Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 5
Chapter 1: A Simple Moment of Renewal
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was on the outskirts as I saw the bus stop in my youth. The weathering of it never changed as I sat down on the bench to soak in the memory that was lost to me. Just as I was about to see everything come and go, I saw the sky turn black as the image of it became a nightmare to me. I saw the dirt road turn into black goop as it was sinking everything in its tracks. When I felt it pull me in, I was struggling to get free until I was pulled straight into its suffocating bog until I woke up in my room covered in sweat. I was having a bad dream as I found that Reiko was safe while sound asleep in the futon we were in. The very harshness of the nightmare worried me as I got up and went towards the window. The presence of blossoms filled the air as they were a sign of renewal that sprung from the destruction that Reinhardt brought with him the moment he destroyed the infrastructure of Kanto Village two weeks ago. Even when it was in the second week in April, I wasn't about to suffer too much of what went on so far as I had to take it in full strides one slow step at a time.
When I went back towards the futon, I noticed Reiko opening her eyes as she saw me scared out of my mind. She sensed the terror I had within me as I wasn't out of the predicament since my duel with Reinhardt two weeks ago. Even though I tried to ignore my trouble, there was no backing out on it as I had to come clean about my bad dreams soon enough.
"You had a bad dream, didn't you?" asked Reiko.
"Yeah, but I was sitting on the bench that we first met at, only to see it be swallowed up by black goop," I said. "It was terrifying, but it also felt so real, too."
"Sammy, it's almost dawn soon..."
"It's kind of a little early for us to be up at this time, but we should also soak up what we have in mind."
I saw Reiko get up as she was up on her feet. At that moment, we walked towards the window as we saw the sky fill with the orange on the bottom. The setting was beautiful as we weren't about to miss this sunrise anytime soon. We were seeing more orange seep through as it was lighting up the sky one bit after another. By the time we saw it rising even further, we heard the door open as we noticed Gyatso coming into the room in which he was ready to inform us of the upcoming breakfast that was about to be served soon.
"Hey, you better get downstairs before Kuroichi starts to make bacon donuts again and Wakana doesn't want him to do that in the kitchen, either," he said.
"Oh, dear…," I said. "I guess that it's time to help in the kitchen again..."
And so, we followed Gyatso as we left the room and went towards the elevator. By the time we all got downstairs to the first floor, we went towards the kitchen as we noticed Kuroichi backed into a corner by Wakana, who had a rolling pin in her hands. He was shaking in his slippers as Wakana herself was going to let him have it if he tried to make bacon donuts again.
"There's no way in hell that you're gonna be making pastries filled with pig around here!" we heard her say. "You made them yesterday and the day before that in which a certain someone from the Hunter Corps couldn't get enough of them, but that Sachiko girl isn't someone who's into getting that stuff due to her kosher background!"
"Come on, Wakana," he said. "Dean's been going for the sweet and salty all the live long, but-"
"Hold it," I said. "We can put the bacon donuts on hold, but right now, we have a bigger selection of breakfast while the townsfolk that are taking up temporary residence here until Kanto Village is rebuilt once again. It may take a while, but we all have to pull together in order to get by in this hardship that came out of nowhere. Still, the troops that aided us are having their work cut out for them into rebuilding the town, but it's a long and steady process to do so."
"I'll get started on the breakfast," said Reiko as she was walking towards the jam jars and fresh fruit in the pantry. "Besides, we can't just feast on bacon donuts forever because they aren't that healthy to begin with."
"I told you so," said Wakana as she was glaring at Kuroichi.
"Perhaps I'll make some matzo balls wrapped in bacon for dinner," he said.
"If you did that, Sachiko's Golem will kick your butt," said Gyatso.
And so, we all got started on making breakfast as it was something that was motivating us to start the day correctly. After all that was happened, we were there to restore Kanto Village as it was in dire need of repair in both its infrastructure and the lives that fled. It was a daunting task, but we all had to get through with it as the time to get it done would soon be a must-do in the making…
Dean was up and alert as he was busy fixing part of a home that was destroyed by the soulless dolls led by Reinhardt two weeks ago. Even though he had his breakfast, he wasn't about to allow misery suffer in the spring of renewal just yet as he was putting in the finishing touches on the wood and carpeting inside. By the time he was ready to call in a break, he was outside as he breathed in the crisp spring air that was a godsend to warming the town near the castle. He even noticed the rest of the Hunter and Garrison Corps helping out as they were making sure that the homes were sturdy enough to be liveable again. In due time, the work around here would soon get done quicker as the effort into healing Kanto Village from its second run of destruction was going smoothly. When he was about to head back to the castle, he noticed a middle-aged man arriving with his troops as all of the came from the Alecrian Army to observe the restoration of the town. The middle-aged man, who was in charge, was looking at the damage that Reinhardt and his army caused as it was slowly being rebuilt one slow step at a time. Dressed up in military garb, the man had red hair and mustache as he was a lanky figure who stood out in front of the rest, but he always stood firm into helping out the little guy in need.
"You sure got off for a break, didn't you, Dean Winchester?" said the middle-aged man.
"General Arbogast," he said. "You're up early, but the rest of the first volley isn't done yet."
"Have you heard about the fate of Reinhardt Toller and Olenna Thurber yet? They've been found guilty for their actions in which they were sent to prison in two separate facilies: Reinhardt Toller is in Angmar Prison on Maugrim while Olenna Thurber is in Belbe Citadel on Gehenna. Both of them had it coming after causing panic and havoc in the streets two weeks back, but the townsfolk don't deserve to be put through the ringer like they did when this place got burnt a year ago."
"We've been busting our asses into getting all the work done here, but I went in first 'cause Sam wanted to help out like the rest of us. Lately, he would help in intervals, but after using his raw power to fix and repair some of the houses that were destroyed in the battle for the last few days, I told him to take the days off while I do the rest for him."
"He should be doing it like you, Dean. In my opinion, the people come first, not us. It's our job to help them without a shred of pride and selfishness in our hearts. As for Sam, he needs to get off his ass and help the rest of your troops in the Hunter Corps fix up the town that got trashed. If he doesn't, then he's just a typical lazy bum who thumbs his nose at the little guy."
"Hey, lay off him, okay? Sam's been busy for a while, but after using his raw power to help us out with getting some of the houses and businesses fixed, I told him to take a break or else I'd file a complaint to the Review Board about it."
"I don't care! Sam needs to start pulling his own weight like everyone else who had to put up with the destruction of this town or else I'll label him for being too lazy. It's like I said before, Dean, the people come first and I'll make damn sure that everyone does their fair share to get the people back here in their homes so they can function normally again."
Dean watched General Arbogast leave with his troops as he was not too happy with the words that were said about me. As an older brother, he was there to do his fair share of legwork as he had his reasons into helping everyone repair the town from the brink of despair. By the time he was walking towards the pathway, he noticed several people walking by as they were ready to go home in the homes that were fixed in the past two weeks. When he entered into the castle grounds, he saw Barca sleeping in the grass as he had a bone in his paws. Even though he didn't want to wake him up, he walked towards the main house as he noticed his eyes opening just to spring up on him and lick his face. Dean couldn't get enough of getting licked by Barca as he was pinned by the warg's hulking weight.
"Sam, come get your mutt!" he yelled.
I rushed out of the main house as I saw Barca get off of Dean. It was at that moment that I noticed my older brother covered in slobber as he got the treatment of someone who stood firm on the castle grounds. He was bombarded by such drool as he took off his shirt and sat on the porch. The look on his face said it all as he was most likely to be getting seconds after fixing some of the buildings that were destroyed in the town earlier.
"I take it that Barca strikes again," I said.
"He's been doing it 'cause he thinks he's a dog," said Dean.
"Well, he's no Dino..."
"Anyway, the Alecrian Army's making their inspection of the town, but the general in charge is someone who keeps squeezing his ass cheeks just to make a point into forcing you to pull your weight after I told you not to do too much."
"I only did what I had to so that the construction crew that's been rebuilding the town could have a break."
"And what about you, Sam? The last time you used your raw power to put some of the buildings back together, you ended up suffering from a high fever and body aches. You were so exhausted that you couldn't even move straight. No wonder Reuben made you stay in the infirmary wing just to rest up."
"Dean, I can't let up on my duties after my exile to Shiganshina nine months ago. If that general who's in charge of his squad wants me to work, then I'll do it."
It wasn't long until we noticed General Arbogast and his troops arriving onto the castle grounds as they were overseeing the overall daily life that the townsfolk were enduring so far. Even though most of them were not able to go back home yet, they were there due to a temporary stay as the work on repairing and fixing the town was the top priority that ever appeared near the castle. Still, Kanto Village needed to be fixed as the effort to bring it to robust radiance was still ongoing so far, for this wasn't the first time that this town was destroyed in such a troubling act of war.
"I take it that you brought your troops to inspect everything here, didn't you?" I said.
"Looks like the slacker is up and ready to get his ass in gear again," said General Arbogast.
"Don't worry; after this, I'll go and help everyone with the construction work that's ongoing so far."
"Not today, Sam," said Dean sternly. "Let us do the work for you."
"You're not backing down on going back to work, Sam," said General Arbogast as he was making his point clear. "For starters, the people come first, not us; you got that? I know I have every right to not celebrate or treat myself because it's nothing but being selfish towards the little guy. In the end, all of us has to contribute into putting the people first after what they've been through two weeks ago. Hell, last year, this town got burnt after Severin pulled that crap to destroy innocent people and tear up towns with his Army of Cain faction, but everything bounces back really quick. Now, then, Sam? Are you gonna go do the work effort or do I have to make you get the lead out?"
"He's not going anywhere, General. He's gonna stay put and be with his family for a little bit. He's already suffered from illness after using his raw power to help the construction workers fix part of Kanto Village already."
"Then he's another two-bit bum who can't piss on cue! I say again, the people come first, so I suggest that you get over it. Besides, we all need to pull our weight just to keep the little guy happy for once. Sooner or later, our efforts without celebration or treatment will go with one hell of a reward in the making because we're not about to be turned into fodder by Darbus' followers, despite the fact that he's dead. As for the slacker in his castle, I suggest that he gets the lead out or else I'm gonna drag his sorry ass out with his hair. We've been through enough crap coming from Darbus and his Master Race over in the past nine months, so I suggest that we go in and clean up that mess. Did you even see the holes in the walls and buildings caused by Reinhardt's club? It's not pleasant, so I suggest that you give the little guy some breathing room for once!"
I reluctantly agreed as I went back inside of the main house and went upstairs to my room. Digging into my closet, I stared at the teal kimono and overrobe that were hanging in there as I was most likely to wear them for the day. I also looked at the Westerian clothes that I wore during my adventures to return home as they were hung and neatly firm with the ruffle of the collar pristine and pressed. I had to decide on one outfit as I gravitated to the outfit I wore during my days on Westeros two months back. By the time I got them out with some underclothes and boots, I went towards the bathroom as I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower. It was my motive to start the day as I was cleaning myself thoroughly. The shower did me good as I was most likely to be going out there to help with the construction workers who were helping Kanto Village heal after what happened two weeks ago.
By the time I rinsed off, I dried myself with a towel as I placed it into a hamper while getting on my underclothes. Going towards the sink, I began to brush my teeth and shaved my face as I was ready to get on with my dirty work outside. After I was finished, I dressed up in my clothes and boots as I put up my long hair and stepped out of the bathroom. I was ready to start my day properly as I went back outside to oversee the work of the townsfolk. It was business as usual as I was looking at the work that was progressing so far. By the time I made it to the town square, I saw the ramen stand functioning once again as Koryo was hard at work crafting his food to feed for the paying customers who were working all over Kanto Village.
During my inspection, I noticed several workers installing wi-fi to the houses they were building as they were hard at work like the rest of us. Life was returning to normal at a slow pace as everyone was pulling together as a community who stuck to their guns when the chips were down. Even though some of the buildings were rebuilt, I had to do my part as I saw a pile of rubble being cleared out for restoration. I was on hand into going towards it to rebuild the building from the ashes as I used my raw power to let it grow from the concrete slab it was on. The time and effort to bring the former building from the ashes was an easy one as I used what I had to bring it to full once again. With the construction workers stunned to see the building being restored in front of them, they noticed me come out of there as I was ready to go towards the next pile of rubble until I was stopped by Reuben, who was sprinting down the street in his attempt to stop me.
"What the hell are you doing out and about?!" he yelled as he caught up to me. "Remember the last time that you tried to help the construction workers fix some of the buildings all over the town?! You nearly keeled over in which you had to spend two days in the infirmary wing!"
"The people come first, Reuben," I said. "Besides, we all have to do our part into rebuilding the town, and that includes me and you."
"Who told you this?"
I didn't answer Reuben as I was going towards one of the houses that was destroyed.
"Sam!"
"Don't try to stop me… I have to make an effort or else I'll be just another two-bit slacker who does nothing but sit on my ass all the live long."
"And once again, you're putting your duties over your health..."
"Sometimes, I'm gonna have to stand up for the little guy sooner or later..."
I was going towards the ruined house that was destroyed in the onslaught of Reinhardt's army as it had a mailbox that was dented and broken from its post. Picking it up, I saw the words, "The Stevenson Family," in bold green letters as placed it on a tree stump for now. When I went towards the house that was ruined, it was a mess in there as I noticed furniture being reduced to junk and glass shards from windows all over the floor. By the time I noticed the upstairs torn up, I saw a hole in the ceiling as it revealed a nursery with cribs in it. The whole house was a mess as I was ready to use my raw power to rebuild what was taken away from Valerie and her four children two weeks ago. Just as I was about to do so, I was stopped by Reuben as he grabbed my long hair and pulled me out of the wreckage of a house.
"Let me go, Reuben," I said as I was struggling to get away.
"Let the construction workers handle it," he said. "Besides, you've done enough for now."
"What about the townsfolk without their homes and businesses? They come first before anything that gets thrown at us."
"And what about your health? Do you care about it or are you ready to have some scaffolding impale you when your raw power peters out?"
"The people come first, not us! That's our goal and it won't waver!" I get my hair out of Reuben's grip as I walked towards the center of the ruined house. "General Arbogast even said that I have to pull my weight to do my part to repair Kanto Village or else I'll be put down as lazy and useless. I know that we all live here, but we must also pull our weight so we can see the people return to their homes again."
In that moment, I began to use my raw power once again as I was restoring Valerie's house with all the trimmings. I couldn't let another ruined building become a mortal reminder of brutality from Reinhardt's army as I was bringing myself to fix the house that once kept Valerie and her children in it at the time. By the time I was finished up, I felt blood trickling from my nose as I felt my knees buckling to pressure of my predicament. With the house and yard restored, I was taken out of there as Reuben set me down on the porch as I began to feel tired after using my raw power to fix some of the buildings that were destroyed in the invasion two weeks ago. It wasn't long until General Arbogast went to where we were as he was seeing me sitting there with a bad case of exhaustion.
"So, you're sitting on the job again, aren't you, Sam?" he said to me.
"Ease up on him, will you?" said Reuben defensively. "He just used his raw power to restore this house that got trashed earlier."
"No, he's just being lazy."
"Does using his raw power to the brink of exhaustion be considered to be lazy? No, he's been put on a rigorous schedule that you issued towards him in which you say that the people come first before us?"
"We all have to do our part because it's what we're put on this planet to do so. Putting ourselves first is nothing but laziness and selfishness all in a row and I won't stand for it. How can we as a people and community put ourselves first instead of those who are in much dire need? You tell me that, Reuben. We all have to put the people first before ourselves or else they suffer from a lot worse. As for Sam, I suggest that he gets off his ass and help out the little guy around here."
"And what will happen if the little guy wants you to take a break? Would you go for it or would you keep going just to go the distance?"
"Let me remind you that most of us had suffered from the likes of Darbus Toller nine months ago the moment he made his mark with those soulless dolls of his. His wrath even caused problems in the towns of Kabizashi and Akatsuki as well. We can't live like that again after what happened here because we're not about to give up on the little guy in this hour of need, is that clear to you?"
Those words coming from General Arbogast forced me to get up on my feet as I staggered towards the white picket fence that encircled the Stevenson house. By the time I got to the gate, I began to feel my knees buckle once again as I was struggling to get back up to my feet. I didn't want the general in front of me to belittle my every move as he was staring at me without any regard of my health or actions after helping some of the people return to their homes. I was feeling more dizzy after restoring the Stevenson house as I collapsed onto the ground. It wasn't long until Sterling arrived to oversee the town with Sybil in tow as he saw me feeling unwell due to the raw power I overexerted to help restore Kanto Village from the ashes.
"Get your ass up!" I heard Arbogast yell as I was struggling to get back up.
"Oi! Leave him be!" yelled Sterling as he came to my aid. "He's already completed part of the town's infrastructure while giving some of the construction workers a break, so don't try to pile on the guilt trip on him!"
"Sterling Bonnefoy from the Winterlands… You sure had the gall to bring your ass here while the rest of us aren't up to par. You even had the gall to bring your own mother here as well."
"You better watch your mouth, Perceval Arbogast or else you'll be hearing from some of the townsfolk who don't take kindly to those who are hanging by a thread."
"I'll be back, and when I get back, I'll be expecting Sam to get the lead out like the others who are busting their asses like everyone else just to put the little guy first."
We watched Arbogast storm off as we were safe for the time being. As for my predicament, I wasn't ready to use my raw power up to par just yet after my days into helping others rebuild some of the buildings that were destroyed by Reinhardt and his invading army. Even though we were rebuilding the infrastructure with plenty of help, I wasn't out of the woods yet as Reuben was staring at me with concern after wiping the blood from my nose with a tissue. He was worried about me as he didn't want me to do too much so far, for I had no other choice but to be sidelined after this incident.
"You sure had the gall to fully restore Valerie Stevenson's house, didn't you, Sam?" said Sybil.
"I had to put the people first because of what happened here two weeks ago," I said.
"And what about your health?" said Reuben as he was concerned about me. "You know that you can't overexert too much of your raw power just to help the construction workers fix things the moment you go in and save them the effort. As for General Arbogast, he's nothing but a blowhard who always belittles anyone who suffers from their own health after being benched."
"General Arbogast thinks very little of himself and mostly of what he calls the 'little guy,'" said Sterling. "And he says that the people come first… What about Sam who puts himself on the line just to help those in need? He is deserving to get a break in which it calls for some ramen from Koryo's stand."
"I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to turn it down," I said.
"No, you're not," said Reuben. "You can't just go around turning things down just because General Arbogast shows up to oversee the work all over the town. Now, if I were you, I suggest that you do as you're told."
I reluctantly agreed as I slowly got up on my feet. With Reuben and Sterling carting me towards where we were going next with Sybil in front, we were going towards the ramen stand as it was time for a break after all. Even though I tried to back out of it, I was no match for the persuasion from those who wouldn't back down as I was about to be ushered into a bowl of ramen just for my troubles…
The outskirts were teeming with numerous travellers who came and went as everyone was going towards Kanto Village to aid into the relief effort. Little did everyone know was that something was watching in the distance as he appeared out of nowhere. The man was a shady one as he was dressed in black and grey Chinese clothing. With long black hair that was put in a ponytail, he had three black dots on his forehead as he was an intimidating presence that was troubling to his enemies, especially with it came to dealing with angels and demons. By the time he went towards a farmhouse, he heard classic rock music blaring as the sound of Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath" filled the air. In that moment, he noticed a nest of vampires living it up as they were partying with all the blood and booze they had in their muster.
The mysterious man in Chinese garb was standing in the way of the vampire nest as he was smirking with an evil grin. He was ready to strike as he noticed some of them bearing their retractable fangs just to suck on him. By the time they were ready to strike, he used his telekinesis to strike some of them down as he even destroyed the stereo that was playing the classic rock in it. He was notorious as he was on hand into cementing his status into what would happen next. By the time he spotted a vampire getting out of the bathroom after relieving himself earlier, he saw the nest dead as he was shaking in his pants. The mysterious man used his telekinesis to pin him against the wall as he was most likely to give the surviving vampire a message to those who stood in his way.
"If you're wanting to kill me, then do it so I can join my nest in the afterlife in Purgatory," said the vampire that was pinned to the wall. "You already took out my nest, didn't you?"
"No…," said the mysterious man. "I'm not here to kill you… I'm letting you live so you can send everyone a message and that includes those who are from the Order of Letters."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Do you want to know who I truly am, you whelp from Eve's uterus?" The mysterious man's eyes briefly flash black as the vampire was scared to death. "My name is Ailnoth and I am a Knight of Hell who survived Cain's onslaught in the Elder Days. I'm also here to challenge the current King of Hell since Crowley turned up missing and Abaddon went into hiding after the slaughter campaign from one of her subordinates a year ago."
"If you're after Milverton, then he'll end up sending your ass to his gaming dens just to get killed in such brutal bloodsport."
"You can tell Milverton that I'm here to rain on his parade in which I'll bring both Heaven, Hell, and perhaps the Middle Ground to its knees. As for the Destiny of Worlds, it will never come to pass after the trouble that Darbus Toller and his uncle caused nine months ago. In the end, Sam Winchester will fall in the end and he'll be sent packing again the moment he gets in the way..."
The vampire that was pinned against the wall was freed as he saw Ailnoth leave the abandoned farmhouse without a trace. The message was clear as he had to tell other vampire nests and those in the outskirts about the new threat that was there to stay. It was hell in the form of a calm man who appeared out of nowhere, but he was ready to put a stop to the Destiny of Worlds before it came to fruition so far. By the time the vampire left the farmhouse, he was spotted by Shotaro and Kerza as they were on patrol to control the pest problem on the outskirts.
"Holy Heisenberg!" yelled Kerza as he slowed his wolf down.
"Ailnoth is here!" yelled the vampire. "The Knight of Hell who survived Cain's slaughter is here!"
"Back away, suckhead!" yelled Shotaro as he was armed with his crossbow while on Shiro's back. "I know that you've been busy with your nest, but you're not about to get away anytime soon."
"The nest is dead! Ailnoth killed them! I can't take it anymore! Just kill me already so I won't see his face again!"
"Consider it done..." said Kerza as he got off from his wolf. "Make this a mercy killing so you can see Bad Luck Benny in Purgatory..."
The vampire that was on the run felt compelled to die as he saw Kerza get out his sword. At that moment, he chopped off the vampire's head as it dropped onto the ground. It was out of the ordinary that a mercy killing occurred as both Shotaro and Kerza were ready to report towards the Order's main headquarters, but in their terrain, they were on Kanzaki grounds as they had to report in sooner or later. The sight of a vampire running away from a demon was highly unlikely as they noticed a familiar substance on the deceased's shoes.
"Sulphur…," said Kerza as he saw it there mixed with the blood..
"The vampire wasn't lying this time…," said Shotaro. "We should tell Ginryu and the other higher-ups about this."
"Dad told me about the Knights of Hell and how they have been handpicked by Lucifer due to their greatness. He may have been off the wall due to his prophet status, but with me being head of my clan, we're not about to slack off after what went on so far."
"Sam's gonna have a field day about this..."
Shotaro and Kerza left the scene as they departed with their wolves in tow. As for what was about to happen next, the worst notion was beginning as the battle to put a stop to Ailnoth's wrath was already beginning as we speak...
The ramen stand was packed as everyone was getting their fill of noodles all over the place. The smell of the broth cooking over them complete with other ingredients was filling the room as the customers were enjoying their bowls very well. By the time we got there, I was sitting down at a table as I had Reuben, Sterling, and Sybil in tow. All of us were here to get ourselves a bowl of ramen as we noticed Koryo at work while serving the customers who ordered their meals. Just as we were about to order our ramen, we noticed General Arbogast sitting at the table at the far end of us as he was waiting patiently for his meal in the form of rice balls and green tea. I had a feeling that he would put a damper on my day as I just wanted to go home to the castle before things got worse.
"Pay no attention to the man at his table over there, Sam," said Sybil as she was looking at the menu in her hands. "Besides, we're here to enjoy our ramen, not put up with the blowhard in the corner."
"If only that were to be true…," I said.
"And what would you guys like for lunch?" asked a waitress as she was standing at our table. "Surely, business has been booming since parts of the town have been restored, but we still have our ramen after all."
"I'll have the tonkotsu ramen with extra pork cutlet on top of it," said Reuben.
"I'll have the winter buster with extra chili flakes in mine," said Sybil.
"I'll take the Hokkaido bowl," said Sterling.
"And what about you, Sam?" asked the waitress. "Surely, you gotta order something from the menu..."
"I'll have a small bowl of Kanto ramen," I said.
"Three large bowls and one small one, coming up."
With the waitress taking our menus and going for our orders, we were waiting patiently for our lunch as we noticed Castiel sitting at the counter on a bar stool. He was waiting for his meal like the rest of us as he noticed me waiting for my bowl of ramen, but it was small due to what I went through earlier. By the time we got our orders, I noticed that mine was the same as the others as I wanted a small one instead of a large one, but I had to make due and not complain about it. With everyone enjoying their ramen bowls, I was ready to dig into mine until I saw General Arbogast glare at me due to the fact that I wasn't working right now. He was ready to go for the jugular as he didn't want me to enjoy my meal so readily.
"If you even take a bite or slurp from that ramen, I'll strangle you where you stand, Sam," he said to me. "Besides, you see that guy at the counter just waiting for his meal?" He points at Castiel as he was waiting patiently for his order. "He hasn't gotten his food yet, so I suggest that you give that bowl of ramen to him."
"I ordered it because I wanted to," I said. "Everyone knows that I need to have fun just like the rest of everyone here."
"Are you shitting on the little guy right now, Sam? Are you wafting your dookie fumes in front of his face?" I shake my head. "Then give up that bowl of ramen to the guy at the counter or else I'll garrot you to death."
"My order's coming, General Arbogast," said Castiel as he was sitting at the counter. "I ordered the Champloo Remix with extra beef cutlet to go with it."
"It's true," said Sybil. "Castiel orders the same form of ramen every day in the form of the Champloo Remix, which consists of noodles, mushrooms, beef cutlet, nori, bean sprouts, and a combo of teriyaki, garlic, and soy sauce to go with it."
"I don't give a rat's ass what's in that champagne what-sit," said General Arbogast. "All I want is for Sam to give you his ramen or else I'll let him have it."
"You will do no such thing to Sam," said Castiel defensively as he got his bowl of food. "He's got his own bowl of ramen, so I suggest that you leave him be."
General Arbogast didn't say another word as I was left staring at the ramen bowl I ordered. The words about his rhetoric with the "little guy" made me lose my appetite as I was about to leave the ramen stand. The presence of the general made me feel uncomfortable as I just wanted to go back to the castle and sleep for the rest of the day. With Reuben and the others eating away at the ramen, I was the only one who was staring at the piping hot bowl in front of me as the sight of it made me feel troubled after hearing the talk coming from General Arbogast earlier.
"I think it's time to go home for me," I said.
"And waste a perfect bowl of ramen? Not a chance," said Reuben sternly.
"I don't want to become fodder for General Arbogast's amusement right now... After hearing him telling me off about not paying attention to the little guy, I can't wrap my head around it too much."
"Sam, very soon, you'll want to taste that ramen bowl 'cause your stomach will growl so bad that you'll wanna go and eat it," said Sybil. "Besides, you could never pass up a good bowl of ramen if you tried."
"After what General Arbogast kept saying to me about not paying attention to the little guy, I'm afraid that I'm gonna have to turn it down after what he told me. It's as if he's trying to bog me down after having my bouts of exhaustion due to helping with the restoration effort."
"Oi! Not another word and eat your ramen before it becomes tsukemen in cold broth," said Sterling.
In that moment, I felt my stomach growling as I reluctantly began to eat at the bowl of ramen in front of me. Even though it was piping hot, I tasted the ramen as it was well-done with such accuracy. As usual, I was going for the noodles and other ingredients into the bowl as I quietly sipped the a bit of the broth that was left in it while the other customers were slurping theirs. The noise of everyone slurping their noodles and broth irked General Arbogast as he was not too happy with manners and etiquette that was at the tables of others.
"Can't you keep the volume to a minimal?!" he yelled. "You guys sound like a couple of upholstery vacuums sucking up water from a sewer!"
"If you don't like the atmosphere of people slurping their food in here, then go outside," said Sybil.
"Look at you! You should be sipping your broth and food quietly, not go all-out like it's some Farrelly Brothers flick! It's gross and insensitive just to see people slurp loudly as if they fit in the same category with people chewing with their mouths open!"
"You better not be causing your crap or else you'll be tossed out on your ass," said Sterling. "Besides, in a ramen shop like this one, it's a proper pastime to slurp the broth that keeps the bloody thing together."
I heard Sterling's words clearly as I began to defy General Arbogast snide behavior and began to slurp the broth in my bowl. It was something that I was going for as I was even eating at the beef cutlet, sliced boiled egg, nori, and sliced kamaboko in it, along with the noodles. By the time I was finished, I was happy that I had my bowl of ramen as I noticed Sibyl paying the bill of our orders before leaving the ramen stand and going towards the castle. When we noticed it to be noon in the day, we were seeing the rest of the construction workers fixing some of the buildings that were destroyed in the battle for Kanto Village two weeks ago.
By the time we were going towards the pathway, we saw Reina approaching as she was most likely to be bringing us some dire news that we didn't want to hear until now. Her expression was foreboding as she was there to inform us of what was going on so far.
"Your response is late, Reina," said Sybil. "What's the hubbub now?"
"The locals on the outskirts spotted a vampire fleeing," she said gravely. "By the time Shotaro caught up to him, they heard him say something about a Knight of Hell coming here to Alecrast."
"A Knight of Hell?" Sybil felt concerned about what was going on as she sensed danger in the worst way. "I knew it… Ailnoth has came out of hiding just to challenge Milverton to the throne of Hell just like Abaddon challenged Crowley for it. You should also be careful towards him because he's not the type that can be taken lightly."
"Who is this Ailnoth?" I asked out of curiosity.
"Ailnoth was one of the survivors of Cain's onslaught during the time of the Elder Days. When he heard of Abaddon killing his wife during the Civil War, he went in with the First Blade in his hand and killed most of his subordinates… except for Ailnoth, who was left alive to give a message to those who stood against him. He told the surviving Knight of Hell besides Abaddon that no one will follow him after what he went through, for he'll kill them if they did."
"Ailnoth…?" said Sterling as he was concerned for everyone all over the place. "From what I looked up in the archives, he was the worst in the lot besides Abaddon in which he is known for his silent maneuvers to reveal hiding places and other things, especially when he told his comrades about Cain's marriage to a Terran woman back then after abandoning his murderous intentions throughout the centuries."
"For starters, Cain was also known as the Father of Murder," said Reina. "It was once said in the Bible that he slaughtered his brother, Abel, due to his jealousy, but according to Taraniel, the younger latter was seduced by Lucifer just to make him his obedient slave. With Abel's final descent to becoming deceived by the one who became an imprint, Cain had no other choice to kill his brother, but with a price to pay by bearing the prison of the Darkness on his arm and becoming the first Knight of Hell to begin with."
"Then we must watch our backs," I said. "I may not know about Ailnoth very carefully, but I can't let him cause further harm in the making."
The news about Ailnoth making his mark here on Alecrast made me feel uneasy as he was considered to be a new threat on the horizon. Still, we all had to do our best to both repair Kanto Village and stop this new threat before chaos ensues in the making. It was the worst news that I heard so far as I couldn't let this trouble get to me right now, for the threat of Ailnoth was something that none of us can ignore for the time being…
To be continued...