He was Almost Absorbed by the System

Chapter Fifty Eight - The Most Special

"Stay here."

"But..."

"Please, Willow..."

****

There had been a brewing argument between the hunters and the Outsiders on the matter of the infiltrator, one that the chief and the elders had to try calm, though old angst meant that many of the elders abandoned any neutrality to agree with the hunters anyway. It was the opinion of the Lead Hunter that his men should simply cut down all Outsiders that were in their realm, forget that these, who now stood before them had come to warn them prior to the infiltrator being spotted. They could deal with the lone man by themselves.

The Outsider sergeant had argued that there was no guarantee that the man was working by himself and even if he were, it was likely that he had ample protection upon his person that could deal with the attack of their favoured weapons. The Hunter had returned, how did they know that the soldiers were not working with this man? They might be here to shut them up!

A certain elder had thumped the Lead Hunter on the head with his walking stick and said "Fool, if he wanted us dead, we'd already be so." Slate had his a smirk behind his hand as his grandfather decided to take control of the situation. "You!" The old man said as he pointed at the sergeant. "What do you intend to do about the trespasser?"

"Take him back to out outpost, where he will be arrested and sent on a one way trip back to the stars," he replied, curtly.

"Good," The old man replied. "See to it then, the sooner you lot are out of our village, the happier everyone will be."

"Wait," Basalt said suddenly. "To get to the mining site, we need to pass through the southern caves. That area is tricky. It would be best if a few of us guide them."

Slate felt a sight heat upon the skin of his chest and secretly glanced at the large pendant's dim glow.

*Mission; Ensure you join the team heading to capture the trespasser.*

"I'll go," he volunteered.

Basalt frowned slightly and nodded before saying; "As will I."

"No!" The Chief suddenly moved to stop them. "You two are too important to this village to put yourself in danger."

"Important?" Slate questioned. "I can understand what you are stating when referring to Basalt, but I'm just a Hunter. I am expendable if it's for the sake of the village."

The Chief had no argument against Slate leaving and could only inwardly apologise to his precious daughter. "Still I..."

"Do you wish for some sort of assurance?" The sergeant asked, he knew his people required guides in this foreign landscape and believed he could trust the two cave people not to stab his own in the back due to old hatreds, unlike the other Hunters who were glaring at them still. "I will stay back with a couple of my men, while the rest are guided by your people. Then if mine fail to protect them, my life will be in your hands." The Chief's skin seemed to pale to an ashen shade. Even if anything were to happen, he could not imagine himself ordering the death of another in recompense.

The elder laughed. "I like you," grandfather claimed. "Let them go, Chief." With that settled, the sergeant put Song Jian in charge of the expedition. Han Huan and the female soldier were chosen to remain behind, though the former argued with his shipmate about the choice.

"It was my mistake," Xu Lin insisted on being the one to rectify it.

"Grandfather," Slate said, quickly, pulling the old man aside. "Will you take care of Willow for me?"