I Became A Zompirewolf

A week later, Ghosts and Gold Water Mercenaries landed on Occuna. The planet, much like Earth, was covered in water, with only 34% of the surface being mapped landmass.

The atmosphere was filled with Oxygen and carbon dioxide along with a similar composition as on Earth. If Ashton hadn't been confident about their location, he would have thought they were back on Earth.

However, they weren't alone, and thousands of mercenaries could be seen no matter which direction Ashton looked.

By the sheer number of mercenaries present, Ashton and company realised it was a much bigger deal than they initially thought. After finding and docking at the provided space, Ashton walked out with his team, followed by Kern and his soldiers.

"I'll stay here." Kass remarked, "Someone needs to look after the ship."

"I'll join you as well," Vulcan remarked and immediately walked back inside with Aegis.

It didn't appear Kass was pleased with Vulcan's sudden announcement, but it wasn't like she owned the ship. If a crew member wanted to stay back, it was Ashton's decision to let them stay, not hers.

When Ashton did not stop Vulcan, Kass made peace with the fact and left for her chamber. That said, she would have preferred to be left in solitude. Vulcan also wished the same, so there would have been a little friction between the two.

"He's still upset?" Anna asked Ashton.

"Seems like it." Ashton shrugged, "Sometimes I get confused whether he's the grown-up or I am."

In the meantime, a welcoming party was already waiting for them there. However, Ashton stopped as soon as he saw humans standing before him, and Anna immediately realised why Occuna looked so similar to Earth.

"It's like a second homeworld to them." She whispered in Ashton's ears.

Ashton nodded but didn't speak a word otherwise. He was once a human, too, so he knew what kind of resentment the Humans carried for the mutants who drove them out of the Earth.

The earthlings didn't know they'd get to meet their long-lost relatives on Occuna; otherwise, Ashton would have been more discreet in his approach.

[What's done is done, focus on the task at hand.]

Unlike Ashton's reservations regarding humans, a light-skinned human walked up to him and warming greeted them.

"Mr Reaper, we have been eagerly awaiting your arrival." The man said, "It's an honour to meet the one who stopped Phantom."

"You're too kind, Mr?"

"Arno Greaves," The man gave him a short and curt nod, "I'll be serving as your guide for the duration of the visit. If you have anything, feel free to ask me."

They were honoured to meet him? Either they had no control over their expressions or were terrible liars. In either case, it certainly did not feel like Arno's words were True. Although he had done a great job of hiding his genuine emotions, it was apparent the rest did not want mutants on their planet.

Sadly, they did not have the privilege of being selective about whose help they needed. The situation was dire, and they required whatever little help they could get.

"Please follow me. I'll escort you to your quarters," Arno said before leading the way, "Meanwhile, Parva, please take the GW mercenaries to their lodgings as well."

"Consider it done, Captain." A man with the physique of a mountain replied, "Please follow me."

***

As Ashton made his way into the fortress city of Zanna, he couldn't help but marvel at the technological advancements of the humans. Although the mutants chased them out of the Earth, the Occunians were far more advanced than those on Earth.

Arno took his sweet time showing Ashton and his group around the city. However, the weapon store was the most impressive thing that caught Ashton's eye.

The weapons being sold there were of decent quality. However, they were still better than the weapons the guards Ashton picked up from Eva.

"You can leave the humans to make weapons, no matter their situation." Ashton said, "It's a quality that I adore."

"With unprecedented attacks from friends and foes alike, can anyone blame us?" Arno immediately replied, "We humans have a saying, 'Always hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst'. Considering most of the problems can be solved by swinging weapons, we'd make necessary tools first and foremost."

Initially, Ashton had planned on asking Vulcan about making weapons for the Ghosts. Still, considering how sulky the Dwarf had been recently and that he had a lot of money, Ashton decided to buy some weapons instead.

However, before Ashton could do that, Arno stopped him. This confused everyone. Selling weapons to an outsider would only bring prosperity to his people, so why was Arno stopping him?

"If you want weapons, you can get them from the army barracks instead." Arno suggested, "Those weapons are of much better quality and have been proven useful against the monstrous horde that's headed our way."

"Fair enough," Ashton mumbled, and they continued their tour.

Even though a guillotine known as the monster horde was hanging over their heads, the city was awfully energetic. People were going on and about their business as usual. But whenever they saw Ashton, all that energy immediately turned into hatred.

Ashton was sympathetic towards them, but their gaze slowly changed his mind. They didn't need to be thankful or anything of that sort towards a mercenary, but they should tone their anger a bit more.

"Just ignore them," Arno remarked, "They have a bad habit of dragging skeletons from the past and act like sore losers."

"You... Are unlike any other human I have met." Anna said with a smile, which made Arno blush. After all, it wasn't every day that a guy got complimented by a succubus.

"Well, there's a reason I was chosen to be your guide." Arno sheepishly mumbled, "My mother was a werewolf, and my dad fell in love with her and then had me. Unfortunately, other werewolves caught on to their affair and killed my mother as my dad fled the Earth with me."

It seemed Arno wanted to talk more about his life but stopped when they reached their destination.

"It seems I'll have to cut our conversation short." He said, "Rest well. The Supreme Commander will address the participants tomorrow morning."