The Eternal Imperium

Chapter 3: Never lose Hope

Coco wakes up as she finds her surroundings have changed once again. This time, Red had moved her to a lonely shed overlooking a small town. The roof and walls had some holes in them. The wood had been rotten and eaten through extensive beatings from the elements. A small fire crackled as it shined against the night sky. Red sat across the fire from her as he widdled a small wooden figurine.

Red: "You sleep well?" Coco remained quiet as she still remembered the attack on Shade. "*sigh* Here. Eat. You need to keep your strength." He hands her a small can of food, to which she sheepishly takes it and begins to eat.

Coco: "Why?" This seemed to pique Red's interest as he looked toward the young girl. "Why did they do this?"

Red: "From what I learned from Theodore last I saw him. Tensions between the other kingdoms and Atlas had increased since the Eternal Imperium first appeared. Even more so when the Emperor, a man named Kreel, announced his union of the Atlas Kingdom and the Eternal Imperium. I guess it was a matter of time before someone struck first. Guess this Kreel guy was quicker on the draw."

Coco: "Why weren't you there? Who are you?" Anger seemed to swell up as she asked him that question.

Red: "Well, truthfully, I'm not a Huntsman. Not by a long shot. I'm what you might consider a bandit. Nothing like the Branwen clan was, but more like a pirate, I suppose. Living freely outside the jurisdiction of the law and doing as I please. Please don't take it the wrong way. I'm not a bad guy. I help people where I can. That was how me and Theodore met. Eventually, I ended up owing him for a favor, and that scroll was him calling in that favor. To which here you are."

Coco: "So? What do we do now?"

Red: "Well, we'll head into the town tomorrow. Get you some new clothes and supplies. Then we'll go from there. Now I'm going to get some rest since I've been lugging you around all day."

Red relaxes as he closes his eyes and soon dozes off into his slumber. Coco looks on in confusion but also disgust. She had been given missions at times during her short time at Shade to take down bandits across Vacuo, just like Red. Now, she was supposed to trust one of these bandits.

The Next Day

Daylight hangs over the small town as the morning sun rises much quicker in Vacuo. Coco wanders through the dirt street as people merely watch her. She felt like a complete outsider as her attire was still damaged—a far cry from her high fashion wardrobe.

She hurried into a tavern, feeling it could give her some direction. She had chosen to abandon her new companion. There wasn't any way she could trust a bandit. Shade may not be standing anymore, but she was still a huntress. But that title now became a mark rather than a boon.

Coco is soon thrown out of the tavern as through the door exit four Eternal scouts.

Scout 1: "And here I thought the captain's orders were nonsensical."

Scout 2: "A huntress just walking up to the slaughter. Hah! Good fortune does exist."

The four scouts begin to beat on Coco as she was helpless to fight back. She may be a skilled huntress, but her specialty was ranged support. Her weapon was a large minigun, which sprayed an ungodly amount of destruction to those she pointed it at. It was her team that focused more on face-to-face combat.

The four scouts continued to beat on Coco, enjoying the small amount of fun they got to have before they would again have to wait for another helpless huntsman to stumble into the town. The townspeople didn't dare to interfere. They had been protected by the huntsmen of Shade Academy many times, but they were suddenly going to stand against the Eternal Imperium.