"Point A, Point B, Point C, Point D, only four points? What a joke, there has got to be more than that, right?" Despite us traveling for hours upon hours on foot, Ootaea's curiousity and energy never seemed to fade. Her voice was a bit raspy, but still, she was as energetic as ever. I, however, was not.
We had been walking for a long time, and my legs were telling me, "No more, no more, no more! We can't go on!" But, I was determined to keep going, so, against their wills, my legs continued to trudge on. My mind was telling me to take a break, to ask for a rest, but I was not about to do that. I wasn't going to show weakness, no, no way. It was my first mission... Alice wouldn't want me to fail on her behalf.
But, as much as I tried to convince myself that I could keep going, my body had other plans.
"Dofro! Are you alright?! We can take a break if you need to!" Leurnim said to me as I was hunched over, gasping for air.
"I'm fine, I'm just..." I couldn't quite find the proper excuse to say.
Ootaea looked at me and said, "Are you tired, Greenhorn? Hah! You should've ran more laps with me, maybe you would've had the stamina to last longer!"
"Shut it, will you?" I replied to her. I wanted to try and shut her down before getting on my nerves further, but…
"Ooh," She had a look on her face as if she figured something out, "Someone's a little grumpy! Are you sure you aren't tired?"
"I'm not tired, and I don't need a break... I-I can keep walking for days on end! Honest!" Though, I wasn't really being honest. I was tired, but not as much as my body was. But I was still tired. I couldn't keep this up forever... I suppose, maybe for a little bit, I could let my body rest... But, I wasn't about to tell her that, not directly anyways. "Look, I just... I just need a few minutes, okay? Then, I'll be fine..."
She puffed her chest out as if she was a proud bird. "See? I told you! You should've been running laps with me, you dumb ass! Your stamina would've increased if you did!"
I rolled my eyes at her comment, but she was right. My stamina was lacking, but I didn't need to hear that at the start of my first mission!
"Dofro, it's alright. We're a family in this squadron, we have each other's backs, you know that. You can take a break, we can all use some rest here! Right, guys?" The other squad members nodded and smiled at me, they didn't seem to mind taking a break at all. "Alright then, let's take 5!"
I sighed, and sat down on the ground. "Thanks, guys."
"No problem, Greenhorn!" Ootaea exclaimed, "Now, let's settle and talk about something!"
I looked at her with an unamused stare, what exactly did she want to talk about? I had a bad feeling that it would be something asinine and childish, but I couldn't bring myself to care. It would be a good distraction from my thoughts, and I'd rather talk about anything than the fact that I was tired. I just hoped that this conversation wouldn't be too stupid, but I highly doubt it will be anything else, considering who Ootaea is.
...
After everyone went on the side of the road to rest, Ootaea immediately bombarded me with questions, "So, Doffy-O-Doffy, what's your favourite food, and why is it pizza?" She asked me, sitting on her knees with a glance that showed that she was interested in knowing more about me.
I sighed. I just knew the first question would be stupid enough to make me regret being alive. But regardless, I had enough decency to respond, "First of all, Dofro, not Doffy-O-Doffy. Second of all, it's not pizza. Third of all, I don't know what my favorite food is."
She leaned closer towards my face, invading my personal space, and said, "What? No! The mess hall lady told me that you were eating pizza! She even said you were eating it everyday!"
I sighed, and rubbed my temple, "Just... Just because I eat pizza doesn't mean it's my favourite, capiche? I could just have a strong preference towards it, but that's about it."
"Wow, you're really uptight, aren't you?" She said, "What's your favourite animal, then?!"
"My... favourite animal?" I replied, confused at why the conversation even derailed to being about animals.
"Haha... You two are a lively bunch!" One of the rookies of the squad said. He had a smile on his face as he was watching us two talk, it felt... Uncomfortable, to say the least. But not too bad, can't complain.
"So! So! So! What's your favorite animal?" Ootaea asked again, seemingly really eager to know this for some reason.
"Uh... If I had to choose, it'd be the subterranean pangolin..." I responded, thinking of a random animal that would surely make her think, 'Wow! This guy knows his animals!'... Hopefully.
"Oooo! Good choice! Good choice! They're really small and rare to find, but they have really cool armor and spikes that can cut through metal! They're really cute too! I'm surprised you know about it!" Hah, bingo, she's totally amazed! And now that she's been wowed, surely no more questions will come... "Mine is the blue whale, because I love big things and whales are cool! I heard that they can weigh up to 200,000 kilograms! That's huge!"
She had both her hands cusp each other for a moment and her smile became a straight line and her eyes shrank as her stare turned towards a random direction. She then muttered to herself something that I couldn't quite understand. But then she suddenly turned back to me, "And!! What's your favourite color?" She asked me.
I had to pause for a second, "I... I don't have a favourite color. I don't really care about colors that much." The others around us began talking and asking each other questions in a similar manner, looks like she really got the ball rolling for everyone, which was good, it felt like a nice little ice breaker for the group. "Why do you ask?" I suppose I could ask something in return.
"What do you think, dummy? Because I wanna know more about you! You're a mystery to me, Greenhorn! I just wanna crack that shell that keeps you so tight lipped and quiet all the time. You should tell me a little bit about yourself!"
Huh, about myself? I didn't know what I was supposed to say, it's not like I have a great memory. "To be frank, I don't really remember much from before I met Alice... Remember..." Remember? That's weird, why can't I remember anything? The only detail I know about my past is my father, Laz. I can't remember anything else... "Remember... Remember..."
"Doffy?" Ootaea asked me, a worried expression on her face.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry, I just spaced out for a second there. Yeah, sure. The only thing I can really tell you is... My father was Laz, one of the great Metalheart Hunters from back when the ADF was initially made, I can't remember anything else though." I said.
"Oh? Your father is the Great Laz? Dofro, you must be quite the skilled hunter!" Leurnim said.
I shrugged, "Not quite, I didn't really inherit any of his capabilities, and I wasn't exactly trained by him to be an ADF Soldier either. He died before I was born, is all I know."
"Still, to be the descendant of such a great man... I'm sure you can reach his greatness, or perhaps, even higher!" His smile beamed with positivity, it was refreshing, it was something that I needed right now.
"Man, Greenhorn... You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, eh?" Ootaea said, looking at me with envy.
"No, not really, I was an orphan for a while since I never met my actual mother, either. I lived on the streets for a while until I found Alice, who is now my late wife. I lived a simple life with her until that happened... Then the ADF picked me up and brought me to their headquarters, which is where I am today. That's basically how it went."
"Haah? So there's a gap between you two. They say, like father, like son... But you're not your father, so you can't reach his greatness..." Ootaea said to me, her tone seemed more questioning than mocking, but I still couldn't help but feel a little offended by her words.
"To say being the Great Laz is inhuman is an understatement... He was a monster! He completely eradicated a nest of Metalhearts all on his own in his prime days! That's just not human!" One of the rookies added on, she had a look on her face as if she were thinking, 'Wow, this is my chance to become an ally to a man who will become the next Great Laz.'
I didn't know what to say, perhaps I shared too much information...?
"But, Greenhorn, don't let the legacy of your father get to your head! You can become your own man, you can be your own person, and you can forge your own path in this world! I believe in you! Everyone... Yip, yip, hooray!" Ootaea said, raising her fist in the air.
The rest of them followed, and I was soon surrounded by a chorus of "Yips" and "Hoorays!", I felt a bit uncomfortable at all the attention I was getting, and I felt like my cheeks were a bit warm, I guess I appreciated the support nonetheless.
"Alright, alright, guys, that's enough. Let's get moving, we have a mission to fulfill..." Leurnim, with a commanding voice said.
"Yes sir!" The squad replied in unison.
"Ootaea, you stay in the middle of the formation, with me, Dofro, you stay at the front, as is the position of a Greenhorn." Leurnim ordered.
"Understood." Though, him saying Greenhorn felt more condescending than the usual times Ootaea said it.
I walked to the front of the line, as the group began to follow behind me, I kept walking, feeling like a sheep herder.
"Stay alert! As it is night time, bandits might be more active, so we cannot let our guard down." Leurnim said to the squad, the rest of them responded with a chorus of yes's. I didn't really have a problem with keeping watch, as long as I didn't have to talk to anyone.
As we walked, I could feel the air getting colder, and the sky getting darker. I could hear the sounds of a nearby village and its people, they sounded lively and full of life, a stark contrast to the barren path that we were walking.
Perhaps, if Alice never died, I would be one of those people.
Perhaps, if Alice never died, I wouldn't have to do any of this.
Perhaps...
No, screw that line of thought. Focus is the most important thing here.
I looked around at our surroundings, keeping my eyes open, but not really seeing much. Just a dark, empty road, illuminated only by the moonlight, and the occasional street lights that shone brightly, lighting up the path ahead.
"Damn... It's really dark here, I don't feel safe..." One of the soldiers commented, I think it was that one rookie from earlier who was talking about how my dad was inhuman. Though, frankly, I didn't care enough to remember her voice.
"You got that right, I don't think there's any Amalgamates around here, but I don't think we're safe, either..." Another one said.
"Come on, guys, we're a team, we can do this! We're the best of the best, right?" Ootaea said in an enthusiastic voice, trying to keep their spirits up.
She really was a good morale booster, even if I found her annoying, she was the glue that held this team together, even if she had just joined.
'Ootaea, you are a ray of sunshine in the darkness. You always know how to make everyone smile. You are the best thing that has ever happened to this team!' Is probably what they're thinking, but I doubt they're going to say it to her face, after all, she's a rookie too.
"Hey, Greenhorn, do you think you could walk any slower!? At this rate, we're gonna reach the convoy by two days!" Ootaea said to me, clearly annoyed that I was slowing the squad down.
"Fine, fine. I'll try to keep up." I replied, walking faster. Though, I felt like she wasn't being entirely honest with me, she was probably just trying to get under my skin.
...
Finally... After so much walking... I made it! I finally reached the town, the convoy is here! I can finally... FINALLY get a break!
"Ah! The convoy!" Leurnim shouted, "Good job team, we completed the first step!" He said, as the other soldiers cheered.
As we approached the convoy, we were met with a man who was probably in charge of it, he had a large mustache, and a big gut. He was wearing a suit and tie, and had an air of importance about him.
Behind him was a woman, a soldier to be more specific, she seemed to be holding a gun, as if she was guarding the man, she had an air of coldness to her, a gaze that made me feel uncomfortable in her presence.
"Hello there! Welcome, we had been awaiting your arrival. I see you have brought the entire trainee squadron, excellent. Take a break if you must, but don't go wandering too far. We will offer you food and shelter for the moment, then we will take off in a few hours." The man said.
"Thank you, sir Ludec. We will take a rest in the town, and report back in a few hours." Leurnim replied, taking off his hat and saluting to the man. The rest followed, so naturally I did too.
While Ludec and Leurnim were having a discussion, the female soldier eyed all of us with suspicion, and I couldn't help but feel like she wanted at least one of us dead... I didn't know why, but her eyes gave off a really eerie vibe.
I decided to ignore the soldier and move towards the convoy, and as I got closer I noticed a lot of soldiers surrounding it.
And worst of all, the closer I got, the sky behind it got darker and darker. I wasn't too sure what to make of this, but it was probably...
"Ah, is this the Blue Void that they kept talking about?" Ootaea muttered behind me.
"I suppose it is. I can't help shaking off the urge to jump into it." I replied to her.
"Greenhorn, you feel it too? Huh... That's kinda strange, but I guess I'm not the only one that's weird, so it's fine."
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Ah, it's nothing, really... Well... I'm not too sure if it's a good thing to say, but the urge is really strong... Like, really, really, really, really strong... It feels like my body wants to become one with... Haha, sorry. That was a stupid thing to say." She broke a sweat as she said that, was she trying to hold back? Probably, she looked really tense.
To be honest, I understood what she meant. Looking at the Blue Void, it was hypnotizing. It spanned as wide as the sky, and the closer I stepped, the stronger the pull became. It was as if I was being drawn to it, like a moth to a pile of burnt flesh. But, I knew it would be best to not give in... But I wanted to, I wanted it, I needed it...!
Only then, I felt a hand grab my shoulder, snapping me out of this trance. "You two, come on, let's not get too close to the Void." Leurnim said, with a smile on his face. It seemed as if he could resist it somehow.
"Ah, right. Sorry" Ootaea and I said in unison, we both turned around and began to follow him.
"Man! How do you get to stay normal even after seeing that!? You're inhuman!" Ootaea exclaimed, pointing at him with her finger.
"I don't think it's anything to be proud of, but I've been met with this boundary many times before, you grow used to the urge, but it never fades." There was a hint of pride in his voice, but I'm not sure how to describe it. It was a strange combination of pride and sadness.
"You're a monster, Leurnim! A monster!!" And as usual, Ootaea returned to her usual self after she recovered from the hypnotizing effect of the Blue Void.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, rookie. Come on, we have a lot of stuff to eat!" It was as if... This guy knew exactly how to entice her! Damn, this guy is good at reading people.
"Food! Food! Food!!" She said, running ahead of us, her footsteps echoing through the fresh morning air, the sun was just rising, and we had just arrived in the town where the convoy is.
Things aren't too bad here, if I stay long enough, I could get used to this vibrant atmosphere. It felt like a nice change of pace from the boring ADF building. The town was bustling with people. The people I came with, I felt a closer bond with. I could almost say, we were like a small family. But then again, that'd be recycling what Leurnim said.
A smile broke out on my face as I watched her, her happiness was infectious as the others followed behind saying 'Food! Food! Food!' in unison.
I think... I'll be fine.
I'll be fine.