I Confess
(Chapter 20)
**
[<<]
Valentina taps on the closest gem to Banlieue. It's a Lancentaurus. It's been rated a Bronze Epic Emerged. "We'll have to eliminate this first then."
"Wait a moment. We can't just head out like this. Stay here and memorize anything that'll be useful. I have to inform my mom that I'm not gonna come home tonight. Don't worry about Ms. Laura; I'll tell her on my way back."
"Wait a second. What're the chances of survival?"
"From what Anika's telling us, I can deduce that our worst case scenario is running into two Emerged with swarms of Zombies all around us."
"He's right about that. If you two are not careful… This could be your last Raid together… That is if both of you don't die."
[>]
[Shadow]
It's a group of two: a man and woman. The male has black hair and the woman, blonde. They're only wearing armor to cover their thorax, the rest of their body has no armor whatsoever. Their outfit's are a major cloth and leather combo. That should give a clear description of their abilities.
By the look of things, they're both intrinsic. They arrive at the point where the Mal-Hecate engaged Succubus. The place is a mess; pits in the floor, broken trees… it's as if a torrent broke loose.
"This must definitely be the point where they fought, Axel."
"Yet none of them is in sight."
"Wait. There's blood here," she alerts him and takes a sniff. She starts to cough and spit. "It smells like an Emerged. Maybe they injured it over here and pushed it further… Axel?"
He slowly wraps his arms around her waist from behind and kisses her. Her body responds but she forces herself out of it. She can't let loose of his gentle grip though because she doesn't want to. "Isn't this place lovely Emily? We're right next to a waterfall. A little closer and—"
"No Axel. We can't afford to do the hanky-panky here. What if the Mal-Hecate finds us?"
"But you're caressing my neck."
"!... We've been reckless of late. We only got married a year ago. I don't want anything unfortunate to happen."
He lays a cloth on the ground, spins her around and lays her down gently. She does not resist him in the slightest. He crawls on top of her kisses her again but more passionately than the first time. "What could possibly happen? We're not Platinum Rank for no reason. Now…" He starts to remove the straps on her leather.
[Veteran]
Just like last time, they're riding in the carriage and in the same positions. Alexandra has her right arm resting on the window sill.
"Hey sis. Don't tell me that this ride is boring."
"Hell no! This ride is so fun!" They all laugh. "I'm never gonna say I'm bored again. That was the last time."
"But you've said that a hundred times and counting."
"Well this is the last time. If you had a clue how much my wound hurts right now. We have to go back and demand for that bandit's head!"
"Did you say bandits?" the driver asks. Everyone bursts into laughter again. "Why? I don't get what's funny."
"The bandits have disbanded," says Alexandra.
"Really? How in the heavens is this possible?"
"It's very simple. There's a veteran here."
[Guillelmus]
He got home in a heartbeat. Mom sees him but still goes into the hallway regardless. That's because she unchained the prisoner, Malchus. She wouldn't want her son to worry. He follows her into his room.
"My darling boy. How are you?"
"??? You mean you didn't see me open the door?"
"I wasn't paying attention. Malchus said he was hungry."
"Is that so? Well I was considering taking him over to the nun's later on. I'm sure she has fetters for exorcisms and stuff…That's not what's important. Please come with me."
[>]
They've moved back to the compound living room. He sits her down right next to him, holding her hand tight.
"What is it my son?"
"I didn't want that guy to hear me. I'm gonna be out for a while mom."
"Where are you going? Has your shoulder healed?" she aks him quite anxiously
"I'm fine mom. A state of emergency has been declared at the guild. We're going on a Survival Type Raid in the Evil and Cartesian Forests. There's also an Epic Emerged nearing Banlieue. We'll have to eliminate it before it poses a threat."
"No. Don't go."
"I have to. It's for your safety mom. All I need is your prayers."
"… then stay safe my boy."
"I should be the one saying that. I didn't want him to realize what was going on. If he asks you anything just make something clever up."
"Alright. Come here." She draws a cross repeatedly on his forehead as she starts, "May the Lord go before you and make your crooked places straight—"
"And my rough places smooth. I love you mama." He hugs her tight.
"Listen to this. There's a reason WHY I didn't name just name you Guillelme like your father. It's because you are supposed to remain with US, the living. You hear me?"
"Yes mom. I'll be back. It's a promise."
[Valentina]
She's having more practice with Anika in the Conference Room. She taps on a few gems on the grid.
"Okay. You said that the gem stones detect strongly within a box radius right? Since all of these have gone off, there must be more than one Lacentaur moving in different directions."
"?!... Wow. I didn't even notice myself. How're you so good already?"
"I used to play this game called minesweeper. It's a bit similar."
"That's nice but you'll have to level up if you wanna come back in here. You just started out so your Priority Level is Ash."
"I don't intend on leveling up so far. I'll try to stop at bronze."
"… What're you running away from?"
"…Death. Trust me, I'm running really fast by moving slow. How ironic."
[The Twins]
They arrive at the Bigfoot's residence. He's digging holes in the ground. They're clearly smaller than the logs in diameter. Jedi wonders what he's cooking up but it's always better to observe.
"Look at that! You're already up."
"It's working season. No time to sleep."
"Early to sleep, Early to slumber?"
"And poverty shall creep up on you like a thief."
"Hear that?"
"No," both of the girls reply. "So what're you doing big guy?"
"Foolish is the divulgence of a plan, prior to fruition."
"… Is it just me or do they seem like the same person now?"
"Pretty much Tamar. Why'd we even come here?"
"Because you know this is the best thing happening to our Unit right now."
"In your erotic dreams brother."
"Come on. Mr. Solomon."
"…"—he takes a breather—"I was thinking very hard about what I wanted to ask you."
"And it is?"
"I want the yellow fruit."
"I thought we were talking about questions?"
"Can I have the yellow fruit?"
"I don't think so."
"That's not the answer to my question. You're not allowed to say no."
"What do you mean?"
"You already know."
"Fine. You're extra large so it'll be a little hard to satisfy you though."
"Just a treat. The yellow fruit is good for the mind."
"On one condition."
"And that is?"
"If I'm able to get what you want, you have to tell me everything that you know about the progenitors."
"… A quid pro quo hunh? That'll be weeks worth of talking. I'll need more fruit… Or we could do some sorta weekly exchange."
"Fair enough. But before I leave, how old are you?"
"Not too old. I've lived for quite a long time if we're talking human years though."
"Approximately?"
"I can't do the conversion right now but let's go for 500 to be safe."
"Ouch. 500 bananas it is. We'll be back."
"Wait a second. What do Paz and I get from this. We want a ride on his shoulder or something."
"I don't think he'll mind. Let's go."
[Veteran]
The carriage arrives at the designated section of the berry plantation. It's vast but let's concentrate on the cluster of wretched shacks in the middle. The farmers see the carriage and rush out to help them since they heard that help'd be on the way. But… there's no luggage, absolutely none. It's only a giant dram full of needles. What's worse is…
"Hello. Are you the ones here to help us?"
"Yes we are. Confused because of the bandages?"
"Indeed."
"Pay mind to more important things. You should've had this thing under control by now."
"You're right. I apologize. You have to get rid of it as soon as possible. That is unless you plan on spending the night in THERE."
"No thank you Sir,"—Alexandra starts—"The carriage will wait for us."
"Which carriage? The leaving?" It's already gone a far way. It was arranged for it to come back every day until they're done. "Well it looks like you'll be staying with us after all."
"*scoff*"
They're at the south side of the berry fields, which is bordered by the woods from whence the Giant Raven is presumed to Emerge from. There are lanes of berry bushes: red, blue, yellow… it's a delicious sight. What takes the ambiance up a notch is the sweet scent of the fruits. Unfortunately, there's a giant patch in the red berry lanes.
"I was gonna ask for a briefing but I assume that red is its favorite berry."
"Quite the meticulous person. I think I have a little more faith in you know—"
"Will you quit yer yappin?"
"Fine. The Raven has been attacking the red lanes for a while now. It's as if it hears us. It demolishes areas that we're about picking."
"Do you know what we're gonna do about that?"
"No."
"We'll poison it. Those needles over there; you'll insert one into every cluster of berries. It will definitely come down to feed. When it does, that'll be the end of it."
"But we'll lose the harvest."
"So predict where it'll strike and insert them there."
"Oh! That's absolutely right!"
"Don't screw it up."
"Hahaha!" he laughs. "I thought I was about the oldest here and then an older fella shows up."
"…"
"You seem grumpy Grandpa. Lighten up, will ya?"
"Lighten up? I'm getting some killer back spasms here."
"Then let me see you to the hut."
They bypass the huts and go further up the plantation. "Where are we going?" Alexandra asks.
"The previous one was a joke. That's a hut used for all-night watches. There are nicer huts a bit up north. We should be getting there soon."
"Thank God!" she twirls around.
"Sir. I don't know whether Grandpa deliberately forgot but those needles just need to prick the raven's intestines to kill it. If any of your people takes a jab 5 minutes away from the antidote, he's a goner."
"!!!"
"Come to think of it Grandpa. Why did he have such a massive amount of poison needles?"
"You know the answer to that already."
[Guillelmus]
He finds himself at Ms. Laura's. In fact, he always drops by her place before embarking on a Raid. That's because he used to go see little Laura who he called his good luck charm. She's around no more. Maybe he's run out of luck. To play it safe, it'd be better to let Ms. Laura know before he leaves… but he doesn't know how to tell her. She's literally using him for a human pillow again.
"Ms. Laura."
"What is it now? You wanna leave?"
"It's not that. I have to."
She sits up. "Why? I noticed that you were acting a bit strange."
"Yeah… A state of emergency has been declared at the Guild. For the first time, I'm gonna engage an Epic Emerged."
"… But you almost always come back bruised by the Commoners. Will you survive a blow from an Epic?"
"I haven't a clue, but I'm not alone this time." He steps away from her and looks forward, towards the door.
"Elmus… you know you can always stop. It's not quitting."
"If I wanted to, I would've done so a long time ago… the only reason I came back is to let you know, in case I don't make it. This might be the final goodbye."
They stand still as if they were lifeless statues. Guillelmus hasn't lost faith in returning but he wants to brace Ms. Laura for the worst unlike before. In case he doesn't come back, he wouldn't want her to do anything unforgivable to herself.
They remain lifeless for quite a while. She says nothing and Elmus starts to walk forward. She calls out his name as usual. He gently raises his hands as his fingers search for the handle. She comes up to him and embraces him tightly from behind.
"Ms. Laura."
"Shut up! You don't understand."
"I don't understand what?"
"You don't understand how I feel." Tears start to stream down her face. "Laura was my heart. So I can say that you were always there for ME. Regardless of your situation back at home, you took care of ME too. You freed me from the yoke of not being able to provide my heart with everything she needed as well. That was so beautiful and I my heart was so relieved that my heart was safe. But… my perspective changed when I noticed something that I never did before. You two played, you laughed together. I realized when she was with you… she was happy. That's when I started wanting you nearer and nearer. But now she's gone and I'm left with this hysteria." Her fingers dig deeper into his sides and she hugs him tighter. It's not another sob story though.
"Ms. Laura. I know it's my fault but—"
"You're still not getting me!"
"… I can't tell what's in your head. I'm not a magician. You have to tell me."
"… What I'm trying to say is soon after that, I wanted the three of us to be together. I wanted us to be a family! I still do even now."
"*gasp*"
"Do you get me now Mr. Harmonie? I want to be Mrs. Harmonie. I'm in love with you!"
"… {Amitha. WHERE ARE YOU?}"
"{I knew it. She's not lieing in the least. Those are her genuine feelings. I wanted to tell you but…}"
"{You noticed something like this and you didn't alert me? Darn you.}"
"I… I fell like a great weight has been lifted off my chest. *exhales* Will you say something to me please?"
"I'm clearly speechless because I'm still a child at heart." He turns around looking quite confused. Despite that, she's ever so hopeful.
"Can you love me back?" she asks in the lightest tone of voice. There's no trick to it but it sounds so melodic and alluring to his male ears. For she poured all her emotion into that one question.
"I already do, just not in the way you're expecting… This is all useless if I'm gonna die so I'll tell you something. I'm gonna come back so I can give you an answer to that question."
More and more tears stream down her face but Guillelmus wipes her tears. "I didn't know how you'd react. I didn't know what you'd say, if it'd make things awkward between us. That's why I decided to keep everything to myself… but now you're going on a death mission… Every time I keep my feelings to myself I lose the chance to express them. That's why I just had to."
"So all those times… You weren't just telling me to come back?"
"I always wanted to tell you but what if you stopped coming to see Laura? I have nothing to lose now. Even if you can't, please don't hate me."
"Of course not. Stay strong till I get back." He kisses her on the forehead and opens the door. "I WILL be back."
"Sayonara."
He shuts the door behind and sprints in the direction of the Guild. "{We're quite late Amitha so I'm not gonna talk about it right now but…you've got some explaining to do.}"
[The Twins]
They're reporting back to the village chief about the Bigfoot. It seems to be a good report because the village chief seems quite pleased. Jedidiah assures him that he's not a threat especially for the time being and the villagers should try to engage him in conversation. That's practically the end of their mission but he's off to find bananas. He advises him to do the same.
[Veteran]
The farmer shows them to the beautiful hut that they'll be staying in. They encounter his daughter at the 'door'. She was waiting for her papa. She's probably five or six. Must be his pride and joy. Alexandra pets her hair and her brother pulls her hand back. She didn't mean no harm though. He ushers them into the place in which they'll be spending the night.
[Shadow]
They're both sitting at the edge of the waterfall, half-naked. They're quite a lovely couple to behold. They seem to cherish the beauties of life since they see what there is to lose every God blessed day. They keep on playing and playing as if they'd forgotten about the crucial mission they've been sent on. Maybe some things just can't be helped.
[Conference Room]
Valentina's still working hard at it. In fact, she's even more involved than Anika at the moment. Anika wonders why. It's because she has to survive this. She has no other choice. Guillelmus gallantly walks in, in his armor. Seems like Erin was already done repairing it long ago.
"Finally. What took you?"
"Well I'm here. Are we going for the Lancentaurus?"
"We don't have to. Judging from these readings, we'll meet it on the way."
"Well then… Are you ready to Raid?"
-------End of Chapter 20-------
Chapter 19 Teaser
It's called a Survival Raid for a reason.
To be continued…