Chapter 207 - Into the Crater

"So, let me get this straight."

Neana was still annoyed, now more than before.

"You had every opportunity to get rid of your ex-girlfriend, forever, and you decided not to take it? Not only that, but you also managed to deliver that bitch to her boyfriend?"

"Yeah," Rynold answered hesitantly, "Neither of which was intentional, by the way. As far as coincidences go, that was pretty much it. I couldn't really tell what was going on in my head back then. I certainly didn't expect to find her out here."

Expecting Neana to get even more upset, Rynold was surprised that she calmed down instead. The expression on her face softened as she giggled and shook her head.

"That sounds just like you," Neana said as she smiled at Rynold; her tone became audibly softer. "You did the right thing. Who you chose to save was a bit- questionable. But, all in all, you chose to do the right thing, regardless of whether you liked it or not."

"You're not mad?" Rynold foolishly asked.

"Nah," Neana turned to the kid and ruffled his hair, "I just thought that you guys had a thing going on that let her walk all over you. As it turns out, I was wrong. But, it is good to know that you aren't afraid to defend me when things go south. And, besides, if I get jealous over that bitch, I'd be no better than her."

Hearing that more than welcoming response, Rynold wholeheartedly smiled. He knew Neana was understanding, but not to this extent. It was at this moment that Rynold found even more reason to appreciate her. It was, quite honestly, more than enough to profess his love right now.

But, there was a better time and place for something like that. As the door suddenly flung open from behind them, the soldier stepped out of the building.

There was a sense of hostility directed at Rynold, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

"You're the one leading us there?" Rynold asked as the soldier approached him menacingly.

"Yes," the soldier stiffly answered, "The madame made my orders clear and would like to express her..., apologies. She ordered me to direct you to where you will be staying tonight."

Rynold, showing his doubt, didn't feel comfortable with the threat directed at him. If this guy weren't some soldier that followed the rules, he would've undoubtedly attacked Rynold already. The aggression wasn't misguided, though, as Rynold knew did punch him pretty hard.

"Won't there be a conflict of interest? After all, I did put a number on you," Rynold asked, not hiding anything.

"I understand your concern. However, the madame believes that there is no one else suitable for the job. Nobody else understands your particular situation. Nor do they know the exchange you and the madame had. It is up to me to fulfill this task."

From what Rynold could tell, this guy was stiff as all hell. He didn't relax or display any emotion. The only indication of any emotion was the vibe he was giving off. And, even though the hostility was still pointing at Rynold, the soldier didn't let it sway his orders.

In other words, the guy was the perfect soldier.

"Okay," Rynold smiled and nodded. Even though Rynold knew what the soldier's stand towards him was, Rynold had a way or two to convince him otherwise. "Lead the way."

"How're you feeling, kid?" Rynold asked as they followed the soldier once more. He did so because he wasn't sure if the kid was feeling alright.

The kid was more of a closed book than anyone Rynold's ever met.

"I'm fine," he answered coldly.

"I get it," Rynold said as he moved along, "You don't want anyone to know your private thoughts. That's fine. But, once in a while, you have to open up. You don't have to do it to me, and it doesn't have to be right now either. But, eventually, you're going to need to do it. Otherwise, it'll eat you up inside. It's important for you to know that humans are their own worst enemy. And, talking about one's problems is one way out of that."

"I understand," the kid answered in the same cold voice. He didn't even look at Rynold when he answered. The kid just stared at the ground as he kept on walking.

"Good," Rynold nodded in satisfaction as he turned his head to Neana. She was looking around and taking in the sights, not that there was anything interesting to see.

"Do all humans treat each other like that?"

Rynold turned his head back to the kid and asked, "Like what?"

"Back in that building," the kid's voice slightly turned to one filled with frustration, "The way that woman treated you. The anger she possessed. I could not understand what caused all of that. And, why did you not do anything about it? You didn't act or fight back."

"Oh. That."

With a sharp inhale, Rynold didn't know how to answer the question. Or to put them into more delicate words. He could tell the truth, but he had to phrase it correctly. So, he let out a deep sigh then spoke off the top of his head.

"That question doesn't have a direct answer, kid."

"I knew it," the child scoffed and sighed defeatedly.

"That's not because it doesn't have an answer. It's because it's not a simple question. The truth is, kid, I have no idea if what happened back then was normal or not. It's just not that simple. But, what I do know is this: people expressed emotions in more ways than one."

That said, Rynold noticed the slight movement of the kid's head. He realized that he had grabbed the kid's attention. So, he might as well continue talking.

"Take your mother, for example. Remember how she was upset when you told her you wanted to leave? She wasn't angry at you for saying stuff like that. I could tell that she was proud of you for taking a stand. But she still seemed angry, right? That's because she was feeling worried at the same time too. And, the thought of losing you made her lash out. It was no fault of her own."

After finishing that thought, Rynold deeply exhaled. Despite talking like he knew all about this, Rynold had gone through a lot in his life where he felt confused by human expression.

"The thing that happened back there wasn't anything people would expect. People brand things they expect to happen as 'normal,' and those that don't are... Well, you know what I mean. I'm just saying that emotion can lead to a lot of situations. Situations that people don't expect. And, how you react to them is just as important as anything else."

Rynold felt as though he talked for quite a while. So much so that the amount of information he gave would've been boggling for any child. It was a good thing the kid wasn't normal.

"I think...," the kid paused for a good while before finishing his sentence, "I understand."

Considering the amount of comprehension needed to understand what Rynold said, he wouldn't put it against the kid if he didn't get it the first time. He gave him advice that would've sped up his understanding of the world, after all. So, it naturally takes some time to sink in.

"Kid, you don't have to reach a conclusion right away," Rynold said as the group stopped, "You can take whatever time you need, really. There's no pressure."

After patting the kid on the head once more, Rynold walked forward to the soldier who led them.

"Hey, why did we stop?" Rynold asked, unaware of what was there.

"This is where we wait for the lift," the soldier answered as he pressed a button on the side, "Please, be patient. It will take some time for the lift to reach here."

"Huh," Rynold let out a breath of confirmation before walking back to Neana. "So, what do you think of the place? Can't believe that they built all of these in the time when I wasn't here."

"Speaking of," Neana turned and faced Rynold, "Has the crater been here all this time? You know, before the Red Rain, the New World, and all that."

"Honestly? I have no clue. I always thought the city outskirts were nothing but forest. So, your guess is as good as mine."

Neana nodded in response and continued to look around the place. She seemed to enjoy her time here, even though the entrance to the crater was a spacious cave with nothing much in it.

Following their brief conversation, the group waited in silence for the lift to arrive. Rynold observed the place with a watchful eye and even caught the stares of the other soldiers. They were doing their assigned tasks with focus and discipline, but now and then, there were hostile gazes.

Rynold noticed these things but decided not to act on them. He wouldn't want to cause any more trouble than he already had. To which, he continued to look around, pretending he hadn't noticed at all. It was much better than snarking back at the hostile stares.

Looking around, Rynold found other notable things. It was clear that the entrance served more purpose than aesthetics.

There were pipes all over the walls and the ceilings, no doubt for electricity and other utilities. Some small tents held weapon caches in them. The entrance was for military use, after all. So, finding all of these things wasn't all that surprising.

Regardless, what bothered Rynold was the number of people here. They were armed men, soldiers of the Ark City military. As for whatever reason they were here, Rynold could only guess. And, he concluded that something big was happening soon.

"Please, step onboard."

The soldier called out to the three of them, snapping Rynold out of his thoughts. The group stepped on the lift one after the other, with the soldier standing a good distance away from them. Rynold could still feel the tension in the atmosphere, now more than ever.

Taking this chance to get on the guy's good side, Rynold left the kid with Neana for the time being and approached the soldier. He was standing over the railing, and Rynold got close enough to stand beside him.

"Hey," Rynold said softly. "What I did back there wasn't personal. You know that, right? I did what I had to."

"I understand," he answered in the same cold voice. The soldier clearly wasn't going to give Rynold anything. Nor was he in a mood to talk to someone who had humiliated him.

"So...," Rynold awkwardly continued, "You got a name?"

"My name does not concern you," the soldier answered once more, this time in a voice much sterner than before. "After this exchange, my orders are to return to my station. It is unlikely that we will meet again."

"Right. Right...," Rynold didn't know what else to say about that. He knew that changing the guy's mind would've been difficult. How difficult, though, was something he didn't take into consideration. But that didn't mean he was going to give up.

"You ought to know where your strengths lie," Rynold mentioned in a subtle tone, roping in the soldier's curiosity.

"You don't know what you're talking about," the soldier dismissed.

"Don't I?" Rynold confidently answered as he placed both his hands on the railing. "Your Mana Defense is stable. You can take on bullets from normal guns or any punches thrown your way. But, I can tell that the upkeep is more than you could handle. More often than not, you're going to keep repairing your defense, and the Mana cost is way too high."

Rynold knew more about Augment magic than anyone else. It was the one type of magic he knew how to use. So, Rynold knew what he was talking about, more so than anyone else.