Rick was looking toward Dean with his exhausted eyes serious and concentrated. For some reason, it made the guy seem more assertive and trustful. He had some strange characteristics, his tired voice wasn't motivational at all, but nobody could deny that he looked like a good leader.
'I wonder what kind of thing he does to have such personality and, even so, lead all these people.' Dean was the one analyzing him this time.
He also looked at Clay, who generally would prefer to be on a corner, alone, but sometimes would stick to their leader as well and converse with him. Now, he seemed quite interested in Dean, which was somewhat curious due to his personality.
Dean thought for a little while before answering Rick's question.
"Well, the bad ones first, then." He didn't have any idea about what he should choose first. However, he remembered that, when his mom came with the same question to his father, he would always take the bad first.
Rick nodded his head.
Hector appeared, interrupting them for a brief moment. He delivered the meat to them, which was already roasted. It didn't have any seasoning but was good regardless. He knew that his leader was talking about something serious, so he just turned to Kevin again and continued to talk with him.
"Well, bad ones... Firstly, from what I remember about your story, you are from Refuge Sarah, which is near to the north pier and the destroyed town, Atlantis, right?"
"Yes. That Refuge is where I was born." Dean nodded.
Rick sighed, massaging his temples. That gesture was usual for him. He always did the very same thing from time to time. Sometimes, just like in a replay.
"It's tough to give you this information, boy, but you are on the center of the continent, nearby the zone where the Crimson Apocalypse started. This is where that Ascendant teleported you, out of despair. In resume, you are veeeery far away from home."
Dean gulped upon hearing those words. He frowned hard. The boy barely could believe what he said. He never could imagine that one day he would be so far away from his home.
'I am... this far away from there? This far away!? How am I supposed to go home, then? Even if I find a settlement, get a map, food, and other supplies, this traveling can last for months, maybe a year. And I am still incredibly weak, which means that I can't fight against the dangers that will come in the way.'
This last part was precisely the second bad news which Rick wanted to talk about with him.
"Second thing. Here you will find outrageous things walking and lurking around. All the time you will need to deal with a different Dread. You know swordsmanship, but just to fight against humans, not Dreads. You Ascended, but your power is low again now, and very low. In resume, you are a weakling that can be beaten by a 7th generation Dread, if not killed."
Rick's words made Dean take that possibility more into consideration. He knew how the power of the first Ascendance worked after all.
If he faced another Dread of the 5th generation, he wouldn't be able to stand against him, nor to run away if needed. His body wouldn't recover so soon, and if he didn't find a settlement in his travel, he wouldn't be able to recover completely.
He didn't have any outs there. Dean couldn't go to Refuge Sarah even if he wanted to. He was too far away and was too weak to do so.
Rick stared at the dejected face of the boy. He remained some seconds like that. The man gave the feeling that he was always paying attention to his surroundings, analyzing every single thing closely. His tired eyes helped to hide that ability, though.
Dean stayed in deep thought in all those seconds. He didn't want to give up on his objective to get to Refuge Sarah again. In the end, no matter how distant he was, Dean didn't have any other place to go. If not for his family and friends, the boy got nothing. He would be just an empty person in that world.
'It doesn't matter at all whether I Ascended or not. It doesn't matter even if I am finally out of the walls. If I am not assured that they are safe and everything is okay, then I can't just keep in the outside exploring and pretending that nothing happened. And, despite that Lion, I still need to discover who was that Dread that led the horde which attacked Refuge Sarah. He is in debt with me if he did something to my family.'
"Are you forgetting about the good news I got?" Rick asked, his exhausted voice seemed to be somewhat soothing in Dean's ears.
The boy was feeling lost before. He was trying to find himself and make a plan to start to move, but he never had so many paths to take before. The world was just too big out of the walls. It was different to walk out there in comparison to inside the refuge.
Nonetheless, the presence of fellow humans made him feel calmer and reason properly.
"Oh! That's right. But, I wonder what good this situation has..."
"The truth is that our group is encharged to explore and discover more things about Saphyr post-Crimson Apocalypse. We are currently traveling each refuge and land around here. We were aiming to go to the north at some point. If you work for us, then we can assure your safety, and that you will stay alive and have food, also as helping you to go back home. What about it?" Rick had a comforting smile on his face. He stretched his arm and offered to Dean a handshake.
Dean's expression got brighter as he looked in disbelief at the man in front of him. Happiness filled his heart. He saw an undeniable opportunity in front of him.
Without hesitation, he shook Rick's hand. The man seemed to be satisfied with his response.
"Ok! I will work hard, so let me join your party!"
"I like your energy. And a recent Ascendant will help very much our group. Welcome, Dean."
""Welcome."" The others followed their leader, giving to Dean a handshake as well.
The group continued talking around the campfire, getting to know each other better.