[Time left: 23 hours 30 minutes]
For some reason, even with all the defensive measures in place and the people deployed, Emery couldn’t help but to still feel somewhat anxious about the whole situation. He tried to think if there was a flaw or something that hadn’t been done, but nothing came to his mind.
In the end, not knowing what the reason behind the strange sense of uneasiness was, he decided to cast [Mineralized Warrior], summoning a total of one-hundred fifty Mineralized soldiers and scattering them all over the walls to support those who were fighting.
“What about me?! Let me join the fight! Let me join!!” said Annara quickly when she saw Emery’s actions. It was clear that she couldn’t continue to stand still just watching as someone else got more points than her.
Other than the red-haired girl, there were also Atlas, Magus Bellaine, and the twelve saint fighters who weren’t assigned to any post by Julian since he had no authority over these people.
At first, Emery had the idea of sending them to reinforce the walls. However, he stopped himself at the last moment because his guts told him that there were still things that needed to be thought about.
He turned his head and looked at the rock cliff standing at the rear of the base, and without shifting his head, Emery opened his mouth and said to Annara.
“Promise me that you will listen to Julian’s words. If you do, I’ll let you join the fight.”
Annara’s eyes shone with delight when she heard those words. She was about to nod her head in agreement to his demand when the latter spoke again. “In addition, I want you to do one thing for me before you go.”
“What is it?” asked Annara curiously.
“I want you to summon several of your bat familiars” Emery ignored the surprised look on her face and pointed his finger at the towering natural cliff before continuing, “I need them to keep watch on the cliff, so we can detect any possible danger that might come from there as early as possible.”
Even though Emery’s concern might seem far-fetched, upon further thought, there was actually nothing wrong with doing what he asked. Therefore, she nodded her head.
“Thank you for your understanding, Annara, I would also like to know what is your maximum detection range?”
Annara was silent for a moment, pondering her answer. “If my familiars are put into the equation, I can extend my normal range with my ability [Echo Sound], so it should be around 600 miles.”
Emery nodded in response to Annara’s words and fell silent as his mind went into action. Actually, he himself could do the job with his [One Mind]. However, the only way he could do so was to line up the Chizpur brothers in a straight line, and even so, the result was not optimal.
Annara’s bat familiars, on the other hand, worked in the form of radius which made them the best scout method for the current situation.
After coming out of his contemplation, Emery thanked Annara once again before asking her to focus most of her familiars on the Main Gate at the north where most of the Abyss creatures were.
“You’re asking me to divide my familiars in two different directions?” asked Annara in an exaggerated tone, to which Emery nodded. “That’s a bit too much, but of course, I can do it!”
Nodding at the red-haired girl’s enthusiasm, Emery then turned to look at Atlas and said, “I also have a task for you. I hope you can do it.” Hearing such words, the half-machine acolyte only replied with a nod without saying anything.
After that, while Annara went ahead and joined the ongoing battle, Emery brought Atlas down to the caves under the base. Following the two of them were Magus Bellaine and the twelve saint fighters. The moment they entered the place, Emery was greeted with what was probably one of the most depressing sights he has ever seen.
Nearly half a million people consisting of women, children, the sick and the elderly filled the whole place to the brim. Most of them could be seen huddling and embracing one another, their expressions full of anxiety as they vaguely aware of the situation outside.
The underground cave had become a place to accommodate those who were unable to take care of themselves in this Calamity. The whole place was dingy and smelly. It wasn’t really humane to put all these people here, but for the sake of their safety, Emery had no other choice for them.
One of these people, a girl who looked to be five or six years old, approached the group and grabbed the hem of Emery’s clothes.
“Mister… Ar-are we going to be fine..?”
As if a wick had been ignited, the girl’s words caused a commotion among these people.
“Please.. What is going on outside..? Are we safe here?”
“My boy… have you seen my boy?”
“God… please… have mercy on us..”
It was apparent; that these people were weak and scared. Many were down to their knees, their hands clasped together in front of their chest, praying to their gods. Of course, there were also some who had simply lost their will, just lying there doing nothing.
As soon as the group made their appearance in the cave, every pair of eyes present immediately turned and stared at him for an answer. From their gazes, Emery could clearly feel their emotions and thus couldn’t help but be forced to say a few words.
“Everyone, don’t worry. Everything is under control.” He said with a reassuring smile. “We will do what we can to help you all go through this calamity, so please hang on for another 24 hours.”
These people who heard Emery’s words showed mixed reactions. Most of them showed expressions of gratitude and relief, but there were some who didn’t seem to believe his words as they still had anxious expressions on their faces.
Emery and the others, of course, noticed these varied reactions; however, they didn’t say anything. The next thing Emery said, however, managed to surprise those around him.
“These people here,” Emery paused, gesturing to Magus Bellaine and the saint fighters. “..will be staying with you from now on, to ensure the safety of all of you.”
Magus Bellaine and the saint fighters were shocked, but before they could question his order, Emery quickly explained his intention.
“These people are afraid, and fear can lead to the unpredictable. That’s why I need people to stay with them to prevent any possible disasters. Can you please help me in this matter?”
Emery bowed slightly as he voiced his request. He found it difficult to ask the others about this matter since they had points to pursue. However, the magus and saint fighters were different.
To Emery’s surprise, Magus Bellaine suddenly stepped closer to him and responded with an unexpected hug, Emery heard a soft whisper.
“Thank you…”
Apparently, the magus had been devastated for getting these people involved in Commander Raynor’s plot. Hence she couldn’t help but feel thankful for Emery’s request since the task could be considered as a small consolation for what they did.
Releasing the hug, Magus Bellain looked Emery in the eye and said, “Don’t worry, Commander. I will definitely protect them with my life, our lives.”
Emery nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”
He then turned to Atlas and said, “I know that I can’t force you to stay and protect these people. But the truth is I’m really worried about this place, the interior of the cave to be exact.”
Remembering those Abyss creatures that could come out of the ground made Emery very worried about the safety of this underground cave. Unfortunately, they had nowhere else to put these people.
Even though Julian had checked that most of the cave interior was covered with hard stones that were part of the natural cliff, Emery still couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of the abyss creature still able to break through it.
Therefore he hoped that Atlas could use his Seismic Scan to detect if an Abyss creature would ever appear from inside the cave.
Since this task would take Atlas’ opportunity to gain more points, Emery could only ask. If the man wasn’t willing to do it, then Emery planned to stay here himself.
The half-machine acolyte, however, nodded without the slightest hint of hesitation.
“I will do it. Leave this place to me.”
Emery heaved a sigh of relief and patted Atlas on the shoulder in appreciation. He once again thanked them for their willingness before finally returning to the surface.
On his way back, he saw a group of children – Jim and his friends – waving their hands at him and decided to call Jim over to come with him.
Exiting the underground cave, Emery headed to the huge roof atop the tallest tower in the base. It was a place where he could clearly see and easily sense everything in the surrounding area.
He then asked Jim, who came with him, some questions about what he knew about their gods and the Tree of Light.
Apparently, the Andora natives called their mother goddess the Bringer of Life. Every year, the most devout believers would go on pilgrimage to the Sacred Mountain. However, since 10 years ago, not a single one of those who went on pilgrimages came back, until the emergence of the Abyss creatures that occurred last year.
After chatting more about other things like his family, Emery thanked Jim for his time and motioned for the boy to go. Before leaving, Jim turned and looked at him one last time saying, “Mister, thank you for helping us.”
Emery gave the boy a smile and a nod. After the boy’s back disappeared, he fell into another contemplation.
Now that he knew a little bit more about the Primordial Wisp of the planet, coupled with the fact that his heart had been restless, he believed it was time to try and communicate with it.
Without further ado, Emery opened his Spatial Space and took out the crystal glass that contained the spirit creatures.