Invitation to Join
Not riding a hoverbike, he walked alongside Arthur, the leader of the Redemption survivor group. He happily recounts the twists and turns he took to establish the largest group of its kind in New York.
"It's not easy to gain the trust of other survivors, especially in a situation like this," Arthur laments.
"It's hard enough to get them to join a party, let alone trust them as friends," Seth adds.
"The world is collapsing, so people can't help each other anymore. They're too busy looking out for themselves," Seth said.
"Those are the kind of words spoken by someone who has been hurt and betrayed. Am I right?" asked Arthur.
Seth paused as he glanced to the side, specifically at a man taller than him with an athletic body typical of a young military officer.
His military training and survival may be far more experienced than Seth, who only relied on the ability of time looping. But for the knowledge of this world, Seth knew much more than the man beside him.
Everyone who came with Arthur originally began to follow the man, unlike the members of the third squad who chose to stand guard in the area, prepared in case another stranger entered their territory anytime.
Leon's death was a major blow to the third squad. Many of them were angry, cursing, and even intending to kill Seth because the man, without feeling guilty, killed Leon easily.
Arthur realized the anger of the third squad member, so he invited Seth to go to Redemption HQ to secure him from the rage of the angry and hateful people in the park.
The two continued walking for about fifteen minutes away from the park until they came to a sizeable seven-story building with equally large front and back yards filled with shady trees that soothed the residence's atmosphere.
People were working there, from the servants who cleaned the house to the guards who were equipped with electric shock batons.
"All the guards have electric shock batons. Did you rob them or something?" asked Seth, expression flat with his eyes directed at one of the guards at the front gate of HQ Redemption.
"Electric batons are pretty cheap at the merchant, around 50gp. We bought 100 of them to be used by the guards at our two HQs," Arthur explained.
"You have two HQs?" asked Seth, gasping.
"For the location of the second HQ, not many people know. Only high-ranking Redemption officials know about it," Arthur replied.
Seth smiled lightly, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Arthur's broad, muscular back. He slowly understood the reason why Redemption had hidden the second HQ, one of which was for the hideout.
"A hiding place shouldn't be known by the public," Seth complained.
Arthur laughed at Seth's words. It was something he never expected Seth to realize the function of the second HQ. He had entered the front yard of Redemption's first HQ, turned around and looked at Seth.
His left hand swung sideways, inviting his important guest to enter. Seth cleared his throat. He took slow steps with both eyes keeping an eye on the two guards standing guard at the gate, both positioned to Seth's right and left at the moment.
Seth finally arrived inside the Redemption HQ area. The man could argue Redemption must have a good management system in place to have such a large building full of people.
"I eliminated half of Arcada's number in the city harbour. I heard they always move their HQ to a different place every three days. Is it true?" asked Seth.
"What you say is true, and the city harbour where you attacked them is their HQ location for now," Arthur replied.
"Their way of gaining power is filthy and dangerous, robbing small groups of survivors to a merchant. It's no wonder Skywatcher is always hunting them down for extermination," Arthur said.
The people who had been following Arthur now began to disperse into several buildings beside this HQ. They were a group from the first squad, led by Arthur.
The first squad members cannot be underestimated; they have qualified abilities with the latest weaponry. Almost all first squad members received special training from Arthur, a typical military training of the USA army.
"So, what was the name of your friend who was killed by Arcada?" asked Arthur about Seth's personal matters.
"Mia, a 17-year-old girl. She was lasered by the Skywatcher because of her ignorance," Seth replied.
"What doesn't she know?" asked Arthur.
"Skywatchers won't attack anyone who attacks them. Mia fired a crossbow at the alien, leaving her injured because the Skywatcher considered Mia a threat," Seth replied.
His voice lowered as he turned away, staring at the garden in front of HQ Redemption.
Arthur noticed the expression on Seth's face as if the man didn't really like having her death discussed again. Arthur cleared his throat, continuing to walk silently with Seth stepping behind him.
The residence door opened, and the furniture adorning the room was luxurious and classic. Arthur explained that this residence belonged to a government minister, who was killed in the first game.
"Me and a few of my friends took over this place, fixed up the broken areas, and made it Redemption's HQ," Arthur said.
"It's a beautiful chandelier, but it's a shame it can't be used since there's no power," Seth replied, raising his head to stare at the completely white chandelier above his head at the moment.
Seth's eyes narrowed, noticing the dozens of candles attached to the chandelier. Arthur glanced softly at the man behind him, guessing that Seth knew of the chandelier's candles.
"Even though there's no electricity, we don't despair. We use candles to light up this space when night falls," Arthur spoke.
"People here love it. It gives the house a classic, vintage vibe," Arthur explained.
Seth cleared his throat. He stepped back to follow Arthur until his steps stopped when he found Arthur sitting on the single sofa in the living room. There were only two of them in that place; the servants themselves chose to be focused on their tasks in another room.
"So, what exactly did you want to talk about?" Seth asked.
"I had already placed my recon team in every corner of the city, not only to track the Skywatcher's whereabouts but also to find out the exact location of Arcada," Arthur replied.
"That group often change their HQ to trick the Skywatchers. I don't want them based near Redemption's headquarters," Arthur continued.
He took out a box-shaped cloth, placed it on the glass table and showed the contents of the cloth to Seth. Seth couldn't hide his amazement. The man had six cigars that looked well-preserved.
Survivors could actually buy such items at the merchant, but the price was fairly expensive compared to the chicken and fresh vegetable menu. The cost of cigars could reach 35gp per cigar.
"Don't tell anyone. It's just between you and me," Arthur said.
The man smiled lightly with his right hand stretched forward, placing the cigar between his index and middle fingers. Before he smoked it like a normal smoker, one thing that must be done to smoke a cigar is to cut off the tip with a tool, which could be a knife.
Arthur seemed to look more relaxed when talking while smoking. Seth wasn't a hypocrite; he had smoked before, even when he worked as a doctor.
"Try it. Cigarettes are the best way to relax and relieve your mind. You can socialize well afterwards," Arthur replied, seeming friendly and trying to show a good impression on Seth.
Seth took one of the cigars on the glass table, cut off the tip and lit it while smoking it. What Arthur said was true. His head felt light, as if the problems just vanished.
"This will make me forget the world," Seth said.
Arthur laughed out loud at that. Somehow, Seth's words could be the same as Arthur's when he first tried the thing.
The two were silenced momentarily, enjoying blowing out cigarette smoke until the fumes filled the room. Fortunately, the windows were open, so they didn't choke on the cigar smoke.
"I want you to join Redemption," Arthur explained, surprising Seth.
Seth stopped what he was doing, leaning his back on the long sofa that felt comfortable to him. Seth sighed softly while occasionally enjoying the burning cigar in his hand.
"It would be an honour to receive an invitation to join directly from the Redemption leader. However, I cannot do it," Seth said.
He spoke straightforwardly because he thought joining any group would make it difficult for him to survive.
"I'm determined to stay solo for the foreseeable future. My memories of being in a group with someone's party always end badly," Seth continued.
"Life as a solo survivor will be tough, even for professional survivors. You'll have a hard time surviving out there," Arthur added.
"I will try my best to survive with everything I have. Besides, inviting me to join after I killed the third squad captain is absurd," Seth said.
"At least Redemption has a rule not to kill fellow members. If you leave without being a member of Redemption, maybe the third squad members will hunt you down to the ends of the world," Arthur retorted.
Seth laughed softly again; joining Redemption could protect him from death threats. However, that meant he had to abandon his oath commitment before Mia's body.
The man extinguished his cigar, "Thank you for your invitation. I still refuse to join."
"I would be happy to kill all your enemies for a price, not as your subordinate," Seth suggested.
Arthur was pretty disappointed to hear Seth's statement, but every survivor has the right to decide their fate in this world. Seth was one of them who chose to live alone without a group.
"I understand. I respect your decision. However, if you need anything, feel free to let me know. Redemption will try to help you."