Gilbert ripped himself free of William's grip. Without hesitation, he strode toward the source of the child's voice.
Behind him, Vivian sighed, shaking her head.
"So what, are you just going to waste our time? Put all of our lives at risk?" She shouted towards his back.
Gilbert didn't answer, he continued walking.
Adam watched him go, his expression unreadable beneath his blindfold. he then turned to Vivian.
"You wouldn't understand," he said, his voice quiet and firm. "We are all orphans. If somebody hadn't picked us up, we wouldn't be here."
Then, without another word, he stepped forward, falling behind him. The rest of the squad followed quickly with firm footsteps. Meanwhile, Kean muttered something too low to be caught under his breath.
Vivian stood there, frozen for a moment, watching them go. Then, with a sharp exhale, she hurried to catch up.
"In for a penny, in for a pound," she muttered. "I guess joining this squad isn't going to be easy."
The squad quickly maneuvered through the wreckage, pressing toward a low-rise building, their movements sharp, urgency threaded into every step.
Gilbert's breath remained steady, though his pulse spiked, his focus narrowed on the small, desperate voice that had cut through the chaos of the battlefield.
Dust hung thick in the air, making visibility difficult, but his helmet's heat sensor scanned ahead, picking up a faint heat signature.
He pushed forward, shifting the rubble aside, revealing a hidden room, its walls partially collapsed,
and then, finally—
The child.
A young girl, barely six, dark-skinned, with ginger hair and vivid green eyes, her arms wrapped tightly around a tattered doll, tears streaking her dirt-covered face.
She looked up at him, eyes wide, filled with fear and confusion.
When she attempted to take a step back, her foot caught on loose stone, sending her toppling to the ground, a sharp scrape forming on her elbow.
Gilbert lowered himself to one knee, but as he tried to approach, she scurried back, her small frame trembling.
Seeing her reaction, he removed his helmet, revealing his dark brown eyes, holding her gaze, keeping his tone firm but calm, the way he remembered his aunt speaking to children when they first arrived at St. Mary's.
"Hey, kid. My name is Gilbert, it's okay, we're here to bring you to safety. You're not alone."
The girl hiccuped, gripping her doll even tighter, her body shaking.
"Where's Mommy?" she whispered.
Gilbert's chest tightened, but he kept his voice steady.
"I don't know. But come with us, and maybe we can find her."
It was a lie, and he knew it.
Her mother was almost certainly dead, or else she wouldn't have left her here alone.
The girl sat silent, staring at him, a deep-seated fear flickering in her eyes.
"I can't. Mommy said not to trust strangers." She shook her head, scurrying back further, stopping at a wall.
The building groaned, its frame shifting precariously. Vivian subtly adjusted her posture, tension in her movements.
"Oh, come on now, Gilbert, you tried, but we need to move," Vivian stated, her tone edged with impatience. "If not, just grab her and let's go. This is a war zone, remember?"
Gilbert's sharp glare cut toward her; her words had frightened the girl.
He turned back to the child, his voice gentler now, but unwavering.
"Truth is, your mother is dead. There's no one else, just you. But I can take you somewhere safe."
He extended his hand, palm open, unwavering.
The girl hesitated, tears falling faster, her small body quivering, seeking comfort in her doll.
Then, with a shaky breath, she placed her tiny hand in his.
Gilbert's grip tightened around hers, securing it.
"Hold on tight, okay? We're getting out of here together."
He lifted her into his arms, and immediately, she buried her face into his armor, her small frame curling inward.
Turning toward his squad, Gilbert's voice was firm, decisive,
"We move now."
The squad moved swiftly, keeping their formation tight as they navigated the ruined streets.
When a flying Tier V Styx dove toward them, its body pulsing with violent energy, Gilbert reacted instantly.
Without breaking stride, his shoulder-mounted assault rifle aimed, firing with deadly precision.
The Styx exploded mid-air, its shattered remains raining down, but Gilbert shifted his stance, shielding the young girl with his body, ensuring not a drop of blood touched her.
Chen Mei, running at a steady pace in the middle of the group, subtly slowed down, matching Gilbert's stride.
She kept her voice gentle, introducing herself.
"Hello, dear child. I'm Chen Mei. What is your name?"
The girl didn't look up from Gilbert's armor, nor did she answer.
She only held tighter, her small hands gripping onto him as if he were the only stable thing left in her world. Just when Chen Nei was about to give up, the girl finally spoke, her voice weak, barely above a whisper.
"Lorelai…" She said, a pause, "Lorelai Stone."
Chen Mei's expression softened, offering a gentle, reassuring smile.
"Nice to meet you, Lorelai. I'm a medic. I'm going to patch up that scrape on your elbow, okay?"
Lorelai stared at her for a moment, but then gave a small, wary nod. Chen Mei worked quickly, cleaning and spraying medical gel over the wound, then wrapping it carefully. Once done, she offered Lorelai a warm, reassuring smile once more before quietly returning to her position in the squad.
They traveled for another hour, moving efficiently through the war-torn streets, keeping their pace steady but urgent with ships still fighting overhead.
When they finally reached the gathering point, they merged into formation, joining the other squads in the ranks, falling into the area assigned to their platoon's defensive line.
The moment they arrived, the battle was already raging.
Endless waves of Styx tore toward their position, forcing them to hold the line, their weapons firing relentlessly, cutting down the incoming enemies before they could overwhelm them.
In the midst of it all, Gilbert attempted to hand Lorelai over to Anastasia, but the girl clung to him tightly, refusing to let go.
Kean smirked, shaking his head.
"Looks like she loves you," he teased.
Before he could enjoy his joke, Adam smacked him on the back of the head, earning a grumbled curse from Kean.
Gilbert ignored their banter, lifting Lorelai slightly, his visor meeting her tearful green eyes.
"Don't worry—I'm not going far," he said, his voice calm, steady. "I'll be right over there. You can stay back here with Ana and watch, okay?"
Lorelai stared at him, her eyes watery, filled with hesitation.
But after a moment, she nodded slowly, allowing Anastasia to gently take her into her arms.
"Come on, Lorelai, stay back here with me, everything will be okay," Anastasia said.
Gilbert gave her one last reassuring glance before turning back to the battlefield.
The styx charged at the defensive lines in droves, as the squads held the line with Edwards' squad being in the middle of the chaos.
Kean was the first to fire, his pistol crackling with energy as rounds tore through the air, dropping two low, their attackers instantly.
William followed closely, his spear skewing any styx that dared to come too close. For those he couldn't kill instantly, his shield held them off, or he blasted them back with his gloves, buying more time for them to be taken down.
Vivian angled away from any friendly units with a jubilant mood as she let her flame throwers devour anything in their path. At times, she would throw grenades into large concentrations of them, causing explosions that ripped them apart or flames and shock waves that damaged their internal organs.
Adam, despite his injured eye, remained ruthlessly efficient, syncing his scope to his blindfold, lining up precise shots that cut down styx before they could reach in melee range.
Gilbert moved in aggressively, his dual swords flashing through the battlefield, his swings brutal as his fury leaked into every movement. His assault rifle aimed at his blind spots using the squad's battlefield information fed to his HUD, obliterate any styx who think that they could sneak up on him.
Chen Mei and Anastasia remained in the back line, working double time to stabilize injuries, even helping squads who had lost their own support, ensuring no fighter dropped unnecessarily. The entire time, Lorelai stayed beside them, clutching her doll, sometimes even helping by holding onto small pieces of equipment or medical supplies.
Gilbert looked across the defense line where he saw Aisling, her tonfas blazing, pulsing with energy as she fired radion blasts at the enemies or at times drove into the melee, striking with vicious speed, breaking through enemy armor before twisting away to dodge any incoming blows.
To the other side, Askel tore through the enemy ranks, his massive gauntlets humming with kinetic energy, each swing causing area-wide destruction.
With raw force and brutality, he crushed everything in his path, the ground splintering beneath his strikes, Styx bodies collapsing under the sheer momentum of his blows.
Sometimes, he even allowed himself to be hit, locking onto a particularly resilient enemy, adjusting his stance, before delivering a single, devastating punch, obliterating them on impact.
There was no finesse, only power.
The battle continued with hellish temperatures, Knights tearing Styx apart, and Styx returning the favor. At times, they would save some knights who were partially torn apart, Gilbert thought if it were him, it would be better to just let him die, as the pain they are enduring to live looks unbearable.
An explosion tore through the battlefield, its sheer force drowning out the chaotic noise of the battlefield.
Gilbert snapped his gaze toward the source, his visor locking onto Major Cade, his helmet's horns pulsing with raw energy, something Gilbert had once thought was purely ornamental, until now.
Beams of concentrated energy erupted from Cade's helm, striking the Senechal, preventing it from boarding its escape ship, locking it into an impossible confrontation.
The creature, realizing it wouldn't be allowed to retreat, shifted its tactics.
Metal orbs flew from its body, expanding mid-air, unfolding into a massive cannon, all while continuously dodging attacks from Major Cade.
But instead of aiming at Cade, it turned its sights on the gathered troops.
Gilbert's pulse spiked.
"Incoming!" He shouted, moving on instinct, he threw himself in front of Lorelai, Chen Mei, and Anastasia, his energy shield pulsing to maximum output, before bracing for the inevitable impact.
The rest of the squad rushed to form a defensive perimeter, their movements well-practiced as they further reinforced the squad's defense.
The Leaders of each platoon went to the front as they formed the first line of defense against the attack.
Then the cannon fired, a blazing stream of destructive energy tore through everything in its path, warping the air itself with its sheer force. Arriving at the battlefield, knights were thrown all around as the Lieutenants tried their best to prevent the attack from devastating their platoons.