Multiple Warnings

For the next month, we kept attacking both parties. And we can tell they were feeling the heat.

Each attack was tougher than the last. Wildmen have adapted to Downpour and us by using lighter equipment. Meanwhile, Downpour adapted by well lighting bases and keeping a small batch of soldiers awake at all times.

They bothered too much. Despite their improvements, we still kept coming at them. Our original attacks gave them a sample of how brutal and intense we were going to be.

And by the looks and sounds of it, Specter made Downpour afraid of the dark. Honestly, who wouldn't be afraid of a giant faceless character with a chain and a pair of claws?

Not all of our attacks were successful. Sometimes we had a casualty, like a Phantom being horribly injured or the targets beating one of our teams.

But when scouts gathered me and Edward to tell us about some very important news, I felt some hope. Perhaps Wildmen have given control to Downpour? Maybe it was the other way around?

We met inside the armory, around the usual old table someone salvaged from the Stronghold. I've had my fair share of crazy things I've heard through my entire lifetime, but this one took the cake.

"Our efforts look like are being rewarded! There's a melody floating around this region. In two weeks, Downpour and Wildmen will make the region sing in an all out conflict. Along with that melody, there's a little hum that goes something like, 'Wildmen leader and Downpour leader!"

No way. This was very unlike both sides. Did we really drive them to this point? I won't complain. This has been our hope for the past month, to catch one of their leaders. Getting both would be even better.

Edward patted me on the shoulder. "Look what a little rough-housing can do to them. I'll keep this under the table for a little while. I'll send SST behind them to tell us more."

"SST?" I couldn't stop myself from thinking out loud.

Edward lowered his hand and shrugged. "Just a little something I've cooked in the background. SST or Suicide Scouts Team, these guys are perfectly aware of what they're doing. I only have a minimal amount of them."

"Wait, so are they there to die?"

"No. They are there to go behind enemy lines and listen in. You can't listen to some sweet music without it being published first, yeah? They go, drip feed other scouts, that information comes to us. Simple." Edward whispered.

Despite how morally wrong I felt by just knowing about it, I knew having them would benefit us. We need to take risks, especially now that we're about to lose our foothold here.

After our meeting, I told the rest of my team.

Their reactions varied. Warmonger excitedly hugged me for causing this amount of tension between the two parties. Specter said nothing, but their Phantoms looked pleased. Defender... she couldn't talk.

She was still trying to recover from what she saw during her mission. Warmonger secretly booked Defender into a mission she had to go to just a week before. Digging a deeper scar.

Edward called for an emergency announcement later that day. He stood on the white boulder in the middle of town while giving out his announcement.

"Throughout your time with us, you all have grown accustomed to hear what we're up to. Between our DRT personal, our teams of warriors, and you, there never have been any secrets." Edward paused.

A hint of concern and fright tainted his voice. Something very rare to hear from him.

"I've developed a new branch of scouts, called the Suicide Scouts Team, or SST. They are some of my best. My brightest and strongest. I trust them with gathering information about our enemies. And today we have found very worrisome information..."

Every murmur in the crowd went silent. Every fidgeting body went still. Every single eye and ear went to Edward.

"A giant battle between Downpour and Wildmen has been rumored to happen. Which may sound like a good thing for some. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Our town is in danger! These psychos are putting us all in danger!"

I felt cold. The announcement ripped away all the warmth from my body. I never was big into religion, but I was praying to something, someone, anyone. This didn't mean what I think it did.

"From here on out, we will be forced to move away from this town. And our greatest fighters will return to reclaim this region as ours! But for now, we can't protect all of you. It's a hard thing to hear, especially from me, but it's the brutal truth."

My blood, I could feel it boil. The faces in the crowd were mixed.

Some were confused, others were too innocent to understand. Then there were those who were crying, beside them those who fought had the look of a devil.

If these were the consequences, we will meet them head on. No reason to turn away and run. Warmonger used to whisper me a poem about a girl whose surroundings forced her into violence.

How she one day took it too far and had to face her demons head on. It sticks after hearing it once. This was developing just like her poem.

Someone from behind the massive crowd interrupted Edward's announcement. "Hey! I have my own announcement, one is personal, and the other comes from this creep I found."

Everyone's attention went to the person who called it out. They wore muddy armor and had a dagger attached to their left arm. In their right arm, they held someone who was bleeding.

"Go on, speak. You were very talkative when we met." The guy dropped the bleeding person down.

"AH! ENEMIES, FRIENDS! UNUSUAL FRIENDS! TWO VERY DIFFERENT ENEMIES WILL FIGHT ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER TO CLAIM THIS REGION!" The person spoke between gasps.

Warmonger broke apart from the crowd and picked up the person with one hand. They looked rough. Blood cleansed their greenish outfit.

I thought Warmonger was about to end their misery, but she had a distinct look of mercy in her. Before she could even speak, the person stopped moving. They weren't talking, not breathing.

The poor person didn't get to say much.

The warrior stepped past Warmonger and came closer to me. He brought his mouth close to my ear and whispered a description.

"Green eyes, silver hair, daring personality, and the rage of a devil. Could she be related to you?"

Before I could respond, they backed away and vanished into the crowd.

I was stunned. I was the only member of my family left. The place me and everyone related to me lived was... hit the hardest.

Too much in one day. For everyone. A threat of war, a threat of two factions coming together, and a mystery person. What could be next?