《Source Proxy - Act 1: The Holy Lands of the old and future Kings》
Proxy - the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island
Away from the glow of the neon lights that illuminate the nighttime, in an alleyway that evades the eyes of the people, here I am, laying on the ground, beaten all over. Every inch of my body feels sore, yet I don¡¯t feel like crying. This is nothing, nothing at all. But the people I feel bad for lay on the ground, beaten by one person, a 12-year-old kid.
He wipes the blood off his nose. Three older kids sprawled all over the ground. He beat them despite being younger than them. Goggles obscure his eyes, making him seem like a mysterious hero of the night.
"Hey, are you all right," the child with the goggles asked the boy on the floor.
Why is he this strong? Is he insane? Does he have that much confidence in his own abilities? Or maybe he just¡
"Y...you are..."
This person, who fought like an animal, smiles. As if he has nothing to hide as if he¡¯s confident in who and what he is. He lifts the goggles from his face, revealing his eyes.
¡°You¡¯re¡¡±
Two years later¡
6/15 - New Jersey - NewPort Island - St - Merlin boarding school - Principal''s office - afternoon
"Proxy!"
His name bounces around the walls within the confined, neatly kept room that can hold three people at a time. The principal¡¯s voice shakes up my heart, sinking me further into my seat.
"Do you realize the gravity of your actions!?"
This is a situation I¡¯ll never get used to. On the other hand, the kid next to me is undisturbed by the principal, instead, letting out a hearty chuckle. "Sorry, sir, but Richard and I just thought the school''s outside walls needed a fresh look. An eye-catcher, if you will. As capable young men of tomorrow, we gave it a makeover. So, I must ask you, oh principal, that I highly respect: is that so wrong?"
Brimming with confidence in his words is Proxy. I know, it''s a weird name, but it was the name he was always called. We¡¯re 14-year-olds, our current grades are middle school seniors, in the city of NewPort Island, an official part of the United States, a couple of miles beside the state of New Jersey, and right now, we¡¯re being castigated by the principal.
I jump out of my seat and bow, trying to defuse the situation. "Sir, we are very sorry!"
"Sorry will not cut it! This may not be the most luxurious of schools, but I will not allow this behavior to pass!" Of course it didn¡¯t work, but I had to try anyway. "Normally I''d have you suspended for such an act. However, I don''t think that''ll help. No, I thought of a better punishment."
Proxy crosses his legs, wearing a cocky grin.
"Bring it on! I can take what you can dish!"
Why did you have to say that? Can¡¯t you just keep your mouth shut for a moment?
"Oh, really?" The Principal snaps his fingers, signaling two janitors to come in with a pair of buckets of vanilla paint. "I hope you like washing walls?"
This isn''t my first time being dragged into Proxy''s antics, nor would it be my last. Then again, I guess I am the one who goes along with him on them, so why am I complaining?
NewPort Island - Diner - evening
Tired, exhausted, and starving, Proxy pulls open the door to the diner. We stumble our way to the receptionist, who has a seat for us since we called ahead of time. Inside are a few people. No students, just some older people past their early 30s. The diner itself is using the motif of the ''60s with pictures of famous people from that era, as well as music from that time.
Diving into his seat, Proxy lets out an evaporated groan, loud enough to catch the attention of the other patrons. "God, that was a nightmare!¡±
I crash onto the hard seat, barely able to move my body anymore. ¡°And whose fault is it? Four hours wasted!¡±
"Yeah, yeah, I know¡ Great, I have paint on my clothes! Man, I knew it was a bad idea to bring you along!"
"Me? I''m the one who said we should''ve left school before we got caught! Hell, you dragged me along!"
"Yeah, but the guard heard you yelling when you were telling me.¡±
"No, I was quiet when I was warning you!"
"Sure, sure. Whatever, your fault, my fault, that''s all in the past. Let''s just eat!"
"Don''t change topics just because you''re losing!"
Honestly, how he¡¯s able to shift from the topic like that¡? But he is right. I could argue it¡¯s his fault, but that won¡¯t change anything, so there¡¯s no point.
A moment later, we ordered what we wanted, and after another while, our food arrived. Proxy ordered a plain burger with some fries on the side. I got the same thing. Proxy chugs his drink, barely savoring it as it rushes down his throat. How can he drink like that without choking? Tried it myself once and my shirt got drenched.
¡°Hey, are you going to eat your fries?" he asks, sneaking his hand to my plate.
"Nah, you can have it."
¡°Thanks!¡±
He wolfs down the fries while I dig into my burger. I¡¯d put ketchup but then I¡¯d have to deal with it falling out. But that¡¯s the least of my worries¡
"Hey, why did you spray the school wall?"
Proxy leans back into his seat, staring out the window as people pass by. "I don''t know? Guess I was bored? But it¡¯s not like I drew anything inappropriate. Besides, that place would look more lively if I did. Shows what I know." So out of a spontaneous want to do it? ¡°Now, let me ask you something. Why did you join me?¡±
That¡¯s a good question. He didn¡¯t force me to come along, nor did I protest, I just¡
¡°I guess I don¡¯t know either.¡±
No matter how much I dig deep, there¡¯s no deep meaning behind my actions. I just¡wanted to.
¡°Eh, that¡¯s fine. You do, you don¡¯t, who cares? You and I are always gonna be partners in crime.¡±
"But I don''t want to be!"
Geez, him calling me that is just begging for bad karma. Continuing my meal, I pay a glance at the books in my bag¡ Hold on! Oh crap!
I jump to my feet. "Crap!"
"What''s up, buddy?"
"I need to study for our finals. I wanted to go to the library, but since someone was keeping me busy I couldn¡¯t!"
¡°Not that bad. Why don¡¯t we flunk together?¡±
¡°You really expect me to!?¡±
"I know, I know, I was just kidding." A sigh leaves my mouth. Honestly, can¡¯t he at least take this somewhat seriously? Even if he fails, he¡¯ll still make it into High School, but failing nonetheless can make a student look bad. ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯ll pay for our train fees.¡±
¡°I can do that on my own.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I got us covered. Besides, I wanna tag along.¡±
I lift my bag from under the table. ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll pay for the food.¡±
¡°Sweet, then let¡¯s get the bill. Yo, waitress, can we get the bill, please?¡±
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
A minute later, I footed the bill, and we were on our way to the library. I don¡¯t want to owe favors to people, so paying for the food was my way of keeping it even. Perhaps that makes me difficult, but that¡¯s how I¡¯d like to do things.
NewPort Island public library - Evening
When I finally got all the materials I needed for a study session, I went over to where Proxy usually sits in the library; in the back corner, where no one goes, so he can listen to music and draw in peace. I see him sitting in the middle of the aisle, his back facing me.
"Hey, you find something you like?" I ask him.
"Richard¡take a look at this."
Wonder what has him transfixed? Peering over his shoulder, he''s holding an all-black book with no unique design to it. It¡¯s a thickly layered book, not too big, but not something you''d want to hit your foot. The only thing that is on it is "Grimoire".
"Where did you find it?"
"It was in there."
He points over to the left bookshelf. There''s a hidden compartment at the bottom of the shelf. There''s dust inside of it, showing that it hasn¡¯t been opened in a while.
"How did you find that?"
"I just noticed it."
¡°How specific," I end off, sarcastic in tone.
¡°Yeah, yeah, but that¡¯s how I found it.¡± He opens the book to the first page. It''s blank. "Huh?" He flips through multiple pages. They''re also blank. "Okay, this is strange..."
We reach the middle part of the book, and the only thing there is a double-spread of a symbol. Proxy stares at the book with an intense gaze, forgetting to catch his breath. Then, right when he snapped back to reality, he shuts the book.
"We''re taking this. I wanna check this out."
¡°But there¡¯s nothing in it.¡±
"Maybe, maybe not. Just in case, I don''t want anyone else getting it. Besides, this book might be my next sketchbook.¡±
He throws it into the air. It spins around until Proxy catches it, right before it hit his head.
¡°Be careful, you can hurt yourself.¡±
¡°It¡¯s cool I¡¯m too¨C¡±
A moment before disaster occurs, the book falls from his hand. In that span of a moment, hitting his toe, crushing it beneath its sheer weight. He freezes to process the damage, unable to move, let alone think. The moment the pain registered in the nerves in his toe, he let out a roar that rings throughout the library.
¡°Told you to be careful.¡±
¡°You¡¯re¡right. I¡¯ll be careful.¡±
I hope it didn''t break his toe or anything.
We approach the librarian, who''s texting away on their phone, barely glancing at us. I place all the books I want to check out.
"Proxy," an older, mature voice that exudes a cool, yet casual tone.
The older man has short, black hair. He''s wearing grey pants with a fashionable grey suit jacket and a maroon dress shirt.
Proxy smiles upon his approach. "Well, Richard, looks like you¡¯ve been busted. Better raise your hands."
¡°Yeah, he was calling your name.
"Nice to see you here, Proxy. Though, I''d hope you came to the library by yourself instead of being dragged along," the detective bites back.
"Ouch, that hurts! Hurting innocent civilians isn''t your job, Detective Birch¡"
William Birch. These two have known each other for years. I''ve only known them for about 3 years, so puts me behind the 7 years they''ve known one another. You would think they wouldn''t get along, but that isn''t the case for them. Though Proxy causes a bit of trouble for Mr. Birch since he covers for him from time to time.
"I heard what you two did. Richard, you''re supposed to keep a tight leash on him, not join in!" Mr. Birch scolds me with the intensity of a hot summer morning.
"Sorry, sir. I tried to stop him but he wouldn''t listen, and I ended up getting dragged into it."
"Unfair, don''t let the captain drown in the ship alone.¡±
"You got the meaning mixed up there."
Birch brings his attention back onto Proxy. "So other than vandalism, I heard you got into a fight with another gang."
"Hm, can''t say I have. I''ve been keeping my nose clean of starting fights¡ But I sure as shit end them."
"Sure about that?"
"Sure am, honest."
Mr. Birch takes notice of the book in Proxy''s hand. "What''s that?"
"I don''t know. The book is blank."
He gives it to Birch, who begins flipping through the empty pages of the black book.
"Hm, it really is. Give me a sec." Mr. Birch walks over to the librarian and has him check out the book. After a moment, he returns it to Proxy.
"Turns out that this book isn''t registered here, and there aren''t any records of this book existing. Where exactly did you find this?"
You would think he''s interrogating him
"In the back, over there. Why? Are you trying to find strange stuff like my book here?"
"I was just curious, besides I''m good for now."
Mr. Birch shows off a detective novel. He loves murder mystery novels, though barely has time to read them from what he told me.
"So do I still have to check it out, or¡"
"Well, it is on the property of the library, but maybe someone misplaced it. If they haven''t come back for it, then I suppose anyone can pick it up."
"Finders-keepers then, awesome!"
Proxy puts the book in his bag. He runs for the exit without me.
"By the way, Birch, you tell Lauren to stop spamming my phone!"
Mr. Birch silently grunts, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I''ll tell her to tone it down."
I group up all my things into my bag to follow him.
"It was nice seeing you, Mr. Birch. Tell Lauren I said hi."
"I''ll do that. You boys head straight home now, and don¡¯t get into too much trouble."
"Yes, sir," we both answer, Proxy dismissive to his suggestion while I take it seriously.
Following Proxy out of the library, Proxy jumps off the stairs to the sidewalk, landing without an issue. A yawn erupts from him, distinct between the car horns, people trekking home, and the endless chatter in the crowd¡ I can¡¯t stand it.
I shield my ears, trying to drown out the noise. ¡°Can we go down somewhere with fewer people?¡±
¡°Huh? Oh, that¡¯s right. Alright, you can borrow my earbuds.¡±
I grab a pair of wired earbuds from his hand, plugging them into my phone. Wearing them helps me tune out the crowd. In a crowd like this, it¡¯s impossible for me not to pick up on their words, especially at this time of day. It feels like someone is cracking open my skull and dipping their fingers into my brain. Music helps cancel it out since all my attention goes into that instead of the crowd, so I don¡¯t even need to wear the other end,
Proxy stretches his arms, groaning aloud. "Man, I''m beat. You wanna go anywhere else, man?¡±
"Not really¡ Can I spend the night at your place again?"
"Sure, but you might as well move in at this point." He has a point. I sleep there more than I do at the dorms. But it would feel like I''m freeloading. "...Whatever, let''s just get going."
"Are you sure it''s fine?"
"Yeah, not like anyone will care. Plus, it''ll be super fun!"
"But I''ll be studying."
"It''s cool. Just having another person there is pretty sweet."
I feel bad for taking advantage of his generosity. He¡¯s always willing to let me sleep at his place, no matter how long it may be, so I always feel a sense of guilt whenever I go just to study in peace¡
"Thank you, Proxy."
¡°You don¡¯t have to be stiff with me, buddy.¡±
The night brings on the light from the city, be it night lights or neo signs that advertise the stores they belong to, there¡¯s never a moment where darkness captures this city. People, whether it¡¯s in a car or on the sidewalk, are trying to make it home, like us.
If those cars were gone, as well as the crowd that pushes and moves past us, then the city streets would obtain a level of quiet that would be unnatural for a city as big as this. There was a time when I wished for this, but now, I don¡¯t know what to think of it anymore¡
"Whatcha thinkin'' about?" Proxy, speaking in an accent, asks me.
"...Do you wonder what it would be like if the city was empty, and we were the only people here?"
He whistles, appearing impressed with my thought. "Never thought of something like that before."
"Well, it''s only a flight of fancy, so¨C"
"...But I don''t think I''d like it."
"Huh?"
"Being by yourself sucks. Hanging out with people is great. Get it?"
I thought he was going to say he would like that, but his answer isn''t far from what I think is right. In the past, I wanted to be alone. Interacting with people was a waste, bringing nothing but inevitable pain. That''s until he came into the picture, rather, forced himself into the picture. If he hadn''t, though, I doubt I could enjoy a conversation like this with anyone.
"Come on, let''s pick up the pace. I wanna hit my pillows already."
Proxy hops along the sidewalk, enthusiastic to reach his apartment. I can''t help but feel giddy seeing him like that, even if it''s embarrassing.
"Okay, okay, wait for me!"
If someone asked me why I hang out with Proxy, despite him being a delinquent, I guess the only thing I can tell is that I feel comfortable around him. I don''t have to put on airs, or act in a way that''s not me¡ I can just be myself.
And if I''m being honest, getting in trouble doesn''t bother me all that much, cause we''re friends, and friends stick with each other, right? Though, toning down on the trouble-making would be nice.
Proxy comes to a sudden stop, his eyes shifting toward the opera house way down the street from where we are.
If we''re here, that means we''re in the center of the city. NewPort Island is a large-sized city that takes on a circular shape that is right now, so it''s not surprising to come here when leaving a major district of the city.
"Come on Proxy, let''s go!"
"Huh? Y-yeah."
"What''s wrong?"
"I was lost in space, that''s it."
That''s definitely not it, but we don''t have time to discuss it. If we linger here any longer, we''ll miss our train.
"Come, we''ll miss the train."
"Oh, yeah! Then we need to book it."
Book it we did. My lungs nearly collapsed when we made it into our train. It goes to show that I am not made for physical activities, cause if I have to run that far ever again, I''ll die on the spot.
Proxy - the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island - part 2
6/16 - NewPort Island - boys'' dormitory - morning
I exit my dorm room to begin another day of classes. The 23rd is when school lets out, so with the halfway point almost here, I don''t feel stressed about classes. By now, Proxy would be in the dorm''s lounge waiting for me while talking to the other guys. But he isn''t here.
"Where is he? Is he still asleep?"
While I speculate things, I see the student in charge of mail delivery making his rounds. He was passing down letters from a white bin. He waltzes over to me with it in hand.
"Hello, Richard. Here you are."
"Thanks."
"It''s pretty weighty. What is it?"
"Just some money."
"Ah, guess that''s normal for parents to send in money." He shoots a glance at the others in the hall. "Oh, dang, what am I doin''!? I gotta jet. Don''t want folks gettin'' angry at me!"
"Sorry for holding you up."
"Not a problem. See ya later!"
He runs off to finish his deliveries. My delivery is a plain white envelope. There was no reason to use a decorated one when it''s only to send money. I''m hesitant to open the envelope. I know what is inside, so there is no reason to be scared, even so¡
"Hm?"
The morning bell sounds off. All the boys in the dorm are running off for morning class. The school is strict about attendance, even on the last day of school.
"Oh, crap!" I stuff the envelope in my bag and run for today''s class as well. I was thinking of calling Proxy, but I''m not going to bother. He''s probably playing hooky, just like some of the other guys in the dorm. . .
NewPort Island - downtown - afternoon
Strolling down the street used to be a fun pastime. I got jumped by delinquents, gangs, and many other idiots; especially a certain pain in my ass. But I beat their asses until they gave up on trying to ambush me. After that, it got pretty boring.
"I''m so freaking bored! Where the hell is Richard when I need him, or even. . ."
Something hit me hard in the butt out of nowhere. Immediately, I turn around to see who has a death wish.
"Proxy, I see you''re still just as jumpy as ever," says a girl, who is wearing my school''s uniform. She''s wearing a black coat that''s slouched on her shoulders. Her hair is jet black hair, it''s tied back neatly except for her loose bangs. She has oval glasses that covered the bags under her eyes.
"What are you doing here, Lauren? Better yet, why are you in your uniform?"
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
"Just left school. What, you didn''t know?" she answers with a snarky yet curious tone.
So today wasn''t the last day? Go figure. No wonder Richard wasn''t answering my calls.
"How did you find me? Did you place a tracker on me or something like that?"
Lauren snorts at the mention of trackers.
"No, that''s just a waste of resources now. I just asked around, simple."
"What are you, an overprotective mom?"
"Shut up." She takes something out of her pocket and throws it at my chest. It''s an envelope. "Open it."
"Is this some sort of weird confession letter?"
"Open the damn envelope before I take it back," she sneers at me.
"Okay, okay, don''t throw a hissy fit."
I open the letter. I''m about to pull out what is inside until...
"Proxy! There you are," a thunderous voice roars through the street. I turn around to find a brown-haired kid running toward me. His fist reeled back. "This time, I''m gonna knock you flat," he declares as he charges for me. When he comes close enough to take a swing at me, I duck down, and I then drive my left fist to his chin, knocking him a few inches off the ground. He lands flat on his back.
"Boss!"
This punk''s goons rush over to see if he''s alright.
"Shit, not again. Boss, wake up." Their boss was still conscious, but barely.
"Heh, heh, I...didn''t get knocked out this time...heh heh," he proudly rambles.
"Yeah, fat lot of good that does for you," I tell him
"Hey, he just wasn''t feeling it right now!"
"Yeah, he''ll beat you next time," one goon promised.
"Didn''t you guys say that yesterday, and the day before that, too?" Lauren reminds them as she''s playing on her phone.
"Um, no!"
"No, you did," I correct them.
The goons pick up the boss by the shoulders.
"No...I can take him, guys."
I crack my knuckles. "Good, cause I was getting bored with knocking you with one hit all the time."
"That''s unlikely, plus it would be like hitting a child," Lauren says.
"Yeah, I guess you''re right. All right, all of you get the hell out of my face, and tell brown hair to take it easy."
The brown-haired punk gets dragged off into a nearby alleyway. With any luck, he''ll take it easy for tomorrow and the day after that. But with my luck, he''ll scour the streets for me tomorrow and so on.
"That was eventful," I say, picking my ears for gold.
"Earth-shattering, if you will," Lauren adds on.
The envelope is still open in my hand.
"You gonna look inside it?" Lauren asks me.
"No, I''m gonna open it in the safety of my own home."
"Fair enough."
Lauren walks ahead of me, along with the crowd of people coming home from school or work.
"What''s in here, anyway?"
"Why ruin the surprise? You''ll be happy I didn''t."
She walks off further down the street. Soon after she''s out of my sight, my phone receives a notification. Opening up my messages, Lauren is the one who just texted me.
"Also, Proxy, I can spam your phone whenever I want."
"Weirdo," I text back to her.
"Bigger weirdo," she texts. We went on with our little text war for a while until I stopped replying. Glancing at the envelope in my hand, I''m growing even more curious about it. I wonder what''s in here.
"Well, one look can''t hurt." I take out what is inside the envelope. The thing that I pull from the envelope shocks me to the core of my soul.
"OH...MY...GOD!"
Proxy - the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island - part 3
6/18 - NewPort Island - St. Merlin Boarding School - morning
It¡¯s another morning like any other as I¡¯m leaving the dorm building. The building isn¡¯t too big or glamorous, but it¡¯s big enough to fit multiple students all at once. The girl¡¯s dorm is on the other side of the campus. Since the dorms are near the school buildings, it doesn¡¯t take too much time to get there.
As long as I get out of the dorm at a reasonable time, I have about 10-12 minutes to spare before class begins; and that¡¯s after I take a shower. Of course, I usually just play games on my phone before class starts. Proxy commutes from the residential district, which is south of here. If he can make it by 7:15 A.M. he''ll make it, but I severely doubt he''s going to.
Also, there are two school buildings on campus: one for middle school, and the other for high school. After the summer, I''ll be attending the high school building, which is ?far from the dorm.
Students that don¡¯t live in the dorms are entering through the double gates.
Can''t help but cringe every time I see those gates. Proxy tried to climb it once since nothing is covering the top. Of course, I had to stop him since it was a pretty dumb idea.
I make it to the junction where the pathway for the school entrance on the right, the boy¡¯s dorm behind me, and the school buildings on my left meet¡
Hey, Lauren''s in the crowd! Seeing how Proxy isn''t here, I might as well greet her. That''s not to say I don''t like her, we get along well.
¡°Sup,¡± she greets me without taking her eyes off her book.
¡°What are you reading?¡±
¡°A Light Novel. It¡¯s kinda meh, but good practice.¡±
Glancing at the pages, she¡¯s reading the original Japanese text. Man, I¡¯m kind of jealous that she¡¯s able to read that language. Been meaning to brush up on it further, but I''ve been busy with studying. Thankfully, summer is coming, so I''ll have time to drill in the basics.
¡°Where¡¯s Proxy?¡±
Lauren turns the page, paying me no mind. ¡°Don¡¯t know, but he said he was coming."
¡°Alright... You know, he¡¯s been in a good mood lately.¡±
"Guess he¡¯s really excited about it.¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°My dad got him something. Got no idea what it is. Seems like it''s something good, though.¡± Considering that it¡¯s easy for Proxy to get excited about stuff, that doesn¡¯t narrow it down. ¡°Excited for your final report?¡±
¡°Fine, my final grade is most likely good, so I''m not worried."
¡°You say fine, but I know you''ve been elected valedictorian.¡±
¡°Y-yeah. I guess it''s a good thing¡"
She curls the corners of her mouth, forming a dry smile. ¡°Shitting bricks over the speech?¡±
¡°A bit. I never wanted to be valedictorian. Plus, I have to make a speech.¡±
¡°I hear you. Good thing you took my place.¡±
Coming from her, it''s more of an insult than a compliment.
Lauren Birch is much smarter than me, so she could¡¯ve taken the spot of valedictorian easily. However, from the start, she planned on not doing that by getting above-average grades. Meanwhile, someone else, mainly me, would score grades higher than she would produce.
Over the last three years, she¡¯s been collecting information about who would most likely be valedictorian?, then, if need be, she would adjust how she does her work from school, state tests, and so on.
How do I know this? From the girl herself¡ In short, she''s the ultimate slacker in a league of her own.
¡°You know Lauren¡ Never mind.¡±
¡°What?
"It''s nothing."
What''s the point of calling her out on it? It''s not like I care, so why should I tell her what to do?
¡°Hey, another one of our boys got messed up yesterday.¡±
Hm? That pin on his collar, the letters MB. He must be with the Merlin Boys.
¡°Who did? Was it Proxy, or maybe the ''monster'' in the Entertainment district?¡±
I don''t think the "monster" would attack the Merlin Boys.
¡°Nah, man. Some other guy from a different school. He¡¯s been rolling into St. Merlin turf.¡±
¡°Seriously?¡±
¡°Yeah, and he sent a few of our boys to the hospital yesterday. Dude is a big ass punk at Franklin public high.¡±
¡°Shit, I heard they had a new guy. Wait, how big are we talking?¡±
¡°He¡¯s a giant of a high schooler, and he¡¯s a first-year at that.¡±
¡°Seriously? What are we gonna do?¡±
Not as uncommon as they make it out to be. Most gangs in this city preside in the Entertainment district, so fights are bound to happen.
¡°But get this, he¡¯s going after the stronger punks around NewPort.¡±
¡°Shit, then we don¡¯t have to worry?¡±
¡°Dumbass, of course we do. If he takes over, think about the shit we¡¯ll go through since we¡¯re at the bottom of the food chain!¡±
¡°For real!? Man, this sucks.¡±
If he¡¯s going after strong punks, then he¡¯ll go after Proxy, eventually. I have to warn him!
Lauren sucks her teeth. ¡°He¡¯s not answering.¡±
She must¡¯ve been listening to the same conversation. I pull out my phone, immediately heading to my text app. ¡°Proxy, be careful, someone might be out to get you," is what I typed.
There, it''s sent. Hopefully, he gets it because Lauren¡¯s calls are still not getting through. What¡¯s keeping him away from his phone?
NewPort Island - Entertainment area - Gamez arcade - morning
It¡¯s match point, both of us have one win against the other, and only a sliver of health remains for both of us. A game of footsies is going to decide this match. Moving our characters forward and back from one another, trying to bait the other to attack.
I can use a projectile, but if he jumps dashes over it, I¡¯m boned. Then I got no choice, I''m going for a taunt! However, if I can''t get out of the animation in time before my opponent reaches me, I''m screwed! Might as well risk it!
I go for the taunt, my opponent instantly bites the bait. He does a medium-attack, however; I cancel out of the taunt and then jump above his attempt. I''m airborne, mash medium! I got the hit! Yes, go mashing!
¡°Bitchin''!"
My opponent is practically foaming from the mouth on his arcade cabinet.
¡°You bastard, you cheated! That was a cheap move. Why I oughta¡" He pauses as he shows his face to me. Hey, it¡¯s that idiot who found me when Lauren gave me that envelope. ¡°P-Proxy!? What are you doing here?¡±
¡°Beating your ass, apparently. Do I need a reason?¡±
¡°N-no, I was just surprised.¡±
¡°That right? Well, wanna go again? You weren¡¯t too shabby.¡±
His eyes beam with joy at the request. ¡°Yeah! Just watch. I¡¯ll beat your ass and finally win a match against you!¡±
Man, he¡¯s even willing to count games? Whatever floats his boat, I guess.
¡°Sure, but you have to beat me first.¡±
¡°Of course!¡±
My eyes ?sneak a glance at the clock on the wall that¡¯s six cabinets in front of me. It says 6:50 A.M. Shit; I lost track of time! I have to go, or else Birch is gonna ask why I didn¡¯t go to school! My body jumps off the chair I¡¯m sitting on. I grab my bag and move for the exit. The punk comes after me.
¡°Sorry, but I have to go,¡± I tell him.
¡°What¡¯s the matter? Too chicken?¡±
¡°Nah, but have you seen the time?¡±
He checks his phone. His face goes pale after seeing what time it is.
¡°O-o-oh crap! I¡¯m gonna be late!¡±
Guess he lost track of time as well. He grabs his bag and heads for the exit. His school is in the entertainment district while mine is in the financial district, so I have to book it if I want to make it for 1st period. As I exit the arcade, a group of guys I know walk in front of me. The guy in front notices me.
¡°Yo, Proxy,¡± he greets me, cool as a cucumber while pocketing his hands.
¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t you guys be heading to school?¡±
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Nah, that¡¯s not important. Besides, I think you''re the last person to talk.¡±
He¡¯s not wrong. I am known for cutting sometimes, let alone not being the most punctual.
¡°Then where are you going?¡± I ask.
¡°We¡¯re hunting the new guy.¡±
¡°New guy?¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know? There''s some new punk on the streets who''s going around and kicking all sorts of ass. Just yesterday, he messed up a few of our boys, sending them to the hospital. Word is he¡¯s rolling with only one other guy and that¡¯s it.¡±
Sounds like this new guy is trying to make a name for himself, and he¡¯s not off to a bad start. This guy sounds a bit interesting?.
¡°Oh man, this guy sounds like a riot,¡± the punk beside me says, rubbing his upper lip with his index finger.
¡°Also, he¡¯s been looking for you, Proxy.¡±
Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised. Plenty of punks during my 2nd and 3rd year of middle school came at me so they can gain a rep for beating me. Of course, most of them just went home with bruised faces. It was exciting when I first got challenged, but after a while, the appeal went away.
¡°Thanks for the heads up.¡±
¡°No problem. Say, if you find him, hit us up.¡±
¡°No thanks. He comes to me, he¡¯s mine.¡±
¡°Well, then hit him a couple for the boys.¡±
¡°Sure thing. Tell your boys in the hospital I said hello.¡±
¡°Alright, I will. See ya.¡±
The Merlin gang members head down the sidewalk along with the crowd of people going to work.
¡°Man, looks like someone¡¯s hot on your ass,¡± the punk/my stalker says as he slings his arm around my shoulders.
¡°Eh, nothing new. But you should be careful around the streets from now on.¡±
¡°I can take care of myself.¡±
¡°This new guy sounds strong. I seriously wouldn¡¯t want to push your luck.¡±
¡°I ain¡¯t scared of some new guy! I¡¯ll beat him into the ground, and I might even become famous for it.¡±
This idiot. If he can¡¯t stand a chance against me, then why does he want to fight someone making waves? He¡¯d probably get sent straight to the hospital. Of course, I don¡¯t have to stop him, but I¡¯d feel terrible if he got himself badly hurt if I could¡¯ve done something. In that case, I''m gonna have to lay it on thick.
¡°Listen, man¡ If you fight that guy, he¡¯ll beat the shit out of you.¡±
He shows his shock with an enraged expression. ¡°What did you just say?¡±
¡°Listen, if you fight him, he¡¯ll beat your ass into the ground. I¡¯m saying this for your own good. You¡¯re just too weak.¡±
That must¡¯ve sent him over the deep end because his face and body language express nothing but anger. He grabs me by the collar. People are looking at us, waiting for a fight to break out. I guess this is the perfect time to show him what I mean. I break his grip on my collar. Without error, ?I grab his right arm and shirt while turning away from him. As if he weighs nothing, I throw him over me, flipping him to the ground. He hit the concrete, but I flipped him lightly.
¡°What the hell,¡± he yells, groaning in pain
¡°Listen, if you go and fight him, you¡¯ll get your ass beat.¡± I let go of his arm and turn my back to him. ¡°...Let other people worry about that punk. Keep your head low and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±
I walk off for the financial district, moving past the crowd of people staring at me with judgemental eyes; not that I care if they do. That guy better get the hint. I¡¯ll deal with this new guy gunning for me later. For now, I better come up with an excuse for being late¡
¡
My back is killing me after Proxy flipped me over. Not only that, but my pride! It¡¯s not because people saw me getting thrown over. If I was worried about that, I wouldn¡¯t constantly challenge him in public whenever I see him. No, it¡¯s the fact he turned his back on me while looking down on me... Who the hell does he think he is!? I know he¡¯s right about me being weaker than him, but ?I wanna prove myself; I wanna prove to him I ain¡¯t weak!
¡°Boss,¡± two voices call for me. I turn to see them running toward me. ¡°Boss, there ya are? We¡¯re late to school,¡± Ross, one of my underlings, tells me.
¡°Yeah, boss. We¡¯ll be in big trouble,¡± the other one, named Jackson, adds on.
I know, and as much as I don¡¯t wanna deal with the headache that comes from not going, I can¡¯t let that shit from earlier go. Proxy¡¯s words just keep ringing in my head. How the hell would I be able to let it go so easily!? I shouldn¡¯t! If I did, then I¡¯d be pissed at myself for letting something like that slide! So screw school, I¡¯m doing this!
¡°Ross, Jackson.¡±
¡°Sup,¡± they simultaneously answer, harmonizing their voices.
¡°You guys head to school. I got something else to do.¡±
They share glances. ¡°Where ya goin¡¯?¡± Ross asks me.
¡°I¡¯m gonna go fight that punk everyone is talking about and beat that bastard to the ground.¡±
¡°Really? But that dude is insanely strong,¡± Jackson warns me.
¡°Yeah, he ain¡¯t a normal punk, boss. He¡¯ll¡¡±
Before he can even finish his sentence, I grab him by the collar. ¡°Finish that sentence, I dare ya!¡± I can see the fear in his eyes, shielding his head from an attack¡ Gah, what the hell am I doing? I¡¯m just taking my frustration out on the wrong people. I let him go gently. ¡°...Listen, I¡¯m gonna go fight him by myself. You guys don¡¯t need to stick around if you don¡¯t want to. I can do this on my own.¡±
I turn from them as I walk down the sidewalk. I¡¯ll understand if they don¡¯t want to, but either way, I¡¯m going.
¡°Wait, boss! You can¡¯t go on your own,¡± Jackson says, blocking the way forward with his arms.
¡°Dat¡¯s right, boss, ya can¡¯t go alone.¡±.
¡°We¡¯re a gang, so if one of us fights, we all fight, remember!?¡±
Yeah, I do¡
When we were kids, we got bullied a lot. I was a pathetic kid with no attitude to stand up for myself. But one day, someone came and beat up the kids bullying me. I remember how they were crying after one punch from him; it honestly pissed me off when they were crying after getting hit, even though they were hitting me with no problem.
After that, the kid picked me up from the ground and asked me, ¡°why did you let them beat you up¡±. All I could say was, ¡°I¡¯m too weak to do so¡ At least that¡¯s what the other kids called me¡±. What he said next was life-changing, ¡°Then become stronger and beat the shit out of them¡±. It was so simple, yet filled with everything I needed to hear.
The next time I saw those kids, I hit them the moment one of them tried to hit me. Course, I got in trouble, but I didn¡¯t give a shit; I felt proud of myself. Shortly after, I met these two guys getting bullied by some big kids. I tried to beat them up, but I got my ass kicked by them in the end. Yet, these guys thanked me even when I got my ass royally kicked. So, we became friends, fought back against the guys messing with us, and we eventually formed our own gang. And if one of us got into trouble, the others would come running¡ How could I forget that?
¡°Yeah¡ You guys are right. We¡¯re in this together.¡± My jacket sways as I dramatically turn my back to them. ¡°Come on, guys! We¡¯re gonna kick this new punk down to the ground. And we¡¯re gonna show Proxy what¡¯s what!¡±
¡°Yes, boss,¡± they scream together in the middle of the crowd.
People are staring at us, but I don¡¯t give a shit about that. We march through the crowd of onlookers. Watch out, you new punk, I¡¯m coming to kick your ass.
NewPort Island - residential district - Birch residence - afternoon
Richard and I walked back with Lauren to her place, since we have nothing better to do. Plus, she said she wants to show us an anime she found last night, so who am I to say no to a good time?
She takes out her key to the house, unlocking the door. The first thing I always see when this door opens is two sets of stairs, one leading up to four rooms: Birch¡¯s room, Lauren¡¯s little sister¡¯s room, a closet, and a bathroom. The other set leads to the basement, which is Lauren¡¯s room. There¡¯s a spacious closet under there where most of the junk goes. The basement itself is big enough for people to move around without it getting cramped.
The living room is the first room you see when you enter. A couch faces a wide-screen tv with a coffee table in between them. There¡¯s a door at the far end of the living room that leads into the kitchen.
¡°Dad, Holly, I¡¯m home.¡±
On cue, someone comes running from upstairs. A little girl with blonde hair and pigtails.
¡°Sister! Welcome home,¡± she gives an adorable welcome. She gasps when she sees me and Richard. ¡°Glasses, Proxy!¡±
A while back, when Richard first met Holly, she heard me call him glasses, so that¡¯s been his nickname ever since. Richard doesn¡¯t seem to mind, so I guess it¡¯s all cool.
¡°Sup there, Holly,¡± I greet her with a hi-five.
¡°Hello, Holly,¡± Richard casually greets her.
¡°Is dad here?¡± Lauren asks.
¡°He¡¯s in the kitchen. Daddy, big sister is home!¡±
The door to the kitchen opens, showing the detective without a suit jacket on.
¡°Welcome home, Lauren. Proxy, Richard, nice to see you here.¡±
¡°Hello, Mr. Birch,¡± Richard warmly greets him.
¡°Yo,¡± I wave at him.
¡°How was school?¡±
¡°Good,¡± we all answer.
Birch just laughs from our shared answer. ¡°Good to hear. Hey, speaking of which, I heard you¡¯re the valedictorian, Richard. Congratulations.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know what that is, but congratulations,¡± Holly says with the cutest smile ever as she claps for Richard alongside Birch
¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s a great deal. It shows you buckled down and worked hard to make it to such a point. Don¡¯t be so modest.¡±
¡°Y-you think so? Well, I suppose I ?deserve it¡¡±
If his ego hasn¡¯t been inflated, it definitely has been now.
¡°Yo, dad, you get anything from the store?¡±
¡°Just some drinks. I¡¯ll get something for dinner tomorrow.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t feel like cooking? If that¡¯s the case, I can whip something nice for all of you,¡± I offer.
¡°Yay, Proxy¡¯s cooking,¡± Holly cheers.
¡°As nice as that sounds, I was thinking we can all go out to get something to eat. I was going to call you to get Richard to meet us at a restaurant, but since you''re here already, we can all go together.¡±
¡°Shi--¡± My voice cuts off before finishing. I can¡¯t be cursing in front of Holly; I might be a delinquent, but cursing in front of kids is uncool. ¡°...I mean, sweet! Where we headin¡¯?¡±
¡°To Cheddar Factory.¡±
The mention of the place raises my eyebrows and gets my blood pumping from the mention. Richard and Lauren seem just as surprised.
¡°You serious, dad?¡±
¡°Of course, you¡¯re all graduating middle school soon, and let¡¯s call it an early celebration for Richard.¡±
This excitement can¡¯t be contained! I must fist bump my hand! ¡°Alright! Then let¡¯s eat and engorge ourselves!¡±
¡°You just said the same word,¡± Lauren points out, slanting her head with her arms crossed.
¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Richard directs a stiff expression of gratitude to Birch ¡°...I¡¯ll be sure to not order too much!.
¡°It¡¯s okay¡ But thanks.¡± Birch brings his attention to Lauren. ¡°You wanna come, too?¡±
¡°Sure, sounds fun. Just let me go change.¡±
She heads downstairs to the basement.
¡°Big sister, help me change, too!¡±
Holly chases after Lauren, descending the stairs in a cute ass way.
Birch tugs at the fringe of his suit¡¯s collar. ¡°Well, I might as well go in this. Sorry, there¡¯s nothing for the both of you to change into.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. These uniforms are good enough.¡±
¡°I guess you have a point. I¡¯m gonna go see if we should take my car or transport.¡±
Yeah, traffic isn¡¯t uncommon, so I¡¯d say public transport is the best way to go. Still, I¡¯m pretty excited about this.
Richard leans over to me. ¡°So, Proxy. Did you pass your final year?¡± he whispers into my ear.
¡°Hell yeah I did. I passed 3 out of 4 of my quarters.¡±
¡°Ah, I see.¡±
Richard¡¯s face tells me he¡¯s surprised that I even passed in the first place.
¡°What, thought I failed?¡±
¡°What!? No, not for a second.¡±
¡°Man, you could at least cover your ass better than that.¡±
Birch emerges from the kitchen, his phone in hand. ¡°Okay, looks like we can use my car.¡±
I pump my fist again, raising the hype thrashing inside me. ¡°Sweet. Me and Richard are gonna wait outside.¡±
¡°Alright, we¡¯ll meet you outside.¡±
With our plan down, Richard and I leave the residence, heading for Birch¡¯s car
¡°Looking forward to the food?¡± I ask him.
¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m not, and to be transparent, I¡¯m kind of honored.¡±
¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. Just enjoy the fact we¡¯re gonna be having a good time.¡±
He lets out a hearty chuckle, loosening the tense look on his face. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right¡ But besides that, it slipped my mind earlier. Did you get the text I sent you?¡±
A text? Well, it''s not like I would know since my phone is dead.
¡°What was it about?¡±
¡°Some guy is gunning for you.¡±
Damn, this new guy again? I haven¡¯t seen his face and he¡¯s already pissing me off.
¡°I know. Some Merlin gang members told me about him. He¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. He might be stronger than you think?¡±
¡°Just relax. We¡¯ll cross that bridge when we get there. Besides, I don¡¯t wanna think about that dude. Let¡¯s just focus on the food!¡±
Even though I told him not to worry, it seems as if he¡¯s holding something back. I know he¡¯s concerned, but I wanna worry about this new guy later. Shit, even saying that, I¡¯m still worried about that punk from the arcade. I don''t know if he''s stupid enough to still go after the new punk, but maybe he¡¯s smarter than I realize¡ Yeah, I doubt that.
Proxy - the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island - part 4
NewPort Island - ship docks - warehouse #13 - evening
Ships are leaving the port in the distance. The sultry night air fills the warehouse near the docks. I can hear the sea from here, brushing against the cliff of the docks outside of this damp warehouse, where little moonlight can seep through the holes in the roof.
A kick hits my chin. The pain is throbbing like crazy. Shit, I can barely see it coming! My ass hits the ground. A laugh erupts from some dude in the back, sitting on a chair with a girl on his lap. She''s laughing as well.
¡°How lame,¡± he says. His deep voice echoes inside the warehouse. ¡°Ain¡¯t that right, baby?¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty pathetic.¡±
God, their voices are pissing me off. I¡¯m gonna get past this guy, then kick that big guy''s ass! I use all the strength I have left to get back up, but a round-house smashes against my head, smacking me to the ground.
¡°How weak,¡± my opponent, looking down on me with a disappointed gaze, says in a Russian accent. ¡°You¡¯re barely worth my best kick.¡± He stomps the side of my torso. I scream out as a painful jolt runs through my side. If he kicks any harder, he¡¯ll break something. ¡°Boss, what do you wish to do with his men?¡± the Russian kid asks the guy on the chair.
¡°Hmm¡ Maybe we should beat them up, too? What do you think, baby?¡±
¡°Nah, they look so wimpish.¡±
¡°Shut da hell up,¡± Ross bellows.
¡°Who the hell are you telling to shut up, chicken shit!?¡± the girl curses with a vulgar expression. ¡°You¡¯re not gonna let them talk to me that way, right?¡±
¡°Shut up,¡± the big guy tells her. She shuts her lips as soon as he tells her. Even I can tell she¡¯s afraid of the guy. ¡°Nah, I need them to do something for me.¡±
¡°Screw you! We¡¯ll never work for you!¡±
¡°Yeah, we¡¯d rather die than work with ya!¡±
¡°I see. Ivan, would you kindly kick that loser under your foot?¡±
Without a word, he ruthlessly kicks me, causing me to cry out in pain again. Ross and Jackson¡¯s faces contort in horror. Damn it, that didn¡¯t hurt at all, not whatsoever!
¡°Boss,¡± they both yell
¡°Now, I can have my Russian friend here kick him again, but you probably won¡¯t like that. So just do me a favor and I won¡¯t hurt your ¡®boss¡¯.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t listen to him! Just run!¡±
¡°Quiet!¡±
He stomps my ribs again, but not with enough force to break them, thankfully enough.
¡°So, what¡¯s it gonna be, boys? Do me a favor to help your boss, or do you wanna watch Ivan finish him off?¡±
Shit, if only I can stand up, I¡¯d beat the hell out of this guy! Damnit, who am I kidding? I can¡¯t beat this guy, and these guys better know that as well. They need to get out of here.
¡°Guys, forget about me! Just--¡±
¡°What do you want us to do?¡±
My jaw hit the ground. These idiots!
¡°I said run! Don¡¯t--¡±
¡°We¡¯ll do anything to save our boss, ya bastards!¡±
The big guy laughs like an annoying hyena again. ¡°Loyalty, I like that!¡±
¡°I admit, seeing loyal underlings is truly rare,¡± the Russian named Ivan voices his surprise, keeping his foot on my chest.
¡°It¡¯s so cute¡ Though, too bad they aren¡¯t my type.¡±
¡°Who cares. Just tell us what to do.¡±
¡°Alright then. Go find me the punk named Proxy. Bring him here. Do that and you can all walk free¡ I expect him to be here in about 3 hours, or else.¡±
Of course, that¡¯s what he wants. I want to get up, but with this guy on me, I can¡¯t go anywhere. Even if I got up, he¡¯d only knock me down again. But I can¡¯t let them ?bring him; this is my fight, not his.
¡°Right, we¡¯ll bring Proxy here! But you better return our boss.¡±
The both of them run out of the warehouse.
¡°Wait, don¡¯t bring him here! This is... this is my fight, you idiots!¡±
¡°Be quiet.¡±
A quick hit to the head knocks me against the ground. My head is growing hazy as my eyelids are getting heavy. Goddamnit, how can I be this weak? Maybe he was right. My dumbass should¡¯ve listened¡ But, I just wanted to prove myself.
Cheddar Factory - evening
After half an hour of being seated, our food finally arrived. Everything on the table looked delicious, exciting the primal part of me, as humiliating as it is. The restaurant gives off a welcoming feeling when you enter with multiple people. The aesthetic of the interior is that of Egyptian decor, with murals of old pharaohs on the roof. I find it odd since this restaurant chain has nothing to do with Egypt. Maybe it¡¯s for aesthetic sake?
¡°Daddy, may I use the bathroom?¡± Holly politely asks with her hand raised.
¡°Sure. Lauren, can you take her?¡±
¡°Okay. Come on, Holly.¡±
Lauren and Holly leave the table as they hold hands.
Proxy gets out of the table as well. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go use the bathroom as well. When the waitress comes around, tell her I want a refill.¡±
He heads for the bathroom with his hands in his pocket. This leaves me and Birch alone together.
¡°So¡¡± Birch opens, bringing his attention to me. ¡°...How was the food?¡±
¡°It was delectable. Thank you for taking us all out.¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. But you must be excited about graduation.¡±
¡°Kind of. I¡¯m just glad my year went by without any problems.¡±
¡°Me too. Speaking of graduation, are your parents coming?¡±
My breath halts, and my skin tightens at the mention of them. It¡¯s not as if he said anything wrong, he just doesn¡¯t know.
¡°No, they won¡¯t be¡ My mom is dead.¡±
Mr. Birch¡¯s face reflects the regret that immediately struck him.
¡°...I¡¯m sorry. That was rude for me to say.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s fine. It happened 7 years ago. I¡¯ve already come to terms with it.¡±
¡°That still doesn¡¯t make it right. I should¡¯ve known better.¡±
I don¡¯t want him to get upset over a mistake because I didn¡¯t tell him anything.
¡°Sir, it really is okay. I don¡¯t blame you, so don¡¯t get upset over it.¡±
His face is returning to its warmer demeanor. Thank goodness. Don¡¯t know what would¡¯ve happened if I caused him to fall into a depressive mood.
¡°Then what about your father?¡± he asks, cautious with the question this time. ¡°...Is he¡?¡±
¡°No, at least, I don¡¯t think so.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°He went missing a year after our mother''s death. Nobody knows where he went.¡±
¡°Did anyone file a missing person report?¡±
¡°I think so, but nothing so far.¡±
Birch folds his hands, interlocking them to each other as he puts his elbows on the table with his mouth right in front of his hands. ¡°I see¡ Then, who registered you for St. Merlin?¡±
¡°My older brother.¡±
¡°Where is he?¡±
Truth is, I don¡¯t know. After being admitted to St. Merlin and getting settled into my dorm room, we didn¡¯t stay in touch all too much. Would I be able to lie about it though? Well, might as well. I don¡¯t want to have my relationship with my brother put into question.
¡°He lives in--¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know, do you?¡±
The feeling in my throat goes numb. My hands also go just as numb.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
¡°H-how were you able to--¡±
¡°I can see the distress on your face when I asked where he lived.¡±
Yeah, he¡¯s a detective. Of course he was going to see through me. I don¡¯t even know why I tried to go for it.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for lying. My brother and I don¡¯t keep in touch. He sends me money, but other than that, there¡¯s nothing else.¡±
Mr. Birch puts the side of his index finger to his lips. ¡°Did you ever try to call him?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Is that so¡¡± He stares holes into my eyes. His gaze is nothing scary, but completely serious. ¡°It might not be my business, but I think you should call him. You should tell him you''re graduating as a valedictorian. Not only for that, but just to know that he¡¯s alright.¡±
¡°That would be an awfully terse call. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯d even care to hear that.¡±
¡°If he¡¯s your brother, then he won¡¯t mind.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Of course, you two are the only family you have. Family is important to have a happy life, so you should try to reach out to him. And let me tell you, when you''re the only family you two have, then knowing the other is safe can make all the difference.¡±
He looks over to Lauren, Holly, and Proxy, who¡¯re coming from the bathroom.
¡°Those kids are the only family I have. Just being with them is enough to make me happy. As long as I¡¯m able, I''ll make ?them happy. Even if we aren¡¯t related by blood, I¡¯ll do my best to fill the gap.¡±
I can sense two contradicting feelings from his words. His happiness shows he¡¯s genuine about his love for them, but he¡¯s also sad¡ Holly isn¡¯t really his daughter. She became an orphan when she was 3. About 7 years ago her, parents died in a terrible fire that consumed the center part of the city, going for 10 miles. He adopted her when she was 4... The pain of losing your parents at such a young age is probably lighter, but it¡¯s still going to hurt when she gets older.
"That family includes you too, Richard.¡±
¡°Me?¡±
¡°Yeah, over the past 3 years, you''ve gotten to be familiar with us, and us with you. So we consider you family. Same deal with Proxy. The both of you are special to us. So don¡¯t think you¡¯re alone, okay?¡±
I hang my head away from Mr. Birch. My eyes are tearing up. No, suck it up! I can¡¯t cry over something like this! Not because I¡¯m not touched, but because it would be awkward.
¡°We¡¯re back, daddy!¡± Holly returns, happy to see her father, but she takes notice of me. ¡°Hm? What¡¯s wrong, glasses?¡±
I wipe my eyes to get rid of the tears that got out. I put on a smile to settle Holly¡¯s concern for me. ¡°Nothing, nothing at all.¡±
¡°Are you okay, Richard?¡± Lauren voices her concern, not attempting to hide it.
¡°You okay, buddy? Did you miss me that badly?¡± Proxy cracks a joke to ease the mood.
¡°Who would miss you?¡± Lauren bites, poking at his chest.
¡°You wound me. All the good boys and girls would miss me, right, Holly?¡±
¡°Yeah, I would miss you a lot.¡±
¡°There you have it.¡±
Their banter goes on, Proxy arguing over his joke as Lauren rebukes him. I have the urge to just laugh. This urge grows stronger and stronger. I can¡¯t suppress it anymore. With little regard for how I come off, I let out a quiet but audible enough laugh for everyone at the table to hear.
¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Lauren asks, not mad or irritated, but just curious.
¡°Sorry, sorry. It¡¯s just¡ I needed that. Thanks.¡±
¡°No problem, buddy. Count on me to make you laugh any time.¡±
¡°So you wanna be laughed at?¡± Lauren jabs at him, laughing at his expense.
¡°Shut it!¡±
¡°No fighting,¡± Holly shouts at them.
¡°Come on, guys, settle down.¡±
Despite Mr. Birch¡¯s request, they still bicker against one another, catching the other customers. This whole picture is giving me a feeling of nostalgia that I thought died inside me a long time ago¡ So this is what being with family is like? Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d be able to feel this again? I¡¯m glad.
¡
After paying the bill, Birch went with Holly to go buy some stuff in the strip mall near here. Me, Lauren, and Richard are just hanging around outside. My stomach definitely has more than a hole filled. That food was too damn good, and don¡¯t get me started on that brown bread¡
¡°Proxy, you gonna go home?¡± Richard asks.
¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ll go back with Lauren and the others to their house, then go home. How about you?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be going with you, if that¡¯s okay?¡±
¡°No problem. We can stay up since finals are over.¡±
¡°No, we can¡¯t.¡±
Looking around, I see two guys push their way through a crowd of people. Hey, I recognize those two, they''re that brown-haired punk¡¯s lackeys?
¡°Proxy!¡±
I get into my fighting position as they close in. Hang on, where is their boss? They always walk together whenever he¡¯s coming to fight me, plus, they seem like they¡¯re in a hurry. They stop right in front of me, panting heavily.
¡°Proxy...there ya are,¡± the punk, whose name I think is Ross, says.
¡°What do you want, and where¡¯s your boss? Is he having an off day?¡±
¡°Nah, the boss is in danger!¡±
The first thing that runs through my head is the image of him fighting that new punk.
¡°Did he go after the--¡±
¡°The new guy? Yeah, he did,¡± The punk named Jackson interrupts me.
I told that freaking dumbass not to go after him! Gah, what a moron! Even after I showed him the difference in power he still did it.
¡°That big bastard has some Russian dude, and he beat da boss up. They told us to bring ya, or else.¡±
They get on their knees, bowing to me, pleading to help them. God damnit, now I¡¯m just pissed. How can a guy be so stupid? Either way, seeing them this desperate to have me help their idiot boss is too much for me to say no to. Besides, even though that idiot got himself in that mess, I can¡¯t let him fend for himself.
¡°Where are they?¡± I ask.
¡°They¡¯re at da docks, warehouse #13! We can take ya!¡±
Birch is still not back from shopping with Holly. Guess we¡¯ll have to go without him, but I¡¯ll have Lauren go get him.
¡°Lauren, go get Birch. Tell him to meet us at the docks!¡±
¡°On it!¡±
¡°Richard, you wanna go with Lauren?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯ll go with you!¡±
¡°Fine, then let¡¯s go! You two, lead the way.¡±
¡°Roger!¡±
The lackeys lead the way as Richard and I follow behind them. We move past crowds of people for the train station that will get us close to the docks. If we book it, we can make it on a train now, but we¡¯ll have to do it without paying. Nothing new to me.
¡°We¡¯re sorry for bothering you,¡± Jackson apologizes.
"Eh, think nothing of it. But why did you let him fight that guy?"
"We thought if we fought him together, we would have a chance."
"Stupid idea. No matter how you slice it, you''re wasting your time ganging up on someone stronger than you guys."
"We know, but we couldn''t abandon da boss, ya know? Dat''s why we rushed to find ya. If we bring ya to the new punk, then he''ll let da boss go."
This new guy is also a snake. What a little world we live in. Still, though, I''m dying to see what this new guy is like.
"...How badly injured is your boss?" Richard poses a question.
"Not too bad, but he got his ass kicked by the Russian dude we mentioned."
A Russian? Shit, this is getting cooler by the second. Still, I haven''t heard much of this big guy fighting, and the way he''s referencing this Russian guy makes it sound like an entirely different person.
"It''s so pathetic!" Jackson yells aloud. "We just left our boss there, on the ground, and didn''t even continue the fight! It''s so damn cowardly!"
Riddled with pure disgust and anger, his voice breaks a little. He''s not wrong. It is cowardly to just turn tail instead of fighting for your friend. But¡
"You''re right, it is cowardly, but you didn''t abandon your friend for your own asses. You rushed to find me and get your boss out of danger. So you''re a hell of a lot better than scum, and that makes you cool in my book.¡±
I can hear both of them sobbing as they use their arms to hide it.
"Hey, hey! I know emotions are high, but stop crying and watch where you''re going!"
Docks - Warehouse #13 - evening
After getting from the station and running the rest of the way, we made it to the warehouse. Richard keels over, desperately taking in large amounts of air. The others barely seem tired. I''m holding up okay. A run like that isn¡¯t gonna wear me down. Booking it here, it took us 30 minutes to reach this place. There aren¡¯t any workers around here since this warehouse is abandoned, so it''s not rare for gang fights to happen here. I peek inside the warehouse, I see a guy stepping on someone else. The one being stepped on is that idiot punk.
"Proxy¡what''s...you''re plan...of action?" Richard barely utters in between breaths.
"Easy, this." I walk into the warehouse, into sight of the others inside here. The guy stepping on the idiot sees me, as well as a dude sitting on a chair with a girl on his lap. "Yo, yo, yo! Heard you wanted to see me."
I make my dynamic, rambunctious entrance to catch their attention and to show them who they''re messing with.
"Well, ain''t this a surprise," the guy in the back says. "Those goons of yours came back with Proxy? You must feel so proud, huh?"
He directs all this to the idiot, who is not even conscious. He looks beaten to hell and back.
I bring my attention to the guy standing on him. From what I can guess, he must be the Russian? He''s ?taller than me, his face is pale, and his expression is the definition of a thug.
"I''m only gonna tell you this once: let him go."
"And if I don''t?" he answers me with a question.
"Simple..." I walk up to him as the others tell me not to go up towards him. "...I''ll just kick your ass."
We''re standing right in front of one another, looking each other in the eyes.
"Such a cocky kid. You approach me with no hesitation."
"What can I say? I already know how this is gonna go. With me kicking your--"
A kick flashes at my head. The kick is too fast for anyone to dodge¡ Is what I would say if I didn''t see it coming. Right before it came, I jumped back, avoiding the attack altogether. His left leg rests, raised in a diagonal direction.
"Whoa, you avoided Ivan''s attack. Pretty damn impressive, Proxy," the dude in the back tells me.
Big dude, like I¡¯ve heard, and sporting that smug, punchable face. Perfect.
"It seems as if I was too slow to hit you. Allow me to rectify that."
He closes the gap I made between us, coming in with a barrage of kicks. I move out of the way of each one. They aren¡¯t fast enough to catch me off guard or put me on the defensive. Though it''s impressive, he¡¯s able to kick like this, it has a glaring weakness, and that¡¯s locking his leg with a grapple. Sure, he can use his other leg by having it leave the ground and delivering an unsuspecting kick, but if I guard it, he¡¯s toast. But that¡¯s boring. I want to beat him when he uses that high kick.
Like he¡¯s reading my mind, he steps forward, his body lowered with his left leg forward; he¡¯s going to do it again! Once again, he goes for another high kick, but a quicker to throw version, aimed for my shoulder. If it connect, he could break my shoulder blade. Unfortunately for him, I can still see it coming. Dodging it is the easiest thing in the world.
Bewildered, my opponent gasps, unable to process what happened. ¡°What!? How did you see my kick?¡±
¡°You¡¯re not that fast, and besides¡¡± I use my left leg to hit him in the balls. His face instantly takes on a hollow expression as he lets out a ghastly shriek of agony. He sinks to the ground, covering his balls. ¡°...You kick too high, leaving no defense where it matters.¡±
¡°Yeah! Ya beat dat Russian dude,¡± Ross cheers as he hops around.
¡°Forget about this guy. Get your boss.¡±
"R-right!"
The lackeys run over to me and the idiot. They carefully pick him up from the ground. Good, one down, another to go. I stroll over to the big cheese with my hands in my pockets. His girl gets off him as he stands up from his delicate ass folding chair.
He does a slow clap as I approach. "You beat Ivan, pretty impressive, man."
"I''m sure it is, but I wouldn''t be concerned about him. You''re about to get messed up today."
"If you think you got the guts, then come on."
"That''s okay. You got more than enough for the both of us."
He lets out a disgruntled growl under his breath. "You think you''re real funny, doncha?"
"Don''t know. I''ve been told I can be funny, but who cares about that?"
I stop about 2 feet in front of him, my fists are raring to go as my opponent takes off his large jacket, kicking up dust from the ground from its descent.
"You have anything left to say before I send you to the hospital?"
His threat looms with an arrogant bravado. He probably thinks just because he''s bigger, it means he''ll beat me in no time at all. If that''s the case, then he has no chance.
"Sure I do... I''m gonna show you who''s the strongest!"
Proxy - the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island - part Finale
NewPort Island - docks - warehouse #13 - evening
The air is tense, if not stale, as I stand in front of my opponent, staring him down as he scowls at me. As if that ugly mug can scare me. His girl is smirking, probably feeling smug since she thinks I¡¯ll get crushed. Sorry lady, but your boy toy is going to get crushed.
¡°Before you go to the hospital, how do you wanna go out?¡± The huge punk asks, sneering his ass off.
¡°Why ask me that question?¡±
¡°Smart guy, aren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Anyone would be, compared to you.¡±
This sets him off as he balls up his fists. He¡¯s easily angered for someone who acts like a cool guy. That helps me if I piss him off hard enough. His expression shows he¡¯s cooling down since he¡¯s going from uber pissed to smug again.
¡°Pretty funny remark, I¡¯ll give you that. However¡¡±
His sudden pause instinctually makes me realize that the fight has begun. He throws a heavy punch. My body shifts out of the way, barely avoiding it. Three punches from me find their mark against his chest. Each blow gets the same reaction: a solid feeling. He must¡¯ve built his chest for defense, so it¡¯s a no-go. He brings his fists down like a meteor. I jump out of the way, causing him to stop short of hitting the ground. I take a crouched position after my dodge roll. Charging in without a plan is stupid. His build keeps him from sustaining any injuries around his chest, save for a few areas: His head and limbs.
¡°Proxy, you okay?¡± Richard yells from outside the warehouse.
¡°I¡¯m cool. Lackeys, get your boss!¡±
¡°Yeah!¡±
They run for their boss, side by side. The new guy is going to intercept them. Now is my chance to get him with his pants down. My body enacts what my mind laid out as I charge at the new punk. With one leap, I tuck in my legs. A moment later, kicking his head, jerking it in the direction my feet are pushing.
¡°Pay attention to me, you son of a bitch!¡±
The palm of my left hand is first to touch the ground as my hand stretched out for it. Without a thought to begin it, my right leg hits the enemy in his right knee cap. A shrill scream escapes his lungs. With one hand on the ground, I use it to push myself away from my opponent, who slammed his foot against the hard, concrete ground, cracking it a little. It would be impressive if he wasn¡¯t wearing steel-toed boots. Then again, it¡¯s impressive he¡¯s able to move with them.
¡°You little bastard.¡±
¡°Come on, big guy. An attack like that won¡¯t settle this. No, we¡¯re just getting started.¡±
Speeding off towards my enemy, I crouch with my arms in front of me. I slip past his intercepting attack, my first two strikes aim at his knees. He quickly uses his knee to hit me. However, I block it. My right arm wraps around his leg, striking with my left fist at his knee again. His knee-jerk reaction pushes me away from him. Not wanting to let him recover, I rush at him. His foot shoots forward as I approach. With a firm step to the side, I evaded the attack. Approaching him from the front, I chop the kneecap of the leg he used to kick while directing a kick to his head. I can feel it violently pressing and grinding against his head as I spin around.
A late punch comes right after I move back. This guy¡¯s reaction time is terrible, sluggish in his strikes as well. This gives me the edge of coming in and out from attacking him as I continue my assault against him. The longer this prolongs, the more exhausted he¡¯s going to become from trying to hit me and tanking attacks.
¡°Why don¡¯t you...just...stop moving!¡± His breathing is erratic, looking like he¡¯s gonna pass out any second. ¡°You think you¡¯re all that? Well, guess what: I have a secret attack.¡±
"Really, then let''s see this--"
A warning blares off in my brain, telling me that someone¡¯s about to hit me over the head from behind. Trusting this instinct, I duck, avoiding the attack. Taking a quick glance behind me, it¡¯s the chick that was sitting on this dude¡¯s lap. Her face turns to shock, seeing that she missed me.
¡°Boo,¡± I shout at her. She jumps back, scared by my sudden surprise. ¡°Seriously, this is the best you got? This is disappointing. Let¡¯s end this already.¡±
¡°Screw you, you little bastard! I¡¯ll end you!¡±
Proclaiming this, he charges forward. The pure rage on his face shows that he''s forgone a plan. I thought this guy was a monster with a particular way of fighting, but it just turns out he banked on his bulk and height. Honestly, so disappointing.
¡°Sorry, man, but you¡¯re the one who¡¯s going down.¡±
Closing in, he goes for a grab, enclosing both his arms around me. The attack is easy to read since it¡¯s telegraphed. He¡¯s done.
One punch to his knee is all it takes for him to fall to pieces. To say he screamed would be an understatement, as his voice echoes from the warehouse into the night sky. He clenches his knee as he drops to the ground.
"Looks like that did it," I tell him, approaching without any worries in the world.
"W-what did you do to my leg?" he spits out his words, desperate to get the words out.
"I kept hitting it until it weakened. You running with it did you no favors, so it made it easier to reach its breaking point."
Lauren told me about this tactic a while back. She said we all put an amount of pressure on our legs when walking, running, or standing. So I kept punching and kicking till his legs were tuckered out. They aren¡¯t broken, but he¡¯s not walking for a while.
"Duncan, why the hell are you just sitting there!? Get up and finish him!"
The girl behind me demands yelling in an annoying ass voice.
I turn to her, putting my index finger against my lip. "Be quiet, you''re too noisy."
She shuts her lip, stepping back from me in fear. I turn my attention back to my opponent.
"...Do you see now? You wanted to fight me. This is what happens; this is what it means to fight!" I kick his face, knocking him out in one go. "Now go to sleep."
His head hits the ground with a loud thump, the air runs silent and so does everyone else in this abandoned warehouse. The silence itself is an indicator that I won¡
"He did it," one lackey announces, yelling inside the warehouse. "He did, you did it, he did it!"
"Yeah, he best da shit out of dat bastard!"
They dance around like a pair of idiots as the woman makes a break for it, leaving her man and the Russian behind. Yep, that settles it. This is my victory¡ Why does that feel hollow?
Richard runs up to me, nearly tripping himself. He grabs my shoulders when he reached me. "Proxy, you did it.
"Did you doubt me?"
"Not for a single second!"
Feels good to hear that. Now that all of this is settled, I''ll go see if the punk is okay.
¡
The punk is opening his eyes after a few minutes of waiting and lightly slapping his cheeks. He sits up from off the ground as we surround him.
"Guys¡ Proxy?"
"Yo."
"Boss," his lackeys cry, lunging at him in celebration.
"Hey, get off me! I said get off!"
He pushes them off him with the force of a piston. He gets up from the ground, brushing himself off.
"You okay?" I ask. He stays dead quiet, averting his eyes away from me. "Hey, you hear me?"
"Y-yeah...I do."
"Then are you okay?"
"Yeah¡"
He''s acting more reclusive than he usually is. Well, at least he''s okay, but still¡
"Why did you go after that guy?" He hangs his head low, still avoiding eye contact. "...You should''ve known he was going to kick your ass. I mean, are you stupid, or are you stupid?"
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
I''m not as angry as I was before, but I want to know if he¡¯s just stupid, or if he has a death wish.
¡°I know,¡± he whispers.
¡°Know what?¡±
¡°...I know I¡¯m weak!¡±
¡°Boss, ya ain¡¯t weak!¡±
¡°Yeah, you¡¯re--¡±
¡°Quiet! Let me speak¡ Deep down inside, I knew I wouldn¡¯t win against that guy. I knew ?you were right about me, but I just¡ I just wanted to prove to you ?I was strong. I wanted to show you how far I¡¯ve come.¡±
¡°Why do you care what I think?¡±
¡°Because you gave me the inspiration to fight for my ?sake!¡±
Since when did I ever do that? Richard and the others look just as confused as I am.
¡°You lost me,¡± I plain-out tell him.
¡°When we were kids, you saved me from some bullies, then you told me ?I should get stronger. After that day, I did just that.¡± There were a lot of kids I saved from bullies, so I can¡¯t say I remember him specifically. ¡°...That¡¯s why I wanted to prove my strength, so you can see that your words struck me, like a bat over the head.¡±
¡°So that¡¯s why you always try to jump Proxy?¡± Richard guesses.
¡°Yeah, but I can see that it was a waste of time. I ain¡¯t that strong, I¡¯m still weak¡¡±
He sinks to his knees with his head hung low. His hands ball up, quivering with shame. His lackeys are growing concerned for him. Man, I didn¡¯t know someone would take me seriously when I told them that. To be honest, I never said it to help them, but just to air out what was on my mind¡ Still, I can¡¯t leave the guy like this.
¡°Get up, you look pathetic.¡±
¡°Proxy!¡± Richard shakes me with one hand on my shoulder. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Come on, get up!¡± I lift him from the ground, letting him go to stand on his own. ¡°So you''re okay with being weak?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Dumbass, I asked if you want to be weak forever!?¡±
¡°No, but--¡±
¡°No buts, just get stronger. If it¡¯s so simple for you to give up, then I guess you like being below someone¡¯s foot?¡±
¡°Of course I don¡¯t!¡±
¡°Then why the hell would you want to be weak? Didn¡¯t it piss you off just being pushed around?¡±
¡°It did!¡±
¡°Then guess what? It¡¯ll happen again if someone stronger comes, and it¡¯ll only be a matter of time before they have their foot on top of your head. So tell me, do you still wanna give up on growing stronger, or is that too hard?¡±
The punk¡¯s body shakes, his fists still clenched. He shoots his head upward, facing me with a determined expression. His eyes are screaming, ¡°to hell with that¡±.
¡°Screw that! Nothing¡¯s hard for me! I ain¡¯t gonna be nobody¡¯s bitch! Just watch, I¡¯ll grow stronger, and I¡¯ll prove you didn¡¯t waste your words on me; I swear on my soul.¡±
Hell yeah, now that¡¯s what I wanted to hear. This guy may have a long way to go, but he¡¯s off to a good ass start.
¡°Then I want to know your name. Kind of funny that I don¡¯t know it, considering you''ve been jumping me for the longest time.¡±
His friends always call him boss, and he has little to no street cred, so his name has been a mystery for the longest time.
¡°It¡¯s Angelo. I wanted to tell you my name when I beat you, but I¡¯ll tell you now so you can look forward to the fight.¡±
¡°Sure thing.¡±
We shake hands. Our grips are as tight as we can make them. He doesn¡¯t flinch, despite how tight I¡¯m grasping his hand, and while I¡¯m able to grin and bear his, his grip is nothing to flinch at¡ Maybe he can get stronger¡ Kinda exciting.
¡°B-boss! Sirens!¡±
I was so caught up in my thoughts that the sirens went past my notice. The repetitive sound draws closer as it approaches the warehouse. A car comes to a stop near us. The passenger and driver seat doors open. Birch and Lauren come from the car, Holly is in the back seat, waving at me with her happy expression.
¡°Lauren told me the situation. Is everyone okay?¡± Birch is the first one to open his mouth. He comes in, checking out Angelo. ¡°You okay? Do you need a doctor?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m fine, sir. Wait, speaking of which! Proxy, that punk, what did you do with him?¡±
¡°Oh, him. He¡¯s in the warehouse, taking a nice nap with his friend.¡±
Birch heads into the warehouse by himself while Lauren sticks with us.
¡°So, how strong was the guy,¡± Lauren asks me, not surprised that I beat him.
¡°He was all brawn and no brains. I tried that tactic about stressing the knee, worked like a charm.¡±
¡°Nice to see you deploying tactics every once in a while.¡±
¡°Yeah, guess it ain¡¯t all that bad.¡±
¡°Still, I didn¡¯t think the guy was willing to take someone hostage to fight you. That just goes to show that punks are growing more and more dangerous,¡± she states.
¡°Hopefully, it doesn''t get any worse,¡± Richard says.
¡°He¡¯ll be a message for anyone else that wants to face me, and a damn good one.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡± Richard questions.
¡°Eh, not too sure, but hey, at least he¡¯ll stay away.¡±
Hopefully, someone won¡¯t pull shit like this again. If someone wants to fight me, then all they have to do is ask.
Birch walks out of the warehouse, putting his phone away. ¡°I called the paramedics, they should be here within a few minutes.¡±
¡°What about the police?¡±
¡°They¡¯ll be questioned when they wake up, and when that happens, I¡¯ll need you guys to give a testimony to what happened.¡±
Standard stuff, but I don¡¯t feel like doing that. Then again, he might just come to my apartment and drag me to the station, so running now won¡¯t do me any good.
¡°Fine, we¡¯ll give a statement, but it¡¯ll be this: we had a fight as punks, nothing more and nothing less.¡±
¡°Come on, give a better statement," Birch demands.
¡°No better way to say it, sir. We fought like punks, and that¡¯s all there is to it,¡± Angelo parrot.
When you think about it, Angelo went to Duncan as a challenger, then got his ass kicked. So he was searching for danger of his own accord. Angelo seems to understand this, so that means we¡¯re dead set on that.
¡°Don¡¯t be stupid, just give an appropriate statement,¡± Lauren chastises us. We hold our tongues in response. ¡°God, are you all idiots?¡±
Richard flinches, stunned, for some reason. ¡°Why are you involving me?¡±
¡°Are you going to say the same thing as them?¡±
¡°Well¡¡±
¡°Actually, there¡¯ll be no need,¡± Birch chimes in, surprising Lauren.
¡°Dad?¡±
¡°There¡¯ll be no need for them to, not if they had run away before I got here.¡±
Oh, I know what he''s going with this, and I like it.
¡°Mr. Birch, are you going to let us leave?¡±
¡°Not leave, more like getaway.¡±
¡°What are you going to do, dad?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll deal with it. You guys should get going. And you¡¡± Birch points to Angelo. ¡°...Get your face patched up.¡±
¡°O-okay! Thank you, sir! Come on, guys!¡±
Angelo and his friends run, regardless of his injuries. Dude must be a quick healer.
¡°Proxy, you better get going, too.¡±
It would be a great time to go, but then who¡¯s gonna take credit for this? Plus, we need to fill this story out properly.
¡°I changed my mind. I think I¡¯ll stay.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to do that.¡±
¡°Course I do. I can¡¯t let anyone else take credit for beating those bozos in there. So, I¡¯ll take credibility.¡±
I sit on the ground, waiting for the paramedics to arrive. Birch and Lauren rub the back of their necks at the same time. Yeah, I can tell it''s a bit of a headache for them, especially when he gave me the perfect chance to escape.
Richard takes a seat on the ground next to me.
¡°Are you sure about this?¡± I ask him, puzzled by his decision.
¡°Yeah, I am. What about you?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll stay too. It¡¯s only right since I was a witness.¡±
¡°Alright then, tell them the story about how I kicked ass.¡±
¡°Sure thing."
Lauren lets out a sigh. "You two are morons, you know that? Well, I might as well help bulk out the story as well."
She takes a seat with us, whipping out her phone to play a game on it.
Birch just chuckles out loud as he watches us sitting. "Geez, you kids are just rowdy¡ Not that I mind one bit.
6/22 - the center of NewPort - afternoon
Richard and I are walking down a busy sidewalk. People are coming from school, or are going to work, an average walk home in NewPort.
Talk about that big guy died down after I defeated him. My reputation grew even bigger with punks and school gangs alike, fanning the flame of my infamy. Although, I did get into trouble for it, but the school gave me a slap on the wrist and nothing more. As long as you don¡¯t fight on the school premises, they could care less, and that¡¯s fine by me. Overall, I¡¯m glad I resolved this new punk stuff before it got out of hand. However, I haven¡¯t seen Angelo since the other day. I wonder if he¡¯s doing okay.
¡°Hm, well, speak of the devil,¡± I whisper to myself.
¡°What¡? Oh, isn¡¯t that Angelo?¡±
He came out of a corner store with a bag in his hand. His face covered with patches and bandages on his arms. He turns to see us.
¡°Hey, Angelo,¡± Richard casually greets him, waving at him.
Angelo says nothing, wearing a rough look, but not in the sense that he¡¯s angry to see me. He just walks over to me. I don¡¯t feel as if he wants to fight me, so I¡¯m not gonna take a fighting stance. He approaches me, staring me down with those sharp eyes. Mine don¡¯t avert from his powerful gaze. There¡¯s no mistaking it. He¡¯s not the same guy he was before.
¡°I see you¡¯re doing fine,¡± I open the conversation.
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m cool. My mom was furious when I came home lookin¡¯ like this.¡±
¡°Must¡¯ve been a nightmare.¡±
¡°Nightmare doesn¡¯t describe it¡¡± He sticks his hand forward. ¡°...But I¡¯m still gonna grow stronger, no matter what.¡±
¡°I don''t doubt it.¡±
We go for a hi-five that thunders throughout the streets, despite the loud cars and people walking and talking around us. Yep, this guy is definitely going nowhere but up from here, and I can¡¯t wait to see where it leads.
We end up going our own ways after that. Richard and I head further down the street, gaining a view of the opera house. There¡¯s an enormous banner on it that says, ¡°7th anniversary of the Blackout Fire incident.¡± The concert is being held there¡ I can''t help but laugh a little at the thought. Excitement boils inside my gut.
"What''s funny?" Richard asks.
"Nothing. Say, tomorrow, come by my apartment after school, before 5:00 P.M."
"What''s going on?"
"It''s a surprise."
"Okay, but I''ll come by after I get changed."
"Cool, you better be looking your best."
Sweet! Tomorrow is going to be awesome, I can feel it!
Opera house - afternoon
In the gigantic opera house, inside a room filled with an indescribable malice, spreading around like mist. A worker who walked into the room paying the price for their curiosity; being drained, falling into a deep slumber. The perpetrator of this act and the owner of this essence that makes others walk away with sudden cold shivers, is sitting on a chair at the back of the wall. He watches the clock on the wall across from him tick down¡
"Tomorrow, the day shall come, and the harvest will begin."
He chuckles to himself as the clock''s hands continue to move. Tomorrow, a new incident will hit the opera house that will change the lives of two boys.
A new dangerous world - part 1
6/23 - NewPort Island - Proxy''s apartment - Afternoon
Arriving from the elevator, I''m up on the last floor of the apartment complex Proxy is living in. He has his own apartment instead of living in the dorm for middle and high schoolers. He told me that someone is paying the rent, electricity, and gas for him, but he does not know who. They also send in money every month, enough to live off of. I sleep here more so than I do in my room, mainly because it''s so loud in that place that I can''t think straight, nor can I study properly. Sure, Proxy can be loud too, but he''s not as annoying. Plus, it''s not like anyone will care if I''m not there.
Opening the door to Proxy''s apartment with my key, the couch is the first thing I see from the door. It is on the left, facing a wide-screen TV. The kitchen is also visible from the doorway, no doors are obscuring the view of the kitchen from the living room; a counter is the only thing separating it from the living room. There is a set of stairs that lead up to another floor that has three rooms: Proxy''s room and a guest room -basically my room - and on the far left is the bathroom.
The TV is on, it''s on the NewPort Island news channel. Taking a seat on the couch, I grab the remote to turn up the volume.
"Today marks the anniversary of the Blackout fire incident: Five years ago. Within those 10 miles, electricity was cut off, city blocks were scorched, many were injured during the incident, and several were reported deceased hours after the power returned to the area. The origins of the fire and blackout are unknown, and no new information on the cause has been announced. As of today, we remember those affected by the fire and shall celebrate them with today''s concert, which shall take place at the rebuilt opera house, the building majorly damaged by the fire. Hopefully, everyone will have a wonderful time there, as it will feature the up and incoming band: Kiss Machine. . ."
That happened 2 years before I came to NewPort Island. Must''ve been a pretty terrible fire.
"How long were you here?" Proxy comes rushing down from upstairs in his casual clothes. He seems to have a pep-in-his-step. "Richard! We''re going to the concert! A concert so kick ass, it will blow up for no goddamn reason!"
Ah, so that''s why he called me. Earlier, he just instructed me to get here as quickly as possible. Getting here doesn''t take too long, providing I take the monorail.
"Okay, but how are we going to get in? It''s a highly anticipated concert, so I doubt we''d be able to get in."
"No problem, I have that covered."
He presents two tickets from his pocket.
"How did you get those?"
"Birch is a badass guy."
Damn, Mr. Birch was able to get two tickets for troublemakers like us? I''m certainly impressed. Hang on, why is he shouldering a big grey backpack?
"What''s in the bag?"
"Bare essentials, drinks, food, lens cleaner, and some clothes."
"Why clothes?"
"You have to be prepared for all situations, that''s the first rule in the boy scouts," Proxy proudly states.
He''s not even a part of the boy scouts.
"Hey, can you put these in there?"
I hand him two deck boxes. He stuffs them inside the bag, he then checks his phone.
"Come on, we have to catch the train if we want to make it there on time."
He walks out ahead of me. I turn off the tv and walk out with him, locking the door behind me.
NewPort Island - outside of Opera house - evening
The streets are packed with people coming from all over the city.
"So, there''s going to be a famous band here?" I ask Proxy.
"Yeah, Kiss Machine: A mega-famous group that went big just last year!"
The name sounds like a lame boy band girls fawn over.
"Is Daniel coming?" I ask.
"Nah, he''s out of the country with his mom for another family get-together. Such a shame."
"Yes, meeting with family, what a. . ."
I stop my sentence as Proxy¡¯s knocked down by someone passing him by.
"Dear me, I''m so sorry. Here, let me help you up," the stranger kindly says, in a cool, yet cold and detached tone.
"It''s cool, not the end of the world, or anything," Proxy assures him, brushing himself off.
This man has sharp facial features with no facial hair to speak of. He¡¯s wearing a black and white jacket that reaches down to his ankles. His baggy sleeves hide his arms. Wearing sneakers that match his jacket''s color scheme. Finally, his eyes; piercing emerald eyes. But, the most notable feature is his shoulder-length snow-white hair. At first, someone would think it''s just hair dye, but I feel as if that''s not the case.
"You should watch where your legs cross, or else you might bump into someone less nice," the white hair man warns Proxy.
He just appears as if he is on another plane. Is that why I can''t read his words, or maybe he¡¯s just wearing his heart on his sleeves?
"Yeah, thanks for the advice," Proxy says half-heartedly.
The white-hair man turns his attention to the opera house. "You''re heading to the concert?" he asks.
"Yep, got tickets for me and my buddy, see..." Proxy reaches into his pocket to show off the tickets. He let out a small gasp, frantically searched his pockets. "No, no, no, no, where the hell did they go!?"
"Did you lose your ticket?"
"I think I did," Proxy nervously chuckles. "Ah, damnit, I lost it!"
The white-hair man turns his back towards us, moving as Proxy freaks out over the lost ticket. "I''m sorry for your loss, but who knows, maybe it''s a good thing."
"How?" Proxy asks, agitated by the comment.
"Who knows? Maybe tonight will present that answer."
That''s the last thing he says as he walks off. What did he mean by it being a good thing? Who was he?
Proxy slammed his hands on his face. "Augh! This is a nightmare," he screams in his hand. His head shot up at me a moment after.
"Hey, I gave you your ticket, right?" he desperately questions me. Now that he mentions it. . .
"Umm... I do!"
I pull it out of my pocket. Proxy looks at it with a dower face.
"This puts a damper on lots of things."
Proxy is rubbing his temples as he squats down on the floor.
"What do we do now?"
"I don''t know. I need to think."
No matter how much he thinks about it, we only have one ticket. Only one of us can go watch, If that''s the case then. . .
"Here." I hand Proxy the ticket. He just gazes at it. "You should go watch it."
"Hey, you sure?"
"Yeah, you probably already knew, but I didn''t want to see it, anyway. I only tagged along because you were going. So, if this last ticket should be used it should be for you."
"Hmm . . ."
We stand in silence. The ticket is just sitting in my hands, waiting for him to take it.
"Okay, I''ve decided." Proxy takes the ticket, putting both hands on the ticket, and ripping it in halves.
"Screw the concert."
"Wh-what are you doing?" I stammer, dumbfounded by what he did.
"I''m ripping the ticket into pieces."
"I know that, but why?"
"Well, I thought it over, and to be honest, it''d be boring by myself. Besides, I''m sure it would take a couple of hours for Kiss Machine to even get on stage."
He claps his hands and rests his hands on his hips.
"So, what do you want to do now?" He was hyping himself up to go to the concert for about 3 hours now, and yet he''s willing to give it up to just hang out with me. Honestly, this guy is unbelievable.
"Now then, how about we hit the card shop?" he suggests.
"No, the store is closed by now. How about we just play some games at your house?".
"Aight, but just to let you know, my record in mercs mode is still rising," Proxy boasts.
We keep a little scoreboard of who has the most points in mercs mode.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Did you raise your score behind my back?"
"Not at all, my good sir. I was just doing a few runs in it, so far, I didn''t break my record...yet."
"And you never will, cause I''ll be beating your score!"
"Bring it on then!"
We let out a laugh as we stroll along the sidewalk. I realize that there''s nobody else on the streets. Most of the people with tickets must''ve entered the stadium by now, and the rest must have left.
"You wanna spill something?" Proxy inquires.
He must''ve noticed the look on my face.
"Well, um. Are you really okay with not going?" I ask him, guilt-riddled for having him waste a ticket.
"Like I said, it''s cool. So don''t feel bad about it, okay?"
"Okay. And um, thanks, Proxy."
"No problem, bud."
Both of us continue to walk down the street. It''s so quiet, it''s almost as if everyone has left somewhere else, and left us behind in this gigantic city. I look up at the night sky. The stars are somewhat obscure from view because of the lights from the city.
"Be great if we could fully see the stars," Proxy says.
"Yeah, it would be."
Nights like these are pretty great, where we can both just hang out without getting in trouble. I like it like this, though, maybe Proxy doesn''t. I don''t see him complain about it, so maybe I''m wrong.
My eyes drift towards the back entrance of the stadium. No guards are blocking off access to the back of the opera house.
"Where are the guards?"
"What do you mean, they''re... Not there?"
Proxy just realized that they''re absent from the back.
"Huh, maybe they went to go see the concert," Proxy assumes.
I doubt it. That just sounds too irresponsible. Proxy looks around the street.
"Looks like we can see the concert after all."
"Wait, you want to go through the back? What if we end up in an area we''re not supposed to?"
"Then we get the hell out of dodge!"
Proxy runs across the street, turning his body toward me and hopping in the air. He signals me to come over. I know I don''t want to see the concert, but I know Proxy does, so why the hell not. Might as well have fun.
"Wait up for me, man!"
NewPort Island - Opera house - evening
The hall is jam-packed. The hall itself is pretty clean, not the type of place you''d hear rock or metal music being played in, especially since it''s an opera house.
"This is so cool," Proxy shouts, jumping up and down with excitement.
"I have to admit, this is pretty exciting."
"Hell yeah, and the best thing, we''re near the snack venues! Speaking of which, I''m gonna get me some cinnamon pretzel bits. Want anything?"
"Cinnamon pretzel sticks."
"Nice choice. I''ll be right back."
After Proxy heads up to the food venue, a magician gets up on stage. Soon as he gets the crowd excited, something launches up into the air. It''s a firework, and upon exploding, it shows an image. So do the others that follow. Isn''t this a fire hazard?
"What did I miss?" Proxy asks as he approaches from beside me with our food in hand.
"Nothing."
I grab my stuff and he sits down on the seat I saved for him. We took bites out of our food.
"Delicious," we simultaneously express.
Pure delight foaming from our words. There might be a bit too much cinnamon, but it was still good.
While I''m eating, I see Proxy polishing his goggles by licking his thumb and rubbing it against the lenses. They were welding goggles; the frame is greyish black, and the lens is orange.
"I was going to clean these a few days ago, but I kept putting it off ever since we spray painted the walls at the school. Honestly, doing it now is a pain."
He''s wiping much harder, but to no avail. I pull out a spray bottle of screen cleaner and a cleaning lens cloth.
"Here, use this."
"Thanks, buddy."
He takes the bottle and sprays it on his goggles; he rubs the lenses with the cloth. The paint is coming off now.
"I always wanted to know. Where did you buy your goggles?" I ask him.
"I never bought them. They''ve been with me since I was a baby."
"You don¡¯t know who gave them to you?"
"Nope, but I feel as though they''re a part of me. I feel naked without them."
He continues to rub his goggles until the paint cleared off. He then rests it on his forehead.
"Finally, I feel complete," he happily announces.
He hands me back my cleaner and cloth.
"Thanks, buddy."
"No problem."
After a couple of minutes of fireworks, a hooded man saunters onto the stage. As the magician passes by him, he hit the ground with a thud.
Proxy jumps up from his seat. "What the hell?"
"What just happened?"
I can tell from the murmurs in the crowd that everyone is asking the same question we are. Everyone¡¯s emotions varied, like several colors being mixed ?to create something else. The hooded man gets in front of the stage microphone for the lead singer.
"Good evening, everyone. I am glad that all of you came to the ceremony. With so many here, we can begin."
The crowd cheers on from the announcement, despite their concern for the magician. But I don''t feel their excitement. His words are bitter, lined with malice. These are not new emotions to me, but the intensity ravages my brain.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Proxy puts a hand on my shoulder.
"I-I-I don''t know. This feeling... It''s a sickening feeling!"
"The purpose of this concert has been fulfilled. I must ask you all not to resist."
The sicking feeling elevates as he brings out a book. It''s glowing red and black.
"The shit is that!?"
A bright light below us appears, covering the entire audience. Some collapse to the floor as a pillar of light pierces them. I let out a horrified gasp when I see it happen. Just as a pillar is going to hit me, Proxy throws me out of the row of seats. He narrowly dodges the one that formed under his seat by jumping off his seat to another row.
Anxiety builds up and takes over. My breathing is erratic. I can''t get a firm grip on it.
"Richard, you okay?"
He sits me down on the ground."
"P-Proxy, what t-t-the hell is going on!?"
My voice is a higher pitch than usual. I can''t stop myself from stuttering.
"I don''t know, but stay here, move if you need to. I''m going to go kick that guy''s ass."
Before I can get a word out, he runs towards the stage.
"Wa-wait!"
I try to move my legs, but they¡¯re glued to the ground. They''re shaking uncontrollably. I hear a loud bang going off near the stage. It sounds like an explosion. Security guards fly over my head. Their bodies dropped to the floor unnaturally. I don''t want to know if they''re dead or alive; I don''t want to see! Every voice in here, all of them, are digging into my brain as they scream for their lives; sheer terror taking over, pressing down on me like a truck.
"Little worm!"
The red and black energy that is covering the book charges through my row. Proxy is the one it hit. It hits him again while he is soaring over the seats. The energy is taking the form of a hand.
"Done already, boy," the hooded man laughs after he taunts Proxy.
The hand retreats away from Proxy. He is resting on a seat. Well, what''s left of it, anyway. I run over to see if he''s okay.
"Proxy, are you okay!?"
He has an open wound on his forehead that''s leaking blood over his eye. We have to get out of here! Wait, what if his wounds are bad!? But if I don¡¯t, then we can¡¯t escape.
"Unless any of you wish to end up like that, child, I suggest you let the assimilation process continue. Don''t worry, it-"
"It''ll be quick, right," Proxy finishes for him as he positions himself on the seat. "Wow dude, you must''ve watched a lot of B-rated movies, ''cause only clich¨¦ villains say that. I mean, come on man, the robe is just a dead giveaway on that. Seriously, was there even an effort?"
"How are you even alive? That should''ve drained you," the hooded man vents his frustration.
"I had paper cuts worse than what you dished out."
"It would seem like this requires a more aggressive approach."
The red hand turns in a sphere-like shape around the book.
"You all can scream and cry all you like, but this is the end of the road for you all!" The floor gets brighter and brighter.
"Nice light show, show me something better though."
"I''ll show you death."
"See, that''s better. A round of applause for the guy. Come on, people."
A red light shoots from the floor. Proxy dodges it without a problem. He dashes off for the stage.
"Frontal assaults won''t work on me."
The red light comes hurtling down the aisle Proxy is in. He jumps on top of one seat, launching himself over the attack and towards the stage.
"I got you now!"
As he closes the gap, an explosion suddenly goes off between the hooded man. Proxy crashes into me. I catch him, but his momentum is so great that it''s pushing us backward the moment I caught him.
"Proxy, are you okay?"
Such a stupid question. Of course, he''s not okay!
"Yeah...That was...nothing."
The fact he took on an explosion and isn''t seriously hurt is absolutely amazing. As he gets up, he rips off the jacket, taking out another from his bag. Throwing it on as if nothing happened.
"Hey...Is that all you got, bitch?"
Proxy drops to the floor soon after saying that. Damn it, he''s in worse shape than I thought.
"How dare you insult me!? Hm, it matters not, I think the time for this show to conclude is at hand."
The light below gets brighter and brighter. The people that are panicking start dropping to the floor. One by one, the collective screams are fading. It feels like I''m being drained of something.
"P-proxy, we have to get out of here!"
"Having a bit of trouble doing that right. Just go without me."
"Wha-- I can''t do that!"
"Richard, now''s not the time to be a stubborn bastard. Just go!"
"I won''t! I can''t just abandon you."
I''m scared, my legs are shaking, my heart is pounding, I want to run as Proxy said, but I... I can''t leave him here!
"Huh?"
Proxy''s bag gains my notice. It''s shrouded in black energy. It''s an ominous feeling, nothing evil, but mysterious, with no definitive way of explaining it, or comprehending what it is.
"Proxy, your bag!"
I open it to find the Grimoire in it. It''s emitting a black shadow around itself.
"That''s¡ No, wait right there, you bastards! Hand that over to me!"
As the hooded man launches an attack at us, a shadow-like dome wraps itself around us. It has to be at least 10 meters wide. I can hear continuous attempts at breaking the dome, and some yelling.
"What is this?" I whisper, probing the dome.
It¡¯s solid, but my tap sends a ripple around the dome like it¡¯s a body of water.
Proxy takes the book in his hands. The blank pages are filling up with words and symbols as it flips to the middle part of the book. It lands on the two-page spread, fading before our very eyes. A black hole appears right in front of us. It is sucking us in, as well as anything else inside this dome into it.
"What the hell is this!?" Proxy cursed as he grabs onto a seat.
I grab the lower part of a chair in front of Proxy. I dig my fingers into the seat. My grip quickly grows weaker as the black hole''s pull is growing stronger. My seat is coming off the ground as the bolts, keeping it down, fly out of the ground. I scream from the top of my lungs as I''m dragged towards the hole. In a panic, I try to grab another seat, but I''m too far away to grab it. I''m closing into the hole. It''s going to suck me in. I feel something grab my wrist just before I get any closer to the hole.
"Sup buddy."
Proxy, wearing his goggles, grabbed my wrist, squeezing it. Blood flows from his arms. There must be a cut there, and God knows if he should even move it.
"Richard, you''re gonna climb up from me to behind the seat."
"I don''t think it will work. What if I just-"
"No what-ifs, just go for it," Proxy yells out, barely pulling me closer to the seat.
"Come on man, climb!"
His grip is weakening. He¡¯s struggling to keep his other hand on the seat. If I don¡¯t climb, we¡¯ll both die¡ If I climb, then I can pull him behind a seat until this ends. Okay, okay, I got this! Using all the strength I could, I scale his body, fighting against the suction of this hole while thinking about how to move. But as I''m about to climb, the back part of the chair lifts from the floor.
"Shit! You gotta start climbing!"
With the tension in Proxy''s voice, I climb up his arm to his shoulder. I''ll try to climb through Proxy as fast as possible, not wasting a second in one place.
I hear a metallic noise ringing in the dome. The chair is going to break off any second!
"Screw it, jump for it," Proxy instructs me.
I couldn''t. My legs aren''t on the floor. I can''t make it this way, even if I tried. The chair finally breaks off from the ground. Both of us are being pulled towards the hole. My head and heart are racing. As I am sucked into the hole, I feel light-headed, as if all my thoughts are being thrown into the void, almost as if I was floating off into a dream.
A new dangerous world - part 2
My back meets with a hard surface. Proxy¡¯s voice catches my attention as I feel the wind rushing past me. My glasses bounced off from my face, reducing my eyesight significantly. Every part of my body aches. Thankfully, nothing is broken. Though, I hope my glasses aren¡¯t.
"Ow, son of a bitch!" Proxy rubs his butt as he gets up. "I think my back¡¯s shattered."
My head is all groggy with my body feels as stiff as a board. Even so, I''m still able to get up.
"Wait, what about that dude with the book!? I-"
"Proxy?" It''s covered in dark clouds. Well, it was night when we entered the Opera house, but where are we?
I step forward, only to stop as I feel something below my shoe. Carefully lifting my foot, my glasses are underneath. Oh, no! Please don¡¯t be broken! Examining them, they remain unscathed. Guess I caught a lucky break. I put them on, enhancing my vision.
"I don''t know, but we''re not in Oz."
As I¡¯m about to ask a pointless question, three individuals come toward us. They''re wearing red hoods, hide not only their faces but their bodies as well.
"Um, excuse me? Um, hello? Can you-"
"Hello!"
Proxy''s voice echoes around the area.
"What are you doing!?" I yell at him.
"What? Just wanted to say hi."
The men approach the platform, holding swords in their hands.
"Our master would like to speak to you,¡± One of them spoke, speaking with a raspy, deep voice. ¡°Please come with us."
His words raise a sense of unease in me. They¡ I can¡¯t read them. Not only that, but they¡¯re missing something that tells me they¡¯re human; a core feature that makes people, well, people. A cold sweat rolled down my forehead. I don''t like this, not one bit.
Proxy jumps down to meet them face to face, strutting up to them with bravado.
"W-wait, Proxy!"
"What would happen if I refuse to meet this guy?"
"Then you shall die!"
Proxy puts a hand to his chin. With a threat like that, even he has to take it seriously.
"Now hold on, man. You didn''t say please, and I think that''s incredibly rude."
Of course, he isn''t taking this seriously.
The one talking to Proxy raises his sword. "Is that a refusal?"
"Well, I mean... Maybe?"
"Then die!"
The one talking to him swings his sword at him. He jumps back right when it was coming at his chest.
"Hey! You could hurt someone with that thing!"
"As I said: you shall die."
His words are needles puncturing my skin. The air runs dry in my throat, making it harder for me to breathe. The intensity behind their words is unlike anything I ever felt before.
Proxy is doing his best to avoid their blades, dancing around them with his nimble footwork. Compared to his enemy''s dull movements, he¡¯s clearly got the better of them, but their persistence let them keep up with him, attacking after the others made their move.
"Will you bastards hear me out!?"
One of the hooded men throws a dagger at Proxy. He barely drops to the ground to avoid it.
"Shit, that was close!"
An enemy charges toward him, training their swords for his chest.
"Proxy, watch out!"
He side steps them, smacking one of them with his foot. Knocking one of them to the ground, he bounces around, feeling a tad cocky over the shift of the battle.
"Did I overdo it for ya?" The enemy says nothing. They march at Proxy, who is putting up his guard. "Okay guys, last warning. Let''s stop this before I beat the hell out of all of you." They keep their weapons aimed at him. "Fine, then don''t say I didn''t warn you!"
The two hooded men thrust their swords at him in perfect sync. Proxy jumps to his right. The two, still in sync, react. They rush at him with a flurry of slashes. They''re pushing him back. He pushes up against a stone sword that is rooted into the ground. Proxy put his hands on the handle.
"What are you doing? Use it!"
He nods at the command. He easily lifts it out of the ground. Nothing spectacular happens once he pulled it out. One enemy charges at him as he''s examining the sword. Proxy turns around just to maneuver around his opponent. He strikes with the sword. Blood did not come out from the enemy''s body. Instead, it slams the enemy to the floor. The other enemy comes at Proxy. He spins around, delivering a powerful strike.
Proxy takes a seat on the floor to cool off. "Damn! That was too close."
I¡¯d b
I carefully climb off the platform. "Proxy, are you okay?"
"Never better! How about you?"
"I am. I''m sorry I didn''t help."
"It''s fine. You would''ve been in the way, so it''s cool."
The bodies next to Proxy, without warning, violently convulse. There''s a red glow coming from them.
"What the hell?"
He pokes one of them with his sword. The two bodies release a ghastly scream. A blackish-red aura emanates from the bodies, appearing translucent. It disappears into thin air. I look back at the enemies to see their dried-up faces. Their skin is as white as ash, and they look like empty husks of humans... No, they''re not human. Humans don''t look like this. Humans don''t have the intensity they did! There''s no way they''re human!
"What the hell is going on? This isn''t...I-"
My heart is beating faster. I''m feeling dizzy. This is just too creepy, too unreal. I just...
"Richard!"
A stinging sensation registers around my cheek. Proxy pinched me.
"That hurts! Why did you do that!?"
"You''re freaking out, dude."
"Of course I am! Who wouldn''t be? We have no idea where we are, or what the hell is happening!"
"I get you, but I need you to chill. If there are more of them, and I''m sure there is, then we need to book the hell out of here." Proxy starts observing his surroundings. "Is that my bag?" We run over to it. "This is my bag!"
He digs through his bag. He takes out the Grimoire. That thing brought us here, then it must be able to take us back. I take the book from his hands. Flipping through the pages, the two-page spread is no longer there. Though the front cover has changed. It has a pentagram in the middle of the book, with two moons beside it. Other than that, nothing else.
"Let''s take it with us, just in case."
"Yeah, it can make for some good toilet paper."
"Don''t be stupid!"
"I was just joking. Though... Nah, forget it."
He puts the book in his bag.
"Let''s make like leaves in the wind, and fly out of this place," Proxy expresses.
We make our way out of this place. There''s a stone bridge in front of us. The stone is decrepit, pieces of it are missing, and it appears to be unstable to walk on.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Do we really need to walk on this?"
"Beats staying here."
I glance back at the husks. A nauseating feeling hits me. No matter how you slice it, this thing is our only way forward. "Okay, let''s go."
I step on the bridge, and I already feel the stone below my foot crumbling. God, this is so nerve-racking!
"This is so scary."
"This is so cool!"
"How the heck do you find a bridge cool?"
"How can you not? The crumbling stone that comes off with each step we take. It''s itching the inner artist in me. Oh man, I wanna draw so damn badly now!"
"I don''t get it, but whatever floats your boat."
I observe my steps as to not fall through the bridge.
"Richard, can I pick your brain?"
"On what?"
"On what those things were. They sure hell weren''t human."
"Yeah, their skin was drier than any normal human, but there was something about them."
"That was?"
"...Their teeth were sharp and jagged. Their hands were scaly, and their fingernails were like claws."
With all this put into perspective, they don''t really seem human, more like monsters. Actually, there''s something else I just noticed. Proxy looks fine, despite the wounds from earlier.
"Proxy, you noticed your wounds are gone, right?"
"Course."
"But why?"
"Who knows, maybe it was because of the book? Either way, I''m all green, baby! I''m gassed up and ready to ride!"
"Well, at least out for the count yet."
"Damn straight!"
We finally make it off that godforsaken bridge. This new area also has no roof. Many weapons stacked up on the walls; bastard swords, pole staffs, short swords, and bows. It''s like we ended up in a museum or something. I''d ask if they''re real, but it''d be stupid to doubt they are real.
"Hey, buddy! 12 0''clock!"
At the far end of the room, we spot more of those monsters. This time there are three of them. Oh shit, they noticed us! They aim their weapons at us as they edge closer to us.
"Too bad guys, you brought swords to fight me, and I''m my own weapon."
That probably sounded so much better in his head.
"You have thrown your life into the hands of the reaper," one of the hooded foes tells him.
"I don''t know about my life, but I know how to throw a fist!"
With sword in hand, he charges at. Proxy makes the first move by hitting one of them with his fist. He hits the other two before they could react.
"Slay him," one of them commands.
"Bring it on, you assholes! Also, who talks like that?"
Two of them go at him. One of them goes for a stab, but he redirects the attack with his sword. Another one is about to hit him, but he grabs the one that''s already close to him and pushes him at the others. Proxy rushes behind them. He strikes them with his sword. They both hit the floor.
"Proxy, watch out!"
The third one''s using duel swords.
"Oh, so you wanna play like that? Fine, I''ll show you how I fight back home."
Proxy throws his sword at his opponent. The monster reflects the attack, but it doesn''t matter. That was a diversion. Proxy closes. He grabs the enemy''s wrist. Then, he lets go to put his hand on the enemy''s cloak, hoisting the monster over his shoulder.
"Time to drop the bomb!"
As he said, Proxy smashes him against the ground, breaking a part of the already ruined floor. He then finishes it by dropping his body with his elbow aimed at the monster''s face. That attack causes the monster to go through the same process as the last ones. The translucent energy fades into nothing. Proxy jumps up to his feet.
"Damn, you see that shit!? That was just too freaking awesome!"
Proxy sounds like he''s kicking off into high gear.
"Huh?"
There''s a banging coming from a large metal door. A design of a monster that looks like a dragon eating another dragon. There''s faint breathing on the other side. A louder bang scares the hell out of me. Man, my heart can''t take that!
"Open the door. I can hear your breath."
There''s a raspy voice on the other end of the door. It''s probably another monster. Proxy and I quietly walk away from the door while holding our breath. Breathing feels like a sin, punishable by death.
"Okay, we aren''t going that way," Proxy whispers.
"You say that as if we have another option."
"There must be another way then."
I bump into a hooded enemy body. It''s gross looking at these things; the face belongs to a nightmare or a horror movie. Looking is raising my anxiety. Now we have to worry about the monsters on the other side of the door? What if they get in here? My mind shows me a grotesque image of them tearing me and Proxy apart. I gag at the idea and fight back the urge to puke. No, damnit, there has to be a way out of this! I can''t die here, not in a place like this!
Proxy approaches me with a cloak in his hand. "Yo, Richard, I got an idea." He crouches next to the body and removes- Oh my god, he''s removing their cloaks! Wait, there''s only dust inside of the cloaks now. What happened to their bodies?
"Here."
He throws the cloak at me.
"You want me to wear this?"
"Bingo."
"But it smells."
"Richard, I know. I sure as shit don''t wanna wear this, but even I''m not dumb to fight all those monsters out there."
He''s begrudgingly right. If I don''t wear it, then I''ll be killed when tear their way in here.
"Okay, okay I''ll do it."
"Good. Now, help me hide the ashes. Also, let''s knock down that pillar."
Proxy points towards the pillar that he mentioned. Looking at it, it''s lined up perfectly with the bridge at a certain angle. If it were to fall, it would destroy the bridge.
"Okay, how do we do that?"
Proxy looks around to answer that question. "How about that?" he points towards a bucket that''s leaking something. He picks up an arrow that''s lying on it. "Smells like... Oil!"
"They were most likely gonna use it for fire arrows."
"Hey, we can use this to blow up the bridge?" Proxy lugs the barrel to the pillar. "Richard, get some crossbows. This is gonna be so cool! Fire arrows!"
"Are fire arrows that cool?"
"Absolutely!"
Proxy opens up the barrel, exposing all the oil inside. He dips the point of the arrow in his hand in the oil. Then he lights it on fire with a lighter.
"Why do you have a lighter?"
"I was gonna wave it around during the concern, but I guess I''m using it to pop fireworks. The Fourth of July has come early,"
...
The monsters force open the door. They come inside by droves with their weapons in hand. We''re standing in front of them with our robes on. My body is shaking, my nerves are a mess, and it feels as if bugs are crawling all over my skin. I''m trying to keep it together, but it''s not working.
One of them approaches us by itself. "You two, where are the ones that our master wants?"
"They are holding himself up there,"
Proxy points to the section we arrived here at.
"Then what are you doing? Why aren''t you trying to capture them?"
"The bridge has been destroyed," I answer.
"How?"
"He destroyed it with a drum of oil, so we cannot access that area. I suggest we formulate a plan."
It''s taking everything for me to stay calm. One slip up in tone and mannerisms, and we''re dead.
"Yes, that would be the best course of action... Very well, go bring reinforcements. We will attempt to get up to the altar."
The monsters move past us to the broken bridge. The bigger ones enter the room. They have a humanoid figure, but they''re unnaturally bulky. They glared at us with evil in their eyes. Even if it''s a growl, I''m able to read the emotion in it. It''s an indescribable feeling that''s making my skin crawl, my hands quiver, my lungs tighten up, my heart beat faster, and my vision blurs. This is beyond anything I''ve ever felt before. My heart is going to burst through my chest any second now. I can''t take this anymore!
"Wait!" I stop dead in my tracks as the monster commands. This worsens my state of being. "...Weren''t there five of you?"
"Yes, but he overwhelmed the other three," Proxy reports.
"Then why are two still alive?"
"He eliminated the ones that were an obstacle to them while maneuvering for the barrel of oil."
There''s a brief silence. My breath runs thin, I can no longer breathe as easily as I used to. Will it believe him? Will they kill us? Either way, I''m too scared to find out!
"Fine then, you may go."
"Yes."
The monster places its thumb on its heart.
"May our master guide you."
To lower suspicion, both of us do the same.
"May our master guide you," we say in sync.
The monster goes on its way to the bridge. We keep walking slowly until we are far out of sight. The moment we are, I drop to my knees, taking in heavy breaths in and out. My hands are shaking uncontrollably. My heart is beating faster to jump out of my chest. I can''t take this, I just can''t take this!
"Can''t believe they fell for it. Good job, buddy... Richard?"
"This is ridiculous. Why the hell is this happening to us? Why did that stupid book bring us here!?"
"Hey, are you okay?"
"I want to go home. I can''t take this anymore. I can''t take any of this crap anymore!"
Tears drop from my eyes. Damn it, I don''t want to cry, not in front of Proxy; not again! I can''t control it, this is just too much for me. I...
"Hey..." Proxy put his hand on my shoulder. I can''t face him, not like this. "...We can take a break? It''ll be awhile before those monsters realize we tricked them."
Damn it, this is too damn humiliating!
"How are you so calm with all these monsters around us? Doesn''t it scare the hell out of you!?"
"I...really don''t know."
"How could you not?"
"I don''t know? Guess I have nerves of steel, or maybe I''m too much of an idiot to understand fear."
I can''t help but chuckle at the idea.
"Heh, in that case, you''re the lucky one."
"Just know this: I''m not gonna let them lay a single hand on you. I am the strongest delinquent in NewPort Island after all."
"Really?"
I know he will, but I can''t help my surprise at hearing him say it out loud.
"Yeah. So just rely on me to beat their asses into the ground, okay, buddy?"
He''s wearing a goofy smile on his face. I can''t help but laugh. It amazes me to no end. Despite his rough attributes, he truly is a good person. I take my glasses to wipe my tears. It''s time to get everything together. I can''t be a crybaby, I have to grow a backbone!
"Thanks, Proxy."
"No problem, I got your back."
I get up from the ground as I put my glasses back on. Okay, I can do this. No more panicking. I can do this!
"Come on, we can''t waste time. Those monsters will figure out we''re not at the alter," I advise.
"Are sure you''re okay?"
"I can''t say I''m perfectly okay, but I''ll manage. Let''s go."
"All right, just don''t push yourself, okay?"
"Got it!"
We get a move on through this spiral of a hallway. It has an old gothic interior to it, filled with cobwebs and dust. The halls give off this eerie vibe while having a sense of stillness. There are decorations like vases, statues, and portraits, but most of them are worn by time. My mind and heart are still a mess. But as long as Proxy is with me, I''ll push on!
A new dangerous world - Finale
? - Morning
Descending further into the spiral hallway, we end up in a large, ghastly room that gives off an otherworldly vibe. There''s a giant metal door towering over us. That must be the exit. Hm? Someone is standing in front of it, and they¡¯re not dressed in a hood. He''s wearing a full set of silver armor. The gauntlets have metallic scallop fins on the forearm, its shoulders have singular spikes that resemble horns. Both the shoulders have a feature that resembles an eye, its fingers look like talons, and so do the feet. His helmet has no visor or slits to look out of.
"Hey, what are you standing there for?" Proxy intimidates. "Wanna fight!?"
"Proxy, stop! We just need to get out of here, so let''s just try to slip past him."
The knight didn''t respond to Proxy. He stands there, motionless.
"Not gonna say anything? Fine, let''s just get it on, then!"
"Proxy, are you sure about this?"
"Don''t worry, this''ll be over in a flash. Besides, I don''t think he''ll let us through without a fight."
Proxy charges in, wasting no time. As he approaches the enemy, he goes for a downward slash that''s aimed at the head. The knight blocks it with its sword. Its blade is the only one that makes a sound when they clashed. Proxy tries to sweep its legs, but it doesn''t move an inch. The knight punches him in the face before he could get away.
"Proxy!"
He rolls away from his opponent. He gets up with a hand on his cheek and reverse gripping his sword. Taking a punch from a metal gauntlet like probably hurts like hell.
"You son of a bitch!"
Immediately, he rushes off to engage him. He swings his sword across its chest. It''s just as effective as sweeping his legs. Proxy unleashes a series of strikes. Each one is just ineffective, as they don''t leave a scratch on the knight''s armor. He goes for another, but the enemy grabs his weapon.
"Let go, damn it!"
The knight reels back his fist.
"Proxy, it''s about to hit you!"
My words are late to warn him. The knight''s fist hits Proxy''s face. He continues his assault. Little by little, Proxy''s blood is spilling out. He''s getting his ass handed to him. I need to do something! Searching around the room, I see a weapon on the ground. I run over to pick it up. Picking it up, I feel the wear and tear on the handle. Rust coats the blade like snow on a car. I can''t do anything with this weapon. It''s not sharp, and it''s definitely not strong enough to use as a blunt weapon... Hang on. Proxy''s weapon isn''t sharp enough to tear through its armor, but it is strong enough to be used as a blunt weapon!
"Proxy!"
The knight is going to hit him again. Proxy lets go of his weapon since the knight has a firm grasp on it. He rolls under him right when he attacked. Proxy, who''s now behind him, dropkicks him, staggering him. So I''m right! Heavy attacks are better for this fight. With the durability of that weapon and Proxy''s strength, it might work!
"Proxy, pick up your sword!"
"Why should I? The damn thing is useless!"
"Just hit him with it!"
"But-"
"Just trust me!"
Shifting his attention to the stone sword, Proxy picks it up.
"Alright then. Let''s give it a whirl!"
Without regard for his opponent''s next move, he runs at the knight. The knight swings its sword at his head. Proxy slides under the knight, ending up behind him once again.
"Eat this, you metal asshole!"
He swings the sword like it''s a baseball, hitting the back of the knight. The attack pushes the knight away from Proxy.
"That was a goddamn home run," Proxy exclaims.
The knight lets out a hiss. That proves my idea is correct. Blunt attacks work!
"Proxy, go for another hit!"
"Right! Proxy, heading to bat!"
Proxy goes on the offense. He hits the enemy with another swing of his sword. The knight swiftly avoids the attack, performing a counterstrike. Proxy parries it and delivers another strike to its side. However, it blocks with its arm, causing a giant dent in that same arm. Great, Proxy''s able to put up a fight now. The two trade blows against each other''s swords; the enemy clearly having the advantage in speed. This...is getting too intense! Proxy is doing everything he can just to keep up, even putting an excessive amount of power into each of his blows. More of the knight''s attacks are getting through. Despite the intensity of the fight, Proxy''s demeanor catches my eye. He doesn''t put too much effort into a fight; it always seems like he''s bored of fighting... But now, he''s smiling... It''s kind of scary.
Proxy roars as he gears up to deliver his next attack. The two swords clash. The knight''s sword splits in half.
"Sorry...did I break that?" Proxy sarcastically remarks, staggering to keep himself up. "Come on, let''s keep the fight going, and I won''t take no for an answer."
He collapses to his knees. It has to be due to all the damage he took, and the exhaustion from fighting the way he did! I run over to him to help him.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah...peachy."
The knight has no weapon. We can probably make a run for it.
"This is our chance. Let''s run while he has no weapon!"
"This fight isn''t over... Not yet!"
"There''s no time, you just have to..."
The knight has disappeared. There''s no one to stop us from escaping. Demonic roars echo from the spiral hallway. I can feel the bloodlust, killing intent, and rage behind it. These feelings are truly awful to feel¡! But I can''t let it get to me. No matter what, I need to stay calm. I have to! Just breathe in, breathe out¡
"Proxy, we need to get going!" I put his arm over my shoulder. We move toward the exit as quickly as possible. "Just hang on, Proxy! Proxy?" He''s unconscious. Great, that''s going to make it harder to carry him.
We slip through the door. Bright sunlight greets us as we exit. The outside is a ruined landscape with an uneven stone road, collapsed pillars, and tall trees as far as the eye can see. I don''t know where to go and demons are coming our way. Dread is setting in. This is bad. What do we do...!? No, I can''t feel fear. I have to muster up the courage, or else Proxy and I will get killed for it. I take Proxy''s bag off my back and put it on Proxy''s so I could carry him. It''s still heavy, but I''m able to carry him now.
"Don''t worry, Proxy. I''ll get us out of here!"
I run as fast as I can. The screams are still audible. Stopping means death, and I refuse to accept that!
The Holy Lands - afternoon
After running for what seems to be an hour, we''re far away from where we started. A while back, I saw something in the distance as I was running. Closing in, I see that it''s a giant statue of a hand holding an axe. But the area around the statue has boulders placed right next to one another. It looks like they''re placed to protect the area.
"Almost...there¡ Just...make it!"
My exhaustion is reaching its limit. I don''t think I can keep running for much longer. As if to complete my thought, my legs give out. Me and Proxy hit the floor. Shit, I''m too exhausted to move anymore. The grass presses against my face. My eyelids are forcing themselves to close, so rest I can rest off this exhaustion. My mind is drifting off. This is my limit. It''s so pathetic! I don''t know what''ll happen when I close my eyes, but I just hope we catch a lucky break.
The Holy Lands - Titan''s axe - evening
The sound of crackling fire wakes me. It''s the first thing I see. I get up from the hard surface I''m resting on. It appears to be night. Another thing I notice, I''m standing near the giant axe statue I saw earlier. Did someone bring us here?
"Ow!" My legs feel sore, but it isn''t too bad to make walking difficult. I can see Proxy sitting next to the fire. Thank goodness he''s okay. "Proxy," I call out to him.
He jerks his head at me.
"Richard, you''re alright!"
He gets up to hug me, squeezing me harder than he needs to.
"Easy, you¡¯ll break something," I joke to ease the mood.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°I thought something happened to you.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine, but what about your wounds?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, they got patched up.¡±
He shows me bandages covering his wounds.
¡°By who?¡±
¡°That would be me.¡± A female voice takes credit for saving us. I turn my head to see that the woman has shoulder-length black hair. She''s wearing a sleeveless leather vest with strings to tighten it. Her arms have some muscle on them, not too much, but they''re well-toned. "Nice to see you awake, kid," the woman says.
Since she''s the one that helped us, I have to give her a proper thank you.
¡°I¡¯m Richard, and thank you for helping us.¡±
"You''re welcome, and I¡¯m Marie." She shakes my hand. ¡°I couldn¡¯t leave two boys out there who looked like they were on death''s door. Though, I thought about it.¡±
That part causes me to jump back. ¡°Seriously!?¡±
¡°I¡¯m only kidding. Between your friend being cut up badly, and you being out cold, I couldn¡¯t just leave you two out there. I''m about to roast the rest of dinner tonight. Your friend already ate, so you and I can have the rest.¡±
"Oh, come on, you can¡¯t exclude me like that," Proxy complains.
¡°You already ate a Rigpog the moment you woke up! So you can go without dinner.¡±
¡°Meanie!¡±
...
Marie roasted an animal known as a Rigpog and served me some. She cooked in multiple cutlets, so I don''t know what the animals looked like. I give some of my servings to Proxy, who''s drinking a bottle of lemon tea he had in his bag. Honestly, I thought this thing was going to taste terrible, but fondly enough, it tasted good. Although, it had a strange texture when I took my first bite.
"So, you two don''t know where you are, but you know a black book brought you here?" Marie reiterates the explanation I gave her while she was cooking.
"Well, that''s what we''re guessing," Proxy says.
"Can I see this book?"
"Knock yourself out."
Proxy takes out the book, handing the book to Marie. She opens the book, looking at the empty contents of it. "The pages are blank? Is that normal?"
"It''s been like that ever since we found it. It sent us here when we were in danger," I explain to her.
"Hmm... I''ve never heard about a book transporting folks before."
¡°What about the monsters we saw.¡±
¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know if I believe you on that.¡±
Meaning she¡¯s never seen the monsters we saw, let alone any at all.
"Well, that sucks," Proxy says as he lies down on the ground.
"But one thing is for certain: you lived against the Silent Knight," Marie says, reverent towards the name "Silent Knight."
Proxy smacks his fist against his hand. "That Bastard ran out on our fight when it was getting good."
"No need to appear tough. Just count your lucky star that he let you live."
"Yeah, and that''ll be that tin can''s last mistake. You know where he lives?"
"I don''t know. I thought he was only a fable."
Proxy sighs in frustration. "Shit..."
"But getting away from the knight, what are you two going to do now?" Marie asks us.
"We...don''t know," I answer.
This is bad. We have nowhere to sleep for tonight, and I know Proxy and I have no experience in the wilderness.
"In that case, you can stay in my camp for as long as you want.¡±
¡°You would allow us to?¡±
¡°Sure... But you¡¯ll have to do one little job for me."
She takes on a dead-serious expression the moment she says that. Hmm, her words so far aren''t malicious or anything like that, but I am getting a feeling of desperation. Yet, I''m also reading a warm feeling from her as well. It isn''t happiness, nor excitement... What is this?
"I had a feeling there was a catch," Proxy shares his suspicions.
"There''s a price for everything. And to be honest, I don''t allow anyone to stay in my camps. But this is a special exception since you''re both kids with nowhere to go. However, being a freeloader is not an option."
She has a point. We are freeloading here if we do nothing. Plus, the look in her eyes is too intimidating to say no to her. Staying on her good side is a sound idea.
"What''s the job?" Proxy asks her for details.
Marie gets up from the ground. She stretches her arms and legs. ¡°I''ll tell you in the morning, I''m tired. I¡¯ve been hunting all day long. You two should get some rest as well. Because tomorrow, you got work to do."
"Got it, boss lady," Proxy replies.
Marie leaves us for another area of the camp. After a while, we had put out the fire to head to sleep. I tried to take the best position possible for the ground. Luckily, there''s a part with grass, but it''s still uncomfortable.
"Hey, Richard," Proxy whispers.
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°I think we might be in an ¡®another world¡¯ situation."
"How do you figure that?" I asked, sarcastic in tone.
"Well... I''m just going on what I saw in fiction and comparing it to our situation." Depending on how you view that, this could be an okay time, or the worse time of our lives. Right now, we¡¯re not exactly living it up in some palace. But, hey, since we''re here, we might as well get comfortable. I have a feeling we''re gonna be here for a while."
A while, huh? I wonder what''s going on back home? What happened to the concert hall? Are the police investigating what happened as we speak? Too many questions surface from the back of my mind, making it even more nerve-wracking.
¡°Are you okay, buddy?¡± Proxy suddenly asks me, concerned in tone.
¡°Huh? Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Why?¡±
¡°I mean, after your episode in the tower, I¡¯m a bit worried for ya.¡±
¡°Like I said, I¡¯m not perfectly fine, but I¡¯m holding up.¡±
He lets out a relieved breath of air. ¡°That¡¯s good. You had me worried.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry that I did.¡±
¡°It¡¯s cool. Besides, I can understand why you broke down like that. What we went through would stress anyone out. But don¡¯t worry, let me worry about fighting and everything will be a-okay.¡±
Speaking of fighting, that reminded me of what I observed from him when he was fighting the knight. It might have been me, but I can¡¯t help but want to confirm what I saw.
"Proxy, when you were fighting, weren¡¯t you scared? Actually, scratch that, do you ever get scared when you fight?"
¡°Scared¡? Well, normally when I fight punks on the streets, I know I can beat them, so not really.¡± I expected as much. ¡°...But there was something about that fight that made me lose a bit of my composure. I can''t say how I felt exactly, but I felt something. My heart was pounding, my chest was on fire, and my arms were trembling."
¡°So you were scared?¡±
¡°Nah, I definitely wasn¡¯t. I felt a rush going through my body!¡±
A rush? How could anyone feel excited about fighting against a person or a thing like that? Before I can question him, he takes out a Cassette player. He places a tape inside it.
"I didn''t know you had a cassette player?"
"If it can play music and it can play the music I like, I have it."
He puts on the headphones linked to the cassette player, pressing play when they''re on. Guess he''s going to sleep. I should do the same. I turn my attention to the sky. It looks no different from our world''s sky. However, there are more stars, and it seems like you can see the Milky Way from here. Without buildings in the way, the sky is brimming with stars.
"The stars are amazing here... I wish she could see them, too..."
I get up to dig into Proxy¡¯s bag for my three-deck boxes I have in it. We were going to play them during the start-up of the concert. Thinking about it now, how were we going to do that in there? I take out a card from box #1. It has no design. It''s completely white. I raise it to the sky, aligning it with the stars. If I hold this towards the sky, she''ll be able to see it too, won''t she?
¡°Are you up there, Mother? If you are, just know I¡¯m doing alright and I miss you, very much.¡±
More than you could realize...
The Holy Lands - Titan''s axe - Morning
"Rise and shine, man." Proxy''s voice wakes me up. The morning sun hits my eyes as they open. "Come on, get up!" I get off the floor. After stretching my arms and legs, I take out my glasses from my chest pocket and put them on. "You look like crap. Stayed up late?"
"A bit. I was messing with my cards. What¡¯s going on?"
"I¡¯m going to go do the job Marie gave me."
"Already? Where to?"
"To some mine. She needs something from there, so I have to get it for her, or else we''ll have to pack up and leave."
"Where is it?"
"She marked it down on this map she gave me.."
There are two marks on the map: where we are, and where the mine is. We''re currently in the lower southeast area of this region. We''re near the sea at the far end of the east. The target is west of here. It doesn''t seem to be far from here. Oddly enough, the region the map is showing is relatively small. Is this all there is to this place, or is this just a condensed version of a world map based on this region? Either way, I guess it doesn''t matter right now.
"Okay, we know where to go."
Proxy scratches the back of his head. "Actually, I think it¡¯s better if you stay here."
"What? Why?"
"Who knows what¡¯s waiting there? And if there are more monsters out here, then I don''t think it''s a good idea to bring you.¡±
"But I can¡¯t let you go alone. I¡¯m going.¡±
¡°What if you--¡±
¡°Don''t worry about me! There won¡¯t be a repeat of what happened yesterday, so take me with you. If you say no, then I¡¯ll follow you there.¡±
Proxy glances at me, then at the sky. He lets out a sigh. ¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°I am...¡±
¡°Fine... You better have my back, buddy.¡±
He puts out his hand for a high-five. I clap my hand against his hand, producing a thunderous sound.
¡°Of course. Same with you. Hm?¡± I just noticed Proxy has a sheath for his sword. It''s strapped to his belt. "Did you make that?"
"I got the sheath from Marie." He twirls the sword in his hand, putting it away in his sheath. "But enough about that. Come, my mighty comrade! To adventure and glory, and all that other junk,"
He runs off to the exit of this place.
"Wait for me!"
I pick up a deck box and put it in my pocket. Can''t say why I''m bringing it along, not like we''re going wherever we''re going to mess around, but there''s a feeling telling me to do so.
The Holy Lands - Hell mine - Morning
We arrive at a signpost that''s right next to a cracked open part of the land. It goes deep underground. It''s wide enough for several people to enter all at once. The signpost says: "Worksite Mine - name: the Hell Mine". What a scary name.
"Is this the place?" I ask Proxy, stretching his arms around.
"This is the place. It looks just like what Marie said it would be. Besides, you''re the one who read the map."
True, but this is my first time doing it without an app.
"What are we going to do here?"
"She said she wants us to get something. Some kind of weapon that''s being held here. She said the head honcho probably has it."
"That''s kinda vague."
"Tell me about it. She said she had no idea what it looked like."
The mine is letting out a lukewarm feeling. Whatever heat I feel drifts towards me, tingling the muscles wrapped around my bones. No doubt about it, this place is giving off a deathly feeling I''ve only felt once, and that was from yesterday.
"Proxy, we..."
Looking at Proxy, I don''t see a hint of fear on his face. He''s brimming with confidence, probably thinking that this''ll be a walk in the park... I have to-- I need to emulate that! There''s no backing down now, so if we''re doing this, we''re doing this!
Proxy puts on his goggles. "Ready for this, Richard?"
I smack my cheeks, psyching myself up. "Yeah!"
"Then let''s get to work. . ."
With my motivation propped up, we descended into the tunnel.
Hell Mine - part 1
Holy Lands - Hell Mine - morning
We enter the mine. The sudden change in the temperature is the most notable thing about this place. It rose in temperature, not too hot but I can certainly feel the heat sweeping all over my body.
"Kind of hot in here," Proxy points out as he takes his jacket off. ¡°So, what do you think we¡¯ll find down here?¡±
¡°According to typical high fantasy, since we¡¯re looking at a treasure quest, so to speak, there might be monsters the further in we go.¡±
¡°I¡¯m already ready for the challenge. And if it is like high fantasy, we might find some rare shit down here; like Excalibur or something like that.¡±
How would Excalibur be in this world?
As we continue the journey downward through the mine, we find people, and I mean real people. They have weapons in their hands, standing in front of us. It seems like they''re on guard.
"Hey, who the hell are you?" one of them shouts at us.
"We''re Jehovah''s witnesses," Proxy responds, chortling to himself.
"You¡¯re not allowed in here. Get out!¡±
¡°Or what,¡± Proxy bites back.
¡°...Or we¡¯ll make you leave!¡±
"Guys, I like the spirit, but that won''t help you. Trust me. So just let us through and I won¡¯t have to hurt you."
The guards are still prepared to fight him, pointing their weapons at him.
"Proxy, I think they¡¯re not gonna listen."
"I know. We just have to rough them up a bit."
¡°Just¡go easy on them.¡± ¡°
"I wouldn¡¯t go all out on them. It would be like hitting a puppy, and I love dogs."
Moments later...
Proxy sits on one guard while the other is knocked out, their weapons away from their hands.
"So, I''m gonna ask you a question, just answer it and we¡¯ll be on our way," Proxy tells the guard, leaning to add pressure.
"W-what is it?" the guard painfully spits out the words.
"A friend told me that a few days ago there was a discovery in this mine, something extraordinary."
"I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about?¡±
¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± I confidently reveal.
¡°Come on, and I was about to believe you. I guess we¡¯ll torture you!¡±
¡°What!¡± the guard shrieks.
¡°Sorry, dude, but you leave me no choice.¡±
Proxy then holds up his index fingers. He puts them in his mouth for a few seconds before taking them out. Now, the torture method is ready: a saliva-covered finger!
¡°Tell us now, or you¡¯ll experience hell like none other!"
¡°I won¡¯t tell you.¡±
I''d call this man brave if not foolish.
¡°Then you have sealed your fate.¡± He then digs his fingers into the guard''s ear.
The guard''s face contorts as the wetness enters his ear. Proxy twists his fingers around in his earlobe, spreading his saliva inside. He looks like he wants to scream, even beg for mercy. I can¡¯t blame him; Proxy gave me one when I was sleeping in his guestroom. It still haunts my nightmares.
"Stop! Stop! Please!¡±
¡°Ready to talk!?¡±
¡°Yes, yes! Anything, just stop!¡± Proxy takes his fingers out of his ear, wiping them on his clothes. ¡°A few days ago, in the deepest part of the mine, the workers found something; a metallic case. I heard they couldn¡¯t get it open no matter what they did to it. The Warden decided to keep it in his quarters."
"So this warden guy has the case? Where can we find him?¡± Proxy questions, keeping his finger next to the poor bastard''s ear.
¡°He¡¯s in the lower part of the mine.¡±
¡°Thanks, also, you said ''workers''. How many are we talking here?¡±
¡°Go see for yourself down there.¡±
¡°You know what, I will. And you have some sweet dreams.¡±
"Wha--"
Proxy quickly strikes the guard in the head, rendering him unconscious. He wipes his finger on the man''s clothes.
¡°Looks like we¡¯re going to have to go deeper into the mine,¡± I point out.
¡°If the rest of the guards are like this, then we''re gonna get this weapon with no sweat.¡±
¡°Still, let¡¯s be cautious. This was probably the lighter layer of security.¡±
¡°Makes sense, Alright, we¡¯re going on alert orange!¡±
¡°You don''t even know what that means.¡±
Though I don¡¯t know if my prediction of the security being lighter is entirely right, but making this assumption will keep us from acting rashly. At least I hope it keeps Proxy from acting rash.
Hell Mine - lower depth
The temperature grows more humid the further we descend. I was exhausted by the time we made it down here, while Proxy is only breaking out into a sweat.
Proxy comes to a full-on stop, causing me to bump into him."What...? What is..."
"This place is huge!"
The area we are in is spacious. The room is perhaps 60-80 yards wide, with an untouched pillar of stone in the center. It obscures the front of the area. People ranging between 20-30, from what I can see, working to the bone taking materials from the digging site onto different carts. Multiple tracks around the site lead to the same track further down from the work area.
"Get down." Proxy brings my head down to the ground, behind a large rock. We peeked our heads over. 4 heavily armed men, all carrying sabers, walk around one person. He''s lanky, dressed too well to be a worker, and not to mention that he''s carrying an air of smugness around him.
¡°You think he¡¯s the Warden?¡± I ask Proxy.
¡°Maybe. He looks like an asshole.¡±
Standing on top of a rock facing most of the workers, he coughs loudly into his hand. "Listen up, you worthless maggots!" the man¡¯s voice echoes throughout the vicinity. Ugh, the feeling I¡¯m getting from this guy is terrible; it''s a mix of condescension and narcissism. "Some of you have been taking work materials without the Warden''s permission! And you should know he feels about thieves, so whoever stole said materials shall be punished when apprehended! If said person doesn¡¯t come upfront about the theft, then your quotas shall go up! That is all. You may go on."
He leaves just as quickly as he came, prancing around like he''s a king.
"Hey, we''re going to follow him," Proxy, moving low along the rocks, instructs me.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, it sounds like he works with the Warden, given how he''s bossing everyone around."
"So if we go after him, then he¡¯ll lead us to him.¡±
¡°Exactly what I''m thinking. Come on.¡±
Proxy and I follow our viable lead and his guards. Along the way, I can''t help but look at the workers. Most of them are pale, but their slim frames have muscles that must''ve come from hours of grueling work; however, they have little body fat to even it out. Who would do something like this? Seeing this stuff happen in front of my eyes, it''s sickening to think that a human being would put people through this... Then again, it''s not like it''s impossible, just incredibly sickening.
From the corner of my eye, a child, holding a pick-axe, collapses, hitting the ground with a thud.
I grab Proxy''s shoulder. "Proxy."
A guard march over to the little girl, taking out his weapon when he closed in on her.
"Stand up," a guard orders, pointing his weapon at her small frame.
She''s out cold, unable to move a muscle. Three workers rush to her side, shielding her from the guard.
"Please, she''s just a little girl, she''s exhausted," a female worker confronts the guard, pleading like her life was on the line.
Reading her words, a fathomless feeling of despair pours out, wrecking my head.
"Please, we''ll work even more than we normally do!"
Like on repeat, their despair pours into my head like black muck going right into my brain.
"No excuses! If she collapses, she must go out..."
The guard grabs the little girl by the arm and lifts her to his shoulder.
¡°Please, you can¡¯t! She¡¯s a child!¡±
¡°Silence! If you pester us any further, then you¡¯ll be going out too!¡±
The workers are struck with fear by the mention of ¡°going out¡±. What does that mean? Gah, that doesn¡¯t matter, something bad is probably going to happen to that little girl. We need to do something... But if we go now, we''ll just be exposed. Shit, why am I trying to think about this rationally!? Even if we get caught, I wouldn''t feel good if she died! So...
"Proxy, we need to..."
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Before I could finish, he flies past me and jumped off the ledge. His body soars across the air, granting him everyone''s attention. The guard was unable to respond in time to Proxy''s attack. He planted his feet on the guard''s chest. With his ariel momentum coupled with his body weight as well as his descent, the force behind his blow was far more powerful than expected.
Of course, it knocked out the guard in one go, but I never thought Proxy would be crazy enough to do something like that. Since he''s already showing himself, I don''t know why I shouldn''t.
"Damn. That kinda hurt... Oh, sorry pal, didn¡¯t see you down there." He faces the workers crowding around the little girl. "Sup. You fellas need some assistance?"
"You...attacked the guard?" one of the workers, shocked, yet amazed, mutters to themself.
"What about it? He''s just some asshole who needed kicking."
These people must have never seen someone stand up to them before, let alone hit them. Naturally, that''s going to draw the most attention to us... Hm? That guard...is he using a radio!?
"Proxy, look!" His eyes dart to where I''m pointing. "...He''s calling for backup!"
"Well, shit! We gotta make ourselves scarce, like now!"
One worker picks up the little girl and waves over to Proxy and me to follow him.
"Wait a moment." Proxy runs back to the guard who is calling for help and drives his fist to his face, knocking him out in one go. "Now, we can go..."
¡°Was that necessary?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t let him follow us now, can we?¡±
¡°Fair point.¡±
Hell mine - morning
They led us through to a tunnel that is large enough for us to crawl through. The tunnel ends at a sturdy, metal door. It''s beaten up, but still holding. The worker ahead of us Knocks on it four times, then pauses, and knocked on it two more times. The door opens up, someone greets us from the other side.
"What are you all doing here? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be on duty still?¡± the doorman inquires.
¡°Why is Racheal with you? What happened to her?¡±
"She collapsed during work. The guards were going to put her out."
"Oh, goodness, no..."
The doorman expressed his shock while putting his hand to his mouth.
"Um, can we come in? My knees aren''t meant for crawling," Proxy requests.
¡°Don¡¯t be rude,¡± I reprimand him.
¡°Sorry, but my knees are dying here.¡±
"Who are they?"
"That boy saved Racheal," the worker in front of me points back to Proxy.
"Guys, I like the appreciation you¡¯re showing me. I genuinely do, but can we talk about my heroics inside?"
"Yes, come in quickly..."
The other side of the tunnel appears to be some sort of shelter, as it is housing several others who are wearing the same ragged attire. They are laying against the stone walls as they sleep. I hear coughing in the mix as well. Are they sick?
"Oh god," I whisper to myself, appalled by the scene.
"Welcome to our only haven,¡± one of the workers greets us with downcast eyes.
¡°This is where we take the people that the warden was going to have put out."
"Sorry, but what does being put out mean?" Proxy raises his hand.
"It''s a sort of term for the workers'' who collapse, lacking the will to work anymore, or cause a commotion; the guards must take out those people..."
"I see. So this place is for its namesake. Let me guess: these people die, right," Proxy guessed, the miners nod their heads.
"B-but, that''s insane! They''re just exhausted, right, so-"
"They clearly don¡¯t care," Proxy tells me. "I''m guessing they have even more than the ones outside?"
"Yes, you are correct. More people are coming here as the days go by.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t anyone stop them?¡± In disbelief, I utter a question I already know the question to.
"There is no one that can stop them. Even if we tried, it would all be for not"
This was all too much for me to take in. Human slavery is something you learned in history books in history class and learned was bad, but to actually see it unfold in front of your eyes...
"Ya got anything to eat," Proxy inquires, patting his stomach.
"We have some soup and bread."
¡°I¡¯ll take some soup."
¡°Then follow me. But before we go.¡± The female worker holding the little girl places her gently on the ground.
¡°Would you like anything, young man?¡± the worker asked me for my requests.
¡°No, I think I¡¯ll stay here.¡±
¡°In that case, please watch over Racheal for us.¡±
"Okay.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t be gone for too long, buddy. Just let me refuel and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±
¡°Just don¡¯t take too long.¡±
¡°Gotcha. Be back in a jiffy."
Proxy goes off with the refugees. . .
I sit down next to the unconscious girl. She has hazelnut hair and pale skin with some muscle on her arms. Her hands seem to be callous from using heavy equipment. I sink my head to the ground. I can hear the coughing and wheezing. Something is turning in my stomach. I feel something tug at my pants. It''s the little girl.
"Oh, in, hey?" She doesn''t respond to my poor attempt at communication. "So, um, how are you feeling?" No response again. "Do you know where you¡¯re at?¡± She nods yes. ¡°We had to bring you here because you blacked out.¡±
She remains silent. I clap my hands together as this "conversation" turned awkward.
¡°Oh, I forgot. Your name is Racheal, right? My name is Richard. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you."
She still remains quiet¡ Did I say something wrong? Did I do something wrong? Screw it, I¡¯ll just fill in the dead air.
"So. . .are you okay? You must''ve been exhausted from working, huh?" Dead silent again. "Am I bothering you?"
She still isn''t saying anything. Oh god, this is so weird, why isn¡¯t she speaking back? Wait, could she be¡?
"She''s a mute."
A young girl from out of nowhere tells me. She looks a bit older than me.
¡°She¡¯s a mute?"
The girl holds her tongue for a moment. She then looks back at me with saddened eyes.
". . .The reason is that her-"
Racheal hit the woman on the leg ?to keep her from speaking.
"That¡¯s rude, young lady!"
Seems like she doesn''t care. She just strolls off, her little footsteps becoming quieter and quieter. . .
"Are you okay?" I ask the girl.
"I''m fine. I should''ve known she was still upset about it. Well, upset isn''t the word anyone should use."
"Why did she do that?"
"She did it to stop me from talking."
"About what?"
Again, she''s just giving me silence.
"Nothing, never mind. I shouldn''t have brought it up, anyway. Just please, let her be by herself, she''ll feel a lot better that way. Also, thank you for saving her. She really is a good kid."
¡°No problem.¡±
She takes her to leave elsewhere in the shelter. Did I do something wrong? I sigh to myself. I might as well go meet up with Proxy. Then again, this might be the only time I''ll be by myself, so I might want to take the time to just relax. I take out a deck box from my pants pocket. I always enjoy going over my cards in my spare time, it always helps me feel relaxed. Luckily, my pockets are big enough for my boxes to fit.
"Huh?"
Racheal is staring at me. Her stare beats any other I''ve ever seen before. They are empty and as void as the black portal that brought us to this world. She walks past me with a pickaxe in her hands, dragging it on the floor. I wonder what she''s planning on doing with it.
...
It''s probably been 7 minutes since Proxy and I got here, he is still gone and I''m just exploring the place. No matter where I go, misery is all I feel from every corner of this place; it''s almost suffocating. I end up back at the entrance of this shelter. Nobody is guarding the entrance and the wooden door is hanging open.
"Did someone leave? Did Proxy leave?"
The thought went through my mind. Would he leave me behind without telling me? That''s ridiculous. Of course, he wouldn''t... Albeit, he wanted me to stay back at the camp, so maybe he left by himself for me to stay here and out of trouble.
¡°Damn it Proxy, I told you I can handle myself!¡±
I climb through the hole and crawled to the other end. It makes me mad that he just up and left me behind. I told him I was fine¡ Then again; I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m really fine to be here. It is possible that I would slow him down; what if I have another panic attack like yesterday? My body stops moving. The thought makes me question my reason for being here. I don¡¯t want Proxy getting hurt. That much is clear, but what if I just got in his way while fighting? Honestly, it scares me to know that I would only be a liability.
Just then, a scream echoes from the end of the tunnel. I crawl out of the tunnel to see what was going on.
"Stop struggling, damn it!"
A guard is attempting to drag off a worker.
"Oh, crap."
Taking a closer look, the person being dragged off is the person who was guarding the door to the shelter.
"I need to go get help!"
As I move my foot off the ground, the miner screams for help, begging someone to help them. I bite down on my lip. My arms are trembling.
"I said shut up!"
The guard hit the worker with his baton.
"P-p-please! Don''t hurt me!"
"You tried to steal from the guard rations."
"What, no I wasn''t! I just wanted-"
"I tried to knock you out, but you had a weapon, so I needed to put you down for the betterment of the other workers."
The baton switches from a blunt weapon to a short sword.
"Should''ve just told me where those intruders were when you had the chance. . . "
¡°Please, no!"
A sudden burst of adrenaline runs through me. Without thinking it through, I run over to the guard and pushed him with all the strength I could.
"Run," I yell at the worker.
I stumbled to the floor after I rush the guard. He gets up from the floor while picking up his sword. He thrust his baton at me. I dodge the attack. I trip on the floor because of my awful footing.
"Those don''t look like the clothes of a worker? Who are you!?"
"Um, I''m, um!"
"I asked who are you!?"
He comes at me to stab me with the baton. I roll out of the way. I get up from the floor only to just stumble to the floor again. He gets on top of me, pinning me down to the ground.
"You must be those intruders that were reported earlier¡ Oh boy, today¡¯s my lucky day!"
He wrangles my neck, strangling the life out of me. With my lungs constricted, they block air to my lungs. I''m gagging for a breath of fresh air.
¡°...Sorry kid, but you¡¯re gonna be quite the reward for me. The Warden will probably think highly of me for this.¡±
This can''t be the end of me, I just... I just...can''t die! I don¡¯t want to die! B-brother, mother, Proxy¡!
Suddenly, his grasp on my neck loosens, and air enters my lungs after a desperate, deep breath. Analyzing what happened, a pickaxe in the guard''s thigh. Proxy!? No, wait, he isn''t the one who saved me. . .
"Racheal, what are you doing here?"
She points towards a rock. Picking up on what she wanted, I grab it. I use it to knock the guard out. My breathing stabilizes. I hit him as hard as I could, but I need to see if it didn¡¯t kill him. The last thing I need is a guilty conscious¡ Thank god, he¡¯s breathing. I thought I hit him harder than I should''ve. I''ve never done that to a person before. Hurting someone, the adrenaline rush is still rushing through me, not letting what ?set in.
¡°Racheal. Um, thank you, for saving me¡ Racheal?" She takes her pickaxe from the guard''s leg. That¡¯s bad! Bleeding that badly is probably going to kill him! I tear off the guy''s sleeve to bandage up his wound. He tried to kill me and someone else, I know that, but I just can¡¯t watch him die.
"Hey, where are you going?"
She remains silent. She just casually paces onward, away from the shelter. Wait, she''s heading to where the other workers are at, and to where guards are itching for a reason to hurt someone.
"Wait, it''s too dangerous. Come back here!"
She still isn''t listening to me. I have to go get someone to stop her. No, even if I got someone out here, Racheal would probably be neck-deep in danger, or worse. Besides, I don¡¯t think anyone in there can help, or might even want to. Would that mean, I have to?
"Gah, pondering over this won¡¯t achieve anything! I need to catch up with her."
I trip on something as I take a step forward.
"What the. . .?"
It is the guard''s baton. I pick it up from the ground. Upon examining it, there are three buttons. Pressing the first one, the baton becomes a blunt weapon again, the second is the blade, and the third one is a stun rod. Well, at least I''m able to stun instead of seriously hurting someone.
"All right then, time to go!"
I wasted time fumbling with this thing, I need to catch up with Racheal. I hope I can find Proxy along the way, and when I do, I¡¯m going to give him a piece of my mind.
Hell mine - shelter - ?
"Richard, where are you?"
When I got done eating my soup, I knew it was time to leave, but I can''t find Richard anywhere. You''d think a guy like him would stay in one place, but nope. Disappears into thin air.
"Excuse me." Someone calls me.
"Yo?"
"You had a friend with you. He has glasses?"
"That''s the one you know where he''s at?"
"I-I do." The dude seems like he''s dead exhausted. Does he have a weak constitution? ¡°A guard attacked outside of here me, but your friend saved me!¡±
He went out by himself!?
"Where is he?"
¡°I don¡¯t know. He told me to run away while he distracted a guard just outside of here.¡±
Shit! This is bad. Screw waiting around, he just straight-up ditched me! I need to get going now.
"All right, thanks for the info."
I run for the exit of this place. Why the hell did Richard leave without me? Doesn¡¯t he know how dangerous this place is? If he has another panic, he¡¯ll be like a sitting duck. I open the wooden door and rush through the tunnel.
"What in the hell are you thinking, Richard? Now''s not the time to be venturing by yourself!"
Hell Mine - part 2
Holy Land - Hell mine - ?
I''ve been running after Racheal for a while now while moving around carefully to not tip off my presence. The area is teeming with guards now since they got an intruder alert report. I''m struggling to suppress my panting from emitting more noise than it already is.
"Too much...running."
I might not be out of shape, but my body isn''t built like an athlete, and my constitution is weak. Maybe I should take a breather¡ Wait, is that Racheal? Yeah, it is! She''s sneaking past the guards and workers by sticking to the upper level. It is a pretty smart thing to do rather than blend in with the workers. I climb up to where Racheal is. Now that I''m up here, I don''t need to worry about anyone seeing me as long as I don''t bring any attention to myself.
I hug the wall since there isn''t much ground up here. I''m just behind Racheal and it looks like she is having a bit of a hard time balancing herself while carrying that pickaxe. Before long, she loses her balance. I hurry her before she fell.
"Got you!" I quietly shout, feeling as though my arms went numb for a minute... "Hello, " I nervously greet as I desperately hold my grip on the ledge.
...
Racheal and I reached a platform on the higher level to take a brief break. Now that I think about it, I have no idea what to do now. I didn''t have an actual plan, so to speak.
Racheal drags her axe around on the ground, carving something into the ground. She stops and points to the ground.
"I''m not going back," the writing on the ground says.
"Huh?"
She shoves the axe in front of me. She then writes something else on the floor.
"Aren''t you here to take me back to the shelter?"
"Of course, it¡¯s dangerous out here."
She shakes her head, carving something else into the ground.
"It doesn''t matter! I won''t go back."
"Why not?"
Racheal makes a break for it without answering me. I grab her arm before she could get far. She is struggling to get out of my grasp but I am not letting up.
"Calm down! I have no idea where you want to go, but I know it''s dangerous to go by yourself. How about you tell me what''re you going to do, I might be able to help."
She immediately settles down, so I let go of her arm. Once again, she writes on the floor with her axe.
"Why do you want to help me? All the others wouldn¡¯t listen to me when I asked them?"
"Well, I don''t know what you mean, and to be honest, this is all going a little bit too fast for me. But, I know that I want to help, so, can you tell me why you left the shelter? I promise to hear you out."
Racheal looks to her feet. I smiled at her, reassuring her ?I won''t dismiss her.
"I left the shelter to go find my dad."
"Your dad?"
"I know when people are put out, they aren''t killed; the guards said so. I heard them say it!"
That doesn''t sit well with me.
"Listen, I don''t think you want to get your hopes up."
"Why not?"
"I just think..." My hands tremble as I pause mid-sentence. "...You might not want to get your hopes up."
I don''t wanna say it, but it''s better to say the truth than someone getting hurt. I''m sure Proxy would agree. But I don¡¯t want to crush her spirits. The resolution in her is strong, so no matter what I say she might not listen. She picks up her axe and begins walking off.
"W-where are you going?" I stutter.
She says nothing and just keeps moving on. Damnit, if she goes on her own, she''ll most definitely run into trouble. I have to stop her¡ Or maybe not.
"Wait!" I plead. "I know ?I can''t change your mind, but if I can''t do that, then let me help you!" Racheal turns her head, surprise written on her face by my offer to aid her. "Like I said: if I can, I would help."
I wasn''t planning on going anywhere else in this place without Proxy, but I guess I have no choice. Even if I drag her back, we would need to go back down the way we came from to sneak by the guards, and I''m pretty sure she wouldn''t make that easy. So, I might as well try to aid her.
"Are you sure?" she ends with a question mark.
"I''m sure."
"Then, Don''t make too much sound, don''t go too far from me. Also..."
Now I¡¯m being treated like a pet in the park. Well, it beats fighting, and I sure as hell don¡¯t want to go through that again.
...
Running around looking for Richard isn''t as easy as I want it to be, but nobody said anything about this would be easy. There are guards deeper in that are packing sharper-looking weapons and actual armor than the ones from before, so fighting them all at once sounds cool, but it would suck to get overrun by them. Plus, I need to prioritize my obligations.
"Hm, this mine sure is big. Wonder what would happen if someone tried to level this place?"
Nah, that isn¡¯t possible. For one, you¡¯d have to have some strong ass explosives to do something like that, and I sure as shit don¡¯t want to be buried underground.
"Huh?"
In the corner of my eye, something moves toward me. A set of carts on a single track. It might be a good idea to see where they would lead me somewhere if I follow the track. And I always wanted to ride a cart when I was a kid, but that was a go-kart. I hop into a cart, now, time to enjoy the ride. Something is pressing against the lower part of my back. I pick it up to see that it''s a crystal, some nice sparkly ones too. Well, I don''t see the harm in taking a few of them.
I''ve been on the cart for a while now. It hasn''t gone down or up, still going on the same height with little change. It''s getting pretty boring. I look up to see that the cart in front of me, halted. My cart makes a collision with the one ahead of me, rocking me a little. I jump out since this is the end of the line. The carts are going down a sloop. I carefully followed behind, moving into a cramped tunnel. It leads into a well-lit area with more lights and wires running through them. It''s a large circular area. There are tons of guards, some rocking swords on their backs, while others don¡¯t have any and are wearing light armor.
"Here comes the next batch of materials,¡± one of them announces.
"Okay, hurry ?and load these into the truck!"
They take out the materials from the cart, crystals, metal, and other ores. More carts come out in droves behind me. I move to the side to make as much room in the cramped tunnel. Some of the carts are holding more materials than others. All of them go down the sloop, being stopped by a rail buffer.
"Cart twelve is lacking in materials," one worker states. "Who were the ones with this cart?"
"No idea, gonna have to report this?."
"I feel bad doing that."
"Yeah, well, it''s either their ass or ours that''s gonna be in the hot seat. Let''s just load them up."
They¡¯re loading them into a small truck. Not as modern in design, but like an older, militaristic version of a truck. More trucks come out of the hole next to me. Better get out of here before I''m spotted. From the uphill tracks, I scale down the hill, grasping whatever I can.
"Did you see the warden today?"
A voice echoes from a large man-made hole right next to me. I hug up the wall, lowering my breathing.
"No, why?"
"The guy is really breathing down our necks today, and he''s making us load twice as much stuff. Honestly, it''s a real pain!"
"Well, we could still be digging up this stuff, like the others."
"Guess you have a point."
"I also heard the guards are on high alert right now for two intruders."
"Seriously? Why don''t they tighten security up at the entrance to mine?"
"Cause getting in is easy, but trying to steal anything from here and then getting out is harder. The warden knows how many of them there are and where they are every single time. It''s child''s play to him."
"How does he know?"
"I don''t know. Maybe he just uses the workers?"
"You think he knows we''re talking about him?"
"Of course not, if he did I would''ve been gone a long time ago..."
So the warden can find out how many intruders there are and where they are? Is he using the workers? So far nobody spotted me, so I guess it''s whatever. As they continue talking, I slip past them and enter the tunnel that they came from. It is a dimly lit narrow hallway with wires running from the lights. Running through the hall, the rocky floor and walls are being replaced with steel plating.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
By the judge of this place, I''m betting that this is an area for guards only. If that''s the case, then I''m getting closer to the goal. Albeit, I am probably going in the wrong way to find Richard.
"Hm?"
Footsteps are coming from the left-corner turn of the hallway. I back up to the wall near the corner, waiting for the person to come closer¡ Now! I grab their arm and slam them against the wall.
"Who the--!?"
He tries to pull out a weapon but I grab his other arm and twisted it. He lets out a shrill, girlish scream.
"It''s kind of rude to draw weapons on people, and unfortunately, I''m kind of rude myself."
"Ow, that hurts!"
"That''s the idea, genius," I remark.
"Well, stop it, or else the warden won''t be pleased!"
"Huh? How so?"
A pretty bold claim from a regular grunt.
"Because I''m second in charge of this place, and the warden values me greatly; in fact, you could say I''m the only one he relies on the most." If he''s the second in charge, that means I just hit the jackpot.
"Hey, wanna do me a favor?"
"Why should I?"
"Because helping a child in need is the right thing to do. Plus, if you don''t, I''ll snap your arm like a twig. So you know, no pressure."
"You don''t scare me!"
Seriously guy, I see you lying through your teeth.
"Man, don''t lie, just do the smart thing that doesn''t with your arm being popped out of place."
Sweat begins rolling down his face.
"You won''t hurt me?"
"Not if you help me."
"Fine, I''ll help you."
"Good."
I let him go and point my sword toward his back.
"Alright, we''re gonna go for the warden, no sudden movements or signaling, or any type of resistance. I don''t think I have to tell you what happens if go against any of those rules."
The guy desperately nods. We walk down the halls, my sword pointing to his back. He¡¯s gonna lead me to the big boss around this place, then I''m gonna beat the crap out of him, simple stuff. Maybe then finding Richard will be easy.
Hell Mine - Lower depth - ?
We had been sneaking around the mine for a while now. The security was hard to sneak past as we kept going in deeper. I''m growing exhausted. The few times we nearly spotted did a number on me as well.
"Hey, can we stop here? I''m spent."
"If you can''t keep going, then I''ll go by myself."
"Just wait a moment. You must be tired as well. If you go on without proper rest then you''ll collapse again."
"I''ll be fine."
"What if you fell asleep while near guys? Wouldn''t be very good, would it?"
She bitterly stares at me. Guess she knows I have a point. She points towards a cave on the side of the path we''re walking on. Looks like it''s been abandoned. They probably couldn''t find anything in there. We decide to take a quick break inside. I take a seat on the ground. Racheal is wiping down her pickaxe. Seems like she¡¯s having trouble.
"Is something not coming off?" She bobs her head. "Let me see that." I take out a bottle of lens cleaner. She is hesitant about giving me the axe. "Don''t worry, I won''t break it."
She is still hesitant to give it to me, but ?she gives it to me. I open the cap to the lens cleaner, poured some of the liquid on the axe, then cleaned it off with my hand.
"What''s this?" There¡¯s something written on it, "Hammer on for the future".
Sounded pretty cool. I give the pickaxe back to Racheal. She then goes over to her wall, hugging the axe as if she''ll lose it if she lets go. Must be important to her. I take out the white card from my chest pocket. I gaze off at it, getting lost in the pure color. It''s odd, when I look into it, it feels as though there''s more to it than just a blank feature; like there is a hidden presence to it.
A light tap on my shoulder drags me out of my daze. Racheal is pointing at my card.
"I got it from my mother when I was a kid. It''s a pretty important gift from her, so I keep it with me no matter where I go."
She then points to my deck box.
"These, well..."
I take out my deck and showed her the cards.
"What are they?"
"They''re cards, you know, to play games with."
"Are they fun games?"
"Yeah, they''re fun. I play with Proxy all the time - the other guy I came with."
"How many times did you win against him?"
It would be hard-pressed to say I beat him to the point of oblivion.
"A bunch of times, but he won some games..."
"Can we play?"
"Right now? I mean, is it okay? Don''t the guards come through here?"
"It''s okay, we can stop here for now. Security is more relaxed at night."
"How do you know it''s night?"
"It gets a bit cooler in the mine at night."
Come to think of it, it is kind of cooler in here.
"I guess it''s okay then."
I take out another deck box. It is a simple put-together deck and so was mine. It would be overkill if I used the current meta on her, let alone Proxy.
"I think we should play one game at least."
Racheal respectfully nods.
When we began the game, I taught her the rules of the game. I was also trying to take it easy on her ?to not make it a one-sided game. It''s been quite a while since I played a card game against anyone else besides Proxy. In the end, I won. Racheal pouts from her loss, but she tries to hide it.
"Um, sorry, I guess I went a bit too hard in this game."
"You''re too good at this game!"
"Not really."
"It''s because you already know the rules, not fair."
"True, wanna play again?"
"...What''s the point of trying if you''re gonna win, anyway?"
I put the deck in my hands, rotating it to face forward.
"I don''t think it matters if you know if you''ll win or lose. Yeah, people don''t like losing, but do you know why it doesn''t matter for games like these?"
"Why"
"Because in the end, you had fun. So whether you win or lose, you should just try to enjoy yourself."
I forgot that feeling for a while. There was a time when living felt painful, where my ability to read people just overwhelmed me, and coupled with my mother¡¯s death, being happy was the last thing I ever felt. Back then, all I wanted was to be left alone, moving through life with little to no human interaction. But Proxy crushed that plan to pieces. At first, it annoyed me, but after a while, he just destroyed that shell of mine. If it weren¡¯t for him, I¡¯d be a miserable mess.
Racheal looks at me, curiosity filling her eye. She then gazes at the card on the rock.
"Can we play again?"
"Sure, let''s go again!"
I shuffle the decks up and placed them on the rock again. We played several games. She was getting used to the game the more we kept going. She nearly had me on the ropes a few times. Overall, this was a pretty fun way to pass the time. It kind of reminded me of those times. . .
"Can I ask about your dad? I mean, if it''s okay with you?"
"Like what?"
"What he''s like?"
¡°My dad is kind, respectful, strong, and was an outstanding role model for everyone."
"So everyone knew who he was?"
"Yes, he was the one who secretly made the shelter and rescued anyone who was about to be put out."
"Ah, so he was heroic."
"But I don''t care for that. I loved my papa, he gave me hope, and he used to tell me about the outside world; how the day has a bright light up above."
"That''s the sun."
"I know that. Oh, he also told me how the night has a giant blue thing."
"That''s the moon."
"I know that!"
"Sorry, sorry," I apologized as I chuckled.
"He would always tell me that someday, we would all leave the mine together!" Her expression seeps into her writing as it seemed more upbeat and cheerful, matching the smile on her face. Only for that to disappear and be replaced by a more somber expression. "...But then he was taken from me, and for no reason at all! And I was..."
I grab her hand, preventing her from writing anymore.
"It''s okay. I don''t want you to tell me. I don''t want you to relive those painful moments. That''s something I wish nobody has to do."
I know that pain. It is an old pain, but it was a pain looming in the mind, and I hate the hell out of it! Racheal nudges me. I''m still holding onto her hand. I take mine off immediately.
"I-I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to hold your hand!"
Man, I sounded like a dork. Racheal appears baffled by what was wrong. I guess I''m in the clear.
"But can I ask you now?"
"Ask about what?"
"About your family. . ."
An icy shiver goes through my whole body, almost as if the temperature in the cave dropped to below zero.
"Oh, well. . ."
Maybe I should lie about it¡ No, having her remember her painful memories doesn''t seem fair. I let out a reluctant sigh. This is not gonna be fun.
"My family was okay, nothing too perfect or below average. I was happy with how we were. That was until my mom got sick." I cross my hands and lowered my head. "My dad became distant, colder even. He started leaving home more and more, looking at me and my brother like we weren''t even people or his sons anymore. It got so bad that he would leave for an entire month without calling us to let us know where he was at. After four months of this, he vanished."
Nobody could find him, or get ahold of him. He just fell off the radar.
"You have a brother?"
"Yeah, an older one. He and I don''t get along nowadays and we rarely talk to each other."
He does send me money every month as an allowance, but that''s the extent of it. To be honest, I don¡¯t even know if I want to talk to him. It¡¯s not like I have a good reason though, it¡¯s just¡after all the time we spent away from each other, I don¡¯t know if he would even care to speak with me.
I notice Racheal''s expression. It''s pain-filled. She must pity me. Damnit, why does it feel so weird?
"But you know, there was a time when me and my brother were pretty close. We used to play card games together as well. Of course, he would beat me all the time, even when I got better at the games. But I didn''t mind though. I just always wanted to play with him, even if I knew I would lose."
Nostalgia overtakes me, reminiscing about those times is nice. They were times I wish I could relive, times I wish were eternal. But those times are never coming back and thinking about them - while nice - is painful for that very reason.
"I''m sorry," Racheal carves into the ground.
"What for?"
"I made you sad."
"How?"
"I made you talk about your family."
"No, you didn''t make me."
"Really?"
"Really, I wanted to because you told me all about your dad. It probably made you sad because he isn''t here."
"It''s okay, I won''t be sad. My papa told me that as long as I stay strong, then everything will be all right. So I won''t cry or be sad!"
Those words coming from her strike a chord in me. Even if I couldn''t hear them, I feel their emotions like I would if she were speaking. I know it''s vague, but for the longest time now, I could always sense the meaning behind someone''s words or their true emotions behind them, no matter how hard they tried to hide them. It''s not that I practiced this, it''s like a sixth sense. The only time this never worked was when I spoke to my brother, father, mother, or Proxy. Lauren as well, but that''s because she''s blunt about things and rarely holds emotions behind her words.
"So I don''t want you to be sad either!"
She''s right, there''s no point in me acting this way. I need to focus on the here and now. Agonizing what I don¡¯t have now isn¡¯t going to fix anything. Luckily, I¡¯m good at drowning the past.
"You''re right. Thanks for the pep talk, Racheal. Your dad sounds like a great man."
"He''s the best in the whole wide world!"
I can''t relate to it but feel happy for her. There was a time when I would''ve despised it, or become jealous of her, but it is behind me. Besides, I don''t need one. Proxy helped with that. While he isn''t a role model, I couldn''t help but have fun and forget my worries with him around. So really, I''m just glad to be his friend. Speaking of Proxy, I wonder where he is now?
...
A gigantic, burly man is sitting on a chair, watching, listening, and waiting for his prey to come to him. The room he occupies is air-conditioned and all-white. A chrome metallic case leans against the wall. Left untouched, with no scratches, burn marks, or anything to show that the workers tried to open it. The gigantic figure chuckles to himself as he watches on.
"Let the rats run around in the maze. Eventually, they''ll come to me."
Hell Mine - part 3
Hell Mine - evening
We were walking down the halls. We''ve been avoiding guards and workers all alike. He''s been able to get me through the higher security part of this place with access points he knows about. In the end, it seems like we were by ourselves again.
"So, how did a lanky guy like you become second in command of this hellhole?" I asked as I was walking with my sword resting on the back of my neck.
"Well, I don''t mean to brag, but I too was a common miner for a time."
"My ass you didn''t mean to brag."
"...But doing all that work for days on end it was a nightmare." His face contorted into a disturbing smile. "That''s when I had an idea to end my days of slaving away in this place. I used to know this guy who would try to lift the spirits of the other workers by telling us that eventually, we would get out of this place. But I knew he was full of it. If we waited. We would die down here waiting. So one night, when he was having a private meeting with some of his highly trusted comrades, he made a plan that would get us out of this place..."
Yeah, I''m not liking where this story is going...
"...So instead of letting him senselessly die, I used him for my ?benefit. I reported his plan to break out to the warden. And while he was working, the guards came up to him and attempted him away. Unfortunately, he was to fight them off for about four hours. I heard he fought like a wild animal. But in the end, after many casualties, he was captured and taken out. That was the day I became the warden''s second; he told me ?I was quite a useful man. It was the day when I could get out of that sweat-inducing, starving-nights hell hole!"
This piece of shit... Something snaps in me. I grab the right hand and slam him to the floor.
"I''ve seen cowards in my time fighting, but you take the whole goddamn cake!"
"Wha- Let go of me!"
"You''d be lucky if I didn''t kick your ass here and now for all that shit." I want to hit this son of a bitch, but I need him conscious.
"As much as I wanna deck the shit out of you, you''re useless to me knocked out. So after I kick that warden''s ass, you''ll get your dues!"
"Unhand me or you''ll regret this!"
"Trust me, I won''t regret a thing after I''m done with you!" I lift him up from the ground with force. I throw him forward. "Get moving before I just kick your ass here and now."
Half an hour of walking later, we hit the end of the hallway. It''s a giant metal door. I don''t see any way to open the door.
"This is it," the right hand says.
"Open it," I command him.
"I can''t open the door. Only--"
"Only I can."
A voice echoes throughout the mine. I don''t see anyone on the other end of the hall. It''s deep and rugged with a southerner accent. Suddenly, the gigantic metal door slides upward. The area inside is empty, but it is the biggest room in the mine so far. My math sucks but I think that the room is 200 yards wide, give or take. There is also this rectangular white thing that was poking out high on the wall. Its clean design sticks out like a sore thumb, and it''s big enough to be considered a room of its own...
"I brought him, warden sir," the right hand squeals at the end, scurrying away from me.
Me being me, I yank him by the collar. "What do you mean by that?"
"What do ya think it means, squirt?"
The voice sounds like it''s coming from an intercom. My eyes zone up at the white rectangle. There''s a person standing there. I push the second hand away from me.
"Are you the big man on campus?"
"Depends on who''s askin''."
"The guy who came to throw down with the Warden."
"Haha, funny kid. I like yer gumption. Why did ya come here, kid?"
"Ain''t that obvious: for a certain item you dug up."
"A certain item...? Oh, ya don''t mean this little thin¡¯, do ya?" He shows off a giant case. Probably around 5 or 6 feet; can''t tell from down here.
"Maybe. Why don''t you hand it over to me and let me see if it''s what I need?"
"Nah, how about I make ya a deal?"
"A deal,?"
"How ''bout ya work for me? I''ll even give ya that useless sack of crap''s job." I''m guessing he was referencing his right hand''s job. Seeing how the right is twitching and stuttering, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m off-mark.
"Thanks, but no thanks." I flip him off. "You, this guy, and this mine can go to hell. So keep your deal. I''ll just rip that case from your arms!"
"I don''t think ya have the right to tell me no," the warden says, sounding more condescending.
"Why not?"
"Here''s why?" A large, square piece of stone slides up, revealing a large wide-screen TV. The screen embedded into the wall turns on, showing Richard and a little girl next to him. It shows other images of him and her in different locations. It even showed Richard and me entering the mine.
Stolen novel; please report.
"We have somethin'' called cameras all over this mine, nothin'' goes on without me knowin¡¯,"
This guy knew I was coming from the get-go...
"Why didn''t you do anything if--"
"You boys were puttin¡¯ up such an interestin¡¯ challenge that I wanted to see how far ya two would come."
"...Then you must know about the-"
"Worker''s little paradise? Yeah,"
"Then why didn''t you flush them out yet?"
"It''s more of a privilege to let them have that place, and I don''t need to deal with them anyway. Wanna know why?"
"Because most of them are supposed to be taken out?"
"Exactly! That''s the idea for that place, and they know if they leave, they''ll die. They stay there out of fear. Besides, most of them are sick, I can''t allow them to infect the ones that are eligible to work. And those who are sick are better off dead."
"That sounds pretty stupid. To let your workers die, who''s gonna replace them?"
He chuckles to himself. No, not to himself, but at me.
"I''ll just get some more. There are plenty of more criminals to go around."
Criminals? No, that''s not the question I want answered right now.
"So what? Why do this? What''s the endgame?"
"It''s not that I''m doing it for the fun of it, I''m doin'' it to protect everyday life."
"Protect everyday life? What the hell does that mean? You''re ruining it more so than you are protecting it!"
"I won''t deny that, but what the king and I are doing is to protect the people of the kingdom''s everyday way of life."
"From what?"
He yawns loudly, so loud it echoes from the intercom. "...I''m tired of all these questions."
"Well, I have one more!"
The Warden growls, irritation mixed in it. "What!?"
"What do you gain from this? Making people slave away their lives here? I''m gonna guess luxury?"
"Ya can say luxury, but this mine is important because of the rare materials that come from this mine. These rare materials? help in makin'' powerful weapons, vehicles, and even further advancements in technology."
"That doesn''t justify what you''re doing here!"
"Maybe to you, but to me and the king, that''s a different story. It''s for the good of everyday life for the kingdom"
"That''s such horseshit, and you know it."
"I''m gettin¡¯ tired of yer voice. I think I should just end this thin¡¯."
"Fine then, come down here so I can whoop your ass, old man!"
I get into my fighting stance, anticipating for him to come down here. But he didn''t move an inch.
"Nah, I''m finishin¡¯ this a different way."
Multiple doors on the edge of the room opened. Workers, about nearly a hundred of them, went to the center of the room. Most of them are scared, confused, and probably dead tired.
"Welcome everyone," the Warden greets them, trying to sound all nice even when he still sounds like a dickhead. "Today, I got a special announcement. We got two intruders who wormed their way into the mine; the boy on screen and the boy right here. Now, instead of havin¡¯ a guard take care of it, I had a win-win situation in mind. One of ya will bring them to me here."
The crowd questions his proposal while casting suspicious glares at me.
"...I¡¯ll also mention a reward for bringin'' them here." Oh shit. "One of ya will be allowed to serve me personally, or maybe two of you."
The crowd went eerily silent. The look in their expressions changed, filled with malicious intent behind them.
"I want them alive and unharmed. Other than that, happy huntin''." The workers walk over to me, trying to corner me like some animal.
"Guys, let''s talk about this," I suggest to them with a stupid smile on my face. And it isn''t working. Okay, time for plan B.
"All right, don''t say I didn''t try to resolve this peacefully."
I take the right hand and spin him around, throwing him into the crowd. He hits the middle of the workers, knocking some of them down. Now I better book it! Speeding down the hallway like a bat out of hell, their bloodcurdling screams reach my ears and travel down the hall.
"Shit, shit, shit! Gotta find Richard!"
You¡¯d think the picture on that screen would¡¯ve given me an idea where he is, but wouldn''t you guess it, all the corridors in this place look the same. The folks from behind me are getting closer. They''re pretty damn quick. Working in this mine for most of their lives helped develop muscle for them, but I''m no slouch myself; I ran from faculty in school, and from the police!
I blow through the way I got here. Everyone in the room turns to face me, surprised by my sudden appearance. No time to worry about these chumps. I climb up the sloop that the mine carts come down from. The voices from the corridor draw closer from the hallway, so I pick up the pace to crawl through the little tunnel. Luckily, there were no carts in my way.
This isn''t as easy as I thought it would be; the guards I can handle, but now the workers. Handling them wouldn''t be a problem, but I didn''t want to hurt them. That son of a bitch is just using them; some evil shit right there.
"Shit, calm down Proxy. Gotta find Richard... But how?" If Lauren were here, she would''ve figured this stuff out in a snap. Well, no use thinking about things I don''t have, gonna have to flip some switches upstairs¡
When I left the shelter, I saw some blood on the ground. That was where Richard fought the guard. From there, I went to the main working area. Now that I think about it, there was a higher platform in the work area near the shelter. Nobody was working there, and no one would they be able to see anyone go through there if they were quiet; Richard and that little girl must''ve gone through there.
Even if they didn¡¯t, I''ll go with that for now. Now, since they were caught on a monitor, that means there are probably cameras around this place like the Warden said. But that means jack to me right now. I just need to find Richard. Then I''ll spitball ideas on what to do about the cameras.
I slide on my goggles. "Hang on, buddy. I''ll be there in a sec."
...
The Warden sits back, watching the security TV of Richard and the little girl continuing their adventure through the mine. Two figures stand in his room. One was wearing a burlap bag over their head. His long, dirty gray hair stretched out to the upper half of his back. His body was gangly, his arms lacking muscle. He has several sharp knives, daggers, and cutlets on his waist. The other is wearing a black coat that resembles a trench coat. It comes with a hood, obscuring his skin and face. He is much taller and bulkier than the lanky individual.
"Ripper," the Warden calls the lanky man named Ripper. "I want ya to go after this boy." He shows him an image of Proxy. "Bring him in alive, if you can."
With a low moan, Ripper leaves the roam, with its shoulders slumped.
"Enforcer, go after this boy." The Warden shows an image of Richard and Racheal. "Just the boy, got it. If the girl gets in the way, kill her. Ya get me?"
Enforcer doesn''t move a muscle, nor make a sound. He''s focused on the little girl in the image. He ignores Richard, the Warden, focusing on Racheal solely. A quick spark of an electrical current brings Enforcer back to grips.
"What are you doin¡¯!? Get yer ass out there and get em'', understand!?" Enforcer again says nothing. He just leaves the room, ducking its head to go through the door.
"Honestly, that thin¡¯ is a moron! Now then..." The Warden strolls over the chrome case, touching its cool exterior. "Let''s see if we can open you up now..."
Hell Mine - part 4
Holy Lands - Hell mine - ?
Moving around the mine with Racheal is easier than it was before. The guards seemed to have just up and disappeared. The corridors are quiet too. At first, I was on edge about it, but since we haven''t run into any trouble, I''m warming up to the idea.
"Hey, are we getting closer to where you want to be?" She shrugs her shoulders. "Then how do you know where it''s at?"
She stops moving to carve words into the wall. She stops before she can get done with her sentence. Noise is coming from behind us. Footsteps? Whatever it is, it''s slowly approaching us. Racheal readied her axe. I take out that Electric/knife/blunt stick that I took from the guard. The anticipation is killing me. Is it a guard, or maybe... It''s just a worker. The singular one comes into view, walking with a pickaxe. I head over to the man.
"H-hey, are you okay? Are you by yourself?" The worker remains silent. I''m getting a bad feeling from this person. "Um...where did you come from?"
"Sorry," he whispers. The feelings I''m reading from it are regret and desperation. There''s another feeling that I haven''t read since I got here. It came from those monsters we first encountered. This feeling is killing intent! He lifts his axe with both his hands. I jump back before he can slam it down on my head. The axe punctures the ground.
"Crap!"
I drop to my back in my failed attempt to get away. Opening to the electric rod. I point at him.
"Back away!"
He''s disregarding my warning. Instead, charging at me. "I-I s-said stay back!" This is no good, I can''t do anything! I''m too scared to even move my legs. Racheal snatches the rod out of my hand, running ahead of me with it. She uses her tiny stature to her advantage by running under the worker, ending up behind him. She presses the tazer against his back, shocking him to the point where smoke is coming up from him. The man is going to fall face-first to the ground. I catch him. Luckily, he still has a pulse and his breathing is fine, from what I can discern.
"Racheal, are you okay?" She gives a thumbs up. I''m glad she didn''t hurt herself doing that. More footsteps make themselves heard. Several of them are coming from behind. Several workers come into view, holding different tools, all of them capable of lethal harm. All of them aimed at us with killing intent. "Racheal, run!"
We make a break for the other miners in this corridor. My forehead is sweating bullets from the overwhelming pressure coming from behind us. From their grunts alone, I feel the desperation and bloodlust. It''s giving me a splitting headache. Luckily, we''re outpacing them since they''re tripping upon themselves in this narrow pathway. I''m being careful to not get in Racheal''s way. However, she trips as she hits a rock on the ground. I quickly pick her up. She winces as she stands up. She has a bruise on her knee. Our pursuers are getting closer as we waste time here. She can''t run with that injury on her leg. Shit! Carrying her is the only choice! I pick her and her axe from the ground. Her and the axe''s weight are affecting my running speed.
There is a fork road ahead of us. I take the left road without thinking it through. We lost some of them because of the split. However, there are still a few of them on our tail. At the end of the trail is a cold, gray, metallic door blocking our path.
"You have to be kidding me!" Great, now we''re stuck. Racheal kicks me with her tiny feet. "What is it?" She points to her axe, then makes a hammering gesture towards the door. Is she telling me to wedge her axe in the door? "You want me to pry open the door?" She bobs her head.
Putting her down, I take up the axe with both my hands, aiming for the gap in the door.
"Here goes!" With all the muscle I can manage, I jam the axe inside the door. I pushed against the axe, mustering all my strength. My arms are getting sore from pushing this thing. I don''t know if it''s even working. "Come on, budge, damn it!" It''s moving, but it''s too slow! Damnit, just a bit more!
"I think...I almost..." The door moves significantly as the axe slides out of the door, making me tumble forward to the ground. It''s slightly open, but not enough to fit through. Racheal pushed the axe with me, adding to the overall force behind the push. More and more, the axe is opening up the door. Finally, the door wedges open just enough for us to fit in.
"Racheal, let''s go!"
Both of us slip through the door, barely squeezing in. I have to close the door, and fast! I found a handle on the door. Racheal put her axe on the handle to help me pull it back. We pull with all our strength. The hinges creak as the two doors come closer to closing. With the last of my strength, I seal the door shut. The workers bang, hitting it as if they''re going to tear it down. But with a door this heavy, there''s no way they can reach us now. My heart is beating a mile a minute, threatening to pop out of my body. I let out a large breath of air, laughing to myself. We did it, we actually got away!
"That was close! I can''t believe we made it!" I sit against the cold door. The heat from my back is quickly being washed away. Racheal is gripping her scraped knee. She hisses when she touches it. Oddly enough, she doesn''t shed a tear, rather, she''s holding back her tears. "Are you alright?"
She nods her head, but she is still wincing from the pain. It doesn''t look bad, but she''s going to need to get it treated.
"Right, now we need to patch you up."
I get up from the door, picking up her axe as well. I walk over to the edge of the elevated platform.
"Whoa!"
There is a small town down from here, with lights illuminating it. Racheal stands up, trying to go down the stairs.
"Hang on, it''s too dangerous for you to walk with a limp, especially downstairs." I crouch down to her level.
"Come on, I''ll carry you down there."
She¡¯s giving me a concerned look. Something tells me she thinks I can¡¯t do this.
"I''m not that weak."
Her concerned expression turns to determination as she moves for the stairs.
"You''ll fall on the stairs with that wound."
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
She takes the axe from beside me.
"I won''t. I''m not afraid of getting hurt!"
"Well, I don''t want you to get hurt."
"But why?"
"Because I would feel bad if you got hurt while I¡¯m around. So just work with me and climb on."
Racheal looks at her feet, ignoring me. Geez, I think I came off a bit too strong. But I¡¯m lying. I wouldn''t be able to stand it if I could keep her from getting hurt. I couldn''t stand it when Proxy was covered in cuts from that fight with the knight. ?It annoyed me how powerless I was during all that. No matter how I think of it, there was nothing I could¡¯ve done. It¡¯s only logical, but that pisses me off even more.
"Hm?"
A sudden weight pushes onto my back. Racheal¡¯s arms wrap around my neck. Her breath is hitting my back. Well, at least we can go down now. I pick up her axe. Hopefully, this small town is safe.
...
Entering the village town. The buildings seem to be built from smooth stone and finely shaved wood and other materials; even the windows are beautiful. The stone road doesn¡¯t have potholes or gaps along the road. It''s well-paved, even with my shoes on, I can tell the architects took painstaking measures when creating this road. The streets are lit with street lamps that share the same Victorian-era aesthetic as the buildings and roads.
"This is amazing! Who made this place? I should take a picture."
I take out my phone. I snap a few pictures of the building and streets, as well as the far-off structures that are connected to the walls. They¡¯re good pics. Can''t wait to show this when I get back home. Racheal is staring at my phone. Curiosity painted on her face. Makes sense why. She might not know technology like this. Hell, this world probably doesn''t.
"Are you curious about this?" I ask. She bobs her head yes. I take the time to explain to her what it is in good enough detail and what I was doing. However, to my surprise, she seems to have understood what I said.
¡°You know, you¡¯re a quick learner.¡± This has been nagging me, but since we¡¯re on the subject, I think now is a good time to ask. ¡°...How do you know how to spell? Did your dad teach you?" She happily nods. If he knew how to, that means he was educated by someone. I don''t believe that if someone was born here, they would know how to speak, or would find time to learn. "How long were you guys down here, in the mine?" Racheal puts out 7 fingers. "7 months?" No, was her answer. "7 years!?" She nods her head to affirm my guess. "So how old are you?" She puts out 1 finger, then 0 more on another hand. "10!?"
So for that long, her father stayed strong-willed to make sure she and everyone else would as well. That must''ve been hell. It¡¯s hard to imagine that, or maybe it¡¯s better to say I can¡¯t. All of this is just surreal.
A tap on my shoulder brings me out of my head. Racheal points to a building on our right. I look through the window. On a shelf that I can barely see, sit medical supplies.
"Nice find, Racheal!"
She expresses her happiness with my praise with a cute smile. It¡¯s a smile that can warm the heart. I¡¯m glad she¡¯s starting to smile around me. I scurry over to the door. It has a regular doorknob that is copper-colored. I turn the knob, but it won''t budge.
"Of course, it''s locked." Racheal tapped my arm, pointing to the axe and the window. "I can''t do that, that would be rude to the masterful craftsmanship.¡±
Of course, if it were Proxy, he¡¯d have no problem doing it. Then again, he might get what I¡¯m saying since he is an artist. Thankfully, it''s just a doorknob, so we don''t need to force it open."
Digging into my pocket, I take out my wallet. I present a card, but it is no ordinary card. It is the best card for this situation. I slip it into the deadbolt. Good, this might work. Racheal taps me again.
"Yeah?"
She points to my card.
"This? I''m trying to put this card - which is already in - in the deadbolt for this door. If I''m doing this right, then it should be done..." A click comes from the door. Knew I had a knack for this, though, that¡¯s something I¡¯ll never admit out loud for obvious reasons. Opening the door with my free hand, the humid, dry air rushes against my face. I can''t help but cough.
"All right, let''s get you patched up." I put Racheal on the clerk''s desk. I¡¯m not too familiar with all this other stuff. But that doesn¡¯t matter. I just need some bandages. "Here we go!" I grab the bandage on the shelf. ¡°Okay, show me your leg.¡± I wrap the bandage around her leg. "It''s a good thing we found this stuff. It would''ve been a pain if you had to walk around with this scrap. Tell me if I''m wrapping it too tightly."
As I wrap the bandage, Racheal moves her finger on the desk. My eyes glimpse at what she is doing. She wrote something with the dust.
"How do you know how to open doors like that?"
"I know because I saw my friend do it a few times. So after a while, he taught me how to."
There was a time when the key to my dorm room broke and it was a while before I got another one. Proxy would have to come over to the boy dorms just to pick the door; he eventually taught me how to open it with a card.
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Um, sure, what is it?"
"What is the outside like?"
"What, you mean the outside world? To be honest, I''ve seen little of it myself to give you an honest opinion about it yet."
"Why?"
"Because, and this is going to sound bizarre. I''m from another world." Racheal''s facial features widen.
"Really!?"
"Yep, my friend and I come from another world, but you need to keep it a secret," I say, making a shushing sound with my finger at my lips. She nods with a small smile, doing the same gesture as me. "I might know nothing about this world. But I do know that once you get up there, you''ll be able to live the way you want. Under the sun and moon."
"I will?"
"Yeah, and that wouldn''t be the end."
She rocks back and forth in place, giggling with glee.
"I can''t wait to get out of here with papa."
Reading that, I can feel the optimism radiating from it like a well-spring. It¡¯s odd, but I feel a sense of unease from this type of optimism. With one last wrap around her leg, I finish bandaging it up with a little knot.
"There, all done." I lift her off the desk to the floor. She is still limping, but at least her wound isn''t showing anymore. "Alright then, let''s get going."
We head over to the door. As I grasp a hold of the handle, a loud thumping sound comes from the other side.
"That''s strange,"
I whisper to myself. In the blink of an eye, something busts in through the door. Whatever it is hit me square in the chest, throwing me through the clerk''s desk. My chest is pounding, my back is in agonizing pain. Breathing is harder than it was a few seconds ago. My vision is blurry.
"C-crap!"
The thing that hit me tore into the store. Getting up from the ground is an effort that takes all my strength to perform. There¡¯s a giant overcoat with a hood covering their face. He has an opposing figure that gives off a deadly sensation that sends a dreadful sensation throughout my body. It approaches me with heavy footsteps. It grabs me by the shirt, lifting me off the ground.
"Take this!"
I hit him between the neck with the stun baton, but nothing happened. Its grip is still strong around my shirt. Racheal climbs up on the desk with her axe. She swings it to this thing''s back. It stabs into the skin, yet this thing isn''t fazed by it. Damn it, this thing can''t be human, that''s for certain.
"Racheal, get out of here!"
She swings her axe against it back again. It still didn¡¯t hurt it. She then aims for the arm that is holding me. Again, nothing happened. This thing isn''t receptive to pain.
"Get out of here, Racheal! Go find my friend, Proxy! He''ll be wearing goggles!" She rejected my plea to run by continuously hitting its arm. The giant turns its head towards her. It just gazes at her for a little. It reaches out to her with its other hand.
"I SAID GO!" I tazed it again to bring its attention to me. She runs out of the store while hugging her axe. "Good, she got away." The giant looks back at me. Its fist comes speeding to my face, knocking me out in one hit.
Hell Mine - part 5
Hell Mine - ?
Tracking down Richard is harder than I thought. It would''ve been harder without the words I found on the floor and walls. They are all over the path I¡¯m going down; couldn''t go five seconds without seeing words all over the place. They were talking about security further down this road. I guess the person carving this knew that nobody would probably come this way. Along the way, I had no choice but to fight workers. I did my best to knock them out in one hit. While I did so, I still feel bad about doing it.
"What do we have here?" I ask myself. There¡¯s a double metal door. It seems impenetrable, from what I can tell. There is no door handle to use, so how the hell am I gonna¡ Wait, the edge of the door is bent outward. There are also marks on the floor to prove that it was open at one point. Someone probably forced it open. The question now is: how am I going to open it? If they used something to open it, then maybe I should use my sword? Yeah, why not? I jam my sword into the gap. This should work since I¡¯m strong enough. It opens wide enough to squeeze through. Exiting the other side, I¡¯m on an elevated platform, with stairs at the other end. I approach it to see what¡¯s beyond.
"Never wanted to say this. But this is epic."
I climb down the long flight of stairs. The atmosphere is way different from the mine, and the lightning hit my eye as they were getting accustomed to the dark.
"This place is amazing!"
The buildings, streets, and even street lamps have a Victorian-era aesthetic. It¡¯s making me feel as if I¡¯m in one of those reimaginings of a village from that time. This place is incredible! The streets, the buildings, even the street lamps, they¡¯re all perfect! But I don''t have any time to be screwing around here. As I roam around, something metallic is being dragged on the floor. The sound is getting closer to where I was.
"Hey, who''s there?"
The metallic object stops. The silence holds a sense of danger to it, something that my senses picked up. A sense kicks in. It tells me that a dangerous attack is coming my way and how it¡¯s coming. I roll to my left, out of my attacker''s range. This wouldn''t be the first time I acted on this instinct. It¡¯s been like this since I was a kid, and it got me out of trouble more times than I can count. My attacker is wearing a bag over their face, a ragged coat that is all cut up, and pants that are just as torn.
"Wow, I get to fight a horror movie reject, and you have a bunch of knives as well. That definitely gives you bonus points."
The reject didn''t bother to talk back to me. Instead, he comes swinging his knife at me. I duck in response. I¡¯d roll away from the enemy ordinarily, but the way he¡¯s swinging is too perfect to just run away from. His balance is out of whack whenever he swings like that. So before I lose my chance, I need to hit him. I sweep his legs, making him fall backward. He tries to stop himself, but I won¡¯t let him. I follow up by drop-kicking him. All that¡¯s left is to pin him to the ground. I grab his gangly arm and wrapped my legs around him. As a last measure, I kick the knife away.
"Thought you were big because you had a weapon, right? Well, newsflash, I''m used to dealing with opponents who have weapons!"
Time to say bye, bye to the arm! Hm? What is he¡?
His upper body rises despite being pinned down. And despite the weight difference on his left, he stands up perfectly. How the hell is he doing this!? He flings me off of his arm. I skip across the ground until I hit a wall. My shoulder feels like hell after impact, and my back is killing me.
"Shit, well that was different.¡±
I get up from the floor. Drawing the stone sword from my scabbard, I rush the masked freak. I strike at his legs, and bring him down to my level. Then I strike at his side. With all this, this should be the T.K.O. for this dude. Despite that attempt, the guy got back up.
"What the hell? That should''ve put him down."
I¡¯m starting to think that this thing isn''t human. Maybe it is like the ones from the tower? If nothing I do to it is gonna hurt it, then... Shit, am I gonna have to run away from this fight? No, it would be a simple retreat. I''ll fight this thing again when I have something better than a stone sword.
"See ya!" I retreat from the battle. Right when I run, it follows me. Its form is terrible, yet it¡¯s still able to keep up.
"Shit, shit, shit, shit!"
I get this thing might be a monster and all, but he shouldn''t be running with those legs! I know he didn''t feel the pain, but I crushed the bone in them, that I''m sure of. More importantly, If I don''t lose this guy soon, he''ll definitely catch me. I turn the corner. There¡¯s a busted-up shop. The face of it is in complete shambles. This might be the best spot to hide in. I head inside, hoping to find a hiding place. The clerk¡¯s desk seems to be a good enough hiding spot. I jump behind the broken desk, aligning myself with the desk. It has been only a few seconds and I feel like it¡¯s been longer than that. Is that thing still hot on my ass? Does it know where I am¡? No, calm down, Proxy. Thinking like this will only make it worse. Calm down...
"Hm?"
There¡¯s something gleaming under the rubble in front of me. I pull it out from under the rubble. It¡¯s glasses. The black frames seem familiar. Plus, they''re out of place here¡ Hold on a second.
"These glasses, they belong to..."
The back door next to the clerk¡¯s desk slightly opens. I freeze in place, as if moving is going to get me caught instantly. I put my stone sword in front of me. The door opens more as it creaks. Someone pokes through the door; a little girl with a pickaxe. She seems quite familiar, but I can''t tell where. Regardless of that, I crawl over to her to meet her at her level.
"Hey, is there a monster out there, wearing a bag over its head?" I quietly ask, hoping that freak isn''t around to hear us. She shakes her head no. "Good, that''s good." I let out a large breath of air, feeling relaxed. She points to my goggles. "Sorry, kid, they''re not for sale."
I readjusted them over my head. She has this annoyed look on her face. She carves something into the door with her axe.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Your Richards''s friend, right?"
How does she know Richard? Wait a second, I know where I saw her now. I saw her in the security cam footage earlier.
"Yeah, I am. Do you know where he''s at, is he okay?"
"No, a monster took him."
Shit! This is bad, this really goddamn bad!
"Do you know where it took him?" She bobs her head no. "Damn it!" I got up from the floor. I''m not sure what they''ll do to him. That big, nasty bastard is probably gonna use him to flush me out or some shit like that.
The little girl walks out through the door she came from.
"Hey, wait a minute. I still have questions for you. What were you two doing out here?" She uses her axe to carve words on the stone ground.
"We were looking for my dad. I was going to go alone, but he came along with me."
¡°Looking for your dad... Yep, sounds like him. Richard is too keen on helping people when he can. He might seem cowardly, but he¡¯s a pretty reliable guy when it comes down to it."
The little girl''s expression turns dower at the mention of Richard.
"Look, I''m gonna go save that idiot. Wanna team up?" She didn''t respond, keeping her gaze on her feet. "Maybe that would be a bad idea. I mean, ?if a kid can fight, then they can fight, but I feel as though bringing you would be bad. Besides, you have to find your dad, don''t you?" She lightly nods yes. "Then I guess this is where we go our own ways."
I sheath the sword. "See you, and good luck looking for your dad."
I wave goodbye to her as I run down the stone path. Her small figure fades as I run further and further from her. Hope she¡¯ll be okay on her own.
Suddenly, my sense warns me of something on the side, and that something springs from an alleyway next to me. It comes at me, hurling itself like a cannonball. The monster kicks me into a house. My back smashes against the wall. I focus my sight to see if it''s the bag head monster. It¡¯s already within stabbing range. I need to head right! I¡¯ll still get hit, but it¡¯s better than dying. Just as I¡¯m about to go with my plan, something hits the monster, forcing it away to my right. Fire dances around its body, crackling as it burns its skin. A bone-chilling shriek comes out of that thing as it thrashes around to put out the flames.
"Come, quickly!" There is someone on the other end of the street. He''s waving for me to move my ass. Staying here doesn''t sound all that fun anyway. I make a run for it. That bag-headed freak isn''t following me The mystery man leads us to an alleyway, yards away from that freaky monster. After a minute of running, we stopped in an alleyway. My breath ran short. I¡¯m trying my best to draw in more. I usually have a high amount of stamina.
"Okay, I think we''re safe for now," I spit out in between breaths. I wouldn''t normally be exhausted from running, but I was running like a bat out of hell, so maybe that¡¯s why I¡¯m more exhausted than usual.
"Yes, we got away from that thing," the hooded man assures.
"So..." I reverse-grip my sword, distancing myself from the mystery man. "You don''t look like a guard. You one of the warden''s men?"
"Yes," he answers honestly.
"Wow, came out and said it. That''s fine because I''m gonna-"
"I didn''t come here to fight you. I came here to help you. If you don''t believe me, then ask yourself, why did I save you? Wouldn''t I have let you die if I really worked for the warden?"
I can''t say he''s lying, since he saved me from being skewered by a freak in a mask. Although, I can''t let my guard down.
"How can I trust you? For all I know, you could be waiting to sneak a knife in my back, and I ?mean that literally."
"I cannot make you believe me, but if you want to save your friend, I suggest you come with me."
He isn''t making a case for why I should believe him. However, if he works under the Warden, then I''ll be able to rescue Richard with his help...
"Fine, I''ll go with you. Just don''t stab me in the back and all that other stuff, okay?"
"I understand. To honor our cooperation, I am Ovan.¡±
¡°Proxy.¡±
¡°A pleasure. Now, let''s move through the alleyways to avoid the monster."
"It''s still alive?"
"It is injured, but it will recover and come after us. We must go now."
"Lead the way then."
Still don¡¯t trust this dude, but if there¡¯s even a chance to save my buddy, then I¡¯ll have to take a chance and put a little trust in him. But if he tries it, then I¡¯ll put the hurt on him.
Hell Mine - The Warden''s room
My eyelids are struggling to open up, My face feels ?sore, almost as if I was hit by a bullet train, or maybe rather, a brick.
"I see our guest is wakin¡¯ up." Does he mean me? I can''t see who¡¯s talking about me, but a disturbing sensation backs his words. "How are ya feelin''? I told my friend not to hurt you, but I guess his thinkin'' capabilities aren''t that impressive." The voice has a southerner accent.
"Who...are you," I ask, too tired to say the words.
"I''m the warden of this fine mine."
The Warden!? If only I can see properly. I think my drowsiness is making a lasting effect on my sight. Wait, where are my glasses? I must¡¯ve lost them in that store!
"Why do this? Why enslave people?" I ask of him, too weak to scream.
"I already went over this with yer friend. Ask him why." Proxy was here? "Now, I''m surprised that ya got captured by my giant friend instead of the workers since he has the brains of a rock. But hey, at least he follows my commands to the ¡®T¡¯."
"So that''s why the workers attacked me?"
"That''s right."
What a sick idea, using these people as his plaything. Even if I couldn¡¯t read his words, I¡¯d still feel disgusted just from listening to him.
My vision is clearing up. Little by little, I¡¯m able to see what the warden looks like. It¡¯s still murky, but I can tell he¡¯s at least 6¡¯7, and that he¡¯s pretty wide. "Ya know, the reason I didn''t kill you yet is for this."
"When you got here, this box started talkin''." That sounds like something you hear from a child''s tv show. "It started spoutin'' words that I couldn''t understand, but I understood that it said it was going to open, but ya were unconscious. But now..."
When the warden snaps his fingers, the giant that knocked me out earlier comes near me with a chrome-colored box, planting it right in front of me. I feel a sudden connection being established. I have no idea what that means, but I know it¡¯s happening.
"Source detected, initializing analysis for compatibility with the subject in case... Compatibility at 90%. Potential users status: conscious, acceptable result. Now opening."
The front of the case releases a loud click.
"Now this is what I''ve been waitin'' for! Move it to the side!"
The giant moves the case to the side for both of us to see
Air steams out of the case, blowing in my face. Oddly enough, it has a nice feeling to it, coupled with a wonderful aroma. A powerful weapon is about to reveal itself and to be honest, I''m kind of nervous about this. What''ll happen when this guy gets his hands on it? Better question: what will happen to me?
The lid stretches up until it finally hits the highest it can go. Whatever the weapon looks like, the steam covers it; the anticipation is killing me. The moment we see it, I¡¯m a dead man. They¡¯ll kill me without a second thought¡ Then, when the air cleared, we finally saw it.
"What... What the shit is this!?"
"Huh?"
The weapon...there is no weapon... It¡¯s just a girl.
Hell Mine - part 6
Hell Mine - morning
Ovan and I arrived in a room that''s inside of the walls at the end of this town. It''d be a dank corridor without the lights on the walls. That being said, it''s not a tight space, so we''re able to move just fine.
"We are nearing our destination." We reached a dirty wooden door. This dude knocked on the door three times. A metal slit on the door opens, revealing a pair of eyes.
"It is me, brother," Ovan clarifies.
The door immediately flies open. A muscular man shows himself. "Who is this," the doorman throws a suspicious glance at me.
"Why hello to you, too," I bite back with a sarcastic attitude.
"Brother, we''re going to use him for our cause."
Something about that sentence doesn''t sit well with me at all.
"He''s an outsider. Are you sure we can trust him?"
"It''s less about trust, it''s more of him not having a choice."
Okay, now they''re just acting like I''m not even here.
"Hey, HE is standing right here," I blurt out, catching their attention.
"Sorry, but it''s better to be honest than deceitful, no?"
"Well, um, yeah... I guess." He''s not wrong, but he didn''t need to lay it on thick like that.
Ovan and his friend lead into a room full of people who are either sitting around or working on something.
"Okay, um, what is this supposed to be?" I tip-toed my way into asking.
"Well, you can say this is the force that''ll break everyone out of here."
This doesn''t look like much of a force, just a band of people.
"Okay, what makes you so confident in that?"
"Because we have freed other places like this mine."
There are more places like this?
"Just out of curiosity, how many places did you liberate?"
"4 mines. Each was harder than the last, but we cleared them out," Ovan reveals with a smirk.
"That sounds pretty cool, but how are you going to take out this one?"
"That matter has already been decided. We just need to take down the Warden," Ovan answers.
He''s really killing the impression I had of him earlier; the mysterious type that uses you but doesn''t fill you in. I''m glad that''s not the case since this makes this shit simpler.
"That sounds like a thing I would join up in, but really I don''t need to fight the guy; I just need to save my friend and get what I need, and I''ll be on my way."
"So you have no need to fight him?"
"I don''t," I repeated.
"But," Ovan leads, waiting for me to lead on.
I scratch the back of my head. "...But, that guy really grates on my nerves, and I can''t exactly leave these people in this shit hole for the rest of their lives."
Sure, I could leave with what I need, and Richard, and I can. Yet I wouldn''t feel great about myself if I did. So whether or not this is a good idea means shit; all I have to do is be a hero and kick some ass!
"So it''s decided. Brothers, let''s welcome our new ally." Everyone claps in celebration. It wasn''t embarrassing, but kind of flattering.
Hell Mine - The Warden''s personal quarters - ?
"What the shit is going on here!?" The Warden points at the girl in the chrome case, who is peacefully sleeping during a tense situation.
She has long, smooth, dark violet hair that passes her shoulders. She''s wearing a big elegant skirt that seemed to stop at her knees and around the lower part of her torso. It has a dark-violet and grey color scheme with a dress shirt that''s under the skirt. There''s a tie to fasten it, along with some buttons to close the skirt. She is also wearing a gown that''s overlapping with the rest of her outfit; Lilac colored. It seems attachable/detachable from her skirt with it being attached with belts fastening them to each other. It also has an open area around her chest and the front of her skirt. Though it seems a bit big for her, it sort of slumped off her shoulders. It''s also worth mentioning that the edge of the skirt, the cuff of her poofy gown, and her dress shirt had frills on them.
She looks to be around my age, but she''s not only cute but beautiful as well.
"Ya gotta bullshitin'' me!? There was supposed to be a weapon in here. Why is there a girl in this thin''!?" the Warden vents his frustration as he glared at a pale, lanky person behind him.
He''s trembling with fear and his stuttering proved that as he tried to mutter a word out. "I-I-I-I-I d-d-don''t know! Maybe this-"
"If I remember correctly, ya said your personal division found this? And ya brought in a historian who theorized that there might be a weapon inside, right?"
"Yes, Warden?"
"Then ya better tell me why is there no weapon?"
"I don''t know."
"Were your employees lyin'' to ya?"
"No, sir!"
"...do ya not have a grasp on yer boys?"
"No! I mean, yes, sir!"
He''s letting panic take the wheel. Sweat is dripping off of him like a wet blanket soaked in water.
"Then what the shit is this?"
The warden stomps his foot against the ground, shaking the room. His voice is as loud as a firework and as terrible as a gun going off next to your ear. The guy getting yelled at is at his breaking point. Anymore might strike the fear of God into him. The Warden walks back over to the girl in the case.
"Sure is pretty tho. Doesn''t seem like she''ll be waking up ?soon. Oh well, big guy: get rid of her."
The big man in the trench coat stood in front of the girl, arching back its arm. Is he seriously allowing this!? No way, this is just downright wrong! I can¡¯t, I just can¡¯t!
"Wait!" I yell. stopping everyone from moving. The behemoth halts its attack.
"Wait for what?" the Warden glares at me, his fist looking ready to strike something.
"Well, umm..." I didn''t think that would actually work. What do I say now!? "...You could... Ask her where the weapon is!"
"Huh?"
The Warden seemed to be confused by my suggestion. An excuse and thread line of an excuse strikes me.
"I mean, how can she be in there? Unless she was put in there and the weapon had to be taken out. Doesn''t that seem like the most likely thing?"
It''s a sound enough argument since there''s no way to disprove it, but I''m still worried that he might see through the lie.
"Hm, makes sense... Fine, I''ll let her live. Hey, move her right there," the Warden commands the brute. I quietly exhale, thanking the fact I was able to prevent someone from dying. The monster moves the case to the window, having it lean off of it. Come to think of it, this place is decorated rather extravagantly, and it has air conditioning. I could also see a set of monitors on the far left-hand side of the room. It looked like its recording footage. So technology exists in this world. Though, the monitor itself is recording in black and white, and it looks crude in design.
"Now, what are we gonna do with ya...?" The Warden faces me with a hideous grin.
Hell Mine - Ovan''s hideout - ?
My new friends here are pretty hardcore. They shipped themselves in here to infiltrate this place. These guys are a sort of brotherhood of people that were enslaved here a long time ago. Ever since they escaped three years ago during a major uprising, they devoted their time to training for two years while freeing others from different mines. Then, they came back this year. Honestly, if that ain''t hardcore, then I don''t know what is.
"So, are there any cameras here?" I ask Ovan.
"No, we never found a single camera here. This place is untouched, separated from the mine."
"How come?"
"The Warden must''ve ignored the possibility of someone coming through here."
A shit assumption on the Warden''s part, but that works for us.
"Brother, we are ready," one of Ovan''s brothers whispered to him. The others walk out through the door with equipment in their hands.
"What''s going on?"
"We are going to initiate our rebellion," Ovan said.
"So what''s the first step in that, going up there and making a speech about how we can fight back if we work together?" I half-heartly guess.
"No, that won''t do any good. In a place like this, where they have been working for years, they''re too tied down to this place to even have the willpower of their own. Plus, capturing you is the only way for them now, at least for them. They do it because it''s an easier method for them to at least have comfort living here."
When he puts it like that, it''s less frustrating and cowardly to be one of the Warden''s personal servants. I guess they''re just people who just want to live... But I just can''t find it in me to say that it''s alright though.
"But back onto the plan; if you have questions, tell me now."
"So what''s the workers'' involvement in this, then?"
"Nothing, we''ll need to keep them away while we fight the Warden."
"How do we pull that one off?"
"Most of us are a part of the Warden''s personnel, so it won''t be hard to draw their attention to the upper levels by announcing that you and your friend are up there while we operate in the lower depths."
"Then all we need to do is take care of the other employees and we''ll be able to take the fight to the Warden"
Sounds like we have all the details set. I think we could actually do this.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
"Okay, what do you want me to do?" I eagerly ask, ready to bust some heads.
"You''ll be going with me to take care of the guards that would hinder us during ."
"So we get to the fun part. Good, I was ready to pick a fight!" Ovan chuckled at my excitement.
"No, no, we won''t be fighting. Instead, we''ll be drugging them." That was less exciting than what I wanted, but it''s efficient when we get down to it.
"Okay, I liked the beat-down idea better, but the drugging idea is good too; just less fun.¡±
"Heh, you seem to enjoy fighting.¡±
"Yeah, it''s my specialty."
"I''m glad to have someone of your expertise on board then."
Ovan walks to a workbench, putting a bunch of items into the bag he¡¯s carrying.
"So, shall we get going?" Ovan asks
"Yep, let''s hit it."
We leave the hideout; the others are outside waiting for us.
¡°Brothers, you know what you must do. When we are done with all our jobs, we will meet at the rendezvous point, then we shall take down the Warden. However, I cannot say this will be without casualties; if any of you were to die, we would go on with the plan. And if I am to die, then go on with the plan.¡± Talk about hardcore. The dude is sending goosebumps down my arms. ¡°But whatever happens, we shall free the people of this mine! If you agree with me, then put up your hands together," Ovan delivers his speech with a proud and courageous energy. They all put their hands up against each other, crossing one another''s arms. "Let us be victorious on this very day, free those who are enslaved here, and honor the brothers we lost to get to this point!"
They broke off at the same time and went their separate ways.
"Sure they''ll be all right.?"
"I cannot assure that they will be. All I can do is hope and trust that they will be."
That''s kind of scary, having faith that everything will be all right. But, I want to believe that everything will turn out all right, even if I can¡¯t shake this bad feeling.
Hell Mine - The Warden''s personal quarters - ?
I¡¯m still sitting on this chair. There are no restraints on me, however, I¡¯m too afraid to move out of fear of the Warden, who is sitting at the monitor, watching the cameras. Counting by 2xs¡¯ is calming my nerves.
I occasionally look at the girl in the case. She¡¯s still peacefully sleeping in it. Oddly enough, I feel a sense of peace just watching her sleep; it¡¯s mesmerizing. She seems like she¡¯s sleeping, but why is she sleeping? Is she even sleeping¡? What if that thing is just a casket? Then why did it open up for me and not that guy? Making theories are getting me nowhere. I¡¯ll just have to see what her condition is. I quietly get up from the chair and carefully walked over to the girl without alerting the Warden. Reaching for her, I take her slender hand in mine.
A fraction of a second, during that second, my mind and eyesight go blank. Without any hint of a transition, I¡¯m now in the middle of a grass field. The wind is cool; the sky is clear of any clouds and is as blue as it could be.
In the distance of this vast green grass and blue sky is a figure of a person. All I can do is stare at the person from here. My feet just started moving on their own; it¡¯s as if my body told my legs to move without my brain¡¯s permission so I can meet her.
"You are..."
A voice echoes across the field. It¡¯s a female voice. Before I could utter a word or move, the beautiful scenery disappears. I return to the Warden''s room. His monstrous face is staring me down. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest from the surprise transition.
"What are ya doin''?¡±
The ferocity of his voice makes my legs give out, having me to drop to the ground.
"Yer''re a little explorer. ain''t ya?" His large hand picks me up by my shirt. "Don¡¯t ya ever touch my shit!" He throws me at the room''s window. A low, barely audible crack sound comes from the window. Luckily, it wasn''t enough to break it. "Next time ya move around without my permission, I''ll snap your legs in two. Get me?¡±
He¡¯s not lying, he¡¯ll really do it if he has to...
Attempts at putting words together are all I can do when I¡¯m fearing for my life. "I-I-I g-get you.¡±
I hate this. Why do I have to sound so pathetic? I hate it, it''s so goddamn pathetic, but...what could I do against someone like this? Compared to Proxy, I''m just an ant who can be crushed on a whim, and I hate that the most!
"Good, now get back on that chair. This time, I''m gonna tie you up."
As he commanded, I sit back in the chair. After the Warden got someone to put some ropes on my wrists and legs, his eyes never left me or the monitor.
The ropes are tightly secure on my wrists, irritating me to no end. However, that doesn¡¯t really matter compared to what happened when I touched that girl. It had to be her voice I heard in there. The question on my mind is what that place was exactly. I was pretty worn out by this stuff. I just want to go home already.
Hell Mine - Guard break room - ?
In a grey, colorless room, that¡¯s supposed to be a break room, Ovan and me just got done drugging. At first, Ovan went in, acting all casual and junk. After a minute or so, I came when the guards were going beddy-bye. Now we have to move all the guards into a storage closet. They weigh a ton with their armor on.
"Is that the last of them," I ask Ovan as I shove the last of the guards inside.
"I believe it is."
"Good, this was freaking annoying!"
"I am sorry for sticking you with such a boring job."
"No problem. If I got a job to do, I''ll do it."
Ovan puts the stuff he brought with him back into a bag and throws them in the closet with the guards inside. He pulls out a walkie-talkie, or rather, a mock-up of one. Voices come from the other end, but I¡¯m not paying too much attention to the conversation.
"All right, the others are either done with their missions or are almost done," he reports, letting out an exacerbated sigh.
"Are you sure they can pull their missions off? I know I¡¯m being annoying about this, but you know, I need to know if it¡¯s true or not."
He sits on one of the tables in this room. "My brothers are fully capable fighters. I have faith they¡¯ll pull off their missions successfully. Even if the worse case were to happen, we made several contingency plans in advance."
Can it really be called faith if he has plans if they fail? Doesn¡¯t that mean you trust them to complete it, no matter what? Well, I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m right, so I¡¯m gonna keep my mouth shut.
"Did you remember to get the camera?" Ovan jogs my memory.
I hoist my sword. "No sweat, I just jabbed my sword into them real quick. Oh, and speaking of which..."
"We''ll get you a proper sword soon."
"That obvious?"
"I can neither confirm nor deny."
It became quiet in the room. It isn''t from awkwardness, but because we had nothing else to talk about¡ Yeah, I can¡¯t handle this. "...Fine weather we''re having today, huh?"
"I wouldn''t know. I haven''t seen the sky for a few months now."
"A few months... Damn, I think that would drive me insane. I can''t even last a week without going out and stretching my legs. Wait, so how long were you an employee under the Warden?"
"6 months, I only stayed as a worker for a month.¡±
"Damn, talk about working up the chain.¡±
"...But working under that man for these past few months was nothing but horrible."
¡°How so?¡±
Ovan¡¯s expression shifts, guilt riddled than it is sad. "When I had to put people out, taking them somewhere that might lead them to their deaths or worse, it was awful. Not just because killing is bad, but because we''re trying to save these people. But the worst part, was I had to put out some of my brothers because they tried to defend the workers from guards, or just tried to stop them from them being put. I had to make my own comrades suffer to free these people. Sometimes, I wonder if it was worth it.¡±
¡°I¡ I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±
¡°Do not feel sorry for me, feel sorry for those who died.¡± Not like death is a foreign concept to me, but hearing it like this cuts deep. There¡¯s not much I can say to help him. ¡°But then I realize asking such a question won''t bring anyone back; we know what we were doing and the risks that come with this mission. So even if my heart cries for them, I must charge forward. However, the reason why I was able to come this far and the reason I had the courage to leave and come back here was because of a man named Avon."
"Who''s he?"
"A man that inspired me to live. He would motivate us every day, keeping our spirits strong alongside his daughter. No matter the amount of work that went our way, he would continue to work to the bone from dusk to dawn. He would also help people with their own share of the work."
Hold on a sec, I think I know who he''s talking about.
"I think I heard of his from the warden''s second hand."
"Then you know what happened to him?"
"I do."
Ovan''s elated expression gets replaced by a sour look. "He fought the guards as long as he could. I heard he went for four hours until he was taken down. During that time, he told us to stay strong and not to despair. He told us to run to the surface while he was fighting. However, most of the workers feared running away from the mine, fearing the outside world as much as the inside of the mine. But I and my brothers ran as fast as we could. We ran, and ran, and ran, and ran until we couldn''t anymore. When I finally stopped to catch my breath, I was outside, in the night sky. The taste of the fresh air was amazing. The grass below my feet felt good. After five years of being inside here, I was free. Yet, I couldn''t truly feel free, not until I got everyone else, as Avon wanted. So, with the help of any willing escapee to go back down here, we swore ?we would free everyone else and destroy this place... I know it sounds ridiculous, right?"
¡°Hell no, far from it; it¡¯s absolutely amazing! I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m gonna make all the difference, but count me in, 100%!¡±
Ovan once again laughs at me for no reason. ¡°I was expecting you to say I was foolish, but it turns out I¡¯m an even bigger fool, as are you!¡±
My face warms up at the awkward compliment. ¡°W-what do you mean by that?¡±
¡°No disrespect, I am glad to have someone like you on our side. Fools who are alike tend to be the best of confidants.¡±
How is that foolish? Why is it wrong to think what he¡¯s doing is awesome? Maybe he thinks that doing this makes no sense. I can see why that¡¯s the case, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a foolish thing to want to help people. And if it does, then we¡¯ll be the biggest fools anyone has ever seen!
The radio on his waist goes off. "Hello...? The gate team in position? Good, let us meet at the rendezvous point now, then."
He pockets his radio.
"Is it finally showtime?¡±
"Yes, it is... But we need to gain access to the Warden''s personal quarters.¡±
"I thought you guys had that access?"
"When he wants us, we do. Other than that, we cannot go in whenever we please. Only someone like..."
I snap my fingers when the light bulb in my brain went off. "...Like his right-hand man.¡±
"Yes, and as luck would have it, I have a line to contact him," Ovan devilishly smirks as he holds his radio.
"Good, and I was starting to miss him too..."
...
Waiting beside the break room entrance door, the second-hand enters the room, swaggering his way in like a dumbass. "Is anyone here? If you called me for no reason, I shall--"
"Don''t worry, I have a good reason," I answer with a faint chuckle.
"Y-y-you!"
"Nice to see you, too. By the way, wanna do me a solid?" I presented a rope, wearing the creepiest smile I can put on. "...Wanna tie yourself up?" He lets out a low squeal, backing up into a table. "...Come on, it won''t be that tight..."
...
After tying him up, I throw him into the closet with the rest of the guards. He¡¯s yelling at me as the rope muffles his mouth. Yet you can tell he¡¯s seething with rage.
"Aw, it''s like one big slumber party. You gals try not to have too much fun now, ya hear?"
I close the door on em¡¯. Now that¡¯s out of the way, I have to¡ Shit, hang on.
I swing open the closet door. ¡°Forgot your key to the Warden¡¯s room for a sec. Hang on¡ Got it! Thanks.¡± Now, I can go and¡ Actually, I¡¯m not done yet. ¡°You know, I just remembered the shit you told me about the guy you rat''ed out. His name was Avon, right?¡±
I remove the gag so he can speak.
¡°Yes, he was. Why?¡±
¡°Oh, nothing. Say, you also remember when I said I wish I could knock you out?¡±
¡°Vaguely, why¡? Oh, oh no!¡±
¡°Yep, consider this your just dessert because a piece of shit like you deserves it!¡± His head rocks against the ground as my fist strikes his face, knocking him out in one go. ¡°Do me and everyone a favor: go eat shit in your dreams, ''kay?¡±
Okay, now that I got the key and did a good deed, which felt great to do, we can finally go and fight the Warden.
¡°Better watch it, Warden. I¡¯m gunning for your ass next!¡±
Hell Mine - rendezvous point - ?
We met with the others at the rendezvous point. It¡¯s in the Victorian town, in an alleyway. There are cases stacked in rows as Ovan¡¯s men stood around them.
"Brother Ovan, we have taken care of the workers. They think the boy is still up there.¡±
Ovan picked up a case.
"Great, now is the time." "Everyone, we shall commence the elimination of the Warden. I hope all of you who are here know the risks of this operation and I expect you to put more than your best effort into this." The others silently nodded. They were all ready with resolute faces. "Now, let us go."
The others go ahead of me and Ovan.
¡°Did you get the key?¡± he asks.
¡°You bet, Here.¡±
¡°Thank you¡¡±
¡°I also knocked the second-hand. He ratted on Avon about his escape plans.¡±
¡°He did? Come to think of it, he too was a worker when I was still one¡ No wonder he climbed up the ranks so fast¡ I wish I could¡¯ve hit him too, then.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get the chance.¡±
¡°I hope so¡ When I do, I¡¯ll smash his teeth out!¡±
He¡¯s much hot-blooded than I thought, but I think it was out of anger than it is being how he normally is. I think it¡¯s for the best. I can¡¯t stand people that are calm all the time; Lauren is an exception since she can show some attitude when you push her buttons. Though, that usually doesn¡¯t end well for me.
...
Currently, two of Ovan¡¯s brothers-in-arms are working gate controls for the 4 different entrances leading to the room where Proxy first spoke to the Warden. That way, even if he calls guards from the upper levels, and even if he did, it would take too much time for them to reach him. Even if they reached them, the gates would block them.
"Okay, let us report to our brothers."
As they pulled out their radios, a murderous presence hones in on them at a frightening speed. There was no time to react. The monster enters the room through the wall; debris hits the two sworn brothers. Its sudden entrance confuses them as they try to wrap their heads around the situation. It grabs their heads and applies force against them, crushing them as if they were soda cans. A red crimson splattered across the room, painting it red. This cannot be considered a surprise attack, nor can it be called a battle between humans; the barbaric action was caused by a monster, a monster that shows no mercy, no empathy, and no restraint ?when it kills, as a monster should be. It drops the bodies with no care or grace; as if they were garbage. He stands next to the gate controls, waiting until further commands are made of him.
However, the monster, although lacking in anything resembling a human, has a thought in its head, a thought that looms inside of him¡ It¡¯s of the girl he saw on the monitor. Its thoughts are not advanced enough to form words, but there is a feeling to it that the monster cannot act on yet¡
Hell Mine - part 7
Hell Mine - Warden¡¯s room - ?
My anticipation is reaching its peak. Me, Ovan, and the boys are standing in front of the Warden''s door. Everyone is taking out weapons from the cases they were lugging around; a bunch of short swords inside them. Their designs are your run-of-the-mill swords at the beginning of a fantasy game. Hey, at least it has an edge, so I ain¡¯t bitching.
Ovan did some hand gestures and two of his men moved into the room, armed with their swords. ¡°We¡¯ll go in when they have the--¡±
A horrific scream cuts off Ovan. It came from inside the room. Their screams send a chill up my spine. Suddenly, the screams stop like a record player abruptly cutting off. The rest of us barely move an inch; it¡¯s like jumping into a shark tank if we did.
"Why don''t y''all come on in? Ya might as well." That¡¯s the Warden inviting us in. With nothing else to do and our plan ruined, we march right into the room. The Warden bellows with laughter, and he¡¯s just as ugly as I imagined. Behind him is Richard, tied to a chair.
"Richard, are you okay!?" I hurry towards him, but the Warden and his big ass body get in the way. "Out of my way, you big son of a bitch!"
"Or what, ya runt?"
¡°...Or I''ll bust out all the teeth in that ugly mouth of yours.¡±
If he touched as much as a hair on him, I''ll kill him! All I gotta do is bust open his head and get over to Richard, simple.
"So, there were buncha rats in my mists. Eh, who cares? It''s all over now. Ripper: kill them all."
That bag freak called Ripper appears from above. Its left arm swiped at our heads. The attack was faster than before. It doesn''t leave much room to evade it. I duck and roll under it, making it to Richard¡¯s side. Ovan was right behind me. What the hell did it try to hit us with...? What the? Did it leave a claw mark on the door border behind us? Don''t tell me; it was because of that freaks nails?
Ovan took on a defensive stance. "This is bad! I didn''t know he had this thing guarding him."
Gotta prioritize Richard! If a fight breaks out, then I''m gonna have to bolt with Richard.
"Yo, Ovan, what do we do?"
"We have to escape!"
"How? They got the exit blocked off."
"Not all of them..."
Ovan picks up Richard''s chair and me. He then jumps from the Warden''s window view. Richard screams the whole way down, and I¡¯m practically about to shit myself. The wind rushes past us. My heart feels as if it¡¯s going into my lungs. Every part of my body dreads the landing if we land right. Ovan hits the ground with a thump, rocking my whole damn body like an earthquake. All my organs feel as if they¡¯ve been moved around in my body. I think I¡¯m gonna puke...
I break free from Ovan¡¯s grasp. My legs are shaking like autumn leaves being blown away by a vacuum blower. Crap, I guess the trip down here messed me up a bit. The others that entered the Warden¡¯s room with us jumped down, landing hard on the ground as well.
"What are you doing, go after them, Ripper!"
The psycho leaps out of the window after it got its instructions. It failed the landing, making a cracking sound when it hit the ground. Yet it contorts its body in a crude and disgusting way.
"It''s coming after us!¡± Ovan warns us.
"Who cares! We need to retreat for now!"
Ovan picks me back up as he runs like a bat out of hell. His speed is incredible, despite holding two people and a chair. Although, as if the threat of death wasn''t enough, the gates are closing, and it''s clear we won''t make it through.
I take his radio to contact gate control. "Oi, gate control, what are you doing? Open the gates!" No response, just static. "Hello! Damn it!" Looks like we''re trapped in here with this thing.
The Warden howls with laughter. "I knew something was weird about ya, baldy. When ya became an employee of mine, there were several of ya one day after you went under my employ. Knew ya were up to no good." Ovan holds his tongue, not showing any distress. "...Yer plan, while kinda good, is damn well flawed. ''Cause of one simple thing." Suddenly, microphone feedback sounds off from the speaker embedded in the walls. "Attention, all worker: the child ya lookin'' for is here, at the Warden''s domain. If ya want a position in my personal slot, ya better move yer asses!"
Now, we''re in deep shit. I get out of Ovan''s grip once again, drawing the sword I have hanging from my belt. "What now!? Is there any other way out of this place?"
"No, there is not. We''re surrounded."
"In that case, we''ll just have to duke it out here."
There''s eight of us and only one of that thing; those are some pretty good odds.
Just looking at that gangly thing told me everything I needed to know; it''s much stronger than a couple of street punks. No, treating this like a street fight would be a mistake. This thing is out for blood, a single mistake on my part is going to get me killed.
With a venomous hiss, the monster charges at us. But it subverts my expectations by jumping into the air, almost soaring across the air. It''s gonna land on the dudes behind us.
"Watch out, it''s coming for you guys!"
I warn them as I break for it. I jump at them with my back pushing against them. We''re going to hit the ground, but it can still hit us. I kick it away from us while we''re still falling. We safely touch the ground, for the most part. I hop to my feet with my weapon in hand. Quick on my feet, I rush toward the monster. My arms just swing the sword with little to no thought behind it. I cut the monster''s chest, leaving a giant ass wound on its torso.
"Hand me the other weapon!" One of the sworn brothers'' hands Ovan a crude version of what I can only imagine is a flintlock. The barrel is larger than normal, and it''s like the thing would barely hold together after one use.
He trains for the monster''s head. "Proxy, go distract it so I can get a proper beat on it."
"Are you serious!? That thing could rip me into two..." Why am I hesitating? I''ll have to fight it eventually, so why the hell am I complaining? "...Screw it, all or nothing! I''ll buy you some time. Just get the shot off before I get diced up."
"Okay. Be careful!"
"No promises!"
With a sword in my hand, I go after the monster. It immediately goes on the offensive. Whipping its arms every which way. I go on the defensive, waiting to open with a counterstrike. He''s faster than I can block. Some of its attacks leave minor cuts. They sting like hell, but my jacket is soaking up most of the damage.
"Damn, this thing is tougher than last time."
It, whatever intelligence is in that thing, notices the gap in our strength, using all its strength to knock my sword out of my hand. Stunned by the moment, I''m unable to move. As it''s about to stab me, my mind goes blank. It''s as if the world has shown down for a ?moment. But like a thunder strike in a silent night, a gunshot goes off. A bullet tears through the monster''s slender arm.
Turning around, Ovan''s gun has smoke coming from the barrel. That was one hell of a shot!
The monster lets out a shriek of pain, whaling over the pain in its arm. It sends a painful vibration throughout the room. When it lets up, it makes a mad dash for Ovan and Richard.
"Get back here, you bitch!"
I chase after it. The thing is faster than me! Ovan hastily reloads his gun. It goes for a lunge, trying to close what little remained of the gap without wasting another second.
"Get out of the way," I bellow, doing whatever I could to help them.
As the gangly freak is about to hit him, a bullet goes off. Ovan shot the monster square in the chest, pushing it back with the force of the shell.
It squirms on the floor while letting out a horrid scream. It sends a cold shiver throughout my body. It was enough to chill me down to the bone. Eventually, it stops squirming and screaming. It goes limb, not even twitching. It must be dead.
Ovan let out a deep sigh of relief. "We actually killed it."
I pump my fist. "How about that, Warden? Whatcha gonna do now,"
Man, I wish I can see the look on his face, cause I know he''s pissed.
"Shit! Enforcer! Open the doors and get out here!"
As commanded, the doors around us open. The wall above us abruptly bursts open. Debris flies all over the place. A gigantic figure crashes onto the ground, causing a tremor with the pressure of a groundbreaking impact.
"Oh crap, not that thing again," Richard cursed.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Friend of yours," I remark.
"Definitely not a friend of mine. He punched me in the face! We need to get out of here!" Richard urges as he wiggles around in his chair. "Can someone please help me!"
"On it, buddy."
I break the back of the chair with the heel of my foot, breaking the loop the rope had around the chair.
"That feels so much better. Thanks."
"No problem, but we''re not out of the woods yet. We have to--."
What I see behind the giant stopped me from saying retreat. There are workers, armed to the teeth, coming into this room in droves. Even more of them are coming into the domain.
"Well, shit."
The workers are surrounding us from all sides, giving us little space to work with. The doors are still open, so we still have a shot at getting out of here.
"Screw that! I''m done running around in this place!"
I take out my sword, ready for the fight that''s itching to go off.
"Richard, get behind me!"
"Don''t tell me you''re planning on fighting it?"
"Kind of, it''s fight or die. We got no choice..."
¡
The Warden gazes down on the ensuing fight between Ovan and Proxy''s group, the workers, and Enforcer. He goes over to the girl in the case. When he found Richard near her, his hand was on her arm. He knew he was in a daze; as if he were somewhere else entirely.
So, the Warden wants to see why that was. He put his hand on her wrist to see what would happen. The Warden gasps at the sudden transition of scenery. It''s just as it was when Richard entered, green grass as far as the eye can see, a clear blue sky, and someone far off in the distance...
"You are not able to use me." A cold voice tells him. It''s done so in a way that tells him his existence meant nothing to her.
"What the hell are ya talkin'' ''bout!?"
"You do not deserve to use my power, that is all."
The Warden wants to yell at this person and tell them they''re full of crap, but he''s immediately kicked out before he could utter a word.
Back in reality, the girl is still asleep, peacefully slumbering in her metal shell. For some reason, her face, the peace in it that didn''t even bother him before, now pisses him off.
"Ya lil'' bitch!"
He stomps toward a safe he has in the corner of the room, next to his bed, quickly entering a four-digit number. The small door opens up to reveal two gauntlets that are designed in gold and black. He slips them on by buckling them to his arm. An influx of power surges through his arms.
These gauntlets raise the power of the wearer by 2x its normal parameters. Since his arms are big in size and bulk, they give him a huge effect. He went back over to the girl who he now detests?. He grabs the case by the sides, then throws it out the window. The case closes itself to prevent damage to the girl. It lands smack dab in the middle of the domain, lying down on its back. It opens itself back up.
"Enforcer: destroy that girl!" Richard''s hairs stand from hearing that command. Why would he want to kill the girl out of the blue is what he''s thinking? The giant effortlessly pushes through the crowd, smacking anyone in his way.
"Proxy, we have to stop it before it reaches that case!"
"Why?"
"Because there is someone inside it."
"Oh, that''s bad! Ovan, can you handle these guys on your own!?"
"Yes, we got this!"
"All right then, let''s go. Follow me, Richard!"
Proxy fights through the crowd while Richard sticks close to him. The fight to the case is grueling, Proxy is being attacked at every side and being pulled at, and Richard is struggling to even keep up. Yet, Proxy clears a small area around himself and Richard.
"Buddy, I''m gonna throw you over there!"
Proxy buckles down his knees and overlaps his hand with the other. Richard runs to build momentum, he then jumped onto Proxy''s hands.
"And...lift off!" Proxy hurls him with all of his might, sending him over the crowd. Richard lands near the chrome case. The monster is a few feet away from it, so Richard has to act fast. He breaks for the case. Enforcer legs it as well.
Richard is pushing up against the ground, trying to outdo the giant''s speed, but he knows that won''t do. So, out of ideas, he tries to stop it with his body.
"Enforcer: kill the kid."
The monster, built in a way that sacrifices speed for strength, swiftly strikes Richard in the chest. This one blow breaks the bones in his chest, leaving him in a state of shock. He''s sent flying toward the chrome case, hitting it hard. Weak and broken, he lies on it, suffering from the injury. Breathing is difficult. His chest is on fire with a sharp pain sparking up around it. Richard is barely hanging by a thread, helpless to do anything.
"S-sh-sh."
He couldn''t form the words he wanted. He is on the verge of tears from the pain. It''s too much for him to even bear, to even understand. He would rather just die here than take another second of this pain. Why suffer for this crap? Why wasn''t he home, spending his time reading books, playing at the card shop, or even playing video games? He wishes with all his heart that this isn''t real, that the pain is just a part of a brutal dream. However, he already knows that it isn''t.
"He...he...h¡ Mo...m¡ Bro¡. Brot...her¡ Pro...xy! Ple¡ Hel¡ Me!"
Flower field - morning(?)
The pain in my chest disappears, and it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m burning anymore. Actually, where am I? Is this a field of flowers? The purple flowers are in full bloom, gently soaring through the air with grace, dancing along the wind. I''m lying flat on the ground, looking face up at the blue sky.
"Hello, again."
A familiar voice reaches my ears. This time, I couldn''t see a figure.
"You have returned."
"Yeah, I have."
"You seem to be badly injured. Your mind must''ve slipped back into here as a safety measure. But how did you accumulate such injuries?"
"I tried to save you, but in the end, I accomplished nothing. To be honest, I knew that standing in its way would kill me..."
"...Then why would you try to save me knowing you would be at risk? If you knew this action would result in your death? Why follow through with it?"
Her thought pattern is sound. In fact, the question she asked is something I''m asking. Why did I do that...?
"...I guess... I didn''t want to see you get hurt."
"Why? You do not even know who I am."
"You''re right, I don''t know who you are, and maybe me trying to save someone I don''t know is stupid. But there was this thing inside my head, my heart even, telling me to not let you die; to save you. I don''t know, I think it was the adrenalin, but I agreed with it. I thought that saving you was the right thing to do."
"So you''ve put yourself in such a condition just to save me, based on a vague thought," she inquires, even more bewildered than before.
I could only laugh at how dumb she made me out to be. "Yeah, I did. Like I said: I thought it was a good idea, but I guess it is stupid, huh? Now we''re both gonna die. Hell, I bet we''re dead already."
That thing must''ve crushed us to paste by now.
"No, we are still very much alive. We wouldn''t be here talking if we were."
Hell Mine - the Warden''s domain - ?
"You bastard, I''ll fucking kill you!"
Proxy is on the back of the giant with a sword wrapped around its neck, desperately steering it away from Richard and the girl in the case.
Enforcer tries with all its might to get him off. It''s going to ram its own back against a wall. The boy responds by kicking himself off its back, doing a handstand on its shoulders, then athletically pushing himself off it. But before Proxy could get away from it, Enforcer kicks Proxy in the back.
The attack sends him skipping across the room. The pain circling his back is extremely painful; it felt like a bullet train ramming into a cement wall. While his back was still in one piece, he was gravely hurt.
"Shit," Proxy whimpers.
He''s struggling to get up, desperately clawing upward to get at that monster. It''s getting closer to Richard.
"Shit! Come on, get up, Proxy! Get up!"
He lifts himself onto his feet but he is still not able to move properly, let alone move his feet. Even if he wants to, it''s too late, the giant is already behind Richard.
"No!"
Proxy lets out a desperate scream. A second wind hits him, gaining the strength to save his friend, despite the pain.
"Get away from him, you son of a bitch!"
Enforcer prepares to punch Richard. His physique is quite unimpressive compared to Proxy''s, so the punch would surely be powerful enough to kill him. In the worst-case scenario, he breaks everything in Richards''s upper torso without killing him.
Proxy gets in between them, blocking the blow with his sword. The blade snaps into two, however, this doesn''t stop Proxy. Filled with adrenaline, he cuts the giant with the broken sword. The wound is minuscule, but that doesn''t deter the boy.
"Over my dead body, you bastard!"
Flower field - morning(?)
"Do you wish to live?" The girl poses an important question.
"What does it matter? My chest is destroyed and I wouldn''t be able to do anything," I reply, feeling defeated.
I grit my teeth and clench my fist. I want to live, of course, I do! But not with this damn pain in my chest? I just can¡¯t go on like that.
Something blocks the sun from view. It''s the girl from inside the case. Everything about her is the same as the one outside, except I can see her eyes. They¡¯re a dark shade of purple, devoid of any expression, let alone life, if that makes any sense.
"That is not what I asked. I asked if you wish to live. Please answer honestly."
Meeting her eyes, there is no judgment in them. When I think of the emotionlessness in her eyes, I begin to think of my own emotions. Right now, a strong emotion inside me is going wild like fire. It grows in intensity as I clutch my chest. This feeling is my desire to live!
I grit my teeth and clench my fist as tight as I can.
"I do. Even if I am broken, I don''t want to die down here; I want to live!" I voice travels throughout this endless blue and purple landscape.
"Then let us seal your declaration with a contract."
"A contract?"
"Yes, this contract will allow you to use me, and it will save your life at the same time."
"What do you mean ''use you''?"
"I will have to explain later since we are under attack."
She puts out her hand. I get up from the ground, staring her in the eye. She was a bit shorter than I was; she''s likely 5''4, and I''m 5''8.
"Give me your hand."
"Okay." I place my hand on hers.
"I will now begin the sealing. Please hold still..."
She closed her eyes.
"With this solemn pact, I will enact as your tool and your sword. I will do battle on your behalf and die on your behalf. On this oath, I swear to serve you, and only you. Now, my master, call my name, so I may fight for you."
A bond is forming between us, something binding us; some sort of energy connecting us. On cue, her name pops into my head, burning itself into my brain.
"Nunnal¨¦," I annunciate, calling out for her power.
My vision goes blank the moment I utter her name.
In an instant, it comes back. I''m facing the ceiling of the mine. I am beside the case. Proxy is in front of me, shielding me from the enemy.
"Proxy...?"
He doesn''t respond to me. I crawl to the side to see what¡¯s happening.
This scene is wildly bizarre. Nunnal¨¦ is confronting the giant, who seems to have thrown a punch meant for Proxy. Nunnal¨¦ stopped it with her bare hands.
"This is an enemy, correct?" she, calm yet monotone in speech, asks me, evaluating the situation.
"Y-yes!"
"I see, then..." With a sudden burst of power, the air roars around her as she pushes back the monster with no effort at all. The hem of her dress sways along with her hair. "...I shall engage this monster in combat. I shall not show any mercy to those who harm my master..."
Hell Mine - part 8
The Holy lands - Hell mine - morning
Nunnal¨¦ approaches me, offering me a hand up. "Are you all right, master?" she asks, emotionless in tone.
Hm¡? That''s odd. Even if she were to suppress her emotions, I should be able to read them from just her words. Yet, nothing is coming from her¡ But? that¡¯s not important.
"Nunnal¨¦! How did you do that?" I ask her, in awe of her strength.
"I am enhancing my strength with Source."
"What?"
"You do not know what it is?" I shake my head. "Then I will have to explain it to you later, but right now, we need to deal with the opposition at hand."
She brings her attention to the brutish enemy. It''s charging at her while knocking anyone near him out of its way.
"Nunnal¨¦, are you going to fight that thing?"
"Yes, even with its strength, I will be able to surpass it by enhancing my capabilities with Source. Though, I still need to adjust to yours.¡±
She takes a second to do something, not paying any mind to the monster that was charging for her.
"Richard!" Proxy, upon approach, crouches and puts his hands on my shoulders. "Richard, you okay!?"
"Yeah, I''m...fine."
Him rocking me like that should hurt, but it doesn¡¯t. The mind-numbing pain in my chest is gone. How¨C why is it not there anymore?
"Dude, are you sure? You took a heavy ass blow."
"I don''t know. My chest was destroyed and I couldn''t breathe, but now I''m fine."
It''s as if the wounds were repaired. Did Nunnal¨¦ do that?
"Master, I''m going to commence combat with the enemy. Stay here."
Master!? Wait, she¡¯s not calling me that, is she? Come to think of it, she said that earlier in the flower field.
"Why did you call me--"
Without any warning, she disappears out of thin air, leaving behind a powerful gust of wind with bits of the ground destroyed beneath her feet. Such stupendous strength!? All of that in a delicate-looking girl like her.
"Where did she go?" Proxy, shocked by her disappearance, asks.
Nunnal¨¦ reappears right in front of the giant. She throws a punch at its chest. The impact ripples through the air, sending goosebumps down my body. Her attack stops its charge, but it didn¡¯t faze it. The giant is about to slam its hands on her back.
"Nunnal¨¦, watch out!"
Immediately responding to the attack, she swiftly maneuvers around it. She then follows that up by jumping to hit the giant''s face. I can''t count the number of times she hit it square in the face without pause.
"How the hell is she doing that?"
His guess is as good as mine. Her speed is ludicrous, striking faster than I¡¯ve ever seen a person hit before. She finally landed back on the floor. The giant hammer its fist on top of her. She catches it, but it slams the other hand on top, doubling the load she has to handle.
I''m just watching her as she''s having trouble. I need to help, or else she''ll get killed. As I get up, Proxy stops me from getting up.
"Let me handle this!"
He dashes off toward the two. Closing in, he jumps on the monster''s fist only to launch himself off them, veering to the right.
"Hey, mr. big hands!"
He delivers a swift kick toward its face. It staggers backward as Proxy lands on the ground with finesse. Now that it''s distracted, I can regroup with them. I slowly climb up to my feet, trying to not strain myself. Good, my body really did recover from that punch. I run off to meet the two of them.
"Okay, that was awesome, but the landing needs work," Proxy tells himself, stretching his legs.
"Hey, you okay?" I ask Nunnal¨¦.
"I am okay. However, you need to stay away from this area. Head to a safe distance."
"Sorry to tell ya, but this whole place isn''t safe," Proxy says in a frank manner.
"Who are you?" Nunnal¨¦ asks him, registering his existence to her.
Proxy throws up his jacket. "I am not just the one and only, but the greatest punk of NewPort island: Proxy." He strikes a pose while catching his jacket. "...I''m a residential badass of NewPort Island, NJ." He does another pose while sliding his I.D. from his jacket sleeves, holding it between two fingers. "...Part-time delinquent, full-time ass-kicker¡¡± He put his hand out. ¡°Sup."
Nunnal¨¦ just gives him a curious stare, just as puzzled by his introduction as I am. "Isn''t that an overly cumbersome name?"
"No, my name is Proxy, the rest was just to- You know what, that doesn''t matter right now."
The monster''s loud footsteps alert us of its arrival.
Nunnal¨¦ pushes Proxy back. "Do not interfere in this fight. You will only get in my way."
There''s no hesitation in her voice. She just laid it straight out for him.
Proxy glares at her, directing irritation at her. "The hell are you talking about? I won''t get in the way. I''ve been in fights before. I know how to hold my own."
This is far too different to be called a normal fight, especially against a thing like this. But he probably won¡¯t stand down, even if I ask him, so at the very least Nunnal¨¦ and he should work together to beat this thing.
"Nunnal¨¦, I want you to work with Proxy."
"I shall obey any order you give me, my master."
Proxy twists his head to me, astonished by what he just heard. "H-hold on a minute! Did she just call you master? Why?"
"Umm¡ I really don''t know."
"Aw, don''t get embarrassed, she only called you master," he mocks me in a weird cutesy voice.
¡°Shut it,¡± I scream, my eyebrow twitching at his obnoxious teasing.
Shit, I need to calm myself¡ I let him rile me so easily, but can you blame me? It pisses me off! But the way she says master, hell, her just saying it around other people is pretty embarrassing. People would give me weird stares if they heard her call me that; my social standing would be ruined! No, this isn''t the time for this nonsense.
"Nunnal¨¦: I want you to work with Proxy to take that thing down."
"Is this an order?"
"Yes."
She shoots a glance at Proxy, carefully sizing him up once again, then she brings her attention to me.
"Understood. I shall cooperate with the person named Proxy to defeat this enemy," she summarizes her directive aloud.
"Geez, no need to be stiff about it. Just call me Proxy."
"Very well. Proxy, I will go slow so you can keep up,¡±
Proxy throws a few punches while taking a boxing stance."Go as fast as you like, I can keep up."
"I see, then I shall go as fast as I like."
Ending off with that, she takes one step forward, disappearing altogether. Where the hell did she go!? Before I can guess it, she¡¯s in front of the enemy. She hits the monster in the chest, slightly lifting it off the ground.
"Hey, don''t run off without me!"
Proxy runs off to catch up with her. Their speed is incomparable to one another, making him look slow in comparison. Is she even human in the first place? Is the thing they¡¯re fighting even human?
¡
The Warden is looking down on the brawl that is happening down there. It''s pure chaos. The workers are fighting Ovan and his brothers. Meanwhile, Nunnal¨¦ and Proxy are fighting Enforcer.
"If this keeps up, this might get most of the workers killed, and if that happened, it would affect the mining production greatly, and if that happened..."
If those things happened, it could breed trouble for him with the king. That type of trouble would probably get me out of his good graces, or worse.
"I need to get all of this under control."
The Warden thinks to himself, trying to figure out what to do to come back from this situation. Beyond expectation, something digs into his leg, tearing through the flesh. The pain quickly registers to the Warden as he let out a cry out of sheer agony and anger.
A pickaxe is lodged in his leg. A little girl is the one holding it, pushing it in deep as well.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
He ruthlessly picks her up and throws her to the ground. "You Lil'' shit!" He wants to break her tiny
Neck. As he¡¯s about to, he remembers that Richard was traveling with a little girl carrying around a pickaxe. And her face is the same one he saw on the monitor.
¡°Hold on a minute¡¡± The Warden is a man who¡¯d rather think about the things he can use at the current moment rather than go in headfirst. So instead of snapping her neck, he realizes he can use her to make Richard and his friends surrender. "Maybe you get to live for a bit longer after all..."
¡
Nunnal¨¦ delivers a well-timed counter-attack after Proxy dazed the monster with his stone sword. Proxy is using his swift movement, as well as his athletics, to keep it distracted. Nunnal¨¦ would deal major damage. It¡¯s not that they¡¯re in total sync, they just ?happen to play into one another¡¯s strengths.
Proxy is going in for another attack with his sword. The giant, finally seeing through him, uses its arm to block the attack, followed by a counterattack. Proxy blocks the punch trained for his chest. However, it went flying into the air since the attack knocked it out of his hands. As it spins in the air, Nunnal¨¦ jumps up a fair distance, more so than what an average human can manage. As she¡¯s about to land, she strikes the enemy¡¯s shoulders. It slumps its arm, showing that the strike popped it out of place.
"This will work nicely.¡±
She launches an onslaught of attacks that my eyes can¡¯t keep track of. However, from what I do see, each strike is quick and precise. They don¡¯t leave time to react and have a cold sense of striking compared to Proxy, who puts his heart into an attack. Her last few attacks have the monster fall to its knees.
"Commencing finishing blow."
"WAIT A MOMENT!" A voice booms throughout the room, stopping Nunnal¨¦ from delivering the final blow.
We all knew where it was coming from.
"Now all of you stop for a moment, including you boys." The Warden is dangling something outside of the window¡ That¡¯s not a thing, that¡¯s Racheal!
"Did I catch ya attention, kid?" The Warden was looking straight at me when he said that. "Now that I have it, I''d like ya to listen to me."
¡°Let go of her and then we can talk!¡± Anger builds up in my fists. I can¡¯t do a damn thing about him from down here, and even if I was up there, what would I be able to do?
"Don''t give me tone, boy. I want ya to give me the girl ya got there." He¡¯s referring to Nunnal¨¦, who still has her eye on the giant. "Think about it, kid. With her by our side and you by mine..."
"Oh god, don''t tell me," Proxy interjects, face-palming himself.
"...We could have anything we want," the Warden finished.
Proxy groans, sounding insulted by his proposal. ¡°You lying shit heel. You don''t want Richard, you want the girl, right?¡±
"Ya damn right! I want the girl, or else I drop this girl."
"Even if my master were to give me to you, you lack the requirements that are needed to use me." Nunnal¨¦ rationally explains to the Warden.
"Then would ya feel about me killin¡¯ that kid, or else I¡¯ll?¡±.
"Killing my master is not acceptable. Even if I were ordered to. I would refuse." The Warden growled a little when she kept going on about her rules. I can hear Racheal choking from the Warden''s grip. "Furthermore, why threaten to kill her? Her life has no bearing to me.¡±
W¡what? A cold response to the threat. No emotion bore itself in her words, only cold, harsh logic. Logic that could only be called practical, but without the humanity to think about anyone else¡¯s well-being.
"Nunnal¨¦, what are you saying?" I asked her.
I can¡¯t understand, I don¡¯t want to understand, and who would want to!?
"What I mean is that her death would not affect the odds of this fight."
"No, I know what you said, but..."
"What matters is that we defeat these enemies and get you to a safer place, master, no matter what."
It¡¯s scary to see this girl easily wave off someone else''s life. I want to say something about it. I want to ask how she can be so cold like that, but staring into her cold, barren eyes, I just¡I just can¡¯t. It¡¯s almost as if those alone were enough to tell me there was no point in trying...
"Hey, don''t ya stop payin¡¯ attention to me!"
Once again, my attention returns to the Warden, who still has Racheal in his clutches.
"Well. if it ain¡¯t gonna affect you, then I guess it¡¯ll affect that boy."
With no more fanfare, he releases her. My mind races within those first few seconds of her falling. Shit, Nunnal¨¦ is the only one quick enough to do it!
"Nunnal¨¦, catch her, now!"
Without any second-guessing my orders, she moves at an abnormal speed. She jumps into the air, catching her. Thank you, god, she made it in time!
"Damnit," the Warden curses, stomping his feet against his room¡¯s floor.
"Hey, you big bitch, stop acting like a coward and get down here so I can kick your ass," Proxy yells at the Warden.
"Ya lil¡¯ shit! Enforcer: get up, ya useless bastard!"
The command meant nothing since Enforcer isn''t getting up. Oddly enough, its body is vibrating, giving off a dangerous sense of unease. It lets out a quiet growl.
"Enforcer, kill those kids and that lil¡¯ brat!"
The giant finally reaches its breaking point, letting out a battle cry that shakes the entire room. The vibrations are growing astronomically. It feels like I¡¯m on a roller coaster. It rips its trench coat and hood without even touching them. His bare chest is exposed and his bulk is increasing. Its skin tone is tree bark dark. There isn''t any hair on its head or face. A gold emblem shines brightly.
"Damn it, Enforcer! stop goin¡¯ berserk!" The sigil on him is glowing gold. However, it suddenly turns red as Enforcer roars from the top of its lungs, nearly causing my ears to burst. Ultimately, from its desperate struggle against it, the sigil disappears. The monster takes out a chunk of the ground and throws it at the Warden''s room. It destroys the small, compact room in one go. But the Warden had jumped out before it could hit. He lands on the ground, shattering the ground below him.
"Enforcer, what do ya think you''re doin''," the Warden barks.
The monster didn¡¯t respond to him with words, but with a terrible roar. It charges at the Warden. Its footsteps cause a greater quake than when he was yelling. He¡¯s like a wild animal hellbent on catching its prey. It throws a punch at the Warden. He blocks it, but in doing so, creates an impact that is powerful enough to cause a powerful draft of wind, almost lifting me off my feet. Anyone near them was unfortunate to be knocked back, feeling the full force of the blow.
The monster presses the offense, punching the Warden, causing the same wind draft on repeat.
"Proxy," I scream his name when he goes flying backward. As I¡¯m about to be flung backward, Nunnal¨¦ catches me, still holding Racheal in her arms.
"Master, we must leave!"
"No, we can''t leave Proxy."
"He is not a priority right now. We must go."
That numbs my mind as my vision unfocused everything, only for all of it to come back into perspective. Not a priority¡ Not a priority!?
"Not a priority, my ass! He''s a priority to me! He''s my friend and I''m going to go find him! So, Nunnal¨¦: take her somewhere safe. That''s an order!"
I get away from her, determined to find Proxy through all of this chaos. The crowd of people running, scrambling around, and flying all about is making it hard to find him. Most of them are running out of here, and the others are still gunning for Proxy¡¯s head.
"Proxy! Proxy!" I push through the crowd of people to find Proxy fighting most of them off. Barely getting past the last batch of enemies, I regroup with him, going back to back with him.
"Richard, where is that girl? We could really use the help."
"I came to get you on my own."
"That¡¯s admirable and all, but her speed would sure be great right now."
"Proxy, let me get a..." Before I can ask for a weapon, an enormous shadow hovers above us. Holy shit, it¡¯s the Warden!
"Everyone, dodge!"
Hearing Proxy''s warning, the workers immediately move out of the way right when he landed on his back. The look on the Warden''s face, shock painted across. There aren''t that many visible injuries except the one on his torso. It¡¯s heavily bruised and nearly caved in as well.
"Holy balls," Proxy curses.
The monster looks straight at us, or rather, at me. Every ounce of its rage hits me, weakening my knees. Unleashing another deafening battle cry, it charges at us.
"Everyone, run away," Proxy yells.
Everyone disperses as the monster approaches. Proxy and I make a run for it on our own. This thing is much faster than before, closing the gap between us in the blink of an eye. Proxy pushes me to the left and dodges to his right. I can''t waste time collecting myself, I just need to keep running...
"Proxy, go with the others," I order him
"No, it''ll kill you!:
"It''ll kill all of them if I follow behind them."
Proxy shoots a quick glance at the enemy behind us. He isn''t even trying to hide how concerned he is for me, and with how insane I sound, I don''t blame him.
"Shit! Fine, just get the hell out of here after a minute or two, okay?"
"Okay."
With that, Proxy runs for the middle exit. Most of the workers are going through there, leaving in droves.
"Don''t get killed," Proxy yells from the top of his lungs, fighting the flow of the crowd.
"Don''t worry, I''m not gonna die!"
It¡¯s funny, I was so scared when I saw a human-sized monster back when we first arrived in this world. And, yeah, I''m still scared, but I''m not on the verge of breaking down. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s because I¡¯m brave or anything. I just don¡¯t want to see someone die in front of me; every part of me refuses to let that happen.
The monster lets out another spine-curling roar as it chases after me. I¡¯m pushing my legs harder than they can go. Its fist slams against the floor behind me. That one punch made enough force to send me tumbling forward.
Shit, I need to get up quickly! No good, it¡¯s going to hit me before I can even get up. I roll over before its fist hits the ground. It lets out another shock wave of power, hurling me to my right. I skip against the ground like a stone against a pond. Before I can recover, the monster reached me with its next attack coming at me.
This is it, I can''t dodge this one. It will surely kill me with this one attack. Proxy, Racheal, and Nunnal¨¦ probably got away, so maybe this won¡¯t be a bad thing after all? As long as they¡¯re safe, then I suppose I¡¯ll be satisfied¡ But I don¡¯t want to die, I can¡¯t die! Nunnal¨¦ saved my life. She gave me a second chance, so I don¡¯t want to die. I can¡¯t waste her saving me! Why did I have to be so weak? Why can¡¯t I defend myself!? Damnit! I¡¯m so weak, pathetic, just pathetic!
I shut my eyes, waiting for the end. But it never came. In that moment of reflection and selfish wishing, Nunnal¨¦ stands tall, blocking the fist with a sword in her hand. It wasn''t Proxy''s. The blade is longer with little to no characteristics to it whatsoever. The color shares the same color as her hair, except for the blade.
¡°Are you all right, Master?¡± She¡¯s struggling to hold back the enemy¡¯s attack, yet she¡¯s still concerned about my well-being.
"Yeah, I''m fine! What about Racheal?"
"I relocated her to a safer location."
"Good, but where did you get that sword?"
"It is a weapon I can summon. I wasn''t able to before since I was still adjusting to your Source."
She slices its fist, tearing through the skin of the enemy¡¯s fingers. However, it doesn''t seem fazed by it, even though it¡¯s a deep cut.
"Get away from here! I don''t know if I can hold back against this enemy."
She deals another strike against the enemy. Each one finds its mark, but that¡¯s because the enemy isn''t bothering to block her attacks. She maneuvers around a few of its wild swings. But, under a snap reaction, it pivots around, throwing a fist at her. She blocks the blow, but the force of the strike is stronger than the rest, pushing her quite a ways back.
The giant comes at me.
Its fist hurls towards my head, threatening to crush it before its awesome strength, Swift and without delay, Nunnal¨¦ gets between us. She reverse grips her sword and slices against the giant''s arm as it travels downward. She then spins herself around, slicing the giant''s chest. Gashes of blood spill from the monster¡¯s torso and arm, leaking out. Nunnal¨¦ grabs me, then jumps back to gain distance, breaking apart the ground below from the force she puts behind her leaps.
"Master, we must get awa-"
The monster, despite the distance we put, leaps forward, catching up with us. Nunnal¨¦ tosses me to the side, taking a blow that would¡¯ve hit me as well.
"Nunnal¨¦!"
This isn¡¯t good! I have to go see if-- My train of thought stalls when a ground-shattering footstep sounds off next to me. It¡¯s right behind me. Oh God, it¡¯s behind me! I can¡¯t move. Turning is like wanting to get killed by this thing. Running away now won¡¯t do any good at this distance; it¡¯ll only break me before I can get away. All I can do is wait, wait for my skull to be crushed. That¡¯s all I¡¯m able to do¡ I¡¯m¡fine? Did Nunnal¨¦ stop it again?
I turn around, fully expecting to see Nunnal¨¦ standing proud against the monster¡¯s inhuman strength like she has before¡
¡°Wha¡¡±
Color leaves the world, everything goes silent, even the air goes dead quiet. All my focus hones in on Nunnal¨¦ as the scene in front of me burns itself into my eyes and into my brain.
"Are you...okay...Master?"
Nunnal¨¦, a small, seemingly frail girl with a stature that¡¯s smaller than mine, is bleeding from her stomach, violently torn open by the giant''s nails... She took it for me¡for someone like me; a person as worthless as me... A sense of dread washes over me as my brain desperately tries to deny the reality in front of me.
"Nunnal¨¦, why...?"
Hell Mine - part 9
Hell Mine - Warden¡¯s domain - ?
"Nunnal¨¦, you... Why?"
Blood spills from her stomach, like a faucet being left to run. The sight leaves me horrified, unable to move a single finger in my body, let alone scream.
"It is...my duty. I must...protect...my Master..."
Nunnal¨¦ spits blood from her mouth. Her body sways from the ridiculous amount of blood she lost. She uses her sword to keep herself on her feet. Her breathing is getting heavier.
"You did that, just for me," I mumbled under my breath.
"I must protect you...no matter what the cost may be."
Those words were the same ones I resented, the ones that allowed others to get hurt just to protect me. I thought they only applied to others and not to herself. But now, she''s limping around, trying to defend me with her wrecked body.
"Please¡stay¡behind¡me!"
She points her sword at the enemy, disregarding her weakened state. The giant unleashes another devastating punch. Nunnal¨¦ guards against it, but her body got shot back?.
What am I doing? I just watched her guard that for me. Why the hell did I do that? What the hell is wrong with me!? Damnit! I¡¯m a spineless moron! A spineless moron with no guts! I¡I! I¡¯m an idiot! Shooting up to my feet, I manage to reach Nunnal¨¦ before its next attack could connect. I push us under its fist. I can still feel the force behind it, making it all the more intimidating.
I stop for a moment, placing her on my back before running for the exit.
"What¡are you¡doing?" she whispers, weak from her injury.
"Saving you, obviously."
"Leave¡me! I¡¯ll¡protect¡you!"
"No, you can''t! If you fight that thing now, you''ll just die!"
"If¡ If that¡is so¡ Then¡so be it."
"Don''t just chalk up sacrificing life for me to be easy! That''s not acceptable for other people or you!"
Her logic to put me before anyone, and anything else, is pissing me off. Of course I¡¯d be pissed, anyone would be!
This monster''s speed is picking up, it¡¯ll be almost impossible to escape it on a narrow path. However, if I can get us down a corridor with turns, we can lose it there. It''s a long shot by ourselves without any navigator to help us out, but it''s better than being in here with this thing. Just before reaching the exit, a piece of rubble flies over our heads. I immediately turn left. That monster throws another piece of ground at us. Dodging it is easier than it looks, but me turning to get out of the way cuts into my momentum, helping the monster get closer and closer. Again, another comes our way and I get out of its way.
"Damn, how long is this gonna go!?"
As I got out of the way of the other one, I turned too quickly, causing me to sprain my leg. Damnit, not now! I protected Nunnal¨¦¡¯s head when we fell.
"Nunnal¨¦, are you okay?"
Her breathing is heavy, her eyes are closed. There¡¯s so much blood on my shirt. I need to get her out of here now! The giant closes in on us as I¡¯m trying to get up. Damn, even if I get up, I won¡¯t be able to escape this thing. No, thinking like that won''t help. I need to go ?fast. Despite my sprained foot, and the pain in my leg, I make a run for it one last time.
The giant is catching up, breaking the ground with each step. With this leg, there isn''t any competition. But I don''t care! I have to ?get us the hell out of here!
It aims a punch for our backs. I jump to my left. It immediately follows up with a left. I¡¯m barely able to dodge it, nearly getting grazed. Though, an attempt to evade it knocked me off balance. While I managed to stay on my feet, it gave the giant a chance to deliver the final blow. No, it¡¯s not the final punch. I¡¯m not going to let him stop me from getting away. I''m sure I can still dodge it, even from this distance. There''s no room to second guess this; if I get hit, Nunnal¨¦ and I will die. I need to dodge this one, no matter what!
As I prepare to dodge the attack, someone comes between us.
The small figure that I¡¯ve come to familiarize myself with belongs to Racheal! She uses her tiny body to defend us.
"...Pa..."
Did she just speak!? But what did she say? Sounded like ¡°pa¡±. The giant stops its attack short of her whole body. The undying rage that was emanating from its body and thunderous roars that quaked the ground beneath it is gone.
"Pa...pa." Pa pa?¡± Wait, papa! Does that mean that thing is her father!? So did he go berserk because the Warden tried to kill her? She places her hands on his fist. "...Ah."
It sounds like she¡¯s choking on her words¡ Yet, I can feel all the emotion behind her attempts. Happiness, but profound sadness too deep for words.
It opens its hands to her.
She places hers on his giant palm. "...Pa...pa..."
There is no monster, no rage of a beast¡ Just a man who reunited with his daughter...
"Racheal,"
The man whispers, emitting nothing but joy. He just stands there, holding her hand.
The new emotions from Racheal, who is still struggling to form a word, are regret, sorrow, and anguish, yet her happiness persists. They¡¯re overpowering, stronger than any other emotion I¡¯ve ever felt. They are the pure emotions of a child being reunited with the one she loves the most in the world... I know it''s ridiculous, but I can¡¯t help but be jealous, but I¡¯m happy for her as well.
"Ya damn bastards!"
The Warden is up at the other entrance on the far left of the room. "Ya bastards thought ya won, huh? Well, ya sons of bitches gotta ¡®another thing comin''!"
A loud explosion goes off that ripples across the ground, followed by a powerful earthquake. The ceiling is giving out, and pieces of it are falling. Several more explosions follow, each one stronger than the last. This is bad! We need to go now if we want to escape.
"Come on, we need to go!" I picked up Nunnal¨¦. She¡¯s still breathing. Racheal''s dad turns his gaze to me. Those eyes said everything I needed to know. He then casts his eyes on her again. He kneels to her.
"Can''t...go...monster... Go...with...him..." He picks her up, attempting to put her on my back, but she does her best to hold on to her dad. "...Cannot...monster...me."
Every word is chock-full of pain, regret, and fear that could consume this entire room. He probably has little control. His sanity came back because of Racheal, but that probably won''t last long...
Racheal still isn''t letting go. This place is becoming even more unstable.
"Put her on Nunnal¨¦''s legs!"
He did just that. I have a good hold on both of them. I just hope I can keep them up long enough to get us out of here. The giant has a strained expression on his face. Probably fighting back the monster within itself. This is the end of the line for him. He¡¯s going to revert to a monster, and he might not come back...
"...Pa...pa," Racheal whispers, her voice breaking up as she¡¯s on the verge of tears. "love you..." Even when fighting his monster urges, even if it would be difficult to speak, he was still able to utter such simple, yet meaningful words. Half of the room is collapsing in on itself. There¡¯s no time left, we have to go.
"I''m sorry, but we have to go! Don''t worry, I''ll take care of your daughter! I promise!"
I ?leg it out of the room. Looking back at the man, he¡¯s just standing there, looking at us, running away. In a mere matter of seconds, our view gets cut off, no longer able to see him. With that, Racheal let out a cry that echoed through the tunnel. Bawling with all her might. I feel the tears soaking into my chest.
"I''m so sorry, but we can''t go back now. We just can''t!"
...
As the cave collapses, Avon waits for his death. Memories of his life flash before his eyes, in a movie of his life, playing out in his head.
In his early years, he had little in terms of goals. He was comfortable living his life in his village alongside his father and mother. However, during the war, they would be among the many casualties when he was still a teenager. His life did not change as he was raised by the village people. However, no matter how supportive they were of him, they could not fill the void in his heart.
But one day, a girl, from a village a few miles from his, ended up near his. He found her hurt, hungry, and tired. Avon took her home, caring for her wounds and feeding her. The girl was cautious of him at first but quickly grew to trust him. She became a resident of the village, helping out with daily chores, and keeping watch for anyone suspicious. However, she and Avon would continue to see each other, spending time together when they weren''t busy.
Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
The girl would eventually open up to Avon more and more, telling him about what happened to her village and her parents. They were killed in battle with the kingdom as the kingdom''s soldiers attacked her village. This led to the two to bond further and further until they fall in love.
Years later, they had been wedded, living their lives in bliss. The hole in Avon''s heart was beginning to fill, and this whole would only finally be full until his daughter was born. The joy he felt from the life that was born into the world was beyond description. When he held his daughter in his hands for the first time, tears of joy fell from his eyes. It was truly a blessed time for him. Three years later, the war had just ended, but tragedy struck.
The villagers were suddenly sent to the Hell Mine, alongside others from their sister villagers, as well as prisoners from the war. For four years, day by day, grueling work was all that comprised their days. Eventually, Avon''s wife got sick because of over-exhaustion. She would slowly but surely lose the life in her eyes. However, she would not complain about her condition, she was only showing concern for her husband and daughter. During her last days, she told her husband to stay strong-willed and to take care of their daughter. With those final words, she passed on. Even with the death of his wife, he couldn''t mourn; he had to take care of his daughter.
So, he made a shelter for the workers who were being taken out and did his best to be the best father for his daughter, and a man who would lift the spirits of his fellow workers. Despite the sorrow of losing his wife, he carried a high spirit around himself. He would help his fellow man and plan on getting everyone out, biding his time until the time was right. However, this time came as he was being taken away. For four hours, he fought not to protect himself, but the people inside of the shelter as they too were threatened to be put out. When he was subdued, he was taken to the Warden. During their meeting, they struck a deal: the warden would leave the shelter alone if he agreed to be properly taken out. The choice was obvious, and he agreed.
This only dragged him into a world of hell. He doesn''t know where, but day after day, his body would be altered, experimented on, filled with something else, something ethereal. Day after day, there was nothing but pain; each bone altered, his muscles tightened, and his body burned from the excruciating pain. However, he stayed strong, all for his daughter. In the end, he slowly lost his will and memories as his mind was being corroded. Eventually, he fell into a never-ending slumber, later turning into a bodyguard for the Warden, three years after being put out.
But, when he laid eyes on Racheal again for the first time in years, a piece of him came to the surface.
It was only when the Warden tried to kill her did he finally awaken from his slumber, not with sanity, but rage. He sought to kill anyone that touched her or was near her, all to protect her. Even with this rage, when she was in the sight of his rage-fueled eyes, the man that once was truly reawakened, to be with her one last time.
Now, with the rage slowly coming back, but too slow to come into effect. He¡¯s in a state of peace. The falling rock around him doesn''t frighten him. The only thought he has is of his family; his father, mother, wife, and his beloved daughter. All of them are steadfast in his heart to the very end, as the ground is about to crush him.
"Stay strong... Racheal."
The ceiling crushes him under its weight... That day, a good man, husband, and father, had died under the earth. Leaving his love and hopes with his daughter.
...
I made it to the upper levels. The entire area is crumbling and falling under itself. If I had been below this level for another minute, the whole floor would''ve crushed me. It¡¯s getting a little dicier moving through here. A wrong step would lead to our deaths. Fortunately enough, I see the exit.
"Almost there!"
It¡¯s a brief climb, but I can''t scale it with people in my arms.
"Racheal, you gotta climb on your own!" She isn¡¯t budging. Her hands clinging to my shirt. "Come on, Racheal, you have to climb!" She still isn''t moving. At this point, she must feel defeated, losing her father after finding him. "Fine..."
I hoist Nunnal¨¦ over my shoulder as I start climbing. I have only one hand to work with, the other is to keep Racheal from falling. Climbing is harder than it seems, but the method is simple: find a foothold before I keep going.
Another rumble rocks the mine. Below, the floor gives out below us, showing the deeper parts of the mine. There is nothing to catch us. Once we fall, that¡¯s it, we¡¯ll die.
"Holy crap!"
The parts below me are falling apart. I make one giant leap before grabbing onto the edge of the platform. So close, I just need to pull myself up with all my strength, but my body has too much weighing it down.
"Racheal, I need you to climb up now!" She¡¯s still doing nothing. "Please, I need you to climb! I know, losing your dad again must feel horrible; I can''t even imagine what it feels like. But he wouldn''t want you to die here, not in this place. He would...he would want you to live!" A gasp escapes her. "So if you really love your father, then please, just climb up!"
My fingers are going numb. I need to feel up every inch of sensation so that I can keep a hold on this ledge. Something presses down on my head; Racheal scales up from my body to the top of the platform. She made it up in less than a couple of seconds.
"Okay, can you pull Nunnal¨¦ now?" Nunnal¨¦ is slowly being lifted off my shoulder. Even with a small frame, she lifts Nunnal¨¦ onto the ledge. Now I can finally move my other arm without worry. Racheal extends her hand to me...
"Whoa!"
The rumbling is getting worse. My fingers can''t take it! As I try to pull myself with the other hand while the rumbling continues.
"Huh!?"
The piece of the wall with my hand firm on it tears from the wall. My body falls backward. The immediate shock hits me fast. My heart is racing faster than I can even compute. This is the end, my body is going to hit the floor below me, being broken, torn apart by the impact as my blood splatters all over the place. I can¡¯t believe this is how I¡¯ll die¡ Suddenly, as if my luck hasn¡¯t run out yet. Racheal, with all her strength, catches my hand.
"Live...you...live!" The words that she fumbled out were genuine and heartfelt, I can feel the desperation in them. She¡¯s pulling me up with everything she has, but it¡¯s not enough to pull me up
"Racheal, you''re not strong enough. Just save Nunnal¨¦ and yourself!"
She shakes her head. If she keeps this up, we''ll both fall! The rumbling grows violent. The rest of the cave is beginning to fall. But that tremor was enough to loosen her grip on me. Once again, I fall, with Racheal coming with me. No, no, no! This is the worst outcome! Please, something, somebody, save her!
"YAHOO!"
At the last second, someone pulls Racheal back, grabbing my hand while hanging from the ledge. The goggles on his face, that overconfident smile. It can¡¯t be anyone else but...
"Proxy!"
"Sup, buddy. Hanging around?"
"That joke sucks! But I''m glad it''s coming from you."
"Bet you are. Here we go!" He pulls us up to the ledge. "Ready to leave this dump?"
"Thought you never ask." I pick up Racheal, giving her a piggyback ride. Proxy carries Nunnal¨¦ as we make a mad dash out of here. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I promised him I would take care of you, and I mean it.¡±
Running like our asses are on fire, we dash for the exit, fighting the upward climb to the entrance.
"So, how do you like the new world experience?" Proxy jokes, not breaking the rhythm of his breathing.
"Gee, it''s like being in a paradise, nothing but fun!"
"Knew you''d see it my way."
"I was being sarcastic!"
"I know, so was I."
Holy Lands - night
Zooming past the exit, we escaped from the collapsing mine. The heat escaping from the mine parallels the summer. The entrance is still somewhat intact, but the deeper part of the mine is inaccessible now and forever. I start coughing the moment I stopped moving.
Proxy pats me on the back, helping me get through my coughing fit. "Richard, you all right.¡±
"Yeah, never better. I''m just glad we''re out of there."
"Yeah, I thought we¡¯d never breathe cool air ever again."
Me too, the fresh air is welcoming to my lungs. The moon hangs in the clear, dark sky.
"Glad you both made it out," a man with no hair congratulated us.
"You too, Ovan. And yeah, we almost didn''t," Proxy replies, gasping for air in between sentences. "How about you guys? Did the others get out?"
"Yes, we were able to escape safely. We also managed to rescue some workers as well."
Thank goodness for that¡ However, looking at the large group of people, there are only around 50 workers here, or maybe more.
"Is this all of them?" I ask the man named Ovan.
"Yes, we got as many as we could, but not all of them could get out in time."
Only this many made it? There were so many more than this amount, and some of them were sick in the shelter... I can''t say that I feel right about any of this... Wait!
"Hey, Proxy, what about Nunnal¨¦?"
"She''s breathing, but barely. We need to get her back to camp," he urges me.
"What are we going to do now?" One of the workers asks out of nowhere, expressing a tinge of despair.
"What do you mean, you''re free, you can do whatever you want," Proxy simply answers.
"But what? We have nowhere to go. Now that the mine is destroyed, we have nothing!" The workers are getting agitated. More and more of them are despairing over the fact the mine was gone.
"Are you telling me you''d rather be down there?" Proxy bites back, obviously irritated with them.
"At least we had a home. We knew what to do down there, but now..."
They were seriously saying it was better down there? Why the hell would anyone want to stay down there!? That is so stupid, so astronomically stupid! I can¡¯t even¡!
"Yo, buddy, hold her."
Proxy hands off Nunnal¨¦ to me.
"W-what are you?"
He walks over to the wooden sign of the mine. Coughing into his hand. "YOOOOOOO!"
The crowd immediately draws their attention to the boy who yelled his lungs out. His sudden outburst quiets them down, giving him a chance to be heard.
"Home? At least you knew what to do down there? Are you guys dumb?" Proxy yells, kicking the sign next to the mine, breaking it under his foot. "The hell are you people talking about!?... If you really saw that place as your home, then why didn''t you stay down there and die?¡± Nobody responds to his question. "No, no takes on why? Then I''ll tell you why." Proxy points to the moon. "Because you wanted to see that! You wanted to live and see the surface, to live and get out of that hellhole and get a whiff of fresh air, feel the breeze hit you in the face, and the grass between your toes. Who cares if you lost that dump, you can find another home. So would you rather be slaving away the rest of your lives, or be kickin¡¯ it outside, where the sky''s the limit, baby?" Proxy snaps his fingers at the sky. The crowd''s murmurs die down, all eyes were on him. "So get this, my friend and I are heading back to our camp. If you wanna tag along, follow us."
Proxy goes chugging ahead, not even giving a second glance at the crowd of people. At first, it seemed like they didn''t want to follow him, but one of them went with him, then another person went along with him, and then some more did, and soon after, all of the began following after. Amazing...
"Your friend truly is strong-spirited. Even after everything that happened in there, he¡¯s still standing strong." Ovan compliments him, smiling all the while
"That''s the kind of guy he is..."
"Oh, excuse me, I forgot to introduce myself: I''m Ovan."
"Oh, I''m Richard. It''s a pleasure to meet you."
"Well, Richard, we should get your lady friend medical help," Ovan mentions regarding Nunnal¨¦ with a dire look.
"Yeah." I go pick up Nunnal¨¦, who is still unconscious on the ground. The bleeding isn''t as bad as it was before and her clothing is repairing itself in front of my eyes. Did she do something? No, now¡¯s not the time. The bleeding might have slowed, but it''s still bad. Hopefully, Marie has the supplies to patch her up.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, can you hear me?¡± She''s still unconscious, but still breathing. ¡°...We''re going to get you treated, so hang on." There¡¯s no time to lose. We need to get back to camp. Looking back, I see Racheal, who tugs at my pants. ¡°Are you okay?¡±
She nods her head.
¡°Come on, we¡¯re gonna go somewhere safe¡ Do you want a piggyback?¡±
She sheepishly nods her head again. I crouch down, letting her climb onto my back. Her legs rest on my head and her arms are wrapped around my forehead.
¡°Okay, here we go.¡± I head down the trail everyone else is going through. The quiet night puts my heart at ease as I carry these two¡
The Hell Mine - FINALE
Holy Lands - Titan''s axe - midnight
"No!" Marie, stern in tone, rejecting Proxy¡¯s request.
"Come on, why not?"
"Because this isn''t what I wanted.¡±
"I know, I know, but they got nowhere to go "
¡°There¡¯s too many of them! I mean, just look!¡±
¡°I know, okay? But are you cool with letting these guys fend for themselves?¡±
"I don''t...I mean..."
She pulls Proxy away from the group. I can''t tell what they¡¯re saying, but it seems like a downhill battle for Marie, who is trying to fight back against Proxy¡¯s reasoning¡ They might be at it for a while, I¡¯m going to go see if Nunnal¨¦ is alright. I make my way to the tent that houses Nunnal¨¦. Heading inside, Nunnal¨¦ is lying awake, staring at the ceiling. Marie said she was going to be fine, saying that she¡¯s still healing, but she¡¯ll be fine.
"Are you okay, Nunnal¨¦?" I quietly asked her, nervous to go near her.
"Yes, I am still healing, but at a moderate rate, I should be fully healed by tomorrow with proper rest."
"By tomorrow?"
"My body¡¯s regenerative abilities are slightly better than a normal human."
That¡¯s amazing! So that¡¯s why she wasn¡¯t bleeding after a while because she was already healing.
"That¡¯s excellent."
I sit in the chair facing her. My eyes darted to my legs. I can¡¯t bring myself to look at her, not after my behavior.
"Nunnal¨¦, I''m sorry.¡±
"...For what?"
"For yelling at you earlier. I realize ?you were only trying to protect me, but...I just didn''t think you''d almost let someone die. It made me angry that you would let my friends just get hurt for me; it frustrated me that I couldn''t convince you otherwise¡ I thought you were a bad person. But when you risked your life to save mine, I was caught off guard. It was shocking to see someone like you risking your life for mine, even though I did nothing but get mad at you for doing your job... I''m sorry."
The outside of the tent is noisy, cheering and laughter reach my ears.
"Master, you don''t need to apologize. If I had done something to upset you, then you should punish me as you see fit."
What, wait, what!?
"Wha... No, no, I''m not going to do something as extreme as that. And besides, I wouldn''t do anything like that. That¡¯s just..."
"Then would you like for me to change how I act?"
That does sound like a viable way to fall in line, but that''s not how I want it.
"No, I don''t wanna order you around. I want us to work together.
"Together?"
"Yeah, like partners, you know, someone that''ll have your back."
"But I already have my back.¡± She answers seriously.
"That''s just a metaphor, but that¡¯s okay. The point is this: I want us to work together."
I extended my hand to her. "Partners?"
She stares at it, unsure of what to do next. Then she put her hand on mine. "Then, are we partners, master?"
"Yeah, but you don''t need to call me master. My name is Richard, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you."
"I see..." She closes her eyes for a moment, only to open them while facing me. "...Then I shall designate you as ''Master Richard''.¡±
"Umm...that works too, I guess."
I can''t help but form a faint smile. Well, at least she¡¯s using my name. That¡¯s a good start. I suppose this is the start of a rather...odd partnership.
"What is happening outside?" Nunnal¨¦ asks.
"I don''t know, I guess they¡¯re all partying outside." And I have a good feeling I know who''s behind it. "I''m going to go check it out, you stay here and rest now."
I head for the exit of the tent, but I stop short of leaving. "Oh, Nunnal¨¦."
"Yes?"
"I don''t know why you chose me as your master, and frankly, I don''t get any of this. All I want to say is that I won''t make you regret it. I¡¯ll do my best¡ So get some rest." Standing out of the tent, then getting away from it, I drop to my knees. "That was so intense!"
I can''t believe I made a promise like that! This isn¡¯t like me. Am I sure I¡¯m okay!? Well, either way, I made the promise, so I have to keep to it, or else what¡¯s the point? And besides, I owe her that much, at least.
"Hm, is that?" Racheal is on top of the sword statue outside of camp¡ How in the hell did she get up there?
...
How she got up here is clear to me now, considering there¡¯s a ladder leading to the top.
"Racheal."
Peeking at the top of the statue, Racheal sits at the edge of the flat pommel of the blade. I take a seat next to her. On her small face is a sadness that doesn¡¯t need my ability to analyze its depths.
"How are you holding up?¡±
I force a smile on my face, but it isn¡¯t all that convincing. She isn''t facing me, staring off into the vast greenery beyond here.
"What''s on your mind?" She won¡¯t answer, or at least can¡¯t, but it feels necessary to ask. "Are you feeling okay?"
She shakes her head, disagreeing with me.
"I knew you weren''t, not after what happened. Want to talk about it?"
She nods.
"You''re still upset over your dad, right?"
She once again nods her head.
"I might not understand what it feels like to lose the person you loved again, but I do know what it feels like to lose them the first time. And I can say that the pain you feel right now will eventually go away..."
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
No, it won''t entirely just disappear. It''ll still be there, gnawing at you like an infection. What helps is trying to move on and forgetting about it. So as it stands, I''m just lying to her, but it''s better that way. However, before then, she needs to let it all out.
"...If you want to cry, it''s okay. You need to let your tears come out."
She shakes her head.
"If you try to keep it in like that, then you''ll never feel better. Besides, I''m the only one here, so don''t worry about acting strong¡ You''re still a kid after all, so--"
She suddenly lunges at me. Tears hit my shirt as she clings to me, wailing with all her might...
I had no one to confide in when my mom died. I cried by myself in private. At that moment in my life, I wanted nothing more than to destroy something, lash out in anger, and make someone see my sadness. But if anything, I wanted someone to console me like this. Yet, I never got that. So after that, my emotions went dead¡ Around that time, I began being able to read people¡¯s words.
There''s no way I''ll let Racheal go through the same experience as me, because if she does, then there¡¯ll only be more pain from then on there; indescribable pain.
"Oh my, oh my, Richard, you heartbreaker, making little girls cry."
This obnoxious tone¡ Oh god.
Proxy is just hanging by the ladder. Half of his head is poking out. "What''s wrong, Richard, doing something unscrupulous?"
"Oh, shut up!"
He jumps up from the ladder. "So...that first mission was something, huh?¡±
"Yeah, it got pretty hairy down there in the end, but at least we got out in the end,"
Proxy drops to the floor, lying on his back. "Ovan is gonna chill here for a while. They''re gonna help everyone who got out of the mine; like showing them how to hunt and stuff."
"Ah."
"Also, I gotta start working tomorrow, too."
"Doing what?"
"Hunting. Marie is kind of pissed that we didn''t come back with the weapon. Plus, we partied pretty hard today, so we need to restock on food and drinks and whatnot."
I never got to tell Marie or Proxy that Nunnal¨¦ was the weapon, but I think I should keep that to myself...
"...The stars sure are awesome tonight." I looked up at the stars, they are sparkling brightly. The sky looks like it¡¯s from a painting. Its been a while since I¡¯ve seen something so beautiful.
"Proxy, what do you think of all this so far?" I ask aloud.
A smirk creeps on his face. "Well, this place is pretty damn dangerous, but exciting. Now that I''ve seen that mine, there''s gotta be some more interesting stuff around here. So you know what, this might be the best way to spend my summer; having all new types of fun in this world. And maybe even making a legend out of myself along the way¡ Just kidding. I don¡¯t really care about that crap too much."
¡°Do you still want to get us home?¡±
¡°Yeah, just leave it to me. If there¡¯s a will, there¡¯s a way.¡± Proxy hops up from the floor. "That being said, since we¡¯re here, you wanna see what this place has to offer, Richard?"
I¡¯m not as excited as he is about exploring this new world. However, I want to get out of this world, and the only way to do that is by actively seeking answers. So even if it entails more danger, I''ll find out how we can go home. Plus, I can''t allow Proxy to act by himself; who knows what trouble he¡¯ll get into by himself.
"Of course, we''re partners, after all."
"Partners in crime!"
"No we¡¯re-- Oh, what the hell, sure."
"Hell yeah!"
We go for a high-five; it thunders throughout the night sky.
"That being said, who was the Warden working for?" Proxy asks.
"Huh?"
"He said he was working with a king, and said he was doing all this for the sake of a kingdom." This is the first I¡¯m hearing of it. "Plus, they had vehicles going in and out of the mine, transporting materials."
"Seriously!?"
"Yeah."
If he¡¯s right, then that means we messed with someone powerful. Then again, I don¡¯t see how they could locate us, so it¡¯s not that troublesome. To him, we were two nobodies who made a mess of his mine.
"...Ah, whatever. Even if we knew who he was working with, there¡¯s nothing we can do about that."
He has a point. There¡¯s no point worrying about it, but it is worrisome to think that we toppled a large facility that belonged to a king. And if this king is willing to enslave people, then I want nothing to do with him.
"I''m hungry," Proxy announces without any fanfare. "Wanna get something to eat? I''m cooking.¡±
"Sure, Racheal, let''s get something to eat. You might not believe it, but he can cook some great meals."
"Yep, and just for the heck of it, I''ll blow your taste buds into space as a welcome gift to the surface."
He went ahead of us to go get ready. I put out my hand to help her up. "Come on, Racheal, let''s go."
There¡¯s hesitation when she puts out her hand, but despite it, she gives it to me. I pulled her up and we got back to camp for Proxy''s cooking. The night was filled with joy as the workers experienced newfound freedom. Despite the dangerous escape they all made, they were smiling and enjoying what they had now. It baffled me, but I realized that there was no point in worrying about it.
As I ate, I took out the card from my chest pocket. It feels different. I can''t put my finger on it, but I knew ?it was lacking something, or was waning in something. But even if I can''t figure out what that is, I know that one thing will never change: my mother is always with me, no matter where I go. This isn''t something I always knew. This was something Racheal taught me, and I will never forget that, ever...
Holy Lands - ? - midnight
A restless Warden stumbles into a large room, devoid of anything to call decoration, ornaments, except for the flags representing the kingdom. It has a distinguished design to it, grand in scale, and the floor reflects the person standing on it like a clear mirror.
The Warden escaped the mine with some of his men in a deport truck loaded with gems, iron ores, and many more materials. There, he had been delivered to where his king had been waiting for him.
A young man in his early twenties, blond, bright hair, and a face that can have a charming smile or an intimidating stare, more than enough to convey his wrath. The latter proves right.
"What happened to the mine?" the king asks, his demeanor calm, but his tone cold, lacking in compassion for the man in front of him.
"M-m-my lord! Some raiders took it over, and..."
"How did that happen!?"
The Warden whips back from the king¡¯s question. He didn¡¯t raise his voice, but the sheer intensity in his voice was more than enough.
"I''m sorry, but some brats got in the mine, then they used the weapon against me! They even beat Enforcer, but he went berserk!"
The king¡¯s patience is running thin with each word coming from the Warden¡¯s mouth.
"So you are telling me that children destroyed the mine?"
"No, they were bein'' backed by traitors of my group. I was afraid of lettin¡¯ it bein¡¯ taken over, so I had to blow it up, Ya gotta believe me, I only had the kingdom¡¯s best interest in mind!¡±
"So you failed to see that there were traitors amongst your men?"
"Yeah, it surprised me!"
"Of course, it was surprising to a man who is so incompetent to allow children to muddle around in his mine."
The Warden leaped back, frightened by the statement.
"N-no, it ain''t like that, I-"
"Enough. I heard enough. I know everything I need to know now."
He points his finger at the Warden. "You are hereby banished from the Kingdom of humanity."
"W...what," the Warden whimpers, despair blanketing his face.
"Your failure to safeguard that mine has severe consequences. We could have recaptured it with a few of our men. Your oversight of this might have cost the kingdom greatly."
"I-I-I."
"No, don''t waste your breath. Leave with your shame and what little pride you have left. That is the least you deserve. Never allow your face to be seen in this city ever again. We¡¯ll give you some supplies, but outside of that, you shall fend for yourself. The guards will escort you out."
As the once employed Warden was being escorted out, the king slinks into thought, ¡°For the kingdom? Honestly, who does he take me for?¡±
However, that question doesn¡¯t matter at the moment. He wonders who had the luck to be able to destroy the mine. One thing does come to mind.
"No, it¡¯s not possible..."
There are other mines that are more than enough to satisfy the needs of the kingdom, but they aren''t as big as the Hell Mine was. Losing it is a gigantic setback for the kingdom.
"Kids he says? What children are capable of such a thing...?"
The Holy Lands - ? - Midnight
In a library where the moon''s light seeps through the skylight, and the books on the many bookshelves collect dust, sits a woman who is sitting on an elegant chair, looking at the moon in a trance, captured by its beauty.
"My, it seems as if they have begun their journey off to an impressive start," she whispers to herself. She gets up from her chair, stretching her weary limbs. "It is rather late. Perhaps I should head off to bed?"
Saying that, she takes a book off a random shelf that houses too many books for the eyes to register.
"...The black grimoire... I wonder why it has come back, especially with those who do not belong here?"
On this night, the gears turn, those involved with the book and the opera house incident will forever have their lives changed!
Witch of the Moonlight - part 1
6/25 - The Holy Lands - Titan''s axe - morning
Proxy is spending his time listening to music on a cassette player. He is lying on a couch that happened to belong to Marie. He had Nunnal¨¦, rather had me order her, to put it at the front of the entrance to the camp. Throwing a rock into the air and catching. I¡¯m examining the Black Grimoire. At first, I thought the pages were coated in invisible ink, but I was too scared to test that theory; even attempting to singe one of the pages was too risky.
"I''m so bored,¡± Proxy yawns as he throws the rock out of the camp. "I wanna do something!"
"Well, what''s stopping you from doing something?" I ask him.
"Trust me, I would, but I''m on guard duty today, and if I skimp out again, I think Marie will kill me."
I remember what happened when he did. He gave a half-assed excuse and got knocked over the head, hard. Marie is a nice person, for the most part, but piss her off and she''ll make you regret it.
"...Plus, I need a map. I can''t go just anywhere. I need to be able to go like ''whoa, that place looks cool''. You understand?"
I wonder if I should say yes and save myself the trouble?
"Such a concept makes no sense. If you have a map, then why explore?"
Nunnal¨¦ just stepped on a can of worms and crushed the whole can. Proxy went on a four-minute rant about how just because you have a map doesn''t mean you know what the place looks like. Note to self: advice Nunnal¨¦ not to entertain Proxy''s flight of fancy.
"...So that ends my lecture, any more comments?"
"I request you move your feet off the furniture."
"What do you care, you weren''t complaining before," Proxy deflects her request.
"I didn''t make the request for myself, I want Master Richard to sit on it. You can sit on the ground."
"Like hell I will!"
"You will, or else I shall remove you off with force!"
"I''d like to see you try!"
Nunnal¨¦ and Proxy start fight over the couch as Nunnal¨¦ does her best to force him off, Proxy does his best to hold onto his seat. "Um, Nunnal¨¦, I''m fine with sitting on the floor."
"No, the comfortability of my master is a must, no matter what!" Her usual deadpan expression is gone, being replaced with a fierce determination that doesn¡¯t fit this situation. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing?
Finally, despite Proxy desperately clinging to the couch. Nunnal¨¦ throws him off. He goes rolling on the grass along with his cassette player.
"Here you are, Master Richard."
She pats the part of the couch she wants me to sit on. I want to say no, but something tells me I should.
"Thanks, Nunnal¨¦."
I take a seat next to her. This thing is pretty comfortable; as if I¡¯m about to sink into the couch any second.
"Okay, that sucks." Proxy jumps to his feet, dusting himself off. "Any change in the book?¡±
"None, it''s still blank. I asked Ovan if he knew anything about it but he knows nothing. Overall, this thing is still a total mystery."
We had officially hit a brick wall with this book, and that most definitely isn¡¯t a good thing. It brought us here, so if we can¡¯t figure out anything new on it, then we¡¯re stuck here. Of course, gawking at it won¡¯t solve anything, but we don¡¯t have a lot of leads to work with here.
I turn my attention to Nunnal¨¦. "Are you sure you don''t know anything?¡±
"No, I do not know anything about the book..."
I knew it was useless to ask her since she already told me that, but I at least want to be sure...
She puts her index finger and thumb on her chin. "...However, now that I can recall it, I think there is someone we can inquire on this topic."
A jolt of energy runs through my legs, I jump up from the couch. "Really!? Do you know where she is?¡±
¡°From where we are now, I am not sure. If we had a map, then I would be able to point to her location. I am sure Marie has one in her room.¡±
¡°One map, coming up.¡± Proxy gets up from the ground, running toward Marie¡¯s tent. After a bit of waiting, he comes back with a long, rolled piece of paper in hand. ¡°Got a map, who wants it?¡±
He drops to the ground, unfolding the map. Taking a look at the map, it shows the whole continent we¡¯re inhabiting now. It¡¯s a
"So this is how big this world is?" large continent, if I¡¯m saying so myself. From what I can read from it, it¡¯s mostly greenery, with little different terrain change. Furthermore, there are writings on it saying: ¡°new camp here, avoid area, they¡¯re patrolling this area now.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ puts her finger on a spot on the map. "As of now, we are here," she points to the lower south of the map, we¡¯re a few miles away from the sea and from the tower we came from. She then drags her finger up south and went a bit North-west from here. Her finger stops at an illustration of a forest.
"She is here.¡±.
"Bro, she lives in a forest?¡±
"Yes."
"So, she''s the wicked witch of the forest," Proxy joked.
"No, where did you get such a name," she corrects him as if he¡¯s a moron.
"I was just messing around. Come on, I got better names, like..."
Nunnal¨¦ and I begin to ignore Proxy and just calculate the distance from here to there. Nunnal¨¦ is pretty fast on calculations, it¡¯s making this easy to keep the flow going for this conversation.
"So, if we start going right now, we should hit the place within four to five hours," Nunnal¨¦ summarizes her results.
"Well then, what are we waiting for, let''s go!" Proxy jumps up from the ground, grabs his stone sword, then runs for the small slope that serves as the entrance/exit to the camp. A couple of seconds later, he came back into the camp.
"Umm... We need the map, don''t we...?"
"Master, I believe your friend is an idiot," she says in a blunt, matter-of-fact way..
"I wouldn¡¯t say that¡ He¡¯s just kinda single-minded at times.."
"You both go to hell!"
Holy Lands - White Fog Forest - afternoon
We spent five hours walking here. We''ve arrived in this forest and have been here for about a hot minute now. There''s a thick fog covering the place, making visibility a problem. He''ll, I can barely see my legs at times. We''re close together so we don''t get lost.
"Nunnal¨¦, when we gonna hit the witch''s place?" I ask as I move with caution.
"I have no idea," she answers straightforwardly.
"You serious? Aren''t you supposed to know where we''re going?"
"It is okay, even if we get lost I am capable of leading us back to the entrance. And if we were to encounter an enemy I will be able to dispose of it."
Guess she''s right. The way she handled herself back in the mine showed she was no push-over.
"I hope it doesn''t come to that," Richard voices his discomfort.
"Don''t worry, buddy, we can take care of any monster. After all, we did beat those monsters in the mine."
In the blink of an eye, Richard''s expression sullies from the mention of the mine. Oh shit, that''s right! I forgot one of the monsters used to be a human! Shit!
"Hey, Richard, I didn''t mean to call Racheal''s dad a monster¡ I''m sorry."
"No, it''s just¡ I still can''t believe he was one, and imagine how Racheal feels."
"Totally. I can''t imagine that sort of thing, you know?"
"That Warden was real scum of the earth."
I can feel the hatred he has for that douchebag, and I can''t blame him; in fact, it''s a good thing he hates him!
"Don''t worry Richard, when I see him again I''ll make sure to give him a few good ones for Racheal and her dad. Like this, and this!"
When he told me about how the giant was her dad, it made me feel sorry for the kid. And to gain your sanity back just to speak with your child; that''s more than earned my respect; he was a true man. So the next time I see the Warden, he''ll regret ever seeing me. But away from that...
"So, Nunnal¨¦, who is this witch anyway?"
"Her moniker is the moonlight - Selena. My information about her is considerably low, however, she''s adept at Source and all things surrounding it."
The hell is Source? Actually, there''s something more important.
"Hmm, if she lives in a place like this and is a witch, I bet she''s an old-ass lady but wise as hell."
"Try to be serious about this, Proxy."
"What, it might be true."
The fog is getting thicker and thicker the deeper we go. It''s getting harder to see anything here. Then, something snaps from the back, causing my attention to go all over the place, trying to figure out where that sound came from¡ Man, it was probably my imagination, I should stop messing around and keep up with
"Hey, you guys, wait up for...me?"
When I looked back at them, they were gone. "Um, guys? Hello?" Crap, I got separated from them! "Okay, no problem, I just gotta go forward. Besides, there''s nothing out here."
Just to spite my ignorance, a roar echoes throughout the woods, rustling the dead leaves of the just as dead trees. Needless to say, it was sort of cool but terrifying as hell.
"Okay Proxy, time to get a move on... Right now!" I start running through the forest and the fog. Shit man, I hope to high heaven I didn''t get lost!
...
Nunnal¨¦, Proxy, and I continue to travel through the fog-covered woods. There were a couple of times where I almost couldn''t see Nunnal¨¦''s back. If we''re not careful, then we can get lost, and that wouldn''t bode well.
¡°So, Nunnal¨¦, are we almost--¡± Not paying attention to my footing, I trip, hitting the dead leaves below me that doesn¡¯t soften the fall. Fortunately enough, I only fell on my arm, and it doesn¡¯t hurt all that much.
Nunnal¨¦ helps me up with one arm. "Master Richard, be careful while walking, and stay closer to me, it would disastrous if we split up."
"Sorry, I just can''t see all too well in this fog. Especially since my glasses are broken."
"Glasses?"
"Yeah, see¡" I take out my glasses. The frames are broken, there are no lenses in them since I took them out. Proxy gave them to me, saying he found them broken on the floor. I could see fine without them, but having them was a big help.
"Can you not get another pair?"
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
"Nope, I would need to go to the eye doctor for a new prescribed pair, and I obviously I can''t do that. Though, I¡¯m glad he got them for me anyway."
¡°Why, they are useless?¡±
¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s just sentimentality, that¡¯s all. But I guess I should be thanking you, Proxy¡ Hm?¡±
Looking back, Proxy is gone, nowhere to be seen. Oh shit!
"Nunnal¨¦, we need to go look for Proxy!"
"I fear that''s an irrational idea. The forest is thickening with fog. The likelihood of us losing each other is high if we wander."
"We can''t just leave him though! What if there¡¯s a monster here!?"
"No need for alarm. If we reach The moonlight witch''s residence, then we can ask her to get him out of the forest."
Her reasoning is sound, but I¡¯m worried that we won¡¯t be able to before trouble finds him. Then again, wandering around here is dangerous, so if the Moonlight witch can help us locate him, then we need to meet up with her.
"All right, lead the way Nunnal¨¦!"
"Understood."
We continue to trudge through the forest. Nunnal¨¦ is closer so we don¡¯t lose each other. Eventually, we reach a point where a light is shining through the forest. That must be the exit.
¡°Come on, Nunnal¨¦!¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ and I rush through the forest, heading for the light. Going through it, we exit the forest.
"Whoa! This is where she lives?"
¡°Indeed.¡±
There¡¯s a neatly made stone road that has a large fountain in the middle of it. It leads up to a gigantic castle. No, more like a castle mansion. It also has a gothic Transylvania look to it, but at the same time, looks rather pristine and elegantly made. The moon shines behind it, castings a shadow over us.
"Let us head in the-" Nunnal¨¦''s sentence cut off as she just suddenly disappears from sight.
"Nunnal¨¦!? Nunnal¨¦ where you-" The words halted themselves the moment the scenery changed. It was so seamless like I barely went anywhere. My feet, however, are unable to register the new surface, and my brain is trying to comprehend what just happened. We¡¯re in a library, beside me are rows of large bookshelves, filled to the brim with books between moderate and larger-sized books.
¡°What the¡¡± Trying to move causes me to lose my balance. My legs are still trying to adjust to this new change in location.
¡°Master Richard, are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, I just need to get used to this.
"You look rather pale, I do hope that you don''t spew your sick on my floor," A posh yet young, manner, delicate voice tells me. There¡¯s someone on the other end of the room. "I am sorry if my teleportation came off as coarse," the delicate voice apologized.
"Proxy¡ My friend, he¡¯s still in the forest.
"Oh, I almost forgot.¡±
"Holy...shit? Where am I?"
Proxy quickly adjusts to the sudden change in location. The way he was positioned and acting when he popped in makes it seem like he was running from something.
"Proxy, where did you go," I asked him as I get up from the ground.
"Where did I go, where did you guys go, you up and left me."
"I was too busy following Nunnal¨¦."
"So what, you leave your best friend to die! How cold, so heartless!"
"No, I didn¡¯t, you--"
"Please, that''s quite enough," The lady''s voice rings
"Who''s there!?" Proxy was on guard, taking out his stone sword, wielding it in a reverse grip as he faces the person facing us from the other end of the room. Their heels click against the floor with every step they take toward us. They didn¡¯t attack us when we came in, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to worry about.
"Why are you so cautious, boy, you should be more like that young lady with you and here master."
Walking under the skylight that allows moonlight into the library, we¡¯re able to see who¡¯s there. Her skin tone is as pale as the moon itself, she¡¯s wearing a gothic-themed dress. The palette is all black with white thrown in there. Pale blonde hair that blends with the moonlight, being tied neatly back with a black ribbon. Her forehead is visible with the front being trimmed save a few short bangs. But the most striking thing about her was¡ She¡¯s a kid!
"You''re witch Selena?" Proxy asks, focusing all his attention on her.
"...I am, do you...?"
I heard a laugh escape him. Ms. Selena was taken back judging from the look on her face. Proxy just started laugh uncontrollably, smacking his hand on his leg. "Hahaha, oh my god, this is the mighty witch Selena, AHAHAHAH! She''s just a rugrat!" He was still laughing at her, not trying to even hide it. Selena, who was looking at him with a darker expression
"Ahahah, ha..." She laughed along with Proxy, but only hers was cold and full of something...sinister.
"I see you are amusing yourself from my physical stature. However, I would tread carefully about how you find amusement," she warned him.
"Or what, you gonna do, shrink me down to your size?"
"Perhaps, there are a few painful methods to do so. So I would not tempt myself." That shut Proxy right up. The corner of her lips curled up in satisfaction.
"Now, I would like to know why you three have come here?"
¡°Well, we have something bizarre that needs looking at.¡±
Proxy took out the grimoire from his bag. "Nunnal¨¦ told us you might know something about this book." She reached out for it but Proxy only lifted his arm.
"Did my threat fall on deft ears?"
"No, I just want you to tell me you won''t just up and go evil witch on us," Proxy reasoned out.
"If I were an evil witch, I wouldn''t have to trick you with a facade to get that book," Ms. Selena informed him. If she''s as powerful as Nunnal¨¦ described her, then she''s right, she wouldn''t need to.
"Yeah, that makes sense. Here ya go." Proxy handed her the book.
"Now that we settled that messy affair, let us move somewhere more relaxing."
She then moved to a door that leads into a hallway. "Well, come along, we don''t have all day." We followed her through a great hallway. Selena led us into a lounge area where there¡¯s a lit fireplace and furniture that had a Victorian design to it, the same can be said about the room itself. Proxy, Nunnal¨¦, and I sat down on one of two of the large couches that faced each other. Selena sat in an armchair.
"I require tea. Doll, can you go to the kitchen and make some tea for us? Go right out that door and make a right until you hit a doorway."
"understood," Nunnal¨¦ responded politely. She went off to the kitchen.
"Now, I assume you two are from the other world," Selena opens up with a question.
"If you mean from a world where monsters aren¡¯t real, then yeah," Proxy answered.
"How long have you been here?"
"For about six days," I answered her.
"I see... So you had everything explained to you?" We both shook our heads no. "Astonishing, do you boys have no curiosity," she expressed shock at our ignorance, which we have, apparently.
"What do you mean?¡± I ask her.
¡°Do you two not even possess the basics of what is going on, let alone you?" She points to me.
¡°About what?¡±
¡°About you and that girl, and the power to you hold.¡±
¡°Wait, hold on a moment. What power are you talking about?¡±
¡°Silence, you shall gain your answers in nothing short of a moment.¡±
She readjusts herself on her seat, getting herself comfortable. "Now, I will open your eyes to a new power, this power is called Source." I heard something about that in the mine from Nunnal¨¦. "Source is the essence that allows us to perform feats that is similar to the concept known as magic, but it is not magic, allow me to make that abundantly clear.¡±
¡°Similar?¡±
¡°Yes, similar in execution, but not quite magic. Magic, by what I understand, is the manipulation of the world, beckoning its powers. Source is the manipulation of one¡¯s self. For example, you can¡¯t make a sunny day turn downcast. But, you could make your fist as hard as iron.¡±
¡°Essentially, you wouldn¡¯t be able to change how the world functions, but just one ourselves,¡± I answer
¡°Well put. However, Source is a conduit to performing these feats. The main factor in what you can do with your Source is your soul." She points to the middle of her tiny body. "The soul is like a record book inside of a person. It holds their feelings, characteristics, and memories."
"So Source is affected based on the characteristics of what the soul has recorded?"
"Exactly, I''m glad to see you''re able to keep up."
Proxy looks at her with a raised eyebrow. "What about me?"
"You were able to keep up? My, my, what a surprise, I had thought this simple concept had escaped you, child," she smirked as she giggled like an innocent child.
"Hey, up yours, and you don''t call me a child, I''m a couple of years older than you, brat!"
"Let us ignore the peanut gallery and continue."
She put up four fingers. "Now, the soul is the main factor in what your Source can do, your soul will fall under a certain category. It will belong to one of four attributes." She lowers one finger. ¡°The first one is the attribute tree of Elemental Prime: an attribute that allows the control over four elemental resources; Fire, ice, wind, lightning.¡±
She let down a second finger. "Now for the second attribute - Guardian: as the name states, this attribute is more geared towards healing and enhancing the user''s body."
"Let me guess, they aren''t good at fighting themselves," Proxy guessed.
"Depends, as I said, they can enhance their body parts to become harder than steel.¡±
¡°So, would that mean they can hit like a gorilla?¡±
¡°Harder and could blow a hole through your chest.¡±
¡°Oh¡¡±
She then put down her third finger. "Then there is the third attribute - Conjurer."
"Oh, let me guess, you can make shit with it, right," Proxy answers, lacking tact.
"Such a moronic way to put it. Conjuration isn¡¯t just making things materialize out of thin air. Like the clothes on your back, there¡¯s a creative process. If you wish to make something with materialization, you need the materials to make the desired item. Of course, this can be bypassed, but it¡¯s a more unique ability in the attribute.¡±
And now, she lowers the fourth finger. "Now, I hope I don¡¯t need to explain its properties but just in case I will. The last one is Illusionist: This allows one to interact with the senses of people, altering reality, or at least distorting it with their Source.¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t they be dangerous?¡±
¡°Yes, however, their greatest weakness is their opponents being aware of their abilities.¡±
¡°How so?¡±
¡°If I were to tell you something you hadn¡¯t noticed before what would happen?¡±
¡°I would notice it.¡±
¡°Precisely. Illusion Source is supposed to affect what the brain relays to the eyes. if you were to notice the abnormality, your brain would be able to see through it, sending your eyes the real image. breaking the illusion. Though, that only applies if they¡¯re using your brain to create said illusions.¡±
On the left-hand side of the room, a door opened. It was Nunnal¨¦ with tea. "Here you are." She put the tray on the coffee table. We took our respective cups. I noticed there were only three.
"Nunnal¨¦, why didn''t you make yourself one," I asked her.
"I was not ordered to make myself one." Does she need to be told to?
"Eh, it''s a bit too bitter," Proxy criticized Nunnal¨¦¡¯s tea. "Should''ve given me coffee." He put his tea back on the tray. It was pretty bitter but I didn''t want to be rude, so I drank it all. Selena, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying it.
"This is quite bitter, but not terribly so, good work, doll." I just noticed that she keeps referring to Nunnal¨¦ as a doll.
"Excuse me, but why do you refer to Nunnal¨¦ as a doll?"
"Oh, you don''t know? Have you told him nothing at all, doll?"
"No, even if I had told him about Source or what I am, it would benefit nothing considering I lack the qualifications to teach him."
"I see, then I guess I better fit the pieces in for him." Selena put her cup down on the table.
¡°Boy, what do you think she is,¡± asked Selena, her hand pointing over at Nunnal¨¦.
¡°She¡¯s human,¡± I replied.
"She may appear to be, but that girl over there is not human." I was puzzled by what she meant.
"Not human? But I saw here bleed," I pointed out proof of her humanity.
"That was by design, just because it bleeds red does not mean it is human¡ I do think that the doll should explain what she is." We gave our undivided attention to Nunnal¨¦.
"I am what the witch of the moonlight has referred to as a doll of servitude. A doll of servitude is made to serve a master that had an adequate amount of Source. The Source is used for two things: acts as a binding contract, I derive power from it as well as live off of it," she thoroughly explained.
"To keep you alive," I repeated.
"Yes, I need another''s Source to make me function and to help fight. If something were to happen to you, the Source keeping me alive would disappear, and as such, I would die as well. However, if I were to be destroyed, you would not be affected by it in any way; you would regain the Source we share."
This whole deal is a bit too one-sided for me to agree with. I guess this is to benefit me if she were to somehow go awol. Though, I don''t think she would do such a thing.
I looked out the window behind the couch opposite of us. The moonlight was beaming into the room. It was shining in all its majesty, becoming the world''s light source... Hold on, when we got here the moon was out, but it should''ve still been the afternoon.
"Why is the moon out? It should still be some time before nighttime."
"While it might be the afternoon out there, in this place, it is not in actuality."
"So this is illusion Source," I speculated, sharing my guess with her.
"It¡¯s a yes and no sort of matter. This whole castle is in a field that makes it seem and feel like it is nighttime when it really isn¡¯t. It serves more than just decoration, it also allows me to know when someone has invaded my world. This extends from the misty forest to the castle grounds."
"So what, you knew we were here and could just teleport us in," Proxy jumped in.
Selena giggles, treating it as if it¡¯s a joke. "...where would be the fun in that? Seeing you squirm around in the forest was rather entertaining.¡±
"That just sounds like you were too lazy to do it, who knows, maybe you''re not cracked up to be as powerful as Nunnal¨¦ says you are." As Proxy berated her, Ms. Selena¡¯s eyebrows twitched.
"Oh dear me, the dog can bark, but I must know how you got lost in the woods so easily. It must be such a harsh life for you, only having two brain cells barely working hard enough to work the contraption that is your brain." Proxy was utterly shell-shocked. To be honest, that was a pretty funny burn.
"Hey, what was that half-stack, I didn''t quite get that!"
"Perhaps I didn¡¯t hear that properly, but I happen to hear you call me half-stack?"
"Oh, I''m sorry, I guess you couldn¡¯t hear me from way down there."
"Quite the tongue for such a half-witted boy."
"Such tall talk for someone who lacks half of the height!" The two of them went back and forth, insulting the other.
"Enough, you''re asininity is quite irritating."
"Well, talking to you with that condescending attitude of yours is obnoxious."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
She giggled to herself in a quiet manner. "Then how about we settle this in combat." Proxy was startled by the suggestion. "Have you lost your nerve, I said let us settle this with a fight, or is that too much for you to understand?" Proxy let out a smirk, showing that his mind has accepted the situation whole-heartedly.
"You''re on,¡± he accepted with a grin, Selena reciprocating with one of her own.
Just when I thought Selena would be above this, turns out she was just like Proxy, only more subtle about her nature.
The holy lands - Titan''s axe - afternoon
"Proxy, Richard, where are you two!" Marie was calling out for the boys, wanting to talk to them about what chores they''ll be doing tomorrow. "Where the hell did they go? Not only are they gone but so is my map. What hell is going on?" Not long after that did it take her long to figure out what was happening...
"Oh, what the hell! They''re skipping out on guard duty again! I swear, when I see them again I will poke a hole through their chests." She stood at the entrance with her spear in hand.
She stared at the couch behind her. "How the heck did they get my couch up here...?"
Witch of the Moonlight - Final
6/25 - The Holy Lands - Moonlight castle - night(?)
The wind blows as we stand in the middle of a courtyard, a hedge maze behind the loli standing in front of me.
Selena stands proud as she faces, wearing a shit-eating grin as she traces her lips with her finger. "Is this truly what you wish for?"
"I''m sure. What, chicken?"
"Perish the thought. In fact, you can say this is my way of showing thanks."
I snicker at her menacing grin. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Because I was growing oh so bored, so don¡¯t disappoint.¡±
¡°One bratty ass kid! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll entertain you alright!¡±
With the snap of her fingers, a sword and shield come out of thin air. The sword is short in length but seems light enough for me to carry. The shield is bigger than both my arms. Too bad, only going for the sword. Defense isn¡¯t me, full offense baby. I swing the sword, showing off some fancy-ass moves I saw on tv. Feeling so freakin¡¯ badass right now.
"Are you done playing swordsman?¡±
"Yeah, ready to pop this off whenever you are, you brat!"
I kick the shield at Selena. It spins like a frisbee at Selena¡¯s forehead. However, the air around her suddenly goes violent, becoming a raging storm. The shield is unable to resist it and goes flying off to the side.
¡°Such a surprising opening.¡±
What the hell just happened, she didn¡¯t even move but it still got deflected!? Is it because of that Source stuff? Whatever, I¡¯ll beat her even if she is using it!
I go in with my sword. Since it¡¯s a single-edged sword, I¡¯ll smack her with the back. Better be careful to not cave in her skull, but enough to make this shitty brat cry. I swing it like a bat. The time she has to react is nonexistent, I¡¯m faster than her. Twisting my torso to increase the swing¡¯s power, I hit nothing but empty space.
¡°What the hell, where did she go!¡± Am I trippin¡¯? She just disappeared in thin air!
"Are you only going to hit empty air?" My head jerks to the left-side end of the, she stands there, making fun of me with that cocky ass grin of hers! "You need to polish your skill with a blade.¡±
There¡¯s no goddamn way she got there with speed alone. I refuse to believe that I¡¯m slower than her. No, screw that, I know what she¡¯s doing!
"You can teleport!?¡±
¡°Oh my, I¡¯m quite impressed the brain cells in your head function.¡±
I knew it! That¡¯s how I ended up in that library in the first place!
¡°That¡¯s cheating, isn¡¯t it!¡±
"I suppose it would be less interesting if I keep scurrying away." Raising her hands, the wind around her goes wild. Her hair and dress flutter furiously as her scarlet eyes focus on me. "Get ready child, I shall give you the fighting you desire!"
From the tips of her fingers, a light shoots outs of the tips of her fingers. It¡¯s faster than my eyes can follow. Luckily, my sense told me to get out of the way, right when it came out. It hit the floor behind me, leaving a burn mark on the ground. Shit, that was close. I would¡¯ve been barbequed if that hit. But what was that? It left a burn mark but it wasn¡¯t fire, that much I¡¯m certain of. Was it lightning?
"The fight has only just begun, do try to give it your all."
She unleashes more lightning. Dodging the attacks is like rolling a dice, I didn''t know if I¡¯m fast enough to even get out of the way in time before my ass gets tased. Even if that¡¯s the case, letting her control how this battle plays out is a bad idea. I need to go for it before my ass gets cooked!
"Going back on the offensive?"
She extends her arm out with only two fingers up. Bring them down, the wind blows hard, swirling like a hurricane. It carries me forward, sweeping me off the ground. Selena uses her hand to stop me from crashing into her. All the built-up momentum is gone, as if I never moved at all. Her hand is on my chest, The cool sensation of her fingers is immediately replaced by a static feeling, building up in front of me. A static shock explodes against my chest, blasts me back. Hitting the ground, I¡¯m numb to the pain in my back. The shock on my chest takes all my attention. This agonizing burning on my chest is something I can''t walk off.
¡°I suggest you stay down. No need to get yourself killed for a petty fight.¡±
Petty!? This damn witch! Is she even taking this seriously, is she taking me seriously? No, of course she isn¡¯t, she just thinks this is a game! Well, she can get bent, I¡¯m gonna show her what¡¯s what!
The burning in my chest isn¡¯t stopping, but who gives a shit. These legs of mine are gonna move, pain or no pain!
"Do you still wish to fight? You were barely even able to stand up.¡±
"Shut up, that was nothing!"
Once again, I run, using all the strength in my legs to go faster, kicking against the ground with each step. Like last time, she uses the wind to quickly close the gap. Not this time, you witch! At 2 meters, I slide against the ground, going through the gap between her legs.
She¡¯s quick to turn her head, her eyebrows raised as her mouth is slightly gapping. This time, she can¡¯t react to my attack! The sword connects with her head, a crack rings out. Did I hit too hard!? Pulling my head up, an ice sculpture replicates her figure, capturing my sword. When the hell did she make that? She skates away from me on a trail of ice forming below her heelless, knee-high, black platform boots. Stopping, the ice turns into water, including the statue.
"Be quick.¡±
Huh? To catch me up to speed, another warning goes off. Something is coming through the water. Electricity runs through the water. An entire 30-40 meters between her and me is doused in water. Quick on my feet, I stab my sword into the ground. I jump on it, carefully crouching down on it. The tips on my feet barely have a place on the tail-end of the hilt. Electricity runs through the blade but doesn¡¯t make it to the hilt. I jump off the blade, rolling off the ground and onto my feet.
"Quite the athlete are we," the witch compliments.
"It''s just one of the many skills I''m blessed with."
I pick up the shield next to me, running with it in front of my face.
"You left your feet exposed."
From the very top of the shield, I can see what she was doing. She¡¯s covering the floor in crystal-clean ice. Perfect!
"Thought you would do something like that!"
I throw the shield on the ice in front of me. I jump off the floor before it could reach my feet, landing on the shield with 10s¡¯ all across the board. It slides on the ice like a skateboard.
"YAHOO!"
Now this is what I call ice skating!
¡°Interesting idea.¡± From the ice, obstacles are constructed. Please, this is nothing! "Having fun are we?"
¡°Having the time of my life.¡±
She puts up a wall in front of herself, 5 meters in height. I fly off the edge of an ice ramp, jumping forward by using the shield to go airborne. I barely made it over the wall. The other side is vacant of any ice, Selena stares at me, descending on top of her. Surprise¡
"Impressed yet!?"
I put my hands together so I can bop her over the head. Like before, she raises her hand with elegance. The cool wind begins to blow violently, forming a typhoon. It¡¯s blowing all the ice away, sweeping me up with it. All the strength in my legs doesn¡¯t matter, I have nothing to hang onto, I¡¯m getting caught up in it! I¡¯m swirling around inside of the typhoon like a bug inside of a sink full of water going down the drain. The typhoon suddenly dispersed without warning.
This leaves me being 30 meters in the air. I¡¯m dropping too damn quick! It¡¯ll only take a few seconds for me to reach the ground. When that happens, I''ll either get messed up or worse. Coming in hot, something stops me from dropping like a bag of bricks. A gust of wind is keeping me from hitting the ground. Holy shit, that was so close, thought I was about to bite the bullet. Suddenly, I drop to my ass.
"Shit, that hurts!"
Well, that sure of shit could¡¯ve gone better. A warning goes off in my head. Something is darting toward me at break-neck speed. Shit, I can¡¯t dodge it in time! My arms instinctually guard my head. Waiting for something to happen, something wet hits me.
Am I dead yet? I don¡¯t feel dead, at least from what I know. Moving my arms, water is covering my clothes. Did she melt that icicle?
"Are you impressed yet?" she asks me.
I jump forward, getting to unleash another attack on her. "No, I''m not done yet!"
"Well, I am." Selena teleported over to Nunnal¨¦ and Richard, who are standing near the lounging area of the courtyard that. There¡¯s a door that leads back into the castle.
"If I had to rate that, I would give you a B for your creativity with the shield, but a D- for your overall performance. A shoddy display on your part, I was not impressed.¡±
¡°What was that, you brat!?¡± She wasn¡¯t saying any of this with snark, but instead with a cold and critical voice.
¡°And to be frank, the way you are now, you¡¯d sooner die than you would win a fight in this world."
What¡? ¡°What does that mean!¡±
¡°It¡¯s simple: you¡¯re weak.¡±
Weak? My sight turns red, my hands tremble with rage as my mind repeats that damn word! But the way she said it pisses me off!
Launching off the ground, I chase after Selena, who went back inside the castle. Richard and Nunnal¨¦ stop me from going after her.
¡°Let me go!¡±
¡°Attacking her would only¨C¡±
¡°Who cares, just let me at her!¡±
¡°Calm down, we aren¡¯t here to be antagonistic! We need to learn as much as we can about the book, just calm down!¡±
He¡¯s right, goddamn it, he¡¯s right! But, it¡¯s just¡I¡gah¡ Goddamn it!
I shake off Richard and Nunnal¨¦, who are keeping a close eye on me. Man, screw this bullshit!
¡°Whatever, I¡¯m out of here.¡±
¡°Proxy, wait¡¡±
I¡¯m already sick of this damn castle, and screw talking to that brat, I¡¯m gonna just go wait for those two by the entrance. Besides, I don¡¯t really care about the book. I just came here because I thought it would be fun, but I was dead wrong.
As if God was telling me to go screw myself, the witch is standing at the other end of the hall. My arms tremble with rage.
¡°Don¡¯t you want your wounds to be healed?¡± she asks me, without a trace of emotion.
¡°No thanks, I don¡¯t want your help!¡±
¡°Do you hate me?¡±
I turn away from her gaze. ¡°...Maybe.¡±
¡°What will you do about it?¡± What could I do about it, you beat me without breaking a sweat. That¡¯s what pissed me off the most! She was practically playing around with me.
¡°What do you want me to do about it,¡± I ask her.
¡°I¡¯m not interested in answering such a dull question. Besides, what benefit is it to me? So seek the answer for yourself.¡±
With that last condescending comment, she teleports out of the hall. What the hell, isn¡¯t she supposed to be wise or something!? What the hell, son of a bitch, damnit, shit!
I punch the wall next to me, breaking the surface of the wall. Blood trickles down my fist. ¡°God damnit!¡±
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
...
Back in the lounge, Ms. Selena takes the same seat she had before, Nunnal¨¦ sits next to me as we watch her drink her tea. She seems like the type that wants to drink in peace. Of course, I don¡¯t want to rush her, nor do I want to make her angry, however, I am concerned for Proxy, so I want to get back to him as soon as possible.
She finishes her drink, placing it on the table, barely making a clinking sound. "Now, I will answer any questions about the book." Ms. Selena says.
"Can the book take us home?" I immediately ask.
"Most likely, yes. However, the way it is now, it''s just a piece of junk. To add on that, the reason the pages are empty is that it lacks the necessary means to read and use it," she promptly answers.
I have to approach this carefully. "And what would the means be, if I may ask?¡±
"Hmm . . . I think it''s best if I don''t tell you for now. If I did, I would have no idea what you would do. It would be best to keep that to myself."
Seriously! We were so close too. I want her to tell me but pressing her wouldn¡¯t help. But if I can¡¯t get that answered right away, then I have another question for her.
"Then, may I ask another question then, Ms. Selena?"
"No need to be afraid, I shall answer any inquires, almost any.¡±
She is much nicer than she was with Proxy. Then again, he was out of line since he laughed at Ms. Selena¡¯s height, so I can understand her hostility.
"Well, from what Nunnal¨¦ said I need to have Source to awaken her, right?¡±
¡°Exactly.¡±
¡°Does that mean I can use it?¡±
¡°Indeed, you can.¡±
I knew! If I¡¯m able to use it, then that means I can be of further assistance to Proxy!
¡°Do you want to know what you can do?¡±
¡°I do! Oh, um, yes, please.¡±
I forgot myself there for a minute.
¡°Give me a moment then¡¡±
She takes a deep look at me. Intense in nature, she observes my whole being, making it seem like I¡¯m an organism under a microscope. Her observation lasts for 10 seconds at the most before she reels back into her seat.
¡°I have determined your attribute¡ You¡¯re Guardian.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Is it disappointing?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m okay with it. Though, I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t hoping to be a conjurer. Guardian was also something I preferred.¡±
Still, having Conjurer or Elemental Prime would allow me to act offensive if the need arises. But I feel as if it would be a waste on me since I¡¯m not good at combat¡ Actually, what is Selena? She was using ice, wind, and electricity, so that means she¡¯s an Elemental Prime user, but she can teleport too. I bet asking her would be a waste, she¡¯d only skirt the question. But, nothing ventured nothing gained.
¡°Selena, what attribute are you?¡±
¡°Afraid I can¡¯t tell you, however, I am capable of using all four.¡±
She¡¯s going to just come out with it!? Not to mention all four?
¡°Seriously? But aren¡¯t you only stuck to one attribute?¡±
¡°Not at all. Providing you train, you can use the others adjacent to yours.¡±
¡°Adjacent?¡±
¡°It¡¯s quite simple. Since there are four attributes, these attributes are connected. Think of this being connected in a diamond-shaped formation: Since you are a guardian, you are adjacent to Illusionist and Conjurer. And in my case, let''s say I am an Elemental Prime user, I am adjacent to Conjurer and Illusionist. Elemental Prime is at the top corner, Conjurer on the left corner, Illusionist on the right, and Guardian being across from Elemental Prime.¡±
So that means I could learn Illusions and conjurer if I train? I see, then that means I have more options. If she¡¯s able to use all four, then that means¡
¡°Excuse me, with Conjurer, you¡¯re able to create things, right?¡±
¡°Of course, however, that depends on what you mean.¡±
¡°Then, can I ask you to fix my glasses?¡±
I put them on the coffee table. Selena examines the damage. Hopefully, she can fix them, it¡¯s becoming quite uncomfortable to see without them on.
¡°Hm, the damage isn¡¯t too terrible. Very well, I''ll fix them for you, give me a moment." Selena teleported away for a brief moment, returning a minute later.
"Here you are, I was able to remake them Although, I did make a few alterations.¡±
¡°How were you able to figure out my eyeglass prescription?¡±
¡°You didn¡¯t take out all the glass, so I was able to recreate the same properties.¡±
She hands them back to me. Already, I can see some of the changes to the frame? It¡¯s still black, but they have metal plating where the hinge and temple of the glasses met. The frame of the rim is colored white, meshing well with the black. Hm, oh, there¡¯s something on the left temple. ¡°Selena eyewear¡± in an elegant font.
Well, time to see how they fare. Wow, they¡¯re good as new! Everything is clearer than it was before!
¡°How do they feel?¡±
¡°Wonderful, thank you, Ms. Selena.¡±
She got up from her seat while taking a sip of her tea. "I think I covered everything that you could ever ask, or is there more?"
"No, not really, but is there no way to go home besides this book?¡±
¡°I¡¯m certain, as I said, it¡¯s no more than just a book full of blank pages, however¡¡±
The book teleported to her hand.
"You should take it for now. I have a feeling you should have it for now."
Wait, there¡¯s something else I need to know! ¡°Excuse me, I don¡¯t mean to be a bother, but how do I use my Source.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sure your doll can tell you.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ averts her gaze, bitter in expression. "I regret to inform that I am unable to help in teaching master Richard Source."
"Ah, yes, the fact that dolls wouldn''t be able to escaped me. Then, I shall give you this." Selena teleports, leaving us in her lounge, only to come back with a book in her hands. She hands it to me. "It''s nothing more than a history book on guardian attribute, but even that can help you. Speaking of which. Doll, I hope you''ll do a better job at being a guide for your master in this world from now on."
"If it''ll benefit Master Richard, I will do better."
Selena stands from her seat.
"Now, I shall see you children off back to your camp."
"Huh? How do you know about the camp?"
¡°Oh, slip of the tongue.¡± It sounds like she¡¯s being tongue and cheek about it. But if she knows about the camp, who¡¯s to say she doesn¡¯t know about us coming to this world? Speaking of us.
¡°What about Proxy?¡± I ask her.
¡°I shall teleport him as well.¡±
¡°Thank you. I¡¯m sorry for how he behaved, he¡¯s really a good person.¡±
Ms. Selena giggles, sounding as if she¡¯s not bothered. ¡°It¡¯s all right, I am capable of dealing with children such as him. Besides, he gave me the perfect opportunity to stretch my legs, so I¡¯m more than thankful... Alas, I suggest you keep an eye on him. If he continues this way, he will die.¡±
Die? Is something going to happen to him!? Before I could ask, she snaps her fingers.
Titan''s axe - evening
Out of the blue, my vision went from that castle to an open plain of grass, the sky is telling me that it¡¯s evening. As soon as I notice all this, I fall for a short moment before landing hard on the ground.
That freakin¡¯ witch, she could¡¯ve killed me if I landed on my damn neck!
"Guys, you there¡? Holler if you¡¯re dead.¡±
"Holler," Richard, his barely audible, replies.
"Master Richard, you are not dead though.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
I¡¯m upside down on the ground, curling into a ball. Nunnal¨¦ is sitting on the couch, and Richard barely landed on the couch with a book against his chest.
Richard lets out a quiet groan. "Nunnal¨¦, are you okay.¡±
"I am okay."
"Proxy?¡±
"Never better, my neck is a bit stiff though..." Getting my ass off the ground, I crack my neck only to sense an attack coming up behind me. I dodge out of the way, but their second attack swept my legs off the ground. I land on my back. Who the hell is messing with me now!? Not exactly in the best mood to be screwed with!
¡°Who said you can leave without my permission!? Where did you go.¡±
Shit, worse than I thought. It¡¯s Marie.
"Nice to see you too, Marie. We were just doing things, going out, seeing the sights. Ya know, something fun."
"You¡¯re supposed to be on guard duty!"
"Yes, but we have an excuse this time."
God, this reminds me of my regular lectures from my teachers and Birch? Regardless, I took the time to explain where we were and about Selena.
"...So the white forest is owned by a little girl? I mean, there are stories stating that if you get lost in the forest, you¡¯ll hear a little girl giggling.¡±
"Yep, sounds like her, and she''s a four-foot-tall kid who acts like she''s a princess and is into that gothic lolita style. Oh, she also knows how to piss someone off in just one sentence.¡±
"She''s also adept at Source, this was proven in her fight with Proxy," Nunnal¨¦ adds, giving less of a shit if it¡¯s pouring salt in the wound.
"You fought her?"
"Sure did."
Fight, yeah right, that¡¯s was a one-sided show, and I was the clown.
¡°And to be frank, the way you are now, you¡¯d sooner die than you would win a fight in this world."
I can¡¯t get it out of my head! The scorn in her eyes, her tone that was used to make me seem insignificant¡ I asked her what I could do about my apparent weakness, that was a stupid thing to ask because I already have my answer: I¡¯ll just show powerful I really am. I¡¯ll fight tougher fighters to prove it, and I won¡¯t lose!
"Well, guess I can¡¯t bust your chops since you guys had an excuse,¡± Marie says. ¡°However¡¡± Marie wags her finger at me. ¡°...I want you to put my couch back!"
"Why me!?"
"You took it without permission!"
"I needed to sit on something. I mean, why hog it?"
"Because it is mine!" She plops on the couch. "Come, hop to it." Is this chick for real? Nah, she must be out of her mind, thinking I¡¯m gonna push that thing while she¡¯s on it. "What''s the matter, not strong enough? Didn¡¯t know you had noodle arms."
I know she¡¯s just getting me riled up but goddamn it, it¡¯s working!
"So this is how we''re doing this, huh? Fine, I''ll take that back to your place even with you on it, no sweat!"
Thus, began my epic battle to put the couch back. No need to mention that there were many breaks during this event...
The Moonlight Castle - Night
I sip on the tea I had made. Not bad but not as good as the doll¡¯s, but adequate. In the darkest corners of the library, a man, rather, thing, hides in the veil of darkness.
"You do know hiding in the shadows does not qualify as a knightly activity?" A white-clad suit of armor reveals itself with heavy steps that leave a clank to echo in the room. "And what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit?"
"You allowed the boy to have the Grimoire, why?" His voice is deep, stoic, and had might behind it. Yet, there is nothing heroic about him.
"How could you come up with such an idea?"
"Do not play games with me, witch. I have seen all that had happened in this castle."
"Oh my, hiding and stalking me within the shadows of my own home? Does your incivility know no bounds?¡±
"You are dodging the subject, witch."
I take another sip of my tea.
"From what I gather, the book fell into their hands, that would mean that it is the beginning of a play. So I thought it best to let them keep it, for now. I wish to observe the events that shall unfold. You shall be a spectator as well."
I am uncertain of why they hold the book, and that man was far too quick to try and collect it from them the moment they arrived. Yet it seems as if he¡¯s not trying to come after them now. It is far too peculiar.
"You say this, yet..."
I yawn, interrupting him. " This conversation is growing dreary, so please get to the point."
"Considering the circumstance, I will act swiftly. I shall exterminate the book and those who stand in my way."
As Microscopic as it may be, he means it with all his heart.
"I''m afraid I cannot allow you to do such a thing."
He draws a ceremonial broadsword from thin air. "Are you attempting to halt me?"
"If you were to rebuff my proposition, then yes."
As crude as it may be, I imperceptibly hope he¡¯ll end up acting rashly for his own good. That said, it would only make things less convenient if he did.
"Proposition?"
"I''m sorry, I try not to stutter when speaking. Ah, perhaps I used words bigger than you can comprehend?"
Ignoring my retort, he sheathes his sword. "Speak of this proposition you have in mind."
"Why it''s quite simple. The deal is this: leave those boys and that book alone for the time being. As long as things are proceeding nicely, you will not interfere. However, the moment I feel as if it¡¯s justified, you may step in."
It draws no breath, there¡¯s no discernable way to even tell if this thing lives, especially with its statue-esc posture. Perhaps he enjoys being lifeless;
"Fine, I shall take you up on this deal." Walking past me, he heads for the library exit. "I will allow them to keep it for now, but if the need were to arise, I shall intervene, whether I have your consent or not."
"Worry not, when you do, I¡¯ll be the one who tells you to."
"Time shall tell¡ However, I must inquire on your actions tonight. Why did you provoke the child like that? You knew he was no match for you, so why fight him?¡±
Quite sharp, for one who has a dull sense of emotions.
¡°I was weary of this peace, so I challenged him to a fight, he accepted, that¡¯s all there is to it.¡±
Answering honestly is such a waste, in fact, my boredom increases as this conversation continues. Talking to this thing always puts me in an apathetic state.
¡°If you will keep the truth of the matter to yourself, then that is of no consequence to me. However, I shall keep an eye on you, the child, and the book.¡±
¡°I am terrified by the prospect of a watchful eye. Tell me, will you watch me as I bathe as well?¡±
The knight ignored my teasing and pushes open the door, leaving without even closing. How crass, does he not know proper manners as a knight? Well, no matter, I will have to put up with him for now.
I look up towards the sky view. The book will not be able to take them home in its condition. But how did it bring them here in the first place...? So vexing, I know how it was able, but I don¡¯t understand how it was able to fulfill the means? Curious, but I suppose the mystery makes it all the more exciting.
I sip down more of my tea. The taste, while not good, was interesting, to say the least...
Titan''s axe - night
It¡¯s been a while since I have seen him. I wonder if he¡¯s doing okay? Is he taking showers, is he eating right, is he even alive? With nothing to trade, I can¡¯t get him out of there. Shit, what am I going to do? If I can¡¯t give them anything, then what can I do¡ Do I even have an alternative? Of course I don¡¯t, without whatever was in the Hell Mine, I¡¯m shit out of luck. I should¡¯ve gotten it myself, I knew I should¡¯ve gone, but I was too damn cautious!
I¡¯m such an idiot! What am I gonna do now?
"Damn...it!"
Proxy is still moving my couch. He¡¯s been at this for half an hour now, it¡¯s almost impressive if it wasn¡¯t so sad. Then again, he is still a kid. No, he¡¯s the same kid that got the Hell Mine destroyed, and screwed up any chance I had at saving him. I¡¯m not gonna feel bad for him. Maybe that¡¯s a bit too harsh. I don¡¯t know what to think anymore. Screw it, I¡¯m gonna mess with him to get my mind off things.
"What¡¯s the matter, need a break? Kiddies like you should learn to take it easy."
"No thanks, and it isn''t because this couch is heavy, it''s because you are."
Wha-what did he just say!? ¡°Wanna say that again!?¡± I poke him with the shaft of my spear, hitting his face.
"Ow, ow, ow! Stop that!"
"You called me heavy, you brat!"
"Guess I¡¯m right since you¡¯re hitting me!"
¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡±
¡°Like to see you try!¡±
Scratch that, maybe being a little harsh is fine with this one. He reminds me nothing of you, brother¡ I really miss you...
...
I lie in a prison cell. It¡¯s quite cramped, there¡¯s a minuscule amount of light seeping into this room, though, I doubt this will last forever. The darkness makes it easy to fall asleep, but sleeping now would be a waste since the stars are up, even if I am unable to see most of them, I am grateful to see even one. It has been quite some time since I have been imprisoned here, and while I am worried for my own well-being, I do hope Marie is okay. The thought plagues me so, to the part where it becomes increasingly difficult to sleep. Of course, once morning comes, I do so anyway, haha!
Still, there is a pressing issue, an issue that must be resolved by morning. If I cannot mend it, then I shall suffer greatly.
¡°I need meat!¡±
BlackRock prison - part 1
7/1 - Holy Lands - morning
I run past trees that are clumped next to each other, their roots sticking out of the ground, connecting to one another like a spiderweb. A small, furry creature zooms past them with little issue, meanwhile, I¡¯m struggling to catch up with it.
"Get back here, you furry-eared breakfast!"
Chasing it in a straight line isn''t gonna cut it. I need to cut it off. Picking up in speed, I take a path that isn¡¯t as crazy. Okay, I¡¯m starting to catch up!
"Heh, you''re mine, you tasty-"
A hard thump comes from my head crashing against a tree. The top of my head feels sore and it hurts like a bitch!
"Shit, that hurts, that hurts!" Wait, where is that rabbit-looking thing!? Nowhere to be seen, great, that''s another one I couldn¡¯t catch. I let out a sigh. Might as well head back for today. I can¡¯t seem to catch a single one of these.
Today, Marie asked Richard, Nunnal¨¦, and me to come out here to hunt for some grub. So far, I got nothing, they were either bigger than I can handle, or too damn fast. I¡¯m done with busting my ass for nothing. As I¡¯m walking back to the camp, I see Marie pointing her bow at an animal. She¡¯s just staring down her prey with an arrow ready to go. After a while, she just let go of the bowstring. The arrow hits its mark, dead on the forehead.
"Nice!" Right when she was heading to the animal, she noticed me. "Proxy, how many did you get?"
I was hoping she wouldn¡¯t ask.
"None, small animals too fast, bigger ones are strong as hell."
"That¡¯s why I said to use a bow. They''re too fast and strong for normal people to catch with their hands."
"I thought I could do it, ya know? But then I tried catching them or fighting them, but it didn¡¯t work out. Plus, it¡¯s super hard to use a bow!¡±
"What''s so hard about using a bow? I have been able to use one since I was a kid."
Wow, way to flex.
"Good for you, but I had to buy my food as a kid, so don''t mind me if I¡¯m not a super hunter. Just let me cook instead, that''s my real strong suit."
My cooking skills are what being a master swordsman is to a samurai. Going to a supermarket and buying stuff was a drag, but was something I could do without any problems. However, running around and trying to get animals is harder than it seems.
"I guess you''re right. Still, though, at least get one animal down," Marie instructed. "Over here." She had spotted another one coming over to us. She handed me her bow.
¡°Do I have to?¡±
"It''s easy, I¡¯ll show you.¡± She forces the bow into my hand as she positions me to shoot it. ¡°Just have your eye follow the arrow, use your dominant hand to pull the arrow back on the string, and keep your stance firm." I use my right hand to draw the bow. "You see the arrow under your eye?"
"Yeah."
"Good, now just have the point trained on the animal..."
I do my best to align the point between my eye and that deer-looking thing¡ Now! The arrow flies off the string, trained for the animal. It hits its mark, all 10s¡¯ on the board! That is what I would like to say if I hadn¡¯t missed. Our food ran away after seeing an arrow 3 feet away from it.
"Man...you suck," Marie flat out says.
"Yeah...I got that.¡±
Oh man, this is totally uncool. I¡¯m never gonna live this down.
Marie? is laughing her ass off. "I mean, you really suck at this.¡±
¡°Take a picture, it¡¯ll last longer.¡±
¡°No, no! It¡¯s just¡you remind me of my brother, that¡¯s all.¡±
¡°Brother? Didn¡¯t you mention him before?¡±
¡°Yeah, guess I did.¡±
¡°Is he ass with a bow as well?¡±
¡°You bet. Nearly got himself killed with one. After that, I never¡¡±
She goes dead quiet, her eyes downcast coupled with a pained expression spreading across her face.
¡°Uh, are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ It¡¯s nothing.¡±
Something tells me that¡¯s not the case. Anyone else would just roll with it, but that ain¡¯t my style.
¡°Come on, something is obviously wrong. What is it?¡±
¡°Nothing, really. I¡¯m just tired, yeah, that¡¯s it.¡±
¡°Bullshit. Is it about your brother?¡±
¡°N-no!¡±
It is
¡°Ya know, I¡¯ve never seen it. Where is he?¡±
¡°It¡¯s¡ Nothing, really¡¡± Pressing her isn¡¯t gonna help, I can tell. If she wants to keep it to herself, then let her. ¡°...Proxy, if Richard was somewhere, a place that was holding captive and it seemed impossible to save him, would you still try to save him?¡±
¡°Course I would, even if it¡¯s impossible. He¡¯s my best buddy.¡± On the other hand, I wouldn¡¯t give them the chance to take him! ¡°But what¡¯s the deal with that question?¡±
¡°No reason. I was just curious. Knew you would answer like that. When I say I wish I could share the idea, I really mean it, but¡¡± She scratches the back of her head. She then lets out an aggravated groan. ¡°Forget it, just forget it! We¡¯re gonna go back to camp! First, let¡¯s find Richard and that adorable girl!¡±
¡°You mean Nunnal¨¦?¡±
¡°Yeah, her. She¡¯s so cute, I just wanna squish her cheeks and¡¡±
Yeah, this is kinda embarrassing, but at least she sorta perked up, even if she¡¯s acting weird¡
Titan''s axe - afternoon
In the end, I didn''t cook the big bear thing, but the smaller animals that got brought back to camp.
Recently, the little girl that Richard hangs with from time to time is helping me with cooking. Her speech is still broken, barely being able to do full sentences. She''s pretty handy when I need something like spices or a tool.
Speaking of, these tools are pretty good and these spices do come in small containers. Marie must buy these somewhere and I want to know where? I made enough for a big group...
Wandering around the camp and eating, I spot Marie sitting on the couch at the front of the entrance. She nagged me about the couch after I had Nunnal¨¦ put it there again. She¡¯s looking zoned out. There¡¯s a plate with food on her lap. The food is untouched. I can¡¯t let my cooking go to waste, it¡¯s unacceptable.
"Hey, you gonna eat that?" I ask her.
"Huh." She snaps out of her daze.
"You gonna eat that or can I? I¡¯d hate it if my fabulous cooking went to waste."
"Sure¡ I''m not hungry."
"Then don''t mind if I do." Yes, sir! More food for myself, and it¡¯s still hot. Sweet. "So, what¡¯s going on? Bird watching?"
¡°Nothing¡ I¡¯m just thinking, that¡¯s all.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t think too hard about whatever you¡¯re thinking about. Makes things complicated.¡±
¡°Yeah, thanks¡¡±
Geez, I can¡¯t do small or awkward conversations. Though something is bothering her, she¡¯s probably not gonna tell me. Well, whatever it is, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be fine. Hopefully.
Titan''s axe, Mid-night
I was having the best dream ever until I was woken up by footsteps. My eyes are doing their best to adjust to the night. Waking up at night is such a pain in the ass. Though they¡¯re a bit blurry, I see a pair moving past the entrance. I get off the couch as quickly as I can. Grabbing my stone sword from under the couch, I follow the mystery duo.
It¡¯s still too dark for me to see them, but I can tell they¡¯re messing with Marie¡¯s bike. So we got robbers, huh? Well, I don¡¯t know how this world deals with robbers, but I¡¯m gonna show you how we NewPort boys do it.
I edge closer to where the two were. Hm, that¡¯s odd. I only see one of them messing with her bike, but there¡¯s only one now?
Coming in clutch, my sense goes off.
I point my sword at them. "Who are you!¡±
"Hold your horses! It''s me! Can¡¯t you see me?"
My eyes finally adjust to the darkness, allowing me to see who I¡¯m talking to. Marie stands in front of me, pissed off, for some reason.
"Marie? Why are you guys sneaking around?¡±
"That¡¯s none of your business, but I can ask you the same thing."
"Thought we were being robbed. So again, what are you guys doing?¡±
¡°We just need to go get something,¡± Marie answers, vague?.
"Why can''t it wait till tomorrow?"
"It just can''t! So stop asking questions."
She looks desperate, and a lot cagier than usual. I could just go back to sleep and think nothing of this, but if it is a big deal, then it¡¯s gonna bug me. Man, what a drag.
"Screw it, I¡¯m tagging along.¡±
"Wha¨C No, you¡¯re staying here!" Marie rejects my proposal.
¡°Why can''t I go with you guys?"
"Because this is a very personal matter."
Sure is hard-headed when she wants to be.
I tucked my hands into my pockets and walked away. "Fine, I guess I''ll just go back to sleep and forget I was even here..." Yeah right, I¡¯m gonna follow them to wherever they¡¯re going. Even if they¡¯re on a bike, I should be able to follow the tracks they¡¯ll leave.
"She''s planning to free her brother from prison," Ovan suddenly explains.
"Hey what are you-"
"You will need help if you want to free your brother. Plus, he was going to follow us, weren''t you, Proxy.¡±
Am I really that predictable? I¡¯m losing my touch.
"Yeah...I might have been thinking about tailing you two. On a fine night like this, why wouldn¡¯t I?"
He puffs out a chuckle. "A fine night indeed.¡±
"But..."
Marie was speechless, trying her best to get a word in edge wise.
She ends her stammering by face-palming herself. "Fine, Proxy, you''re coming with us right now. Get on the bike!"
¡°On it.¡±
The bike blended in with the night, making it hard to find if you don¡¯t know where to look. I jump into the sidecar of the bike. The seat feels nice as hell. Marie gets on the bike as the driver and Ovan as a passenger.
¡°This isn¡¯t a game, so you better not screw around, Proxy!¡±
Stolen story; please report.
Now she¡¯s really pissed. Ovan mentioned her brother being in prison. Maybe that¡¯s why she asked me that weird question. No wonder she looks depressed sometimes. Can¡¯t say I know how it feels, but that doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t feel bad.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, this ain¡¯t a joke.¡±
Holy Lands - midnight
We¡¯ve been riding for about an hour on uneven dirt roads and grass plains, but after a while, the ground got a lot smoother to drive on, making the rest of the trip nice and easy. Reaching a forest, we parked the bike inside, covering it with leaves and stuff like that. We continued on foot until we hit the edge of the forest.
In view, there¡¯s a huge ass Penitentiary sitting on a piece of land that¡¯s sitting in the middle of a moat. Or at least a deep pit with water at the bottom, and some nasty-looking rocks that would kill someone on impact. Climbing down would be impossible since they would need god-like stamina and the best grip in the world.
"Is that the prison?" I ask, waiting for someone to answer.
"That¡¯s the prison my brother¡¯s in. Blackrock. A prison that holds the worst criminals of the kingdom."
Can¡¯t help but whistle at the sight of it. "Sounds awesome. How do we get in?¡±
Marie points to a gondola that¡¯s going in between the prison and a docking bay up here.
"We can sneak past if we distract the guards. That''s where Ovan comes in. He''ll distract most of them while we sneak in one." Pretty basic, but good enough. The only problem though...
¡°What happens when we get off the gondola? We don¡¯t exactly have guard uniforms.¡±
¡°Duh, we¡¯re gonna steal one,¡± Marie answers.
¡°Okay, then let¡¯s get going.¡±
We moved toward the gondolas. 8 guards are on watch, each one covering all sides of the small bay. One guard yawns and another rubs their eyes. Long hours and little pay, huh?
Ovan whistles, catching their attention. A guard comes to check out the noise. We lure him deeper into the woods. Having him right where we want him, I knock him out. But I couldn¡¯t do it fast enough, he yelled out.
"Shit, now we gotta act!"
These clothes are too big for me to fit into. Ovan had left to distract the guards that were coming into the forest. Shit, what are we gonna do? I can¡¯t wear these, so how are we gonna do this¡? You know, now that I¡¯m looking at it, these aren¡¯t too big for Marie.
¡°Why are you looking at me?¡±
¡°Want a pair of new clothes?¡±
...
The gondola ride to the prison is pretty slow, but I can''t say I¡¯m too jazzed for this thing to reach the end.
"How does the uniform fit?¡±
Marie stretches parts of the prison uniform. "It''s pretty tight around the chest."
"But they do fit, right?"
"I suppose, but it also smells."
"That''s the authenticity to make you not stand out."
"Well, I''m taking a shower after this." The gondola is approaching the end of the trip. "Proxy, we''re only here for my brother, so do nothing to jeopardize that, got me!?"
"Relax, I won''t screw up. Besides, I don¡¯t want the stay here to be permanent."
The gondola stopped.
Marie places a hand on the door. ¡°Ready?¡±
¡°As ready as I can be.¡±
She opens the door, letting in the cool night air. I swallow hard, trying to choke down the nervous feeling in my throat. Right away, we¡¯re greeted by some guards.
"Who is this?" the nearest guard, serious in tone, asks
"A new prisoner," Marie answers, going for a deeper pitch.
"We weren''t informed of any new prisoners."
"It was a last-second decision. We had to transport him here from the kingdom."
"For what?"
¡°Inciting a rebellion," I whispered to Marie.
"For inciting a rebellion," she repeats.
A chuckle leaves my mouth. ¡°Power for the people.¡±
"Sickening. Fine, send him to processing."
"And where would that be, exactly?"
"Are you kidding? You a new guy?¡±
Scratching the side of her head, she squints a little. "Um, yes.¡±
¡°Man, I hate newbies. Follow me then."
"Thank you."
What a gentleman. Following behind the guard, another one places their hands on Marie¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Hold it,¡± he demands.
¡°Can I help you?¡±
"Where are his restraints?¡±
"He was able to break free from them.¡±.
"A crafty one? Well then, here."
The guard ties a rope around my wrists. They¡¯re digging into my skin. Even a slight tug grinds against my skin.
"Ow, not so tight!"
"Just to make sure you don''t try to escape."
"Scared I might pull a Houdini act?"
"What''s that...?"
You know, this would be the best time to remember that my references aren''t gonna land on these people.
"Okay, take me to prison."
Pushing me along, we follow the guard in front of us into a room. There are baskets filled with clothes and accessories. A guard is sitting in here, watching us enter the room. The dude seems bored out of his mind.
"Okay, take off all your clothes. "
"Whoa, you didn''t even take me out to dinner yet."
"Clothes, now!"
"Yikes, it was just a joke. Birch is more lenient than you."
Stripping down to my underwear, I¡¯m given a gray, long-sleeve overall. Fits just about right, though the sleeve for my left leg is longer than the other. Easily fixed by cuffing it at the middle of my shin.
"Goggles, too."
I grabbed his wrist before he could touch it. "They stay on."
It was by instinct, but I hate it when someone I don¡¯t know or I¡¯m not cool with touches my stuff, especially my goggles. Before I could break this poor sap¡¯s arm, I let go of him.
"I see we got a fighter."
"You can say that again. Little bastard nearly broke my wrists."
"Then he''ll fit in here just fine. Come on, let¡¯s go.¡±
"Alright, let¡¯s go. Oh, by the way, if anything is missing from my jacket or pants pocket, I''ll beat your ass.¡±
¡°Whatever you say, kid.¡±
¡°Stop stalling, let¡¯s go! Newbie, follow me. I¡¯ll show you where you¡¯ll be sleeping.¡±
¡°Right, understood.¡±
We head for the entrance of the prison with this ¡°nice¡± guard. Getting in was easy, but I can tell getting out with Marie and her bro will be the hard part.
Blackrock prison - Midnight
I¡¯m thrown into a room. The floor is stained with dirt, but everything else in here is metal that¡¯s crudely put together. Dried-up blood soaked the dirt, changing its color. Rising from the ground, I dust myself off. Hmm, this place looks like an area based on the decor and it being 15 meters wide, give or take.
Speaking of which, my sense goes off. I hop to the left, ready to kick some ass.
"Damn, how did you know I was here!?"
This is it? The dude looks like a total wimp. Geez, if this is what the prisoners are about, I don¡¯t wanna know what the people in the kingdom are like.
¡°With your stank, anyone could tell you¡¯re here."
"Really?"
"Yep, and now it''s my turn to give a warm welcome!"
My left fist aims for his head. He could try to gut me, but at this distance and my speed, it¡¯s over for him.
"I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to hurt you! Please, forgive me!" I stop short of his face. "Sorry, I¡¯m sorry! I didn''t really wanna attack you, I was just scared! I didn''t know who was going to come in here! Where are we anyway!? Please, I was just so scared of getting beaten to death by a prisoner, so I thought I would jump them and knock them out! Please, forgive me!"
This guy is practically on the verge of tears. His story makes sense, but I¡¯m not gonna fall for it.
"Okay, if your story is true, then I''m sorry in advance."
"Huh?"
My fist smashes into his jaw. Poor guy rolls around on the ground, holding his jaw. Did I just punch a guy for no reason? I sure as hell hope I didn¡¯t¡
"You little shit! Why did you do that!?"
"Cram it, I know you¡¯re lying because of what you said. ''I was so scared of getting beaten to death by another prisoner''. Why would you think a prisoner would come in here? For all you know, a guard could''ve come in here. Plus, you said you don''t even know what this place is, so it was easy to pick up on your bullshit. Also, you have a knife."
Sir, moron here glances at his knife, giving an, ¡°oh yeah¡±. And right on cue, he tries to shank me. His form is awful, thrusting himself forward with the blade. Feels like this dude is moving in slow-mo. Either way, I grab his arm,
"Wow, that was lame."
Honestly, Angelo can do better, and I always knocked him out in one hit. Anyway, I kick his gut, then his chin with an uppercut. He lost his grip on his blade, stumbling around in a daze.
"Ready for an around-the-city trip?¡±
"Huh?"
Spinning around clockwise, I roundhouse the poor bastard¡¯s head in. His body hits the ground, making a thud sound¡ Wait, is that it? He¡¯s already out? How disappointing.
"Wow, that was quick."
A voice!? Where is it coming from?
"He beat the rookie crusher on his first try."
A door behind me slides open. Guards, carrying weapons and wearing heavy armor, come into the room.
"Congratulations. You have won your first fight. Please follow me to your cell."
Hell of a way to get a prisoner settled in. Regardless, I start following him to my new home, away from home.
When I looked back, the other guards were picking up the guy I had just beaten. Are they gonna do something bad to him since he lost? Oh well, I won a fight, and that''s a good thing in my book.
7/2 - Blackrock - morning
"Hey, wake up, kid. I wanna get something to eat."
God, can¡¯t this guy see I¡¯m catching some z¡¯s?
"What, what!? Can''t you see I''m sleeping?¡±
"Yeah, sorry, but I''m hungry, so if you could come with me, that would be great."
"Are you going to keep bothering me if I don''t go with you?"
"Yeah."
Well, shit, I''m awake now, so I might as well get something to eat.
"Alright, fine, lead the way¡¡±
I jump out of bed, landing on my feet. Since last night, I¡¯ve been sleeping on the top bed of this bunk bed. My cell is small but big enough to have a little breathing room. There¡¯s a desk with a bunch of stuff on it. Must be my roomie''s stuff.
Exiting the cell, the main part of the prison where the inmates sleep is circular, leading upward with multiple pathways connecting to the pathway going up and down.
Now that I''m not half-asleep anymore, who was this guy? He¡¯s rocking this shifty look. His hair is a mess that you can¡¯t help but look at. One of his sleeves is hanging by his waist.
"Thanks for coming with me, kid," the messy-looking man says.
"Yeah, no prob... Who are you?"
"Oh, right, I didn''t introduce myself. Though you kinda ignored me when you came into our cell last night. Anyway, I''m Chip."
Chip? What a weird name. Then again, who am I to talk?
"Okay, Chip, why do you need me to go get food? Scared to go on your own," I teased.
"Nah, most of the guys here are nice? Unless they wanna fight, or when they want to be nasty. I just need you so I can get some chips. Fighters who win the first time around get to eat for free during their first lunch hour."
"Seriously? Then why don''t you just get into a fight and win?"
"That''s a hassle. Fighting ain¡¯t my thing.¡±
Right when we entered the cafe, he points to the serving area. "See how those guys are just getting crap food?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, now look at that." Sitting at the middle table, a dude is eating some fine cuisine. "Damn, that looks good!"
"Yeah, you can only get that if you got money, but if you don''t have any, you''re gonna have to eat that sewage.¡±
"So why did I have to fight an hour after I came to this place?"
"In this prison, when a new inmate is brought in, they¡¯re forced to fight one selected prisoner. It gives the prisoners a fair shot at getting CCP. Usually, it''s the rookie slayer that gets selected since he''s pretty weak. I think he¡¯s like that because he knows those fights are easy grabs for CCP. Though, because of that, he''s not exactly popular here, so he keeps to his room. He knows that he''s gonna get his ass whooped the moment the guys he''s beaten see him."
Makes sense, but why the hell would he fight then?
"Of course, you can pick a fight whenever you want. There are multiple different rings here, so there are probably some fights going on as we speak. We could go see one if you want to, just after we get the chips, of course."
So this prison uses fighting as a means to get currency. Sounds interesting as all hell...
"So, the short and sweet of it is: if you''re a fighter, and you win matches, the benefits get better."
"Wow, this place is pretty killer. I think I might fit in here for a bit."
"Yeah, well, that''s good and all, but can we get those chips now?"
"Sure, sure."
We got in line for a bag of chips and something to drink for myself. He wanted me to get a bag that had green stripes on them.
"Oh, man, these are the best." Bliss is etched across his face, munching down on those chips. "Want one?"
¡°Been a while since I had one. Sure.¡±
I throw one into my mouth. It has a salty flavor to it, too salty. Ugh!
This is nasty! I spit it out. "These aren''t that good at all!¡±
"Are you kidding? These are the best. There''s seaweed flavor, vanilla icing, then there¡¯s saltwater flavor. Personally, those first two are okay, but the salt has got to be the best. You just need to get used to it."
There is no way in hell I¡¯m gonna get used to it.
"Hey, you, come here!"
A guard outside the cafe calls me over. Guess I have to do another fight?
"Be careful, kid."
"I''ll be fine." I head over to the guard. This guy seems stiff. "What is it?"
"Proxy, it''s Marie?" she whispers. "Where were you?¡±
"I was put in a fighting ring, then put into a cell."
"Fighting ring...?"
"Yeah, this prison has a fighting system. But enough about that, did you find your brother yet?"
"No, but I know he is here. I just don''t know where."
"So we have no idea where to start looking?"
"I''ll just use the resources I have access to now, I don''t know how long it''ll take."
I don''t want to be here for more than a couple of days. Hell, I have no idea how long we¡¯ll really be here.
"Proxy, look for a man with long blond hair and-"
A ruckus in the cafe interrupts Marie. We rush back into the cafe. There are two guys holding someone down.
"Chip, what''s going on?"
"Some guy went up to a fighter and took a slab of meat off his plate. Now, he''s about to get his ass kicked for it."
"Yikes, feel bad for the poor bastard."
On one hand, I oughta help, on the other, he kind of deserves it for just eating someone else''s food. I mean, there are rules, then there¡¯s etiquette. The guy who was about to get his shit kicked in is being blocked by a rather burly dude who tore off the sleeves of his jumpsuit.
"Fellows, we do not need to do this.¡± The guy in danger tries to disarm the situation. ¡°I just thought that steak was going to waste. You were playing around with it and it made me ravenous. Furthermore, it smelled succulent, and it was scrumptious."
He¡¯s not doing himself any favors.
¡°That voice..."
"Is it familiar? Maybe it''s your bro?¡±
"No, it couldn''t be that easy. Besides, I didn''t see anyone who looked like him. So whoever that is, he''s pretty dumb."
The situation is getting worse. Looks like the big guy is getting ready to knock out some of his teeth.
"I hope that steak was good because now you''re gonna taste something else," the burly man threatens him.
"Come now, why is it so atrocious? We should be getting along, not trying to harm each other. Let bygones be bygones?"
"Sorry, but we ain''t gonna kill you, but you''re gonna wish we did."
Lifting his victim, he slams him against the table he was sitting on. The poor sap had long bright blond hair and a bit of a beard on his chin. Blond hair¡ Nah, it can¡¯t be that easy. After all, Marie said¨C
"No way... Alexander!"
Shock mixed with joy is fully expressed on her face.
¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Alexander¡ My brother. That¡¯s him!¡± Huh...? What!
BlackRock prison - part 2
7/2 - Holy lands - BlackRock - morning
A crowd of prisoners surrounds the behemoth as he clutches the blondie, who turns out to be Marie¡¯s brother. This little horde is attracting other prisoners who are passing by. Wouldn¡¯t be surprised if guards came busting in here any minute now.
Marie, with a gaping jaw and wide eyes with the whites showing, stares at her brother. "Brother¡"
Yeah, I think we need to do something before he gets his head caved in. Good thing there''s a local punk in the area.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Marie. I got this.¡±
"Wait, what are you¡?"
Picking up a tray from a table, I shuffle through the mob of people. I''m close enough. Now to get into the perfect position. I hop onto a table right in front of the big guy. Sweet, dude doesn''t even notice me.
¡°Fore!¡±
I whack him with the tray. The sound of his cranium being used as a target echoes inside the cafe. Oh! That''s gotta hurt?
"What the shit! Who was tha-"
Oh, no you don''t, big guy. Before he can act, I kick his face. I can feel his nose crushed against the weight of my foot. Ya know, I don''t think I put my back into that one. I kick him again, putting more weight into this one. Perfect, now I feel like I kicked him.
He retreats, closing his nostrils to keep the blood from leaking out. Well, that takes care of that. Time to see if blondie is okay.
"You okay?"
"Yes, I am, but¡" He tilts his head with a raised eyebrow. "May I inquire why you hit that man?"
"You''re kidding me, right? Cause he was gonna turn your skull into powder."
His eyes widen as his brows shoot up. ¡°Ah, so you were coming to my aid? In that case, I appreciate your assistance," he ends with a broad smile that reaches his eyes.
I know I called him stupid earlier, but he can¡¯t be this dense, right?
¡°You little shit!¡±
Crap, this guy is still geared to go! His humongous fist trained on my head. I pick up a tray to block it. It''s too strong, it¡¯ll break the tray! The force of the blow knocks me to the ground. Man, how am I still alive? The tray has an inward dent. Huh, go figure.
"Friends, let''s not fight! Let us drink and feast together."
Idiot, that''s not gonna work! I move the blondie out of the way before he can get his skull crushed. Swiping a bottle off a table, I smash it over this douchebag''s head. I¡¯m not gonna give him the chance to catch his breath. I keep hitting him with anything I grab, taking and throwing away stuff as fast as I can.
Getting ready to rock his head with a tray, his arm shoots up at my neck.
"Gotcha!" How did he tank all those hits!? "Thought I was gonna go down easily? Well, you''re sadly mistaken. Right now, I can crush your neck."
Bastard probably can! His grip is restricting any oxygen from entering my lungs, crushing everything inside. It¡¯s like my lungs will pop out if he keeps this up. I won¡¯t let this bastard get me so easily!
¡°Here!¡±
I slam the palm of my hands against his ears, messing up his eardrums. A rush of air makes its way through my throat as I try to suck it all down. He thought I was a goner. Jokes on him, I¡¯m too good to get killed.
The big claws at his ears, screaming his lungs out from the sudden interference in his eardrum. Thrashing all over the place like a willy mammoth. I bet the whole prison can hear this guy yelling his ass off.
¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡±
There¡¯s no lag in my movements, I jump back the moment he tries to grab me. However, this was a mistake. Assuming backing up is all it would take was a mistake. That¡¯s because this guy¡¯s arms are freaking huge! They¡¯re easily able to catch me. His gorilla grip wraps around my leg. I¡¯m thrown through the air like I¡¯m some freaking¡¯ football! I bounce off a table. Numbing pain flares up everywhere around my body. Okay, that does it, he is so dead!
"Alright, you ape-looking asshole! Bring it...! Huh, why are y¡¯all looking at me like that?"
Everyone freezes in place, looking at me in fear. Well, well, looks like my dangerous bad boy energy. What can I say? I¡¯m just too strong for my own good. Oh, there¡¯s a guy next to me, he¡¯s drenched in that sewage that¡¯s called food. Did I spill that on him? Now that I think about it, I think I hit something on the table before bouncing off.
"Oh, sorry dude, my bad."
Can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s pissed or not. Either way, this guy looks big, so I better be ready for a fight.
The guy stands up, showing off his ridiculous height and his build. Not too big, but not something to scoff at either. He turns his head to me, showing off his expression. Wait, hold on a minute, he seems calm.
"Nah, it''s fine. I got ten other pairs of these back in my room."
Whoa, thought he was going to pound on me.
"G-G-Gil! I''m so sorry, I-I didn''t see you there!"
This 6''6 man, someone who easily towers over guys like me, and this dude, who''s 6''4.
"Nah, it¡¯s alright man, I got more where these came from. Though it is a bit annoying that you guys are fighting in this place? Don''t you know it''s not allowed in here? Aren¡¯t I right, guard?"
The guard in mention is Marie, who jumps up, straightening out like a plank of wood. "What? Yes, you should not fight here at all!"
Does she think she sounds like a guy? I hope to god she doesn¡¯t.
"So, shouldn''t they file out a request for a fight?"
"Yes...umm, they should!"
"Then why don''t we set up a match for them? It''s better to just settle it there than here."
Sounds fair. I might as well benefit from kicking this guy''s ass.
"Sounds great. When does this fight start?" I ask, itching with excitement.
¡°It¡¯ll be announced, so keep your ears open.¡±
"Fine by me. Maybe it¡¯ll give him enough time to beg me not to beat him. And just so he knows who he''ll be saying sorry to, the name is Proxy."
A roar of laughter follows after my declaration... Why are they laughing at me? What¡¯s so goddamn funny!?
"Proxy. Okay, and the challenge would be?"
"I''m the Bison!"
"Alright, then I''m going to get the match set up, so until the next hour, no fighting, okay?"
With that, Gil, or whatever his name is, leaves the cafe, practically dragging Marie with him. The Bison, alongside his little posse, makes for the outside of the cafe.
He turns his ugly face to me. ¡°Hey, kid, you better not try to pussy out of the fight, you hear?¡±
I flip him off. I ain¡¯t scared of that overgrown loser.
"Kid, let''s split," Chip says, holding a bag of chips in his hands.
I dart my eyes at the guys, who are still laughing at me. Trust me, when I say I want to beat their asses, I want to smash my fist against their heads, crush their stomachs with my foot! But if I did, I¡¯d just look like a weakling. A lame punk hits those below them without being challenged. So even if it pisses me off to no end, I¡¯ll keep my cool.
"Yeah, let''s go."
I follow him out of the cafe, feeling bitter as all hell. Ya know, it feels like I¡¯m forgetting something important. What is it? Damnit, I¡¯m too pissed to remember! Man, that match better start soon, I need to get all this frustration out of me!
...
Leaning on the guardrail on one of the crossways, Chip and I are looking at the other prisoners doing their day-to-day, or something like that. Being this high up reminds me of sitting on the rooftop of the school. Course, students normally can¡¯t sit up there, but who¡¯s gonna stop me if they don¡¯t know about it?
"Two fights in a row this early¡ Man, you must have bad luck."
"Nothing unlucky about it."
"Oh, sure about that? Did you forget your soon-to-be opponent threw you across the room? You¡¯re gonna get killed."
"He can¡¯t kill me. I¡¯m gonna beat him."
"Pretty confident in yourself." Chip opens another bag. ¡°...Just don¡¯t get a swollen head, or you might lose it.¡±
Can¡¯t tell if that was a snide remark, or he¡¯s just monotone. Whatever, even if he has some ulterior motive, I¡¯m stronger than him, so I don¡¯t care.
"Thanks for the advice."
Turning away from the guardrail, a blonde hair man approaches us, waving his hand at us while grinning from head to toe. Isn¡¯t that Marie¡¯s brother?
"Hello, friends! How are you two doing on this fine day?"
"Doing fine, stiff," I called him.
"Stiff? why are you calling me stiff?"
"Cause you''re talking weird, man," Chip adds, chuckling at the end.
"Oh, then, how about this? What is up, gentlemen?¡±
I cough out a laugh, heaving my chest while rocking back and forth from the guardrail.
¡°Umm, did I say something amusing?¡±
¡°Dude, you don¡¯t gotta talk like that. Just act natural.¡±
¡°Natural, of course. I apologize for my odd behavior. Oh, and I am sorry that you got involved in my mess. I should be the one taking responsibility for this. Please, allow me to fight him in your stead!"
He drops to his knees, bowing with his head, touching the concrete ground. Come on man, people are giving us weird looks!
"Okay, okay, I get it. You can stand up now."
"So you''ll allow me to fight for you?"
"Hell no."
Shock written on his face, he goes slack jaw.
"You sure ¡®bout that, kid?" Chip asks me, lacking emotion unlike blondie here.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Sure am. It might be your fault, but when I get into a fight, I don¡¯t back down¡ Besides, even if that guy¡¯s bigger than me, I still wanna fight him. Who knows, it might be fun.¡±
"Ah..." Alex stands back on his feet, staring me straight in the eyes with this honest look on his face. "...You impress me.¡±
"Hm?"
"You are not running away from this fight or fearing for your life. You are facing it with unwavering determination. I like that type of bravery!"
"I guess that counts for something, even if it¡¯s gonna get you killed, kid."
"Thanks. Also, my name isn''t kid, it''s Proxy."
"Weird name."
"Coming from the guy named Chip."
"Chip and Proxy. Lovely names. I am Alexander. it''s a pleasure to meet you both."
¡°Nice to meet you, Alex.¡±
"Same to you, blondie.¡±
We got mixed up in small talk for a while before we moved on to the important matters at hand.
"Okay, your opponent is the Bison, right?"
"Such an intimidating name," Alex says, seeming concerned.
"Nah, don''t let the name fool you, he''s nothing special. His win count is at 24 fights to 7 losses; an average score, at best. But, I''m just taking a guess here, while he isn''t ripped to the max, he is strong enough to throw you across a room so I wouldn''t underestimate his strength."
"Damn, how do you know all that?"
"Before coming to the prison, it was my job to gather information on people."
"Were you an info broker?" Alex asks.
"Not really, but enough of that. Back to the match."
Thinking back on my first match, my opponent had a knife on him.
"I can bring weapons in the arena, right? Cause last night, the guy I fought had a knife on him."
"Anything goes. Thinking about using one?"
"Nah, I was just asking if I could. I''m just fine using my fists."
"You sure about that one, kid?"
"Yeah, I''m better off with my fists anyway..."
"Well, if you say so. Just hope he doesn''t turn you into paste."
"Proxy, do be careful."
"The fight isn''t starting yet, so let¡¯s just chill out."
"In that case, you guys start without me. I gotta go do something."
¡°Alright, see ya.¡±
¡°Goodbye, Chip. I hope we will be able to talk again later.¡±
¡°Sure, why not?¡±
Chip balls up the bag of chips and throws it on the floor. He pulls out another one from his pocket.
"What a strange character," Alex comments.
"Yeah, those chips are from another world?..."
Hopefully not from mine.
"So, are you certain that you will fight him with just your fist?"
"Yeah, I might not look it, but my fists are my best weapons. But you know what, enough about the fight, I wanna do something."
"Then allow me to show you around the prison."
"Lead the way, man."
For the next half hour, Alex gave me a tour of the prison. But all we did was just go up the spiral. After a while, we just took a break on another crossing.
"So you''ve been locked in here for causing a brawl?"
"Yep, sure did."
"I see... So, how long do you think that will deceive them?"
"What do you mean?"
"If such an event were to occur in the kingdom, it would be considered a mutiny. Surely enough, the likes of that would reach the ears of the guards, or fellow prisoners."
¡°Are mutinies common?¡±
¡°For the past 7 years, no. As a matter of fact, they have never happened because there is no need.¡± No need? Is that place perfect or something? "Nevertheless, you are taking quite the gambit. But fear not, I vow to never share this secret of yours. Furthermore, if you require assistance, call on me, and I shall aid you."
This guy¡ I don¡¯t feel any malicious intent coming from him, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯s playing a joke on me. That smile on his face tells me everything I need to know.
"No offense, but I''ve only known you for half an hour."
"It matters not. A man should always help his fellow man if it is for a just cause.¡±
Wow, what a boy scout. But at least he¡¯s not an asshole.
"Thanks, but you should be careful who you help out. Who knows, maybe I could be up to no good."
"But I don''t sense you are up to anything nefarious, so it is alright."
"I mean, you''re right, I''m not, but..."
An ear-grating buzzing sound reverberates throughout the spiral, scratching at the back of my brain.
¡°What the hell is this!?¡±
¡°They¡¯re about to announce a fight.¡±
"Attention everyone," a deep, scratchy voice announces. ¡°...the 12:30 AM fight is about to begin. Fighters: Proxy and Bison report to arena C-3."
Finally, now it¡¯s time to show that big loser what I¡¯m made of. "Looks like it¡¯s showtime. Alex, can you show me to the arena?"
"I can. Just follow me."
Perfect. When I make my entrance, its gotta be stylish. Maybe a backflip into the arena? Nah, maybe two! Yeah,
...
Alex took me in a circle, we were getting no closer to finding the area. Not looking too good, not at all.
"You should''ve told me you had no idea where we''re going."
"I am sorry! I thought I knew where the C-3 is at."
This is so embarrassing! If I''m late for the fight, people will think I chickened out or something like that! Damnit, this is totally not cool, man!
¡°Hm, aren¡¯t you¡?¡± Behind us, someone calls my attention. It¡¯s the big guy from the cafe. What¡¯s his name¡? ¡°...Aren¡¯t you guys supposed to be heading to C-3?¡±
¡°Yeah, but this guy doesn¡¯t know where he¡¯s heading.¡±
¡°Again, I am sorry.¡±
¡°Oh, so you guys are lost? Well, just keep going straight until you see a sign for the arena number.¡±
¡°Sweet, thanks, man.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t mention it, but can I ask you something?¡±
¡°Shoot.¡±
¡°You know your opponent is stronger, right?¡±
¡°You gonna ask why I¡¯m fighting?¡±
¡°Pretty much.¡±
¡°Simple: I don¡¯t run from fights, not now, not ever.¡±
¡°Sounds reckless. Don¡¯t you have any doubts?¡±
¡°No way, because I know I¡¯m gonna win.¡±
Why should I be? I''ve been fighting for most of my life. I can handle anything anyone throws at me; big, small? Who gives a shit! I¡¯ll take them all on.
¡°Wow, you have amazing confidence. Well, I hope you have a good fight.¡±
¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll make sure the match doesn¡¯t end too quickly.¡±
I go on ahead of Alex. I¡¯m in a better mood than I was before. Still, there¡¯s gonna be no doubt once I beat this guy that I''m no joke. Those bastards laughed at me! I¡¯ll show all of them I¡¯m not a goddamn joke!
¡°Proxy, you are walking too fast!¡±
¡°Ah, sorry.¡±
BlackRock - C-3 arena - morning
Outside the area, pipes run along the walls, hissing barely visible steam. It gives a foreboding sense of danger, telling me to turn back from this fight. Even the prison itself is telling me to back off, huh? Screw that, I¡¯m not afraid!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot about Alexander. Guess this is the end of the line for him.
"Alright man, I think you should get going," I tell him.
He stands there, giving me a serious look. "Reconsider this. Allow me to fight in your stead."
Seriously, this again? The guy is persistent, I¡¯ll give him that much.
"Like I told you, I ain¡¯t gonna run from a fight."
¡°How come? Why is it so important that you fight back? Would it really matter if you did?¡±
¡°Course it would. Fighting is what I live for, so if I back out, if I lose a fight, then what am I gonna do? Besides, I hate being laughed at.¡±
I¡¯m the best fighter in NewPort Island. Even if I have to beat older kids, I can¡¯t lose, no matter what, I¡¯m the best. I have to always be the best, even if my opponent is bigger than me. And so far, I haven¡¯t lost a single fight yet, so why should today be any different?
¡°...I see, then, I apologize.¡±
¡°For what?¡±
¡°For insulting you. I assumed your words were out of sheer bravado. However, I was gravely mistaken. I hope I can earn your forgiveness.¡±
Whoa, what the hell!? I didn¡¯t expect him to apologize, let alone practically grovel on his knees! Geez, this guy is something else.
¡°Hey, man, come on. It ain¡¯t that bad¡¡± I extend my hand to him. ¡°...Wanna make it up? Just cheer me on in there, kay? That good enough?¡±
¡°Is that all?¡±
¡°Yeah, it ain''t no problem, right?¡±
He takes my hand, letting me pull him up. ¡°Then, I suppose so...¡±
¡°Right on!¡±
I head off for the arena, leaving behind Alex. Seriously, there¡¯s something I have to say, but I don¡¯t¡ Oh, that¡¯s right!
¡°Alex, your sister is here, in the prison!¡±
¡°Really!?¡±
¡°Yeah! I¡¯ll tell you more about it later, so I¡¯ll come to find you after this match.¡±
¡°Wait, how do you¡¡±
I run ahead. Alex¡¯s voice grows distant as I run ahead. I¡¯m already kinda late, so I can¡¯t screw around. Ahead, there¡¯s a door, wide open. Running through it, I¡¯m in an area that¡¯s lined with patchwork metal. The floor, like the last, is covered in dried-up blood.
Unlike the last one, I can see the audience, watching 8-9 meters above the walls that surround the arena. There¡¯s a room on the left side of the audience area, 2 meters higher than the audience area. From down here, I can¡¯t tell who¡¯s up there.
"Thought you had run away, little man."
My opponent stands before me, standing around like he¡¯s hot shit. On his back, he¡¯s wearing a metal pole, crude in design, but seems to pack quite a punch if someone could swing it.
"You kidding? I was worried that you had high-tailed it out of here," I retaliate.
"Are you making fun of me?"
"Not obvious enough?"
I could see a blood vessel pop against his forehead. "You¡"
Sudden microphone feedback interrupts him.
"Gentlemen and no ladies! Today''s fight is underway! Our fighters today are the stark contrast in height, weight, and strength! New to the ring with 1 win and 0 losses, a boy of mystery, but has been up to no good in the kingdom! The shorty on the left, give it up for Proxy!¡±
Did this bastard call me short? The crowd jeers against me, insulting me every which way while telling me I''m gonna get my ass kicked.
¡°And the 6''6 giant on the right: He¡¯ll slam ya against the ring, he¡¯ll punch your guts out, and he sure as will crush you beneath his might! Give it up for the Bison!¡±
The crowd erupts into cheers, giving him compliments, telling him to stomp me out, and barely giving me any attention, like I already lost this fight. Ignore me all you want, but by the end of this, you¡¯ll all see what I¡¯m made of.
¡°...And to make it even more exciting, the arena king himself is watching!¡±
The crowd goes silent, shocked by that announcement. I can hear them murmuring up there, but not exactly what they¡¯re saying, but it seems like he¡¯s the big cheese around here.
¡°...Now, without a further ado, I present to you, the king of the arena: Gilhart!¡±
Light illuminates the room. What the hell!? It¡¯s the dude from the cafe, and not only there, but when me and Alexander were lost. Does the king of the arena mean he¡¯s the strongest or something?
Gil gives me a thumbs up. Does that mean he''s in my corner? Not like it matters, either way, I¡¯m kicking this guy¡¯s ass, one way or the other.
¡°But that ain¡¯t it, gentlemen! Our king has opened the king''s pot. All of those who are here in the audience, please, with the pen and paper that¡¯ll be handed out, write down anything under 20,000 credits, your name, and the fighter you¡¯re betting on. A guard will collect your bets shortly..."
Everyone starts placing their bets. It¡¯s pretty obvious who they¡¯re going with.
"You know they''re betting on me, right kid?" No shit. ¡°¡I could''ve broken you back in the cafe, but I knew I wasn''t gonna get much out of it. Now, I''mma win a hefty reward for this." A creepy chuckle comes from his mouth. "...Man, I am so glad I threw you at the king." God, this dude doesn¡¯t know when to shut up, does he? "Are ya scared, wetting yourself, or maybe you''re-"
"God, do you ever shut up?"
"Huh?"
"Since you¡¯re as dense as a brick, I¡¯ll tell you straight-out: I don¡¯t care if they bet against me. In fact, that makes it all the sweeter.¡± A smirk creeps across my face, unnerving my opponent. ¡°...Makes beating the odds that much cooler."
Though, that thing on his back is a bit concerning. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s not gonna let it rest there for long, isn¡¯t he?
"That¡¯s it! We¡¯re gonna be collecting your bets! Don¡¯t try to change it, or else you get jack!¡± A minute passed after that announcement. Guards move through the audience, collecting their bets. One of them gave an ¡°okay¡± sign. ¡°Awesome! Now that we have all the bets, let¡¯s begin the match! On the count of 3, both fighters will beat the shit out of each other! Fighters, get ready!"
This is it, it''s beginning! A fight, something that doesn¡¯t need complex thought put into it, only my absolute attention. I relax my shoulders, raising my arms with my left extended forward. My left leg forward, ready to shoot off the moment it¡¯s go time. In short, I¡¯m mimicking a boxer¡¯s stance.
My opponent is just standing there, wide open for a gut punch. Typically, the big guys usually go for grapples, so it won¡¯t surprise me if he tries to grab me the moment I get close. But again, that staff is a bit concerning. With how long it is, being 5 meters wide, I have to be careful. Other than that, I got this in the bag.
"On the count of three...two...one, GO!"
I kick off the ground, closing the gap between us in a few steps.
...
I had found the man Proxy was with earlier.
"Hello," I announce my presence.
"Hey, blonde."
I sit next to him. His attention is transfixed at the fight occurring below. "You seem rather interested in the fight," I pointed out.
"Yep, I have credits riding on this."
"You seem rather confident. Unfortunately, I was not as confident. I have ill luck."
"Shame, you''re going to miss out."
"Who was it you bet on?"
"Does it matter?"
"Perhaps not, but if I am to gander a guess, it would be Proxy¡¯s opponent?¡±
"Yep, on the big man."
"I see..."
"You don''t seem surprised?"
"No, I am, but I suppose that it would be the sane bet. A man of that stature going up against someone like Proxy is truly one-sided... However, there¡¯s something about him that makes me believe he¡¯s able to beat him."
¡°You serious? It¡¯s gonna be a slaughter. You¡¯d be an idiot to believe something like that.¡±
With a smile, I face Chip, who glares at me, puzzled in expression. ¡°Then perhaps I am a fool.¡±
My confidence isn¡¯t without reason. He has a type of confidence that can be mistaken for bravado, however, that fire in his eyes does not lie. While they hold a bit of arrogance, they hold something genuine in them. So I wish to see where it leads.
BlackRock prison - part 3
7/2 - BlackRock prison - battle arena - morning
The arena fills with the sound of a crowd cheering us on, encouraging us to beat the hell out of the other. Running in front of him, his arm reaches out for me. Too easy. I move behind his arm, diving under it a second later. Standing in front of his gut, I land three-five punches with a single fist. Aware of his hands, I get away from him.
¡°Pain in the ass! Stay still!¡±
¡°Come, work them legs, big guy.¡±
Big guys like this have endurance on their side, meaning they¡¯re not going down in a couple of hits. I have to wear him out, then get that sweet decisive hit in. Until then, quick hits to that gut and a few to the knees will do.
¡°Right, let¡¯s get to work.¡±
Diving back in, he reacts slower than I expected. He swings his arm, but I can dodge it in my sleep. Kicking in his knee, he buckles for a moment. Four punches and an uppercut follow, too swift for him to handle. I jump back before he can catch me.
¡°Come on, big guy. Is that all you got?¡±
¡°Little shit! I¡¯ll show you!¡± Already reaching his limit, he pulls off the pole strapped to his back. It¡¯s about a foot wide, probably able to cover a range of 2 meters instead of 5; math was never my thing. If that hits me, I can kiss this match as good as over. ¡°Here I come!¡±
All it takes is one giant step to get me in his range. Shit, he¡¯s already swinging! Backing up is not gonna help, I need to go low! The pole almost grazes my back, touching my uniform by the skin of my teeth. Bison uses his momentum to spin himself. The pole is coming around again, vertical on approach. I jump out of the way, only for him to grab me. Shit, I messed up! He lets out the roar of a caveman; he throws me at the wall. Flesh slamming against metal rings in my ears. Intense pain surges through my back, aching like a bitch and a half.
"Damn! Proxy just got thrown like he was a piece of trash! Now that the Bison is using his pole, what will he do!?¡±
Biting back against the grueling pain, I force myself onto my feet. ¡°Don¡¯t count me out yet.¡±
¡°Wow, even after that, he¡¯s still ready to go!¡±
¡°Here I come, you brat!¡±
No use overthinking this. I just can¡¯t get hit by that thing, simple. He swings that piece of junk. I step forward, ducking under the pole. Not yet, he¡¯s going to go for another hit, like last time. I attempt to move away. Right when I¡¯m about to leave his range, the pole extends, becoming a meter longer. It¡¯s gonna hit!
"There you have it, gentlemen! He¡¯s extending his weapon! What we¡¯ve been waiting for. Is Proxy gonna die, or is he gonna be let off with a major beating!?"
Shit, too close. Barely dodged, but it cut open my forehead. Nothing serious, a bit of blood is leaking out. I¡¯d say it¡¯s cool, but blood getting in my eye sucks.
"Wanna give up, kid? Cause from here on out, it¡¯s only gonna be painful.¡±
¡°Shut up. Besides, why would I wanna quit? If you ask me, you¡¯re the one who should quit.¡±
¡°You ain¡¯t as tough as you think.¡±
¡°Then I''d say the same is true for you.¡± I walk closer to him, worrying little about that club of his. ¡°...I¡¯m not scared of you, or that weapon of yours. Fact is, I think you¡¯re not even worth my time, so hurry and make a move.¡±
The Bison growls, mimicking a dog ready to bite someone''s arm off. "Don''t make fun of me!"
He threw his pole overhead. Catching it, aiming to smash it against my head. Obviously, I rolled out of the way, missing the body-crushing blow. Now¡¯s my prime-time opportunity! I jump on the club, leaping off of it to drop kick this idiot¡¯s head. Both my feet rock his head back and forth.
"Proxy was able to deliver a blow to The Bison''s head! Can this attack turn the tables?"
No, but it''s a start. I flip my body around, making sure my feet are pointing at the ground before I touch it. The moment I landed, I rush back in before he can recover. I kick his knee again, crushing the cap beneath my foot. The sound of the bone grinding up against my foot, like when you crunch on some cereal. I keep hitting his knee, kicking harder to increase the damage.
The Bison howls, belting out his lungs.
"He went for his knee!"
When fighting a bigger opponent, reaching for their head is a no-go, and hitting their chest is useless since they''re likely gonna tank it. To anyone else, this fight would be suicidal. However, there¡¯s one thing people neglect: everything below the waist. Hitting him in the balls, knee caps, even his shin is going to force them to their knees. So the best thing to do is weaken their knees by hitting them over and over until they wanna call it quits.
Getting in one last hit, I back off, keeping him from grabbing me. Hit and run tactics work like a charm against these, especially when they telegraph their attacks.
"Stop running, you little bastard!"
"I¡¯m here fighting you. You¡¯re just too slow, that and brain dead.¡±
"Just shut up!"
¡°Come on, I just wanna talk to you¡ Don¡¯t tell me, you¡¯re shy!?¡±
¡°Be quiet it!¡±
¡°Oh my god, you are. I can totally see you blushing. So cute.¡±
Shut up, you little shit!¡±
He screams out his rage, a volatile, dangerous rage that seems to consume all rational thought in his head. Blind from his rage, he throws his weapon at me, spinning across the air. Perfect. I easily sidestep the attack. Metal stabbing into metal creates a distorted sound that dulls my hearing a bit, but I play it cool.
"Unbelievable! The Bison threw his weapon at Proxy, who dodged it in the nick of time!. Now it¡¯s stuck in the wall!"
The realization of his mistake dawns on him, making a stupid face that makes it even sweeter.
¡°Not too bright, aren¡¯t you? But hey, it¡¯s not your fault that your brain is small.¡±
Reaching the peak of his rage, he let out a visceral scream. I cover my ears since it¡¯s messing with my eardrums. Like a beast lost in its rage, he charges for me, swinging his arms every which way. He swings his arms at me. Each strike after the other is predictable, lacking rhythm or reason behind them. I think he¡¯s really gonna kill me if he gets his hands on me.
He joins his hands together to bring them down on me. He ends up hitting the ground right after I moved out of the way. I hop off his balled-up hands. The look of rage turns to disbelief. Not being able to accept that I¡¯m about to hit him again. A single heavy kick to the head is all it takes for him to fall backward. For the finishing blow, I drive my fist into his face, sandwiching his head against the ground and between my knuckles.
¡°Ready to go to sleep.¡±
Before he can utter a word, I stomp his face with my foot, breaking his nose under the weight of my foot. His eyes roll back into his head as his mouth gaps. Blood trickles out of his nose. It¡¯s over¡
"Did¡this kid actually beat him!? DAMN! Unbelievable! Let''s do the countdown, just in case. Starting from 5! 5¡4¡3¡2¡1¡0! Gentlemen, we have our winner: Proxy!"
Not a peep, even the air goes dead in this metal-clad arena¡ Okay, now this is awkward¡ Seriously, do I have to break it? Fine, whatever.
¡°Oh, yeah! I¡¯m the winner, baby! Go me!¡± Nothing¡just nothing. ¡°Hey, will you bastards cheer for me!?¡±
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Immediately, they start booing me. Every row, everyone is insulting me left and right, saying that the fight was rigged and all that shit.
¡°Don¡¯t blame me for you having shit gambling skills, you stupid sons of bitches! Wanna fight me, bring it!¡±
Well, at least they aren¡¯t looking down on me. If they¡¯re hating on me, then that means I showed them what¡¯s what.
"This isn''t over, you imp!¡±
All the hairs on my body stand up at the same time. I turn to see the Bison ramming me. My sense didn¡¯t go off since I¡¯m aware of him. I just didn¡¯t have the time to evade! He slams me against the wall, nearly crushing the organs inside me. He wails on me, beating me with one hand while the other pins me. Blocking is doing nothing. It still hurts like hell. If this keeps up, he¡¯ll crush me to death!
"Just die, you little bastard!"
Shit, not good, not good¡! Huh? Why didn¡¯t the next punch come? Opening my eyes, someone caught his fist right when he was going to hit me again.
"I think that''s enough. You lost. But you don¡¯t look like you¡¯re gonna listen, so...¡±
Gil goes for a high kick. It was a form-perfect kick, even I couldn¡¯t see it coming, and it wasn¡¯t even that fast. The Bison¡¯s head rattles from the kick, juggling his pea-brain. Topping it off, he delivers a straight punch to his chest. The blow, again, wasn¡¯t that fast, but he blew him back. He lands on his large back and a thud sound echoes¡ That¡¯s it? He beat him just like that!?
Gil leaves his fighting stance, wiping sweat off his brow. ¡°That takes care of that¡ Sorry about that. He¡¯s a bit of a sore loser."
¡°No¡problem¡¡±
My head is pounding. I can¡¯t think straight, let alone see right. Shit, he did more damage than I thought¡ I can''t keep awake. The last thing I hear is my body falling to the ground on the hard dirt floor.
¡
The audience continues to show their disapproval of the fight, insulting Proxy as he¡¯s carried out by the king. Despite the insurmountable odds, he was able to beat his foe. I¡¯m glad he could. He doesn¡¯t seem to be the kind of person to let such a thing go.
Chip sinks to the bottom of his seat, staring at the ceiling in a daze. "Damn, guess I got no sense in betting. Thought I had this one in the bag."
"I told you there was potential in him."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. This is what I deserve and all that junk, right?
¡°Not at all. You are free to bet on whoever you like. However, I do find it distasteful to bet on such battles, or any in general.¡±
Chip lets out a dry chuckle. ¡°So you¡¯re one of those folks, huh? I guess I understand, but I don¡¯t care either way. Why not make money off idiots who¡¯ll fight over the tiniest thing?¡±
¡°That¡¯s quite cruel.¡±
¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s how it is for guys like us. Besides, looks like I was an idiot today, so what do I know?¡±
In one light, his words are cruel, missing compassion for his fellow man. It¡¯s a horrible view to have, but it seems more so to do with another reason, less than it does for a lack of empathy. I met men who could care less for the lives of others. He does not seem to be that type of person. Perhaps it is from the intuition of my gut, yet I can¡¯t say I do not believe in it.
¡°I¡¯m leaving¡¡±
¡°Wait for me.¡±
¡°Why do you wanna be around me?¡±
¡°Because I don¡¯t have friends in here, and it was fun being around you and Proxy.¡±
¡°Seriously?¡±
¡°Is that an issue?¡±
Chip sucks his teeth, keeping his attention from me. "Do whatever, but don''t go acting like we''re friends, kay?"
"Okay, but aren''t we?"
"No!"
BlackRock - Gilhart¡¯s room - afternoon
My head feels comfy, like I''m lying on an angel''s lap. Pain floods my senses as I open my eyes. Whatever I''m laying on is doing the trick because the pain doesn''t even bother me.
Actually, where am I? I''m laying on a king-sized bed with a large fancy purple sheet with a gold outline layered on top of me. Looking around, there''s only a drawer next to me and a chair at my bedside. This room looks like a normal room, except for the king-sized bed. The vanilla white color of this room gives off a warm, comforting feeling.
"Um, hello?"
Figured no one would-- Hm? Footsteps? Walking into view, Gil is the one to appear. He''s holding a tray with food and some water.
"You''re up? How are you feeling?"
"I''m doing good. My head is pounding like a jackhammer."
"Jack-hammer?"
"Nothing, forget about it."
He takes a seat next to me. "Here, this is yours."
"What about the food there?"
"That''s mine. You want it?"
"What if I do?"
"No way, it''s mine. We can fight for it though."
"Yeah, that''s a losing battle..."
"Then--"
"...For you, that is. I''ll beat you and eat my fill!"
Gil stares at me, vacant in expression. Then, he just starts laughing like a madman. "That was kinda funny, Man. You got any more?"
Did he actually find that funny or is he just messing with me?
"Well, since I''m not looking for a fight right now, I''ll just take this."
I take the plate from his hands. On it, a slab of steak, steaming hot and with some sauce blanketed on it, mixing in with the aroma of freshly made steak¡ Did I die during the fight and go to heaven? If so, thank you, God!
"Are you crying?"
Oh, crap! Got too emotional!
"N-no, of course not! Thanks for the food!"
From a single bite, the texture is exquisite, releasing a juicy flavor that sits well on my tongue. The warm sensation of it going through my throat into my stomach feels so good! Between this and the bed, I really am in heaven! This place rocks!
"Seems like you''re enjoying the food."
"Yes...so very much!"
"Then you''ll enjoy this."
Gil tosses something on my lap. Looks like a credit card.
"What''s this?"
"That right there is a credit card. Cool, right!?" From his goofy grin, I don''t have the heart to tell him it isn''t. "These are given out when you win your first fight. But since yours was made today, and I forgot to give it to you, I decided to do it today."
I took the card off my lap. It has a Raccoon-looking thing mascot with wings on the front of the card. This is kina¡
"Cute...¡±
"Really?" No, shit! I didn¡¯t mean to say that out loud! Now he¡¯s gonna think I¡¯m weird or something! ¡°...Thanks, I was trying to make it that way.¡± Or maybe not. And hold up, he made it...? Hmm, not bad, the cartoony appearance fits well.
"You got talent. You know, I''m something of an artist myself."
His eyebrows widen, amazed by my talent. "You''re an artist, too!?"
"Course. I''d show you my artwork, but I don''t have my red book with me."
"You have a book of your art?"
"Yeah, it''s like signature tags for my work."
"I see. Maybe I should do one myself?"
"Do it, it''s super fun."
"Alright, if you say so!"
We had a bit of fun talking about designs for an art book for a little while. Been a while since I''ve been able to talk art with anyone, so it''s a good way to help me recover.
"...Anyway, back to the card. On there, it has a total of 25,000 CCP. I guess I should explain what that means. When you won your first fight, you won about 5,000 CCP to start. You get 5,000 whenever you win a fight. If you lose, you only gain 500, and this doesn¡¯t include the first fight."
I''m guessing anything below 1,000 CCP is like flaunting around a dollar while something like 25,000 CCP is like $25¡ My math might suck, but if I won two fights so far, that means I only earned about 5,000 CCP for both. Adding both of them should sum it up to 10,000 CCP.
"Wait, if I won the other match, shouldn''t I be at 10,000 CCP?"
"Ordinarily, but when I sponsor fights, the reward for the winner is increased by 20,000 CCP."
"Isn''t that a lot?"
"Not really. It''s a great reward if I say so myself. Besides, it''s rare for me to be out of my room."
"You a shut-in?"
¡°For a couple of reasons, I am, but¡¡±
He heads out of the room for a bit, returning with a piece of paper in hand.
"Here, look."
Let¡¯s see what we got here. Looks like a comic sketch, and the funny raccoon thing. It¡¯s unfinished, but it looks relatively fine.
"I began working on lots of these. I made a few about the Carbuncle from on the card."
So that thing is a Carbuncle? What is a Carbuncle even?
"This is my latest work. I was working on the name, but they never come to me as clearly as the drawings do."
A title is hard to do, mainly because you don''t want it to sound stupid. But how hard can it be in this case? Just gotta flex my creative muscles. Hmm¡ Got it!
"How about you name it¡ Carbuncle''s misadventures!"
"That¡¯s it! Simple, but a brilliant name for something like this. Let''s go with that."
"Glad to hear it. So, are you going to color in the panels?"
"I¡¯m not good at coloring in stuff. When I edge near the outline of a character or object, I get too nervous and mess up."
Ah, painting jitters. I understand all too well. When I started out, my hands would shake like crazy. Heh, feels like yesterday.
"Then you should let me color it. I¡¯m pretty good at painting stuff."
"You''d do that?"
"Yeah, I just need the tools to do it."
"They''re in my work area, but I think you should rest up first."
"Nah, I''m fine, see."
I jump out of bed, standing on my two feet. It still hurts to move but it isn''t back-breaking, so it¡¯s fine, mostly.
"Alright! Let¡¯s go then!"
He rushes out of the room, giddy like a kid who wants a new game. For a big guy, he sure can run. I thought he was going to be like one of those lazy cool guys who take nothing seriously, but I guess judging a person based on tropes is kind of rude. Besides, I¡¯m not exactly the one to talk¡ Aw, who cares? I¡¯m gonna take my mind off things and have some fun.
BlackRock prison - part 4
Chip and I are on our way to his cell. It had been an hour since the fight. I do not know where he is. I need to speak to him about Marie. If she truly is here, then¡
¡°You seem troubled.¡± Chip points out.
¡°Oh, me? No! I am perfectly fine.¡±
¡°Okay¡¡±
¡°Why did you ask?¡±
¡°I only did cause I was curious.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it¡ Wanna tell me to satiate it?¡±
¡°It is¡about my sister. I worry that she is throwing herself into jeopardy.¡±
¡°How old is she?¡±
¡°23, the same as I.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
Such a dry response. Ah, I get it. He wishes to not hear about me, but instead¡
¡°Then, how about your family?¡±
He ceases moving, keeping his cool gaze forward. ¡°I ain¡¯t got any.¡±
¡°Oh, then I am¨C¡±
¡°Save it. I don¡¯t care about that stuff, I just hate when people ask me about that stuff, ¡®specially guys like you.¡± Marie always did tell me I had a knack for saying the wrong thing. I should really learn to understand that. ¡°...Man, look it, I like being by myself, so can we just get going to my cell?¡±
¡°...Yes, okay¡¡±
We traveled the rest of the way in silence. Chip refused to speak any further with me. Perhaps I was insensitive? Of course, asking such a thing is personal, and I brought up the subject, so I must take responsibility, even if I had no knowledge of his family, I should be more careful.
¡°Chip!¡±
Before I could speak his name, another spoke it for me. Three men, all of them intimidating in muscle mass, their faces rugged, and their postures awful.
¡°Hey, Chip, where do you think you¡¯re going?¡±
The one in the middle of the trio moves and pushes me aside, putting their hands around Chip¡¯s shoulder. I feel nothing but malicious intent from them as they surround Chip.
¡°You know what day it is, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, I do¡¡±
¡°Then we''re gonna make a withdrawal and investment into our boss''s credit card¡ Unless you can¡¯t make payment?¡± He holds his tongue, staring down at the floor. ¡°You little shit!¡±
The man next to Chip crushes their knee against his stomach, making him spew saliva as he buckles to his knees.
"Bastard! Think you can skimp out on us, huh!?"
He takes another hit to his head. Quick to receive the hit, I take a hold of his wrist, pulling him away from Chip.
"Who are you, pretty boy?" one goon asks, scowling at me.
"I think you men should cut it out. You clearly are... Hmm... Thugs! That is it!"
The one hitting Chip grabs me, swaying me ever which way. He appears rather angry. "Say that again, pretty boy?"
"I said, I think you should--"
A rough impact crashes against my stomach, making me cough out my breath.
"Wanna run that again, pretty boy? Now get lost!"
Peering at their shoulders, I noticed a flame marking inked on them. That is not just a flame, but with a person standing in the middle of it, watching as the flames blankets them; similar to a phantom in the flame. A Fire Wraith!?
"Sorry, but I think you should--"
Once again, I was struck in the gut, leaving me breathless as I clutch my stomach. I refuse to yield.
"Wrong answer! Wanna die, punk?"
"No, but I refuse to leave this situation as is."
Instead of listening to my request, they hit me in the stomach again, then striking my chest. My knees refuse to buckle to the ground. The other thug hit me in the side with his foot. They begin to unleash an onslaught of kicks and punches that belt against my ribs, rattling them with each hit.
I''ll end up majorly injured if this continues, but I refuse to give up. No matter how many times I am kicked, punched, or pushed, I shall not allow them to deter me. If I cannot overcome this adversity!
"What the...!?"
The continuous attacks stopped. I take a gander, seeing a guard effortlessly take down the three thugs with a staff in hand. Their movement is fluid, speeding along with a merciless style that takes full use of the staff''s flexibility to strike them all, even when he was so close to them. Taking out the last of them with a flourish, he came to help me up.
"Thank you, kind sir."
He leaps forward at me, wrapping his arms around me¡ Hmm, this is...an odd, rather bizarre situation I have found myself in. Instead of responding with his words, he is hugging me, squeezing me with all his strength.
"Um, thank you...I suppose."
"It''s been too long. I''m just glad to see you again."
"Oh, um...do I know you?"
"Brother, it''s me, Marie!"
She lifts her visor, revealing her face. Marie¡ Marie! This is Marie!? Emotion wells within me, almost overtaking my body. I fight back the urge to cry in front of her.
"What are you doing here? Why are you here?"
"I''m here to save you, and it shows."
"You''re here to break me out?"
"Duh."
I knew that''s the reason, and how could I not.
"No, you need to leave, now."
"Not without you, brother, and I won''t take no for an answer."
Against my will, she starts dragging me away elsewhere, away from Chip, whose baffled face mimics my own..
"Where are you taking me?"
"To Proxy''s cell. He''s--
"I already know who he is, and he told me you were coming, but why do you know him?"
"It''s a long story. Just follow me there."
"But you''re dragging me there!"
"Don''t be such a baby, brother!"
And so, we made our way to Proxy''s cell. Other prisoners on the way there saw us. If they had known the person under the uniform was my sister, the humiliation would mortify me for the rest of my days.
BlackRock - morning
Gil and I decided to hang out in the hall after work. It was long, hand wrecking, and strenuous work, but we finished the first half of coloring the panels for Gil''s comic. But holy shit, I never imagined how tedious it is to draw in those characters, let alone the backgrounds. Now I know why manga creators don''t use color in their work.
"Thanks for coloring in the panels today," Gil thanked me.
"No problem." I was massaging my drawing hand.
"I can''t believe you got so much done in a single day.¡±
"Nah, it was nothing."
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Do you think you can get the rest done?"
"I don''t know. What do I get in exchange?"
I was only kidding, but since I brought it up, I actually wanna see where I can go with this.
"Well, you are working for me, so... 8,000 CCP a page."
So 8,000 per page¡ Holy shit, I would be made, screw that, I''d be as rich as a Don boss! I could buy anything I like in this prison¡ But what can I buy besides food?
"Hey, Gil, what else could I buy with CCP?"
"The prison issues magazines once a month, so anything on there is set. You could also use old ones as well. Of course, the list is picked by the guards, making sure nothing dangerous is brought in.¡±
¡°Sounds about right.¡±
You know, what do prisoners do other than just fighting and walking around this place?
"Is there anything else to do in this place besides fighting?"
"Not really. But I did hear that prisoners were taken from here to work somewhere else. They stopped doing it though."
Come to think of it, back in the Hell Mine, the Warden said they used prisoners. Wouldn''t be too farfetched to say used these guys. Well, not like they can keep doing it now, with the place being destroyed and all.
Gil stops moving. He darts his eyes down 4 stories down, leaning over the rail. Wonder what¡¯s down there? I fix my view on where he¡¯s staring. If I think I got it right, then he¡¯s looking at some dude being led by guards.
"Whoa, look at him. He¡¯s got the VIP treatment. Who is he? Gil?"
He isn''t listening to me. He''s too busy trying to stare holes into that old dude; squeezing the rails, practically bending the damn thing.
"Whoa there! You''re leaning too far out there. You should watch out, or you''ll fall over, dude."
The ¡°I wanna kill him¡± vibe washes away. The pissed-off face he was making gets replaced with a goofy grin.
"Sorry, sort of lost myself there for a moment."
"Nah, nothing to be sorry about, for there are times when the great Proxy was distracted like that as well."
I regaled him with stories of how clumsy I was when I started pulling pranks, and stuff like that. What made him angry is beyond me, but I know that he¡¯s doing better now, so I guess it¡¯s alright, for now. We approached my cell as I finished my last story.
"Well, it was nice talking to you by ourselves today, Proxy. I hope we can become good friends," Gil says, flashing a friendly smile. He extended his arm to me. Of course, I shake it.
"Yeah, I''ll see you around then."
¡°Come by whenever you can. I¡¯ll have everything ready for you.¡±
¡°Cool, I¡¯ll swing by tomorrow.¡±
I open my cell door, ready to get some shut-eye for the day. As I was getting ready to relax, someone was already on my bed, that being Alex and a guard.
¡°Umm¡hello?¡±
Not too sure how I should handle this, so I better be careful.
"Proxy, we have been waiting for you," Alex says.
"Yeah, why are you here? Better yet, what''s with the guard?"
"It''s me Proxy." The guard takes off the helmet, showing that it¡¯s Marie under there. ¡°So stuffy,¡± she complained, fixing her hair.
¡°So you guys linked up?¡± I ask, expecting one of them to answer.
¡°Yes, she aided Chip and me.¡±
¡°Well, ain¡¯t that sweet. But hey, now that you caught up, we can leave, right?"
"About that¡ I am grateful for you two coming. However, it was a waste of a trip."
¡°Brother?¡±
¡°...I must ask for you two to leave without me.¡±
This is my cell, so if anyone¡¯s leaving, he is.
"Brother, we already talked about this. We''re all leaving this prison together."
Wait, what does that mean? Don¡¯t tell me¡¡±
"You know as well as I do what shall happen if I do. The both of you need to leave this prison, immediately."
"Why? We came to save you!" Marie argues back, yelling the words in earshot.
"I know, but I''m here on purpose, and you know why."
"It¡I don¡¯t care if they come at us! I¡¯ll kill them all if I have to!¡±
"Kill who?¡±
"None of your business!"
Okay, now this is pissing me off. I¡¯m a part of this conversation, whether or not they like it.
"Marie, what in the hell is he talking about? Killing who? Stop ignoring me and give me an answer!"
Staring away from me, they continue to act coy. That¡¯s until Alex turns to me, shooting a serious look that sent a bit of a shiver down my spine.
"...A group of bandits had me imprisoned here."
"A group of bandits? That''s it? Nunnal¨¦ and I can kick their asses."
"They''re much more than a group of bandits,¡± Marie says, acknowledging my involvement in all of this. ¡°...They''re a group that''s been growing in power over 7 years now, with people who live outside the kingdom. As said, they are bandits, so they steal from those who are weak, kill others that refuse them," she explains with a serious, yet somber expression.
"Wait, then why is he in prison instead of being dead?"
"That''s..."
Marie¡¯s lip quivers as she touches her shoulder, which is covered by her uniform. This ain¡¯t good. I don''t need Richard to tell me I stepped on a landmine.
"You know what? It doesn''t matter. What happens if we bust him out?"
"I was told if he were to escape the prison somehow, then I would suffer the consequences for it." Guess someone must''ve broken out of here before then. They wouldn''t need to say that if it weren''t possible. "...They also know where we live."
So that means¡!
"You knew about this, and you still came to save this guy!?"
She turns to me, rage brimming from her face, directing it at me. "This ''guy'' is my brother! What else am I supposed to do!?"
"You could''ve told me!"
"You would''ve stopped me! I didn''t even plan on you coming anyway, so you get no right to talk!"
"Bullshit, of course I do! If you busted him out, we¡¯d¨C"
"Enough!" His raised voice makes my ears jump up. ¡°Please, calm down, both of you. I do not wish to be the center of discourse."
Damn it, I know she just wants to rescue her bro, but she¡¯s putting our necks on the line without us knowing it.
"I''ll ask again: I wish for the both of you to return to camp.¡±
"You already know what I''m gonna say!"
"Marie..."
The both of them went on bickering again. They''re never gonna shut up at this point, and I doubt these doors are sound proof... Now I feel like I''m the bad guy. Not like I wanna leave him behind, but I have to think about Richard, Nunnal¨¦, and everyone else... Wish we can move Alex out here without anyone knowing... Move...moving... Move!
If we leave, we don¡¯t have to worry about bandits, but that means leaving him here. Not that I would feel bad about leaving him in this place, I¡¯d have to say I chickened out, and I ain¡¯t the type to leave things half-finished. So what the hell do we do? All we need to do is just get up and move¡ Oh my god, that¡¯s it!
¡°We just need to move," I yell, having the biggest brain blast of my life.
The siblings turn their heads to me, breaking from their heated screaming match.
"What did you say, Proxy?" Alex asks, forwarding his brow.
"We just need to move the camp to somewhere else, somewhere the bandits won''t find us! Why didn''t I think of this before? As a matter of fact, why didn¡¯t you guys!?"
Seriously, this is a simple problem with a simple solution. I¡¯m a genius!
"That¡¯s¡not a bad idea! Brother, that¡¯s not a bad idea!¡± Yes, yes, praise me more! ¡°...Looks like you can think after all, Proxy.¡±
¡°Hey! I think of a lot of things!¡±
¡°But we would need to find a place to move to so everyone can fit,¡± Marie stated.
"Then we should get Ovan on that," I suggest.
"What about the escape plan?" Marie brings up, keeping pace with this rapid-fire conversation.
"We''ll worry about that later. For now, let''s just get the word out to Ovan about moving camp."
¡°Kinda concerned about that part, but got it!¡±
I point to Alex. "As for you, Alex. Now that we got everything worked out, we''re getting you out of here. I came this far, might as well bust you out, and if you have a problem with that, then I''ll just knock you out and drag you outta here myself."
Alex goes flabbergasted, his eyes widen. After a second, he just starts busting a gut, slapping his knee, the whole mile
¡°That¡¯s funny?"
"Yes, no¡yes¡NO!¡± He can¡¯t control himself. Did I really say something that funny? ¡°...I was simply laughing at how the tables had turned on this situation with such a simple answer; it¡¯s comical..." He stomps his foot to the ground with a sort of style that made it seem like he was a big shot. "Very well then! From this day forward, we shall dedicate ourselves to escaping this place!"
Dumbass, don¡¯t yell it out for everyone to hear!
"Keep it down, moron!" Marie scolds Alex by bopping him on the head.
"Ow, ow... My apologies. But on a serious note, we must move the camp before we escape."
It¡¯ll probably take a bit to do that, so we¡¯re gonna have to hang around here for a while. Guess this wraps everything up. Might as well get some shut-eye.
¡°I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±
¡°Then, shall we leave?¡±
¡°Nah, you guys might probably wanna catch up, so do it here. No one even knows we¡¯re all in here, so don¡¯t sweat it.¡±
I hop into the top bunk, facing the black stained wall, getting ready to go out like a light.
¡°Proxy,¡± Marie says, noticeably more feminine than usual. ¡°...thank you.¡±
For a moment there, she sounded kind of cute, a little shy too. If she sounded like that more often... Nah, it would be weird.
¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Just don¡¯t make too much noise.¡±
That¡¯s the first time I ever heard her thank me, let alone sound so feminine¡ Gah, what the hell am I thinking? It¡¯s not like I did it to be thanked. She just needed my help, so I just did what I did. I''m gonna get some shut eye!
...
"So they''re planning to escape . . ."
I¡¯m sitting outside my cell, waiting for the blondie and the guard to leave. I just wanted to get some z¡¯s, but when I heard some voices coming from inside, that made it hard to do. From what I heard, they were hatching an escape plan. The kid and blondie were in there, but the other one is a mystery to me, except for the fact it¡¯s a chick¡
This might be my only shot at escaping this shothole. Staying here is gonna get me killed, so I rather roll the dice and try my luck. Better than being beaten to death.
7/ 6 - Black rock prison - cafeteria - morning
It''s been a few days since we''ve planned on moving the camp. A fool-proof plan hasn¡¯t come to mind yet, not even a good plan. To be honest, the only thing I could come up with is a prison riot, but I don¡¯t have any idea on how to start one.
Most of the prisoners are gawking at me, watching me eat my delicious food. Those idiots are probably waiting for me to let my guard down, but they¡¯ll never catch me with my pants down.
"I see you¡¯re eating fancy." Chip sits next to me. Oh, I know what you want, guess what? I got it! I throw a bag of chips into his hands. "Thanks."
¡°Course.¡±
He tears open the bag, throwing the chips into his mouth, one at a time. "How¡¯s the prison treating you?"
"You know, like a king. I''ve been in more fights over the past few days, so I''ve been racking in the big bucks. What about you? I haven¡¯t seen much of you."
"Just working for CCP. What, concerned about me?" sarcastically, he curls the left end of his mouth.
"Not really."
"Cold." He balls up the bag after emptying it. "Proxy, I know you plan to break out of here."
Wha¡!? How the hell does he know that!? Was he listening in on us the other night? Why was he bringing it up now? Shit, what do we do now? If he goes and snitches, then we¡¯re screwed!
¡°Don¡¯t worry ¡®bout me snitching or whatever. The only fact that matters is this¡ I wanna bust out of here with you guys.¡±
BlackRock prison - part 5
7/6 - Blackrock prison - morning
"He knows," Marie shrieks in my ear.
"Easy, easy! I''m standing right here." After eating breakfast, Chip told me to get Alex and Marie to our cell. And as soon as I broke the news, Marie shouted in my ear.
"How does he know? Did you tell him?" Why am I being yelled at? Not my fault he was listening in on us. I wonder if I can just leave the room? "Hey, are you listening to me!?¡±
"Yeah, I hear you loud and clear, so stop yelling in my freakin¡¯ ear already? He was eavesdropping, not that surprising since he sleeps in here."
"So, I guess it''s all our faults..." She was rubbing her forehead with a disgruntled look. I wouldn''t say it''s all our fault, but speaking in here was like begging for someone to eavesdrop.
"Can I interject for a sec?" Chip slips into the room, quick to close the door behind him. "Sup.¡±
"So, this is the guy?" Marie asks, placing a hand on her spear.
"You guys should''ve at least invited me since we¡¯re gossiping about me."
¡°What do you want?¡±
"What do you think? I wanna talk about escaping this joint." You can take a kitchen knife and cut the tension in here. Marie is waiting for him to do anything worth skewering him over. "Now, I''m gonna go on a whim here and say you don''t have a plan yet, don¡¯t you?" Chip guessed.
"Pretty much."
"Proxy," Marie shouts into my ear for the umpteenth time.
"Okay, seriously, stop yelling in my ear!? It hurts. And besides, it doesn''t matter at this point. Might as well say it."
Chip sits on the bottom bunk bed, locking his fingers into one-another. "I wanna make a deal. Wanna hear it?"
"Yes," Alex accepts, crossing his arms.
"Okay, this is the deal: you guys let me escape with you and I''ll come up with the escape plan. That includes getting anything we need. Not a bad deal, if I say so myself."
Nothing wrong with it as far as I can tell. Besides, if he wants to help, why not? Two guitarists are better than one. That way, you get a rocking album!
"This deal is quite reasonable. Very well, let us collaborate."
Alex is the one to make the last shot. Dude said almost nothing during this whole snafu. Did he just want to sound cool by making the final decision? Not that I¡¯m complaining.
"Alright, now that¡¯s decided: the first thing we need to do is couple in our earnings. Proxy, how much CCP do you have?"
"I think I have over 40,000 CCP."
"That''s good. Blondie, how much you got?"
"I currently have none in my possession."
Alex, you''re killing us here, man.
"Bummer, but not the end of the world. The kid has more than enough money to cover us, but you should start racking in some CCP."
Earnings¡work¡ I swear I¡¯m forgetting something¡ Oh, shit, Gil!
"Sorry, guys, I have to go!" I swing open the door.
"Where are you going?" Chip asks.
"I gotta go. There''s something I forgot to do today!"
"Proxy, when you coming back?" Marie asked.
"I''ll be back later. Just make the plan without me!"
I closed the door, booking it as fast as I can. Gil and the comic totally slipped my mind. Hopefully, he isn''t pissed.
Some ?inmates greet me when I passed them by. I¡¯m pretty famous for beating the Bison and other inmates, despite my age. It''s like back in NewPort Island, except I''m not getting in trouble for it. This is just too awesome!
Almost at Gil¡¯s room, I really hope he¡¯s not angry. Hm, is that Gil down there? No, his figure is different, it¡¯s bigger. He comes into view from the other side of the hall. Alarm bells go off in my head, screaming at me to stay away from him!
He¡¯s being escorted by guards, restraining his hands and feet by the joints.
"Excuse me, little boy, are you lost?" His voice is soft but there was something dangerous about it, and his oddly muscular figure wasn''t helping his case. "You''re that boy, the little fighter. I was impressed with the Bison.¡± Every word he utters makes my muscles tense up, the alarm gets louder and louder, and my nerves are all tangled up. ¡°...Why don''t you fight me?"
No, stay away from me, you monster!
"You should leave, now!¡±
Gil, who¡¯s behind me, pulls me away from the monster.
"Oh, I apologize. I suppose I should be on my way. Have a nice day, you two."
Right as the guards lead him away, he forces them to stop dead in their tracks.
"Gil, since you are here, why don¡¯t fight?¡±
"I don¡¯t need to, you old bastard.¡±
That¡¯s new. I¡¯ve never heard him curse before. Doesn¡¯t even seem like the type.
"That is a shame. Then I''ll have to ask another time when it''s appropriate. As for you, little one. I changed my mind. A fighter who''s so scared that he steps back in fear is not worth my time. Perhaps you are nothing more than a bottom feeder."
What? My right foot¡? Why is it behind my left? Was I really afraid¡? Me, afraid!? What the hell is this bullshit!? I dart off to the old bastard. Gil grabs my jumpsuit.
"Let me go!"
"Leave him, you wouldn''t win against him."
"What?"
"Just let it go¡ You wouldn¡¯t last a minute."
Bullshit, I¡¯m not that weak! Who the hell does this old man think he is!?
¡°Screw that! Hey, you old bastard! Come here and fight me right now, you hear me!? I said come back here!¡± He can''t get away with that! ¡°I¡¯m not a goddamn bottom feeder! No one''s gonna call me a weakling, so get the hell back here! You hear me!¡±
BlackRock Prison - Gil''s room - afternoon
Unfinished pages sprawled in front of me, coloring only 50% complete if I''m estimating this. Each of my fingers is numb with little to no strength in them¡ This sucks. I can''t concentrate on any of this crap.
"I brought food."
Gil''s voice catches my attention, though barely. He puts a tray in front of me, as well as a drink.
"Sorry, I ain''t hungry."
"It''s fine. Eat when you need to."
How can I? That old bastard¡
"Who was that guy, Gil?"
As if I asked something taboo, he turns away from me. "...You can''t fight him."
"Says who?"
"Me. Proxy, fighting him is suicide, I guarantee you that."
"Well, that''s none of your business! I''ll fight whoever I want."
¡°Don¡¯t say that! I understand you won some fights in the ring, but that man is different, he¡¯s¡¡±
¡°What, you saying I¡¯m weak?¡± He doesn¡¯t give me an answer, but his silence is more than enough. So that¡¯s how it is, huh? ¡°...Whatever, I¡¯m out of here.¡±
¡°Wha¨C Why?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not gonna hang with people who look down on me.¡±
I walk out of his room. This unnerving anger persists, only getting hotter and hotter, practically running down the hall. In the spiral hall, I just keep running, running, and running. I don¡¯t even know where I¡¯m going, I just want to get away from here¡ Well shit, looks like it¡¯s my lucky day. The source of all my anger is in front of me. What a lucky break.
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Hey, you old son of a bitch.¡±
The guards suddenly lunge forward, halting their movement. Color me impressed, the dude stopped them with his own strength.
¡°Boy,¡± he calls, in that old raspy voice. ¡°...you know it is not nice to call people such profane names?¡±
¡°Like I give a shit. Get rid of those guards and fight me.¡±
¡°Whatever do you¨C¡±
¡°Quit messing with me! A second ago, you stopped those guards with your own power! So get rid of them and let¡¯s see who¡¯s stronger!¡±
¡°Ah¡ I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°After all the shit you said, sorry won¡¯t¨C¡±
¡°I am sorry for implanting the idea we are of the same league. Allow me to rectify this mistake.¡± He drags the guards behind him, who¡¯re practically dogs being dragged by their leashes. ¡°...Just because you can defeat those weaker than you does not mean you are strong.¡± Weaker? That¡¯s not right, those guys were. No, everyone I ever fought was¡ ¡°It seems you are puzzled, then allow me to ask you this: were you ever bored with fighting?¡±
That¡¯s bullshit, all of it. I¡¯m not bored with fighting¡ I¡I¡
¡°I do not wish to speak to you anymore, le¨C¡± Impulse takes hold. My feet move with a mind of their own. I strike his jaw. A rock-hard impact dulls the front of my fist. ¡°A meager bite¡¡±
¡°Mea¨C¡±
The word failed to come out. A kick pushes into my ribs. My body crashes through a cell, the walls of the cell meet with my back. The sound of skin smacking against the paved stone walls is all I hear and feel. Footsteps echo inside this small room, louder than my heartbeat.
¡°Boy, in battles with the strong, losing means death...¡±
He leaves, letting that hang in the air inside this claustrophobic cell, ?growing smaller as I sit on my ass.
That last bit, I get it. It was his way of saying I wasn¡¯t even worth it, like I was a piece of trash under his shoe. This is bullshit! I¡¯ve beaten people taller, older, and stronger than me! What the hell would he know...!? But were they stronger? Was I ever really challenged? Were any of them fun...? Shit!
Stumbling to my feet, the pain in my side isn¡¯t dying down, though it doesn¡¯t even bother me. I just¡I don¡¯t want to think about what that old bastard said.
¡°Looks like you didn¡¯t listen to my warning.¡± I don¡¯t even need to look up to see that it¡¯s Gil. ¡°I told you not to.¡±
¡°Wanna say you told me so? Just say it.¡±
¡°I did, but that doesn¡¯t matter¡ All I just wanted to say is sorry.¡±
¡°Hm!?¡±
¡°What I said wasn¡¯t a lie. You fighting him would be a bad idea, but I wasn¡¯t looking down on you.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°I¡just didn¡¯t want you to fight him.¡±
¡°Why do you even care if I do? I just wanna know.¡±
¡°Because we¡¯re friends.¡±
¡°But we barely know each other.¡±
¡°You helped me with my novel, even before I said I was going to pay you, so that makes us friends.¡±
Friends, huh? No one is that quick to say someone is their friend unless they rarely had any. Kinda reminds me of myself.
¡°Listen," I mutter, biting back the building embarrassment I feel. "...Umm, I¡¯m¡sorry, for acting like an ass, and I won¡¯t make any excuses. So, do you accept my apology?¡±
Gil is just giving me a million-mile stare. But then, out of nowhere, the dude busts a gut. His loud ass voice reverberates inside this spiral. Everyone¡¯s staring and it ain¡¯t the ¡°look at those badasses¡± kind of stares!
¡°Wha-what¡¯s so funny!?¡±
¡°Nothing, nothing¡ It¡¯s funny. I came here to apologize to you. Life is funny that way, isn¡¯t it?¡±
Why is everyone laughing at me these days? Not like I''m some damn stand-up comedian or something like that.
¡°I¡I guess! But it ain¡¯t that funny, damnit!¡± The bastard is still laughing! Come on, I¡¯m trying to be serious here! He could at least take me seriously during all this. Eventually, he settles down, looking at me with a dead-serious expression.
¡°You still want to learn about him, Proxy?¡±
He probably means the old man. Everything about that old man is strange. It¡¯s not just his strength but his presence¡ It was terrifying to be in the same space as him. Then there¡¯s what he said, ¡°Boy, in battles with the strong, losing means death¡±. No way he¡¯s an ordinary fighter¡
¡°Tell me everything.¡±
"For one, he''s a death row inmate."
"Death Row!?"
Gil leans against the rail, letting out a breath.
"That old man is a death row inmate. They''re kept in a separate part of the prison."
"Are they allowed to be here?"
"Not all of them are, only one of them is, and he just left."
"What¡¯s with the VIP treatment? Actually, I don¡¯t really care about that. Is he a fighter?"
"Yeah. In the death row part of the jail, their rings are different. In ours, you bite, claw, and jab someone¡¯s eyes out, but we aren¡¯t allowed to kill."
"Let me guess: killing in the Death Row arena is allowed, right?"
He nods, confirming my guess. ¡°The fights in there are to the death. The winner of the fight will be scheduled to fight another battle soon after."
So they use matches as an execution method. That¡¯s pretty freaking brutal.
¡°How many death matches has he been in?"
¡°Over 100 matches,¡± he answers with a solemn look.
¡°Over 100!¡±
"He¡¯s more dangerous than any other fighter in this place, so I would suggest staying away from him.¡±
If that old man and I hadn¡¯t fought earlier, I would¡¯ve blown up at Gil, but that kick alone nearly broke a few of my ribs. Besides, the thought of fighting that old man seriously is a terrifying one.
"Proxy, I never got to ask, but why are you here?"
"Oh, you know, started a brawl in the middle of town."
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Just felt like it. What about you?¡±
He puts his hand below his chin. "Well, I wouldn¡¯t say mine is anything special. I¡¯m in for raiding the royal kitchen."
Royal kitchen, aye¡? Man, I¡¯d kill just to see what they got.
"I didn''t take you for the natural trouble maker?"
"I guess, but if I was going to get locked up for anything, then why not grab a bite to eat from the best kitchen?"
¡°Too true. But wait, did you want to get locked up?¡±
Saying that makes him shy away from me. Touchy subject, got it.
¡°Ah, never mind, just ignore me.¡±
Smooth¡
¡°Hey, I¡¯m feeling kind of tired. Wanna work together tomorrow, or is that¡¡±
¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool, man. I¡¯ll swing by tomorrow.¡±
"That¡¯s great¡ And again, I am sorry for making it look like I was looking down on you.¡±
¡°Like I said, water under the bridge?¡±
¡°What bridge?¡±
¡°D-dude, it¡¯s just a saying. Ya know, like, it¡¯s all good man. That sort of thing.¡±
¡°Ah, sorry. Not exactly up to date with the kind lingo.¡±
Is it even lingo? You know what, whatever; it doesn¡¯t even matter.
¡°Anyhow, I¡¯ll see you later, man.¡±
¡°See you later, Proxy.¡±
We walk our own way, heading for our cells. Glad I made up with him, I guess I was the one in the wrong on all this. Man, I bet I looked like a real asshole. Still, that old bastard. Just thinking about him pisses me the hell off! I wanna kick the shit out of him, even if he begs for me to stop¡! But would I be able to hurt him? That old man punt the crap out of me before I had time to move. Even if my guard is down, I¡¯m normally able to move out of the way of an attack¡ When did I stop enjoying fighting? Don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m feeling freaking excited now!
Making it to my cell, I swing open the door to the three, or rather two, schemers inside.
Marie was close to throwing on her helmet until she saw me. ¡°Don¡¯t give me a heart attack.¡±
¡°Sorry, just thought I could have my cell to myself like I¡¯m supposed to.¡±
¡°Stop whining. We¡¯re already done."
¡°Who said I was whining, huh!?¡±
¡°I did, cause you are.¡±
¡°Huh, sorry, can¡¯t hear ya! My hearing blows.¡±
¡°Why you little¡!?¡±
Chip claps his hands, interrupting our little barking match. ¡°Come on, are we gonna explain the plan, cause I wanna break out of this place.¡±
Marie shoots a glance at Chip, then sits back on the bed like some pouty princess.
"Okay, we got everything planned out, so you guys better listen up." Why is he giving me and Alex weird looks? "I thought about making guard uniforms, but the materials needed either cost too damn much or aren''t on the catalog used for shopping. So this got me thinking of a couple of other ways of getting out of here. Course, most of them sucked ass, so they weren¡¯t going to work. That¡¯s because I never had a sure-fire way of knowing when the gondola would be at the dock, or how many guards were guarding both docks."
That is a problem. We would need to knock out the guards on the dock to get the hell out of here.
"We could knock them out, but that would be bad if the other end noticed what¡¯s going on. From what I heard, they keep in contact with the other end.¡±
¡°So, how do we get them out of the way?¡± I ask. ¡°...Wait, can we start a riot?¡±
At that moment, everyone, except Alex, stares at me, looking disappointed.
¡°Is he stupid?¡± Chip asks Marie, sharing an astonished look.
Marie nods. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s pretty sad.¡±
¡°Kiss my ass!¡±
Didn''t have to go that hard on me just cause I had an idea, like what the hell.
¡°No, man, we¡¯re gonna drug them,"
"That''s where I come in," Marie proudly said. I''m gonna be the one to drug the guards on the docks."
"Then, blondie and I are gonna hit the control room. That way, we can open the main door to the outside. Course, this part comes before your part."
Control room... Wait, are they thinking of doing what I think they¡¯re doing?
"Dude, are going for a¨C¡±
"Nope."
And like that, my hopes and dreams shattered like glass.
"Then what? We just leave the prison, just like that?"
"Well, it''s not as easy as walking out the front door. There''s another crucial step, and you¡¯re the only one who can do it, kid.¡±
Now we''re talking! Was getting scared that they would leave me out of the action.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Simple, pick a fight.¡±
I smack my fist into my other hand. ¡°Now that¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about. Just tell me what I gotta do?¡±
Whoever it is, I¡¯ll beat them! No if, ands'', or buts''! But the fight better be challenging.
¡°Well, to be frank, this ain¡¯t gonna be easy." Hell yeah! "...Are you ready?"
¡°Yeah, yeah. Just give it to me straight. Who do you want me to mess up?¡±
BlackRock Prison - Gilhart''s room - evening
I stand in front of Gil¡¯s door, nervous to take my first steps into the room. You can cut the surrounding tension with a knife, I mean, for real. I know I said I would kick anyone¡¯s ass, but I¡¯m not too sure about this time. Wait, no, I can totally do it! But like¡ Shit, no sense in tip-toeing around this.
Knocking on his door, I prep myself. This is gonna be an awkward ass conversation, I¡¯ll tell you that. Surprising enough, he opens the door. His hair is a mess, almost like he just got out of bed.
"Proxy? Don¡¯t you know that it¡¯s kinda late?"
I rub the back of my head, giving no eye contact. "Yo¡Gil. We kinda need to talk."
"What''s wrong?"
"Nothing, it''s just¡" Yeah, I¡¯ve never asked a friend to fight me, so this is a first for me. Come on, man, just think of it like he¡¯s some punk from the streets. ¡°...You and me, we¡¯re gonna duke it out!¡±
Gil looks at me with the most clueless expression a guy could give you. ¡°Huh?¡±
I totally feel like a dork now.
BlackRock prison - part 6
7/9 - BlackRock prison - morning
"You want to fight me?" Gil repeated my request, shell-shocked by what I can tell.
"Yeah! What do ya say?"
Gil jumps to freaking out, flailing his arms around like he¡¯s some air balloon. "Are you still angry at me? I mean, I get why, but I don¡¯t wanna fight you."
"What? No! We''re cool on that."
"Then why do you wanna fight me?"
"Just for fun."
"Fun?"
"Exactly. Nothing else to it, just some good ol¡¯ brawl between good friends."
Not like I know what that would be like, but you know, gotta keep the ball going.
¡°So, you just wanna have fun? I see... Fine then.¡± Jackpot, baby! ¡°...However, this will be an official match, so we¡¯ll have to register it. And since any match I enter turns to a title match, we¡¯ll have to wait for my arena to be ready."
¡°How long is that gonna take?¡±
¡°Two days, at most.¡±
"Actually, can we go in three days? I wanna prep myself."
"Sure."
Score! Just bought us some time. Time to skedaddle on out of here.
"Well, I¡¯m gonna get out of your hair. See ya in three days¡ Actually, can I still come over to do comics?¡±
"Sure."
Sweet. At least we still get to hang out before we duke it out. Plus, a little money doesn¡¯t hurt, right?
¡°Then I¡¯ll see you in the morning.¡±
¡°Okay, see you later.¡±
I moonwalk, then spin around to walk properly. Okay, first hurdle cleared. All I gotta do is head back and report on the results. Though, if I¡¯m being honest, when Chip told me to challenge Gil, my brain nearly popped out of my head. I can¡¯t say I¡¯m afraid, but I didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d take it well, so I was kinda reserved. But since he¡¯s good with it, then I ain¡¯t gonna complain.
The halls are dead quiet. Not a soul is left standing in the halls. Kinda reminds me of those quiet nights in the city. Cars would pass by the streets, barely a person on the sidewalk, yet it always put me on guard because you never knew who was out at night.
Further down the spiral walkway, Alex is waiting for me. Seems chipper as usual despite being an inmate. The dude either has no fear or is pretty carefree. Well, as long as he¡¯s enjoying himself, then why should I burst his bubble? Besides, not like I¡¯m not having fun myself.
¡°Were you successful?¡± he asks me.
¡°Totally.¡±
"Are you nervous?" Alex asked me.
"About the fight? I''m looking forward to it."
"You must enjoy fighting?"
"Pretty much. It''s what I live for."
"Why for?"
"Well, I can''t put it into the exact words, but I guess because it excites me."
I never really thought about the reason, and why should I? Fighting people on equal footing is fun as hell¡ Fun. Huh, when was the last time I felt that? It''s a feeling that¡¯s been fading out while I was hanging around NewPort, fighting punks¡ Damnit, I¡¯m just pissing myself off.
"...Is that?" Alex points to a group of suspicious-looking dudes heading towards a gate I¡¯m not familiar with. In the middle of the group, Chip¡¯s squeezed between them all, uncomfortable.
"I wonder what he''s doing," I asked myself.
¡°...He seems to be heading for the death row wing.¡±
Death row, huh¡ If those guys are gonna do something to Chip, then we¡¯ll need to step in. Chip is our only way out of here, so we need to make sure he doesn¡¯t get killed or something like that.
¡°Come on,¡± I tell Alex, moving as low as possible.
¡°Are you sure this is the best course of action?¡±
¡°Scared?¡±
¡°Perish the thought. If an ally is in need, then I shall be there.¡±
Good to know he isn¡¯t spineless. Guess he¡¯s just fearless after all. I just hope he¡¯s not gonna hold me down when it comes to a fight.
BlackRock prison - Death row ward - evening
We roam through the dark, cold, and isolating halls of the Death row ward. I¡¯m lightening my steps to keep a low profile. Not like anyone¡¯s gonna jump out of their cells to get us, even if they wanted to. But the guys ahead might hear us, so I wanna keep quiet. They stop at a large metal door with no way to look inside. A dry breeze runs through the halls as the door opens.
Before they can slip inside, I sprint to them. Jumping at the first guy I can reach, I wrap my legs around his neck. Working with gravity, I use my downward momentum to flip the guy over. I deal with the other three with well-placed punches at their throats, instantly knocking them out. From my sudden appearance, they didn¡¯t have time to respond to my attack.
Chip stares at me, awestruck, seeing me here. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±
Someone rushed out the door before I could answer. A mean-looking son of a bitch shows his ugly mug from behind the door. Right away, I lunge at him, stomping my foot into his face mid-flight. Just like that, he was out like a light.
"If there¡¯s anyone else wants¡their¡"
I trail off, surprised to see the inmate of this cell. Chained to the wall, the old man stares down at me. His imposing figure taunts me. Even with those chains holding him to the wall, he still radiates the essence of a beast in human skin.
"You seem to always find yourself in front of me, boy. That young man and I were doing business. You are interrupting the discussion between us."
"Like I give a shit. We''re taking him. Don¡¯t even think about¨C¡±
¡°I do not care to fight weak opponents such as yourselves. I don¡¯t wish to kill another weak friend of Gilhart¡¯s friends.¡±
Another one?
"You killed a friend of his? Why?" I asked him as I edged away from him.
"He was strong, that¡¯s all. You would know something about that, right?"
"I don''t kill people."
"No, you don''t, but it''s the feeling you get when fighting to the death that''s the greatest; the feeling of excitement that runs through your blood as you fight someone who could potentially defeat you. Is that not why you fight?"
Everything is nothing short of insane, but a small piece of me can¡¯t help but agree with him
"Off your meds or something? Like I care anything about that stuff."
"You may lie all you like, but you have a thirst in you. I can feel it. And it will only crave for greater battles than the last as you go on."
This guy is getting on my nerves at this point. Punching him while he¡¯s chained is tempting, so why not? No, I ain¡¯t a coward. If I¡¯m gonna hit him, it¡¯s when he can fight back.
I shove my hands in my pocket while I walk out of the cell. "Whatever, we¡¯re leaving."
"Child, continue to fight. Soon you will get a taste of the hunger I have, just you wait."
He ends off with just that before I close the cell behind me.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Black rock prison - Proxy and Chip''s cell - evening
We took a moment to allow Chip to have a moment to himself. He¡¯s roughed up before we found him, but it¡¯s a bunch of bruises. Nothing a bit of rest can¡¯t heal.
"Are you okay?" Alex asked him, setting Chip down on the bottom bunk.
"Yeah, I''m not dead, so I''m fine. You have anything to eat on you, though? Getting beaten kind of builds an appetite."
"Sorry, brought nothing with us. But why did that old man want to see you?¡±
He sits up against the wall, keeping his eyes off us. "We were gonna talk about money¡ Mainly my debt."
"Does this pertain to the king¡¯s pot?" Alex directs the question.
¡°Nah, not just that, but loads of other bets. In a place like this, you need all the money you can get¡ Made a few wrong bets, that¡¯s all.¡± Keeping up the tough act, a dry chuckle leaves his mouth. ¡°...I must¡¯ve been born under an unlucky star.¡±
Not the first time I¡¯ve seen adults in the Entertainment district show that depressing look; homelessness.
"...This really sucks. That''s why I need to get outta here. I''m dead if I don''t."
Yep, now I get it. Not gonna say I''d be in his shoes, but if I was, then¡ Hell no, I would fight! But I can''t fault him for wanting to get away.
Alex places a hand on "Do not worry about that debt. You, Proxy, and I shall escape captivity. This I swear!"
Glad to see that he thinks we''ll escape. Better show a bit of backbone myself.
"That''s right, we''re getting out of here and you''re coming with us. So screw that old man!"
Chip jumps out of bed, taking Alex by surprise. A smug grin spreads across his face.
"You guys are acting so weird. Course we''re getting out of here. I''m the one spearheading the plan, after all."
Damn straight! With that attitude, we might ?break out!
"By the way, what happened to the big guy? He accepts your challenge?"
"Yep."
"Good, I sent in a request for the materials I need to knock out the guards. We have three days, right?"
I throw up a thumbs up. "You bet."
"Alright. We don''t have lots of time, so we''re going to need to work fast. So let''s do this."
This is getting hype! I get to live out a prison escape! How cool is that?
"Alright, let''s bust out of here!"
Alex and Chip shoved their hands in front of my mouth.
"Proxy!"
"Shut it, you idiot!"
¡Sorry.
7/12 - Black rock - Proxy and Chip''s cell - morning
Today''s the day Gil and I duke it out. Performing basic warm-ups, I throw a few punches, slouched in a boxing stance. I know how to box, but I only use the footwork, and even then I never needed to use the footwork on any street punks before in NewPort island, but I have a feeling I''m gonna need it.
Chip gathered information on Gil''s past fight, especially his title match for the King of the arena; from what I know, it was one-sided. Gil took out the king with some sort of Martial arts, mixed in with grappling. It''s not my first time fighting a Martial Artist, so I should be fine. Although, he KO''ed the Bison pretty damn easily. Getting hit by him is gonna knock the wind out of me, and blocking would wreck my hands.
"Proxy, how you doing?"
Chip slips into our cell, eating from a bag of chips.
"Sup, Chip? You got everything you need?"
"Yeah, Marie has the drinks. She''ll go when the match starts. Blondie and me are gonna hit up the control room."
And all I have to do is keep the crowd and guard entertained. When the match starts, most of the guards are gonna be watching, so that¡¯ll leave Chip and Alex to get to the control room.
Chip took a seat on the bottom bed. "Proxy, can I tell you something?¡±
"What is it?"
¡°I kinda¡bet against you,¡± he admits, expressing his guilt through a dry grin. ¡°...I even told the Bison that you weren¡¯t gonna bring a weapon. Kinda shitty. How a grown adult bets over a kid getting the shit beaten out of him, huh?¡±
When he puts it like that, yeah, it kinda is shitty.
¡°You¡¯re right, it is, but I don¡¯t really care.¡±
Yanking his head from his feet, his confused expression greets me. ¡°What?¡±
¡°I mean, everyone else was betting on me, so what¡¯s the difference? Besides, I fought because I wanted, so don¡¯t sweat about it.¡±
Not like this is the first, anyway. Did some back alley fight that had money involved and I¡¯m still kicking.
"Attention prisoners: the king''s title match is starting in 10 minutes. Everyone head to the king¡¯s arena."
Showtime.
¡°Proxy¡ You still willing to trust me?¡±
¡°Course. Not like you tried to kill or anything, so we¡¯re good.¡±
Oddly enough, he starts chuckling and covers his face with his hand. ¡°...You¡¯re one soft kid, ya know that?¡±
¡°Soft my ass.¡±
Chip extends his hand. ¡°Good luck then, kid.¡±
I clap his hand when I went in for the handshake. ¡°You too.¡±
I¡¯ve seen some shady dudes in my time. Chip has the look down, but he ain¡¯t a bad guy, so I feel like I can trust him. That being said, all I gotta do now is focus on the upcoming match and hope that I don¡¯t screw this up.
Black rock prison - morning - waiting room
I sit around in the waiting room with Gil, who¡¯s meditating on the floor. Dude is deep into it, barely breathing through his nose and not even moving an inch. kinda spooky if you ask me. I can¡¯t stand quiet rooms like this.
¡°So¡ How you doing?¡±
He opens his eyes, casting a delighted smile at me. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±
¡°Cool¡ So you scared? Cause I know you were freaking out when I asked to fight you.¡±
¡°Not really, the opposite. I¡¯m sort of excited to fight you; all of it being just for fun, so I don¡¯t have to be on edge.¡±
¡°Usually on edge with opponents?¡±
¡°You never know what they¡¯re going to pull, so being on alert mitigates worse case scenarios.¡± He has a point, though my sense kicks in whenever I don¡¯t see an attack, so I don¡¯t even need to try. ¡°...I forgot what it was like, fighting just to fight.¡±
¡°What changed?¡±
Gil opens his eyes, facing me with a warm, yet blue smile. ¡°...I used to be an upstart outside the kingdom. During the war, life was kill or be killed.¡±
¡°War?¡±
¡°Why are you surprised?¡±
¡°Umm¡ Cause I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±
His pleasant smile turns to disbelief in the blink of an eye. ¡°W-what!? Proxy¡don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know!?¡±
¡°Sorry man, I really don¡¯t.¡±
He grows even more stunned, gawking at me like I¡¯m some sort of alien. ¡°The Godfrey era, are you familiar with that!?¡±
I nod my head, delivering the final blow to his mind.
¡°Wow¡ You must¡¯ve been sheltered, huh?¡±
¡°It''s a long story. Just go on with your story.¡±
Gil lags for a second, processing my lack of knowledge before shaking it off. ¡°A-anyway, I lived in the north, kingdom loyalist fought those of the outside¡¡±
¡°Outside?¡±
¡°It refers to everything outside the kingdom.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
¡°...I didn¡¯t fight alongside them. However, I fought for my life each day, taking whatever I could from the dead and using it to my benefit. I hated it all, the fighting, the scrounging, the killing, and this world. Some days, I wondered why I lived. Other days, all I could do was think about my next meal. Animals fled the north, and the constant battling up there wasn¡¯t doing favors for the environment, and down there, it¡¯s already hard enough growing crops.¡±
Sounds pretty rough. I¡¯m used to having a convenient store across from my apartment, so I never had to worry about getting my food, and I can barely hunt food on my own, so I can¡¯t imagine myself going through a hellish scenario like that?
¡°...But one day, when I was gonna die of starvation, someone gave me something to eat.¡±
¡°Was it your friend?¡±
¡°Yeah, surprised you guessed that¡ He shoved it down my mouth. After that, you wanna know what he told me?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°He said, ¡®if you¡¯re gonna die, do it somewhere else¡¯.¡± What the hell? ¡°...The moment he turned his back, I lunged at him. I wanted everything he had, but he laid my ass flat. But I didn¡¯t let that bother me, so I kept trying to kill. After two hours, I just gave up. I couldn¡¯t leave a scratch on him.¡±
¡°He was strong?¡±
¡°Yeah, the strongest. I traveled with him so I can keep myself alive. Though, at first, he didn¡¯t like the idea, telling me he was too young to have a kid, but eventually, he and I became friends¡¡±
That guy sounds pretty harsh, but I guess in a war, some dudes are just harsh.
A loud air horn breaks my thoughts, drawing my eyes to the arena. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time.¡± I push off the ground. ¡°...Let¡¯s go have some fun, ¡®kay, Gil?¡±
¡°Sure thing¡¡± He stands off the ground, towering next to me. ¡°...But don¡¯t cry when you lose.¡±
¡°Kidding me? I was gonna tell you that.¡±
Yeah, now I''m getting into the mix of all this. Never fought a friend before, so I was a bit nervous. But I don''t know, this might be fun. Though, I''ll try to lighten my blows, don''t want to go too hard on him.
Blackrock prison - central control room - morning
I ?put the guards to sleep in the control room, darts sticking into their necks. They aren¡¯t gonna die, but they sure as shit are gonna feel a major headache when they wake up. Blondie enters the room, unnerved by this whole thing. I¡¯m on the edge of my seat trying not to get panicky; one mess up can get killed, or thrown into isolation for the rest of our lives, and I sure as shit don¡¯t want to stay here any longer.
"Impressive, Chip," Blondie is awestruck by my handy work. "You are quite the marksmen."
"It''s nothing."
"It is not ''nothing''. You would be a fine archer."
"Too bad I ain''t one."
"Do you wish to be one?"
"Why?"
"Hm?"
"Look, I¡¯m gonna say it like this since you don¡¯t seem to get it. I ain¡¯t the type of guy most people wanna learn about. Do I seem all that interesting to you, or even trustworthy to you? If not, can you stop pretending as if you care; we¡¯re only here to use the other to get out of here, that¡¯s it¡¡±
Got nothing to say, huh? Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised, but it¡¯s better this way. The less familiar I am with someone, the less likely I¡¯ll get burned. I never asked to be like this, this is just the hand life dealt me, so¡
¡°But does that not sound lonely?¡±
I twist my body around, stunned by what he said¡ My lungs lock up, the rhythmic pounding of my heart beats loud enough to reach my ears. Behind him, an intimidating inmate looms over him, staring me down with eyes that scream murder, and a smile only a lunatic can make.
¡°Blondie, move!¡±
He¡¯s struck before he could get out of the way. I aim my slingshot at him. He kicks me against the wall, using his long-ass legs to do me in. The window cracks behind me, ready to give out the next time I¡¯m pushed against it.
¡°Don¡¯t move if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡±
Blondie is out cold on the floor after that one hit.
Another guy swaggers into the room, smaller than the other guy, but acting like he¡¯s calling the shots. ¡°Thought you could escape, huh? Think again, asshole!¡±
The escape plan, which was going well, took a turn for the worst.
BlackRock prison - part 7
Blackrock prison - The king arena - morning
Stepping outside of the long hallway behind Gil, the audience ramped up their excitement for the fight. The arena is well lit , complimenting the clean, white metal walls.
¡°Gentlemen! Today, I am proud to be narrating this fight, because is not only another fight but a king title match! Now, let''s give it up for our fighters! Our challenger for today is none other than the shorty that¡¯s been raging through the fights!¡± Seriously? Did he have to focus on that goddamn short part? I¡¯m a normal height for my age! ¡°...Zero losses, but taking the fights by storm! Give it up for Proxy!"
The audience bursts into cheers, hyping me up while they yell out my name. Feels nice having people cheer me on.
"...And now, for our other fighter. You bums already know him! He''s the king of the ring, he''s the man who''s defended his title: 30 fights in a row! Give it up for Gilhart!"
The audience erupts into cheers, showering him in encouragement that beats mine by a whole mile. They¡¯re going wild up there, telling him to beat me down. He¡¯s making me a bit jealous, but I¡¯m not shaken.
"Now everyone, the king''s pot has been opened. Place your bets under 50,000."
That¡¯s a bigger number than last time; must be because this is a title match.
"Proxy, you ready for this?" he asked me, stretching his legs.
"Yep, this is going to be awesome. Just remember: I''m going to be coming at you with my best, so don''t get relaxed around me."
"You, too."
I¡¯ll still go a tad easy, just to be safe.
"Okay folks, we have collected all the bets. Now we''re going to be beginning the match on five..."
As he counted from five to zero, we took our stances. Gil''s stance was meant to get the first hit in with his left foot put in front. I needed to dodge it the moment he moved in.
"...One, zero, FIGHT!"
Gil reacts the fastest. He closes the gap with two steps. Running away isn¡¯t gonna help, so I need to engage! I throw the first hit, only for him to veer out of the way. His nimble movement surprises me, causing me to lag. That second, no matter how short, lets him land a blow. At my ribs, I feel his knuckles press into my ribs.
¡°First blood goes to Gilhart!¡±
Shit, I should¡¯ve been the one to get the first hit.
¡°Proxy, I told you before, but you better take this seriously¡¡±
Gil¡¯s expression, even his presence, is different. Every muscle in my body twitches, and all the hairs on the back of my neck stand. W¡what is this? It¡¯s like I¡¯m facing down a demon!
Dust kicks up behind Gil, who shot after me. I snap out of my stupor, barely blocking his fist. The impact is ungodly! All the weight in his left arm is pushing against my arms, threatening to destroy them like paper mache. I gotta get away, now!
¡°See that, folks! Proxy is retreating! But wait, Gilhart ain¡¯t giving him the chance!¡±
What!? Gil¡¯s behind me, wearing the face of a war god. His leg shoots up from the ground. It whiffs in front of my face, but I can still feel the full force behind his blow. If that had connected with my head, I¡¯d be knocked out¨C No, I would be dead!
He throws a mix of punches and kicks, each one flows into the other without pause. His style reminds me of Marital arts, but this is wholly reliant on strength less than it is quick moves. I can see each blow coming, but it''s the strength behind it that terrifies me. One mistake, I die, block it, my arms get crushed, even dodging it is daunting¡ Gil really is a devil.
¡°Gilhart got Proxy on the defensive! Has the kid¡¯s luck run out!?¡±
Shit, shit, shit! I can¡¯t get hit, I can¡¯t get hit! Don¡¯t slip up, don¡¯t mess up! Then, unaware of my footing, I slip. Shit! I catch myself, however, the fact I stopped moving was a setback. Gil¡¯s fist soars across the air, aiming for my face. There isn¡¯t enough time to block or evade¡ His knuckles smash into my nose. A crimson liquid leaves my nose. My head hits the ground, and all the strength in my body leaves me motionless. Sound becomes a haze, my vision fades in and out, and my brain pounds inside of my skull. One punch is all it took for him to lay my ass flat¡
Mumbled voices, a crowd cheering, and my heartbeat¡ I can somewhat breathe, but the blood is clogging my nose. My face is going numb, except for the throbbing pain¡ So, this is what it¡¯s like to fight someone strong. I¡¯m such a dumbass. I thought I could easy on him, acting like I was stronger than him. Aw, who the hell am I kidding? The moment I wanted to fight him, I¡¯ve been underestimating him; looking down at him. Damnit!
The white noise is clearing up, feeling returns to my limbs, telling me to get back up. Folding here isn¡¯t acceptable! The escape plan isn¡¯t why, I just don¡¯t want to go down like this! So I¡¯m gonna get the hell up and fight!
¡°No way! Proxy, who was almost close to KO, got back up!¡±
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I stagger to my feet, buckling my knees. My arms feel weightier than usual and my breathing is erratic, but I should be fine.
¡°Are you okay? You lost a lot of blood.¡±
¡°I know, that¡¯s what I get.¡±
He raises an eyebrow at me. ¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°...I thought I was going to fight you like this was another fight on the street. But no, now I know¡ Those fights mean nothing, nothing at all. I¡¯ve let all of that go to my head, so I bit off more than I can chew.¡±
¡°Then you give up?¡±
¡°Not on your life. I just wanted to say that I was acting pompous, and I¡¯m sorry for doing that.¡± I drop into a stance, putting my left leg forward. ¡°...From here on out, I won¡¯t underestimate you!¡±
Speeding off, the crowd returns to being animated. Their roaring applause fades from my mind, leaving me to focus on Gil. He throws a left, intercepting my arrival. I duck under, slamming my fist into his gut, then going for an uppercut, nailing his chin. Our pace doesn¡¯t halt. Gil goes for another face blow. I knew he was gonna try it eventually. I bite back my fear and evade the blow. Instead of retreating, I leap into the air. Both of my feet stretch out, crushing his face. When I land back on the ground, I make a hasty retreat.
¡°Look at that, boys: Gil¡¯s bleeding from his nose!¡±
¡°An eye for an eye,¡± I tell Gil, narrowing my sights on him, studying his posture.
¡°So, you¡¯re developing the proper mindset for fighting?¡±
¡°I guess, but it¡¯s still sinking in.¡± A smirk creeps up on my face. ¡°Wanna help me drill it in?¡±
Gil shares a faint smile, breaking the devilish around himself. ¡°Gladly. Though, I won¡¯t hold my punches.¡±
¡°Sweet. Me neither.¡±
I dig my feet into the ground, shifting all my weight into them. A fire runs wild in my heart, boiling my blood, making me itchy. That split moment where we decide to rush the other is coming. I can taste it, along with the blood from my nose. When that moment comes, we¡¯ll start whaling on each other, locking in close-quarters combat. This is gonna sound weird, but I¡¯m not terrified of coming to blows with Gil anymore, instead, I¡¯m excited! Fighting someone strong, letting the heat of battle get to you, bashing at each other with everything we got, I can¡¯t think of anything more fun than that.
"Whoa, what is going on in the audience area?"
My feet dig back into the ground, caught off guard by the announcer. Someone comes flying out of the audience. Gil, quick on his feet, catches him. I rush over to them, getting out of my fighter''s sense of thinking.
¡°He okay?¡±
"He''s gravely injured,¡± Gil states, grave in expression.
"What the hell is happening up there?"
Is there a riot going on up there, or maybe a fight just broke up there? Either way, this might affect the escape plan, so¨C T¡this skin-crawling presence. No other prisoner could replicate this pressure, only that old man can.
"What in the hell are you doing here, you old bastard," I spat, having to force the words to come out
"Proxy, Gilhart. Good morning. How are you two doing?"
The old man edges closer to us, releasing a demonic aura from himself.
Gil mean-mugs the old man, clenching his fist and teeth. "How did you get out of your cell? You shouldn''t be able to break out.¡±
"I could break out whenever I wish to. However, I heard you were fighting today. I thought, ¡®why not come here to fight you both before I left¡¯."
"Leave to where?"
"I was growing bored with this place as of late, so I decided after this fight I would leave and see the outside world."
"Like I''ll let you!"
Gil rushes him, barraging him with punches stronger than the ones he was using on me. Each one is aimed at the enemy¡¯s head, but the old man doesn¡¯t seem fazed by this onslaught. His rage seeps into his fists, pushing to act wilder than I¡¯ve ever seen a man act before. Each punch could destroy my bones in mere seconds, but this old man doesn¡¯t even flinch. His bored expression says it all. Right as Gil is about to throw another punch, he grabs his fist, stopping Gil in his tracks.
¡°You sway a little too much with your blows. Makes it easy to upset your balance like this.¡± He sweeps Gil¡¯s foot. ¡°Then, I can follow up like this.¡±
He swung his fist into Gil¡¯s face, crushing his big hand against his nose. The attack threw Gil back, his feet firm on the ground while he slid back.
"Gil, you alright?"
He ignores me, charging in for round two. Idiot, he isn¡¯t thinking straight! Well, I sure as hell ain¡¯t gonna let him go in alone. Following behind him, the old man raises a single hand, folding it straight, kinda like a sword¡ Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡!
¡°Gil, wait a minute!¡±
No good, he isn¡¯t listening. Fine, then I¡¯ll have to make my own move! The old man brings his hand down, aiming for Gil¡¯s neck. In the seconds leading to Gil¡¯s impending death, I manage to slip in front of him, then pushing him back with all the weight in my body. The taste of death flashes us by, carried in the hands of an old man who wears a delighted smile during battle.
¡°Quite rude, would you not say, boy?¡±
Just ignore him, Gil is more important right now.
"Yo, you almost got minced meated by him. Hey, are you listening!?"
He¡¯s still staring down the old man, fuming with scorching anger, enough to burn away all rationality in his head, turning him into nothing but a vessel for vengeance. Something tells me that if he keeps going like this, it won¡¯t end well for him¡ Sorry about this in advance. I kick him in the shin, hard.¡±
He cries out in pain, holding his shin. "Ow, ow, that hurt! Why did you do that!?"
"Cause you¡¯re ignoring me, damnit! I''m trying to talk to you, and you''re just scowling at him and acting like a moron!"
"But, he¨C¡±
"I know¡ I get your anger, but don¡¯t let that overtake you. Hone all of that anger, but it into your fist, and beat his ass with it! Don¡¯t let it swallow you up!¡±
The anger on his face fades, and the confusion turns to a calming gaze.
After taking in a deep breath, he slaps his cheeks as hard as he could. "You''re right, I wasn''t thinking with my head. Got caught up in my emotions.¡± He takes a stance leaning on defense. An air of composure reigns over Gil, honing his focus on the old man. "Proxy, if we want to beat this man, we need to work together."
He¡¯s got a point. Either one of us fighting him alone would get that person killed, but if we tag team him, beating his ass will be simpler. I ain¡¯t stupid enough to get myself killed, so working together is the only way. Plus, I wanna help Gil knock this dude¡¯s teeth out.
¡°Sure, I got your back. I¡¯ll distract him, you just make sure he gets a nice knuckle sandwich, yeah?¡±
¡°Got it!¡±
Alright! Back to back, I know we got this one in the bag. Even with that dangerous ass chop of his, there¡¯s no way we can¡¯t beat this dude. I¡¯ll get this over with so I can meet up with the others, and maybe we make room for one more while we¡¯re at it?
BlackRock prison - part 8
Black rock - control room - morning
We''ve been tied up with our backs against the wall. They confiscated my bow-gauntlet, but I still have the darts on me. One of them is watching the monitor, and the other watches us, keeping an eye on us. Freaky thing is he''s not even blinking. If we want to get out of here, we need to get rid of our watch.
"Blondie, I need you to do something," I whisper with my head hung low, avoiding eye contact with him.
"What would that be?" he matches my hushed tone
"If you don''t want to do it, I''d understand why."
"Don''t worry, you have my trust in you. I''ll do whatever you say."
I... Damnit, he''s doing it again! I mean, it''s good he trusts me, but it''s so unnerving how quick he is to trust someone.
"Okay, I''m gonna get me and the guy watching us out of here. You deal with the guard in here."
"I understand."
Right, now that''s settled, time for the escape plan.
I stand from the floor, catching guard''s attention. "Can I use the bathroom?"
"Sit back down," he barks, bringing out a dagger from his back pocket.
"I really have to go. My bladder is about to bust."
"You--"
"Before you tell me to go in my pants, do you really want to stay in the same room with the guy that pissed himself?"
The short fella reconsiders his words, realizing that a room smelling like piss ain''t such a wonderful thing. Then, he turns to me with an annoyed expression. "Fine, let''s go. No funny business, you here?"
"Loud and clear."
He leads me out of the control room. With no guards or prisoners around, we have the spiral to ourselves. These bindings are a joke, breaking out shouldn''t be a sweat. And what do you know, it isn''t, and my kind escort doesn''t even suspect a thing. Sliding a syringe from my sleeve, I walk up to his back and jam the needle into his neck. He was too late to stop me. The tranquilizer is running through him. He flails around, trying to hit me with his puny knife, missing every chance he got. It doesn''t take long for him to collapse to the ground.
"Takes care of that..." I know for a fact these morons didn''t close the gate, and since the other guy is probably watching one monitor too many, it''ll take time for him to spot me. So, might as well make my exit. "...Sorry, blondie, but I gotta do what I gotta do."
I walk over my unconscious escort, walking down the spiral. If things didn''t go south, then I would''ve escaped with the others, but that ain''t happening now. Too bad, I really did like all of them, but I guess this is where we part ways. Leaving him sucks and all, but in this world, those who rely on people die, and those who don''t always come out on top. At best, you just work together, only to use the other It''s the life I was dealt, so this is the only way I know...
"That''s right, we''re getting out of here and you''re coming with us!"
It''s the only way.
¡°Proxy¡ You still willing to trust me?¡±
¡°Course. Not like you tried to kill or anything, so we¡¯re good.¡±
It''s the only way to live.
¡°Chip, that sounds like such a lonely existence.¡±
It''s the only I know how to live! It''s...it''s... It''s the only way to protect myself; protect myself from being burned again. Trusting people, relying on them, putting faith in them...all of that stuff got me put in this shit hole! So I can''t fall for it ever again, never again...!
¡°...I even told the Bison that you weren¡¯t gonna bring a weapon. Kinda shitty, how a grown adult bets over a kid getting the shit beaten out of him, huh?¡±
What does it matter if it was shitty or not? He was a means to an end, so...
"You guys are acting so weird. Course we''re getting out of here. I''m the one spearheading the plan, after all."
Huh? Was that...did I say that? That doesn''t sound like me. Why would I say something brimming with confidence? That sounds nothing like me. Was it cause they believed in me? Course not! It''s cause I got swept up in the moment. Alexander and Proxy are idiots, morons, idiots with hearts on their sleeves, too na?ve to use others around them...and that''s what makes them trustworthy.
A part of me knew that, but another part of me still couldn''t bring itself to accept it. So I wanted to give them a reason to not like me, to distrust me. If I did that, I could at least use them with a clear conscious, but even then, I think it would still bother me...
"Guess I''m nothing but a coward. I''m such a loser."
I run back to the control room, cursing my pathetic behavior. We haven''t been gone that long, so he doesn''t know I''m free! When I get there, I¡¯ll have to be as quiet as possible while I jam a dart in his neck. Might be a tall order, but if I¡¯m quick enough, I might be able to do it. Just hope he hasn¡¯t spotted me yet.
Reaching the control room, I fully expected to see the tall guy watching the monitor, but he¡¯s on the floor. Blondie stands behind him, his bindings broken.
¡°Chip, did you take care of your guard?¡±
¡°Y-yeah. I did.¡±
¡°Excellent. I am happy that you are unharmed.¡±
The words slither out of my throat, hesitant to answer him. ¡°...Y-y-you too.¡±
¡°Your plan of attack was ingenious. Separating them both was a nice plan of attack¡±
Of course, this is what I expected. He doesn¡¯t even doubt me, not a single bit, and that goofy smile of his says it all. How can a guy like this exist in a world like this? I¡¯ll never understand it¡
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°Alexander, you¡¯re a weird guy.¡±
Baffled by my words, he tilts his head, putting his hand on his chin. ¡°...I am?¡±
¡°Yeah, but not in a bad way. Plus, Proxy¡¯s weird as well, so¨C¡±
Wait, Proxy! What about him? I rush to the monitor, turning to the cameras that are watching the fight. The cameras show me him and the king fighting that old man. Not only that, but some of the prisoners from the deathrow part of the prison are leaving their cells, coming to the main part of the prison. This is a disaster!
¡°Listen, we gotta go get Proxy, the other has to tell Marie to get ready to bring the gondola around!¡±
¡°I will go get Proxy, and we shall meet you by the docs!¡±
¡°Alright, then let¡¯s go!¡±
Wasting no time, we barrel out of the control room, speeding down the hall. If I can make it to the docs before anyone else even realizes that the main gate is open, then we can at least hold off anyone that comes for a little while until Alexander and Proxy get back.
Black rock - King''s arena - morning
I had been dodging and attacking the old man for a while now. I¡¯m not trying to do any damage, just staying out of his line of sight while letting throw as many attacks as he can. Old bastard isn¡¯t getting winded or anything, he just throws punch after punch. Some of his attacks almost nailed me a few times. His attacks aren¡¯t all that precise, but I still have to be careful for any tricks.
Maybe I should do a bit of damage, just to open him up for Gil. But where should I hit? Maybe somewhere low? Then it should be¡ Got it.
¡°Peep this, bastard!¡±
I drive my foot straight at his balls. That¡¯ll do it¡ Huh? Eh? Why isn¡¯t he in agonizing pain¡? I¡¯m sure I didn¡¯t miss. Did I somehow?
¡°How predictable.¡±
He throws a straight fist. I bend back to avoid it, running back to get away from him. How the hell didn¡¯t that work? He has to be a demon, nut shots hurt men like a belt to the ass, except worse!
"None of our attacks are working," Gil states the obvious.
"I know! Felt like I kicked a cinderblock."
"Don''t run from me. Let us continue the fight!"
The old man sprints at us, kicking up the dirt below him with each step he takes. We jump out of the way of his attack. Synched, we strike him from both sides.
"Gah," the old man grunts, expressing pain through his face.
That felt weird. It¡¯s like I was punching a normal person. Either his balls are made of steel, or there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing?
The old man¡¯s hand whisks over my head, gripping it with a vise. An insane amount of pressure squeezes my skull, threatening to crush my brain with it. Desperate, I whip my foot into his face, trying to break his nose. Damn thing feels like a cinderblock again. Right when I gave him the shoe, Gil crushed his torso, helping me out of his grip.
¡°That kind of hurt that time, Gilhart.¡±
Play coy all you want, but I¡¯m onto you, you old shit.
"Gil, when you punch him, does it feel like you''re punching a rock?"
"No, why?"
Okay, if I think it means what I think it means, then¡
"Gil, hit him with your strongest hit when I say so. Got it? Get all that anger in you and punch the ever-living shit out of him with it?"
He nods, slamming his fist into his other hand. "Got it, I''ll do just that."
All right then, let''s move! I run like the wind, not averting my course, just going straight at him. This old bastard humiliated me, messed with my head, even looked down at me, me¡! But he was right about one thing. I¡¯m in a new league full of players, so using my old wins as a trophy doesn¡¯t matter any. I don¡¯t even need those! All the strongest people here, I¡¯ll prove it to them that I got what it takes. Even to that damn witch¡!
"To be frank, the way you are now, you would die sooner than you would win a fight in this world."
I''ll prove to that witch that I got what it takes to beat anyone''s ass, starting now! A left jab is marked for my head, trying to land square against my forehead to rattle my brain. Child¡¯s play. I shoot myself forward, using the front of my foot to lunge myself. This way, I can move ahead of his fist and duck without giving up my speed to dodge. Now I¡¯m in his range, I do that! I dig my hand into my pocket. His eyes spot that, but I quickly took my hand out of my pocket, thrusting it to his chest. His reaction time is quick, having his other arm grab my wrist before my hand could reach him.
"You almost had me with that knife, boy, but it¡¯s¡ What!?"
For the first time, that face of his takes on an expression I was dying to see; shock.
"Surprise!" I yell before sticking my tongue at him.
Gil was right behind me, his fist etching towards the old man''s head. His head flung backward with the rest of his body. It was a direct hit.
Gil roars a battle cry, screaming his lungs out as he unleashed a tsunami of attacks on him. They were all getting through, each attack more violent than the last, bashing at the old man¡¯s face. Blood sprayed the floor and a bit on my clothes. Gil, ready to finish this, pounds the ground with his foot, and arched his arm with his elbow behind his back. Then, taking a deep breath, going all-in with one mighty swing, he batters the old man square in the jaw. Flesh clapping flesh echoes across the arena, bones crushing bones rings in my ear, making my skin crawl at how disgusting it sounds. That one blow was enough to send him flying into the wall, pushing in the metal, which thunder a dull, thud sound.
"...Did I get him?" Gil asks, trying to catch his breath.
He wasn''t getting up, so ?he''s down for the count.
¡°Holy shit¡that was¡ AWESOME!¡±
The way he TKO¡¯ed him was so goddamn awesome! Yeah, serves that douchebag right! Mess with us, you get the horns!
Suddenly, a loud ass alarm starts blaring, scratching into my ear. A red light blankets the room in its glow.
"What¡¯s going on?"
¡°This is the emergency alarm! For a riot!¡±
Well, stuff certainly got more exciting.
¡°Proxy!¡± Alex, coming from the waiting room, calls over to me. ¡°We must leave, now!¡±
Things are hitting the fan real quick.
¡°Let¡¯s get out of here, then.¡± I turn to Gil. He¡¯s staring at the old man, clenching his fist. ¡°Gil, let¡¯s go!¡±
He faces me, coming off as confused. ¡°Go where?¡±
¡°Out of here. I¡¯m leaving the prison. Come with me.¡±
¡°Proxy, I don¡¯t know. There¡¯s nothing for me out there. In here, I know what I¡¯m doing, so¨C¡±
¡°Nope, not a chance!¡±
Taking his arm, I start dragging him to the exit.
¡°I¨C Proxy¡"
"No time for mushy shit! I''m taking you with me, even if I have to drag you!"
So I did. Man isn''t putting up a fight, but instead going along with it. Eventually, he starts walking for himself.
"...You really are forceful," he tells me, his smile betraying his words.
"That''s me. Now come on, the outside world is waiting for us."
We run through the rest area, racing to the entrance before everyone else can flood the place. We met some crazies along the way, but Gil made quick work of them.
Reached the entrance, the guards that are already here fight off the inmates that are trying to go for the gate. It''s closing, we just have to go. The three of us fight our way through. Reaching the guards, Gil throws an inmate at them, breaking their formation. We leap over the fallen guards, barely squeezing through the door before it shut behind us.
"Talk about close shaves. We almost turned into mincemeat."
"Let''s keep going. If those gates open now, we might be in trouble," Gil says, helping me up from the ground.
"Yeah. But first, gotta get my stuff. What about you, Gil?"
"I don''t think so. They probably threw my clothes out long ago."
"How long would that be?" Alex asks.
"Two years."
Two years!? Holy shit, I can''t believe he tolerated this place for that long! I mean, it was fun being here, but come on. A guy needs grass to walk on, the wind to blow against him, and the sky to look at.
"Well, in any case, let''s get you some new clothes then. I''m sure they got something in there for you," Alex reassures him.
"Okay, but let''s hurry. They could open this gate any second."
Yeah, and something tells me that might happen any minute now, so we better be quick.
BlackRock prison - Finale
BlackRock prison - arrival dock - morning
After grabbing our stuff, we make our way to the dock. A single gondola sits at the docks. Chip and Marie are next to it, waiting for us. Marie spots us, motioning us to hurry. We jump onto the boarding dock.
¡°Brother, you okay?¡±
¡°I am. We need to leave, now!¡±
Chip slides open the door. ¡°Then why are we standing here? Let¡¯s get out of here!¡±
We hurdle into the gondola. Gil stands outside next to the controls for it.
¡°Gil, come on! Gil?¡± He¡¯s staring at something. Peering outside, it¡¯s the old man, standing tall, even with his battered face, bleeding all over himself. Not good! ¡°Gil, we need to go, now! Come on!¡± The old man starts moving toward us, a demented smile on his face. Gil just stands there, wanting to fight him. ¡°Please, come on, man! He¡¯s not worth it! Please, Gil!¡±
His face conflicts, pained with a choice of coming with us or staying to fight. He steps forward but hesitates, looking at me. A defeated expression paints his face. Please¡just come with us, please¡
¡°Proxy,¡± he mutters aloud, sounding sorry for something. ¡°...Make room for one more!¡±
He moves a lever for the gondola, making it move. His foot breaks it in one go. He jumps up to the boarding duck, running to make the entrance. I stretch out my hand. ¡°Come on, slowpoke! Run¡!¡±
His hand reaches out for mine, doing his damndest to grab mine. The gondola is almost away from the docks, it¡¯s now or never! Pushing his body to the limit, he grabs my arm. He pulls me forward, almost yanking me out of the gondola, but Alex grabs me, keeping me from falling out.
¡°PULL!¡±
Screaming with all the power in my lungs, I summon all the strength in my body to pull him in. Right when we were going to hit the end of the boarding dock, we yank him into the gondola, pushing ourselves to the ground, rocking the gondola.
¡°Close it,¡± Marie orders, Chip slams it shut.
A large breath of air pushes out of my lungs, with sweat rolling down my forehead. "Everyone good?"
"I am fine, relatively speaking," Alex strains, crushed behind me and Gil.
"Glad I''m not crushed between you guys," Chip comments, pressing against the walls of the gondola.
"Sorry, guys," Gil apologizes, getting up from on top of me.
"Thought I was gonna die for a second there. Alex, you sure you good?"
"Do not worry. I am stronger than I appear."
Chip lets out a dry chuckle. "We made it, we actually made it. We freaking did it!"
"Damn straight we did!"
Chip and I go in for a high five, bumping shoulders.
"Can''t believe it either, but here we are," Marie joins in on the celebration, showing off her more expressive side. "But it''s not over yet. We''re gonna need to leave as soon as possible. The kingdom will send knights to reclaim this place."
"Then we''ll let them do that as soon as we book it."
"Sure don''t want the knights dragging our asses back in there. I''ll make myself scarce when the gates open," Chip states.
"I...guess I will, too. Though, I don''t have anywhere I want to go," Gil adds on.
"Then come with us," I tell them. "We just settled down somewhere else, so it''s all good."
"I agree. It would be splendid to have you two accompany us."
You''d think Marie would chime in, telling us no, but she doesn''t. Either she''s not doing it cause her brother said so, or she knew this was coming.
"Yeah, I think it wouldn''t be so bad," Chip replies, seemingly half-hearted, but he looks happy.
"Thank you. I won''t take advantage of your hospitality," Gil answers, bowing his head to Alex.
"No need. Hopefully, we can all get along. By the way, I am Alexander, a pleasure. That is my sister, Marie."
"I''m Gilhart. Nice to meet you both."
Glad things ended on a happy note. Not to mention, we got more people into our little ground, and I can''t say the inclusions are bad either.
New hideout - evening
We made it to the new camp, hidden deep in a forest west-north from the old sight. Grass covers the entrance half of the area, while stone covered the other half, reaching all the way to the back. A sea of trees surround the camp, hiding us deep inside, but giving us more than enough room to move around to set up camp. Plus, there¡¯s a high-ass cliff that¡¯s been dug into. Not that far in, but enough to be able to sit under it. There¡¯s some fancy sitting on a pedestal at the back of that cave.
Stuff is still getting set up, but it seems like everyone is getting settled just fine.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"How did you find this place?" I direct the question to Marie.
"I''ve known about this place for a while now. Never needed to use it as a hideout since there was no need. But now that we have this many people with us, we needed something bigger," Marie says, coming off somewhat annoyed.
"Oh, come on, you can''t say all these people don''t earn their keep, can you," I tell her, wearing a confident smirk.
She was about to go off about it not being a good thing, but she sighs, defeated before she can get a word out. "...Yeah, they are pretty helpful and I can''t deny that, but we-"
"I like it," Alex affirms, boisterous. "It has been a while since we¡¯ve camped with people, so it is a splendid opportunity to have."
His excitement was outshining Marie''s conservative nature, making it even more bizarre that they¡¯re related.
"Proxy!" Spinning around, Richard comes running at me while Nunnal¨¦ trails behind him, carrying the couch like it weighed nothing at all.
"Is¡is she lifting that by herself?" Chip, his jaw hanging low, was shell-shocked by Nunnal¨¦¡¯s raw strength.
"Yeah, she''s pretty damn strong."
Nunnal¨¦ put down the couch on the grass. Perfect, now I can finally give myself a deserved rest. I plop onto the couch, basking in all cushions, almost sinking into the thing. This is what paradise is.
"Proxy, why didn''t you tell me you were going to jail?" Richard asks, somewhat concerned and angry. He takes a seat next to me. ¡°Why did you go in the first place?¡±
"Cut me some slack. It kinda just happened. Marie was off to go get her brother, so I thought she needed some help.¡±
¡°Her brother? Where is he?¡±
I point to Alex, who''s standing on a slab of stone; looks like a well-carved table.
"Hello, friends, I hope you all had a great time in this camp and I hope you continue to do so. My name is Alexander, and I just broke out of prison thanks to them!"
He gestured towards Gil, Chip, Marie, and me. You know, if this was back home, pretty sure that it wouldn¡¯t end well for any of us.
"And in honor of them, I declare we celebrate their bravery by throwing a celebration!"
The crowd applauded his declaration. Marie, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t smiling. She approached him and the two of them began arguing. I couldn''t hear them, but judging by their body language, I could tell that Marie was being pushed back by Alex.
¡°Okay¡ We can party.¡± Aw, hell yeah, baby! ¡°...But tomorrow, we¡¯re gonna hunt like madmen!¡±
And there goes my good mood. Well, no point in getting upset. I¡¯m the one cooking, so I need to get that ready.
"Richard, I''m gonna need an extra pair of hands. While we''re at it, I can tell you all about my exploits in jail."
"I don''t think I want to know..."
As Richard led me to the cooking station, I looked back at Gil. He seemed dejected, as if he didn¡¯t think he belonged here.
"Yo, Gil, whatcha doing? I need your help, too."
Surprised, he lifts his eyebrows. "You do?"
"Yeah, I need all the hands I can get, and you got some pretty big hands."
"But I don''t know how to cook."
"That''s fine. I just need you to hand me stuff and I''ll be specific about it, so don''t worry too much."
His puppy-dog eyes turn to beaming joy. "All right, I''ll be right there."
¡
Everyone in the camp went to sleep except for me. My reserves were still 100% after all that food I ate. I wander for a while, trying to walk off that meal¡ Hm? Is that Gil? Looks like he¡¯s fighting an invisible adversary, dishing out kicks and punches, putting weight into each blow.
Landing his last punch, he notices me, brushing off his forehead of sweat. "Proxy, why are you up so late?"
Could ask the same about you."
"Just training."
"Why? You''re not in the prison anymore."
"It doesn''t matter, whether I''m in or out of the prison, I need to grow stronger so I can further my skills and surpass any opponent. I can''t allow myself to slow down, even for a single second."
So while he was the king, he didn''t stop growing stronger.
"Is something the matter, Proxy?"
"No, nothing."
Honestly amazed by his dedication to growing stronger. I never had that sort of thing before, and I don¡¯t even know if I ever will.
"...I only grew stronger so I could keep watch on the old man. I thought it was enough, keeping him contained in there, but I think I was just afraid to fight him. Vengeance was my goal when I went to BlackRock, but when I got the chance, I¡got scared. Dying never bothered me when I was a child, but seeing it happen to someone I cared about, I don¡¯t..¡±
"You didn¡¯t seem so scared before."
¡°I let my anger get to my head. It helped with my fear, but it just proved that I was weak.¡± I don¡¯t agree with that. If you win the fight, then you¡¯re stronger. That¡¯s how it is and always will be. ¡°...But when you reminded me I wasn¡¯t fighting alone, it got rid of the fear inside me, and I got to fight at my best. From the bottom of my heart, thanks for sticking with me."
His warm smile expresses the gratitude that his words carried, hitting it home for me.
"No problem, I''m just hard-wired to help someone in need."
Gil backs away from me. "You know, we didn''t get the chance to finish our fight.¡±
Oh yeah, I know where he¡¯s going with this!
I relax my shoulders, taking a stance. "Now that you mention it, yeah, we didn¡¯t."
"I''m glad you''re quick on the draw.¡±
"You kidding me? I was about to bring it up."
The wind gently blows against the grass, whistling past us. Leaves sway from the branches, rustling, creating a harmonious sound with the air. A perfect area for a fight.
"On three, we go," Gil says, letting loose a smirk that says it all.
"Fine by me."
"Then, three, two, one!"
Our body zooms across the field, racing to reach the other. We send out a fist to the other, aiming for each other¡¯s heads. However, neither made their mark. Missing didn¡¯t upset me or grate on me, but the moment before impact, right when we could¡¯ve hit the other, that¡¯s when I got excited about this fight. Sounds crazy, but that¡¯s just how it is for me. I wonder if that¡¯s what it¡¯s like for Gil as well?
Outside of BlackRock Prison - midnight
Violent waves of the water were crashing against the hard, coarse, and jagged rocks below the BlackRock prison. Above them is a single gondola. It¡¯s traveling from the prison. When it reached its end, the door slid open. Inside were the bodies of the knights, who came to disarm the situation at the prison. Before they could exit the gondola, a single person entered while they were inside, killing each of them in the blink of an eye, dismembering them with ease, breaking their bones like tissue paper, and filling the gondola with blood.
His emotions numbed, ignoring their broken bodies as he rode the gondola out of the prison. What about the other prisoners? A question with an answer that would shake the heart of an average man; this single old man killed them. Even in greater numbers, he slayed them with little to no hesitation. He was not content killing them but did it anyway. Similar to eating when sick, he simply didn¡¯t enjoy the fight. This old man was not interested in killing people. He loved the heat of battle, killing was the inevitable conclusion to his battles, a fact he had come to hate.
Alone, he walks into the forest with a destination in mind. What was his goal? To have another fight with Gilhart, but for now, he must regroup with his allies, those who bear the tattoo of a ghostly figure standing in the middle of a flame. The scar of his battle with Gilhart howls inside his soul, beckoning him to the battlefield once more!
Kingdom of Humanity part 1
7/15 - Ruins camp - late morning
Music was booming through my earphones while I looked up to the sky from on the couch. The sky was as blue as always with the clouds slightly filling the air. Richard was reading one of the books Selena gave him. He''d been practicing his magic for a while. He was able to heal wounds now but just bruises and relieve some pain. Other than that, he was still pretty weak with it, but hey, it was still cool and useful nonetheless. I had asked him if it was possible to enhance body parts with Source. He told me that it was but only be possible if they are a guardian attribute. I described how the old man acted and his cold presence, and he told me that was a possibility. So overall, that old fart had a few mysteries about him. However that isn''t important, what is important is the fact that I am...
"...So freaking bored!"
"Huh?"
"I am so bored, I can''t take this shit anymore. I want to do something."
"Why don''t you just walk around," Richard suggested.
"Are you kidding me, we''ve already done that. I don''t want to walk around aimlessly anymore, I want to go to an actual place!"
Exploring without a real destination in mind was fun for a while, but it got boring after a while.
"Then how about you come with us?"
Alex poked his head from behind the couch.
"To where?"
"To the kingdom," Marie answered. "We need to get some supplies and it can''t be found in the forest, so we''re heading over there. We could use extra hands."
So, we''re finally heading to this Kingdom place that''s been mentioned. To be honest, I don''t expect much from it. However, if there¡¯s a weapons shop there? I could replace the stone sword with a cool ass weapon! Shit, now I''m getting hyped! I jumped off the couch doing some athleticism.
"What are we waiting for, let''s get going!"
"I see you''re fairly excited," Richard pointed out.
"Hell yeah I am, this trip is going to be awesome!"
"This isn''t a trip, this is to gather supplies," Marie snappishly reminded me.
"Yeah, yeah, Richard, you wanna come along?"
"Sure, I''m interested in this kingdom as well. What about you Nunnal¨¦?"
"I have no such interest, I''ll only go if you command me, or if you are going yourself," she said in a robotic tone.
"I guess that''s a yes," Richard said.
"Alright then, let''s head out right now, I want to get there before the afternoon," Marie instructed.
"Okay then, what are we waiting for, let''s go."
Everyone else was going on ahead of me. Before I ran after them, a thought poked into my head. I went through my bag to find what I needed...
...
We were on Marie''s bike, it was rather cramped since there were five of us. Marie was driving with Alex behind her. Richard, Nunnal¨¦, and I sat in the sidecar. I needed to be careful on the sidecar or I would fall off (however, it was a pretty big sidecar). The drive wasn''t as bumpy as I believed it was going to be but it was still pretty damn rough in some places. During the drive, I saw ruins, statues, and other places of interest covered in overgrown.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"Yo, I got a question: what is within the ruins," I asked Marie.
"We don''t know, they were there long before I was born and ever since, so they remain a mystery. However, some of the Kingdom''s researchers had discovered it to be a part of an old kingdom that must''ve fallen centuries ago."
"Makes sense, if this land wasn''t kept in check then it would stand to reason that some of these buildings would be covered in overgrown. But if it were abandoned it would mean the old inhabitants are all dead," Richard theorized.
"It''s true when I was a child I was told stories of how this used to be a Kingdom of several different lands, each having their own beliefs and ways of life. But they all one day disappeared. Ever since then, humans have tried to make something out of this land again, but it was tough times making it happen. I don''t know many of the details of how it went down, but now we have a kingdom that fits most of the humans of this land." Marie had ended her history lesson.
"Wow, that''s more history learned about more so than my own country," I told Marie.
"Speaking of which, where do you two hail from," Alex asked Richard and me.
"We''re from another world," I answered.
"Really!?"
I thought Marie would tell him? Is it really that unimpressive to her?
"Yep, I''m a badass that comes from the city of NewPort Island, from the state of New Jersey! And so is Richard (minus the badass part)."
"What is NewPort like?"
"NewPort is an island city that is made up of four different areas. The first one is an entertainment district, the second would be an industrial area, the third is a residential area, and the final is the commercial district. Each being connected by bridges and train stations," Richard explained clearly, trying to come off as expertly.
"It sounds like a fairly big place, how do you get around," Marie asked.
"We take trains that go throughout the whole city plus buses and any other vehicle," I answered.
"It sounds like a marvelous place," Alex said.
"It''s not bad, but district one is full of gangs that are ready to beat the crap out of anything that moves, but other than that, it''s a pretty great place to live."
It''s been a while since I thought of NewPort. I wonder how everyone is doing over there? I wonder what''s being said about mine and Richard¡¯s disappearance. Nah, can''t see Lauren working up the energy to care, and I bet Birch is glad that I''m gone. Eh, it''s whatever at this point. I''m in another world and it''s fun as all hell, so I''m not gonna let the minor details ruin it . . .
"We''re going to be taking a scenic route."
"How come?"
"A Fire Wraith is camped out nearby. We don''t want any trouble from them, especially while shopping."
"I don''t mind a bit of trouble," I casually told Marie.
"We don''t need it at this moment, so cool yourself."
We parked in a miniature forest area. The trees were enough to hide the bike.
"Okay, we''re going to park here. I don''t want to get questioned as to why we have this."
"Is it illegal to have a bike," Richard asked her.
"Civilians and outsiders can''t own vehicles unless they''re merchants or with the Kingdom army, otherwise, they would take away my bike."
That''s rough, what asshole came up with that rule?
After a while of walking, I was beginning to see something beyond the horizon. It was a giant wall, covering a large chunk of land. No, more than that. Probably covered miles of land.
"We''re here. The entrance to the Kingdom of humanity."
The entranceway was open with a gate in sight above it. Rather, it was a large tunnel entranceway that leads into the kingdom. Guards are standing outside the city, with weapons in hand.
"Give me a moment. I need to verify our entry."
Marie walked over to the guards that were watching the gate. She pulled out some documents from her pocket and after a couple of minutes of expecting them, Marie gave the thumbs up.
"Welcome, merchants to our fair Kingdom," the guard said to us. We all passed them and into the tunnel.
¡°Merchants,¡± I asked her.
¡°It¡¯s the best visa suited us, besides, I still don¡¯t want to bring my bike since they might question where I acquired a vehicle like that.¡±
¡°Where did you get it?¡±
¡°I stole it.¡±
¡°Ah.¡±
Soon after a few minutes, we had finally stepped foot into the kingdom of humanity.
Kingdom of Humanity part 2
Kingdom of humans - morning
Holy¡shit¡ This place is so¡
¡°Cool!¡±
What else can I call it? This place is just too freaking cool! Like talk about impressive! The buildings, the streets, and even the castle itself have a medieval design to it while mixing in a sort of modern take, blowing my first impression of it into the water. I mean, I thought it was gonna be a dump. This place even has streetlights! Seriously, this place is nothing but impressive. Flying colors all around. It has a simple look to it, one that works as a building, more than how fancy it seems.
Their castle sticks out like a sore thumb, being on much high ground than where we¡¯re standing. From the entrance, a road stretches all the way to a long flight of stairs leading up to the castle.
If I have to put the mood in words, it would be lively. Everyone looks happy enough to be here unless they''re being forced to¡ Nah, that''s not the vibe I''m getting from them.
Richard looks as surprised as I am, while Nunnal¨¦ is just as neutral as ever. Alex is looking pretty excited about this, but Marie''s rocking a serious mug. The vibe we¡¯re giving off is kinda mixed.
"So this is the Kingdom," Richard finally mutters, astonished by the sight of all this.
"Indeed it is,"
Alex, smiling from head to toe, doesn''t even bother to conceal his eagerness.
While we take in the sights, Marie claps her hands, dragging our attention to her. "Okay! We came here to buy supplies, not to sightsee. Since we''re tight on money, we''ll need to buy only the essentials. No ifs, ands, or buts."
¡°But¡¡±
She shoots an ¡°if you finish that, I¡¯ll kick your ass¡± glare. Why are the girls and women in my life such hardasses? Hm, what¡¯s in my pocket? Digging out whatever this smooth, rocky thing is in my pocket, I put it in front of my face¡ Isn¡¯t this¡
Marie¡¯s eyes dilate when her gaze fell on what¡¯s in my hand. She practically zooms past my notice, yanking the thing out of my hand. Examining it with careful yet creepy eyes, she jerks her head towards me.
"Proxy, where did you get this gem?"
"Umm¡¡± When did I? Where did I get a thing like that¡ Ah, now I remember! ¡°...From the mine! I pocketed a couple of them to take home. Forgot all about them."
"Proxy¡¡± She forcefully lifts my hand, smacking hers against mine. ¡°Good job!"
¡°Y-yeah, no problem.¡±
Glad she¡¯s happy, and I like the praise and all, but you¡¯d think she knows what restraint is, especially with how monstrous her strength is.
"I have more in here, but you gotta let us share the money. I wanna buy some stuff. Sure my buddy wants to too, right?¡±
Richard sheepishly pushes up his glasses. "Yeah, I¡¯d like to read a history book from this world, investigate this world a little."
Marie sighed to herself. She already knew this was a losing battle. "...I guess if you have more of these in your pocket, then fine. First, let¡¯s see how much we can get for them, okay?¡±
Bitchin¡¯!
...
Marie led us to a shop full of junk. Practically cluttered with stuff, and had no space for all of us to go inside. Shopkeep looked like a pleasant person, so I guess I can¡¯t say they were shady, just messy. The important thing is, we made some money, and when I say money, I mean a lot of it!
"Remember, don''t get into trouble, and don¡¯t buy stuff you won¡¯t use," Marie stern.
"Yeah mom," I replied.
"Seriously, don''t get into trouble at all! We''ll be meeting up at dawn, at the castle entrance. You got that, Proxy?"
"Yeah, yeah, why are you singling me out?"
"Because you''re the type to ignore other people."
The hell? Who does she think she is, my mother or some shit like that?
"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. I¡¯m gonna go see what I can see. See ya."
Stuffing the money in my pocket, I run off to explore the kingdom. Richard is calling me back, but I¡¯m dead set on flying solo. Not like I wanna get away from these guys. I just wanna be by myself and unwind for a bit.
Walking through the stone roads, its uneven road puts me on guard, having me watch where I step. There¡¯s a bit of garbage on the road, but relatively speaking, this place is a lot cleaner than the city. The buildings made of wood and stone have a simplistic charm to them, making this place even cozier.
There are tons of shops down here with vendors screaming their heads off as their voices blend into one another, all of them selling stuff in kiosks and whatnot; food, clothes, tools, supplies, and other stuff. Though, I don¡¯t see anyone selling weapons. Guess they just can¡¯t do that, huh? As much as I want to buy something, I gotta spend it wisely¡ Maybe I do a little grocery shopping?
¡°Hey, get your hands off me!¡± A voice breaks my concentration. Two dudes wearing light armor are dragging someone off, some scrawny kid. He¡¯s trying to wiggle his way out of their hold, but that ain¡¯t gonna happen. ¡°...Where are you taking me!? What did I do?¡±
¡°Unlawful entry into the kingdom is punishable by exile! Trespassing again will result in death!¡±
Not only that guy, but several more kids are being taken away by even more guards. I can only watch as they¡¯re being dragged away. Each of them gives me a strange look, pleading with their eyes¡ Marie told me not to do stupid shit, but¡
¡°Yo,¡± I call one of the guards. With my hood up, I blitz some of the guards, helping the kids break loose from their grasp. ¡°Run, you punks!¡±
I dash off into the closest alleyway, sprinting through the maze of short pathways that exist between buildings. With their heavy-ass armor and how lightly I¡¯m dressed, they¡¯ll never catch me. The clanking of their armor grows distant. By the time I knew it, I lost them.
I chuckle to myself, smirking as I look behind me. ¡°Suckers.¡±
Hopefully, those kids got away. Probably gonna have to stick to the alleyways for a while.
¡°Hey!¡± Speak of the devil, one of them found. ¡°...Thanks.¡±
¡°No sweat, just don¡¯t get caught again¡¡±
¡°Wait! Let me repay you.¡±
Repay me? Well, if he¡¯s giving me a reward, how could I refuse?
¡°Fine, but I don¡¯t need money.¡±
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°Then this is perfect. Follow me.¡±
He moves through another end of the alleyway, leading the way to wherever he wants to take me.
...
Strolling through the upper part of the kingdom with Nunnal¨¦, the high level of the kingdom is much more refined, their architecture being not as loose as the lower level. Their buildings are a bit more modern than anything else.
"Why did he leave on his own?"
"Master Richard, are you worried about Proxy?"
"Not really, I just wanted to explore with him. But I guess he just wanted to be on his own for a bit."
Even if Proxy runs into trouble, I''d feel sorry for the guys who messed with him.
"Master Richard, there."
Nunnal¨¦ points to a store. Is it what we¡¯re looking for? It is! We enter the first bookstore we spotted, it¡¯s pretty small but has plenty of books filling in the shelves. There¡¯s no clear indication of which aisle is for which type of books. I¡¯ll just ask the librarian.
"Excuse me, I''m trying to find some geography and history books."
"Studious, aren¡¯t ya?¡±
¡°You can say that.¡±
¡°In that case, the second aisle, left row."
¡°Thank you.¡±
I went to the aisle. Nunnal¨¦ and I pulled books out at random, flipping through them for maps on maps of the world.
"Master Richard, why are we doing this?" Nunnal¨¦ inquired, peering over my shoulder with a
"There are many things I still don''t know about this world, and if I were to continue like that it would be dangerous. So I want to learn as much as possible."
"I see. An excellent reason, as expected of my master."
She¡¯s making it seem like I had the best idea in the world. Though, I don¡¯t mind the compliment¡ I won¡¯t say that aloud.
"Master Richard, I have found an appropriate map."
Nunnal¨¦ hands me a book with a single continent. Flipping to the next page shows a more in-depth map of the land. From what I¡¯m seeing, we¡¯re currently in the south of this continent.
"Is this the only continent?" I whisper to myself.
That can¡¯t be right. There has to be more. Now that I think about it, I haven¡¯t seen a ship in the ocean, and the kingdom isn¡¯t far from the ocean, so wouldn¡¯t they have made a docking bay for said naval ships? Should I ask about it? I don¡¯t want to cause any changes in this world mainly to avoid any trouble, if possible. I¡¯ll have to assume they haven¡¯t charted anything beyond this continent.
"Master Richard,¡± Nunnal¨¦ calls, slightly bowing to me. ¡°...may I infer something?"
"What is it?"
"There is supposed to be another continent, east of this continent.¡±
"Are you sure?"
"From what insignificant memory I have, yes."
"From what little memory?"
"Forgive me, I failed to mention this." She closes the book in a quiet and fluid way. "We dolls were made to be physically superior to the average human, but were also made human, and as such, we have the biological scheme, which would include fake organs and fake blood. This also extends to us even being able to simulate death."
"What does that mean?"
"When we take damage, our vessels take that damage as well. In the event of a fatal wound, our vessels are destroyed. When it occurs, we enter a state similar to death, yet not death."
¡°So a comatose state? Wait, why would it be a state similar to death?¡±
¡°Because we dolls are not truly dead when our vessels are shattered. In that vein, we are unable to operate due to our vessels having been shattered.¡±
I get it, but¡
¡°Would I be able to heal it?¡±
She nods her head. ¡°...Even if you were to heal me with all your power, you would not be able to repair my vessel. The only instrument capable of doing so is the case I was capsulized in.¡±
Her expression doesn¡¯t change, never breaking from that deadpan expression, uncaring for the risks she has looming over her. It¡¯s not even a tough act; she really could care less that she¡¯s practically mortal now.
"Nunnal¨¦, you-"
"Master Richard, I have collected all the materials for information gathering for this world.¡±
Her toneless way of speaking, the robotic, almost doll-like demeanor, and her lack of care towards herself or anyone else but me. Lacking almost all humanity, and above all, my ability means nothing against her. She scares me. My fear doesn¡¯t stem from what harm she can bring, but from how she¡¯s lacking in anything telling me she¡¯s human.
¡°Master Richard, shall we purchase these?¡±
Her voice snaps me out of my head, causing me to flinch a little. "...All right, let''s check out then."
I place the books on the checkout table. While the clerk checked the books, Nunnal¨¦ remains in the aisle, staring at a book in her hands. Then, the unthinkable happens; her expressionless face shows a glimmer of curiosity.
"What are you reading?"
"A book on flowers."
Flowers? She¡¯s reading about flowers?
"Do you like flowers?"
Curiosity turns to uncertainty. "...I am unable to comprehend why, but I have a strange affinity for them."
Come to think of it, we first talked in a flower field, but it wasn¡¯t real. Still, I¡¯m surprised that¡¯s able to show interest in things besides my well-being.
"Do you want it?"
As a response, she returns her expression to her usual distant look. "It is not important to our current objective."
Easily discarding her interest like that isn¡¯t fair to herself.
"It''s not like it''ll be a big deal. We have more than enough money.."
I added the book to our collection.
¡°Are you sure, master Richard?¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like I planned on going on a shopping spree. Besides, I know what it feels like not getting something you really want.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ watched on as the clerk rang us up, casting me a weird gaze. Leaving the store, Nunnal¨¦ insisted on carrying the books. Checking how much money we had left, we still have plenty more leftover. It¡¯s still the afternoon, so we have more than enough time to do some exploring. Further down the street, I spot a candy store. While I don''t have a sweet tooth, I am sort of curious how this world¡¯s sweets taste.¡±
Entering the shop, the product is encased in small glass boxes behind the clerk.
"Welcome," he greeted with a warm smile. "What can I do for you?"
Hmm¡ So many to choose from. I wonder what I should go for? Something simple maybe? In that case¡ In the corner of my eye, I spot puffy balls, varying in color, skewered by a thin stick. Those look simple enough.
"Can I get five of those puffy balls?"
"Sure."
He took them out, placing them in a bag.
"That''ll be 10,000 RELS.¡±
I gave him 10 bills that equated to 10,000 RELS. Exiting with the bag in hand, I take one out. It would be weird to buy these and not sample them. Touching the top one, it feels squishy, probably filled with something.
"Master Richard, I am unsure of its edibility, so allow me to taste it."
She takes the stick from my hand, acting as if this is a dire situation. She puts the top one into her mouth, chewing on it, allowing her tastebuds to get a feel for it.
¡°...Is it okay?"
She stops chewing; her face locks into a surprised expression.
"Are you okay?" Shit, were we not supposed to eat this!? ¡°Nunnal¨¦, are you¨C¡±
Then, taking me by surprise, her face turns pink, causing me to cease my sentence..
"This¡this is¡delicious! Delectable!"
Her tone of voice, while somewhat the same, is a bit more expressive than it usually is, showing how much she¡¯s enjoying that, even if she isn¡¯t showing overwhelming joy on her face. I watch her eat the other two balls on the stick, savoring each one.
Finishing them, she turns to me, raising a single eyebrow. "Why are you smiling?"
"I am?"
¡°Indeed. Was me eating those sweets amusing?¡±
¡°Not really, just sort of glad.¡±
She tilts her head, confused by the meaning of what I said.
¡°Do you want another one?¡±
"Yes!"
Wow, she¡¯s not even trying to find an excuse, isn¡¯t she? Well, I¡¯m glad she isn¡¯t. It scared me how she emoted next to nothing, but it also frustrated me to no end since it reminded me of how I used to act; pushing my emotions down, walling them inside of myself. It¡¯s frustrating because I know how painful that can be. So I don¡¯t want her to push away what she wants just for my convenience.
¡°You want to go sit down somewhere and read?¡±
¡°You are allowing me to decide?¡±
¡°Of course. What do you want to do?¡±
She takes a moment, pondering what we should do. ¡°...Yes, I would like to read my book.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s find a seat somewhere.¡±
We set to continue down the road, searching for a seat in this large kingdom. I¡¯m glad to see that Nunnal¨¦ has emotions, but I¡¯m guessing they won¡¯t be out on full display like that anytime soon. I guess that¡¯s fine. Maybe Nunnal¨¦ doesn¡¯t know how to make her emotions surface or even know they exist. This is something I¡¯m not too familiar with, a person who doesn¡¯t know how to be emotive¡ Well, I suppose it¡¯s not that bad. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s mentally unstable. She¡¯s able to operate normally, even if her common sense is a bit off. Maybe my fear really comes from the unknown. I don¡¯t understand her, so I fear her. But in the end, I was just being ridiculous. For now, I¡¯ll just try my best to get along with her, and hopefully, I¡¯ll get to see new sides to her.
Kingdom of Humanity part 3
Kingdom of Humanity - morning
Moving through another alleyway, I leap over a fence in my way. Following behind some kid I helped, I¡¯m supposed to get something from him, but does it take this long to get a reward from someone? If this turns into an ambush, I¡¯ll kick their asses and head back to the entrance.
¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Turning the corner, we¡¯re met with a dead end. Wow, a wall, how awesome¡ Hm, there¡¯s a white sheet covering something in the alley''s corner. ¡°...You can have that,¡± the kid points to the sheet.
¡°¡®Kay¡¡±
I head to it, weirded out by this whole thing. This is too suspicious and I am not the type to be on edge. I throw off the sheet, unveiling what¡¯s beneath the sheet.
¡°Holy shit!¡±
My jaw hangs open, dumbstruck by what was under the sheet. A slick red and black bike that looks like a custom-made bike, kinda like an enduro, except not as small. The seat can support the driver¡¯s back. Also with smooth leather, nice.
¡°I-I found it while running through the alleyways. I hope you like it, sir!"
Sir? I''m way too young to be a sir. Whatever¡ Let''s see what this baby can do. I jump onto the seat, gripping the handles, giving my hands the chance to get used to them.
"Feels nice. You sure this doesn''t belong to anyone?"
"Its been here for days now, so I don''t think so."
Abandoned, huh? Then nobody is gonna miss it then.
"How do I turn this on?"
"Um, I think on the side, next to the left handle."
Near it, a button sits next to it. I press it, bringing the machine to life. Its engine roars, letting out that satisfying sound bikes make.
"Oh, yeah! Now, this is what I''m talking about!"
"I''m glad you like it, sir. Hopefully, this will be enough to thank you?"
"Kidding me, this is¨C"
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
The sound of rubber grinding against the ground spikes my heart rate. Before I can understand what''s going on, the bike goes full in reverse out of the alleyway.
"W-w-what the¨C"
I burst out of the alley, breaking a wooden fence behind me. The bike comes to a stop, its engine humming as people look on. Guards hustle past the crowd, holding up spears.
"Cr¨C"
The bike revs up again right as the guards approach me. It goes blasting off again, speeding through the streets. I''ve ridden a bike before, but holy shit, this thing is fast! The wind is making it impossible to see where I''m going, and everything is turning into a blur. If this keeps going, then someone''s gonna get killed!
"Stop!"
I jerk the handles and stomp on the brakes, but nothing happens. Now, it''s steering towards a building. Is this thing trying to kill me!?
Instead of turning into paste, the bike actually scales the freaking walls, tearing everything below the wheels.
"Holy shit!"
This is awesome but scary as all hell. Landing on a rooftop, I can feel my organs bounce around inside my body, almost making me wanna hurl. Once again, it jets off without warning, almost making me lose my breakfast.
Moving from rooftop to rooftop, I''m holding on for my dear life, hoping that I don''t go flying off this death trap¡ You have to be kidding me!?
"Wait, hold on, there''s no more roof!" No good, it''s actually gonna do it! Ramping off the edge of the last rooftop, I soar across the sky. The wind blowing by my body, gravity losing its effect, even if it''s for a moment, and this view of the lower level¡ It''s so cool!
But, like a brick smashing against a window, reality hits me. I scream my lungs out, anticipating the impact to the ground. The landing shook my body hard, and my ass took the brunt of the force.
"Had¡enough¡demon?" Revving its engine, it screams no. "Alright, then bring it on!" Accepting my challenge, it punches it, something down the road. "...Bring it!"
I pull back on the bike, using my shoulders to give it an oomph, and I use my leg to hit the brakes. My foot grinds across the ground, building up heat below my foot, and the muscles in my arms are getting tired..
"Come on!"
I dig my foot into the ground, burning the bottom of my sneakers, flexing my muscles with everything I got just to stop this goddamn thing. Every bump in the road nearly tears my foot from the ground, and the threat of crashing into something is another concern. This battle is about endurance, seeing which one of us gives up first; a machine that easily trumps other bikes or a human who could turn into a red smear on some wall. But I''m reigning this thing in, so it''s all or nothing!
Using all the strength I got, raw and barbaric, I scream as loud as I can, pulling back as hard as I can¡ Pounding from inside my chest, my lungs are beating like a drum solo. Did¡I beat it?
Glancing at the ground, I''m not moving anymore. My sneaker is still in one piece, though, the heat underneath it is scorching hot, just about to burn my feet.
"Did you decide to play nice?"
Nothing happened when I asked, but its engine got louder. I''ll assume that¡¯s a yes. Curious, I tried driving it on my own, and wouldn''t you know it, it¡¯s moving the way I want it to.
"Oh yeah, you''re a good boy, aren¡¯t ya? You and I are gonna get along just fine, I can tell.¡±
I hope¡
Kingdom of Humanity part 4
Kingdom of Humans - afternoon
Alexander and I were done shopping for supplies in the lower level of the kingdom. Been a while since I¡¯ve come here. I can¡¯t say I hate this place, but coming here always puts me on guard¡ Wish I had my spear with me; it always calms me down, tells me that I¡¯m safe, and even if something bad happens, I can at least protect myself. Without it, the world feels much more dangerous, and I feel vulnerable.
"Such a haul, right, Marie?"
Brother¡¯s voice reels me back to reality. Right, even without my weapon, my brother is with me, so I don¡¯t feel vulnerable. No matter where we go, or what¡¯s ahead of us, as long as he¡¯s with me, everything is alright.
¡°Yeah, sorry if I went overboard on the spending.¡±
¡°No worries¡though, my arms are growing fatigued.¡±
"Then let¡¯s find a spot to sit."
I remember seeing a bench near the entrance, so we¡¯ll go sit there since we¡¯re close.
"Want to get something to eat, brother? I can go get it myself if you¡¯re tired?"
"No, no. I¡¯ll... Hm?"
"What is it?"
"Those people over there."
He points to a group of people yelling at a guard outside the entrance of the kingdom. A woman in the group is yelling at him. Sounds like she¡¯s giving him a piece of her mind. Well, whatever, it¡¯s not we¡ H-hey! Why is brother¡ Don¡¯t tell me¡ I rush to his side as he approaches the woman.
"Excuse me, what seems to be the-"
"My husband! H-he was taken!"
"Please, calm down. What happened?"
The woman took a minute to calm down, sniffling with her eyes closed. "We were trekking to the kingdom, but we were attacked by bandits! But my husband, he got caught, and these knights won¡¯t do anything!¡±
¡°Sorry, ma¡¯am, but we aren¡¯t meant to go out and rescue anyone. I¡¯ve been trying to tell her that, but she won¡¯t listen. There¡¯s really nothing I can do, and even then, I¡¯d have no idea where to look.¡±
He has a point. If we have no idea where to look, then what are they supposed to do?
¡°Please you have to look for him," one of the men in the group said.
¡°We¡¯re begging you¡¡±
Desperation is painted on their faces, grim even, If he hasn¡¯t come back by now, then I¡¯m not too sure that he¡¯s still alive. Though, that thought makes me feel bad for her.
Brother grabs her hands, staring into her eyes with a hardened determination.
"Don''t worry, I''ll find your husband; you have my word." Brother puts down all of our supplies on a nearby bench. "Marie, would there happen to be a Fire Wraith camp nearby?"
Yeah, I assumed as much. If he¡¯s out there, then the only things that could¡¯ve gotten him are predators or bandits. Still, they wouldn¡¯t stay close to the kingdom, but I know there is one not too far from here.
"Yeah, northeast, not too far. Brother, we¨C"
Before I could finish, he runs out of the kingdom.
"Wait, brother!"
Shit! We don¡¯t have weapons and he¡¯s just gonna run out like that! Damnit, I can¡¯t just let him go alone.
"Excuse me, I know this is a bother, but watch those for us, okay!?"
I dash out after brother. He got a head start, so I¡¯ll have to move fast. Despite my appearance, running for a long period of time isn¡¯t an issue, and my legs are strong enough to cover long distances. I followed my brother¡¯s bootprints. Leading down a slope, there¡¯s a camp nestled in the bottom of this small pocket forest.
Brother is surrounded by armed bandits. Their stances are awful, posturing is all their good for. Then again, they are just grunt units, nothing more and nothing less. I¡¯d be concerned they were stronger, but I was worried for nothing. I¡¯m confident in that because my brother¡¯s holding a sword, and if he¡¯s good at anything, it¡¯s swordplay. He easily dispatches all of the bandits, hitting them with his fists and the back of his hilt, subduing them without shedding blood.
He missed one. The sneaky bastard waited for him to turn his back. I quickly scale down the slope, picking up the closest weapon and bringing it up to the enemy¡¯s neck.
"Drop the knife or I¡¯ll tear your head off." Realizing the threat to his life, he dropped the knife.
"Now go to sleep!"
I tripped him to the ground, stomping his head against the ground.
"Marie, you came?"
"Of course, I was worried that you got lost."
"I''m not a child."
"Trust me, children have a better sense of direction than you. But forget that, let¡¯s go find any prisoners. We walk around the camp, searching every nook and cranky until we found¡bodies, dead ones. They were put into a pile. They must have thrown them to the waist side, clearly caring less for who they killed. This isn¡¯t looking good.
Brother gazes at the pile, horrified by the sight of the stacks of the dead. There¡¯s stuff lying around, items that probably belonged to the dead but no survivors¡
¡°Come on, brother. We need to tell them.¡±
He says nothing. Balling up his fist, rage stirs up inside him. ¡°Marie, I think it is time.¡±
¡°Time for what?¡±
¡°To strike back at the Fire Wraiths!¡±
Ruin camp - evening
Proxy and Marie had to transport them by coming back and forth from the kingdom to transport the new residents of the camp. Apparently, their village was burned and the guards weren''t allowing them in, so bringing them here was the next best thing; unsurprising, it was Alexander''s idea. Nunnal¨¦ and I walked until they were able to pick us up. When I asked Proxy about the bike, he said he found it in an alleyway. If this were NewPort - even if it were - he should have asked if it belonged to someone.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The new people exude nothing but sorrow with a bit of anger in there. I couldn¡¯t stand the feeling, but what was I supposed to do? Such sorrow was familiar, all too familiar; like being at the bottom of the ocean, where light can¡¯t reach. Should I feel bad that I find their sorrow to be a headache to me? I mean, I¡¯m not trying to say that I don¡¯t care, and I never will, but it feels like that sometimes. Feeling it the way I do makes you somewhat reluctant to hear anything at all.
Proxy takes a seat next to me. "Man, what a day. Riding back and forth is tough. Know what I¡¯m saying?"
¡°Not really. Where did you even get that bike?¡±
¡°It was a gift.¡±
¡°I was being serious.¡±
¡°So was I¡ Gonna have to make something soon for everyone.¡±
¡°You need help? I know the cooks are short-staffed.¡±
"Yeah. I love cooking, but doing it for so many people is kinda rough, so thanks."
From the corner of my eye, I notice Alex standing on the stone table at the far end of the camp.
"Everyone present! I¡have a confession to make. Today, we failed to save someone¡a husband. Not only him but several others were killed by the hands of bandits known as the Fire Wraiths.¡± I feel nothing right now, but I can tell the crowd is confused. ¡°Those outside the kingdom live in danger. We live in fear of these brutes coming down on us and annihilating us in one fell swoop. They steal, kill, and destroy everything in their path without a shred of mercy. Even after the war, death and violence persist without end¡ That is why I wish to change this! And in order to bring this change, I ask for your help.¡±
A sudden burst of shock came from the crow. The crowd of people voices their concerns at him, telling him ?he¡¯s insane, that the bandits are beyond us, or just voicing their befuddlement.
¡°I am well aware of how it sounds, but if we do nothing, then their reign will remain unchallenged! Knowing this, please, take a moment to discuss it with yourselves. Choose carefully on this."
He says that but it¡¯s not a simple decision to make, and with all this thick apprehension, they''ll probably say no,
"Proxy, what are you thinking here? Should we agree with Alex?"
"Why not? That''s pretty much the only way to solve this bandit problem, right? Then all we need to do is band up and kick some ass."
As simple as it sounds he isn''t wrong. But I don¡¯t know if we have what it takes. I mean, we¡¯re not an army of well-trained men, so do we even have a glimmer of a chance? Besides, I think it¡¯s better if Proxy and I should keep a low profile. Hm? Where did he go?
¡°Alright, now we¡¯re talking!¡± Proxy runs through the crowd, jumping up on top of the rock slab with Alexander. "What''s the point of talking about this? It''s simple: you either fight to live, or you don''t, and wait for those Fire Whatever-you-call-them to show up here. So why don''t we just stop talking and take some action?"
Proxy''s declaration was rather unrefined, but I wouldn''t say ineffective. There¡¯s still a bit of hesitance in the crowd, but it seems like he reduced it somewhat.
"And don¡¯t sweat it. As long as you got me, and some of the other powerhouses in this place, we¡¯ll all be good. So screw the odds, let¡¯s bust some heads and show those bandits whose boss!¡±
Everyone goes quiet, giving Proxy an awkward silence, making it harder to read the atmosphere.
¡°Master Richard.¡± Nunnal¨¦ approaches me from behind, eating the sweets she has been saving since we came back from the kingdom. ¡°...Would you like to fight?¡±
¡°Good question. I don¡¯t want to, but I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s right. What do you want to do?¡±
¡°What I think is irrelevant. I fight for you. The reason is irrelevant.¡±
That sounds really messed up. But what do I want to do? I¡ I never been asked that before¡ If I can, I¡¯d like to help Proxy as much as I can, even if I¡¯m not all that useful.
¡°...I want to avenge my husband,¡± a woman in the crowd said, radiating an immense amount of anger. ¡°I want them all to pay! Each one of those bandits!¡±
Her anger grows intense, sparking more anger to come from some of the others in the crowd. Not too many of them, but their rage is stronger than anything I¡¯ve ever felt. Anger in itself is a strong emotion, but its strength depends on the subject. If it were over someone getting coffee spilled on their shirt, it wouldn¡¯t be all that bad. But in this case, their anger is overwhelming, bone-chilling even.
Soon enough, the rest of the crowd starts to go with the flow, voicing their support for this cause. They aren¡¯t as angered, but it feels somewhat similar to it.
"All right! Let¡¯s do this shit!"
Proxy was getting hyped up, and everyone is getting swept up in it. He has that effect on people and I can''t say that it doesn''t work on me. However, it¡¯s only by a bit.
"So, it''s finally begun," Marie, who walked beside Nunnal¨¦ and me says, seemingly unsure by this decision.
"You knew he was going to do this?" I asked.
"Yeah. I knew this would happen." She takes a seat next to us. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t like the idea. If it were up to me, I¡¯d have us stay out of sight, but my brother is stubborn. And with Proxy here, we¡¯re pretty much on a set course. So, I have no choice but to ride it out.¡±
That¡¯s¡unexpected. Marie comes off as self-interested, so as long as it¡¯s for her own benefit, she thinks of herself and her brother. So naturally, it¡¯s surprising to see her accept this.
"What will you and Nunnal¨¦ do?" she asks me.
What else can I do? Striking out on our own is risky, and besides, I don¡¯t want to leave Proxy¡¯s side. I want the both of us to get home. Also, I have to pay back Marie for letting us stay here and for saving us. Without her, Proxy and I would¡¯ve probably starved to death, or worse.
"We''ll be staying. I don¡¯t want to abandon Proxy and I want to repay you for your kindness¡"
Marie places a hand on my head, ruffling my hair a little. "You''re a good friend, and I thought you¡¯d be a coward."
"Do not insult my master," Nunnal¨¦ countered, wearing a serious expression.
Marie giggled. ¡°Sorry, sorry. You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry. I was just trying to say you have a dependable friend here." She pats my shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s gonna happen, but if you help us, I promise I¡¯ll have your back.
Wow¡
"Marie, you¡¯re actually nice."
She gives me a strange look. "What does that mean!?"
Oh shit!
"Um, uh, nothing! Nothing at all! Forget I said anything!"
Transitioning to a vexed appearance, she gets up from the ground. ¡°...Well, anyway, I¡¯m gonna go to bed¡ Say, Nunnal¨¦, you want to sleep with me?¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because it might be fun, and I want to see how smooth your hair is.¡±
¡°I see, but what if¨C¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, Nunnal¨¦. Go have fun with Marie.¡±
Getting her to relax isn¡¯t easy, so if Marie can help with that, then I¡¯ll take what I can get.
¡°You heard him. Come on, let¡¯s go!¡±
She lifts Nunnal¨¦ off the ground, dragging her away. Nunnal¨¦ looks back at me, showing no uneasiness in those distant eyes, yet calm eyes of hers. Looks like I¡¯m myself¡ Hm, I wonder what I should do now?
Suddenly, a pat on the back spooked me, having me turn my head to see who tapped me. ¡°Sup, buddy.¡±
¡°Hey, Proxy.¡±
¡°What you got there?¡±
¡°Sweets. Want some?¡±
"Hell yeah! Man, you have no idea what I¡¯ve been through without some sweets."
I hand him some from the bag and we went to town on them.
"Man, things are starting to get crazy, huh?¡±
"Yeah, and you seem excited about it."
"Nah, that was just to hype up the crowd. I was just helping Alex get his point across, ya know?"
"I suppose, but your speech was lacking in finesse."
¡°Huh!? Finesse is my middle name.¡±
¡°Do you even have a last name?¡±
¡°Ouch. Cold¡¡±
We both watch the crowd, gossiping among themselves about what happened tonight.
"Proxy, do you think we¡¯ll ever go home?"
"Who knows, but I promised I¡¯d get us back there, so I¡¯m gonna do it."
Hearing him being serious about this is comforting. I never doubted him about this, but it¡¯s just nice to know that I can still count on him. Even if I can''t read his words, I don''t need to; that''s how much I trust him,
¡°Thanks, Proxy,¡± I express my genuine gratitude.
"No problem, buddy.¡±
I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen from here on out. Hell, I had no idea what would happen before all this. But, I want to believe everything will be fine, so I won¡¯t go into this with a negative mindset. Though, I still have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I always wanted to get rid of this feeling, but it always rears its head, whispering the worst-case scenario¡ No! It¡¯ll all be fine. I know it will¡ I hope.
Kingdom of Humanity - Finale
Holy lands - Kingdom of humans - midnight
"Your highness, he has arrived, the guest is here," a soldier announced.
"Send him in, and then leave us." I instructed.
"Yes, your highness!"
They opened the door to the throne room. A young man came through. He was wearing a coat that had a dark but light hue of blue that shared white outlines by its edges including his zippers. Belts on his waist as well. The short cape he was wearing on his shoulders shared the same design outline as the coat. He had a distinct air around himself, distinct, mannered, and most notably his inviting aura. On his hip was his sheathed weapon. I could make out the hilt and guard. The guard, in particular, was made with a cross design in mind. He had short blonde hair and his eyes were green.
"Welcome, representative of the Church. I am glad to have made your acquaintance. I am king Relius."
"It''s an honor," the youngman spoke.
"As you know, you were summoned here because of the upper king. Just in case, I''d like to ask why is it that you are here?"
"I''m here to collect something."
"And this something would be?"
"I am not at liberty to tell you." The way he said it was with authority but it also came off as polite.
"All right then, at least tell me if this involves my people."
"No, it does not involve them. I will be conducting a solo investigation outside of the kingdom for something. As a result, I will not need to investigate your kingdom, if it is the case. I was also requested to stay here for the duration of my mission."
There was no sign of him giving up any information on what he''s here for. In that case, I''ll have to leave that line of questioning.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Very well then, I''ll leave you to your own. However, if you ever need help, do not hesitate to ask. As a matter of fact, may I offer to have you guided to your personal room," I humbly offered.
"Yes, I''ll take you up on that offer."
"In that case, would one of you be polite enough to take our guest to his room?"
One of the guards saluted me and escorted him to his room. As soon as he was gone I called for another guard..
"Get surveillance on him. I want to know what he''s doing in my kingdom."
"Yes, your highness."
Playing it nicely with him would be of interest to me for now. I have no idea what he''s meant to be here for. An emissary of the upper king was sent a few days ago and told me that a representative of the church was being sent here to fulfill a mission. Since the upper king had him sent here, trying to get in his way for whatever reason might be a bad move on my end, even if he is up to something. Messing with the representative could ruin something he has planned and hurt my relationship with the king. So for now, I''ll allow whatever is happening to happen.
"I grow tired. Are there anymore reports for today," I asked the soldier in front of me.
"Nothing to report. There was only that one incident today, your highness."
"Did anyone figure out how two motorbikes were smuggled into the kingdom?"
"No, but we theorize that both of them were using merchant licenses in order to get them in."
"Were they real or fake?"
"We could not confirm as we don''t have them in custody but we assume they were real. The guard on gate duty stated that they speeded off out of the city and he couldn''t get a good look at them."
"I see. In that case, we should up our entrance defenses. Enlist more guards to entrance duty."
"Yes, your highness!"
He saluted me and then took his leave.
"What is the upper king up to?"
All I could do was ponder his next move . . .
...
After I was guided to my room I took a second to collect myself. The room was luxuriously designed. It was meant to make a guest feel comfortable in this place. Whatever, if there''s a bed it''ll do. I placed my sword next to me as I laid down.
"An investigation mission? I wonder why they would send me...?¡±
Surely there were others fit for the task than I was, so why me? No use thinking about it, I might as well catch some sleep before starting my investigation tomorrow.
I shut my eyes to catch in on some much-needed sleep. Tomorrow was surely going to be a busy day.
The Kings Tower - part 1
7/21 - Ruins camp - morning
Okay, it¡¯s down to the wire, my hand is practically empty and I have no idea what the hell to do now, but that¡¯s okay Proxy, you can get out of this¡you can get out of this¡
¡°I play a unit ability,¡± Richard, shooting me a serious expression, suddenly slips a shit-eating grin. ¡°For 3 of my units in the cast-off, I can attack twice.¡±
¡°You shitting me!?¡±
¡°And since you have 5 units in your cast-off, this ain¡¯t looking good for you.¡±
Shit, I need a spell! All or nothing, time to see if my luck holds up! Drawing one card, nothing! Drawing the second, hoping for that magical moment where it isn¡¯t a unit that I¡¯m about to draw. And¡ Shit!
"I win, again,¡± he declares, putting up a peace sign.
"No way! You cheated!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡±
You know, for someone so modest, he¡¯s pretty damn smug when it comes down to games.
¡°Well, I can''t accept this! Let''s play again!"
¡°Sure, but we already know who¡¯s gonna win.¡±
¡°Oh, bite me!¡±
No goddamn way am I giving him the satisfaction of rubbing in my losses. I mean, sure, it¡¯s 8-0, but the sunrise is coming, I know it!
¡°Everyone is training hard, as usual,¡± Richard points out, drawing his attention to Alex and the others running sword training.
Alex keeps shouting ¡°swing¡± over and over, and everyone goes along with it. Been like this ever since we decided to take on the bandits. Believe it or not, his training exercises look like hell; running for miles, doing 150 push-ups under two sets, and 130 swings. Yeah, that shit doesn¡¯t sound all that fun to me, so I¡¯m giving it a pass.
Walking up behind Alex, Marie diverts his attention. Both of them are flapping their lips but I can¡¯t hear jack, but I can tell she¡¯s serious about something. Though, that¡¯s pretty much how she always is.
"...Everyone,¡± Alex shouts, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°We shall continue our training tomorrow! Please take a well-deserved rest. Thank you, for your hard work!"
Like a stack of dominos, they all collapse to the ground, huffing and puffing for a scrap of air. Those guys are troopers. I would¡¯ve given up after a while.
"Richard, do you know how to read lips?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Really?"
"Of course not."
Well, I bet it¡¯s not all that interesting.
I lay back on the hard, concrete ground, staring at the azure sky. Clouds, drift along the wind, moving at an easy pace¡ Used to watch the clouds on my off days back home, on top of the apartment roof.
¡°You know, the sky ain¡¯t all that different than the one back home.¡±
¡°So I noticed. Come to think of it, other than the Hell Mine and the Kingdom, there isn¡¯t anything all that mythical about this world.¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡±
I mean, this place isn¡¯t boring, but I thought there would be some magical stuff going on, like maybe a legendary monster or something like that, but nothing¡ Eh, maybe it¡¯s my fault for getting my hopes up.
¡°...But Ms. Selena is the closest thing to magical.¡±
¡°Ugh, don¡¯t bring her up.¡±
That brat¡¯s name brings up a sour taste in my mouth. Not like I hate her or anything, but what she said annoys the shit out of me.
¡°Hey, Proxy¡ Do you think that tower is still open?¡±
¡°Huh? What tower?¡±
¡°You know, the one we came out of.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. I was knocked out cold, remember?¡±
¡°Oh, yeah.¡±
¡°But now you mention it. Who knows, maybe it is.¡± Hey¡ Now, this is making the light bulb in my head flicker on. ¡°You wanna go check if it is?¡±
Surprised, he gasps for a moment before speaking. ¡°Really? You want to check it out?¡±
¡°Sure, getting bored sitting here anyway.¡±
¡°Okay, but we need to tell Marie and Alexander first.¡±
¡°Huh? Why?¡±
¡°If we leave without telling them, they¡¯ll get worried.¡±
¡°Come on, man. They¡¯ll be fine without us for a minute or two.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m still going to tell them.¡±
He walks off without another word¡ Geez, why the hell does he need to make things so drawn out? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re our nannies or something like that. Whatever, might as well go with him.
Their voices are becoming clearer on approach.
"...Other than weapons, our real problem is our lack of supplies for the war effort. We don''t have much in the way of supporters, and the only way to do that is to show people that we mean business. I sent Chip out to do recon on notable camp areas around this area. Some of them are near towns, so I¡¯m thinking if we take those out, we can show people that the bandits aren¡¯t going to be a problem anymore.¡±
Damn, looks like she¡¯s getting the ball rolling, and I like the sound of that plan. Hm? Speak of the devil, Chip is back, carrying something in his hand. He greeted me before standing in front of Marie and Alex.
¡°Sup guys, miss me?¡± He jokes, speaking with his usual dry, laid-back tone. "Here''s your map. It''s marked with camps near villages, just like you asked." He rolled out a map on the table. There were marks made on the map in different colors all over the south part of the map. "The orange is us, the red is the major camp, and the blue is camps made near villages."
Three major camps, and a bunch of minor camps near towns, got it.
"Excellent work Chip," Alex commended, giving him a thumbs-up.
Marie rolled up the map. "We''ll discuss this later. For now, we need to secure weapons. I¡¯m thinking we can take from the bandits. Richard, since we got you, can you get Nunnal¨¦ to help with this?"
¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be dangerous?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯ll be a big one, but with her, I doubt it¡¯ll be all that hard. Besides, they¡¯ll probably have large weapon caches, so we kind of need to.¡±
¡°Well, um¡ I¡¯ll ask Nunnal¨¦ if she wants to.¡±
¡°Thanks, but did you two need something?¡±
¡°Yeah. Me and my buddy here wanna leave for a bit.¡±
Marie squints her eyes at me. ¡°Why?¡±
¡°We¡¯re gonna check something out. We¡¯ll probably be back before night. See ya.¡±
I turn my back to her, getting ready to walk away.
¡°Wait a minute! You can¡¯t just leave like that!¡±
¡°And why not?¡±
¡°Cause you just can¡¯t leave like that, and by yourself!¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a freakin¡¯ child. I can go out whenever I want.¡±
¡°Proxy!¡±
Before things could get heated, Alex claps his hands, settling us down. ¡°Now, now, you two¡ Fighting one another solves nothing. Both parties must be concise in what they wish to say. Proxy, why do you wish to leave?¡±
¡°Well, me and Richard wanna check out the huge ass tower. Since we came from there, maybe it has a clue on how we can get home.¡±
¡°I see. Marie?¡±
She rubs her temples. ¡°That makes sense, but I don¡¯t want you two going alone.¡±
¡°But we can¨C¡±
¡°Then in that case.¡± Alex slings his arms around my shoulder. ¡°...I shall accompany them.¡± Wait, huh? Marie¡¯s mirroring my confusion, mouth a gap with a confused look on his face. ¡°We shall go to the tower. The camp is under your hands, Marie.¡±
Dragging me away, Marie¡¯s baffled face speaks for itself, and for me as well. Richard, on the other hand, just shrugs at this sudden turn. Alex is humming to the exit, happier than he could be. This whole picture isn¡¯t right.
Holy lands - King''s tower - morning
Taking my bike, it was a tight fit, but we fit on it, somehow. The drive went by in a breeze. It¡¯s quiet, well, except for the wind whistling past us and the trees. If there was one thing that could describe this place is that it gives off an untouched scenery vibe. The guys are hiding the bike while I went off. I walked along the uneven stone road leading to the tower. Its gigantic doors wide open, inviting us to enter¡
The last time I was here, things were pretty hectic, but now I get the chance, this thing is badass looking. And from how high up this thing is, I¡¯m amazed we made it out of here in one piece¡ But are those monsters still in there? Not that they scare me, but I get the feeling running into them wouldn¡¯t be all that sweet.
A foot stepping on the stone road alerts me to a presence behind me.
¡°Good, you guys¡ Who are you?¡±
A boy with blonde hair, standing straight with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Wearing a short cape with a hoodie over his shoulders. Wearing armor on his arms, chest, and legs, he¡¯s wearing a long coat underneath, reaching to his ankles but giving his legs room to breathe.
His expression is serious, not in an ¡°I¡¯m gonna kill you¡± sort of way, but like how a cop looks before they haul you off. Kinda weird, seeing how he looks as young as me.
"Stop right there," the boy, issuing me a command, steps forward with his hand still on his hilt.
"Easy there, not even gonna tell me what I did, officer?"
"I am not an officer, but you¡¯re not allowed to enter this place at this time."
"Says who?"
"Says a representative of the Church of Mana."
Church? That¡¯s funny, cause when I said ¡°oh my god¡± around Marie, she asked what that was. So either I¡¯m not up to speed on what counts as a God in this world, or this dude is just an anomaly.
"Sounds fancy, but I ain¡¯t going anywhere."
He places a hand on the handle. ¡°I will not ask again. Please leave the area.¡±
¡°Refer to answer A. And besides, I think I can handle you. So bring it, church rep.¡±
Screw getting into posture. I¡¯m blitzing this dude! Just like that, I run at him. His throat or head are my best options. The blondie isn¡¯t drawing his blade, just sitting there with that dire expression. Probably shit his pants or something. This is gonna be easy!
¡°A reckless move.¡±
Honing in on him, a click catches my attention. This split second was enough to cancel my attack to dodge instead. He swung his blade when I was right in front of him. Maybe it was me, or the brief brush of death caught up with me, but it was like I could feel the pressure of his blade from just one swing. It could have severed me into two if I took it head-on, even if I blocked it with this stone sword.
¡°Damn, that was too close.¡±
¡°Sloppy,¡± he says, holding his blade with both hands. ¡°A thoughtless attack like that is sloppy, and the way you dodged was no better!¡±
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°What the hell? How about you screw off, you bastard! I can move however I want!¡±
This guy is good, but he¡¯s also pissing me off. Acting all high and mighty like that, it makes me wanna knock him down a peg or two!
¡°I will ask you again: leave this place at once or will show no hesitation with my next move.¡±
¡±Yeah, about that¡¡± I unsheath my sword, slipping it out like a knife through butter. ¡°Once I start a fight, I go for it!¡±
"I see, then I shall have to fight you. I won''t go too hard on you, please forgive me in advance."
We both make the first move, kicking up dirt and stone below our feet. His blade clashes with mine, slamming into my stone sword with the force of a hammer. He pushes me, almost knocking me off balance. It gave me a bit of time to breathe, but Legion¡¯s quick footwork snaps me out of my break, putting me on the defensive. Each strike from him flashes by in a flash, closing off anyway to dodge besides moving back. Blocking is all I can do to keep myself from getting turned into minced meat.
"Your swordplay is weak! It''s just a bunch of incoherent attacks with no rhyme or reason!"
"Shut up! Who cares if it ain''t reasonable? Wild is my style."
There! I swing my sword, colliding it with his. We¡¯re locked into a stalemate. Just what I wanted! I switched the positions of our swords by placing mine on top and dragging his sword to the ground. His confusion is plain to see, but more importantly, I have an opening. I raise myself by stepping on the sword with my right foot, pivoting before kicking the shit out of him.
Perfect hit! Practically dug my shoe into his face with that one. And that look on his face, just as perfect. The blondie spins around, stabbing his sword into the ground to stop his wicked spin.
"What''s the matter? Surprised I actually hit you, pretty boy?"
He just wipes the blood from his mouth, keeping his eyes on me. ¡°That was a solid blow¡ I let my guard down for a moment.¡±
¡°That¡¯s a nasty mistake, ya know. You better take this seriously, or you¡¯ll get hurt, pretty boy.¡±
¡°That is not my name! It is Legion! And if you would, I would like to know yours as well.¡±
I twirl the sword in my hand, staring him down. ¡°Cool name. Mine¡¯s Proxy.¡±
¡°Well then, Proxy¡¡± He bows his head, catching me off guard just when I thought he was gonna rush me. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for underestimating you!¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
No, seriously. Why the hell is he apologizing for that?
¡°I thought it would be simple to best you, but it seems that it led to me leaving my guard down.¡±
Normally, that¡¯d piss off, but he was man enough to admit his fault, so I guess I can let bygones be bygones.
¡°It¡¯s cool, dude. Just don¡¯t go and do that shit again, you feel me?¡±
¡°I¡feel you.¡±
¡°Sweet! Then let¡¯s get back on track.¡±
I raise my sword. Rushing this guy is all I can muster, but that¡¯s not gonna do me a lot of good if he keeps blocking me. Should I just throw my sword at him? Maybe¡it might work, so screw it, why¨C Hm? W-what the shit!? Wrapped around my feet, a vice grip, biting at my ankles, ice covers my feet, gluing me to the ground.
¡°This is over,¡± Legion says, sheathing his sword without a second thought.
¡°W¡how are my legs¡ What did you do!?¡±
¡°I had no choice. You gave me ample time to set up this trap.¡± A trail of ice covers the ground, freezing it over like a river during winter. ¡°I have questions about this tower. Answer them honestly and I¡¯ll consider letting you go.¡±
¡°Yeah right! Go to hell!¡±
I smash the ice with my sword, but it isn¡¯t enough to even dent it.
¡°It¡¯s useless. Unless you can use Source, that ice will not break. So¨C¡±
Legion swings his sword out, slicing something coming at him. They land next to him; a rock? Alex slips behind him, pointing his sword at Legion¡¯s back. The dumbass couldn¡¯t even see it coming, looking all flabbergasted.
¡°Proxy,¡± Alex shouts. ¡°...are you okay?¡±
¡°Peachy. Ya know, except for my frozen ankles, definitely peachy!¡±
Don¡¯t know what Alex said, but he got Legion to shatter the ice off my feet, so that¡¯s good. Still hurts like a bitch though.
¡°Oi, oi, that was a cheap trick!¡± He shoots a glance at me, only to turn away. ¡°Hey, look at a person when they¡¯re talking!¡±
¡°There are no such things as ¡®cheap tricks¡¯ in battle.¡±
Whoa. For a moment there, it was like he was an entirely different person. Can¡¯t place my fingers on it, but this guy is giving me the creeps. I only got more creeped out the moment I realized he was holding back. If he wanted to, he could¡¯ve ended the fight before it began¡ So he was just jerking me around¡?
Richard pops out of the sea of trees, rushing over to us. ¡°What¡¯s going on!? Alexander went ahead of me and I couldn¡¯t find my way out.¡±
¡°Here¡¯s the spark notes version: a weird guy came out of nowhere and tried to fight me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡certainly short. Hm? Is this frost?¡±
¡°Yeah, he froze over my ankles not a minute ago.¡±
¡°Froze over!? Then he¡¯s a Source-user!?¡±
Richard edges close to him, keeping his hands up. ¡°We mean you no harm¡ Well¡¡±
He turns back to me, giving me a nervous look.
¡°What? He started it!¡±
¡°If you would, maybe we can approach this in a more amicable way?¡±
With just that, he disarmed the situation, making Legion put his weapon away, and keeping Alex from cutting a new hole in his throat.
¡°Then allow me to ask about your intentions. Are you here to pillage this tower?¡±
¡°Nah,¡± I answer.
¡°Then are you willing to leave quietly?¡±
¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t do that. We¡¯re here for our own investigative purposes. Maybe our interests align, and even if they don¡¯t, it¡¯s unlikely that we¡¯ll be getting in the way of the others'' investigation.¡±
Pressed with cold facts, and damn good logic, Legion relaxes his body, placing his hand off his sword¡¯s handle. ¡°Fine, I suppose if I accompany you all, then it would not be an issue. However, if I were to make you all stay out, what would you¨C¡±
¡°We would come back and investigate while you are absent,¡± Alex, puffing his chest out, answers honestly, staring Legion dead in the eyes.
¡°You didn¡¯t need to tell him that, man!¡±
I mean, it¡¯s like saying you¡¯re gonna put firecrackers in a toilet to the janitor; essentially, not a good idea!
So I¡¯m just waiting for Legion to turn over a wave of hostility on our asses. But it never comes. Instead, he starts chuckling to himself, buckling his knees to keep himself up.
"Eh? Was my response amusing?" Alex asks, bewildered by his change of attitude.
"N-n-not at all. It¡¯s just that¡your honesty took me by surprise. I couldn¡¯t¡believe you would just outright tell me that.¡±
¡°Of course, I would! Honesty is best!¡±
Not every time...
¡°Positively. So, mr. Legion, may we accompany you?¡±
¡°Seeing how you will enter with or without my permission, I suppose I have no choice. Please follow behind me.¡±
Sweet, now we can-- H-hey!
"Hey, you forgot to unfreeze my legs!"
King''s tower - morning
Before, I couldn¡¯t really take in the sights, but now that I¡¯m walking down this place without the threat of some monster ripping my head off, I kinda think this place looks eerie as shit; like it came out of a Castlevania game or something like that. The walls would look lavish if it weren¡¯t worn to high hell, and it doesn¡¯t help that this place is in desperate need of spring cleaning with all this dust and comb webbing everywhere.
No one seems to mind the place, but Richard seems tense. Can¡¯t blame him, especially after what happened here. But for the most part, he¡¯s keeping his nerve and pressing forward.
I break ahead to catch up with Legion. As much as he pissed me off, I am kinda interested in him.
"So, Legion . . . That¡¯s a cool name¡ How did you get it?¡±.
"It¡¯s not my real name, rather, an operative name.¡±
¡°Operative?¡±
¡°In the church, each member is given the choice of using their real or an operative name, if they are Paladin operatives. Usually, they are chosen based on a test, differing from person to person.¡±
"Ah, that''s cool."
Yeah, I have no idea what he was talking about.
"What about you?"
"Me? Well, I don''t have any family and I wasn''t given a name by them. At the time, I had a couple of other names but I didn''t like them. So I just called myself Proxy until I could think of a name I liked. But after a while, it stuck, so I kept it."
¡°Is that so? I thought it was a cover name as well.¡±
¡°I got nothing to cover.¡±
I took a quick glance at Legion''s sword. It has a badass design for its guard.
"Can I take a look at your sword for a sec?"
"I can''t allow a civilian to hold a church-issued weapon."
"Gee, you really are a boy scout."
"What?"
"Sorry sir, I cannot allow you because of X," I mockingly repeated.
"I cannot allow you because you aren''t authorized to hold this weapon."
"Total boy scout thing to say."
"Okay, then I won¡¯t let you hold it because you might hurt yourself.¡±
I shove my face toward his, mean-mugging him. ¡°Huh!? Wanna say that again, pretty boy!?¡±
¡°Please remove yourself.¡±
¡°Or what, huh!?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask that.¡±
¡°Whoa! Chill, man. I was only joking.¡±
For a second there, I thought he was gonna pop out that sword again.
"Proxy, where do you and that boy with glasses come from?¡±
¡°Why do you wanna know?¡¯
¡°I only ask because you two feel foreign."
"Keen instincts. Don''t be too surprised, but the both of us, we come from another world."
"Wait, you come from the other world," he suddenly shouts into my ear.
¡°Damn! How about not bursting my eardrum!¡±
¡°S-sorry. I¡¯m just surprised is all.¡±
"I can see that, but you know about our world?¡±
¡°I do.¡±
¡°Then name one country."
"North America."
Holy shit, he does know about our world!
I waved Richard over to us.
"What''s-"
"He knows about our world!"
His face lifts, shocked at my sudden news. "Seriously!?"
"I do, I''ve been there before on some missions."
Been there on some missions. That means that there is a way home!?
"H-hey, I know, but would you be able to take us home?" Richard shouts his question, dying to hear his answer.
¡°Of course. I¡¯m assuming you two came here on accident, so I¡¯m obligated to return you two home.¡±
¡°Are you serious!? We can actually go home?¡±
¡°But you¡¯ll have to wait. I¡¯m currently on a mission here, but once I¡¯m finished, I¡¯ll see to it that you two are returned home."
"All right!" Richard hops up in the air. His excitement echoes across the spiral hallway.
"We can go home Proxy! Isn''t that great!"
"Yeah¡it is."
I¡¯m happy we found a way home, I really am. We can go back to our daily lives, going to school, dealing with punks on the streets, and chilling out in the city in general¡. So why do I feel unsatisfied with that?
We come to a full stop when Legion did. "This door, there''s something suspicious about it.¡±
He¡¯s talking about a door on the other end of a long, dark corridor where the lights can¡¯t reach. Legion heads down there without hesitation. I follow him, walking deeper into the darkness, losing almost all vision, barely able to see Legion¡¯s white clothes.
In front of the door, the air tightens, limiting the amount I can inhale. Just being near this door is suffocating.
¡°W-what the hell is this feeling!?¡±
¡°This door must be infused with Source. It¡¯s emitting a toxic feeling.¡±
¡°No kidding, my skin is crawling just looking at this thing!¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to disarm it. Give me a moment.¡±
Legion put his hand on the door. Nothing happens for a moment, but a sudden burst of¡well¡a sudden gust of wind pushes below Legion¡¯s feet. The oppressive atmosphere choking me disappears. The door opens, creaking wide open. A musty stench wafts past my nose.
¡°Ah, oh, God! That smells like hell!¡±
We walked into the room. It¡¯s pretty dark in here, and I can barely see anything in here. If it keeps going like this, then things aren¡¯t gonna bode so well. Everyone behind us catches up to us.
"Hmm, visibility is poor here. Everyone, stick together," Alex orders.
Heading further in, the doors behind us swing closed. Darkness overtakes the room, leaving us in the literal dark. I¡¯d use my phone, but even if I had it on me, that thing died a week ago, so it¡¯s pretty much useless¡
"It''s locked!"
That was Richard¡¯s voice. Looks like we walked into a good and proper trap. Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re gonna suffocate in here¡
Suddenly, torches on the side of the room lit up. Legion goes on alert as the lights suddenly come to life. He draws his sword.
Stone walls surround us, we¡¯re stuck in a spacious boxed-shaped room. In front of us, a suit of armor guards a door behind it. It looks suited for a woman, but it looks sort of similar to that armored knight guy I fought in this tower before. Doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s going anywhere though.
¡°Yo, let¡¯s go see that door behind the statue.¡±
¡°Right behind you, kid.¡±
Chip and I move toward the statue, but Legion stops us from going any further.
¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not an ordinary suit of armor!¡±
¡°Then what is it, pretty boy?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, but it has Source¡¡±
As if on cue, the suit moves, stomping its foot onto the solid stone floor. We prep our weapons. Legion takes the lead as it approaches; its armor clanking with every step, growing louder and louder. It stops in its tracks.
¡°Welcome, intruders.¡±
¡°Intruders?¡± Alex whispers.
¡°Did I stutter? You are intruding on the tomb of the kings! Do you know no respect?¡±
¡°Pardon, but we did not mean to enter such a sacred place. If you could open the door, we¡¯ll¨C¡±
¡°Silence!¡± Its voice roars across the room, shutting up Legion. ¡°Your ignorance insults these grounds, and the kings at rest here! You all shall pay with your lives!¡± A sudden spike in tension rises, forcing my body to ready itself for a fight. ¡°We shall not fight with weapons, but a battle of wit and intelligence!¡±
What the hell? So are we gonna do something that¡¯s not fighting?
¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Richard asks, taking the words right out of my mouth.
¡°I have been known to enjoy simple games during my time. So let us battle one another in a game.¡±
¡°Bullshit! Why should we?¡±
¡°If you do not wish to, then I¡¯ll kill you all in one fell swoop.¡±
Chains rattle behind something scraping against the walls above us. Something¡¯s coming down here, and fast! A silver gleam shines through the darkness above, raising my eyebrows in shock. Razor-sharp spikes, pointing downward at us. It stops descending, perfectly aligning itself with the other roof tiles.
¡°So, which of you wishes to play me? Any game the challenger desires.¡±
Shit, this is bad, real bad. If we don¡¯t take it on, then we¡¯re screwed. The question is, who¡¯s gonna go? I mean, I¡¯m good for a fight, but fighting with my brain ain¡¯t exactly my strong suit, and I doubt Alex is any better. There¡¯s Chip, but I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s up to it. Not sure about Legion. The only one who I can see beating it is¡
¡°I¡¯ll be your challenger.¡±
Richard, with his hand raised, moves to the front, wearing a determined expression.
¡°Hey, Richard¡¡±
¡°Proxy, I got this.¡±
His hands are shaking, there¡¯s no way he can hide that, but he¡¯s putting on a brave face in spite of that.
¡°Wait, don¡¯t approach it,¡± Legion warns, trying to get close to Richard.
I get in the way, spreading my arms out. ¡°Sorry, but he said he¡¯s got this. Let my buddy handle this, ¡®kay?¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s not an option!¡±
¡°You really not giving me an option?¡±
¡°I won¡¯t ask twice.¡±
His hand on his hilt pretty much says it all.
¡°Okay, you asked for it.¡± I plant my hands on his shoulder, pressing him firmly to the ground. Then, my leg hits a home run at his balls. There wasn''t a scream or a gasp, only a silent cry that of a man who had his manhood put in jeopardy. Legion hits the ground without a sound.
¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s for freezing my legs, and you were kinda asking for it.¡± I give Richard the thumbs up. ¡°Go knock ¡®em dead, buddy!
No doubt he¡¯s baffled by what I just did, but he snaps out of it and returns my thumbs up with one of his own. ¡°Yeah, I got this! I¡¯ll get us out of here in no time!¡±
I know he¡¯s got this. When it comes down to games, I don¡¯t know anyone better than him.
¡°...Your name.¡±
¡°Richard.¡±
It chortles, amused by his answer. ¡°Well, then, Richard the grave robber. What game would you like to play? Any you wish.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s go with a quick game¡ Tic-tac-toe!¡±
Huh?
The Kings Tower - Finale
7/19 - King''s tower - unknown room
"In that case, how about a fast game: Tic tac toe."
A quick game that requires a good amount of strategy; placement of x and o. Since this thing might not know what it is, I¡¯ll have the upper hand, and the quicker the less likely it¡¯ll be able to beat me.
"I am not familiar with that game. What is it?"
This is good, I have the advantage. Even if I explain the rules, I still know what spots will guarantee me a win.
"It''s a game with a box of 3 rows and 3 columns. One player is X and the other is O. The first one to fill three boxes in a row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, wins."
"Ah, a simple game. Acceptable."
The suit of armor spawns a stand holding a board. A sleek, wooden board with borders creates a 3x3 board.
"Since I am fair, I shall give you this. The first to two wins will be the winner. Understood?"
First to two, hmm¡ I¡¯m sure that¡¯s to get me relaxed, to think I can make a mistake or two, but I won¡¯t allow that thought to trip me up.
¡°I understand!¡±
"Then let us begin!"
I¡¯ll be taking the first turn. Placing an X on any spot other than the middle box would be careless. There, I¡¯ll be able to control the flow of the game, and even if I get blocked in one part, I have other ways of winning as long as I don¡¯t make it obvious.
"I see, then I shall pick here!" She picks the upper-left corner. Then I¡¯ll go for the lower-left corner.¡±How obvious.¡± Seeing through me, she places a piece in the upper-right corner, shutting that avenue down. ¡°What shall you do now?¡±
She¡¯s holding over the fact that she shut me down, thinking of it as my defeat¡ But that¡¯s so wrong, it hurts.
I place a piece in the bottom-middle of the board. ¡°Looks like this round is mine.¡±
¡°Excuse¨C¡±
She realizes it a bit too late, seeing how my win is assured. Right now, I have two ways of winning. From the bottom of the board by going across, and with going straight up through the middle. On her turn, no matter what she does, I¡¯ll win.
"The first game is mine."
"Yeah! Just one more and we''re home free!"
"I will not allow it to end so soon! Let us continue with the next game."
We begin the next round with it going first. The game went on until the board was filled, ending in a draw.
"We''ll have to play again," I told the statue.
"How come?"
"It was a draw."
"Are you sure you''re not cheating?"
"No, I''m not, that''s how it goes. If neither player was able to win a set, then they play again."
"Fine then, another set."
We played another match, then another, and another. They ended in ties. During another set, I was going to place an x on a spot.
"Are you sure there?" the statue asked as if it was teasing me. "Maybe it''ll be a wrong move, maybe it''ll have you mess up? Well...?"
Damn it, she was messing with me. I can''t let it mess with me! I placed the x on the spot that I wanted to put it on. My opponent would have been able to get the upper hand if I hadn''t done it before. We continued on with the ludicrous amount of ties. I couldn''t get an opening. It was too risky. There¡¯s gotta be a way to win, an opening maybe.
"These bouts are growing tiresome, but yet, that''s what you want, right?"
What did that mean? I want to win this, so we can get out of here.
"There is a part of you that wishes to get out of here, however, there is a part of you that contradicts that desire. Your moves are safe, keeping me from winning a single set, but at the cost of you winning one."
"Just be quiet!"
"But more than that, the fear of disappointing your allies is great. So much so you can barely keep yourself from second-guessing yourself."
"Shut up!"
"Why are you here, why did you volunteer to battle me? Was this a mistake? All of these doubts swim in your mind, festering on your judgments, as well as showing how inadequate you are.¡±
"I said shut up!"
"...You do not wish to disappoint anyone else, or else they would want to have nothing to do with you. Just like your¨C¡±
The bottom of my fist hits the board, pushing up the pieces. "I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP!"
I¡¯ll show this thing! There¡¯s an opening I was aware of for a while now. If she wants me to break the stalemate, then I¡¯ll do just that!.
¡°Foolish, impeccably foolish.¡±
An error, I made a gaping error! I didn¡¯t consider the options my opponent had when I made that move. On the next turn, they would try to block it, but I already had another route set up for victory. However, my rage blinded me, and now¡
¡°This round is mine.¡±
The ceiling drops, closing in on us. It stops right on top of us, nearly crushing us between the spikes.
"I am generous, no? Another loss will result in death. Do take heed of that, boy."
Shit, shit, shit! I really screwed up! This was a mistake, a huge mistake. I shouldn''t have been the one to do this! I''m not good enough to do this! I can¡¯t do this!
"I''m sorry, I''m so sorry! I thought I could do this, but¡ It¡¯s impossible for me!¡±
Damnit, I¡¯m so pathetic! Why the hell do I have to be like this!?
"The hell are you talking about!? Stop speaking bullshit!" Proxy''s voice boomed through the room.
"Huh?"
"I said stop bullshitting, man."
"But, I-"
He stands in front of me, resting his arms on his side. "No, don''t say another word. Don''t make an excuse for yourself, you''re cooler than that! I know you got this, so don¡¯t give up before you can kick that hunk of junk¡¯s ass!¡±
He slaps my cheeks with both his hands; softer than he normally hits, but they still kind of hurt.
"So don''t sit here and tell me you don''t have the guts to kick that shit lord¡¯s ass in tic tac toe! Play the game, damn it!"
"Ow, ow, that hurts! I get it, I get it! Knock it off!"
I slapped his hands away from me.
"You didn''t have to slap me."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course I am!"
I shakily fixed my glasses. Despite his aggressive way of doing it, he got me back into a better state of mind. He¡¯s right, I¡¯m better than this. And even if I¡¯m not, I¡¯m the one who volunteered for this; letting someone take this on for me wouldn¡¯t feel right.
¡°Do you wish to continue, grave robber?¡±
"Yeah, let''s keep playing!"
¡°That¡¯s right! Get ready for round two, ya armor-wearing jerk!¡±
The game rages on. Several more rounds proceeded. Stalemate after stalemate, our pieces find their mark on the wooden board. No matter what moves we made, it would always end in a draw¡ That¡¯s how I want it to be.
¡°You are still playing like a coward!¡±
Without a facial expression, reading its emotions would be difficult, and its voice hides every shred of emotion besides its condescending nature. However, no matter how you try to hide it, I can sense a change.
¡°How long do you think you can hold on to such a lowly tactic?¡± I ignore it, keeping a straight face as I make my move. Another draw. ¡°What are you playing at!?¡±
Agitation is building; even the poker voice it had a moment ago is beginning to give way. I¡¯ll keep going like this, just a while longer.
A new match begins only for it to end in a draw.
¡°Are you even attempting to win, or is this a pathetic method of escaping death?¡±
¡°It¡¯s my turn to go first, right?¡±
¡°Answer me, you whelp!¡±
This, this is the moment I¡¯ve been waiting for!
¡°I¡¯ll go first then.¡±
I need to keep up this appearance. I¡¯m almost there. Taking the middle part of the board to set the game on. The armor blocks me from the left. I go for the lower-right corner, in return, it places a piece in the upper-left corner. For my move, I place an x in the lower-left corner.
"Pointless!"
It sees my winning path, so it goes for the upper-right corner. It stopped my diagonal path and found a way to win by going across the upper row.
¡°Foolish, insanely foolish! No matter what, you were destined to lose to me, grave robber! So repent for your crimes, and I¡¯ll¨C¡± It falls silent, holding its attention to the board. ¡°No¡how¡how did I¨C¡±
¡°We stalemated over and over again for a reason. Cause I needed you to get angry.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°The moment I detected your agitation, I already won.¡±
¡°B-but how!? You cannot read my expression, nor would I allow you to read my voice! So how?¡±
¡°You¡¯re not the only one with a special ability.¡±
¡°Special¡ So you are a Source-user as well?¡±
¡°Yeah, but I had this ability before I even knew what Source was. Despite my hatred for this ability, I will admit its usefulness. Especially in a situation like this¡¡±
The pieces aligned in my favor and with its attitude shift, it was only focused on crushing me. The same anger that swelled in me built inside of it. So I knew it would make a mistake; the mistake of not thinking ahead! That leads me to place the final pieces in the lower-middle section. An across win.
¡°...I win.¡±
The board crumbles to pieces and the ceiling elevates. An unbearable pressure lifts from my chest, letting me breathe easier.
Proxy yells his lungs out, cheering for me in the back. ¡°Take that, you tin-man! How do you like us now, bastard!¡±
Nearly gave me a heart attack there, but his cheering tells me we really won.
"Impossible, how could I lose!? I did not mean to lose, I swear! Please, please, do not tell me I have lost, please!"
Its fear feels oppressive as if a boulder is crushing my body all at once. I wanted to win so I can rub it in its face¡ Now, I can¡¯t help but feel bad for it. But is there even a thing I can do for it? Whatever is going to happen to it will happen, and there isn¡¯t a thing I can do¡
¡°Excuse me.¡±
¡°What!? Do you wish to¨C¡±
¡°...Thank you, for such a thrilling match.¡±
¡°Thrilling?¡±
All the fear washed away, only a hint of happiness.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°It was¡ I hope we can play again.¡±
This is the best I can do. I can¡¯t save people from their own burdens, and just because I can feel their emotions, doesn¡¯t necessarily mean I know what¡¯s wrong with them. So I swore I would never act like I knew how to help them. The only thing I can do is try to help¡
¡°Yes¡ I would love that too.¡±
An abundant, tender joy overtakes my senses. A pure, raw sensation that warms my body that only genuine emotions can¡ The door that the suit of armor was guarding opens.
¡°You¡¯re allowing us to go through¡ Hello?¡±
She no longer returns with a response, only standing tall as she stares at me. In my head, I see a woman with a radiant smile. She¡¯s probably no longer with us¡
¡°Richard, buddy! That was goddamn awesome! Playing mind games and all that, you some sort of evil genius?¡±
¡°That was a splendid victory, Richard.¡±
Proxy and Alex¡¯s praise catch me off guard.
¡°While I was skeptical of your desire to volunteer, you managed to save us. Thank you.¡±
Even Legion is showing me respect. I really don¡¯t like being in the spotlight like this; me being the one to go up seemed like the best idea to me, that¡¯s all.
¡°Guys, you don¡¯t have to¡¡±
Seeing their exuberant faces catch my tongue. Maybe it isn¡¯t so bad being the center just this once. Though, if I let it inflate my ego, then I¡¯d be like Proxy¡
¡°The way out is still closed,¡± Proxy announces. ¡°...Guess we¡¯re gonna have to head on to the next room. Unless you wanna bust this open, Legion?¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather examine this place first, but I can open it for you all to escape.¡±
¡°I¡¯m good. I wanna keep exploring.¡±
¡°If Proxy is continuing, then I shall as well.¡±
¡°What about you, buddy?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡±
¡°Then we should be on our way. Follow behind me.¡±
¡°Nah, behind me!¡±
Proxy leads on, bolting ahead of us. Alexander rushes along, trying to keep up with him.
¡°I just told them to follow me¡ What is wrong with that kid?¡± I honestly can¡¯t blame him for asking that. Though, Proxy is just too hot-blooded for his own good.
¡°Do you pity them?¡± Legions asks me, glancing at the armored warrior.
¡°No. I had to win, and I don¡¯t think she needs my pity. Besides, she seemed happy.¡±
I go after the others. People like her don¡¯t want or need my pity, but I can¡¯t help but feel a little inside myself. I guess you can say it¡¯s a matter of pride that I don¡¯t show them any. Rather, being thankful that I won. But if I could - without the high risks - I would have liked to play another game with her¡
¡
Rolling into the next room, a big¨C no, large door greets us. Blue flames light the room, spreading an azure glow inside the dim gray room. In front of the door, down a flight of stairs, standing in a small arena surrounded by azure fire, a steel suit of armor stands there, with a bastard sword in its hand.
"So, you''ve defeated Gwenyth, I take it?"
Its voice, metallic, vibrates throughout the room.
"We did. Are you the last of them?" Legion questions, drawing his sword.
¡°Yes, I am the last vanguard of this vault. A knight who defends the treasure of the king! I have forgotten my name, but my loyalty to my king! Now come, which one of you shall face my blade!"
Legion immediately goes up. ¡°I¡¯ll¨C¡±
¡°Hell no! I wanna fight now!¡±
He blocks my path with his sword, frowning like he¡¯s already had enough of me. His strength is enough to hold me back and with his sword, he can keep me from slipping past him.
¡°Proxy, I did not forget that strike from before.¡± With the turn of his heel, he slams the back of his fist into my face. An unexpected hit and the power it was packing, he damn well knocked me off my feet. The little guy upstairs goes bouncing around as I¡¯m trying to gain my bearings. "I shall be your opponent."
That¡asshole¡!
"I see, then allow us to skip. Let us skip introductions, let us dance!"
"It is an honor to fight you."
They engage, wasting no time with small talk. Their blades smash into each other, sparks fly high into the sky. Both their movements are lightning-fast, leaving a blur too fast for the untrained eye to see. All the details are fuzzy, but I''d say they''re neck and neck with the other. One slip-up, minor error, or bad judgment, someone could end up dead.
Legion¡¯s eyes follow the enemy¡¯s sword, matching his movements with the enemy. He squares his focus on intercepting every strike. It keeps him from getting killed, but should use that ice to lock up his opponent.
¡°Why isn¡¯t he ending it?¡± I ask myself, somewhat frustrated with his performance.
¡°There is no opening,¡± Alex answers, keeping his eyes on the fight, looking all serious. ¡°...If he were to strike for a decisive blow now, he would be killed.¡±
¡°You can tell?¡±
¡°Yes. This is a battle between swordsmen. When the stroke of two blades are traded, a single mistake shall lead to death. They, as well as I, know this. Legion going as a combatant was a logical choice, as well as the correct one.¡±
¡°So what if I went out there?¡±
¡°...You would be dead.¡±
He ain¡¯t flashing his usual smile, and he definitely wasn¡¯t joking. I know the guy wasn¡¯t trying to insult me, but¡ Shit!
Their battle rages on, the two of them struggling to find that opening Alex mentioned. My breath goes silent, thinning out the more this goes on. No matter how heated this is, they never break their focus. They haven¡¯t shared words with the other, no taunting or even flexing their power. Just two men clashing with the other¡ This¡this is a real battle! Everything I ever want in a fight is right here, happening in front of my eyes¡ I want this, my blood is pumping for it, and my heart is pounding from just thinking about it!
Then, in the blink of an eye, the decisive blow came. Legion swatted the suit¡¯s blade out of the way, giving him the chance to land the blow. He cut clean through the suit, severing its torso and arms.
¡°That¡was an excellent battle,¡± the armored knight whispers, expressing joy in its metallic voice.
¡°It was. You were a worthy opponent.¡±
Worthy, huh¡?
¡°Please¡inside the¡vault¡take care of¡his treasure.¡±
There¡¯s no strength in its voice, only a gentle tone to beg its opponent to fulfill its final request. Is it dead? It¡¯s not talking anymore, so maybe it is; there¡¯s no way it can just be playing dead.
¡°The door is opening.¡±
That large, metal door creaks open, letting out a waft of moist air from inside the chamber. Inside, a small chamber holding little to no gold or anything worth being called treasure. Wait, on the ground, is that a sword? Its handle is blue with a gold shine to the pommel and the guard. The sheathe is decorative, highlighting the sword¡¯s significance.
¡°So, this is the treasure they protected¡¡± Legion picks it up. He traces the handle with his right hand, examining it with a thorough eye. I ain¡¯t all that knowledgeable about swords, but it looks pretty sweet. Drawing the sword, the blade reflects the blue flames from its silver blade; breathtaking, that¡¯s the best way I can put it.
¡°What a beautiful blade¡¡±
He puts it back instead of yanking it for himself.
¡°Ain¡¯t gonna take that beauty?¡±
¡°No, they fought to protect it, I have no right to claim it.¡±
¡°I agree. However, I would wish to see it¡¡±
Alex walks into the chamber, picking up the sword. He unsheathes it, then moves away from us. With a stance, he swings the sword, showing what he¡¯s got. I don¡¯t know if this makes sense, but his moves flow into the other, wasting no time in getting to the next swing, and they don¡¯t seem random, but well thought out before he even swings. And it¡¯s not like he¡¯s lacking power behind those blows either; I can easily imagine him cutting down a bandit without a sweat.
¡°Amazing. This blade is truly amazing.¡± He puts it back into the scabbard. ¡°...A shame we shall be parting with it.¡±
Content, he puts the sword back in the chamber.
¡°Why not take it,¡± Legion, surprised, asks Alex.
¡°I did not earn it, taking it would sully what those knights fought for, and I would not like to do that.¡±
¡°You respect them that much?¡±
¡°Of course. I respect any knight who fights for what they believe in. That¡¯s the type of man I aspire to be.¡±
He¡¯s got a point. If they were fighting to protect this sword for their king, then I gotta give respect where it¡¯s due.¡±
¡°Alright, everyone, shall we be heading on then? It seems as if the other door has opened for us.¡±
Hey, wouldn¡¯t you look at that, the way out is wide open. That probably means the way we got in here is open too.
¡°With the doors open, let¡¯s make our exit.¡±
¡°Sure thing, boy scout. Come on guys, let¡¯s mozy.¡±
¡°Wait, Proxy, we should head up to the top of the tower before leaving.¡±
Legion raises an eyebrow. ¡°Why the top?¡±
¡°Cause when we came to this world, we were up there, fighting monsters.¡±
Legion¡¯s face said it all; he¡¯s beyond interested in what I just said. ¡°Monsters!?¡±
¡°Yeah, they were evil-looking baddies. They were wearing robes, sounded like a chain-smoker, and were trying to kill us. Right, Richard?¡±
¡°It¡¯s the truth. You have to believe us.¡±
He''s still looking at us all confused and weirded out.
¡°While I am unable to say I was there, I believe their story.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s just¡ I believe it is time for you all to leave this tower for today.¡±
¡°Hang on, you said we can¨C¡±
¡°Now I think it¡¯s best you leave.¡±
¡°Huh!? Who died and made you leader?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d follow my orders before we came in here?¡±
¡°That was before you tried to kick us out of here, boy scout.¡±
¡°Quit calling me that.¡±
¡°Yeah, I should. Cause what boy scout sucker punches a guy?¡±
¡°What low-life punk hits a person¡down there?¡±
¡°Maybe I should do it again!¡±
¡°Maybe I should loosen your jaw!¡±
Shit, now he¡¯s getting my blood to boil¡ Been a while since I got to talk with someone like this. Can¡¯t help but let out a hearty laugh. ¡°Definitely not a boy scout.¡± I turn for the door. ¡°Alright, I¡¯m leaving.¡±
¡°Why the change of heart?¡±
¡°Eh, I had enough fun for one day, so I want to go back and mellow out for a bit. But¡¡± Clenching my fist, I beat on my chest. ¡°...Before then, I wanna fight you! Right here, right now.¡±
¡°No.¡±
HUH!?
¡°W-why not?¡±
¡°Because I have to investigate this tower. Also, I do not find joy in fighting, only when it is necessary.¡±
¡°Really? Aw, man!¡±
¡°Besides¡ No, nevermind¡ My answer will be no, no matter what.¡±
¡°Well, that sucks, but fine. I ain¡¯t the type to force someone to fight me; I¡¯d just be a bully at that point, and people like that are losers.¡±
¡°Still¡ If we were to ever fight again, I¡¯ll pay you back for that sneak attack.¡±
Dude, I could¡¯ve sworn he was just grinning there. Is he hoping we get into a fight, or am I reaching? Eitherway, I can¡¯t just back down now.
¡°Same here. That punch of yours was solid, so I¡¯ll pay you back one.¡±
This guy can say he doesn¡¯t like fighting to just fight, but my gut is telling me we¡¯re gonna go at it eventually¡
¡°Hey, Proxy,¡± Richard calls me. ¡°...I just remembered, but aren¡¯t you on guard duty?¡±
Oh, right¡.
¡°Yeah, guess I do. Well, let''s get the hell out of here. Marie is totally gonna yell my damn head off.¡±
I run off to the exit, but I stop before heading through. ¡°Hey, where can I found you, Legion.¡±
¡°I¡¯m taking residence in the Kingdom.¡±
¡°Okay, gotcha, peace!¡±
I dash off like there¡¯s a fire under my ass. The kingdom ain¡¯t a place I have easy access to, but at least we know where he is¡ If he can get us back home, then knowing where he lives is a need-to-know subject¡ But do I even want to go back home? I mean, I like being home, it¡¯s got all the stuff I like, but being here ain¡¯t so bad. I don¡¯t wanna think about this stuff right now; right now, I gotta get back before Marie warms up her vocal cords.
Ruins camp - evening
Finally! Guard duty is so freaking boring. I couldn¡¯t help but leave the camp to walk around and get my feet feeling some fresh grass. Honestly, it¡¯s like she gives me this shit job to smite me or some crap like that! If Marie wants somebody to do guard duty, maybe she should do it herself¡ Hm, who¡¯s grunting? Following the noise, I approach a small forest. The deeper I go, the louder the noise gets. At the center, I end up in a clearing. Tall trees surrounding the bit of land free from trees have the perfect view of the night sky.
And wouldn¡¯t you know it, the one making all that noise is Alex. He¡¯s swinging around his sword without a shirt on. Dude''s got a good build, can¡¯t lie.
"You¡¯re pretty good at that,¡± I comment, leaning up on a tree.
Alex stiffens up, turning his attention to me. Is he embarrassed?
"Oh, Proxy. I did not expect you¡ Sorry for not having my shirt and vest donned."
¡°You ain¡¯t got nothing to be embarrassed about. Not like you¡¯re fat or anything.¡±
¡°Well, I have gained some weight, and it might have affected my physical build.¡± Yeah right, I wish I had muscle like that; I would be more awesome looking than I am already. ¡°But how did you find me?¡±
¡°You grunt too loudly.¡±
¡°Truly embarrassing. I am sorry for my offish behavior.¡±
¡°Dude, it¡¯s cool. It doesn¡¯t bother me one bit. I ain¡¯t Marie you know.¡±
¡°Thankfully enough. She really hates it when I train without my shirt. She insists that I will fall ill, and that I have a tendency to be forgetful about my belongings.¡±
¡°Sounds just like her.¡±
¡°My sister means well, but she treats me much like a child.¡±
¡°And she treats me like a workhorse.¡±
¡°My sentiment exactly¡ What is a workhorse?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just a saying where I¡¯m from, don¡¯t sweat it.¡±
¡°I see¡¡±
Alex sits on the grass, and I take one next to him.
"You know, when I was in prison, I dreamt of seeing and doing many things again," Alexander opens with.
"Like what?"
"Feasting on wonderful food, feeling nature with my own hands and feet, gazing at the night sky like this, and reuniting with my sister again.¡±
¡°I have you all to thank for rescuing me.¡±
¡°No problem, but why were you in there in the first place, and why did the bandits want to keep you locked up?¡±
He faces away from me, ¡°...I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot tell you.¡±
¡°Nah, I shouldn¡¯t have asked. It¡¯s cool.¡±
The wind pushes through the glade, whistling a silent tune for the both of us.
"Proxy, soon we will confront a bandit camp army. For most of the people in the camp, this shall be their first battle¡ If I make a mistake tomorrow, or if I was not adequate enough of a trainer, then their deaths will be on my hands¡" He¡¯s so nervous, and here I thought he was all set about kicking some bandit tail. Maybe I should¨C "Regardless, I will not back down now. We will be victorious, no matter what!"
Just like that, this guy just steeled his nerves, like it was nothing. He¡¯s pretty damn brave, as well as determined. There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t respect that¡
"Well, my break is over¡ Do you wish to join me, Proxy?¡±
¡°I¡¯m good. Feeling pretty sleepy now.¡±
¡°Yes, sleep is important, especially for a child your age.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°Sleep helps you grow bigger, so sleep as much as you need.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not that short, and I ain¡¯t no kid¡! But does it really?¡±
¡°That¡¯s what my father told me.¡±
I gotta get Richard on this. But wait, milk is also good for growing taller, so¨C What the hell!? What am I saying, I¡¯m tall enough already! I ain¡¯t a shorty or anything like that.
¡°Aight, I¡¯ll see you later.¡±
¡°See you in the morning.¡±
Man, he¡¯s gonna keep training into the night? Talk about dedication. Whatever. All I gotta worry about is getting my ass to sleep. I don¡¯t know about getting taller, but getting the necessary amount of sleep is good for the eyes and skin; no one likes having bags under their eyes.
King¡¯s tower - top level - evening
After Proxy and his friends left, I came to the top of the tower. Nothing out of the ordinary, and especially no monsters. I made it to this altar after constructing a bridge of ice. So far, there is nothing worth reporting on. However, I have noticed a trace of Source on top of the altar. The quantity is large, and it¡¯s¡strange. It feels jumbled, as if it belongs to multiple people.
¡°Bizarre.¡±
I am uncertain what it was used for, but it must have been used to pull off a powerful technique¡ Or perhaps¡ No, Richard¡¯s Source was restrained, so he must have not found ¡°it¡± yet, and Proxy had almost next to none wrapped around his body. Then is this where the Grimoire landed? If it did, does that mean they have the grimoire?
¡°Damn!¡±
Guess I¡¯ll have to track that down while I am here. But since they know I¡¯m in the kingdom, either they¡¯ll come to me, or I¡¯ll find them; it¡¯s only a matter of time. I just hope this doesn¡¯t turn into a pain in my ass.
¡°But if they saw monsters, then does that mean ¡°he¡¯s¡± on the move?¡±
If he is, then this could potentially be a pain in my ass.
Poison Blood - part 1
7/25 - Holy lands - morning
Another morning is here. The sun is beaming, the weird animals are frolicking in the wild, and everything is a-okay in the world. Yesterday, we hit a bandit camp near a small village. It went flawlessly. We ambushed the bastards inside their own camp. I got to kick some bandit ass. Of course, we spared them, but we took their shit and sent them packing. It was so goddamn awesome!
Now, Richard and I are using our day off for some adventuring. We left before anyone could ask us for anything. Now, it¡¯s just us, the road, and my bike, speeding along.
¡°Proxy,¡± Richard yells, trying to outdo the wind. ¡°...do you know where we¡¯re going?¡±
¡°Yeah!¡±
I point to the tall ass trees in the distance, mounted on a mountain. I can barely tell there are trees over there. No real reason to go there, I just got this gut feeling to go there.
¡°I don¡¯t know. It doesn¡¯t look all that¡well, safe.¡±
¡°Sure, I get it. But we¡¯ll only take a quick peek, that¡¯s that.¡±
Richard grumbles before speaking his mind. ¡°Fine, but just a quick peek, nothing more.¡±
¡°Sir, yes sir!¡±
Then let¡¯s go full throttle! I rev up my bike, going even faster than before. I¡¯ve gotten used to driving this beast, and as long as I don¡¯t let it do the driving, we won¡¯t shoot off into the atmosphere.
¡°What if we find something dangerous up there?¡±
¡°Then we book it.¡±
¡°What if we can¡¯t?¡±
¡°...Then I¡¯ll keep us safe. I am the strongest punk in NewPort after all.¡±
¡°I¡I know. I just want you to be careful.¡±
¡°I am, don¡¯t worry.¡±
¡°Sometimes I wonder if you are.¡±
We climbed the hillside until we made it to the top, reaching the entrance of the forest blanketed in fog. It¡¯s not as thick than it was from below. A dense sea of gigantic trees overtake the mountain. It¡¯s practically like skyscrapers overlapping each other. There¡¯s a passageway running through the roots of the large ass trees.
¡°Looks like we¡¯re hocking it on foot. Come on, buddy.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
Hate to leave the bike here, but if we gotta go on foot, we gotta go on foot. Entering the fog immediately brings up the idea that we¡¯re entering blind. I can make out what¡¯s in front of me, but anything further is a mystery. The ground is uneven, keeping an eye on my footing is key. Richard is keeping up; guess all that trekking through forests and whatnot is paying off.
¡°Keep close to me, man. The last thing we need is to get lost. Actually¡¡± I bring out my sword, scraping the ground below, making a straight line. ¡°...Now we can¡¯t get lost.¡±
¡°Good thinking, but I wish we had GPS.¡±
¡°Looks like someone is suffering from phone rot.¡±
He settles his glasses, scoffing at the idea. ¡°Not in the least. I¡¯m just saying modern convenience would be nice.¡±
¡°Exactly, phone rot. Men of old never had fancy locating devices or phones, they used the stars and their guts!¡±
¡°Too bad you can¡¯t see the sky with this fog, and it¡¯s cloudy, and you probably don¡¯t know how to read the stars for this world, let alone ours.¡±
¡°Harsh! Then what about you, huh!?¡±
¡°Not for this world, but I can for ours,¡± he ends, smirking while pushing up his glasses.
¡°Yeah, yeah, think you¡¯re so smart¡ Well, I¡¯m plenty street-smart, so beat that!¡±
We scaled down the path that¡¯s covered up in tree roots. It¡¯s rough and steep, but going slow lets us get down here without a problem. Further in, slim white strings extend from one part of the path to the other. They¡¯re easy to get out of the way, but it¡¯s sticking onto my hands. Are these spider webs?
¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Richard says, nervous over the strings. ¡°Maybe we should turn back.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. Gonna let some spiders scare you off?¡±
¡°No, but¡ Nevermind, let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the ¡®tude!¡±
The webs are becoming more common the deeper we go¡ Hmm, what the hell is that? Feels like my skin is crawling, specifically my back. It¡¯s kind of cold here, but the shivers ain¡¯t it. But I can¡¯t put a finger on it¡ Damnit, maybe it¡¯s just me. Talking to Richard should help me ease up a little.
"Yo, you remember that Legion guy?" I ask him.
¡°Of course I do. He said he could get us home. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve been thinking about for a while now."
¡°I mean, it ain¡¯t so bad here.¡±
¡°No, but I don¡¯t want to stay here forever. And our stay hasn¡¯t been the best either.¡±
¡°But we met some good people, so that¡¯s gotta count for something?¡±
¡°I guess, but I just want to go home at this point.¡±
More and more, I¡¯m feeling frustrated with him. It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t get what he¡¯s talking about, but we¡¯re in another freaking world for crying out loud! You would think he¡¯d be a bit more enthusiastic.
¡°What about Nunnal¨¦?¡± I ask, rubbing the back of my head.
¡°I¡¯ll take her with us, and I doubt she wouldn¡¯t want to come along.¡±
¡°Yeah¡¡±
She¡¯s such a weirdo. I¡¯m not bad at getting a beat on people, but her¡ She¡¯s dedicated to Richard, that I understand, but half the other time, I can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s thinking. She reminds me of a dog that follows you around no matter where you go; caring only about Richard and no one else in the process. I wouldn¡¯t go as far as saying she¡¯s a bad person, but she¡¯s not someone I can rely on when it comes down to it.
¡°But, I think we should keep the grimoire to ourselves,¡± Richard raises, placing his hand under his chin. ¡°...As much as I want to wait on Legion, we never figured out how to contact him, let alone see him inside the kingdom. So maybe it would be best to figure out how to make the grimoire bring us back home.¡±
Sounds like a plan. Though that witch ain¡¯t gonna help us, and we know jack on how we can even work the thing. We¡¯re lost in the dark without a light to guide us¡ Heh, that sounded pretty poetic.
At the end of the pathway, a spacious area, lined with strings and tree roots, blocking out any other way in or out, save for this path.
¡°Proxy, don¡¯t just¨C God, wait for me!¡±
Standing in the middle of the area, the hairs on the back of my neck stand. The cold air wraps around us, chilling me to the bone. Something is definitely wrong here. That feeling from before was new to me, fresh sensation I¡¯ve never felt. With my whole body shivering all over, I think I know what it is; the feeling that you¡¯re not alone.
Richard and I go back-to-back. Then, my senses hit me, warning me of something from above, and it¡¯s big! I pull and throw Richard out of the way, following behind him at the last possible moment. A sudden gust of wind pushes us back, hitting the walls behind us.
"What the hell is that thing?¡±
Standing on eight legs, glaring at us with its crimson eyes, a big ass balls spider-looking creature closes in on us, watching our every movement. The upper half of its body is covered in metal plating that reflects in the fog. Its otherwise black form makes it easy to spot.
Hissing at us, It charges at me, lunging forward with the built-up momentum. Damn is too slow! I got out of the way before I became roadkill. However, it twists its body, having its legs planted against the wall, only to jump back at me with the same amount of force as before.
"Shit!"
I push the muscles in my legs just to jump out of the way. It crashes into the walls, breaking the wall. Splinters fly everywhere. That definitely would¡¯ve crushed me into red paste if I didn¡¯t dodge that.
"Proxy, are you okay?"
"I''m fine. Get out of here Richard!"
Screw that, we both need to leg it out of here, but if we both go for it, then it¡¯ll catch up to us in no time. I¡¯ll distract it for a bit, and when he gets away, I¡¯ll book it too.
The metal spider comes at me, striking me with its back metal piece. I dodge but it redirects its body again, hitting me. The pain isn¡¯t unbearable, but any harder and it could break my bones! Even when I dodged, it was quick to respond and hit me with its back. Gotta think of something else or I¡¯m toast. Maybe there¡¯s a weakness on this thing, but I can¡¯t tell¡ Then, from the corner of my eye, I spotted a hole on the top of the metal shell. A thin gap, but big enough to slide my sword into. When it tried to slam me with its arms, a set of swift motions kicked in. I jump up from its arms to its back, securing myself on the metal piece of the monster¡¯s back. Drawing my sword, it hovers over the small hole.
¡°Eat this!¡±
My sword plunges into its back. The sound of flesh being ripped open echoes out of the hole. This monster shrieks, carrying pain throughout. It throws me off, despite how tight I was holding on.
Hitting the ground, my back flares up. Shit, I think it¡¯s sore!
"Proxy!"
Huh? O-oh crap! This spider thing is already in front of me, raising its leg to strike me. Not good! I¡¯m not gonna be able to get up in time to avoid the strike¡! I flinch, closing my eyes like that¡¯s gonna do anything¡ But it never came. Nothing feels different, I¡¯m not dead, and I wasn¡¯t hit. But a horrific sight in front of me said it all, it explained why I was not struck. Richard, falling in front of my eyes, blood flowing out of his chest. Everything is moving in slow motion.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"Richard," I whimper, unable to accept the reality in front of my eyes.
He took the blow for me¡ He saved me.
The spider was going for seconds, threatening to end him. Electricity runs through my veins, my feet rocket me toward him. In the blink of an eye, I grab him and slide under the monster¡¯s body, bolting for the exit. Even with the added weight, my speed doesn¡¯t decrease. Each step feels lighter than the other, but deadlining my legs, pushing them harder than I ever have before.
I ran through the way we came in from, hurrying through in a hurry. The monster is tailing us from above, slamming its claws through the gaps above. With my sense, I know when they¡¯re about to us. But in a cramped area like this, and with Richard in my hands, I can¡¯t make any complicated movements. Just stopping short of its attacks is all I can manage for the time. Rushing through under the roots of these trees, I go by memory to get us the hell out of here. The creature above starts to pull off from its pursuit, allowing us to make it through the entrance unharmed.
The thick fog shrouding the forest leaves my vision. Dark clouds cover the sky, ready to pour down rain any second.
¡°W-we got out! Hey, you hear me, buddy? I said we got out.¡± His eyes are shut and he¡¯s limp. ¡°Hey, come on Richard, say something!¡± I put my ear to his heart¡ There¡¯s a beat, but it doesn¡¯t sound all that good. ¡°Shit, shit, shit! Richard, hold on, we¡¯ll get help!¡±
I place Richard on my bike. "Don''t worry, we''ll get you patched up buddy, just please hold on."
I revved up my bike, racing down the mountain. Shit, this is bad, real God damn bad! His heart didn¡¯t sound all that strong, and he¡¯s bleeding too damn much¡! Did that thing poison him or something!?
"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT! What do I do!?"
What the hell do I do? If he¡¯s poisoned, then we don¡¯t have anything at camp to help him. Come on, think, you stupid bastard! What do I do¡!? Where do I go, who can even help him¡?
Moonlight castle - morning
The moon¡¯s glow showers the castle in its glorious glow. This space, unaffected by the outside world, a safe haven for the one who resides here.
As usual, Selena underwent her morning routine: bathing, preparing her hair, combing it with delicate care. Then, having herbal tea, preferred hot to elevate the taste, along with light reading to start off her day. After 20 minutes of reading, she dresses in her usual garments.
Her stroll from her bedroom to the library takes about 6 minutes to reach at a brisk pace. Both rooms are on the east-end of the castle. The pale moon shines through her windows, illuminating her path. Her eyes glaze over the moon, ever mesmerized by its beauty as she moves across the hallway. However, she comes to a stop when she sensed something come into her domain. Inside this endless night, she is able to detect those who enter and exit her, and where they are positioned. She also has the ability to erect a proper barrier over her home. The fog that comes from the forest is a part of her territory; a forest that acts as the first layer of defense against intruders. This intruder is moving at an accelerated rate, blazing through the forest, but strayed off the proper path to the castle.
¡°Curious. A vehicle?¡± Selena surmises, brushing her long locks.
She transports the object to the front of her castle, then warping herself to the front door to greet whoever is at her doorstep, and zap them with lightning if they ruined her neat stone road¡.
Opening the door, she saw a mess like none other. Proxy, drenched to the bone, breathes heavily. Richard is on his back, unconscious, but his life is in danger. The desperation in his eyes was the most notable feature on his face, training his gaze at the witch he came to detest.
"Please,¡± he whimpers, pathetic, desperate, and without a shred of confidence backing his words. ¡°...help him.¡±
Selena, a woman who removed herself from the world, uncaring of what happens to those outside her domain, and wouldn¡¯t lend aid to those in need of it. However, no matter how she carried herself, despite her cold reasoning, the look of sheer despair on his face tore a hole in her logic. Without much thought, she transports herself, Proxy, Richard, and medical supplies in her supply room. The scenery shifts to the anti-bandit camp. The rain from before had let up, leaving the residence of the camp to witness the sudden appearance of Proxy and everyone else.
¡°Lay him on the ground!¡± Proxy follows her instructions, letting her roll up his shirt. ¡°How was he inflicted with this wound?¡±
¡°He¨C Took an attack for me¡¡±
Emerging from her tent, Marie catches the commotion going on outside. Curious, she glances at the center of the camp. The closer she got, the better her view of the situation was. Past the crowd, she spots Richard on the ground, bleeding from his chest. She breaks into a sprint.
"Proxy, what the¡What happened to Richard? Why is he bleeding?¡±
Marie¡¯s hysteria is met with a silent response from Proxy, who can¡¯t help but focus on Richard, blocking out everyone else.
"Master! What happened to master?"
Proxy shied away from Nunnal¨¦ pleas for an answer. The shock in her eyes surprises him, making it even more unbearable to watch this horrible scene.
"Proxy, what did happen to him," Selena questioned.
"We got attacked by this monster, and he¡ He took the attack for me."
He still can¡¯t believe it; someone had to protect him, save him like a child who can¡¯t defend themself. Not just that, but the fact that it could cost his friend his life. His failure is crystal clear to him, and he couldn¡¯t have felt any more shameful¡
¡°Master Richard¡?¡±
Standing behind Proxy and beside Richard, Nunnal¨¦, staring down at her Master¡¯s damaged body. Her stoic expression is nowhere to be found, only a girl who¡¯s unable to express the fear and shock she feels, let alone even knows she feels this. However, her gaze turns to Proxy. He didn¡¯t even turn to face her; ashamed of his inability to protect his own friend¡
¡
Selena and the others are inside the tent, healing Richard. Me¡ I can¡¯t go in there¡I just can¡¯t. Why did he do that? I could¡¯ve dodged, I would¡¯ve! I¡¯m not someone who needs help! He didn¡¯t need to do that, he just didn¡¯t¡ Why did he have to do that for me¡?
¡°Proxy.¡± That voice¡ Alex! ¡°...you look dreadful.¡±
¡°Richard! H-how is he!? Is he¡?¡±
¡°He has poison in his system.¡±
My blood runs cold, my heart forgets to beat¡ ¡°What?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not a fast-acting poison, but he doesn¡¯t have much time, is what Ms. Selena said.¡±
No, that¡¯s not right! I¡he¡no¡no¡ Shit!
¡°S-so what, he¡¯s just gonna die!?¡±
¡°Yes¡ Only if we do not act!¡± He puts his hands on my shoulders. ¡°...Ms. Selena said that if we were to find the monster that did it, and take its blood into this bottle¡¡± It looks like a test tube. ¡°...then we can save him.¡±
We can save him¡
¡°...Hand it to me then¡ No goddamn way am I gonna let my best friend die! I¡¯ll kill that thing and get its blood!¡±
He smiles. ¡°Very well, but I will come with you!¡±
¡°I can¡¯t ask you to do that. This is my problem.¡±
¡°It is not just your problem! Richard is my comrade, so I need to do everything in my power to help a comrade, no matter what it may cost me.
". . .The wound itself isn''t deep, but his vitals are fading."
I jump to my feet, legging it to the exit. Alex follows behind me. If we¡¯re gonna get that blood, then we need to book it, and with my bike, we can reach that misty forest in half an hour tops. Past the sea of trees covering our camp, my bike is sitting there, ready for me to jump on it.
¡°Proxy¡¡± Nunnal¨¦¡¯s voice spooks me. ¡°...allow me to take your vehicle.¡±
¡°Huh? Why?¡±
¡°To save my master¡¯s life.¡±
¡°We¡¯re gonna go do that right now.¡±
¡°Unlikely. Your involvement in all of this has led to this current situation.¡± Damn¡she¡¯s got me there. But why the hell am I scared? ¡°...You¡¯re the reason for my master¡¯s current condition, his life fades in and out because you endangered him. I cannot trust you with his life¡¡±
For a moment, she vanishes from my sight, appearing in front of me in the blink of an eye. Her hand grips my throat, lifting me off the ground.
¡°Wha¡¡±
I can¡¯t get a word out!
¡°Tell me: why should I not crush your neck?¡±
Nunnal¨¦ always weirded me out, with the way she acts, talks like a robot, and how she puts Richard above everyone else¡ It always scared me how I couldn¡¯t understand her¡ But now, I¡¯m even more scared of her; this cold rage. Staring me down with a piercing glare, her inability to properly express what she¡¯s feeling is what scares the piss out of me; cause I know she¡¯d snap my neck without a second thought.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, he is the only one who knows how to save Richard.¡±
Her grip tightens around my throat, squeezing my windpipe with her superhuman strength. ¡°I see, then¡¡± The pressure around my neck disappears. She releases me, letting my body fumble on the ground. I cough in and out air, trying to get my lungs back into flow. ¡°Proxy, you shall lead me to this creature, and I will kill it.¡±
¡°Y¡yeah. Gotcha.¡±
¡°However¡¡± She points to me, rocking that menacing gaze. ¡°...if you halt me in any way, I will kill you.¡±
There¡¯s no doubt she means it, which means I¡¯m on super thin ice. But I can¡¯t blame her, I deserve every bit of her anger; I hate myself more than anyone else here¡
¡
We barely had enough space to fit on my bike. Alex¡¯s chest is pushing into my back, shoving me to the very end of the front. Nunnal¨¦ is scrunched up in the back, doing her best to hold on to the seat behind Alex.
¡°Proxy, what does the beast look like?¡± Alex asks me.
¡°Like a¡ You got spiders in this world?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Then like that, but bigger.¡±
¡°Hmm, I feared as much.¡±
¡°Do you know of our target?¡± Nunnal¨¦ questions.
¡°It is a beast that dwells within the forest of giants.¡±
¡°Forest of giants? You mean for the big ass trees?¡±
¡°Indeed. From what I have heard, they suddenly formed decades ago, before the war began. The enormous trees sprouted from the ground, changing this mountain¡¯s form.¡±
¡°They just sprouted? How the hell does that happen?¡±
¡°I am not privy to the details, however, the animals in there are bizarre. They¡¯re more like beasts than animals.¡°
¡°So there¡¯s more of them there?¡±
¡°I am unsure, so we must exercise caution.¡±
I didn¡¯t even think that there were more freaky ass monsters in there, let alone at all¡
Pulling up to the entrance of the forest, Alex jumps off, taking point. ¡°We must make haste. Proxy, do you recall where you encountered this creature?¡±
¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll take us to it.¡±
But how the hell are we gonna do this? If that thing hits us with its legs, we¡¯ll be screwed. And to make matters worse, I didn¡¯t see a weak point on that thing¡ No two ways about it, we¡¯re gonna have to think of something, or else this ain¡¯t going our way¡
¡°When I locate this creature, I shall deal the killing blow and extract its blood.¡± That¡¯s right, we have Nunnal¨¦! With her superhuman strength, this should be a breeze. ¡°...Proxy, stay out of my way when we find it.¡±
¡°Wha¨C Why the hell should I!? I¡¯m here to help Richard, ya know!¡±
¡°Of course, I understand, however, you would only get in my way.¡±
¡°The hell I would! You don¡¯t¨C¡±
¡°Your weakness was the reason my master got injured.¡±
My brain snapped, rationality disappeared in the face of seething rage at this girl.
¡°Shut the hell up, you brat! What the hell do you know!? I didn¡¯t ask him to take a hit for me! So keep your damn mouth shut!¡±
She turned her back to me, facing the misty forest that blankets the humongous trees. She walks on without giving so much as a glance to me.
¡°Hey, where the hell are you going!? I¡¯m not done with you! Hey¡!¡±
She continues to ignore me, walking without decreasing her movement for a single moment. Anger swells in my chest, growing as she puts distance between us. Her words linger in my head, repeating like some goddamn record player.
¡°Proxy,¡± Alex calls. ¡°...we should make haste. Time is not our ally.¡±
He¡¯s right. Standing here like a jackass isn¡¯t gonna do anything. Fixing up Richard is the only thing that matters now.
¡°Yeah, let¡¯s get to it.¡±
My body feels heavy, and dull beats in my heart keep racking up my anxiety. Nunnal¨¦ is here, and Alex is pretty good with a sword, so why the hell am I nervous¡? Nah, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m never nervous, never. The pressure is just tense, that¡¯s it.I¡¯ll kill that ugly ass spider and get its blood, easy!
¡°Richard¡I¡¯ll save you. Count on that, buddy!¡±
I¡¯ll get it no matter what it takes; even if it¡¯s my life¡
Ruin''s camp - morning
The poison coursing through Richard¡¯s blood is being held at bay by medical supplements that I have given him. They will halt the process of the poison in his system, however, they are not a definitive cure. Healing via Source would be a wasted endeavor, for I am only able to heal physical wounds, anything more would be out of my field.
Furthermore, if I were to secure the cure, not a soul here would be able to respond to any changes in his health. The lack of a doctor is unbecoming of an army that wishes to oppose an enemy force.
"Proxy¡Nunnal¨¦¡mother."
Tears trickle from his eyes to the side of his head, calling for those he holds dear¡
¡°Rest, child. Have wonderful dreams¡¡±
I touch the temple of his head with my hands. Activating my Source, I use an ability in illusion to calm his mind, allowing the boy to dream of whatever brings his joy¡ Source is not magic, I simply work his brain to see something or feel a sensation that should not be, but even this is far more effective than magic¡ If he were to pass, then may he have comfort. However, I do not plan on allowing him to die¡
¡°Proxy¡you truly know no shame¡ Such desperation in young eyes.¡±
Right, that is enough posturing! I shall go back to preparing another batch of supplements. All one can do is wait for that boy to return¡
¡°...Brother¡can we¡play?¡±
Poison Blood - part 2
Forest of white - morning
The thick wood below my feet feels heavy, if that makes any sense. The roots of that giant tree surround us, no matter where we go on this mountain. Now that I notice it, the brown bark stretched far from the mountain, changing the structure of the mountain. Hell, I¡¯m sure we¡¯re not even on the mountain anymore, just walking on the roots acting as platforms. Can¡¯t be certain of that, but it¡¯s kind of my hunch talking more than anything else.
¡°Proxy, are we almost there?¡± Alex asks, watching his steps.
¡°Yeah, if I remember this right.¡± Please tell me I am. ¡°It has a metal plate on its back, so attacks up there are useless.¡±
¡°A troublesome detail. Are its limbs protected?¡±
¡°No, but it won¡¯t give us the chance. It likes ramming the shit out of people.¡±
¡°Vexing¡ Oh, perhaps we can strike its belly!?¡±
¡°Well, maybe, but it never showed it, so I¡¯m not so amped about it. But that¡¯s an idea, so let¡¯s keep that on the back burner.¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦, do you wish to add anything?¡±
¡°No, and I have no need to. I shall be fighting by myself. You two would obstruct me from defeating this enemy.¡±
Freakin¡¯ bitch. Acting like she¡¯s better than us. Acting like she¡¯s hot shit. I know she¡¯ll be useful for fighting that thing, but she¡¯s starting to piss me off.
¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± I announce, getting my skin to turn hyper-sensitive. It¡¯s not gonna be like last time, this time, I brought the big guns. ¡°Alright, it might come from the sky, so we have to be careful.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ doesn¡¯t even care what I have to say at this point. To her, we¡¯re liabilities, nothing more, nothing less.
Making it past the tunnel, I look up for the spider monster¡ Wha¡ No way! Above, dangling on spider webs, the monster¡¯s corpse displayed for all to see. Its blood dripped onto the ground.
¡°Who the hell did this?¡±
¡°This is horrible¡¡±
Wait, what about its blood!? We need to get some before it bleeds dry! Running under it, my eyes scroll up to its back. It doesn¡¯t have the metal plate on its back¡ This isn¡¯t the same one from before.
¡°This isn¡¯t the one, guys!¡±
¡°Are you certain?¡±
¡°Yeah, its back is bare.¡±
Alex stands next to me, confirming what I said. ¡°Then, that would mean it¡¯s somewhere else in this forest.¡±
You gotta be shitting me. If that thing is out here, then it could take us all day to find it! Shit, this is bad! Suddenly, a screech travels through the forest. That¡¯s it, it¡¯s that spider!
¡°Come on, we gotta¨C¡± Nunnal¨¦ goes leaping off the ground before I can finish, darting around using the trees as a platform. ¡°Hey, wait for us! Come on, Alex.¡±
We¡¯re not gonna catch up to her, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m gonna sit here with my thumb up my ass. We dash through the roots, climbing, shimming, and leaping from root to root. This place gets a bit complicated the further you go.
¡°Huh?¡±
There¡¯s something on the ground ahead. Takes no time at all to figure out what that thing is; another spider corpse.
¡°Another one?¡±
¡°Whoever did this is some kind of freak. Probably some psycho, too.¡±
Severed its head clean off. At least it ain¡¯t human; pretty sure I would lose my breakfast if it was.
¡°There are more¡¡±
¡°Where?¡±
Alex points above us.
¡°...Holy¡shit.¡±
Dozens of them hang by spiderwebs, purple liquid dye the thin threads holding their corpses. Each one mangled in several ways, displayed like trophies for people to gawk at. There¡¯re more down the path.
¡°W-we have to hurry! Whoever did this must be after our target.¡±
That ain¡¯t good, definitely not good!
¡°Let¡¯s book it then!¡±
This isn¡¯t going the way I thought it would go. Not only are there more of these things, but there¡¯s something else out there killing these things. I¡¯d like to think a person isn¡¯t capable of killing these things, but animals don¡¯t make clean cuts like that. Some part of me doesn¡¯t want to meet this guy, and the other part hopes that he¡¯s on our side. Yeah, and pigs can fly and I¡¯m an honor student.
¡
The wood serves as an excellent means of travel. The wood is steady, enabling me to shoot forward without them breaking beneath my feet. Even without using Source to enhance my body, I am still capable of superhuman feats. The path below has no clear pathway, leaving it as a non-optimal way of moving through this forest.
From Alexander¡¯s account, this forest spawned from the ground without warning. However, this is not a natural occurrence. The forest itself has a thin layer of Source all around. The mist is an unnatural side effect of this forest. Whoever fabricated this, as well as why is of no concern. For now, I should focus on reaching the arachnid that Proxy spoke of.
His reckless behavior has jeopardized my master¡¯s safety. Master and him have a ¡°friend¡± relationship, and they seem to be on good terms. Now, with this incident, I am unable to leave my master with someone like him, thus, I cannot rely on him or anyone else that is not me¡ However, I share blame as well. When they left this morning, I should have escorted him, despite his insistence on not needing me to. This blunder of mine very well may seal my master¡¯s fate¡
¡°Hm?¡±
More spider corpses are gathered into a pile, each of them resembling that arachnid from earlier. For what purpose are they gathered up like this? Animals, let alone beasts, lack the intelligence to perform a task. I can only conclude it was a human, but that only makes this more puzzling.
¡°The blood is fresh¡¡±
This was recent, so if I were to search around, I should be able to find the person in question.
¡°Sup, little girl?¡± Driven by instinct, I summon my sword, slashing the space behind me. ¡°You¡¯re pretty quick, and where did you get that sword? Ah, who cares?¡±
The voice is coming from above. From there, a man, appearing to be in his 20s¡¯, dangles from a bundle of spiderwebs, perched next to an Arachnid wider than the ones I have already seen. It has a metal plate on its back.
¡°I demand you allow me to draw blood from that monster.¡±
¡°Why would I?¡±
¡°That is none of your concern, and I will not ask more than once.¡±
¡°Then why don¡¯t you come and get it, if you want it.¡±
Does this monster not perceive this man to be its enemy? How was he able to tame this creature¡? No, it matters little. All I am to do is draw and capture its blood. I should swiftly conclude this
Concentrating my power, I take to the air in a single bound. A slew of white threads excreted from the monster blocks my path. Cutting them accomplishes little. My body is tangled in webbing. I crashed into the ground, bounded.
¡°Idiot! Shouldn¡¯t have tried that. Though, it was kinda surprising, not gonna lie.¡±
For a moment, I dropped my guard when I went for the attack. Another blunder on my part. No more.
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Breaking apart the threads requires no effort on my part, just a simple appliance of force.
¡°Shit, you broke free from that?¡±
¡°I was told not to kill humans by my master, and as long as he¡¯s around, I will not¡ But he is not here.¡±
¡
Hopping on these damn roots is killing my legs. Nunnal¨¦ took off like a jet, and Alex and I have no idea where she went. Going straight is the best we can do.
¡°Are you okay, Proxy?¡±¡¯
¡°Yeah, peachy. Just wish we didn¡¯t have to go through all this bullshit!¡±
¡°Complaints will not make it better.¡±
¡°I know, I know. Just wish that brat didn¡¯t speed off ahead of us.¡±
¡°I do not blame her.¡±
¡°Oh, come on! She left us in the dust and practically said we were useless.¡±
¡°I know, and I do not agree. However, I think she is directing her anger at us.¡±
¡°She¡¯s angry?¡±
¡°Did you not notice?¡±
¡°I¡yeah, kind of¡ It just never clicked that she can feel that stuff.¡±
¡°What makes you say that?¡±
¡°You serious? She always has that dull look on her face, and barely emotes, if not at all. Not exactly a person you¡¯d think has any emotions.¡±
¡°Hmm, perhaps you have it wrong. Maybe she just does not know how to emote. Have you ever thought of it like that?¡±
Not once, and why would I¡? But maybe that makes sense, in a sort of backward way.
¡°She may seem emotionless, but that is because she has barely begun to understand herself, let alone experience life. So, of course it seems like she does not have any. At least, this is what I observed thus far.¡± Still growing, huh? ¡°That said. Proxy, even if we get this cure for Richard, you have to remember that your carelessness caused all this.¡±
¡°...I¡ You¡¯re right.¡±
Of course, I was acting stupid¡ But now I¡¯m not screwing around. I¡¯ll show that thing what you get when you mess with the #1 delinquent of NewPort Island.
¡°You hear that?¡± Takes me a second to catch onto what Alex is on about. Sounds like metal hitting metal, or something like that, mixed in with hissing. ¡°Nunnal¨¦ must have encountered it!¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s get going!¡±
If it''s her, then she should be fine, but letting her do all the grunt work ain¡¯t my style. Then, surprising me, my sense goes off. From above! When I tried to dodge, I hesitated to move back. I¡¯m not on stable footing, so it messed with my sense of movement. Yanked from the ground, I yell at Alex, ¡°Go help Nunnal¨¦!¡±
¡°I will come back for you!¡±
With that, he presses forward.
¡°Damn, meant to catch both of you, but I guess it¡¯s fine if I catch one of you,:¡± a guttural, rough voice with some cocky bravado to go with it, says.
¡°Who the hell are you, asshole?¡±
¡°Right back at ya, kid. This is my hunting ground.¡±
¡°Like I give a shit. Let me down!¡±
I¡¯m being hung by some threads and this fur coat-wearing freaking is standing above me.
¡°Don¡¯t know why you guys are here, but it doesn¡¯t matter. Now that I got you, I¡¯mma deal with your friends.¡±
¡°Hey, don¡¯t walk away from me, you freak! Come and fight me, or are you scared?¡± He stops dead in his tracks. Looks like I pulled a nerve. ¡°What, you gonna piss yourself or some shit? You¡¯re so lame, man!¡±
Come on, take the bait, you stupid bastard!
¡°Hey¡ You wanna die or something!?¡±
Dumbass bit it. With monstrous strength, he pulls me up to the root he¡¯s standing on. It¡¯s nice and wide, good enough for two people to fight on.
¡°Alright, kid, you better be ready for me to smash your teeth out.¡±
¡°Funny¡¡± Truth be told, I¡¯m glad I found another human here, especially someone ready to throw down, cause now I can belt out my anger on him ¡°...I was gonna say the same thing!¡±
Anger from all of Nunnal¨¦¡¯s jabs, this dude with a shit-eating grin, and at myself; I just wanna hit something as hard as I can!
That being said, I can¡¯t savor the fight. We¡¯re still running on time, so I gotta get through this in a snap. I¡¯ll blitz the guy with a few hooks, rattle his brain, then knock him out cold. Alright, let¡¯s¨C
¡°Too slow.¡±
A left hook finds its mark against my cheek. Heavier than I expected, and twice as effective as it should have been. It happened too quickly; his approach wasn¡¯t that quick, but the way he charged in was seamless. I was still getting ready to fight.
¡°What, gonna cry?¡±
Gotta counterattack. Letting this guy lead is a bad call. I gotta retaliate! A left hook, going faster than I usually throw them. He brushes it aside and goes for another blow with his leg. I block with mine, but he takes his feet off the ground, rotating his body to deliver one hell of a heel kick to my head. My senses go hazy for a moment and kick back the moment I sense another attack coming from behind. Using all fours¡¯, I leap to the side.
¡°Too close!¡±
What the hell am I doing!? I can¡¯t mess around with this weirdo! I¡¯ll have to just jump into it and give him no room to retaliate! Moving with my dominant foot, I swipe his fist out of my way. My fist pierces through his defense, striking his head. The knuckles in my hand and his skull tell me that it was a solid hit. That was packed with more than enough power to send a guy packing to dreamland, or give them a big ass headache.
¡°Too weak!¡±
A gasp is all I can get out before he strikes me with his leg. It whipped around the side of my head, juggling my brain. My eyesight is shaken, and he throws several hits my way, mixing me up with highs and lows that leave me with no time to respond. He shows off a level of agility I¡¯ve never seen anyone show before. Hell, I don¡¯t even know if I can do that! Each punch and kick has a consistent weight to it, battering me with the force of a baseball bat.
¡°So little bite for all that bark.¡±
Ending off his snide remark, he slams the back of his heel into my ribcage. The breath exits my mouth, leaving me weak.
¡°Give up?¡±
¡°...D¡don¡¯t even¡count me out!¡±
¡°Kid¡you were never even a match to begin with.¡±
¡°H-huh!?¡±
¡°You¡¯re¡¡± Don¡¯t say it¡ ¡°...pretty damn weak.¡±
There¡¯s a pause, an oppressive silence that weighs down on my body. At that moment, all reason jumps out the window, leaving me with bottomless rage, roaring louder than any beast in this place. All this anger lunges me forward. I hate this guy for what he said, saying that I¡¯m weak, that spider that hurt my friend, Nunnal¨¦ for insulting¡
¡°Just shut up!¡± He twists his body, belting me with a hard kick to the head. The energy and strength from my rage vanish. ¡°That was boring, man.¡±
Lying on the ground, waning between consciousness and unconsciousness, my body grows weaker. My thoughts become clearer. I don¡¯t hate this guy, or Nunnal¨¦, that spider, or Richard for saving me¡ just myself.
I¡was acting all big and shit, thinking I was the strongest. ¡°The legendary punk of NewPort island, he can defeat anyone and everybody if he wanted to. Even gangs can¡¯t beat him. I¡¯m the strongest in the world¡±... I¡¯m such a fucking idiot! If I am, then why did Richard have to sacrifice himself for me!? Why can¡¯t I even hit this guy once!? And why¡couldn¡¯t I protect myself¡?
¡°Damnit!¡± A light, wet sensation trickles down my cheek¡ Damnit, Goddamnit! I¡¯m so pathetic!
¡°Huh? You still want¡more?¡±
My feet can barely support my weight, I¡¯m suffering from a pounding headache, and my body is lacking the energy to keep going.
¡°I¡I can¡¯t¡ I can¡¯t¡¡±
¡°What do ya want out of all this? You just wanna prove you¡¯re stronger? You just wanna kill me? What keeps you going, kid?¡±
¡°He¡¯s¡he¡¯s¡ That guy is my best friend!¡±
Without a plan, I just go for it. He waits for me, preparing for a counterattack.
I don¡¯t know who my parents are, and the earliest memories I can recall are from 7 years ago, facing a hospital room ceiling. Anything before that is vague and pointless to remember. There were other kids like me, kids who survived the Black fire. Oddly enough, it never affected me as a person, so I almost never react when someone mentions the fire. But I was different from most of those kids. I was given a nice apartment when I left the hospital. No one questioned me about living by myself, and I never made a big deal of it¡ But that made me feel separated from everyone else.
Sure, Lauren lost her mom, but she had her dad and Holly. I had no one to begin with, no one to come home to. Though I never showed it, I just wanted to have fun with my life. But then, I met Richard. His parents weren¡¯t around, and his brother didn''t keep tabs on him. He had this isolated look about him; like he was just going through the motions of living. Naturally, I gravitated to him, and in no time, we were hanging out. He didn¡¯t want anyone to come close to him, pushing anyone away, but I think that was to protect himself¡ We understand what it¡¯s like to have no one in your corner, so I wanted to be in his, and him in mine; ''cause if I help him, it¡¯s like I could help myself¡
I hate myself for being so weak, and for being so stupid! Nunnal¨¦ was right. I put my own friend in danger. Richard is the first person I could call a best friend! Take away my title as the strongest punk, but not my best friend. Anything but that!
In the blink of an eye, me and my opponent trade blows. His fist hit my goggles, absorbing the whole blow. Mine never landed.
¡°All that and you still couldn¡¯t¨C¡±
¡°I¡¯m not done!¡± Reeling it back, I throw my fist. It slams right into his ribcage. My fist is pounding as if a horse stomped on it, crushing the bones in my fingers. Now¡¯s my chance, while he¡¯s recovering from that wound.
¡°G-get back here!¡±
He isn¡¯t able to stop me from getting away, but as I was slipping by, he tears off my goggles. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this as a trophy¡¡±
Damnit, I¡ Those are¡ Shit! I keep running, abandoning the one item I treasure in the world. If it¡¯s for my buddy, then I ain¡¯t gonna turn back! Even if I gotta throw away my pride. If I got this right, then I¡¯ll be able to get down without splattering on the ground. Leaping off the root, the air blisters past me. Snatching what I need, I use the spider strings to swing along the forest. A downward acceleration carries through the forest. The mist spread as my body tears through the white veil.
I¡¯d be screaming my goddamn head off right now if things weren¡¯t so deadly serious. The others gotta be here somewhere¡ Hm? Hey; I think I found them! Alex and Nunnal¨¦ are duking it out with that spider¡¯s webs; Nunnal¨¦ cutting them to pieces but having to cancel her attacks on it before they can bind her. Alex keeps ducking and weaving out of its way, only using his sword to slice its legs.
What am I gonna do? What can I do? Nunnal¨¦ is the only one who could skewer that bad boy¡ Gah, what the hell am I grumbling about!? That big bitch needs to go down, that¡¯s all that matters¡ No matter what I gotta do.
¡°WATCH OUT!¡± I slam into the spider with all my weight, using the downward momentum to hammer into it with my feet. An ungodly shriek pierces my ears, almost messing up my landing.
¡°Proxy, are you unharmed!?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m in one piece.¡±
My attack shook that thing up, but that ain¡¯t gonna keep it down. We need to kill this thing, now!
¡°Nunnal¨¦¡ I¡¯ll give you an opening. Stab the shit out of it when you get the chance, got that?¡± She doesn¡¯t speak a peep, glaring at me with cold disdain. ¡°...Please¡I¡¯m weaker than you, so this is all I can do¡ I want to save Richard, no matter what!¡±
I run up to the spider, ignoring all the shivers rolling down my skin. One swing from its blades, and it¡¯s over. But it¡¯s fine. Even if I get killed, it¡¯s fine! I¡¯ll give her that chance and get that thing¡¯s blood!
Poison Blood - Finale
Grand forest - morning
My feet are on fire, all my focus narrows in on the spider, not to mention my heart is beating like a drum during a solo. It recovers in time to swing its leg at me. If that hits me, I can kiss my life goodbye. This thing is big as hell and built like a dumpster truck, but it¡¯s agile enough to keep up with me. And with those big ass legs, I can¡¯t get behind it without it following me.
I dive under it, pushing through before it can track me. No doubt it''s gonna find me, but I¡¯ll get to where I need to be before it knows what¡¯s going on. In one bound leap, I climb on top of the monster¡¯s back, grappling the hole on its back. Back then, the stone sword wasn¡¯t good enough, but now¡
¡°Alex, sword!¡± Nodding, he chucks it at me. Got it! Now, let¡¯s see if this thing loves steel or not! ¡°Suck on this, creepy crawly!¡±
The blade plunges into the hole, ripping into its flesh. Deeper, it needs to go deeper! Crap, it¡¯s gonna shake me off before I can end it! And despite my best effort to hold on for my life, it throws me off like I was a child on a mechanical bull. Rolling, skipping, and sliding, I land on my feet. Shit, my injuries from my last fight are biting at me. Who knows how long I can keep this up?
¡°Watch out, it is charging!¡±
The damn thing is spitting out spiderwebs, blind fire and all that. We won¡¯t be able to get close without it hitting us¡ Screw it, all or nothing¡
¡°Nunnal¨¦!¡± Her attention draws on me. ¡°...I wanna finish this! Run up behind me and let¡¯s take this thing out in one go!¡±
Nothing else comes to mind except this last play at winning this thing. A reckless charge at the enemy. All or nothing, giving this my 100%. It doesn¡¯t matter if I can¡¯t kill it; I don¡¯t care anymore! Winning is the only thing that means anything.
Evading the webs hurling at me, the spider ends its rapid-web fire. It shows its back to me. Perfect, just what I wanted!
¡°Come on, you ugly bastard!¡±
The moment it leaped forward, carrying all its weight along with it, I took a defensive stance. If my math is right - which it always isn¡¯t - this is gonna hurt like a bitch! But this is the best I can do, the only thing I can do! Meeting the full force of its tackle, the bones in my forearm and left-hand break, and both my legs push into the ground, resisting the sheer power this thing is throwing at me. Agonizing pain wrecks my body, screaming at me to stop, to just give up and run away. Never, I never will¡ I¡¯ll kill this fucking thing here and now!
¡°KILL IT, NOW!¡±
The last piece of my plan zooms above my head, landing behind the Spider. A blade tearing open flesh reaches my ears. A shrill screech does as well, but it dies down just as quickly. I think I¡I think it¡¯s not moving anymore¡ I can even hear something leaking¡ Good, very good¡
¡°We¡did it¡¡±
Good¡good¡ I¡¯m¡so glad¡
¡°Pro¨C Hear¡¡±
Alex¡¯s voice is getting farther and farther away¡ My body feels weak, and I feel lightheaded¡ Damn, I think¡it split my¡head¡open¡
¡°...P¡¡±
Yeah, that about does it for me¡ The rest¡is on y¡¯all¡
¡
Alexander accesses Proxy¡¯s injuries. Several fractures and broken bones are highly probable, blood loss is apparent, and he is unconscious. Proxy¡¯s condition is bad. If not treated, then he may succumb to his wounds. However, that is not my concern as of now. I have filled the vial with the creature¡¯s blood. If we make haste, we can save Master¡¯s life.
¡°Have you retrieved the blood?¡±
¡°The blood is in my possession.¡±
¡°Excellent. Just allow me to retrieve my sword and we shall leave¡¡±
Alexander runs over to the spider, moving behind it. I stare down at Proxy¡¯s broken body. He will most likely not awaken until some time later¡ He went to extremes to defeat the enemy. If he had stood back, I could have defeated it without an unnecessary tactic like that. If even one of his moves were off, then he would have lost his life. Was it all calculated? How could he be sure he would survive? But it does not fit his usual behavior pattern. Then what was the purpose of him acting in such a reckless manner?
¡°I¡am unable to comprehend¡¡±
All I am able to conclude is that there is no logical reasoning for him exposing his body to such danger. It truly is incomprehensible, as well as foolish¡ Yet, there is this undying need to understand. I do not know why, but I feel uneasy just not understanding this¡ He perplexes me¡
Anti-bandit Camp - evening
The first thing I feel is my chest and head beating, pounding, actually. Almost like someone beat me with a jackhammer. My arms feel no better. Both eyelids open slowly, adjusting to the light hitting me from the corner of my sight. I lift my upper-body, facing the light.
¡°You awake at last.¡± Sitting there, Selena rests a book on her lap. The light is the campfire crackling a few meters away. Probably means we¡¯re in the center of the camp. ¡°...And here I thought I would have to leave without saying a word to you.¡±
¡°How did I¡ Wait, what about¨C¡±
¡°He is alive.¡±
Words can¡¯t express the level of relief I felt, and a huge weight pressing on my shoulders disappears. I sink my head into my hands to process.
¡°Thank God¡ Thank you!¡±
.¡°I would imagine I deserve all the gratitude. After all, I was the one who synthesized a cure and healed your wounds.¡±
¡°O-oh, right, sorry! Thanks for healing my wounds.¡±
¡°Hmph, I¡¯ll forgive your lackluster thanks.¡±
¡°Where¡¯s Richard, I need to¨C¡±
Selena stands from her seat to cover the entryway. ¡°I will not allow you, and frankly, you do not deserve to see him.¡±
¡°What the hell does that mean!? You can¡¯t tell me what to do! Get out of my¨C¡±
¡°Proxy!¡± She¡she yelled at me¡ ¡°...You foolishly put his life in danger then begged me to cure him! Do you know why? Because you overestimated your own strength!¡±
¡°I¡I thought I could protect us. I mean, I¡I always won¡ I¡¯m the strongest punk of NewPort Island¡!¡±
¡°...How pathetic¡ You have no concept of the world beyond your small, enclosed bubble. You were ignorant of the larger world around you. But I suppose that is to be expected from someone of such a frail mentality, let alone flaunting such meager strength. I have no words for someone like you.¡±
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Frail¡ Why the hell did she say that!? And she called me weak! That witch! I¡¯m not, I¡¯m the strongest punk! That¡¯s right, I am¡ I¡¯m the strongest punk in all of NewPort island. Unmatched, no punk, delinquent, or anyone can beat me¡ That¡¯s right¡ I always win there¡ But here, I¡¯m the weak one. All those battles don¡¯t amount to shit here. All that grandstanding was just me blowing air out of my mouth. And I was too goddamn stupid to see that!
¡°Y¡you¡¯re right, Selena. I¡ I¡¯m some dumb kid who thought he was hot shit, and look what happened!¡± All I can do is sink to my knees, putting my head on the ground. ¡°...I am pathetic.¡±
Is this all I¡¯m capable of? Am I just gonna have to accept this as fact? That¡¯s¡not what I want.
¡°Indeed, you are. You''re pathetic, weak, frail in mind, ignorant of your surroundings, and of how your actions affect the ones around you¡ But shall you do next?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Do you simply wish to lie down, accept this reality as is?¡±
¡°Hell no! I don¡¯t want that!¡±
¡°Then stop groveling and learn from this!¡± She snaps her fingers at me and steps forward. ¡°...If you do not wish for this, then accept your loss and grow stronger from it!¡± Looking up at her, there isn¡¯t a shred of disappointment or condescension. A beautiful smile born from a genuine want to see me grow. My head went blank and my tongue was tied up. Her hair is illuminated by the campfire from outside. ¡°I do wish for you to grow stronger. After all, it would be a shame if you gave up now, no?¡±
Yeah, she¡¯s right. I don¡¯t want to give up, I can¡¯t let it end like this! Never again, I never want something like this to happen again!
¡°I¡I want to be stronger! Strong enough to never feel like this again!¡±
With a nod and her eyes shut with her elegant smile. ¡°Then I hope to see you grow, child.¡±
If I had to put it in words, her beauty is breathtaking, ethereal even, as the moonlight itself. It¡¯s fleeting, but even if she goes back to acting like a smug brat, I don¡¯t think I can forget how beautiful she was.
¡°Oh, and while I love to see you on the ground, is it not embarrassing?¡±
Yep, there we go.
¡°You bet it is, so you better not expect me to do it ever again, ¡®kay?¡±
She responds with a light chuckle, wearing a patronizing grin. ¡°Only time will tell, Proxy. Hopefully, you will have the strength to back up your claim.¡±
¡°I will. And before you leave, thank you for saving Richard¡ I¡¯ll repay you one day, I swear.¡±
A single wave of her hand is all she gives me, exiting the tent without another word. That¡¯s fine, I guess. A gentle breeze blows outside. It prompts me to run out of the tent to see if Selena is still there. She isn¡¯t here anymore. A gentle breeze is all that remains, and the light of the moon¡ Shit, don¡¯t know if she knows how to make an exit or it¡¯s just me.
¡°Thanks, Selena.¡±
Next time I see you, I¡¯ll show you how strong I have become! And maybe I won¡¯t call you a loli¡ Maybe shorty witch?
¡°Right, maybe I should go see what¡¯s up with Richard¡¡±
I say that, but my feet don¡¯t want to leave the ground. Am I scared of seeing him? Crap, what¡¯s wrong with me¡? Maybe, I don¡¯t have a right to talk with him. It was my fault he almost kicked the bucket, so maybe he doesn¡¯t even want to see me; I know I wouldn¡¯t¡
¡°Heh, this isn¡¯t good, not good.¡± Come on Proxy, now isn¡¯t the time to act like a sissy. You owe him an apology, so be a man and give it! ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this¡¡±
After a bit of searching, I walk into the tent he¡¯s situated in. He¡¯s asleep, with Nunnal¨¦ sitting on a chair across from him, watching him. There¡¯s a moment of dead air before she speaks up. ¡°Hello, Proxy¡¡±
¡°Uh, hey, Nunnal¨¦.¡± Crap, this is super awkward. We¡¯re not exactly on the right foot here, so I¡¯m probably the last person she wants to see here. ¡°Hey, can I¡ Would it be okay if I stay here for a moment?¡± She doesn¡¯t say anything, gazing at Richard the whole time. I knew it. ¡°...I get it, and you¡¯re right, I don¡¯t have a right to be here. I¡¯ll...get going. Just tell him I¡¯m glad he¡¯s okay when he wakes up.¡±
¡°No, take a seat.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Take a seat.¡± I sit next to her, watching my buddy sleep off his injuries. ¡°Have your wounds healed?¡±
¡°Now that you mention it, I feel sore, but my body feels fine.¡±
¡°Selena healed you after she synthesized a cure for master.¡±
¡°Oh, I see.¡±
Nope, still awkward. She¡¯s not good at breaking the ice, and I don¡¯t do awkward talk.
¡°Given enough time, my master will awaken from his slumber. His life is no longer in immediate danger.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
More awkward silence creeps up on us. My fingers tap against my kneecap.
¡°Why did you risk your life?¡± Nunnal¨¦ suddenly asks me.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°During our fight with the spider, if we had waited for an opening, I would have eliminated it without you having to interfere.¡±
¡°What, worried about me?¡±
¡°No, curious.¡±
¡°Well, why wouldn¡¯t I? I ain¡¯t smart, so I couldn¡¯t figure out what else we could¡¯ve done.¡±
¡°Do you not fear death?¡±
¡°Do you?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°Figures¡ I guess nothing gets to you, huh?¡±
¡°...That statement is¡inaccurate.¡±
The corner of my eyebrow raises. ¡°Really?¡±
¡°Fear is the neurological reaction of a threat towards an organism, as well as the unknown. However, I do not feel such a reaction when faced with death. Death itself is the natural order of life. This perspective allows me to fight without ¡®fear¡¯ of my life.¡±
¡°Still waiting for the ¡®but¡¯.¡±
¡°Even with this, when I saw my master hurt, dying, my skin crawled, thought ceased, and the breath in my lungs escaped.¡±
¡°It¡¯s dread, that¡¯s what you felt.¡±
¡°How would you¡¡±
¡°Cause that¡¯s exactly what I felt when he took the hit for me¡¡± I give her my undivided attention. ¡°...You asked me why I risked my life. It¡¯s because he risked his life for mine, so I don¡¯t have the right to complain¡ More than that, I didn¡¯t want to lose him; the one person who I could call my best friend. If I can¡¯t save my own friend, then what good am I?¡±
I get up off the ground, dusting my ass off. ¡°You were right about me, Nunnal¨¦, and if you hate me, I understand. Richard is important to you, that much I get. But I won¡¯t let it happen again, never again!¡± An echo ripples from my palm when I slam my fist into the palm of my hand. ¡°...I¡¯ll get stronger, strong enough to protect myself and Richard. That¡¯s the only way I can make it up to you and him. But until then, I¡¯m sorry for all the trouble I caused¡¡±
Begging for forgiveness ain¡¯t my style, and no matter how much I say sorry, that won¡¯t be enough. Who knows if it¡¯ll be enough for her, or even Richard, but that¡¯s all I¡¯m able to do.
¡°Welp, I¡¯m out.¡±
¡°Proxy."
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°If you wish, you may stay until he awakens¡¡±
¡°You¡¯d let me?¡±
¡°It would be beneficial for my Master¡¯s recovery to see that you are safe.¡±
A faint smile forms from the corners of my lips. ¡°Thanks, I really appreciate it.¡±
Moonlight castle - library - afternoon
Selena had just gotten done with writing the events that had occurred today. She notes in the journal about the poison in Richard''s blood and how it affected him. It appears it acted like any other poison by destroying the organs in his body, but thanks to Selena''s healing abilities, they were protected from any actual damage, and the poison was removed from his body completely. While she was healing, there was something else that was helping combat the poison in his body. While it did little when she was holding it back, it must''ve kept it from spreading too far when he first got infected. Whether it was Richard¡¯s own power or something else is unclear to her. It piqued her interest.
"I see your habit of stalking me will not change?"
Ending her entry, she gently puts the journal down. Facing down an aisle, an armor-clad warrior appears from the shadows.
"Why did you put your hands into their affairs? Were you not the one who said you were merely an observer?"
¡°I see no reason to explain myself to a stalker.¡±
¡°Answer me, witch.¡±
"Do you know no shame? Breaking and entering into my home and making demands of me. And what of it? Are you going to lecture me about interfering with such things? If so, you would sound like a hypocrite." The silver-armored knight groans, annoyed with her biting remark. "Is that all you wish to speak about?"
"I suppose."
"Then I suggest you please leave my library, preferably before I take off to bed.¡±
Turning to pick up her journal, her attention focuses on the knight, who disappeared. She feels grateful that he at least knew not to make a scene when leaving.
"Once a lone knight, forever a lone knight."
Selena knew her hold on him would not last long. Eventually, he''ll make an attempt for the book. It had many dangerous secrets in it, and it needed to be protected at all costs. But that in itself would complicate the situation that the book can potentially create, as well as the boys who stumbled upon it.
¡°Observing is the best course of action until he makes his move.¡±
With a flourish, she returns to writing in her journal, spending the rest of the night in her isolated library, recording all her thoughts on her current predicament. In the book, she notes the conclusion of today¡¯s situation as a net-positive result. As for her emotional response to it, she couldn¡¯t be any happier with how it ended.
¡°Even I desire a happy ending. After all, being downcast is not a fitting look for him¡¡±
Interactive therapy - part 1
8/6 - Holy lands - afternoon
"Now, everyone advances!"
Alex commanded us to attack the remaining bandit forces. We were easily able to outnumber them from the number of people we have vs what they had. The villagers that we came to help began to fight with us. This turned the whole table against the bandits in this area.
"Screw this, we gotta pull out of here," one of the bandits shouted to his other friends.
They were heading off into the forest. This was our chance to finish them off, we needed to take it!
"I''m going after them," I told Alex.
"No, Proxy, wait a moment!"
Alex tried to call me back but I ignored him and went after the guys in the forest. They were running as fast as they could but it was no use, I was right behind them. One of them had tripped on the ground. I grabbed hold of him before he could get up.
"Let me go!"
"Not a chance! But if you tell me where your friends are going, I might let you go." \
"Y-you mean it?"
"Yeah."
Of course, I''m lying. I can''t just let this dude go, he''s a bandit.
"In that case, just look behind you."
The smug look on his face said it all. Someone was ready to whack me from behind the head. I rolled away from the enemy behind. There was more than one bandit when I got a good look, four of them to be exact.
"What, there need to be four of you guys to beat one kid," I taunted.
"You were acting tough a minute ago. Got scared or something?"
They held up their weapons as if that was meant to scare me off. But it only made all the happier to fight them.
"Fine then, you guys are gonna regret this!"
I tricked my opponents by sliding under their legs and hitting one of them on the back of the head with my stone sword. The other three swung their blades at me but I was able to dodge and block them. One of them was able to kick me in the gut. The sudden hit was unexpected, I should''ve been able to sense something like that coming!
"He''s down, get him!"
When they tried to charge in I just knocked their swords away from me with all my might. I jumped up and kicked one of them in the face and then the guy next to him.
"Damn, how is this kid kicking our asses?"
"Don''t fault yourself, that''s just how it goes," I answered his disbelief.
The last guy''s movement was staggering. I think I scared the poor guy down to his soul.
"Don''t worry man, just for you, I''ll knock you out quickly. . ."
Just when I was about to go off on him, but I felt something hit me on the back of my head.
"Gah!"
My vision was a bit foggy, I couldn''t see straight. I then got hit on my side; it was probably a kick.
"Not so tough now, are ya," one of the bandits jeered.
Damn it, getting back on my feet was a bit hard considering that my feet seem to be wobbling all over the damn place.
"Did you think you were able to knock us out with one hit?"
Kind of did. Guess I didn''t put enough force into my blows.
"Come on kid, ain''t gonna fight now?"
The bandits began to mock me.
"Tch, you bastards don''t scare me!"
Even if my vision was impaired I could still beat them. But what I didn''t know was that my movement wasn''t up to par with my eyesight being out of whack.
"Take this," a bandit yelled.
A fist hit my face and their feet hit my stomach, sides, and back. They knocked me down and continued to curb stomp me. I tried to break out of the assault but I was always pushed to the ground. There was nothing I could do, they had me cornered.
"Get away from him."
Someone had struck the bandits that were surrounding me. Members of the army were taking the bandits by storm, giving them no chance to retaliate.
"Are you okay Proxy?"
"Yeah, I''m fine." I took his hand and upon my feet only to stumble down to my knees.
"Are you hurt?¡±
"I''m fine, they just hit me over the head."
"That''s not good, you need to pull back."
"No, I can still fight!"
"The battle is over, you don''t need to fight anymore."
It''s over already? I barely got to do anything in the fight, I got sent in to help finish off the bandits. And on top of that, I got my ass beaten by some fodder bandits and that''s it.
"Let''s go back to camp. We¡¯re going to go leave the bandits at the Kingdom.¡±
"Yeah, sure." As the anti-bandit troup guided me back to the others, I saw how happy everyone was from driving off the bandits, and I should too since it means that we helped some folk, but I can''t join in on the celebrations since I wasn''t feeling it.
Ruins camp - evening
Dinner was being served outside of the medical tent I''m in. We had gotten more cooks from the villages that we helped in the past few days. There''s also been a rapid increase in people joining the anti-bandit army; from villagers to freed enslaved workers from mines like the Hell Mine thanks to Ovan¡¯s group. And after Richard got poisoned we had to recruit people that could create medicine and expertly treat people. So far, it''s only one person.
"Stop moving around," the doctor working on me instructed with his voice being soft-spoken.
"Sorry, but I''m fine now, I can see it properly. Plus, my bruises have mended over."
"Even so, you might have other symptoms from your head injury."
"I said I''m fine. I feel like a million bucks."
"Just let me see if you have any other brain abnormalities. In which case, if we miss any, then you might die."
"What!?"
"Of course, that''s only a joke."
"The hell kind of joke is that?"
Right, forgot to mention, this guy is kind of a weirdo. He''s supposed to be one of the best doctors outside of the kingdom according to Chip, but he never said that he was kind of... off his rocker. His name was Doctor Crow. He wore a long white robe that went down to his ankles. He has bags formed under his eyes and his hair was pale, long, and messy. His skin was also pale, it made him look sickly.
"I''m going to run a few tests to see if you have any cognitive impairment. It''ll be mildly painful."
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
"Ha, you can''t trick me. The mild part was a joke, yeah? Right...?"
His eyes told a story of a man that was not joking around. To say the least, it scared the shit out of me.
"Oh, um..."
"I''m only joking," Crow lightly chuckled.
"It won''t hurt. I''m just going to see if your vision and information processing are all right."
"Seriously, you scared the ever-living shit out of me!"
¡°I thought telling a joke would lighten the mood."
"You have a real crap sense of humor."
Despite his jokes and the way he carried himself, he was able to coordinate the tests quickly. We also did a physical just in case...
"All right, it seems that you don''t have any lasting damage to your brain, skull, or head in general."
"This means that I''m discharged?"
"Indeed."
"Finally, freedom!"
I got off the bed and put on my jacket.
"Well, thanks, doctor. See ya next time."
I was about to jet off, but the doctor stopped me.
"Proxy, before you go, I have something to ask you."
"Yeah?"
"Have you been overworking yourself as of late," Crow asked.
"A bit, why?"
"I only ask because it seems that you''re forming bags under your eyes."
"Oh? Well, I haven''t been getting much sleep as of late."
"I see. That''s dangerous for your health. Do you know what''s causing you to stay up late," Crow questioned as he wrote down in a journal.
"I don''t know. I just feel restless, like my mind can''t go back to sleep."
Crow sat down on the seat in front of the bed.
"I see, I see. . ."
"So, what does it mean?"
"I don''t know. If it isn''t due to any pain, then I can''t tell you; especially if you don''t know," he said, toneless in his delivery.
"Gee, that''s great, now I''m having sleeping problems and the medical professional can''t help."
I can''t say this didn''t happen before. I had a case of insomnia from staying up too much after my second year of middle school during the summer. But I didn''t say up too late and I always wake up on time before this case of insomnia started, so what the hell?
". . .However, if you''d like to, I can give you something to make you fall to sleep."
"That would be. . .?"
"A medical brew that would render the victim unconscious."
"Wait, victim," I nitpicked.
"That''s merely a joke."
He needs to chill out with that joking stuff, he''s giving me mini heart attacks.
"But seriously, I would say the cause for your sleepless nights probably stems from the constant fighting every day. You''re running your body ragged, and as such, you should pace yourself until you can obtain a proper sleeping schedule," Crow instructed while writing in his journal.
"Sorry, but I can''t do that. I don''t want to sit around and do nothing at all. My job is to be out fighting."
"Is that so...? In that case, I can''t stop you, but I will notify Alexander about your condition. He''ll decide if you can fight or not."
"Come on, can''t you keep it a secret from him?"
"No, since I''m the medical professional helping this army I need to report any medical problems to the leader. No debate."
He was firm on his stance, nothing I say was going to make him budge. Irritated by what he said, I sucked my teeth and went for the exit of the tent.
...
"I see, the patient is not suffering from physical fatigue or insomnia. Judging from his reaction about me suggesting benching him, it seems as if the problem might stem from battle. Although I might be wrong on that, further study is needed to make an accurate statement. . .Maybe I should acquire assistance on this matter."
Ruins camp - midnight
Like the other nights before, I couldn''t sleep. My mind was too wide awake to fall to sleep. So I decided to go for a walk outside of the camp. It was a peaceful time that helped calmed my nerves. The night sky with the hundreds of stars in it, the aurora up there just felt great to look at.
"Lovely night out today, isn''t it?"
Gil walked up alongside me with his hands behind his back.
"Yeah, it is," I replied.
"What are you doing here though, Gil?"
"I just got done with training. What about you?"
"I''m just out here on a stroll."
"Ah. . ."
Gil sat down on the floor.
"You''re having trouble sleeping, aren''t you," Gil took a guess.
"Yeah, I am, and I don''t know why. It''s so damn irritating."
"Hmm. . .Maybe something''s bothering you? I know that happened to me quite a lot back in prison."
Something is bothering me? What the hell could that be?
"Is it what happened in the forest yesterday?"
Who the hell told him about that!?
"What, planning on making fun of me for it?"
"No, why would I? Are you bothered by it?"
I was. The fact that some nobody thugs were able to outdo me and beat me down was humiliating. It was unbelievable.
"Yeah, it bothers me so damn much. I don''t know how they were able to beat me. I''m supposed to be able to beat guys like those without breaking a sweat."
"Proxy, you don''t need to beat yourself over it."
"Of course I do, I lost to weaker opponents. Even if there were more than one of them I should''ve still won!"
It''s been aching at me all day, how I was overcome by them, it was bullshit. I refuse to believe I''m not capable; I beat thugs their size and height back in Newport!
"Proxy, how do you see yourself?"
"Huh?"
"What I mean is, what do you think your worth is? Do you even know?"
My worth? What the hell is he talking about?
"Oh my, philosophy at this time? Well, as much as that sounds entertaining I''ll have to interrupt."
Crow came from behind us without me being alerted.
"Hey doc, how are you doing," Gil greeted with a carefree smile.
"I''m alright, what about you two? You do know it''s midnight, right?"
"There''s nothing wrong with waking up in the middle of midnight or training until then," Gil casually remarked.
"There is," Crow quickly responded.
I noticed Crow had a bag strapped on his shoulders.
"Where are you going, crow," I asked him.
"To my part-time job. It''s in the kingdom."
"Seriously? How are you going to get in there? Do you sneak in there," I speculated.
"Doctors are given their own documents like merchants. There are also many benefits to working in the kingdom. We get more tools to work with and our own office, but not too many opportunities to further our skills past treating minor wounds. In other words: it was boring. But it''s worth owning documentation."
Huh, so medical professionals get a free pass into the kingdom?
"Hey, why don''t we-"
"You need to pass a medical exam to gain a document for being a medical professional."
Crow cut me off before I could finish making my suggestion. Although, he did answer it.
"Why are you going to the kingdom now, doc?"
"As I said, Gilhart, I''m going to my part-time job. Would you both like to come and see what it is," Crow invited us.
He''s got me kind of curious at this point, Gil was also having his curiosity peaked.
"Sure, I''ll tag along with you. I always wanted to be a doctor''s assistant. What about you Gil?"
"I was at one point. He would advertise this all-purpose healing water every day and even have me act like it healed my sickness even when I didn''t have one. I wonder why?"
"That''s because he was a con artist."
¡°Seriously!?¡±
Gil, your pure-hearted nature is too pure for this world.
Kingdom of humans - midnight
Entering the kingdom, we made our way along the alleyways. Eventually, we stopped in front of a small square patch of land that was surrounded by houses and shops. There was a hatch on the left-hand side of the area with a handle on it. It was covered by trash and other junk. Crow opened the hatch and went in first.
"Close the door behind yourselves," Crow instructed.
Gil was the last to go in so he closed it. As we walked through in a long dark corridor, our footsteps echoed along the corridor.
"How long is this tunnel," I asked.
"Don''t worry, we''ll be there shortly. Do tell me if you''re having trouble walking?"
"Nope, I feel fine, I was just asking."
It was about two minutes worth of walking, but we eventually reached the end. There were double metal doors in front of us. Crow knocked on the door, a slidable hatch on the door slid open.
"Who is it," a gruff voice questioned.
"Doctor Crow."
The doorman instantly opened the doors after hearing his name. He took a good look at Gil and me.
"Who are these guys," the door guy questioned.
"My assistance obviously."
"The guy looks like a guard more than an assistant."
"Thanks," I proudly accepted his compliment.
"I meant the guy behind you," the guard redirected.
"O-oh."
I felt humiliated and insulted all at the same time.
"Anyway, come on it."
Upon entering I saw a guard rail and a set of stairs on the right. Going over to the guard rail gave me a view of what was down below. Lights rigged on the walls and the roof. All of them pointing towards the middle area of this whole room. It was a giant fighting arena; circular to be specific. It was surrounded by an audience area on all sides. Cheers were coming from the crowd and people fighting in the ring.
"What the heck is this place," I directed my question to Crow.
"This is the Warrior''s Pit."
"Did the king have this built?"
"It was here for generations. It was made by the great ancestors of the kingdom. There are a few books on a place that resembles this domain; it was used to recruit knights during the early years of the kingdom," A kid behind Crow with a sotto voce tone explained.
He was a bit taller than me, probably a year older than me. His hair was grey, short, messy and he was wearing a jacket that was akin to a drifter jacket. He also had a blunt shaped object on his back that looked like a bat from the design except the top was flat.
"And who are you," I questioned. He pointed his weapon at me in response. "As of right now, I am the champion of this place, and I''m challenging you to a fight."
Interactive Therapy - part 2
Warrior''s pit - midnight
I set foot in the arena. The crowd cheering, yelling out for another match to begin.
"So, can you tell me again why someone like the champion of this place wants to fight me," I asked my opponent who was writing some. It pissed me off since he wasn''t paying attention.
"Hey, I asked you a question. How about you-"
"Because Crow asked me to," grey hair replied.
"He asked if I could fight a kid he would be bringing with him and said if I did he would owe me a favor. So in the end, I took him up on his offer, and here we are. Does that answer everything?"
As far as I knew, yeah, it did.
"I''ll take your silence as a yes."
"How do you know Crow?"
"He''s my mentor."
¡°Seriously, that weirdo is your mentor? I''d say I''m surprised, but I don''t even know you."
"I know he''s weird, but he holds the knowledge of all types of medicines and medical techniques that hold my interest, so I put up with him, for the most part. By the way, my name is Quincy. Now enough talk, I think the audience wants their fight."
He put the book away and took out his weapon.
"I''ll allow you to make the first move," Quincy offered.
"Thanks, and I think I will!"
I went in for the attack.
"Predictable."
He sidestepped it and hit me on the back of the head with the butt of his weapon.
"What the hell," I spat out.
"Your first move was basic, too straight-forward. But I guess it was the opener, come at me with something better."
As he requested, I kept punching in his direction but he kept evading everything I threw at him. He used his bat to make a counter-attack.
"You have a great amount of stamina, not surprising given how young you are."
My next attack was intercepted with a grab.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"From your muscle mass, I''d say you''re used to physical combat or anything that is associated with physical work."
"Done analyzing?"
"Just about."
I went with a kick but he pushed me back to interrupt me.
"I think I got a general idea of how you fight. We can truly begin the fight."
"Finally, I was getting bored with you running from me. Now let me show what-"
"Just come and make your move already, I''m getting bored."
He cut me off before I could finish speaking. But as much as it was annoying, he was right, I wasted time talking. I just went straight for the kill. He swung his bat towards my left, I blocked it only for him to hit me square in the stomach with his foot. It wasn''t all that powerful so I was able to bear it. His next move came shortly after as he tried to sweep my feet with his bat, but it was easy to dodge. He then turned his body to do a round kick with the back of his foot.
"You son of a bi-"
He yet again twisted his body to connect the bat to hit my face.
"Shit, that hurt!"
"Perhaps I should go easy on you," he mockingly considered.
"Don''t make fun of me!"
When I went back in to fight him he thrust his bat like a rapier, hitting my shoulder. "Gah!" The bat went towards my other elbow. I dodged and went in for a kick to the face. Quincy blocked it with the back of his bat and immediately countered by trying to hit my head vertically since my upper torso was positioned sideways. There was no way to block it, only evade. I spun backward when I kicked off the ground.
"Hm, it appears that you were able to anticipate my attack this time," Quincy pointed out.
I was barely able to dodge that, my senses told me to react in a certain way at the last second. But that''s the thing, my instincts are for shit right now, I would''ve been able to dodge those last attacks if they were working properly.
"You seem troubled, what''s the matter," Quincy asked.
"Mind your damn business!"
I need to take this fight more seriously than I want to treat it.
"I see the shift in attitude from your face. Now, you''re going to-"
His blabbering was getting old, so I just went for it. A gasp left his mouth when he saw how fast I charged at him. He tried to hit me with the bat but I bent my back to avoid it. I directed my foot upward to his chin, connecting before he could react. After that, I moved back to avoid a counter.
"How was that, better," I asked Quincy who was rubbing his chin.
"Yes, that was pretty good. You were able to quickly dodge my attack and come with a way to hit me. That shows that you''re holding back even more from this fight. And that kind of pisses me off."
...
The battle between Proxy and Mystery kid went on as Crow and I watched on.
"Gilhart, I want your honest opinion, who do you think will win," Crow asked me.
"Well, Proxy has skill when it comes to fighting, but lately, his skills have been failing him as of late. During one of our recent practice matches, I was able to easily defeat him."
"I expect nothing less, after all, you''re stronger than he is."
"I know, but Proxy can keep up with me due to his natural talent for fighting. He has the skill to back up his bark, but it feels like he''s fighting with less of that skill as of late."
"Can you tell why that is?"
"No, I only noticed for a couple of days now."
Proxy always acted cocky when he fought because of how aware he is of his fighting prowess. But for that exact reason, he thinks too highly of himself and his skills, and while it''s a good thing to have confidence in your skills, being overconfident in them can be detrimental. Mainly because you might not go all out with everything you got; but at that point, it wouldn''t be overconfidence, it would be considered being pride or ego.
Interactive therapy - Finale
...
Quincy''s bat flew towards my face. Dodging it was easy but he must''ve counted on me dodging since his bat swiftly went in the direction I moved to. Blocking it was easy, but it was beginning to numb my arm quite a bit. Nonetheless, I used the pause that came with his attack to quickly get in front of him and do a lunge punch. When it failed to connect I continued to step forward with the upper part of my foot and kept punching until I hit him. He tried taking a swing with his weapon but I moved under it. This gave me a clean shot at landing a hit. So, I took a chance and hit him in the face with my best punch.
"Got you now!" That punch was the beginning, my assault only just began as I hit him square in the face and the chest. He thrust his bat while I was going for my last attack. It made contact but so did my attack. I used my foot to push myself away from him.
"That''s good enough for you?"
"So you''re starting to change up how you attack," Quincy analyzed.
"Yep, sorry that I didn''t before, but now you don''t need to worry about that. I''m going to give you the best fight a guy like me can offer."
"Is that right? In that case."
Quincy took on a new stance, he held the bat as if it was a sword. Wait, I recognized the stance, it was the one Legion took on when he held his sword downward. As I took on my stance, he charged off towards me. I was reading which way he would go, where and how he would strike me. The movement he would take was going to be a straight-forward path.
"Sorry pal, but you''re gonna have to do better than that!"
I threw out a straight jab to intercept him, however, that turned out to be a mistake. He dodged the attack and struck me from below my chin.
"Gah!"
His attack was fast but heavy-hitting. It hurt like hell, my chin was throbbing like an earthquake shaking up the ground, but I needed to respond before he could do anything else. I thought that I could but that just seems to not be the case. The bat hit my legs, chest, then my head. He finished off his combo by hitting me with the back of the thing and then just outright kicking me.
"Is that all you got? You truly do disappoint me. Your all bark and little bite in the end," Quincy criticized.
"Screw you, what do you know about me anyway?"
"Only what I need to know."
"What does that mean?"
"What I mean is you''re holding back more of your power from this fight."
"So what if I am? It''ll be more than enough to beat a twink like you!"
Before I could make the first move, it was Quincy who closed in and hit me with his knee cap. I got up on my feet to avoid falling to the floor.
"Huh!?"
Two hits connected with my nose. A couple more hit me hard against my face and went on to unleash a barrage against me. These attacks were being performed with a boxer''s stance, the same as me!
"Do you see it, if you did, then you''re correct, this is your stance," Quincy answered.
"What!?"
His next attack was blockable but that was because it was a fakeout. He switched from his left fist to his right, hitting me with a surprise attack.
"I analyzed what little of your fighting style was worth doing so and figured out how it works. It''s rather nifty for moving quickly and delivering fast punches."
That was the function of using a boxer style tech. It was meant to make quick-paced attacks and to move on a moment''s notice. That''s why I like using it, I can throw punches and move when I need to.
"It''s a fascinating stance, the fact that you seamlessly used it is amazing, but also irritating," Quincy expressed his fascination with irritation.
"Why is it irritating?"
"It speaks of how much talent you have, and yet you hold back on that potential because you''re so damn prideful. It infuriates me to no ends."
"Screw off! You don''t know anything about me?"
"Oh, but I do. You fancy yourself as a fighter that doesn''t need to try, this stems from your overconfidence. I theorized that you''ve been fighting your whole life, fighting with people who couldn''t truly contest with you but you allowed that to go to your head."
"Who cares, just fight-"
His fist interrupted me when I spoke up.
"You allowed the feeling of strength that you got from crushing opponents to shape your sense of pride; not wanting to use all of your strength because it would feel as if you''re admitting that someone is your equal, if not, stronger than you."
That snapped a cord in me. Without any hesitation, I threw a punch, but he redirected it.
"I see that I was on the mark, fighting is more to you than something you like to partake in, it has a much more defined meaning to you."
Doesn''t this guy know how to shut up? What does he know anyway?
"...and if that''s true, then losing would be quite the blow to you mentally."
His attacks were getting faster, soon he was using the boxing style for all it was worth by shifting behind me and hitting my back.
"Have you ever tasted defeat before," Quincy asked.
I was tired of him trying to analyze me.
"Yeah, I did..."
"How did it make you feel?"
"It made me feel angry and humiliated. I told myself that I wouldn''t allow myself to lose again, but I did anyway."
"So, when you fight, do you like to have help?"
"Hell no, I don''t need anyone''s help to defeat someone, I can do it on my own!"
"I see, I think I get it now. You pride yourself so heavily on your strength that you don''t wish to have help because it feels like an insult when someone thinks they need to help you in a fight."
"It does. I have more than enough strength to fight alone."
"Then why don''t you prove it? You say that you have the power but you''re having a hard time against me. Heads up," Quincy warned me.
His fist flew for my face. I was able to block them but a third hit landed at my stomach. Needing distance, I back up a bit.
"Proxy, if you want to win this fight, then just focus on this fight, nothing else! Leave any other irrelevant thoughts out of this. Put what you really need into this!"
As he continued to make his assault, I thought of what he said: leave any irrelevant thoughts out of this. Now that I think about it, he has a point, I was thinking too much about this morning and how I got my ass kicked, and even then I was thinking about how that fur-wearing weirdo beat me. It was always on my mind, but not only that but how I let Richard get poisoned because I wasn''t giving it my best from the start of the fight. I never want anything like that to happen again, I don''t want anyone to get hurt to save my dumbass because I wasn''t going all out from the beginning. That''s why I need to get my ass into gear!
"With this, I shall end the fight."
He''s going to use his bat thing to finish me off. It was going to come down upon me any second. But for some reason, it was coming down slowly. Was it just some ability I have? I don''t remember this ever happening before, so I can''t say for certain. But that doesn''t matter right now, I''ll just act on it since I can move my body. I kicked at the blunt weapon hard enough to nearly knock it out of my opponent''s hand. I then turned my whole body around and towards the enemy to deliver a punch. My fist pressed against his face with no margin for error, it glided as if it was a paper airplane. From the corner of my eye, I saw his weapon being thrust forward to my head. I turned my body to avoid it but he changed its direction without stopping its movement. My hand caught it before it was able to make contact.
"It seems that you''re finally getting into shape, congrats," Quincy congratulated me.
"Sorry it took so long, I guess I was just screwing around a bit too much and wasting both our time."
"Took you long enough."
"I''ll repay you for opening my eyes to the truth!"
He quickly back away to get into his rapier stance. His sudden thrust in momentum was surprising but that won''t catch me off guard. I need to focus on this fight and his movements.
"I see it!"
His weapon, I could see where he was aiming with it. It was going for my shoulder again. I rotated my body around him when he closed in, I ended up behind him. I grabbed the back of his jacket and spun him around until throwing him to the side. He dropped his weapon, I took the time to kick it away from him.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
"You have more strength than I thought. But, do you have the speed to back it up?"
He went back to using the boxer style. I knew he aimed to mix me up and there''s no way I''ll allow him to do that. A punch came towards my gut, to counter it, I hit it with my own. In truth, it was to show off a bit.
"You were able to read my attack?"
To say that his shock from seeing me do so was enjoyable would be an understatement.
"Yeah, now check this out."
I unleashed an array of leg attacks on him. He wasn''t able to retaliate in any way. This time, I wasn''t using just boxing, I was just going wild with my legs.
"That was new, attacks only using your legs, and with such flexibility,"
Quincy complimented as he examined my new style.
"Impressed?"
"Yeah, you can say I am, but that won''t be enough."
In that case, I better keep it fresh so he doesn''t begin to copy me. When he went in for a punch I rolled to the ground and kicked him from below. I don''t know how he was able to anticipate it but he did. I wasn''t going to waste any time thinking about it. I began to spin my body around on the ground, using what skill I had in break dancing.
"What is this!?"
I had to continuously move forward while trying to slip him up. To be honest, it was hard to pull off, even for me, but it was going to pay off since his footing was put off by one of my attacks. Seeing an opportunity, I got into a crouching position on my feet and went in for his solar plexus. Before it could connect, my fist was blocked. A kick was driven to my head. With quick thinking, I was able to retaliate against this attack by going for another punch, this time it landed. We both didn''t waste time trying to go for the next move, we used the same style of movement to land a blow. It was weird, it was like my body was on auto-pilot as my fist was going. I was able to see my opponents fist coming at me with absolute clarity. It was like my vision was in HD and my brain was processing stuff like a computer. Going all out without my sense of pride telling me not to, It was extraordinary.
As for the fight, it was more intense as I was matching Quincy''s blows without skipping a beat. If we kept going like this, we would probably stay in this stalemate until we destroy each other''s fists. So, in a desperate attempt, he did a round-house kick close to my face. Instinctually, I jumped back, however, that''s what he wanted; he whiffed the attack on purpose to close in with a punch. It was going to reach me no matter what I do, so I might as well take it, however, you can bet your ass that I won''t be taking it without giving something too. I stomped my foot toward his face. His fist caused some blood to come out of my nose and my foot had the same effect. Quincy took his hand away from my face and went out of the ring but not before going over to get his weapon.
"I quit the match," he stated as he holstered his weapon.
The crowd began to boo him for his course of action.
"Come on, you don''t want to be here before the crowd gets violent," he said.
"Huh, but what about the match?"
He didn''t bother to answer me as he walked up the stairs towards the upper platform. With no ideas in mind, I ended up following him. We regrouped with Crow and Gilhart who were ready to start treating our wounds.
"It seems you boys went at it," Crow remarked.
"We sure did," I responded.
"I''d rather have not, but I guess I had no other choice. But enough of that, can you start treating us," Quincy rudely requested.
"Yes, yes, I treat your wounds as quickly as I can. Gilhart, get me my kit."
"Okay, doc."
Crow made us drink something bitter but it made the pain in my hands and face fade away, so that was a good thing. No bandages were needed since nothing too serious occurred for it to be needed.
"That was an excellent turnabout Proxy," Gil complimented.
"Thanks, almost didn''t make it happen for a minute there."
"How are you feeling then?"
"Okay, for now, my wounds aren''t hurting so..."
"No, I meant about the fight."
"Well, looking back at how the match began. If I had gone all out from the beginning I know I could''ve done better. But I know better now¡ I won¡¯t let my pride get in the way anymore."
There was a lighter expression on Gil''s face when I told him that.
"What, did I say something weird?"
"No, not at all. I''m just glad you aren''t hurt."
He stuck out his fist. I precipitated by bumping it with mine. My eyes trailed over to Quincy who was sitting by himself. I went over to him while he was reading.
"Hey, what are you reading," I asked him.
"I''m not reading, I''m reviewing what I wrote in my journal for today."
"Go figure, I didn''t think you''d write in a journal."
"I like to keep notes of what I experienced in this life, in case anything bad were to happen to me; my experiences would be passed on."
Damn, that''s some deep stuff. Maybe I should steer away from that.
"So how are you feeling," I asked him.
"I''m fine, the pain is gone but it somewhat stings. You delivered a nasty blow to my face."
"My bad, I didn''t mean to hit you harder than I should''ve," I apologized.
"It''s fine, besides, it was to your benefit that you fought me with all you had. I think if the fight went on it could''ve gone either way."
"So that''s why you ended it because I would win?"
"Maybe," Quincy answered as he shrugged his shoulders.
"You bastard! I wanted to win the fight."
"It''s not like it matters much, You''d only win money for the most part, and that had nothing to do with the fight."
"The money sounds like a positive!"
But this fight taught me one thing: I¡¯m not in NewPort fighting punks anymore. This is the real deal. If I give less than my all then I¡¯ll be killed, and I won¡¯t be able to protect Richard.
"Well now, since my business here has been conducted I''ll be leaving now," Quincy announced.
"What business," I asked.
"Crow asked me to mentally examine you and help you with whatever was plaguing you."
"Help me mentally? Why didn''t Crow do that?"
"I''m better at analyzing people than he is since I¡¯m more of a people person."
I really doubt that!
"Also, didn''t you find it odd that you met his semi-disciple at a place like this," he questioned.
"Yeah, I did find it odd, but why did we fight?"
"When I heard you liked fighting from Crow I thought to use it as a sort of interactive therapy session. Plus, I had a feeling your problems stemmed from fighting, so I gave it a whirl."
Eh, I guess I had a bit of fun, but that came when I was winning. Plus, it did hold my attention more so than a conversation would and it probably did stem from fighting. If anything, I''d say this was an awesome therapy session.
"That''s enough of that, I should be heading off now."
Crow picked up his bat and was about to head off.
"Where will you go?"
"I don''t know? Maybe hang around town until morning, get something to eat, then leave."
"Why don''t you just hang with us? You can be with your mentor and the food is free and good. Plus, your skills would be helpful."
"With us? Ah, you mean that anti-bandit army? No offense, but your fight isn''t mine to fight in."
"What if we pay you with something," I suggested to him.
"If you wish to pay me, pay me with something interesting."
Something interesting, something interesting. . .? Oh, I got it!
"I come from a different world entirely and it was due to this black Grimoire." Quincy¡¯s eyebrow rose.
"Another...world?"
"Yep, want some proof, check this."
I gave him my school I.D.
"What''s NewPort Island and St. Merlin middle school?"
"That''s the city I''m from and the school I went to in my world. It''s a pretty cool place overall."
"I see. And about that book you mentioned, do you still have it?"
"Of course, and I''ll let you look at it if you come back with us to the camp. Also, you have to let me see your bat."
"What''s a bat?"
Pointing to his weapon he took it off his back.
"This? It''s just something I found off a trader. Said the guy who made this had a dream about being hit with something blunt, so he made this. To be honest, I feel as if the front part of this weapon being a flat end is kind of... Off."
It sounds like the guy who made it had some weird-ass dreams. But hey, if the dream sparks up inspiration then so be it.
"So what do you say, deal?"
I put my hand out. He took a minute to look at it before shaking it.
"...I want to see this book the moment we get back to camp."
"And?"
"And you better not dent my bat."
"Done deal then!"
Kingdom of Humans - Imperial castle - King''s throne - morning
The king was alone in his room with a guard. The guard was wary of anyone following him on the way to his king''s room. I followed the guard to the king''s room since he was acting suspiciously. I know that it might make me come off as nosey, but if anything is going on that''ll compromise my mission then I need to know.
"My lord, I have sent them your next set of orders, we should get a response by morning," the guard related to king Relius.
"Good, make sure they keep looking for it. Furthermore, did your men secure the tower?"
"Yes, we set up a post at the entrance of the tower; nobody gets in or out."
The report on the tower being put on lockdown isn''t surprising, but who received orders and what are they?
"If that''s all for today, you may leave," king Relius instructed.
"Thank you, your majesty, you must get some rest as well, the festival will be coming."
"The festival... I almost forgot. How are the preparations going?"
"They''re going well from what I heard. We should be ready for it."
"Excellent. By the way, I have to ask: are you a father, husband, boyfriend perhaps?"
"Um, father of one and husband, why?"
"I only ask to spark up a conversation."
"I see, I''m sorry, I was just surprised that the King would take interest in my life."
"What''s the point of being king if you have no interest in the lives of your subjects?"
"A-ah. Well, my wife is a tailor and my son is taking up his mother''s skills. Though, he wishes to become a kingdom soldier like me."
"How do you feel about that?"
"Um, I..."
"You don''t feel comfortable about him becoming a soldier, is that right?"
"No, I. . .!"
Relius let out a light laugh to calm the Knight''s anxiety.
"It''s fine, I understand, if I were in your position I would have reservations as well," king Relius assured him.
"Really?"
"Of course, any father, well, any proper father would be, but the desire to be a soldier will probably fade as he gets older. Perhaps tailoring clothes will become something of a like for him."
"You think so?"
"I do. Besides, in the future, we won''t be needing knights to protect us..."
Not needing knights to protect the kingdom?
"But away from that, the reason I asked if you had a family is to tell you that you could take a day off during the day of the festival and spend time with them," king Relius told the knight.
"Are you sure, my majesty?"
"Absolutely, a family should spend time on a festive time. Relay this to the other knights that they may spend time with their families on the day of the festival."
"Yes, your majesty! T-thank you, your majesty!"
The guard was walking over to the door. I hid before he came out of the room. The guard walked off happily cheering about his day off. I went back to the King''s room to see him looking out a window, he talked quietly to himself but I could hear him say,
"They must find that Grimoire soon."
Grimoire. . .Does he mean the Black Grimoire? It was the same object that I was sent here to find. Why would he need it? Even if I''m wrong, it wouldn''t hurt to follow on this lead. That being said, I should follow the guard home and question him when I have time.
The Delinquent runs wild - part 1
8/8 - Anti-bandit camp - afternoon
"..."
Silence reigned over a small area of the camp. Richard, Alexander, Gilhart, Marie, and I were playing a card game to decide our fates.
"Hand-done," Alex triumphantly announced.
"What! Bullshit, I call cheats!"
"A leader would never cheat."
"Yeah right, is he telling the truth, Gill?"
"Hand-done," Gil answered.
"WHAT!?"
"Sorry, I guess you''re not as good as you claim to be," Gil bluntly told me.
"Bull...shit! You guys are cheating, you always get better cards than me!"
"As they say, grand luck is on the side of those who are in dire need," Alex quoted.
"Well then, I need some luck, cause I need it to make sure Marie doesn''t-¡±
"Hand-done," Marie called.
"CHEATERS!"
I threw the cards down on the ground.
"You lost Proxy, which means you''re in charge of guard duty, laundry, and cooking duty, each for one day."
"Me and my luck... Hey, why are we just playing cards anyway? Aren''t we supposed to be busy busting heads?"
"You might want to but we can''t now. The bandits have been much more precautious now that they are aware of our existence. They''re beginning to reinforce the number of bandits in said camps and making new ones near a certain point between multiple of them," Marie stated.
"So they''re bulking in number," Richard asked.
"Yeah, so now we need to pick our fights much more carefully," Alex said.
"Kay, so aren''t we making a plan," I questioned.
"We did. I had Chip go out with the map and mark the more populated camps in the area."
They started up another game. Not wanting to hurt my pride any further I decided to drop out.
"I''m going out."
"Where to," Marie inquired.
"Just gonna take a drive, see the sights."
"I don''t think you should be doing that. If they''re becoming aware of a group that is fighting them then they''re most definitely looking at us. And if they catch you out there. . ."
"It''s cool, look, I''ll be careful and I''ll come back by sundown."
"No, it''s too dangerous out there right now," Marie warned.
"When has something being dangerous stopped me?"
"This isn''t the best time to go acting like a reckless child."
"I can take care of myself, so relax."
Without listening to another word, I walked over to the couch, taking my stone sword, and walked on out of the camp.
...
Driving off-road, I can feel the wind rushing past my head and hair. It was refreshing to ride on my own with no one to worry about or constrict me, especially Marie.
"Come on Road Burner, let''s see how fast we can go!"
I say that, but going too fast could result in Road Burner getting me killed. For now, I''ll just be careful about how I drive this thing.
"Hm, what''s that?"
There was a small village up ahead, it looked like there was a fire going. Marie wanted me to avoid trouble but there was no way I could ignore it if other people were in it. With no hesitation, I set a course for the village. Driving into it I can see what is happening. The townspeople are being attacked by a bunch of bandits. One of them in particular was holding a lance and was wearing a long jacket while sporting a headband. This idiot seemed to be the head honcho, I think it would be proper of me to introduce myself with a bang.
"Okay, let''s ram him into the ground!" I picked up speed as I charged in for the attack.
"TALI-HOOO!"
The bike rammed into the spear wielder like a bull. He skipped about 7 meters before he got back up.
"Who dares mess with me!? What, a child?"
The shock on his face is what I miss.
"This child is about to kick your ass, dude."
I took my stone sword out.
"How dare you look down on me!?"
"It¡¯s not that hard."
The bandit put up his spear. I ran towards the guy. He thrust this spear at me but I slid under it and kicked him in the balls. His shrill shriek was painful to the ears but at least I knew that it was more than effective. My next move had me hit him under the chin with the butt of my sword then slamming him to the ground, punching him for good measure. There was no need to interpret his state, he was for sure knocked out cold.
"H-he knocked out the captain with getting scratched!?"
"That kid beat him in mere seconds!?"
The bandits were thunderstruck by how fast I knocked out the spear weirdo. Can''t fault them, I can''t believe I was able to knock him out so fast. However, their amazement didn''t last long, they were beginning to come to their senses.
"It doesn''t matter, it''s just one kid, we can take him!"
Not wasting time motivating themselves to fight they came at me all at once.
"You guys wanna bring it, fine, come and bring it!"
I was ready to beat them all down if I had to. Out of the blue though, the liquid was doused all over the buildings on fire, dousing the flame. Something broke against the floor, yellow smoke came from around the enemies. It covered a wide area and it was so dense that I couldn''t see anything in there. People suddenly showed up from the top of the village buildings and went into the smoke. I heard the bandits grunting and screaming as the mystery people were probably beating them up. After a few seconds passed, all sound ceased, the smoke was clearing up as well. Someone came out of it with daggers in their hands. His first attack was fast and decisive with little room to counter. His other moves were quite versatile, he used his legs while attacking in succession with his dagger attacks. Each attack clashed with my stone sword, causing me to feel a slight bit of numbness in my hands. I had to stop him from performing another attack or else I''ll be in trouble. With my assailant''s next attack, I kicked his arm to knock one of his blades out of his hand. He was down one blade, now I was on even ground. In a last-ditch effort, he put the other towards my stomach and the point of my sword went towards his head. We stopped before we nailed each other.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
"You''re not bad," the boy with the mask complimented me.
"Thanks, you''re not so bad yourself, mr. smooth.¡± I returned the compliment.
He put away his dagger and got his other one off the ground. I noticed that my heart was beating really fast, going off like tick-tock. His speed was something else, I had a bit of trouble keeping up with him. It would''ve been bad if the fight were to continue. I would be screwed.
"I''m surprised to see someone else fighting against these guys."
The masked kid took off his mask, revealing his face. He had a light-skin complexion, a small scar near his chin.
"I can always respect that out of a person. The name is Cade, what''s yours," he asked me with a laid back, cool attitude.
He''s my type of person, I can tell.
"I''m Proxy, don''t wear it out."
"Weird name, but sounds pretty cool."
"Thanks, Cade is a cool name too."
"I know, but thanks anyway."
"Cade, we''re ready to go."
A kid who was taking care of the bandits called for Cade.
"Okay! I have to go. Would you like to join us? I gotta repay you for helping these people before me and my friends got to town. We at least owe you a good meal, what do ya say?"
Well... Oh, what the hell, I''ll go. Why am I so concerned about getting back to camp on time anyway, I do what I want!
"I''ll take you up on your offer."
I shook his hand, accepting his offer.
"Alright, you ain''t gonna regret this. Also, you don''t have motion sickness, do you," Cade asked me.
"Not really."
"Cool, then we can take my bike."
"It''s cool, I have my own. Actually, wanna take a ride on it?"
"How fast can it go," Cade asked with a gleam of excitement.
"Buddy, if you experienced it for yourself, it''d kill you."
...
After a long ride, we arrived at a forest that was West-South of the camp. Well, I don''t know if I can call it a forest. It was just like a bundle of gigantic trees that are rooted next to each other.
"This is crazy, you guys live in this place."
My eyes kept wandering all over the place, nearly crashed into a tree a couple of times.
"It''s a great place for a hideout, big trees that provide cover, and it is easy to make a surprise attack from above."
The branches on the trees were bigger than a house, and wide as a sidewalk, and probably strong enough to hold a couple of people on it. Driving carefully into the forest, Cade brought my attention to what was up on the trees. It appeared to be a platform, where ropes coming from an edge of the platforms.
"This is our stop. We can leave the bikes here."
Cade and I got off and went over to one of the ropes. He made an animal noise akin to a bird. Two boys looked down from above us.
"Cade!" The boy''s voice was a bit high, kind of girlish.
"Puck, is Wedge there?"
"Yep, I''m here, chief! I''ll pull up."
This other voice was boisterous, it was louder than a car engine. Cade took hold of the rope and was pulled. I took the one next to the one he took, but I just climbed up on my own, proved to be a faster way to climb up.
"Who are you," the kid named Puck asked me as he drew an item that is supposed to resemble a hand cannon.
"Calm down, this guy helped us beat up some bandits. He''s cool," Cade vouched for me.
Puck seemed reluctant to believe that but put his gun away.
"So, you fought some bandits on your own? Tell me, how did it feel? I wish to learn so I can one day fight on my own," Wedge loudly asked.
"Take it easy Wedge, what did I say about the screaming," Cade scolded Wedge''s obnoxiously loud voice.
"Sorry, I can''t control it, you know that!"
"I don''t really care too much, I just don''t want you blowing anyone''s eardrums. So try to yell quietly."
"Okay," he softly yelled.
"Puck is there anything to eat right now," Cade asked.
"We have people out hunting right now, so we''re not trying to cook right now," he reasonably explained.
"Ah, guess I can''t treat ya, sorry," Cade gave an apology.
"No problem, I can survive. Showing me this cool ass place is more than enough of thanks."
"Heh, glad you like the place that much. How about I show you around then," Cade offered.
"Sure!"
Cade took me on a tour of his base. When I first got up here I thought there wasn''t going to be any room to walk around, but it was actually well constructed. There was enough room for others to walk around and to place heavy objects on here. Weapons were being sharpened, fur pelts were being used to make accessories and various other things were going on. I also noticed something else about the populace; it''s made up of kids and teens.
"I don''t see any adults around," I pointed out to Cade.
"There are only kids here, adults would get in the way of our operations, plus, we can trust each other more so than we can with adults."
"That sounds pretty cool."
"Most of us know how to sew, cook, craft gear, hunt, and fight. I''d say we''re more than qualified to act on our own."
This is so cool! Just a bunch of teens and kids getting work done with no one to boss them around, or get in the way. That is something I could more than just vibe. The tour leads us into a hut, it has a bed, dresser, as well as some weapons hung on the walls.
"Nice collection."
"Thanks, I collected these from different Flame Wraith commanders."
"I''m impressed. By the way, what is a Flame Wraith?"
"You don''t know?" I nodded my head no.
"They''re a sort of upper epsilon in the Fire Wraiths. There are 3 sections to the group: there are the Moths, the lowest-ranked of the bandit group; they''re just the grunts of the bandit group, nothing too special about them. Then you got the Flame Wraiths, the group that commands the Moths. They''re separated into several different types of squads and act as a squad leader. Most of the squads do specific duties like rounding up villagers, taking care of rebellious villages, and other jobs."
"What''s the third?"
"The leader: The phantom Flame, the head dog of the entire pack. Not much to say about him except that he doesn''t leave the main base of operations Northwest from the kingdom."
"Wait, you know where they''re at?"
"Yeah, but going there now would be a suicide mission, even if we planned an attack we would get slaughtered by the number of bandits there."
So the bandits are a bit more organized and well-defended than I thought. Now that I remember it, that weird guy that took my googles said he was a Flame Wraith. The way he acted and commanded that monster spider was definitely not normal. So if people like him are defending the base, it would be dangerous to go there now.
"Anyway, it doesn''t matter what rank they are, a bandit is still a bandit," Cade summed up.
"I agree, bandits are all the same. I''ll crush them all the same," I told him.
"I like that energy."
"Heh, I try."
Looking out of the hut I can see that it was turning dusk. Shit, I have to go, or else Marie will yell my ear off when I get back.
"Cade, sorry, but I have to go now, I''m supposed to be home by dusk."
"Really, sorry to make you come out all the way here then."
"Nah, it''s cool, it''s all my fault. It was nice meeting you though."
"Nice meeting you too. Drop by sometime if you can, I wanna treat you to that meal."
"Okay, I''ll do that. See ya!"
I ran out of the hut and went to the ropes off the platforms. Turning on Road Burner, I drove off on the same route I took to get here. The sky was growing darker and darker as time went on. Marie is gonna definitely gonna yell my ear. . .!
"When did I start caring about being on time or not?"
Back in school, I would always arrive late to class and not give a damn what the teachers said or thought, doing whatever I felt like when I whenever I wanted to. So why am I so bothered by my punctuality? Tch, whatever, it doesn''t matter, I''ll just take the scolding and catch some Zs.
Anti-bandit camp - night
I parked my bike in the big green bushes in the midst of the trees.
"All right, rest well Road Burner. Now all I need to do is sneak in and-"
"Proxy!"
Well, shit, there goes my plan to just sneak in. I turned to see Marie standing behind me with her arms crossed.
"Sup," I casually greeted.
"You said you''d be back by sundown," she reminded me with a nervous expression and tone.
"Did I?"
"Why are you so late? I was about to go out to look for you."
"Worried about me? It''s fine, I can handle myself."
"People are curious as to what''s going on with dinner, that''s why I was about to go out and search for you."
"You act as if nobody knows how to cook beside me."
"You can''t be staying out so late, it''s not safe. We can''t afford to lose anyone this early into our development as an army."
"As I said, I can take care of myself, hell, I took out a Flame Wraith today all by myself."
"What!?"
"Yeah, I did it all by myself, and it was easy too."
"You could''ve been killed if you fought one of the stronger ones, the first five are! You''re lucky that you fought a weaker team," Marie loudly reprimanded me.
She was beginning to get on my nerves with this already.
"I get it, I get it, alright, I understand that I was being reckless, all right? Happy? Now if you''ll excuse me, I have to serve people some food because no one else knows how to, apparently."
"That''s not the point! Hey, wait, I''m not. . ."
I ignored her calls for me and walked off. It was bothersome how annoying she was about the smallest thing. Not even Birch was this much of a pain in the ass to deal with. Huh, it¡¯s been a while since I. . .Gah, I''d say my good mood was nearly ruined by that little encounter and by remembering Birch. I''m able to push it aside, a chef needs to be in an awesome mood to not bring down the food''s quality. . .
The Delinquent runs wild - part 2
8/9 - The Holy Lands - wilderness - evening
Today was a new day. I was out on the field working. Me, Marie, and some others were out hunting for food. Alex didn''t want us to waste spending money on the meat we can easily get out in the wild. Currently, I''ve captured nothing, but on the other hand, Marie and Racheal had some in hand.
"Proxy, you still haven''t gotten anything yet," Marie pointed out as if I didn''t know.
"Yeah, I didn''t."
"Not even a white Mair?"
A white Mair is the combination of a squirrel and a rabbit, fast as hell, and can climb up trees just as quickly.
"It...easy," Racheal said in broken English.
She was getting a bit better at speaking but she still needs a ton of practice before she¡¯s able to speak properly.
"Yeah, all you need to do is conceal your presence," Marie explained.
"I...very...good...at it," Racheal elated with a proud look about her.
"Yep, you are."
Marie rubbed her head. Tch, whatever, I can do better. I just need to find something better that''ll show them all up.
"I''m going on ahead," I told Marie.
"Wait up, we''re not done clearing this area yet."
"I''m just going on ahead, relax."
I went on ahead despite her calls. Walking through the woods I only found animals that weren''t worth bragging about. I gotta find something that''s gonna make everyone''s jaw drop to the floor...
"Hm?"
There was something far off ahead of me. I went over to what it was. It looked like a bear''s body with a boar''s head and a bull''s horns (it was like a toy that can have its limbs or torso switched with other parts, it was sort of horrifying). It seemed like it was eating a Mair.
"Nasty. . .but perfect."
It was big enough to be considered a predator and it was clearly on the prowl for prey. Little does it know that I''m gonna sneak up on it. Though, it does seem like sneaking up on it would be a bad idea, that''s why I should get the jump on it from the tree-tops. Slowly, quietly I stepped on the tree branch, I was on top of the creature now, I took out some knives I had on me. Standing up on the branch, I got ready to drop down on it. Taking a deep breath, I dropped on it, stabbing it with my knives.
"All right!"
The monster''s cried out in pain from my attack. It was tossing around whatever-which-way. It was gonna take more than moving aggressively to knock my ass off; I''m a master at the animatronic bull game.
"What''s the matter, is that all you got?"
I wanted to use the knife to hit its head but I needed it to stay in its back so I could hang on to its back.
"You don''t have me beat yet! Whoa, what the!?"
Beyond my expectations, it stood itself up on its feet. It gave a short roar and ran backward onto a tree.
"Augh!"
A painful thud that found itself coming from my back. It stung like a bitch. It kept doing it over and over again, unrelenting in its action. My hand''s firm grip was getting weaker and weaker. Eventually, I tapped out and let go of the thing.
"You bastard, if it''s a fight you want, then a fight is what you''ll get. . . Wait."
A revelation came to me, I didn''t have my knives. They were still in the thing''s back.
"Oh, crap. . .Um, say. . .You''re not too angry about me stabbing you, right?"
It gave a low growl in response. Forgiveness seems like a big no-no. So like any rational human being, I ran.
"Oh, shit, shit, it''s behind me!"
That thing was fast for its size. It was keeping pace with me even when I was doing my best to outrun. I want to try moving to the sides, but I don''t know if strafing will get me killed or not, so running dead ahead will be my best bet probably. Nope, no, not a good idea, it''ll catch up eventually if I keep running forward. I need to do something, or I''m going to become chow food. It was then I saw a strange root sticking up from the ground. It intersected with the other roots, layering themselves next and on top of each other. There was enough space for me to crawl through. So, like an Olympic diver, I got down to my chest and crawled like a cockroach. The monster followed me in but couldn''t get its mouth past the outside. It was stuck in the roots while I just got done getting out.
"Haha, what''s the matter, got yourself in a Chinese trap?"
I went over to it to take my knives back.
"Don''t mind if I do."
I plucked my knives out of its back and it gave out a roar that was ear-shattering. The stinging in my ears had me stunned for a brief few seconds. That was enough time for it to break the roots and hit me with the back of its arm. Blocking resulted in me being flung at a tree behind me. A painful jolt goes through my back and my head feels groggy after hitting the tree. It was a good guess that I wasn¡¯t going anywhere for a bit. That''s fine, might as well try my luck.
"All right, bring it on then!"
It was a do or die time, and I guess I had to do this.
"HAAA!"
A spear went through the bear and was pulled right out. Marie toppled the animal from behind
"Marie, damn, that was impressive. But that one was mine, so-"
She smacked me in the face before I could finish. It was an all-around stinging sensation.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you run off on your own!? If I wasn''t here you would be dead!"
She put my arm over her shoulder.
"I''m-"
"Don''t say a word! We''re going back to camp!"
Marie was not going to have it this time. Our excursion for today came to an end.
Anti-bandit camp - medical tent - afternoon
I had a make-shift cast on my arm. It kind of itched a bit, making the thing uncomfortable to wear. Raven came back into the medical tent.
"Proxy, you''re going to be fine for now, but your arm did suffer a minor fracture, nothing too serious, but I notified the leader about it and he has barred you from fighting for a couple of weeks."
"Seriously!?"
That was not music to my ears at all. This was just a minor fracture, I can still fight! But, I knew that it was no use to argue back.
"Proxy, I''m also going to have you on suspension even after you recover," Marie issued.
"WHAT!? Are you fucking kidding me!"
"Let this be a lesson to you about off on your own..."
"Just shut up already. I had enough of this bullshit for one day."
I left the tent with no intention of listening to Marie acting all high and mighty, it pissed me off to no ends. Why the hell does she think she controls what I do!? Damnit, now it''s just pissing me off! Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit. . .
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
"I can''t stand her. . .!"
Thinking about it and getting angry isn''t gonna solve my problem. As for this wound, I wasn''t going to waste a week for this arm to recover. That''s why I''m gonna use a loophole.
...
Richard was healing my arm at a slow rate, it took nearly half an hour to get this fixed and it seemed to exhaust Richard but he insisted on helping me.
"Sorry Proxy, this is the best I can do as of now."
"No problem, my arm feels much better, buddy."
"Move it slowly, see if my healing worked."
Moving it a bit I didn''t feel any type of discomfort at all. Well, that settles it, I''m feeling much better now!
"Welp, thanks for your help Richard, I gotta get going now."
"Hang on a sec, where are you going?" Richard grabbed my arm. "Proxy, you should take a minute to relax before going out?"
"I''m good to go, so I''m gonna get some exercise."
"You need to take it easy for a bit. You''ve been pushing yourself as of late. Take a bit of a break before doing what you''re doing."
It was true that I was fighting and becoming much more active than usual and have been getting more exercise done ever since the arena fight with Quincy. Maybe it wouldn''t be so bad to take a few minutes off.
"Alright, I''ll sit for a few minutes and that''s that."
"That''s fine by me."
Richard took out some sweets from a bag. They were sweet to the eyes from how puffy and soft they were.
"So, how''s the magic training," I asked him.
"It could be going better. My healing is still for crap, so I need to do better."
"Why don''t you ask Selena for help?"
"I did, she told me that she can''t help me. She said she was too busy and couldn¡¯t be bothered."
"That sucks, what about the books you borrowed?"
"They aren''t used to help master Source, but to know the history of Source and about the attributes.."
"That''s pretty useless."
"Not really, I did learn some things about Source. For one, it wraps itself around a person like a layer of clothing. It can be controlled to a degree, so that''s why I''m trying to learn how to use my Source by trying to manipulate it, then make better use of it in my healing."
"I see."
It Sounds pretty complicated for me to understand, so I won''t even try to.
"Let''s talk about something else," Richard suggested.
"Shoot."
"Well then. . .Do you think you graduated?"
Yikes, wasn''t trying to think much on that subject ever since we got here.
"Had to bring that up, didn''t ya? I''m guessing I did okay, judging from the fact I passed 3 out of 4 quarters. What about you?"
"I most definitely did. I was elected Valedictorian after all."
"Seriously!? Congrats man."
"Thanks. Though, to be honest, I didn''t aim to become it since it wasn''t to my interests."
Man, his disinterest in it is making me feel a bit bad for the poor kid that wanted to be it.
"It''s not that bad, man. If I was Valedictorian I would be bragging about it."
"I suppose. . .Say, why don''t you try your hand at it when we get back home?"
"No deal, that sounds like I gotta get grades higher than a 70 or an 80."
"Not really a big deal, you should just try harder."
"I like taking the easy-breezy path, so no thanks."
"It wouldn''t hurt to apply yourself by at least a bit."
"I do, if anything I do so more than Lauren."
"How come? Actually, wasn''t she selected to be valedictorian?"
"Lauren knew she would get elected, so she intentionally got above-average scores."
Lauren puts any other slacker to shame since she''s smarter than the majority of us said, slackers. Honestly, it pisses me off...
"Do you think anyone is looking for us?¡± Richard somberly asked. ¡°. . .I mean, do you think anyone knows that we''ve gone missing? Actually, I''d get why people would notice you''ve gone missing, but I doubt anyone would notice that I did."
Richard never told me anything about his family, and if he did it would be a slip-up. The only thing I do know is that he has a brother. I''m guessing he doesn''t have a great relationship with him. Even so, I know that ¡°the people not looking for him¡± part isn''t true.
"Don''t be ridiculous, I wouldn''t count you out yet. Birch likes you more than me, so he probably is searching for you, so don''t even sweat over it!"
I made a double peace sign and gave a smile to cheer him up.
"Why do you say that as if he isn''t doing the same for you?"
"I''m just guessing from what I think, I could be wrong."
Birch and I had the "me annoying him with my mischief" type of relationship. At least, that''s how Lauren said it was. I never asked for him to clean up after me, and yet Lauren still annoys me about it. Now that I''m thinking about Lauren and Birch. I bet they¡¯re glad I¡¯m out of their hairs.
"Well, I shouldn''t waste time here, I gotta go and exercise in camp since I''m not allowed to leave. Although, I don''t do what I''m told."
"Proxy, are you gonna do something reckless?"
"Nah, mildly tame."
I''m lying of course, but I think it''s best not to say anything about that.
"If you say so. . .Just be careful, I don''t want to lose my friend out here."
"Don''t worry, you won''t."
I walked away from Richard who was still eating the sweets. There were many reasons why I fight, to survive, to have fun, but growing stronger was a new one; and I need to get my goggles back, and to make sure nobody has to save my ass ever again. So I won¡¯t let Marie or anyone else get in the way of that.
8/10 - Anti-army camp - midnight
It was the dead of night, everyone was asleep. I, on the other hand, was ready to go, I had my stone sword and some knives on me and a map of the whole continent with bandit camps marked down on it. Tomorrow the group was going to fight a bandit camp that had twice the numbers of the previous ones. They haven''t told me where it was due to my suspension, but I think I can find someone who does. Turning on the bike near the camp was a no-go, so I pushed it away before turning it on. I went from the camp, I went past the village I fought in today. The route I took to Cade''s camp was easy to remember since many landmarks involved a weirdly shaped boulder, a statue of an animal that looked like a mix between a platypus and a duck, and a statue of a person in a robe with its head upside-down. The tall trees were in my sight as I was nearing them.
"Okay, this is it."
I picked up the speed after reassuring myself. After a bit, I arrived safely outside of the tall tree forest. I quietly got off my bike and walked near the trees. I wasn''t able to go any further before heading something cocking behind me.
"Hands up, don''t move!"
I felt cold steel against my head. It felt like a circular cylinder. I heard this voice before, it belonged to that chick sounding guy.
"Whoa, easy there kid. I''m just here to see Cade."
"What do you want with him?"
"I want to talk to him about something."
"That being?"
"About fighting some bandits. . ."
I heard the gun being cocked, for sure I thought I was going to die.
"Move it," the kid coldly commanded.
"You gonna let me see him?"
"I said move it!"
The kid with the gun kicked my ass(literally), pushing me forward.
"Watch it, you brat!"
"I told you to move, blame yourself," he sarcastically responded.
"You didn''t have to kick me in the keyster. How would you feel if I kicked your ass (literally)."
"I''d shoot you before you got the chance."
"Fair point."
I got up from the ground and went over to where the ropes are without making any sudden movements. There was also the added benefit of a kid with a gun behind me. We climbed up the only rope available. Up on top, Cade and some others were sitting around with a lantern-lit up.
"Proxy is that you," Cade asked, surprised to see me this late.
"Hey, Cade, how are ya?"
I rolled off the floor. The gun kid poked me with a dangerous weapon.
"Puck, what are you doing," Cade questioned him.
"He came to ''talk'' to you, at the dead of night with weapons on him."
Okay, I''ll admit, that is pretty suspect, but I wasn''t thinking of that, so cut me some slack.
"I can explain why I do, but before that, can you stop poking me with that thing!"
The kid named Puck removed the gun from my back while keeping it trained on me. At least it''s not hit me.
"You see, I wanted to see if you''d know something about a bandit camp on this map. I opened the map I had on me. I pointed to a marked point a bit up North from our current position. It had a chicken-foot road nearby. There was a note saying: current target.
"Yeah, we''ve scoped out this camp before. It has twice the number of bandits there. It''s a bigger camp due to being near several different small villages. It''s composed of a group of Moths. Overall, it would be a tough fight to take over the camp," Cade concluded his analytical explanation.
"I see. . . Thanks for the info."
I packed up the map into my pocket.
"Sorry to disturb you guys, I''ll be on my way. Thanks for the info,"
"Wait, are you going to attack that camp by yourself," Wedge inquired with an explosive shocked expression.
"Yeah, I am, and don''t even think about stopping me."
There was a moment where I expected them to try to stop me, but nobody objected. They just looked at me with a blank stare, except for Cade, who seemed as if he was nodding off.
"Nah, if you''re dead set on it, I won''t try to. But, if you''ll let us, can we join you," Cade offered.
"I want to do this on my own."
"The way I see it is this: you''re going there for your own reasons, and we''re going there to fight some bandits. We might just so happen to cross each other''s path, and if that''s the case, wouldn''t it be better to help each other out defeating a common enemy?"
Cade put a hand on my shoulder and was smiling with one eye open. His carefree expression towards this whole thing was a shock to me since I thought I was going to get reprimanded. I also had to admit, when he put it like that it sounded convenient, plus he was going out of his way to help me.
"I guess that means it would be nonsensical to not accept some help from passing bandit fighters."
"Alright then! Puck, Wedge: go get the other fighters! Tell them to drink some Oling Juice and get their gear. Tell them we''re gonna attack the camp up North!"
The Delinquent runs wild - part 3
8/10 - Chicken-foot bandit camp - Midnight
The night gave us cover from the bandits that were posted outside. Their camp was set in a plain, wide-field near the chicken foot for anyone passing to see. It was bigger than I imagined, tents were placed around the area; it was like a town itself. This was gonna be no small task if we''re gonna hit this place, but that just makes it all the sweeter to take over this place.
"Place is pretty huge for a camp," I pointed out.
"Yeah, the place is crawling with bandits that are inching to cross swords with someone or something," Cade said.
"So, how are we going to play this one," I asked him.
"We''re going to sneak up on them and take them out in the night."
"You think they might be ready for that?"
"Not a problem, we''ve been developing something for this occasion."
Cade took out a candle from his bag and gave me a few of them. Taking a quick whiff, the aroma was rather pleasant and gave off a calming, drowsy feeling.
"Easy there! That''s a sleep-inducing incense," Cade was shaking me to keep me awake.
"Damn, I nearly went to sleep, that''s pretty darn strong."
"Needs to be if we''re gonna use it. Also, here."
He gave me a bandana. I heard someone come up behind us.
"Cade, we''re ready," Puck told him.
"Okay, Puck: go get in position and get ready to move in when I give the signal."
"Got it, good luck Cade."
"You too."
As he was crouching away, Puck put his hand on my shoulder. His glare was nothing short of threatening.
"If you do anything to hurt Cade, we''ll kill you. Is that clear?"
He definitely was scary, his voice as cold as a frozen pond and his eyes were sharpened with killing intent (that sounds so cool). Despite that though, I gave a reassuring response.
"No prob, he''ll be in my care, so you''ll be getting him back in one piece."
He didn''t answer back but just left us to go back into position. We waited for a bit to move in.
"Kay Proxy, let''s go!"
"Let''s rock this then."
We moved in with candles in hand. We moved in between the tents that weren''t lit. A bandit walked past the tents we were hiding near. I heard a yawn come out of him.
"Guys are tired. Perfect, it makes the incense work much more effectively," Cade claimed with a smirk.
He moved right after explaining the incense''s effectiveness, I followed along with him, staying in the dark all the while.
"When we stop, plant one," Cade instructed.
"Gotcha."
I put one down. Cade put some stones over them and created sparks from them. The top part of the candle had caught fire.
"Put your bandana on!"
I tied the bandana onto my neck and put it up to my mouth and nose. We moved from one spot to the next, planting and lighting up incense in between the entrance to camp tents as we went along. We reached a point where we found bandits around a campfire, most of them were drinking what I would presume is liquor. Well, I guess it doesn''t matter, all we gotta do is put down another candle and we''re good. However, I failed to keep focus on was my foot as I accidentally tripped.
"Oh shit!"
A few of the candles fell out of my hands, rolling themselves over to the bandits. They see the candles rolling over to them from the tent behind them.
"What da. . .Who''s there!?"
Shit, this isn''t good!
"Crap, the candles dropped!"
"Then go and get them!"
"I can''t, the bandits are right there!"
"Come out, bastard. . ."
His slurring voice was coming closer and closer towards us. Cade took out his knives to prepare for a fight. I, on the other hand, was thinking about what to do. As I was brainstorming what to do, an idea came through.
"I got it! Cade, take this candle and try to sneak behind them."
"How?"
"Just watch."
This was an all or nothing move, better make it worth it. With that in mind, I showed myself to the bandits.
"Who the hell are you!?"
The other bandits came at me with their weapons in hand.
"Now, is that any way to treat a wandering merchant/entertainer, " I asked with a theatrical voice.
"A merchant/entertainer?"
"That is right!"
I picked up the five candles and formed them in a neat line.
"Now, allow me to introduce myself! Bury this into your minds as I am not just the greatest, not just the only, but the damn finest merchant/entertainer doing this whole shtick! My name is the one, the only, the great Proxy of the high seven seas!"
The bandits were staring at me as if I had an arm on my head.
"What, you guys never heard of my magnificence. Well then, in that case, I shall show you what I''m made of!"
I threw four of the candles into the air, catching them in a weird pose. The bandits were in awe of the feat.
"Liked that? Then watch this!"
I hopped off my right foot and launched all the candles off my body. During my mid-air loop-around, I picked up and tossed another candle into the air. I stayed bent on my knees and kept my arms straight out as the incense was in the air. Two of them landed on both my forearms while another two landed in my hands. The last one landed on my forehead. The bandits once again were struck with amazement and clapped at me.
"How about one more!"
They were practically begging for another one.
"Okay boys, to make this fair you''ll throw the candles in the air. And do it with gusto."
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
A few of them picked up the candles off my body and threw them in the air. I can see where they''re going to land already.
"Too easy," I confidently muttered to myself.
I began to spin around, doing a whirlwind breakdance move. I stopped my momentum to do a handstand with my feet pointed up towards the sky. Two of the candles landed on both of my feet, shortly after I launched them back in the air and stood back on my feet with my back faced up. Another one landed on my back, I launched it off as well. I put my face towards the sky and a third candle landed on my forehead. Another came falling but I caught it with my hand. The last three were about to drop. I caught one with the candle that was already in my hand, another one with my finger, and the last one with the one on my head.
"So, what do you guys think," I asked them with conceit.
They were singing my praises as I''m some high profile performer (I should be though, I''d make a killing). I began to notice that smoke was going off behind them.
"Well then fellows, that will be all for tonight, I hope you guys have a good night''s rest."
"What are you. . ."
The bandit paused to give out a loud yawn. The others were yawning and getting even drowsier. Pretty soon, they would all just drop to the floor. Cade walked up from over the campfire.
"Wandering Merchant/Entertainer," he reiterated.
"What, if you''re gonna pretend you might as well go all out."
"No man, it was damn cool, how did you do those tricks?"
I stacked the candles on each other.
"I''m just that good. But nice work getting behind them without giving yourself away. I didn''t even notice you."
"No big deal, we learned how to step without sound."
Oh my God, that sounds cool as all hell!
"Guys, the coast is clear."
On Cade''s signal, everyone came out of hiding. They came out of areas that I had a full view of too, it¡¯s impressive how stealthy they are.
"Did you guys take care of the others," Cade asked Wedge.
"We took care of them with no problem!"
"All right then, listen up people: gather up the other bandits from the tents and bring them to this one spot and start tying them up, and take whatever weapons and supplies they have."
...
So after a bit of dragging and inspecting tents, I found a pretty good one-handed sword. It had a black and gray design and bore an insignia.
"Found something you like? Hey, why is there a knight''s sword here," Cade asked me.
"A knight''s sword?"
"Yeah, the knights in the kingdom use these swords, bearing this insignia of the kingdom."
"Did they steal it from a patrol?"
"The only knights out here are the ones near the entrance to the kingdom. There''s no way the bandits are brave enough to fight guards anywhere near the kingdom."
Cade just slumped his shoulders in the end, dropping interest.
"Doesn''t matter to me, you can have the sword, they''re pretty good."
"Really?"
After a fight, I usually can''t call dibs on a weapon since it needs to become a part of the stock.
"Yeah, you earned it after that improvising like that."
With the okay from Cade, I took the rope on the sword''s scabbard and tied it around my hand. This is my very own sword beside the stone one.
"Come on, let''s go see if they got anything else worth taking," Cade suggested.
"You guys do that?"
"Yeah, no sense in letting anything else go to waste."
Oh man, this guy gets it!
"Cade, we''ve found the food supply!"
Wedge carried over a basket load of food. With this stuff, it would be easy to make a whole bunch of food, let alone serving multiple people.
"Great, we''ll take it."
The others began to carry out weapons and food along towards their respected vehicles. Looking at the food I think I was getting hungry. My stomach''s cries were evidence of that.
"Hungry, huh? Say, wanna have that meal now," Cade offered.
"Sure thing, but I think I should treat you guys to my cooking."
"You can cook?"
"Trust me, I can cook."
"Then try to blow me away."
High Top Tree Camp - Midnight
Everyone was enjoying a delicious serving of my food. So far, it seems like I was getting used to cooking for multiple different people now and it seems like everyone is enjoying themselves so far as well. I went over to Cade who was sitting with Puck and Wedge.
"Hey Proxy, this stuff is great, top-notch," Cade complimented.
"Indeed, it''s very good," Wedge piled onto the compliment
"Of course it''s good, I''m a great chef after all. Mind if I sit with you guys?"
"Sure man, sit down."
I sat down criss-cross across from them with a dimly lit lantern in the middle.
"So, back to what I asked you Proxy: how did you do that trick with the candles," Cade opened with a question.
"Well, it''s hard to kind of explain, but I have a sort of sixth sense."
"How so?"
"I can sense things coming at me or when there''s someone around me. So in a sense, I was able to tell which way the candles would go and drop. Really, this is a pretty cool ability to have."
"What if I were to shoot you," Puck asked with no filter.
"Wouldn''t know, never got shot before, but when something is thrown at me It''s like I know exactly where it''s going."
I finished my dish and put it beside me.
"So the next question I have is: where do you come from? Your clothes look a bit out of place. You live in the kingdom?"
"Been getting that a lot lately. But to tell you the truth, I''m from another world."
I went on to explain where I was from another world and all that junk. I got the usual reaction from them.
"So, do you have a way home," Wedge asked.
"Don''t know yet. There was this guy who said he was from this church and he could take me and my friend home, but we haven''t heard back from nor do we know where to look for him."
"A church? Never heard of that anywhere before."
Figures that be the case. I knew that this world probably didn''t have the concept of a church in mind.
"Welp, that figures, should''ve known that there was no such thing here."
"Maybe we could help find this guy? What does he look like," Cade asked.
"He has blonde hair, wears a blue jacket with a white outline, wears a sort of cape, and carries around a sword with a cross design."
"Okay, we''ll try to find him if we can and tell you if we discover him."
"Thanks."
"Meantime though, let''s just have a good time."
"I can live with that."
We got another serving of food and drinks. The drink was a bit strong on my taste buds but it was good nonetheless.
"Oling juice is good, right," Cade asked for my opinion.
"Yeah, what''s it made out of?"
"Some fruit with strong tastes mixed in together with some sweetener," Puck explained.
"That''s pretty cool. How do you come up with this stuff?"
Cade put his hands on Puck and Wedge''s shoulders.
"The village that we come from was famous for its specially made food and crafts. Our parents taught us what to use for cooking and crafting. Puck here is the one who made Oling tea."
He shied away from Cade''s compliment, blushing all the while.
"Wedge was the one who helped make this place."
"Haha! It was nothing, really!"
So cool, these guys are so cool. They made this place from the ground up on their own. But hang on, if they come from a village then. . .
"Why are you guys out here if you belong to a village?"
The three in front of me took on a downcast expression.
"Um, did I say something wrong?"
"You did," Puck responded sourly.
"No Puck, it''s fine, he just didn''t know, is all."
Cade tried to take on a laid back attitude but failed to.
"Our village got burned down years ago. Bandits came through and burned it down while killing the villagers there. . ." He paused right there, taking a quick look at Puck and Wedge.
". . .Well, I guess you can imagine why we''re here now. We gotta fight against those bandits, grow stronger, and then destroy them completely."
I could feel his words resonating with me. His determination to grow stronger, anger, but yet some sort of pain. This made me feel as if we were kind of the same in that respect.
"That''s enough of that, let''s keep partying until dawn," Cade shouted as he raised his glass to the sky.
Yikes, until dawn? That''s a big no-no! Speaking of which, some blue was rising in the sky. I have to get back before everyone else wakes up back at camp.
"Sorry, but I have to go back to my camp now!"
"Can''t you stay a bit longer?"
"Nope, the person who lets me sleep there is gonna be angry if I''m not there. I seriously have to go."
I ran over to grab my sword
"See ya later Cade. Thanks for the help."
"Come by sometime if you want to hang out or if you want to fight bandits, we''re always ready to, right guys?"
Everyone shouted a collective ¡°Yeah¡±. The open atmosphere of the people here made me feel a bit welcomed.
"I will!"
I climbed down the rope hastily and got onto my bike. Turning it on, I immediately drove back to my camp. On my way back I was reflecting on how the attack went. Not only was I able to show what I got, but I got a cool sword in the end. This was much more rewarding than fighting for the army, most definitely worth it. Thinking about returning to the anti-bandit camp is sort of a mood killer to me, especially since I''m not allowed to fight for the time being. Well, at least I don''t need to waste a trip so I can just get benched tomorrow.
"Still though, I''d say this one was worth the trip and risk."
The Delinquent runs wild - part 4
8/17 - Anti-army camp - afternoon
I was lying down on the couch, everyone was working hard and doing whatever it was that needed doing. Today the army went over to another camp that Cade and I tackled last night. As you could imagine they came back with no clue as to who was taking out the bandit camps. We''ve been doing this for a week now, fighting bandits and taking names without anyone being none the wiser. This as a result made me feel pretty damn good.
"You seem pretty happy."
Marie hopped over from the back of the couch. I decided to ignore her.
"Come on, don''t be like that Proxy. Look, I know it''s boring around here but I just want you to learn to not act recklessly. . .You know, when I was your age I was a pretty fun-loving kid myself."
She could''ve fooled me on that, but it seemed like she wasn''t joking. Interested, I gave a glance
"I used to pull pranks all the time on people, including my father and brother."
"Really, you did?"
"Yeah, though, my father would yell my head off. Every time he did, I would sulk in my room. But the best pranks I pulled were on my brother."
"What were they?"
She puffed her chest with pride.
"Well, there were pranks where I would put a ling-lum in his soup."
"A bug?"
"Yup scared him for weeks on end."
"Wow, I never knew Alex was scared of bugs. What else, you gotta tell me."
¡°You don¡¯t even know the half of it. . .¡±
She went off on the numerous different things she did for pranks. Most of them consisted of messing with his food and using bugs. Personally, I never did a small scale prank before so I never knew they could be funny.
"Man, you were a different person when you were a kid."
I couldn''t fathom how she became so went from a pretty awesome kid to an uptight chick.
"Yeah, those were easier times, " she lamented.
"How so?"
"For one I actually lived in a home rather than the inside of some ruins."
"That makes sense. So why don''t you and Alex live at home anymore?"
Marie went dead silent for a moment. I think I had stepped on a landmine.
"Marie, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I''m fine, don''t worry about me Proxy. Overall, you should just get comfortable while you''re on suspension."
"Like what?"
"Like some push-ups for instance. You need to give your muscles a work out if you want them to ever grow bigger."
"My muscles are big enough!"
"Really, then do thirty push-ups right now while I sit on you."
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"No, that''ll hurt my back!"
"Guess you''re not man enough for that, huh?" she mocked me with a sardonic smile. Damn it, she just had to go there?
"Fine! Get on my back, I''ll show you what I''m made of! I''ll get to 100 hundred without breaking a sweat!"
"If you do break a sweat that''s an extra chore," Marie stated with glee.
"You''re evil!"
"How can you say that? I just want you to live up to what you say is all."
I think I made a miscalculation. She didn''t get overly uptight and ditched the playful side, she just became a closeted sadist.
8/18 - Anti-bandit camp - Midnight
It was midnight again, everyone was asleep and I was ready to go out. This time I wasn''t going over to Cade''s, I was heading over to the kingdom to meet him there. However, Richard was aware of my late-night escapades, so he forced himself to tag along with me.
"You ready,¡± I quietly asked him as we were creeping through the camp.
"Yeah, I am."
We both snuck out of the camp with no one none the wiser, especially Nunnal¨¦, who I thought would notice. I did the usual and dragged the bike until we were out of range of the camp. We drove out towards the kingdom, reaching it would take no more than 30 minutes.
"What are we doing again, you never really gave me the details," Richard nervously questioned. "You''ll see soon."
"Got me a bit worried here, we''re not going to go out and fight monsters on our own again?"
"No. . .we''re not."
That was a pretty sore topic for me as of this current time.
"Hey, why don''t you ever want to talk to me about it, Proxy? You''re pretty tight-lipped about it, you don''t even brag about beating that monster," Richard raised his concern.
"It''s nothing, nothing at all."
It was terrible how powerless I was during that day. If it wasn''t for Nunnal¨¦ I would''ve been dead, and so would Richard. It pisses me off so much and it terrifies me at the same time.
"It''s probably because you got your goggles stolen from you. You had to go get some blood from that monster to cure me, and doing so got your goggles stolen and both you Nunnal¨¦ badly hurt in the end. I''m sorry for being so useless."
Damnit, don''t say that, it just makes the wound hurt even more.
"Let''s just forget about it, Richard. The reason I don''t bring it up is so I don''t pour salt on that poor monster''s wound. Honestly, when me and Nunnal¨¦ got done with that thing it was a sorry sight. And don''t worry about my goggles, I''ll get them back eventually. For now, let''s just have some good old fun!"
"Y-yeah, let''s have some fun. Proxy."
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for protecting Nunnal¨¦. She told me you took a head wound for her, and ever since I''ve been meaning to, but you''ve been keeping yourself busy with fighting, so I decided to do it right now. Thanks for also saving me, I''ll pay you back someday, I swear."
¡°No need, we¡¯re buddies, we have the other¡¯s back.¡±
One part of me was glad that he was thankful, but there was another part that was just pissed off. But I''m glad that Richard left the subject now, he doesn''t need to bother himself with the nitty-gritty details of how I feel. Because I''m not gonna feel those feelings ever again. I''m gonna grow stronger and then. . .Well, I''ll just be stronger.
"We''re here," I said.
The kingdom was up ahead, I could also see someone on the road with their own bike out. I hit the brakes before ramming into them. It was Cade who was riding a camouflaged bike.
"Sup," I greeted him
"Sup. Who''s that?"
"This is my buddy: Richard."
Richard gave a simple wave gesture.
"So you''re the guy he''s spoken about? It''s nice to meet a friend of Proxy."
"Thank you, and I''m sorry if he inconvenienced you guys," Richard apologetically said as if I was a child causing trouble in class.
"Hey, I''m well behaved!"
"Nah, he''s cool. But we have to hurry, wasting time out here could cost us."
"Gotcha!"
We hid our bikes from view in the same spot Marie and I always hide ours whenever we come to the kingdom. Sneaking in wasn''t the most pleasant but we certainly made it work. We used the sewer system to get inside the kingdom by opening a grate above us. We ended up in an open space alleyway surrounded by houses and buildings.
"I think I''m gonna be sick," Richard announced with his fingers clamping on his nose.
"Don''t worry, you''ll be fine," Cade assured.
"Yeah, it''s not all that bad, we can take a bath afterward," I told him.
"If you say so, but why did we sneak in from the sewer system to just end up in an alleyway?" "Isn''t that obvious buddy?"
Cade went over to a little chest on the side of a house and opened it up. He brought out two buckets of black oil.
"We''re going to have a little fun!"
The Delinquent runs wild - part 5
8/18 - Kingdom of humans - Midnight
The town is quiet, it¡¯s only the three of us on the streets as we stroll along the dimly lit road.
"It''s pretty quiet," Richard pointed out.
"Yeah, it''s too quiet . . . Always wanted to say that," I said, excited from being able to use that gem of a quote.
"We gotta be quiet, guards are still awake and if they find us we''ll be in trouble."
Cade has a point, we need to be careful in the noise factor or we''ll wake the whole place up. We made our way towards the plaza, watching for any guards that might be in the way, the streets are being patrolled but it isn¡¯t too heavy.
"Proxy, you know how to paint," Cade whispered.
"Of course, I''m known for my artistic side back home."
Though, I''d say it''s because of the active reports about my graffiti tags. Honestly, though, I think I make buildings look livelier than they usually are.
"All right then, where do you think we should hit first?"
Hm, tough question, I usually hit a building that will catch someone''s eye like an open side of a building. I do make sure not to hit the front of a building since it would be rude and inconsiderate towards the people who own those businesses and live in those buildings. But enough on that, I need to find a building to tag. After a bit of hard looking, I found the perfect target.
"That!"
My finger found its mark with a statue of some guy in the middle of the plaza.
"You sure," Richard asked.
"No, it''s perfect. Let''s wait until those guards leave," Cade suggested.
It took a while but eventually, the guards left the area, allowing us to move in without any problems. The statue is of someone wearing a cape and dawning a crown on their head.
"Is this the king?" I ask.
"Not the current king, this is the previous one: King Godfrey: the excellent," Richard answers with encyclopedia expertise.
"How do you know that?".
"I read books about the kingdom and its history. Right now, the current king is Relius: the new generation king."
"New generation?"
"They call him that because of all the advances in technology such as these street lights, vehicle transportation the knights use if and when they need to send out knights, and many other things like the kingdom''s society."
"I heard before he came in, the kingdom was doing poorly, it was in a state of decay due to the lack of resources from a war that was happening between the outside and the kingdom," Cade added on. "However, when Relius came into power after the king''s death, things changed. Soon after, the kingdom began to become the pinnacle of humanity''s work on this land. Gah, why are we standing here, gawking at the royalty, let''s just paint this statue."
"Got it."
We got to work on the statue of the king. I¡¯m trying to decide on what to draw for his face but.
"Ha, what the heck is that Proxy," Cade burst with laughter.
"Like it, it''s what we call a duck in my world. They have long mouths like this."
"Haha, that''s pretty genius."
"Wanna see genius, watch this."
I went over to his rear area and began my master craft while shifting my focus to the waist area. Moments later I would finish my masterpiece.
"I call it, The royal pantsing!"
Cade broke out in hysterical laughter, slapping his knees. I heard a giggle leave Richard''s mouth. Glad to know that I was able to kill it with my best. Gotta admit, it''s one of my first and finest works on a statue, I should try my hand at it more often.
"Okay, this was great, but let''s move on to the next area then," Cade instructed.
"We''re not done yet," Richard''s voice nervously trembled.
"Nah man, we gotta hit there next." Cade pointed towards the castle.
"Are you insane, that place is definitely going to get us if we try to hit that place it would. Why would we hit it!?"
"Because it''s the center of attention. Cade, you''re a genius!"
"I knew you''d see it my way, man."
"Now wait, you can''t be serious, this is way too dangerous."
"Which is why I want you to go back to the sewer entrance," I ordered him.
"What about you?"
"I''m gonna go over to the castle and give it a make-over. It will be dangerous, so you should probably hang back."
"No way, I''m not gonna let you go off on your own. I''ll be going as well."
"Are you sure?"
"As much of a bad idea it is, I can¡¯t let you go alone."
I can see that his legs were shaking but he was serious about coming along. Guess if he wants to, I can''t stop him. But I think he still shouldn¡¯t come.
"Fine, but stick with me and do what I say."
"Got it."
We moved up from the common folk area closer towards the castle after our discussion. Its pristine exterior is appealing to the eye. The castle itself is a gigantic complex that takes up a great amount of space in the kingdom on elevated ground with several flights of steps. Currently, we''re in the nobility area. The streets have lights installed on the bottom and lights on the top as well. The buildings up here were somewhat bigger than the ones the commons have below. I could also see that there were no stand shops like the ones below, instead, most of them were business owned buildings with actual signposts.
"Damn, this place never fails to impress me," I tell myself.
"Yeah, welcome to royalty ground, you''d basically be living the high life if you''re here," Cade sums up accurately.
"Got something against the nobility?"
"Nah, not really, just making a statement. Though, it doesn''t really matter if the place you''re living in is great if you have paint all over the place."
"Let''s not tag rando''s houses, let''s just hit the castle."
"All right then, let''s go straight for the castle."
"Right then, let''s move on!"
The three of us climbed up the second flight of stairs and then the third. These stairs were nothing for me but Richard looked like he was about to keel over, so I carried him up myself. We finally made it to the last step. The guards are patrolling the grounds near the stairway, so we went behind some shrubbery.
"Okay, I guess it''s not gonna be so easy to mess with this place," Cade says as he placed his hand on his chin.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
"I knew it wouldn''t be, that''s why we''re going to run distraction."
I brought a small ball out of my bag. I got into a pitcher position and I ready myself to throw it. With all I can muster, I throw the ball as far as I can. It made a loud pop sound that echoed throughout the area, catching the guard''s attention.
"All right, let''s go!"
While guards moved towards the sound we went over towards and stood in front of the castle.
"This is good, Richard spell ''guard'' over there," I instruct him.
"Got it."
Cade hands us the bucket and brushes. Richard went to work to spell guard as fast as he can, and I went to work on my own end. I need to be mindful of Richard''s spelling and how far apart it is; not too close but not too far.
"Hurry up, the guards are about to come back," Cade warns us.
"Patience, I need to finish this."
My attention is slowly turning towards the guards, who are about to turn around any second now.
"Keep painting!"
Cade runs over to the guards. He drop-kicks one of them, catching the other''s attention and having him draw his sword. Not good, definitely not good!
"Richard, paint the usual calling card at the end, I''m gonna go help, Cade."
"Proxy wait!"
I rush over to Cade''s side. The guard was unaware of me, so a sucker kick is appropriate for this occasion. With a powerful leap, I hop into the air while carrying my forward momentum and kick the guard in the head, knocking him down to the ground in one go.
"You okay Cade!?"
"I''m cool, let''s go already."
We ran back over to Richard who was just finishing up our calling card.
" ''You guards blow, lol''," Cade read off. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing, just a little insult to injury for having shit security. Come on, let''s not waste time on it, we gotta go!"
"I''m with you on that, let''s go!"
Our escape had just begun and the kingdom was ready to intercept us. Fortunately, we have our hoods on, so they won''t be able to make out our faces. The lights in the city are brighter than before, enough to illuminate the shadows in the alleyways. A few of the guards saw us and gave chase. There are a good few of them coming after us. I throw the paint bucket at them to distract them and spill the other one on the ground to make it even harder to follow us, but they still wouldn''t let up. We need to shake them somehow, or else this will end badly for the three of us.
"Cade, take Richard to the sewer entrance and get out of here!"
"What about you?"
"I''m gonna run decoy."
"Gotcha."
"Proxy, that''s too risky!"
"Sorry bud, gotta do what you gotta do."
As we¡¯re about to hit a split in the road, I went right while Cade and Richard went left.
"Yo dumbasses, I''m the one who painted the castle grounds, so come and get it!"
That lit a fire under their asses, now they¡¯re running for me.
"Good, now we''re rolling."
I book it as fast as I can. The guards are shouting at me to stop and all the usual stuff. They have heavy armor and carrying weapons while I¡¯m just wearing my plain clothes, so the difference in speed and stamina consumption is greatly different. But running on a straight path is going to get me caught eventually, and going into an alleyway is too risky. Climbing up on a building is the best way to get away from the knights, I just need a proper building to climb up quickly on. There just so happens to be a building that fits my criteria.
"Okay Proxy, you got this."
I jump on and off a signpost onto a sign bracket. I quickly scale up a house. The roof gave me a general idea of where I am. I can see the stair behind me; south of where I''m standing and facing. So the sewer great is South-West in the pathway towards the kingdom''s gate. If I can make it all the way over there then I can get away scot-free. I just need to make sure to give the knights the slip before heading over there.
"Hurry up and get after him!"
A few of them took out crossbows. That''s my cue to leave. I run on the rooftops of buildings in the lit-up kingdom. More and more guards are beginning to come after me from the ground floor. Losing them proves to be a bit difficult but I put myself in this position, now, I need to get out of it. Luckily, I think they were wearing themselves out, so I lost them, so I can make a haste escape through the sewers!
"Okay, just about made it."
I climbed down from the building I was on and onto the street. The sewer grate was on the other end of the street, just gotta pop over there and get in, easy peasy. That was the plan until a came out of knight in the alley.
"Get out of my way!"
I draw my sword, preparing myself for an attack. More knights are appearing out of the wazoo from the alleyways.
"Thought it would be easy, kid? We knew you would come to the gate.¡±
"Had to try, right?"
Looks like they don''t know about my actual escape route. Good, all I need to do is just bust through them then I''m home free.
"Men, attack, bring him in alive!"
They are about to close in. Guess it¡¯s time to fight like my life depends on it! As I scan the area to make sure that no more nights were coming I notice something is about to land on one of the knights. It slams him to the ground. It¡¯s a person, the hood looks familiar.
"Proxy!"
It¡¯s Cade! Some of the knights are about to attack him, but I stop them from doing so. I went for the one on the left while he got the one on the right. We did a back to back afterward.
"Came back for me, gotta say that I''m touched."
"We don''t leave our own."
"So you consider me a part of your group?"
"Course, expect anything less? But enough of that, we need to figure out what to do about escaping."
"They probably don''t know about the grate, so we can use that."
"Okay, we''ll have to create an opening to make it in there."
"In that case, let''s stir up some mayhem."
"Gladly."
With vigorous leaps forward, we had attacked the knights closing in on us. The first wave was easily disposed of, the second and third came in at once. It was ridiculous how many of them were here just to catch us? Gotta admit I felt honored by that fact.
"Yo, you think we''re even making a dent in their ranks," I ask Cade as I evade and dodge the knight''s attacks.
"Not really, but hey, at least we''re still alive, right?"
"Yeah, at least we are, but for how long?"
"Who knows, but if we''re gonna go down, we might as well go down swinging."
Might as well, no other better way to go down. As I¡¯m getting ready to charge in like a madman, I hear something coming from the gate. It¡¯s the sound of an engine and the screams of the guards as they¡¯re trying to get away from something. Whatever the hell it is, it''s about to hit us! I grab Cade as I move out of the way of the Motorcycle that came crashing through the soldiers.
"Proxy, get on!" It¡¯s Marie who came crashing through the soldiers. Richard is sitting in the sidecar while Nunnal¨¦ sat behind her. "Stop screwing around and get on!"
As she screamed at us, Cade and I got on the sidecar and she floored it, we barely had enough time to get situated to the seating as she gassed it. As she¡¯s ramming through the guards surrounding us they were quick to close the gate to the outside.
"Hold on everyone, this''ll be close!"
Holding on we are, her driving is getting bumpier and bumpier as we were closing in on the gate. The gate is slowly descending towards the ground.
"Go faster!"
"I''m trying to but there''s too much weight!"
The gate is etching closer to the ground.
"Nunnal¨¦, can you make it to the gate?¡± Richard asks her. She confirms it with a nod. "Then try to stop the gate if you can, but don''t let it crush you!"
"On it."
She went to the front of the bike and took a giant leap off of it, almost knocking the bike off course. She then took several large leaps forward towards the gate.
"How can she do that?" Cade asks me, shocked by her superhuman abilities.
"She''s super strong."
"You got some pretty crazy friends Proxy."
"I know."
The lowering gate was halted with a loud metallic thump sound. Guess Nunnal¨¦ was strong enough for the job.
"We''re almost there, Richard grabs Nunnal¨¦ before we exit the city," Marie told him.
"Seriously!?"
We¡¯re about to hit the exit, it was all or nothing, Richard put out his hand as we were about to pass through the gate. Nunnal¨¦ threw the gate up a bit and caught Richard''s hand. She¡¯s pulled along with us as we ride out of the kingdom. Richard and I pull her onto the car.
"You alright Nunnal¨¦?"
"I am fine, what about you, master Richard."
"I''m fine."
We got farther away from the kingdom as we approached the bushes where our bikes were hidden. Marie hit the brakes, coming to a full halt and I hop out of the sidecar with Cade. I stretch my limbs. Cade and I went over to our bikes and started them up.
"That was pretty good today Proxy. I''m glad that you came along today."
"No problem, it was fun. But I gotta know, why didn''t you bring anyone else with you?"
"Everyone else was too scared or didn''t let me go. With you, I figured you would be interested."
"Good read then."
He got on the bike as its engine emits noise.
"Proxy, thanks for helping me. If I''m being honest, I hate the kingdom. They have the manpower, weapons, and the equipment to deal with the bandits but they never do anything about them; they just stay inside their protected home while ours is destroyed, burned to a crisp."
"I''m not surprised, they''re the same people that had enslaved people in a mine."
"Yeah, I know about that stuff. Honestly, I wanted to go into the castle and just destroy the whole place but I knew that I would''ve been killed. But, my hate for them pales in comparison to the bandits. I will never forgive any of those damn bandits, especially the ones that killed wedge and Puck''s parents."
I see, I guess I was right after all. It didn''t take much to realize that their parents were gone, it just wasn''t my business to ask them about it though.
"At any rate, thanks for everything today, man. I''ll see ya later?"
"Yeah, you''ll definitely see me later."
We did an epic high five that hurt my hand but I didn''t want to ruin the mood. Cade and I went our separate ways. Marie had already gone back to camp, the drive back was quite relaxing, the cool air and stars made a drive through this place all the better. I noticed something that was in the back of my mind. Marie seemed kind of pissed off when she picked us up in the Kingdom. I just think it was my imagination or something to that effect. Whatever, today was pretty fun, so who cares¡
The Delinquent runs wild - part 6
Anti-bandit army camp - early morning
I arrive back in the army camp, expecting myself to be able to fall asleep without anyone none the wiser besides the obvious people who knew I wasn''t. However, that thought went out the window as I saw that everyone was awake. They¡¯re all looking directly at me as if I¡¯m some weirdo with an eye on my forehead. I''m guessing everyone knows What I did. If that''s the case, then I might as well play along with it.
"Man, that was sure a close one, you guys should''ve seen what I did to the statue in the plaza and castle ground. I thought for sure I-"
"Proxy, we must discuss your actions," Alex sternly told me. He didn''t seem angry but rather serious.
"Come on Alex, what do we need to discuss?"
"What you did was dangerous, you could''ve gotten yourself and Richard hurt."
"But we''re back in one piece, so I think that everything is a-ok-"
A familiar sensation ran through my brain, something was heading towards my face. I catch it without much thought put behind it. Marie is the one who almost hit me from behind.
"What was that for, Marie?"
"What in the hell were you thinking? What did you do in the Kingdom?"
"Having fun, isn''t it obvious?"
"Are you stupid or something, the knights were going to kill you, and you think that''s what fun looks like!?"
". . . And what if it is? What if I was having fun with the guards chasing, and you know what, I had fun painting over that statue in the plaza and the castle ground."
"Are you serious how goddamn stupid are you!? If those guards had caught you and Richard, they would''ve killed you two and that would''ve affected the army!"
"I wouldn''t let Richard get killed."
"You let him get poisoned."
That was an immediate nerve hitter, she just hit the one sore spot that you should never hit with me.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It means you say all these grand things, but you never actually live up to the ego that you made for yourself. And the day you nearly got him killed was an indicator of that."
"Guys, please, don-"
Stolen story; please report.
"Stay out of this Richard¡! I think you might want to stop talking. You''re stepping on thin ice."
"What''s the matter, why are you so hot and bothered by it? Maybe you know I''m right and that you''re just not everything you''re cracked up to be, instead just some hot-headed kid that couldn''t handle his own!"
Her snarky looking face was the last goddamn straw with me.
"Marie, you just¡"
My body moves on its own to deliver a punch to her face.
"...PISSED ME OFF!"
I could hear the uproar of those who were shocked by my action. Alex didn''t move an inch when I hit his sister, rather, he looked calm about all this. Whatever I could care less about what anyone thinks. She was pissing me off something fierce. Her lip was bleeding as she took her hand off her lip.
"You little shit," Marie cursed under her breath.
She grabbed me by the jacket and hit me right in the face. It was much harder than I expected, she slams me down to the ground. My nose messed up.
"Feel better Proxy, did that knock something right in your brain!?"
"Not even close!"
I went in for seconds but I was stopped before I could get close enough and so was Marie. Richard and Gil are keeping me away from Marie, and Nunnal¨¦ is keeping her away from me.
"Proxy, stop, calm down!"
"Seriously man, you need to settle down."
The two of them tried to calm me but it isn''t gonna stop me.
"Let me get two things straight, I do whatever the hell I want, nobody controls me! Second, I could give a rats ass about this army whatsoever, I''m only here so I can fight! So don''t go acting as if you can tell me what to do, damnit!"
Marie was visibly upset by what I said, but shortly after, she began to calm down.
"You know what, I don''t care to deal with a brat like you, and if you want to do whatever you want that''s fine by me. But you won''t compromise this place. So if you''re gonna act like this, then you can just leave!"
Hearing her say that is a surprise to me. Her tone of expression and body language showed that she was serious about me leaving. You know what, that''s fine, I was getting sick of being restrained on what or what I can''t do.
"Whatever, I''m out of here then."
"Proxy, what do you mean," Richard asks.
I went over to the couch where my bag and all my stuff was.
"Wait, you''re not actually-"
"Yep, I''m out of here."
"Hang on man, think about this."
"I already did, I can''t stand places or people that try to control me and what I can or can''t do. So I''m leaving."
"Then I''m going with you. Nunnal¨¦, get your stuff, we''re-"
"No, you stay here, I''m better off on my own. Besides . . . Nothing, just forget it."
"Proxy wait a minute I...!"
I sling my bag over my shoulders and start walking out of the camp, but there''s something else I got to say.
"Marie, don''t act like you give a damn about this camp or anyone here, cause I know you don''t. After all, you sent me and Richard down in the Hell Mine, knowing that we could be killed. So don''t act like you care about any of our lives."
With that, I walk out of camp without looking back. It took me a bit to make sure I had everything that was mine. I noticed that I forgot about the book but I didn''t care to go get it, they can keep that worthless thing. I drove off the moment the bike was on. Behind me, I noticed Richard. He was panting heavily with his hands on his knees and him hunched back. He was just standing there as I drove off into the distance. I wanted to turn back and bring him along, but I can''t, I just can''t. . .
"GODAMN IT,"
This whole situation sucks.
The Delinquent runs wild - part 7
8/18 - The Holy Lands - late morning
It''s late night, the winds are blowing something fierce. The roads are dangerous to travel in the dark like this, so I decided to just take a rest in an area where I have a good view of my surroundings. Why was I out in the wilderness without anyone besides myself? I left the camp after I was provoked. To be honest, I''m fine with it, that just means I can just rough it out by myself without anyone to restrict me, yeah this is gonna be sweet!
"Yeah, this is gonna be great! I''ll be able to do what I want to do!"
The excitement is getting to me, though, I think my stomach might not be all that hyped as it rumbles. I think it might just be time for some hunting. I get on my bike once more and begin to drive on the eerily dark road. The stillness alongside the silence makes driving through the night unsettling, it makes me feel as though someone or something was gonna spring out at me. Suddenly, I went head first off my bike. I break my lunge forward by curling up into a ball. I suffer little to no damage nor did my bike. Bandits came out from hiding with weapons in tow. There''s one that has a spear, headband fluttering in the wind, and a jacket with flames on it who seemed to be the head honcho
"Well, well, look what we have here boys, it''s the brat from a few days ago. Do you remember me?"
This guy is. . .! He''s. . .!
"Who are you?"
"How dare you forget me!? And don''t pick your nose in front of me!"
"Sorry."
"Anyway, I am a Flame Wraith, the very same that you dare lay a hand on! I am the great 10th division captain, Eadwald!"
"Oh, I remember, I smashed your balls in, right?"
"H-how dare you!? I''ll have you know that it took many nights for me to rehabilitate from that attack."
"Right, right, sorry."
"Anyway, it is time to duel, draw your blade!"
"Kay."
I went over to my bike and took my sword out.
"All right let''s get this started."
They didn''t waste time trading insults, they went for the kill. Of course, countering them was a simple matter altogether. I just moved out of their way and just whacked them all over the head.
"You defeated them already!?"
"Yeah, now it''s your turn."
"Well, if that''s the case. I will. . .RUN AWAY!"
He escapes into the wilderness.
"Hey, get back here, you bastard!"
I give chase, disregarding any concern for danger. He''s pretty fast on his feet for a guy wearing a cape, but I''m still hot on his ass. By the end of the trail, I was greeted with more bandits than the ones that ambushed me.
"Kyahaha! What do you think of my ultimate tactic, the double wave of human shields!"
Did he just openly admit that? "Sounds and looks disappointing."
"Y-you won''t be thinking that for very long! Kill him!"
They begin to charge me like a buffalo herd.
"Come on then¡!"
I charge at them with no intention to fight them all but to jump on one of their heads, then the next, then the one after that. All in order to drop on top of the spear guy.
"Fool, take this!"
He thrust his spear while I was in the air. I kick the spear aside.
"What!?"
My fist found its mark, I crush his head between my fist and the ground. I turn my gaze towards the thugs behind me.
"Bring it on, you punks!"
¡
I desperately take in air. Fighting these batch of bandits was a bit taxing but I was able to pull it off. Yeah, I was able to do it, all by myself.
"I AM THE BEST!" I proclaimed towards the heavens. I was able to do it, I knew I could. Taking out bandits by myself was nothing, nothing at all, yeah!
"..."
After the adrenaline came and gone, a feeling begins to dawn on me, a feeling I was kind of all too familiar with, a feeling that hasn''t surfaced in a while. I can''t say what it is for certain, but I think it''s dissatisfaction. I sit on the ground with my head in my lap. My spirits are at an all-time low, I can''t tell why I was so dissatisfied. What the hell, I thought I would feel better after beating this many opponents. So why am I feeling terrible?
"Damn it, this sucks."
I wanted to prove Marie wrong, but how the hell am I gonna do that? I know I got Richard hurt, I know I messed up big time, but I''m trying my best to make up for it, that''s why I want to fight as much as I can. I need to improve my skills. If I don''t, then I can''t protect him, let alone myself.
"Damn it. This totally sucks, this really sucks."
I just sat for a while, sitting as if there weren''t bandits In front of me. Something is coming out of the small forest, it was Road Burner.
"Came to pick my sorry ass up? Sorry to keep you waiting then."
Now even my bike was pitying me, this is so lame. That''s enough sulking then, time to get a move on. I get on Road Burner and drive off back onto the main road. My destination is clear to me, I decided to go somewhere that I can safely spend the night. I can''t go back to camp, not after what happened, so that''s why I''m just gonna go somewhere else.
High tree-top camp - late morning
I park my bike right under the platform. My eyes scan the area around the edge of the platform, there''s nobody near, so far. That is until a cold steel object is pressed against the back of my head.
"Sup, Puck."
"Why are you here," he asked, obviously irritated by my presence.
"Well, that''s kind of a long story, a story that I''m not too interested in telling, but I don''t have much of an excuse to share."
"Then why are you here?"
"It''s a long story, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Go ahead."
He wasn''t saying that in a friendly way of me just getting something off my chest. But nonetheless, I told him why I was here after we climbed up to the platform¡
". . .And that''s how I ended up here."
"I see, I feel somewhat sorry for you."
"Don''t pity me, I don''t need it!"
"Kay."
"Damn it, stop accepting things so quickly!"
"Kay!"
Man, it was like my whole story meant nothing to him at all, and after all my efforts to go and spill the beans. It was enough to make a tough guy like me cry.
"Why don''t you go back?"
"I can''t."
"Why not, they didn''t kick you out, so you should be able to just go back there despite you leaving."
"I just can''t. I left on my own accord after being provoked."
"That makes no sense."
"You just wouldn''t understand, you would if you had to leave this place."
"I won''t leave this place ever, I belong here. I wouldn''t leave Cade''s side no matter what, even if he himself told me to leave, I would stay with him because I belong by his side and nowhere else. You told me you had a friend over there? Why did you leave him there?"
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"Because I''m a loner, nothing more or less."
"That''s a lie. Loners don''t have friends or anyone to care about, so the fact that you have one tangible friend means that you aren''t one. So tell me, why did you?"
Wasn''t even trying to say a cool line, I wanted to believe that.
"Because I''m. . .Too weak! A monster attacked us while we were taking on a bounty that turned out to be a scam and he got hit with poison. The whole time I was so scared of losing him that I was cursing myself for how stupid I was. In the end, we did save him but it still didn''t get rid of the fact that I got him poisoned, it was all my fault, I wasn''t strong enough to protect him, or myself. So that''s why I left him behind. I need to get stronger to defend us, and I couldn''t do that if I was stuck being restricted. So that''s why I set out on my own."
But it just wasn''t that, I wanted to prove to Marie that I had it in me to protect him and to prove her wrong about me, and yet I ended up dissatisfied with the result.
"Sounds like you''re just running away," Puck says, not mincing words.
"Me, running away? Hardly."
"But you are. What if there''s a situation where your friend is in danger and he needs your help?"
"He doesn''t leave camp too often, so. . ."
"What if your camp got attacked and he got hurt because you weren''t there to help him?"
He wouldn''t need me since he has Nunnal¨¦ there with him, but if that were to happen, then. . .
"Anything can happen, anyone out here in this world can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, so that''s why I''ll always stay by Cade''s side, even if I''m not adequate enough to protect him, I''ll try my best. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because I don''t want to lose him to anyone, nor do I want to lose Wedge or anyone else ever again."
Again?
"What do you mean again?"
"The day when our village got destroyed, our parents were killed by the bandits, and so were the rest of the residence in our village. We would''ve been killed if Cade didn''t help us out of there. After that day, we swore to take vengeance on any bandit that came in our way, and to kill the bandits that killed our parents."
"Oh. . .How''s that coming along?"
"We found some that were familiar and dealt with them."
I don''t know how to feel about that, I feel that it''s justified but I also feel the other side of me doesn''t agree with it. But I raised no objections or support towards their decision, instead, I brought up something else.
"Man, you must really like Cade, huh?"
"What?"
He blushed when I mentioned Cade.
"What, why are you blushing?"
"Nothing, just forget it."
"Wait, don''t tell. . .you have a crush on him!?"
"What does it matter to you? Isn''t it normal for a girl to have a crush!?"
"I mean, yes it is, but it''s just so forbidden, and juicy that. . .What?"
"Is it not normal for a girl to like a boy in your world?"
"Huh? A girl? You''re a. . .?"
"A girl, I am. You didn''t know?"
Of course, I didn''t, you look like a boy, how in the hell was I supposed to tell!?
"O-of course I did. A guy like me isn''t deceived so easily."
"It''s okay, I know I don''t look it, I guess I just don''t really care to look like one."
Ah, sounds like Lauren, except she actually does despite her laziness. Puck shoots up from the ground.
"Don''t tell Cade about any of this, understand me? I''ll kill you if you do!"
The fear factor is gone due to the context of the threat; it''s kind of cute.
"Don''t worry, it''s our secret."
She took a deep breath, calming herself.
"Thank you."
"Your welcome."
"Now come on, I''ll lend you a spare tent for tonight. I''ll make sure to tell Cade that you''re here when he wakes up. Whether you stay or not is up to Cade."
She acts like he would say no to a guy like me.
"Lead the way, Pucky."
"Never call me that."
"Gotcha."
High treetop camp - morning
It''s the morning after I left camp. Honestly, I didn''t wanna part ways with everyone else, save Marie, in the camp, but I chose to leave and I need to stick by it.
"Proxy, are you heading out with me," Cade asked as he came up to me with two cups in hand.
"Huh, you guys are going somewhere?"
I take one from his hand, the juice is pretty strong tasting, but it tastes good nonetheless.
"Yeah, I decided to head out to your camp."
I nearly spit out the juice.
"Why?"
"Cause I''ve been thinking about something that could help turn the tide of the battle with the bandits: siding with the anti-bandit army."
"Seriously? How do you know about them?"
"Didn''t you tell Puck about them last night?"
Oh right, I forgot I did while telling my sob story.
"Anyway, if we merge our forces together, then we''ll be a lot stronger for it. Do you think the leader would go for it?"
"Maybe, Alex is an open book, wears his heart on his sleeves type of guy, so he might go for it."
"Great, then we should try to show them some hospitality."
"How are you going to do that?"
"By giving them something, like a weapon from a flame Wraith, and I have the perfect one in mind. Gotta go fetch one from my tent."
Cade ran off after chugging down his drink. I was amazed by how proactive he was to find new opportunities to fight the bandits. Pretty admirable.
"So, you''re staying with us for a while Proxy!?"
That loud voice belonged to Wedge - whose voice boomed throughout the camp as if it was against a microphone.
"I''ll be here for a good while. Don''t worry, I won''t get in the way of things here."
"Great, it''s good to have another comrade in combat! We shall sweep the battlefield!"
"Yeah, yeah. . .Can you lower your voice by a notch."
"Haha, sorry, I''m just so excited! We get to fight tougher and tougher battles with more allies!"
The dial that was supposed to go down but is jacked up by 100, but I don''t really mind it all that much (any higher than there would be a problem). Though, what does that mean for me? Working with the others again would be pretty awkward, especially since I left them. Hell, I wonder what Alex would think about working with someone that joined up with another group?
"All right, I''m ready!"
Cade came back from his tent with a shroud covering a long in length weapon.
"What''s that?"
"A gift, I''m sure the leader will like it."
Cade whistled, a group of teens came together.
"All right, we''re going to be heading out, make sure to guard the place. Puck and Wedge are in charge, listen to them until I get back. Proxy and I are going to go out and talk to the anti-bandit army''s leader to join up in their efforts to eliminate the bandits. By the time we come back, we''ll be a lot stronger and one step closer to destroying the bandits for good!"
The kids howl in applause. Cade gives a quick bow for his people. He looks over to me.
"Proxy, you wanna take one bike?"
"Yeah, I''ll drive ."
"Let''s go then."
We went off to the bikes below us. Truth be told, I feel butterflies in my guts. I wasn''t good at awkward situations and going back to the camp is going to be a pretty damn awkward situation. But nonetheless, I''ll have to suck it up. This is not gonna be a great housecall.
Anti-bandit camp - morning
We park outside of the camp, Cade is ready to go as I''m trying to think about how I am going into this. I said I didn''t care what anyone thought but that was because I was in the heat of the moment. Oh man, this is too uncharacteristic of me!
"Proxy, let''s go," Cade calls me over.
"Sure. . ."
Damnit, I guess it''s time to do this. Just suck it, man! I keep chanting "keep cool" as we get further and further into the camp, and in the blink of an eye, I''m back in the camp. Someone in the camp pointed out that we are standing in the middle of the entranceway. Attention is coming onto me, like a moth to a flame. I''ve never been this embarrassed over attention before. I try to find Marie in the crowd but she is nowhere to be seen.
"Proxy, who''s the leader," Cade asks me.
"Hm, hang on."
I tried to find Alex. I spot him sitting at the round stone table, all the way in the back.
"There, in the back."
"Cool, I''ll go introduce myself. I''ll give you time to greet your friends."
"Hey wait, don''t leave me behind!"
Cade casually strolls off with his gift leaning on his shoulder.
"Hey, Proxy." Chip approaches me. The both of us didn''t speak to the other, he just silently stared at me. He brought something out from a little pouch he has on him.
"Want some of these chips, I got too many."
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, eat em."
I grab the bag and open it to taste the chips. I immediately gag on them and spit them out. The taste is truly bitter and saltier than salt itself.
"It''s salty."
"It tastes nasty!"
"Really, taste fine to me."
"THAT''S BECAUSE YOUR TASTE IS SHIT!"
How in the hell can he eat this stuff?
"I also heard you left the group."
"I did, I''m sorry, but I needed to."
"It''s cool, not like you betrayed us or anything, so it''s cool."
I expected him to not be all that mad about me leaving, but the way he said it caught me off guard. Besides that, I walk around trying to find Richard. He was near his tent.
"Proxy," Richard calls as he rushes over to me.
"Hey, buddy."
"We were worried about you!"
"We were indeed," Nunnal¨¦ said with the least amount of emotion. Betting Richard told her to say that.
"Richard, Nunnal¨¦, how are you guys doing?"
"We are fine."
"Proxy, listen: you should come back to camp," Richard pleaded.
"No can do, I already made my decision."
"But Marie is sorry about last night, plus it''s getting dangerous out there."
"I know, I got attacked last night."
"Seriously!?"
"But it''s cool, I beat them all without a problem."
"Why are you treating it as if it''s no big deal, you could''ve been killed."
"Well, I wasn''t, so yeah."
"Your behavior is truly foolish," Nunnal¨¦ scolded.
"I know what I''m doing, I''m not playing around here, I need to get better, I need to hone my skills through combat."
"Why, why do you have to? Isn''t it bad enough that we nearly died because of how recklessly you act? So why do you need to go and pick random fights!?"
Richard isn''t holding back anymore, I guess he was getting sick of me at this point. But since he''s laying it on thick I should as well.
"It''s because you saved me," I told him.
"What?"
"You took a bad blow to the chest for me, a blow that I should''ve dealt with, and it nearly killed you. If I was better than I was then, I could''ve made sure nobody had to get hurt, so that''s why. I''m throwing myself into fight after fight so I can become stronger, not just to have fun anymore."
I tuck my hands into my pocket and walk off towards Cade and Alex, who are in conversation.
"Somebody told me that I should try my best to protect the people I care about, but as it stands right now, I''m not at my best yet, so that''s why I left and didn''t take you with me, because I need to do this on my own."
I left Richard to go back to Alex and Cade. I think that was the first time that I let myself show weakness in front of him.
...
"But Proxy, we''re friends, of course I would help you."
The Delinquent runs wild - part 8
8/18 - Anti-bandit camp - morning
Cade and Alex seem to be in the middle of a discussion about allying together.
"You wish to merge your group with ours," Alex repeated.
"That''s right, is it a problem," Cade inquires.
"Not at all, but I must ask: why do you wish to fight the bandits if you don¡¯t mind me asking? I''d just like to know who we''re fighting alongside, is all."
"It''s because we swore to fight them, so we''ll do it until they are driven out."
"I see. . .Okay, then sure, let''s join up.¡±
"Just like that," Cade and I say in sync.
"Is there a problem?"
"N-no, not at all. I''m just surprised you accepted so quickly."
"I can tell when someone is genuine in their causes or not, call it a talent of mine."
"One hell of a talent," Cade complimented.
"You think?"
"I think so, and to congratulate that skill and our partnership, here you are."
He placed the shrouded weapon on the table.
"Open it, you''ll like it."
Alex opens it like a Christmas gift. The reveal is a weird pole shaped weapon. The blade is shaped like a Kitchen knife.
"It''s a lance from a Flame Wraith. The point is considerably weird, however, that''s because its unique function is this."
Cade picks up the lance and points it to the ground.
"Watch this."
When he clicks something on the spear it shoots at the ground and sticks itself inside.
"Whoa, that''s amazing," Alex expresses his amusement.
"That''s not all, it can also separate, like this."
He pressed another button it separated with a chain linking them together.
"That is awesome," I shouted.
"I know, so, I''m offering it up as a gift."
He places it back on the table. Someone else came and picked it up. Marie is examining it. She backs away from the table and starts to spin it around, showing off her skills with a spear. She wasn''t bad either, her moves are graceful. Least to say, she was pretty damn good. Cade was staring intensely with a hand on his head while she went on showing her skills.
"What''s wrong Cade," I ask.
"Nothing, her moves are just¡familiar."
"How so?"
"Don''t know, I think I''ve seen those moves before."
Did he meet Marie somewhere before, or does someone use the same moves as her? Marie finishes her display by spinning the spear, then standing it straight and herself as well.
"Alex, what''s going on," is the first thing she asks.
"We have a surprise visit, this is Cade, he proposed a union between his group and ours."
"...Did he agree immediately.¡±
"Yep," Cade answers.
"Ugh, seriously, brother, you need to look a bit deeper into these things."
"Sorry, sorry, but I believe that his convictions are real, and besides, Proxy walked in with him."
Marie looks over to me, I break contact with her.
"Is something wrong," Cade, who was puzzled by the situation, asks.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Nothing is wrong.¡±
"Wow, the air is truly heavy today, what is up with this weather?"
That was a lame attempt on trying to change the subject.
"Good lance, can I keep it, brother?¡±
"May she," Alex asks Cade.
"As long as you accept, she can use it to cut wood or catch fish for all I care."
"Then I accept this, in commemoration of our unison."
Alex extends his hand, Cade takes it.
"That being said, when would you like to plan an attack," Alex asks.
"Down to the point? All right, how about tomorrow?"
"Sounds perfect, we should be able to do that."
"Great then. As for trade between our groups, I believe you should be the one to set the terms on it, after all, I am the requesting party.¡±
"Okay, we can discuss it now, if you don''t mind."
"Nah, not at all."
"Hm¡"
"What, what happened?"
"That accent, do you come from the west?¡±
"Born and raised. What about you?"
"I was raised in a village outside of the kingdom."
"Didn''t the bandits get rid of those villages years ago?"
"Indeed, they did, I am the lone survivor of mine. Along with my sister, Marie."
"You have a sister?"
"Yes, she''s the one who spun the spear around."
"I see."
"Anyways, let us talk about trade and coordinate a plan of attack for the camp tomorrow," Alex brought up.
"Sure. Proxy, you wanna join," Cade offers.
"No thanks, my brain sucks for battle tactics. I''ll be heading out. It was nice seeing you Alex, sorry I left."
"It''s alright Proxy, but I do have to say one thing: please settle things with Marie. It might not seem it but she is sorry for what she did the night before."
Neither Marie nor I respond to Alex''s request.
"I''m gonna go, see ya when I do."
"Okay, take care," Alex happily sent me off.
It makes me feel even guiltier than it would if he was mad at me. As for Marie. . .I can''t face her after what happened last night, it''s too much. As I make my way to the exit, Gilhart greets me. His easy-going presence was still radiating off of him even now.
"Proxy."
"Yeah?"
"Come by and spar with me some time, it¡¯s been a while and I wanted to have a fun fight with you.."
I walk off without uttering a word.
"Damn it!"
Everyone here, they all. . .They''re all. . .
"Why is nobody pissed at me!? I just don''t get it."
Anti-bandit camp, afternoon
By myself, I sat alone on the couch with the spear that we got from that Cade fellow. Seeing Proxy again was pretty awkward, we didn''t even try to look at the other, let alone talk to the other.
"Marie, you should''ve said what you felt earlier."
Alex approaches from behind me.
"That idiot wouldn''t listen, so why should I waste my breath? He listens to nobody at all, not a shred of him even cares to listen. All he cares for is getting in trouble and fighting to his heart''s content."
"But?"
"But. . .despite that, he really doesn''t mean any harm to any of us. I should''ve known that all this time when he went to get a cure for the poison that hit Richard. He didn''t mean for his friend to get hurt and felt awful about it ever since, and I just ended up rubbing salt in that wound. But I just hate the way he acts with reckless abandon."
Alexander sat down next to me.
"Marie, the best way to explain it to you is this: he''s a person with an undying will."
"Huh?"
"No matter the obstacle, he''ll keep pushing on at it, even if it might get him gravely injured, even killed."
"But why?"
"Because he stakes everything into one thing. He might seem like he doesn''t care about anything or doesn¡¯t take anything seriously, but he does. When he came to break me out he was willing to risk his own safety for our escape; he even risked it to save Gilhart when he was about to fall out of the gondola during our escape."
"I know, he talked about it the night we broke you out."
"Doesn''t that speak something about him? Even when he came back with the cure to free Richard of his poison, he was gravely injured with a severe head wound and several broken bones. In the end, he risked his own body to save his friends but even then, he''s still being hard on himself. Whenever he goes into battle now he''s serious about winning and doesn''t waste time entertaining himself in a fight anymore as I''ve seen so far. Well, this is my guess, but even so, I still believe this is the case. That''s why he left, so he can get stronger. But I don''t believe he needs to go out on his own to grow stronger, I just wish he would realize that."
Alexander stands up from the couch.
"Well, I''m going to go run drills, care to join?"
"No, sorry, I¡¯m not up to it."
"Weird, didn''t you say you needed to exercise so you can lose weight?"
How in the hell did he know about that!? I grab him into a headlock.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"Funny, you said something funny, can you repeat the joke, funny man?"
"Ow, ow, I only said what you said!"
"What was it?"
"That you need to lose weight?"
My grip on him grows even stronger.
"OWW!"
Alexander was a bit tackless at times, however, he was right about Proxy. When he was talking to Richard, I heard what he had to say. Proxy is taking on a heavy burden and I didn''t understand that at the time. But even so, he shouldn''t act so carelessly. I wanted to say that but I knew he wouldn''t listen to someone like me, especially since last night happened. Honestly, this is perplexing.
"Marie, please, stop, I beg you, I concede."
"But giving up isn''t your style, brother, you need to tough this out like a man."
"I may not be strong enough!"
The Delinquent runs wild - part 9
8/19 - Abandoned village - morning
The place we''re attacking today isn¡¯t just a camp, but a town. The buildings were destroyed by fires or wrecked from the inside out.
"This is where they''re hiding out," I ask Cade.
"Yeah, they''re all here, sitting cozily in a town they destroyed."
"Kind of a dick move on their part."
Seriously, what utter bastard kicks people out of their homes only to just mess them up and take them?
"Cade, we sent in a scout team into the town," Puck reports as she appears from behind.
"What did they find?"
"There''s a Fire Wraith."
"You sure about that," I interject.
"Yeah."
"Sweet, then let''s do this."
"See you''re excited, Proxy," Cade observed.
"Course I am, more fun to be had."
"Then let''s go have some fun."
We stroll out into the open, with our weapons in hand. The street is quiet but any second now, we¡¯re about to unleash hell on these streets, but this time, we were going to drive them out.
"Yo, bandit bastards, show yourselves, we''re here to take this village back," I called them out. As if they were waiting for their cue, bandits come out like ants from the dirt.
"Well guys, looks like we have a bunch of no-good bandits, coming out like the rats they are, now ain''t that something,¡± I mock the bandits.
"You kids better empty your pockets, or else."
Puck cocks her gun in response to the bandit''s poor threat. The bandits edge closer towards us, ready to throw down.
"What''s with all this noise!?"
A familiar voice rings out from a building in front of us.
"I leave you barbarians for one second and you all just begin to bicker about. . ."
When the presumed chief in command came out, I knew that this would be a treat.
"Oh, it''s you.¡±.
"NOT YOU AGAIN," He screams like he¡¯s going for a world record.
"You''re a pain in the ass," I told him.
"That''s my line," he bit back.
"Sorry, but I''m gonna beat you up again,"
"Not this time, I learned from my mistakes and this time I shall enact on them! Men, form up!"
They begin to move into position, one in front of another, going into a squared formation.
"See this, this is the ultimate formation, and it''s called: ''PROTECT ME FORMATION!''" Did he really name it that? "What are you waiting for, kill them!"
They all charge in at us, nearly tumbling on themselves from the awkward positioning. This is so sad, I feel bad for these guys.
"Hey, Cade, should we signal everyone in now?"
"Sure, we know the scope of the bandits that are housed here now, no sense in delaying their defeat."
Puck popped open the chamber to the gun. It was a circular chamber, it was designed to fit one big shell inside it. Puck loads one inside and shoots it into the air. The bullet acted like a flare, a blue light, signaling Alex''s men to come in.
"What was that for," the spear jerk asks.
"You''ll see."
"Whatever, men, attack."
The bandits continue their charge towards our small number.
"Time to fight, guys!"
"Finally, let the battle begin!"
We rush in towards our enemies, knocking a few of their numbers down. Cade and his group use gadgets against the bandits to wither away at their numbers. The battle is getting a bit too wild for us to handle, so we retreat into the buildings to deal with them there. The one I choose is a small home, I run in the kitchen in the back of the house.
"Kill the brat!"
Whoops, looks like they caught up, better get to fighting. I grab a pan, clanking it against my sword.
"Come on boys, first come, first serve."
A blade flies my way, I block it with the pan, I then hit him over the head. The other ones follow suit behind him by trying their hand at fighting me, but I¡¯m able to fend them off, one by one. They aren''t particularly strong, just fodder really. But the last one to walk is a big boy who probably ate his spinach.
"Well shit, this is going to be fun."
I try my hand at rushing him but he simply grabs me and throws me out of the house through the wall. Tumbling on the ground, I try to catch my breath. Big dude came out from the hole in the house.
"Pretty good throw, I kinda felt that one."
More like I felt the whole damn thing. The buff dude didn''t waste his time answering me, he just came at me.
"Surprise attack!"
The big guy turns around to see Wedge smash his fist into the guy''s face. The punch left a devastating effect as he staggers and stumbles all over the place. I make my move by kicking him in the face. I knock him to the ground, but just in case he¡¯s still able to move, I punch his head for a double-tap.
"Thanks, wedge."
"No problem, but we should focus on the other enemies!"
"Impossible, how did you beat him," the spear jerk gasps.
"He was all muscle and that''s it."
"Damn, that useless mercenary! But that doesn''t matter. Men, surround these little runts."
More bandits surround us.
"This is gonna be a long one," I tell Wedge.
"The longer the fight, the better the fight!"
"Ha, loved the optimism!"
"This is where you brats shall die. Now men, take charge and. . ."
My attention turned towards the shadow that blankets the spear jerk. He notices too and sloppily moves out of the way. The person in question was Marie, her spear in the spot the spearman was.
"W-what the, who dares to attack me!?"
"I do," she flatly responded.
"Someone, protect me!"
Under my notice, the bandits in the back of the crowd were fighting. I can see them being beaten as I stand on a bandit''s head. I could see Alex and the others battling the bandits.
"No way, why is this happening to me!?"
The spear jerk is acting hysterical. He got up with his spear and ran off away from the action. Marie gives chase. As I follow behind her bandits block my path.
"Not gonna let her hog all the glory for herself."
With a resounding battle cry, I charge off against the bandit crowd.
¡
I run through the forest to chase after the last bandit. He¡¯s making quite the break for it, even when wearing a cape. I lost him after a while, I stopped short of where he disappeared.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"What the hell? Where did he go?"
He was right in front of me but now he¡¯s gone. I observe the area to see if he¡¯s hiding somewhere. A few leaves from above me fell. My attention went up to a tree above me, the bandit is right above me. He came down with his spear. I wasn''t able to dodge in time and he was able to cut my arm.
"Got you, you vagabond."
The blood is rushing out of my wound, I need to seal it quickly. I tear off my ruined sleeve to use it as a bandage.
"Wait, that tattoo on your shoulder! Don''t tell me you''re-"
"I was, but what does that matter?"
I tie up my wound and I¡¯m ready to fight. However, something is wrong, my grip on my spear is getting weaker.
"Looks like the coating is taking effect."
"Coating!"
"Don''t worry, it won''t kill you!"
"Coward!"
"Maybe so but it''s my win, now, be a good girl and fall to sleep."
"You. . .asshole!"
My eyelids are becoming heavier and heavier with each passing second, it won''t be too long before I fall asleep. How did I fall for such trickery?
¡
Eadwald cackled to himself as he was prancing around in an idiotic fashion.
"I can''t believe it, I can''t believe it!"
He was excited about the circumstance that fell before him. In his company, the ticket to his redemption is in his hands. For the past few days, his position as a Flame Wraith captain was put into jeopardy after his run-in with Proxy. Ever since he failed to extort the village he was meant to after Proxy and Cade''s band stopped him, his position was in danger of going to someone else suitable for the task. Before becoming captain, he sucked up to the previous one to be considered suitable as a replacement captain, and one night, the previous captain went out for a stroll and never came back, which left Eadwald in charge of the 10th squad. So far, he schemed and resorted to cowardice to keep his position, but as it stands now, without Marie he would lose captain statues, worse, he might be killed.
"I won''t kill you, no, I''ll be bringing you back with me."
Eadwald picked up Marie and was ready to dash his vehicle. However, before he took a step forward, something punctured his back, the pain was sharp, warm as well. He dropped to his knees, Marie rolled out of his hands. He could barely form a word since he was too focused on the pain in his back. Eadwald turned to see that a young man was the one who stabbed him. It was Cade, however, his usual aura was different, his eyes lacked any emotion, they were as cold as a winter night. His footsteps were as silent as the night itself. He stepped closer and closer towards the Flame Wraith captain, who was trying to put up a defense with his spear, but it was no good, he was too weak to put up any. Cade easily disabled him by knocking the spear out of his hand.
"Do you remember a small village that was surrounded by a clean plain? Do you remember when you bastards invaded it?"
Eadwald had no idea what he was talking about. He invaded many different villages, to him, they began to blend.
"You don''t, do you? You don''t remember setting fire to our homes as you murdered everyone there, do you!?"
"I. . .I. . .I!"
"It doesn''t matter, they usually don''t remember, so I won''t waste my breath."
Cade used his other knife to end the bandits'' life by stabbing him once more. As Eadwald was going to die on the floor, he thought to himself that this was an unfair death, he deserved better. He was a dejected Noble from the kingdom since his family wasn''t contributing anything towards the kingdom''s prosperity since Relius'' inception into the throne. So, for his family to make amends and show their devotion to the throne, he was banished from the kingdom and had to fend for himself. When he was captured by the bandits he was made into a sort of slave, after a while he was able to get into the 10th Flame Wraith squad. He humiliated himself to become squad leader by kissing up to the last one, so why is it that he''s the one who''ll die?
"THIS IS UNFAIR!" This would be his last thought as he laid out on the floor, blood seeping out beneath him¡
"That''s another one down."
Cade put away his knives to check up on Marie, who was out cold. He saw that her shoulder was bleeding. He took off the makeshift bandage to check the wound. His heart stopped when he saw what was under the bandage. It was a tattoo of a flame that resembles a ghostly figure. Cade knew it all too well. The placement was as he remembered, right shoulder, on a girl who had emerald-green eyes, wielded a spear as a weapon, and her fighting style was swift, precise, and deadly. This was it, this was the last one, the last member of the original Flame Wraith squad that burned his village.
"At last. . .I found you!"
He took out his knives. He was ready to plunge them into her neck. He was interrupted when he heard someone coming thanks to the bushes. He put away his knives and saw that it was Proxy.
"Yo, Cade, there you are. . ."
Proxy noticed the body of Eadwald on the ground.
"What happened here?"
"I had to kill him, he was going to get away."
"Is she okay!?" Proxy went to check her pulse. "Oh thank God, she''s fine." Proxy picked her up. "Come on, we need to. . ." He felt something tugging at his pants. It was Eadwald, he was still alive but only barely. Cade was about to rectify that but Proxy stopped him. "Cade, calm down!"
"What are you doing, he''s still alive!"
"I know that but are you really gonna finish him off like this? Doesn''t that seem a bit cruel?"
"Who cares, he''s a bandit, he deserves no better than any of us," Cade declared, his cruelty was noted by Proxy.
"That''s just too extreme."
"Just let me finish him off Proxy, he needs to die. He''s one of the people that burned my village."
Proxy was beginning to feel uncomfortable, he didn''t know what to say during this time, he never dealt with things like this before. He understood that Cade wanted his revenge against the bandits but there was something that told him that this wasn''t right. Cade wasn''t going to wait for Proxy to respond anymore.
"Proxy, he''s going to die, either way, I''m just going to put him out of his misery. And there''s also something else I need to tell you. That girl in your hands, she''s a bandit."
Proxy''s mind was stretched beyond its limit. Saying he was put into disbelief would be an understatement.
"What are you talking about? Marie isn''t a bandit, she''s. . ."
They heard someone coming. Alexander was the one to appear.
"Proxy, Cade, what happened to Marie!?"
"She was knocked out from this guy on the ground, but he''s still alive," Cade explained.
"Then let''s take him with us," Alexander suggested with no hesitation.
"He''s a bandit.¡±
"That doesn''t matter, we need to help him!" Alexander picked up the man, being careful as to not disturb his wounds. "Proxy, follow me, Cade: go check up on your people."
"...Sure."
There was a looming air of unease, it was strangling Proxy as if it had hands. Cade quietly went off out of the woods.
"Proxy, let''s get these guys medical attention."
"Y-yeah."
They race towards their vehicles to get the two medical attention. Learning that Marie was supposedly a bandit still had Proxy caught in surprise. He didn¡¯t know what to believe, he didn¡¯t want to doubt Cade but he didn¡¯t want to say he was lying.
Anti-bandit army camp - morning
Marie is in the medical, she¡¯s knocked out cold, The bandit we brought back with us is also inside, being treated. Crow comes out of the tent with a bloody glove on.
"I have bad news: the bandit is alive," Crow solemnly said.
"I think that''s good news," Alex cleared up.
"Oh, in that case, it''s all good news then. Marie was hit with a sleep-inducing venom, so she''ll be just fine after she takes a few hours to sleep."
I sigh in relief, the danger has passed.
"As for the bandit, I stitched his wound, he lost a lot of blood, so he''ll be out for a while. If you want, we could give him food?"
"Yes, we should," Alex approved. "Proxy, can you cook him some red meat?"
"I should be able to. . ."
"Make sure to make mine medium raw," Crow requested.
"Mine too," Alex jumped in with a request.
"I thought I was cooking for one!?"
Crow went back into the medical tent, leaving me and Alex alone.
"Thank you, for taking care of Marie, Proxy."
"No problem. Say, Alex, I have to ask you something."
"What is it? You look serious?"
"It''s just. . .Nothing, never mind. I just hope Marie will be alright is all."
"I do, too¡"
Asking if she was a bandit would be hard; he might not even give me an honest answer even if I did, so I think it''s best if I don''t bring it up.
"Cade wanted that man dead, what did he do to him," Alex asked me.
"He helped burn his village to the ground, I think."
"I see. . .¡±
"What do you want to do with him now?"
"I''ll still feed him, but once his wounds have healed, we''ll let him go."
"Sure that''s okay?"
"Of course, we''ll have to make sure he doesn''t know where we''re camping, so when Crow is certain he''s recovered, he''ll knock him out and we''ll drop him off somewhere away from here."
At least he''s ready to cover his tracks. But I don''t think Cade is gonna take the news lightly.
"Proxy, are you sure you don''t want to join back up with us?"
"No, I can''t, I''m sorry."
"It''s fine, what you choose to do is your choice alone. But just know that you have friends you can rely on here."
I walk off without saying anything to his advice. It was rude of me, but I just feel as if I¡¯m not worthy of his help.
High treetop - morning
"Yo, Cade, where are you?"
I can''t find him anywhere in the camp, even when asking around. Puck just went into a worn-down tent. I go over to it to see if he can help me find Cade. As I approach it I can hear Cade¡¯s voice, along with Puck and Wedge. I peek inside to see what is happening.
". . .Are you sure that she''s the last one," Puck asks.
"Yeah, I am. I saw the tattoo on her arm."
"Then what do you want to do?"
"I don''t know but maybe our friend outside can tell us."
I hesitantly present myself to them.
"Proxy, good thing it''s you, we need to talk."
"It''s about Marie," I guess.
"She''s a bandit, she needs to be dealt with," Cade straight-forwardly declares.
"But she didn''t do anything wrong, and so what if she was, it''s not like she''s hurting anyone now."
"Maybe, but it doesn''t change what she did," Cade rebuttal.
"What did she do anyway?"
"She killed my parents," Cade revealed, lamenting the fact.
My breath runs short and my throat tightens from the reveal.
"She slaughtered them, right in front of me as I hid. She left me alive after she did, I swore that I would find her and kill her¡"
Cade puts his hands on my shoulder, I tensed up from contact.
"Proxy, we need to eliminate her, and your help is needed."
My heart is about to jump right out of my chest, my thoughts are jumbled up.
"H-help how?"
"It''ll be easy, we''ll tell you our plan of attack, we just need you to follow through with it. . . Proxy, I know it''s a bit much but you gotta realize something: in this fight against the bandits, it''s them or us, and we need to strike them, even at their lowest with any method possible."
There was no way for me to argue, he had a right to revenge, and if Marie did do it, then. . .
"Fine, I''ll see what I can do."
"Thanks, I will never forget this."
Cade smiled as he shares his gratitude toward me. It''s painful to look at.
"We are in your debt," Wedge stated.
"Thank you for helping, Proxy," Puck thanked me with a cute smile. This, everything. . .This just sucks!
The Delinquent runs wild - part 10
8/20 - Anti-bandit camp - midnight
It¡¯s midnight, the air is cool and the winds are silent. I¡¯ve been outside of the camp, thinking about my decision to help Cade. The plan was simple: get Marie to come with me to the rendezvous point and have him and the others sort it out from there. My hands are shaking, my nerves are beyond messed with at this point. They''re going to kill Marie, and I''d be an accomplice to that. She killed Cade''s parents and I got that, but I couldn''t stop thinking that this might not be the right thing to do.
"Hm?"
I notice that someone is coming. Marie walks out from the entrance, her hair tied back and she¡¯s wearing something that looks like PJs.
"Proxy, what are you doing here," she asks, yawning as approached me.
"Nothing, what are you doing up so late?"
"I felt like it."
We were able to say words to each other, but the awkward dead air didn''t go away, in fact, it¡¯s reinforced by what I came here to do.
"Gee, sure is awkward," Marie says to break the dead air around us. "Hey, why don''t we go for a drive?"
"What?"
"Why not, it''ll be fun and a good change of pace."
The suggestion shook me up a bit, she just made it easier for me to do this.
"Yeah, but why don''t you drive," I ask her.
"No offense, but that machine is too wild for me."
Says the one who drove like a madman when she saved me from the knights.
"Let''s take your ride then."
"Okay."
I turned off Road Burner and jumped into the sidecar of Marie''s bike.
"Here we go."
"Yeah. . ."
She turns the engine on, it emits a noise like an animal letting out a roar. We drive off south of the camp. I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the scenery, I was looking down at my feet the whole way through.
"You alright, Proxy?"
"I''m cool, nothing wrong at all."
Putting up my best attitude was something I was incapable of, so it wouldn''t surprise me if she figured me out. The rest of the ride went by in a flash.
"Okay, we''re here."
I got out of the bike, my hands in my pocket and my head facing down.
"Proxy, face-up, or you might fall off."
"Fall off. . .?"
My thoughts are sidetracked as I look at the view in front of me. We¡¯re on top of a far up cliff, it gives us a view of the whole area; I¡¯m able to see the kingdom and the king''s tower from here.
"This is so cool," I shout, my voice echoes through the open air.
"I know, right? I found it one day after. . .Well, that doesn''t matter. I''m just glad that you like it."
She sits at the edge alongside me.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
"Proxy, I''d like to say sorry about probably breaking your nose," she held up one hand straight up and bowed her head for a sec.
"No sweat, it still stings, but it''s fine; I''m used to it."
"What do you mean?"
"I fight a lot back in my world, you can say it''s a hobby of mine."
"I see, so that''s why you''re so excited to get into fights."
"Yeah, I guess you can say that. Really, I just feel different when I fight, I feel alive when I fight, I get to forget about anything else going on at the moment. Ya know what I mean?"
"Not really, but I can tell that it''s important though."
At least she''s coming to an understanding of it, at least.
"Still though, the punch of yours hurt," she says as she scratches her lip.
"I really am sorry about that, I shouldn''t have lashed out like that. If Birch knew that I hit a woman, he''d kick my ass."
"Who''s that?"
"He''s my caretaker of sorts. He usually nags me about doing no trouble and not skipping school."
"So he''s your dad?"
"Nah, we''re not related in the slightest. I''m more of a pain in the ass for him. I have no idea why he puts up with me?"
Speaking of regret, I wonder if I can dig up something about how Marie feels about being a bandit?
"Say, Marie, have you ever regretted something?"
"Something I regret? There was this one time I messed up this bowl of soup for Alexander when he was sick."
"No, not that, something heavier than that."
"Oh. . .Well. . ." She covered her mouth with one hand. ". . .I have done regretful things."
"Such as?"
"None of your business," she playfully denied. Oh come on, you can''t just shut me out like that, damn it! "But I will tell you this, I do regret a lot of horrible things I did.¡±
"Why did you do them?"
"Because I had to."
"But why did you need to?" She didn''t answer the question, she¡¯s just silent. "Sorry for prying."
"It''s okay. I can''t tell you why, but I''ll tell you this: I hate myself for it."
She said so with a forced smile, it seems like it would crack in a mere instance. Before I could comment, she said, "Proxy, let''s go back, staying up this late isn''t good for us." I simply replied, "Okay¡"
¡°Oh, Proxy, I really am sorry about the poisoning incident. You didn¡¯t mean for it to happen and I only spread salt on the wound, and I¡¯m also sorry for sending you and Richard into the Hell Mine. I regret doing that as well.
She continues to look at me with that forced smile. Don¡¯t do that, don¡¯t smile like that. . .It¡¯s too painful.
¡
I arrived at the meeting spot that Cade told me to come to. It¡¯s a ruined spot with uneven roads, stone pillars that are destroyed, and statue pieces all over the place. I carefully went along the road to not trip over any stones. I got to a secluded area that has a back and sidewall.
"Proxy."
Puck jumped down from the wall, Wedge appeared from the other side along with Cade.
"Proxy, did you bring her," Cade asks me, a grin on his face.
"No, she isn''t here," I tell him, bitterness fills my tone.
"Why not, did she run away?"
"No, she didn''t. I was going to go through with it, I was right outside the camp, but I couldn¡¯t bring her with me. I couldn''t bring myself to do it, even if I knew why you wanted revenge, I just couldn''t do it. Marie might''ve been a bandit once, but now she isn''t.¡±
¡°Proxy. . .¡±
¡°I''m not gonna help you; your vendetta isn''t mine."
My mind is made up, this is the right thing to do. Cade''s expression sullen, Puck is disappointed with me, and Wedge is confused by my actions.
"Proxy, are you sure about this," Cade asks, taking on a cautious posture.
"I am, Marie is not like her bandit self anymore, and she regrets it, so please, let Marie live.¡±
"Let her live," Cade repeats to himself.
"Yeah, Alex would be devastated if she were to be killed, and it would make me feel like crap as well if that happened."
There¡¯s a moment of silence, I feel a cold sweat drop from my face. No matter the outcome I will stick with this.
"If that''s how you feel, then I guess we can''t be friends anymore."
Something is going to hit me behind my head but I¡¯m too late to react to it. The hard object blurred my vision, my legs are unable to support me. I fall to the ground in one go. My consciousness begins to fade out. As I¡¯m about to fall unconscious, Cade says, "It¡¯s a real shame, I thought we could¡¯ve been good friends Proxy." I did too. . .
¡
Proxy is on the ground, knocked out from Puck''s surprise attack with her gun
"What do we do now," Puck asks me as she holsters her gun.
"Isn''t that obvious: we take that bandit by force!"
"Just say when, and we''ll go," Wedge eagerly agrees.
"We''re going back to camp now to prepare for an assault to take her."
"Are you sure, they¡¯re our allies?"
"Anyone willing to save a bandit is no friend of ours."
Anyone who stands in my way is an enemy, no matter who they are. . .
The Delinquent runs wild - part 11
8/20 - Abandoned ruins, early morning
The first thing I feel as I begin waking up is a throbbing headache. My body is a bit stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. There¡¯s a bit of drool coming from my mouth, not gonna even bring any attention to it.
"Shit, my head!"
Rubbing my head, I look around to find that I¡¯m by myself. I notice something else as well. The sky has some blue in it. It was still dark before I was knocked out.
"How long was I knocked out? Wait, where did Cade and the others go?"
No use asking myself that, they were probably getting ready to go kill Marie. I need to go warn the others about Cade. Other than my headache, my body is good to go. I traverse the uneven road without any problems. Road Burner was parked just where I put it, it remained untouched thankfully enough. Turning her on, I race back to the anti-bandit camp in a hurry. I should''ve known those guys would''ve knocked me out, damn it, why didn''t I see it coming? To be honest, I thought Cade would understand where I was coming from, but I guess I was wrong about that. Whatever, I gotta warn them, or else. . .
"Road Burner, go faster!"
On command, it made a mad dash right for the camp, breaking when it was near the entrance to the camp. I nearly went flying off, thankfully I was holding on for my dear life. Jumping off the bike, I run into the camp to find that the campgrounds are burnt to ash. The smell of smoke and ash spread throughout the camp. Some areas of the camp were burnt, the inhabitants of the camp are sitting away from the main area of the camp. Crow is examining any affected by the presumed fire. Alex is going around and making sure everyone is alright while giving orders at the same time.
I saw Richard sitting next to Nunnal¨¦.
"Richard!"
I dash over to him. He notices me running over to him.
"Proxy!?"
"What''s going on!?"
"Fire just broke during midnight, we woke up while it was getting out of hand."
"Who did it?¡± My grip on my scabbard tightened.
"I don''t know but Nunnal¨¦ said she sensed someone near the camp and went after them."
The camp wasn''t in terrible shape, but it wasn''t good either, some of the tents are burnt up. I can see the tent where we keep the weapons burnt up, as well as the food. I went to go check up on it. It¡¯s not looking too good.
"At least we have some left," Richard whispered.
"Yeah, still not great though."
Leaving off with that, I head over to Alex, who is checking the burnt grounds.
"Alex," I anxiously called.
"Hello, Proxy."
"Bad time to come back?"
"I¡¯m glad to see you, just not glad that this happened. Can you help me, I''m searching for Marie and anyone else who might be missing."
"You don''t know where Marie is?"
"No, I searched for her while commanding everyone. She wasn''t in her tent."
"Shit!"
"Proxy, what''s the matter?"
"I think someone is going to kill her!"
"Seriously," Richard jumps at the mere mention of it.
Alex goes with a sharper expression.
"Who?"
"Cade''s group."
"But why?"
"They know she was a bandit."
Alex tenses up after mentioning it.
"She was a bandit!¡± Richard lowers his shock as to not shout it.
"So you know now?"
"Yeah, but that doesn''t matter right now, we need to go after them. I know where they are, so I''m heading there right now."
"Please take me with you," Richard leans forward as he eagerly asks.
"It''s too dangerous, I can''t!"
"But I can''t let you go alone, and I''m not taking no for an answer! Plus, Nunnal¨¦ will be coming along, so we''ll be able to rescue Marie much faster."
Nunnal¨¦ emerged from the sky, gracefully landing in between us.
"Master, I figured out who attacked us."
"I already know, we''re going to be going out," Richard informed her.
"Where to?"
"To save Marie."
"Understood, I shall go with you and Proxy."
Despite my protest against him coming along with me, Nunnal¨¦ would probably be a big help in getting Marie back, and she''ll probably only go if Richard goes. Against my better judgment, I guess I''ll have to let him join me.
"You know we''ll probably have to fight, right," I ask him.
"I. . .I don''t want to, but I know they''re eager to fight after they-"
"Don''t say," I cut him off. I didn''t want to believe it but considering the circumstances. No, we''re just wasting time. "Alex, we''ll be back with Marie!"
"Okay, I''ll be waiting for you."
"Also, this is my fault. I knew Cade wanted to kill her and I almost helped him, too. I should''ve warned you guys about him. When we get back, you can punish me for it."
Wasting no time on anything else, I storm out of the camp, with Nunnal¨¦ and Richard behind me. We hop onto my bike. Little did I know, my bike didn''t have enough room for three.
"This might not work," Richard points out.
"Master, if you want, I''ll let you sit on my lap."
"You kidding me!?"
Yeah, this wasn''t going to work out, my ability to drive may be affected by this.
"Maybe we should just figure this out before we drive off," I suggest.
"Why don''t we take that vehicle?" Nunnal¨¦ pointed towards Marie''s bike.
"Hm, not a bad idea. . ."
High treetop camp - early morning
We arrived at Cade''s hideout, the moment we entered the forest I was in caution mode, my body was ready for anything. But nothing happened. We park under the rope station to climb up. I climb up the rope with minimal effort. Nunnal¨¦ jumped up onto the platform. Pretty cool, not gonna lie.
"Is this the place," Richard asks as he eyes the area. Nunnal¨¦ moves in front of him, spawning her sword
"Yeah, but it''s too quiet, there are usually people here."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"I detect people on the west side," Nunnal¨¦ tells us.
"Guess they know we''re coming, let''s not keep them waiting then."
During our walk to the west side of the camp, not a single soul was to be seen in our path. That was until we hit a group of kids ahead of us, Wedge being in the front and center of the whole group. They have weapons in their hands.
"What''s this, a get-together," I quip.
"Cade told us to stop you, and that''s exactly what we''ll do," Wedge replies.
"Where is she, Wedge?"
"I won''t tell you! You won''t stop that bandit''s execution!"
"Execution!?"
"That''s right, we''re going to kill her in our home village!"
Damn it, we''re just wasting our time here, we need to figure out where that village is.
"Wedge, you''re going to tell me where that village is."
"I won''t!"
Shit, he isn¡¯t going to make this easy. So, I guess we''ll have to do this the way I like it.
"Fine, then I''ll beat the shit out of you!"
Taking a few steps forward, three teens come at me with weapons. As they swing their weapons, I easily dodge their attacks and knock them out in a quick fashion.
"Amazing speed," Wedge compliments.
"I''m serious here Wedge, tell me where they''re at! I''ll really hurt you all if I need to."
"Be that as it may, we still have an obligation to Cade! So even if you break us, we will never talk!"
"Bet you won''t. How about this then." I threw off my jacket and sword to the ground. "If I beat your ass, you tell me where Cade is."
"Why should I? What''s the trade-off?"
"You can kill me, easy as that."
"Proxy, what are you-"
"Don''t worry, if it''s just a fistfight, I can win it."
At least I need to, I don''t know if he¡¯ll buy into my confidence, but I had to at least try. To my relief, he seems to understand based on his body language.
"If it gets too dangerous, I''ll have Nunnal¨¦ pull you out, "
"Got it!"
The crowd of teens begins to surround us, giving us enough room to fight but also keeping us from running away.
"Okay, Proxy, take your best shot!"
He takes on an open posture, leaving his chest open. He¡¯s giving me the first attack, but it¡¯s too good to be true, he¡¯s probably going to counter my attack before I connect it. Then again, if I do a fake-out, I should be able to hit him before he gets the chance to know what''s coming. All right, here goes! I run towards my opponent with a strat in mind. My first honed in on Wedge''s chest, but as I was about to shift towards his back, I noticed he didn''t move his arms at all, not even when I was so close to his chest. He was just gonna let me hit him. Fine by me then, might as well go for it. With all the force I could add on, I hit him in the torso.
"Gaah!"
"Nice shot, Proxy, you got him!"
Richard cheers me on as the other kids remain silent. Something is wrong with that hit. Punching him feels like. . .punching a brick wall!
"That was a nice attack Proxy, but now that I gave you a free attack, I shall be attacking you!"
"Bring it on then!"
My next attack is gonna have to be a decisive one. I commence my next attack by going for his head. A left jab finds its mark against his cheek, but the same thing happens like before, his face is as hard as a brick.
"Sorry, but that will be your final attack."
Wedge grabs my arm, his grip is firm, keeping me from getting away. He strikes me in the face. The punch was harder than I expected, it was as if a brick struck me. He¡¯s getting ready to throw another, I kicked him in the head until he let go of me. With my athletics, I backflipped away from him. The hit he landed was still bruising, my cheek is thumping like crazy.
"I''m surprised you''re still awake, most impressive, Proxy."
"That was nothing."
That attack was strong, but it wasn''t anything I couldn''t handle. But that body of his is pretty strong, so just one attack isn''t going to work, and if he catches me again he''ll land another strong hit.
"Proxy, are you okay!?"
"Yeah, I''m fine, just needed to recover my nerves."
It¡¯s more than me needing my nerve, something is bothering me ever since we got here. The thought of who tried to burn the camp down plagued my mind. I already knew who might''ve done it, but I need to confirm it for myself. I get up from the ground and slowly move toward Wedge.
"Wedge, I''d like to know something: did you guys set the camp on fire?"
"We did, anyone who affiliates themselves with bandits are enemies, no matter who they are!"
I see so that''s how far Cade and these guys are willing to go. . .!
"Proxy, we are willing to go towards any depths that it takes to beat the bandits, are you!?"
Wedge came running towards me, with a battle cry. The rage inside me is boiling to its breaking point. Marie already hates herself for the things she did as a bandit, and then you bastards try to burn the camp down with everyone in it. You guys went too far! I''m not gonna let you get away with this, I''ll kick your asses!
"Proxy, dodge!"
I sense a fist coming my way, Wedge is right in front of my face, in striking distance. His fist is moving slowly, it¡¯s just like back in the fighting arena in the Kingdom when I fought Quincy. It doesn''t matter, he''s in range and I¡¯m gonna make sure he regretted it. As his fist came close, I tilt my head, and with my left fist, I smash in his head. It isn¡¯t enough, so I hit him again, taking his head and crushing it against my knee, then clumping my hands together to hit him over the head. His body hit the floor like a wet blanket. He is still able to move, so for my final move, I slam the heel of my shoe against his head after raising it high to the air. The ground below brakes as his head goes through it.
"That was for destroying my camp and hurting my friends, you sons of bitches!"
I lifted Wedge, he¡¯s unconscious. Shit, I didn''t mean to knock him out. I was thinking too much with my fists than my head.
"Wake up, I said wake the hell up! You need to tell me where Cade is!"
It is a no-go, he¡¯s out of it. I stare at the crowd around us, Richard and Nunnal¨¦ come towards me as the teens begin to close in. Nunnal¨¦ draws her sword from thin air again.
"Take it easy, no killing!" Richard lowers Nunnal¨¦¡¯s sword. This is no time to be screwing around, we need to know where Cade''s village is at.
"Hey, you brats, where''s Cade''s village!"
"Like we''d tell you."
"I won the fight, so you better tell me before I kick your asses."
"Go ahead, but we won''t tell you."
"Yeah, that bandit is probably already dead!¡±
These damn brats aren''t going to blab no matter how much I hurt them, huh? We''ll see about that.
"If that is the case, then. . ." Nunnal¨¦ pauses near the end of her sentence. She grabs Wedge and strolled over to the edge of the platform. She dangles him over the edge with one hand on his shirt. The teens and kids tense up.
"Tell us the location of the village, or I shall drop him," she threatens, her machine-like tone doesn¡¯t leave room for doubt.
"Put him down, or else!"
"That''s dirty, you''re as bad as the bandits."
"Those comments do not have anything to do with my question. Tell me where the village is, or I shall drop him."
"Nunnal¨¦, stop this!"
As Richard attempts to stop her, I halt him.
"Proxy, what are you-"
"Let her do this."
I don''t want Wedge to die but the kids won''t talk unless we make them. This is a gamble on whether it would work or not. Just in case, I''ll try to get closer so I can catch Wedge if she drops him.
"The deadline to answer my question is 7 seconds. I suggest someone answer the question immediately."
I could see her grip slowly becoming looser as she went by 5. As she hit 2 her grip was almost nonexistent, but that¡¯s also when someone raised their hand.
"Cade''s village is far south of here, you''ll be able to find it when you find burnt grass," a young boy explains with their shy, low pitched voice.
"Then come with us to point us in the proper direction."
Nunnal¨¦ throws Wedge back on the platform. The volunteer steps forward as navigator.
"Come on, we have no time to waste!" Nunnal¨¦ grabs the navi and runs off along with Richard following behind her.
"Wait!"
Before I head-off, Wedge''s voice calls out to me. He¡¯s sitting up on the ground, breathing heavily, and has his hand on his head.
"Why do you want to save that bandit? She killed Cade''s parents!"
"I know, and I''m not saying that it''s okay, but I can''t let her be killed, not since she regrets it. Plus, I promised I would bring her home, so I can''t back down now, even if I have to cave in Cade''s face."
I quickly follow behind Richard and the others to go rescue Marie. Maybe I might be doing the wrong thing, but it doesn¡¯t matter to me, I think this the right thing to do.
Cade''s village - early morning
With the navi''s help, we were able to reach the village with no delays. The first thing I noticed was the burnt grass all over. It stretched as far as the eye can see. It was horrible, to say the least, but seeing the village elevated that feeling. The place was burned to ashes, the houses were practically just wood and somewhat of a foundation. The roads are scorched as well.
"Cade, it''s me Proxy, show yourself!"
Nothing, nobody responds to my announcement. As the three of us head into the village, I take notice of objects on the ground. Weapons were laying all over the place, most of them were rusted with dry blood and from proper age.
"Whose weapons are these," I ask as I pick up the weapon.
"Villagers that tried to fight back."
In front of me, Cade and Puck came out of hiding.
"Where''s Marie?"
"How''d you find this village?"
"I beat the hell out of Wedge."
"I see, but are you really sure about this, trying to save a bandit."
"I am, what about it?"
"What about it, you''re going to die for a worthless bandit," Cade bites back, irritation seeping out.
"She''s not worthless! She''s a proud member of the anti-bandit army, and one of my allies," I declare from the top of my lungs. I take a battle stance.
"She was a bandit once, and she might''ve killed some people, but that time has come and gone. She might be a pain, overbearing, and just too demanding, but that''s the Marie I know, so I won''t judge her for her past! And don''t act you''re better than the bandits, you''re just as worst; burning our camp for no good reason at all, nearly getting my friends in there killed!"
"They were on a bandits side, and the leader of that group saved one. Are you going to tell me that you''re okay with that?"
"I''m totally cool with that!"
We aren''t going to budge on our differences now, Cade and I are gonna have to fight now.
"Fine then, Puck: Proxy and his friends are our enemies now, kill them."
"Okay, Cade."
Puck loads a bullet into her gun, pointing at us soon after. I don''t know what to expect, but I can tell that this fight was going to a rough one!
The Delinquent runs wild - part 12
8/20 - Cade''s village - early morning
Puck holds up her gun as she fires a bullet at us. I can tell that the bullet is going for Richard. I was about to push him out of the way but Nunnal¨¦ slices the bullet in halves. She stands in front of him.
"Master, go back to the bike!"
"No way!"
"It''s too dangerous, you must!"
"But you-"
"We don''t have time for this, Nunnal¨¦ goes after Puck, I got Cade."
"Understood.¡±
Puck loads another bullet while Nunnal¨¦ darts towards her. She evades Nunnal¨¦''s attack by the skin of her teeth. Cade is caught up in the attack as well, but he dodges the attack to go for a counter. However, I¡¯m already on him like a bee to a yellow shirt. He backs away from us as I¡¯m about to hit him, canceling his attack to do so. Puck retreats, leaving Cade with us.
"You''re mine, Cade! Nunnal¨¦: go after Puck."
"Right, keep my master safe."
"Yeah."
She dashes off into the dead forest that surrounds the village.
"All right then, let''s get this on!" I smack my fist into my hand.
"You think you can beat me without a weapon?"
"Of course I. . ." Wait, what did he say? Without a weapon? That''s stupid, of course, I- WHERE THE HELL IS MY SWORD! "Where did it go!? I just had it on me!"
Now that I see that I don''t have my sword, I notice that I don''t have my jacket on either. Oh shit, don''t tell me that I left it back at Cade''s camp? Damn it, I did!
"Whatever, I don''t need a weapon to beat you."
I take on my regular fighting stance.
"If you think so. . ."
Cade moved in with his torso lowered. From the jump, he¡¯s moving like the wind, and coming at me like a hurricane. He hops into the air, coming down at me with a slash. I dodge it but he is quick to come at me with another strike. This is only the beginning and I can already tell this would be a tough one!
¡
Proxy was fighting with Cade as Nunnal¨¦ was fighting someone else in the dead forest. I¡¯m just standing here, doing nothing but being dead weight. Proxy is evading most of Cade''s rapid attacks that would just come one after another without pause. The fact that he can avoid wave after wave of hastily made attacks impresses me and speaks of Proxy''s abilities. But even with that, I know that he wasn''t doing it effortlessly. I''ve seen him fight different opponents, all of them were taken down without much effort or thought put into it. However, while Proxy isn''t struggling he has to stay focused, one slip up and it could be disastrous. I need to help him somehow without Cade noticing me. Looking at my feet, I see a rusted weapon. Picking it up, it¡¯s too dull to be called a proper sword but hard enough to act as a club. My hand''s quake from the idea of me being able to do anything. If he were to see me, he''d surely slit my neck before I could strike him. There is no insurance that I would come out unscathed by trying my luck. There is no way someone like me could pull it off.
"Hehehe, how stupid, what did I think I could do?"
Why am I here anyway? What did I think I could do to help Proxy? It was because he needed Nunnal¨¦, that''s right, yeah. . . But that makes no sense, I came here because I wanted to, I didn''t want to fight, but I wanted to help any way I could, so why am I just standing here? I need to do something, to make me being here have a purpose.
"I. . .I can do it!"
I''m scared, my hands are shaking like crazy, my footing is unstable, but I knew that I needed to calm myself and go for it. But the timing needs to be perfect, too early I might get in the way of the fight and get me a fast pass to the underworld. I need to wait for the right time!
¡
My target attempted to evade me in a mist of dead trees. The female is using bullets against me, they¡¯re strong enough to penetrate the trees, so my sword is my best defensive option. She is fairly fast for a human not using Source. I would normally be able to close the gap nonetheless, however, I need to keep Source stored in my arms, or else I might not be ready to take an incoming attack. The reason for such a thing is so I can utilize my body strengthening ability. I can modify the strength output of certain parts of my body if need be. However, this is only possible if I surround that body part in Source; this would leave me mainly two options to select normally, however, since I am separated from my master, I can only do one for now. The amount of Source I can use from him is getting lower, I need to finish this before we go any deeper into the forest. That being said, I appoint all the Source into my left leg. I take a large leap forward and another leap to my left. I¡¯m now in front of the target, she attempts to fire her weapon, even without my arms being enhanced my reaction time is faster than hers. My blade cut the gun''s barrel clean in half. The girl jumped back from my attack. I attacked with intention of cutting her arm off, but she had an idea of where my attack was going, so she let her gun get destroyed as a means to avoid damage herself. An impressive evade however foolish.
"You don''t have a weapon any longer, I suggest surrendering, there will be no hesitation if you continue to persist on fighting or running."
I hold my blade to her forehead as she lays on the ground.
"You think you won?"
"Yes."
"You shouldn''t underestimate me just because you destroyed my weapon."
She suddenly rolls back, reflexively throwing a spherical object at me while doing so. I sliced it apart without considering what it was. Smoke obscured my field of vision. I hold my sword up with both my hands, preparing for any attempt of an attack. This is a problematic situation, moving around would be a foolish idea, there is no insured way that I wouldn¡¯t be attacked if I did. Albeit, staying in the smoke is not beneficial to me at all. I hear something being fired. Within the extremely short time of the firing of something, I¡¯m hit in the leg, an arrow is sticking in my leg. I rip it out of my leg without breaking the point off. Blood leaks out from my leg, the pain isn''t much of an issue, I can still fight. However, that arrow hit my right leg from a diagonal angle, so that would mean my opponent is on my right! Figuring that, I pour my Source into my left leg and kick sideways off the ground. I escaped the smokescreen, but little did I know that I jumped into another trap. My body is pulled into a net of strings attached to two trees parallel to each other. Something clicked, an explosion went off, the heat absorbed me in its embrace.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
¡
As I wait for Proxy to give me a chance, an explosion going off in the direction of the dead trees. That''s where Nunnal¨¦ went! Did something happen to her? If so, then I need to go and help her. But then I''d have to leave Proxy. I was set on helping him, so now that she''s in danger, I. . .
"Yo, Richard, what are you doing!?" Proxy asks me as he''s dodging Cade''s attacks. "Go check up on Nunnal¨¦! I''ll be fine on my own, so just get going already!"
During a time where he needs to focus, he was paying attention to what I should do, more so than what he should be focusing on. But, no part of me wants to disagree with him, even if Proxy is going to be alone on this he''s still strong in his own right, so there''s no reason to be concerned for him, I know he''ll be fine!
"All right, I''ll leave you to this, you better not get killed!"
"Course, who do you think you''re telling that to?"
¡
I run through the forest with the rusted sword in my hand. The deeper I go into the forest, the closer I am to the blast area. Eventually, I reached the area where the blast took place. Nunnal¨¦ is on the ground.
"Nunnal¨¦!"
I broke out into a sprint to go see if she was all right. Her clothes are singed, not too bad but it seems to have done damage to her. Luckily, her skin is alright. There was another wound on her leg as well, it seems like something pierced it. Regardless, I needed to heal her, even if I''m not good at it, I can still try.
"Nunnal¨¦ can you hear me? Nunnal¨¦!"
"Master Richard," she whispered.
"Thank God, are you okay?"
"I have a natural resistance to fire and explosives, but I was still hurt in the end. You have to leave me, the enemy is still here."
"I don''t see them anywhere."
"I can sense them, they are still nearby. Run, I''ll hold them off."
"Don''t be stupid, you''re hurt, if you fight as you are now you''ll get killed."
"That''s fine by me."
"Not by me!"
She isn''t going to budge no matter my reasoning unless I commanded her. I don''t want to, so I guess we''re going to do this the hard way. I carefully pick her up from the ground, putting her on my back.
"Hold on tight, we''re getting out of here."
"But master."
"No buts, I''d feel terrible if I left you, that''s it."
She¡¯s pretty light so carrying her would be easy, even for me.
"Master, jump forward," she commanded me, urging me to do so.
Like a bullet speeding out of a gun, I leap forward. On the spot, there is an arrow sticking into the ground. I trace it back to where it came from. Somebody is standing on the tree behind us, they fire another arrow as I run off with Nunnal¨¦. The adrenaline nulled any exhaustion I built up, my legs are beginning to hurt as I run for my life. The archer is quick to keep up with me. He would shoot arrows in front of me before I would get to the spot. My best bet is to stay behind trees away from him as I run, anything less than that would get me killed. However, the archer is a crack shot as he can make shots that nearly hit me, even if I am a couple of yards away from him. As the arrow is about to find its mark Nunnal¨¦ blocks it with her arm, taking a hit for me.
"You idiot! Why did you do that!?"
"Master, get closer to the archer, I have a plan."
"But what about your wounds?"
"My body heals on its own. Allow me to deal with the archer, if not, you will die."
She¡¯s right, I won¡¯t make it to the village alive with the archer on my back, and even if I do, that makes two enemies Proxy would have to fight. If Nunnal¨¦ has a plan, then I have no choice but to listen to it, however. . .
"Can you do it without hurting yourself?"
"Yes."
"Okay then, what is it?"
Nunnal¨¦ whispers her plan of attack. I kept running, getting a tad closer to our enemy as well.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
Betting everything on Nunnal¨¦, I take a large leap forward, at the same time, putting my back towards the archer.
"Go!"
At the drop of a hat, Nunnal¨¦ jumps off my back with a kick that pushes me to the ground. Quickly jerking my head around, Nunnal¨¦ zoomed toward the archer faster than they could react, getting a good slice in with her sword. She did it!
"Nunnal¨¦ way to. . ."
My words fell short as her body is about to crash to the ground. My body moves on its own to catch her, but I¡¯m not fast enough.
"Nunnal¨¦!"
I plop next to her.
"Master, did I best the enemy?" Nunnal¨¦ asks, her voice taking on a weak tone.
"Yeah, you did."
I go over to check up on the downed enemy. He has a large slash mark on his chest, blood is coming out like soda when you shake the bottle.
"I''ll finish her now."
Nunnal¨¦ has her sword out to kill. I immediately stop her.
"Don''t do that!"
"She''s an enemy?"
"Because- wait, she?"
"Indeed, she has the figure of a woman and the build of one."
She has a good eye for detail. Hang on, that''s beside the point.
"You just can''t, I forbid you to kill people!"
Nunnal¨¦ glances at me with a plain but confused gaze. She lowers her sword to her hip, having it disappear soon after.
"Understood, I shall not kill our adversaries."
Thank goodness I was able to put that fire out, but there¡¯s another problem. I put my attention over to our downed opponent, she is still bleeding heavily...
"Nunnal¨¦, I''m gonna heal her."
"Why?"
"Cause she''s going to die if I don''t, so I need to."
I crouch down next to her chest. I begin the process to heal. The first thing I do is change the properties of my Source, this is achieved by concentrating and commanding it what to do. It takes a bit, but I''m able to do it with some force of will. Of course, I inflict some strain on myself by doing this, I can feel as if something is about to tear apart inside of me the moment I activated my Source. Whenever I heal a wound, it would be a small one, it still takes me a bit of force to get my Source going but it never felt like I strained myself. But healing a large wound like this feels complicated, exhausting, tiresome. It also feels like if I kept doing it I would break something inside myself - something crucial. Not only that but it feels as if I¡¯m being pushed back against a stream! At this rate, I don¡¯t know if my mind will snap or my soul!
"Master!" Nunnal¨¦ put her hand on my shoulder, disturbing me and interrupting the healing process. "You''re pushing yourself, you''ll hurt yourself if you go any further," she tells me in her monotone speech. She¡¯s right, I desperately try to catch my breath. Any more and I might hurt myself, no, hurt wouldn¡¯t describe it; maybe I could¡¯ve died!? Looking back at our opponent, I stop the bleeding but the wound isn''t closed.
"Nunnal¨¦, can you walk?"
"Yes, the wound on my leg is almost healed so I¡¯ll be able to walk."
"Good, then let''s go back to the village quickly."
"Understood."
After picking up the girl we ran back to the village. I had an idea in mind, a way to end this fight and find Marie. Though I can''t say I like it but it¡¯s better than nothing.
The Delinquent runs wild - part 13
Another slash comes my way, I avoid it like the other attacks. This tedium is beginning to weigh on me as that''s all I''ve been doing since the fight began. I¡¯m growing tired of just dodging these attacks and waiting for an opening. I need to make my own. As soon as I¡¯m able to gain a bit of space I press my foot to the ground and wait for Cade to come closer. He came to me with no idea what I was about to do. As he readies a slash attack I kick upward, sending the dust below my feet into his eye.
"Damn it!"
There! I hit him with a quick mixup then took the time to disarm him. I throw his knives off to the side.
"No weapons, just fists!"
Cade clears up his eyes, immediately going for a punch soon after. His form is mediocre at best. If anything, this is an advantage. I easily avert the attack, landing one of my own shortly after. I follow through with a low kick to the side of his knee. He buckles from the attack, my left fist zooms toward his face, I feel my knuckles press against his jaw. My next attack will finish this. Cade picks up a lance from behind himself. I back upright as he swings it.
"Looking tired Proxy," Cade points out.
"Not even close, but you don''t look all that hot yourself," I quip back at him.
"Well, you know me," he trails off as he pulls out some more knives from his belt. ". . .Gotta keep on pushing."
At least he still has his good spirits, but I could tell that it was forced. He really is ready to kill me without any remorse if I give him the chance. His knives are what makes him dangerous, so if I want to win I''m gonna have to disarm him then strike as fast and as hard as I can. Aside from that, I need to locate where Marie is.
"Is Marie in this village," I asked Cade, who strolls closer to me.
"She is."
"You do realize I''m gonna get her, one way or the other, right?"
"I still don''t feel like telling you where."
"You know you wanna."
"Sorry but she''s not going anywhere."
"All right, I get it, you don''t wanna give her to me. I just wasted time trying to talk this out, so why don''t we go back to fighting."
Speeding off towards my enemy, I grab a rusted sword off the ground. Making the first attack, I go for his head but he saw it coming and ducks under it. He then sweeps my legs while bringing down his knife toward my side. To counter, I firmly plant one hand on the ground to support myself so I can kick the arm that''s holding the knife. I repel the attack and gain some distance but we engage back into combat shortly after. Each move was made to keep chaining more and attacks. Little by little, I¡¯m controlling the flow of this fight. A dagger went past my cheek, cutting it open. The pain barely registers to me as I keep going for a decisive shot. Then, as if luck was on my side, Cade goes at my neck with both daggers. My body instinctively crouches to avoid the attack; Cade is left open for an attack. Not wanting to waste it, my leg shoots up like a cannonball. The kick successfully connects with his chin. I promptly back up in preparation for my next attack. As I hop into the air I spin forward to build momentum for a kick that lands against Cade¡¯s face, resulting in his body being smacked to the ground. Landing back on the ground, my right leg slides against the ground. Cade is taking a dirt nap while I caught my breath.
"I didn''t want to fight you Cade but you gave me no choice.¡±
Now that he''s down it''s time for me to find Marie. As I¡¯m about to begin my search, a sudden, sharp, cold, and painful feeling formed in my leg. I bite down the urge to scream my lungs out. An object is stuck in my leg, one of Cade''s daggers. He rises soon after.
"That was a pretty good attack you made Proxy. But I think I should be frank: we should end this dance now."
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! This pain is so unbelievable, it''s unlike anything I''ve felt before! I''ve been hit with bats, cut with knives, but this, this was so goddamn unbearable!
"I was serious by what I said, I''m out for blood, you shouldn''t have gone soft on me."
Soft? I was trying my best to beat him, I held nothing back!
"Sorry, but now you''ll have to resign to your fate," Cade tells me, his cold expression intimidated me to my core. I never knew I could be scared like this, why am I scared, why does he scare me?
"Not. . .a huge fan of that fate thing."
I didn''t have an idea as to how to get out of this situation. There''s got to be a way, come on, figure it out!
"That''s enough."
Just as I was looking around, I saw someone behind Cade. He notices them as well. The black hair, tall body, it was Marie!
"Marie!"
"You want me dead, right? So just kill me, leave him out of it, okay?"
"Seriously, why are you giving up so easily!?"
"Cause, this was a long time coming. I knew someday that someone would come and kill me for what I did. Truth be told, I wanted someone to kill me for it, maybe a victim of my actions? Either way, this was something I wanted to happen, so please, don''t get killed over me, Proxy; it¡¯ll be pointless. . .But you know, I am glad you made an effort."
Like that, Marie is ready to accept her punishment by Cade''s hand. I sure as shit ain''t going to let that happen.
¡°WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE!¡± I got everyone¡¯s attention. As I try to get back up on my feet, the dagger slightly moves, causing even more pain to surge through my leg. It hurt far more than Hollywood said that it would, that''s for goddamn sure!
". . .I didn''t only come here for you, I came here cause I promised Alex I would bring you back!" I could hear a gasp escape her mouth.
"But why would he?"
"You think he would let you die? He would''ve come here himself if he didn''t need to take care of the mess that Cade and his friends left behind at the camp."
"What do you mean?"
"They went and burned the campgrounds, probably after you were taken."
"What!?"
She jumps at the mention of the incident.
"That''s why I''m here, to save you because I want to, and so I can avenge our group. I might''ve left, but I won''t let anyone mess with the anti-bandit army and get away with it. So don¡¯t you give up, damn it! No matter what you feel or say, even if you hate yourself, either way, you''re coming back with me."
My declaration is heard but Cade gave a light scoff in response. Marie however is crying. She attempted to hide it but it was no use; she was bad at doing so.
¡°. . .You guys are so. . .Even as I destroyed villages, killed innocent people, you guys still want to save me!?¡±
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
¡°That doesn¡¯t matter now, you¡¯re our ally!¡±
Marie continued to let her tears flow but she was getting a grip on herself. My mind focuses back on Cade, who didn''t utter a word, he just went off with a dagger in hand at Marie. This was bad, I can''t catch up in time with this knife in my leg. Taking it out wouldn''t solve a thing, it would only worsen it.
"Marie, run for it!"
She staggers as she steps back. Not good, I need to get up before she''s killed. The knife was the thing inhibiting my movement, taking it out would make more blood leak out, but I could throw it at him! Steeling myself, I jerk out the dagger from my leg. I howled as the pain intensified, my eyesight went red. Pain screamed throughout my mind. Despite the incredible pain, I quickly lined up my sight of Cade and threw the blade at him. It went flying at his back. I was sure the blade was going to hit him, but he turned his whole body and slashed at the thing mid-air. Both my eyebrows rose in shock. There was nothing else I could do, I had nothing on me to use. My heart beats like a drum, my leg beating as well. She needs to run, fight, do something, anything!
"Marie, move!"
My echo spreads out throughout the village. As if my pleas for her to run were answered, a sword went flying like a fighter jet into the ground in front of Cade. He backs up from the blade. From the right, Nunnal¨¦ and Richard slowly walked as Richard held Puck.
"You bastards, what did you do to her," Cade shouts, let emotion reign over his previous cold demeanor.
"She''s still alive but we can kill her if you attempt to hurt our allies."
Cade froze up, his body shaking with rage. Nunnal¨¦''s threat looms over him, restricting him from fighting.
"You should also know that she has a severe wound on her chest that should be treated immediately. I suggest you retreat."
Nunnal¨¦ has all the cards in her hands. Cade''s gaze was nothing short of disgust, anger, and frustration. He could go either way at this point. He lowers his weapons, holstering them.
"Let Puck go," he says with a defeated tone. ". . .I''ll leave if you put her down."
Richard gently put Puck to the ground. Nunnal¨¦ has her eye on Cade. He approaches Puck, who is in front of Nunnal¨¦ and Richard. He picks up Puck, carefully lifting her while shooting his gaze at Marie. He turned his attention to me, his stare sent shivers down my spine. It was as if he was going to kill me with his eyes alone. However, he simply walks off into the dead trees, slowly leaving my sight. My body drops to the ground, all my strength is slowly being sapped away from my body as blood flows out. Richard breaks into a dash towards me.
"Proxy, your leg!"
"Yeah, hurts like hell.¡±
"We have to get it treated! Don''t move too much or else it''ll get worse."
In a panic, Richard begins to heal me while scolding me about pulling the knife out of my body without a way to patch it afterward. Of course, I didn''t listen since I had a good reason to. Nunnal¨¦ looks worse for wear as well. Marie for the duration of my healing session was standing a good way away from us. I didn''t think much of it since I was focused on Richard healing my wound, slowly closing the wound. By the time he was done, it was the afternoon. On the way home, we were quiet as to what transpired in the run-down village. Marie sat in the passenger car with Nunnal¨¦. The drive back home was quite the awkward one, for me and Marie. When I remember that place, Cade''s furious face came to mind. I don''t think I''ll ever get it out of my head for as long as I live.
Anti-bandit army camp, morning
Returning to the camp, the burned tents are being disposed of, as well as anything that was burned in the fire. Everyone was lined up left and right in a single file line. Alex was quietly sitting over at the stone slab, his sword in hand. Yikes, I think he might be ready to slay or something! But, I did say he could cast judgment on me, so if he wants me dead I can''t do anything about that. Though, I won''t go quietly.
"Looks like I got the royal treatment," I say to break the tension.
"What''s going on," Marie inquires.
"Don''t worry, this is about me and Alex."
I walk up to him by myself, my nerves aren''t as stressed as they were before, I had no reason for them to be, I brought this on myself. Approaching Alex, I¡¯m starting to feel a bit relaxed for some unknown reason; guess he just has that effect.
"You asleep?"
It took a few seconds for him to explain as he kind of bobbed his head up.
"No, I was quietly waiting for your arrival."
"Come on, I heard you snoring."
"R-really?"
"So you were asleep?"
I was just joking but holy crap, that kind of killed this serious mood. Alex''s face soon turned serious, changing the topic back into the main one at hand.
"Proxy, about what you said earlier this morning?"
"Yeah, I remember. I need to make this up to you, everything that happened so far is my fault."
"You want me to judge you?"
"Some people might think I have no sense of responsibility in me but that''s not true. This is bigger than a prank or a goof, I could''ve gotten someone killed; hell, Marie almost bit the bullet because of me."
"So you admit that these incidents are your fault?"
"Yeah."
Alex stood up from the stone made seat.
"Okay then, Proxy, I''ll judge you."
"Wait, brother!"
Marie interjects as she runs up to us.
"It''s okay, Marie, I''m okay with whatever Alex comes up with as punishment."
"But what happened here isn''t your fault, it''s mine as well. So if anyone''s going to be judged, let it be me."
"This is only about-"
"Fine - you can be judged too."
"What?"
My bewilderment goes unnoticed as Marie steps up beside me. Alex takes his gaze at both of us.
"Are you two ready," he asks us.
"Yeah," Marie solemnly answered.
"You, Proxy?"
He cast his gaze upon me. Honestly, I''m not okay with Marie getting punished after all the trouble I went through to save her, but these two are pretty stubborn, so bringing that up would do no good.
"Sure," I sigh to myself as I get over the bit of frustration I have.
"If both parties have agreed, then. . ."
This was it, he was going to dish out some hurt. I made two promises, one that he would judge me, and the other to get Richard home. I¡¯m not planning on breaking either, so the moment he tries to swing his sword down on me or Marie, I''ll. . .
"Huh?"
Without warning, Alex grabs Marie and me by the head and brings us close to his chest. Huh, huh? What the heck?
"I''m so glad you both are okay."
He¡¯s hugging us with all his might, nearly squeezing our heads. The pain is barely registering to me since I¡¯m too dumbfounded about what was happening. Marie is just as confused as I am.
"Why are you hugging us?"
"Cause I was worried about you two, why else?"
Such a plain answer, but that plain answer is unexpected. I was ready to fight my way out of here with Richard and Nunnal¨¦, but this. . .
"Why were you worried about me," I ask him, frustrated by the result.
"Do I need a reason?"
That answer annoyed me. How could he be?
"After everything I did, why would you care about me, even I wouldn''t care for what would happen to me!"
"But I don''t feel that way. As far as I see it, none of it was your fault. How would you be able to know that Cade would do any of this?"
"Because I knew that he wanted to kill her, and I almost helped him. So I should be responsible for it!"
"Be that as it may, you didn''t do it, so how can I judge you for it? If anything, it speaks of not only about your sense of judgment, but your morality, as well as a testament to our friendship. So as they say, "no harm, no foul."
I¡¯m left speechless, how can he just write it off like that. It''s so nonsensical. Honestly, I can not believe this guy; I know about being easy-going but this is just ridiculous. But looking at Alex''s smile, I can''t argue against it. I just slump my shoulders.
"You''re...you''re right, I guess I can''t blame myself, there''s no way I could''ve known Cade would take it this far. I wanted to believe that he wouldn¡¯t, but I didn¡¯t know how far he was willing to go, there was no way for me to know."
It felt as if a weight was lifted from me when I said that.
"So, are we good Proxy," he asks with a big goofy grin.
"Yeah, we''re good."
"Good, that being said, I need to punish you two still."
"With what?"
"Easy. You two will help dispose of all the destroyed goods, including tents, food, and weapons burned in the fire. You will also cook everyone the finest food, pick up materials so new clothes can be made, as well as wash dirty clothes." So that''s our punishment? ". . .But I also have more conditions for you, Proxy. Your punishment is that you have to join back with us!" So that''s my special punishment? ". . .and you''ll need to do some mandatory swordplay sessions with me! This is your punishment."
With a charming smile, he sums up my punishments as he puts out his hand. "What do you say?" This is just too much, so much that I couldn''t control myself. I couldn''t help but laugh. Loud and uncontrollable, I keep on laughing, clutching my stomach all the while. Eventually, I calmed myself down.
"God, Alex, you''re something else. I can''t believe it. All right, I''ll serve out my punishment; I''ll clean until this place is spotless, and I''ll cook until you''re all full, and I''ll make sure you don¡¯t regret recruiting me!"
"I know I won''t."
I shake his hand with pride. His grip was strong but mine isn¡¯t lacking in strength either. I mean it, I won¡¯t make him regret having me!
The Delinquent runs wild - Finale
Outside the anti-bandit camp - night
Outside, Marie and I were getting rid of the ruined items and tents. We had to start a fire to burn all these to ashes. Though it was my idea, Marie rejected it at first, only to come around when she realized it was faster. We were halfway done with all the garbage disposal.
"Proxy wanna take a break," Marie asks as she wiped the sweat off her forehead.
"Sure, my body is dying here." We take a seat on the plain grass. The night is quiet, the fire continues to crackle behind us. "Marie, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"When Cade took you, what did you think would happen?"
"I thought I would die, what else?"
"Didn''t you think anyone would come to get you?"
¡°I was taken without anyone knowing, so I didn¡¯t. Though, I thought maybe Alexander would, even if it sounded impossible."
He should''ve been the one to save her, me being there for him felt weird.
". . .But seeing you there - fighting for me - was a shock to the system. Why did you come to save me? I thought you hated me?"
"I don''t hate you, it''s just. . .You remind me of Birch when you scold me or nag at me. He''s been my caretaker since I was young. Before I met him, my life was nagging free. Sure, the police and teachers would try to tell me off but I didn''t care what they thought. But when he busted me for the first time it was different; he never tried to act tough, or high and mighty, he just sat me down and asked me about myself and why I did such a thing. Whenever he busted me, we went on talking about meaningless stuff while he scolded me. One day after he interrogated me, he asked if I wanted to get something to eat."
"That''s nice of him."
"You would think, but he told me that if I accepted his offer I had to wash off the graffiti I painted. So of course, I rejected his offer, however, I remembered I didn''t get the chance to go to the store to pick up anything to eat, so it was only a matter of time before I would starve and he knew it as well."
"Let me guess, you took him up on his offer?"
"Yep, soon after that day, I was cleaning a 12-yard wall, from morning to sunset, while he was sitting there, watching me do it."
"He was there that long with you?"
"Had a chair, magazine-"
"What''s a magazine?"
"That''s not important, the point is: he was ready for the long haul. But you know, he didn''t mock me or anything during the cleanup, rather, he told me that I did a good job and invited me over for dinner again. It was two times that I got to be included in a dinner with people; me, him, and his daughter - Lauren - would always sit at the dinner table, talking, bickering, and having fun in general. Honestly, I forgot that long ago; I only remembered it recently."
It felt like that memory was buried under rubble for a good while, I''m only now uncovering it from the debris.
"That sounds pleasant, but what about your parents? What did they think?"
"I don''t have any, it''s been like that for as long as I was alive."
"Oh, I''m sorry," she whispered an apology, facing away from me.
"It''s alright, I''m not disturbed by not having any. Though, I can''t wholeheartedly say that I''m not bothered by it. Lately, I''ve been kind of jealous of you and Alex; you both have each other''s back and everything. You both have no parents either, and yet, you two are there for each other. It kind of makes me wish I had a brother or sister."
"I see. . .It must not be fun being on your own, is that why you do pranks and other rebellious things?"
"I guess, when I first did, it was fun, it helped me forget anything that bothered me and allowed me to have fun. But it eventually got boring as well."
There was a period where I just felt unsatisfied, of course, fighting made up for it, but half the time I was fighting opponents that weren''t worth my time.
". . .You know, I started doing it again after Richard and I began to hang out with each other."
"Is that so, then it sounds like you only wanted to do it after you had a friend to do it with."
"Huh?"
"Think about it: when Richard came along with you, didn''t you start to have fun?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah, I was."
"And let me ask you this: why do you think Birch cared to catch you when you did something bad?"
"It was his job?"
"That too, but no. He did it because he wanted to talk to you as a kid."
"Really?"
"Think of it this way, I saved you from the castle guards the other day since I cared enough to do so, so if he was willing to feed you to a family dinner in his own home, then he has to care about you in a capacity."
I never thought of it like that before, I always thought he thought of me as a pain in the ass, but now that I think about it, I never asked why he puts up with me? It would be easier for him if he just had some other officer deal with me. Does he actually care about me? He''s never really angry with me when he has to deal with me and Richard.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
¡°I thought he only saw me as a pain in the ass, granted I am, so it puzzles me as to why he puts up with me. But now that you put it out there like that, that he might actually care about me, even though I put up a lot of trouble for him. I''m relieved but I also feel guilty."
"It''s like that for all parents, their children might be a pain, but that doesn''t matter to them in the end; they continue to care for them anyway."
"Well, I wouldn''t say we''re like father and son but I think it might be somewhere close to that. Thanks, Marie, for helping to find a different spin on things."
"Don''t mention it. We should get back to work though."
"All right then, I''m fully charged and ready to go!"
¡°Then let¡¯s do this!¡±
We get up from the ground and get the other trash. As I look forward I can see someone coming over to us, they¡¯re dragging something as they make their way toward us.
"Is that. . ." Marie trails off
"Yep."
It¡¯s Richard, he¡¯s dragging another tent over to us.
"Hey, guys.¡±
"Sup, buddy. What are you doing out here?"
"I wanted to help."
"But you don''t have to," Marie says.
"I was up thinking that you two might be having trouble, so I got up and got what I could carry."
"See, that''s my partner in crime."
"No crime!"
"You can barely carry the tent," Marie points out.
"Of course I can''t."
"Hehe, weak arms," I mock him.
"Shut up, I''m trying here okay!"
" Why didn''t you bring Nunnal¨¦?"
"I thought it would be good for her to rest, no need for her to do something like this."
"What a gentleman, " Marie said with a snooty voice. Richard is blushing like a fair maiden.
"What''s wrong with that!"
"Nothing, nothing at all. But would the gentleman like some Grey Poupon?"
"You know what, I don''t have to take this."
"Come buddy, I was only joking."
I chased after Richard for a bit to say sorry to him, but he kept walking farther away from me. Eventually, we got to work on throwing the rest of the garbage out of the camp. A stray thought came to me as we were finishing up, one that I didn''t think of until now: is anyone looking for me? If so, I hope they don''t wait for too long. . .
Newport - Birch residents - midnight
Midnight had struck, the street lights outside are still on, most people in the neighborhood were fast asleep. However, a certain detective was not.
". . .Are you sure? All right, tell me if you get any updates on his case, even if it''s minuscule keep me informed."
He hung up the phone, throwing it onto the couch in his small office as sat on it.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. His frustration was beginning to get to him.
"Dad." A girl''s called from his door. It was Lauren, she had a cup of coffee in her hand.
"What are. . .Actually, nevermind."
"I just can''t get any sleep."
She walked over to him, giving him the cup.
"Thanks, haven''t been getting much sleep myself lately."
"I can see that." The bags under his eyes were visible to his daughter and so were hers. "So, that call was a bust too?"
"What did I say a bit eavesdropping?"
"Sorry but I want to be in on the loop as well."
His idea to protest against her wants was a waste of time. Birch knew that Lauren was conducting her own research into Proxy and Richard''s disappearance via internet forums, or reaching out to people who worked there that night. However, there weren''t that many leads considering anyone that was there that night are currently stuck in the hospital. Nobody died that night but they''re all are stuck in a comatose state. There were destroyed seats and some blood was found at the scene. It belonged to Proxy. Birch¡¯s first thought was that he was fighting someone but it wasn''t a certain idea, rather, it was just an idea he wanted to believe; there was too little blood to say that he was killed, so he was optimistic that Proxy and Richard got away somehow. From a logical standpoint, it doesn''t make sense, if they had escaped then they would''ve been home or would''ve called. Despite that reasoning, he wanted to believe that Proxy got out of there with Richard somehow.
"No luck whatsoever, a friend of mine - a private investigator - tried to search around the opera house, but he wasn''t able to get inside. Police aren''t allowing him in, which makes sense, but they aren''t letting me in either; saying that nobody is allowed to go inside anymore."
"Wait, why?"
"I don''t know, higher-ups are keeping a shut lip about it."
"What a pain!"
"Tell me about it, almost next to no new info is coming out about what happened in there. They''re chalking it up to a gas leak, but that doesn''t sit well with me, it contradicts something described at the crime scene. A few seats were destroyed."
"I see, so that would indicate some sort of destructive force like someone did that."
"Exactly, but they''re denying any possibility that it was an attack."
This whole situation was weird, they''re having me tackle different cases rather than the one at the opera house. I''m suspecting my superiors are trying to keep me away from it. Bringing attention to that fact however would do me no good, my attempts would be met with push back, and that might bring light upon my secret investigation into the opera house. So for now, I need to keep my head down while doing so.
"Lauren, has anyone asked where Proxy or Richard is?"
"Yeah, that red-haired kid who keeps trying to jump him."
"Really?"
"There are also a few of my friends, but that''s it."
"Don''t let them know he''s gone missing, give anyone that asks an excuse."
"I already did, I said he''s gone to boot camp with Richard."
"Heh."
"What?"
"Nothing, it''s just I can''t imagine Proxy in boot camp, he''s too much of a wild spirit to change that easily. Plus, can you see him in the army?"
Lauren and Birch took a second to visualize Proxy acting as an army man. The thought made both of them chuckle aloud. It was a ridiculous thought but one that brought levity to the room. Lauren got up from the couch.
"Dad, I''m going to go do more research on their disappearance, you get some rest."
"No, I''m the one who needs to, you just need to get some sleep, going to be starting high school soon, you should start going to sleep regularly now."
"Okay, I''ll go to sleep."
"I mean it."
"So do I."
Lauren quietly walked downstairs and down into the basement as that is where she spends most of her time either going on the internet, playing games, or sleeping while doing both. Birch was left to himself. He was ready to call it a night, however, his mind urged him to investigate a little more. Throughout the night, he devoted his time to his secret investigation. He knew that it could lead to a dead end. That didn''t matter to him, even if there was a bit of blood at the scene, even if it makes no sense how he disappeared without a trance, he''ll still deny the possibility of his death until his body has been found cold and lifeless. He prays that will never be the case.
"Proxy, I''ll find you and Richard, I swear it!"
A ball and teacups - part 1
8/23 - Selena''s castle - afternoon
Proxy is juggling a stone in his hands while sitting on the ground. I¡¯m sitting at a table in Selena¡¯s courtyard. I¡¯m sitting across from Selena sipping tea from a rather elegant teacup. We came here with Quincy, as well as Nunnal¨¦, who forced herself on coming with us. Selena finally put her teacup down with a flourish.
"That doll truly makes dull tea," she bitterly commented.
"Excuse me, but can we. . .?¡±
"Yes, yes, we may continue with our conversation, child."
So far we were discussing things that happened to me using Source this far. She was willing to tell me where I went wrong in my usage during the battle with the archer in the dead trees. Right now, I want to get to the main topic at hand, something crucial. . .
"Please, I want you to teach me how to use my Source better," I plead.
"I decline.¡±
"Why?"
"I gave you material on what Source is. If you carefully analyze the material you''ll come to an understanding of how to use your attribute. I made sure to give you a book on that and nothing more."
I went quiet for a second, taking a moment to build up some courage. Breaking the news won''t be fun.
"Selena. . .about that book you gave me, it''s gone."
"Excuse me?"
"They burned up."
"How," Selena inquired, breaking her lady-like composure.
"Somebody attacked our camp and the books happened to be caught in the fire."
Selena is visibly frustrated, however, despite her frustration she takes up her tea again, trying to regain her composure.
"I am so sorry!"
She sighs to herself. "I guess I can''t fault you for an unforeseen event. Very well, I''ll teach you something."
I stand up straight, giving her my undivided attention. She raises both her hands.
¡°If I clap my hands what came from it?"
A riddle? It isn''t too hard to figure out what would happen, but she said what would come from it, so.
"You would''ve put your hands together," Proxy answers.
"Please allow the people with a modicum of a brain cell to speak.¡±
"You runt!"
"Sound," I answer.
"Yes, the sound would''ve been produced from my clap. It would echo throughout the area like a ripple that echoes through water after a pebble enters it. For a better example, visualize what flows through your body?"
"Blood?"
"You truly are a bright example of your world''s youth."
"What about me," Proxy asks.
"The less said about the unfortunate, the better."
"What does that even mean?"
"Nothing, simply ignore me."
As Proxy got up from the ground to get an answer out of her, Selena teleports him somewhere else.
"Where did you move him?"
"Don''t worry about him. Richard, my book was burned while under your care."
"I thought you forgave that?"
"I can say it wasn''t your fault but I must have compensation."
"Um, I don''t have anything of worth on me."
"Oh, is that so, whatever shall you do then?"
Crap, I''m in between a rock and a hard place, what am I going to do? Selena is looking at me, she doesn''t look furious, but I can''t tell if she¡¯s just hiding it extremely well, or she''s not at all. Either way, she is expecting me to give her something, something I don''t have.
"Um, I..."
"Alas, you probably don''t have anything to give, then I''ll pardon you, but I won''t teach you anything about proper Source control."
"Are you kidding me, but without you, I might never be able to control it properly."
"Not my problem, you should''ve read the contents of my book with thorough eyes."
I want to complain that it wasn''t fair but that would be falling on deft ears. Selena is the only one who could teach me anything about how to use my powers. Nunnal¨¦ was a no go since she doesn''t know how to help humans control theirs; she said she can just do it like it''s another muscle in her body. The only Source user I know is Legion, and I have no idea where he''s at. There was nothing else to be gained talking here, I might as well give up for the day.
"Okay, I guess that''s fair, even if it wasn''t my fault, that book were in my care."
I got up from my seat, pushing it in. "Thank you for the tea."
"Wait, child. . ."
I stop next to her as she calls me.
"Have you ever felt Source before?"
"Before coming to this world, never."
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
"Odd, even if you never used it before you would at least have a modicum of awareness of it," Selena mumbled to herself.
". . .I have been able to feel how people feel though, and I don''t mean by reading their faces and body language, I mean like having a hint of what someone means behind their words."
"Not by tone?"
"No, like, a feeling that I pick up."
Selena goes back to mumbling to herself again. "Richard, by chance: do you have an item on you that emits Source?"
"Huh?"
"Do you?"
"I don''t think I do."
"I see, well, in that case, ignore that stray thought." She hops out of the chair, gently pushing it in. "Well then, I hope this concludes any questions you may have for today?"
"It does. However, I need to ask: what can I give you as compensation?"
"It should be easy, but do tell, why are you desperate? You have the doll with you, so you wouldn''t need to learn how to use Source."
"That''s true, but Nunnal¨¦ isn''t immortal nor invincible, she can be wounded and so can I and Proxy. If I could make better use of my power, I''ll be able to prevent something like that."
Selena smirks as if she is pleased by my response. "Is that so? I guess I can''t fault you for thinking in such a manner."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Guardians usually are kind spirits that wish to protect those around themselves, even if it means risking death," Selena explains.
"So attributes are related to personality types?"
"It''s simpler to identify a person''s character based on their attributes. For example, Elemental Prime users will be stronger with the element they affinity with the most, however, if they were to have fire as their affinity, then that tells me they''re a strong spirited person, energetic about their pursuits. Some would call them as wild as the fire in their hearts."
Sounds a bit like Proxy.
"What''s my affinity?"
"Since you picked up healing rather than enhancing or detection, despite your handicap I''d say it''s healing. It''s only an assumption when using someone''s attribute as a way to identify them as a person, so it''s not a 100% guarantee. On the matter of your Source, if you''re forcing it to work, that means you learning anything else besides healing will be difficult in your current state."
"How so?"
"First of all, Guardians can enhance their body parts to make it stronger than usual, however, you won''t be able to make full use of it or your healing; whenever you heal it will be at a snail''s pace when in actuality you should be able to heal much faster since you have a good quality of Source."
"Quality?"
"Ah, I would tell you, but compensation awaits me."
Yep, this will definitely be a problem if I don''t pay her back somehow. In that case, I''ll just have to ask what she wants and-
"HEY!"
A loud voice booms from the back-end of the courtyard. It¡¯s Proxy and he looks like he¡¯s out for blood.
"Oh my, you look like a rabid cur"
"I''ll show you a cur, get over here, you loli!"
She teleports off her seat. She is standing on Proxy''s head. "My, my, your head makes for an excellent place to stand, though a bit light."
"Why you little!" Proxy flips backward to kick Selena but she teleports before his feet left the ground. She moves to the entrance of the courtyard into the castle. "Get back here, you runt!"
Proxy jumps over the table after Selena, who decided to play cat mouse with him. I sigh to myself, annoyed that Proxy just interrupted our conversation. No point in complaining about it now, might as well go and get everyone else and call it a day. Quincy is probably in the library with Nunnal¨¦. He wanted to read up on any information about the grimoire, Nunnal¨¦ suggested that she help him. Ever since he''s taken up an interest in the book, he''s been researching history on it nonstop. However, there are times when he gives up only to go back to it again, but only to give up again. Honestly, I can''t tell it''s just a form of rest or he''s just fickle?
While I cut through from the hallway into the lounge area, I take notice of a wooden cabinet. The wood is finely crafted, the edges were perfectly symmetrically, the corners look particularly shaved as to not be too sharp, and the glass was as clean as snow. The cups inside piqued my interest. They were neatly put next to one another, their designs are interesting, some having flower patterns, others having artistic designs as the cups themselves take on different shapes. Selena must be an avid collector of these types of cups. . . Wait a second!
An imaginary lightbulb went off in my head as my echo went throughout the castle. I have an idea as to how I can pay her back. "THAT''S IT!"
Kingdom of humans - afternoon
We are currently roaming around the kingdom streets, up in the more fancy section of town. Richard brought us to search through the town for a store that sold teacups. So far, we have found zero candidates for Richard''s interests. Quincy was helping with the evaluations as to whether the cups were great or not. We just got through with our fifth store so far. I yawn as I grow bored with this.
"Can we go home already," I ask Richard.
"Come on, we only have three more left."
"Three more!? Gah, we''ll never get done with this!"
"Have patience, the next two we''re going to are close to each other," Quincy assures me.
"But you guys take forever to get through with them."
"Just hang in there, okay,"
Richard says like a mother trying to calm their kid.
"Yeah, yeah. . ."
As we walked on, my eyes were caught on how the people dressed all fancy, some were getting ornaments ready. I wasn''t paying attention to it before but some stores were closing early up here; everyone at the lower level was getting their booths ready in the plaza.
"What''s going on with everyone up here and down on the lower level?"
"Tonight is the anniversary festival: it always happens on the 23 of the 8th Imperial numbers. During that time, people of the lower part of the kingdom close their shops early and spend time with friends and family alike, partying, eating, and drinking to their heart''s content," Quincy explains as if reading off a passage from a book.
"That sounds like a fun time," I reply.
"Yes, but the nobles have their own party. Any highly regarded business owner, as well as respected merchants from outside the kingdom, are allowed to attend," Quincy adds on.
"How is the noble party?"
"I wouldn''t know, I don''t have a way to get in there. Albeit, Crow did invite me at one point while he was a doctor of the kingdom, but I never took him up on it. Looking back on it now, I should''ve gone."
"Wanted to party hard?"
"No, I would''ve been able to go into the castle library."
"Seriously?"
". . .I wonder what I could''ve taken before getting caught?"
"Dude, you would''ve been caught for a pretty stupid reason, and that''s saying something coming from me."
"It''s not like I wouldn''t have an exit strategy, besides, would you not do the same for an object of interest?"
"But I''m not a thief."
After half an hour, we finally got through with the last three stores. We were back at the steps for the lower level and the upper floor to the castle.
"Finally, we''re done!" I stretch my arms toward the sky.
"We found nothing." Richard sighs in defeat with his shoulders hanging low.
"Master Richard, are you sure that we didn''t find the right one? I shall go back and purchase it if you''d like?"
"No, it''s cool, I''m sure."
This was a waste, we circled the whole damn place and got nothing to show for it. I wonder if I can find a weapons shop out here seeing how I wasn''t able to find the sword I got when Cade and I took down a bandit camp together for the first time. After our fight with Cade, I went back with Nunnal¨¦ to get my stuff but their hideout was abandoned, their stuff was all gone, no weapons nor supplies were left behind. However, my jacket was still there, it was neatly folded up and the rips made in it were stitched up. Despite our opposition to each other they still cared to treat it well, expecting me to find it. Wearing it now made me feel a bit bad about how things turned out but that doesn''t mean I regret saving Marie; I just wished we could''ve talked it out is all.
"Hm?"
As my eyes wander I take notice of something near the stairs to the kingdom. Walking over to it, it was a signpost that said, "7th-anniversary Festival Ball competition reward". Looking at the bottom part of the pamphlet, I saw a detailed drawing of a cup, it was no ordinary cup, IT WAS A TEACUP! This wasn''t a waste after all.
"Hey guys, come here. I think I found our cup."
A ball and teacups - part 2
Kingdom of humans - afternoon
We are currently roaming around the kingdom streets, up in the fancy section of town. Richard has us searching through the town for a store that sells teacups. So far, we have found zero candidates for Richard''s interests. Quincy was helping with the evaluations as to whether the cups were great or not. We just got through with our fifth store so far. I yawn as I grow bored with this.
"Can we go home already," I ask Richard.
"Come on, we only have three more left."
"Three more!? Gah, we''ll never get done with this!"
"Have patience, the next two we''re going to are close to each other," Quincy assures me.
"But you guys take forever to get through with them."
"Just hang in there, okay,"
Richard says like a mother trying to calm their kid.
"Yeah, yeah. . ."
As we walked on, my eyes were caught on how the people dressed all fancy, some were getting ornaments ready. I wasn''t paying attention to it before but some stores were closing early up here; everyone at the lower level was getting their booths ready in the plaza.
"What''s going on with everyone up here and down on the lower level?"
"Tonight is the anniversary festival: it always happens on the 23 of the 8th Imperial numbers. During that time, people of the lower part of the kingdom close their shops early and spend time with friends and family alike, partying, eating, and drinking to their heart''s content," Quincy explains as if reading off a passage from a book.
"That sounds like a fun time," I reply.
"Yes, but the nobles have their party. Any highly regarded business owner, as well as respected merchants from outside the kingdom, are allowed to attend," Quincy adds on.
"How is the noble party?"
"I wouldn''t know, I don''t have a way to get in there. Albeit, Crow did invite me at one point while he was a doctor of the kingdom, but I never took him up on it. Looking back on it now, I should''ve gone."
"Wanted to party hard?"
"No, I would''ve been able to go into the castle library."
"Seriously?"
". . .I wonder what I could''ve taken before getting caught?"
"Dude, you would''ve been caught for a pretty stupid reason, and that''s saying something coming from me."
"It''s not like I wouldn''t have an exit strategy, besides, would you not do the same for an object of interest?"
"But I''m not a thief."
After half an hour, we finally got through with the last three stores. We were back at the steps for the lower level and the upper floor to the castle.
"Finally, we''re done!" I stretch my arms toward the sky.
"We found nothing." Richard sighs in defeat with his shoulders hanging low.
"Master Richard, are you sure that we didn''t find the right one? I shall go back and purchase it if you''d like?"
"No, it''s cool, I''m sure."
This was a waste, we circled the whole damn place and got nothing to show for it. I wonder if I can find a weapons shop out here seeing how I wasn''t able to find the sword I got when Cade and I took down a bandit camp together for the first time. After our fight with Cade, I went back with Nunnal¨¦ to get my stuff but their hideout was abandoned, their stuff was all gone, no weapons nor supplies were left behind. However, my jacket was still there, it was neatly folded up and the rips made in it were stitched up. Despite our opposition to each other they still cared to treat it well, expecting me to find it. Wearing it now made me feel a bit bad about how things turned out but that doesn''t mean I regret saving Marie; I just wished we could''ve talked it out is all.
"Hm?"
As my eyes wander I take notice of something near the stairs to the kingdom. Walking over to it, it was a signpost that said, "7th-anniversary Festival Ball competition reward". Looking at the bottom part of the pamphlet, I saw a detailed drawing of a cup, it was no ordinary cup, IT WAS A TEACUP! This wasn''t a waste after all.
"Hey guys, come here. I think I found our cup."
Anti-army camp, evening
"You want to go to the festival," Alexander repeats my request.
"Yeah," Proxy casually responds.
"Okay," he permits without batting an eye.
"No, Alexander, they''re asking to go into the castle, not just to the festival," Marie specified.
"We wouldn''t be going there without a reason," Proxy says to her. Marie is glaring at him with that "that''s not true" stare.
"Okay, maybe I would go for fun, but this is different."
¡°Why?"
"I need to get something from there, something important," I speak up.
"Let me guess, this year''s prize," Marie ganders a guess.
"This year''s?"
"They put a reward up every year for that ball. The winner gets to gloat that they got a trophy from the king. Heck, those awards can make a rich man even richer."
Proxy''s eyes beam after the rich comment.
"But why do you guys want to get it," Alex asks.
"We want to give it to Selena as a gift. Considering what she did for me, I feel as if I need to," Richard explains.
Alexander put his hand to his chin, pondering on what he should do. He finally decides after he snaps his fingers.
"Let''s all go to the festival," he proposes.
"Brother, you do realize that we can''t ALL go? Even with a doctor''s pass or a merchant''s pass, we can''t just simply stroll in there."
"You''re right sister, however, we could have Ms. Selena teleport us in there."
"I could, but why would I?" Her voice rings out all of a sudden. Turning my head toward Proxy, I see that she is standing on his head again. Proxy realizes this, he swings his fist upward but she teleports in front of us as he makes his swing.
"Hello, Witch of the Moonlight," Alexander greets her with the utmost respect.
"Oh my, such profound manners, surely someone could learn a lesson from your example."
I had to stop Proxy from trying to lash out against her as she looked at him.
"You brat!"
"Proxy, cool it, we need to be peaceful here!"
"Back to the topic at hand, why would I take you all into the kingdom," Selena poses her question.
"Yes, that''s a good question. If you take us, I''ll have Proxy take you to go collect the teacup you want," Alexander offers. Proxy gestures a "what the hell" by swinging his arms down.
"Is that so, and what would this teacup look like?"
"This." Proxy shows her the pamphlet he took from the kingdom. Selena perks up when she sees the cup''s design on the paper.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
"The design...! If this is truly the design, then I shall entertain the idea of taking you all there."
With that Proxy let out an excited battlecry. "Alright, everyone, we''re going to have a party at the kingdom!" He was getting the people in the camp hyped about the festival.
"Honestly, does that child have any decorum," Selena sighed to herself.
"I wouldn''t say he doesn¡¯t, it''s just the fact he''s easily excited. Most kids should be like that," Marie kindly says, excusing his child-like excitement.
"Be that as it may, I''ll be taking Proxy with me to the ball for the teacup, but I''ll be taking Richard as well."
"Then I''ll be going as well if you''re going," Nunnal¨¦ speaks up.
"You don''t have to if you don''t want to," I tell her.
"Is that an order?"
"No, I''m just asking you to not make yourself go if you don''t want to."
"It''s my duty to accompany you anywhere, ergo, I go where you go."
No matter how I go about it we''ll just go back in circles about this.
"If you''re going, then come here."
Marie drags Nunnal¨¦ off to her tent, meeting no resistance whatsoever.
"Richard, are you okay with going along with Selena," Alexander asks me.
"I am."
"Excellent, I suggest you get your people ready and make sure they stand in multiple file lines," Selena instructs Alexander.
"Understood." Alexander gets up from the stone seat to get everyone to line up in multiple rows. After some time had passed I went to Marie''s tent to see if she and Nunnal¨¦ were ready to leave. I stop short of going in.
"...Didn''t it hurt?" Marie asks out of the blue. I can feel that it carries concern.
"No," Nunnal¨¦ answers.
"But the way you got that wound for protecting him from such a monster, shouldn''t it hurt?"
"My body can sustain wounds and feel things but pain. It''s so we can be better tools."
"But that''s. . .You shouldn''t think or talk like that!"
"This is my prime purpose, it''s to protect my master. It''s just a matter of fact."
"Why do you call Richard that?"
"Cause he was the one who is worthy of my power, so I am bound to him by his Source to serve him no matter what, so I do as he commands, and that''s why I''ll sacrifice my own life to protect him; this wound is a testament to that."
Was she. . . The memory of Nunnal¨¦ being struck by the mon- I mean, Racheal''s dad floods my mind. The amount of blood she lost, the way she wasn''t able to stand up on her without her sword. I suddenly got hit with a sickening feeling. I feel sick just imagining it, that brutal, bloody scene! A girl of her stature fighting that monster, and for someone like me nonetheless, and not even complaining about. It made me feel like trash.
"Are you trying to peek on your doll getting changed?"
The voice makes me jump off my feet onto my back. Selena is giggling to herself with that royalty smug tone. I feel incredibly stupid.
"No, I was just trying to see Nunnal¨¦ was ready!"
"Oh, then why do you have such a sullen expression?"
"It''s nothing, I just remembered something troublesome."
"That would be?"
"I wouldn''t like to share."
"How dull. Very well, I shall not pry."
"Thanks."
"However, aren''t you curious about the doll''s body?" Selena asks with a delicate tone.
"W-what?" A heavy gulp went down my throat.
"Come now, surely a boy such as yourself is curious about the female body?"
"I-I don''t care for something such a thing!"
"It wouldn''t be indecent for a young man to explore the mysterious terrain known as the female body?"
My face is getting hotter as I think about Selena''s words. She crouches down as she gets closer to my ear.
"...Is she not well endowed?"
That was the trigger that caused me to jump up to my feet. As I fumble onto my feet while I botch my wording I tripped on myself, I fell backward into the tent as a result. Recognizing this, I shut my eyes before I had the chance to see anything.
"I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to spy on you guys, I only wanted to get Nunnal¨¦ since we''re about to leave, and-"
"Richard, you can open your eyes," Marie says, trying to calm me. Opening my eyes, I see that Nunnal¨¦ is dressed out of the dress she usually wears. She was wearing a casual long shirt dress that has white and light Lavender lines that blend. It has a strap where her torso met her elbows. The shirt dress also has a long skirt that ends at her shins. As an added detail, she is wearing a short jacket that is colored light purple mixed with some white.
"So, how does she look?"
"She looks good."
My embarrassment is through the roof as I realize that I made myself look like a complete idiot. Meanwhile, I can hear Selena laughing quietly outside the tent.
"Master Richard, do you need something?"
"What? Yes, I came to tell you to get ready, we''re about to leave."
"Understood."
Nunnal¨¦ went out of the tent ahead of me.
"Richard, were you listening to what we said," Marie asks with her arms on her hips.
"I''m sorry."
"No, it''s a good thing you were listening, I wanted to talk to you about Nunnal¨¦."
"What would that be?"
"Did you know she has three giant scars on her stomach?"
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, they healed better than expected when I first looked at it. At the time I thought she was going to die but the wounds started to heal on their own, and in no time she was on her feet as if nothing happened. I noticed she has another scar on her leg, it looks like one an arrow makes and another on her arm as well."
"Yeah, those were when we were fighting Cade''s group. She blocked an incoming arrow that was meant for me with her arm."
"That''s exactly my problem, she keeps putting herself in harm''s way for you."
"Yeah, I know."
"But why does she? Why does she act like that?"
"I. . ." She always goes on about how she has to fight for me and protect me. But why is she so adamant about serving me, she doesn''t even know if I''m worth sacrificing herself for. "I''m just as lost as you are as to why she''s like that, and to be honest with you, I don''t like it either. That''s why I''m trying to win that cup from the ball."
"What do you mean by that?"
I take the time to explain to Marie what my objective was, what Source is, and my reason as to getting that Teacup. . .
"I think I understand now, So that''s what you''ve been doing in the camp, I thought you had posture problems."
"I guess it makes me look stupid, but that''s the gist of it. I need Selena to teach me how to properly control my powers."
"Can''t you heal already?"
"I can, but I''m barely able to, all I can do efficiently is ease an area of the body in a couple of minutes. I could heal broken bones, but that depends on how badly damaged it is; remember when Proxy had a fracture in his arm, that took me an hour at best to heal completely."
"No wonder he was better in no time."
". . .But when I tried to close a big cut across one of the people that kidnaped you it stressed me out to the point where I felt like something in me was going to snap. During that moment, I was scared, yet intriuged to keep going. I don''t know if that was a good or a bad thing. Which is why I need Ms. Selena''s help."
"So if you can get that cup you can learn more from her?"
"Yeah, I grow stronger! I need to, so Nunnal¨¦ doesn''t have to get hurt for me anymore."
Again, the image of her bloody figure pops into my brain. I wince at the mere thought.
"Are you alright?" Marie put her hand on my shoulder.
"I''m fine, I just became lightheaded is all."
"You have a lot on your plate, huh?"
"I guess so."
My lightheadedness is quick to come and to go, but I still feel a bit tipsy from the sight of the memory. Marie crosses her arms. "You guys are good kids."
"Huh?"
"You and Proxy I mean. When I asked you two to enter the Hell Mine I thought you would''ve said screw it and leave, but not only did you guys brave in there but you managed to destroy that place. Honestly, it was so unbelievable when I first heard that. The fact that you did that was astounding. However, even after that, I thought of you as a coward and Proxy as an overly self-absorbed child. But in the end, you two proved me wrong."
"I can see why Proxy did but how did I?"
"Do I even need to point it out?"
I suppose I can see a few instances where I displayed courage, but that''s because I didn''t want Proxy or Nunnal¨¦, or anyone around me to get hurt. Speaking of the Hell Mine, I didn''t ask what she wanted with Nunnal¨¦. Now that I think about it, I didn''t tell her what the weapon she wanted was.
"Marie, what were you going to do with the weapon we found down there?"
"I was going to use it either as a bargaining chip to have the king get Alexander out of jail."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, but since the weapon in question was just a girl I couldn''t go through with it." Wait, does that mean she knows? "Come on Richard, it was obvious. You come back with a powerful girl, yet beautiful by your side. I know how to put two and two together."
She''s sharper than I thought!
"However, Richard, I have to ask: do you command Nunnal¨¦ to do anything. . .weird?" she asks me in an embarrassed but slightly high pitch voice.
"What?"
"I''m only asking cause you''re at that age where-"
"WHAT!? No, no, no, no! Of course, I never did anything degenerate and indecent!"
Marie breaks out into laughter as she keels over after I fell on my ass.
"Richard, Richard, calm down. I was only joking."
She laughs as my pride is being split into halves like butter. Man, why am I being made fun of like this? Suddenly, something appears on the floor. Taking a look at it, it looks to be a jet black suit. It''s smooth to the touch.
"Guess this is my outfit for the ball. I should get changed."
"I''ll let you get changed then. You guys have fun at the castle."
"You aren''t going, Marie?"
"No, I''m not too fond of the festival, nor do I like to go to the kingdom during this time of year."
The emotion I''m reading from her words is anxiety, melancholy, and nostalgia. This is weird, I thought there would be hatred for the kingdom but it''s sorrowful feelings coming from her.
"Then you''ll be here by yourself. I can have Nunnal¨¦ stay here to help you defend the camp."
"That''s not necessary, I''ll be able to hold down with some of the folks who might not be going."
I can see why some of the people in the army wouldn''t go. Some of them were slaves in the Hell Mine, and some didn''t get help when they pleaded the kingdom for its help when the bandits attacked their homes. It would stand to reason that they wouldn''t like the Kingdom.
"Alright then, I''ll let you get changed now." Marie moves to the tent entrance/exit. "Also, even if Nunnal¨¦ doesn''t care about the festival that doesn''t mean she doesn''t deserve to go. So if she''s going cause you''re there, then treat her to a good time; she''s more than earned it."
Marie walks out of the tent. I couldn''t help but have a downcast laugh to myself.
"Yeah, she really does deserve it. After all, she helped a fool like me. . ."
A ball and teacups - part 3
8/23 - Kingdom of humanity - night
Alexander, Richard, the loli witch, and I are on our way to a party like none other, plenty of adults and kids are dressed in fancy attire. They¡¯re all walking up the stairs towards the castle grounds just as we are. I try to adjust my tie as I head up. Richard taught me how to tie my tie, but I think I made it a little tight on my neck. The suit itself isn''t as constrictive as I thought it would be, though, I''d rather much be in my regular clothes.
"You need help with your tie," Richard offers his assistance.
"No, I got it covered, just need to loosen it a bit is all."
"I second that, my tie is choking me."
At this point, Alex and I are just going to take it off via ripping it off.
"You will keep that tie on, " Selena snaps at us.
"Why," I ask.
"Gentlemen show decorum when presenting themselves in a ball, and I will be escorted by said gentlemen."
Tch, what a pain in my ass. Making my final adjustments, I¡¯m able to find a comfortable position for my tie. We finally made it to the castle grounds. As we approach the castle I spot a guard out in front of the entrance, checking something as the guests go up to him. Could it be invitations?
"Hey, we might have a problem up ahead. They''re checking for invitations," I alert everyone.
"That''s bad," Richard whispers.
"Calm yourselves. Such a trivial matter means nothing to me," The loli witch assures us. We approach the guard, I¡¯m a bit tense about what would happen. Selena says she has it covered but she hasn''t ported us inside yet.
"Invitation, please?"
"Your attention guard."
The guard looks down at Selena.
"We do not have passes, but will you let us in from the kindness of your heart?"
Selena seductively asks the guard. He stands still as she speaks, his gaze becoming unfocused as he stares down at Selena. After she was done talking, the guard slightly recoils.
"Even if you don''t have invitations you can still enter, have a pleasant time," the guard says, acting as if he didn¡¯t have an intense staring contest.
"Thank you, my kind sir."
Selena walks ahead of us as we gawk at the guard like he was a wax painting.
"Are you boys coming or not?"
The witch snaps us out of our speechless state. We caught up to her as she walked inside the castle. The ones who entered are being directed elsewhere. We follow them wherever they¡¯re going. While walking there, servants are lined up, bowing to us from both sides of the hallway.
"This is VIP treatment right here buddy," I tell Richard, getting all giddy-up.
"Yeah, it¡¯s kind of flattering, in a way," he replies with a shy tone.
"So this is what the castle on the inside looks like? Proxy," Alex calls.
"Yeah?"
"You think Quincy and Chip were able to make it in?"
That reminds me. Quincy said he wanted to sneak into the castle library with Chip since the security is going to be light tonight. ¡°Chip said he was going to sneak inside with Quincy from the upper balcony on the east. I told him one of us would let him."
"Who''s gonna let him in then?"
"You wanna do it?"
"Certainly."
"Kay then, Alex when you get the opportunity, sneak out of the ball and go and get those two inside of here."
"got it."
As we climbed up a flight of stairs, we went a bit further until we turned left, entering a big, spacious room that housed a throne chair far from the entranceway. There sits a person, he has blond hair that hits his shoulders like Alex, his facial details are that of a cocky kid who just couldn''t stop smirking. He¡¯s wearing a uniform that resembles an officer¡¯s uniform. He was also wearing a cape that covers one side of his body.
"So that''s king Relius," I ask.
"Yes, I think so. It''s my first time seeing him as well," Alex adds on.
"He seems to have that kingly aura about him," Selena asserts.
"He sure does."
More and more people began to flood the ballroom in droves, soon after it was filled with people ready to mingle the king stood up. He was watching as the last batch of invitees came into the ballroom. Just as everyone is getting comfortable, the king clears his throat.
"Hello all, my fellow guest, I hope you all are feeling quite ecstatic being in this ballroom, for it means that you have made great contributions to the foundation and the prosperity of the kingdom, which is, to say the least, a more than a desirable thing."
His tone isn''t condescending, or snarky, but calm.
"But every single one of you in this room are not the only ones who contribute to the prosperity of this kingdom."
Some of the folks in here begin muttering to themselves as to what the king means by that. Hell, I¡¯m a bit confused about what he meant.
"Yes, you established your own business and manage them on your own, or with another, and while that is commendable, we also have to remember the men and women on the lower level that work under you as well. They venture out of the kingdom to keep up with supply and demand, but not only to benefit their employers but to their own as well. They work so they can satisfy their way of life for themselves and their families. You might ask why I bring this up? Well, it''s because I don''t wish for any of you or anyone else not here to forget the Godfrey era."
Everyone in the room takes on a dower atmosphere when that is brought up. Godfrey. . .
"Wasn''t Godfrey the previous king," I ask Alex.
"Yes, he was. During his reign, the Kingdom was different from the one we are in now. Bandits from outside the kingdom raided the kingdom constantly, destroying homes, killing people, stealing from people. All the while the King was barely able to maintain the proper resources the kingdom needed. Some refer to it as the Godfrey stain era."
Alex''s tone while explaining that is quite bitter.
"That era ended 10 years ago when my father was burned alive in the fire that engulfed half of the castle one night. Unfortunately, my sister was caught in the flames as well. Even if time flows on, I cannot forget the flame''s fury as it burned my father and my sister alive in front of me. However, now is not the time to lament, even if my father was not the best leader he had hopes of a better future for this kingdom. He passed on his hopes of this kingdom turning into a paradise for those who reside in it to me. Ever since I sat on the throne I strived for just that. Of course, in the beginning, it was quite hard to set things right, however, we were able to set things right in the kingdom with enough hard work and time. Not only that but build up from the ashes of misery into the skies of prosperity. So again, you might be asking why I''m saying all this? The answer is this. . ." He bows to his audience. ". . .Congratulate not only all of yourselves but everyone else down on the lower levels, and to remember my late father and dear sister; I hope their souls find peace in the next world. And may you, the living, continue to keep providing towards us all!"
The crowd clapped for their king as was still bowing to his subjects.
"Guy sure is humble," I point out.
"I can''t believe he''s the one who had people working in the Hell Mine," Richard says, astonished by the king. ¡°But the feelings I¡¯m reading from his words.¡±
Selena darts her eyes at Richard.
"Boy, what did you pick up from his words," Selena asks.
"Every word he said was filled with conviction, no fear, no hesitation, no cynicism. Just conviction."
"How do you figure," I ask him.
"He can feel the true emotion in someone''s words; like a mood ring but much keener. It''s a form of detection, but special. I''d dare say it''s a Personal skill."
"What''s that?"
"In a person''s life, people will pick up skills, whether it be shooting a bow, throwing a knife, or being able to read people, some people will either develop an affinity toward said skill if they excel at it, devote their time into it, or other reasons. Some will be born with such skill."
"So, I have one of these?"
"Yes, it dabbles in detection. Which reminds me, did you ever feel me use my Source outside?"
"I think so. It was when you talked to the guard. Your voice carried a hypnotic tone to it."
"Exactly, you were able to detect me using Hypnotic suggestion."
"Hypnotic suggestion?"
"It''s a form of hypnotism that has to do with phrasing that comes off like a suggestion that the target came up and acts on it post-hypnotization," Richard explains.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"That''s pretty cool, don''t do that on me,¡± I tell Selena.
"Need worry not, I wouldn''t waste my efforts on you."
"You better not, Loli witch."
Servants come in with Table length carts, food, and drinks placed on top of them.
"Please, enjoy the banquet of food from our finest chefs of our kingdom, especially some of the finest from the lower level."
The tables are placed in the ballroom, connecting.
"Oh, and before I forget, the competition for this year''s prize was drawn on paper, but those of you who wish to gaze upon it, then here it is."
A butler came out from the entranceway with a plate in hand and a cloth covering it. When the servant got in front of the king he unveiled the cup.
"This cup was crafted by a blacksmith who took interest in cup making. This was his final cup before passing on. Gaze at its glory."
The cup is colored in a gloriously warm, summer color that had an array of different flowers on it. The handle itself swerved down like it was the wind pushing forward in the warm spring. Damn it, it¡¯s beginning to itch the inner artist within me.
"Such a masterful cup, such an elegant design!"
Selena is visibly happy with how it looked, she was practically ready to jump and down, but she composed herself before doing so.
"Proxy, I''m going to go let Quincy and Chip in now while everyone is distracted," Alex says.
"Okay, don''t get caught."
"Wish me luck."
Alex hastily walked towards the exit without arising any suspicion.
"The cup has flowers on it," Nunnal¨¦ leans forward.
"I forgot you like flowers," Richard chuckles.
". . .It''s not too important, I just felt like pointing it out. I won''t speak out of turn again." She quickly went back to being stoic.
"It''s okay, you don''t need my permission to speak."
"But I don''t wish to inconvenience you."
"You-"
"Such a typical answer from a doll," Selena chimes in. She didn''t seem annoyed with her, rather she knew she was going to say that.
"Is there a problem, Witch of the Moonlight?¡±
"Nothing at all, I guess if you don''t have a problem with it then I shouldn''t say anything."
I think she''s just acting catty for no good reason. Whatever, I''m going to go get something to eat.
"Richard, you want something to eat?"
"Sure, Nunnal¨¦ you want something?"
"I am not hungry."
"Okay, then see you two."
"What about me?"
"Wouldn''t it be improper for a lady such as yourself to be eating in such a place," I mock her in a snotty tone.
"You truly are a mouthy little upstart. Thank your lucky stars that I don''t punish you in such a formal ball."
"I am, don''t worry."
Richard and I head to the food.
"You know that you''re just asking for trouble, right."
"I''m not scared of her."
"But she kind of kicked your butt during your first fight with her."
"Well, I bulked up since the last time, and I know how to use a sword a bit properly now. Alex has been putting me through the wringer."
¡°Must be tough.¡±
¡°You have no idea, my arms, legs, and back kill me every time we get done with training.¡±
¡°What do you guys do?¡±
¡°50-push ups, 50-sit ups, and sparring for a good three hours. Oh, did I mention I do those 50s¡¯ in a single set?¡±
¡°Sounds hellish.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it. But I have gotten better with a sword, so there¡¯s that.¡±
We end our conversation as we reach the table. There are clean plates set on the table. Using those and the utensils here, we select what we want to eat. Richard takes a piece of cake and that was it. I on the other hand pick different meats, some coated in sauce.
"All I''m saying is this: don''t pick fights you can''t win, that''s what I learned while living in this world," Richard advises me.
"And all I''m saying is that I''m stronger than I was when I was wet behind the ear. If I ever meet that armor dude again I bet I can put up a better fight than I did last time. Hell, I bet I can land a solid blow on what''s his face."
"Who?"
"The one we went to the tower with."
"Legion?"
"Yeah, I bet I can beat him in a fight now."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, that dude would be down on his one knee like, ''Proxy, you''re the best fighter I''ve ever seen, take my sword, you''ve earned it''."
"Sorry, but I can''t give you my sword, even if you win."
That voice. . . Turning my head, I see the familiar in front of me. It¡¯s Legion and he¡¯s also wearing a suit, with his sword sheathed by his hip.
"How have you guys been since our last meeting?"
"We''re fine but what are you doing here," Richard inquires.
"I am staying in the castle as a guest of the king."
"Seriously?"
"It''s only until I complete my mission, but on that note, why are you two here?"
"You know, for some good old royalty fun."
"I didn''t know you owned a business in the kingdom?"
"We don''t," I correct him.
"So you snuck in here?"
"Yep."
"You do realize that''s against the rules, right?"
"Don''t worry about it, boy scout. We won''t cause any trouble."
". . .If you mean it, then I will overlook your uninvited presence."
"Thanks. Since we''re reacquainted, wanna hang?"
"I don''t have any current duties to do, so sure, why not."
Legion takes up a plate, putting vegetables and a bit of meat on it. We head back to the girls.
"I wonder. . ." Legion mumbles to himself. He shoots a glance at Richard. He seems puzzled by something only for his attention to go to Selena and Nunnal¨¦.
"What the!?" Legion gasps as he looks at the girls.
"You ladies have Source," Legion asks
"Dear me, you can tell?"
"Yes, but there''s something off with the girl next to you. Her Source is connected to Richard!?"
"Keen observation. This being known as Nunnal¨¦ is a Doll."
"Are you serious?"
"I am, can''t you sense that?"
"I didn''t know what a Doll''s Source is like, I had no idea it was so dull."
"Such is the nature of a doll."
"Um, what are you guys talking about," Richard interjects.
"We''re discussing how your Source is connected to the doll, I mean Nunnal¨¦," Legion corrects himself.
"Connected?"
"You can''t tell?¡±
"I didn''t even know that."
"Wait, you still can''t see Source?"
"He doesn''t know how to."
"I see, so you''re still having trouble using your Source?"
"Yeah, it''s kind of embarrassing."
"Mind if I help you out then?¡±
"I''m afraid he''s not at that point yet, he still needs to be able to control his Source properly."
"I see, that''s the problem."
"I can heal, but I can''t do it effectively."
"Have tried to find a-"
"Excuse me, but I must ask you not to teach him anything."
"Why would that be?"
Selena took a moment to promptly tell Legion why she wants me from learning nothing yet.
"...What a predicament, but I understand. So you''re participating in the dance for the cup?"
"Yep, I''ve been working on my break dancing, so I got this one in the bag."
"Proxy, you do realize where we''re at, right?"
"Yeah, so what?"
"It seems the word elegance is lost on you," Selena remarks.
"I think we''re supposed to do ballroom dancing instead of freeform," Legion adds on.
"You serious, that''s lame!"
As I expressed my disgust, the folks in the ballroom began to pair up with one another, standing still as if ordered not to move.
"Looks like it''s about to begin."
"Count me out, I could never do those dances."
"Well, I need to win that cup. Nunnal¨¦, can you aid me?¡±
"I shall win us that cup, Master. Richard."
The two of them went onto the dance floor.
"Well, if you boys shall excuse me, I''m going to go dine." Selena walks off by herself toward the table of food. I squat down on the ground with my feet flat on the ground.
"So Legion, you gonna dance," I ask him.
"I have no one to dance with."
"You can ask one of them." I point over to the girls ogling him.
"I don''t think I would be much of a partner."
"Scared?"
"No, I have adequate experience, but nothing beyond that."
"Ah, then you wanna dance with me?"
"I think that would bring unwanted attention."
"Nah man, I mean a different dance."
I got up from my slav squat to meet him face to face.
"You want to fight, that¡¯s what you mean?¡±
"You catch on quick. I was serious when I said I improved."
"I''m sorry, but I won''t."
"Why not?"
"I cannot fight someone that I do not need to fight."
"Come on, it''ll be fun."
"Fun, how so?"
"You''ll get to fight me and have a blast while doing so."
"That didn''t answer my question."
"You''ll get your answer once we start fighting."
"But I don''t wish to hurt you."
¡°You won¡¯t.¡±
...
Moving through the halls, I need to head for the east-balcony. Along the way, I attempt to cut through a room that houses an empty suit of armor hung up on the wall with a shield held in the front. I see an iron plating below it. Sigurd is spelled on the plate.
"Who goes there!" A knight comes in with their hand on their sword.
"Ah, oh, I was. . . I got lost. I require the bathroom!"
"Is that so?"
"Indeed. . ."
The knight takes his hand off his sword and moves over to me.
¡°What is this?¡±
¡°A memorial.¡±
"They have a memorial for a single knight in the castle?"
"Yes, it does seem strange, but the knight here was respected by our previous and current king, so king Relius had a memorial commissioned for him in here. Of course, we do have a graveyard sight not too far from the kingdom, so the other knights that died years ago aren''t forgotten."
"I see..."
"But the captain was something else."
"How so?"
"He was a knight beyond parallel, at the crack of dawn he would have us exercise and by the afternoon we would be dead tired."
I can''t help but laugh a little at the thought of it.
"However, when we were in a desperate situation he would find a way to raise our spirits and make us fight onward. Then, he would treat us to a couple of rounds of the good stuff."
"Sounds like he was a great captain."
"He was indeed, but unfortunately, he was caught up in the fire that happened in the castle 10 years ago. He was killed by the outsiders on the knight of the king''s death. Even after we went and pushed them out from the kingdom to their home base in Borghulda."
"Borghulda?"
"It''s located far west of the kingdom. Took us a month to get down there and back on foot. It was not fun, let me tell you."
"So you all went towards the enemy''s home base?"
"Indeed, the longer it took to invade them, the longer the battle would drag out. At first, it was a dangerous and perilous journey, we lost some men along the way. But the journey was well worth it, we dealt them a crushing blow in the war effort. However, I can''t say it was a bad time with the captain there. He truly was a one of a kind."
The knight ends his reminiscing with a sigh and claps his hands together.
"Well, I''ll leave you to do what you are doing. Please return to the party as soon as you get done with the bathroom. Have a nice time."
The knight left the memorial area. I look back at the plating, feeling a sense of respect toward the knight.
"So you took the fight to the enemy, despite the risk?"
He wanted to end the fight as quickly as possible, so he took on a risky endeavor. . . I should probably get a move on, Quincy and Chip are waiting for me.
A ball and teacups - part 4
Kingdom of humans - night
The ballroom full of occupants began dancing the night away, and I happen to be one of those people, unfortunately, I¡¯m not good at it since I keep stepping on Nunnal¨¦''s feet. Honestly, I¡¯m overcome by my urge to win the cup to realize my incompetence at dancing. Nunnal¨¦ noticed this and took the lead. Naturally, we got some weird stares at us but I did my best to ignore them.
"Master Richard, please watch your footing while moving this time."
"Sorry, I''m just not too good at this."
"I''ll try to move without causing you trouble."
"Okay, I''ll try to follow along."
Our height difference wasn''t a problem, but my footing is off with her steps. Her movement is strict with no leeway to act out of turn. I don''t know how this is being judged but I know that we aren¡¯t going to win this one, no matter what we do. However, giving up is not an option. That teacup needs to be in my hands, so even if we''re not performing the finest we¡¯ll still try!
¡°Master, you slipped again.¡±
¡°S-sorry!¡±
I was caught up in my thoughts again, I need to focus on this and nothing else. However, I can¡¯t stop myself from doing so, it¡¯s just hard to keep on task with the thought of failure. Plus, I''m also kind of anxious with Proxy on the loose. I just hope that he''s not causing any trouble. Damn it, stop thinking of anything other than this! I look at Nunnal¨¦ who¡¯s focusing on her footing.
"H-hey, you''re pretty good at this."
"I am copying the other dancer''s movement."
"Really? That''s impressive, I thought you had experience in dancing."
"Dancing is a worthless skill, it has little to do with protecting you."
"Maybe, but it''s not so bad to be good at other things besides fighting."
"But that has no bearing on my duty."
"Just forget about that, your mission to protect me doesn''t matter right now."
"Then what does?"
"Having fun."
She seemed puzzled by what I said. Please don''t tell me this is a case of "I don''t have fun as a term in my dictionary" sort of deal.
"...Your movement is stiff."
"Sorry."
"Why are you so tense, master?"
"It''s just. . .We need to win that cup but I just can''t stop thinking about losing."
"Then simply don''t."
"It''s not that simple. Winning that cup is important, so I can''t simply ignore the thought of losing."
"Thinking of such a thing is useless."
"Really?"
"If you think of failure too often when performing a task then you''ll be overcome by distracting thoughts."
"What should I do instead?"
"Come up with the best method of success.¡±
Come up with different means of success? Hmm, perhaps that is a better use of my time rather than just worrying about failure. The only plan I see going through if we fail this is just taking it by force. However, saying it now would probably gear up Nunnal¨¦. I should hold off on that.
¡°You know what, forget it, let¡¯s just forget about that, let¡¯s just dance,¡± I say out loud.
¡°Are you sure, if you want me to, I can take the cup right now?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t do that, let¡¯s just take it easy for now. You deserve that much.¡±
¡°I do?¡±
¡°Yeah, you saved me more times than I can count.¡±
¡°I must protect you.¡±
"Even if it is, you still deserve it for saving me so many times."
"I see, then I shall take your thanks into consideration."
We danced on as the minutes went on. Eventually, the music stops and so do the other dancers.
"That was well-done everyone, truly splendid dancing,¡± the king congratulates. ¡°. . .but, I shall now be selecting the dancers that caught my eye."
The king is now thinking about who caught his attention. Naturally, I think we didn''t do a good job, so there¡¯s a low chance of us getting it. However, I¡¯m not as worried as I should''ve been. Maybe, I was able to have some fun? Speaking of which, I wonder if--
"Stop, hang on a moment!" Oh God no. Proxy raises his voice as he goes up to the king. "Don''t you think you''re rushing this a bit? I mean, the real dancers haven''t even danced yet."
"I''m sorry, who are you, young man?"
"Who am I, well, I''ll gladly answer that." He strikes a ridiculous pose. "I am known to the world as not only the greatest delinquent but also a man of absolute kickassery; at your service, my lord."
"Yes, thank you for the stunning display. Tell me, why have you interrupted my judgment?"
"Isn''t that obvious, I want to show off my dancing."
"I''m sorry, but you should''ve danced when you had the chance."
"Trust me, my lord. This dance is going to rock your soul."
"And pray tell what that means?"
"Means, that''ll give you a show like none other. Of course, this will involve some fighting."
"You wish to fight, inside here?"
"Is there a problem?"
"You dare come up to me and ask to use this ballroom as a fighting ground?"
"Yes."
He''s going to die¡
"You are an odd child. I like that. Very well, we''ll give you a weapon. But who will you be fighting?"
"Glad you asked."
He turns his head and points over at Legion.
"That young blonde man will do just fine."
"Why are you dragging me into this!? I don''t wish to fight you!"
"It''ll be fun, so who cares. Besides, it''s kind of too late."
"No, I must step down from doing so, besides, if we fight with real swords then one of us will get hurt."
"Fine, I''ll just use this."
Proxy takes off the shrouded item that is strapped to his back, revealing his stone sword.
"See, we''re good to go. Just keep your blade in your scabbard and we''re golden."
"I--"
"...Come on, give the people a show."
Legion seems troubled by the fact that Proxy is pushing him to fight as well. I go up to him.
"Sorry, but he won''t back down until you just give him what he wants."
"Your friend is stubborn."
"Sorry, we''re working on that."
"If he won¡¯t give up, then I guess I have no choice."
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Legion steps forward with his sword in hand. Proxy jumps with joy and goes to meet him. Everyone else made room for them.
"So, it looks like we''re fighting after all."
"You didn''t give me an option. Just know that I''m against this."
"Sure, whatever, just know that I''m all for this." Proxy juts his finger towards the musicians. "Give us a tone for the occasion! Something fast, energetic, awesome!"
The musicians look amongst themselves, taking a moment to figure out how to deliver on Proxy''s request. After a moment it seems to have come to them, they get their instruments ready and begin to play.
"Well, at least we got some killer tones."
"Proxy, this isn''t a game."
"I know but good music with a good fight is a pretty great deal."
"I can''t get your laid back behavior."
"Don''t worry, you get used to it."
¡
We snuck into the library after Chip picked the lock. There are rows and rows of shelves, filled to the brim with books.
"How long do ya need to get what ya came for," Chip asks Quincy.
"It might take a while, but my informant on the inside has been using the library for years, he marked the material I requested. Just look for red marks on the spine of the book in the third row."
"Gotcha. Blondie, come help me."
"Okay."
We go off to search for red marks, in the third row of the gigantic library.
...
I get into my stance, readying myself for the fight. Legion readies himself by putting his sword in a downward position, both his hand firmly gripping the sword.
"Trying to rush this," I say as I charge in.
"A frontal assault will do you no good!"
He whips his sword upward at me, I jump above him and spin my whole body in the air, landing like a cat. The audience claps after I landed.
"Sorry Legion, too slow."
"You read my move?"
"Maybe." I went in for a second attempt at an attack. He brings his sword down, but I knew that he would go for that, so I block. With a brief chance, I hit him with my fist. The attack pushed him back a bit.
"Gotta be more careful than that, I''m not the same when we first fought."
"I can see that you can see through my moves. I''ll have to be serious about this."
"That''s more like it!"
He charges at me, thrusting his sword at me. I knock it off course and counter him, but he just steps out of the way, making a counter himself. Each time we trade a strike we would just end up going for another soon after. I¡¯m able to react to his attacks this time around and predict where his sword would go. Instincts tell me where his sword will go, however, it doesn''t tell me how fast, so I need to fill in the gaps on my own. His strikes are strong and his blocks are as amazing, and his reaction time is nothing to scoff at. If I want any chance of beating him it would have to be with my style rather than trying to fight properly. I begin to wield my sword in a reverse grip style. I went in with several fast attacks that ended with me moving behind him to get a clean strike. I almost landed an attack but he anticipated the attack. Blocking it, he turns his body around to deliver a kick to the side of my torso.
¡°An excellent position to attack but you were too slow to strike,¡± Legion criticizes me.
¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±
He¡¯s right, I need to go faster if I want to make a clean hit.
¡°Here we go!¡±
I run off toward him as he is preparing to hit me. As he makes his attack I shift behind him without any warning, he notices I did, but it was too late. I land a punch against his face.
¡®ALRIGHT!¡±
I did it, I was able to trick him, even if it was for a brief second.
¡°What do you think of that, think I still don¡¯t stand a chance?¡±
¡°That was impressive, your speed is amazing, and that strike was great,¡±
He wipes the area I hit and seems unfazed by it.
¡°Come on, we¡¯re not done yet.¡±
¡°I know, you want more, right?¡±
¡°Of course, are you having fun yet?¡¯¡±
¡°I don¡¯t really know, on one hand, I¡¯m still opposed to this fight, but on the other. . .No, I can¡¯t, I must push those feelings aside.¡±
¡°Loosen up, it¡¯ll do you some good.¡±
¡°I am a knight of the church, I cannot loosen up, not on my principles nor my obligations.¡±
¡°How about you forget about that stuff, just have some fun.¡±
He dashes for me with his sword sticking forward. I¡¯m prepared to move behind him, but he lowers his sword to his side as he spins himself to meet me from behind. He strikes me from behind before I could react.
¡°Ow, that hurt!¡±
¡°You hit me but you can¡¯t take it?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t say that!¡±
We engage back into combat, our swords clash with heavier strikes than the last. His swordplay is strict, straightforward, with no cheap tricks. Mine is crude, brutish while trying to gain the upper hand through style and speed. Despite our differences in combat abilities, we¡¯re both going faster and faster, trying to outdo the other so we can strike a decisive blow. I wouldn¡¯t say I¡¯m doing better than him, even I can tell that regardless of his boy-scout attitude, he¡¯s been in some real fight, your life hanging in the balance and all that. He¡¯s far more experienced with a sword than I am. With our last clash, he knocks my sword out of my hand, then pushes me down on my ass. He points his sword at me.
¡°I win this fight,¡± he declares.
¡°Come dude, this is a fight, just cause I don¡¯t have a weapon doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m out!¡±
I spin my body to build up momentum to kick his sword out of his hand.
¡°Shit!¡±
¡°So boy-scouts can curse?¡±
¡°I am not a boy scout.¡±
¡°Sorry, should I call you Mr. knight?¡±
I get into a position where I put my fists up in front of my head. My dominant foot forward.
¡°Put up your hands and let''s do this unless you need your sword to fight?¡±
For a moment he seemed frustrated by the situation I put him in. However, after a moment of hesitation, he sighs to himself heavily, giving in to my challenge. He got into a pose of his own with his hands lowered and his right foot out.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s get it going!¡±
We race off to get the first hit in against the other. Legion uses martial arts on me. I don¡¯t have a style to call my own, I just go on what I''ve seen. I wasn''t too interested in making one since it just sounded like a hassle. Plus, I''m skilled enough to fight without one. However, I don''t know if he was just warming or just screwing with me, but he was beginning to match me in blow to blow.
"You''re lacking Proxy."
"How so?"
"You''re just swinging your body around as if you have no idea what you''re doing."
"You want to see consistency, I''ll give it to you."
Two punches followed after our brief exchange. Shortly after I went in using kicks. He seems to be put on guard while I use my legs. Now that I think about it, aren''t kicks more powerful than punches? When you wanna break open a door, you use a kick. In general, there''s more mass in a kick than there is in a punch, so if I add rotational momentum to each kick, then I can break his guard every time. Yeah, it makes sense, don''t rely on my hands, just use my feet!
"What the!"
He barely evaded my attacks. My kicks are swift, powerful, and constantly going. The more I move, the stronger the impact would be. Of course, I have to mix in a punch here and there, but the way I¡¯m going about this is putting Legion on the defensive. My next leg attack is a frontal kick that destroys his defense. For the decisive blow, I attempt to slam my foot against his head. However, I see a spark of lightning aimed at my chest. Before I know it, lightning strikes me. The spark sends me skipping across the floor.
"Proxy!" Richard yells out.
Yikes, that really hurt! The area he hit is burning like you wouldn¡¯t believe and it has gone a bit sore. But even so, I¡¯m still good to go!.
"Proxy are you okay, tell me where. . ."
Richard goes quiet from my sudden laughter. I spin myself back up.
"You got scared, didn''t you?"
"Proxy, I--"
"You got my gears shifting now. Come on, let''s do this."
"Are you crazy, you just got hit by lightning!"
"I feel fine though."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, now come on Legion, let''s do this!"
"I cannot, I used my Source when I wasn''t supposed to."
"That doesn''t matter, I''m still good to go."
"Why are you so brash, do you not think I''ll do it again?"
"I don''t care if you do, either way, this fight goes until the music stops! Besides, I want to see you flinch again."
"Flinch?"
Legion looks down at his hand. "Did I really. . .flinch?"
"You got scared when I was about to finish you."
"I did?"
I begin my approach, a slow walk turns into a sprint. Before reaching him, I jump, twisting my body in mid-air to build momentum. I deliver a well-timed kick, breaking his guard. Landing on the ground, I drive my fist against his stomach, then I spin myself around to Iand a straight kick against his chest. The kick itself was powerful enough to have Legion soaring across like I did when he hit me with his lightning.
"Oi, is that all you got?"
"How are you still--"
"Come on, I don''t wanna talk, I wanna fight!"
Legion goes silent just after being interrupted. Truth be told, I wasn''t at 100%. The area he hit me at weakened me far more than I''d like it to, but I''m still capable of moving and fighting. Legion for up from his little rest.
"Even after being hit with such an attack you still want to fight?"
"Why the hell not, wouldn''t be much of a dance if I got knocked out by a prissy ass attack like that."
"You truly are insatiable."
"And you''re a hard head boy-scout."
Our compliments and semi insults are followed by punches that connected with each other. We struck, blocked, deflected, and evaded each other''s attacks. His fighting style is still strict but there¡¯s a hint of relaxation in his style. He relies on offense more so than he did his defense. More of my hits are getting through but more of his are beginning to reach me. However, I''m sure that the two of us didn''t care. My mind goes blank, my body is moving on autopilot. Legion isn''t stopping either, he keeps going just as I did. The music rages on as we fought on with reckless abandon. Ever since I got to this world it was full of fights that escalated beyond simple street fights. But out of any of them, this was the most fun. Fighting someone like Legion is a blast. It doesn''t have anything to do with anyone else. Hell, I didn''t care about the teacup anymore, I just want to keep going until we can''t move. As we back up for a breather, we lunge at each other. My left leg aimed for the side of Legion¡¯s head while he thrust his fist toward my chest. At that moment before contact, the music stops and the king raises his voice.
"STOP!" His voice caught us off guard, getting me out of my trance. "That fight - that dance, was truly splendid! You two fought not with honor or pride, but as two men who wanted to win, so I congratulate you two." As the king claps the crowd does so as well. Legion is taking in big breaths. I''m about to keel over from the exhaustion. "What is your name, young man?"
"It''s Proxy."
"Proxy, well, for your display with Legion here, I¡¯d like to award you with tonight''s prize."
A servant hands me the teacup. I hold it up as high as I can.
¡°Guys, I got the. . .¡±
Richard, Nunnal¨¦, and Selena weren¡¯t anywhere to be seen. I wonder where they went?
A ball and teacups - part 5
8/23 - Kingdom of humanity - outside the king''s castle - night
Sitting on the steps to the castle, I find myself looking down at the lower level. I could hear the people of the lower level partying, having a great time.
"Master, what are you doing out here?" A toneless voice calls me.
"Nothing, I''m just admiring the view I suppose."
"You''re missing the ball."
"It doesn''t matter, the ball doesn''t mean much to me."
She takes a seat next to me, looking only at me.
"Master, you seem bothered."
"I''m not. . .Maybe a little."
"Why?"
"Because Proxy had to get the prize for me."
"I don''t comprehend why that is an issue."
"It''s not a bad thing in an objective manner, but I didn''t earn it for myself. I was supposed to get it for Selena, but in the end, I was incompetent."
Taking the cup by force would¡¯ve been out of taste for me, and I didn''t want Nunnal¨¦ to do that.
"I too failed to recover the item, so the fault lies on me. If you want, you may take your frustration out on me."
"Can stop telling me to hit you!"
"But. . ."
"But nothing, hitting women is wrong and I sure as hell don''t want to!"
Thinking about it now she''s so unnerved about being hurt. It bothers me to no end. This line of thought reminds me of the scars on her body and how she kept quiet about it.
"Nunnal¨¦, I have to ask you something: why didn''t you tell me about your scar from when you first saved me?"
"I thought it was irrelevant."
"Okay then, let me ask you this: did it hurt?"
"Does it matter?"
"Just answer."
". . .Yes, it did. However, I will not allow it to halt my mission to protect you."
"I see, then. . ."
Using personal reasoning isn''t going to hack it, I need to hit her with a more logical based reason.
"Nunnal¨¦, if you were to die I would be put at a disadvantage from losing you, so if you take a life-threatening attack that could be avoided, wouldn''t that be redundant?"
"Yes, but what if you were to get hit by an attack that I could''ve protected you from?"
"Find a way for both of us to come out alive with minimum damage, understand?"
"If this is how you wish for me to fight, then I understand."
This isn''t how I want her to stop getting herself nearly killed for me, but at least I got her to conform to my way of going about things. Regardless, I think I should move on from this topic.
"So, how was the dance, did you have fun?"
"Fun?"
"Do you know what that means?"
"Of course, I am not ignorant of such simple concepts." I''m glad that she does know, there would''ve been a bigger problem if she didn¡¯t. "As for having fun, I don''t believe I know if I did."
"Did you enjoy your time; did you believe that it wasn''t a waste of time?"
"I do not think it was a waste of time."
"Would you want to do it again?"
"Would it be another mission?"
"No, just for the heck of it."
"If it''s with you, then I would not mind."
"Then you had fun."
She seems to have reached a revelation in regards to her feelings.
"I see, I think I understand, but if I may ask: why do you care?"
"Kind of a frank way of asking, but I care because I just want you to have a good time and because we''re friends."
"You consider me to be a companion?"
"Of course, I do. I don''t care about the master and servant relationship thing, so don''t expect me to treat you like you are a servant."
"Why not?"
"Cause, normally, you treat a person like a person, you know?"
Nunnal¨¦ didn''t raise an argument or question me, she just sat there, staring at me. My ability to read people''s feelings doesn''t work on her, so I can''t tell how she''s feeling when she speaks. However, I can tell that she wasn''t happy, mad, sad, or even disappointed. She¡¯s just looking at me with curiosity.
"Very well, I will assume for now that you will not wish to punish me for any wrongdoings. However, I will still strive to serve you as if I was a servant." Her attitude towards me won''t change, that much is clear, however, it seems that she''s beginning to understand what I want. I guess that''s an okay start. "Master, I wish to know why you''re striving to learn magic? As long as you have me, you don''t need to fight, so you don''t need to trouble yourself with learning since I can heal on my own."
"But that doesn''t mean you are immortal. If you take severe damage you can be killed."
"But that doesn''t answer my question."
"It''s because of you, Proxy, and myself."
"What do you mean?"
"When you nearly got killed for me, I was in shock. Your delicate frame taking a blow that was meant for me without hesitation, even if you didn''t know who I was."
"It was because you were my master."
"I could be a terrible person who''s not worthy of using you."
"Not possible, my master is chosen if they meet the criteria to wield me. You proved to be such a person."
"But still, when you were trying to stand up on your own, it hurt for me to watch, I was breathless from your efforts. I thought you were suicidal. In the end, you just wanted to protect an idiot like me. . .In all honesty, I shouldn''t be able to use you, I can''t even fight. That''s why I envy Proxy; even with no magic he still wants to fight, even if it''s impossible, he still wants to give it his best. All I can do is sit back and watch you guys fight."
"Master, that''s-"
". . .That''s why I want to learn how to control this power. I can''t twiddle my thumbs as you two fight. Even if all I can do is heal that''s fine, I just want a way to help you guys."
I clench my fist tightly. This feeling, it has been a long while since I ever felt like I wanted to achieve more, go from the position I''m currently in. I didn''t want to become stronger, but rather grow to understand and utilize my power. It was just like when I wanted to become a better opponent for my brother in the card games we used to play. Yeah, it''s been a long while since I felt a burning passion for something like this.
"Even if I didn''t earn the cup on my own, if Selena rejects it because I didn''t earn it, then I''ll plead, beg for another way to get her to teach me. Cause I. . .I don''t want to be dead weight!"
". . .It''s one thing to say that but will you really throw away your pride like that?"
Selena reveals herself. The wind is blowing against her hair, the moon showing all its glory.
"I wasn''t puffing hot air, I meant it."
"Then prove it, show that I won''t waste my knowledge on you."
¡°Then. . .¡±
I get down on my knees and bow before her. ¡°Please teach me how to use my power!¡±
I know it¡¯s pathetic but I don¡¯t care, my pride means nothing in comparison to what I yearn for. So no matter what, I need her help!
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Stand-up.¡±
¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll--¡±
¡°I¡¯m going to see if you¡¯ll be worth the time, so stand.¡±
I get off the floor, dusting off the dirt from my suit.
"Now, I wish for you to dig into your mind by concentrating," Selena instructs.
"That''s it?"
"Use your Source while you do so."
I nod my head. I closed my eyes and had my Source activate. It took everything I had to just maintain. I was deep in thought after two minutes of concentrating.
"Now, go further in. . ." A seductive voice tells me to go even further. It¡¯s as if the command has my mind go deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole. Drip. . .Drip. . .Drip. The sound of dripping is quiet and leads it to be visualized as a red liquid. It drips on the ground, it kept dripping and dripping with no end. The liquid begins to leak out like water from a bucket. An image is slowly being filled in, showing me a whole picture. It was Nunnal¨¦, her stomach torn open, with blood seeping out. She¡¯s writhing in pain while she struggles to stand up. Every nerve in my body is screaming at me to do something. I start the healing process. It¡¯s grueling, I put my all into stopping the bleeding but it keeps on coming.
"Go further!"
The voice urges me again, this time, I realize what it meant, I had to use more power. So I force my body to use more power, more than I¡¯m capable of using. The blood isn''t stopping even with how much I use.
Go further
Go further
Go further
Go further
I need to go beyond what I''m using. I use more, pushing more Source out of my body like pushing a boulder against a raging stream of water with my hands. Even so, I keep pushing, even as my body is being pushed to its limit. My mind is beginning to turn to paste, my body is breaking down. The feeling I had before was coming back; it feels as if something is going to snap like a rubber band. It¡¯s getting worse and worse. But I need to push, the red that came from her body is something I never want to see ever again. The painful image of someone who protected me crumbling to the ground as they try to stand with their sword is an image I never want to see again. Even if it snaps, I need to go further than I''m allowed!
"One last push."
With that, I push the boulder with all my might against the stream. Then, something snaps. . .Was it my brain, was it a bone, was it something bad? I don''t think so. The thing that snapped was a seal of sorts. Something becomes clear to me. A hand hovering over a deck of cards. The deck is blank, there¡¯s nothing to make it stand out, but that was okay, its purpose isn¡¯t to stand out. The hand takes a hold of one card, lifting the card from the rest of the deck. The card is drawn, like a gunslinger drawing their gun. It¡¯s overdramatic, however, it lights a feeling in me; as if something has been unlocked.
"Master!"
My mind snaps back into reality. I drop to my knees, desperately trying to get any air into my lungs. My body is sore all over, it¡¯s as if I was hit with a baseball bat all over.
"Ms. Selena. . .what was that!?"
"That was you finding your trigger."
"What?"
"Do you wonder why flower petals soar in the air?"
"Because of the wind."
"Exactly, the wind is the trigger for them to soar off, just like how a pebble is a trigger for ripples to be made in a pond. The trigger for your Source to flow properly is a mental image in your mind, something deep in yourself that strikes at you."
"I. . .I saw something, it was a clear image of someone drawing a card from a deck."
"Hm, that sounds rather dull, but that''s fine, at least you were able to find it. Go ahead and use your Source with that image in your mind."
As she requested, I close my eyes to find that image again, the hand draws the card just like last time. The image is clear, not a single detail is out of place from last time. Activating my Source is much easier; it¡¯s like turning on a switch now.
"Good, mighty impressive for someone who hasn''t trained their Source."
"This, this is amazing! It''s like I have a surplus of energy to use, more than that!"
"Congratulations, you learned to summon your Source."
"This is great, but why did you teach me how?"
"Cause I can. Are you telling me that I shouldn''t have?"
"No, I''m very thankful."
"Even if you didn''t get the teacup for me you still had enough drive to go out and get it. That effort should be rewarded. Plus, Proxy and that blonde boy''s dance was truly entertaining."
"Is that so?"
"It is. But that being said, you still need to hone your skills, you only scratched the surface."
"What should I do about that one?"
"Worry not, I''ll teach you. However, I will not go easy on you, not if you want to learn what you really want to know."
If she knows that, then she knows I won''t refuse. I can''t, I came this far, I need to keep going.
"I''ll do my best, so please teach me as much as possible!"
¡°Excellent, but aside from that, I am quite famished, that ingrate of a friend you have didn''t serve me anything."
"Then let''s go see if we can get something back in the castle," I suggest.
"Very well, escort me back inside."
As she goes on ahead of us, it occurred to me that I didn''t thank her for saving my life when I was poisoned.
"Ms. Selena, I mean, teacher Selena. Thank you for saving my life." I bow to her as she glances over at me. Nunnal¨¦ bows as well.
"Thank you for saving my master. My incompetence led to such an event."
"It most certainly did. You should stay with your master at all times if you wish to protect him properly."
"I shall never leave his side ever again."
"Nunnal¨¦, it wasn''t your fault, I-"
"It''s also your fault as well. You should know that she''s your sword in the face of adversity, use her."
She walks off toward the castle. I wanted to correct her on that, to deny it but she probably wouldn''t listen. Plus, from a logical standpoint, she was right. Nunnal¨¦ is stronger than me in terms of physical combat and could take on enemies that would kill me in one go. I turn to her to see that¡¯s unfazed by Selena¡¯s comment. Damn it, this was pretty taxing to think about, I have to change the topic.
"Nunnal¨¦, do you want cake?"
"Cake?"
"It''s a sweet type of food, with frosting on it."
"Really!?" Her face brightened up at the mention of sweets. "Master, are you sure?"
"Why not, for everything you did for me and Proxy, you earned."
At the end of the day, despite all my complaints about her behavior, I can''t tell her off for saving us, even if I didn''t like the way she went about it.
"Nunnal¨¦, let''s try our best to do better."
"Let us, master Richard. That being said, the sweets are my current objective. Let us be on our way!"
I couldn''t help but laugh at how childlike she was acting. While she isn''t out of the range of deadpan expressions she still shows excitement. "Sure, let''s go." As we walked on, Nunnal¨¦ hurried on back to the ballroom. Walking alongside her gives me a feeling of nostalgia, reminding me of when my brother and I used to go to the card shop in our town. I didn''t want to ever remember those memories or feelings I had back then, but I guess it was alright just this once.
Kingdom of humanity, The king''s castle, night
Swinging the teacup around my finger, sitting against the wall while everyone else in the room is having a grand time. I¡¯m all by myself since everyone else left me behind with this cup. This ball is boring me out of my skull.
"Mind if I sit with you?" Legion steps beside me, two plates of food in his hands, both with mostly vegetable servings. "Sorry, I didn''t know what you wanted."
"It''s cool." Legion sits next to me, handing me a plate. "That was an awesome fight Legion!"
"Really?"
"You were so cool with how you were able to keep up with me in hand to hand combat."
"I was trained to use both weapons and my arms proficiently."
"Trained by who?"
"By my squad captain back at HQ of the church?"
"What is this Church? I heard you reference it before"
"Oh, I guess I never explained what the church is. The Church of Mana is an organization set on bringing order and civilized prosperity worldwide. We deal with small scale civil disputes to destructive situations like terrorist acts."
"So you guys don''t spread the word of god or something like that?"
"No, we certainly do have that misconception told about us, but we don''t talk or pray to a god."
"Then why a church?"
"I have no idea."
"Weird."
"It truly is..." So they''re like a government or the police? If that''s the case, then they must have people who are just like Legion. "What about you Proxy, what do you do in your world?"
"I''m a middle school graduate."
"Middle school?"
"Yeah, impressed?"
"I never knew that your world had strong youth such as yourself."
"Thanks, you gotta be strong to survive in the network of gangs, delinquents, and troubled youth."
"Sounds dreadful."
"Yeah, they have to deal with me. . ."
"That does sound dreadful," Legion remarks. We both laugh at the comment. It¡¯s surprising to see that he has a funny bone in his body. As we finish our plates, Legion takes them in his hands. "Proxy, after I''m done here, in this kingdom, I''ll take you and Richard back to your homeworld, as I promised."
"Is that so? In that case, you''ll have to wait."
"Why?" I stand up from the ground, facing Legion.
"Because I''m going to help Alex crush the bandits!"
"For what reason?"
"A lot of things happened after our meeting. Some bandits stole my goggles."
"Are they important?"
"They were mine ever since I was born, so I can''t go back without them. Not only that, they posted a fake bounty but Richard and I also took the job. It nearly got us killed."
"Are you serious!?"
"Yeah, he got poisoned and I barely got him a cure in time."
"If that''s the case, then why would you want to stay here?¡±
"I just need to settle the score with them; I won''t let them get away with what they did. Besides, I owe it to Alex to help him out."
"You wish to fight alongside him?"
"Yep, the bandits are pretty tough too, so he''s going to need all the help he can get. And I''m pretty sure going home can wait."
Legion still seems unsure of my reasoning, but he just sighs in response.
"If you don''t mind me asking, how did you arrive here, into this world," Legion inquires.
"I got here by some weird book."
"A book?"
I went on to explain what happened on the night we came to this world. As I mentioned the Grimoire¡¯s involvement.
"Proxy, by chance, is the book black.¡± Never specified the color of the book, so does he know about it? Before I can ask how he knew it was black, I notice the crowd is staring at us, making a path to the king.
"Proxy, please step up."
I can hear the king from the other end of the room.
"We''ll discuss this later. Where can I meet you," Legion asks me.
"There''s a place called Titan''s axe, it''s southeast from here."
"Okay."
I saunter over to him. He is radiating the same superior energy as when I first saw him.
"Sir Proxy, again, I''d like to congratulate you on your victory today," he praises me.
"Thanks, no need to shower me in praise, but you can if you''d like."
"Well, I would like to, but I''d like to admire your artistry."
"My artistry?"
"Yes, the one you did on the grounds outside of my castle."
Oh shit.
"Don¡¯t know what you mean?"
"I''m talking about the unkind words you painted on my steps a few nights ago." The guards begin to close in on me, with their weapons still holstered. "So, before I praise you, I''m going to have to punish you. . ."
Well, this turned out great, now I''m in shits creek. Where the hell is the witch and Nunnal¨¦ when you need them?
A ball and teacups - part 6
Kingdom of Humanity - night
The knights close in on me as I try to get farther away from the king.
¡°So tell me, what possessed you to do such a thing?¡±
¡°Nothing, I didn¡¯t do it, and I find it insulting that you accuse me of such a crime.¡±
¡°You shouldn¡¯t be. I have an eye witness account telling me you were there at the night of the defacing of my property."
"Geez king, that sure is convenient but is there proof?¡±
¡°I believe this belongs to you.¡±
The king tosses me something. Catching it, I see that it was my school I.D. Holy shit, no wonder why I couldn¡¯t find it, my dumbass dropped it! I cringe from the fact that I messed up this badly.
¡°Okay, I admit, I might have done it.¡±
¡°So you confess your crimes,¡± the king asks
¡°No point in hiding it, but how long have you known.¡±
¡°I was presented that on the night of the crime, though, I didn''t recognize you with those goggles on.¡±
¡°Damn, looks like my cover is blown. If that¡¯s the case then I¡¯m done playing around here.¡±
¡°Are you now?¡±
¡°Yeah, so I¡¯m gonna ask you something: why don¡¯t you do anything about the bandits? Not only that but the people used in the Hell Mine.¡±
¡°The Hell Mine, it¡¯s been quite a while since I heard that name.¡±
¡°Answer the question!¡±
¡°I don''t owe you an answer."
"Why not, too scared to answer in front of your audience!?"
"That''s not it at all."
"Then what is it, you kingly bastard, why are you ignoring the threats outside the kingdom!?"
"Because they are not my problem."
"What?"
"Years ago, after the war ended, my father swore to keep this kingdom safe but his vision of keeping it safe was never realized. Which is why I''ll have mine realized. I shall protect the fair people of this kingdom from the savages outside of this kingdom. And if they enslave each other, so be it, let them; we shall remain prosperous!¡± The crowd instantly cheers him on. What the hell is wrong with them, why are they so nonchalant about this? ¡°Since you are from outside of the kingdom, that means you are not a citizen. I must ask you to accept the penalty of intruding into this kingdom.¡±
The knights come closer and closer with their weapons. Behind them though, Legion jumps over them.
¡°Stop this at once!¡± Legion shouts. ¡°What is the meaning of this, explain yourself, king Relius!¡±
¡°You must explain yourself first. Why are you stopping his judgment?¡±
¡°Why execute him? Why not drag him out of the city?¡±
¡°Those who infiltrate my kingdom must be punished by death to serve as a lesson. I will not allow those who harmed it in the past to come in so easily.¡±
¡°So you¡¯d execute a boy for it?¡±
¡°Not only that but for defacing my property.¡±
¡°Even if he did do such a stupendous act he doesn''t deserve death."
"What I decide is my decision alone. I shall not allow a guest to question me, or am I wrong?"
"No. . .you aren''t."
I have to get out before their convo ends. The question is how? I could book it for the door, but I''m sure I''ll get a "screw you" backstab on my way out. Think, think, what do I do?
¡°Proxy, sorry I took so long, I--¡±
Alex appears from the crowd as he moves the guards out of the way. He gives me a confused expression as he realizes he takes a glance at the guards surrounding me. ¡°What is the matter?¡±
¡°Do you know this man, Proxy?¡±
¡°No, he¡¯s just some dude I had run an errand for me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not true, you¡¯re my companion in the army.¡±
I get up in Alex¡¯s face, I set us down into a squat position.
¡°Shut up, I know but he doesn¡¯t!¡±
¡°Why does it matter?¡±
¡°Cause he¡¯s going to have me executed.¡±
¡°Why!?¡±
¡°Well that¡¯s--¡±
¡°Proxy, there you are.¡± Richard shows up from the crowd. God damn it, you people have the worst timing! ¡°. . .What¡¯s going on, why is everyone looking at you?¡±
¡°Another accomplice,¡± the king asks.
¡°He¡¯s a loveless dope I found in town to take here is all.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m not, you jerk!¡±
I sit him on the ground with me and Alex.
¡°He doesn''t know that?¡±
¡°Alexander, what¡¯s happening?¡±
¡°Proxy¡¯s going to be executed.¡±
¡°What the hell did you do? We were gone for only a few minutes, what the hell!?¡±
¡°He found out I painted the castle grounds!¡±
¡°Really!?¡±
¡°Why would you two do that! That is incredibly disrespectful to the people who have to clean that up,¡± Alex scolds me.
¡°Yes, I learned my lesson on defacing property, but can we focus on how to get out of this.¡±
¡°Did you already admit to it,¡± Richard questions.
¡°Pretty much.¡±
¡°Then there¡¯s not much you can do with proving that you¡¯re innocent.¡±
¡°I agree, you¡¯ll be killed at this rate,¡± Alex points out.
¡°Gee, thanks for having confidence in me, but can we come up with ideas!¡±
¡°What do you want us to do, say that you weren¡¯t guilty because trust us?¡±
¡°I think I have an idea.¡±
¡°What is it, Alex?¡±
He stands up quietly, his face stern-looking as well. Does he have it, the get out of jail-free card!? Wait, can he even lie; he and Legion have the same type of ¡°good-boys¡± attitude, but he has lived outside of the kingdom, hell, he was in prison when we first met, so he must at least have a liars bone in his body.
¡°My king, he. . .¡± Here he goes, it¡¯s all or nothing, he needs to pull a good one over them! Come on leader, I know you can do it, come on, let¡¯s go! Freeeee me! ¡°. . .Has a twin!¡±
The whole court reacts in silence, their faces tell me that they weren¡¯t buying it for a bit, the king is just cringing to the max. Damn it, Alex, you should¡¯ve done a better job, and you call yourself a leader! But then again, I don¡¯t have any better ideas.
¡°It¡¯s true, my younger brother did it.¡±
¡°Then why did you say it was you?¡±
¡°We have shared memories, so I thought I did it.¡±
The king doesn¡¯t respond, he¡¯s just sitting there, looking at us as if we were wax models with clown outfits on. Richard clocks me over the head.
¡°Are you guys stupid or something, why do you think this would work!?¡±
¡°Just believe it¡¯ll work and it¡¯ll work, that¡¯s what I learned from after-school specials.¡±
¡°That¡¯s so stupid, that¡¯s stuff is for kids, you moron!¡±
¡°Hey, don¡¯t diss my childhood heroes like [redacted] or [redacted].¡±
¡°You¡¯re 14, don¡¯t you feel embarrassed?¡±
¡°I¡¯m a little boy at heart, there¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about!¡±
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°Trust me, there¡¯s plenty.¡±
The king loudly clears his throat to drag our attention to him.
¡°It is clear to me that you believe I am a joke to you three, as punishment for wasting my and everyone else¡¯s time like this, you¡¯ll all be executed!¡±
I, Richard, and Alex squat back down next to each other. Richard¡¯s glasses are doing that reflecting light thing that hid his eyes, I have my head held down, and Alex is covering his face with one hand. This is not good, we¡¯re definitely going to get the axe, we are going to get killed. . .Unless.
¡°Richard, we have to do that thing we always do!¡± I speak with determination on my next course of action.
¡°Wait, that!?¡±
¡°Yeah, that.¡±
¡°That! What is it,¡± Alex asks.
¡°A plan that will save us!¡±
¡°Are you certain we can pull it off?¡±
¡°Indeed. Boys, let¡¯s do it!"
"We have no other choice. Let¡¯s go all-out!"
"I don''t know what''s going, but yeah!"
We get up, not as boys who are ready to lie down and die, but as men!
"Okay guys, ready!"
"Yeah!"
"Of course!"
"Then. . ."
Putting one foot back, I quickly turn around and push the crowd of people out of my way. Richard follows right behind me as Alex lags behind us. Yes, that plan is. . .
"RUN LIKE THE WIND!"
Richard, Alex, and I went barreling out of the hallway. Selena and Nunnal¨¦ are outside the door.
"What in the bloody hell is happening," the little witch curses.
"We have to go, like right now!"
"Why, did you get my food for me? I want to eat it in the comfort of my castle."
"Sorry, but--"
"Castle guards are coming to kill us, get your asses running!"
"Master, I''ll--"
"No, just run, don''t engage!"
Richard grabs Nunnal¨¦''s hand as I pick Selena and carry her as if she¡¯s a bag.
"Let me go, you imbecile!" "Just shut it, half-pint!"
An electrical current hit me all over my body. Selena is unaffected by it, and my speed isn¡¯t affected by it, but it still hurts.
"Whoops, that was an accident," she innocently says.
"You half-pint liar!"
Once again, I got tazed as we were making our escape to the entrance. Honestly, I should''ve just left her behind¡
¡
"My king, we followed them into the town but them as well as several people in the town had disappeared into thin air.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
¡°What shall we do my lord?¡±
¡°I want posters of them, let bounty hunters learn of their existence.¡±
¡°Understood, how many?¡±
¡°Three, one named Proxy and his assailants. Have an artist come to the castle as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Understood, your majesty.¡±
¡°In the meantime, patrol the city, have anyone outside present their proof of citizenship.¡±
¡°I shall report this to the other knights at once!¡±
The captain of the knights storms out of the throne room, leaving Relius to his thoughts. Tonight was a lot different than what he was used to. During the previous balls, he would dose off when he got the chance to. It was a tiresome event for him to host, but it was good for the morale of the people. However, this year¡¯s ball was truly amazing. Even though he was outraged when he saw Proxy and Richard¡¯s tag, he was curious as to who was daring enough to do such an act. Now that he was able to meet the boy that did it he couldn¡¯t help but be amused by him. The cocky bravado he showed off was something he never expected of an outsider. And not only Proxy but Alexander¡¯s blatant and obvious lie was comical to him that remembering it brought laughter to the room. His laugh is not polite or as collected as when he laughs in front of people. He laughs harder than he ever allowed himself to. Eventually, he calms down.
¡°Now that I think about it, the imbecile that managed the mine said that a boy destroyed the mine. There''s no doubt that it was that boy. As for that blond-hair man. . ."
Relius nods to himself as if denying something. But such a matter doesn¡¯t matter to the king now. A yawn escapes his mouth. His need for sleep has his attention. So with his priority straight, he leaves the throne room in a merry mood. He ponders what the two will do now. Whatever it is, it¡¯ll be interesting.
Anti-bandit camp - Mid-night
It has been an hour since we escaped from the Kingdom. We were able to escape the Kingdom thanks to Selena. So far, everyone is accounted for. I¡¯m getting ready to head out for the meeting spot where Legion and I are supposed to be. I¡¯ll tell Alex about it though, might let me go.
¡°Everyone, may I have your attention?¡± Alex calls everyone just as I approach him. ¡°. . .I hope tonight was fun for all of you as it was me, but now I need to talk about something important.¡±
Everyone gathers in front of him.
¡°We have been making good strides in fighting against the bandits. We gained many allies from villages that wish to fight with us! While this is a good thing, it isn¡¯t enough.¡± The crowd begins to murmur among themselves. ¡°. . .We¡¯ve only been fighting the bandits in this area, there are many other areas that need to be fought in, and not only there, but their home base as well.¡±
¡°Brother, what do you mean?¡±
¡°I mean we need to strike harder, and strike where it hurts.¡±
Marie¡¯s eyes widen as she figured out what he means.
¡°No, brother, you can¡¯t!¡±
¡°. . .We must take the fight to them!¡±
So that means we¡¯re going over to their turf and kick some ass!? Sweet! However, looking back at the crowd, most of them have worried looks on their faces.
¡°Are you crazy, if we go to the bandits then we¡¯ll be killed!¡±
¡°Yeah, there¡¯s too many of them to handle over there!¡±
¡°Have you lost your mind, leader?¡±
This isn¡¯t good, the crowd is going against Alex¡¯s idea. Despite that, he remains composed, not moving a single inch from his spot.
¡°I know it¡¯s dangerous, and that it would be different from the number we¡¯re used to. I won¡¯t lie to any of you: there are risks with advancing towards our enemy; we may be killed by them if we aren¡¯t careful. However, we must do this, or the conflict will go on. So I ask of you all: do those of you who have suffered by the hands of the Fire Wraiths wish for others to experience such tragedy? If we are to stop them, then we must not linger, we must go towards them! If any of you wish to not be involved then that is that, however, I suggest you all think about it carefully.¡±
Everyone is taking on dire expressions, most of them seriously contemplate what he said. He¡¯s right about the risky part, going toward their home turf is a hell of a bet. If we make a mistake then we¡¯re screwed. Even so. . .
¡°I¡¯m with you, Alex!¡±
I jump up on the roundtable he¡¯s standing on.
¡°Are you sure, did you think it over?¡±
¡°Nah, wherever there¡¯s a fight, I¡¯m there!¡±
¡°That¡¯s the only reason?¡±
¡°Yep, who cares about the details. Already knew we¡¯d have to go to their home turf someday, and you guys should¡¯ve seen that coming.¡±
¡°How could we have!?¡±
¡°We¡¯re the anti-bandit army, so it was bound to happen. We¡¯ll have to fight their best eventually, whether they come here or we go to them. So what if it¡¯s a risky idea? This whole damn was risky from the start, what makes it any different now? Are you guys really that cowardly?¡±
¡°What did you say!?¡±
¡°You heard me, I called you cowards, what are gonna do about it?¡±
Seems like I riled up the crowd, good. It seems like Alex can understand what I¡¯m leading into because he gave a quick wink.
¡°. . .Proxy may be right, maybe it is insanely risky, but what¡¯s the difference now?¡±
Nobody raises their voice in response.
¡°We fought the bandits not out of a whim but because it was the righteous thing to do. The Kingdom will not aid us, they will not save us from them; the king told Proxy so.¡±
¡°Yeah, the Kingdom doesn¡¯t care about anyone out here.¡±
¡°. . .So for all intents and purposes, we are on our own. Some people are suffering now because the kingdom won¡¯t step in, and we¡¯re the only ones who can do anything about it. So tell me: are you really okay with that?¡± Nobody made a peep, but I can tell by their faces that they were beginning to see it his way. ¡°Do you want violence and fear to be allowed throughout other parts of the land, or do you wish to fight against the menace! If you wish to, then step forward, and if not, then do not.¡±
Alex sits down on the table. His eyes are shut as he crosses his arms and legs. I squat next to him.
¡°Sure they¡¯ll listen?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t make anyone come with me, I can only hope to convince them and wish the best. But no matter what, I will fight!¡±
Guess that¡¯s all he can do. Still, though, did nobody ever think we would have to do this eventually? If so, I say that¡¯s pretty ignorant. I hear footsteps coming towards us as I had my eyes closed. A few more follow up behind that, then some more. More and more were heard until the noise stops. Opening my eyes, the crowd seemingly came closer to us. Their faces were looking fierce than before. I like it.
¡°You guys wanna go and kick-ass after all?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t let a brat like you call us out!¡±
¡°Yeah, we gotta earn our keep!¡±
¡°Glad you guys feel that way, you better prove me wrong! But more importantly. . .¡±
I whisper into Alex¡¯s ear. We need to hype up the crowd, so this might do.
¡°I got it,¡± he says. We both get up from the floor. Our fists are raised to the sky.
¡°Let¡¯s take the fight to those bastards!¡±
An instant reaction is generated from the crowd, they let out a collection of individual battle cries. Now we¡¯re rock and rolling.
¡°Now, we¡¯ll need to work extra hard. Training shall be a bigger priority and we¡¯ll need to start asking for supplies from other villages. Anyone who knows any village willing to do so please consult with Marie. We¡¯ll also need to think about scouting potential routes to our enemies'' main base, so if you wish to help, please consult with Chip.
¡°Geez, you serious?¡±
¡°Gotta earn your keep,¡± I tell him.
¡°Yeah, yeah, I hear ya.¡±
¡°As for training: I¡¯ll still be holding sword training while Gilhart and Proxy head hand-to-hand.¡±
¡°Whoa, looks like I¡¯ve been promoted.¡±
¡°You¡¯ll have to work twice as hard now,¡± Alex tells me.
¡°Won¡¯t let you down. And I¡¯m looking forward to fighting you, Gil.¡±
¡°Me too!¡±
Alex stands up on the table.
¡°Now, everyone: let¡¯s get to work. . .Tomorrow.¡±
Sounds appropriate, today was more than enough fun for everyone here. Although. I still need to ask Alex permission to leave, so I should get on that.
¡°Yo, Alex. I¡¯m leaving camp for a bit.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Need to talk to someone who¡¯s waiting for me at the Titan axe.¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°Some info on that book I mentioned.¡±
¡°I see. . .Why are you telling me?¡±
¡°Well, I wanted to let you know so you know what I¡¯m up to.
¡°Funny, you could¡¯ve just left camp at mid-night without us knowing.¡±
¡°Yeah, I could¡¯ve, but I just feel as if this is the right thing to do.¡±
¡°How did you come to this conclusion?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, I just think it¡¯s right. No need for another reason.¡±
¡°Such a simple answer, yet, expected.¡±
¡°What do you mean, expected?¡±
¡°You¡¯re the type to do things without much forethought into things, yet, you do for the matters that count.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°But of course, I can tell because I am as well.¡±
¡°Now that is something I can tell.¡±
But I don¡¯t know, I wouldn¡¯t say I put no thought into anything; I just don¡¯t think about things too much. Well, that¡¯s wrong as well, I¡¯ve been thinking about things more lately, especially on my mess-ups. But, it¡¯s a brand new day, and a brand new me. I¡¯ll learn from my mistakes as to not repeat them.
¡°Proxy: why are you helping me fight?¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? Cause if there¡¯s a fight, then I¡¯ll be there. However, that isn¡¯t my only reason, or real one either. I feel as if I owe you big time. I still hold myself responsible for what Cade did. I need to make up for it. That, and you accepted me back with open arms, so I need to pay you back.¡±
¡°You¡¯re still thinking about that? I told you there was no way for you to know.¡±
¡°I know, it¡¯s just I can¡¯t get it out of my mind is all. But you¡¯re right, I couldn¡¯t have known how far he was willing to go. But, this isn¡¯t about Cade. Point is: I¡¯m on your side, and I¡¯m gonna kick some ass!¡±
¡°Good to know I have your support. It gives me a sense of relief to have someone like you on my side.¡±
¡°Oh man, you¡¯re gonna make me blush. . .¡± Well, I think it¡¯s about time I head out now. ¡°Yo, I¡¯m gonna be going now.¡±
¡°Okay, safe travels.¡±
¡°Thanks, by the way, about training. . .¡±
¡°Still need to do it.¡±
¡°What, you¡¯re killing me!¡±
Balls and tea cups: Epilogue
8/24 - Kingdom of humanity - Bounty hunter¡¯s bar - morning
The morning sun reaches inside of the beaten up bar. Several gruff men and women find themselves huddled up around the bulletin board covered with wanted posters and requests for help. Each job has a ranking on the top left corner of the paper, the ranking gauges the importance of the job more so than it did the difficulty, and it also estimates the amount of money it will pay. This leads to the board. There is no letter rank on the newly posted jobs, but a seal; the seal of the king. It¡¯s two jobs that pay higher than any other and can win you respect with the king, enough to make you a knight. However, there¡¯s a system to not cause chaos among the hunters. Each hunter has a crest that shows their rank. After completing a set number of requests under a rank, they¡¯re given a new crest so they can tackle higher-ranked bounties. This is repeated until one hits S-rank. Only those with A or S are allowed to take up the requests of the king.
¡°Move out of the way, you worthless dregs!¡± An overconfident voice booms as he pushes everyone out of his way. A sword bigger than his torso is swaying from his back as he moves towards the board. He takes the two jobs from the king off the board.
¡±Do any of you think that you¡¯re worthy of taking this job on?¡±
¡°Who the hell do you think you are,¡± a female bounty hunter curses.
¡°I¡¯m someone worthy of the king¡¯s time.¡±
¡°Screw you, we¡¯re A ranks!¡±
¡°Yeah, who do you think you are!?¡±
¡°Exactly my point, the king does not need an A-rank!¡± The swordsman presents his crest, symbolizing he¡¯s an S-rank. The A-rankers tensed up the moment they lay eyes on it. ¡°Now, do you see how worthless you all are? If so, then step aside so I may be on my way. Hm?¡±
One of the A-rankers attempts to surprise attack him, but the swordsman swipes him with the back of his hand, sending him flying towards the wall of the bar.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°You worthless bastard, how did you think ambushing me would end? Let that be a lesson to all of you, there¡¯s only one person, one man you should never cross, and that would be--¡±
¡°Me, am I right,¡± a man with a low, gruff, and heavy western accent
¡°Who said that, show yourself!¡± The crowd in front of the swordsman reveals someone sitting on a table by themself. They¡¯re wearing a ragged cape that surrounds their body and a cowboy hat that has wear and tear. ¡°You, was it you?¡±
¡°Maybe, maybe not. Whatcha gonna do ¡®bout it?¡±
¡°What is your name?¡±
¡°I have nothin to say to a fool who overcompensates with a like that.¡±
¡°Are you trying to anger me, you worthless vermin?¡±
¡°Only worthless thing here is you.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Ya deaf too?¡±
¡°I will give you one chance to apologize, or else.¡±
The swordsman reached for his weapon, only placing his hand on it. The crowd of bounty hunters moves out of the way.
¡°Kay, guess I¡¯ll apologize. I¡¯m sorry your mother had to deal with such a useless moron who took himself seriously.¡±
That last comment sparks the raging fire in the swordsman. He swiftly brings out his sword and brings it down, through the table his target sits in. It quickly became apparent that his opponent is missing from the seat. Suddenly, a mechanical click echoes through the swordsman¡¯s ears. He feels a sudden added weight that is pressed against his shoulders. Something metallic is put to the back of his head.
¡°I¡¯ll only tell ya this once, between S-ranker-to-S-ranker: the one who flaunts usually dies faster, so the next time you go mouthing off like an ass. Now, I¡¯ll be takin that job.¡±
¡°I took it first!¡±
A shove of his opponent¡¯s gun is all he needs to change his mind. Even if they were bounty hunters and based in a shady part of town, they still couldn¡¯t go around killing each other. Though, it¡¯s not like the gunman minds. The swordsman slowly gives the gunman the papers of the two bounties. The gunman jumps off his shoulders to leave the bar.
¡°Oh, you asked for my name, right. It¡¯s Willy. Don¡¯t forget it, ya worthless hunter.¡±
With that, Willy left the bar. Holds two posters in his hands, two targets that need to be captured. He takes a good look at both of them, both having a picture and with a description of both of them at the bottom. Only one has a name since the other¡¯s name is unknown to the king.
¡°Proxy, strange name.¡±
Willy the hunter - part 1
8/27 - Anti-bandit army camp - afternoon
Today a strategy meeting is being held about our current dilemma. So far, we are gaining more and more supplies from villages that have enough to spare. We have caravans coming in and out nowadays.
Bandit activity in the area is dropping but it''s not gone yet, so Alex is out there leading a big ass force of people to finish the remaining ones in this area.
Marie is left in charge of managing the camp, so she was the one to call the meeting. Since Richard is out and Nunnal¨¦ is tasting sweets and reading a book on flowers, I decided to join in on the meeting. Though, I can¡¯t say I''m not sleeping here and there about some of the other menial things. Asides from that, we seem to be doing okay, although, there is a problem that we''re talking about now.
¡°. . .We still have no means of transportation,¡± Marie says. ¡°That¡¯s the problem we¡¯ve encountered so far. We need the means to travel with equipment and people in mind. Wagons with Yaguars, but it still seems to be dangerous with the fact of our enemies using vehicles to travel."
A quick thing about Yaguars, they''re animals that are big, sturdy, probably good for pulling big wagons. As for riding on them, well, they''re slow, so I got bored quickly.
"Plus, if we were to lose the Yaguars then we lose our only means to transport our equipment and supplies. However, considering we lack the means to acquire a vehicle it seems likely that we will have to use them,¡± Marie ends her explanation on our current situation.
¡°Then why haven¡¯t we yet?¡± I ask her.
¡°Because before we do I want to view all our options. If we have no choice then we¡¯ll use wagons, but if we can somehow secure a vehicle big enough to fit an army and transport our goods that would be preferable. So, who has an idea? Gilhart?¡±
¡°No, I don¡¯t have anyone who can help with that.¡±
¡°Proxy?¡±
¡°We could steal a ride from the kingdom!?¡±
¡°I mean anything that isn¡¯t gonna get us a bounty. Chip, any ideas?¡±
¡°Huh?¡± Chip others out, his mind seemingly elsewhere.
¡°Do you have any ideas as to getting a vehicle?¡±
¡°That¡¯s. . .¡±
¡°Come on, don¡¯t be keeping secrets from the rest of the class, Chip,¡± I tease.
He sighs to himself, seemingly vexed. He seems a bit cagier than usual.
¡°I might be able to. I know someone who¡¯s able to make vehicles.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fantastic! Can you get them to come here,¡± Marie''s excitement overtakes her.
¡°Might not be all that simple. . .But I guess I could try. Gonna need to go at less than ideal place far from here.¡±
¡°Thank you so much! Gilhart, will you go with him?¡±
¡°Okay, I''ll protect him with my life.¡±
" don''t go too hard out there, Gil," I tell him, we give each other a fist-bump.
"Course, you be careful too."
¡°So it¡¯s you and me, huh. Aight. Come on, we need to hit up the Kingdom for a bit.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because we''re gonna need snacks for the trip.¡±
"No unnecessary detours!" Marie interjects.
Chip sucks his teeth. "Damn, guess we''ll just go without making any detours whatsoever."
He''s going to.
The two of them head for the exit of the camp. Man, why can¡¯t I go? Actually, what do I do? Alex isn¡¯t here to train me, Richard is out learning about his powers at Selena¡¯s castle. Damnit, what am I gonna do?
¡°Proxy, I got something for you to do," Marie says to me.
¡°What is it, is it important?¡±
¡°This is an important job indeed.¡±
¡°Sweet, what is it?¡±
¡
¡°I hate laundry day!¡±
I traverse a small pocket of forest with a basket full of clothes. By no means is this all the clothes that have to be washed. There¡¯s a couple more that I have to go and pick up after dropping this batch off. In this forest, there¡¯s a pool of clean water that we use to clean the clothes; well, I don''t know if it''s so clean anymore. I have to wait until they¡¯re nice and soaked to take them out. We dry them off back at camp. Overall: it¡¯s pretty tedious for the guy who has the basket.
¡°Why do I have to do this stuff? This is just a waste of my talents.¡±
As I walk through the forest, a strong breeze hits me. Kind of cold, it must be turning to winter. I should buy a thicker jacket.
¡°Huh!¡±
An instantaneous feeling in me goes off in my brain, something is coming at me from behind! I drop the basket to move out of the way. A sword is stuck in a tree, past where I was standing. I get up, my eyes scan the area.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡±
I draw the sword on my hip, readying myself for whatever comes next. . .
¡°Hm!¡±
My senses just went off again, something is coming from behind me again! I swing my sword to attack them! The sound of two blades clashing echoes through the small forest.
¡°Damn, it looks like ya noticed me.¡±
A person is behind me. I break away from him to gain some distance.
¡°Nice move, boy, pretty good. Thought I was gonna get dis over with too soon, ya feel me?¡±
¡°I¡¯m too good to get killed in such a way. So who the hell are you?¡±
¡°Me, I¡¯m nobody.¡±
¡°Everyone is somebody, and you sure as shit are somebody.¡±
¡°Guess ya got a point. Willy, that what people know me by. I¡¯m also the guy who¡¯s takin¡¯ ya in, dead or alive. But dead works for me.¡±
¡°Well, Willy, sorry to disappoint you but I¡¯m not going anywhere with you.¡±
¡°I wasn¡¯t askin¡¯.¡±
¡°And I wasn''t begging.¡±
Without another word, we both lunge at each other, our weapons clash as soon as we are in reach of the other. He¡¯s using a knife against my sword. It seems like I have a bigger advantage over him, but if anything, he has a chance to slip past my sword and put that thing in my back or brain. So I need to be mindful of our distance and positions. My opponents'' moves are slick, tricky, and as fast as Cade¡¯s knife attacks. I match my swing to where his knife is going. I swing hard enough to knock the knife out of his hand. Good, now I can go for the knockout!
¡°Gotcha,¡± he declares with a smug expression forms on his face.
He slips another knife from his sleeve. Noticing this, I barely block it in time as it aimed for my heart. Willy put some distance between us.
¡°Shoot, thought I had ya for a second there.¡±
¡°Kidding me, that was nothing!¡±
He nearly nailed me there, if I was a second slower I would¡¯ve bit the dust. I need to stay on my toes, or else he will get me.
¡°Not a lot of people managed to dodge that attack. Good on ya, kid."
¡°Thanks, I¡¯m real honored!¡±
¡°No need, da fact ya did makes dis all the sweeter.¡±
He charges for me. I dodge as he makes an attack. He¡¯s quick to come after me after finishing an attack. His attacks are getting faster, he¡¯s trying to slip past my defense, luckily, this isn¡¯t my first rodeo with knives and weapons in general. I¡¯m used to anticipating and blocking against blades. I¡¯m able to keep up with my opponent. Despite that, I''m still taking a few cuts from minor mistakes. He pulls out a second knife and begins to slash at me with both of them. One was enough but two is more than a challenge. I have to keep up with two blades at the same time.
¡°Too easy!¡± Willy yells. He moves his hands below my sword, hitting it from below with his knives, knocking it out of my hand. ¡°Left yerself wide open!¡±
¡°So did you!¡±
My hand swiftly takes out the knife in my pocket. The blade slides against his face. The knife is covered in blood as the side of his face is cut open. I can tell it wasn¡¯t a deep cut but it was enough. Willy hurries away from me. He traces the wound with his finger.
¡°Not bad, I underestimated ya, boy!¡±
¡°Damn, you dodged it.¡±
I meant to hit his eye but he must¡¯ve seen the blade coming at the last moment.
¡°Sorry ¡®bout that, yer blade just wasn¡¯t good ¡®nough.¡±
He drops the knife and reaches in his cape. He pulls out two machete-looking weapons.
¡°You have to be kidding me!¡±
¡°Dat was a good attack. I¡¯ll admit, but they only work once!¡±
He dashes towards me with his new, bigger weapons. This isn¡¯t good, I only have this pocket knife on me. I have to dodge the moment he gets me near me. He probably knows I¡¯m going to dodge but I have no choice!
¡°Hm!¡±
Something catches Willy¡¯s attention. A purple blur comes between me and Willy. A clashing sound is made between swords. Willy is thrown backward after the clash. Nunnal¨¦ is the one who arrived to save me.
¡°Are you harmed?¡±
¡°I¡¯m alright. Why are you here?¡±
¡°I was told to keep an eye on you by my master.¡±
¡°Seriously, what does Richard think I am, a child!?¡±
My eyes focus back on my opponent, who hasn¡¯t lost his composure. I can¡¯t see his eyes but I can tell he¡¯s watching us with keener eyes now.
¡°Well now, ain¡¯t this just a delight. You got a good swing there, girly. ¡°
¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t think talkin¡¯ like dis is gonna benefit me. Hate to do this, but I¡¯m gonna have to retreat!¡±
¡°Running away?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t you worry, boy. I¡¯ll be back to collect.¡±
¡°Why do you want to fight me?¡±
¡°The king has a bounty for Ya, and another person. I was able to track ya down yesterday. Of course, I waited until ya were alone to come and fight ya.¡±
¡°Damn, I must¡¯ve really pissed him off.¡±
¡°Maybe, but dat¡¯s enough of that, I¡¯ll be goin¡¯ now.¡±
¡°Wait, you aren¡¯t getting away from me!¡±
Willy takes out something from his cape just to throw it to the ground; it''s a smokescreen! Nunnal¨¦ and I rush towards him before he can get away. Reaching his position he''s nowhere to be found, even outside the smokescreen.
¡°He has escaped us,¡± Nunnal¨¦ determines.
¡°I can see that. Damnit!¡±
¡°Why did he come after you?¡±
¡°The king has it out for me. He put a bounty on my head.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ looks at my head, circling me as she does so. ¡°I don¡¯t see one.¡±
¡°It¡¯s just an expression, but this might be a bad thing.¡±
¡°We shall head back to camp then.¡±
¡°Yeah, I might want to tell Marie about this.¡±
¡°Then let us carefully be on our way back.¡±
¡°''Kay. . .Hold on, I have to go get the laundry.¡±
To my surprise, the laundry is still in the basket, still as wet as when I pulled them out of the water. Sweet, at least I don¡¯t need to wash them again! Though, I don¡¯t think that I have to do the other baskets since what just happened. Maybe laundry day is good, once in a while.
Willy''s temporary base of operations - afternoon
¡°That kid put up a better fight than I thought he would, and that girl. . .Some good ass bounty is. Well, I better just cool out for the time bein¡¯.¡±
Dressing his wounds, Willy sits in a small cavern that was inhabited by vicious predators, but he had cleared them out to make it a temporary base of operations. He lost three weapons today, one survival knife and twin machetes. He¡¯s taken one hit from Proxy. However, he did get some information out of the fight.
- Proxy¡¯s ability with the sword is amateur at best
- He has a powerful ally on his side.
- He can handle himself in a fight, even if his sword skills are amateur he was able to keep up with Willy¡¯s attacks, to an extent.
- His senses are good. He was able to dodge Willy¡¯s surprise attack, even when he gave him no indication that something was thrown. And when he snuck up on him as quietly as possible, he still failed to ambush him.
- Finally, he''s quite aggressive in his approach. An easy mind-set to manipulate while fighting.
These ted bits of information give him everything he needs to know on how to handle him. A dry laugh comes out of Willy, despite the pain surging from his face, he can¡¯t help but laugh.
As he continues to treat his wound, he wonders about the next encounter he and Proxy will have - and in the fashion - how he will kill him.
Willy the hunter - part 2
The Holy Lands - Selena¡¯s castle - evening
Breath in, breath out. My body is a conduit for my Source to flow through, like a stream flowing through a tranquil forest. I have to let it flow around my body. No interruptions can be made, I must focus on controlling it, regulate the flow and volume, and have it calmly flow around my body. If my concentration wanes, then. . .
¡°Open your eyes,¡± Selena instructs me. Opening my eyes, I see a big bug right in front of me. Its nasty squirming makes me instantly jump back. ¡°That¡¯s the fifth time you lost focus!¡±
Damn, she''s right, my hold over my Source has been released. I sigh to myself in frustration. A cold sweat rolls down my face. I get up from the ground, dusting myself off.
¡°Sorry, I was anticipating what you would do, but I¡¯m not too good with big bugs.¡±
¡°No excuses, you must strive to control yourself when you face unsuspecting things and situations.¡±
It frustrates me that she¡¯s right, so I can¡¯t put up any excuses.
¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry for the result. I¡¯m ready to start over again!¡±
¡°No, I think you¡¯ve done enough for today..¡±
¡°Really?¡±
I am a bit exhausted, but I can keep going. Then again, she might just tell me to just get a rest anyway. Maybe it¡¯s for the best. I still am new to this, so I should listen to Teacher Selena. Speaking of teacher, she takes a seat on a table out here in the courtyard. I follow suit.
¡°So, how did I do today?¡±
¡°Let''s review: You¡¯re now able to control the Volume of your Source, however, your Flow control isn¡¯t there yet. We¡¯ll have to work on it if you wish to proceed further with training.¡±
¡°I-I see, I¡¯ll strive to do my best!¡±
¡°Come child, no need to be so rigid.¡±
¡°Sorry, I guess I just don¡¯t want to leave a bad impression.¡±
¡°Worry not, you haven¡¯t given me a reason to. Your friend, however. . .¡±
¡°Again, I am sorry about any rudeness he¡¯s shown you,¡± I bow as I apologize.
¡°He honestly lacks manners on how to treat a lady. The insolent boy had the gall to carry me out of a ball. Honestly, the nerve. . .However, he isn¡¯t a fool, I¡¯ll give him that. He was able to recognize his weakness.¡±
¡°Weakness?¡±
What does she mean by his weakness? Teacher Selena gently claps her hands, dragging me out of my thoughts.
¡°That¡¯s it for the day, I¡¯ll be sending you back to your encampment for today.¡±
¡°Okay, thank you for teaching me again, teacher Selena.¡±
¡°Heed no mind, but I do have to say, it¡¯s quite delightful. I thought we would get nowhere at first, but you¡¯ve proven me wrong. Though it might take a bit longer for you to master your flow, so I recommend at least exercising your control with your Source. Try to walk while controlling your Source, then read a book to build your focus.¡±
¡°Okay!¡±
¡°Do you have any other questions before I send you back?¡±
Hmm, I don¡¯t think I have any questions for her. Wait, there has been something on my mind for a while, but I never got around to asking about it.
¡°I do have a question: why is Proxy not training his Source?¡±
¡°Yes, about that. . .¡± She places her thumb in between her lips. ¡°That boy doesn¡¯t seem to be emitting that much Source from himself, and it isn¡¯t because he hasn¡¯t found his trigger, it¡¯s just due to the fact he has little to none whatsoever, to the point where you wouldn¡¯t be able to sense it..¡±
¡°Is that bad?¡±
¡°In an objective manner: no. All humans emit Source, whether it is a large or small portion.¡±
¡°I see. So this means he won¡¯t be able to use it?¡±
¡°Afraid so.¡±
Shame, it probably would have bolstered our strength. Still, it doesn¡¯t seem like he cares, so I won¡¯t complain in place. for him.
¡°Without any other questions, I¡¯ll be sending you back now.¡±
¡°Okay, thank you for the training session, I can¡¯t wait to train with you tomorrow, teacher!¡±
¡°Child, there¡¯s no need to be so stiff.¡±
¡°Oh, okay, I¡¯ll try to loosen up.¡±
Damnit, I feel a bit embarrassed with how uptight I¡¯m acting, but I can¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t want to offend her in any way. After all, she¡¯s giving me a shot at teaching me, I have to prove I¡¯m worthy of her time.
¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you tomorrow, take care, child.¡±
She snaps her fingers, and like that, I¡¯m back in the camp within the blink of an eye. I¡¯m in a spot where nobody could see me suddenly appearing out of thin air. I¡¯m easily able to just walk into camp without anyone noticing I was gone. Of course, I don¡¯t have to keep it a secret, but teleporting in a more obscure area is convenient for me. Now, I should go find Nunnal¨¦. So far, she¡¯s nowhere to be seen, and come to think of it, neither is Proxy. I know he was still here before I left. Oh well, I might as well, go practice my flow. First, I activate my Source, now, all I need to do is just walk while raising the amount of Source that flows around me. It was kind of hard at first, but I sort of got it down, though, I still need to be careful, if I lose focus while I bring it out, it¡¯ll just leak out. As I move along, I see two people approaching from the camp exit/entrance. As they come closer I¡¯m able to recognize them as Proxy and Nunnal¨¦.
¡°Yo, Richard,¡± Proxy greets me as he swings his arm around my neck.
Nunnal¨¦ comes to a full stop, giving me a curt bow. ¡°Master Richard, welcome back from training,¡±
¡°Thanks. So where did you two go off to?¡±
¡°Laundry, but that got put on the back burner.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Well. . .¡±
A few moments later
¡°. . .A bounty hunter attacked you!?¡± Marie¡¯s voice reverbs throughout the camp.
After Proxy told me about what happened, we went to tell Marie what is happening.
¡°Yeah, dude said he¡¯s been tracking me down for a while now. Not only that, but it¡¯s a bounty from the king.¡±
¡°Are you serious!?¡± Marie smacks her hands against her face, letting out a frustrated groan. ¡°Just when things are getting off the ground, this happens!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll figure a way to deal with this,¡± Proxy assures her.
¡°It¡¯s not so simple, the only way to deal with it is for you to just let them capture you.¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s not what I mean. I¡¯m gonna deal with this guy, simple.¡±
¡°How, do you know where he is?¡±
¡°Umm, no, but--¡±
¡°Do you have any idea when he might attack?¡±
¡°N-no, but--¡±
¡°Even if you beat him, what are you going to do about the bounty on you?¡±
¡°Well. . .¡±
¡°There¡¯s nothing to do about this, all we can do is just hope we aren¡¯t compromised. You didn¡¯t let him follow you here?¡±
¡°Course not, we made sure to watch out for any tails.¡±
We haven¡¯t gotten to what Proxy¡¯s assailant looks like. Assessing who our opponent is the most important thing.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Proxy, what did the bounty hunter look like?¡±
¡°He was wearing a ragged black cape around his body with a beaten-up black hat. I think he said his name was. . .Willy.¡±
Marie clutches her face with both hands ¡°Shit, shit! This is bad!¡± She slams her fist against the rock table. Okay, that has got to hurt, a lot. ¡°Damnit, why him of all people, just why!?¡±
¡°Who is this Willy?¡± Nunnal¨¦ questions.
¡°An infamous bounty hunter that¡¯s revered by anyone outside the kingdom, hell, even in the bounty hunter circle he inhabits. Anyone who¡¯s under his gaze is as good as dead. He hunts them down, regardless of how well hidden they are. He¡¯s also a merciless hunter who¡¯ll stop at nothing to kill his targets.¡±
¡°Seriously, I got the weirdo on my ass? Well shit.¡±
This is not good, this is extremely bad! He must be wanted for what happened the other night. Wait, is he the only one though? ¡°Proxy, did he mention another bounty?¡±
¡°Hmm, did he. . .? Hang on, he did.¡±
I was about to ask who, but I think he would¡¯ve brought it up if he knew who it was. But if he got a bounty made by the king after the ball, then does that mean either me or Alexander has a bounty as well? The king did see me and Alexander. Maybe I¡¯m jumping the gun, but I should bring it up just in case.
¡°Guys, I think the king might have issued a bounty on Me, or Alexander.¡±
¡°The hell!? Are you sure?¡± Marie asks me to confirm.
¡°I can¡¯t confirm this, but it¡¯s safe to say that it might be the case.¡±
¡°In that case, Proxy, Richard, you two need to stay here.¡±
¡°Sure about that? He might just come here to get us.¡±
¡°I know, but what else can we do? Until we can figure what to do, you two need to stay here. Any objections?¡± Proxy and I keep quiet. ¡°So it¡¯s decided, Richard, Proxy, the two of you are gonna stay here until we figure something out.¡±
Marie moves past us with her arms crossed.
"Everyone!" she shouts, bringing everyone''s attention to her. "We''re going to have to tighten security around here! Anyone who isn''t undergoing training or performing any duties, pick up a weapon from inventory and start to keep guard outside the camp. We may have an enemy coming after us, so if you see anything or anyone suspicious, report it to your allies and then to me! Also, don''t go out by yourself, stick where you can see each other. That is all!¡±
Most of the men immediately head into the weapons tent.
"Okay, I''m going to go find out what I can in the Kingdom, you two stay here, got it?"
"Yes," Proxy and I agree.
¡°You got it, Proxy?¡±
¡°Why single me out?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just messing with you. . .Sort of,¡± Marie whispers the last part of her sentence.
¡°I heard that!¡±
Marie faces us as she walks backward. ¡°Nunnal¨¦, you¡¯re in charge of them, take care of them while I¡¯m gone!¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
Marie leaves the camp with those words.
¡°Master Richard, let¡¯s hide you in your tent. I will also be keeping watch of you and providing you the necessary needs to survive inside your tent.¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you don¡¯t have to go that far.¡±
¡°I insist. If someone is after your life, then I would like it if you were to remain hidden from the view of anyone.¡±
¡°What about me,¡± Proxy asks.
¡°I recommend you do the same.¡±
¡°Hey, I thought you were going to tell me that it¡¯s not your problem?¡±
¡°My master instructed me to look out for you out of concern for your well-being.¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you don¡¯t need to list the reason!¡±
¡°I am sorry Master, I shall learn to stay my tongue.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s fine, I shouldn¡¯t get embarrassed about something like that.¡±
¡°So you were concerned for me, I didn¡¯t know you were embarrassed to admit it, too.¡±
¡°You sound stupid!¡±
¡°Come on, nothing to be embarrassed about. We besties gotta lookout, right?¡±
¡°I knew you would haze me like this!¡±
¡°Come on man, I¡¯m only joking around. Come on, don¡¯t make a pouty face.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not!¡±
God, why does he have to make a big deal out of this? Ugh, I¡¯m probably overreacting, so who am I to talk to? But speaking of talk, we should probably get on with our current problem.
¡°So, we have a bounty hunter after us. Never thought I¡¯d be able to say something so ridiculous.¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s kind of a pain to have a guy like that chase after me.¡±
¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I can handle it.¡±
¡°Worry not, Master Richard, if he were to appear now I would be able to eliminate him without wasting a single moment since you¡¯re close.¡±
¡°Looks like our sugar junkie is gearing to go.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s ease up on the killing.¡±
¡°Very well, I shall not kill, but we must assert his skills.¡±
¡°I agree, Proxy, can you fill us in on how the fight went?¡±
¡°Hmm, if I had to describe the fight, I¡¯d say. . .A desperate struggle to survive.¡±
¡°He was that tough?¡±
¡°Yeah, first of all, he tried to get the drop on me by throwing a sword at me. Even when it missed he followed up by sneaking up on me.¡±
¡°So he formulated a plan before engaging you? Interesting.¡±
¡°. . .He used knives on me, and he seemed to have more than two. He took out two bigger weapons on his body.¡±
¡°He keeps multiple weapons on his person?¡±
¡°Most likely, but back to his prowess in planning. He was able to pull off a retreat in my presence,¡± Nunnal¨¦ adds.
¡°Was it because I wasn¡¯t there?¡±
¡°Possibly, but even then he escaped me in mere seconds of him dropping a smokescreen. I still should¡¯ve been able to see him running away.¡±
This Willy guy is clearly not one to charge into a fight blindly. He went in with a way to end Proxy¡¯s life without revealing himself, and even when it failed he used it as a distraction to sneak upon him. And him having a smoke bomb on him meant he was ready to run if he needed to. This bounty hunter is probably a lot more dangerous than we¡¯re coming to understand so far.
¡°Master Richard, if I¡¯m being honest, we should steer clear of this man.¡±
¡°I agree, we should avoid him if possible. What about you Proxy?¡±
¡°Hmm. . .I think that¡¯s a bad idea.¡±
¡°But why?¡±
¡°Because he¡¯ll come to us eventually.¡±
¡°How do you know?¡±
¡°Think about it, how did he find me in the middle of nowhere?¡±
¡°That¡¯s. . .actually a good question.¡±
¡°He said he only found me just today, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s it. He found me when I was away from the camp, by myself?¡±
Yeah, he¡¯s right. It lines up too perfectly. Wait, don¡¯t tell me!
¡°. . .He knows where we are,¡± I answer the question in awe of our enemy knowing where we are.
¡°I think so,¡± Proxy agrees.
¡°Crap, then that means we aren¡¯t safe here. What are we going to do?¡±
¡°Fight him, simple.¡±
¡°Are you serious, you do realize that we are talking about someone that could¡¯ve killed you if Nunnal¨¦ didn¡¯t appear, right?¡±
¡°I know, but I won¡¯t run. I never run from a fight. This is no different.¡±
¡°So what do you plan on doing?¡±
¡°Easy, going to sleep.¡±
¡°Seriously!?¡±
¡°What, there¡¯s nothing else to do, besides, he¡¯ll come to me. So, I¡¯m going to bed. Hey, why don¡¯t we bunk with each other?¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°It just sounds fun.¡±
It¡¯s not like I can argue against it without saying ¡°we¡¯re not little kids", but I feel as if he would dismiss it. Besides, I guess it sounds like fun.
"Sure, I''m in."
"Alright, I''ll be heading to your tent. I''ll meet you there!"
Proxy runs over to my tent with a pep in his step.
"Master Richard, I will also be sleeping with you."
"I don''t know if that''s a good idea."
"Why is it not?"
"Well, I just think you sleeping in the same tent with me and Proxy would be a bad idea."
"I don''t understand?"
"It would be weird if we did."
"But with the threat towards your life looming I cannot allow you to be on your own."
"But I''ll be with Proxy."
"I fear he won''t be enough to protect you. I can''t rely on him to protect you from such a threat. So I must insist."
Nunnal¨¦ isn''t giving me much of a choice, she''ll keep pressing until she gets her way.
"Okay, you can stay near me tonight, but we have to set some ground rules, okay?"
"I understand."
Geez, Nunnal¨¦ is quite the handful at times, or maybe most of the time, but I know she means well. Though, I kind of don''t know how to react to her calling Proxy out like that. On one hand, he is good in a fight, but on the other, these aren''t your average opponents. So maybe it is for the best she sticks with the both of us tonight. That way, we''ll both be safe. Still, though, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s odd to say that Proxy is weak. After all, I always thought he was always strong.
¡
Richard and Nunnal¨¦ walk past me without them knowing I¡¯m hidden from their view of them. I was going to drag them over to the tent so we can play some cards, but as I approached them, I heard them talking about Willy, and about me. It pisses me off how dismissive Nunnal¨¦ was towards me. I mean, who the hell does she think she is!? Damnit!
Anti-bandit army camp - Richard''s tent - midnight
"Master Richard. . .Wake up."
A voice is waking me from my sleep. My eyelids take a few seconds to slowly open to see Nunnal¨¦ facing down at me. A low grumble escapes me.
"What is it Nunnal¨¦?" I finish with a yawn. I grab my glasses from the corner of the tent.
"Proxy left the tent as quietly as he could."
¡°Why?"
"I do not understand the reason for such an action. Should we follow him?"
"Yeah, let''s go."
We crawl out of the tent to see Proxy coming from his tent. He heads out of the camp with a sword in hand. We follow closely behind while keeping our distance from him. After a while, we arrive at an obscure area near the camp. He¡¯s standing in front of a wooden dummy. He takes out his sword and gets into a stance.
"Ha!"
He hits the dummy. His sword is stuck in the side of the dummy. He immediately pulls it out and tries again, and again, and again, and again. He repeats the strike until he gives up. Soon after, he gets down on his hands and starts doing push-ups.
"Those strikes weren''t strong enough to cut the dummy in half with one strike."
"I see, so he''s practicing his sword skills?"
"It appears so."
I have never seen Proxy practice anything before. He never seemed to put much effort into anything before. When I asked him how he practiced his athletics, he simply said: "I haven''t, it just clicked when I tried it." So I thought he wouldn''t put effort into things, even the training with Alexander. But here he is. He made it to 50 under a minute, yet he continues with the push-ups.
"Why is he training," I mutter to myself.
"Did you say something, master Richard?"
"N-nothing, nothing at all. Come, let''s keep watch on him. I don''t want anyone sneaking upon him while he practices."
"Understood."
For the rest of his training session, we keep an eye on him. He worked up more than a sweat. For the rest of it, he continued to practice his sword swings on the dummy.
Willy the hunter - part 3
8/28 - Anti-bandit army camp - morning
Today¡¯s training is about to start. Selena is going to transport me over to her castle soon. I¡¯m prepared for today¡¯s training. Today, I need to show my progress, I need to show my diligence. No matter what, I have to move past Source control and onto other things. Though, I¡¯m not arrogant enough to believe I¡¯m going to breeze right into it. To be honest, at the rate I¡¯m going, who knows if I will.
¡°What¡¯s wrong, buddy?¡±
Proxy approaches from behind, Nunnal¨¦ by his side.
¡°Nothing, I¡¯m just deep in thought.¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°Nothing. What are you two doing?¡±
¡°Us? We decided to go with you to the loli witch¡¯s place.
¡°Why?¡±
¡°It¡¯s kind of boring here, so we decided to tag along with you.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be any different going over there.¡±
¡°I¡¯d rather be in a giant castle than kick rocks here.¡±
¡°If you insist, but you want to go too, Nunnal¨¦?¡±
¡°I wish to observe your progress, if that is alright with you, Master Richard?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t mind, just curious is all.¡±
¡°Good, then let¡¯s go!¡±
We waited for a solid minute, yet, nothing happened. It is a bit early, so she isn¡¯t going to port me right away.
"So. . .when is she gonna--¡±
Proxy¡¯s sentence is cut off as our surroundings shift around us. We suddenly find ourselves in a courtyard. The sunny sky is replaced with a pale moon that shines down on the witch. . .
¡°Hello there, children.¡± Selena greets us as she stands off the courtyard, next to the entrance/exit.
¡°Sup, little witch.¡±
¡°Does your coarseness know no limit?¡±
¡°I was only saying hi, geez. Also, maybe.¡±
Selena lets out a sigh, quickly bringing her attention to me.
¡°Richard, do I need to tell you what needs to be done?¡±
¡°No!¡±
I immediately activate my Source and go to work regulating it.
¡°Good, as for you two, please leave the boy to his training. Come, we¡¯ll chat in the lounge.¡±
Proxy and Nunnal¨¦ follow Selena to the inside of the castle. This leaves me to myself. Good, now I can focus on myself. Proxy trained hard throughout the entire night last night, so I can¡¯t slack off, even for a second.
Selena¡¯s castle - Lounge Room - morning
Selena sits in the arm-rest chair while I and Nunnal¨¦ chill on the side couch. The room is giving off the grandiose feel as usual as the three of us sit in silence. I can¡¯t take the silent company. What should we talk about?
¡°Doll, go and fetch us some tea.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ gracefully gets up from her seat and heads for the kitchen. With her footsteps growing farther and farther apart from us, it leaves me and Selena by ourselves.
¡°So child, tell me: how have you been?¡±
¡°I¡¯m okay, why?¡±
¡°No reason, I just wish to inquire on how you¡¯re feeling.¡±
¡°If you say so. Well, since we have a bit of time, I might as well tell you.¡± I tell Selena what happened to me yesterday.
¡°I see, quite the troublesome foe you¡¯re facing. Whatever will you do?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know, at the moment, I¡¯m waiting for him to come to me,¡±
¡°A foolish idea.¡±
¡°I know, but what other choice do I have? Even if I go looking for him, where would I start?¡±
¡°I suppose that is the best thing you can do.¡±
¡°Yep, so until the time comes, I¡¯ll just chill out.¡±
¡°What an unruffled attitude.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
¡°Though, aren¡¯t you worried that he might try something underhanded against your band of allies?¡±
¡°Yeah, I did think about that, but as long as I don¡¯t run away, or stay away from the camp for too long then it¡¯ll be fine.¡±
¡°Then I guess all I need to ask is this: do you want me to end him?¡± Selena casually asks me.
Asking something like that in that way. It¡¯s unnerving.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Did I stutter? I asked if you wish for me to get rid of this threat? It would only take one simple moment to learn where he resides and eviscerates the scoundrel.¡± Selena raises her hand. Electricity crackles around her hand. ¡°. . .It would be easy to do so. Well, would you like me to?¡±
It¡¯s kind of hard to tell if she¡¯s yanking my chain, or if she¡¯s for real. Her smile is not warming, inviting, or even condescending. I can sense the pure killing intent behind it. She really does mean it. In that case. . .
¡°Nah, I¡¯m good,¡± I reject her request while trying to keep my cool.
¡°You¡¯re good?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine, I don¡¯t need you to beat him for me.¡±
¡°Why, it wouldn¡¯t even take a minute?¡±
¡°Maybe, but what¡¯s the point if I can¡¯t even defeat him myself. If I need someone to fight my battles for me, then I¡¯m no better when I came to you when I was desperate. So, thanks for the offer, but no thanks.¡±
Selena lowers her hand, the electricity stops crackling around it. . .She lets out a light chuckle. ¡°So you wish to prove yourself?¡±
¡°Hey, I gotta show you that I mean business. Besides, it¡¯s time I start racking in bigger wins.¡±
¡°I see, well, I wish you the best of luck.¡±
That reminds me, I still haven¡¯t properly thanked Selena for saving Richard. Sure, I got on my knees and thanked her, but that isn¡¯t enough. There¡¯s also the time she saved me and Gil. Overall: without her, I would be dead, or worse. . .
¡°Where¡¯s your kitchen?¡±
¡°Past the door behind me, you keep walking until you reach the last room on the right.¡±
¡°Great, I¡¯ll be back.¡±
¡°What are you planning?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll see. I¡¯ll blow your mind!¡±
¡°You think you can do such a thing?¡±
¡°Got no choice but to. I¡¯m gonna pay you back for everything you did for us, just watch.¡±
I head down the hallway Selena told me to. Along the way, I see Nunnal¨¦. She¡¯s holding our tea on a silver tray.
¡°Proxy, what are you doing?¡±
¡°Heading towards the kitchen.¡±
¡°Are you planning on cooking there?¡±
¡°Yep, and I might need a bit of help.¡±
¡°Okay, allow me to deliver the tea and I shall come to the kitchen.¡±
¡
I got to work soon after Nunnal¨¦ entered the kitchen. We decided on baking a cake, and nothing too glamorous, just something simple. Nunnal¨¦ is a pretty good helper, she¡¯s able to keep up with my instructions, even some of the joke ones. I finally added the cake batter to the baking pan and put it into the preheated oven. Now, all we need to do is wait. As for the icing, we already got that done while we were making the cake; rather, Nunnal¨¦ did with my guidance. Suffice to say, we got everything covered.
¡°What is next?¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks me.
¡°We wait.¡±
¡°I see. You¡¯re very competent in the kitchen. How did you hone your skills?¡±
She makes it sound like I¡¯m only good at cooking.
¡°I cook for myself all the time back home. I learned from reading cooking magazines, on the internet, and cooking shows. I¡¯m also in my school¡¯s cooking class. Half the reason I went to school.¡±
¡°I see, what a curious thing.¡±
The only reason I joined was so that I can have something to eat for lunch. I wonder if I should join when I get into high school?
¡°May I ask you another question?¡±
¡°Shoot.¡±
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
¡°Have you heard what I said yesterday?¡±
¡°What would that be?¡±
¡°On your chances of defeating the bounty hunter.¡±
¡°How did you know I was listening?¡±
¡°I was able to see you eavesdropping on us, but I said nothing cause I thought nothing of it.¡±
¡°Then why bring it up?¡±
¡°Cause I am curious. Were you bothered by my words?¡±
Okay, now she¡¯s just pissing me off. She¡¯s not pretending to be careful with her words, It¡¯s as she said: she¡¯s curious, and I think that¡¯s what¡¯s pissing me off. Well, might as well give her what she wants.
¡°If I¡¯m being honest: yes. What you said bothers me.¡±
¡°Is that why you trained through all of last night?¡±
¡°So you watched that?¡±
¡°Master and I did, yes.¡±
Damn, they¡¯re pretty good, I didn¡¯t even notice them following me.
¡°Yep, that is why. When you said all that about me, it pissed me off so bad that I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I decided to go and train. To get stronger; to prove you wrong. I¡¯m going to fight Willy, and prove I¡¯m capable.¡±
¡°It¡¯s foolish to actively seek a fight against someone superior to you in terms of fighting prowess.¡±
¡°Shows what you know, I¡¯ll prove to you, just who¡¯s superior, so how about you keep your estimates to yourself, okay?¡±
A few minutes have passed since our exchange. Neither of us said anything else to the other. I check in on the cake. Tapping it with a spoon in my hand, it has a dry feel to it. We¡¯re good to go! I turn the oven off and carefully pull out the cake with oven mitts on. However, the pan slips out of my hand since the kitchen mitts made it a tad difficult to keep a grip on the pan¡¯s handles. Like a blur, Nunnal¨¦ moves in to catch it with her bare hands. She catches the hot pan with her hands and places it on the table. I throw my mitts off to check her hands. The idiot just caught it without even flinching.
¡°You okay!¡±
¡°Yes, I am fine! It is only a minor burn.¡±
¡°You dumbass, put your hands in cold water!¡±
I drag her over to the sink, soaking her hands in cool water.
¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Trying to make sure it doesn¡¯t grow any worse, what else!?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t feel the pain.¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t matter, just because you can¡¯t doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s not bad! If you can burn off your skin like that!¡±
¡°It wouldn¡¯t mean anything to me.¡±
¡°It would to Richard. If he saw that you got a burn mark he¡¯d freak!¡±
¡°But--¡±
¡°But nothing, you have to be more careful.¡±
¡°. . .The cake would¡¯ve fallen to the ground.¡±
¡°It would¡¯ve been fine, besides, even if it did get ruined we could¡¯ve made another. Hang on, I think I saw a first-aid kit somewhere around here.¡±
I scour the kitchen to find the first-aid kit and wouldn¡¯t you know it, it¡¯s near the entrance to the kitchen. I head back to Nunnal¨¦, who still has her hand in the cold water. I have her take out her hands and dry them so I can apply the burn gel inside the kit and put a bandage around her hands.
¡°Done, is it still burning?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±
¡°Good, it¡¯s not too bad, so it should be fine. But you have to be more careful next time when handling objects that are hot or sharp.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
¡°Hopefully Richard doesn¡¯t freak out when he sees those bandages.¡±
Of course, he probably will, so why am I saying hopefully?
¡°Proxy, may I ask you something else?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Why do you want to become stronger?¡±
I¡¯m surprised she¡¯s asking me this. I didn¡¯t think she had any interest in knowing. Though, I want to keep that to myself.
¡°I just hate losing, so I want to win, and to do that I need to grow stronger. And it¡¯s as I said, I want to prove you wrong.¡± I clap my hands when I finish tying the bandage around her hand. ¡°Okay, you should go back to Selena, and get Richard.¡±
¡°As for you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m gonna finish up by myself. Don¡¯t worry, I got this.¡±
¡°Okay, please take care.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
She walks out of the kitchen, her footsteps echo out in the hallway. All right, time to do this! I take a knife and circle around the edge of the cake to separate it from the pan. Carefully taking it out, I place it on a plate I prepared in advance. All that¡¯s left is to spread the icing and add some stuff onto it. . .
¡°Done! It took a while, but it¡¯s perfect.¡±
The cake is ready, and it¡¯s some of my finest work, if I may add. I collect some small plates from a cabinet, placing them and some utensils under the plate the cake is on. I walk out of the kitchen and towards the lounge. Inside there, I see Richard sitting with Nunnal¨¦.
¡°Sup, I hope y¡¯all are in the mood for some cake!¡±
I settle the cake onto the table that is in the middle of the furniture. Everyone is in awe of it. After setting the plates onto the table, I take out a knife to cut pieces for everyone. Nunnal¨¦ and Selena are the first ones to get their pieces. I want to see their reactions first since I know Richard¡¯s already.
¡°Tell me how it tastes,¡± I ask them.
¡°Fine, but do note: I shall not spare you from criticism.¡±
¡°I will do my best to give a concise answer.¡±
They both take a piece out of their slices and put it into their mouths. As they chew, I wait with a confident look about me, and to my expectations, I got the reaction I wanted. Their eyes widen in sheer surprise. Their expressions are the same dumbstruck look. Needless to say, it¡¯s. . .
¡°This is delightful!¡±
¡°This is delicious!¡±
The girls give their compliments at the same time. Just as I expected. I cut out a slice for Richard and then myself. Putting a piece of the slice in my mouth, I can confirm that it¡¯s good. I¡¯m surprised, this is only my second time making a cake, so I¡¯m glad it came out so well. Though, I feel like I went a little heavy on the icing. Oh well, it¡¯s good overall.
¡°You have done well, child, you earn high-marks.¡±
¡°Thanks, I aim to please.¡±
¡°Seriously man, this is great!¡±
¡°Thanks, buddy. I¡¯m glad you guys like it. Now, time to dig in.¡±
We all enjoyed ourselves as we ate cake and drank tea. This is rather pleasant, it¡¯s been a while since I could say that; kind of been non-stop action.
¡°Well, I¡¯d say that was delightful. Child, I thank you for baking the cake.¡±
¡°Kind of weird getting thanks from you.¡±
¡°Is it a bad thing?¡±
¡°Not at all.¡±
I collect the plates so I can wash them. It¡¯s been a while since we left camp, and I don¡¯t want to be gone for far too long. So after I wash the plates, I¡¯ll head back to the camp.
¡
After getting done with the dishes, I immediately head back to the lounge. Everyone¡¯s still digesting the cake slices they had.
¡°Well, that was fun, but I think I should be heading back. Richard, what are going to do?¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m staying here. I did come to train after all.¡±
Hm, you know, he never told me what type of training goes on around here. And I for one am kinda curious.
¡°Actually, scratch that, I wanna stay.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I want to see you train. I wanna see what it¡¯s like.¡±
¡°Seriously? I mean, it¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±
¡°Yeah, I want to see my buddy work up a sweat.¡±
¡°I, too, wish to see my master¡¯s progress.¡±
With our insistence, Richard lets a sigh, giving us his blessing.
¡
Richard stands in the middle of the courtyard as Nunnal¨¦, Selena, and I stand away from him. We wait in anticipation for him to start. . .Wait, did it already start?
¡°Hey, Richard, have you already started?¡± He doesn¡¯t answer me. ¡°Hey, Richard, can you hear me? Buddy! Hellooooo.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ puts her hand over my mouth. ¡°Quiet, he¡¯s already started.¡±
¡°He has?¡±
¡°Yes, he has.¡±
¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡±
¡°He¡¯s attempting to control his Source¡¯s Volume and Flow,¡± Selena explains.
¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
¡°Listen attentively, because I shall not go over it twice. Source control is the practice of the control of your Source¡¯s properties. First: The volume is how much of your Source you allow to release around your body, or singular body part. The more you allow through your body, the stronger your Source abilities become. However, there¡¯s a catch: if you use a large amount of Source without the proper control, the more easily the exhausted the person will become. That¡¯s where flow comes in. As the name implies, it¡¯s the practice of control over your Source, properly channeling it around your body. Without it, you risk endangering the body.¡±
¡°So, he didn¡¯t have proper control before?¡±
¡°Correct, which is why he had such a hard time healing, even without his trigger. However, there¡¯s another factor into flow: Mental focus.¡±
¡°Mental focus?¡±
¡°Controlling Source takes a level of concentration, so the moment a user loses concentration on their control, then the flow and volume control will be disrupted. Just the other day, I used a bug to scare the young man. It worked, his shock led to him losing focus on him controlling his Source Source.¡±
¡°Sounds like a lot of details.¡±
¡°It¡¯s quite simple when you get down to it. Maybe I just went too fast for you.¡±
¡°You saying I¡¯m dumb?¡±
¡°Not my words,¡± she playfully laughs at her little redirect.
Man, whatever, that doesn¡¯t matter. Richard is giving off a more focused feeling about him.
¡°Proxy, I would like for you to shock him,¡± Selena instructs me.
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Consider it a part of his training.¡±
¡°Consider it done.¡±
I walk up to Richard. His eyes are closed, so I have the element of surprise. I put my mouth in front of his eye. Taking in a slight breath of air, I prep my voice for what¡¯s about to come out.
¡°WAKE UP!¡±
To say he jumped is an understatement. Hell, I say he just broke his record in farthest jump yet; and let me tell ya, it was pretty unimpressive before, now it¡¯s just freaking amazing.
¡°P-P-Proxy, what the hell are you doing!?¡± he stutters as his voice is in a higher pitch than usual.
¡°Sorry, but for once, that wasn¡¯t my idea.¡±
I point towards Selena, who¡¯s giggling with her hand covering her mouth.
¡°Oh, sorry.¡±
¡°Nah, I should apologize. I don¡¯t even know why she had me do it.¡±
¡°To shake me up.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Well, she wants to see if I can control my flow even when I¡¯m caught off guard.¡±
¡°Oh, did you do it?¡±
¡°No, I kind of let go the moment you yelled.¡±
¡°Ah, my bad man.¡±
¡°No, that just means that I need more practice.¡±
His practice went on, I would continue to scare him on Selena¡¯s behalf; each time I come up with a different and bizarre way to scare him. Yet, every time he fails to hold his concentration he just keeps going on with a determined look on his face. Ironically enough, it catches me off guard every time I see it. At this point, I would¡¯ve given up, so why doesn¡¯t he?
After about 2 hours of this, Selena loudly claps her hands. ¡°Right, I think that¡¯s enough for today.¡±
¡°Are you sure, I can keep going,¡± Richard says as he takes a breather. . .
¡°No, I think you should go back for the day.¡±
¡°Why this early teacher?¡±
¡°I just think 2 hours for today will suffice. After all, you¡¯ve been working hard, so I think I should at least throw you a bone and let you take it easy.¡±
¡°If you say so, teacher,¡± Richard responds, dissatisfaction written on his face.
¡°Master Richard, your flow control is great.¡±
¡°Thanks, but it really isn¡¯t, not yet.¡±
There it is again. Despite a hint of dissatisfaction, he has that same determined look. Is it that big of a deal if he masters flow or not? Actually, why does he care?
¡°Now then, I shall be transporting you back to your encampment. Thank you for the cake, child,¡± Selena directs her thanks towards me.
¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the only one who made it, thank Nunnal¨¦ as well.¡±
Though, I feel a bit bad about what happened earlier. Maybe I should apologize for calling her a dumbass?
¡°I shall see you all later, and by the way Richard, do get rest. Your body is important, so properly maintain it.¡±
¡°Yes, teacher!¡±
¡°With that, I bid you a good day.¡±
She snaps her fingers, and in a blink of an eye, we¡¯re back in the camp. It seems to be the afternoon from what I can tell.
¡°I¡¯m going to go read a book before bed,¡± Richards says.
¡°Alright, I¡¯m just gonna be doing my own thing.¡± Hm, actually, maybe this is the best time for me to ask Richard that question. ¡°Yo, Richard, before you head off, I wanna ask you something.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Why do you--¡±
¡°Proxy, get over here!¡±
Marie¡¯s voice booms throughout the camp, catching me off guard as it sends a shiver down my spine. I rush over to her.
¡°Marie, before you say it, I didn¡¯t even know I had morning duties today, so just go easy on me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not it. Look at this!¡±
She hands me a sheet of paper. It¡¯s a bit beaten up. Opening it up, it reads: ¡°By sundown, meet me at the Titan trees forest. If ya don¡¯t show by then, or if ya bring your friends, then I¡¯ll invite some bandit friends of mine to your little hideout. So kid, let¡¯s pick up where we left off.¡±
Sighed - Willy: the bounty hunter
¡°Proxy, we¡¯re getting ready to deal with this guy. We''ll hold down our camp after sundown, and when he does arrive with bandits, we¡¯ll ambush them. Hopefully, we¡¯ll--¡±
¡°Screw that crap. . .¡± I ball up my fist, I can feel the tension rise within me. ¡°. . .This bastard is mine, and mine alone!¡±
I hope he¡¯s ready, cause tomorrow is gonna be a grudge match!
Willy the hunter - part 4
Anti-bandit army camp - afternoon
¡°What do you mean he¡¯s yours,¡± Marie asks me, her eyes are hyper-focused on me. Her voice is oozing with, ¡°what in the hell is wrong with you¡± vibes. Can¡¯t blame her for it, but I can''t let it get to me.
¡°He¡¯s mine, I¡¯m the one who needs to deal with him. Besides, it''s not like we got a choice. If we try to screw around with him then he¡¯ll just screw around with us big time. So there¡¯s no real dilemma here.¡±
¡°You know he¡¯s trying to trap you, right?¡± Richard tells me.
¡°Yeah, so? I¡¯ll still beat his ass black and blue anyway.¡±
¡°But still, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re just rushing into a decision,¡± Richard points out.
¡°What¡¯s there to discuss, I just have to beat his ass, nothing to it. I don¡¯t plan on losing.¡±
¡°Proxy, Willy is renowned for his professionalism, he¡¯s not one to mess up a job; let alone, let a target escape. So the idea that you can beat him alone is not worth betting on.¡±
My teeth begin to grind against each other. ¡°Well we don¡¯t have any other ideas going on, so what other choice do we have!?¡±
¡°There are options, and we can figure them out if we think about them,¡± Marie insists.
¡°What¡¯s that gonna be, waiting for him to bring god knows how many bandits if I don¡¯t show up? I have to go!¡±
¡°I¡¯m serious here, you aren¡¯t going to fight him alone!¡±
¡°I¡¯m serious too, and we have no choice. Why can¡¯t you trust me!?¡±
The air grows tense as we reach the climax of our argument. This is going nowhere, she¡¯ll never give, and she knows I won¡¯t either. Whatever, it¡¯s not gonna change anything.
¡°I¡¯m going to go fight him, whether you like it or not. So there¡¯s no point in trying to stop me.¡±
¡°Then can I ask you this: why are you so damn set on doing this?¡±
¡°Because I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to the army, not when I can stop it. I have to.¡±
¡°Proxy, you--¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m going to go get ready. Please, just let me do this. . .¡±
Marie takes a seat on top of the stone table. She rubs her eyes, making a groaning sound under her breath. I didn¡¯t mean to agitate her, but that¡¯s just a small consequence. She lets out a sigh of defeat.
¡°Fine, I guess you¡¯d just sneak out of here if we break this off the conversation now. In that case, you can go and fight him.¡±
Yes, all right! She finally gets it!
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you down, Marie. I promise I¡¯ll pull us a win!¡±
Marie mutters something under her breath, I couldn¡¯t quite catch it, but oh well. I¡¯m going to go and get prepared. I arrive in my tent, my stone sword is sitting next to my real one. I know that the real one is better than one that can barely leave a slash mark, but it¡¯s real sturdy, so maybe using it as a shield isn¡¯t a bad idea.
¡°Proxy?¡±
Richard¡¯s voice calls me from the entrance of the tent.
¡°Hey buddy, whatcha need?¡±
¡°You know that this is insane, right?¡±
¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t done anything insane before.¡±
¡°But this is just reckless, even more so than usual.¡±
¡°Relax, it¡¯s not a big deal. I know what I¡¯m up against, I already underestimated him once, but I won¡¯t do that again. I¡¯m going in with 100% of my power.¡±
¡°Still though, you¡¯re walking into a certain trap.¡±
¡°I know that too, but I have no choice.¡±
¡°Why are you so gung-ho about this? Don¡¯t you get that the person you¡¯re about to fight is a certified killer! This isn¡¯t a game or a street fight!¡± Richard¡¯s tone rises as he grows more agitated.
¡°I know that this isn¡¯t a street voice!¡± I raise my voice at him. Richard slightly recoils from me. ¡°I know damn well that this isn¡¯t a game, I know that this isn¡¯t a street fight. I damn well learned that the hard when you--¡±
Shit, get yourself together! What the hell am I doing, yelling at Richard like this isn¡¯t what I¡¯m supposed to be doing, I can¡¯t show him that I¡¯m weak! I take a deep breath and I wash away my frustration.
¡°It¡¯s okay it¡¯ll all be fine. I¡¯m gonna win.¡± Richard returns my reassurance with silence. ¡°Seriously, everything will be fine, so just wait for me to get back, okay?¡± He doesn¡¯t return anything in response.
Damn, I lost control there for a second. I get he¡¯s concerned, but I can¡¯t back down from this and I need to show them that I can do this; that I¡¯m not weak, or gonna be a burden to the army. Looking outside the tent, it¡¯s almost dusk, I better get going if I want to make it on time.
¡°I¡¯ll be heading out now. Look, I¡¯m sorry for yelling, but you have to trust me. Whether it¡¯s a street fight or this, I¡¯ll win.¡± I bump my chest, trying to instill some confidence into my victory. But that won¡¯t be enough, I need to come back alive. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯ll do it but I will!
¡°Proxy, can I ask you something?¡±
¡°Sure, what is it?¡±
¡°What did you want to ask me earlier?¡±
¡°Hm? Oh yeah! Well, I wanna know why you wanted to learn Source for, better yet, why you seem determined to do so?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°When you were training, I noticed that no matter how many times you failed to keep your flow you would just bounce back as if failure didn¡¯t matter to you. Why is that, what¡¯s driving you?¡±
¡°That¡¯s. . .¡±
I scratch my head. What am I doing, I need to get going.
¡°Actually, I gotta get going. You can tell me when I get back.¡±
Patting him on the back, I take my leave. Well, time to rock this!
¡
Right after Proxy left the tent, I couldn¡¯t help but smack my hands against each other. Why the hell is he so stubborn? Why the hell did I freeze up when he yelled at me! Why did I get scared when he did? More importantly, what was he about to say before he cut himself off? When I exit Proxy¡¯s tent, I notice Nunnal¨¦ and Marie on the side of it.
¡°Did you hear all of that?¡± I ask them.
Marie nods her head. ¡°Every word.¡±
¡°What¡¯s his problem, he knows he¡¯s doing something reckless but he just doesn¡¯t care! It¡¯s always like that!¡±
¡°Are you certain about that?¡±
¡°Of course I am, he never listens to what I have to say on any matter. He¡¯s always charging ahead of me, even when I warn him!¡±
I let him do it when we hung out in NewPort Island, with the escapade on vandalizing the Kingdom¡¯s grounds, but now, this is just ridiculous!
¡°Have you ever considered why he¡¯s acting foolhardy?¡± Marie poses a question.
¡°What?¡±
¡°He never told you?¡±
¡°No.¡±
¡°I see. Then think back, remember when me and Proxy had that big fight?¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not exactly something I could forget.¡±
¡°Want to know why he punched me?¡±
¡°I guess I would like to.¡±
¡°Because I brought up the poison incident.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yeah, I rubbed it in his face that he couldn¡¯t protect you, so he got angry and hit me; gonna be honest, kind of hurt but at least I returned the favor.¡± So that¡¯s why? ¡°So, after that day, I came to realize something about him: he¡¯s deeply wounded about that incident.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Of course. Despite how he comes off, he¡¯s been affected by it in a significant way. I think that¡¯s why he trains at night.¡±
¡°You know about that?¡±
¡°He has his midnight training, I have my walks.¡±
¡°But why is he training?¡±
¡°Come on, can¡¯t you tell? It¡¯s because he knows he lacks strength; the strength to fight on his own and the strength to protect you.¡±
Those last words strike my heart like a sledgehammer. ¡°To protect me¡±. . .
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡° I see, so that¡¯s what he wished to prove me wrong on,¡± Nunnal¨¦ mutters.
¡°What do you mean,¡± I ask for more details.
¡°He said he wished to prove me wrong when I said he wouldn¡¯t be enough to protect you.¡±
¡°He heard you!?¡±
¡°Indeed, at first, I thought it was to prove his strength to preserve his ego. However, I failed to see it in that light.¡±
I can''t help but feel my chest growing tighter as I come to realize what Proxy has possibly been going through.
¡°I. . .never knew he could feel like that; I thought he forgot about it. . .Then again, that¡¯s what I thought, I never once asked him how he felt or what he was feeling. I just thought about myself.¡±
¡°Kind of selfish of you.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°But at the same time, he is as well. He never wanted to tell you how he felt and I have no idea why.¡±
¡°I wonder that as well.¡±
¡°Then why do you not just ask him,¡± Nunnal¨¦ suggests.
¡°He would just try to shake me off if I asked.¡±
¡°Then press him. If you don¡¯t then he¡¯ll never open up. You need to put the effort into understanding him. If you don¡¯t, then you¡¯ll continue never to understand one another. Got it?¡±
¡°I. . .¡±
¡°Geez, can¡¯t you just man up and say got it!¡±
Marie¡¯s right, he never opened up, but I never even tried to see if he was really okay. We just continued to act as if nothing happened to the other. More importantly, I don¡¯t want him to do this alone, I don¡¯t want him to risk it all by himself! I want him to rely on me and everyone else, just like when I relied on him. I bring my attention back up to Marie, determination swelling up in me.
¡°Got it!¡± I repeat, my voice swelling with reinvigorated confidence.
¡°Good! Sorry if I was a bit aggressive, but you were annoying me a bit,¡± Marie tactlessly speaks her mind.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to!¡±
¡°It¡¯s cool, as long as you have that fire in your eyes, we¡¯re square.¡±
Now that I have this feeling of certainty in me, I need to go and aid Proxy. The question is: where is he going to meet this bounty hunter?
¡°Marie, do you know where Proxy is going?¡±
¡°Yeah, I happen to read the letter before giving it to him. They¡¯re meeting at the Titan trees forest. I know where it is.¡±
¡°Great, where is it?¡±
¡°Sure, but if you think you¡¯re going by yourselves, you¡¯re mistaken.¡±
¡°You¡¯re coming with us?¡±
¡°You¡¯ll need all the hands you can get dealing with Willy. Besides, I won¡¯t send you off into danger again, so you can count on me.¡±
¡°Thank you, Marie!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll grab what I need and we can go. Hang on a moment.¡± Marie stands upon the stone table. ¡°Everyone!¡± Her voice reverberates through the camp with an authoritative presence, catching everyone¡¯s attention, like always. ¡°The enemy might be coming, I want this placed locked down. Have archers deployed towards the entrance of the camp, and swordsmen in front of them. If my brother and his troop come back, inform them that we expect enemies and that I have stepped out to intercept them! That is all.¡±
Marie steps off the table and moves towards her tent. We¡¯re going to do this, we¡¯re going to have to fight. That means I need to make Nunnal¨¦ fight as well. As much as I don¡¯t want her to, I know she¡¯ll be able to help us greatly.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, we¡¯ll have to fight, and as much as I don¡¯t want you to, you¡¯ll have to.¡±
¡°I will fight for you until I die. However, if I can control it, I will also focus on my survival to not burden you, master Richard.¡±
¡°Thank you, thank you for putting up with me.¡±
¡°Do not say that, it is an honor having you as a master.¡±
Jee, I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s just saying that to flatter me, or she means it, but having such a cute girl say that to me is a bit too much for me to handle. Damn it, get it together!
¡°Also, I must also help Proxy,¡± Nunnal¨¦ reveals her ulterior motive
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, I have this feeling, a sort of resonance.¡±
¡°Why is that?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know?¡±
I wonder what it could be. Well, in any case, we should be heading out now!
¡°Nunnal¨¦, let¡¯s go and help that blockhead!¡±
¡°Understood! But may I ask, who is this blockhead individual?¡±
¡°Proxy, it¡¯s Proxy.¡±
I slump my shoulders, the fact that she easily killed my chance to do a one-liner is a testament to how cool I get to be before I¡¯m just put back into place. Oh well, I¡¯ll just pretend she got what I meant and roll with it. . .
Titan¡¯s trees - dusk
The road that leads into the forest is blocked by a beaten-up carriage. It¡¯s just here with nobody to guard it. I get off Road Burner to go take a closer look. My eyes scan the carriage to see if there¡¯s anything on it. So far, it seems like it''s been picked cleaner than the lunchroom when it¡¯s Pizza bagel day; god I miss that day so much!
¡°What the hell is a carriage doing out here?¡±
Even if I get that answered it¡¯s not like it matters. I came here to kick ass and that¡¯s what I¡¯m gonna do. I jump up on the back of the carriage. Taking in a large breath of air, I get ready to shout.
¡°Where the hell are you, Willy!? Come out here so I can kick your scrawny ass!¡± Nothing, not even a peep from any woodland critters. Where in the hell is he? This is where he told me to meet him, so what the hell? ¡°Did you hear me? I said--¡±
An instant warning goes off in my brain, something fast from behind. I roll my body off the carriage to take cover from the emanate threat. I heard two - no - three sounds of impacts against the carriage¡¯s surface. Taking a quick peek, three arrows are stabbed into the carriage. Before I can touch one, another warning goes off; above me! I dodge the oncoming attacks. The barrage of arrows doesn¡¯t let up just because I moved out of the way. The shooter is fast enough to have them keep up with me, even when I¡¯m booking it. Shit, better take cover! The tree I use for cover works, the arrows are just hitting dead ends.
¡°Ha, your arrows don¡¯t got shit on me! So why don¡¯t you just come out here and fight me, like a man.¡±
No response, dude must be angry with me cutting up his face. Looking around, I notice a machine up in a tree that has the carriage in its line of sight. Is that where the arrows came from? Nevermind that, since it seems like he isn¡¯t going to come to me, I need to go to him. But where the hell is he. . .And I think I know how to do that. It¡¯s a bit stupid though, but I got no choice.
¡°Okay, okay, come Proxy, let¡¯s do this!¡± Psyching myself up, I jump out of cover. ¡°Hey, Willy, I¡¯m over here! Why don¡¯t you take a shot, if you can shoot worth a damn!¡±
A few seconds pass, my fingers twitch from the anticipation for an arrow shot. Will I be able to dodge it? Will I be able to react fast enough to go after him when I dodge it? Is this too damn risky? When the hell is this going to pop off!? There! In the far right, out of my sight, an arrow is speeding my way. There, dodge, dodge the arrow, dodge it or you¡¯ll get killed! Do it, do it, do it, do it, do it! With all my skill, with all my keen senses, I attempt to dodge the arrow. By the skin of my teeth, the arrow flies past me. The direction of the arrow, I got it down in my brain. My legs are ready to go, all I need to do now is go! Like a cheetah going after its prey, I dash off. I have enough room to strafe to the sides when I need to. A couple of arrows head my way but with my careful but hasty movement, I evade them without trouble as I press on. The arrows are arriving quicker than before, that must mean I¡¯m getting close. I¡¯m only proven right as I close into my target. He¡¯s right in front of me, perfect! As I close in, I hop into the air, making sure any more arrows he fires don¡¯t hit me.
¡°Take this!¡±
I smash my feet into his face. Odd, the impact is too hard, it feels like I¡¯m pressing against something sturdier than a human head. I land on the ground with no trouble. With the weird feeling in mind, I check on Willy.
¡°What the hell!?¡± The thing I kicked is just a freaking wooden duplicate of Willy¡¯s body. Where the shit is he, I¡¯m getting sick of this shit already!? ¡°Coward! Come out, you son of a bitch!¡±
Come on, where is he, where could he be? He has to be here somewhere!? There! Another alarm went off, from behind! I dodge it with ease. So he¡¯s behind me? Good, I¡¯m gonna go and nail him. As I run in his direction, my senses suddenly go off. Something from above! Jumping out of the way, I see a giant log drop with an impact that sends a shockwave around it. Are you kidding me, where the hell did that come from!? Just when I hit the ground, I hear a mechanical click from above. Looking up, a bunch of knives drops from the trees. I push off the ground to avoid them. Immediately, I move to my right but only for that to be another trap. More knives rain from the trees, and like last time, I barely dodge it. However, as I get up, something hits my shoulder. An intense, sharp, yet familiar pain rises from my shoulder. I let out a terrible scream despite the attempt to choke it down. My legs give out from the shock of the pain, and my shoulder tightens up. I see a long, thin, wooden rod. The front of it has an arrow fletching. So I got hit by an arrow.
¡°Gotcha, boy.¡± Willy appears in front of me. ¡°Looks like ya got somethin¡¯ bad in ya shoulder.¡±
¡°You son of a bitch!¡±
¡°Come on, where da sass from before? Ain¡¯t got nothin¡¯ to quip with? Aw, ain¡¯t dat a shame.¡±
My hand moves towards my sword but Willy simply kicks me from below my chin. My brain rattles in my head, confusing me. As I lay on my back, Willy just puts his foot on my chest. It¡¯s heavy enough to pin me to the ground.
¡°The boot is heavier than ya brain, so don¡¯t even try movin¡¯ it.¡±
¡°Get off me!¡±
¡°Boy, ya think I¡¯m gonna do somethin¡¯ like dat? You got lots to learn.¡±
¡°Like what?¡±
¡°¡®Bout how ya ended up in this lil complication. You¡¯re predictable, I can tell whatcha gonna do before ya even do it. I knew you¡¯d listen to ya gut and come after me, and you played right into my hand, like a puppet.¡±
¡°So you wanted me to follow me?¡±
¡°Yep, dis wasn¡¯t a simple task, ya know. But just from da one fight we had, I figured out how you fight; ya like to fight up front, man-to-man sorta deal.¡±
¡°Hey, I like to at least give my opponent a chance to fight back.¡±
¡°Then, comes da hard thin'' to nail down: your senses.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°C¡¯mon on, don¡¯t tell me ya didn¡¯t notice. Ya have some good ass senses, you''re able to sense my attacks before dey come at ya. Course, figurin¡¯ out how ya do it wasn¡¯t important, but when it happens.¡±
¡°Let me guess, you got it down?¡±
¡°Yeah, it seems to just activate whenever ya ain¡¯t able to see it comin''. I made sure to use arrows, as to not make too much sound. Yet ya seem to be able to see it comin''. So dat meant back attacks don¡¯t work on ya. Luckily, the traps I set up caught ya off guard.¡±
So he¡¯s got my ability down to a science? Shit, I didn¡¯t think this bastard would rationalize this all out. Maybe I underestimated this guy - no - I did. I thought this would be an easy case of me just having to come out here, kick his ass, and that¡¯s it. But I¡¯m such a dumbass for thinking like that. Why the hell did I act so cocky when I knew I was walking into a trap. Damn it, I¡¯m such an idiot!
¡°Ya got potential, boy. If ya learned how to hone ya skills, then ya probably be an actual threat. But, I guess we¡¯ll never.¡± He raises a bow that¡¯s attached to a gauntlet on his arm. ¡°If ya got any final words, say em¡¯ now.¡±
¡°I do. . .SCREW YOU, YOU COWBOY WANNA BE, I¡¯LL SEE YOUR ASS IN HELL!¡±
¡°Woooh, what a scream! At least ya got that grit, right to da end.¡±
This is it, I got myself in a stupid situation and I¡¯m about to pay the price for it. In the end, I¡¯m still no match for a guy like this. Am I just that weak!? Damn it, I thought I really did change, I thought I was able to do this, but I¡¯m just as pathetic back when Richard got poisoned for my sorry ass! Damnit, Damnit!
¡°See ya later then, boy. Ya were a real hoot, but if only ya were a bit stronger, then me and you coulda had a fun time.¡± Willy nocks his arrow onto his gauntlet. ¡°Welp, dis is it, see ya on the other si--¡±
An arrow flies by Willy¡¯s face. He immediately responds by pointing his gauntlet at where the arrow came from; on top of a tree on my right. Nobody is standing there.
¡°Thought I told ya no backup.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t bring anyone with me.¡±
¡°Sure ¡®bout dat?¡±
A few more arrows come flying towards Willy¡¯s head. He moves off me to dodge them. Even so, the archer in question fires more arrows at him. His movement is challenged as the archer is a crack-shot who¡¯s shooting from all around. While he¡¯s distracted, I''m gonna rip this arrow out of me. Hopefully, this doesn¡¯t hurt too much.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this.¡±
I grasp the arrow and pull on it. Pain sparks up in my shoulder as soon as I slightly move it. I bite down on my lip to not alert Willy. The pain only grows more intense as I try to pull the arrow out. I don¡¯t care how much this hurts, I just want it out of me! With a bit more force, I rip the arrow straight out of my shoulder. Blood flows freely out of my wound. This is beyond what I would call a burning sensation; this is just as worse when Cade stabbed me. . .So nothing has changed!
¡°Proxy!¡±
That voice, it¡¯s more than familiar. That voice belongs to no one else but. . .
¡°Richard!?¡±
He rushes over to me, sliding on the ground to close into me. He immediately helps me up and moves us to a more disclosed location. He rests me down on the ground.
¡°Let me heal that!¡± Richard puts his hand over my wound to work his Source. The wound is healing faster than he would heal before. Damnit! ¡°We got here as quickly as we could. Are you okay?¡±
¡°Why did you come here?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to be here, this is my fight. I need to--¡±
¡°Do this on my own?¡± he finishes for me. I can¡¯t help but be shocked by the fact that he knows I would say that. ¡°Listen, we need to have a discussion, Proxy, and you¡¯re going to listen to me, like it or not!¡±
Willy the hunter - Finale
Titan trees - Dusk
¡°Discuss what?¡± I question Richard as he heals me.
¡°Discuss all of this, the reason you¡¯re acting so hardheaded, and about what happened when I got poisoned.¡±
¡°Why, don¡¯t you see that we¡¯re in the middle of some shit?¡±
¡°Marie¡¯s keeping him distracted while Nunnal¨¦ helps her traverse tree-top-to-tree-top.¡±
¡°So that¡¯s who¡¯s shooting.¡± Marie probably read the letter before I got it, so it makes sense how she knows where I went. ¡°Still, why did you come here? If you get caught up in the crossfire, you¡¯ll--¡±
¡°Please, you don¡¯t have to tell me that. I know what could happen.¡±
¡°You idiot, then you should get the hell out of here!¡±
¡°I¡¯m the idiot? Look at yourself!¡±
¡°What for!?¡±
¡°You¡¯re the one who came here by himself, even when it was an obvious trap!¡±
¡°That¡¯s because--¡±
¡°. . .Cause you to want to prove yourself, or something as moronic as that!¡±
My throat tightens up, he nailed what I was about to say.
¡°How did you. . .¡±
¡°Let me ask you something: why are you fighting?¡±
¡°H-huh? That¡¯s obvious, so I can beat this guy!¡±
¡°I mean in general, why do you go out and fight?¡±
¡°Easy, because I want to.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think so. . .is it because you want to grow stronger? Is it because you think you¡¯re weak?¡± How the hell does he know this stuff? ¡°Wanna know how I know how you feel?¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°Because that¡¯s how I felt when I saw you and Nunnl¨¦ fighting to protect me. Cause that¡¯s how I felt after I heard what you and Nunnal¨¦ did to save me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s. . .¡±
¡°I felt as if I was just a burden onto you guys. As if me being here is just causing all of you trouble. So that''s why I want to learn to control my abilities, so I can aid you all in battle if I need to. And I can¡¯t do that if I slow down, so that¡¯s why I keep going.¡±
I never knew he felt like that. He''s never been a burden to me, I never thought of him as such and never will. But still. . .
¡°But that¡¯s different.¡±
¡°Why is it?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m supposed to be able to protect us, I¡¯m supposed to be strong! I promised that I would get us home, and protect you while doing so. Yet, you had to save me from getting hit by that giant ass spider! I should¡¯ve been able to take care of myself, yet you pushed me out of the way of it. Don¡¯t you get that, I nearly got you killed; the guy who was supposed to keep that from happening. And I only keep losing to opponents that I needed to beat, like Cade, the guy who was controlling that spider, and Willy. I thought if I could just beat Willy on my own I¡¯d be able to prove that I¡¯m not weak. But in the end, I was outdone again. If I can¡¯t beat any of these guys, then what¡¯s even the point? It¡¯s just like Nunnal¨¦ said: I¡¯m not strong enough.¡±
The truth finally comes to light, and everything is clear. I tried to run away from the fact for far too long, but no matter how far I got it wouldn¡¯t matter; I¡¯m just weak. My pride, ego, self-worth. . .All of it is worth a damn.
¡°Proxy, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re weak!¡± Richard crashes my pity party with an encouraging tone.
¡°What?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re weak at all.¡±
¡°But. . .¡±
¡°Just let me finish!¡± His voice takes on an aggressive tone. Shocked isn¡¯t serviceable to tell you how it feels. ¡°Proxy, I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like being strong, and I probably never will. Yet, I don¡¯t care to be. But when I look at you, your courage is always admirable, even if it¡¯s misplaced at times. But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the best thing you have. It¡¯s the kindness and bravery inside you.¡±
¡°My kindness and bravery?¡±
¡°When we first came to this world, I was freaking out and I even had a breakdown. But you calmed me down. Because of you, I was able to keep going, and because of that, I didn¡¯t want to let you down. But that wasn¡¯t the only reason. Back in the Hell Mine, Nunnal¨¦ took a blow for me. It was bad, her stomach got torn open. Luckily, her healing ability prevented her from dying. Yet, I have nightmares about it, it always comes back to me, flashing itself in my mind as I¡¯m helpless to do anything about it. It was awful, and I never want anything like that to happen again. So do you get it, I understand how you feel, but even so, I know I can¡¯t do it alone, so that¡¯s why I want to fight by your side, cause if we have each other¡¯s back, then we can accomplish anything. But that can only happen if you¡¯re willing to let me help you, so what do you say?¡±
"But I¡¯m not that strong.¡±
¡°Then stop complaining and get stronger, and we¡¯ll all be by your side while you do so!¡±
There¡¯s a brimming determination in his voice that sounds stronger than I have ever heard it before in him. It''s almost humiliating.
Damn man, I¡¯m kind of on the verge of tears on that one. I lost against only one person in NewPort before, so it¡¯s not like I never lost. But, I never had to suffer heavy consequences for it before. I wanted more strength to protect Richard and to never feel the sense of despair that I felt when he got poisoned ever again. But I felt it again when Cade was going to kill Marie, and today when I was going to die. It¡¯s a disgusting feeling that I can never shake, no matter what I did. When Willy was about to put a hole in my forehead I just gave up. However, here comes Richard, telling me to get my shit into gear. . .Damn, how the tables turn.
¡°Man, I probably look really pathetic, huh?¡±
¡°Kind of, but I''m not one to judge.¡± An explosion goes off without warning. Did Willy do something!? ¡°The girls might be in trouble! Proxy, we need to--¡±
¡°I know, you don¡¯t have to tell me. Let¡¯s go kick this dude¡¯s ass!¡±
¡°Right!¡±
Without any more delays, we rush off to the girls.
¡°Proxy, there¡¯s something else I wanted to tell you.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°I wanted to say I¡¯m sorry, for never asking how you were feeling. I was caught up in my stuff and Nunnal¨¦."
"It''s good, I did the same thing, and that kind of wasn''t cool."
"I guess we just gotta do better."
"I guess so. But first, we have to handle Willy."
"Right!"
We arrive back at the part of the forest where we left Willy and the girls. Up ahead, we can see black smoke.
"Can you sense them?" I ask Richard.
"No, I can''t do that."
"Then stick with me."
"Not gonna tell me to stand back."
"You kidding, you''d tell me you''d want to help. Besides, I need someone to heal me if I get injured."
"Of course."
We move in towards the area where the black smoke is coming from. Finally making it, there are pieces from a tree splintered all over the place. The upper part of the tree is laying on the ground.
"Where are they?"
As I''m about to call their names, I remember that''s how Willy was able to track me. I need to keep my mouth shut if we want to stand a chance against him. Another explosion goes off, west from here this time, and not too far.
"Richard!"
"Let''s go."
We run faster to catch up to them, we''re able to make it before Willy and the girls can change locations. Willy notices the both of us approaching him. He points duel bow gauntlets at us.
"Move around!"
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
On my command, Richard breaks off from me and moves to the left, I go right. He''s shooting arrows at me but I dodge them without any problem. Not this time asshole, I''m paying attention, with or without my senses! Nunnal¨¦ jumps from the tree to attack from above, but he sees her attempt and evades the attack. Now he''s surrounded on three sides.
"Master Richard, are you okay!?"
"I am, what about you and Marie!?"
"We did not sustain any injuries."
"Good."
"Looks like you''re trapped, Willy! Whatcha gonna do now?"
Marie aims an arrow for his back. "Don''t even think about moving, Willy the hunter!"
"Damn, guess I got myself in a sticky situation."
"We''re not gonna let you get away," I tell him.
"Come on, boy, don''tcha know how dis ended last time?"
Last time. . .Oh shit!
"Guys, he''s gonna throw a smoke!"
Right when I said it, he did just that. Like last time, white smoke surrounds the area. I''m not letting him get away. Moving past the smoke, I can see him running away. I run after him, I''m not letting him get away this time. He got a head start, but I can close the gap if I push it. He throws down another smoke. I immediately catch up to where he threw it. I circle it just to make sure he didn''t run out of it. That means he''s still inside. But then I would play right into his hands, so I''ll wait for it to disappear. Unless that''s what he wants. He knows I''ll be able to stop any ambush he makes on me, so why would he wait inside. . .Unless he''s not in there! There, I sense something coming from above. I roll out of the way.
"Looks like ya ain''t as dumb as I thought. I thought ya go in there."
"I''m not gonna play into your traps, you rat bastard!"
"Then I guess I''ll have to gut ya quick then."
Willy''s coming at me with a knife in his hand. His left hand is in his cape. I move towards him with the intent to dodge his first attack. The hand in cape juts out with a knife. I evade the attack by moving around his right side. I guessed right to keep an eye on his left hand. Still, that must be where some - if not - most of his gadgets come from. I need to get rid of it. I doubt I can just rip it off, he''s probably got that thing on tight. Just then, I see Nunnal¨¦ and Marie arrive on a tree. I quickly give them a subtle hand signal to wait, we need to coordinate a plan. I rush Willy, he''s got something I need and I know where it is on his body. He''s going for a sideways kick but that''s just gonna play to my advantage. Before it hits, I jump over it. I place my left hand on his shoulder and reach for what I need from his cape. Got it! As I push off his shoulders, I throw what I just took from him; a smoke grenade. White smoke obscures both of us from each other. Now I can talk to the others real quick.
"Proxy, how are you holding up?" Marie asks me as she helps me up the tree. Richard is on Nunnal¨¦''s back.
"I''m fine. Listen, we need to deal with his cape, that''s where most of his gear might be."
"Seems plausible, do you have a way to do that?" Richard presses me for more details.
"Simple. . ."
¡
The smoke is dispersing, Willy is still in the middle of the area. He''s facing me down with his gauntlet.
"Nice lil trick ya pulled there, but dis ends now," Willy says, his voice a bit more gruff than usual.
"What''s the matter, not having fun anymore."
"Nah, dis just startin'' to get old, so I think we oughta end it."
"I agree, we should end this. Though, you''re not the one who''s winning. We are."
"We?"
Richard, who snuck behind him while we were talking, pulls on Willy''s cape. I make my move before Willy is able. I grab his arms, then I plant my feet on his chest, stretching his arms out. The cape is stretched out enough to be cut. A couple of arrows find their mark in his cape. They''re to act as a mark for where our last player is to strike.
"Now Nunnal¨¦!" Richard''s signal has Nunnal¨¦ descend from the tree we''re under. She cuts at the cape where the arrows are, tearing them and the cape apart. Willy''s gear plops on the ground. The shock on his face is glorious. Now, it''s time for the finale. I take my feet off his chest and I kick his face in. He stumbles backward from it, towards Richard. He delivers a punch to Willy''s face. Marie comes from the tree to kick his chest. Then Nunnal¨¦ delivers the final punch that sends him rolling towards the tree in front of her and behind Marie, who takes a knife out and points it at him.
"You''re defeated, Willy the hunter."
"Whatcha gonna do now, partner," I mock him as I imitate his accent.
"Congrats, boy, ya got me," he says with a smug look, but I can hear the irritation in his voice. "Ya gonna kill me?"
"Depends, did you encounter your other bounty," Marie interrogates him, her voice cold as ice and sharp as a knife.
"The blondie? Nah, was gonna kill him after the kid."
"Blondie? Wait, does he mean. . .?"
"Alexander is the other bounty, not Richard," Marie clears up.
"So dat''s his name?"
"Silence! Next: how much do you know about us?"
"''Bout your lil army? I know what I''ve heard from villages and people you helped. Told me lots about ya, but most importantly, ''bout the boy there, and Alexander."
"Does anyone else know about us?"
"Nah, they''re too brain dead to put the pieces together. But with da way y''all goin'', The Fire Wraiths are bound to come down hard on ya."
"Thanks for the advice. Since you were so kind to answer. all my questions, I''ll leave you with a light tap."
"Don''t think so, lil lady. My partner over there says otherwise."
He points behind us. We turn our attention towards that direction. Nobody is there. Marie suddenly lets out a pain-filled grunt. Marie is on the ground while Willy is holding another smoke bomb.
"See ya."
"Don''t let him get away!"
Nunnal¨¦ immediately makes her move right when Willy throws the bomb to the ground. White smoke covers the area once again.
"ARGGG!"
A monstrous scream emanates from within the smoke, sending a shiver down my spine. It sounded like Willy. Did Nunnal¨¦ get him? In any case, I move through the fog, so I can find Marie. I spot her sitting upon the ground.
"You okay," I ask her.
"I''m good. That bastard got the jump on me when I wasn''t paying attention."
"One clever guy, I''ll give him that."
Even when it seems like he''s cornered he''s got a trick up his sleeve. Guess if you''re still alive, then you should do what you can to keep going.
"Master Richard, he got away."
Nunnal¨¦ approaches us from chasing Willy.
"How did he get away?"
"He deployed a smokescreen. He must have hidden out of sight of me. He''s quite adept at retreating."
"I see."
"However, I did injure him."
"In what way."
"I blinded him in one eye," she taps her right eye.
"Damn, hard-freaking-core!"
"Well, at least he''s heavily injured, so he might back off for a while," Richard states.
"So, we did it. . .We fended off Willy the hunter," Marie cheers.
"We did," I cheered along with her.
"We''ve beaten Willy the hunter!"
"Yeah!"
Marie and I put our arms on the other''s shoulders and we begin to dance.
"We did it, we did it, we did it!"
Hell yeah, I got to kick his smug ass face in! Feeling really freaking good! Though, I can''t just praise myself.
"Yo, you guys," I call their attention, my voice lowered.
"Yeah," Marie responds
"I. . .uh, I just want to say. . .thanks, for helping me. I couldn''t have done it without you guys."
A feeling is surging inside of me. My face is on fire. What the hell is going on with me?
"Ha, look, Proxy is blushing," Marie calls out.
"H-huh!?"
"Oh my, he is."
"Master Richard, Proxy''s face is red."
"What the hell, why would I be blushing!? You guys are just seeing. . ."
Nunnal¨¦ pokes my cheek. I jump back from the surprise contact.
"What the hell are you doing," I demand an answer, my voice just happens to crack, making this even more embarrassing.
"What a cute voice," Marie mockingly compliments me.
Richard turns his face away to hide the fact he''s laughing.
"Your cheeks were warm," Nunnal¨¦ says.
"What!?"
"Really, I wanna feel em''."
Marie and Nunnal¨¦ slowly approach me.
"Stay away from me!"
"Nunnal¨¦, get him!"
"Yes!"
"Nooo! Richard, buddy, save me!"
"Sorry, but this is too funny."
"You traitor!"
Thus, begins a chase that would become a struggle for survival for me. Today taught me that it''s not a bad thing to rely on others when the going gets tough. But I also realize something else: I need to keep going, even if I lose, I''ll just keep going. I''m gonna learn from how Willy outdid me today, and when I meet Cade, and that fur coat weirdo again, I''ll be ready. Until then, I have to survive these cheek-poking addicts.
Kingdom of humanity - bounty hunter bar - evening
Willy, who has taken quite the loss, stumbles into the hunter''s bar. All eyes are on him, everyone gazing at his permanent injury. His right-eye has been sliced upward by Nunnal¨¦''s sword before he could make his escape. He has it wrapped in a white cloth, blood staining the cloth. Naturally, he''s having a bit of trouble with his new-found disability. As for everyone in the bar, they share whispers about Willy''s eye; some speculate that the battle was hard-fought, others are saying he''s getting sloppy. But everyone in the bar has come to the same conclusion: he didn''t fulfill the request yet.
"So, Willy the hunter has been majorly injured?" The arrogant swordsman from last time shows himself in front of Willy, who takes a seat on one of the empty tables. "It appears you are having a difficult time with this bounty. Say, since you''re having trouble, I''ll lend you my aid. Naturally, I''ll take a percentage of your earnings. Perhaps 60-40. I believe that''s a fair enough deal because you attacked me before. But, when you are as strong as I am, petty things are beyond you. So, does this not sound. . .lucrative for both parties?"
Willy does not respond to the swordsman''s nonsense. He simply gets up and leaves him in the seat alone. This triggers a nerve in the swordsman. Willy''s cold shoulder tells the swordsman that his deals and self-proclamations of greatness are trivial to Willy. And after the last time, he couldn''t stand it, he must act.
"You fool, how dare you ignore me!? I am offering you aid and you dare walk away from me?"
". . .Cause it''s worthless," Willy responds, his patience for the swordsman has run dry.
"What?"
"I said your help, and even yourself is worthless to me, so shut your trap."
That did it, that''s it for the Swordsman''s patience. He takes out his greatsword to slice Willy''s head open. However, he easily moves out of the and gets behind his opponent. He takes out a knife and slices at his legs. One cut for each leg is all it takes for him to fall to his knees. Willy shuts up his enemy before he can scream. He points his knife to his throat.
"Words are worthless, ya hear? Ya rank as a hunter, ya big sword, who ya are means nothin'' to me. I can end it all for ya with a simple swipe. . .But what would dat prove?" Willy holds his head up, squeezing it as he holds it. "Now listen up, I want y''all to hear me now: Those jobs from the king, are mine! If any of ya try to go for it, I''ll just kill ya, okay?" Willy ends his sentence as he lets out a small giggle.
Everyone in the bar freezes up from Willy''s declaration. The people who were beginning to think less of him are now realizing that their early assumptions are beyond wrong.
Some of the bounty hunters in the bar used to be knights before Relius'' rule, while the war between the kingdom and the outside raged on, a troupe was sent to destroy the main base where the kingdom''s enemies converged from. 150 men were composed of this troupe. Only 40 of them came back. However, in this troupe were 8 soldiers, each of them being the best of the best, elite among the knights. If they were not in that group of knights, the kingdom would have lost the war. Willy was a part of this troupe, and during his time with them, he was known as "the savage hunter". And right now, those who know that name are seeing the savage hunter that preyed on his foes making a return.
Endel Springs - part 1
9/6 - secret training ground - afternoon
A spear is coming my way. I dodge it only for the lancer to switch to the backside to go for another hit. I block it before it makes contact. A wooden sword is honing in on my head. I duck to avoid it but it follows me; I use my sword to block it. The spearman is about to kick my chest but I move out of the way before she can hit me. The swordsman follows me to deliver a few quick strikes. Luckily, I''m able to block them. However, right when the swordsman bends their head left, the butt of a spear hits my forehead, cocking my head backward. Suddenly, my feet leave the ground, I land on my ass. A wooden sword and a wooden tip spear poke my cheeks.
"You lose, again," Marie throws the fact in my face.
I let out an agitated groan as I lay down on my back.
"Sorry, Proxy, but you did excellent this time. You lasted 20 minutes against both of us. Better than 10!"
"Really?"
I get up from the ground, dusting myself off.
"Indeed, I''m very much impressed with your progress. What do you think, Marie?"
"He''s not bad at all. Still, it doesn''t matter if he can''t hit us."
She''s right. Even if I got blocking down, it doesn''t mean much if I can''t land a blow. All right, better get back to it then. As I get up from the ground, my arms, legs, and even my chest surge with pain. I couldn¡¯t help but let out a pain-filled moan.
¡°Are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, peachy. I just feel a bit sore, is all. I can still go!"
Alex pats me on the back, causing a knee-jerk reaction on my back.
"As I have concluded, you''re hurting," Alex diagnose.
"What, no, I swear I''m fine! I was just surprised.¡±
¡°Liar, your body has been through the wringer as of late. You need to rest,¡± Marie advises me.
¡°So what, you want me to take a break?¡±
¡°Indeed. Actually, as a matter of fact. Lately, I think I¡¯m becoming even more fatigued. How about you, Marie?¡±
¡°Now that you mention it, guess I am as well. My bones feel like liquid.¡±
Guess we all have been working and fighting hard for the last few days. Couple that in with the fact I¡¯ve been helping with the construction for our ride. Speaking of which, I have to head on over there today.
¡°Sorry guys, but I got to head over to the construction site today.¡±
¡°Seriously, aren¡¯t you working yourself ragged?¡±
¡°No sweat. I¡¯ll take a break when I can. I promised Elizabeth I would head over.¡± I give Alex my wooden sword, then go to the side of the training area to grab my jacket. ¡°Thank you for the training today, Alex.¡±
¡°Think nothing of it, but I think you should rest. If you overwork yourself, then your body will surely pay the price. Besides, would it not be to your benefit if you were to be at full strength during training?¡±
When he says it like that, he makes a good point. I guess I should give myself some due rest.
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go back to camp for the day and get some shut-eye.¡±
¡°Excellent.¡±
With that, I take my leave from the training field for today. It¡¯s out of the ordinary for me to deny a day off. But I have to do what I can to grow stronger while helping everyone out. Although, I feel as if I¡¯m running myself into the ground. So maybe it¡¯s okay for me to get some me-time.
¡
¡°Brother,¡± Marie calls. ¡°I think everyone has been working hard, and it''s good. . .¡±
¡°We¡¯re growing exhausted.¡±
¡°Exactly. It¡¯ll affect morale in the army.¡±
¡°I understand. We should find a means to raise it.¡±
¡°Right, which is why I think we should do something special. What do you think it should be?¡±
¡°Hmm. . .I do not know.¡±
Marie slumps her shoulders in disappointment. I cannot blame her for that. . .Wait, now that I think about it, I do have an idea.
¡°Marie, I have an idea!¡±
Construction site - afternoon
I said I wouldn¡¯t work at the construction site today, and I mean it. But Alex never said I couldn¡¯t just swing by. The construction site is taking place inside of a large cave that we cleared out in advance. We¡¯re able to transport parts and whatnot inside the cave without going far inside. As for where we got the part. We scrap them from the bandit vehicles we captured in the area. We gathered them from the last major camp in the area, so we have a lot of resources to work with. With the help of the mechanic Chip brought in, the project is going smoothly. Speaking of the lead mechanic, she¡¯s a bit. . .
¡°No, no! Not there! Hey, be careful with that! And for the last time, stop eating near the construction site, damn it! Y¡¯all really are a bunch of sorry sacks!¡±
The woman ordering the men around the construction site turns her attention towards me, letting out a loud gasp.
¡°Proxy, that you?¡±
¡°Yo, sorry Elizabeth, but. . .¡±
She approaches me only to body slam me to the ground. She sits on my back, keeping me pinned to the ground.
¡°Ow, ow, ow! What the hell are you doing!?¡±
¡°You¡¯re late! You said you¡¯d be here on time!¡±
¡°Sorry, sorry, I got caught up in training with Alex and Marie!¡±
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
¡°Oh, why didn¡¯t ya say so?¡± she casually questions.
¡°You didn¡¯t let me!¡±
¡°My bad.¡±
She gets off of me, picking me off the ground as well. The woman named Elizabeth is the head mechanic. Like Marie, she has a muscular build, except she¡¯s bulkier than her, but still keeps a woman¡¯s figure. She has short red-orange hair, a mole under her left eye, and she¡¯s a tad taller than me. She¡¯s wearing a jacket that covers her chest, but covers very little of her arms.
¡°So how is everything coming?¡±
¡°Eh, they¡¯re coming, but these lay-aways don¡¯t know how to find their own ass if you gave them instructions.¡±
Sure doesn¡¯t mince words when it comes down to it.
¡°Come on, most of them aren¡¯t too used to working with vehicles. Gotta ease up on them.¡±
¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, but it just frustrates me seeing amateur work.¡±
¡°Endure it for just a bit longer.¡±
¡°Trying to. Speaking of which, are you gonna help or stand around?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t, Alex told me to take some time off because I¡¯m running myself ragged.¡±
¡°Ah, I see. Yeah, you do seem a bit exhausted. So why are you here then?¡±
¡°To check up on things.¡±
¡°Well, at least you came. Chip said he would but never does. Honestly, if he¡¯s gonna not show up, he can at least be honest with me.¡±
Yeah, I doubt she would allow him to say that with no problems.
¡°Anyway, we¡¯re almost done putting the thing together. We¡¯re welding parts from the cars you guys brought in to fit the frame of the vehicle. I¡¯m also leaving any cars that don¡¯t need to be scraped alone. But don¡¯t expect too many to be left behind. We¡¯re trying to make this thing big, after all."
¡°Why not use all the vehicles you need to?¡±
¡°Gonna use them, at least that¡¯s what Marie said.¡±
¡°Ah, makes sense. Marie is always on top of that sort of thing.¡±
¡°Yeah, seems like a lady that has her shit together. Though, she seems kind of intense.¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me.¡±
Other than that, a few more days, and we¡¯ll have ourselves a fine ride. If it works.¡±
¡°Cool, can¡¯t wait for it to be done! Hopefully, it works.¡±
¡°Sure hope so. Well, that¡¯s enough of a break for me. I¡¯m gonna get back to work. You take care now, kay?¡±
¡°Yeah, see ya.¡±
I turn back to my bike. Elizabeth screams at the others behind me. Honestly, I wish those guys luck.
Anti-bandit camp - afternoon
As soon as I enter the camp, I notice Richard is here. Must¡¯ve gotten done with his training early. He¡¯s playing cards with Quincy, Nunnal¨¦, as well as Gil. The energy they¡¯re giving off is something fierce, deadly even.
Gil places two cards on the flat rock they¡¯re using. Richard responds by placing one card. Must¡¯ve been a bigger number. Nunnal¨¦ draws one card as it¡¯s her turn.
¡°Pass,¡± she announces.
¡°In that case.¡± Gil throws two cards, a 5 and 4. He only has one card left. Richard has 3 left. ¡°Your move,¡± he attempts to provoke his opponent.
¡°Master, do not give up!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, because this game is mine.¡± He places the last three cards in his hand; 4, 5, and 1. ¡°10.¡±
¡°Seriously!?¡±
¡°Congratulations, master!¡±
¡°Thank you, but you know you lost, right?¡±
¡°As long as you win, I am fine with any result.¡±
What a good sport, or loyal sport? Eh, whatever. Might as well congratulate the winner.
¡°Nice going buddy, pulled out another win.¡±
¡°Proxy,¡± Richard says my name in utter surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to see you back so soon.¡±
¡°Yeah, got off early. Mind if I join in for the next game?¡±
¡°Sure, take a seat?¡±
We begin a new game the moment I take my seat. A couple of turns go by as we race to see who can win first. Gil is dead last while Nunnal¨¦ is third, so that leaves me and Richard in a stalemate; our next move can break it.
¡°Attention, allies!¡± Alex¡¯s voice booms throughout the camp, distracting me from the game. ¡°You all have been working hard, and I appreciate all your efforts. However, I know that you lot are growing exhausted from the recent amount of work. Take heart, I too am exhausted. If we are to go into battle, we must be in top form. So I propose we take a break tomorrow, and not just anywhere, but none other than the Endel springs!¡±
An uproar of cheers emerges from the crowd that surrounds him.
¡°What a delightful full game you¡¯re playing. Mind if I watch?¡±
Doctor Crow appears in front of us.
¡°Sure.¡±
He takes a seat between Gil and Richard.
¡°Are you all excited about the trip to the Endel springs?¡±
¡°What is it like?¡± Richard directs the question to Crow.
¡°It¡¯s a large spring that is famous amongst the people outside the kingdom as a bathing source that rids of fatigue. Not only that, but it is known to rejuvenate your skin as well.¡± Hmm, guess I can use the skincare next to the fatigue riding bath. ¡°I was the one Alexander came to about the springs.¡±
¡°How far is it?¡±
¡°Not too far, half-a-day away on foot.¡±
¡°Damn, you serious?¡±
¡°It should pose no issue. The bandits in this region are cleared out, so I see no problem.¡±
He has a point. Even so, that¡¯s a long walk. Oh well, might as well get ready for the trip then. I get up from the floor.
¡°Well, I¡¯m gonna go get some sleep then. Don¡¯t wanna be half dead when we need to walk tomorrow.¡±
¡°Excellent idea. It would be a bad thing if you were to be half-dead tomorrow. . .I might have to put you down for your own good. Just kidding,¡± he ends with a weird giggle.
Man, his jokes are still unfunny.
¡
Endel Springs - afternoon
With the help of Elizabeth, who used whatever vehicles she had left to transport people from the camp to the Endel Springs; I went back and forth to pick people up from the camp to the springs. We finally got everyone here. There are two paths, one leading down, and the other leading upward.
¡°Okay,¡± Marie shouts. ¡°The two paths lead to two different baths, the men go to the lower path, and the women go to the higher one.¡±
¡°Wait, why do we get the lower one?¡± I ask her.
¡°Because then you¡¯d be able to see us from way up there, and that¡¯s not gonna be happening.¡±
¡°Oh, right. Wait, then you¡¯ll be able to see us!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t look. Besides, you¡¯ll be submerged in water, so it¡¯s not like we¡¯ll be able to see anything.¡±
The women head up to their part of the springs.
¡°Well, men, let us go as well,¡± Alex commands.
We make our way down. Nunnal¨¦, however, follows along with us. Richard and I stop her from doing so.
¡°Master, what are you doing? Are we not going to the springs?¡±
¡°Yes, but why are you coming with us?¡±
¡°I must go where you go.¡±
¡°You have to go with the girls.¡±
¡°But then, how will I be able to protect you?¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯re here to relax, so you should do the same, but with the girls,¡± Richard urges her.
¡°Yeah. Besides, Marie will get angry with us if you follow us.¡±
¡°I see. Very well, I will separate from you, for now. Proxy, I request you look after my master.¡±
I can¡¯t believe she told me that. Is she finally trusting me? Either way, it feels good.
¡°Sure thing, he¡¯s in safe hands.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ slightly nods her head. She walks off to the upper path of the springs.
¡°Right, let¡¯s hit the baths.¡±
¡°Man, this is going to be awkward,¡± Richard mumbles under his breath.
¡°Don¡¯t worry buddy, we¡¯re going to have a grand old time!¡±
¡°If you say so. . .¡±
Anti-bandit army camp - afternoon
I sit by myself in the camp. Everyone else has gone to the springs to recover. Naturally, Crow told me to go along, but I refused him. My research on the book is far more important. Besides, I know how to recover from fatigue with a blend of herbs into a drink. So far, the books I collected from the royal library have yet to mention anything of note about a book similar to the black Grimoire. However, I uncovered an important clue that I yet to share with Richard.
¡°Excuse me, is anyone here?¡±
I pick up my weapon in the presence of someone entering the camp. I have a full view of him. He¡¯s wearing a white coat, has blonde hair, and has a sword on his hip. He seems to have noticed me.
¡°Excuse me, but is anyone named Proxy here?¡± he politely asks me.
¡°Are you a friend of his?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say we¡¯re friends, but we are acquainted. I came here to speak with him about something?¡±
¡°What would that be?¡±
¡°I am not at liberty to disclose that information.¡±
Hmm, why would he need to speak to him? He doesn¡¯t seem to share the same type of attitude as him, so I doubt it¡¯s anything personal. Maybe. . .
¡°Does the Black Grimoire mean anything to you?¡±
He fails to hide his shock from me mentioning the book. Looks like I hit the mark.
¡°How do you know about it?¡± he presses for an answer.
¡°Proxy gave it to me to research.¡±
¡°Then I must ask you to hand it to me.¡±
¡°I will have to decline the proposition, and you will not be taking it by force.¡±
¡°You¡¯re not leaving me much choice here.¡±
¡°I know, which is why we should have a civil discussion, and nothing more. About the book, of course.¡±
¡°I cannot.¡±
¡°Come on, I just want to learn what it is, nothing more. If it is dangerous, then I¡¯ll hand it over to you. The only way for me to know that is if you disclose some information on it.¡±
He places a hand under his chin, pondering what he should do. He shoots a glance at me, one that is examining me. Despite his appearance and his mannerisms, he seems to be the type of person who will not budge easily. I can only hope he accepts my demand.
¡°Fine,¡± he agrees, conceding to my demands.
¡°Excellent, but before we start, my name is Quincy. What is yours?¡±
¡°Mine is Legion, it is a pleasure to meet you.¡±
Endel Springs - part 2
Endel Springs - upper path - morning
The water covers all of my body, save for my neck and head. It is quite warm but at a comfortable level. I can feel the stress and fatigue leaving my body.
¡°Ah, I can feel my body ascending into enlightenment.¡±
¡°Oh man, this feels great! It¡¯s like all the soreness in my muscles are just floating away,¡± Elizabeth exclaims. ¡°The water wrappin¡¯ itself on my skin feels so damn good!¡±
¡®You¡¯re telling me, I can¡¯t remember the last time I felt this good. How about you, Nunnal¨¦? I know the way we¡¯ve been washing isn¡¯t the best.¡±
¡°I am fine with whatever conditions.¡±
Before Nunnal¨¦ entered the water, she just stood around doing nothing and had to be told to take off her clothes and come into the springs. Of course, she did it with no hesitation.
¡°Now ya just being modest. Admit it, this is better than taking a shower in a pond.¡±
¡°But I am not being modest,¡± Nunnal¨¦ quickly responds.
¡°Is that so? Then you¡¯re too straightforward for your good.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ looks toward the edge of the spring. It¡¯s high enough for no one to fall off from, but not high enough to obscure the view to the bottom spring.
¡°Is it bad for me to not be with my master right now?¡±
¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s how it needs to be. You need to give yourself privacy for certain things, like when you¡¯re naked, for example.¡±
¡°Or when ya weighing yourself.¡±
¡°Or when you¡¯re sleeping by yourself in the wilds. Actually, you might not want someone you don¡¯t know to find you out there. The point is: when bathing, it has to be a private thing.¡±
¡°What about our current position?¡±
¡°We¡¯re all girls, so no harm in seeing the things we all have,¡± Elizabeth clears up any confusion.
¡°Ah, so it is fine as long as we share the same gender?¡±
¡°Pretty much.¡±
Elizabeth dives under the water. She stays under for about two minutes before rising back.
¡°Damn, nearly drowned.¡±
¡°What were you trying to do?¡±
¡°See how long I can hold my breath underwater. Try it.¡±
¡°I mean. . .Ah screw!¡±
I dive underwater. The heat immediately warms my head. It¡¯s not intolerable but staying under too long won¡¯t be good. After a while, I eventually rise from underwater.
¡°How long was I under?¡±
¡°Three minutes, just a minute over mine.¡±
¡°Damn, I was going for four minutes.¡±
¡°Are you competing?¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks us.
¡°We sure are. Wanna give it a try?¡±
¡°What would it serve me if I win?¡±
¡°Oh, so you a betting girl? Alright, how about this: the winner gets to buy me a drink in the kingdom!¡±
¡°Come on, that¡¯s not even worth winning. How about the winner gets to ask the losers a question?¡±
¡°Aw, but then who¡¯ll buy me a drink?¡±
¡°Hm, a question as a reward. I do wish to inquire with you about something. Very well, I shall partake.¡±
¡°All right then, let¡¯s all dive into the water on three. The last one to come out is the winner. Ready, go!¡±
We dive into the water. The heat of it warms face. Three minutes pass, Elizabeth is the first to come out. Pass the five-minute mark. I¡¯m feeling the heat get to me. Maybe I can go for a bit longer, but I honestly have no idea if that¡¯s possible. Shit, I can¡¯t do this any longer. I come out from underwater. I take in a breath of fresh air. Nunnal¨¦ still has herself submerged underwater. She comes out from under the water after another minute.
¡°I believe I have won this contest.¡±
¡°Man, how did I come out first!?¡± Elizabeth scratches her head as she¡¯s having a hard time coming to terms with her loss.
¡°Guess you can¡¯t take the heat.¡±
¡°Nah, I can manage the heat. I guess I ain¡¯t good at holding my breath.¡±
I can normally deal with heat as long as I¡¯m not all dressed up, but being surrounded by warm water is a different story.
¡°Well, it¡¯s our loss, no matter how you look at it. So Nunnal¨¦, ask any question you want?¡±
¡°Then I shall pose my question: Marie, why did you leave the Fire Wraiths?¡±
¡°Wait, wait, wait, wait. . .You were a bandit!?¡±
Great, never expected her to ask me such a question? But not answering is probably gonna bite me in the ass. Plus, I can¡¯t have Elizabeth distrusting us because of me.
¡°You sure picked a good question. But why ask me that?¡±
¡°I wish to understand why you would leave such a force that has a stranglehold of the outside of the kingdom?¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s because of my brother.¡±
¡°So your bro was a bandit?¡± squints her eyes.
¡°No, he was a prisoner.¡±
¡°Wait, then how were you a bandit, and he wasn¡¯t?¡±
¡°I provided my services to keep him safe. When we found our chance to escape, we took it.¡±
¡°That¡¯s it?¡±
¡°No. After that, we hid for a good while, but they found us in the end. Alexander made a deal with them. Apparently, they stole something valuable from a noble in the kingdom. To throw off the knight¡¯s investigation they had Alex take responsibility.¡±
¡°What a bunch of shitheads, can¡¯t even steal from the kingdom without shittin¡¯ themselves.¡±
¡°. . .Alexander got thrown into Blackrock prison after that. I was alone for 6 months. I thought of plans to get him out, but nothing stuck. But 5 months after he was taken there, I heard about an interesting discovery in the Hell Mine. I was gonna use it as a bargaining chip against the kingdom to get him out of prison. Thinking on it now, I don¡¯t think the Fire Wraiths would¡¯ve liked that very much since Alexander could shed light on who really stole from the nobility.¡±
Right, now for this next part. I make eye contact with Nunnal¨¦¡¯s
¡°I¡¯m sorry for using you as a means to an end. I¡¯m also sorry for using Proxy and Richard to do my dirty work. If you hate me for it, then I¡¯ll understand.¡±
At first, I figured it would be that bad to sell her off to the Kingdom. However, as I had gotten to know her, the thought became a disgusting idea. It would make sense if she hated me for it; I already hate myself for it.
¡°It is okay. I do not feel such emotions about it or any at all. Judging by the situation, if you had not sent them, I would¡¯ve stayed in the container I rested in. So I owe you my thanks.¡±
I feel as if a weight has been slightly lifted from my body, making it slightly easier to breathe. Even with her thanks, it doesn¡¯t make it any less terrible.
¡°Wait, why were you in a container?¡± Elizabeth harps on the container part.
¡°It was my resting unit. Any damage I would¡¯ve sustained would have been healed in there. However, since the container was lost with the destruction of the Hell Mine, I no longer have that option. Albeit, I do possess a healing factor that is a fraction as strong as the container¡¯s.¡±
¡°Gotcha. Wait, why were you in it in the first place?¡±
¡°I have no recollection of that. It was before my contract with my current master, so I do not know.¡±
¡°So you had other masters?¡±
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
¡°Most likely.¡±
¡°Then does that mean anyone else right now could be your master,¡± Elizabeth pushes the question.
¡°No, I already have one, so the only way that can happen is if they kill my current one. Even then, they must fulfill the criteria to use me.¡±
¡°If they did?¡±
¡°Then I would serve them. My memories of my previous master and my time while serving him will disappear.¡±
I don¡¯t want to imagine what would happen if she turned on us.
¡°Thinking about it like this: my current master is only one of a few who could use me, so he¡¯s not special in that regard.¡±
Damn, just hearing her say that is a punch to the gut. I¡¯m glad he isn¡¯t here to hear this. Still, I don¡¯t like how this conversation is going, so we should change it up.
¡°But how do you feel about your master, Nunnal¨¦?¡± I ask her
¡°Yeah, call me curious about that as well.¡±
¡°Hmm, If I were to describe him, it would be: lacking in confidence, not willing to take the incentive in a battle, he over worries about me, even when I am capable of taking care of myself. He recklessly puts his own life on the line. All these traits about him baffle me. Yet, I find him to be interesting. He treats me kindly, and is considerate of me, more so than himself at times. And most of all, he seems to be concerned over my life, even if I¡¯m not human. He is a person who puzzles me.¡±
Kids nowadays, always making things a tad more complicated than they should be.
"Um, then why don¡¯t you try to talk to him and figure him out?¡±
¡°Should I?¡±
"Jeez, how are ya this dense? Of course, you should. Right, Marie?"
"Exactly. I think you should try to act a bit more open with him, try to act like friends."
¡°Friends. . .Proxy said that we were friends. Do you believe master would like to be friends with me as well?¡±
¡°Of course he would, but you¡¯re going to need to establish this.¡±
"How so?"
"Try striking up a conversation with him about anything."
Nunnal¨¦ takes a moment to think to herself.
"Hmm, I never asked him about his homeworld."
"See, there ya go!"
"You should ask him when you get home."
"I shall do so. But upon that, I wish to ask him many other things, but I don''t wish to trouble him with my questions."
"It''ll be fine, just get in there and start talking to him."
Elizabeth puts her arm over Nunnal¨¦''s shoulder.
"Little girl, you got a long way to go before you understand the heart of a man," Elizabeth says, laughing at the fact.
"And you think you can teach her?" I point out.
"Course, stick with me and I''ll show you the fastest way to a man''s heart."
"His stomach?" Nunnal¨¦ responds with a dry tone.
"Haha! You said it! In the metaphorical sense, of course."
Anti-bandit army camp - morning
I take a seat across from Legion. He has a proper, well-mannered decorum to himself. Yet, there¡¯s no weakness in his posture. He gently picks up the cup of water in front of himself.
¡°Thank you for the water.¡±
¡°No problem, sorry for not having any fancy drinks.¡±
¡°No need, I am a guest, I shouldn¡¯t complain about what I don¡¯t have.¡±
Humble as well, you can tell he¡¯s not a bandit. That begs the question of who this guy is.
¡°All right, before we begin, I¡¯d like you to consent to me recording our conversation via transcript. Don¡¯t worry, this is just for my eyes only.¡±
¡°I see. Very well, I shall allow you to record this.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡± I take out the paper I¡¯ll be writing on. ¡°I¡¯ll start by asking your name again.¡±
¡°I am Legion.¡±
¡°Okay then, Legion. Where do you come from? It¡¯s obvious you aren¡¯t a knight, let alone a non-civilian of the kingdom, so do tell?¡±
¡°It¡¯s that obvious? Well, I am not obligated to tell you about my origins, but I can say that I am not from this continent, and I am also not a knight. I am a representative of the Church of Mana.¡±
¡°Church of Mana? What is that?¡±
¡°An organization that aims to reign in stability throughout the world. We act as a police force that takes on threats to society."
Police organization? Does he mean something like the knight? Also, reign in peace for the entire world would mean that there is just as much or more violence on the other side of the ocean?
"I see. So what would a representative of this organization be doing here? Something tells me it''s more than just surveying the continent."
"In truth, I am here for other reasons, but I am not at liberty to state such reasons."
"Fine, let''s just continue with the fundamental questions."
"I am ready."
Okay, keep onto what questions need to be answered the most.
"The book, why do you want it?" I open with the key question.
"I wish to acquire it and return it to the church."
"How did you locate it here? Judging from Proxy''s account, he found it in his world."
"A few months ago, we picked up a large Source reading coming from here. I was the only one assigned to retrieve the book."
"Why are you alone?"
"The matters are. . .complicated, but in short, I was the only one eligible to come as a representative of the church."
"So it''s a ruse?"
"Yes, and no. I am here to establish relations."
"Why now? Did you guys not consider coming here before?"
"That too is quite complicated."
"That will not do, I wish for exact details."
"My, you''re quite the pushy one. Very well, I will answer honestly." He straightens himself in his seat. "For the longest time, this continent has been inaccessible to us."
"Why?"
"Ships that traveled close to this place would end up destroyed."
"How would they, and what are ''ships''?"
"Ships are vessels that cruise on the water, trailing along with the current of the wind, and the waves of the sea."
I see, so such a thing exists? Vessels that can travel across the water.
"Fascinating, this is just fascinating.¡± No, control yourself, you must control yourself. I need to understand how the ships were destroyed. ¡°. . .Can you tell me about how the ships were destroyed?"
"Reports stated that a massive tree root from the bottom of the sea lifted a large vessel."
"Really?"
"Again, I haven''t seen it for myself, I only read what was reported. It is plausible that it sank into the sea."
"And you came by ship?"
"I did."
"Then why did you survive?"
"That is something I cannot reveal as well."
It¡¯ll be useless to push for answers. Right, time to get back to the main questions.
"So about the book: why do you want it?"
"I wish to capture it and return it to the church."
"I know your aim, but why?"
"The item in your possession is a dangerous relic."
"Why is that, or can you not reveal that?"
"Ordinarily, no. But you seem to be the type of man who will push for an answer no matter what."
"Read me like a book.¡±
"The book is said to be an item containing secrets that can cause an upset in the world if they fall into the wrong hands."
"No specifics?"
"No, we haven''t been able to confirm its secrets, but we have records on the item, from a document that was discovered from an archaeological project to uncover a hidden library."
Incredible! An underground library. This only makes me more and more curious about the other side of the ocean!
"Incredible, so do these records go into any more depth?"
"It only said that the book is an object of great importance, holding secrets that can change the world, as I have said. However, since you told me the book brought Proxy and his friend here, I''m concluding that this is its place of origin."
"Seems plausible. If it wasn''t, then it wouldn''t have brought them here." I think I''ve gotten most of the key questions out of the way. I suppose there are no more questions to ask. ¡°Seems like we¡¯re done. I thank you for your time.¡±
¡°You''re welcome, but I must collect the book, it still is my mission to retrieve it.¡±
Damn, it slipped my mind that he was gonna ask for it after the questioning was over.
¡°I understand that, but I wish to study it a bit more, come to an understanding of it. After that, I¡¯ll hand it off to you.¡±
¡°No, I cannot wait. I must take it now. Even if it means by force.¡±
He has a hand on his blade. I can tell he¡¯s serious about cutting me down. As much as I want to fight back, something tells me it wouldn¡¯t end in my favor. I need to deescalate the situation.
¡°Will you calm down, I don¡¯t wish to fight you.¡±
¡°Me neither, but I will do so if I have to.¡±
¡°What will you do when you take the book?¡±
¡°Take it back to the kingdom with me, place it somewhere safe, then carry on with my other duties until I am cleared to go home.¡±
¡°I see, so you wish not to investigate it?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°How will you be able to investigate the book in detail if you don¡¯t understand it?¡±
¡°We will do a thorough investigation on it to unlock the secrets of it.¡±
¡°But how will you know to unlock it if you don¡¯t understand its history, or why it was made, or who even made it?¡±
¡°Well. . .¡±
¡°That¡¯s why you should let me study it a bit more. As of recent, I have been reading books that dwell in the studies of rare and mystical items. So far, nothing has mentioned the grimoire. However, there has been a mention of a mansion that has been used to test, experiment, and study things that are beyond normal.¡±
¡°You plan to go there?¡±
¡°Yes, but not by myself. It¡¯s in an area that is teeming with bandits and dangerous animals. That is why I am staying with the anti-bandit army.¡±
¡°I see, and you won¡¯t tell me where this mansion is?¡±
¡°No, I need a reason to keep it, after all. So, will you permit me time; anything I learn will be documented and given to your organization.¡±
His hand moves away from the hilt of his sword to his chin. This is the only thing I can see working as a deal, so if he says no and tries to take it by force, then I¡¯ll have to fight him. Though, judging by how he carries himself, it would be wise to assume he¡¯s a seasoned combatant.
¡°. . .So you will give us any information you learn about the book?¡± he reiterated what I said.
¡°Indeed.¡±
¡°Hmm. . .Fine, I shall allow this.¡±
A sigh of relief leaves my mouth. The stress building in my body dissipates as the situation calms down.
¡°Thank you, you will not regret this,¡± I assure him.
¡°But, I¡¯d like for there to be a deadline.¡±
¡°Understandable. How about after we defeat the bandits, well, if we do?¡±
¡°How long would that take?¡±
¡°We¡¯re marching for their home base with vehicles, so I reckon a month or two. If I learn nothing by then, I¡¯ll give it to you. Is this acceptable?¡±
¡°Yes, I can agree with these terms. Let us shake, to seal the deal.¡±
He extends his hand as I am. We shake to seal our deal. To be honest, I thought this would not go well, but it turns out that not only did I extract some info on the book, but about this world as well. This is why life is worth living. There are so many things to learn about, to experience. I want to learn about the book, but more importantly, I wish to learn why no one not from this continent is allowed access except for Legion? That being said, that manor mentioned in one of the books from the royal library is my best bet to learn more about the book. I hope it¡¯ll bring a result. But one thing is certain: I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t go to the springs.
Endel Springs - part 3
Endel Springs - lower springs - afternoon
I come out from under the water; it splashes all over the guys that surround me and my opponent. Alex and I were competing to see who can hold their breath the longest.
¡°All right, I win! Eat your heart out, Alex!¡±
Did I mention I won?
¡°That sounds rather dreadful,¡± Alex says, his voice reflecting his somber expression.
Everyone cheers me on as I emerge as the victor. Some, however, look at Alex with the intensity of 1000 suns. Guess betting isn''t their strong suit.
¡°All right then, who¡¯s next?¡± Nobody steps up for the challenge. Come on, someones gotta have the spine to go up against me. ¡°Gil, you up for it? Gil?¡±
He¡¯s nowhere to be seen. Did he take a quick break from the springs? Suddenly, the water in front of me rises as a colossal figure emerges from under. Gil is the one to come from under the water. His skin looks like a tomato.
¡°Looks like I win,¡± with glee he announces.
¡°What? Wait, how long were you down there?¡±
¡°Since you guys began. I only came up because you called for me.¡±
What, no, he cheated! How the hell would I know if he went under or not? Actually, how was he able to stay under without me knowing; he¡¯s a pretty big guy.
¡°No, I call semantics! I demand a rematch!¡±
¡°Kay, but I¡¯m gonna win.¡±
¡°Yeah right, bring it on!¡±
¡
After a long 12 minutes of staying submerged in the water, I lost to Gil. The heat got to me. I was confident in the fact I endured school during near summer; and some of my classes didn¡¯t even have an air conditioner, let alone a fan. Richard approaches me.
¡°Man, can¡¯t believe I lost.¡±
¡°I¡¯m amazed you even lasted for 12 minutes after the last round.¡±
¡°Me too. Still can¡¯t believe Gil beat me like it was nothing. It was fun though, so I ain¡¯t gonna stress it.¡±
¡°Good, I thought you would make a big deal out of it.¡±
¡°Eh, I¡¯m not gonna sweat over it. But man, isn¡¯t this nice? I can feel all the stress and fatigue washing from my body.¡±
My skin also feels smoother than usual. I can feel all the tension my body built up wash away as my body grows accustomed to this soothing water.
¡°Me too. I¡¯ve been training non-stop, so I can cram in as much about Source before we set off.¡±
¡°Speaking of that, how¡¯s that coming?¡±
¡°Well, I mastered Source control.¡±
¡°Really? Congrats.¡±
¡°I have my Source activated right now. At first, doing other things while having it active was mildly difficult, but now it¡¯s as natural as breathing.¡±
¡°I see. . .¡± My fist darts for Richard¡¯s heading, coming to a stop right near his side. He flinched before I stopped it. ¡°Did you break concentration?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°Great!¡±
We lean on the edge of the springs, where the ground¡¯s leveled above the spring by about 2 feet.
¡°So, what are you learning now?¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯m learning more about my attribute. There¡¯s Enhancement and Detection, but I¡¯m focused on Enhancement for now. I wanted to dabble in Conjuration, but teacher said it was no good to practice it since I haven¡¯t mastered my attribute.¡±
¡°Conjuration? Why? I thought you couldn¡¯t do other ones?¡±
¡°No, you can. It just requires more time and practice to get anything going out of it. In that sense, I can understand why she barred me from learning the other attributes. So far, Enhancement is the one I¡¯m doing right now. I¡¯m only able to enhance one of my limbs at a time. Honestly, still amazed I could pick it up quickly, but I¡¯m still having a bit of difficulty doing my entire body.¡±
Enhancement. . .Does that mean he can make himself stronger? If that¡¯s the case. I pick up a random rock next to the ledge.
¡°Can you crush this with your hand if you use Enhancement?¡±
¡°Possibly. Heck, this might be an excellent opportunity to train.¡±
He takes it from my hand. I wait for something to happen to the rock. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m about to see him break a rock in the palm of his hand. There would be no way I¡¯d believe something like this could happen, but seeing is believing. The rock in his hand cracks from the applied pressure. The rock¡¯s cracks travel upward on it. It¡¯s at the breaking point. The rock breaks like a balloon popping from a needle. The way he crushed it was so freaking sweet. I couldn¡¯t help but yell out with hype.
¡°Do it again!¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing to be. . .¡± He goes quiet for a moment, only for him to display a wicked smirk. ¡°Okay, get me another rock.¡±
That grin on his face shows me he¡¯s having a head rush about the fact he crushed a rock with his bare hands. I get a few more rocks for him to crush. He¡¯s able to destroy them with ease. This is just surreal! We run out of rocks to crush without getting up from the spring.
¡°That was a blast.¡±
¡°I admit, it was fun,¡± Richard sheepishly admits.
¡°Makes me kind of sad I can¡¯t use Source.¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have flaunted my abilities like that.¡±
¡°Nah, no sweat. Besides, I¡¯m fine the way I am.¡±
¡°Oh, okay. After everything you told me, I just. . .¡±
¡°It¡¯s cool. You don¡¯t need to worry about that, I¡¯m not getting stuck on that stuff anymore.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yeah, I know that complaining about it won¡¯t do me any good. So I have to work my ass off to get stronger. Plus, my head has been a mess for a while. These doubts and the decrease in my confidence in my fighting abilities got to me and made me think I wasn¡¯t good at fighting.¡±
¡°What do you think now?¡±
¡°That I still have a lot to learn. I¡¯ll just keep chugging on.¡±
"Good to hear. I''ll do the same as well. I don''t want to be left in the dust after all."
You know, I never got to say this to him before, but he''s changed. He seems a bit more confident and determined. Hell, he even got to punch a dude for the first time.
"Proxy, what do you think of Nunnal¨¦?" Richard asks me as he washes his face with the water.
"Well, I think she''s weird."
"She kind of is, but I think it''s because she''s not too familiar with common norms. It''s up to us to teach her. By the way, make sure she doesn''t turn into another delinquent."
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
"What, that''s my shtick, We don''t need another one of me."
"Thanks."
"But besides being weird, I think she''s pretty cool. I mean, do you see a girl going head to head with a giant monster twice her size?"
"Nope, but I hope she doesn''t have to," he gives a gloomy response.
"Come on, she held her own against Racheal''s dad."
"Except when she got majorly injured. . ."
Richard''s expression turns dower. Damn, hit a landmine.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot. I''m sorry."
". . .I had nightmares about it. Seeing her hurt like that, I never wanted to see that again."
"So that''s another reason you''re working on your Source?"
"Yeah, I just hope I can hack it."
I know that feeling all too well, and it is awful. Shit, I need to lighten things up.
"Chin up, you came this far. No sense in hoping now. You just gotta go for it!"
"Yeah, you''re right! I have to shoot for it!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Yeah!"
He stands up, exposing the lower part of his body. He quickly realizes this and plops down into the spring. His face is beat-red. I can''t help but laugh.
"What''s there to be embarrassed about, we all got them down here."
"I-I still d-d-don''t want you to see it!"
"Chill out, it ain''t no biggie. But I will give you props, it is. . ."
"SHUT UP."
He dunks my head into the scalding water. My hands flail around from the surprise attack. Luckily, I''m strong enough to push back.
"Geez, what''s wrong with you? I was going to pay you a compliment."
"Don''t! Just say nothing, don''t even speak!"
"You''re acting more like a girl than Nunnal¨¦. Hell, even more than Marie."
A loud sneeze just came from the upper part of the spring.
"Just stop talking!"
Man, he still has a long way to go before he''s a real man.
"Proxy, Richard, what are you doing over there?" Alex bellows us. "Come and be with us."
We move towards him. Everyone gathers around Alex.
"Gather, gather, let us converse with each other," Alex says, as jovial as ever.
"Converse about what?" Chip questions with a forward brow.
"Hmm. . .How about the reason we fight?"
Hmm, not a bad idea. We can get it out there.
"Chip, perhaps you would like to go first?" Alex suggests.
"Sure thing: it''s cause I owe you."
"Hm, perhaps you would like to elaborate?"
"Seriously, I thought that was enough."
"I shall not take quick answers," Alex rejects his brief answer.
"Damn, well, this might take a bit. Ya see, when I was a kid, I learned to survive off the land. Learned how to fight somewhat. When I was old enough to read, my folks got killed by some knights from the kingdom."
"Why!?"
"Wartime. My folks wanted to fight, sure you can guess the rest."
"They raided the kingdom?" Gil fills in the blanks.
"Yep, the unlucky few who didn''t make it. I had a grandpa who taught me how to use a bow. He passed when I was 16. I was alone and poor, so I became a thief. Got into the Kingdom, stole shit from the Nobles, sold anything I can get, and made money. For a time, I was successful. But that ended when the guy I worked with sold me out to take all the money we had collected so far. I was lucky enough to get away with my life. Getting out of the kingdom, I met this farmer family, pleasant people. They treated me great, hell, even made me feel like I was family."
"This story doesn''t end well, does it?" Richard guesses.
"Right on the money. It just so happens, the bandits my pal sold me out to found me. The family that treated me well sold me out as soon as they even mentioned me. Soon after that, I got taken captive and forced to steal shit for them. Then, one day, they tell me to steal something from this big wig Noble who had a hand in the import of materials from the outside. Got into the manor, but the guards were on my ass the moment I set foot inside.¡±
¡°Bandits set you up?¡± I take a guess.
¡°Nah, the security for that specific place was top-notch. I got caught, then sentenced to 10 years in BlackRock. 2 years into my sentence, I met Proxy, blondie, and his sis.¡±
¡°Oh, I know how this story ends.¡±
I can¡¯t help but let out a cocky chuckle.
¡°Yep, these crazy bastards got me out of there in less than a month of Proxy being inside.¡±
¡°Damn straight we did!¡±
¡°Furthermore, I kind of owe Blondie for not leaving me in there to rot, and not leaving me behind when he could¡¯ve saved his own skin. So until we win this fight, I¡¯m sticking with you guys. Also, I have nowhere else to go.¡±
Man, remembering BlackRock takes me back. Everything that happened in there was so damn tense. Hell, even waiting to break out felt like a challenge on its own. But man, was it ever touch and go for a moment there.
¡°Ya know, call me curious, but how did you end up there, big guy?¡± Chip directs that question towards Gil.
¡°Me? Well, I wanted to.¡± Everyone went dumbstruck as soon as he said that.
¡°If you do not mind me asking: why would you do such a thing?¡± Crow raises.
¡°There was someone I wanted to fight at first, but I was too scared to fight him, so I made sure he didn¡¯t leave that place.¡±
¡°Why did you?¡± Richard asks.
¡°He killed a friend of mine in a fight.¡±
Richard¡¯s flinch at the response.
¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. Even though my friend agreed to fight him, and died from being weaker than him, I was still angry. So I decided to hunt him down, and kill him. Obviously, my search led to him being in BlackRock. As for why, I do not know. I got arrested for theft and was sent there. In half a year, I was named the king of the arena. However, I broke out with Proxy, Alexander, and Chip. Oh, and Marie was there as well. As for why I¡¯m fighting now; I owe Proxy for saving my life, so I¡¯ll fight until the end of this conflict. Plus, I also think I¡¯ll grow stronger if I fight with you all.¡±
I remember the fight with the old man. All my other fights in that prison paled in comparison with him; the fear I felt when I first saw him is still clear to me this very day. But I won¡¯t let that take a hold of me ever again.
¡°Okay, now that Gilhart finished speaking, why don¡¯t the rest of us share our reasons? Crow, how about you?¡±
Crows chuckles as it is his turn to speak.
¡°You wish to hear my reason? Sorry to disappoint, but it is not as romantic or as tragic.¡± He brushes back his hair. ¡°I was born into a noble family of doctors during the war. They trained me to learn medicine and the human body. However, shortly after the war ended, I opened a clinic in the lower areas of the kingdom. While the work I did was fulfilling, I couldn¡¯t shake the feeling I was not meant to be there. So, after 3 years, I closed my shop and traveled outside the kingdom. I applied my knowledge to those who needed it.¡±
¡°What was different about the outside?¡±
¡°I suppose there were more people who needed my aid out here, rather than in there.¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you get paid to work?¡± Chip points out.
¡°I was, and while the money was good, it was never about the money. Despite all the things I learned from my family, I was taught to help those in need. Because that is the true reason doctors exist.¡±
After Crow¡¯s story concluded, everyone else went on about their reasons. Some wanted to fight to get revenge against the bandits, some wanted it to be peaceful for the outside, and others wanted to become heroes.
¡°Um, may I state my reason?¡± Richard requests, his voice scaled down.
¡°Of course, feel free to do so,¡± Alex wholeheartedly welcomes him.
¡°Okay, well, I¡¯m sure most of you don¡¯t know who I am, but my name is Richard. I¡¯m here because of my friends. If they weren¡¯t, I don¡¯t think I would stick around. But I should probably go back a bit. Proxy and I come from another world, one vastly different from this one. Our lives were much more convenient than the ones we¡¯re living now. Coming here for the first time, I was overcome with fear. But Proxy wasn¡¯t, and it kind of made me feel incompetent compared to how he handled it."
I never meant to do that. I just wanted to keep strong so Richard wouldn''t have to worry about me or what danger there might be.
"Due to circumstance, we ended up in the Hell Mine.¡±
¡°Wait, the Hell Mine, how the hell did you two get out of there?¡± Chip voices skepticism.
¡°. . .With the whole place collapsing,¡± I answer.
¡°At first, I knew what to do: stay with Proxy and everything will be alright. However, that plan burned up in smoke as soon as I went off with someone else. I knew separating with Proxy and exploring the mine was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. During all that, I did things I didn¡¯t know I was capable of. By the end of it all, I nearly got myself killed several times. But, remembering all that, remembering how I acted, it makes me feel good. That, and a bunch of other things, made me want to have my friends know that I¡¯m dependable. To conclude this: I¡¯ll help you guys in any way I can. So please, count on me!¡±
He¡¯s so tense, you would think he¡¯d be a bit more relaxed, but I guess he¡¯ll always have that shy side.
¡°A worthy goal,¡± Alex gives his respects to Richard.
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Absolutely. I truly wish for the best as you strive towards your goal. But take heart in knowing you can rely on us as well.¡±
¡°Yes, of course! Thank you!¡±
¡°You¡¯re too tense, dude. You need to loosen up. Come on guys, let¡¯s help him!¡±
¡°Wait, what?¡±
A couple of us grab Richard from his shoulder, side of his chest, and legs. We lift him, exposing him.
¡°What the hell are you doing!?¡± he screeches as he struggles to get out of our grasp.
¡°We¡¯re gonna throw you upward.¡±
¡°Wait, don¡¯t do that! What if the girls look down from up there!?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not like they would, and besides, if they do, it¡¯s their fault. You ready?¡±
¡°No!¡±
¡°Too bad! On three! One. . .Two. . .Three!¡±
We throw Richard into the air, his body exposed for all to see. I doubt the girls will just look down here for no reason, let alone at all.
¡°Hmm, Is that. . .?¡±
In an ironic, yet tragic way, Nunnal¨¦, Marie and Elizabeth, and some of the other girls are looking down from the top. In a spontaneous moment, the girls, save for Nunnal¨¦, let out an eardrum-shattering scream. Well, shit.
Endel Springs - Finale
The anti-bandit army camp - evening
Beaten and battered, we returned home after a relaxing day in the springs. The bruises I received from Marie healed up. Honestly, her punches feel like a gorilla hit me. Not only did she pound me, but Richard as well. She can¡¯t blame me, she has to blame herself for putting herself for timing looking at us guys poorly. Speaking of Richard, he¡¯s sitting next to me, his face hot-red.
¡°Proxy, I¡¯ll never forgive you,¡± he whispers to me.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t think that would happen, and why are you getting so gloomy?¡±
¡°What if Nunnal¨¦ thinks I¡¯m some weird pervert from now on?¡±
¡°Well. . .Maybe she doesn¡¯t know what that is.¡±
¡°Hopefully, I¡¯m just glad teacher will never know.¡±
¡°Master, may I take a moment of your time?¡±
Nunnal¨¦ approaches us from behind. Her expression and demeanor are the same as usual.
¡°O-oh! Nunnal¨¦, what do you need?¡± Richard stumbles as he speaks up.
¡°I wish to ask something of you.¡±
¡°That would be?¡±
¡°If I may be so bold to ask of you: may I speak to you about yourself?¡±
¡°Hm, what do you mean?¡±
¡°I wish to engage in conversation about your homeworld,¡±
¡°This is sudden. Why do you want to know?¡±
¡°Well. . .¡±
Nunnal¨¦ is struggling to come up with a proper answer to his question. God, I can¡¯t stand to see this go on. Fortunately, I know what to do.
¡°Gee, it sure is a good time to go for a walk. I think I¡¯ll do just that.¡±
¡°Why are you talking like that?¡±
¡°Huh, I have no idea what you mean? I just wish to go out for a walk, is all.¡±
¡°See, you¡¯re doing it again.¡±
¡°Hahaha, I¡¯m going for a walk now, so you two just have a grand ol¡¯ time.¡±
I laugh as I walk away from the two of them, despite Richard calling me.
¡
Proxy walks off to wherever he¡¯s going while laughing. Honestly, he¡¯s such a weirdo at times.
¡°That was highly suspicious behavior,¡± Nunnal¨¦ says what I was thinking.
¡°You said it. I wonder what he¡¯s planning?¡±
He doesn¡¯t really seem like he¡¯s going out for a walk, so what is he doing? Wait, did he try to excuse himself from this conversation? Judging from how he was acting, it would be logical to assume that¡¯s what he wanted.
¡°Master, about my request, if you are uncomfortable with answering you do not have to.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s fine, but I was just curious why you wanted to know.¡±
¡°To tell the truth, I was told to start a conversation with you, as to ¡®open up¡¯ to you. However, I have not concluded how to do so on my own.¡±
¡°I see, quite the dilemma. Tell you what, how about you tell me how your day was first.¡±
¡°You¡¯d like a report of all our activities?¡±
¡°No, just how you felt today.¡±
¡°Hmm, I do not think I have any particular feelings on today.¡± Seems like we¡¯re still not ready to speak about her feelings. Oh well, I¡¯ll have to be patient with her until then. ¡°. . .Though, I do know that I would not mind going back there again; so perhaps I enjoyed myself?¡±
She remembered that? Maybe it won¡¯t be that difficult after all. Well, for the most part.
¡°Glad you enjoyed yourself. Maybe you can go back with the girls some other time?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind as long as you come with us.¡±
¡°Yeah, I think they wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡±
¡
Man, I said I was gonna go for a walk but I didn¡¯t actually think I would. I aimlessly walkout from the camp into the open areas. A cool breeze pushes against the clean grass and the tall trees obscuring our hideout. Somebody is lying on the ground, with no weapon next to them whatsoever; he¡¯s letting his guard down entirely. Walking up to him, their blonde hair makes it clear who it is.
¡°Yo, Alex,¡± I casually greet.
He bends his head backward towards me.
¡°Oh, hello, Proxy. What brings you out here?¡±
¡°Nothing, I just wanted to be. You?¡±
¡°I guess I can say the same thing.¡±
¡°Heh, birds of a feather, you and I.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°Means we¡¯re kind of the same.¡±
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡°I see, I have taken a liking to that phrase.¡±
¡°Then keep it.¡±
I sit next to him. The breeze is hitting me much harder now that I¡¯m sitting, however; it feels good.
¡°The springs were truly fun, were they not?¡±
¡°Yeah, it was fun. That was until Marie kicked my ass.¡±
¡°I am sorry for that.¡±
¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool. I¡¯m kind of used to her by now, and I can¡¯t bring myself to let it bother me.¡±
¡°I am glad you think that way. I am glad you two are becoming good mates. For the longest time, she never once spoke of having any friends.¡±
Spoke of?
¡°What do you mean by ¡®spoke of¡¯?¡±
Alex expresses shock as he realizes he slipped up.
¡°Ah. . .what I meant to say was. . .¡± He pauses for a moment. He then turns away from me. A few seconds pass. He sits up as he turns towards me. ¡°Me and Marie were not always with one another.¡±
¡°What does that mean? You mean when you were in prison?¡±
¡°No, farther back in our lives. You see, our lives were. . .complicated.¡±
¡°How so?¡±
¡°During our childhood, we were kept apart from one another for personal reasons. I was raised by my father and she was raised by her mother. However, one day, I decided to go and find her.¡±
¡°How were you going to do that?¡±
¡°With my guts and determination!¡± Damn, just riding it out on your own gut instincts. Pretty badass. ¡°My father spoke of her, he told me enough to help me find her.¡±
¡°How¡¯d it go?¡±
¡°Well. . .I got myself into several life or death situations with thugs and muggers.¡± he ends with a carefree smile that kills the tone of his story.
¡°Why the hell are you smiling!?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t help it, I just smile when I remember that time.¡±
¡°Wasn¡¯t it scary?¡±
¡°Of course, I was scared. I wanted to run. But if I did, then I would never have gotten to see my sister. So, I didn¡¯t back down from those fights. Even if I was beaten to a bloody pulp, I still fought, and I moved forward. In the end, my efforts paid off.¡±
She must¡¯ve been surprised to see a weird kid who¡¯s been beaten to hell and back. Hell, I know I would.
¡°What happened when she saw you?¡±
¡°She freaked out at first, but I was able to explain to her who I was. Soon after, we played for the entire day. The details of what we played and said to each other are a haze to me, but I know I felt pure bliss as I spent the day with. When the day grew dark, I told her I would come back to see her again, no matter what the circumstances were. Returning home, my father scolded me for my exploit in the kingdom. However, he didn¡¯t appear to be angered, so I suppose in his own way, he accepted my actions.¡±
¡°Damn, I wish Birch was this understanding. But wait, didn¡¯t she have friends back then?¡±
¡°No, her life was much too strict for such a thing.¡±
¡°Hm, I see. Wait, why didn¡¯t you live with her?¡±
¡°As I said, the details are complicated.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay. I won¡¯t force you to answer. But how did Marie join the bandits in the first place? I need to know that much.¡±
He holds his tongue despite me asking. Another complicated matter?
¡°It has been 4 years now since she quit being a bandit. I found her a year before she left. During that time, I was their prisoner.¡±
¡°Wait, you weren¡¯t with her?¡±
¡°No, I was tasked to find her; it took me 2 years to do so. My father died, so I was on my own in this endeavor.¡±
¡°Did she remember you?¡±
¡°Yes, but it had been a while since we spoke, so she didn¡¯t trust me at first. However, trust was built with the time we spent talking to one another. In time, she even confided in me about her regrets and sorrows, so I pushed for her to run away with me. One night, Marie released me from my prison, we then set fire to the camp and escaped into the night. It was difficult at first, but we eventually became proper brother and sister.¡±
¡°I¡¯m glad there is a happy ending.¡±
¡°I am as well. I never want for her to suffer or feel alone ever again. I made a vow: I would protect her no matter what. Even if I have to fight hundreds of bandits, I don¡¯t care. I shall protect her and make her happy!¡±
I can see the fire in his eyes, and it¡¯s only growing more intense as he clenches his fist. You know, I kind of didn¡¯t think too much of Alex before, but now. I can see just how badass he is.
¡°You know what, you¡¯re pretty badass, Alex.¡±
¡°I am?¡±
¡°You kidding me, half the shit you did in your stories was nothing but badass. It makes me respect you even more!¡± I jump onto my feet. ¡°Let¡¯s do it, let¡¯s take down the bandits, so no one has to suffer by their hands. And let¡¯s look badass while doing it.¡±
I pump my fist into the air as my voice echoes through the wind.
¡°Yes, let us do so. But may I ask why you want to fight?¡±
¡°Why is that important?¡±
¡°I wish to learn my comrade¡¯s convictions before entering battle.¡±
¡°In that case: I¡¯m fighting because you told me to, but I also want to meet that guy who took my goggles. But it¡¯s not just that. I know I put you guys through a lot of trouble, so I need to make up for all that. So you can count me in until this is all over.¡±
Alex stands on his feet. The wind pushes against his bright, smooth blonde hair.
¡°Your conviction rings true. In that light, I shall trust my life to you, as well as your life with me. I hope this is fair?¡±
¡°Of course, I got your back, and you got mine.¡±
¡°Excellent, then let us shake hands.¡±
He extends his hand
towards me. Nah, I don¡¯t feel as if a handshake is gonna make the moment feel right. Nah, this calls for something a bit more modern.
¡°Nah man, not like that.¡±
¡°Hm, you don¡¯t wish to shake my hand?¡±
¡°Exactly, cause we¡¯re doing something different.¡±
¡°Such as?¡±
¡°Okay, check it. . .¡±
I explain to Alex what I want for him to do. Honestly, it took a bit for him to catch on to the idea, but I managed to get it across to him.
¡°Are you ready?¡± I ask him.
¡°I am,¡± he affirms with a determined pressure wrapping the area.
¡°Okay, go!¡±
Our hands'' zone in for one another. My hand smacks against his, and his against mine.
¡°All right, now we¡¯re good.¡±
¡°I am glad to hear that, but that really hurt.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, that¡¯s how you do a hi-five.¡±
¡°It feels strange, but it also feels quite amazing.¡±
¡°I know, feels awesome!¡±
I grab him by the arm and drag him over in the direction of the training area.
¡°Where are we going?¡±
¡°To train, I want to polish my skills as soon as possible.¡±
¡°Can we not rest first?¡±
¡°Come on, you¡¯re starting to sound like me. Besides, I¡¯m feeling great, so I don¡¯t wanna waste this opportunity.¡±
¡°Can we at least do it later tomorrow?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
9/8 - Anti-bandit army camp - morning
¡°. . .Wake. . .¡±
I can hear someone¡¯s voice penetrate my unconsciousness. They¡¯re shaking me like some kid trying to wake up their parents. Man, can¡¯t a guy get some sleep around here?
¡°WAKE UP!¡±
I jump up to my feet to get away from the eardrum-breaking shout.
¡°Wha-What the hell!? who. . .?¡±
¡°Good, you¡¯re finally up.¡±
Marie, Richard, and Nunnal¨¦ are the ones who were standing beside me.
¡°What the hell was that for, Marie!?¡±
¡°Ask later, we need you!¡±
¡°For what?¡± It¡¯s then that I noticed that everyone in the camp seems to be in a rush, they even seem panicked. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°The short of it is this: we¡¯re about to have some company,¡± Marie states, her expression alarmed and tense.
¡°Company? Hang, do you mean. . .?¡±
¡°Yes, the Fire Wraiths found us.¡±
The fight for the south - part 1
9/8 - Anti-bandit army camp - morning
Marie slams a map against the stone table all the key members, including myself, are sitting around.
¡°Okay, Chip, debrief us,¡± she requests.
¡°I did some scouting an hour ago northwest from here. Saw an enormous bandit force driving over here. I was able to get ahead of them with the help of Proxy¡¯s bike.¡±
Damn, it¡¯s amazing that he¡¯s still alive.
¡°How long do we have?¡± she asks.
¡°30 minutes at the most.¡±
¡°How does it look?¡±
¡°Seems like they¡¯re ready to go and destroy shit. Guessing that would be us.¡±
Marie is about to slam her fist against the stone table, but Alex stops her from doing so.
¡°Sister, please do not damage your hand like that. We need you at your best. We must steel ourselves.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°Marie, calm yourself. We will prevail, but we need your aid to do so.¡±
He puts a hand on her shoulder. She drifts from distress to a determined expression.
¡°Right, sorry for losing my head.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. So what¡¯s the plan, Marie?¡± I ask her.
¡°First: Chip, how many vehicles are there; I need you to be specific on how many cars and bikes there are.¡±
¡°Well, I think I spotted 10 bikes and 12 cars. None of the cars had open backs for people to ride on.¡±
¡°Hm, this is a prediction on their numbers. But assuming all the seats in all those vehicles are full, there¡¯s bound to be about 68 in total,¡± Marie sums up.
¡°Hah, not that many, we got this!¡±
¡°No, do not underestimate them. This is a greater force than we¡¯ve dealt with before, and they¡¯re coming at us. We need a plan of attack immediately! Chip, which direction are they traveling from on the map?¡± Alex asks him.
¡°Right about here.¡±
He points to the path they¡¯re coming from.
¡°From there...¡± Marie¡¯s lips contorted into a smirk ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, then we might be able to do this.¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡±
A scream erupts from behind us, interrupting Marie before she can explain herself. Two motorcycles enter the camp, riding straight through the place.
¡°Damn it, someone stop them,¡± Marie curses out an order.
I dash after them, Nunnal¨¦ follows behind me.
¡°You stop the one on the left, but don¡¯t kill him,¡± I instruct her.
¡°Understood.¡±
The biker I¡¯m running towards isn¡¯t changing course. He wants to play chicken with me, thinking that he¡¯ll ram me with his bike. Please, I worked too hard to be beaten by a damn goon. Closing into him, I jump right before we collide. I plant my foot on the wheel guard of his bike. I kick his head with the other As I land back onto the ground, the second biker swings a chain at Nunnal¨¦. She catches it and swings the biker off his ride.
¡°Marie, we have captured the intruders,¡± Nunnal¨¦ reports.
¡°Good, tie them up!¡±
¡°On it!¡±
¡°Everyone else, get ready for battle!¡±
¡
After tying up the bandits, we return to the stone table. Marie and the others seem to be cooking something up.
¡°Okay, so do we have a plan?¡± I ask her.
¡°Yes, we do. We¡¯re going for an ambush.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°Check this.¡± She points to the area they¡¯re coming from. ¡°So, a while back, I had traps set up in a plethora of areas that we could defend against an invasion. The pathway they¡¯re going through happens to be where we set one of those traps.¡±
I see how we could, the way they¡¯re coming from is a narrow pathway with two pockets of forests on both sides. Not only that, but it seems to be on a little cliff.
¡°Seriously? What are we waiting for then, let¡¯s go!¡±
¡°No, we need to organize everything first. We need to get everyone who can¡¯t fight out of here. We¡¯ll evacuate them to a disclosed cave nearby here. Everyone who can and is willing to fight will be deployed to intercept the enemy. We also need to keep this place looked down in the event that they somehow break through our defenses. Gilhart, you think you can stay here and defend?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one is taking this place from us.¡±
¡°Now that we got that covered, let¡¯s go kick some ass!¡±
¡°Proxy, wait. You aren¡¯t going to fight,¡± Marie says.
¡°Why!?¡±
¡°I need you to help escort the non-combatants. I don¡¯t know if there are going to be any more rogue bandits driving around the area, so I need you to protect them?¡±
She¡¯s giving me a heavy responsibility. I want to fight on the front lines so damn bad, but I know this is much more important, and denying the task would just be too selfish.
¡°Okay, you can rely on me!¡±
¡°Good. Nunnal¨¦, go with him. He¡¯ll need the manpower if push comes to shove.¡±
¡°I understand. Master Richard, you stay here.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m going to help as well.¡±
¡°But, master. If enemies were to appear, you¡¯d--¡±
¡°It¡¯s useless. He¡¯s going to come with us, no matter what you say. Ain¡¯t that right?¡±
We go for a hi-five, guess he¡¯s ready to rock this.
¡°You got that right. I¡¯m not going to sit around and do nothing. Besides, Nunnal¨¦ needs me close by to increase her effectiveness in battle.¡±
¡°Is that true,¡± Marie directs her question to Nunnal¨¦.
¡°Yes, it is. If we are apart from each other, then our connection is thinned.¡±
Marie presses her finger against her forehead. She eyeballs Richard. Her gaze is analytical from what I can tell.
¡°Fine, but make sure to stick next to her, Richard,¡± Marie instructs.
¡°Okay!¡±
¡°Proxy, when you get everyone to safety, get to the frontlines. We¡¯ll need your help out there.¡±
Hell yeah! Just what I wanted to hear.
¡°Got you!¡± I run out towards the crowd that is lined up to head outside. I clap my hands to catch their attention. ¡°Yo, may I have your attention? We¡¯re gonna be heading out to a safer area. Don¡¯t get separated from me or these two over there. Keep your arms forward, and do not dillydally.¡±
Man, it feels like I¡¯m a teacher during a fire drill. Richard runs past me, he starts leading them outside.
¡°Please, walk in a single file line, and please stay near us at all times,¡± he expertly instructs.
Racheal tugs Richard¡¯s pants from behind.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
¡°Will...we...die?¡±
Richard doesn¡¯t respond to her question as his mouth is slightly gaping open. He squats down and puts his hand on her head as I was about to say something.
¡°Nope, I¡¯m going to protect you all, I swear it.¡±
¡°Rea...lly?¡±
¡°I promise, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
She smiles at him, showing that Richard¡¯s words comforted her. She heads off to the line with the others. Okay, we better get going.
¡°All right, people! We¡¯re going now. No pushing or rushing!¡±
Everyone walks forward out of the camp. My sword is by my side. I shoot a glance at Richard, he returns it with a nod in response. No need for words, we know what we gotta do. Let¡¯s just do it!
¡
Alexander comes back to the table with leather gauntlets that cover one-half of his arms and leather chest armor that has shoulder armor strapped around the chest armor.
¡°What is our current situation, Marie?¡±
¡°Everything is almost set. We just need to wait for Elizabeth and her crew to bring us the vehicles we need to reach the area in time. If they pass the checkpoint for the traps, then we¡¯ll have a serious problem. As for the escort team. I know I can trust Proxy and Nunnal¨¦ to protect them, but I don¡¯t know if I should¡¯ve had someone else do it. We need all the manpower we can get, I know, but what if something happens to them while they¡¯re escorting them to safety? What if I made the wrong move? What if...¡±
Alex pats my head.
¡°It¡¯s okay. You must trust in them as I do with you. With your mind, I doubt we won¡¯t win this.¡±
¡°Brother.¡±
¡°Believe in me, believe in all of your allies. But most of all, believe in yourself.¡±
Again, I¡¯m in need of him to console me. Damn it, this is pathetic!
¡°Damnit, why am I doubting myself now! You¡¯re right brother, I just have to believe, right, so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll do!¡±
¡°Excellent, then I shall give you my all!¡±
¡°Wasn¡¯t betting on anything else. Now get ready, we¡¯re going soon!¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
I roll up the map and grab my spear. Staying here is not an option, I¡¯ll use whatever abilities I can to aid in the fight!
¡°Everyone,¡± Alex bellows. ¡°Today, we fight to protect our homes, our friends, and our families. However, most of all, this fight shall be our final test. To see if we are strong enough to fight back against our enemies. So let us all fight, let us yell, let us bleed, and let us come out victorious!¡±
Nothing but battle cries and cheers emerge from the men ready to fight. I can¡¯t help but feel inspired as well.
¡°Yo,¡± a boisterous voice calls out. The voice belongs to Elizabeth, who is with some of the others from her workshop. ¡°We got the vehicles here for ya. And don¡¯t worry about the camp, we¡¯ll keep it nice and cozy.¡±
Thank goodness, now we won¡¯t need to worry about the camp. All I have to focus on is the fight.
¡°The time is now. Let us charge forward and defeat our enemies!¡±
Alexander rallies the troops behind him. They begin to march out of the camp. Time to do this!
On route to evacuation area - morning
Proxy slowly drives his bike in front of the crowd as me and Nunnal¨¦ walk next to him. My eyes scan the area, wary of enemies.
¡°Master Richard, is something the matter?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m just being cautious, is all. Proxy, how are you?¡±
¡°Peachy, but just as cautious. The enemy can attack any time.¡±
He has a point, and that¡¯s why I¡¯m concerned. If anyone comes, I¡¯m sure Proxy will do something about it, but if there is more than one of them, then the evacuees will be in danger. We have to be aware of any threats that might come.
"Richard," Proxy calls me. ¡°When a fight goes down, try to stick with Nunnal¨¦.¡±
¡°I know, but what about you?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll go on the assault. You two are playing defense and escort at the same time.¡±
Not a bad battle plan. Nunnal¨¦ is capable of moving at great speeds, so she might be able to pull it off.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you got that,¡± I ask her.
¡°Yes, you and I shall be taking defensive measures to protect everyone.¡±
¡°Good.¡±
With our bases covered, we keep moving.
¡°Hm?¡±
Proxy hits the breaks.
¡®What is it?¡±
¡°You guys hear that?¡±
I halt my breath to hear clearer. A roar in the distance, is it an animal? No, it¡¯s too artificial. As it gets louder, the thought of what it is becoming clearer. A bike!
¡°They¡¯re coming here!¡±
As expected, five bikers appear. They¡¯re driving toward us.
¡°Proxy!¡±
¡°Yeah, I know. Get them to safety.¡±
¡°Okay, good luck!¡±
¡°You too!¡±
He rides off towards the enemy.
¡°Master, there are more coming from there!¡±
More bandits are arriving from the opposite direction Proxy charged off too.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, defeat the enemy and defend everyone!¡±
¡°Affirmative!¡±
She runs towards them, summoning her sword as she goes. She stops, holding a position as 2 bikers try their luck at hitting her. When they get into her range, she cuts the part that holds the wheels, causing them to crash onto the ground. Seeing this, the other 3 avoid her, coming straight to us. She books it towards the closest one, slicing his bike. She kicks off the ground, causing her to zoom towards the next one like a speeding bullet. She destroys the next bike in a way I couldn¡¯t see. The last one is close to the group of people.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, let me handle this!¡±
If she were to destroy it next to the people, then the parts would hit them. If I enhance my arm, then I can stop it without causing harm.
¡°Master, wait!¡±
I jump in front of the bike, enhancing my arm all the while. All I need to do is stop it, I''ll just use my forearm as a buffer.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, get ready to catch the bandit!¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
His bike is about to hit my arm. I¡¯m beyond anxious, I don¡¯t know if this will work the way I want it to; hell, what if I didn¡¯t enhance enough? It¡¯s too late to go back on the idea, I can only hope this works! The bike hits my arm, but instead of taking damage, I feel nothing happen to my arm besides a feeling that it made contact with something. The biker flies off from the bike, but Nunnal¨¦ jumps into the air to catch him. The bike, while messed up from the front, is still intact. I did it, I actually did it!
¡°Master Richard, are you okay?¡±
¡°I am. I can¡¯t believe¡ I¡ Wow!¡±
¡°Is something troubling you,¡± Nunnal¨¦ shows concern.
¡°No, not at all. I¡¯m just amazed is all.¡±
¡°I see¡ But, about this bandit?¡±
She¡¯s holding him by the leg as he¡¯s on the ground.
¡°Make sure he¡¯s out cold.¡±
She swiftly hit him with the butt of her sword.
¡°Target pacified.¡±
All right, all we have to do now is just move forward.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s get going everyone, hurry along the path!¡±
I can¡¯t wait for Proxy to get back. I hope he¡¯s okay.
¡
I¡¯ve taken care of the last of the bandits that were pursuing us. I need to get back to everyone else. Actually, should I do that? What if more bandits are sneaking around? Hmm, maybe I should get some answers.
¡°Hey, you!¡± I kick the closest bandit awake. He gags from the impact of my foot hitting his chest. ¡°Are there any more of you?¡±
¡°Screw off,¡± he tells me.
I kick him right in the ribs.
¡°Start speaking, asshole. Or I¡¯ll give you more than a few bruises.¡±
¡°S-shit! Yes, there are more. They got another squad out to fire a long-distance assault!¡±
What the hell did he just say!? Long-distance!?
¡°Where!?¡± I grab him by the collar, yanking him violently. "You deft, take me to it, now!" I drag him over to my bike, seating him on it. "Tell which way we need to go, and you better not bullshit me!"
"G-go north."
I turn on Road Burner, going in the direction he tells me. I know that going solo is a bad idea, but there''s no telling how much time I''d waste trying to get someone else to come with me. If they use whatever they''re gonna use on the camp, let alone the others... No, I''m not gonna let that happen!
Evacuation area - morning
We finally made it to the evaluation spot. A forest is covering the cave entrance, so I don¡¯t believe anyone will be able to pin us down to this location. The cave is rather deep from what I can tell, and it¡¯s quite spacious, so it has more than enough room for multiple people to walk through. Proxy still hasn''t returned. Did the bandits outdo him? No, I refuse to believe he''d be done so easily.
"Master Richard, Proxy has not returned."
"I know, I''m growing a bit concerned."
"Shall we investigate his absence?"
I don''t know, leaving everyone here defenseless will pose a major issue if they are found. However, my concern is overweighting the more logical idea. Maybe I can go by myself and leave Nunnal¨¦ here? No, if I were to run into trouble, I wouldn''t be able to fight. Should she go instead? It would make sense, but what if she meets a fearsome opponent and needs to use my Source to beat him?
"Damn, I don''t know what to do."
"If I may, send me out to find him. Even with our Source thinned, I am still stronger than the average human."
If that''s the case, then...
"No, that''s okay."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I doubt he won''t be fine. Besides, we have to take care of everyone else. If any of us were to leave, it would be bad for the other."
If she goes, then we''ll be left without any defense. No matter how you look at it, we need to stick together.
"Master Richard, I am going to check the perimeter."
"Okay, be..."
I hold my tongue as something comes rampaging from the forest. It breaks off a good chunk of a tree as it charges at us.
¡°Nunnal¨¦!¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
With a strong kick against the ground, she speeds towards the monster charging at us. She hits it with a slice to the side. She spun around before stopping her momentum.
¡°Damn, that was a nice cut you made there!¡±
Someone walks into the cave, complimenting Nunnal¨¦.
¡°Identify yourself,¡± she demands as she points her blade at him.
¡°Me? Well, I am the 3rd Flame Wraith squad captain of the Fire Wraiths, or Wildcard.¡±
Wildcard... Wait, Proxy mentioned that name before! He¡¯s the person that controlled the monster that poised me, and he took his goggles!
¡°Hey, you with the glasses,¡± he points to me.
¡°What?¡±
¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡±
¡°Do you have a pair of goggles?¡±
¡°Huh, speak up.¡±
¡°I said do you have a pair of goggles,¡± I yell, my voice reverberating through the cave.
¡°Oh, ya mean these?¡±
He throws up Proxy¡¯s goggles, twirling them around his finger. I knew it.¡±
¡°Took them from some kid, honestly, pretty nifty, don¡¯t ya think?¡±
There¡¯s no need for me to think about any of this, there¡¯s only one option.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, we¡¯re going to fight him.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°...But more importantly, we¡¯re going to be taking those goggles back!¡±
The fight for the south - part 2
Northwest pathway - morning
I stand on my own as I wait for the enemy to arrive. My heart is racing as I hear the roars of engines getting closer. My body is perfectly still, but my nerves are not as calm. I do not plan on running, but I can not evade this feeling of doubt... No, I mustn''t allow this to overcome me; I must stand firm in mind and body.
"Father, give me your courage," I pray briefly.
The enemy has reached me. They break in front of me. The one driving the head car comes out to face me.
"You, who the hell are you," he demands.
"My name is Alexander! I am the man who is the reason the Anti-bandit army is."
"Anti-bandit army? So what, you the ones taking out our boys up here?"
"Yes!"
"Where the hell is your army!? They cut and run?" Laughter rains down from the insult. I keep silent as to not give him any satisfaction. "So, what are you gonna do? Gonna fight us all? Or maybe you gonna get on the ground and cry like a little bitch?"
"Such vulgar language is not necessary. Especially when you''ve been caught with your pants down."
"The shit are you talking about!?"
"Is it not obvious?" I hit him with the butt of my sword before he could react. As the other bandits make their move, tree logs tumble down towards the enemy''s vehicles. They crash against the cars from both sides. "Everyone, the time is now! Show them our spirit, our will, our courage, and most importantly: our determination to win!"
I charge towards our enemy alongside the others. It will be a long, rigorous battle, but I will see us come through!
¡
I recklessly drive through a forest with uneven ground with rocks, tree roots, and elevated ground, making it harder to drive steadily.
"S-slow down!"
My passenger is getting rattled by the rough driving. I can give less of a shit though.
"Shut the hell up! Are we close?"
"Yes, just about! Keep going straight and you''ll make it."
I keep going forward, as he says. I can see a ledge. This is gonna be a bumpy ass landing!
¡°Hang on!¡±
We go over the ledge, going airborne. As we¡¯re descending, I see a large cylinder object at a halfway upward angle. A bunch of bandits are gathered in the open-space area. Is this the place?
¡°Hey, are these the guys?¡±
¡°Yeah!¡±
¡°Good, now get lost.¡±
The bandit jumps off my bike and hightails it out of here. Bastard sure can run.
¡°Who are you,¡± one bandit barks.
¡°None of your goddamn business.¡±
¡°Look at this cheeky bastard, boys. Kid thinks he¡¯s the shit.¡±
¡°Me? No, I just think fodder like you don¡¯t need to know who¡¯s gonna kick your asses.¡±
¡°You little shit! Come and bring it then!¡±
¡°Okay, you asked for it!¡±
I hit the gas, charging at them while doing a wheelie. They move out of the way but I¡¯m not done! I go for a donut, hitting the ones that dodged.
¡°What the, who the hell is this kid?¡±
¡°The kid who¡¯s gonna kick your ass!¡±
I ride my bike towards him. He dodges too early. I jump off my bike to dropkick him. My feet hit his head, knocking him down to the ground in one go.
¡°Guess that¡¯s all of them then.¡±
¡°Not quite,¡± a new arrival corrects me.
¡°Huh?¡±
A man wearing a long coat walks out of the forest path behind me. He has long hair that reaches down to his back. His skin is pale, helping with the fear factor that his face is rocking with. His body isn¡¯t as defined as the other bandits. He¡¯s carrying a long, slender object in his hand.
¡°I take it you are with the enemy,¡± he asks me.
¡°Yeah, you got a problem?¡±
¡°It seems so. I am the 9th division captain of the Flame Wraiths. Azrael.¡±
¡°You¡¯re a Flame Wraith too?¡±
¡°You seem to be familiar with us.¡±
¡°Fought one of you¡ 10th captain, I think.¡±
¡°Ah, the disgrace. His replacement is being selected as we speak. Do you know where he might have gone?¡±
¡°Nah, we let him go.¡±
¡°Shame, but I suppose that¡¯s for the best. As for you, you shall not be so lucky.¡±
¡°Nah, my luck seems to be holding up. I already beat one of you, so what¡¯s one more?¡±
¡°It would seem you think of us to be weak. I shall change that perception.¡±
He walks towards me. He¡¯s not rushing, he¡¯s just briskly walking. What the hell is with this guy? Whatever, I¡¯ll open up with the first attack then! I charge for my enemy. I quickly close the gap between us. With a body like his, it looks like he''ll go down if I hit hard enough. As I¡¯m approaching, he places his other hand on the bottom end of the object he''s holding. Alarms ring off in my head; I need to dodge! I vault over, using the enemy''s head. He swung something right where I was standing. I use my legs to push myself away from him, using his back.
"Hm, you dodged it."
He''s carrying a long blade with no point at the end.
"What the hell is that!?"
"It''s a sword, obviously."
"That''s too long to be called a sword!"
Shit, it''s looking to be about 8 feet in length; 2 for the handle and 6 for the blade. It''s good for the range.
"Well, child, shall we, or will you run?"
"Screw you, asshole. I ain''t going nowhere."
"I see, then let us engage."
He once again walks to me. Is he just lazy? Whatever, I''ll just run towards the bastard. Getting close, he swings his sword my way again. I slide under the attack. Damn, that was too close, but I can''t stop now! I go for another attack while his back is turned.
"Pathetic."
In a blink of an eye, his sword zones in for my head. I block it with my sword. However, the force behind the attack is too great, my body is pushed to the side.
¡°Are you only capable of running and nearly dying?¡±
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Bastard is making fun of me!
¡°Tough shit for a guy who keeps missing his attacks!¡±
No sense in running at him, he¡¯ll just block me, and if I get unlucky, he¡¯ll kill me. I need to think about this. He starts walking towards me again. The point of his sword is lowered to the ground. I guess his sword will go upward if I try to get close to him.
¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just do this!¡±
I throw a rock at the swordsman. It hits him right in the face. His reflexes aren¡¯t top notch, so maybe I can make long-distance attacks work.
¡°Long-distance will not do.¡±
He breaks out into a sprint. His side comes upward towards me. I jump out of the way as I throw a rock in his face.
¡°Whoa, that was too close!¡±
¡°Seems as if you¡¯ll be quite the annoying one.¡±
¡°Nah, we¡¯re gonna have a fun time, so relax.¡±
Damn, I picked a hell of an opponent to fight. No matter, this is the best way to see how far I have come with my training.
Evacuation site - morning
Like a bullet, Nunnal¨¦ kicks off against the ground. She slides past her enemy, only for him to dodge her opening attack. Despite the setback, she jumps forward. Her target still manages to dodge her attack.
"You''re fast, but not fast enough to catch me off guard," he comments.
"Nunnal¨¦, hold back a bit! Don''t go faster than you need to!"
While her speed is great, she has no control once she shoots forward.
"Understood, I shall commence proper engagement!"
"Come on then, let''s see what you can do with that big sword."
Her enemy charges for her, despite the lack of a weapon. She goes for a slash as the gap closes between them, but he jumps over her to avoid the attack. He uses his feet to kick Nunnal¨¦''s back. He lands on his hands, only to push off the ground and onto his feet. Nunnal¨¦ doesn''t question what happened, she just goes for another attack. Her opponent uses his agility to move out of the attack¡¯s way. Nunnal¨¦ launches another attack, but he continues to dodge her attacks. The enemy evades her next attack by jumping over it, then planting his hands on Nunnal¨¦''s head.
"Ya know, you ain''t exactly all that fun."
He then nimbly descends to the ground, feet first, while grabbing Nunnal¨¦''s dress from behind. He then attempts to throw her. However, she doesn''t budge from her spot.
"What the!?"
"You''re using my center of gravity to throw me to the ground. An interesting form of attack. However¡" She breaks his grip by turning to face him. She delivers an uppercut, knocking him up into the air. "...Techniques like that shall not work on me."
The opponent breaks his fall, landing on his hands and legs like a cat.
"Damn, that was a damn good punch!"
"Master Richard, I am sorry for taking my time, but I wanted to see what the opponent is capable of. Now that I have a grasp of the enemies'' abilities, I shall fight with my utmost ability."
She gets into a fighting stance that''s prepared for her opponent.
"So you were warming up? That kind of pisses me off!"
He runs at her with reckless abandon. Nunnal¨¦ goes for a slash attack, but he once again jumps over her. However, she grabs his leg and slams him to the ground. She then goes for a punch, but Wildcard barely dodges it. He latches onto Nunnal¨¦''s arm.
"Gotcha!"
Despite the enemy''s grasp of her arm, she doesn''t seem vexed. Rather, she simply lifts her arm, as if nothing is weighing it down. She brings her body towards the ground with her arm crashing to it at an alarming rate. Noticing this, Wildcard lets go before her arm makes contact with the ground. Nunnal¨¦''s attack causes the ground beneath it to explode upward. The impact causes Wildcard to be blown off the ground. He¡¯s vulnerable in the air. She kicks off into the air, kicking Wildcard upon contact.
¡°All right!¡±
I can¡¯t help but pump my fist into the air from her successful attack. There¡¯s no way her attacks didn¡¯t leave him worse for wear. However, I can tell she¡¯s holding back a great deal so as to not kill him. He comes crashing to the ground, rolling on his back. She stands in front of him with her blade aimed at his head.
¡°I recommend surrendering. If you do not, then I will be forced to inflict further damage upon you,¡± she threatens with her usual toneless voice.
¡°Heh, you got spin, I¡¯ll give you that, girl. Might need to bust out the big guns.¡±
Wildcard whistles in a peculiar way; it¡¯s not too loud but rather high-pitch. Right after that, a hoard of predator animals come rushing in. They¡¯re charging for the people. Damn it!
¡°Nunnal¨¦, go and defend everyone!¡±
¡°But you¡¯ll be--¡±
¡°Just go!¡±
With a little reluctance, she heads after the animals. This leaves me with Wildcard. I approach him carefully. I spot the goggles on his forehead. He doesn¡¯t seem to be conscious, so I can take them back now. My hand is almost about to touch the side of it. A hand suddenly grabs mine.
¡°Nobody touches my trophies.¡±
My neck is constrained by Wildcard¡¯s legs. He uses them to throw me overhead. I land on my back, a shiver is sent through my body. My torso is hurting, but despite this, I work against the pain to get back up.
¡°How are you still conscious?¡± I ask him to grip the situation.
¡°Girl did bang me up, but I can still move, for the most part. I was waiting for her to drop her guard against me so I could do her in. But you fell for it instead.¡± So he was only playing possum? ¡°None of that matters though, all that matters is that I take that sword from her.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°It¡¯s gonna be my trophy.¡±
¡°Like hell I¡¯ll let that happen!¡±
¡°Ooh, did that make you angry? Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be alive long enough to care.¡±
Northwest pathway - morning
The battle is growing more intense as the skirmish between the anti-bandit army and the Fire Wraiths rages on. My brother and I are fighting side by side. These guys are nothing but fodder that we¡¯ve taken out before. But they must be riding with a Flame Wraith captain since they¡¯re mounting an attack this big.
¡°Brother, we need to search for the Flame Wraith captain!¡±
¡°Why do you suspect there to be one?¡±
¡°There has to be one, for an attack this big, there needs to be.¡±
¡°I see, then we¡¯ll all advance together!¡± Alexander hops onto the top of a nearby vehicle. Everyone,¡± he shouts. ¡°We shall move together. To the last car in the back! Advance!¡±
As ordered, we all move towards the back. The bandits are getting more defensive as we advance. This must be it.
¡°Keep going forward!¡±
The others are holding off the bandits, keeping them from the car. This is our chance, let''s drag the captain out! The last car is longer compared to the other vehicles here; it could probably fit a couple of people in there. There are several doors on the side of the car, with windows accommodating each one. On opposite ends of the car, Alexander and I make it to the last door. With a single nod from him, we open the doors at the same time. I point my spear at the entrance/exit point.
"Come out, or we''re--"
"Shut up, you bastard!"
"Huh?"
Turning my head, someone is running up to me. They''re about to deliver a kick to my chest. I evade it by rolling to the side. The attack breaks in the window.
"Shit, you made me break the damn window, you asshole!"
His physical appearance matches his nasty tongue. He has messy short hair that has short spikes. His clothes are torn up. He''s wearing a black vest that has a design of flames while wearing no shirt.
"I knew you dickheads would come after the back car! See, I told ya they would!"
He points that remark towards the car.
"I see that, however, you shouldn¡¯t speak to people like that, even if they are the enemy.¡±
A well-mannered voice scolds his ally. One of the doors from Alexander¡¯s side opens. Another young man near Proxy¡¯s age comes out. He¡¯s wearing a suit with a tie, his pants match the black of his suit, they¡¯re even neatly cuffed at the bottom. His hair is as short as the other one, but it¡¯s well kept. But that¡¯s not what caught me off guard; they both have the same faces.
¡°What the¡ Two of you at once?¡± Alexander gasps.
¡°Dumbass, don¡¯t you know shit?¡±
¡°Zeal, please do not curse so much. It makes you seem redundant,¡± the neat bandit says, keeping his polite tone.
¡°Oh, sorry, brother,¡± the crude one nervously apologizes.
¡°Brother?¡±
¡°Yes, we are what you would call ¡®twins¡¯.¡±
¡°What is that,¡± I question.
¡°It¡¯s siblings who happen to look the same. Me and my brother do.¡±
¡°I see, what a funny thing,¡± Alexander says.
¡°I concur. I always found it quite odd, yet funny,¡± the polite brother returns the comment with a light laugh.
¡°It must be confusing for people to figure out which of you they are talking to.¡±
¡°Not at all, they usually figure it out the moment one of us talks.¡±
¡°I see, I see. Is that why you wear unique attire as well?¡±
¡°Yes, but I am just a neat person in general.¡±
¡°I see¡¡±
Okay, this is just getting ridiculous.
¡°Brother,¡± Zeal and I simultaneously call for our brothers.
¡°Yes?¡± they both respond.
¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be killing these bastards?¡±
¡°Yeah, we¡¯re enemies of each other, remember?¡±
¡°Ah yes, I almost forgot,¡± Alexander casually says.
¡°Sorry, we were having a nice chat, I got caught up in it.¡±
Both of them merrily laugh despite the current situation. I turn my attention to the enemy standing next to me.
¡°Hey, you want to start this off?¡± I ask him.
¡°Yeah, brother probably won¡¯t until we start fighting.¡±
¡°Mine too.¡±
Without any other words, we immediately go at each other¡¯s throats. He throws a straight punch, but my spear is superior in terms of length. As the tip of my blade is reaching near his neck, he steps forward, tilting his head the other way to avoid it. His right fist zooms in for my head. I manage to use the end of my spear to block the attack. I maneuver the spear around my body to slash the enemy. He jumps back, but it''s too late, the side of the spear slices his chest.
"Damn, ya hit me!"
He kneels to the ground as he clenches his chest. The well-mannered brother runs up to his more temperamental brother.
"Brother, are you okay?" alarmed, he asks him to see if he¡¯s alright.
"Yeah, I''m okay!"
¡°Let me take care of that wound.¡±
He places his hand on his brother¡¯s chest. He removes his hand from his chest after a few seconds. The wound on his chest is gone!
"How are you feeling now?"
"Great, now I can kick their asses!"
"I didn''t heal you so you can curse!"
"O-oh, sorry, bro."
The wound is gone! How did he do that...? Don''t tell me¡he has the same powers as Richard!?
The fight for the south - part 3
Northwest pathway - morning
In front of us, our opponent healed his brother, showing that he has the same powers as Richard.
¡°Marie, did you see that?¡±
¡°I did.¡±
The healed enemy throws a few punches in the air while turning with his torso.
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m feeling good,¡± he exclaims.
¡°I am glad that you are. Please watch yourself, I¡¯d like it if you didn¡¯t get needlessly hurt.¡±
¡°Gotcha! Now, let¡¯s kick some ass!¡± They face us down. ¡°Hey, shit for brains, your damn time is up, so why don¡¯t you just--¡±
I charge at him, using one hand to carry my spear while it¡¯s facing my back. With my dominant foot forward, I swing my spear at my enemy''s sides. It¡¯s too sudden, so they¡¯re gonna be caught by surprise.
¡°Ha!¡±
In an instant, my attack is deflected. No, it has been repelled.
¡°A very close encounter there,¡± the polite brother says.
¡°W-what just happened?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I cannot allow you to harm him.¡±
He steps towards me in a lowered stance. He thrust the palm of his hand against my chest. He pushes me backward, my body rolls on the ground.
¡°Marie!¡± Brother catches me, breaking my roll. ¡°Are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ I should be.¡±
Despite that, I can feel a sore spot on my chest as well as a pounding sensation. But for the most part, I am fine.
¡°How rude of me, attacking before I even introduced myself. Then again, you did the same, so it is only right for us all to introduce ourselves.¡±
He can¡¯t be serious, is this guy even a Flame Wraith¡? Wait.
¡°Which one of you is the Flame Wraith,¡± I demand an answer from them.
¡°That is simple, I am the 8th Flame wraith captain: Zell. It is a pleasure.¡±
¡°I¡¯m the 8th¡¯s brother/subordinate, and I¡¯m gonna kill--¡± He stops mid-sentence as he notices his brother staring at him. His brother¡¯s glare says it all, ¡°don¡¯t say that last part¡±. ¡°Um¡it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you,¡± he grumbles.
I kind of feel bad for the guy. Alexander plants his sword into the ground, his hands on top of the butt of the hilt.
¡°I am Alexander, and I am honored that you wish to share your names with me before battle.¡±
Guess I got no choice then, huh?
¡°I¡¯m Marie,¡± briefly introduced myself.
¡°Rather curt, but I am not bothered by that. Now then, let us fight!¡±
¡°Finally!¡±
They both charge at us. Brother and I ready ourselves for the enemy. The hot-headed one jumps to the air only for his brother to catch him. He throws him at Alexander. He reacts fast enough to dodge the attack. However, the one who hurled the hot-head comes running after Alexander. I swing my spear at him, but he catches it. He swings it and me around with no problem. I grip my spear as tight as I can. He throws me off the waste end. Such strength, is this another one of those Source abilities!? I land on the ground, my footing is a bit unstable on the landing.
¡°Brother!¡±
I hurry towards him, but the brother named Zeal gets in my way.
¡°Not so fast, woman!¡±
¡°Get out of my way!¡±
¡°Screw you, you gotta kill me if you want to touch my brother!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t tempt me.¡±
He pulls out two short swords as he steps forward. He breaks into a dash, I go for a stab. He blocks it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m done. I repeat my thrust several more times. He continuously blocks the attacks. I¡¯m surprised that he¡¯s able to block my thrust like this, but he¡¯s stuck blocking. With a lance or a spear, you want to keep your enemies at bay. Keeping up this consistent motion of stabs gives me the advantage in distance. If he loses concentration and misses a block, then he¡¯ll get hit. However, this is only if I can keep this going.
¡°Stop...this...shit!¡±
He deflects my last stab above his head. He makes a mad dash toward me. He steps about 2 meters in front of me. I take a firm grip of my spear and twirl it around my body, making my opponent back off.
"The shit," he curses.
"What, thought you had the advantage because you got close? Hate to break it to you¡" I take a slightly crouched posture, both my hands are on my spear as the blade is pointing to the ground. "...But I''m much better than you think."
"Tch, whatever!"
He charges in recklessly. His blade comes closer to my head. I deflect it with ease and go for a counter. He blocks the attack but I press on. He attempts to pressure me into defense, but it''s not going his way since I''m putting as much pressure on him as he is. My spear''s handle is made out of metal. This takes away any advantage that comes with being able to bend a handle, but this does change how I can swing it. Plus, I don''t need to worry about bending it too much before it breaks while I spin it around, and it''s good for blocking swords. So, it being a strictly straight weapon is exactly what suits me.
"Bastard, how are you doing this shit!"
I spin my spear at him, slashing upward at three different angles; straight and diagonal from left and right. He backs as he uses his weapons to block the attacks.
"Close range is usually a spearman''s weakness. So my teacher taught me to get over that weakness."
"Think you''re the hot shit!?"
I take on the same crouched posture.
"I don''t know, maybe I am. Care to find out?"
¡
My saber finds its mark against the enemy, but it''s blocked by their bare hand. I don''t gasp in awe, instead; I go for another attack. He''s quick to block my attacks, even with my advanced techniques. Still, I can tell he''s doing his best to keep up with me. Overall, this is a battle that isn''t going to be won by luck, but by skill and the perception to find a weakness in my opponent''s defense.
"Your swordplay is splendid," my opponent compliments me.
"Thank you, but I am impressed by your blocking skills. How are you doing that?"
"Ah, I cannot blame you for being surprised that I am able to do this. I was only able to do this for about 4 years now. As for how? Sorry, I shall not reveal that."
"I see, then let us continue!"
My sword aims at his neck. He blocks it only for me to turn my whole body to the other side of his neck. His hands aren¡¯t able to block my sword in time this time. My attack, however, did nothing to him.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
¡°An excellent strike, but futile.¡±
I immediately jump back. Not only is his hands hard, but so is his neck. Is he truly invincible? No, I shall not believe that. There must be a way to hurt him. But how do I find such a weakness in his defense¡
¡°Maybe If I¡?¡±
I pick up two rocks without having him see me pick up the second one. I throw the first stone at him. It bounces off him without him, as expected. I go in for another strike with my sword. He blocks the attack with his hands as he leads it past him, pulling me along. Now! I throw the second rock in my hand towards his head.
"Gah!"
It hurt him! But why, that''s what I need to figure out? Hm, so far, he''s guarded with his hands and neck. Speaking of hands, why does he guard with them? If he is indeed invincible, then he doesn''t need to block my sword at all. Of course, my sword did no damage to his neck; it was as hard as his hands. However, his head still retains the scratch mark from the rock. So perhaps he is not invincible, but can turn parts of his body impenetrable?
"That was foul play, Alexander," Zell calls my improper attack.
"I am truly sorry for such a dirty trick."
¡°Sorry, I just wish to at least hit you once, even if it was foul.¡±
Now that I discovered his secret, I need to test its legitimacy. I charge at him with my sword in front. He grabs it with his hands. As expected of him. I kick his knee, he grits his teeth as the sudden attack bends in his leg. He withdraws from our engagement, but I pursue him. I bring my sword toward his side. He puts up his guard, however, in vain. I kick his gut as it''s open for an attack. He releases air from his lungs as he clutches his gut. That''s it, I was indeed correct, he can only make parts of himself invulnerable!
"My, it appears you figured out my secret, I assume?"
"Indeed!"
"Then I suppose fighting you is going to take all of my skills!"
He takes up a rather odd pose. He lowers his torso''s elevation and spreads his legs away from one another. Putting his left fist out and reeling his right arm behind his side.
"I hope you are prepared because I am no longer holding back.¡±
Evacuation area - morning
The hairs on my arm are standing as I face down my opponent. He is simply stretching his arms and legs, preparing for our fight.
"So, you wanna fight me? Are you sure?"
¡°O-of course!¡±
¡°Sure about that?¡±
¡°I am!¡±
¡°Okay, then¡¡±
A moment, a singular moment passes as he kicks off the ground and out of my field of vision. He¡¯s coming from the side! His movements are too swift to follow with my eye. I move back, only for him to close the distance. He throws a punch but stops an inch short of my face. He snorts, a laugh following after.
¡°W-what the?¡±
¡°I ain¡¯t gonna fight you, get serious,¡± he retorts as he cackles. ¡°I¡¯m gonna go fight that girl, so you can sit around.¡±
No, she can¡¯t be distracted from saving the others! I use a portion of my Source to strengthen my leg. I shoot towards my opponent by kicking against the ground with that one leg. Wildcard turns to see me darting at him. My body hits him, launching him forward. Our bodies roll on the ground. I¡¯m getting a bit dizzy and nauseous, but I can¡¯t give in to that. I break my roll with my hands and feet. Looking at him, he seems to have done the same. I can feel his eyes staring me down. He slowly raises himself from the floor.
"Okay, if you really wanna fight, then you got it!"
He gets down on all fours. His stance resembles that of a leopard or a cheetah. With a strong kick, he speeds off! His speed is incredible, I can''t see him coming at me! Damnit, this is no time to be amazed, I need to move! I enhance my leg again. I put some distance between us. I barely jumped in time to get away from him. Despite that, he changes course and comes after me. You serious, this guy is swift! He can''t catch up with me since I''m strengthening my leg, but I''m not running away. I''m going to ram him again. Stopping my current course, I use my enhanced leg. Right, now it''s time. I use all the strength in my leg and I launch myself at him.
"Gotcha!"
He jumps over me before I can make contact. I jerk my head behind me. A punch makes contact with my cheek, flaring up not only pain, confusion as well. How did he know I was gonna do that; did he predict me doing it? Damnit, this is bad! If he did, then I need to stop doing that tactic.
"One punch and you fold like a child!"
I get up, wiping the dust off me.
"I''m not out yet!"
I say that, but I have no idea how long I''m gonna be able to last. As long as I can get those goggles back and wait for Nunnal¨¦ to return, that''ll be fine by me.
"Come on, let''s get the show on the road!"
He¡¯s going on the offense again. I''m not going to run, I need to confront him! He jumps, spinning his body in the air to build momentum for a kick. It smashes against my gut. With that one kick, I feel as if I''m going to puke everything out. My knees are about to buckle from the pain. No, do not let yourself fall! Instead, I charge off against him. I need to get those goggles, whatever it takes! I swing my hand against his forehead, making it seem as if I''m going to punch him. If he figures out that I''m trying to take it, it''ll make it even harder to get them back.
"Man, you fight like an idiot!" He grabs my arm and punches my face. "...You swing around like you don''t know how to use your arms." I swing again but I whiff. "Your attacks are also predictable!" He deflects my attack and hits me in the ribs. He hits my chin with his knee. My brain rattles in my skull from that last attack. "Most of all, you''re just so damn pathetic!" He punches me square at the head, cocking it back. I hit the ground as I clench my nose. ¡°This was a waste of my time. I¡¯m going after that chick. You can stay here.¡±
Damnit, I¡¯m too slow to enhance the body parts that need to be protected and I can only do one body part since I¡¯m still picking this stuff up. Of course, I can just enhance all of my body easily if I don¡¯t concentrate into a single area, but it¡¯ll possibly lightning the damage, not full-on negating it since all that Source isn¡¯t concentrated into one or two body parts. So, this leaves me with only one option¡
¡°Hey, we¡¯re not done yet,¡± I yell at him. ¡°Unless you can¡¯t put down someone weaker than you? How pathetic.¡±
He turns his body around, facing me once more. His eyebrow is raised, as he has a hint of annoyance on his face.
¡°The shit you say!?¡± He venomously asks me to repeat myself.
Judging from what I¡¯m reading from his words, he¡¯s pissed. Good.
¡°I said you must be pathetic as to not be able to finish off an opponent that¡¯s weaker than you.¡±
¡°Watch that damn mouth of yours, unless you wanna really die!¡±
¡°Then come and kill me, if you can, that is!¡±
With a spine-shivering scream, he charges at me. Okay, this is it, I need to predict where he¡¯ll hit me. Think, what¡¯s the best way to kill someone in one hit¡?
¡°That¡¯s it!¡±
The realization dawns on me. I found my answer! My opponent is 7 seconds from hitting me. I dash towards him to go through with my plan of attack. His fist zeros in at my head. His fist makes an impact with it, coiling my head back. My feet don¡¯t leave the ground even when I¡¯m pushed back.
¡°Gaaah!¡± Wildcard cries out in excruciating pain. He clenches the hand he used to punch me with. ¡°What...what...did you do? How did you break my hand!?¡±
I was right, I knew he was gonna go for a headshot, so at the last second, I used everything I had to enhance my head. With that call, I broke his hand without even trying. Not only that, but¡
¡°Look at this.¡±
In my hand, is Proxy¡¯s goggles. He pats his forehead to see if I¡¯m messing with him.
¡°Give those back,¡± he demands, his tone filled with anger mixed with pain.
¡°No, they don¡¯t belong to you. They belong to my friend!¡±
¡°Wait¡ You know the guy those belong to.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°What, couldn¡¯t get them himself?¡±
¡°Of course he could, but you happen to run into me. But don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll fight him again soon.¡±
¡°Oh yeah, then I guess I¡¯ll give him more motivation to come at me, after I kill you!¡±
With a broken arm, he makes a mad dash toward me. Right as I raise my defense, something comes between the two of us. Nunnal¨¦ is the one who lands between us. She heads off against the enemy with her sword. He jumps over it with an athletic leap. Landing on his feet, he runs past me. He whistles as loudly as possible. An animal appears from out of nowhere. He gets on it.
¡°From this point on, I see you both as my prey! Tell your friend this as well. I¡¯ll be coming for him, and all of you!¡±
He rides off, gaining distance.
¡°Master Richard, shall I?¡±
¡°No, let him go. He has a broken hand, he¡¯s not going to be useful to anyone with that.¡±
¡°Broken arm? Did you inflict damage onto the enemy?¡±
¡°Yeah, surprisingly enough.¡±
¡°Fascinating, I expected nothing less from my master.¡±
She says that, but she¡¯s failing to hide her shock. Never mind that, I need to confirm if she took down the wild animals.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, how is everyone in the cave?¡±
¡°They are safe, I eliminated the wild animals.¡±
¡°Excellent, let¡¯s go back into the cave, just in case.¡±
¡°Yes, let us go. But before we go, I¡¯d like for you to heal yourself.¡±
¡°Huh, right, I almost forgot.¡±
I place a hand on my face. The healing process begins. Switching between healing and enhancing is not too different; one enhances healing abilities and the other just enhances physical capabilities. Thinking of it like that makes it easier to switch between the two since this gives my Source the command to either heal or enhance.
¡°Done.¡±
The pain my face was going through is gone, as if it never happened.
¡°Excellent, let us be on our way.¡± Nunnal¨¦ scans the areas with her eyes. ¡°Proxy is not back?¡±
¡°I know, I¡¯m a bit worried.¡±
¡°Shall we go search for him?¡±
While I would like to, we have to consider the possibility of Wildcard bringing back up. If that happens, then everyone here will be in danger.
¡°No, we have to protect everyone here, that¡¯s what Proxy left for us to do, so we have to trust he¡¯s fine.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ closes her eyes, opening them a moment later after what seemed like a consultation to herself.
¡°Very well, I will trust your judgment. Let us stand guard out here then.¡±
¡°Right, I¡¯ll do my best to aid you when you need it.¡±
We take our positions at the cave entrance. I take out Proxy¡¯s goggles from my pocket. I can¡¯t believe I got them back. Now I can finally repay him for saving me back then... I just hope he¡¯s okay.
The fight for the south - part 4
My blade blocks the incoming attack as I retreat for the umpteenth time. His long sword is working to his advantage by keeping me far while striking from afar. This is totally unfair, it¡¯s like fighting a character from a fighting game that can hit you from the other side of the screen with a neutral slash attack. Speaking of, this is comparable to playing footsies; he¡¯s engaging me while keeping to a distance and not letting me get too far while I don¡¯t go too far nor too close. If only I could use a projectile like gunflame. Gah, enough of that, I need to get out of this situation, and quickly, but how?
¡°Going in for an attack is a no-go,¡± I whisper to myself.
¡°You should just surrender, it¡¯s pointless to keep fighting me.¡±
¡°Oh, shut it!¡±
Think, there has to be a way to catch him off guard. What if I go into the forest? No, he might have thought of me doing that already. Besides, he might not follow. Damn, the only thing I could do is knock his weapon out of his hand, but that might be a challenge.
¡°I grow tired of waiting for you!¡±
He comes towards me. I back away from him only to have a tree block me off. He goes for a horizontal slash. I drop to the ground to avoid it. The sword strikes the tree, but it doesn¡¯t cut through it. However, it makes a good dent in it.
¡°Hm, seems you dodged.¡±
I barely did. He would¡¯ve hit me if it weren¡¯t for this tree¡
¡°Hm?¡±
Taking a good look at this tree, he made a good dent in it. Damn, that¡¯s a good swing, It takes all I got just to put a dent like that into the training dummy... Hang on, if he were to hit the other side, then he¡¯d probably make a good dent there as well. It¡¯ll be enough to tip it downward¡ On my opponent!
¡°That¡¯s it!¡±
I roll away from my opponent, jumping up to my feet.
¡°Oh my, you seem quite jumpy for someone in an unfavorable situation.¡±
¡°Bzzzt, wrong! I got this in the bag.¡±
¡°Is that so?¡± He straightens himself, putting his sword forward. ¡°...Then meet me in battle!¡±
¡°Actually¡ Why don¡¯t you come to me?¡±
With my plan in mind, I¡¯m going to make my move.
¡°Pardon?¡±
¡°Deft? I said you can bring your ass over to me.¡±
He isn¡¯t responding to my invitation. He stands there with a dumbstruck face. I need to reel him in further. I take a seat on the ground.
¡°What are you doing?¡± he demands an answer, growing slightly angry.
¡°What else, taking a quick sit down. Such a good day, nice sky, good breeze. Why not take a seat as well?¡±
His face contorts into an annoyed expression. Good, now I know I can annoy him. That¡¯s gonna be my key weapon. If your opponent lets words bother them, then you have the best weapon, no matter who you fight; when someone¡¯s angry, they¡¯re bound to make mistakes, and it just so happens, I¡¯m good at pissing people off.
¡°We are in the middle of a battle! How can you just sit on the floor!?¡±
¡°Like I said, it¡¯s a good day today. Besides, I¡¯m getting bored.¡±
¡°Is this a game to you?¡±
A mind game, yes. Looks like it¡¯s working so far. I just need to push him past the boiling point.
¡°Come on, you take fighting way too seriously. For me, it¡¯s just a pastime. Honestly, it¡¯s laughable how people take it so seriously, you know what I mean?¡±
His hand is quivering with rage. Great, looks like I got him right where I want him.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°You dare insult this fight, how disrespectful. I shall feel no remorse for slaying you now!¡±
I get up from the ground. I¡¯m ready to move on a moment¡¯s notice.
¡°You gotta chill out. It ain¡¯t that bad of a thing.¡±
He comes running at me with his sword at his side. Okay, let¡¯s get this started. His sword comes at me from the side. I dodge by going in the opposite direction. Seeing my chance, I move away from the swordsman. He chases me to the tree that I want to cut down. I stop a few steps short of the tree, this should be good enough for him to hit it!
¡°Come on, fight me before I just go back and take a seat.¡±
¡°You will not even have time to sit down! I shall use my secret arts to cut you down!¡±
He puts his sword to his side again, there¡¯s a dangerous feeling coming from him now. He said secret art, so he¡¯s gonna bust out a killer move. If that¡¯s the case, then I need to pay attention! As the seconds'' pass, my body freezes more and more into place. The anticipation is killing me. With little motion, he swings his sword at me. Despite the length of the sword, he swings it faster than a normal person can see. My instincts, realizing this fact, kick in. He swings it to my neck. I duck my head as fast as humanly possible. He then goes for my legs. I jump to dodge it, but now his sword is going for my chest while I¡¯m still off the ground. I quickly grab a tree branch above me and pull myself even higher.
¡°How did you¡ You dodged all my attacks!?¡±
Crazy, but my instincts told me what you were going to do, even when I couldn¡¯t see it clearly, and my body knew exactly how to evade them. It still amazes me I can do that, but it¡¯s pretty damn useful. Speaking of his attacks, they took a good chunk out of the tree, enough to push it down. His sword is lodged in it. This is perfect, now¡¯s the time! I move behind. I jump against a tree perpendicular to it and I use all of my body to knock down the tree. I can hear it coming down as it separates from its base.
¡°What the!?¡±
He¡¯s crushed by the tree¡¯s mass before he even had the time to dodge. Damn, that went off well. Even I¡¯m impressed. I approach him, he seems to be alright. The tree has him trapped. His sword is poking through the tree where his chest is.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll help you out of there after I dispose of this cannon. Now, how will I?¡± The barrel looks big enough to fit a tree. Maybe I can put one in there? Hm, I''m gonna need something to cut it with. My eyes roll over to the enemy¡¯s sword. Oh yeah, I can make this work.
¡
With a final push, I place the tree log inside of the barrel. I had cut the bottom and the top of it to make it easier to drag it and put it inside of the barrel.
¡°Let¡¯s do this, but maybe I should get this thing pointing elsewhere, just in case.¡±
There is a wheel next to a lever on the side of the cannon. Maybe I should turn the wheel rather than the lever first.
¡°Hopefully, this isn¡¯t the firing mechanism.¡±
I twist the wheel on the barrel. It moves upward. Okay, so this is to turn it up or down. Now, let¡¯s see if we can turn this thing sideways. Bingo, there¡¯s another wheel that¡¯s facing upward instead of being on the barrel. I turn it; it pivots to the right. Good, now I can blow this thing up. Hopefully, this doesn¡¯t kill me. I pull the lever, the cannon fires. My ears ring from the cannon firing. My ears suffer from the blast. I can¡¯t hear anything except a ringing sound in my ear.
¡°OKAY, THIS HURT!¡±
As I pop my eardrums to reduce the effect of the ringing, though, I can¡¯t say it¡¯s the best method. My head is killing me while this is all happening. Shit, I hope I¡¯m not deft¡
¡°HA!¡± I yell, to test my hearing. I can hear my loud yelling. ¡°Good, my hearing is coming back, that¡¯s a sign of relief.¡± If I had gone deft, I¡¯m not sure how I would take it. The cannon is totaled. Nobody is going to be using that thing any time soon. Now that¡¯s settled, time for me to hit the road, but before I do. I put the swordsman''s sword under my shoe. I raise my foot as high as I can. I take a deep breath, calming my mind and preparing my body for what I¡¯m about to do. Okay, let¡¯s do this. ¡°Here goes!¡±
My foot goes down towards the side of the sword. My foot breaks the sword in half. The blade clatters to the ground as the grass wraps it in its embrace. Good, now he won¡¯t have a weapon to come at us with. It¡¯s time for me to regroup with Richard and Nunnal¨¦. Oh right, I almost forgot to get him out of there. I poke him to wake him up...
¡°You¡¡± The swordsman is awake. His voice is much more subdued than it was before.
¡°Listen, I¡¯m gonna lift this thing, so move out when you can."
I lift the tree by the head. He moves out by crawling. I let go of the tree; it hits the ground, causing a little quake in the ground.
¡°...How could¡I lose...to you?¡± he begs the question.
¡°Easy, I saw a way to win, and I took it.¡±
¡°You...disrespected...our...fight!¡±
¡°Listen, I just wanted to taunt you. Anything I said wasn¡¯t serious.¡±
¡°So...I feel for...a trap?¡±
¡°Sorry, but yeah.¡±
¡°I see¡¡± He lets out a dry chuckle. ¡°...I am glad.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because you...took our battle...seriously.¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been getting into the habit of that lately. Don¡¯t worry, I took it seriously. By the way, your fighting style was cool.¡± I walk over to my bike, jumping on it from behind. ¡°If we ever meet, let¡¯s fight again. Though, I can¡¯t say that you¡¯ll win, but who knows, maybe you could.¡±
¡°Heh, I¡¯ll take you up on such a thing. But next time, you shall be the one on the ground.¡±
¡°Oh yeah? Well, we¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± I turn on the engine to my bike. ¡°Take care.¡±
I drive into the forest. I¡¯ll have to climb down through it to get back to the others. I want to go to the battlefield right away, but I need to make sure the others are okay first.
The fight for the south - part 5
My sword whizzes past the enemy¡¯s head. His fist soars towards my head. I roll to the side to avoid the strike. We trade consecutive blows that do not land against the other. His fists shoot at me as if they are arrows from a crossbow. If my eyes betray me, then he will surely land a hit against me. To prevent this from happening, I need to end the battle in one strike, since he is capable of healing himself. It needs to be an attack that immobilizes him for a temporary amount of time. I disengage to come up with such a plan.
¡°Why would you want to go up against the Fire Wraiths?¡± my opponent asks.
¡°Why such a question in the heat of battle?¡±
¡°Curiosity. I wish to understand what my opponent strives for. So, are you willing to tell me?¡±
He is indeed an oddity amongst the bandits. He¡¯s taking the time to ask me what I wish to accomplish, not to laugh or poke fun, but to see where my heart is.
¡°Very well. I wish to fight them because they have caused much pain and suffering to others outside the kingdom, so I wish to end it.¡±
¡°Ah, that is quite fitting for you. However, I don¡¯t feel as if that is all there is to it. What other reason are you hiding? Unless you cannot say?¡±
¡°No, it is not that. It¡¯s just a truly selfish motivation.¡±
¡°I see, but if I may be so bold, were you the one to start this fight against the bandits?¡±
¡°Yes, it was me.¡±
¡°Then by default, that means you are having people fight for your selfish desire. I suggest for you to stop acting as if you are a pure-hearted man without any selfishness.¡± His face is still giving a kind, warm, gentle expression, but his words are sharper than a sword and filled with a hint of anger. Perhaps he is right? I did impose my idea on others. And even when I gave them a choice, I still have them risking their lives for this. ¡°...Don¡¯t mistake me, I do not despise you for being selfish, but that you believe that you are not already selfish for having others fight the bandits with you.¡±
His argument is sound, no rebuttal comes to mind. However¡
¡°Yes, I suppose I am being conceded. My intentions are still to help those outside the kingdom with the bandits, that is not a lie. It is true, I convinced them to fight for my selfish goal, and I shall apologize to them after this.¡±
¡°Then what is your goal, if I may ask again?¡±
¡°That is¡ To destroy the bandits, for making my sister cry!¡±
Ever since she opened up to me during my time as a prisoner for the bandits, I learned she was forced to join them. She told me about the various atrocities that she had committed. She cried on and on as she talked about the people she killed. That day gave me a new goal to work towards, and that is to eliminate the bandits! So despite dragging others into my affairs, I cannot back down, nor will I turn back now. And if everyone else hates me for it, then I shall accept it.
¡°Such a strong reason¡ Yet, not as selfish as I thought.¡±
¡°What did you expect?¡±
¡°To be truthful, I do not know. I just wish to see what it was that you are fighting for. But you desire to destroy us not for yourself, but for your siblings. While it is still selfish, it is a noble reason to fight.¡±
¡°No need to say such a thing. I am aware that what I am doing is selfish, but I must accomplish this goal, even if it¡¯s not noble!¡±
My opponent laughs. He is trying to keep it subdued, but he is failing to do so.
¡°I am sorry, truly I am¡ It¡¯s just, you surprised me. I thought you would crumble at the thought of you not being the perfect, nobleman.¡±
¡°Nobody is perfect, every man and woman has flaws. I am no exception, and neither are you.¡±
There was never a point in my life where I thought I was the perfect person. Rather, I am aware of my flaws and faults, but those only make me fight harder.
¡°Very true. I am glad to see that I am fighting someone with a grip on reality. It is a shame we have to fight at all.¡±
That comment brings to light a question that surfaced in the back of my head.
¡°If I may ask something of you, why do you fight for the bandits? A man such as yourself is not fit for such a group.¡±
My opponent drops his guard after I pose my question. Did I say something wrong?
¡°Hmm¡ Answer me, why do you think anyone joins the bandits?¡±
¡°Well, there are several reasons, are there not?¡±
¡°Yes, there are a plethora of reasons to be a bandit; power, wealth, infamy, and nobody to control you. But those are not the main reasons for most. Fear and desperation, it is those reasons that make people join the bandits.¡±
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Fear and desperation?¡±
¡°Think about it, some join them because they don¡¯t wish to die by them, or have nowhere to go.¡±
¡°And you would happen to fall into this category?¡±
He looks away from me. I seem to have hit a sensitive topic for him.
¡°Yes,¡± he says. He brings his gaze back onto me. His expression is sterner than it was before. ¡°...My brother and I are orphans of the war. With no one to rely on, I fended for us for as long as I could in the northern region. Up there, no land can be used to farm food, so there were days we¡¯d go hungry. With this desperation, I decided to join the bandits, to protect him.¡± I cannot share any words with him, for I have none that would be adequate to sympathize with him. ¡°...Ah, but I think we have gone on long enough. This is a fight, after all, so we must continue this battle.¡±
¡°Yes, I concur. But allow me to ask you this: if you had a choice, would you rather be somewhere else or be a part of the bandits?¡¯
¡°Such a brusque question. I shall only answer if you are victorious in this battle.¡±
¡°Very well, I shall accept your proposal!¡±
I raise my sword, putting it in front of me. I shall strike him with one attack that will render him unconscious. We both make our move. His fists fly past my head and hit my sword as I block them. I can¡¯t attack carelessly or I¡¯ll suffer the consequences for it. However, blocking too much will prove to be my downfall if he breaks through the blade. This requires me to attack when it is necessary. The question is when should I? His strikes are getting faster and faster, the gap in our speed is beginning to widen. If I do not bring him down now, I¡¯ll die. It is now or never! I bring my sword down toward his head.
¡°An opening!¡±
Zell blows the attack out of the way. This leaves me open to being striked. His fist closes in on me, it will surely crush my head if it makes contact. This is a seemingly unfavorable position to be in, however, this is what I wanted. I tilt my head, the fist barely flies past my head. Now is my chance! I move my fist, it¡¯s going for his head. He immediately puts up his defense. My attack is no longer going to go through, however, that doesn¡¯t matter. My second fist hits him in the gut. The air in him leaves his body as he drops his guard. This moment is my only chance to knock him out. I put my dominant foot in front and all the weight of my body into my fist. There¡¯s a power behind it that makes it feel heavier than usual. This must be the rush of a life or death situation. Nonetheless, the second punch goes towards his gut again. His body hasn¡¯t hardened, so that means he was not able to react to my attack. Which means this fight is concluded. I push him back to the ground.
¡°Brother!¡±
The other brother turns his back to Marie; a fatal mistake. She lunges at him with the point of her spear. It slices open the flesh on the side of his torso. The crimson liquid comes gushing out as he falls to the ground.
¡°Zeal,¡± Zell yells, he shambles over to his brother, who is on the ground, bleeding.
Marie points her spear at the nape of his neck.
¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± she orders. He stops dead in his tracks. His hands'' quiver as his brother¡¯s life is being threatened. ¡°Surrender the fight. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll kill him.¡±
The side of her spear touches his neck.
¡°Wait, do not kill him! He is not the one who deserves to die, it is I who should perish.¡± He puts his head to the ground. ¡°...I am the Flame Wraith captain, he is just a subordinate, please spare him in exchange for my life.¡±
¡°No, damnit, leave my brother alone¡ Kill me instead!¡±
Zeal, despite the injury, attempts to get up. Marie still has her spear at his neck.
¡°No, Zeal, I won¡¯t let them kill you!¡±
¡°And neither you! I¡¯d rather die than see you die!¡±
The two of them are at an impasse. The display leaves me speechless. Not because I am shocked, but because I can see myself in Zell. Despite us being enemies, I cannot deny the truth: he is a good person!
¡°Marie, stay your--¡±
She moves her weapon away from Zeal¡¯s neck, even though I have yet to finish my sentence.
¡°Why are you¡ Are you pitying me?¡± Zeal yells at her, his anger seeping into his words. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna kill me, then kill me, you piece of shit! But leave my brother alone!¡± Marie scratches the back of her head, letting out a sigh. She hits the downed opponent¡¯s head with the back of her spear. ¡°Ow, what the shit is wrong with you!?¡±
¡°Nothing, I hit you because you said something thoughtless. And you¡¡±
She hits the other brother with the butt of her spear.
¡°Ow!¡±
¡°That¡¯s for being just as stupid.¡±
¡°Wha¡¡±
The brothers stare at her with confused looks and raised eyebrows.
¡°If you don¡¯t want your brother, then you shouldn¡¯t have brought him with you here to fight.¡±
¡°Screw you, I came because I--¡±
Marie hits him with the butt of her spear again.
¡°Shut it! Furthermore, you two act like dying for one another is easy. Have you ever thought how the other would feel if one of you died?¡± The brothers let out a simultaneous gasp. ¡°See? I get you want to keep each other safe, but if one of you dies, then the other is by himself. Wouldn¡¯t that be painful enough? So instead of continuing this, why don¡¯t you just surrender? That way, nobody has to die.¡±
She knows exactly what to say compared to me. Her blunt approach to matters is perfect for moments like this. Zell¡¯s head rises from the ground, looking at Marie, who has her spear resting on her shoulder. His face is not that of a man ready to fight, but that of a man who has seen the light.
¡°Zeal, I owe you an apology. I must seem pathetic?¡± he asks his brother.
¡°Shut up, you¡¯re not pathetic, I am! I couldn¡¯t defeat this chick!¡±
¡°No, you are not. We underestimated our enemies. Take no shame in this defeat.¡± Zell stands up, dusting himself off. ¡°Marie, is it?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Thank you for your mercy, and you too, Alexander. I truly am in your debt.¡± He slowly rises from the ground and walks towards the car he arrived in. He jumps on top of it, looking at his men. ¡°All soldiers, hear me! Retreat, return to home base! We have lost this day! Take whoever is not dead and run away!¡±
By his order, his men run from the battle into their vehicles. They are driving away from the battlefield. Some are still out battling but the odds do not favor them. I walk up to the car Zell is standing on top of.
¡°This truly a humiliating defeat,¡± he says. He turns his attention to me. His expression is that of peace. ¡°As a Flame Wraith captain, I hereby surrender this fight.¡±
A sudden urge in me rises from my gut. This urge builds until I cannot control it. I take in an extensive amount of air, and I scream, ¡°Victory!¡± My scream echoes through the air, everyone¡¯s cries follow mine into the winds. We did it, father, our first big victory!
The fight for the south - part 6
Anti-bandit army camp - afternoon
The mood of the camp is animated as everyone parties the afternoon away. Seeing how we won today¡¯s battle, I can¡¯t blame them. I¡¯m sitting with Nunnal¨¦, who is watching everyone else dance and having fun.
¡°Master Richard, everyone seems to be in an elated state.¡±
¡°Yeah, we won a big fight after all, so it makes sense.¡±
¡°It would seem so, but I am only glad you are unharmed.¡±
¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m glad we won without too many casualties.¡± Nunnal¨¦ resumes reading her book on flowers. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re almost done with this book?¡±
¡°Yes, it is not lengthy, so it was rather easy to get through it. However, I find myself going back to previous pages.¡±
¡°You really enjoy flowers, huh?¡±
¡°It does raise a feeling of calmness for me.¡±
¡°I see, so that¡¯s what stimulates you. In that case, I¡¯ll go to the bookstore in the Kingdom and buy you a new book.¡±
¡°I do not wish for you to waste your money on me.¡±
¡°Come on, it wouldn¡¯t be a waste if you enjoy the book I get you, so relax. And besides, are you saying you wouldn¡¯t enjoy sweets?¡±
¡°Yes, I see the contradiction in my statement¡ Very well, I would like to be given another book of flowers, if it is not too much to ask of you, my master?¡±
The expression on her face doesn¡¯t change from her usual stoic look. However, her voice is lighter than it usually is. I think she¡¯s embarrassed about asking me. She¡¯s probably unaware of it, but it¡¯s kind of funny, for some reason.
¡°What is funny?¡± she asks me, her eyebrow raised.
¡°Nothing, nothing at all,¡± I mumble as I push up my glasses.
¡°Master, you are displaying strange behavior.¡±
¡°As I said, it¡¯s nothing¡¡± I look at my hands. They are much callous than they used to be. ¡°Nunnal¨¦, I know I haven¡¯t made things easy for you, and you haven¡¯t made things easy for me as well.¡±
¡°No, you do not apologize, I must apologize for the disrespect I showed you before.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay. Actually, I want us to move on from that.¡±
¡°Move on?¡±
¡°Yeah, we had our ups and downs, and we might not always be thinking the same thoughts, but in the end, we¡¯re in this together. So let¡¯s move on from the mistakes we made in the past. Of course, I don¡¯t mean forgetting them, but not constantly apologizing for them. Let¡¯s do better, together!¡±
Nunnal¨¦ silently nods her head.
¡°Then I shall act as your sword and shield, as I already have. I shall not allow anyone to impede you.¡±
¡°I¡¯m counting on you, but just know you can count on me as well.¡±
Proxy comes into the camp. I can finally give them back to him.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, I¡¯m going to go see Proxy.¡±
¡°May I accompany you?¡±
¡°If you¡¯d like to.¡±
We get up and make our way to Proxy. He spots us and waves at us.
¡°Hey, Richard, how ya doing?¡±
¡°Alright, you?¡±
¡°Just got done helping transport the leftover cars.¡±
¡°Are they going to dismantle them?¡±
¡°Elizabeth is mulling it over, so who knows. But forget that. What happened with the evacuees?¡±
¡°They¡¯re all okay, but we got attacked by a Flame Wraith captain.¡±
Proxy¡¯s expression shifts to shock.
¡°Really? Shit, I fought one too.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yeah, but I didn¡¯t think there would be another. What happened?¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦ and I drove him away.¡±
¡°Sweet. guess Nunnal¨¦ did most of the ass-kicking?¡±
¡°I did indeed do a significant amount of damage, but master Richard was the one to deal a significant blow. Master broke his arm, doing enough damage to drive him off.¡±
¡°Wait, what!?¡± Proxy¡¯s jaw is gaping open, his face dumbstruck at the revelation. He looks as if he¡¯s frozen in place. ¡°You...broke a guy''s arm? You?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± I slowly answered.
He slumps his body, he¡¯s vibrating, for some reason.
¡°Dude¡¡± His body exploded towards me. He slings his arms around my shoulder. ¡°You are the shit! You finally broke a dude¡¯s arm, and a Flame Wraith captain! That¡¯s my buddy!¡±
"Heh, it was nothing. I kind of had no choice but to."
"And you did! How did it feel?"
"I was shocked that it worked, and scared of what would happen next, yet, I felt excited."
"I know how that feels. Wish I could''ve been there to see it. I almost feel sorry for the poor sap. So who was he?"
"Right¡about that."
I take out the goggles from my pocket. His eyes widened seeing them in my hand.
"Those are¡ So you fought that guy that poisoned you?"
"Yeah, I saw your goggles. I knew I had to get them back for you. Here."
He picks up the goggles from my hand. He just holds it in his hands, not moving an inch.
"I wanted to get these back myself."
"I know, but I wanted to pay you back for saving me. Getting them back was the only way. I''m sorry I ruined it for you."
"I¡" He pauses, still looking at his goggles. He grips the goggles in his hands. "...Nah, don''t worry about it, Richard. We both owe that son of a bitch one. I''m not mad at you for getting my goggles back, I''m glad. Because now, you showed him who''s boss. Now I''ll¡" He puts his goggles over his eyes. "I''ll be the one to kick his ass with these goggles on!" He puts his hand forward. "Thanks for getting these back for me. You really are the best partner a guy could ask for!"
A spark of joy ignites inside me. I''m glad that he feels this way because I feel just the same as he does. Despite everything so far, we still have the other¡¯s back, and that will never change.
"Yeah, you know I got you back, partner!"
We perform a hi-five. My hand is a bit numb, but it doesn¡¯t matter.
"When we get out on the road, we''re gonna have to kick a lot of asses, so let''s show these bandits what a couple of Jersey boys got!"
"Yeah, I''ll do my best!"
Proxy turns his attention to Nunnal¨¦.
"Nunnal¨¦, what about you? Got anything to say?"
"I will protect my master."
"We know that, but something cooler. Something to get us hyped!"
She puts a hand to her chin, pondering what to respond with.
"How about¡ I shall show them the power of a doll?" She triumphantly declares.
She''s taking this pretty seriously, which is a good thing!
"That''s what I''m talking about. Yeah, we can do this!"
Proxy puts his arms around us, pulling us closer towards him.
¡°You are invading Me and my master''s personal space.¡±
¡°Sorry, sorry.¡±
¡°Seriously, you need to learn restraint, Proxy.¡±
¡°I said I¡¯m sorry. I just want to be close to my buddies!¡±
¡°Not this close, at the very least,¡± I retorted.
It won''t be long before we set out. I need to learn all I can from teacher. I will use this power to protect my friends, no matter what!
"But enough of that, let''s go party," Proxy suggests.
He runs off to the epicenter of the cheerful commotion. Honestly, I don''t think it''ll be a bad idea to dance.
"Say, Nunnal¨¦, would you like to dance?" I sheepishly ask her.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I''ll make sure not to get in your way this time."
"Very well, then let us dance."
We head off to the party. I¡¯ve been practicing my dancing skills, so I won¡¯t be stepping on her feet as much, I hope.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Anti-bandit camp - evening
"Everyone, may I have your attention!"
Everyone stops to see Alexander on the usual stone table. We all gather, forming a crowd.
"I have an announcement. Soon, we shall make our match toward the bandit''s main base northwest of here. It shall not be a simple journey, I assure you. We will most likely encounter great dangers, and for this, I must apologize." Everyone voices their confusion from the sudden apology. It doesn''t make a lick of sense to me. "I now realize that I have made a selfish request of you all to follow me to their home base. I was caught up in my selfish desire to fight them, that I never considered how all of you felt. For that, I am truly sorry. But I still wish to fight, so, please, let us all fight alongside each other! I shall understand if you don''t wish to¡"
The crowd is quiet, not a peep is made as the silence reigns.
"What are you talking about, we wanna fight," someone in the crowd says, breaking the silence''s stranglehold.
"Yeah, we wanna take those bandit scum out!"
"I have a family to fight for, so of course I want to fight them!"
Various other people speak up about why they want to fight, showing Alex that he has the wrong idea. Good thing they are, cause at this point they better be willing.
"I see, I was mistaken. Hahaha! How foolish of me!" He is laughing off his speech as if it never happened. "Thank you, for sharing your reasons. I''m feeling invigorated now! But with that out of the way, I''d like to announce something else." He clears his throat as everyone settles down. "I''ll get straight to the point: two ex-bandits are now joining us."
The news hits everyone like a truck.
"What, why are bandits joining us!?"
"What are you thinking, they''re the enemy!"
"Yeah, that''s right!"
Damn, these guys are becoming goddamn upset. At this rate, someone will probably get the bright idea to rush him.
"I shall say nothing other than this. I''ll let them explain themselves to you all."
He steps off the stone table. Two others, who look identical to the other, take the stage.
"Hello, I am Zell, and this is my twin, Zeal."
"H-hey."
"I''d like to establish the fact that I used to be a Flame Wraith captain. My brother was my subordinate."
"Why are you here, bandit scum!"
"The shit you say, you asshole?" Zeal curses.
"What was that!?"
"Zeal, what did we discuss?"
"But¡"
The brother named Zell stares into his brother''s eyes. Zeal takes his eyes away from his brother, starting away from us.
"I will not lie to you, I have done terrible things as a bandit. While it was for my brother, I will not use that as an excuse. However, I wish to atone for my actions, and if possible, help bring in a world where we can live in peace by eliminating the bandits."
"That''s a load of crap! They''re lying, they''re just gonna betray us!"
"Yeah, I say we kill them!"
Geez, they''re getting restless. At this point, they''ll rush them soon enough. I might have to step up and stop them if that happens.
"You don''t trust us, fine!" Zeal jumps off the table, he walks to the crowd. Everyone is on edge as he moves to the middle. "...Listen you bastards, I don''t care a single one of you, shitheads! However, my brother wants to make peace with you all. So¡" He takes off his jacket, showing his muscular torso. "Then hit me, if ya want! The gut, head, balls, anywhere! If you hate us that much, start swinging!"
Ballsy move, just letting people wail on him until they''re satisfied. Unfortunately, I don''t think it¡¯ll work out all that much if they all hit him at once. I move through the crowd, stopping a punch.
"Now hang on, who said you can hit him."
"Let go!"
I push the guy away from me.
"So, you don''t mind if someone hits you?"
"No!"
"Fine, mind if I give it a shot. Of course, this punch will be for everyone in the camp, so that means nobody else can punch you except me," I roar at the crowd who sling their insults at me.
¡°What are you getting at?¡±
¡°Nothing, nothing at all. But this will hurt.¡±
"Just do it!"
"Okay."
No need to prepare, I¡¯ll just go for a quick hit. My fist homes into his gut, making contact with his skin. He spits out his saliva. He''s pushed back, but he stays on his feet. He is clenching his gut. Despite the pain, he lets out a barely audible laugh.
"That was a nice punch. Damn, if you had hit me a little harder, you could''ve knocked me out."
"Yeah, well, you''re pretty tough yourself." I turn my attention to the crowd. "You see that, he got hit. Now we''re all good!"
"We didn''t get to hit him!"
"Did you hear me before, dumbass? I said if I hit him, that''s it. You wanna still try it? Then come and try it. You''ll have to get through me. And trust me, I can kick all your asses myself!"
Nobody is moving an inch towards us. They all reluctantly look away from us, frustrated that they can''t get a hit in.
"They were bandits in the past, this is the now. And now, they aren''t. So let''s just try to get along, okay? Besides, if they were bandits, they wouldn''t be here with us, they''d be back with an even bigger force, right?"
I give the brother on the stone table a thumbs up. He nods at me.
"...It is true, I can no longer return as a bandit since I was the one leading the attack. If I do return, my brother and I will be killed. So I assure you, we are up to no foul play. I am not telling you to accept us immediately. Instead, give us a chance. Allow us to show you our sincerity by letting us aid you all!"
The crowd doesn¡¯t utter a word; they are as still as a statue. I give him a round of applause. His brother joins in, clapping louder than me. Some people in the crowd as well after a minute. Several other claps follow from the crowd. Most of the people here agree to give them a shot, for now.
"Hey, kid, what''s your name," Zeal asks me.
"Proxy."
"Weird name."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Well, thanks, for helping my brother get his message across."
"No problem."
"But why did you help us, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?"
"Simple, I just wanted to help you guys have a fair shot."
"But we were bandits."
"Dude, man, I could give less of a shit about that. Just to make it clear, I don''t care if you were in the past. As long as you aren''t now, then we''re good. Get me?"
¡°Wow, you¡¯re a stand-up guy.¡±
¡°You think so?¡± While turning away from him for a second, I see Alex by the entrance of the camp. He beckons me. Well, guess it¡¯s time for training. ¡°Anyway, welcome to the army. Hope you guys enjoy yourselves."
"Where are you going?"
"To train."
"Want a partner?"
"Nah, already got one. Besides, hang out with your bro."
¡°Yeah, gotta make sure nobody does anything fishy to him. Maybe we can hang out sometime?¡±
¡°Totally, I¡¯ll see you until then.¡±
I wave him goodbye as I walk toward the exit of the camp. The day isn''t over yet, and I''m not even all that exhausted, and this time around, I¡¯m going to be getting that strike in.¡±
¡
I swing my sword at Alexander. He blocks the attack. No surprise there. We''re interlocked in a battle that seems to go on forever. He goes for a strike that can knock me down, but I reflexively block the attack. Not wasting any time, I go for a counterattack. He barely blocks it in time. This is my chance. I perform a flurry of strikes against him. He''s able to keep up with the strikes by blocking, despite the barrage of attacks coming his way. My next attack goes for his neck. He easily blocks it, however, this is only to distract him. My true aim is his legs. I go for a leg sweep, however; he jumps to avoid it. Now is my chance! I lift my feet off the ground and plant my hands against the floor. Using all the strength in my hands, I push off the ground. My feet hit his chest. Perfect, now for the finish. I push off him with my feet. He hits the floor while I roll against the ground. He''s down, I actually got him!
"Yes! I did it! Alex, you see that? I got you! Alex?" He¡¯s not moving. Did I hit him too hard? I get up from the ground, I run over to him. "Alex, are you okay!? I didn''t hit you hard, did I?"
He''s laying on the ground, his attention to the sky.
"My, it appears I finally lost. That was an excellent display of skill, Proxy. You have improved significantly."
"Thanks, but I think I still need more training."
"Of course, there''s always room to improve."
I take a seat next to him. My attention turns to the sky. The stars shine like diamonds as they hang in the sky.
"Proxy, thank you for all your hard work," Alexander gently utters.
"It''s nothing. I''m just doing what I can. I should be congratulating you. You and Marie really did a number on the bandits today."
"I suppose we did¡ Oh, where did you get those?"
He points to my goggles, which are resting on my forehead.
"They''re mine, but a Flame Wraith captain took them a while back. Richard got it back for me during the fight today."
"How kind of him. He truly is a dependable person."
"Yeah, I''m glad to have him as a friend."
"Good, you should always cherish friends¡" He sits up from the ground. "May I confide in you, Proxy?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Before the battle¡I was scared."
Alex, scared? I can''t even imagine that when I think of him.
"Scared of what?"
"Of letting you all down. What if the battle did not go according to plan? What if I couldn''t defeat our enemy? What would I do if I lost someone, like you, or Marie? I couldn''t bear the thought, so I pushed it all down, but I most definitely feared this."
Wow, I never thought he could feel that. He always seems to be confident, yet here he is, sharing his anxiety with me. It¡¯s surreal, yet a relief.
"Did you tell Marie?"
"No, I do not wish to worry here. I need to present a strong face in front of her, as well as the others."
"Why share this with me then?"
"Because I feel as if we''re the same in that regard. I feel as if you put up a brave front for Richard''s sake, as I do for everyone else. Am I correct?"
"I guess."
"So that''s why I am confident in talking to you about this matter." Maybe I should motivate him, don''t want him feeling bummed out. "...However, now that we won, I feel these worries slowly fading. Not completely, but it is easier to breathe. I will most likely feel anxiety during our journey when we encounter various problems. So, if I ever need to rely on a confidant, may it be you?"
Man, he''s got his shit together more so than I do. Even when he shows his weaker side, he still manages to be strong-minded. That¡¯s one hell of a thing to pull off, and that¡¯s why I come to respect him.
"Hell yeah, you can count on me. Just think of me as your personal therapist."
He lets out an invigorated laugh.
"In that case, I hope to not be too much of a bother."
"Don''t worry, that''s what friends are for."
He seems surprised, yet happy at the same time. Did he just figure out we were friends?
"Y-yes, friends¡ We are friends."
"Yep, we are, and don¡¯t forget it."
"Yes, we are, and to honor this friendship, and your success in knocking me down, I shall give you something. However, you must close your eyes."
¡°Why?¡±
¡°It is a surprise.¡±
"Heh, okay."
I close my eyes as he commands. I can hear him running somewhere. I can hear bushes rustling in the distance. Is he getting something from the bushes? His footsteps grow louder as he comes closer to me.
"Put your hands out." I do he instructs. Something weighs down on my arms. "You may now open them."
I open my eyes to see a red jacket in my hand and two swords on top.
"This is¡"
"These are now yours! These are for downing me in training, I hope you like it."
"I don''t know what to say..."
"Do not think anything of it. Besides, I thought the jacket you are currently wearing is quite tattered and beaten up. So I thought a fresh one was in order."
First my goggles, now these. Honestly, it''s like it''s my birthday or something. I feel a joyful feeling in my gut, it''s overpowering; I feel as if I''ll cry or something. I bite back the urge to.
"Thanks, Alex¡ Thank you for all this. I''ll pay you back for all this, I swear it."
"No need, we are friends after all."
He puts up his hand for a hi-five. Man, I am totally overwhelmed by this guy. He is unlike anyone I have ever met before. I guess you can say he''s one of a kind.
"Yeah, you''re totally right!"
I clap his hand by freeing up one of them. My hand is a bit numb from the hi-five, but it doesn''t matter. I''ll accept this numbness. I already decided to help him fight them, since I owe him for all the trouble I caused him. However, that is not the only reason. He''s putting his faith into me, so I can''t be caught slacking.
"So now that this is settled, would you like to stargaze before heading back to the camp?" He asks me.
"You really like stars, huh?"
"Of course, whenever I gaze at them, I feel as if nothing is out of my reach, including my goals and dreams."
"Really?"
"Of course, don''t you?"
"Well, I never thought of things like that. I never thought of dreams, or goals when I was in NewPort Island. Fighting was all I looked forward to."
"Hm, I see. Then why don''t we look at them together, and maybe you can think of something you''d like to accomplish. Is this agreeable?"
"Yeah, I''d like to."
The stars shine as we look at them with nothing but curiosity. I never thought much about what I wanted out of life, or what I wanted to do with it. School was too much of a bother, the clubs were boring, and anything outside of school besides being a misfit and fighting was boring to me. However, I never had a reason to fight outside of personal enjoyment, so I eventually lost meaning in that. I lived with no idea about what to do with my life. But now, I can use my abilities to help someone else achieve their goals. So for now, that¡¯s good enough.
The fight for the south - Finale
9/14 - Anti-bandit camp - morning
Today is the day, the day we sent off for our march for the bandit HQ. We have numerous troops coming with us, but we are leaving those who can''t fight, or help out with hunting for food, setting up camp, preparing food, or any other labors that need doing. Children aren''t coming with us since it is too dangerous for them to go. As for me, I just got done with retrieving something from my tent. I''ll have to take it down after I''m done with this.
"Okay, let''s do this!"
I place the swords Alex gave in the belt holsters they came with. It''s a nice fit. This is my first time wearing it since he gave it to me, so I''m glad it fits. I grab my things. I book it to the outside of the camp as everyone is moving equipment outside the camp. I spot Marie helping with moving things.
"Marie," I call her.
"Proxy, what are you doing?"
"About that pole I asked you to get me from the kingdom?"
"Oh, yeah, I have it." She walks over to her tent, which is not too far away from where we are. She comes out with a pole in hand. "Here.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
¡°Mind if I ask? What are you doing with this? You wanted me to get a large piece of fabric the other day and some paint, now a flag pole? What are you making?"
"This."
I unveil the thing I''ve been working on. Her mouth opens, her eyes widen as her ears perk up along with her eyebrows.
"No way¡ Did you make this!?"
"Yeah, is it good?"
"Good? It''s amazing!"
Her excitement is definitely real. Looks like my hard work was not for nothing.
"Let''s show it to Alex!"
"Brother will be thrilled, let''s!"
We run off to find Alex. He''s outside the camp with the others, helping them set our stuff on the ground.
"Yo, Alex," I greeted him.
"Hello, Proxy, Marie. How can I help you?"
"Not this time. But instead, we come to give you something."
"For me?"
"Yeah, check it out."
Marie unfolds the fabric in her hands. It''s a flag designed by me. It took me about two nights to complete the design; I worked during midnight to get the best amount of focus. Of course, I finished the front first, let it dry, then did the back on the second night. The front of the flag has a golden star being grabbed as it gives off a bright shine, and the back of it has the stars shining in the night sky behind the golden star.
"So, what do you think, good, right?"
He delicately touches the flag. He takes it from Marie''s hands, raising it to the sky.
"This is...excellent! This is an excellent flag!"
"In that case, tie it up."
Marie hands him the flagpole. He ties in the laces in between the small holes at the side of the flag. It''s now tied to the flagpole, swaying proudly against the wind.
"I know I made it, but this is so cool! Now I can put on my jacket."
I throw on my new jacket. It''s leather, vibrant red with metal plating on both of the bicep parts of the sleeves. It has a belt at the bottom of the jacket, but I decided not to fasten it; and while I''m at it, I''ll leave it unzipped. However, that''s not even the best part¡
"Hey, you painted the flag on your jacket?"
"Yeah, though, I made the star and hand black so it contrasted with the jacket''s color. What do you think?"
"You look pretty stylish, kind of impressed."
"You''re just jealous of my jacket."
"Whatever you say."
A honk of a horn suddenly goes off. It''s close, is it bandits? I grip my swords in anticipation¡
"It is here," Alex whispers to himself.
Trees are being knocked down in the distance. I can hear the rumble of its engine closing in. The sound is coming from the direction of the construction cave. Then it can''t be bandits, which means our ride is coming.
"It''s here!"
It rears itself from a pocket of forest, appearing in front of us in all of its glory. It''s as big as a bus but longer and wider than a regular one, maybe about 4-5 cars'' worth of buses in terms of length. It has a cool red and grey exterior. Despite it being a culmination of different parts from several cars, it doesn''t look bad at all. It stops in front of us. The driver pops their head out the window.
"Sup," Elizabeth shouts. "Anyone order a kickass mode of transportation?"
Everyone, even me, gasps in awe of the vehicle''s length, width, and overall look.
¡°This is one hell of a beast,¡± I state my overall thoughts on the thing.
"Hell yeah, this is sweet as all hell! Let''s go!"
Alex lets out a loud and overly audible laugh, having heads turn to him.
"This is a fine vehicle indeed! It is a vehicle that shall carry us to our enemies!" He places the flag in front of himself. It waves as the wind pushes against it. "...Everyone, let us go forth, and fight!"
Yeah, let''s do this shit! I put on my goggles.
"Um, I don''t wish to burst your bubble, but we need to put our stuff inside first," Marie reminds us.
"Ah, yes¡ But first, let us pack our things!"
Honestly, that just killed the mood. But oh well, at least we¡¯re getting a move on.
Moonlight castle - morning
Selena meets me outside of her castle. The moon hangs in the sky as usual, but at this point, I''m used to it. Nunnal¨¦ standing by my side.
"So, the day has come for you to leave?"
"Yes, I am setting off with the others to defeat the bandits."
"Oh come now, why are you speaking to me in such a boorish tone."
"O-oh! Sorry."
"It is fine, I suppose. But Richard, from here on out, you are on your own. I shall no longer be summoning you for training. You will have to make do with what you have at your own disposal. You still have much to learn about your Source and the limit of your potential."
"I know."
"...But, you can see this potential of yours if you continue to practice your Source."
"Right!"
"In that regard, you are better off mastering the two abilities you have at your beckoning now: strengthening and healing. Detection is a subject we lacked time to train in, so you will have to go without."
"Of course."
"Ugh, did I not say to quit with the boorish attitude?"
"Y-yes... It''s just, I hold you in high regard, so I want to show you the utmost respect."
"But of course. It is only natural you should feel honored to be trained by me." I''m always impressed by her outward personality. It''s comparable to Proxy''s but with condescension. "I will give you credence however, you were a fun student to teach."
"I was?"
"Indeed, the more you come to an understanding with Source, the more you matured."
"You think so?"
"I do not, I know. Take pride in the fact that you are one of my first students in years."
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Years?"
Her eyebrows raise without her face taking on any other expression.
"Nothing, forget about it." I want to ask for more details, but I think it would do more harm than good. "Overall, while your training is not complete, I have confidence you shall master your abilities. So do not let me down."
"Of course, I won''t waste anything you taught me, teacher."
"I expect no less."
Nunnal¨¦ bows her head to Selena.
"Thank you for training my master. I am in your debt."
"No need. I only did so because he himself put in the effort to convince me. I would not have trained him otherwise."
Remembering the ball is weird. I felt like a failure when I didn''t get her the teacup myself, yet she still gave me a shot. Despite her attitude, I feel as if teacher is a good person. I want to show her that her expectations will be met.
"Teacher, here." I pull out my white card, the same one that I treasure. "I want to prove I''m serious about meeting your expectations. So please take this as a promise to show you that I was worth your time¡"
She stares at the white card in my hand. Her gaze is transducer on the card.
"Where did you get that?" she asks.
"My mom. It was before she died of a sickness. It''s a treasure to me, so I want you to take it. That way, I''ll come back for it when I finish my promise."
"Hmm¡"
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Keep it, do not let go of your possessions so easily. I do not need insurance, I have confidence in your endeavor."
"I see."
"How about this, when you come back, we will have a delectable cup of tea? Is this preferable?"
"Y-yes! I would like to. And if it isn''t too much, can Proxy be invited?"
"I suppose he can, as long as he is willing to bake a cake."
"Don''t worry, I''m sure I can convince him."
Tea and cakes sound like fun. I can''t wait for that day to come.
"Well now, shall you be on your way?"
"Yes. Nunnal¨¦, are you ready?"
"Affirmative."
We prep ourselves as Selena holds her index finger against her thumb.
"I hope you are victorious in your battle against the bandits. And until you are, fight with all of your soul, and fight for your reward of cake and tea."
"I''ll make you proud. Gah, sorry. I was boorish again."
"Don''t apologize. I find it rather endearing. I might even say cute," she says with the intent of teasing me.
I can only push up my glasses, subtly hiding my face.
"Master Richard, you are blushing," Nunnal¨¦, lacking in subtlety, points out.
"Nunnal¨¦!"
Selena giggles to herself. It''s not the condescending laugh from usual. It''s an innocent laugh that flares up my face.
"Well, I kept you here long enough, I bid you a good day, and wish you good luck."
With the snap of her fingers, we leave the moonlight castle. I don''t know what the future has in store for us, but I shall prove my abilities to not only myself, or my friends, but my teacher.
¡
"So, that white card¡"
Selena ponders about the card she saw in Richard''s hand earlier. It gave off a familiar presence. It was the same one she felt when she was helping Richard through the poison incident. It was keeping him live longer. But the feeling it gave off was maternal and protecting if that makes sense. The conclusion to what the energy the card gives is an easy answer. But in that case¡
"It appears his mother had kept secrets from him."
There is no doubt in her mind. His mother is a Source-user.
Bandit HQ - morning
I finally arrived at the meeting room at the main base. The 7 captains, including myself, are gathered here today. The room is a spacious throne room that has ruined pillars, torn up flags, and holes in the roof and walls; allowing sunlight to seep in.
¡°Yo, sorry I¡¯m late, it took me a while to get here."
¡°My, Wildcard, at least show you care,¡± the 7th captain comments with a snide attitude.
¡°Shut up, I got her as quickly as I could.¡±
¡°Not quick enough! Shit, not even a fraction of a 3rd quick. Your animals are so damn slow, it makes me wanna cry,¡± the 5th captain says in a mocking, transparent way.
¡°Shut up, speed freak! I¡¯d rather ride animals than ride on those damn machines!¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah¡ What happened to your arm,¡± the 5th asks.
¡°It got broken during battle.¡±
¡°Ha! How pathetic, just pathetic, and slow too!¡±
¡°You...!¡±
¡°Gentlemen, no need to fight over trivialities,¡± the 2nd captain tries to quell us with a gentlemanly tone.
¡°Trivial, nothing trivial about it, you slow geezer!¡±
¡°Yeah, stay out of it, old man!¡±
¡°How rude. Do I need to instill manners into you both?¡±
His knuckles crack as he uses his thumb to push them down.
¡°Wanna go, old man? Then bring it!¡±
¡°Oh my, what a party, but you are not permitted to fight in such a sacred domain. The boss will become angry,¡± the 7th warns, trying to sound ladylike.
She might talk like that, but it¡¯s a lie that many others fall for.
¡°Shut it, you face hiding weirdo,¡± I tell her off.
¡°What was that, you little shit!?¡±
Her facade quickly breaks down into her true self. She makes others see her as a mature, alluring woman, but in reality, she¡¯s akin to an animal that has its prey drop its guard by using a fake nature.
¡°Oh, look who it is, ms. ugly personality,¡± I press on with the insults.
¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m gonna kill you!¡±
¡°So scary, you can¡¯t touch a damn hair on my head!¡±
A man, who¡¯s twice my size, steps in front of me. His bulk is intimidating to anyone who isn¡¯t a captain since his muscles are bigger than his head.
¡°Do not insult lady 7th,¡± his deep voice, gruff voice demands of me.
¡°Oh, and what will you do, Rickter, kill me!?¡±
¡°I shall if you continue to insult her.¡±
¡°Fine then, bring it on!¡±
¡°Enough!¡± An authoritative voice echoes in the room. It belongs to the 1st captain: Scar. He''s standing near the throne seat at the far end of the room. His red hair catches the eye whenever you look at him. ¡°...This fruitless banter is nonsensical. We are here to discuss our current situation. So, if any of you wish to disturb this meeting, come face me. But do know this, your head shall roll.¡±
Shit, normally I¡¯d take him up on it, but my instincts are telling me not to. Damn, it''s been like this ever since I first met the guy. This feeling of having something choking my neck.
¡°I am so sorry for Rickter¡¯s behavior,¡± 7th apologizes.
¡°I-I am sorry as well,¡± 6th captain Rickter adds on to the apology.
¡°Just don¡¯t make any more commotion. Now, UNKNOWN, debrief us.¡±
¡°Yes,¡± the 4th captain complies. ¡°This morning, two Flame Wraith squads engaged enemies in the southern area of the continent. Despite our frontal attack being a distraction, they figured out our tactic for a sneak attack on their home base. Furthermore, we could not recover the 9th captain. His whereabouts are currently unknown. As for the 8th, the members of his group said he stayed behind with the enemy. We have reason to believe he¡¯s either dead or plans on switching to their side.¡±
¡°So Zell and Zeal switch sides the moment they¡¯ve been outdone? Talk about speed,¡± the 5th quips.
¡°...Furthermore, the southern area is now completely ridden of our presence.¡±
¡°So what are we waitin¡¯ for!? Let¡¯s speed off towards them, full force! That way, they can taste our power and speed!¡±
¡°No, we must prioritize our own areas, as well as finding new captains. Until we find new captains, we must guard the areas we control.¡±
¡°It would not take much to take it back,¡± the old man raises.
¡°Heading into enemy territory is tantamount to foolishly jumping into a bottomless pit. For now, we shall hold until we get a firm idea of what the situation is. So until then, please be vigilant. This ends my debrief.¡±
The 1st captain adjourned the meeting.
¡°My, my, so we were brought all the way out here to hear something that could¡¯ve been said in short in a letter,¡± 7th criticizes. ¡°I have a delicate operation going on, so any distractions must be important.¡±
¡°This is important, we must meet to show respect toward the boss,¡± the 1st comments.
¡°Speaking of, where is the guy?¡± I ask.
¡°He is busy at the moment. Anything you have to say to him can be directed to me to relay to him,¡± UNKNOWN says.
¡°Nah, I was just asking. So, can we go now? Getting pretty bored.¡±
¡°Yes, we are finished¡ But, before we do. 2nd captain: Old man - will stay at the main base, just in case.¡±
¡°If you insist, but if my bloodlust grows with any way to express it.¡±
¡°No need to worry, I¡¯ll entertain you as always,¡± 1st declares.
The old man laughs to himself as if the 1st said a good joke, let alone one at all.
¡°I shall look forward to it then.¡±
¡°4th captain: UNKNOWN - you shall continue to monitor our new enemies."
¡°Understood.¡±
¡°7th captain, and 8th captain: Rickter - you both shall remain at your checkpoints, continue operating as usual.¡±
¡°Of course, Scar. I shall continue to be of use to you all and the boss. Right, Rickter?¡±
¡°Of course, I shall also prove useful as well.¡±
God, what an obedient dog she has.
¡°Same applies to you, 5th captain: Master of speed.¡±
¡°I might as well be everywhere, cause where there is land, that is my checkpoint!¡±
¡°As for you, Wildcard - recover from your wound.¡±
¡°Come on, I can still fight.¡±
¡°No, you shall remain, for we cannot lose another captain¡¡±
¡°Damnit, I wanna run around!¡±
¡°Run when your arm heals. If you continue to argue with me, I shall make you stay here.¡±
Shit, if only I didn¡¯t get my arm busted up by that damn brat! I¡¯m going to freaking kill him for it!
¡°Excuse me, but I wish to inquire why you were in the battle?¡± UNKNOWN asks me.
¡°I heard about the battle, so I went to go fight.¡±
¡°For a slow guy, you sure are quick to move towards a battle! Maybe it¡¯s because of your beastly instincts.¡±
He laughs at his own joke with an obnoxious laugh. I bite my lip to fight the urge to bite back. I¡¯m not gonna get my head chopped off for no good reason!
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll stay here, but after I recover, I¡¯m heading out!¡±
¡°Understandable, just make sure not to push yourself until then.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah¡¡±
¡°Now, you are all dismissed.¡±
All the captains make their way out of the meeting hall. The 5th speeding his way out of the hall. That guy is damn obnoxious.
¡°Wildcard,¡± 1st calls me.
¡°What¡¯s up?¡±
¡°How did you break your arm? Rather, who broke your arm?¡±
¡°You worried about me?¡±
¡°No, I wish to know how strong our opponents are.¡±
¡°Well, I only fought two, but one of them is a monster.¡±
¡°How so?¡±
¡°They threw me around as if I was nothing. Their kicks and punches were destructive. I¡¯d say that person could give you a hard time.¡±
¡°Is that so? What about the other one?¡±
¡°He was weak. It was easy for me to hit him and stuff, but he did something odd.¡±
¡°Odd?¡±
¡°When I punched his head, it was as if he was made of steel or something.¡±
¡°Hmm, interesting. You may go now.¡±
¡°Sure thing. I was just getting bored. See ya.¡±
I take my leave from the meeting. My arm is still aching, even in this sling of mine. It might take a month or so for it to heal thanks to Zell not being here to heal it. Man, this isn¡¯t fair. I wanna hunt, not be bedridden. That glasses bastard is gonna pay for what he did to me! Not just that. I¡¯m going to reclaim the trophy he stole from me...
The kings day off - part 1
9/17 - Kingdom of humanity - sixth floor - morning
A warm feeling hits my face, aiding me from my slumber. As my eyes open, they meet with a bright ray from the sun. I cover my eyes from the powerful rays as I get out of bed. The warm light hits my body as I expose myself from my covers. My body feels slightly sluggish, as it always does in the morning. As usual, I perform my morning stretch, a tradition that must be executed, if I wish to perform at my peak. As a representative of the Church of Mana, I cannot indulge in luxury, let alone sloth behavior, so I must remain alert at all times.
After I end my daily exercise, I go to the closest to retrieve my uniform and sword. Putting them on in an orderly fashion, I check to see if my sword''s scabbard is appropriately secured. Yes, it''s fastened, now I can start the day.
I make my way to the exit of this room. The room is quite grand, with lavish decorations and elegant furniture here. The bed is king-sized with pillows that are soft on the head, allowing for one to sleep in bliss. As for the bathroom¡ It''s quite expensive, that is certain. Overall, the room is quite comfortable, objectively, but it feels too big for me to rest in.
"All right, time to start the day."
I exit the room with my sword on my hip. Ever since I began living here, I took it upon myself to patrol the kingdom for any trouble. So far, I only got involved with a scuffle between two drunkards, but other than that, this kingdom is relatively peaceful.
I make my way to the exit of the castle, which is on the first floor from here, the sixth floor. Navigating my way around the castle is easier than I thought, since I was given a detailed tour.
As I make my way to the stairs for the fifth floor, I come across the king''s audience chamber. The ball was held here. It is much quieter without people conversing. Peeking in, I spot the king on his seat, speaking with an attendant.
"Sire, count Kay wishes an audience with you about giving him knights to begin an expedition into the uncharted territory."
"Did I not already reject his request?" king Relius asks, voicing his annoyance.
"Yes, however, he is quite stubborn about meeting you."
"It seems so."
"Furthermore, there are reports of more mines being raided and destroyed."
"I see. Schedule the Grand-Master to meet me tomorrow about it. Is that all?"
"Yes, sire, it is. I shall update you if there is anything else to report."
"Do so later in the evening.¡±
¡°Yes, sire.¡±
The attendant makes his way towards the exit. He pays me no mind, walking away from me as if I don''t exist. I would say that''s pretty rude, however, I am not upset by the act.
"Finally, he''s gone," the king says, relieved. ¡°...Whoever is at the entrance, you may enter.¡± Seems like his senses are sharp if he spotted me. No matter, I walk inside the throne room, revealing myself to the king.
¡°Good morning, King Relius.¡±
¡°Ah, the guest from across the ocean. How do you fare this fine morning?¡±
¡°Fairly well.¡±
¡°Good, then would you like to partake in breakfast?¡±
¡°Thank you for the offer, but I¡¯m good.¡±
¡°If you say so, but were you listening to my conversation earlier?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t mean to eavesdrop, I happened to walk near the throne at the time.¡±
¡°Ah, then I suppose I cannot fault you.¡± The king crosses his legs with his hands resting on the arms of the chair. ¡°...May I wonder where you are heading?¡±
¡°I¡¯m simply going to patrol the kingdom.¡±
¡°Why, the knights can, and are supposed to patrol the kingdom.¡±
¡°I know, but if I can help in any way to keep the stability of this kingdom, then I shall. I may be a representative but I am a Paladin of the church, so I must uphold peace, no matter where I am.¡±
King Relius claps, not sarcastically, but in a way that makes it seem as if he¡¯s cheering for a show. ¡°What an excellent reason. No wonder they sent you here, you are indeed worthy of being a representative.¡±
I gracefully bow to not come off as rude. ¡°Thank you, I am glad you feel that way. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I shall be off.¡±
¡°Happy patrolling, may the kingdom streets treat you fair.¡±
I turn my back to the king as I move for the exit. So far, King Relius hasn¡¯t shown any signs of hostility or off-beat behavior. From what I observed, he¡¯s a hard-working king that takes in all the concerns that arise from the kingdom. I''d question whether it''s an act or not. However, the way he works puts my doubts aside.
...
As I descend into the main hall from a set of dual staircases, the sounds of several voices hit my ears. It''s coming from a doorway under the platform the dual stairs start at. My curiosity gets the best of me, even if it''s something I''m supposed to have under control. However, curiosity is crucial for a keen mind, so I shall not question it, but follow it! Being steadfast in my curiosity, I open the door. It leads to a courtyard, lights illuminating the room filled with training equipment, like practice dummies, archery targets, along with a section for multiple duels to occur. In that section, several men are fighting against one another using wooden swords. They must be knights that aren¡¯t on duty.
¡°Tighten your form, it¡¯s the thing that separates you from blocking a blade or catching one to the head!"
The strict instructor paces around the knights as practicing their swordplay, giving them instructions as they fight. He¡¯s twice the size of all of them combined, most likely 6¡¯5. His muscles are massive, showing years of training from just looking at them. He has purple hair tied back into a ponytail. He appears to be in his early 30s¡¯.
¡°What are you doing, keep swinging with a tighter grip, and straighten out your arms as you swing! Step with your dominant foot and use the momentum to strengthen your swing!¡± He turns his attention to the entrance, spotting me. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the guest of the king! Welcome to the training hall. Come and join us.¡±
His tone changes to a friendlier energy that exudes from the way he talks and acts, it''s as if he wasn''t acting as a strict instructor a moment ago.
Well, I suppose it isn¡¯t too out of the ordinary for swordplay instruction to be strict, so maybe I¡¯m overthinking his mood shift. Regardless, I head over to him, accepting his invitation.
¡°Thank you for the invitation.¡±
¡°No need, it¡¯s an honor for guests to watch my knights train. Would you like to take part, seeing how you are wielding a sword?¡±
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
¡°No, I am simply here by chance and I would not like to intrude on their training.¡±
¡°If that is your choice, then I shall not force you. Instead, would you like to partake as a spectator? It would be an honor if you could witness my knights train.¡±
I suppose I can spare a few minutes to watch them train.
¡°Very well, I¡¯ll watch.¡±
¡°Excellent¡ Knights!¡± His voice booms inside the room as he switches to a strict, proud voice. ¡°We will have a spectator, show him the training that has been instilled into your bodies!¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± every knight in the room shouts, getting into position for more sparring.
Their forms are adequate, standing straight with their grips on their swords firm as their feet are firm on the ground.
¡°Tell me, what is your opinion of the sparring matches? Or rather, how is their swordplay?¡±
¡°Albeit I¡¯m not familiar with your form of swordplay, I can say that it has a strong foundation on standing your ground with a sword. No room for fancy footwork, let alone any improvisation. But it also seems basic.¡±
¡°Excellent eye, that is indeed how I would describe it. This swordplay is meant to be as basic as possible, helping them on the path of what it means to use a sword.¡±
¡°In what sense?¡±
¡°In the sense of what it means for one to use their sword as a knight, how their knighthood is.¡± I can¡¯t help but be confused by what he means. How does swordplay play into knighthood? Maybe fighting with honor and pride? ¡°I can see that you are confused, am I wrong?¡±
¡°No, I certainly am.¡±
¡°Then it would be beneficial if you demonstrate your swordplay. That way, I can make this much clear to you.¡± Again, my curiosity is raised. Without any thought to his suggestion, I take out my sword, heading for the practice area. This is considered reckless of me but I wish to see what he means. ¡°Knights, stop fighting, let this man demonstrate his swordplay, for a moment!¡±
They clear the way, moving out of the training area to the spectate on the sides. I draw my sword, slowly, smoothly, and with a flourish. Both of my hands are placed on the hilt, my left hand below my right. I stand straight-up, my sword pointing straight up as well. A cold sweat rolls down my cheek. Their undivided attention is making me nervous about this. It¡¯s not as if I never demonstrated my swordplay before, but that was for my instructor, so I¡¯m used to him watching me. I have to calm down, a single error can lead to a humiliating image for the Church since I am their representative; I must give it my all!
¡°I shall begin now!"
Without a signal of confirmation, I swing my sword with strict, yet flowing movements. The sword swings are the easier part, it''s the footwork that I must focus on. I''ll only do movements that I''m overly familiar with.
My swordplay holds no fancy moves that catch the eye, just pure skill with the blade and practical movements. These moves were practiced for hours on end when I first used a sword. My instructor told me that flow is key to swordplay because you''ll be able to go into the next attack, and the one after that. Yet, I picked up a strict foundation for it, despite what my instructor meant. However, it''s comfortable to fight like this.
"Ha!"
I finish my demonstration with a broad slash that pushes the wind itself. I wave my sword diagonally to the left, then to the right, sliding it back into its scabbard after twirling the blade towards it.
¡°Thank you for watching.¡±
I give a polite bow. A wave of cheers comes my way. The instructor doesn¡¯t clap for me, but he seems interested, from what I can tell, if not impressed.
He approaches me, then turns to his men. ¡°Men, I hope you found the demonstration helpful. His swordplay shows experience, dedication towards his sword, and his spirit. And when I say spirit I mean the essence of the person; what and who they are is packed into their swordplay.¡± The essence of my person? So he means who I am? ¡°This spirit forms from accumulated experience, which gives way to your own form of swordplay; your own style! Which is why I want you to learn from our guest, and strive to fight with spirit. Once you turn that spirit into a weapon, none shall be able to stand in your way!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
His men proudly salute him.
"Now, resume sparring for another 30 minutes," he commands them.
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
They rush back onto the training area as we move to the side.
"Do you understand now?" the instructor asks.
"I do, but may I ask what your impression of me is?"
"Your swordplay told me you are an earnest, honest, yet experienced knight who knows the way of battle. You also swing with a strict sense of righteousness.¡±
¡°I do?¡±
¡°Indeed, you do... However, I also sense a strong drive behind that righteousness as well.¡±
¡°Well, I am under obligation to uphold order, so that coincides with justice."
The church isn¡¯t exactly an organization that fights strictly under the name of justice. However, its values do coincide with one another, so I suppose it is. Although, I do not fight in the name of justice, I just fight for what¡¯s right. That being said, I think I spent enough time here, I should get going.
¡°Excuse me, but I must be going.¡±
¡°Where to?¡±
¡°To patrol the kingdom.¡±
¡°My knights are already on it, so do not fret.¡±
¡°I know that, but I can¡¯t sit around and do nothing.¡±
¡°Easily restless?¡±
¡°Yes, I like to keep myself busy.¡±
The instructor nods to himself with his arms crossed. ¡°Very well, then I task you, young guest, to patrol the city!¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
I slam my fist on my chest, standing straight-up with my legs pressed together. I raise an eyebrow the moment I realize what I¡¯m doing. I did the salute I normally do back in the Church of Mana HQ. Embarrassed; I collect my composure.
The instructor gives a hearty laugh. ¡°I wish you luck out there...¡° he trails off, leading off for me to say my name.
¡°Legion, that is my name.¡±
¡°Legion, a strange name indeed.¡±
¡°So I am told, but may I know yours?¡±
¡°Mine is Hendrick, I am the Grand-master of the knights.¡±
The word Grand-Master strikes me like a brick. The title is familiar since I familiarize myself with the rank of the knights. Knight-captain is the highest rank a person can be when working as a knight in the kingdom. They command a troupe of knights, only taking orders from the king. There are four of them, from what I know. I also learned they''re four out of eight elite soldiers that took part in ending a war that happened years ago.
¡°You''re a knight-captain!?¡±
¡°Yes, I am.¡±
¡°Then should you not be--¡±
¡°I am working. I am working on making my knights stronger, personally.¡±
¡°Do you not trust anyone else to do so?¡±
¡°No, I do, but I sometimes instruct them to see their progress.¡±
Amazing, he must have quite a lot of time to spare on training the men under him. Actually, now that I think of it, why is he training them so hard? It doesn¡¯t seem as if the kingdom is in battle with anyone on the outside.
¡°May I impose another question before I leave?¡¯¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Why train your men so hard? The kingdom seems to be enjoying peace, so what¡¯s the need?¡±
He closes his eyes, turning his head towards the ceiling. ¡°Yes, you are correct. We are in a time of peace, but for how long? There is no guarantee that this peace will last forever. Some day, our enemies will rise again, and they will march for our walls, so by that time, we must be ready. Even if I''m not alive by then, I will train this generation to train the next."
He sees a bigger picture rather than what''s in front of him at the moment. Exceptional thinking for a Grand-master of the knights.
¡°...Well, regardless of that matter, you best be on your way, sir Legion.¡±
He changed the topic so quickly. I guess that means he''s done elaborating on his reason, so I''ll just take my leave since I no longer have a reason to stay.
¡°Yes, then I shall be going. It was a pleasure meeting you, sir Hendrick. Hopefully, we can speak again.¡±
¡°I, too, would be elated to speak with you again.¡±
I wave him goodbye as I head for the exit of the training hall. I make my way back to the main hall. Nobody is around in the quiet, well-decorated hallway. That is, until I witness someone coming from the stairs. He¡¯s wearing a robe, covering his head with the hood. He¡¯s moving rather suspiciously; moving with caution for any living soul. It''s obvious he is an intruder, and with the way he¡¯s moving, he must''ve stolen something. I shall deal with this intruder before he can escape!
I hastily draw my sword as I run towards the intruder. ¡°Halt! Drop any items you have in your possession! Refusal to cooperate will result in me using force to detain you!¡± I move around the unknown man with my sword pointing at him. He¡¯s keeping his head down, masking himself from me. ¡°Show me your face, now! If you refuse, then--¡±
¡°Would you hold for a moment!¡± That voice is familiar; the tone of nobility that holds a distinct sense of superiority. ¡°...Honestly, being held at sword-point in my own home. Then again, I guess it is only fair since I look like a miscreant.¡±
He pulls down his hood, revealing himself. My eyebrows raise from the revelation, only a question-mark remains in my head for why this man is moving around like this. The man under the hood is King Relius.
He grins with an arrogant smirk that shows he''s amused. ¡°How do you do, Legion?¡±
The kings day off - part 2
Kingdom of Humanity - Lower-level - morning
In an alley between two houses, king Relius and I hide from the crowds of people as they pass by. The king refused to talk to me until we reached this alleyway. We avoided detection from the knights while making our way here.
¡°If someone were to look into this alleyway, they would think of us as dubious men plotting a nefarious scheme,¡± king Relius mentions the idea with a jovial grin.
¡°King Relius, why were you trying to sneak out of the castle?¡±
¡°Is it not obvious by now? If I must, then I shall enlighten you; I am bestowing myself a personal day off. I feel as if I deserve it after all this time.¡±
I can¡¯t help but leave my mouth a gap, stunned by his reasoning. I was brainstorming several possibilities of a threat on the king¡¯s life as we made our way here, I even had my hand on my sword¡¯s hilt the entire way. But now, I learn he was just getting away from his duties.
¡°You¡¯re ignoring your duties?¡±
I pose my disapproval as a question.
¡°Do not be ridiculous, I would never abandon my throne. I am simply temporarily leaving it to take a breather.¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean you are abandoning it?¡±
¡°Absolutely not! Abandoning and taking a leave of absence for a few hours are two completely different concepts.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that¡¡±
The king places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°Poor child, you have much to learn about the life of a king, and as much as I would be enthralled to teach you, I must be on my way.¡±
¡°Hold on, why are you suddenly acting like this?¡±
¡°Hm, I don¡¯t follow?¡±
¡°You¡¯ve been nothing but diligent as a king, but now, you¡¯re acting as if you¡¯re a student skipping school. I wish to understand what your real reason for leaving the throne is.¡±
King Relius scratches the back of his head, sighing as he does so. He turns his attention to me for a moment, turning away with an expression that shows he¡¯s pondering something. Then he turns back to me with a playful grin on his face.
¡°Legion, if you wish to understand why I¡¯m away from my throne, then accompany me around the kingdom.¡±
¡°Why can¡¯t you just answer me now?¡±
¡°I shall do no such thing.¡± He denies me without any leeway for discussion. ¡°Of course, you do not need to accompany me, you can simply run along if you wish.¡±
He has a point, I can leave him to his own devices and go on about my patrol. But if he were to get attacked, then the responsibility would fall on to me since I left him on his own. However, I am also curious to know the exact reason he¡¯s outside the castle, other than just taking a break.
¡°...Very well, I shall be your bodyguard for your break,¡± I solemnly declare.
¡°Excellent, however, we must change your clothes.¡±
¡°No, I cannot.¡±
¡°Come now, you stick out like a sore toe.¡±
¡°Even so, I cannot. This uniform is proof of my status as a representative, so I cannot take it off; except when I¡¯m going to sleep, of course.¡±
The king sighs to himself once again from my stubborn attitude. Hopefully, he isn¡¯t too annoyed by it.
¡°Fine, since you are attached to the outfit, I shall allow you to accompany me with it on. Come now, the day waits for no man, not even a king.¡±
He casually strolls out of the alleyway and into the public with his hood up. He¡¯s quite energetic than he usually is, I¡¯ll say that much. However, I''m starting to doubt his devotion to his kingdom the way he¡¯s acting so far. For now, I¡¯ll see where this leads, and if I don¡¯t like it, then I¡¯ll voice my opinion on the matter, but no more than that; I¡¯m not able to change or manipulate how this kingdom is run, so all I can do is say how I feel.
The kingdom of humanity - Lower-level - morning
The king is walking in front of me, insisting that he''d like to be the point man for our excursion. So far, no attention has been drawn on to us. At first, I thought he would be unaccustomed to the lower level, but he''s blending in well. Still, where he intends to go is unknown.
The streets are filled with citizens going about their day by either working or heading somewhere by themselves or with someone else. A jumble of voices mixing in with one another as they all talk amongst themselves.
¡°Isn¡¯t it wonderful?¡± the king asks with a prideful tone.
¡°What is?¡±
¡°The peace that is this kingdom. Come now, speak your mind.¡±
¡°Yes, it is quite wonderful. There¡¯s always a sense of ease whenever I walk the streets, even at night.¡±
¡°I¡¯m satisfied to hear that you feel such ease on these streets. Though there is still work to be done to reign in complete peace. For one, we must be able to stop crime from happening within this kingdom.¡±
Is it even possible to accomplish such a feat? Even the Church is struggling to achieve such an accomplishment, despite our best efforts.
¡°...The first crime we must stop is a serial killer,¡± the king urges, his voice grim.
The news of a killer shocks me as my eyes widen. ¡°A serial killer!? I never encountered such a person during my patrols in the lower-level of the kingdom!¡±
¡°That is because he is killing Nobles.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°No idea, their motives remain a mystery.¡±
I doubt that they''re killing Nobles by random chance. There must be more to it.
¡°Do you suspect it to be personal?¡± I question
¡°At first, yes. We looked into the victims to find a reason. Their first victim was a man who had a share of the markets down here, in the lower-level. He gained a profit from each vendor down here, massing money from them by supplying them with products such as food, weaponry, resources by the outside, and any other products the shops they have a business agreement with needs. However, we couldn''t find anything that would suggest he took more than 60% of the profits from the vendors according to his financial documents, let alone treated them unfairly. So I doubt a shop owner killed him since they would not benefit from such an act."
That does seem to be less likely. Maybe he was killed by another noble?
"Can you continue on about the rest of the victims?"
"Certainly. The second victim was a man who used bounty hunters to find rare artifacts and treasures outside the kingdom. He was killed in the streets as he was walking home with his mistress. She said the killer was going to kill her too, but a knight spotted them. She was quite shaken from the event and has yet to recover from it. The third victim was the head of a noble family. The head member of the family would be a knight; this has been their tradition for generations."
"For generations?"
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"...Their family was one of many who served mine over the generations. He was sworn in while my father was young. He left behind 2 kids; one male, the other female¡ The older one is female."
"Will the daughter become a knight?"
"Who can say. I don''t care if she does or doesn''t, but they must contribute to the kingdom''s prosperity when they get older."
Three victims, each of them being nobles. One being a man who hired others to find treasures and relics, the other having a hand in the lower-level marketplace, and the last being a knight for the kingdom... I can''t see the similarities between the three.
"Each of them had nothing to do with the other. There was nothing to show they knew one another."
How did he know what I was thinking? Can he read my mind!? No, that is outrageous.
"How did you know I was thinking that?"
"Just an educated guess." Quite the guess. "But back to the killer, I think the killer is killing Nobles for someone else. However, while it does benefit some Nobles who want to control a portion of the lower-level marketplace, and hire bounty hunters that were employed under one of the dead Nobles via a contract, we have no proof to pin an accusation on any of them. So until we do, we''ll simply rule it as a maniac out for blood."
I suppose it is a sound conclusion to stick with for now. Still, if there is a killer that only kills Nobles, he must have a grudge against them or is working for someone. When the day is over and the king is in his castle, I''ll begin my search for him.
"Okay, we have arrived," the king says as he stops in front of a bar, spreading his hands apart from each other. "Come, let us partake in lower-level culture."
"In a bar?"
"Of course, but not any bar, a bar that is well established and respected by the people down here. Fine food, swell beverages, and fine waitresses. Nothing compares."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, enter to see for yourself¡"
He enters the bar without any hesitation. Granted, I have never entered a bar since I''m a minor. However, since it is to accompany the king, I must push aside my reservations.
Lower-level - Leaky lagoon - morning
I expected the bar to be filled with drunkards causing a ruckus and acting belligerent, but for the most part, the patrons, while having fun, are keeping to themselves while drinking by themselves or with a group.
¡°Let us go seat ourselves,¡± king Relius commands as he leads us to a table.
We take a seat on a round, wooden table near the wall on the left side of the bar. I take off my holstered sword from my waist since sitting with it is uncomfortable. Waitresses zip around the bar, taking orders and serving customers. So this is what he meant by the girls. Speaking of which, one of them is approaching us.
¡°Welcome to the Leaky Lagoon, what can I get you two?¡± she says with a vibrant, casual energy to her.
¡°I¡¯d like the Leaky special with a side of Hogbog cutlets,¡± he fluently lists off his order.
¡°How about you?¡±
The waitress directs her attention to me.
¡°Uh¡ May I order water, and the food he ordered?¡±
¡°Okay, so: 1 leaky special, 2 Hogbog cutlets, and water. Okay, I¡¯ll be back with your drinks in a sec.¡±
She scurries off to the bar area that houses a kitchen behind the counter.
¡°Water? How plain.¡±
¡°Excuse me for not being familiar with the menu,¡± I bite back.
He lets out a humorous laugh. "I am a forgiving man, so I shall ignore your embarrassing lack of experience.¡± He certainly knows how to get under my skin with that laugh. ¡°Ah, would you look at that.¡± He points to three waitresses at the right end of the bar. They¡¯re looking at us, faintly giggling as they ogle us. ¡°It seems as if you strike their fancy,¡± the king says.
¡°Me, why?¡±
¡°How dense can one be? You are obviously their preference in a man, so of course, they would stare.¡±
¡°Seriously!?¡±
¡°Do they not teach you basic social skills at this church of yours?¡±
¡°Of course, they do! It¡¯s just, I¡¯ve never been ogled before.¡±
¡°Are you confident in such an answer, my young naive representative?¡±
I never thought of that. I did train alongside female cadets, but I don¡¯t think they gazed at me with such charmed expressions. I also work with female companions during missions, so maybe¡ No, what am I thinking! This train of thought is ridiculous, nonsensical, outright idiotic!
¡°I-it doesn¡¯t matter! I must ask you to cease further investigation into this foolish question!¡±
King Relius lets out an exuberant laugh that blends in with the other voices in here. ¡°I jest, I jest. No need to be serious.¡±
So he says¡
¡°Hey, boys!¡± the waitress is back with our drinks in her hands. She places them on top of the table. ¡°Your food will be out shortly, so enjoy the drinks until then!¡±
She moves towards the bar once again. King Relius chugs his drink in such a way that isn¡¯t fitting for a king. He stops drinking, holding up the cup with a face of pleasure from the taste of alcohol.
¡°This is the time to be alive,¡± with bliss, he enunciated his joy with the drink.
¡°Is it that delectable?¡± I ask.
¡°Of course, care to try?¡±
He thrusts the drink in front of me. Droplets of it come out of the cup as the liquid inside the cup swirls. The smell is overwhelming, I feel a bit lightheaded from the intoxicating smell.
¡°No thank you. I''m underaged, and it smells horrid,¡±
¡°Haha, so the church shelters you from such things?¡±
¡°Of course, we at the church are meant to bring in a prosperous future, succumbing to alcoholic substances would get in the way of such a mission.¡±
¡°I see¡¡± He takes a moderate drink out of his mug. ¡°...I''m curious. Tell me, what does the Church of Mana mean to you?¡±
¡°It means a great deal to me.¡±
He leans forward like an eager child. ¡°Why is that? Well, come now, tell me the exact reason.¡±
¡°Well¡ I¡¯m grateful to them.¡±
¡°Why so?¡±
I stare into the mug of water, it reflects my face.
¡°I was a baby when I was adopted by them. My mother and father left me with them. Ever since then, I was given a proper education from strict but kind mentors, who taught me how to act as a person. Some acted like siblings to me, and as a parental figures to me. Each of them treated me and the other kids like family.¡±
¡°Other kids?¡±
¡°The church takes in orphaned children, giving them a chance at a normal life. At the age of 7, we had the opportunity to lead a normal life with a family willing to adopt any of us.¡±
¡°You did not wish for that?¡±
¡°...While I was flattered by the idea of living with a nice family, I already had one. And I couldn¡¯t leave them, not without paying them back. So, instead of leaving, I requested to join the Church officially. I was warned about the work I would perform, but I was not perturbed. I was trained with other cadets my age, excelled at the top of my class, and was said to have been the best cadet of that class. However, while I am glad to have been praised, I was just glad I was able to give as much as I owe to them.¡±
¡°Is that why they sent you here?¡±
¡°Yes, they told me my straightforward nature was the best fit for peaceful negotiations with the king of this land.¡±
I remember the pride and joy I felt when they said that to me. It¡¯s as if I¡¯m well on my way to paying them back in full. However, even when I do, I will still be a soldier for the church, since I also like helping people.
¡°I would agree with such sound judgment, and I do¡ However¡¡± His humored expression washes away as he takes on a serious look. ¡°...But tell me, which king are you referring to? It wouldn¡¯t happen to be¡¡±
¡°Hey, boys!¡± The waitress walks up to us, with our food on a tray. She places it on the table Two plates of meat cutlets with a faint spread of sauce on them. The smell overwhelms my nose, registering a delectable smell. ¡°Hope you enjoy the meal! Let me know when you want the check!¡±
Once again, she scurries off towards the bar area. This time, she meets up with the same group of waitresses who are eyeing me.
¡°Ha, would you look at that,¡± the king laughs.
I¡¯m rather embarrassed to say anything, so I¡¯m just going to eat my meal.
¡°So¡ King--¡±
¡°Just Relius, no need for king.¡±
¡°Okay, Relius. What were you about to say?¡±
¡°Oh, nothing...is what I would like to say, but I know that won¡¯t go past your notice. I asked who are you really here to meet?¡±
Should I lie about who I¡¯m here to meet? No, he¡¯ll most likely see through it.
¡°Yes, I am here to meet with another king, but yet, you had knights to escort me here, why?¡±
¡°Cause I was asked, by our mutual associate, to house you for some time. Care to shed light on why?¡±
¡°We...are performing a trade.¡±
¡°Trade, with what?¡±
¡°A person.¡±
¡°Why so?¡±
¡°He has an item of interest to the person in mentioning, so we were given the task of bringing that said item in. In exchange, we¡¯re allowed to come here to search for the item of interest to the church, as well as meet with this other king.¡±
¡°Oh, and have you found it?¡±
¡°Yes, but there are altercations with it.¡±
¡°How so?¡±
I don¡¯t know if I should tell him about the deal I made with Quincy since I gave my word to keep this to myself.
¡°I cannot say.¡±
¡°How dull.¡± he slumps back into his chair, annoyed by my secrecy. ¡°Well then, shall we eat?¡±
¡°Yes, let¡¯s.¡±
The table was quiet as we ate. The king seems to be enjoying himself as he ate, and I can¡¯t help but enthrall myself in the fun atmosphere of this bar. At first, I was skeptical about entering this establishment, but with the good nature of this place and the bar waitresses ogling me, I let go of any negative pretenses I had for this place; It¡¯s allowing me to let my guard down¡ However, this thought is soon shattered by a child running off with my sword the moment I gazed at him near it.
¡°Get back here,¡± I shout.
The king and I jump out of our seats to chase after the child. Just when I drop my guard, this happens. The world does know how to catch someone with their pants down!
The kings day off - part 3
Kingdom of Humanity - Lower-level - morning
King Relius and I chased the boy through the streets, running past, pushing through civilians. We decided to head off the kid by cornering him down an alleyway. As I block the front, the king is blocking the back.
¡°Nowhere left to run.¡± His attention turns to me as he hugs my sword. ¡°Return my weapon,¡± I demand of him as I close in with my hand reaching out to him. He backs up to the king, bumping against his legs.
¡°S-stay away!¡± He tries to draw the sword. I stop him before he can do it. ¡°Let me go!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll be taking my weapon back.¡±
With a simple application of brute force, I yank the sword out of his hands.
He blocks his head with his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t kill me, please, sir knight,¡± the boy begs as he curls into a ball.
¡°N-no, I¡¯m not going to harm you. I just wanted my sword back. However, you shouldn¡¯t steal from others!¡±
¡°Ah, forgive me, sir knight!¡±
¡°Calm yourself, child,¡± the king says, his voice as calm as the wind. ¡°Explain yourself and maybe you shall not be punished for your deeds.¡±
He helps the boy up from the ground with one hand.
¡°I¡ I wanted to buy something for my sister,¡± the boy answers in a hushed voice.
¡°What would that be?¡± I press.
¡°A cake from a bakery in the upper-level.¡±
¡°You would sell my weapon for a confection!?¡±
The boy flinches at my harsh tone. I didn¡¯t mean to be harsh since he is a child, however, that is no excuse for him to try to sell my weapon.
¡°Why a cake?¡± the king politely furthers the topic.
¡°Because it¡¯s my sister¡¯s birthday and we couldn¡¯t afford it this year. Father said it was because of a rival competitor in the market. Father and mother work hard to buy the best cakes from the upper level for our birthdays, and I wanted to get one, or else her birthday will be ruined.¡±
If it¡¯s for such a reason, then I suppose I cannot be angry, but it still doesn¡¯t justify theft.
¡°I can understand your plight and while I do sympathize with you, you cannot just steal things to benefit, even if it is for others,¡± I scold him while trying to control my tone.
¡°I concur, albeit, since it was for a worthy cause, I shall give you this as compensation.¡± The king takes off something from his hand. He hands the boy a silver-clad ring that has a beautiful emerald gem.
¡°I-I can have this!?¡±
¡°No, we shall help you sell it, but you must hold on to it.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because, you must hold the responsibility for what you want to accomplish, and in that instance, you must work hard to strive for what you want; stealing and lying will only get you so far.¡± He plants his hand on the kid¡¯s head, rubbing it around. ¡°...The future of this kingdom rests on children like you growing up to be fair, courageous, and with a just attitude for the future of this kingdom. So, no more stealing, working hard. Is this understood?¡±
¡°Y-yes, sir, thank you! I shall steal never again!¡±
¡°Also, you do not need a cake for an enjoyable birthday, just being with your family is all,¡± king Relius kindly tells him. ¡°So even without a cake, be thankful for the people who are there for you. Do you understand?¡±
¡°Yes, I do, sir.¡±
¡°Excellent, now, let us be on our way to selling that ring.¡±
¡°Yes, and thank you again.¡±
¡°Think nothing of it.¡±
Relius and the boy leave the alleyway. The air the boy is walking with is much happier than when we caught him. The king seems to be satisfied with himself. Is it because he was able to manipulate the situation? He did give him his ring, but it can be easily replaced with his wealth. Despite this notion, a piece of me is saying that his actions of kindness are genuine. It¡¯s easy for me to assume that he doesn¡¯t care for his people, but if a part of me thinks he genuinely means what he is doing, then I shall give him the benefit of a doubt, and that is all I can do.
¡
As Legion and Relius walk with the boy to sell the ring, two mysterious individuals stalk them from the shadows, observing king Relius in particular with the eyes of a beast starving for prey, wanting to quench their thirst for blood.
¡°We¡¯ll strike them when they are alone.¡±
¡°Understood. Let¡¯s kill that bastard king!¡±
They continue to watch them from afar, waiting for their opportunity to strike.
Kingdom of Humanity - Middle-level - evening
King Relius and I enjoyed the day around the lower-level after helping the boy sell off the ring. We sampled many restaurants, saw a fight under the kingdom in a strange arena, and we went to various other establishments that gave me an insight into the culture of the lower level. It shows that the people down there are hard-working civilians, but people who know when to enjoy themselves. Not only that, they seem to respect king Relius greatly, not only as a king but as an icon for a new generation. I can understand why, since his time came, technology has begun to integrate itself into society, and he was able to save this kingdom from the brink of collapse to the place it is now.
But none of this answers why he left the castle today.
¡°Wasn¡¯t today fun?¡± He opens before I can ask my question. ¡°...The people are so lively, living their lives with such bliss. One would think that this kingdom only knew wondrous times... It wasn¡¯t always like that. Anyone who lived during my father¡¯s time lived with hardship and the threat of death every day; fearing the worst scum out there,¡± he ends, contempt contaminating his voice.
¡°Are you referring to the people outside?¡±
¡°Yes, they would attack our kingdom and attempt to kill me, my family¡ One day, they were successful¡¡±
I heard of his family¡¯s death; the queen was killed defending her children, but the princess was burned alive along with the previous king in her room¡ It must be an unbearable pain that still lingers in his heart to this very day.
¡°...I envy you, Legion. You have people you can call family. Treasure that, one day, you might lose that¡±
¡°Relius, I¡¡±
¡°No, I must apologize, I brought down the mood with such a depressing tale.¡± Relius¡¯ tone of voice and his expression shows a deep sadness that still lingers around him, even when he is trying to hide it.
¡°Is that why you gave that boy your ring?¡±
¡°I simply admire those who care for their family. Family is the only thing you can really trust in this world. Without it, we might as well be lone beasts in the wild. Being a king can sometimes make that loneliness apparent. So, I wanted to look around, take in the sights of my kingdom, mingle with the people to bolster my resolve for being a king. That is usually the reason why I occasionally go out of the castle.¡±
I see, then¡
¡°I am sorry,¡± I abruptly apologize.
¡°Sorry for what?¡±
¡°For thinking you were abandoning your duties. It was rude to assume so.¡±
¡°No need, I am glad you show concern for that fact...¡± He stops moving, turning to face me. ¡°...I am glad you and I were able to spend time outside of the castle. It was quite entertaining."
"I''m glad to have accompanied you¡ But what do you mean by ''usually''?"
¡°Surprised you caught onto that insignificant detail. Well, to tell the truth, we¡¯re here on the Middle-level. But first, tell me, what did we discuss earlier about the nobility?¡±
¡°Someone is murdering them. Why is that...relevant¡¡± Hold on, he said we¡¯re on the Middle-level for one purpose, then he brings up the murders for no reason, at least, that¡¯s what I thought. Don¡¯t tell me¡ ¡°Are you searching for the murderer!?¡±
¡°Excellent deduction, no wonder your organization holds you in high regard.¡±
¡°It¡¯s dangerous for you to be doing this. Were you going to do this by yourself if I didn¡¯t encounter you?¡±
¡°Of course, you expect me to allow a murderer to run around in my kingdom?¡±
Do I call this righteous dedication or blind confidence, either way, this is too dangerous for him to handle.
¡°King Relius, let me worry about the murderer, so let¡¯s return to the castle for now.¡±
¡°I will do no such thing. This man must be stopped at once!¡±
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
¡°I understand you wish to end this, but you must¡¡±
Distance footsteps approach us from behind. Their steps echo as they close in. I place my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready for combat. I look around the area, looking for any more potential threats. In an alleyway, someone is holding a bow in our direction. Within a split second, I draw my sword, dragging the tip of the blade against the ground to conjure a wall of ice that curves around the king, protecting him from the arrows.
¡°My, so you can use Source?¡±
¡°How do you¡ That doesn¡¯t matter, just stick near me!¡±
The person approaching us breaks into a run, taking out a chain and sickle. Damn, I can¡¯t leave the king¡¯s side, I have to intercept and protect the king. I create an icicle from the palm of my hand and strike it with my fist, shooting it at the enemy. He barely dodges the icicle as it scrapes the side of his clothes. That isn¡¯t enough. I¡¯ll trap him!
¡°Take this!¡± Slashing the air with my sword, I created two ice blocks mimicking a blade as I slash empty air. The momentum of my slash pushes these ice blades, shooting them towards my opponent, who hardly managed to dodge it, getting their arm cut as a result. Now he¡¯s injured and won¡¯t be able to perform at 100%.
¡°Take this, you bastard spawn!¡±
Someone else is behind us, aiming an attack at the king. I can make it if I act quick enough!
¡°No need for insults,¡± King Relius comments, undisturbed by the new assailant.
He swings something from his cloak, faster than I expected him to move. Two blades clash, metal clashing against each other echoes in my ear. He¡¯s holding a sword in his hand, holding off the assailant with little to no effort.
¡°King Relius, you can fight?¡±
¡°Of course, a king that cannot fight is useless to his kingdom. So stop gawking at my abilities and start fighting!¡±
He¡¯s right, I need to focus on the surrounding enemies. The enemy in front throws the chain at me. A metal ball on it darts at my forehead. I hit the iron ball to the side with the hilt of my sword. He closes in with his sickle, slashing at me. I move out of the way, only to block another attack from the chain and ball. He switches effortlessly between the two, smoothly advancing without hesitation. I¡¯m able to deflect, parry, and dodge the close yet ranged attacks he¡¯s throwing at me, but if he continues to stay close while staying away, then I¡¯ll be in trouble! He throws the sickle part at the ice wall. It banks off of it towards me. Damn, I can¡¯t evade in time. Instead, I summon a wall of Ice to block the attack. My opponent quickly moves into my line of sight. As I¡¯m about to summon more ice, the ball and chain zone in on me. I guard with my arm, only for it to wrap itself around my arm.
¡°Now, die!¡±
My body meets an unbearable current of electricity. The crackling of it zapping around my body is painful to the ears. Any more of this and I¡¯ll probably go deft! I have to focus! Focus, focus, focus, focus¡! My Source turns itself into a blue hue of electricity that cancels out the once painful electrical current coming from the chain. A moment of peace is found, despite the enemy still being in front of me. Nonetheless, I can breathe like normal¡ Now, I think it is time that this man pays for the damage he has given me a thousand-fold!
¡°Take this, Joy Buzzer!¡±
I send my Electricity Source throughout the chain, having it reach my opponent in a blink of an eye. Blue lightning surrounds him, lighting him up in a blue hue. He lets out a cry of anguish, screaming into the night sky as he is taking the force of my lightning. I stop after 4 seconds. He immediately drops to the ground, making a loud thump sound as he lands face first.
¡°That takes care of one of them.¡± Wasting no time, I move to check up on king Relius. ¡°King Relius, are you okay!?¡± Getting a good look at the scene in front of me, his opponent is on the ground, disarmed, as he tries to worm away. From the bottom of my left foot, a trail of ice speeds after him. It climbs up his leg, covering it in ice.
¡°Good job, Legion. Source truly is handy,¡± the king expresses how impressed he is. He sheaths his sword as he walks over to the man I defeated. ¡°Wake up.¡±
His foot hits the defeated man in the ribs.
¡°No need to do that, he is already defeated.¡±
¡°As if I care, he¡¯ll wake up, whether he wants to or not.¡±
A second kick strikes his ribs. The first time was already going too far, but I cannot allow this to go on any further.
I grab his arm, yanking him away from the downed man. ¡°I said that is enough! He is a defeated opponent, there is no need for such treatment!¡±
The man he¡¯s been kicking groans in pain as he wakes up.
¡°Nice to see you are conscious. Now I can ascertain your intentions. Are you two responsible for the death of 3 nobles?¡±
¡°Yes, we are!¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Cause they deserve to die, as well as you!¡±
¡°Is that so? Well, maybe we can change that attitude when you¡¯re put up for execution.¡±
¡°I am not afraid of you! I fight for the pride of Borghulda!¡±
¡°Ha, such a mouthy little dog. Maybe I should remove that tongue of yours before I have your head roll?¡±
¡°Enough!¡± My grip on the king¡¯s arm tightens, getting a better feeling for the bone in his arm. Regardless of what might happen to me, I shall not let this behavior carry on. ¡°You are acting out of line!¡±
¡°And who are you to tell me how I¡¯m acting?¡±
¡°I am saying this because it¡¯s what I think is right. You are supposed to be better than this! Shouldn¡¯t a king be more benevolent, superior in terms of demeanor, and integrity? Well, am I wrong, or not!?¡±
He turns his head away, hiding his face from me. The king, after a moment of silence, slaps his face hard. He then removes his foot off the enemy. Turning to face me, I can see his right cheek is red from the slap.
¡°Legion, you are right¡ I am supposed to be beyond this¡ I just have an ill temperament when it comes to outsiders. Such an embarrassing sight, no?¡± He asks me as he smiles, not with the same superior air or a playful expression, but one that shows humiliation. It catches me off guard, no, more like it helps clear some of my doubts about him. I thought of him as a man who doesn¡¯t take anything he does seriously and treats it as a joke. However, him sharing how he feels about his past and how he¡¯s acting after I called him out, alongside his current state, there is no doubt that there is more to this man than meets the eye.
¡°...No, it¡¯s not embarrassing at all,¡± I return with a warm smile¡
9/18 - Kingdom of Humanity - King Relius¡¯ castle - morning
The halls are quiet, even when someone is walking past me, they don¡¯t utter a word to fill the silence. After the encounter with the murderers, the knights rushed to the scene from a noise report. King Relius explained what happened, and the rest was settled there. From all that excitement, I went to my room and didn¡¯t bother changing out of my uniform. It even has wrinkles now, great¡
As I¡¯m about to pass the throne room, a large figure comes from the throne room as I¡¯m walking near it. It¡¯s Hendrick, who is wearing silver-clad heavy armor that looks heavier than what a normal person, let alone a knight, should wear.
¡°Sir Legion, how do you fair?¡± he asks me, putting his right hand over his heart.
¡°I am alright, how about you?¡±
¡°Right as rain, I just concluded a report on those villainous individuals you and the king caught yesterday.¡±
¡°What happened to them, if you don¡¯t mind me asking?¡±
¡°If I recall, they were taken to BlackRock prison. At first, we were going to execute them, but my lord changed said orders. He said, and I recount the exact words, ¡®they would only serve as martyrs if they are slain¡¯. That is all.¡±
Seems as though he has taken what happened yesterday to heart.
¡°I see, then I suppose all¡¯s well that ends well.¡±
¡°Indeed, however¡¡± Hendrick drops to the ground, kneeling to me with his head facing the ground. ¡°I give you my thanks for protecting our king!¡± His voice resounds throughout the halls. ¡°...Due to my negligence, my lord left the castle without any proper escort! I am ashamed, nothing can cleanse such shame!¡±
¡°N-no! It is okay, you were busy training your men. How would you know the king would sneak out?¡±
¡°I must know where he is at all times! If I do not, then he could be exposed to danger such as yesterday¡ Many tried to take the lord¡¯s life when he was but a youngling.¡±
¡°I know, he told me. But on the subject of that, he also treated the outsider harshly by kicking them, even when they were downed.¡±
¡°I see,¡± he answers with a lack of surprise but with a saddened tone. ¡°...The lord has lived a coarse life. His days as a child were met with threats of death from the outsiders, and his family perished by their hands. With all that, his trust for those who live outside the kingdom is scant, and his care for them dismal. I can only imagine the bottomless hatred he has for those on the outside. The thought that he carries such hatred is a sad one indeed.¡±
I don¡¯t think I can imagine what that must feel like to carry around that type of hatred for so long, and I can¡¯t even begin to understand the kings. Even so, I don¡¯t think everyone on the outside deserves such hatred.
¡°What about you¡ Do you hate them?¡± I ask.
His expression hardens as he faces me from the ground. ¡°No, I hold no resentment for them. Even when I lost dear friends and family from those awful years, I never once hated them.¡±
¡°Can you not?¡±
¡°Do not be mistaken, I am not perfect, but I see no reason to hold it 7 years after the fact. The losses during that war taught me my own weakness, showed me what I should fight for, and strengthened my beliefs, so I shall not look back and allow hatred to confine me; I have a promise to keep, and keep it I shall.¡±
He gets off his knees as his armor makes a metallic clanking sound, just from moving. ¡°Once again, you have my thanks for protecting our lord. I shall one day repay my debt to you, mark my words.¡±
Ending the conversation with that vow, he walks past me; his metallic footsteps grow even distant as he walks down the hall. The sense of gratitude I sensed from him, as well as the dignified air he had around him while wearing that armor, is nothing short of knighthood. Although, it¡¯s not just because he¡¯s a knight, but because he cares for the king.
¡°Well, what a surprising development. You have gained Hendrick¡¯s respect, something that should be treasured.¡± King Relius comes from the throne room with a delighted smile, as usual.
¡°King Relius, morning.¡±
¡°Morning yourself. After last night, Hendrick scolded me for leaving the castle.¡±
¡°He scolded you?¡±
Never in my life did I think I would hear a knight who pledged his life to a king would scold that same king.
¡°Yes, he¡¯s like a doting mother rather than a brute whenever I do something idiotic. Sometimes I wish he were¡ Though, I¡¯ve come to rely on the fact he wears his heart on his sleeves; it makes it easy to trust him.¡±
¡°Having such an ally must be a sign of relief in its own right.¡±
¡°Would you consider him family?¡±
¡°Yes, he¡¯s the older brother/ mother figure.¡± There is something awfully wrong with that picture, something that would scar me for life if I dare imagine it. King Relius places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°About last night, thank you for aiding me. I fear without you, I would¡¯ve faced an untimely death. So I must apologize for dragging you into my foolish endeavor.¡±
¡°It¡¯s all right. I¡¯m glad to be of assistance, but in the future, I hope you practice caution, as well as forethought.¡±
¡°Duly noted. Since that is out of the way, I shall be on my way. The duties of a king are quite lengthy and difficult, so I need to get a foothold in it.¡±
¡°Right, and I need to go on patrol once more. I¡¯ll report to you if anything comes up,¡±
He gives me a thumbs-up as he walks back to the throne room. Suddenly, a question that was in my head last night surfaces in the front of my mind.
¡°King Relius: do you care for your kingdom and its people?¡±
Without regard to my manners, I ask it aloud. He stops in his tracks, motionless, showing no emotion with body language. His head slightly turns to have his right eye to face me. ¡°Do I care for them¡?¡± Muttering that, he theatrically spins around, facing me with a delighted look on him. That tells me all I need to know. ¡°...Yes, greatly. I care for them greatly. My father loved all his people, so I must love them as well, for my father.¡±
There is no other way to say it, he¡¯s carrying an unbearable burden on his shoulders by being king. Each step for him is painful as he carries on his late father¡¯s will. Yet, he doesn¡¯t show any resentment, bitterness, disdain, or sorrow, just an iron-clad will to shoulder this burden, as well as a genuine love for his people¡ This man is what I would call a true king.
¡°Legion, would you like to have breakfast with me?¡± he asks.
¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay?¡±
¡°Of course, even a king needs to eat in the morning, and eating with a companion is nothing but delightful. Well?¡±
I can¡¯t see why I would reject his offer. Also, it might be fun to eat with someone like him. Besides, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so maybe I shouldn¡¯t skimp on it too often.
¡°Very well, I accept your invitation to eat with you.¡±
¡°Excellent, we shall engorge ourselves till we burst!¡±
¡°No need to go that far.¡±
¡°Do not fret, it shall be a mild engorging.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think there can be a mild engorging.¡±
¡°Now you are fooling with me!¡±
The kings day off - Finale
Outside the kingdom - morning
In a lush green forest full of small critters that are scurrying around the woods. The wind pushes past the trees, bushes, and grass. Making a mesmerizing sound that eases the soul of any who listen. One such man is taking in this easing sensation from nature. He moves with a sword strapped to his waist, armor covering his torso, shoulders, and kneecaps. His grey hair that is tied up into a ponytail sways as the wind hits it. His loose bangs get in the way of his crimson eyes.
¡°Gah, knew I shoulda gotten this cut off,¡± he complains as he pushes them up.
As he continues down his path, a dreadful roar bellows within the forest. The man stops in his tracks, not out of fear, but for the anticipation of a wild animal. As he waited, the soothing effect the rustling leaves and bushes had disappears Now, they only build up the anticipation for the monster to arrive. The swordsman steels himself as the threat draws closer. He places one hand on his sword¡¯s hilt, waiting for the monster to show itself to him. As the sound of a dangerous creature approaches, he grins as he pushes out air from his nose... Then, without warning, the creature that was approaching bursts into view. Its body is that of a bear, its hide thicker than that of a horse, and its claws sharper than that of a sabertooth tiger. A moment isn''t wasted as the beast swipes its claws for the swordsman. Surly, the swordsman is destined for death¡ But no, that is not what happened. He easily blocks the attack with only one hand. A hit from this beast would normally kill a man, even if they blocked with a sword. However, this lone swordsman blocked it with ease.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
The swordsman simply sighs to himself. ¡°What a weak blow. Aren¡¯t you supposed to be a predator?¡± A fraction of a second is all it takes for the swordsman to slash the beast. It leaves a wound on the beast¡¯s chest as blood pours out. It whales out in pain, tossing and turning on the ground.
¡°Shouldn¡¯t have fought a beast you can¡¯t kill.¡±
His tone is cruel, colder than ice. He swipes his blade over empty air, ridding his blade of any blood, then sheathing it in such a smooth motion. The swordsman takes his leave from the animal. Its cries continue as he walks further away. He is going to leave it to cry on about its wound and possibly die from blood loss because a swordsman feels nothing from beating their opponent¡ At least, that¡¯s what he wanted to do, but as the animal cried out in pain, his conscience kicked in. He immediately went back to patch up its wound with his emergency first-aid kit.
¡°There ya go. Don¡¯t go hunting for animals while it¡¯s recovering.¡± A light moan comes from the animal. ¡°...Also, don¡¯t be hunting people that could kill ya, ¡®kay?¡± Another moan comes from the animal. ¡°Good, now be on your way.¡± Doing as he said, it moves on fours, leaving the open trail the swordsman is taking. The soothing nature of the forest has returned. The swordsman looks down the path he is taking. Once again, he sighs to himself, slumping his shoulders. ¡°Kill without hesitation - rule #3 of being a swordsman¡ How the hell am I supposed to kill a crybaby beast like that?¡± His attention goes toward the sky. A clear blue sky with nothing resembling a cloud. The frustration he¡¯s feeling goes away as he takes in a deep breath. ¡°Eh, whatever, whining ain¡¯t gonna do me good. I still got a job to do, so I better hop to it.¡±
With his mind clearing up, he sets off after his target. What could his target be? Well, that will have to wait for later...
The underground beauties - Part 1
9/19 - Mountainside road - morning
The sun is beaming down on me as I¡¯m driving with my goggles on. It¡¯s hitting my face as I¡¯m moving down this desolate road on a mountainside. The air is a bit thin but I¡¯m still able to breathe. I¡¯m slowly driving with Roadburner. I thought driving on a mountainside would be dangerous. To my surprise, however, it¡¯s not all that bad. There were some curves that the bus had to be precise about as to not fall off, but I was able to help it turn properly. The rest of the way should be a breeze for it.
I¡¯m acting as a scout for the Starbus; that¡¯s the name for the vehicle. Since my bike is fast, if I have to, I can check something out and get back to everyone about it in a heartbeat. Chip is driving on Marie¡¯s bike behind the bus as the rear lookout. The road is big enough for the bus to drive and turn on.
Naturally, I had my doubts about going this way. Marie said we had to go this way. There¡¯s another route, but it involves going near the Kingdom, and that wouldn¡¯t end well if we did. So, this was the next best route. Man, if this is the best, then I don¡¯t want to see the worst. More importantly¡
¡°I¡¯m so bored! We¡¯ve been driving all day! I wanna fight or something, damnit.¡±
At first, I thought I¡¯d be able to drive for a long time, with no sweat. That changed 2 hours in. Can¡¯t believe I¡¯m about to say this, but I¡¯m tired of driving. If we don¡¯t stop soon, then I¡¯m going to explode!
¡°Huh?¡± Below the mountain road, I spot something that resembles a building. Sweet, we can stop when we get there, and there isn¡¯t much road left to cover, so we¡¯re almost there! I stop to wait for the bus to catch up. It stops in its tracks...
¡°Proxy, why have you stopped?¡± Nunnal¨¦, who¡¯s on the roof of the bus, asks me.
She¡¯s the lookout for anything Chip and I miss while we¡¯re covering the bus.
¡°Tell Alex and Marie I saw a village at the bottom of the mountain. I¡¯m gonna go check it out.¡±
¡°Please hold for a moment.¡± She jumps back into the bus from the sky window. A few seconds pass before she comes back from where she entered. ¡°...You have their permission to investigate the area.¡±
¡°Just what I wanted to hear. I¡¯ll be back in a jiffy.¡±
I set off for the building at the same speed I was already going at. This is great! I can¡¯t wait to put my feet on the ground!
¡
Nunnal¨¦ went back up on the bus after talking with Marie and Alexander. She should take a break from lookout for a little. These seats are comfortable than any other bus I been on. The atmosphere of the bus gives off this riding in luxury feel to it. The interior''s colors are vanilla white with black, complementing each other to come off as a cool design. There are lights on the roof of the bus, brightening the inside. However, I have noticed that there are blue lights under the seats.
But back onto Marie and Alexander. I couldn¡¯t hear them talking with Nunnal¨¦ since I¡¯m sitting away from them. Curious to learn what¡¯s going on, I get up from my seat to head over to the siblings.
¡°Richard,¡± Alexander calls as he sees me approaching.
¡°Um, sorry to ask this, but what did you and Nunnal¨¦ talk about?¡±
¡°She told us Proxy found a village at the bottom of the mountain, so we gave him the okay to go scout ahead,¡± Marie explains.
¡°I wonder if he¡¯s sure? I mean, it could¡¯ve been anything.¡±
¡°If that¡¯s what he says he saw, then he should see if it¡¯s true..¡±
¡°What if bandits are there?¡±
¡°Then he¡¯ll warn us before we get there and we¡¯ll go and fight them. We can¡¯t turn back now. This route is the best for the bus since we¡¯re avoiding routes that are being watched by bandits. Yesterday, I had Proxy drive through the first half of this road to see if this road is stable and big enough for the bus.¡±
¡°What if it wasn¡¯t?¡±
¡°Then we would¡¯ve gone down the route that has us drive near the kingdom. Thankfully, we didn¡¯t have to.¡±
¡°Would it be that bad?¡±
¡°The last thing I want is the kingdom coming after us because we have this thing, so I think we made a great decision. Besides, we didn¡¯t encounter any Fire Wraiths. Speaking of which, Elizabeth: we¡¯re going now, drive carefully.¡±
¡°Got it, ma¡¯am. I¡¯ll show ya how slow this girl can go!¡±
Yesterday, we fought a small group of bandits. They were remnants that remained in the South. Our destination is north, but we need to head east first to get on the proper path to our destination.
Now that I think of it, are they going to attack the south while we¡¯re gone? Since our last battle, we''ve proven to be a force to be reckoned with, so I doubt they¡¯ll mount another one so soon. But this is only a theory, I might be wrong¡
¡°You seem concerned over something,¡± Alexander points out.
¡°It¡¯s just¡ What if they attack the south while we¡¯re gone?¡±
¡°No need to worry. The people are stronger than you think. Now that we¡¯ve shown them we can fight against the bandits, they will certainly grow more confident to take up arms and defend themselves. You needn¡¯t worry.¡±
He¡¯s so confident in his words, there isn¡¯t a hint of doubt in them. That¡¯s pretty reassuring.
¡°By the way, Richard, how are you feeling?¡± he asks.
¡°I¡¯m fine. Why?¡±
¡°Because you are our healer, so you must be in superb condition.¡±
¡°O-oh, right!¡±
¡°Brother, don¡¯t make him nervous.¡±
¡°Hehe, I do apologize, but I still believe you should take care of yourself.¡±
Despite my shyness about being in the spotlight, I know what he says is true. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s capable of healing wounds, so I need to live up to expectations.
¡°Anyway, thank you for telling me what¡¯s going on.¡±
¡°No problem,¡± Marie says.
¡°Think nothing of it. You are welcomed to inquire anything from us any time.¡±
I return to the back of the bus. Quincy is sitting by himself with a pile of books on his seat. Then, there''re the twins sitting by themselves, away from everyone else. The tension between them and the army still lingers as everyone looks and talks about them with scorn and disgust. I suppose gaining their trust won¡¯t be easy¡ Maybe I should say hi? Yeah, why not. I know how it feels to be the odd one out in a new environment. Maybe I can close the gap.
With that in mind, I get up from my seat. ¡°Um, hello,¡± I greet them.
¡°Huh, the shit you want!?¡± the unkept brother sneers at me.
I flinch a bit at his harsh tone.
The other brother bops the who cursed at me on the head. ¡°Zeal, what did I say?¡±
¡°S-sorry, bro! I-I-I didn¡¯t mean anything by it!¡±
He¡¯s showing genuine fear of his brother when he''s speaking. I guess I know who¡¯s the big brother between them; at least in terms of hierarchy.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for my brother¡¯s rude behavior.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, think nothing of it. Can I take a seat next to you guys?¡±
¡°You may.¡±
I sit in front of them, then I turn to face them.
¡°My name is Richard. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±
¡°Nice to meet you, too. I am Zell.¡±
¡°A-and I¡¯m Zeal¡ Pleasure to meet ya,¡± he introduces himself in a forced polite manner.
¡°Pleasure.¡±
¡°So what is it you need from us?¡± Zell asks.
¡°I only came to talk. I know everyone else, besides Alexander and Marie, is on guard around you guys. So I wanted to see what¡¯s up.¡±
¡°That¡¯s very kind, however, you do not need to force yourself to speak to us.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m not forcing myself. I know how it feels to be an isolate yourself from others, so I thought it would be nice to sit with someone else besides yourselves.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t pity us!¡±
¡°Zeal,¡± Zell says with a raised voice.
¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯s right. I don¡¯t want to come off as if I am. I know it can be annoying at times, but I do just wanna talk with you guys.¡±
Zeal rubs the back of his head. ¡°Yeah, it is annoying¡ But since you admit that, I guess you ain¡¯t all that annoying.¡±
¡°So is it okay if I talk to you guys?¡±
¡°Whatever, do what you want.¡±
¡°Great.¡±
Zeal leans back in his seat as he laps his right leg on his lap. ¡°I have a question: You and that Proxy kid, you come from somewhere else, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, another world.¡±
¡°Ha, just like he said. Frankly, I don¡¯t buy it! How can I believe that? Show me proof.¡± Wow, that¡¯s the first time no one believed us; I¡¯m stunned... ¡°Well?¡±
¡°Now, now, no need to push him. If he says so, I believe him.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. Here.¡± I pull out my student I.D. ¡°Over here it says the school I go to and the city and state I live in.¡±
Zell takes the card as Zeal looks at it.
¡°Richard: Senior middle schooler, St. Merlin boarding school.¡±
Zeal raises an eyebrow. ¡°What¡¯s a school? Do you know, brother?¡±
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Zell shrugs his shoulders. ¡°I am unsure.¡±
¡°It¡¯s a facility to learn things, like practical applications towards living society, or just stuff to fill a specific field of work. But it¡¯s also a place where kids around ages 11-14 go.¡±
Zell¡¯s eyes beam from curiosity. ¡°That sounds amazing. How do you go about learning, though?¡±
¡°We just sit in a room and listen to a teacher for about 30 minutes and then go to another classroom to listen to a teacher speak about another subject. Of course, we do paperwork as well and other stuff. We repeat this about six more times, then the day ends.¡±
¡°Man, that sounds boring as shit.¡± Yep, it¡¯s almost as if I¡¯m talking to Proxy. ¡°You get to fight?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s against the rules to do so.¡±
¡°Seriously, then why the hell would anyone wanna go?¡±
Yep, it feels like I am talking to him¡ Hang on; I got a way to break the ice.
¡°...But there are kids in my building, as well as the ones from the high school building that do fight.¡±
¡°Really? How do they fight?¡±
¡°Depends, but their fights are pretty big and out of control.¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°Proxy told me that one time, he saw two rival gangs duking it out. He said that there was a lot of blood coming from everyone there. At least, that¡¯s what he says. Oh, he also said at one point, he saw the leader of the St. Merlin gang beat about 12 rival gang members and didn¡¯t get hit once.¡±
Zeal jumps from his seat, his fist pumped. ¡°Too awesome, just too awesome! If that¡¯s how these school kids go down, then consider me impressed. No wonder Proxy is so ballsy!¡± That¡¯s not too far off the mark. ¡°So, do you fight?¡±
¡°Not really. I can¡¯t fight at all.¡±
¡°Heh, what a weakling. You probably piss yourself in the first sign of trouble.¡±
That sets me off more than it should¡¯ve because I can feel a vein in my forehead pop. I know what he¡¯s saying is true, but it¡¯s irritating the way he said it, and I¡¯d never piss myself!
¡°As a matter of fact, I broke a guy¡¯s arm.¡±
He shoots me a weirded-out expression that screams, ¡®you¡¯re kidding, right?¡¯ ¡°You, breaking a guy¡¯s arm? How did ya, huh?¡±
¡°Well, it¡¯s sort of unbelievable. I can harden parts of my body and I can also heal people. When the guy tried to attack my head, I hardened it to be stronger than he can handle.¡±
The two of them freeze from my explanation, their eyes widened. I knew it would sound too unbelievable.
¡°...You have the same abilities as me then?¡± Zell replies.
¡°Yeah, I know, it¡¯s-- What did you say!?¡±
I jump forward at Zell, who leans back from me.
¡°I have the same abilities,¡± Zell restates what he said.
¡°Re-really? How did you learn Source?¡±
¡°I was taught by the Phantom Flame himself.¡±
¡°Phantom Flame?¡±
¡°Yes, that is the leader of the bandits.¡±
The leader of the bandits knows how to teach Source, then he must be able to use it as well. If that¡¯s the case, then I need to learn more.
¡°Has he ever used his Source in front of you?¡±
¡°No, he hasn¡¯t. He¡¯s cautious about how he acts around us, showing very little of his abilities.¡±
¡°What if someone tries to fight him?¡±
¡°Nah, that ain¡¯t gonna happen. The first captain, Scar, is a loyal dog to him, so he wouldn¡¯t let anyone get close. That dude can use fire, so anyone who messes with him gets turned to ashes.¡±
That means the first captain is an Elemental Prime user.
¡°What about the other captains?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t know. They¡¯re careful bastards about their abilities. Honestly, that shit made me hate them even more. Why the shit do they know what my brother can do but we can¡¯t learn what they can do. Shit pissed me off!¡±
It makes sense to keep their abilities secret from one another; that way, they can¡¯t use that against them. We have to be careful about how we fight the bandits from now on.
¡°Enough about that. Tell me more about these gangs in your world,¡± Zeal leans forward with an excited look.
¡°And tell me about where you come from.¡±
They give off this child-like sense of enthusiasm. Both of them are looking at me with expressions of curiosity and wonder that mirror the other. I know they¡¯re twins, but it still amazes me, nonetheless.
¡°Okay, I¡¯ll try to do my best."
Abandoned village - morning
I finally made it off the mountain road, now I can go at my usual speed. The area I saw is just up ahead. Hopefully, I wasn¡¯t just seeing things... Arriving; I spot the building I saw from the road. There are houses here that I didn¡¯t see from up top; they¡¯re smaller compared to the building I saw. I slow down to take a look around.
¡°No one seems to be around, and the road here is big enough for the bus to park. Maybe we can--¡±
A feminine scream echoes throughout the area, cutting me off.
¡°Someone¡¯s here!?¡±
I speed off to where the scream came off from. It was at the big house, so I''ll go there! A few seconds is all it takes for me to reach my goal. I see a girl surrounded by 4 bandits. Good, now I got some practice dummies.
¡°Speed up, RoadBurner!¡±
Our speed picks up as we aim for one of the bandits. He turns his head just when I did a backflip off the bike. Spinning in the air feels great, especially after jumping off a bike. Of course, I land on my feet without stumbling.
¡°Ta-da!¡± A is missing. RoadBurner must¡¯ve gotten him. That only leaves 3. ¡°Quick question, guys: which one of you wants their shit kicked in first?¡±
Ignoring my threat, they charge at me with their weapons in hand. Bring it, I¡¯ve been dying for a fight! I draw my swords while making my move. The first one goes for a stab, but I knock the blade out of the way, then I hit the side of his head with the back of my blade. The second comes in with the third one. Two blades close in for my chest. Being faster than both of them combined, I evade the attack. One of them follows me with his sword still aimed at my chest. His left palm is pressed up against the butt of the hilt, using it like a knife. Because his form is bad, I¡¯m able to take advantage of it by hitting the blade with one of my swords. Then, using the other one to knock him out cold. The last one quakes as he holds his sword defensively. This moment of weakness leads me to go in for the kill; metaphorically.
He does a horizontal swing that misses me by a few inches between it and my hair. Right before he swung, I slid to avoid it. As he jerks his head below, facing me, my foot zones in for his crotch. A shriveled cry leaves his mouth as he drops his blade. He keels over to the ground, grabbing his balls. As he moans, he stumbles to his feet, running away while leaving his friends behind. Actually, ¡®friends¡¯ might be the wrong word.
Either way, I sheath my swords as a chuckle escapes my mouth. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m the man!
¡°A-ah, thank you... f-for s-saving me,¡± the girl behind me says.
¡°Ah, it¡¯s no-- Waah!¡± She suddenly hugs me from behind. I¡¯m being swung around like a rocking chair. ¡°Easy, easy, easy! I slip out of her hold. "Geez, can you at least warn me before doing that?"
¡°O-oh! I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s just, I was so happy when someone saved me, that I...I just couldn¡¯t hold back!¡±
She once again lunges herself at me. This time, I dodge the attempt. However, she losses her foot, hitting the ground.
¡°Oh, crap! Are you okay!?¡±
She turns to me with an undisturbed smile. Her forehead leaking blood. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡±
¡°No, you¡¯re bleeding, dumbass!¡±
Getting a good look at the girl, she''s wearing a white gown that doesn''t cover her shoulders. She has short, navy blue hair that stops a few inches past her shoulder. Her face looks young, maybe around my age. And her body is what I would say is feminine.
Just as I¡¯m about to check her wound, I see the Starbus pulling into the village. The door on the side of the front part of the bus opens. Marie is the first one to come out.
¡°Proxy, are you here?¡±
¡°Over here.¡±
She runs over to me. ¡°Shit, are you okay? Let me look at that!¡± She moves the girl¡¯s bangs to get a closer look. ¡°Not too bad, but looks painful. Proxy, go get Richard.¡±
¡°Right.¡±
I book it for the bus. Reaching it, I jump up the steps, stepping inside. ¡°Buddy, we need you outside,¡± I yell.
¡°Coming.¡±
He gets up from the far back row. I exit the bus before he can move toward me.
¡°Proxy, what¡¯s going on?¡± Richard asks me as he¡¯s coming out of the bus.
¡°Someone¡¯s injured.¡±
¡°Where at?¡±
I lead the way to the hug crazy girl. She¡¯s still sitting on the ground with a smile on her face; as if she didn¡¯t do a face-plant on the ground. Richard gets to work on healing her forehead.
¡°Ah, my wound is gone. Thank you.¡±
Her smile grew even wider.
¡°Oh, i-it¡¯s no big deal.¡±
Yeah right, I can see you blushing.
¡°So, how did you get that wound?¡± Marie asks.
¡°I was going to hug him for saving me, but he moved out of the way and I tripped¡¡±
A sudden chill runs down my spine. This feeling is more than familiar¡ Oh god, I don¡¯t turn around, don¡¯t turn around, don¡¯t turn around! Even though I say that, I look anyway. Yep, she¡¯s pissed.
¡°W-wait, how was I s-supposed to know she was gonna trip. Besides, her hugs could snap someone¡¯s neck¡ Umm, you¡¯re not gonna¡?¡±
¡°Get over here, you moron!¡±
¡°Ah!¡±
She chases after me with a face that can only be rivaled by the devil himself. We run in circles around the girl and Richard. My heart is going to burst out of my heart with her running after me with that face!
¡
¡°I¡¯d like to thank you for saving me,¡± the hug crazy girl says.
¡°No problem, right, Proxy?¡± Marie says as she passes the buck to me.
¡°Yeah...sure,¡± I mutter.
There¡¯s a sore spot on the back of my head from her Amazon-like strikes. Why the hell did she even hit me; I did nothing wrong.
¡°What are you doing out here? Is there anyone else here?¡± Richard asks her.
¡°There is are people here, they¡¯re not up here, though.¡±
¡°Up here?¡± I repeat.
¡°Yes, down there.¡±
The girl points to the ground. So they¡¯re underground?
¡°Why are you up here, then?¡±
¡°I kind of snuck out.¡± Can she not come out whenever she wants? ¡°I¡¯m going to head back down since it is not safe... Why don¡¯t you all come with me?¡±
¡°Can we?¡±
¡°Of course, you saved me, so I¡¯m sure the elder will allow you to come in.¡±
Hmm, I wonder what this underground place is like? Last time I was underground, it was a hellhole.
¡°If you¡¯re sure, but we have a large group, so we don¡¯t want to be trouble if we don¡¯t have to be,¡± Marie informs.
¡°It is fine!¡± Alex comes from behind, slinging his arms around me and Marie. ¡°We accept your offer. But will there be room for all of us?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s big enough for all of you.¡±
¡°Excellent, then we shall hopefully be your guests.¡±
Man, this is moving a bit too fast. Whatever, at least I can finally get off my bike for a bit.
¡°Proxy, go get everyone else from the bus and tell Elizabeth to park the bus somewhere appropriate.¡±
¡°Since when am I the errand boy?¡±
¡°Such stamina and yet you can¡¯t do something so simple?¡±
Oh, damnit, now she just triggered it! ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll show you how easy I make this!¡±
Screaming my lungs out, I run towards the bus like a madman. In hindsight, I should¡¯ve known that Marie was using reverse psychology, yet I¡¯m still falling for it.
Tunnel connecting underground and up-ground - morning
The entire army entered a tunnel that leads underground. It¡¯s a bit cramped and clumping together isn¡¯t helping. I¡¯m not claustrophobic, but this is a bit much...
¡°How far does this go, I¡¯m not good with closed spaces like this,¡± Chip asks the girl.
¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡±
¡°Funny, never heard you complain about that in prison,¡± I tell him.
¡°Cause I never got thrown in solitary. Also, I could see things other than stone."
¡°My room had windows of the outside of the prison, but it was of the rock walls surrounding the prison,¡± Gil comments.
¡°Shit, man, I remember that room. Good times.¡±
¡°They sure were.¡±
¡°Wait, y¡¯all were in prison at BlackRock?¡± Elizabeth asks us.
¡°Yeah, and we broke out,¡± Chip answers.
¡°Shit, really!? Wait, so that¡¯s how Alex got out?¡±
¡°Pretty much. I was only there for a couple of days, but I broke the dude out. Of course, Chip helped, and we took Gil as a bonus.¡±
Alex laughs, his voice reverberates inside the tunnel. ¡°That was truly a wild time.¡±
¡°Hell yeah, it was. A lot of it was pretty wild when me and Richard were new to this place, but it¡¯s nothing now. I¡¯ve adjusted to this world.¡±
¡°Yet, oddly enough, you still suck with a bow,¡± Marie remarks.
¡°Shut up! Bows just ain¡¯t my thing. Right, Alex?¡±
¡°I agree, we¡¯re simply better with swords.¡±
¡°Yep, we are¡¡±
Remembering those past events feels like a lifetime ago. All the hardship that we experienced, trials and tribulations, even some of my worst mistakes, feel like distant memories. Actually, distant is not the right word; I would say fresh is the proper term. However, now I¡¯m here, walking with all these guys, with a purpose and a reason to get stronger. There¡¯s no going back and I don¡¯t intend to, so I¡¯ll fight and get stronger!
¡°We¡¯re here,¡± the girl announces.
We pass through the exit of the tunnel. We¡¯re standing on a wide platform that has stone tiles that are neatly and obviously painstakingly put together, so they would all line up perfectly. This attention to detail is familiar, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it¡
Alex is at the edge of the platform. ¡°This is marvelous!¡±
I move to him with Richard and Nunnal¨¦ behind me. ¡°What¡¯s so¡¡± My voice goes dead as I gaze at what he¡¯s looking at. Down here, there are many small buildings. It¡¯s like a small town down here. All the way in the back is a gigantic building that¡¯s shaped like a tower. There are lights down there brightening the streets¡
¡°Proxy¡ This looks like.¡±
¡°...The Hell Mine.¡±
We turn our heads to the girl. ¡°What is this place,¡± Richard beats me to the punch of asking the same question.
¡°This is our village, welcome.¡±
The underground beauties - Part 2
Underground town- morning
We step off the stairs that leads up to the platform we were on a minute ago. On my way down, I got a good view of how the streets and buildings are. This doesn¡¯t have the same layout as the village I found in the Hell Mine, but the aesthetic and design of the buildings are the same. The one in the mine is long gone since the Mine was destroyed.
¡°Proxy,¡± Richard leans toward me. ¡°...you know about this place?¡±
¡°I saw something like this in the Hell Mine. I even found your glasses there.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah, I remember losing my glasses there. You know, I still remember getting punched by Racheal¡¯s father¡ I never want to experience something like that ever again.¡±
¡°I hope so, too. I was scared half to death that you would bite the dust...¡±
Memories of the Mine is flooding back as I look around this place. Of course, it¡¯s not enough to make me break out in a cold sweat, however, it¡¯s kind of freaky, in its own way; the type of way that makes it seem like we walked back into that place.
¡°Hey, what¡¯s what¡¯s up with you two?¡± Marie asks as creeps up behind us. She¡¯s real sneaky when she wants to be. ¡°...You guys look like you seen a ghost.¡±
¡°Kind of. We seen a place like this before, back in the Hell Mine,¡± Richard informs her.
Her eyebrows raise from the mention of the Hell Mine. ¡°There was? Weird.¡±
¡°How is our village weird?¡± The hug crazy girl walks in front of us, with her cheerful smile still plastered on her face.
¡°No reason,¡± I tell her. In truth, the subject doesn¡¯t matter to me all that much. Whether this place and that one are similar or not doesn¡¯t matter to me. But where the hell is anyone else down here? The buildings here are empty, the only lights that are on are the street lights. It¡¯s as if this is a ghost town. ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡±
¡°They¡¯re all in that building.¡± She points to the tower way in front of us. The neat stone-layered road leads up to it. Getting a good look at it from the front, it''s a tower palace. It shares the Victorian as everything else. ¡°Shall we be off to see the elder?¡±
¡°Hang on, this elder, what is he like,¡± Chip, with his shifty tone, asks the question that hadn¡¯t popped into my head.
¡°It is a she, and you¡¯ll see. Come, come!¡±
She takes my hand, pulling me forward as she leads us to the tower palace as if I was the one who asked the question.
¡°Hey, take it easy! You don¡¯t have to drag me.¡±
I break out of her grip.
¡°Oh, sorry, I was excited. I didn¡¯t mean to be annoying.¡±
Well, when she puts it like that, I can¡¯t exactly come and say ¡°yeah you are¡±. I¡¯m only rude to my enemies...
¡°Eh, I guess it¡¯s okay, but are you always get that easily excited?¡±
She lets out a nervous laugh while rubbing the back of her head. ¡°I am, it¡¯s unbecoming of me, I know.¡±
¡°Nah, it¡¯s fine, just don¡¯t go and snap my neck when you hug or something like that, kay?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not strong enough to do something like that.¡±
Yeah, you¡¯re selling yourself short there.
¡°At least I don¡¯t have to worry about that from you, uhh...?¡±
¡°Oh, my! I forgot to tell you.¡± This girl is more than a bit ditzy. ¡°My name is--¡±
¡°Vella, what are you doing out here?¡± A grown woman calls this girl¡¯s attention, their voice sounding mature, if that¡¯s the right word. She¡¯s wearing the same white gown. Her hair is long and black, it¡¯s covering a half of her face. The woman¡¯s attention comes to us as we¡¯re all standing around. ¡°Who are these people?¡±
¡°He saved me from some bad guys...outside of here.¡±
She places a finger on her lips as she eyes us. ¡°Really?¡± The bottom of her heels clicks against the ground as she walks toward us, stopping in front of me. She¡¯s a bit taller than me.
¡°Thank you for saving this poor girl. As you can tell, she¡¯s a¡simple-minded girl.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not simple-minded, I¡¯m single-minded,¡± she cheerfully corrects her, failing to realize she didn¡¯t make it sound any better.
¡°Right, of course, how could I forget,¡± the woman says in a way that makes her sound like she¡¯s talking to a baby.
She rubs Vella¡¯s cheeks and she also pokes at them and squeezes them.
¡°Stop it, you¡¯re embarrassing me!¡±
Even though she said that, she¡¯s clearly enjoying it.
¡°Um, excuse me,¡± Alex calls their attention. ¡°...I don¡¯t wish to be rude, but may I know your name as well?¡±
¡°Oh, where are my manners. I am Vezra. It is a pleasure to meet you.¡± She and Vella elegantly bow to us. The men in the group seem to be mesmerizing by them. ¡°...As a token of appreciation, allow us to have our elder reward you all.¡±
¡°The elder is in that tower, correct?¡±
¡°She is, don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t bite,¡± Verza tells me, her face contorting into a teasing smile.
Man, so she¡¯s one of those ladies, huh? Eh, not that I mind¡
Tower - palace - morning
Setting foot into the palace gives me the same feeling when I entered the castle in the kingdom; like I¡¯m stepping into a different world from this one. The interior, as expected, shares the Victorian design that the other buildings do. The colors that dominate the interior are brown and red. There¡¯s a staircase in the center of the room, leading up to another floor.
This place is what I would call a palace. The only place that can compete with this place is the Kingdom¡¯s castle.
There are a couple of girls walking down from the stairs, wearing the same gown as the two we came in with. They see us near the entrance of the palace.
¡°Strangers,¡± one of them points out, taken back by our appearance.
¡°Vezra, Vella, what are strangers doing here?¡±
¡°We wish to have the elder reward them,¡± Vella answers.
¡°Why reward them?¡±
¡°That¡¯s because this boy saved me when I was being attacked by bandits outside. Since these people are with him, I thought we could have the elder reward them."
"You went outside? The elder will get mad at you!" one of the girls yells, her voice sharp.
"I-I know.¡± Her smile turns to a wry one as the thought occurs to her. ¡°...But is the elder busy? Can we speak with her?¡±
¡°Yes, I suppose you can, but you¡¯ll have to accept whatever punishment she gives you, right?¡±
¡®Yes, I understand, thank you for the warning,¡± she replies, her bright smile returns to her. ¡°Would you like to accompany us?¡±
¡°I suppose so. I am interested in these outsiders.¡±
The girls lead the way upstairs while we follow close behind.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
¡°Man, these girls are beautiful,¡± Chip whispers. ¡°Proxy, Blondy, what do you think?¡±
¡°I have no idea, but I am excited to see where this leads,¡± Alex answers with innocents curiosity.
¡°What do you think, then?¡± Chip passes the question to me.
¡°What? Yeah, I guess they¡¯re beautiful.¡±
¡°You guess? What¡¯s wrong with you two!? Ain¡¯t it obvious!?¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I said it. You trippin¡¯ or something?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t trip,¡± he barks, the meaning has gone over his head. ¡°...All I¡¯m saying is how can you guys be so aloof to the pretty girls!?¡±
¡°Dude, what¡¯s up with you? We already have girls like Marie, Nunnal¨¦, and Elizabeth.¡±
The girls, save for Nunnal¨¦, puff their chest with pride.
¡°Listen, man, those girls are¡ They¡¯re too rough for my liking. They¡¯re not what I would call... ideal femininity.¡±
A sudden, deadly pressure erupts from the girls listening to our conversation. The intensity they¡¯re producing rivals an oven burner, or a wildfire, to be accurate.
Elizabeth approaches Chip, putting her arm over his shoulders. "So, we ain''t pretty?"
"H-huh?"
Marie copies what Elizabeth did. "You think we''re not beauties?"
"Hang on a minute¡! That''s not what I--"
"Nah, we know what ya meant!"
"Gotta say, we¡¯re not happy."
"C-c-come on¡ They didn''t say you were beautiful either! In fact, I bet they think your not."
Their fire turns to us, cooking me and Alexander, metaphorically. You son of a bitch, don''t drag us to hell with you!
"Brother, you think I''m cute, yeah?"
"Proxy, bud, you think ol'' Elizabeth is charmin'', right?"
Well, this is bad. Better come up with something, or I¡¯m getting my ass kicked.
¡°Hey, come on, I¡¯m sure there are guys out there who like muscled women, and besides, it¡¯s not like you guys lack charm.¡±
¡°You think?¡±
¡°Of course, there¡¯s bound to be people out there who likes girls like you.¡±
¡°What do ya mean, ¡®like me¡¯?¡± Oh, shit. ¡°Ya know what, maybe I oughta show ya what my muscles can do.¡±
¡°Wait, wait, wait! It was just the slip of the tongue, nothing too serious.¡±
Her fists impacts against my head. It¡¯s as if a rock came crashing from the sky. How the hell does her hits hurt more than getting stabbed!?
Alex trudges over to me, looking like a zombie.
¡°Girls...are scary,¡± I whisper to avoid pissing off the girls any further.
¡°Yes...they are terrifying.¡±
¡°Take for taking one for the team, guys,¡± Chip shoots us a thumbs up.
¡°You bastard, I¡¯ll curse your food and I¡¯ll hope for your meals to taste terrible!¡±
¡°My taste buds can handle anything, so cursing won¡¯t do.¡±
Oh...you haven¡¯t seen what horrors a man of culinary can whip up when he tries...
We ascend the stairs in silence, trying to not speak about anything involving girls. We kept going up from different staircases after reaching the level they connect to. Vella shoots me a smile as she walks beside me. We finally reach the end of the last set of stairs, we¡¯re on the top floor of the tower. A regular-sized door greets us. it¡¯s across from the stairs, being a few yards away. Several chandeliers are hung up on the ceiling, lighting up the path to the door. To top it off, there are several girls up here, coming from hallways that are on the side of the hall. Their attention is directed to us as we arrive. A red carpet on the floor, leading to the door, the girls looking and talking about us is making me feel like I¡¯m some sort of hero.
¡°So many girls," Gil whispers, amazed by their number.
"Yeah, and no guys anywhere," Richard points out.
Hey, what''s up with that? I can hear what some of the girls on the sidelines are saying; some calling us handsome, somewhat scary looking, and referring to me, Richard, and Nunnal¨¦ as young.
"This is sort of embarrassing, huh?" Richard says, lowering his head from view.
"Master, why are you blushing?"
"No reason, it''s just¡ Nothing, forget it."
"You''re acting weird, dude," I tell him.
"I-it''s not my fault. I''m just not used to this type of attention, is all."
Zeal obnoxiously snickers aloud. "Now you¡¯re pissing yourself, ain¡¯t ya?"
¡°I¡¯m not!¡±
¡°You totally are!¡±
¡°Zeal, you shouldn¡¯t speak, especially since you--¡±
¡°Lalalalala, can¡¯t hear you, I can¡¯t hear you, brother!¡±
We stop in front of the door. It¡¯s a clean, brown, wooden door. The older woman opens the door, a strong breeze hits my face as the door opens; there¡¯s a whiff of fragrance that enters my nose. It¡¯s no different than the fragrance the girls in my school use, so that must mean the elder is also a girl.
Vella turns to us. ¡°We¡¯re about to meet with the elder. We will be back in a moment, so please wait here.¡±
With elegance, they enter the room, closing it behind them. Hopefully, this doesn¡¯t take too long. Looking around, the girls are still giving us their undivided attention, yet not moving any closer toward us. This is awkward¡ Screw it, might as well introduce myself. Of course, I can¡¯t just do it normally.
¡°Ladies, how are you this fine evening? I am the one, the only, and the grandest delinquent of NewPort Island: Proxy!¡± I grab Richard by the arm, as well as Alex. ¡°...And this guy is my buddy/partner: Richard.¡±
¡°H-hello. Nice to meet you all,¡± he yells, stiff as a board.
¡°And this is--¡±
¡°I am Alexander, it is a pleasure to meet you all,¡± he finishes with a graceful bow.
The girls swoon over him from his self-introduction¡ He didn¡¯t let me introduce him.
A couple of the girls come over to Ricard, me, Alex, and the rest of us.
¡°So are you guys from the outside?¡± one of them asks.
I strike a pose, my finger points toward the north, or where I think north is. ¡°Yep, we are,¡± I answer. ¡°We come from the south so we can venture to the north!¡±
¡°You¡¯re on a journey?¡± one of them asks.
¡°So to speak, but we¡¯re really--¡±
¡°Attention, everyone, may I have your attention?¡± We turn to the door, the girls who went in are in front of it. ¡°We have spoken to the elder. She has acknowledged that boy¡¯s good deed.¡± The girl¡¯s attention goes from the others on to me. ¡°...As a result, we would ask them to stay here for 4 days.¡±
4 days doesn¡¯t sound too bad, hell, I can use a break from the road for a bit. Though, that depends on Alex and Marie¡
¡°I don¡¯t see why not. We would be honored to stay here,¡± Alex responds.
¡°Yeah, we can use a break,¡± Marie follows up.
¡°Excellent, then we shall throw you all a banquet, in honor of your stay here.¡±
A union of cheers sounds off from the girls. The word banquet is enough to get me excited.
¡°She also said we need to act as escorts for our guests during their stay here. So pick who you''ll be escorting, everyone."
Like picking teammates for street basketball, the girls pick the guys they want to escort by wrapping their arms around theirs. Most of the girls are coming toward me since I saved one of their own. As they clump around me, they¡¯re squishing me with their boobs. Shit, at this rate, I¡¯m going to be turned into mincemeat! Time to escape! Using all my agility and swift skills, I slip away from the girls, rolling away from them. ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re all suffocating me,¡±
They stare me down with puppy-dog eyes. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to offend you.¡±
¡°We really are sorry.¡±
¡°We are.¡±
Why are they apologizing? Great, now I feel like I did something bad.
¡°No, it¡¯s alright, really. But only one of you can escort me, kay?¡± Saying that, their face perk up, eager for me to pick one of them. Some of them pose seductively for me to pick them. Honestly, I¡¯m kind of uncomfortable with this, but I ain¡¯t gonna chicken out of this¡ The hug crazy girl is standing next to one of them¡ Hm¡ Yeah, that¡¯s it.
I point to her. ¡°You!¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡± she asks, posing her question without breaking her happy attitude.
¡°Kind of, besides, I kind of owe you an apology for having you face-plant against the floor.¡±
¡°Oh, what a gentleman,¡± the woman named Vezra says. ¡°You got lucky, Vella. Treat him well,¡± she ends by giving her a comforting smile.
¡°Understood!¡±
Why do I have a bad feeling about this whole thing? Whatever, I¡¯m the one who chose her, so why bother questioning it now?
¡°Okay, girls, let¡¯s escort our guest to the dining hall!¡±
Vezra leads the way to the dining hall.
Vella approaches beside me. ¡°Shall we be going?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Okay, but can I ask you something? Why did you choose me?¡±
¡°I already told you.¡±
¡°I might be ditzy but I can read people. Come on, it isn¡¯t embarrassing, is it?¡±
¡°Why would it be? I¡¯m serious about wanting to apologize for your injury.¡±
¡°But it¡¯s healed, so why does it matter?¡±
¡°What if it didn¡¯t¡±
¡°Then it would fade, so it¡¯s no big deal.¡±
I mean, she¡¯s not wrong, however, it doesn¡¯t make it any better. Besides, it¡¯s only common sense that you would say sorry for getting someone hurt; Birch drilled that into my head, along with other stuff...
¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, I still need to say sorry for letting it happen. Whether it heals or not doesn¡¯t matter. So, for the rest of my stay here, you can boss me around.¡±
Her joyful smile breaks for a second, turning to a puzzled look. It goes back to normal as she places a hand over her mouth. She¡¯s trying to hold in her laughter.
¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±
¡°Nothing, I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t be laughing,¡± she says as she¡¯s still trying not to. ¡°It¡¯s just...you¡¯re so strange.¡±
¡°The pot calling the kettle black,¡± I tell her in a dry tone.
¡°What does that mean?¡±
By god, how do you guys not even have that as a phrase!?
¡°It¡¯s just a saying from home, forget it.¡±
She lets a giggle escape her mouth. ¡°You really are odd.¡±
¡°Again, you shouldn¡¯t be the one to talk.¡±
This girl is really a strange one; she treats her being attacked by the bandits like it was nothing, and doesn¡¯t care if she got hurt or not; hell, her reaction to having her head split open is weird. Overall: she¡¯s strange. At least she¡¯s tough.
¡°Come on, we need to go, or else we¡¯ll be left behind,¡± she says.
¡°Yeah, lead the way.¡±
She takes the lead for the dining hall. Despite my apprehension with this chick, I can see that this going to be fun, so I might as well stop bitching and just roll with the punches...
The underground beauties - Part 3
Underground town - banquet hall - morning
Through a door screaming style and high-class, we enter a grand hall, chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and candles burn brightly to illuminate this fantastic banquet hall. It has the same Victorian-style decor as everything else here. There Four long tables are lined up in rows, each one can probably seat more than 40 people. Saying this place and the Kingdom¡¯s castle are on the same level is like saying water is wet, or ice is cold.
I suck up air into my lungs as I puff my chest out. ¡°Echo!¡± My voice travels across the hall. ¡°Sick!¡±
¡°Echo!¡± Vella shouts into the room. Her voice resonates inside the massive hall. ¡°Wow, that is fun!¡±
¡°Exactly! Richard, do it too.¡±
He gives me a strange look. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°It¡¯s kind of childish.¡±
¡°And? We¡¯re still kids, you know.¡±
¡°Well¡¡±
¡°Echo!¡± Alex¡¯s voice booms throughout the hall, catching me off guard. ¡°...You are right, this is fun.¡±
¡°Yep, it is! Let¡¯s--¡±
Marie hits me and Alexander on the head. I was too slow to evade it. ¡°Stop acting so immature!¡±
Damn, that really stinks. Damnit, why did she have to hit me!?
¡°We¡¯re sorry for them,¡± she apologizes to Vezra, who is acting as head hostess.
¡°It¡¯s not a big deal. I love kids with energy; they¡¯re just so cute.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not cute, I¡¯m a badass who¡¯s armed and dangerous,¡± I add a hint of edge to my voice.
¡°He¡¯s just so adorable. Is he your little brother?¡± Vezra asks Marie.
¡°Nah, but ain¡¯t he the cutest thing?¡± She said that just to make fun of me, and that face that¡¯s mocking me proves it. She¡¯s an evil woman, mark my words! Now I can see why Richard didn¡¯t want to join in. ¡°...However, shall we get seated? Sit anywhere you¡¯d like. We¡¯ll have you all served in a short moment.
With our escorts, we head over to the table on the far left of the room. I sit with Vella, Richard, Nunnal¨¦, and their escort, who are as young as us. Chip, Gil, and Alex take a seat in front of us with their escorts. While Chip and Alex¡¯s are slim, beautiful women, Gil¡¯s is a girl who isn¡¯t too tall, but she¡¯s packing some muscle; I¡¯d say it¡¯s on the same level as Elizabeth.
Zeal and Zell take a seat with theirs as well. Zell seems as composed as ever. Zeal, though, he¡¯s sitting with his head hung low, averting his gaze away from his escort.
¡°Yo, Zeal, what¡¯s wrong?¡±
¡°N-nothing! Shut up!¡±
¡°Shit man, I was just asking?¡± He didn¡¯t have to yell at me like that. Though, he sounds tense. ¡°Anyway, ignoring this grump, does everyone want to introduce their escorts? I¡¯ll go first, this is Vella.¡±
She bows her head. ¡°Pleasure to meet you all.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Chip, pleasure to meet ya.¡±
¡°And I¡¯m Gilhart, it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡±
¡°My, you two look awfully suspicious,¡± she says without any filter. Although, she makes it sound like a compliment.
¡°You think,¡± Chip says, leaning forward.
¡°I am not suspicious! My late friend always told me you¡¯re only suspicious if someone catches you stealing their shoes.¡±
Oh yeah, I forgot that guy had a weird-ass friend like that. Though, weird doesn¡¯t cut it.
¡°Have you ever been caught?¡± Vella presses
¡°No, not really.¡±
¡°Ah, then you aren¡¯t suspicious.¡±
That¡¯s all it takes to steer clear of suspicion?
¡°What about you, mr. Chip? Do you steal shoes?¡±
¡°Nah, I used to steal bigger game. That¡¯s how I went to prison.¡±
The girl next to Chip gasps. ¡°Prison, I didn¡¯t know you went.¡±
¡°Yeah, Gilhart and Proxy were in jail with me. Heck, even blondie was there. Ain¡¯t that right?¡±
We face Alex, who¡¯s talking with his escort. ¡°...So you can juggle these cups?¡±
¡°Yes, though, I¡¯m still a novice.¡±
¡°You have to show me.¡±
¡°Are you sure? What if I drop one on you by accident?¡¯
¡°Do not fret, I have a head of iron, thanks to my sister.¡±
On the other side of the room, someone sneezed...
The escort fidgets as she takes her eyes on and off Alex, who is eyeing her like a kid who wants to go on a rollercoaster.
¡°O-okay, I¡¯ll do it. May I borrow a cup?¡±
I give her the cup in front of me. She puts both of them in the palm of her hands. Her breathing goes silent, it¡¯s steadier than it was before. It¡¯s a vague feeling, but I feel as if she¡¯s slipped into a state of zen. I hold my breath, mimicking her state of stillness.
Her eyelids shoot open, focusing her sight onto the cups. A simple flick of her wrist sends the cups upward. The moment they touch her palms, she sends them back up into the air, shifting them towards the other hand. This process is repeated as she picks up the speed of her juggling. The cups are circling each other as they¡¯re being pushed up. It¡¯s amazing, even if I can do better. But I don¡¯t care to brag about it¡ Yep, I don¡¯t feel the urge to show off, none at all¡
The cups land on the palm of her hands, closing her juggling act. We clap to celebrate her performance. Not the flashiest way to do it, but still damn good.
She places the cups back onto the table before taking a bow. ¡°Thank you for watching. I hope it was to your liking.¡±
¡°That was awesome!¡±
¡°It was truly amazing, thank you for the display.¡±
The escort blushes from our praise. Now that we¡¯re starting to have a bit of fun, I might as well keep it going.
¡°So, now that¡¯s out of the way, why don¡¯t we talk about something cool.¡±
¡°What would that be?¡± Alex asks.
¡°Hmm¡ How about where me and Richard come from.¡±
Chip lets out an annoyed grumble. ¡°Ah, not this again.¡±
¡°Hey, us being from another world is cool as hell. Don¡¯t diss our origin story!¡±
¡°But we heard it several times at this point. Give it a rest.¡±
¡°I never tire of the story,¡± Alex comes to my defense. ¡°...It¡¯s wondrous to know there¡¯s another world.¡±
¡°I agree, I wanna go and see it someday,¡± Gil chimes in with a charming, yet natural smile.
Would Legion even let us take Gil to our world? Dude, I can¡¯t imagine what that would be like if he did come back with us. How would he be able to live there?
¡°What are you guys talking about?¡± Vella pops into the conversation.
¡°Nothing,¡± Chip quickly says, attempting to steer away from the topic.
Okay, maybe I told this story a bit too much at this point, so I¡¯ll just put it aside for now. Besides, the girls are barely speaking, so we should shine the spotlight on them. Starting with Gil¡¯s escort. She¡¯s been tight-lipped since we sat down.
¡°Hey, umm¡¡±
¡°Vran¡ My name is Vran.¡± Her voice is softer than I thought. I¡¯m not saying I expected her to sound like the main character from the Foot of the South constellation, but it¡¯s much more delicate than Marie¡¯s and Elizabeth¡¯s, that¡¯s for sure.
¡°Nice to meet ya, Vran. I¡¯m Proxy, you probably already know that.¡±
¡°Of course, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. Tell me, if it¡¯s not a problem, can I...can you show me...it?¡± She tucks her head as she twiddles her thumbs.
¡°It what?¡±
I ask this, but I already have a good idea of what it is¡
¡°Your...your¡ Your muscles!¡± Knew it! ¡°...I know we just met, but if it¡¯s not a problem, may I see them?¡±
¡°Wow, that went differently than expected,¡± Chip expresses his surprise while keeping it subdued.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
¡°Yeah, I guess this can be chalked up to a misunderstanding,¡± Richard adds.
What the hell are they talking about? Is it strange for a girl to want to see a guys-- Oh, now I get it...
¡°You guys have dirty minds,¡± I tell them.
¡°Shut up, I don¡¯t need you to tell me that,¡± Chip bites back.
¡°How is it dirty,¡± Alex, whose face screams of innocents, asks us.
I am not going to be responsible for tainting his mind. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, nothing at all.¡±
¡°Are you--¡±
¡°Positively!¡±
The girls laugh while covering their mouths. Do they think it¡¯s bad manners to laugh out loud or something? ¡°Hey, why do you guys cover your mouths when you laugh?¡±
¡°It¡¯s rude to laugh aloud. A proper lady needs to conduct themselves in a well-kept manner. This is what the elder taught us.¡±
Speaking of, we never got to see her. Maybe she¡¯s cautious of strangers? Then why treat us to this feast¡? Maybe she was busy?.
¡°What¡¯s the elder like?¡± I ask Vella.
¡°She¡¯s a wise woman, the most beautiful of them all, and is as kind as they come.¡±
All I can picture is a nice old lady, but the beautiful comment has me wondering what her age is.
Catching a glimpse of Richard, he seems to be bothered by something.
¡°Buddy, you okay?¡±
He jerks his head at me, seemingly surprised. ¡°What? Sorry, I was spacing out. Did you need something?¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing important, you just look bothered.¡±
¡°It¡¯s nothing¡¡±
Well, if he says so, then who am I to complain.
¡°...Don¡¯t feel down,¡± Richard¡¯s escort says. ¡°...You should enjoy yourself.¡±
She pulls him towards herself, catching Richard off guard.
¡°Oh, um, t-thank you, however, you¡¯re too close.¡±
¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, I am your escort after all.¡±
¡°That¡¯s just¡¡±
Nunnal¨¦ puts her hands between them, separating them with little effort. ¡°My master is uncomfortable. Please avoid personal contact from now on.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry¡ Did you call him master?¡±
¡°Yes, he is my mast--¡±
¡°Ahh! Stop, you¡¯re making it sound bad!¡±
Vella leans to me, putting her head closer to mine. ¡°Why did she call him master?¡± she whispers.
¡°They have a protector and protectee type of relationship.¡±
¡°That sounds strange.¡±
¡°No kidding¡¡±
As Richard tries to explain their situation, a thought clicks in my head. Vella never told me anything about herself.
¡°Hm, something the matter, Proxy?¡± Vella asks.
¡°Yeah, I never got to ask about you.¡±
¡°That¡¯s it? You don¡¯t have to worry about me, I¡¯m not too interesting. I¡¯m just a typical girl.¡±
¡°Come on, there has to be something.¡±
¡°No, there really isn¡¯t anything.¡±
¡°Nope, I don¡¯t believe it. You gotta have something.¡±
I¡¯m probably pushing her to speak, but I don¡¯t want to go on about myself and never hear anything about her; it¡¯s only proper to make good conversation with people who aren¡¯t trying to kill you.
¡°Dancing, I¡¯m good at dancing.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°I know, it¡¯s not a great skill or anything amazing, huh?¡±
¡°No, dancing is amazing. It¡¯s a form of expression, just like art.¡±
¡°Form of expression?¡±
¡°Of course it is, you didn¡¯t know?¡±
¡°I guess not. I just thought it was fun to do, is all.¡±
I get that. When I first did art, I just wanted to draw some cool shit, but after a while, I got better at it, then I was able to put my feelings into it. I¡¯ve been ignoring it lately, I better draw up something when I get the chance.
¡°Ah, our food has been prepared,¡± Alex points out, giddy for it to be placed on the table.
A row of girls come out of the kitchen with plates of food and pitchers in their hands. With a level of grace, they place them on our table, going from the beginning to the end of the table. To say that the food looks exquisite would be an understatement. Each meal has been prepared with a touch of elegance, seeing how each plate is set up meticulously. A couple of other girls hand out some plates and utensils for us.
¡°Let me serve you up.¡± Vella picks out some food and puts it on my plate. She picks up a piece of sliced meat with a fork. ¡°Now, say ¡®ahh¡¯.¡±
¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°Feeding you.¡±
¡°I...don¡¯t need you to do that.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, just close your eyes and say ¡®ahh¡¯.¡±
¡°No way, that¡¯s just too embarrassing, right, Richard?¡±
Going to him was a mistake. His escort and Nunnal¨¦ are trying to feed him as well. He turns his head to me and mouths, ¡°help me¡±... I can¡¯t.
Meanwhile, the guys are letting the girls feed them. What the hell is wrong with you guys!?
¡°Do you not want me to feed you?¡±
¡°Sorry, but that¡¯s just too weird to me.¡±
¡°But the others are okay with it.¡±
¡°They¡¯re just weird.¡±
I take the fork from her hand and put the food in my mouth. It has a juicy, tender texture that makes it satisfying to chew on,
¡°This is delicious!¡± I continue to eat whatever is on my plate, relishing every bite. Vella is just watching me eat with that smile on her face. It¡¯s kind of off putting. Is she hungry? ¡°Want some of this?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not hungry, so go ahead and engorge.¡±
¡°Kind of hard to do that when you¡¯re watching me eat.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ll try not to look.¡±
She turns away from me. Well, now I can eat normally. As I take another bite out of my meal, I see her looking at me from the corner of her eyes. Okay, she¡¯s either messing with me, or she¡¯s hungry. Finishing my food, I pick out the same thing I just ate. I place the plate in front of her.
¡°Go on and eat.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°You were staring at me eating. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re hungry?¡±
¡°It would be improper to say so.¡±
¡°Who cares, you get hungry when you get hungry, so just eat.¡±
She eyes the food as if it¡¯s something she¡¯s never seen before. Eventually, she picks up the fork to stab the food on her plate. She carefully puts it in her mouth as if eating it wrong would kill her...
Her eyes widen from the sudden juicy sweetness. ¡°It¡¯s good!¡±
¡°I know, aren¡¯t you glad you ate it now?¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
The lights go off, catching us by surprise. A single person stands on a stage that¡¯s facing the other end of the table. Four girls walk on the stage, each one just as pretty as the last. They¡¯re wearing see-through sleeves that are strapped to their biceps, as well as their thighs.
¡°What¡¯s going on,¡± I ask Vella.
¡°They¡¯re going to start a performance.¡±
¡°A performance? Awesome!¡±
Without any cue, signal, or whisper, they start dancing. Their moves are fluid, yet vibrant; flowing, yet wild. It''s mesmerizing to watch them move as they seamlessly dance around the stage. They''re completely in sync with each other as one of the girls sings with a captivating voice.
"This is great! Did you know they were going to do this?"
"No...I didn''t. But they''re amazing."
For a moment there, she sounded sad. Does she want to dance too?
"If you want to dance, then you should go do it."
"What? No, I don''t want to," she politely turns down.
¡°Nervous?¡±
¡°Not that, I just don¡¯t feel like it¡¡±
I want to say there¡¯s something else to it, but I know when to mind my own business. However, I can¡¯t help but wonder why she won¡¯t¡
Victorian town - Guest lounge - afternoon
After the feast and dancing, we were shown where we would be staying. Screw mincing words, this place is swanky as hell. Its place is big enough to house an entire town. Richard and I just got out of the show, which is big enough to fit most of the guys. Of course, Nunnal¨¦ is with us.
The rest of the girls were taken somewhere else, so it makes things less awkward when we have to use the bath.
The others are still out with their escorts. Vella took off, saying she wasn¡¯t feeling well. Probably has something to do with the dancing.
¡°Earth to Proxy,¡± Richard snaps his fingers, bring me out of my thoughts.
¡°Huh? Sorry, you said something?¡±
¡°I was asking what you thought of the dancing? Is something wrong?¡±
¡°I¡¯m as cool as a cucumber. It¡¯s Vella, she was acting strange.¡±
¡°I noticed. Her words felt off when you compare her exterior expression.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°It was a jumble of emotions; jealously, anger, sadness, and grief.¡±
¡°Are you sure? Not to doubt your ability, I just can¡¯t see it¡ Though, it¡¯s not like everyone expresses how they are all the time.¡±
Going by experience, I can say that with confidence.
¡°Yet, these emotions seemed to be drowned out pretty easily.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°Well, it happens when someone is able to cloak their emotions.¡±
¡°How does that work?¡±
¡°My ability is to read the true meaning behind words, not what people are thinking. If they don¡¯t have any other meaning behind them, or is able to hide them extremely well, then I can¡¯t read it. That¡¯s what I learned from being able to use this ability for the majority of my life.¡±
¡°Damn, that must be cool, being able to tell what people really mean.¡±
¡°Actually, not really¡ I was in Elementary school when I was able to use this ability. It was difficult trusting people since I knew what they really meant when they spoke to me. Some thought I was a difficult child because I was distant from others, some thought I was damaged from my mother¡¯s death and thought of me as a pitiful kid, and others didn¡¯t see anything past me being good at schoolwork; because of that, they thought I was a know it all who was better than everyone else¡ Being friends with other people was hard, downright impossible. So I gave up on trying¡¡±
I smack my forehead. I¡¯m a freaking idiot, why didn¡¯t I think about it before I said it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°W-why are you apologizing!?¡±
¡°Cause I said something stupid. It¡¯s my bad.¡±
¡°I demand you to apologize with more sincerity,¡± Nunnal¨¦, with a vicious look on her face, demands.
¡°I am!¡±
Richard turns away from us, chuckling to himself.
¡°What is funny, master Richard?¡±
¡°Yeah, you find somethin¡¯ funny?¡± I ask using a Brooklyn accent.
¡°No, no, it¡¯s nothing... It¡¯s just funny, looking back, I never thought I¡¯d be able to make friends. But one day, I met Proxy, and all that changed. He was the first person, besides my brother, who I couldn¡¯t read. Lauren and Birch I can read, but they always mean what they say. Then you also come along, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
¡°What about the others?¡± I ask.
¡°Of course, I can read them, but they¡¯re all good people. Marie comes off a little strong at times, but she does have a kind and caring side to her. Alexander is too honest with his words. The others I can read, but it¡¯s harmless at best. So, I think you¡¯re all the only ones who I¡¯m able to call friends, even though I still have this ability So, thank you, for being people I can trust.¡±
¡°No problem, buddy. You can always count on me!¡±
¡°Me, too, master Richard.¡±
¡°Thanks, both of you... I¡¯m glad we found the book, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to meet so many great people.¡±
¡°Totally!¡±
Without that thing, we would still be in school, learning stuff I could care less about, not to mention going on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Man, aren¡¯t we lucky?
As we continue to walk down the hall, Nunnal¨¦ mutters something to herself.
¡°What is it?¡± I ask.
¡°It¡¯s just¡ Master Richard, may I inquire something?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°This question has only come to me from the mention of you finding the Grimoire.¡±
¡°No need to build up suspense, just say it,¡± I tell her.
¡°Excuse me, then I¡¯ll cut to the point. Where did you get the book?¡±
¡°Proxy found it in the library of NewPort. It was in a¡¡±
Richard covers his mouth as his eyes widened. From the look on his face, he just realized something.
¡°Something the matter, dude?¡±
¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just¡ Something doesn¡¯t add up. The way you found it¡¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just...odd.¡± He goes silent again, thinking to himself. Then, his eyebrows stretch up as he¡¯s in awe. ¡°Proxy, can you go get Quincy? He¡¯s near the entrance of the guest lounge.¡±
¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±
¡°I want him in on this. I have a feeling that we¡¯re going to need his insight on this matter...¡±
The underground beauties - Part 4
Underground town - guest lodgings - Richard¡¯s room - afternoon
Waiting for Proxy in my room, it¡¯s smaller than I thought it would but it¡¯s big enough to be considered an apartment room. I¡¯m sitting on a chair, positioned in front of a table. The door opens as Proxy comes in with Quincy, who has a cup in his hands.
¡°What is it? Proxy told me it was important,¡± he says, irritation coming from his voice.
¡°I¡¯m sorry if we¡¯re disturbing you.¡±
¡°No sense in apologizing. Just tell me you didn¡¯t call me for something trivial.¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t. We never told you the details on how we found the book, have we?¡±
He sits on my bed, pushing up his glass. ¡°Hmm...Now that you mention it, no, you never did. How did you?¡±
¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t me, it was Proxy.¡± This all slipped my mind since we came to this world. Not only that but many other details as well. ¡°Proxy, we need you to go over how you found it.¡±
¡°I already told you, you even saw the hidden cabinet.¡±
¡°I know, I mean how did you find that hidden cabinet?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ I kind of don¡¯t know? It¡¯s as if my eyes were drawn to that cabinet.¡±
¡°That¡¯s it?¡±
¡°...I think there was another feeling. There was an urge to slide it open; as if that was all I was ever meant to accomplish in my life. Remembering it, it was as if my life depended on it, but after I opened it, the feeling just erased itself.¡±
Why is that? He never showed any type of attachment to the book, only mild curiosity at first.
¡°How did it get there,¡± Quincy asks the same question I was going to.
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°How did it get there? If it was hidden, then someone needed to have put it there first.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, someone must¡¯ve put it there,¡± I support the idea. ¡°...Question is, who did?¡±
¡°Master Richard, may I interject?¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
¡°Proxy, when did you notice the cabinet?¡±
¡°When I was reading. This sudden feeling hit me. It felt like my brain just received an order.¡±
¡°Is that so...? Then I may know the reason for it. You were manipulated by a Source-user.¡±
What!? There¡¯s no way I misheard that, she definitely said Source-user...! Hang on, it¡¯s not impossible for them to be in our world. A while back, I asked teacher if there were Source-users in our world; she said yes. However, how did a Source-user manipulate him? If someone did, then had to have seen someone acting strange.
¡°Proxy, did you see someone while you were heading towards the back of the library?¡±
¡°No, I didn¡¯t see anyone.¡±
¡°Did somebody make skin contact with you before then?¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks.
¡°Pretty sure I never made skin contact with nobody. But you said a Source-user used me. How would you know?¡±
¡°There are two reasons why I concluded this. The first: the grimoire is what would be considered a Mystica.¡±
¡°Mystica? What is that?¡±
¡°Teacher told that they¡¯re a type of tool Source-users use to increase their abilities or use abilities out of their expertise. The common ones are usually for support, enhancing one¡¯s abilities, or for offensive means. That¡¯s all she told me.¡±
¡°So what can the book do?¡± I ask.
¡°From what I learned, it holds secrets that are able to affect the world,¡± Quincy explains.
¡°How do you know that?¡± I press.
¡°A man named Legion told me.¡±
¡°Seriously!? Wait, how did you meet him?¡±
¡°Oh, right¡ I kinda told him where we were camping,¡± Proxy confesses.
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Bit of a long story on that one.¡±
¡°You two are speaking about an irrelevant topic. May I state my second reason?¡±
¡°Sorry, continue,¡± Quincy excuses us, acting as if he didn¡¯t help with the distraction,
¡°...The second reason: the feeling Proxy had. It was too sudden for him to have caught such a feeling. By chance, did you notice the cabinet before the feeling set in?¡±
¡°Not at all.¡±
¡°Then it only stands that this feeling was caused by a Source-user.¡±
¡°How?¡± I ask her.
¡°Source-users can manipulate their Source, even when they plant it on something.¡±
Proxy raises his eyebrows as his eyelids widen. ¡°Really? Richard, can you do that?¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t even know that was possible.¡±
¡°That is because you lack the experience and training to do so, Master Richard. However, if I am to be correct on my theory, then this person is a highly skilled Source-user.¡±
That must be the case. I¡¯m only able to enhance one part of my body. It takes a great amount of concentration and mental fortitude to hold all my Source into more than one limb. Whenever I use enhancement or healing, I usually have it all concentrated into one limb, cutting off the flow to anywhere else but that one part; it¡¯s easier to use it on one part, but using it on two parts of my body ranks up the difficulty, so enhancing all of my body requires a great amount of focus just to do it. However, having it all concentrated into one point makes it that much stronger since all the Source is focused there.
However, I can¡¯t imagine what it would be like to manipulate Source that¡¯s not on your body¡ How can someone even do that, and who are they? Actually, why did they do that? Why would someone hide it only to have Proxy to find it...? No, that can¡¯t be¡or can it? But what if it is!?
¡°Guys, we need to ask why that was there in the first place.¡±
¡°You mean why the book was there?¡± Proxy asks me.
¡°No, the patch of Source used to lure you into finding the book.¡±
¡°Oh yeah! Why was that there¡?¡± After a moment, Proxy¡¯s eyes widen. He probably reached the same conclusion as me. ¡°...Someone wanted me to find it!¡± That¡¯s right, and if that weren¡¯t the case, all they had to do was take it from us. Since it¡¯s a Source-user, it wouldn¡¯t be that hard to do so. Yet, they lead him towards it. ¡°...But that makes no sense. How the hell did they know I would find it? Even with them using Source, I needed to be there to find it. What if we never decided to go to the library that day?¡±
How did he know I would go to the library? Sure, whenever there¡¯s an important test I usually go to the library to study. Proxy usually tags along with me to read in the aisle he found the book in¡ Usually¡ We usually do that! So that¡¯s how he was able to get Proxy to find it!
¡°We would¡¯ve gone eventually,¡± I utter out of my mouth.
Proxy puts his hand next to his ear. ¡°Hm, what was that?¡±
¡°I said we would¡¯ve gone to the library before the test. You would go into the aisle where you found the book since you like going back there to draw and listen to music, right?¡±
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a quiet spot.¡±
¡°That¡¯s my point, it¡¯s your habit to go there and it¡¯s my habit to study at the library before a test!¡±
¡°Oh, I guess you¡¯re right¡ Hold the phone! Does that mean--¡±
¡°...You two were being watched,¡± Quincy finishes.
¡°What!?¡±
That¡¯s the only logical conclusion. Since this Source-user knows our habits, it only makes sense that he would¡¯ve been watching us. That¡¯s the thing, who could it be? Proxy and I never heard or seen someone with anything close to Source abilities, so this makes figuring out who was spying on us difficult. Furthermore, why would they want us to have the book? If it¡¯s an important relic, then why would anyone want to just hand it off to us¡? This is no good, maybe we¡¯re missing something?
¡°Proxy,¡± I call. ¡°...let¡¯s backtrack a bit.¡±
¡°On what?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ How about on the night of the concert?¡±
¡°I get ya. If we¡¯re going to remember anything, it should be from where it all started¡ Hey, do you remember when the back of the entrance was just opened and there were no guards?¡±
¡°At the time I thought it was odd, and I still do. Wouldn¡¯t there have been guards there to make sure that people like us wouldn¡¯t sneak in?¡±
¡°Maybe someone wanted to lure people inside,¡± Proxy surmises.
¡°Who would do such a thing?¡±
¡°Maybe that weirdo who attacked the opera house?¡±
¡°I have no doubts that man wanted people to come to the Opera house. No, I¡¯m certain, cause he said, ¡®the purpose of this concert is complete¡¯. Yet, seeing how people were paying for tickets to enter the building, I doubt he was just letting anyone in.¡±
¡°Yeah, those tickets were mighty expensive.¡±
¡°Exactly, so maybe it was to control the number of people coming in?¡±
¡°Yes, I can see why,¡± Quincy acknowledges my reasoning. ¡°Judging the way you told me how it went, Richard, I can support the claim. I believe he wished to control the situation of how he would handle the people in the building. If too many came, then he would have to deal with a number of potential victims that would try to retaliate. Yet, I don¡¯t know how he was able to draw such a large number of people.¡±
¡°Me too.¡±
That simple variable would be one of the biggest obstacles in whatever he was planning. How would he be able to gather so many people?
¡°The band that was supposed to play there was extremely famous. Now that I think about it, it¡¯s odd how fast they took off and never slowed down. Their debut was a year before the concert. The traction they had was unreal, they already had a world tour during their first year. They were killing it worldwide. Even I thought they were great. So it wouldn¡¯t be weird for people to come and see them, despite the ticket cost.¡±
I doubt that their popularity was a coincidence for the concert. Maybe the guy who attacked us helped with their popularity? I can¡¯t prove it, so this is just a theory.
Proxy leans on the wall, crossing his arms. ¡°Yo, there¡¯s something else that¡¯s bugging me.¡± That guy had a book, remember?¡±
¡°Yeah, it made a giant hand come out of it. Seeing you getting beaten up by it was frightening.¡±
¡°You think that it was a Mystica or something?¡±
¡°Could be. But it just conjured up a red hand from it. What do you think, Nunnal¨¦?¡±
¡°Without seeing it for myself, I cannot say for certain. However, judging from your story, it could be. However, there is an aspect that we must mention. It is about the light you saw, Master Richard. What did it do to the people? Did it kill them?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, I didn¡¯t see any blood, so it¡¯s hard to say.¡±
¡°I see, then the topic of what happened to the other attendants is unknown.¡±
¡°You know, I don¡¯t think that guy was planning on using that red arm thing on anyone,¡± Proxy interjects with an odd assumption.
¡°What is the basis of this claim?¡±
¡°Well, this is just an observation, but he used it more as a means of defense rather than an offensive tool. He used it to keep me away.¡±
He¡¯s probably right, he never used it on anyone else from what I remember. ¡°I see, that does sound plausible. Then maybe¡ I have a theory.¡±
¡°Spit,¡± Proxy says.
¡°I think the guy had no intention of killing anyone.¡±
¡°Interesting idea, but why not,¡± Quincy challenges my theory.
¡°If he had the power to summon an arm strong enough to nearly kill somebody why would he not use it on anyone else? Furthermore, do you honestly think someone would scheme to bring people together just to murder them? As for the light, I saw someone pass out when they were struck by it. Though, I don¡¯t know why¡±
¡°Interesting¡ Well, not much we can do to figure that out,¡± Quincy shrugs his shoulders.
¡°That¡¯s it? We¡¯re just going to give up on that?¡±
¡°It is a sound notion since we are unable to determine what the light means. Any attempt on guessing so would yield no results,¡± Nunnal¨¦ thoroughly explains. She¡¯s right, even if we brainstorm ideas, nothing will stick, let alone show any merit.
Quincy coughs into his hand, bring our attention to him. ¡°...But may we go back to the topic of the man Proxy fought and the one who is watching you two? Is it safe to assume they are different people?¡±
¡°I can say so. I remember when we pulled the grimoire out of Proxy¡¯s bag. The Source-user was surprised we had it, that shows he didn¡¯t give it to us. But it did seem like he wanted it.¡±
¡°Then we can assume that the person who was watching you also cleared the way for you and Proxy to enter the Opera house?¡± Nunnal¨¦ states.
Agreeing with her conclusion, I nod my head. ¡°Seems to be the likely scenario.¡±
Even if we don¡¯t know what the Source-user, who attacked the concert, wants, we¡¯re starting to understand our situation a bit more. This should¡¯ve hit me sooner, but I hadn¡¯t thought of any of this stuff in a while. But with everything we learned in this world, coming back to the topic now might have been for the best.
Averting my attention to Proxy, he¡¯s looking to the floor with an unfocused gaze, with his hand on his chin. ¡°...Richard, I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a bit¡ I think it¡¯s important.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°You remember when we got here, and I mean the moment we got here?¡±
¡°Yeah, I do.¡±
¡°Well, when we got here, we had to fight monsters, right?¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
¡°Why were they there when we got here?¡±
Something clicks in my brain. Why were they there? It¡¯s not like we fell unconscious when we came here; we fell from the sky, so there¡¯s no way for them to have arrived after we did. Now that I think about it, there were scores of them when we tried escaping from the King¡¯s Tower. How would they know we¡¯re here¡ Unless someone told them!?
¡°Proxy, you¡¯re a genius!¡±
¡°Wait, it¡¯s relevant?¡±
¡°Of course! Proxy, can you remember anything else? My memories of the finer details are hazy. I wasn¡¯t in the proper state of mind back then.¡±
¡°Hmm¡ All I remember is¡ Oh yeah, they said they had a master! Remember when we did that salute for him!?¡±
¡°Yeah, I do!¡±
This is starting to make more and more sense. If this master knew about us coming to this world and sent monsters after us, then that means he and our Stalker is--
¡°Richard, I think mr. stalker and their master is working together!¡±
Wow...he was able to figure that out on his own?
¡°As farfetched as it sounds, once you connect the pieces, it appears to be a logical conclusion. If you two were awake the moment you arrived, then that would be the case. However, we must also ask this: how long did it take for you two to arrive?¡±
That¡¯s a good question. We wouldn¡¯t know the proper amount of time it took for us to reach here since time in that void was a foreign concept. So in that line of thinking, it could¡¯ve taken us less than a second to reach this world, or it could¡¯ve taken hours. Even if we do determine this, who¡¯s to say that this world and ours share the same time? I can¡¯t say whether they do or don¡¯t, so all I can assume is that they don¡¯t. But even then, the fact they found us on that alter says that...um, mr. Stalker and their master is working together.
¡°Master Richard, the monsters, and their master most likely wanted the book.¡±
¡°Most likely, then does that mean we were acting as delivery boys?¡±
¡°The hell!? I¡¯m nobody¡¯s delivery boy¡ Okay, maybe sometimes for some of the folks who need to deliver food, and some of the corner stores back home, but not for some damn stalker, and definitely not for some weirdo who uses monsters!¡±
¡°Whether you wanted to be or not, that seems to be the case. Though, why were we chosen to be the curriers for the book?¡±
Nobody says anything, it seems the lead on that is a dead end.
Proxy closes his eyes and lets out a quiet hum. ¡°Ya know, ever since that day, the monsters hadn¡¯t shown up. I wonder where they came from?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ I wonder if they came from the forbidden lands?¡± Quincy mutters to himself.
¡°What¡¯s that?¡±
¡°A piece of these lands that is, as the name suggests, forbidden.¡±
¡°What¡¯s over there?¡± I ask him.
¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s protected by a wall that¡¯s as big as the kingdoms.¡±
¡°So the king is trying to keep folks away from that place?¡±
¡°Who can say. However, I had heard rumors of a researcher who managed to get inside there and came back out after the kingdom guards captured him. He said he saw unbelievable things there, things he was not sure he could understand. Saying that the creatures there were not natural; saying they were grotesque monsters.¡±
¡°So that¡¯s where the monsters are, and where that master dude might be?¡±
¡°This is just an educated guess, so take it with a grain of salt,¡± Quincy warns.
If he is over there, then I guess we have nothing to worry about for the time being. He also didn¡¯t send monsters after us, but why not? I guess we¡¯ll never know why. Aside from that, it seems like we¡¯re running out of things to talk about.
¡°It appears we¡¯ve exhausted our topics,¡± Quincy states. ¡°...let us close up this discussion for now. Richard, Proxy, this discussion was rather enlightening. It shows that we have a lot to uncover about this book, who wants it, who gave it to you, and why they used you two. I want the two of you to try remembering more details that might further our investigation. Understood?¡±
¡°I understand!¡±
¡°No problem, dude.¡±
Quincy sits up from my bed, pushing up his glasses. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll try to further my research into the book. Also, I wish to look around this town tomorrow. Richard, would you accompany me?¡±
¡°Sure, I want to learn more about this place as well.¡±
¡°Excellent. By the way, there¡¯s another matter we must discuss¡ It¡¯s about learning what the book is.¡±
¡°Did you figure something out?¡±
¡°Yes, I learned where we can learn more about it.¡±
I jump up from my seat. ¡°Where!?¡±
¡°As we continue to travel toward our enemies, we¡¯ll be close to a mansion that was mentioned in a research document that I took from the castle library. It was written to have ties to mystical items.¡±
¡°Does this mansion have a name?¡±
¡°It¡¯s called the mansion of the Black Aisle!¡±
The underground beauties: part 5
Underground town - afternoon
After the dancing ended, Brother and I left the banquet hall with some of the girls hanging around Zell. We stopped in a small bar that gives off a distinguished yet relaxing vibe to it. Brother is drinking with girls that are sitting next to and across from him. I know he can handle his alcohol, so I¡¯m not worried about him. As for me, I can¡¯t handle that stuff¡ It smells like shit.
¡°Zeal, are you okay?¡± brother asks, acting no different than usual.
¡°I¡¯m fine¡¡±
¡°If you¡¯re uncomfortable with me drinking, just say so.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine brother, really.¡±
¡°If you say so. I just don¡¯t want you to feel--¡±
¡°Brother, stop it!¡±
The girls start laughing. What¡¯s so damn funny, huh!? I¡¯d give them a piece of my mind, and believe me, I really wanna, but brother always taught me restraint with girls that aren''t trying to kill you, so I won''t give in to an outburst...
¡°Do people get you confused for the other?¡± one of the girls asks Zell.
¡°Not really. Zeal and I are easy to tell apart.¡±
¡°Like how?¡±
¡°Well¡¡±
¡°Just use your eyes,¡± I grumble.
My brother¡¯s hand whips the back of my head. The motion was so fluid and precise that none of the girls were able to see it.
While it doesn''t look like it hurts all that much, it sure as hell does. The scary part is he''s acting like he didn''t just hit me.
¡°Are you okay?¡± The girl next to me spoke up; her voice is soft but not lacking in presence. Her name is Vetra, she''s my escort. ¡°...Did I say something wrong?¡±
¡°N-no¡ I just don¡¯t want to look at you.¡±
¡°I see, then I am not to your standards?¡±
¡°No...you¡¯re¡ Just forget about it!"
Gah, I can¡¯t say it, it¡¯s too awkward! It¡¯s not like she¡¯s ugly or anything, she has a nice figure that comes with a mesmerizing face. She also has this quiet yet serene vibe about her, even when she¡¯s bothered by something.
¡°...So, Zeal, where do you and your brother come from?¡±
I cringe at the question. ¡°Does that matter?¡±
¡°Of course, where you hail from is important to a person.¡±
¡°Well, not to me. There¡¯s no point thinking about that stuff.¡±
¡°I see, then I shall stop asking.¡±
¡°Good.¡±
I still can¡¯t face her. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t look at girls, it¡¯s just¡ Damn it, this is ridiculous!
¡°Are you shy around girls?¡±
¡°No!¡± I turn my head to her. She has a slight smile on her face, seeming amused. ¡°...I ain¡¯t embarrassed!"
¡°Then why do you refuse to look at me?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, take your time. It will all be okay.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to moth-- Damnit!¡±
¡°Moth?¡±
¡°Nothing, forget it¡¡±
The dead air surrounding the two of us drowns out the noise coming from everyone else. There were girls in the Fire Wraiths that I had to talk to without breaking a sweat. But this woman is different.
¡°By the way,¡± Vetra says. ¡°...your hair is quite messy. Let me fix it.¡±
¡°Hey, who said you can¡¡±
Ignoring me, her hands touch my hair. They move around as she tries to fix it up. It feels nice, for some reason.
¡°You have a wonderful set of hair, you should take better care of it.¡± After a few seconds of sprucing it up, she finishes by patting me on the head. ¡°...There, much better.¡±
A brief visage overlaps with her, shocking the very core of my being. Frustration quickly swells to its climax.
¡°Stop touching me!¡± I shoot up from my seat, boiling with anger. Everyone gives me a stupefied look except for my brother. ¡°...I¡¯m out of here.¡±
No destination in mind, I rush out of the small bar. Damnit, shit, son of a¡ Gah, I hate this, I hate this so damn much! Her face bothers me way too much. No, it¡¯s not just her face, it¡¯s the way she acts. The similarities are too damn close. Seeing her face is enough for me to picture her... This is ridiculous, I need to calm down, but that¡¯s easier said than done.
I stop at a small bridge that¡¯s above a stream of water. A sense of calm washes over me just looking at the water gently flowing downward. My reflection is crystal clear.
¡°She messed up my hair.¡±
Saying that, I can¡¯t bring myself to fix it up, even though I hate this¡
¡°Zeal.¡± Brother¡¯s voice rings in my ears. He slowly approaches me. ¡°Are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±
¡°...That outburst.¡±
¡°I know, it was immature of me.¡±
¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not here to scold you. I just want to know if you are okay.¡±
¡°I told you I¡¯m fine.¡±
¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to talk?¡±
¡°No, I don¡¯t¡¡±
I don¡¯t want to saddle him with any unnecessary baggage, especially any emotional crap. I¡¯m already an annoying asshole, so I¡¯m not gonna annoy him with my plight.
¡°I know you¡¯re lying.¡±
¡°What am I lying about?¡±
¡°You know what. Don¡¯t think your brother doesn¡¯t see through you.¡± He joins me in watching the water. The air around us runs dry, the silence adds onto the calming motion of the water below. ¡°...Something is wrong, I know it. Do you think I can¡¯t understand?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that, it¡¯s just¡ I don¡¯t want to burden you.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t say that! I won¡¯t allow you to carry on like this.¡±
With how this is going, he¡¯s not going to let up.
Seeing no end in sight, I let out air from my lungs. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll talk.¡±
¡°Then tell me why you¡¯re so upset?¡±
¡°It¡¯s just¡ That girl¡¯s face. You can¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t see it.¡±
¡°I see it. Is it really that bad?¡±
¡°Yeah, it is¡¡±
Memories, although few, come flooding to the front of my mind, forcing me to remember her¡
¡°Why does that woman look like mother?¡±
Brother holds his breath. Silence wraps around us again, killing any momentum in our conversation.
¡°I do not know, but the similarities are frightening. Regardless, you must treat her better.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°Then are you ready to go back and apologize?¡±
Got no other choice, I have to own up to my terrible behavior, or else it will look bad on my brother''s part. Plus, even I know when I did something stupid.
¡°Yeah, I am.¡±
¡°Okay, then take my hand.¡±
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
He raises his hand to me as he¡¯s facing forward in the direction of where we came from.
¡°I¡¯m a bit too¡ I mean¡ Gah, you¡¯re just messing with me!¡±
Brother lets out a playful laugh. ¡°Sorry, but teasing you is fun from time to time.¡±
¡°Man, you really know how to push my buttons¡ But thank you, I feel better.¡±
¡°No problem, just leave it to me to make you feel better.¡±
We walk alongside each other, heading back to the bar. An uneasy feeling forms around my chest, tightening itself as we get closer and closer to the bar. Arriving at the front-door, brother puts his hand on the doorknob.
¡°Are you ready?¡±
I slap my cheeks. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready to apologize, damnit!¡±
¡°Good, then let¡¯s go in.¡± He opens the door, walking in ahead of me. Okay, okay, I can do this, I can apologize. Yeah, I got this in the bag! ¡°I am sorry for the sudden interruption to this party, but we have returned.¡±
Brother nudges me on the shoulder. Right, time to do this.
¡°Everyone, I am sorry for my awful behavior. Please forgive me!¡±
I put my hands on my knees and bow the upper part of my body. The yelling part at the end was unnecessary, but it¡¯s better to yell and show passion in my apology than to sound unpassionate.
¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± one of the girls spoke up. ¡°We¡¯re not angry. We should apologize for our performance if we¡¯re not adequate enough for you. Vetra, apologize.¡±
¡°Of course. Zeal, I¡¯m sorry for not doing my best to appease you. If you want, I can have another girl escort you?¡±
¡°N-no! You can stay as mine, but I need to say sorry to you as well. So don¡¯t think it¡¯s your fault, got me!?¡±
She goes blank faced for a moment, only to claim her beautiful smile again. ¡°Of course, forgive me for assuming.¡±
¡°Damn right, and don¡¯t sweat about the small stuff, ¡®kay!?¡±
¡°I understand. With your kind words, I¡¯ll make your stay here the best it can be.¡±
¡±Y-you better-- I mean, yeah, thank you¡¡±
My face is heating up. Why am I feeling embarrassed? I can¡¯t stand this anymore, I just want to get my mind off this and just have a bit of fun!
¡°Come, let us all have fun!¡± Brother puts a hand on my shoulder, giving me a charismatic smile.
¡°Yeah, let¡¯s have a little fun, brother¡ Though, I ain¡¯t drinking.¡±
"Of course, but I will!"
Even though he can hold his liquor, when he''s hammered, he becomes a different person entirely. I better make sure he doesn''t overindulge himself, for all our sakes.
Underground town - evening
Elizabeth, me, and the other girls are walking around this village. So far, nothing is out of the ordinary, or at least not suspicious about this place. I know Brother and I decided to accept their hospitality, but you can¡¯t be too careful. This place is rather quiet, no other people, no lights on in the stores, no reason to hold a weapon in hand¡
¡°Man, where can we find some booze?" Elizabeth yells as she slumps her shoulders.
¡°Didn¡¯t you drink already?¡± I ask her
¡°But I want more. C¡¯mon, don¡¯t tell me ya don¡¯t want a nice drink?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not a heavy drinker, sorry.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t hold ya alcohol?¡±
¡°Of course I can! I¡¯m not a push-over.¡±
¡°Sure, ya say dat now, but¡ Hold on! Look over there.¡± She points to a store on the left. Getting closer, I can see bottles that look like liquor bottles. ¡°Found da drinks, baby!¡±
Elizabeth is able to get in since the door is unlocked.
¡°Hang on, you don¡¯t even know if we''re allowed to go in.¡±
¡°Relax, nobody is around, and besides, nobody is drinking the stuff, so we might as well.¡±
Doesn¡¯t help with the feeling in my gut, but she does kind of have a point. Might as well drink it if nobody else will. She¡¯s already opening up a bottle as I¡¯m walking into the store. She pours herself a cup.
¡°Y¡¯all decided to join me?¡±
¡°We¡¯ll all only have a bit,¡± I tell her. ¡°But no more than that...¡±
¡
The world is swaying, the floor is shuffling below my feet, my brain feels fuzzy¡ I like it.
My drink splashes out of the cup, swirling inside as I slammed it on the ground. ¡°Another drink, Lizzy!¡±
¡°Comin¡¯ up!¡±
Lizzy pours another drink into my bottle. ¡°You¡¯re such a good girl! I¡¯m glad you¡¯re our--¡± A hiccup forces its way out of my mouth. ¡°That felt funny.¡±
¡°I like ya like dis. Ya more loosen than ya normally are.¡±
¡°Damn right I am! I am ready to parrrr-tay, and nobody can stop meeeee!¡±
¡°Dat¡¯s what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ ¡®bout! Cheers!¡±
Drinking booze with friends feels so damn good! Man, I can¡¯t believe that I never drank this much before. It¡¯s as if all my worries are being washed away; like woosh woosh¡
¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±
Two blurry figures enter the building, acting all bossy and shit.
¡°Oh goodness, look at them. Such a disgrace,¡± one of them says, mocking me.
¡°What was dat? Got a problem with us drinkin¡¯?¡±
¡°The way you are acting is barbaric. It¡¯s as if you are acting like men! Do you all have no shame?¡±
¡°Man, you¡¯re acting like a...like a...like a¡¡± What¡¯s the word again...Uhhh¡ Oh yeah! ¡°Bitch? Yeah, like a stuck up bitch.¡±
The party-poopers gasp, appalled by my language.
¡°What did you say, you muscled freak!?¡±
¡°Hey, hey, hey¡ I didn¡¯t mean that¡ All I meant to say was--¡± Something bubbles up from my throat. A burp comes out without warning. ¡°That felt funny.¡±
One of the girls makes a guttural sound. ¡°Disgusting.¡±
¡°I agree. I feel bad for the men in your group. Being with such unrefined, graceless, and shameful women must be terrible.¡±
¡°They¡¯re not what I would call... ideal femininity¡±. Chip said that a while ago. It pissed me off hearing that, but it wasn¡¯t enough to set me off. But now, hearing it from these stuck up bitches¡ They just crossed the line.
My left fist zooms toward one of the girl¡¯s faces. I still can¡¯t see them clearly, but I know one of them is going to get hit by me.
¡°Stop this at once!¡± By a hair¡¯s length, my fist stops in front of one of their faces.
They squeal as they run away from me, moving behind someone else in the store. ¡°Ms. Vezra, they¡¯re acting scary!¡±
¡°Yeah, they--¡±
¡°I heard everything you two said. I want the both of you to head back to your rooms. I¡¯ll deal with you two later.¡±
¡°But--¡±
¡°Move it!¡± Her voice drops the mature, elegant tone she had before, swapping it out for a strict, commanding, and furious tone. The two girls leave the scene. ¡°As for you all. I do not mind that you drink these beverages, but at least act with some class.¡±
Vezra, without turning back to say goodbye, leaves us. The air feels bitter, as well as the inside of my mouth. I slump on a seat, taking in what just happened. I¡¯m starting to sober up thanks to her only for me to take another swig¡
Elizabeth nervously chuckles. ¡°So...let¡¯s keep drinkin¡¯!¡± Even when she raised her voice, the mood was still dower. ¡°Well, ain¡¯t dis pleasant?¡±
Guest Lounge - Richard¡¯s room - evening
Nunnal¨¦ and I are sitting around, she¡¯s reading a new book based on flowers. I got it for her before we left off on our tour. When she¡¯s reading it, all her attention is engulfed in it. I wonder what her obsession with flowers is? Did she like them in her past?
¡°Nunnal¨¦.¡± She fails to respond. ¡°Um, hello¡?¡± I didn¡¯t think she would be this transfixed. ¡°Nunnal¨¦, hello? I have sweets.¡±
Her hand snatches the bookmark on the table beside her, putting it on the page she¡¯s on, then closing it. ¡°You procured sweets!?¡± Her eyes scan the room like a hungry predator. The little excitement she has goes dead as she catches on to my lie. ¡°Ah, I see, it was a lie.¡±
¡°Sorry, I was calling you but you weren¡¯t listening.¡±
¡°I am sorry, Master Richard. Please, relay what you wish to tell me.¡±
¡°Well, I more or less want to learn about you.¡±
Tilting her head a little, she raises an eyebrow to my reason. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Are you not already familiar with me?¡±
¡°I guess you can say that, but what I mean is that I want to learn about your past.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ goes quiet, staring at me with the same deadpan expression as always. ¡°My past is unknown to me.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I am unable to conclude why.¡±
Pressing her might get me nowhere on how she doesn¡¯t know her own past. However, that statement alone doesn¡¯t make any sense.
¡°Then how did you know where teacher lived, and why do you like flowers so much?¡±
¡°Yes, that is odd. I recall where the Moonlight witch lived, and even who she was. The reason for this is unknown, but it is a fact I neglected.¡±
Same on my behalf. There are many things we forgot or just didn¡¯t look back on. Looking back on things now might be a good thing. For now, I¡¯ll focus on Nunnal¨¦.
¡°What about flowers?¡±
¡°Flowers resonate with me for no particular reason¡ I just feel a strong connection with them.¡± There are even more questions forming in my head. ¡°Master Richard, now that we are talking about me, we must discuss something important.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°It¡¯s about our contract, and about my power.¡±
¡°Is something wrong?¡±
¡°Hm, I would not say something is the matter, but I wouldn¡¯t say that something is wrong, but there is an odd feeling.¡±
¡°What feeling?¡±
¡°I feel as if I am not at my true potential.¡±
¡°Can you describe it in detail?¡±
¡°Well, I believe I am not underpowered, however, I have a feeling that something important has not arisen within me.¡±
¡°And you don¡¯t know what it is?¡±
¡°I do not. However, all I can say is that I feel as if I am not fighting with my true power.¡±
¡°Is it my fault?¡±
¡°No, the Source we share is more than sufficient. I do not know why this is, but do not worry. I am more than capable of protecting you in my current condition.¡± If it¡¯s not a problem now, then I don¡¯t see why I need to dwell on it. I just hope this doesn¡¯t negatively affect us.
Anyway, what should we do now? It¡¯s not like we have much to do, or anything we want to see, at least until Quincy is ready to. No sense in wasting my time on anything else, I might as well train. Though, since teacher isn¡¯t here, I don¡¯t have anyone to judge my performance¡ Hold on a second.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, can you see Source?¡±
¡°I am capable of doing so.¡±
¡°Then can you watch me train? Also, can you criticize me on where I need to improve?¡±
¡°Very well, but what would you like for me to watch for?¡±
¡°I want you to see if I¡¯m enhancing more than one part of my body properly. I know how to focus my Source into one part of my body, but I can¡¯t seem to focus it into two points.¡±
¡°I understand. I will do my best to give accurate and helpful feedback.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡± Okay, let¡¯s do this then. My mind goes blank, picturing only my trigger. A hand places itself on a deck of cards, drawing the top on with no hesitation. Source freely flows through me, empowering me. ¡°Okay, here we go!¡±
Vella¡¯s room - evening
The room is dark, too cramped for me to call it a room. There is no furniture except for a desk facing a mirror. Cosmetics are on it but I¡¯m not heavy on it. A closet with only the same white gown I¡¯m wearing. A bathroom with the bare essentials. Finally, a bed that has nothing resembling ownership, just a white cover, and a pillow.
Relaxing in this room is impossible, it¡¯s just to retreat from the world around me and to go to sleep. My mind is as blank as this room. All my limbs feel numb, moving is too much of a bother for me. Even with my head being empty, a set of words keeps playing in my head, over, and over, and over again¡
"If you want to dance, then you should go do it."
Such a sentence is nothing to think heavily about, but for some reason, I just can¡¯t get it off my mind. Even so, it¡¯s as if those words hit me in the heart. Dance if I want to¡ I can whenever, but there is no point in doing so¡
¡°...He sure is insensitive.¡±
Proxy is quite different. He doesn¡¯t act like how other men normally do; he¡¯s more straightforward, energetic, a bit childish, and kind in his own forceful way¡ Is it even who he really is? For some reason, I can¡¯t doubt it. I guess he left a better impression than I thought. Even if he didn¡¯t, I¡¯d still do what I was told by the elder¡ But since this is a rare occasion, I want to see how far I can take this...
The underground beauties: part 6
9/20 - Underground town - morning
A series of light knocks on my door wakes me up. The sound is the loudest thing in this dark, quiet room. My throat is dry and my tongue feels bitter as my eyes try to adjust to the darkness. The knocking continues as I stumble out of bed. Can¡¯t a guy wake up in the morning in peace!?
¡°Okay, okay! Just wait a damn second.¡± I lumber to the door as I wipe my eyes. I open it to see Vella standing in front of me, smiling like usual. ¡°Vella, what are you doing here?¡±
¡°I came to get you? How else would we meet up?¡± True, I don¡¯t know where she lives. ¡°...I am sorry to have abruptly awakened you.¡±
¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool, just come a bit later next time. A guy needs to get the best sleep he can.¡±
¡°Again, I am sorry.¡±
¡°No sense in apologizing, not like it¡¯s a big deal¡ Anyway, can you give me a minute, I need to get dressed.¡±
She eyes me, from head to toe. ¡°But you¡¯re already dressed?¡±
¡°Missing the jacket.¡± I head to the closet, getting the jacket that¡¯s hanging on its door. I throw it on and put on my shoes. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready.¡±
¡°You¡¯re quite mindful of your attire.¡±
I close the door behind myself. ¡°Of course, a cool guy always has style on his mind. Plus, back home, your style is crucial.¡±
¡°Wow, that sounds like our village¡¯s rules.¡±
¡°Village rules?¡±
¡°We¡¯re supposed to conduct ourselves in a lady-like manner. We must dress appropriately, we must not act undignified, and we must never go outside.¡±
¡°That all sounds like a pain in the ass.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that bad. As long as we are able to follow those rules, we can live.¡±
¡°Okay, the dignified stuff, but why can¡¯t you go outside?¡±
¡°Because the elder said so.¡±
That sounds like a shit reason. If that were the case, then why was she outside?
¡°If you can¡¯t go out, then why were you?¡±
¡°Oh, well¡ I was bored.¡±
¡°Damn, you¡¯re a rebel.¡±
¡°Oh, no, I don¡¯t want to rebel, it¡¯s just¡ I wanted to go out, so I did.¡±
¡°No need to be modest. I do what I want sometimes. Though, I try not to cause trouble for others nowadays.¡±
¡°So you were a handful?¡±
¡°You bet, but I grew up, became wiser, and if I say so myself, matured. See, I¡¯m starting to even grow a beard.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t see any hair.¡±
¡°To the untrained eye, maybe. But with eyes like mine, I¡¯m clearly growing in a beard. It¡¯s only a matter of time before I exude even more cool guy energy."
"I think you already do."
"Oh stop¡ But go on!"
Walking down the hall, a few guys are moving through the hall with their escorts. They¡¯re brimming with energy as they¡¯re getting close with them. Talk about a lack of personal space, huh?
¡°What do you wish to do?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. You got anything you want to do?¡±
¡°Since you¡¯ve asked, maybe we can explore together?¡±
¡°Hmm, I guess we can do that, but what about breakfast?¡±
¡°Oh, yes. There¡¯s a small kitchen in this guest house, so let¡¯s use it.¡±
She leads the way to the kitchen. Opening the door, we see other guys in here sitting on dining tables. Their escorts are doing most of the cooking. The girls are scrambling all over the place in there, trying to get what they need, but they¡¯re pushing, stumbling, and nearly dropping stuff trying to move around in the small kitchen. This is too painful to watch.
¡°Wait here a moment,¡± I tell Vella.
¡°Where are you going?¡±
¡°Just going to do something in the kitchen.¡±
I march into the kitchen, whistling the moment I made it inside. The girls bring their attention to me.
¡°Nice to have your attention.¡±
¡°Excuse me, but you should go back to the dining area. You¡¯ll get hurt if you aren¡¯t careful in the kitchen.¡±
¡°Please, I¡¯ve been cooking in the kitchen since I was 8, I know what I¡¯m doing. The organization here is awful. You¡¯re all trying to cook for the guy you¡¯re with, right?¡± They give a single nod. ¡° Here¡¯s the problem, it¡¯s too small in here for all of you to be cooking at once.¡±
¡°Then what do you want us to do?¡±
¡°Simple... Anyone have paper and a pen?¡±
¡
Slamming the paper on the counter and putting the pen on top of it, the guys and Vella give me a bewildered look.
¡°Okay, here¡¯s how we¡¯re doing this: come here, write what you want on the paper, then write a number based on where you are on line.¡± The guys mutter amongst themselves, giving me wary eyes. ¡°You guys deft? Come and write a damn order, or eat nothing at all!¡±
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
The whispers turn to complaints as the guys direct them towards me. Mostly saying they want the girls to cook for them.
¡°Mr. Proxy, they seem to be angry,¡± one of the escorts says.
¡°I can see that, and in that case¡ C¡¯mere, you punks!¡±
¡
I place a plate on the counter, ringing a bell I found in the kitchen. ¡°Beef Mong stew with a side of water for number 13!¡±
¡°T-thanks.¡±
¡°No problem, dude.¡±
A guy shuffles to the counter, dully grabbing his tray. Nothing out of the ordinary, nope, not at all¡ With that, we finished our orders for everyone in the dining area. We had three people cooking while the others would help get ingredients and cooking tools. Thanks to my experience as head-cook of the army, I know how to manage people in the kitchen. Yep, just another skill to add to my list.
¡°Thanks for helping us, Mr. Proxy.¡±
¡°We couldn¡¯t have done it without you.¡±
¡°No problem, I was just in the neighborhood. But remember, make sure you guys act like a team when cooking. If you all move around without any coordination, you¡¯ll get hurt. Got me?¡±
¡°Yes, sir,¡± they all say in synch.
¡°All right, I¡¯m out.¡±
I swagger out of the kitchen. It feels so damn good to be head-chef. Though, I never got to make myself anything. I wanna go back and do so, but I can¡¯t be bothered; I¡¯m not even that hungry.
Approaching me, Vella has a plate in her hands. ¡°Excellent work. Here you are.¡±
¡°Whoa, where did you get this?¡±
¡°I was able to persuade one of the men to give me their food.¡±
¡°Really? I feel kinda bad for the guy¡ But I¡¯m hungry, so it¡¯s whatever!¡±
Taking the plate from her hand, I go to town on the food.
¡°I didn¡¯t know you could cook,¡± Vella opens with.
¡°Cool, right? Good at fighting and good at cooking. I¡¯m da man!¡±
¡°Is fighting really a talent?¡±
¡°Course it is¡ To me it is.¡± Well, since I ain¡¯t hungry and I got nothing to do, what the hell am I supposed to do now? ¡°Vella, is there anywhere to go around here?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ We can go to the weapon museum.¡±
A shock goes through my body from the mention of the weapon¡¯s museum.
¡°What are we waiting for, let¡¯s go!¡± I jump out of my seat, running out of the small dining room. Excitement runs through every part of my body from just wanting to see this place¡ Actually, how do I get there? Scratch that, where¡¯s Vella?.
Underground town - Weapon¡¯s museum - morning
I push open the door, ecstatic to get inside. What awaits in this place are weapons in display cases, weapons also being propped up outside on finely carved, artistically designed tables. Sets of armor are on full display outside of glass cases. Each varies between design, weight, and feel. Yet, each is crafted with a careful, elegant touch to them that is made to last.
¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±
¡°Y-yeah! Even if all you do is look at them, you can tell that each piece of armor is perfectly crafted. Do you know who made them?¡±
¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡±
¡°How come?¡±
¡°We¡¯re the first people to live here in a while..¡±
¡°That smarts. Wish I could¡¯ve told them they did a bang-up job on the weapons and armor.¡± Then who made all this stuff? Why leave it here? Ah, that doesn¡¯t matter to me; I¡¯m not Richard or Quincy, I¡¯ll let them do the uncovering. ¡°Vell, let¡¯s look around.¡±
She drops her smile, looking awestruck for some reason. ¡°Vell?¡±
¡°Yeah, Vell. Short and simple. Why is it so surprising?¡±
She recoils from my question, becoming even more surprised. Her expression perks up with her usual smile. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to give me a nickname. I¡¯m not worthy of such--¡±
¡°Can you stop that?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°I mean, can you stop acting like I¡¯m a king? It¡¯s kind of weird.¡±
¡°O-oh, I¡¯m sorry, please--¡±
¡°Stop! Listen, we¡¯re both around the same age, right?¡±
¡°I suppose.¡±
¡°Then that means we¡¯re both kids. Stop acting like you¡¯re my maid and just act like, ya know, a kid.¡±
I might be overstepping a little, but I can¡¯t help but get annoyed by it. Vell hangs her head, staring at her feet. Shit, I overdid it, didn¡¯t I?
¡°Hey, um, I¡¡±
¡°Proxy, you must apologize for yelling at a woman!¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, I have to! Huh?¡± A late reaction kicks in, failing to realize that Alex is the one who said that to me. I turn to face him, he¡¯s wearing armor that¡¯s way too big for him. He looks like he¡¯s wearing a turtle¡¯s shell around his whole body. His head is the only thing poking out of it.
¡°Apologize!¡± I start laughing from the sudden urge. Him telling me to apologize is just too damn funny when he¡¯s wearing that thing. ¡°...Why are you laughing?¡± Unaware of the hilarity, Alex asks with a dead serious expression.
¡°Just¡just take a look in the mirror,¡± I tell him while laughing my ass off.
He stands in front of the mirror that¡¯s on display behind himself. ¡°Oh my¡¡± He starts howling in laughter, the armor jiggles up and down as he does. ¡°I look ridiculous!¡±
That comment only makes me laugh even harder. I¡¯m kneeling over on my knees, clutching my stomach. This is just too much, I¡¯m seriously going to die from laughter¡ After a solid 2 minutes of laughing like a pair of lunatics, we calm down.
¡°Alex, you good?¡±
¡°Yes, I am fine. I must admit, that was quite hysterical.¡±
¡°You said it. Vell, you¡¡± Her head bobs a little, her body quakes. ¡°You still upset? I¡¯m sorry if I was acting like a jerk, so--¡±
A loud, uncontrolled laugh interrupts me, Vella roars with laughter, grabbing her gut as she turns away from us. Even if she does, she¡¯s still laughing louder than me and Alex combined.
¡°Sorry, I¡¯m so sorry! It¡¯s just...you two were acting funny!¡± She kept laughing for a minute until she was barely able to calm herself. ¡°...Sorry you two had to see that.¡±
¡°It¡¯s cool, you¡¯re just having fun.¡±
Seeing her laugh like that breaks the wall between her treating me as someone higher than her, since she¡¯s acting looser.
¡°Proxy, and umm¡¡±
¡°Alexander is my name, it¡¯s a pleasure to be in your presence.¡±
¡°Alexander as well, thank you for the laugh.¡±
¡°I am happy to see you are feeling better.¡±
¡°Yeah, and again, sorry for making you upset.¡±
¡°No, I wasn¡¯t upset, I was just unsure of what to do when you asked me to stop treating you the way I have been. It¡¯s not easy for me to act casual around others¡¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I just¡ I¡¯m not good at treating people as equals.¡±
¡°That is no good!¡± Alex raises his voice. ¡°You should think of everyone as your equal, and you shouldn¡¯t think lowly of yourself either!¡±
¡°You think so? But we¡¯re supposed to treat guests like kings. If we don¡¯t, then we would be improper and going against the definition of lady-like. And I can¡¯t do that!¡±
¡°You are not improper for acting like a child. And as for being lady-like, I have no idea what that would mean, but I believe however you act, that is ladylike, because you are a lady, no?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right. Who cares if you¡¯re improper or not, as long as you''re not acting like an ass, then you¡¯re good. So don¡¯t worry about being proper or whatever the hell, let¡¯s all have some fun.¡±
¡°Fun...?¡± Once again, her happy expression disappears, only this time, it turns into a smirk. ¡°...You wanna have fun?¡±
¡°Hell yeah!¡±
¡°Then I have a suggestion. See those shields?¡±
She points to the ones hanging on the wall. They seem big enough for someone to stand on.
¡°What about them?¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to have fun.¡±
A tingly sensation sparks up in my spine. A giggle escapes me, I don¡¯t know where this is going, but I have a feeling this is going to be fun.
"Proxy, can you help me out of this armor? It is quite difficult to move."
"Oh, sure man... Why are you wearing this anyway? Chip convinced me to."
I would laugh but that''s low, even for him... Well, it''s still kind of funny,
The underground beauties: part 7
Underground town - morning
Nunnal¨¦, Quincy, and I are exploring a cavern we found at the edge of this town. Quincy said there was bound to be one since the other towns had them too. It¡¯s been made from the rocky surface that covers this entire town. The tunnel we¡¯re currently walking through is a straight, but spacious path. It¡¯s dank in, but thanks to a lanter Quincy has, we¡¯re able to navigate with minimal problems.
Nunnal¨¦ is behind me while Quincy leads onward. This way, Nunnal¨¦ can respond to any attack while Quincy wants to be the leading man for this investigation.
¡°How far do you think this tunnel goes?¡±
A pointless question, but ask it anyway.
¡°Who can say? We can only continue down this path,¡± Quincy answers with confidence.
¡°I am amazed by the interior of this tunnel. The surface of the walls are smooth with little to no rough edges or bumpy surfaces, even the ground has been evened out."
"You''re right, but why so much effort for a simple cavern?"
"Judging from the other underground towns I''ve seen, and this one, the ones who used to inhabit them were craftsmen who most likely wished to craft an aesthetically pleasing village."
It makes sense, this cave, and the buildings in the town, hell even the roads proves that fact.
"How many of these towns have you been to?" I ask..
"Two so far. Both of them are identical to this town."
"What''s the point of making the same town?"
"I have yet to uncover the reason. Exploring those places proved dangerous since there were living armors keeping me away from the inner sanctums of their caverns."
"Living armor?" I repeat.
"Yes, they moved as if a person was inside, but I was able to knock off one of their helmets. There was no one inside it."
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing. Of course, I couldn''t investigate it since it was stronger than me, so I ran from them... However, this time around, I am convinced they will hardly be a problem now. We¡¯ll be able to uncover what this cavern holds." Quincy is getting giddy as he lets out a slight giggle. "...I am unable to hold in my excitement.¡±
"Glad you''re excited."
"Of course, why would I not be? These are the moments I live for."
In any case, it looks like we''ll be in for a fight.
"Nunnal¨¦, get ready for a fight."
"Understood. Please stay away from me and the enemy when we encounter one."
"Okay, but I''ll come in and help when I can."
Ahead, there is a light coming from the other end of the tunnel. It only takes a couple of seconds to reach it. We¡¯re at the end of the corridor. Lanterns hang on the walls, filling the room with bright lights. The walls as well as the floor are smooth, polished like glass. Even with my shoes on, I can still tell how inhumanly smooth this surface is.
¡°There it is, an armored guardian.¡±
On the far left-hand side of the room, a full set of armor is blocking our way¡ Hold on a moment!
"I''ve seen this thing before!"
"You have? Where was it?"
"It was--"
The armor enemy¡¯s sword comes out of a metal sheath while it grinds against the inner part of it..
"Here it comes!" Nunnal¨¦ spawns her sword, taking a one-hand stance. "Master Richard, do not interfere."
"I won''t get in the way. Just avoid any needless damage!"
"Understood."
Without any delay, Nunnal¨¦ flashes forward, reaching the enemy in the blink of an eye. Her sword aims for the enemy¡¯s head. He whips his sword at hers¡¯, changing its course. She responds with a kick, distancing the two of them. Nunnal¨¦ grips her sword with both her hands.
The brief exchange leaves me breathless. A single mistake on any of their part spells out death for the two combatants.
The armor opens the next exchange as Nunnal¨¦ intercepts. Each blow from the other is being blocked as their swords clash. The sound of steel clashing echoes in the room. The air gets denser and denser as this short exchange goes on. Their pace picks up to unhuman speeds. Even if I want to help, there''s no room for me to interject. One misstep, that armor will lop my head, or I could get in Nunnal¨¦¡¯s way.
"Hm, it seems as if this battle can go on for a while," Quincy says.
"Not like we can step in without getting killed."
"Then we provide support without getting close."
The only way to do that is by throwing something at it, but what would that be¡? My back hits the wall as I step backward without thinking¡ That''s it!
I move a large quantity of Source into my left arm. My arm smashes in the wall behind me. Rubble falls from the small hole I made. I grab a piece of stone to use as a projectile.
"Master, get out of the way!"
Nunnal¨¦''s warning has me turn my head to her and the enemy. The armor enemy is about to slice me with it''s sword. In the blink of an eye, I''m dragged away from the enemy. Quincy pushes me behind him.
"Thank you, Quincy!"
"Think nothing of it!"
Quincy brings out his weapon to block the incoming attack. He barely withstands the attack as his knees buckle from the unbelievable power of the blow. Despite this severity in power, he''s able to block the next attack again. It forces him onto the ground. I jump at the side of the enemy. My Source heads to my right arm, enhancing its capabilities. I deliver a sloppy punch, but it''s enough to push it away from us.
As it''s feet grind against the ground to stop itself, Nunnal¨¦ punts it towards the wall. The wall breaks as the enemy hits it.. Despite such a heavy attack, it catapults itself at Nunnal¨¦. She redirects its course with a sword strike. Deft with her footwork, her sword zones in for another strike. The armor enemy uses its arm as a desperate measure to block. However, Nunnal¨¦ cleaves it like butter.
In terms of pure power, the armor is weaker than Nunnal¨¦ since she¡¯s enhancing her sword with my Source. The armor is probably made out of sturdy material, but it¡¯s only strong as long as nobody can cut or dent it. However, since Nunnal¨¦ is already physically strong and is enhancing her blade with Source, the result is clear. However, the blade held up fine against it. Must¡¯ve been made out of stronger material.
"All right! Finish it off!" Quincy orders.
"Understood."
She goes for a strike to the head, slicing it into halves. It''s body staggers from the loss of its head, but it doesn¡¯t stop moving.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"So I must destroy the whole body."
Without warning or a signal, both of their blades shoot for the other. Their arms and swords are a blur, making it impossible for me to see who hit the other first. However, the result is clear who hit the other first. The armored enemy is split into two from the waist up. Both halves hit the ground, making a loud metal thump.
Nunnal¨¦ relaxes her posture as her sword disappears from sight. "The enemy has been defeated."
"Excellent work. I knew you would carry us through."
"Don''t you have any shame?" I ask Quincy.
"As long as I can further my investigation, shame is but a fleeting concept."
"I see."
I don''t know whether that''s a positive or negative thing?
"Richard, you said you saw this thing before. Where was it?"
"At the King''s Tower. It was when me and Proxy we''re about to exit. It was standing at the entrance...waiting for us."
Wait a moment, what did I just say!?
"Now that''s curious. Why would it be doing that?"
Is this another revelation to the mystery of why we''re here? Actually, I remember Marie calling him the Silent Knight.
"Quincy, does the Silent Knight mean anything to you?"
"It''s a character from a local legend. Was he the one you saw?"
"I think so. When we first met Marie, I told her everything that happened, or at least when we arrived in this world and that the book brought us here."
"I see¡ Then we''ll discuss it later. For now, we need to focus on investigating this town."
"Right."
"I''ll wait by the door. Check up on Nunnal¨¦."
"Right, we''ll catch up with you in a minute."
He heads to the giant door while putting away his weapon.
"Hey, Nunnal¨¦, are you okay?"
"Yes, I am unharmed, but I am sorry that the enemy almost harmed you due to my negligence."
"I''m fine, Quincy was there to keep me out of harm''s way."
"And I appreciate his assistance for it. However, are you sure you are okay?"
¡°I am, I promise.¡±
Her eyes observe my body, scanning for any wound on me. "Very well, then I shall leave it at that. As long as you are not harmed, then that is a satisfactory result.¡±
¡°Exactly. So, are you ready to go?¡±
¡°I am ready whenever you.¡±
¡°Then we¡¯re proceeding!¡±
We approach the door as Quincy is about to open it. ¡°Are you ready?¡±
¡°We are.¡±
¡°Then let us go further.¡±
He pulls open the door with all his might. Dry, humid air rushes out of the other side of the door, pushing against my body. Inside is a small room with furniture next to a fireplace. The colors in the brown color of the room gives a nice, relaxing but sophisticated vibe to the room. There¡¯s a bookshelves at the other end of the room, surrounding a medium-sized desk cleared of any object. They should easily be able to hold tons of books, but there¡¯s barely any of them on the shelves.
¡°This appears to be a study,¡± Quincy points out.
¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s so dusty compared to the rest of this town.¡±
¡°Well, with the armored guard, this place hasn¡¯t seen many visitors.¡± Quincy moves to the bookshelf, taking a single book off the shelf. He skims through the book. ¡°...Useless, it¡¯s about the study of birds.¡± He picks up another and speeds reads it as well. ¡°...Just as useless, this is on the study of agriculture.¡±
¡°There has to be something in this room if it was being guarded.¡±
¡°I agree. Search this place, there must be something worth guarding¡¡±
Nunnal¨¦ searches the fireplace while I search everywhere else. There has to be a secret around here, just in case the guard was defeated... Nothing, I can¡¯t seem to find any clues on a hidden room, or a hidden tile. I lean against the wall that¡¯s facing the fireplace. There¡¯s a picture of a funny looking animal that has the body of a goat. Ugly suits it better.
¡°Why would anyone have a picture of that?¡±
While I¡¯m wondering to myself about that, I noticed there are no other pictures around here. There isn¡¯t a self-portrait of a person in here, or of anything else, just that weird creature¡
¡°Hmm¡¡±
It¡¯s a bit odd for such a place like this to have a picture that¡¯s out of place in the first place.
Approaching the fireplace, I put my hands on the frame of the painting. Being able to see the wall behind the painting, there are small letters on the wall. Touching them, they slightly move. It feels like a dial. I push up to confirm my suspicion.
¡°Master Richard has found something."
Quincy joins us from the bookshelf. "Is that a dial?"
"I think so, but why is it on a wall?" Putting the picture down, I touch the surface of the wall. It feels colder. Knocking on it gives a hollow sound to it. Is this a fake piece of wall? "There''s something past here."
"Master Richard, I can cut it open the wall, if you like?"
"No, let''s not do anything rash. If possible, I''d like to preserve this place."
"He''s right, let''s not do anything," I tell Nunnal¨¦.
"Very well, then let us discover the method to open this wall."
"Then let us¡" Quincy pauses, his attention is on the picture. "...Let us investigate the picture."
He presses his fingers against the inner edge of the frame, moving along the straight path of it. His fingers stop at the lower-left corner. He tugs something of it; a piece of paper.
He unfolds the neatly folded paper. "The flower that signals the creation of a new life. Is this a clue to the dial?"
"I think so. Let''s see if there''s something about it in a book over--"
"There are 3 flowers in particular that have to do with creation of life: The Yulis flower, Prona flower, and the prima flower."
"Each one has 5 letters, and there are only 5 dials."
"I recommend we try the Yulis flower, for it is able to hold the meaning for the creation of life. Meanwhile, the others I have mentioned only hold one meaning for life or creation."
Nunnal¨¦ enters the letters for the flower. A click echoes through the room. The wall creaks open as dust comes flying from the safe. Inside, there''s a small book made of leather. It seems to be a bit worn.
Nunnal¨¦ hands it to me. Despite its appearance, the leather feels nice, cool to the touch. I flip through the pages to see what''s in here. Only half of the pages in this book are filled. I go back through the pages I turned through. As I''m turning it, a word catches my eye: doll.
Stopping on that page, I take a look at the context of the page. "...The manufacturing of doll bodies has increased ten-fold as we have been commanded by the supreme king to manufacture more. Making Source circuits for them is a strenuous task. Our production rate is 22.6%, even our finest craftsmen are unable to make them as quickly. And even when we make them, the amount of Source they can produce and handle is a minimal amount. Compared to the father, we are unable to create them in such a hasty manner, and their quality is low-end at that. We will do the best we can with what we are able to create. Our pride as craftsmen depends on it."
Flipping through the pages, there are 8 more pages filled before hitting the end of the entries.
"Dolls, could he mean dolls like Nunnal¨¦?" Quincy ponders.
"It is possible, however, I would not consider myself low-end."
"So there are more of you? If so, then where are they?" The room goes silent as nobody tries to answer my question. "Then who is this father?''
"Who can say. But judging from the writer''s interpretation of him, he must be the original creator of Nunnal¨¦''s kind."
"Maybe so, but what is Source Circuitry? Teacher never told me anything about that."
"It is the system of which Source flows through from within our bodies. Each part of that circuitry has an opening point where you can allow your Source to flow freely around your body. This is how we''re able to interact with our Source."
"I see, so are these circuits physical?"
"Not to the naked eye, and they are tangible, yet not tangible at the same time."
Static plays in my head as I''m wrapping my brain over this concept. No wonder teacher didn''t tell me about it; it probably was pointless for me to grasp it for now, especially if I can''t do anything with that information.
"...However, the construction of Source Circuits are complicated, and require a vast level of understanding to create them," Nunnal¨¦ continues with her lecture. "From what was written, they only had a base level of understanding of it. Producing the doll bodies would only require one to gather the components that compose a human being. However, this in itself requires an enormous understanding of the human body and how each part plays into the other."
"So essentially, the process of making dolls is a difficult one. No, more than difficult; nearly impossible."
"In the perspective of a normal outlook, we should not exist, I should not even be a possibility. However, the one who created me has a clear understanding of Source circuitry, how to make vessels, and the human body. My existence is nothing short of a miracle."
Now I understand. Even if you understand the human body, you need to understand such a concept called Source itself. On how it works, I understand, but on the understanding of what Source is beyond being the essence of the soul, I have no idea. Actually, what is a soul? How is one able to understand the idea, the makeup, or the construction of the soul. So how would one be able to make Source circuits? These questions are pointless for me to speculate since there¡¯s no way I¡¯d be able to figure it out.
"Regardless, I think we should go over what''s inside this book. It seems to be about 50 pages worth of material, so it won''t take too long."
Quincy is right, we should stay here and read over what''s inside of this book. Besides, we might learn about who Nunnal¨¦ is from this book.
¡
"The three that went into the room that was guarded are still in there. I can''t say what they are doing, but I''ll keep monitoring them."
A mysterious figure stalking Richard, Quincy, and Nunnal¨¦ cuts off their radio. They decide to retreat for now. Since there''s nowhere else for them to go in the cavern, it''ll be best to watch them when they leave it...
The underground beauties: part 8
Underground town - morning
We speed down a random street hill that has little to no people. The buildings are a blur as we zoom past them. I¡¯m holding onto the shield¡¯s edge as right with my dear life. Alex is right behind me on another shield, and Vella is sitting with me. The wind races past my face, feeling as if I''m falling from the sky or something. It nails in how fast we¡¯re going. One mistake, and we¡¯re eating dirt.
¡°Vell,¡± I shout, fighting back against the wind.
¡°What is it,¡± she responds with the same volume as me.
¡°Where does this lead to!?¡±
¡°It leads to a water bank!¡±
Good, good. Now to ask the more important question. ¡°Did you do this before!?¡±
¡°Yeah! Why?¡±
¡°Just curious, how many times have you hit the ground?¡±
¡°Not too many times, just 6 times!¡±
Yep, we might die before hitting the bank¡ Speak of the devil, a bank of water is up ahead. From what little I¡¯m able to see up ahead, there''s a ramp to help us glide into the water. Well, at least we''ll have a landing¡ Wait a minute.
"How deep is the water?" I ask her, praying that she doesn''t give me the answer I don''t want.
"Not too deep, but you''ll have to get ready to swim."
Oh shit, oh no, oh God!
"Oh no¡ I can''t swim¡"
"We''re about to hit it!"
Intense fear hits me like a brick hitting a windshield. While Vella yells with excitement, I''m screaming from the top of my lungs as we''re about to hit the water.
Underground town - pet section - morning
After I almost drowned, we went to a pet reservation. It only has one animal here. It''s like a panda except it has the tail of an otter. Its face looks a bit goofy with that long mouth, but It looks pretty cute.
"What is this thing?"
"It''s a Plato. It''s a very kind creature that loves it when people give it treats. Plus, its fur is soooo soft." Vella hands me something that looks like jerky. "Give him this and he''ll let you hug him. "
"Really? Alright then."
I hand it the food Vella gave me. It throws it into its mouth, chewing on it with relish.
"Wow, you were able to do that so easily.
"No surprise, I was called the dog whisperer back home. No hound was beyond my ability to tame it!"
Now, time to go in for the hug. As I approach it, I open my arms wide. "Time to embrace the fur--" it smacks me with its giant hand, sending me soaring to the side of the reservation, into the fence surrounding the creature.
¡°Oh, right. I forgot to mention. They only like to hug girls, so when a man tries it. Well¡¡±
¡°Thanks for the tip,¡± I sarcastically utter. The pain isn¡¯t too big of a deal, but that doesn¡¯t mean it doesn¡¯t hurt.
"So fluffy!" Bella hugs it while rubbing her head against it, pouring salt on my wounds. "Proxy, it''s so fluffy."
"Yeah, sure¡ I''m just gonna pass out."
Underground town - afternoon
I¡¯m panting like a dog at this point. One thing after another, Vella seems to be getting me into scrapes at this point. Well, maybe it¡¯s just a bit of bad luck on my part, or maybe hers.
¡°Proxy, you seem tired, maybe we should take a break.¡±
¡°Yeah, maybe I should¡¡±
I squat on the floor to catch my breath. As I¡¯m relaxing, I see Gil and Vran walking together.
¡°Yo,¡± I called out to them.
¡°Proxy, what are you doing?¡± Gil asks as he rushes over to me.
¡°Chillin¡¯. You?¡±
¡°We just got back from a practice match. Vran is a great partner. She was able to lift me off the ground.¡±
¡°I-it¡¯s no deal, really!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t, with the size of someone like Gil, you have to be pretty strong to do that."
¡°Vran really is strong. She can even beat bigger animals with only her bare hands.¡±
In a swift motion, she approaches Vella and puts her hand on her mouth. ¡°Vella, stop!¡±
Even though she¡¯s being muffled, her innocent laugh is clear. Vran grows even more embarrassed by the harmless act.
Vella moves Vran¡¯s hand from her mouth. ¡°But I bet Proxy can beat you. After all, his muscles are pretty big.¡±
Huh?
¡°R-really?¡±
Vran turns her head to me, giving a stare that strikes fear into me. Time stops in my body, becoming a statue. ¡°P-Proxy¡ Let¡¯s fight!¡±
For the first time, my fight or flight instincts let my flight take control. ¡°W-what!? Wait a minute, I ain¡¯t ready, besides¡¡±
¡°No debate, we must fight!¡±
She cracks her knuckles as she closes in on me. Judging from her wacko bloodlust, I¡¯m going on a whim that she¡¯ll crush my damn head if she gets ahold of me.
¡°Hey, look over there!¡± Everyone¡¯s attention turns the other way. ¡°See ya!¡±
I make a mad dash for my life. Vella is behind me as we run from this crazy scene. It doesn¡¯t take long for Vran to chase after me. A spine curling feeling is behind me, turning around feels like a death sentence.
¡°Why are we running Proxy?¡±
¡°Because of you!¡±
¡°Oh, right, sorry.¡±
¡°You airhead!¡±
Death is behind me, and it''s because of an airhead...
Underground - afternoon
We¡¯re in the same bar that we got chewed out in yesterday. Elizabeth is drinking like usual, not even batting an eye at the fact that we''re in here. Did she forget about that stuff, or is she just not trying to think about it? Either way, I don¡¯t want to bring down the mood, so I won¡¯t bring it up.
¡°Yo, Marie, ya seem upset. What¡¯s wrong?¡±
¡°Nothing.¡±
¡°C¡¯mon, ya have that pouty face.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not pouting! It¡¯s just¡ Do you think we¡¯re feminine?¡±
¡°Oh, you¡¯re still upset about yesterday?¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Not really.¡±
¡°How can you not?¡±
¡°I mean¡ For most of my life, I wasn¡¯t raised to be prim and proper. My pa was one of the first people to be an engineer, but even before then, he loved to take shit apart. So, he taught me how to do it.¡±
¡°What about your mother?¡±
¡°She kicked the bucket when I was a kid. Wasn¡¯t in the best of health.¡±
Guilt hits me hard. I should''ve figured that was the case. It''s not exactly uncommon for parents to be dead or missing. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I ain''t delicate. Point is, even if I ain¡¯t so feminine, I love who I am, and how I do things. So if someone has a problem with it, they can kiss ma ass!¡±
She takes another drink from her cup. ¡°C¡¯mon, just one drink.¡±
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°No, I shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯m about to leave anyway.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I need to find Vezra. I have to apologize for how I acted.¡±
¡°Ya sure about that?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°¡®Kay, then I¡¯ll drink for the both of us!.¡±
The declaration gets a chuckle out of me. ¡°Alright, drink as much as you want. Just make sure not to go overboard.¡±
¡°Roger that.¡±
At first, I didn''t think much of Elizabeth, but now, I think she¡¯s much stronger of a person than I can be¡ Maybe I should take a page from her book?
Underground town - Zeal¡¯s room - afternoon
My body goes up and down as I use my arms to elevate and deescalate myself¡ I¡¯m doing push-ups. My body is tightening as I¡¯m closing into my limit. The strain in my arms is becoming more apparent, but that¡¯s good, it lets me know that my body is growing. As the pain grows and my sweat drips off my body, I finally move past my limit and stop at my new record.
I get up from the floor, wiping off the sweat from my face. ¡°How many, and you better have counted them all.¡±
¡°From the start to end, I counted 180 push-ups.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
I¡¯m close to 200. Next time I should just push it, even if it leaves me sore.
¡°May I ask why you did so many?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that much. Besides, I want to get stronger.¡±
¡°Oh my, how manly of you. Just don¡¯t wear yourself out, or else you won¡¯t be able to grow properly.¡±
¡°Shut up, I know how to grow.¡±
¡°Do you get a good night of rest?¡±
¡°I stay up sometimes.¡±
¡°Do you eat a proper meal every day?¡±
¡°Who cares, food is food.¡±
¡°Do you wash your--¡±
¡°Yes, and stop! I get it. I¡¯ll sleep more and eat properly.¡±
¡°You should also take care of how you look. People will give you funny stares if you continue to dress the way you do.¡±
¡°It ain¡¯t that bad. Though, brother does scold me about how I tear up my clothes, but that¡¯s just a style choice. But maybe I should at least tidy up, but only a bit.¡±
Vetra hands me a towel. I use it to wipe the sweat off my body.
¡°You seem to have a great amount of respect for your brother,¡± she says, smiling all the while.
¡°Of course, he¡¯s the best person in this world. What, I can¡¯t love my brother?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s wonderful that you¡¯re able to get along. You should always get along with one another.¡±
¡°No shit.¡±
She wags her finger at me with a, "scolding you" expression. ¡°Language!¡±
I click my teeth from the comment. I didn¡¯t mean to curse to be rude, it¡¯s just how I talk. But I should learn to control it, as brother said. It¡¯s just so damn hard to do so.
¡°S-sorry.¡±
¡°That¡¯s much better. Now, do you want something to eat?¡±
¡°I ain¡¯t hungry.¡±
¡°It¡¯s no good to--¡±
¡°I know, I know. I mean it, I ain¡¯t hungry.¡±
¡°If you say so.¡±
She hums a quiet tune to herself. It''s nice to the ears, but more importantly, it sounds vaguely familiar. Memories of a time I can scantily recall. A woman is humming to me, soothing me. It''s as if the tune itself eased my heart and soul all at once.
"What is that?" I ask, my tone soft so it won''t mess with the humming.
"Huh? What am I humming? It''s nothing at all."
"Nothing at all, huh? Well, whatever."
"What is it? Come on, you can tell me."
"It''s nothing¡really¡"
She just sits there with a beautiful smile that captivates me. My brain is telling me to not tell her anything else, but something else is just itching to share with her. That smile doesn''t help things. Man, what am I getting conflicted about? Thinking about this shit is just annoying.
"This is gonna sound dumb, but you remind me of someone."
"Who would that be?"
I''m struggling to get the words out. Son of a bitch, they''re just words, say them!
"Y...you remind me of my mom¡"
She covers her mouth, raising her brows as well as her eyelids. All of a sudden though, she starts laughing. She''s trying to die it down but it isn''t working.
"What''s so funny!?"
"Nothing, it''s just¡ I was always told I was a motherly type of person. I suppose that is true, but I don''t think so."
"Why not?"
"Well¡ I just don''t feel as if I deserve to be a mother."
She drops the smile for a second. Her expression is dower while still retaining her beauty.
"Why?"
"No reason¡ None at all. Simply ignore me." There''s no way I can do that with you making it obvious that something is wrong. "...May I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"If you...failed someone, failed to protect the one you hold dear¡ Would you be able to forgive yourself?"
"No," I immediately answer. "Who the hell would forgive themselves for it? If you forgive yourself after someone you care about gets hurt, then that means you never cared in the first place."
"I see¡" The room goes dead quiet as we sit or stand in place. Vetra gets up from her chair. "Well, I should go get something prepared for dinner. We''re all going to be eating in the dining hall again, so please come around in 30 minutes, okay?
"Yeah, sure¡"
She shuts the door behind herself. The clicking sound of the door barely reaches my ears. The question she asked was odd, and it''s still bugging me.
"If you fail to protect them, then what good are you? That''s a question I never wanna answer ever again."
Underground town - afternoon
It took me a while, but thanks to some of the girls here, I found Vezra. She''s in the kitchen, alongside several other girls who are preparing dinner. Her knife chops through something on a cutting board in front of herself. The way she uses the blade in her hand is smooth, swift, and without effort. She uses it to cut up the last of the ingredients she has in front of her.
"You have a great handle on that knife."
She jerks her head at me. She recoils from the sight of me. "Oh, oh my! You scared me."
"Sorry, I didn''t mean to startle you."
She quickly collects her cool, bringing back the mature air around herself. "It''s fine, I just get too focused when cooking."
"Ah¡ May I join you?"
"No, it''s fine. I can do this on my own."
"Oh, I see¡"
The words clog in my throat as I try to force them out.
"Do you need something?" Vezra''s voice brings me back to reality. "I need to get these done before dinner, so¡"
"Actually, I do have something to say." I bow my head to her. "I am so sorry about my behavior yesterday! I was acting like a drunken fool and I behaved disrespectfully!" Looking up, Vezra is stiff, staring at me with a 100 mile stare. "...Was I too loud?"
"What? No, you weren''t. I was just surprised, is all. However, there''s no need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. We were the ones who instigated the argument."
"But you didn''t do anything. Besides, I almost hit one of them, so I''m the one who was about to take it too far¡"
We went back and forth on whose fault it was, after a while, Vezra starts giggling to herself as she puts the knife down. "...Then why don''t we say it was both our faults."
"I don''t know if it''s really fine by me, but at least we can resolve this."
She and I shake hands. Her grip is stronger than I imagined. Now that I notice it, her hands are a bit callus; it''s not too noticeable from afar, but getting close helps.
"Your hands are quite strong," Vezra compliments.
"Thanks," I nervously responded. "...But it''s probably not all that feminine for me to be muscular."
"No, it''s alright¡ Personally, I think it''s amazing!"
"Really?"
"Of course, you look so cool, not to mention you look strong."
"Oh, oh shit¡ Well, I wouldn''t say that, but I have knocked quite a lot of heads during my time."
Besides bandit''s heads, Proxy is the usual suspect, but that¡¯s neither here nor there.
¡°I think it¡¯s fine to be muscular, it adds a certain charm to the woman.¡±
¡°O-oh! That¡¯s nice to hear. Honestly, my muscles didn¡¯t bother me before, and they still kinda don''t. I only develop them from fighting a lot and using a spear.¡±
¡°You use a spear?¡±
¡°Yeah, I was taught at a young age how to use one, so it became my main weapon. What about you? You ever use a weapon?¡±
¡°Perish the thought, I¡¯d never be able to. I¡¯m too weak to even use one."
"It''s not too late to start¡ Judging how you use that knife, that could be your main weapon."
"You think so?"
Her expression goes blank from the comment. Her eyes go dull for a moment. It''s as if all the life had been sucked out of her, only for them and her expression of a cool, mature woman to come back.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"What do you mean? I''m fine¡"
"Oh, then I must''ve been seeing things."
Maybe I did, but it looked as if she was bothered by something for a moment. I don''t know, maybe I am seeing things.
Vezra hands me another knife that''s on the table. "...Maybe I can use a little bit of help."
"I thought you didn''t need any help?"
"I might''ve exaggerated that point. Besides, I can use a hand with carrying a few things."
"Sure thing, I''ll help where I can."
We get to work on making dinner. Vezra helped me with the cooking part and I helped get things from point A to point B. She''s such a kind but cool woman¡ I''m kind of jealous of that.
Underground city - Proxy''s room - evening
Dinner is about to start, but I need to take a break. After all the trouble that Vella brought on me, I more than need it. First I almost drowned, got smacked into a fence, then I barely escaped being thrown around like a ragdoll. Meanwhile, she doesn''t have any idea what she''s doing¡ Any more of this, and I might kick the bucket.
Light knocks come from my door. "Proxy, it''s Vella."
My heart skips a beat. Her voice turns my whole body into an icicle. Any thought in my head ceased, turning off from sheer fear. Maybe I should pretend that I''m not here?
"Proxy, please open the door. I know you''re in here." She even sounds like a horror movie villain! "I need to talk to you, it''s important."
"You ain''t got something on you that''ll mess me up, right?"
"No, I do not."
Well, in that case, I can let her in. I just hope I don''t regret it.
Carefully opening the door, Vella''s wry smile is the first thing I see. "Sorry if I''m disturbing you."
"It''s okay. But Vell, about today¡"
"I know, it was quite fun, wasn''t it?"
"Yeah...sure."
This chick is honestly so airheaded that it isn''t funny. Though, I don''t think I should bring that point up; she seemed to be having fun, so who am I to ruin it?
"However, something that has been on my mind."
"Spit."
"Why would I do that?" She asks, tilting her head to me.
"It means say what you gotta say."
"Ah, I''m sorry. Your way of speaking is very colorful, I just can''t keep up."
"Don''t sweat it, I forget that some people in this world don''t know most of my slang. But what do you want?"
She shuffles her fingers around each other as she stares at her feet. "You said you would do whatever I asked, remember?"
I did? Sure as shit escaped me, I wonder when I said that¡? No, wait, I did; back when we decided to stay here.
"Yeah, I do," I said, trying to come off like I didn''t forget.
"Then, could you do me a favor? I know it''s a bit ludicrous to have you do me a favor, even though you''re our guest."
"Don''t worry. A guest shouldn''t be a freeloader. So tell me what needs to be done?"
Well¡" Her voice dies down as she looks up. An innocent smile that radiates excitement. "...Can you take me outside¡?"
The underground beauties: part 9
Underground town - evening
Vella leads the way through a secret passage out of here. It¡¯s a congested corridor that has little to no light in here. Luckily enough, we brought a lantern with us. We can¡¯t go through the main entrance/exit since it¡¯s being watched. When I asked who they were, she dodged the question. I guess it isn''t that important.
The stairs we¡¯re going up are about the same length as the other set of stairs combined into a straight, narrow pathway up. Good thing I¡¯m not claustrophobic, or else this shit would be getting to me by now.
"So, what do ya wanna do outside?" I ask her.
"I just thought it would be nice."
"Not much of a reason."
"I thought you wouldn¡¯t mind?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t, I¡¯m just saying. But are sure no one¡¯s gonna notice we¡¯re gone?¡±
¡°Everyone is going to be in the banquet hall, I¡¯m sure nobody will notice if we¡¯re gone."
I doubt nobody¡¯s not gonna notice, especially if I¡¯m not there.
I knock on the solid rocky wall. "So how did you find this out?¡±
"I just happened to find this when I was musing myself. Though, I''m surprised no one else was able to find this way out."
"Leave often?"
"A bit, not too much for the elder and everyone else to notice. When they''re asleep or having a banquet."
We approach a small wooden door with a latch that Vella slides open. Opening up, the sounds of nature and fresh air register themselves to me. We get out of the tunnel, into a small cabin that has holes all over the place. The room is trashed, broken, plates, glass, and the remains of a broken shelf are plastered all over the ground.
¡°Careful, don¡¯t wanna get a nasty cut on your feet.¡±
¡°How did you know that?¡±
"Wait, you actually got cut?"
"It wasn''t that bad¡"
I can''t tell if she is an airhead, or if she''s just one tough cookie.
"Was this place raided?"
"I''m not sure, it was like this when we arrived."
"Ah." Is all I''m able to say. Not like I can do much with that info, or even care to learn about what happened to this place. Though, I hope the guys who lived here before got out in one piece.
Vella continues to lead the way through the broken glass and wood. Exiting the small cabin, Vella runs into the middle of the village.
"Would you look at that, it is nighttime."
"You thought it wasn''t?"
"Kinda hard to tell time underground."
"Oh yeah, that makes sense."
"Can you?"
"Of course, there''s a clock in the dining hall, as well as the banquet hall, and in our rooms. Do you not know how to read a clock?"
"Shut up! I''m not a moron!"
Vella laughs at my outburst as she walks around. This chick knows how to push my buttons! Still though, what the hell are we doing out here? I get she wants to just get out of the town, but just standing around ain¡¯t all that exciting...
"Yo, Vell, how about we go out there?" I point to the trail leading out of the village.
"But it could be dangerous."
"Yeah, and that''s why I have these." I grip the hilt of my swords.
"Can you even use those?"
"Of course I can! You airhead!"
She squealed like a teenage girl at a boy band concert. "I was only kidding, please be too angry!" It''s hard to tell if she¡¯s yanking my chain, or if she¡¯s serious? "...But I don''t know, it might not be a good idea."
"We''re already out here, kinda too late to worry about that now."
"You have a point, but¡"
"Come on, we won''t go too far. Plus, I have a ride."
I whistle for RoadBurner. It comes cruising from behind the cabin we were in.
¡°Is that yours? How is it moving on its own?¡±
¡°I...have no idea either, it can just do that. But it¡¯s an awesome bike for it, if not a bit wild at times.¡±
I jump on it, grabbing the handles. Revving up the engine is the best feeling in the goddamn world! That, and knocking some heads, that is just gratifying. ¡°Ready to go?¡±
¡°Is it safe?¡±
¡°That question varies, but it¡¯s safe now.¡±
¡°Okay, then¡¡±
She sits on the backseat, then she wraps her arms around me as tight as she could.
¡°Okay, passenger, hang on tight, but not too tight, kay?¡±
¡°Okay!¡±
Without any further delay, we drive down the road that leads away from the ghost town. Now that I think about it, I can scout ahead for any bandit activity, plus, I get to go somewhere new, so that¡¯s a plus.
¡°Vell, I gotta ask: why were you getting me into trouble earlier¡±
¡°I have no idea what you mean,¡± she says, using her innocent smile against me.
¡°You know what I mean. The Plato thing, Vran chasing me down, and the shield surfing, but to be fair, I was up for it, so I can¡¯t blame that on you.¡±
¡°Well¡ I seriously didn¡¯t mean for all that to happen, honestly.¡±
She¡¯s just going to act koi no matter what, huh? Guess there¡¯s no point in trying to force the truth out then. But to be frank, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m that mad about it.
Driving a bit further up, I spot a giant tree on a cliffside. Perfect spot for sightseeing.
¡°We¡¯ll be going up for a bit, hang on!¡±
Taking a sharp left, we change course for the tree. RoadBurner is able to make easy work of the uphill climb. Making it to the top, we¡¯re high up, enough for me to eye all the interesting spots around this place. Though, the tree itself is interesting as well. It has these beautiful velvet flowers that are hanging on a creepy-looking tree that looks like it¡¯ll come to life any second¡ Hope that doesn¡¯t happen around here.
¡°What a beautiful tree,¡± Vella says.
¡°Yeah, but kinda creepy.¡±
Looking at the horizon, I can see green, flat plains as far as the eye can see. Of course, I see an uphill road in the distance. There¡¯s no change in terrain as far as I can tell though. No matter where you go, this place is all green¡
¡°What are you looking for?¡±
¡°Nothing, just bandits.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t think bandits are anywhere near here.¡±
¡°How would you know?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t usually get attacked when I come outside.¡±
¡°Makes sense, but I can¡¯t be too sure. If there are bandits, the others need to know. I am the scout after all.¡±
¡°Wow, you¡®re such a dependable person.¡±
¡°I kinda have to be, or else it¡¯ll be my fault if something bad happens to everyone.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll all be fine.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
I sit at the edge of the cliff, taking in the sights and the night air. Vella takes one next to me.
¡°So, Proxy, how long have you been in this world?¡±
¡°About a few months now. Been here since June, and I know it¡¯s been a while since then... That means summer break is over. I wonder if everyone is going back to school? Either way, kinda glad I¡¯m not going right now¡¡±
¡°School?¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know what that is?¡±
¡°No, what is it?¡±
¡°Oh man, what can I say about it? It¡¯s a boring place that you¡¯re forced to go to. You learn stuff that you don¡¯t really care about in the slightest. You¡¯re forced to wear a uniform that doesn¡¯t look that cool at all, and you can¡¯t even fight there.¡±
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
¡°My...how dreadful.¡±
¡°Yeah...that¡¯s what I used to think, at least.¡± I lay on the soft grass, gazing at the sky that twinkle as bright as usual. ¡°...I thought if I stopped going I would be all the happier for it. At first, I was ecstatic at the idea of not going anymore; just kicking back and doing whatever I wanted, that¡¯s the life¡ But thinking about it, I kinda miss going. Sure, it was a hassle, but there were some pretty fun times there, and there were cool people I liked talking to there. And the teachers were nice, for the most part, even the principal wasn¡¯t bad.¡±
¡°So you actually liked it?¡±
¡°I guess, I don¡¯t really know anymore. Maybe I should stop skipping when I get back. Just try to have a straight year and not give my teachers crap. Who knows, maybe I¡¯ll be the best student a teacher can have?¡±
I always did well enough to pass my year, but I honestly never really tried to do any better than okay. It¡¯s not like it was hard, but I always thought it was a pain¡
¡°Do you miss your home?¡± Vella asks.
¡°Kind of. I have some peeps over there that I miss. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re worried about me, but I am for them. That¡¯s all¡¡±
¡°What are they to you?¡±
¡°Hm, well, I guess you can say, family. Lauren is a bit of a know-it all, acts too smug at times, and can be kind of a pain...but it¡¯s fun playing games with her, and watching anime. Me and Birch, Lauren¡¯s dad, are pretty tight as well since he¡¯s always looking out for me. Sometimes I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a saint, or just weird, either way, he¡¯s cool to me. You know, it took certain events to make me realize how much I care for them, and what they mean to me.¡±
Recent events put so much into perspective for me, the way my life was going, who I am as a person, and what the people around me mean. If I never came to this world, then how would I end up?
¡°That sounds absolutely lovely. Having a nice family to rely on, having people to care about¡ It all sounds nice.¡±
Someone doesn¡¯t speak like that unless there¡¯s hidden meaning behind it. ¡®
¡°What happened to your family?¡± Vella gets up from the ledge without me getting a good look at her face. She rushes towards the tree. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! It¡¯s just, you were acting strange when you were talking about family, so I thought¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, I suppose I should¡¯ve been more careful with my words¡ My parents are longer in this world.¡±
Man, I really am a dumbass when it comes to reading the room.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for asking! I didn¡¯t know.¡±
¡°No, I blame myself. I shouldn¡¯t have dwelled on it for far too long¡" The wind decides to pick up, carrying the leaves off of the branch. "...Can I ask you something, Proxy?"
"Go ahead."
"What if someone you know did something wrong? Would you punish them?"
"Depends."
"Murder." All the hairs on my body stand at the same time as my skin crawls at the question. Did she just say murder!? There''s no two ways about it, she just said it! "What do you think should happen to that person?"
"I¡ I don''t know."
How could I? I mean, sure, Marie was a bandit, and she killed people, but she regrets what she''s done. Even if she didn''t, I don''t think I''d have the stomach to do it.
¡°Why do you not? Murderers are awful, horrible, disgusting, putrid creatures that should be killed without a second thought¡ But that¡¯s not even the worst part¡ It¡¯s the ones who go on living, despite the life they took. Each breath they take pollutes the air, the steps they take poison the ground with the blood below their feet, and they¡¯re filthy hands touching things¡ They are less than human, they are worthless creatures.¡±
Her body sways as she turns to me. The moonlight brightens her features as the wind blows past her hair and her white dress sways alongside it. Her smile leaves me speechless, her eyes are empty, void of any color. It leaves nothing but a fake expression that sends chills down my spine.
¡°They sound disgusting, right?¡±
My throat is tight, the words won¡¯t come to me, nor would they come out even if I had them. This intensity is unreal, it¡¯s as if I¡¯m being crushed by gravity itself. If I take any more of this, I might break.
¡°Hey!¡± I force the word out of my throat by yelling. Color and life return to her as she yelps. ¡°Ah, sorry, force of habit. Man, I am so uncool, right?¡±
She quickly reclaims her composure to answer me. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, it is a bit odd though.¡±
¡°Yeah, I know¡¡±
The wind dies down as the moon hides behind the clouds. The tense feeling is still clinging onto me, but it¡¯s dying down as well. Man, so much for a casual outing. Maybe we should probably be getting back to town, someone¡¯s probably noticed that we¡¯re not there, so we need to at least be in town to say we were goofing around there.
¡°Come on, Vella, let¡¯s get back before we¡¯re missed.¡±
¡°Are you sure? But we barely explored today.¡±
¡°How about tomorrow?¡±
She closes her eyes as she tucks her hands behind herself. ¡°Okay.¡±
She follows behind me as we pass the tree to RoadBurner. This whole thing is still messing with my mind, my nerves are still shaken, and this dreadful feeling stabs at my heart with a vengeance. There¡¯s definitely more to what she said than it being a hypothetical question. I wish I could read people¡¯s words like Richard, then I would know what¡¯s going on¡ Wait, that¡¯s it!
¡°Vella, tomorrow, I don¡¯t care what time you come, just meet me at my room, okay?¡±
¡°But didn¡¯t you tell me to not wake you up too early?¡±
¡°Just forget about that.¡±
¡°If you say so.¡±
I don¡¯t know if I should be poking my nose into this, but I can¡¯t ignore it and pretend like nothing happened. If anything, I need to see if I can do anything to help.
Underground town - Elder¡¯s chamber - evening
¡°They are still gone?¡± A woman with a cool, alluring, yet dangerous voice says to a girl in front of her. She covers her face with a white veil, hiding her features from anyone else.
¡°Yes, Vella and her companion are still outside. What shall you have us do?¡±
¡°Nothing, at least until she¡¯s alone. When they get back, keep an eye on them. When she is alone, bring her to me¡ She knows the rules on being disobedient.¡±
¡°Of course, madam Lexia.¡±
A sudden urge of regret hits the informant¡¯s brain. She looks up, getting ready to plead for forgiveness, but a whip smacks her face. The victim of the attack bites her lip to not let out a cry. It leaves a red mark on her face.
¡°Have I told you not to call me that without the ¡®lady¡¯ part. Furthermore, who told you to look up at me without my permission? I think that deserves two lashes!¡±
¡°Stay your hand!¡±
A tall, well-built gentleman whose hair is a shade of dark green. He dresses like a Bishop. He comes from the other side of the room. His smile is as bright as the sun and as charming as an idol¡¯s. It puts the girl¡¯s distressed heart at ease¡
¡°She was already given punishment for her crimes, so she has been forgiven,¡± his voice booms, pride in his declaration.
¡°Not another one of your sermons,¡± Lexia groans as she puts her hand to her face.
¡°But of course, speech is there to convey ideas and ideals, so why not?¡± He approaches the girl who got hit. His hand sits on her shoulder. ¡°...You have been forgiven for your small crime.¡±
A smile creeps up on her face as she lets loose a tear. ¡°Thank yo--¡±
¡°However, you must never forget the crimes that you have yet to be forgiven for.¡±
The girl¡¯s body tenses up from his heel turn. She tries to get away, but the grip on her shoulder holds her in place.
¡°...Your sins run deep, deeper than any body of water in this land, deeper than any pit. Your soul is a dirty pool of mud, someone needs to clean such a murky thing¡ Unless you think not?¡± His grip tightens on the poor girl¡¯s shoulder. ¡°...You think it is okay to remain the way you are; dirty, disgusting, vile? If so, then you deserve nothing but the harshest of treatments.¡±
The kind, warm demeanor he was giving off evaporated. Now, he resembles that of a devil whose facade melted away.
"If you continue to fester with your sinful soul, then I shall see you destroyed!"
He raises his other hand. The girl fears that her death will come from that hand. Unimaginable deaths await her if it touches her, that¡¯s what she screams in her head on repeat. Her breath runs as she hyperventilates. Each cell in her body tells her to run, but her feet refuse to move an inch. Death will come no matter what she does. Then, as she¡¯s about to expel out the sheer terror she¡¯s feeling from her mouth, the man¡¯s hand pats her other shoulder.
The smile of a kind-hearted man returns, as if nothing happened. "...So please, do your best to repent. No, I know you will, right!?"
At this moment, breathing, moving, starting, thinking, and even being alive is a privilege to be had, and one that can be easily overstepped.
"Okay, now you may proceed to leave," the man casually says.
Words refuse to come out from her mouth, her tongue goes numb, her muscles are too tensed up to move.
"Also, do remember: you are riddled with sin, so you must rid yourself of it! Okay, do you understand!"
The girl walks as quickly as her feet can take her without saying a word to either him or the elder. Even as she left the room, the devilish features of that man haunt her mind.
"Don''t you think you might have been a bit too...extreme?" Lexia says, voicing nothing but curiosity.
"On the contrary, I think I did the right thing. Nay, I am right, so don''t ask if I did the right thing or not, because I did."
His conviction is like a child saying they¡¯re right without any rhyme or reason.
"Fine, I didn''t mean to question you on that. Do forgive me," Lexia uses an apologetic tone.
"Do you actually mean it?"
"I have no idea what you mean? I really didn''t mean to¡"
The man stares at her, trying to find the tiniest chink in her armor, however, Lexia is better than leaving a weakness for him to exploit.
"Very well, then I''ll take you at your word. But, I must ask why you hit that girl for not saying, lady?"
"If one lacks manners, it can lead to them becoming nothing more than a brute. Would you rather have girls who are feminine or brutes?¡±
¡°Yes, your logic is sound. Then I shall forget about it.¡±
¡°Good, but now, we must discuss Vella, as well as her partner."
¡°Of course, but before we do: when are you going forward with things?¡±
¡°Soon, I just need more time for them to get a bit more comfortable, then--¡±
¡°On second thought, I think we should go ahead sooner.¡±
Lexia jumps out of her seat. ¡°But why?¡±
¡°I am afraid of this crowd. Truly unruly, did you know they were mishandling objects in the weapons museum, and drinking all the liquor in one of the stores? Or investigating this town. Now they¡¯re even leaving with the girls. If they are to be left alone, then we would have a problem. So I suggest, no, I extremely suggest we nip this in the bud, as soon as possible.¡±
Naturally, this infuriates Lexia, who is used to running this place the way it needs to be. A slight she wishes she could complain about, but this man in front of her is dangerous, far too dangerous to mess with. So instead of doing anything rash, she thinks with caution before speaking.
¡°Yes, that makes sense. Very well, we¡¯ll try to push up the process.¡±
¡°Good, excellent, splendid! I cannot wait. Justice shall be swift, and it shall be devastating. I¡¯ll await tomorrow¡¯s breakfast meetup.¡±
¡°Meetup? I never heard of such a meet.¡±
¡°Ah, yes, the mind truly is funny. I need you to order the girls to gather the men into the banquet hall in the morning.¡±
¡°What is the purpose of such an event?¡±
¡°I shall give them the order, of course. Would there be any other reason?¡±
His smile mocks her with every word that comes out of his mouth, irritating her to no end. If it were anyone else, she would explode, using her whip to carve out their skin. However, she must exercise patience if she wishes to stay on his good side.
¡°Obviously, how could I miss something so obvious.¡±
Even with the smile of a beautiful woman, the voice of a smooth, sophisticated woman, she is brimming with an anger that is barely being kept in check.
¡°Well, I shall see you tomorrow. Oh, by the way, make sure to punish Vella accordingly. Other than that, have a splendiferous day!¡±
With that, he exits the chamber. 8 seconds passed after he left, the elder released a deep breath. She then gets up from her chair, walking over to a desk on the other side of the room. Another deep breath comes from her as she stares at the table.
Then, she kicks the desk, denting it. She kicks it over and over, her rage being unleashed on a harmless object. Each time she hits it, a visceral roar comes from her, echoing inside of the room. Wood chips fly about as the table makes a loud noise that is on par with nails on a chalkboard each time she kicks it. With the final kick, she hit the top part of the table, smashing it into halves.
Her breathing is erratic, her hands unsteady, and her blood vessels are about to pop as she heaves her chest.
¡°That son of a bitch! How dare he tell me how to run this damn place! One day, I¡¯ll crush you, I swear it!¡± She straightens her hair out. Looking at her dress, there are wood chips in it. ¡°Great, now my dress is dirty... No matter, I¡¯ll have someone clean it¡¡±
Reclaiming her composure as a lady, she heads out of her chamber. A girl passing by spots her.
¡°You,¡± Lexia shouts. ¡°Get someone to clean my chamber, and bring me a new dress! And do it fast!¡±
¡°Y-yes, my lady!¡±
The girl bolts for the stairs, not wanting to anger her elder any further.
"Shit, I have to calm down. For now, I''ll cool off. Until then, I''ll just go take a nice shower."
She retreats to her chamber to take a shower. The wheels are in motion for a battle to take place in this town. What shall unfold from this underground clash waiting to happen!?
The underground beauties: part 10
9/21 - Underground town - Proxy¡¯s room - morning
Forcing yourself to get up early in the morning is kind of a pain, but when you need to, you need to. I¡¯ve taken a shower, groomed my hair, and got dressed in my usual outfit. Waiting for someone to knock on that door is kinda tiring, so I decided to catch up on some drawing. My skill is still at the level I expect it to be, but I wanna get better at it.
A few light knocks on my door to give it my immediate attention. I throw my black book on the bed as I go to the door. Opening it, Richard, Nunnal¨¦, and Vella are here.
¡°Sup, Proxy,¡± Richard greets me. ¡°We ran into Vella on the way here, she told us we¡¯re having breakfast in the banquet hall.¡±
¡°Sounds like we¡¯re in for a feast, right, buddy?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t like eating too much in the morning, so I¡¯ll only have a bit.¡±
We leave to go to the banquet hall. As we do, Nunnal¨¦ and Vella are leading the way, meanwhile, Richard and I are behind them.
¡°Remember what we talked about last night?¡± I whisper to him.
¡°Yeah, I do.¡±
Before I went to sleep, I spoke to Richard about my talk with Vella and how I think something is wrong with her, so I want to see if we can do anything.
¡°I think she¡¯s lying about something, so I need you to point it out to me when you pick something up.¡±
¡°Got it, but you need to bring up the topic. Since she¡¯s able to suppress her emotions, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to pick it up at first.¡±
¡°Gotcha.¡±
Okay, then all I need to do is just get the topic going and he¡¯ll have his prime time opportunity to read her, got it.
¡°Proxy, what did you feel for her to make you feel tense?¡±
¡°Shit man, I was choking on the intensity of it. Like someone was forcing something down my throat¡ But to put a feeling to it: it was dreadful."
Remembering it is enough to send shivers down my spine.
"Hmm, okay, got it. Though, I don¡¯t know what caused this dreadful feeling, but I¡¯ll be on the lookout.¡±
¡°Good. That being said, I wonder what¡¯s for breakfast.¡±
¡°Have no idea, hopefully, it isn¡¯t too lavish.¡±
¡°Are you serious?¡±
¡°What, I just think eating something a bit much during breakfast is too much.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t seem to have a problem when I serve you up a lot of stuff.¡±
¡°That¡¯s different. If I don¡¯t eat it, you might complain about it.¡±
¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±
¡°The one time you did, you went on a rant about how your art was being suppressed.¡±
¡°I was only joking, geez. Keep taking things seriously, and your hairline is gonna recede early.¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
¡°Okay, okay, no need to yell in my ear."
Still though, what should I ask Vella? Asking her about murderers might be a good idea. Then again, I might not get what I want since she seems to be good at hiding her emotions. This is gonna be tough.
Underground town - banquet hall - morning
Entering with everyone else who came here, we enter the place like a herd of people being led by a shepherd. Everyone takes a seat at the tables. Meanwhile, Richard, Nunnal¨¦, Vella, and I sit together.
"Proxy, get a conversation going, I''ll be waiting to read her words. I¡¯ll let you know when I pick something up"
"Got it."
Okay, let''s do this.
"Yo, Vell."
"Yes?"
I shoot a glance at Richard, nothing from him. I thought calling her Vell would trigger something, but nothing. Okay, let''s use our main weapon.
"So, Vell, about yesterday, about what you told me."
"Oh, that? Don''t worry, I was simply just trying to scare you. Did I?"
¡°Nah, I¡¯m scared of nothing. I can watch several horror movies without losing any sleep."
"That''s amazing! What are horror movies?"
"That''s not important. So are you sure that it was to just scare me?"
"I am absolutely sure."
Darting my eyes toward Richard, nothing, he still picked up nothing. What the hell is this? Even if I can''t read people like he can, I sure as shit know she was feeling a certain way yesterday. Should I just come out and say it? Screw it, why not? Subtlety isn''t my strong suit anyway.
"Vell, just be straight with me, you were acting strangely yesterday, and I think you know that."
"I was?"
"Yeah, I mean, that look you gave me last night wasn''t ordinary. So just tell me."
"I seriously have no idea what you mean."
Seriously, come on, even an idiot can pick up on this stuff!
"Vella, you--"
"Hey, Proxy, can you answer something for me real quick?" Richard asks as he turns me around on my seat.
"What is it, buddy?"
"I picked up on something just now."
"When?"
"When she said, ''I was''."
"What was it?"
"Anxiety."
Why the hell would she feel anxious? Unless¡
"Richard, no more subtlety, we''re being outright about it."
"Are you sure? Then again, if we go on the offensive¡"
"Then her defense will crumble."
Turning around, I get ready to unload questions onto her.
"Okay, Vell, we wanna know something."
"What is it?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"Why would you think that?"
"Well, I just think it''s odd, the way you spoke about murderers yesterday, as if you were familiar with them."
"Huh? Oh, I, umm¡ You''re right, it is weird."
"Did something happen between you and one?"
"What?"
"Did you meet one, or did one¡"
"N-no, I never did¡ It''s just¡ Nothing, nothing at all."
"It''s building, Proxy," Richard whispers.
Okay then, time to open the lid on this.
"Vella, something is the matter, isn''t there?"
"No, no there is not¡ Please, don''t ask any further."
The smile that she shows all the time is starting to seem fake to me¡ Damnit, why do I feel frustrated? What the hell am I doing, I¡¯m just forcing her to open up to me. Forget it, I''m just being nosey at this point.
"Fine, I''ll stop. But Vella, you''re my friend, if there is something wrong, you can tell me. And if you have a beef with someone, just tell me, I''ll kick their ass!"
Once again, she drops her smile, appearing stunned.
She lowers her head. "You shouldn''t say such things."
"Why not?"
"Because I don''t deserve such a favor."
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
"The hell does that mean?"
"Just as it sounds, I don''t deserve it."
"That doesn''t make any sense. You¡"
"Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all are having a good morning."
The loud voice is coming from the stage. A man shows himself. He has a bit of green in his hair, and he has some broad-ass shoulders.
"You all who are new here do not know me. Allow me to enunciate who I am! I am Mr. Walter! It is a pleasure to be acquainted with you all!"
The girls clap for him as he bows.
"Who is that guy, Vell?"
"That''s¡ Mr. Walter. He''s an assistant to the elder. He¡¯s the one who brings in food and supplies for us."
Just this guy alone?
"What is this?¡± Richard mutters to himself, being taken back by something.
"What is it?" I ask him.
"Nothing."
"Today, I am here to give a splendorous greeting to our guest. You who are from the outside, we are honored to meet you. I hope you all have a wondrous time, and may the girls take care of you¡ Actually, that''s rather short, may I speak about myself? Yes? Good!"
Nobody said anything though¡ He goes on about himself. I noticed that most of the girls are laser-focused on Walter, even Vella. Some of the girls who came from the kitchen are handing out drinks to everyone¡ Hey, hold on a moment, I just noticed Vella is wearing something on her shoulder. It''s covering the upper half of her bicep and her shoulder; it escaped my notice until now.
"Vella, why are you wearing that?"
"This? Well, I just thought it would be a nice change of pace."
"I think it looks sweet. It looks so nice, let me feel it."
"N-no!"
She recoils from me as I was about to touch her shoulder thing. She''s making a face I have never seen before; pure terror.
"I-I''m sorry¡ I just can''t let you."
"Why not?"
"Because, I¡ Um, can''t¡"
Richard gets closer to me. "Proxy, I sensed something. Just now, it was panic, mixed in with terror."
Why is she scared? It''s not like I haven''t seen her shoulder before. Then again, what if it''s hiding something? Looking at it, it has belts below her arm, so it''s not a part of the outfit. Plus, we did go out, and she told me that it''s against the rules.
"Vella, show me your shoulder," I outright ask.
She jumps at the request, seeming even more scared. "W-why would you--"
"Please, and if it''s nothing, I will apologize from here, all the way to Timbuktu. But please, show it to me."
She slinks back, going limp as she puts a hand on her shoulder.
"I¡ I just can''t¡"
I think I already know where this is going, so if I''m gonna take a guess, then I''m gonna do it now. And if I get a reaction out of her, Richard will pick it up. So, I''m gonna take a wild guess.
"Is there a wound under there, proof that you got hit?"
Her face goes pale, eyes and eyebrows widen as her mouth gapes open.
"No, there isn''t!"
My gaze goes toward Richard. It''s all on him now, confirm it.
"That''s¡ Vella, you''re lying."
There it is!
"No, you''re wrong, I¡"
"I''m completely right. I can read the emotion coming from your words. The emotions I feel are absolute dread and terror!"
"Who did it, Vella? Was it the elder!?"
Now that she learned about Richard''s ability, she''s staying closed-mouthed.
I point to the dude on the stage. "Was it that guy?" Again, nothing. Fine, I guess this is as far as we''re getting. "Okay, I get it, you can''t talk¡ Then I''ll go ask that dude!"
I get up from the table. Richard gets up too.
"Don''t stop me," I tell him.
"Who says I was? But I don''t think we should be going to him. If we should be toward anyone, it should be the Elder."
Yeah, if anyone would be enforcing the rules, it would be the elder of this town.
"Alright then, I''m going."
"Not alone, I''m coming too. Nunnal¨¦, stay here with Vella."
"I shall come with you."
"No, I need you to wait here with Vella, we''ll be back."
"Very well, I shall await your return."
Alright then, let''s stop sitting here and get to that elder chick. Right when we''re about to run out of the hall, Vella runs toward us, stopping short in front of us.
"The elder is busy! You can''t go see her!"
"What would that be?"
"She''s just busy, so you can''t!"
This burns me to see her this desperate. I don''t know if what I''m doing is the right thing, but I can''t just stand here, knowing someone hit a friend of mine. That''s just not gonna happen!
"Richard, remember the drill split tactic?"
"Yeah, we''re going for it?"
"You bet."
"What are you--"
"Sorry, Vell."
In the blink of an eye, the two of us jump to opposite sides, only to dart forward. Their eyes are on us, but that doesn''t matter right now. We''re off to go see this elder, and she better have some goddamn answers.
Underground town - tower - morning
Running up the stairs, nobody is in sight. I was expecting something to pop up to stop us, but with nothing stopping us, we''re gonna make it to the elder''s room. Wonder what she''s really like; maybe some bitter old bag? Yeah, now that''s right on the mark.
"Proxy, we''re almost there!"
"Yeah, I''m just about ready to kick in that door!"
Making it to the final floor, we stop to take a look around. There''s nothing on the other end.
¡°Let¡¯s rock this thing, come on!¡±
¡°Behind you.¡±
As we charge to the door, getting ready to kick it in on approach, my sense goes off. On our left, a halberd is coming down. I push Richard back and I jump forward, rolling away from the surprise attack. My back hits the door, stopping my momentum. I jump to my feet, ready to fight the son of a bitch that¡¯s ready to throw down.
¡°W-what the hell!?¡±
The dude in front of me is built like a monster, not only that, but he¡¯s big as shit! What the hell do they feed this guy!?
¡°Who are you two?¡±
¡°None of your business. We¡¯re here to see the elder.¡±
¡°I am sorry, but she is busy.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll take a second.¡±
¡°I said she is busy. Please, go back to the banquet hall, or I will have to use force.
This guy is real big, which makes it almost intimidating to fight him. But, his big figure plays to a disadvantage. What is it? Obviously, speed! I go for the door behind me. I¡¯m close to it, so even if he chases after me, I doubt he¡¯s going to be able to catch me. Right as I¡¯m about to push it open, something wraps around my arm. A chain? It tightens as my arm is being tugged into another direction. Then, althogether, my whole body is lifted off the ground, as if I weigh nothing at all. My body is swung around in the air. I¡¯m going too fast, it feels like my brain, my organs, and all the bones inside are about to come out of my body. Shit, this is bad, real bad!
¡°Go away!¡±
Finally, he releases me from his chains grip. I¡¯m flying toward Richard, who¡¯s ready to catch me. We hit the floor, getting sprawled out on it. Luckily, Richard caught me, so I didn¡¯t suffer any major injuries.
¡°Richard, you cool?¡±
¡°I guess so, but that really hurt.¡±
"Sorry, buddy."
The big guy turns his attention to us, spinning around the chain in his hand. It whistles as he spins it through the air.
"I''m sorry, but I''ll have to ask you boys to sleep for a bit."
"Bring it on, you blob of tard! We''ll kick your ass, then see the elder."
"So be it¡"
The heat of the moment is getting to my head, causing all irrelevant thoughts to be pushed out, my footing to become firm, and my vision narrows toward that big bastard. Yeah, this is good, this is how I should be getting ready.
"Richard, follow my lead."
"I''m behind you."
Okay, if it comes down to a fight, then sign me the hell up! I''ve been itching to punch something anyway.
Underground town - banquet hall - morning
The hall is whispering about Proxy and Richard¡¯s sudden leave of the banquet hall. It seems as though they were having a heated argument with Proxy¡¯s escort.
¡°Brother,¡± Marie calls me. ¡°...where do you think they¡¯re going?¡±
¡°I cannot happen a guess as to where, but maybe his escort could.¡±
¡°Let¡¯s go talk to her then.¡±
¡°Agreed.¡±
As we get up from our seats, Vezra halts us. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you can¡¯t speak with her right now.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but you cannot. I must ask you to sit down.¡±
¡°Vezra, is something the matter?¡± Marie asks.
¡°No, nothing is wrong at all, but I must ask you to not¡¡±
¡°Oh my, what is happening here? Vezra, are you bothering the guests?¡± the man on stage asks.
¡°No, sir, I am¡¡±
¡°She¡¯s not bothering us, we are the bother,¡± I correct him.
¡°Oh my, such an unexpected answer, marvelous, simply marvelous. May I know your name, kind sir?¡±
¡°Alexander, that is what you may refer to me as.¡±
¡°Alexander¡? Such a grand name, how grand!¡±
He¡¯s quite the advocate for positive words, I kind of like that.
¡°We¡¯re concerned about our allies and about one of their escorts. May we speak with her?¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°About what just happened.¡±
¡°By all means, go for it. But remember, treat a lady with respect.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
I pass through without any problems, but Marie stopped by Vezra, who whispers something to her. Unfortunately, I cannot hear what she is saying to her.
¡°Vezra, may I ask what you are telling our guest?¡±
¡°Nothing, sir.¡±
¡°Then you should not touch them without permission?¡±
¡°Again, I am sorry.¡±
She lets my sister go, sitting on her seat with a sullen and frightened face.
Marie walks next to me as we make our way to Vella. ¡°Brother, something is clearly wrong here.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Vezra told me something, she was begging me not to check out Vella¡¯s shoulder.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°She wouldn¡¯t tell me.¡±
Yes, that is quite suspicious, and looking at Vella, she has something covering her shoulder, as if she¡¯s hiding something from us¡ I do not like this, not one bit. Regardless, we approach Vella, who has a mortified look about her, as if the world is ending in this very instance.
¡°Excuse me, my name is Alexander, this is my sister, Marie. I know that this might come off as a bit forward, but may we see what is under your shoulder cover?¡±
Her expression fills with even more terror from my request.
¡°No, no, no, no! I cannot! I mustn¡¯t!¡±
¡°Whoa, calm down¡¡±
Marie tries her best to calm her to yield some results. She slumps her shoulders, going dull in expression and body, imitating a puppet with its strings cut. Then, as if she slips on a mask, her mouth curls up, taking on a smile.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was acting out, please forgive me.¡±
What the¡? Why is she acting like this? Something is most definitely wrong here¡
¡°Vella, are you acting,¡± I ask her.
¡°Acting? I have no idea what you mean. I am smiling because that is what good people do.¡±
¡°What the¡ Brother, what¡¯s wrong with her?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know, but this is too suspicious.¡±
¡°If I may interject,¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks us.
¡°Of course, please tell us what you must,¡± I give her my permission to speak.
¡°My master and Proxy suspected there to be a wound under her shoulder cover. Furthermore¡±
Our eyes dart to her cover. If they think that¡¯s true, then I have no reason to not believe them.
¡°Let¡¯s see for ourselves then.¡±
Marie, moving as swift as a shadow, grabs Vella¡¯s arm, undoing the strap to her shoulder cover. Covered by it, are terrible wounds that scar the skin, red, linear wounds.
Vella¡¯s composer is compromised from her secret being exposed. Terror takes over her face as she desperately escapes from us.
¡°Brother, those are whip lashings!¡±
A fire lights in me, a fire that is not tranquil, but burning hot with fury. I turn to the man on stage, who is still grinning.
¡°I wish for an explanation about this!¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°About these wounds on this young girl¡¯s shoulder!¡±
¡°Ah, that,¡± he says as if those were an afterthought. ¡°...That is quite simple, those are lashings for a sinner, quite simple, truly simple, truthly simple! For it is the truly righteous who have to punish the wicked, incredibly, truly simple!¡±
The underground (rumble) beauties: part 11
Underground town - banquet hall - morning
The banquet hall has turned relatively quiet, but muttering and whispers do reach my ears. They¡¯re speaking about what the man on stage named Walter said; uneasy from his statement. I share the same sentiment as my hand touching the leather scabbard on my waist. Mari
¡°Righteous, what do you speak of!?¡± I ask him.
¡°Simple, all too brilliantly simple! Those who are just must punish those who are evil. Is that not how things are meant to be?¡±
¡°Yes, and while I agree with you, what precedence does this have to do with the wounds on Vella¡¯s shoulder?¡±
My hand edges closer to my sword as the unease in my gut continues to build.
¡°Absurdly simple, she is not an innocent maiden, I guarantee you that. But that has nothing to do with those lashings. She left the town with the person she was meant to escort, ergo, we punished her. I assure you, it¡¯s totally okay.¡±
¡°I do not think it is ¡®totally okay.¡±
¡°Oh, but it is, and quite frankly, what you think is wrong!¡± This man makes no sense. He¡¯s going on about righteousness, yet he¡¯s only coming off like a child; a man-child. ¡°...Regardless, I think we should all dine together, maybe even make a toast to our meeting?¡±
Is he even sane? He¡¯s done nothing but make me not want to have a toast with him.
¡°Brother, this guy is suspicious. I think we should get everyone and leave,¡± Marie whispers without leaning to me or looking at me.
¡°I concur, we must take our leave¡ Everyone, we need to have a meeting, please follow me and Marie back to the lounge¡¡±
No one gets up from their seats, they¡¯re all staring at the girls beside them.
¡°Hey, what are you all doing!? We¡¯re going!¡±
¡°Oh my, it seems as if they all drank the beverages that were handed out. Isn¡¯t that right, girls?
They all give a resounding ¡°yes¡± to his questions, saying it with a musical tone behind it.
Drawing my blade, I get ready for whatever trouble is coming. ¡°What does that mean?¡±
¡°It is overly simple, too simple! The drinks your friends drank is a special beverage mixed from a special plant that gives a lovely aroma but will also cause a drunken stupor on par with a hypnotic trance. In this state, you could say it''s easier to suggest things, as one would likely put it.¡±
¡°What did you do to my friends!¡±
¡°Nothing wrong, we are simply going to use them for a time, that is all. Now, it seems that you two have not drunk the beverages. That is a problem, a really big problem! So we shall have to alleviate this problem, now. Girls, command the men to capture them!¡±
One by one, the men begin to rise from their seats in a dull, lifeless manner that mimics that of puppets being pulled along by a thin string. They move without emotion and menacingly march toward us.
"Now, I must ask the two of you to not resist, for you see, this is for the good of everyone. So would you very kindly surrender?"
Our allies edge closer to us as Marie and I step away from them. Even with my sword drawn, I can''t bring myself to fight them off, and we''re clearly outnumbered, so that means we must retreat.
"Sister, Nunnal¨¦, Vella, let us retreat!"
"My master is at the tower! We need to regroup with him."
"Okay, then let us go!"
Grabbing Vella, we withdraw from the banquet hall, closing the door between us to buy us seconds.
"Marie, what is happening!?" I ask, doing my best to not waste too much of my breath on talking.
"How should I know! Our army is being used against us, that guy in there is acting like a lunatic, and this girl is acting strange! Damnit, how didn''t I see anything wrong with this place!"
"There is no point in regretting things we couldn''t foresee. At this moment, we have to go meet up with Proxy and Richard."
"Okay, but we need to hide first, then get over there. Let''s hide in the alleyways."
We all rush into the nearest alleyway. Hiding in the shadows of this narrow pathway, waiting a while, we see all our companions run past us, unaware that we escaped them. I let out a sigh, relieved they didn''t find us.
"Okay, we''re gonna go fast here. They expect us to run to the exit since we''re trying to outrun them, at least I think so. While they''re looking for us, we''re all going to be heading to the tower. Once we get the boys, we''re gonna have to retreat outside."
"Just a moment, what about our allies?" I ask.
"I know, but we have to consider the consequences of staying here. Now, I''m not saying we abandon them. I''m saying we should get out, think of a new plan, then come back and save everyone."
"I advise against such a plan," Nunnal¨¦ raises an objection.
"We cannot leave them behind," I argue.
"Now that there is a danger factor to this place, we shouldn''t stay here. Let us secure my master and Proxy so we can escape."
"No, that shall not do. We cannot abandon them."
"I do not understand, they are being controlled by the enemy, and will possibly detain, or kill us. Is the risk worth it?"
"Would you abandon Richard if he was under that man''s spell?"
"No, I would save him, because it is my duty to protect him."
"Then you have my answer. As long as I can do so, I shall protect you all, even if it costs me my life." I get up from the ground. "...And I shall not leave an ally behind!"
I head to the end of the alleyway, checking both sides of anyone. The coast is clear, as they say.
"Let us head to the tower."
Stepping out of the shadows of the alleyway, we turn our attention to the tower in the distance. Right, let us venture forth.
"Hold on a moment." We collectively turn our heads to see Vezra behind us. She''s just standing there in her usual white gown, but the cool expression she gave off is gone, being replaced with a serious yet tense expression. "...I need you all to listen."
Nunnal¨¦ pulls out her sword from thin air, taking a stance to intercept any attacks. "I suggest we strike her down."
"I''m not here to fight, I came to tell you all to leave."
As Nunnal¨¦ takes a step forward, Marie stops her. "What''s going on down here?"
"Nothing you should be concerned about," she immediately deflects, not letting up on her current attitude.
"Bullshit, our army is being taken over by some crazy-ass guy. It has everything to do with us!"
Vezra holds her tongue for a moment, then lets out a sigh that voices frustration. "Listen, right now, you''ll only get killed if you stay here. So if you want to live, get out while you can. That''s all I can do for you."
"Why help us at all?" Marie pushes for answers.
"Because¡ If I can save somebody, anybody, then I''ll try. So please, leave while you can, before it''s too late."
There''s agony written in her face, even as she tries her best to drown it. She turns her back to us, walking down the other end of the alley.
"...Vezra, we can''t leave without them, we''re not going to abandon anyone down here¡ That includes you all, if you need us to help you, then tell us." Marie says, fully confident in what she says.
"Why would you stick your neck out like this? You''ll only get killed."
"Maybe, but we can''t just go on and pretend like nothing happened. So we''re not going anywhere!"
Marie runs off for the tower ahead of us at full speed.
"Sister, wait for us!"
As I''m about to run, Vezra coughs, catching my attention. "...Don''t you want to run? You really will die if--"
"I don''t wish to abandon anyone, so I shall not run away. If I did, then I wouldn''t be able to call myself their ally. So there is your answer."
Finishing that up, I run after my sister, with Nunnal¨¦, who drags Vella behind us. There is no time to idle around anymore, we must hurry!
Underground town - Tower - morning
Our opponent throws one end of the chain at us. It has a large metal ball at the end. The ball darts hones in toward my forehead. Naturally, I jump out of the way. My feet glide a centimeter over the ground. That was an easy dodge, mainly cause he¡¯s using a weapon like a chain. Seems good on paper, but when used against someone like me, then it becomes useless since I have the reaction time and agility to dodge them, but most importantly, once you pass a certain point, their range grows smaller and smaller. For some reason, though, I can¡¯t shake the feeling that this is too easy.
My hunch is right on the money, he spins his chain, clockwise, to quickly get the metal ball back to him. He changes the course of his chain to have it smash my head. Quick on my feet, the ball whizzes past me, dragging the air down along with it. Too easy, you can¡¯t hit me, ya bastard! As if he heard what I said in my head, he adjusted the spins to go diagonal while it was coming around the back of his head. It''ll wreck my legs if it manages to connect. Jumping to avoid it, my legs plant themselves on a pillar to avoid it. It misses the mark, carving out a piece of the ground instead as it speeds past it. However, as the ball goes around him, he changes its altitude to hit me on the pillar. You gotta be kidding me! I launch myself off the pillar, soaring right over the chain. It bulldozes through the pillar. Okay, all I need to do is land and I¡¯m good!
"What the hell!?"
Despite my excellent evasion, he''s still able to respond in the blink of an eye. The chain glides through the air as it makes its way to me. The crushing blow will hit my torso if I don''t do something. Shit, I hope I can pull this off! Using all the momentum I have, I spin my body with pause, cutting through the air. My head is bouncing around in my head as I do this, and my insides are shuffling around inside me, but I restrain the urge to kinda puke. My body is out of the way, but it narrowly flies above my head by about a foot away from it. I perfectly land on my feet, despite the slight headache. Being on the ground again is a sweet relief to me, but now isn¡¯t the time to kiss the ground. Before he can go for another attack, I do quick, consecutive backflips, to get away from him faster. I stop, landing in a crouched position next to Richard.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
"Holy shit, that guy is insanely good!"
¡°Yeah, I can tell. The way he uses that chain is not ordinary, he can adjust and change its course at a moment¡¯s notice.¡±
¡°Shit is scary, man. Barely got through that one.¡±
Seriously, and my heart, which is racing a mile a minute, says so.
¡°I know, the way he uses that chain is surreal.¡±
¡°Pretty much. But damn, you gotta forgive me for this, man, but I¡¯m having a blast.¡± Shit, I feel a grin creeping onto my face. ¡°I know why we¡¯re here, it¡¯s just...I can¡¯t help myself.¡±
I know what we¡¯re here for, and I plan on getting it done, but there¡¯s an aspect of me that just can¡¯t help but get fired up from fighting, no matter how much I try to suppress it.
¡°It''s fine, just as long as you don''t forget about why we''re here."
"Don''t worry, I didn''t.
"Good, but that being said, I think I have a plan to take him down.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°We both have to rush him. When he throws his chain at us, I¡¯ll grab it, then you go for a decisive hit, got me?¡±
¡°I get you. Think you can catch it?¡±
¡°Sort of, but just in case, can I use one of your swords?¡±
¡°Go for it.¡±
I draw the blade, handing it to him. Richard rolls up his sleeves and puts his glasses away.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s go,¡± Richard said as he ran for the enemy.
¡°You bet!¡±
Following behind him, we race off to reach the enemy. I¡¯m letting Richard go ahead of me since he needs to catch the chain. Like last time, the big guy throws the ball in a straight motion, this time at Richard. The destructive force trains for his chest. While running, he turns his torso, moving out of the attack. Seeing a prime-time opportunity, he inserts my sword in the open space of the chain, then stabs the sword into the ground. The big guy, surprised by this, tries to pull his chain, only for it to be halted.
Richard is pushing the sword into the ground, keeping the chain and the sword from flying free. Meanwhile, I have to hit him somewhere where it hurts. Hitting the head hard enough might do, but what if he just tanks it? No, that won¡¯t do, I need to hit somewhere more vital¡ The throat! If I hit hard enough, I can hit the windpipe, pushing the air out of his lungs and knocking his ass out. Perfect, let''s do it!
Leaping forward into action, the air pushes past my face like an air conditioner set on high. The distance is quickly closed, the time I have to prepare an attack is minimal, but it¡¯s more than enough. My fist fights against the wind, cutting through it to deliver a powerful punch.
His chin digs at my fist as the lower part of his neck sandwiches it tightly. His neck pushes back as my momentum carries me. He spits out saliva, letting out a painful groan. Landing on the ground, he hits the elder¡¯s door as he collapses to the floor. Sure enough, that was too easy.
¡°Yo, Richard, buddy, we did it!¡±
¡°I know, way to go!¡±
¡°Give me some!¡± Linking up, we go for a high-five.
All right, now with that dude out of our way, we can go see the elder. First, we¡¯ll need to move him though. Suddenly, Richard¡¯s face turns to shock as he looks above me. Something pillars over us, casting a whole shadow above us. Turning to go for a punch, their hand pushes me into Richard. The force he hits me with is like a hammer hitting the lever for a high striker game at a carnival.
Our bodies collide, then skip against the floor as we go back 9 meters. We finally stop rolling, in the middle of the hall. The bones in my limbs are aching. I have a stabbing headache going on, and my back is throbbing.
Regardless of the pain, I climb to my feet, so does Richard.
"You okay, Proxy?"
His voice is lower than usual, probably from the pain.
"Yeah, you?"
"I''m good, but my back is killing me."
"I feel you. More importantly, how the hell is he still good to go? I decked his windpipe."
"Indeed, your attack did cause damage to me. However, it was not hard enough to penetrate my thick skin."
Thick skin? Did he tighten the area around his neck to avoid any major damage? Come to think of it, the impact did feel a little solid, and the way his chin was hitting the top of my hand, he must''ve hardened it right when the blow connected. Shit, then does that mean he was messing with me?
"Proxy, look!"
Around us, we''re being surrounded by girls, except they''re wearing black gowns with some armor over them. Each of them holding spears.
"What the hell is going on?"
Richard and I go back-to-back, covering the other''s back.
"Maybe? To be fair, we are on the attack."
"Fair enough."
As they close in, the big guy gives us a pitiful look. "It seems as though you both shall die, being skewered from all sides. I pity you both."
"Screw you, asshole! I wanna see the elder, now!"
"As I said, she is busy."
"Like I give a shit, I need to talk to her about Vella!"
"Ah, so you¡¯ve seen her wounds."
"What!?"
"Yes, I too am aware of them. Such cruel punishment."
"If you know that, then why the hell aren''t you letting me through, you piece of lard!"
"Because I am indebted to her. As long as I am, you shall not pass. I am truly sorry."
"Oh, shove it up your ass, you gigantic piece of shit!"
The girls close in on us, circling us with their spears. The weapons themselves aren''t unique, but the blade will run us through if they get the chance. This isn''t good, we need to get the hell out of here, asap.
I nudged Richard to catch his attention. ¡°Yo, think you can break the floor below us?¡±
¡°I could, but who knows how far we would fall, and on top of that, I don''t know if I''ll be able to land properly."
"Okay, then¡!"
"Master Richard!"
That voice sends a sudden shock to my nerves. Standing on my hind legs, I can see Nunnal¨¦ bursting into the scene from the stairs, her sword in hand. The girls surrounding us give their attention to Nunnal¨¦''s sudden appearance. This is it, we can escape.
Slipping behind Richard like a shadow, I latch myself onto his back.
"Hey, what the-- What are you doing!"
"No time, just jump over them!"
Richard''s surprise fades, quickly understanding my idea. After getting a running start, he hops using one foot, not to jump over, but to use the explosive power he just built up to leap over them. Like clockwork, he leaps over the girls in one bound, going up about 3 meters. The landing however isn''t perfect since we almost hit the ground, but at least he made it.
"Nice job, buddy, but your landing needs work."
"Yeah, yeah."
Nunnal¨¦ helps him off the ground as Marie and Alex, along with Vella, come up to this floor.
"Hey, boys, we gotta go, now!"
"What''s going on?" I ask, confused by the sudden appearances.
"Some bad shit is happening here, don''t think we can trust the people here! Just come on, we''ll explain later. Now get over here!"
Yeah, no time to be sitting around with how things are going now. Between the girls with spears and that big guy, we¡¯re never gonna see the elder. All we can do is run, even if I don¡¯t want to.
We ran away from the enemies behind us, who weren''t giving chase but stood in front of the elder¡¯s room. Meeting up with the others, Vella¡¯s face instantly caught my attention. All the pigment, the emotion is drained from her face, leaving nothing but a hollowed-out shell of a person.
¡°Vell, are you okay? You¡¯re not¡¡± She begins to walk forward, not making any eye contact as she hunches back. ¡°Vella, what are you doing?"
"I can''t leave them, I need to go back."
"Like hell, I¡¯m not going to let you go back to her!¡±
Putting my hand on her shoulder, she stops cold in her tracks. Her skin is cold, matching with the hollow expressions she has now.
¡°Vella, you--¡± Electricity runs through my brain, sending me a signal. My sense just activated, danger is about to strike across my gut. On instinct alone, I jump back. Steel slices the empty pocket of air, but not without drawing a bit of my blood as compensation.
Tearing through my shirt, and slicing open my skin, Vella is holding a knife, coated in a bit of my blood. I barely felt the knife slicing my skin, but the wound is flaring as if someone made me eat chili peppers. It¡¯s about 3-4 feet long with blood leaking out at a slow rate, with a somewhat moderate amount of blood coming out of me.
Shit, that was real close. If my sense didn¡¯t kick in there I would¡¯ve taken a worse attack from her. Still, this wound isn¡¯t exactly welcomed either.
¡°Vella, why did you?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t leave¡ I want to be a good person, so I have to kill bad guys like you. Sorry.¡±
¡°Bad guys?¡±
Before I can ask anything else, Alex grabs me, pulling me away from her.
¡°We must run!¡±
¡°What about Vella!?¡±
¡°We shall come back, but for now, we must retreat.¡±
As he pulls back, Vella looks back at me, facing me with a smile on her face. One that¡¯s not malicious, or smug, or even condescending, but the usual, cute, innocent smile she¡¯s been giving me all this time. It¡¯s a smile that made me think she was an airhead, but kind of nice to be around when crazy stuff wasn¡¯t happening. But now, it sends shivers through my whole body, and even my soul¡
¡
I watch as Marie and her group make their escape. The warning I gave them fell on deft ears, but it seems like one of the boys is holding his stomach. Did he get hurt? Possibly. I told them that it was pointless, they all charged forward to go save their allies, even though they were likely to run into enemies, and now they have to care for an injured person. But the one to hit me harder was Marie. Even though she¡¯s a girl like me, she still ran off to save her allies and is even running away with them. She must get to fight on the frontlines too.
¡°How lucky of her.¡±
And from that luck, I can¡¯t help but feel jealous, boiling with rage, and spiteful toward her. How come someone like her exists? She has a build that isn¡¯t like me, even Vran is bigger than me and the other girls¡ It''s not fair. I want to be strong, I wish I was as strong as her, then I could¡¯ve fought with my people.
Her existence, their existences annoy me, they¡¯re eyesores to me, yet, I can¡¯t help but be jealous of them. Their existence is such a damn irritating one!
¡°Marie, if you ever come down here again, I¡¯ll kill you myself.¡±
This one-sided hatred is one that¡¯ll be unleashed on her the moment she comes back because let¡¯s face it, she said she would, and people like her will come back; because they think they can do whatever they want with the strength they have. I¡¯ll show her.
Underground town - the banquet hall - morning
Alone in the banquet hall, Walter stands, looking over the desolated hall where there were rows of men and women enjoying themselves, talking merrily as they drank beverages. Now, the possessed members of the anti-bandit army chase after their non-possessed comrades.
He doesn¡¯t enjoy large crowds or noisy rooms, let alone anyone noisy, so when he can, he basks in the silence that is granted to this hall. His thoughts are empty, he feels nothing but bliss as he closes his eyes.
¡°Alexander,¡± he whispers.
¡°Well, that is a name I did not suspect of hearing ever again. How surprising, truly surprising, oh so surprising.¡±
¡°Do you like repeating yourself, or do you think it sounds better to enhance your positives?¡±
Opening his eyes, he sees a young man in front of him, Zell, who is not frowning, or even furious. Instead, he has a neutral expression that could be mistaken for disinterest.
¡°Zell, was it?¡±
¡°Are you familiar with me?¡±
¡°Of course I am, how can I not be? You were a Flame Wraith, such a large role in the bandit. It is such a privilege to meet you.¡±
¡°You are a good actor, but your character betrays your words.¡±
His eyes narrow in, giving him an intimidating glare. ¡°My, what a truly presumptuous observation, a really presumptuous observation¡ Did you not drink the beverage?¡±
¡°Obviously not," he answers in a monotone voice.
¡°What of your brother?¡±
¡°I told him to wait in his room until we meet.¡±
¡°Then do you seek an audience with me? Do you wish to subdue me, or perhaps, you wish to be forgiven for your sins as a bandit? If so, then you needn¡¯t worry, for you have no sins.¡±
He raises an eyebrow at the bizarre statement. ¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Sin is accumulated by killing or doing wrong to innocent people. But you see, there are no innocent people outside the kingdom, so it is greatly okay, no, it is super okay!¡±
One would mistake his words for arrogance, but it doesn¡¯t come from such a place, but from pure, unbridled confidence in his convictions of right and wrong; seeing everything does in black and white without a shred of gray.
¡°As I suspected, this was a waste of time,¡± Zell says, showing disappointment.
¡°As you suspected?¡±
¡°I knew it would end like this, or at least with a confrontation, but the way you¡¯re acting is too childish for my liking.¡±
¡°Nothing childish at all, you know why, because I am always right, I know because I never lose.¡±
¡°If that is how you see it, then I shall speak no further. I¡¯ll be leaving for now, but I will be back with the others.¡±
¡°Then I shall be awaiting your arrival.¡±
As Zell walks away, he turns his head slightly, not even wanting to face Walter. ¡°By the way, I am someone who has sinned, but not in your sense. No matter where they¡¯re from, if you hurt someone innocent, then you are a sinner.¡±
¡°Then do you seek forgiveness?¡±
¡°No, I shall carry these sins, and besides, I don¡¯t need a manchild to cleanse me of sin.¡±
With that, he leaves Walters to himself without any other word. Walter stands, shocked by his final statement. It confuses him, how he¡¯s able to grips with his wrongdoing. Sorting out his thoughts on them, he closes his eyes and basks in the silence again.
¡°What a filthy soul you have, all of you. No matter, I shall be the one to abolish such grimy souls.¡±
The underground (rumble) beauties: part 12
Holy Lands - above ground - morning
The main entrance/exit was being blocked by a large number of our boys, so we had to go through the secret passageway Vella showed me last night. While getting there, Richard healed my chest, so it¡¯s good as new. We almost got caught a couple of times when trying to get out, but hey, we managed somehow. Kicking open the door to the house we¡¯re in, we exit to see that it¡¯s still morning.
¡°Is everyone okay?¡± Alex asks.
Marie gives him a thumbs up, Richard gives him an, ¡°uh-huh.¡±, and I just say, ¡°Present.¡±
Safe to say that all of us are here, well, except for the others.
¡°So Proxy, you got the rundown of the whole situation, right,¡± Marie asks me, tucking her hair behind her ear.
¡°Yeah, I got it. So that Walter douche got everyone drunk to mind to control them, right?¡±
¡°Nailed it in one.¡±
¡°Well then, what the hell do we do?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know yet, but we¡¯re gonna do something. First, we need to call a meeting.¡±
Marie¡¯s meeting is basically all of us sitting on the ground in a circle. Marie sits up, Alex with his sword in hand, Richard crisscrossing in a neat and straight manner, Nunnal¨¦ with her leg lying on the other, and I¡¯m just squatting with my feet flat on the ground.
¡°Why the hell are we sitting on the floor?¡± I ask her, drawing a circle on the soft ground with my finger.
¡°Who cares about that,¡± Marie swiftly shuts me up. ¡°Anyway, we have a massive problem. Most of our forces are against us now, the enemy has another large number of units on their side; the girls. We¡¯re outnumbered, but, if we can gain our troops back, then we can match them, or outdo them in terms of power.¡±
¡°But how do we get the boys back?¡± I question.
¡°Simple, if they¡¯re drunk, all we have to do is either knock them out, or bath them in a cold shower. Seeing how we don¡¯t have cold water or any means to shower them in it, we¡¯re gonna have to knock them out. Though, that¡¯s the hard part. We could try to fit all our men into the banquet hall, there we could ambush them, but I don¡¯t know¡ Maybe it''ll be too many for us to handle. We''ll have to go slow on this if we don''t wanna get killed.
As much as I just wanna rush in there and kick some ass, I know we¡¯re gonna need some help, a lot of help, so yeah, we¡¯re gonna need to find a way to get our boys back. How the hell that''s gonna happen without us getting overwhelmed is beyond me, and sure, Nunnal¨¦ could fight them all off, but we don''t want them to turn up injured. A cold bath would do since it could help sober them up¡ Cold¡cold...water...river¡ Riverbank! Holy hell, I got it!
¡°Marie, what if we dump some of them into the riverbank there? I know where one is, and it¡¯s really cold, really cold.¡±
Alex snaps his fingers, getting where I¡¯m going with this. ¡°Ah, perhaps you mean the one we sled into from the weapons museum!?¡±
¡°Read my damn mind.¡±
I give him a high-five.
¡°How big is it?¡± Richard asks.
¡°It''s big enough for a whole pool party.¡±
¡°Not very descriptive, but better than nothing, I guess.¡±
Marie places her hand on her chin, pondering our next move. ¡°...I don¡¯t know how well it¡¯ll work out, but if we can throw them inside the water, then I guess it could work. But how are we going to knock a bunch of guys into the water?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, me and Alex got that covered. We¡¯re going to need your help though.¡±
¡°You got a plan?¡± she asks me.
¡°Oh yeah, we do, right, Alex?"
¡°Indeed¡ We do?¡±
¡°Yeah, remember, shield sledding?¡±
¡°Oh, I see! Then yes, we do have a plan!¡±
Marie and the others simply shrug their shoulders. ¡°Well, if you guys have an idea how to get them in the water, good luck. However, I doubt this will work on all of them. How about we use the banquet hall to ambush some of them like I said before?¡±
¡°Hmm, if we are able to catch them by surprise in there, there would be very little room for them to move around in, causing a lag in their reaction time to us,¡± Nunnal¨¦ states.
Okay, yeah, it seems like we¡¯re coming up with a plan here. Now, how we go about doing this is gonna need a bit of tweaking. But I think I got this.
¡°Marie, mind if I plan out the teams?¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
Giving me her blessing, I have the okay to spell out my plan. ¡°First, we¡¯re gonna hit up the water bank. There¡¯s a small ramp that hurls someone over the railing, but we need the railing to be gone, so Nunnal¨¦, Richard, can you help get rid of it?¡±
¡°Sure.¡±
¡°Affirmative.¡±
¡°Cool, after that, you two are gonna run decoy. Nunnal¨¦ rallies one sect of men into the banquet hall, where she and Marie will ambush them. Richard, you gotta bring another half to me and Alex. We''ll help the people out of the water; we¡¯ll talk about how you can signal us when you brought them. Other than that, that¡¯s how we should go about this.¡±
Marie''s mouth is gaping open, as if she¡¯s seen something spectacular.
¡°What?¡± I ask, confused by her expression.
¡°That¡¯s...a coherent plan! You made a full-blown plan!?¡±
¡°What, I¡¯m not a moron!¡±
¡°Sorry, it¡¯s just...you should do that more often?¡±
¡°Fine, maybe I will! How¡¯s that!?¡±
She gives me a thumbs-up. ¡°Terrific, but don¡¯t hurt yourself when you do.¡±
You wisecracking witch!
Alex stands up from the ground. "Right, now we know what to do, let¡¯s not waste any more time on this matter, let us depart!¡±
¡°Brother, before we go, let me go get my weapon.¡±
¡°Be quick.¡±
Marie runs off to the bus to get her weapon.
¡°Proxy, are you going to shield sled?¡±
¡°Yeah, why?¡±
¡°Can you not swim?¡±
I scratch the back of my head. ¡°Yeah, you let me worry about that. In the meantime, let¡¯s get our heads in the game!¡±
¡°Great, then I shall have my head in the game as well. However, I wish to know if you are okay.¡±
" You mean the wound? Richard healed it already.¡±
¡°That is not what I mean. Does your heart feel fine? You were attacked by Vella, after all.¡±
¡°That¡ Well, it¡¯s just, I don¡¯t get what¡¯s going on. One moment, I thought Vella was a normal girl who acted a bit odd at times but wasn¡¯t too bad to hang with. But when she attacked me, I was scared and confused. But that¡¯s not even the end of it; when we were leaving, she was smiling like usual, as if she didn¡¯t try to gut me. It''s like that innocent smile was corrupted for me, showing me nothing but a haunting visage of a girl. Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to do anymore, I don¡¯t if the Vella I got to know was the real one. Maybe she was playing me from the start? Maybe I got us all in trouble for no good reason, to save someone that didn¡¯t need it. I¡¯m sorry guys¡¡±
Even now, thinking about it sends a chill down my spine. It¡¯s not just because she was smiling, it¡¯s because I know it¡¯s fake now. I mean, if she was willing to smile at me, even if she was about to kill me, what does that say about our time together, does that mean the things we did were just a ploy?
¡°Proxy, Vella''s words conveyed nothing but regret, contempt, sorrow, and genuine fear. I don¡¯t think these feelings are from someone who was pretending to be hurt. The fear was much stronger than the other emotions, it was even drowning out those emotions.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yeah, and while I think she might have been manipulating you, there had to be a level where she got to like you since she held regret and sadness.¡±
¡°I am in the same camp of thought. Proxy, there is clearly something wrong down there. I suspect those girls are being used to allow us to let our guard down, then use us as they see fit on the orders of that man and the elder. If that is so, then it falls onto us to not only save our allies but to save those girls as well. More importantly, Proxy, you started this battle because you understand the injustice happening, so you must see this battle through to the end, that is what an honorable man would do.¡±
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
He¡¯s right, I can¡¯t go around acting moppy just because I almost got opened up like a bag of chips. I started this thing, I¡¯m sure as shit not gonna punk out now.
¡°Thanks, almost lost my cool there for a sec, guys.¡± I cross my arms and puff my chest. ¡°Why the hell am I acting so sad! I am the number #1 badass/delinquent of NewPort island, and a proud member of the anti-bandit army, I can¡¯t go around acting like a sad sack! I¡¯m gonna give this 100%!¡±
¡°That¡¯s the spirit! We shall be victorious, and we shall allow no one to stand in our way.¡±
¡°Hell yeah, we¡¯ll kick their asses!¡±
¡°Will you two¡¡± Sensing something behind me, I dodge while Alex gets bopped on the head. Turning to see a pissed-off Marie, I let out a short laugh, only for her fist to hit me square on the forehead. ¡°...Shut up!¡±
Richard nervously chuckles to himself. ¡°Well, at least they¡¯re fired up, am I right?¡±
¡°I suppose so, but I don¡¯t want to draw any attention to us. Who knows who can be out here. So let¡¯s get down there before bandits come around and see us.¡±
¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± we all say in various tones, mine in a painful groaning sort of way, just like Alex.
As everyone moves out, Alex gets up, offering me a hand up. ¡°Come on.¡±
I take it, he lifts me to my feet. ¡°Thanks.¡±
¡°Proxy, I would like for you to know you have my support always, so no matter what, I shall save our allies, these girls, and aid you in saving Vella.¡±
¡°I know I can count on you. Thanks.¡±
¡°Now then, shall we be off?¡±
¡°Hell yeah, let¡¯s kick some ass!¡±
¡°Yes, let us kick rears!¡±
¡°Yeah, we need to work on that."
¡
Walkin'' across a rocky road that seems stable enough for an entire bus to pass by, I pay attention to the old bloodstains on this sheet of paper in my hand. The stains point to where the owner of it is. So far, I¡¯ve been trackin'' him for a while now, but he keeps moving, so I''ve never seen the guy. I bet treatin'' that animal''s wound held me up from meetin'' him.
¡°Man, this is gonna take forever. Wish I had a bike or somethin¡¯ to hurry this thing.¡±
Walkin'' develops good feet, but that doesn¡¯t mean I wanna walk everywhere. But bitchin¡¯ ain¡¯t gonna help me one bit, so I better just shut up and just keep on truckin''. Reachin'' the edge of the high-up road, I can see a small village from here. Looking at the blood, it¡¯s pointing towards the place. Would you look at that? Guess I found the guy. However, there¡¯s more road to take. Taking a look down, I see a bunch of trees that could be good to land on, if I know what I¡¯m doing. Welp, screw it, time to wing it.
Taking out my sword, I take in a deep breath, then I exhale it. Right, time to do this. Steppin'' back for a moment, I prep myself to jump off the road, down to the trees.
¡°Here we go!¡± I dash off for the edge of the road, jumping off when my foot touched the edge. ¡°Yahooo!¡±
Underground town - weapons museum - afternoon
Richard and Nunnal¨¦ helped us set up the trap by getting rid of the guardrail. Now, all we need to do is wait for the signal and we¡¯re good to go.
Before we got here, we wanted to see how the guys would act under this hypnosis crap, so we tested a few things. 1. Their reaction time is slower, and their reflexes are poor. 2. they¡¯re still able to run, but it¡¯s not any faster than a jog. 3. Their combat skills have diminished greatly. 4. they seem to be reliant on the girls next to them for any complex orders, or in general.
So overall, we should be able to get them to their senses if we play our cards right. While walking around the museum, I spotted a boomerang in a display case. It has a nice wooden design to it, light brown that¡¯s easy on the eyes, as well as some metal parts near the two ends and in the bridge of it. Taking it out, I twirl it around, looking at the symmetrical design of it. Never know when you need range attacks, so where¡¯s the harm? I put it in my jacket pocket.
¡°Proxy, we should get ready. The shields await us outside.¡±
¡°Got it.¡±
Stepping outside with Alex, two large, round shields wait on the ground.
¡°Okay, Alex, stay behind me, but don¡¯t get too close when we go down, got me?¡±
¡°Understand, I¡¯ll keep my distance.¡±
¡°Good. Now, we wait¡¡±
A minute passes as we sit in anticipation for this to go off. Then, a loud whistle goes off, like a starting gun. We push against the ground, speeding off toward the river bank. It takes no more than thirty seconds to reach the riverbank, so if we continue the way we¡¯re going, we should be able to make it soon. The wind rushes past us, clarifying that we¡¯re going faster. The riverbank is in sight, along with some of the men from the army. There, Chip is in that crowd as well.
¡°Alex, spread out your arms!¡±
Spreading his arms, he stands on his shield. I copy him, getting ready to knock as many of them in the river! Though, I just hope I don¡¯t drown while doing this. Coming in hot, I hit as many of them, dragging them into the water with me. I take in a deep breath before being submerged in the water. The cold liquid wraps itself around my body, cooling my whole body. I try to move my limbs, but the water is keeping me from moving. Any resistance is futile on my part. The cold hands of the water slowly drag me to the depths. Shit, I know I¡¯m stupid, but this is pretty damn stupid of me! As I slowly sink to the bottom, someone enters the water. Richard swims his way to me, past the others. He grabs my arm, pulling me towards the surface. Water splashes upward when we hit the top. He puts my hand on the edge of where the guardrails used to be.
¡°You idiot,¡± he calls me, angry for some reason. ¡°You should¡¯ve told me you couldn¡¯t swim! Why the hell didn¡¯t you!?¡±
¡°Sorry, kinda forgot that detail.¡± I stick out my tongue while closing my eye and lightly knocking my head with the front of my knuckles.
¡°Moron, don¡¯t act like it¡¯s nothing!¡±
Dragging my other hand out of the water, I climb to the top of the platform, coming out of the water.
¡°Go help Alex get the others! I¡¯ll drag them out of the water when you bring them up.¡±
He just nods and dives back into the water. I lay on my back, trying to calm myself down. I knew that either Alex or Richard would get me, but being in the water is the worst for me. It¡¯s like being in a tight space with no air and little breathing room, only worse¡
Then, like a battering ram to the head, my sense goes off. Opening my eyes, a large fist is closing in. I push against the ground with my left arm, rolling to my right! Pushing up, I¡¯m able to get on my feet. But a second figure delivers a swift kick to my chest. Even though I blocked it, it still hurts like a bitch; the bones in my forearms are rattling like an alarm bell.
The first attack would¡¯ve caused damage to my head, the second is negligible, but it would still be a problem if my opponent landed the blow. Using the heels of my shoes, I stop my momentum. The two enemies in front of me are Vran, and Gil, whose dull eyes give away that he¡¯s being controlled, and he attacked me.
¡°Give up,¡± Vran tells me. ¡°We¡¯re much stronger than you.¡±
Her tone of voice is much more assertive, certain, and threatening.
¡°Probably, but we¡¯ll never know.¡±
¡°Your muscles pale before ours, we¡¯re just going to kill you.¡±
¡°Then come and try it, but just so you know, I¡¯ve fought Gil already.¡±
Stand around, I take on a stance, anticipating their next move. She¡¯s not joking, they could overwhelm me if I¡¯m not careful, or even kill me. Since Gil is under their control, it¡¯ll be tough, but he won¡¯t be fighting at his fullest.
With a step that turns to a leap forward, Vran lunges herself at me, throwing a straight jab my way. I jump back only for her to leap forward again. She''s quick to throw a punch while keeping up with me. Her legs are made for jumping and her fists will be devastating if she manages to catch up to me. I stop to moving back, allowing her to catch up. Her weight shifts to her left as she uses her left arm to hit me. I Brush it aside, but barely. It was heavy, enough for me to feel the sheer weight when pushing it aside. She¡¯s quick to follow up with another punch. I redirect it, but she counters by grabbing my shirt¡¯s collar. She throws me overhead with that one arm, without using her center of gravity to do it either; pure strength. My body flies towards Gil, who¡¯s lined up to hit me in the back. Unable to dodge it, I do my best to rotate my body to block the hit. Surprisingly enough, I managed to do just that, but my bicep sure as hell hates me for it as it throbs.
Not skipping a beat, I get up, only for my sense to kick in. Vran¡¯s kick from behind fails to connect since I bent my head forward. I put as much distance away from them as I can, however, they chase after me, closing the gap in a heartbeat. Damn, I don¡¯t have time to breathe.
They both go on the offensive, throwing out powerful punches that shoot the air my way. Without getting in the way of the other, in perfect succession, unleash a barrage of punches. Blocking them is not an option, each one is powerful enough to either break through my defense, or break my arms. Backing up, they¡¯ll just chase after me. So what do I do? Should I just go forward¡? It sounds stupid, insanely stupid, but thinking about it, it¡¯s the only thing that might keep the bones in my face safe. Screw it, let¡¯s do it!
Waiting for the right timing, for their bodies to swing in the direction I need them to. Any hesitation, a single misstep, or misread, and it¡¯s off to the pearly gates. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, god damnit, I hate waiting! Screw it, if they won¡¯t give me an opening, then I will! I stop moving, putting up my arms to guard. They reel back their arms, getting ready for a strong punch. In an instant, they let their attacks fly, twisting through the air as they zone in on my arms. Each second is counted in my brain, adrenaline fueling me as they close in, each second feels like an eternity in itself. My brain is overcharged, waiting for that golden moment. Then, like a beautiful sunrise, it comes! A second, that¡¯s all it takes for me to leap forward, below their punch, then jump forward again behind them. It takes two seconds for their heads to turn, their eyes laser-focused on me. I can see the confusion in hers. That in itself is a golden moment. Using my Hind leg while performing a backspin, I go for a high kick against Vran. It landed without any type of resistance. Gil, not disturbed by my sudden attack, continues his offensive. While he¡¯s still strong, I know what I have to do.
¡°Sorry Daniel, but I¡¯m gonna copy you for a moment. Putting my left hand forward, unclenched while I have my right still balled up, I wait for his next attack. Gil throws a single straight punch. Perfect. Steady breathing, my body glued to this spot, my posture straight, and my eyes narrowed on Gil¡¯s fist, I grab ahold of it, guiding it forward, manipulating his momentum to drag him closer to me. Not wasting a moment, I strike his head, my muscles tightened as I performed this. His face is rock solid, but with this technique, even I¡¯m able to deal massive damage.
He steps back, slowly getting away from me. Then, he stands still with his head and arms hanging low. Vran and I wait to see what he¡¯ll do next. Did I hit him a little too hard? I wasn¡¯t controlling my strength when I hit him since this is the first time I¡¯m ever doing this move, and even then, holding back on Gil is a braindead thing to do.
¡°Proxy¡¡± He whispers my name as he brings his head up. Seeing his face, instead of seeming hurt, he looks baffled. He swipes up some of the blood coming out of his nose. ¡°...Did you hit me?¡±
¡°Y-yeah,¡± I answer, nervous for his response.
¡°...Good job. It was a solid blow, enough to give me a nose bleed. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t get to see it. Care showing me some other time?¡±
A piece of me is relieved by his carefree attitude. But the important thing is that I was able to knock some sense into him again.
¡°Sure, I show you later, but it¡¯s good to have you back, Gil.¡±
¡°Yeah, whatever that means.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, but for now, we have to defeat her.¡±
Turning my attention to Vran, gawking at me, her eyelids wide open. ¡°How did you...that¡¯s impossible. You aren¡¯t supposed to be able to beat us in strength or speed!¡±
¡°Guess what, I just did.¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s just¡ I refuse to believe it!¡± She takes up a stance suitable for a grappler. ¡°...I won¡¯t let you tell me my strength is fake! No way!¡±
¡°Fake?¡± Gil steps in front of me, facing Vran down. ¡°...Nobody said your strength is fake.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to, ''cause I know you¡¯re both thinking it! She¡¯s a girl, there¡¯s no way she¡¯s able to fight back or even be strong. You¡¯re wrong, I can be!¡±
¡°I swear I am not, and I¡¯ll prove it.¡± Gil puts his right foot forward with his right arm above his head, and his left beside his torso. ¡°...I shall be your opponent. Whether your strength is real or not shall be tested through this fight, so I won¡¯t hold back.¡±
¡°Neither will I, I¡¯ll show you that I am strong, I will!
¡°Gil, you¡ Don¡¯t steal my fights away from me, you bastard!¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± he says, acting unaware of the situation.
¡°Why you¡¡±
As I¡¯m about to give him a piece of my mind, Richard calls out to me from the water bed. ¡°...What are you doing, come and help us!¡±
Oh, shit, I totally forgot.
¡°This isn¡¯t over,¡± I tell Gil.
He simply gives me a thumbs up, showing his white teeth. This bastard!
The underground (rumble) beauties: part 13
Underground town - boy''s lounge - afternoon
The halls in this place are truly immaculate, even with a book in hand I can''t seem to take my eyes off of them. The craftsmen truly were masters of their craft. A while ago, some of the men from the army tried to attack me, however, their attempts were in vain, as I was able to incapacitate them with one hit. Nothing fatal, I simply tapped the side of their heads using a moderate amount of force.
Such an event was surprising, yet I¡¯m more or less surprised by their transfixed state. Their pupils are dilated, their eyes bloodshot. This all indicates that they''re inebriated. I''d chalk it up to them being drunk, however, others like them had tried to attack me, but in the end, they were dispatched.
"I should be arriving at my room, right about¡"
As I turn the corner, someone about my age, 19, is wearing a top button coat that stops at his shins. His hair is peculiar, it is shaped like a top hat. I wonder if he has to constantly maintain the shape of it.
"You can not go any further, Quincy."
"You know of me?"
"Of course, you are well known in the researcher circle."
"Ah, that does explain that. Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, whatever your name is, but I must be going to my room."
As I come closer to him, hoping to pass by him without trouble, he draws his blade, cutting my neck open¡ At least, that would have happened, if I didn''t draw my bat a moment before he drew his weapon.
"How did you!?"
"Simple, I predicted your movement."
Pushing him back, I put my book away to focus on the enemy in front of me. "I am unaware of the situation, but I do know that something is afoot, and I am sort of curious on the matter. However, I should focus on this fight, so do come at me and save whatever speech you have for later."
"You think you''re hot stuff, huh? Well--"
I step forward, swing my weapon at him before he can finish his sentence. Slight delay in reaction, he steps back before I could hit him.
"How dare you!?"
"As I said, save whatever speech you have for later, or else you''ll be leaving yourself--"
I blocked the incoming attack that was going to skewer my brains.
"How about you shut up!"
"Sorry, you''re right, I should simply beat you for now."
Backing off from one another, he re-engages with a flurry of pierce attacks. Each one is aimed at a vital point in the body; anyone has the potential to be deadly. Fortunately enough, I am able to perceive his aim then block it in a swift motion.
His sword is a slim, silver blade that is no more than 4 feet long, and 4 mm wide. It seems the point itself is the only sharp part about the weapon. He only makes thrust attacks, never going for a slash, not once. However, he''s always pushing forward, making me move back to stay out of getting too close.
"There!"
A single strike makes it through my defense, leaving a fresh cut on my face. It stings, but it''s not worth a reaction.
"How''s that? With that, I''ll be able to beat you, then I''ll be taking all your findings. I know you were studying something, something quite interesting. So what is it, wanna tell--"
"You are particularly annoying. This annoyance is no good."
I take out a cloth from my pocket, wiping down the front part of my lenses.
"If you are done acting foolish, may I say this: why are you a researcher?"
He gives a puzzled expression, as if I posed a difficult question.
"Why? For the money, why else? Isn''t that why you do it?"
"Ah, that is why. Then, in that case, I don''t wish to waste my breath on you."
The confidence he had seconds ago melts, showing an expression that holds anger. His eyes stare holes into me.
"You think you''re better than me!?"
"No, I just don''t think it''s worth conversing with you, that''s all."
Blind with anger, he''s getting ready to attack. Right leg forward, followed by a thrust. I easily dodge it. Now, 4 thrusts into a slash. I just as easily block these.
"Wha-- How did you dodge that!"
Instead of responding, I swing my bat at the enemy''s shoulder blade, redirecting it to his neck the moment the previous attack connected. I didn''t paralyze his dominant hand with this attack, but I have weakened it.
He attempts more thrusts only for me to intercept with an attack of my own, leading into a counterattack that always hits its mark. His movement has slowed down, reaction time is a second too late, even his stabbing motion has grown less accurate and lacks in strength. Each of his blows is no longer working, nor will they ever land again. Of course, the question is how am I certain? Simple, I can predict it.
Humans have habits that they follow, whether it''s how they stand, walk, talk, breathe, think, sleep, and especially how they fight. We use methods that could be considered a pattern of attack, especially when we''re unaware of it. So when I predict an enemy''s moves, it''s because I understand their pattern after watching them for a certain amount of time.
In this case, his moves are so simple, it''s easier to analyze him in a short amount of time. Proxy, for example, took a bit of time to understand since he''s adept at fighting, but if I were to try and do it on him now, I fear it would take longer since he has grown.
However, I forgot to mention one other detail, not only am I able to predict, but I can copy as well, so not only have I come to understand his pattern, but his style¡
I put my right foot forward, holding my bat with one hand, pointing it at the enemy. I circle my bat ever so slightly in the air, it¡¯s almost hypnotic; quite interesting, I¡¯ll see if it produces a hypnotic effect later. Continuing with the circling, my enemy¡¯s attention goes to my bat instead of me, meanwhile, I move ever so slightly to him. It seems as if he doesn¡¯t notice, good. Then I can end this with quick decisive blows. In the blink of an eye, I strike him 8 times max, each one hitting his legs, torso, elbows, the Glenohumeral joints, and forehead.
After striking his head, he went limp, dropping to the ground like a corpse hitting the ground.
¡°Well, I suppose it was quite effective for my first time, but maybe I struck you too hard. I¡¯ll be sure to adjust the impact next time I use it.¡±
I tuck my bat back into its sheath, on my back.
¡°I have to hurry and collect the book. Don¡¯t wish for anyone else to have, now do I?¡±
Hmm, no good, I still can¡¯t get what he said out of my mind. Maybe I should set the record straight, as Proxy would put it.
¡°I¡¯m not a researcher because of money, nor am I out of a noble pursuit. I simply do it because I can explore the world, learn, grow alongside it as I accept new ideas. In short, I do it for fun,¡±
Right, now that I have that out of my system, I should be going. Taking out my book, I head back to the page I was on¡
Underground - Zeal¡¯s room - afternoon
A quiet knock on my door makes me shoot up from my bed, swing it open.
¡°Brother, there¡ Huh?¡±
Vetra is at the door, pointing a weapon at me. Seems to be a hand cannon that those guys at the kingdom are cooking up. How did she get that?
¡°Why are you pointing that damn thing at me?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I need you to--¡±
¡°Answer the damn question!¡±
Not taking her eyes off me, she moves into the room, keeping her distance from me as she sits on my bed.
¡°...I¡¯ve been instructed by the elder to capture those who haven¡¯t been put under our control, and those who resist are to be killed.¡±
¡°So what, gonna kill me?¡±
¡°Yes, I will.¡±
I move closer, making her flinch. She stands up, pointing it to my head. Not falling for her threat, I put my head against her gun.
¡°Here you go, got a clear shot.¡±
¡°What are you--¡±
¡°I said you have a clear shot, so take it!¡±
Her finger slowly moves for the trigger. She''s clearly having a hard time trying to shoot me, and if she were a man, I would snatch the thing and break their jaw. But it isn¡¯t, I have to deal with this differently.
¡°Why are you telling me to?¡±
¡°What, ain¡¯t gonna do it? It¡¯s simple, so just do it!¡±
She¡¯s no killer, a killer just does it, no drama, no hesitation, they just kill with a cold attitude. Maybe she will, or maybe she won¡¯t, but I ain¡¯t gonna die, no way.
¡°So much damn drama! How about I end it for ya?"
A voice from outside my room. My attention goes to their hand, the air around it is visible, swirling around the palm of his hand, which is pointing toward us. There¡¯s a feeling in the back of my head; we need to move out of the way.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
¡°Move!¡±
I push her to the side of the room, taking the brunt of the attack. An ice block tears through the room, ramming into me. I managed to jump back before it hit, but my arms are throbbing like crazy. My back hits the wall behind me, taking my mind off the pain in my arms.
By itself, the ice breaks into beautiful, crystal pieces.
The asshole who hit me laughs, coming into the room like he owns the place.
¡°Man, what a weakling, couldn¡¯t you have dodged my attack, let alone survive it?¡±
¡°How about you shut the hell up and stop giving me a headache, huh?¡±
I get up from the floor using the wall behind as support.
"Shit, you still alive?"
"A prissy ass attack like that isn''t gonna kill me!"
"You sure about that? Another one of those, and you''re as good as gone!" Hate to admit it, but if he does, who knows what would happen. "...More importantly, you¡"
He walks up to Vetra. "Sir Sven, I--"
He smacks her, the sound of flesh clashing against each other echoes inside this small room. My mind goes blank.
"Useless woman, can''t you kill one guy without hesitating? Maybe I should kill you too?"
"You asshole, get away from--"
"Shut up, you dumbass. I''m just punishing someone who can''t do their damn job!"
"Job?"
"Yeah, she''s supposed to kill you, but she''s taking so damn long that I have to step in and make her." He grabs her gun and has her point it at me. "Now, shoot this piece of shit! Hurry, damnit!"
Her grip on the gun is unstable, she''s sweating, and she''s on the verge of tears. Altogether, her grip on the hand cannon leaves her as she collapses to the ground.
¡°I can¡¯t. I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t. I just¡¡±
¡°So damn useless!¡±
My mind rubberbands back into action, power surges through my legs. As he raises his arm, I lunge myself at him, grabbing his arm. I lift him from the ground.
¡°Let me go, you piece of shit! I¡¯ll kill you if you don¡¯t!¡±
¡°Then try it, but shut your punk ass up!¡±
I threw him through the wall of my room, next to the door. I turn to Vetra, who''s giving me a hundred-mile stare. The girl is scared stiff¡
¡°Wait here, and don¡¯t come out no matter what. I¡¯ll end this in a flash.¡±
Exiting the room, I see the bastard, getting up from the floor. ¡°Who the hell do you think you are?¡±
¡°Screw that, who do you think you are, dipshit?¡±
¡°I asked first!¡±
¡°I don¡¯t give a shit, tell me anyway!¡±
¡°Fine, I am lord Sven! Now tell me who you are, you bastard!¡±
¡°Zeal, and I¡¯m about to beat you senseless.¡±
¡°Ain¡¯t we so sure of ourselves. However, it¡¯s misplaced.¡±
From below his feet, ice blankets the floor below, spreading across the ground. I jump over it to avoid it. It stops below me, creating a pillar that quickly climbs upward to hit me in the gut.
¡°Got you!¡±
The pillar scales until I hit the ceiling, it then breaks apart, letting me drop to the ground.
¡°This is the fun part.¡±
In the corner of my eye, a block of ice comes hurling my way. I can¡¯t do jack shit to it, and I¡¯m not gonna. The block smashes against my body, freezing my skin as it pushes against me. Like before, it bursts into small fragments of ice. Hitting the ground, my body tumbles and rolls all over as I use my hands to stop my momentum, digging my fingers into the ground.
¡°Damn, you look pathetic. My ice is too much for a weakling like you. Maybe I should¡¡±
All this shit he¡¯s talking is pathetic, I just can¡¯t stand it¡ It¡¯s just¡ It¡¯s just...too damn funny!
Power surges through my body, the hair on my head stands up, my blood is racing faster than usual, and the pain that was bothering me a second ago is gone. The power in me swells to a point where it becomes intoxicating. I always laugh, it¡¯s just too damn good!
¡°Hey, I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. I don¡¯t have the same powers you do, far from it.¡±
Taking a step forward, he starts to panic, tumbling to the ground as he backs away from me. Look at that, he¡¯s shitting bricks, how cute, but he¡¯ll be shitting himself for real!
"Stay...stay¡!"
"Huh, want me to stay?"
"Stay away from me!"
He yells at the top of his lungs as he sends a block of ice hurling my way. It tears the walls of the lounge apart as it comes closer. Cute. Using the ridiculous strength in my legs, I take one leap forward. Air rushes past me at breakneck speed as my body rips through the air, flying at the bastard. The wind holds my arm back, but even its might is no match for mine. I smash through the ice, jetting my way through it. It all comes ahead when my body flies past the guy. The wind roars as I land, ice scatters everywhere, and this dude is laid out on the floor, practically pissing himself scared.
¡°Wha...wha...wha...the...th¡¡±
It takes no less than two seconds for me to reach him, even if we¡¯re several yards apart. When I take damage, it turns into power; the more banged up I get, the more power I gain. My physical abilities are ramped up, so that makes me a bit superhuman. However, this lasts for only a minute, so I need to make the most of my strength, not only that, but I get extremely tired.
Back to this sad sack, I put my face close to his, staring at his terrified eyes. A grin creeps up on my face. ¡°Boo.¡± I flick his forehead, instantly knocking him out. I soften the blow so his brains wouldn¡¯t be turned to mush inside his tiny head.
Bastard, that¡¯ll show you who¡¯s the best. Now, then, I better get this done before I go limp or some shit. Entering the room, she¡¯s still on the ground, but she¡¯s not quaking, the stillness she had before is back, yet it¡¯s different; the best way to put it is the calm after a bad storm.
¡°You alright?¡± I outstretch my hand to her, waiting for her to take it. She says nothing, not even a peep. ¡°I asked if you¡¯re okay?¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Why what? Stop being vague!¡±
¡°Why did you save me?¡±
That¡¯s not what I wanted to hear, damnit!
¡°Does it matter?¡±
¡°Because I tried to kill you. Anyone else would¡¯ve been angry. Is it because I look like your mom? Because you aren¡¯t the first, there were others who thought so. It¡¯s easy to give off a motherly presence if you try. So don¡¯t you see, I was only pretending¡ It¡¯s awful, I know.¡±
Yeah, it pisses me off, more than you can ever know. The fact she manipulated me by making me remember my mom would be enough to lose my shit¡ Yet, I can¡¯t.
¡°You might¡¯ve been acting like my mom, or at least gave off the presence, but it was nice¡ It felt nice to remember her in a different way, and the reason I save you is that it makes me feel better, let¡¯s just leave it at...that¡
A switch inside me flips, all the strength in my body evaporates. My vision blurs as I lose my footing. I get on my knees, trying not to fall forward. Shit, this is why I hate when I use this ability, the after-effect sucks ass, and I can¡¯t move for a good while, so I don¡¯t try using it too often. Had no choice this time since that prick had powers.
¡°Zeal!¡±
Everything goes black as I close my eyes. I can feel myself hitting something, definitely not the ground, this is too soft to be called the ground. Whatever it is, it beats the ground, that¡¯s for sure¡
¡°Thank you, Zeal.¡±
That voice sounds like my mother''s¡ It¡¯s probably not, but I want to dream, even if it¡¯s for a little bit¡ Her voice, how gentle her personality is, how she made me and my brother laugh. Even if it was all surrounded by death, I¡¯d rather live those moments forever. But I can¡¯t, because if I do, then I¡¯ll be leaving my brother, so I can¡¯t dream forever, but just for a moment¡
¡
The halls are in shambles as I breeze past with my Source. The walls, floor, and ceiling are caved in. This is where Zeal''s room is. I had to fight quite a lot of anti-bandit troops on the way here, and I didn''t want to hurt them too badly.
Barging into Zeal''s room, I see him lying on Vetra''s lap, both of them sitting on the ground. There are visible bruises on him, a bandage on his forehead.
"Don''t worry, he''s going to be fine," Vetra whispers.
Thank you, goodness. Now that I''m here I can heal him.
"May I heal my brother?"
"Do you need to ask?"
"Thank you."
Putting my hands on his forehead, I heal whatever injuries he currently has on his body. My Source spreads across his chest, mending the wounds that he has.
"...I tried to kill your brother," she says, a hint of shame behind it. "I was going to, but I couldn''t."
"Why not?"
"Are you not angry?"
"Do you want me to be?"
"I suppose I do¡ For the longest time, we''ve been welcoming guests who were welcomed here. We would welcome them and treat them like kings for a couple of days. Then, we give them the drinks we gave to your friends, have them search for any remaining members, then kill them."
So my suspicion was right. This is too sudden for it to be a last-minute idea. On top of that, the way we all came here is too convenient.
¡°Excuse me, is the elder by chance a female, hides her face, but is good with a whip?¡±
¡°...Yes.¡±
I knew it. The elder has to be a bandit! On top of that, it might be the 7th Flame Wraith: Lexia. I knew she was based somewhere in this region, but I never imagined she was manning an underground town. If she knows we were coming, then that means the others know we¡¯re coming as well.
¡°If you are our enemy, why are you comforting my brother?¡±
¡°Because¡ It makes me feel better.¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°...During the war, I had a child. He was a spirited one, just like Zeal¡¡±
¡°Something happened, didn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°I failed to protect my child. Knights raided the village, killing all the fighters there. They used projectiles against us. One of them hit our home, killing me my husband and child... ¡°
My chest tightens as my heart stings from the pain of her past. This pain is not unfamiliar to me I can relate.
¡°May I be so bold?¡± she humbly asks.
¡°Certainly.¡±
¡°Do I remind you of your mother?¡±
¡°You do.¡±
¡°I see, then is she¡¡±
¡°Yes, she is no longer with us.¡±
¡°I am sorry.¡±
¡°It is fine, I am sorry for your loss as well.¡±
We all lost something precious to us, and we almost like what we have now because of the war. Zeal and I were only children when our mother was killed. A man came inside our home with a rusty-looking weapon. In the end, mother protected us but lost her life doing so. Back then, I still had my power, but I was too scared to use it to protect her. The weight of my mother¡¯s death is on my shoulders, but even when I was in pain, I knew I had to take responsibility, so I act like an older sibling to Zeal. There¡¯s a part of me that¡¯s scared to tell him about me being able to use my abilities back then; would he hate me, resent me, not wish to see me ever again?
I suppose that makes me a horrible person, does it not?
¡°Please, rest a while. I¡¯ll wake you when your brother is awake.¡±
¡°Thank you, please wake me if someone comes by as well.¡±
Lying on Zeal¡¯s bed, I rest my eyes for a while. Zeal¡¯s wounds are most likely healed, but until he wakes up, I¡¯ll have to hope I healed him to the best of my abilities.
In my dreams, a woman greets both me and my brother. Her hair is starting to turn grey and her facial features reflect her old age, but she still retains all of her beauty. Zeal makes her something good to eat while I make sure she¡¯s comfortable. Other times, Zeal and I are outside, taking care of a farm with others assisting us; Zeal has a hard time using a hoe, but he¡¯s getting the hang of it with the help of some of the locals. Mother watches us from a small cabin, sitting on the porch with a smile shining brighter than sunlight. Many other peaceful scenarios play in front of my eyes¡
But, that comes to an end when the peace is bathed in red. The world turns monochrome as I gaze inside of a cabin painted in blood. The very woman who I thought the world of, who meant everything to me and my brother lies on the floor. The air in my lungs freezes, choking me from the inside, blood circulates through my veins faster than it should, and my heart feels as if someone¡¯s gripping it, ready to squeeze it at a moment''s notice.
A tear rolls down my face, being confronted with this scene again.
¡°...Brother!¡± A voice calls for me, concerned in tone. ¡°Brother¡ Brother! Wake up! Brother!¡±
Darkness obscures my vision for a split second before it leaves, putting me in another scene. Zeal¡¯s face is looking down at me, a worried expression written on his face. He¡¯s standing up with the help of Vetra, who seems just as concerned.
¡°Brother, are you okay!?¡±
¡°Zeal? Are you okay?¡±
¡°Forget about me! Why are you crying!?¡±
Crying? I am, tears are coming from my eyes. Was I really crying while dreaming?
¡°...It appears I am,¡± I say calmly.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, did that prick outside hurt you? I¡¯m gonna...!¡±
¡°No, he was unconscious when I got here. Besides, I was asleep, wasn¡¯t I?¡±
¡°Oh, yeah, yeah, you were. I was kinda freaking out, so I thought¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine, I just had a dream is all.¡±
¡°Was it a nightmare?¡±
There are vivid images of the dream The first to surface is the blood and mother¡¯s dead body. However, the ones that stand out the most are her and Zeal¡¯s smiling faces.
¡°Yes, it was a nightmare, but it was also a beautiful dream.¡±
I resent myself for my inability to save mother, that will probably never change, but as long as I have my brother, I think I can keep moving forward.
The underground (rumble) beauties: part 14
Underground town - banquet hall - afternoon
¡°Nunnal¨¦, get the last two!¡±
¡°Right!¡±
My opponent swings his sword, limpish in motion. Using one arm, I knock his sword out of his hand. No reaction to this upset on his behalf. I slide past his vision, he¡¯s slow to react to me being behind him. Sluggish in turning his head, my fist twists his head the other way, knocking him out with a single punch. Sorry to do that, but don¡¯t have much of a choice, plus, this is faster. Turning to Nunnal¨¦, she already has the last two on the floor, taking them out without her weapon.
Countless bodies are lying on the floor, each of them knocked out by me and Nunnal¨¦. Seems like we got everyone, and we didn¡¯t kill anyone; I was kinda worried about that, but hey, nobody is dead, so that¡¯s a good thing.
When Nunnal¨¦ brought them here, we hid in the darkness of the banquet hall until they were in a position for us to ambush them. Nunnal¨¦ was able to take out a good 18 of them before she was spotted. We took out the last 32 of them without breaking a sweat.
I raise my hand, putting the front of my hand forward. ¡°Nunnal¨¦, up-top!¡±
She lightly claps her hand against mine. ¡°Up-top. Her expression doesn¡¯t change, but the way she said¡
I hug her, rubbing my cheek against her. ¡°You¡¯re so cute! So, so, so cute!¡±
¡°Marie, you are constricting me. Please remove yourself from me."
Oh, shit! Got caught up in her cuteness! Still, I wish I had a little sister like here! I would spoil her all day, and rub her cute cheeks, and I would show her how to use a spear!
A cold sense of dread sinks its teeth into my nerves. Looking behind me, someone is coming at me with a knife in their hand. All the muscles in my arms tighten as I ready my spear to defend myself.
Nunnal¨¦, maneuvering around me, gets in between me and the newcomer. She steps forward, swinging her sword at the enemy. The enemy jumps over Nunnal¨¦, going airborne before getting into her range, showing off an impressive acrobatic feat.
Touching down, they launch forward, continuing their charge.
I¡¯m impressed she was able to dodge Nunnal¨¦''s attack, but it¡¯s gonna take more than fancy tricks to get me! Right when the enemy closes into my range, ready to slash my stomach open, I spin my spear like a pinwheel. The enemy leaps to the side, avoiding the attack by the skin of their teeth.
This is it! I chuck my spear into the air. Grabbing the back-end of the shaft, I swing it, flexing all the muscle in my arm to drag it down. A loud, cracking noise gets a response out of my opponent as my spear pushes against their ribs.
They escaped from my swing before I could reach the climax of my swing by going limp in the legs. They hold the side of their chest, breathing heavily as they back away from me with their knife in hand. The instant I see them sway, I jump at the opportunity to strike. It takes me no more than 4 seconds to close this 9-meter gap. I guide my spear upward, going for the head. The enemy leans back, their mask tears open, revealing their face.
¡°Vzra!?¡±
She sucks her teeth as a response, ripping off her mask. ¡°I told you all to leave, but you came back.¡±
Her tone is harsher than it was last time; she just spoke in a matter-of-fact way back then.
¡°I said we would, it¡¯s your fault for thinking we wouldn¡¯t," I bite back, trying to keep a strong front.
¡°I suppose so, but this is just foolish.¡±
¡°Then I guess I¡¯m foolish, or maybe I¡¯m pretty damn confident in the people I¡¯m fighting with.¡±
"You''ll only be killed. Mr. Walter and his associates are stronger than anyone here. Some of them have strange abilities."
"Is that right?"
Vzra holds up her knife, despite her injury cutting into her posture.
"Why do you want to fight? You''re already wounded."
"I don''t care!" This is the first time I heard her yell, it completely destroys the image of the cool, feminine presence she had. It''s kinda scary¡ ¡°Who cares, a broken rib means nothing, I¡¯ll be fine! I can still fight, so let¡¯s fight!¡±
The feeling she''s giving off is terrifyingly crushing. One would think it''s fear, but it¡¯s less desperate and more on the lines of uncontrolled rage. It kind of reminds me of Proxy when he and I had that fight before he left the army.
Nunnal¨¦ puts up an offensive stance. ¡°Marie, we should dispatch this enemy as quickly as possible.¡±
Something¡¯s not right with this. She was quick enough to dodge Nunnal¨¦¡¯s attack and has the agility to jump over her. Yet, she¡¯s standing in front of us, not withdrawing to attack us again when our guards are done, not to recover¡ I guess the past does repeat itself, huh? Fine, I¡¯ll handle this the best way I know how.
¡°Marie, what are you doing?¡± Nunnal¨¦, puzzled by my actions, asks.
¡°Stay out of this, her and I are gonna go at it.¡±
¡°Your course of action is baffling.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to, just don¡¯t get in the way.¡±
Not a peep comes from her, she just watches as I head to face off against Vzra.
¡°You¡¯ll need a weapon,¡± she tells me.
¡°Come on, don¡¯t go underestimating me now. After all¡¡± Stopping my sentence, I ran up to her. She aims for my gut with her knife, but I catch her arm, bringing her attack to an abrupt end. She turns her eyes to mine, only to see my fist rock her head. Gasping, her grip on her blade loosens. I kick her chest as a follow-up, pushing her back as she went tumbling on the ground like a rock being thrown across a lake. I kick up her knife, grabbing it by the handle.
¡°Want this?¡± I ask her, sporting a smug expression ¡°Here!¡± I throw it over to her, it clatters to the ground, right in front of her. She stares at it, seemingly confused. ¡°Use it, if you want, but that won¡¯t stop me from beating you!¡±
She picks up the knife as she darts towards me. She lunges at me, her knife in front of her. I pull her forward while moving out of the way. I hit her with the back of my hand as a counter. Unlike before, she continues her assault, flailing her knife every which way, desperate to get a hit off. Sorry, but predictable moves like that aren¡¯t gonna work. Once again, I deflect her attack, hitting her once again. This pattern repeats itself; she goes for an obvious attack, I counterattack, it keeps repeating, causing me to feel a ping of guilt over this.
It¡¯s like an adult bullying a child. But if I hold back, then she¡¯ll probably catch on, and it¡¯ll piss her off even more. Geez, this crap is so frustrating. No sense in bitching about it, I¡¯m sticking to what I believe is right, and nothing''s gonna stop me!
Another swing, I intercept by using my arms to stop her arm by the forearm. I twist her wrist, causing her to immediately lose hold of her knife again. With a heavy kick, I push her away. The knife is beneath my boot. I kick it away, it clattering as it travels along the stone floor.
Narrowing my eyes at her, she¡¯s giving me death stares. Good, she¡¯s pissed.
¡°No more weapons, you¡¯ll have to use your fists,¡± She flinches at the idea. ¡°Are you going to surrender or are we still gonna fight?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need a weapon! I can fight without one!¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s see who can kick the other¡¯s ass first!¡±
She makes the first move, running at top speed. Faster than the blink of an eye, she gets past my defense. The first strike hits my chest. I grit my teeth as it pushes against my gut. Before she could get away, I grab her head, kneeing her in the face. Blood pours from her nose. Swaying a little, she uses her uneasy movement to kick my head from a low position. The foot hits hard enough to crack my neck a little. But not wanting her to get a sneak attack in, I kick her face right when she¡¯s about to get away.
Even though she¡¯s grasping her nose, she stands back up, taking in larger breaths since blood is coming from her nose. Her fists are balled up, ready to go another round.
¡°Damn, you¡¯re pretty good!¡±
¡°Same to you.¡±
¡°I¡¯d ask if you wanna give up, but something tells me that¡¯s a waste of time.¡±
The corners of her mouth curve up. ¡°You bet it is. What, scared someone like me might beat your ass?¡±
¡°In your dreams, these are light wounds.¡±
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Right, you look like a drunk after a bar fight.¡±
¡°Yeah right, you look like the bar after the fight.¡±
Something bubbles up inside me. It quickly surfaces through my lungs. I chortle before breaking out into a laughing fit, clenching my stomach as I try to stay on my legs. Vzra starts laughing too, bending to her knees. She¡¯s more vibrant than she was before, as if she has nothing to hide, no need to act like a cool, sophisticated woman.
I thought of her as the definition of lady-like. Honestly, if the guys saw us fighting like this, they would definitely say we aren¡¯t feminine. But you know what, who gives a shit? Feminine, not feminine, right now, that doesn¡¯t matter.
"Alright, enough laughing, back to the action!" I tell her, calming myself to get ready for our next engagement.
"Good, you better not hold back on me!"
"Right back at you!"
We stomp against the ground, propelling to the other. Vzra''s quick to reach me, throwing the first punch. While it lands, grinding against my teeth, I deliver an uppercut that recoils her head backward.
She stumbles around, moving like a drunk. She drops to the ground. Getting closer, I extend my hand to her.
"Why are you giving me a hand up?"
"Cause that''s not how I want this to go down. Now come on, let''s keep fighting."
She takes my hand, I pull her up to her feet. A few seconds passed before we got back into the fray. We kick, punch, throw, and knee the other. There''s no grace, decency, or any hesitance, we¡¯re just going at it. Bruises are caused, lips are cut open, noses leak blood, the taste of blood touches my tongue. The bones in my body cry out in pain as she punches and kicks me, but I return the favor, ten-fold each time. For someone who doesn''t have as much muscle as I do, she sure as shit throws a mean punch. Time passes as we beat each other bloody, our fists are practically covered in the other''s blood, the flesh on mine is starting to become messed up; tearing apart each time I hit her head.
My body is becoming sluggish, less responsive to her attacks. Though, the same can be said for her; her swift movements are coming to a crawl, becoming heavier, too predictable, but they still pack a punch.
At this rate, we''re gonna beat the other to death before we give up. I gotta knock her out with this last punch. Shifting all my weight into my left arm, I edge closer to Vzra, the muscles in my arm are screaming in pain as I swing. The sound of flesh pounding against flesh echoes in the room, making an uncomfortable sound. That single punch is all I had left, I can barely feel a damn thing in my body besides the anguishing pain coming from my bones. My legs turn to jelly, causing me to hit the ground.
Breathing hurts, but it sort of alleviates the pain, if only by an insufficient amount. Shit, this hurts real freaking bad! Maybe I should¡¯ve guarded more?
Nunnal¨¦, looking at me without any change in her monotone expression, stands above me. "Marie, are you okay?"
"Yeah, but my body is killing me!"
I want to get up, but I''m sure the pain would only get worse if I tried. Well, shit, this is a fine mess I got myself into.
"Vzra...you okay there?"
"I...guess¡"
Her voice is weaker, hoarse sounding.
Nunnal¨¦ summons her sword. Knowing her intention, I grab her leg.
"Stand down!"
"She''s an enemy."
"She''s too injured to do anything, so let it go."
Her eyes roll to Vzra, who is on the floor, too beaten to stand up for a while. Acknowledging the situation, she throws her sword, it disappears.
"Very well, I shall stand down, but you need medical attention. I shall go retrieve my master."
Nunnal¨¦ moves through the body on the floor, stepping around and over them without dropping in speed. At least we''ll be getting some help, though, I don''t know how long that''ll be. And to top that off, that pain is seriously gutting me.
"Vzra, you still awake there?"
"Yeah¡"
"Can we...talk? I need to get my mind off the pain for a bit."
"That would...be nice."
Taking a deep breath, I get ready to ask her a question.
"So, why do you need to fight us? No, wait, why did you guys drug my allies?"
She takes a moment to explain the purpose of the underground town and its purpose here.
"Well, shit, color me surprised¡ So wait, why stay here? Why don''t you all just run?"
"Some have, but they were killed. Besides, some of us want to stay here."
"Why?"
"Some of us are guilty of a crime, have tremendous guilt, or are ashamed to be alive in general, not over minor issues, might I add. We all share one thing in common: we don''t deserve to leave this place."
"Why can''t you?"
She inhales sharply. "When the war was raging on, I used to live in Borghulda."
"You mean the main village for the outsiders during the war?"
"Yes. As you might know, it was known for producing a large quantity of weapons for the outside, but it was also known for breeding warriors, honorable warriors who fought with all their heart and soul."
"I heard about them, known to be fierce warriors, a single one could take on 20 men alone, from what I heard."
"Well, those who weren''t good enough to join the frontlines were stuck, helping make weapons¡ You want to know what they said to me when I asked to join the frontlines? They told me, ''a weakling has no place out there''."
"Why did you want to fight?"
"Because my sister did, she was amazing with a lance. It was like she was dancing whenever she used one... However, she was killed during battle. I wanted to fight in her place, get back at the men who ended her life, but I was still rejected. So, stricken with grief and the desire for revenge, I set out to kill the ones responsible. I traveled all the way to the kingdom, searching for those who killed my sister.¡±
¡°Did you kill them?¡±
¡°Yes, I killed them when they were defenseless, never giving them the chance to fight back. When I returned, I told the chief that I killed them. In a turn of events, the chief yelled at me, telling me I was a disgrace to the village, and to my sister. I killed those men but it was without honor. In doing so, I was cast out, and my sister¡¯s grave was never given the rite of honor for fallen warriors.¡±
I¡¯ve heard of their noble pursuit of being warriors and making glorious weapons, but I never heard of them banishing someone, let alone letting that affect their family members. It¡¯s somewhat similar to the knights; if any member of the knights were to act in an unruly behavior, it can reflect poorly on their reputation, and given enough times, it can affect their social standing, even removing them from the knights¡¯ orders, or the kingdom itself.
¡°So full of hatred, I hated those that banished me, the one who didn¡¯t give my sister the rite. However, there was only one person at fault, and it was me. I wanted to prove the ones who rejected me wrong, to show them that I can be strong¡ My sister was always strong, talented, beautiful, and everyone respected her greatly. While I loved her, deep down, I hated her for it. No matter what I did, I always lived in her shadow, I hated it. Being rejected while she was showered in praise, I hated it all, I hated her, I hated them¡¡±
Toward the end, her voice quivers, she sniffs as she wipes her eyes.
¡°...But I never wanted that...I...I just wanted to show them I had worth, I wanted to show her I had worth¡ But I screwed up, and dragged her with me through the mud."
Unable to contain her tears, she balls her eyes out, looking away from me as she lets out quiet whimpers. It''s kind of like staring at a mirror¡
"Do you wanna die?" I ask her, being straightforward.
"...Yes."
"I see."
"Would you be willing to do it for me?"
I knew what I was getting myself into, but that doesn''t make the topic any easier. Taking in a deep breath, I prepare myself mentally.
"Sorry, can''t help you there."
"Then why did you ask me?"
"Because I wanted to know, that''s all."
"Really, that''s all?"
"Yeah, but I don''t want you to die. I''m fighting so I can save my allies, but I wanted to help you as well. However, if you crave death, then that''s something I can''t save you from¡ Is what I would say if I was my old self."
"Old self?"
"Admittedly, I was a bit selfish in the past, I don''t even know if I''ve fully kicked that attitude yet. I was used to looking out for me and my brother. But now, I have allies, and a particular one that went above and beyond to save me, even when I deserved death. And in a way, you remind me of myself. So, that''s why I decided to help you."
Using all the strength in my upper body and gritting my teeth, I sit up, facing Vzra who has her head slightly turned to me.
"You want...to¡help me?"
"You bet! I don''t know if I can actually do that, but I can''t sit around and see someone suffer like that." I shakily extend my arm to her, barely able to lift it at this point. "What do you say, want my help?"
She gawks at my hand, dumbfounded by my proposal. As I''m about to say something, the sound of footsteps alerts me. The new arrivals enter the hall; Richard and Nunnal¨¦ are the ones to enter.
"Marie, are you okay!? Don¡¯t move!"
Richard runs ahead of Nunnal¨¦, who walks briskly.
I chuckle to myself, relieved to see Richard here. "Looks like the medic arrived. So what do you say?"
"Umm," she nervously hums.
"Come on, you''re making me look weird."
"O-oh! Sorry, I was just stunned is all." She forces herself to stand up, meeting me eye to eye. She takes a hold of my hand, putting all the strength she can muster into it. It''s enough to cause the bone-shattering pain to flare up. I don''t mind that though, this pain is just proof of my word... Though, I''d like Richard to heal us right away; this hurts like a bitch!
Underground town - Tower - top floor - afternoon
I find myself standing on the top floor of the tower. There¡¯s no roof to cover it, the walls have a view of the whole town here, allowing me to look over it in peace.
The town has the usual quiet, calming, yet mysterious nature to it. However, it is to lose that quiet aura. These dirty people come barging in, making a mess of such a peaceful town. Even as of now, it feels as if there is grime filling the streets below, and no matter what I do to calm down, I can¡¯t help but feel angry¡ Inexcusable, unacceptable, unforgivable! I must endure, I must persevere! If I do not, then who shall wipe out this scourge from existence?
¡°Excuse me, Walter, sir!¡±
Another appears, speaking with a constricted tone of voice, quiet too. Good, excellent, amazing, she is preserving the peace up here!
¡°Yes, is something the matter?¡± I speak with my diaphragm, after all, one must speak with absolute clarity if they wish for others to listen. Absolute, perfect clarity!
¡°Um, we have...urgent news.¡±
¡°I await your news!¡±
¡°We...have lost a, umm¡¡±
¡°Speak, speak with ultimate clarity!¡±
¡°W-we lost a good portion of the men that we captured. There¡¯s about a 20% remainder.¡±
¡°I see, that only makes this harder.¡±
Now I need to hunt them all down to rid this place of their filth.
¡°Furthermore, sir, the elder is furious with you. She wishes to see you at the earliest convenience.¡±
¡°Is that all?¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Good, then you may leave.¡±
¡°Thank you, sir.¡±
She makes a hasty exit, leaving me in this peaceful room¡ Alexander¡ Honestly, is the past going to repeat itself, or is it just a coincidence? If the former proves to be true, then I must meet with him again. Excitement builds in me, bubbling up inside. This is the first in a while that I find myself genuinely excited.
¡°Alexander, are you on the side of the righteous, or are you a villain? No, no, you can¡¯t be a villain. After all, your father was righteous!¡±
The underground (rumble) beauties: part 15
Holy Lands - above ground - afternoon
Okay, after a rocky ass landing, I finally made it to the village, and what do ya know, this thing is still pointin¡¯ to this place. Oddly enough, it¡¯s still pointin¡¯ down. What the hell is this shit? Is this broken? Nah, can¡¯t be it. Maybe I should cut down? Nah, a swordsman needs some subtlety¡ Where the hell do I go then?
¡°Ah, to hell with it, might as well search this place.¡±
Still, how the hell do I get underground? Is there an underground passage? Hmm¡
¡°That big building!¡± That¡¯s it, it¡¯s gotta have a secret passage. How do I know this? Intuition! Not just normal intuition, swordsman intuition! After all, a swordsman needs to have the best senses, afterall, or else he¡¯s as useless as a dull sword.
¡°Alright, I¡¯m getting pretty hyped! Time to kick tail!¡±
Underground town - afternoon
Entering the banquet hall, we lug in the last of our guys. Thank god, they¡¯re heavier than a sack of bricks. Alex lets them down gently while I just drop them.
Alex pats us on the back. ¡°Right, Proxy, good job.¡±
¡°Thanks, but next time, I¡¯m gonna drag them.¡±
¡°Now, now¡¡±
¡°Proxy, Alexander, is that everyone?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s all the ones we could carry. Gil is going to get the rest after he¡¯s done going at it with his dance partner.¡±
¡°What are you¡ Never mind, Marie is hurt badly.¡±
Not wasting time understanding why she is, Alex runs ahead of me. He drops to his knees next to Marie, who is sitting on the ground with Richard working his Source. Walking up beside him, Vzra and Marie look like they went 8-rounds against a heavyweight boxer. Well, Vzra for the most part, since Richard didn¡¯t heal her yet.
¡°Marie, you doing fine? How many fingers am I holding up?¡±
¡°None, and stop talking to me like I¡¯m an idiot!¡±
¡°She¡¯s acting as pissed as usual, she¡¯s good.¡±
¡°You¡¯re lucky I can¡¯t kick your ass right now,¡± Marie threatens, her voice rough.
I let out a relieved sigh, relaxing my body. ¡°Ain¡¯t I¡ But what happened here?¡±
¡°Vzra tried to kill me, we beat the shit out of each other for a couple of minutes, now we¡¯re good,¡± she summarizes in a matter-of-fact way.
I nod my head. ¡°Beating ass and making friendships. Not bad. Richard, you wanna try that?
¡°Yeah, no thanks. You and Nunnal¨¦ can go ahead and do that.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ cracks her fists, gazing at me with those cold, yet serious eyes.
¡°I¡¯m brave, not stupid.¡±
¡°Debatable,¡± Nunnal¨¦, Richard, and Marie simultaneously say.
¡°Screw you guys!¡±
Alex laughs while covering his mouth. ¡°Even in the depths of danger, we are still able to have a wonderful time. Albeit, as much as this pleases me, we must ruminate our current predicament.¡±
¡°What¡¯s there to think about? Now that we got most of our boys back, we just need to go and kick the elder¡¯s ass! Though, that big bastard might be a problem. He was able to harden his neck, minimize the damage to his neck. But thinking about it, Nunnal¨¦ could deal with him, so I¡¯m not too worried. So instead of sitting on our asses, let¡¯s go and fight!¡±
Marie lets out a quiet hum, pondering our next move. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but we shouldn¡¯t underestimate our opponents. Right now, we¡¯re in their turf. Vzra, you got anything on our enemy?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not too knowledgeable on everything about Walter and his companions, but I do know that they are special."
"He has companions? No, wait, never mind, forget about that. You said something about special abilities?"
"They have strange abilities, one of them is able to shoot ice, the other can create weapons that seem translucent, and the has the ability to enhance their body. But Walter is the strongest of them all."
"That dude doesn''t seem so tough."
"It''s not about his physical strength, he¡¯s just untouchable.¡±
¡°Bullshit, no one¡¯s untouchable.¡±
¡°Believe me, I¡¯ve seen it. The day he recruited me, I tried to kill him, but I was blown back. Even when I attacked from a distance, my projectiles were blown away. Then, when he pulled out a flute, a dreadful sound filled my ear, scratching against my eardrum. I never felt so powerless¡¡±
Richard turns his attention to me while healing Marie. No doubt about it, it¡¯s probably Source. This gonna be a bitch and a half if he¡¯s actually that powerful.
¡°...As for the elder, she is proficient with a whip, but that is all she¡¯s good at,¡± Vzra ends, her contempt blatant. ¡°Also, some of your allies are in the tower, being used as a means of defense.¡±
I crack my fist, giddy at the opportunity. ¡°Nice, so we can just go in, knock them out and kick some enemy ass? I¡¯m all in!¡±
¡°You dumbass, we¡¯ll be cornered if we went in there half-cocked, and the last thing I want is to harm our allies, in any major way. Point is, we gotta come up with a plan.¡±
¡°...If it¡¯s a plan you require, then I may be able to assist you.¡± A voice comes from the entrance of the banquet hall. It¡¯s Crow who walks inside, wearing a pleasant, but ghastly smile as usual. I put up my fist, getting ready to fight him if I need to. ¡°Settle, Proxy, I am unaffected by the brew that everyone ingested earlier.¡±
Hmm¡ He is talking, that¡¯s more than what the others could do. Guess I¡¯m a bit jumpy.
¡°Doctor Crow, I am pleased to see that you are alright,¡± Alex says.
¡°Vice versa for you as well. However, as for the plan you need, do not worry.¡± He places a container on the ground. It¡¯s a silver box with a latch on the front of it. ¡°I visited the medical facility of this town just a while ago. Truly impressive, the amount of supplies they have is astonishing, and don¡¯t get me started on what they have there. Do you know they have black pheasant powder? Ohohoh, such a fascinating place.¡±
Glad to see the doc¡¯s laughing like a madman, that never makes a shiver go down my spine. Still, I wonder what¡¯s in the case?
As if he¡¯s reading my mind, he opens the case in front of us. Several brown bags with knots keeping them shut are placed next to each other in a neat row by row order.
Alex grabs a bag, inspecting it with a thorough eye. ¡°What are these?¡±
¡°While everyone was in a hypnotic state, I went along with the act, pretending I barely had little to no motor functions, matching my movement with the other soldiers. Elizabeth helped me as well.¡±
¡°Wait, I saw her drink more than one glass,¡± Marie says, quick to dismiss the claim.
¡°Believe me, I was skeptical too, but it turns out her alcohol tolerance is much higher than I assumed.¡±
So her being somewhat of an alcoholic saved her from being hypnotized? Well shit, who could¡¯ve seen that coming?
¡°Thanks to her, we borrowed a two-way communicator.¡±
¡°Really!? Can I use it? I need to speak to Elizabeth.¡±
Walking over to her, he hands her the radio. His eyes dart back and forth between Marie and Vzra. ¡°Are you two in any pain?¡±
¡°Nah, Richard is healing us, but Vzra could use some help.¡±
¡°Of course, I¡¯ll give her my best treatment.¡±
Settling down next to her, he takes off his medical bag and goes to work.
¡°Please hold still, I¡¯ll make sure to move you with the utmost care,¡± he whispers.
¡°Why help me? You do realize I was an enemy, right?¡±
¡°Because I am a doctor. I shall help anyone who needs it, providing they are not villainous¡ Although, even then I might aid them.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I wish to save lives, so whether it is right or wrong, I shall aid them and hope for the best. That way, After all, when one is given aid in a dire situation, they might have a change in perspective.¡±
She goes quiet, probably amazed by the doc¡¯s words.
¡°...Richard, could you heal this young lady after Marie?¡±
¡°Of course, doctor.¡±
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°Oh my, with how you said doctor, you remind me of a nurse that used to work for me. Speaking of you would make a fine nurse.¡±
¡°Oh, um, thank you, doctor.¡±
Continuing their treatment on the girls, Crow points to the case. ¡°Inside, you¡¯ll find powders that can cause a reaction from the nostrils from the sheer stench. I¡¯ve studied ways to refresh the mind with herbal medicine, during that time, I happen to find a way to sober a person with certain herbs, mushrooms, and a spice. All you need to do is light the string coming from the bag and allow it to turn into vapor. Then, it shall permeate throughout the tower. Do keep in mind that it is rather putrid, so get away the moment you set it off.¡±
So it¡¯s just a stink bomb? Heh, reminds me of this year¡¯s senior prank. Planted stink bombs in the middle and high school buildings. I even helped.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, Proxy, I want you two to go into the tower to plant them. Set them off when you reach the mid-section of the tower. Elizabeth will help you plant them. Got me?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, we got this in the bag, right, Nunnal¨¦?¡±
¡°What bag?¡±
Clicking my teeth, I yell. ¡°The metaphorical one!¡±
¡°I see. Your phrasing is rather odd, but I understand.¡±
Sure, I¡¯m the odd one. Suuuure.
¡°The moment you plant them, get out, don¡¯t linger!¡±
Her orders tug at me, hitting a nerve for some reason. I¡¯m not mad at her or anything, I just don¡¯t like that I have to cut and run when I would be so close to the elder
¡°Understood!¡± Nunnal¨¦ affirms with a shred of doubt.
¡°Like I said, you can count on me.¡±
We take a few bags from the case and head off to the tower. Feels as if I¡¯m holding a bag of sand in my hands.
¡°Wait, allow me to accompany you,¡± Alex says, grabbing a few of the small bags in my arms. ¡°I simply cannot sit on the sidelines while our allies need our aid. Right now, they are the most important thing, or enemies come last.¡±
I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s saying that to get my head out of the clouds, but he¡¯s right. I have to stop thinking about other shit besides rescuing the guys. Yeah right, thinking about anything other than Vella is difficult¡ If I could, no, I need to talk to her again. I want to understand why she was smiling at me when we last saw each other.
Underground town - tower - afternoon
The dead silent streets are being guarded by girls with spears that are in perfect condition. I guess it''s to compensate for their lack of muscle, but I doubt they''d be able to use it like Marie.
We dash through the shadows, moving low to avoid making too much noise.
The tower is right in front of us, thick with security with the girls from this place and some of our soldiers.
¡°We¡¯re here, so now what?¡± Alex asks.
¡°Let¡¯s see.¡± Pressing the button on the side of the radio, it switches from mute. ¡°Yo, Elizabeth, come in. Where are you?¡±
¡°Sorry, had a bit of a hick-up. Tryin¡¯ not to get spotted by these guys, ya know?¡±
¡°I feel you, but we need a way in.¡±
¡°The front no good, gettin¡¯ them away from there is risky.¡±
¡°So we¡¯re shit out of luck?¡±
¡°Keep ya panties on, I never said there ain''t no way in. There¡¯s a backdoor into the tower. Come to the side of this thing.¡±
¡°Roger.¡±
I click off right when she was about to say something else. Leading the way, we all rush to the side of the tower. We climb up the guard rail blocking people from climbing it. Making it to the corner turn of the tower, we see Elizabeth pushing open a door that leads into the ground, waving at us.
¡°Sup, long time no see,¡± she greets us.
¡°You said it, but no time for chit-chat. Come on.¡±
Heading down into the apparent basement of the tower. Reaching the bottom, there are rows of doors that stretch all the way to the other end of the place, there are two other corridors, leading left and right. Elizabeth leads the way. Dim lanterns light the halls. These doors have nothing to tell the other apart, no different design, no windows to look inside the room, nothing.
¡°This place gives me the heebeegeebees.¡±
¡°I looked inside one of the rooms. This might be where the girls sleep.¡±
¡°The decor is so¡isolating compared to everything in this town. It almost makes me feel¡nervous.¡±
¡°Yeah, thought I popped into a graveyard for a moment when I first came down here.¡±
I wanna get the hell out of here, the cold atmosphere of this place is unsettling. Stopping at a door, Elizabeth opens it. A staircase leads us upstairs. We enter the main hall of the tower, our guys mixed with some of the girls guard the bottom floor. The stairs to the upper floors is on the other end of the room, about 80 meters or so.
¡°Damnit, they¡¯re in the way!¡±
¡°Shall we combat them,¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks.
¡°Idiot, this is covert, we have to be ninja.¡±
¡°Welp, guess I¡¯ll just have ta do somethin¡¯. Y¡¯all run when I get their attention.¡±
¡°Pull this off, and I¡¯ll get you all the booze you can drink.¡±
¡°Ohohoho! Now, ya got my attention!¡±
Elizabeth runs ahead of us, putting herself in the open ¡°...Heeey! Y¡¯all know where the alcohol is? I need a, gulp, gulp, if ya know what I¡¯ma sayin¡¯?¡±
The girls immediately surround her with spears, and our guys close in on her. Seeing the opportunity she¡¯s giving us, I run ahead, the others follow behind me. We climb the stairs, moving low to avoid detection.
On the midsection of the tower, we separate to plant the bags. To make sure it spreads throughout the bottom floor, we¡¯re placing three bags on the guard rails. The tower is square-shaped, and the levels of this tower all have a square formation, save for having a bottom part. It should spread down nicely if we place three bags per side.
Once we placed them we light them with flintstone. Each time we lit one, we drop them to the bottom. Greenish vapor begins to blanket the bottom floor in its stinky color. Even all the way up here, I can smell it; like bad eggs that you leave in a bookbag.
¡°Proxy, let us move to the last floor!¡±
¡°Aren¡¯t we suppose to bounce?¡±
¡°We have to see if there are any more up there.¡±
He¡¯s got a point, don¡¯t know if that¡¯s all of them or not, so we better go check. Plus, I still have a bag on me, so if we need to, I¡¯m ready to help our guys remember who they¡¯re with. Ultra plus, I might be able to pay a visit to the elder¡
Hitting the top floor, several of our men are waiting for us, staring at the stairs with those dazed eyes.
¡°Would you look at that, our guys waiting for us, and in a nice bundle. In that case, here you go!¡±
Lighting up the bag, I throw it at them. A green cloud obscures them from our vision.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, go down to the bottom floor to take our allies back to the banquet hall. We shall escort these ones back,¡± Alex orders.
¡°Understood.¡±
She descends the stairs. Well, now we just have to wait for the stink to work and get these guys out. After a minute of it, it starts to dissipate. What it leaves is a bunch of confused guys who have no idea what the hell is going on.
¡°Mission successful, baby!¡±
Alex runs up to them. ¡°Everyone, are you okay!¡±
For the most part, they¡¯re trying to gain their bearings, but it seems like everything is fine¡ Wait a moment, something is missing from this whole set. That big dude should be here by now, so where is he?
From the shadows, a wall near the elder¡¯s room opens up. A gigantic figure creeps out of the wall, a chain rattles as he moves. So that¡¯s where the bastard showed up from! Well, guess what, shit lord, I¡¯m about to ruin your day!
Running for a vase on the same side as the giant, I chuck it at him. The thing shatters into pieces. Seems like it kinda fazed him.
"Alex, 3:00 o''clock!"
Turning his head, he sees the giant enemy. ¡°Everyone, run for the stairs,¡± he yells.
Seeing the big guy, they start running, clambering all over each other as they run for the exit.
¡°Running away like a pack of animals, how unsightly.¡±
Behind me, there¡¯s a weirdo wearing fur on his arms and legs. His teeth are jagged, and his hair is like a wolf tail.
¡°Hey, little boy, you wanna¨C¡±
I kick his head before he could finish speaking. He falls off the rail. I poke my head over to see where he landed. Don¡¯t see him anywhere, but that¡¯s a good thing. ¡°And stay out, you creepy son of a bitch!¡±
¡°Now that¡¯s not nice.¡± What the shit, where is he!? A hand latches onto my shirt, he¡¯s below me! ¡°How about a trip down?¡±
He throws me over the rail with one hand. My heart races, blood pumps faster through my body. All my thoughts are ideas on how to save my life. There¡¯s a pillar that connects from the bottom of the staircase to the next landing.
Grabbing the enemy¡¯s arm, I use it to swing myself to the pillar. I wrap my legs around it as I shimmy down.
¡°Oh man¡nearly pissed myself for a second.¡± Seriously, I¡¯m cool and all, but I can¡¯t lie to myself about how scary that was. Landing on solid ground is like a blessing from God himself.
Not giving me a minute to rest, the weirdo fur man swings from the bottom of the stairs, jumping to and from the pillar I climbed down from to land on the same floor as me.
¡°You gotta be shitting me!¡±
¡°Not bad, little boy. Surely, I thought you were¨C¡±
I run off for the stairs before he can finish. He¡¯s quick to chase after me as his weirdly long yet narrow toenails clatter against the ground. Reaching the stairs, my sense goes off. He¡¯s about to slash my back. I jump forward to avoid it, nearly going over the guard rail for these stairs. However, I dig my fingers onto the top of the stone guard to twist my body around with my legs raised. My feet smack his face, he tumbles back. Putting my feet on top of the rail, I slide down to the next floor, continuing to run on it after reaching the bottom floor. The wolfman, on all fours, flies down the stairs, chasing after me. This dude takes cosplay to the next level.
Whether he is cosplaying or not isn¡¯t the issue, he¡¯s closing the gap. I¡¯m not gonna be able to juke him the same way. He¡¯s pulling behind me as I¡¯m closing into the stairs. Can I do it, I think I can, maybe! Screw it, I have to go for it.
Taking in a deep breath as I edge closer to the stairs, I jump for it right when he slashed at the guard. Each nerve in my arm is hyper-sensitive, racking up any feeling it can to make sure I grab this ledge. As soon as the tips of my fingers touch the ledge, my muscles strengthen ten-fold, making it easier to pull myself over the guard rail.
However, my footing wasn¡¯t up to snuff, so I go tumbling down them. In the end, I manage to gain my bearings, continuing my escape. Heading downstairs, I reach the bottom floor. The girls who were guarding the place are sprawled on the ground, unconscious. Guess the stink was too much.
Near the steps, the wolfman is catching up to me. Right when I ran out the door, the wolfman pounced on my body, pushing me forward. We hit the stairs, rolling down as he tries to claw into my chest. I kick away from him. The kick launches me off the stairs, I hit my back.
¡°Now I got you!¡±
He¡¯s quick to recover from our little tumble. He drags his arms behind himself while running. Jumping to my feet, I get ready to fight him. Right when I was going to draw my swords, a blur passes me by. Blood suddenly spurts from the chest of my enemy. It all happened in a flash, I can¡¯t tell what the hell just happened. Like a sports car going too fast, he veers off course, crashing to the ground. His flesh has been torn open from the middle of his chest to his shoulder. The cut is clean, like someone tracing a line on a piece of paper.
¡°Whoa there, you shouldn¡¯t go too fast. You might run into a badass swordsman!¡±
Gray hair is the first thing I see when looking at this newcomer. He¡¯s wearing light armor akin to a samurai armor, and his sword¡ No way, no freaking way!
¡°Is that a samurai sword!?¡± My voice booms throughout the town.
The swordsman puffs his chest, looking proud of himself. ¡°Why, yes, it is.¡±
¡°Can I touch it?¡±
He lets out a light-hearted chuckle before answering, ¡°no¡±.
¡°Come on, just once.¡±
Closing in, he keeps me away by pressing his foot against my head. ¡°Hey, stay away from me, kid. Them eyes are creepy as hell... Hm?¡±
Looking at a sheet of paper tied to his wrist, he shares an peculiar stare. ¡°Hey, let me ask you somethin¡¯, kid¡¡±
He spins his body, hitting me with a roundhouse kick. I blocked it, but it hurts like a bitch! Son of a bitch almost cracked my arm.
¡°You asshole, what the hell is your deal!?¡±
¡°Let me ask my question: you have somethin¡¯ called the Black Grimoire?¡±
What did he just say¡? No, I heard him loud and clear, no goddamn doubt about it!
¡°How do you know about it?¡±
¡°So you do, good.¡±
He points his blade at me, deadly intent honed into it like a raging sea. A sense of panic runs through my body, making me flinch.
¡°...Then, I¡¯m gonna take it from you by force. No hard feelings, kid.¡±
Underground (rumble) beauties - NO MORE!
Underground town - afternoon
The gray swordsman aims his blade for my throat. Even if it''s not touching my skin, I can tell it could cut my head open like a watermelon
This son of a bitch thinks he can just roll up and do whatever he wants? Well, you got another thing coming.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, kid? Scared?¡±
¡°You wish, old man.¡±
¡°Hey, hey, hey! You just call me old? Do I look old to you?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t tell, ya know, with that gray hair and all.¡±
My hands inch over to my blades. Just a little, not too fast, not too slow. If this pressure keeps up, then I¡¯m gonna choke up before I can fight.
"Too slow.¡± A sudden kick to my ribs causes me to grit my teeth. I roll against the ground. ¡°You¡¯re too slow. If you¡¯re gonna draw your sword, draw it.¡±
Guess I¡¯m not as sneaky as I thought. Okay, if he insists, then who the hell am I to refuse.
¡°Hmm, not bad. The blades themselves are nice in quality, as for you¡ Footing isn¡¯t bad and your stand ain¡¯t half bad. Though, you don¡¯t seem to be the type to use two blades.¡±
¡°Put a sock in it!¡±
Making the first move, I move quickly. I can¡¯t waste time fighting this guy, my gut says he¡¯s no pushover! I fake a swing with the left sword, using the other one to nail him. He blocks the attack, seeing through my trick. His boot connects with my gut, pushing me away for the second time.
¡°Not bad, kid. Tried to pull a fast one on me, but it was too obvious. I can tell you''re right arm dominant, right? Come on, I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡±
How did he figure that out? Is he a mind reader or something? Ew, disgusting, nasty, pervert!
¡°...A person''s stance can tell me a thing or two about em. Yours tells me that you¡¯ve been a swordsman for a little. There¡¯s no lack of experience, but not enough to compete with me. Plus, it also tells me you pee sitting down.¡±
¡°What!? No, I don¡¯t, you goddamn¡¡±
With no warning or any sign, he rushes forward, switching his sword from his right to his left. He¡¯s closing a 15-meter gap quickly. I have to dodge!
He¡¯s not going to let me move out of the way, I can tell. Good thing I¡¯m a risk-taker. Just 5 feet from each other, I dive forward, leaping over his blade, which horizontally slashes the air.
Hand standing on his shoulders, I wrap one arm around his neck. I then put another around his waist as I dropped past his torso. Using this momentum to twist us around, I fling his ass away from me
Would you look at that, he dropped his sword. Said I couldn¡¯t touch it earlier, so I might as well cop a feel now. It''s weighty, but nothing I¡¯m not used to. Oddly enough, it feels wet around the handle. It¡¯s kinda thick too; like a cloth wrapped around the handle.
¡°You shouldn¡¯t touch another man¡¯s weapon, kid. After all, you never know what tricks he might have up his sleeve.¡±
Water swirls at the center of the hilt. The water is building up more and more, leaking off the sword like water out of a fountain. The water comes at me, raging as hard as a torrent and as big as a wave. It washes me away from the sword. It comes to an end as soon as I¡¯m out of his range.
This guy is a Source-user, no two ways about it! Only someone like that can do something as amazing as that.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, astonished?¡± branding a cocky smile, he asks me.
¡°That was nothing, I¡¯ve seen a Source-user before.¡±
¡°Hey, you know about Source! Sweet, so you one too?¡±
¡°No, but I don¡¯t give a shit!¡±
¡°Is that right? Then I gotta tell you somethin¡¯ kid. It¡¯s suicide to take one on, especially if you don''t have Source.¡±
Gray hair''s tone shifts from his nonchalant attitude to being deadly serious. A chill creeps throughout my body, warning me to not mess with him.
¡°Kid, I don¡¯t have all year, so hand me the book and¡¡±
I sprint on the wet surface. Running on water, I have to move slowly so I don¡¯t slip and bust my ass. However, the water below begins to curve upward, attempting to trap me. Quick on my feet, I managed to jump out before I was trapped in. A bubble of water floats in the air, a meter in diameter, water streams down from the top of the sphere.
Even though I made it out of the pool of water, it chases after me, honing in on me. I''m gonna use the alleyways to get away.
The tight space makes it difficult to navigate when you¡¯re running from killer water, but I can manage it with my agile footing. After a while, the water loses its form, splashing onto the floor.
Why did he stop chasing me? I doubt it¡¯s out of the goodness of his heart. There has to be a range limit, that, or he has to see where he¡¯s sending it. This is a start, but not by much. All I know is that he has a range limit.
My sense goes off, a warning to tell me that he¡¯s coming from above. I jump back, watching the swordsman¡¯s descent. His sword hits where I was standing, his sword tracing the air downward. In terms of form, he¡¯s excellent. His eyes rolled up to face me. They narrow in on me, paying no attention to anything else but me. In a ¡°blink or you¡¯ll miss it¡± moment, he thrusts his sword.
What¡?
I barely wake up from my instantaneous stupor to block the attack with both my blades. The force of the attack hurls me out of the alley. The ground grinds against my back as I slide up against it. I use my shoulder to help flip myself up, then use the front of my feet to stop my momentum.
There''s no time to catch my breath, he¡¯s coming at me! The first slash carves up at a wall I was pressed up against. He''s swift to make a follow-up attack, adapting to how I dodge. All of this while keeping his chest low, using his sword in one hand, and keeping his other hand on his scabbard. Not a moment is wasted using his fists or legs to hit me, just using his sword to push me back.
I hate to admit it, but this dude is good, his swordsmanship is much better than I thought. As an amateur, I have no place to criticize swordsmanship, but I can point out how awesome this guy¡¯s style is. Fast, fluid, doesn¡¯t let up for a single moment, but it¡¯s not the type of aggression that I use in my style; instead of fast and loose, it¡¯s swift, precise, yet free, if that makes sense. Then we have his footing, firm but as light as a feather, and nimble. Finally, his gaze, again, is focused, looking at nothing but his opponent. He¡¯s watching me carefully, making sure to react to whatever I do.
If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m gonna get my ass kicked if we keep going like this. But that''s the thing, I don¡¯t need to win. I just need to get the upper hand on him and disappear before he could recover. However, competing in swords ain''t gonna work. So, time to do what I know best; fists!
¡°Why are you puttin¡¯ your swords away? Given up?¡±
¡°You wish, geezer.¡±
¡°Okay, I ain¡¯t old! Second, you better show me respect! I''m 33, you little shit!"
For some reason, I don''t feel as scared anymore. But more importantly, his posture is off, this is my only chance to nail him! Jetting off, I close the distance between us. I shut my eyes, running in blind. There, I sense it! An attack is aimed at my head! Before contact, I lower myself even further to the ground.
¡°How did you¡?"
Opening my eyes, he¡¯s in utter shock. Good, now I need to knock him off balance and beat him with some fast hits! I stop him from moving his sword using my right hand as a guard. The palm of my left strikes his chin while I sweep his feet. I have to hit his chin and legs at the same time or else it won¡¯t work. But since I got it off, I pushed his head and legs counter-clockwise. He¡¯s off his feet, this is my chance to get a few licks in!
Both of my fists aim for his head while he¡¯s falling, they¡¯ll be the finishing blows! Each one hits, but his skin, however, feels weird, like it¡¯s made out of liquid! As if that¡¯s the least of my worries, his sword is coming at my shoulder. Every muscle in my legs helped me jump away right when he was about to nail my ass, doing a backflip or two to create distance.
¡°Damn, that was too close. Another second and I would¡¯ve lost my shoulder.¡±
¡°Whoa, nice moves, kid! You suck with a sword, but your hand to hand is somethin¡¯ else! You got me off my feet, not an easy thing to do. But that ain¡¯t gonna be enough¡¡±
Yeah, yeah, I know I¡¯m great at hand to hand, but that¡¯s not important. Right when I made contact, his skin had a watery feeling. Why he did is obvious; he layered himself with his freaky water ability. It''s absorbing my blows. This dude has all his bases covered!
¡°...Well, let¡¯s get back to it!¡±
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Here he comes! I need to¨C Behind me! I jump out of the way of whatever is coming at me. A girl is behind me, holding a knife, and not just any girl; Vella!
¡°Vell!¡± She doesn¡¯t respond to me. Her face holds the same smile she last gave me. Killing intent behind her actions, she strolls over to me with that knife in her hand. ¡°Vella, I need to talk to you! Are you listening?¡±
She picks up the speed, getting ready to stab me. It¡¯s easy for me to dodge the attacks, her movements are too obvious. Yet, she relents, coming at me with one attack after the other.
¡°Listen to me, damnit!¡±
Nothing is getting through to her, she just keeps on coming at me. I¡¯m not in danger, but if this keeps up, then she¡¯ll never listen to me. In that case, I¡¯m gonna disarm her, delicately, of course. Her next move is to stab me, but I separate her hands from the blade. Despite this setback, her smile doesn¡¯t break, making it even creepier.
¡°You don¡¯t have a weapon now, just give¨C¡±
Her hand darts toward my face. I block with my arm. A sharp pain flares up in my arm. Did she just¡ Holy shit! She cut open my skin!
¡°Are¡are you serious!? Vella!¡±
Crap, her other hand! I grab her wrist, pulling her forward. I slip behind her, wrapping both my arms tight around her. She¡¯s trying to struggle out of my grip but it isn¡¯t going to work.
¡°Will you calm down! I want to talk to you!¡±
¡°Please, let go,¡± she asks in a cheery voice.
¡°Not until you listen, and stop trying to gut me.¡±
¡°Why would you want to talk with me?¡±
¡°Because I want to help you!¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because I just want to.¡±
¡°Why.¡±
¡°I just said it, you idiot!¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°Because!¡±
¡°WHY!?¡±
Did she just yell at me?. From the shock, my grip on her loosens a little, slipping out of my iron-clad grip. She gets a quick cut in, ripping apart the skin on my arm.
¡°Why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why, why!¡±
God, this is too much! I have to do something, anything, or else I might get carved up! Something, say something!
¡°I wanna help because you¡¯re my friend, jackass!¡±
A raged echo travels throughout the town, catching everyone¡¯s attention. Vella¡¯s arm hangs in the air, her fingers pointed right at my face¡
¡°Friend, with me¡ Why?¡± Both her arms go limp, giving me a confused, vacant stare. ¡°Why? I tried to kill you? No, you¡¯re lying! You would never forgive me, no one would forgive a killer, mr. Walter said so!¡±
¡°Who gives a shit about him, and I¡¯m not lying.¡±
¡°You are, you are!¡±
¡°I¡¯m¨C¡±
Her arms fly past my face. A fresh cut appears on my cheek, blood rolls down my face. Hurts like a son of a bitch, but I didn¡¯t flinch. She¡¯s finally letting me through, the last thing I need to do is show weakness.
¡°You must hate me now, right? I¡¯m a dirty murderer, the worst of the worst I¡¯ll hurt you, I¡¯ll kill you, so please, hate me.¡±
I can¡¯t read emotions like Richard, but even I know what she¡¯s feeling; it¡¯s despair! She wants to sink in it, surrender to it. I won¡¯t let her, I¡¯ll drag her out of it!
¡°Vella, you airhead!¡± A karate chop finds its mark on the top of her head. A gasp leaves her mouth. ¡°...Don¡¯t ask me to do stupid shit, get me!?¡±
¡°Wha¨C¡±
¡°I said, get me!?¡±
I keep chopping her head, adjusting my strikes to not do any real damage, but enough to make it sting.
¡°Ow, what are¨C Ouch! Please stop!¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m gonna keep hitting you till you get the message! I¡¯ll drill this into your head!¡±
¡°Why would¨C Ow!¡±
¡°You want me to hate you cause you hurt me? Dumbass, who do you think I am!?¡±
¡°Wha¨C Ow!¡±
¡°...I am the badass Punk of NewPort Island. Someone could come at me with a knife, bat, sword, it doesn¡¯t matter! Hell, they can even cut or stab me, I don¡¯t give a shit! Cause that¡¯s how awesome I am!¡± Yep, I sound like an absolute dork, but this is the best I can do. ¡°...But ignoring that, I don¡¯t want to hate a friend, and I certainly don¡¯t wanna hate you.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
I raise my hand. Vella flinches, covering her head.
Instead of hitting her again, I place my hand on her head, patting it. ¡°I don¡¯t know about this murderer stuff, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, you¡¯re a kind person, and kind people are cool with me. So you can hit me as much as you want, I¡¯ll take it all and still call you a friend!¡±
Finally, after all this work, skin being torn apart, blood leaking out of my arms, and a bit of violence on my end, tears drop from her eyes.
¡°What? I don¡¯t¡I¡why¡this is¡why?¡±
I can¡¯t answer her, there¡¯s no way I can. All I did was express how I feel. How she feels is up to her. Though, she seems like she¡¯s having a hard time with it.
¡°Vell, don¡¯t worry about Walter, I got your back.¡± I reach out my hand to her. ¡°Trust this punk.¡± With tears dropping like rain after a long drought, she reaches out her hand to me.
Strength is all I wanted ever since Richard got poisoned. I wanted enough strength to never feel helpless, and so I could protect my friends. This is all I want right now, so I¡¯ll take her hand and¨C
Boom. That sound tears the very air, a rumble rips through my eardrums. Blood paints the air. The world goes into slow motion for a moment, every part of my brain takes in the scene in front of me, attempting to deny reality¡ But reality is cruel.
¡°Vella!¡±
Her frail body falls as blood exits a hole in her shoulder. Don¡¯t let her fall, do not let her fall you dumbass! Quick on my feet, I catch her. Blood is coming out of the hole in her shoulder! What the hell do I do, it¡¯s too big for me to put pressure on! I got it, I¡¯ll use my shirt! Footsteps are approaching us fast. It¡¯s that swordsman!
¡°Stay away from us, you¨C¡±
¡°Move!¡±
He pulls me away from Vella, kneeling in front of her.
¡°Son of a bitch, get the hell away from her!¡± If he hurts her, I¡¯m gonna¡ What the hell? His water is covering her wound, like a lid on a jar. ¡°What are you doing?¡±
¡°This¡¯ll heal her wound and keep her blood from leaking out, but it¡¯ll take some time to heal fully.¡±
¡°Why are you helping?¡±
¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I! I can¡¯t just ignore some girl gettin¡¯ injured like that, especially in such a cowardly way. Speak of the devil, the sniper reveals himself.¡±
From all the way on top of the tower, the bastard who shot Vella shows himself.
¡°Vella, you failed us all. You lost sight of your redemption, only to play around in the mud with the other sinners. Superbad, Omega bad! But worry not, you piece of filth, I have done you a favor¡¡± Filth¡ Did that piece of shit call her filth!? ¡°...I shall give you the death you deserve, I shall alleviate this world of the sinners who dare cling to it! Because I am the best, no, the ultimate agent of Justice! I am on the righteous path, and I am¡¡±
Shut up, just shut up, shut up!
¡°...the one¡¡±
Be quiet!
¡°...who shall bring¡¡±
You¡ You!
¡°...justice!¡±
¡°SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!¡± My voice stretches far beyond the sound barrier. The rage inside me is past its breaking point, and I¡¯m sick and tired of holding it in. ¡°Shut up about your wack ass justice! The only piece of filth here is you, you asshole! Don¡¯t insult her!¡±
¡°Kid!¡± The swordsman grabs my shoulder. ¡°...you gotta run, take her with you. Fightin¡¯ a guy like that is gonna kill you!¡±
Run with her¡? Not a bad idea. Yeah right, I¡¯m gonna beat the shit out of this guy, no matter what! After all the shit he was talking, if I just run away, then I¡¯m no better than a chicken-shit loser! And I am not going to let that happen, no goddamn way!
Breaking out of the old man¡¯s grip, I bolt for the tower. Getting back to the main road to the tower, there are a bunch of girls in front of me, all of them holding weapons. Shit, where did they come from?
Move out of the way
¡°Girl¡¯s, I hope you all genuinely want to be forgiven, to expunge yourselves of sin, to show me you are worthy of salvation under the light of justice!¡±
Just move!
¡°...Now, I want you all to kill the one who insults justice!¡±
I can¡¯t fight people who¡¯re suffering! So move, please move! Just move!
Their weapons are raised, not giving an inch. I want to kick that bastard¡¯s ass, so just move!
¡°Do it!¡±
¡°MOVE!¡±
Everything goes dark in my head, darkness shrouds all my thoughts. No, it¡¯s like my mind is entering a slipstream, and for some reason, my body feels lighter too. I can¡¯t tell why, but it feels like something was untied from my body, allowing it to go past its limitations. As if a light bulb flipped on, the darkness in my head disappears. The girls aren¡¯t in front of me anymore. Instead, I¡¯m in front of the tower. Whatever! I¡¯m here, and that¡¯s all that matters.
Running past the door, I dash for the top floor. There¡¯s no one in here, I¡¯m free to head straight for the top. Reaching the top floor takes a minute at the rate I¡¯m running, now I¡¯m one step closer to kicking in that prick''s smug ass face.
Predictably, the big guy from before is standing in my way. He¡¯s staring me down like a dog ready to bite another. Asking him to let me through is a waste of time, there¡¯s nothing to say. We¡¯re meant to oppose the other, nothing else to it.
Our battle begins with me going on the offensive, sprinting toward him. Wasting no time himself, his chain is already gunning for me. I steer left to avoid it, but like a homing missile, it¡¯s still on my tail. Despite that, I keep running. If I¡¯m faster, then I don¡¯t have to worry as much. As if to smite me for thinking this way, the chain hard leans around my arm and back. Before it can wrap around me, I dive forward. He withdraws his chain. Both my eyes and all of my mental focus are aimed at the chain, waiting for him to swing it my way.
An opening, I need an opening to strike him and get past him. There¡¯s only one way, and I will pass him, no matter what!
Once again, my mind goes blank, every inch of my body becomes lighter, as if I can tear through the air itself. It only lasts two seconds, but now I¡¯m facing the elder¡¯s room. No need to think about it, just go! I kick open the door, rushing inside. Most of the crap in here belongs to a woman, so I could give less of a shit about what¡¯s in here. Bingo, there¡¯s a door on the upper left of the room!
With a devastating kick, I break it open, running up the stairs that it was hiding behind it. The corridor leading up is wider than the door made it seem. At the top, there¡¯s a metal door between us and Walter. I¡¯m certain of it, he¡¯s in here!
Busting open the door, Walter is standing at the other end of this spacious room, watching me enter with that shit-eating grin! ¡°Walter! There you are!¡±
¡°You have come, sinner.¡±
¡°Shut your mouth! Just fight me like a man, you pussy!¡±
¡°Such a disgusting mouth. Filth like you deserves to be ridden of. No matter, if those worthless people down there couldn¡¯t kill you, then I shall eliminate you myself. A hero must rid of those who are evil after all. And a hero is an agent of justice, thus, I shall deliver justice to all of you ¡±
¡°A hero? What a load of shit. You¡¯re nothing but a scumbag!¡±
¡°No, you are wrong! The winner is right, right is always just, those who are just are heroes, and heroes deliver justice onto those who deserve its wrath. This is true! That is the truth!¡±
It¡¯s sick, how could someone think like this. Not only that, but hurt and use people based on a childish idea like that? If this is justice, then I¡¯ll crush it.
¡°Fine, if you¡¯re a hero, then I¡¯m a villain.¡±
A hearty chuckle exits his disgusting mouth. ¡°You finally admit to your wickedness?¡±
¡°No, you¡¯re not listening. If you¡¯re a hero, then I¡¯m the villain who¡¯ll crush your justice. I push down my goggles, overlaying the world in orange. ¡°So come on, hero, it¡¯s showtime.¡±
Words are meaningless in this fight, and I don¡¯t plan on wasting my breath on him. My fists are all I need! Heroes are meant to uphold justice, then I¡¯ll be the villain who destroys it!
¡°Very well, a hero does need a villain. Then come, boy, no, villain, I shall annihilate you!¡±
A cruel Justices end
Underground town - Tower - afternoon
Buckling my knees, I hone my focus straight at my opponent, standing on a slightly elevated plane.
The silence this room gives off is nerve-racking, causing me to tense up, but it sort of helps me focus on my main target.
I run across a clean velvet rug that stretches from the entrance to where Walter is standing. He hasn''t moved an inch at the moment, even when I''m closing the distance between us. On top of that, he''s standing there with a condescending smirk.
If he¡¯s as strong as Vzra said he is, then I need to end this quick.
50 yards away, I¡¯m not closing that in a few seconds, so I have to ready myself for any attack. Getting closer, my sense goes off, but I see nothing coming at me. Just then, a quick, yet sharp pain thrones around my cheek. Blood rolls down my face as droplets soak the blue carpet, dying bits of it red.
¡°Villain, I have drawn first blood!¡±
How did he hit me? Was it with Source? If that¡¯s the case, I didn¡¯t see a thing, but my sense went off. The hell is going on!? No, I can¡¯t get caught up in my thoughts right now. I¡¯m close to reaching him, so all I need to do is get close and deck the shit out of him.
And doing just that, I closed the distance to 15 meters. He''s mine now!
¡°Too rudimentary!¡±
Suddenly, the air around him rages, swirling around like a whirlpool. It pushes forward as an unknown force repels my body, throwing me back. My back hits the metal door in and out of this room. The bone-crushing impact leaves me breathless as all the weight pushed to my back.
Thoughts in my head almost went blank because of this crushing pain. But how did he do that? That power was overwhelming. It was like a giant flicked me away!
¡°What the hell did you just do!?¡± I demand an answer from him.
¡°I have no idea what you are referring to,¡± he plays coy, sporting a punch-able face.
¡°Bullshit! You did something!¡±
¡°Again, what do you mean?¡±
Guess he¡¯s not gonna tell me. Fine, then I¡¯ll just have to be careful this time.
Once again, I go charging off. Like last time, he¡¯s just standing around. Closing in on my target, I do a fake out, darting past him.
Turning around to face me, he cackles. ¡°Too slow.¡±
No, this is going to hit! I¡¯m much faster, I know it. Before I can connect the hit, the wind around him roars, pushing me back against a wall. Repeating what happened before, my back suffers from hitting this stone wall. This time, it feels as if my limbs are going to pop off.
¡°You are quite too slow for a villain!¡±
My sense goes off. From the front, and it¡¯s coming in hot! Dodging in the nick of time, debris flies all over, blinding my sight of the enemy. Another alert goes off. Planting my fingers on the ground, I pull myself forward. It hits a wall on the side of the room. More debris scatters into the air as I make my escape to the entrance.
¡°Wow, you were able to dodge that? Impressive! Truly impressive!¡±
It¡¯s no use. Whenever I get close, he repels me. To make it worse, he¡¯s using a projectile against me. If that¡¯s not enough, it¡¯s powerful enough to break the slash in the walls¡ Hey, why are there slash marks? I don¡¯t see a sword on him, let alone anywhere in here. Actually, what is he attacking me with? I can¡¯t see it, but it¡¯s something sharp enough to cut a stone wall, and strong enough to push me back.
This all feels¡familiar, and I think I know why.
¡°Come, villain!¡±
There''s no way I''m going near him, not until I figured this out. Good thing I still have this boomerang. Even if this doesn¡¯t hit, I''ll hopefully learn something.
¡°Eat this!¡±
I spun around before throwing it, hoping to build momentum. It spins through the air, on course to hit Walter in the neck. Seconds from impact, the unknown force pushes the boomerang away. It''s strong enough to direct airflow at me, causing the boomerang to come back.
I catch it while running towards Walter. Again, he just waits for me. The ¡°unknown¡± force comes at me again, throwing me back. At this speed, I¡¯ll end up as red chunks on the wall.
Now I see through his little trick. First, I''m gonna make sure I don''t turn to crimson paste, then kick his ass.
I grab the velvet carpet, using that to slow my speed. It has a smooth, silk feeling, making it hard to keep a grip. Luckily, Walter is standing on the other end of it, weighing it down so it doesn''t follow me. Stopping dead in my tracks, my stomach hits the ground first.
¡°Is this all you are capable of, villain? Mindless attacks? That is no good, ultimately no good! You must¨C¡±
¡°Shut your trap already. I got you figured out.¡±
His face goes blank with a single eyebrow raised. ¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°Your ability, I know what you¡¯re doing.¡±
¡°Oh, really? Pray tell, what ability is it?¡±
The way he¡¯s able to push me away without lifting a finger sounds mysterious and powerful, but that¡¯s the trick. It¡¯s not an invisible force. I remember the feeling all too well. He¡¯s not the first to use it on me.
¡°You¡¯re using the wind!¡±
Shock slips out through his expression while he stumbles over his words.
When he hit me the first two times, I noticed the air around him pushed against me, but I thought little of it. But when I thought about it, that part was a dead giveaway. Plus, it didn¡¯t feel like I was suspended in the air or something like that. I don¡¯t know how to describe it, but it was like the air itself didn¡¯t want me to get near him, the opposite of how Selena used the wind.
¡°Ah, indeed, I am using the air. Well done. You¡¯re smarter than you appear.¡±
¡°No duh, never underestimate my battle awareness skills!¡±
But now, how am I going to hit him? Understanding what¡¯s going on is kinda pointless if you can¡¯t counter, but I guess you need to know to counter, so what the hell do I know, huh?
¡°Since you were able to deduce my ability, I¡¯ll have to finish you quickly.¡± He places his flute at his lips. ¡°Hopefully, my song shall clean that filthy soul.¡±
The second he played a note, my sense went off. It¡¯s coming in too quick! I barely jump out of the way. The attack and the door meet each other as the sound of metal being torn apart fills the room.
¡°What was¡that?¡±
The metal door has a wide hole through it. His wind did that?
¡°That is my power. The power of a hero of justice!¡±
Another note plays. Shit, no time to think! He keeps playing notes, shooting rapid air bullets at me. Their power is destroying the wall beside me as I try to outrun it. They¡¯re catching up to me. I¡¯m not fast enough to escape. Getting anywhere near him is a bad idea, but I need to land a hit somehow, anything just to get the edge. Who am I kidding, there¡¯s no way to get him with his pants down unless I go fast enough to slip past his notice. That¡¯s the only way, so I better hop to it, or I¡¯m dead!
As much as I¡¯d love to get close and personal, he¡¯s using his attacks to keep me away. Come on, there has to be a way I can make an opening. Then the bulb in my brain flickers on. Bringing out the boomerang, I chuck it at Walter. It¡¯s my fastest attack, yet he¡¯s able to block it with a gust of wind. Bingo, just what I wanted, you dip. Running with all I got, I close the 20-meter gap between us. Right when he saw me, I elbowed his gut in. He spits out saliva as he stumbles back.
¡°You¡you touched me?¡±
¡°Aww, is the man-baby gonna crwy cause I found your widdle weakness.¡±
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
¡°Weakness¡? I have a weakness?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, you piece of shit! So you better get ready for me to¨C¡±
¡°Justice is not weak!¡± Huh? ¡°Justice is a beautiful, flawless concept, one with no equal! One who is just shall never be wrong, and they shall never be imperfect. An imperfect justice is a worthless justice! And our justice is not worthless.¡± There¡¯s no point in arguing. He¡¯s a psycho, but he¡¯s getting riled up. Too riled up for my liking. ¡°...Our justice is right! Our justice is bright! How dare you insult that!¡±
A note plays, cuing my sense! Dodging it is a bit difficult, but I pulled it off. Landing on my feet, a shadow looms over me. No way¡ He came to me!? A single punch rocks my head. Blood runs out of my nose, my head is pounding like mad. More of his punches bash my chest and head. All of them are packing in power and weight, making it feel like he could cave in my head or punch a hole through my chest.
¡°Die, you piece of trash!¡±
The screams of a madman fill my head as he hits me with a nasty uppercut to the gut. Air swirls around my stomach, causing a whirlpool effect on my shirt. Rage filling his fist. This last hit kills all thought in my head. This blow knocks around all the organs in my body, creating the sensation that someone tore open my stomach with a cannonball. My knees buckle from the pressure¡
¡°Trash like you should learn that justice is above you. Only those who are worthy may be saved, and those who are evil shall perish.¡±
This is¡too much. He¡¯s too¡powerful.
¡°You gotta run! Take her with you. Fightin¡¯ a guy like that is gonna kill you!¡±
Now I get it. He didn¡¯t say that to insult me, or to protect Vella. That gray-haired swordsman said it because already seen the outcome. A Source-user will beat a normal person any day of the week. This is the cruel reality of this fight. Other than my sense, I can¡¯t compete with a Source-user... But I can¡¯t just give up! Even if that¡¯s what reality is, I have to keep moving!
I stop my descent by putting a foot forward. Pain howls around my chest and head from the slightest movement. I need to bite down on the pain and move!
¡°You still stand? Why?¡±
¡°Why? Ain¡¯t it obvious? Villains are only cool when they keep getting back up to challenge the hero, over and over again.¡±
Reality says I have to lose, that beating a Source-user is impossible. But you know what? Who the hell gives a shit what reality says!?
¡°I¡¯m quite serious. Continue to fight me and I shall kill you.¡±
¡°Come on, heroes shouldn¡¯t be saying that stuff. You should be positive and all that crap. Smile a little.¡±
¡°Why do you continue to oppose our justice? Don¡¯t you see how pointless this is? Reality, justice, and the world says you can¡¯t best me. So just submit!¡±
¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I''ll resist reality, and I¡¯ll crush your justice!¡±
Even if it kills me, I¡¯ll fight. Not for myself, not to come out as a hero, or to even prove that swordsman wrong, but to save Vella¡¯s heart! Nothing is going to stop me, not justice, and not this guy!
¡°You¡¯re like a persistent bug. Very well, come, you bug of a villain!¡±
I have to focus everything on this fight, these feelings, all my thoughts, and every fiber of my being on that shining road to victory. My focus narrows on him, my breathing goes silent, the dull pain around my torso and head goes away, a sense of calm blankets my mind, and my body becomes lighter once again.
¡°Then bring it, you man-child of a hero. I¡¯ll put your justice to rest.¡±
Instantly, the air around him rages as he places the flute on his lips, playing a single note. Sense kicks in, telling me what¡¯s coming. It¡¯s much faster than before. It could travel across 50 yards like nothing, so doing 30 is no different. Except I¡¯m in full gear. I shift out of the way, leaping to my side. 2 seconds later, it hits the wall I was standing in front of.
¡°You dodged at such a distance!? No matter, take this!¡±
A rapid set of notes plays. Air bullets speed through the sky, trying to rip my body into pieces. Each one is fast enough to contend with a real bullet. Seconds ago, I would¡¯ve died, but now, I can do this. I¡¯ll be able to do it like this!
I throw the boomerang at him. Naturally, he summons a gust of wind around him. It¡¯s okay, I knew it would not hit him, but it was going to distract him! With my increased speed, I moved into his blind spot, reaching him right after he summoned the wind. He¡¯s too late to notice my presence. There¡¯s no way for him to guard me. With the sudden increase in speed, my punches are faster than usual, letting me hit him multiple times before having to retreat.
¡°You hit me! How dare you!¡±
Crude notes that aren¡¯t meant to be used by a flute echo throughout the room. Forcing its way into my ear, it rattles inside my brain, doing its best to disorientate me. Before it can get worse, I smack my ears with the palm of my hands, sort of deafening myself. Sound suddenly going out makes me wanna puke, but it¡¯ll be fine since I didn¡¯t hit too hard.
I run off to engage my enemy. I can¡¯t hear too well right now, so I¡¯ll have to rely on sense to know if he¡¯s attacking.
Of course, it goes off. Something large is coming from above. It¡¯s pieces of the roof, he¡¯s going to crush me... It¡¯s okay, this is all okay. Right before impact, I kick up the speed, running out of the danger area, only to run into another set of collapsing debris. Each time I slip past them, I manage to get under another set, but it doesn¡¯t matter, I¡¯m faster than I was before.
A bit of my hearing is coming back. I can hear him yelling about how this is impossible and asking why I¡¯m still alive. There¡¯s no big secret behind it. I just don¡¯t want to. I can¡¯t lose.
Within reach, he shoots the roof again, trying to hit me before I can reach him. I slow down a bit to let the debris hit the ground. They blind his view of me. I only have a few seconds to get this done. I throw my boomerang one last time to the left side of the room. An air bullet shoots it down, destroying the thing.
¡°A boomerang!?¡±
Slipping through the falling rocks, I¡¯m in his range now. Who¡¯ll reach the other first isn¡¯t assured. But even so, this is my only chance, so I need to go.
¡°Get away, you monster!¡± Not yet, I come too far to stop! My fists or your wind? Let¡¯s find out here and now! ¡°I said get away!¡±
The wind in front of me turns visible, twisting into spears to pierce me. It¡¯s too late to dodge them. They¡¯ll impale my brain at this point. That¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll just give up my arm. It¡¯ll probably hurt like a bitch. However, I¡¯m risking my life on this, so what¡¯s an arm?
¡°Don¡¯t go givin¡¯ up your limbs, kid!¡±
A linear stream of water whisks past me, flowing right above my shoulder. It rips apart the twisted air, doing away with the spears. I don¡¯t know why he did that, and it doesn¡¯t matter right now. All I need to do is hit this bastard!
The sense of calm ends, allowing all my rage to surface. I let out a battle cry, pouring all my strength into this one attack. ¡°Here I come! Grit your goddamn teeth!¡±
Walter screams from the tops of his lungs, getting fired up. He throws a fist my way, wrapped in a layer of wind. ¡°Don¡¯t you get in my way, you villain!¡±
All or nothing! For everyone in here who¡¯s chained to this dickwad and his awful justice! I¡¯ll break it and set you all free!
One breath, that¡¯s all it takes for our fists to hit the other. A loud thump resounds, repeating inside this quiet empty room full of stone... Am I dead? Was a normal human never meant to fight a Source-user¡? Dead wrong! My fist made it, knocking him out in one go. His body collapses over, hitting the ground with a thud. Of course, he still got me. But it only broke my shoulder. Intense pain surges throughout the area. It¡¯s also a bit stiff too, but I don¡¯t care about that.
I¡beat a Source-user. I did that. I was able to¡ Me! Words bubble up in my throat. Anything I wanted to say is losing form. Then, a visceral scream forces itself out of me. A primal scream that symbolizes that this is my victory. ¡°I DID IT!¡±
I did it, Vell, I got him for you. So¡please¡
¡°Whoa!¡±
My body collapses. All my energy is gone. My legs feel as if they¡¯re being torn apart by the seams. An excruciating burning sensation is spreading through both my legs, making it hard to gather my thoughts or even breathe. Moving makes this heat burn even hotter.
¡°Shit. Agh! What¡¯s¡going on!?¡±
¡°Looks like your body¡¯s pretty banged.¡± Great, as if I had nothing else to deal with. The swordsman towers over me, curiously eyeballing me. ¡°...You pushed farther than you should¡¯ve gone. Now your body is sufferin¡¯ for it.¡±
¡°Why...did you¡help me?¡± He simply shrugs his shoulders, acting as if he doesn¡¯t give one squat about this whole thing. ¡°Then¡what do you¡want?¡±
¡°Easy, I want the book.¡± Of course, I already knew he was gonna say that, but I thought there would be more to it.
¡°Fat chance. I won¡¯t¡let you!¡±
He sucks his teeth, looking down at me with a frustrated glare. ¡°Why not? Give me one reason.¡±
¡°You see¡ Finders keepers.¡±
¡°I said a good reason!¡±
¡°It is.¡±
¡°No, it isn¡¯t, you moron! Be serious about this!¡±
¡°I am! It¡¯s ours, and you can¡¯t have it.¡±
In the blink of an eye, he draws his blade, pointing it at my neck. ¡°Not even if your life is on the line?¡± The cool edge presses up against my neck, ready to slice it open at a moment''s notice. ¡°I won¡¯t hesitate to kill you, just so you know.¡±
This guy is probably with the dude who used me and Richard as delivery boys, so I can¡¯t give it up. Besides, I¡¯m ready to risk my life, so what¡¯s the difference now?
I challenge his merciless eyes, ones he used to shake up my heart. Words don¡¯t mean shit, looking away or not is all that matters. If I can¡¯t challenge the eyes of a seasoned fighter like this, then how can I say I¡¯m ready to risk it all.
¡°Would you look at that,¡± he says to himself while sheathing his sword. A grin sneaks its way onto his face as he nods. ¡°...Not bad, kid, not bad at all.¡±
¡°Not¡bad?¡±
¡°Yeah, you got the heart of a warrior. I see that now.¡± He squats in front of me, looking at me with a creepy yet joyful smile that makes my skin crawl. ¡°Tell you what, I¡¯m gonna let you go, for now.¡±
Wait, just like that? He¡¯s gonna let me go? Did I miss a step here, or am I just not getting it? Don¡¯t tell me this is some cruel prank?
¡°Why?¡± I loosely ask.
¡°Call it a whim.¡±
¡°Whim my ass. Just tell me why.¡±
He picks his nose, dull in expression. ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you.¡±
¡°The hell you don¡¯t, you old bastard! You almost killed me, you need to tell me!¡±
¡°Nah.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
¡°Uh-huh, you do!¡±
¡°Shut up, and don¡¯t call me old!¡±
He lifts me off the ground, slinging me over his shoulder.
¡°Hey! Let me go, old man!¡±
¡°Chill out, I¡¯m gonna take you somewhere safe.¡±
¡°Can you at least give me a piggyback ride?¡±
¡°I do that for kind, beautiful ladies. You ain¡¯t ain¡¯t kind, and you certainly ain¡¯t beautiful.¡±
¡°My stomach hurts, though!¡±
¡°Tough shit, deal with it¡ Oh, I almost forgot.¡± He grabs Walters, carrying him like a handbag. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hop to it!¡±
As soon as he moves, his shoulder pad pushes against my stomach, touching one of my sore spots. My legs still feel terrible but I have feeling in them, so that¡¯s a good thing, even if the pain is overwhelming. This guy said ¡®I pushed farther than I should¡¯ve gone¡¯. But how did I? This stuff is so weird, I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on with my body anymore¡ Man, I just want to go to sleep¡
The confession of sin
Underground town - guest lounge - afternoon
Fire burns away at my legs, devouring them in its merciless rampage. The flames keep growing in magnitude until it consumes my whole body. My skin melts, pouring off of me like sludge. Little by little, the flame consumes everything until there is nothing left.
I open my eyes as cold sweat runs down my neck. My vision is pointing up to the ceiling. It has a vanilla color that is warming to the eyes.
My head is up against a pillow, no doubt about that, but why¡? Well, I fought Walter, beat him, my whole body went limp, then that old man carried me and Walter, and I fell asleep. Yep, sounds right.
¡°Look who woke up.¡±
I instinctually try to jump out of bed. A burning pain that eats at my legs stops me, locking my leg in place. Every end of my leg screams out in pain as I try to get up. All the nerves, muscles, and skin tissue is burning, and I can¡¯t do anything about it.
¡°Easy there, your legs aren¡¯t lookin¡¯ so hot. Here¡¡±
Clear blue water, gentle and smooth in motion, wrap around my legs. It flows around my legs, relieving me of all my pain. So much so that it feels as if my legs are suspended in a different space, separate from my body.
¡°How¡¯re you feelin¡¯ now?¡±
¡°Great, I guess. But¡why are you helping me?¡±
¡°Well, I...¡±
¡°Is your memory that bad, gramps?¡±
He clocks me over the head, shaking up my brain somewhat.
¡°Ow! I was only kidding! Old people like you are the worst!¡±
¡°And little bastards like you are annoying!¡± He plops back on his seat, letting a groan leave his mouth. ¡°...Anyway, your legs are pretty banged up, but don¡¯t worry, it ain¡¯t enough to leave you crippled.¡±
Thank god! The thought of being crippled sends a sick feeling through my throat, enough to make me wanna vomit. I choke down the bile that wanted out of me.
¡°Thanks, old man.¡±
¡°It ain¡¯t old man, damnit! I¡¯m the swordmaster of the Water rider style. Grey Ocean!¡±
¡°Am I¡supposed to be impressed? And Gray Ocean?¡±
Looking at his hair, I can see why he has ¡°gray¡± in it, but it sounds so lame.
¡°Look, that¡¯s just my swordsman name, kay?¡±
¡°So a fake name?¡±
¡°Nope! It¡¯s as real as you or me, but yeah, it ain¡¯t my real name.¡±
¡°Okay¡weird.¡±
¡°Says the kid named Proxy.¡±
Er, well, I guess he has a point¡ Wait, did he just say my name? I never told him my name!
¡°Old man, how do you know my name?¡±
He rubs the back of his head, hiding his face from me. ¡°Whoopsies. Should¡¯ve kept my mouth shut.¡±
¡°Answer me!¡±
¡°Okay, okay, I get you. I¡¯m only gonna say this: someone told me your name, gave a sample of your blood on this paper here, acting as a sort of tracker.¡±
¡°Who told you about me!? Actually, how do they know me?¡±
¡°No idea. All I know is that my employer told me to go after some kid, collect the book, and that''s it."
"Did they tell you why?"
"Duh, course not."
Figures, why would they tell hired-hand anything beyond a need-to know-bases sort of deal?
"Okay, then, do you know his name or his face? Where did you meet him?"
"Easy, easy. 20 questions ain''t my thing. I didn''t meet him personally, he had a minion meet me. That goon told me to come to this land and hunt for someone holding a book. And sorry, kid, I can''t give names." Then I''m no closer to figuring out who got me and Richard mixed into all this. "...Though, the guy he had speakin'' on his behalf was odd. His breathin'' was nonexistent, the way he moved was odd, and his skin was so dry and pale. Almost like I wasn''t talking to a human."
Dry pale skin¡ Those monsters we fought when we first came to this world had those features. So that means his employer is the dude who sicked those monsters on us. Okay, now we¡¯re getting somewhere¡ Not! How the hell does that help me!? On top of that, it doesn¡¯t help us with finding out who¡¯s been stalking me and Richard. All this does is prove that someone has been watching us. But I guess this is better than nothing, so I should be bitching.
¡°Thanks, old man.¡±
¡°I shouldn¡¯t be tellin'' you any of this, I should also be takin'' the book from you¡but I ain¡¯t.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°Cause I wanna¡ Hm, how do I put this¡? Oh, I got it.¡± He bumps his chest, standing up straight. ¡°Now is not the right moment. A proper swordsman must be able to find his moment then strike. That¡¯s it, I swear.
Man, I gave better excuses for being late to classes. Are all swordsmen weird like this guy?
Sitting back in his seat, he leans forward, giving me a grim look. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll let you go, for now. But know this, I¡¯ll still be gunning for the book, and if you get in my way, then¡¡± Shivers spike up throughout my body. The inside of my throat tightens as he stares holes into my eyes. The worst part is his eyes, those eyes hold no rage, no anger, or bloodlust, but a calm sense of killing intent. ¡°...I¡¯ll kill you.¡±
My shoulders suddenly become heavy, tensing up from his ruthless threat. This isn¡¯t the first time someone threatened me, so what the hell is going on? Cycling air into my lungs grows harder, becoming too thin to take in.
As long as this swordsman has his eyes on me, I can¡¯t escape this oppressive atmosphere. Moving even an inch is a sin, punishable by death.
I can see what would happen if I tried; his blade would hack off my head, a clean cut severing the base of my neck from my shoulders before I could react.
¡°So you get it, right?¡±
A casual question breaks the tension. He¡¯s easily able to switch from one mood to another in the drop of a hat. Sweating, my heart races a mile a minute even after he broke the tension.
¡°Ye-yeah...¡±
He stands from his seat, picking up his sword that rested beside his seat, attaching it to his back. "Sweet, then I guess we¡¯re all good. Anyhoo, I¡¯ll be seein'' you around. And about that guy you beat: I left him with a blond-haired guy. He said you knew him.¡± Sounds like Alex. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s somethin¡¯ else I need to ask you¡ Can you tell me how your speed increased? When we were fightin'', you were barely able to evade any of my attacks. Suddenly, you¡¯re movin'' faster than a normal person can follow. Course, I could see you perfectly, but it was too out of the blue, kinda caught me off guard.¡±
¡°Yeah¡I have no idea either. There was this feeling, it made everything clearer to me. My body became lighter and it was like everything was moving slower than usual. I have no idea how it happened, but it was overpowering. Though, I can''t remember half of what happened when this feeling kicked in."
My head went clear, all my emotions were subdued until the final hit settled in. At that moment, it felt like my thoughts returned to me after being held back. No, that''s not right. I think it''s more like they were erased.
¡°Your body got lighter¡? I see.¡±
¡°Got an idea what happened to me?¡±
¡°Somewhat. You didn¡¯t just fall asleep in the middle of battle, right?¡±
¡°You think I¡¯m a moron or something!?¡±
¡°Kinda.¡±
¡°Kiss my ass, you old bastard!¡±
¡°Hey, I ain¡¯t¡ Ah, forget it! Either way, I don¡¯t know if I should tell you.¡±
¡°Come on. Look, I¡¯m sorry for calling you old, I swear.¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be alright if I told you. It might come back to bite you in the ass.¡±
¡°Why not? Scared I might get stronger than you?"
He points at my legs. ¡°That right there is why I won¡¯t tell you. It¡¯s because you can¡¯t see what it did to your body.¡±
¡°What it did?¡±
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
My eyes drift to my legs, submerged in water, the surface changes the shape of my leg, making it impossible to see what it really looks like¡ My legs, it did something to my legs!
¡°My legs! It messed up my legs!"
¡°Got it in one. When you slipped into that state, you must¡¯ve released the limits on the human body.¡±
¡°Limits?¡±
¡°Yep, every human has a limit, exceptions may vary, but we have them. Our brain limits the amount of strength we have access to, keepin'' us from harmin'' ourselves with the strength of our own bodies. There are methods of gettin'' over that, but you don¡¯t have the means to do so. At least, that¡¯s what I thought. Somehow, even without Source, you were able to get over that limit, even if you didn¡¯t fully get over it.¡±
¡°I was able to get over that?¡±
¡°Yeah, but it comes with its drawbacks. For insane power in your legs, you put unnecessary stress on them.¡± So that¡¯s why they''re burning. ¡°...So if you wanna keep your legs, then I suggest you never slip into that state again. Next time, you might lose more than just your legs.¡±
I swallow hard, the center of my throat numbs over. Everything he said is the truth, the only truth of the matter. I¡¯ll lose more than just my legs if I go overboard. Pain didn¡¯t exist in that state, if it did, then wouldn''t I have snapped out of it?
¡°Well, that¡¯s about it. I¡¯m gonna be headin'' out. The water around you is going to disperse in about an hour, that¡¯s how long I¡¯ll be able to manage it since I¡¯m going to be putting distance from you. After that, you better take it easy, or else you¡¯ll make your injuries worse, got me?¡±
¡°Loud and clear.¡±
¡°Good to hear it. Well, I''ll be seein'' you.¡±
He makes his way to the door, stopping in front of it before placing his hand on the doorknob.
¡°One more thing: don¡¯t ever fight a Source-user alone. If you gotta, have someone watch your back. You might¡¯ve beaten that guy, but he was a complete amateur who relied on two tricks, and one that was out of desperation. The first one is that air pushback, it¡¯s good for defense, but it wasn''t a 360-degree push, only pushing where he needs it to."
Never had the opportunity to notice that. I guess it doesn''t matter since I wasn''t able to get in his blind spot.
"...The second were those air bullets that came from that flute. The instrument was actually a Mystica, so that¡¯s why it was able to handle his Source and how he was able to shoot it off rapidly, but it relies on his opponent being slow and away from him."
I kinda remember that, still kinda hazy, but it was able to rip apart a metal door, so that automatically made it dangerous.
"...Finally, those air spears, which he used only when you were about to deliver the finishing blow. I¡¯m guessin'' he did that as a desperate attempt to kill you." Sounds like he watched the whole fight. ¡°...Overall: you were lucky he wasn¡¯t more than an amateur Source-user, so don¡¯t go thinkin¡¯ you¡¯re invincible just cause you kicked that guy¡¯s ass, kay? Also, your swordsmanship is crap, how about mastering using one sword before using two?¡±
He opens the door exiting out of the room.
Inside this silent room, I lie on my back, staring at the ceiling. The old man''s water is soothing to the ears, making it easy to relax. Stuck in my own thoughts, I recount everything I can remember about the fight¡ Nothing, I can¡¯t remember anything important after he punched me. Maybe it¡¯s better that I don¡¯t. After all, if I manage to slip into that state again, then I¡¯ll be screwed.
A series of light knocks hit my door. It isn¡¯t the old man, he doesn¡¯t come off as the type to knock on a door.
¡°Come in,¡± I give permission. The door is opened with a gentle push, showing a girl from the other end. It''s Vella, whose shoulder is covered with clean white bandages. ¡°Vella!¡±
She doesn¡¯t return my greeting, she just scurries next to my bedside, facing away from me. Her smile is nowhere to be found, only a face vacant of emotion.
¡°Hello,¡± she whispers, depressing in tone.
Nothing looks wrong with her physically, so that''s good.
¡°So, are you okay?¡± I ask her.
¡°My wound was taken care of, but a scar will remain on my shoulder once it heals."
¡°Damn, that sucks.¡±
¡°Yes, but other than that, it didn¡¯t do any lasting damage.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good, you had me worried there for a moment.¡±
¡°I truly am sorry.¡±
The atmosphere takes a nosedive into depressing territory.
¡°Vella, what happened to Walter?¡±
¡°He¡¯s being kept by your friends. They¡¯ve tied him up in the banquet hall.¡±
¡°Where¡¯s the elder?¡±
¡°She¡¯s gone. Everyone searched for her, but she has disappeared.¡±
¡°There goes my plans to make her pay. But hey, now that she¡¯s gone and Walter is out of the picture, you girls are finally free.¡±
¡°But we aren¡¯t.¡±
¡°Hmm? What are you talking about?¡±
¡°Do you still not understand? We''re down here because we deserve to be. Each one of us is guilty of a crime we can¡¯t atone for. It doesn¡¯t matter if you have beaten Walter, or if the elder is gone, we¡¯ll all remain here.¡± So nothing changes? She¡¯ll just stay down here for the rest of her life. That¡¯s just¡ ¡°But I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s good enough anymore.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know if staying down here is enough. I want to be forgiven, I want to lift this sin off my shoulders. But now¡without mr. Walter, I can¡¯t do that.¡± This is¡ Is this idiot trying to say what I think she''s trying to say? ¡°I think I should give up my¨C¡±
¡°Shut up!¡± Vella flinches, cradling her head. ¡°...Let me guess, you¡¯re gonna take your own life or some shit like that, right!?¡±
¡°How did you know?¡±
¡°Dumbass, of course I would know! Idiots like you always resort to that!¡±
¡°But what else can I do?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know! But you sure as shit aren¡¯t using your life!¡±
¡°Why can¡¯t I!?"
¡°Because I¡¯d be sad¡! I want to understand, so just tell me, tell me who you killed.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
I¡¯m being nosy, I know that, but I have no choice. I need to get to the heart of the matter. Although, what am I going to do after she¡¯s done telling me? If she really did murder someone, what can I say to alleviate the guilt? Maybe there is nothing to say, I never killed anyone before, and I don''t know how to deal with that. However, I can¡¯t chicken out.
Like with Marie, all I can do is judge the person she is now since I don¡¯t know anything about the past.
¡°My mother¡ She was a beautiful woman. Her figure was perfect, her face as charming as floral in bloom, and her smile was enough to outshine the sun. But the thing that stood out the most was her dancing."
¡°She was a dancer?¡±
Brief, she nods her head. ¡°In our village, we dance to show thanks to the ones that had sacrificed themselves for us during the war with the Kingdom. However, my mother would be seen dancing in the center of town all the time.¡±
That war again? I know it was a war, but just how much did it affect this world? Last time I checked, it was because of Relius'' dad, Godfred, at least that''s what I know. Maybe I should ask Quincy to fill me in some time.
¡°...My mother¡¯s dance was breathtaking. If you saw it even once, it would become ingrained in your soul for the rest of your life. Her movements were light, but with grace, quicker than the blink of an eye, and she flowed like the wind.¡±
¡°Now you¡¯re making me wish I could watch her dance.¡±
¡°...But then, I was born. Even after birthing me, she had to take a break from dancing to take care of me¡ I never once seen her smile at me when we were alone. That beautiful smile was meant only for dancing and not me. However, our village got attacked. Most of our people were killed, but the ones who didn¡¯t die wanted to dance for them¡ My mother was injured, her legs were inoperable, broken beyond repair. The despair on her face was awful¡"
I can only imagine what that feels like, hell, I almost lost mine just trying to fight Walter.
"She wanted to dance, I knew that, so I thought if I did it, she would be happy, that she would smile at me, and that she would feel better. Everyone saw my dance, they were happy. It felt amazing to spin around, wrapping myself in the wind¡I wanted to spin forever and ever, and I wanted to do it with my mother... But when I told my mom about it, she was horrified.¡±
¡°Horrified?¡±
¡°All the color was drained from her face¡ After that¡¡± Her body begins to quake, sniffles accompanied by tears falling onto her lap as she hunches over into her lap. "The-th-then, the next morning¡I woke up¡ The smell of smoke wood was replaced by a foul odor, a strong smell that made me want to tear off my nose¡ Then, I went inside my mom''s room¡ My mom was dead! Her stomach sliced open with a knife next to her, caked in blood!¡±
She killed herself? This doesn¡¯t make any sense now.
¡°But you said you killed her? Wouldn''t that you had nothing to--¡±
¡°You''re wrong! It''s my fault she did it! She died because of my dancing! I was a bad girl! Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad! Filthy, horrible, disgusting, putrid, repulsive, nasty! I shouldn¡¯t even be alive, I don¡¯t deserve to be!¡±
I¡ I never¡ How long has she been like this? Shouldering this guilt. It''s downright awful.
¡°She died because of my dancing! My dancing is bad, really bad! If I do it, then I¡¯ll hurt more people¡ If I didn¡¯t exist, then my mommy would be¨C¡±
"...I get it," I interrupt, soft in tone. With tears running down her small face, she gives me a puzzled stare. "The guilt of getting someone hurt, I feel that."
"Have you¡?"
"I got Richard hurt. We were exploring until we hit a weird forest with all this mist. It was a trap by some bandits. He got hurt because I couldn''t protect myself, I was powerless¡ It made me realize how weak I was. Every day, I think about it, wondering what I could''ve done differently, but there was nothing I could do, I was just weak."
"It''s not the same! He''s still alive!"
"You''re right. Richard''s still alive, but at the very least, I just want you to know that I understand how it feels to let someone down. But that''s the thing, you didn''t do anything wrong."
"How can you say that!? I did! My mommy--"
"No! Your mom...your mom took her own life because she was jealous of her own kid. I''m sorry, I don''t wanna say it, but I''m sorry... I don''t have parents, so I don''t know what it''s like to have a mom, but shouldn''t parents love their kids instead of being jealous of them?"
"You don''t...you!"
"I know, I''m terrible, but I think it''s the truth! You didn''t do anything, your mother did, and that''s it!"
"No, she didn''t! Shut up!"
"You didn''t do anything!"
"I did! I had to!"
"You didn''t!"
"I did! I had to! I¡I¡ Then why... Why would mommy leave me? She loved me...she...she¡"
There''s no way I can answer her. All I can do now is be here for her, letting her know she ain''t alone.
Tears akin to raindrops drip from her eyes, her eyes puffy. "...She...never loved me! She never hugged me, tucked me, comforted me when I got hurt, she didn''t even say I love you! She just danced for others! My mommy never loved me¡!"
Aren''t parents supposed to love their kids? If that''s not the case, then why the hell did she end up as a parent!? It''s wrong...just wrong.
"I have no one, I never had anyone!"
"You have me. I''ll always be your friend, and I always see my friends as family. So don''t think no one is with you, because I am!"
Her delicate body lunges at me, wrapping her arms around me. She pushes against my chest, almost forcing me to my back. No longer holding back, she wales out in pain, bawling her eyes out against my shirt, tightening her grip around me.
Anything I want to say out of kindness to lift the burden probably won''t do any good, only the opposite. The only thing I can do now is lend her a shoulder.
¡
Leanin'' up on the door to the kid''s room, the sound of a young girl''s pain echoes inside the small room, travelin'' past this wooden door. The sound of it is enough to eat away at my heart. I can''t stand it when people or things cry, it just doesn''t mesh well with me. However, between the pain, sorrow, anguish, and regret, there must be a sliver of happiness. Hopefully, it''ll shine through the darkness that wrapped her heart.
"Right, I should get going."
Pushing myself off the door, I walk down the busted-up hallway.
"All kids should be loved by their parents, no if, and''s, or but''s."
Yet, the world is unfair to some, showerin'' some in love, while givin'' those who are misfortunate none with no rhyme or reason behind it. However, it''s up to the person to make the best out of their lives, that''s how you grow stronger as a human.
Geez, there I go actin'' like some know-it-all philosopher. Then again, I guess actin'' like a know-it-all is fine every once in a while.
Though, that''s the least of my worries. Bossman ain''t gonna be happy about this, but that kid makes it worth it, so I ain''t gonna complain. Hopefully, this goes in a way I¡¯d like it to.
Justice ends, the beauty of dance ensues.
Underground town - Banquet hall - evening
Surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, allies with weapons, and the girls of this town. Marie and I stand before Walter, who''s tied up with a thick rope tight enough to restrain even the slightest of movements. A man, who was carrying him and Proxy, gave him to me, telling me to secure his whole body. Of course, I tried to retrieve Proxy, but he took to the rooftops before I was able to touch him. Before he did, he asked where he can find a bed, so I pointed him to the guest rooms.
He was quite brief but I¡¯m sure there¡¯s nothing to worry about from him. As for Proxy, I am sure he is fine. That man does not seem to be the type to attack a defenses person. However, his succinct way of speaking has me¡ somewhat apprehensive, to say the least.
Groaning, Walter begins to open his eyes. Marie and I stand ready, arming ourselves if the need for action occurs. He blinks twice, getting used to being awake before his gaze comes up to us.
¡°Hm, it seems I am in quite the predicament. Care to release me?¡± he asks, casual in tone.
Marie readies her spear. ¡°Make even one move, and you¡¯re head rolls.¡±
¡°Such a nasty woman.¡±
¡°Please refrain from insulting my sister.¡±
¡°Sister? You have¡a sister?¡± His mouth curves upward, he lets out a boisterous laugh. A maniacal laugh that runs counter to his polite mannerisms from before. ¡°Sister, brother. You¡¯re siblings. Oh my, such a twist. Then that would make you the siblings of Sigurd: the knight who lead the soldiers who ended the war.¡±
What!? How does he¡how can he¡ How does he know?
¡°How do you know about us!?
¡°From your father, where else? Though, he never mentioned a daughter. Why is that?¡±
¡°Shut up. Like it should matter you, scum.¡±
¡°Scum? Incorrect, incorrect, incorrect. I am a hero! Can¡¯t you tell?¡±
Marie hits Walter with the heel of her boot. Blood leaks from his nostrils.
¡°Sister!?¡±
¡°Sorry, I was feeling sick looking at this bastard.¡±
¡°So much spirit, but you lack the essence of your father. He was not the one to hurt a defenseless man.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t care about fair play, and I certainly don¡¯t mind hitting assholes like you.¡±
¡°That much is clear, but what of you, Alexander? Do you carry your father¡¯s spirit?¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
¡°Then release me.¡±
A frigid sensation tickles my spine. ¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°You must release me, if you have your father¡¯s spirit, of course.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t follow?¡±
¡°Oh, it¡¯s quite simple. You see, your father would agree with me, with our justice.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Your father would never oppose me, he would¡¯ve aided me in this endeavor. I know it for a fact.¡±
My fists ball up of their own volition, holding back all my anger. ¡°What is this nonsense!? My father would never agree with such horrific actions!¡±
¡°Horrific? No, this is justice. We of the Kingdom must impose it.¡±
Kingdom!? He belongs to the Kingdom? Then, could he be a¡
¡°Tell me, were you a knight?¡±
¡°Yes, I was.¡± Marie steps back, horrified by the revelation. To think this man was a knight¡ ¡°I served with your father and the other Elite soldiers during our march for Borghulda. Truth be told, I used to be quite pathetic, I was a foot soldier who would quiver at the mere sight of bloodshed, and I would spill my sick at the thought of battle¡ However, your father saved me from myself, he showed me the way, gave me courage, and guided my way to find my worth. But that all pales compared to what he showed me at Borghulda. When we attacked, he was ruthless, his strategies flawless, leadership on point, and his swordsmanship excellent. But that¡¯s not what truly captured me. It was his commitment to his justice.¡±
My fingernails dig into the palm of my hands, my teeth pinch my bottom lip.
¡°Get to the damn point,¡± Marie barks.
¡°...In the end, his justice captivated me. It told me one thing: our justice is right since we are stronger, and our natural right dictates we enforce our justice onto the outside. He proved this by burning Borghulda to the ground, even when the enemy forces gave up their weapons, even when they groveled to the ground like the scum they were.¡±
He¡did that?
¡°You are one sick son of a bitch.¡±
¡°You¡¡± I force him up by the collar, crumpling the piece of clothing under my hands. ¡°...Do not dishonor my father!¡±
¡°Dishonor?¡±
¡°My father was a kind, fair, and just man! The person you describe is not him! How dare you act as if you know him?¡±
¡°But I do. After all, those who fight together are surely close, so¨C¡±
¡°Enough! I heard enough of your lies! Not another word!¡±
¡°These are not lies I speak, they are truth, and you would deny them? Such audacity, and you call yourself his son.¡±
¡°Cease this!¡± I take ahold of my sword, inching the steel out of its scabbard. ¡°If you continue this, I¡¯ll¡I¡¯ll.¡±
I will not allow this man to insult my father, not for what he really stood, not the man he was, not the knight I knew him as! I¡¯d rather see this man dead than any more of this slander!
¡°Stop, brother.¡±
Marie¡¯s fist whizzes past my head, crushing the bones in his head. She succeeded in knocking him out of my grasp.
¡°Why would you¡?¡±
¡°...Don¡¯t go there¡ Don¡¯t follow me down that path. You know better, brother.¡±
She knew my intent¡ I¡¯m acting foolish. I almost gave into such awful feelings. If it weren¡¯t for Marie, I would¡¯ve killed him. I''m a disgrace of a son and as a brother.
¡°Thank you, and sorry, Marie.¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay, brother. I won''t let you bear that burden.¡±
I can''t lose my temper in front of everyone, they would begin to question their trust in me, and I do not wish for Marie to bear any burdens for me. That is a future that cannot come to pass.
"How impertinent, the taste of blood lies on my tongue. But that matters little. Alexander, I beg you to release me. After all, the world your father wanted is still far off, so we must work hard."
"You are right, but the world you want and what my father wanted are night and day. I am well aware of the duties he had to perform as a knight, which includes spilling blood. However, that is not my aim. So far, we managed to fight off the bandits without any bloodshed. As long as this continues, I shall achieve the world my father sought. One without any needless death, one that isn''t ravaged by murder, one that will allow those on the outside of the Kingdom to live in peace!"
¡°Peace for the outsiders? How could you say something so ridiculous?¡±
¡°That there is why I shall never release you. You bring nothing but death.¡±
"So, you''re saying you don''t believe in our justice?"
"The thought is nauseating."
Walter bends his back, facing the ceiling, his face vacant of life, and his eyes are as hollow as a night sky without stars.
"...I see, then you and I cannot be allies."
"That is correct."
"I see. Of all the people, I thought you would have seen the greatness in your father''s ideals. Turns out I have been proven incorrect¡ Shame."
He bends up to face me, his eyes burrow deep into my soul. "If this is how it must be, then I shall not accept this result. My defeat means a defeat for our justice. If one such as myself is defeated, then that means our justice is defeated, and I shall no one the satisfaction of that defeat, especially that villain¡! Now, there is only but a single course of action I can take now¡"
Following up on that, he sticks out his tongue, his teeth placed above and below it¡ Don''t tell me!
"He''s gonna bite his tongue," Richard screams.
Marie reacts, closing what little distance there is, but no matter how fast, she will not make it. His teeth cleave through his tongue. It falls to the ground, a wet thud is made the moment it graced the ground. Blood follows behind it like a stream of water flowing down a mountaintop. Walter collapses to the cold floor, a hard thud echoing in the banquet hall. That''s it, laying there, motionless, he''s dead.
"Someone get me a cloth! We need to cover the body!"
Marie issuing her order snaps me out of my stupor. Terror and confusion take over the minds of everyone here. Marie and Vezra run into the closet where all the tables are placed. Nunnal¨¦ is obscuring Richard''s eyes. The girls come from the closet with a long white cloth. They throw it over Walter''s body, veiling it from the eyes of others.
"Everyone! Let''s remain calm,¡± Vezra, desperate to pacify the situation, says.
"Someone, help me move the body," Marie, caring less about calming everyone down, enlists someone to help her.
"...our justice is right since we are stronger, and our natural right dictates we enforce our justice onto the outside.¡±
Was father really in support of such a cruel idea of justice¡? Of course not, he was never that type of man. He was the ideal when it came to being a knight, a father, and a man. The man I knew would never enforce such a nasty ideal¡ Of course not.
"Brother, we''re gonna need to get rid of the body. What should we do?"
"Bury him¡"
"You sure?"
"Yes, no matter the person, they at least deserve to be entombed in the ground."
"Thought so. Fine, we''ll be back. In the meantime, try to help everyone calm down."
"O-of course."
Marie squints her eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, I am."
A pause pursues, keeping the topic from going any further.
"Fine, then I''ll be going. Hold down the fort."
"Understood."
She picks up the body, putting it on her shoulder to walk off with it¡
I should''ve been the one to carry off the body, but here I am, standing idle. This is unacceptable. Remaining this way is unacceptable! I smack my cheeks, shattering my disturbed state. Now is not the time to act hapless, I must gain a reign of the situation.
"Everyone, let us gather together! Men, we must get ready to leave! Elizabeth, can you drive?"
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
"Yep, ya girl is ready to go!"
"Then, everyone, do a body check, tell me if anyone is missing! We''ll leave in an hour or two!"
Lingering here any longer would be uncourteous for the people of this town if we were to remain.
"Wise choice, it''s best if we leave now." Making his way inside, Zell is the one who agreed with me. Zeal and his escort accompany him. It seems as if Zeal''s clothes are more ripped than they usually are. Did he get into a fight? "...If we linger here, Fire Wraiths will surely be arriving," Zell continues.
"Why would they be!?
"Vetra, here, revealed the elder''s name. Lexia, she is the 7th Flame Wraith captain, and if she''s here, I doubt she didn''t bring Rickter, the 6th Flame Wraith. The both of them are known to be working closely together, with Rickter being a sort of whipping boy, if you will."
"Then¡!"
Why would a knight work with the Fire Wraiths!? Wouldn''t they have caught his ire as well? Sense is lost in this situation.
"That bitch was always a nasty piece of work. One minute, she acts like a lady, delicate as a flower, the next, she''s a crazy-ass bitch!"
"Zeal."
"Sorry, but it''s true."
"You only need to say bitch once. Other than that, you are right."
"O-oh, right."
"How do you know the elder is gone?" I ask Zell.
"We met Marie outside the banquet hall. She told me what was going on. But enough about that, we should get ready to leave!"
"A sound idea. Everyone, hurry. We must get ready to leave¡¡±
Looking at everyone, they seem tired from today¡¯s excitement. I cannot blame them, this was quite the day. If were we to move now, we¡¯d be no good if a fight were to occur.
¡°...However, upon further thought, I think it best to replenish our strength with rest. Even if she does have a mode of transportation, it''ll take time to make it to the Fire Wraith main base."
"Hmm, you¡¯re correct. It''ll take a few days at the very least. And even then, there''s a checkpoint that''s two days away from here."
¡°Then it¡¯s decided. Everyone, belay the previous order, get rest. Tomorrow morning, we will be leaving! Dismissed!"
Dismissing them, they leave the banquet hall one by one, clumped together as they exit.
¡°Alexander, don¡¯t feel too bad for what happened to that man. His mind was beyond repair, death might¡¯ve been the best for him.¡±
¡°I simply cannot agree with that.¡±
¡°Figured as much. Still, don¡¯t feel at fault, that¡¯s all.¡±
Zell and his brother, along with Vetra, leave the hall. The only ones left in here are Richard and Nunnal¨¦ I should check up on them, who knows how that affected them?
Clasping Nunnal¨¦¡¯s hand, I stare at her dark, purple eyes, reflecting nothing close to life. "Thank you, for covering his eyes, Nunnal¨¦, but you shouldn''t have seen that either."
"It is of no concern to me."
"A young girl shouldn''t see something as horrific."
"But I am¡ Forget it."
"Sorry, Nunnal¨¦, and you as well, Alexander. I read his emotions, they overpowered me and by the time I was able to comprehend them, he was already about to kill himself. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be more helpful."
"It is alright. No one could''ve predicted that, so do not feel bad."
"If you say so. But this was¡ Why did he do that?"
"He was a disturbed man, no need to think on actions. He was clearly psychopathic, so there is no point?" Nunnal¨¦, cold, yet logical, states.
"You''re right, there''s no point."
I hate for him to ponder on something like this, so perhaps he should not go any deeper in this subject.
"Anyway, you kids should get some rest. Oh, and by the by, a man was carrying Proxy earlier. He asked me where he can heal him, so I pointed him to the guest rooms."
"Heal him? Who was it?"
"No clue, but he seemed relatively nice, he even handed Walter over to me."
"Did he defeat him?"
"Perhaps, but I have a feeling it was Proxy."
"On what basis do you speculate this on?"
"A gut feeling."
"Gut?"
"It¡¯s not tangible, but I have that feeling too," Richard says.
"Then it must be true!"
"I still fail to see the basis of this claim, however, if my master is of the same notion, then I shall not question it any further."
Nunnal¨¦ is quite the skeptic, however, I don''t believe that is a bad thing. In fact, her sense of logic balances out well with Richard and Proxy, who are prone to act on emotion. Same with me and Marie.
I clap my hands. "Right, shall we rest up? Tomorrow morning shall be a busy morning."
"You''re right, we should turn in for the day. Come, Nunnal¨¦."
"Lead the way, master Richard."
They head for the exit, leaving me to myself¡ That man, did my father work with such a man? If he went on the March to Borghulda, then there is no use denying it, however, I refuse to accept his views of my father. Even if they fought in a war, I cannot accept that he would abide by such cruel justice. Yet, his words plague me. I wish they did not, but they do nonetheless¡
¡°Father, you wouldn¡¯t, I know you wouldn¡¯t¡¡±
9/ 22 - Above ground - morning
Taking a headcount, Alex is getting everyone ready to leave while Vezra speaks with Marie. I can hear the two of them speaking.
"Thank you, for everything you''ve all done for us,¡± Vezra says, clasping Marie¡¯s hand.
"It''s nothing. We couldn''t standby and let them do whatever they wanted. But what are you guys going to do now?"
"Well, we don''t know yet, but for the time being, we''re going to stay here. Our homes are gone, so we have nowhere to return to. So, we''ll try to rebuild here, and if we can, we''ll help those who need it. That way, we can atone for what we''ve done."
"That''s a noble deed. I wish you guys the best."
"Thank you, and I know my request is a bit selfish, however¡"
"Come on, it''s not a big deal. I''ll make sure she gets her rite."
A tear slips out of Vezra¡¯s eye. "I''m glad to have met you. I wish you all luck in your battle. Kick their asses!"
"Course, that''s what we''re gonna do!"
They go for a Hi-five that thunders across the run-down village.
"Sounds like those two are hyped, aye, buddy?"
"Sure does¡ But do¡you really need¡me¡to¡carry you!?" Richard asks, panting like a dog while trying to keep me up.
"Come on, my legs are still recovering, and since you don''t wanna heal them, I have to give them a break."
"That''s because¡I don''t know what''s¡exactly wrong with them! Healing takes longer because of¡that!"
"Master Richard, I believe he is doing what is called ''guilt-tripping''."
"Me? Why would I do that!? My buddy happens to be very reliable. So reliable, he''ll carry his best friend to the ends of the Earth."
"That''s because we couldn''t find Gilhart!"
"So you wouldn''t carry me if I was injured!?"
"I''d¡drag you!"
"Uncool! I would carry you, why won¡¯t you do the same for me?"
"Because...you''re...heavy!"
"Saying I''m fat?"
"No, you''re just...heavy!"
"That''s because you''re lacking muscle. Let''s change that!"
"Proxy! Don''t press your weight on me!"
"Come on, buddy, work them legs!"
"Stay strong, master Richard."
Trying to keep us from falling, Richard puts one foot ahead of the other, keeping us still. Richard waddles his way to the bus, Nunnal¨¦ sticking close to his side as support.
"Um, excuse me¡" Steering around, Vella is behind us. She''s wearing a smile, though, I can¡¯t even tell if it¡¯s fake or not anymore. "I''m sorry if I''m being a bother, but may I speak to you for a moment, Proxy?"
"Sure thing."
I say that, but man, this is awkward as all hell.
"Yesterday, I''m sorry for running away. After all that, I just¡"
"It''s cool. After what happened, I get it."
"But that''s not what I wanted to say." She takes in a deep breath, exhaling it to calm herself. A stern expression replaces the smile. "...I want to thank you for what you''ve done for me. That being said, I still hurt others who came here, so I am not free of sin. However, I want to redeem myself, no matter what."
I can''t do anything about the other people she hurt, and even if I could, I''m sure she wouldn''t want me to. That¡¯s a matter she¡¯s gonna have to resolve for herself.
"So you''re gonna stay here?"
"Yes, I wish to help ms. Vezra rebuild, and help those who need it. I don''t know what we can do, however, we''ll try to help however we can."
"That''s awesome. I''m just glad you''re doing better."
She fidgets with her fingers, swinging her shoulders back and forth. "To be honest, I don''t know if I am doing okay now, but I''ll try my best."
"Well, don''t worry. I''ll be cheering you on."
"Thank you¡ I''m glad I have your support."
Her smile, it''s like it''s been ripped from a painting, one that catches the breath of the viewer. It stalls the heart for a moment, one that lasts forever.
"...Though, I can''t say that I won''t be sad once you leave. I wished we could''ve...spent more time together."
"Y-yeah, but hey, don''t worry about it. When we''re done kicking bandit ass, we''ll be back."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh, and when we do come back, can I see you dance?"
Her eyebrows shoot up as she flinches. "You do!?"
"If that''s okay?"
"No¡! I...I would like to. Okay, when you come back, I''ll show you my best dance!"
"Sweet, can''t wait. You better practice, cause I wanna be stunned, no, amazed! Screw that, awestruck!"
Her smile becomes much more radiant, beaming like the summer sun. "Alright! Watch out because my dance will make your heart stop!"
Hell yeah! Now I¡¯m all gassed up and ready to burn! Yeah!
"Man, now I can''t wait! Come, buddy, we need to go so we can kick some ass, crush the bandits, then see Vella dance!"
"Geez, don''t push my head!"
Richard makes his way to the bus, alongside everyone else, who are trying to shuffle inside.
I turn back to Vella, who is seeing us off. "Vella," I yell. "...I''ll see you later!"
She waves at me. "I''ll see you later, too! Please win!"
"You know it! We''ll kick all their asses, I swear it!"
These words feel heavy, heavier than before. I can''t tell why, yet, I don''t think it''s a bad thing.
"Alright! Everyone, on the bus! We''re going to be leaving now," Marie orders.
Time to hit the road and kick some ass. From here on out, it''s only going to get more intense, so I better pull my A-game, or else we''ll be screwed. Plus, I doubt Ocean isn''t just gonna leave us be, so I better be ready to fight that guy again. Though, I know I¡¯m screwed if I do it by myself, I¡¯d be killed in seconds if I do. Plus, I don¡¯ want everyone to worry about me like with Willy, and I don¡¯t plan on repeating that.
"Richard, about that Source-user I told you about."
"I know, you wanna fight him yourself, right?"
"Course I do, but I can''t, I know he''ll kick my ass. So, can I¡will you¡is it¡okay if I¡?"
Come on, man! Why the hell am I hesitating!? Just nut up and say it.
Then, like a sucker punch, Richard starts laughing. Like a top comedian told the best joke in the world, he keeps howling with laughter.
¡°W-what¡¯s so funny?¡±
¡°Sorry, sorry, it¡¯s just¡ It always seemed like you could never be so shy. It¡¯s so weird, that¡¯s why I laughed.¡±
¡°Hey, I¡¯m human, you know!¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry. But you were going to ask us to help you, weren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°How did you know?¡±
¡°Not that hard to read you. After all, we are best friends, right? Don¡¯t worry, we got your back. So if he appears again, we''ll face him together."
Amazing. This guy is the same Richard who didn''t want anything to do with my fights back in NewPort Island? He was so shy, seemed like he would ball up and cry if he was caught in a bad situation. When did he become so cool? Either way, I¡¯m glad a guy like him has my back.
¡°Thanks, Richard.¡±
¡°No problem, buddy.¡±
Even though I want to fight my own fights, it¡¯s good to know I can rely on someone like him and Nunnal¨¦
"Wait a sec, where''s the big guy?" Chip asks, eating a bag of chips?
Yeah, I don''t see Gil anywhere. Is he still undergro¨C Holy shit¡ Gil arrived from the main entrance to the underground town, Vran behind him. The two of them were busted up, bloody all over, bruised on every part of their body, barely moving both their legs.
"Hey, everyone,¡± he greets us, barely getting his voice above a whisper. ¡°...I couldn''t find any of you underground, so we came up here¡"
Zell rushed to his side, getting ready to heal him.
"Dude, what the hell happened to you two?" I shout.
"We fought till we got tired."
"It was...breathtaking," Vran struggles to say. "...It was...an honor, to fight such a worthy¡foe."
"Same here¡ Are we leaving?"
Dude¡ How the hell does this dude not have brain damage by now? Then again, I did remember them getting into an intense fight from the jump¡ Hold the phone, I heard people yelling last night, shouting like they were wild animals going at it¡ Don''t tell me. They were fighting for that whole day!? Honestly, I might like fighting, but this is just beyond insane!
¡
It''s been a few minutes since they all left in that huge vehicle. Proxy is no longer here, in this rundown village¡ What am I going to do now? I know I said I would practice my dancing, and I said it would be breathtaking, but I¡ I don''t know if I have what it takes, or even the will to do so. Can I even continue beyond this point?
"You know, waiting here isn''t going to get you any better at dancing."
Ms. Vezra walks next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"...You heard me?"
"Yes. Are you just going to stand here all day or are you going to get to work?"
"I don''t know if I''m ready."
"Nobody said you have to rush it. Just take it one step at a time."
"Are you sure? What about after that?"
"Don''t know, maybe we can find out together."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, we have a bit of time. I don''t know what the future holds, but I know we can all figure it out together."
I see, so even ms. Vezra doesn''t know what to do beyond this point. However, she doesn''t even seem scared, or perhaps she is putting up a brave face? I wish I could have that bravery¡ But I don''t want to wish, I want to be. Just like her, just like Proxy.
"So, Vella, you wanna practice? I don''t look it, but I can dance."
I do remember her dancing once or twice, although I''m a bit apprehensive about this. But why am I so apprehensive?
"Alright! Watch out because my dance will make your heart stop!"
I said that, me, no one else. Dancing is my only way of thanking him. Only the best will be acceptable, nothing more, nothing less. So even if I don''t know where my life will lead after this, I have to keep going, to make up for what I¡¯ve done and to move forward with myself.
"Okay, ms. Vezra. Let us dance!"
"Excellent! You hear that, girls!?"
Jerking my head around, all the girls from the underground are up here. They cheered as soon as ms. Vezra gave them the okay, dancing in tune with the cheers of others.
Ms. Vezra takes my hand, pulling me toward the crowd. "Come on, let''s go."
I despised my dancing, seeing it as an evil thing. Now, I''m not too sure what it is? Is it good, is it evil, or perhaps it''s neither? Maybe dancing doesn''t need to be anything more than something that touches someone''s heart? Either way, I want to find out what it is/ With that in mind, I can¡¯t stand around, I¡¯ll move forward, bearing all my sins!
"Right! Let''s dance!"
Mother, even if you didn''t love me, even if you saw me as nothing more than an eyesore, I¡don''t hate you, nor do I love you. All that I can say is this: thank you for showing me how beautiful dancing can be. Maybe someday I can mimic that beauty. Who knows, perhaps I can use it as a way to atone for what I''ve done? Until that time comes, thank you, and goodbye...
White soaked red
9/27 - The Holy Lands - ?
Digging, through a dank tunnel. Using a puny lantern, a child, barely 15, digs through the rocks of the earth. His pickaxe breaks apart the rocks that stand in his way. Exhausted from the strenuous work that being a mine worker, each bone in his body, every muscle inside him screams out in pain, wanting a sweet release from this slavery. However, escape is not possible, death awaits him if he tries to. Men from the kingdom would make swift work of him, he who lacks any skill in fighting. Besides, his attachment to his family keeps him from escaping, a little sister, a mother who tends to him whenever he is sick or hurt, a father that taught him how to use an axe, that helped him when he needed it. All of these people are dear to him, yet¡ A single thought crosses his mind from time to time.
¡°If only they did not exist.¡±
Such a thought comes off as a boy who does not care for his family, but such a matter is complicated. His love for his family is there, however, he knows the only reason he is here is that they are. He would have run away some time ago if they were not here. Thus, a thought that is selfish in nature conflicts with his love for his family. Both feelings are strong, leaving the boy confused, to question his thoughts, even his feelings.
¡°I just¡want everything to disappear.¡±
A wish from the deepest pits of his heart, a wish filled with despair, desperation, and want to be free.
Then, as if the earth itself answered his call, rocks crumble before his last axe strike. What lies behind the rocks is a small area. Flowers, that glow pure white, as pure as snow. They illuminate this small part of the ground. Further in, lies a sword, beautiful in design, both sides sharp without a guard. Captivated by the scene, the young man drops his axe as he walks inside. His feet move, his mind focused on the blade, his eyes observing everything in the room.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Each step along the floors feels like the worries and doubts in his mind are being cleansed. Approaching the sword, he reaches out for it, only to halt. Unknown to him, the sword gives off an energy, fluid, yet ominous, as if it were mist. Then, to answer the sword¡¯s call, the boy grabs the handle. At that instance, something had occurred¡
The boy¡¯s body locks in place. Something vile worms its way through his body as if bugs were crawling through his skin and surfing his blood. This mist slowly wraps around him, clinging to him like a parasite, suckling onto a person. The boy¡¯s mind is invaded by a voice that is unfamiliar to him., yet it feels welcoming¡
¡°They are a shackle to you¡ Shackles, all of them. Those who imprison you, those who hold you back, all of them restrain you. Such things are unnecessary.¡±
¡°B-b-but¡I¡¡±
¡°Doubt, fear, and reasoning are not needed. All you need is this blade, then, you shall find clarity. So, accept the blade, accept your inner desires, accept me.¡±
Reason fell, fear cleared, and his doubts died. All that remains is a boy who has accepted the blade, and more¡
¡°Hey, you!¡± A guard walks in on the boy, holding a blade of his own. He¡¯s quick to point his weapon, ready for any attempts of an attack. He edges closer to the boy. ¡°...Where did you acquire that weapon!?¡± The boy does not respond. ¡°...Answer me! If you do not, I¡¯ll¨C¡±
A single second passes by, a second that makes all the difference. The boy, who had been standing in front of the guard, stands behind him. The guard, unable to perceive the speed of his attacker, was unable to process his own death. His head falls off his shoulder, blood pours out like a fountain. The white lotus¡¯ soak the crimson liquid, changing from snow white to crimson red.
The boy pays no mind to the deceased guard, but instead, fixates on the blade. He cradles it as his cheek touches it, tender to preserve the cool steel that reflects his face.
¡°How long has it been¡ How long has it been since I¡¯ve wielded you? With this body, I shall do my best to bring out your power. But first, let us sever this boy¡¯s ties.¡±
The boy no longer speaks, instead, a monster released by a child who was unable to resist the temptation of his inner desire, his true feelings: bloodlust!.
Dark clouds for bad omens
9/28 - Holy Lands - east region - morning
¡°Richard, we on the right track?¡± Marie asks me, keeping her attention to the road.
¡°I¡¯m sure, we need to keep going until we hit a signpost.¡±
¡°Okay then.¡±
Marie steers her bikes forward on a dreary road. The clouds cover the sun from view, darkening the road with a lifeless gray that paints over the trees and other facets of nature. There¡¯s no sign of animals around here.
Recently, we¡¯ve been approached by a chief of a village we helped from bandits. He told us about a mine not too far from where we¡¯re camping. So, as scouts, Marie, Nunnal¨¦, and I are going to investigate, then report back what we found.
I came because I wanted to get out on the field more, so as expected, Nunnal¨¦ joined me. And while I don¡¯t mind darker places, this is quite the offset from the south, which was rich with wildlife, forests that were lush, and there was barely a dark cloud there.
¡°Is the east always like this?¡¯ I ask Marie.
¡°During the war, the kingdom was trying to get a threshold over here to help with the March to Borghulda, and even before then, knights would fight day in and out to claim the west and east regions.¡±
¡°It must have been quite the grueling battle.¡±
¡°You have no idea. For both sides, it was a dreadful battle that spanned years¡ That must sound unreal to you?¡±
¡°Not really, our world isn¡¯t a stranger to war.¡±
¡°I see, but you¡¯re in peace for the most part?¡±
¡°Yeah, but other parts of our world aren¡¯t.¡±
¡°I see¡ Well, at least you and Proxy are living nice lives in your world.¡±
¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±
A branching path, leading left or right, presents itself. A rickety, wooden signpost is in the middle of the two paths. Looks like we made it.
¡°Next, turn left.¡±
¡°Got it.¡±
Steering left, we continue our drive for the mine. Four minutes of driving later, we stop on a small hilltop to get a better look at the mine. As described, there are carts coming out of a large tunnel leading through a wall of rocks. Rows and rows of carts on their own individual tracks as they sit there with nothing inside.
¡°Odd, where are the guards?¡± Marie asks.
¡°Maybe they¡¯re further inside?¡±
¡°No, that makes no sense. You need someone to guard the outside. This isn¡¯t the Hell Mine.¡±
She¡¯s right. The reason the Hell Mine never had outside guards was that the workers weren¡¯t strong enough to deal with the guards inside, and even if they tried to escape, the Warden had cameras all over the place, so even if they tried to, he would have guards chase them via contacting them on the radio. It¡¯s safe to assume the Kingdom wouldn¡¯t expend that type of technology on random mines like this, unlike the Hell Mine.
¡°We should take a closer look. Richard, Nunnal¨¦, we¨C¡±
Nunnal¨¦ jumps to her feet, spawning her sword to her hand as she spins around. She aims her blade at someone behind us. Marie is quick to train her spear at the person behind us, who is wearing a hood, covering their face.
¡°Identify yourself.¡±
¡°Or else we¡¯ll split you half.¡±
¡°My, as cautious as ever, Marie.¡±
This voice, I recognize it!
¡°Mr. Ovan?¡±
He takes off the hood, revealing himself. ¡°As polite as ever, Richard.¡±
¡°Well, I¡¯ll be, nice to see you again.¡±
¡°You too, Marie. But where is everyone else?¡±
¡°About that¡¡±
Marie explains the situation to Ovan, who seems shocked by most of what he¡¯s hearing.
¡°...So, you¡¯re the ones going up against the bandits? I heard of your efforts, but I didn¡¯t imagine it was you lot.¡±
¡°Well, my brother was the one who came up with the idea, we¡¯re just going along with him.¡±
¡°I see. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re all doing well then. Speaking of, where is Proxy?¡±
¡°Oh, he¡¯s doing fine. Well, he overworked his legs during a fight. But other than that, he¡¯s doing fine.¡±
¡°That¡¯s good to know. Knowing his personality, I couldn¡¯t help but worry.¡±
¡°Oh, trust me, I know what you mean¡¡± Marie trails off. ¡°...but what are you doing here?¡±
¡°As you might know, me and my brethren deal with the mines that the kingdom has erected.¡±
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
¡°Oh, yeah. So are your guys nearby?¡±
¡°Yes, I was just getting a lay of the land for a moment. I¡¯m about to give the signal to go in. Would you care to join us?¡±
¡°Sure, working together sounds better than going in alone.¡±
Cooperating with one another, we make our move on the mine. One by one, Ovan¡¯s allies show themselves, armed with various weapons in hand. Edging closer to the entrance, Nunnal¨¦ rushes in, sword in hand.
¡°Hey, wait!¡±
Why is she rushing in on her own!? Whatever the case, we have to catch up with her. Treading deeper into the mine, we run behind Ovan and his band of men, anticipating an attack any minute now. The mines have several tunnels, heading into different areas of the mine, but we can see Nunnal¨¦ heading straight inside as she follows the mine cart tracks. She stops running, letting us catch up to her. She turns her attention to us.
¡°Master Richard, do not come any further.¡±
¡°Is something the matter, Nunnal¨¦?¡±
A foul odor penetrates my nose. God, what the hell is this? Smells like trash left to rot under the sun! I don¡¯t remember the Hell Mine smelling anything like this!
¡°Nunnal¨¦, why did you run on ahead!? We need to¡¡±
Marie ceases speaking, her mouth agape looks ahead.
¡°Marie, what¡¯s going on?¡±
Her eyes are swift to lock on to me. ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡±
Her warning fails to keep me from seeing what is in front of us. The air grows heavy, my eyes narrow in on the gruesome sight in front of us. Bodies, human bodies severed into pieces, shuffled all over the place as if they were puzzle pieces. Dark red blood covers the walls, floors, and bodies, who are caked in it. The foul stench grows worse, worsening my nausea. I turn around to puke, avoiding everyone¡¯s eyes. My sick endlessly spews from my stomach, the pain in my throat ramps up in intensity as I let it all out.
¡°...Bodies¡those bodies!¡±
Why!? Why are they dead!? Who would kill people like this, why!?
¡°Master Richard, are you okay!¡±
I smack Nunnal¨¦¡¯s hand. ¡°Of course not! Who would be after¡¡± No! I can¡¯t lose it, not now. Even if this is a horrific sight, something a normal human should never have to see, I have to stomach this. ¡°Y-yeah¡actually. I¡¯m sorry for that uproar. Did I hurt your hand, Nunnal¨¦?¡±
¡°No, it was a weak strike, so all is well.¡± Geez, way to tell me that in such a way, but at least I didn¡¯t hurt her. ¡°...However, master Richard, you secreted a bodily substance from intense stress, are you sure you are okay?¡±
¡°I am, no need to worry.¡±
There¡¯s no time to be worrying about me, I have to keep up so I don¡¯t drag anyone down.
¡°If you say so, but I want you to leave with Nunnal¨¦. We¡¯ll investigate this place for any survivors, or if there are other attackers.¡±
¡°But I can help.¡±
¡°Trust me, it¡¯s better if you stay out of here. Take him, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
¡°Of course. Come, master Richard.¡±
¡°Okay¡¡±
I hate being treated like a child, but she isn¡¯t wrong? If I stay here, the puke-inducing smell is gonna drive me insane. My legs slack as I move behind Nunnal¨¦, who is keeping a narrow gaze on me.
¡°Um, Nunnal¨¦¡it¡¯s kind of hard to face forward with you looking at me like that.¡±
¡°I do not understand, am I doing something to cause you discomfort?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s just¡you¡¯re staring too intently at me.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Nunnal¨¦ faces forward. ¡°...Master Richard, may I share an observation with you?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°When observing the bodies, I happen to notice that most of them were cut into pieces, however, the cuts seem to have gone straight through in a horizontal or vertical angle. Such a method was consistent for each body.¡±
If that¡¯s true, then means the attackers were strong enough to cleave a person in half with one strike. Wait, are we even sure it was more than one person? If that were the case, the battle between them and the guards would have left some dead on the invader¡¯s side, right?
¡°Nunnal¨¦, did you see anyone who wouldn¡¯t be from this mine?¡±
¡°I suspect not. Judging from how the bodies were dressed in ragged clothes, dirted from mining activity, I am 93% sure.¡±
Hmm, something doesn¡¯t add up. The way they died, the feeling I¡¯m getting from all this, these people didn¡¯t die in a battle, they were slaughtered.
¡°Master Richard, I know I am overstepping my boundaries by leaving your side, but I have a reason.¡±
¡°What was it?¡±
¡°The reason I ran inside the mine by myself was due to the fact that I sensed Source.¡±
My body runs cold, all the hairs on my back stand up. A Source-user did this!? Could it be the same one Proxy fought¡? Maybe it¡¯s too early to jump to conclusions. First, I need to understand everything I can from this.
¡°What did you find out from that? Are you able to track them from this?¡±
¡°This individual did not take care to keep their Source in check, thus creating a trail. So far, all I can tell is that it belongs to a single person, and this Source correlates with the traces I spotted on the deceased.
Then this is acting like a breadcrumb trail? In that case¡
¡°Nunnal¨¦, does their trail lead outside?¡±
¡°Yes, it does. It¡¯s likely that I am able to track them.¡±
¡°Then I¡¯ll get the others. You¡¯ll lead us to the killer.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
¡
Inside a wide storage shed, a boy, bathed in blood cradles his arms as he¡¯s on his knees. His teeth jitter as he stares at the wooden floor.
¡°I¡Everything, blank, unable to¡I¡can¡¯t¡I¡I¡ KILLED THEM! TORE THEIR LIMBS, SLICED THEIR INNARDS, CUT THEIR ARMS. LEGS, HEADS, GUTS APART! BLOOD, BRAINS, ALL THE MORSOL FLEW! I¡I¡I¡I¡I KiLlDkIlIdKillDkiLlD¡! Family¡dead! Why¡am¡I¡alive?¡±
¡°You live as a vessel, nothing more.¡±
¡°Please¡kill¡me!¡±
¡°I am not stopping you from ceasing to exist, but would you kindly leave this body behind?¡±
NO! mONSTWRR! yOU MOntSter!
¡°Me? No, I never killed your family. At that moment, I gave you control, I simply allowed you to enact your desires. You are the one who tore their bodies apart, splashing their blood all over the walls as their limbs flew everywhere¡ You relished the thrill.¡±
I¡Mon¡st¡er¡? NOOOOOOOOOOO!
The broken boy, using the last of his will, howls his despair, letting his voice permeate throughout the shed he presides in. Tears torrent from his eyes as he squirms around on the floor, thrashing his body every which way, hoping he would end his life. However, fate has already declared his life forfeit the moment he placed his hands on the sword. As such, his mind sinks into an unfathomable pit¡
¡°Hello, is anyone here?¡± A curious man from the village, not too lean but not lacking in muscle, enters the storage that the young man finds himself in. ¡°...Hey, are you alright? Do you need any help?¡±
The man closes in on the boy. His footsteps seem louder, the noise outside has ceased, the air has turned dull, and his hands tense up as he approaches. This man, who is not trained in Source in any way, is able to feel the devastating intensity of the Source coming from the sword, or rather, the boy, who has been consumed by it. This pressure is not heavy, rather, it¡¯s as if one is stepping on broken glass without shoes.
¡°Are¡are you¡okay?¡±
The young man rolls his head, cracking the bones in his neck, grinding them together to create an awful sound like a cat being stepped on. Dread runs down the man¡¯s spine as he faces the boy, who is caked in blood, glaring at the man without a hint of humanity in his eyes, only excitement.
¡°...Why yes, I am¡¡±
The vessel no longer holds the soul of a boy, but that of a demon!
Sickening boy
Marie drives on a dirt road with Nunnal¨¦ leading to the mine assailant. Ovan and his brethren are behind, driving an off-road vehicle. We left as soon as possible to track down this murderer. Just a mile away, I can see a village. Hopefully, he hasn¡¯t taken any more lives.
¡°We are closing in. I sense a stronger presence of Source! Master Richard, your orders!?¡±
¡°Marie, do you mind if we go on ahead?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t mind, just be careful. If you have to, run!¡±
¡°Got it. Let¡¯s go, Nunnal¨¦!¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
Nunnal¨¦ picks me up from the sidecar, jumping off the bike. She lands without making so much as a peep. For a minute there, it looked like we were going to kiss the dirt. ¡°Master Richard, I am going to accelerate in speed.¡±
¡°Okay, just let me¨C¡±
Not getting enough time to speak, she jets off, running past Marie, who wasn¡¯t too far ahead. She¡¯s covering meters of land within seconds, moving faster than Marie¡¯s bike, which clocks at 60 mph. This would be awesome if it weren¡¯t puke-inducing, plus, this isn¡¯t doing wonders for my head. 3 minutes pass, we finally stop moving. Seems like we ended up in the middle of this rural village, well, it¡¯s akin to a ghost town if anything else. A boy, who doesn¡¯t appear to be any older than me, points a sword at someone¡¯s throat.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, stop him!¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
She summons her sword, throwing it at the boy. Metal clashing against another rings throughout this ghost town. He just blocked her attack!? The victim seizes an opportunity to run away as fast as he can to safety.
Nunnal¨¦ calls back her sword before our opponent can touch it. ¡°Master Richard, this is the Source-user we have been following.¡±
This is him? He¡¯s less threatening than I imagined. Still, this person is a murderer, so I can¡¯t get ahead of myself.
¡°You two have Source. How odd, yours is¡¡± A shiver suddenly runs down my spine. Tearing through my body like a stream of cold water. ¡°Can I kill you?¡±
W-what¡this pressure!? It¡¯s as if someone is pushing rusty nails into my body all at once, stabbing me from all over. I fought killers before, so why does it feel like he¡¯s in a league of his own!?
¡°N¨C¡±
It¡¯s no good! I can¡¯t call her name, this murderous pressure is too much!
¡°He is releasing his killing intent through his Source. Do not drop your guard!¡±
How is that even possible?
¡°Oh, what a delight. You two have such strong Source, quite the quantity you¡¯re able to use. Let me see if you can use it to the best of its extent.¡±
Lowering his sword to his side, he leans forward. Before I know it, he disappears. Nunnal¨¦ swings her sword, blocking our enemy from advancing any further. The air roars howls, forcefully pushing me back.
¡°Impressive, you were able to react to that.¡±
He manages to push Nunnal¨¦ back, keeping to his offensive approach. While he unleashes a barrage of slashes, she puts up an unyielding defense, blocking each of his strikes. Nunnal¨¦ parries a blow. It makes a small opening in his defense. Nunnal¨¦ is quick to follow up with a decisive blow.
He has no options to block, his sword isn¡¯t going to be able to ver hers off course. She¡¯s got this! But, as if he were laughing at my optimism, the boy uses his hand to intercept the attack. Blood trickles from his palm yet his battle-crazed demeanor never breaks.
Nunnal¨¦ jumps back, edging closer to me.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you okay!?¡±
¡°Yes, but¡¡±
¡°Not bad, but your Source, the flow is¡artificial. Ah, you must be a doll?¡±
He knows what a doll is!? Dolls aren¡¯t widely known from what I¡¯ve learned, especially someone like Quincy, who is more than knowledgeable about this world. This boy is an anomaly, especially since he¡¯s able to use Source. More importantly, he said something about flow, he must¡¯ve read Nunnal¨¦¡¯s Source.
¡°You, boy,¡± he points to me. ¡°...she is a doll, correct?¡±
No point in lying, might as well humor him
¡°She is, but did you read her Source?¡±
¡°Of course, can you not?¡± I avert my gaze. ¡°Wait, you can¡¯t!?¡±
As humiliating as it is, I never got to that part in my training with teacher. We sacrificed learning to detect Source to correct my flow and to learn to use enhancement, and make my healing more efficient.
Mocking me with that sickening grin, he starts laughing at me. His laugh is vexing from finding amusement in my answer. ¡°Are you daft, or are you an amateur?¡± He ceases speaking to keep on with that annoying laugh. ¡°Perhaps you were self-taught? If so, then may I teach you something?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t need your¨C¡±
H¡huh? The sound of flesh being punctured resonates from my chest, growing increasingly hotter¡ There¡¯s a sword in my chest!
¡°Lesson 1: you should always keep your Source sharp at all times.¡± He¡¯s in front of me, staring into my eyes with ones that lack any life in them but have an intensity to that. ¡°...You fail.¡±
Jump back, jump back!
¡°You were able to move? I aimed my intent at you and yet you still moved. Impressive.¡± Barely. I had to force my legs to move back! Any more of that and I would¡¯ve died from the pressure! ¡°Boy¡¡±
Crashing right into him, Nunnal¨¦ pushes him away from me, using her body as a wrecking ball. He smashes into a small wooden house.
¡°Master Richard, are you okay!?¡±
I felt killing intent before but that was of a different magnitude. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s stabbing me from afar, knawing at my will to fight.
¡°Master Richard, here he comes!¡±
Our enemy walks out of the wreckage, cracking the bone in his neck as he plays around with his sword. ¡°This is no good, this body is starting to lose its luster¡¡± She must¡¯ve weakened him for him to say that. If we rush in now, we can probably end this. ¡°You two are no good.¡±
¡°What does that mean?¡±
He doesn¡¯t respond, he just looks around, like he¡¯s looking for something.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, Richard!¡± Marie¡¯s voice carries from the other side of the village, about a good 80 yards. ¡°...Is that the killer?¡±
A crooked, inhuman smile creeps onto his face at the sight of Marie. ¡°Her¡ She¡¯s perfect!¡±
He suddenly jets off, giving me no time to comprehend the situation. Oh god, he¡¯s going for Marie!
I enhance the one leg I can and move. This is no good, he¡¯s too fast for me to keep up with. At this rate, I¡¯m not going to catch up to him! I need to tell her to run!
¡°Marie, run away!¡±
No good, she¡¯ll get killed at this rate. Please, please let me catch up!
¡°Oh, please¡¡± Marie pivots, swiping the blade of her spear against the assailant¡¯s chest. Blood erupts from his chest. The cut seems to be deep since he¡¯s bleeding at an alarming rate. ¡°...Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m used to this.¡±
Our enemy stands up, worsening the rate of blood leaking out of his wound. ¡°That strike was superb, lacking hesitation, meant to kill¡±
¡°Duh, so stay down.¡±
¡°Delightful¡ You are the one.¡± He lifts his sword, getting ready for a fight. ¡°Now, fight¨C¡±
Marie¡¯s spear darts for the boy¡¯s chest. Her blade rips through his flesh, sticking out the other end. ¡°You talk too much.¡±
It¡¯s over, no prolonged fight, no battle for survival, just one conclusive blow. When it comes to battle Marie doesn¡¯t waste her time, she¡¯s a more decisive fighter. It¡¯s true that we don¡¯t kill the bandits, but with Marie, I noticed she has trouble following that instruction, as if she could slip up and slice a bandit in two at any moment. This is all conjecture, however, when I compare her to how Proxy fights, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m too far off.
¡°Marie is your name, correct?¡±
¡°Are those your last words?¡±
¡°Of course not. You¡¯ll be seeing me very soon.¡±
¡°Sure, whatever you say.¡±
She uses her foot to slip her blade out of his chest, effectively killing the boy. I can¡¯t stomach to look at this. Marie wasn¡¯t wrong to preserve her life, and it didn¡¯t seem like he was going to give up so easily. But even so, I can¡¯t stomach it.
¡°Sorry for the mess. Just keep your eyes away from here.¡±
¡°I know, but I was worried about you. For a moment there, I thought he was going to kill you.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know much about this Source stuff, but even a regular spear is more than enough to handle people that, right?¡±
What a roundabout way of putting it, but correct nonetheless.
¡°Master Richard, why did you charge in? You should have sent me!¡±Nunnal¨¦ glares at me, her eyes brimming with anger. ¡°...You could have been gravely injured if he had targeted you instead!¡±
I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to intercept him since he was faster, so she¡¯s not wrong.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Sorry, I just panicked when I saw him moving towards Marie.¡±
¡°I am capable of understanding your reason, even so, it does not excuse your course of action.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°...Furthermore, you spared me no Source to pursue you. This is a problem that must not appear in the future.¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Also¡!¡±
Why am I the one being scolded? I get that rushing off on my own was pretty reckless, considering I wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything, but is this really necessary?
¡°Nunnal¨¦, it¡¯s okay, we¡¯re both safe, so go easy on him,¡± Marie says, patting her on the head.
¡°I am afraid I cannot. Master Richard is far too reckless. It is my duty to protect him, that comes with the responsibility of criticizing him when need be.¡±
She¡¯s ruthless!
¡°A-anyway, what do we do about the body?¡±
Marie shoots a disinterested glance at him. ¡°Guess we¡¯ll bury him, wouldn¡¯t want the villagers to be inconvenienced by it.¡±
Speaking of villagers, a couple of them with farm tools rush over to us.
¡°Who are you people!?¡± an elderly man demands.
¡°Are you people trying to attack us?¡± another villager asks.
¡°No, it was not them. It¡¯s that boy, on the floor.¡±
Their anger turns to horror seeing that boy dead on the ground.
¡°Did these people kill him?¡±
Ugh, I sense their disgust, it¡¯s like having someone vomit into my mouth.
¡°They didn¡¯t, I did. He was going to kill me if I didn¡¯t.¡± Marie holsters her spear on her back. She picks up the boy. Sparing a glance at the sword, she tilts her head. "Eh, one more sword wouldn''t be so bad."
She reaches for the sword, it gleams despite the clouds obscuring the sun. It gives off an alluring presence, kinda creepy though.
"Hang on, a Source-user used that. Maybe it''s not safe," I warn her.
"I do not sense anything from the sword, so it¡¯s unlikely that it¡¯s a Mystica. Furthermore, if it were a Manifestation or a conjuration, it would lose its physical form, evaporating into nothingness."
A Manifestation. Teacher only taught me the basics of it but it''s a conjured item that differs from just creating something, one that has special properties compared to just creating something with your Source.
To explain it better, there are four main areas for Conjurer: Raw creation, Material creation, alteration, then, there¡¯s manifestation. Material creation is self-explanatory, Raw is creating a glass-like image of an item or being, that¡¯s how teacher put it. Alteration is just changing the composition of an item, object, or even person. Then, we have manifestation, which can take on a solid form that holds special capabilities.
In short:
Raw creation: making glass-like items.
Material creation: using materials to create an item.
Alteration: to convert the properties of something.
Manifestation: A special object created with unique properties.
¡°So it¡¯s like your sword, Nunnal¨¦?¡± Marie asks.
¡°My sword¡¯s deployment is different from that of a Manifestation.¡±
Marie tilts her head, raising a single eyebrow as she loses track of the explanation. ¡°Huh?¡±
¡°I am unable to speak specifically on how I call forth my blade, however, it is safe to say that it is a Mystica, that much I am certain of.¡±
Marie¡¯s head tilts even further. ¡°What?¡±
¡°Nothing,¡± Nunnal¨¦ and I tell her.
¡°Whatever, my brain probably doesn¡¯t even need to know, let¡¯s just hurry back to camp.¡±
As we follow behind Marie, some of the villagers whisper behind our backs.
¡°She killed such a young boy.¡±
¡°How horrific.¡±
¡°Why does such violence need to occur?¡±
What else was she supposed to do; let him kill her? I don¡¯t want anyone to die, but with how our opponent was, he wasn¡¯t just going to give up. And their words are brimming with revulsion, acting as if she¡¯s a monster or something.
¡°It¡¯s okay, Marie. You don¡¯t need to¨C¡±
¡°I know.¡±
Her words¡there¡¯s an intense hatred, the mere touch can burn away all of my flesh.
¡°Master Richard, is something the matter?¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m okay¡¡±
Just now, Marie¡¯s words were filled with nothing but hatred, and another awful, yet distinct, powerful emotion. I feel nauseous even thinking about it. This is disturbing, far too disturbing for just anger. Whatever it is, it¡¯s not good, that¡¯s for certain.
Campsite - evening
After our battle with that killer, Ovan and his brethren came back to camp with us, wishing to speak to Alexander about something. Marie was quick to return to leave Nunnal¨¦ and me, heading off to be by herself. We¡¯re camping out on a gray plain, dead trees along the road next to us. Since we¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow, we didn¡¯t bother to make camp.
Proxy is still recovering from his fight with Walter. His legs are almost done recovering thanks to Crow¡¯s medical massages and my healing, even if it¡¯s not as effective. I¡¯ve been keeping him company since he¡¯s not able to move on his own but he¡¯s the same rambunctious person as usual. Though, the way he described the fight was less than descriptive.
Nunnal¨¦ sits next to me while I¡¯m reading the journal that we found in the underground town. Quincy gave it to me after he got done with it. He said he thoroughly examined it, saying it held no clues as to what happened to the creators of the town or to the person who wrote inside the journal, and nothing about Nunnal¨¦, or about that father that was mentioned in the journal. However, I have noticed rather than days, it goes by in random entries. Furthermore, most of the entries just speak about the production rate of dolls, saying how low-quality they are.
¡°Master Richard, I believe there is no reason to examine that book. The information inside is worthless.¡±
¡°I know, but maybe there¡¯s something we missed?¡±
¡°Unlikely, Quincy has thoroughly examined the book, providing nothing of significance .¡±
She¡¯s not wrong, however, if there is something of worth in here, then I want to pick up on that.
¡°Excellent work in the field, Richard.¡± Alexander approaches us from the campfire. He takes on a somber expression. ¡°...I had heard what happened to the people of the mine from Marie. I am regretful that you both had to see such a terrifying sight.¡±
¡°It does not inhibit me, however, my Master--¡±
¡°Um, ah, nothing, it¡¯s nothing! I¡¯m fine, really, I am!¡±
That was too close! A second later and she would¡¯ve told him I vomited.
¡°You say you are fine but I heard you expelled the contents of your stomach. Are you feeling unwell?¡± Why¡why did you have to tell him that, Marie? ¡°If you need rest, tell me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s okay, I¡¯m fine. Thank you, though.¡±
¡°Do not mention it¡ But may I ask something of you?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°How is Marie? Have you noticed her acting peculiar?¡±
¡°Umm, not that I¡¯ve noticed, no.¡±
Though, there was this afternoon, I don¡¯t think I want to bring that up, after all, it was probably because of the people of that village.
¡°She has been displaying odd behavior .¡±
¡°How so?¡±
¡°As of now, she is excluding herself from camp. She feigns sickness.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t see how that¡¯s out of the ordinary?¡±
¡°To others, yes, quite ordinary, yet she would tell me if she were, and then, she would let me check her forehead.¡± It¡¯s still not that odd, albeit, I can¡¯t shake the notion that she¡¯s acting weird. Though, there¡¯s nothing concrete to prove that to be the case. ¡°...Perhaps I am acting paranoid. I apologize for wasting your time. I shall excuse myself.¡±
He gets up from the ground, doing a quick bow, then leaving back to the campfire.
¡°You are concerned for Marie,¡± Nunnal¨¦ says.
¡°Is it that obvious?¡±
¡°Based on what I observed from you, the face you are making now is the one you make when you are expressing concern.¡±
¡°Wow, you¡¯re able to read me like that?¡±
¡°I mean no insult, however, it is quite easy to do so. The areas that signal this expression are your lowered eyebrows, when you slightly squint your eyes, and when you press your lips together.¡±
¡°Amazing, I didn¡¯t even know that.¡±
¡°Whether it is your mental, physical, or emotional state, I must observe them all to satisfy your needs and to protect you.¡±
Amazing, if she¡¯s able to decipher that much then no wonder she was able to pick on how the people in the mine were murdered. If she weren¡¯t able to see Source, he would¡¯ve gotten away. That¡¯s also another problem: I can¡¯t see Source, hell, I can¡¯t even see my own. I can feel it and I know where it¡¯s all accumulated at all times, as well as how I¡¯m using it, but I can¡¯t see it.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, can you see our Source?¡±
¡°I am able, yes.¡±
¡°Then, can you teach me!?¡±
¡°Then I must apologize for my incompetence, I am unable to do so.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°I believe I told you this before, my abilities are second-nature to me. It¡¯s not a process that causes this, it¡¯s as if flexing one¡¯s arm. I simply perform it.¡±
That doesn¡¯t help at all. For me, using enhancement or healing is like flipping on different switches for different appliances. It¡¯s not hard to do, but I still need to think about it.
¡°Don¡¯t apologize, I feel like Teacher and I should¡¯ve gotten me to see Source.¡±
¡°Her teaching you to use your Source for supportive and defensive means was correct. I also believe you should focus on being able to enhance more than one limb before anything else.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. Lately, I¡¯ve been getting there, thanks to Zell.¡±
¡°Excellent. I shall give my thanks to Zell.¡±
¡°We both should.¡±
I¡¯m one step closer to doing it, however, I can¡¯t seem to get it to stabilize whenever I spread it to another limb. So close yet another step behind. Nothing has ever challenged me as much as Source has. I suppose that it¡¯s frustrating while being oddly satisfying to master. Still, I can¡¯t waste time getting stumped, I need to keep getting better at it.
¡
Gentle, let it flow around my body like a river passing through a mountain, calm, steady, ever so moving¡ Now, limit this flow to your arms¡ Crap! My concentration breaks, the calm stream bursts into a geyser. I naturally correct my flow.
¡°What do I keep saying to you?¡± Zell, who is watching me, asks.
¡°Sorry!¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s call it a day. Any more and you¡¯ll keel over. Plus, it¡¯s almost bedtime.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, sorry for taking up your time, Zell.¡±
¡°It is fine, just learn to moderate yourself.¡± Moderate myself. Never thought someone would have to tell me that. ¡°...From what I can tell, you seem to be much better at this Source than I am.¡±
¡°Sorry, but I can¡¯t agree. I¡¯m still an amateur, and even then, I¡¯m¨C¡±
¡°Stop. You said you picked up healing within the same month you learned of Source, correct?¡±
¡°Well, teacher gave me a history book to learn from. Basing my information from that, I learned how to heal. Though, my abilities were extremely gimped.¡±
¡°That¡¯s still impressive. It took me about 4 months to get my powers to work. Even then, I still had trouble using it.¡±
¡°Oh, then it must frustrate you to see me acting clueless like this?¡±
¡°Not really, I think it¡¯s fine to be a bit clueless on stuff like this. Everyone grows differently from one another. How we learned to control our Source is evidence of that.¡±
He isn¡¯t wrong, teacher taught me that Source-users grow differently from one another based on their knack for it, or in other words, their talent. This can also differ between members of the same family, especially siblings. Speaking off¡
¡°Can Zeal use Source?¡±
¡°No. His aptitude is quite low, however, he does have an ability that makes up for that. Whenever he accumulates damage, he turns that into power, making him stronger than he normally is. Of course, the drawback is that he becomes incredibly weak after using it.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t like when he uses it, do you?¡±
¡°Did you read my words?¡±
¡°Sorry, I sensed your anxiety around the ¡®damage¡¯ part.¡±
He shrugs his shoulder while expressing a light smile. ¡°It¡¯s fine. He lets himself get injured a bit too much at times just to gain that power up, so I try to keep him from using it by healing his wounds. The thought of him throwing himself into harm''s way¡frightens me.¡± A dry chuckle leaves his mouth. ¡°I must come off as a worry-wort?¡±
¡°A bit, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a bad thing. Brothers should be worried for the other when they need to be?¡±
He silently nods, appearing pleased with my answer. ¡°If I weren¡¯t concerned, then who would be for him?¡± He picks up his jacket from a tree branch. ¡°Now, lets¡¯ get some sleep.¡±
¡°Of course, lead the way.¡±
¡°Who would be worried for him¡±. I wonder if mine worries about me? Do I even worry about him? I don¡¯t even know if I should be worried about him.
¡
Drifting, I¡¯m drifting, without a body, only my mind drifts through this dark, yet alluring void. It draws me deeper and deeper, lifting my sense of security. Why am I here, what brought me here, and what will happen to me means little. The breath of this void wraps itself around me, alerting me to a presence inside here.
¡°Sla¨Cr¡¡± Its voice is cold, lacking any humanity, but it has a certain allure to it. ¡°...Slaughter all of them, including¨C¡±
A yell erupts from my lungs, I wake up in a cold sweat. I search around for anyone hiding in the trees around me¡ I¡¯m alone, good, that¡¯s good. Just a second ago, I was sleeping up against a tree, one that¡¯s been scarred by blades, barely clinging to life.
The sword I took earlier is still attached to my belt. It being there makes me feel safer already. Earlier, I was going to add it to our armory, but I decided to keep it. It''s not like we¡¯re desperate for weapons, and if we do, then we can just snatch some from the bandits.
But what was that dream? Was it a dream, it felt so real. Maybe it wasn¡¯t¡ Yeah right, that¡¯s so stupid, even Proxy couldn¡¯t come up with something like that. Screw it, I¡¯m going back to sleep. If I have another dream, then it better be a damn good one.
To the dark
9/29 - east region - afternoon
On another grey, cloudy day, the dead environment haunts us still. An intense battle broke out while we were making our way through this region. Fire Wraiths must have anticipated our approach. Nunnal¨¦ and I are responsible for helping anyone who¡¯s hurt. The battle is being won through our stronger members, but if they had more in numbers, or at least had a strong ally, they would pose much more frightening.
Well, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about that, I should be healing and getting everyone back to proper health.
So far, it seems like everyone is alright, a good thing.
¡°Master Richard, refrain from closing into the battlefield!¡±
¡°I will. Nunnal¨¦, see if you can help out in the field.¡±
¡°Understood!¡±
She rushes into the battle. Whatever our connection is, I can feel it expanding yet thinning as she widens the distance between us. I can still feel a majority of my Source stay with me.
¡°They¡¯re retreating to a village in the east, more are coming from the west!¡±
A couple of cars arrive at the scene. Trouble is going to barrel in on that village if we let it be. I''ll go since I can heal anyone that gets hurt.
¡°Zell, cover for me!¡±
¡°Richard, where¡¡±
His voice quickly fades into white noise. I dash off to the village nearby. It takes me about 2-3 minutes of running with my Source to make it. Hopping with one leg isn¡¯t as easy as I make it seem. When I got here, Marie had just arrived.
¡°Richard,¡± she shouts. ¡°...what are you doing here? Fall¨C"
A scream coming from the village interrupts her. We speed into the village. The screams of the village people heighten my instincts. Fire spreads across the village, engulfing the barely developed houses of wood. Black smoke blankets the sky, and dead bodies litter the streets in the wake of the bandits.
¡°Mommy,¡± the voice of a child calls for her mother, practically begging for her. ¡°...mommy, wake up! We have to run, please, mommy!¡± Desperation, panic, and fear are packed into her words, creating a pit in my stomach that sucks in my whole being. ¡°Mommy!¡±
Bandits are drawing closer to the little girl! Right as I take my first steps to save her, Marie jets off, her spear aimed for one of the bandits.
¡°You animals!¡± Unbridled rage, burning hotter than I¡¯ve ever felt before! It¡¯s growing, wilder, without any sign of stopping!
¡°Another one, ki¨C¡±
His neck is torn open before he could finish. Marie tears apart the other bandits in her way, slaughtering them with vicious anger, unrelenting in her attack. The style that''s meant to inflict minor wounds on her opponents is gone. Savage, crude attacks that are meant to rip and tear become her new way of fighting, moving through the battlefield with precise footing.
Blood taints everything around her and the little girl. Her anger only grows worse, unbearable to the point I can¡¯t even breathe properly.
¡°W-w-who-whoa! Please, don¡¯t kill me! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m really sorry! I-I-I-I was forced to do this shit! P-p-p-p¡¡±
Marie slams her spear on him. He screams out when it carved a piece of him. She slams it again, and again, and again, and again. Each hit makes a revolting wet sound that echoes across the village. Then, the putrid noise stops. She just hangs there, looking down on the body¡ She trudges toward the girl with her spear dragging along the ground, blood follows behind it.
¡°Are you¡okay?"
From the mere sight of her, the child yells her lungs out! Absolute terror stabs at my brain. It¡¯s like my brain is being split open! The girl runs into the forest, echoing her frightened voice. I chase after her, unsure of what could be in there. Passing Marie by, I¡ No, I don''t want to see, I can''t see. If I do, I don''t know if I''ll be able to face her.
Anti-bandit camp - afternoon
Our short skirmish ended with our side reigning victorious. Everyone did their best to repel the enemy, and I could not have asked for anything else. However, sister has been behaving rather oddly. Ever since the battle, she has been secluding herself from the others. Perhaps it is of no issue but I have a grasp on my sister¡¯s character, while she is somewhat reserved with people she is not overly familiar with, she usually joins in our after-battle celebrations.
¡°Sister¡Marie?¡± Standing alone, next to a battered tree, acting as a record for the battle that tore this land apart. Is she shivering? ¡°...Are you¡¡±
¡°Leave.¡±
Aloof, coupled with a foreboding sense of dread that seems to suffocate her environment. This, I never thought I would see this again! But she would never revert to her previous state, not without cause!
¡°Marie, if something is amiss, then confide in me. What happened today? Tell me.¡±
¡°Leave me.¡±
¡°I shalln¡¯t, no matter how much you insist!¡±
The strength of my resolve is unbridled, unwavering in protecting my sister. However, the next moment proves that to not be the case. Marie violently turns to me, almost forcing her body to obey her, thrashing around every which way. We share an instance of eye contact. All of my flesh is torn apart as I¡¯m skewered with dozens of swords, slicing, ripping, dissecting me like an insect crawling, scrambling to escape the confines of this place!
¡°Le¡ave!¡±
My body., my body isn¡¯t being torn anymore!? But¡how did she¡?
¡°Marie, what¡?¡±
She smacks my hand away. ¡°No, no, no, no! Don¡¯t come near me!¡±
She runs deeper into the forest, slamming into each tree she passes by.
¡°Marie, wai¨C¡±
¡°Stay away!¡±
A dark presence stops me from pursuing, nailing my feet to the ground. Marie¡¯s footsteps grow distant as I tremble in fear, unnerved by this dark, almost inhuman presence, mocking me for my cowardice from the deeper part of the forest. Damnit, what am I doing, go! Your sister needs you, go to her¡! Damnit, why now, why will I not move!?
¡°Damnit!¡±
Why am I so pathetic?
¡
Where am I? Everything is so damn dark. Fog is filling my head... I remember doing something, telling brother something, but I can''t remember...
I keep hearing them¡ Voices, all of them screaming out, crying out for something to end. Each of them called my name, scratching at my eardrums. They¡¯re writhing in agony, desperate for me to stop, but what? I don¡¯t know what to stop? What am I doing wrong?
There¡¯s a person, in the distance. I rush to meet them. The closer I get, the more of them I see. Each step becomes louder, creating a wet sound that only gets deeper the closer I get¡ Why is it so wet in¡here? Blood, blood all over, as if it were a body of water, stretching miles on end. Its crimson visage shines in this dark world, it¡¯s somewhat alluring. Bodies float inside this vast ocean, each of their faces in clear detail. The ones in front of me stab the bodies, a cruel method to check if someone is dead. The people they¡¯re stabbing, Proxy, Richard, Nunnal¨¦, Elizabeth, and brother¡ All of them dead¡
¡°They must die.¡±
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Of course they have to, grotesque monsters like them can¡¯t be allowed to live. I¡¯ll kill them, each and every last one of them!
Reading my intentions with absolute certainty, they charge at me, each holding a spear. I take up arms with this sword on my waist, the blade reflects the blood below us. A dance of death began as I was the first to swing my blade. One by one, they all fall, dropping into the blood without saying anything, not even a whisper. Their attacks are predictable, rigid in nature as well as plain. This repetition goes on until I¡¯ve killed the last one in sight.
I did it, they¡¯re all dead¡ No, this isn¡¯t good enough. I need to keep going, keep killing them until they¡¯re all wiped from the face of this land.
¡°Then allow me to lend you my power, together, we can make your wish come true.¡±
You¡¯re right, my power alone isn¡¯t going to cut it, I need more if I want to slay these monsters!
¡°Excellent¡¡±
More of them appear, their faces scrawled out, coming off as less human they should be. That¡¯s perfect, it¡¯ll make this a lot easier.
¡
Red liquid drips from the blade that was used to sever life and deliver death. It shines brightly under the moonlight, making it all the more alluring to people like us. The deceased lie around, rangled, carved, and mangled beyond repair. They decorate the surrounding area in an ambiance of death. Each slash she delivered was brutal, brutalizing them without a shred of mercy. All they could have done was scamper as she slaughtered each of them in a frenzy. This woman¡¯s bloodlust is amazingly amplified by her desire to kill these ¡°Fire Wraiths¡± that are dead before my feet. However, this is a bit more complex than just simple hatred. Such hatred leads to bloodlust, bloodlust leads to insanity, and insanity leads to a stronger power.
Yes, she is a perfect fit for me, but she''s not there¡yet. Fortune smiles upon me, though, for that is an easy trifle to rectify.
¡°I think it¡¯s time to break in this new body.¡±
I walk, staring down the abyss that is the woods. Where normal men dare not tread, I head for that darkness that welcomes people like us into its inner depths.
Anti-bandit army campsite - evening
Alexander woke us in the middle of the night, telling us that Marie suddenly disappeared. Everyone¡¯s preparing to go searching in a 2-mile radius of the land. Bandits might be out there, so we¡¯re going to use a buddy system to lower the odds of being ambushed. Nunnal¨¦ is all the support I need, we¡¯ll try to cover more land. As for Proxy, we said nothing to him, he¡¯s almost done recovering, so the last thing we need him to do is overexert himself.
¡°Master Richard, please look here.¡± I approach Nunnal¨¦, who¡¯s pointing at the ground. There¡¯s a footprint here/ ¡°...There is Source on the ground, in this exact spot.¡±
¡°Who does it belong to?¡±
No sense in asking if she¡¯s sure, besides, the sooner we figure this out, the better we¡¯ll all be.
¡°Judging from the patter, it belongs to the Source-user we fought yesterday.¡±
¡°But he¡¯s dead.¡±
¡°Of course, I confirmed it. However, this pattern matches up with the boy¡¯s Source.¡±
Did he find some way to skirt death? No, if that were the case, he would¡¯ve come after us by now¡? Unless.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you know the way to the mine we discovered those bodies, right?¡±
¡°Indeed, however, I do not see how this is relevant?¡±
Something doesn¡¯t add up to me. If that Source-user entered the mine, then wouldn¡¯t he have left a trail of entry? Nunnal¨¦ would have told me. What purpose did he have to kill those people in the mine? It can¡¯t be for anything like vengeance since he killed the workers too. And there are his words, they held nothing but malice, his presence isn¡¯t all that welcoming to begin with. No, something doesn¡¯t make sense here.
¡°...If you wish to go back there, it will have to wait till later.¡± Ovan comes up to us, holding a lantern. ¡°You seem lost in thought.¡±
¡°I just have a feeling that something¡¯s missing from all this, and that mine is the only thing that can answer it.¡±
¡°If that is so, then I¡¯ll take you. Locating Marie comes first, so keep any irrelevant thoughts to the side.¡±
He¡¯s right, figuring out who that Source-user is comes later.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, let¡¯s¨C¡±
My spine freezes over. A murderous presence pierces my body, knawing at my psyche like it¡¯s made out of jelly.
¡°Master, steel yourself!¡±
She¡¯s right, she¡¯s right! Calm, I have to calm down before I lose myself in this endless spiral of terror!
¡°Thank you, Nunnal¨¦. Ovan, are you okay?¡±
¡°This presence is unruly, otherwise, I am fine.¡±
The fact he¡¯s even speaking is more than impressive. My resilience compared to his is a joke.
¡°Master Richard, stay behind me.¡±
The dead leaves break apart below their feet, becoming louder as they approach us. Unease builds, biting at my nerves with every step they take, the deadly pressure only ramps up in magnitude as he approaches.
¡°How quaint, you come to greet me once again, Doll and her master.¡± No doubt, it¡¯s the same person, but their voice, It can¡¯t be¡ ¡°...It took longer than the boy but I¡¯m slowly breaking in her body. She was strong enough to ward me off for a little, however, I am stronger than her feeble soul can handle.¡± No, this is not Marie! Her words, her voice is the same, but her words are repugnant, chock-full of malevolence that could fill a pool.
¡°Who are you!? What have you done to Marie?¡±
¡°Nothing much, I simply made her my new vessel, and what a wonderful vessel she is. Care for a demonstration?¡±
Just now, he was venting excitement!
¡°Ovan, Nunnal¨¦, get back!¡±
A black blur bolts across the darkness, aiming for me. Nunnal¨¦ wipes out the darkness with a single swipe of her sword.
¡°Ah, I suppose that alone will not do, but it¡¯s a start.¡±
The hell was that!? I couldn¡¯t make it out but I know something raced across the forest to end my life.
Ovan pulls me out the way. Nunnal¨¦ is pushed out of the forest and into the well-lit camp. We rush out of the forest, knowing full well that death is the only thing waiting for us out here. Everyone is spectating the scene, gathering around us.
Marie enters the light, illuminating the blood sticking to her clothes, and the sword coated in the same substance reflects the flames coming from the campfire.
Alexander runs out of the bus, I assume to check what¡¯s happening. He goes pale at the sight of her. ¡°Marie, where did you go!? Is that your blood? Are you hurt?¡±
I can¡¯t let him go up to her!
¡°Stay away, that isn¡¯t Marie!¡±
I pour all the Source I can into my leg. I push Alexander to the ground, making it by the skin of my teeth. She had launched an attack that went overhead, severing the trees behind in half.
¡°Nice reaction.¡±
¡°Marie, what are you doing!?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not Marie.¡±
¡°But it is!¡±
¡°Are you sure!?¡±
Horror strikes Alexander, realizing that the person before him isn¡¯t his sister.
Burning with rage, he stands, bearing his sword at her. ¡°Where is my sister!?¡±
¡°This is your sister¡ Though, she¡¯s taken a leave of absents.¡±
Behind him, Zeal and Zell are about to attack. The two find their mark, only for Marie to summon something between them. It immediately lunges at Zeal, pinning him against a tree. It¡¯s a wolf! Zeal quickly rescues him, dispelling it with one hit.
¡°A Source-user? I see. How lucky am I?¡±
It sounds excited by the idea more so than inconvenienced.
¡°Marie, what is your excuse for this?¡±
Zeal is deadly serious, and the deadly part isn¡¯t an over-exaggeration.
¡°This isn¡¯t Marie. Something is possessing her! Everyone, stay away from her!¡±
¡°No good, I need you all to remain in place.¡±
Nunnal¨¦, who had disappeared suddenly reappears, is descending from the sky. Shadows fly around Marie, meeting Nunnal¨¦ in the sky. She¡¯s knocked out of the air. Her body crashes against the ground, going thud at the moment of contact.
¡°How boorish, you truly believe you can beat me with that stick?¡±
Nunnal¨¦ bounces back to her feet, putting up her guard without any delay.¡°Stick?¡±
¡°Allow me to show you.¡±
The enemy speeds off, slamming their sword against Nunnal¨¦¡¯s. The two exchange blows at inhuman speeds, even so, I can tell that Nunnal¨¦ is struggling. The fact she¡¯s siphoning more of my Source is evidence of that.
"There!"
No way, there¡¯s just no way¡ Nunnal¨¦''s sword, a thin blade that took anything on, was sliced in half. Nunnal¨¦''s chest is sliced open, blood gushes, pouring onto the ground.
"A stick is no good against a swordsman."
Not again, not again!
"Nunnal¨¦!"
The enemy readies itself to intercept me. I''ll enhance my arm to block! What the hell!? My Source keeps being pulled away from me! It¡¯s a tug-of-war between me and¡
"What a laugh, you two are so out of sync!" Out of sync? Come to think of it, I did say it was like a tug-of-war. Maybe that¡¯s it, we can¡¯t decide who uses it, so we¡¯re just bickering over who gets to use it¡ We really are out of sync. "Die."
Death is but a hair¡¯s breadth away, and all I can do is stare at the weapon that¡¯s going to split my head apart. Then, as if my luck kicked in, a needle stops the enemy from killing me. It rips the needle out of Marie¡¯s arm.
"We are sorry for the late entrance." Doctor Crow steps out from the shadows of the forest, carrying a Richard, move the patient out of the way.¡±
Nunnal¨¦! I pick her up to take her away from the battle.
"Thought I was gonna miss for a second. Good thing she wasn''t even paying attention," Chip, sitting in a tree with his bow gauntlet, states.
"Chip, the next shot."
"Coming right up, doc."
He fires another, hitting Zeal instead. Zeal collapses, convulsing, keeping himself from crying out in pain as he belts out on the ground. He comes to a sudden stop¡
"Thanks for that, doc."
Standing up, Zeal smashes in the tree with his bare hand. A hole, 3 meters wide, is left in its wake. Our enemy sends a shadow monster after him, towering over him with the appearance of a demonic bear. The monster strikes him, bringing down the force of a bulldozer onto him.
"That''s it?" with bravado, he mocks the Source-user''s attack. Zeal kicks in the shadow, destroying it without a hint of effort. "...Don''t know if you''re off your rocker or what, but if that''s the case, then I guess I gotta rough you up, Marie!"
The being possessing her sneers at the threat, delighted from what I can tell. It rapidly spins the blade in Marie¡¯s hand. "Interesting, just interesting. I hope you all will not disappoint me!"
Perceiving the darkness
Eastern Region - Anti-bandit campsite - evening
Fire from the campsite crackles, burning strong through this unexpected event. Everyone watches with bated breath for the impending fight that¡¯s going to break out. Waiting is all I can do for them to fight while I heal Nunnal¨¦ off on the sidelines.
Marie¡¯s possessed body continues to spin the blade in her hand. The Source-user possessing her makes her wear a giddy look on her face, crooked, unnatural even. ¡°1¡2¡3¡3-?¡¡± It pointed at me, Nunnal¨¦, Zell, and Zeal, counting everyone who¡¯s a Source-user. He said 3?, so I guess he¡¯s counting Zeal for his personal skill? ¡°...I wonder how many of you will fall before the sun rises?¡±
Zeal scoffs at the question. ¡°Pretty damn cocky, ain¡¯t ya? Last time we fought, I went easy on you. Now, you¡¯re gonna get it.¡±
¡°Do not hurt her, she¡¯s¨C¡±
¡°Shut up!¡± Zeal cuts off Alexander, stricken from shock. ¡°...I don¡¯t care what¡¯s going on with her. She¡¯s turned into a threat. Then that¡¯s all I gotta know!¡±
¡°Please, do not hurt her!¡±
¡°Alexander, I understand your woe, but¨C¡±
Marie vanishes in the blink of an eye, reappearing behind Zell. ¡°You¡¯re taking too long.¡±
Shadows dance across the ground as Zell leaps back. Three separate shadows stretch out, chasing after him. Three monstrous creatures soar out of the ground with a substance akin to ink following behind them. Zell dispatches two of them, leaving the last to catch him off guard. It burrows its fangs into his arm. Quick to respond, he smashes that thing against the ground. It turns into a black ooze that returns slithers back to Marie¡¯s shadow.
¡°Get away from my brother!¡±
Zeal, practically destroying the ground below him, kicks off after Marie. The Source-user blocks the full-powered strike. The force of the blow swirls the air into a frenzy, nearly putting out the campfire. His attack was too brash, giving our enemy the chance to slice his knuckles. A short whimper leaves Zeal, but he goes for another attack. Another monster blocks the punch. Only the chest formed to serve as a shield. However, it was nowhere close to stopping Zeal. Grazing it was enough for him to tear open our enemy¡¯s defense. His other arm rockets through the hole, quicker than my eyes can follow.
¡°So obtuse.¡±
Another animal spawned from Marie¡¯s shadow. It wraps around the blade, extending its length to 7 feet. Coated in darkness that could consume a star, Zeal gets sliced, caught off guard by the sudden extension. As if it weren¡¯t enough, the shape of the blade changes, taking on talons that shred Zeal¡¯s flesh apart when pulled.
Zell rescues his brother from further damage.
¡°Shadow Veil: Snipe!¡±
In a ¡°blink and you¡¯ll miss it¡± moment, Zell and Zeal took a hit. Whatever hit them left no trace. ¡°I meant to take your head. It appears a century can eat at your aim.¡±
A century or two!? Something tells me that¡¯s not a term or phrase.
Gilhart sneaked behind our opponent. Despite his gull, the enemy redirects his attack. Quick to counter, Gilhart twists his body for a roundhouse kick. Not letting up, he moves for his next attack. Without warning, that horrific pressure rocks my nerves, setting nails inside my body for a moment. Gilhart doesn¡¯t stop barreling toward him.
¡°What a surprise.¡±
Shooting out of the shadows, a monster taking the form of a cheetah comes and pounces at Gilhart. His momentum didn¡¯t break, he just rams his fist through it. Utter shock spreads across Marie¡¯s face as Gilhart draws closer. His fist flashes, striking Marie¡¯s stomach. Between the shock and blinding speed, Gilhart struck the stomach, leaving our enemy open.
¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡ You¡¯re not a Source-user, but you¡¯re quite strong, and you were able to fight through my pressure. No, it¡¯s like you completely ignored it.¡±
¡°Can you quit babbling? It¡¯s weird,¡± Gilhart asks, anger seeping from his words.
¡°Then excuse me!¡±
The two of them continue to fight as Chip shoots from the trees. With the two working together alongside Zell, they got the enemy on the defensive.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, are you okay? Can you hear me?¡±
She groans in response. Her breathing is heavy. The bleeding stopped, but sitting around won¡¯t solve anything. All I can do is watch everyone else fight. Even if I jump in, I¡¯d only get in the way. Hell, I almost got killed because I tried to do that. But I don''t want to sit here, doing nothing! I know I''m useless in a fight, but there has to be something I can do to help Marie!
¡°...But there has to be something I can do, anything!¡±
There has to be something, something I can do¡ Why am I remembering¡ That¡¯s it, that¡¯s what she meant! All I can do is concentrate and relax myself. Focus on my ?Source¡ I always felt it and I thought that¡¯s all I needed, but I never tried to understand it. If I can feel it, then I have to paint that picture, the energy that shifts around my body, that empowers me, and gives me strength. What does it look like, the shape, texture, motion, all of it¡
It¡¯s smooth, yet it feels as if it¡¯s ridged around some of the edges, unrefined yet flows how it should. Not just that, it¡¯s bursting with energy as it flows all around me. This¡is Source!
Removing my glasses reduces the clarity of my eyesight a little, but my perception of Source is clearer. ¡°I¡I can see it!¡±
This white energy is mine. Not only that, but I can see everyone else''s. Everyone besides Zells is minuscule. Marie¡¯s shrouded in a dense, pitch-black Source. Every part of it is devouring her body, mimicking a hungry beast. Following its flow, it¡¯s coalescing from the tip of the blade¡ This might get me killed, but I need to see if this is true.
¡°Sorry, I¡¯m going to do something stupid, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
Okay, time to do something stupid. I rush into the fray.
Source around the sword spikes when the user notices me. They¡¯re going for a swing! Dodging the slash by the skin of my teeth pushes my reflexes to their limit. That attack was made of Source! Those monsters that came from the shadows weren¡¯t real animals. Hell, those aren¡¯t real shadows. Our enemy morphs that Source into shadows, then makes beasts out of them to be used as attacks and defensive measures. That slash was probably using an avian as a long-range attack.
¡°Shadow Veil¡¡± His Source bursts, stopping its constant flow around Marie for a moment, yet it keeps flowing around the sword¡ Wait a second¡ I think I get it now! ¡°...Snipe!¡±
His Source shoots from his sword, jetting out faster than my body can react. Blood explodes from my side from whatever ripped past my flesh. I bite down on my lip to stop myself from shrieking in pain. A majority of Source travels through Marie¡¯s feet. Before the shadow can form below me, I jump at Marie. We crash and roll against the ground. Using my feet to stop us, I end up on top. My hands'' dart for the sword.
¡°Get off!¡±
An unruly, monstrous pressure forces me off her body. Every bump on the ground rattles every bone in my body. Anyone can break just from being in the wrong position. A tree stops me from going any further, although it sends a chill down my spine. Nothing bad. Maybe I should¡¯ve enhanced my torso?
¡°Boy, how did you learn to see it!¡±
A dry chuckle is the first thing to come out of my mouth. ¡°I have no idea what you mean?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t lie! You¡¯re able to see my Source, aren¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Seriously, I don''t know?¡±
Anger doesn¡¯t begin to describe it. If I had to put my finger on it, it¡¯d be murderous hatred, all of it trained on me. Chip fires a needle at Marie, puncturing her shoulder. The enemy noticed right when Zeal aims a punch at Marie¡¯s stomach. With no defense, he easily makes his mark. Her body goes hurling through two trees.
¡°¡®Bout time I hit you!¡±
That punch definitely broke most of her ribs. But this isn¡¯t over yet, not until we take that sword away from her.
"Shadow veil: Hawkeye!"
A black blur flies past me, giving me little time to register the action. It destroys the campfire, spreading the embers all over the small glade. The darkness of night envelops us, trapping us in a glade where our opponent can spread his shadows without any of us catching it.
"Shadow veil¡"
A wide net of Source stretches below our feet, covering the whole glade in their demonic presence!. Nunnal¨¦! I run to her. If this goes off, then she¡¯ll die! Even if I can¡¯t save myself, at least let me save her! What about Alex, what about everyone else!? Damnit, I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know! Just go to her!
"...Predator jaw!"
This isn''t good! It''s transforming into something! There''s no escape from this. All I can do is run, run as fast as I can. I close my eyes, waiting for the worst to happen¡ Nothing, my body is still intact. The Source below us vanishes. Something happened to the enemy.
Zeal chases after the enemy. He must have noticed that too! I drop to the floor, examining her wound. Her auto-heal is working, although slowly, I can see the wound close, little by little. Good, then I can go help Zeal. But first¡
My eyes fall on Alexander, slumped on his knees. ¡°Alexander¡¡± His face, despair is all I see on his face. It¡¯s as if someone ripped away his optimism and courage. Can I even blame him? Seeing his sister like that isn¡¯t something he can easily get over. I¡¯d think I would be angry if he didn¡¯t care. ¡°...Alexander, I¡¯m sorry, but please look over Nunnal¨¦¡ I promise I¡¯ll save Marie!¡±
Tears well up in his eyes. He fights back the urge to do so. He takes Nunnal¨¦¡¯s shoulder and head, resting her against the ground.
¡°Thank you.¡±
I speed off into the dense sea of trees. Since I¡¯m focusing on following the Source trail left behind by the user, I can¡¯t use enhancement; doing so is like playing two different games at once. The way he¡¯s leaving this trail is haphazard. This Source-user¡¯s control is almost non-existent outside of battle.
Zeal is up ahead, but he isn''t heading forward anymore. He''s leaning upon a tree, applying pressure to his leg while blood gushes from a wound on his thigh.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Zeal!"
I immediately heal him, turning off my perception of Source. With this wound and the other ones on his body, I¡¯ll need to stay back to heal him. Going after Marie¡¯s body will only get me killed if I don¡¯t have Zeal as backup.
Damnit, this is all we can do right now. We¡¯ll have to recover from this fight before going any further... I promise Marie, I¡¯ll save you!
Anti-bandit campsite - medical tent - midnight
Despite his wounds, Zeal recovered, thanks to my healing. All he needs is to rest in the medical tent. Proxy is in there, sound asleep. Kind of surprising, really. Nunnal¨¦ is still recovering from her wound, but she isn¡¯t in critical condition from my healing and her own. ¡°So, those needles Chip shot were filled with sedative?¡± I ask Doctor Crow after he took the time to explain what he and Chip had done.
He noticed Marie was exhibiting violent urges, so he was prepared to subdue her if he needed to.
¡°Indeed. Thanks to his marksmanship, we were able to inject her with enough to ward her off. It¡¯ll be awhile before she becomes mobile. In the meantime, let us recover from this attack.¡±
He¡¯s right, rushing off to fight might be a bit rash. So for the time being, I¡¯m going to go investigate the mine.
¡°Doctor Crow, please take care of Nunnal¨¦ and Zeal.¡±
¡°Of course, I am a doctor after all,¡± he said with a hint of joy lacking malign intent. I have no reason to distrust him in any way, but hearing someone say that with nothing else but joy is odd to me¡ Doctor Crow is a good person through and through.
¡°Doctor, may I ask you something¡? Do you think we can save Marie?¡±
He places a hand on my shoulder, his firm grip tightens the area. ¡°...If someone is bleeding in front of me, I don¡¯t ask if I can save them. I only do what I can to save them. That comes from belief in my abilities. If you hold no confidence in yourself, then, of course, it could seem impossible.¡±
Wow, he¡¯s amazing! Belief in my abilities¡ What am I doing? Getting cold feet isn¡¯t going to save Marie, and it won¡¯t help Alexander. That look of total despair was too much for me to handle. I never want to see that ever again!
¡°Thank you, Doctor Crow. I have to go.¡±
¡°Then take care to¨C¡±
¡°Allow me to accompany you.¡±
Nunnal¨¦!? She¡¯s standing, but barely. The torn part of her dress is repairing itself, wearing bandages underneath.
¡°No, you need to go back to bed!¡±
¡°I must! No matter where you go, I must go with you.¡±
I knew she would say something like that. But no matter how you look at it, she¡¯s still recovering.
¡°Again, no, and that¡¯s my final answer. So return to your bed,¡± I command by throwing around my authority. I don¡¯t like speaking to her like this, but it¡¯s effective when I need to get my point across. ¡°...I¡¯m going to go investigate the mine with Ovan. We¡¯ll be back in a little while.¡±
If that mine has anything of value, then I just hope it¡¯ll shed light on all this¡
¡°Richard. May I have a moment of your time, please?¡± Alexander is speaking from behind me. He seems to be doing a lot better now, but from his words, I sensed guilt and shame. ¡°I know this may be sudden, but I would like to apologize for earlier.¡±
¡°Earlier?¡±
¡°I¡did nothing. As my sister rampaged around the camp, I stood around, stupefied by the events that were unfolding. It was a pathetic moment on my behalf.¡± This is really eating away at him, each word comes off as a form of punishment, to repent by confessing his moment of hesitation. ¡°...I shall do anything to make up for my weakness¡ Even if it means my life.¡±
Nothing about that bodes well with me. He shouldn¡¯t have to blame himself for this. Even if he did step in, there¡¯s nothing he could¡¯ve done. In any case, I better get going.
¡°Alexander, when I come back, let¡¯s look for Marie together.¡±
I leave in search of Ovan. We¡¯ll make this investigation quick to go after Marie.
¡
Richard left me alone to myself. He swore he would save Marie. Everyone is doing their best to recuperate from this sudden assault, yet here I am, standing like some dolt. Those younger than me had to take care of my burdens and were harmed because of my inability to act. If I had taken action, then maybe Marie would have calmed down¡ But I was terrified of her, frightened by my sister! Instead of helping her, saving her from whatever had a grasp on her, I just lay there! I am pathetic, I am a worthless brother! If I cannot protect her, then can I even accomplish your dream, father¡? No, I cannot allow things to remain the way they are now. Even if it means my death, I will rescue her!
Eastern Mine - midnight
I exit from Ovan¡¯s vehicle, which is surprisingly not cluttered, and the interior, while a bit rough around the edges, was safe. Facing the mine for the second time, a more menacing pressure emanates from it than it did last time. The air itself smells of blood, irritating my nose to no end.
Ovan steps behind me, brandishing a weapon. ¡°Ready?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
Ignoring my fear, I take a step forward. The soft ground is soon replaced with a hard, rocky surface that echoes my footsteps the deeper I go into the mine. Okay, let¡¯s begin. Like last time, I need to focus on Source, my own, as well as any other nearby¡ Just focus on that¡ Opening my eyes reveals a black trail leading further into the mine, down the same path we went through last time.
¡°So, may I ask how you are able to see this, ¡®Source¡¯?¡±
¡°Well¡ How do I put it¡? At first, I concentrated on my Source, bringing the feeling to the front, using that to paint a picture, giving it form. This worked so I can see mine and the person possessing Marie.¡±
¡°Interesting, but how did you unlock this ability?¡±
¡°It¡¯s funny. I already had the means to do this, but I was narrow-minded. A while back, my teacher told me that understanding my Source is the key to understanding Source. At first, I thought it meant learning how to control mine, so I never thought much of it. But when I was desperate to do something, I suddenly remembered her words. Teacher isn¡¯t the type to say something without meaning¡ ¡±
¡°That¡¯s far too interesting. Care to give me a lesson on the subject?¡±
¡°Oh, um, well, I¡¯m still a novice, so¡¡±
Killing my train of thought, he lets out a boisterous laugh that betrays the image of a silent and calm man. It quickly dies down as he tries to get a grip on himself.
¡°...I kid, I kid. It seems your tendency to be overly serious has not changed.¡± Geez, why does everyone keep laughing at me!? Am I that amusing? ¡°But may I impose a question?¡±
¡°Sure?¡±
¡°Why did you speak to Nunnal¨¦ in such a course manner?¡±
He was listening in on our conversation? He¡¯s good at hiding, I¡¯ll admit that.
¡°I just didn¡¯t want her to come along. She¡¯s hurt and needs rest.¡±
¡°Was that the best method?¡±
¡°She¡¯s stubborn when she wants to be, so I need to be like that sometimes.¡±
¡°Is stubbornness all you think of it?¡±
I sense nothing coming from his words, but I can tell that he¡¯s posing it to bait me into answering, wanting to satiate his curiosity.
¡°No, I know why she wants to come with me, but stubbornness plays a large role.¡±
¡°I see¡¡±
¡°You¡¯re not going to tell me off?¡±
¡°No, it is not my place. I can see that you are coming from a place of goodwill, so I will not say that you are wrong. However, at times, goodwill is sometimes hurtful?.¡±
That comment is a dig from what I can tell, but there¡¯s nothing else behind it.
¡°Maybe so¡¡±
It¡¯s not like me to probe someone¡¯s words unless I have to. What¡¯s up with me¡? Gah, I can¡¯t lose focus.
Returning my focus to the trail, we arrive at the part of the mine we found those bodies. Ovan and his group emptied it. The blood remains as a permanent reminder of the horrific scene that plagued this place the other day. Stepping around here feels weird, more than that, wrong. But there¡¯s no time to be getting disgusted¡ There¡¯s a trail at the back. It doesn¡¯t take long for us to reach the end of the trail. It leads us into a small room filled with flowers that glow as bright as the moon, giving off a delightful feeling that calms me.
¡°I bet Nunnal¨¦ would¡¡±
Hmm¡ Even trying to talk about her puts me in a dower mood. Maybe I was a bit too cold with her. I had my reasons, but maybe I should¡¯ve spoken with her more lightly? No, enough of that, I need to focus! A slab of stone on the other end of this small room is teeming with Source, and it¡¯s the same as the one possessing Marie.
Ovan walks up to the slab. ¡°Look. This stone has a thin hole in it.¡±
He¡¯s right, a couple of centimeters, it looks like something is supposed to go inside¡ Hm? Are these scuff marks by the edges of the hole? On further inspection, the hole is big enough for a sword to slip into. No doubt about it, that sword came from here¡
¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°I know what¡¯s going on.¡±
¡°Care to explain?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll explain while we leave.¡± Ovan follows behind me out of the room of flowers. ¡°...Nunnal¨¦ said she saw traces of Source, the same Source that belonged to the boy Marie killed. At first, I thought he skirted death by somehow putting his soul into the sword.¡±
¡°His soul?¡±
¡°I know, it¡¯s a bit farfetched to be true, even I thought so. But with how Marie was acting and how she had the same presence as the boy we fought, there¡¯s only one conclusion to come to: the boy was also possessed.¡±
¡°Did he acquire the sword from this mine?¡±
¡°Yeah, so he had to be a worker from here. Anyway, the boy also said something interesting. He called Nunnal¨¦ a doll. No matter how you see it, she looks human, but he could tell Nunnal¨¦ was a doll. Even if he can read her Source, he shouldn¡¯t know that. Then, when he was possessing Marie, he said, I meant to take your head. It appears a century¡±. A statement like that makes no sense, even as a saying. I think he meant that literally.
¡°Are you trying to tell me whoever possessed Marie¡¡±
¡°Exactly. The Source-user who possessed her is a Source-user who implanted their soul into a sword!¡±
I don¡¯t know if something such as this is workable with Source, or if it¡¯s an irregularity even with Source, but since she emanated the same presence as that boy, and when she did that ¡°Snipe¡± move, all the Source around her body stopped flowing, but it never stopped for the blade. Even if she just poured all her Source into the blade, it shouldn¡¯t mean her flow would suddenly stop, at least that¡¯s what I think.
Though, it doesn¡¯t matter in the end. There¡¯s one thing that vexes me. He said something about Marie being perfect. Did he mean for possession? If so, then what are the requirements? It can¡¯t be Source. If it were, then why not me or Nunnal¨¦? There¡¯s still more to this that I¡¯m not seeing¡
Easter region - midnight
Her trail ends here. The boots that my sister wears have done me a service by leaving noticeable footprints. I approach a village that is overshadowed by an enormous cliff, blocking out any possibility of natural light. Nothing but cinders and ashes of civilization remains in this forgotten village. In the middle of the ashen village sits Marie, or at least, I think.
Ever since my talk with Richard, I followed her. I told no one about this. I must be the one to save her, as her brother, that¡¯s my duty.
Each step crushes the ashes against my foot, making a noise akin to hands gripping a person¡¯s neck. Further and further, I walk into the shadow that looms over this village.
¡°Are you awake, Marie?¡±
No words are shared, only silence itself. I plant my hand on the hilt of my blade. Every fiber of my being wishes to believe Marie has come to her senses, but I know better. Whatever has a grasp of my sister will not let go so easily. If defeating this thing is my only hope of saving her, then I will give no less than 100%!
¡°Her brother came, how touching¡ But to come alone, how sad.¡± It¡¯s her voice but it lacks what makes her my sister! ¡°...Are you even worthy of challenging me alone?¡± The wind fights against me, telling me to run away, escape with my life, and never set foot in front of her again. Daggers pierce every part of my skin, giving me the same warning as well¡! ¡°That¡¯s a shame. That big fellow was able to ignore my pressure.¡±
I¡will never leave her! Regardless of the torment that follows, or if my body breaks down from the pain itself, I will save my sister! My muscles work against me, holding me back, and preventing me from raising a single foot off the ground.
¡°I suppose you aren¡¯t worth my time. Run along, tell those Source-users to come. Perhaps they¡¯ll¨C¡±
¡°SHUT UP!¡±
My voice bellows inside this isolated village. Even if I have to tear my legs, destroy them, or even rip them off, I will move forward! A visceral scream booms from my lungs, pushing me to go further until I can¡¯t move anymore! The knives dig deeper into my skin, pushing ever closer to my organs, threatening me to stay away. No matter what, I will get there, I will! For father, for mother, and for Marie!
Enduring this pain, moving will all my might, and persisting no matter what, all of this allowed me to place a foot forward. The daggers that tore at my flesh, ripping into my organs, disappear. My body feels significantly lighter than a moment ago.
¡°Well, I¡¯ll be. Maybe this¡¯ll be ?fun.¡± Marie¡¯s body stands up. The enemy¡¯s blade comes spinning out of its scabbard. Her arm catches it without taking a glance at it. ¡°...You¡¯re the first to endure my Source like that¡ Don¡¯t get my hopes up just to disappoint; at least last for an hour.¡±
¡°I do not care to amuse you¡!¡± I clench the blade in my hand. Intense, fiery hatred courses through my veins. Such a thing is ugly, but a despicable being parades around in my sister''s body. Why should I not burn with hatred!? ¡°...For your foul actions, this will be the last you walk the night!¡±
It forced a nauseating laugh out of Marie¡¯s lungs. It cackles, spilling its hideous visage through Marie. ¡°Then, by all means, make this a night to remember!¡±
With my sword drawn, I have officially challenged this monster¡ Marie; I failed you once, but never again. If I fail you again, then death is the only thing that awaits me tonight.
A brothers determination
Eastern region - anti-bandit campsite - midnight
We finally returned to camp. The overall atmosphere of the camp is dismal. I can¡¯t blame them. With what happened, of course our morale is going to be bleak. But there¡¯s nothing I can do about it. Getting Marie back comes first! That sword is the cause of all this. Getting rid of it will probably return her to normal.
¡°Richard!¡±
My heart jumps inside my chest. Chip shouted my name from behind. Ovan doesn¡¯t seem surprised in the least. How didn¡¯t see him? Although, he sounds panicked.
¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I ask, anticipating the worst.
¡°It¡¯s Alexander. The guy went after Marie!¡±
What!? Why would he¡ Why wouldn¡¯t he? I¡¯m an idiot! Of course he was going to go after her! Even if it isn¡¯t logical, his sister is in danger; logic be damned!
¡°There¡¯s no use sitting around. Let us go after him,¡± Ovan, acting as the voice of reason, sorts out our next objective.
If we¡¯re going to go, then we¡¯ll need to do it on foot. I¡¯m not as adept at tracing Source, so traveling in a car is a no-go. However¡
¡°Ovan, can I ask why you want to help us?¡±
¡°Because I am grateful.¡±
¡°For what?¡±
¡°...For Marie taking in the slaves of the Hell Mine. Not just her, but you, Proxy, as well as Alexander, gave these people the chance to live outside again. Most importantly, they have a purpose, a reason to live. I must repay their kindness.¡±
So heartfelt¡ When I think about it, most of the people in our band were slaves. Some of them seemed lost when they started living with us. I know what it¡¯s like to lose yourself, to wander around, unaware of what you want out of life.
¡°Come, Richard, there is no time to lose.¡±
He¡¯s right. We¡¯re wasting time standing here. I don¡¯t know if bringing Marie back is going to fix everything, but we have to hope!
We rush to the other side of the glade, where Zeal and I lost track of Marie¡¯s body. The medical tent catches my eye. Of course, my only thoughts are on Nunnal¨¦. Even if I couple in her auto-heal capability, she¡¯ll need some time to recover. It¡¯s not that I¡¯m underestimating her, I just¡ Forget it, it doesn¡¯t matter right now. All my focus should go to saving Marie and making sure we get there quick enough to help Alexander.
Eastern region - Ashen village - midnight
This village of ash, from a war that has long passed, will serve as a battlefield once again. Fighting here is nothing but disrespectful to the men, women, and children who perished here, but the circumstances are dire. Please, accept my humblest apologies.
The palm of my hands releases sweat. My knuckles wrapped around the hilt of my sword. I await the enemy, looking out for the first move.
Shadows stretch forward, swimming through the ashes. Standing idle will lead to death. My enemy is capable of attack from all sides, with beasts spawning from the ground at any given moment. What will emerge from the ground? Caution is my weapon. I must use it accordingly and advance.
A throng of monsters claw out of the ground, narrowly grazing my skin. No matter the size, they¡¯re easily brought down with a single swing. Such frail bodies are easily dismissed. However, they still bear great power. A single misstep can be the end of me. Press forward without sacrificing my momentum. This is my stratagem to victory!
¡°Not bad. Your swordplay is honest, yet yields no openings. But I can sense anger in each of your swings, pulling you forward into battle.¡±
Do not focus on his words! I need to keep pushing. Slashing away at the beasts in front of me gives me an opening. Our swords interlock, telling me that my enemy saw the same opening. Steel grinding against the other scrapes the inside of my ear.
¡°It has been a while since I¡¯ve gotten to duel someone with swordplay. That doll was strong, but she lacked the qualities to be called a proper swordsman.¡±
Making the first move is crucial. I tear away from our deadlock. The sound of steel rings aloud, constantly elevating in volume as our fierce contest to best the other continues on. Marie¡¯s blows are powerful. My arms are practically turning to mush. Each blow could knock the blade out of my hand if I do not keep a firm hold on it.
Whoever this person controlling my sister is, their swordsmanship should not be taken lightly. Swift, sharp reads, powerful, and decisive blows are the crutch of their attacks. If I linger with the same moves, I¡¯ll be easily countered. One blow is all I need, enough to deliver a non-lethal blow. However, another opening is required, and with how this clash is going, I¡¯ll lose my arms before I can strike, and if that happens, I will¨C No! It is okay! Focus, all I need to do is focus. Time my swings, watch for their blade, be careful of the shadows below, and for other foul play.
¡°If we don¡¯t break out of this soon, you will die! Come on, what are you¨C¡±
There! A second that could pass without so much as a thought behind it. However, I observed that second. I kick up ash from below my heel, clouding the enemy¡¯s vision. My blade pierces the cloud. I place the tip of my blade at Marie¡¯s shoulder.
¡°Surrender, or else you¡¯ll lose mobility in your shoulder.¡±
The fiend chuckles. ¡°You¡¯re a terrible gambler¡¡±
Wearing a grin brimming with evil, Marie¡¯s shoulder pushes into the tip of my blade. Lightning runs down my spine. I leap away from her. A shadow chases me through the ashes. Sharp rods jut out from the ground. Taking an extra step back keeps me from being skewered. Those rods extend, pursuing me without pause.
Pivoting to the side, I bring down my sword before they could reach me.
¡°What reaction speed. The first part should¡¯ve killed you. But I wouldn¡¯t laze around if I were you.¡±
The shadow launches another monster. What the¡!? Its humongous body overshadows me from the sky as it rapidly descends from the air. It will crush me if I do not evade! I barrel out of the way. Its body smacks the ground, spreading the ashes around. I ignore it to make for another assault on the enemy.
¡°Wise decision¡ But.¡±
My ankle suddenly tightens midway to my opponent. A hand? Slicing it apart required no effort on my part. However, more fly out of the shadow. Dodging proves to be the best course of action. An excess of arms greets me, clambering over each other to reach me. Cutting them all down takes incredible skill, coupled in with accuracy to see where to cut.
¡°I am truly impressed. Your skill with a sword is nothing to scoff at¡¡±
The dozens of arms press against the ground, lifting something out of the shadows¡ W¡ What is this abomination!?
A monster that shatters my sense of reality. Hands were misplaced all over this mass of flesh. Its skin is nothing more than a black ooze that drips onto the ground, soiling the ashes. Faces emerge from every part of the body. Each of them writhing in various forms of agony, sorrow, and anguish, begging for a release.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
What possesses a person to create such¡such horror!?
¡°Let me guess, you thought my ability was to create monsters, correct? If that¡¯s the case, then you¡¯re right, yet wrong. I don¡¯t create them. Instead, I give them form.¡±
¡°W-what?¡±
¡°My ability isn¡¯t creation, but devouring inner monsters and giving them form!¡± Inner-monsters? Then those other monsters were from people. ¡°...I won¡¯t give too much, but in short: I used to fulfill conditions to devour someone¡¯s inner monster, whether born from fear, anxiety, panic, or bloodlust, as long as it takes form into a creature that represents these feelings, I can snatch it up and use it. I¡¯ll tell you, I took a shit-ton of them back in my day. But this! This thing takes the cake.¡±
The monster shrieks. Its painful cry resonates throughout this deserted village. Using its hands, it swipes the ground. I rush to evade it, but its hands cover more ground than I can hope to cover. Shielding myself is all I can manage from suffering too much damage. The attack smacks me into a ruined home. Luckily, I broke nothing and did not sustain too much damage.
¡°Such strength¡¡±
If I am struck again, I cannot say I will be okay. To defeat this monster, I¡¯ll need to do it with haste. Leaping out of the broken house, I sever the limbs darting at me. But no matter how many I destroy, another replaces it. No matter how many I cut, I cannot close the distance.
¡°But even with your skill, you¡¯re simply human.¡±
Hands gathered in masses, layered on top of the other, surround me from all sides. They grab me before I could react. Numerous sections of my body are constrained, suspending my sword from any further use.
¡°You know, that sword of yours, it looks familiar¡ ?It annoys me whenever I look at it. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± The beast lifts me to the sky above its body. ¡°Before you die, allow me to tell you something. Whenever I devour someone''s monster, it usually comes at the cost of their soul. But don¡¯t worry, your sister will still be alive, technically. So don¡¯t worry, big brother, I¡¯ll be fine.¡±
How dare you? You dare steal my sister''s body and now you make fun of our bond. Inexcusable! I summon all the strength in my body. With all the force I can manage, several arms fly off my body, freeing my sword hand. I cleave the remaining arms from my body, leaving me to plummet through the air. A sea of arms stretch toward me. All of them fail to touch me. My sword sinks into the monster''s head, splashing the black ooze all over myself.
¡°Forgive me, but I must!¡±
A wet noise follows my blade, which tears through the side of the monster as I repel from its head. Landing on the ground, I separate my sword from it. Sharing the same fate as the others before it, it becomes a formless black ooze¡I¡¯m sorry. I do not know who you are, but whoever you are, hopefully, that put your spirit to rest.
A straight path to Marie presents itself. Before any more monsters show up, I have to reach her. Sprinting, I am quick to close the gap. Instead of using my sword, I will tackle her. Forgive me, Marie, but with this, I will¨C
¡°Brother?¡±
My body freezes, ceasing movement completely. Marie¡¯s voice, without the malicious presence that took hold of her, calls for me.
Flabbergasted, I drop my sword to hug my sister. ¡°Marie, is that¡are you, you?¡±
¡°Yes, brother. Thanks to you, I was able to break free.¡±
My hand loosens around my sword, dropping it to the ground. Tears begin to well up in my eye. ¡°That¡¯s wonderful, that¡¯s truly wonderful.¡± I take her hand in mine. ¡°...I am so sorry. It forced you to combat us, but I could do nothing.¡± The tears roll from my eyes. Her face blurs from my tears. ¡°Can¡can you forgive your brother!?¡±
¡°Of course¡¡±
Her delicate smile warms my heart, helping me to let my guard down. That smile drudges up fine memories of when we were children. A smile that held only innocents. When she used to smile like that, I thought of her as a beauty for the world to behold. That smile was lost to me seven years ago, right as the war came to its conclusion. No matter what, I shall protect it, now and forever.
¡°Come, Marie. Let us¨C¡±
A blur flies past my eyes. There¡¯s a burning sensation spread across my chest. Reality strikes me when blood gushed from my chest. My legs lose the strength to support me. I collapse on top of the ashes. Breathing stabs at the back? of my throat. My thoughts are in disarray, desperate to come up with an answer for this sudden shift of tones.
My eyes narrow their gaze on Marie¡¯s face¡ The sinister stare I expected to look back at me, boasting how they were able to deceive me, does not surface. Tears rain down from her beautiful face, witless from the sight before her. The one who towers over me is not an enemy, but my sister.
¡°Brother?¡±
¡
The smell of blood enters my nose, clouding my sense of smell. It doesn¡¯t bother me more than it sharpens my focus. One after the other, more enemies show up, trying to kill me in a plethora of ways. But no matter how many of them show, I just cut them down. Their blood spews all over, sticking onto me, my spear, and fills the already blood-soaked ground that travels farther than the eye can see.
One of them managed to survive for this long. He keeps blocking, evading, and deflecting whatever I do. Of course, I¡¯m able to do the same. Each strike leaves an impression on me, telling me this guy wants to kill me as quickly as possible. Their style is brutal, wielding their spear masterfully, making no unnecessary movements. Yet, in this master-level of spearmen ship, it¡¯s dirty. Dirty in the sense that there¡¯s no grace, it lacks beauty, only seeking victory at any cost; if I wasn¡¯t so good with a spear, I¡¯d be dead by now.
How long has this been going on? The thought plays in my head over and over, but nobody and nothing can answer this question. Only one thing matters, when is the other gonna make a mistake?
¡°What the!?¡±
Metal smashes against the other, creating a hypnotic sound. My spear flies out of my hand, sinking into the red liquid. My enemy¡¯s spear flies past my head. Each thrust leaves no margin for error; one wrong step and it''s all over. There¡¯s no way to grab the spear from the shaft¡ Screw it!
Using a thrust aimed at my heart, I catch the blade with my right arm. It pierces my hand, sparking pain in my arm. Every part of my brain tells me to scream and thrash around to subdue this agonizing pain. But this is my only chance to kill him! Grit and bear it!
Grabbing the shaft, I tear it from my opponent¡¯s hand. Pulling out the spear, the scent of blood grows stronger, almost intoxicatingly so. The simple motion of pushing the spear forward tears through my enemy¡¯s stomach like a knife through a fruit. There was little thought out behind it. Even the pain emanating from my arm suddenly faded like a fleeting memory.
Flexing my muscles, I rend the enemy¡¯s chest wide open. Gallons of blood fill the sea of blood beneath my feet. Like rain falling onto a body of water, it ripples across the blood, traveling with no end.
¡°It¡¯s over¡ Finally.¡±
Finally, finally! It¡¯s all over. I did it; I won! I protected everyone, me. As disgusting as I am, I saved them. Even with blood on my hands, I can still protect people, right, guys?
I turn my head. Their bodies float in the blood, showing no signs of life. Drifting in this endless sea of red¡ Why¡? Why are they still dead!? I thought I protected them! I thought I saved them, so why!? These bastards, covering their faces! Let¡¯s see what you disgusting, malignant, horrid monsters look like!
Their faces¡ No¡ My heart beats faster. Each beat pounds harder than the last, getting louder and louder, becoming the only sound that breaks the dead air. Their faces¡it¡¯s me? No, no, no, no, no! Desperation takes hold. I rush to the others I killed. No, this isn¡¯t right. This isn¡¯t right. Impossible! All of them, every single one of them, is me!
¡°No¡I¡Oh¡I¡!¡±
Their faces ravage my head, remaking the scene where they stabbed everyone drowning drifting in the blood. The images pick at my brain, similar to how predators pick apart the meat of their prey.
¡°None of this is right! I wouldn¡¯t do this, I wouldn¡¯t!¡±
¡°Sister?¡±
That voice, a voice that pulls a string in my heart. It belongs to someone precious to me. I run to the voice. If they¡¯re alive, then that means I didn¡¯t fail! Running along the endless sea of blood is grueling. Each step I take sinks me deeper into the crimson that spans miles.
My feet sunken into the blood, barely able to move them any further, I finally made it to the person that voice belonged to. A young blonde boy stands in front of me, greeting me with a probing stare; as if he can see through me; seeing all there is to me. I motion my hand towards his.
¡°Miss¡¡± His quiet voice strikes me to the core of my being, stopping my hand from going any further ¡°...May I ask for your name?¡±
Hesitation bites at my tongue, but I give him my name anyway. ¡°Marie¡¡±
¡°No, that¡¯s wrong. My sister is not a killer.¡±
Killer!? What!? No, that¡¯s¨C These bodies, where did they come from!? Their names, their faces, I can¡¯t remember, but there are so many!
¡°W-wait! No, I was forced to! I swear. I would never do this! You know I wouldn¡¯t!¡±
¡°Liar.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not, I mean it!¡±
¡°You only care about yourself!¡±
¡°That¡¯s not true!¡±
¡°It is!¡±
¡°No, it isn¡¯t!¡±
¡°Yes, it is!¡±
¡°I said it isn¡¯t!¡±
Stab¡ That sound shuts off my brain for a moment. A disgusting sound thunders across this endless sea of red. Warm, my hand feels warm¡ This familiar warmth blankets my hand. The sea of blood disappears. Houses burned to the ground, turned into nothing but black ash lays everywhere in this small village. An enormous cliff overshadows me, acting as a veil for the darkness that overlaps this village. In my hands is a sword, trickling with fresh blood. Below me lies its victim¡ My victim!
No¡ No, this is a nightmare, nothing but a nightmare! Please, please, please, please, please! This can¡¯t be real!
¡°Brother?¡±
Blazing hearts!
Eastern region - Ashen village - midnight
The end of the trail leads us to a small village with an enormous cliff hanging over it. It took us 10 minutes to reach this place. The village is nothing but burned homes and ashes spread around all over the ground. This village gives off a profound sadness.
In the middle of the village, someone stands, almost like they''re waiting for us. Source is radiating from Marie, similar to water bursting from a faucet. No matter how I look at it, that¡¯s the Source-user.
Since we don¡¯t have Nunnal¨¦, and Zeal and Zell aren¡¯t in the best condition to fight, we¡¯ll need to be careful.
¡°Let us go.¡±
Ovan takes the first step into the ashen village. I follow behind him, preparing myself by enhancing one of my legs. The Source emanating from the center of the village is frighteningly stronger than it was before. Does it have something to do with how dark it is?
¡°Welcome.¡± My breath runs thin as my heart skipped a beat. A disturbing feeling erupts from the village. That one word spoke volumes of the evil that has taken root here. ¡°Glad to see more of you made it here. Though, not my preferred choice.¡±
A heavy gulp makes its way down my throat, trying to swallow whatever fear is building up in my throat. ¡°Where¡¯s Alexander?¡± I spat, putting up a tough front.
¡°Oh, you mean ¡®big brother¡¯?¡± The Source-user says in a cutesy voice. ¡°...Don¡¯t worry.¡± It picks him up by the head, waving him around like a display piece. ¡°He¡¯s not dead, yet.¡± I can¡¯t get a look at his condition from here, but he has to be hurt. ¡°...You should have seen the look on this woman¡¯s face. With her own hands, she slashed her own brother. I gave her one look, now she¡¯s thrashing around inside her head. Her pitiful screams, filled to the brim with sorrow, anger, and most of all, the desire to die.¡±
¡°The desire¡to die?¡±
Those words fall out of my mouth, like a child mimicking what it hears on tv. It¡¯s unbelievable to think that¡¯s something Marie would want.
¡°Yeah. It¡¯s an intense desire, born from resentment, guilt, shame, and a tinge of worthlessness.¡± Marie¡¯s body spins, dancing around like a ballerina on a large stage. ¡°A feeling so strong that it drowns one in a perpetual state of decay. Their mind is driven mad, their heart turns into disarray, and their bodies erode. Little by little, they sink further and further, until they¡¯re nothing but an empty husk, awaiting death.¡± Something in me snaps, growing annoyed with this thing¡¯s inhuman words. ¡°...I always had an eye for these kinds of things. I always loved it when I brought people down to their knees, wrapped in despair.¡±
This sickening feeling building in my head worsens, consuming all rational thought in my head.
¡°...Why? What¡¯s the point of all this!?¡±
¡°To see your miserable faces! That¡¯s why I became a swordsman. Not to be good at the art, but to lead all swordsmen to a miserable end! That¡¯s why I fight, that¡¯s why I continue to live, that¡¯s why I sealed myself in this sword!¡±
¡°What type of madman would live for that!?¡±
¡°Me! I would! All men, no matter who, must have a purpose to live! Isn¡¯t it more insane to drift through life as a fish in the sea? My Source even agrees with me! My ability is the product of my desire to consume such misery!¡± I can¡¯t believe this. Such evil¡ I never knew something like this could exist anywhere. Even compared to the people we fought up to this point, I can at least say I¡¯ve never had to hear such subhuman remarks. ¡°...But I will say this, the despair coming from the both of them was just too good! Damn, I mean, you should¡¯ve seen the look on the brother¡¯s face when I slashed him! He was practically tearing up.¡± A nasty cackle erupts from Marie ¡°That¡¯s just too good.¡± It pokes Alexander¡¯s face with Marie¡¯s foot. ¡°Such devotion to his sister, but I guess it means nothing when you¡¯re weak.¡± A laugh carrying all the evil in the world follows. ¡°So pathe¨C¡±
¡°Stop laughing!¡± I scream those words, carrying all the anger that has been boiling inside me. ¡°...Who the hell do you think you are?¡±
¡°...Hm? Let¡¯s see¡ I don¡¯t know! A century has passed, so my name is lost to me.¡±
¡°...Is it fun to make fun of them like that? Messing with them like that? Where¡¯s the pleasure in that? Where¡¯s the amusement in that¡? Why is it fun to trample all over their bond like that!?¡± All the Source I can concentrate into a limb goes into my hand, hardening it to a fine point. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive a disgusting act like that. I¡¯ll never forgive you, and I¡¯ll destroy you myself!¡±
¡°Huh?¡± is the Source-user¡¯s response, seemingly annoyed by what I said. ¡°Odd, a corpse said something funny.¡±
An oppressive wave of anger crashes against my body, crushing me beneath its force. No matter how strong, I won¡¯t sink to my knees, not to a vile thing like this! Their bond is something I idolize, something that needs to be cherished, so I¡¯ll¡ Never stand down!
¡°What the¨C How are you still standing!?¡±
¡°Maybe you¡¯re weak?¡±
Marie¡¯s head meets with a high kick that barrels her away from Alexander. The new arrival¡¯s jacket swayed as his torso curved, strapped with weapons around his body.
¡°Bastard!¡±
¡°Sorry, but that kick was too clean!¡± That¡¯s¡ Proxy! ¡°...Come on, Marie would''ve kicked my ass if I tried that. So why don''t you be a good boy or girl, and leave her body, kay?¡±
¡°Shadow Veil!¡±
That stance! The one where the sword rests on Marie''s forearm like a sniper.
¡°Run, Proxy!
¡°Sni¨C¡±
Unable to finish, the enemy gets struck again, thrown through a dilapidated building. A familiar set of purple hair enters my vision. The dress that I¡¯ve come to familiarize myself with sways alongside the wind, untouched by the ashes.
¡°I was to attack first, Proxy,¡± she criticizes, casting a scorn-filled gaze.
He goes to pick up Alexander. ¡°Whatever. At least we made it on time.¡±
Aren''t they injured? What are they doing here? Does Proxy understand what¡¯s going on right now?
¡°Richard, we got one injured!¡±
Proxy sprints with Alexander on his back. Nunnal¨¦ slips under him, lifting them. She shortens their trip to 5 seconds. They lay him on the ground. A huge slash mark tore open his chest. Blood is still leaking out. I waste no time healing him. Focus on stopping the bleeding, then heal him up. The wound itself isn¡¯t too deep, so nothing important was severed or destroyed.
"Proxy, Nunnal¨¦, what are¨C"
Before I could finish, Nunnal¨¦ drew a sword from Proxy''s back. The Source-user made an attack, stopped by Nunnal¨¦''s blade. Proxy swerves around her, going for a swift kick. He lands another blow to Marie¡¯s ribs. Nunnal¨¦¡¯s arms move like lightning, thrusting her blade toward the shoulder. A creature dives out of the shadows, taking the blow.
It served as a decoy to catch Nunnal¨¦ by surprise. I jump into the fray, blocking the strike with my arm, enhanced with Source. The sword hitting me triggered a dull feeling in my forearm, but I feel no pain; similar to hitting when your body is numb. I shove Marie¡¯s body away, giving us a little breathing room.
The enemy stabs their sword into the ground, instantly stopping their movement. ¡°You kids got some spunk. I see, I see¡ In that case!¡±
¡°It¡¯s spreading its Source below us,¡± Nunnal¨¦ warns us.
¡°Knew you''d try that! It¡¯s time to shine, boys!¡±
Proxy¡¯s odd declaration catches my attention. Fire spreads from the far ends of the village, engulfing it in bright flames that only burn what remains of the houses. Flames come flying from behind, outside of the village. These flames were carried by arrows, illuminating the small village in a fire that burns all.
¡°What? Thought we came alone? Guess again, moron.¡±
¡°You¨C¡±
Gilhart, with the same opening method, surprise attacks the enemy, hitting Marie''s body with the palm of his hand. Proxy follows up with a single strike to her chest. Those blows were enough to send her sliding onto the ground, driving up the ashes.
Giving the Source-user no time to breathe, archers on what remains of some buildings target our adversary. Each arrow fails to hit, being torn out of the sky with the flourish of its sword. But this leaves it open for Quincy and Doctor Crow to come in. Quincy aims for her sword hand, copying the thrust of a fencer. A giant fish monster bursts from the dark liquid, curving its body around Marie. Quincy ducks his head, giving Doctor Crow a chance to strike. Wielding a bulky sword that looks like a hacksaw with an odd handle, Doctor Crow sunders the shadow A disgusting sound follows behind the slash.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
A monster lifts Marie¡¯s feet from within the puddle, getting her body away from us.
¡°All of you came?¡± I whisper, awestruck by the sudden events unfolding in front of me.
¡°Course, you dumbass,¡± Proxy spits, scowling at me.
¡°Wha¨C Why are you calling me that?¡±
¡°He is not wrong, master Richard. You are acting foolish!¡±
¡°Because I came to rescue Marie?¡±
¡°Idiot! Of course not. It''s cause you didn¡¯t take Nunnal¨¦ with you, that¡¯s why.¡±
¡°What about Nunnal¨¦? She was, and probably still is injured.¡±
¡°So what?¡± Confused, my mouth hangs agape.
"I agree," Ovan says, looking me dead in the eye ¡°...I understand you only wish to protect her, but in order to do that, you ignored what she wanted. If you ask me, you¡¯re the stubborn one.¡±
Proxy drops all the weapons on his body and walks toward the enemy. Gilhart walks alongside him, discarding his shirt.
¡°Are they going to¡¡±
¡°Master Richard,¡± Nunnal¨¦ calls my name. ¡°...Allow me to fight.¡±
¡°But aren¡¯t you¨C¡±
¡°Yes, my injury is recovering at a slow rate. However, that will not stop me from fighting.¡± She hardens her gaze, putting forth a semblance of feeling. ¡°...You stated that we were partners, that we would fight together. If that is true, then why will you not allow me to fight alongside you?¡±
¡°I¡ I just don¡¯t want you to get hurt any more than you have to.¡±
No matter how many times we fight, the image of her struggling to stand during our first will never leave my mind.
¡°But I will.¡±
Her immediate response shocks me. Not only that, but there¡¯s more emotion put into her words, although minuscule. She turns her back to me.
¡°...However, I will not die. That is the wish of my master, so I will not die. So I ask of you, do not look down upon me; let me fight.¡±
Was I doing that? Looking down on her? I didn¡¯t mean to. I¡I¡ I was. All that stuff I said about us fighting together was just that: talk. When it came down to it, I never thought about what Nunnal¨¦ felt. It¡¯s laughable. There was never a moment where I saw her dedication to protect me as anything but being hardheaded¡
¡°Nunnal¨¦, can I at least know why you want to fight?¡±
¡°I wish to protect you, that is my duty¡ Furthermore, I wish to save Marie. There is an indescribable sensation that urges me to help her. It is an odd feeling, however, I do not wish to go against it.¡±
Her voice is backed by a sort of strength I''ve never heard from her before. And her reason¡ Okay, that''s all I needed.
¡°Sorry, Nunnal¨¦, for being a fool!¡±
Even if it¡¯s hardheaded, her need to protect me, like how I want to get stronger, is real. I¡¯ve been denying it this whole time, denying her of her privilege to fight, and her being injured was the perfect excuse.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, please win!¡±
She tightens her first. ¡°Yes!¡±
"Also, get the sword out of her hand! That''s where all the Source is coming from!"
"I understand. I will use your advice to achieve victory."
I can feel it, not with my ability to sense the emotion from words, but I can sense it, anyway. Nunnal¨¦ is fired up! If she''s getting geared up, so should I! I''ll heal Alexander as much as I can so I can let Nunnal¨¦ use my Source as much as she wants. I¡¯ll believe in her, as much as I believe in Proxy.
¡
Approaching Marie like this is stressful. The pressure coming off her is telling me something nasty is coming from her. Each of my steps gets heavier as I try to keep up with Gil. He doesn¡¯t seem fazed by the fact Marie is our enemy, or this killer pressure is crashing against us. That just makes this even more stressful. Damn, even my shoulders are getting heavier from getting this close. Am I really gonna be okay?
¡°Proxy, don¡¯t lose your focus for a second,¡± Gil tells, keeping his eyes forward, trained on Marie¡¯s figure.
Did he sense my unease? Geez, this is embarrassing. I need to pull myself together, or else we¡¯ll get wiped before we can do shit.
¡°Got you.¡±
¡°And remember the plan¡¡±
He doesn¡¯t need to tell me. We just gotta attack together and keep close to the enemy. I don¡¯t have time to be doubting myself and all that crap. Just gotta pull myself together and fight like always; buckle my knees a little, place my left foot forward with my left hand, and take a deep breath¡ Yeah, I got this!
¡°I got it!¡±
Marie, or at least the son of a bitch possessing her approaches us, stopping a good ways away from us. ¡°So, you¡¯re Proxy? This girl seems to hold you in high regard, almost like a little brother."
Is that bastard going through her memories? Kinda disgusting if you ask me.
¡°You gross bastard. Don¡¯t you know going through a girl¡¯s stuff is bad?¡±
¡°Same thing she told you.¡±
¡°Yeah, well, the same thing applies to you.¡± I fall into my stance, ready to move the second this shit starts. ¡°...You better give her body back.¡±
¡°Are you going to kill me if I don¡¯t?¡±
¡°No, we¡¯re going to force you out of her body.¡±
Good, Nunnal¨¦ caught up, and we got archers on the building. Plus, the Doc and Quincy are covering us, just as planned.
The plan is simple. We¡¯re acting as layers here, so the soldiers who¡¯re coming into the village are going to act as the outer layer, then we got Nunnal¨¦, who¡¯ll be the second layer, and Gil and I are going to be the innermost! Basically, like cake, but all the layers are topped with frosting.
¡°Proxy, follow my lead. Nunnal¨¦, get ready to cover us!¡±
¡°Yeah!¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
¡°Oh, ain¡¯t this going to be fun. Like always, I¡¯ll try to play on your levels.¡± Marie¡¯s eyes closed. ¡°...After all, I don¡¯t want to¨C¡±
We race off, taking advantage of this opportunity. Nunnal¨¦ follows behind us. Gil¡¯s foot slams into her gut. I yank her free hand, following up with a body blow, releasing right after. It pushes the enemy back, clenching Marie¡¯s gut. That was good, my body has really recovered, but I shouldn¡¯t push myself too much, or I¡¯ll ruin my body.
Her face is forced to show an ugly look of glee, like they¡¯re enjoying the fight. ¡°My, my! That was quite the strike¡! Isn¡¯t this quite the predicament? I can¡¯t outstretch my shadows as far as I like anymore. Oh well, I suppose the handicap is a good thing. If I kill you too quickly, then¨C¡±
¡°Can you shut up? If you¡¯re gonna fight, then fight," I spat with venom behind my words.
¡°Temper, temper!¡±
The shadows below disappear, leaving no trace of ever existing. Nunnal¨¦ speeds past us right when the enemy did. Their blades violently clash, creating an ear-bursting sound. Roaring winds send the flames around into a frenzy. Holy shit, if I had been close to that, my body would¡¯ve been crushed by the air pressure.
Though, brief, their clashes tell me everything I need to know about our enemy. Their swordplay is good, real good¡but not as good as Alex¡¯s. Without that power packed into it, he would''ve kicked this dude''s ass!
¡°Over here!¡±
From Gil¡¯s call, she throws Marie at us by taking advantage of their height difference. We punch her in the back, softening our punches to not crush it. My sense kicks in, sending warning bells through my brain that danger is coming from below! I push Gil, backing away from the hit as well, dodging it by the skin of my teeth. In our place were thin needles, sharp enough to rip through human flesh. I couldn¡¯t tell that it was below my feet before my sense kicked in.
¡°Well, that¡¯s no fun. I suppose my shadows aren¡¯t as effective for attacking at this moment. Very well, I¡¯ll show you something exciting!¡± Shadows dance around Marie¡¯s body, morphing around her body, turning into a bulky set of armor as black as night. A mask reflects us, somehow appearing lifeless. ¡°...Black Gallary: beast of madness armor. Catchy name, right?¡± Kinda sick, not gonna lie. Wait, don¡¯t compliment the enemy! ¡°...I¡¯ll kill you two, first.¡±
True to its word, it makes the first move by extending its sword; from 3 feet to 6. I weave under the blade, keeping my chest low to the ground to avoid getting diced up. Shifting my weight forward, I lunge at her. Spinning us around, I manage to daze the enemy without confusing myself. Gil cracks the mask with a well-placed punch. I smash my elbow against her mask, causing another crack in the helmet.
¡°Wha¨C¡±
Gil belts the enemy, shutting them up, followed by another strike from me. One after another, blow for blow, we take turns bashing against the armor¡¯s hard shell. A storm of kicks and punches assaults the enemy from all sides, giving it no room to react or to make one of its own. Each of our attacks has to be hard, or else we won''t do enough damage to the armor. And if we mess up our timing, then we''ll lose our advantage. I''ll worry about keeping them mixed up while Gil does the major damage.
"Damnit! Why¡can''t¡I¡"
No matter how you slice it, we got you trapped in an onslaught of slugs and kicks. I can feel it, my body is getting warmed up. Though, I¡¯m still recovering, so I¡¯m not going to hitting my max any time soon. Even so, I can at least keep up with the bastard¡¯s attacks. Though I don¡¯t know how much I recovered, so I hope my legs don¡¯t give out all of a sudden.
¡°Enough!¡±
A murderous pressure stabs through the core of my being, causing a lag in my movement by at least a second. This second was all it needed to break out of our trap. Its blade, coated in dark energy, shifting in waves powerful, is gonna slice me down the middle. A purple blur slides between us, saving me from my immediate death. Her sword endured the dark waves that would¡¯ve torn my body apart since they destroyed the upper half of a building behind us.
¡°Proxy, attack!¡±
¡°Gotcha!¡±
I jump up to my feet. Summoning all the power into my legs, I soar over Nunnal¨¦, thrusting my leg at Marie¡¯s head, mimicking the thrust of her spear. I throw another kick, cracking the helmet protecting her head.
Gil, being the surprisingly sneaky bastard he is, hammers his leg into Marie¡¯s shoulder, pushing his leg further down Marie¡¯s shoulder. Before the enemy can counter, he throws her body down the road with his raw strength. The flames continue to blaze around us, eliminating any room for a shadow. As long as they stay on the ruined buildings and don¡¯t spread on the ground, we¡¯ll be fine.
¡°Proxy, Nunnal¨¦, are you two okay?¡±
¡°We¡¯re good, but that was too damn close!¡±
¡°We must aim for the sword. That is the origin of the Source surrounding her.¡±
So if we chuck that sword out of her hand, then we¡¯ll all be good? Works for me.
¡°Okay, me and Gil will give you an opening.¡±
Gil scoots next to me, lowering his torso a little. ¡°Proxy, we¡¯ll hit her once on both sides. But I ain¡¯t gonna tell you when, so you¡¯re gonna have to rely on your gut.¡±
Probably doesn¡¯t want to give away our plan, I get that. Besides, relying on my gut is what I do best.
¡°Gotcha!¡±
Marie¡¯s possessed body trudges toward us. Its sword changes shape, forming talons on the spine. Murderous intent is oozing from her body, preparing to tear us to shreds with all of it in this next go-around.
Clenching my fist, I put them in front of me, steeling my nerves¡ You know, when I first hit Marie, I was angry, pitiful, and spiteful. Hell, I even hated her¡ Maybe she deserved it, yet I can¡¯t ever seem to forgive myself for doing that to her. But this time is different. This is going to hurt, but hang in there a little longer, Marie. I¡¯ll save you with my fists, and I¡¯ll bring you back to your brother, so don¡¯t you dare give up now!
A light shines over the ashes
Eastern region - Ashen village - midnight
The fire continues burning whatever remained of the village, surrounding us in its awesome glow. My lungs feel the heat pushing down my throat like a chinchilla being forced down my mouth. Embers glide through the sky, covering my field of vision as they dance in the air. Beautiful, but frightening.
That creepy bastard in Marie¡¯s body walks toward us, acting like some big shot, waving around that stupid sword of theirs. The only weapon I got on me is this stone sword, and it¡¯s jack useless. But it might tank a few hits before getting destroyed. Although, testing that idea is kinda scary in this situation, so yeah¡
The plan is still good to go, but I¡¯m not sure we can rely on it much longer. I might not be able to sense Source and stuff, but you don¡¯t need to tell this opponent is bad news when they get going. Heck, I¡¯m even breaking a sweat right now.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you ready?¡± Gil asks as she gets ready to sprint.
Nunnal¨¦ leans forward, fixing her gaze on the enemy. ¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Then don¡¯t slow down for a moment. You too, Proxy!¡±
Don¡¯t need to tell me twice. The way the enemy¡¯s sword looks; splitting off into segments, barely being held together. Made from the shadow at its disposal, even my amateurish eyes can tell that thing is the real deal. If it touches us, we¡¯re goners.
¡°Don¡¯t overthink it, Proxy. Just dodge and you¡¯ll be fine.¡±
Am I really overthinking this? I¡¯d say that I¡¯m thinking about this as much as I need to. Though, what¡¯s there to think about? All we gotta do is run over there, beat the shit out of that evil dickhead, then get Marie back. Done, no more thinking!
¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±
I take the lead, heading headfirst into this. Call me reckless, but I want to get this over with. Stalling is just stupid. I¡¯ll need to cover a long ass distance, so thinking about anything else is just gonna get in the way. Each step I¡¯m taking is with the front of my feet, boosting my speed, and it¡¯ll keep me ready for any attacks.
Halfway there, some bad vibe ravages my body, saying it¡¯s about to get serious. With the swing of their sword, the top segment of the blade breaks off. The damn thing is going so fast, my sense needs to kick in to tell me it¡¯s coming! I jumped out of the way in the nick of time. Almost lost my damn legs! I can¡¯t waste a second when it activates, or I¡¯ll be pushing up daisies.
Another segment ejects from the blade, only to change course, ramming through a building, wrecking it even more. My sense warns me again. I throw myself to the side, almost getting sliced and diced by that thing from behind. Another one already!? This time from above! Wait, from the sides too!?
¡°Got you!¡±
The three segments change trajectory altogether, coming at me from behind. I can''t move out of the way in time. At the last moment, right when they were gonna bisect me, a blade glides through each of them without pause, cutting them apart like running a knife through swiss-cheese. Nunnal¨¦ pins the last one with her sword, missing its blade. I can¡¯t stop moving, not even to catch my breath.
Racing the rest of the way, Nunnal¨¦ and Gil stay close behind me.
¡°Shadow Veil!¡±
Nunnal¨¦ spears her sword at the enemy, pitching it at blinding speeds. The enemy interrupts their attack to deflect. We¡¯re coming up on the body-snatching son of a bitch. If they¡¯re gonna do something, it¡¯s gonna be now.
¡°Black Gallary: beast of madness armor!¡±
Donning the black armor, they¡¯re going for a defensive approach. Bastard thinks they¡¯ll minimize the damage we¡¯ll cause with our combined power, then respond with a readied counter. This is gonna be the moment to strike. Anything less will get us killed, but if we can hammer two powerful hits, we¡¯ll nail ''em¡ But what if it¡¯s a trap!? The enemy can change the shape of their sword, then what about the armor?
I throw a signal to Gil, immediately catching his attention. He and I darted to opposite ends, between the buildings that weren¡¯t covered in fire. The heat of the flames pushes against me, heating my skin the closer it gets. Steel clashing another, roaring louder than the raging flames next to me. Nunnal¨¦ must¡¯ve started fighting up close. Good, that gives me more than enough time to close the gap.
Breaking through a pathway that¡¯s catching fire, I end up meeting Marie¡¯s eyes, piercing me with a murderous gaze, boiling anger packed in those eyes, annoyed by my continued survival.
With this moron¡¯s attention on me, Gil sneaked past unnoticed. They push Nunnal¨¦ away, then starts buckling down into a stance, resting their sword on Marie''s forearm.
¡°Shadow veil!¡±
This is my moment! Dodging isn¡¯t an option! If I¡¯m too slow, it¡¯ll hit, but if I can reach before they¡¯re able to get the move out, then I win! A single hit is all I need, Marie¡¯s freedom is on the line!
My legs relax, storing up whatever energy they can. All of my focus hones in on the distance between the two of us. We¡¯re a few steps away from one another, but those steps seem so far apart, like an endless hallway. Reaching the other end is impossible, unthinkable even. But who cares if it''s impossible, not when a friend is at stake. So I need to pool in all of my energy, lean forward, and wait for that moment, the golden moment!
¡°...Snipe!"
Now¡¯s my time! With one step, I blast off, eliminating the distance between us.
A projectile zooms across the field, trained for my chest. At this distance, I can¡¯t dodge, but I don¡¯t need to! I whip out the stone sword, derailing the attack¡¯s trajectory.
¡°What!¡±
Using this sword wasn¡¯t my plan, just simple instinct, nothing more, nothing less.
I drop it to get into my stance. Without wasting a moment to breathe, I drive my fist straight, feeling lighter than ever. All the weight in my body shifted into my arm, giving it the power it needs to crack the armor open.
My fist cracks the black armor that took the brunt of our previous attacks. A brutal crack comes from my knuckles, but my adrenaline is running at an all-time high, my sense of pain almost non-existent. Gil matched his strike with mine, leaving Marie¡¯s body sandwiched between our fists. Nunnal¨¦ dove in, reaching out for the sword in Marie¡¯s hand. We got this, you¡¯re through, you loser!
"Black Gallary: Evening waves!"
Waves, as black as ink and similar to the ocean during a storm, crash on top of us, carrying us away from Marie. Nunnal¨¦ grabs me and Gil, tearing us away from the black sea. From the air, I spot Crow and Quincy booking the hell out of there, with the archers retreating from the battlefield as the waves throw themselves at them. Some of our other men who got too close are being washed away, drowning in the sea of black.
Our landing is rough with Nunnal¨¦ almost collapsing to the ground. With how she rushed to get us airborne, I can¡¯t blame her for the shoddy landing. If we had stayed any longer, I''m sure that would''ve been it for us.
¡°Follow up: evening rain!¡±
The waves explode into the sky, raining down on us. I sense nothing, not even when the waves exploded, so what''s the point?
"The flames!"
Nunnal¨¦''s observation drags my attention to where the fire should be. This isn¡¯t an attack, it¡¯s just to get rid of the fire! As the fire dies down, darkness surrounds us, destroying whatever advantage we had.
"Using fire was smart. It weakened my abilities, but the way you three took advantage of me using my Source was annoying." Guess they mean me, Gil, and Nunnal¨¦. "...When I tried to use enhancement, the doll swooped in, and when I used shadows, those two fought against me. I''m guessing the other Source-user in your group formulated that strategy of yours."
Looks like they''re not as dumb as I thought. Yeah, Zell told us that Source-users can''t use two abilities at the same time. So far, he got it right. Nunnal¨¦ didn''t need to jump in too often and we could keep up with the enemy''s movements. But now the scripts flipped and I sure as shit have no idea what''s gonna happen now.
"...For annoying me this much, I¡¯ll punish you all!" That murderous pressure that was shot at me before permeates through the village, choaking my lungs. "...Shadow Veil: Midnight beast parade."
The shadows around Marie turn into an ooze, bubbling up as they take various forms of strange and grotesque creatures that come straight out of a nightmare. Each one fits into the other like puzzle pieces, forming a ring of monstrous forms. With wings outstretched, arms dangling from all over the thing, and faces poking from it, completing its formation, looming above Marie''s body.
"Burst."
My sense boards off. Assaulted by a deafening scream that echoes along the night, the buildings blow apart; ashes scattered in the wind. This unbelievable power pushes us. A strong sense of pain stabs at my nerves.
Nunnal¨¦ protected Richard from the attack, holding onto him and her sword stuck in the ground.
"Looks like I held back a bit. Oh well, I''ll¨C"
Nunnal¨¦ picks up the bundle of weapons I brought with me, throwing them at the ring. One by one, they''re taken out of the sky by the wings on the back of the ring, destroying all of them.
"How pointless¡ Burst!"
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
The hollow scream bellows across the village once again, throwing us back with its sheer strength. A dull thud hits the back of my head, instantly knocking me out.
¡
The atmosphere served a crushing blow to everyone else, incapacitating them. Source drips to the ground as if to soil the very earth itself. Nunnal¨¦ stands firm on her feet, enduring that ridiculous power. Even if she hides it, I can tell it hurt her. I''ll give her a quick heal.
¡°No healing!¡±
The wings react to my intent, traveling as black, linear lines, losing their shape for distance and speed. Nunnal¨¦ swings her blade, blocking both the wings. However, her blade shattered after the second guard. Those wings retract, returning to their original position.
¡°Such devotion. That blast was not a real scream, but a burst of my Source being shot at all of you. If I wanted to, I could kill you all without lifting a finger, but I am generous, so a fast death it is!¡±
The wings stretch out again, coming back for round 2. Nunnal¨¦ throws her weight behind her punches, deflecting the wings with my Source. Despite enhancing her arms, she¡¯s suffering cuts faster than my eyes can keep up with. They assail her without end. Through all this, she¡¯s still protecting me, watching their movement with a keen eye.
From the wrecked buildings, another wing aims for Nunnal¨¦¡¯s back. Without thinking about my next action, I block with an enhanced arm, suffering a minor cut to my forearm. However, no matter how brief, I took all the Source I could, leaving Nunnal¨¦ vulnerable to an attack.
A wing splits open her shoulder. Blood splashes out of the wound, staining my shirt. Before the other one could land, I tackle her to the ground. It flies over our heads by a hair¡¯s breadth.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, your shoulder!¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Watch the enemy!¡±
I got in her way again. We never had to use Source at the same time as the other. Our enemy was right, Nunnal¨¦ and I are out of synch, and that wound is evidence.
¡°...I¡¯m bored.¡± The wings return to the ring. ¡°Fighting foes I¡¯ve already beaten and those who cannot even muster the intent to kill are boring, and I¡¯m almost done consuming this girl, so let¡¯s just hurry this up.¡±
The ring ascends higher into the sky, towering over us with a malicious glow.
¡°O¡¯ ring, bring blight onto this land¡¡± Nunnal¨¦ leaps to her feet, dashing off, despite her wound, trying to prevent whatever is going to happen. ¡°¡Taint this world with your malice, bring the inner world to the physical, and allow monsters to walk the world. Shadow¡¯s damnation!¡±
Out of the ring, Source bursts out, coming down on top of Nunnal¨¦. With all the Source I can put into my leg, I¡¯ll be able to save her! Seeing her hurt breaks my heart, seeing her stand on her own makes me feel powerless. I¡¯m scared to see someone I care about die on me again! I don¡¯t want, I never want that¡ But I¡ I don¡¯t want to look down on her, I want to believe in her!
¡°Nunnal¨¦, your sword!¡±
The mass of Source is less than a second away from her. Despite that compact time frame, Nunnal¨¦ drew her sword before it collapsed on top of her. A quake hits the ground like an explosive went off. The floor below is losing its form under the shadows that splash all over the village. Standing behind her, Nunnal¨¦ struggles like hell to hold back the attack with every ounce of her being and Source.
¡°Master Richard, use our Source to run away!¡±
¡°I won¡¯t!¡±
¡°If you stay, you¡¯ll¨C¡±
¡°You need all the Source you can get, right!? Well, I¡¯ll give it to you, no matter how much you need!¡±
A brief pause follows while she holds off the attack. ¡°...Why?¡±
¡°Because¡we¡¯re partners! So if we¡¯re going to save Marie, we do it together! More than that, I want to believe in you!¡± Whether or not it¡¯s possible to win, I don¡¯t care. I just want to beat this bastard! Everyone gave it their all, no matter how bad the odds were, so I can¡¯t just sit back and give less than them. ¡°Take all my Source if you have to, Nunnal¨¦, just win!¡±
She doesn¡¯t turn her head, a peep doesn¡¯t leave her mouth, nor does she lessen her defense¡ ¡°Thank you,¡± she says, quiet in tone, but heartfelt.
¡°Then let¡¯s do this!¡± My Source spikes in magnitude, but all of that energy flows elsewhere, into Nunnal¨¦, elevating her strength to further heights. ¡°...I will fulfill your request, Master Richard, to my dying breath!¡±
Then, all the Source in her body hones into her sword, bathing it in bright light, expelling the shadows from existence.
¡°Nunnal¨¦¡what¡¯s¡¡±
¡°That light¡? What is it!?¡±
The enemy is just as confused as I am, stunned by this sudden turn. It¡¯s a light that shimmers bright, as bright as any star in the sky; becoming a star that would never allow a single shred of darkness to remain in this world. Even without me seeing the Source flow, I can tell it holds immense power, a power that rivals this darkness!
¡°Master Richard, if we use this¡¡±
¡°I know, we got this! Destroy that ring!¡±
Is it optimism, perhaps confidence, or maybe the light shined a bit of hope in this terrifying battle? I don¡¯t know why I feel confident in this light, but with it, I know we can save her.
¡°I¡¯ll rush at Marie the moment you destroy it.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
I can feel Nunnal¨¦¡¯s fierce determination coming through, strengthening mine as well.
Nunnal¨¦ straightens her posture, handles her sword with both hands, lifting it overhead, then takes a step forward. The air rages on as the power in her sword runs wild, expanding its shine. Closing her eyes, she hones all her focus into her blade, withdrawing into a peaceful state that contrasts with the blistering winds.
¡°Unbelievable! I don¡¯t believe any of this crap! Shadow¡¯s Damnation!¡±
I can feel the air narrowing at us, preparing for another blast. That alone would¡¯ve scared me to the very core of my being, destroying any hope inside of me. Not this time, though. I know Nunnal¨¦ will do it, she¡¯ll destroy that thing.
Then, killing what little anticipation remained, the ring fired its final shot. Breaking out of her perfect stillness, Nunnal¨¦ brings down her blade, unleashing the beautiful light, rending the darkness, and illuminating the night itself. It travels across the ashen ground, severing the attack as it goes along. The enemy has no time to block the attack, and even if the ring were to fire a second time, it wouldn¡¯t be able to disperse the light. Those wings aren¡¯t fast enough to cover it, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop it; no matter what solution our enemy comes up with, they¡¯re never going to beat this light, a light meant to bring the end to their shadows.
Delivering the inevitable conclusion, the light hits the ring, tearing it to shreds. It evaporates without leaving a trace.
¡°Master, go!¡±
My body responds to her words, pulling me forward as I put whatever Source I can into my left leg. That attack took up most of my Source. There¡¯s no margin for error, I¡¯ll have to narrow my use of it. With a single leap, I quickly close the gap, but they respond by trying to manifest another monster to act as a shield. I focus all my Source into my fist.
¡°You¡¯re not getting away!¡±
I punch the ill-manifested creature, destroying it before it can come to life. My blow riled up the wind, shaking up the Source-user and weakening their grip on the sword. This is my only chance! I jump at Marie¡¯s body, reaching out for the sword that¡¯s right in front of me. ¡°Give me that sword!¡±
I¡¯ll dislocate my arm if it means yanking that sword from her hands!
¡°You little shit!¡± Putting up a desperate act, the Source-user, attaches a shadow, appearing as a hand, to Marie¡¯s wrist. ¡°...As long as my Source touches her, she¡¯ll always belong to me!¡±
Seriously!? And at this distance, they¡¯re just going to slice my torso wide open!
¡°...Then all I need to do is take it.¡±
Taking advantage of the enemy¡¯s blind spot, someone from behind yanks the sword from the self-made binding. Fear, blending in rage and confusion, runs across Marie¡¯s face. An expression unlike any other, speaking volumes of this last move, quickly boiling down to blind, uncontrolled rage.
¡°DAAAAAAAAAMN!¡±
This has to be from the realization of defeat, or maybe something stronger than that? The fear that he¡¯ll lose his freedom. While I feel the impact of these emotions, I can¡¯t bring myself to care about a being that would mindlessly hurt and kill people for the reason it did. If you ask me, that¡¯s a fit punishment.
Every ounce of that repugnant Source surrounding Marie¡¯s body vanishes, freeing her from this nightmare. She plummets to the ground.
I drop to my knees, getting ready to heal her. Huh? My Source isn¡¯t coming through to heal her¡ Aw, you have to be kidding me! That last move must¡¯ve done it. I drained my body of all my Source, not only that, but ragged breath is proof of this as well.
"So, this blade is the cause of this nightmare?" Ovan carries the blade, staring at it, mystified by its splendid form. "...Now I see the allure of this weapon. It¡¯s calling for my darker, more animalistic nature, whispering sweet nothings¡"
Don''t tell me it got to him, too!?
"Ovan, you¨C"
He throws it to the ground, treating it without an ounce of respect. ¡°...However, looking closely, this saber reeks of death. Such a disgusting thing would be useful for freeing slaves in mines, but by the end, I¡¯d simply be an animal, and I for one, wish to remain human.¡±
It didn¡¯t work? Maybe it can¡¯t possess him, so there are conditions for it to possess someone. Either way, I¡¯m glad we don¡¯t have to fight him, too.
"Master Richard, are you okay?"
Nunnal¨¦ stands behind me, showing exhaustion in her breathing, doing her best to catch her breath.
"Are you okay, Nunnal¨¦?"
"My condition is stable. Examine Marie''s?"
Right, almost forgot. I check her pulse on her wrist¡ A pulse; I got a pulse! "She''s alive!"
A soft smile loosens Nunnal¨¦¡¯s stiff expression, only to leave as quick as it came. "...Then I suggest we transport her to safety, as well as everyone else."
"Easier said than done."
Everyone¡¯s badly hurt after the ring¡¯s attack, and with Nunnal¨¦, Ovan, and myself, it¡¯d take a while to get everyone back to camp. But, out of nowhere, a bus horn blares from outside the village, drawing our attention there. Our bus pulls up outside the village.
"Yo! Did we miss da party!?"
Elizabeth peers her head from the driver''s window. Her voice relaxes my guard. Glad to see some friendly faces.
A group of people comes barging out of the bus, running into the village with medical equipment, helping those who are unconscious.
Nunnal¨¦ tugs at my sleeve. "Master Richard, we should move Marie into the bus."
"You¡¯re right."
I pick her up and put her on my back. Her weight lowers me to the ground, however, I should be good with carrying her on my back.
¡°Ovan, what about the sword?¡±
¡°Do not worry, I shall bury it in the ground, deep.¡±
Good idea. That way, no one will find it by accident ever again. For all the trouble it caused, I hope it never sees the light of day.
¡°Master Richard, allow me to aid you.¡±
¡°Thanks.¡±
She sets a hand on Marie¡¯s back, keeping her secured on me while I walk.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, that power, what was it?¡±
¡°I¡do not know, but it is unrefined.¡±
¡°Are you sure? I mean, it was pretty powerful.¡±
¡°Yes. Although the evidence for this conclusion is non-existent in a logical sense, I am certain. I apologize for such a vague answer.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I trust you.¡± If it¡¯s unrefined, then I¡¯d love to see what it looks like when she masters it. Glancing at her shoulder, a hint of guilt bites at me. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry for getting in your way again. If I¡¯d let you fight without me taking all the Source, then that cut on your shoulder wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡±
¡°It is fine. The wound will heal, given time.¡±
She¡¯s been fighting so hard to save Marie, and so have all of us. Honestly, I think deserve a break¡ Oh, I got it!
¡°Nunnal¨¦, do you want to go see some flowers?¡±
She turns to me, caught off guard by my question. ¡°Why for?¡±
¡°Well, I found some in that mine we went to the other day, and I thought you¡¯d love to see them. Would you?¡±
¡°...Yes.¡±
¡°Alright, then we¡¯ll go. But for now, let¡¯s help everyone, then rest up, okay?¡±
¡°Understood¡ Master Richard, the sky¡¡±
The shadows of the evening fade as the sky takes on an orange hue. Daybreak is here, ending the long battle against a crazed Source-user, bring placidity to this ruined village of ash and to those who rest here¡
Soon to converge
9/30 - Holy Lands - Fire Wraith HQ - morning
My arm finally recovered after that damn brat broke it with his head. I couldn¡¯t do jack, and since Zell left, no one can heal us! It¡¯s a bit stiff here and there, but at least there¡¯s no pain. Still barred from going out, though; on Scar¡¯s order. Going through my day-to-day is boring as shit without prowling through the wilderness, but that¡¯s gonna change. Scar called a meeting. Those things are mind-numbing, but if it means doing whatever I want, then who cares how drab it is?
Showing up to the conference room, the other Flame Wraith captains are here, eyeing me, varied in tone. Although, the 7th captain is looking pale. Can¡¯t blame her after her screw-up.
¡°What¡¯s the matter, 7th? Still upset about your shitty op¡?¡± Whoa, her eyes totally have murder in them. Probably wants to gouge out my lungs. ¡°Come on, it ain¡¯t that bad. Now you can show how worthless you are.¡±
¡°Says the vagrant who got his hand broken.¡±
¡°Least I fought back.¡±
¡°Last time I check, being defeated wasn¡¯t a good thing. But who knows, a varmint such as yourself probably considers running away to be acceptable.¡±
I smack my palm against the war table rippling the impact across the table. ¡°Wanna repeat that?¡±
¡°Why not, you¨C¡±
¡°Enough!¡± A cool voice thunders, invoking an authority over us. ¡°Wildcard, Lexia, I did not call you all here so you two can bicker.¡±
Lexia leaps at Scar¡¯s biting retort. Those eyes, they¡¯re not giving any of us any special attention, but the tempered flames underneath them train their intensity at both of us. If someone told me they could set a person on fire, I¡¯d believe it.
¡°Mrs. Lexia, don¡¯t let Wildcard get to you,¡± Rickter, the 7th encourages her with that dopey face of his.
Heard he was there with her. For a big burly guy, sure is a massive suck-up.
¡°I called this meeting to discuss our current dilemma,¡± Scar raises his voice, flexing his authority over us. ¡°...The problem we are currently facing is the group from the south.¡±
¡°Heard they got a big ass ride. Cool, but totally slow! Having a ride that doesn¡¯t speed down a road is totally not speed,¡± Master of speed, or the 5th, says, acting like a dumbass as usual.
¡°...If they continue their journey here, it will only be a matter of days before they arrive here,¡± Scar continues. ¡°...Unknown, their current location?¡±
The sneaky bastard comes from behind a curtain with a map nailed to a board. He circles an eastern part of the map, showing their general location.
¡°Many thanks, Unknown.¡±
¡°My pleasure.¡±
He retreats to his position next to Scar.
¡°From here, they can take this route to come to the North, however, that is unlikely. With Zeal and Zell, they will have information on our choke points. No, our chances of encountering them there is minimal.¡± He points to a part that leads into the west region. ¡°There are approximately two ways to reach the north with a vehicle: our chokepoint, here, and¡¡± He sets his finger on the map again, further up on the map. ¡°...here.¡±
¡°That place¡ain¡¯t that where Laguna is at?¡± I point out.
¡°You are correct. For some time now, we have tried to capture that area, but our efforts are for naught.¡±
¡°Someone keeps killing our guys, right?¡± Speed adds on.
¡°Yes, even with the aid of Flame Wraith captains, it proves fruitless.¡± Yeah, I heard the previous 3rd, 9th, and 5th captains went and got themselves killed over there. ¡°...Which is why I want to use this opportunity to flush this man out, as well as attack this opposing force. This mysterious guardian will fight them, giving us an ample opportunity to defeat the victor.¡±
¡°Such an elaborate plan,¡± the 2nd, for the first time since this meeting started, spoke. ¡°...However, what if they were to combine their strength?¡±
¡°Then I shall burn down the town.¡±
I slam my hand against the conference table, bringing attention to myself. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡±
The 7th backs behind the 6th, flaunting a condescending smirk. ¡°Has he finally gone feral?¡±
¡°Shut up! Scar, don¡¯t you dare burn that place down¡!¡±
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
He eyes me for a little, wondering why I¡¯m exploding over this, but it doesn¡¯t take more than a few seconds to figure out my problem.
Shutting his eyes, he relaxes his body away from his sword. ¡°I see, then I suppose I¡¯ll have to stay my hand.¡± Good thing he did, or else we were gonna have one crazy battle. ¡°...In case that our enemies work together, we will have to confront them with bigger numbers.¡±
¡°...If I may infer, lord Scar?¡± Unknown, displaying their respect towards scar, asks, bowing to as a gesture of that respect.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°The army from the South displays an aggressive fighting style, while our foe at Laguna has shown to use traps to take out our men, and with a large mass of people, I doubt it wouldn¡¯t have an effect on their odds.¡±
Unknown repeats his gesture of respect and returns to his position.
¡°I see, then all is clear. Wildcard and 2nd, you will face them with your forces.¡±
¡°Understood,¡± the old man affirmed.
¡°Gotcha.¡±
¡°Master of speed, you will be on standby.¡±
¡°I can¡¯t speed off!?¡±
¡°I need you to prepare a parameter defense on both ends of Laguna. You shall be the last line of defense.¡±
He hangs his head like, moping over the decision. ¡°Totally not speed.¡±
¡°Lexia, Rickter, you two are to remain here until further notice. I had decided not to punish you two, yet¡¡±
She puts on a fake cutesy, innocent girl facade. ¡°O-of course! You¡¯re far too kind, lord Scar. Some would even say generous.¡±
¡°Save your breath.¡± Lexia flinches from his cold as ice rejection of her facade. Say what you want about Scar, at least he¡¯s not easily fooled. ¡°That concludes the meeting. If any of you wish to speak, now is the time¡¡± Not a peep leaves any of us, letting the silence ride on for a while longer. ¡°...Then you are all dismissed. Those of you heading to Laguna, gather your forces, then head straight there. As for who will be in command: 2nd, I leave it to you.¡±
¡°Thank you, but if I were to kill them all by myself, would you face me?¡±
¡°I suppose so.¡±
That old fart always wears a pleasant smile, coming off like he¡¯s the nicest guy in the world. But when he throws that away, you can see all the evil a man can have in them. An evil that¡¯s not born of deceit, but of pure excitement.
¡°Then we¡¯ll make quick work of them¡¡±
He follows the others out of the room, leaving me, Scar, and Unknown.
¡°Wildcard,¡± Scar calls. ¡°...I doubt I need to relay this to you, but failure is not an option.¡±
I already do. Last time, I ran, so I got off with a light punishment. But this time, getting defeated or running away is gonna get me killed.
¡°Gotcha.¡±
¡°Good luck.¡±
So this is my last chance, huh? Fine by me. Stakes make the hunt much more thrilling.
¡
The morning sun is rising, marking a new day for us. Cade, wrapped in a gray cloak, tattered and dirtied with dirt, sits in front of a campfire with a couple of our allies as they eat the remains of an animal we hunted.
¡°Puck, you¡¯re back! Come sit here.¡± A wave of excitement courses through me, pulling me toward him. ¡°...So how it go?"
"It went well. Our path to Laguna is secure."
"Good. Let''s head back to the others later in the morning.¡±
"Okay."
"...But did anyone follow you guys?"
¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s taking care of it.¡±
¡°Good. Last thing we need is bandit trash following us.¡±
Ever since our fight with Proxy, Cade changed; his approach to things changed. Before, we used to just kill the bandits that wronged us, but now, we¡¯re disposing of all of them. While I want to help him, I really do, but I think that he¡¯s becoming aggressive, more violent¡
¡°Cade, can we talk about¡¡®him¡¯?¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a good fit for us.¡±
His joyful face turns to confusion. ¡°He¡¯s not that bad, and besides, he¡¯s helping us fight the bandits. Isn¡¯t that good enough?¡±
¡°But Cade, haven¡¯t you see how he fights, he¡¯s like a¨C¡±
¡°Oh my, am I the topic of interest?¡±
A gentle voice intervenes in our conversation. From the forest, a boy, appearing to be 17 years old, stands in front of the thin trees behind us, staring us down with a pleasant smile on his face, holding no worries in this world behind his oddly pretty face. His build is light, packing enough muscle to lift medium-sized weapons. This man, who sends nothing but chills down my spine, is Jed.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing serious,¡± Cade says.
¡°Ah, how serendipitous. I thought I was nothing but a nuisance.¡±
¡°Nah man, you¡¯re great. Right, guys?¡±
Everyone starts singing his praises, hailing him to be the best thing we have to defeat the bandits.
¡°Oh my, how lovely. No one has ever sung my praises before. I¡¯ll keep doing my best, I swear.¡±
Cade brings his head close to mine. ¡°You think he¡¯s so bad now?¡±
¡°Cade, I¡¯m just¨C¡±
For a moment, a bush behind our new ally rustled around. If it were the wind, then I¡¯d ignore it, but the wind is tame right now. So that means he¡¯s been followed.
I aim my gun behind Jed. ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡±
Everyone goes on alert, wary of our current tail in the forest. I¡¯ll just shoot them from over here and¡
¡°No need, everyone. Allow me¡¡±
Jed, along with the spear in hand, heads into the forest alone. The silence of the early morning plays out, waiting for a sound to fill in the void. Then, noise associated with death dawn from the forest; a scream that¡¯s muffled under the sound of flesh being torn apart while something constantly rips into it accompanied by a sound of a car engine, growing louder the longer it goes on. Eventually, the screaming stops, the sound of flesh shredding ceases, and the only thing audible is that engine, satisfied by the kill.
Treading past the bushes obscuring the sight of the slaughter, he enters our view, his clothes soiled in blood, masked in the liquid¡¯s fresh color. All the while, he¡¯s smiling as if nothing happened. ¡°Sorry. A rodent was behind us. All is good..¡±
I hate the bandits, they¡¯re monsters in human skin¡ But even they pale in comparison to the monster we have with us, and to the depths of my being, it horrifies me.
Turbulence
10/4 - Holy lands - eastern region
The sound of rain hitting the windows catches my attention, keeping it away from anything else. Not like there¡¯s anything to do on the bus. Everyone¡¯s down after what happened, and I can¡¯t blame them? It¡¯s been a couple of days since we beat that body-snatching dick.
My legs made a full recovery. Add in with the wounds I got from that body-snatcher, thanks to Richard¡¯s healing. I say I¡¯m doing pretty well now.
Marie, on the other hand, isn¡¯t doing so hot. She¡¯s been keeping to herself, avoiding everyone as best as she can. She sticks to the back of the bus. Even when we¡¯re not moving, she lets none of us get close to her. I tried talking to her, but she keeps giving me the cold shoulder.
Alex is acting strange too; he¡¯s more gung-ho with fighting, rarely having us take breaks anymore so we can push forward to the enemy base. He barely takes the time to sleep anymore, and he¡¯s even skipping meals. And that smile¡ Can¡¯t he tell that we know it¡¯s fake?
¡°Screw it.¡±
Acting wimpy isn¡¯t gonna help anything, so I better do something. I edge to the front of the bus, sitting next to Elizabeth. ¡°We should stop.¡±
¡°Sure ¡®bout that?¡±
¡°Absolutely.¡±
¡°Wanna run it by the boss man first?¡±
¡°Yeah, but get ready to find a spot.¡±
I get up to confront Alex.
He raises his head, smiling at me as usual, or at least how he wants it to look. It looks nice, like how he always looks at anyone, but the wonder and strength I saw in them are gone, showing nothing but an empty visage of what was.
¡°Proxy, do you need something?¡±
¡°We¡¯re stopping,¡± I say, cutting to the point.
¡°Stopping? Are there bandits!?¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to take a break.¡±
¡°No, we need to venture on.¡±
¡°Come on, man! You look like you¡¯re gonna pass out!¡±
¡°I am fine, but we must keep going.¡±
¡°Too bad. We¡¯re going to stop, so we can rest.¡±
¡°I said no!¡±
¡°Well, tough shit!¡± Did I just¡ Did we¡ Whatever, if he wants to act stubborn, then let him. ¡°Fine, but we¡¯re gonna stop either way. Elizabeth, find a spot to stop.¡±
I return to my seat next to Richard, who¡¯s eyeing me up with a concerned look. ¡°That was nasty.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s just acting weird.¡±
¡°He¡¯s acting more than weird. I mean, after everything that happened¡ Just go easy on him, Proxy.¡±
Believe me, buddy, I don¡¯t wanna yell at him, but he¡¯s being stubborn.
Elizabeth pulls up into an open space with stone pillars lying around all over the place, devoid of any greenery. She hits the brakes, stopping as the rain let up.
¡°Alright, everyone,¡± I shouted. ¡°...We¡¯re gonna stop for a moment. My buddy and I are gonna check up on the area. Take five, everyone!¡±
Richard and Nunnal¨¦ follow me to the back exit. I want to check up on Marie before we leave.
¡°Yo¡ I mean, hey, Marie. Do you wanna go check the place out? We might be able to get a good look at Laguna?¡± She continues to face away from me, hugging her legs. ¡°...I like it if you could join us¡ Please, just for a bit¡¡±
She doesn¡¯t return with a response or turn to face me.
¡°Marie¡¡±
Nunnal¨¦ reaches out for her. Marie¡¯s quick to react, swatting her hand away.
¡°Don¡¯t touch me¡¡±
Her toneless voice disturbs me. The voice that held strength in it is gone¡ I¡this just breaks my heart.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, can you stay with Marie?¡± I ask her, feeling shitty about not being able to help her.
¡°Yes,¡± she answers in an indifferent tone.
Though, I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s me, it sounds a bit different, like she¡¯s somewhat concerned, but doesn¡¯t know how to express it. Eh, probably is just me.
Richard and I jump out of the back with Richard behind me.
¡°Wait, I will aid you two.¡±
Alex jumps out of the bus. His boots splash the water below him.
¡°I don¡¯t know? Maybe you should¨C¡±
¡°I am fine.¡±
He storms off, getting a head start ahead of us. We follow behind him,.walking on the cobblestone road, giving us more than enough room to move around. The damp sounds coming from the ground make up for the awkward silence. After 3 minutes of walking, we reach the end of this road. There¡¯s nothing but the edge of a cliff waiting for us, but since we¡¯re pretty high up, we gotta be able to see Laguna.
Walking to the edge, I fold my hands into, mimicking binoculars.
Can¡¯t see anything as small as a house, but I spot a long-ass bridge running across a body of water, leading somewhere with a large tree in the middle. Jackpot!
¡°Yo, Laguna is dead ahead,¡± I yell.
¡°Then we best make haste,¡± Alex says, propping his sword as he turned around.
¡°Dude, we aren¡¯t going right now.¡±
¡°We must if we wish to make good on time!¡¯
¡°For what? It¡¯s not like the bandits are going anywhere?¡±
¡°Even so, we have to hurry.¡±
I yank Alex¡¯s arm, stopping him in his tracks. ¡°Hey, would you just stop! I¡¯ve been keeping quiet about this for a while now, but you¡¯re getting on my nerves!¡±
¡°I do not¨C¡±
¡°You aren¡¯t sleeping, you¡¯re not eating, and you keep wearing that fake smile!¡±
¡°Wha¨C¡±
¡°What? Thought I wouldn¡¯t notice? I¡¯m not stupid Alex!¡±
¡°I never alluded to that. And I am fine.¡±
¡°No, you ain¡¯t.¡±
¡°I am! So stop badgering me and let¡¯s go on our way.¡±
¡°Are you kidding me!? Dude, we¡¯re going to take a break, so you can¨C¡±
¡°No, we keep moving, whether or not you like it!¡±
¡°That¡¯s just¨C You¡ Gah! Fine, do whatever you¨C¡±
A sudden noise echoes in the air. A flock of birds flies away from where it¡¯s coming from¡ You know, it sound is familiar, but I can¡¯t put my finger on it¡ Kinda like an engine, but that¡¯s not it¡ Nah, it¡¯s an engine, but from something else, like a¡like a¡ Like a chainsaw! Yeah, a chainsaw¡ A chainsaw!?
¡°Proxy!¡±
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Richard noticed too, then it¡¯s not just me! Just then, my sense goes off; from above! Someone descending with a long pole in their hand, steam trailing behind as they fall. I throw myself out of the way. The dull sound of steel scratching against concrete invades my ears.
¡°Proxy!?¡±
Richard and Alex get in front of me, ready to fight whoever tried to merk me. Another second, and I would¡¯ve turned to swiss cheese.
¡°Oh, how mortifying. If you had stood still for a tad longer, your death would have been instantaneous. How tragic.¡±
This guy comes out of nowhere and acts like he didn¡¯t just try to kill me. Yep, another weirdo, just what we needed.
¡°Identify yourself,¡± Alex demands, raising his sword.
¡°Ah, where are my manners?¡±
The crazy bastard bows his head. ¡°...Jed, I am 18. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all.¡± Talk about d¨¦j¨¤ vu. He¡¯s reminding me of Walter, with that creepy ass smile and that happy attitude. Had enough of these crazy sons of bitches to last a lifetime.
¡°Tell me, are there any more of you?¡±
¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡±
¡°Those who respond with a question usually have something to hide. I am guessing you are not alone.¡±
Doesn¡¯t matter, we just need to kick his ass, that¡¯s it! I¡¯ll make the first move and catch him off guard. I sprint past Richard and Alex, using the small gap between the two of them to catch the enemy by surprise. All I gotta do is blitz this guy, and it''s over.
¡°Brazen,¡± he comments.
Steam rises from the bottom end of the chainsaw. The chain runs along the edges of the guiding bar, rattling and clanking underneath the roaring engine. You would think that thing would vibrate out of his hand, but he must have a good grip on that thing. And looking at that horror movie weapon, getting hit by that is gonna leave more than a nasty mark.
He reacts to my approach, swinging his weapon at me, wielding it with a single hand. It¡¯s a lazy attack. Ducking under is more than enough. I go low, lunging forward, pushing under the pool. I¡¯m close enough to attack now. I¡¯ll go for¨C
¡°Too slow!¡±
He flexes his muscles, veering into the pole right when I ducked under it, slamming into my back. Didn¡¯t think he use the shaft as an attack! I plant my hands on the ground, twisting my body to clap him with my legs. Somehow, he pivots out of the way, leading into an attack that I narrowly avoid. But that guy isn¡¯t messing around. He follows behind me, not letting me catch my breath. I draw my swords, blocking this attack with the duel blades.
¡°I was wondering when you were going to draw.¡± This is bad! The chains keep hitting my swords, chipping away at my guard. My ears are burning, just blocking this damn thing, and my arms are killing me! ¡°How disappointing.¡±
Disappointing? What does¨C A sudden throbbing pain sparks below my chin. He spun his lance, breaking my defense and grazing me with the butt of his pool. It might have grazed me, but it still hit my chin, knocking around the little guy upstairs. His lance is gunning for my chest, dying to tear me to pieces. My legs feel like noodles, and my sense of balance is out of whack. Bad, this is bad! I can¡¯t defend and I can¡¯t run!
¡°Proxy!¡±
Alex covers me, coming in clutch just in the nick of time. Instead of guarding, he deflects the spear. Richard follows up with a sick dropkick, surprising Jed.
¡°Proxy, you okay!?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m good!¡±
But right when he destroyed my defense, I felt like something was wrong; like this dude isn¡¯t fighting seriously. I don¡¯t know if it''s my head, but I think this guy is holding back.
¡°So, you two can fight? Good, it would¡¯ve been a pity to kill those who cannot.¡±
Alex rushes in, his blade lowered to his side. I follow behind him with my blades. Jed puts his weapon behind himself, slightly buckling his knees, and leaning forward. He speeds at us. With amazing footwork, he spun himself around, building his momentum. He throws his weight behind his spear, going for Alex first, who deflects it, only for Jed to come at me next. Quicker than I could react, he hammers his foot into my gut. A hot sensation runs through my throat, almost breaking through my mouth. Jed hones in on Alex again.
Their clashes are brief, each strike grates on my ears, similar to claws on a chalkboard. They suffer the rebound of their weapons and power clashing. Alex is an expert with a sword, and he isn¡¯t a stranger when it comes down to a fight. But this guy, he¡¯s keeping pace with Alex¡¯s swift swordsmanship, even with a long weapon like that. Jed works the shaft to block or redirect attacks, then spins it around to strike with his chainsaw. Fluid movements mixed with an aggressive style, bashing at Alex¡¯s sword with unrelenting force. This ain¡¯t no joke. He¡¯s not like Walter, who just used his power however he could; this guy is skilled!
Alex swings his sword, throwing back the spear. Now¡¯s my chance! Alex and I closed in, ready to score us a win. Skilled or not, doesn¡¯t matter when you¡¯re about to lose.
But, I think we made a mistake. The enemy threw their weapon into the air. It spins above us, ascending higher into the sky. He targets Alex first, taking advantage of his confusion, hitting him with decisive blows, throwing quick jabs at his head and throat. Ending off with a kick, he''s coming for me next. His lance is about to land behind him. Jed snatches the thing from the air right when he pivots. His spear slams into my swords, grinding into the blades. I¡¯m thrown to the waist side with. My back crashes into a pillar, knocking the wind out of me.
A dull feeling screams across my back, aching like a bad headache. Jed moved onto Richard, sidestepping rocks that are being thrown at him. He goes airborne, twisting around to smack Richard¡¯s head to the ground with his feet. Richard¡¯s body bounced off the ground. Two kicks, one followed by the other, send him crashing into a pile of bricks.
¡°How unbecoming. Certainly, this isn¡¯t everything you three can do, right?¡±
I gotta save Richard, no matter what! I force myself up to my feet, running off without my swords. My approach didn¡¯t go unnoticed. Jed immediately responded to me. Sparing no thought, I slid under his weapon. Putting my hand into a wedge in the ground, I lift my lower half, striking him with my foot. A clean hit!
¡°That hurt¡¡±
Did that not work!? I know I hit him. He grabs my leg, squeezing the bone. He raises it only to lower it like a guillotine. I can¡¯t break free, damnit, I can¡¯t break free! I¡¯m gonna die, just like this, in the blink of an eye!
¡°Hm?¡±
Jed suddenly let go of me, halting his attack. He slashes the air. Two daggers land on the ground, resting next to me. Someone clad in black lands from the cliff Jed came from. He¡¯s quick. I can barely keep my eyes on him. Jed wields his lance with both hands. Just like me, the newcomer slides under the attack, but he lunges at him with his shoulder, striking with his forward momentum. Jed digs his lance into the ground, staying on his feet. Before he could get away, a fist cracked his nose.
Taking a congested whiff of air through his nose, Jed collects himself, then books it to the edge. The crazy son of a bitch leaps off the cliff, acting like he¡¯s not gonna turn into a red smear. I mean, is the man crazy or what?
¡°Got away,¡± the dude in black whispers. His eyes turn to me, gauging me with those stark empty pupils. They turn to Richard, who¡¯s lying on the ground. ¡°Is he okay?¡±
¡°I think so.¡±
¡°Good.¡±
He stands up, walking away without another word. Hold up, is he really leaving just like that? What the shit!?
¡°Hey, can you at least help me get these guys back to our camp?¡±
¡°I have no interest in doing so.¡±
Asshole! These guys are hurt and you don¡¯t wanna help!?
¡°Hey, you¨C¡±
¡°It¡¯s okay. I am fine.¡± Alex wobbles to his feet. ¡°...I will carry Richard back to camp.¡± He turns from me to Mr. douchebag over here. ¡°Thank you for your aid. If you wish, can we reward you?¡±
¡°Screw that! He can go toss rocks!¡±
¡°But he assisted us when we needed it. I think that ?is more than enough reason to¡reward¡¡±
Alex pauses, staring at him all wide-eyed.
¡°Is something the matter?¡± douche asks, sounding bored.
¡°...That emblem around your necklace. Is that a¡ You are an elite!?¡±
Huh? Elite?
¡°I was, long ago, but those days no longer remain with me.¡±
Alex¡¯s eyes beam brighter, ecstatic even. Putting on the only genuine smile he¡¯s had in days. I don¡¯t know what the hell an elite is, but now¡¯s not the time for this crap.
¡°Whatever, who cares! Let¡¯s get back to camp. Richard¡¯s hurt!¡±
Alex snaps back to reality, sharing a concerned expression. ¡°Y-you are right!¡± He comes to help me with Richard, putting one arm over his shoulder. ¡°...Sir, would you please come with us? We would be honored to have you.¡±
He says nothing, not a yes or no, just dead air. Probably gonna say no anyway, so who even¨C
¡°Fine.¡±
What?
¡°Hey, wait a¡¡± What am I doing? Richard comes first, everything after is whatever. Fine, he can tag along, but I don¡¯t like him one bit. Call me petty, but I can feel it in my gut that I don¡¯t like him, not one bit
¡
Falling from such a height is dangerous. Fortunately, I could de-escalate my descent with my weapon. If not, this would have spelled my death, and that would be inconvenient. More importantly, that man¡ He seemed familiar¡ Ah! How clumsy. I was supposed to be hunting, whoops! Though, Puck told me to hunt whatever I could find, so she should not be angry with me, hopefully.
¡°Lazing around is no good. I best get back.¡±
I push off the ground. Since the sun is not out, telling time is hard, but I have a feeling that I should rendezvous with Puck. However, my gut also whispers something else: a thrilling battle will begin if I continue to Laguna. A giggle seeps from my lips. What a thrilling feeling, oh so thrilling!
¡°Apologies, Cade, but it seems we are going our separate ways for a little while.¡±
Hopefully, he understands. My purpose shifts elsewhere, so who am I to go against my purpose?
¡
The dude that saved is squatting in our bus, across from Alex, with others looking at him. Meanwhile, Richard got patched up and is resting in the back of the bus, next to Marie. They¡¯re all thankful and stuff since he helped us, but if they knew he was ready to ditch injured people, they change their tune real quick.
¡°Why you scowling like that?¡± Chip asks, wearing an annoying smile.
¡°Nothing, I just don¡¯t like that guy, that¡¯s all.¡±
¡°Jealous?¡±
¡°No! It¡¯s nothing.¡±
I sound petty, so sharing my reason isn¡¯t gonna help me sound any better. But I have my eyes on him, and if he does anything, I¡¯ll kick his ass black and blue.
¡°Proxy, you and Alex been on each other¡¯s throats today. Sure everything is alright?¡±
¡°I think so, but he¡¯s just acting weird, and I don¡¯t even know why.¡±
¡°Ah¡ I think it has something to do with Marie. Noticed how the two of them are avoiding the other?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Well, I ain¡¯t gonna act like I know everything about them, but I feel things aren¡¯t gonna end well if those two stay like that.¡±
You¡¯re telling me. Alex is pushing himself from everyone while Marie is keeping to herself. If you ask me, things aren¡¯t gonna get any better. But I won¡¯t let it get worse.
¡°Chip, I know this is gonna be weird, but can you keep an eye on that guy?¡±
¡°Sure thing.¡±
¡°Just like that?¡±
He nods. ¡°...Thing is, I don¡¯t get a good feeling from that guy, not a bit.¡¯
At least I got someone on my side, and yeah, I just got a feeling that this guy is trouble. I¡¯m gonna watch Marie. I don¡¯t know what I can do for her, but I want to at least keep her company. When we reach Laguna, I wanna do what I can to help Marie and Alex, if I can.
Smell of sea breeze
Holy Land - afternoon
The gray clouds are still hanging out in the sky, but no rain in sight. If this depressing atmosphere isn¡¯t enough, then the sky is definitely bumming me out. Some rain would be nice to listen to right about now. At least I could distract myself.
¡°Proxy, may I pose a question?¡± Nunnal¨¦ asked.
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Why is your gaze transfixed on that man?¡±
She means the dude that saved us. With brown hair turning gray, his rugged, tired face catches my eye. He has a barely shaved beard, appearing apathetic to his appearance.
¡°No reason.¡±
¡°Do you mistrust him?¡±
¡°Somewhat.¡±
¡°How odd. You would normally be thankful to someone for assisting us.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, but I just don¡¯t like him. When I asked him to help Alex and Richard back to the bus, he said no, even though they¡¯ve been banged up.¡±
¡°Is that so¡?¡± Nunnal¨¦ places a hand on her chin, thinking about what I said. ¡°...Master Richard sustained only minor injuries, but I can see why that man vexes you. Although, I cannot say I share the same ire.¡±
¡°You serious?¡±
¡°If he had harmed my master, then my reception of that man would change.¡±
I get where she¡¯s coming from, but I just can¡¯t see it like that.
¡°Speaking of Richard, you two doing okay?¡±
¡°Yes. My physical condition is at 100%, my master is still unconscious, otherwise, he is fine.¡±
¡°No, no, no. I meant: are you two getting along?¡±
¡°Getting along¡ Correct. my master and I are getting along. He and I held a 5-hour discussion on floral patterns and differentiating similar flowers with similar shapes, hues, and meaning.¡±
¡°Oh¡ That sounds¡fun.¡±
¡°Fun indeed,¡± she says, voicing an oddly energetic tone to her otherwise mild voice.
I don¡¯t have it in me to tell her that sounds like a pain in the ass. If he¡¯s willing to do it, then why should I ruin her parade? But 5-hours¡
¡°Proxy, may I ask you another question?¡±
¡°Go ahead.¡±
¡°Will Marie recover from her ailment?¡± She places a hand on her chest. ¡°Her mental state has degraded, that much is known to me. However, I do not know how to confront this problem. If I am to understand, then please help me.¡±
¡°Why ask me?¡±
¡°Because I¡¡±
A knock from outside the bus interrupts our conversation. Whenever me or Chip are acting as a lookout, we knock on the bus to catch everyone¡¯s attention. Three knocks, followed by two more¡ Bandits are coming.
Nunnal¨¦ recognizes this warning too, leaping up to the top of the bus through the roof hatch. I follow behind her. Standing on top of a bus is a real killer. I need to keep close to the ground or I¡¯ll fall off. Coupled with the wind and the bumpy roads, it isn¡¯t as easy in the movies, but it sure is cool.
¡°Bandits! 5 motorcycles,¡± Chip, riding on Marie¡¯s bike, warns.
¡°Alright, I got this.¡±
Road Burner has been traveling behind us on its own.
¡°Okay, let¡¯s do this.¡± I jump off the bus, readying myself for the impact. Road Burner catches me, leading me to land on the nice leather I¡¯ve gotten used to. Although, my landing was less than nice, but hey, at least I broke nothing. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get down to business!¡±
I hit the brakes, slowly stopping next to one of them. He tries to slam into me, but I beat him to it, throwing him off the road. One down, four more to go! Two of them tail behind me, taking out their weapons. Both of them catch up with me, leaning into me from both sides.
They timed their attacks to strike me, but I leaped from the seat, keeping my hands on the handles. Smashing my feet into one of them, he careens off the road, crashing into the ground. The last one readies himself, but a loud ass sound bursts in my ears. He goes spinning off the road. On top of the bus is that douchebag¡ Well, whatever, I ain¡¯t gonna thank him.
¡°More behind you!¡± Chip yells.
More of them!? 10 more of them are riding behind me. Where did they even come from? I can¡¯t take all of them at once, that¡¯s crazy!
Driving on the bridge leading into Laguna, the bandits follow behind, yelling their lungs out, excited to catch up. The mystery man throws something toward me. For a split second, I saw sparks coming from whatever he threw. I speed ahead with a bad feeling forming in the back of my throat. Two seconds fly by, a loud ass explosion erupts from behind, blowing a large amount of heat at my back. That was an explosive! A freaking explosive! Crazy bastard almost blew up the bridge and me with it!
¡°Hey, you stupid bastard! I almost got hit!¡±
Instead of answering me, he just jumped back into the bus. Did he just¡ I¡¯m gonna kill him!
We pull into Laguna. The city''s a mess, debris sprawled everywhere, and the buildings are worse for wear. The further we go, the worse this place looks. Being in one should feel good, but this place feels depressing. I follow the bus into a lot between two buildings. Jumping off my bike, I stomp up to the bus. The asshole who nearly killed me comes out, watching me come up to him.
¡°Hey!¡± He meets me, void in expression. ¡°You¡¯re starting to piss me off! Who the hell do you think you are?¡±
¡°I am Garrick .¡±
¡°Well, Garrick, you almost got me killed!¡±
¡°But you are not dead. I don¡¯t see why that bothers you?¡±
I grab his coat. Our height difference is blatant, looking down at me, towering over me with those blank eyes. They tell me nothing about this guy, not if he¡¯s good, evil, nice, mean, cruel, kind, or even suspicious. Everything that makes up a person is nowhere to be seen in this guy.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡°Let go,¡± he commands, lacking strength in his voice.
Richard had those eyes at one point, but he had a bit of warmth in him, even if it was buried. This guy, I can¡¯t see that¡ Like at any moment, he could do anything and it couldn¡¯t contradict him as a person.
¡°I don¡¯t like you.¡±
This isn¡¯t about him almost killing me, or even almost leaving Richard and Alex without helping them, but something in my gut is telling me this guy is no good.
¡°Proxy! What are you doing!?¡¯
Alex jumps out of the bus entryway.
¡°He almost killed me. Thought he needed to learn not to do that.¡±
Zell exits the bus with some ?others. ¡°Alexander, we should do some scouting. Just in case there are some bandits around.¡±
¡°A sound idea,¡± he complied. ¡°You lead a team to check the perimeter. I¡¯ll lead another to check around the city.¡±
¡°Sounds good. You take most of the men, I¡¯ll¨C¡±
¡°No, I¡¯ll go alone.¡±
¡°You crazy?¡± I throw a rhetorical question at him. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you.¡±
¡°I can¨C¡±
¡°Too bad. I¡¯m going with you.¡±
Tension builds between the two of us, heat builds around my face.
¡°Then I¡¯ll come with you too,¡± Garrick volunteered.
¡°Sorry man, you can¡¯t come.¡±
¡°Proxy¡¡± Alex¡¯s voice turned rigid, chastising me? without another word. ¡°I would be honored.¡±
Chip, from the back end of the bus, shows himself. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come along. I¡¯m good at recon, so I¡¯ll be able to spot anyone ready to take a pot-shot.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll come with you guys.¡± Gil from inside the bus, looking out the window, says. ¡°I don¡¯t like sitting around doing nothing. Walking around is good exercise.¡±
¡°Then that¡¯s it. We¡¯re going with you, Alex.¡±
Alex takes on a bothered and pained expression, averting his gaze from us.
Garrick doesn¡¯t bother with, instead, walking out of the lot. ¡°Then let¡¯s not waste time. Let¡¯s go.¡±
We follow him out of the lot. The air carries a familiar sea breeze that NewPort had around the docks, minus the ships coming in and out. This city looks like one of those European medieval cities, sort of like the Kingdom, but not as modern. Though, the buildings are all messed up, worse than any other run-down village.
¡°What¡¯s up with this place?¡± I ask, letting the thought slip from my mind.
¡°What do ya mean?¡± Chip asked.
¡°Dunno, but this place looks like it has history, some sad history at that.¡±
¡°You aren¡¯t gonna start crying, right?¡±
¡°Bite me!¡±
¡°7 years ago, during the march to Borghulda, the Kingdom¡¯s army came through here,¡± Garrick suddenly joined in
¡°You were a part of the march, yes?¡± Alex asked.
¡°I was. There were 100 of us when we set off. Only 34 of us came back from the march.¡±
Damn, steep number. We haven¡¯t lost any yet, but that¡¯s kinda scary.
¡°Cars weren¡¯t a thing back then, so travel was difficult. Meeting heavy opposition every which way, losing men who gave their lives for the kingdom. Then, we came here¡ 5 days. We battled for 5 days and 4 nights. Blood filled the air of the sea breeze, and death hung over us all like a dark cloud. In the end, we won.¡±
¡°Dude, that¡¯s heavy. Glad we have the bus. Traveling on foot sounds like a real pain in the ass¡ Actually, where did the bandits get their rides from? Last time I checked, doesn¡¯t the kingdom keep their rides to themselves?¡±
No one answers, leaving the question in the air.
¡°Probably from the kingdom¡¯s leftovers. Heard they just dumped prototypes in the south. Bandits must¡¯ve gotten those working.¡±
That makes sense. We scrapped car parts to make the Starbus.
¡°Sir Garrick, may you ask a question of mine?¡±
¡°What is it?¡±
¡°Did you know Siegfred, or rather, did you know of him personally?¡±
A long pause follows. Our footsteps fill in the silence between the two. ¡°I did.¡±
¡°Really!?¡±
¡°Why does that excite you?¡±
¡°Because I am¡ an admirer of him.¡±
¡°An admirer?¡±
¡°Yes. He was truly a gallant knight. His heart was true, and his sword fought for justice. A knight beyond par.¡±
That dude must be one hell of a guy if Alex is fanboying over him.¡±
¡°Funny.¡±
¡°Hm? How so?¡±
¡°Because¡¡±
Garrick stopped talking and ceased moving. He fixes his mug toward an alleyway. A knife rolls out of his sleeves. ¡°Come out.¡±
Footsteps echo from the alley. There are several coming from there. A bunch of guys wearing flame-clad clothes strolls out of the alleyway. All of them wearing shit-eating grins on their faces.
¡°Fire Wraiths,¡± Chip points out, backing behind us, readying his bow gauntlet. Gil and I get ready to throw hands. Alex whips out his blade.
¡°Been a while, hasn¡¯t it?¡± That voice!? Barbaric, gravely voice. Yeah, I know that voice anywhere! He swaggers out of the alley, wearing a disturbing smile on his face. ¡°...Those goggles on your forehead. How do they feel? Must suck not to get those back yourself, huh?¡±
¡°Not at all. I know my buddy wrecked your punk ass with just his head, so what does that say about you?¡±
Standing across from me, he snarls, growling like a damn dog. ¡°Cocky ass! Wanna say that again!?:¡±
¡°Sure do, umm¡ Oh, shit, I forgot your name.¡±
His face turns red. He squeals as loud as a hog, stomping his feet on the ground. ¡°Wildcard! My¡name¡is¡Wildcard!¡±
¡°Oh, yeah.¡±
Weird name, if you ask me. Probably thought it was cool or something like that.
¡°Whatever. You have my trophy, so you better give it back, and this time, I¡¯ll be¨C¡±
A sudden popping sound, followed by dense black smoke, obscures my vision, wrapping me in its embrace. Before I could wrap my head around this, I¡¯m pulled away from the scene. Chip leads me to an alleyway, trailing behind the others.
¡°Hey, I was gonna fight him!¡±
¡°Too many of them. We need to run!¡± Garrick dispelled my claim.
¡°I can take them!¡±
¡°Trust me, kid, you wouldn¡¯t last a second.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t side with him, Chip!¡±
¡°Wouldn¡¯t be so bad, I¡¯d beat at least 10 of them,¡± Gil unintentionally gloats. ¡°What about you, Chip?¡±
¡°Oh yeah, I¡¯d take out all of them!¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°Yeah, and I would¡¯ve beaten them with no sweat. Heck, I could¡¯ve beaten the bandit leader while I was at it.¡±
¡°Wow, never knew you had it in you.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t!¡±
¡°Coulda fooled me,¡± I replied, hitting him with another stinger.
¡°Whatever!¡±
¡°But why are the bandits here?¡± I ask. ¡°I know we got chased by them into the city, but there weren¡¯t that many of them¡¡±
¡®Is it that hard to tell? It was a trap,¡± Chip exclaimed.
¡°A trap?¡±
¡°Probably figured out our route. Since we have a former Flame Wraith captain, they must¡¯ve deduced how we were approaching.¡±
¡°You gotta be kidding me!¡±
If they figured that out, then what if they were following us!?
¡°Guys, we gotta circle back to the bus!¡±
¡°Going back is no good,¡± Garrick rebuked.
¡°But they might know where it¡¯s at!¡±
¡°They¡¯ll drive away.¡±
¡°Screw that, I¡¯m going back!¡±
I break off from the group, heading my own way. Footing is key, with rubble all over the place. I don¡¯t know if this is a good idea, but I¡¯ll come back for the others as soon as I can. Zell and Zeal are there, as well as Nunnal¨¦, but worried about Marie. We didn¡¯t go too far, so¨C
My sense goes off, throwing me out of my head. From my right! The window to a house shatters forward. I block the incoming attack. It was strong enough to push me, but I kept my feet on the ground.
¡°Damn, was I that loud?¡± Wildcard stands in front of me, frustrated.
¡°Come on, man! I don¡¯t have time for you!¡±
¡°Make time now, or are you afraid of what happened last time?¡±
He just had to go and say that, didn¡¯t he? A tinge of anger builds up in my forehead, my eyebrow twitches in response.
¡°Fine, I got time to show you up, fur coat-wearing freak!¡±
¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m talking about! Let¡¯s see what a few months gave you.¡±
Running away isn¡¯t an option, and I don¡¯t plan on it. This time, I¡¯m gonna whoop his ass!
Killer tension near the waters
An image replays in my head, the image of fire crackling inside of my room. It devours everything I¡¯ve come to love in there. The orange glow burns itself into my eyes as I watch my childhood crumble before my eyes. The smell of wood whiffs through my nostrils, growing stronger while my heart races faster.
¡°Marie.¡± A youthful voice calls my name. His calm demeanor startles me. Off-setting this disastrous event. ¡°Marie, why did you do it¡¡± His words confuse me, but they also hurt. ¡°...Why them?¡±
¡°Them!?¡±
¡°Why did they have to go?"
Inside the fire, I can see them. Lifeless bodies lie on the floor, staring at me without eyes. Their mouths a gap, flesh seared from their bones, and their hands outstretched, beckoning me.
"I¡ I didn''t want to."
"Then why did you?" Everything in my body goes numb. That little girl¡with long, beautiful hair, wearing it in pigtails. Her beady, innocent eyes see. "If you ask me, I think you''re disgusting."
The words choke up in my throat. She¡¯s wrong, that¡¯s all I have to say, I want to say it¡ But, she¡¯s right, I am disgusting.
Laguna - afternoon
Marie is currently asleep and master as well. Our present situation has grown no worse. However, if an attack were to occur, I would be equipped to deal with any situation that arises. Zeal has a personal skill and Zell is a Source-user, that would turn the tide in our favor. However, I am unsure of Marie¡¯s mental state. Continuing like this would prove ?hazardous to her health. Although, she is not the one I must protect, yet a feeling surfaces whenever I think of her wellbeing. Perhaps I am feeling unwell myself?
A thump from up the bus arouses my attention. The other members of the army seem to have been alerted as well. I move to the middle section of the bus, but before I can finish my approach, the hatch opens. A single person drops inside, wielding a spear 5 feet long. His pleasant smile offsets his dangerous weapon.
¡°Oh, it seems like they aren¡¯t here. Oh well¡¡± No one dares to make a move. The unknown intruder casts his gaze at Marie, who is sitting next to me. ¡°Excuse me, but may I speak with that woman for a moment?¡±
I summon my sword. He senses my intention, running away before I could strike. I give chase, ascending through the hatch. The young man stands at the front end of the roof,
¡°I believe I wish to speak with the other lady, did I not?¡±
Judging by his weapon, I have to assume this is the man that attacked master Richard. However, I do not sense any Source coming from him. Then my sword will be enough to subdue him. My sword was repaired after we defeated the body possessing Source-user. I am unsure of the specifics of how such a thing occurred, yet it does not matter.
¡°Interesting. My gut is telling me to stay away from you¡¡±
He jumps off the side of the roof. The chain around the guide bar breaks out of the loop, extending into the sky. He swings it, destroying the windows to the side of the bus.
¡°Elizabeth, drive, now!¡±
¡°Gotcha! We¡¯re gettin¡¯ out of here!¡±
The engine roars to life, moving the bus forward soon after. I sway a little before securing my balance. Our enemy does not give, idling in the spot he landed on. Only logical, since it would be out of his means.
Hm? A shadow is overlapping me, growing wider as it hovers above me. From above, the spear-wielder descends. I parry with my blade, creating a shock wave that affects the bus¡¯s movement. He plants his feet on my shoulders, using them like a vault. My reaction to him being behind me causes him to retreat.
He approaches, stopping 4 feet in front of me. This allows him to take advantage of our weapons¡¯ length differences. Each strike of his is to wear down my stamina, but it¡¯s also cautious about our blades clashing for too long. If I can land a solid blow, I will be able to disarm him, rendering him unfit for combat. However, his one-arm handle of his spear is astounding. Not only is he able to support his weapon¡¯s weight, but his technique is still present,
As for his technique, instead of contesting with me in strength, he opted to combat me with redirects that would use my power against his strikes. Our styles clash against the other, his running counter to mine, which relied on strength than it does technique. If I were to give a truthful evaluation of my swordsmanship, it would be that I am more reliant on my power than on technique. This has proven to be effective in the past, but now, it is being used against me, keeping me from delivering a fatal blow. Not just that, but if I were to make a powered strike and miss, then it might affect the bus.
The longer I allow him to stay out of reach, the worse off I shall be. Stepping forward, the bus¡¯ forward momentum carries me further than I intended. My opponent closes the distance, slipping past me. He kicks me to the bus'' front end. I fall in front of the window shield. Elizabeth brings the bus to a sudden stop from me obscuring her vision.
¡°Hey, you okay!?¡±
¡°I am fine! Keep driving!¡±
¡°Aight, but¨C¡±
A loud, ear grating sound cuts her off. Several vehicles pull over around us, blocking off our escape route. They are quick to burst out of their vehicles to meet us, charging in with weapons. From this view, I count 37 of them. I will have to deal with them alone. That way, the bus can escape. However, the enemy on top of the bus leaps off, heading to confront the Fire wraiths. Some passengers from within the bus come out to meet the bandits.
Stolen story; please report.
¡°This is troublesome. So many people are going to be tiresome to deal with.¡± Tiresome? Does he mean to imply¡ ¡°...Fortunately, I recently devised a way to deal with such intimidating numbers?¡±
For the first time since this battle began, he placed his other hand on his lance. He kicks up dust, spinning around with his lance close to his chest, letting both sides draw closer to him. Then, on his last spin, the chain to his weapon broke out of the loop again, this time growing longer. He swings it around, slicing anyone in a 30-yard range.
Anyone quick enough survived, but most got torn apart before they could get the chance to evade. Both sides suffered casualties. The attack lacerated our bus as well, and I barely parried the wild attack. Such devastating power, and he was able to wield it with such a weapon. Even with enhancement, I am unsure of my odds against an attack like that. Enhancement strengthens the capabilities of an object, such as my arm¡¯s skin. However, I have not transformed my arm into iron, but simply raised its thickness. However, if that weapon can tear through the human body with ease, then I shudder to think what could have been if I were to take it.
¡°Elizabeth, get us out of here,¡± Zell commanded, pushing Elizabeth to act. She turns the bus toward the enemy, who leaped out of the way. He gives no chase, only staring at us with a pleasant smile on his face.
¡
Wildcard gets into a stance, waiting for me to make a move, but that ain¡¯t happening cause I want him to move first. I have to think about this before I do something. Last time, he kicked my ass with some freaky flexibility. Charing in half-assed is a bad idea. I need to keep an eye on his movement; if I let him out of sight for a moment, I¡¯ll be in trouble.
Without warning, he dashes at me. I throw my weight behind a punch, but he slips past it. Can¡¯t let him face my back! I kick at him, not wanting him to take the lead. Instead of blocking, he grabbed my shoe. He swings me around, tossing me to the other side of the street. I plant my feet firm on the ground.
Not missing a beat, he closes the gap with a few steps. A few of his punches whiz past my head, but a kick nails the side of my head, confusing for a little. My sense goes off, telling me he¡¯s coming in from my blind spot. I roll out of the way with little thought into it.
¡°Hm¡¡± Too close. If I had taken that to the head, I would¡¯ve been dozing off on the streets. ¡°...How did you hear me?¡±
¡°What are you talking about?¡±
¡°I barely made a sound, yet you knew I was coming. Not just that, but when I first attacked you, you knew I was coming.¡±
¡°You¡¯re too loud.¡±
¡°Hmm¡¡±
Not like he¡¯ll be able to guess what my secret is, so let him get suspicious, and even then, he¨C
Out of the blue, he picks up the speed, dashing under my vision.
¡°Too slow!¡±
A hard thump finds its mark on my stomach. I couldn¡¯t keep up. No, I let my guard down for a moment. Shit, he¡¯s throwing my plan out the window. Another punch flashes toward my face. No time, just do something!
Under the urge to pull something off, I grab his arm and his fur coat, throwing him overhead. Wildcard responds by landing his feet on the ground. He manages a punch from a bent-over angle. I kick his back, pushing him away.
I put some distance between us.
¡°Man! That was great!¡± Does he need to yell like that? ¡°...Your reaction time is a lot better. I¡¯ll give you that. But you lack something.¡±
¡°What does that mean!?¡±
¡°Means your hand-to-hand is not polished, doesn¡¯t have that sense of rhythm and flow that it should have. I¡¯ll give you an example. Come here.¡±
Is¡he for real¡? But I want to see what I¡¯m lacking.
Standing in front of him, I get into a lower stance, putting the back of my hand against his.
¡°Okay, ready¡go!¡± I strike first, going for a K.O. before he can make a move. But his reaction time is pretty solid, smacking my fist out of the way before contact. Going for attacks of his own, I do my best to keep him away. Going for an attack of my own, he ducks. He tucks in his legs, lifting himself with his hands. Then, like a bullet, his legs shoot at my chest. They push against my lungs, squeezing all the air out.
¡°See, that¡¯s what I mean. I can tell you got talent in you, but you¡¯re still rough around the edges, or rather, you¡¯re putting too much power in each punch.¡±
¡°Too much power?¡±
¡°Yeah. Each one you make is fast, but they¡¯re not going as fast as they could be.¡± Now that he mentions it, I do put more weight in most of my hits. ¡°Also, your body looks pretty agile. You can do athletics, right?¡±
¡°Um, yeah.¡±
¡°Then what are you doing? Use it. It¡¯s a waste if you don¡¯t.¡±
Using my athletics? Well, it has come to mind, but I never found an opportunity to try that out. But how do I use it? I can¡¯t just bust out those types of moves on the fly, so¨C
¡°Stop thinking about it and just do it!¡±
I don¡¯t know what happened, but at that moment, my brain went silent. Every thought in my head just ceased. Something else is telling me to go. I rush off, moving with the fronts of my feet. I aim for his face, but he keeps parrying my blows whenever I get anywhere near his head. Blocking my last attack helps him lead to a counterattack. The small window to react is there, so I take it. I take his arm, driving my elbow into his stomach.
¡°Nice!¡± Through the pain, he pays me a compliment. ¡°Now let¡¯s pick up the pace!¡±
Wildcard and I go at it; we trade blows with the other, canceling, blocking, and countering the other. Each time I get a blow in, he turns it around, striking me. More and more, the battle is making me watch every move he makes, then react as quickly as I could. Rhythm and flow. I think I understand it a little. In fist fights, I don¡¯t match someone blows for blow. Even someone like Gil, I just dodge his attack because blocking his big ass hands hurts like hell. Besides, even then, Gil and I go at different speeds when we throw a punch¡
Was there ever a time someone could keep up with me in a fistfight? Let¡¯s see¡ No, I don¡¯t think so. Even with some of the Martial artists I fought, I can¡¯t say they were fast enough to keep up with my barrages. Well, save for one guy. And thinking about that, he always shut me down before I could get a mix-up going.
¡°Wildcard, why are you teaching me this stuff?¡±
A broad smile spreads across his face, satisfied?. ¡°Now you ask. Well, I think of it like this: our first fight was less than memorable, and I like to have fun with my fights. But now, I can see the potential in you. Someone just needs to polish you up a little before anything real can start.¡±
So, that¡¯s why¡?
¡°So you wanna keep going?¡±
Whether it¡¯s because he wants the best fight from me or what, I need his help to get better. It¡¯s crazy. Me and him are enemies, yet I feel a sort of resonance between the two of us. Strange, I know, but I just can¡¯t help it.
¡°Wildcard, you are prolonging this fight?¡± From the other end of the street, an older, pleasant-sounding voice, yet spine curling presence sends a familiar wave of tension through my bones. ¡°Here you are, playing around with an enemy. I must confess, I am a tad jealous.¡±
No way¡ How the hell is this guy still alive!?
¡°I thought you died, you old bastard!¡±
The old man from BlackRock prison. A man I saw fall to his death stands in front of me once more with those bloodthirsty eyes.
The four groups
Laguna - south-west end - afternoon
Surrounded by two Flame Wraith captains, I gotta ask if my luck is shit or not? The old man from BlackRock is here. Had a feeling he was kicking, but seeing him again doesn¡¯t exactly bode well.
¡°It has been a while, boy¡¡± His eyes size me up. ¡°You made a vast improvement over these few months. The air you carry is much more refined, as if you had experienced what it meant to fight for your life.¡±
¡°You sure talk a lot. Ain¡¯t it past your bedtime, old man?¡±
Taking him on in a one-on-one fight might be possible. Though the vibe he¡¯s giving off is still creepy. Our fight in the prison wasn¡¯t all there was to him. And with Wildcard here, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s gonna be easy. I don¡¯t like running, but no point in getting killed here. I just gotta hope I can outrun these two.
Right when I¡¯m about to book it, Wildcard jerks his body around to a building behind himself. The door bursts forward. He jumps out over it, avoiding the surprise attack. Whoever broke it charged at it, using it as a battering ram.
¡°What the¨C¡± Wildcard cuts himself off, watching out for the second surprise attack aimed at him. A glint of steel slashes the air, barely missing Wildcard. They follow up with several swift slashes, each one keeping up with his deft movements.
¡°What the hell is going on?¡±
In the confusion, my sense goes off, something from behind. I fall to my back, letting whatever was gonna hit me zip past me. Quick son of a bitch! Any later and I would¡¯ve been a goner.
¡°Nice reaction. Thought I had you for a sec.¡±
No way¡! I know this voice anywhere.
¡°Almost nailed me there, Cade.¡±
He faces me, wearing a dirty cape wrapped around his body. Why the hell does he look so cool? You can¡¯t tell me he¡¯s not trying to show off or something like that.
He breaks the tension by flashing me a smile. ¡°Proxy, been a while, huh?¡±
I loosen my stiff expression, smiling in return. ¡°Yeah, long time no see. How you been, buddy?¡±
¡°You know, fine. Heard you guys have been wreaking havoc on the bandits. You planning on hitting them hard like us?¡±
¡°You know it. Me and everyone else, we¡¯re gonna lay the smack down on them. Wanna join up with us?¡±
¡°Depends. Do you have bandits in your group?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
A humorous chuckle leaves his mouth. ¡°That¡¯s not right, let me ask it like this: You got any ex-bandits?¡±
The brief happiness I felt slowly fades as the situation between us escalates.
¡°Yeah, guess so.¡±
¡°Then¡¡±
I said Cade broke the tension, but that¡¯s a lie. I knew how this was gonna go from the moment I heard his voice. But it was nice, just acting like we could have a normal conversation. I¡¯m glad he gave me that chance. Now¡
Cade doesn¡¯t waste another second talking, he just throws his daggers at me. Avoiding them is like dodging a fastball, requires a snap decision and the guts to go through with it. Carrying along with my movement, I run away. Cade follows behind me, taking out more knives from his cloak. He¡¯s still pretty fast. Last time, he had the speed advantage over me during our last fight, or rather, his proficiency with a blade. So if we do combat, I¡¯m gonna have to strike faster than him, or take his weapons from him.
Hitting the brakes, I wait for him to make the first move. He traces the air, sliding his knife through empty space, traveling for my neck. His form hasn¡¯t degraded, its gotten better.
¡°Proxy!¡± My name being called snapped me out of my trance. I backflip away before the blade found its mark. Too close! His handling of his dagger mesmerized me. I can¡¯t get distracted. Cade comes first. Making the first move is important in a battle against people like him, but I need to strike carefully or else I¡¯m going to lose a hand.
Once he closed the gap, it was on. I throw a punch, but he ducks underneath. One attack isn¡¯t enough. Quicker, decisive! I gotta watch for his attacks, and I gotta keep up a rhythm and match his flow.
The battle of knives and fists has an obvious conclusion. If two guys who never fought a day in their life fought with this discrepancy, then the guy with the knife wins. However, my time here and back in NewPort taught me that it¡¯s not all that simple. If both sides are skilled at what they do, then the only way for the other to win is to out-skill the other.
Faster than before, I shut down Cade¡¯s attempts at cutting me by blocking his wrists. Each time I stop his movements, I can tell I¡¯m pushing him further and further into a corner.
¡°Proxy, duck!¡±
My response to the voice is immediate. Cade lunges out of the way of whatever is coming at him.
Alex, accompanied by Garrick, motions me over to him. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±
Right, while the running is gettin¡¯ good!
¡°See ya, Cade! Hope I can see you soon!¡±
He tried to come after us, but after a second, he turns around, going for the old man and Wildcard with the rest of his allies.
Running for as long as we can, we finally stop, heading inside a house that¡¯s still standing, though barely. Gil and Chip are standing at the door, watching for anyone other than us.
¡°Close the door behind yourselves,¡± Chip urges us. I shut the door. ¡°Thanks for leaving us to deal with the bandits, Proxy!¡±
¡°Quit your whining. What, can¡¯t handle a bandit or two?¡±
¡°Try a dozen! Besides, they¡¯re spread around the area, looking for us.¡±
¡°Then you might as well start shitting bricks.¡±
¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m good.¡±
Peering out the window, a couple of bandits run down this way, looking for us. I get out of sight before they could see me. We sit on the ground, waiting for them to leave before we start talking. Alex points to stairs leading down. We follow him, crouch walking to the stairs. Making it down, there¡¯s a small, square-spaced room, acting as a bar. There are drinks behind the said bar.
¡°Well, I¡¯ll be¡!¡± Chip pushes past me, leaping over the bar. He whisks a bottle from the shelf, opening it. ¡°Whoa! Smells fresh enough.¡±
¡°Seriously? You¡¯re gonna start drinking?¡±
¡°Why not? Not like the bandits are going anywhere ?soon, so we might as well pass the time with some drinks.¡±
Geez, I can already see this going sideways. But he does have a point: we might as well hunker down here for a little while.
¡°We do not have the luxury of time,¡± Alex says, heading for the door.
¡°You can¡¯t be serious? Even if we go, the bandits aren¡¯t gonna let us go so easily. I said they¡¯re searching this area for us. I checked while you guys were looking for him,¡± Chip points to me.
¡°We must regroup with the others and continue our march!¡±
Here go again.
¡°Listen, all I¡¯m saying is this: going out during the day isn¡¯t a good idea. Let¡¯s wait for night. And even if the bandits found them, they¡¯ll just drive away.¡±
Alex is backing down like a dog not being allowed to go outside.
¡°Alex, he¡¯s right. I¡¯m worried about the others, but we¡¯re not the only ones in this place. Couple that with the Fire Wraiths, and Cade is here.¡±
¡°The boy who kidnapped Marie!?¡±
¡°Yeah. So I think we should wait till night.¡± I stare him down, eye to eye, showing him how serious I am. ¡°I swear, Alex: I won¡¯t let him hurt anyone we care about, especially Marie.¡±
His worried expression lifts, turning glum. ¡°Okay¡¡±
It hurts to see him so down, but I¡¯ll turn that frown upside down in no time.
¡°Sweet, so let¡¯s just bunker down while we wait.¡±
¡°Alright! Who wants the first drink!¡±
Chip is livelier than usual¡ Kinda weird.
Gil raises his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll have one. Its been a while since I had one.¡±
¡°I will have one, too,¡± Garrick says.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Sure about that?¡±
¡°What? Afraid I¡¯m not cut out to drink?¡± he questions, a bit expressive in his tone.
¡°If you say so. What about you, Proxy?¡±
¡°No thanks. Have fun though.¡±
¡°What some, Blondie?¡±
¡°No. Alcohol burns my throat.¡±
¡°Suit yourselves.¡±
Well, this is gonna be a fun afternoon, I can just tell. I hope the others are alright. We just gotta stick here till night, then we¡¯re hauling ass. Hopefully, it¡¯s that easy.
Laguna - South-west end - afternoon
We had successfully escaped the bandits and that unknown enemy. The morale has grown worse than it was before. With the death of some of our allies, it is safe to assume we¡¯d take a moral hit. Fortunately, I remain unaffected, so my judgment is secured. Master Richard remains unconscious, but with him on the bus, his safety is assured. As for Marie, her status is still unstable.
Hmm. This is troubling. But the fact it is troubling is problematic. My thoughts keep shifting to Marie¡¯s well-being, almost as much as I do for my master. Problematic indeed¡ Master is not awake, and Proxy is not here to offer assistance. I am unable to deal with this arduous task alone.
¡°Whatchu frowning ¡®bout?¡±
Elizabeth slings her arms around me. Her ability to easily close in on one¡¯s personal space shows her confidence not with just her actions, but her skills in socializing with others.
¡°I am not frowning. How are the repairs proceeding?¡±
¡°Not much to repair since that lunatic didn¡¯t get further than the platin¡¯, but the paint is scratched.¡± She pulls me closer, growing disgruntled. ¡°That lil¡¯ brat! He might have been good lookin¡¯, but next time I see him, I¡¯m gonna strangle the life outta him!¡±
¡°What for?¡±
¡°He scratched the damn paint! He has no idea how long it took to apply it!?¡±
¡°Such a matter is trivial, if not insignificant.¡±
¡°Aw, come on! I thought you¡¯d have my back!¡±
¡°How would one ¡®have your back¡¯?¡±
¡°It¡¯s a saying!¡± Phrases such as that and how they are inserted into casual conversation baffle me. ¡°Oh, right, I forgot to say this, but we¡¯re having a meetin¡¯.¡±
¡°Who is holding this meeting?¡±
¡°Zell. Said things need to happen now.¡±
I would imagine nobody would pose his plan. After all, he was the one who aided us in getting Marie back for the body-snatcher, and he¡¯s been acting as a medic during battle. For his short tenure, he has proven to be a worthy ally.
Elizabeth escorts me to the meeting. All of our members stand around Zell.
¡°...We lost a group of good men, but right now, we need to focus on what we¡¯re going to do.¡±
¡°What about their bodies!?¡± voices one attendee. ¡°Are we really going to leave their bodies to rot?¡±
¡°We have no choice.¡±
¡°You bastard! My friend died back there!¡±
¡°My brother is back there!¡±
The consensus is against Zell. Although I am unable to understand why his judgment is sound; going back for the bodies would bring us back into contact with the bandits and mostly that unknown adversary. Another battle with him could prove deadly if we are caught at a disadvantage.
¡®I understand what you all mean. However, we can¡¯t go back for them. Right now, we need to devise a strategy for¨C¡±
¡°Screw you! Let us bury our friends!¡±
The people continue to interrupt him, showing their grievance with Zell¡¯s suggestions. Zeal shows visible agitation, scowling at everyone in the crowd. Before he could voice his anger, Zell halts him.
¡°Everyone, I know who I am: an ex-bandit leader. No matter how much I help you all, I know that none of you will forget that. However, all I want to do is help you all. The best way to do that is to focus on our survival. So yes, we¡¯ll have to leave the bodies behind. If any of you wish to leave for them, I can¡¯t stop you.¡± No one objects to his proposal, turning their eyes away from him and onto each other. ¡°...Now, since Alexander is not here, and Marie is incapable of acting as leader, I will take charge for a time. Right now, I want lookouts deployed around the area. We need to be prepared to fight or run, depending on the number. In the meantime, we¡¯re going to scout the north exit to Laguna. If there are volunteers, we need them by night.¡±
Our current situation requires evaluation, and Zell sees this. I could give my assistance, however, I would be leaving my master and¡
¡°Yo, Nunnal¨¦, you wanna go check up on Marie?¡±
"I do not recommend¨C"
"Yeah, yeah, let''s go!"
She takes me away from the meeting against my will. Inside the bus, Marie sits in the same seat as the day before, and before that, curling into a ball.
"Aight, this is it. We need a plan of attack?"
"Are we fighting her?"
"Yeah, out of that moppy mood!"
"I don''t see how that will aid her?"
"Gotta give me a minute¡ Got it! You gotta turn on the innocent charm."
¡°Innocent charm?¡±
¡°Yeah, you know, smiling and all that gunk.¡± She pats my shoulder. ¡°So here¡¯s how we¡¯re gonna do it¡¡±
Approximately 4 minutes of an inane explanation and posing passed. New information vital to our plan of attack has been added. While I am unable to confirm the validity of this new tactic, I am without other alternatives.
I set myself in front of Marie, who turns her face to me. Pale skin, bags form under her eyes, and the color in her eyes is darker than they normally are. Elizabeth pays me a thumbs-up.
¡°What?¡± Marie mutters, putting forth no effort to speak.
¡°I would like to show you something.¡±
¡°Look, I¨C¡±
Now is my time to strike! Putting our strategy into motion. I separate my lips from each other, curling the ends of my mouth to form the expression that I¡¯ve practiced.
¡°What the¡?¡±
¡°I am attacking you¡ Is it working?¡±
Her pupils dilate, taken aback. Silence looms over us while I hold the same facial features. Then, breaking the present silence, Marie allows a laugh to come out from under her breath. She goes into an uncontrolled fit of laughter, heaving her stomach as she turns to her side, covering a part of her face. Elizabeth mimics her by howling in amusement, banging against the seats.
¡°What is amusing?¡± I ask, holding this face.
¡°What do ya mean!? That stupid look is what!¡±
Stupid? Does she mean to insinuate that I am making a peculiar expression? Strange. A moment ago, she told me it was perfect. However, I do recall her giggling before she sent me off.
Eventually, the laughter ceases from both subjects. Marie¡¯s mode of expression in particular captures my attention.
"Marie, you are smiling¡"
She quickly takes note of this, processing this change in mood. Her facial features take on a more reserved aspect, yet holding a faint smile. "Yeah¡I am. Thanks, Nunnal¨¦. I needed that."
"You did?"
"Yeah." She raises herself from her seat. ¡°So, what did I miss?¡±
¡°What do ya mean? Weren¡¯t ya awake for the whole thing?¡±
¡°Sorry, but I sort of just zoned out on everything.¡±
Elizabeth rubs the back of her head, casting a wary look at me. ¡°Well¡¡±
She explains our current predicament to Marie, whose frightened features tell me she¡¯s having difficulty processing this new information. However, her dire expression gives way to a more composed, in-thought face.
¡°T-that¡¯s bad. If anything, we need to find the others first. Brother and Proxy are with Gilhart and Chip, so I doubt they¡¯ll have too much trouble, however, I don¡¯t know about this new person. Besides the bandits, this new enemy has me worried. If they fought against Nunnal¨¦ and somehow lived, I doubt they¡¯ll be easy to deal with. As for the bandits, we¡¯ll need to take caution. Zell¡¯s right, we should scout the north exit of the city¡¡±
¡°Back in action, huh?¡±
¡°I guess, but I don¡¯t know¡¡± Guilt ripples across her face. ¡°I¡ I can¡¯t face them. Not after everything I¡¯ve done.¡±
¡°But you have done nothing worthy of contempt.¡±
¡°I did. With my own hands, I almost¡almost¡I¡!¡±
¡°AH!¡± Elizabeth, screaming in an obnoxious pitch, interrupts Marie. ¡°S-sorry, I thought I was about to sneeze, ya know?¡±
An obvious lie, and such a lie will be seen through.
¡°Did you have to yell so loud?¡±
¡°Yeah, I just do that.¡±
¡°Oh, well, be careful next time.¡±
Perhaps humans have selective perception?
Marie takes a seat, rubbing her left hand''s knuckles. ¡°In any case, let Zell act as the leader until brother¡¯s team gets back with us. In the meantime, go with Zell¡¯s scouting plan, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
¡°What about master Richard?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of him. Learning about our current situation is a top priority.¡±
Reasonable as usual, as expected from Marie. I am glad to see she has made a significant enough recovery to formulate strategies. Hm? How odd. This feeling of ease¡ How peculiar.
¡
Nunnal¨¦ and Elizabeth kept me company for a bit before leaving. It was nice talking to them, even if Nunnal¨¦ didn¡¯t speak as much as Elizabeth. All she went on about was the paint of the bus being scratched. Like complaining is gonna do anything about that. But it was all nice, really nice. They¡¯re people who shine so bright, more than what I deserve. Everyone shines so bright, and I can¡¯t even compare. A disgusting person like me can¡¯t shine. Not with all this blood on me. Dripping in every which way, this thick, murky blood drips from me, staining the world.
I can¡¯t stain them with my sins, especially brother. This blood, my terrible deeds, and their voices, all these things remind me of what I am; a monster in human skin. That''s all I''ll ever be.
Laguna - south-west end - afternoon
Clashing blades with a bandit, he uses one of my daggers, repelling whatever I do. His eyes narrow in on both my daggers, taking in account which I¡¯m going to use. Couple that in with his surprising athletic abilities, this bandit isn¡¯t gonna be easy to kill.
Then, there¡¯s that old man, standing in the back, watching us fight. Taking him hostage might help, but then again, these are bandits, so they probably don¡¯t care about the other. But moving to different targets sounds better.
With a deft pivot, I trick my enemy, moving for the old man. Drawing another dagger, I leap at him, aiming for his neck. Nearing the point of contact, he clenches the blades between his fingers.
¡°How drab,¡±
No way, there¡¯s no way someone could do this, and on top of that, he killed my momentum! Shit, I made a bad call. I withdraw from him, losing two more of my weapons. I got three other daggers on me, but if this keeps up, I¡¯m good as dead.
¡°What you gonna do now, kid? You¡¯re all alone and you can¡¯t even touch me,¡± the one wearing a fur coat boasts.
¡°And like your allies, your chances for victory are slim.¡±
I gotta get us out of here. But between these two, my chances of escaping are low.
Suddenly, blood splatters from an alleyway next to the fur coat-wearing bandit. A familiar weapon pokes out from the alleyway, igniting hope inside me.
¡°I spotted a large group of bandits around this area. I hope something interesting is happening around the corner.¡± And he¡¯s talking to himself again. I don¡¯t want to tell people what to do, but he should at least not make it sound like he was watching us the whole time. ¡°...Ah, Cade. It is good to see you! This must be a twist of fate.¡±
¡°Jed! Why are you¨C N-never mind! We need your help.¡±
He spins his weapon, twirling it with just one hand. ¡°Of course. But may I fight just that one?¡±
He gestures to the old man, piques his interest.
¡°Why me, pray tell?¡±
¡°Simple, my gut says so.¡±
¡°Why listen to your gut? It may be wrong.¡±
¡°Oh, no, my gut is never wrong. Plus¡¡± He opens his eyes, piercing them with a sharp glare, brimming with hostility. ¡°My purpose is whatever my gut says, and who am I to go against my purpose?¡±
His purpose. This is the first I¡¯m hearing about this.
¡°Ohohoho! What an interesting answer.¡± Smiling from head to toe, the old man drops to a stance, spreading his feet from each other, and his arms by his thighs. ¡°...Then come, let us see what your purpose bears.¡±
Holding his spear behind himself, Jed returns the old man¡¯s enthusiasm with glee that borders on disturbing. ¡°I will be sure to show you what I mean, old man.¡±
Then that means I have to continue to fight this guy? Fine, but I¡¯ll have to be much more clever than I¡¯m acting now. The moment I lose him, I¡¯ll get everyone else out of here.
A judge and seeker of purpose
Laguna - south-end - afternoon
Cade left me alone to confront this old man, so I suppose it is my responsibility to save the others. Gripping the shaft of my weapon, I narrow my gaze at him. His giant stature is imposing, but that¡¯s not all there is to it. The air he carries screams death, and that gentle smile tells me he enjoys fighting. My, oh my, what a frightening foe. Testing the waters will not do it. A more¡aggressive approach is required.
¡°Are you done evaluating me, boy?¡±
So he noticed? What a keen observation on his part, but I suppose that gave him time to read me as well. His posture is firm with his feet glued to the ground, but he¡¯s itching to bash in my skull. How frightening¡
¡°Yes, I am. Sorry for keeping you.¡±
Killing him now would be a waste. Questioning him on his allies would be nice, but that¡¯s not too important. I just want to see where this goes.
Dashing forward, I swing my weapon, using one hand to utilize the reach of my spear. He takes a step back, remaining in a defensive stance. Pivoting, I target his chest. He crouches while leaping back. Impressive reaction time. I pursue him, slamming the shaft of my spear to his side. He blocks with his forearm, then pulls it to bring me closer. Not only is he fast, he¡¯s taking advantage of my weapon¡¯s range.
The longer the weapon, the more limited the range. Some confuse a spear¡¯s advantage with being long-range, but that¡¯s not right. What they mean is reach. Long-range is its weakness. A spear or lance is longer than most weapons; if a person were to get past the blade part of these weapons, then they would be past the point of danger. So, when using a long weapon, one needs to keep the enemy at bay. Of course, that¡¯s for those who do not know how to overcome this weakness.
I let go of my spear, using the forward momentum he gave me. Leaping into the air, my foot pounds the sides of his head. I bash his chin with three consecutive punches. My knuckles are practically punching bricks, the bones throbbing inside my hand. Any more of that and my poor hand will break into tiny pieces. Regardless, he releases my weapon. I swipe it from the air, immediately going for an attack. However, his ability to halt my strike that close to his chest catches me off guard. His fist blurs past my perception, belting my head backward. It is like he smashed a brick into my face! The pain keeps me from blacking out. I almost want to puke out everything in my gut.
I lift myself to my feet before my body touched the ground, standing straight.
¡°You¡¯re able to stand after that?¡¯
¡°I nearly blacked out.¡± Outstanding, he broke my nose with a single strike. Not only that, but he didn¡¯t give me enough time to react. What else is there to say? He is impressive. I sneeze out some of the blood, ceasing the flow. A painful but effective fix for now. Despite how short our engagement was, I saw it on his face, as well as felt it. His lust for fighting is strong, almost intoxicating¡ Maybe he¡¯s¡ I do not see why not? If he refuses my offer, then I can kill him.
Lowering my weapon, I put my hand out. ¡°...Do you have a purpose?¡±
Raising a single brow, he leaves his stance. ¡°Excuse me?¡±
Bewildered, as expected. Being vague tends to reap their attention.
¡°Purpose, the reason a person breathes, sleeps, eats, or even speaks. Be it small or big, a purpose is a key component for a person to function. Without it, they are nothing more than a useless sack of meat.¡±
Sack of meat is harsh, but an apt phrase.
¡°Is there a point to this?¡±
¡°I ask because I feel we are the same. You and I seek something in combat, correct? What you seek is pleasure, yes?¡±
A broad grin slithers onto his face, doing away with the pleasant smile from before. ¡°Indeed. You can say it is my purpose. Everything else in life is meaningless.¡± Clenching his fist, he stares me down, elated to share his reason. ¡°When your life hangs in the balance, fighting an opponent you are capable of killing, but they are just as capable of killing you, those are the moments that define a person¡¯s life. The strength that one brings out, the ecstasy, but more importantly, the value of your own life flashes you by. Those are moments of beauty; the beauty of one¡¯s life! Where the strong wager their values to one another!¡±
Finding beauty in battle¡ How superb! Such a notion is insane, but there is a beauty in it that only people like him and I can see.
¡°Splendid, what a splendid reason to live! Allow me to accommodate you.¡±
I speed across the street, prioritizing speed over anything else. During our brief encounter, he waited for me to attack, redirected my attack, then countered. I have to strike faster than he¡¯s able to counter, let alone block. Which means getting into his range. Fortunately, fighting in close range is no issue.
Twirling my weapon, I bend it around my body, hitting him with the shaft. Bringing out the higher level of my acrobatics and my mastery of the spear is a must if I am to defeat this man. However, despite my swift movements, he guards even my more advanced techniques.
This¡this man is it! He¡¯s the one! After all this searching, I finally found the one who can help me.
¡°Please, give me your name,¡± I ask him, excited to hear his answer.
¡°I lost my name long ago, and even if I remembered, such a thing means little to me.¡±
¡°Then may I give mine?¡±
¡°Certainly. Knowing those who could kill me would be most appreciated.¡±
Saying this might sound crass, but this is making me giddy.
¡°Jed, that is my name. And I would like it if we could have a discussion.¡±
¡°Oh? What is there to discuss?¡±
Widening the already present smile on my face, I puff air from my nose. ¡°What else? My purpose¡¡±
¡
Fighting through wrecked buildings, the bandit scum follows behind me, moving like a wild animal on the hunt. Shaking him isn¡¯t gonna happen, and I don¡¯t need to. Leaping through another building, there¡¯s some kitchenware around here, begging to be used. Perfect, I can work with this. I slide under the table, waiting to give him a big warm welcome.
He breaks through the door with his shoulder, tearing the door from its hinges. I chuck the table with both my feet.
He catches it only for me to kick through it with both feet. I scurry to the kitchen, taking whatever silverware I can. Forks, nice! Four go airborne, one to his left, right, below, and for his chest.
In that split second before impact, he jumps up and grabs the support beams, lifting himself above the forks. What is that reaction speed!?
¡°All you got, kid?¡±
¡°Not even close!¡±
¡°You got some fire in those eyes!¡±
There¡¯s little room in here to maneuver. Half the battle is me not trying to bust my ass on anything in here. His actions are too quick. Tripping him up with the environment is the only way. Our back-and-forth battle of making the other slip up begins. Daggers, silverware, pots, and pans, he slips past them with. His body twists, turns, and bends in strange ways, not possible for a human.
What a freak! That table ambush was my best attack and even then, he still saw it coming. Everything about this guy doesn¡¯t make sense. Damnit, I¡¯m gonna need to head up to the second-floor!
I bolt up the wooden stairs that creaked under my feet. I bust into the first door I see, closing it shut, waiting for him to stomp in front of it. His feet set in front of the door. This is it! I jump at the door, pointing my daggers at it. Breaking the door from its hinges and stabbing it through, we crash into another room, tearing through the door into this room. Somehow, the bastard slides out from under the door. He shoots forward, running hog-wild at me. I shoot up, jumping back into the room behind me. The bandit slams through the wall, wrecking the wall with his body weight. Stupid bastard, probably broke his head with that. Now or never, while he¡¯s disoriented.
Bursting into the next room he¡¯s in, boots smash against my head, pushing me to a wall behind me. His fist leaves a mark on the wall after I barreled away. This guy is still moving, even after ramming through a wall. What is he even made of, a shit-brick house? Whatever, I got him where I want him. In a narrow hallway like this, there¡¯s nowhere he can dodge.
"Take this!"
I throw the last of my daggers, leaving a single one in my cloak. Each of them closes off any of his options to dodge. He¡¯s not escaping, not this time! Let¡¯s see what you got to say now, you filthy bandit!
But, all that comes out of his mouth is him clicking his teeth. Against the low odds, in an impossible situation that would make any human flinch, he plunges forward. My blades pierce an arm and a leg, but he¡¯s still running. What the¨C I don¡¯t believe it! How could he just¨C
"Got you, you little shit!"
His fist flashes across the air. It strikes me with a heavy thud, cracking his knuckles against my jaw. My consciousness fades in and out as I hit the floor. T¡this guy isn''t human. He''s an animal¡
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
¡°Shit, that stings¡! Oh well, at least I ain¡¯t dead.¡± Shit, my legs, I can barely feel them! No, no, no, no! Not this, not like this! I don¡¯t want to lose. "That was touch and go for a bit, I''ll admit, but it''s over for ya, kid."
It can''t be, not yet! My family¡ Every waking minute, their faces stare at me while they¡¯re cut down, their voices keep telling me to avenge them, to never allow a single bandit to escape judgment¡ The kingdom doesn¡¯t care to deal them proper judgment, and Proxy and his group just let them live. So it¡¯s up to me, I have to judge them, each and every one of them! With this rage, this desire to kill them all, I¡¯ll kill them, no matter the cost! Because if I don¡¯t, who will!?
"See ya around, punk, I¨C"
I yank the dagger from his leg, swiftly stabbing his foot three times. He flees before I can go for a fourth one. His foot, caked in blood, leaves bloody footprints on the wooden floor, giving it a fresh coat of paint. The smell drifts in the air, settling in my nose. My awareness rises from how revolting it smells, especially from something less than human.
"Damn, that was nasty! Didn''t think you had any left in you," he winces at the end, trying to bite back the pain.
"Oh, I have plenty¡ But thank you."
His blatant confusion says it all, and that weird look only states the obvious. "Thanks for what?"
"For reminding me, you bandits are subhumans."
"Ouch, I''m hurt."
Some part of me kept saying they were human, not to deter me, but to say it would be easy to kill them. But it was wrong. They¡¯re not humans, humans don¡¯t fight like beasts. Beasts are harder to kill, but they look nothing like a human, making them easier to kill.
"The way you move and fight is not that of a human, but an animal. An animal that does not deserve to be treated like a human."
His face contorts into a scowl, growling like the beast he is. "Beasts still deserve respect.¡±
"Why so defensive? Not like what I said is wrong. Beasts are below human beings in terms of value!"
"No, they are not!"
"They are¡ They do nothing but kill whatever they like without pause, never considering who gets hurt and what it does to the people around them. So I¡¯ll slaughter all of them! I¡¯ll be the monster that devours beasts!¡±
If beasts are equal to humans, then I¡¯ll be something more than that, something that can pick apart the beasts from humans!
¡°You¡¯re out of your mind, kid!¡±
He charges, ignoring the open wound on his leg. I¡¯m not going to run away anymore, not from scum like this! I¡¯ll face all of them head-on!
"Go for the legs!"
Crawling around my brain, those words jolt my body into action. I slash his legs, acting on the voice¡¯s command. His beastly reaction time leads him to leap over me.
¡°Throw a dagger!¡± I chuck one, almost on instinct. It nails his shoulder, spraying his disgusting blood all over the place. ¡°Close the distance!¡±
My feet kick off the ground, breaking a piece of the brittle wooden floor below. I jump at him, planting my boots on him. Slipping out the last dagger from my cloak, I go for the kill, wanting to sink the blade into his skin, spilling all the blood from this beast¡¯s body. At this distance, I can do it.
¡°Get off me!¡±
He forces me off, swinging his forearm with that beastly strength.
¡°Throw it!¡±
I do just that, pushing it into the air with the tip of my fingers. It flies across the room, centering on his chest. It sinks into his shoulder. He was quick to lower his body, but he wasn¡¯t quick enough.
¡°Kill him!¡±
Just what I was thinking. I messed up his leg and foot, there¡¯s no better time. Snatching a dagger from the ground, I race down the hall. He flees into the room next to him. What¡¯s the point? No matter where you run, I¡¯ll¨C Glass shattering interrupts my thoughts. Is there a window in there? Shit! Barging into the room, glass is littered on the ground with the window missing from the room, letting in the sea breeze. I hate being right!
He jumped out the window, and since this is a two-story building, he¡¯s probably fine! But with his injuries, he¡¯s still losing blood, and I can use that to follow him.
I race to the first floor and leap through the window leading to the back of this house. I follow his trail. Injuries like those will keep him from moving as deft as he was before. When I close in, I¡¯ll slice him apart, piece by piece; don¡¯t want him somehow living through our encounter.
Turning the corner, the trail ends. Must¡¯ve patched his wounds somehow. Not like that¡¯s gonna help. Tracking him won¡¯t be too hard¡ Forget him. I have to go help Jed and the others. Besides, he can run all he wants, I¡¯ll find him, then cut him to pieces!
Laguna - North-end - evening
Somehow made it back to the checkpoint after hours of lugging my leg. We¡¯re based in the tree here in Laguna. There¡¯s a long bridge way that acts as a chokehold between us and anyone coming into the North. The water crashes from below the sea, rushing along with the wind that smells like the sea.
Talk about close scrapes. Walking is a bitch and a half thanks to these holes in my leg. Thing practically feels like a log. My shoulders ain¡¯t any better, but I can deal with them being stiff.
Halfway through the fight, something happened to that kid. He suddenly got better at fighting me, and the way he was acting changed. And the shit he said¡ Little bastard, when I get my hands on him, I¡¯ll wrangle him!
¡°You are worse for wear.¡±
Great, here comes the old man. And wouldn¡¯t you look at that? He ain¡¯t harmed. How lucky.
¡°You just gonna stare at me or help?¡±
¡°What happened to your foe?¡±
Gah! This old bastard completely ignored me!
¡°I had to escape.¡±
¡°Is that right? Such a humiliating action is becoming a common occurrence with you.¡±
¡°Shut up! I just keep getting the freaks!¡±
¡°And that excuses you how?¡±
¡°Just shut up¡! But this freak was different from the last one. He changed before my eyes, like I was fighting someone else.¡±
¡°Sounds as if we have some interesting opponents this time around.¡±
¡°Yeah. Between him and Proxy, I¡¯d say they go neck and neck in how dangerous they are.¡±
¡°Not only those two, but with the boy I fought today as well.
¡°Really!? Then this gonna get real interesting!¡±
Okay, maybe that kid banging up my leg wasn¡¯t too much of a bad thing then. Three of them are reaching their potential¡ Yeah, that kid with the weird lance had that air, but I can¡¯t say for certain whether or not it¡¯s true since I didn¡¯t get to fight him,
¡°If we meet them in combat, then the three of them will blossom into something beautiful.¡±
¡°Yeah. I can feel it coming. For Proxy, it¡¯s slowly coming out, but with that other kid I fought, it just erupted from him, overwhelming me.¡±
¡°And I believe Jed is holding back on purpose. But, if this place were to be turned into a proper battlefield, then¡¡±
¡°...Then they would break past their limits, unleashing their potential as fighters.¡±
This feeling! A tingle runs down my spine and all the anger I had before washes away, replaced by euphoria. The stronger the pray, the more satisfying it is to beat. Though, that knife-wielding brat is someone I won¡¯t be hunting. Hunting an opponent means I respect their strength and them as a fighter, so I come at them with everything I got, and that brat doesn¡¯t fit the description. Anyone who disrespects the balance of life doesn''t get anything but a boot to the head!
Laguna - South-west-end - evening
Cade, walking alongside Jed and the rest of his squad, returns to their temporary site. Kids ranging from 13 to 18 greet them, as well as the rest who accompanied Cade.
Jed, with nary a wound, smiles on, striking the hearts of the girls in the encampment, and even some of the boys captured by his girlish face. They shower Cade in applause along with the rest of his squad.
¡°Jed, you gonna answer me?¡±
¡°Is it so important why I left? I am capable of protecting myself, but I am sorry for worrying you.¡±
¡°Just don¡¯t do that again.¡±
Jed noticed a subtle difference in Cade¡¯s inflection. Not only his voice, but his posture, as well as the air he exudes; radiates a dense killing intent that has no cap. Others felt this from Cade, others remained ignorant of it, all of them cheering for him nonetheless.
¡°Today! I encountered bandits here, as well as Proxy and his band,¡± Cade announces, catching everyone¡¯s attention.
The name spreads around like a bad omen, causing anger to stir from everyone. They remember him as a traitor who defended a bandit and harmed their allies. Yet, running counter to their anger, there¡¯s a bitter sadness to it. The ones that got to know him thought he was kind, and his bright personality uplifted them, helping them to forget their trauma. With anger and sadness comes conflict within themselves.
Cade, however fierce his anger is toward him, still holds the bit of their friendship that remains between them. He does hate Proxy, but like everyone else, feels sad ?he has to fight him, wanting nothing more than to be friends with him. However, he won¡¯t change his mind, and he won¡¯t spare Proxy, even if he doesn¡¯t want to fight him.
¡°Tonight, we¡¯ll be scouting ahead, so we¡¯ll need a few volunteers, that¡¯s all.¡±
Puck emerges from the crowd along with Wedge.
She gasps, spotting bruises on Cade¡¯s body. ¡°You¡¯re wounded! We need to get you medical attention!¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine, Puck. Bruises aren¡¯t gonna keep me down.¡±
¡°Yeah! I get bruised all the time,¡± Wedge¡¯s voice resounds, annoying anyone in earshot of him.
Puck taps Wedge¡¯s chest with the back of her knuckle. ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯re made of harder stuff. Also, stop yelling!¡±
¡°Sorry!¡±
Cade lets his guard down, laughing at the two¡¯s banter. A broad smile stretches on Puck¡¯s face, elated to see Cade happy.
¡°Ah, I did not know you could smile?¡± Jed unintentionally mocks Puck.
Her face flushes pink, turning to him with a nasty glare. ¡°Sh-shut up! Who cares what you think!¡±
¡°But you are,¡± Wedge pits in, speaking at a normal pitch.
¡°Why aren¡¯t you yelling!?¡±
¡°I thought you did not wish for him to yell?¡±
¡°Shut it!¡±
¡°My, my¡¡±
Wedge watches on, pressing his lips together while Puck chases Jed around. Even on the battlefield, this moment of childish peace imprints into Cade¡¯s mind, but even then, the voice whispers into his ear, keeping him from dropping his guard, especially around his friends.
"Kill them¡ Kill all of your enemies."
The voice seeps not into his ear, but into his brain. The tempting allure of his blade gliding across a bandit''s body, their lives thralled in his hands. As sick as he thinks it is, there¡¯s an animalistic part of him that revels in the thought.
A Source-user awakens their Source in one of two ways: Training to feel their Source, learning to control it before they learn their trigger to release it, or from mental and physical strain, causing them to realize their Source without any training. Of course, without training, they can¡¯t properly use it, but, on rare occasions, some can manifest an ability, even without knowing about Source.
Typically, when a Manifestation is created, the user must nurture their intended creation, being overly familiar with it, imprinting in one¡¯s mind and soul. During their time creating this, they can manifest how the ability works, the stronger the ability, the heavier the restriction will be, and it cannot go beyond the realm of possibility or understanding.
In this case, Cade¡¯s obsession, feelings that have been developing for years, with eliminating the bandits was used to materialize a manifestation, giving it the form of an entity that hovers over his shoulders. It only came to be during his fight with Wildcard, subconsciously. It being subconscious in creation, Cade was not able to control what it can and cannot do.
However, since Cade hasn''t found his trigger to unleash his Source, his Manifestation is weak, only able to speak with him. However, that is only the surface of its abilities.
¡°Kill enemies¡grow stronger! Grow stronger! Big and strong!¡±
Amongst his allies, he sinks further into darkness, unable to hear their voices and their laughter, only the ghoulish voice whispering to him.
Spoken hearts in a dead city
Laguna - south-west-end - evening
It was one thing for them to drink a little, but these bozos took it to the next level. Dumbass went and got plastered out of their minds. At first, Chip was getting all chummy with everyone, acting weird. Then, Gil was mumbling something, I don¡¯t even know what he was jabbering on about. Point is, these idiots got shit-faced, and now they¡¯re knocked out cold.
Alex is still sitting in the corner, doing nothing but watching the dust fly by him.
Garrick¡¯s still good to go and he¡¯s drunk just as much as these morons. Maybe he¡¯s faking it by staying quiet? Only one way to find out.
¡°Yo,¡± I whisper. ¡°You shitfaced?¡±
¡°What?¡±
He didn¡¯t slur his words there, so maybe he isn¡¯t.
¡°Forget it. Have fun drinking.¡±
¡°You hate me, don¡¯t you?¡±
What¡¯s with the sudden question?
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say I hate you. I just don¡¯t like you.¡±
A chuckle catches me off guard. "That''s odd."
"What? Thought you were popular with everyone?"
"No, I just never met a person so forthcoming."
"I don''t like beating around the bush."
"That¡¯s a dangerous sense of honesty you have there."
"How come?"
"It¡¯s more likely to get you killed than anything else."
I blink, not even pretending to be scared. "And?"
Turning his head, he swirls his drink, raising the liquid to the rim of the glass. "Those who do not fear death are truly foolish.¡±
Of course I fear it, who doesn¡¯t? The feeling when I skirt on death¡¯s door, and the idea that my life can be taken without a second thought, that¡¯s scary as hell. But I ain¡¯t gonna let that slow me down, not for a second.
¡°Sure, whatever you say. But you don¡¯t seem so scared yourself?¡±
¡°Of course not. Death doesn¡¯t scare those who are already dead.¡± The hell does that mean? Seems plenty alive to me. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll leave to check the perimeter. By now, they¡¯ll have given up, but we can¡¯t be too careful.¡±
He gets out of his seat, heading to the stairs.
Alex jumps to his feet, following behind him. ¡°Allow me to accompany you.¡±
¡°It¡¯ll be a brief look around, nothing more.¡±
¡°But I still wish to go with you regardless.¡±
Garrick shares no heavy emotions on his request, just a big ol¡¯ blank stare. Almost like he¡¯s just swimming through his brain, trying to find an answer. Then, like he¡¯s been unpaused, his mouth opens. ¡°Fine, just don¡¯t make too much noise.¡±
Alex ¡°Yes! I shall endeavor to do so!¡±
There they go, getting ready to take a look outside. Not like I¡¯m about to let them hog all the fun. When they hit the top, I climbed the stairs behind them. I¡¯m moving a few meters away from them, keeping out of sight and lightening my footsteps. They move from alley to alley, avoiding whatever bandits are on the streets. The heat died down a little, but they¡¯re still looking for us. Wish I could get on the roof somehow, but with all these dilapidated buildings, that ain¡¯t happening.
They stop at a view of the water. The moon shines on the stream flowing from the ocean. A glimmer that captivates me in its luster. They seat themselves on a bench, facing the water. I can¡¯t see their faces from here, and there isn¡¯t a closer spot to hide at, so this is as good as it gets.
¡°Is something the matter, sir Garrick?¡± Alex, showing utmost respect, asks.
¡°You said you wanted to learn more about Sigurd, right?¡±
¡°Yes! Please divulge all you can!¡±
He leans back in his seat, puffing out air. ¡°...We met before the march to Borghulda. He was of low birth, like me. Those of noble birth were immediately made into knights, with people like us as their underlings.¡±
¡°How come? Low-birth or noble-birth, it should not matter!¡±
¡°He said the same. Godfrey stuck to tradition, even during war. Underlings listened to whatever a knight told them to do. They sent us out when they couldn¡¯t be bothered to do their own work.¡±
¡°Seriously!?¡±
¡°Yeah, even sending us on dangerous patrols.¡±
¡°I see.¡±
Sounds like it blows chunks. Hell, kind of reminds me of school. Though, I never seen a knight outside of the kingdom before, other than the Hell Mine and BlackRock, of course.
¡°But Sigurd, he never minded. In fact, he seemed to love it. His eyes turned crazed whenever we left the kingdom on an errand. Collecting things for the knights under us should¡¯ve been the easiest thing in the world, yet he always made it seem so¡dangerous.¡±
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
¡°Tell me!¡±
¡°Once, we were sent to retrieve a flower, one that went well with alcohol. It was the top of a cliff, nothing too high, however, that didn¡¯t stop him from scaling it from the side.¡±
¡°Why would he?¡±
¡°If I¡¯m remembering this correctly, and I quote, ¡®It challenged me¡¯. So then he started scaling it, and somehow got me to follow him.¡±
¡°Did you both make it up!?¡±
¡°Barely. Felt like death was latched onto my back as we ascended. But somehow, despite my fingers numbing over, we made it to the top. Not only that, when we retrieved the flower, a predator animal charged at us, wanting to eat us both. He grabbed me by the back and leaped off the cliff.¡±
¡°Then, then!?¡±
¡°Then, he got off with a broken arm while I got a scape on my forearm. Despite how reckless it was, he softened our landing with the trees¡¡± They go quiet, leaving me on the edge of my seat. ¡°...Sigurd played it off, telling me nothing was wrong with him, saying, ¡®it hangs low like this¡¯.¡±
They burst into laughter, busting a gut over the story. It¡¯s surprising that Garrick can laugh, but Alex¡ Seems like he¡¯s having fun. That¡¯s good, but why do I feel sad? I should be happy for him, but seeing them laugh like that ties a bunch of knots in my stomach¡
Alex bows to Garrick. ¡°Thank you, sir Garrick.¡±
¡°For what?¡±
¡°For telling¨C For bestowing me the opportunity to learn more about Sigurd. I feel closer to him more than ever.¡±
¡°Why is it so important that you have to be? Do you not have a father?¡±
¡°I do, and I respect him immensely!¡±
¡°Then why not idolize your father instead?¡±
¡°I do not see an issue with idolizing both him and my father. Both of them are great men, so I idolize them equally ¡±
¡°That¡¯s quite an open-minded perspective¡¡±
¡°Oh, no, my adamant nature is my sole strength.¡± He says that, but there¡¯s next to no confidence in his voice. ¡°...However, even that is being called into question.¡±
He folds his hands, leaning forward on the bench. ¡°I¡ I could not save someone dear to me, despite my adamant nature. Worst of all, she cried because of me¡ Nightmares plague my nights and every meal lacks texture, almost as if I¡¯m eating leather.¡±
So that¡¯s why he isn¡¯t eating.
¡°You lament your powerlessness?¡±
¡°Correct, but I do not wish for anyone else to learn of this. I fear morale would suffer if everyone did.¡±
¡°So you wish to bear the weight alone? No matter how it turns out for you?¡±
A long pause sweeps over the area, racking my nerves even further.
¡°...Yes,¡± he speaks, sounding like he accepted the answer he gave. ¡°...If I do not, then what good am I? I never want to feel what I felt that day; crippling weakness that cannot save anyone¡¡±
He¡¯s¡he¡¯s just like me. Forcing himself to move forward, that gnawing sense of powerlessness that eats at your heart. Now I get it, all of it. He wasn¡¯t forcing us to fight; he was forcing himself to fight. Now that I think about it, this all started after our fight with that body-snatcher bastard. So maybe it¡¯s because he couldn¡¯t save Marie on his own? It would make sense, too much sense¡
I leave the two of them without making myself known. Being here isn¡¯t right. I don¡¯t deserve to be.
¡
The moon illuminates the water, giving it a gleam that draws the eyes of those who observe it. However, no matter how beautiful it may be, sir Garrick has my full attention.
¡°Alexander,¡± he grumbles, seemingly annoyed, for an unknown reason. ¡°...why don¡¯t you leave your allies behind?¡±
¡°W¡ E-excuse me?¡±
¡°They¡¯re the cause of your strife, so why not leave them behind?¡±
His blank expression does not exude any humor, only a grave question that slapped me across the face.
¡°Sir Garrick, I¨C I cannot,¡± I answer, leaving no doubt in my mind,
¡°Why not? You fear for your allies'' lives, do you not?¡±
¡°That is¨C¡±
¡°...Abandon your mission. There is no happiness in the war you fight, only more sorrow.¡±
My body acts on its own, standing in front of sir Garrick. ¡°I cannot do that! I will never forgo my allies for my own benefit! They put their trust in me, so it would be irredeemable of me to scurry away from my responsibilities. Not just for them, but for my father¡¯s dream! For those reasons, I will never run!¡±
The words linger, my chest heaves, and my heart set ablaze. In spite of the pain it results in, there are things I shall never give up on.
¡°...What was his dream?¡± sir Garrick inquires.
I leap on top of the guardrail, guarding the city against the water. ¡°To bring a world without war, without pointless conflict, and to put an end to the tragedy that the war propagated! That was my father¡¯s dream.¡±
Sir Garrick faces the floor. I can¡¯t tell what he is thinking or what his expression is, but perhaps my words struck a chord with him.
¡°I knew you would say that,¡± he answers, speaking in a calmer, yet welcoming tone. ¡°...You and Sigurd have the same strength: your determination.¡± The same strength¡? Me and him¡have the same strength? ¡°...No matter the cost, he kept pushing for his ideals, and it seems like you¡¯ll do the same.¡±
I¡¯m like father¡ Just like father! However¡
¡°While I am happy to hear such kind words, my determination is not thanks to my own self. I made promises to people, promises that I cannot go back on¡¡±
¡°Is that all?¡±
¡°Not quite¡ The boy in our group, Proxy, is another reason.¡±
¡°You mean the one who¡¯s showing me open hostility?¡±
¡°Yes¡ He is¡how do I say it? He is remarkable. In all of my life, I have never seen someone like him.¡±
¡°He doesn¡¯t seem all that remarkable. His attitude is nothing special, and his mentality is that of a thug.¡±
¡°I disagree. He is someone who acts on his words and never holds back, whether with his words or with his actions. That boy displays determination and courage that I have never seen in a person before. But underneath that strong exterior is a kind-hearted boy that is welcoming of those around him, no matter who they were in the past, or why they did it. He is¡a good person.¡±
Proxy accepted Marie¡¯s past, all because she regretted it, is what he told me. The only other soul to know of Marie¡¯s past in our army, and he still sees her as an ally. Yet, I lost my composure with him. I did not mean to, but I do not have the luxury to stop moving. All I can do is move¡ Because if I stop, Proxy, Marie, and everybody else; I will not be able to protect them.
¡°Alexander, let¡¯s head back. Sitting here for this long told me the bandit''s presence here is low.¡±
Now that he mentions it, it surprises me that no one had heard us, or has come to investigate the area. Well, that is a fortunate thing.
¡°Okay. It is about time we get moving anyway. The sooner we regroup with the rest of the army, the better we stand.¡±
Sister is still on the bus, so she should be safe, but I do not wish to be separated from her any longer than I already have been.
¡
The streets are dead quiet, creeping me the hell out. My brain is all jumbled up, trying to work out what Alex said back there and how I didn¡¯t pick up on his feelings. If anyone should be able to pick up on it, it should¡¯ve been me, and here I am, thinking back on how stupid I¡¯ve been,
I know I¡¯m not the smartest guy in the world, but even I should¡¯ve been able to see that. So why wasn¡¯t I? Am I just that dumb? Damnit! This is hurting my head! Thinking about this complicated crap isn¡¯t my speed, so I don¡¯t know what to do. Even if I confront Alex, he¡¯s just gonna push me to the waist side, and asking for Marie¡¯s help is a no-go.
Not like I wanna give up, but I don¡¯t know what to do! I can¡¯t help Marie, and I don¡¯t even know if I can help Alex¡ All I¡¯m good for is fighting¡
¡°Why the hell am I so useless at this stuff? ¡°
¡°I don¡¯t know, you tell me.¡± A voice from behind makes me jerk right around. Standing in front of me, a familiar gray-haired swordsman stuffs his face with some beef jerky-looking thing¡ ¡°Sup.¡±
It¡¯s the old man with the katana!
Tides of change approach
Laguna - South-west-end - evening
The gray-haired swordsman, wearing light samurai armor strapped to his chest and legs. His sword hanging by his waist, swaying from the slightest of movement. He¡¯s staring at me like I¡¯m some sort of idiot, continuing to eat the jerky in his mouth.
¡°Whats sup, kid.¡±
Instinct takes over, making my body jump back to get as much distance as possible.
¡°Woah, nice jump,¡± he spews from his mouth, spitting out some of the jerky.
¡°W-what the hell are you doing here¡!? Umm¡ What¡¯s your name again?¡±
He spits out the jerky, almost gagging on it. ¡°How the hell did you forget my name, huh!?¡±
¡°Sorry, but it slipped from my mind.¡±
He taps his scabbard against his armor. ¡°The name is Grey Ocean! Don¡¯t forget it, brat!¡±
¡°Sure, sure, old man.¡±
His hand flashes over my head. He squeezes my skull with his fingers digging into my skin. ¡°Wanna repeat that?¡±
¡°Ow, get the hell off me, old man!¡±
¡°Blame yourself for callin¡¯ me old!¡±
¡°Okay, okay, I get it, I get it!¡±
His old man talons release me. Damn old man, he should cut those nails!
¡°Why are you here? I ain¡¯t giving you that book.¡±
¡°Nah, it ain¡¯t like that.¡± He crunches down on the last bit of jerky and swallows the remains. ¡°I got bored, so I thought you¡¯d have somethin¡¯ interestin¡¯ to say.¡±
¡°Well, I don¡¯t, and I¡¯m not in the mood for you, so leave me alone.¡±
¡°You ¡®bout to cry or somethin¡¯?¡±
¡°No! How about you piss off!?¡±
¡°Whoa! I was only jokin¡¯. Sheesh, kids nowadays¡¡±
This clown is giving me a headache. Talking to him is a waste of time, not to mention that it might piss me off more than it should.
¡°See ya, old man. I¡¯d say it was nice seeing you, but I don¡¯t like lying.¡±
¡°Come on, I¡¯m seriously bored over. Can¡¯t we talk for a few minutes? I don¡¯t care what it is, I need to kill a bit of my boredom.¡±
He¡¯s persistent, I¡¯ll give him that¡ Well, even if I go back now, it¡¯s not like Chip or Gil are gonna be up any time soon, so I don¡¯t know. Maybe talking to the old man might get my mind off things?
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll talk with you, but nothing weird, got it?¡±
¡°Sure, I promise¡¡±
We take a seat inside a busted-down building next to us. The rubble inside is good enough to serve as a seat.
¡°So, you¡¯ve been following us, haven¡¯t you, ol¨C I mean, Ocean?¡±
¡°Yeah, though, I''ve just been keepin¡¯ my distance, nothing more.¡±
Keeping his distance, huh? Then that means¡
¡°Did you see our fight with that Source-user?¡± I ask him, my finger tense, waiting for his answer.
¡°Yep, saw the whole thing.¡±
I grab him by the armor, yanking at him. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you help us then!?¡±
This guy is strong. I can tell from how he fought me, and he has Source, so maybe he could¡¯ve beaten that guy and saved Marie!
¡°Why should I have?¡± His neutral expression, casting no anger, confusion, or even guilt, tells me everything I need to know.
¡°What!?¡±
¡°Like I said, why should I have helped you?¡±
¡°Because Marie was¨C¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know all the details, but that woman who attacked, I can tell she was important to you. But there¡¯s something you¡¯re missing here: we aren¡¯t friends, and I certainly don¡¯t have to help you¡¡±
¡°But, you¨C¡±
¡°And say I did, what makes you think I¡¯d fight to save her?¡± An icy sensation crawls across my spine. ¡°...If me and that Source-user fought, it would have been to the death.¡±
¡°T¡to the death?¡±
¡°...When it comes to a fight, I like havin¡¯ fun, hell, I like cracking jokes¡ But when it comes down to a fight with someone like that, whose Source emanates like that, then a fight to the death is gonna happen.¡±
So intense¡ I felt bloodlust from crazy people that just wanted to gut me for fun, but this¡ This isn¡¯t some guy who wants to kill, but someone who will if he has to. I can¡¯t call this bloodlust; it¡¯s killer intent! An intent that holds no excitement, just the will that would let him go through with slicing someone like me to pieces!
¡°...Besides, would you have wanted me to?¡±
¡°What? Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±
¡°So you¡¯re saying you need me to solve your problems?¡±
¡°N-no! That¡¯s not¨C¡±
¡°But isn¡¯t it? You¡¯re basically saying, ¡®I¡¯m too weak to protect my own friends¡¯. Ain¡¯t that right?¡±
Shit! This guy¡! He¡¯s¡he¡¯s¡right. That is what I¡¯m saying. And he¡¯s right about us not being friends. This man still tried to kill me right out the gate, so if anything, I can¡¯t trust him with my friends.
¡°Listen, I ain¡¯t trying to come off like a dick, I¡¯m just tellin¡¯ you how it is. If you want to protect somethin¡¯, you do it with your own hands. Expectin''; someone to swoop in and save you whenever you need it, that¡¯s a good way to stagnate.¡±
Expecting someone to save us¡ Never really wished or hoped for that, but I can¡¯t say we haven¡¯t survived because someone came in and saved us. Garrick is one of those people. So maybe this guy has a point.
¡°...Though bein¡¯ an edgy loner isn¡¯t any better. All I¡¯m sayin¡¯ is that you shouldn¡¯t go and rely on me to pick up your slack, ¡®kay?¡±
His words are harsh, but he isn¡¯t coming off like an asshole. It¡¯d be easy to tell with a guy like this. And it isn¡¯t like I can say he¡¯s wrong.
¡°But you know, it still surprises me.¡±
¡°You just want me to take the bait on that, don¡¯t you?¡±
Ocean looks away, not quick enough for me not to see that cunning look on his face. ¡°...Nah, don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Real smooth, old man. ¡°...But seriously, I meant to say: that girl you have with you is a Source-user, and a dangerous one at that.¡±
¡°She isn¡¯t.¡±
¡°You kidding me? With her Source and how she flaunted it, how do you explain it?¡±
¡°Well, I don¡¯t know all the details, but¡¡±
I explained what happened when Marie was possessed, and how she was being controlled by some dude in a sword.
¡°...Well, shit me, who would¡¯ve thunk it.¡±
¡°Sounds crazy, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, but not entirely.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°The way you describe it, and the fact she was using a Source technique like that, I¡¯d say the sword was housing a Source-user.¡±
¡°Is that some special ability you Source-users have?¡±
¡°No, in fact, it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±
¡°Seemed pretty possible to me.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, but what I¡¯m saying is something like that is downright unlikely.¡±
¡°How come?¡±
¡°Well, hmm, maybe I can explain it like this¡¡± Ocean points to the center of his chest. ¡°You know what a Soul is, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, I do.¡±
¡°Okay, that makes this easier. You know how the brain stores everything about us, right?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°Then think of the soul as the main engine for your body. Without it, you might as well be a human being without any gas.¡±
¡°Does that mean I¡¯d be dead without one?¡±
¡°Nah, you wouldn¡¯t, but you¡¯d be like an empty shell. Sure, your body would still be ¡®alive¡¯, but you¡¯d be just a vegetable at that point.¡± The thought pops into my head, scaring me a little. ¡°...Of course, you need your brain as well, or else, well, you get the picture.¡±
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°So wait, how was that guy able to live without a brain?¡±
¡°The soul records everything about us, including the most important features: our thoughts, emotions, and memories. Everything that makes up the core of your being is your soul.¡±
¡°So, it¡¯s like a record keeper on yourself?¡±
¡°That¡¯s one way of looking at it, yeah. However, the soul is also the reason we can use Source. See where I¡¯m going with this?¡±
¡°So, the guy we fought put his own soul inside that sword, and that¡¯s how he possessed Marie?¡±
¡°It might be a bit more complicated than that. You can¡¯t outright possess someone with your Source or Soul, it doesn¡¯t have that inherent ability, and even if you tried to, it would fail.¡±
¡°Umm¡huh?¡±
¡°Oh, well¡ Oh, I got it! You know what happens when you mix blood types?¡±
¡°Nope.¡±
His excited expression shifts to an astonished look, one that¡¯s practically saying, ¡°what the hell is wrong with you¡±. ¡°...You stupid or something, or did you never pay attention in school?¡±
¡°Oh, shut up! You smelly old fart!¡±
His hands stretch out my face. ¡°I ain¡¯t smelly, you brat!¡±
¡°Up yours, old man!¡±
We fought for a solid minute, pulling at the other¡¯s hair and face until we both got tired of it
¡°...Okay, let¡me get back to my lesson. If you mix a different blood type in your body, you¡¯ll die. Think of Source like that; everyone¡¯s different from the other, sure they might share some similarities from person to person, but they¡¯re all fundamentally.¡±
¡°I think I¡¯m getting this. But that doesn¡¯t explain how Marie got her body possessed by that sword. And I¡¯m pretty sure Marie has a soul, so shouldn¡¯t she have Source?¡±
Flicking his finger at me, he mimics a bell from some game show. ¡°Give this kid a prize. You¡¯re even if a person isn¡¯t aware of it, everyone has Source flowing around them. Even if they have a low percentage of it. So him trying to inject his Source into her should have killed her. But I think I have an idea on how it did.¡± Ocean leans forward, running his hand through his beard. ¡°...From how the Source was flowing around that girl, I could tell that it was odd.¡±
¡°You mean that Source flow, thingy?¡±
¡°How do you know about that? Actually, that doesn¡¯t matter right now. You¡¯re right. Her flow was strange. Typically, your Source flows from your head to your feet. But in that girl''s case, it was flowing from her sword to her body, which is strange.¡±
¡°I remember my friend saying she was being possessed because of the sword she was holding.¡±
From that, Ocean¡¯s eyelids shoot open, pushing him further into thought. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then¡ I think I get it!¡±
¡°What, what is it?¡±
¡°He might¡¯ve been doing something else, something like possession, but not by the means of interjecting his own soul into that girly.¡±
¡°Hey, I don¡¯t what you¡¯re saying, go slower!¡±
¡°You can use a little exercise up there.¡± This guy sure knows how to piss me off, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°What I mean is, he could¡¯ve been doing something similar to it, though, I don¡¯t know what it could¡¯ve been¡ The girly, she¡¯s alive, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, she is¡ All we had to do was to get that sword away from here, and that¡¯s it.¡±
¡°Then that proves, he didn¡¯t put his soul in her or anything. If he did, she would be dead.¡±
So much information all at once. I barely have a grasp on it since I don¡¯t know too much about Source. But at least I know Marie is really out of danger.
Ocean gets up, stretching his arms and legs. ¡°Welp, that killed a bit of my boredom. Thanks for that, kid.¡±
¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡±
¡°You bet. Can¡¯t say I was supposed to talk to you, so I better make myself scarce.¡±
As he walks for the exit, he waves goodbye. I can¡¯t let him leave, not until he answers my last question.
¡°Wait!¡±
¡°Huh, what is it? Feelin¡¯ lonely already, kid?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not that! I just¡ I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±
¡°Okay, mind tellin¡¯ me what you mean?¡±
¡°The girl, Marie, she¡¯s emotionally shut down ever since she got possessed, and her brother is pushing himself to fight more and more because he couldn¡¯t save her by himself. I don¡¯t know how to help her, and I didn¡¯t even know how her brother, my friend, felt.¡±
My blood boils, and each muscle in my hands tenses up with anger. All of this pent-up anger is at the demented son of a bitch that caused all this, and myself, for how useless I am. If I can¡¯t help my friends when they need it, then what good am I?
¡°Why are you asking me? Do you think I have your magical answer to fix all your problems?¡±
My attention draws back to the swordsman, casting me an annoyed glare.
¡°No! I¡I don¡¯t know! I¡¯m not too smart, so I¡¯m not quick to pick up on stuff, so I don¡¯t know.¡±
He rushes over to me, knocking on my forehead with the flat of his knuckle. ¡°Idiot! That¡¯s why you use this!¡±
¡°Ow, ow, ow! Stop that!¡±
¡°Then stop sayin¡¯ stupid shit like, ¡®it¡¯s too hard¡¯!¡± The onslaught ends, flicking me on the forehead with a mild expression. ¡°...I don¡¯t have any answers for you, I don¡¯t know anything about your situation, or your friends, so I can¡¯t help you. But instead of whining, why don¡¯t you start using that thing in your skull? Cause you can¡¯t always rely on someone to give you all the answers, certainly not me. So think for yourself.¡±
I¡never had to think too hard about this stuff before, so can I even do that? But the old man¡¯s words aren¡¯t patronizing. They¡¯re friendly, in an odd way. His voice is calm, but his tone is down-to-earth. I can¡¯t help but latch onto every word that comes out of his mouth.
¡°...So do some thinkin¡¯ so you can stop soundin¡¯ like a wimp, ¡®kay!?¡±
And like that, he¡¯s broken my image of him.
Once again, he begins to walk off, lifting his sword over his shoulder.
¡°Wait!¡±
My voice, desperate to make him stay, suddenly blurts out those words, stopping him in his tracks.
¡°What now? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m¨C¡±
¡°How do I get stronger?¡±
Curious, he raises an eyebrow as he faces me with one eye. ¡°Why ask me? Didn¡¯t I say you gotta think for your¨C¡±
¡°You did, and you¡¯re right. But I want to know, from your point of view, how can I get stronger?¡±
Rubbing his beard, his eyes narrow, putting me under a sharp gaze. ¡°Well¡okay, since you asked so nicely, I¡¯ll throw you a bone. But I¡¯m gonna make you really think about this one; gotta make sure the little guy up there is in workin¡¯ order, after all.¡± Don¡¯t blow up on him, don¡¯t blow up! ¡°Source, you think it¡¯s magic or what?¡±
Hmm, I think that witch told me it isn¡¯t; I think.
¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t see the difference.¡±
¡°Can¡¯t blame you, but it is different.¡± Placing a hand on his chest, he snaps his fingers with his other hand. ¡°...Magic is usually making something from nothing in movies and books, but Source isn¡¯t that. Haven¡¯t you ever thought this: Why it¡¯s called Source?¡±
¡°Does it matter?¡±
¡°Source isn¡¯t just about making fire appear from nowhere, or turning your fist as hard as iron because you want it to be. All of these things are born from something: a concept.¡±
¡°A concept?¡±
¡°Yeah. We Source-users don¡¯t just make these abilities out of nowhere, we hold these concepts and mold them, but ?we have to have a deep understandin¡¯ of them. You can¡¯t make fire come out if you don¡¯t understand it, and you can¡¯t harden your body if you can¡¯t understand the concept.¡± Ocean waves his hands, shifting them around, flowing like water. ¡°Source refers to the conception of all these abilities, tracing them back to their origins, and from that comes a vast understandin¡¯ of them. But, before all that comes the understandin¡¯ of the self.
Understanding the self¡understanding an idea¡ I think I kinda understand, though it ain¡¯t clicking together right away.
¡°...That¡¯s all the advice I¡¯m givin¡¯ you. Try to think on all that stuff, m¡¯kay?¡± Taking half a step, he turns to me, squinting his eyes at me. ¡°...You ain¡¯t got any more question, right?¡± I shake my head. ¡°Good. Be seeing you around, kid. Remember,¡± he taps his head. ¡°...think about all this. Even if you don¡¯t get a big answer, you might get a clue or two towards that answer.¡±
With that, the old man disappears from sight, leaving me with those words of wisdom, embedding them inside my mind. Ocean sharing wisdom like that was unexpected, and I thought he was gonna totally shut me down since, but he gave me his time, even if I was getting on his nerves. Even if we can call each other enemies, I can¡¯t really see him as someone I have to be on guard against.
Besides that, I¡¯ve gotta think about how to help Alex and Marie. Mopping around ain¡¯t gonna cut it. Even if my brain is small, I¡¯m gonna rack my brain and come up with some solutions, baby¡! Wait, did I just say my brain was small?
Laguna - south-west end - evening
Sitting on a slab of stone in a room on the second floor of a building we¡¯re inhabiting, I¡¯m loading my weapon. This thing is supposed to be a prototype or whatever. Cade gave it to me a while back, saying it suits me. It¡I couldn¡¯t go to sleep that day.
Cade is always like that with me, always looking after me. Even when he says ¡°Puck¡±, it feels warm, extending his kindness toward me, even on the worst of days; like when Proxy betrayed us¡ So why does it feel different? The way he says it is the same, his tone is gentle, and his cadence is the same. But his eyes, his deep black eyes, seem almost void of that light he once had. Maybe it¡¯s just me, but his presence puts me on edge.
¡°Puck! You here!? Puck!¡± That loud ass voice belongs only to one idiot. Wedge pokes his head into the room, wagging his finger at me. ¡°There you are! Couldn¡¯t you hear me!?¡±
¡°Stop yelling! I can hear you¡±
¡°Okay.¡± He could at least act like he¡¯s sorry. ¡°We are about to leave. Are you done loading your gun?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not loading it, just making sure the bullet is in the right shape. If it¡¯s not, then it might have ramifications on this thing.¡±
The bullets need to be 3 inches wide and 4 inches long, any less, and it won¡¯t fit the chamber. At first, it was a piece of junk thrown in a trash heap full of vehicle parts and other machinery parts that the kingdom threw out.
For the longest time, my village was one of crafters, like the ones from Borghulda, good at metalwork and constructing just about anything. And our greatest treasures depicted magnificent constructions, ones that we wanted to make, just like the ones from the papers. However, after my village got attacked by bandits, only one page survived the attack: the one depicting this weapon. At first, making it was a matter of trial and error, but after so much time, I got it done. It wasn¡¯t until this year that I finished the first one of its kind¡ But¡carrying this thing; it horrifies me.
¡°Puck, are you sure about using that?¡± Wedge asks, sharing a concerned glance with me.
¡°Not really, but I need to keep it with me¡ It¡¯s my burden.¡± I load the bullet into the weapon, picking myself up soon after. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Cade and everyone else must be waiting.¡±
¡°Oh, right! I forgot about that!¡±
¡°How did you forget that?¡±
Speaking of Cade¡ Maybe now¡¯s a good time to see if he¡¯s noticed as well.
¡°Wedge, about Cade¡ Did you notice anything different about him?¡±
The inside of my throat dries up. A hard gulp runs its way down, stopping for a second at the end of my throat before it flowed down into the rest of my body.
¡°No! I have not!¡± His boisterous voice destroys all the tension, easing my nerves. ¡°Cade looks the same. Why? Did he say something to you?¡±
¡°No, I just thought he looked different. You know what I mean?¡±
¡°Because you love him?¡±
Blood rushes to my forehead, my brain instantly heats up from the comment. ¡°Did you need to say that!?¡±
¡°I thought that was the case?¡±
¡°It is, I do! Not because he looks handsome, but it is also because of that, but, I¡¡±
Huh? Huh¡? What the¡ Why did I just say all of that!? Ah! This is so embarrassing, too humiliating!
¡°Come on, we¡¯re leaving!¡±
¡°Puck, come on¡¡±
I leave before he could finish his apology. Honestly, he can be such a moron¡! But I¡¯m glad he put my worries to rest. If Wedge says Cade is fine, then I¡¯m not gonna doubt him. He¡¯s never lied to me once, even if it got him his ass kicked. I don¡¯t want to doubt any of them. I wanna be with them, forever, and Cade as well. It just scares me, Cade¡¯s obsession with beating the bandits. I just hope he doesn¡¯t go too far from us, otherwise, we all might not be together¡
¡
Puck sped out of the room, blushing from head to toe with an angered expression about her. I¡¯m glad I could divert her away from Cade¡¯s sudden mood shift; the last thing I would want is for her to be afraid of him. However, I do not know for how long I can distract her from this pressure coming from him.
At first, it took all I had not to wince from the creepy presence he¡¯s emitting now. It¡¯s as if something is hanging over him, peering into the depths of my soul as I look onto him, wary of me.
¡°Perhaps I should dissuade Cade from coming?¡±
No, that would not work. He has always been persistent, but now, I feel his persistence has turned to something else, something worse. And even if I talk to him, getting my words out is a difficult task¡
However, I do not get the same feeling that Jed fears Cade, or even notices this change. He continues to wear that smile, even in the face of such monstrous pressure¡ What am I thinking? I doubt Jed had much to do with this change in Cade. And even if Cade¡¯s appearance changes or the air around him does as well, he¡¯s still my best friend! So I will stick to his side, no matter the cost! Me, Puck, Cade, and everyone else, no matter how long, I want to keep them smiling, even if I am unable to see them.
¡°Okay! I am ready!¡±
Brother, my thunderous voice is to you, and for the dear friends we lost along the way. It might kill me, but our battle with the bandits will end in our victory, no matter what! And then, they will all smile! I just know it¡!
Childhood rage
Laguna - North-center - evening
It¡¯s nearing midnight in this dead city, with not a bandit in sight. That makes things easier for us. Traveling with 13 people, we need to keep a low profile. I¡¯m used to quiet places, but this city creeps me out. Cade leads, Jed walks beside him while Wedge and I follow right behind him. Everyone else can¡¯t stand to be next to him, keeping a few feet from him.
The dangerous aura coming from still disturbs us. Sinking further and further into my skin like a knife tearing it apart. It¡¯s enough to make my heart skip beats, no telling what everyone else feels. Jed doesn¡¯t seem to be bothered though, like he¡¯s having the time of his life.
¡°Ah, a bandit,¡± Jed literally points out.
We¡¯re supposed to be scouting, but the way Cade¡¯s been carrying his blades is scary, not to mention his staid face.
¡°Cade, we should move out of the way. Getting spotted out here is¨C¡±
He shushes me, keeping his gaze on the bandit. The grip around his blades tightens, worrying me even further.
¡°Cade, we are hiding,¡± Wedge orders, pressing his hand into his shoulder blade. He leads him to a wrecked building. We all follow suit.
The bandit¡¯s footsteps slowly echo throughout the desolate city, coming down the street.
A beastly yawn, loud enough to wake up the whole city, reaches my ears. ¡°This is so boring! Sitting around here, waiting for people to come to us, this sucks¡! The Sooner we get this over with, the quicker we get back to business as usual. Still got some business to settle with that village. Little shit spat on my pants. I¡¯ll burn his damn home down, that aughta teach him.¡±
Disgusting. A piece of shit like this doesn¡¯t deserve to breathe for another second. From the corner of my eyes, Cade stands, looming over us with a dire look, gritting his teeth. He drops the blades in his hand, drawing another from a holster around his waist. A jagged silver blade, embellished with fur wrapped around the hilt. He¡¯s had that blade for as long as I could remember, but he never used it; said that it felt disgusting to use.
¡°Go,¡± Jed whispers.
Immediately, Cade bolts out of the building, racing down the street towards the bandit, moving like the wind. Cade pounces at the bandit, stabbing him with the blade. The bandit¡¯s voice dies down with another stab from the blade¡
A wet, chunky sound reaches my ears, tensing me up each time he hits him with his knife. Then, it stops. Cade, standing over the body in the distance, is the only thing that remains.
¡°Guys,¡± he yells, sounding exhausted. ¡°We¡¯re going to kill them all! Each and every one of them! Let¡¯s go!¡±
Everyone, save for me, Wedge, and Jed, replies to his declaration by unleashing a unionized war cry, running out of the building to join him.
Wedge suddenly grabs Jed ¡°What did you do!?¡±
¡°I have the foggiest idea of what you mean?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, Jed.¡±
¡°Would you strike me? Will you knock me down for lying?¡±
¡°No, I would never hurt an ally, even if I dislike you.¡±
¡°Oh, my. How thoughtful of you. But no, I have done nothing to Cade.¡±
He doesn¡¯t just believe that, right? He and I heard him tell Cade to attack the bandit. No matter how you look at it, he wanted him to do it.
¡°Fine, I¡¯ll believe you.¡±
Wedge releases him, allowing Jed to stand up. ¡°Thank you, Wedge.¡±
You have to be kidding me!? Why is he letting him go?
¡°You are our ally, so I must put faith in you.¡±
¡°I appreciate the thought.¡±
Just when Jed was about to walk off, Wedge grabs his hand. ¡°...But if I figure out you¡¯re feeding into his negative impulses¡ I¡¯ll stop you.¡±
¡°Stop me? Do you not mean kill?¡± Wedge doesn¡¯t budge, keeping his stern expression. ¡°Ah, I see.¡± A wicked smile creeps onto Jed¡¯s face. ¡°You don¡¯t wish to kill, is that right?¡± Wedge looks surprised by that comment. ¡°I see, I see! Such irony, ironic indeed.¡±
¡°Hey, you¨C¡±
¡°He turns his head to me. ¡°Be quiet.¡± For the first time, in the short while we¡¯ve met, the smile that occupied his face turned sour. ¡°It is truly ironic and disgustingly hypocritical!¡± His surprising new behavior is keeping us dumbfounded. ¡°You do not wish to spill blood, yet you aid Cade¡¯s quest for vengeance? You truly cannot tell me this is the truth.¡±
¡°You¨C¡± Wedge puts his hand in front of me. ¡°Wedge, you aren¡¯t going to take this, right!?¡± He hangs his head. ¡°Wedge!¡±
Jed scoffs, returning to his usual mood. ¡°Whatever. You disgust me, so I think it be best to stay out of my way, trash.¡±
Without sparing us another glance, he walks out of the building.
¡°Wedge, are you okay?¡±
¡°I¡¯m¡I¡¯m fine.¡±
He still has his head down, looking away from me, trying to sound as strong as he usually does. He was always bad at lying, and he¡¯s no better now.
¡°You didn¡¯t have to listen to him. He doesn¡¯t know anything about us, or what we had to go through, so¨C¡±
¡°He is not wrong.¡±
My throat runs dry, my brain also halts for a moment. What?¡±
¡°The fact of the matter is that I am scared of death, and afraid of killing.¡±
¡°I¡I know that, but that doesn¡¯t give him the right to say that stuff!¡±
¡°I can¡¯t agree. He¡¯s right, it¡¯s all a joke.¡± He casts his eyes onto me. ¡°Puck, whenever you fire that weapon, do you feel good?¡±
¡°I¡ That¡¯s¡¡±
Of course, I don¡¯t. The weight, the recoil, the smell it leaves behind after being fired, the sound the bullets make after piercing someone. I hate it all. Everything about this thing is disgusting, and I¡¯m even worse for making this thing¡ But it¡¯s useful to Cade, to everyone else, so I¡I¡
¡°Sometimes, I think back to when Proxy struck me.¡±
¡°You mean the one punch?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ Sometimes, I keep thinking about what we did to his allies, and I wonder what he thought of us¡ Maybe we¡¯re no better than the bandits who burned our homes?¡± That¡¯s¡ ¡°...Puck, let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°We need to join up with everyone else. I think we wasted enough time here.¡±
¡°Um, yeah¡¡±
Wedge walks ahead of me.
¡°Wait,¡± I speak up, forcing out the word. ¡°Wedge¡ I think you¡¯re a strong person, and I¡¯ve always been jealous of that! How you¡¯re able to walk side by side with Cade, and I can do is see your backs¡¡±
Silence rules over us, allowing my aired-out feelings to build. I¡¯ve always been jealous of him, even when we were kids. I always wanted to be like him, smiling in the worst of times, and even lifting everyone¡¯s spirits with one. Cade and him just seemed to capture the heart of anyone they met, unlike me.
However, that all lowered the moment Wedge turned to me, sporting a bright smile. ¡°You can be strong, too. Even if it isn¡¯t physical, you can be strong. All you need is the will to stand with your own two feet.¡±
He goes on ahead of me, leaving me with those uplifting words¡ Standing with my two feet? Sounds strange, but, coming from him, there¡¯s nothing strange about it; they¡¯re a glimmering hope in a world brimming with malice and violence.
I don¡¯t have time to be sitting here. Wedge is doing his best to keep up with Cade, so I have to do the same! Maybe that isn¡¯t even it. How he really feels, what he thinks of all this, I can¡¯t tell, but when he brought up Proxy, I got the feeling that he wanted to agree with his actions, and I don¡¯t think I can blame him. Even I wonder if we were in the wrong¡
Laguna - north-center - evening
In the dead of night, we traverse across the streets, between buildings, and through them, all to avoid detection. Without my master presence, the amount of Source I can use is minimal, but I still have my innate superhuman strength, so my performance, if a fight were to occur, would be more than adequate.
Currently, we are en route to scout the north point of the city to assess our next course of action. We will probably meet enemy forces ahead, but engaging in battle is not our objective. With only Zeal, Marie, and I, our small group should suffice for a reconnaissance mission. However, the members in question are dubious. Zeal¡¯s lack of anger management is concerning when considering the sensitivity of this mission. Then, there is Marie, who is not armed in any useful manner. She follows us from behind, standing 4 feet from us.
No other members could be spared for this mission. With our sudden decrease in units, we must exert the least amount of our resources possible. However, that is not enough to cast away my doubts about Marie accompanying us.
¡°Marie, I still harbor doubts about your presence here.¡±
¡°H-huh!?¡± Her attention redirects to me, wearing a lively expression. ¡°Oh¡ Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t slow you guys down, I swear.¡±
¡°That is not my quarry. Will your mental state be an issue?¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦, I¡¯m fine, really. I know I¡¯ve been¡out of it, but I¡¯m good now. Besides, I can¡¯t just sit around and do nothing.¡±
Hmm, so it appears she has made a full recovery. Perhaps I underestimated her mental capabilities? Reassessment is needed.
¡°She¡¯s lying,¡± Zeal whispers under his breath, sneering.
¡°Lying?¡± I repeat, trying to understand his statement.
¡°What? You heard that?¡±
¡°Yes. Despite how low it was, your voice is still boisterous.¡±
He clicks his teeth, showing irritation on his face. ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m quiet!¡±
¡°I disagree, but that is beside the point. What did you mean?¡±
¡°What do you think? She¡¯s lying out the skin of her teeth.¡±
¡°Out of the skin of her teeth?¡±
¡°Yeah, you know, like she¡¯s barely lying her ass off!¡±
Zeal¡¯s terminology shares similarities with Proxy¡¯s, which is troublesome.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°But why would she tell such a lie?¡±
¡°Who knows? Ask her yourself.¡±
¡°Very well.¡±
¡°Huh!?¡±
¡°Marie, I¨C¡±
Zeal shields my mouth, preventing me from continuing my question. She does not take notice of my call, occupied with the surrounding buildings.
¡°Idiot! I didn¡¯t actually mean it!¡±
¡°Then why tell me to do so?¡±
¡°Because I didn¡¯t think you would¡!¡± He sighs, showing exhaustion towards me. ¡°...You have to be more careful around her, or else¡ Well, you know?¡±
¡°I am¡unaware of what you mean?¡±
¡°Come on, no one¡¯s that dense, right? Do you have any siblings?¡±
¡°No, I do not have familial ties.¡±
A Doll of Servitude does not have a tie such as ¡°family¡± It would serve as a bias, and would get in the way of defending our masters. Besides, such a thing is not of use to me.
¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t get it¡¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t get it¡±. What is the basis of this? How would he know if I am unable to comprehend his reasoning¡? Truly irritating.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, can you get us to the rooftops?¡± Marie suggests, directing my attention to a building ahead of us.
¡°I am capable.¡±
¡°Then get us up there.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
Reaching the front of the building, I analyze the height of the building from the inside. 5 stories high, and each ceiling has an opening, 4 meters wide, big enough to ascend through. Even without Source, I should be able to carry Zeal and Marie.
¡°Marie, please climb onto my back.¡±
¡°Okay¡¡±
The weight of her body presses against my body, and her arms wrap around my neck with her legs around my stomach.
¡°Zeal, please allow me to carry you, too.¡±
¡°Screw that! You ain¡¯t carrying me,¡± Zeal vehemently answers, flailing his hands on my approach.
¡°She instructed me to take us all to higher ground.¡±
¡°And I said¨C¡± His sentence comes to an abrupt end as I pick him up, carrying him in a fashion that Proxy refers to as ¡°bridal style¡±. ¡°...Wha¡?¡±
¡°We are going airborne. Please brace yourselves.¡±
Using my physical strength, I take to the air. Since I am unable to use Source, reaching the top in a single bound is impossible. But, with the aid of the destroyed infrastructure, reaching the roof within a short amount of time. Soaring through the hole, I land on top of the roof, careful with my footing.
¡°We have arrived.¡±
Zeal rolls out of my grasp, putting distance between Marie and I. ¡°D-don¡¯t do that ever again, you hear me!?¡±
¡°I do not understand your request. Can you be concise?¡±
¡°Dumbass! I said don¡¯t¨C¡±
¡°Be quiet,¡± Marie demands while gesturing us to the end of the roof.
Bandits surround an enormous area akin to a plaza. Guarding a bridge that would take us to the other end of the city with that gigantic tree.
Controlling the plaza allows them to guard those who may or may not gain passage. And with a force of 70+, they hold a powerful grip over this section of the city, and I do not doubt the same can be said for the other end.
¡°This isn¡¯t looking so promising,¡± Marie assesses, resting her chin on her hand. ¡°...If we take them on with a frontal assault, we¡¯ll be wiped out.¡±
¡°I concur. Rushing into the fray of battle would prove to be an illogical move.¡±
¡°What do we do then? Just sit around on our asses?¡±
¡°No¡ I just think we shouldn¡¯t be rushing like a pack of idiots. We should¨C¡±
A sudden scream halts Marie¡¯s train of thought, drawing our attention to the plaza. Several Fire Wraith bandits zone in on the sound coming from the west-end. Several more agonizing screams resonate throughout the pitch-dark sky. With what little Source I can draw on, I enhance my hearing, but by a small margin¡ A familiar sound¡ A sound that I have associated with pain being inflicted on another. I believe determining this third party is important.
¡°Marie, do I have permission to investigate?¡±
¡°No, let¡¯s just¡¡±
She trails off, watching human bodies fly across the plaza. They roll around the floor on impact. Blood splattered on the floor behind them. Someone breaks through the hordes of Fire Wraith bandits, eliminating them one by one, not pausing in their movement. Each second, another enemy dies and the assailant moves on another. Then, another appears from where they came from, killing multiple of them with one swing of their weapon. The bandit forces see a decrease in men, losing over 30 units in a single minute. The ones that remain flee, most likely realizing their odds of survival
¡°Marie, may we take a closer look?¡±
¡°I¡ No, we should¡¡± She freezes for a moment, shaking her head a second later. ¡°...Let¡¯s go, but we¡¯re coming with you.¡±
¡°Are you certain? The suggestion concerns me.¡±
¡°I¡¯m certain. Plus, it¡¯s already too late for me to run away, so let¡¯s go.¡±
With her consent, I have no other choice but to take her with me. However, what Zeal stated before still irritates me. But feeling irritation is vexing in itself. I am meant to feel no strong emotions towards subjects that do not relate to my master¡ No, I must reclaim my focus! A subject such as this is of little significance.
¡°Let us depart, Marie.¡±
¡°Got you.¡±
¡°Wait a¨C¡±
Carrying my allies, I descend through the way we came. I maneuver to the back of the dilapidated building. Zeal squirms about in my grasp, yelling obscenities all the while. In the plaza, a skirmish has begun. Fire Wraith forces fend off what would appear to be younger opposition. A duo cleaves a bloody path through, leaving no enemy in their wake. The crowd begins to thin out from the rapid loss of men.
Then, the sound of chains rattling alerted all of my senses. My body takes off into the air without a moment to spare. A chain whips across the plaza, tearing through any of the bandits in a 10-yard radius. Crimson liquid paints over the gray stone ground and corpses litter the ground.
¡°What was that!?¡±
¡°That attack¡! Marie, we must retreat!¡±
Touching down on the ground, I ready myself to leave. However, the rattling chain raises my awareness. It shoots for my back. I easily dodge it, but it leads me into another attack. An older boy wielding a silver dagger swings his blade. However, combining swift assessment and movement, I vault above the second adversary. Unlike usual, I nearly collapse from the landing. With how little time I had, and from holding onto Marie and Zeal. Furthermore, this sudden ghastly presence caught me off guard somewhat, delaying my ability to keep my balance.
Our attackers bear familiarity, both being past enemies. Cade, and that boy from earlier today. They seem to be able to work in conjunction with the other, so I will assume they are working aligned with the other.
Already, the threat is rising, and carrying my allies will only hinder my ability to fight. Engaging the enemy is not our priority. Escaping is the optimal strategy, although, with a chain that could cover a wide range in the least amount of time, I doubt I would be able to clear the area in time¡ However, what truly concerns me is Cade. He never displayed signs of being able to use Source. Yet, he is able to manipulate it to radiate dreadful energy like this!?
¡°Zeal, we must combat the enemy.¡±
¡°Then let me go then, you moron!¡±
As requested, I let go.
He lands on his side, groaning slightly. ¡°You¡ Whatever.¡±
He stands, sliding his foot forward with his hands in front of him. My sword materializes. The weight added to my hand affirms the difference in my strength. I can lift it, but the weight is noticeable without enhancing my body. Considering our opposition, I doubt the conclusion to this battle will come easy. In fact, I¡¯m unsure if I can ensure Marie¡¯s safety while in combat.
¡°Zeal, retreat with Marie!¡±
¡°...Yeah right! I ain¡¯t being called a coward for leaving a woman behind.¡±
¡°We have no time for your inane reasoning! Take her!¡±
He flinches, forwarding his attention to Marie, who edges away from us, hugging herself and quivering.
¡°Marie?¡±
She keeps moving, putting minimal distance between us.
¡°Jed, those girls are mine. You can have the other one.¡±
¡°Oh, my. Such confidence, hopefully, it is not just for show.¡±
His Source expands ever so slightly. A small amount is exuding from his person, outlining his figure. That would imply he has not found his trigger. So there is a limit on his abilities and knowledge of Source. Then why does he know how to manipulate it like this?
When I encountered him, I already knew of his Source. Since he showed no signs of awareness of it, it was not worth mentioning to my master or anyone else. That clearly was an oversight, founded on arrogance¡ A fatal flaw, but one I will correct.
¡°Zeal, can you combat the one with the lance?¡±
He cracks his knuckles; he advances toward the enemy. ¡°Sure, why not? Just make sure you don¡¯t get yourself killed¡ And keep her out of danger.¡±
He and the young man from earlier today charge at each other, commencing their battle without any dialogue.
¡°You.¡± Cade, venting immense anger, points to me. ¡°...That woman behind you, hand her to me.¡±
His Source continues to increase in volume. Its flow becomes less of an outline of his body, growing more erratic as he approaches. The blade in his hand remains unaffected by his Source. Oxygen density rises, causing the airflow inside my throat to halt for a moment, proceeding after a heavy gulp.
¡°...Give her to me¡¡±
Speaking in a calm, blunt, yet horrifying tone, he demands me to release her to him. Based on his previous motives for capturing Marie, he wishes to kill her. If I were to hand her to him, then he would have no reason to engage us in battle. The logical and optimal route to avoid conflict¡ It is¡
¡°No.¡± I hold my sword, ready to fend him off. ¡°...I shall not abide by your command!¡±
A logical course of action. However, my master would show great disdain for my actions. And I¡ I do not wish to abandon Marie!
¡°Give her to me, now!¡±
His sudden dive forward catches me off guard. Suffering a slight lag in my movement, he eluded my blade, slipping under my blade. My arms reach for his back, pulling at his cloak before he can strike Marie. I launch him away from her, throwing him across the plaza grounds. Cade¡¯s body soars above the stone ground for a moment before crashing into the ground, rolling about.
¡°Marie! What is your condition!?¡±
Those words fall on deft ears. She hunches down, shaking as she mutters to herself.
¡°No, I¡I didn¡¯t mean to¡ I didn¡¯t!¡±
Her mental state has degraded again? But did she not get better? ¡°She¡¯s lying¡±. The comment made by Zeal surfaces from the depths of my mind. Puzzling as it is, those words were then, I think I am beginning to understand.
¡°I¡¯ll never forgive you, never¡¡± Cade struggles to stand, his footing unstable. ¡°Our friends, our moms, our dads! You bandit scum took all of them away from us... We never did anything to you, not a thing! But you killed them anyway, and you bastards enjoy it!¡± On his feet, blood seeps from his forehead, spilling past his eye. ¡°...My mother, my father, their voices, screaming, whispering, pleading, demanding me to kill you all! His Source, despite it being sealed, rapidly spirals out of control, losing its outline. ¡°...I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll kill them all!
Once again, he dashes off, showing off an increase in his speed. The cloak leaves a black blur behind, helping me see his trajectory. Steel clashing against steel resonating throughout the night air. Each strike he makes leads to another. He keeps moving positions, not lingering in one spot for more than a moment. With my strength, it should be enough to disarm him, as well as inflict injury. However, his blade remained intact, and his handle did not let up.
¡°Out of my way!¡±
Cade¡¯s leg strikes the side of my torso, pushing against my ribcage. It threw me out of his way. I dig my foot into the ground, tearing apart the neatly lined stone tiles. My backward force comes to an immediate stop, allowing me to move. Cade¡¯s in proximity to Marie. In a few mere moments, he will be close enough to kill her¡ The vivid image of the blade running vertically through her neck sparks my body into moving on its own. Faster, I must go faster!
Using whatever Source I can, I enhance my left leg, insignificant as it may be. Tearing through the distance. I reach them. Cade¡¯s blade motions for her back. I will not be able to make it with another step, and even if I do, I will be struck. There is no time to think!
I leap at Marie, pushing our bodies away from Cade, whose blade whiffs past us. My back meets with the ground, causing me to react in pain.
Hm? That is peculiar. My head feels lighter. Stroking my head, my hair¡¯s length has decreased, and not only that, but large strands of my hair are lying on the ground.
¡°N-N-Nunnal¨¦!?¡± Marie¡¯s hands comb through my hair, wearing a worried expression. ¡°Why did you¡? You could¡¯ve¡¡±
¡°I will not allow you to come to harm. I cannot allow it!¡±
Cade''s footsteps return my attention to him, but it was too late. He has already closed the distance, putting us in striking range of him.
¡°Stop protecting her! Give her here, or I¡¯ll ki¨C¡±
¡°Please¡¡± Marie¡¯s voice interrupts Cade. ¡°Please¡stop¡ I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m¡I¡¯m really sorry¡ I didn¡¯t want to hurt anyone, I really didn¡¯t¡ I hate myself for it!¡±
She gets down on all fours, placing her head on the floor, begging for forgiveness.
However, our enemy is confused and wide-eyed. Free of expression, glares down at her, wearing a blank face. ¡°Sorry¡? You¡¯re¡sorry¡?¡± He gnashes his teeth. His Source grows dense, becoming murky, dyed in a dirty red. ¡°...Don¡¯t give me that crap! You¡¯re sorry, you¡¯re sorry!? Don¡¯t do that! You don¡¯t have the right to be sorry! None of you do!¡±
Stirring the wind, Cade¡¯s Source loses its flow, storming around his body without rhythm or reason, growing in volume and intensity. This alarming increase in Source is horrific. At this rate, he may find his trigger!
¡°You all killed my mother and my father! I¡¯ll never forgive you, none of you¡! I¡¯ll slaughter all of you, each and every one of you like the animals you are!¡±
His resentment, mixed with indignation, bleeds into his Source, morphing into a grotesque figure that shrouds Cade in its visage.
¡°Just die!¡±
The silver blade that gleams in the moonlight falls, trained for Marie. At this distance, taking evasive action is useless! Blocking is the only optimal option, however, even that suggestion is questionable. Still, I go through with it, waiting for the inevitable impact to come.
Then, during that brief instance of life and death, an unknown object crashes into the ground with explosive force, repelling Cade¡¯s attack.
¡°Geez, looks like I got some pretty bad luck!¡± This unknown interference voices himself, annoyed. ¡°I just told that kid that I wouldn¡¯t interfere, but you pretty much forced my hand.¡±
Standing on top of a building yards away from us, an unknown variant stands on the edge with a sword in hand. Their scabbard lodged in the ground, sea-blue Source flowing about the scabbard.
¡°Who are you!? You another bandit!?¡± Cade spat, unable to hide his rage.
¡°Nah! I¡¯m just a swordsman who hates seeing beautiful girls getting slashed down in front of him, that¡¯s all.¡±
¡°What nonsense!¡±
¡°Maybe¡¡±
He leaps from the edge of the building, crushing the ground below him. A large amount of Source flows around his body, rising in volume on his approach. In comparison to Cade¡¯s, it lacks intensity. Instead, emitting a soothing presence, contesting with Cade¡¯s.
¡°Who are you!?¡±
Arching his sword to the back of his head, he points to Cade, wearing a cocky expression. ¡°The name¡¯s Gray Ocean, and I¡¯m about to take you to school, kid.¡±
Brats against the Ocean
Laguna - North-center - evening
The moon hangs in the air, illuminating this dead city with its mysterious glow; settin¡¯ the stage for an out-of-control Source-user, ventin¡¯ his Source all over the place, and me, a handsome devil, whose skills with the blade are unmatched¡ Man, my luck sticks. I couldn¡¯t find a place to take a nap, and to add to the pile, I need to settle this brat down. Why does a guy like me have crap luck?
¡°Leave, old man!¡±
Geez, no filter for his mouth or his Source. This kid is givin¡¯ off a crushin¡¯ atmosphere, enough to make me feel exhausted just standin¡¯ near him. Not cause it¡¯s too much for me to handle, of course; I¡¯m a refined swordsman. This kind of thing ain¡¯t a sweat for me.
¡°Come on, kid. Frownin'' like that is gonna make all the girls not wanna talk to you. You gotta be happier. Come on¡¡± I stretch my mouth, curvin¡¯ it upward. ¡°...Smile.¡±
¡°Quit clowning around!¡±
He charges in all half-assed, and his arms wide open. I side-step him, givin¡¯ me the chance to - literally - kick his ass.
¡°Whoa, easy there. You wanna think about your actions before you do ¡®em.¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
He swings around, dartin'' right at me again without a care in the world. I dance around every one of his strikes, movin¡¯ before he can even close the distance. This kid is puttin¡¯ way too much force into his blows, not to mention his moves are simple as shit to read; he should just try to blitz me with dirty tactics¡ But it¡¯s strange. His Source is expandin¡¯, yet contractin¡¯. This only happens to Source-users who¡¯re tryin¡¯ to expand the radius of their Source around their bodies without a trigger.
Typically, havin¡¯ your Trigger represents your understandin¡¯ of the basics of Source control. So, in simpler terms, using Source without a trigger is sorta like a dog being leashed and tied to a pole; the little guy can move away from the pole, but he can¡¯t go too far. But, when you have a trigger, you let the dog off, though, dependin¡¯ on the person, the radius you can expand it differs from people with high or low Source.
¡°Kid, what¡¯s up with your Source?¡±
Might as well ask him. Even if he doesn¡¯t know what I¡¯m talkin¡¯ about, that could give me somewhat of an idea of what¡¯s going on.
¡°Source? Stop talking nonsense!¡±
Knew it. Then why the hell is it actin¡¯ like that¡? Hmm, too early to make heads or tails on what the hell is happenin¡¯. More importantly, these girls need to hightail it since I have him distracted. The black hair girl doesn¡¯t isn¡¯t lookin¡¯ all too hot though.
¡°Hey you, purple-hair girl. Take that girl with you and run. I¡¯ll buy you time.¡±
She doesn¡¯t waste her breath with a pointless question. She picks up the black hair girl and bolts out of here like a bat out of hell. Some other kid follows behind them. Looked kind of rough, but they''ll be fine, probably.
¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± the scary-lookin¡¯ brat spits.
He runs after them, but I cut him off with the swipe of my blade. ¡°Come on, kid. We¡¯re supposed to be dancin¡¯ here. You can save them for later.¡±
Judgin'' by that disturbin'' scowl on his face, I only pissed him off even more.
¡°Move!¡±
¡°No can do. I told them I¡¯d hold you off, and when I say somethin¡¯, I mean it.¡±
¡°Then I¡¯ll kill you, too.¡±
Ending off with a battle cry that messes with the tranquility of this quiet evenin'', he attacks me with the same careless moves as last time. This kid must really hate that girl if he¡¯s actin¡¯ this irrational. Even serial killers who¡¯re crap at hidin¡¯ their killin¡¯ intent aren¡¯t this wound up. And from his nasty lookin¡¯ Source, he¡¯s gonna blow more than a gasket.
¡°Listen, kid, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s with all this rage, but you better get it under control.¡±
His eyebrows stiffen, with his teeth gnashing together. ¡°What do you know about my rage, you old bastard!?¡±
Good question. What do I know. Maybe he has a good reason to be angry at that girl, or maybe not¡
¡°Nothin¡¯.¡± I respond with, givin¡¯ him no bullshit, just the truth. ¡°...I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re so angry, and I can¡¯t understand it either. All I know is that¨C¡±
A footstep tappin¡¯ the ground behind me puts me on full alert. The edge of someone¡¯s weapon glides toward my neck. I parry the blow, not even flinchin'' at the surprise attack. The young man behind me is shocked to see me guard the blow with my excellent swordsmanship. But, instead of gawkin¡¯ at me, he swings back at me with a counter, turnin¡¯ his failed attacks turn into another strike. It crashes on top of me with a ton of force, and he¡¯s only usin'' one hand. It ain¡¯t a big deal, but I¡¯m somewhat impressed.
¡°Hey, nice spearman ship, or whatever the hell that thing is.¡± Some sort of chainsaw? Wonder how the thing works¡ Never mind that. Seems like this creepy-lookin¡¯ kid knows how to fight swordsmen, so I¡¯m gonna assume he knows his own weakness as a spearman and got over it. His Source doesn¡¯t look like its been messed with, formin'' a skin-tight outline of his body, thankfully enough.
¡°Your reaction time is impeccable. I was sure you were fully distracted,¡± he says, sportin¡¯ a kind smile, and talkin¡¯ like we¡¯re sparrin¡¯ buddies.
¡°Don¡¯t take me for an amateur, after all¡¡±
The brat, simmerin'' with rage, speeds up behind me, boltin¡¯ across the plaza. Deflectin¡¯ his blow, I punt him in the gut, flingin¡¯ him back to his last position. When he touched the ground he just came back runnin¡¯, and the other one twirls his spear, thrustin¡¯ it at me. These kids don¡¯t miss a beat. They¡¯re vicious, comin¡¯ at me without a shred of mercy. Their attacks differ in style, sharin¡¯ only forceful pressure that punishes indecisiveness. Though, they¡¯re havin¡¯ a hard time synchin¡¯ up. The angry brat pushed ahead of the creepy-lookin¡¯ kid, killin¡¯ their momentum.
¡°Cade, don¡¯t¨C¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
The angry-lookin¡¯ one, Cade, leaps a few feet into the air. His blade reflects the moonlight. Bringin¡¯ down the shimmerin¡¯ blade. I hit it with mine, disturbin¡¯ the attack¡¯s momentum. Again, I kick him in the stomach, puttin¡¯ a hell of a lot more force into it. His ass hits the ground.
¡°Listen, kid, I meant what I said earlier: lettin¡¯ loose like this ain¡¯t gonna end well for you.¡±
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°What?¡±
¡°You probably ain¡¯t gonna understand what I¡¯m sayin¡¯, but your Source says so. Even if it¡¯s your own Source, an excess amount is no good. Constantly filterin¡¯ your negative feelings through it can increase your output, but, there are two problems with that: 1. You lose control over your flow, and you output more Source than usual¡¡±
Though, I guess that might be a good thing for him, since it could lead to his trigger, but I ain¡¯t gonna mention that.
¡°Just shut up!¡±
Showin¡¯ impatiens, he lunges at me with his best. But, like all the other times, he just keeps missin¡¯ the mark, flailin¡¯ his knife every which way. Ventin¡¯ rage through his Source sounds bad, but not really. Negative or positive emotions, Source reflects all of that, so neither one ain¡¯t inherently good or bad, but in this case, what I said about him losin¡¯ control over his Source is true.
¡°...I can tell you aren¡¯t listenin¡¯, so¡¡±
I slam the blunt side of my katana into his shoulder. Its collision thumps the bone in his arm. He gasps, stumblin'' to his right. I spin around, striking his ribs next. The painful sound of his rib cracking forces him to scream out in pain. His legs buckle from the horrendous pain.
¡°Come, kid, wanna tone it down now?¡±
¡°Screw¡that¡and screw you!¡±
He comes at me with zero brain activity. Color me impressed. He should have broken rib, and he still wants to fight¡ Alright, then let¡¯s wrap this thing up. Watchin¡¯ his blade glide through the air, I tighten my grip around the handle, regulatin¡¯ my breathing and easin¡¯ my shoulders. Then, in the blink of an eye, my blade trades a blow with his. The blow provides an immediate result. He loses his dagger and gets knocked down on his ass.
¡°Get this, kid. No matter how angry you get, you can¡¯t beat me.¡± I head over to my scabbard, pluckin¡¯ it out the ground. ¡°No matter how you try it, I¡¯m gonna beat you every single time, so let¡¯s stop here, ¡®kay?¡±
The rattlin¡¯ of chains returns my attention to that creepy brat, smilin¡¯ for no reason at all. The chain wrapped around his guidin'' bar lies on the floor.
¡°You¡¯re not an ordinary swordsman,¡± he states, teemin¡¯ with murderous intent.
¡°And you¡¯re a creepy lil¡¯ brat.¡±
¡°How rude! How can someone as happy as I be called creepy?¡±
Says it''s rude, yet he doesn''t really seem all that offended... No two ways about it, this kid has a few screws loose in that noggin of his.
He lifts the chain from the floor, whippin¡¯ it at me. Knockin¡¯ it out of the way makes him swing it right around again. Gotta give credit where it¡¯s due, he has a pretty solid handle on that thing; if I were an average joe, I¡¯d be super dead right about now. Good thing I ain¡¯t. A single stroke of my blade rattles the chain, disturbin'' its driving force. I advance, keepin'' my sword to the ground as I move. Persistent, he continues to use the chain. Each attempt for my life ends in failure, but this kid rebounds the chain the second I deflect. Closin'' in with that weapon in his hands is gonna be a pain in the ass. I shove my scabbard in the chain''s link, stabbin'' it into the ground. I enhance my legs, accelerating forward at the kid. My shoulder bulldozes into him. Since he couldn¡¯t react, the dude went flyin'', crashin¡¯ into a tree.
¡°Guess that¡¯s that¡ You, close-eyed kid,¡± I shout at, watchin¡¯ him stagger to his feet. ¡°...take this kid and leave. I ain¡¯t gonna kill any of you, but you better not mess with someone stronger than you.¡±
¡°Stronger?¡± Hm? He¡¯s still awake? ¡°I want to be stronger¡ Strong enough to tear all of you to pieces!¡±
Great, now his Source is growin¡¯ more unstable¡ At this rate, with how his Source is buildin¡¯, he might find his trigger. Not exactly excited to find out what he¡¯s capable of, so maybe I¡¯ll have to go a lil¡¯ harder on this kid.
¡°Cade!¡± Some slides between me and that brat, pointin¡¯ somethin¡¯ at my face. Is that a gun? Looks like total crap, but that looks like a gun. ¡°Get back, or I¡¯ll shoot!¡±
His face says he means it, but the rest of his body is tellin'' a different story.
¡°Wow, didn¡¯t know this place had weapons like that here.¡±
¡°Wha-what are you talkin'' about!? Just back up.¡±
¡°Whoa, ¡®kay, squirt. I¡¯ll back up, slowly.¡±
As promised, I back up. There¡¯s a couple of other kids here as well, watchin¡¯ me with some pretty nasty looks. Are all these kids soldiers or somethin¡¯ like that?
¡°Are you a bandit?¡±
¡°Nope, can¡¯t say I am.¡±
¡°Then why did you hurt Cade!?¡±
¡°I kinda¡um, can I say I was dragged into this?¡±
¡°You¡¡±
His finger traces the trigger. Right when he fired the gun, the sound of it cocking was enough for me to flash my sword out of its scabbard, rending the bullet mid-flight, as well as the large cylinder barrel.
¡°Wha¡ How¡how did you?¡±
¡°I¡¯m pretty damn fast, not to mention I have some sweet-ass reflexes.¡± I sheathe my sword again. ¡°Well, I¡¯m done here. No point in continuin¡¯ this little hoorah. See ya.¡±
¡°Wait, I¡¯m not gonna let you go!¡±
¡°Be careful, kid.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
I crouch in front of him, givin¡¯ ¡®em full-on eye contact. ¡°You need to learn your weight class, ¡®cause it¡¯s a good way to get yourself killed.¡±
Gotta cast away my good nature for a second to let it sink in for her. These kids have guts, but it¡¯s gonna take more than that to win a fight, let alone keep yourself breathin¡¯. Though I hate spookin¡¯ kids like this; kinda makes me feel like a dick; though that Proxy brat is a bit of an exception.
¡°Do you really wanna fight me?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I said, do you really wanna fight me? Cause I don¡¯t get that from you.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t know me!¡±
¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right, but I can tell when someone doesn¡¯t have all their heart in somethin¡¯, and this is one of those times.¡± His hands keep shakin¡¯, edgin¡¯ away from me. ¡°...You hate killing, don¡¯t you?¡±
The gun slips out of his hand, and his mouth slightly widens. ¡°How¡¡±
¡°I can tell. You got a good poker face, but your body tells the whole story.¡±
¡°Y¡you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talkin'' about!¡±
¡°Maybe, but it ain¡¯t such a bad thing.¡± I look at the kid behind her. His Source is still leaking out every which way, tryin'' to break free. ¡°That guy behind you. I don¡¯t know what his deal is, but you should probably keep him from fightin¡¯ anymore. If he does, you¡¯ll lose him, I can guarantee that.¡±
A concerned expression widens his eyes, showin¡¯ a little desperation in the mix. ¡°To what, to an enemy!?¡±
¡°To himself.¡± Well, I better get goin''. Keepin¡¯ my sleep schedule is important, and I really wanna get some shut-eye. ¡°Hope you kids have a good night, and if you care about your friend there, then do what¡¯s best for him. See ya.¡±
Enhancing my legs, I leap up to the rooftop of a four-story buildin¡¯, liftin'' myself on the roof with my foot on the ledge. My head tilts back to the kids, specifically the one pumpin'' out his Source¡
¡°That kid¡¡±
I know I said if she stopped him from fightin¡¯, then he would return to normal, but I doubt he can at this point. The way he¡¯s using his Source is odd, and that¡¯s obvious from his lack of awareness. Even if someone has Source, without trainin¡¯, you can¡¯t manipulate your Source like that¡ Wait, could he have¡
¡°I might want to keep an eye on that kid.¡±
This churnin¡¯ in my stomach ain¡¯t good, definitely not, and if the worst thought about that kid comes true, then a real shit storm might be comin¡¯.
¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯m gonna go find me a good stop to sleep on.¡±
Leapin'' from rooftop to rooftop, I keep jumpin¡¯ into the air. The wind pushes down at me while soaring across the sky. Landin¡¯ on the next rooftop is no different from the others. However, I feel this killer sensation, almost like a blade tearin¡¯ through my neck.
¡°Not again! How long you gonna keep doing this!?¡±
Clad in metal armor, the moonlight reflects off his silver armor as the wind whistles. Those eyes on his shoulders stare me down, watchin¡¯ me for any sudden movements.
¡°Man, you don¡¯t know when to give it up, huh?¡±
¡°I will ask no more: leave.¡±
A suit of armor that came out of a fantasy story pushes all his animosity at me, not givin¡¯ a shit about how he looks, and sharin¡¯ no emotion worth jack. He¡¯s just standin¡¯ there, waitin¡¯ for me to get this on.
¡°Sorry, but you and I know my answer.¡±
¡°Of course. Words are meaningless to swordsmen.¡±
¡°So you wanted to see if I was up to snuff?¡± He unsheathes his sword, ignorin¡¯ my guess. ¡°¡®Kay, I get it.¡± I grip mine, feverously bursting out more of my Source, and he responds in kind. ¡°Round 3, start!¡±
Our swords aim for the other, mine covered in the flowin¡¯, yet powerful waves of the sea, and the silver that holds the moonlight¡ Damn, now that is poetic!
A wedge between friends
Laguna - South-west end - Midnight
Man, this is turning out to be a drag¡a real drag. Alex, me, Garrick, and these hungover idiots walk on the street, looking out for any bandits on the prowl. Most of them probably went back to their home base, or wherever they we in the city. The buildings are starting to all blend into one another, giving me the biggest headache of my life. Guess a city boy like me can¡¯t stomach places like this without dazzling lights or cars honking for no reason.
¡°Ugh, I¡¯m so bored,¡± I yell, trying not to yawn from all this deadly boredom. ¡°Anyone got a story?¡±
¡°Yeah, I got one,¡± Chip slurs his words, still feeling under the weather from his little bender. ¡°It¡¯s called: let me bask in the quiet so my head can recover from this headache. How was it?¡±
¡°3/10. Lacked a happy ending.¡±
¡°Always glad to¨C¡± He gags a little, covering his mouth. ¡°...disappoint.¡±
¡°Yikes. Gil looks better than you. How you do it, big guy?¡±
¡°Well, I puked out everything I could, so I¡¯d say I¡¯m not doing so well,¡± he ends, exhausted and sick to his stomach, whatever¡¯s left in it.
¡°Sucks for you guys, I¡¯m feeling pretty good,¡± I snicker, pointing my nose upward.
¡°Yeah, yeah, keep bragging.¡±
Yep, I¡¯m all good! My mind is on overtime, thinking about all the stuff the old man told me. Although, none of it¡¯s clicking in my noodle, but it¡¯ll come to me, I know it¡ Hopefully.
¡°Sir Garrick, could you regale us with a tale?¡± Alex asks, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
¡°Sure. What do you want to hear?¡± he said, matching Nunnal¨¦ monotone voice.
¡°Well¡ Oh! We wish to hear about this city, and the battle the knights fought here!¡±
¡°We¡±? I couldn''t care less about the knights and all that junk, but since he has a smile on his face, I guess I don¡¯t mind. Besides, I might as well learn a thing or two about what happened here; might clear my headache.
¡°As I said, when we arrived, the residents of this city immediately attacked us. We fought for several days, and several nights to advance through the city. Our enemy used minerals that exploded from the slightest contact with fire.¡±
Sounds like gunpowder. Speaking of which, I remember Puck using a gun when we fought Cade. Actually, Ovan used a gun as well. If that¡¯s the case, then why have I never seen a knight or even prison guards from the BlackRock prison use one?
¡°...The days were long, and the stench of blood would shrivel up my nose¡ Every waking moment felt more nightmarish than the last¡ However, Sigurd was different. Even in the midst of battle, he stayed strong.¡±
¡°Amazing!¡±
¡°...No matter how terrible, he kept pushing forward, and all we could do was follow his lead.¡±
I can¡¯t make heads or tails on how he feels about this Sigurd dude. His dead expression buries any and all emotion, making it impossible to tell if he¡¯s even interested in being here or not.
¡°Sigurd, he¡¯s amazing. Even in a terrible battle, he¡¯s able to bring everyone together and press forward to defeat an enemy¡ Truly gallant!¡±
Alex is practically gushing from the mouth about his hero. I have to admit, this dude sounds pretty badass.
¡°Yeah, gallant¡¡±
Why did he have to say it like that?
¡°Now that I think of it, how did you and fa¨C Sigurd enlist in the war?¡±
¡°Every knight was a part of the war. Do you mean those that went on the march?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°After a couple of years, we were given the status of full-fledged knights, showing that were capable. However, Sigurd and I were different than the other knights. The king himself noticed us.¡±
Alex raises his brow. ¡°How come?¡±
¡°Duh, ''cause Sigurd he was a top-notch strategist,¡± Chip answers, kinda slurring the last part of his sentence. ¡°Whenever I went to the kingdom, I would hear about him. Folks saying that he was some sort of genius on the battlefield.¡±
¡°Me too.¡± Gil, sounding better than Chip, speaks up. ¡°...He was also kind to his allies and to the townspeople. Though, whatever part wasn¡¯t looking for blood.¡±
Alex did say that the kingdom was a different place during Godfrey¡¯s time; full of really bad people.
¡°...Sigurd was talented, so the king noticing him was bound to happen, but I happen to get lucky by saving the queen¡¯s life once.¡±
¡°The queen!?¡± everyone shouts, except Chip.
¡°Yeah. When Sigurd was being awarded his full-knight hood.¡±
¡°Was it after the attack from the West, North, and South?¡± Chip guesses.
¡°Yeah. He was the one who coordinated the underlings during the first wave, bulking our defenses. We suffered minimal casualties, but we managed to fend them off. Then, when the king noticed, he wanted him to work with the lead strategist at the time. However, Sigurd thought far ahead of him, making moves that seemed odd, but would save us men and resources in the long run. By the end of the day, the kingdom was still standing, and everyone recognized Sigurd, earning their respect¡¡±
Can¡¯t say for certain, but he sounds upset, yet doesn¡¯t show any hatred or disdain for him; it¡¯s like he¡¯s reliving a memory that isn¡¯t painful, but isn¡¯t all that great..
¡°Get back to the queen-saving part,¡± I tell him.
¡°...During the ceremony, the queen was about to be killed by an outsider who snuck into the kingdom. Just before he could strike her down, I killed him.¡±
Alex recoils from the statement, visibly upset by the comment, but shakes it off before anyone could point it out. ¡°After that, you got rewarded?¡± I ask.
¡°I was also sworn in, given the honor of protecting him and her lordship. Sigurd would act as a commander for the knights, as well as an advisor to the king. I would mainly protect them, as well as serve them in any other way I could. Over the years, there would be more knights that were recognized by the king for their impressive feats. As the war raged on, the first son was born.¡±
Relius. I remember that smug look on his face from the night of the ball. How could I forget when he was looking at me from his throne? Not to mention that I¡¯m a wanted man thanks to him.
¡°...Then, three years after his birth, came his sister.¡±
Heard his sister died in a fire. That¡¯s why they held that kingdom-wide celebration, or rather, a memorial.
¡°A couple of years later, Sigurd and I, along with many others, were sent to march off to Borghulda.¡±
¡°And when you guys got there, you burned down the whole village, right?¡± Chip sarcastically answers.
¡°Chip, do not make accusations such as that,¡± Alex bites back, angered by his sardonic comment.
¡°Hey, hey, calm down! That¡¯s what I heard. The kingdom was ruthless when they fought at Borghulda.¡±
¡°Where did you hear this from?¡±
¡°A merchant friend of mine. Said you guys were anything but gallant.¡±
¡°That is wrong! They¨C¡±
¡°It¡¯s true. We had to be ruthless. Their weapons were advanced, so much so that they could have posed a threat if they could use it against the kingdom. But we somehow triumphed, and with that, the war was officially over.¡±
I lean towards Chip. ¡°Why did taking that place end the war?¡±
¡°The west and east were on good terms, but the west isn¡¯t exactly thriving with supplies, so they fought with the east for their crops. So without support from the north, the east had no backup, and the west was already struggling to keep itself together.¡±
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°I get you, but how did the battle at Borghulda go down?¡±
¡°Borghulda was attacked before they could tell what was going on. That merchant friend¨C Well, associate, told me it was pretty nasty.¡±
Chip didn¡¯t bother to whisper that last part, catching Alex¡¯s ear, who¡¯s getting angrier by the second, but I step in before things could get heated. ¡°Come on, guys. Who cares about the details, right? Right now, we need to find the others, and this little history lesson isn¡¯t helping.¡±
Chip shrugs his shoulders. ¡°Kid¡¯s right, I wasn¡¯t trying to be serious and all that stuff. This is just stuff I heard.¡±
¡°Oh¡ Then I apologize.¡±
¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool.¡±
Whew, that was a close one. The animosity Alex was building quickly died down, displaying an apologetic expression. I don¡¯t think he wants to be angry at Chip, but he¡¯s getting heated for no reason, or at least I think it¡¯s for no reason.
¡°Ya know, this place is the only other city I¡¯ve seen since the kingdom,¡± wanting to get away from that war stuff, I blurt out this random statement.
¡°The second king had this place made for the outside. It was meant to be a token of appreciation. However, this set the kingdom back in resources, and thanks to that, they wanted some resources. Everyone thought they were being too mean, and boom, you get a war that screws everyone over in the end. Well, everyone outside the kingdom.¡±
¡°Oh¡ that sucks.¡±
Yeah, that¡¯s the best I can say. I mean, not like I have anything better to say at the moment. Hell, what do we even talk about at this point¡? Hey, what¡¯s that over there? From the corner of my eye, there¡¯s something lying on the other end of the street beside us.
I rush over there, ignoring the voices of the others. The closer I get, the more the object becomes clearer, and a repugnant smell from there grows stronger. Then¡
¡°W¡what the hell!?¡±
Human bodies, all of them sliced apart, their upper and lower parts severed from one another, bathed in dark red blood. The horrific image burns into my eyes, searing itself into my brain.
¡°Proxy!¡± Someone covers my eye, rushing at me with a forceful fervor. ¡°Don¡¯t look!¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°You cannot look, absolutely not!¡±
It''s already burned into my mind. The corpses that littered the streets haunted my sight, and its smell forces itself down my nose, but he¡¯s still protecting me. His heart beating faster than a drum is off-putting, almost unnatural; any second it could tear out of his body and hit my head.
¡°Hey, I recognize these guys! They from our¨C¡±
Before Chip could finish, someone shouts at him. ¡°...Are you¡ It¡¯s you guys!¡±
Sounds like some of our boys.
¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Gil opens.
¡°We got attacked by some guy! It happened too quickly. Before we knew it, we had to retreat!¡±
¡°We¡didn¡¯t know how bad they¡ I couldn¡¯t imagine this¡¡±
The thought of a boy brought up one person in particular.
¡°Who did this?¡± I ask, confident and angered by the answer I already know is coming¡ ¡°Was his name¡¡±
Laguna - South-west - midnight
¡°Jed,¡± I yell, catching his attention in the middle of the crowd of teenagers.
¡°Oh, Puck. How are you this night?¡±
¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop Cade?¡±
He stares at me with a blank expression. ¡°Truly, I have no idea what you¨C¡±
¡°Cut the crap! You know what I mean! I didn¡¯t stop the fight, then you would¡¯ve gotten him killed!¡±
¡°Now that is not true. I would have¨C¡± Unable to hold myself back, I pick him up by the collar. Some of the kids gasp, and the older kids try to make me let go. ¡°Puck, I do not think you know what you are doing?¡±
¡°Too well.¡±
¡°Then I ask for you to release me¡¡± He lowers his head to my ear. ¡°...Before something unsightly occurs.¡±
His expression doesn¡¯t change, but his words are bone-chilling.
¡°Cade, you need to¨C Cade!¡± Wedge calls his name over and over again, but he gets ignored. ¡°Wait, you need rest!¡±
Cade stumbles around, rejecting Wedge¡¯s help. ¡°I¡¯m fine¡ Why are we back at camp!?¡±
¡°Cause you were hurt,¡± I yell, hurrying to his side. ¡°Wedge and I are gonna get you back to bed. You just¨C¡±
¡°Shut up! Who asked you!?¡±
Wha¡what¡? Those words cut deeper than they should, yet my heart physically reacts to them.
Wedge grabs Cade¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Cade! That was uncalled for!¡±
¡°Just leave me alone! I didn¡¯t ask you to bring me back here! We could¡¯ve gone after the bandits if it weren¡¯t for you guys, so just be quiet¡!¡±
I slump to my knees, processing everything he said. There¡¯s nothing I can say that can make the situation better¡ I just¡didn¡¯t want to lose him¡
¡°I just¡I don¡¯t¡want to¨C¡±
¡°Puck, perhaps we should listen to Cade¡¯s orders, no?¡± Jed butts in, interrupting me. ¡°While it is night, we should head out and attack the bandits. Since it is midnight, they are bound to be tired.¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Cade responds. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±
Jed turns to everyone else, raising his hands to the sky. ¡°If we go now, then we are certain to win! If we strike fast, and with enough weaponry, then we can do it! So I ask you, would you all be willing to fight this battle, or allow our enemies to recover from our last attack?¡± The crowd, every child, and teenagers cheer him on, supporting the idea of attacking the bandits beyond the other side of the bridge. ¡°Cade will lead us into battle, then to glory!¡±
The cheering grows louder than before, growing to heights that scale on ridiculous and frightening.
¡°Just follow me, and we¡¯ll get our revenge,¡± Cade utters, the violent energy around him growing worse. ¡°...We¡¯ll kill every last one of them!¡±
¡°That guy behind you. I don¡¯t know what his deal is, but you should probably keep him from fightin¡¯ anymore. If he does, you¡¯ll lose him, I can guarantee that.¡±
He¡¯s gonna¡ I¡¯ll lose him¡ He¡¯s walking further away from me, somewhere I can¡¯t follow¡
¡°Puck, cover your ears,¡± Wedge, wearing a dire look, warns me. ¡°I know you hate it when I yell.¡±
I silently nod my head, shielding my ears as best as I can. For a moment, Wedge took in a large breath of air, circulating it through his lungs. With his diaphragm, pushing his lungs harder than usual, he unleashes the loudest shout he could. ¡°CAAAAAAADE!¡±
Even though I¡¯m pressing my hands against my ears as hard as I can, I can still feel the strength coming from it.
¡°I can¡¯t¡agree with you¡ When I wanted to fight, I was just as angry as you were. My brother was the only person I had as a parent. When they killed him, when they raided our village, I hated them. So I was ready to fight to the death with them¡ But, seeing you like this, watching you treat your friends like garbage¡ I just can¡¯t agree with you.¡±
¡°Wedge,¡± I mutter, shocked by his unwavering confidence.
¡°What does that mean? You don¡¯t want to fight anymore?¡±
¡°Wrong! I will fight, but I don¡¯t want to sink to their level; becoming killers.¡±
¡°You¡¯re wrong! We¡¯re the ones who are doing something about them! The ones who are actually getting rid of them!¡±
¡°What about the anti-bandit army?¡±
The air runs silent, Cade¡¯s expression turns to anger, as well as shock. ¡°Wedge, what did I say about mentioning them?¡±
¡°Then answer my question and I never will again: What about Proxy¡¯s band?¡±
¡°They¡¯re¡they¡¯re¡ Those bastards are hypocrites! They show mercy to their enemies, and even let them join them! Proxy even told me they have more bandits in their group!¡±
Yeah, I heard some of the Flame Wraith captains joined them from bandits.
¡°What¡¯s wrong about that, Cade?¡±
Wedge pushed a question none of us ever thought was even a question, or maybe we never wanted to consider it. Cade¡¯s face reflects confusion, as well as deep-seated rage, reaching its tipping point.
¡°What?¡±
¡°I ask, what¡¯s wrong about that?¡±
Cade approaches Wedge, carrying that nasty presence. ¡°Of course it¡¯s wrong! They were bandits, they killed and hurt people!¡±
Wedge walks up to him, ignoring its toxic pressure. ¡°So did we!¡±
They headbutt one another, pushing at the other with their foreheads alone. Wedge was always stronger than Cade, but I can¡¯t shake this feeling that if they fight¡!
¡°At the time¡ I thought you were right when we attacked the anti-bandit army, but then seeing the rage in Proxy¡¯s eyes, and feeling his fist crack my head, I could tell what he was feeling! It was rage, but not the rage of murderous intent, but of a man fighting to protect something!¡±
¡°You¡¡±
¡°You, me, and everyone else, we hurt innocent people that did nothing to us, so tell me Cade, what does that say about us?¡±
I run up to them, almost tripping on myself before breaking them apart. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Just stop! You two can¡¯t be arguing like this!¡±
Wedge and Cade share an astonished look, darting their eyes back and forth between me and each other. They back away from each other, calming their breathing while staring daggers into the other.
¡°Hey, I¡¡± Wedge continues, panting to catch his breath. ¡°...I just don¡¯t want you to end up being consumed by your rage, your sorrow, or even your bloodlust¡! I lost my brother, I don¡¯t wish to lose another one. Please, just slow down¡please.¡±
He turns his back to us, lowering his head. ¡°I don¡¯t¡ I just can¡¯t let any of them get away with what they done¡ None of them. Even if it means my life, I¡¯ll let none of them live¡ I¡¯m sorry.¡±
That¡¯s just too much! I never wanted to¡ I¡didn¡¯t want to go this far. All I wanted was to help Cade, and everyone else. But, seeing him like this, sinking further into revenge, I just can¡¯t!
¡°Cade,¡± I cry out, my voice breaking from tension. ¡°...You¨C¡±
Destroying the tension, Jed claps his hands, loud enough to catch everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Now, now, that is enough¡ Wedge¡you are¡¡± Wedge must¡¯ve gotten him upset. Thought you could manipulate Cade like that and¨C ¡°...completely right.¡±
What!? With a smile beaming on his face, he approaches Wedge, placing his hand on his shoulder. ¡°I did not consider the consequences of the fight we just came back from, and on further contemplation, you are correct in telling us to slow down.¡± He bumps the top of his head with his knuckle. ¡°What an oversight I made.¡± Why is he taking our side? I don¡¯t like this, not one bit! ¡°So, everyone, get as much rest as you can, for tomorrow, we shall strike.¡±
Continuing to go along with his suggestion, the crowd stirs into a frenzy, and Cade watches in silence, facing away from us.
¡°Puck¡ It seems like we¡¯re at a divide¡¡±
¡°Yeah, I can see that.¡±
Between Cade, Jed, and the crowd of kids wanting blood, I can¡¯t help but think everything is changing and in not a good way¡ Can I even walk behind him at this point, or was I never even facing him, to begin with?
¡
Time has elapsed after that unnecessary debate. Cade is progressing quite nicely, however, Wedge continues to be a problem. At first, I thought he wouldn¡¯t be, but it seems as if he does not move blindly, or perhaps what I said upset that blindness. If so, that was a slight miscalculation on my part. And worst, he might be wary of me.
Puck is no problem, so all I need to worry about is Wedge, find a means to remove him, and then continue with my plan.
¡°Hm, should be time to meet with him.¡±
Ah, my private rendezvous must be waiting for me. Oh my, it is rather rude of me to keep someone waiting. I suppose I should go now rather than later, while everyone is busy.
¡°Wedge¡ If this is a challenge, then I accept. Afterall, it would be rude not to take you up on such an offer.¡±
A preview of a battlefield to come
Throbbing pain aches across my brain, forcing my eyes open. Everything is out of focus, but I can barely tell with how dark this place is. Funny enough, my glasses are resting on my chest. Now that I can see normally, I wish I could do something about this headache. It sucks that I can¡¯t heal headaches. Whatever, I¡¯ll just have to grin and bear it.
¡°Proxy¡Nunnal¨¦?¡±
Am I in the bus? Wait, what happened to Alexander and Proxy!? And that blonde boy¡ Crap, even when I enhanced my body, his attack still knocked me out. I guess I didn¡¯t enhance enough to withstand the impact on whatever I hit; specifically my head.
I shuffle out of the bus, using the seats to move to the front end. My strength is returning, but I¡¯ll need to be careful when I step out of the bus. The doors by pulling the lever near the driver seat. An orange flame, further away from me, illuminates the inside of these wrecked buildings. They¡¯ve been cleared of rubble, for the most part, allowing space to be made for the bus and everyone else. Luckily enough, the ceiling is missing.
¡°This sensation¡¡±
My headache grows stronger from the overwhelming sense of negativity coming from some of the residents of this temporary camp. It¡¯s heavy, stirring up my brain like a blending machine, turning my brain into mush.
From the tent with ¡°Medical¡± on it, a girl with a short set of beautiful purple hair comes out. Her gaze turns to me. ¡°Master Richard!¡± She flashes over to me in the blink of an eye. I jump back, alarmed by her sudden approach. ¡°Master Richard, are you okay!?¡± She helps me up from the ground and dusts me off. ¡°I apologize if my sudden acceleration of movement frightened you.¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s fine¡ But what happened to your hair?¡±
¡°It was cut by an enemy, but other than that, I am fine.¡±
Her long, smooth hair has been cut short without any thought. It¡¯s not like it''s bad, but she¡¯s going to need someone to fix up her hair. And as much as I¡¯d like to, I¡¯m not a hairstylist.
¡°Master Richard, allow me to report everything that has transpired thus far.¡±
¡°Go ahead.¡±
Nunnal¨¦ relays everything to me in exact detail, about the blonde hair boy, Cade being a Source-user, and the arrival of the other Source-user that Proxy called ¡°Ocean¡±. If I wasn¡¯t unconscious¡ No, there¡¯s no point in regretting not being able to talk with that man. The only thing I really regret is not being there to help.
What concerns me is Cade being a Source-user. I learned to vaguely use it with the help of the book Selena gave me, but even then I was having trouble, so how did he learn to control his? More than that, it¡¯s surprising to see that he can use Source. Ever since I learned how to view Source coming from others, I learned that everyone else barely emits any; theirs seem weaker, if that¡¯s the proper way of saying it. But Proxy doesn¡¯t have any surrounding him, none whatsoever.
¡°Okay, I understand the situation. Do you think Ocean and Cade are still fighting?¡±
She silently nods. ¡°I doubt it. The one you call ¡®Ocean¡¯ was stronger than Cade, so the answer is blatant. Moreover, it appeared that Cade learned to control it recently.¡±
¡°I see, what was he able to do?¡± She looks confused yet ashamed. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±
¡°No, he never showed an ability. However, he was able to overpower me. I am deeply ashamed of my ability to gather information on the enemy, as well as losing.¡±
¡°Hey, there¡¯s no need to get upset. That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have a lot of Source to work with.¡±
¡°Even so, I still have superior strength without Source, yet, he overpowered me.¡±
¡°Then he¡¯s a Guardian-type.¡±
¡°I am uncertain. It is probable, but I feel as if it would be too soon to judge.¡±
She¡¯s right, we shouldn¡¯t assume anything for now. But what about Ocean? Why is he even here to begin with? More importantly, why did he save Nunnal¨¦ and Marie¡? Either way, the situation in this city is delicate. Not only do we have to deal with bandits, but a murderous Source-user as well. Things just keep getting better and better.
¡°...So what about Marie? Is she okay?¡±
An unexpected expression of concern plagues her face, only for a second, however. ¡°I am unsure. She appeared to be mentally stable, now she''s returned to her previous state.¡±
Cade¡¯s arrival likely caused that, and it troubles me that he and that blonde boy were working together. None of this is good; just all-around bad news. And I can¡¯t do anything to help Marie¡
¡°Master Richard, if I may ask. Would it be okay if I could observe Marie?¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I know this is a selfish request, and it goes against my sworn duties to you. However, I wish to watch her¡¡±
She¡¯s staring back at me with a somewhat passionate expression that goes against her neutral expression.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, how do you feel about Marie?¡±
A question seemingly fit for the conversation, but I¡¯m not even thinking how it fits into the conversation.
¡°How do I feel? Do you mean an objective statement?¡±
¡°No, I mean your personal opinion. What do you think of her.¡±
Her vacant expression returns, seemingly confused about my line of questioning. ¡°I do not know how to answer.¡±
¡°Come on, it¡¯s not that hard. Just think about it. How do you feel being around here?¡±
¡°Hmm¡¡±
She¡¯s kind of, not to be rude, dim to her own feelings and emotions, so she has a hard time telling if she¡¯s even feeling anything, and this translates to how she acts. While I¡¯m not sure about this, this is my best guess.
¡°...I would say¡the way she acts as a male at times is odd.¡± My heart stops with a dull thump, and the air inside drops to ice-cold levels. ¡°...Which is odd, considering she would have what Proxy called, ¡®girly tendencies¡¯.¡±
I take a heavy gulp, blinking more than usual. ¡°What¡what would that mean?¡±
¡°For instance, she obsesses over her figure, stating, and I quote, ¡®muscle is necessary, however, too much is a bad thing for a woman¡¯. Marie¡¯s figure does have the delicate balance of muscle, keeping them toned while balancing out her body¡¯s shape would take a considerable level of observation of one''s body.¡±
This is getting dangerous. A conversation like this is only going to invite trouble with some karmic force; even if I don¡¯t believe in that stuff, I have a feeling that¡¯s where this is heading.
¡°D-did Marie tell you all this?¡±
¡°Indeed. We had this conversation while bathing together. This came about when she was observing my body, quoting I had a¨C¡±
My hands shot up to cover her mouth. ¡°Y-you don¡¯t have to tell me, okay?¡± She moves my hands, baffled.
¡°Do you not wish to hear what I have to say?¡±
The problem is that I might want to!
¡°This is not what I meant! Forget it! Any more and I feel like my heart will skyrocket in pulsation.¡±
¡°I am sorry that I was not able to fulfill your curiosity,¡± she says without a change in expression. ¡°...However, if there is something of note, it would¡ Well, forgive me for rambling, but whenever I see her, my stomach twists and turns.¡±
If I don¡¯t know any better, could that be¡
¡°You have knots in your stomach?¡±
¡°Knots?¡±
¡°When you feel anxiety.¡±
¡°Anxiety? How come?¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. But I guess that means you¡¯re worried about Marie.¡±
She takes on no strong emotions over the statement. Instead, she ponders what I said, tracing her chin with her index finger. ¡°Puzzling, but I understand. Then I am concerned for her.¡± Sounds weird when she puts it like that, but it¡¯s not a bad thing, so it¡¯s whatever.
¡°Master Richard, do you wish to accompany me to see Marie?¡±
¡°Sure, but I want to go look for Proxy, so you can go without me.¡±
¡°I fear that would be dangerous given this unpredictable situation.¡±
¡°All the more reason to go find him and the rest.¡±
¡°Then allow me to accompany you.¡±
¡°I thought you wanted to be with Marie?¡±
¡°You are a higher priority, Master Richard, my wishes and others are below that priority.¡±
It still scares me how she¡¯s able to dismiss everything and everyone else just for me. But if there are more Source-users, then I wouldn¡¯t want to encounter them on my own.
¡°Fine. Do you know where they went?¡±
¡°No, however, I imagine that they are still in the south area of the city, like us.¡±
¡°Then all we need to do is take to the air and search around.¡±
¡°Of course. I¡¯ll take us into the air, so allow me to carry you.¡±
¡°Right, umm¡ Can we at least get somewhere¡private before you do?¡±
¡°Is there a problem?¡±
¡°No, but there¡¯s a whole different issue with people seeing me carried by you.¡±
She seems even more confused than she was before. Honestly, if there was something I wish Nunnal¨¦ would develop quickly, it¡¯d be a sense of shame.
Laguna - South-west - midnight
After that whole business with the bodies. Alex said that we would get back to camp without the guys who went back for their dead friends. He probably doesn¡¯t want me to see the bodies while we¡¯re walking back. I wanna say that it doesn¡¯t bother me, that he¡¯s worrying over nothing, but I¡¯d just be lying. Seeing them like that made me sick to my stomach. Even if it was for a moment, their deformed bodies are burned into my mind.
That bastard Jed did that. Crazy-ass freak! When I see that son of a bitch, I¡¯ll rip his goddamn head off! People like him deserve no mercy. I learned that with Walter, and I¡¯m never gonna take it easy on people like that!
¡°Excuse me.¡± Garrick¡¯s monotone voice drags me out of my thoughts. ¡°...May we make a slight detour?¡±
¡°Is something the matter, sir Garrick?¡± Alex addresses him with an honorific.
¡°My things are in a building near this area. I have equipment that may help with the bandits.¡±
¡°Certainly. If you have anything that could assist us, we would be grateful.¡±
¡°Yeah right, we¡¯re fine without him,¡± I mutter under my breath.
¡°Last time I checked, you almost died without my assistance,¡± he retorts, getting me good with that jab at the gut.
¡°Sure, whatever you say.¡±
Kinda pisses me off that he¡¯s right, but I ain¡¯t gonna let him have this one. There¡¯s just something I don¡¯t like about him. There are times when you meet someone, even though you haven¡¯t spoken to each other once and they haven¡¯t done anything to you, you just get that gut feeling in the depths of your stomach, telling you that and that person can¡¯t like one another. And trust me, as a punk, I get this feeling a lot.
Garrick sticks his thumb at me. ¡°In which case, I¡¯ll lead the way. Let¡¯s hurry so that the boy doesn¡¯t lose to his impatience.¡±
¡°Huh!? What was that, asshole!? You got something you wanna say?¡±
¡°Not at all. In fact, I fear saying anything to you would be a waste of breath.¡±
His blank expression only pisses me off more. It¡¯s like he¡¯s saying I ain¡¯t worth his time.
¡°You wanna go, you old bastard!?¡±
¡°No, I have no intention of fighting children.¡±
An audible growl escapes from my mouth. This guy¡!
¡°Hmph, fine! I don¡¯t wanna be the one responsible for breaking your bones, old man.¡±
He scoffs, turning away and leading on to his hideout. Getting there took about 10 minutes of walking through rubble and shabby buildings, ready to come down any second now. Making it through a shortcut he leads us through, we meet with an untouched building, sticking out like a sore thumb from the fact that it doesn¡¯t even have a hole in the roof. Made from timber wood, it¡¯s a single-story building, medium-sized at best.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°This is it,¡± Garrick says, walking up to the building without a care in the world.
¡°Hmm?¡±
Chip stares at the flag. Has a design with a city being illuminated by the sun. Kinda tacky if you ask me.
¡°Yo, there a problem?¡± I casually ask.
¡°Nah, I was just looking at the flag.¡±
Geez, if he keeps acting like that, I¡¯m gonna start thinking this place is haunted. Last thing we need to deal with is a haunted house.
Garrick pushes open the wooden door. The hinges creak like they¡¯re gonna come apart any second. A grand dining hall, covered in cobwebs and packed full of dust. A wild stench overpowers my nose, forcing me to cover it up. The dry air in here makes it hard to breathe. I doubt anyone could have a nice meal in a place like this, let alone any shut-eye
¡°You live in this dump,¡± I jeer, pointing my thumb at the dust-covered dining hall.
¡°It has a roof, walls, and beds, that¡¯s good enough for me.¡±
¡°I mean I get it, but you could at least do a little spring cleaning in this joint.¡±
I have to cover my mouth and nose with my shirt just to stand this place. This is why I keep my apartment clean¡ Wait! I¡¯ve been gone for months, so that means dust has accumulated in my place! Oh God, please don¡¯t tell me it got on my clothes, shoes, or even my consoles!
Gil scans the hall, not all that bothered by the dust in here. ¡°This place is cozy.¡±
¡°Yeah, same way being buried 6ft under is comfy,¡± Chip remarks, obviously uncomfortable with the place like I am.
¡°Is this where people feasted?¡± Alex¡¯s muffled voice poses a question.
¡°It was. The people of this city used to have diners here during victories, raising their spirits for the next battle, and to celebrate the lives of their deceased when someone died.¡±
¡°Sounds like The Day of The Dead.¡±
I swear my shoes are just soaking up all the dust from this place, and I can practically smell this place¡¯s age. If we can get this guy¡¯s shit and skedaddle, that would be awesome.
¡°Down here, in the cellar, I¡¯ll grab my things and we can leave.¡±
Alex follows him down there.
¡°Great, so we gotta wait to get out of the haunted mansion,¡± I suck my teeth at the end, strutting into a room next to us. Looks like a room for one, and the bed. Is that blood? Seems pretty damn old.
¡°This place got nothing but dust, cobwebs, and blood all over the damn beds,¡± Chip hollers from the other end of the place.
¡°Same here,¡± I shout back, yanking the sheets off the bed with gusto
Hm? A tear in the bed? No, that looks like a sword made that tear¡ ¡°Eh, whatever.¡± Not like it means much to me, so whatever.
¡°Wait, so if Garrick lives in a place like this, then that means he lives in Laguna,¡± I suddenly clue together when the thought just popped into my head.
¡°Uh, yeah, duh,¡± as expected, Chip mocks me for it.
¡°No, like, why does he live here? Why does a renowned knight live on the outside, let alone in a dump like this?¡¯
¡°That¡¯s¡ Yeah, that¡¯s a good question.¡±
¡°Maybe he just wanted to get away after failing to protect the royal family,¡± Gil adds to the convo.
¡°Failed?¡±
¡°Come on, man. He obviously wasn''t able to stop some folks from the outside from killing them.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah¡ But wouldn¡¯t he still be taking care of Relius or something like that?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t know. All the details are up in the air, and the only one to shed light would be in the kingdom.¡±
¡°Then did Sigurd die during all that action?¡±
¡°Yeah. Said he died during the sudden attack.¡±
Sounds like that night was just one bad incident after another.
¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Gil announces like a child saying he wants fast food for dinner.
¡°Yeah, me too, man. But as much as a wizard I am in the kitchen, this place probably only serves dust here.¡±
¡°Never know, it could taste good,¡± Chip snickers at his own joke.
¡°Have you eaten dust before?¡± Gil returns with a genuine question.
¡°It was a joke, big guy.¡±
¡°It wasn¡¯t all that funny then,¡± Gil laughs, serving him up a hot one.
¡°Damn, you just got burned!¡±
Chip clicks his teeth, facing away from us. ¡°Yeah, yeah, very funny.¡±
This funny little distraction is nice, helps me forget that we¡¯re standing in the middle of this creepy ass place. Damnit, now I¡¯m thinking about this place again. Screw it, I¡¯m leaving for some fresh air.
¡°I¡¯m going outside. I can¡¯t stand the air in here.¡±
¡°¡®Kay, we¡¯ll go down to see if Garrick is all packed¡ But Proxy, speaking of Garrick, anything suspicious about him?¡±
¡°Nothing.¡± Still don¡¯t like the guy, but I can¡¯t say he¡¯s done anything worth suspecting. ¡°Aight, I¡¯m going.¡±
Shoving my hands into my pockets, I leave the building. My restrained breathing returns to its former rhythm. Geez, I felt like I was gonna suffocate in there, and I feel dirty just being in there. Seriously, if my apartment is lined with dust, I¡¯ll cry¡ But so much shit happened here recently. That old man, the fur-coat-wearing freak, and Cade¡ So much shit. My head is spinning. I just hope everyone else is okay, especially Marie; she¡¯s been put through the wringer. God knows she isn¡¯t up for a fight right now, and with Cade around, things could go from 0 to 100 real quick¡
¡°I just have to fight. That¡¯s all I can do. Even if it is Cade, I¡¯ll protect everyone.¡±
Laguna - South-West - Midnight
In the dead of night, where not a soul remains, Jed sits in the middle of the brick-layered road, tapping the side of his boots on the ground. The only light during a night like this comes from the moon and the stars. Without them, visibility would be terrible.
He searches around for a certain individual who he¡¯s supposed to meet. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s in the wrong location. As a matter of fact, he¡¯s on time. His associate¡¯s tardiness sets him off a little, not enough to blow a gasket, but he does feel upset.
¡°Ah, so you actually showed.¡±
A large, older man reveals himself from the corner of a building from the far end of the street. He marches up to Jed, overshadowing him with his imposing figure.
Instead of greeting him with a charming smile, he pouts while tapping his feet. ¡°You know, being on time shows manners. And you are surprised I actually showed.¡±
¡°Sorry, I was stalled for a while, added with the fact it was a long trek. I hope next time you will not make me walk all the way here; I am an old man, after all.¡±
¡°...Oh, right. It slipped my mind.¡±
He acts coy, but he doesn''t want to admit he didn''t think of the distance and the time it would have take for the old man to reach this place.
¡°So, about what we discussed,¡± the old man opens the conversation. ¡°Do you think you can bring out such a thing?¡±
¡°Not I, but Cade. I surmise that he will be the one to bring it about.¡±
¡°Cade?¡±
¡°Oh, I mean the boy I¡¯m following. He¡¯s the rather gloomy-looking fellow.¡±
¡°Ah, I remember. Wildcard told me about him. He said there was something amiss with him.¡±
¡°I wouldn¡¯t say amiss. This is a step in his natural evolution.¡±
¡°Natural evolution?¡±
¡°He harbors strong killing intent, as well as hatred for the bandits. So strong it always had the chance to consume him. Now, it has begun to do just that.¡±
To say the least, the old man''s curiosity is piqued.
¡°And you think he has become stronger for it?¡±
¡°No, no. I don¡¯t ¡®think¡¯, I know it has. The attack at the bridge was our doing.¡±
The old man isn¡¯t stunned by this. In fact, he doesn¡¯t care that they died; to him, they were no more important than a bug crawling on the ground. They lacked the strength to leave an impression on him. So, the fact Cade¡¯s group dispatched them was of no significance to him.
¡°Your point?¡±
¡°He slaughtered them without a second thought. It was as if he was possessed by his murderous drive.¡±
¡°I will admit, the scene was gruesome. But what are you getting at? I despise conversations that take too long to reach the point.¡±
¡°Right. I will direct Cade and he will launch an all-out war on the bandits in this city, returning this war-torn city to those battlefields. Cade will be the spark, he will bring a fire that shall recreate the battlefield of the Godfrey age.¡± Slowly, the smile on his face turned to a creepy grin that revealed all the evil inside him, and the insanity that boiled in the pits of his soul. ¡°...Death will paint this town, the smell of blood will loom in the air, and the battle cries of war will ring throughout the land!¡±
The idea fascinates the old man. A battlefield fitting for a warrior of his caliber. Nothing in this world would give him more pleasure than to take part in a battlefield where only the strongest are allowed to live. He can see it now - the blood in his system pumping from the thought of a glorious battle to the death; you can even say he feels a sense of euphoria from the idea.
¡°...Are you sure he can bring this about?¡±
¡°Of course! However¡he isn¡¯t there just yet. He needs a final push.¡±
And therein lies the problem in Jed¡¯s plan. How would he be able to push someone like Cade, who had practically gone off the deep end, into a darker pit than the one he is in? No matter how Jed looks at it, it seems pretty much impossible to do so. Thinking isn¡¯t his strong suit. Most of the time, Jed uses his gut to decide things, even allowing it to steer him in the right direction¡
Suddenly, Jed goes into an alerted stance, aiming his spear at a building next to him. Two figures retreat behind a wall, but it was too late. Before Jed can detach the chain to his guiding bar, one of the eavesdroppers shows themself.
¡°Wedge? And I assume the second one behind there is Puck, correct?¡±
¡°You are collaborating with bandits,¡± Wedge ignores Jed¡¯s question, cutting straight to the matter at hand.
Jed frowns, tapping his feet on the ground. ¡°Hmm¡ I suppose I am, but at the same time, not really.¡± Wedge scowls, frustrated with how easily Jed waved off the matter. ¡°...Now answer me: is Puck back there?¡±
Wedge bites his lip, keeping his eyes centered on Jed, shooting the occasional glance at the old man. He knows he¡¯s a terrible liar, so he goes with silence.
¡°Is this going to be a problem?¡± the old man asks Jed, somewhat amused by the sudden turn of events.
¡°No, at least I hope not.¡±
¡°How could you do this, Jed?¡±
¡°But I have done nothing wrong. I helped you all fight against the bandits, so I see no problem.¡±
¡°Cade is not your toy!¡±
Wedge wants nothing more than to run over there and beat him to a pulp, but against Jed, he would lose the moment he moved. Puck, on the other hand, makes her move, sneaking behind the rubble scattered around the lower level of the building.
¡°I do not see Cade as a toy.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not how you made it sound!¡±
¡°You should not force your assumptions about me. It is quite rude, I¡¯ll have you know.¡±
Ending it off with a charming smile that hides his true intentions, Wedge clenches his fist, digging his fingernails into the palm of his hands.
¡°Stop that! Stop with that fake-ass smile!¡±
Then, like a puzzle piece to a complicated jigsaw puzzle, the final piece of his plan clicks in his head.
¡°You are right, Wedge; Cade is no more than a toy. A toy I shall use whenever I wish, and however I like.¡± Wedge grits his teeth, trying to put up with his insulting words, and Puck can barely contain her rage, just wanting to shoot him square in the forehead. ¡°...Everyone back there is a toy. Snap, snap, snap, that is the sound a toy makes when you break it¡¡± The charming smile Jed always wears contorts into a malicious grin, as if all the evil inside a man personified itself as an expression. ¡°...Every single toy there will break, but I wonder how long it will take for Cade to break?¡±
Wedge¡¯s anger hit its climax. Blood runs from his hand and lips, and Puck¡¯s hatred for this man goes past its limit. She gives in to her killing intent and shoots up to her feet. Before she could aim, Jed had already launched an attack on her. Wedge, greatly aware of their reaction time to the other, races off to Puck.
It rips through the lower floor without delay, tearing up anything in its path. Jed¡¯s weapon is terrifying in close-quarters combat, capable of tearing apart the human body in a mere moment of contact with the rotating blades. However, this weapon is as deadly from long-range as well, able to extend up to eight meters. Even against cemented walls, it would cut through it like paper mache.
¡°Hmm, far too much smoke here¡ Perhaps I might have overdone it. What do you think?¡±
¡°Restraint takes manners,¡± the old man remarks,
¡°I figured¨C¡±
A battle cry interrupts Jed, who looks back at the smoke. Wedge charges out of it, running for Jed, who slams the shaft on his head. A direct hit to the cranium, however, doesn¡¯t stop Wedge for a moment. He decks Jed right in the face, utilizing all the power he can bring out. It was enough to draw blood from Jed¡¯s nose.
¡°Oh my, what a spirited child, and with an injury like that,¡± the old man mused, rubbing his chin.
Jed wipes the blood from his nostrils, in awe of Wedge''s determination. ¡°Yes, spirited indeed.¡±
Wedge managed to beat the chain by a hair¡¯s breadth. He was successful in pushing Puck out of harm¡¯s way, at a cost¡
¡°...WEDGE!¡±
Puck¡¯s visceral scream resounds throughout the area, even outdoing Wedge¡¯s loudest scream.
¡°Puck, get back! Do not come here!¡±
¡°But...your arm!¡±
The cost of saving Puck¡¯s life was his left arm. It was severed the second it connected with his arm. Pain burns away where his arm used to be, like a fire burning a phantom limb that''s not even there. Brimming with adrenaline, he can fight off the pain, but the wound cuts into his stamina and overall strength.
Jed does not wait for another moment and goes in intending to neutralize him. He takes advantage of Wedge¡¯s disability by aiming for his left with a powerful kick. A gap in his defense that leaves him in major pain. But he persisted, pushing the offensive further. Jed slips under any attack Wedge throws, countering every time and whittling his stamina little by little. Then, using Wedge¡¯s momentum against him, Jed flips him to his back. He crushes his gut with a devastating blow from his fist.
Jed has a natural understanding of momentum and balance. Without this understanding, he would not be able to use his weapon as fluently, let alone bring out its destructive potential. With all of Wedge¡¯s weight shifting into his right, all he has to do is take advantage of that balance shift.
¡°It seems as if this is the end,¡± the old man sighs, bored with how Wedge performed.
¡°I cannot allow you or Puck to live. But do not fret. I will make sure Cade is aware of your deaths.¡±
Puck, having lost her gun in the building, hurries to Wedge. She doesn''t care if she lost her weapon; she''ll use her teeth if she has to. The old man moves swiftly, barely making a sound. He simply smacks her to the side. The force behind his hand is as great as if he hit her with a fist.
¡°I¡¯ll deal with the girl,¡± the old giant says.
¡°Thank you. Please make it quick for her; I hate seeing people in pain.¡±
A statement that seems like a lie, but it is not. His sense of morality is warped, acting as though he is a kind person that would not like to see people harmed or hurt, but would cause such harm if it furthered his goals. Jed is a man of twisted morals and terrifying goals.
¡°Wedge, before I end your life, do you have anything you wish to say? We were allies after all; it is only fitting for me to allow you to speak.¡±
His breathing is strained, his arm is burning, and his stomach is wrecked. At this point, speaking would be impossible at this point¡
Wedge¡¯s life revolves around the people he loves; Cade, Puck, and many more. Without them, he doubts his life would have much meaning. He always did what was best for his friends, even when it got him hurt. However, even though he knew about Cade¡¯s inner turmoil, he had no idea how to pull him out of it. So, he helped Cade fight the bandits at each and every turn, unknowingly letting the hatred in Cade¡¯s heart grow more violent as the days passed.
Maybe if he told Cade to slow down, what if they never fought the bandits in the first place, or maybe if their village was never burned down, things would have been different. In the end, he was unable to protect his older brother, the only parental figure he knew, and keep his friend from falling into darkness. He can''t go out like this, he refuses to die with all these regrets looming over him.
With a deep breath, he inhales all the oxygen he can, pumping it into his lungs. Then, expelling the air inside all at once, he roars into the night sky, tearing his vocal cord a new one. The sound is overwhelming, rumbling the insides of everyone¡¯s heads from its sheer volume. He isn''t scream out of frustration, but that someone will hear him. A final play that relies on his luck.
¡°Kill him already,¡± the old man, annoyed with his final plea for help, orders Jed.
¡°Yes, I know!¡±
Jed lifts his spear, revving the blades to slice through Wedge¡¯s chest. Right at that moment, a blur darts past the old man¡¯s notice for a second. A delayed reaction paints the old man¡¯s face; surprise, yet intrigued by what managed to slip past his vision. Jed realizes too late, suffering a blow to the face. Two feet pushed together, creating a destructive force that throws him away from Wedge. The new arrival leaped into the air when he closed in on his target, twisting his body and delivering an excellent attack.
Blood gashes out of Jed¡¯s nose, blanketing the ground below him red.
¡°You¡you!¡±
Wedge''s hoarse voice mutters out. For a moment, he doesn''t believe that this person came to save him. The last person he ever thought would want to save him, yet he''s here. However, he feels a satisfied to know that this person came to his aid; the only person who he sees being capable of saving Cade and everyone else from Jed: Proxy.
¡°Your arm!? Did they do this?¡± he gasps, looking at where his friend''s arm used to be.
¡°Please¡please¡ Cade¡ Don¡¯t¡¡±
Using up the last of his strength, Cade passes out. With the alarming amount of blood lost, the fact he was able to stay conscious was nothing more than a miracle. Proxy quickly rips off the other sleeve from Wedge''s shirt, using that to patch up his wound.
¡°What an unexpected appearance! What brings you here, Proxy?¡±
The boy wearing his goggles drills holes into Jed, who stands ready with his spear. Extreme, uncontrolled anger flares up in Proxy, doing away with any rational thought in his brain, leaving him with the primal instinct to destroy the enemy in front of him.
¡°Jed¡ I¡¯m gonna bust your fuckin¡¯ jaw open!¡±
This declaration couldn''t have made Jed any more happy; because if he made Proxy this angry, he can''t imagine how Cade will react. The thought makes him giddy with excitement.
"Then by all means, bring all you have."
The second round between the spearman and the punk is underway, and this encounter is sure to bring about a preview of the battlefield soon to come.
The punch born from a spark
Laguna - South-west - Midnight - Proxy
My blood boils at maximum volume, and it¡¯s only rising! This smile-wearing piece of shit, who tore off Wedge¡¯s arm, stands there, readying his shit-ass spear! Puck doesn¡¯t look all that hurt, but she¡¯s out cold next to the old man. He might get in the way. I can¡¯t tell based on how composed he looks¡ Whatever, if he does, I¡¯ll lay his ass flat!
¡°How did you find us, Proxy?¡± Jed opens, keeping that smile on his face. ¡°...Was it that scream?¡±
¡°Who cares!¡±
I¡¯m not wasting another second with small talk. Crushing this son of a bitch is all I care about.
I make the first move, dashing at him. If I can get close, then I¡¯ll strike him with my leg. Right away, he goes on the defensive with that chain of his. Those guys we met earlier told us how he swung that thing and cut people clean in half with it.
Rushing forward is no good! He whips around the chain, swinging it in multiple directions to hit me. Its speed is insane, moving fast enough to become a blur. Despite that, I can make out where it¡¯s coming from. I get out of its range, using a bit of my athletics to get away.
¡°Oh, your movement is smoother than the other day.¡±
Yeah, yeah. As long as he keeps using that chain like a whip, then I¡¯m never gonna get close. Think, what can I do¡? That¡¯s it! Done with all the thinking, I run for it. He whips the chain my way. Come on, body, this is the moment, just act! I gotta utilize that important part of myself!
My body responds to my wish. All the weight in my body shifts to the front, allowing me to dive under the chain and keep my momentum. Coming at me from the left, I twist my body in the air to jump over it. No matter the direction, I just keep dodging with all the athletics I can bring out. Not only that, but I use complicated front and backflips to move my way through. At the near end, I swiftly move to the right. Jumping off a pile of rubble near a lamppost, I launch off of it, sliding up on Jed¡¯s left.
His eyes lock on me. I need to beat him to a pulp before he can ice my ass! He had already withdrawn his chain around his guide bar, dragging it toward my side. Kicking off the ground, I hover right above the blades. My hands are first to touch the ground, letting me get away with nimble movements.
¡°So you are incorporating athletics into your movements?¡±
¡°Shut up!¡±
This isn¡¯t it! It¡¯s kind of satisfying to pull off these moves, but this isn¡¯t what I want! All that stuff Wildcard said and what the old man was spouting, beating this douche. Rhythm and flow, understanding the self, an idea¡ None of it is clicking still. What am I missing here? I remember Wildcard saying being more agile, but does that mean doing handstands and flips? Cause I can do it, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what it means¡
¡°Shit, why am I thinking about this crap right now?¡±
Wedge needs help, and I¡¯m the only one here. I can¡¯t expect someone to bail me out now; I need to be the one to save them!
Throwing away all the ideas in my head, I charge forward, wanting to get this over with. Thinking about useless shit isn¡¯t gonna do me any good. One solid blow is all I need. Grabbing a large rock from the ground, I chuck it at Jed. I throw another behind it. He spins his weapon around his body, cutting the rocks apart with finesse. That doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯s in close range now.
¡°Clever. However¡¡±
His spear was coming down on me. Don¡¯t let it hit you, don¡¯t let it hit you, don¡¯t let it hit you! In the spur of the moment, I place my wrist under the shaft while moving. Before he can back up, I kick him right in the head to make up for the distance. This is it. He¡¯s in my range! Don¡¯t think, just throw a hit!
¡°..You¡¯re putting too much power in each punch.¡±
Pull back a little, not too much power, but not too little at the same time. My fist flies, burying itself in Jed¡¯s face. The impact wasn¡¯t as powerful as I wanted, but even if it wasn¡¯t, it was a clean blow. Not only that, I can disarm him now!
But to my surprise, he already regained his bearings. His control of the spear is strong. I¡¯ll just yank it out of his hands with all I got! However, that¡¯s where I went wrong. Cause right when I pull, he comes running up to me and hits me with a drop kick to the gut. What the hell was that? Why was it this effective¡?
He tugs the spear his way, forcing me to him. His hands leave the spear for a moment. He spun around before delivering one hell of a kick. Blood flows from my nose. My hands! For a minute, I almost lost my grip on the shaft.
¡°I tire of this game.¡± A devastating strike rocks my head. My grip on the weapon evaporates altogether. ¡°...I shall be taking this back.¡±
My body hits the ground. This light-headed feeling¡yep, that hurt. No matter how I look at it, this is gonna end up like last time. No matter what I do, he¡¯s too fast for me to handle. Was I just¡not strong enough?
¡°Such a shame, and here I thought you were going to present a challenge. Perhaps you all bark.¡±
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡No! This is not how it ends! I need to think, think of some way to win! I have to use my head¡!
¡°Also, your body looks pretty agile. You can do athletics, right?¡±
¡°Means your hand-to-hand is not polished, doesn¡¯t have that sense of rhythm and flow that it should have.¡±
All that stuff from Wildcard fills my brain. The fight we had earlier comes back in vivid detail. The way he fought wasn¡¯t random or crazy, he was able to counter me cause he understood how he fought, and how I fought! My rhythm and flow, and vice versa! The understanding of the self!
¡°Goodbye!¡±
He plunges his spear toward my chest. At that time, I tucked back my feet, avoiding certain death. The sound of stone being continuously dug into says he buried his weapon in the ground. With the strength in my hands, I shoot up from the ground, hitting Jed with both my feet. The thump sound from my feet hammering into his chest feels good, real good.
¡°W-what was that?¡±
It was like when Wildcard ducked under my attack to counter me. I think I get it. When you¡¯re on the offensive, don¡¯t let up, and when on the defensive, you either run or block; those are the fundamentals. But there¡¯s another: countering! Using attacks from the enemy to create your own opening. Wildcard wasn¡¯t an unorthodox fighter, he was someone who understood what it meant to fight hand-to-hand! Jed knows how to use his spear like it¡¯s a part of him. That¡¯s why he beat me when it came to handling it.
I was never good with swords cause I never felt too strongly about them; that and I suck with them. The only thing I can ever rely on is my fists, so that¡¯s all I should be using.
¡°Well, it seems like I have been disarmed. No matter, my hands are all I need.¡±
Whatever, you¡¯re in my world now. He throws the first punch. Naturally, I block it, but he takes advantage of my lower half being defenseless. Dodging it isn¡¯t an issue, but he follows up with another attack. I can¡¯t let him control the battle. I need to keep up or outdo his rhythm!
His attack hurls toward my head. I redirect his blow, going for my own. It connects, but it isn¡¯t over yet! I unleash another blow, and another after that one. Jed isn¡¯t a slouch though. He parries a few of my blows. He trains his legs for my head, unrelenting in his offensive.
¡°C-crap!¡±
My footing was off when I stepped back. Jed closes the gap, seeing this as his chance to slam his fist into my head. Planting my hands on the ground, I lift my feet to the air. There was an impact, that much I can tell, and if I¡¯m right, my feet hit Jed¡¯s chin.
¡°You were able to counter like that?¡±
Before, I would have tried to move to get a hit with my fist. I¡¯ve been squandering my talents up until now. I shouldn¡¯t be focused on being a powerhouse like Gil; my agility and speed, that¡¯s my strength!
We re-engage in battle, this time, I¡¯m not going to make the same mistakes. Faster strikes, making full use of my arms and legs, and incorporating my agility into my movements and attacks. If I combine these, then maybe I can acquire something else! I have to get rid of my bad habits that developed during my time in NewPort Island! I¡¯ll move past my old self to become stronger!
He breaks off from the fight to go for his spear. I chase after him, but I¡¯m too late. He immediately swings the thing horizontally. I jump as high as I can, unleashing a kick at the same time. He¡¯s stunned by the surprise counterattack. My feet touch the concrete, lightly tapping the ground with the bottom of my shoes. There! It¡¯s small, but I spot the perfect opening. This is the best time for a punch. If I can¡¯t make this one hurt, then there might not be a next time. There ain¡¯t gonna be a next time. Just go for it, Proxy!
Any thought of winning and losing leaves my brain, the thoughts of Cade, Wedge¡¯s lost arm, Alex¡¯s sense of failure, and whether or not I can become stronger, all of that washes away; all that matters is this hit, nothing else. Just like that, all focus hones in on that sweet spot¡ Like a spark of lightning running through my fist, I strike the spot I¡¯ve been eyeing. The speed of my strike was like lightning hitting the earth and leaving just as quickly¡ What is this? When I moved, it was like something in my body clicked, so I moved. Then, before I knew it, my fist smashed into his liver. Not to mention that feeling running through my fist; if I had to put it into words, it¡¯s as if every other punch I¡¯ve ever thrown before this point were incomplete, imperfect, weaker versions of this one.
Jed¡¯s weapon clatters on the ground as he clutches his chest, reeling back from the strike. He¡¯s in real pain, unable to even scream out how much pain he¡¯s in. This is the first time that smile on his face turns into something else¡ As much as I want to cave his head in, I got something more important to do.
I get back to Wedge. He¡¯s out like a light, and the blood from his wound is soaked into the sleeve I patched him up with. Then I go over to Puck, who¡¯s next to the old man. He stares me down with his eyes, sporting an ugly grin on his decrepit face.
¡°...You want some too, Santa?¡±
I know this isn¡¯t the time, but if he wants to fight, then I better hope I¡¯m faster than him
¡°Santa¡ Fascinating name.¡± He walks away from us, waving at us. ¡°...Jed, I await to see it.¡±
He heads through an alleyway with that cryptic sentence. Whatever. Puck is out for the count. I¡¯ll have to carry her and Wedge. While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯m gonna bring Jed with us. After what he did, he has to pay.
¡°What¡a terrible¡situation!¡±
He digs his hands into his pockets. Two small balls. Don¡¯t tell me¡! I race after him before he can get away. Right in front of him, he throws them, and smoke envelopes my vision. The smoke cloud¡¯s radius isn¡¯t that big, so getting out was easy. Jed is already up on a rooftop, leaving out of sight.
¡°Shit! How did he get up there!?¡±
It must¡¯ve been that chain of his, no doubt about it! If he¡¯s able to use it to move on the rooftops, then catching up is gonna be difficult.
Tch, gonna have to let him go, for now. Next time though, I¡¯m gonna crush his skull in! For now, I¡¯ll get Wedge and Puck out of here.
¡°Sorry, Wedge. This is probably gonna be a bumpy ride, so bare with me.¡±
¡/Jed
Pain wrecks through my liver, making it hard to move, especially from rooftop to rooftop. I took up residence in a building near Cade¡¯s camp. Throughout the course of my life, I have felt pain, and have even grown somewhat numb to it. This! This is an unbearable pain, endlessly repeating this agonizing pain!
¡°Proxy¡you¡¯re¡a problem.¡±
Such ability. He changed mid-fight; as if I was fighting someone else. Worst off, he got away with Wedge and Puck, so using their dead bodies as a means of pushing Cade off the edge is no longer an option. Although¡
¡°I suppose Wedge¡¯s arm will suffice.¡±
I was quick enough to find it before escaping.
¡°Cade, let us see the battlefield your anger will bring.¡±
Maddening sadness
Laguna - South-end - midnight - Proxy
Man, no matter how you slice it, these guys are heavy. Puck is on the lighter side, but Wedge is crushing my back. Not to mention that I have to carry both of them. Alex and the others are nearby, so that¡¯s a silver lining. That freak, Jed, didn¡¯t come back for seconds, and that old man left. At least I don¡¯t have to worry about anyone trying to kill me for the time being.
¡°Hey, there it is!¡± The place everyone else is at! ¡°I just hope they¡¯re all on the first floor. ¡°HEY! SOMEONE! Come, one of you come out! Need help lugging these guys around!¡± Fortunately, Alex is the one to come out. Thank God! ¡°Yo, Alex, help me!¡±
He hurries over to me with a fire under his ass. ¡°What is going on!? Are they okay?¡±
¡°No, we gotta get back to camp, now!¡±
¡°Okay! I will inform the others what is happening!¡±
¡°Just hurry.¡±
He dashes back into the building. A few seconds later, he returns with the rest of the guys.
Gil picks up Wedge, noticing his missing arm. ¡°We need to hurry back. This wound needs to be disinfected.¡±
¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go then!¡±
Not that it¡¯s important, but Chip and Garrick are carrying some heavy bags there. Maybe they got weapons in there, or maybe¡ Nah, that stuff ain¡¯t important. Right now, we just need to mend these wounds!
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t let you two die on me,¡± I mutter under my breath.
Jed got away, and if that freak is still out there, then something bad is bound to happen; my gut tells me so.
Laguna - Cade¡¯s camp - midnight
Jed limps to the howling campfire resting in the center of the camp, filled with young boys and girls of various ages, all the way to their late teens. Jed had cleaned his blade before arriving at the camp. However, his limp is real. The injury he received from Proxy throned his body, inside and out. Even if it was a strike to the liver, the pain eats away at him; it takes every ounce of discipline for Jed not to lose his mind to the pain.
¡°Cade!¡± But that pain helps him sell that he¡¯s been through a vicious fight. Even his breathing perfectly reflects the mood he desires to capture. ¡°Cade!¡±
Cade, who was sulking near the campfire, spots Jed limping towards him. On cue, he rushes over to help him to his feet. ¡°What happened!?¡±
¡°I was¡caught in an ambush¡ Bandits¡too many of them¡¡±
¡°Bandits!? Where are they?¡±
¡°I do not know. They most likely fled¡ I only escaped because of Puck and Wedge.¡±
The name drops bring a dull feeling into Cade¡¯s heart; a heavy, uneasy feeling akin to sinking to the darkest depths of the sea. He noticed they were missing, but now their absence sends a chill throughout his body.
¡°Where¡where are they, Jed?¡±
Jed turns away from Cade, faking a pained expression. He presents him Wedge¡¯s arm. ¡°...Wedge begged me to flee, at the cost of his arm.¡±
Cade lightly takes the arm out of his hand. The air runs thin, exhausting those near him. His eyes fixate on the dismembered arm. Both hands quiver and his panicked breathing gets louder and louder as the crowd of kids close in on him. The boy wants to reject the reality in front of him, that his best friends are dead, that the last people he truly cared about met a terrible end by the bandits that he wanted to end for their sakes, but he knows it¡¯s real.
¡°Wedge¡Puck¡ You two¡ No¡no¡this¡this isn¡¯t real.¡±
The last few friends who he could call family are gone, and he was not there to save them, is what the boy tells himself. The final pieces of his humanity disappear, ejected with a scream. A wild, visceral cry of anger that sends shockwaves throughout the camp. Fear captures the minds of all the young boys and girls there. His Source gushes outward, leaking his immense anger, tremendous sorrow, and his bottomless despair.
The atmosphere was crippling, suffocating, and darker than the blackest parts of the moon. Tears flow from his eyes. Cade has lost a fundamental piece that all humans utilize to tell right from wrong: morality.
¡°Kill¡ We¡we¡we¡ Kill¡¡±
No longer in control of his emotions, he continues to raise his Source volume, unintentionally reaching his limit. Pushing further beyond what he is able to draw out¡ But he ignores the strain pushing his limit brings¡ At this moment, his limit snaps, envisioning the birth of his trigger; a dagger plunging into a beating heart, causing blood to explode from the organ.
¡°KILL! KILL! KILL THEM ALL! I¡¯LL MAIME THEM ALL!¡±
No one in the camp dares to move in front of Cade, who raves about slaughtering the bandits. Several small whimpers come from the younger kids in the camp, and even from the older ones. The shadows of two figures dance around Cade.
¡°KILL THEM! KILL THEM NOW! NO MORE WAITING!¡±
Cade¡¯s sudden outburst took Jed by surprise, but he was quick to focus on the crowd of onlookers.
¡°...Everyone, the time is now! We must fight! We must avenge our fallen allies! No matter what, we must avenge them! Your sorrow, your anguish, your rage! Unleash it! LET THE BANDITS HEAR YOUR CRIES, MY FRIENDS!¡±
Jed¡¯s charisma shines through, even in a turbulent time like this. Although fake, the emotions he expressed struck a chord with everyone. Cries of various emotions ring throughout the night, resonating into a jumble of voices that echo throughout the dead city.
Cade¡¯s emotions, although suffocating, didn¡¯t just strike fear into everyone else, but they amplified the corresponding feelings in everyone else, allowing Jed to manipulate them. But as for Jed, it doesn¡¯t affect him at all. However, he does take delight in the scene unfolding before his very eyes.
¡°...It is coming! The battlefield that I dreamed of is coming!¡±
Beyond this point, a human being would not be the one to bring about Jed¡¯s dream, but a devil born not of anger, but immense sadness; sadness born from a lie.
¡/Gray Ocean
A silver blade whizzes past my head, barely flying past my shoulder with a bright gleam. I swear I just a few of my hair get cut off, but I guess I needed a haircut anyway. A single step forward is all I needed to close the distance. My blade gets blocked by its fist. That same fist slips off my blade, trained for my forehead. Dodgin¡¯ it isn¡¯t a problem, but it cut off more of my damn hair!
Pissed, I hit him with an enhanced kick.
¡°Hey, you dick! You wanna watch the hair! Next time you hit it, I¡¯ll¨C¡±
A sudden, violent wave of hostility hits me, comin¡¯ from all the way down south of this city. Puttin¡¯ it lightly: it¡¯s like a demon throwing all its rage at me.
¡°Hey¡you felt that too, right?¡±
¡°So, there are strong Source-users among these people still.¡±
¡°Still?¡±
¡°No matter, this fight is far from over!¡±
¡°Come on, man. Can you at least let a guy catch a break?¡±
¡°Enough! Raise your¨C¡±
¡°Now, now, mr. knight. Your little dance has come to an end; be gracious and bow out.¡±
A second Source-user pops up. Compared to this other I just felt, she¡¯s got hers refined, keeping it under control instead of flexing it like some amateur. Its color is as pale as the moon, but as clear during a cloudless night and when the moon is at its brightest. Her small body floats in the air. Probably using air to keep herself afloat. Her heels touch the ground, all delicate-like.
¡°...A pleasure to meet you, mr. swordsman.¡±
¡°Name¡¯s Gray Ocean, and you are¡?¡±
¡°Selena.¡±
I sure have been runnin¡¯ into a bunch of brats lately¡ Don¡¯t tell me this is some sort of sign sayin¡¯ that I¡¯m old or somethin¡¯? Man, I¡¯m still too damn young to be seen as a father figure!
¡°Hey, where are your parents, kid?¡± I ask, rubbing the back of my head to relieve my headache.
¡°Do you mean to patronize me, or do you wish to anger me?¡± she poses a threatening question at me, glaring at me with a slightly irritated look.
¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to patronize ya. You kids nowadays are more snappy .¡±
Her face went serious, practically sayin¡¯ ¡°another word, and you¡¯re gonna get it¡±. Eh, this whole side conversation is distracting anyway.
¡°...Whoever that is, he¡¯s likely a B-2, perhaps B-1,¡± she states without a hint of hesitation.
She¡¯s familiar with the Source Metric System? Well, that¡¯s surprising. Not that she¡¯s wrong. Though, this feeling is familiar¡
¡°So that brat couldn¡¯t stop himself.¡±
Guess that means he¡¯s willin¡¯ to fall into his bloodlust. Not that it¡¯s my problem. Whatever happens here is none of my concern. But still, is he really gonna throw caution to the wind like that? Usin¡¯ Source the way he was earlier is only gonna get him cooked.
Selena turns back around, facing me with a curious expression. ¡°...Ignoring that, may I ask why you are here?¡±
¡°You know of his intentions, witch!¡±
¡°Speak when you are spoken to,¡± she bites back, hitting him with a cold-ass remark. ¡°...Now, swordsman, speak of your intentions.¡±
Lying doesn¡¯t sound like a good idea, and with this knight¡¯s temper, not to mention this chick, I doubt it¡¯ll end well for me. Oh well, might as well lay all of my cards on the table.
¡°Okay, okay, I getcha. I¡¯ll tell you why.¡± My sword makes a clinking sound when I slipped it back into its sheathe. ¡°I was hired to come and nab a book.¡±
¡°Do you know what this book is?¡±
¡°Not exactly, but I know it¡¯s a Mystica.¡±
¡°Is that the extent of your knowledge?¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all I know.¡±
My answer gets the kid to ponder for a moment before returning her attention to me. ¡°...Were there others instructed to come here?¡±
¡°I dunno?¡±
Selena, disappointed by my lackluster answer, groans. ¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yep. I mean, makes sense when I never got to see who I work for.¡±
¡°You haven¡¯t seen his face?¡±
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°I was hired via a proxy, and I never even got to see that guy''s face.¡±
Right away, she heads back to her thoughts. Though, this time, she¡¯s mutterin¡¯ to herself. ¡°...Why now? Why allow new elements to enter this place? I cannot see the purpose behind it.¡±
She¡¯s off in her own little world. This might be my chance to sneak off while I can. Nice and quiet like¡
¡°You, Gray Ocean was it?¡±
My foot sticks to the ground, catching me in an awkward position. ¡°Y-yes!¡±
¡°...Allow me to ask you a question.¡±
¡°Shoot.¡±
¡°Would you rather work for me?¡±
Huh?
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°Was I not clear? Come work for me, and don¡¯t fret about payment; I am a cordial lady, after all.¡±
¡°Seriously!? But I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m not the type to switch sides mid-game, you know?¡±
¡°Then, in that case, allow me to provide a reason other than material desires¡¡±
Laguna - Fire-wraith outpost - Midnight - Wildcard
The sound of the tree branches whistles in my ear. Relaxing on top of the tree that proudly stands in the middle of this city that¡¯s surrounded by water. It¡¯s a clear symbol of nature¡¯s everlasting presence, even in the face of war. The only reason I¡¯m even here in this shithole is ¡®cause I didn¡¯t want Scar¡¯s dumbass plan to destroy this tree.
I hate even being near other members of the bandits. For starters, most of them are idiots taking advantage of the fact they¡¯re with us. Second, rarely any of them are good at fighting, and third, none of them show a lick of respect for nature.
Of course, when I say respect, I mean understanding that we humans are guests on this land, so we have to respect its laws, as well as its sanctity. When you hunt for food, you do it out of respect for your prey, and consume it, knowing full well you took a life to sustain your own. It sounds wrong, but that is the natural order of nature; a predator will hunt prey not just for game, but for its own life.
No one in this damn group understands that, so they just go in and kill animals all nilly-willy without an ounce of respect. It ain¡¯t like I¡¯m gonna tell them off for it; it would be a waste of time.
¡°Dumb bastards. Each of them pisses me off.¡±
The only reason I even tagged along with the Fire wraiths was so that they wouldn¡¯t just go destroying whatever greenery they can find, or just kill creatures only for them to rot somewhere. Other than that, I don¡¯t give a crap about these guys. I¡¯d rather just be doing my own thing right about now.
¡°It¡¯s a pain, but I ain¡¯t gonna let anyone hurt you, big guy.¡± I gently rub the bark below me.
Then, out of the blue, an instinctual feeling alerts me to something ominous coming from the south end of the city. It was brief, but it was gut-wrenching, not to mention bloodcurdling.
¡°What was¡¡±
There are beasts out in the wilds that can tell when something dangerous is approaching, and I spent all my life fighting beasts like those, developing those instincts. Right now, it¡¯s going off like crazy.
Laguna - Anti-bandit camp - midnight - Proxy
We got back to camp with Puck and Wedge. I sat next to him, watching him sleep. Doctor Crow treated him, disinfecting his wound and all that. Zell was unable to do anything more. It¡¯s not like I expected him to pull a miracle out of his ass and bring back Wedge¡¯s arm. Zell explicitly said that no matter how much he tries, his healing can¡¯t reverse irreversible damage like destroyed organs, torn-off limbs, or death; Richard has that same limit.
¡°Wedge¡ I¡¯m sorry that I couldn¡¯t save you sooner.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t apologize, Proxy.¡±
Taking a seat next to me, Puck keeps her attention on Wedge.
¡°Puck¡ Are you okay?¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine. Only a headache and that¡¯s it.¡±
¡°You should go lie down then.¡±
¡°I¡¯m fine. Not like I¡¯m gonna die or anything.¡±
As tough as ever. Glad to see she¡¯s doing well.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, Puck. I couldn¡¯t be there¨C¡±
¡°Shut up.¡± Her bitter response makes me bite my lip. Shame builds up in my chest. ¡°...You showed up when you did, and we¡¯re still alive, thanks to you.¡±
¡°Yeah¡¡±
Speaking of saving them, why did they even need to be saved in the first place?
¡°Why was Jed trying to kill you guys, and why was that old man there?¡±
¡°He¡¯s working with the bandits.¡±
¡°But why? Isn¡¯t he working with you guys?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. But if I¡¯m being honest, he was always suspicious, even when we first met.¡±
¡°How did you find that creep?¡±
¡°We didn¡¯t, he found us.¡± Definitely suspicious. ¡°...When Cade saw him in action, he made him one of us on the spot.¡± She scoffs. ¡°¡®One of us¡¯, yeah right! He was never like us, never in his life, or on mine!¡±
¡°Sucks to be him then. Being one of you guys rocks¡ At least, it used to be.¡±
Puck turns her attention back to Wedge, oddly more relaxed. ¡°...You still are.¡±
¡°What?¡±
She puts her left on the other one¡¯s lap. ¡°I don¡¯t think Cade hated you, even after our battle. As a matter of fact, he was depressed the day after.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°This is just what I observed, so don¡¯t let it get to your head.¡± You say that, but how can I not let it get to my head? ¡°Whenever someone mentions you, he would just clam up for a second before hand-waving your name out of mind. But I think it meant what happened hurt him, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make him hate you; he probably wished you chose us instead.¡±
I¡never thought that. Cade¡¯s name always made me feel guilty. It always reminded me of all the mistakes I made back then, and how I couldn¡¯t help everyone.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I couldn¡¯t. You guys hurt the people I cared about back then, so there was no way I could do that.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right, and I know saying sorry isn¡¯t going to alleviate that.¡±
¡°...But, I wish I could¡¯ve talked Cade down, found another way to settle things without anyone getting hurt. I should¡¯ve been the one to do that! It needed to be me, but I was too stupid to realize that!¡±
She puts her hand in front of my face. Her finger flicks my forehead.
¡°Ow! What the hell was that for!?¡±
¡°Stop doing that!¡±
¡°Doing what?¡±
¡°Putting the blame on yourself, you idiot!¡± She keeps flicking my head without relent or mercy. ¡°...Cade always does that; blaming himself for everything, even if it isn¡¯t his fault! My parents dying, Wedge¡¯s brother, and his parents'' death too! He thinks he could have saved them all, but he can¡¯t! No one could! It pisses me off when he does, and you¡¯re pissing me off right now, too!¡±
¡°Okay, okay! I get it, I get it!¡±
¡°No, you don¡¯t¡!¡± Her attacks end. A downcast smile breaks through her angered expression. ¡°Wedge does it too; thinking he could have saved his brother, and so do I. We all want to blame ourselves, to make sense of all the bad things in our lives, but that doesn¡¯t make any of us feel better, or somehow fixes what happened.¡±
¡°It doesn¡¯t¡?¡±
A warm smile etches across her face. ¡°When you came along, I didn¡¯t like you.¡±
¡°Did I do something?¡±
¡°You were annoying.¡±
¡°I¡I wasn¡¯t¨C.¡±
¡°...loud, childishly energetic.¡±
¡°Hey!¡±
¡°...and you were proud of being a misfit; it almost made me think you were a bandit.¡±
¡°Now you¡¯re just hurting my feelings, damnit!¡±
¡°...But, whenever you were around, Cade and everyone else would cheer up. No matter where I went back in the old hideout, everyone was beaming.¡± And here I thought everyone over there was just naturally happy. ¡°...Even Cade had a genuine smile when you were around.¡±
¡°He wore a fake smile?¡±
¡°Again, this is what I observed!¡±
¡°Okay, but I already know you like Cade, so¨C¡± She holds back her middle finger with her thumb. ¡°H-hey! I didn¡¯t mean anything by it! It¡¯s just¡you know¡ You watching Cade isn¡¯t so far-fetched.¡± Her finger hits me dead-center on my forehead. ¡°Ow!¡±
¡°The point is this: We¡¯ll always think of you as one of us, no matter what, so stop blaming yourself, dumbass!¡±
The pain pressing against my forehead disappears. A delightful sense of warmth builds inside of me from how blunt, yet honest, she is¡ I¡¯ve been an idiot. Here I am, blaming myself for everything to feel better. So stupid, so ridiculous.
¡°Thank you, Puck. You, Cade, Wedge, and everyone else back at your camp, I want to help them!¡±
I¡¯m not smart, stupid even sometimes, but Ocean was right. The only one who can find the solution I want is myself. But I¡¯m not just gonna save Cade, I¡¯m gonna help Alex, get Marie out of her slump, and beat the shit out of the bandits! So what if it all seems naive? I don¡¯t care! With all my power, I¡¯ll do it! But I won¡¯t be alone¡
¡°Puck, we¡¯re gonna save Cade and everyone else!¡±
¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me!¡±
¡°Sweet! First, we¡¯re gonna need help. My friends will-¡±
Suddenly, hitting me like a cricket bat to the head, a dreadful pressure hits me. The hairs on the back of my neck stand, goosebumps run down my arms, and a chill crawls down my spine. What the hell is this? It¡¯s almost like that body-snatcher, but with an ungodly amount of anger behind it.
¡°What¡¯s wrong, Proxy?¡±
Looks like Puck doesn¡¯t notice.
¡°I feel something¡something awful. Like a bunch of needles are pricking my skin.¡±
¡°Seriously!?¡± Why is she looking all surprised? Does she know what this is? ¡°...Proxy, there¡¯s something I have to tell you about Cade.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°He¡¯s changed, for the worse. It¡¯s like, there¡¯s this terrifying energy coming from him. Breathing gets hard around him, and¨C¡±
¡°...And one wrong move around him feels like instant death, right?¡±
¡°How do you know that?¡±
¡°We had a similar situation a couple of days ago.¡±
Does that mean Cade can use Source? But how the hell can he? Was he trained by someone? Jed doesn¡¯t strike me as the type to have unnatural abilities. Damnit, I wish Richard was here to explain all this. Either way, I¡¯m gonna have to confront him.
¡°Of course,¡± Puck, out of nowhere, exclaims, shooting up to her feet. ¡°Proxy, where did Jed go!?¡±
¡°Um, he escaped by using the rooftops¡±
¡°Did he leave with that bandit?¡±
¡°No, they went their own ways.¡±
¡°Then¡ Proxy, we have to get back to Cade!¡±
She runs off without me, leaving me nothing short of confused.
¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on!?¡±
¡°Jed, I think he went back to our camp!¡±
¡°Wait, hold up, why!? What¡¯s the point of that?¡±
¡°Only me and Wedge suspected him, Cade and everyone else thought he was one of us. So when he gets there, he¡¯ll make it seem like the three of us were attacked and he¡¯s the only one who survived!¡±
¡°Seriously!? That¡¯ll send Cade off the deep end!¡±
¡°I know! That¡¯s why we need to go back!¡±
Then we have no time to mess around! If we¡¯re gonna book it, then we¡¯re gonna need RoadBurner. Whistling from the top of my lungs, it rolls into the camp by itself. Everyone ignores the bike riding itself like it¡¯s just another normal fact of life.
¡°How did you do that?¡± Puck, with her mouth hanging open, asks.
¡°What can I say? I just rock around in style.¡±
¡°More like you keep getting weirder.¡±
¡°What can I say? I¡¯m unordinary!¡±
¡/Richard
A horrifically familiar pressure came from here. A bunch of kids, older, younger, or as old as me, scurry about the campsite, grabbing weapons and strapping on armor for various parts of their bodies. The emotions building around the camp is oppressively bleak. Anger erodes the area like thick murky mud in a swamp. Anger like this is new to me; if I was new to reading their words, then I would have folded from the sheer intensity. Even though I am used to feeling emotions like this, shivers run down my body.
¡°Master,¡± Nunnal¨¦ calls, planting her hand on my shoulder. ¡°Please stand back and allow me to scout the area for you.¡±
¡°No, no, I¡¯m okay. Thank you for your concern.¡±
We already know who we¡¯re looking for, so as soon as we spot him and confirm what the situation is, we¡¯ll retreat.
¡°Everyone¡¯s Source is barely visible,¡± I comment, scanning the area for Cade.
¡°The fewer Source-users, the better our odds become.¡±
¡°You¡¯re right. But do you think Cade could have emitted such a monstrous pressure?¡± I ask, hoping for her to tell me no.
¡°I am unable to confirm, however, knowing that he is a Source-user, it may be likely.¡±
¡°Yeah, well, I just hope it won¡¯t end up like last time.¡±
¡°Do you mean¡?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know Cade all that well, but Proxy does, so I just hope we can avoid a fight.¡±
I know better than to hope for an easy out. Something like that won¡¯t come just from me begging for it; wishing for stuff like that is a waste, but I can¡¯t help myself.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, if we have to get into a fight, you¡¯ll be the main offense, while I try to find objects to throw.¡±
¡°Understood.¡±
That¡¯s still no good. In a fight with a Source-user, we need a better plan than just me throwing rocks while she does all the fighting. But what else is there for me to do besides that? I¡¯m a rank amateur when it comes to Source. There¡¯s something missing in my use of it, but I can¡¯t figure it out¡ Maybe I¡¯m just incompetent.
¡°Master! Cade is in sight!¡±
Her statement tears me away from my thoughts. A single look at him is all I needed to confirm our suspicions. An awful, muddy, black Source, oozing off of him like ink, surges around him. It radiates a dreadful presence that reminds my body of what that body snatcher¡¯s Source was like. Oddly enough, his Source isn¡¯t mired in malicious delight, but unbridled rage and a sorrow too deep for words.
¡°Did¡does he have a trigger?¡±
The thought alone makes my skin crawl.
¡°Perhaps, however, that alone is not worrisome.¡±
¡°Then what is?¡±
¡°It¡¯s whether he has a technique or not.¡±
¡°A technique?¡±
¡°Yes, a Source technique. These are usually unique abilities created by Source-users.¡±
¡°So, like those shadows from the body snatcher.¡±
¡°Affirmative, however, that¡¯s just an example of a technique. If Cade were to have one, we must be extremely cautious.¡±
A technique¡ If I had one, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t be as useless in a fight.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, how do you¨C Wha¡!
My heart pounds against my chest, threatening to jump right out. Even though we¡¯re about 100 meters away, Cade¡¯s sight falls on us. He throws all his killing intent at us.
¡°Master!¡±
¡°How the hell did he spot us!?¡±
He disappears in the blink of an eye. Nunnal¨¦ immediately throws me back, following right behind me. Cade appears in the spot we were standing on. His figure darkened under his Source, a knife gleamed in his hand, left unaffected.
¡°I remember you two¡ You¡¯re with that bandit woman¡ I¡¯ll¡¡± Nunnal¨¦ brings out her blade and moves to protect me from Cade. ¡°...All of you¡scum of the world¡each and every one of you¡¡± He points his blade at us, ready to kill us at a moment¡¯s notice, ¡°...I¡¯ll get rid of all of you scum!¡±
Family reunion in battle.
Laguna - South-end - Midnight
Facing down an unnerving presence, Nunnal¨¦, having drawn her sword, takes a step forward. Richard readies himself, knowing that this confrontation won¡¯t end in an exchange of words; he¡¯s come too far and fought many battles to know that words are never enough to settle someone with overwhelming bloodlust like this. He¡¯s used to it, but panicked thoughts take over his mind. ¡°What if I take the wrong step¡±, ¡°We should run¡±, and ¡°Can we really get out of this without one of us dying¡±. These are the thoughts running through his mind.
¡°All of you¡all of you should just die!¡±
His Source runs wilder than before, expanding in volume with every second. Comparing him and Richard, Richard¡¯s Source, through proper training, is controlled, keeping it from leaking in excess. This also keeps him from using large amounts of his Source at once. However, Cade, who is barely in control of his, doesn¡¯t know how to keep it from going wild. So, he would exhaust his Source quicker than Richard.
However, as Gray Ocean and Selena summarized, he is a B-2. The Source Metric System, or SMS, is a measuring system used to gauge a Source-user¡¯s rank. Several factors go into properly gauging a Source-user, but with just the amount of Source a person is able to wield, a rank is imposed on said person. Going from D to A, there are 4 ranks in each category: For example, Cade was said to be a B-2; 2nd rank in B.
So while he can run out of Source, it would take a bit before he taps out from letting it run wild. But how is he able to control it in the first place? The answer is simple: he doesn¡¯t.
A shadow stretches out before their very eyes. It twists and turns, taking on a person¡¯s figure. Nunnal¨¦ rushes ahead to close the gap between Cade and herself. The figure slams its fist against her sword. Its strength is equal to a gorilla on a rampage. Unable to withstand the sudden attack, she losses her footing. Richard gets caught up in her backward momentum. They fly over the edge of the building, rapidly plummeting.
Cade follows them, leaping off the building with the monster behind him. There isn¡¯t a hint of fear going after them; no fear that he would die on impact. He was assured of his survival. The monster speeds ahead, ready to crush them with its gigantic fist.
Richard analysis the situation, figuring out what his options are. At this point, even when exposed to danger like this, Richard has learned to steel his nerves and find a way to get through the situation. And it just so happens, an opportunity was open.
¡°Nunnal¨¦!¡±
He grabs her arm while enhancing his own. As soon as he did, she understood what he was going to do. With his upped arm strength, he launches her at Cade. Her body shoots past the monster. She crashes into him with both her feet. The rebound knocks him back, making him dive through the building they were forced off of. Richard tumbles into another building. One of the many support pillars stops him.
¡°That was a clean hit, I know it,¡± Richard whispers, pumping his fist.
If he and Nunnal¨¦ attack together, then they would defeat Cade. Right as he¡¯s about to jump out of the building, a light footstep catches his attention. A slim woman, her face covered by long, jet-black strands of hair, walks from behind a pillar. Wearing a dirty white dress, she turns to face Richard, who immediately picks up on what this thing is.
He goes airborne, pumping Source into one of his legs. This was a mistake. The woman did not need to chase him. Instead, she unleashed a shrill cry that shakes up his nerves. His muscles tensed up, but more importantly, it disturbed his Source flow.
¡°O-oh crap!¡±
Falling to the ground, Nunnal¨¦ dives in to save him. She lands with the click of her boots, kicking up dust below.
¡°Master Richard, are you okay?¡±
¡°I am, but I think there¡¯s another Source-user!¡±
¡°Where!?¡± He points to the building he fell from. The woman in white stands by the edge, watching both of them with sullen eyes. ¡°No, that is not a Source-user!"
It disappears, and a battle cry follows after that. Nunnal¨¦ swiftly gets out of the way of Cade¡¯s next attack. He smashes into the ground, destroying the spot he lands on. Debris flies everywhere and a cloud of dust covers his body.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, that woman! You saw her too, right?¡±
¡°I did, but she was not a person, but a¨C¡±
She cut off when Cade comes darting out of the dust cloud like a cannonball. He used the monster that has been making all his attacks until this point as a launcher. It follows close behind.
The being attacking Nunnal¨¦ is able to become independent, focusing on a single enemy as long as it''s a mile within Cade¡¯s range. Any longer, and it¡¯ll take up more of his Source to keep it out. Also, its power is also dependent on how much Source it uses from him. However, it does not have the overwhelming majority of it, Cade does.
Richard flees into a nearby home. He notices that the support beams are barely holding together. When Cade enters, Richard grabs a large enough rock and throws it at the beams. They snap on impact, bringing down the upper level. Richard throws himself through a window, escaping by the skin of his teeth. The second floor crushes Cade, burying him in its remains.
¡°Did that do it?¡± Richard pushes out a breath, relieved that he achieved victory quickly.
Cade isn¡¯t able to recall the monster instantly to his side, and dismissing it wouldn¡¯t be viable since he would need a moment for it to manifest. However, Cade did not need to do that. Unlike Richard, who can¡¯t harden his whole body, Cade can. He burst from the building, spreading debris all over. A silver glint catches Richard¡¯s eye. He immediately evades the incoming attack.
¡°How do you know how to enhance!?¡±
A question that is appropriate to ask. How is Cade able to use his Source in the first place? During his fight with Wildcard, his immense hatred, despair, and lust for vengeance, but most importantly, his desire to survive gave way to his technique. Cade¡¯s natural attribute is Conjurer, and his technique falls into that category as well. But, if he is in conjuration, then why can he enhance his body since it¡¯s under guardian?
Cade¡¯s technique counts as a single technique. However, he is able to summon two beings, a hulking monster, and the female wearing the dirty white dress. Before, they couldn¡¯t fully manifest, since Cade did not have a trigger. Then, they were aiding him. With the monster, it was battle advice, and the female would help him understand how to use Source such as enhancement since Cade only cares for raw, physical strength.
But who are these creatures supposed to be? The center of Cade¡¯s sadness, his anger, even his survivors'' guilt; his parents. Both voices would plague his nightmares, spurring him on to avenge them, to not allow the existence of any bandit.
Strength like this comes at a price, however. For his speed in learning basic Source techniques such as enhancement and using his technique, he has to give up more and more of his sanity.
¡°Each and every one of you bandits are all the same, so just die already!¡±
Richard¡¯s confusion is cut short when Cade darts toward him. The silver knife in his hand barely grazes his head. A single swipe of that blade would spell death for Richard. Even if he were to enhance, it would be a coin toss if it would slice through his arm or not. And since he isn¡¯t an expert in combat, this match-up is unfavorable for him.
He makes a break for it. Cade follows close behind. There¡¯s an obvious gap between their speed, with Cade being able to enhance both his legs. This fact didn¡¯t escape Richard, however, he also knows that running is pointless.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, over here!¡±
He figures that fighting together gives them better odds than fighting alone. She responds to his call. The father follows behind her, quickly closing in on her. Its fist aims for her back. She leaps off the ground, using her sword to block the attack. Not only was this to shield herself, but thanks to the father¡¯s heavy blow, she travels quickly to her master.
¡°Put away your sword!¡±
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
She doesn¡¯t question her master¡¯s request. Having it away, she readies herself for whatever is next. Richard seizes her ankles. This bizarre move puzzles Cade for a moment, but a moment that leaves him defenseless. Not missing a beat, Richard swings Nunnal¨¦ at him like she was a bat to help her deliver a devastating punch.
The punch pushes through his skin, cracking a rib.
¡°Are you okay?¡± Richard asks the doll, worried that he might have pulled that off too suddenly.
¡°That was an excellent move. Do not worry about me. At the moment, we must defeat him with haste!¡±
¡°I agree. If we run now, it might come back to haunt us.¡±
¡°Then, master, we must hurry before that thing is able to aid him.¡±
¡°Right! But be careful of that other one.¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
The duo dash at Cade on two opposite sides. He goes after Richard, seeing him as the weak link. Nunnal¨¦ was aware of this possibility. She blocks his path. The two exchange fervent attacks. Cade thrust his knife at Nunnal¨¦''s heart. However, her precise movements allow her to easily catch his arm. She lands a few quick jabs at his face. Then, reeling back her arms, she slams her hands against his chest. The powerful body blow skips him across the street.
Nunnal¨¦, being the decisive warrior she is, dashes forward, wanting to hit him with the finishing blow. Richard follows behind her. His chestnut-brown eyes catch a glimpse of a woman with long black hair and a dirty white dress; the mother.
¡°Cover your ears!¡±
It was too late. Nunnal¨¦ looked back at him right when the woman bellowed the scream of a banshee during a cold night. Richard was the only one to cover his ears, avoiding the effect of her voice.
Cade hops to his feet, blasting off with a powerful kick against the ground. He blows past Nunnal¨¦, slashing her waist. It was a careless attack that didn¡¯t make a deep wound, but his target wasn¡¯t her. The decorated blade in his hand drives forward at Richard. Since he negated the Mother¡¯s ability, he can still use his Source. Even so, he is no match for this opponent. Regardless, he charges ahead, running at full speed without enhancing his leg.
The silver blade swipes the air, surely killing whoever is its target. However, Richard was well away from the blade before Cade swung it. Instead of fighting him, he slid under Cade, getting behind him.
Empowering his fist with Source, he slams it into Cade¡¯s back. A hit that lacks the finesse and expertise that Proxy¡¯s liver shot toward Jed had. But it was enough to damage him. Since Cade was enhancing his whole body and Richard was only enhancing his arm, Richard¡¯s blow broke through his defense since his arm was harder than his opponent¡¯s whole body was able to defend against. Nunnal¨¦ strikes him with a blunt kick.
¡°Master, do not let up!¡±
¡°Yeah!¡±
At that moment, they synch up with each other, throwing blows at Cade, trapping him in a cascade of punches and kicks. Nunnal¨¦¡¯s strikes make up for Richard¡¯s lack of hand-to-hand combat experience. It is also worth noting that despite their past issues of sharing their Source in combat, they¡¯re able to enhance their bodies without any struggle.
Cade is backed into a corner, up against two assailants that won¡¯t give him the time to respond. If this keeps up, he will be defeated before he can summon. However, after Richard¡¯s last attack, he put a little too much power into his punch, knocking Cade back. Not missing his chance, he summons the only thing that can fend the both of them off; the mother.
Understanding what it can do, the duo covers their ears, waiting for the scream of a banshee, but it never comes. Cade bolts past the image of his mother. He swerves in front of Richard, slashing at his chest.
¡°Master!¡±
Reeling back from the pain, he enhances his foot for a final attack. The kick lands, repelling him. Richard was quick enough to focus his Source around his chest, enhancing it to minimize the damage. If he had been a moment late in guarding, he would have been killed. The cut he received isn¡¯t deep thanks to his quick thinking.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, don¡¯t worry about me! Fight!¡±
They both understand the threat that Cade poses. Faltering doesn¡¯t even cross their minds.
By herself, the doll re-engages into combat. Alone, she¡¯s able to unleash her skills as a doll of servitude. Their blades clash briefly, never lingering for a moment to make their next move. Nunnal¨¦ would not call herself a swordsman, but her abilities outdo Cade¡¯s, whose proficiency with the knife is second-to-none.
Cade calls out his father to throw off Nunnal¨¦¡¯s attacks. The doll already knew he was going to call it out. She evades its attack entirely. The hulking beast blocks her direct attack at Cade using its arm. Its wrist is sliced off without resistance. There isn¡¯t any blood, but the monster reacts to the damage.
It¡¯s dismissed, being swapped out for the mother. Both Richard and Nunnal¨¦ quickly come to the realization that the two monsters can¡¯t be out at the same time. The doll¡¯s blade slices through the mother before she can unleash her voice. Cade¡¯s shock leaves him open. A critical hit to the chest sends him flying into a building. 4 of his ribs cracked from impact and his arm feels numb. Nonetheless, he stands back up.
¡°Stand down¡ I will kill you if you don¡¯t.¡± Her harsh tone hits Richard, who wants to raise a complaint but holds his tongue. ¡°...I suggest you surrender the fight.¡±
Cade pauses. The wind howls, brushing past the combatants. A moment of calm that could lead to anything other than violence rests on the shoulders of the young man. But that was only an illusion. The moment Cade unlocked his technique, his path was set.
¡°Not enough¡ More power, I need more!¡± Cade¡¯s Source spikes once again in volume, releasing a shockwave. Nunnal¨¦ brings out her sword. The air around her opponent grows dense once again. ¡°...I¡¯ll kill all you bandits, no matter what!¡±
His appearance takes on a change; his hair gains length, his arms grow bigger than they were before, giving him a slightly better build, and the hood from his cape obscures his face from view, leaving only the eyes of a boy who desires vengeance.
¡°Stronger, must grow stronger!¡±
Immediately, the two Source-users understand that their opponent isn¡¯t holding back anymore. Stopping him at this point would require Nunnal¨¦ to fight to kill him. She closed the distance at blinding speed, slamming him into the building behind them. They separate at the other end. Cade summons his father. Its fist shoots at the doll¡¯s body like a bullet. But she dodges it in midair. Without fail, she closes at her enemy, who''s just standing there, waiting for her to close in. Behind her, however, the father would disappear, and then comes the mother. Her sudden appearance catches Nunnal¨¦ by surprise. A piercing shriek erupts in her ears. Her Source was thrown off. Now was the worst time for her to get hit with an attack, but best for Cade to finish her.
He kicks her with his boot, then summons out his father to deal the finishing blow. Its knuckles push into Nunnal¨¦¡¯s sword, blowing her away with absolute force. She throws her sword at Cade. He swipes it out of the air with his blade.
Before the girl could mount a counterattack, the father hovers above her with its fist aimed at her. The knuckles from the beastly spirit dig into her forearm, from the arm she used to block. Although that brought down the damage, its strength alone still overwhelmed her defense. Her body crashes through a torn-up building, landing back on the street Richard is on.
¡°Nunnal¨¦!¡±
Unable to enhance her body to defend against the blows, she took massive damage. The fight has reached its conclusion.
Richard lumbers over to Nunnal¨¦. He picks her up gently as to not worsen any wounds she received.
¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wasn¡¯t any more useful, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
Despite his regret, he doesn¡¯t allow himself time to wallow in pity. He picks her up and gets ready to run away before Cade can catch up. His wound is considerably light, so he figures he can heal it later.
Tires screeching against the stone street catch Richard¡¯s attention. A light reaches him from the other end of the street, closing in quickly as the sound of an engine grows louder. The light dies off, showing two familiar faces riding on a single bike; Proxy and Puck.
¡°Richard, what happened!?¡± Proxy, who jumps off his bike at the sight of Nunnal¨¦ and Richard, gasps.
¡°Cade! We were fighting Cade!¡± Proxy and Puck share a concerned look. ¡°...We sensed something awful, so we went to investigate. I-I¡¯ll explain later! We need to get out of here.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s get going!¡± Fitting four people on Proxy¡¯s bike is going to be a tight fit, but somehow, they manage to make it work. ¡°All aboard the S.S. RoadBurner!¡±
Cade comes busting through a wall from the top floor of a small house. Proxy hits the gas before he could hit them.
¡°Proxy, turn around,¡± Puck urges him. ¡°...We can show him I¡¯m¨C¡±
Her voice goes silent at who she sees up ahead. Jed, wearing his usual smile. The chain from his weapon is touching the ground, and Proxy notices this. There was nowhere to go but forward or backward. Either way presents a problem.
¡°Everyone, hang on to something, and I mean it!¡± His decision to ride off the street and toward the wall of a house confuses everyone but Richard, aware of RoadBurner¡¯s speed capabilities. ¡°This is all yours, RoadBurner!¡±
Given the okay, the bike¡¯s engine roars, bursting forward like a hurricane. Puck lets out a feminine scream as the bike darts up the wall. Her heart pounds harder than it ever has before.
To say the least, Jed is caught off guard by the bizarre events that just unfolded before his eye.
¡°Huh,¡± he mutters to himself, unable to come up with anything else to say, which is a first for him.
¡°I¡¯m going after them!¡±
Jed is quick to stop him. ¡°No! We must focus on our march. They can come later.¡±
He barely spoke him down from chasing after them, showing that Cade¡¯s reasoning wasn¡¯t totally out the window, which Jed picks up on. This discovery stirs concern inside the pits of his stomach; he already knew that Puck was alive, and if she were to get into contact with Cade, then it would undo everything he achieved until this point.
¡°Cade, you lead everyone towards the bandits. I¡¯ll go scout ahead.¡±
He leaves without waiting for an answer. His wound aches when he reached the top of a building. The pain has died down, but it still eats away at him.
¡°Honestly, this is the worst.¡± A ping of anger boils in his chest for Proxy. His punch caused this persistent pain to meddle with him. ¡°I¡¯ll kill him for this!¡±
Jed isn¡¯t what you would call a spiteful person, but with pain like this, how could he not be? At this very moment, he wants to kill him for inflicting such agony, but Jed exercises control over his impulses. For now, he must fulfill his current mission: kill Puck and Wedge if he determines if he¡¯s still alive.
¡°It¡¯s coming, it¡¯s almost here! I will not let anyone get in the way!¡±
Biting back the pain, he hurries after Proxy and the others, wishing to stop his plans from crashing down around him.
Were all gonna come back alive!
Laguna - Anti-bandit army campsite - midnight - Alexander
Here I stand, outside of the tent Marie inhabits. Her condition has worsened. Now, she stares off into space, tuning out the voices of others, and even my own. Moral has decreased since the attack this morning. The bandits guard the only way forward and if something is not done soon; I fear our luck shall turn sour.
¡°Alexander.¡±
Sir Garrick enters my view. His stoic expression manages to calm my nerves a bit.
¡°Sir Garrick. Do require anything?¡± I ask with the utmost respect.
¡°No, I just wanted to see how you were holding up.¡±
I hide my worry behind a smile. ¡°I am fine, thank you! For the time being, we are safe from the bandits and the other faction in the city. But come morning, we should try to move toward the north point. It may seem constrained now, but all will be well, I promise¡¡±
As much as I wish for that to be true, I am unsure. A few of our allies died, Marie has closed herself off, and the bandits are blocking us from proceeding. Without Marie¡¯s mind to illuminate the path, I am unsure of my own abilities in leading us.
¡°Sigurd always twitched his eyebrows when he was lying. Looks as if you share that commonality.¡±
He noticed!?
¡°No, no, it¡¯s just¨C¡±
¡°...Are you scared?¡± My tongue gets caught in my throat. ¡°...Can¡¯t blame you. Your back is against the wall and members of your army look exhausted. If things continue like this, you might all die here.¡±
¡°No!¡±
A cold sweat rolls down my face. My body shakes as the idea runs through my head. I cannot imagine such a thing. I refuse to imagine it!
¡°You¡¯re trying to come off as fearless. A leader who everyone can look to in a time of crisis.¡±
¡°That is¡ I just assumed that is what made Sigurd great.¡±
¡°It did.¡± Sir Garrick leans against the remains of a wall, staring at the ground. ¡°...Sigurd was the best leader the Kingdom knights ever had. A tactical genius, a worthy warrior, and a man who was able to inspire his men. Most importantly, he knew he had to be better than all his men. He separated himself from the men. We all followed behind him, and all we could do was watch his back. In essence, he was the perfect leader.¡±
¡°Wow, he sounds amazing.¡±
My father, the man I aspire to be every day of my life. A shining beacon of a true knight, a brave man, and a leader everyone looks to. It was my dream to be that leader, to be that knight, to be that man. However, do I even have the talent, or even the charisma, let alone, the intelligence to be him? It seems as if, that dream has been slipping away from my grasp as of late. Why did I ever imagine I could be as fantastic of a man as he was?
¡°Everyone!¡± A scout rushes through camp with a disturbed demeanor to himself. ¡°A large number of children were spotted marching through the farther south-side of the city. There was¡one of them¡ I never felt such dread from being near someone before¡¡±
Are they going off to battle the bandits at the north end of the city? They¡¯ll be killed!
¡°We should appeal to them! If they go, then they will die!¡±
Sir Garrick halts me with a hand on my shoulder. ¡°This is the perfect opportunity for us.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°If they do battle with the bandits, and even if they lose, we can use the opening they create for us to defeat the remaining forces in one fell swoop. And even if the children win, we can still follow behind them.¡±
¡°But that is¨C¡±
¡°I understand your apprehension, but there is no other way through.¡±
¡°We can fight through ourselves.¡±
¡°Are you sure? With morals becoming a problem, you can¡¯t be picky about your options. And there is the likelihood hood of our forces being annihilated if we go ourselves. ¡±
He¡¯s right. Perhaps I can¡¯t be, but it still does not sit well with me. Using others so we could advance. No, I do not like it at all¡ But, what other choice do we have? I just do not know what to do.
¡/Proxy
Finally pulled up back at the camp. We made it out of that shitshow somehow, and no one even puked when we went riding up a wall. That¡¯s an A+ in my book. Richard healed himself on the way here and Nunnal¨¦, having her auto-heal, is doing alright, but a few of her ribs are still cracked, so it¡¯s gonna take time for that to heal.
¡°Just to summarize, that guy with the chainsaw, Jed, wants Cade to lose himself to his rage and kill the bandits, correct?¡± Richard summarized the gist of the situation.
¡°Pretty much. Since we know he¡¯s an evil son of a bitch, I thought about going back there and cracking his skull open. But with Cade the way he is now, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s safe.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not leaving Cade like that,¡± Puck strongly objects.
¡°Neither am I, but we need a plan of action. Like some way to sneak in undetected.¡± She shoots down my idea shaking her head no. ¡°Well, I¡¯m out of ideas.¡±
This was seriously easier when I was all motivated to go and help him. Come on, brain, think.
¡°Come on, kid, didn¡¯t I tell you to start usin¡¯ your brain?¡±
¡°Yeah, I know, but¨C¡±
Wait, that voice, and how he¡¯s trying to sound cool! It¡¯s¡
¡°Looks like you guys are¨C¡±
¡°Old man!? What are you doing here?¡±
He pokes my forehead with his sheathe. ¡°¡®Looks like you guys are in a pickle and need a little help¡¯. I was gonna say it all cool-like, and you ruined it, brat!¡±
¡°Shut up, like anything you say is cool!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll show you a cool ass kickin¡¯, ya brat!¡±
¡°Right back at ya, old bastard!¡±¡¯
Right before anything could happen, Puck comes stomping up to me. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this! We need to go back and¨C¡±
¡°Proxy, there you are.¡± Alex, with the other old fart, walks up from behind us. He brings his attention to Puck. ¡°Isn¡¯t she with Cade?¡± he asks, staring at her like a deer being blinded by headlights.
¡°Yeah, she is. Listen, right now, things are about to get out of hand.¡±
¡°I know,¡± he replies, bearing a grim tone. ¡°We got a report of a band of children marching from further south.¡±
Puck curses under her breath. ¡°He¡¯s already going toward them!¡±
¡°Come to think of it,¡± Richard says. ¡°We did notice everyone in that camp getting ready for battle, but I didn¡¯t think it was to wipe out the bandits north up. This probably won¡¯t end well.¡±
¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Ocean opens, crossing his arms with his eyes closed. ¡°That kid is already deep in his bloodlust. Any more of it, and I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be comin¡¯ back from it, ever. His Source is definitely reflectin¡¯ this, and he isn¡¯t too far away now.¡±
¡°Proxy, if he fights them, he¡¯ll kill them all,¡± Richard voices his concern. ¡°He thought me and Nunnal¨¦ were bandits. If this goes on, then he might hurt innocent people!¡±
Damnit, this is moving too fast! If we don¡¯t act quickly, then we¡¯ll lose him for good.
¡°Alexander and I talked about the situation already,¡± Garrick, the old fart, brings up. ¡°We think it¡¯s best if we don¡¯t interfere.¡±
All of us, except for Ocean and Nunnal¨¦, express our collective shock.
¡°No, I never said we¨C¡±
¡°Alexander, it¡¯s the only way.¡±
¡°Shut up, you bastard,¡± Puck raises her voice, practically ready to tear his head off.
¡°Yeah! Who the hell made you in charge?¡± I back up Puck¡¯s complaint with my own.
¡°Alexander and I think it''s best for the men if we follow behind the carnage that will ensue. If you think this ¡®Cade¡¯ child can clear a path, then we have to take it.¡±
I wanna punch this goddamn bastard''s lights out so badly! But it¡¯s taking all my willpower to not beat the shit out of him.
¡°Alex,¡± I mutter. ¡°You don¡¯t agree with him, right?¡±
¡°I¡do not know?¡±
¡°What!?¡±
¡°I said I do not know!¡± My heart leaps inside my chest at his sudden outburst. ¡°I do not know what to do! I do not¡I do not want to use Cade as a means to an end, but I cannot bear to lose any more men. Even if we decide to help him, won¡¯t more of us get killed?¡± He drops to his knees, slumped on the ground in defeat. ¡°I am¡not a leader. Without Marie, without any of you, I am a nobody who is good for nothing. So, please, do not make me lose any more of you.¡±
Garrick and Puck¡¯s voices continue to go on, and Richard joins in on the conversation. Their voices fade into the background as I stare at Alex. If I was the old me, I would¡¯ve been furious with him, but I¡¯m not. Fact is, I understand where he¡¯s coming from. Seeing the people you care about get hurt, it¡¯s too painful, so I get why he wants to avoid another fight.
¡°Alex.¡± I get down on my knee to face him. ¡°No one is going to die.¡± His eyes meet mine. He¡¯s uncertain, but there¡¯s a glimmer of curiosity in those eyeballs of his. ¡°I know, it sounds na?ve, but that¡¯s what I decided, so I ain¡¯t running away. I¡¯m not smart, and I can¡¯t lead people, but I know I can fight. So put your faith in me!¡±
Garrick comes marching up to me. ¡°You¡¯re being reckless. Words like that don¡¯t mean¨C¡±
¡°Then watch me! I¡¯ll show you I ain¡¯t talking bullshit!¡± Richard and Nunnal¨¦ get in between me and Garrick. Thanks, guys. ¡°Alex, I don¡¯t know what makes a good leader or whatever, but I know you¡¯re the type of guy wanna fight alongside. Not just me, but Nunnal¨¦, Richard, and everyone else. Including Marie. So get back up one more time.¡± I put out my hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go and do this, the way we know how.¡±
There¡¯s a moment of hesitation when he reaches out his hand. But, spooking the hell out of me, he slams his hand on his cheek. The impact alone sent a shiver through my body. An audible ¡°ow¡± came out of him
Regardless, he grips my hand. ¡°I tried to carry the burden all by myself, and even almost gave up and allowed others to pave the road for us, even if it was layered in blood. But that is not what I want.¡± He lifts us to our feet, sporting a bright smile. ¡°My desire is to defeat the bandits the best way I know how, without forsaking who I am. In my mind, I thought a leader was someone who pulled everyone forward. Maybe it is true, perhaps that is what a perfect leader is, but that is not how I am supposed to be! Fighting alongside all of you, as equals, is what I want! Once more, fight by my side, Proxy, everyone!¡±
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
¡°Damn straight! You don¡¯t gotta be all high and mighty, just be the Alex we all know, ¡®kay?¡±
¡°Right!¡±
He steers toward Puck. His hands grasp hers. ¡°I swear, I will not allow your friends to die!¡±
¡°Same here,¡± I join in.
¡°Now that we know what Cade is capable of, we should be able to handle him,¡± Richards says, pushing his glasses up.
Puck glances at all of us. Her face is beaming with gratitude as tears flow out of her eyes. ¡°Thank you¡all of you. We¡we don¡¯t deserve such kindness after what we did to you all, but thank you!¡±
¡°Friends don¡¯t need to be thanked,¡± I tell her. ¡°We just do it ''cause we can.¡±
Right now I¡¯m definitely getting back into the groove of things. We¡¯re gonna stop this all-out war before it gets out of hand.
¡°Um, excuse me.¡± Holy crap! I forgot Ocean was even here. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan of action, kid? You don¡¯t just think everything is gonna turn out a-okay just cause you¡¡± I don¡¯t utter a word. If he can¡¯t see my determination with his own eyes, then I don¡¯t need to say anything else to him. ¡°...Okay, I gotcha. So you gotta a plan, right?¡±
¡°Yeah, and I¡¯m gonna need your help.¡±
¡°Me?¡±
¡°I know this has nothing to do with you and all, but even if it doesn¡¯t, can you just stand by with your knowledge of the situation?¡±
He puts his hand under his chin, brushing it gently. ¡°Well, as a swordsman, I can¡¯t just get involved with stuff that doesn¡¯t involve me.¡±
¡°Figures.¡±
¡°...But, ya know, I ain¡¯t what you would call a prim-proper swordsman. So screw it, count me in!¡±
Alright! With that, I feel like we can really pull this off.
¡°Richard, buddy, you¡¯re the man with the plan. Give me something.¡±
¡°Well¡seeing how things are going, and what we want to accomplish, this is going to be a tight plan.¡± He crouches to the ground, putting his finger in the dust on the ground, using it to illustrate his plan. ¡°Right now, Cade is going to the north to deal with the bandits, right? I can¡¯t exactly sense where he is, but I feel his presence.¡±
¡°Yep, he¡¯s almost to where we¡¯re at,¡± Ocean confirms Richard¡¯s statement.
¡°Anyway, we¡¯re away from the streets, so we should be safe. Now, if we¡¯re going to avoid an overall bloodbath, we¡¯ll have to act fast. We have to warn the bandits about the attack.¡±
¡°Warn them,¡± Puck recoils, nerved by what she heard.
¡°I know, but if we can keep Cade away from them and vice versa away from us while we deal with Cade, then all the better.¡±
¡°Just pray that it¡¯ll keep that brat from goin¡¯ ape crazy,¡± Ocean says, teetering on the edge of pessimism.
¡°Okay, then I¡¯ll go and warn them,¡± I volunteer.
¡°I will as well,¡± Alex gives me a thumbs up.
¡°Ocean, I want you to handle the children. Keep them out of the fight.¡±
¡°Come on, really? Why do I gotta deal with that many brats?¡±
¡°What? Is it too hard for you, old man?¡±
Once again, he pokes me with his sheathe, prodding me like a kid poking their pet with a stick. ¡°Fine! I gotcha. But wouldn¡¯t you want me to handle that Cade brat?¡±¡¯
¡°Well, I figured since we have Puck, we can snap him back to his senses,¡± Richard replies, sounding uncertain about his own answer.
¡°And if that doesn¡¯t work?¡± Ocean throws back his question with another.
¡°Then we fight him,¡± I answer bluntly. ¡°If he wants to be big-headed, then we beat the crap out of him until he listens.¡±
¡°Um, Proxy, I think you mean ¡®hard-headed¡¯,¡± Richard corrects me, giving me a pitied smile.
¡°Your vocabulary skills are a sight to behold,¡± Nunnal¨¦ sharply replies.
¡°Hey, shut up! Who asked you two smarty pants?¡±
¡°Man, kid. Just ¡®cause you ain¡¯t in school doesn¡¯t mean you should skimp your learnin¡¯. Am I right?¡±
Everyone shakes their heads like this is some damn comedy skit or something. You goddamn bastards¡!
¡°Wha-whatever! Just get on with the plan!¡±
¡°Right,¡± Richard says. ¡°Last, I¡¯ll lure in Cade to you guys.¡±
¡°Forgettin¡¯ who¡¯ll signal you to do that?¡± Ocean once again pokes at Richard''s plan.
¡°I was thinking you can. I heard you can use water. Can you create something that¡¯ll catch my attention?¡±
¡°Oh, then sure thing. But you better be watchin¡¯ the sky. I¡¯m not gonna do it twice.¡±
¡°Okay. Other than that, I think we¡¯re good.¡±
Not a bad plan. Sure, it¡¯s not foolproof, but this is the best we got.
¡°Alright, let¡¯s get everyone else, and¡¡±
What do I see when I turned around? Everyone seems ready, or at least they seem like they¡¯re all ready to get prepared and head out.
¡°We heard you guys talking,¡± Gil, in front of the rest, speaks up, grinning from head to toe. ¡°If we¡¯re gonna do this, then let¡¯s do this.¡±
The crowd behind him goes into an uproar of encouraging words, spurring us on.
¡°Everyone¡ Are you sure? We will be warning our enemies to evacuate,¡± Alex stresses. ¡°Are you all sure about this?¡±
¡°Yeah, we know it''s downright crazy,¡± Elizabeth says, folding her arms behind her head. ¡°But we¡¯re packed full of damn crazy people, so who cares?¡±
¡°Yeah, I ain¡¯t crazy,¡± Chip raises his voice from within the crowd of people. ¡°And I do think this is an insane plan.¡±
¡°But?¡± I pause, leading him on to finish his sentence.
¡°But, I guess I have nothing better to do, so let¡¯s go with it.¡±
Zell stands in front of the crowd, coughing into his hands. ¡°However, we should exercise caution. They might not be so welcoming to the idea.¡±
Zeal comes up next to his brother, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ll bust some damn heads!¡±
¡°Zeal¡¡±
Zell shoots him one of those ominous glares that says, ¡°you better watch it¡±.
¡°Wha-what I meant was ¡®if¡¯ they try anything.¡±
For a tough guy, he turns into a wet noodle the moment his brother gets him in line.
Now that I look, we came a long way since Richard and I came to this world. Before, I never knew this many people I would call friends, but these guys won me over with how reliable they are, and I bet Alex feels the same.
¡°Everyone¡thank you!¡± He bows to them. Pride swells inside him, brimming from that smile of his.
I would know since I have the same one on my face.
Ocean claps his hands. ¡°Alright, folks, no time to lose! Let¡¯s roll out!¡±
Instead of doing that, everyone just lets out a collective, ¡°who are you¡±.
The old man chuckles to himself like some sorta crazy person. ¡°Well, if you wanna know, I am¨C¡±
¡°His name is Old Man. Please say hello.¡±
Playing into my joke, everyone greets him by calling him ¡°old man¡±. Needless to say, I drop to my knees, busting the loudest gut to date. I can¡¯t eve¡I can¡¯t even breathe!
Ocean, on the other hand, is livid, staring me down with the angriest eyes I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°I am so gonna kill you, kid.¡±
Dude, his veins are popping from his forehead. That is so freaking hilarious!
¡°I¡I am sorry for his rudeness,¡± Alex apologized on my behalf.
Ocean just groans, patting his sword on his shoulder. ¡°Whatever. It¡¯s fine. If it''s for a good laugh, then I guess it¡¯s fine if I¡¯m the clown for a bit.¡±
¡°That¡¯s very noble of you. Thank you, mr. old man.¡±
I bust an even louder gut after that. Does he actually think that¡¯s his name!?
Ocean roars into the sky, venting anger while shaking his arms into the air. ¡°MY NAME IS GREY OCEAN, DAMNIIIIIIIIT!¡±
¡/Proxy
Everyone is ready. Richard and Nunnal¨¦ are going to go distract Cade for as long as they can. Meanwhile, Alex, me, and everyone else are going to go meet with the bandits. If things go right, then we might be able to pull this off, but if Cade doesn¡¯t see reason, or if the bandits don¡¯t listen, then we might have a bloodbath on our hands.
¡°Proxy.¡±
Puck sneaks up next to me like a ninja. I leap from my spot but quickly recompose myself. My sense only kicks in with attacks, so it¡¯s still possible to get the one up on me.
She has that ¡°did that really happen¡± face. ¡°Did I scare you?¡±
¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡±
¡°I know this might seem sudden, but I want to stay here.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know. Call it a bad feeling, but I don¡¯t feel right having Wedge staying here alone.¡±
¡°You think something could happen?¡±
¡°Maybe. I wouldn¡¯t put it past Jed if he follow us.¡±
¡°No way. RoadBurner is too damn fast for him to keep up.¡±
¡°Does it leave tire tracks?¡± Umm, I did not think of that. ¡°Thought so. If he shows up, he¡¯ll kill Wedge.¡±
¡°But Jed isn¡¯t a joke. If he shows up, I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll fend him off.¡±
¡°What other choice do we have? I¡¯ll think of something. Just leave it to me.¡±
Can she really beat him, or does she have some other idea in mind?
¡°Alright, then¨C¡±
¡°I shall stay, too.¡± Nunnal¨¦ comes up to us. ¡°Marie will be vulnerable if an enemy were to attack.¡±
¡°Is Richard okay with that?¡±
¡°He is the one who ordered me to stay.¡± Guess he was thinking a step ahead of me. ¡°Although my mission priority is to protect my Master, I¡ I wish to protect her, too.¡±
¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±
¡°I was designed to protect my chosen master and just them. However, now I find myself wanting to protect another. Am I defective?¡±
Geez, this girl. She really makes simple things seem so complicated.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you ain¡¯t defective. We all got people we want to protect. Sometimes, it grows from one to two. You understand?¡±
She turns her face to the ground, tracing her chin with her index finger. ¡°Is this the reason you wish to save Cade, despite the fact he wishes to kill Marie and you?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
¡°I do not see the logic.¡±
¡°So?¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not about being logical. If I feel like it, I do it. Even if Cade was my enemy, I still think he¡¯s worth saving. So I don¡¯t care if it makes no sense, I¡¯m gonna do it.¡±
These feelings are more important than what¡¯s smart or not. As long as I act on them, then I can act without regret.
¡°Perhaps I finally understand why master trusts you.¡±
¡°Why is that?¡±
¡°Because you are a loyal friend.¡± Taken aback, my heart skips a beat. That is the first time she called me a friend, let alone any of us. I can¡¯t help but feel glad she sees me that way. ¡°...However, I do think a logical thread of thought is preferable.¡±
And you ruined it. But, I think that¡¯s just how she is, so no harm no foul. She¡¯s someone I can trust, too.
¡°I¡¯m gonna say goodbye to Marie. Let her know we¡¯ll be gone for a bit.¡±
¡°Very well.¡±
Waving her goodbye, I set off for Marie¡¯s tent. Alex is standing outside of it, staring at the outside of it with a fierce determination about him.
¡°Yo, Marie,¡± I call out to her. ¡°We¡¯re gonna go now. Not to kick bandit ass, but to go make sure there isn¡¯t a bloodbath.¡± A deafening silence fills the air, but that isn¡¯t gonna turn me away. ¡°Marie, I don¡¯t blame you for what happened, but I get you blame yourself. Maybe my words aren¡¯t gonna help you, but you know what, I¡¯m not worried. Cause I know you¡¯re tough; hell, you almost broke my nose once, so you¡¯re damn tough. But I¡¯ll never forget your kindness when you gave me and Richard a place to stay. No matter what, I¡¯ll always be grateful to you.¡±
Stepping back, Alex steps forward.
¡°Marie, my sister¡ I always wanted to be like father, no matter what. If I had become like him, perhaps I would be able to rid the bandits of this land. In my desperate attempt to emulate him, I took the burden of leadership onto myself. I wanted to lead others to victory and become the man he was. However, I now realize I can never be like him.¡± He rests his hand on his chest. ¡°...He was a symbol of victory to those that served under him and was a man who was willing to fight apart from his allies rather than as equals. However, that is not what I want. Having you all by my side, and me being by yours, is what I desire. Marie, when I failed to save you, I blamed myself for your suffering. I promised I would always protect you, but I had failed to save you myself. In that, I pushed myself away from you...¡±
He beats his chest. ¡°I was a fool! A fool who was too damn proud to face you out of the shame of his failure! What kind of idiotic brother am I!? That is why I will not run from you, or my failings! You are my sister, and I could have not been any prouder of you! So when we return, I will face you!¡±
Alex and I bump fists, keeping our eyes on the tent.
¡°We¡¯re all gonna come back alive. We swear it!¡±
Like that, we take our leave. There¡¯s nothing else left to do but go on with this. A raging fire dances in my heart, hardening my determination. Alex¡¯s wearing his game face too, doing away with the smile and putting up a serious expression. We made a heavy promise, one that seems too na?ve. Even so, we made that promise. We aren¡¯t gonna break it!
¡°Bus is ready to go, boys,¡± Elizabeth yells from the driver''s seat.
¡°I¡¯ll be there in a sec.¡±
¡°What is it?¡± Alex asks.
¡°Just gotta check up on someone. I¡¯ll meet you on the bus.¡±
¡°Okay. Be quick.¡±
¡°Okay.¡±
Alright, I¡¯m just gonna check up on Richard. Ocean should be on board with the rest. After he sends the signal, he¡¯s gonna head off to where Cade and Richard will be. Richard said he¡¯ll try to stay near Cade¡¯s troops. When he gets there, he¡¯ll keep the kids at bay while Richard lures Cade to us. I¡¯ll tell him the truth; about Jed, and that Wedge and Puck are alive. If that doesn¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll have to bust open his head until he listens.
¡°Buddy, are you ready to go?¡± I ask him.
¡°Yeah, I am.¡±
There¡¯s a bit of apprehension biting at the back of my throat. I know we can¡¯t just change the plan, but if something goes wrong, then Richard could be killed, or¨C
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be fine,¡± he suddenly tells me. Right now, he¡¯s displaying confidence unlike I¡¯ve seen before him. ¡°...As long as I keep my cool, I should be fine. Nunnal¨¦ will be allowing me to use all our Source, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡± He reaches out his hand. ¡°When I get the signal, it¡¯ll be your turn!¡±
Is this really the same Richard from a couple of months ago? He¡¯s become so damn reliable¡ No, he¡¯s always been like that. I guess it just took me a moment to really let it sink in.
¡°You really did become a badass.¡±
I clap his hand. The sound reverberates across the sky. Speaking of, it has a hint of blue up there. The sun must be coming up soon.
¡°I just don¡¯t want to be the only one left behind is all.¡±
¡°No problem there! Let¡¯s show everyone what we¡¯re made of!¡±
¡°Right!¡±
This is it. Nothing else needs to be said. All I can do is put my trust in Richard to get the job done, and he expects the same of me. If we¡¯re gonna do this shit, we¡¯re gonna do this right!
¡/Jed
The tire tracks are¡difficult to track. However, once you throw common sense on how his bike works, it becomes easier to track its movements. If I continue to follow this path, then I should arrive at their camp shortly.
¡°Wait for me, Puck and Wedge. I¡¯ll be sure to finish the job properly.¡±
Such a shame they have to die, but their deaths will lead to greater things, that much I can promise.
Is this...an April fools!?
"Yo¡ Wait, where am I?" Proxy asks, darting his eyes everywhere.
Proxy finds himself in a white space devoid of any objects or people except him and two others.
"Proxy, there you are!"
Richard runs to Proxy, glad he could find him. Nunnal¨¦, wearing her usual expression, walks behind him, unfazed by the white expanse they find themselves in.
"Where the hell are we? Is this¡?"
"Well, if I had to guess, it''s an April Fool''s chapter."
"April fools?" Nunnal¨¦ inquires, curiously interested in the idea.
"It''s just a day where people say or do something played as a joke," Richard explains.
"Interesting¡ Then allow me the privilege of hearing a joke!"
If it were anyone else, it would be a joke, but Nunnal¨¦ being Nunnal¨¦, she is serious.
"Umm, I''m not all that funny. Proxy," he whispers. "Say something funny!"
"Why do I have to!? You''re her master. Set an example!"
"If I do, then she''ll be disappointed! Besides, even if you fail to make it good, it still might be fun!"
"Hey, hey, hey! That''s too much responsibility to handle! I can''t let it be my fault if she doesn''t laugh! Actually, can she even laugh?"
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Their eyes glaze over to Nunnal¨¦. Her face remains as neutral as always.
"We need to test her," Proxy says
"Agreed."
Proxy slouches next to her, putting the back of his hand beside his mouth. "Hey, Nunnal¨¦, can you, ya know¡give us a laugh?"
"Laugh? I am unsure if I can."
"Come on! Give us your best one! The best you got! You just gotta use your diaphragm!"
"Again, I do not know if it is within my capabilities to¨C"
"I''ll give you these."
He holds a lollipop in his fingers.
"I shall do my best!"
"At least show a little restraint, Nunnal¨¦," Richard mutters, slightly amused by the sudden attitude shift.
"Alright, you got this! Remember, you need to let it come from the gut!"
They stand back, giving her space. A moment of tranquility falls on the girl. Though unintentionally, she emitted an air of elegance. She slightly opens her small mouth, ready to perform her task. Proxy and Richard watch in anticipation¡
"Ha." ¡Silence, tumbleweed flies past them¡ "Was that satisfactory? Was I able to laugh properly?"
The two boys stand there stunned, flabbergasted even.
"Man, that was¡"
Proxy clams up as he stares at the doll''s face. Though it was a poor attempt, her face shows genuine investment in their input. As tough as he comes off, even he can''t resist her odd determination.
"...That was great! You did so well!"
"Then, I can¡?"
"Aw, what the hell. You can have it."
He hands her the lollipop. Innocent bliss paints her face as she enjoys the piece of candy. Her reaction pleased both Richard and Proxy.
¡°There might have been a lack of jokes, but at least it was fun. Right Proxy.¡±
¡°Yeah, you said it¡ But seriously, where are we?¡±
¡°Oh, the world ended when it got invaded by an alien armada. Turns out they were just watching us from space and decided to destroy everything while we were sleeping. But for some reason, they left us alive.¡± Richard states, speaking with an ominous, straight face.
¡°WHA-WHA-WHAT!?¡±
¡°April fools!¡±
¡°Hey, that¨Cthat wasn¡¯t funny! What if I had a heart attack?¡±
Richard falls quiet for a moment before speaking under his breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that.¡±
¡°HEY! Now you¡¯re just playing with my heart!¡±
Final stand part 1
Laguna - North-end - midnight - Proxy
It didn¡¯t take long to reach the other side of the bridge. Ocean, Alex, and I hop off the bus first. Saying that I¡¯m feeling stressed would be one hell of an understatement. Not that I¡¯m turning tail or anything, but knowing what might happen¡yeah, can anyone blame me? Ocean is here though, so I doubt things are gonna go farther than insults.
¡°Ah, here comes the welcome party,¡± Ocean says, tapping his sword against the ground.
A crowd of bandits, carrying weapons and wearing mean ass faces. This is just a guess, but they might want to use those weapons on us. Ocean draws his sword, standing between us and them.
¡°Okay, look here boys! These fine people, plus one brat, are here to have a civilized talk and all that.¡±
I''ll let that slide, for now¡
¡°Screw you, you bastard,¡± one of them spat. ¡°Let¡¯s kill ''em, boys!¡±
Ocean slashes the ground in front of them, even though he¡¯s 14 feet away. The bandits go slack-jawed, practically shitting their pants with those stupid looks on their faces. ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna say it again. Be good little boys, or there¡¯s gonna be a problem.¡±
Nice one, old man. Now we can have a good ol¡¯ discussion.
¡°Bring out a Flame Wraith, I know you guys have one. His name is Wildcard!¡±
The old man is on Jed¡¯s side, so he won¡¯t be any help, but maybe Wildcare isn¡¯t as crazy as I think he is. If that doesn¡¯t work, then I guess beating them up and making them leave will work, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have time for that.
It takes a while, but Wildcard shoves his way to the front, looking pissed for some reason.
¡°What¡? Why are you guys here? You wanna pick up where we left off,¡± he jeers, sneering his ugly ass face my way.
¡°Not now. You guys gotta leave.¡±
¡°Seriously!? You couldn¡¯t beat me, now you''re begging me to leave?¡±
¡°Hell no, you moron! Bad shit is going on right now. All of you are gonna be chop liver if you stay.¡±
¡°Bad shit¡ I did feel something earlier. Something vile.¡±
¡°Wait, you felt it too?¡±
¡°Too? So it wasn¡¯t just my imagination?¡±
Puck didn¡¯t feel it, even though we were sitting next to each other. Is it because we have higher senses than normal people?
¡°He ain¡¯t lyin¡¯, kid. If you felt it, you know things are gonna get rough soon,¡± Ocean backs my claim.
¡°What was it then?¡± Wildcard demands an answer.
¡°Come on, use that brain of yours. Didn¡¯t your fight or flight instincts kick in when you felt it?¡±
Wildcard narrows his gaze, not on us, but far off behind us. Not like there¡¯s much behind us, so I don¡¯t get it. His finger points my way. ¡°Start explaining. Being left in the dark sucks.¡±
Without wasting a minute, I give him the SparkNotes version of events. His face gets more grave as I go on. By the end, dread leaves him speechless.
¡°So you get it? You guys gotta go before he gets here.¡±
The crowd behind him gets even more unruly, laughing at us and even slinging curse words our way. Trying to help these dumbasses is harder than beating them.
¡°Let me ask: you think you can win? If we both felt it, then we know that it¡¯s too dangerous.¡±
¡°I know, but I¡¯m not running. Not from this.¡±
¡°Do you honestly think someone like you can do this? I mean, you barely stood a chance against me.¡±
¡°Yeah, but that was hours ago. I¡¯m not the same.¡±
Wildcard doesn¡¯t waste another breath. He just gets into a stance. ¡°Then show me.¡±
¡°Proxy,¡± Alex calls, practically asking me if I¡¯m sure about this.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, this won¡¯t last long.¡±
I walk over to him while taking off my jacket and throwing it over to Alex.
¡°Come on and get it, kid.¡±
My arms move to the front, and my legs are spread apart from each other. Remember everything you learned when you fought Jed. Use it all to beat this guy.
We speed off at the same time. We¡¯re neck and neck in speed and reaction time. Our hands train on the other, attempting to blitz each other. We break when he goes for a sweep. It takes my feet off the ground. Right as he gets up for a follow-up, I plant my hands on the floor. Even like this, I can still get a hit off. My foot swipes past his cheek, leaving a bruise mark.
We didn¡¯t stop there. My defense is good so far, but so is his; blocking and redirecting my attacks, just like me. The pace picks up with each minute that passes by. We aren¡¯t fighting for real, but a slip-up could cost me. Plus, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s not for real, I still won¡¯t lose to him, not again! So, it¡¯s time to stop playing nice! Blocking one last attack, I kick his chest. Even if it creates a bit of distance, he¡¯s still dazed by the kick. Can¡¯t let this opportunity go to waste.
I charge at him, telegraphing a punch. He immediately readies himself to block it. My punch never comes. I spin around on the lamp pole on the rail of the bridge. I let go, hurling myself toward Wildcard. It¡¯s too much for him to guard, let alone keep his footing. Wrapping my legs around his head, I shift my body weight down to toss him like a sack of potatoes. Although it was a sick maneuver, he rolled and then pushed himself back up. That was a nice recovery, but he still didn¡¯t see it coming. However, I gotta respect his skills for that reason. He managed to recover despite my surprise attack. If this was serious, would I be able to win? Shit, dude, this guy is amazing!
¡°Stop!¡± Wildcard¡¯s sudden shout stops me dead in my tracks. ¡°...Seems like you weren¡¯t lying. Your fundamentals have changed, or rather, you broke away from your bad habits as a fighter. Before, you were trying to overpower me in hand-to-hand, but that was never gonna work; plus, you lacked the overwhelming strength to rely on brute force. However, you must¡¯ve seen how crap you were.¡± Asshole. ¡°Now, you understand your fundamentals aren¡¯t brute strength, but in your agility and speed. So tell me, how does it feel not to suck as badly anymore? Feels good, doesn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°It feels¡liberating. Like I threw off weighted clothes. I thought it was because of my lack of strength, but it wasn¡¯t just that. I didn¡¯t understand how I was supposed to be strong.¡±
¡°Exactly.¡± He claps my hand. ¡°Understanding the self and combat are essential ingredients for strength. Without one, a person can¡¯t call themself a true warrior. Never forget this.¡±
I won¡¯t ever forget that, and the feeling I got when I decked Jed in the liver. The sensation of my fist tearing through the air felt, unlike anything I ever felt before. Like a spark of lightning running through my very fist; is this euphoria?
¡°Please, you all need to evacuate,¡± Alex says. ¡°If you do not, you will all be slaughtered.¡±
Again, the clowns behind Wildcard go mouthing off like a bunch of dumb gorillas. Seriously, how stupid can these guys be?
¡°Shut it!¡± Wildcard¡¯s shout made them all zip their lips. ¡°...I think I fought this guy we¡¯re talking about.¡±
¡°Seriously¡!? Oh, right, this morning! Cade popped up while you and I were fighting.¡±
¡°Before, I got a bad feeling from him, but it wasn¡¯t this bad. So what made him go off the deep end like this?¡±
¡°There¡¯s a dude named Jed on his team. He¡¯s a creepy guy who wants him to get pissed, for some reason. Also, the old man, he was there too.¡±
He points to Ocean. ¡°That one?¡±
¡°Can you bastards stop it!? I¡¯m in my goddamn early 30s¡¯!¡±
¡°Not him, the one with you guys. Ya know, the tall one that¡¯s too damn calm.¡±
The lights in Wildcard¡¯s brain light up a second into thought. ¡°Come to think of it, he isn¡¯t here at all.¡± He turns to the idiots behind him. ¡°Hey, anyone see that old bastard?¡± Unsurprisingly, they all shrug their shoulders at the question. ¡°That sneaky¡ So, he¡¯s trying to kill us all, huh? The question is why¡?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t believe us?¡± I ask him.
¡°Nah, I do. I never trusted him to begin with. The guy is crazy. He even went to that prison near the kingdom just because he heard about some fighting arena there.¡± When you put it like that, yeah, it is crazy¡ ¡°Anyway, I guess there¡¯s no point in staying here if we¡¯re all gonna get screwed.¡±
¡°Exactly what I¡¯m thinking.¡±
Finally, we¡¯re making some headway. Now that they get the message, things are¨C
¡°Are you sure this is what you desire?¡± My body turns around to see who that elderly voice belongs to. Like I needed to, I already know who. ¡°Is retreating truly the best option?¡±
¡°Butt of this, you old man!¡±
¡°It¡¯s Santa now. I believe that¡¯s what you referred to me as.¡±
¡°I did?¡± Oh, yeah, I think I might have. Though, why the hell is he using that as a name?
¡°Why would I want to get myself killed? That just sounds stupid as shit,¡± Wildcard retorts.
¡°I was not asking you, boy¡¡± He moves past us and Wildcard. His attention was on the group of bandits. ¡°All of you, every one of you, fight to the death for the ultimate battlefield¡!¡±
¡/Richard
The warm midnight air that brushes past my body is oddly soothing during a situation like this. My body is as ready as it can be, and my mind is still sharp. I¡¯ve been practicing my Source control while I waited. Not that I need to, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to do it.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Cade is approaching. His Source is different from that body-snatcher; it isn¡¯t creepy, but mired in overwhelming rage¡ He isn¡¯t malevolent, far from it, but he is dangerous.
¡°He¡¯s almost here.¡±
His army isn¡¯t too far off now. Actually, it''s more like a cascade of kids ready to take out their anger on those who wronged them. To be honest, they deserve to get their vengeance. The bandits wronged so many people over these last 7 years. It¡¯s logical to think that, but without thinking of it logically, would it heal the hole inside them? And say that it doesn¡¯t, then those holes would grow even larger, and their anger and bitterness would expand as well.
That pain is unbearable to hold. It doesn¡¯t magically go away, nor does the feeling fade from your mind completely. But with the right people, you can grow around that pain¡ I know I don¡¯t know any of them, but as someone who knows loss, I can¡¯t sit by and do nothing.
¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡±
I did all I could, prepared the best way I know how, and now, all I can do is act.
Cade leads the march, moving through the streets with a menacing pressure. Each step he takes matches the beat of my heart, they both grow louder as the seconds roll by. Calm down, you know what you were signing up for.
¡°A bandit!¡±
He doesn¡¯t recognize me? It wasn¡¯t even an hour but he referred to me as a ¡°bandit¡± rather than saying ¡°you again¡±. Is his ability to recognize people impaired?
¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡all of you!¡±
He¡¯s coming!
Dust scatters from beneath Cade''s feet. My body automatically jumps out of his path. He slides onto the spot I stood on, his knife in front of himself. I chuck the rock from my pocket for his temple. It breaks apart on impact like an egg hitting a brick wall.
Seriously!? I threw it as hard as I could! Was it because he''s enhancing himself? Shit! It figures that''s the case. That rock was nothing more than a nuisance.
But I guess that''ll have to do. Cade''s full, undivided attention is on me now. He¡¯s easily provoked into a battle, so as long as I keep his attention on me, he won''t go to the bridge, but they aren¡¯t stopping their march. Damn, taking on all of them would be ill-advised with Cade behind me, and I¡¯m not exactly someone who would go and fight a hoard of people. For now, I better lead him on a goose chase. I escape into a dark, narrow alleyway, littered with rubble.
Right now I¡¯m not worried about him catching up, but more about him giving up his pursuit. Fighting him is definitely out of the question without Nunnal¨¦ here to assist me. That being said, it doesn¡¯t mean I am out of options. For now, I need to think about my opponent''s weaknesses and strengths.
From what I can tell, Cade¡¯s Source is leaking out; he likely has no control over it. And when you enhance, you¡¯re using up Source. Combine this with the fact he¡¯s continuously using it, he¡¯ll have to run out eventually, his defense will grow weaker from the amount he¡¯s able to put in. And I bet summoning those monsters is tiring him out. All I have to do is outlast him. If I can do that, and perhaps pile damage on him somehow, then it¡¯ll make it easier for everyone else¡or maybe, I can defeat him here? Ridiculous, I can¡¯t see that happening.
Turning a corner, long, thick, strands of black hair immediately catch my attention. I leap up to a 3-story building, dangling from the ledge. Patrolling the alley below with a slow, eerie pace is the woman who keeps disturbing my Source. Hm? She isn¡¯t looking up here. Does she have a limited field of vision? Ripping off a piece of the roof I¡¯m hanging from, I throw the chunk at her. It landed against the back of her head. She disappeared from just that one attack. Does he already know where I am? Hmm¡too early to tell.
I climb back on top of the roof. Cade is still running around the alleyway but from the other end. If he doesn¡¯t know where I¡¯m at, then how was that thing able to find me? But if he was sure I was over there, then why didn¡¯t he send it over there, or for that matter, summon the other monster to scan the alley from the sky¡ Hang on, it can¡¯t be, it¡¯s almost ludicrous, but does he have no control over his own technique; whether he can activate it or not?
¡°Show yourself, bandit!¡±
Running and hiding might do me good, but that black-haired monster might show up if I stay put for too long. Besides, if he gets impatient, then he might leave to go after the bandits at the north end. Besides, I already decided to dedicate my life to this, just like everyone else. I¡¯d never be able to face them if I ran away to save myself.
¡°Over here!¡±
My voice reaches him. He directs his bloodthirst at me. Time to go!
Cade leaps off of several buildings leading up to this one. He crashed into the building right when I jumped off. I catch the neck of a lamppost below. No time to relax, gotta keep moving. Ocean¡¯s signal could come any second, so I need to keep an eye on the sky, specifically to the north.
Cade isn¡¯t too far behind. In terms of speed, he beats me. However, my jumping strength is better since I¡¯m only enhancing one of my legs. Cade¡¯s enhancing his whole body from the looks of it, so not one limb is stronger than the other. But, perhaps that means my strikes can work if I outdo him in enhancing. Though, that¡¯s pretty risky since one mishap can get me killed, and since I¡¯m not as battle-savvy as Proxy or Nunnal¨¦, I doubt I¡¯d be able to read him properly.
I¡¯ll have to keep him from catching up somehow. These buildings are my best bet. If I can use them to surprise attack him, then I may be able to keep this up for a good while. I just need the right one with the best conditions to enact a sneak attack on him¡ There!
Jumping into a building that satisfies my needs. The interior¡¯s roof is unstable, barely held up by a wooden beam running across it. It¡¯s perfect! Cade will enter through the roof or the front, whatever he chooses will cause the roof to give. Knowing him, it¡¯s going to be the front!
On cue, he busts through the front, almost tearing it off its hinges. My fist smashes into the wall, resting an imbalance for the other floor above. I make a break for the door, tearing it off by the hinges. Debris rains down around Cade, burying him underneath it all¡ That¡¯s not enough to keep him down. We did this last time, and back then he just burst out of the building.
Like a broken record, Cade breaks out of the debris. Next, he¡¯s going to attack me! Grabbing the door next to me, I block his incoming attack. The top half of the door is split apart from the lower one. I stomp his chest. There¡¯s no telling if that was enough.
More importantly, I¡¯m recognizing more and more of Cade¡¯s weaknesses. His cognitive abilities seem to be somewhat impaired for whatever reason. Maybe it has to do with his sudden use of Source, or is it because of his technique? Either one is possible.
Cade summons that muscle-bound monster. He can probably summon them, but beyond that, they have their own autonomy.
The monster slams its fist into the brick-layered ground right behind me, scattering bits of it at me.
¡°Whoa!¡±
That was too close. There has to be some way to damage this thing without trading blows or getting close to Cade. Once again, its fist smashes into the ground, and debris scatters everywhere¡ This is the worst idea I¡¯ve ever had, but I seriously have nothing else to work with. I just hope this doesn¡¯t blow up in my face.
I jump and land on top of a house, waiting for the monster to catch up. Cade follows behind the burly monster. Its massive fist hones in on me. Wait for it¡wait¡ Now!
Stomping the roof, I created a hole for me to slip through. This is crazy, this is crazy, this is crazy! The house explodes and a cloud of dust lies in its wake. This is my chance to get something done!
Visibility isn¡¯t a problem since I can see his Source through the smoke. There won¡¯t be another chance like this. Better make it count. Powering my left arm, I swing it his way. My knuckle hit his ribs. He lets out a yelp as he hurls through a building behind him¡ It worked? Holy crap, it worked!
So if my enhancements are stronger than his, I can do damage! Okay, that¡¯s good to know. Now, time for the next step: running away! I¡¯m aware of how cowardly it sounds, but that punch was already pushing the fringe of my luck. For now, I¡¯ll just run away and¨C A blur lands in front of me. My heart pounds against my ribcage, each beat more painful than the other. Cade¡¯s arm flashes across my chest. Blood splashes out of my chest. He follows up with a nasty kick to my chest.
Saliva spews from my mouth, and blood spills from my wound. A stone wall stops me from barreling onward. Mind-numbing pain bites at my nerves when I try to stand back up. Carrying on with a wound like this is an insanely bad idea. Healing it is going to take a bit of time. Albeit, I need to get out of here first.
Just then, as I was about to make my move, the muscle monster charged at me from behind Cade. There isn¡¯t any time to get away! I enhance my arm as best as I can. There was nothing that could prepare me for the monstrous blow. It carries the force of a wrecking ball slamming into a building at full force. The strike itself blows my senses out of focus, forcing an out-of-body experience for me. In my haste, I failed to understand the raw power behind this punch. Even with my arm enhanced, it didn¡¯t stop it from flinging me back. My body crashes through a small house¡
Sh¨Cshit¡! Everything is a blur, sound is muffled, and a horrible sense of nausea. Most likely a concussion. Blood seeps from my chest, pouring onto the ground¡ Funny, my Source isn¡¯t wrapping itself around my blood¡ Why is that? Actually, now that I think of it, my Source wraps around my clothes, but when I take them off, none of it follows them, not even if it was because it was on my body¡
Source flows around one''s body, always present, no matter what. It is the power that comes from one''s soul, from what teacher taught me. So without the soul, that means Source wouldn¡¯t exist. Then would that mean¡that without the body, would not be possible? The body¡
No, not now. Becoming preoccupied with my thoughts will not relieve my wound. Concentrating my Source around the palm of my hand, a soothing sensation washes over my wound, lightening the pain. For now, I just need to keep Cade on me. Speaking of, he marches through the hole in the wall, scowling as he approaches. Just a bit longer. Everything will be fine, I know it will be!
Anti-bandit army camp - Midnight - Puck
I circle the campsite, waiting, watching, and listening for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing so far, but I doubt it¡¯s going to say like that for long. Jed is going to be a problem if he arrives. Luckily, these guys had a bunch of stuff I could use to make traps. Me and that purple-haired girl, Nunnal¨¦, are setting them up. She doesn¡¯t speak much, and her face shows no hint of emotion; similar to a human-like doll.
Strangely enough, I can¡¯t but find her beautiful for it, like she was created like that.
¡°These traps will not stop him,¡± she says, still setting up the wire trap.
¡°I know, but if we can catch him off guard, then that¡¯ll be enough. It doesn¡¯t need to kill him, just get him on edge.¡±
¡°I see. If it were to work, it would give me long enough of a moment to finish him.¡±
¡°Yeah.¡±
Come to think of it, shouldn¡¯t she be angry at me? I mean, I almost killed her the last time we met. Then again, she almost killed me too, so that evens things out, as much as they can be anyway.
¡°Why are you still here?¡± I ask her. ¡°The rest of your army went, so why stay here with me?¡±
¡°I am not here for you,¡± she replies, lacking the anger that should be associated with such a statement. ¡°Marie currently resides inside the medical tent. If an enemy were to arrive, I must defend her.¡±
¡°That bandit?¡±
¡°Correct.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t trust me around here, do you?¡±
¡°Considering our past encounter with you and Cade¡¯s goal, I cannot disregard the possibility.¡±
The stark difference between her and Proxy is apparent. No matter how sorry I am, leaving me with their ally is terrible. But she doesn¡¯t seem angry at me. She has every right to hate me, yet I don¡¯t get that from her.
¡°I hate all the bandits, every single last one of them,¡± I state without provocation. ¡°They murdered our families, took whatever they wanted, and then acted like they were better than us. I¡¯ll never forgive them, no matter who they are¡¡± I face her beautiful yet passionless eyes. ¡°So tell me, how can you work with someone like that? Someone who was a bandit? Do you even know she is one?¡±
It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll hurt her, but I want to know what that bandit means to this doll of a person. What is a bandit worth to her?
¡°I already know of her past as a Fire Wraith bandit. However, I do not see why it matters now?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Her time as a bandit does not interest me, nor does it pertain to my current objective.¡±
¡°Seriously? You can ignore it, just like that?¡±
¡°Of course, if she were to attempt to end my master¡¯s life, she would then become my enemy, and I would dispatch her without hesitation.¡± She places a hand on her chest, bothered by something. ¡°...However, she has not once shown any hostility towards my master. The bandits are violent, bloodthirsty, and even psychopathic. Marie has not once shown herself to be this way. She commands a great deal of respect from the members of the anti-bandit army, and shows them the same.¡±
¡°Then what makes her so different?¡±
She ponders for a moment, then, raising her head a little, she turns to me. ¡°I am¡I lack an understanding of human emotions, and how people may feel. However, when she and I spend time with one another, we talk about meaningless things, yet I cannot help but feel relaxed around her. Whenever she would pat my head, the warmth in her hands, it felt¡nice, I think.¡±
¡°That¡¯s it?¡±
¡°Yes. But I still believe that she is different from our enemies. I believe it is her kindness for those around her, and towards me, even though I am a doll.¡±
That¡¯s strange. It¡¯s like she¡¯s not sure what emotions she¡¯s feeling. Although, in a moronic way, it makes me believe her dedication toward that person¡ Almost reminds me of me.
Nunnal¨¦ stands when she finishes setting her trap. I¡¯m done with mine, too. As I stand up, the back of the purple-haired girl¡¯s thigh suffers a sudden deep cut on her leg. A long, slim strip whips upward to the building behind us.
¡°Puck, I was worried sick for you and Wedge.¡±
The enemy repels from the building by using his weapon. He faces us with a hideous grin, exposing their disgusting nature as a person. Their terrible attempt to sound polite boils my blood.
¡°I knew you¡¯d come, Jed.¡±
He twirls his weapon with one hand. ¡°Come now, I am not that predictable, am I?¡± he rhetorically asks, giggling at the end. ¡°...But it is a shame¡I detest killing my allies, so it¡¯s a shame it has to be this way.¡±
Living with guilt
A sharp pain stabs the middle of my throat. My joints lock up, trapping me in place. The purple-haired girl examines Jed¡¯s posture. He¡¯s ready for the both of us, handling his spear with a single hand, as usual. His eyes dart between me and the other girl.
All I got for a weapon was this wooden bow slung on my back. Bows are effective when fighting with the element of surprise and as a backup. But I count on that, and I¡¯m fighting this bastard!
Blood trickles down Nunnal¨¦¡¯s leg. I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s still standing with that wound.
Jed sways back and forth, flicking his spear, the thin metal piece of his weapon loose. Tiny jaw-like blades, each one rotating around the thin strip. A single touch of those razor-sharp talons, and we¡¯re dead. The purple-haired girl stabs a sword - she got out of nowhere - into the ground. The chain wraps around it. She immediately rushes forward.
Jed recalls the chain from his weapon, flinging the girl¡¯s sword from the ground. It spins at the girl, threatening to pierce her back. She struts her hand out, summoning it to her side.
Jed takes the first step forward, keeping his spear behind him. He¡¯s agile in how he swings his weapon, shifting his body around to gain momentum behind his attacks and to throw his opponent off track. Nunnal¨¦, however, parries each blow he makes.
I take off the bow on my back and knock back an arrow. My other was better than this piece of crap, far better. Maybe¡No, that doesn¡¯t matter right now. And even if I could remake it, I never will, not as long as I live.
The string of my bow rubber bands when I let go of the arrow. The wind is calm, my aim¡¯s good, and Jed isn¡¯t moving too fast; it should hit!
He kicks away at Nunnal¨¦, spinning himself out of the arrow¡¯s path. I knock back two arrows and then release them. Jed swipes them out of the way effortlessly.
Normal arrows won¡¯t cut it. Good thing I¡¯m not a one-trick pony!
Jed rushes forward right when I reach for THAT arrow. There¡¯s a black bag tied to the front of the arrowhead. He¡¯s spinning around for another attack. From the sides, or a thrust, either way, it¡¯s going to kill me if it hits. Wedge¡¯s dismembered arm flashes in my mind.
¡°Puck!¡±
Shit! Now isn¡¯t the time for that! In a second, those rotating blades are going to grind through my chest. Adrenaline flows through my body, pumping it full of energy. I take a risk and jump over his blades. Landing on the shaft, I punt his head with all the strength I got. His body falls backward. Forget about the special arrow, a normal arrow will finish this!
Nunnal¨¦ charges in, the same time I slip an arrow on the string¡ Something is wrong! Why is his body falling to the ground? I hit him, but not hard enough to knock him down!
¡°Get back!¡±
She stops dead in her tracks, but it¡¯s already too late. A brief moment passes, and we watch him fall to the ground with his weapon in hand. My eyes hone in on his limp body, almost about to hit the ground. Right then, he flashes me a smile teeming with menacing delight. His body spins around uncontrollably when his back grazed the ground.
¡°Oh, shit!¡±
A hurricane of pure killing intent runs wild. Thin silver flashes leave gigantic gashes all over, cutting out chunks from the already messed up buildings around us. The support beams for the building Proxy and his group were camping in begin to give way.
¡°Wedge!¡±
Crap, crap, crap, crap! He was aiming for all of us at the same time, and I didn¡¯t even see it coming! I race through the collapsing building, dodging the falling rubble. Wedge¡¯s body lies motionless on the ground. The roof is about to give way.
¡°Come! We need to¡go!¡±
It¡¯s no use! He¡¯s too heavy for me to lift out of here. We¡¯ll get crushed before we can make it out! This isn¡¯t the end. There¡¯s no way this is it¡!
¡/Marie
It never ends. The horrible memories I buried long ago keep playing inside my head, on repeat, without pause. Over, and over, and over, fire consumes my home, my father, and mother. Looking away does nothing, plugging my ears means little; the events play inside my head, and the sounds of crackling fire echo inside my head.
Worse of all, their voices keep growing louder, booming inside of my head, blaming me, cursing me all the while
I deserve it, all of this¡ I killed them all with my own hands. Their blood soaked into my skin as their bodies lay lifeless on the ground, mangled, disfigured, punctured, riddled with spears and lances, absorbing their blood into their blades.
¡°You should have died.¡± A small girl, wearing a neat, shimmering white dress. Her hair is kept in a small bun. Her beady little eyes gaze at mine, digging deep into my soul. ¡°You should have died.¡±
That¡¯s all she says. All I could do was scream and yell. I even tried to choke her to death. Now, all I can do is just lifelessly watch her, telling me I deserve to die¡ She¡¯s right, I deserve to. Why did I live? Why did I think my life was more important? I should just die¡
¡°You should have died.¡±
I know¡
¡°That fire should have killed me too¡ The outside should have killed me. I should have killed myself¡¡±
Please, just let it end¡ I¡¯m just tired.
¡°...Marie, I don¡¯t blame you for what happened, but I get you blame yourself¡¡± A boy, towering over the little girl, says, wearing a warm smile. His words are genuine, striking a cord inside me. ¡°I¡¯ll never forget your kindness when you gave me and Richard a place to stay. No matter what, I¡¯ll always be grateful to you.¡±
Shut up, that isn¡¯t true!
Then, another person appears, standing next to him with a determined, yet kind smile. ¡°...I promised I would always protect you, but I had failed to save you myself. In that, I pushed myself away from you¡¡± Self-loathing carries within every word he uttered, biting back the pain that comes with it. ¡°I was a fool! A fool who was too damn proud to face you out of the shame of his failure!¡±
¡°You¡¯re wrong, it¡¯s my fault!¡±
¡°...That is why I will not run from you, or my failings! You are my sister, and I could have not been any prouder of you! So when we return, I will face you!¡±
No, no, no, no! I jump up to my feet, burning with anger, not at them, but at myself.
¡°Proud! How can you be proud!? I killed people! Just for myself! I used anyone I could just to survive! You should both hate me, loath me, despise me! I almost¡I almost killed you all¡¡± My body goes limp, losing the burst of energy that it had. ¡°...What I did can¡¯t be forgiven, no matter what I do¡ I should just disappear.¡±
¡°But then we would miss you.¡±
Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Richard¡¯s voice joins the figures haunting me with their kind words.
¡°You shouldn¡¯t. I¡¯ll only hurt you. A horrid person like me will¨C¡±
¡°Stop sayin¡¯ all that garbage!¡± Elizabeth swings her arms around Proxy and Alexander. ¡°Kinda weird hearin¡¯ you speak like that just bums me out. Wanna get hammered and take off the edge?¡±
I can¡¯t take this anymore! Don¡¯t they get it? Are they just tormenting me? They should just stop it already!
¡°Marie¡¡± Nunnal¨¦, standing next to Richard, her hair shorter and messier than usual. ¡°...Even if you are not my master, I wish to defend you.¡±
Damnit¡damnit! I can¡¯t take it anymore. Just leave me alone already!
¡°Why do you all want me? I¡I¡¯m a murderer. Stop trying to make me feel better¡ I know, you all know it too; that I should die.¡±
¡°You should have died,¡± the little girl, standing in front of the crowd, repeats. ¡°...You keep begging everyone to say it, but you¡¯re the only one who wants that.¡± What the¡ Did she actually say something else? ¡°You¡¯re the only one who wants you to die. No one here has ever wished for you to die, let alone suffer. So why don¡¯t you go play with everyone.¡±
¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand. You¡¯re¨C¡±
¡°Dummy! I do! I¡¯m you, Marie.¡± She edges closer to me, beaming at me with a cute smile. ¡°You didn¡¯t mean to hurt everyone, so it¡¯s fine, right?¡±
¡°But what about the other people I killed!?¡± I roared, fed up with this brat. ¡°I killed them, I did that! Innocent people who didn¡¯t do anything to me! All just to save my worthless skin! So what about that, huh!? Do I have the right to keep living after that!? Don¡¯t give me that crap!¡±
She turns around, humming to herself while tapping her tiny feet. ¡°...Then we should take responsibility.¡±
¡°Take responsibility?¡±
¡°You¡¯re here because you want to run away. You want to die because it¡¯s easier than living with this guilt.¡± A hard lump in my throat prevents me from speaking. What she¡¯s saying cuts deep at my heart, and her being a kid isn¡¯t making this any better. ¡°But even if we die, they won¡¯t come back, and you would only be hurting those around you if you did die.¡±
¡°Still¡¡±
¡°Death will bring an end to your pain, but bring more pain to others. Is that what you want?¡±
¡°No! Of course not! But how am I supposed to take responsibility!? Tell me!¡±
¡°By living.¡± A simple clear-cut answer that didn¡¯t need any more thought behind it. But that alone baffled the shit out of me. ¡°...Living is the only way to make up for the pain we cause, and stopping the Fire Wraiths is the only way.¡±
She offers her hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Back to where we belong.¡±
A pleasant aura wraps around the small girl. Her hands are soft, not a single callous on her palm. Despite her size, she pulls me forward toward everybody else.
¡°You can¡¯t redeem yourself.¡±
My younger self hides behind my legs. A faceless figure, drenched in a black, murky substance stands across from me.
¡°No matter what you do, your crimes will stay with you. The blood on your hands will forever stain you.¡±
I figured as much, but¡I guess that¡¯s something I¡¯m gonna have to accept. No matter what I do, there¡¯s no bringing those people back; their blood is on my hands. Even so¡
¡°I¡don¡¯t want to waste their lives. Even if I have no right to live, I don¡¯t¡ I won¡¯t let the lives I took be for nothing!¡±
What¡¯s right, what¡¯s wrong, what I should be doing, and what I shouldn¡¯t, all of these damn hard to answer. Maybe this isn¡¯t what my victims want, but I want to make their lives mean something. Most of all, I want to be with everybody!
¡°Then you¡¯ll live with this guilt?¡±
¡°Yeah, I will.¡±
The dark figure sways a little, like a flame dancing in the wind. As intimidating as it looks, it isn¡¯t hostile, or at least I don¡¯t feel that it is. ¡°Fine, but you better not moan and groan, or even come back here saying you regret your decision.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure of this.¡±
¡°Then you won¡¯t mind if we walk side by side now, right?¡±
¡°Not one bit.¡±
It wouldn¡¯t be right if I didn¡¯t. After all, it¡¯s also me. Whether I want it to or not, I¡¯ll have to take that part of me with me; all of my negative and repressed emotions are a part of me.
¡°Me too,¡± the younger version of me cheers. ¡°I wanna go to.¡±
I chuckle and brush her hair. ¡°Course you can.¡±
I take her warm, tiny hands, guiding her back to the others. Those deaths, their cries of anguish, and their hatred for me will never go away, and I¡¯ll always feel it, engraved deep into my soul. Perhaps I have no right to feel happiness or to even live, but I¡¯m going to anyway. Not just for myself, but for those who are still alive, and to make things right.
When I wake up, I want to talk to everyone, and tell them everything, including who I actually am¡
Laguna - Anti-bandit army camp
Rubble rains around Puck and Wedge, one of whom is unconscious, and the other struggles to relocate themselves to safety. Impeded by the falling debris and the added weight of Wedge, Puck won¡¯t make it to the end of the other end. She and Wedge will be crushed under the rubble, Jed will achieve his goal, and Cade will lose himself¡
¡°Come on, move it!¡±
Puck is pushed toward the exit of the collapsing building. And not a second later, the building gives way. The crumbling bricks cascade on each other, smashing them to dust. A large dust cloud blows past the people who witnessed its collapse. Nunnal¨¦ had run inside to get Marie¡
¡°So, you¡¯re the only survivors? How ironic. But, it would be inhumane for human beings to suffer such deaths. At least by my hands, it will be quick.¡±
¡°Like I¡¯d let you! A freak like you is far from human! The way you act, talk, and even look. You¡¯re subhuman.¡±
Jed fazed by her comment, scratches his head. Not that it bothers him, he¡¯s more or less confused. ¡°How so? Is an animal a human the moment it speaks our language?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Is it?¡±
¡°No, dumbass!¡±
He snaps his finger, pointing his finger at Puck. ¡°Exactly.¡± Puck is taken aback, beyond bewildered at this point. ¡°...It would still be an animal. If a human does it, then that means it falls within human nature. My nature as a person is to follow my gut and achieve my life¡¯s goals. All men, women, and children have this drive. Just look at Cade. He¡¯s completely thrown caution to the wind to eliminate the bandits.¡±
¡°Shut it! You¡¯re the piece of shit who pushed him that far! It¡¯s your fault!¡±
¡°Fault? As if it were a mistake? But this was always meant to happen. All I did was expedite the process. In the end, this is who he was meant to be.¡±
She gnashes her teeth, burning with the urge to snap his neck. But she knows better than anyone that she¡¯d just be cut to ribbons if she makes a move.
¡°Hm?¡±
A rock shuffles from onto the pile of rubble behind Puck for a split second. It was inconsequential, but he knows better than to think of it like that. If Nunnal¨¦ had survived the collapse of the building, she¡¯d still be a problem.
He targeted her first to keep her from overtaking him with her superhuman strength. If she returns to the fight at full strength, he¡¯s guaranteed to lose this fight. However, the cut she suffered was deep. Even with her healing factor, she would not be able to operate at her strongest for the rest of the night. Jed¡¯s chances of winning are still high, and Nunnal¨¦¡¯s current state won¡¯t change that¡ So what if a third person is thrown into the pot?
A large rock rockets into the sky. Jed¡¯s attention switched to the rock in the air on instinct. But he quickly realized that something made it launch like that from the rubble. His eyes came back down only for the tip of a blade to be seconds away from piercing his neck.
He barely dodges it by the skin of his teeth. A second later, he would¡¯ve had a hole poked through his throat. It''s followed up by another swift strike from his current assailant. Their relentless push keeps him on guard, forcing him to move back until he can make a clean break. The opportunity presents itself when he ducks under their sword.
Someone else intercepts him. Their eyes meet. Bewilderment in Jed¡¯s eyes meets a sharply focused set of black eyes. For a moment, he let his guard down, enough to let the surprise sink in for a minute. A boot smashes into his pretty face before he can collect his thoughts. Oddly enough, the dirty strike set his thoughts aside and put him back into the fight.
Both opponents bolt after him from different sides. He wastes no time analyzing the situation as he grabs his weapon with both hands. Like this, he can take on two opponents at once, and with his keen sight.
A flurry of strikes resound within the area. The three combatants fight without holding back an inch. Although rare, whenever Jed uses two hands for his weapon, it means he¡¯s focusing on defense, parrying and opening for a counter. This countermeasure is useful for taking on multiple enemies. Combining this with the nature of his weapon, he¡¯s almost untouchable.
Unfortunately, he¡¯s not fighting average people. They keep testing his defense, pushing him further into a corner. Cracks in his defense start to give way trying to keep up with them. He undoes the loop of his chainsaw to make a clean break. He goes for their legs, making his enemies back off.
¡°This is quite unfair. Two ladies ganging up on me. But tell me, why have I never seen you before, ms?¡±
One of the ladies brushes aside her long, unkept, shoulder-length hair. She scoffs. ¡°Funny, seeing how you¡¯re the one picking on people. Why don¡¯t you try fighting someone you¡¯re own size, you weird son of a bitch!¡±
Her face, although seemingly worn out, beams with confidence as she sports a cocky grin. She had finally awoken from her mental slumber, returning to the place she belongs. Marie has returned to the battlefield.
To battle once more
Laguna - Anti-army camp - midnight - Marie
The light blue sky caught my attention when I exited that mess. Is it midnight right now? Time is fuzzy to me at the moment, and my body feels sluggish from all the meals I skipped, and with no sleep, yeah, can anyone blame me; it¡¯s a freaking miracle I¡¯m up. Nunnal¨¦¡¯s been picking up my slack this far, I¡¯d be dead.
This guy isn¡¯t a joke. His weapon looks strange, but something tells me looking pretty wasn¡¯t what the creator was going for. It could probably saw me in half if I let it hit me. Gotta stay on my toes!
¡°Hey, you,¡± I call over to the kid shielding her friend. ¡°Can you move?¡±
¡°Yeah, but who are you?¡±
¡°Not important. I need you to get somewhere safe. We¡¯ll take care of this creep.¡±
Kid probably wants to say something else, however, she pushes back whatever she wants to say. She picks up her friend by the arm and legs it.
¡°Stay there!¡±
The enemy¡¯s weapon blows out smoke, bellowing a mechanical roar. A thin chain unbuckles from its loop. It flies straight for the kid.
¡°Nunnal¨¦!¡±
She¡¯s already on the move! Her boot stops the chain. I¡¯m right on the bastard¡¯s ass. Cut up his arm and he¡¯ll be done. He lets go of his weapon and kicks at the shaft of my weapon, upsetting my grip on it. With his foot behind my weapon, he pulls me closer. A flurry of well-placed strikes hit my head and neck. Each blow is sharper than the last. I can barely keep my head straight eating all these. He takes this chance to close in further. Probably thinks I¡¯m stunned.
¡°Guess again, shithead!¡±
I stomp his face. Blood comes gushing out of his nose. If he¡¯s gonna go quick, then I¡¯m gonna hit harder!
Nunnal¨¦ hastily follows up. But he kicks up his lance, mitigating the otherwise devastating blow from the superhuman girl. Even in the air, he can still make attacks with that chain thing. It¡¯s still dangerous even if it isn¡¯t as accurate.
¡°Marie, are you unharmed!?¡±
¡°Nah! What about you?¡±
¡°No damage!¡±
"Then can you give me an idea of what''s going on?"
"Our current enemy is this boy, Jed. Master is distracting an incredibly powerful enemy, and the rest are trying to warn the bandits to leave.¡±
Okay¡now I¡¯m totally lost. But I think I get the gist of it; everyone is getting up to trouble, and Richard is holding someone off. Nunnal¨¦ said they were dangerous, and knowing Richard¡¯s lack of combat skills, I doubt she isn¡¯t worried about him. Good thing I¡¯m all warmed up now.
¡°Go find Richard and help him.¡±
She turns her head to me, taken aback at what I said. ¡°What of you?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, just go. He¡¯s probably wishing he had his favorite guardian right about now. Don¡¯t you think?¡±
She dashes off but stops halfway to the exit. ¡°...I wish to speak with you, once this is over,¡± she says with her back turned. ¡°Thank you, for your assistance.¡±
¡°No problem. After all, I should be thanking you.¡±
She races off at top speed to find Richard. Alright, time to get down to work.
¡°Thanks for waiting,¡± I jeered at the enemy, spinning my spear behind myself.
"It is fine, but I am going to have to make this brief. I cannot allow those two to escape." He kicks the upper part of his lance over to his left shoulder. "...By the way, my name is Jed. It is only gentlemanly of me to introduce myself."
"What a gentleman. Too bad I''m not as kind!"
I kick up dust mixed with debris from under my feet. The remains of the building near us are scattered all over the place. Since this guy doesn¡¯t scream half-assed in his pole-arm skills, he easily deflects them out of his path. But it doesn¡¯t matter. It only helped me close in on him.
He¡¯s about to swing his lance over my head. Easy enough to dodge. That attack just then was more on the lines of playing keep away rather than going for a decisive blow¡ Or at least that¡¯s what I thought. Jed pushes forward, wrapping his weapon around his body. He shifts his weight every time he swings his weapon. Not to mention his absurd level of athletics and how nimble he is. Each swing tests my ability to judge whether I should block or dodge. A single mistake, and I¡¯m dead.
If I avoid getting hit with his blade, I''ll be fine. But that''s easier said than done. His control over that thing is crazy! Not just that, he¡¯s even using his damn legs!. I hate to say it, but I¡¯m impressed. The hours of practice, the blisters on your hands and fingers, and the discipline to control this beast is plain to see.
But so what!? I¡¯m not gonna let that distract me. Parrying every strike, I focus my attention, paying attention to every little detail about this kid; when he shifts his weight, how his arms are arched, when he contracts, where his eyes move, and most importantly; finding an opening in his offense.
The rotating talons close in on my shoulder, threatening to hack through my shoulder. Now! I whack the middle of his weapon, pushing it above his head. His guard is down! One chance, don¡¯t waste it!
However, Jed isn¡¯t panicked. He drops the lance from his hands. Is he giving up? A dumb thought. Jed kicks his weapon upward by hitting the bottom of it. The spinning blades edge close to my face, barely missing me. Too damn close! He quickly grasps his weapon and chucks it at me. A blink is all it would take for the lance to reach me. I swing it out of the way. A vicious strike whips my head back. He thrust his leg for my gut. I shield myself with my spear. All it does is push me back. Wait, no, that wasn¡¯t just that! That kick almost broke through my spear¡¯s shaft. Good thing I blocked, or my guts would be all over the floor. However, a broken weapon isn¡¯t any better.
He kicks his weapon to his hand, grinning at me with a shit-eating grin. ¡°How boring. Did you honestly think you were a match for me? If so, then I must be the bearer of terrible news; you are too weak. Perhaps you should have left the fighting to that other girl. She would have¨C¡±
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
¡°You¡¯re right.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°I said you¡¯re right¡I¡¯m acting dull¡¡±
I hold my spear in front of myself, handling it on the opposite sides of the tear. ¡°...I¡¯m still a bit too ridged, too clean¡ Time to cut the shit!¡±
I snap it in two over my knee. I throw the blade at Jed, following behind it. He swats the blade out of the air despite being taken by surprise. That¡¯s fine, it¡¯s all fine!
¡°What the¨C¡±
My hands grapple his lance, immediately tightening to secure their grip. Jed, reeling from my advancement, does a swift maneuver to destroy my grip. Each turn and shake would have been enough to do the job, if I wasn¡¯t familiar with disarming.
¡°My turn, you brat!¡±
I cross my arms and flex my muscles to their limit. It¡¯s down to strength, and I ain¡¯t losing, not now! Fancy footwork ain¡¯t gonna cut it, not at this distance. In a last-ditch effort, he punts it out of our hands. It spins above us, reaching higher into the sky. I can¡¯t let him have it!
There¡¯s no more time to be cautious! It¡¯s do-or-die time! A savage battle of endurance begins with me striking Jed¡¯s face. We bash our fists wherever we can hit the other. There¡¯s no rhythm or reason, not even a shred of thought behind my blows, I just go for it; desperately trying to outdo him as our bones gnash against the other. His strikes alone wouldn¡¯t be so bad if it weren¡¯t for his lightning-fast follow-ups. My brain is practically turning to mush from each hit.
The lance is coming back down! All or nothing, just take it! Jed punches me with his heaviest strike yet. Nausea almost overpowers my brain as it rattles around inside my skull. Light bounces around with my eyes losing focus of everything in front of me.
Still, this is what I¡¯ve been waiting for! I grab onto his wrist. Squeeze down on these twigs with enough strength to break them.
¡°Gotcha.¡± Bits of my sight return enough to see the dumbstruck look on his face. ¡°Better say goodbye to your teeth¡!¡±
All the muscles in the left part of my body, from my back to my hand, flex to their fullest capacity. Arching my arm, I line up my fist for his face. His feeble attempts to get away aren¡¯t doing him any good. Whatever he dishes out, I¡¯ll eat it up! All of it for this one punch!
Then, I slam my fist into his pretty face, crushing his nose between my knuckles. I push my fist harder into his head, rocking his head back and forth with a single blow. He rolls and bumps into the debris below us. The lance lands, lodging itself into the ground. Its rotating blades keep going, like they have a mind of its own¡
¡°It¡¯s done,¡± I mutter, letting out a sigh of relief
¡°No¡¡± Jed staggers to his feet, wearing a nasty smile coated in blood running from his head and nose. ¡°...Not¡over¡ It keeps going!¡±
He throws something my way. A tiny silver glint catches my eye, closing the 5-meter distance between me and Jed at a remarkable speed. My body recoils. Searing, unfathomable pain burns around my shoulder. A spearhead is stuck in my shoulder.
An earsplitting scream erupts out of me, tearing at my throat. Shit, shit, shit! This is mine! The broken part is even there! Wait, shit! He¡¯s just using this as a distraction! And as predicted, he¡¯s blazing over here at top speed. The lance! Biting down on my lip, I tear out the blade and reach for it. Horrendous pain flares up in my shoulder from the slightest movement, but it doesn¡¯t matter right now!
¡°Push harder!¡±
I know! Victory is right in front of me! Even if I have a hole in my shoulder, I don¡¯t give a shit! I¡¯ll win!
Both my hands clasp the lance. Jed¡¯s eyes widen, losing whatever confidence he had in winning. With a single blink, the battle is over. A spray of blood paints the air in crimson. With rapid, uncontrolled pants of disbelief, and immense confusion, a fleshy thud hits the ground. Jed falls back, leaving a blood trail behind him. His right arm lies on the ground, in a pool of blood.
¡°This¡can¡cannot¡ I¡I¡?¡± You¡¯d think he¡¯d be screaming his lungs out, but as weird as this sounds, he looks distraught about something else. ¡°...Not like¡not like this!¡±
¡°Just give up. I¡don¡¯t want to kill you.¡±
¡°But¡I am¡your enemy!¡±
¡°Yeah, well I¡¯m tired of having other people¡¯s blood on my conscious. So just give it up.¡±
¡°I see, so¡then you are¡a killer with¡a conscious? How funny.¡±
¡°Yeah, I guess so.¡±
¡°But¡your crimes will not¡wash away¡simply for¡sparing¡me.¡±
¡°I know, I¡¯ll just have to carry those sins with me.¡±
He expels a hoarse chuckle, clutching the remains of his left side. ¡°Unfortunately¡I am¡unable to¡comply! This¡my goal¡my purpose¡! It is all I have left!¡±
He digs into his pocket. A purple ball cracks open against the ground. Smoke rushes upward, blanking my surroundings. I rush through the smokey haze using his blood as a trail.
¡°...Where is it!?¡±
The trail is cold. Whatever he did, it completely stopped his bleeding, cause I sure as shit can¡¯t find even a speck of blood outside the smoke cloud.
¡°Damnit! How did he get away that fast?¡±
Did he cover up his arm with his sleeve or something? But how far can he get with only one arm? He isn¡¯t much of a threat when he can¡¯t use a weapon properly anymore. Maybe I should make sure to¨C
Out of nowhere, a popping sound takes my attention off that punk. It sounds far off from here, north of here, or at least I think it''s north of where I¡¯m facing. Whenever weird things are happening, we¡¯re usually in the middle of it. Well, guess that means I¡¯m heading there then.
¡°Right, this thing.¡±
This lance¡ It¡¯s more than useful, but it¡¯s too big for me to wield effectively. Also, I just don¡¯t see it and me pairing up well with each other.
¡°Maybe we would¡¯ve been a good pair, but that time come and gone.¡±
I let it go. Dust pushes up from the ground, blanketing the beaten and stained weapon. Oddly enough, among the rubble and whatnot, it looks at home¡ Maybe it had enough too? Eh, who knows? I don¡¯t have time to worry about how a weapon feels.
I slap my cheeks to hype myself up. ¡°Alright! Time to get my ass in gear.¡±
Need to book it to where everyone else might be. Brother, Proxy, Richard, Nunnal¨¦, everyone¡ I feel it in my heart; you¡¯re all fighting hard right now. So I¡¯m not gonna sit on my ass and let you guys do all the work! I¡¯m on my way!
Laguna - South - nearing dawn - Richard
Crash, bang, boom. These sounds reverberate through my ears as I run through the dilapidated city. Cade keeps closing in behind me, but whether by a stroke of luck or untapped skill at running away, I manage to keep him off me. However, I sustained too many wounds at this point. Healing them one by one is all I can do; sorted by grievous to least worrisome.
Climbing on top of a house, I keep moving. I switch from healing to enhancing. Using one leg to leap is still hard, but as long as I¡¯m careful of where I¡¯m jumping and how to land, I¡¯ll be fine. Though, my body really isn¡¯t up for continuous running.
¡°...That¡¯s¡!¡± Hurrdling through the air, a lamppost! Move, move! They crash through the roof, trailing behind me. And like a bad joke, a large rock is spinning through the air, aimed right at me. There¡¯s no more roof to run on. I can see a lamppost over the edge of the roof. I take the plunge. At this height, catching the neck of the lamp will probably pop my arm out of place. Need to enhance all of my arm to avoid that. Brimming with Source, I catch the neck but it tears right off. Forgot to factor my mass while falling! My back hits the cold ground. Ow¡ow. Note to self: never do that again.
¡°Oh, no!¡±
Cade is about to drop on top of me. I pull myself together to jump out of the way. Face to face, it¡¯s clear that Cade is beginning to signs of some exhaustion; he¡¯s lightly panting. Might not be much, but that¡¯s a good sign. Although, it¡¯s not like I can confidently fight him. His abilities far surpass mine in terms of combat. Plus, my wounds are still bad. Healing now leaves me open for a direct attack. Running away is sound, although, if he gets me while I make a break for it, I¡¯ll die. Damnit, what do I do¡!
A thunderous pop grabs our attention. What was that!? Wait, that direction¡ It came from the bridge! That means they¡¯re ready¡! I¡¯ll have to let them take it from here.
I draw in a deep breath. ¡°Hey!¡± Cade¡¯s eyes trace back to me, just as feral as before. ¡°Want the bandits, they¡¯re over there! So go get them!¡±
He darts his eyes back to the sky where that pop came from. ¡°Bandits!¡±
Cade kicks off the ground, making it up to the roofs. He¡¯s gone¡good. I fall to my knees, heavily panting, trying to take in whatever air I can. I had reached my limit ages ago. At least now, I can heal up for a bit¡
¡°Did all I could. Bring it home, Proxy¡"
Cades final march: part 1
Laguna - North-end - midnight
On the bridge linking the north and south ends of Laguna, hordes of Fire Wraith bandits and the anti-bandit army are at a stand-off, the other group throwing. Yet, against their urges, the bandits stand still with bated breaths. The same for the anti-bandit army. Between these two groups, the old man refers to himself as Santa. Quite murmurs turn to a jumble of voices like kids in a cafeteria. Both sides are equally confused by the old man¡¯s declaration.
¡°...You are bandits, the same as I, and yet, all of you wish to turn tail and run?¡± None of them dare to answer their superior. Santa nods his head, visibly upset with them. ¡°...Pitiful, just pitiful¡¡±
Proxy, who wants to strike the old man going by Santa, keeps his silence, baffled by his sudden address to the Fire Wraith bandits. Wildcard shares the same expression of confusion with Proxy.
¡°What are you doing?¡± Wildcard demands, expecting an answer.
¡°Wildcard, you must understand. As a hunter, you must see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A chance to find a foe worthy of your skill, strength, even your life¡¡±
Santa is nothing more than a raving lunatic to everyone else, rambling on about a fight they couldn¡¯t care less for, except for the obvious outliers. And nothing can stop him from sounding crazy to everyone but himself.
Santa drifted through life after the war came to an end, chasing the thrill of a fight. But, in an age where war is no more, and all the big players have no reason to fight, he was unable to obtain that excitement. Pillaging villages never pleased him, let alone being a bandit in general. But he went with it nonetheless, simply because he was bored.
He landed himself in BlackRock Prison based on the rumors of its arenas. So, to throw himself in with the worst of the worst, he arrived at the Kingdom and slaughtered several city guards, making it to the king¡¯s castle. From there, he was sentenced to death. He was satisfied for a while, but he eventually got bored. Day-in and out, constantly fighting, winning, fighting, winning, fighting, winning, fighting, winning, fighting and winning¡ ¡°Is it worth living¡± he thought. A dark bitterness grew inside him, fostering hatred for those below him.
Now, faced with an unsurmountable enemy, the old man¡¯s raving isn¡¯t meant to convince those around him, or even to get them to see reason, but to convey his overwhelming joy and gratitude towards Cade.
¡°...Yeah, no, this shit ain¡¯t worth dying for,¡± Wildcard comes back with a harsh response. ¡°I enjoy a fight, but not if it¡¯s gonna get me killed.¡±
¡°I see. Still, it is a battle worth taking part in. So, I ask you all, as bandits: does this not¨C¡±
Grey Ocean, fed up with all the grandstanding, shoots up a large ball of water several meters into the air, and with the snap of his fingers, it pops like a balloon. Water rains down on top of everyone, baffled, amazed, and alarmed by his out-of-nowhere display.
¡°W-was that the signal!?¡± Proxy yells, almost stammering at the beginning.
¡°Yep,¡± Ocean answers, acting casual.
¡°Why the hell did you send it up now!?¡±
¡°I¡¯m givin¡¯ these idiots an ultimatum.¡± He gently slides his sword back into its sheath. ¡°You dumbasses get two choices: stay here and get murdered, or run away before you get murdered. I know, your brains are hurtin¡¯ tryin¡¯ to figure this out, but make up your damn minds, and fast.¡±
The risk of Cade getting there before the bandits make a choice is high, but at this point, he knew lighting a fire under their ass was necessary.
¡°Is that meant to scare me,¡± Santa asks, showing no fear.
¡°Can¡¯t you tell, ya old fart?¡±
Santa might be unfazed by his threat, however, the rest of the bandits are a different story. They¡¯re dreading the incoming monster of an enemy possibly coming their way. Naturally, this building sense of tension and fear pushes them to the breaking point, destroying whatever bravado they have. Bandit or not, it doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re dead, they know this.
They begin to flee, pushing, shoving, and pulling at each other to get away faster than the other.
Santa scoffs at their cowardice, not disappointed, but humored at how comical they¡¯re acting. ¡°What a joke¡. Regardless, I am staying.¡±
Ocean rubs his temples and sighs. ¡°Of course, one of you had to be crazy. Whatever, man! Everyone else, better get your ass in gear and move!¡±
¡°I refuse.¡±
Gil stomps past Proxt, going face-to-face with Santa. ¡°...Then I¡¯ll make you leave.¡±
¡°Can a coward really say such a thing?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not.¡±
¡°You ran from me last time we fought. The battle was not over.¡±
¡°I know that, and I will bring it to a close. But until then, do as they say and walk away with your life.¡±
The old man hums to himself, stuck in his thoughts. ¡°...I refuse.¡±
Gil bashes his head into Santa¡¯s skull without warning. ¡°Then you can die here!¡±
Proxy separates the two before he can throw a punch. ¡°Come on, now ain¡¯t the time!¡±
¡°He¡¯s not going to wait until later!¡±
¡°We said we were gonna get these dumbasses out of here, and I meant it. Did you?¡±
He recoils for a moment, undoing his balled-up fist. Shame creeps up on his face, even looking somewhat embarrassed. Proxy understands his frustration and even wants to let him fight Santa. But they both know it isn¡¯t the time or place to do this.
¡°You¡¯re right¡I¡¯m sorry.¡±
Proxy lightly taps Gilhart¡¯s chest with his knuckle. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, big guy. You¡¯ll get your chance, trust me.¡±
Gilhart¡¯s undying hatred for Santa did not settle down, even with this cease-fire, but he knows where his priorities lie right now. He gets on the bus with the other army members, focusing on defending them from any sudden moves by the bandits. Gilhart looks back, sparing a confident grin at Proxy and Alexander. They reciprocate.
¡°I shall stay to fight as well,¡± Alex declares, unsheathing his sword.
¡°¡®kay, then I¡¯ll get these guys to safety,¡± Ocean says as he steps back onto the bus. He stops halfway in and looks back at Proxy. ¡°...Proxy, now¡¯s your time to shine. Let¡¯s see if you can back up your bark.¡± There¡¯s nothing that needs to be said. Anything that can be said is better said with action, Proxy knows that. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this bus movin¡¯!¡±
The bus door closes behind the swordsman. Elizabeth pokes her head out of the driver-side window. ¡°You better come back alive! Gonna be a bummer if y¡¯all end up dead!¡±
¡°Obviously! You just worry about yourselves,¡± Proxy says. ¡°We¡¯ll meet up with you after we pick up the others.¡±
She gives the young man a thumbs-up while driving off.
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°What is it, Alex?¡±
¡°Did sir Garrick leave with the others?¡±
The question makes Proxy nervous, although he¡¯s unsure of why. Alexander noticed Garrick leaving the bus, but he didn¡¯t pay him any mind.
¡°Hey, what should we be looking out for?¡± Wildcard asks, keeping a firm eye on the bridge.
¡°Cade, duh.¡±
¡°I mean what he can do, jackass.¡±
¡°A whole bunch of funky shit, and don¡¯t call me a jackass, shithead.¡±
For two, grueling minutes, they stand their ground, waiting for Cade¡¯s arrival. Proxy¡¯s skin crawls every second that passes; the delicate touch of the wind brushing by gets a knee-jerk reaction out of him.
Alexander¡¯s hand hovers over his blade, ready to draw at a moment''s notice. His calm and collected exterior hides his anxiety. The idea of fighting someone capable of wiping out all the bandits in this city is making his blood run cold, but that¡¯s not enough to have him bow out of the fight. Bound to his word, he¡¯ll risk his life in this battle.
Wildcard breathes in and out, filtering out any unnecessary thoughts. ¡°Fear is the enemy of the mind, eliminate doubt and focus on the battle¡±, a mantra Wildcard repeats in his head when facing a tough opponent. Dangerous predators or human beings, they¡¯re all the same; ¡°an enemy that demands his attention, any less is a surefire way to get yourself killed¡±, is also what he thinks.
Santa is the only one who doesn¡¯t need to mentally prepare himself. Win or loss, if he dies, then it¡¯ll be a worthy death, and if he wins, then he¡¯ll be satisfied by the battle. Either way, he¡¯s in it for the thrills.
¡°Do you feel it¡the moment before a great battle.¡± Santa rambles. ¡°...The wind dies down, and the sun and moon leave, only appearing when the victor has been made. A battle only fit for those who find meaning in battle.¡±
¡°God, do you ever shut up?¡±
¡°Tell me about it,¡± Wildcard grumbles from the corner of his mouth.
¡°Everyone, stay ready for¨C¡±
The ground 10 yards ahead of them explodes. The sound of bricks shattering to pieces and the giant dust cloud in front of them heightens their senses. Someone slowly approaches them, each step more deafening than the last. Draped in a dark robe, Cade shows himself. Goosebumps ran across Everyone¡¯s arms, Santa too, but it wasn¡¯t out of fear. Up close, his unbearable presence becomes suffocating, drowning anyone in its wake.
¡°Proxy?¡± Cade, his voice raspy and hoarse, whispers. ¡°...Are you¡Proxy?¡±
Proxy relaxes his stance, slowly moving towards him. ¡°Yeah, I am.¡± He fights against the overbearing wave of hospitality with each step he takes. ¡°Cade, everything is okay. Puck and Wedge, they¡¯re¨C¡±
¡°DEAD! THEY ARE DEAD!¡±
¡±No, they¡¯re alive!¡±
¡°NO, STOP LYING! THEY¡¯RE DEAD!¡±
Proxy is quick to grasp the situation. He knows there¡¯s no talking this over, not without settling him down first.
¡°Fine, if you¡¯re gonna throw a tantrum, I¡¯ll make you listen!¡±
Alexander rushes to Proxy¡¯s side. ¡°No. We shall make you listen! Right?¡±
¡°Yeah! So let¡¯s¨C¡±
A powerful explosion goes off in front of Cade. A fiery ball of heat whirlwinds where Cade is standing; heat pushes past the others. It was sudden, too quick for any one of them to understand what was going on. Proxy¡¯s eyes glued on the explosion, his thoughts run wild, worried sick about Cade.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°Cade!¡±
A small cloud of smoke blanks the area. It¡¯s nothing but insane to believe someone can survive an explosion like that.
Santa sighs, baffled by the explosion, and frustrated with such an anti-climatic end for a once-in-a-lifetime fight. ¡°What a disappoint¨C¡±
His frustration is cut short. He gets flung back several meters. Something dove out of the smoke, using it to get a sucker punch in, picking a target at random.
Two daggers pierce the veil of smoke. They¡¯re aimed for Proxy. Alexander¡¯s finely honed eyes see them coming. He swings his sword, knocking them out of the air.
¡°He¡¯s coming after us, Proxy!¡±
Cade breaks through the smoke, hovering over the ground with his eyes trained on Proxy. Burns are visible on his body, leaving a few marks on him. He managed to summon the hulking monster before the explosion did any further damage.
Cade drives his silver dagger at his target''s head. Proxy slides out of the way, narrowly escaping death. He drags the blade across the ground, slicing upward at Proxy. Alexander parries the attack.
¡°Attack,¡± Alexander orders.
¡°Gotcha!¡±
Alexander and Proxy combat Cade together. Their blades clash several times, picking up the pace of their short encounters. Cade¡¯s aggressive fighting style offsets Alexander''s formal style, putting him on the defensive. Proxy isn¡¯t fairing any better with only just his fists; Cade is keeping pace with both fighters.
¡°Make way, losers!¡± Wildcard leaps over our head, shoving his feet into Cade¡¯s face. A clean hit to the head, more than enough to get him reeling. ¡°Don¡¯t screw around, start getting hits in!¡±
They silently agree with Wildcard.
¡°I shall take the lead,¡± Alexander exclaims, running forward.
Wildcard follows behind him. ¡°Come on, brat!¡±
¡°I ain¡¯t a brat!¡±
They duck and weave under Cade¡¯s hail of knives. Each knife is smaller than the dagger in his hand. Alexander swiped them out of the way to cover for the two weaponless warriors. They close in on Cade with Proxy getting ahead of Wildcard. His fist misses its mark. But he¡¯s quick to go for a follow-up. Cade and Proxy go at each other, trying to land the first blow.
Proxy sees the difference in their skills. He doesn¡¯t think they¡¯re far apart, rather neck and neck, but even then, he knows that Cade¡¯s skills are geared towards battles like this; life and death fights. Cade¡¯s knife work is masterful, and one screw-up can end with Proxy¡¯s death. ¡°Gotta disarm him, no two ways about it,¡± Proxy thought.
But he knows it¡¯s easier said than done. Their last fight demonstrated Cade¡¯s clever nature, letting him get the upper hand on Proxy. However, the deftness he wielded his weapon is gone. Each swing carries an unnecessary amount of weight and power and lacks forethought.
Richard had assessed Cade¡¯s mental and cognitive state to be unstable, and he was right. Overwhelmed by rage, sorrow, and his desire for revenge, he can no longer think straight. Whispers in his head suggest his next course of action, and like a machine, he follows it; all feeling, yet without judgment or thought.
Proxy catches his wrist, squeezing it hard. He hits Cade with a flicker jab. A solid blow. Yet¡Cade doesn¡¯t even flinch, baring down at his opponent with intense ire
¡°Don¡¯t tell me you can¡¯t feel pain or some shit.¡±
Cade, annoyed with that strike despite taking little damage, asserts his strength by flinging Proxy off to the side. His body is flying toward a lamppost. Not liking the idea of making a head-first impact, he puts his hands out for it. He swerves around with all the built-up momentum, shooting right back at Cade. Despite surprisingly hurling back at him, Cade shields with his arm. Proxy hastily hits him with a second kick. Wildcard doesn¡¯t miss his chance to get a hit in. Sandwiched between the two bare-handed fighters unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks.
¡°That all you got? Weaker than I thought.¡±
To answer his question, the monster appears, bellowing out a battle cry. Its massive arms try to swipe at Proxy and Wildcard, but they already moved out of the way before it even got the chance
¡°What is that thing,¡± Wildcard, low on all fours, asks Proxy.
¡°Not too sure, but it¡¯s working with him.¡±
Wildcard clicks his teeth. ¡°What a pain in the ass.¡±
¡°Yeah, but now ain¡¯t the time for complaining!¡±
¡°Then let us¨C¡±
Alexander catches his tongue in his throat, his gaze locked on a woman strolling behind Cade. Slow, relaxing steps, each one matching the rhythm of his heartbeat. She has no weapons and lacks the physique for battle. Yet, he¡¯s breaking out into a cold sweat.
Proxy was told to watch out for that creature by Richard, who had the displeasure of getting hit with its nails on a chalkboard screech.
¡°Cover your ears,¡± Proxy shouts, shutting his ears tight with his hands.
Everyone covers their ears just in the nick of time. The woman unleashes a thunderous scream. Its terrible voice barely making it into their ears is the stuff of nightmares. However, if its target blocks most of it, they¡¯ll be fine.
¡°Kill them, now!¡± A masculine voice whispers in Cade¡¯s head.
Cade disappears and the black-haired woman along with him. Proxy¡¯s sense goes off immediately; telling him to watch out above. The muscle-bound monster is coming at them like a homing missile.
¡°Move!¡±
Too late. Its gigantic body crashes into the bridge. Huge chunks go hurling into the sky and so do the boys. Each of them scattered around the plaza at the end of the bridge. Proxy hits his back against the ground. Nothing serious but it numbly aches as he gets to his feet. Before he can catch his breath, his sense goes off again, another attack from above. The young delinquent gets out of the way. Cade¡¯s dagger cleaves apart empty air, cutting into the ground.
Proxy gets into his stance, watching Cade¡¯s every move, staring at his face with a keen eye. He¡¯s like an unhinged dog; baring his fangs and waiting to go for the kill. Proxy does see that, but he sees something else: a friend who¡¯s losing himself.
¡°...Hey,¡± Proxy says with a nonchalant tone. ¡°...remember when we met? Feels like a lifetime ago, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Proxy readjusts his footing, keeping his sight on Cade. ¡°...Well, I remember it like yesterday. The way you came in and kicked bandit ass was awesome. But more than that, when I saw how you guys worked, I liked what I saw.¡±
Cade charges at Proxy with his dagger. Proxy swiftly dodges it.
¡°...You welcomed me with open arms like I was one of you! Even when I left my friends behind, you let me stay. All of you, Puck, Wedge, you guys were people I respected, people I wanted to be friends with.¡±
¡°LIAR!¡±
¡°I¡¯m not!¡±
He absent-mindedly swings the dirtied silver blade, desperate to shut Proxy up. And he almost got him, but Proxy grabbed his wrist, stopping the blade from poking a hole in his chest. ¡°You, Puck, and Wedge, I cared about all of you, and I still do!¡±
¡°SHUT UP! LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!¡±
¡°Hey¡!¡±
¡°...LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR, LIAR¨C¡±
¡°Fucking listen!¡±
Proxy bashes his head into Cade¡¯s. A violent, nauseous headache pounds within his cranium, not to mention his brain is bouncing around. The boy immediately realizes how stupid it was to headbutt him that hard, not headbutting in general.
¡°...I¡ain¡¯t lying¡ I care about you¡but, I can¡¯t let you hurt my friends; I¡¯d regret it¡ Even with what Marie did, I¡¯ll still protect her.¡±
Cade shakes him off, clutching his head in pain. Memories swirl inside, pushing happier memories of his time with Proxy. It only confuses him even more, bringing even greater emotional strife.
¡°YOU¡! BANDITS, ALL OF YOU ARE THE SAME! JUST DIE! DIE, DIE, DIE, DIE!¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. You still wanna fight¡!¡± He put up his fists once again. ¡°...Come and get it. I don¡¯t give a shit how powerful you are!¡±
He tears off his cape, revealing his ragged body. His clothes are torn up and his face is pale. He lowers his stance, holding his dagger backward. Proxy plants his feet firmly on the ground, putting his dominant leg forward.
¡°Bring it, you bastard!¡±
At that moment, Cade shoots off the ground at breakneck speed. A second is all it takes for him to close the distance. Proxy, relying on his instincts, gets out of the way at the last second. Cade throws his last throwing knife. It slices through the air like butter. At this distance, Proxy¡¯s shoulder will be struck, then Cade will move in and go for a killing blow. That would have been the case if the young man was alone.
Alexander strikes the knife out of the air. The surgical precision with his hands and critical timing needed is unheard of. Someone would say it¡¯s plain impossible for a normal person to do something like that. But Alexander devoted his life to being an ideal knight; in principle and swordplay. Swatting a knife out of the air is no problem for him.
¡°Coward!¡± Alexander shouts, aiming his frustration at Cade in Proxy¡¯s place.
¡°Alex¡can you¨C¡±
¡°I am joining in!¡±
Asking for help is pointless, he¡¯ll get it whether he wants it or not. With a reliable ally with him, Proxy can¡¯t help but crack a smile, grateful for having such wonderful friends.
¡°Don¡¯t forget about me.¡± Wildcard pops up behind them, bearing his canines at Cade.
¡°Don¡¯t fall behind,¡± Proxy tells him, not even sparing him a glance.
¡°Right back at you.¡±
Three vs one, but that isn''t enough to call it an advantage; it''s just a handicap. He can summon two monsters at will. With the ability to summon and his monstrous strength, fighting against an opponent of this caliber would be hopeless. However, no matter how tough the beast looks, it has a flaw.
Source: an energy that flows from the soul and around the body. The energy that allows you to do feats beyond normal human convention; to shoot fire, heal wounds, conjure creatures, and even enhance your body''s capabilities, still comes with its limits.
Cade can use it but doesn''t know how to control it properly. Flow, volume, and output are three fundamentals that make a Source-user. Throwing even one of these to the curb is reckless, and a mark of an amateur. Cade, taught to use his abilities by the creatures he conjures, did not learn to control his Source. He is burning more Source than he should. If the fight goes on, and Proxy and co run outlast his attacks, then they can win.
Proxy is aware of this, but he isn¡¯t relying on that method of victory. He knows he¡¯s weaker, but doesn¡¯t waver, he realizes he might die here, but isn¡¯t expecting to lose. Fighting is the only thing he can do to save his friend, even if it gets him killed. For this boy, fighting is the best way to understand and reach a person without words; through this, he wants to reach Cade¡¯s heart.
¡°Let¡¯s do this! Let¡¯s go, Cade!¡±
Cade¡¯s beastly roar summons the muscle monster, darting at the three of them. A mass of muscle like that would crush them like a soda can with a single blow. Although it''s powerful, the creature is slow. Proxy knows he doesn¡¯t need to focus on it, knocking Cade out is all that matters. But the monster stays on the boy. It swings its giant hand at him, threatening to squish him like a bug, but Alexander intercepts, barely withstanding the force behind the attack.
¡°Focus on Cade,¡± Alexander orders the boy. He will fend off the monster while Cade and Proxy go at it. This is the fight to save someone from themself, and Alexander isn¡¯t going to let anyone stop Proxy. ¡°...Do not interfere!¡±
His blade slices clean through the monster¡¯s hand. An agonizing cry erupts from it, but he pays no mind. He steps to the side of it, aiming for its neck. Whether on intuition or keen instinct, it uses its other arm to block the strike. Unlike its hand, its thick arm is as sturdy as an oak tree.
It swings its arm, flinging Alexander¡¯s sword away. He¡¯s caught off balance for a moment but quickly regains his footing. He weaves under the beast¡¯s arm, dodging its follow-up by the skin of his teeth. The tip of his blade glides across its chest. A shallow cut is all he could manage. There¡¯s no blood coming out of the wound, but the monster can feel the hot stinging sensation, fueling its anger.
Taking a giant leap off the ground, Santa kicks in the creature¡¯s head. Dazed, the old man takes advantage of this moment of confusion. He bashes its chest with three heavy punches. Bright red bruises leave their mark. Alexander jumps up its arm and drops right off to slash at its back. The monster twists, swinging around its arm like a whirlwind. He leaps back while guarding with his blade.
¡°Your movement. You remind me of someone.¡± Alexander bites his tongue. He learned swordplay from his father, so the only person Santa could be talking about is obvious. But as much as he wants to ask who he¡¯s talking about, he knows it has to wait.
The monster tears off a large stone sword from a statue. Heavier than any other sword, and twice as likely to cave in someone¡¯s head in a single blow. A bloodcurdling scream bursts from the monster¡¯s mouth, sending shockwaves across the dead plaza, shattering whatever window wasn¡¯t smashed in already.
All three combatants race off. A prolonged fight is not doable, Alexander thought. A single swing from that, and he¡¯d be lucky not to end up a smear on the ground. One blow either to the neck or head is all it would take, and Alexander isn¡¯t blind to this. A single strike is all he will get, anything more and the monster will close it off. Santa, however, has no intention of letting the fight end so soon.
The stone sword is 4 feet long, crafted with the sturdiest stone around, it will withstand the beast¡¯s strength whenever it is swung. The old man asserts he could survive one strike, maybe two. Any more than that, and he might not end up with a missing upper half, but he will be critically injured. All the more thrilling for the old warrior.
Cade¡¯s monster brings down the stone sword. Both men get out of the way. Alexander runs into a broken down, blazing past the rubble and up the stairs. Meanwhile, Santa faces down the monster with a delighted grimace. It immediately went for the kill. It misses, receiving a heavy punch to the chest. Acting with clear intent, he smashes the stone sword from the bottom part of the blade.
¡°Now, hit me!¡± Like he wanted, a fist swiped across his face. Blood shoots out of his mouth. A hit like that would be enough to seal the deal. ¡°...Just like¡¡± Santa rocks himself forward, his fist carrying him. His knuckles bury deep into the monster¡¯s chest. ¡°...that!¡±
A hollow cry echoes across the plaza. Santa doesn¡¯t let up on the assault. Like how a shark goes in when it smells blood, so does this vicious elder. Each strike hits the same spot, weakening it further and further. Euphoria clouds his brain, driving his body to hit harder. Each blow he makes is paid with a punch just as hard as his. Everything goes quiet, he feels no pain, and all he can hear is the exhilarated beats of his heart. In this moment of intense combat, where one too many hits to the head can kill him, he gives thanks to Jed, Cade, and this monster, for making his heart race like it used to.
Fed up with its enemy, bringing more of its power out, it decks the old man, hard. He¡¯s sent flying, crashing into a building across the street. Before it could think about going over to finish the enemy, it heard something coming from the second floor of the building Alexander ran into. He jumps out of it, soaring for the monster. Its large fist hits Alexander''s side, breaking a few of his ribs. He bites down on the urge to scream. Right now, at this very moment, he can¡¯t let himself lose focus. He runs his blade through the monster¡¯s forehead. And, while fighting against the pain, he tears his sword out of its head, leaving a brutal injury.
The blonde swordsman goes rolling around on the ground when he lands. He takes labored breaths. The monster next to him began to fade and crumble away. Cade''s reliable source of destruction is gone, leaving only one monster left.
The Source-user instantly realizes the conjured construct has been defeated.
¡°Fath¡er¡!?¡±
Proxy stops several feet in front of him, with Wildcard walking next to him.
¡°Looks like he''s warming up for us,¡± Wildcard states, whipping out a three-section staff. ¡°...Mind if I join in?¡±
¡°If you can keep up.¡±
¡°Whatever you say, you cocky little shit.¡±
Cades final march: part 2
Laguna - North-end - Midnight - Proxy
Cade dives right for us, giving me and Wildcard barely any time to move. Shit, another second and he could have sliced and diced me. But not letting on the pressure. He¡¯s coming after my ass. He swings that dagger all over the place, trying to get a clean hit in. I¡¯m starting to get used to his movements, and keeping up with him is easier. I don¡¯t doubt its cause he¡¯s running on fumes, but I still need to be careful. He¡¯s fast enough to get the drop on me if I let him.
¡°Move it, moron!¡±
Wildcard knocks me out of the way. Jerk better watch his ass, or this''ll turn into a 2v1. He starts twirling that three-section staff around, acting like he¡¯s the shit.
¡°Come and take a bite.¡±
The two go at each other¡¯s throats without a moment¡¯s notice. At first, I thought Wildcard was good, annoying as hell, but good. He swats Cade¡¯s dagger, opening him up to a counter. He spins his staff, switching between hands as they pick up speed. He slams the front end of it against Cade¡¯s temple. Clean ass hit if I''ve ever seen one. It got Cade staggering. Now¡¯s my time to shine!
¡°Lose it, moron!¡± I leapfrog over him. ¡°You better grit your teeth, buddy!¡±
Gotta disarm him, or I¡¯ll just keep dodging his attack. My hands grab ahold of his wrists, squeezing tightly on them. He¡¯s trying to shake me off but he ain¡¯t gonna get rid of me that easily. I slam my elbow into his face. It worked! I¡¯m lucky he isn¡¯t enhancing his face, but I sure as hell hope he can¡¯t do that. The dagger is slipping from his hands, just a little bit more, and I¡¯ll be golden!
A chill races down my spine. Shit, I know this feeling¡ Turning around, the woman with long black hair jumpscares me. Her teeth are all jagged and her face is like a dried-up beef jerky; the stuff of nightmares. She screams right in my face, giving me no time to prepare myself. My body locks up, I can¡¯t move a damn muscle!
Cade easily breaks out of my grasp. Not good! Wildcard vaults over my back, whacking Cade with his weapon. He goes in with it, bashing every part of his body. But Cade, probably tired of getting hit from every which way, catches the staff.
¡°Wha¨C¡±
Cade smacks the ever-living shit out of Wildcard, skipping him across the plaza and into a random building. If he isn¡¯t dead, that¡¯s gonna hurt like a bitch.
¡°Damn, had to hit him that hard, huh?¡± Cade doesn¡¯t bother responding, he just keeps staring me down with a visceral snarl. ¡°Alrighty, since he¡¯s out of the way, why don¡¯t we keep this a 1v1? What, are ya feeling scared?¡±
He takes a single step forward, flaunting that already intimidating aura. That¡¯s right, let¡¯s do this.
¡°Wanna fight!? Then¡catch me if you can!¡±
I book it for the nearest house. I shove open the door, kicking it closed behind me. This looks like a kitchen. Cade busts through the wooden door. He flies across the small room with his dagger trained on me. I kick the square wooden dinner table in his way. His blades poke through the table. I swerve around to kick his head into the table. Now that his dagger is stuck, I can finally dish out some damage! I assault him with as many punches and kicks as I can throw out. Just gotta keep hitting him. Don¡¯t give him time to breathe.
¡°Wanna¡listen¡to me¡now!?¡±
He roars at me and swings the table at me. It flung me off to the side. A loud ass snapping sound goes off. Calling it a guess, but Cade probably broke the table and now his weapons are free. The dirty dagger is coming my way. I roll away from him at the last second. I dash up a flight of stairs. It''s small up here and there aren¡¯t any noticeable objects or other rooms; just a single window¡ Cade enters the room, cutting me off from the exit.
¡°Screw it, I¡¯m done running. Knife or not, I¡¯m gonna drop your ass.¡±
Getting that knife out of his hand is becoming a pain, I¡¯m just gonna hit him with all I got. He lunges for me. I stomp hard on the floor. A floorboard springs out of the ground, smacking Cade right on the chin. Fun fact: getting hit from below the chin is not so good, especially for the little guy upstairs.
I kick his ass near the window, lining him up perfectly. All aboard for the expressway down! With a running start, I drop-kick Cade right out the window. I almost go soaring out too, but I catch hold of the window frame at the last second. Cade hits the ground, hard. He¡¯s lying on his back, not even moving a single inch. That wasn¡¯t too much, right? He¡¯s enhancing his body, so a fall from this height should be nothing¡ Damnit, don¡¯t tell me I killed him!
I climb down from the frame and drop to the street. Cade slowly gets to his feet, stumbling here and there¡ªblood trickles from his forehead, honing his gaze on me.
¡°Dude, you¡¯re bleeding.¡± He doesn¡¯t respond. ¡°Come on, dumbass, would you start listening to me?¡±
¡°SHUT¡UP! SHUT¡UP! SHUT¨C¡±
¡°Quit screwing with me, damnit! I¡¯m trying to help you, so just¨C¡±
A booming sound mixed with an overwhelming wave of heat catches my tongue. My sense is blaring off big time. It¡¯s coming from above¡! Oh, you have to be shitting me! A big ass tree branch is about to drop on our asses. This is seriously not happening. What the hell!?
¡°Cade, move!¡±
¡°Hu¨C Pro¨C¡±
I grab him and run for it. Just have to get out of the way, but is that even possible? My senses are still going off, telling me that it¡¯s going to crush me to death.
¡°Come on, move faster!¡±
Second by second, the branch is getting closer. We¡¯re going to be crushed to death.
A strong draft blows from below my feet. The humongous branch that was seconds away from crushing us, is cut in half by something, but I sure as shit can¡¯t tell by what. Both ends fall away from the other, no longer a threat to us. They break crash through the ground, splitting apart the plaza''s ground. We¡¯re falling to the ground! Crap, Cade!
I turn to see him honing in on me. His silver dagger flies across my chest.
¡
My body feels like it¡¯s being blanketed in cold water. This cold sensation offsets the sharp, burning feeling in my stomach. It itches. I wanna scratch it until it goes away¡ What the¨C What¡¯s going on? Why is my body heavy? Gotta open my eyes.
I force open my eyes. The sky is further away than it normally is. Did I hit my head a bit too hard? Getting up is difficult and it became painfully clear why. There¡¯s a huge slash mark on my chest, so that explains a thing or two.
¡°Shit¡why am¡out of¡breath?¡±
I haven¡¯t been fighting for too long and here I am, panting like a dog. This shits embarrassing. Taking a single step is difficult, but I can manage just fine.
¡°Water?¡±
Just noticed it when I took my first step. It¡¯s up to my ankles and looks like it''s steadily building. It must be from the stream running below the bridge. That other end of the branch must¡¯ve hit around the edge.
Cade is across from me, trying his best to get up.
¡°Cade¡are you?¡± He still can¡¯t get up, no matter what he does, yelling his heart out just to summon whatever strength he has left¡ But my legs crap out on me.
¡°Shit¡come on, get up¡¡± No time for breaks, start working, legs!
A purple blur drops into the chasm, splashing the water everywhere. Nunnal¨¦ stands in front of me, armed with her sword.
¡°Nunnal¨¦!?¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°What are you doing here?¡±
¡°I have come to aid you. My master is still getting across the other side of the bridge.¡±
¡°But what about Marie?¡±
¡°She has recovered.¡±
¡°Recovered? You mean she¡¯s back?¡±
¡°Affirmative.¡±
¡°Sweet¡ Alright, I can fight without any worries!¡±
Nunnal¨¦ barres me with her sword. ¡°I will fight in your stead. You are injured.¡±
¡°So what? I can still move.¡±
¡°You will be killed at this rate.¡±
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
¡°I still want to fight.¡±
¡°Why? I cannot fathom why you would wish to fight in your condition. And our enemy is also weakened. If I fight now, we can claim victory.¡±
She¡¯s about right. No matter how I think of it, she¡¯s being logical about this. Cade would be beaten if Nunnal¨¦ fights him. I know that, at least, the smarter part of my brain knows that. Yet, even if I sound dumb ass hell, I don¡¯t care if it isn¡¯t logical.
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you¡¯re right, but I don¡¯t care¡¡±
¡°If you are concerned that I will kill, I will not.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not it¡ I just¡ I know how it sounds, I know it¡¯s dumb, reckless, stubborn, or any other synonym for ¡®stupid¡¯. But, I want to fight, not just to save him, because this is the only real way I can help anyone; fighting is the only way I can help anyone¡that¡¯s all I got. So please, let me prove myself to you all, and myself¡¡±
Nunnal¨¦¡¯s stone-cold eyes drill into mine. There¡¯s no anger, disappointment, or even that look Marie would give whenever she thinks I said something dumb. Call me crazy, and at this point, I¡¯d agree. Her gaze is challenging me, daring me to back down. Yeah, right, like I¡¯d ever back down from a challenge. She could be a demon from hell, but I¡¯d still stare back at her without blinking.
¡°Proxy¡you confound me at times, even now. This course of action, for the lack of a better term, is ¡°dumb as hell¡±, as you would put it. Yet I know if my master were here, he would tell me to allow you to do this.¡±
She lowers her sword.
¡°Thanks, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
¡°Please¡do not get killed. It would be¡troubling.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯re all leaving here alive.¡±
A tall order, I know, but I ain¡¯t the type not to serve up what he¡¯s got cooking. I¡¯ll roll up my sleeves, and give out the best dish I can.
I walk up to him, extending my hand to him. ¡°...Here.¡±
He immediately slaps my hand out of the way, staring me down.
¡°Why¡!? Why are you in my way¡!? Just shut up and leave me alone! Let me kill them. I want to kill them all!¡±
As much as I want to tell him off, I can¡¯t do that. It just isn¡¯t right.
¡°...You¡¯re right, I¡¯m annoying. I keep getting in your way, fighting you at every turn, and I don¡¯t have the first clue what you¡¯re feeling¡ I¡¯m just some guy you met who became a royal pain in your ass, I know that¡ But I can¡¯t stop, not until you finally understand me, and until I get you¡ And the only way I know how to do that is by fighting.¡±
I put my hand out, giving him a second chance to stand up. One final bout, the last go-around, and to be honest, I wouldn¡¯t have it any other way.
¡°Let¡¯s finish this fight, for good!¡±
I have no clue what¡¯s going through his head, and guessing at this point is pointless. All I need to know is if he¡¯s willing to fight or not.
Cade, fighting to pick himself up, stands on his own two feet.
I take a few steps back, ¡°So¡we doing this or what? Cause I don''t know about you, but I''m just dying to run these hands.¡±
He saunters my way without his prized dagger. That doesn¡¯t stop him from going into a stance. I reciprocate, dropping into what feels natural. Hand to hand with Cade, huh¡ He¡¯s in my element, I know that, but I¡¯m just dying to see what he can do. The anticipation is killing me¡!
The back of our hands touch the other second, five seconds, fifteen seconds, thirty-two seconds, forty-four seconds, fifty-nine seconds¡a minute. I strike.
The sound of flesh impacting the other echoes inside the chasm, and our knuckles come into contact. Damn, he must¡¯ve made his move when I did! Nothing to worry about, just go!
We go for it, belting out strikes however fast we can. Cade¡¯s reactions are sharper than before. He¡¯s actually blocking my attacks and countering the second after. My hands are on fire, going in for blow after blow. Most of my strikes aren¡¯t connecting, but I can feel the pressure I¡¯m putting on Cade, and I have to keep it that way.
Clashing fists again, our bodies recoil after impact. Cade¡¯s going for something in his pocket. Another knife!? Shit, like this, I can¡¯t dodge! Even if it hurts, I¡¯ll have to guard! Right as I put up my guard, Cade dives right at me. He hits me in my stomach, then kneeing me in the face. I go rolling across the ankle-deep water. The cheeky bastard got me with a faint. Well, two play that game, buddy.
I scoop up some water and chuck it at him. It¡¯s not all that great of a tactic, but whatever. I use the water to create small blind spots for me to use against him. He¡¯s stronger than me, I know that, so I have to take advantage of the environment if I want to win. Pure strength isn¡¯t my strong point, it¡¯s my skill!
Diverting his fist created an opening. Now! I slam my fist against his ribs, striking with all my power¡ Huh? This impact, it¡¯s not right¡ Don¡¯t tell me, he¡¯s still got more of Source or whatever!?
Two separate impacts at my stomach and torso send me flying. It hurts like shit, not just cause he knocked the wind out of me, but it also disturbed my wound. There¡¯s gonna be trouble if I keep letting hit my wound; feeling pretty damn weak as it is, getting this thing worked up isn¡¯t going to be doing me any favors. Even so, I¡¯ll keep going the way I have now. Being put on the back foot is something I don¡¯t want. Winning is the only thing that matters.
Cade and I clash once more. The flesh of our arms and legs echoes inside the chasm, sharpening my senses with each vibration and impact made. His movements are reverting to how they used to be, precise, decisive, and deadly. Even if I weren¡¯t injured, this would be a difficult fight; Cade¡¯s dangerous even without a weapon. He could get the better of me any moment and kill me with his bare hands. He could summon those monsters and kill me, or even find that dagger and slice my throat open¡ None of that scares me. I¡¯m having fun. I sure as hell know this makes me sound bat shit insane, but I don¡¯t care. Fighting, giving it my all against someone who can really push me to do better, and without anyone else to worry about, I can finally have fun doing what I¡¯ve always been best at.
I¡¯ve been tripping over myself, overthinking things, and I nearly lost sight of myself. But it¡¯s clear to me now: I just need to keep doing what I¡¯m good at. And not just that, I have to get better, no matter who I¡¯m up against. Not just for everyone else, but so I can stand proud as the strongest punk in NewPort¨C No, as a member of the Anti-bandit army!
My vision narrows on a spot on Cade¡¯s chest. Every inch of my body tells me that it¡¯s where I need to hit. There it is again, lightning racing through my arm. I weave under Cade¡¯s arms, keeping my eyes set on that sweet spot, and as his next attack comes, I go for it. My mind is clearer than a sky without clouds, or pure, smooth, white snow. A sense of deja vu washes over me.
Fast as lightning, my fist shoots for the spot. A thunderous clap resounds throughout the chasm. My fist burrows deep into his chest. The water below us crashes back and forth against the walls, gushing upward after a strong ripple. Droplets slowly fall in front of me¡ Everything moves in slow motion, but my heart is racing faster than ever. This sensation is beyond anything I have ever felt, and from just a simple punch¡ This is awesome.
The droplets drop at a normal speed. Everything feels normal again. My heart is still racing, but not as fast as a second ago. Cade is laid out on the ground, clenching at his chest, fighting off whatever bloodcurdling scream. Just like with that chainsaw-wielding douchebag, it was a critical strike.
¡°Looks like I¡¯m coming out on top this time,¡± I said with a grin. ¡°And no rematch! I¡¯m leaking badly here.¡± Whatever bravado I have isn¡¯t enough to make me pretend that this wound isn¡¯t hurting like a bitch, and that my blood is seeping out. ¡°So, you got anything to say?¡±
¡°Why¡why am I¡so weak? My family, my friends, I keep losing things¡over and over¡ I hate it!¡±
I put a hand on his shoulder. ¡°You ain¡¯t weak, far from it.¡±
¡°I am! I am! I am! I¨C¡±
¡°SHUT UP!¡± I yell, right in the ear to get my message across. ¡°...Sorry, but, listen, man. I don¡¯t get all the details, and I don¡¯t get how it feels to lose someone, okay? It has to hurt so damn much, so much I can¡¯t even imagine, but you didn¡¯t lose everyone. Wedge, Puck, and the rest of your friends.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°I told you already, but you were getting all angry and you wouldn¡¯t listen! They¡¯re okay. Me and my friends saved them from that shithead, Jed.¡±
¡°Jed? But he¨C¡±
¡°He¡¯s a bad guy and an asshole. He was using you, trying to spur you on.¡±
¡°I was¡ I¡ Oh no¡¡± After all this pain, battling, and stress, Cade finally breaks down into tears, trying to cover it but it doesn¡¯t take a keen eye to see the tears rolling down his face. ¡°...I¡just thought I lost everything, again. I couldn¡¯t¡I¡ I can¡¯t face them like this!¡±
¡°Sure you can. We can go see them together. And no matter what happens, I got your back.¡± Hurts like shit, but I get up from the wet ground and put my hand out. ¡°So what do you say? You finally want to bury the hatchet and go see them?¡±
His hand shakily reaches for mine. He hesitates momentarily, drawing it back, but he nuts up and takes my hand. I pull up from the ground.
¡°Proxy, you¡¯re just¡something else.¡±
Although hoarse, his inflection is lighter than before. At least he doesn¡¯t sound all raspy and edgy anymore.
¡°Don¡¯t have to tell me, I¡¯m just that great.¡±
¡°But, how do we get out of this place?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t you just summon that monster pal of yours?¡±
¡°No¡I¡¯m exhausted, and I don¡¯t get how I did all that stuff.¡±
¡°Well, guess we¡¯re gonna have to hitch a ride. Nunnal¨¦, you there¡?¡±
She shows herself at the edge of the chasm. ¡°Yes?¡±
¡°Can you help us out of here? My feet are getting wet.¡±
¡°Is he still hostile?¡±
¡°Nah, we¡¯re good. Just hurry up, my feet are getting cold!¡±
She jumps down without thinking about it, landing like she didn¡¯t just jump down a chasm. Her sword isn¡¯t out, so I¡¯m gonna go on a hunch and say she trusts me on this. But I bet she¡¯s still wary of him, waiting for him to make any suspicious moves.
¡°Let¡¯s¨C¡±
A hard thumb throbs where my wound is. It¡¯s a hot needle stabbing me around my chest, just going to town on me. Any energy I have left is sapped away instantly from the pain. My face is about to kiss the cold water, but Cade catches me.
¡°Are you¡okay?¡± he asks, still reeling from the final blow. ¡°...Proxy¡!¡±
His voice is getting farther away, echoing through my brain. It looks like losing blood and fighting with this wound is finally catching up with me. Strangely, the pain isn¡¯t that bad, so I got that going for me. Things should be good for now, and to be honest, I¡¯m dead tired at this point. I¡¯ll just cave in and take a well-deserved nap¡
¡
The cool air briskly rolls through the night, a pleasant feeling for those who enjoy the night and the sky before dawn. A small figure watches Proxy, Cade, and Nunnal¨¦. Behind the girl is a suit of armor, watching her without an expression.
¡°Answer me, witch, why did you save them?¡± She does not answer, not because she is unable, simply because he is unwilling to display manners. ¡°Their battle is not of any consequence, neither is their lives. Yet you save them.¡±
It is a cruel statement, however, she cannot argue against it. The battle with the bandits is something she sees as inconsequential to herself, and if Cade and Proxy were to die, the world would not change for it. However¡
¡°He baked me an excellent cake.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°A shortcake, as crass as he may seem, he made a wonderfully delectable cake. I dare say, it was the best I have eaten in many years.¡±
¡°That is why?¡±
¡°One of them, yes.¡±
¡°What of the other?¡±
Selena doesn¡¯t answer him, keeping her eyes on the three on the street. Weighing life based on value is subjective to Selena. She could come up with multiple reasons to let them die, leave them to their devices, and never think about any of this¡ All of it would be hypocritical. From the moment she saved Richard¡¯s life, she could no longer excuse their deaths if she could help it. But, at the very least, she will help from a distance and stay out of their way. The witch understands the value of their fight, so her involvement will devalue that.
¡°...Hmph, it matters not in the end. This battle has ended. Let us be off to our main goal.¡±
¡°As impatient as ever. Very well, let us find that swordsman.¡±
Selena turns her back to the scene below, wearing a subtle yet meaningful smile.
¡°Looks as if you have gotten stronger after all.¡±
A heavy burden
Laguna - North-end - Dawn - Proxy
Waking up, the first thing I feel is this dry lump in my throat, like there¡¯s a whole ass desert inside me. I want to cough but I choke it down, opting to force my eyes open. There¡¯s a wooden roof over my head. That should be normal, but slumming it outside for months makes it alien. I try to sit up but a sudden jolt of pain runs across my chest. Okay, getting up isn¡¯t happening.
The last thing I remember is passing out after the fight was over, and that¡¯s about it. We were still in the chasm too. Nunnal¨¦ must¡¯ve got us out of there. More importantly, where am I? The others probably brought me here after the fight, but where the hell are they? I wish I could get up and go see, but with my wound acting up, that ain¡¯t happening.
¡°Hello¡¡±
Man, my throat is dry! I need water, anything¡ Oh, I hear footsteps. They¡¯re approaching the door to this room. The doorknob turns and the door pushes open.
¡°...Proxy?¡± Alex steps through the door, his arm wrapped in a makeshift sling. ¡°...Proxy! You are awake.¡±
¡°Yep, still kicking, somehow.¡±
¡°That is a relief.¡±
¡°Is everyone else alright, what happened to Cade, and what about that fur-wearing freak?¡±
¡°O-one question, please.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry.¡±
¡°Cade is fine. He is recuperating in the room next to this one.¡±
¡°...Good, that''s good.¡±
I already know he should be fine but I just wanted to make sure.
¡°...Proxy, I¡must thank you, and apologize for my behavior¡¡±
¡°Alex, it''s¨C¡±
¡°Please¡just for a moment.¡± I put the breaks on whatever I have to say to give him the time to speak. ¡°...When you asked whether I would allow Cade to massacre our enemies, I showed weakness. A weakness I never wished to show anyone. There was fear in my heart, and that fear took hold of me. It was pathetic of me, and I am ashamed of myself.¡±
He faces me with a resolute face, ready to hear what I have to say about that.
¡°I mean...yeah, you kinda have a point, and to be honest, it did piss me off a bit. But I forgive you.¡±
¡°Really?¡±
¡°In the end, you changed your mind and you even stuck your neck out for him. So, we good, homie.¡±
He sighs in relief, letting down his shoulders, and takes a seat on my bed. ¡°I wanted to be someone you and everyone else could rely on, a man who can lead people for a just cause; the same as my father.¡±
¡°Your dad?¡±
¡°His name was Sigurd.¡±
¡°You mean the knight you and Garrick talked about?¡±
¡°Indeed, he is my father. He was a shining example of what it meant to be a knight, but more importantly, a hero. If I could live up to that, then I could accomplish my goal. However, from recent events, I am unable to see myself becoming him.¡±
¡°What will you do then?¡±
¡°I¡will have to accept that I am not him, but myself. I am Alexander, and as long as I have allies who trust in me, then I shall strive for nothing but the best! Is that fine?¡±
¡°Better than fine. That''s awesome, man.¡±
¡°May I ask for you to put up with me once more?¡±
¡°You didn''t have to ask. I got your back no matter what.¡±
He doesn¡¯t need to convenience me, I can already see the fire in his eyes again. A moment of weakness doesn¡¯t make you weak, I think it just makes you human¡ At least, that¡¯s what I learned ever since I came here; everyone¡¯s grappling with something, fighting to keep themselves from collapsing beneath their baggage. I don¡¯t think that makes you pathetic or lesser, that makes you strong. And even if the weight crushes you, sometimes it isn¡¯t a bad thing to ask for a hand. If that¡¯s what I¡¯m good for, then I¡¯m gonna do it.
¡°I wanna see Cade,¡± I tell Alex. ¡°Can you give me a hand? It¡¯s a bitch and a half just to get up.¡±
¡°Of course.¡±
He helps me up to my feet. Despite the searing pain coursing through my chest like an electric shock, I manage to get to my feet. Alex gives me his shoulder and guides me out of the room. There¡¯s a large hole in the roof in the narrow hall. The sky is a tad brighter. Must be early dawn¡
Alex opens the door next to my room. Cade is sitting on a chair, facing a window. The bruises from my fists - no doubt about that - are still visible, and he¡¯s holding his stomach. He isn¡¯t giving off that ¡°I wanna kill you all¡± aura anymore, he actually looks calm; probably the calmest I¡¯ve seen a person after a fight.
¡°Yo, anything good on?¡± Cade turns to me, seemingly confused by my joke. ¡°It¡makes more sense back home.¡±
¡°Proxy!?¡±
¡°What, thought I was dead or something?¡±
¡°No, I¡I was just worried. After our fight, you passed out and I thought¨C¡±
¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, I¡¯m all better now. Just need some bandage, disinfectant, food, then a shit load of sleep.¡±
His relief quickly turns to guilt as he looks away from me. ¡°...I¡¯ve been thinking about stuff.¡±
¡°Whoa, that¡¯s dangerous.¡±
He lets out a dry chortle. Alex helps me down a chair across from him. ¡°Asshole¡ No, but seriously, I¡¯ve been thinking about everything so far and the things I¡¯ve done¡ I hurt people, and killed them, all for the sake of vengeance. When it came to that bandit¨C¡±
¡°Marie.¡±
¡°...Marie, I wanted her dead for what she did to me; I didn¡¯t care who was in my way, I just wanted her gone. But in the end¡I acted like the people who wronged me.¡± I want to tell him it¡¯s okay, or that I understand, but all of that seems vain and hollow. The best I can do is listen and let him get everything off his chest. ¡°I just¡wanted some justice¡for my parents, for Wedge¡¯s brother, for Puck¡¯s family, and everyone else. But all I did was add to the pile.¡± A grim expression dawns on his face. ¡°There¡¯s no coming back from this¡¡±
¡°So what are you gonna do now?¡±
¡°I¡just want to go find my friends.¡±
¡°Then let¡¯s get to it.¡± Alex helps me up, almost like he reads my mind. I carefully move towards Cade, placing my hand on his shoulder. ¡°Moping around won¡¯t get us anything.¡±
¡°You''re right¡¡± He clasps my arm, shakily standing on his own. ¡°...The rest of them are still in the city. I left them behind.¡±
¡°We¡¯re going to go get them and bury the hatchet, right?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea¡¡±
¡°Anyone here!?¡±
A voice coming from outside immediately catches our attention. We crowd up to the window, looking for anyone down there. The chasm is across the plaza; water is slowly filling it in. It¡¯ll probably level out eventually, or something¡ Not too sure how that works. Either way, I¡¯m just glad we aren¡¯t in that anymore.
¡°Marie!?¡± Alex murmurs, dumbstruck by her appearance.
Holy crap, it is here! She¡¯s standing next to the chasm, holding a spear in one hand. Alex just bolts out of the room without a word. I wanna run too but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s gonna be possible right now.
¡°Wait here, Cade.¡±
I begin limping my way to the door. This isn¡¯t good, I can barely move my body and it hurts when I do. Where¡¯s a crutch when I need one?
¡°Let me help.¡± Cade puts my arm over his shoulder. ¡°This is the least I can do.¡±
¡°Thanks, man,¡±
He helps me out of the room, and down a flight of rickety stairs that are probably a couple of pounds away from collapsing in on themselves. The living room doesn¡¯t look any better than the rest of this house. There is a hole in the wall, a broken window, slash marks all over the place, and the lower half of the door missing. To say the least, this place is not nice and comfy for the whole family.
Outside, the siblings are hugging it out. They¡¯re both crying, not loudly but the tears streaming down their faces. Tonight was a shit show but at least some things turned out right in the end. A minute flies by before they leave each other¡¯s embrace.
I wave to her, grinning the best I can despite the pain. ¡°Mission accomplished! You should have seen us, Marie!¡±
¡°But¡what happened to you guys?¡±
¡°I¡did this.¡± Cade moves from behind me, facing Marie with a sullen expression. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡±
An unbearable silence overtakes us, strangling the bit of joy in this reunion. Cade trains his dreadful eyes on Marie, who has the same look as him.
¡°Your name is Marie, right?¡±
¡°Yes, I am.¡±
Her voice is steeled, answering his question without fear or surprise. They face each other with wildly different expressions that throw what I thought would happen into the trash. Something happened to her while we weren¡¯t looking; she¡¯s gotten her vigor back, and more.
¡°...Years ago, in my village¡bandits came and murdered everyone¡ I saw you.¡± Marie doesn¡¯t flinch and she keeps her eyes forward on Cade, who has his eyes on the ground. ¡°...I hated you, all of you. I just wanted to kill you, no matter what it took, or how long; I just wanted you bandits to suffer¡ Do you feel anything, even a semblance of remorse? Does it keep you up at night? Plague your dreams, or even feel like you¡¯re choking on the inside?¡±
¡°...Yeah, it does, and I feel nothing but guilt.¡±
¡°Then why, why did you do it!?¡±
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°For survival¡ But, if I''m being honest, a part of me did it because I hated the outside.¡±
¡°What? You mean, the outside of the kingdom?¡±
¡°Yeah. I grew up in the kingdom, where it was safe and away from people who wanted everyone dead. Course, that¡¯s only if you were a noble. During wartime, the king only cared about nobility, anyone else was shit out of luck. A horrible thing to say but those were horrible times.¡± Alex mentioned she lived in the kingdom, but he never told me she was a noble. ¡°...But when you¡¯re a kid, you don¡¯t really have a big scope of the world, and you don¡¯t care; the home you grow up in, that¡¯s your world. Like yours, mine was burned down in one night, and it was because of someone from the outside.¡±
¡°So, you became a bandit for revenge?¡±
¡°Not entirely. I had no choice. They sort of have a, ¡°join us or die¡± policy. But, there was a part of me that did it for revenge, to hurt the people who took everything from me. However, revenge isn¡¯t so straightforward. When I saw them raise villages, kill anyone without a second thought, and take whatever they wanted, my stomach churned¡ They begged, pleaded, and offered themselves up for someone else. But they all died anyway. My hands are sullied in their blood because if it wasn¡¯t them, it would be me.¡±
¡°Do you think that excuses you!? You think this makes up for anything you¡¯ve done!¡±
¡°No, it never will, and there''s no way I can begin to say how sorry I am or give you back what you lost.¡±
¡°Then, what are you going to do about it?¡±
¡°I have to own up to what I¡¯ve done, and take responsibility. The only way to do that is by crushing the Fire Wraths and ending all of this¡ I won¡¯t ask you to forgive me, and I don¡¯t want you to forget your hatred for me, but I am asking you to allow me to try and right my wrongs.¡±
Another long pause rears its head again. I''m not gonna say anything about it, but it¡¯s starting to get on my nerves big time.
¡°...My feelings, even my hatred for you won¡¯t change, they never will.¡±
¡°I know.¡±
¡°But¡¡± He looks at me, then back at Marie. ¡°...Proxy trusts you, and I trust in him. So, I¡¯ll believe in the person he sees in you.¡±
¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Although, if you betray that trust, I¡¯ll make sure you pay for it. Am I clear?¡±
¡°Yes.¡±
¡°Also¡ I just¡ I¡¯m tired of seeing more blood. Killing you now wouldn¡¯t make me feel any better.¡±
Revenge is a heavy thing to carry, isn¡¯t it? Feeling angry or upset is one thing, but always having to feel that, to carry those emotions with you for the rest of your life; even making them the sole reason you push forward, sounds downright hellish to live like that.
¡°Proxy¡I¡¯m gonna go find them. Puck, Wedge, everyone else.¡±
¡°By yourself?¡±
¡°Yeah, I have to.¡±
¡°Hang on a sec! I said I¡¯d help, so¨C¡±
¡°You¡¯re hurt, and no offense, but I don¡¯t want to drag you around the city beaten to shit. Besides, you need to stick with your people. This is where you belong.¡±
¡°But¡are you sure?¡±
¡°Yeah. I have to go to them and lead them properly. Their rage, anger, sorrow, and every bit of lament. I need to help them with all of it.¡±
¡°We can help you rejoin them,¡± Alex offers.
¡°I think that¡¯d be dangerous. They still think of you guys as the enemy, so me going on my own is for the best.¡±
Right, most of them see me as a traitor, and I can¡¯t even imagine how they¡¯d feel about the anti-bandit army. And he has a point. Dragging my ass around would just slow him down. I also wanted to go to find Richard. He¡¯s still out there, but Nunnal¨¦ is going after him, so he¡¯s as good as found. Besides, I know he¡¯d never keel over and die, even if he fought Cade; call it a gut feeling.
¡°Take care, Proxy. And thank you¡for everything. I¡¯ll never forget your kindness, ever¡¡±
¡°Oh, Cade,¡± Marie calls. ¡°...I saw your friends¡ One of them is injured but they¡¯re still alive. The other protected me¡ When you see them, can you thank them for me?¡±
His mouth is slightly gaping open, dumbstruck by her sudden request. Eventually, he draws in a bit of air. ¡°Probably¡¡±
He didn¡¯t return eye contact. Instead, walking onward. Whether or not he didn¡¯t look back was significant, I don¡¯t know. Maybe Marie acknowledging her crimes left him a tad unsatisfied, or perhaps he¡¯s just not trying to think about her. And I think that¡¯s just how it is, having trauma and scars like they run too deep to get rid of fully. Emotions born out of those moments are too strong for words, so it¡¯s not far-fetched to say that those feelings will never die out, even when someone is willing to forgive. Will I have to feel that someday? And when I do, what¡¯s gonna happen to me¡? I sure as hell hope I don¡¯t have to.
¡/Proxy
Walking is a pain in the ass. Elizabeth could¡¯ve at least tried to park close by. Maybe we should¡¯ve waited for Richard and Nunnal¨¦. Not like I¡¯m worried about them, they can take care of themselves, but I just hope they figure out we¡¯re going after the bus.
¡°How are you two holding up?¡±
¡°Never better,¡± I tell her, gritting my teeth.
¡°I, too, have never felt better¡ Although, my arm would disagree with me.¡±
¡°That¡¯s not funny,¡± Marie harshly says.
¡°S-sorry, sister.¡±
The best we can do is put up a front and say these wounds don¡¯t mean shit, but she can see right through us. Marie isn¡¯t having any of it, and for once, I can¡¯t just say she¡¯s nagging me and leave it at that. It doesn¡¯t matter what I learned today, if I die, then that¡¯s that. I gotta do better next time to avoid something like this. Maybe I should wear armor?
¡°Proxy, Alexander¡ Um,¡± Marie, stammering and rubbing the back of her head, murmurs.
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°...I remember what you guys said to me when I was ¡®out of it¡¯. And I¡appreciate it. Really¡ You didn¡¯t have to do that for me.¡±
¡°Why not? You¡¯re my ally, and I¡¯d be a shitty friend if I didn¡¯t try to help you.¡±
Marie¡¯s face flushes red, immediately catching me off guard. Is she¡embarrassed? She has to be, I mean, she¡¯s never looked that way before, not that I can remember. She¡¯s struggling to hide it, twisting around just to get eyes off her.
¡°Did you¡¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t blush!¡±
¡°You did.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t! I¡¯m not a little girl!¡±
¡°Aw, come on. We all get embarrassed. Though, now that I think about it, you getting all flustered cause of what I said, and acting all shy, I¡¯d say you¡¯re finally acting like a delicate flow¨C¡±
¡°Finish that sentence, and I¡¯ll throttle you.¡±
A brief, painful memory of Marie¡¯s punch rushes through my head.
¡°Sorry ma¡¯am, I won¡¯t say anymore,¡± I mumble under my breath
Knife wounds, sure. Dropping into a chasm, why not? Nearly getting crushed by a big ass tree branch? Go right ahead. But her punches are something else, and my poor nose knows that.
¡°Still, thank you, Proxy, and you too, brother. I won¡¯t let any of you down. Never again.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. We know you won¡¯t.¡±
It''s finally starting to feel like everything is going back to normal. No more doom and gloom, just good times kicking ass, and being heroes, baby!
¡°How far did they go?¡± Marie asks, sounding somewhat frustrated.
¡°Perhaps they are still dealing with the bandits?¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
Oh, right, Marie has no idea what''s going on.
¡°We''ll fill you in later.¡±
My feet are starting to get tired, something I never thought I''d hear myself say. But a loud, mechanical sound helps me shake off my fatigue. An engine, no two ways about it.
¡°Think it''s bandits or friendlies?¡± I ask.
¡°Let''s hide,¡± Marie suggests.
We take cover in the nearest alley, anticipating whether the enemy is coming back or our allies. Ocean was with them when they left, so I doubt he''d let them do anything, right? The vehicle draws closer, coming into view. I have to squint to see what it is, though¡ a bus¡ªthat''s a bus!
¡°That''s¡¡±
¡°Everyone!¡±
We hurry out of the alley and rush towards the bus. Alex and Marie wave to them, signaling we''re friendly. He''ll, I start yelling to let them know it''s me. Now I don¡¯t have to walk anymore!
¡
Dashing through the ruined streets, Cade, despite his wounds, moves with renewed vigor, searching the streets for him. The beaten boy¡¯s mind floods with all sorts of thoughts; on Proxy, his wound, the guilt he feels, whether it was right or not to let Marie live. But more importantly, he was concerned for his friends, the people he could call his family. He doesn¡¯t know where they are, or if he can find them in this large, desolate city. But he spurs himself on, racing down the streets without a shred of doubt.
¡°Puck! Wedge! Anybody!?¡± His voice carries throughout the dead city and nothing more. ¡°Anyone! It''s Cade¡! Please, answer me!¡±
Silence¡ Cade sinks to his knees, gnashing his teeth. He curses himself; if only he didn''t listen to Jed, if he didn''t leave the rest of his friends behind in blind rage. If only he could''ve seen the path he was walking would drag everyone else with him. Lament and scorn build in his chest, threatening to swallow him whole¡
¡°Moping around isn''t going to get me anywhere¡¡±
The phrase resounds inside his head¡ Surrendering to despair is easy, and sometimes comforting. Anger, hate, sorrow, anxiety, and bitterness are easy to lose yourself in since they ask nothing more of anyone. Cade unknowingly did just that, embracing those feelings when it was convenient for him to do so. His hate for the bandits, his sorrow for his family¡¯s deaths, and his bitterness towards the kingdom, it was easy to let it swallow him¡
But for the first time in years, since his family died, he sees this. His desire to give in to his negative thoughts is strong, preparing for the worst is simple. However, when despair wraps you in its embrace, the glimmering light called hope extends a warm, welcoming hand. After years of bottling it up, keeping his burdens straddled to himself, and tired of the suffocating hands around him, he reaches out his hands for it.
¡°Gotta keep going. He didn¡¯t put his life on the line for me to sit on my ass and do nothing!¡±
He stands back up with a hardened resolve, clenching his fist. Cade moves his body, fighting through the pain of his injuries again. He shouts motivating words inside his head. The city is big, but that doesn¡¯t matter to him anymore. If it takes days, so be it; he¡¯ll scour the whole place, yelling at the top of his lungs, running until his heart explodes. His friends - his family, that¡¯s his hope.
¡°Over there,¡± Two voices say at the same time.
Cade stops dead in his tracks. Goosebumps run down his arms at the unbelievable sight in front of him, his breath runs short at the vivid figures in front of him. A woman in a clean, white dress with long, well-kept, beautiful hair, and a man, whose muscles, big hands, and towering height immediately leap out to him.
¡°Mom¡dad?¡±
They point to the far left end of the street he is facing. They don¡¯t speak, yet, Cade understands what they¡¯re trying to do. Tears well up in his eyes but he presses onward. Faster and faster, he feels his lungs and heart thumping against his chest. ¡°Was it my imagination, or is it related to these weird abilities?¡± Those thoughts, while present, pales to him wishing for his friend¡¯s safety.
¡°PUCK, WEDGE!¡±
His voice travels across the city as if it were the wind itself. He waits in bated silence, listening for anything resembling a voice other than his own, begging for someone to answer.
¡°CADE!¡±
That voice kills any remnants of anxiety in Cade¡¯s heart. He chases after the voice, running harder than he previously was. Several voices shouting his name reach high into the sky. He races faster and faster down the streets.
¡
Jed takes labored breaths while using his weapon as a cane through the outskirts of the city. Blood soaked the bundle of cloth he used to bandage up the wound where his arm used to be. The pain eats away at him like a stray dog chewing on scraps.
Tonight had been going swimmingly for him until everything went up in smoke; no big battle, no epic clash that would bring back the nostalgia of war, just nothing more than a whimpering disaster. But he won¡¯t allow it to end like this. He¡¯ll devise a better scheme, maybe join up with the bandits and have them throw all their forces at the Anti-bandit army. ¡°This was just a bump in the road¡±, he whispers, repeating it as if it were a mantra.
¡°You seem to be worse off than I.¡±
Jed stops in his tracks, cursing his luck at the voice in question. Santa stands behind him, staring at him with a bored expression. His face is bruised and bloodied with small cuts all over him.
There¡¯s a sharp silence between the both of them. Now that their reason for cooperating is dead, the need to play nice isn¡¯t necessary. But, instead of Santa¡¯s fist crushing Jed¡¯s throat, or Jed loping off the old man¡¯s head, Santa walks up to him. He glares at him, not with killing intent, but with pity.
¡°Pitiful, just pitiful.¡±
He keeps pace and ignores the boy. Jed doesn¡¯t give a hateful glance or charge after Santa. Time slows to a crawl for the young man as his thoughts come to a grinding halt. His heartbeat grows obnoxiously louder as the seconds roll by, not that he¡¯s aware that time is passing by. Santa measured the boy¡¯s worth; having lost a whole arm and barely being able to move, he didn¡¯t see a strong fighter, but a broken mess. Death was preferable, at least he would be able to go down with some honor. Now, even death by another¡¯s hand was something he couldn¡¯t achieve.
Jed¡¯s life was molded in combat and war, nothing else matters to him. It wasn¡¯t rare for the outside to use children during the war with the Kingdom, and even against neighboring villages for supplies and recruits. Kids are easily influenced and they won¡¯t argue if you give them a weapon, especially if they¡¯re taught to value that more than human life. However, Jed never valued anything, not allies, friends, or those that taught him. So, the day his village fought the Kingdom soldiers marching for Borghulda, he did not lament their deaths. The sea of bodies covered the battlefield, blood blanketed the grass, and the scent of iron was overwhelming his nostrils. Every significant detail burned itself into his brain, and a singular thought rose: ¡°This is glorious¡±. Grueling training, beatings, starvation, life-and-death fights, and indoctrination created a person who lives for battle and war; seeing beauty in it, and fulfillment in death on the battlefield.
Now, he is nothing; not worthy of a good death, and unable to enthrall himself in a grand battle. He is purposeless.
¡°Why¡why¡why¡?¡± He repeatedly mutters like a broken record.
A warrior dies in combat, so if he can¡¯t die in battle, then what is he?
¡°No¡I must¡ Battle, good battle.¡±
He picks himself back up. Jed marches forward to whatever destination his feet take him. Wherever that is, he solemnly wishes that he finds what he¡¯s looking for. Even if he is broken into a million tiny pieces, he has to keep going, to find the battlefield.
A dream, a bond, and request
¡/Evening - Proxy
The pain is dying down thanks to Dr. Crow¡¯s work. He patched me up and everything. Though, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m a fan of the part where he had to stitch my chest¡ But hey, at least I¡¯m feeling better. Healing a wound like this with Zell or Richard¡¯s abilities wouldn¡¯t cut it this time, especially because I ran myself right into the dirt. All I can do now is sit back and relax.
A break was long overdue for all of us. We took the morning off, sleeping and all that. Thought I wouldn¡¯t get a wink of sleep after all the action, but a few minutes was all it took before I was knocked out. Everyone woke up by dawn and started to get a large campsite going. I¡¯m off cooking duty for obvious reasons. The camp isn¡¯t super lively like I want it to be. Makes sense though; we had some casualties and had to bury them. I dunno how to feel about it since this is my first time having to see a dead ally¡
¡°Are you hungry?¡± Richard, holding two meat skewers, asks me.
¡°Nah, I¡¯m all good.¡±
He sits next to me, watching the others alongside me. ¡°Is your wound settling down?¡±
¡°Kinda, it¡¯s still annoying, but nothing a bit of rest won¡¯t fix. What about you?¡±
¡°I managed to heal some of the damage, but I still needed to get looked at by Dr. Crow.¡±
¡°Let me guess, he scared you half to death with a bad joke?¡±
¡°Yeah¡¡±
Hearing how his fight with Cade went, I kinda feel bad for leaving him to fend him off on his own¡ However, maybe that¡¯s just the part of me that still sees him as someone weaker than me; a person I need to protect. But look at him, getting hurt, taking on people by himself¡
I pat him on the back. ¡°...You¡¯re so much stronger now, buddy.¡±
¡°Huh? Where is this coming from?¡±
¡°Oh, I¡¯m just getting all nostalgic. Seeing you like this brings a tear to my eye.¡±
¡°...Did you hit your head, or am I missing something?¡±
¡°Well, this noggin¡¯ took a few blows in my life, so you¡¯re not far off.¡±
Richard chortles before dawning a sad look. ¡°I felt bad for him, for Cade, I mean.¡±
¡°Me too.¡±
¡°...When my mom died and my dad left without a trace, all I ever had was my brother, and even then, I don¡¯t see or hear from him often. If I hadn¡¯t met you, I don''t think I could bear any of it¡¡±
¡°I think¡I get that¡ Before coming to this world, I never thought about the things, rather, people, in my life. Maybe I am the way I am because of Birch, Lauren, you, and everyone else here. Maybe if it weren¡¯t for all of you, I¡¯d be a completely different person; someone like Jed.¡±
¡°Huh?¡±
¡°He¡¯s a creepy SOB with a fake as-shit smile, yet, I feel like we¡¯re somewhat identical.¡±
¡°How?¡±
¡°When I fought him, I sensed he liked dishing out pain, hurting people¡ When I fight, I don¡¯t think about the pain, rather the excitement I get from battle, and when we first got here, it was no different...¡±
Not like I don¡¯t like fighting anymore, I still do. But just fighting for excitement is a slippery slope in this place. People like Jed don¡¯t enjoy the fighting; they love the pain, the killing. That¡¯s not what I want out of a fight, not at all¡ If I hadn¡¯t realized this, maybe my reason for fighting could¡¯ve warped into something perverse.
¡°...I¡¯m not worried,¡± Richard reassures me. ¡°I don¡¯t completely understand your joy for fighting, but I know you¡¯re not someone who likes hurting people. I know you''re someone who¡¯d put his own life on the line for others; like you did for me, Cade, Marie, Nunnal¨¦ and so many others! So don¡¯t compare yourself to Jed, or anyone like him!¡±
¡Yeah, it¡¯s pointless to compare myself to that bastard. He¡¯s just a miserable piece of shit who isn¡¯t capable of caring about one. But me, I am¡
I suck up as much air as possible, then, rising from the ground, I release a loud, boisterous, mocking laugh at the night sky. ¡°Of course! No one can ever come close to me! I, Proxy, am not just one; I am THE greatest punk of NewPort Island! My greatness knows no bounds! Man, I almost forgot how awesome I am! Mwahahaha!¡±
That¡¯s right, I know who I am. Nothing to worry about as long as I remember that, and everything I learned here. Plus¡I know I can rely on everyone to steer me clear.
¡°Yeah, yeah, you¡¯re great,¡± Zeal says, munching on his food. ¡°...now shut up!¡±
¡°Oi! Don¡¯t make me shove my foot up your ass!¡±
¡°I¡¯d like to see you try, brat.¡±
¡°Any time, any place, anywhere, you mosh pit reject!¡±
¡°How about right no¨C¡±
His brother tugs at his ear, dragging him back to his seat. ¡°Sorry for my brother, everyone.¡±
Richard puts his hand on my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for him as well, everyone.¡±
Zeal is annoying as hell, but he reminds me of the punks back home. Feels good to sling insults back and forth between someone¡ I¡¯ll just give him a mild ass beating for it now.
I plop back to the ground after that whole thing dies out.
¡°Proxy, there was something I needed to tell you?¡±
¡°Is it bad?¡±
¡°No, n-no. It¡¯s just¡well¡ You know the place Quincy wants to visit on our march towards Borghulda?¡±
¡°Yeah?¡±
¡°We¡¯re close to it. Quincy told me.¡±
¡°Shit, really? Then we can take a quick look over there.¡±
¡°But then we¡¯d have to put off our march just to do that. We would probably be gone for a bit before coming back.¡±
¡°Oh, then maybe we can explain it to Marie and Alex. They¡¯d understand.¡±
¡°I know, but I don¡¯t want to be selfish and put things on hold just to figure out the secret to the book so we can go home. Fighting the bandits, beating them, that¡¯s more important right now, and I can¡¯t let my absence stop that.¡±
¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll all go when we¡¯re feeling better!¡±
¡°We could, but I know you want to see this through to the end¡ I thought about going there with him, but¡I don¡¯t think that¡¯s right. If I just leave you guys so I can hunt for information about the book and how to use it to go back home, then I¡¯d feel selfish; like I¡¯d let all of you do the work while I further my aims.¡±
¡°No one would mind, not even me.¡±
¡°Maybe, but I would. I can¡¯t just leave because I feel like it. This fight, the one for the people of the outside and everyone here, I want to see it all to the end, no matter what. Even if I suck with Source, I still want to see all this through.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yeah,. It¡¯s not like the manor will go anywhere. Also, Quincy is going to check whether it¡¯s real or not. And besides, I¡¯d be worried about you if I left you alone too long; you¡¯re prone to act recklessly.¡±
¡°Mm-hmm, pot calling the kettle black. You did some crazy shit, too, man.¡±
¡°Well¡yeah, no, you got me.¡±
Richard holds out a fist. ¡°Let¡¯s take this all the way to the end.¡±
¡°Yeah, straight to victory, buddy!¡±
We bumped fists harder than we needed to. I¡¯m glad, not just because he¡¯s stronger than he was before, but that I can have a dependable and trustworthy friend like him and earn every part of that.
¡°Oh, by the way¡ Richard, when Nunnal¨¦ came to your rescue, did she carry you bridal style?¡±
He instantly freezes up like a deer in headlights before becoming roadkill. ¡°Wha-wah-umm¨C¡±
¡°Huh? Wait~ Did she?¡±
¡°No, no, not at all! Wh-where the hell did that come from!?¡±
¡°I¡¯m just asking~¡±
¡°Well, she didn¡¯t, okay!?¡±
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
¡°Then why are you blushing?¡±
¡°It¡¯s genetic!¡±
¡°Oh, okay. So, if I ask Nunnal¨¦, she¡¯ll tell me she didn¡¯t?¡±
¡°C-come on, let¡¯s¨C¡±
¡°Hey, Nunnal¨¦, did you¨C¡±
¡°It never happened! She didn¡¯t carry me like that!¡±
¡°Oh, ho, ho, ho~ You hear that, guys? Then how did Nunnal¨¦ carry you?¡±
Everyone in earshot looks towards Richard, ready to bust a gut at the answer he gives. Richard is digging his ire towards me, using every ounce of anger in his body.
¡°Wait, what I meant was that she didn¡¯t carry me. Yeah, that¡¯s it!¡±
¡°But Master Richard, since you were injured, I had no other choice but to carry you.¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦!¡±
A wave of laughter follows shortly after. People are keeling over, rolling the ground, or just holding back their guts like they¡¯d fall out.
¡°Would you like for me to demonstrate how I carried you, master?¡±
¡°H-hell no!¡±
¡°Come on, don¡¯t get all embarrassed,¡± Ocean says, walking up behind us. The crowd goes silent. ¡°Being carried bridal style is fine. Didn¡¯t ya feel good in her strong arms?¡± Yet again, an uproar of laughter erupts from everyone again. The old man¡¯s sides were practically in orbit. ¡°Hey, girlie, show us how you carried him?¡±
Nunnal¨¦, out of ignorance of the situation, does just that. As expected, she did it bridal style. However, there was a small problem¡ She came over and picked me up!
¡°Like this.¡±
¡°Hey, you moron! Don¡¯t pick me up! Hey!¡±
¡°Didn¡¯t you want to see, Proxy?¡± Marie gleefully says, snickering behind her hand.
¡°You! You told her to do this!¡±
¡°Maybe.¡±
Witch! She¡¯s a witch! Worse than the actual loli witch! I¡¯ll get her for this, I swear!
¡°Every one of you bastards is so dead! Especially you, old man!¡±
¡°Can¡¯t take ya¡seriously when you¡¯re bein¡¯...carried like that!¡±
Forget the orbit, his entire stomach is in space. His laugh is going to haunt my nightmares from here on out. I can feel it. Richard is holding his stomach like it¡¯ll fall out but isn¡¯t holding back whatever amusement he feels. Karma truly is a vicious mistress¡ Well, I guess being the butt of a joke isn¡¯t so bad, especially now¡ Yeah right!
¡/Proxy
Man¡I am so pooped. Tonight turned into a small party with everyone ribbing me for¡that. Ocean¡¯s cackling echoing in my head doesn¡¯t help either. Seriously, that old man is a mystery to me. One minute, he¡¯s trying to kill me, the next, he¡¯s helping us. Wish I could ask, but maybe he already left, so¡ Hm? Off in the corner of the camp, he¡¯s just sitting there, watching us. He had no problem being all buddy-buddy with us, but now he seems so¡distant. He¡¯s carefully examining his sword with a serious expression painted on his face.
¡°Hey, the party is over there,¡± I open with.
¡°Huh, oh, yeah¡ Well, I kinda feel like I¡¯m overstayin¡¯ my welcome.¡±
¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡±
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s for the best.¡±
¡°Why? You helped us today.¡±
¡°Well, we didn¡¯t exactly meet on good terms.¡±
¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s not like you threatened my friends or anything. I still remember how you saved Vella¡¯s life when she got sniped. And from what I heard and seen, you saved a lot of people today. So, thank you, Ocean. Not just for that, but for helping me understand myself a bit better¡¡±
He pulls back his head while scratching the back of it.¡±Aw, shucks, now you¡¯re just makin¡¯ me feel all embarrassed¡ I just have trouble not mindin¡¯ my own business, that¡¯s all.¡±
¡°Either way, thanks¡¡±
¡°No problem¡¡± He gets from the ground, slinging his sword strap over his shoulders. ¡°Well, see ya around.¡±
¡°Wait!¡±
¡°What? Don¡¯t tell me ya¨C¡±
¡°Why do you fight?¡± He¡¯s taken aback by my questions, seemingly gasping for a quick breath. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I just want to know. Someone like you, I have to know why.¡±
Is it for power, money, fame, or just to fight, or does he want revenge? What could a person like him be fighting for?
¡°...I have a dream,¡± he answers, staring upward to avoid eye contact. ¡°I fight because I have a dream I want to fulfill.¡±
¡°What¡¯s that dream?¡±
¡°Promise you won¡¯t laugh?¡± he asks, surprisingly sheepish.
¡°Y-yeah¡¡±
¡°Well¡ Someday, before I kick the bucket¡¡± A joyful, almost youthful smile etches itself on his face. His eyes are brimming with a light that almost seems childlike. ¡°...I want to split the sea in half!¡± That¡¯s it, that¡¯s his reason¡? It¡¯s so¡ ¡°I know, I know, it sounds stupid, right?¡±
¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°That¡¯s so awesome!¡±
¡°It is?¡±
¡°Of course, it sounds ridiculous, but if you could do it, that would be awesome!¡±
His reason is so simple, yet it feels bigger than life itself. Who wouldn¡¯t call that awesome?
¡°It isn¡¯t ¡®if¡¯, it¡¯s ¡®when¡¯ I do it! And when I do, you better be ready to hear my name for generations to come, kid.¡±
¡°Sure thing. I¡¯ll be waiting when the day comes. Hell, I¡¯ll even cook you the best damn dinner in your life.¡±
¡°I¡¯ll hold you to it, kid.¡±
He takes his leave with his sword slung over his back. I¡¯ll probably be seeing him again real soon¡ Having the book almost guarantees it. Maybe I should¡¯ve asked whether this still makes us enemies, but I don¡¯t care. If he ever wants to fight, I won¡¯t say no. But I hope he doesn¡¯t have to be an enemy.
¡/Marie
Not another bite. I can¡¯t¡ Seriously, I just can¡¯t. Skipping several meals tends to build a heavy appetite. But I think¡I may have bitten more than I can handle. I¡¯ll have to catch up on exercise tomorrow to offset this.
¡°Hm?¡± Nunnal¨¦ is sitting on top of the bus, staring at the sky. Everyone is already asleep by now, so why isn¡¯t she? ¡°Hey, what¡¯re you doing up there?¡±
¡°I am guarding the bus,¡± she answers with a curt response.
¡°That¡¯s great and all, but you should head to sleep.¡±
¡°I do not need sleep¡ I will stay¡¡± A loud and telling yawn interrupts Nunnal¨¦ mid-sentence. ¡°...up.¡±
¡°Right. How long have you been up?¡±
¡°50 hours.¡±
¡°Okay, you¡¯re going to sleep now. Come down here.¡±
¡°But¡¡±
¡°Come on.¡± She jumps off the bus to the ground. ¡°You can sleep with me tonight.¡±
¡°Why must I?¡±
¡°Well¡just because. What, you don¡¯t want to?¡±
¡°I did not say that I did not, however¨C¡±
¡°Great, let¡¯s go!¡±
I pull her along to my tent as she stares at me, baffled.
¡°Marie¡are you¡well?¡±
¡°Hm? Yeah, I am.¡±
¡°I see. Then let us be off.¡±
¡°Wait, is that it?¡±
¡°Yes, that is all.¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦, you can speak your mind if you want.¡±
¡°...I am¡ I¡did not wish to bother you with illogical ramblings.¡±
¡°About what?¡±
¡°I¡do not know what I feel. When I direct my focus onto you, it is as if my shoulders have lost an innumerable amount of weight.¡±
¡°I think that¡¯s called relief, Nunnal¨¦.¡±
¡°Relief?¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry I made you worried, but that won¡¯t happen again. Is that all you needed to say?¡±
She quietly nods. We continue to my tent. It¡¯s small, but enough for the two of us. Been a while since I¡¯ve slept outside. I barely slept inside the bus when I was withdrawn into myself. It¡¯ll be a good change of pace.
I lie down on the mat inside, but Nunnal¨¦ is sitting on her knees near the exit, staring at me with her stoic eyes.
¡°You know you can sleep on the mat with me, right?¡±
¡°My presence would interrupt your sleep, would it not?¡±
¡°No. It would be comforting right now.¡±
¡°Why so?¡±
¡°I¡¯m still having some trouble being with myself right now.¡±
¡°And that is why you wish for me to be here?¡±
¡°Kinda, but I really want you to get some sleep. You need it. A girl is at her best when she¡¯s well-rested.¡±
¡°I see, then excuse me.¡± She crawls over to the mat, still sitting but next to me. ¡°Is this fine?¡±
I can¡¯t help but laugh at how awkward she is. ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±
¡°Did I do something amusing?¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±
I sit up to face her. It¡¯s been a while since I got to speak with her. I might want to do it now. It¡¯s not like we haven¡¯t spoken; I was out of myself for a bit in Laguna, but it wasn¡¯t a proper conversation.
¡°Marie¡I must apologize.¡±
¡°For what?¡±
¡°I was unable to aid you when you were at your least mentally functional.¡±
¡°Oh, that¡¯s¡ It¡¯s fine.¡±
¡°The emotions and feelings you harbor are unknown to me, and I had very little understanding of you¡ But I cannot help but believe I could have done something of note to assist you.¡± Her small hands tremble a bit, and her stoic expression changes with apprehension. ¡°You are not my master, and yet, I care for you.¡±
Wow, just wow. I never thought she cared for me all that much. She¡¯s always concerned with Richard. I never considered that she would even think of other people like that¡ In the end of the day, whatever she is, she¡¯s still a young girl. I wrap my hands around her and bring her close to me.
¡°Marie?¡±
¡°You do more than enough. You protected me when you didn¡¯t have to, and you even saved me when I tried to hurt all of you¡ I should be the one saying sorry.¡±
It¡¯s a tender moment. The wind doesn¡¯t make a peep as I keep holding her close. At first, the way she spoke, her blind obedience towards Richard, and the lack of expression on her face or eyes always creeped me out. But I did my best to be somewhat amicable with her. After a while, those things bothered me less when I saw how awkward she can be at times, somewhat dense even, but more importantly, how willing she was to protect Richard, Proxy, and even me¡ Moreover, she¡¯s like a little sister to me.
¡°Is this an entrapment technique?¡±
¡°No, it¡¯s called a hug, silly. Sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable¡¡±
¡°I am perfectly comfortable. This feels¡nice?¡±
¡°...My mom used to hug me like this whenever she needed to help put me to sleep.¡±
¡°How come?¡±
¡°I used to believe that one day, someone from the outside would come and kill me in my sleep. But my mom always said, ¡®Nobody will harm you as long as I draw breath, sunshine.¡¯ ¡±
She kept true to her word, till the very end.
¡°...Are you still scared?¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks with gentle curiosity.
¡°Kind of, but I got used to that feeling when I was alone, as a bandit; I even thought I¡¯d have it coming. But I¡¯ve stopped worrying about it since Alexander, and everyone else came into my life. Now, I want to keep going forward and make up for the things I¡¯ve done. By ending the Fire Wraiths, once and for all.¡±
We¡¯re so close, the end is in sight. Everyone worked so hard to get to this point, and I need to rise above and beyond to help pull this to the end. After that¡
¡°This goes beyond my mission parameters, my sole purpose for existence as a doll. However¡ I wish to protect you, my master, Proxy, and¡everyone. I do not know why I wish for this. A doll should not be allowed to wish for anything. We are simply tools for whoever commands us. However, I am compelled to. So, when I gain my master¡¯s permission, may this be an acceptable request?¡±
I gasped, stunned by her heartfelt request. Words are failing to come out of my mouth, and even then, they can¡¯t express the level of gratitude I feel towards her. I was trying to come off like an adult for once in my life, but she just outright shut me down¡ A tear trickles down my face. I don¡¯t feel miserable, but happy; elated that she would want to protect someone like me.
¡°Yes,¡± I answer.
¡°Then I shall protect you, my master, and everyone else until we defeat our enemies.¡±
¡°Thank you, so much.¡±
I won¡¯t let your kindness go to waste, Nunnal¨¦, or anyone¡¯s efforts.
The truth
¡/Proxy
Staring up at the medical tent roof, I can¡¯t get a wink of sleep. Tossing and turning is all I¡¯ve been doing for a while; even counting sheep does nothing. Everything that happened in Laguna is keeping me up, Jed¡¯s bitch ass, Cade and our fight, and that thing I did to Cade and Jed. Those punches were something else; for a split second, all my focus would hone in on a specific part of their body, telling me to hit there. Not just that, it felt like my body knew how to throw the perfect punch¡ This has to be a part of my instinct, but why did it come out now? Because these fights are pushing me¡ Losing sleep over this stuff kind of sucks.
¡°Might as well go for a walk.¡±
I slowly climb to my feet. The pain isn¡¯t as bad thanks to Dr. Crow and Richard, but I have to be careful. I¡¯ll just walk around the camp area just to be safe; no good to anyone if I end up dead cause I went too far.
Everyone is already asleep, so I have to be quiet while trekking about. Normally, walking by myself at night would be pretty boring, but, I guess it¡¯s nice every once and a while.
¡°I had a feeling you would be up and about.¡± Alex pops up from behind, his arm in a sling. ¡°Are your wounds settled?¡±
¡°Kind of. What about your arm?¡±
¡°Richard and Zell will work on expediting the healing process.¡±
¡°Good. Beats around waiting for our wounds to heal.¡±
¡°Although, I think it best we rest for a bit more before moving out.¡±
¡°I hear you on that.¡±
We walk alongside each other, caring little for where we''re going.
¡°Proxy, there are things I never told you. About me, Marie, or our family.¡±
¡°Do I need to know?¡±
¡°...Yes. But it''s not just my secret to share, but Marie''s as well.¡±
¡°Then why tell me this? Feeling bad or something?¡±
¡°I just think it is prudent you know who you are fighting with. I''ve placed expectations on you and everyone else to bring us victory. It would not be right to keep secrets between allies.¡±
¡°Okay, stop.¡±
¡°Huh? Did I say something wrong?¡±
¡°Yeah, trying to be too damn honest.¡±
¡°O-oh? Is that bad?¡±
¡°No, but you don¡¯t have to push yourself to tell us things you don¡¯t need to or aren¡¯t ready to say. Besides, I¡¯m sure I said this before, but you aren¡¯t making us do anything we didn¡¯t decide to do. These guys are fighting because they want to, not because you said so.¡±
¡°Then what of you?¡±
¡°Duh, ''cause I made a promise with you. Also¡I¡¯ve seen too much and met people who suffered from all this not to see it through. So let¡¯s just not worry about it, okay? Okay¡¡±
We¡¯re almost at the end; we¡¯re here because we want to be, so there¡¯s no point in questioning it now.
¡°You are correct. Our allies fight hard because they wish to do away with the bandits and protect their loved ones.¡±
¡°See, nothing you have to worry about¡ But I think you were the ones to jump-start this. Without you, the army wouldn¡¯t be here.¡±
¡°But without you and Marie, I would still be imprisoned.¡±
¡°Oh yeah, I remember that. Feels like¡well, months ago.¡±
¡°Putting it all in perspective, we have come far in such a short amount of time. And I believe it is in no small part to all of you, for giving it your all.¡± I turn my eyes to Alex, who¡¯s staring up at the sky with a bright smile. ¡°One could say I was blessed with such great allies and friends.¡±
¡°Yeah¡same here.¡±
Despite the setbacks, the time we spent with each other is something that can¡¯t be broken, ever. Also, these guys gave me something I never had before: a sense of purpose. Not like I was desperate for one, but it feels...great to fight for something.
¡°Once this is over, when we win, let us all go back home proud and victorious.¡±
¡°Duh, like we¡¯re going back home losers. As long as you got me, I¡¯ll make sure things swing our way.¡±
Just gotta kick ass and look good at doing it. Simple stuff. But I doubt they¡¯ll make it that easy. We''re closing in on their home turf, so they¡¯ll be playing for keeps when we get there. I can¡¯t lie; it''s got me hyped to punch their leader''s face in.
¡°You two should be careful with such hopes.¡±
Garrick comes out of the woods, carrying a short sword in his hand.
¡°Sir Garrick, you are unharmed?¡±
¡°For the most part, yes.¡±
I get next to Alex. ¡°Don¡¯t like this, something isn¡¯t right.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Got no clue, just don¡¯t like it.¡±
¡°Why whisper in front of me? Care to share your thoughts,¡± Garrick says, sounding just as bored as ever.
¡°All right, where the hell were you?¡± I ask, retaining a sharp tone. ¡°You disappeared when we got to the bridge. Did you get scared?¡±
¡°I was there.¡±
¡°We did not see you,¡± Alex raises.
¡°It hardly matters. That is not important.¡±
¡°Then what are you doing here?¡±
¡°I came to see Alexander. This has nothing to do with you.¡±
¡°Yeah, right? Let me guess, you just got that out to trim trees?¡± He says nothing, fixing his sights on us. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering¡who blew up that tree branch? At first, I thought it was the bandits, but why would they? If they could¡¯ve, why not blow up the bridge? No¡ See, my gut is telling me you did it, didn¡¯t you?¡±
That big ass bag we got back at his place must''ve had explosives, because I distinctly remember two, out of nowhere, explosions happening.
¡°A gut feeling? What drivel. Are we to believe this boy, Alexander? His words hold no weight.¡±
¡°Perhaps he has no evidence, and I would not like to believe you almost killed both him and Cade¡ However, then I would like for you to swear to me that it was not you.¡±
¡°Swear on what?¡±
¡°Your honor, as a knight and as the friend of Sigurd¡¡±
¡°Oh, then, in that case, I cannot.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°Because I am a disgraced knight, no thanks to Sigurd¡ Or maybe, it¡¯s prudent to say, your father.¡±
Alex takes a step back, flinching at his exposure for who he is. ¡°You know I am¡¡±
¡°At first, I drew your looks to be a coincidence. However, your clear factuation with my stories of Sigurd was telling. But more than that, the way you move, spoke, even your seemingly noble nature, that¡¯s what gave it away.¡±
¡°I see, but what do you mean, my father disgraced you?¡±
¡°You should already know¡¡±
No one looks my way or answers me, just stilted silence. Alex is giving him an intense look that can¡¯t be mistaken for admiration, but outright anger.
¡°Boy, how much do you know?¡±
¡°As much as we let him know,¡± Marie says, coming from the campsite. ¡°...I heard someone named Garrick was involved in our fight here, and an ex-knight at that.¡±
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Marie?¡± I whisper to myself.
¡°You¡ You¡¯re¡!¡± Garrick''s face lights up for the first time, acting like he¡¯s seen a ghost. His are eyes transfixed on Marie, focusing too so much he might let his sword slip out of his hand. ¡°...But you were dead. How are you alive?¡± Marie says nothing, letting the old man muse on himself. ¡°Ah, I get it now¡ That brother of yours, so cunning, especially for his age.¡±
¡°Alex, what does he mean by that?¡±
Garrick smirks, mockingly laughing at my ignorance. ¡°It seems as if the boy really does know nothing. Absolutely nothing.¡±
¡°What the hell are you]so smug for, asshole!?¡±
¡°I assure you, I am smug, rather, unsurprised.¡±
¡°Garrick, I recommend you watch what you say.¡±
¡°Apologies, however, I cannot follow that order since I am no knight.¡±
He turns his attention to me, drilling those cold eyes into mine. ¡°Boy, you know of their father, correct?¡±
¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±
¡°Then did you know that their mother lived in the kingdom?¡±
¡°I already, man! What¡¯s your point?¡±
¡°Well then, listen for a moment while I regale you in a tale¡ Sigurd and I, alongside many allies, had successfully destroyed the largest enemy stronghold: Borghulda. At the time, we were all elated that we had finally grabbed victory. The trip home was a lighter one compared to our march there. Yet Sigurd¡¯s smile was nowhere to be found. He was superb at hiding it, however, I was closest to him, so I was able to peer past his forced smile. When I asked, he shared with me the reason why. It was his home before the kingdom.¡±
The revelation throws all of us through a loop and keeps us there with our mouths gaping open like a pack of idiots.
¡°Father¡¯s¡home?¡±
¡°...I assumed at the time that was the only thing on his mind, and he would return to being positively annoying. However, everything changed when we came back.¡±
¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Marie harshly says, baring down on him with a venomous glare.
¡°Your father and king¡¯s wife always seemed so close. Even as someone who was meant to protect her, I was always jealous of how close he was to her and the family. Especially the young mistress.¡±
¡°Garrick, I¡¯m warning you!¡±
¡°But who could have known why? Until I saw and heard for myself.¡±
Marie sprints at him, disregarding the weapon in his hand. She lunges at him, but he steps out of the way. She¡¯s quick to go for a kick to his stomach. However, he grabs her foot with one hand. He slams her to the ground with a heavy thump.
¡°Marie!¡±
¡°Rushing like that is foolish. Darrius taught you better than this, no?¡±
¡°Get off me!¡±
He places the blade next to her cheek. ¡°One night, I happen to catch the Queen leaving the castle. I wanted to confront her, but I also wanted to know what she was up to. I followed behind her, out of sight, all the way outside the kingdom, where those of the outside who were still loyal to the kingdom remained.¡±
¡°Garrick, please¡!¡±
He pauses for a moment, shutting his eyes. He takes a deep breath, opening his eyes and back onto Alex with a bitter expression. ¡°She saw a man and a child¡¡±
Wait¡wait¡wait¡wait! Don¡¯t tell me, I mean, it can¡¯t be¡
¡°That was when I learned the truth; the ugliest truth¡ That your father had a son, and that your mother was the Queen herself.¡± He lifts Marie to her feet, holding her arm behind her back. ¡°...And so, the second ugliest truth is revealed: This girl is the thought-to-be-dead sister to the king: Marianne.¡±
Holy shit. So, Marie, the same one in front of me, was a part of the royal family? And not just that, but her brother is the king!? Oh my god, that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t want to go to the festival in the kingdom!
¡°He betrayed our oath, our trust, and our friendship. But after all these years of mulling it all over. His affair with the Queen, spawning children, was a part of a larger plan."
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Think of it. Why would he keep one child secret, but allow the other to live as royalty?¡±
¡°That''s nonsense!¡±
¡°How so? He had no trouble hiding you from us, so why would he not do the same for his daughter? And he could not send you to live with them. You look too much like him.¡± There¡¯s no opening I can exploit, and even if there was one, would I be able to do anything with it? ¡°...A part of me believes your birth, Alexander, was unnecessary.¡±
¡°Unnecessary?¡±
¡°Brother, don¡¯t listen to him.¡±
¡°I¡¯m gonna rip your tongue out if you keep talking!¡±
¡°I feel bad for you, Alexander. The same man you admire was nothing more than a liar, manipulator, and one who only took care of you out of obligation.¡±
Absolute despair overruns Alex¡¯s face as he sinks to his knees. He slouches his shoulders, lowering his head to the ground.
¡°Garrick, let me ask you something?¡±
¡°What?¡±
¡°Open or closed casket?¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
I break into a mad dash. ¡°Cause when I¡¯m doing beating your shit in, it¡¯s gonna be a closed casket!¡±
Go, ignore the pain, and just hit this dickhead! But halfway to him, my chest pounds with a hard thump. My legs give out from the pain, and I end up flopping onto the ground.
¡°Proxy,¡± the siblings cry out my name.
¡°You should do well to take care of your own body before going into combat.¡±
¡°Touch them¡and I¡¯ll rip your goddamn head off.¡±
¡°I saw your fight with that other boy. While he was stronger, you somehow pulled ahead¡You may seem like a rambunctious child, but your potential is monstrous. It would be dangerous to have you come after me later. I should¨C¡±
¡°That is enough!¡± Alex stands between me and Garrick, drawing his sword with only one hand. ¡°I will not let you harm him or anyone here!¡±
¡°I know everything your father knew about swordplay, and you, in turn, carry that style.¡±
¡°I do not care! Leave them alone, or I will take you down!¡±
¡°Wielding with a single arm is not your strong suit, and besides, would you really throw your life away for him?¡±
¡°Yes, I would for him, and anyone else here¡ Now let me sister go.¡±
Alex stays close to me, and Garrick holds his grip and sword to Marie. ¡°Why continue this? Your life is a lie. Why continue to care for this farce? Your sister was the one he wanted, not¨C¡±
¡°What of it!? So what if the man I knew was a lie? Who cares if I was not wanted by him!? If my sister needs me, my friends need me, then I will fight for them! So let her go, now!¡±
¡°That¡¯s¨C¡±
¡°You¡¯re going to let her go.¡±
R-Richard¡!? And not just him. The others, armed to the teeth, come running to help us, mean mugging the living hell out of Garrick.
¡°Why should I?¡±
¡°Because I¡¯m the only person who''s stopping her from harming you.¡± Someone slips past the vigilant douchebag¡¯s notice. Their blade slides right under their neck, ready to pull back if and when they¡¯re told to. ¡°And before you weigh your options, you aren¡¯t faster than her.¡±
The others start making a ruckus, cursing him out and telling him to get away from Marie. He immediately lets her go, letting Nunnal¨¦¡¯s blade lead him away from her. Nunnal¨¦ grabs her by the arm and takes her back to us.
¡°So, will you sic them on me?¡± he asks, twirling the blade in his hand.
¡°I want you to leave, and to never fall under my sight again,¡± Alex, colder than I''ve ever heard him sound, answers.
¡°Not possible, but for tonight, I will leave.¡± He begins to back up out of the clearing and into the trees. ¡°But this is far from over, Alexander. As long as you have his blood in you, this will never end.¡±
¡°And if we see you again, we¡¯ll kick your ass,¡± I spat out.
¡°We¡¯ll see, until then¡¡±
He disappears into the woods, moving between the trees to cover his exit.
Everyone heads after him, but Alex gestures to them to stop. ¡°Let him go. He may have laid traps to cover his escape.¡±
¡°You sure, blondie?¡± Chip asks.
¡°I am¡ I rather not lose anyone to unseen attacks.¡± He puts his sword back into its scabbard and gives me a hand up. ¡°Are you okay?¡±
¡°Yeah, one piece¡¡±
¡°Hey,¡± someone from the crowd behind us said. ¡°...is it true; that you and Marie are the queen''s children? And that Marie is the long-dead sister of the king?¡±
Oh, shit!
¡°Guys, wait a minute! It''s¨C¡±
Marie moves forward, heading for the crowd. I try to call out to her, but Alex puts a hand on my back, telling me, ¡°Don''t worry.¡± He joins up with her to face the restless people.
¡°...It¡ It is, we are. My brother and I are children of Sigurd and the Queen. And I''m the long-dead daughter of the old king, Marianne.¡± Skeptical murmuring grows among everyone, training their eyes on them. ¡°I know what all of you might be thinking, and I won''t stop you from doing that. If you hate my family, I understand; all the things that happened over the years won''t go away, but please, Alexander was never in the royal family. Spare him any retribution. I deserve all of it¡¡±
She drops to her hands and knees, putting her head to the ground. Alex gets next to her, dropping to his knees as well. Groveling on the ground is the ultimate act of humility.
¡°You guys saved me from rotting in jail, and you never doubted me for a second,¡± Chip says, coming forward, fixing his eyes on the two of them. ¡°Besides, blaming everything on you because you were royalty would be unfair.¡±
¡°You gave us a place to be when we had nowhere left to go,¡± someone from the crowd says. ¡°You guys did more for us than the kingdom ever has!
¡°Yeah, and thanks to you guys, we''re driving out the bandits!¡±
¡°We don''t care if you''re from there! We got ex-bandits in the group, so what makes you think we care!?¡±
Several more voice their support and understanding for the siblings. The uproar of cheers lightens me up on the inside. If they got angry, or even left, I''d understand, but I was more worried they would just try to hurt them¡
¡°Let me help you.¡± Gil puts me on his back. ¡°...Did you know?¡±
¡°Not everything, just that Sigurd was their dad.¡±
¡°I can''t blame them for keeping it secret, but now that it''s out, things might change because of it.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Simple, dumbass,¡± Zeal walks up behind us, lightly punching my back. ¡°You look like shit.¡±
¡°Feel like it too, but what do you mean?¡±
¡°Means that if the daughter of the previous king is alive, then what does that mean for the kingdom''s current leadership? She can probably go for a claim, and some of these numbskulls either figured that out or are gonna, eventually.¡±
¡°So, even when we win against the bandits¡¡±
¡°The kingdom might be our next fight. The people here are gonna want it. Those work mines still exist, most of these guys aren¡¯t too keen on them. Plus, it''s not like the hostility from the war has died down.¡±
¡°Then what do you think of them?¡± Gil asks.
¡°Of the kingdom? Don''t like ¡®em, but it''s not like the outside is innocent or anything. As for those two¡ They showed mercy to my brother and me, that''s good enough in my book. But what about you, big guy?¡±
¡°Well, Alexander and Marie are nice people, and they never thought lowly of us or took advantage of us. Also, the people I lost are dead because of one person; I already have my revenge set on someone.¡±
Going head to head with the kingdom, huh¡? I mean, I thought of the idea, but actually doing it is another thing.
¡°Thinking of it now is useless,¡± I say. ¡°We need to win this fight first, then worry about the kingdom later.¡±
¡°At least your brain still works, whatever that''s worth.¡±
¡°Does being a prick come naturally, or are you begging me to beat your ass?¡±
I get the sense that with this out in the open, we can finally fight with everything we have, like a proper army. But, there''s the nagging feeling that things will not go smoothly; Guess I''ll chalk it up to karma or something like that.
Onward and for Borghulda!
10/12 - Anti-bandit army bus - afternoon - Alexander
Our bus passes through man-made roads large enough for it to travel through. A fine afternoon it is, or at least, I am to believe so; we have been driving since this morning. We stationed ourselves for 5 days and traveled for 3. A rest well deserved and needed for our injuries to be mended. My arm is no longer constrained, now I am capable of carrying on my duties.
Nary a single bandit has attempted to ambush us today either. While fortunate, it is curious. We are closing in on Borghulda, nearing their base. It would be prudent to set a trap for oncoming enemies. Perhaps they are gathering their forces to defend their territory? That would be the correct course of action¡
¡°Marie, do you believe the bandits may be scheming something?¡± I inquire.
¡°Maybe. You¡¯d think they put out a small group of bandits to stop us wherever we go, but nothing. Zell, what do you think?¡±
¡°Hmm, normally, you¡¯d be right. However, the situation they¡¯re in is unprecedented. Nobody would¡¯ve suspected the bandits would lose control over the outside like this. But I assume they will focus on guarding their remaining piece of territory.¡±
¡°Hmm, I guessed as much,¡± Marie affirms. ¡°We should be ready for anything. Zell, can you tell us about the no.1 Flame wraith? We need to know what;s waiting for us¡±
¡°I can.¡±
Marie claps her hands, thundering over idle conversations. ¡°Everyone listen up! Go on.¡±
Zell coughs into his hand. ¡°The no.1 Flame wraith is named Scar. Though that¡¯s just a name he obtained from the other bandits, and that¡¯s what we called him by. He¡¯s the captain of the Flame Wraiths, right-hand man to the Phantom Flame himself.¡±
¡°Does he have abilities like you, Richard, and Nunnal¨¦?¡± I ask, hoping for a ¡°no¡±.
¡°Yes, but they are different. Whenever he wields his sword, destructive flames are all that¡¯s left.¡±
¡°That¡¯s where the motif comes from? Lame,¡± Proxy mocks, slumping in his seat with a wicked grin.
¡°However, the information I¡¯m able to provide is limited,¡± Zell continues.
¡°How often did you guys work together?¡± I inquire.
¡°Barely. He doesn¡¯t get sent out too often since he¡¯s managing the bandits, telling who to go where and what to do. Although, that forest-loving weirdo, Wildcard, made him fight.¡¯
¡°Seriously?¡± Proxy asks, sitting straight up.
¡°At first, some randoms got off¡¯ed by him in the woods he was guarding. Bodies were all over the place; going in was suicide¡ But he didn¡¯t need to go in.¡± Zeal sits with his chin resting on his hands. ¡°He drew his sword, flames came to life out of the thing, and next thing you know, the whole forest was burning down. I can still remember the smell of burnt wood mixing in with burning flesh¡¡±
He was willing to burn the remains of his allies just to seize victory¡? Sounds like the description of my father.
¡°Also, since you guys didn¡¯t kill them, who knows if the other Flame Wraiths are with them? Better be ready for shit to go down.¡±
Right now is not the time to lament. I must carry on and keep a level head. Our enemy will be strong, and the summarization of Scar makes that clear. We shall plan out a means of attack once we get closer to Borghulda.
¡°Man, you sound like you¡¯re about to piss yourself. I already know how to beat him,¡± Proxy says, crossing his arms and wearing a confident smile.
¡°Really?¡± Marie says, taken aback by Proxy¡¯s claim. ¡°And don¡¯t ham up the dramatics. Spit it out.¡±
¡°Simple.¡± Proxy stands up, pumping his fist. ¡°We hit that dude¡with water!¡±
The bus falls silent, staring at him with stares of bewilderment, amusement, or pity, oddly enough.
In Marie¡¯s case, gazing at him with a blank expression. ¡°Are you stupid or something? No, don¡¯t answer that. Definitely stupid.¡±
¡°An irreversible condition, it seems,¡± Nunnal¨¦ follows up in a monotone voice.
¡°I¡¯m serious! We douse him in water, he can¡¯t hit us with fire! Boom, bang, we win.¡±
¡°Um, if we were hitting him with pressurized water like firefighters use, then maybe, but just throwing water at him probably wouldn¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s more likely it would evaporate on contact.¡±
¡°Yeah, well, just think about it.¡±
He plops back onto his seat, pouting and angrily muttering to himself while Richard tries to calm him. Some part of me believes he purposely says those things to help our nerves. Without levity, only comes misery. Ah, I have made a rhyme!
¡°¡®Ay, we¡¯re comin¡¯ up on a village!¡±
Marie shuffles to the front with Elizabeth. ¡°Borghulda?¡±
¡°Nah, too small. Wanna stop there? Might help us get a scope on what¡¯s what here.¡±
¡°Hmm, brother?¡±
¡°I agree, we should. Maybe we can assist this village if the need arises.¡±
As Elizabeth brings us closer to the village, Marie faces everyone else in the back. ¡°All right, when the bus stops, me, Alexander, and Gilhart will go out and see the villagers. I¡¯m going to have Chip go ahead of us. Proxy, is Road Burner still following us?¡±
¡°Yeah. You want me to go with him?¡±
Marie nods her head. ¡°And take Zeal with you.¡±
The two hesitantly look at the other, cringing at the mere idea of a joint mission.
¡°I ain¡¯t going with him,¡± they shout simultaneously.
¡°Hey, jackass, don¡¯t copy me!¡±
¡°Right back at you, brat!¡±
¡°Call me a brat again, I dare ya!¡±
¡°Ooh, whatcha gonna do? Get beaten to near death again?¡±
¡°Funny, I was thinking of doing that to you. Though, I won¡¯t stop at half.¡±
¡°Keep talking, cause I¡¯m¨C¡±
¡°Quiet!¡± Marie strikes them both on the head, then pulls at their ears like a mother disciplining rowdy children. ¡°You two are going to go with Chip, you¡¯ll be on your best behavior, and if you aren¡¯t, I¡¯ll beat both of you half to death. Understand?¡±
Her fierce glare does away with whatever resistance they could muster. As much as it pains me to say this, I am glad that is not me under her scrutinizing gaze.
¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the boys agree in unionism.
¡°Right, everyone else will come out and guard the bus while we¡¯re gone. Proxy, Chip, and Zeal you three will meet up with us when you¡¯re done, understand?¡±
¡°Yes¡¡±
¡°Good.¡±
She returns to her seat, disgruntled and rubbing her temple. ¡°I swear, Proxy is one thing, but with Zeal, they act like immature brats.¡±
¡°I am sorry for my brother.¡±
¡°No, I¡¯m sort of used to it at this point, and I¡¯m sorry for hitting him. Got caught up in the moment.¡±
¡°You saved me the trouble. But don¡¯t hold it against him. He¡¯s¡easily worked up and isn¡¯t great with people. I think the fault lies with me. Joining the bandits was my decision, and while it kept us alive, it nurtured his terrible attitude. I¡¯ve done what I can to curb it, but as you can see, that did very little¡±
¡°I do not think you are entirely right,¡± I tell him. ¡°I cannot say you are entirely wrong either, however, Zeal is not hostile with just anyone. Just with Proxy.¡±
¡°Doesn¡¯t that concern you?¡±
¡°It would, however¡¡± The two of them are staring holes into each other, showing off menacing faces at each other. ¡°They share some similarities, in some ways. Perhaps Zeal has struck a chord with him, in a peculiar way?¡±
¡°I mean, they¡¯re both idiots, that¡¯s for sure.¡±
¡°Now, now, sister¡¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Still, perhaps Zeal is trying to be friends with Proxy¡ Although, what friendship may blossom from such a thing¡I dare not ask.
¡°Comin¡¯ up on the village.¡±
Marie and I head in front of the bus, observing it get closer to the village. Elizabeth masterfully parks us next to it.
¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡±
Marie leads us out. The sunlight hits me from the side and the air feels quite nice up here. Proxy whistles loudly, calling forth his vehicle.
Chip parks the scout bike next to us. ¡°What¡¯s going on? Flat tire?¡±
¡°Ya really think I¡¯d make some weak ass tires for this big beauty?¡±
Chip rubs the back of his head. ¡°Sorry,¡± he half-heartedly professes.
Proxy taps Chip on the shoulder and whistles for Road Burner. ¡°Come on, we¡¯re gonna scout ahead.¡± Chip shrugs his shoulders and goes ahead of Proxy and Zeal. The two get on the bike only for them to eye the other. ¡°Don¡¯t do any creepy shit like wrap your damn arms around my waist.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯d rather fall off than¨C¡±
A single glare from Marie is all it takes for them to settle down and go on their way. I hope that sending them off together will not encumber Chip¡ I should have gone with them. We shall reach there soon, but I cannot help but want to get there sooner.
¡°Brother, are you okay?¡± Marie places a hand on my shoulder. ¡°You were spacing out.¡±
¡°Oh, sorry, I was just in thought.¡±
¡°Is it about Borghulda?¡±
¡°Correct. I want to get there now, despite my willingness to stop here.¡±
¡°It¡¯s about father, isn¡¯t it?¡±
¡°Yes It was his home, and yet he still waged battle against them. He dreamed of peace, but the way he went about, if what sir¨C I mean, Garrick said is to be believed, then I want to know what convinced him to go to such extremes. And not just that, but I wish to know the real him¡ I must, as his son and as the man I idolized, I must know.¡±
¡°Even if you don¡¯t like it?¡±
¡°Even then¡¡±
What Garrick said of my father might be true. Walter gave the impression that he was a crazed fiend of justice. I regarded it as nothing more than the ravings of a madman, but now I have to put everything I know of him in question. Albeit, there is little doubt that they may not hold him in the best of light, so discerning the truth may be difficult.
¡°Sorry, Alexander,¡± Marie says, melancholic in tone. ¡°I knew what he meant to you.¡±
I rub my hand on her head, giving her my brightest smile. ¡°Worry not about me, sister. Whatever the truth may be I shall not waver, especially with such dependable friends and a sibling to boot.¡± I move ahead of her. ¡°For now, let us find any inhabitance.¡±
This is all I can do for now. My focus must be here, and then I can worry about my father. However, I am afraid that what Garrick said will come true, that the principles of knighthood my father taught me were false. But though they may be false, I do not believe they were wrong. As for how he felt about me¡ Best not to dwell on such words.
¡°Hello, is anyone here?¡± Marie shouts.
¡°We¡¯re not here to hurt you,¡± Gilhart adds on. ¡°Saying that out loud doesn¡¯t sound so reassuring, does it?¡±
¡°Hello¡! Guess this place is deserted. Surprised anyone made a small village here, anyway. Couldn¡¯t they just have lived in Borghulda?¡±
¡°This is weird,¡± Gilhart says. ¡°These houses, they¡¯re in good condition for them to be abandoned.¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good point. Close to the Fire Wraith home base, too. You¡¯d think they would¡¯ve burned anything that isn¡¯t their place. Maybe the warriors of Borghulda kept them safe?¡±
Certainly strange¡
¡°Hello there.¡± We spin around to the voice. A man wearing fresh clothes stands before us. ¡°Are you from a neighboring village? Everyone else has already gone off.¡±
Gilhart raises an eyebrow. ¡°Off where?¡±
¡°What a weird question. To the capital, of course.¡±
¡°Capital?¡±
¡°Yes, the capital. Are you pilgrims?¡±
¡°Yeah,¡± Marie answers without a shred of hesitation. ¡°We were just looking for the capital. Can you tell us where it is?¡±
¡°Why don¡¯t we tell him we¡¯re the anti-bandit army?¡± Gilhart raises.
¡°Let¡¯s just play along. We need intel right now.¡±
¡°Ah, quick thinking, your highness.¡±
¡°You¡don¡¯t have to call me that.¡±
¡°It is down that road¡ However, it is best to avoid Borghulda when passing.¡±
¡°Why?¡± I ask, the words rolling out of my mouth.
¡°The inhabitants there are terrible monsters that will attack on sight.¡±
What!?
¡°Shit! Are you serious!? Do they attack anyone?¡±
¡°Anyone. Several days ago, my fellows passed through their foraging for food. He came back bruised and bloodied.¡±
Marie dashes off for the bus. We follow behind, leaving the villager in a wake of confusion.
¡°Can¡¯t we just fight bandits!? Why does this shit have to be complicated all the time!?¡±
¡°Seems fate itself is out for us,¡± I remark.
Everyone watches us rushing back to the bus. We gesture for them to return onto the bus.
¡°Get back on,¡± Gilhart bellows, his screams echo across the land. ¡°Back on!¡±
¡°Nunnal¨¦, run after Proxy and the others,¡± Marie decisively orders. ¡°They¡¯re in danger!¡±
She grabs Richard, puts him on her back, and moves out at an incredible speed. We barrel into the bus, surprising Elizabeth.
¡°Whoa! Missed the bus or somethin¡¯?¡±
¡°No time! We have to get to Borghulda, and hit the gas!¡±
¡°Aight, don¡¯t gotta tell me twice!¡± Everyone piles onto the bus, quickly taking their seats. ¡°Y¡¯all better buckle in! This is ¡®bout to get bumpy!¡±
The bus suddenly accelerates, jutting us forward in our seats. Marie keeps to her feet, standing next to the exit. I keep next to her. Richard and Nunnal¨¦ will surely get there first, but let us hope it is not too late!
¡/Proxy
¡°Can¡¯t you go any faster?¡± Zeal barks, practically spitting at me.
¡°If I kick your heavy ass off, sure.¡±
¡°Wanna try it, brat?¡±
Believe me, I do. But right now isn¡¯t the time to do that. We need to find Borghulda¡ Though, are we just looking for a huge village or something smaller? I keep thinking of this big ass place. I could ask this guy, but I doubt he¡¯d be willing to tell me¡ Eh, might as well; if he gets on my nerves, I¡¯ll just beat him up.
¡°What does Borghulda look like?¡¯ I ask, expecting to be annoyed.
¡°Dumbass, it¡¯s a huge village! Can¡¯t miss it.¡±
¡°Thanks¡¡± Yep, I still want to snap his neck. ¡°So, what¡¯s it like?¡±
¡°Never been myself. Scar never let us go near the place.¡±
¡°Why not?¡±
¡°Dunno. I know it¡¯s filled with warriors, but even that shouldn¡¯t pose a threat to him, not even on his worse days, if he has any.¡±
¡°Maybe he¡¯s just scared of them.¡±
¡°No¡ That guy ain¡¯t scared of anything, nothing.¡±
¡°Are you in his fan club or something?¡±
¡°Idiot! I meant he¡¯s just weird! He barely acts like a normal person half the time!¡±
¡°What, is he a freak or something?¡±
¡°He¡¯s¡¡±
¡°Stop!¡±
I hit the brakes like Chip said to. There¡¯s someone on the ground in front of us. There¡¯s no blood anywhere, so they might still be alive¡ But there isn¡¯t a sign of a battle, either. And passing out in the middle of the road ain¡¯t the smartest thing in the world. Yeah, I smell bullshit here.
I get off my bike. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out.¡±
Not too sure if I¡¯m right about this, but if I am, then at least I¡¯ll be prepared for it. I crouch to the body, turning it over¡ Oh, this guy is actually laid out cold. Blood is running from his nose and his face is all red and bruised.
¡°Is¡he dead?¡± Chip asks, somewhat cringing at him.
¡°He has a pulse.¡°
¡°Looks like an idiot.¡±
¡°Why, and how does that matter?¡±
¡°Just got a feeling.¡±
¡°Let me guess, you can relate?¡±
¡°Better watch that mouth, kid!¡±
¡°Come on¡ I¡¯m getting a headache just listening to you two. If you¡¯re gonna beat the snot out of each other, do it when I don¡¯t have to babysit, ¡®kay?¡±
Still, this guy isn¡¯t a bandit. His clothes make that clear, and no marks. He has a small pouch on his waist. Something moving inside it, poking outward. Maybe it¡¯s not a good idea to look, just saying.
¡°What is this guy doing out here like this, anyway?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t tell you, but I can tell you why his face is all beaten up.¡± Chip points to a branch above us. Not too high from the ground, but falling from there - face first - will mess you up big time. ¡°Maybe this guy is a weird tree climber or something?¡±
¡°First Wildcard, now this doofus. What¡¯s up with these people and be freaking tree lovers?¡±
My sense alarms me! Behind me, traveling for the back of my head. I dodge the sneak attack. A funny-looking mask, shaped like a dog, is the thing that sticks out to me first. Their weapon is a blunt stick. Nothing about it is special. But their muscular arms and legs are no joke.
He chases after me, swinging his weapon with experienced precision. This guy isn¡¯t a bandit, he¡¯s not wearing their colors or tattoos, and he''s quieter than a regular mook. Still, this ain¡¯t enough. I block his next attack, guarding with my forearm against his, stopping his swing. Perfect, not a moment late. I strike him twice on the chest and with a round-house kick at his chest. Yet, he gets back up despite the combo.
¡°Man, you suck ass! Let me¨C¡±
¡°Shut up¡!¡± This is perfect. He¡¯s not going to go down with just that. Guess that means I can try to fine-tune it. ¡°Come here, I wanna try something on you.¡±
The enemy gets low on his feet, dashing towards me with the stick behind himself. He¡¯s not fast enough. I got this! Stepping into my zone; he thrust his weapon at me. I shift out of the way. I strike his face with my fist, staggering him. Now! With hasty steps, I hit his abdomen with my elbow, following up with consecutive kicks that hit the side of his chest to his head, finishing off with a palm smack against his mask. A guttural cough escapes the enemy.
¡°Come on, we ain¡¯t done yet.¡±
He isn¡¯t coming at me at the same speed as before. His attacks are easier to read. With each attack they make I return with a harder, well-timed hit. I use my speed to dart around them and whatever attack he¡¯s throwing my way, making full use of my legs for strikes. Ever since Laguna, I learned so much more about fighting, myself, and how I should go about it; I needed to change my fighting style, and I had to think about it while I was out of action, but it didn¡¯t take me long to figure it out. My agility and speed are my best assets, and while I like punching stuff, that isn¡¯t the best way to express my strengths; my legs are! I can use them to extend my reach and make blows I can¡¯t with my arms while acting more flexible. Gotta use whatever martial arts I know that fits me, and learn to get used to it.
My leg spears the enemy¡¯s face again, breaking off pieces of his mask. A perfect hit! Wished I practiced Martial Arts sooner. I¡¯ll have to keep working on it until I get the feel for it.
¡°Nasty hit, huh? Wouldn¡¯t blame you if you gave up now.¡±
¡°Ya lil bastard, dat hurt¡¡± The enemy throws their mask off. It¡¯s an old man. He has grey and black strands of hair for his unkept beard and lion-like mane of hair. But that¡¯s nothing compared to the huge ass scare on his face traveling from his left cheek across his nose to the end of his forehead. "Whatcha, standin¡¯ der for? Ya scared, runt?¡±
¡°Sorry, old man, but I¡¯m done watching you two screw around.¡± Zeal shoves me out of the way. ¡°Don¡¯t start crying when I break you.¡±
¡°A piss sniffer like ya? Now ain¡¯t dat a joke. But now ain¡¯t da time.¡± He points his stick at the boy behind us. ¡°...We¡¯re gonna kill all ya ten times over for touchin¡¯ him.¡±
¡°Wait, we didn¡¯t¡ We?¡±
On cue, several masked figures emerge from the forest, carrying different blunt weapons of varying sizes and lengths. We huddle up, back to back. Their quiet approach and their masks make it hard to tell what they¡¯re feeling, but if I had to guess, they¡¯re pissed off.
¡°Hope ya lil shitters don¡¯t beg, ¡®cause we ain¡¯t gonna show any mercy.¡±
Borghulda
¡/Proxy
Several masked creeps come out of the woods like a pack of animals, moving silently. Their builds are almost identical to the old man''s, but they vary from person to person. Forget escaping, these guys are keeping a tight formation. We have to stay back-to-back, or they¡¯ll just gang up on us. The old man is sneering at me, mean mugging the hell out of me with his crooked ass teeth.
¡°Hey, wanna use that ability of yours, Zeal?¡±
¡°Can¡¯t.¡±
¡°Bullshit, just use it!¡±
¡°No, I really can¡¯t.¡±
¡°If you need me to mess you up a bit, I can.¡±
¡°...Still can¡¯t! I would if I could, but¡¡±
¡°Alright, alright! We¡¯ll just have to fight our way out.¡±
I say that, but this ain¡¯t gonna be easy. The old fart isn¡¯t fazed by any of my hits. Sure, I mean I got his good, but he isn¡¯t on the ground or even in pain, he¡¯s smirking as if I did nothing but tickle him. And these guys beside him don¡¯t radiate the same aura this guy does, but they¡¯re pretty damn intimidating with how quiet they are.
¡°What¡¯s da matter? Wussin¡¯ out or somethin¡¯? We ain¡¯t lettin¡¯ y¡¯all of lightly!¡±
¡°What the hell did we do to you, you old fart!?¡±
¡°Dat boy, right there!¡±
Zeal holds him up by the head, presenting him with a blank face. ¡°You mean this idiot?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t hold him like that, jackass! Look, we didn¡¯t lay a hand on him! We found him like this!¡±
¡°Ya take me for a duntz?¡±
¡°We¡¯re telling the truth, he must¡¯ve¨C¡±
¡°I heard it! We gonna be takin¡¯ him back, and beatin¡¯ y¡¯all half to death!¡±
Old fogy isn¡¯t going to listen to a word we have to say! A fight is nice and all, but I¡¯ll have to worry about Chip while I do, and I don¡¯t even know if Zeal is gonna even try to keep him safe, and our opponents are pissed, so this is gonna get ugly.
¡°Chip, stay behind us.¡±
¡°Hey, you don¡¯t have to tell me. Don¡¯t let them hit me in the face.¡±
They¡¯re getting closer, pointing their weapons at us. Wish I had my sword right about now. Instead though, a purple blur soars over the enemies, perfectly sticking the landing and running to our side. She summons her sword, standing it on the ground.
¡°No further. This will be the only warning distributed. If you ignore this, I shall display lethal force.¡±
Oh, thank you, sweet God! Now we aren¡¯t going to get murderized.
¡°Don¡¯t hurt them badly, Nunnal¨¦.¡± Richard climbs off of Nunnal¨¦¡¯s back. ¡°Are you guys okay?¡±
¡°We¡¯re fine, but why are you guys here?¡±
¡°Marie said you were all in trouble. We ran ahead of the others.¡±
¡°What, so she can see the future now?¡±
¡°Would make things considerably easier, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±
The old man rubs his beard, patting his chest with his weapon. ¡°Ah, more of ya runts¡ Ya think numbers are gonna make things easier? Dat ain¡¯t gonna matter. By the time we done with ya, you¡¯ll¨C¡±
Cutting him off from whatever intimidating speech he had set up, a loud, sudden yawn, as boisterous as a grizzly bear getting out of hibernation. ¡°Aw¡my face¡my face!¡± The guy who face-planted stands up, stretching his limbs. ¡°...Huh? What the heck is going on¡? Grandpa?¡±
¡°F-finn!¡± ¡°Grandpa¡± runs over and past us to the boy, hugging the life out of him, and destroying whatever intimidating aura he had. ¡°Finn! Ya okay!? These sons of bitches hurt you!? Don¡¯t ya worry, we¡¯s gonna beat the snot out of them.
Ya know¡that isn¡¯t so scary anymore when he¡¯s hugging him like he¡¯s a little boy, and all teary-eyed at that.
¡°Um, I don¡¯t know these guys, Grandpa¡¡±
¡°Huh? But ya face and these lil shits look like a pack of wild animals, they do.¡±
I flip him off. ¡°Cram it up your ass, you old bastard.¡±
¡°Yeah, you stinking old fart¡! But what type of animal am I?¡± Zeal asks, ignorant of how dumb he sounds.
¡°Oh, ah¡well¡ I cannot remember!¡±
¡°Wha¨C So, they did jump ya!¡±
¡°No, we didn¡¯t! We found him like that, and we think he fell from that branch and onto his face. Does that make sense, gramps!?¡±
¡°Really? Dat true?¡±
¡°Hmm¡ I think it is, yeah. I was searching for¡stuff, and something caught my eye on that branch. I tried to get it but I slipped and hit the dirt.¡±
¡°Yep, knew he was an idiot.¡±
¡°Ya dumb kid! Didn¡¯t I tell ya to be careful?¡±
¡°Yes, right! Sorry, Grandpa! Please¡stop...hugging!¡±
This goes on any longer that guy is gonna die by being hugged to death.
¡°Yo, is this a cease-fire? Cause we got no reason to fight now.¡±
¡°Yeah, guess ya got a point there¡ Sorry ¡®bout dat. Though, ya¡¯ll look like some bad guys.¡± I hope he means Zeal, cause I sure as hell don¡¯t look like a bad guy. ¡°Apologies if I scared ya, kiddo.¡±
¡°That kick to the head rattle your brain or something? I wasn¡¯t scared for a second.¡±
He responds with a hearty laugh. ¡°Guts, I like it. But don¡¯t ya get it twisted, it takes more than a kick to get me down. Got a head dats harder than iron!¡± A loud honk from down the road gets the attention of the weird mask people. The black bus¡¯s large body hastily approaches. ¡°Friends?¡±
¡°Yeah.¡± I wave to them, gesturing to Elizabeth that it¡¯s safe over here.
¡°A black vehicle¡are ya the anti-bandit army we been hearin¡¯ ¡®bout? Hear them bandits talk about ya. Ridin¡¯ in a black vessel, bringin¡¯ nothin¡¯ but pain but no death.¡±
¡°That¡¯s us.¡±
¡°Well, ain¡¯t ya got me curious.¡±
The bus rolls closer until coming to a full stop near us. Several members, including Alex and Marie, come barreling out of the bus, armed to the teeth.
¡°You guys okay?¡± Marie bellows, standing with her spear.
¡°We are unharmed,¡± Nunnal¨¦ reports. ¡°...However, there may be a misunderstanding, to my knowledge.¡±
¡°Then¡these are not enemies?¡± Alex speaks up, putting away his sword.
¡°Pretty much,¡± Chip answers.
¡°How do ya know of us?¡±
¡°Depends, are you guys from Borghulda?¡± Marie asks, keeping her spear ready.
¡°Oh¡I get it. Some daft moron down in one of dem villages told ya we¡¯re all dangerous, huh?¡±
¡°Are you?¡±
¡°Only to bastards who mess with us.¡± He pounds his chest. ¡°I¡¯m Horgmon! Chief of Borghulda. Nice to meet ya! Hey, ya lot! Take dem damn masks off! We got guests, not enemies.¡± They all begin taking their masks off, an assortment of boys and not a female in sight. Thank god. If one of them was a girl and I beat them to hell and back¡ Well, I¡¯d be lame for that. ¡°Who da leader of ya band?¡±
Marie nudges Alex. He hesitantly walks up, tensing up. ¡°I¨CI¡am Alexander!¡±
¡°Oh¡are ya now.¡± The old man moves towards Alex. He puts his mean mug towards him.. ¡°...Alright! Tell ya what! Since all ya ain¡¯t enemies, and we don¡¯t need ta beat ya half to death, why don¡¯t ya come to da village?¡±
¡°Truly? You would have us?¡±
¡°¡®Course, blondie¡ I know we have lots to discuss. Can dis beast of yours fit us all?¡±
¡°Hey!¡± Elizabeth pops her head out of the bus exit, fuming with anger. ¡°This ain¡¯t no beast! This is a work of damn ART! If ya call her a beast again, ya can walk all the way home! I don¡¯t give a shit!¡±
That outburst leaves the old man speechless, and I can¡¯t blame him; she can come off pretty strong at the drop of a hat. But instead of calling her out, he starts laughing. ¡°Ah, sorry, sorry. I shoulda known better. Ya have my apologies, lil lady. May we board your vehicle?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
¡°Ehh¡ Since you were so damn nice about it, sure thing!¡±
Everyone begins to board the bus. The number of masked people isn¡¯t too many, like 10-12, so this should be fine. But that old dude is the village chief, and it looks like he¡¯s been through a rough fight. It doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out he was probably there during the final battle of the war, and if that¡¯s the case, then he might¡¯ve seen Sigurd in Alex¡ Maybe I¡¯m wrong, cause wouldn¡¯t he have attacked if he did? Bigger question though: what is Alex gonna do once we get there? Doubt the locals will be thrilled that he¡¯s his dad¡¯s boy¡
¡°Wow, my face doesn''t hurt anymore!¡±
¡°You should be fine, but why were you climbing trees?¡±
¡°Ah, I was collecting bugs.¡±
Ew, nasty! No wonder that bag was wriggling like that, and I was going to open that thing!
¡°Were you going to eat them?¡± Nunnal¨¦ asks, genuinely curious.
The question invoked the image of him eating the most disgusting creatures I can picture. If I puke now, nobody could blame me.
¡°No way! I was¡um¡was just¡umm¡ Going to make them fight each other! Yep, that¡¯s it.¡± If you¡¯re gonna lie, at least don¡¯t make it that obvious. ¡°An-anyway, I appreciate the help! I am Finn! I¡¯m the chief¡¯s grandson.¡±
¡°I¡¯m Richard, that¡¯s Nunnal¨¦, and he¡¯s¨C¡±
¡°Proxy: AKA the strongest punk in all of NewPort, and a proud member of the Anti-bandit army. Don¡¯t go forgetting it.¡±
¡°Whoa¡¡±
¡°I know, but don¡¯t feel too overwhelmed by my greatness, my awesomeness, and my¨C¡±
¡°That¡¯s the longest name I ever heard.¡±
¡°Oh, come on! How the hell did you think that was my whole name!?¡±
¡°Don¡¯t blame him for thinking that.¡±
¡°Master, I thought that was his whole name?¡±
¡°Well, Nunnal¨¦, you never know, it may be.¡±
¡°I see¡¡±
¡°No it isn¡¯t! Look, just call me Proxy, okay? Cool!.¡±
¡°Understood! However, if¡if¡I may be so bold¡can I¡¡±
¡°Can you¡?¡±
¡°Ah, no! Never mind, g-g-good day!¡±
Finn runs ahead of us to the bus.
¡°The people in this world keep getting stranger and stranger, right, buddy?¡±
¡°He was anxious, fearful too when he was answering about the bugs earlier, and just now,¡± Richard says, pushing up his glasses. ¡°However, those weren¡¯t the strongest emotions in the mix, it was ''embarrassment''.¡±
¡°Embarrassment?¡±
¡°Yeah¡ Whatever he¡¯s doing with those things, I don¡¯t want to know.¡±
¡°Not even a little?¡±
Richard pursed his lips, veering his eyes away from me. ¡°I¡can¡¯t whole-heartedly say I don¡¯t want to know.¡±
¡°Nosy,¡± I call him with a gleeful smile.
¡°Wha¨C You¡¯re the one who wants to know!¡±
¡°I never said I wanted to know.¡±
¡°As if you wouldn¡¯t!¡±
¡°That¡¯s¡true.¡±
¡°Then don¡¯t accuse me of being the only nosy person here.¡±
¡°So, you admit you are?¡±
¡°No¨C I¨C that¡¯s not what I¨C You know what I mean!¡±
¡°Nah, can¡¯t say.¡±
¡°But you do know how to be carried bridal style.¡±
A painful memory, the most embarrassing moment in all of my 15 years of life.
¡°Low blow,¡± I mutter, cringing at the psychic damage it has dealt me.
Anti-bandit army bus - Proxy
Roadburner is following along the bus like before, and I¡¯m just in here, relaxing after the fight I had. Not like I¡¯m tired or anything, but I gotta let my body get some rest to be at my peak. But I can¡¯t quite get a good break in with a certain someone staring at me. Finn is eyeing me up, and it¡¯s beginning to annoy me.
¡°Dude, if you have something to say, then say it.¡±
¡°Did you really fight Grandpa?¡±
¡°Yeah¡¡±
¡°He was tough, right?¡±
¡°Yeah¡you ever fight him?¡±
¡°Not really, it¡¯s just¡I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen anyone who''s gone toe-to-toe with him before.¡±
¡°Well, don¡¯t count the geezer out yet. I think he was holding back.¡±
¡°He was!?¡±
¡°I think so.¡±
He¡¯s old, there¡¯s no getting over that, but he was handling that stick around like an expert, and even when I was getting hits on him, he never lost track of me. His body mass isn¡¯t for show, it felt like I was hitting a brick wall, and if he was really trying to kill me in a fight, I doubt I¡¯d come out unscathed. Just gonna be grateful he didn¡¯t didn¡¯t have a sword.
¡°I¡¯m sorry if Grandpa was rude to you guys. You can tell, but he is incredibly protective of me and the rest of Borghulda.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry about us. It takes more than an old man with a stick and some harsh words to take me down. But what about you? Can you fight?¡±
¡°I¡¯m not very good at it, but I don¡¯t¡ Nevermind.¡±
¡°What? Not interested?¡±
He puts his finger to his lips, lowering his head ¡°Don¡¯t say it aloud!¡±
¡°Okay, so am I right?¡±
¡°...Yes, but you can¡¯t tell my grandpa, he can never know.¡±
¡°Why?¡±
¡°He just can¡¯t, okay? Keep it a secret, pretty please!?¡±
¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t have to worry, I can keep a secret.¡±
It doesn¡¯t seem that big of a deal to me. What, do you have to like caving in someone¡¯s skull to be a village chief or something? Actually, that old man said he was gonna beat us half to death a couple of times back there. I might not be far off with that.
¡°Proxy, come here for a second.¡± Chip calls over for me.
¡°Better go see what''s up with him. Nice talking to you, and hey, keep those bugs in that bag.¡±
¡°Will do!¡±
I get up, heading over to him. I take a seat next to Marie, Chip, and Alex.
¡°Hey, Proxy, I was telling Marie what happened. Turns out a villager said that the people from Borghulda are dangerous¡ Can¡¯t say I don¡¯t agree though, but I guess it was a misunderstanding.¡±
¡°I still wonder why they said that in the first place,¡± Marie ponders.
¡°Perhaps the residents of Borghulda are wary of others?¡±
¡°They said they were violent to outsiders¡ Also, that capital thing is bothering me. Never heard of that before. I thought he was talking about Borghulda, but now¡¡±
¡°Well, whatever it is, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll compare to the kingdom. Right, your highness?¡± Marie is taken aback by Chip''s remark, almost wounded by the title. ¡°Ah, hey I didn¡¯t mean to make fun of you. I was just joking around.¡±
¡°Don¡¯t worry, you didn¡¯t do anything.¡±
¡°Man, come on, don¡¯t start looking all sad, you¡¯ll make me feel worse.¡±
¡°Shouldn¡¯t you already feel bad?¡± I ask him.
¡°I do but I don¡¯t wanna feel worse than I already do.¡±
¡°You guys don¡¯t have to worry about me. Right now, we should focus on getting more info. Chip.¡±
He straightens out, stiff as a board. ¡°Ye-yeah?¡±
¡°What do you think of the residence?¡±
¡°Um, can¡¯t say much¡ They¡¯re a dangerous bunch, that much I can tell you. But¡I don¡¯t think their chief is shady or anything, but we better be careful about mentioning things like¡¡± He hunches down, covering the side of his mouth with his hand. ¡°...You being royal blood, or him being Sigurd¡¯s son,¡± he whispers. ¡°Don¡¯t really gotta tell you guys, right?¡± Marie nods in affirmation, but Alex sits there with a resolute look. ¡°Blondie, what¡¯s with that look?¡±
¡°I¡do not wish to trouble everyone, however, I want to learn more of my father.¡±
¡°And the only way to do that is from these guys¡ Yep, should¡¯ve seen that one coming. Any chance you¡¯ll rethink that?¡±
¡°I am sorry, however, I must know, not for idle fancy, but to know of the world my father envisioned¡ What his ideal peace was, and to understand the real him. Please forgive me.¡±
Even if he pretends not to have familial ties to Sigurd like he did with Garrick, just bringing up the guy will be trouble, and I doubt these people are gonna be thrilled about fighting with us then. But if that happens, who needs them? We already have a couple of powerhouses in this army, a can-do attitude, and me. We¡¯ll be more than fine.
¡°Guess asking isn¡¯t going to change your mind. Just be careful then, getting yourself killed for answers ain¡¯t the best way to go about things.¡±
¡°I promise and will not allow my pursuit to harm any of you.¡±
¡°Even if it does, at least I know what to expect. Besides¡we¡¯re all in on this together, so what¡¯s a few bumps and cuts, huh?¡±
¡°Aw, he¡¯s so sweet,¡± Marie says wearing an impish smile on her face.
¡°Yeah, who knew you could be so caring. So sweet.¡±
¡°Shut up! I¡¯ve always been a caring guy!¡±
¡°Thank you for your concern, Chip. I care for you as well.¡±
¡°Please, don¡¯t make this more awkward, man.¡±
The bus comes to a stop, almost sending us rocketing forward. The door opens up.
¡°Alright, ya lugs! We need to disarm the traps! Come on, get to it!
The Borghulda residents leave the bus, grumbling to themselves, murmuring things like ¡°disarming is a pain in the ass.¡± Sucks for them, but I rather not have traps T-boning our bus, so they better suck it up and do it. About 14 minutes pass before they come back, moaning about the tireless work they had to put up with. The chief looks just as vigorous as ever.
We continued onward, up a small hill. Gradually, the flourishing forest life was thinning out the further we went, the color fading from bright green to a gray, depressing hue Saplings are rooted everywhere under burnt soil.
¡°Burned just about all of this up to Borghulda¡ Some people say they saw the smoke from miles out,¡± Chip recounts. ¡°Not that burnt-up woods are anything new, but it being common wasn¡¯t all that reassuring either.
¡°Yeah¡it sure isn¡¯t,¡± Marie laments, somberly gazing out at the woods. ¡°Used to see smoke all the time back in the kingdom. Raiders would burn whatever they could before the knights put them down. No matter how vigilant, people always suffered from those attacks. I remember when they made it to the castle¡¡±
¡°You don¡¯t have to say any more than that,¡± I tell her. ¡°But were the raiders all from Borghulda or something?¡±
¡°Nah, most raiders were people who took advantage of the war, riding into the kingdom, looting, destroying, and killing whoever they could. I was one of those poor people who had to steal stuff just to survive. Can¡¯t blame people for doing that; the whole thing started because the kingdom was hoarding resources.¡±
¡°The village right outside the kingdom was not spared from that tragedy,¡± Alex adds on, downtrodden.
¡°What happened to it anyway?¡± I inquire.
¡°It was dismantled. The residents there were likely chased away. Although, the population was quite small to begin with, and decreased as the war raged on¡ I always hoped that everyone from there to be in good health. Their kindness was a comfort in those dark times.¡±
When I first heard the kingdom rejected people from the outside, I naturally thought they were dicks. Don¡¯t get me wrong, they still are, but I can¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t make sense; when people come into your home and messed shit up, of course, you aren¡¯t receptive to them. However, that doesn¡¯t excuse the mines, not one bit.
¡°Marie¡so¡ This is gonna be sensitive, but it¡¯s about your brother, the other one, I mean.¡± She tenses up, avoiding eye contact with me, riffed with disbelief on her face. ¡°Shit! My bad! I was just wondering about something, and I¨C¡±
¡°No, no it¡¯s fine¡ I¨C¡±
¡°Here we are!¡± Horgmon shouts inside the bus, almost bursting my eardrums with his loud ass voice.
¡°Hey, you old bastard! Don¡¯t shout like that, especially near my damn brother!¡±
¡°Huh? Shut it, ya lil piss sniffer. Ya louder than me, but ya don¡¯t see me bitchin¡¯ and whinin¡¯.¡±
Man, if you can shut Zeal up, you are my personal hero, old man¨C No, Horgmon, the living legend¡ Anywho, I pop my head out the window; the bus heads closer to a village nestling between large mountains and forests. Village, yeah right¡this place isn''t a dinky village!
¡°Holy crap.¡±
I thought it would be a bunch of old buildings and stuff, but this place is a proper, bustling town with buildings, not as tall as the ones from Laguna, but they¡¯re well-made nonetheless. There¡¯s a road leading us in with no blade of grass in sight, or even a pebble on the road, and there are a bunch of people going about their day like usual. We move past the gate they have set up here. It¡¯s not as large as the kingdom¡¯s and made out of wood, but it¡¯s still impressive.
¡°Alas, we made it. To Borghulda!¡±
Borghulda part 2
Borghulda - afternoon - Proxy
¡°Oh¡ Oh!¡±
Alex''s speechless, awestruck gasping is better than anything I can muster up. Hell, all I did say was ¡°Holy shit¡±, and that was back on the bus. The buildings are made of wood and stone, but they don¡¯t look mismatched. Rather, well throughout and constructed; down to a fine art, might I add. The roads look carefully paved and there¡¯s a nice gap between it and the buildings, to keep them out of the way of people.
¡°This village looks¡better than I had assumed it be,¡± Richard mutters, taken aback.
¡°Course it is. We don¡¯t do half-assed shit. Dis is our home after all, so we do da finest work for it.¡±
¡°You¡¯re telling me,¡± Chip says, keeping himself whelmed. ¡°This place is better looking than any other village.¡±
¡°What about that underground one?¡± Gil mentions. ¡°That place was huge, and the place was amazing.¡±
¡°True, but the buildings don¡¯t come to mind. The only thing worth remembering was the girls,¡± he ends with a creepy grin. ¡°...Man, after this is all over, I wanna go back there.¡±
¡°Thought ya remember the part where they tried to snuff ya out?¡± Elizabeth retorts, disgust written all over her face.
¡°Who isn¡¯t trying to kill us nowadays? Besides, if it''s a cute girl, then I can let anything slide.¡±
¡°Ya have no shame. I''d say that''s impressive, but I just can''t.¡±
¡°Hey, it ain''t about shame, it''s just¡being a gentleman. Right, Proxy?¡±
¡°Nah, dude, you are shameless, with a capital ¡®s¡¯.¡±
¡°Whatever, you''re still just a kid, so you wouldn''t get it.¡±
¡°Kiss my ass with that ¡®just a kid¡¯ shit.¡±
But it wouldn¡¯t be bad to go back there to tell everyone that we won. Besides, I wonder how Vella is doing anyway, so popping in and sporting my big ol¡¯ smile sounds nice.
¡°We keep to ourselves but we do get some new people who wound up here. Don¡¯t just take in anyone with a sob story though; have ta pull ya own weight. Means ya gotta go huntin¡¯, keepin¡¯ an eye out for a suspicious lot, maintainin¡¯ crops, and helpin¡¯ with resource gatherin¡¯. Our home won''t get back to glory itself!¡±
Our little tour takes us to a town square. People pass by, carrying stuff: food, buckets of water, and weapons. They¡¯re going on about their lives, talking with one another about mundane shit, but they stop as we pass by. Their eyes cautiously glaze over us. Super wary of strangers, I take it.
¡°Don''t mind dem. Just never had a big group of people come up here before. Dat, and your big ass vehicle makes an impression.¡±
¡°We apologize for rattling anyone with our appearance.¡±
¡°Nah, it''s all good. ¡®sides, if you were causin¡¯ trouble, we wouldn''t be talkin¡¯ like dis. But enough of dat, my place is just down there.¡± There¡¯s a large building down the road, by itself. A three-story house painted with a bunch of red markings. ¡°We¡¯ll have us a nice ol¡¯ chat in there.¡±
Chief Horgmon''s home - Proxy
The inside of this old dude''s home is made of wood, and the quality speaks for itself¡ªsmoother than a con artist. And not to mention the warm, pleasant smell of lavender. A relaxing aroma that helps calm the senses¡ I gotta get me some incense when I get back home.
¡°This place smells nice,¡± Marie says, taking a whiff of the smell.
¡°Dat? Well, we used¡ahh¡¡±
¡°...The smell is from a flower,¡± Finn answers, his chest puffed up. ¡°It lets out a nice odor when in a warm environment.¡±
¡°There are multiple flowers capable of emitting an aroma within certain environments,¡± Nunnal¨¦ chimes in with a twinkle in her eyes. However, some can produce toxins. However, those must be smelt in close proximity to it.¡±
¡°Oh, there are some of those around here, but I got those mapped out already! Also¨C¡±
¡°Enough! Finn, ya free to go.¡±
¡°Are you sure?¡±
¡°Yeah, ya can go to ya room.¡±
¡°Yes, Grandpa.¡±
The boy scurries off out of the place with a smile plastered on his face.
¡°He looked glad to leave,¡± Marie states.
¡°Ah, you know how kids are. Aye, I love da boy, but sometimes, he goes and worries me. This ain¡¯t the first time he¡¯s disappeared without a word. Sometimes, I want to yell ear off ¡®till it comes off and make his head spin¡! Bah, but ya ain¡¯t here to hear me moan and groan about a young boy actin¡¯ his age. Ya came to fight bandits, didn¡¯t ya?¡±
¡°That is correct,¡± Alex answers. ¡°However, we also had the desire to come here as well.¡±
¡°Hmm¡let me take a gander. You wish for the warriors of Borghulda, right?¡±
¡°We wish to have you all fight by our side in the coming battle.¡±
The old man puts his hand to his chin, stroking his beard with his eyes closed. ¡°Hmm¡ No.¡±
Well damn, didn¡¯t expect him to refuse us this early on.
¡°No¡? May I know why?¡±
¡°Many reasons, but the important one being: we don¡¯t know ya.¡±
¡°Come on, old man, you heard of us, right?¡± I chime in.
¡°I have, however, just ¡®cause you make a few bandit shit themselves doesn¡¯t mean I trust you.¡±
¡°Then what must we do to earn your trust, sir?¡±
¡°Is getting our help dat important?¡±
¡°No, it is your trust that I want.¡±
¡°My trust is important to ya? Ain¡¯t you just a stand-up guy¡ Hmm...well, ya ain¡¯t lanky like that boy behind you, or that angry lil¡¯ shit as well.¡±
I roll back my sleeves and show off the goods. ¡°Hey, dude, I got muscle!¡±
¡°Yeah, you old bastard! I¡¯ll show you muscle when I¨C¡±
Zell wraps his hand around Zeal¡¯s mouth. He¡¯s smiling and all that, but you can tell he¡¯s not happy with his outburst.
¡°Most of ya men look like they can handle some work.¡±
¡°Work? Hold on a sec, you¡¯re not gonna have us working, right¡? Right?¡± Chip asks, sweating bullets at the thought.
¡°Huh? What else would I have ya do? We got shit that needs to be done around here, and some able bodies are nice to have. Question is: are ya men willin¡¯?¡±
It¡¯s not like I want to work or anything, I don¡¯t. But if it helps Alex, I¡¯ll keep my mouth shut and buckle down. But if the old guy really doesn¡¯t trust us, then why have us work with his people to fix up their town? Telling us to piss off makes more sense.
¡°Is this arrangement agreeable with everyone else?¡± Alex asks.
Nobody rejects the idea; although a bit of apprehension is going around like the flu, nobody voices any discontent with it.
¡°Very well, we shall assist you with whatever task you ask of us!¡±
¡°Dat¡¯s good to hear, kiddo¡ But¡¡± The old man flashes an evil ass grin, snickering too. ¡°...I never promised it would be easy.¡±
Borghulda - afternoon - Proxy
¡°1¡2¡3¡ Push! Come¡on¡push damnit!¡±
Hell¡this is¡hell! Grueling, tiring, muscle-torturing hell! My legs are working overtime and my arms are pushing as hard as they can. Damnit, this sucks, this sucks so damn bad! Zell, Richard, and I are pushing this heavy ass wagon filled with rocks, wood, and some other shit! This should be easy and all, but hell no! This shit weighs a ton.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Push¡you¡lazy asses,¡± Zeal says, struggling to string words.
¡°We are, shut up!
¡°It¡¯s¡too heavy!¡±
¡°Then put some backbone into it, buddy!¡±
¡°I¡I am!¡±
You guys¡are useless!¡±
¡°Kiss my ass! You don¡¯t hear me panting yet, do you?¡±
¡°You¡¯re sweating bullets, you weakling!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t come at me with that! I see your scrawny legs wobbling!¡±
¡°Can you¡guys¡stop¡arguing! Just push!¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah¡whatever¡you scrawny little¨C¡±
The wagon gains a sudden boost in momentum, leaving us behind. Richard keeps pushing it ahead with just one arm. Stepped on a land mine with that one.
¡°Wha¨Cwhat the¨C¡±
A dry laugh is all I can manage while collecting my breath. ¡°You were saying, chicken legs?¡±
He stops moving the wagon and rests it in place with a single hand. We catch back up, placing our hands on it, and Richard puts his other hand on it.
¡°Just so you know, I can do this by myself, but I thought it would be cheating,¡± Richard says, baring his buried cold, ruthless-natured attitude onto Zeal. ¡°...Now both of you, please start pushing!¡±
¡°Don¡¯t lump me in with him. I don¡¯t need to stop pushing to talk shit, you know this.¡±
¡°Then just don¡¯t let him antagonize you!¡±
¡°...I¡¯ll try.¡±
We barrel on, bring ourselves to the brink just to luge this stuff around¡ You¡¯d think with four guys this would be a¡ Wait a minute¡ Where¡¯s Chip!?
¡°Where did Chip go?¡±
¡°He¡he was just right here.¡±
¡°That lazy little¨C He¡¯s over there!¡±
Sitting in the shade of a house porch, Chip fans himself with his damn cape, acting like he did any hard work.
¡°Richard¡we¡¯ll be back.¡±
¡°...Drag him back here.¡±
¡°I hope you mean literally.¡±
¡°I do.¡±
Our unsuspecting friend continues to have the time of his life under the shade as his - soon to be - immediate doom approaches.
He notices us, nervously waving at us like it¡¯ll do anything. ¡°O-oh¡ What¡¯s up, guys¡? You hanging in there?¡±
¡°Whatcha doing over here?¡± I ask, disguising my anger with a calm tone.
¡°Yeah, what happend?¡±
¡°Ah, well, you know, I ain¡¯t all that strong. My arms are lanky, my legs aren¡¯t too good, and I have terrible stamina. I, um, would be a burden to you guys, so, I decided it¡¯s best if I sit out on this one. Gotta do what¡¯s best for the army right? But don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m rooting for you, 100%! So what do you say, just leave me here, huh?¡±
¡°...Proxy, let¡¯s drag him by the legs.¡±
¡°Sure thing.¡±
¡°Ah, wait, wait! I wa-wa-w-was just kidding! Guys, it was just a joke!¡±
With our combined strength he doesn¡¯t stand a chance of getting out of this now.
¡°You know, I¡¯m feeling kinda tired. Wanna take a break?¡±
¡°Ya know what? Not a bad idea, kid. Hey, lazy ass! Take over for us.¡±
¡°For¡all three of you?¡±
¡°Yep.¡±
¡°You gotta be kidding me! I¡¯ll die!¡±
¡°We¡¯ll make you a nice grave,¡± Zeal dispassionately says.
¡°Monsters! Evil!¡±
¡°Pure evil, baby.¡±
And just like that, Richard, Zeal, and I earned ourselves a quick break while the ever-reliable Chip continued to do the work for us. I expected the usual shit-talking to ensue, but Zeal seems pretty chill, for some reason. I want to be careful talking with him since I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯ll explode or not, but I might as well take the chance to shoot the breeze with him before he gets all bipolar again.
¡°So, Zeal¡having a nice day?¡±
¡°No. We have to do shit labor for these bastards. Why the hell should we anyway; it¡¯s their town, they should fix it.¡±
¡°We need their trust, that¡¯s why.¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah¡ Still a pain in the ass.¡±
Okay, well, that didn¡¯t go anywhere. Yeah, this labor stuff is hell, but if we benefit from it in the end, then I don¡¯t mind. However, a part of me wants to know what¡¯s going on in that old man¡¯s head.
¡°Zeal,¡± Richard calls. ¡°...are you worried about your brother?¡±
¡°Hm? Why do you want to know?¡±
¡°I know it¡¯s random, but you sounded somewhat worried when you were talking about work.¡±
¡°Oh, yeah, you got that weird ability. I guess I am, but I know he isn¡¯t a wuss, but I can¡¯t help it sometimes.¡±
¡°Because you two are all you have.¡±
¡°Yeah. Just can¡¯t help but worry at times.¡±
¡°No, I get it, and I¡¯m sort of envious of you guys for being so concerned for the other like that.¡±
¡°What for?¡±
¡°I have a brother, too. We¡¯re not twins, though, and I¡¯m the younger one.¡±
¡°Did something happen to him?¡±
¡°I want to say no, but that¡¯s the thing: I¡¯m not too sure. Even before coming to this world, we rarely spoke to each other, and he always kept his messages short. I wanted to ask how he was, but¡I dunno, it never felt like I¡¯d get a reply, or that he would care to answer.¡±
¡°You think he doesn''t care about you?¡±
¡°No. He sends me money and pays for my living expenses, and I am grateful, but the last time I saw him was before he sent me off; 3 years ago.¡± He nervously chuckles to himself, trying to hide his face behind his arm while awkwardly scratching the side of his head. ¡°Look at me, now I''m just complaining.¡±
¡°Man¡you both sound like idiots.¡± Richard leaps inside his skin, bringing his eyes to Zeal like a deer staring down headlights. ¡°You''re scared to send him a letter, and he just sounds like an ass. If you miss him, then speak to him, and if he cares about you, he¡¯ll respond.¡± Zeal stands up, smacking Richard¡¯s shoulder. ¡°...Brothers shouldn¡¯t be scared of talking to each other, so stop being such dumbass about it and just do it¡¡±
Richard¡¯s forlorn expression softens into a small smile. ¡°...Your right¡ Thanks, Zeal. I suppose I am overthinking things. Sorry if my bemoaning about this bothers you.¡±
¡°¡I kinda get it, so it¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t wuss out when you do¡ Who knows if you¡¯ll ever get another chance.¡±
¡°Right, thank you.¡±
I nudge Zeal on the back. ¡°Wow, so you can be nice.¡±
¡°Of course I can!¡±
¡°Color me surprised.¡±
¡°Hey, you want me to beat you!?¡±
¡°Then stop mouthing off and take a swing. Can¡¯t promise I won¡¯t.¡±
Oh, that reminds me. Chip is still pushing the wagon and he¡¯s no farther than he started. His loud panting is pretty pathetic. He isn¡¯t a powerhouse; he has the strength of a fourth-grader, but this is kinda sad.
¡°Okay, maybe we should get back to work. I sort of pity him at this point.¡±
¡°Alrighty, let¡¯s go give him a hand, fellas.¡±
¡°Guy lazes around and can¡¯t even push a damn wagon.¡±
¡°After this, you guys want to go do something?¡± Richard asks.
¡°Ah¡fine, guess I got nothing better to do, but it better not be boring.¡±
¡°Sure, it¡¯s been a while since we could relax.¡±
¡°Great, then let¡¯s finish this task first.¡±
Chief Horgmon''s home - afternoon
Horgmon watches the town from his porch, smoking a pipe and standing around with the authoritative air chief of Borghulda. However, something is bothering him. These newcomers to his town doesn''t alarm him, but rather set him on guard. He¡¯s keeping up the appearance of someone who¡¯s accepted them for the time being but is wary of them.
¡°Excuse me for the intrusion.¡±
A boy clad in black makes his presence known to the village chief, who doesn¡¯t flinch at the boy¡¯s sudden arrival. He takes a large drag on his pipe, puffing out a cloud of smoke.
¡°What do ya want?¡± he asks, composed yet laced with anger. ¡°Don¡¯t ya know it¡¯s rude to come into people¡¯s homes uninvited?¡± The boy keeps his silence. ¡°Aye, ya better get to da point of ya bein¡¯ here.¡±
¡°The anti-bandit army has arrived here.¡±
¡°I damn well know, but why are ya here?¡±
¡°Are you intending to fight alongside them?¡± Horgmon takes another hit of his pipe. ¡°I would like to remind you off¨C¡±
¡°Yeah, yeah, I got it already. Dat all?¡±
¡°You have not answered my query. What do you intend to do with the anti-bandit army?¡±
¡°Dat¡¯s none of ya concern¡! But we don¡¯t intend to fight ya.¡±
¡°Very well. I was only tasked to see if they came here, and of your stance on their arrival.¡±
¡°¡®Fraid we might want in on da action?¡± Once again, the boy does not answer. ¡°Am I expectin¡¯ another visit?¡±
¡°I am not privy to that information at this time.¡±
¡°Course not. Now piss off! Ya got what ya came for, so just¡¡±
The boy vanished, leaving no sound or even the impression of a human being there. All there is smoke and the bitterness he left Horgmon in. The elder curses under his breath, wishing he could strangle the life out of that boy, and he could probably do it, but not consequence-free.
¡°Finn¡! Finn, you here!?¡± His grandson does not come, and he sort of knew that would happen. ¡°Aye...¡±
He isn¡¯t pissed that Finn leaves the house without a word. He¡¯s used to it. The problem is he leaves without telling anyone where he heads off. Today, like every other day, gives the chief a reason to be concerned about him.
¡°Hmph, no sense in dawdlin¡¯ about like dis. Work needs to get done.¡±
He takes one last puff of his pipe, savoring the flavor, before releasing it from his lungs. He places it on the porch rail and heads off to do his duty. Before he can get far, Alexander¡¯s blond hair grabs his attention.
¡°Ah, Chief Horgmon!¡±
¡°If it ain¡¯t the blondie. What are ya doin; over here?¡±
¡°I have completed my task early to come speak with you, sir.¡±
¡°Rushin¡¯ things get ya nowhere, kid.¡±
¡°But, I have thoroughly polished and sharpened the weapons that were given to me.¡±
¡°That right?¡±
¡°Indeed. My father taught me to maintain a weapon. ¡®To put your life in the hands of a poorly cared for weapon is nothing but foolishness.¡¯¡±
¡°Dat right¡? Well, he ain¡¯t wrong. I¡¯ll just have to check it later. If ya excuse me, I got work dat needs doin¡¯.¡±
¡°What sort of work?¡±
¡°My chiefly duties. They¡¯re a pain in da ass, but I gotta do it.¡±
¡°...Then may I be of assistance?¡±
Horgmon brushes his beard, forwarding his brow and squinting his eyes. ¡°Why for? Kissin¡¯ up to me won¡¯t win ya any favors.¡±
¡°I know, however, I wish to help anyway, and I also wish to learn more about this village and its people. So if it is not bothersome, allow me to assist you.¡±
Alexander¡¯s earnest response surprises Horgmon. Originally, he thought that was something akin to an act he puts on for his allies, but he can see that he does want to help out with him. But it¡¯s not enough to satisfy him. He wants to test how genuine he is.
¡°Fine, but keep up. I want to get dis done by dinner.¡±
¡°Yes, sir!¡±
¡°Oi, ya don¡¯t need to yell. I¡¯m right here.¡±
¡°Yes, sir.¡±
¡°Aye, this might be a different headache¡¡±