Laz kept going while everyone in the fort was fuming, at least the higher ups were. Now that this desertion was witnessed by all of the legions commanders and aides, there was no way to keep things under wraps once the sons and daughters of the Emperor arrived to join the fight and when they found out, he would be lucky to keep his head, much less his job. They couldn’t just silence everyone here even if he wanted to.

"What do we do?" The commander posed the question, to himself as well as those gathered.

"Isn’t it simple enough? Have a small team exit out of one of the secret passages and follow them. Once they get the chance, they execute the traitors. As long as that slave’s head comes back, no one would think that they got away with this," responded the most blood thirsty of the commander’s aides. While they would normally mock this guy for his disgusting and blood thirsty ways, it was only in times like these did his abilities shown through as everyone nodded their heads, thinking this was the best way.

"Do it," the commander said as he walked away from the ramparts, hoping to find some women to vent his frustrations on.

As for the other legions within the fortress, many of them were starting to understand just what kind of situation they were in. Once the children of the Emperor arrived with their forces, wouldn’t that mean that the ones currently here who were only part of the regular military be forced out? Although they were willing to die for their country, they didn’t like the taste it left when they thought about being sacrificed for nothing but space.

More and more were starting to come to the same conclusion... they needed to leave. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

...

Laz and his crew quickly hit the river as the rushing waters flowed past them. Laz couldn’t help but stare at it for a moment and think to himself ’it doesn’t matter what world you’re on I guess... rives, trees, grass, animals... they all exist in one form or another. And no matter how crazy that world may become, nature keeps on doing it’s thing.’

Number two ordered for trees to be cut and lashed together. While the people doing the work had no experience with this, many of them had spent a life surviving however possible so it wasn’t to hard to adapt and the project was quickly complete. Besides, even the weakest of legion were foundation realm warriors so there was no shortage of strength.

As they were about to board the rafts, Laz called over Two, Six and Seventeen along with some of the brighter normal members and posed a question,

"Where do we go from here? We need someplace we can rest and regroup," Laz said, stating his requirements.

None of the numbers had any idea, but Blake spoke up.

"There should be a rather large village just a few miles south of here, along the river. I remember passing by it several times when I was younger and travelling with my parents," he said and Laz looked to the others for confirmation.

"Yeah. Sounds right. And while it’s south of the fortress, I believe the town also has a wall for defense, meaning it wouldn’t be completely at the mercy of a beast attack," replied another of the regular crew.

"Let’s go," Laz said, directing everyone onto the make-shift rafts and pushing off. They had gathered what they could of weapons and provision off of their dead comrades, hoping they would forgive them for it. In this world, it was customary to bury the dead with their belongings as to send them off with something you use on the other side, but Laz told them something that changed their minds about it.

"Where they are going, only glory and honor await. The dead have no need of the things of the living so it’s our duty to do what we can to keep surviving until the day we see them again in the elysian fields where we can give them our thanks."

While they didn’t quite get what he meant as the afterlife was a vague concept only talked about by those crazy cultists calling themselves priests, it did kind of strike a nerve that they felt like those who had fallen would want to see them survive.

As they made their way, Laz. standing at the front of the largest raft, suddenly looked back for a second before a smile came to his face.

"What’s wrong?" Number two asked.

"Nothing really. Just figured they wouldn’t give up and I happened to be right. Everyone. This will be the final time I ask. You can take what you have on you now and go, or if you continue to follow me, you will be tasked with carrying out orders without fail and your lives and futures will be tied to the legion. Those who wish to depart, we shall send you off with a cheer. Make way for the far raft and we will separate here.

As for those standing on the far raft that Laz pointed to, they quickly moved off, expecting they would be replaced by those wishing to leave. All the rafts were lashed together so they drifted along as one and they could also be easily separated.

But no one came forward to stand on that far raft and it was left empty.

"Leader. We had nothing before we were freed and most of us would have died in the prison, cut off from the light of the sun and the fresh feeling of the wind. While we know it wasn’t you, the reason we are standing here right now is because of you. Since we were already dead men to begin with, we might as well do something with our lives for a change," one man called out in answer to Laz’s confusion.

"Besides. We don’t have no place else to go that would take us," yelled out another voice, a woman from the sounds of it.

"Fair enough. From now on, those with the Numbers armor are the new squad leaders. If someone stronger comes along and beats you though, you will yield up the armor to them. Is that understood?" Laz yelled.

"YES SIR!"

"Let’s go."

Blake had them get off the river several miles down, at least that was how it felt to Laz. He couldn’t actually tell the distance they travelled as all the terrain around them looked the same. Still, it seemed like Blake knew the area well and after seeing a few landmarks, he had them pull the rafts ashore. Once everyone was assembled, they had two men, both locals familiar with the area, take the raft out and float it down farther along the river where once it was caught up, they would jump off, swim ashore and met them at the village.

As they walked, Blake gave Laz a quick view of the area, how far away from the capital it was and different things like that, mostly about distances, roads, settlements and even a dangerous swamp area he should avoid if he was ever close to it.

After about two hours, they noticed the road opening up upon a grand wall as two watch towers stood high above the trees. After another twenty minutes of walking, they had gotten close enough to the closed off gate to yell at the watchmen.

"Oye. Traveler’s looking for some lodgings and supplies. Nothing out here with us either. Might we be deemed entrance?" One of the men called out, but received no response.

"OYE UP THERE!" He yelled again. He was figuring, just like everyone else, that the village was locked up tight due to the roaming beasts that were far more active thanks to the tide rushing this way. But after calling out for over ten minutes, they all knew something was wrong.

Laz used his spiritual sense to scan the tower one at a time. In the first tower, he noticed nothing amiss. It was just empty. But the second tower had a figure laying down on the bare wooden floor, unmoving. A bit closer and Laz could tell there was still a slightly cooled puddle of blood that hadn’t been absorbed by the wood just yet.

"Something’s wrong. We’re going in. Those who can get up the wall, lets go. You get the gates open and let everyone else inside then close them and make sure to smash anything that would let someone else gain entrance."

Laz, Blake, two others, both women and the numbers made their way up the wall in record time, but the only scene that greeted them was one of fire and chaos. It hadn’t been long as the houses were still smoldering, but there were no large flames and no death cries.

The entire place had turned into a massive ghost city, devoid of all life.