-Dans perspective-

  I quickly followed behind Joe and Algea as they trekked through the woods. Joe was on his phone, tapping and occasionally looking around. I tried to just stay quiet and followed behind them. The two of them, they couldn't be over twenty could they? As I focused more, I noticed the red bandanas on their bodies. That stuff the Knight said, they are a part of a gang. I bit my lip and just ignored it.

  Jason is the only thing that matters. If I can use these guys, I can get Jason. Then I can figure out where I'm going from there.

  “Algea,” Joe spoke up. “Call the others and tell them to meet us at the warehouse.”

  “Of course lord Joe,” Aglea said.

  Joe then finally glanced back at me and smiled.

  “We're gonna have a meeting and introduce you to everyone.” He said. “Then will get you settled into a temporary home.”

  I nodded. “Right, I appreciate this young man. I need to know, will I be able to see my son anytime soon?”

  “I promise, we can get your son.” He assured. “Just a matter of planning it out. You worked with numbers, right? Well, we gotta crunch those and set up a plan.”

  “Right, of course,” I said.

  Yeah, I did kill my boss in a building full of people. Just like the goddess told me, my life is forever changed. These guys are my only option as of now. But even then, does this brat even have connections like that?

  Guess it doesn't matter. Not like there's another option. My wife's face came to mind, and a tingle brushed over my arm. The sound of her body crashing into the steps reverberated in my mind.

  I grabbed my arm and squeezed it. My stomach turned into knots and the urge to vomit came up. I didn't mean it, did I? She said such horrible things, she lied to me, she took advantage of me. Did she ever love me? Is Jason really not mine? My world? Yeah, it's understandable I'd lash out…

  My son's smile came to mind, and the words of the Knight filled my head.

  ‘What example do you wanna set?’

  My hand tingled more and I squeezed it harder. I did that in front of my son, my baby boy. What kind of man does that at all? What kind of father am I?

  Maybe the Knight had a point. What example am I setting? I looked up at Joe and Algea. The reality set in of what I was doing with them.

  It doesn't matter now, all that matters now is survival. Jason is my son. No matter who he came from. I'll have to worry about morals later.

  ….

  Soon we left the forest, but the roads before looked different. The streets were cracked and trash was littered all over the place. The buildings before us looked decayed, and sunken in. Like a disease had ravaged the structures. There weren't even signs of life in this place besides us.

  The two before me kept walking, not saying a word. They walked through the corpse of a city with ease. Knowing every turn and every direction to take. I stayed quiet and just followed.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Man, I've had it easy. I can't fathom coming from a place like this…

  We walked to the other end of the town and made our way to a building. The place was a huge warehouse, the gigantic metal doors were broken and barely hanging onto its hinges, looking like a solum crypt. However, I could hear voices echoing out from the bowels of the building.

  Joe and Algea headed inside confidently and I slowly followed behind. As we grew deeper and deeper into this crypt, I started to see them. One by one, I caught glimpses of the people around, scattered about like spiders. They were in the rafters, on the walls, even dangling from the ceiling.

  “W-woah….” I mumbled.

  As we walked deeper into the building, people started to whisper. The whispers soon turned to stomps and the stomps to claps. And soon the quiet horrors turned into a loud symphony of cheers and banging. Joe and Algea soon stopped in the center of the area, and the room went ballistic. The two looked around at the crowd and Joe had a huge smile on his face.

  “Well, don't be shy, not Riot Blue Ranger,” Joe said. “After all, this is all for you.”

  I blinked a few times. “H-huh? For me?”

  I looked around and the room was all staring at us, smiles adorning their faces, cheers bouncing off the walls. Were they excited? For me?

  “Alright! That's enough!” He called out. “So as you can see, we didn't come back empty-handed!”

  The crowd erupted into cheers again.

  “Woah…am I that popular?” I mumbled.

  “I know we've been growing steadily since the goddess bestowed gifts upon Algea and I. But They've given us another opportunity! Blessing us with the strongest! The blue ranger!” Joe cheered.

  The crowd went wild again and he looked over to me and pushed me in front of the crowd. I stiffened up and I got to see them, truly see them. The crowd was so vast, people of all sizes, people of all ages, there were even people holding babies.

  What is this group…?

  Joe raised his hand, and slowly the group quieted down.

  “Now, we're going to discuss our plans moving forward,” Joe said. “For one, we need a place to keep the ranger and his son. Preferably on the east side. So after the rest of the discussion, I'd like to see volunteers.”

  “He can stay with me!” Someone yelled.

  “Nah let me do it!” Another screamed back.

  “Me! I got space!”

  Soon the crowd was full of offers.

  Joe chuckled and shook his head. “They never listen, do they?”

  “Lord Joe has not finished!” Algea demanded.

  The whole room slowly but surely fell silent.

  “Thank you,” Joe said. “Now, as I was saying. We have a problem, two problems to be exact. Two more people other than us three have gained powers from the goddesses. The two are unidentified, and have already declined my offer of partnership.”

  “That philistine…” Algea growled.

  “According to the information on the app, it says their titles are Knight and Wizard. They both wear masks and hoods, Algea will send out a picture soon so we're all on the same page. But, the mission is to find their real identities, and eliminate them.”

  “They're formidable opponents,” Algea spoke up. “The Knight was able to dodge gunfire, and the other could produce flames from his body at lightning speeds.”

  “We're going to move more carefully from now on,” Joe said. “The ranger here even struggled with the Knight. The wizard seems more like support. So if possible, divide and conquer, and never engage alone.”

  I see, I'm a war chip now…

  “What!? I thought the ranger was the strongest!” Someone yelled.

  “Yeah!” Another screamed.

  The crowd moved into an uproar. Algea screamed and tried to get their attention, but not a soul was listening. I glanced at Joe, and he looked completely calm. I'd say he looked excited by this.

  Slowly Joe raised his hand and the crowd started to quiet down until it completely stopped. Joe stepped forward and held out his hand to them.

  “Don't misunderstand, he is indeed the strongest,” Joe assured. “I saw him with my own two eyes. Alas though, the circumstances weren't in our favor. After all, we fought right in front of his dear son and I assume, ex-wife.”

  “That Knight was heartless.” Algea continued. “We did what we could, but the Wizard abducted his son. Lord Joe and the Ranger were emotionally suffering!”

  The crowd all started to get uppity again. People were screaming, throwing apologies at me, spouting hate for the duo. However, I didn’t feel good at all. Yeah, he's not lying. Everything he said was true, and yet…

  ‘What kind of example are you setting?’ The knight's words echoed in my mind.

  I'm almost happy they took him away from all that.

  “So!” Joe called out. “We're gonna show those two who the Red Steel gang are!”

  Then the crowd erupted into cheers. My eyes ran over them but soon stopped on Joe. He looked over the crowd with a huge smile on his face. It wasn't one of someone determined or even one of anger. He looked genuinely excited.

  I wonder, what have I gotten myself into?