Burning City (5)

-Bang!

As the man land the dust forming around them.

-Coughs Cough!

"Captain!"

Four soldiers came hurried from the tent. Completely armed with sword drawn from the hilt.

"Calm down, everything is under control." trying to calm his soldier.

"Jack, how the condition?" he looking at the camp. its already empty, levering one tent that still standing and a campfire in the middle.

"It's all clear, sir! the other has teleported safely to the citadel. After they return the one that can still fight quickly got dispatched to other region for assisting, cleaning, and escorting the citizen." Jack answered clearly breaking the silent night within his coarse voice.

-Smack!

a small hand slapped his back of head.

"Cedric! what are you doing! look at him has dying!" Freya panicked scream.

"What do you mean, has fine..." he pulls the boy that currently pressed in his arm and put him beside him.

-Plop

the boy instantly collapses. his face full of sweat and pale as the snow. making a clear contrast between his dark red auburn hair and his face.

....

....

"FREYA DO SOMETHING!" panicked by what he sees he shake his vice-captain vigorously. like a vending broken machine that won't let the soda out.

"S-stop!" she tried to yell at his captain hoping the constant shaking stop. But no, instead the shaking begun more violently.

"NO NO NO! ITS ALL MY FAULT, FREYA PLEASE HELP ME!" he keeps shaking her.

"Captain, stop!" his four subordinate yell at the same time. They all trying to hold the captain hand like their own live on the line.

finally, the captain hand stop, but his vice-captain face got so pale, and she trying so hard to stand.

'This stupid muscle brain dead captain, I swear I will make you pay one day!' as she falls with her four-limb holding her toward the ground. vomiting the last meal, she had.

"Sorry..." the captain said as he puts her back.

"I will kill you!" her face start to become red again because of anger.

"let's do that later okay, now can you check the boy?" he grabs her vice-captain hand helping her to stand.

She put her hand at the neck checking his pulse.

"Thankfully he still alive, he just unconscious at the moment. Soon he will wake up" then she orders the soldier to bring him to the tent.

"it's already late, the defense mechanism of citadel already activate." as she looks at the pendant in her neck.

The pendant shape is like a green emerald locket. For safety reason the pendant only can be opened by one person at each battalion, and it is her task as why she needs to stay with the captain rather than teleported to the citadel.

The device will tell the wearer many things, like time, maps, and objection of the mission. But the most important is as the communicator with the citadel. Like what she said, the citadel has a safety measure. One of them is will obliterate anything that tried to teleport the city at a given time. The time of activation is secret and only be given fifteen minutes before the system is off.

"It's impossible to us to teleport there" She said putting her pendant back to her clothes.

"Then we will rest until tomorrow. Jack, prepare the ration. We'll eat and get some rest after that. we will teleport as soon as the defense mechanism is deactivated." he said. Then follow Freya to the boy tent.

-

Inside the tent.

"Now captain you owe me explanation what happen there" she sit at the bunk bed across her here are her captain and the boy.

"Freya, trust me. I also have no idea" a confused face shows quickly as he brushes his face with his two hands.

"How a feeble boy like him can fight one Gloombeast by himself? and this happen at the Reed Moon!? our soldier would have a hard time even when it under normal circumstances, but he-" before he done talking has captain cut her

"two"

"What are you talking about. there are two survivors? but there is only one dot when I use my skill before?" she glupped.

"No, he defeats two Gloombeast. There are other copes there. Its throat got deep cut wound because of a sword"

Flabbergasted by the captain answer silent once again filed the night. Her voice got stuck at her throat, she wants to deny the captain story. But she also knows that her captain would not tell that nonsense without the prove.

"H-how... it's impossible. the only explanation is-"

"He is demon lord spy." clamping his hand under his chin he looking at the boy in front of him.

After that before Freya could commented he continue.

"But then he can accept your holly power. so, he does have contract with the demon, yet..."

Scratching her head in frustration. she then a continue to ask.

"What you going to do then? he has no family and he is a bigger. the temple won't take anyone with no background while putting him as laborer also an option but with his weak body I doubt anyone want to hire him."

with long deep breath he finally speaks

"...I will take him." he said this

"As a worker?"

"No as my family." while shaking his head slowly.

"How?" dumbfounded by the captain comment

"I'll find a way" he looks at the boy

"You just got to thirties! you can't possibly raise a boy. raising a child is not easy as you seem" she know this. she often volunteered at the orphanage next the temple, where the children that lost their parents because the monster attack gather.

"And also, you have not married. the rule is you can only adopt when you are married." she continue.

"I know"

"Then why?" she asks him with little loud.

"I don't know".

"Fuck... Captain please reconsider. you need to cool your head down first, okay? we must go to the temple to check his karma first and after that well talk later."

as she leaves the tent, she took a glance towards the inside for the last time. the tent is silent. a big man sits in front of an unconscious boy looking him worriedly.