Chapter 70: Roped In
"Miles?" Isaac's voice echoed in the town hall.
The others were silent. The women unexpectedly so, they never knew Miles, but the men; the men were quiet for a different reason.
As Isaac's voice trailed off and the impact of his words settled in, the men looked back at Miles with mixed feelings.
Some of them were happy, grateful even. Miles was one of the most athletic of them and he possessed an Ability that was actually useful, a far cry from the gifts others had received.
Some of the men, however, looked on in tension. They remembered the rivalry between Olive and Miles and from that, they couldn't help but wonder:
'Will something happen?'
"Miles!" Isaac said again, although this time louder.
The dark skinned young man cast his gaze above the crowd. In the distance, he made eye-contact with Isaac.
He raised his hand and waved.
"Oh hey." He scratched the back of his head, "Surprise?"
Miles's shoulders rose and his lips twitched. He looked uncomfortable.
He looked nervous.
Isaac leaped down and marched towards Miles.
The crowd split.
Isaac and Miles stood opposite each other. Five-feet apart, Isaac stopped.
"What happened to you?" Isaac asked.
The crowd circling them leaned closer while their ears perked up.
"I –" Miles paused. He looked at the many faces around him until he caught sight of Olive's. Then, he stopped. "I wanted to be better than her."
A bombshell.
The room somehow quieted even further. Tension rose and beads of sweat began to curl on the audience's foreheads. The men's ears listened, but the woman's ears stood straight at attention.
They were roped in.
Isaac followed Miles's eyes.
"Better than Olive?" Isaac guessed.
Miles nodded.
"So you left?"
"I thought I could find something she couldn't. Maybe something to eat or… I just wanted to prove myself!" Miles said.
"And?" Isaac's tone deepened.
"And…?" Miles repeated.
"Have you succeeded?" Isaac asked. "Did you find anything out there?"
"I –" Miles froze and, although for just an instant, his eyes flashed red, "I found their base!" He shouted.
"The Orc's!" He paraded, "I know where their camp is! I found it just the other night! I was –"
"Okay Miles." Isaac placed his hand on Miles's shoulder.
"You can tell us the details tomorrow. It's late. Why don't you go get some rest?" Isaac said.
"As a matter of fact, that goes for everyone!" Isaac then shouted, "Everyone to bed! We have an early day ahead of us thanks to Miles's return!"
"Woo!!"
"Welcome back Miles!"
"Bro you gotta tell us some stories!"
As the crowd bustled out, they chirped Miles's name as they went.
All left the town hall, all except for a familiar few.
"Does somebody wanna explain what that all was?" Leon asked the crowd.
He looked towards a pudgy boy in the corner, but Clark avoided his eye-contact.
"Miles disappeared over a week ago." Isaac answered. "We thought the Orc's took him."
"And he had a thing for Olive." Darnell added.
"He did?" Leon looked at Olive.
"He did not." Olive glared at Darnell. "He had a problem with me. That's all."
"Well what did you do?" Leon asked.
"I didn't do anything."
"Are you sure?" Leon asked. "You do things."
"Excuse me?!" Olive stood up, "What THINGS do I do?!!!"
"Leon, stop it!" Isaac interrupted. "And Olive, leave him alone!"
The two glared at one another, until Leon cracked, and a smile blossomed.
"So this guy Miles –" One of the three men who arrived with Leon spoke, "you said he was gone for over a week, right? Because he certainly didn't look it."
"Hmm…" Isaac thought.
"What are you suggesting?" Darnell asked.
"Nothing." The man in black shook his head, "I just think it's weird he shows up in the middle of the night, in the middle of a meeting with everyone present, and just drops a bombshell like 'I know where the enemy base is' and we're just supposed to believe him? Because I don't buy it."
"What do you mean, you don't buy it?" Darnell interrupted, "What? You think he's lying?"
"I didn't say that!" The man rebuked, "I just think it's a little weird!!"
"ALRIGHT QUIET!" Leon shouted. He looked at Darnell. "Even if we don't want to, you have to admit that's kinda weird. I mean, come on."
"Just because it's weird, doesn't mean he's lying!" Darnell fired back. "Why can't it be weird? What's wrong with weird?"
Luckily, before Leon could refute, Isaac interjected.
"Alright enough, everyone!" Isaac made sure to look into both Leon and Darnel's eyes before he continued, "I can admit, his return is an unexpected one, but there is nothing we can do except keep an eye on him. Anything more and we'll be stripping him of his basic rights! I urge you all to remember that just because we find ourselves in a foreign place, does not mean we can forsake the morals of our home!"
"Jeeze." Olive commented, "How patriotic."
Isaac cast his gaze upon her.
Olive noticed it and rolled her eyes.
"Welp! I'm going to bed!" Olive lifted herself off of her seat and made way towards the doors.
Isaac sighed at her antics. Leon laughed at them.
Darnell watched her go and Koa wished he had done the same.
Clark wished he could leave with her and the man in black cursed her for leaving the decision up to them.
***
Dawn came and went.
It was midday. The sun was beaming bright and the temperature grew higher.
Amidst the trees of the forest, a large group of people traveled east.
Isaac at the helm. He stormed the forest first.
Just beside him, Olive, Leon, and Teddy.
Behind them, Darnell, Koa, Morgan, and the three other men who arrived with Leon.
And of course, at the back of the train, Miles directed them.
"It's just up ahead!" He said. "I remember that broken branch!"
Earlier in the morning, they discussed what to do with Miles's information. At the forefront of it all, however, stood the validity of the information.
As such, the information needed to be confirmed. Initially, Isaac wanted to send Olive alone. She had explored the forest the most thus far and her small frame and swift tactics made her the perfect candidate for a reconnaissance mission, but the suggestion was wildly opposed.
Leon, for one, found it ridiculous.
Over the past month, he had received training in various affairs: tracking, information gathering, and espionage were part of the list. And not only that, but he, alongside the three men who arrived with him, came equipped with modern weaponry and new-age technology, i.e. gadgets made for spying.
What is the issue with Leon and his team going then? They only just arrived and they're working specifically under the Secretary-General – or in other words – the United Nations.
Isaac simply cannot leave such an important task to a group of people he cannot be sure is 100% invested in the mission. It is not that he distrusts Leon, rather, he understands that Leon is here on a job. A job that likely came with its own goal separate from spying on the Orcs.
Therefore, Leon and his tech would be helpful, but they couldn't be allowed to go on their own.
So why not just send Olive and Leon and his trio?
"If you're already taking so many, you might as well take Teddy with you. He can determine if it's a trap." Isaac argued.
"WHAT?" Teddy shouted.
"If I have to go, then they have to go too!!" Teddy pointed towards Darnell and Koa.
"Huh?"
"Why do we have to go?" Koa asked.
"Because Isaac made us a team and that means we stick together!" Teddy said.
"Are you out of yo-" Darnell tried to counter, but Koa interrupted him.
"Wouldn't that mean Morgan too?" Koa raised his hand as he asked.
The room halted and all eyes shifted slightly. In a moment, they all looked at Morgan.
"Wha–" Morgan stuttered, "WHY AM I EVEN HERE???"
Ultimately, Isaac decided to go with them. If the four most promising Awakened thus far were going, Isaac might as well turn it into a learning opportunity for them. And if the worst case scenario came to pass and an engagement was forced, he knew he could rely on Olive and Leon at the very least; perhaps even the three men with Leon – they did have guns after all.
"Stop!" Miles said.
Immediately, the group of eleven grinded to a sudden halt.
Miles looked at everyone and beckoned them closer.
They entered a small circle.
"Alright we're getting close." Miles said under his breath. "From now on, I'll lead and nobody talks."
///LostNoteFound///
Hey moofin! Thanks for the stones! <3
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
TheLostBoy
TheLostBoy (0.0)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone