The words hung in the air for a second.
"Let me tell you what really happened."
The forge was quiet. No hammering, no roar of flame. Just the soft tick of a hanged clock that looked over a century old. Raizen sat on the crate, hands loose on his knees. Obi leaned on the anvil. Kenzo stood with his back to the wall like he was ready to push off it.
Eiden sat on the stool. He touched his throat once where Kenzo's grip had been, then dropped his hand.
"It was supposed to be simple" he started. "As simple as that kind of thing gets."
Obi raised an eyebrow. "You're talking about the north expedition, right? Fifteen people, fourteen dead, classified file, all that fun"
"That one" Eiden said. His tone was flat. "We were sent as a mixed recon and research unit.
Perimeter mapping, sample collection, some field testing. Standard formation. Six Wardens, five Gravers, three rookies to carry what we found. One scientist."
"Unnamed" Raizen said.
