Chương 27: Ch. 25 - Careful Discovery

We took it slow leaving the hangar. I made sure to look in every direction before pressing forward. And for good measure, I had Luna check as well. She confirmed that no one was around. Still, I made sure to remind her to keep her guard up.

"How far?" she asked. We were about halfway there, having traveled for a long time. We weren't taking a route straight there. Instead, we looped around. The idea was to travel in the direction of the next closest habitat that wasn't from the Et'ium. We were heading south before veering west and then back north.

"It took a while to get here," I said.

"I'm just being cautious." On the way, Luna made note of a few Goblinoid Fighters roaming the air. They weren't quite as scary as when I first arrived, but they could still annihilate us if we were careless. With enough of a surprise, we made short work of them. Luna's weapon was off cooldown, but I didn't want her to use it. It was our ace in the hole. We worked out a few ideas and theory crafted others. So I had to get close and use my dagger, the level on it barely ticking up.

Still, it was bugging me that there were more Goblinoid fighters before. We only ever ran into the occasional two. It's like they were scouting. I didn't voice my concern, it was conjecture I couldn't prove.

"I think they are scouting," said Luna.

"Two at a time seems off."

"I was just thinking that," I said.

"No you weren't. It was my idea."

"I have to agree with Luna, Stefano," said Caddie.

"This doesn't seem like something you would've come up on your own. Stolen valor is not a good look."

"Alright. Sure," I said, eager to drop it.

"See anything?"

"No," she said.

"Wait, I'm getting a radio frequency."

"Caddie?" I asked.

"I see it too," he said.

"I will change the radio frequency." Caddie flicked the channel and a voice blared into the cockpit. It sounded desperate.

"This is squad 'SunEaters,' broadcasting on a wide channel. We are recruiting for a bounty quest. For those flying blind, we are on a settlement. We are pinging our location for those that need a place for rest. We lost two squad members getting here and need two more to fill the quest minimum. The loot will be split evenly." The message repeated and I cut it off.

"Have you ever heard of these guys?" I asked Luna.

"Somewhat. They are a squad of 3 that had stopped receiving new pilots," said Luna. A wave of nerves came at me. We had taken precautions, but it was still highly likely these guys were the ones who stabbed Jeromy. My hands were shaking. They were on a bounty quest, that meant they were after someone. But there was also the slim chance that these guys had nothing to do with what was going on.

"Are we really doing this? This is the squad that hurt your friend," said Luna.

"We don't know that," I said.

"But that doesn't mean we can't be suspicious. Just, be ready for anything." I almost rather Luna stay back, but arriving alone makes me an easy target. At least with Luna, they'd think about it. Or scheme. An immediate brawl was unlikely. I at least wanted to see their capabilities before having to fight another squad. The island came into view. It was small and filled with black smoke. Three mechs were on one knee with the three pilots accounted for, wandering the sands.

They noticed us, the one in the middle waving his arms wildly. I gripped the throttle hard, but kept a controlled descent. Luna was shaky getting down, but landed just next to me.

"Caddie," I whispered.

"Do you see anything?"

"No," he said.

"Also, it appears this settlement was caught in an attack."

"Yeah," I said.

"Luna, stay in your mech." The cockpit hissed open and I rode the line down to the ground. The three approached, the one in the middle clearly the leader. His white jumpsuit was zipped halfway down. His hair neatly combed to the side. He had a friendly smile on his face as he approached.

"Howdie," he said.

"You heard my transmission?"

"No," I lied.

"I was on a quest myself looking for someone." He extended his hand for a shake. I obliged, keeping an eye on the two others that flanked just behind him. They didn't look nervous which put me more on edge.

"You're late I'm afraid," he said.

"We got here a little bit ago. This place was a mess before we got here. What's strange about it is that this was a safe zone. I don't know how a safe zone got attacked." I took my hand back, checking for any residue. There was none. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Caddie had formed into an earring before leaving the cockpit. He whispered into my ear.

"I am not detecting any traces of blood." I breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for Luna to come down. Her cockpit hissed open, but she sat at the edge, watching from a distance.

"We noticed," I said.

"The reset affected the safe zones. I'm starting to think there are no safe zones."

"Maybe. But where are my manners? I'm Quinton, squad leader of the 'SunEaters.' Felicia is the mainstay of this squad and Hernando is filling in. He says he got split from his squad after fighting an exit boss on the last floor so he's with us until we either leave or he meets up with them. Hernando gave a slight nod and Felicia shook my hand as well.

"I'm Stefano. I guess I'm squad leader of squad 1. The shy one is Luna. Sorry, we're just being careful."

"No," said Quinton.

"I get it. If safe zones aren't a thing, it means it's open season on anyone. People will do anything for greed." He paused to wave at Luna, who was hesitant to raise an arm back.

"Who were you looking for? Maybe we can help?" I thought about how to answer. But decided on just being upfront.

"The supplier of the territory. Looking to get some supplies," I said.

"Well, good luck to you. Our quest is having us find whoever attacked this place." There was something measured in the way he spoke. Like he was holding something back.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll take a look," I said.

"By all means," said Quinton.

"Felicia, could you show him around?" She nodded and waived for me to follow.

"So what happened?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" she asked. The simple straw huts were smoldering in embers. Multiple craters of nearby explosions filled the middle of the habitable part of the island. One house, or at least what looked it would've been, was just a pile of debris scattered on the ground. The sand had glassed in certain parts. It wasn't like the sand on Cardamas Island, this was actual, normal sand. Felicia moved with a certain stride, like a seasoned vet.

"With everything here? Have any ideas?" I asked.

"A few," she said. I waited for a follow up that never came.

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Probably not." We reached the center of the square and it was all reduced to ash. If there was a survivor, I didn't see one. Felicia began to walk back, leaving me alone to explore the remains.

"That's suspicious," I said, nearing the closest building. I crouched down, pulling away the parts of the simple material that wasn't as hot.

"Very," said Caddie.

"A simple analysis shows that this area was shelled repeatedly. There was no fight." That was sad. People that didn't defend themselves against an onslaught.

"Everything going okay over there?" asked Luna in my ear. She was speaking through Caddie via short wave comms. Similar to how we can talk to each other while piloting.

"I'm checking something," I said. I kept pulling, looking for anything. What I found after tossing several pieces away was strange. I had to have Caddie scan to confirm what I was looking at. The description came up, confirming it. [Goblinoid Male][Name: 36][Supplier] [Deceased]"Luna," I said, frustration heavy on my voice.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I found our supplier. He's dead." Luna didn't say anything, mumbling to herself as I went to work pulling more things away. Why was a Goblinoid here? They were hostile to everything, at least according to the description. It couldn't be that black and white, could it? His hands were curled around a map that he had balled into his fist. It took a little prying before I was able to open it. I stuffed it into my pocket, not bothering to place it into the inventory less someone realizes I found something.

I'd have to check it later. With nothing else, I walked back, joining SunEater squad. Luna had gotten to ground level, but was still just underneath it. Ready to zip back up if needed. Quinton turned to me as I approached, but I was the first to speak.

"So what does this mean for you?" I asked.

"We'll try to find another settlement and see if we can't pick up the trail. Or maybe find Hernando's squad first. He said North East was a Goblinoid settlement, so it would be best to stay away."

"I see," I said.

"I'll keep an eye out."

"I'll shoot you a message to stay in contact," said Quinton.

"More information doesn't hurt." I nodded and headed back to my mech. Felicia leered as I walked back. I exhaled as soon as my back rested against the seat. I waited for Luna to board hers before we gently took off. I unfurled the page, taking in what was written. Caddie scanned it and added the information to the map. My eyes went wide. Wider than I ever thought possible. I was shaking so much that the throttle shook.

"Are you alright?" asked Luna.

"You'll never guess what I found," I said.

"You found something?"

"Oh yes," said Caddie.

"Quite the find it seems."

"We need to go, full speed," I said.

"Where?" she asked. I hit the throttle and blasted forward. The island was out of view, but I knew we were still in danger. I was zig-zagging through the air, as Luna followed the erratic movement.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Less talking, more evasive action," I said. She followed behind me, thankfully without asking more questions. We were a distance away now and I had Luna check the surroundings.

"What is going on?" she asked, again.

"Alright. First of all, I think Hernando is a murderer. Secondly, I found how to get to the second floor."

"Okay, woah. I saw that whole exchange, what could possibly lead you to think that."

"The rest of his squad was waiting for an ambush." I found the message Quinton had sent me and replied. The message was simple, "Don't trust Hernando." His response was a thumbs up.

"You're not making sense," said Luna, exasperated.

"Alright. Hernando claimed there was a Goblinoid settlement north east of Kal'quina Island. We came from the only island that was north east. Quinton and Felicia found Hernando who was already there. Here's my theory. Hernando's squad has a quest from the Goblinoid settlement. The craters on the ground were from bombs, the same type Goblinoid bombers have. They need sulfur. So far, everyone who knows who the people who did all this, are dead."

"It's not making sense," said Luna.

"Why would they do that?"

"For what I just picked up. For where we are going."

"What is it?" I smiled for the first time in a bit. We found the next best thing than the supplier. I guess I'd argue it was a better outcome.

"The second floor. I think I found where we can find a hidden settlement."