Chapter 498 - 491. Dawnbreak
When Ashur first realized the black sheet inside the box in the command center was destroyed, it was dawn. He had been compiling the weekly reports to be submitted to the Guildmaster, but he never thought that the report he submitted later would be wholly different.
For a full minute, he just stood there, feeling his blood freeze as he convinced himself again and again that he wasn’t hallucinating.
But the black sheet was still gone; the remaining ash pooling inside the box as a reality check.
He remembered how they tore the sheet in jest, talking about the end of the world and whatnot should this black sheet be truly destroyed. But what is this? It was only the beginning of the fourth day since Trinity’s best squad made their way, but a catastrophe already befell them.
With a pounding heart, Ashur allowed himself time to take a deep breath and calm himself. Only after he could raise his hand without trembling did he call his deputy, Iore.
"What is it?" Iore asked with a frown as soon as she entered the command tent, completely alarmed. Ashur didn’t say much in the text, but she had worked with the man enough to know that a summon at the break of dawn spelled an emergency.
Wordlessly, Ashur pushed the box containing the ashes of the black sheet into view. Funnily enough, Iore had the same reaction to him; a total stun, followed by a deep breath.
"W-what..." she took a seat and blinked her eyes repeatedly to shake her dazed mind. "What do you think happened?"
"I don’t know, but we can’t think of that now," Ashur shook his head. "I had been trying to contact their commlink, but nothing comes through."
"So they are out of range," Iore nodded. "Either they had no time to set up a beacon, or they are in a place where the signal couldn’t reach."
Ashur rubbed his face and exhaled slowly, heavily. He closed his eyes for a bit before standing up and walking toward the command board. "As planned, we will enact Protocol Iron Turtle," he said with a sharp gaze; the dread in his face had vanished like a lie. "I leave the guides and support magicians to you."