BXBX NOVEL Chapter 299: No other choice [2/2]
Phillip, seeing us, approached with two clerks in tow. One was a man and the other a woman. Phillip bowed slightly as he began.
"Esteemed Limitless, my ladies the Sirens. These are Matilda Cassy and Wilfred Vance. They are clerks to be hired by the LLG. Wilfred will handle the 2nd Amendment while Matilda will manage Vela\'s Wolves."
"Pleased to meet you all. I am Matilda, please call me Tildi," the woman introduced herself cheerfully.
Not to be left behind, the man made a quick bow and did the same. "Wilfred Vance. I go by Will. I look forward to working with you all."
Contrary to my expectations, none of the girls even graced them with a response. I was terrible at meeting people, so I remained silent. When no one returned their introductions, an awkwardness remained.
Phillip cleared his throat, ending the awkward silence.
"Right, as the chief administrator of the LLG, I will keep you all updated on the performance of both teams. Both the 2nd A and the wolves took a multi-squad dirge siren an hour ago, if all goes well they should return soon."
Just then I saw a large group of people running out of the dispatch office. Addison was with them. He was carrying a bunch of heavy looking toolboxes.
"COME ON YOU SLOW FUCKS! Squad leader Joshua will be leaving soon if we take too long! You all want to get your pay docked?"
"SIR NO SIR!"
The group of about forty men and women then all moved into formation outside and disappeared in a shower of light.
"Phillip, how are my men?"
"They have already completed two Dirge sirens. Although a bit slower, the addition of Vela\'s wolves is slowly making up for their late start. We expect the day\'s harvest to be similar to yesterday\'s, if not higher."
"I see. Will, TIldi."
"YES! ESTEEMED LIMITLESS!" x2
"Please take care of my people. If you have any problems, tell Phillip or Cynthia from the LLG. Has Phillip told you about my requirements?"
Wil replied anxiously. "Yes, Limitless. He has. And I am prepared."
Meanwhile, Tildi clasped her hands together before answering.
"He has esteemed Limitless. I... I begged Phillip to hire me because of that requirement."
"I\'m glad to hear that, then. Welcome to my group. Phillip, you and these two will join Cynthia and Addison in the fourth wave. Once the wolves have completed their training, you will be next."
I watched Phillip\'s nerves flare in irritation. "I understand Limitless." We might be buddies in private, but in the presence of others, my exclusive clerk knew to be professional.
I then turned to the Sirens and asked, "Girls, would you like to sign up now? Will you all be joining the Death Seekers?"
"Yes." X7
As my girls announced their intentions, I could hear the peanut gallery commenting in awe.
"Fuck! Isn\'t that the 2nd group? What is it with girls covered in blood joining the mercenaries en masse?"
"I know, right? I saw that group earlier. They were Golden Wick! How could a group of Saints survive as death seekers?"
"Boy, have your eyes checked, those girls earlier were nothing like Golden Wick! There was a dangerous aura among them! Anyone who tried to talk to them got their ass kicked! They\'re crazy, I tell you!"
"Isn\'t that the Untamed?"
"Really? I thought she quit already. It\'s all over the Graveyard!"
"Dude! Aren\'t they the ones who got ambushed earlier tonight?"
"Fuck! My girl is part of the sanitation team, she told me they cleaned over 900 corpses just a few hours ago!"
"Bloody oath, really?"
As I eavesdropped on the Reapers waiting in line, the Siren\'s completed their registrations. Seeing the common concerns of these Reapers gave me perspective.
Unlike the high-stakes discussions I was having, the rest of Hellsgate was functioning normally.
Vela\'s wolves would be the first of the additions to my army. In time, more of the LLG would be trained and the two units would operate as one.
It was a wise practice to plan, that was a fact. But it was also known that too much planning simply stressed the mind. As I thought about the future of my people, my mind naturally drifted back to my current situation.
The future of my forces would also be affected by what I chose to do. Sure, I could skip the Seeker War by lowering my pride. Even if I did that, what would happen next time?
As long as I lived in Hellsgate, I would come into conflict with other people. It was inevitable. This was beside the fact that the world will end once Hell breaks open.
This meant that no matter what I chose now, the end would still come. This single thought forced me to join the war. Regardless of my reservations, I and the girls had to become stronger. It was the only way we would survive.
David vouched for me, which broke the armistice. Taken literally, it was my fault. But the more I thought about it, the more my presence meant shit. David\'s decision to break the truce was made regardless of who he vouched for.
If not me, it could have been anyone. Besides, the cease-fire was between seven Revenants. It didn\'t have to be David. As long as one of those people met a powerful enough Formless, they would have broken the agreement anyway.
Thinking of it that way cleared my head. So did the words of Zach and Roland. Everything they said was at best an educated guess. That was a point I had forgotten.
They thought it would happen. Otherwise they would have mentioned who made the predictions for validity. Even if they told me that this was what would happen in the future, I didn\'t believe in such nonsense.
The Serpents\' words were the same. They might have sounded true, but they were actually misconceptions. If the serpent was so sure of his victory, why did he even bother to seduce the warriors into surrendering?
Organizing the facts, I tried to list the reasons why I must fight the war.
1. To get revenge on the Saviors.
2. To overthrow their corrupt organization.
3. To show everyone what it means to pick a fight against me.
4. To serve as practice for Reaper-on-Reaper combat.
5. The Slayer will kill me if I don\'t fight.
6. The Sirens will be taken from me if I surrender or lose to anyone.
Then I listed my counter-arguments to Roland and Zach.
1. If I don\'t get stronger before hell breaks open, my loved ones will die.
2. I am not the one who broke the truce, David is.
3. The truce would be broken even if it weren\'t for me.
4. The future floor breaks will happen regardless of what I do.
The best way to silence fear was with logic and action. The words of the Serpent and the warnings of the Specters managed to unsettle me. It was natural to be afraid. Unfortunately, I no longer had that luxury.
"In order to close Hellsgate, I have no other choice," I declared resolutely as I read out my reasons for fighting in the war.