Along the streets, my eyes took in the never-ending sight of rubble and crumbled buildings. That scenery reminded me of the state of my town back at Mansel Island. The only difference was that the city of Khovd almost seemed lacking in living things.
No human beings were in sight.
Animals were nowhere to be found.
The trees by the roadside suffered from scorch marks and small, uniform holes at its trunks. Given by the size of it, those holes could be there because of stray bullets that had hit those trees.
From a glance, one could say the city was desolate, with apparent signs of destruction marking it.
Though I did not want to think much about it. That place was a war zone no doubt, and it remained that way for quite some time.
"It's awful . . ." I mumbled.
"I thought you guys have been in this city for weeks?" asked Segma.
"No, just a few days ago," replied Caesar. "We arrived in Mongolia about a month ago. At that time, we were just wandering around the borders."
Segma then stared at me as she walked. "I thought you are someone that lacks emotions. My guess is wrong after all."
"Hey, hey, don't you insult Lady Ava like that." Caesar clenched his fist and showed it to Segma.
"I'm joking . . . Every human being has emotions. No matter how insignificant it seems right now. People died and lives were lost. We endured and endured our suffering until our body decides to give up on. Not to mention, the coup's fight with the Great Corporate United has been going on for decades now. Our rebel group, Enkhtuya, could only hope to save as many people as we can. In the face of overwhelming power, weak people such as us don't stand a chance."
She sighed and faced forward.
Caesar and Lily looked at each other as I focused my eyes on our surroundings.
Segma mentioned the truth and nothing was wrong with it. However, it seemed to me that she had given up on fighting back against the Great Corporate United too early. Her decision was indeed hers alone, but the circumstances surrounding Mongolia would not end if she maintained that mentality.
"Someone's there," alerted Segma.
Helena darted her eyes around nervously. "Where?"
I dashed into an alley just up ahead of us and then stumbled upon three kids. A boy and two girls about eight-years-old cowered farther into the alley when they saw me.
The first thing I'd noticed about them was their features. They all looked the same.
Short dark hair covered a part of their small, round faces. The kids had pale skin, but dirt smears and bruises ruined it. They wore tattered gray shirts and blue shorts.
"Woah," mumbled Caesar. He proceeded to approach those kids but they screamed at the sight of him.
"Caesar, your mask," said Lily.
"Ah . . . I look like the villain here, isn't it?" He sighed and let Segma handled them instead.
"It's okay. He's not gonna hurt you."
The kids were silent after that as they stared at her.
She smiled at them. "Come here. It's alright. I've come to save you."
The two girls started to take a few steps towards her. However, that boy behind them refused to budge.
"It's okay," repeated Segma. "I'll protect you. What's your name?"
He was reluctant at first but decided to answer her in the end. "Khan."
"What a nice name you have."
Khan grinned from her reply. "Thank you." He then went over to her side along with the two girls.
I'd suspected they were triplets.
"Where are your parents?" asked Segma.
The three kids quickly shook their head.
Khan spoke, "They wanted to check the streets a while ago . . . But they didn't come back."
"So, you all waited here for them?"
"Yes. Mommy asked us to stay here while they go check."
Segma narrowed her eyes at them, and I took it that she knew what happened to their parents. No one would leave their children in times like that, but one didn't need to be a genius in order to figure out the fate of their mom and dad.
"Khan . . . Like Genghis Khan?" I muttered.
"A famous name," said Helena.
"Of course it is. Khan means king after all. I'm a king myself," said Caesar.
I glanced at him.
He flinched. "Lady Ava! Y-You don't believe me?!"
"As far as I know, becoming a king is far-fetched for someone like you."
"Wha--I am a king. The name Caesar also referred to that position of power you see."
"Not really. It was once a title given to selected Roman emperors. So, basically, it refers to an emperor."
Lily and Helena nodded at my statement.
"You're . . . Smart, Lady Ava!" exclaimed Caesar.
"Eh." I shrugged. "Am I? I don't think so."
Segma stood up with the kids holding onto her blue jeans. "Let's go," she said.
"Straight back?" I asked.
"Yes. I don't want to drag them with me all the way as we patrol. It's better to take them back first."
"Indeed," said Caesar. "Sounds logic and conclusive."
"Then let's get going."
Segma ushered the kids out of the alley and the rest of us followed from behind.
"Get back," I whispered, tugging at her dark jacket.
"What's wrong--"
Caesar pulled her and the kids back into the alley as we hid in the shadows.
"Soldiers," I told her.
She raised her eyebrows. "The coup? Or . . ."
"The Great Corporate United," replied Lily, poking her head out. "Though, I'm not sure if it's the coup or not. It's hard to tell since they all wear the same thing."
"Only black gears?" prompted Caesar.
"Yes."
"Then that's hard for me to tell." He looked at Segma. "There should be no soldiers that belonged to the Great Corporate United in this city, am I right?"
"Supposedly."
"No, no. Your answer is vague, Segma."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "We have not encountered a single one of them for the past weeks, but a month or so ago, there were a few of them."
"Ah, I see. If that's the case, I'm sure it's the coup. Usually, the soldiers of C.U do not linger around by themselves. There is a chain of command that they must adhere to. A general, or at least, a sergeant must be present to lead the squad."
"So, unless there is an organized bunch of soldiers in a particular place, it's safe to say that those soldiers out in the streets are from the coup. Is that right?" said Segma.
"Indeed," said Caesar. "You're quite perceptive."
"You just blurt out all those information."
Caesar tilted his head. "Fair enough."
Helena turned her eyes to us with a panicked expression. "They're coming!"
"I'll get them," said Lily. She formed violet crystals at her hands but Caesar swiftly grabbed her shoulder.
"No, Lady Lily. We don't know how many they are around here. We might end up alerting their comrades. It's best if we move away from them." He looked at Segma. "Do you know any other route?"
She nodded. "Yes. Follow me."
The kids stayed near her as she went to the back of the alley. We encountered a junction and took the path to our right.
"It's just over there. Once we're out of here, there's a narrow street that's just about five blocks away from the hideout," she said.
"Great," mumbled Caesar.
My eyes darted at our surroundings, trying to spot anything unusual in that alley. It was a habit of mine that I'd obtained not too long ago. More often than not, it had helped me to become conscious to what was happening around me.
"There's people."
They all stopped and looked at me.
I pointed towards a pale gray building next to us. "I heard some noise."
"Civilians, perhaps. We could take a look," suggested Helena.
"What noise?" asked Segma.
"A cry . . . Someone's crying," I replied.
Convinced of it, I cut the door open with a dark blue blade. I kicked it and instantly, a figure launched at me.
"Wait!" Caesar grabbed my arm and yanked me away from there. It took a few moments, but my brain recognized that figure as a boy with his scraggly, dark hair.
"H-Help Mama!" said the boy.
Helena darted into the building first and I followed. The others stayed outside, consoling the dark-haired boy.
"She's--"
Helena crouched at a dark corner and I withheld that scene in my eyes.
A woman sat next to her. She was in tears. However, her bulging stomach popped out to me the most.
At that moment, I knew that she was the boy's mother. And she was pregnant.
Helena spoke to her, "It's alright. We're here for you."
The woman looked up. "Just let me die . . . take my son with you."
"What are you talking about? It's dangerous here. Can you stand?" asked Helena.
"Please! Take him with you."
"We will. But you must come with us."
"I can't." The woman wiped her tears. "My leg . . ."
I didn't notice it the first time because it was dark. However, I took a closer look and saw a dark blotch had smeared the lower part of her white gown. She lifted it up slightly, revealing her bloodied right leg.
"I didn't feel anything before. But now, it hurts so much . . . Please, take my son with you!" she said.
Helena put the woman's hand in hers. "We'll get you to safety. Don't worry. There's no reason for us to leave with only your son. He needs you. And I'm sure you know that."
The woman looked down at the floor. "I'm a burden right now. With my leg like this, there's not much you can do for me--" She winced and grabbed at her injured leg.
"Lady Ava," called Helena.
"You don't have to ask for my permission."
She nodded and immediately ripped a large section of her dress's sleeve. Swiftly, she bandaged the leg and whispered some words to the woman.
"What's your name," I asked.
"Tuya . . ."
"I'll carry you, Tuya."
She raised her eyebrows as Helena stood up.
"Don't worry. You and your son will be safe with us," I said.
"Soldiers are out there. We . . . managed to avoid them just now."
"You can trust us, Tuya," said Helena. "We'll protect you no matter what."
As soon as she said that, Caesar and the others walked inside.
"Oops. It's dark in here." Caesar yanked a yellow baton out of his palm. He handed it to Segma and it glowed, illuminating the room.
"H-How?!" exclaimed Segma.
"Aegis crystals can do that, you know." Caesar shifted his attention to Tuya and jerked his head. "What the--"
"Caesar," I called. "Let's go now."
Tuya's son ran to his mother's side and cried. "Calm down, Mama's fine . . . See?"
I pondered for a minute as I watched them both. "Come to think of it, how are we going to carry her?"
My earlier suggestion about me carrying Tuya didn't seem to make sense. I was thinking of using my crystals to do it.
Segma approached her. "Ceasar . . . Perhaps you can do it for her too?
He snapped his finger. "Ah, I see. You're brilliant, Segma." Two yellow poles shot out of his palms and he tossed it to her. "Crutches. You meant this, right?"
She nodded.
With those crutches, Tuya was able to stand up with the support of Helena and Segma.
"It hurt still?" asked Helena.
"A bit . . . Thank you for helping me," Tuya said with a soft voice.
Caesar gestured for me to go outside and I did. Lily followed suit.
"The three of us can protect Segma and the rest. What do you think, Lady Ava?" he said.
"We should always be in front then."
"Lily will, not us. It's better for her to be in front, while both of us at the back."
"Oh, I see. That makes sense."
"Can you do it, Lady Lily?"
She nodded repeatedly. "I'm fine with that, Caesar."
"Great! Now, let's get out here and return to the hideout."