Éloïse woke up with a headache. She was too exhausted to open her eyes. She felt herself lying on the ground, cold, overwhelmed by a crushing fatigue that lulled her into staying down just a little longer. On the ground… in the battlefield.
Éloïse abruptly opened her eyes at the thought of being exposed. The first thing she saw was a body lying just in front of her. She let out a soft cry that drew the attention of the few who were awake, and she rose to her feet with difficulty.
"Welcome back," said a weary voice.
She turned and saw a group of Cleppé soldiers, along with one soldier from Nirl and one from Balbigny. All the others lay on the ground.
"They are…?"
"Forget it," said the Cleppé soldier. "We tried everything to wake them, but it's useless."
Éloïse scanned the room with her eyes. They were in the chamber of the ancient zone. The countdown had stopped.
She leaned toward a few villagers from Nirl, tried shaking them, but none woke up.
"I told you they wouldn't listen. You owe me two energy spheres."
The soldier cursed and handed them over.
"What happened?" Éloïse asked, frightened at the sight of the motionless bodies.
"I don't know… we had visions, but then we woke up. Maybe they're trapped in their dreams now."
They waited, and while Éloïse inspected the unconscious people, she suddenly exclaimed:
"Émilie? Do you see her?"
"Who's that?"
"The one who healed everyone."
"Oh…"
They searched together, but no one could find her. They counted the bodies: thirteen were awake, sixty-five unconscious.
"No one else is missing," said a Cleppé soldier, scratching his head.
"Maybe she woke up first and left?""Possible… but through where?"
The main gate was shut. They waited a full day, but few more awoke. No one dared to open the door without Jean. Alain and François were still unconscious, and leadership fell to the next highest rank—Benjamin.
"We can't go on like this," he declared, drawing everyone's eyes. "We'll never survive on the food we have. No one sleeps this long under normal conditions."
"A few did wake up," replied a Cleppé soldier.
"A few, yes. But how many? We're twenty-one!" He shouted, "Twenty-one!"
"So what do you suggest?""We open those doors and see what's on the other side."
"I warn you," the Cleppé soldier growled, "I take orders only from Cleppé. And if you die, no one here will hold it against us. Try to approach those doors, and you'll regret it."
It must be said, supported by other Cleppé soldiers who soon positioned themselves in front of the doors, his words carried weight. So they waited. Time passed slowly, and water reserves dwindled. Everyone seemed to be in the same state Alain had been in.
'System', Éloïse thought.
[Your war option menu has been updated. a quest related to your role has been added]
[Cleppe's bloc (squadron) - 101 men (81 in your group)
Captain: Jean (unavailable). 107 troops, 58 of whom are directly under his command.
1st Lieutenant: Alain (unavailable). 24 troops, all under his command.
2nd Lieutenant: Benjamin. 16 troops, all under his command.
Mission: Make sure that you survive. Reward: Heal.
Note: Each enemy killed will bring 10 energy units, each enemy captured will bring 50].
[C Rank Quest: A great leader - part one.
Get out of there with as many soldiers as possible, and their recognition.
10% = Title 'Survivor of Hell'
35% = 1000 energy units
50% = 10 000 energy units.
75% = (unknown)
90% = Grants you an upgraded copy of one of the 7 legendary artifacts.
100% (current survivors having met you) = Genius Tactician: direct ascension for your village.]
After inspecting, Éloïse noticed the number of people in the group hadn't changed despite Émilie's disappearance. She searched the room again but found nothing. She focused on recovering, and as she meditated, the terrain around them shifted—into a devastated forest. They had left the ancient zone.