CHAPTER 41: SEEING THE ADVENTURERS

Albert had just finished reviewing a logistics report when the knock came—short, urgent, not the usual rhythm of administrative staff. He lifted his eyes from the screen.

Ward stepped in, headset still around his neck, expression tight.

"Sir," he said. "Perimeter Team Gamma just radioed in. They’ve detained three unknowns outside Aldo’s eastern wall. Not raiders. Not monsters. Adventurers."

Albert sat up straighter. "Adventurers," he repeated. "From the kingdom?"

"According to the squad leader, yes. They speak the native tongue. Claim they’re from the capital. They also said they came because of a posted request from Aldo Village."

Albert exhaled. "So word finally reached them."

Ward continued, "Gamma Team subdued them without shots fired. All three are alive and under control. Sergeant Ramirez is holding position and waiting for authorization to bring them inside."

Albert turned his chair fully. "Your read?"

"They’re not hostiles," Ward said. "Just clueless. They saw the walls and the aircraft. Didn’t understand anything. They resisted orders—standard for first contact."

Albert stood. "Gear up. I want you on-site."

Ward nodded. "Chinook is fueled and on standby. We can lift off in two minutes."

Albert reached for his headset. "Bring them in carefully. I’ll monitor from here."

Ward paused. "Sir... I recommend you come in person."

Albert raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Ward’s tone was steady. "Because these three are the first organized locals we’ve encountered. If we’re building relations on this side of the continent, first impressions matter."

Albert considered for only a moment before nodding.

"Prep the second seat. I’m coming with you."

Minutes later, both were aboard the CH-47 Chinook. The rotors thundered overhead, vibrating through the metal frame as the aircraft lifted off from the Atlas Forward Command Center. The cargo bay was empty except for a light security detail and two medics on standby. Ward stood near the ramp, watching the ground fall away.

Albert sat strapped into the fold-down seat, helmet fastened, eyes on the open hatch as the base shrank into the distance. The landscape spread out below—fields, forests, winding roads—all quiet, untouched by industry or modernity.

Ward leaned close to make himself heard over the engines. "Ramirez says they’re cooperative now. But tense."

"They saw a flying metal ’dragon,’" Albert answered. "I’d be tense too."

The Chinook gained altitude, then leveled out, pushing east. After fifteen minutes of steady flight, the watchtowers of Aldo’s outer wall came into view—massive, gray, and unmistakably foreign in the medieval countryside.

Ward tapped his radio. "Gamma Post, this is Falcon-One. Visual on Aldo perimeter. Prepare to receive."

A voice crackled back, faint through the engine noise. "Falcon-One, we read you. Bringing detainees to LZ."

Ward looked to Albert. "Two minutes."

Albert tightened the strap across his chest as the pilots angled the Chinook lower. The wall loomed before them, sunlight glinting off the reinforced towers. Soldiers moved below, guiding the landing zone.

The Chinook descended, rotors chopping the air violently as dust blasted across the clearing. The moment the wheels touched down, Ward released his harness and stepped toward the exit.

"Ready?" he asked.

Albert unbuckled. "Let’s go."

The ramp lowered with a hydraulic hiss. Wind whipped their clothes as they stepped onto the ground. Atlas soldiers snapped to attention, forming a perimeter around three restrained figures seated near the center.

The adventurers.

They looked up as Albert and Ward approached.

The elf archer—Lyris—stood the moment she saw them, her posture rigid. Her hands were still zip-tied, but she held her spine straight, green eyes sharp and unblinking.

The mage—Mira—was calmer, analytical, watching every movement, every detail of Albert’s equipment and Ward’s posture with quiet calculation.

The werebeast warrior—Ragna—sat with her legs crossed, arms tense, tail still, eyes locked on the approaching officers like a cornered predator assessing prey.

Ward stepped forward first.

"Sergeant Ramirez," he called.

The squad leader approached. "Sir. These are the three. We kept it clean. No serious injuries."

Ward nodded. "Good. I’ll take it from here."

Albert stopped a meter in front of the adventurers. He didn’t order weapons drawn. He didn’t let the soldiers rough them up. He simply stood there, calm.

Lyris was the first to speak.

"You’re... the commander?"

"I AM," Albert replied. "But close enough."

Ragna sniffed the air, staring at him. "You smell like the others. Like metal and oil."

Albert cracked the faintest smile. "I’ll take that as an observation."

Mira swallowed, looking up at the Chinook. "You... arrived in that?"

"Yes," Albert answered. "It’s called a helicopter."

The word meant nothing to them.

Lyris took a step forward, only for the nearest soldier to adjust his stance. She stopped, raising her bound hands slightly.

"Are you the ones who built this?" Lyris asked. "This fortress? These machines? This wall where Aldo once stood?"

Albert nodded. "We are."

Ragna scowled. "You took the village."

"No," Albert said. "We saved it."

That made all three fall silent.

Albert continued, "When we arrived, Aldo was already under attack. Goblin horde. We eliminated the threat and evacuated the survivors. Then we rebuilt the site as a base of operations."

Lyris lowered her gaze, eyes tightening. "So... the request was real. And we were late."

Albert shook his head. "No one from the capital came. Not until now."

Ward spoke next. "We’re not your enemy. But we can’t let unknown armed individuals walk through our perimeter. That’s why you were restrained."

Ragna smirked bitterly. "Didn’t feel like restraint. Felt like wrestling a steel wall."

Albert raised an eyebrow. "You fought Ramirez?"

"He tackled me," Ragna muttered.

"He pinned you," Mira corrected.

"He cheated," Ragna snapped.

"No," Ramirez said dryly, "I trained."

Ward suppressed a laugh.

Albert turned serious again. "Atlas has no intention of harming this kingdom. But we have operations to run, and protocols to follow. If you cooperate, we’ll talk. If not, things get difficult."

Lyris lifted her head, voice steady.

"We cooperate."

Mira nodded. Ragna muttered something about "humans built wrong," but she didn’t object.

Albert motioned to Ward. "Cut them loose."

Ward signaled a soldier, who sliced the restraints with a utility knife. Lyris flexed her wrists. Mira rubbed her hands. Ragna cracked her knuckles, gaze drifting back to the helicopter.

Albert gestured toward the gate.

"Welcome to Aldo. What’s left of it. You’ll be escorted inside. After that, we talk peacefully."

Lyris exchanged a look with her companions. All three nodded.

Albert stepped aside and waved them forward.

Ward walked beside them as the massive steel door began to open, gears grinding, lights flickering on overhead.

Inside, the truth of Atlas awaited them.

And none of the three were ready for what they were about to see.

Lyris stepped through first.

Then she stopped dead.

Mira followed, eyes widening.

Ragna’s tail froze mid-swing.

What lay beyond the gate was not a village. Not even a fortress.

It was a world they had no words for.

The first thing they noticed was the ground.

Smooth. Flat. Dark. Perfectly shaped, with painted white lines marking paths. Not dirt. Not cobblestone. Something tighter, denser, unnatural.

Lyris crouched, brushing her fingertips over the surface. "This... isn’t stone."

"It feels like... resin?" Mira guessed.

"No resin is this strong," Lyris said quietly.

Ragna stomped once. The ground barely vibrated. "Feels like hitting metal."

They continued in, following Ward as he led them deeper.

Buildings lined the interior—rectangular structures made from steel, glass, and strange panels. Some were tall, towering over Aldo’s old footprint. Others were wide, shaped like long halls with massive doors large enough for giants.

One had glowing letters above the entrance, shifting from symbol to symbol. Mira stared at the lights, mesmerized. "That... sign. It changes?"

"It’s called a display," Ward explained. "Think... enchanted panel without magic."

None of them had a response for that.

A pair of armored vehicles rolled past on the paved road—hulking blocks of metal on thick wheels, engines rumbling low like a distant beast. The noise alone made Ragna step back, hand going to her empty hip.

"What in the hells are those things?" she demanded.

"Transport vehicles," Albert answered. "We call them MRAPs."

"Em-raps," Ragna echoed slowly. "Looks like you butchered a wagon and rebuilt it wrong."

Albert didn’t argue.

Further ahead, massive metal crates were stacked in rows, each marked with symbols, numbers, and the Atlas insignia. Cranes—towering machines with long metal arms—shifted supplies from one area to another. Workers in yellow vests guided them with hand signals.

The three adventurers stared like children in a city for the first time.

Lyris struggled to connect anything she saw with her knowledge of the world. "This isn’t just a fortress," she murmured. "It’s... an outpost of another kingdom."

"No kingdom built this," Mira whispered. "No kingdom could."

Ragna sniffed the air again. "Oil. Metal. Smoke. And... something sweet?"

"Electronics," Ward said.

None of them knew what that meant.

They continued walking as a group of engineers pushed a wheeled cart past them, talking rapidly in a language none of the adventurers recognized. The cart carried small devices—metal rectangles with glowing screens.

"Are those spellbooks?" Mira asked.

Ward blinked. "What?"

"The glowing... tablets," she said. "They look like light magic circles."

Albert chuckled under his breath. "You’ll understand later."

They reached the main square—where Aldo’s central well had once stood. Now, a towering metal antenna rose skyward, cables webbing across the ground into generator units that hummed steadily.

Lyris stared upward. "What does that do?"

"It lets us talk to our people across great distances," Albert said.

"Magic?" Mira asked.

"No," Albert answered. "Technology."