But even though the situation with that man named Creed looked weird, Damian asked no questions about it and focused on leaving the island, which was the main reason they fought through a military base.
Ashley felt down because of it but recomposed and returned to their primary goal. Also, nothing indicated that Creed was dead, so that was enough to make her relax.
"How do you know how to pilot one of these things?" Damian asked.
After dealing with the colonel, they looked for the submarine, which was right on the water in front of the building, close to where they were.
"I'm a versatile person, and we have to be thankful this submarine is one that one person can drive, or else it would be hard for us," Magnus said.
Damian asked no questions and trusted his friend's ability, so they all went inside the submarine. Wendy could not believe she would finally leave the island, as she had been the one who spent more time trapped there, different from Damian and his friends, who quickly found a way to leave.
Once inside the submarine, they saw many crates scattered around. Damian guessed that was how they sent the supplies to the island without anyone noticing, like the donuts he ate inside the security room.
"There's some food and water inside, so we should be good. But how fast is this thing?" Wendy said.
They reached the island after a few hours of flying, so it would take a lot longer for them to leave that place by submarine, but the exact time was still unknown.
But with the number of supplies inside the submarine, it would be more than enough for them to complete their journey. Damian and the others found comfy places to sit inside the submarine while Magnus was in the pilot's cabin, starting that thing and moving away from the island.
"The fuel is good, so we are reaching the land with no problems. As for the time it takes, I think around three days," Magnus yelled from the cabin.
It would take much longer than by plane, but the submarine was still relatively fast; at least, it was better than some ordinary ships.
"So you were also trapped on that island?" Aurora asked Wendy, who sat beside her.
The two kept sharing glances as if they disliked each other. Damian looked at it and was almost sure it was because of him, but he said nothing and let the two girls share their thoughts.
"Yes, for a few years."
Wendy made it clear that she was not feeling like sharing her personal stuff with someone like Aurora, and that was okay because Aurora did not feel like that either! They both only talked about mundane things, and Aurora could not wait for them to reach the land as that meant Wendy would leave.
Damian remained quiet on his spot, thinking about what he would do next. Magnus and Aurora were now part of his organization, and considering how long it had been since the last time Damian went to The Dawn's headquarters, it was probably finished by that point.
'I need to train, become more powerful! Maybe it is finally time for me to use that dungeon entrance I control and explore the dungeon!' Damian thought.
That was the plan he had in mind, and he would do anything to become more powerful and not get almost killed, as happened with him during the last fight.
~~~~
Three days passed with them being inside that boring submarine without things to do. But, for the first time in their lives, they were glad to finally reach land, smiling as they arrived in a small coastal city.
It was something simple like arriving at a destination, but that made them sigh in relief, falling with their butts on the city's streets, catching the attention of a few passersby.
"So I think this is goodbye, at least for now," Wendy said when they arrived.
Everyone knew she would leave, so it was not a surprise. After a quick goodbye to others, and a hug to Damian, Wendy left, following her own path, which was unknown to any of them.
Magnus, Aurora, Damian, and Ashley remained. Damian knew his friends would go with him to The Dawn's headquarters, but he did not realize that Ashley was looking for work too!
"I- I have nowhere to go. Do you know a place for me to work and rebuild my life?"
Ashley never got the chance to work for an organization, and after the plane accident, she thought she would die! Now, all she wanted was to work her way up from the ground, not thinking about trying to join the best organization possible, but rather survive and get stronger so that she would not depend on others if another accident like that one happened.
"Yes, we are going there right now, actually. Wanna join us?" Damian said.
She jumped with joy after hearing that, glad she had met decent people, even with all the mess that happened, "I do! Thank you!"
But before leaving the small coastal city to go to Jake Lake City, Damian, and the others needed some rest, decent food, and a shower! They looked like shit, so finding a decent hotel to stay in was the first thing they did after arriving.
The only problem was that a small city like that one did not have many options, and the few hotels weren't what one would call splendid, but it was more than enough for a group of people who slept the last days in a submarine, and on an island before that.
So they chose the one that looked better and spent one night there to refill their energies. The good part was the seafood restaurants that the city had, a perk of being close to the ocean, as those were tasty and cheap at the same time.
After finally having access to the internet again, Damian checked where they were precisely on the map and also tried to see the location of the island they were previously. Still, despite him knowing the general area of it, the map showed nothing, as if the place did not exist.
'Makes sense. That is a secret lab, so they do everything possible to keep that place hidden from the masses.'
"So how should we travel to Jake Lake City? I think there's an airport in the neighboring city..." Magnus said.
"NO!"
No one felt like traveling by plane, at least for some time to recover from their trauma. Magnus understood their feeling and decided to go along with whatever means of transportation they chose, which turned out to be by car.
They rented a car and drove to the small village near Jake Lake City, where The Dawn headquarters was. It took them way longer than it would if they decided to go by plane, but it was healthier for their mind, and that mattered.
"This is where the organization you work for is located?" Ashley said the moment she left the car.
Damian felt like she would dislike the place or something because Ashley did not look like someone who enjoyed living in the countryside area, yet when he looked at her, she was smiling, and she even went toward the cows to cuddle them.
"It feels so refreshing here, like a dream place, I love it!"
She was not the only one that liked the place. Magnus was the wilderness man, and he felt like he was at home there. As for Aurora, she was not the most advocate of those types of places, but she did not dislike them either.
"Let's go meet the others," Damian said.
The village looked the same, and all the people living there were happy to see Damian again, as he had been away for a few weeks by then.
They left the village, moving toward the nearby river where the actual headquarters was, and once there, Damian could not believe how much the place had changed while he was away!
The watermill was gorgeous, moving the water from the river, giving the place a more peaceful aura. But the significant part was the building they created, a massive site made of concrete, with walls, towers, and many buildings inside, like a smaller version of the military base they destroyed a few days ago!
Damian and the others stopped before the gate, and someone went there to meet with them, "Stop. This is no place for civilians."
That shocked Damian even more! Vanessa, Serana, and Hazel built that place and hired people for the organization! He was not mad because they hired people without consulting him. It was nice to see his organization growing, and Damian was sure Vanessa would only hire capable people.
"Can you call your boss here?" Damian said.
The guard was reluctant for a second but decided to call Vanessa out. After a few minutes, a gorgeous woman came from the front gate of the building, saying, "Who wants to talk with me?"
She believed it would be someone not important, but Vanessa could not believe it once she saw it was Damian! She ran toward him, giving him a tight hug, making the guard who watched the gate curious about the identity of the young man he had stopped a few moments ago.
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