That battle was over, not in the way Kowalsk had hoped. Now, with the blood more settled, he somehow felt guilty for the senseless deaths. After all, he had given Colonel Cleaner a chance, which he failed to take.
The old soldier approached, accompanied by Drakissa and a large number of dreikis, who were escorting the defeated soldiers. They were led to the three remaining cells, which were empty and had no weapons that had been collected.
— Are you happy now, Kowalsk? — Colonel Cleaner asked, visibly irritated.
— No, Colonel. I'm still not satisfied. Not until I catch that bastard Sergeant Dugger. And now, Colonel Cleaner, I'm going to ask you a few questions. Please answer without any evasions.
Colonel Cleaner, who had always been treated with respect by everyone, had to swallow that treatment without being able to do anything, as he too was a prisoner, just like his subordinates. With a stern face and glaring at Kowalsk, he replied brusquely:
— Ask whatever you want. If I know, I'll answer immediately.
— How many soldiers are at the base?
— Is that important? — Colonel Cleaner asked dismissively.
— Whether it's important or not depends on your answer. Are their lives important to you? Because if I do the count of the dead and wounded and the numbers don't add up, it means the others don't exist. If they don't exist as soldiers, then I'll consider them just intruders who can be eliminated by my new friends — said Kowalsk, pointing to the dreikis, who showed their fangs and growled as if they had been instructed for that moment.
Colonel Cleaner knew that Kowalsk was not joking. It was better to take that warning seriously, or more soldiers would be mercilessly massacred by those mutant wolves.
— We have a total of 180 soldiers, Mr. Kowalsk.
— Thilláila and Gareno, give me the total count of survivors and the dead — said Kowalsk, after pulling out a small communication radio.
— Okay! We have 25 soldiers killed and 10 wounded survivors outside the base. Therefore, there are a total of 145. I'm sure you've already counted how many soldiers are in the cell next to you, right, Colonel Cleaner?
— Yes, Mr. Kowalsk. Exactly 59 men. With these 50 you brought, and excluding myself, there are 109 soldiers. And these 35 you just mentioned...
Kowalsk moved towards the cell where Colonel Cleaner was and asked someone to open it. One of the soldiers, escorted by a dreiki, asked Kowalsk for permission, took the key from a specific location, and opened the cell.
— Colonel Cleaner, despite your decisions not being the best, I'm going to enter your cell and look you straight in the eye and hear from you who is responsible for the death of your men.
Kowalsk walked slowly towards Colonel Cleaner, stared at him firmly, and looked deeply into his eyes.
— What are you going to do with me, Kowalsk? Are you going to kill me as soon as I tell you the truth? Is that how you operate?
— I'm sorry to say this, Colonel Cleaner, but it seems that time and constant defeats against the dragons have caused you to lose your logical reasoning.
Without averting his gaze from Kowalsk, the colonel asked:
— What do you mean by that?
— Colonel, just do the math, please: 109 plus 35.
Still not diverting his gaze from Kowalsk, the colonel reacted:
— What's wrong? Do you think I reached the rank of colonel by skipping school? Or do you think I don't know how to do this math? Obviously, the result is 144.
— Exactly, Colonel Cleaner — Kowalsk said slowly. — How many soldiers did you say you had again?
Colonel Cleaner, usually a sensible person, had his years of war against dragons gradually transforming him. However, he had not diminished his values, or at least that's what Kowalsk wanted to believe.
— Where is Sergeant Dugger and the rest of my soldiers?
— You know what's funny, Colonel Cleaner? That was exactly the question I was going to ask you.
— Soldier Kowalsk, please don't joke with me. Where is Sergeant Dugger? — The colonel insisted.
— Colonel Cleaner, do you think someone who took your base, the Last Refuge, captured the person responsible for the base and all his subordinates, and was also partially responsible for the dishonorable discharge of some of your soldiers would be bothered by something so trivial? Why would I hide the fact that I truly don't know the whereabouts of Sergeant Dugger or his 45 subordinates?
Colonel Cleaner knew very well what that meant but was ashamed to admit that something like that had slipped his grasp. The old soldier turned his back and calmly left the cell where Colonel Cleaner was. In single file, the dreikis followed him.
— Are you really going to leave us alive? — asked the soldiers in the cell.
Kowalsk didn't even look back and continued on his way, while the other soldiers asked Colonel Cleaner what they should do next.
— Don't you have that damned key? Open those cells and free all your comrades — ordered Colonel Cleaner.
— But sir, those beasts with that old soldier could devour us at any moment — said one of the soldiers, still frightened by the dreikis.
— Return to your posts, you idiots. Take care of the wounded and bury the dead. Don't even think about touching any of those animals, let alone Kowalsk. Don't you realize that we are no match for him and his team? There are unknown forces around that soldier, and it's better to stay as his allies. Now move and don't think about it anymore.
The cells were quickly opened, and each soldier took their positions according to the orders given. They attended to the wounded, buried the dead, and, finally, gathered waiting for further orders.
Meanwhile, Kowalsk was in Colonel Cleaner's office, sitting with his feet on the desk.
— Despite your impudence, I must admit that you have your merits. But could you please take your feet off my desk? — complained Colonel Cleaner.
— I don't feel like it. I have a question to ask, Colonel. Have you discussed that matter with your soldiers?
— Not yet, Kowalsk. I'm waiting for everyone to recover, and then I will make the announcement in your presence.
— Great, Colonel Cleaner. I should tell you that my mood improves a lot after a good meal.