The 'Extra' Lord (Unlimited Plunder) - Chapter 69

Hassan appeared confused. “You know me?”

With a thought, Dune’s Crest vanished from his face, revealing himself to the others. Hassan’s eyes widened. “Owen, it’s you?”

Owen grinned. “Who else would it be?”

“I would never have guessed,” Hassan said in surprise, a small smile curling from his lips.

Owen chuckled. “I had an inkling. I knew there was something familiar about you, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.”

“Was it the handsome voice?”

“You wish. It was your aura. The air around you. I have a few friends back in the Lord’s domain that are quite similar. The air of a military man.”

“Who said I was in the military?”

“When we were talking about guns and the army. You seemed well versed in that field. And well, your scary appearance might have played a part as well.”

Hassan smiled and sighed. “You don’t know how good it feels to see a familiar face. This is isn't the most… hospitable place.”

Owen massaged his shoulders. “You can say that again.”

“You know him captain?” Jonah asked.

“I do.” Hassan nodded. “We worked at the same company. It was thanks to Owen that we made it out alive.” 

Owen scratched the back of his head. “I’m sure you’d have managed without me.”

“I still have nightmares about those days, you know,” Hassan said, dazing out for a moment. “We’ve lost people here, too. But there? It felt different, you know? It felt… real.”

“I know what you mean,” said Owen, frowning. “That was our home. Death in this desert feels… a little less, I guess?”

Owen only realised what he had said when he noticed the grief stricken look flash through Hassan’s eyes. That was right. Owen had left behind parents that barely loved him. Hassan had a wife. A child. How difficult must it have been for him?

Hassan trembled, squeezing his hands into tightened fists. His bones creaked, only to release his grip the next moment. “I… I knew that the likelihood of them surviving was miniscule, even before we reached that subway. Those monsters—they couldn’t survive that.”

“You don’t know that,” Owen said heavily. “There’s no way of knowing. They could be hiding—”

Hassan interrupted him, voice sharp. “And how long can they hide for without starving to death?”

“Maybe the military—”

“The military?” Hassan spat. “You think they’re some guiding light for the rest of humanity? The army’s most likely been pulled into other, more strategic regions to recoup their strength.”

Owen sighed, stood up, and placed his hand on Hassan’s shoulder. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring any of this up.”

Hassan inhaled, then shook his head. “You didn’t bring it up. It’s always on my mind regardless. Should your Lord be here soon?”

“He won’t come personally,” Owen said. “But he’ll bring orders. I’ll warn you though, the likelihood of you being allowed access is slim to none. 

“C’mon, Owen, you know me…”

“I don’t, actually,” Owen said, wandering over to stand beside Pyris. “Sorry, but even before the shit hit the fan, I didn’t even know you existed.”

Jonah glared at him. “How can you be so heartless?”

“My heart has nothing to do with it,” Owen replied, arms crossed. “Just like you’ve run across the desert to find help for the people you care about, I fully intend to do the same.”

Hassan looked up at him, hand rested on his spear. “You’ve really changed, you know that? Just a few weeks ago, you didn’t know how to speak your mind. Others led you astray. You struggled with your decisions.”

Owen glanced out of the cave, to the endless sands that consumed everything, and said, “Here, we’re forced to change, or die stagnating. I’ve learned a lot during this time. Learned how to fight. Taught myself how to come to terms with loss. But most importantly, I now understand how to survive. How to serve my Lord so we can protect our friends.”

“Your words are dark, Owen.” Hassan leaned back against the wall of the cave. The orange and red fire glimmered, the smell of meat wafted through the cave. “When I was in the army, I was stationed in Iraq when fire fights were common. I lost people, too. Not just to the fighting, either. I lost them mentally. When we returned, they weren’t normal.”

“Who is?”

“Not normal, as in, they were a husk of their former self, Owen. They lost themselves. One of my friends killed their wife. One of them shot themself in the head to finally get rid of the fight.”

Owen stilled.

“You see, when we return from war, people think the fighting has stopped. But it never does. We go from one battlefield to another. And this time it’s an unseen enemy. Yourself. Owen—” Hassan said, looking at Owen. Owen listened and so did the others around the fire. “—It’s easy to abandon your humanity to survive. Many have done it. But to keep it, to selflessly help those in need, regardless of what horrors you’ve seen? That is absolute strength.”

Owen locked eyes with Hassan for a few moments. Owen wanted to say that it was easy to think that, if he wasn’t a Lord. If he didn’t have others to worry about rather than himself. If he was to act selflessly, rushing to rescue others that needed help, that was all well and good if he was alone. But he wasn’t. He had people that relied on him. 

Worse yet, was that Owen questioned Hassan’s motives. Was all of this a ploy to get him to reveal himself? Did Hassan have notions that Owen was the true Lord? That was impossible.

Owen smiled. “Was all of that to change my mind? The Lord has the final say. I’m not even the strongest general there.”

Hassan shook his head. “Believe what you want. Just words of advice.”

It turned quiet for a while after that. Everyone ate their meal in peace. But inside Owen’s mind, it was anything but tranquil. His thoughts were spinning.

The more he thought about it, the more it was making sense to him that wherever Hassan’s camp was, could very well be an Outpost. If it was, and Hassan’s Lord had taken it over, then there may, just may, be a Gateway within. 

Some gates had various ways of opening them up. Some needed to have their guardian defeated, whether it was on the surface, or in a dungeon below—a crypt. Whereas some had to be unlocked via a puzzle. 

He had asked Hassan whether this was the case, but of course he received no answer. The gist of it was, if Owen wanted to find out, he’d have to go there himself. But that was dangerous. Although he knew Hassan, his words before were true. Before all of this had happened, he had only seen him in passing before. He hadn’t even given him a single word of greeting.

How could he trust him? Was Paul being dragged into a battle, an ambush? It was impossible to know. But the fact was, he had to find a Gateway. If he wanted to grow stronger, evolve his Class, it was a must.

“There’s people approaching!”

Owen smiled and approached the mouth of the cave. Rehan, Lome, and the others had returned. Gorath was with them now, as well. Still a distance away, Rehan’s words reached his mind thanks to his scouting Skill he had obtained from evolving his Class.

“What do we do, my Lord?”

Owen thought for a moment. He needed to find a Gateway, that was important. But he could be heading into enemy territory for all he knew. However, Owen couldn’t find a reason for why their Lord would want to create an enemy. 

He was just being paranoid. Maybe. The fact was, they’d be able to earn Fragments and Spectres, improving his forces, all the while he would gain a steady stream of constant experience from the serpents.

“We go with them. There’s something I need to see with my own eyes. Have Mirian return with the plan and have her catch up with us.”

Owen trusted Mirian in that regard. The scene of her darting amongst the orcen camp, coming out on the other side alive was still branded in his mind. If there was anyone he trusted to go alone in this desert, it was her.

Rehan said something to Mirian, and she darted the way she came. 

In a moment, they returned. Hassan’s men tensed as they glanced at Lome. Green yellow flame spat from his eyes as the undead warrior inspected Hassan’s men.

“The Lord has given word,” said Rehan. “We shall help, for a price.”