Belle and I flew through the sky, and the Valley Kingdom lay ruined from the aftermath of the whole incident. Scouts of people, mages, and officers from the W.M.A., alike, were recovering now from the whole ordeal, barely grasping the situation after being freed of their frozen stasis.
I was selfish. I had put it all to the side momentarily as I held Belle in my arms.
All their pain, all their suffering… I had felt it all.
That little girl's arm and seeing her lifeless as the life she had just started had ended just as quickly.
I knew that one would come to haunt me later. So I took a moment of silence as Belle and I continued to head toward the North Gate.
Down below, I saw people being escorted by the W.M.A. and by other mages from other Guilds. The Phantomdrakes were completely wiped out, leaving many who were swallowed by them laying in the streets—unconscious and in need of urgent medical attention.
When we continued to fly over the Kingdom, I saw Zeno, Rex, and Snow in the crowd, also helping out civilians. It was good to see them there and back in the Kingdom to assist at this dire time, I hoped to get some time with all of them later.
I didn't see Ryo in the bunch. I'm sure he was helping others out in another part of the city. The Crimson Dragon's castle had been fairly pillaged when I passed by it; there were even Blue Phoenix Knights surrendering and helping other mages at the castle and civilians nearby—with the Crimson Dragons' surveillance, of course.
Ryo must be itching to jab at me once he gets the chance. There was something I needed to ask him anyway…
"My Greed… are you okay?" Belle sweetly asked me.
"I should be asking you that—your wound…" I said as I looked at the large gash just under her chest. It didn't look as bad as when I first saw it, though…
"I'm fine. My magic also heals fatal wounds, but once we're at the Wolves Den, Alice will take care of the rest. She's a healer mage after all."
Apparently, Belle had an auto-cast Holy magic shield shrouded over her at all times. Most of the time it fended off attacks, but because Syemore still had lingering immunities to her Holy magic, he was able to ignore her magic's effects and stab her in the process.
To any case, we had been lucky. Any higher to her heart and we probably would not be speaking right now. To that, I was grateful.
"Alice is a healer mage, huh?" I asked.
"Yes. Do you want her to be one of your own?" A curious question.
"She told you, didn't she?"
"That she wants to join your crew? Yes. And she's up for grabs if you want her; she doesn't belong to any Guilds currently. She even turned mine down. Says the Golden Rose Knights are too posh for her tastes, hehe."
"I'll have my decision when we get back to the Den."
As we finally flew over the North Gate, the vast green valley, and shifted tectonic plates in the distance met us.
"Um… My Greed… correct me if I'm wrong, but… Isn't the Wolves Den located just outside the East Gate?" Belle asked innocently.
I gave a contemplative look, taking a moment to respond.
"It normally is, but," I pondered for a second, thinking of the coolest way to say my next words without looking like some delusional bastard, "The Den is… meeting us here. It walks."
I could hear Belle's blink with those white eyelashes of hers, flapping as she continued to stare up at me from my arms so innocently. "Walks?"
It was then; we heard loud clanging stomps in the distance, making their way closer to us. It sounded like a large beast as the stomping seemed to echo louder and louder with each impending step.
Then, from around the long outer layer of the North Gate, coming from the northeast…
STOMP, STOMP, STOMP!
Over and over, from a cloud of dust that rivaled the height of the Kingdom's walls, a large silhouette construct shone from within it.
And as it got closer, I heard—
"GREEDY!!!" A female's voice shouted from it.
That voice…
"TEDDY!!!"
That voice too…
"ACTING CAPTAIN GREED! ACTING CAPTAIN GREED!"
By the Keeper…
From out of the huge dust cloud, a massive steampunk-looking castle emerged. It was covered in metal and pipes, chugging and blowing out steam from its chimneys as it continued its endless trudge.
Four massive mechanical legs shot out from the bottom of it like jointed gray steel bars with metal plating for feet. All powered by steam and fuel—not an ounce of magic.
It carried what looked like a garden behind it and a wide open balcony as a few people were spotted atop it…
The black construct that advanced toward us was—
"GREEDY!!! TEDDY!!! ACTING CAPTAIN GREED!!! WOOF!!" the three voices, two females and a male… and a wolfdog, shouted simultaneously again. I felt my forehead tighten at that exact moment.
"I HEARD YOU THE FIRST FUCKING TIME!" I barked. Ophelia, Star, Brand, and Yuna stationed there on the balcony of the Wolves Den, waving at me and Belle, as they and our humble abode marched in our direction.
***
As Belle and I intersected with the Den, passing by the outer North Gate, we landed swiftly onto the wide balcony with Ophelia, Star, Brand, and Yuna waiting for us there. There were a couple others there that I hadn't paid attention to yet also…
I knelt with Belle still in my arms, black wings spread out wide behind me. The moment I stood I let Belle's feet touch the ground, but I didn't let her walk all by herself just yet.
There, in the corner, I noticed Alice hanging out on a small pink table, looking completely out of place as she took a sip out of her pink teacup. A little boy sat at the other end of her table drinking hot cocoa and swinging his small legs.
"You can take Belle through the door here," she said as she gestured to the double doors behind her on her left. "I'll take it from here, thank you very much."
I looked at Belle and said, "Guess this is goodbye for now."
She gave me a mildly perplexed look, then turned her attention to Alice who simply rolled her eyes at her when their blue eyes met.
"I'll just be a moment in Alice's room—we're not leaving just yet. I'll be back in a bit once she's treated me!" She said with a cute smile on her face, eyes closed, tilting her head at me.
Ophelia and Star whispered reticently to each other with mischievous faces in the background, just behind my wings.
"What are you two gossiping about?" I said flatly without looking, even if I had already known.
They giggled and raised their hands up in the air, pretending to be innocent. Right then, our large wolfdog, Yuna, howled and toppled over me, causing us both to fall backward as she licked aggressively with her large tongue and snout in my face.
"Okay, okay! Good girl," I said, sitting there on the floor now, patting her on the head.
Belle made a peeping noise at the sight of her. With her dainty hands overlapping her mouth, palms facing each other and only fingertips touching, she made a shy expression that also made her face red.
She mumbled her words as shadows overlapped her eyes, standing there with her head down and shuddering.
"Buh…" Was all I heard her say. "Buhhhh!"
"Keeper, here we go," Alice said from behind her.
"BUBUHS!!!" Belle shouted as she jumped over Yuna.
Yuna whimpered slightly at the sight of Belle who shadowed her over the sun, leaping over and pouncing on her.
Belle landed with more of a tackle on Yuna, immediately hugging and rubbing her face into her gray and blue-tinted fur.
"SUCH A CUTIE!! You're just like my Toto back at home!" she said from Yuna's bosom.
"Toto?" I questioned.
"Yes! That's his name! He's also a wolfdog, but he's white and extra FLUFFY!" Her personality was completely different, almost childlike. She even contorted her voice and spoke in a higher octave as she talked about him.
Well that explained the cartoon wolfdog pin in her hair.
"I didn't know you had a wolfdog too. They're pretty rare. I'd love to meet him sometime," I replied, forming my own pleasant smile for her.
"Oh, of course you can meet Toto, and make sure to bring Yuna too, so they can play! Aw, I can see them playing, and it's the cutest thing ever! Aw!" she squealed.
"Okay," I said decidedly. "How about tomorrow?"
Ophelia and Star, right on cue, appeared as if on a sliding platform from the sidelines.
"Oooooo, are you asking her out on a date, Greedy??" Ophelia teased with a dainty hand on her face.
Star gasped and then added, "OH! A DATE! A DATE! TEDDY IS GOING ON A DATE! Lucky! You better be grateful, you…"—having to think for a second—"you gorgeous princess!"
"Was that supposed to be an insult, Star? Sounds more like a compliment. Are you okay?" Brand poked, waving his hand from the sidelines.
"SHUT UP, MONGREL! WHY DON'T YOU GO FIND A TREE TO BACK INTO, IDIOT?"
"YOU SHUT UP, YOU FUCKING BARBARIAN WOMAN! I AM NOT AN IDIOT!"
"At least I didn't fly into the tree backward.'… Who even says that? Oh yeah, people who fucking fly into trees backward—a.k.a.—idiots!"
"I said that because I didn't! Why would that mean I did when I didn't!?"
"Because who even brings it up if they didn't? That's not how I thought you ended up there at all! But because you brought it up, now I'm certain that's how you ended up in that tree… idiot."
"You fucking—!!!"
"There she is. Hehe," Ophelia commented in between them.
I simply smiled and chuckled in their direction as they bickered. Honestly, something about it made me feel calm and refreshed.
I noticed Star's cast on her arm as she flailed around, only wearing a small white t-shirt, short shorts and was barefoot—her classic 'at home' outfit. I had heard she went all out in her fight with Henza, transforming again. I'll make a mental note to ask Nash about it later…
As I was caught up in the moment, a gentle voice spoke up from in front of me. It took the stage entirely.
"A date?" Belle said shyly with her head slightly tilted down, looking up at me with those sparkling sky blue eyes and delicate snow white eyelashes. Her rosy cheeks were even rosier as she asked that question.
I turned red a bit as well and gulped when I saw her. Everyone around us watched in anticipation of the two of us.
"Just say yes, you asshole. Like a real man," a calm, strong male's voice added from the other side of the double doors opposite of Alice and the young boy on the tea table.
He had a white compression shirt on, bolstering large muscles from it as he leaned on a wall there, arms crossed, looking right at me with his light blue eyes—his short yellow-orange hair fluttering softly with the breeze.
"Well, good morning, Nash," I said, even though it was a little past noon now, giving him a huff of approval.
He did the same and tilted his head down with his eyes closed, playfully snickering. "How about you lose the wings first and give the lady an answer? She's waiting on it after all," he said coolly to me.
I had almost forgotten about them; I've never had wings before after all. The others haven't seen me with them either but didn't ask about it—not wanting to ruin our moment.
Undoing the black wings that had flared from my back, they disappeared like shadowy smoke into the ethers as I finally stood up.
I faced back down to Belle, patiently waiting for my answer, finding her eyes, and locked mine into them. "Yes, princess. It's a date."
Ophelia and Star squealed as Brand sophisticatedly began nodding over and over, arms crossed. And Nash, still with his head tilted and eyes closed, half smiling as he grunted his approval.
Her eyes glimmered at the words as I added, "I'd like to start over with you, if you'd let me?"
Her cheeks blushed a rosier color as she clasped her slender fingers together in front of her, arms straightened downward, then said as she lifted on her toes slightly, "Okay!" She smiled so pleasantly. "Though, I hope not completely. I was looking forward to the 'agenda' you had in mind for us like we talked about."
Alice gagged. "What the hell happened while I was away?" She said as she attempted to compose herself, drinking from her teacup and then sighing before adding, "But I suppose I am happy for you sis… I had a feeling, but I just didn't think it'd really be this guy… Seriously, though? This guy!? Are you really falling for his washed up, bad boy charm!? I demand an explanation!"
Belle closed her eyes and gave her sister a nervous smile.
I faced Alice, still wearing a half smile on my face, "Hey, Alice."
"Ugh… What do you want now?"
I looked at her intensely and she blushed from the sight of me, looking away. "Sorry for everything we've put you through. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have gotten as far as we did today… getting me out of that Trial, the Arc Slayer… a lot of things. So, thank you," I said serendipitously.
Her baby blue eyes widened as she whipped her head to the side to face away from me, nervously replying, "D-Don't mention it. I was just doing it for Belle. And to return the favor for you saving me yesterday. It was nothing."
I smiled and then inquired about something Belle and I had talked just moments before, "So… You still wanna join the Black Wolves?"
There was silence from the whole balcony. The only sounds were the noises of chugging and the stomps of the Den trudging away as we continued our lap around the Valley Kingdom—for some reason…
Alice slowly turned her head back and faced me. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, about to answer. But then…
The double doors on her left were kicked wide, and a dirty blond character with a rat tail on the side of his head plodded in. He had his hands in his pants pockets and his legs far apart, like he was squatting as he entered the balcony with us. His ripped, sleeveless gilet and his blind, scarred left eye were his most prominent features. "Eight out of ten," he said randomly.
As Alice looked him up and down, she found the corner of his dark green eye on his right from her.
From Nash's side on the opposite end of the double doors, he replied, "Weak."
"Hey, that was better than last night. Which… hmm… I don't remember the number…" the male responded.
"Ugh… you boys are all the same—rating your shit. What's the whole point of that anyway?" she sighed and then said, "Six out of ten."
The male creaked his head slowly to meet her as if not even noticing she was there until she said something of interest to him. His eyes widened in excitement. "Yeah! That was it! It was a six! Wait… Squirt? You're back here again?"
"Yeah, I am, and— Hold on…" Alice hesitated her next words… Frantic, she looked back at the double doors the male had come from. Before it closed, she saw a hint of pink on the other side just as the doors shut and a puff of sparkles glittered out with the sound of a fart in her head.
"EEEEEK!! DID YOU JUST TAKE A SHIT IN MY PINK ROOM, YOU BRAINLESS BRUTE!?!?" Alice shouted at him as he stood there, confused.
"Say what?"
Nash burst into laughter, "Way to go, Havoc… I think that makes it a ten out of ten now. Two extra points for location!"
"Oh… No wonder the place was pink… and no wonder my shit just disappeared after I flushed… I thought I had finally found our 1st Exec's room for a second! That makes total sense! Well thanks for the awesome restroom, squirt!"
Alice seethed and fumed, "YOU TOOK A SHIT IN MY PINK ROOM! MY PINK ROOM! THAT PLACE IS NOT A FUCKING BATHROOM, YOU—YOU… AHHHHH!!!"
As I continued to awkwardly watch this comedy of a situation unfold, I thought, maybe I should just wait for her answer after she deals with that… but to my surprise, out of her bickering, I heard her say, "THE ANSWER IS YES… I WANT TO JOIN THE BLACK WOLVES!" She inhaled and exhaled deeply, high on emotion. Arms extended out and hands balled up into fists, she had the look of determination on her face after telling off Havoc—like the emotion had pushed her to give the answer to me.
I gave her back the same look and stayed silent for a bit, matching her energy. After a few seconds, I laughed joyously and said, "That's a great look in your eyes. It's settled then!"
She, in turn, grew a faint smile and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. Standing proud now, she wiped her nose snickeringly as she went on, "That way I can keep all of you in line! Like, Keeper, is there any one of you who has the least bit of common sense at all??"
Once she said this, we all heard the echo of fingers snapping in our ears…
Snap…
Just over the double doors facing the balcony, a cool figure with a white cap and hood over his head appeared in a blink. A long sword with two hilts on both ends lay strapped on his back, along with a quiver of arrows next to it.
Alice was caught in awe as the male figure sat on top of the roof, just over the double doors. His presence was new to her; it felt different than everyone else here on the balcony that she had met so far.
"Looks like I made it back just in time," he said nonchalantly from where he was.
At this moment, everyone seemed to say the same thing, which was rare, but we were all thinking it as the words came out in everyone's own way, "AND WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?"—"I WANT A FUCKING CHOCO BAR!" Star actually said…
"LOOKING OUT FOR YOUR DUMBASSES, AS FUCKING USUAL!" he said back, breaking his cool and collected character.
A look of relief and admiration shot over Alice's face as she witnessed this male get angry at all of us, simultaneously putting us all in our place after his outburst.
She didn't know who he was, but she sensed he was someone of rank here among the Black Wolves, and she thought it be the best time to introduce herself to this stand-up member—who seemed much like her. "Um… M-My name's Alice and I'm the newest member of the Black Wolf Knights as of today—I-I mean, right now! … um… It's a pleasure to meet you!"
The male looked at her and observed her in a serious manner, then looked back to me and pointed his thumb in her direction, saying flatly, "Who the hell's the runt?"
Alice, as if turned to stone, was stunned at the male's disregard for her. They're all the same… she thought as she stood there quite literally petrified.
"There's two runts… why do we have kids at the Den?" he asked. Alice's petrified form shattered at the label of 'kid' now on her head. Compared to all of us who were in our twenties and—minus the boy—Alice was the youngest one here at sixteen.
"The 'runt's' name is Alice. Alice, this is Code. Vice Captain of the Black Wolf Knights. As for the other kid… uh… I actually don't know. Can someone explain? This better not be my kid. Right? Ophelia…?" I asked nervously, calling her out.
"Come on, Greedy… If I had a kid with you, you'd have known. That's not even a funny joke. That's just stupid, mister 'octo-rilla."
"Just checking…" I said.
"I knew you two were sharing symptoms!" Havoc interjected.
"I wasn't fucking pregnant, you animal fucker! And who has a kid that fast? Exactly. No one."
"I DON'T FUCK ANIMALS!" Havoc fumed.
Ophelia maneuvered around me, ignoring Havoc and making it over to the kid sitting at Alice's little table as he continued to drink his hot cocoa. "This boy was saved by one of your friends, Greedy… Rex…" She shuddered at the name, just as she did with Snow. They were in the same zone to her—the friend zone. "He got separated from his mother in the fray. When we get the chance, we'll help him find her, but for now, he's riding with us—ain't that right, little man?" She winked at him and he blushed.
Slowly getting back up from where she slumped, Alice repeated the words "Vice Captain" to herself, blushing in admiration to Code. She then pointed at him and shouted, making a statement, "Just you watch! I'm gonna prove myself to you! All of you, that I'm not just some 'kid.' I may not be very good at fighting, and I may be the youngest, but last I heard, the Black Wolves don't have a doctor or a healer on the crew. Sooo… I'll be the Black Wolves' designated healer mage from this day forward, okay!? You have been told!"
Silent shock filled the balcony where we stood, allowing her to take the moment. The silence lasted for about ten seconds, and that's when we finally acknowledged her.
Nash gave a hearty laugh, "You have been told.' I like this girl. She's got what it takes to be a real woman," he commented.
"Don't worry, girly, we all heard you loud and clear. I'll show you how to take advantage of the boys here so you can have your way, hehe," Ophelia said next.
Havoc gave an approving half smile, "And I promise I won't shit in your room next time. Honest mistake. Welcome to the pack, chick." his nicknames evolving, but didn't sound like much of an upgrade.
Brand gave her a thumbs up, and Star yawned but gave a lazy smile to her afterward, which was her own unique sign of approval. Yuna howled happily as well.
Code tilted his head with his left eye closed and the right open, eyeing her from where he was. He usually just left the recruiting to me and Asura, so long as we believed they could be an asset and grow our family—and most importantly, showed a desire to want to be one of us—he didn't care who joined the Black Wolves. He supported it no matter what, even if his face didn't show it. But he always noticed one's ambition, so that gesture meant as much approval as the rest of ours.
It was then and at last that I said to her, "Welcome to the crew, Alice."
As Alice gained approval from all of us, she grew the biggest smile I'd seen on her yet. Belle watched as she witnessed her sister's pure joy.
"Thank you for taking in Alice. If she turned my Guild down but chose to join yours, that really says a lot about the Black Wolves. I will make sure everyone knows of the good you all did today!"
"No need," I politely and quickly said to Belle. "This is enough for us. Having all of them, and now you—I couldn't ask for more. And you could ask any one of them, they'd agree too. At the end of the day, moments like this are all we fight for. So don't say a word about this to the Kingdom, please, princess."
Belle blinked. "But… someone has to take the credit for defeating Syemore."
"Then just say you did it. We did win because of you anyway!" I said, unaware of a certain way I'd made her feel in that moment. Regardless, she brushed it off as it was meant for another time. She just smiled at me as Alice waved to her; it was about time for her to get healed.
I let Belle go on her way, and she gave me a hug before following Alice. It was a long hug as I felt my world stop by her just doing it.
When she released herself, she gracefully ran over to Alice who was already within her Pink Room and the double doors flung wide open.
They shut behind her, and all I saw was her cute face, making a cheerful smile in my direction. I waved, already craving and missing her even though we'd see each other again soon enough.
When the double doors shut behind them, we all hung out there on the balcony of the moving Den as it trudged its way around to the West Gate.
"Anyway, Code, what did you do the past few days? I knew you were okay 'cause you teleported me and Belle up there, and before that—that big ass building—holy shit that was badass! But where were you? What happened?" I asked him, curious about his solo mission.
He sighed and hopped down from the roof of the double doors down onto the balcony with the rest of us, casually strolling toward me, "Remember what I told you on our errand the other day? I followed you into the fake Black Wolves hideout. There, I ran into Syemore, who was spectating the whole ordeal, and we fought. Plan A was to get in and out with voice-recorded proof that it was he who set us up and who was plotting against the Kingdom. If I had succeeded, the next day the W.M.A. would have taken him to Trial instead of you, and everything would have went so much smoother…"
"So, you lost."
"If you want to put it frankly like that, yes. I lost. His Compression magic wasn't much to fret over, but when I thought I was getting away with the evidence, he managed to track me down and almost ate me up with one of those Phantomdrakes, but… I struck a deal with him last minute…"
He began to tell me what happened at this time…
***
**Last night. Outside the Valley Kingdom**
Code:
The Phantomdrakes hovered just above Syemore within a large crater. We were about eight to eleven kilometers away from the Kingdom's South Gate.
"Well now, Code… It appears I greatly underestimated you," Syemore said as the ghost dragons swirled in the sky and the wind pressure thickened.
I noticed the disfigured form he took on, "What the hell are you?!"
Syemore, silent for a moment, faced his dragons toward me, then replied, "Redemption."
In that moment the dragons rushed in, but then… with a swift motion, I took the recorder from out of my side jacket pocket and threw it on the ground, crushing it with my boot.
Just when I had thought the Phantomdrakes were about to crash into me, they stopped just inches from my face.
"Well now… What's this?" Syemore inquired as he halted the dragons descent upon me, intrigued by what he just saw me do just now.
"It seems you are capable of grasping reason," I replied, sweat sliding down my neck, the Phantomdrakes snarling in my face. I had no idea if that stunt would even work, risking the evidence like that. In normal circumstances, I would have just teleported away somewhere and tried to escape, but I didn't have enough mana for that after our battle earlier and my new awakening… Trying to escape would just delay the inevitable. I had to improvise.
"I like to see myself as a reasonable man, Code. I only resort to violence if I am pushed. So… at this time, you're either giving up or you want to strike a bargain… but from the look of things, it seems it would be the latter."
"You're smarter than I gave you credit for earlier… That's absolutely correct. Here's what I offer: my ties to the Black Wolves and my service under you, for my life."
Syemore laughed sinisterly at my words. "Spoken like a true coward. Why the sudden change of heart? You seemed so loyal to the Black Wolves earlier… How do I know you aren't just swindling me?" he said as the Phantomdrakes prowled around me all the while.
"I'm only loyal to the strong. You've clearly shown that you are more than just the Compression magic Captain of the Blue Phoenix Knights… Plus, if I'm being quite frank… I simply value my life," I said, careful with my words. The truth disguised as a lie…
Syemore chuckled once more but contemplated my offer.
"If this was someone else, I wouldn't have hesitated shredding you apart, but… because you are quite intelligent and it would be benefitting to my plan to have you on my side, I will accept your offer… however… tomorrow you must make a public appearance to the whole Kingdom announcing that you are no longer a part of the Black Wolves and that you've given your full allegiance to me. I will do all the talking, all you have to do is be present… Your presence alone is enough to make a statement. Also, your comm is mine. I hope you understand…"
"Completely."
He studied me as he continued, "Afterward, you will oversee the brigade and hunt the fakes that will be scattered throughout the Kingdom, if you run into your own, you will take them out. Many of them are my pawns, so it should be easy for you. But if you run into your own… we will see where your loyalty truly lies… This is your duty. If you agree to these terms, you may join my conquest."
Taking out a pack of cigarettes and lighting one, I responded, "That all?"
Smiling, Syemore replied, "That's all."
"Then add me to your roster of allies."
He dispelled his Phantomdrakes at this time.
And as he turned his back away from me below the crater, he uttered his last words of the night, "After this, you will be my new Vice Captain next to Henza, and after tomorrow's series of events, we will be known under a new name, with the Mountain Kingdom ruling over this land and the Maven Lords over them."
The next scene afterward left only the empty field with the crater and the star-filled sky. There was no trace of us as we disappeared within the night.
***
**Back to present**
Greed:
"That's more or less what happened. Seems he didn't fully trust me though since he had me up to my neck with guards from both the Snow Lily Knights and the W.M.A. I did, however, use that time to lay out my pentagrams all over the Kingdom so I can at least fulfill my duty to you." Code said, finishing his story.
"Glad you came back," was all I said to him.
"You ordered me to," he snickered. "Anyway… do you have them?"
I blinked with a bland expression on my face, "Uh… Have what?"
"By the Keeper… Please tell me…"
"Well, before you get all disappointed in me again, what are you talking about?"
Code was silent, building up anger. It seemed he really was infuriated by something. "The orbs with the Captains! Don't tell me you…"
"I what? Was kinda busy utterly obliterating Syemore into space!" I jeered.
"Fuck… This is bad…"
"Fuck…"
We both said together.
Right at that moment, Yuna was sniffing my pocket aggressively.
"What is it, girl? We're kind of busy—"
My eyes widened when I noticed something in my left pocket where she was sniffing. I reached into it and when I pulled out the contents, I was greatly relieved.
"No way… could this be…" I said in disbelief.
Code adjusting his glasses with his middle finger pushed me to the side with my own hand to view the contents.
"This is! Oh, thank the Keeper, you actually got them… I was hoping, even though we couldn't discuss it, that you'd at least have half a brain to grasp the situation!"
I looked at Code nervously, just going along with it as we looked at the orbs in my hand that held the Captains, Sirus, and the Royal King, who were all in my pocket this whole time… He caught a drift of my faking…
"You had no idea, did you?"
Sharp as ever, he was. Guilty, I sighed and lowered my head. "No…"
"Well in any case, we have them. It would cause a commotion if we weren't able to retrieve the orbs holding the Valley Kingdom's top figures… Ah man, I'm just relieved. You can be stupid all you want now. I don't care."
My mind quickly thought back to just a moment ago when Belle gave me a hug before going with Alice to the Pink Room.
"Was it Belle?" I said under my breath but just loud enough for Code to hear.
"If it was, she just did you a huge solid. Oh, Keeper thank you. Fucking thank you!" He said, snatching the orbs away from me for safe keeping then walked away. "I need a fucking smoke."
It shouldn't really have been a surprise, she was more informed about the situation than I was. She must have snatched them away from Syemore sometime in our fight above the Celestial Dome. Belle really was so much better than me in almost every way. The fact that she's mine now, in itself, is a miracle.
"By the way…" Code inquired, now facing slightly toward Nash, still leaning arms crossed by the double doors.
"Why is the Den taking the long way around instead of just turning around to go back East?" he asked him.
"Don't look at me…" Nash replied.
"You're the one in charge of activating the Legs, right? Keeper, don't tell me you broke it?"
Nash sighed and tilted his head back, the top of it touching the wall he leaned on, "When Star woke up, she said she wanted to pull the lever and well… she did, but…"
"But?"
"But, she broke it."
"Ah. So that explains it. No problem, all is solved…" Code said calmly. A storm coming… "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING, NASH, COME ON! SO, YOU'RE TELLING ME… WE'RE JUST GONNA KEEP GOING IN A FUCKING CIRCLE AROUND THE KINGDOM UNTIL THE DEN RUNS DRY ON FUEL??? LET ME GUESS YOU FILLED UP THE TANK BEFORE YOU STARTED IT DIDN'T YOU???"
"WELL OF COURSE I DID, I'M NOT GONNA START THE DAMN THING WITHOUT FILLING UP THE TANK! I DIDN'T EXPECT STAR TO FUCKING BREAK THE THING!"
"SO, WHAT'S YOUR PLAN THEN, HUH? WE JUST GONNA KEEP GOING IN A FUCKING CIRCLE AROUND THE KINGDOM UNTIL THE TANK RUNS DRY???"
There was silence between the two of them now, and it was the loudest silence I had ever heard; the Den continued to chug away in the background all the while…
"Keeper save us… That really was your plan, wasn't it? Let me guess, Nash… the fuel you used… that was the last of it wasn't it?" He interrupted himself and continued, "You know what, don't answer that question. I already know the answer… I really can't leave you all alone for one goddamn minute, can I?" Code said defeated, putting his hand over his face. He even tried to take out his cigarette packet, but he dropped it and slowly picked it up, lacking and devoid of all energy. The sound of Star's laughter echoed in his ears all the while as she and Brand continued their bickering.
"You wanna get thrown out of the Den again, you walking pile of trash? Are you suffering from bad fashion choices, or is that just your face's disguise?" Star said and laughed maniacally to Brand, referring to his mask.
"I don't normally hit females, but you are more like a beast than a woman after all… I will enjoy this…" Brand rivaled back.
"Hey, hey, hey! No fighting on the balcony! Wait till we stop, you idiots!" I yelled, shifting my attention to Brand and Star and moving away from Code.
Code, slowly taking out another cigarette, struggled to light it with his lighter, sparking small flickers each time as he failed to light it. When it finally lit, a shapely female walked through him from behind and snatched away the lit cigarette from him swiftly with her mouth alone from her pass through.
As she stopped just in front of him, she raised her hand to take it out and blew a puff in the air with an elbow over her other arm, crossed, and under her breasts. She only wore a white cropped tank, black short shorts, and purple clogs on her feet.
Her heterochromatic yellow and dark purple eyes were for all to see as she had stashed away her eyepatch for another day.
Code still stood there, shaking slightly from our tomfoolery, positioned like he was still holding the cigarette taken from him.
"Thanks, Codey!" Ophelia said to him, inhaling another puff as she reached down to the first cigarette he dropped and gently placed it on his stationary hand, taking his lighter and lighting it at the same time.
As she clicked the lighter, her hair had changed from its normal black and blonde rat tail to now silver and a dark purple rat tail…
"Kinda need it after today…" she said, the tone in her voice changed.
They shifted their bodies to both face outward into the green distance as the chaos went on behind them. The green valleys and shifted tectonic plates there panning to their right as the Den continued trudging along.
"Thanks for coordinating these idiots while I was away, Raeyn," Code said.
"It's nothing," she responded nonchalantly, taking another hit of her cigarette.
Discontinuing their small talk, both of them remain standing there smoking their cigarettes simultaneously. Then, breaking the silence, Raeyn finally interjected, "We've got another guest on board—rather she's being held captive in Alice's Pink Room. Ryo brought her. 1st Exec Blue Phoenix Knight, Kimiko—or otherwise known as Kiki. Something to do with Greed. That's all I know."
"Is Ryo here too?"
"You would have known that by now if he was."
"Good point."
"He went back in the Valley to assist but said he'd be coming back once he had taken care of the citizens and such…" she paused for a second with another thought. "Just a thought, but why don't we borrow castle fuel from the Crimson Dragons since we used the last of ours?"
Code took a deep inhale of his cigarette at the only part of Raeyn's personality that he didn't bother to entertain. "No." Was all he said as they both said nothing more.
The Den made it past the West Gate and started its route to the South, a male from way up high the walls shouted to us, "Hey, Black Wolf Knights!"
Those distinguishable flame-like wisps of hair, tied up in the back with a healthy mullet behind, and those beaming large yellow eyes—that Crimson Dragon's uniform…
"Yo, Ryo!" I yelled from where we were.
Guffawing and waving at us simultaneously, he started to make a move, disappearing from sight from where he was and then reappearing from atop the wall. He leaped off from it and out onto the outer layer, falling endlessly to meet us where we were, landing right in the center of the balcony as the Den met him there.
THUD!
"Why hello, fellow Black Wolves, thanks for the ride!" His boisterous laugh sounded.
"Yes, bring onboard more. Bring onboard every fucking person. I mean, we're going to be doing a few laps around the Kingdom anyway, so might as well! Who else needs a ride?" Code said sarcastically as he jeered over to Nash once more. Nash held a vulgar finger back to him in response.
"It's good to see you too, Code! Glad you're doing well!"
I walked up from behind Ryo, throwing my arm around him at the same moment. "Good to see you again, brother!"
He smiled pleasantly, then jabbed me on the side. I winced after.
"That's for abducting me and not letting me help you when the W.M.A. came."
Noticing Havoc in the background, trying to sneak away, he shouted out to him as well in a polite manner, "You're next, Havoc."
He jittered a ripple of goosebumps at the sound of his voice, continuing to face away from him as he stopped in his tracks.
Calmly refocusing, Ryo proceeded with the first reason he hitched a ride with us, "Now that I've completed some duties and helped out some civilians, I've come to pick up the boy, per Rex's request… Oh! And I believe you all were taking care of another guest for me?"
"Since you're bringing it up, I wanted to talk to you about something too," I responded, referring to my memories.
"Ah yes. That has everything to do with our guest! But first…"
Turning a serious tone now with all of us there, his stomach grumbled, piercing through the calm quiet of the trudging wind. Stating now his second reason for coming on board…
"Do you, by chance, have any food? I'm terribly hungry, haha…"
I laughed. "Of course, we do. And we got the best chef in the entire Kingdom right here with us!" I said proudly, gesturing to Code.
Code snickered approvingly and then tossed his cigarette off from the balcony of the moving Den. "I guess I can whip something up for you fucks."
As we excitedly made it off the balcony and through the double doors going into our home, we bantered the whole way. I was filled with the kind of happiness that you could only find in places you love and that love you back. Regardless of how it started and where the day led, an ending like this made those struggles feel like they never happened.
Moments like this… this was what I was fighting for, and the bonus was finding her—Belle—along with it. This was the happiest day of my life.
***
**Somewhere far in the distance**
A male figure in a black hooded cloak watched as the Wolves Den continued its laps around the Valley Kingdom.
"Glad you made it through, little bro… Wish I could join you all, but—"
A comm rang at this time, interrupting his train of thought and ruining the moment he was having on his own. The tone rang for a few seconds before the male finally whipped it open disinterestedly and answered whoever was on the other line as if it were a bother.
"What," he said, his tone completely different than how it was a moment ago.
"I had to take care of something," he replied to the inaudible, distorted voice on the other end.
"Yeah, yeah… uh-huh… right." Were the male's last words before flipping off the comm, shutting it off with one finger.
As he turned around, his black cloak fluttered from the breeze. With the hood over his head, his face was also covered entirely by a black veil with the mark of a thin glowing white cross in the middle of it…
As he put on his black overly wide brim bolero hat that dangled multiple equally placed white crosses all around the edges of it, he said—speaking to no one in particular, "Hope I get to see you again soon, little bro… or should I say—"
He trailed off his words, mouthing something inaudible as he summoned a gold pentagram into the air just a few feet away from him and walked through it as it were a portal, disappearing completely.
***
In a dark room somewhere far away, a group of eleven figures, all of different sizes and body types, sporting the same black cloak and veil as each other with a glowing white cross covering their faces, occupied the place. Each one with those same wide brim bolero hats and collection of dangling white crosses, sitting on thrones at the ends of a large pentagram on the floor, facing each other.
Some were present, others were not as their presence was filled in by faded holograms of themselves from wherever they each were.
There was one in the middle of them who sat atop a high throne, looking down at the rest of them there. His voice was distorted as he said to the one who entered through the gold portal, "You're late."
Looking at the rest of the eleven figures there, the glowing white crosses on their faces like eyes as the male who just arrived panned his head to observe the others until he was back to himself—who was the twelfth… he replied, "Well, I'm here now. So, let's get this meeting started already… Pride."
***
**Somewhere else at an unknown area**
The dark dungeons of the place echoed even small sounds. The echoes traveled through the labyrinth of its stone walls until it met in the middle, where a man in a pure white cloak sat at a gaudy, worn-out, gold throne.
From around him, three figures hidden in the shadows knelt in front of him. Their attire was all a mixture of purple, black, and dark green, but each one wore something completely different than the next. The man they knelt in front of sat entirely disregarded, slouched to the side, elbow on his armrest, and hand in a fist propping up his head, slightly tilted.
"My Lord… he has completed the first Trial, and according to Sloth… it seems that it really is him. Should we pay him a visit now?" One of the shadowy figures said. His voice sounded like that of a snake as his words slithered out.
"Not yet," the Lord answered. His voice was divine and ethereal, sending shudders down the three shadowed figures, not out of fear but out of immeasurable respect.
"Hehehe, I can't wait to meet brother after all this time… I wonder how his flesh tastes…" another more mangled and skinnier female figure said. She carried a very gluttonous tone in her words, as if she was salivating at the thought. Her abnormally long and pointed tongue licked the jagged teeth that she bore.
"I hope to see how he tastes in another way… It will be good to finally be intimately reacquainted with him after all this time. Sweet boy," another shadowy voice responded—female—and her tone was the epitome of seductiveness.
"I've always hated that fucking coward… especially what he's become now… if… no—when we get the chance to meet… I want to take a stab at him first. So, you two step aside!" The first slithering voice entered in again, interjecting the other two.
"Oh? So it's a competition now, is it? Well then, don't be jealous if one of your other brothers get to him first…" The second, lustful female said as she flicked a finger, and the sound of a string sounded off in the dark halls they occupied.
When it echoed, the string ignited onto other strings that laid out from wall to wall like a web, and behind them, a group of nameless mages that had all been wrapped up inhumanly within the strings began to burn. Their screams of agony filled the halls as they roasted, mangled in between the web of strings—dying off one after the other until all that was left were the sounds of crackling fire.
As they became nothing but molt, one could see faintly the logos on the clothing they once wore—hailing from different Guilds of, not just the Valley, but from other Kingdoms as well.
The burning cast silhouettes of the three figures, giving off a haunting look as they remained kneeling in front of their Lord. All three of them had grayish hair and maroon eyes that glowed through the dark,
The Lord spoke again, his words like gravity itself with each word that he spoke, "Let him face another Trial, and if he passes that one… then, my children, you may go to him and bring him to me."
***
**Another location far away**
On the other side of the world, deep in the Arctic, a prison lay hidden away for the most heinous and dangerous criminals. Criminals who shook the nations and were not ever allowed to have freedom again. Those who were sent here were permanently on death row.
Deep, deep under the arctics, below even its very own vast basements of the world—not even where shadows dwell, and deeper than even the lowest darkness of the sea, it was so close to the core of the world that it might as well have been the core itself. A special confinement created for the worst of the worst sentenced here. Unlike the other dangerous criminals on the upper levels, the ones here were not only a threat to the nations they hailed from; they were a threat to the whole world itself.
This place was Tartarus.
In this large, vast space so far below the rest of the world, it looked only like a blank, empty room.
Two blue orbs floated there amidst the nothingness. The figure in the first orb wore only a shirt and drawstring pants, all white. He sat on a bed with one leg crossed and the other hanging off, barefoot. In front of him, it looked as if he was playing an intricate game on the air itself, his opponent being the one in the other blue orb.
He yawned as he sat there patiently. "I can do this all day, you know… Just because you have to stay here forever and I can leave whenever I want, doesn't mean I don't know this game of time you're playing," he said, speaking to the one in the other orb.
There, another male sat facing him. Unlike him, this one sat on a transparent, glass chair, taking a sip from a matching cup that was also glass and transparent. His attire was the same as the other male across from him in the other orb. In front of him was the same intricate game. Patiently, he put his cup down on a simple transparent table nearby. He made a move on the mana board they shared.
"Quite confident, Daz… you may know the game, but can you win?" This mysterious male said with the utmost politeness after he completed his turn. He grabbed the cup once more and took another sip.
Daz, the Arcane King of the Valley Kingdom, who was in the orb across, lay casually on the bed and raised an eyebrow at him. When he gazed upon the mana board, he sat up quickly like a surprised child, looking at the board a few seconds before taking his turn. He then pondered innocently and looked upward into the white nothingness that surrounded them both outside their blue orb prisons. "That was a good move!" he said, referring to the board, then focused his gaze back to his opponent. "But… I can say the same. Wrath."
The other male, Wrath, chuckled then grew a calm smile from his tan face. A thick blindfold made of tungsten—or perhaps, something heavier—covered his eyes. It was as if the mere granting of his sight could allow him to escape this inescapable underworld of a prison. The hair on his head was short and gray. It moved subtly when he finished chuckling, and his smile disappeared as he said, "I don't think you can, Arcane King. You see, my brother was just confirmed alive and well in the Valley."
At this time, Daz's eyes widened, and everything began to make sense in his head. It had seemed he couldn't stay long here as he had previously stated after all. He had lost the mind game with that statement alone.
"So, it wasn't just an ironic name… I'm gonna have to go back sooner than I thought," he said to himself.
***
**Somewhere unknown**
A figure sat, lifeless it seemed, on a black throne. His hair was gray, medium length, and his skin was golden. As if coming back to life, he took his first breath—long and drawn out. When his eyes opened, they were maroon, and that distinct mole under his right eye showed from the glow of his eyes in the darkness. He spoke to no one in particular, and it had been a very long time since he uttered his last words. His voice haunting… familiar…
"Finally."
To be continued…