Chapter 42: Unexpected Guests
Arbus and Arora walked in silence as they headed back to the treehouse. She was almost certain that he was mad at her, for her earlier mistake.
"I-I'm sorry I couldn't go through with it, like I said I would," she murmured, her voice barely audible.
Arbus paused, glancing back at her with an unreadable expression. After a moment, he readjusted the Shaka's weight on his back and continued walking.
"I'm not mad at you, Arora. I expected you to fail."
Arora's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"
Arbus turned to her again as a warm smile crossed his features.
"Honestly, I'm happy you did. It tells me a lot about your character. You're not an instinctual killer, which is a good thing, in a sense." His expression grew more serious. "Still, like I said before, you'll have to grow out of that habit soon to surv—"
Arbus froze suddenly, his enhanced hearing picking up a faint sound in the distance from the southern part of the forest. His eyes widened in alarm, as he tossed the Shaka carelessly off his shoulders, turning back to scoop up Arora.
"What th—" Arora blurted out in shock as Arbus scooped her up without warning and began sprinting toward the treehouse, faster than she'd ever seen him move before. He leapt from tree to tree, trying his best to cover the distance as fast as possible.
When they finally reached the treehouse, Arbus scaled the rope with her still in his arms, his movements urgent and desperate.
"Quickly! Hide inside and stay quiet!" he shouted, practically shoving her through the door before slamming it shut.
Arora stared at the closed door in stunned silence for several moments.
"What's wrong with him..." she murmured in confusion. Eventually, she decided to comply with his request, as she hurried to her room, locking her door behind her.
Arbus sighed in relief as he turned to the approaching stomping sound in the distance, standing tall with an annoyed expression on his face.
A few moments later, the sound came to an abrupt halt, as three figures calmly walked out from behind the trees.
Each stood at about the height of a towering human male, despite their youthful features. Their skin was a deeper shade of red than Arbus's, and their builds were more muscular. These were full-blooded Tarokian teenagers.
Their leader — a boy with long, messy dark hair, walked directly to the base of the treehouse, as his gaze met Arbus's. The other two spread out slightly, studying the area as they ignored Arbus.
"What do you want now, you scum?" Arbus shouted down, his tone dripping with disgust.
The leader, Dorian, stared silently at Arbus for several moments before a cruel smile slowly spread across his face.
"What else? We're here to give you your monthly punishment."
The Tarokian to his left, Grug — a stocky boy with a scar across his left eye sighed in annoyance as he finally focused on Arbus.
"Don't make this hard for us, Arbus. I've got a lot of things to do today, y'know?" Grug said, cracking his knuckles with obvious anticipation.
Arbus gritted his teeth, his hands clenching into fists.
"That's hilarious, really. An entire year has gone by, and yet you three are still acting like a bunch of senseless toddlers."
The third Tarokian, Beck, twisted his features in rage as he stepped closer to the tree.
"What the fuck did you just say to us? It seems like you still have a death wish after all this time. Maybe I should finally grant it."
Dorian casually placed an arm in front of Beck, stopping his advance.
Arbus smiled down at them.
"What's wrong? After all that boasting Becky, did you suddenly lose your guts?"
Beck's veins bulged as he stared at Arbus with murderous fury.
"I told you to never call me that, you abomination!" he screamed, taking a step closer to the tree.
"That's enough!" Dorian shouted, his voice loud enough to echo across the area. Beck trembled slightly under Dorian's gaze, as he stepped back, grumbling under his breath.
Dorian turned back to Arbus, his calm expression returning.
"This isn't like you, Arbus. Usually, you'd already be down here trying to pick a fight with one of us. That attitude of yours is what I truly admire about you. Which is why I usually only let one of us beat you senseless each month."
His tone turned colder.
"I'm starting to reconsider that privilege now."
Arbus scoffed.
"I never wanted your twisted privilege in the first place. It only proves that I'm more of a warrior than any of you. Ganging up on someone much weaker than yourselves—how despicable, how vile. Just what I'd expect from scum."
Inside the treehouse, Arora pressed herself against the window, as she observed the three Tarokians.
She was shocked to see other Tarokians here, given the fact that Arbus had told her that there was no one living around them for miles. It seemed like he had lied to her, after all.
Dorian's expression darkened.
"A warrior who has never won a single fight? Ridiculous. You're seriously becoming bolder each month, aren't you? Do you still think you're the prince of the Tarokians or something?"
He smiled darkly.
"You're nothing but an abomination. You're a half human filth that should have been killed immediately your identity had been discovered."
Arora's breath caught in her throat, as her eyes widened in surprise. 'Arbus... is half-human?' She thought in disbelief.
Arbus stared down at Dorian, his gaze suddenly filled with overwhelming killing intent.
Dorian's smile widened, pleased that his words had finally struck home.
"Look at you, still wearing that bracelet our princess made you. At least you know to be embarrassed about your origins. Still, you're a human, no matter how much you try to hide it. A disappointment, to both your species."
Silence stretched between them for several moments.
".....So what?" Arbus voiced loudly. "So what if I'm human? Being human doesn't determine anything! Despite it, I'm still better than all three of you combined!" He shouted.
"To me, you three are the real abominations. Growing to this age with such underdeveloped brains, spending your time bullying those you believe weaker while cowering from the true elites in our age group."
He leaned forward on the platform.
"Tell me, which one of us is really a disappointment?"
Dorian gritted his teeth, his face contorting with resentment as he stared daggers at Arbus, the other two mirroring his actions.
"Do you think you're safe just because of the emperor's orders? Do you think you can hide from us forever? We could destroy this tree right now if we wanted to. Do you really think it's smart to provoke us like this?"
Arbus chuckled loudly.
"Then go ahead. Destroy the tree, or come up here and drag me down. Prove to me that you're so mighty that even the emperor's orders doesn't frighten you."
The three boys fell silent, their earlier bravado evaporating.
Eventually, Dorian turned to leave, his companions following behind closely.
"Enjoy this day, Arbus. And every day after that to the fullest extent," he called over his shoulder. "Because the next time you see us, it'll probably be the last time you'll be able to walk around so freely."
Dorian shot one last glance at the treehouse, specifically to one of it's windows, before turning away.
Arbus watched them until they disappeared into the trees, heading south, toward the Tarokian village. his shoulders slumped with exhaustion once he made sure they were gone.
He sighed tiredly, grateful to finally be rid of them. At least for now.
He barely noticed as the treehouse door slowly creaked open behind him.
Arbus turned to find Arora standing in the doorway.
"You know I'm human, don't you?"