"Talib! Numbers! Explain! Quick!" Siegfried rushed toward Talib and Blake with Boris, Sayen, and the freed and confused prisoners close behind as explosions began to rock the compound. "What are we dealing with?"
"So they do exist...." Talib quietly mumbled to himself as he thought before quickly addressing the others. "They were thought to simply be tall tales from older soldiers that had fought in the early days of the war to scare the younger generation and make them work harder, but I see that wasn't the case. From what I remember of those tales, the 'Numbers' were artificial mortals made up entirely of humans and were the best of the best compared to their 'normal' counterparts. Their 'eternal sun' mark over their chest burned with an emerald flame as opposed to the regular cobalt flame, and on the mark, there were numbers that supposedly indicated how strong they were; the smaller the number, the stronger they were. They were apparently unaffected by the movements of the suns and moons. It's also said that they had an almost limitless pool of magic to pull from within their bodies. Other than that, they were told to be stronger, faster, and smarter than the rank and file artificial mortals, who already outshine the average soldier. If they're here, then our forces are in trouble." Talib had returned to the terminal, trying to finish copying all he could.
"Okay, not good. We need to head up and help our forces as soon as possible." Siegfried began to pace as he thought of what to do.
"No, there's no time! We have more important things to take care of. We have to make sure that this place is destroyed and that we gather all the information we can." Blake stepped forward to stop Siegfried from pacing around.
"And abandon our forces out there; just let them die?" Siegfried glared at Blake in rage.
"Yes! That's war. We are at war, and sacrifices must be made. They knew what they were signing up for when they joined the military." Blake refused to back down from Siegfried.
"And what of Sayen's tribe? They were an innocent group that was forced into the fighting; is their sacrifice necessary?" Siegfried began to step toward Blake while Boris and Sayen stood back, uncertain of what to do.
"Again, yes! They knew what they were getting into! Let it go and focus on finishing the mission you were given!" Blake tightened his grip on his watch as it began to glow.
"I hate to admit it, Siegfried, but Blake may be right. Everyone knew what this assault meant; they knew the dangers...., but the wolf therian tribe did not have much choice in the matter...truthfully, I am uncertain as to what we should do...." As Blake and Siegfried grew closer to exchanging blows, Boris let a sigh pass his lips.
"Sayen? Talib? Your thoughts?" Siegfried practically yelled at the two while not taking his eyes off Blake.
"I don't know; I truly don't know. What Blake says is true, but they are also my friends; my family...what to do...." Talib slowed his pace at the terminal, lost in thought again.
"To the abyss with this nonsense. We can hear their screams through the coms as we speak. That's my family out there; I'll not just stand here while they fight for their lives against impossible forces. I'm going to back them up, whether any of you like it or not!" Sayen began to turn and leave for the surface when Blake grabbed her by the arm.
"You agreed to this mission, just like the rest of us. You have a duty to see this through." Blake glared at the others one after another. "We all agreed that this mission was necessary, that we had to see it through. You can't abandon it just because it got hard. Grow up; life isn't that easy."
Once Blake released Sayen's arm, she stood there, unable to figure out what to do. The silence that followed lasted only a second before a shout. "TO THE ABYSS WITH YOU AND YOUR MISSION, YOU BASTARD!" A forceful blow connects to Blake's face. With all the force he could muster in one fist, Siegfried struck Blake hard enough that he left the ground and slammed against the wall behind him. "I know what you mean; sacrifices are necessary in war; it's inevitable! But there's no point in those sacrifices if we sacrifice everyone. If their sacrifice wasn't necessary for victory! They needn't die today just so we can destroy this gods' forsaken compound!" Siegfried trembled with rage as Blake staggered up onto his feet again.
YOU ARE READING
Bodanen: Cobalt War
FantasyThe world of Bodanen has known war for forty-five years, but outside the capital of An-ox in a small trading town, a less than average farmer has grown up relatively peacefully. When the war comes to his home, he finds his aptitude for violence to b...
