District 42-Chapter 115: The strength of the weak

The group of prisoners didn’t stop following Casper by any means. The Ridires giving chase on them were getting each time closer and wiping out their comrades right behind them.

The ones who were on the rear of the formation could just pray to Odin and obey the orders to not retaliate and keep running away.

It was doing more damage than good, but at that point, those inexperienced people couldn’t help but act as Casper demanded.

As time passed, the number of prisoners was decreasing. Their morale was going to the deepest bottom, some barely could find the motivation to keep going.

Their lives were at stake, but it did not matter at all, since run away would lead them to death just as much as stay still would be a suicide.

There was no hope going back or forward. The only things that kept them at their pace was the sight of the outside world again, which had been stuck at their minds for months, or years; and the White warrior, who was in front, running with a burden in his back, but still faster than the others, even though he did not have Berserker in his veins right now, even though he was just a common human.

If they stopped to move on, they felt that they would be throwing away their dreams, and stepping onto everything that that normal guy did until now. Inside their hearts, it was like admitting that Frelsis, Jarls, or even commoners, that passed for all sorts of suffering and had their own difficult lives before that, had less determination as a person who knew what was freedom his entire life.

It was a blow to their honor, and to the ego, too.

That’s why the sight of their comrades dying and the cruel future ahead was ceasing to scare them after each step they made.

Casper was still with his eyes burning in determination and hope in front of the prisoners. He could hear clearly what was happening behind him and knew that the next bullet could come and target him, instead of someone else. Maybe it already happened, but his body kept moving, numbing the pain.

The fear and anxiety he had, just like the other prisoners, vanished completely.

It was a situation where he was putting everything down. In either way, he would lose all he had. At times like this, humans tend to forget the limits that their brains impose on them, which come as fear, hesitation, doubt, and anxiety.

The soldier made one last turn to the right. There were some prisoners in the same corridor as him, others in neighboring corridors, all spread, but going to the same objective.

On the opposite side of the point he was, the Ridires were marching in their direction. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

It was a large corridor. No rooms, no doors, no other places connected in there, no turns, be it left or right. Just a straight and empty line.

For a moment, the time seemed to stop. Maybe just for Casper, maybe for everyone.

That was the time for them to have their last thoughts. To think about something important, decide what to do.

They could try to keep running away, or fight, or stay, everything.

For some of them, a period of redemption, remembering their sins. For others, regret, thinking of everything they couldn’t do. There were the ones who thought about their families and friends and were left feeling homesick.

And Casper... He couldn’t think of anything like that. He didn’t know why, but his mind ignored his memories, his feelings, and concentrated on the other’s thoughts.

Every emotion of those people who would die by his side got stuck in his head, adding weight to his shoulders.

He was just a soldier, a spy, a normal human. When he had not the cards to turn, when he couldn’t find a way to cheat, but was left without the option to give up as well, there was nothing he could do.

Casper was no hero. He had no superpowers. He wasn’t like those people in that world.

Everyone there thought that they needed him. But in the end, nothing could have been done without them.

Because of it, the soldier regretted every step he did in that corridor because he knew that everyone would follow him, be it to run away, or surrender, or fight. He wasn’t stronger than them, but they would trust him.

"Stop!" He was hoping that, if he said it, everything would stop again. But it didn’t, the time would not obey him.

The prisoners ceased their rush, preparing their weapons. They brushed off the fear and waited.

Casper held his breath, raised his arm, basically at the same time as the Ridire commanding the troop in front of them.

In unison, they ordered:

"Fire!"

And then, Casper needed just to let Ragnar on the ground, draw his own gun while shutting his eyes tightly, and fighting along with his comrades.

The noise of shots raised in the air, from behind, and in front. The Ridires giving chase finally had arrived on their back.

"Attack!" A thunderous shout came from the end of the corridor. Casper was sure that it was someone from the Ridire troops, but it wasn’t.

He forced himself to open his eyes again and saw the lines of enemies in front of being butchered by a surprising attack coming from the corridor behind them.

Just as Casper was going to think about what was going on, more noises came from behind his group. He turned, Just to see that the Ridires giving chase on them had been caught in an abrupt attack as well.

"W-we made it... We made it in time... No, they made it in time! We are saved!" He muttered, not believing in what his eyes were showing to him.

He saw that his group had a lot of unities that had already died in the first seconds of battle, but most of them were ok. They could do that.

"Why you guys stopped to fight? Let’s help our comrades!" Casper cried, beginning to shot against the Ridires who were still with their formation all messed up.

The prisoners didn’t take long to follow him, and soon the enemies were being shot from all directions and couldn’t react properly.

"Pick up the guns of the Ridires we take down, we can’t keep up with these improvised ones we are!"

As they knocked down those warriors, their strength was being increased. Their weapons got substituted. Their resources were of better quality. They just need to maintain their pace, winning each little battle, to grow stronger.

"That’s the strength of the weak. Our union, our ability to continue evolving, to face whatever that comes in the future, no matter how strong it is, or if it’s impossible to win. We sacrifice everything because we can’t afford to keep kneeling before the strongest every time! Most of the powerful people just look down on all they surpassed, but we can just look to the top and keep climbing until we surpass them! That’s our biggest privilege!"

As they kept pressing, the Ridires got wiped out. The south group also arrived, and their numbers got even bigger.

Casper, Olaf, and Alfar have reunited again, and together they administrated their troops until each Ridire positioned there was defeated.

In less than fifteen minutes, all the corridors were clean. The Ridires’ corpses were spread through the floor, with their weapons and tools stolen.

All the prisoners got together again. Their morale was raised to the peak. There was a thin hint of sadness for their comrades who died in battle, but they kept it hidden. In truth, most of them didn’t care about the others, since the grudge between the factions and other personal reasons was still there.

The major worry was if they would be able to be alive to see the outside world, and now that they were out of danger, everything was ok.

Casper decided along with the others to gather in a huge corridor with stairs on both extremes to rest for a while.

Everyone seemed to like the idea, so they settled down for a bit.

Who had suggested that little break was Alfar, and the soldier was curious as to why he had been so insistent about that matter, particularly because he wanted everyone to be gathered in the same place.

Just when everyone was chatting, sitting around the place, the Dark elf walked towards Casper, who was thinking alone in an isolated corner.

Along with him were Anton and Olaf. They had a little conversation before they went to face the White warrior.

"Casper, we need to talk with you," Alfar spoke. His voice was in a normal tone, but the prisoners seemed to hear him very well, so they all got quiet, listening to what he would say to him.

The soldier sighed, knowing more or less what would be the outcome, and stood up.

"Olaf, Anton, and I are here now to make you abdicate the idea of keeping up with your imprudent plan. We will take control now."