"I don't understand, what do you mean they were wiped out?"
"It's the truth," replied the old man with a somber look.
Andrew was very confused. They were talking about concepts that he didn't yet fully understand. From his previous reading, he understood a little of what they meant by "defensive musician" or "offensive musician," but it still seemed strange to him.
"Aren't musicians just musicians?"
"Are you saying I'm a defensive musician?"
"Yes, you are."
Andrew thought about it. Offensive musicians had apparently wiped out defensive musicians, and now there was a race to capture Andrew.
"Who else is after me?"
"A lot of people."
Andrew looked the old man in the eye. His answers were instantaneous, and Andrew didn't like it. The wind blew against Andrew through the cabin door. These people weren't afraid of heights.
"If you can destroy houses with your songs, who would be afraid of heights?"
Well, in this place, maybe everyone. Andrew looked down and saw a vast arid expanse, ruins of ancient cities, and not far from where they were, a huge creature resembling a cross between an alligator and a bear lay in the middle of a huge soccer stadium.
It was a daunting sight. Now, these were the rulers of the earth.
Returning to the conversation, Andrew looked at the old man with a nervous look.
"So... are they coming for me?"
The old man looked out the helicopter door at the now distant city of Maderiú, the Maderiú curve still spinning and protecting the city.
"Probably. That's why I made sure to be the first to capture you."
Andrew's gaze turned somber, and frowning, he spoke haltingly.
"What... What are you going to do with me?"
"Use you," replied the old man with a smile.
A lump formed in Andrew's throat, his hands trembled, and a cold feeling grew inside him.
"How do you plan to use me?"
The old man and the hunters looked at each other, then smiled.
"We need you for an exploration in Nadira."
Andrew's eyes widened in surprise, and much of his fear vanished.
"Exploration?"
"To which area?"
Andrew asked worriedly. The Nadira was actually a large island in the middle of an endless sea. That was the most accurate description scientists could give. And on this large island, there were four areas. The main area, where humans had established their domain, was called the "Domain of Song." The second area, where Andrew had lost his squad, was called "Insect Hill."
These two areas are the least dangerous in Nadira, obviously based on the criteria of people who explored all of Nadira, or at least a large part of it. The third area is "Precursor Land." This place is completely unknown, and no reports have been made about this area since it is the most lethal area in Nadira.
The last is "The City of Oblivion." This area is capable of making you forget your entire being, slowly consuming you the longer you stay there. It is believed that an extinct race lived there.
"We're leaving Nadira Island."
Andrew was stunned.
"What? Leave the island?"
Andrew stifled a laugh. Leaving Nadira Island was madness, as there was nothing but an endless expanse of sea and creatures of at least category five.
In the past, a project had been funded to find more land on Nadira, but all that had been found was more sea and death.
Seven of these eight operations ended in the complete death of the explorers. The ships used were easily torn apart by the creatures that inhabited this sea.
"Yes, leave the island. What? Are you afraid?" said the old man with a smile.
The old man seemed to continue to radiate that self-confidence. It was unusual to see this in a madman.
"He's definitely crazy."
"Why try? There's nothing beyond the island."
"Are you sure?"
Andrew observed the confidence with which the man said things; he had total confidence in himself.
"Really?"
"Very serious."
Andrew was stunned. The man was serious. Andrew looked at the hunters, but the largest one just shrugged.
"And what's beyond that?"
The cabin fell silent. The four looked at each other, wondering whether or not to tell Andrew. Just in time, stopping the conversation, they had arrived at their destination.
"Perfect, I'll explain in more detail when we get to headquarters."
Andrew frowned doubtfully and looked out the open cabin door.
They were in an area that the European government had been unable to subjugate.
This area was called "Portugal" in ancient times.
Only ruins remained of what it once was.
And in the distance, a large structure that appeared to have been modified by the survivors stood tall above the city.
"Kid, welcome to Portugal's last bastion, the Palace of the Drum."
Andrew looked surprised. They had managed to build this without government help; it was impressive. The enormous palace stretched across almost the entire city, covered by a great wall made of all kinds of materials. At each corner of the wall, large antennas supplied energy to the entire complex.
"Did you achieve this without the government?" Said Andrew
"Yes, we don't need those idiots' dirty money."
It was amazing.
"How do you do it?" Andrew asked as he looked out over the beautiful city.
The hunter Jay looked at Andrew in confusion.
"Do what?" Jay asked.
Andrew regained his attention and looked at the hunter.
"How do you protect this place?"
The hunter Jay puffed out his chest.
"Isn't it obvious? We do it."
The muscular hunter barely managed to stifle a laugh. Then he decided to speak.
"We have five cursed singers."
"Five?!"
The boss smiled. This made sense. Cursed singers could not only open the Arches of Harmony to travel to Nadira, they also had the ability to calm melody creatures. These were very rare, as according to reports, there were only twenty cursed singers in the European domain.
The Orchestra had eight, and the symphony headquarters had four.
"Yes, they are responsible for protecting the city,"
said the hunter proudly.
Then, the helicopter began to descend. Andrew looked down; they were above a helipad, and two people were below giving instructions to the pilots with the typical light sticks.
The pilot landed efficiently and smoothly.
The hunters got out first, and the chief followed them.
"Let's go,"
said the old man, smiling confidently at Andrew.
Andrew sighed.
'Here we go.'
As he exited the helicopter, Andrew found himself being shielded from the crowd. Uniformed personnel were pushing people aside so that the chief and the hunters could advance, and Andrew was included.
The crowd cheered "Chief," who seemed to be very popular in his city. Some people looked at Andrew happily, but Andrew saw this happiness as the happiness a child feels when given a new toy.
These people saw him as an opportunity.
And Andrew desperately wanted to know why.
'Are my useless skills really not useless?'
Andrew bumped into a child who had slipped past the guards. Andrew looked at him a little sadly. The child seemed lost, dirty, and skinny, perhaps searching the crowd to find his parents. Andrew stopped walking and approached the child.
"Where are your parents, kid?"
The boy looked at Andrew's hand stroking his head, and his only reaction was to bite Andrew's hand and then run away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
'Ah, he reminds me so much of myself.'
Andrew picked up his pace to follow the Chief.
"Where are we going?"
Andrew asked confidently. He was somewhat surprised at how quickly he was adapting. But it was the only thing left for him to do. He was in the middle of nowhere, far from European rule and Maderiú. It was adapt or die.
"To headquarters. I'll introduce you to the team."
Andrew frowned; it was time to get serious.
He had to find out as much as possible; he couldn't continue to be manipulated.
The four of them walked until they reached a huge mountain. In the center of it was a large metal door that was slowly opening. Andrew sighed.
Inside, a truck was ready to take them away.
The boss and the hunters got in, and Andrew climbed into the back again.
The truck drove into the dark tunnel, as if the tunnel itself were swallowing the truck like a black throat.
The noise of the engine became more noticeable, the yellow lights barely illuminating the way, the echo of the engine became more evident, Andrew began to move his foot without realizing it, tapping out an anxious rhythm against the floor of the truck.
He was nervous. He didn't like this situation.
The moment he opened his mouth to say something, a dazzling blue light filled the tunnel, and Andrew sighed with relief.
They had arrived.
The truck parked and the four of them got out. Andrew was once again speechless. It seemed easy to surprise him, even though Andrew was quite used to surprising things, but lately he had been witnessing things that felt unreal.
Andrew looked at the enormous expanse of the barracks inside the large mountain. It was impressive. Looking up, Andrew could see dozens of bridges leading to different sections of the barracks. There were loudspeakers everywhere, and it was full of people working.
As Andrew stood there, stunned by the sight, two people approached them. When he saw them, Andrew knew immediately who they were.
The main team.
It was time to deal with what was truly important.
"Obel, you're back safe and sound! I'm glad."
said one of the women approaching. Andrew looked her up and down. She was tall, with dark skin and white hair. She was curious.
"Isabel, I'm glad you're okay."
replied the boss, Obel, affectionately. The two hugged, and behind her, a man also greeted the boss. Andrew frowned. He was surrounded by people he didn't know and therefore didn't trust. Andrew used to be extremely distrustful, and in this situation, he was very alert.
The man was tall, about the same size as the woman, and looked confident, perhaps overly so. He had a large scar on his left eye, his long blond hair was curious, and his wheat-colored skin stood out.
"Is this him?" the man asked, looking at Andrew.
Chief Obel nodded.
"That's right, before you lies the last defensive musician," said the old man proudly.
"Are you sure? He looks very weak."
Obel looked at Andrew and studied him for a moment.
"Maybe he is, but we can sharpen him up, you understand?"
The two looked at each other and smiled. The woman touched the chief's arm, interrupting him.
"But sir, he's not even first rank," said the woman worriedly.
"So what? He's a defensive musician, he'll work," said old Obel.
The three looked at each other in silence.
'Are they really treating me like an object so blatantly?'
Andrew had remained calm; staying calm was important in these situations, but a huge fire of resentment burned inside Andrew.
He wasn't going to sit idly by after they threatened to kill his mother.
'Oh, relax, trust me. I swear I'll finish them all off.'
Andrew looked at the four of them and frowned. Andrew's strategy was simple. He would use them to become powerful and then betray them.
Simple.