Before Ashrik left as planned, he made sure that Lucille's core was stable. He didn't want any incident to happen during his absence, albeit brief.
What happened yesterday and today sent him into a panic. Fortunately, everything went under control within a short time.
Lucille sat on the bed, her feet brushing the wooden floor. With her hair draped over one shoulder, she quietly looked at Ashrik, who knelt before the bed.
He held her hands with his eyes closed, sensing any slightest disturbance within her. The two dogs sat on both of his sides, acting like supervisors.
The hanging white bulb brightened the entire room, allowing her to look at him properly. He was already in his gear, all black. As a long-range combat esper, he didn't carry a rifle or any other weapon.
After a few minutes, Ashrik let go of Lucille's hands. He said, "Keep your shield up. Even if it breaks down on its own, don't panic."
She hummed, understanding that he meant the guard she put around her core. It had come down on itself twice, so his advice was plausible.
"Brother Ash, I'll be fine," she stated firmly, not wanting to worry him further. "You should go now. Be careful."
Ashrik exhaled a sigh. He tried not to show it on his face, but deep down, he was terribly worried. He was afraid that a mishap would happen when he was away.
"I'll return as soon as I can," he promised.
As he rose to his feet, he glanced from the white to the gray Pekingeses. They stared at him in return, tongues lolling and eyes bright, looking foolishly adorable.
"Be excellent guards, okay?" He bent down to rub their chins, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Don't go play elsewhere."
"Woof! Woof!"
The two oversized Pekingeses circled Ashrik, as though promising him. Lucille laughed softly upon seeing this scene.
No threats such as zombies, wild animals, or evil humans existed in this space, but Ashrik still wanted Dobby and Ponyo to remain by Lucille's side. As for Captain Gao, he was still locked in the basement.
With a heavy heart, he stepped toward the door. Before he left, he gave one last reassuring glance at her. Then, the echo of his footsteps gradually receded before it vanished.
Lucille sighed, her brows furrowing. "He'll be fine, right?"
"Woof!"
Dobby licked her hand while Ponyo rubbed its nose on her other arm. Lucille felt both warmth and amusement, knowing they were trying to cheer her up.
"I can't stay up any longer," she said before dropping a kiss on their fluffy heads. "Stay here with me, okay? I'll sleep now."
"Woof! Woof!"
Despite being worried, she didn't force herself to stay awake. He had been reminding her not to put more unnecessary strain on herself.
She couldn't offer him support in her current state. So, the least she could do was not to burden him with more worry. He already had enough on his plate.
While Lucille slowly drifted to sleep, Ashrik had already left the space. He was now inside the forest near Blackstone Fortress, crouching on a sturdy branch of a towering tree.
The forest was cloaked in silence, only occasionally broken by the rustle of leaves and the hum of insects. Moonlight spilled through the canopy, faintly illuminating the figure on the tree.
Ashrik brought out a pair of binoculars to look at Blackstone Fortress that loomed in the distance. As he scanned its perimeters, he gazed at the outermost defense walls.
Armed guards, both espers and ordinary soldiers, patrolled the high steel walls. Despite appearing vigilant, their relaxed posture told him that nothing unusual was happening.
Ashrik checked his wristwatch; only one minute before midnight. The second hand ticked steadily. He reached for the walkie-talkie clipped to his belt, ready to contact Isaac at 00:00 as planned.
"Frost to Flame. Nest. Status?" he spoke quietly, referring to their plan to regroup.
There was a pause, then static crackled back before Isaac's voice echoed, "Flame here. Clear. Torch-5."
The reply meant they would regroup as planned in five minutes.
Ashrik exhaled softly, but didn't let his guard down. The forest was treacherous, especially at night.
One wrong move could draw unnecessary attention, be it the wandering zombies or the guards at the survival base. He waited, eyes scanning the ground beneath.
Five minutes later, the faint crunch of tires against the ground rang nearby, catching Ashrik's attention. Yet when he looked in the direction of the forest floor, nothing was there.
Not the faintest shadow of a truck and not even a silhouette of men moving through the dark. The low hum of the wheels rolling confirmed what was hidden before his eyes.
Isaac used his concealment ability to turn the truck invisible. The odd pairing of this particular ability and the fire one was deadly.
As a seventh-tier esper, Isaac was able to conceal even a big truck. While he couldn't completely mute the sound of it moving, the noise was much lower than usual.
Ashrik heard the tires stop moving as the invisible vehicle reached the rendezvous point nearby. Once the cloak of invisibility dissolved, a mud-splattered truck appeared.
From the tree, he saw four familiar figures disembarking. One of them, Isaac, tilted his chin up before saluting casually.
"Ash!" Isaac called out with a grin. His dark hair was damped with sweat, but his eyes glowed with mischief.
Ashrik leaped from the tree branch. His boots hit the ground with a dull thud. As he straightened his posture, he acknowledged them with a curt nod.
"Good work, everyone."
The others chorused their greetings.
Felix was loud and exuberant, Hazel polite but cool, while Regina gave only a firm nod. Ashrik was already familiar with their different temperaments.
"Get in," he ordered. His long legs strode toward the truck. "Let's move before they notice us."
To avoid any future trouble, Ashrik wouldn't bring them back into the space until they went further away from Blackstone Fortress. That was his usual method of operation.
"Aye, aye."
Felix sat behind the steering wheel while the others climbed into the backseat. Ashrik took the passenger seat, eyes still scanning the dark forest as the truck rolled forward.
The deeper they went, the denser and the darker the forest became. The branches scraped along the sides of the truck. Without them realizing it, half an hour had already passed.
Just as Felix turned onto another trail, a familiar bone-chilling sensation hit them. Ashrik quickly ordered him to stop. The truck screeched softly as Felix braked.
"Zombies?" Hazel whispered, also noticing the eerie shift in the air.
"Less than twenty," Regina stated calmly. "Not really a horde."
"Mostly lower-ranked zombies, I guess," Isaac whistled. "A bunch of second and third-ranked. I sense one sixth-tier too."
As high-ranked espers, they were more in tune with any change in their surroundings. They usually could tell zombies were approaching, even more so when the wind carried their low, guttural moans.
"Fight or hide?" Ashrik asked, referring if they wanted to quickly enter the space at this point, and then resumed their journey later.
"Of course, fight!" Felix sneered. "There's a sixth-tiered zombie! Just in time! I need its crystal!"
Hazel rolled her eyes while Regina and Isaac laughed. They had never shied away from fighting the enemies, unless it was really necessary to flee.
Ashrik snickered, "Alright, fight it is."
"GRRKKKHHHH!"
As they waited, the moans grew louder and closer. Pale figures emerged from between the trees. Their twisted limbs jerked as they aimed toward the truck.