< Madman’s Plan (Part 1) >
Ramphil couldnt remember the last time he was in agony. As he thought about the consequences of his decision, he could not make a decision on a whim.
The Warlord was not asking for an answer, and Ramphil did not try to answer. The Warlord only started a topic. The Warlord simply wanted Ramphil to be aware of what was at stake.
I have something else to tell you, Ramphil finally spoke up.
And what would that be?
I was attacked by a group of Reavers on my way here.
At Ramphils story, the Warlord became gloomy. Ramphils group came to the fortress on a Wargrave vehicle. The fact that Ramphil was attacked meant that the Reavers attacked a Wargrave vehicle on purpose.
The Reavers were beginning to covet the Wargrave equipment.
Were there any losses?
Fortunately, no. But we simply fended them off, so there are still Reavers remaining.
Hmm We didnt care much about them because they were scavenging trash but this is a different story, then.
The Warlord could not stay still after learning about the Reavers attack on a Wargrave member. If anyone was hostile to Wargrave, Wargrave would swiftly deal with the enemy.
I think they are aware that many troops didnt return to the fortress. It is possible that the Reavers learned of the defeat of the Wargrave forces and were acting aggressively. The Warlord was furious that the Reavers were ignoring the power of the fortress. But the Warlord was even more furious that the fortress was unable to take action against the Reavers.
As you can see, our hands are full dealing with the monsters in the MCP.
We have no issue in defending the fortress
The fortress was safe because there was nothing the Reavers could do about the automatic turrets on the wall. But it was more about the pride of the Wargrave. The Warlord was mad that he couldnt finish off some rogue Reavers.
But the Warlord couldnt do much, and bit his lips. But his worry didnt last too long. In front of him, there was a superb Wargrave soldier.
Executor, I have a suggestion.
Please speak.
We will repair and use the vehicle that you brought in, and well offer you a new vehicle.
Is it a fair exchange?
Yes. Please understand that we are short of vehicles.
Ramphil would give up a beat up vehicle in exchange for a brand new vehicle.
As part of the deal, would you be able to wipe out the Slaughterhouse? The Warlords request was reasonable, as executors were usually given such requests. Executors were not usually compensated for fulfilling requests. However, the Warlord was willing to offer him a new armored vehicle. Whatever choice Ramphil made, he needed an armored vehicle to travel.
Ramphil had to discuss the matter with Zin and Leona. Let me discuss this with my team.
Discuss?
The Warlord couldnt understand why a mighty executor would need to discuss things with his team. Ramphil walked out of the room after speaking.
—
Zin was eating ramen, and nodded as Ramphil talked about the situation. It looks like things are going to get delayed either way.
Slurrrp!
Leona was astonished as she watched Zin. Zin was eating his fifth bowl of ramen. Leona was worried that Zin, who usually ate a set portion, was eating too much ramen.
And after experiencing the fiery taste of ramen, Leona thought that Zin was not eating but inflicting pain on himself.
Its going to take some time to repair the armored vehicle anyways. A delay was inevitable, and it was better to accept the request and receive a new vehicle. Zin finished drinking all the ramen broth and looked at Ramphil. And I am pretty good at that kind of job.
Zin looked like a hunter who was ready to score big. He was not going to let a good opportunity to earn some extra chips go by.
—
Ramphil went back to the Warlord with Zin accompanying him.
This is hunter who I am traveling with.
A hunter I heard about you. The Warlord quickly scanned the hunter. He looked like an old man, a middle aged man, and a young man at the same time, somehow ageless. The Warlord had a hard figuring out the age of the hunter. But he knew that Zin was definitely experienced based on his impression.
Unlike the other Wargrave soldiers, the Warlord did not underestimate this hunter who came from the wilderness. A seasoned hunter was more dangerous and fearsome than an old monster. The Warlord thought that Zin was not someone who should be underestimated.
I am willing to participate in and wipe out the Reavers if you are willing to give me a small reward.
Executor, is this a tough request?
The Warlord felt uncomfortable that an outsider was getting involved with a matter of the Wargrave. Zin also didnt think that it was necessary for him to get involved. Zin was going to rest up if the Warlord was going to refuse. However, Ramphil gave an unexpected answer.
Its not difficult. But the hunter has far more experience dealing with the Reavers than I. I am sure that he will be able to provide great assistance in searching for and wiping out the Reavers completely.
Zin was very surprised that Ramphil would speak of him so highly.
Ramphil emphasized that Zin would compliment him. Ramphil objectively explained that Zins role was important, and knew what areas he was lacking in after travelling with Zin.
As Ramphil stressed that he would be able to kill all the Reavers with the help of Zin, the Warlord pondered.
Hmm I see your point. You probably lack experience navigating the wilderness because you were just appointed as a temporary executor That explains why you are travelling with a hunter.
The Warlord didnt exactly know why the executor was travelling with a hunter, but he believed the hunters knowledge would help the executor in carrying out his mission. He didnt question them anymore.
The Warlord was willing to allow Zin to accompany Ramphil, as long as they could exterminate the pesky Reavers.
The Warlord started to get down to business. How about fifteen hundred?
Good.
That short conversation was enough for the negotiation.
—–
Wargrave was generous with chips, as they had an abundant amount of them. Zin received half of the promised amount, and waited a day for his coat to be cleaned.
So mister. You are going out to smash the Slaughterhouse?
Yes, sort of.
Leona shook her head, as Zin was talking as if he was going out for a simple walk. Leona was amazed that Zin spoke with such confidence.
You wait here.
I dont want to become a burden by following you.
Leona knew when to follow and not to follow, and she believed that Zin and Ramphil would take care of the matter without any issues. She was more than happy to continue to stay at such a clean and comfortable place.
Man why are they staring at me, sheesh.
Leona frowned every time when strangers walked by the unit and looked at Leona through the window.
Especially kids came right up to the window, and jumped to see the inside of the unit. They were not interested in the visitors.
Zin spoke up, Why dont you say hello to your fans?
I am not used to this kind of thing, Ramphil admitted.
All the focus was on the executor who had visited the fortress. News quickly spread throughout the fortress that an executor had come there. The kids heard about the news, and came to visit the executor whom they admired.
Ramphil did not expect this would happen, and didnt know how to react. He had never received so much attention before, so he didnt know how to respond.
Zap!
Ramphil closed the curtain on the window. Zin promptly started to tease him.
The great executor just crushed the dreams and hopes of the young children. Oh, what a pity.
I didnt care much when Leona said that you were a jerk. But now I can see that you are a jerk.
Haha I didnt know that you could use such word.
I am a human too, after all.
Zin smiled and laughed as he saw Ramphil get agitated for the first time.
Ramphil crossed his arms, and waited anxiously. Leona saw that Ramphil was shaking his legs, and soon she was laughing too.
It appeared that Ramphil was not a cold-hearted soldier. Ramphil was uncomfortable getting so much attention, and it seemed that the role of the executor was not a good fit for him.
Alright, lets rest up. Well have to leave tomorrow, Ramphil said as he looked to Zin.
Zin pointed at the clock in the room. Surprisingly, there was a clock in the fortress. Executor. Were not even close to bedtime, yet.
As Zin mocked him, Ramphil gnashed his teeth, and dropped his head. He was hoping that this shameful time would pass by soon.
——
The next day, Leona ate A-rations instead of C-rations. She had the chance to taste real cooked food. She was amazed after she tasted food that people used to eat in the pre-Apocalyptic days. She was also astonished to see the fortress kids complain about the food.
This is a problem. Leona was getting worried as she was getting lazier. Similar to the residents at the castle, the people in the fortress went to work after finishing the meal.
People have similar lifestyles wherever they live. There are slight but meaningful differences between groups of people.
I agree.
Zin and Leona chatted as they were eating.
Wargrave never shared any knowledge of technology with outsiders. Leona started to poke Zin as she remembered something.
Can we buy Wargrave weapons? Leona thought that she would become a powerful hunter if she got a handle on the modern weapons of the Wargrave. Zin shrugged as he listened to Leonas question.
Well, they dont sell them in the first place. And they are hard to use, and also hard to repair.
There was a reason that Zin stuck to firearms. Wargrave weapons were powerful, but it was tricky for Zin, a hunter, to use such weapons. And Wargrave was extremely strict about the distribution of their weapons.
And I dont like using weapons that expose my location during battle.
Laser weapons had the problem of exposing the location of the shooter because of the bright laser beam. It was optimal for long range shoot-outs, but suboptimal for ambush attacks.
Good for nothing, then. Maybe Ramphil could help us? Leona shrugged, as she expected such an answer. Ramphil also felt uncomfortable about providing them with Wargrave firearms.
Sorry, I cant.
Ramphil was part of the Wargrave organization, and he was strict about maintaining the secrets of the Wargrave technology. It was obvious for a soldier to follow the rules, and Leona shrugged as if she knew about it.
Before leaving, Ramphil took out some supplies that he had requested.
I can still supply you with anything that is not a weapon.
And Ramphil took out military supplies that were mostly clothes. Leona received new clothes, including pants, bags, and t-shirts.
You will have to return the clothes that you are wearing now, but you can take these out with you.
Some of the items were socks, underwear, and new shoes. Ramphil was detail-oriented and prepared five sets of clothes for the group.
This is much better than weapons, Zin spoke up in amazement as he put on boots that were made with synthetic leather. All the items had the Wargrave marks and logos removed. The team quickly changed out of the first clothes they had been given from the fortress.
Awesome!
Leona was so happy that she got a new pair of shoes, and jumped around with joy. Zin had a new pair of black pants, and a t-shirt. Zin always wore his coat, and Leona did not know how buff Zin was.
She finally saw how buff Zin was as he wore clean clothes.
Leona was briefly amazed and speechless at Zin, who looked so masculine. Of course, Ramphil was not interested in how muscular Zin was.
Ok, lets go. All the weapons have been repaired, so we just need to pick them up.
Hmm. The repairs are all done?
I gave orders to prioritize the hunters weapons first. Ramphil gave out the orders as an executor as he wanted Zin to have his best weapons ready. All Zins weapons were cleaned and ready, in excellent condition.
Dont get hurt.
Okay, Leona replied as she watched Zin walk out the door. Zin just nodded quietly and left. The two did not get too worried for one another, but they knew that they cared.
—
While the executor and the hunter were on a mission, all that Leona had to do was enjoy life in the fortress.
Leona rolled around on the bed, and then stood up all of a sudden.
so complicated.
Leona didnt know how to express her emotions. She knew that she would be of no help to Zin, but she didnt feel comfortable.
It was hard to pick up the slack as part of the team, and Leona knew that Zin was no ordinary hunter.
Only someone like Ramphil would be able to help out Zin. In the last battle with the Reavers, Ramphil perfectly carried out the attack that Zin asked him to.
Leona thought that she had a long way to go before becoming a skilled hunter.
Feels like crap.
Naturally, Leona was getting depressed. She knew that she couldnt help Zin in any way. Leona kept on rolling on the bed, as she didnt know what to do.
Do I need to leave?
Now I am thinking of stupid stuff because I am too comfortable and well fed.
Leona wanted to scream out loud, but she knew that people would look at her as a crazy kid.
Knock. Knock
Hmmm?
Leona heard a knock on the door that cleared her mind.
what is this? Leona opened the door as she thought that Zin returned, but she murmured as she saw a big group of kids gathered in front of the unit.
One of the girls who had brown hair and seemed to be the same age as Leona walked up to Leona and started talking, Hey! Arent you a visitor?
The girl looked at Leona, and she seemed to be the kid who brought everybody else to the unit.
Um, uh yeah, whats up?
If you are okay, lets play together. The kids started to nod.