Preparing Again

“So, about eighty percent of the people who were in the battle were taken, and the rest are injured?”“That’s right. Only the ones who were lying close to you weren’t taken.”“That’s strange. Why didn’t they take the people who were near me? … Hmm, whatever, we need to think of a plan.”
She looked up. A man (a human) was standing in front of the table across from Elara. He was taller than Elara but shorter than Ben. He looked fit and had a bald head.Looking at him, Elara asked, “So, you were one of the old members of this base? And friends with Ben and Talon?”“Yes. It’s still hard to believe that those two became enemies… but right now, the important thing is saving them—and the others who were taken!”“I’ll do my best to bring them all back…”
Elara rested her chin on her hand and leaned on the table.“For now, we should move the injured people who don’t have a place to rest to somewhere bigger and open, where they can breathe more easily. If we can place them near the hospital, we can build some shade for them so they won’t be uncomfortable and can get some fresh air.”“That’s a good idea. I’ll tell the others right now.”“Wait!”“Is something wrong?”“I remember Ben told me that other bases had people stolen too. Is that true?”“Yes, there are some other bases nearby, but their situation is even worse than ours.”“Worse how?”“In both manpower and supplies.”“I get what you mean by manpower, but what kind of supplies?”“In their last battle, their toilet broke—because it was near the base entrance.”
Elara made a poker face.“I see… but what does the toilet have to do with all of this?”“You can’t live without a toilet, my lady!”
Elara paused, looking hopelessly at Nick as she replied,“Forget the details. Do you have any relationship with those bases? Have you talked to them at all?”“We only had small trade relationships in the past, but nothing recently.”“Thanks for the info. You may go.”Nick left, and Elara started thinking.“He talked about the toilet, and now I need to go to the toilet too. No, now’s not the time. If their connection with the other bases isn’t too bad, maybe I can join forces with them and launch a surprise attack on the enemy’s main base… but that kind of plan needs strategy—and I’ve never been good at that!”
As she was deep in thought, a voice echoed in her head:“My Queen! I think you’ve forgotten about one of your powers!”“Oh, it’s you again. What power are you talking about?”“Have you forgotten? You can summon people from your own world!”
Elara’s eyes widened. She shouted angrily,“You useless creature! You should’ve told me that earlier! If you’d reminded me before I passed out, I could’ve summoned my brothers! Reez could’ve wiped out their entire army in less than a minute!”“I don’t think so, my Queen. In your condition back then, even if you had summoned them, they might’ve gotten lost during the transfer. Your power was too weak.”
Elara paused.“What about now? Can I summon them now?”“Of course you can!”“Seriously?”“Yes!”“Never mind. I’m not in the mood for Doorin right now. I’ll only summon them when I really need to.”“It’s your decision. Just let me know!”“Your politeness is really starting to get on my nerves, Laks.”“I told you, I can’t be rude to you anymore!”
“In any case, I need to visit the other bases and talk to them. But if I go on foot, it’ll take a long time, and they might attack this base while I’m gone. Do you know a faster way?”“Good question!” (he cleared his throat) “My Queen! You can easily teleport to any place you’ve visited after receiving the Eye of Darkness. You just need to imagine the place in your mind.”
Elara stared blankly.“So, I still have to go there on foot once, right?”“Exactly.”
She let out a sigh and dropped her arms on the table.“Being a leader is really hard!”“Just imagine—Ben used to carry this heavy burden before you!”Elara nodded.“You’re right. But do you really think I can lead this base until Ben returns? I’ve always been used to asking my brothers for help.”“In the end, my Queen, you were going to have to leave your safe space eventually. Your brothers won’t always be there for you.”
Elara stayed silent for a few seconds. It was clear she was under a lot of pressure…Then she answered,“Anyway, I need to start thinking about the future. I can’t let more people get taken and turned into undead.”“That’s the spirit of a true queen!”

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After the battle ended, Talon kidnapped Ben along with many soldiers from his army and handed them over to the evil master. But after doing that, he himself was locked up with Ben. Now they’re both in cells near each other. Talon was too weak to talk… but with all his remaining energy, he whispered:“I’m sorry, Ben. I never thought things would end up like this…”
Ben was lying on the ground, resting, when he laughed loudly and said:“It’s not like I’m happy about this mess, but I’m at least glad you realized your mistake.”“Yes, I understand now… completely. But there’s no point in regret now.”
Ben smiled softly, stood up, sat near the cell door, and answered:“Talon?? I’ve never seen you like this! Talon!? The 2.5-meter-tall giant of our base is actually feeling regret?”He stood up fully and continued,“I don’t remember a time when we just sat around feeling sorry after messing up. We always tried to fix it.”
Talon stood up too. He looked more hopeful. He walked to the front of his cell and reached his hand through the bars toward Ben.“You’re right. Let’s fix this… together, please.”
Ben smirked, got up, and reached out through his own bars. Just like their first day of teamwork, they shook hands again!They were both happy—even if they were going to die, they were glad to be friends again.
After a few quiet minutes, Ben asked:“So, what now? Got any ideas for escaping? You’ve been in this shelter longer than me, right?”“That’s right. And since I’ve been here longer, I suggest you stop thinking about escape for now.”
“Well, then we have no choice!”He lay down again and said,“Let’s rest for now until the right time comes. I’m sure we won’t get out of here without a fight.”
Talon nodded and said,“I just hope my daughter and the others are okay…”Then he fell silent, thinking to himself:“Will they even forgive me after what I’ve done? If it were me, I’d find it really hard to forgive something like this…”