In Eva's makeshift home in the ruined village, Felicia met with the others to discuss their plans. The house, despite its origins, was relatively tidy thanks to Eva's patchwork efforts. Holes in the walls had been reworked into makeshift windows, and the stained floors were covered with rugs salvaged from nearby abandoned homes. Shelves lined the walls, filled with books—some of them smuggled in with Bacon's help.
Eva's skill in housekeeping had transformed the ransacked shack into something that resembled a real home—more polished than even the mercenaries' own quarters.
A brief silence lingered before Felicia finally spoke.
"So, as per the deal—Deborah isn't joining this suicide squad."
Deborah's eyes widened in shock.
"Wh-What do you mean?" she asked.
"I'm taking your place," Felicia said firmly. "With me on the team, there won't be any more unnecessary bloodshed—especially since you were manipulated into joining."
Cleo flinched slightly at his words, the guilt—or perhaps the truth—hitting its mark.
Deborah was silent for a moment before speaking.
"Thank you… You're a kind soul. But I'm not joining because of that."
She paused, a faint smile forming.
"Well… maybe there's a bit of guilt involved too. But mostly… I just want to leave."
Tears began to fall from her eyes.
"Unlike you guys, I already used my Tonic — so I won't be turning anytime soon. Hopefully, that gives the capital enough time to figure out this whole Tonic nonsense."
Her voice grew louder, more determined.
"And if one week isn't enough, I'll push myself even farther! One month! One year!"
Deborah clenched her fists, trembling as she continued:
"There's no specific time when a full transformation happens, but one thing's for sure — and almost everyone agrees on it — the speed of the transformation is directly tied to your emotional strength."
The group fell silent.
Felicia, though clearly conflicted, ultimately chose to let her go.
"How about the others?" Cleo asked.
"I-If we bring the Tonics to the capital... that means we'll get famous, right?" Shu said, his voice shaky as he puffed out his chest.
"We'll be remembered as heroes! So yeah—I'm in. I was ready to die the moment I got afflicted… at least I get to go out with a bang," Shu said with determination, though it was clear it was just a facade.
"When I first arrived here, I watched my closest friends die," Eva said softly. "And every time we go out to fight the Decadents, I'm afraid. Afraid that maybe this time... it might be my turn."
She placed a hand over her heart.
"Joining you guys wasn't my first option—because let's be honest, it's guaranteed death.
But staying here doesn't guarantee my survival either."
Tears welled in her eyes as she continued.
"So I decided. Once we reach the capital, I'll ask them for a huge sum—enough to secure a better life for my children I left back at our capital. That way... even if I don't make it, at least they'll be better off."
There as a bit of silence until Cleo stood up.
"Alright then, it seems we're all in agreement."
He took a deep breath, his tone shifting into that of a confident leader—almost like a politician addressing a crowd.
"Here's the plan and your roles. Our goal is simple: deliver the Tonics to the nearest capital. But the obstacles in our way are threefold—
One: the Miasma.
Two: the mercenaries.
And three…" he paused "Liba"
But don't worry—I've accounted for all of it."
"We'll use Felicia as bait."
Felicia raised an eyebrow. "Not very subtle, are you?"
Cleo smirked but continued.
"Even as pre-Decadents, exposure to the Miasma will accelerate the transformation. Time is of the essence.
And unfortunately, we don't know where our gear is stored—or if we even have the time to retrieve it. So instead, we'll have to steal a jeep and minimize our exposure by driving fast"
"But… how do we deal with the mercenaries? Are we going to have to…" Eva asked, not wanting to finish her sentence.
"No. We'll keep casualties to a minimum," Cleo replied. "And to do that, we'll need Felicia. He's going to distract Liba."
Cleo turned to Felicia. "Make sure to be as loud as possible when confronting him. It'll draw the mercenaries away from the vehicles. We only need one. The keys and fuel are in the shed. I'll be the one driving, the girls will search for the keys, and Shu will keep watch. Got it?"
The group fell silent for a moment before Cleo continued.
"Alright, we meet at around one o'clock later tonight. Felicia, let's meet at eleven."
With that, Cleo left them.
Time passed, and the day seemed to move faster as the thought of what they'd do tonight weighed heavily on their minds. The group was eerily quiet, but the other laborers assumed they were merely grieving Rizza's death as they tried to go about their daily tasks. The sun slowly set, and the bright blue sky turned black. Thick clouds rolled in, covering the stars. Their hearts began to pound—they would soon enact their plan.
Cleo started packing his bag and polishing the details. Shu waited in his room, journaling his thoughts, while Deborah and Eva helped Vina and the others clean the tavern—each trying in their own way to ease the growing anxiety.
A few hours later, when the clock struck nine, the rain started pouring. Cleo went to Felicia's room to discuss the plan. Felicia sat quietly, emanating an unwelcoming aura as Cleo entered. Cleo, however, didn't care—he remained nonchalant.
"Hehehe, you could at least pretend that you don't hate me," Cleo said jokingly.
"Well? Get on with what you're going to say," Felicia replied firmly.
"Hmm? I just came by to give you this," Cleo said, handing him a tonic.
"A tonic? Why are you giving this to me?" Felicia asked.
"I still have Shu and Eva's tonics with me. I'm giving this one to you as a form of insurance. I want you to give it to Doctor Mar. Don't worry—you can trust her. Without her, we wouldn't even have a route to the capital," Cleo explained.
Felicia, wearing a confused expression, asked, "How did you even manage to get her into this?"
"Well, you know, I have a certain charm when it comes to women," Cleo said jokingly.
Felicia was not entertained.
"Ahem. She was actually the one who approached me. A month ago, while I was injured, she asked if I wanted out—and of course, I said yes. Then she shared a lot of information with me. I was skeptical at first, but… she has the same eyes as us. Tired," Cleo said, as Felicia looked at him seriously—his arms crossed, back straight, face stern.
"So, what did she say?"
"She said that she only has bits and pieces of info—since, you could say, they're a different entity from Liba's group," Cleo said.
"Different? What do you mean?" Felicia asked.
"The mercenaries—around a hundred of them—were employed by Liba and his gang for a huge sum of money. Big enough that the previous leader stepped down and handed everything over to Liba. Now, I say 'Liba's gang' lightly here, because even after all this time, they haven't seen any of Liba's accomplices. Only him. But what they do know is that the group is massive. Big enough to pay insane ransoms and smart enough to create the tonics," Cleo said.
"I see… so you're telling me that Liba's gang hired this mercenary group to kidnap us and turn us into Huntsmen," Felicia summarized.
"Pretty much. And I know none of this is making sense—especially this part." Cleo rubbed his thumb against his index finger. "The money. Odd jobs like cleaning up ruins from Decadents wouldn't be enough to pay for all the people here. Something off, They're planning something bigger"
"Doc Mar also said to be careful with Liba's armament. She said it could cut you from miles away." Cleo Added
"What does that mean?" Felicia asked.
"I'm not sure myself. I can't imagine it… but maybe it has something to do with the properties of his weapon," Cleo replied.
There was a brief silence before Cleo spoke again.
"Also… Deborah. I tried convincing her to stay."
"Why? She already made her decision," Felicia responded.
"It was denial fueling her decision," Cleo said after a brief pause, then sighed. "Well, it's not like understanding her motives would've convinced her to stay. It's like telling you to give up your plan to kill Liba."
He stood up and headed for the door.
"One last thing," Felicia called out. "I get why the others are doing this… but what about you?"
Cleo, not looking back, simply said, "Altruism." Then he left.
He made his way to a secluded part of the ruins. The vegetation was thick, and tall stone walls surrounded the area. No ordinary person could scale them—making it the perfect meeting spot. There, Cleo found the others waiting, all wearing thick jackets dyed in shades that melted into the dark blue night sky.
"No one told me there was a dress code," Cleo said.
"We thought maybe we should wear something less eye-catching," Shu replied.
Cleo then walked to the edge of the cliff, surveying the area.
"From here, we've got a full view of the warehouse, the mercenaries, and the vehicles. There are roughly fourteen soldiers down there. It's going to be tough if we fight them head-on. We could take them, sure—but I don't think we have time for that," Shu continued.
"Then we'll wait for Felicia's signal," Cleo said.
"And what's the signal exactly?" Eva asked.
"You'll find out soon enough. For now, we wait," Cleo replied.
—
Meanwhile, as Felicia made his way to Doctor Mar. his path was blocked by a man with white strands of hair and a burn scar over his upper left eye. It was Arma—and he clearly wasn't planning on letting Felicia pass.