Commandment Hall, Evolon's fortress
Evolon stood in the hall, his hands trembling with rage. His glowing red eyes were practically blazing with fury as he shouted at the crowd of soldiers in front of him. "You are all useless! Weaklings! Do you even know what failure means to me?!" The walls shook with his booming voice. Soldiers trembled along with it.
The soldiers were perfectly lined up. They were attempting not to breathe too loud or even move too much. At the back stood a group of Evolon's elite soldiers, the greatest of the great. Their armor glistened even in the faint lighting of the hall. Behind Evolon, the Royal Guards towered menacingly like statues, as if their only purpose was to stand there, looking intimidating.
"Someone tell me something useful before I lose my patience!" Evolon barked, glaring at the crowd. His glare was enough to kill somebody from the inside.
One regular soldier, clearly terrified, stepped forward, trembling so hard that his armer clanked multiple times just as he stood. "M-my Lord," he stammered, "I-I—"
Evolon didn't allow him to utter another word. He raised his hand, and in the mere blink of an eye, the soldier was decapitated. It was disgusting, but nobody though to dare to react because, well, they didn't want to be next. "Pathetic."
Then, an elite soldier standing at the back walked forward, his glowing tattoos making him look extra terrifying. He bowed slightly. "Lord Evolon," he said, his voice calm, yet smug, "I have a report."
Evolon squinted at him like he was debating whether or not to let him live. "Spit it out already!" he growled.
"Yes, my Lord," the elite soldier said. "I encountered someone in the wastelands. He wasn't ordinary. He survived an attack that should've killed him. His endurance... it reminded me of the Terragons."
Evolon's eyes narrowed. "A Terragon? Don't make me laugh."
The elite soldier hesitated, which could mean the difference between life and death. "I-I don't think he knows what he is, my Lord--"
The air was heavy. Evolon stepped closer towards the soldier, the ominous clink of his boots echoing against the thick concrete walls. The elite soldier flinched ever so slightly as Evolon neared his approach, his blazing red eyes staring into his soul. "You don't think?" Evolon hissed, his voice low and venomous. "Are you paid to think, or are you paid to follow orders? I mean, either way you have no choice but to follow my orders. The money is just a bonus."
The elite soldier dropped to one knee, lowering his head. "I followed your orders, my Lord. The boy was no threat to me—weak, inexperienced. I spared him so he could lead us to others."
Evolon's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Spared him? Interesting." He paced back and forth, the royal guards behind him shifting their gaze to the elite soldier. Their stoic expressions made the moment even more suffocating. "Weak, you say? Yet you stand here and tell me his endurance rivals a Terragon's?"
The elite soldier nodded hesitantly. "Yes, my Lord. I tested him. He doesn't seem to know what he is. He's ignorant of the races, of his own abilities. A... survivor, but a clueless one."
Evolon's grin faded into a sharp, cold stare. "Ignorance is not a shield. It's an opportunity."
He turned to one of his royal guards, a towering figure with a silver hood around its neck. The guard nodded and disappeared in a flash, likely heading off to confirm the soldier's findings. Evolon returned his gaze to the elite soldier. "You did well not to kill him—for now. If this 'boy' proves to be anything less than useful, his survival will be on your head. Literally."
The elite soldier bowed lower, swallowing hard. "I understand, my Lord. He will be dealt with as you command."
Evolon dismissed him with a wave of his hand, his attention shifting back to the army of lesser soldiers. "The rest of you," he barked, "double your efforts. Expand your patrols. I want every corner of the wasteland scoured. Leave no stone unturned!"
The soldiers responded with a loud, synchronized "Yes, my Lord!" before scrambling out of the hall.
As the elite soldier retreated back to his group, he couldn't shake the lingering weight of Evolon's gaze. One mistake, one miscalculation, and he knew he'd end up like the unfortunate soldier from earlier. He clenched his fists, determination coarsing through his veins.
Evolon ascended his throne again, the room quieting once more. He leaned back, his fingers drumming against the armrest. "A Terragon, alive after all this time," he murmured to himself. His smile returned, dark and calculating. "Perhaps the game has just become interesting."
Meanwhile...
Adam groaned and stood up from his resting place. "Ok, enough rest," he mumbled, rubbing his forehead. Everything hurt. He could barely move.
He blinked at the mess around him, like he had somehow forgotten where he was. "I'm alive... somehow," he said, slowly looking around. "How did that happen?"
He spotted something on the ground. "Hey, what's that? A... thing? I mean, obviously it is. What would it be if it wasn't a thing?" He crawled over to it, his body aching even more with every slight movement. It was a crumpled piece of paper. He picked it up and squinted at it. "What the heck is this?"
He began to unfold it, and the lines on it resembled some form of a map. "A map? Or is this just scribbles?"
He observed and inspected the map and then he saw an "X." "Is this an actual treasure map? What am I, a pirate?" he chuckled, rolling his eyes.
He turned it around, expecting more. There was a note on the back. The handwriting was barely readable. It looked as if it had been written in a hurry. The note read out: "Find them. They know stuff. Don't trust anyone. Probably."
Adam blinked. "Wow, that's... so helpful," he muttered, shoving it in his pocket. "I'll just go find 'them' and see what happens. Maybe they'll give me a nice prize. Who knows."
He pulled the paper back out of his pocket and read another segment: "They'll help, maybe. Or maybe not. Whatever. I think they will."
"Okay, this person has no idea what they're saying," Adam sighed. "I'm so confused right now. There literally isn't any context, I'm just supposed to go find 'them' and supposedly they're going to 'help'. How helpful"
But then he noticed a folded-up piece of paper in the map. "A letter? Who writes letters like this?"
He opened it, and there was more: "If you're reading this, you're alive. Cool. Amazing. I'm proud. Don't get too comfortable tho. Find them first, before he find you. It's bad."
"Well, that's just reassuring," Adam said with no enthusiasm at all. "Great advice, buddy. Real clear. Thanks a bunch."
He tossed the note back in his pocket. "Okay, whatever. I'm supposed to find someone. Someone who's probably going to kill me, or maybe they won't. Who fucking knows?" He stood up, groaning. "Guess I'll go walk into the unknown. How enlightening."
With a slow stretch, he packed his bags and trudged deeper into the wasteland. "Hopefully, this whole 'find them' thing isn't a trap. But hey, it might be. It probably is. Who cares anyways? Who the hell cares if I die? It's not like there's anybody left to care for me anyways"