"That's everything, Mr. Lucius."

  Mina stood in the storage area beside Lucius as the young man finished loading the completed weapons into his storage ring. Aside from the weapons that Tiber's men would carry personally, Lucius wanted to keep the stash in his possession until he met with the base commander and could speak with him before handing them over. After glancing at the large pile of equipment in his storage ring, he waved goodbye to Mina and headed toward the front gate.

  Now that the defensive structures were built and the weapon supply was complete, it was time to begin the journey back to the base. The humans in the city had been desperately struggling to survive against the constant threat of goblins, so delaying the move any longer would be unwise.

  As Lucius stepped up to the gate he approached the group of soldiers, who were conducting last-minute equipment checks as they prepared for the journey ahead. Unexpectedly, Roland was among them. Aside from the gruesome scar running across his chest, the man looked perfectly healthy.

  "Roland! I didn't expect to see you here. Are you sure you're up for it?"

  Looking up from his rucksack, Roland grinned widely, slapping his scarred chest forcefully and sending a loud THWACK sounding across the area.

  "Between my cooking and that little healer of yours, I'm stronger than I've ever been! Hahaha!"

  Roland's attitude was always positive, and Lucius was glad to have the man along for the journey—it would make things more enjoyable, at the very least.

  As Lucius spoke to Roland, he noticed one of the soldiers looking at him in a strange way. It was an older man with a beer belly. Lucius had seen him around the construction area here and there but had never spoken to him.

  Raising one eyebrow, Lucius returned the man's stare for a few seconds before addressing him.

  "Can I help you with something?"

  The soldier with the protruding stomach blew air through his teeth, looking Lucius up and down in an arrogant manner.

  "Don't get any strange ideas about being worth more than you are. Tiber just wants you along because you can swing a sword. That doesn’t make you anybody's boss, kid!"

  Lucius narrowed his eyes and stepped toward the man, preparing to respond, but at that moment, Roland jumped between them, an angry scowl stretched across his face. It was the first time Lucius had seen Roland getting angry at anyone.

  "Shut your goddamn trap, Ronnie, before you say something you’ll regret!"

  The soldier named Ronnie gritted his teeth as he glared up at Roland. It looked like he was about to continue the argument when another soldier grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back into the group and stopping him from responding.

  Roland continued to stare in Ronnie's direction until he was sure the man had relented. Then he turned back to Lucius with an apologetic look on his face.

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  "Sorry about that, Lucius. Tiber put out the order last night that everyone is to follow any directions you give during this trip. A few of these knuckleheads didn’t like hearing they have another boss."

  Lucius' eyelid twitched slightly as he began to understand the situation better.

  "I see. Ronnie thinks I’m jumping past him in the pecking order. Is that it?"

  Roland chuckled, shrugging his shoulders.

  "Yeah. Is he wrong? Looks to me like he’s got it right. The way I see it, you’re gonna be running this whole community before long."

  Lucius shook his head and let out a sigh.

  "I’m not so sure that’s a good thing. I’ve never been in charge of anything before, and people are complicated."

  Roland slapped a hand on Lucius' shoulder, a wide grin spreading across his face.

  "Don’t worry about that. You’ll have plenty of friends to help you take care of things."

  At that moment, Tiber came walking out of the farmhouse with Mary and Patrick beside him. They appeared to be having a last-minute discussion about organizing the large group of people about to fall into their care. After a few minutes, the group made their way over to where Lucius and the rest of the soldiers were standing.

  Tiber moved to the head of the group as Mary and Patrick approached Lucius.

  "Lucius! The array formation should be fully charged by the time you return. We’ll wait for you before making the first test,"

  As her husband spoke about the defensive array, Mary stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Lucius, squeezing him tightly as she said goodbye.

  "Stay safe out there, Lucius. Little Maryanne will be upset if you get yourself hurt. Bring our new people back in one piece."

  Patrick gave the signal to the guards atop the wall to lower the drawbridge, and the group of men made their way out. Lucius walked beside Tiber and Roland while Garrick took up the rear of the formation. In this way, they headed down the dirt road into the forest.

  They made good time for the first few hours, encountering only a few F-Class creatures that the combined group easily dispatched. But as they approached the outskirts of the city, Sense Danger began sending Lucius an unclear signal about something waiting ahead on their path.

  At first, he received a clear warning about a D-Class threat, but as they moved closer, the threat began to fade before eventually disappearing entirely without a trace. No matter how hard he tried, Lucius could not sense it again. Narrowing his eyes, he let his gaze wander across the approaching buildings and whispered to Tiber.

  "Be careful. Something isn't right."

  Tiber glanced at Lucius, his brow furrowed, before nodding silently and signaling the men to close ranks. The group shifted into a more defensive formation as they moved forward.

  The only sounds in the area were light footsteps and the wind rustling through the trees—until the unmistakable cry of a human child filled the air. The men glanced at one another uneasily at the eerie sound, but Tiber’s orders remained unchanged, and they continued forward cautiously.

  Before long, the small body of a little girl came into view, lying face down on an abandoned car directly in their path. The soldiers eyes followed the direction of the crying sound back to the small, motionless figure.

  A frown stretched across Tiber's face as he studied the strange scene, bringing his men to a halt. He glanced toward Lucius, silently asking for his insight. Lucius shook his head to indicate he couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation.

  With a stern expression, Tiber signaled for two of his men to move forward and check the body. As he did, Lucius stepped forward.

  "Why don’t you let me scout ahead?"

  One of the soldiers assigned to the task, part of the same group that had caused trouble for Lucius earlier in the day, seemed offended by Lucius questioning Tiber’s orders. The man rushed forward to carry out his assigned task before Lucius could intervene.

  Tiber narrowed his eyes but ignored the brewing tension, signaling for Garrick and the other archers to cover the men’s approach.

  The two soldiers crept forward slowly, shields raised high as they scanned their surroundings carefully. Lucius kept his senses sharp, focusing on Sense Danger and preparing to act at a moment's notice.

  When the men reached the car, they looked around warily, still finding no signs of danger. The first soldier held his spear ready while his partner reached out, his entire body going tense as he gripped the small shoulder of the child to turn the body over.