Soon, everyone was in the courtyard.
The courtyard was a patchwork of cracked stone and salvaged barricades. Faces looked tired in a way the Tower didn't erase, that hollow-eyed readiness of people who knew the day might be the one that ended them.
Some had weapons. Most had junk. A few had that desperate look of men hoping today's gamble would fix everything.
"Be sure to take a good look at this base. Because it might be the last time we come back here." The boss said as he turned, "We'll head to the shop. Get our shit and get done with this hunt. Don't get caught in the Snake's trap when we meet them, Capeesh?"
He spoke like he owned the air. Like the base was a real fortress and not a pile of walls, the Ifrit's zone would eventually swallow. Still, the speech did what it was meant to do. It focused them. It made them feel like a plan existed. Plans were comforting, even when they were lies.
"Yes, sir!" everyone replied as if they were soldiers in the military.
