MNP Ch2

“They weren’t there.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“The trading party never showed up! We waited a full half day but they never came. This has never happened before… We waited just in case. But instead of the traders, hunters came.”

Anger was evident in Barn’s raised voice.

“The others… did they all scatter?”

“I don’t know… Those who couldn’t get in the cars when the trading site was attacked were probably captured right there. I think two or three cars managed to escape.”

Barn rubbed his reddened eyes with his fist.

“Then more could still come, so we should keep watch.”

At Ran’s words, the uncle nodded and gestured for those on lookout duty to go up to the watchtower. Before returning to his post, Seokha gently hugged and patted his friend’s back.

They’ll all come back.

Though everyone gathered there thought they wouldn’t return, they just silently headed back to their positions without a word.

“Ah, I should report what happened to the teacher.”

Seokha called out to Barn who was walking away supported by others as he was climbing the watchtower stairs. Barn waved his hand in acknowledgement. Seokha watched Barn’s retreating back before climbing the stairs again, in case any survivors safely returned.

After that, he spent two full days on the watchtower, but no one came back.

Seokha drew a line through “352nd Trade” written in the last column of the record sheet.

[3 returned / 7 missing]

After writing this month’s results next to it, Seokha scanned the record sheet.

[351st: 8 returned / 2 missing – 1 missing person recovered]

[348th: 9 returned / 1 missing – Missing person confirmed dead, 2 hunters killed]

[319th: 7 returned / 3 missing – Missing persons not found, 6 hunters killed]

Even looking at records from a few years ago, this month’s returns were noticeably fewer. Usually everyone returned safely, and having missing persons was rare. A recovery team would soon be organized. They needed to recover people before the hunters crossed the desert into the marketplace. The neighbor whose child hadn’t returned was already at the armory preparing for recovery.

“Teacher, I want to go too.”

“Nonsense.”

“I came back fine last time, didn’t I?”

The teacher, who had been poring over all the newsletters on the trade list since Barn’s return, didn’t look up even as Seokha quietly sat down on the floor.

“Ah. You mean that time you would’ve been captured if not for Ran?”

“I’m not sure which time you’re referring to.”

Seokha pressed closer to the teacher, who was busy examining various things. He was careless then, but he’d practiced shooting a lot since. And,

“There’s no one who speaks Nute in this recovery team. We might run into the trading party, you know.”

Unfortunately. Seokha exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders. The teacher finally looked up to face Seokha. A deep scar from a long-ago recovery mission remained on the teacher’s face like a medal.

You envied this? The teacher laughed in disbelief.

“It is cool though.”

“Fine. Go then. Let’s see how cool your face looks when you return.”

At the finally granted permission, Seokha wiggled his bottom excitedly as the teacher handed him the newsletter he was holding.

“Don’t go stirring up the hunters unnecessarily while you’re out there messing around.”

As Seokha left the teacher’s house, he skimmed through a few pages of the newsletter. He noticed parts the teacher had marked with a pen here and there. It seemed he had gone back through even year-old news, saying things had been quiet for months so he’d only glanced at it before this disaster happened.

About twenty years ago, the Nutes split into two factions and small battles sprang up everywhere. The newsletter summarized some of the larger battles that frequently occurred along the border, as well as the wartime situation organized by the Haman tribe. The frequency of hunting was roughly determined by the war situation, so it was quite an important item in trades.

The trading party should have carefully brought it too…

The teacher had thickly marked in red all the major battles that had occurred in every region within the past three months.

“The teacher thinks a big battle is about to start. With blood prices rising, the hunters must have lost all restraint. The goal of this recovery team is not revenge. We need to return with as little damage as possible. We have to bring back even one more person.”

Barn, who had quickly recovered, joined the recovery team, and the neighbor took charge as the leader. The recovery team was divided into two groups of four. Seokha, who would be traveling with Barn, quickly scanned the route.

“It takes half a day of non-stop driving from the village to reach the trading site. And the hunters appeared here.”

The leader drew a line on the map.

“Unless they’re Almas, they can only last 3 hours max with gas masks. They must have stopped at storage sites periodically. So…”

Ten circles were drawn on the map. It was the path from the village to the marketplace.

“It should be around here. They probably made a new one since we blew up one last time.”

They’ll stop to rest too, so they haven’t left the desert yet. The leader paused at the fifth circle. ‘Probably around here.’

“It’s best to catch them around here, before they get too far.”

The destination was set.

The recovery team got into the jeeps two by two, and a few villagers came to see them off. Unusually part of the send-off group, the teacher leaned his arms on the windowsill and uncharacteristically hesitated. Seokha grinned as he faced the teacher who seemed to be choosing his words.

“What is it?”

“You’re getting more and more ill-mannered.”

I’m becoming more like you, you know. Seokha shrugged.

“I just had a bad dream. If things seem off, retreat. They’re probably not all dead anyway.”

Barn put on his goggles as he replied to what seemed to be either advice or a warning from the teacher.

“If only we could.”

“So stubborn. Take care out there.”

With that gruff send-off, the village gates opened. The jeeps roared out with a loud engine noise. The vast desert Seokha hadn’t seen in almost two years spread out before him.

Sitting next to Barn who was focused on driving, Seokha unfolded the map. Having only left the village twice before, Seokha had no idea if they were on the right path. When he’d asked before, Barn, who often drove for the trading party, said he could see the way. He said it was important not to lose your sense of direction, since the makeshift signposts often got buried in sandstorms.

“We need to meet up with the trading party. To get this month’s food rations.”

Barn felt a slight guilt about the food supply being cut off for the first time since the trade.

“I know. Maybe we should drain some blood for them right there.”

Seokha laughed lightly.

Not knowing how many would be recovered, they had emptied out the trunk completely, so their only cargo was a few guns and gasoline. The jeep, stripped of the blood packs that usually filled it during trades, glided smoothly through the sand.

As they crested a gentle sand dune, the ground suddenly dropped away. Seokha shuddered slightly at the strange sensation of his organs floating. It was a difficult feeling to get used to.

The recovery team that had set out at dawn only stopped the jeep engines when the sun that had risen overhead was setting behind the sand dunes.

“We should be able to arrive in 5 hours. It’ll be close to there, which we’ll use as our base.”

“I want to go right now.”

Everyone laughed softly at Barn’s joke in response to the leader’s words, after he’d been driving all day.

“Let’s rest a bit. I’m tired.”

The leader exaggeratedly complained as a short break was given.

About four hours after getting back in the jeeps, Barn slowly reduced speed. The jeep following behind also slowed and came to a stop.

“Seems like we arrived earlier than expected.”

Seokha got out of the jeep and looked around. They all slung their rifles as they parked the jeeps between sand dunes. Seokha gripped the rifle handle in one hand and tucked the revolver securely in his jacket, buttoning it up.

“Let’s use this as our base point. You two circle around this way, we’ll scout ahead.”

The leader pointed out areas on the unfolded map with her finger. It was a distance they could cover in about an hour.

“Remember, no individual action if we encounter hunters.”

As the teacher said, and with the captain’s additional words, they split into pairs. With each step forward, their feet sank deep into the sand. The desert at dawn was not just cool, but chilly. Except for the sound of sand blowing in the occasional breeze, the surroundings were quiet. Feeling stuffy from wearing his goggles for so long, Barn pushed them up to his forehead and asked Seokha:

“Hey. Is it true that long eyelashes really keep sand out?”

“How would I know?”

Seokha chuckled at the casual question.

“Well, I’m asking because yours are long. I can’t even open my eyes without goggles.”

“Your eyelashes are like this, you know. Like a camel’s.” Barn waved his hands in front of his eyes.

“Must be evolution. To survive.”

“Which means you’ll soon be obsolete.” Seokha poked Barn’s shoulder with his finger and laughed. Barn flared up angrily, vowing to find a way to grow his eyelashes as soon as they got back. He rambled on about some ridiculous superstition about how frequently sprinkling well water from behind the village would make them grow.

“Sure, give it a try.” Seokha smirked, earning himself a punch for being annoying. He finally ended the brief squabble by praising the harmony between Barn and his goggles.

“Anyway, good-looking guys never know humility.”

“The inferiority complex of an ugly man…”

“Please, know your limits.”

Barn sighed, then suddenly stopped walking and hid his body behind a sand dune. Seokha crouched down with him and looked in the direction Barn was watching. Though barely visible at this distance, several hunters’ bikes came into view. Seokha took out his telescope and focused. He could faintly see a crude stone pile storage where oil and gas masks were buried. As they crept closer, hidden between sand dunes, two figures wrapped in cloth were slumped over the bikes.

The hunters were about to mount their bikes and depart. Seokha put the telescope away and whispered softly to Barn.

“Let’s go back for now.”

“Wait.”

Barn grabbed Seokha’s arm as he was turning around, his gaze fixed on the hunters.

“What?”

Barn lowered his goggles again and released the safety on his revolver.

“I think we can do this.”

“…You’re joking, right?”

Seokha frowned. It hadn’t even been an hour since this guy had nodded in agreement to the captain’s order not to act alone. Barn seemed to have forgotten the past too quickly. Seokha took out his telescope again and surveyed the surroundings. Even if they left now, it would be easy to catch up knowing their location. In this situation, Seokha didn’t want to act rashly.

“You go back to the rendezvous point and bring two more people.”

“You’re going alone?”

“Yeah. They look like they’re about to leave.”

“It’s partly my fault we lost the trading group.” Seokha let out a short sigh at Barn’s words. He appreciated Barn’s boldness, but his recklessness at the wrong moment was just unsettling. The faint sound of bike engines starting could be heard, and Barn looked ready to spring into action. Even if we succeed and go back, we’ll still get an earful. Seokha pulled the bolt on his sniper rifle.

“Just don’t get hit.”

“I thought you’d help.”

Barn grinned widely and quickly descended the sand dune. At the same time, Seokha put his eye to the scope. The hunters, spotting Barn rushing towards them, hurriedly started their bikes.