Lafrenia

“The Ironclads are unlikely to lie about letting us leave.” Tao thoughtfully scraped the stone floor of the dungeon with the tip of his blade. “And not because I trust their pious words about who is worthy to live and who is not. But because their detachment is not large enough to fight on two fronts. And if they had reinforcements in ambush, they would rush into the attack like a swarm of ants. But they are using words,” Tao raised his index finger, “not because of their good faith, but to entangle us in a web of doubt. Why? Because they themselves are riddled with doubts. They don’t know how many warriors are in this shelter, and their leader is not sure that their recruits will be enough for all of us.”
Tao nodded in time with his own words.
“We were sent here solely to deliver supplies and weapons, and that is true. But even with this task, we have only accomplished half of it. If we abandon you here, we may complete our mission, but we will lose its main purpose. I served in the Federation, and I have had my fill of that. ” Tao punched himself in the chest. “I am a warrior, and I fight not for the sake of others’ words and medals on armor. I fight for what I believe in. The others can go and bring much more benefit to other settlements. The others can go for reinforcements. But I am only good for one thing, and my job is here and now.