Music reeled from the pub as Cambria Frost ran inside, flashing the Shade Queen's necklace. Kaden, Eliya, and Ryder watched her for a moment, then followed suit. The eyes of the men inside the pub fixated on them, curious and wary, wondering who they were.
"Alright, dull heads," Cambria began, standing tall and loud, addressing the crowd. "These are the saviors. Ain't any of you coming close. They'll chew you to pieces."
The people murmured, slowly backing off and giving space, showing respect in response to Cambria's commanding tone.
Kaden, Ryder, and Eliya ignored the crowd and made their way to sit at the bar.
"She's vivacious and strong-willed," Kaden said in a low tone, leaning in to speak with Eliya and Ryder. "I want us to add her to our crew."
At the far end of the pub, Cambria was laughing and chatting with a group of old men, carefree and animated.
"Do you think she'll agree?" Eliya asked, glancing toward Cambria. "Our journey is dangerous. We willfully agreed to this, but enlisting her is something different."
"What makes you say so?" Kaden asked, keeping his voice steady.
"She's fearless, you can tell from how she approached that Shade thing. She might agree to follow us but she's not aware of the true danger in heading to the Dead Expanse," Eliya replied cautiously.
"Just talk to her, it's no big deal," Ryder said casually.
"Yeah, easy for you to say," Kaden muttered. "But how do you explain that we're on a deadly mission to find the BLACK ARCHIVE?"
Suddenly, the noisy pub fell into silence. You could hear a pin drop. Eyes turned sharply toward them.
One of the men, standing near a table, stabbed a knife into the wood and growled, "Did somebody just say Black Archive? Like the Black Archive?"
Kaden, Eliya, and Ryder exchanged confused glances. Their voices hadn't been loud, and the pub had been buzzing just moments ago. It didn't make sense.
"Yeah, I thought the Black Archive was a myth," another man said, standing up.
"I heard them say mission and Black Archive," the first man insisted, gripping the hilt of his knife.
Suddenly, the crowd in the pub started closing in like zombies drawn to a hive. The tension grew thick.
Cambria stepped in swiftly, lifting her voice. "Hold on, people! I think they meant Black Archive as in a hard drive for archiving information," she said, pulling out an actual hard drive and holding it up.
The crowd blinked in confusion. Then, slowly, their suspicion faded. One by one, they returned to their seats, resuming their drinks and chatter as if nothing had happened.
Cambria approached the trio sharply, her tone hushed but firm. "How could you say such a thing? You and I both know what we're really looking for," she said, shooting them a meaningful glance.
"Why be so upfront about it?" Kaden asked, frowning.
"Well, it's the way out of the virus, isn't it?" Cambria said, arms crossed. "Everyone's gone rogue searching for it."
"We need your help to keep sojourning," Ryder added sincerely.
"What do you need my help for, arrow boy?" Cambria teased, raising an eyebrow at him.
"We're on a mission to find the 'you know what,' but it's in the Dead Expanse," Kaden said plainly.
Cambria burst into laughter, loud and raw, drawing glances again. "Why me? Why do you need me? Wait let me guess. So I can help you fight off Shades?"
They all nodded in affirmation.
"I hope you know the Dead Expanse is massive," Cambria said, her voice now more serious. "The 'you know what' won't just be sitting there, waiting for you. You need to decrypt its location."
"What's that all about?" Kaden asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Till further notice, I'mma tell you everything. But not here. The pub's too dangerous," Cambria said, eyes sweeping the room cautiously.
"So you're in?" Ryder asked, hopeful.
"Yeah, sure, arrow boy," Cambria replied with a smirk.
Ryder smirked right back.