The poor guy must've been having a nasty nightmare. He looks like he just ran a marathon with the panting and the bullets of sweat dripping on his face.
"Wh-where am I? Wh-who are you?"
He's clearly confused. Good thing his wife's here to calm him down. Who knows what would've happened if he woke up alone.
"Honey, we're in a medical ward," Sylvia explains. "And this man's name is Richard. He's the one who brought us here."
"Medical ward...?" he mumbles. "That's right... I was fighting a bear. Then... a god..."
"Well, I wouldn't go THAT far, but it's true that I'm the one who saved you," I chuckle.
Francis then gives me a deep bow. Well, tried as much as he could in his injured state.
"Th-thank you! W-we would've been dead if not for you. We don't have much b-but once-"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, I don't need any money. Instead, I need information," I say and then signal Sylvia with my eyes.
"Right, I need to inform Leo that you woke up," she says with a smile. "I'll be right back."
As the door closes, I turn my full attention to Francis.
"Peach?" I ask as I present him a bowl.
"Thanks, but I don't have much of an appetite..." he replies.
"Your body used a lot of energy healing itself. Even if you have to force it, you gotta eat something or you'll pass out again," I insist.
Heeding my words, he gingerly takes a piece and nods in thanks.
"So, Francis," I say as I take a piece for myself. "Where're you guys from? I'm kinda new to the area and I'm trying to know as much as I could so I don't get myself killed."
"Right... you look foreign with all the..." he says and gestures at his face with his hand.
"Haha, you can tell?" I reply. "Red hair and golden eyes not native around here?"
"Haha, no."
The mood's started to get lighter. Whew! I was worried how I'd ask him my questions if he's too defensive.
"Well, Sylvia and I are from Portland," he continues. "We wanted to get away from relatives and start a fresh life in a [Settlement] so we travelled out here."
[Divine Mind Activated]
Different words but same bullshit. What's with these guys? As far as I can tell, they're both regular humans. It could be just because I'm a stranger but it's too rehearsed; as if they decided that they would hide their past from whoever they meet. For now, let's play it cool.
"Aww, a young couple braving the world with only their bravery and love! Makes a romantic like me almost cry."
Well, none of what I said is really a lie. I really do admire these two.
"Haha... well, after that bear attack, I'm having second thoughts about our decision to move," he says with dejected eyes.
I wish I could say that I understand what he's going through. All I know is that whenever I look at him, the image of my dad flashes through my mind. His tired smile, his apologetic tone. They're the same: men who try too hard and blame themselves when things turn to shit.
"I can't say if your decision was the right one or not, but what I can tell you is that when I saw you cuss out that bear, I thought, 'Wow, that guy's a fucking badass'."
"Haha... It DID feel pretty good shooting that bear on the face," he replies.
"So don't be too hard on yourself, man. You're a brave guy who'd sacrifice his life at the drop of a hat for his wife. That counts for something."
After hearing my words, his solemn face turns into a soft smile.
"Thank you... I... I think I needed to hear that."
I return his smile with one of my own. It seems that all that practice with Grace is paying off! I can finally have a heart to heart moment with someone without even trying. Go me!
"Mmm this peach tastes really good. Where'd you get them?"
"Well-"
*Bang*
Just as we're starting to have a nice conversation, the threatening noise of gunshots echo through the walls.
"HEY, YOU BITCHES! IS THERE A SYLVIA DE SANTIS IN THE HOUSE?!"
Without hesitation, Francis jumps from his bed and rushes out.
"Hey, you're still injured!" I shout as I follow suit.
As expected, he stumbles through the door and hit his side on the railing of the hallway. Below us, we could see Leo at the front desk raising his hands calmly. Meanwhile, Sylvia's nowhere to be seen.
"Sylvia!!" Francis shouts through the pain.
"Yo, Richard!" Leo greets me nonchalantly.
"Hey, what's up with you?" one of the thugs pokes Leo's head with a pistol. "I could blow off your brains if I want to you know?"
Fucking hell... They're the same thugs I paralyzed earlier. Did they manage to follow me here? But wait, why are they looking for Sylvia?
"Hey! Aren't you those Cutdicks or whatever that I met earlier?"
"Geh! Demain!" the guy, who I assume to be their leader because he was the one who did all the talking earlier, hesitates a bit when he sees me. "Stay out of this! We're looking for someone else!"
"I heard! Why're you guys going around looking for pregnant ladies? Is it your new fetish?"
"Fuck you!" he replies. "We got no choice! After you petrified us earlier, a lady offered to set us free if we'd do what she said. If anything, this is all your fault!"
A lady who can undo [Basilisk Eyes]? Well, that is certainly interesting...
"Hey man, you should've refused and let the Sheriff take you in..."
"HEY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ALL DOING IN MY HOSPITAL?!" an angry, female voice bursts from out of nowhere.
"Since you'll regret causing trouble in this place."
The thugs jolt in surprise.
"Oh, fuck that scared me!"
"Hey, lookit. It's a lady doctor."
"Oh, doctor, could you do me a favor and check out this pain in my groin?"
"Hahahahaha"
Dr. Kimberly, the only medical professional in this entire [Settlement]. Her lab coat's as dirty as ever and her pink hair's unkempt as fuck. When I first met her, I thought I'd get dissected for sure. These motherfuckers don't know who they're harassing.
"Leo..." she says through gritted teeth. "Prepare the operating room stat."
"Yes, ma'am!" he responds and rushes off.
"Hey you little prick!" one of the thugs takes a shot in an attempt to stop him.
As the bullet zips towards Leo, Dr. Kimberly flicks a finger and suddenly, thin sheets of light appear all around them. The bullet then ricochets from one sheet to another before sinking itself in the shooter's thigh.
"Aaargh!"
"Shit! She's an [Energy User]!"
"Don't hesitate! Fire!"
In one moment, the situation's escalated to a full on shoot out. The thugs don't even hesitate unloading their magazines on Kimberly. Bullets fly and ricochet all over the place. To prevent ourselves from being hit, I put up a shield of compressed air around us. As for Kimberly, she's totally fine as the sheets of light protect her from everything. However, with every hole made on the wooden surfaces of the building, a vein pops on her face.
"You motherfuckers..." she seethes.
Eventually, the sound of gunfire fades and the entire interior is absolutely trashed. The goons realize how fucked they are and start to throw away their weapons and head for the exit. However, the same sheets of light prevent even a single one of them from setting foot outside.
Kimberly then cracks her knuckles and says, "Alright, I've run out of test subjects lately. Since you guys trashed my place, you'll be paying with your bodies, right?"
The goons' eyes fill with dread as her ominous shadow casts over them.
"AAARGH!"
What happens next is too graphic to even describe. Needless to say, the goons got what's coming for them. After the commotion, Sylvia pops up her head from one of the rooms of the first floor. It seems that Kimberly somehow knew that she's seeing that the door's still pristine despite the bullet holes around it. Francis does a huge sigh of relief when he sees her. I didn't know that someone can make that noise until he did it. Well, all's well that ends well. All that's left is to continue our conversation from earlier.
"So, Francis. Mind telling me the truth this time?" I say with the friendliest smile I could muster.