As they trekked through the forest, Shinon couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity as they neared the stream he had used as his makeshift base.
The group had been through a lot, enduring harsh weather conditions and fighting off zombies, but they finally made it to their settlement.
As they approached the entrance, Shinon noticed the crude wooden walls surrounding the area. It wasn't much, but it was a start. The bald man from earlier approached him and thanked him for his help.
"We owe you our lives," the man said, shaking Shinon's hand. "If it weren't for you, we would have never made it here."
Shinon nodded, accepting the man's gratitude.
But before they headed inside, Sarah turned to Shinon with a smile. "Hey, why don't you come inside with us? It was a draining trip, so maybe you'll like to rest for a while?"
Shinon hesitated for a moment, looking at the settlement beyond the gate. It was a small community of makeshift houses and buildings, but it seemed relatively safe and secure. However, he knew better than to trust strangers too quickly.
"Thanks, but I prefer to keep to myself."
"Alright, suit yourself," Sarah replied, still smiling. "But let us at least give you the reward we promised you for escorting us here."
She turned to her boyfriend, Tim and said, "Go get that metal bars we found earlier."
"Alrighty~" Tim said, grinning as he headed off to retrieve the metal bars promised to Shinon.
As they waited for Tim to arrive with the metal bars promised to Shinon, the group engaged in casual conversation. They talked about their experiences during the apocalypse, how they managed to survive, and their hopes for the future.
As they chatted, Shinon couldn't help but feel a sense of unease in the air. He had been in enough dangerous situations to know when something was off.
Just as he was about to voice his concerns, Sarah spoke up. "It's been a while since Tim left. He should have been back by now, shouldn't he?"
Sarah's father, Jack, nodded, eyes scanning the area for any sign of Tim's return. "Yeah, he should have. Let me go and check on him."
As Jack turned to leave, Shinon grabbed his arm. "I'm coming with you."
The quest to escort the group to the base wasn't marked as completed, and it was the same with the sub-quest, even though they had arrived at the destination. That was enough for Shinon to know something was wrong.
Shinon led the group towards the direction Tim had taken. As they walked, the unease in the air grew stronger, and he could feel his muscles tensing up in anticipation of danger.
"What is this?" Sarah gasped, covering the children's eyes.
After a few minutes of walking, they came across a bloodstained area on the ground and a trail of footprints leading away from it. Shinon drew his weapon and motioned for the group to follow him as they followed the path.
Before they could even process what they had seen, they heard screams and shouting in the distance. Shinon's heart sank as he realised that something terrible had happened.
As they got closer, they could see the area was overrun with people dressed in armour and carrying weapons of all sorts. The group quickly ducked behind a nearby building, peeking out cautiously to see what was happening.
"Oh my god... those raiders! They came back!" The eldest of the kids shrieked.
"Tim!" Sarah gasped, pointing in another direction; Shinon immediately turned to check.
It was Tim alright, his face and clothes bloodied, being dragged along with several other settlement dwellers towards the centre of the settlement.
However, Tim wasn't the only known face there either. Kira was among the survivors; her condition was not looking good either.
Shinon watched as the raiders, armed with weapons and clad in armour, rampaged through the settlement. They were tearing down buildings, setting fires, and attacking the residents.
Screams and cries for help filled the air, and the sound of weapons clashing rang out. Shinon felt a surge of anger and disgust at the raiders for their brutality and lack of compassion.
Shinon's eyes scanned the group of raiders, trying to figure out where he had seen them before as he felt eerily familiar with them.
They were a rough-looking bunch dressed in tattered clothing, yet they were brandishing quality weapons and armour. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on the shoulder of one of the raiders, where he spotted a distinctive scorpion tattoo.
It all clicked into place. These were the raiders that belonged to the settlement the Phoenixes ruled over. Shinon's grip on his sword tightened as he felt anger rise within him.
"Stay here," Shinon said to the group, "I'll take care of these raiders."
Without another word, he stood up from his hiding spot, sword in hand, and disappeared into the shadows. The children gasped in shock, but Sarah and her father quickly grabbed them and pulled them back, not wanting them to witness the violence.
At that moment, Shinon wasn't thinking about the quest or serving justice. All he desired was revenge.