Chapter 5: Brewing Storm

People are always going in and out of the sanctum. There's a smell of newly butchered flesh mixed with tang smell of blood. A sound of metal grinding on the lines. Heavily armored personnel comes through the left hall, and those who have their equipment checked come out of the right hall.

Most heavily organized Outriders come in droves, using the lift taking them to the outskirts.  The hall of the sanctum was full of round tables where the Outriders would gather, talk about their plans, strategize about their order of attack, and gather Outriders willing to form teams.

Large raiding parties take the lift, and the smaller teams take the zipline. There is a queue enforced by the sanctum. There are mandatory tasks if they want to continue using the services of the sanctum of the Citadel that acts as a military branch for the City of Aured.

The Citadel is not the only passage to the outskirts, and there are fortified walls called bastions surrounding the City of Aured where Outriders and the Military could pass through to battle hordes. A fifty-two miles range where the military could bombard any 30m belua's that approach the vicinity. Although humanity has lost lands, the satellites of the world are active and have been actively hunting the spacecraft for an unknown reason. Only through this that humanity could accurately target the 30-50m belua's that approach the 50mile radius of the city.

Aured City is not the only bastion of humanity, but it is the most well-defended because of the concentration of resources. The most valuable commodity of Aured City is ammunition. And through the birth of those who receive the ambrosia of the cosmos that Outriders could combat the belua.

Two types of Outriders are always heading out to the lost lands. There are the gifted who receive the ambrosia and can handle the environment. And Outriders who rely on the exosuit they are wearing to cope with the harsh lost lands.

Most of the gifted lead those who do not have the gifts they possessed. There is a hierarchy among the Outriders, and through this, multiple raids are happening. A gifted Outrider with an exosuit could turn the tides of battle.

But even so, there are only a few who ventures outside of the bastions alone. Most of the time, they are called foolish. When they do return, these Outriders are then called odded for their butcher-like ways.

They are usually feared or offered benefits to join raiding teams.  But some venture alone to gain more rewards from their hunts. The latest clips have shown that there is an outrider that could hunt alone. But most of those who tried to recruit the new odded proved unsuccessful in their efforts. He was a lonesome Outrider that worked independently and seemed so detached that it was hard to cooperate with someone that shows no interest in ever joining.

Besides, those who stay alone are going to be doomed when they make a mistake. Most of the people in the sanctum believed that it would be an eye-opener for the new odded to experience failure.

Returning from another successful solo hunt for belua, the familiar sight of the Ghost from Gharasu appeared carrying the organs to the conveyor belt in exchange for credits.

Misha has been working for years as Handler, and yet there was something odd about the odded, not that they are not weird, but how he acts.

"Viktor," Misha called to the person behind her. "He's still alive."

"I saw."

"Do you think he'll last?"

"Who knows? I had the call from the top about him. If he doesn't cooperate with the others, then that's another dead outrider."

"Hmm," Misha said. "He's been hunting down like it's a habit."

"I can tell, but the lost lands are dangerous alone."

"He keeps doing it, and I think he got Dona. I don't see her working in the halls. I heard she got kicked out, and now they have this strange partnership."

"Dona, huh. You know her?"

"I do," Misha grinned. "She's one of the courtesans that are my favorite."

"Is that so?" Viktor shrugged. "So, this Dona is sleeping with that newbie? That's strange for someone who seems so robotic."

"I know, right?"

"Hmm, he must be paying her a lot then."

"Oh, he does," Misha folded her arms. "Most of the credits go to her. And believe me when I say he earns a lot."

"Sounds foolish," Viktor commented, eyes trained on the documents. "But who am I to judge someone's taste."

"Dona's lucky to have someone attracted to her like that. She wasn't paying her rent, and now she's got someone paying her handsomely."

"Hard times, you heard about the new barrier wall?"

"Yeah," Misha's face turned grim. "Said that they have to construct it before things go to shit for all of us."

"New belua's," Viktor grimaced. "And this time, they are humanoids."

"Do you think it's true? That they are using weapons?"

"I hope not," Viktor said. "We don't need enemies that know how to handle technology. It would be hell, and we're already losing some lands because of these freaks."

"The expeditionary forces are handling them. If it goes their way, then they have to enforce that new rule about conscripts."

"They'll leave if they enforced that," Misha turned to the Outriders. "They'd be independent."

"I would like to see them try," Viktor said. "Most of the regions are evacuated because of the belua. Farms are now inside the city, and they're making use of the caverns to create farmlands. If this continues, then this will turn into another hive city like in the far-eastern bastions."

"That would be chaos."

"It is," Viktor shrugged. "And don't even mention the shitheads on the top trying to make things worse."

"The ecstasy addicts are even worse in the Recreation District."

Misha could tell that things were getting worse. The number of requests from the outside is getting higher, and things are brewing inside the city.

Misha felt blessed knowing that she was working as Handler for the sanctum.