The fortress gates closed with a heavy boom.
The battle...
Was over.
One by one, the frightened refugees stepped inside Base 101.
Children cried as they clung to their parents.
Elderly survivors dropped to their knees.
Some simply stared at the walls surrounding them.
Safe.
For the first time in days...
They were safe.
Sam looked over the exhausted crowd.
"Ben."
The Vanguard Captain stepped forward.
"Yes, Commander?"
"Open the food stores."
Ben blinked.
"All of them?"
Sam nodded.
"No one goes hungry tonight."
Without another word, Ben saluted.
"It'll be done."
Immediately, soldiers began unloading sacks of grain and barrels of clean water.
George barked orders from the kitchen.
"Move! Move!"
"If you've got two hands, you're helping!"
Laughter slowly replaced fear as steaming pots of soup filled the air with a comforting aroma.
Watching from the courtyard...
Sam smiled.
Base 101 wasn't just surviving anymore.
It was becoming a home.
---
Hours later...
The fortress settled into its nighttime routine.
Torches burned along the walls.
Patrols marched through the streets.
Skeleton Warriors stood motionless beside the gates.
Like statues.
Unlike living soldiers...
They never grew tired.
They never complained.
They simply waited for their next command.
---
Inside the forge...
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
George wiped sweat from his forehead as another sword left the anvil.
Doran picked it up.
Inspected it.
Then frowned.
"The balance is still off."
George sighed dramatically.
"One day..."
"I'm gonna make something you can't complain about."
Doran handed the sword back.
"I look forward to that day."
---
High above the fortress...
Sam stood alone atop the western watchtower.
The setting sun painted the horizon crimson.
"Rex."
"Battle report."
A familiar blue screen appeared.
---
Battle Report
Corruption Beasts Eliminated: 287
Experience Earned: 14,920 XP
Loot Collected:
• Beast Cores ×61
• Corrupted Bone ×98
• Hardened Hide ×44
Battle Evaluation:
Excellent
---
Sam nodded.
"We're getting stronger."
"We are," Rex answered.
"But every victory increases your visibility."
Sam frowned.
"Visibility?"
Before Rex could explain—
A horn echoed across the fortress.
BWOOOOOOOM!
Every soldier froze.
A lookout leaned over the eastern wall.
"Commander!"
"Incoming airship!"
The peaceful atmosphere disappeared instantly.
Ben drew his sword.
"Infantry!"
"Positions!"
Goblin Warriors rushed to the gate.
Archers lined the walls.
Mages gathered behind the defenses.
Even the Skeleton Warriors turned toward the eastern sky.
Leon appeared beside Sam without making a sound.
"I checked."
"It's human."
Sam looked toward the clouds.
A familiar wooden airship slowly descended from the sky.
Its white sails caught the evening wind.
A small smile appeared on Sam's face.
"I know that ship."
---
The airship landed just outside Base 101.
Its wooden ramp lowered.
Boots echoed against the planks.
The first man down grinned the moment he saw Sam.
"Dennis."
Sam walked forward.
"Dennis."
The two Commanders shook hands.
Dennis laughed.
"You've gotten a lot stronger."
Sam glanced behind him.
Nearly twenty soldiers followed Dennis.
Each one carried proper equipment.
Their armor was cleaner.
Their weapons sharper.
Their eyes...
More confident.
Sam smiled.
"So have you."
Dennis rubbed the back of his neck.
"We've been grinding nonstop."
"My people wanted to catch up."
Sam chuckled.
"Looks like it worked."
For a brief moment...
Neither Commander spoke.
They simply looked at each other's armies.
Both had started with nothing.
Now...
Both commanded Bases.
Both protected survivors.
Both were preparing for something neither fully understood.
And deep down...
Both knew the peaceful reunion wouldn't last.
Not with the World Mission only four days away.