Chapter 5: Jack; Vagril 6th, 343SR; 07:10
His fingers trembled. His legs shook. Fear froze his feet to the ground. Jack gasped, shuddering as he remembered to breathe. 'He's here, what do we do, what do we do?!' He looked around the cellar frantically. A ragged cloth covered a small stack of wooden boxes. A broken pickaxe handle leaned against the corner. A rusty spade was on the ground not too far from it. Jack grimaced, none of the junk around him would save them. Carol took off her coat slowly, trying to stay as quiet as she could.
"Carol... What do we do?!" Jack whispered.
She used her coat to cover the unconscious man's body. His upper torso and head were still exposed. Carol turned to her left and right, observing the junk in the cellar with wide eyes. Jack waited for a response, but she walked past him instead and lifted the large coat he left on the ground. She threw that over the man's body as well. Then hurried for the cloth on the boxes, and covered the rest of the body with that. Carol took a deep breath, then turned and looked Jack in the eyes with fierce determination.
"We're gonna take him down, obviously," Carol whispered confidently.
Carol gulped, then took a deep breath. Her eyes shook as she plotted her attack. However, she still trembled just as much as Jack did. She took another deep breath, but it didn't calm her down. She held Jack's hand as she reached into her pocket.
"Here's the plan, when I open the cellar door they shouldn't hear us, you head to my house, go through the back," Carol instructed as she took the key to her house out of her pocket and handed it to Jack. "I'm gonna get Alexander Rael... In front of my house... And then when I give you the signal, arm the explosives... The ones in the basement, arm them at the front door... Then get out of there..."
"Your house?! Signal? What signal? How are you gonna get Alexand-" Jack asked frantically but Carol simply reached into Jack's pocket and took one of the purple crystals. "What are you going to do? You can't fight-"
"Open. This. Door!" Alexander roared.
Carol pulled Jack to the cellar door, she turned her head away. As she let go of Jack, he could feel the sweat from her palm cool against his skin. 'Are we going to die... What is he going to do to us...' Jack's entire body shuddered again, he wanted to run.
"We don't have time, just be brave and we can both get through this, we'll take him down now and prove to the people of Logos they don't need to fear the angels!" she declared with a nervous passion in her eyes.
Carol pushed the cellar door open slowly, trying her best to avoid making a sound. She looked both ways before she gestured for Jack to come up. 'This is insane!' Jack climbed out of the cellar, his heart was pounding. The moment he got outside, he crept towards the back of the house. Carol slammed the cellar doors shut as he turned the corner, the noise made him jump. He looked back to see her charge forward onto the street. Jack's breath hastened, he ran parallel to the back of the houses.
'What are we doing? What am I doing?!' The thought of being beaten, punished, or even worse killed made him want to leave Logos right away. He shook his head as he ran, reaching the back door of Carol's house in a few seconds. He stuck the key in and opened it quickly, he turned and was about to shut it, but took a deep breath.
Jack slowly closed the door, then looked down the hall of the house. He walked toward the living room, passing the doors to the bedroom and basement. He glanced out the front window, the houses across the street could be seen outside. 'It's so quiet...' He opened the door to the basement, the other three devices filled with logorite were exactly where Carol left them. He made his way down and lifted one, then walked back up and placed it next to the front door. He looked at it for a moment, remembering the explosion it made. 'I don't want to take any chances...' Jack ran back down and picked up the other two, then placed them in the same spot.
'Okay... The signal...' Jack crouched by the front window. eagerly watching the dirt path in front of the house, squinting at a crowd of people near his own house. 'What's going on, where is Carol? Where's Alexander?' All of them came to a sudden stop as Jack heard a crash a few houses down, most likely from his own. 'Is Carol okay? What do I do? What's the signal? Wait... Why did he even come to my house?! There's... No way he should have known... Did he see us? It's only been a few minutes since we got back...' Jack's thoughts stopped as the crowd moved down the dirt road. 'They're coming this way?' He saw Carol being held captive by a woman with black hair. 'Someone from House Rael?' She wore simple black pants, and a white shirt with green decals around the edges. He felt relieved to know Carol hadn't already been killed. However, that relief quickly faded as he realized who walked down the dirt path.
Short green hair with the sides faded. A defined jawline that made his head look rectangular. His muscles pressed against his clothes, his shoulders looked like they'd tear the fabric. He held a massive green greatsword effortlessly in a single hand, the blade itself was the size of a normal person. 'He's huge!' Jack's heart started to beat quickly again, regret slivered up his spine. Alexander Rael was massive, he stood over the tallest people in the crowd. 'How is he so tall?! He must be over seven feet, maybe even eight!' Among the angels, Alexander was a monster unlike any other. His menacing green eyes squinted at everything, he glanced at the window and Jack ducked out of sight.
"Shit! That was close-"
"Jack do it now!" Carol yelled.
Jack eyes shot to the window as he hesitated, before scrambling across the floor to the devices. 'Stay out of sight!' He quickly turned the round knobs on each device. The catalyst started to pour over the logorite, the powder began to sizzle. Jack activated the last one, then stumbled to his feet and ran through the back door. He stopped for a moment, then looked back at the picture of Carol and her brother. 'I don't know if she wanted to keep anything! Ah!'
Jack shook his head as he turned, running along the edge of the town until he reached the south entrance of Logos. He ran back to the path around Logos, crouching behind the first house on the right. 'What now... Carol didn't make a plan for what happens after...' He saw the crowd of people and Alexander, they were about seven houses down the road. Carol stood between the crowd and Alexander. She was laughing about something. It was too hard to hear what she was saying. 'What are you laughing about?! Get out of there you idiot!' Jack reached into his pocket, tightly holding one of the purple crystals. His grip loosened as Alexander tossed his sword to Carol.
"Huh?" Jack uttered out loud.
Carol looked down at the sword in front of the crowd, she looked confused. However, her expression turned to fear as her head shot up toward Alexander. The thumps of his heartbeat grew louder as he listened to the silence. Carol reached down to pick up the noble's sword. She barely got the handle off the ground, the sword was too heavy for her.
"What is she doing?!" Jack stressed from where he stood. "The device will explode soon! Run! Get out of there! Before-" Jack froze as he watched Alexander roll up his sleeves.
"This is why you non-unified..." Alexander pulled his arm back. "Should be grateful!" Alexander roared as he threw a ruthless punch at Carol.
Jack flinched as the fist struck her, the echo alone sent shivers down his spine. His thoughts completely stopped as he watched Carol stumble backward. The people in the crowd moved out of the way as she fell on her back. None of them dared to help her. Jack didn't hear her yell like the last time she was beaten in the mines. Her body curled up as she held her nose, her feet dragged on the dirt as she writhed in pain. She struggled to her feet, only to end up back on the ground after Alexander slammed both his fists into her back.
"Stop..." Jack shook his head.
Jack felt his head throb as the world seemed to slow down. The massive man reached down and grabbed her leg, then dragged her against the ground without any remorse. Carol desperately clawed at the dirt, but her arms flailed helplessly as she was lifted off the ground. Alexander whipped her body her into the house like she was a rag doll.
"Stop it..." Jack begged with grit teeth.
The monster was so large he got in front of her with the stride of two steps, ruthlessly punching her in the stomach. Then grasped her head and lifted her off the ground. Jack saw the pain on her face. She desperately kicked, but her feet didn't reach him. Her hands desperately grasped the monster's wrist as her skull was crushed. Alexander swung his fist into her face, then hit her again, and again. The impact of each echo made Jack wince despite not being the one hit. He looked away as he skipped a breath, but looked back and watched in horror as Alexander just kept going.
"Stop it already..." Jack continued pointlessly.
Alexander presented Carol's beaten and bloodied body to the crowd, hoisting her up with one hand. Her legs flailed weakly as she tried to kick the noble, but her foot didn't even reach him.
"Stop you bastard!" Jack whispered with grit teeth as tears flooded down his face.
Jack tried to leave his cover, but he couldn't move. 'Huh...' His legs shook, his arm had goosebumps across the surface, sweat and tears ran down his face. Frustration made his head throb, and his cowardice was making everything worse. His attention was drawn back as he heard Alexander yell. Jack's eyes went wide as he saw Alexander throw her to the ground. He conjured his greatsword and raised it over her. 'No...' Green fire spewed out of the blades edge. 'Stop-' The noble plunged his blade into her torso, smothering her body in flames.
Jack stood behind the house motionless, he remembered the portrait of his parents. Jack stood up and walked forward out of his cover, taking small steps toward the gruesome scene even though he felt his body shiver. 'Carol...' Alexander looked around frantically as if he expected him. Jack quickly darted behind another house.
'Run, run, run, run, just run...' Jack begged himself, but he felt unspeakable rage brewing within him. His head throbbed, his hands stung, his legs stopped shaking. He clenched his teeth as a violent drive fueled him, he didn't cared about the consequences anymore.
Alexander suddenly ran into Carol's house and broke the door down. He stopped and froze as a green light hit his face. After a second of silence, a bright light made Jack shield his eyes. A green explosion bursted out of the house, striking Alexander directly. Jack curled up as the sound shook his ears and rumbled the ground. Alexander's silhouette flew out of the green explosion that engulfed the house, landing in the middle of the street while smothered in green flame. The townsfolk suddenly entered a frenzy of panic and shock.
"Sir Alexander!" someone cried.
Jack's senses suddenly shot into action. He ran forward to help Carol amidst the panic. Alexander's body writhed on the ground a short distance away. The large man grunted and screamed as his clothes caught fire and burned at his skin. Jack ran forward to save Carol. 'I have to save her- I-' Carol's body was burned from the waist up, she wasn't moving. Blood was splattered over the ground, she was beaten to an unrecognizable point. The green greatsword remained in her abdomen. Carol was already dead, but for some reason, she had a smile on her face.
Jack's rapid heartbeat came to a stop, a chill ran down his spine as his shoulders slumped weakly. Jack's arms lost their strength first. He dropped to his knees and his tears flowed faster, splashing against the dirt. He sat still between the house that was set ablaze, multiple flaming pieces of debris, Alexander Rael's smoldering body.
"Why didn't you run?" Jack sobbed.
Alexander suddenly rose from within the inferno of green flames, he writhed and struggled in pain. Jack glanced to his left, the rush of anger returning as he glared at the noble. 'You... You!' Jack stood up and reached into his pocket, he clutched the purple crystal in his fist. Alexander's figure appeared to become larger in the fire, he fell out of the flames donning silver armor with green gems embedded in the chest and shoulder plates. Alexander rolled around in the dirt, frantically trying to put out the remaining flames. 'Die!' Jack whipped the crystal as hard as he could. As it hit the noble, it shattered and bursted into a purple explosion. The noble let out a blood-curdling scream as the fire engulfed him. The force pushed Jack away, but he held his ground and stepped forward. He pulled another crystal out of his pocket and threw it.
"Die!" Jack screamed.
Another explosion scorched Alexander's body. Jack quickly grabbed another crystal, raised it over his shoulder, and whipped it.
"Just die!" Jack roared.
The heat from the blasts intensified with each explosion. The noble continued to writhe within the purple and green inferno of flame. Jack grabbed another crystal and got ready to throw it. However, someone grasped his wrist and stopped him.
"Huh!?" Jack huffed.
Jack turned to see an angel around his height with black hair combed over to the right, and piercing red eyes. 'When did he get behind me-' Jack looked at his white coat with red lines and immediately knew he wasn't some nobody. He was from a noble house, his chest had the insignia of a dragon coiled around a spear on it. He tore the purple crystal right out of Jack's grip effortlessly, then walked toward Alexander. Jack struggled to break out of his grip, but felt his body get yanked upwards. Jack's feet left the ground, his heart skipping a beat.
"Wha-!" Jack gasped as he looked down and noticed how high the angel jumped.
'What the!?' Jack stopped trying to pull away from his grip and held onto the mysterious angel's arm. Red light flowed off his feet, coming out of the tight gaps in the black armor surrounding his legs. 'What kind of gift is that?!'
"Balakin!" he suddenly yelled.
A red light flashed behind Jack, and a gigantic snake-like lizard with wings materialized out of thin air just like the armor. It flew high into the air and circled him. The angel landed on the creature's back and let go of Jack. 'Wait!' Jack immediately fell onto the creature, grasping its jagged black scales for his life. 'Ah!' The scales on the creature seemed like the same ones on the man's armor, but much bigger. Jack's stomach turned as the beast dived straight down, before letting out a vicious, guttural roar. The dragon's roar was strong enough to push the flames away, revealing the unconscious noble. Jack shut his eyes as the sound reverberated through his head. Alexander was on the ground with his skin charred black and his jaw wide open. 'He's dead... I did it... Carol, we beat him...'
"Vivian! Head back to Helios and alert my squad and House Lightbringer's squad to get down to Logos, Alexander needs treatment immediately, tell them it's an emergency and it's my order!" the angel on the dragon demanded.
'Did he say my squad?' It slowly sunk in who this person was. He recalled the rumors he had heard while he was still a boy in Torovince, about the man who became the youngest noble in history. 'Arthur... Pendragon...' Jack felt a chill down his spine when he realized that a noble watched him attack Alexander.
"All of you get to work! You've wasted enough time standing here, go! Any farmers assigned to the northwest farms, avoid the burned crops for now!" Arthur ordered strictly.
Arthur stepped off Balakin. His armor, and the dragon all dissolved into red particles of light. Jack fell a short distance, landing hard on his side as Arthur landed softly on his feet. 'Agh!' Vivian covered her mouth as she looked at Alexander's body.
"S-sir..." Vivian uttered.
"Vivian, I gave you an order!" Arthur scolded.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Vivian snapped out of her shock.
Vivian pulled out a feather as she turned, it faded in her hand. A pair of black wings sprouted out of her back, and she flew north towards Helios. The crowd of people scattered as they looked back at the noble's burnt body. It had been the first time they saw one hurt to that point.
Arthur watched the crowd intently, he made sure they each left the scene. Jack was on his knees, he couldn't take his eyes off the young noble who was probably going to execute him on the spot. 'This is it... I'm dead... I'll see you soon Carol... We did it... We killed Alexander...' Jack tried to smile, but he couldn't. He wasn't happy with this at all, he shut his eyes as he looked down. But then he heard something drag against the dirt behind him. 'Huh...' Jack turned and his eyes went wide. He felt a sudden rush of fear as he slowly looked up at the figure that loomed over him. 'No... There's no way...' Alexander Rael was on his feet, his veins lit up green and his skin was healing.
"There you are," Alexander croaked with a rasped throat, his eyes wide with rage.
Alexander Rael's skin was charred from head to toe, scraps of his clothing drifted in the wind. His face was scarred with a deep red burn that covered his neck and most of his chest. Bits of his right hip had been completely blown off. His skin was still slightly lit purple along the burnt parts of his skin, and his veins pulsed green. Even though he looked like a corpse, he still walked forward. 'Why...' Jack was frozen in fear, his legs didn't move, and his mouth hung ajar as the noble stood over him. Alexander raised his hand weakly into the air, conjuring his greatsword to his hand.
"Jack!" Alexander roared.
Alexander swung his greatsword, Jack shielded himself with his arms. Arthur dashed forward as he conjured a black spear with a large curved blade at the end of it, blocking Alexander's strike. Their weapons clashed, but Arthur winced as he could barely hold the monster back. The young nobles feet dragged against the dirt, grunting through grit teeth. Alexander let go of his sword, and it dropped to the ground. The noble of House Rael fell to the ground, panting heavily.
"Arthur... You fool, that boy... Kill him... Kill Jack... Or he'll kill... All of us," Alexander uttered in a weakened state as he struggled to keep his head up.
'What... What did he just say...' Alexander fell face-first into the dirt. Arthur stood still as he breathed heavily, then knelt next to his body and checked his pulse.
"He's still alive... Why did he say that just now... No, there's no time for that," Arthur suddenly turned to Jack and looked him in the eyes. "You... I know what you did, don't bother trying to hide him. Where is the body?!"
Jack froze. "H-how do you-"
"Shut up and tell me if you want to live! The other angels will be here soon, hurry up and tell me!" Arthur cut him off.
"H-He's in the cellar... A-at my house... My friend... Carol she..." Jack stuttered.
"Show me," Arthur ordered.
Jack stood up, shaking in fear as his eyes were glued to the young noble. Arthur's spear glowed red, before vanishing into the air.
"I'm not going to kill you now please hurry up, you're embarrassing yourself," Arthur asked impatiently.
Jack led him to his house not too far from where they were. The two walked silently. Jack continued to glance back at Carol's body as he walked away. His heart beat heavily as he still believed he could die at any moment.
"That girl... Was she your friend?" Arthur asked.
"Yeah..." Jack's voice cracked.
The two of them reached the house, Jack led him around the side to the cellar. He opened the cellar doors and walked in, Arthur followed behind. The noble glanced around the cellar, his nose twitching at the dampness.
"The moment the first purple explosion happened, I saw you and the girl dragging a body through the fields from the mountain, and you left tracks back at that thing in the woods," Arthur explained.
Jack lifted the jackets, and the cloth, revealing the unconscious man's body. Arthur tilted his head as he crouched next to him.
"The crystals, where did those come from?" Arthur asked calmly as he observed the man.
"They came out of his blood... But his wounds closed while we dragged him here..." Jack explained.
"While you dragged him here? There was blood all over the place back in the forest with crystals sprouting out of them, how bad was the wound?" Arthur asked.
"I don't know how he's alive... We could see right through him earlier. What are you going to do with him, is he an angel?" Jack asked with a nervous tone.
Arthur put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "Did anyone else see him?"
"No..."
"If those crystals are that powerful, and they are coming out of his blood, he has a gift from the Celestial and a powerful one at that. It's good you got him here without being seen," said Arthur.
"What? What do you mean that's good?" Jack felt even more confused.
"You're going to help me, and you don't have a choice in the matter..." Arthur suddenly declared. "You're going to keep this guy here, and make sure no one finds out he exists. No one. Not even other slaves."
"Huh..." Jack shook his head.
"I'm sorry, this all must be very sudden... I don't have time to explain why I am doing this, but just know... I am on your side..." Arthur told him as he turned toward the exit of the cellar.
"What? Wait... You're working against your own?! Do you know who- Or what he is?" Jack asked.
"No, but it's for the best if he's out of the angel's hands... More importantly... I was never here, you never threw the crystal at Alexander, I saved you from the explosion, and no one ever finds out about him." Arthur pointed at the body. "I assume you did what you did to see these corrupt bastards fall. That's what I want as well. Go back to your usual life for now... And maybe... Just maybe we can change this twisted world..."
Arthur ordered Jack while he looked him directly in the eyes. There was a certain intensity to the noble, something that made him hard to doubt. Jack gulped, feeling an uncomfortable relief at the thought that he wasn't going to die.
"I'll come back and check up on him once in a while, you check on him daily, if he wakes up, I'm the first person you tell!" he ordered sternly as he walked out of the cellar. "Now go... I don't want you here when the other nobles show up..."
Jack stood there in confusion as Arthur climbed out of the cellar. 'What just happened...' Jack looked at the unconscious man, then dragged the cloth off the ground and properly covered him. Jack stepped back, then turned and climbed out of the cellar. He crouched down and closed the door, holding the wooden handle for a moment as he tried to process everything. His eyes still wide with confusion and shock. 'Why would a noble help me... A noble is working against the angels? He saved Alexander...'
Jack walked back out onto the street and looked down the path. Arthur stood near Alexander and Carol's bodies, waiting for the other nobles to show up. Jack remembered his orders and walked into his house, stopping to squint at the broken down door. He walked over it, hobbling over to his tools. He picked up his pickaxe and lantern, they felt heavier then usual. A chill ran down Jack's spine as he turned to the open door and looked at the morning light outside. He walked out of the house, then took a right and went down the path. He turned away from the gruesome scene, looking up at the grey clouds in the sky. 'What was the point... We did all of that, and I am walking to the mines again. Alexander Rael didn't even die... Carol died for nothing...' Jack's eyes filled with tears as he walked down the path, sniffling. 'I would have rather kept living like this if you got to be-'
Jack looked up as he saw someone's shoe. Hidden between two houses, was the person who punched him yesterday peaking out. He walked toward Jack, avoiding eye contact and looking at the ground instead as he scratched his hand.
"I... I wanted to... I just wanted to uh... I'm Franklin... By the way..." he stuttered as he introduced himself.
Franklin had curly and messy hair with dark skin. He was scrawny and short, his expression gave Jack a weird impression. 'Huh?' His eyes were droopy and made him seem aloof. He pulled out the ticket he stole from Jack yesterday.
"You and Carol are awesome! I took this cause I wanted to get back at your parents, but you can have this back, how did you two mess up Alexander like that though?" Franklin asked, his tone sounded enthusiastic.
Jack dropped his things as he felt his head swell with rage when he said that. Franklin stepped back as he saw the tears suddenly pour out of his eyes. 'Huh...' Jack stepped forward and reached for the ticket, but instead he grabbed Franklin's wrist. Jack pulled him forward and wildly threw his fist. Franklin looked away before he was struck in the left cheek, stumbling backward and falling. He tried to stand, but Jack pinned him to the ground and pulled him by the collar. Jack barely even straightened his fist, he just slammed his clenched hand into Franklin's face.
"Shut up!" Jack cried.
A rough gasp escaped Franklin's throat as Jack ruthlessly punched him. Franklin tried to cover his head but Jack continued to beat him. Each punch was followed by sorrow grunts. Tears flew onto Franklin's shirt, or into the dirt. Jack's knuckles ached, but he didn't care.
"Shut up! Shut up damn it! You all sat there and watched! You watched him beat her to death, and you think that was cool or something?! Fuck you!" Jack roared.
The boy uttered something, but it was too hard to hear as Jack's fist pressed into his jaw. Franklin shoved him off with his foot. Jack fell onto his back as Franklin quickly scrambled to his feet and ran. Jack tried to chase him as he stood, but he slipped and fell forward. He grabbed the dirt, and pathetically threw it as he tried to stand. But he fell again.
"You deserve to be killed like that! Beaten in front of all the people you expect to help you!" Jack screamed as Franklin fled between two houses.
Jack breathed heavily, his hands and feet on the dry and rough dirt. His throat was parched, his body ached. The few hours of sleep made it all worse. His head throbbed and his hands shook. He felt a rush of anger again when he considered the fact Alexander was still alive and he slammed his fist onto the dirt. He grunted in frustration, grabbing his throbbing head and curling forward until his head touched the ground. He mourned for his friend, repeatedly gasping as he sobbed uncontrollably.