Chad had never liked big and fancy words, so pissed was the one he know chose.
"It's the middle of a battle, Chad, what do you wish to converse about?" As usual, Lord Roy's speech sounded odd coming out a teenager's mouth.
"I-" Chad tried conquering his expression. "-Want to know what you were thinking withy hiring that purple-haired elder!"
"Excuse-?" Confusion so rarely dawned on Roy's face. "You mean Astore?"
"Yes, Lord Roy, I want to know what the hell you were thinking!" He had his fists clenched, his voice raised, and Lugh even shot him a wide-eyed glance.
"Well, Mr. Chad, I was certainly thinking you'd be bigger than this!" Off the red-haired lord dashed, leaving Chad to continue bristling. Talks with Roy often left him frustrated.
He thinks he can replace me, huh?! I have halfa mind to lea-
Memories crashed down upon him, fear and loneliness and hunger. Newer ones followed-a safe house, that glowed with joy and people. His friend Lugh, finally going to steal tarts with him, their echoing laughter unable to control at adventures' end. The wise Marcus, strong and fatherly Lance, kind Elen and Saul. Chad shook his head, giving it a soft thump.
Then I'll have to prove-no. Risk myself! The thought was half grim, half brilliant.
He was quite nervous, hopping from foot to foot, trying to see over Roy or around Marcus. He caught a snatch of dull red armor. Chad gripped his brand new steel sword and narrowed his eyes, turning determined.
"Hey, Chad!"
His friend's sunny voice made him turn. His nose was hit abruptly with a delicious smell full of happy memories.
"Baked tarts!"
"Yup. That's your share." Lugh pushed about half the tarts toward him. Chad gaped.
"Where-where'd you get these?"
"Oh, the meal delivery man gave me extra." Lugh smiled.
Chad swallowed to prevent his oncoming drool. "...Man, they look good…" He ripped his eyes from the tarts to blink wide-eyed at his friend. "I can really have them?"
"Of course." Lugh nodded in a redundant way. Chad began, unsure whether to scarf or savor.
"Man, these're go" He said through a mouthful.
Lugh giggled. It sounded so natural. Chad lifted his head from the baked goods.
"What?"
Lugh put a hand over his mouth as his giggles finished. "Oh, sorry." He watched Chad for a few more moments. "It's just that you always look really happy when you're eating."
Chad's expression did not deny this, and he paused.
"I do?"
"Yeah." He could've nodded, but Chad hadn't bothered to look up. "I think that's one of the best things about you."
Suspicion pierced Chad like his own sword, yet it was considerably muffled by his rising heat. He rose, like a hunting dog catching a scent. "W-what the…" He felt his face get warmer and flinched slightly. "I'm not gonna give you anything even if you praise me." He stuffed the last tart in his cloak and stood up. "I-I'll be going now." The stutter caused another flinch on his part. "Thanks. For the food." He turned and walked off a few paces.
"Thanks!" He called again. Lugh muttered something behind him as he nibbled the remaining tart.
Astore seemed quite bored as he talked haltingly to Bors. Chad smiled. Roy had more respect than he thought-or he just didn't want him upset. He shivered slightly despite the warm feeling healing staffs provided and closed his eyes tightly as it washed over him. Stinging, bleeding and flat-out pain faded, then vanished as he opened his eyes to stare at more cold, bluish stone wall. It wasn't bad taste as much as bland and boring.
Chad nodded silently to Elen and dashed off after the others. He heard unrecognized voices and once again tried to see over Roy's head. He resorted to jumping up and down; however, the young lord's red hair drew the eye frustratingly.
"...Then we welcome you to our army!" Came Roy's clear voice, and a female one answered. Chad tried craning his neck in addition to the jumping. Women were uncommon in the army.
"Thank you, sir, but I've heard my brother's here-His name's-"
"WENDY! Is that you?!" Bors hollered. All heads behind the first row turned.
"BORS!" There was bumping and clattering noises, and the crowd surged back. Chad caught a single glimpse-a pink-haired, pink-armored female knight embracing Bors.
He felt a stab of alone and sad. But...Chad… A somewhat high-pitched voice in his head, small and soft, spoke. Isn't Lugh your brother?
Well...He had known the answer for a long time, not allowing its admittance. I guess. I mean, he is. Not-not really, I can't…
You don't have to work alone, Chad. The voice in his head continued gently. You can stop-
"Hey, we're moving."
It was that Astore, and Chad grimaced angrily before trotting forward determinedly. Sure, Mr. Purple Hair may be older, taller, stronger, wiser…
Chad growled inside and increased his pace.
"Marcus, go on ahead, intercept Lilina, she's already weakened." The older horseman nodded and urged on Charido, his swift and strong steed despite his age. Roy's voice stayed calm, steady, strategic. Chad, though he occasionally disliked his young leader, found his eternally level attitude astounding.
"Marcus!" Chad turned quickly to Roy and thought he saw water in his blue eyes, shining faintly from a chink in the brick. "Make-please make sure you bring back Lilina." Perhaps it had been a trick of the dim darkness.
Saul's healing washed strongly over him; he had a more powerful magic object than Elen. Chad inclined his head, then turned to Roy.
"D'ya want me to go after those thieves and get th-?"
"LILINA!" Never had Roy yelled in such a manner-more of a wail that went on too long and died too slowly. Chad shifted nervously. The wail made him want to run, but to stay also, comfort Roy. The army was still and quiet. Even a horse snort or stamp was absent.
Slow, measured clops broke through the silence, like ice cracking ominously. Chad knew who it was, knew what he would say.
"It was a mage, over the wall." Charido, so well trained, stood stiffly in place. Marcus copied him.
"Yes-yes. Let's…Chad, keep ahead." Roy gave him a burning look, and Chad didn't look back at him, despite loudly stifled sniffles.
"Steal everything you can from them, but don't confront either." Roy's voice was almost expressionless, with tiny traces of excitement.
"Why-sir? Who's going to stop them?" Chad tread carefully.
"No one."
Chad raised his eyebrows instantly. "You're...letting them go." Roy had talked to the female thief, a young and scrappy-looking girl with orange-brown hair. Perhaps they were…?
"You're a thief, do your job!" Chad backed off, slightly miffed but knowing the reason. He slipped behind the wall and watched the first thief. Neither foe was moving; the Lycian Alliance had blocked all exits from the chamber. Chad inhaled, readying his feet.
As the 'enemy' shuffled, Chad leapt. With spot-on precision even for him, he cut the top of the bag, grabbed the rest, and ran. Thief was left with some cloth still in his hand, and a small cut stretching across two fingers. Not such great aim in the end…
He dashed behind Marcus, sitting to get his face out of the way of horse-butt. The bag contained treasures whose names he knew not.
"You looking for something?" chad glimpsed Thief's feet in front of Charido, and the stallion stamped his hooves in an intimidating manner. Between that and Marcus making his voice fierce and gravelly, the Thief backed off, then ran, whimpering slightly.
"Thanks!" Chad stood, careful with the bag. Marcus grunted.
Merlinus' blue moustache twitched in surprise at the glittering, gleaming objects, but he hoisted them into the wagon without words. Chad patted Brigind's muzzle nervously. The calm donkey flicked one ear.
Chad had never met a female thief, and as far as he knew Roy was friends or further with her. The idea of stealing from a woman did not appeal to him. Lord's orders…
He ducked behind an empty chest and watched the girl-the thief, he corrected himself-pacing. She seemed a lot more active than her comrade, and also appeared more intelligent. Her eyes were strangely large, especially for her face.
Gathering all his nerve, he sprang at the bag she carried, cutting it open. The lady thief's grip slipped, and he dashed.
I did-
He fell on his face, still holding the bag.
"Sorry, but you're not getting off so easy!" She grabbed the sack, noticing his grip on it. "I'm taking this, pal!" She stepped hard on his arm, and Chad was now holding it with only a hand. Desperately he seized the bag in his teeth.
"What the-?" She pulled hard, and Chad's eyes watered at his teeth pain. His remaining hand grabbed something in the bag. Chad was just getting his feet under him when the dragged the bag with much force. He slipped.
"Huh-I bet Mr. Red-hair noble put you up to this." Smirking, she gave the bag a powerful jerk, and Chad fell back as the sack ripped loudly. Lady Thief grabbed the bag with both hands, stuck out her tongue at him, and departed at high speed.
Chad gingerly felt his teeth, then picked up the treasure he'd snagged-what he'd been holding so tightly-and walked off stiffly to Merlinus.
The new sword felt unusually clean and new, and though it was heavier, he still held it one-handed. He hopped back and forth a few times, testing its weight further Brigind brayed and nudged him forward with her snout. Smiling momentarily, Chad dashed to face the red-armored behemoth of a general.
He had never dreamed of fighting alongside Dieck nor Marcus, strong men with scars attesting to their worthiness. Lugh he could believe, though Elen, looking downcast as usual, stood close by. Saul, standing next to Chad, nodded.
"And if he aims for you?" Chad didn't look at him when he said it.
"Then I run. You're the warrior here, you fight." The lighthearted priest always had the shadow of a grin on his face, vying for the curtain to be drawn aside. "Elen will help, she always does."
Chad nodded, though it was more of a required gesture with no value. He looked left; Roy was standing very still. Their armored foe stayed tense. There was a shing as Roy drew out his sword, holding it up one-handed. The rest of him was immobile, though his dirty face had traces of recent, unobscured tear tracks.
Chad jumped up and forward, slashing and hacking. Somehow the large man dodged many, though Dieck and Marcus attacked with looks of concentration, repeating and relentless. Chad heard a gasp behind him and knew Saul was wounded-he could smell it, his throat went dry and nausea rose, but still he went on. He darted to the side with a stumble, the scent was overwhelming. The large lance was close, so close, and there was pain-the blood, the feel, its hot stickiness, its terrible scent-he buckled, he could not carry on-he had been injured worse but now it was all a blur of blood-smell and sword gleams and the claw-points of lances…
The warm feeling felt like a bucket of scalding water poured over his head, repairing as it flowed down. He stood, swerving from light-headedness and leaning away from Lugh's magical fire, which illuminated one side of his face. He held the new weapon-this Armorslayer-and slashed again in a downwards arc perfect to him.
Charido neighed, and Chad thought he had never heard a horse make a noise that inspired nightmares, not like this. Marcus swung his lance in one fluid move. The foe keeled over with his last mutters.