Other Under Shadow - An Apocalyptic Fic [chapter 80 added] Complete

Discussion in 'Fan Works' started by Skyloft-Farm, Aug 13, 2016.

  1. Minimanta

    Minimanta Spaceman Spiff

    Oh yeah, I'm still here and loving this fic! Always looking forward to the next chapter :D
     
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    • Skyloft-Farm

      Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


      The rest of the survivors made their way into the valley where the Gotoro army waited for the attack. They stood anxiously beside their tanks and weapons, or hiding in trenches and behind man-made walls. They covered a vast, circular area of the valley in an attempt to catch the Shadow People, no matter which direction they came from.

      “Well, if it isn’t the valley people,” one of the soldiers said, approaching them.

      “The valley people?” Alex said. “We’re not hippies.”

      The man laughed forcefully. “What are you doing out here? There’s an army of Shadow Brutes on their way here.”

      Gil rested his rifle against his shoulder. “Well, we’re not just here to watch, now.”

      The soldier looked Gil up and down with a skeptical expression. His eyes moved over the rest of the group and he smirked. “You’re kidding, right?”

      “Hey,” Sebastian said. “We don’t have to help.”

      “This is our valley,” Marlon said. “We’ve been protecting it, and ourselves, long before you folk got here.”

      The man before them shrugged. “You should know our orders are to protect the valley, not the nut jobs that live there. No one’s going to protect you from whatever may happen.”

      “Like he said,” John muttered. “We can take care of ourselves.”

      “We don’t sit back and hide,” Lewis said. “So put us to use.”

      The man looked them over once more. “I suspect the crazy old guys can handle their weapons,” he said, giving them a nod. “As for the rest of you...”

      “I’ve played my share of Call of Duty,” Alex said. “I had the top kill ratio on my team, Dogs of War.”

      The man nodded and rolled his eyes. “Good, because this is exactly like Call of Duty.”

      “We are all capable of hitting our targets,” Gil said, his voice hard as he grew irritated with the arrogant soldier.

      “Fine,” the soldier said. “It doesn’t look like you’ll be leaving us alone, anyway. Dog of War, since you’re so capable, why don’t you take the front line?”

      Alex swallowed. “I mean, I’m not that good.”

      The soldier smiled at him. “I suspect you’ll get pretty good then.” He turned to the rest of them. “If you can really hold your own, I could use some help on the cliffs. Who can handle an M39 EMR?”

      They stared at him blankly.

      The soldier sighed. “I need snipers.” His gaze settled on Shane. “You’re up. Bring Blondie, too. You guys look the toughest.” He turned to the older men in the group. “Sorry, fellas. I won’t deal with brittle shoulders.”

      “What makes you think we’ll go with you?” Shane muttered.

      “Because that’s how the army works, boys. Get moving.”

      Shane and Sam made their way up to the cliffs as instructed. Sam muttered the entire way up.

      “He’s not even anyone important,” Sam said. “Who is he to think he can boss us around?”

      “Quit bitching,” Shane growled.

      “No. I’m going to complain about the fact that this guy thinks we’re nothing but meat.”

      “We are,” Shane hissed. “They don’t give a rats ass about us.”

      “Fuck them.” Sam spat at the ground. “Fuck every last one of ‘em.”

      The soldier caught up to them quickly, pushing passed them and leading them the rest of the way to his hideout in the trees.

      “Pick your poison and don’t fuck up,” he said simply as he squatted on his legs next to his rifle. He watched Sam as he inspected the rifle. “Trigger’s over there, Blondie,” he pointed out.

      “Sam,” Sam said in a huff. “It’s Sam.”

      “I don’t care what your name is, Blondie.”

      “You know,” Shane said to Sam. “I’m sure no one would even notice if he went missing.”

      “He’s got a point,” the soldier said as he peered through the sight on his weapon. “I’m just another body to Michaels.”

      Sam watched the soldier carefully. “Michaels runs this pathetic army?”

      The soldier ignored him as he adjusted the weapon. “Better get ready. Those brutes’ll be here any minute. Try to keep up, hm?”

      “We can’t all be trained soldiers,” Sam muttered.

      The soldier leaned back on his hands, his palms against the pine needled forest floor. “That we can’t,” he said. “I was never involved in the military before the invasion. But when times get tough, they’ll take any pathetic body who offers themselves. They teach you how to handle an AR and throw you into battle. That’s it.”

      “And you just do whatever the hell they say?” Sam asked.

      “That’s right, Sammy.”

      “Don’t call me Sammy,” Sam hissed.

      The soldier turned to Shane. “You should have warned me he was a whiner.”

      Shane smirked as he got onto his belly, peering down his own sight. “You didn’t ask.”

      The radio on his hip buzzed with static as a voice broke through. “Eagle Eye Seven, this is Mark One, what’s your fix?”

      “In position, Mark One. At the ready.” He turned to Sam and smirked. “His name’s Mark.”

      “Copy, Eagle Eye. Stand by.”

      “Eagle Eye?” Sam rolled his eyes.

      “Code name for snipers, you nit-wit,” he hissed.

      “And yet, Mark is Mark,” Shane muttered.

      “Mark is an idiot that should have been shot ages ago.”

      “Someone has Mark issues.” Sam smirked at Shane.

      They turned quickly as a chilling hissing filled the air. In the darkness, they could just barely see the glowing eyes of the Shadow People. Tiny spots of light dotted the valley as soldiers ran to their positions.

      “Heads up,” the soldier said. “It’s show time.”

      Shane watched through the sight as the Shadow People, just glowing eyes in the night, quickly made their way into the valley. As they neared, he cocked the rifle and took aim.

      Barrels flashed on the ground as the soldiers ran towards their enemy. Before he knew it, the valley had erupted into sounds of war. Beside him, Eagle made his first shot.

      “Gotcha,” he whispered into his gun. He cocked the rifle and made another shot. “I’m going for three,” he said to them. “Try to keep up.”

      Shane aimed between a pair of green eyes. He pulled the trigger and the weapon fired, recoiling into his shoulder. The eyes disappeared instantly.

      “Keep shooting like that and we’ll make a soldier outta ya.”

      “I’ll pass,” Shane muttered as he searched out his next target.

      They continued in this manner for some time. Shane quickly lost track of the night as he picked out brute after brute. It wasn’t until he heard Sam shouting that he was pulled out of his trance of aiming and firing. He turned to Sam as he stood and pointed through the trees, towards town.

      “Wassa matter, Lassie?” the soldier muttered. “Timmy fall down the well?”

      “They got through,” Sam said. “They’re heading towards the tunnel.”

      Shane jumped up from his rifle and pulled his gun out of his pocket. “C’mon,” he muttered.

      “Don’t get killed, now,” the soldier called after them.

      Sam and Shane sprinted through the forest, sliding down the dead leaves as they made their way off the cliff and into the valley. Barrel blasts ignited the walls of the tunnel as someone fended off the brutes. They raised their guns as they ran down the road. Flashlights darted off the walls as the creatures hissed loudly. A flare ignited and was tossed into the tunnel, causing the Shadow People to scatter and scream.

      Abigail stood in front of Alex, who clutched at his shoulder on the ground. Her arms were still raised, gripping a gun tightly as Shadow Brutes lay motionless on the ground just yards away. Shane and Sam ducked as the brutes flew out of the tunnel, but they quickly doubled back, just out of the safety of the light, heading towards them once more.

      More shots fired as Sebastian, Marlon, and Gil stepped out of the shadows and into the light of the flare, back to back.

      “Not on my watch,” Marlon muttered as he raised his sword at an oncoming brute. He swung viciously as the creature attacked, throwing his body against it.

      Shane stepped over the shadow corpses as he made his way to Alex, holding out a hand and pulling him to his feet. “That’s no way to get out of being a father,” he muttered.

      “I’d die before something happens to Haley or my child,” Alex hissed. “No damn brute is getting passed me.”

      “Funny,” Shane said with a smirk. “Looks like Abby was the one saving your ass.”

      “I’m still in the positive,” Alex said, pushing passed him and shoving a clip into his gun. “Gotta keep that K-to-D up.”
       
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      • Skyloft-Farm

        Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


        Jas rested her head on Najia’s lap as she slept soundly. Unlike the children, Najia and the other adults were wide awake, jumping at every sound that echoed off the walls of the mine. The minutes dragged into hours as they sat and waited, hardly speaking a word to one another as visions of a deadly battle flashed through their minds. Their stomachs twisted sickeningly as each hour passed them without word of the attack. Jodi paced the tunnels from time to time and the sky soon began to show hints of the approaching morning. Najia’s heart raced in her chest as the sky began to lighten without any sign that the battle was won.

        Just as an early dawn began to shut out the dimmest stars, Najia heard Marlon’s voice, like music to her ears. Her heart soared as they approached, their voices cheerful. They hurried to the entrance of the mines, meeting Marlon and Gil just outside.

        “That was thrilling,” Gil said. “Helluva fight, I tell ya. Took out every last one of em, we did. They didn’t stand a damn chance.”

        Najia felt Jas’s hand pull away. She watched as the little girl ran into Shane’s arms as he made his way towards them. He held the girl close, smiling at Najia.

        “So, we get the valley for another day?” Leah said.

        “They’ll just keep attacking,” Sandy said. “We can’t protect this place for much longer.”

        Gil’s triumphant grin disappeared. He turned to Marlon. “What a buzzkill.”

        “She’s right,” John said as he made his way to them, standing at Marlon’s side. “We need to take matter into our own hands if we want to eliminate our enemies. The Gotoro only want to fight the waves. We need to dig deeper than that and take out the Shadow People at their source.”

        “How are we supposed to do that?” Najia asked.

        “We need to figure out their plan. We need to find their base. Find their weak spot. Take out their leader.”

        “And you don’t think the Gotoro are trying to do that?” Sandy said.

        “The Gotoro are not my concern. I don’t know what they’re doing, and they’re not so willing to work with us. Whatever it is they are doing, it is taking them a damn long time.”

        “They lived under ground, right?” Maru asked. “Light is their weak spot. What if the source of their power is under ground?”

        “That’s a lot of ground to go digging through,” Gil muttered.

        “No, wait.” Maru held up a hand. Her eyes darted around the ground as a plan came to mind. “At home, back in the city,” she started. “I have these robots. I was using them to help Dad when he was studying the soil in the city and outside the city. They can detect unusually warm and cold areas in the ground. Maybe they’d be useful in finding something hidden under ground.” She hesitated and looked around as they stared at her.

        “You made robots?” Haley asked. “For real?”

        “I have more than just those robots,” Maru said. “I have an invisible drone.”

        “How in the hell did you manage that?” Gil asked.

        Maru blushed. “Well, its not really invisible,” she said. “I’ve utilized a technique to bend light on a mirrored surface which makes it appear invisible.”

        “Now that’s something those Gotoros don’t have,” John muttered. “And you can get them?”

        “They’re all the way back in the city,” Maru said. “But, yes, I can get them.”

        “That drive could take a week,” Marlon said, turning to John.

        “Few days if they don’t stop.”

        “Do you really think we have that kind of time?”

        “What else can we do?” John asked. “Right now, we’re doing nothing but defending a valley, and we’ve got an army doing that for us. We need to get on the offensive. We can hold down the fort until then. Otherwise, we’re ambling about without a clue as to what we’re doing. That’ll get us killed quicker than standing around doing nothing.”

        “Well,” Gil said as he adjusted his rifle on his back. “You better not expect me to stick around here and miss out on all the fun.”

        “I’ll need all the defense I can get,” Maru admitted.

        “You’ve got us,” Marlon said.

        “I’m going, too,” Najia said.

        John turned to Shane, waiting for his rebuttal. “Well?”

        “Well, what?”

        “Aren’t you gonna go, too?”

        “Do I have to?”

        “You’re the guy I’m gonna-” John caught Jas’s gaze and he smiled. “You’re gonna have a talkin’ to with Jane if something goes wrong.”

        “And what if I’m not there when something goes wrong?”

        “Jane’ll have a few words for ya, regardless.”

        “You’re enjoying this too much,” Shane muttered.

        “Who’s Jane?” Jas asked.

        “Shane’s new girlfriend,” John said with a smirk. He turned to Maru. “Get yourself a team and get movin’, then.”

        *****

        Najia helped Maru and Sebastian pack their car as Marlon and Gil eagerly readied the Hummer. Leah leaned against the car as Najia closed the trunk. She turned to Shane as he made his way to her.

        “You’re really not coming?” she asked.

        Shane shrugged. “I really don’t want to go back to that place,” he muttered.

        “And you know I’m going?”

        “I’m aware.”

        “And you don’t have a problem with that?”

        “Why would I have a problem?”

        “You’re life could be on the line,” Najia joked.

        “Whether you come back or not, he’ll still kill me.”

        “Come on,” Najia whined. “We’ll take the Trans Am. Listen to some T-swift. Just like the good old days.”

        “And a little alone time,” Leah said with a smirk. “Just what a bickering husband and wife need. Fair warning, she’s a biter.”

        Najia turned away, her face hot. “Really?” she muttered. She turned her gaze back to Shane, but he, too, was avoiding her gaze.

        “You would know,” he said.

        “Don’t be jealous, Shane,” Leah said.

        “Don’t worry,” he said roughly. “I’m not.”

        “Maybe I’ll get kidnapped again,” Najia muttered. “Yoba, I hope I get kidnapped again.”

        “Well,” Leah said as she pushed herself off the car. “My job here is done. Have fun, Najia.”

        Shane narrowed his eyes at Leah as she walked away, leaving them alone.

        “So,” Najia muttered, still avoiding his gaze. “You’re really not coming?”

        “You gonna miss me?”

        Najia rolled her eyes and scoffed. “No. It will be nice not to have you breathing down my back.” She opened the car door, hesitating as Shane’s hand rested on it.

        “You’d know I go with you,” he said. He bit his lower lip and averted his gaze. “But I can’t go back to that city.”

        Najia forced a smile and cleared her throat. “I know.”
         
          Last edited: Dec 19, 2016
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        • Skyloft-Farm

          Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager

          A bit of a shorter chapter, but I wanted to get something posted to make up for my absence! [Unfortunately I've just been super sick. Blahh.]


          They followed the quickest, most direct route to the city, cutting across the dry desert and speeding down interstates, stopping only to switch drivers in order to make it to the city in record time. They made it early afternoon on the third day, their only interruption fighting off a small group of Shadow People just outside the city.

          They stood on the interstate just outside, looking over the horizon at the dark city below them. Cars were strewn about and abandoned on the road around them from the invasion that happened almost a year ago.

          “Do you think any Shadow People are there?” Maru asked, hesitant.

          Marlon nodded and Gil adjusted the rifle on his back.

          “Where are we headed?” Marlon asked.

          “The house is at the back end of the city,” Sebastian said. “Near the graveyard.”

          “We could get in that way,” Maru said as images of speeding through the cemetery flooded her mind. “Stick to the woods and get to the neighborhood that way.”

          Sebastian nodded in agreement.

          “Lead the way,” Gil said.

          They climbed back into the cars, Gil and Marlon in their favored Hummer, and Najia, Maru, and Sebastian in the little Jetta. Sebastian drove them around the city, their headlights off, as they made their way carefully in through the cemetery, following previously driven paths. They parked just on the edge of the city and climbed out, moving quickly through the woods and cutting through back roads until they stopped behind a house.

          “Here we are,” Maru muttered as she looked up at the house. “This used to be home.”

          Sebastian hesitated as he met his younger sister’s gaze. He forced a smile. “So, where are these bots?”

          “Hopefully, still in my room.”

          Maru and Sebastian lead the way through the dark house, their flashlights bouncing off the walls. They made their way up the stairs and into Maru’s bedroom. She fished through her closet, pulling out various pieces of equipment. When she finished, she sat cross-legged on the floor, tinkering with the items.

          “The only thing is,” Maru began as she looked each object over. “Many of these were set up with my phone and laptop to transmit data.” She hesitated. “I had solar chargers for them.” She looked up sheepishly and shrugged. “I don’t think that will do us much good out here.”

          “They’ll work in the valley,” Najia reminded her.

          Maru nodded and returned her gaze to the objects in her lap. “Yes, but I was hoping to use them on the drive back.” She paused, flicking on one of the bots and it whirred quietly to life. “There might be enough life in them to collect data around here, though.”

          “You’re the expert,” Gil said.

          Maru began packing items into a large duffle back. She packed some of the equipment, her laptop, and various cords and small solar panels. At her side, she kept out a drone-like object. She zipped up the bag and picked up the drone, looking it over carefully one last time.

          “Alright,” she said simply. She didn’t want to be in the city any longer than she had to. “Let’s get out of here.”

          They hurried back down stairs, making their way to the back of the house once more, but Sebastian moved away from them, heading towards the front of the house.

          “Where are you going?” Maru hissed at him.

          “I’ll meet you out back,” he said over his shoulder. “I need to get something.”

          Maru rolled her eyes as they made their way out the back door. They walked across the backyard, towards the trees when Maru heard the sound of Sebastian’s motorcycle roar to life.

          “You have got to be kidding me,” she groaned.

          They turned and watched as the bike pulled into the road, arching around as Sebastian drove it across the grass. He grinned at his sister as she narrowed her eyes at him.

          “You’re not taking that,” she said, crossing her arms.

          “Yes, I am.”

          “And what if we get ambushed?”

          Sebastian rolled his eyes. “I’ll be a smaller target than a car,” he said. “I could easily get away from any Shadow Brute.”

          “You’re ridiculous.”

          “Hey, you got to get your robots,” he pointed out.

          “Come on,” Gil grumbled. “Enough bickering and let’s get out of here.”

          Sebastian’s grin widened as he revved the engine. “See you guys over there.”

          Maru turned away, marching towards the woods. The sound of the engine grew distant as Sebastian drove through the city.
           
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          • Skyloft-Farm

            Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager

            UPDATE: STILL WORKING ON THIS! Between the holidays and NOT HAVING A CHARGER FOR MY LAPTOP (let's blame it mostly on that) I've had like, zero access to the internet besides my phone. Playing catch up on this week that I have off!! Stay tuned!!
             
            • Skyloft-Farm

              Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


              The city was quiet when they returned to their vehicles, just on the edge of the cemetery. It was in fact, too quiet. There was no sign of Sebastian and no roar of his motorcycle.

              Maru looked around anxiously as she fiddled with the machine in her hands. It hummed quietly to life. She set it on the ground and worked the controls, commanding the machine to begin its job. The machine lifted off the ground, hovering for a moment before lifting further into the air and high above the trees. In the darkness, they could just make out the red beam of light that scanned the ground below them.

              The drone moved through the air, across the cemetery, and into the city as Maru controlled it. “Might as well get some data while we wait,” she muttered.

              “What the hell is keeping him?” Gil grunted.

              “Maybe we should go look for him,” Najia suggested hesitantly.

              “He knows his way,” Maru said. “He probably got caught with that damn bike.” Her voice hardened as she looked out into the city. “I told him not to take that thing.”

              Najia strained to listen for the engine of the motorcycle, but the city was eerily silent, sending a shiver up her spine.

              After a moment, she heard it. A faint, distant kind of roar that crescendoed higher, then broke as it shifted into a higher gear. The sound grew louder as the bike came closer.

              They turned towards the city, each one recognizing the sound of the motorcycle, and they waited, listening. Headlights soon moved from around the buildings, marking a path on the road as Sebastian came into sight. He was moving fast; too fast.

              Najia saw the glowing eyes first. She stumbled backwards as she turned to run towards the vehicles. “Move!” she shouted.

              They quickly followed suit, sprinting towards the cars and slamming on the accelerator just as Sebastian flew by them through the cemetery. They followed the bike closely, navigating the make-shift path around and over the graves and back out onto the interstate.

              The bike skidded across the pavement as Sebastian cut the corner quickly. The back tire fishtailed under him as he pulled the bike upright, still moving quickly, and straightened himself out. With the bike stable, Sebastian reached into his back pocket, pulling out a gun, loaded and ready to go.

              Gil leaned out of the Hummer as Marlon drove up beside Sebastian. He cocked his rifle and took aim. But the glowing eyes were falling behind quickly as they out ran the Shadow People. Gil let a few shots off eagerly before turning to face the front of the vehicle as Sebastian popped off a round.

              The glowing eyes were in front of them, then, and moving in quickly. Quicker than Najia had seen them move before. And their eyes seemed to move higher in the air as their shadowy forms flew passed them like the wind. Najia shivered once more as she felt the chilling sensation around her chest.

              “These aren’t average Shadow Brutes,” Maru mumbled from beside her. She continued to fiddle with the controls of the drone, occasionally looking up to the sky in search for the red light as she navigated it as best as she could, keeping out of sight of the Shadow People while following their path.

              Gil and Sebastian continued to fire at the Shadow People as they twirled and twisted in the air around them. Sebastian ducked low against the motorcycle as each brute swooped down around him. He dodged and swerved easily out of their path, shooting at every chance he got.

              They raced further down the interstate for a few minutes longer until the Shadow People scattered and vanished into the darkness. Sebastian slowed, looking around them until he spotted a larger pair of eyes in front of them. He stopped short quickly as he gazed up at the glowing eyes. Marlon and Najia stopped quickly behind them, staring at the larger creature that stood before them.

              His voice hissed into the night as he spoke.

              “Little human,” he said. “It has been some time since I last saw you. Come out of your vehicle.”

              Najia stared out the windshield, mouth gaping, as Nox spoke to her.

              “What does it want?” Maru said, turning to her, her voice shaking. “It’s gonna kill us.”

              Najia’s fingers fumbled with the handle on the car door as she pushed it open and stepped out. Gil continued to lean out of the window, watching as Najia walked in front of the creature.

              “Yes,” Nox said. “You remember me, don’t you?”

              “What do you want, Nox?” Najia hissed as she looked up at the glowing eyes.

              “You know what I want,” he said. “I’m done with your games.”

              “The Sword of Light doesn’t exist,” Najia said. “You’re crazy.”

              “Fool.” His voice boomed around her.

              Najia winced as she felt cold hands grasp at her heart. She gasped for breath as they released themselves quickly.

              “You cannot lie to me. I have seen the weapon with my own eyes. I helped create the weapon.”

              “What are you talking about?”

              “Two great swords exist in our world,” Nox said. “The Sword of Light, and the Obsidian Sword. Light and dark. Two sides of the coin. One cannot exist without the other.”

              Nox drew a large sword at his side. The weapon seemed to glow a dark glow in their already dark world.

              “And I suppose you expect to kill us all with that thing?”

              Nox laughed a hissing kind of laugh. “No,” he said simply. “The Obsidian Blade will not do anything I cannot already do to you.”

              “Then why not just kill us yourself and get it over with?”

              “Because I need the Sword of Light, silly girl. And you will bring it to me.”

              “You must really be crazy if you think I’m going to just hand over the sword,” Najia spat at him.

              Nox’s eyes seemed to lift at the corners as he smiled a deep, dark smile. “In time, you will,” he said. “And when that time comes, I will be waiting for you, and the fate of our world will be decided once and for all.”

              The glowing eyes closed and Nox was gone.
               
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              • Skyloft-Farm

                Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                “So, you can talk to Shadow People?” Maru said, narrowing her eyes at Najia as she drove through the valley.

                “Yes,” Najia said simply.

                “And, what, did he invite you for tea?”

                “Something like that,” Najia muttered.

                Maru shook her head as they drove through the tunnel. She navigated the drone carefully back to the ground, hurrying out of the car to grab it. She inspected it carefully as Najia got out behind her.

                “Get anything good?” Marlon asked as he and Gil joined them.

                “I’ll find out soon,” she said eagerly. “Once I charge up the solar panel, I’ll be able to hook up the footage to my laptop and see what it caught.”

                “Are you going to tell us what that whole giant Shadow Brute was all about?” Sebastian asked Najia. He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her.

                “He’s after the Sword of Light,” Najia said.

                “Nothing we didn’t already know,” Gil muttered.

                “So,” Sebastian started. “He asked for the sword, and when you said no, he just left?”

                Najia hesitated, avoiding his gaze. “Yes.”

                “You’re lying.”

                “Don’t you think if we were in any real trouble, I’d tell you?” Najia hissed.

                “I think we are in trouble,” Sebastian said forcefully. “He won’t rest until he gets his hands on that sword, which is somewhere here in the valley. Which means he will destroy us all to find it.”

                “He won’t come near the valley,” Najia muttered.

                “And what makes you so sure of that?”

                Najia bit her lower lip. What was she supposed to tell them? That Nox thought Najia would just bring the sword to him? That maybe that’s exactly what would happen? That Rasmodius had the sword, and that it could potentially save them? And doing so would mean bringing it right to Nox, just as he wanted. She couldn’t tell them that. She couldn’t tell them that someone would be expected to take the sword and face off with the big shadow boss. She couldn’t tell them that whoever did it would likely die in the process. A sacrifice to save their world.

                “He said so himself,” Najia said quietly.

                “And you just trust him?” Sebastian said. Then, accusingly, “You’re hiding something.”

                “The Sword of Light could end this war and save the world,” Najia said. “But it’s not just any old sword. It can only be used to defeat Nox. He holds the Obsidian Sword, which could just as easily end the war, making them the victors.”

                “How do you know this?”

                Najia hesitated. “Rasmodius has the sword.”

                “So,” Maru began. “Someone has to take the sword and kill Nox with it?”

                Najia shrugged. “Something like that.”

                “Then what the hell are we waiting for?” Sebastian said. “We should kill him and get it over with.”

                “It’s not that simple,” Najia said.

                Sebastian rolled his eyes. “It never is, is it?”

                Najia ignored him. “Rasmodius has been working on the sword for some time, infusing it with a magic that will help end the war. It isn’t ready yet, and Rasmodius can’t work on the sword and help defend the valley.”

                “So, we have to wait until its ready?”

                Najia just nodded.

                “How much longer do we have to wait?” Marlon asked.

                “I don’t know,” Najia said, hesitant. “Hopefully not much longer.”

                *****

                Najia made her way down the dirt road towards the farm. It would be some time before Maru had any information for them, if any at all, and she didn’t quite feel up to socializing. But, much to her dismay, she would not find the farm to be empty.

                Jas and Vincent played happily in the snow as Penny, Sam, and Shane looked on. Lewis and John chatted casually among themselves, flasks in hand, as they stood outside the cabin. They were the first to notice Najia just at the end of the road, and they smiled to her warmly.

                “Looks like you made it back in one piece,” John said.

                His voice brought the attention of Penny, Sam, and Shane, each turning to see Najia, now at her grandfather’s side. She avoided their gaze.

                “How’d it go, then?” John pressed.

                “Fine,” Najia said simply. “Maru got her drones and Sebastian brought his motorcycle.”

                John raised a curious eyebrow. “In the dead of winter?”

                Najia shrugged. “He really wanted his bike back.” She forced a smile.

                “What about those drones?” Lewis asked.

                “Maru had one scanning the surface, I guess. She’s waiting for a charge on her laptop before she can see the results.”

                “She’s a smart one, that girl,” Lewis said.

                “No problems, then?” John asked. “I thought for sure you’d have some trouble in the city.”

                Najia hesitated. It was no use keeping anything from them. They were bound to find out from Marlon and Gil, or even Sebastian.

                “Just a little,” she said softly. She avoided her grandfather’s gaze and moved her eyes to the three adults, but their attention was back on the children playing in the snow. Even Shane did not seem interested in her return.

                “Shadow People?” John asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

                “Yeah,” she said. “Nox. Their leader.”

                John held his gaze on his granddaughter. “And?”

                Najia pinched her lips together as she met his gaze. “And, what? He wants the sword, just like everyone else does.”

                “So,” John started, “should we be expecting a visit from him soon?”

                “He won’t come here,” Najia said.

                John was quiet for a moment before turning away from her. “Alright,” he said simply. He put his hands in his jacket pockets and cleared his throat. “Looks like you get to live another day,” he called to Shane.

                Shane met his gaze briefly, then Najia’s. “What a relief.”
                 
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                • Skyloft-Farm

                  Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                  Najia, John, Marlon, Gil, Shane, Alex, Sam, Sebastian, Maru, and Abigail made up the make-shift tactical steam of the Stardew Valley survivors that stood together by candle light in the community center as the night closed in around them. They stood around an old, wooden table, Maru at its center in the glow of her laptop screen as she analyzed the data her drone had collected. She pointed a finger to the screen as she attempted to explain to the others what the data was showing.

                  “The droid picks up temperature on the surface and under ground,” Maru said. She pointed to red, orange, and yellow figures on the screen. “That’s us,” she said. “Waiting in the cemetery for Seb. All life forms appear this way because of their body heat.” She scrolled through the rest of the footage. The same red, orange, and yellow colors were on the screen, but this time something seemed to obstruct them. “This is us,” Maru said, pointing once more, “when we were on the interstate.”

                  She scrolled further until Najia could be seen, a red, orange, and yellow figure, standing in front of the vehicles and before a large figure, colored in shades of blue. Maru’s finger moved to the blue blob on the screen. “That’s Nox,” she said simply. She leaned back as everyone else moved closer, peering at the screen. “The leader of the Shadow People.”

                  “So?” Alex asked. “What does this mean?”

                  Maru moved back in, scrolling through the data. The screen seemed to zoom out. Tiny dots of blue seemed to dot the map, some in clusters, others alone in various locations. Maru moved a transparent image of the map over this view. The little blue dots glowed under the lines of the map.

                  “This is a map of the sewer systems,” she said simply. She pointed to various areas on the map. Some of the lines were many and some were few. “This is the city,” she said as she pointed to a chaotic grouping of lines. Under the lines were hundreds of thousands of little blue dots. Her finger traced one particular line as it led out of the city and seemed to disappear, but a line of blue dots continued onward, down the interstate until they were sparse.

                  “I have a feeling the Shadow People have extended these sewer lines out of the city and across the country,” Maru said as she pointed to a few individual blue dots. “This allows them to travel across the country, getting to various places while remaining under ground.”

                  “I don’t get it,” Sam said. “Why would there be so many of them underground when they can live on the surface in the darkness?”

                  Maru shook her head, equally perplexed. “I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Maybe they’re civilian Shadow People? Women and children?”

                  “We can’t hurt them,” Abigail said. “They’re innocent.”

                  “They’re just as deadly,” Alex hissed. “They’re not innocent in this war.”

                  “Just because some of them are attacking us doesn’t mean they’re all bad,” she said.

                  “How many of our own people have died?” Alex spat at her. “They were just as innocent. We’re all innocent. They don’t care about women and children. This is war, Abby. Get your head out of your ass.”

                  Abigail blinked blankly at his outburst. After a moment, she narrowed her eyes. “I will not be a part of any senseless slaughtering.”

                  “We’re the ones being slaughtered,” Alex barked at her. “We can’t even trust other humans because they’re slaughtering us, too!”

                  “I can’t be a part of this,” Abigail stuttered. “I won’t end someone’s life.”

                  “Can you really say that after you watched those brutes murder your own family?”

                  The room fell silent as Alex’s words hung over them.

                  “I can’t,” Abigail said softly. “I couldn’t bring myself to do it. To save them.”

                  “No one should have to end a life,” Marlon said. He let his hand rest on Maru’s shoulder. “It is a psychological trauma we cannot all bear.”

                  “This is war,” Alex said. “It’s kill or be killed.”

                  “When did you suddenly become so pro war?” Sam muttered.

                  “I have an unborn life to fight for,” Alex hissed. “If I can kill my father, I can handle a few Shadow Brutes.” Alex pushed at the table as he marched away from them. “Tell me when you have a damn plan.” He slammed the door shut behind him as he walked outside.

                  Abigail hesitated. “I don’t think I can be a part of this,” she said quickly, her voice low. She, too, hurried out of the room.

                  The room was silent once more until Maru cleared her throat. “Okay,” she said quietly. “So, uh, what’s the plan, then?”

                  “Is there a way to get in there?” Gil asked. “Maybe if we can see for ourselves what’s down there… There’s no sense in blowing something up that will only piss them off more. We need to end the war, not make things worse for ourselves.”

                  Maru nodded quickly. “We can use the sewers in the next town, outside of the mountain range,” she said. “I have a bot I can probably use for this. We can scout things out and try to get a complete map of the tunnels they have under ground.” She hesitated. “It could take some time, though.”

                  Gil nodded. “Let’s do it. The more intel we have, the better.”
                   
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                  • Skyloft-Farm

                    Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                    Najia stood at the edge of the road. Just across on the other side was the storm drain they had been searching out. A combined sewer drain, as Maru had explained to them. It consisted of water from storms and sewage, which were then separated with a damn that allowed the water to run off into a near by body of water while the waste went to a sewage plant. Maru had assured them that they would likely not have to deal with any particular kind of waste, or even go near any sewage plants for that matter. She was certain the Shadow People would stay away from those areas as well.

                    Marlon and Gil peered into the drain, confirming that it was safe to open as Maru prepared the machine that would be traveling the many tunnels. Najia felt Shane’s elbow jabbing her hard in her side. She shot a glare towards him as she rubbed the aching area. “What?”

                    “I asked you a question,” he said rolling his eyes.

                    “Oh. What?”

                    “Are you okay?”

                    “I’m not about to go trouncing through shit,” she muttered.

                    “What? No. I meant about Nox.”

                    “Huh?” She was so focused on the disgusting sewer drain that she had almost forgotten about her encounter with the leader of the Shadow People. “Oh.” She shrugged. “Yeah. I’m fine. It’s fine.”

                    “Why didn’t you tell me you saw him?”

                    “I did.”

                    “No,” Shane said slowly. “John told me.”

                    Najia sighed. She rubbed her temple. “It wasn’t a big thing.”

                    “Not a big thing?” Shane stared at her. “The thing that tortured you endlessly just waltzes back up to you, demands that you hand over some sword, let’s you go without a fight when you refuse, and it’s not a big thing?”

                    “What can I say?” she muttered. “He was feeling kind.”

                    “As soon as that sword is ready,” Shane said, “I’m gonna kill him.”

                    “No,” Najia said quickly. She hesitated when she felt his gaze on her. “You can’t.”

                    “Why not?”

                    “Rasmodius has to,” she said. “You know, magic and stuff.”

                    Shane crossed his arms. “Well, that takes all the fun out of everything.”

                    Najia watched as Maru finally lowered the tiny bot into the sewer. Maru leaned over the edge, peering inside as the bot came to life and immediately began the work that Maru had programmed into its system. Maru got to her feet and sighed. “It’s done.”

                    “Now what?” Shane asked. “We wait for data?”

                    Maru nodded. “Could be a couple of months before it makes it back,” she said. “If it makes it back.”

                    “Let’s hope it does,” Gil muttered.

                    “I’m pretty sure the Shadow People won’t notice it,” Maru said. She shrugged. “But, its out of my hands, now.”

                    “So,” Shane said. “That’s it?”

                    “That’s it,” Maru confirmed.

                    “Exciting.” Shane made his way down the road and towards the Trans Am. The rest of their little group followed suit, eager to get back in the protection of the valley. Najia slid into the front seat as Maru slid into the back.

                    They drove in silence until they reached the edge of the mountain range. They followed the Hummer through their familiar path through the mountains and into the valley, grateful to be greeted by the bright sunshine once more.

                    “Why are you being so quiet?” Najia asked finally, turning to Shane.

                    “I’m not quiet.”

                    “You’re quiet,” Maru confirmed.

                    Shane glanced up in the rear view mirror, meeting her gaze briefly before turning his eyes back to the road. “Well, excuse me,” he said in a mocking voice. “What do you want me to say?”

                    “Hi,” Najia said. “Welcome back. How was your trip?”

                    “It sounded exciting.”

                    “You missed out. The city is beautiful this time of year.”

                    “I bet. Full of evil, glowing eyes.”

                    “We met Nox,” Najia said casually, though he already knew.

                    “You don’t say?” Shane was really phoning in the sarcasm now. “Well, gosh, that sounds swell.”

                    “He invited us for tea.”

                    “Did he now?”

                    “And then threatened to end our lives.”

                    “That Nox,” Shane said, pushing the sarcasm further, a fake grin plastered on his face. “Always been a jokster.”

                    “What’s the deal with that sword, anyway?” Maru asked.

                    Najia sighed. “He wants it so we can’t use it to bring the light back.”

                    “No, not that one,” Maru said. “The one he had.”

                    Najia looked out the window, ignoring Shane’s glare. “The Obsidian Sword,” she said simply. “The dark sword.”

                    “Dark and light? What is this, a video game? Good versus evil?”

                    Najia shrugged. “Something like that.”

                    “Rasmodius will take care of that,” Shane said. “Right?”

                    He suspected. He always did. There wasn’t hiding anything from him. “Right.”

                    And he wasn’t about to let it go, either, when they got back to the valley.

                    “Can we stop playing this game?” Shane said to Najia as he followed her back to the farm.

                    “There’s no game,” Najia said simply.

                    “You’re hiding something like you always do.”

                    Najia turned to him and pinched her lips together. “I promise, I’m not. Okay?”

                    He didn’t look convinced, but his face softened. “Fine,” he muttered.

                    “Did you even miss me?” Najia pressed playfully.

                    Shane scoffed. “Not at all. The peace and quiet was nice.”

                    Najia rolled her eyes. “I bet it was.”

                    Shane shrugged. “It was a little weird without my sidekick.”

                    Najia raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? I’m the sidekick?”

                    “The Robin to my Batman.”

                    Najia shook her head. “No, no, I don’t think so. You’re totally Aqua Man.”

                    “Aqua Man sucks,” Shane whined. “How about Iron Man?”

                    “You wish you were Iron Man.”

                    Shane smirked. “Yeah, that would be great.”

                    “I’m Batman,” Najia said sternly. “You’re the Boy Wonder.”

                    “Okay,” Shane said in an attempt to negotiate. “How about, I’m Superman, and you’re Lois Lane.”

                    “Lois Lane isn’t even a super hero,” Najia said. “I’d be Wonder Woman. She don’t need no man to save her.”

                    “Fine,” Shane said. “Go take a ride in your lame ass invisible plane.”

                    Najia smirked. “Well, I missed this,” she said. “Maru and Sebastian spent most of the time arguing with each other.”

                    “What do you want me to say? That I was worried about you? ‘Cause I wasn’t.”

                    Najia shrugged. “Fine, you weren’t. I don’t care.”

                    “I didn’t think you wanted me to be.”

                    “I don’t.”

                    “Okay, then.”

                    “Fine.”

                    “I think this is the part where you kiss me,” Shane said.

                    Najia wrinkled her nose. “Why would I do that?”

                    “Why not?”

                    “You just want to get laid,” Najia said. “Playing your little mind games so you don’t-”

                    Shane’s lips pressed against hers for a moment before he pulled away.

                    “Is this what we do, now?” Najia muttered.

                    “I missed -”

                    Najia pressed her lips into him. “Shut up,” she muttered against him.

                    Shane wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close as tiny snow flakes began to fall around them.
                     
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                    • Skyloft-Farm

                      Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                      The rest of the winter was uneventful, quickly melting away into another spring. Without much to do, they entertained themselves with games and drinking. Harvey took advantage of the lull to educate them on quick medical training in case something should happen while they were out on a raid of some sort.

                      After a few weeks since she sent the bot on its mission, Maru had taken to waiting for it in the valley to return to the coordinates she had programmed into it. With each passing day, she grew more and more anxious for its return. Without the convenience of internet and other once modern amenities, she had no way to keep in contact with the device and help guide it through any problems.

                      This must have been how the people in their space program felt: constantly wondering when their probe would reach its destination and turn on for the first time, bringing them new information they never had access to before. She never considered herself to be a religious person, but she found herself praying to Yoba every night for her bot to return safely. Anything to help in this war and, most of all, prove her worth in the valley.

                      “How’d I know I’d find you out here?”

                      Maru recognized Penny’s voice immediately and a sense of calm washed over her. Penny always knew just how to make Maru feel better. She turned to Penny and smiled.

                      “Anything?” Penny asked as she looked out over the valley.

                      Maru shook her head. “Not today, I guess,” she said softly, a pang of disappointment in her gut.

                      Penny let her fingers reach for Maru’s hand at her side. “It will come.”

                      “Maybe,” Maru said, hesitant. “But its more likely that it was destroyed weeks ago and I’ll just never know.”

                      “We’ll find another way,” Penny said in an attempt reassure her. “We always do.”

                      “This is the one way I can help in this war,” Maru said. “We need the information from that bot. We’d have a map of the sewers the Shadow People are using. We’d have video footage, audio footage - that thing could have collected top secret information that we need to win this war. Without it, we have nothing,”

                      “You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself,” Penny said. She squeezed her hand.

                      “Everyone is relying on this bot. On me.” Maru turned away from her and sighed. “For once, I could prove to Sebastian that what I do isn’t stupid.”

                      “I don’t think he’s ever thought it was stupid,” Penny said. “He wouldn’t have gone with you into the city if he didn’t think your drones would help.”

                      Maru stared at the device in her hand, waiting for the little light at the end to glow, an indicator to when the bot was in range. The light died quickly after the bot was released into the sewers. Maru felt so sure it would light up again.

                      “You’ve been out here all day,” Penny said. “Come back and get something to eat.”

                      Maru felt defeated every time she walked away from that spot in the valley. With every passing day, it was less and less likely it would return to her. Maybe it was time she face reality and accept the fact that the bot didn’t survive. She knew the chances were slim; she just hoped there was a chance at all.

                      Maru pulled her hand out of Penny’s and trudged through the brush, sliding down the cliff she had been standing on. She lost her balance, her feet sliding out from under her, and she tumbled the rest of the way down. The radio in her hand bounced away and ricocheted off a rock.

                      Maru scrambled to her feet and hurried to the device, her stomach twisting as she picked it up off the ground. It was cracked down the middle and the antenna was bent and mangled. Her heart sank as she inspected it. It was broken. If there was any chance that her bot had returned to the valley, she may never know.

                      Maru fell to her knees and sobbed. The radio dropped from her hands, back onto the ground, lying in the tall, brown grass. Penny dropped to her side, pulling her into her arms in an attempt to comfort her.

                      After a moment, Penny stiffened. Her arms fell away from Maru and she pulled at her hand. “Maru,” she said quickly, then louder, “Maru!”

                      Maru turned to Penny, then followed her gaze to the radio lying in the grass. The light at the end began to glow softly for a moment. As the minutes passed, it brightened until it flashed erratically, signaling the bot’s return.

                      Maru leapt to her feet, scooping up the radio, staring at it in her hands. She looked out over the valley, searching for some sign of the little bot. It was close - Maru just had to find it.

                      “Help me,” she called to Penny as she hurried into the valley. Her eyes scanned the ground by her feet as she stepped carefully so as not to step on the little bot.

                      They swept the area as best as they could, making sure to cover every inch in a fifty foot radius, and then some. It was well over an hour before Maru stumbled across the bot, a little worse for wear, but still going strong.

                      Maru cradled the bot in her hands lovingly as tears trailed down her cheeks. “It’s here,” she said. “It worked.”

                      *****

                      Najia peered into the window of the community center. Maru’s face was lit by the warmth of candle light and the cool glow of her laptop screen. She was completely focused on her work, oblivious to the people outside staring in at her.

                      “How long has she been in there?” Najia asked.

                      “Since the bot got back,” Penny said. “Going on sixteen hours.”

                      It was relatively early in the morning. Their stomachs were growling for breakfast, but no one dared enter the building where Maru had spent the entire night analyzing the data the bot had collected.

                      “She needs a break,” Najia muttered. “Someone needs to go in and pull her away.”

                      “She won’t budge,” Penny said. “She’s hyper-focused on that thing. Won’t stop until she knows everything she needs to know.”

                      “That’s almost two months of data,” Shane said. “That will take forever.”

                      Najia opened the door quietly, poking her head inside. “Maru?” She approached the round table in the middle of the room, standing on the other side. “You should eat something.”

                      Maru’s eyes were plastered to the screen, wide and red and exhausted. Large sheets of paper were spread out around the table. Her eyes shifted from the screen to the paper. She jotted down her notes quickly before returning to the laptop. She stood quickly at that moment, knocking the chair over onto the ground.

                      “Look,” she said simply, pointing at a large sheet.

                      It was, in fact, a large map of the country, yellowed and faded. Handmade colored lines were drawn over it as if representing a chaotic underground city.

                      The others had trailed in at this point and they gathered around the table as they peered at the map.

                      “These green lines are the sewers,” Maru explained. “The red ones are where they continue, likely expanded on by the Shadow People.”

                      The red lines continued where the green lines left off, connecting cities and towns together, providing an underground road system from coast to coast. The only place the makeshift sewer system did not reach was Stardew Valley. In fact, the red lines seemed to stop just at the edge of the mountain range. Maru pointed at the dead end red line.

                      “This was much shorter when the bot left,” she explained. “On its return, the line had gotten longer. They’re making their way into the valley.”

                      “Great,” Alex muttered. “Just what we need. A surprise underground attack.”

                      “Not a surprise,” Abigail pointed out. “We know about it, now.”

                      “What are we supposed to do about it?” Sam asked.

                      Maru shook her head quickly, her heart racing, a result of a severe lack of sleep, too much coffee, and valuable information she had left to reveal to them. “There’s more,” she said anxiously as she moved back to her laptop. “Listen.”

                      They moved closer as Maru typed and clicked at her laptop, loading audio footage. The speakers cracked for a moment, muffling the voices before they came in a little clearer. They immediately recognized two things at that moment: the familiar hiss of a Shadow Brute, and a human voice.

                      The hissing began the conversation on the recorded audio. Their eyes turned to Najia, waiting for her to translate. Najia squinted in an attempt to hear better.

                      A human voice followed. “My men are in the valley at this moment.”

                      A hissing followed.

                      “You just do your part, and I’ll do mine.”

                      Angry hissing. Najia’s eyes widened as she listened. Her heart raced.

                      “Don’t fuck this up, Nox, or your people won’t make it out of these sewers ever again.”

                      “What happened?” Shane barked at her. “What’s going on?”

                      Najia hesitated as the audio began to crackle once more and the voices disappeared. “That was Michaels,” she said, her voice shaking. “Michaels is working with the Shadow People.”
                       
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                      • Skyloft-Farm

                        Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                        The room erupted in chaotic confusion. Why was Michaels working with Nox? What did that mean for the survivors in the valley? The war suddenly took a sickening twist and their odds of winning seemed even less likely than ever.

                        “Why is he doing this?” Abigail asked, panicked. “I thought we had a deal.”

                        “We did,” Shane hissed. “You never make deals in war.” He shot a glare at Najia.

                        “This isn’t my fault,” she barked at him.

                        “Maybe there’s more to this than we realize,” John said. “Maybe he’s pretending to work with Nox.”

                        “A double agent?” Gil asked.

                        “A triple agent,” Sam muttered.

                        “This has gotten way too complicated,” Abigail muttered.

                        “What are we supposed to do?” Alex said. “We need a plan.”

                        “We can’t assume Michaels is on our side or on Nox’s side,” Najia said. “We have to go in as if he’s the bad guy.”

                        “He is the bad guy,” Sam said.

                        “We say nothing to the Gotoro,” Najia continued. “We go on without their help.”

                        “And do what?” Alex asked.

                        Najia hesitated. She leaned against the table, dragging Maru’s map towards her.

                        “We have a few problems,” she stated. She pointed at the red line just outside of the mountain range. “Shadow People trying to get in,” she said. She moved her hand to the valley. “The Gotoro as another potential enemy.” She straightened, still staring at the map. “And Nox.”

                        “If we’re gonna come out of this alive,” Shane said, “it’s time we start playing dirty, too.”

                        “What do you suggest?” Gil asked eagerly.

                        “We find a way to turn the Gotoro against the Shadow People,” Shane said. “Let them fight it out and close off their tunnel into the valley while we get out and find Nox and Michaels.”

                        “I don’t know if we’ll want the Gotoros to know that we know about what the Shadow People are doing,” Maru said carefully. “We can’t let anyone know that we know something.”

                        “We go in the sewers where they’re working and eliminate them,” Sebastian said. “Close it off somehow. Bring them a few steps back. That will at least buy us some time.”

                        “What if that doesn’t work?” Alex said. “We need back up plans. What do we do if those brutes make it into the valley? Or worse, the Gotoro turn on us? They’re right outside as we speak and they have been for months.” His eyes widened at a realization. “They’ve been trouncing around here, helping themselves to all the valley has to offer. The helicopters have been coming in and out. It could all be a ploy. Who knows what kind of information they have. Searching the valley this whole time, right under our noses.”

                        “The mines,” John reminded them. “No matter what happens, we can escape through the mines and come out north of the range.”

                        “And what, then?” Sam said. “We run for the rest of our lives? Hope we stumble across another magical valley?”

                        “Let’s start with the sewers,” Marlon said. “Close it off, buy us some time. That’s what we need right now. They’re way too close. Let’s do some damage.”

                        “I’ve got dynamite,” Gil said. “Good chunk of it. We can blow those sewers to bits. If they’re deep enough, we can cause a pretty good cave in.”

                        “Sounds dangerous,” Abigail muttered. “We could get crushed ourselves.”

                        “We’ll have plenty of time to get outta there,” he assured her.

                        “Fine,” Marlon said. “We should get moving now before they get too much closer.”

                        Maru closed her laptop and sighed. “I’m going to bed,” she yawned. She shuffled over to the couch and collapsed on top of the pillows dramatically.

                        Marlon, Gil, Alex, Sam, Sebastian, Shane, and Najia packed the vehicles quickly, tossing fruit to one another as they worked for a quick breakfast. Within the hour, they were driving down the tunnel and into the valley, only to be stopped by the Gotoro soldiers. The head soldier of the group swaggered over to Marlon and Gil, who lead their caravan in their trusty Hummer. The soldier leaned his arm on the window as he spoke to them.

                        “And where do you think you’re going?”

                        “Supply run,” Marlon said simply.

                        The soldier looked passed the Hummer at the two other vehicles behind them, then back to Marlon. “If there’s something you need,” he said, “you can tell us and we’ll get it for you.”

                        “We’ve got a pregnant woman, you know,” Marlon said. He looked up to the ceiling as if trying to recall a mental list he had created. “She needs some kind of douche.” He looked at the soldier. “You know, the vaginal kind? That’s what it is, right? Summer’s Eve, something-or-other.”

                        The soldier shifted on his feet and wrinkled his nose.

                        “I’ve got an order of tampons, too. Boxes of tampons. Hell, we’ll raid any store of all of their tampons, just so I don’t gotta go out there and get them again.”

                        “Give it a rest, Gramps,” the soldier said. “You’re not leaving this valley. Michaels’s orders.”

                        Marlon narrowed his eyes at the soldier. “And why’s that?”

                        “I don’t get the details,” the soldier said. “I just carry out the orders. And my orders were not to let you valley folk leave.” He straightened, his hand on the weapon on his hip. “You need supplies, you bring us a list and we’ll get ‘em.”

                        “Okay,” Marlon said slowly. “Guess we’ll need to go back and write a list, now, don’t we?” He held his gaze for a moment before waving to the cars behind him. He turned the Hummer around and they made their way back down the tunnel and into town. He slammed the door shut behind him as he climbed out.

                        “What was that all about?” Shane asked as the rest of them gathered.

                        “Plan B,” Marlon said. “Michaels isn’t gonna let us leave the valley.”

                        “Why?” Najia asked.

                        “Do you think he knows we know?” Alex asked.

                        “Who knows who knows what who knows,” Sam muttered.

                        Sebastian turned to Sam and smirked. “I don’t know how I understood that,” he said.

                        “What do we do now?” Alex asked.

                        “We leave through the mines,” Gil said.

                        “Send someone to bring them a grocery list,” Marlon said. “Send them on some useless mission to waste their time. They’ll be suspicious if we don’t come back with a list.”

                        “A list?” Najia asked.

                        “Marlon may have told them that Haley needed a douche,” Gil said with a smirk. “A supply run. They’re going out for us as a distraction.”

                        “Abigail can bring them a list,” Sam said, “while we get out through the mines.”

                        “Let’s get to it, then,” Marlon said.
                         
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                        • Skyloft-Farm

                          Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                          Leaving the cars behind, they carried their gear in backpacks as they trudged through the humid mines through the mountains. It didn’t take them nearly as long as they thought it would to get through, coming out on the other side of the range, in the darkness, in just a few hours. But, being north of the range meant they had to back track their way south to get to the makeshift tunnel the Shadow People had created to get into Stardew Valley.

                          Marlon checked Maru’s map from time to time as they walked south through the forest, keeping away from any roads and as out of sight as possible. The makeshift tunnel started just outside the closest town, to the east of the range where they often went on supply runs. That would be where the closest storm drain was, but Maru warned them not to go in through the drain.

                          Instead, they were headed for the sewage plant just north of the town. Following that, she said, would bring them to their destination just as well, while making them less likely to be seen. According to her data, which proved her own hypothesis, the Shadow People did, in fact, stay clear of those plants, giving the humans an opportune way in.

                          They reached the plant late in the evening, quickly finding the entrance to the sewers and climbing down into the long, dark tunnels. The green glow sticks provided by Maru were all they had to guide their way through. Less obvious than flashlights, she had said, and more likely for any shadow brute to think of them as friend rather than foe, buying them a chance to fight back should it come to it.

                          They followed the map as best as I could, immediately recognizing where the sewers ended and the more recently added tunnels began. While the sewers brought them to a grated dead end where the water was allowed to rush into a near by lake, a tunnel carved out to their left brought them further south once more, just where they wanted to be. If they continued to follow that tunnel, it should bring them to another cross roads, where turning right would bring them towards Stardew Valley.

                          X marked the spot at the crossroads. X marked the spot where Gil had decided to blow the tunnels to bits, blocking up not just one, but all four tunneled roads. Not only would they be prevented from tunneling further towards Stardew Valley, but they would not be able to go north to get out through the plant, or south to start a new tunnel around to the valley. Of course, they could likely tunnel their way through once more, but it would take time to get through the rubble or even start a new tunnel, and that was precisely what the humans needed. Anything to impede their progress and buy them time.

                          As they neared the crossroads, they could hear the familiar hissing of the Shadow People echoing off the walls of the tunnel. Every now and then, their hissing was drowned out by the sounds of tunneling; tools against the hard, underground surface where they borrowed their way through.

                          “What’s the plan?” Alex muttered. “Go in guns blazing?”

                          Gil shook his head. “It won’t be safe to shoot in here,” he said. “Bullets could ricochet. We’re better off waiting until they leave.”

                          “What if they don’t leave?” Sam asked.

                          “Then I guess we plant the dynamite as close as we can and hope for the best.”

                          “I could go in,” Marlon said, his hand on his trusted sword. “Take ‘em out myself. Doesn’t sound like there’s too many of ‘em.”

                          “There’s no way you’re getting all the fun,” Gil said.

                          “Hey, you get to blow up dynamite.”

                          “Fine,” Gil said. “Take ‘em out so we can get outta here.”

                          Marlon drew his sword and trotted the rest of the way down the tunnel as Gil began to prepare the dynamite.

                          “I don’t like this,” Najia muttered. Something in the pit of her stomach told her that something was wrong. That it wouldn’t be as simple as Marlon fighting off a small group of Shadow People.

                          The hissing grew angry as Marlon made his entrance. One by one, the hissed voices were silenced, but new voices arose in the distance. Human voices.

                          “Blow it up, boys,” a voice said.

                          “What the fuck,” Gil growled as he cocked his rifle.

                          They hurried down the tunnel until they got to the crossroads. A few shadowed bodies lay across the ground.

                          “Get down!” Marlon threw his body against them, pushing them to the ground just as a grenade exploded further down the eastern tunnel. The tunnel shook violently as rubble began to fall from the ceiling.

                          Gil set up the dynamite quickly, extending the string and running it down the northern tunnel where they had come from.

                          “Let’s get out of here,” he shouted to them as rocks crashed around them.

                          They sprinted back up the tunnel until the string reached the end. Gil hurried to light it and watched as the flame made its way back down the tunnel towards the dynamite.

                          “Move,” he shouted to them once more.

                          They continued to sprint back through the tunnels. After a few minutes, they could hear the blast at the cross roads. The echo rumbled towards them as they ran along the wall. After another few minutes, it grew silent in the tunnels, and they slowed their pace to catch their breath.

                          “What the hell happened?” Sam asked.

                          “Humans,” Marlon said. “They were waiting for us. Threw a grenade at me.”

                          “How did they know we’d be here?” Alex barked.

                          “We need to get out of here before they follow us back to the valley,” Gil said.

                          Even at their quickened pace, it would still be hours before they made it back to the plant, bringing them well into a dark morning, over twenty-four hours since they left the valley. And it would still take them almost a day’s walk to make it back to the valley. Over twenty-four hours and counting they had been awake, running on adrenaline. She hadn’t felt the effects yet, but Najia knew she would shortly, as soon as they got out of the sewers. Even the thought of it made her grow suddenly weary.

                          They continued on quietly until the morning came around, bringing it the ladder that would bring them out of the sewers and back into the plant. Najia climbed up first, her hands missing a couple of rungs as she staggered back to the surface of their dark world. She crawled onto the ground and forced herself, exhausted, back onto her feet. A cocked gun sent a shiver up her spine. She turned around slowly as a group of armed men stood across the plan, waiting for their arrival.

                          Shane pulled himself out of the sewers next. He searched her horror stricken eyes before he turned around to see the welcoming party. One by one, the survivors pulled themselves out of the sewers, turning to see the armed humans just on the other side, now moving in slowly.

                          “Is this our escort home?” Shane muttered.

                          “Down on the ground!” one of the men shouted to them. “Drop your weapons and get down on the ground.”

                          “Fuck,” Alex spat.

                          They let their weapons drop as they got to their knees, placing their hands behind their heads.

                          “Shit, fuck, dammit,” Ale hissed. “This wasn’t part of the plan.”

                          “They’re gonna straight up assassinate us,” Najia muttered. Her heart raced, screaming at her to turn and run.

                          “We’ll get out of this,” Shane said.

                          “I’m glad you think so,” Najia muttered.

                          The armed men were in front of them, looking down on their captives.

                          “Thought you could just drop in and fuck up our work, did you?” one of the men hissed.

                          “Why are you working with the Shadow People?” Sam barked at them.

                          “Sorry, kid, we’re not doing this.”

                          “So, arrest us and get it over with,” he muttered.

                          The man smiled wickedly. “Our orders are to bring you back… dead.”


                           
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                          • Skyloft-Farm

                            Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                            Shane met Alex’s gaze quickly. He bit his lower lip as the men raised their guns towards each of them. Shane threw himself against Najia, knocking her to the ground as Alex threw himself into the line of men. Sam threw himself into them next as Shane rolled over to grab their weapons. Najia lay on the ground, stunned for a moment as Marlon and Gil sprung into action beside her.

                            Gun shots fired around her erratically. Najia threw her arms over her head as she reached blindly for her gun. Her hands shook as she took the gun and scurried to her feet, only to be met face to face to one of the armed men. Before she could react, a strong force knocked into her once more, throwing her back into the ground as the weapon fired.

                            Najia pushed herself up, looking around quickly and watched in horror as Shane clutched at his stomach, gasping in pain at the bullet wound in his gut.

                            Najia stumbled forward, pulling him into her lap as he swayed from his knees.

                            “Shane,” Najia called to him, her hands on his face. “No, Shane, come on.”

                            Shane wheezed and gasped. “I’m fine,” he muttered between breaths. “I’m fine.”

                            “You’re not fine, you fucking idiot,” she shouted to him.

                            Shane squeezed his eyes shut as the pain seared through him like fire. Najia held his hand as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

                            “Don’t go,” Najia sobbed. “Hang on, Shane.”

                            Marlon dropped to Najia’s side and tore open Shane’s shirt.

                            “He needs Harvey,” Najia said frantically.

                            “He’ll die before we even get him out of here,” Marlon muttered. “We’re on our own.”

                            “We can’t do this,” Najia sobbed.

                            Marlon met her gaze and smiled. “Sure we can. Harvey prepared us for situations like this. Proper doctor training, hm?”

                            “We’re not medical soldiers,” she said. “We aren’t prepared to do any kind of medical work in the field.”

                            Marlon turned back to the wound. “Bullet’s gotta come out and the bleeding’s gotta stop,” he said. He turned to Shane, still fighting to stay conscious. “This is gonna hurt a bit, kid.” He dug his fingers into the wound, pulling out the bullet that was lodged there. Shane’s screams were cut short as he finally passed out.

                            Najia turned away as her stomach twisted. Shane’s grip on her hand loosened. Her heart raced, panicked.

                            “Don’t you get sick on me,” Marlon said to her. He tore up bits of Shane’s shirt and thrust them toward Najia. “Stop the bleeding now before he bleeds out.”

                            “Me?”

                            “Pressure. Now!”

                            Najia’s arms shook as she wrapped the pieces around her hands. She pressed against the wound as Marlon got back to his feet. She had only realized then that the gun shots had stopped. She pulled her eyes away from Shane, looking around at the bodies around them.

                            “It’s not over,” Gil said quickly. “They were expecting us, they will have back up. We need to get out of here, now.”

                            “How the hell are we supposed to do that?” Alex barked. “We have no vehicles and Shane’s bleeding out.”

                            Najia held back a whimper, closing her eyes tightly and pressing harder on the wound. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the sopping, bloodied piece of cloth around her hands.

                            Sam pointed across the plant where a cluster of SUVs were parked. “You don’t think those guys walked here, do ya?”

                            “Go,” Marlon hissed. “Let’s move!”

                            Sam and Alex sprinted towards the vehicles. Sam climbed into the driver’s side of one while Alex got in another. The two SUVs tore up the mud as they raced across the plant.

                            “Keep the pressure on him,” Marlon instructed as he and Gil lifted Shane’s body into the back seat. Despite her shaking knees, Najia managed to keep her hands against the wound, climbing into the back seat. Marlon climbed in beside Alex as Gil slid into the other SUV with Sam.

                            Alex stepped on the gas hard and the SUV tore through the dirt as they navigated out of the plant with Sam close behind.

                            Najia’s body shook violently as Marlon put a hand on her shoulder. He leaned across the front seat, half of his body in the back seat as he searched Shane’s neck for a pulse. He nodded to himself and smiled up at Najia.

                            “Don’t you worry that pretty little head, hm? Harvey’ll get him fixed up in no time.” His eyes moved quickly to the wound. “Just keep that pressure on. That’s what’s gonna stop him from bleeding out.”

                            “Great,” Najia muttered. “Because I need someone’s fucking life in my hands right now.”

                            “It won’t be long before we get back to the valley,” Marlon assured her. “Sit tight.”

                            It didn’t take them long at all as they sped through the mountain range, not bothering to make their way back through the mines. Much to their surprise, however, the Gotoro army no longer guarded the valley. Not a soldier could be seen for miles as they spend through the valley and into the tunnel.

                            “Why aren’t they here?” Alex hissed.

                            “Tipped off that we escaped, most likely,” Marlon said. “They probably realize we know that they’re a bunch of traitors.”

                            Najia’s heart raced. “What if they attacked everyone? What if we’re about to walk into a graveyard?”

                            Marlon turned to her but said nothing for a moment. “Keep that pressure on,” he said softly. He forced a smile in an attempt to reassure her, but Najia knew better. Her stomach twisted sickeningly at what they were about to head into.

                            Alex drove the SUV down the dirt road, stopping right in front of Harvey’s. To Najia’s relief, Harvey hurried outside quickly, aware that something had gone wrong. Her hands fell away from Shane as his body was lifted out of the vehicle and into the med cabin.

                            Najia stared at the door as it closed behind them. Her hands were still wrapped in the bloodied cloth. She sat in the backseat until Alex made his way around to her. He carefully unwrapped her hands, freeing them from Shane’s blood. He helped her out of the vehicle, guiding her towards the mountain springs. She dipped her hands in the cold water of the river, watching as the blood was carried down stream.
                             
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                            • Skyloft-Farm

                              Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                              Najia felt her eyes grow heavy. The medical cabin grew dim as the sun began it’s descent for the night. A fire crackled in the center of the room, providing the only available light, leaving the solar power available for the equipment necessary to monitor Shane.

                              Najia stared into the fire as the room darkened. She listened to Shane’s steady breathing and the sound of the flames turning the logs to ash.

                              “I know I’m an ass, but should I really be in hell?”

                              Shane’s pained voice made Najia jump. She turned to him and he smirked at her.

                              “You think you’re in hell?”

                              “Must be if I have to wake up to your face.”

                              Najia rolled her eyes and leaned back in the chair. “Must be so unfortunate for you.”

                              Shane turned to the ceiling and rubbed his temple. He stared at the IV in his hand and sighed. “What’s all this?”

                              Najia shrugged. “I’m not the doctor.”

                              Shane shifted and winced. His hand immediately went to the bandage on his stomach and he groaned.

                              Najia stared at the bandages that wrapped around him. “Marlon kept the bullet,” she said. “In case you wanted something to remember the night by.”

                              Shane smiled weakly. “Too bad I don’t remember much to begin with.”

                              “It wasn’t anything too exciting,” Najia said. “I mean, it’s like you walked right into the bullet. You cried like a bitch.”

                              “You wish,” Shane muttered.

                              Najia smiled. “Well,” she started. “You probably would have when Marlon dug the bullet out of you if you didn’t pass out.”

                              Shane made a face of disgust and turned to meet her gaze. “Where are my discharge papers?”

                              “You don’t get any,” Najia said. “You’re stuck here forever.”

                              Shane turned his gaze back to the ceiling.

                              Najia cleared her throat. “Jas has been waiting to see you,” she said softly. “I didn’t want her to until you were awake. Plus you were all bloody and disgusting.” She shrugged. “Girl doesn’t need to be more traumatized.”

                              Shane turned back to her. “Thanks.”

                              Najia stood. “I can go get her.”

                              Shane nodded. “Okay.”

                              Najia was eager to leave the cabin now that Shane was conscious. She had grown to hate that room, despite its good intentions. She got to her feet quickly, smiling at Shane one last time before making her way into the cool night air.

                              Jas was still awake when Najia found herself at Marnie’s little ranch. Marnie hugged Najia tightly as she walked in.

                              “I’ve just had it with this war, yanno,” she said exasperated. “I can’t take it anymore, I just can’t.”

                              Najia forced a crooked smile. “Shane’s up,” she said simply. “I thought Jas might want to see him.”

                              Jas had looked up from her coloring at the table at the mention of Shane’s name. She smiled wide at Najia. “Can I?”

                              Najia nodded as the girl hurried to her side and lead the way to Harvey’s cabin. Najia opened the door for the girl and Jas ran to the side of the bed, climbing anxiously into Shane’s arms. He winced as he moved, but smiled at the girl that sat beside him.

                              “It’s about time,” Jas said, crossing her arms.

                              “I’m sorry to have inconvenienced you,” Shane said. His fingers brushed her bangs out of her face.

                              Najia turned away and closed the door behind her. She heard Jas giggle from inside. She leaned against the door with a sigh and looked up at the stars. It was later than she had realized; not a soul was outside enjoying the warm spring night, and for that she was grateful.

                              She suddenly realized that she had woken herself up, briefly falling asleep at the door. It had been way too long since she had slept last, and all she wanted to do was sleep forever, or at least until the war was over.

                              Najia dragged her feet as she walked down the dirt road, meeting her grandfather half way. She leaned against him and yawned as he guided her back to the cabin.

                              “I was wondering when you’d finally pull yourself away,” he said as he wrapped an arm around her. “You’ve been up for over two whole days.”

                              Najia nodded sleepily, barely able to keep her eyes open. “I know,” she muttered.

                              She let John guide her into the house where she collapsed onto the bed. Sleep moved in on her instantly, before her head even hit the pillow.

                              *****

                              With the ground thawed from the winter, the land was ready to be used for crops once more. Najia joined them on the farm, working beside Leah and Abigail as they prepared the soil for another season, tilling the land and planting the seeds. It was enough to distract her from the memories of the last week, but she could not bring herself to return to Harvey’s to see Shane. She knew from Marnie that he was recovering, and that was enough for her. She couldn’t handle the images of his blood on her hands.

                              When she finished with the chores for the day, she made her way to the beach, sitting on the edge of the dock and looking out over the ocean, eager for some time to herself. She continued this way for over a week, working on the farms and sitting alone at the beach.

                              She found herself there early one morning after a particularly restless night. The sun was just beginning to rise over the ocean. Pink and yellow clouds stretched across the lightening sky. She did not turn to greet the footsteps behind her. Shane sat beside her and sighed.

                              “You’re up,” she said simply.

                              “Can’t stay in a hospital bed forever.” He lifted his shirt. “Check out that scar.”

                              Najia glanced at it, turning away quickly. “Wonderful,” she muttered.

                              “Makes for a good story, doesn’t it? Ladies love a battle scar.”

                              “Sure,” Najia said with a shrug. “If you’re a medieval knight fighting to honor your kingdom.”

                              “Kingdom, valley, same difference.”

                              “I’m glad you find enjoyment in the fact that you almost died.”

                              “Oh, come on,” Shane said. “Why so serious? You’re the one that used to find the good in everything.”

                              “I’m running out of good things to find,” Najia muttered.

                              “Just admit it,” Shane said. “You were worried about me.”

                              Najia shrugged. “I was more concerned about what I’d have to tell a little girl that someone else she loves died.”

                              “That would have been an awkward conversation,” Shane muttered.

                              Najia met his gaze with disapproving eyes.

                              “Lighten up, will ya?” he said.

                              “Just don’t try to save my life again,” Najia mumbled.

                              “Is that what I was doing?”

                              “It’s the only logical explanation for why someone would literally jump in front of a bullet.”

                              “I tripped.”

                              “That must be it.”

                              Shane smiled. “I’m a hero,” he said. “Ladies love a hero.”

                              “Well, I don’t. I think it was stupid.”

                              “You’re not a lady, anyway.”

                              Najia sighed and turned back to the water. “As much as I love our usual banters,” she started. “can we just… not… right now?”

                              Shane’s smile disappeared. “All right,” he said softly. “Sorry.”

                              Najia shook her head. “It’s fine. I just want to sit.”

                              Shane stretched out onto his arms, his palms on the dock. “Then sit we shall.”

                              “Thanks for not dying,” Najia muttered. “Don’t do it again.”

                              Shane straightened and smiled. He inched closer to her. “Can’t make any promises,” he said. “I can’t stand by if a lady’s life is in danger.”

                              Najia rolled her eyes and sighed. She let her head rest against his shoulder.

                              “Why didn’t you come keep me company?” he asked her after a moment.

                              Najia shrugged. “I don’t really like being in there. It just feels like a place to die.”

                              “No one’s dying,” he said softly.

                              No. Not yet. Najia kept her gaze on the horizon. If only their future were as bright as the sunrise.
                               
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                              • Skyloft-Farm

                                Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                                Maru was hunched over her laptop once more, analyzing data from the drone that Marlon and Gil brought back to her after using it to scout out the area over the sewers. The data confirmed that the survivors had indeed foiled the plans of the Shadow People, blowing up their progress in their under ground tunnels leading towards Stardew Valley and sealing them shut. At the rate Maru had calculated, it should by them a couple months worth of time before the tunnels reached the valley. And who knew if there would be a valley left by then.

                                Marlon, Gil, John, and Lewis continued to argue in front of her from across the table. Their hands waved wildly in their air, just as loud as their voices as their conversation grew heated.

                                “I’m telling ya,” John said, glaring at Marlon and Gil. His hands were balled into fists at his side. “They never said a word to us. We didn’t even know they were gone.”

                                “They just up and left?” Gil said. “In the middle of the night?”

                                “We were ambushed,” Marlon added. “They were ready to shoot us on the spot. Orders from Michaels.”

                                “They knew our plan,” Gil hissed. “They knew exactly where we’d be.”

                                “No one said a thing to those soldiers,” Lewis barked at them.

                                “Michaels is not on our side,” Marlon said. “And now he knows that we know.”

                                “Are you accusing us?” John’s voice was a low, fierce and threatening growl.

                                “Not everyone can be trusted,” Gil said through gritted teeth.

                                “There are no traitors in this valley,” Lewis said. “How dare you accuse any of us.”

                                “Like Morris?” Gil spat.

                                “You can’t blame us for that,” John said. “I welcomed you people into the safety of this valley with open arms. You’re the one that brought him here.”

                                Lewis looked around the room quickly, then lowered his voice. “He could be behind this whole mess. Planted some kinda spy equipment. We’re not safe anywhere.”

                                “Then maybe we should leave the valley,” Gil muttered.

                                “Good riddance,” John said. “It was nothing but trouble since the day you people got here.”

                                Najia stood abruptly at the table. The four men had completely forgotten that she was still there, sitting beside Maru, who hid her face behind her laptop.

                                “Najia,” John said quickly. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

                                Najia narrowed her eyes at the men before her. “Look,” she hissed. “This is getting us no where. The Gotoro soldiers are gone. For whatever reason, they’re gone. There’s no sense trying to point fingers and divide the group. We’re all we have left. Now shut the fuck up and figure out what we’re going to do about it.”

                                “Why don’t we just go ask him?” Alex said, his heels up on the table as he leaned back in his chair. “I mean, that worked so well last time.”

                                “We don’t have time to deal with the Gotoro,” Shane said, his arms crossed. “Especially if they’re working with the Shadow People. We need to finish this once and for all.”

                                “We’re seven fucking people who shoot blindly and pray they hit something,” Sebastian hissed. “We don’t stand a chance against two damn armies. We don’t have the Gotoro any more. It’s us against them. We’re fucked. We’re not going to win this war. We chose the wrong side.”

                                “Did someone call for an army?”

                                Their heads turned to the doorway where Willy stood. He stepped aside as a man in uniform entered from behind him.

                                “You bring us one guy?” Sam said, narrowing his eyes at the soldier.

                                “Lieutenant General Nathan Malone,” the man said. “Do you really think this man would be dumb enough to bring one guy?”

                                They exchanged silent glances, more questions raised than answered.

                                “I met Nathan before I found Stardew Valley,” Willy said.

                                “We were stranded in the Gotoro Empire,” Malone said. “Just before the invasion. Many of my men were POWs of the Shadow People. Over the last six months, we managed to escape and, thanks to Willy here, make it back home.”

                                “You’re the Ferngill army?” Sam asked. “My father told me there was nothing left. He was a soldier.”

                                “We thought so, too,” Malone said. “But more of us survived than we realized. And now we’re here to finish this.”

                                “A little late,” Alex muttered. “We’re kind of losing here if you hadn’t noticed.”

                                “Better late than never, hm?” Malone said.

                                “Did you say we?” Sebastian said. “How many soldiers are there?”

                                “Would a couple thousand suffice?”

                                “Thousands?” Sam echoed.

                                “That’s hardly an impressive number,” Malone said. “But considering the circumstances, I think it should be enough to turn this thing around.”

                                “Where are they?” Sam asked.

                                “Making their way across the ocean as we speak, but I brought a few with me. They’re at the beach now.” He turned to Willy. “I have to thank you again for the boats.”

                                “I just happen to know where I could get my hands on a couple big, abandoned ships. No need to thank me.”

                                Malone smiled as he turned back to the survivors before him. “I may be a Lieutenant General, but I’m a little behind on the war efforts,” he said. “Care to fill me in?”

                                “Do you want the short version, or the long version?” Najia asked.

                                “The short version is still long,” Shane muttered.

                                “The Gotoros were hunting us down,” Najia said in her best attempt to summarize the war. “Along with the Shadow People. They wanted some magic sword that they believe is here in the valley. We made a deal with the Gotoro in exchange for their help, but found out they were working with the Shadow People. There were soldiers in the valley, defending us from the Shadow People, but they just up and left, probably after they realized we knew that they were working with the Shadow People. The Shadow People were attempting to tunnel their way into the valley, we blew up their tunnels. Now we’re here with two enemies and no clue what do do about it.”

                                “You blew up their tunnels?” Malone asked.

                                “Thanks to Maru’s spy drones,” Sebastian said.

                                “Spy drones?”

                                “We were chased through a canyon and blew that up, too,” Alex said. “Crushed some Gotoro bastards.”

                                “Rescue missions,” Sam added.

                                “Don’t forget when the valley was invaded,” Maru said.

                                “I’d say you’ve had your fair share of war, then,” Malone said, only slightly impressed with the rag tag bunch of survivors. “Tell me about this valley.”

                                Their eyes turned to Najia.

                                “What do you want to know?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

                                Malone smiled. “What’s so special about this place?”

                                “You mean besides that big bright ball of fire in the sky?” Alex muttered.

                                “They believe there is a magical sword hidden in the valley,” Najia said. “The Sword of Light. The Gotoro want it to end the war. The Shadow People want it so no one else can use it.”

                                “And is such a sword here?”

                                “No,” Najia said simply.

                                “You seem pretty sure of that,” Malone said.

                                “We’ve been here for six months and never came across it.”

                                Malone nodded. “So, our fight is against the Gotoro and the Shadow People, then?”

                                They each nodded to Malone.

                                He cracked his knuckles. “Looks like we’ve got quite a fight on our hands. My boys will be eager to hear this.”
                                 
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                                • Skyloft-Farm

                                  Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                                  Over the next two days, boats pulled up to the docks, just as Nathan Malone had said. Ferngill soldiers eagerly disembarked the ships, turning their faces to the warmth of the sun they had not seen in almost a year. They settled in quickly, erecting large tents throughout the valley. The survivors were skeptical and cautious when they arrived, but they quickly felt at east to have the protection of trained soldiers once more.

                                  Najia found herself once more in the community center. The building no longer felt like a warm, comforting place where people came together. With maps, weapons, and equipment strewn out around the main room and tables, it felt more like a base. A headquarters. A place of war.

                                  She sat on the couch, resting her elbows on her knees, her hands clasped together as she listened and watched. John, Marlon, Gil, Malone, Sam, Shane, and Alex stood around the table, hunched over are they debated and argued and plotted. Their fingers flew around the map, tracing imaginary lines and circles.

                                  Maru dozed quietly on the large chair across from Najia, her leg draped over the arm of the chair. Sebastian sat on the other arm, beside his sister, his arms crossed as he listened. Abigail sat cross legged on the floor, fiddling with her fingers, torn between whether to join the fight or stay behind.

                                  “Our best bet is to eliminate their allies first,” Malone said. “With the Gotoro out of the picture, we’ll have a better chance at defeating the Shadow People.”

                                  “No Gotoro,” Marlon said, “no weapons to worry about.”

                                  “The Shadow People don’t need weapons,” Shane said. “They’re dangerous enough without them.”

                                  “Precisely,” Malone said. “It will be best to take them on individually. If they’re working closely together, we’ll need to separate the Gotoros from the Shadow People, and we’ll need to do it quickly before they can send back up.”

                                  “How do we do that?” Alex asked.

                                  “We’ll need to make sure we draw the Shadow army away from the Gotoro base. That’s where we’ll attack first. Eliminate as many as we can and block off their access to weapons, vehicles, and any radio communication.”

                                  “Maru and I could hack into their system,” Sebastian said. Maru jumped slightly at her name. She blinked a few times and yawned.

                                  “Mhm,” she said as she drifted back off to sleep.

                                  “Cut off their communication,” Sebastian continued. “Disarm any alarms, disable locks, you name it.”

                                  “Ideally, that should be done before we make any other move,” Malone said. “Take out anything that could fuck up our plans. Could you and Maru sneak in?”

                                  “I’ll go in with ‘em,” Gil volunteered.

                                  Malone nodded. “The three of you can infiltrate their base. You’ll need to pull this off without them seeing you. As soon as they’re alerted, this all goes down the shitter.”

                                  Sebastian nodded in understanding, but did not speak further.

                                  Malone continued. “Assuming that goes off without any issue, we’ll be able to move forward and send a team to distract the Shadow People.” Malone pointed at a place on the map, in the area of the desert. “Najia, you said they had some kind of base here?”

                                  Najia met Malone’s gaze. “Something like that,” she said.

                                  “That’s where we found Morris,” Shane confirmed.

                                  “We’ll send a team in there,” Malone said. “We need to avoid the sewers at all costs at this point. The sewers are likely where they thrive, and right now we only need a distraction. My team will make some noise. I want tanks, guns, you name it. The bigger of an attack this looks like, the better. Make them think we’re here to end it all, and they’ll likely send in their best brutes, leaving the Gotoro without their aid.”

                                  Marlon rubbed his bearded chin as Malone continued.

                                  “With the Shadow People distracted, we can move in on the Gotoro camp and, ideally, eliminate them from the game once and for all. With them out of the picture, that only leaves one player left.”

                                  “Sounds like Maru and I got the hardest part,” Sebastian said with a grunt.

                                  “Are you up for it?” Malone asked. “We’ll be prepared with back up should anything go wrong.”

                                  Sebastian elbowed Maru, waking her once more.

                                  “What’s going on?” she asked, still groggy.

                                  “We’re sneaking in to the Gotoro camp and fucking shit up. You in?”

                                  “Uh huh, sure. After I sleep for a week…” She leaned back into the chair and closed her eyes.

                                  “Maru can send a drone over the camp before we go in,” Sebastian said, turning back to Malone. “Get a rough idea of the layout of their camp. It should be able to give us an idea of the buildings, the alarm systems, everything we need so we’re not going on blind.”

                                  Malone nodded. “When she’s awake again, I’d like her to get on that ASAP. The sooner we move out, the better.”


                                   
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                                  • Skyloft-Farm

                                    Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                                    The next morning, Malone, Sebastian, and Maru set out with a group of Ferngill soldiers to collect as much data as they inconspicuously could of the Gotoro base with the drone. Though it was heavily guarded, they were able to just get close enough for Maru to fly the drone high above their camp.

                                    When they returned, Maru set straight to work going through the collected data and constructing a map of the base. When she was finished, she had marked every alarm system, trip wire, security camera, and heavily guarded areas. She mapped out their radio tower and where they kept their tanks and other larger weapons.

                                    That evening, she reviewed the map with Malone, Gil, and Sebastian.

                                    “We can get passed the guards by taking the sewers right into their base. There’s a storm drain that comes up by this side road, here.” Maru indicated to the map with her finger. “Right by the radio tower. The sewers don’t have any action in that area, likely because you blocked of the tunnels, so there shouldn’t be any issues getting through. We’ll take out the radio tower first, but once we do, it won’t take long for them to figure out what’s going on, so we’ll need to move quickly.”

                                    Maru’s fingers traced the roads along the map. “There’s a building right here,” she said, “that seems to act as a security building. If we can get in there, we can disable all the security cameras. That will be the second thing we should do. Of course, they’ll definitely be alerted after that, but it will buy us time and let us to move easier.”

                                    “I can take out the security cameras while you do the radio tower,” Sebastian suggested.

                                    “We can meet here,” Maru said, pointing at the map once more. “There’s a gate here where they keep the tanks. We’ll want to take those out next.”

                                    “Leave that to my men,” Malone said. “They can handle that no problem while you two do your part.”

                                    “That’s even better,” Maru said. “After that, all we’ll have to do is,” Maru hesitated, “attack, I suppose.”

                                    “I’ll station men here, here, and here,” Malone said, indicating the places on the map. “They’ll be ready on my signal to attack.” His fingers moved to the building. “I’ll have a few more of my guys head in here to blow up the building.”

                                    “If you think that’s necessary,” Maru said.

                                    Malone smiled at her. “More than necessary.”

                                    “What about the Shadow People?” Sebastian asked.

                                    “I’m sending a team to their base,” Malone said. “They’ll attack as soon as we launch our attack on the Gotoro. The closer together we plan the attacks, the less likely either of them will be able to get back up.”

                                    Maru nodded and sighed. “Okay,” she said simply. “I guess this is it.”

                                    “We’ll move out in the morning,” Malone said. “Prepare whatever you may need.”

                                    *****

                                    Shane and Najia stood by, watching as Malone reviewed the plan with his soldiers. When he finished, he caught their gazes and smiled.

                                    “Feeling left out?” he asked as he approached them.

                                    “Little bit,” Shane said.

                                    “You can’t send Maru and Sebastian out without us,” Najia said. “It’s not right. We always go out together.”

                                    Malone’s grin widened. “You’ve got spunk. I like it.” He scratched at his chin. “Actually, I was hoping you would come along. You’re familiar with the Gotoro’s base. I want you to lead my men inside where they will plant the bombs.”

                                    “Only if I can bring my team,” Najia said.

                                    “You got yourself a deal.”

                                    *****

                                    Najia and Shane stood at the edge of the lake, chatting quietly amongst themselves. Their impeding fight was a heavy weight on their mind, unlike anything they’ve imagined. They weren’t soldiers; they weren’t trained for these kind of situations, and they were well aware of that. They tried to busy their mind with idle chatter, but the idea of a quickly approaching death made it all too real and too difficult to avoid.

                                    Their conversation was forced and they quickly found themselves in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

                                    “We’re probably going to die tomorrow,” Shane said simply.

                                    Najia nodded. “Yup.” There was no use denying it.

                                    “We should make the most out of our last night.”

                                    Najia narrowed her eyes at him. “And how should we do that?”

                                    Shane turned to her and grinned. “Get naked in the hay loft?”

                                    “And have fucking tea?”

                                    “Sounds kinky.”

                                    Najia let her gaze wander, biting her lower lip, and she sighed. “Oh, what the hell?”

                                    “Just the response I was looking for,” Shane said.

                                    Najia took his hand and pulled him toward the barn.

                                    “Wait, we’re really doing this?” he asked as they stumbled into the dark barn.

                                    “Take off your clothes,” Najia said as she pulled her shirt over her head.

                                    “Oh, damn,” Shane muttered. He unbuttoned his pants as Najia’s hands pulled at his shirt. “Dear Penthouse Forum…”

                                    “Stop talking,” Najia muttered as she pressed herself into his chest. Her lips met his as Shane’s hands traveled down her hips.

                                    “We’re not making it to the hay loft,” Shane muttered.
                                     
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                                    • Skyloft-Farm

                                      Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                                      Najia blinked in the morning sunlight, streaming through a crack in the hay loft walls. She rubbed her eyes and turned over to the body beside her. Shane’s chest rose and fell slowly as he slept. Najia let her fingers trace shapes in his chest until he woke up. Najia’s fingers traveled down his chest and to the large scar on his stomach where they hesitated. She pushed herself up and turned away, quickly pulling on her clothes.

                                      “What’s wrong?” Shane asked quietly.

                                      “Nothing,” Najia said quickly. “I’m getting out of here before anyone gets suspicious.”

                                      “I’m sure it’s too late for that,” Shane said with a smirk. “Who cares?”

                                      “I care,” Najia snapped.

                                      Shane hesitated. “About what?”

                                      Najia pulled her shirt on and met his gaze for a moment. She turned away and headed for the ladder. She skipped the last few rungs, jumping down onto the floor, and headed for the door.

                                      Shane hurried after her, pulling her arm. He gazed into her eyes. “About what?” he repeated.

                                      Najia’s heart raced in her chest. “About not looking like an easy slut,” she muttered. A lie. She didn’t care what anyone thought, but she couldn’t admit that she cared for him.

                                      Shane let her arm go. “You’re not an easy slut,” he said.

                                      Najia forced a smile. “I know,” she said quickly. “Kidding. What does it matter? Last night alive, right?” She quickly stepped into her jeans, buttoning them as she made her way out of the barn. “See you on the battle field.”

                                      Shane watched as the door closed behind her, leaving him alone in the barn. He heard Marnie’s voice outside and dressed quickly. The door to the barn opened just as his hand was on it. Marnie jumped, surprised to see him on the other side. She looked him up and down quickly, noticing his disheveled hair and wrinkled shirt, and grinned.

                                      “I thought it was odd to see Najia leaving the barn,” Marnie said, crossing her arms.

                                      Shane rolled his eyes and stepped around her without a word.

                                      “What’s with you?” she asked.

                                      “Nothing,” Shane grunted. “I have a war to lose.”

                                      “Shane.”

                                      Shane turned to Marnie. Jas stood at her side, looking up at him with worried eyes. Shane cursed under his breath and forced a smile.

                                      “Are you leaving, Shane?” Jas asked.

                                      “Just for a bit,” he said. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

                                      “Preferably without another hole in your body,” Marnie muttered.

                                      Shane ignored her and picked up Jas. Jas wrapped her arms around him.

                                      “Okay,” she said simply. She held out a pink finger, waiting for Shane to seal his promise.

                                      Shane wrapped his finger around hers. “Pinky promise.”

                                      *****

                                      The team drove through the day until they were almost a mile outside of the Gotoro base, careful to keep off the road and out of their radar. From there, Maru, Sebastian, Gil, and the Ferngill soldiers had to walk the rest of the way, down into the sewers which brought them inside the walls of the base. While they waited, the rest of the soldiers prepared themselves for their attack, stationing themselves around the base as designated by Malone. Shane and Najia joined the group of soldiers that were to infiltrate the presumed headquarters, waiting anxiously for their cue to move in.

                                      Najia sat cross-legged on the forest floor, her back pressed against the tree in hopes of remaining out of sight. She fiddled with the weapon in her hands, sliding the magazine in and out.

                                      “Will you stop that?” Shane hissed to her. He stood with his back against a near by tree, peering around every few minutes in search for some sign that told them they could move. He grew more anxious the longer they had to wait.

                                      Najia pushed the clip in one last time before letting the gun rest against the pine needles. Shane watched as her hands moved to her lap, her fingers softly scratching at her jeans. He bit his lip and lowered himself to the ground.

                                      “I promised Jas I’d come back alive,” he said in a poor attempt to joke with her. “Don’t go ruining that.”

                                      Najia met his gaze but did not respond.

                                      “I’m sorry,” Shane muttered.

                                      “For what?”

                                      “I don’t know, for whatever I did to upset you?”

                                      “I’m not upset,” Najia said.

                                      “Was it the sex?” When Najia did not respond, he continued. “It was the sex.”

                                      Najia smiled and looked down on her legs. “No.”

                                      Shane leaned against his tree. “I know. No one has bad sex with me.”

                                      Najia rolled her eyes. She turned away in an attempt to hide her reddening cheeks.

                                      “I thought Leah was screwing with me,” he said, teasing. “But you really do bite.”

                                      “Are you done?” Najia growled.

                                      “Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

                                      “Maybe the fact that we’re going in to blow up a building? That we’re going in an all out battle with the Gotoro?” Najia hesitated, meeting his gaze. “This will probably be the last conversation we ever have.”

                                      “What if it isn’t?” Shane said. “What if we come out of this alive, we end the war, and everything goes back to normal?”

                                      Najia shrugged. “I don’t know. What then?”

                                      “Celebratory sex?”

                                      “That was a one time thing,” Najia said quickly. “Some fun before I die.”

                                      Shane crossed his arms. “So, that’s all I am to you? Some play thing?”

                                      “Can we stop talking about it?” Najia hissed, turning away.

                                      “I want to know what I did wrong,” Shane said.

                                      “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Najia muttered.

                                      “We had sex, everything was great, but then you left quicker than I would have ditched a one night stand and you’ve hardly spoken to me since.”

                                      “I’m just trying to come to terms with the fact that we might not survive this,” Najia spat. “Whatever happens next, from here on out, everything is different. We’re in a war, and there’s no going back. No fixing out mistakes, no hiding in the valley. By some damn miracle, we’ve made it this far, and…” Her voice trailed off. She met his gaze once more and her heart stopped. She swallowed at the lump in her throat, turning back to stare at her feet. “I didn’t sign up for this.”

                                      Shane’s heart pulled in his chest. He wanted to hold her in her arms and promise her that everything would be okay. He jumped at a rustling in the brush. Peering around the corner, he watched as the soldiers darted between the trees. Their hands motioned to one another. It was time.

                                      Najia grabbed her gun and got to her feet, moving past Shane, but he caught her wrist.

                                      “In case we don’t survive,” he said before pressing his lips against hers.

                                      Najia hesitated as he pulled away, then met his gaze. “Don’t do anything stupid.”



                                       
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                                      • Skyloft-Farm

                                        Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                                        Najia and Shane dashed quickly and quietly through the woods. The guards had cleared the back entrance into the base, likely alerted by the loss of radio communication. They wasted no time as they moved towards the building, pushing their backs against the wall. Ferngill soldiers signaled to each other as they took their places around the building, then quietly moved in with their weapons drawn.

                                        Najia and Shane knew exactly where they needed to take them in the building. The lobby was empty as soldiers filled in. Sam and Alex appeared with another group, and they immediately split up, each with a few soldiers, ready to plant the bombs.

                                        Najia was leading her group to the basement level. A chill went up her spine as she brought them towards the far stairwell, down stairs and past the room where she had been held captive.

                                        But they were not alone.

                                        A strong hand forced her down as the Ferngill soldiers immediately broke into fire. Stunned, Najia scurried across the floor and around the corner, pushing her body flat against the wall out of their line of fire. She gripped her own gun tightly, but did not dare move around the corner to shoot, letting the Ferngill soldiers do their job. And, really, it wasn’t like she wanted to shoot another human, anyway.

                                        She listened as the gun shots died and booted feet moved quickly across the tiled floor. “All clears” rang out from different corners. Najia looked up as one of the soldiers rounded the corner, a hand out stretched to her. She blinked at him for a moment before taking his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

                                        “Did we scare ya there?” he said with a smile.

                                        “Talk to me when you have Nox’s cold grip on your heart,” Najia muttered.

                                        The soldier stared after her as she stepped around him, joining with the rest of the soldiers. They were already assembling the bombs and distributing them around the basement level. She knew from the moment they were planted, they would have ten minutes to get out. That had to be more than enough time, right? Even if they were ambushed on their way out?

                                        Najia waited just outside the stairwell as the soldiers returned. They nodded to her when the job was finished, ready to get out before the bombs blew. She led them quickly back up the stairs and into the hallway on the main floor, but a large figure blocked their path back into the lobby.

                                        Eight minutes.

                                        “Najia,” Michaels said as he stepped in front of her. “What a lovely surprise.”

                                        The Ferngill soldiers raised their weapons as Gotoro soldiers stepped around the corner, their own weapons raised. Najia glared at Michaels but said nothing.

                                        “Oh, I’m sorry, did I spoil your plans?” he said. “How terribly unfortunate, hm?”

                                        Najia gritted her teeth. Where were the others? Had he found them, too? Were they alive? Her mind raced and her stomach knotted.

                                        “You see,” Michaels said. “You’ve been ruining my plans, so it’s about time I take care of this problem once and for all.”

                                        “We had a deal,” Najia hissed.

                                        Michaels chuckled lightly. “We did, didn’t we? You know,” he hesitated for dramatic effect. “I found your little spy drone in the sewers.”

                                        “Of course,” Najia said. “How silly of me to think a rat like you wouldn’t be in the sewers.”

                                        “Yes,” Michaels said slowly, ignoring her comment. “I was in the sewers, helping out the Shadow People. All part of a plan that you almost destroyed. We could have lost this war.”

                                        “What are you talking about?” Najia said angrily.

                                        “The Shadow People are more powerful than any of us,” Michaels said. “To win the game, you have to play the game, and I was merely trying to play.”

                                        “Cut to the chase,” Najia muttered.

                                        “I needed information,” Michaels said, his voice raising loudly. His brows knit together fiercely. “Information you refused to give me.”

                                        Najia could feel the color drain from her face.

                                        His expression softened for a moment. “I know you were afraid, Najia, but you and I both know that you have information that could have ended this war long ago. Information you withheld from me when I was trying to help you.”

                                        This wasn’t her fault.

                                        “But you refused, and there was nothing I could do about. I could threaten and torture you all I wanted, but that would not have gotten me anywhere and certainly wouldn’t have won your trust. So, I took matters into my own hands. I confronted Nox. He and I both knew the sword was somewhere in the valley. I convinced him that I knew exactly where - that you had given me the information I needed. In exchange for that information, he promised me safety. So I lied. I gave him some coordinates into the valley. And the Shadow People started digging their way in.”

                                        “What did you expect to get out of this?” Najia asked.

                                        Six minutes.

                                        “Time,” Michaels said. “I was buying us time, sending those brutes off on a wild goose chase. Nox thought I was on his side, so there was no reason for me to interfere. Can you imagine the surprise in his eyes when he got there and there was no sword?”

                                        “And what about us?” Najia hissed. “They would have attacked us.”

                                        “But I would have had the sword,” Michaels said. “You would have brought me to it.”

                                        “You think so?”

                                        “I know so.”

                                        Najia searched his eyes. “You’re lying.”

                                        “War is not simply a single battle between two sides,” Michaels said. “You know that, now.”

                                        “I don’t know where the sword is,” Najia said.

                                        Michaels held his gaze on her. “You’re lying,” he said simply. “We had a deal, yes? I have not gone back on that.”

                                        “Do you think I’m stupid enough to trust you?”

                                        “Najia,” Michaels said gently. “You have nothing left in this war. Nothing to hide, no one to protect. Either we win, or the Shadow People win. Which is it?”

                                        Najia bit her lip, her heart racing. “I have the valley,” she said softly. “And everyone in it.”

                                        “If you want the rest of them to live, you will tell me where the sword is.”

                                        Najia held her gaze, ignoring the flash of blond hair from the corner of her eye, disappearing just around the corner from behind the Gotoro soldiers.

                                        “Okay,” she said softly. “Fine. I have the sword. It is in my possession, safe in the valley.”

                                        “Bring it to me,” he said fiercely.

                                        Gun shots fired off in the lobby, and Najia was suddenly on the ground once more, her arms covering her head. A strong hand pulled her up, and she stumbled blindly in the chaos back down the hall. Her body was pushed against the hard wall, knocking the breath out of her lungs for a moment. Michaels looked down at her, a twisted scowl on his face.

                                        “Where is the sword?” he barked at her. His hands gripped her shoulders hard as he slammed her back against the wall.

                                        Four minutes.

                                        Her head pounded from the impact on the wall and her eyes tried to focus. She was just barely able to catch another blur of blond. She winced at the sound of a gun being cocked and then fired. Michaels grip loosened on her shoulders and she collapsed onto the ground, rolling away as quickly as she could as his body fell to his knees.

                                        Sam reached to her, pulling her to her feet, catching her as she momentarily fell into his chest.

                                        “Are you okay?” he asked her.

                                        She nodded quickly as she regained her balance. “We need to get out of here,” she said. “Now!”

                                        They ran back down the hall way and rounded the corner. Bodies of soldiers from both armies lay scattered along the floor. Najia bit back a sob as Sam pulled her around them.

                                        “Don’t look,” he said, his grip tightening around her wrist. “C’mon.”

                                        It didn’t matter if she looked because her tears blurred her vision, anyway. She let Sam bring her around the next corner and back into the lobby. She blinked through her tears, watching the men that stood scattered around the room, standing over bodies, their weapons still in their hands. They looked up at her as she and Sam entered.

                                        Two minutes.

                                        Sam continued to pull her as they sprinted across the lobby. The rest of their group quickly followed suit as they exited the building. Outside, another battle continued to rage on as Gotoro soldiers fought Ferngill soldiers. Najia’s stomach twisted sickeningly to see the two armies fighting one another when they should have been allies. She leaned against Sam as her knees shook. This was all her fault.

                                        They hurried around the building, keeping close to the walls as they made their way to their extraction point at the entrance to the sewers where Maru and Sebastian were to be waiting for them. And to Najia’s relief, they were there. One by one, they jumped into the drain quickly, just as the bombs started to go off. Explosion followed explosion as the ground shook above them, but they pushed on, sprinting down the sewers and away from the battle.

                                        They didn’t stop running until they reached the other side where they would have to climb out and walk further to reach the vehicles. They ascended quickly, pausing only for a moment to catch their breaths.

                                        But the world wasn’t as dark as they were used to. Najia turned back, watching in horror as the building burned and fell. The orange glow of the flames seemed to flicker against the dark haze that shrouded their sky. Inside those walls, the Gotoro and the Ferngill soldiers were fighting to the death, giving them every chance to escape alive.

                                        Najia vomited. She felt hands on her, pulling at her hair as she heaved and vomited again. She sobbed as she wiped her arm across her mouth. She coughed and spit at the ground, whimpering. She could hear hushed, frantic voices around her. They were eager to get back to the cars and to the valley.

                                        She straightened and sucked in a breath. They had to keep going. But she had to open her eyes, first.

                                        She felt two warm hands against her cheeks. She hesitated as lips brushed against her forehead. She reached for the hands, taking them in hers, and sighed. She opened her eyes and met Shane’s. He smiled at her in his best attempt to reassure her. She swallowed and nodded. She let Shane take her hand and led her through the forest, back towards the cars.
                                         
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                                        • Skyloft-Farm

                                          Skyloft-Farm Void-Bound Voyager


                                          Najia stared at the sword in her hands. Such an ordinary thing it seemed to her. She turned it around carefully as the light of the setting sun glinted off the blade.

                                          “It has to be me,” she said softly. She met Rasmodius’s gaze. “Why?”

                                          “If I had an answer to that, I would tell you,” the wizard said. “Somehow, you’re connected to the Shadow People. There’s a power in you that will allow the sword to be used to its full potential and end the war.”

                                          Najia returned the sword to it’s sheath and set it on the old, wooden table. “You knew this whole time?” Najia didn’t feel particularly angry. She didn’t feel much of anything, really. Not since they got back to the valley two days ago.

                                          She didn’t know what happened when they left the Gotoro base. She assumed the plan went just as well as it could have. The Shadow People did not go to them for back up, but it was likely they wouldn’t have, anyway. She didn’t know what was true anymore. All she knew was that the Shadow People needed to be defeated once and for all, and the sword to do that was ready.

                                          Rasmodius only nodded.

                                          “Does John know?”

                                          “No.”

                                          She was just a tool in this war, but at least he didn’t use her for her power like Rasmodius was doing. That much reassured her.

                                          “What do I do?”

                                          “Kill Nox.”

                                          “How can you be sure this will end everything?”

                                          “The Shadow People get their power from the darkness,” Rasmodius said. “Nox is a very powerful leader who has learned to harvest that power from his own race. He is a sick, twisted, manipulative ruler. With the rest of the world in darkness, his power only grows. With him gone, the light will be restored, but in turn, his power will return to the rest of the Shadow People.”

                                          “How do you know this?”

                                          “I have friends in good places. Friends that also have a request for you.” Rasmodius turned away from Najia, moving to the far end of the room and opening a door on the floor. He moved down the steps, disappearing into the darkness.

                                          Najia followed curiously. She stood on the bottom step, peering around until she met a familiar set of glowing eyes. The eyes blinked at her, then turned up slightly at the corners.

                                          “This is Krobus,” Rasmodius said, indicating to the glowing eyes. “He came to me asking for my help in defeating Nox.”

                                          Najia blinked into the darkness. For once, her mind was still, unable to make heads or tails of anything anymore.

                                          “Miss Najia,” Krobus spoke. “Please, I only ask that you spare those that still reside in the sewers.”

                                          “I don’t understand,” Najia said, hesitant.

                                          “Though many of the Shadow People follow Nox’s leadership blindly, there are few who have recognized his tyranny and abuse. Krobus, among others like him, are not supporters of this war. They have remained in the sewers for some time in hopes of staying out of conflict, but as you can imagine, it has only angered Nox. When Nox is defeated, all those on the surface will burst in the sunlight. Those who remain in the sewers will be safe.”

                                          “Not all in the sewers are as good as me, Miss Najia,” Krobus said. “I do not wish you to harm any of my people, but,” he hesitated. “Please do not harm us in the sewers. We mean you no harm. We will agree to remain there after the war. We will let humans resume their lives in their world, so long as the Dwarves will leave us be.”

                                          Najia looked to Rasmodius, illuminated by the glow of the sunlight up the steps.

                                          “I can assure you Krobus will be true to his word. I have promised him protection here in the valley. He has been a very loyal friend to me.”

                                          Najia nodded slowly. “Nox is my target,” she said simply. “No one else.”

                                          “Thank you, Miss Najia, thank you.”

                                          Najia jumped as his hand touched hers. It was unlike the chilling sensation she had felt before. His touch wasn’t warm… but it was not cold, either.

                                          “Take care of them,” Najia said simply, to neither of them in particular. “Keep them safe.”

                                          *****

                                          Najia adjusted the sword on her hip. It was not as easy to carry as her gun. Why couldn’t the magical war-ending weapon be some kind of silver bullet? It would have been so much more convenient.

                                          “Is that the sword?” Shane asked slowly, pointing to the weapon on her hip.

                                          Najia nodded, avoiding his gaze.

                                          “So, it’s real,” he said. He paused. “It’s… ready? With all it’s magical goodness?”

                                          Najia smiled but kept her eyes away from Shane. They were only slightly wet. She zipped the bag with their make shift medical supplies and tossed it into the trunk. “Ready to slay some shadow brutes,” she said in her most casual voice. She prayed mentally that this was the one lie Shane would not see through.

                                          “And you’re taking it?” He was skeptical.

                                          “I just took it from Rasmodius,” she said. “You want to use it? Be my guest.” What a stupid thing to say. Of course Shane would take it from her. He would never let her get that close to Nox.

                                          “Maybe Marlon should,” Shane suggested. “He seems to know a thing or two about sword fighting.”

                                          Najia forced a smile. “Yeah, maybe.” She closed the trunk and turned as she heard Gil’s voice. Malone was beside him.

                                          “I hear you have a plan?” Malone asked as he approached Najia. “Care to share that with us?”

                                          Najia hesitated. She had fully intended not to share any plan with anyone. But that would only make her more suspicious.

                                          “Of course,” she muttered. “Nox is the source of their power,” she explained. “He’s the one that needs to be eliminated.”

                                          “Sounds simple enough,” Malone said. He eyed the sword carefully. “And I presume that’s the famous Sword of Light that will end his sorry life?”

                                          Najia nodded. “There’s something else,” she said quietly. She met Shane’s gaze, more certain that he would respect her wishes than anyone else. “There are Shadow People hiding in the sewers.” She hesitated a moment. “Don’t kill them.”

                                          “Excuse me?” For the first time since he got here, Malone sounded angry.

                                          Shane met Najia’s gaze, but she could not read his expression.

                                          “They are good people,” Najia said softly. “You can’t hurt them. They mean no harm.”

                                          “Do you know how many men I’ve lost in this war?” Malone hissed. “How many men I lost in that mission to fuck up the Gotoro?” His face reddened. “This whole plan was because you told me the Gotoro were working with the Shadow People, and now you expect us to spare their lives?”

                                          Najia bit her lip as she turned away from Shane and to Malone. “Just the ones in the sewers. You must leave them. They are not a part of this war.”

                                          Malone’s mouth gaped open, at a loss for words. It snapped shut suddenly as he tried to take control of the situation. “That’s not how this is going down,” he said forcefully. “They are all to be eliminated, do you understand?”

                                          “We leave those in the sewers alone,” Shane said, turning to Malone. “If Najia says that’s what we need to do, then that’s what needs to be done.”

                                          “Do you understand that we’re in a war with those brutes?” Malone hissed. “As the Lieutenant General of the Ferngill army-”

                                          “If I recall correctly,” Shane interrupted him. “None of us signed up for any army. You’re on our turf, so what we say, goes. You have no authority here.”

                                          “You do not want to make me an enemy,” Malone spat.

                                          “I’d say you’re the one who doesn’t want to make us an enemy,” Shane said with a smirk. “We’ve got the sword, after all.”

                                          Malone held his gaze on Shane, then Najia, his face still, but Najia could tell he was fuming.

                                          “If you want a plan,” Shane said. “The plan is to protect us while we defeat Nox once and for all. Do you think your army can handle that?”

                                          “Finish this,” Malone hissed. “Or I’ll take that sword and do it myself.”
                                           
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