We keep running as we see many ruined buildings on our way, and many enemies keep coming and blocking the route. We have to swing our weapons again and again.
"Hey, Khidr. Are you okay there?"
That sound came from my communication device. I took that quickly because I know who has this voice.
"Father, you…."
"Yes, that's right, son." He replied. "I am in our ruined homeland now. I feel sad when I see it for the first time."
"Confederation has sent their troops this quickly. Ah, impressive." I said. "By the way, who's sent the request? Me and Vignette still not sending one." I asked as I looked at the sky. The black clouds started to separate. The portal is now closed.
"Well, that's actually not important now." He said, evading my question. "Anyway, listen to me, Khidr. Are you running alone, or with another civilian?"
I looked at my little sister and her friends at the company. I then smiled, look back again at the front.
"I am with your little daughter and her friends now, Father. How about you come and pick us up? Hajjar is getting scared." I joked.
"Hey! Do I look like I am crying now?" She asked, with an angry face. Father slightly laughed after he heard that.
"I see, you all are still in one piece and not being struggled." He said. "Khidr, escort them to Mount Ammar, at our lovely Confederation base. The Azqur government has already ordered the final retreat phase. All Azqur forces, too, are now retreated. Only Team D5 that we have to visit now."
Mount Ammar… I hope it will be just a temporary evacuation shelter. It's too close to Khairat, this city. That place will be vulnerable and terribly leaked for enemy attacks to come by and say the death sentence.
Even though it's on the high ground, they still have advantages by using some kinds of big birds that I just saw before.
"Hey, son."
"Eh? Ah! Okay, I'll be escorting them to Mount Ammar. I am in the south of Khairat, I will be there faster." I responded.
"Good, now we have to go to work again. Take care, son. Sulaiman out."
The connection has closed. I put back my communication device, and changed our direction to Mount Ammar. It's located exactly in the south, where we before running to the east to find out other Azqur troops.
I looked back at Hajjar, and the other survivors we've been rescued before. I see they are still looking back with cautious faces, some of them even look scared. They still have not recovered from that experience, being surrounded by unknown troops looking for their flesh and blood.
"So we're heading to the mountain, brother?" Hajjar asked as she catches my position in the front.
"Yes," I said as I looked at that deserted yet yellow-ish mountain, "the final retreat plan has been announced by the government. All military forces are ordered to fall back and stationed themselves at Mount Ammar."
"And you'll be going to the office again tomorrow?"
"Well, it's usual, right?" I said, smiling at her. "There's a problem, Confederation joined, they'll need many backups, they then invited me to the bullets banquet again."
Confederation has joined many "bullets banquets" before in the name of peace and justice. Even though I believe in their reason, I do feel like they just take that easy way to cleanse the evil. I don't like nor hate that, but it's just not the only way in my opinion.
Ah, never mind. I'll better be thinking about another obstacle in this route, because we're already facing that obstacle.
"Hey, look at that! The enemy soldiers!" One survivor shouted and pointed to a shadow of an enemy in front of us.
I unsheathed my sword, prepared to make a jump and kill him in shock. Hajjar and another survivor are making gaps from each other and started to watch the left and right, making sure no ambushes are lying in wait.
When I came closer to him, I raised my sword and swing it directly to his head from his back. But when the sword is already near his neck, his hand reflexively swing his knife on his hand and turned around to parry my attack.
When I see him, I ever remembered his face before. His lips smiled when our weapons clanked with each other, his psychic smile remains scary to me. His left hand has some blood traces and newly-closed wounds.
Maybe... He is...
"Ah, we meet again... What a coincidence, young warrior?" He said with a calm yet polite voice.