Chapter 14 (J) - Next Course of Action

After a while of traveling in silence, Calypso speaks. “So, how long do you think it’ll take us to get to Stormhall?”

“Why are you asking me? You can calculate that far more accurately than I can.”

“...Oh, yeah. Uh… Well, we SHOULD be able to get there by the end of the day, I think. If we keep going this pace and don’t run into any more… problems.”

“I see. ...Have you detected any signs of pursuers?”

“Nope. If they are out here, they’re being pretty quiet. ...But that guy with the wyvern completely blindsided us. So I dunno if we can really trust those readings anymore.”

“...Hm. I suppose we can’t expect to be truly safe anywhere, now.”

My mind flashes back to two nights ago. The man appeared only a few minutes after we left the facility. He appeared seemingly out of nowhere, and attacked without provocation. His incendiary power was blatantly inhuman. Even the power of the fire beast in town paled in comparison.

“You’re trying to figure that guy out, aren’t you.”

“Hm?”

“You went quiet for a minute. You’re trying to figure out the wyvern guy, right?”

“Ah. Yes, that’s right. That man is likely the biggest threat we’ll be facing in our mission from here on, unless we can find a way to eliminate him, or otherwise trivialize the problem he poses.”

“Well, yeah. So… Any ideas on how to do that?”

“None. We don’t know what he’s capable of, or if the enemy has more like him. Without knowing that, we’d just be making random speculation at best, and critical if not fatal mistakes at worst.” We both remain silent for a few minutes as the additional gravity of our situation sinks in further.

“So… Where should we start, then?”

“Hm?”

“Well, we’re not giving up because of this one guy, right? We’re gonna figure out what his deal is, and take him down, aren’t we?”

“That would be ideal, yes.”

“Exactly! So, where do we start?”

“...Hm. I’m not entirely sure, unfortunately.”

“What if we went back?”

“Went back? ...To the facility, you mean?”

“Yeah! Where else?”

“...The facility must be under investigation by the Knights by this point. And my mask has been completely destroyed, so I can’t exactly conceal my identity, should we be seen.”

“Well… yeah… But still! They might have documents that could tell us all sorts of things about that guy! And besides, where else could you get a new mask like that?”

...That mask was instrumental in our missions. It would be too dangerous to attempt obtaining a replacement from an active facility. “...You make a good point. Is the facility on the way to Stormhall?”

“Not quite, but it’s not too far out of the way. And it’s pretty close, too. We can probably get there in… Maybe fifteen, twenty minutes? Probably won’t make it to Stormhall before sunset, though, unless things go just about perfectly.”

“Things never go perfectly.”

“Yeah, good point. Guess that’ll be another night of roughing it for you, then!”

“What fun. Anyway, the facility. How do I get there from here, exactly?”