The sound of footsteps filled the streets as the group of investigators made their way through the empty town. From the information Katherine gave, they were only a few meters away from the communications tent. They would arrive in a matter of minutes. However, nothing ever goes smoothly in times of crisis. A large horde of Festers began to form around them, blocking their path to the tents. Seeing no other options, the group had to fight.

  Oliver stepped up first, cutting through the front lines. It was much harder without his suit, but he was slowly getting used to his dagger. He knew exactly how strong he needed to strike to cut through a Fester's tough skin, how fast he needed to go for it to come out clean, and how tight he needed to grip the handke so it wouldn't slip. The group watched in the distance, surprised at his improvement as an investigator.

  "Damn can't let him beat me..." Olivia said, before running behind him.

  The rest followed soon after, all except for Sebastian who stayed closely behind the group. Each investigator began making a dent in the large horde number, dwindling the opposing force significantly.

  From the left, Katherine came with a swiping motion, cutting the Festers' heads off like they were wheat being harvested for flour. On the right, Ren smashed the blunt end of his greatsword against a Fester, crushing its bones with the weight of his weapon. Afterwards, he would use the Fester's body to crash into the other creatures, crushing them with the giant force coming their way. Helping him was Paul who used his advanced martial arts knowledge to easily deal with the vehement crowd. Grouping in the middle, Bianca and Roland began acting as support. Using their long range attachment units, they began shooting down any Festers that tried to sneak up on the others. Between them, Sebastian stood with a frustrated expression. He wanted to help, however his body physically wouldn't let him. The thought of fighting a Fester felt like tiny daggers poking against his skin. All he could do was lower his head and let everyone else take the glory. He bit his lips, bleeding from the pressure.

  Further ahead, Oliver was making light work of the Festers. It was a strange feeling, but he began enjoying the feeling of killing Festers. Seeing them drop down to the ground after he ran his dagger through them was satisfying, however he hated the joy he was feeling. He felt like he was slowly losing an important part of himself. Trying to smile, he shook off the feeling, chalking it up to feeling relieved that he was getting closer to the communications tent. Speaking of which, Oliver noticed a few white tents in the distance propped up on the side of a hill.

  "Guys! We're almost there!" Oliver shouted to the others.

  The other investigators breathed a sigh of relief knowing they were close to the finish line. Picking up his pace, Oliver began running towards the tents. He was right there. He was so close. Nothing could stop him! Then he heard a roar.

  Looking to his side, he noticed a plant vistage of a tyrannosaurus rex charging towards him. His eyes widened, his movements slowing down from pure shock. The rest were confused why Oliver was slowing down, however their questions would be answered when a giant 23 feet tall dinosaur smashed it's head into Oliver, sending him flying away. Their attention was immediately turned to the Trex in front of them, the group holding their weapons tightly. The T-rex Fester turned its head to face them, narrowing its eyes on the group. It's glare almost immediately made the group lose their will to fight. Fighting a Trex was unknown territory after all.

  "H- hey, I heard that a Trex can't see you if you stay perfectly still..." Roland said, shaking.

  "Then why are you shaking dumbass?!" Elizabeth whispered, trying not to make any sudden movements.

  The Fester slowly began approaching the group, each step filling the investigators with dread. It's aura was so intimidating, that the weaker Festers that managed to scrape by, began cowering and running away in fear. Making its way to Roland, the creature seemed to smirk. As if it new that it found the weakest link out of the group. Lowering its head to meet Roland's gaze, it stared at him. With it's cold, slit eyes, it stared deep into Roland's soul. It knew it had him. It knew he was terrified. Opening its mouth slightly, it caressed Roland's face with it's sharp tongue, the rough texture hurting his skin. The others looked with absolute horror in their eyes, they knew exactly what was going to happen next. Shaking and tearing up, Roland looked at the creature with a weary smile.

  "I- I'm not tasty I promise" he said, desperation in his voice.

  The creature smiled, before opening its mouth. Roland closed his eyes, waiting for impending doom. However, by sheer luck, Roland would once again escape death. Hearing screaming from above, Roland looked up to see a bloodied Oliver scaling the creature's back.

  "You fucking asshole that hurt!" Oliver said, running towards its head.

  Once it noticed him, the Fester attempted to shaking him off, but Oliver was determined. Grabbing tightly on its scaley back, he gripped his dagger tightly, before jamming it into the creatures back. It screamed in pain, the screech ringing out through the area. The Fester began frantically flailing around, trying to throw Oliver off. Instead, he began stabbing the creature even harder. Repeatedly he began pulling his dagger out, only to stab back in, even deeper than before. His stabs seemed to weaken the fester, as it began to slow down significantly. Seeing the opportunity in front of them, the others began charging at the fester. Barraging the creature with attacks from all sides, the Fester didn't have anytime to react. With each stab, shot, smash, slice that was inflicted onto it, the Fester became weaker and weaker. Eventually, it stopped moving entirely, dropping onto the ground with a loud thud. The investigators stopped, taking a moment to catch their breath. They were all in shock at what had just happened. Honestly, they didn't believe it.

  "I'm not dreaming am I?" Olivia said, pinching herself.

  Katherine dropped to her knees in exhaustion, while Roland completely passed out. Elizabeth held her head, pulling on her hair slightly. Ren began taking deep breaths, still holding his weapon tightly in case of a sneak attack. Bianca blew the smoke off her gun, before taking a look at Oliver. He was laying on his stomach, still stabbing the Fester repeatedly.

  "Hey kid, you can stop... It's dead" Bianca said, stopping his arm.

  Oliver looked up to her, a tired look on his face.

  "Great... Could you help me up, I think I have a few broken bones."

  Stirring his cup of coffee, Sieg took a moment to appreciate his drink. He lifted up to his mouth, smelling the aroma leaving through the steam.

  "You know this brand actually comes from the farms here in Leighburne? It has higher acidity but lower bitterness, so it's a nice refreshing drink you can enjoy on hot days" Sieg retorted, placing it back down to cool.

  The other high ranking investigators looked at Sieg for a moment, before returning back to what they were doing before. Being ignored, Sieg pouted before taking his cup and sitting down next to Yue.

  "Honestly, these young people are so rude. I'm trying to share an interesting fun fact, but they only care about themselves..." Sieg said, looking annoyed.

  In response, Yue began brushing Sieg's hair, nodding and audibly agreeing with him.

  "Yes dear, that's very horrible. I'm sorry you feel that way" Yue said, her tone gentle.

  Sieg then turned to her, looking a bit guilty.

  "I'm not being annoying aren't I?" He asked, concerned.

  She shook her head, reminding him that she doesn't mind him complaining to her.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  "Aw thanks... But you can complain to me too okay. I don't want this to be one sided..." Sieg said, booping her nose.

  Yue giggled slightly, looking at him with a warm gaze.

  "Yes dear, you always say that you know?" Yue mentioned.

  Sieg's face turned red with embarrassment, before he looked away, mumbling that he didn't always remind her.

  Brushing the last strand of Sieg's hair, Yue put the hairbrush down, before putting on a serious expression on her face. Turning to the group of investigators that had just arrived, she crossed her legs and laced her fingers. She then turned to the researcher clinging onto Oliver's leg - a confused expression on her face.

  “Why are you doing that?” She asked, slight annoyance in her voice.

  Alice, who was hugging Oliver's leg in an attempt to stop him - looked at Yue with a bit of guilt, yet her emotionless expression remained.

  “Tried to stop. Couldn't” Alice said, trying to bite Oliver.

  He grimaced for a moment, before gently placing her somewhere else.

  Starting to get annoyed, Yue sighed before looking at the group with a stern expression.

  "And why are you all here?" Yue asked, her voice straightforward and concise.

  Even though her voice was sharp and cold, the investigators didn't falter. They DID just fight a giant T-rex after all. Nothing could convince them otherwise. Immediately, they began making their demands... All at once. The cacophony of sounds and noises gave Yue a literal headache, forcing her to sit down and let Sieg take over for a moment.

  "Well kids - and two adults I guess, you guys are the first ever people to actually annoy my wife to the point she can't respond. Now, one of you, tell me why you're here, and what the hell do you expect me to do?" Sieg said, crossing his arms.

  The group huddled into a circle, attempting to elect a representative.

  "Obviously it should be me," Olivia mentioned.

  "And why should it be you?" Elizabeth interjected.

  "Cause I know a secret foolproof plan." Olivia retorted.

  The others were confused about what her secret foolproof plan was, so Olivia explained it to them.

  "Aren't I smart?" Olivia said proudly.

  "Yeah, but now nobody's gonna elect you now cause you've told them… Also crying and begging ain't gonna help at all…" Oliver said, a disappointed look on his face.

  Olivia blinked a few times, before exiting the circle to cry about her slip up.

  "Well I'm out too, I had no intention of arguing anyway" Bianca said, before exiting as well.

  Paul joined behind her, having the same excuse as the uptight investigator.

  Alice tried to join as well, but they all shunned her - as she'd probably just sabotage them instead.

  “Smart choice fellow operators” She said, scurrying away.

  Roland and Sebastian joined soon after, the former claiming he was too timid to get a real answer, while the latter claimed he didn't really care about the situation. Though, everyone could tell he was scared. The only ones left were Elizabeth, Oliver, Ren and Katherine.

  "Alright new girl, why should you be the one to convince Sieg?" Oliver asked.

  Elizabeth folded her arms, before speaking in a matter of fact tone.

  "Because I'm the realest one here. Unlike you all, I'm not gonna sugar coat anything. I'm gonna say what I need to and be done with it. But I'm gonna warn you all straight up, I don't plan to use honey to trap flies" Elizabeth explained.

  From her explanation, the others felt that she would be a horrible candidate that would hurl insults at Sieg the moment he disagreed with them. Because of that, they all agreed that she wouldn't be the greatest option to choose.

  "Fine whatever..." Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes.

  Next up was Katherine. Too busy looking at her fingernails, Oliver had to remind her to give her explanation before she would actually speak up.

  "I'm his daughter, he'll listen to me even if I tell him the world's ending. On a side note though, I'm not gonna put my all into it. If I even see him slightly disagree, I'm quitting. Kay?" Katherine explained.

  Katherine's explanation was even worse than Elizabeth! She essentially said she wasn't gonna do anything and would quit immediately. In no good conscience could the group elect her.

  "Okie bye!" Katherine said, skipping over to one of the couches before plopping down.

  Then there were two. Oliver looked at Ren believing he would be the best choice. Not only was he Sieg's son, he was also a highly creditable investigator. If anyone could convince Sieg, it would be him. As he was about to elect Ren to be their representative, Ren pulled out of the election with a pained expression on his face.

  "Sorry... I... I can't." Ren said, rubbing the back of his head.

  Everyone except for Bianca and Katherine were shocked by his answer. To them, he was the perfect choice, yet he quit immediately?

  "Huh... I guess this family is a bunch of cowards..." Elizabeth retorted, leaning against the wall with a smirk.

  Katherine and Ren glared at her but she paid no attention to them. Instead her gaze was focused on Oliver, who was clenching his fist tightly.

  "You've been acting weirdly ever since back then... Why are you so scared?! Isn't he your dad?!" Oliver asked accusingly.

  Ren's eyes darkened as he lowered his head down.

  "Yes... But somethings... Not even family can change" Ren said, keeping himself cryptic so he doesn't have to admit to the truth.

  Oliver tried to argue, but Sieg reminded them that he didn't have all day to wait for their antics. Gritting his teeth, Oliver turned around reluctantly.

  "Fine... I'll do it... I don't know why you're so scared... But I'm going to protect everyone... No matter what." Oliver said, walking towards Sieg.

  Ren held his face, feeling horrible about himself.

  "No... You can't go..."

  Seeing the young man approach him, Sieg motioned for him to take a seat. Oliver obliged, Sieg soon following after. Leaning forward, Sieg rested his chin on his palm.

  "Took you guys a while huh? I'm glad you stepped up, Olie" Sieg said with a playful smile.

  Oliver looked seriously at Sieg, showing him that he wasn't there to play around or joke. This was a professional meeting. Taking his chin off his palm, Sieg leaned back into his seat, narrowing his eyes and crossing his legs.

  "Go on, speak..." His tone shifted.

  Oliver's eyes widened. It was his first time seeing this side of Sieg. Still, he wasn't going to back down. With a deep breath, Oliver began explaining what had happened. Hearing his explanation, for a moment Sieg's eyes flickered with surprise, before returning back to a cold, calculating gaze.

  "We... Need your help. Please... I don't think we can handle this on our own. Especially the civilian situation! If you could just open the barrier for a few seconds-" but before he could finish his sentence, Sieg interrupted him.

  "And risk the outbreak spreading further? I don't think so..." Sieg said, his tone nonchalant.

  Upon hearing what he said, Oliver's eye twitched. Clenching his fist, he asked Sieg to repeat himself.

  "I think I heard you wrong, sir. You seriously can't mean that right?" Oliver said, a weary smile on his face.

  Sieg continued to stare at him with the same serious expression he had given since earlier. Oliver couldn't believe it. Almost as if he was trying to hold back his anger, Oliver clenched his fist tightly, till his knuckles turned white.

  "There's innocent civilians trapped inside here... They're all huddled up in a disgusting camp... Some... They're hurt... Really bad. Kids are there, Sieg!" Oliver shouted.

  Sieg folded his arms, tilting his head back as if he was looking down on Oliver.

  "Who told you that you could call me by my name? It's General Sieg." He responded.

  Oliver was dumbfounded. Leaning back into his seat, he could only look at him with complete and utter shock.

  "Out of everything... You decided to comment on that?" Oliver asked.

  Sieg sighed before grabbing his cup of coffee.

  "Oliver, you seem to misunderstand something. Right now I'm not your friend. I'm not your parent. I'm not even your squad leader. As of this moment currently, our relationship is merely a supervisor and trainee" Sieg said, taking a sip of his drink.

  Oliver's eyebrows furrowed, confused by the statement he just presented.

  "What are you talking about?" Oliver exclaimed.

  Sieg's nose twitched slightly, placing down his cup in annoyance. He wiped off the slight bit of coffee that stained the edges of his lips, as he began to explain the situation.

  "This is a training mission. The higher ups saw a nice upscale outbreak and decided this would be a great opportunity to train this year's new operators." Sieg explained, giving a few claps at the end of his speech.

  Oliver and most of the other investigators were shocked to hear this revelation. Seeing the confusion, Sieg's gaze softened slightly.

  "You didn't know? I was told that the team leaders were informed beforehand, and were supposed to relay it back to their team members... Unless, they forgot to tell them. Or more likely, refused to tell them" Sieg said, side eyeing Ren and Bianca.

  The two looked away with guilt, while the others looked at them with betrayal in their eyes.

  "Captain that's... Why didn't you" Olivia said, shaking her head in denial.

  Katherine scoffed, unsurprised by her brother's actions.

  "That's just how it goes around here, get used to it" Katherine said, kicking her feet up and scrolling through her phone.

  Out of everyone, Oliver was surprisingly the least fazed. He had already had his suspicions, so having them confirmed less than he thought. However, something still bugged him.

  "But why don't you help the civilians... Even if this is just training for us, why didn't you properly evacuate them?!" His voice filled with passion.

  Sieg looked at him for a moment, before chuckling a bit. He began twirling his hair, as he looked around the room.

  "You wanna really know? Promise you won't get mad~" Sieg said, smiling with a toothy grin.

  Oliver tried to brace himself for anything Sieg could tell him, but he never expected such depravity on F.A.T.E's end.

  "We left some civilians in on purpose, to act as... Motivation. If you all knew civilians were in danger, you would want to end the outbreak as soon as possible! And it looks like it worked" Sieg said, clapping in a celebrating manner.

  Upon the revelation, Oliver couldn't take it anymore. He lunged forward, grabbing Sieg by his collar. Yue and a few others tried to intervene, but Sieg raised his hand to stop them.

  "It's fine... It's only natural he'd act like this..." Sieg said, a smirk played on his lips.

  Clenching tighter, he looked down at the smug investigator.

  "How... How can you act like this when innocent people are in danger? There's a disaster class Fester and Psycho bastard who are running around causing chaos, and you're just sitting here on your ass doing nothing! So don't you dare act all high and mighty!!!" Oliver yelled.

  Sieg's eyes widened, before narrowing down on Oliver.

  "What are you talking about?" Sieg asked, genuine confusion in his voice.

  Oliver's gaze softened, his grip loosening.

  "You... Don't know?"