Chapter 212 - Needless Conflict

"What are you doing here?"

Rynold walked out to the open area of the building complex. And, as he stepped out, Rynold immediately caught sight of Elle and some other soldier. It wasn't as Rynold had expected.

And, it certainly wasn't something Rynold expected to see so early in the morning.

Neana knocked on the kid's door while Rynold confronted Elle. As he took his approach, Rynold remained hostile towards her despite having not-so-ill intentions.

"Relax," Elle casually spoke, "I'm not here to fight. I just thought you'd like to hear what I found out about Oliver. That's what you came here for, right?"

"What do you want for it?"

Never in the history since Rynold had met Elle did she ever go out on a limb for someone other than herself. So, it was only natural for him to be skeptical about what she just said.

There has got to be an edge to it, some angle that would've benefitted Elle. Naturally, she wouldn't be so cavalier about it and tell Rynold all about it.

"Nothing, really," Elle answered, carrying the same haughty, arrogant expression as before. "Think of this as a gift. Besides, I don't think you have a choice but to accept it anyway."

As much as Rynold wanted to deny that, he couldn't. At this point, any information on Oliver's whereabouts would've been of great help to him. It was like adding a compass to a map.

"Right," Rynold scoffed as he still doubted Elle's intentions. Whether she was lying or not, Elle already knew full well how Rynold would react if she crossed him again. "Well, out with it then."

"Be patient," Elle played with Rynold like hamstrings, "I'll tell you once we reach the exit."

"Of course you are," Rynold shook his head in frustration and defeat. It wasn't the first time Elle had played with Rynold like he was some toy in the palm of her hands. That said, though, he went ahead and decided to follow her wishes for now.

After all, fighting inside a military base wasn't the brightest idea.

That said, Rynold and the others waited for Neana and the kid to join them. It was only until then that they moved out and started walking back to the lifts.

The walk back was unrealistically tense. Rynold maintained a hostile yet watchful eye over Elle and anything that she might do. He wouldn't let his guard down, not even for a second, as they kept moving forward. As Rynold did this without holding back, Elle could feel the daggers on her back.

Soon, the group approached the lifts and boarded one.

"Whatever it is you're planning," Rynold spoke in a deep, cold voice, "It's not going to end well."

"What do you know?" Elle snarked in retaliation. "Your words hold no power here. Even if you keep warning me and predict what's going to happen, nothing you could say will change my mind!"

"David talked to you, didn't he?" Rynold's eyes narrowed as he accused. Elle's sudden outburst and change in tone could only mean one thing: David had told her what Rynold had told him last night. And, as a result, Elle's confidence shook to its very core.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elle pretended like it was nothing.

"It means what it means," Rynold called her bluff. "I'm guessing that he told you everything I told him. And, because he's actually in the military, he knows I'm right. But you're just scared to admit it. Tsk. It doesn't even matter now. Whatever's going to happen here is on you. Don't say that I didn't warn you."

Rynold would be lying if he said he didn't plan for this to happen. He knew just how much his words weighed to people like Elle, to people that knew how much shit Rynold had gone through in the New World. Whether she'd care to admit it or not, Rynold's warnings meant more than any other piece of information they could gather.

That said, Rynold also knew that Elle tasked David with gathering information from Rynold. And, any word that came out of his mouth would make its way to her ears. So, Rynold had willfully planned for this confrontation to happen, down to the very way how Elle would react.

He did these things partly because he wanted to mess with Elle. But for the most part, though, Rynold did so because there were lives at stake. Lives that Elle would have thrown away with no regard for their safety. Rynold would be damned if he didn't do anything about it.

The rest of the journey from that moment on was awkward.

While Rynold looked out over the railing, Elle was lamenting over her decision. It was too late to go back on the orders now. And, on the off chance that Rynold was right, there was no telling how things would end — and how many lives would be lost.

As the lift reached the surface level, the group got off it. They then walked down the same path Rynold did yesterday and soon reached their destination.

'The soldiers are gone,' Rynold looked around the courtyard, only to find no one there. 'I guess she went through with it. That's just insulting.'

"Ehem," Elle cleared her throat and looked at Rynold and the rest with her arms behind her back. "My colleague here will bring you to where you need to go. Once you reach your destination, present this badge and this letter to the officer in charge. From there, they'll let you in."

"And that's where Oliver is?"

"Um... Unfortunately, Oliver's currently at another military camp far from here. He's safe, don't worry. But, his current location is somewhere geographically distant from us. According to reports, he is doing fine and well. Although, he decided to stay where he is for the time being."

"That sounds like something Oliver would do," Neana gave a side comment.

"Sure does," Rynold agreed, then turned back to Elle. "Okay. Hand me the keys and the documents. I don't want to trouble some guy when I can drive a car on my own."

"What? You don't even know the way to the city."

"Yeah, I do," Rynold briefly paused as he approached the vehicle. "And, this car has a map and a GPS. Plus, the only way out of this place is that open road right there, which, if I recall correctly, leads to the city itself. It's impossible to get lost at this point. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to get a move on."

Holding his hand out, Rynold waited for the stunned Elle to respond. Even though Rynold gave a lot of good points, Elle wasn't so easy to understand.

After a few breaths, Rynold decidedly took a few strides forward to snatch the things Elle held in her hands. It wasn't until then that Elle finally recovered her senses and took a step back once Rynold got too close.

"I'm not handing you anything," Elle bravely took her stand, "I'm already giving you more than what you need. Why would you reject it after I painstakingly got these things for you? You're really nothing more than an ungrateful piece of shit."

"I don't remember asking you for anything," Rynold shook his head as he turned around and faced away from Elle. "And, I'd rather not get any more favors from the likes of you."

Rynold meant every word of what he just said. Even though he was grateful for all the effort, Rynold didn't want to deal with Elle anymore than he already had. Besides, any more debts to one another would become a never-ending cycle — something Rynold hoped to avoid.

"Tsk. Fine! Get out of here!"

Elle, enraged, threw the things at Rynold. She had just about enough of dealing with Rynold's nonsense. But, despite that, a part of Elle didn't want Rynold to leave just yet.

"Great, finally," Rynold caught the documents and keys without any problem whatsoever. "Come on, let's go."

As the three of them boarded the vehicle, Rynold was the last to walk away from Elle. Her expression turned to one filled with regret as she watched.

"I'll see you when I see you," Rynold waved without even looking back. Boarding the car and starting the engine, Rynold murmured underneath his breath, "Hopefully never," then drove away.

"Did you have to antagonize her like that?" Neana, who was sitting at the passenger seat, asked Rynold as he drove forward.

"Probably not," Rynold admitted, keeping his eyes on the road, "But, she knows what I mean by what I said. Let's hope that she doesn't do anything stupid with it."

That said, the rest of the drive was quiet and uneventful. And, as there was no one else around, there wasn't any traffic or anything like that either. It was as good a drive as any. And, soon enough, the group reached about halfway through their journey, only for Rynold to suddenly stop.

"Why'd we stop?" Neana asked as Rynold released his seatbelt.

"I'd be lying if I said we're here for the view, but no," Rynold shook his head as he stepped out of the vehicle. He then walked to the metal railing that overlooked the forest they were in before.

As Rynold looked around the gorgeous, if not overgrown, view, Neana, and the kid also stepped out and walked toward him. They were both wondering what Rynold was looking at, only to find nothing there. They were looking at the dense forest and nothing else.

"If we didn't stop for the view, then what else are we here for?"

"Wait for it...," Rynold's eyes narrowed as he looked at one specific part of the forest, one that had significantly less green than any other part.

Silence ensued as Rynold earnestly waited for something to happen. And, in the next few moments, nothing did. Even though Rynold declared that he didn't want to waste any more time, this was certainly not the most efficient way to do so.

"Are you-"

Boom!

Suddenly, out in the forest, they were looking over, an explosion appeared out of nowhere. The smoke raised to the sky, and the light, distinct sound of gunfire soon reached Rynold's eardrums. It was as though the soldiers were fighting a war, against what exactly, Rynold had no idea.

"Did you know that will happen?" Neana asked as her eyes focused on the source of the smoke.

"It was a guess and a loose one at that," Rynold played it humble. He then let out a deep sigh. "She went ahead and did it, huh? Those people are going to die."

"What do you mean?" the kid curiously asked.

"It's a fool's errand. Whatever their mission is or whatever they're trying to kill isn't going to come along quietly. There's going to be bloodshed, a lot of it. Even if I had warned them of what's going to happen, it doesn't seem like they're going to listen."

"Don't tell me that's where we're going," Neana turned to Rynold with her brows furrowed. She clearly didn't want to deal with any of that, especially not after what happened the day before.

"No, no," Rynold smiled and shook his head. "It's their problem now. For the first time ever, we're going to be heading away from the fight. Whatever it is they're doing, so long as it doesn't bother us, we have no reason to intervene."

"One question, though," Neana stopped Rynold from going back to the car. "Are you sure you could handle leaving them alone? You said it yourself; there are lives at stake here. If you walk away, wouldn't that mean abandoning them?"

Despite Rynold's personality and beliefs, Rynold wouldn't shy away from conflict if it meant he would save someone's life. But it wasn't as though he hadn't thought this through.

"It won't," Rynold shakily answered, "I just know what's important to me."