=== CHOICE ===
What kind of roles should we try? Comment your choice and I will read them to see the most popular pick.
1. Admiral Winter should stick to the support position. (Buffing, scouting, healing, and others) [3 picks]
2. Admiral Winter picks up a frontline position. (He adapts to fight frontline alongside Atago) [0 picks]
=== WINTER ===
On the fourth day, they completed the survey of the area around the lake.
Atago was more subdued that breakfast, which Winter took note of. He didn't blame her. The naval base and the ocean was her world. Waking up in the middle of nowhere without a clue to your location would make anyone panic. Winter kept his own emotions under control, but finding no evidence of a search operation was making him worry too.
"We don't have to split today. We can go check the southeast of the lake together." Winter stretched after eating breakfast. Just like the previous day, he woke up roughly an hour before dawn to cook Atago's harvest of fish. They would eat together before separating to cover more area.
"Finally decided you couldn't stay away from me any longer could you?" Atago joked. There was a playful tone in her delivery, but Winter could sense that something was wrong. She had a little atmosphere around her that showed her discomfort with the situation.
"Haha sure. Who wouldn't want to be around sexy girls?" Winter played along to raise the mood. It helped a bit because Atago reacted with a grin.
"You're going to get reported in the base if you tried that with the wrong girls you know."
"I'll blame you then. You're too sexy for your own good." Winter complained while standing up.
"Shikikan, isn't it the job of men to keep themselves in control?" She teased while following along. Now that they were finished eating, it was time to begin their trek for the southeast.
"I'm innocent. You're the one flashing me." Winter coughed.
"Shut up, you." Atago's eye twitched as she smiled menacingly. "Bad commanders should get reported to command~"
"Now I'm the one getting threatened. How cruel."
The admiral and shipgirl bantered as they headed for the last unexplored section of the lake's perimeter.
.
.
.
"What the hell kind of road is this?"
"You mean it's not normal?" Atago blinked while observing the dirt strewn path they found. She hadn't been outside the base many times. The road in front of her was the first of its kind she had seen. Compared to the asphalt roads outside the base, this one felt…natural? It definitely lacked the artificial touch like those outside the base. In fact, it seemed to blend seamlessly into the forest around them.
"The roads outside the base have been developed for transport. If they aren't, then there most likely made for marine training. This one doesn't look like its regularly used at all." Winter shared his observations while kneeling over the forest path they found.
"So…does it help us?"
Winter looked both directions before making a snap decision.
"We follow it. The fact there is a road here, even a small footpath, means that people use it. Hopefully we find them soon." It was the fourth day stuck in the forest and this new discovery gave Winter some hope.
"So what's the plan after this?" Atago asked while they followed the route. Her eyes tracked the path.
"Once we find people, we ask where we are. Has your internet connection returned?"
"No. I'm not getting any signals yet."
[IMPORTANT NOTE: LOOK FOR HOW FAR SIGNALS GO FOR SINGLE BEACONS. This is to identify how close shipgirls need to be to message each other.]
Winter frowned. That was worrying. Just where exactly are they? There should be at least a few network stations covering the countryside around the naval base. Were they disabled? Stations had maintenance schedules, and even then, only parts of them were on maintenance on a rotation. Network stations were too important to turn off.
"Just keep an eye out. Tell me once you find a signal." Winter took note of the alarming information and started listing down all the observations he knew.
He and Atago woke up in weird clothes. They were somewhere far from the base, near a lake he didn't recognize. The lack of network signals meant they had no connection to the internet or any sort of communication systems.
Just what was going on?
The more Winter thought about it, the less sense it made.
A few hours later, Atago spotted something.
"There's someone up ahead." She held a hand to her eyes while they widened.
"Wait, are you sure?" Winter look in the same direction. "Wait, how do you see them? They're too far away."
Atago gave the admiral a look. "We're shipgirls. Our eyesight has to be good enough to spot threats several kilometers away. Especially when we're out in the ocean."
Winter stared at her with a surprised look. When he gaped for too long, Atago waved a hand in front of him.
"Hello? Are you there?"
"You can see that far away?"
"Mmhmm." Atago nodded before she turned back to the same direction. "By the way, we should be catching up, no?"
"Right. Sorry. Let's hurry." Winter started jogging with Atago following behind.
Within a few minutes, the stranger was within Winter's sight. He scrutinized the deer on the man's back as they approached. The stranger carrying the carcass turned around once they were heard, checking out the approaching pair.
"Hi there! Can you tell us where we are? We're very lost." Winter waved a hand as they slowed to a stop in front of the man. He looked gruff and weathered. His clothes were just as unusual. They were akin to a hunter's garb, but one that looked several years old. Furthermore, the cloth looked nowhere near modern.
When the man didn't answer, Winter noticed where the hunter's attention was.
"Uh…hi?" Atago awkwardly waved at the man's intense gaze. He was looking at her up and down like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"What's a girl like you doing out here?" He grunted while rubbing his eyes for moment. When he looked again, the visage of the sexy fox girl didn't disappear. "What the hell, I'm not seeing things. You're actually real."
"Eh?" Atago blinked.
"Are you a goddess?" The man asked hopefully.
"Huhhh???" Atago eeped.
"What?" Winter released a confused tone. "What makes you think that?"
"Look at her! How can you say she's not a goddess?" The man gave him an incredulous look. "Are you blind?! Have you seen any woman that looks that beautiful?!"
"…" Winter glanced at Atago. As a matter of fact, he had. Atago gave him a look that shut him up. "I'm in danger if I answer that. Could you perhaps tell us where we are?"
"The ass end in the middle of nowhere. You two shouldn't even be out here. There is nothing out here but animals and monsters if you're unlucky." The older man grumbled. His gaze was still on Atago, almost as if he couldn't take his eyes off her. "May I ask your name, milady?"
"…Atago." She answered hesitantly while glancing at Winter for help. Winter was equally stumped, but pushed past the awkwardness.
"What do you mean middle of nowhere?"
"You don't really know where you are, do you?" The hunter scratched his head when he finally gave Winter a look. "You're both so far out from the closest village. We're several kilometers away from Yudee Village."
Yudee Village.
"Wait. What Yudee Village?"
Winter had never heard of such a place.
.
.
.
"What the hell…"
Winter gaped at the scene. He wasn't the only one. Atago was also staring at the view with a sense of loss. She had seen pictures of villages on the internet.
But this…
"Is this how a village really looks?" Atago whispered.
"What do you mean? This is how villages normally look. You've never been to one?" The hunter grunted while looking at her. "So you've never been to one? Are you from the cities? How'd you make it all the way out here?"
"We're very lost." Winter interrupted as his mind raced with answers.
It wasn't possible.
"Do you know where America is?"
"I have never heard of that place. Is it a city?" The man looked at them while rubbing his beard.
"You've never heard of it…?" Atago was just as lost as Winter was.
"Never." The hunter shook his head.
"Uh…we don't have anywhere to stay tonight." Winter realized blankly. "We don't have anything with us either."
"Stay at my place then." The man grinned. "It would be a shame to leave a woman sleeping outside after all. Come."
Winter and Atago followed their host with wide eyes. They couldn't believe it. Maybe it was possible in a sense that they were in a very isolated corner of the world, but the village in front of them only reinforced the idea that they were somewhere very very far.
The late afternoon sun hovered lazily in the sky on its route to the horizon, basking the village in hues of red and orange. Shadows streaked between the wooden buildings, villagers walking between their daily lives.
Something felt very wrong about the village. Upon walking closer, Winter realized why.
No signs of electricity anywhere. There weren't even lights. The buildings looked a tad bit off, not entirely quite like countryside homes Winter expected. The people too. They wore clothes that looked similar to what he and Atago wore. It was too perfect, almost as if they were in an old medieval movie.
Winter forced down the sudden urge to ask what year it was. Instead, he went for the man's name.
"We haven't thanked you yet sir…?"
"I'm no Sir. That's a title you give to knights. Haven't your parents ever told you that? Aren't you a bit too old not to know this stuff?" The hunter rubbed his chin while looking at Winter. "My name's Iger since you're asking."
"Thank you for leading us here. We've been lost for a few days." Winter quietly redirected the conversation. He didn't know why the man mentioned knights, but it was a clue to the weird situation spiralling out of control.
Where the hell were they? What was going on?!
"I can tell from how you look. Besides, who wouldn't help such a beautiful girl as your friend there?" Iger wiggled his eyebrows at Winter. "Between you and me, I'm surprised you haven't made a move on the girl yet."
Atago was giving them a blank look which Iger ignored.
"She's going to kill me."
"Just means that she's to die for." Iger nodded sagely.
"Absolutely." Winter slipped without noticing.
Atago narrowed her eyes on her admiral threateningly.
"I mean she's absolutely going to kill me if I try anything." Winter backtracked.
As they neared the village, Iger greeted the two men at the entrance road with a wave. Winter eyed the two spears they carried, marking them as possible guards for the village.
Two whistles came from them as soon as their eyes landed on the person behind Winter.
"Iger! Who's that chick behind you?"
"Yeah, did heaven drop you an angel or something?"
Iger chuckled. "Lost travellers. They're not from around here."
Winter glanced at Atago who was noticeably disgruntled at the attention. Considering her reputation back at the base, he thought the girl would've been accustomed to the soldiers giving her lots of attention.
"Welcome to Yudee Village. Luck must be on our side if you got lost our way." One of them joked. "Not every day we get to see a sight like you."
Atago was visibly getting more uncomfortable from them so Winter stepped in.
"Thanks. We've been stuck in the forest for days now. Good to be back somewhere safe." He wasn't sure if he would consider Yudee Village safe. Unlike the naval base, the village had no walls for protection, much less the strangers that lived there. Winter didn't let down his guard, even around Iger.
"Well, we hope you enjoy your stay." One waved at them as Iger finally led them into the village after the short conversation.
Winter kept an eye on the two guards as they past, Atago not quite clinging, but remaining close to him.
"We have no money. Where can we stay while we figure out what to do next?" Everything was still overwhelming, and Winter was doing his best to keep up with new revelations.
"Considering how the both of you are carrying nothing, then just stay at my place. Though, you've got to earn for it." Iger gave each of them a look.
"If what I'm thinking is what you're thinking…" Winter narrowed his eyes.
"I'm not suggesting Atago whore herself out. That's the fastest way for me to lose all the goodwill of miss eye candy." Iger huffed. "I'd rather wake up every day to enjoy the sight than miss out."
"Is that all I am to you?" Atago crossed her arms angrily.
"Woman, the first thing we judge is how people look." Iger made a show of looking her up and down. "It's hard to really see past such a beautiful look without being overwhelmed. Do you know how beautiful you are? I don't think many men here have seen woman like you. Your friend here becomes completely invisible in your presence."
Winter closed his eye in silence. He couldn't deny that.
"So…what can we do?"
"Work. Just because I'm letting you stay doesn't mean it's free. I can't afford three mouths to feed."
Reasonable. Winter would have to think about money sooner or later. For now, he needed to have a sit and think about the situation.
"I'll lead you both to my home. It's small, but there's enough space for guests." Iger started walking in a direction.
"Atago." Winter quietly caught her attention. "We need to talk later."
There was a lot to talk about.
=== END ===
Author's Note
No poll today, next chapter will be about learning more about their situation and how Winter and Atago will go forwards.