injury. Granted it is a serious one, something that is likely to kill it if it can''t find a way to heal itself.  Its slows the creature enough to nearly take it out of the fight and he thinks he can now finish both of them off quickly since they are much slower than before.


    Once again, he goes on the offensive and the lizard man with the slash down its back barely was able to swing its arm, its monstrous face in severe pain as it also must use its back to put enough power into trying to swat away No. 13. Easily dodging it and pushing the arm aside with his free hand, he manages to alter the swing so that the creature''s arm would go high and he thrusts his sword into the softer flesh of the lizard man''s armpit. The sword travels a good 5 or 6 centimeters before he withdraws the blade  and kicks the tail before it can build up momentum to try and use it like a club. He uses that force to help him gain distance, pushing off the lizard man''s body and making his way towards the one with its chest slashed deeply.


    While the creature with its armpit pierced lies dying, No. 13 didn''t have to worry about it and he needs to kill this one to help Avidia. She lacks his quickness though her skills are undeniable and perhaps better than his own. If they were gifted with the same physical traits, she would likely be better with the blade. She probably has more experience with bladed weapons as his own training was more diversified with guns, martial arts, wrestling, close-quarter combat, and a multitude of other skills. Training with a blade was never that high of a priority.


    The creature looks at him, its drowsy eyes still holds enough recognition that its death has arrived. It weakly tries to swing but No. 13 avoids it easily and the lizard man falls flat on its face, its strength now completely depleted. Its last attempt at life was a tragic one and shows how the blood loss has weakened it severely. Without any pause, No. 13 uses his formidable strength and drives the tip of his blade into the creature''s spine, killing it quickly and perhaps, a mercy so it can no longer feel any pain.


    Turning his attention to the other two, Avidia is backing up, one of her swords is lodged into a lizard man''s ribs and the other lizard man has about 10 arrows sticking from its body and just fell after the many trauma it could no longer neglect. Seeing Avidia tired and the flickering silverish light, No. 13 guesses she is near the end of her strenth.  With quickness, he flies, his top speed like that of a hunting cat, and with a quick leap and the strength of his thrust, he sinks the sword into the creature''s back  and nearly pushing it out the other side.


    They both fell to the ground but the lizard man is now out of strength itself. No. 13 twists the blade about, causing the creature to call out in pain but it soon succumbs to its injury and lies dead beneath its killer.


    The only sound is the heavy breathing of Avidia while No. 13 is only slightly winded. The breeze blows, wrapping itself around No. 13 as he takes time to slow his beating heart. Without still saying a word, he cleans his sword on the grass and sheaths it. He will need to do a proper cleaning later. It took a while, but then he registers the silent people.


    Looking around, No. 13 seees Julia still on guard, her pensive eyes scanning the field. Rachel and her friends have a shocked look with her friends showing a lot of fear towards him or the dead creatures perhaps. As for Rachel, there is a hint of fear in her eyes but also a little awe? Chase just looks amazed. No. 13 guesses since he accepts that Julia is probably a killer, he wouldn''t view No. 13 too negatively.


    Avidia, catching her breath, comes over and pats him on his shoulder, a brief smile touching her face. To his surprise, she moves over to the corpses and uses her knife to dig into their chest. Blood comes pouring out everywhere but she appears undisturbed by it. Her hand then roots around, grasps onto something and removes a bloody sphere before removing the same object from the other three. After cleaning it, she hands two over to No. 13 and gives Julia one and then keeps one to herself.


    Looking around, the horror on Rachel''s friends intensifies. No. 13 believes they will now have some trouble to try and convince them to come along. Honestly, he wants to leave them here but this one is Rachel''s call. He needs her and he is willing to accomadate her to a certain extent. He already knows what she will do and he will keep his peace.


    Without anything being said, Rachel shakes her head and he sees her walk over to her friends, a strained smile on her face as she hands them the food and water. Feeling their own hunger probably, they take the food and silently eat it, their expression not being much better prior to the food.


    "Julia, how many arrows do you have left?" No. 13 asks her.


    "15." Came the quick reply. He expected as much. As a trained combatant, she would keep track of her arrows. It is no different than someone counting their bullets as they fire off their gun. It is one of the earliest things taught to a soldier like themselves and to others that are into self-protection or firearms.


    "Alright, I also assume you have been learning and I require your scouting skills to make sure the path ahead is safe. Keep ahead of us by a kilometer. If anything is suspicius, come back and don''t take any chances on your own. We still know little about this world." No. 13 orders.


    Julia nods and without saying a word, goes on the move. He knows her enhanced eyesight should be able to track them. He would of asked Rachel to send Avidia on this task but she is fairly worn out and she keeps shaking her head as if she is trying to gain focus. He probably knows why he did not see any magic last night, those that could use it were probably exhausted already. The fight only lasted about a minute and a half and the woman is already drained. He doubts many could use this energy as they would have made quick work of the monsters. Magic is something he will need to learn more about, just in case he fights against someone that possesses it.


    "Chase, you, Rachel and her friends will take the middle. Rachel, ask Avidia to stay with you and to get your attention if she spots anything wrong. If it is urgent, call to me right away and if not raise both hands into the air to get my attention." No. 13 orders them. Somehow, the group does what he says but it doesn''t make him happy. Most fear him and that fear will most likely end in a poor decision and a festering resentment. Even if he did save them, seeing their fear and distaste, they may think of him as a monster. Fine, if being a monster is what it takes to live, he has no problems with it. He is a pragmatist, peace simply doesn''t exist in this world without the power to back it up. As corrupt as the US and many so-called democracies are, they bring some stability to the lives of their citizen even if they in from time-to-time start a war so they can gain access to another country''s resources. Some of the things they enjoy, are from the blood of those that wanted freedom, a good life, and to be left alone too. Not all, but a majority of innocent people die far more than enemy soldiers.


    The march back was quiet, everyone now on guard and wary. No. 13 enjoys the peace. He has been mentally exhausted and he doesn''t know if the lack of those emotional suppressant drugs will affect his behavior in any way. ''Fuck,'' he thought darkly, ''I hope I don''t become emotionally unstable like those teenagers.''

 Chapter 5: Deals, and Bandits Galore

    The somber group arrives back at the camp. Of the group, only No. 13  and Avidia has blood on them. The long dried blood now a crusty mess and  caused their clothes to uncomfortably stick to their skin. Given the  nature of fighting with bladed weapons and flesh,  the mess could not be avoided. No. 13 knows this will be the reality of  his situation whenever flesh is added to the equation. And, it is not  just the blood, but the smell that is also off-putting. The smell of  decay even now, is slightly evident to his enhance  sense of smell. As much as it is a gift, having enhanced senses  sometimes can be a curse. He just wishes there are better ways in this  world of killing. Thinking of Julia''s use of a bow, he almost wants to  switch to it but shakes his head. He will learn it  since it will provide him range, but that is not his style.


    Rachel guided her friends away, possibly to seek a bath and new  clothes. Carole also needs to have Lucretia or Lucia look after her  feet. The march with those crappy moccasins did a number on her feet but  the heels would have been a lot worse. They also appear  to need to take a rest. The little chatter that did go on mention how  they could barely sleep and the noises in the night made them paranoid.  Under those conditions, any type of sleep wouldn''t prove to be as  restful. To be honest, he is also a bit relieved  to be rid of their company. He cares little for their attitude but what  makes him on guard is the lack of trust. Even he would grow tired if he  had to remain at full alert, waiting for one of them to do something  foolish.


    Since Avidia and No. 13 had the same thought in mind, they both walked  towards the river. The swift moving water and the rocky outcrop made  bathing somewhat of a hazard, especially for the small children in the  group. The river is wide, not as grand like  the Mississippi in the US, but it streches for a decent 30 meters and  the water it provides is safe enough to drink, though they do boil the  water still. Stripping naked, neither seeming to care much for nudity,  they both entered and servants brought them  new clothes and a bar of soap to wash with. Avidia even washed his back  and he returned the favor, seeing there is nothing wrong with wanting  to help the other. After the quick bath, they dry themselves off and put  on their new clothes.


    Avidia beckons No. 13 to follow her. With a why not feeling, he  discovers her leading him to her tent. She pulls out some supplies and  starts to clean her things. No. 13 watches, this type of skill was never  something he really needed to learn. Following  her lead, he pulls out the sword that was given to him and follows  along, emulating her actions. She stops often, correcting his technique   and guiding him on the correct pressure to use to clean and hone the  blade. He oddly feels a sense of connection to  her, and not one induced through mental manipulation or by drugs, but a  natural one formed by perhaps fighting together or simply, because of  her quiet and efficient nature. He doesn''t question it and lets it be  without trying to poke and prod at it. What  he wants to know is, what the silverish blue orbs are. All he can  guess, they are quite valuable since they are hard to obtain. There are  so many questions and he doesn''t know how to form any of it with his  limited knowledge of her language.


    After they are done, Avidia begins to take down her tent and No. 13  lends a hand. Glancing around, he notices that the rest of the caravan  is readying to move, the last night''s battle probably delayed their  moving time. He doubts that his retreival of Rachel''s  friends had any delays, since when they return, the people were still  burying the dead and giving them a proper burial. When Avidia was done  loading her things on her horse, she waves him goodbye and rides on  ahead. He sighs, he never had gotten an answer  yet and he didn''t know how to ask. No. 13 heads back to his own  carriage that Augusto is allowing them to use. When he was there, he  spots Julia, Chase, and another man. The stranger, is apparently the one  that will be driving the horses. As it turns out,  none of them have a clue. He walks up to the pair and asks them. "Where  is Rachel and her friends?"


    Chase looks over and then answers. "She is with them, in a wagon  though, since there are no more carriages to spare. The wagon is  carrying supplies and they had to make do."


    Julia scoffs, her look annoyed. "They should be grateful that they had  even gotten that much. The injured guards still have to sleep on the  ground. Bunch of spoiled brats."


    Chase returns. "Well, they were taken to an alien world. all of them  had successful parents so they always had a comfortable living. Give  them time and have some patience."


    "Time? Julia shakes her head. "I understand where they are coming  from, but to complain! I don''t mind them moping around as long as they  keep their own feelings on how things are not fair to themselves. They  are using Augusto''s supplies and they see him as  a barbarian. This is not the 23rd century Earth any longer. The rules  have change and I don''t want them dragging us down with them. What if  Augusto abandons us out here, in the middle of nowhere with no food and  supplies,  what do we do then?!"


    No. 13 sees Chase hesitate. He guesses there is really nothing he can  retort with . From the gist of things he has gathered. It seems Rachel''s  friends made a ruckus and it may partially implicate the entire group  through mere association. No. 13 wouldn''t  blame the man if four strangers, whom he offered food and shelter,  still looks down upon him. Rachel has some issues with the people  herself but she keeps quiet. He notices her uncomfort at the status of  the servants and how they are legally owned people.  But, this is a different period in human society and there are still  slaves in the modern world though their circumstances are just a bit  better. If he were Augusto, would he blame the man if he left them.  Given the limited supplies and the limited number  of guards, that means he would have to stretch his men out further in  order to provide adequate protection for his group. If Rachel''s friends  are useless in a dangerous situation, the burden will be bore by his own  people.


    Julia breaks the awkward silence and to Chase''s relief, changes the  subject. "So, is there anything going on between you and Avidia? You two  seem to hit things off pretty well."


    No. 13 just raises an eyebrow and remains silent.


    "Come on, she doesn''t mind you at all and she pretty much avoided the  others in the group. She may be a bit older than yourself, but her  temperament matches you well. Oh, she is a beauty and I still notice  your glances at our lady curves."


    No. 13 shakes his head. "I respect her and find her attractive. It  doesn''t matter. She is capable, great with a blade, and the most  important thing, she does not give me a headache.  Would I have sex with  her if the offer was given, yes. A relationship, no."


    "Damn!" Chase exclaims. "I think he went a round about way of calling us annoying."


    Julia grins. "He is just annoyed that we make his life a bit more interesting. Annoying is caring."


    Chase adds in. "I annoy others because it tests if they truly care  about me. Since you have hired me boss, I know you care. I want you to  know, since you have pass the test known as Chase Edwards, you are now  allowed to join the people I consider friends.  That respectable list includes, Rachel and Julia! Now, you are the  third, congrats!"


    Julia looks at Chase. "I''m not sure I should feel sorry for you or  those on your list. For 8 years I have known you. I will admit, it has  been a struggle and shows how much perseverance and grace I truly  possess. I often questioned my sanity and I''m amazed  that I stuck around that long."


    No. 13 ignores their banter. The caravan has already moved so his gaze  stares into a vibrant colorful world, but one that seems to have lost  some of its appeal. Maybe it is the endless ocean of the same silverish   blue grass or the mountains that seem so  near but he knows is still quite distant,  looks the same today as it  did yesterday. Everything just seems so still, like a painting that you  could appreciate once in a while but the more you look, the more  monotonous it seems. A super soldier, on a day like  today, with nothing muchhh to do, would engage in sex to break the  bordom. He thought about Avidia, now that Julia placed that thought into  his head but shakes it out of his mind. He doesn''t know her well and  she may be only quiet because of the lack of familiarity  or the language barrier. Anyways, he doesn''t want to complicate  anything by asking and for someone like Rachel, he is unsure how she  will react. Those female super soldiers sure did make sex not so  complicated. Maybe he should wait until he can find a brothel  since he has reservations about having sex with a servant girl. Are  they even allowed to say no. He doesn''t want to find out that answer.


    During the midday, the food that was offered was the same food from  this morning. The caravan took an hour break by his  estimate. It was  long enough for people to eat and relieve themselves before the caravan  continues on. Rachel joined back up with them  during this time, her friends still resting and she claimed she needed a  change of senary. Lucretia also joined them, her father sent her to  help No. 13 and his group. When the caravan started to move again, it  was Lucretia and Rachel that did most of the  talking during the afternoon until evening. While Rachel did most of  the learning, she would in turn teach them. A slate with a chalk was  needed to write, draw pictures, so the lessons could be instilled in  their memories. Near the end of lessons, the group  was practicing simple conversations between one another.


    Before the caravan stopped for the evening, hunters and gatherers were  sent on ahead with guards to search for sources of food. Since the  caravan travels along the river, it is not difficult to find the way  back. Also, more than 50 riders on horses appeared  from the horizon''s edge. This is the advance party sent to scout for  danger and bring back any information worth noting. Unlike most of the  guards, these men had better armor, all wearing chainmail and each  possesses a longer spear. Over all, they seem to  be the better of the normal guards. No. 13 suspects that only the  twenty personal guards of Augusto is better skilled than these riders.  Even so, it does not mean that nothing can slip pass their net, evident  by the monster raid. There is simply too much ground  to cover, even on horseback.


    Nearing the evening and after their lessons, No. 13 couldn''t hide his  curiosity so he pulled out the orbs  and showed them to Lucretia. It  took a lot of talking, hand gestures and drawings, No. 13 was finally  given an idea of what these orbs are. They are  pretty much magic batteries. For people capable of manipulating these  forces, they can draw upon these orbs to grant them more power to use.  Unlike magical potions, the orbs has less of a drawback in comparison.  Potions are slower to help the caster recover,  they cause nausea and someone can only drink about one or two a week  before they feel the ill effects. These orbs, while they cannot be used  endlessly, have much less of a side effect and its usage is  instantaneous. The down side is, after its usage, the caster  will be mentally and physically tired and will need a quick sleep to  recover.


    The orbs can be rated from low to high. There are five tiers of orbs:  Low, mid-low, mid, mid-high, and high. The higher the grade, the more  the orbs will cost. It even allows a lower tier caster, someone with  very little magic storage, to access a storage  more than they can handle physically. In times of war, these orbs  prices can skyrocket. However, just because a lower tier caster  possesses the orb wouldn''t mean they are as powerful as a higher tier  caster. The person wielding the orb can only push and manipulate  the energy their own physical body can handle. Lucretia is a mid-tier  caster. If she had a high tier orb, it would only mean she can use the  same amount of magical energy as someone in the high tier range. Once  the orb and her own magic is drain, the more  exhausted her body will be because she is tapping into and pushing  power that her physical body cannot handle normally. The higher she uses  above her level, the more rest she will need when she is done. Once  tapped, the caster will need to use the power or  it will slowly drain. Noone quite understands the mecanism behind it.


    As for prices, Lucretia says each orb is a mid-tier one. Normally, a  low tier orb goes for about 10 gold coins. For the highest tier orbs,  they are worth around 200 gold coins, maybe more, since they are harder  to obtain. For the mid tier orbs, they go around  for 40 to 50 some odd gold coins. During times of war, casters may even  pay up to twice or triple the amount for what they are normally worth.  For casters, these orbs is a matter of life and death. Once the energy  is gone, a caster is useless and very vulnerable.  Magic could also slowly be restored by the sun, but it is a long  process to recover, especially for casters with higher capacity. If  Lucretia were to drain her magic, she will at least need 16 to 20 hours  of direct sunlight to recharge her magical powers.  For a high tier caster, it could take around 70 to 80 hours. Everyone  regains magical energy at the same rate, with only slight fluctuation  between each individual.


    Once that discussion was done, Lucretia was so excited to find out how  the group obtained the orbs. Her family would love to purchase them  since they sell and hunt for these things often. Though they wouldn''t  buy them at market prices, they would definitely  pay more for them than from others that sold it through them.  Lucretia''s family would normally buy these orbs around 25 to 30 gold  coins to make it worth their effort. With the three in No.  13''s group,  she is sure her father would give them 100 gold coins  even. No. 13 knows why, and that is to form a stronger bond with No. 13  and Julia, whom possesses tremendous force for just two people. In  turn, his group would get the connection and more resources that they  need. In the end, they decided to sell these orbs  after it was discovered to noone''s suprise, none of them possesses an  ability to store magical energy. No. 13 believes that it would take time  for humans to adapt and draw upon these forces.


    Beleiving this, it makes him question how time flows on this world in comparison to Earth once again.


    Overall, magic is quite more limited than he has read in many of his  fantasy novels. Noone is strong enough to blow up a mountain. Just  destroying a portcullis made of thick slabs of stone and steel for a  high tier mage can be draining. Even though limited  as it is, it still has many uses like mending flesh, freezing food,  creating a magical armor while giving the wielder great mobility, and so  much more. Magic cannot turn someone into a frog or make things appear  out of thin air, even teleportation is an impossibility.  While somewhat disappointing, there is a bit of a relief, since he  rather not go against even a high tier mage of this world. Already, even  with all of his strength and speed, a high tier mage might be too much  for him to overcome.


    With the arrival of the evening, the caravan once again goes into a  chaotic order. Tents were set, fires were started, and food was  prepared. No. 13, Julia, Chase, and Rachel were once again invited to  eat with the Andares family. Servants notified Rachel  that her friends'' food would be served to them later. It took a lot of  pressure off her shoulders and she was able to relax. For the Andares  family, Lucia appears much better and No. 13 believes after healing a  lot of guardsmen, she needed the rest. Given  Lucretia''s magical absorption  rate, No. 13 doubts she had enough time  to fully recover but she did recover enough to remove a couple of years  off of her face.


    Again, large platters of food was carried and laid before them. It  seems the hunters were successful and fresh meat was served tonight.  there was  large roast, with the meat cooked to a nice medium and served  with a gravy and plenty of wild vegetables. Large  ribs fills another platter and this was braised in some wine and  flavored with herbs and spices. Biscuits and butter was the rest of the  food served. Tonight, the only drink served was watered wine and ale.  Not caring in the slightest, No. 13 is glad he gets  to eat better than most. Super soldiers do enjoy their food. It was one  of the pleasures in life they get to enjoy without it being controlled  too much.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    While eating, his mind strayed to Avidia and wonder what she ate. It  also makes him curious about her ties to the Andares family but he has a  suspicion that it doesn''t run deep at all. It only makes him more  curious about the enigmmatic woman. Seeing her  powers, he doubts she is as powerful as Lucia, her energy seems more   limited, but he could be wrong. Given the fact that out of the entire  caravan, which actually numbers around 250 people now, only three of  them can use magic. The Andares family from his  guess, has some means and they sound like a powerful force in their own  right. He made this guess   from what little he understood of her  family''s wealth and prestige. Is Avidia someone the family simply hired  or is there some sort of bond. He wanted to ask,  but he didn''t want to get involved in other people''s business.


    When the meal was done, the talks for the orbs began. No. 13 just sat  back and let Rachel do the talking. It took only a short amount of time,  Lucretia had already given the information to her parents and a deal  was struck at 100 gold coins for the three  mid tier orbs. The offer also included some help to settle her friends  and give them a safe place to live. Augusto promised to do his best to  find them jobs and a way of living where they can live comfortably. The  offer made Rachel happy and No. 13 cares more  for the connection gained than saving on potentially 20 to 50 gold  coins.


    After the gold coins were given and No. 13 handed over the orbs,  Rachel says. "The Andares family wants to offer you a job. The contract  is for two years and the pay is 5 gold coins a month with them fronting  an additional 20 gold coins for you to find some  adequate gear. But, there is more, if you take this other deal, it  could potentially net you a magical sword!"


    No. 13 was suprised when he heard the words ''magical sword''. Interested, he asks. "What are the details?"


    Rachel looks a bit nervous, her eyes shifting about and reluctantly  says. "You will have to marry Lucretia and help produce several heirs."


    "Wait, what?!" Chase jumps in, he was even more surprised than No. 13, whom is the one being offered a wife and a magic sword.


    "I think I understand why." Julia announces. Everyone turns to her,  the Andares family glances over but returns to their own council. Before  anyone could ask her, she explains it. "Power! These people might not  know what a super soldier is or how genetics  work, but imagine a child borned from a super soldier and someone with  the potential for magical talents. Though the child may not be as strong  as our friend here, the child has or children has the potential to be  stronger than both potentially. After witnessing  the boost Avidia was given, it is not too far fetch to say that someone  without magic like Devin here, would be a force to be reckoned with.  This might also grant the Andares family more power in the future once  the children of such a union could be wed. I  am talking about the long game that could probably have a throne  involved or something like a duke."


    Rachel looks a bit upset. "What about love and what if she is not interested!"


    Chase tries to soothe her and then tells her once he had a moment to  think over Julia''s words. "Rachel, think about the period of societal  development that we are in. This is a marriage that can potentially  benefit both sides. I am not saying it is right  but this is the reality of the world we now live in. "


    Julia shakes her head. "Even then, if I were still on Earth, there was  a high possibility that my own spouse would have been chosen for me and  I wouldn''t have a choise in the matter."


    Chase looks shocked and asks. "What?"


    Julia gives Chase a gentle sad smile. "Chase, down deep inside, you  know I love you right? I know you love me and you have been my best  friend since we were 12. We did everything together, learned to hunt,  shoot, fight, went on our first practice date and  prom. As much as you may annoy me from time-to-time, I wouldn''t want  anyone else to accompany me in life. Saying that, the organization I  served, nearly controlled every aspect of my life. I would have done  what they asked because they can control me like  they control Devin, though not to the same extent, I do have a brother  and mother to worry about."


    Chase sighs, and it takes a minute for him to say something. "I loved  you ever since you became my best friend. As much as it would hurt to  see you with anyone else, I would have lived with it. I couldn''t do  anything but, even if I couldn''t be with you in  that case, I would still wish you happiness, even if I couldn''t be at  your side any longer. I love you that much you know. Eventually I would  move on but you would be the love of my life, I really do believe that.  All I ever wanted was your happiness, even  if that meant I was not part of that picture."


    Julia''s eyes sparkles and No. 13 didn''t know that she was capable of  that. He wonders if he is. Could he love someone that deeply?


    Chase rubs his blonde hair and then goes on to say. "You know what, I  am glad we are here now. As much as I might miss some friends and  family, maybe not the family as much since Rachel is one of the few I  care about, it would hurt me much more to not have  you than it is to live without you."


    Julia sheds a tear. "I feel the same way. In a sense, I think that is  why I am not so distraught as I should be. I have you, mother still has  Julio, so we can be together finally. I have been holding back because  if I admitted it out loud, I think we would  be more hurt when the time comes for them to send me away."


    The two move closer together and No. 13 and Rachel was left looking at  one another, their feelings of awkwardness evident on both of their  faces. No. 13 broke the silence and asks Rachel. "Can you see what  Lucretia''s feelings are on the subject. I understand  this society enough, but I am not sure I can do it if it means taking  away her freedom?"


    Before Rachel could ask, Julia turns to No. 13, her face serious. "You  know Devin, even if she does not end up with you, it does not mean she  will end up with someone better. She is still a slave to this society."


    "I know that, but there is a difference being the one that does it  compared to not being complicit in her unhappiness. I don''t want more  guilt added to my conscious, what little of it I still possess."


    Julia nods her head in understanding. Rachel sighs and notices she  seems so awkward about asking this, but she forges on ahead. Lucretia  blushes, looks at No. 13 and then speaks to Rachel. No. 13 is suprise  that Augussto isn''t saying anything,  since it is  him that is likely in favor of this union.


    It lasted about 10 minutes and rachel turns to No. 13. Still  embarrassed, she goes on. "Well, she is really attracted to you and  wouldn''t mind you for a husband. But, she would like it if you courted  her and she wants to spend more time getting to know you  once the language barrier is solved."


    No. 13 blinks, his mind a bit confused. "She is interested in me? When did that happen?"


    Rachel lets out a breath and tells him. "She saw you that night.  Coming in like a storm, so powerful and she felt attracted since then.  She also thinks you''re  handsome."


    Chase cuts in. "She is not the only one!"


    Julia elbows Chase and Rachel blushes hard and looks away and says with a bit of venom. "Fuck you Chase."


    Not wanting to delve into more complicated matters, especially when it  comes to love and attraction, No. 13 states. "Okay. Only on one  condition though."


    Rachel turns back, blinking in surprise before saying. "What?"


    No. 13 gathers his thoughts. "What she is describing is puppy love. I  want to propose that for two years, we will try this courting thing out,  spending tiem together. I will accept the initial contract, and then we  can see how things turns out in two years.  But first, I want the details of this magical sword. If it is  acceptable, then we go with the courting plan first, if not, then we  stick to the first plan of this only being a business partnership. Oh, I  want the details on what my job will entail."


    Looking a bit disappointed, Rachel simply agrees and then turns to  start the talks once again. This time, it lasted for more than half an  hour. No. 13 believes the matter is really complicated and it will be  hard for Rachel to convey this message and vice  versa.


    Rachel looks at No. 13, some mental exhaustion showing on her face but  she begins to speak, wanting to probably get this over with.


    "I know you are interested in the sword first, so I will start with  that.  The sword is a mid-high tier weapon. It is capable of unleashing  gusts of wind like a tornado or hurricane, but on a much smaller scale.  It doesn''t require any use of magic to control  such weapons. Like casters, once the magic is used up, the sword will  need time to recharge. No orbs can recharge it and if you use up all of  its energy, it can take a few days before the sword is ready to use  again. The sword itself is much stronger than  steel. I am talking about maybe even more than ten times stronger if I  have gotten that correctly.  The sword is about as long as the one you  have right now and the grip is for one and a half hands. The sword, the  price is worth over 10,000 gold coins. The  Andares family only has several magical weapons of this caliber, and it  took a couple of generations to own such weapons. Something of this  quality is owned by a duke or marquis, perhaps a second or third  prince."


    Hearing this so far, his heart beat quickens but he controls it with  some mental exercise. With something like this, he wouldn''t fear casters  as much and his combat capability will definitely rise. Even if he  knows the sword won''t technically leave the Andares  family, it is something that he could use personally. From the sound of  it, magic weapons may be hard to make and there are not many out there.


    Rachel moves on, telling him about the details of the job. "For the  work you will be doing, it will mostly consist of some bodyguard work,  you and Julia training the men, hunting down some creatures for their  orb in which you will recieve 50% of the profit,  and showing up at events as Lucretia''s escort or Luminea''s."


    No. 13 thinks, trying to see if there is anything hidden or any secret  agendas in the works. Once he couldn''t think of much right now, given  his limited understanding of all the forces at play, he could only  reluctantly agree. He knows he is gambling, but  there is a thrill to the unknown, something the inhibitors probably  blocked him from seeking. Besides, if things go south, he can take  Julia, Chase, and Rachel away. It is harder to track down a small group  of people than it is to find a large group.


    These two years will hopefully be stable for No. 13 to build up his  own specialized force. He plans on being careful of who he invites, and  putting them through a vigorous screening process. After being a slave,  he wants to control his own fate and be a player,  not a pawn. His own organization will deal in intelligence, covert  work, bodyguard, and other shadowy types of work. His first goal is to  have some connections and the next, is to create an inner circle that he  screens personally. The organization will never  grow beyond 200 to 300 people. In order for it to work, the less, the  better to the extent where he needs it to function. The larger the  organization, the more vulnerable it can become. Threats would appear  and factions would form, maybe to even beyond the  point to where it can function. There will be external threats, but  internal ones will make the former an easier possibility.


    "Is that all?" No. 13 asks.


    Rachel smiles a bit. "You need a name. He would prefer you choose one in  his native language."


    "Wait, how does he know I don''t have a name." No. 13 asks Rachel.


    "Okay, please forgive me but I mentioned it to Lucretia. I didn''t think it was a big deal at the time, I am so sorry."


    No. 13 sighs, he might be a bit angry at her but more towards himself. "Okay, don''t let it happen again.


    Rachel lets out a deep breath and then smiles a bit. "Thanks Devin. But, why don''t you stick with Devin?"


    No. 13 looks deep into her green eyes. "The name was given to me by  those that fucked with my mind, I don''t want the name they assign me. I  know a name should not matter much, but, if I at least get a chance to  approve of the name, I would be okay with it  because, in the end, it is my choice, something I have control over."


    "I see, I didn''t know that it meant that much to you." Rachel says hesitantly.


    No.13 says. Don''t feel guilty, there is nothing to feel guilty over.  We simply experienced life differently from one another, our values will  differ."


    "Okay." Rachel agrees, but there is a bit of a sadness on her  expression and No. 13 doesn''t know how to accept the fact that someone  else can feel sad for him. Luckily, Rachel continues to say something  else so they don''t have to acknowledge the fact of how  he was raised. "The reason why he prefers you to have a name of this  nation, is because once you sign the marriage contract, there will be  less suspicion about your origins. Others will be less wary of you and  it would make his introduction of you a bit easier  for him. It is just for convenience really."


    "Picking a name from here is not a bad idea. I think a foreign name  will raise some suspicion and prejudice. Well, those are the terms for  now. Nothing is fully definite but we should discuss a bit more once we  reach his home. This is just a preliminary deal  so far."


    "Okay, I will tell them that." Rachel says. She goes back to the talks  and it lasted for about another half an hour. It all ended on some  vague promises of deliberation. Lucretia, blushing at first seem to  simply accept the talks and sat there, some composure  returning to her. Luminea glances at No. 13 a bit, inspecting him but  he cannot tell anything from her expression, her face remained neutral.  Chase and Julia talked to one another  and stayed out of this whole  situation after they declared their feelings for  one another. No. 13 and his group left, promising to join them for  dinner. For the next six days, the group spent time with the Andares  family. Lucretia would join them after the midday meal and lessons would  continue. Rachel spent the mornings with her friends,  trying to acclimate them to their new situation. No. 13 is not sure  progress is made, they remain aloof and distant, with Owen becoming more  belligerent. Rachel informed the group that Britany would be staying  with them because he is snapping at her all the  time and she needs space away from him. It was awkward at first, the  group didn''t know how to interact with the girl. Julia and Chase are  happy, even when stuck on a backwards world, and that bothered Brittany.  No. 13 was No. 13, and Rachel had anchors in  Chase, Julia, and now Lucretia. Julia even spoke about the possible  resentment from Brittany. Sometimes, adversity brings out the worse in  people. Julia also began hunting with the hunters. She discovered some  Earth-like mammals, like buffalos, wild chickens,  and then some weird ones, with six legs and a long tail with the  ability to inject venom. The thing was a cross between a mammal and a  reptile. The hunters also brought back that creature. Rachel, for a  while didn''t try the meat but Chase eventually coaxed  her into trying it and the meat was sort of like chicken except with  marbling, making the meat more tender when braised. Chase continued his  training and No. 13 is not sure where he will fit in the grand scheme of  things. Chase is training in more in upfront  military combat and he didn''t plan on his organization fighting on any  sort of battlefield.


    The peaceful days couldn''t last. On the seventh day, danger awaits the caravan.


    A large group of riders came thundering in across the grasslands. The  closer they get, the easier it is to make out the colors and insignia of  house Anderes, a hawk grasping a magical orb over a sky blue  background. The riders'' silverish chainmail sparkles  like they were studded with diamonds, and it gave off such a majestic  sight. As they draw closer, all is not well. Arrows and streaks of blood  covers several men and some horses lack riders. The caravan came to  full alert, the guards tightening and enclosing  the perimeter. Servants and some of the other lower family members held  bows in hand, ready to rain down a deadly storm.


    No. 13 saw the lead rider say something though he couldn''t make it  out. The guards moved aside and one ran towards the carriage of the  Andares family. A minute later, Lucia came out, a bag of supplies over  her shoulder and four of the personal Andares guards  around her, made her way to the riders, likely to treat the injured  men.


    Julia walks up to No. 13. "There are forty-four riders, six are missing, eight injured."


    No. 13 nods his head, showing he had gotten the message. "Trouble approaches, I wonder what role we will play."


    15 minutes later, Augusto called for a meeting. Rachel had to appear  since No. 13 and Julia''s vocabulary is that of a 4 or 5 years-old child  here. Rachel is roughly around a 10 years-old level, but she had time to  learn Latin. Rachel expects that in two years,  the group should be fluent as the majority of the educated adults in  the noble and merchant classes. Just several days ago, Rachel asked No.  13 for a job, which surprised him and she told him that she will study  all the languages and cultures she possibly  can, if he hires her. Julia agreed with this so No.13 agreed, but he  was still feeling reserved about hiring her. He is not sure she fully  understands what type of organization he is developing and placed this  concern for a future time.


    By the Andares carriage, several tables were combined to create a long  table with enough space to fit eight people around it. Since the  caravan had to stop, the midday meal was just served about an hour  earlier than normal. Luminea sat to Augusto''s right.  She was like a valkyrie, regal and full of prestige. Donned in silver  chainmail with an ornate front plate to provide extra protection, and a  well crafted helm with a face plate pushed up to allow her beautiful  face to show, she was like those maidens of legened.  Her look is austere, like a finely crafted statue made from the finest  marble, though the lack of facial expression can be a bit discerning.


    Augusto is also donned in armor, his tall and muscled frame making him  appear more like a warlord than a finely cultured merchant lord that he  is. Lucia and Lucretia are not here, and No. 13 assumes that they are  mending the wounds and treating other problems.  Besides those two at the table, another man is the captain of all of  Augusto''s current forces, his lieutenant, and sitting there quietly, is  the silent Avidia. She is garbed in her usual camouflage gear, and when  he notices her, their eyes meet, sending eachother  a silent greeting.


    When everyone sat down, Augusto started the meeting with the words ''Bandits.''

 Chapter 6: No. 13s Furious Strike!

    The meeting lasted for several hours. Augusto''s captain wanted to  attack the bandit camp but the riders'' report of towers, palisade walls,  would make such an endeavor a costly affair. With that plan, it may not  even be possible to overtake the fort camp hybrid.  With their west blocked by the river and the forest to the east,, the  only possible solution is to break through the bandits stronghold.  Whoever leads them, is smart for setting the camp in the forest and  building fortification around the treees. Setting a  fire would be stupid, since the caravan is too close to the forest and  the river to possibly escape the blaze. This area is a natural choke  point and the bandits hold the advantage. They could barrel through but  too many lives and goods would be lost. The  area is only about maybe 8 meters wide from the description that Rachel  could convey.


    Avidia''s plan is to wait, set up the caravan''s own fortification and  send a strike force into the bandit camp. Once the strike force  infiltrates, they will create havoc so the main force can attack from  the front. If possible, secure the towers and eliminate  all possible missile threats. This plan is also risky but any plans  would be at this point. From the lieutenant of the riders'' report, No.  13 and Julia estimated the number of bandits to be between 100 to 200.  The advice they offered places the likely number  being around 150 enemies, but cautions them to always take into account  the higher estimate. There is a certain number of square meters where  humans can live comfortablly and they use this estimate with the report  of the possible size of the bandit camp.


    No. 13 prefers Avidia''s plan but he is not still happy with it. There  is a lack of intelligence gathered. No. 13 hates acting on a plan that  makes too many assumptions but they are in a bad predicament. To  backtrack, it could take too much time, and Augusto  has stated that he is not sure the supplies would last. That also  carries the risk of other unknown dangers. In this land, danger can lurk  anywhere, attested to the Guerrodos, the name given to the ape-like bat  creatures and the lizard men are called Boreas.  There are even titans, man-like creatures that stand from Lucretia''s  description, stand tall like fortress towers which No. 13 could only  guess perhaps around 10 meters tall. Some creatures even have the  ability to use magic and some more able than the humans.  Luckily though, their numbers are smaller according to Lucretia.


    After the meeting, the strike force assembled. They worked to come up  with hand gestures and easy verbal commands for the group to understand.  Even for the simple things, the work was difficult in trying to convey  meaning between two different languages.  Lucretia and Rachel were there to help and to No. 13''s surprise,  Brittany was there, though she was aloof. Avidia, No. 13, Julia, and  twenty others from the guards, also had to do some training to  coordinate their movement and they did a little scouting in  the forest to the west to simulate possible circumstances. They also  checked the thickness of the layers of leaves, went through the report  to see what supplies is needed, and they plan on resting in the evening  and heading out in the dead of night.


    Chase looks perturbed, his face scowling when he asks Julia. "Why... am I not part of the strike force?"


    Julia sighs. "You''re not trained well enough with a weapon and we will  not allow you to use a gun. You know that. It will be dangerous for  you. Plus, even if we needed a gun, you have already given your''s to  your cousin."


    Chase urges her, worry in his tone with some frustration. "Let me borrow  your''s then. Something could go wrong, your life could be in danger!"


    Julia replies cooly. "You don''t have the necessary tools. I will not  hand you my gun and I doubt Devin here, will lend you his. Even if you  had one, I would still say no. Until you possess the necessary tools,  you are limited in what you can do."


    No. 13 cuts in, stopping Chase from arguing any further. He looks at  the young man, his face neutral and peers into his eyes. "You are not  skilled enough to help the strike team hold a line nor attack with them  in cordination. You have skills, but none is  needed or necessary. In comparison to Avidia, Julia and myself, you  lack individual combat power. Putting you in will threaten the lives of  the strike force and yourself without you adding much help. At least  Avidia has her magic, those men could be stronger  as a unit. I am the boss correct. That means, you stay back and train  until you are ready to contribute towards the group. As a commander, it  would be poor of me to send in someone that lacks the necessary tools."


    Chase looks angry but his eyes canot meet the others No. 13 notices.  Likely, he knows the truth. If he were competant in archery, then No. 13  wouldn''t mind. He can at least snipe at targets. Eventually, he just  sighs and sits, not saying a word. He still  looks angry and frustrated but he is sensible enough at times. NO. 13  believes he understands Chase''s frustration.


    Glancing over at Julia, even beneath that expressionless exterior, he  knows she is releived. Chase is not yet ready for something like this  and he would be a distraction for her. There are different ways in how  people may trust someone. She can probably rely  on Chase to have her back, stand up for her, and even perhaps sacrifice  his life for her own, though she wouldn''t probably want that outcome  herself. She cannot trust him to stay safe enough and trust he will keep  his comrades guarded at this time. It has  nothing to do with his integrity, only his capability for this current  problem. No. 13 knows Chase would only be a hindrance for her, perhaps  even endangering her life. What he needs is a sharp and clear-minded  Julia. By subtracting Chase out of this equation,  his chances for success rises significantly.


    In the afternoon, the scouting and coordination training went poorly  at first. It didn''t come as a surprise. Just one afternoon and partial  evening wouldn''t make up for it either. No. 13 can only hope that the  bandits are not organized as they appear to be,  which makes him question whether they are here on purpose or is it  merely a coincidence. The longer he thinks about the whole thing, the  more peculiar it becomes. Everyone has their secrets and he suspects the  nature of this caravan might have something to  do with this particular circumstance that they find themselves in. If  he guesses correctly, there is a rat within Augusto''s inner circle. He  hates to get involved, but he has already partially picked a side just  by association and his willingness to help save  the lives of the children. Hell, even if it were Augusto that was the  one threatening the children, he would oppose the man he believes. At  least, he would hope so.


    Not wanting to dwell on this issue, he meets with Avidia to go over  the plans and create that list of supplies. Rachel is along and Julia  has given him a list of what she may need. His two employees are  spending some time together and he gives them that much.  Unfortunately, that means bringing Brittany along and her sour attitude  annoys him but he does his best to ignore her.


    "Okay, Julia needs forty shafts of arrows, some oil, and strips of  cloth. You need a rope, one preferably made of things like silk, a brace  of throwing knives, six at the very least, is that all?" Rachel asks.


    "That is it for now."


    "Alright then, let me give the list to Lucretia. By the way, Augusto  says, depending on how well you do tonight, he will give you a certain   cut. The more of his men''s lives that are spared, the better the group  will be rewarded."


    No. 13 nods his head. It is not a surprise that Augusto wouldn''t mind  looting the camp. No. 13 suspects that if goods are taken from bandits,  it belongs directly to the new owner but isn''t too sure in that regard.  Anyways, the things there are likely stolen  and the odds of even returning anything to the rightful owners would be  a tall task, one he is not committed to even bother with. Besides, he  really wants a magic sword like the one he was offered. That requires  something to trade. If he really wants to increase  his strength without having to seek others, magic weapons is the  quickest way towards that goal. If Julia could get her hands on a magic  bow, he bets she would be such a devastating force on her own. And, it  might Make Chase useful in a fight.


    The meals were delivered to the carriage this evening. The hunters had  time to fish due to the long delay. No. 13 and Julia took a nap after  their meal. Chase kept watch, having nothing to do really and there is  no training session tonight with all the preparation  for the nightly assault. Everyone figured that the bandits know that  they are here. Guards are on duty,, ready for any surprise assault. It  wouldn''t come as a surprise if the bandits launches their own ambush  teams and then disappear into the trees. Most people  had to stay within the carriages and wagons, especially the children.


    No. 13''s eyes opens, the full bright moon overhead casts its bright  illuminating light on the land. Starlight travels untold millions of  years to make it in this point in time. Everything is so ethereal. The  way the silverish light interacts with the slight  mist around the river, how things just seem to glow, the moonlight  casting its own magic on the white flowers and other light-colored  objects. Even the silverish-blue grass turns a bit lavender.


    No. 13 feels a sense of wonder, something he quite never felt before  on Earth. Perhaps it may of been the drugs but No. 13 doubts that  anything like this on Earth could give him such a feeling of mystery.  Earth just lacks any sort of visual stimulus like  this but he guesses it can be simulated. Still, being around it  oneself, it can  overwhelm some with its awe.


    No. 13 and Julia arose when Avidia stopped by, their signal to prepare  themselves. While Avidia was there, she helped Julia with placing on  the dark leather armor.  No. 13 placed on his own clothing, dark clothes  that was given to him for this night. He doubts  the ones that donated them will want them back after this raid. Killing  people with swords is a messy affair. Chase woke up during their  preparation and told Julia he would be waiting for her. Rachel  and  Brittany kept sleeping, seemingly dead to the world.


    All the guards are awake, one hundred men were  selected for the main  attack force and about 50 guards with armed servants are staying behind  to guard the rest of the Andares clan. Everyone part of this only had a  short amount of sleep, several hours at best  so they did many things to help themselves to wake up. No. 13 even seen  a man ask another to slap him. For No. 13 and Julia, the rest was  enough. Rations were even passed out and people ate a little to help  them gain enough energy for the upcoming battle.  After this, it is only suppose to be a day or two before they reach the  border of the country of Ariminium, Agusto''s home country.


    When the strike force assembled itself, Avidia lead them through the  trees. They moved methodically, disturbing the land around them as  little as possible. The main force will only commence the attack once  they witness any havoc among the bandit camp. They  will be there before the strike team and stay clear enough but draw the  bandit''s attention to help the strike force attack from the rear. Lucia  and Lucretia''s powers will be used to blow the gate in one fell swoop,  and according to Avidia, that will drain  to near empty, making them useless for the rest of the fight. If more  magic is needed, they still have the magical orbs to rely on.


    While enough moonlight pierced through the thick canopy of leaves, it  was still difficult to navigate. Julia took the lead with Avidia, her  eyesight the best in the entire group. Everyone had to make sure their  footsteps were true before they could plant  their feet firmly and then repeat the process with the other. The dark  was not the only thing  that worried the group, traps may be an issue.  Judging from the description of the bandit camp, it seemed like they had  plenty of time to build fortification and  the group assumed they also had time to build traps. From the  intelligence given to them, this path was clear last year. This fact  only further adds to his growing suspicion of a rat in one of the  parties that know of the reason for this trip. Perhaps, all  the parties involved has a traitor or many on hand. Not only is No. 13  cautious of the dark, but he also keeps his senses on the strike force.


    Avidia stops the group,  No. 13 moves towards the front, standing by  Avidia and Julia. It was Julia that points out the reason for their  stop.  She found several traps, several well-hidden pitholes were dugged  in this region. Also, about 100 meters away,  they noticed some patrolmen so they have likely reached the edge of the  bandit camp. Avidia gives the wait hand gesture. No. 13 could only  guess they are observing for now.


    About an hour later, they have spotted several bandits. It takes about  20 minutes for them to see a group. They know that they have a 20  minute window if they take out the first patrol. Their mission is not to  sneak pass them, but eliminate as many of them  as possible so they will  not factor in when the battle starts. Having  enemies at your back is a bad idea.


    No. 13 and Julia took on the job of eliminating the patrols. With  better conditions, without many trees in the way, it would be easier for  Julia to simply snipe down the targets. Given the distance and the time  needed to travel plus the unpredictability of  human decisions, the pair thought it would be a better idea to get in  closer. It would limit all the things that could go wrong like a  patrolman stopping while a projected arrow whizzes by. If they are  caught before they can infiltrate,, then the attack couldn''t  happen easily and more lives would be at stake. Even for No. 13 and  Julia, to try and climb a fort wall, it will leave them vulnerable  enough and that second of time is all that is needed to incapacitate  them. Secrecy is their best weapon and they need to  assure it at all cost.


    Julia helped No. 13 navigate through the traps. Unlike Julia''s  training, his own had little to do with forested and other types of wild  terrain. Most of his missions are in urban or suburban areas, far from  the natural world. It seems, Julia''s own tasks revolved  around these types of scenarios and he wouldn''t be surprised if she was  talented in setting up traps of her own. There is only so much time and  energy to specialize in certain fields of study. No. 13 would never  even consider trying to specialize in this either.  He has only enough time to maintain the other skills acquired but he  wouldn''t mind picking up some simple tricks here and there, especially a  bit of archery. Not enough to be deadly like Julia, but enough to hunt  and still take down targets about a hundred  meters away. Learning about what is edible and useful from Avidia is  something he needs to learn about this new world. Unlike his own,  foraging for food will probably be more of a necessity. His to-do-list  keeps growing at a daily rate and he laments the limited  time he has.


    Julia waits around a tree, about 30 meters from No. 13''s own position.  Their plan of attack is simple, each will dispatch a target. The  patrols so far have moved in a team of two. For bandits, they are quite  vigilant, and spend the necessary time actually  scanning their surroundings. They remind No. 13 more like soldiers than  actual bandits. And, this fact adds more to his suspicion than anything  else.


    It wasn''t long before two more bandits made their appearance. When the  illuminating silver light passes overhead, No. 13 can make out their  general description. The two, have short trimmed beards, one appearing  in his early forties and the other in his mid-thirties.   Each carries a spear with a short sword as a side arm. They have on  leather armor with metal plates covering their vital regions with a  leather cap for any sort of head protection. They move with precision,   each move efficient and orderly, like they spent  years of their lives training.


    Julia move was No. 13''s signal to act. Through his enhanced hearing,  he heard the whistling sound of an arrow slicing through the air. A  second later, the sound of a man gurgling and No. 13 knows that the  arrow has found its mark, not that he didn''t beleive  it would. No. 13 appears from a tree a second later and the sharp point  of his sword went through the other''s throat before he could even make a  sound. Only the shock, fear, and confusion shows in the man''s before  the light of life fled them. The only thing  that remains is a corpse at the end of his blade.


    Waiting for a bit, No. 13 removes the sword after the man''s heart has  stopped pumping and the blood spills out from the back of the bandit''s  neck, staining the earth a sort of lavenderish crimson under the bright  silvery moon. Wiping the blade clean, he signals  with his other hand that they should advance. Julia nods and they leave  it up to the strike team to clean the bodies. It is  a march against  tiem now and they have little as it is to do something that the others  cannot do. No. 13, Julia, and Avidia are the  head of this dangerous snake, the three of them more than just a match  for the twenty that folow.


    Six more fell dead, two by arrows from Julia and the rest stabbed  through the neck by No. 13. It seems, they did put most of their forces  where Augusto''s force is making their show of strength. For now, the  pair have regrouped with Avidia and the strike force.  The next part is tricky, and could leave the group vulnerable. They  need to climb up the wooden wall and hold long enough for the rest of  their forces to make it over.


    The wooden wall stands about 6 meters high, not an issue for No. 13 to  leap up and catch the edge to climb up. Before he does, Julia will  climb a tree and notify him if there are any hazards on the wooden top  themselves. If No. 13 were in charge, he would  order nails, glass, and other sharp objects to be glued or impaled into  the wooden walls. Hopefully, these people are not as cautious as No. 13  is.


    No. 13 sees Julia sitting on a tree, about 15 meters off the ground.  Under her balancing feet, the rope No. 13 brought along hangs. The rope  is meant to help her quickly get down and escape if necessary.  She  could actually fall from that height safely, but  the tangled knots of roots underneath would make it a hazardous  landing. The saying it is better to be safe than sorry comes to No. 13''s  mind and the organization preaches safety over recklessness, not out of  some sense of caring or duty, but because they  are highly expensive equipment.


    Julia on one hand made a closed fist on her right hand  and on her  left, she has all five fingers up, closes it, then raises another. This  signals that there are six bandits and they pose a huge threat. She also  signals that there is nothing No. 13 has to  worry about when he leaps the wall. Still watching her, she takes out  six arrows and fits most on her right hand, between her fingers. The  other two arrows are held by sticking them partially into the branch she  is balancing on. Once the arrows starts to fly,  it is his signal to act. He must give enough time for the strike force  to climb the walls. Julia''s goal is to remove anyone using a bow to make  it less dangerous. Once she is done, she may select other targets.


    An object streaks in the night. To No. 13''s enhanced mental processing  speed, the arrow seems to crawl in the sky but he hears it thud into  someone''s flesh. No. 13 is already leaping and holding onto the wooden  wall before he hears the body fall off and land  with an audible thud. However, he is over before the screams of alarm  sounds off. Several more arrows streaks by and more bandits drop, some  looking for shelter while the better prepared ones hold their shields up  to protect their vitals.


    With lightning fast speed, No. 13 unsheaths his sword and with  tremendous speed,, moves so fast that it appears that he slides from one  person to the next like a blur. The dead falls, their blood leaking  onto the wooden platform that stands behind the walls.  In just seconds, three men lay dead, only surprised expressions the  last message written on their face as blood gushes from their nearly  separated heads.


    The fear froaze the other three men in place, their pale faces even  apparent in the night. More bandits are drawn to the commotion and a few  more arrows flies and impales themselves into the bandits with bows in  their hands. No. 13 was already on the move  and the three snap back into the here-and-now, their spears thrusting  forwards in unison, fiercely putting a lot of effort into finishing off  this monster in front of them. No. 13 weaves, and had to angle his blade  to brush aside the incoming spears, but not  much effort is needed. Incomparison to the guerrodos and boreas, these  men of simple mortal flesh are much slower, like fighting small children  with a club.  Only the flickering silver blade flashes before the eyes  of the men, each grasping their necks in  horror, desperately trying to hold in their life essence from leaving  their spurting necks. All was in vain and they soon felt the cold empty  voice calling to them.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    To give the strike force more time to assemble and ready themselves,  No. 13 had to infiltrate further into the camp. For the most part, this  is a simple place with several large buildings and a few smaller ones.  The area of the camp is perhaps no bigger than  200 meters long in a sort of oval shape. At the front, four towers  stands about 2 meters higher than the wall itself. No. 13 can barely  make out the men standing atop, but he guesses about four to five men  are in each tower. Beneath that, near the gate, tents  are sitting there, surrounding a few firepits with armored men ready to  do battle. From a quick count, he estimates slightly above a hundred  men but no more than one hundred and fifty.


    A score of armed bandits rushes towards No. 13, spears pointing at  him, their gleaming sharp tips reflecting the fire and moonlight. This,  will be an issue for No. 13, and even with all the advantages that  science gave him, being surrounded and pierced at  with twenty spears is still impossible for even his super soldier  reflexes and agility to avoid. To combat this number advantage, his  hands flickers, the knives leaving his hand like a magic act, and  appearing in the bodies of the enemies. Of the three knives,  two hit with deadly precision while the other likely glanced off a  shield and entered the shoulder of another man he wasn''t even aiming at.  Julia''s arrows found a couple, helping No. 13 limit the numbers that  was sent against him.


    No. 13 moves, his mobility giving him an advantage over the slower  moving group. Thankfully, there is enough space to operate. While  moving, several throwing knives leaves his hand in a blur, their  spinning blades finding some purchase into the flesh of bandits.  Two more fall and the group slows down ever further, afraid of the  incoming flashes of silver lights. No. 13, saves his last two and rushes  to flank the men while they hide like turtles underneath the wall of  shields. Several spears stab out when he is close  but he dances away, his foot work smooth and always readjusting,  keeping him in perpetual motion. Only several bandits can engage him  while the rest tries to swing out their line and close in on him like a  jaw. But, he kicks aside one shield to find the soft  flesh of a man behind it, and kicks the corpse into his fellow bandits,  throwing a couple off-balance and uses the rebounding force to push  himself away and out of the closing trap to their frustration and  dwindling numbers.


    Boom! a roar fills the air with its shattering heavy presence. Behind  No. 13, a figure, one he feels comfortable around, was glowing a  silverish light around her body. Turning back to see the bandits, he  witnesses that she had cleared away eight men. Of the  original twenty, only six still poses a threat but they had injuries  from light to very minor. The rest though, laid on the ground dead or in  the process of dying. Cries of pain and misery sounds out, with men  torn nearly asunder with missing limbs or chunks  of flesh. His mind cannot help but wander to the Boreas, how it took  one of those directly on and was just severely injured.


    The strike force behind him rushes forwards and strikes down the  remaining six that are still standing, the bandits not putting up any  resistance. They were simply overwhelmed, the strike force came down  crashing on them like a large tidal wave.


    This brought the attention of the bandits in the front, and one of  them takes charge, taking about thirty men under his command. Each men  groups up in a five man team and stagger their lines to minimize the  destructive power of Avidia. Then another ten bandits,  these armed with bows spreads out, arrows aimed and fired before they  scatter. It is an interesting tactic and it could overwhelm Avidia if  she is not careful. That sort of power from her is quite draining from  No. 13''s experience.


    In order to protect her, the strike force gathered around her, their  shields raised at angle to try and catch the arrows. Avidia surrounds  herself with her magic, using the energy like an armor. When the arrows  fell, only one unlucky strike force member took  an arrow to the thigh, the man falling to one knee but not crying out  in pain. His fellow members pulls him back into their ranks, protecting  their own.


    Julia is not out of the fight yet. Firing from a new position, she  downs a couple of archers before they can launch a second volley.  However, eight arrows are in flight and the thirty charging men are  closing in quickly. Avidia unleashes another ball of silvery  energy and five more men go down in a explosive bloody mist. The smell  of burned shit and other bodily parts fills the camp air with a most  foul miasma. Even the smell, causes tears to fill the corner of No.13''s  eyes.


    No. 13 rushes like a bolt of lightning,  going after a group to slow  them down so Avidia can have more time and to alleviate the pressure on  the men guarding her. If the strike force charges them, then it would  limit Avidia''s ability to act. As skilled as  she is, her throwing out those magical grenades can kill the bandits  more efficiently and save the lives of the strike force. If they were to  go head-to-head, No. 13 believes that their skills would equal one  another, making the probable casulties high. In  order to save them, they need to create a major disadvantage.


    Twirling with sword going around himself like a whirlwind, No. 13  knocks aside the spears from a few. Not all of the five can engage him  at once and he keeps moving to flank the group, limiting the number of  weapons that can come into play. During his recovery,  his sword lashes out like a viper, striking the bandits into their  vulnerable flesh, his sword like a brush and their blood his medium as  he makes a massacre appear like art. Blood scatters and sails into the  air, the cries of pain adding depth to this art  in motion.


    By his first pass, three men were down, numerous wounds inflicted on  them by a flurries of his sword falling down on them like a storm. It  takes a lot of energy, but he uses this scene to strike fear into the  hearts of these men. Sometimes, a display of disturbing  actions or scenes can affect the effectiveness of one''s opponents. No.  13 wants to throw them off their rhythm, give them pause, anything to  give an edge. After all, most men fear for their lives and it is only a  few that lack this fear.


    Arrows are fired at him, the archers seeing that No. 13 has pass the  rushing bandits, leaving them vulnerable. No. 13 doesn''t know whether to  feel sorry for the leader that came up with this plan. It is a good  one, but  super soldiers are something the man  cannot wrap his mind around. Still, No. 13 knows that one day enough  questions will arise about his physical gifts, even if they never  brandish their guns.  By then, he hopes he has enough backers and powers  behind himself to have those keep their mouths shut.  While slipping through the arrows like a ghost, he thinks to himself  that he really needs to get some blackmail materials on those higher up  in these societies, they can help keep some of the pressure at bay.


    With so many vectors of attacks coming from his group, it allows a lot  of the fighting forces of the bandits to disperse. As fast as he is,  being pinned down on all sides, would even turn him into a joke of an  opponent. Each plays a role in helping the others  stay alive. Although, perhaps Julia could harass them to death given  her guerrilla tactics. She can fade in and take them out from a distance  and leave quickly. No. 13 would have to be more creative in his  approach to achieve the same, even if he is more gifted  than her. She simply has the better tools for certain tasks.


    Several archers goes down, Julia''s arrows finding their targets and a  couple more are dead, unable to do anything when death is near. No. 13  reaps their souls, his sword delivering them into the abyss. The rest,  now only a couple left, flee back towards the  main group. Judging from the group ahead, they look on in horror as  many of them are dead from only a few people. No. 13 puts on an act,  yelling out in their language  the few phrases he knows. "Mongrel curs!   Come at me if you dare!"


    Archers from atop the tower now only about 80 meters away, start  letting loose their arrows upon No. 13. Tens of arrows takes flight and  No. 13 leaps behind the large building, his leg strength strong enough  to carry him quickly away before the arrows could  land.  No. 13 shouts into the darkness once he is safe. "Julia, snipe  those archers on the tower so the main force can start their assault!"


    No. 13 sees a tired Avidia appear behind the men, the attacking force  down and out, every men slain. Of the twenty strike members that came,  two are dead, and two injured. In terms of the price of battle, that is a  good return. Things could of been worse  without Avidia''s magic to take down most of them before they could  approach. He doubts she will be throwing more magical grenades, though  she has an orb on her. Seeing the state of the bandits, he doubts she  will use it and he sees no purpose. The bandits  will soon be pressed heavily once the main force comes into play.


    Julia, now inside of the fort, fired several arrows and No. 13  estimates she has less than twenty left. They sail, their targets unable  to move that quickly in the cramped towers. If she needs more arrows,  there are plenty lying on the ground and maybe it  would be better if she can pin them here and have the main force attack  them from the front. With nothing better to do, he races forwards  again, picking up the arrows from the dead in a bundle while he avoided  them falling from the sky. Picking up two quivers,  he quickly guesses he has another fifty and makes his way back towards  Julia and he places them near her feet. She gives him a nod, and No. 13  doesn''t have to say to keep the archers busy.


    A loud sound smashes the front gate, Augusto''s force now at the front  door. Lucia and Lucretia''s magic shatters the gate made of wood into  nothing more than kindling. The blast from No. 13''s position and  observation, kills and injures around twenty men in  the process.  Shielded warriors with long spears marches forwards  towards the opening, their spears pointing forwards in a menacing and  threatening manner. The opposition, their ranks a mess, tries to  reorganize their line and to hold the opening that measures  about 3 to 4 meters. Arrows soon disuade them of that notion, the  timing perfect for the main force to come through and the two lines  collide in a war of flesh and metal.


    An armored man comes out of the building, with four men in tow and No.  13 knows quickly that this man is in charge. Out of everyone, he is  wearing fine mail with plates of steel covering most of his torso. A  large broad sword was already unsheathed and the  man was shouting orders, his own body glowing with a silver light. No.  13 sees moats of silver light gathering in the man''s hand and knows he  only has just a couple of seconds to act before Augusto''s force will  take a serious blow.  Julia guessed the same,  because she fired several arrows that collided into the man''s back, the  silver light around him flickers slightly and pushing him forwards and  the magic shoots off in the wrong direction, the deadly bolt of energy  slamming into the wall and putting a hole  in it.


    No. 13 unsheaths the last two knives and tosses them quickly while they  are still confused. Two of the guards goes down, knives sticking clearly  from their throats with blood spraying for a few seconds before it  turns into a leak. He wants to put the advantage  more in his favor. The caster, for No. 13 can clearly see him as one,  still has that energy glowing around him and acting like a second armor.  Killing the guards makes more sense, giving him less threats to worry  over. A sensation of electricity runs along  his spine, not out of fear, but excitement? In these occasions, he may  miss the drugs. He has little clues about the ability of this caster and  what he needs is caution, not an eager feeling of battle. Yet, he  cannot help himself and this is the first time  he is going to fight someone with magical abilities, something he never  thought he would ever do in a lifetime.


    No. 13 has been discovering more aspects of himself lately. Without  the drugs, he is not finding the same control he had previously, and  that worries him. Just a week ago, he was more cold, distant, and he  questions if his mental age is regressing to that  of a teenager''s. He hoeps not, but he will need to train and sharpen  his mind to limit this potentially growing weakness.


    The man turns towards No. 13, fury coloring his face a crimson. He  points his sword at No. 13 and he guesses the man is challenging him. If  noone was around, No. 13 would simply put a magazine of bullets into  the man but he probably has to act by some stupid  code of honor. The  people around the man is expecting it and oddly  enough, the battle pauses ever since the man began his shouting.


    No. 13 walks towards the man, his lazy steps projecting that he  doesn''t put the man in his eyes. However, No. 13 is highly alert and his  foot always put into position to move quickly if needed. He wants to  test himself against a caster and see the extent  of their combat capabilities. He knows Julia will be watching,  interferring if needed. As for Avidia and the rest, he doesn''t have a  clue, he doesn''t know how they will act in this position.


    The man glows, his glow even brighter than Julia, possibly even Lucia.  He wonders if this means the man is a step above them when it comes to  magic. Before he could further analyze, the man charges at him, sword  high in the air.


    No. 13 discovers that this man is definitely faster than Avidia when  invoking her magic, his speed probably matches Julia but is still slower  than himself. If he invokes his hyper state of mind, this man would end  up as a joke in comparison. Nonetheless,  he doesn''t use that trick, and saves it for the chaos that might ensue  if he kills this man.


    "Alright men, form ranks!" Shouts the captain of Augusto''s men.  Augusto, looking at the scene remains stoic, his upbringing training  helps him stay compose even in the most dire of situations. Inside, he  has some fear things will not work out. Relying on  some queer people of an unknown origin is not something wise, but his  intuition tells him that these people are a bit trustworthy. Not that he  can really rely on his own intuition all the time. Sometimes, it has  lead him into a preccarious situation. Thankfully,  the men and women he cultivated around him are capable that it limited  those mistakes. Though he barely knows most of these men, he doesn''t  wish them harm and wants them to return to their families. Looking at  his wife and daughter, he can sympathize with  these lower born.


    Lucia and Lucretia, together works the silverish magical energy into a  ball about the size of an infant''s head. Once stabilized, mother and  daughter raise their hand, palms pointing to the gate and unleashing  pure magical energy with a whooshing sound. The  ball of energy travels fast, moving 600 paces until it xplodes with  enough force to punch a large hole and sends forth a spray of deadly  shards of wood to those on the other end. The gate eventually fell down  soon after and his men march, shields up and spears  at the ready. Lines of archer launch a volley at the tower, hopeing to  keep the bandits preoccupied from picking his own men apart.


    He marches forwards, Luminea at his side, her magical chainmail  glowing slightly. Since she did not inherit any magic of her own,  Augusto paid a fortune to have this armor made for his eldest daughter.  It can double the physical attributes of its wearer for  a certain period of time, maybe for 3 hours. It can also multiply  the  speed and strength of the one wearing it up to three times, but the  limit drops down to an hour. As a doting father, he bought the best  trainers, some that even trained himself, and helped  Luminea be a force in her own right. Not only is she gifted in  fighting, but he taught her how to lead and she follows him at every  major event. Even if she is suppose to be promise at her age,  Augusto  cannot do such a thing to her. He has raised her to wear  his mantle after he retires and wishes for a peaceful life after she  becomes ready.


    For Lucretia, he was planning on marrying her to a senator or a  governer, those men of great power. Not only would it further tie the  Andares family into the nobilus class, but further spread their power  and influence. As the head of the family, it is his  duty to his family to further increase it status. Since Lucretia had  magic, it would be easier and more beneficial to the empire to include  her in the nobility. The higher ranks of the nobility is usually  determined by magical abilities and the emperor himself  is a high caster, the strongest of these class. Lucia is a mid tier  caster and if she were a nobilus, she would be around a mid tier one,  possibly being a provincial governer or a mayor of a large city.


    The reason why he has pause now is due to the fact of a certain  mysterious young man. Judging from the little he saw that night and the   report from avidia with the battle against the Boreas, the young man is  much stronger than he thought. The odd thing,  noone can detect a hint of magic within the youth, making him question  constantly in his head,how is the youth as strong as he is now. From  Avidia''s description, his strength and speed may even surpass that of  even the high casters. What would a union between  his gifted youngest daughter and such a youth produce. There is more  than one way to get entry into the nobility, and the other way is  through military service. Given the Andares''s family power and wealth,  the child of such a union could easily rise up within  the ranks, even the youth, whom apparently doesn''t have  aname, though  he is not sure how that works in the society he comes from, could easily  be a genral in the Ariminian Imperial legions. That rank alone would  place him around that of a senator. Given the  youth has no family name, marrying into the Andares family would  automatically make him part of the Andares clan and his success would  shine brightly on Augusto''s family.


    Augusto and Luminea march forwards, the men had already cleared the  path for them. Luminea winds back her arm and he watch her throw her  spear, the power behind it vast, and it easily pierces through two men  before it stops. Augusto removes his sword, feeling  the tingle of magical energy surge through his body. It makes him feel  elated but his years of control tamps down those feelings,. The first  tiem, he felt a rush of euphoria, a feeling that he was invincible, only  to have those feelings shatter when his own  father ordered five of his elite guards to beat him down. After that  lesson, he has learned to not get ahead of himself and enough opposition  to him could easily dispatch him like a bug.


    "Father, it is a caster!" Lumina shouts, pointing her finger at the large building in the distance.


    Wishing Lucia and Lucretia were here, Augusto cannot do anything but  watch as the power gathers. Even if his wife and daughter were here,  they might just equal this man. This thought, sends a tremble down deep  into his soul. Something isn''t right about this  whole scenario, a bandit shouldn''t have a mid-high caster in their  ranks. Someone of this ability should be in the nobility, not in some  backwards place as the great plains. That man alone could turn the tides  of this battle and he can feel the trickle of  sweat drip slowly on his back.


    A brilliant flash, Augusto closes his eyes, and the sword surrounds  him with energy, something  to enhance the durability of his flesh and  armor. A thunderous boom sounds but he feels intact, the explosion  missed him and his men by a wide margin. Looking  up, he sees the man slightly bent over, and looks around and further  ahead to see Avidia and the strike force in the distance. Somebody from  the strike force must of disrupted the caster, making his aim go really  wide.


    Augusto sees the man turn and a figure jumps from behind the large  building. It is the young man, Devin. He hates referring to him by his  false name, but the youth has never chosen one for himself. Names are  important and he wants to bestow upon the youth  the honor he deserves for helping weaken the bandits as he has. He did a  far better job than Augusto had expected. The dead down on the other  side is a testament to the work Avidia, Julia, and Devin has done.


    Before he knew it, a battle has commenced between the youth and the  unknown caster. Augusto never saw the youth fight before, besides a  small glimpse that night during their first meeting, and the night  concealed most of that battle. Seeing this, the youth  flickering around like a sprite, avoiding the fast and furious assault  of the caster, Augusto really underestimated the youth. Augusto can  barely even make out the caster''s fast movement and the youth appears to  be weaving about, his own sword lashing out  and slamming against the magically armored caster. Sparks of light  would shed, the magic being spent and further draining the caster. The  man even tried to throw a quick bolt of magic  but the youth avoided it  easily, his leap taking him over 10 paces away.  The youth is like the wind, fluid and powerful. Like a storm, it can  lash with a fury, uprooting trees and it can be graceful. Even his sword  can cut the air, the wind from each slash blowing the hair of the  caster about. ''Ventus, what a fitting name.'' Augusto  thinks to himself. Given the sword he would have given the youth if he  accepted the proposal for marriage, both man and blade would definitely  suit one another. Yes, Ventus suits the youth tremendously What other  word can encapsulate the nature of the youth  better than the force of the wind itself..


    Thinking that, with the sword, the youth can easily defeat a mid high  caster! Augusto looks carefully, the sword of the youth is nearly  useless, the magic warping and cracking when both swords collide.  He  worriees that the youth cannot defeat the man before  the sword gives out. The sword he had given the youth is a finely  crafted blade, but it is still one that is not forged of magic. Even  ones without magic coarsing through them, ones forged by  a caster smith  is still several times better than what the best  mundane smith can even hope to forge.


    No. 13 avoids a swing that would have threatened to split him in two.  Several times over, the battle would have ended if the bastard didn''t  have magic covering his body. But, the light around him is flickering  and the man''s movement is more frantic and a  bit more dangerous by his desperation. Unfortunately, No. 13''s sword is  not doing so well, the blade is bent out of shape and cracks has formed  on its body. Still, he doesn''t need a sword to defeat this person, it  would just be easier.


    No. 13 foot lashes out and catches the man in the mid section,  slightly bending him over. The magic could only negate some of the force  No. 13 suspects. The arrows and the many strikes he has landed was  evident enough of that. If this were not going on, he  would be curious to gauge the man on how much pain he is feeling. It  would be a study No. 13 wouldn''t mind dishing out on him.


    The light flickers and taking this chance, No. 13 shoves the sword one  final time through the man''s neck, leaving the sword there. He looks at  No. 13 with horror, all that early arrogance gone and now he is no  better than others before him. Like most, when  confronted by death itself, all men fall to their knees. No. 13 looks  at him, dispassion the only emotion he projects. Killing  is killing,  and No. 13 did his job.


    The place remains silent, everyone still frozen like statues in place.  No. 13 looks around and not knowing what else to do, shrugs. The  attention leaves him feeling unnerved but he doesn''t show it. Is he  suppose to say something? Before he thought about asking  Avidia a simple enough question, the bandits drops their weapons and  kneels on the ground, only less than he figures seventy-odd something  remaining.


    "No. 13 looks about and sees the rest of Augusto''s men comes flooding  in, apprehending all these men and binding their hands together. The men  were searched and then taken out of the camp to who knows where. No. 13  is unsure of what Augusto would do with  these captured, but it is none of his business. They only thing he is  concern with now is the reward that he will be given. The fight was easy  enough, hardly any casulties and they haven''t yet looted the place.  Plus, there is that great sword the man used.  Though not his style, it would be better than nothing and this thing is  much tougher than his own sword, possibly even magical. Augusto can  simply take it out of his cut, but this sword is useful to him for now.

 Chapter 7: Moments.

    After some work looting and searching for clues, the group decided to  stay at the bandit camp for the night. The caravan moved its wagons and  carriages in, and the guards man the now empty towers. The captured men  were kept near the wooden walls, only blankets  were provided to them. There were also about thirty slaves they found,  and were then moved inside the other small buildings, Augusto is unsure  what to do with them at the moment. For the largest building taken over  by Augusto''s family, Avidia, and No. 13 and  his group of Chase, Rachel,and Julia, found accommodations inside. The  rest still had to sleep in tents, but the palisade walls does provide  some comfort with its protective barriers.


    Augusto left the interrogation to his men and then took the largest  room in the building, with his family staying in the room of the caster.  Chase and Julia shared a room, they wanted some alone time to  themselves without the others around. Chase made a comment  about having the best makeup sex ever and how his pitiful self will  invoke Julia''s aggression for him to man up before she ravishes him.  Julia rolled her eyes and carried Chase off in a princess carry while  Chase waved everyone a goodnight. Rachel and No.  13 shared a room, No. 13 feeling awkward about it somehow. For the last  two rooms, it was given to Avidia and a female relative, and the last  was for the captain and the lieutenant. Brittany decided to stay in the  carriage by herself and no one had any objections.


    Before she could sleep, Rachel says. "Devin, I am attracted to you.  You are younger, you''re nothing like the boyfriends I had in the past,  and I am intelligent enough to know that being  attracted to you is  dangerous and I may hurt myself for trying."


    "I see." No. 13 responds, unsure of how exactly to answer something he  has never experienced before. The only other time this happened, it was  Lucretia, but that whole episode was communicated through Rachel  herself. He ignored it at the time, brushing it aside  as nothing more than infatuation. And, it was rather impersonal so it  really did not connect with him. Now, she is telling him this and he  doesn''t know how to respond. He finds her attractive but really never  thought about coupling with her much less giving  any sort of commitment. Quite frankly, he is surprise that she is so  forthright about her feelings. The little he knows, it is usually the  males that pursue the females in courting.


    "You don''t have to say anything. It is just attraction. I barely know  anything about you and I doubt I could ever be happy with you. You''re  definitely fascinating and Julia and I talked about it. You don''t need  to feel responsible or anything, but perhaps  telling you, it can help free me a bit. Maybe it will help me work  things out in my head. I don''t know, all of this seems so surreal,. If I  just pinch myself, all of this might just go away and I will go back to  my safe little life."


    "Okay. I don''t know what to say or how to respond to such things. I have  never experienced someone telling me this. As you know, I was kept  drugged inside of a facility and my interactions with others are quite  limited." No. 13 states.


    "I know. I know this is probably wrong for me. I hope it is just  infatuation, nothing more than puppy love or some shit like that. Maybe,  if I am around you longer, the mystery and some time will solve these  problems." Rachel says, pauses and then softly  speaks under her breath but No. 13 could make it out. "At least I hope  so."


    No. 13 takes a breath. He wants to tell her to not get any closer or  he will taint her with his darkness. Instead, he tells her. "For your  sake, I hope it ends. I think, I will only cause you pain. I might marry  Lucretia if the benefits are that great to  myself. Maybe I am waiting on a better offer, I don''t know. I am not a  good person."


    Rachel laughs bitterly. "I know that should be wrong, but I can''t make  myself angry at that! I thought I have better convictions! So, what  type of person does that make me now."


    No. 13 says nothing, he doesn''t know or even have the slightest clue .  But, he is far from being qualified from judging her. Should he console  her? Finally, he lets free some of his own thoughts. "Well, I have done  a lot of terrible things. Some, I feel no  guilt over. Others, I try hard to forget. Yet, the blood shed will  continue, I know of no other way. In a sense, I will never be free. This  world, with its barbaric practices, seems quite fitting for me. Many  killers simply walk the streets. Life is cheap  in this time, the goals I would imagine, would shed a lot of blood and  not all the blood would be the ones that are guilty. Powerful men would  force most of the plebians to fight and die for them, their only fault  being born poor. I am sure to join a faction  and kill a lot. These people, will be forced and have no real say  whether they join a war to increase the power, ego, resources of the  other''s tyrant."


    "That is depressing. If a portal opens up the next day, I would choose  to go home. I don''t think I am cut out for this world. Even Lucretia,  as shy as she is, is not that bothered by seeing people killed. Augusto  had several attempts on his life that Lucretia  can remember. For her, seeing her father''s guards cut down assassins is  something that happens enough where she is kind of use to it. There are  also the bandits and monsters every time the caravan journeys out. She  lives with plots and intrigue to either gain  her father''s vast wealth or to kill him off as a competitor.


    For me, that is insane and makes me feel no safer if you were even to  leave me in their care. Even if I grow to love you, I would still leave  you for the modicum of safety my life on Earth would provide. I am not  cut out for all of this!"


    "Not for me. Earth is nothing more than returning to a life of  bondage. I don''t believe that they are willing to let a weapon worth  about 100 million credits go that easily. This place is my best hope but  I really do wish you could return home, I could never  go back." No. 13 softly states. "By-the-way, I find you attractive, but  I don''t know or think I was ever in love before. I only know lust and  have been in lust with many fellow female super soldiers. I think they  drugged us so we couldn''t fall in love. Fuck,  I could say I would even bet my life on it."


    "That is awful, I am glad that you are free from that! But, I see you  more as a victim than a monster. That day, when you killed those boreas,  I was slightly afraid of you. I didn''t understand what a super soldier  is at that point. I heard you and Julia talking  about it, but I really couldn''t wrap my head around it. Magic for that  neither, but here we are."


    No. 13 changes the subject. "So, are you feeling less awkward about sharing a bed now?"


    Rachel nods her head in the dark, the bed slightly moving and the  moonlight shining through helps No. 13 easily catch that motion. "I will  admit it does help a bit. But, just for this one night, can you hold  me. It doesn''t have to mean anything, I just want  to feel safe. Ironic, since I feel so much danger coming from you and a  part of me tells me to run away, but I am so drawn to you."


    No. 13 hesitates. He is not sure how he feels and a weird part of  himself, tells him that he will screw it up. It is absurd. He has read  it so many times in books before. Giving something like a hug is a bit  harder than he thinks. He is just happy he washed  after the battle and was given new clothes. He is honestly starting to  perspire at the thought of such an intimate contact. Sex was different,  it was just some fucking to let off some steam. This is different  somehow. He wants to reject her but bites down  that impulse, breathes, and says. "Okay. I have never hugged anyone  before, so tell me if I am doing anything wrong."


    Rachel laughs and No. 13 is left confused. "What is so funny?"


    "I-I a-am  s-sorry!" Rachel says, most of the laughter gone now. "But,  from my perspective, it is kind of a novelty that I would take your  first hug. I mean, hearing you go on so casually about sex, this is  something that paralyzes you. Don''t get me wrong,  I feel sorry, but I think I needed this laugh."


    "Okay." No. 13 responds, his voice soft and unsure. "Do you still want that hug?"


    "Yes!" Rachel exclaims and moves a meter over on the king-sized bed.  She takes his right arm and places it under her head and her body lies  against his, her warmth seeking his own, and an odd sense enters his  body but he doesn''t know what it is. Still, not  as bad as he thought but still awkward. Before he can say anything, her  head rests on his shoulder and she wraps an arm around his waist.


    They stay like that, and  he can tell she is relaxed, the tension  leaving her body and soon after, she falls asleep. Not knowing what else  to do, No. 13 looks up into the dark and closes his own eyes. He is a  bit tired and could use a few hours of sleep himself.  This week has been trying for him and he needs to find some relaxation  of his own.


    Several hours later, No. 13 awakes, Rachel still sleeping next to him.  The girl looks peaceful, and she is clinging to his body, her right  thigh rubbing against his own. At first, it felt odd, he has never slept  with another person  next to him, but, the  feelings it has is not all that bad, somehow comforting. Does he like  rachel, he doesn''t think so, not in the romantic sense, though she is  attractive. In fact, he barely knows her and most of their interaction  is her teaching him this language. Now, he is  still unsure of how he really feels all about this. He will need to  experiment and see if he gets the same results with other females. Would  he feel the same with avidia, how about Lucretia, and he has an  attraction to Luminea.


    Not wanting to wake her, his mind begins to meditate. He needs time to  sort out all these new experiences, the battle, and sift through  information about this whole bandit camp being on the path Augusto  travels. He doesn''t want to pry into Augusto''s business,  but the attack has him curious about what Augusto is transporting  exactly. Whatever it may be, No. 13 guesses it is something to do with  geopolitics. The scale may help change and alter the existing powers of  this land. It is only a guess and he needs more  evidence to get a better picture.


    Several hours later, Rachel stirs in his arm and he lays there, just  looking at her now. When she sleeps, there is an innocence air about  her. Her face is unguarded and he wonders if she is like this back on  Earth. Odd, it makes him want to protect her. He  fears that staying with her long enough, he might sacrifice his life  for her and that goes against his own objective to stay alive. In the  scheme of things, she would have more trouble in surviving in this  world. Wouldn''t it be more logical for him to prioritize  his own life over her''s.


    He possesses the capability to alter the world around him. Doesn''t his  own life have more value? If he had any progeny, his offspring would be  better suited to survive in this world. Shaking his head, he clears  these thoughts.


    One green eye peers at him from thick long lashes. Rachel still looks  tired and she mumbles something, turns around and goes back to sleep. He  looks outside the window, the silvery sun has already began its ascent.  They really should be getting up but he  knows that the late night battle, the preparation, cleaning, and  watching over their new prisoners has taken its toll on these men.  No.   13 can see that they will not leave until it touches noon. He is fine  with it he supposes but he is really looking forwards  to the distribution of the loot. He wants to buy some of his own  things, return Augusto''s carriage and buy one of his own. He has really  never owned anything of his own before. He will also need to start that  war chest. Outfitting Julia and Chase is a necessity.  After seeing magical weapons and armor, he wants those in his inner  circle to be outfitted well. This reminds him of the magical sword now  in his possession. It makes him curious on what is its power exactly.  Lucretia said something but he didn''t understand  and nor does he know how to invoke its powers. He beleives that Luminea  or Lucretia is suppose to teach him later today.


    "Rachel, wake up." No. 13 speaks softly into her ear.


    "No!" She replies petulantly. "I want to sleep some more."


    Sighing, he gently removes his arm, she fusses a bit, then goes back  to sleep. No. 13 dresses quickly and heads outside to see Julia already  training Chase. Well, more like beating him down. The young man is still  clumsy with the spear but Julia is so far  performing well with the quarterstaff. Currently, No. 13 knows Chase  cannot match the guards but there is something different about the young  man today, he looks highly determined. If he had to put his finger on  it, Chase felt distraught about being left behind.  Normally, he would joke around and complain when he was being taken  down by the guards. Today, he remains quiet, and Julia goes through some  of the faults she sees in his form or footwork.


    No. 13 went up to a couple of guards, asked them if he could borrow  some chainmail for his training. Before, these same men would look on  him with indifference. Now, there is some reverence in those eyes and  showing some worship? Observing this, it makes  him feel uncomfortable. This change in status is disconcerting to  someone that was treated as a weapon their entire life, being seen as a  nonperson. He thanked them when one took off his own and handed it to  him and began his workout.


    Wearing the chainmail and some other gear, it adds an additional 20  kilograms to his workout. For him, carrying this weight is a breeze but  he lacks all the equipment he once used to train himself. He may have to  find a blacksmith to craft some armor that  at least could add another 50 kilograms. He is oppose to something like  a backpack since it does a poor job of distributing the weight evenly  around his body. Thinking about the armor also reminds him of the sword  and the armor that caster gifted them like  a mob boss from an MMO game. He would thank the man and kill him again  if he respawned. Ah, the other loss in his life besides the endless  supply of sex and books, games. His youthful uninhibited side now  laments the loss of all that entertainment. Damn, he  could have something with Rachel, but something holds him back and he  curses his burgeoning conscience. It was sort of dormant before, the  drugs inhibiting some aspects of his need for social connection. Without  that, he has less qualms about hurting others.


    Once the three were done, they march towards the river and bathe  themselves to rid them of their morning workout. Servants were busy  collecting food, going through the stores of supplies, and making the  morning meal. Avidia came out, when they arrive back,  her face still drawn from her use of magic. At least, with the rising  sun, she should receive a super charge to her system. She gave them a  brief smile and she walks naturally besides them and they head over to  the table. The large long table was laden with  food, the stores of the bandits likely raided from earlier to provide  them with an assortment of perishable food that needs to be cooked.  Without Rachel helping to translate, it was a quiet affair. The food  comprised of biscuits, something ubiquitous during  the last week, fried eggs, flapjacks, ham, and lots of vegetables. The  meal tastes great, better than he thought, but chalks it up to hunger  and needing lots of calories after the fight and the training this  morning. It was a blissful moment, and he can feel  that he can better appreciate this peaceful time.


    Rachel appears, sitting and scooting against his body, their shoulders  touching as she leans on him. She gives him a brief smile before she  begins to eat herself. The others, especially Chase, gave them a quirked  eyebrow. No. 13 ignores it, not wanting to  speak of private matters, especially ones he doesn''t understand  himself. The talk last night was revealing but also left some nebulous  cloud of something unknown between them. Rachel knows of his likelihood  to wed Lucretia, but she seems to be trying to pursue  something as well.


    Chase seems unable to keep quiet. "Did something happen last night? You two seem a bit closer."


    It was Rachel that replies after swallowing her food. "Nothing much. Just two friends getting to know one another better."


    Chase says. "I hope that ''getting to know someone better'' is not a euphemism for ''doing the deed.''


    Rachel, getting annoyed, and responds. "What if it is, does that matter."


    Chase grits his teeth and speaks through clenched teeth. "Of course it  matters. You''re family. Devin here, sorry man, but he isn''t right for  you. I don''t think you understand what you are getting into!"


    Rachel shakes her head. "Perhaps not, but are you any different. You  think you understand, but have you talked about it or, is just some  things worth pursuing and figuring out!"


    Both of you," Julia cuts in, "calm down! Chase, she is an adult, let  her make her own decision. Give her advice if you wish, but what happens  between them is their own business. Do you want them constantly telling  you to be wary of me, because they should!  I am no angel, and I am a murderer. If you have a problem with someone  like Devin dating your cousin, then why doesn''t the same apply to you!"


    Chase is angered and just vents. "Because, I should protect her! Rachel is just."


    Before he can finish, Rachel, now very angry herself. "Just a girl!  Correct! Look around Chase, this isn''t Kansas anymore! I have seen  monsters and people die! Humans are just property, some bartred like  livestock! Do you think me so blind and innocent to  not see all the horrors of this world! I can adapt, grow, and learn to  accept things. Maybe not all at once, but you aren''t giving me any time  or the chance!"


    Chase pauses. Rachel is correct, Chase cannot keep her in a place and  hope nothing ever happens. No. 13 can see him calming down now, some  rationality and hurt in his eyes. "You''re right Rachel. I didn''t protect  you from witnessing all those things. I promised  I would, but even so, I have neglected you and spent most of my time  with Julia. You are an adult, I simply have no right to tell you what to  do. But, please do come to me and I promise I will listen if you need  me. It is just that, I am so worried for you  , you know."


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Julia wraps an arm around Chase''s waist. "You''re only human."


    Chase had to smirk, somehow Julia could take him out of his darkest  mood No. 13 notices. He thinks, Julia has done a good job of keeping him  anchored. No. 13 would regret it if this young man ended up like Owen  or Darrell. Those others, besides Brittany,  are still living in their own world, keeping it shut out so they don''t  have to deal with reality. Brittany, on the other hand, is starting to  come out of that shell No. 13 notices. Last night, at least she gave him  a slight nod, which is a vast improvement.  Spending these days with Rachel and Lucretia is maybe the support she  needs. He wonders if it will work on the others.


    "I know you are worried about me, but you should spend time with  Julia. This relationship is new and you should be exploring it. Devin  here is not even sure if he likes me so don''t worry. I am not even sure  if I could be with him or be given the chance. It  may hurt me or set me free in the end, but I am okay with taking that  chance. You don''t think I can handle being dumped, I was just a few  months ago you know. Bastard cheated on me. Chase, I can handle  rejection."


    Chase frowns. "It seems that I cannot protect you from anything."


    "But you did! The first day, you stayed behind to look out for me! As  much as you worried about Julia, you still stayed with me. I can''t  defend myself, I am not gifted with that mindset nor physical traits.  This is still a dangerous world. I will try and  learn some self-defense, but compared to everyone else, I will never be  as capable."


    No. 13 jumps in now, thinking he should say this. He doesn''t blame  Chase for being wary about him when it comes to Rachel, he would have  shot her on the first day if it meant saving his own life and using her  as a decoy. But, he may not be sure about human  relationships as most here, he can offer this. "I will train her and  protect her if I can. I can  promise that much. As for us being  together, we are not. I know how she feels but I am not promising her  anything nor will I try and make things more complicated.  That is all I can promise you."


    Chase brushes his blonde hair and with a grim face, just nods. No. 13  looks around, everyone is now looking at them and it makes him  uncomfortable. He has never been the center of attention and he says to  the others. "Lets find Augusto. We need to see about  our share of the loot."


    Julia smiles. "I''m game. I want to see how much we earned. That caster must have some good shit on him."


    Chase only mumbles, apparently not still over his anger just yet.  Rachel rolls her eyes and then turns to No. 13, asking. "What do you  plan on doing with the loot?"


    No. 13 shrugs. "Arm ourselves first and buy our own things. I don''t  want to remain reliant on Augusto. A city is not too far from here, and  maybe if they sell us a carriage or wagon, we may purchase one. Chase  needs real armor to train in, and all of us should  learn how to ride a horse. I am surprise that you Julia, cannot."


    Julia quirks an eyebrow. "Why is that?"


    No. 13 replies. I don''t know, just made that assumption I guess. You  were trained to be in the wilds, I thought riding a horse would have  maybe been part of that training."


    I see. Sorry to burst your buble boss, I can outrun one already, so a horse is not something I would need."


    "Well, once we get into town, everyone should list all the stuff you  will need, a list of what you might need, and a list of things you want.  We will see about how much we will be earning. I think we will need  some advice on purchasing supplies while we are  here. None of us has a point of reference for what things might be  worth." No. 13 states.


    The group waits an hour before Augusto leaves his room. His family had  their meals brought in so things went straight to business right away.  They gathered around in the large room inside the building they slept  in, this place seems large enough to hold meetings  and has a large table enough to fit around twenty people. On top of the  table, everything found was split save for the miscellaneous weapons  and armor that were still in good condition, those were left off to the  side and in their own pile.


    After going through the price and estimates of every item, the  conservative selling price that they could realistically get for most of  these items is around 13,000 gold coins. The largest bulk of the worth  comes from the sword and armor. The sword itself  can double its length and provide a magical sharp edge capable of even  cutting through very strong steel. The armor, grants some additional  strength and endurance to the wearer, making them capable of fighting  for hours if needed. The only reason why the caster  couldn''t easily employ most of the power was the relentless attack that  drained his own powers and he likely siphoned off the stored magic from  his own weapons. This also lowers his predicted strength to that of the  same tier as Lucia, a mid tier caster.


    If they include the slaves and the soon=to-be slaves, the price could  go upwards to the 14,000 mark. Things like food storage, utensils, and  other minor odds and end were not considered in those price and Augusto  just rather keep them.


    So, since No. 13 wanted to hold onto the sword for now, he was given  an additional 5,000 gold coins for his services. Originally, No. 13  wanted Chase to wear the armor but the caster was simply much taller,  his height probably reached 2 meters. None of the  boots, greaves, and gauntlets would fit Chase properly and the unusual  size of the man also lowered the price of the armor. But, he did figure  something else out, to make Chase armed as well as the caster, the cost  would be around 7,000 to 8,000 for some of  the weaker magical weapons and armor. That gold could probably go to  arming around one hundred men alone, which even Chase wouldn''t come  close to matching with the magical gear. He will need time to rethink  his strategy of arming the top inner circle with  magical shit. Maybe he could just steal them he figures. Though, most  of those superior types like marking everything they own and luckily for  at least this stuff, none had a marking on it. It further adds to his  suspicion that this was a stealth mission.


    Avidia gotten her own share of 1,000 gold coins. The rest was split  mostly to the family of the dead and the rest, were given to all the  rest of the guards with the strike force gaining the most. For them,  several gold coins means close to a year''s worth  of work in addition to all the coins they will be recieving.


    Aftr the distribution, there was a talk between No. 13 and Agusto that  happened through Rachel. The Andares family promised them to help them  purchase supplies, teach them the care and riding of horses, and provide  them with the use of their servants if the  group promised to help them deliver their shipment. No. 13 agrees,  hoping deep within himself that they might get attacked by another  caster. He knows it is probably wrong but the payout is fantastic. With  the talks ended, the caravan ate a midday meal and  left the bandit camp.


    The travel became much slower with the addition of the captured  prisoners and the additional slaves. Augusto has to deliver the slaves  back at a place of authority to see if the owners would claim them.  Rachel, Chase, and Brittany had an issue with that,  with Rachel crying and Brittany appearing comatose about the entire  situation. No. 13 and Julia didn''t feel any better by it but this is the  society they now live in and have no power to change. For the people,  they simply just accept it. Rachel needed to  be held tightly for the next two days to feel some comfort.


    Rachel and Brittany wanted to say something in protest but No. 13 and  Julia talked them out of it. Right now, they couldn''t do anything and  for the society, they see nothing wrong with slavery. No. 13''s best  advice, slowly talk to Lucretia about it, change  the minds of the people around herself. Anyways, nothing can change in  one night or year. He had to even point to slavery in the US and around  the world. Even then, racism ran rampant until the end of the 21st  century with the slow turn over of previous generations  dying out and the younger generation being slightly more progressive.  The two girls promised reluctantly though it made them just further  depressed about the whole thing. Lucretia could tell something was wrong  and didn''t understand why there was tension for  a few days. But, it seems that they tried communicating again and  Rachel relayed that she began talking about the society she once lived  in. It is a start and eventually, ideas and thoughts spread out into the  world.


    The heroics and the spreading of the tales of No. 13 and Julia had an  effect on the people inside of the caravan. The servants and the lesser  Andares family members paid them more respect, offering smiles and small  trinkets. Several children from the early  age of perhaps eight to their adolescence begged the two for lessons in  swords and archery. Archery is not known for being a prominent weapon  for the higher cast, but stories about a goddess putting bolts of arrows  through the throat of her enemies, silencing  them before her terrible might, had the hearts of the youths in a  fervor.


    After two days, some of the tension left and they are closing in on  the border and soon will be in Ariminium. However, the tension ran  higher until they can reach the border city of Centtenae. Everyone  feared an ambush. No. 13 himself expected one for that  matter, and it was more of a surprise that none occurred.


    Some good did happen. Brittany came further and further out of her  shell. After she spent time in the background listening to their  stories, she has learned that No. 13 and Julia didn''t have exactly  normal lives and what was done to No. 13 abhorred her. It  made her more open, wanting to understand and it changed her view about  them and the world they came from. Like many, she knew about the  corruption of those in power and with wealth, but it seems she only knew  the surface of such machinations. Letting her  see the cost and the people in different facets of their daily lives,  helped abolish the fear and resentment that she had. She admitted that  she didn''t view him as human, just a calculated killing monster.


    Lucretia joined them often, sometimes getting between Rachel and No.  13. She could see the budding close relationship between the two. Even  if she is not in love with him, she is still infatuated and he is a  potential husband for her. No. 13 seems so mysterious,  like a god coming to challenge mortal authority, it utterly fascinated  her. It also makes her curse the language barrier as a real barrier from  the two ever getting to talk intimately. Suprisingly, Rachel didn''t  mind and Chase thought she would. She has been  cheated on before but this situation is so odd, it seems like everyone  is just taking it as it comes along. So when Lucretia would hold No.  13''s hand, Rachel kept quiet, not happy but not mad niether, just more  neutral.


    No. 13 during these times further understands the meaning of the word  ''bond.'' The more he learned of someone, the more ties he feels towards  that particular person. Everyone seems to have their own quirks, their  thought processes, and beliefs. It is interesting  to see the world through another''s mind and viewpoint. He may not  always agree, but it is all fascinating nonetheless to hear it all. It  definitely ads more depth to the picture he has of them, like they could  jump out of the picture at any moment. Chase told  a story about a young Rachel sneaking into the kitchen one night to eat  the Christmas cookies for Santa. When she was done, to hide her crimes,  she replaced the missing cookies with doggie treats. Her father, Santa,  ate them and woke the entire house when  he made a racket at how aweful they were. Rachel, now an adult, is  still embarrassed over the story. It is the little moments like these  that No. 13 oddly feels the most connected to these potential decoys.


    On the fourth day after the bandit camp, a large city appears off into  the distance. Well, large for this world. No. 13 is use to having over  ten million people occupying a city. There was a palpable sigh of relief  that the great plains are now behind them.  Looking at a map once, No. 13 noticed they only pass through a small  section of the plains. Since he couldn''t judge location on this map,  Lucretia told them that in order to pass through the biggest sections,  could take a couple of months if not longer. That  answer lead No. 13 to guess the plains are about over 1,000 kilometers  at the very least.


    The border city of Centtennae is wrapped in a large stone wall that  shoots up to probably 20 meters high. Large towers would surpass the  height of the wall by several extra meters with the towers being  dispersed about 200 meters away from one another. Just  from the distance of a couple of kilometers away, No. 13 can make out  large banners of red and gold hanging down the egg white colored stone  walls. Even from here, they can make out ant-like beings forming a line  to enter and leave the place. For the main  entrance, the gate seems large enough for two carriages of Augusto''s  size to easily slip through and probably enough room for several people  to walk inbetween the traffic flow. Around the city, a vast forest of  trees and rivers that web out could be seen.  Litle boats with sails flow along these rivers, transporting goods and  people to keep the greatness of civilization alive. No. 13 knows that  behind him, there is only a wall of mountains, the pass the place that  connects the great plains to the country of  Arniminium.


    The odd thing is, here, the land is much more similar to ancient Earth  he assumes, with a wide expanse of green that stretches as far as the  horizon. The grass is green with only some odd plants here and there,  the likely native plants of this world but he  cannot be too sure on that. For No. 13, it feels like he is witnessing a  historical documentary in motion,. People with cattle, oxens, carts and  horses march along the dusty road. Most people have on simple clothes,  spun out of the same dull colors that matches  mud, and it is not too hard to see that they are the plebians he has  heard talk of. Even Augusto''s servants have better attire than the  majority of the probable populace of this region.


    When the caravan made it to the gate, Augusto''s captain moved to greet  them, showing their lofty credentials. No. 13 and his group stared at  all the people, some feeling shock over the reality of civilization on  an alien world. Children ran about, a score  of guards keeping watch, their weapons at the ready, while most people  chatted with one another, seemingly unaware of the reality that their  ancestors came from Earth. Chase has an interest in history and he said  that he cannot wait to be able to read to see  how far their history goes back. No. 13 and the rest agree that though  the information may not be useful, they would like to know the answers  to those questions.


    Most of the caravan had to stay outside the city and a slave merchant  came up once the guards notified them of new potential stock. The only  ones that entered the city were Augusto''s family, his twenty personal  guards, No. 13''s group, and Avidia.  For the  rest of the caravan, they will cycle in and out of the city while they  also prepare for the last leg of their trip. Rachel was upset, knowing  the slaves that the bandits held would be recirculated since they have  been branded and No. 13 likely killed the previous  owners. Most were just young girls, ranging from age 13 to 20 and a few  boys from age 13 to 15: Not all the bandits have sought the flesh of  women. In the end, she can only be resigned to watch on helplessly as  the children were dragged away, life leaving  their eyes at the horror of their life.


    Augusto lead them directly towards the inn, the path of his carriage  heading straight for the heart of the merchant district. Along the way,  No. 13 observed carefully, paying attention to the buildings and the  behavior of this new strange culture. The roads  were paved with cobble stones, the wheels clacking as it goes along.  Most homes were a story and made of some sort of mortar, like a cement,  with most homes being painted an egg white. For the more valuable homes,  they tend to be a couple of stories high and  in most cases, have flowers, herbs, and other plants growing under  shuttered windows. Most homes and buildings are also tiled with reddish  brown shingles in an overlapping layer nand some homes merely have  flattened tops.


    The other thing that was first noticed was the rich smell of food that  seem to permeate the air like a thick heavy fog of odors. No. 13  thought it would be sewage or the waste of animals but not too many  people actually ride carriages inside the city, which  comes as a surprise to him. While they draw nearer to the markets, the  volume goes up several notches, the chaotic mass of voices calls out for  people to stop by their stalls and purchase their goods.


    Finally, the group stops in front of a large building that stands two  stories tall. From the front dimension of the building, No. 13 guesses  it must be 30 meters wide and the metal sign swinging back and forth has  a painting of a bed and a sun and moon. Words  are written underneath and No. 13 could only make out a few words.  Several guards stands at the door and when Augusto came up, the men  bowed and opened the two thick wooden doors for the group to enter.


    Inside, there is a large fireplace with stakcs of logs kept in one  corner of the room. About thirty tables that can fit four people are  placed around the large inn. The inn itself must stretch back about  twenty odd meters but No. 13 suspects it perhaps goes  another 10 meters further back. In the back, there is a large counter  with barrels in the backroung and many alcoves with bottles of wine  resting nicely on beds of cloth. Several people are behind the bar, a  middle-aged man, and two girls seem to be discussing  something.


    Given the time of day, it is not a coincidence that not too many  people are sitting and eating. The midday passed, and most are lazing  about during these unbusy hours. Other than a few tables that have  people talking, the only others that are here is more  guards and a performer standing on a stage and playing some music on a  string instrument.


    The group caught the people''s attention at the counter, the  middle-aged man with a short beard and a stocky build coming to greet  them with a warm smile on his face. Augusto comes forwards, several of  his personal guards standing besides and behind him as  the two shake hands and began a conversation that No. 13 can only  partially understand. Most of the others sit, some even ordering drinks  and No. 13''s group is no different. They sit themselves while a serving  girl as fresh as a spring breeze smiles and takes  their orders. This, everyone asks Rachel to order for them, with No. 13  and Julia getting some cider and Chase going for meade.


    Lucretia pulls up a chair and she and Rachel started to talk and then  Rachel gathered everyone''s attention and said. "Well, staying here cost a  gold coin per night. Each room has two beds if we do get the more  expensive rooms. It comes with a meal for the  evening and morning along with laundry services and a bathhouse for  those interested. Apparently, there is running water in this world,  something to do with magic and aqueducts. So, we actually have running  water! Unfortunately, only the higher end inns seems  to have these services since they are quite expensive to install. If we  want, we could stay at a regular inn for about a silver coin or two per  night. For a one bedded room, the cost is 60 silvers and those are our  choices."


    No.13 speaks first. "How long are we staying in the city?"


    Rachel turns to Lucretia, asks her a question and Rachel turns to them  and replies. "Six days, long enough to auction off those men and to  resupply the goods for the last leg of the journey, which is another  month I am afraid. We might stay in towns if we  run across any but most nights will be spent outdoors."


    Lets see, we should get two rooms, Julia and Chase will share a bed  likely, and Rachel, Brittany, and I can share a room with two beds. That  is 1 gold and 60 silver coins a night. That comes out to just under 10  gold coins."


    Chase smiles. "Sounds expensive. But since you are flipping the bill, I gracefully accept your offer on our behalf."


    No. 13 ignores Chase, and hands over 100 gold coins to Julia. She  raises an eyebrow but No. 13 says. "Take this just in case you two need  it. Call it an advance. I want you two to find some clothes and gear up.  If you find anything interesting, tell me. Out  of all of us, you know the language the best besides Rachel here. I  believe you know enough to get around, correct."


    Julia nods, affirming his thoughts. No. 13 tells Rachel to convey this  message to Lucretia and they wait for the girl to come back and for  them to get the keys for their rooms. It doesn''t take long and several  mugs of liquids soon find themselves at the table  and No. 13 hands over 10 gold coins and tells the young serving girl to  keep the rest. At least, that is what he hoped he had said and no one  gave him any strange looks so he is in  the clear.


    The group heads upstairs, many things on their minds. They need to  find some clothes first, Lucretia according to Rachel promised to take  them to one. There is one just down the street, several hundred meters  away. In fact, all of what they need is no further  than a kilometer or two away. After some shopping, the group all agreed  that a proper bath is the first thing after.