Nacim made his way over Arcadia, looking down on it as he passed. It was perhaps one of the last great cities, even he found it a sight to behold how it held up over the years.
The first thing they all would all see before entering Arcadia was the gate, the large steel gate to the city. It was usually closed. It was a new addition to the city, meant to keep creatures and bandits out and anyone else from wandering outside the city. It was open for now so the ABC members and the Civilians could get back in. Afterwards it would be closed. No one could afford to take chances in this age. Merchants and travelers could get in provided they sent messages ahead of time or spoke with the gatekeeper and provided proof they were not bandits.
The crown jewel of the city was of course, the Arcadian Arena!
A magnificent structure that stood the test of time. This was the Arena. It had seen better day. For now it was just used for ABC training exercises. In old times it would be packed full of people waiting to see thrilling fights. Duo and The Professor were two of the most famous fighters it had to offer but when the world ended, fighting wasn't something people would waste their time on anymore. You had to fight to survive if you weren't lucky enough to be living in a place as safe as Arcadia. Yet even that was changing with the war looming.
People longed for those days before the war, when you could just go to the Arena for entertainment to forget your troubles even just for a little bit. Those days were long gone now. The Arena, just like many other places in the world would never be the same again. There was no escape from the end of the world and the consequences of it.
Another key landmark was Arcadia's radio tower, it was state of the art and one of the first of it's kind made in the world! It looked no fancier than an average radio tower but it was one of the few left now. It still was able to pick up and broadcast signals. There weren't many hosts out there left broadcasting, aside from ones inside Arcadia. They were mostly about politics and the state of the world. There wasn't much music left after the war. Few musicians remained still active or alive in the world. Yet even in these troubled times there still was a high demand for new music and a scene for it.
The most vital location to the city would have to be the the ABC base. It was an enormous structure that contained living quarters, the Professor's Lab, a medical facility and an armory. It was even built by the railroad station to ease the travelling of supplies from Lavion. Rumors say the top secret weapon's vault also was accessible from the base but only Zigus knew and a few others knew the truth behind that story. Regardless, the base was also very impressive but not open to just anyone. Zigus was a kind man but not a foolish one. Only active ABC troops, personnel or relatives were ever allowed in.
Near the ABC base was the government office. It was rather bare bones relative to how extraordinary the rest of the city was. This was where Zigus and politicians working under him could be found. They managed the city's problems like the food supply and relations with places such as Lavion, now the only country not in the war. However, Lavion was on good terms with the ABC, they would help be willing to help them out or so Zigus hoped. Nacim made his landing near this exact building.
He walked into the building and told a secretary working there,
"Commander Nacim. I am hear to visit Zigus." The secretary was a bit startled out but recognized soon after and let him inside Zigus's office.
There he was. The leader of the ABC and of Arcadia as a whole. General Zigus himself! He was an old earth beast, maybe in his sixties at the latest. He was still rather large being an earth beast and all. Despite his age, he was lively and determined to protect Arcadia. It was all he had left, the wars and their ensuing destruction killed every family member he had. It brought him despair. Yet he did not give up on life. He at least had this city to look after still.
That is what he did. He focused all his energy on it. It was perhaps the only thing keeping him around in this world. He loved the people of Arcadia like a family and they returned the sentiment. His hatred of war kept them safe for many years until now. This time it was unavoidable.
"Commander Nacim. Please, tell me what has happened, what was the meaning of the distress signal? Are they all ok?" His concern was clear. Zigus worried and feared for the lives of the people involved.
"The mission went awry when Carla found out there was an ambush. Luckily Edward ruined the ambush and broke up the ALF forces. The others split up from Carla, 13 and Bart. They were attacked by the OOA lead by the Emerald Eagle herself, Sheena. I despise the OOA but at least she prevented us from suffering any innocent causalities. All of our forces are present and accounted for, Zigus thanks to our intervention the OOA forces retreated. The ALF forces were beaten and forced to retreat by the others as well."
"I am glad to hear it. It's a relief. I regret not sending more forces to guard them all and holding a conference on such a day. They truly caught us off guard. It's troubling to think they'd act so cowardly. Thank you Nacim. Submit your full report to me as soon as you can get a hold of the members. But also, what of the field test? Did The Professor's device work?" Zigus responded
.
Nacim spoke feigning interest in the device,
"Yes Sir, it did. It will be a great thing once she finalizes it. It'd be amazing on a large scale. I believe she will create an airship that can purity the land next. " Nacim didn't really care about restoring the world. Revenge was the main thing on his mind. He believed there would be no point in such a device with the ALF and OOA around. They would be willing to ruin the world even more to advance their goals, they already had in Nacim's eyes. He'd been a victim of their atrocities.
"Very good.. Well then that's all I need for now, you are dismissed Commander Nacim. I just wish we could avoid this war.. We are not ready for this but we have no choice in the matter. I'll just have to get into contact with our allies. Lavion. We will need their support more than ever...." Zigus said, happy with some of the news but disturbed by the rest. He knew the ABC winning a war against the two other factions was neigh impossible.
Nacim nodded and left the room. However he was somewhat happy with the turn of events. He thought to himself,
"Yes..This war..It will give me a chance. Those men and women who died that day for nothing! The slaves and the poor in ALF turf, continuously beaten down no matter how hard they work. I will avenge all of them!!! No matter what I have to do to secure our victory, we'll win this war! The OOA and ALF will cease to exist soon enough!"
Of course his only regret was Sheena. He wanted her to either be on his side or to at least quit the OOA. Neither of which was going to happen. He just hoped he would not run into her again or that she would see the truth, that was their only chance of not being forced to kill each other. He had to find a better solution it seemed, otherwise she would interfere in his goals.
He left the office and flew outside the city. He had a few contacts he had to get "in touch" with. They would need all the help they could get and Nacim was willing to work with just about anyone. He just had to be sneaky about it so no one would find out.