It's nearing July and God Eater is coming out in ENGLISH! Whoopdeedoo~
Chapter III: Sudden Actions
The landscape hadn't changed since the last time Jack and Ridley traversed these paths. The only thing that seemed different was the two recruits behind them. From where they walked, you could gaze out into the wide horizon and see a sea of green which eventually met up with the blue sky that hung above. It was a great day and the journey was going well. So far so good, nothing had popped out to bother them. Although there were the occasional beasts that blocked the path here and there, it wasn't anything Jack or Ridley couldn't handle. The recruits on the other hand were still a bit too fresh to these things and Mise ended up running around when a bat stuck onto his tunic, flailing his sword around and yelling like a little kid. Lena merely laughed at him but froze when an ant came up to her and spat some sticky liquid onto her boots.
The familiar ledge came into view and from it, they could now see the home of the dwarves, Earth Valley. Mise and Lena stared at it in amazement much like Jack when he first visited the nice little place. 'It's like a theme park!' the words popped up in Jack's mind, a memory as he gazed at Earth Valley. Making their way down the path that led down, they found two guards at the door.
"Halt! Who goes there?" a husky voice from one of the guards came. "Wait a second… I think I remember you." said the same guard.
"You're Grigory, right?" Jack recalled the name. "Why… Jack? Is that you?" Grigory rubbed his eyes. "Yup. It's me. Ridley's here, too!" Jack began to do his little dance.
"Ah, my eyes must be going." said Grigory. "Yeah. It's either that or you're still drunk." Jack laughed and Grigory joined in. "So, what business might you have with us dwarves?"
"We bring this letter from the kingdom of Radiata." Ridley presented an envelope. "We wish for peace between our races."
"I think not!" replied Grigory. "Despite the fact that you two are still on good ties with us, it does not mean that we accept your kind as we have you." Jack looked down at Grigory with a look of wonder.
"But why? The war is over, right?" he held out his arms in declaration. "Yes, my lad, it is. But we dwarves are entitled to our own opinion. Humans are too dangerous for us." Grigory shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Jack. But we cannot just accept. We need time to think… a hell lot of it. It was good to see you, though." Grigory placed out his hand, offering a handshake to Jack. Taking the notion, Jack returned the gesture of friendship.
"Goodbye Jack and Ridley. May the Earth Dragon always smile down upon you."
After their goodbye, the four of them went back up the slope with glum looks. Their mission was to deliver a simple letter and hope that it would be taken as a sign of good will but in the end, it was pushed away and the wish for peace was denied. After all, humans did attack the dwarves, enslaving them in their own home and forcing them to work their own mines to fuel the human war machine. Indeed, the dwarves were right to suspect humans and to severe the ties, the trust that had existed only a short while back has faded to nothing.
With a heavy look on his face, Jack turned to Ridley. "What now? Wasn't the mission to give them the letter?" asked Jack. "Yes. But what can we do? They don't trust us." replied Ridley.
Mise, seeing the tension, walked ahead of the group and turned on his heel. Holding his arms out, he cheered them on.
"Come on everybody! We can't get down because of one little loss!" Mise smiled and walked over to Lena. "Right, Lena? Cheer up!" he turned back to his captain and Jack.
"He has a point, you know." said Lena. "One little failure isn't that big of an issue." she finished. Ridley didn't agree with her. "This isn't just one little mission, Lena." Ridley walked towards the patch of green grass along the road and sat herself down. "Establishing peaceful ties with them is a very important matter." she placed a hand on her face. "This chance may not come again."
Jack walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it'll all work out. Come on, cheer up!" Jack smiled at her. "Jack… you always how to make me smile." she smiled back.
Mise and Lena just stared at them, shrugging their shoulders as they watched. "What's with those two?" asked Mise. "Beats me, I'm pretty sure Jack's a dimwit, though." replied Lena.
Jack extended his hand out to Ridley and she grabbed it with delight. Looking back at the trainees behind them, Jack gave them a smile. "Come on! Let's go home!" Jack marched forward in that stiff manner he usually does.
"See?" said Lena. "Told you he was a dimwit." she added.
The trip back wasn't so long as the one it took to get to Earth Valley and just when the sun was about to set, they had already arrived back at Radiata. Entering through Lupus gate, a few steps forward and they all stood in front of the Theater Vancoor.
"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Jack." a sad look presented on Ridley's face. "Hey, don't be sad. You can come visit me anytime. I'm still in that room you went to last time." Jack approached the door and gripped the knob. "Well, see ya!" he waved a final time and went into the building.
"Jack…" said Ridley in an inaudible tone. She turned to her recruits, the seriousness back in her expression. "Alright. Let's report to Lord Larks." she said and they walked towards the castle.
Meanwhile, inside the warrior guild, Jack was sitting at the small table in the lobby. Thanos was staring at him with a weird expression, wondering why the hell Jack seemed to be so out of reality. Jack looked as if everything was non-existent and didn't notice anything else; he was also smiling so widely that you would think he was insane.
"Um, chief?" Thanos tried to get his attention. "I'm glad she's back to her old self again." Jack said to himself. "Chief?" Thanos tried again. "I wonder if we'll get to work together on more missions?" Jack wondered to himself. "CHIEF!" Thanos was yelling now. "I miss her already…" Jack looked depressed. "CHIEF! ARE YOU LISTENING!" Thanos yelled once more.
Jack turned to him, still smiling. "Oh, hi Thanos. What is it?" he asked. "What is it! I've been trying to get your attention for the past 5 minutes! HERE! Take your pay!" Thanos dropped a bag onto the counter. It made a large clang sound as it hit the wood.
"Whoa!" Jack jumped in his seat. "THAT much?" Jack was amazed at the amount. "Yeah. I'm surprised myself. There's a note here, too." Thanos brought out a small envelope and walked over to the table, placing it down in front of Jack. With eagerness, Jack tore open the paper and read the message inside.
'Dear Jack,
This is for you, Jack Russell, new leader of the warrior guild.
I congratulate you on reaching such a position and I hope you continue to offer us your services.
Thank you and I hope to we benefit from this partnership.
P.S
This is a little added bonus to your pay
.
Prime Minister of Radiata,
Salute Larks'
Jack's eyes brightened as he peered into the heavy bag and saw what really a big amount there was. This was the most amount of Dagols that he had ever made in his entire career as a warrior. After gawking for a minute or so at the money, he tied the bag up and turned to Thanos.
"Hey. Are there any other things I have to know about?" he asked. "Nope. You're free to do what you want now."
Standing up with some energy, Jack rushed out the door and out into the streets, his prize hanging from his shoulder as he carried it. As Jack ran out the door, he was so happy that he kept his eyes shut and just then, WHAM! Jack fell onto the street, his butt connecting with the hard ground.
"Ouch…" Jack looked before him and beheld another unexpected sight. "RIDLEY!" Ridley was like him, on the ground. "Watch where you're going, Jack." she said as she stood up.
Jack stood as well, rubbing his behind to try and ease the pain. "Wait a minute, what are you doing here?" he asked as he scanned her from top to bottom. "Hey, you're not wearing your knight armor." Ridley raised a brow at him. "No duh, genius. That would draw too much attention."
Walking over to the nearby low wall, Jack took a seat and Ridley as well.
"What brings you out here? Don't you have a report to do?" he asked. "It's done. Lord Larks wasn't so much into the details this time." she replied.
"Well, I'm surprised your dad even let you out." he said with hesitation. "Please. I can do what I want." Ridley was always touchy about topics concerning her doting daddy.
"I didn't mean it like that." Jack heard his own stomach grumble. "Uhh, I guess I haven't eaten yet." Jack shook the money bag. "Well, I know where this money's going!" he smiled.
"Hey, why don't we have dinner?" he asked suddenly. "Wha-? J-jack?" Ridley blushed slightly. "I'm gonne go eat and I think you haven't had dinner as well. You haven't, right?"
"Umm… no, not yet." Ridley looked down to the ground as she triedto hide her red cheeks. "It's settled then! We're going to go have some dinner!" Jack jumped for joy. "I know this nice place in town. It just opened up so it's not really that popular but I always wanted to try it there."
The sky was already a nice blend of yellow and red and the far-off horizon was already beginning to turn to the calming dark of night when the two went off to find the new restaurant Jack knew about. A few minutes later, they arrived at Blue Town where Jack led Ridley down a few narrow paths and finally arriving at a nicely decorated building. Looking at it, Ridley found out why it wasn't so well-known. It was hidden behind other buildings so nobody could really notice it when they passed by.
"A friend of mine own this place. The food is good, though." Jack opened the door and a chime rang out. "Welcome. Table for how many?" the familiar girl said. "Hi there, Yuri. 2 please."
Yuri smiled as she saw Jack but turned her expression into a scowl when she laid eyes on Ridley. "Jack. Who is this?" she said with a cold tone. "Oh, she's a friend of mine." Jack replied to Yuri.
They were then led to a table near a corner. Once seated, they were given their menus. Looking around and not at her menu, Ridley noticed the place was actually filled with people.
"Hmm… I'll get the Steak." Jack picked out his desired dish and looked to Ridley. "What are you having?" Jack asked. Ridley was still searching the menu for something to eat.
"I think I'll try the… Gobpakken Salad." Ridley said with a bit of hesitation. Yuri wrote down their orders then happily strolled to the counter.
A while later, the food they ordered had arrived, still steaming hot. One could see the smoke still rising from it and Jack drooling for it! After it was placed down onto the table, Jack readied himself for a small feast but noticed that Ridley wasn't touching her food at all. Placing his utensils aside, Jack talked to her.
"Hey. What's wrong?" he placed his hand on hers. "Uh, i-it's nothing." she quickly pulled her hand away. "What? Can't I touch your hand?" Ridley shook her head. "N-no. It's not that…"
A look of worry presented itself onto Jack's face. "It's just that… this was so sudden, Jack." Jack chuckled. "Are you worried about money? Don't worry, I got a load!" he smiled.
"No. It's… I'm happy." said Ridley. "I'm really happy like this." she added . "And…" she hesitated. "I… I… I like you… Jack." Jack tilted his head to the side like a curious puppy dog. "Uh, I like you, too." Ridley's expression brightened. "Really?" she asked. "Yeah, we are friends. I like all my friends!" he raised his arms in proclamation.
Ridley's head drooped down slowly, as if she was crushed from the inside. Picking up her cutlery, she quickly devoured her meal. "Wow! I thought I was hungry but look at you!" said Jack.
After the meal, Jack left behind the pay and they left the place. It was silent during the whole walk, awkward for Ridley but Jack still yapped on. Reaching the place near the castle, they could see the usual guard at the gate. Ridley finally spoke once again.
"Jack. I need you to get this through that thick skull of yours." a tone of seriousness in her voice. "What?" he asked. "I like you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Jack smiled. "Yeah. I like it when my friends like me." Ridley curled her hand into a fist, trembling with a bit of anger. "Jack. If I don't make this clear, you're never going to get it cause you're as dense as a forest."
"What? I already told you I liked you. Isn't that good?" Jack wondered why she was getting so worked up about the topic. "Damn it, Jack! Do I need to do everything myself!"
With her quickness, Ridley left Jack fazed as her hands quickly grabbed his head. Pulling him into a kiss, it lasted for a few seconds before Ridley pulled out of it.
"Get it now." Ridley was blushing heavily. "W-w-what was that for!" Jack blushed greatly as well.
"Goodnight, Jack." Ridley turned on her heel and ran into the castle, leaving Jack stunned and staring at the vanishing figure.
"Ridley…" Jack placed his fingers onto his lips as he tried to recall the sweet taste of her lips. The sensation made him tingle with a joyous feeling and his heart race faster than ever before.
The moon was now high in the night sky and the stars shone brightly above the whole town, illuminating the darkness that was around them. But in these troubled times, a small light shone for Jack Russell and Ridley Silverlake, a small light that would be the key to saving the world they lived in and the catalyst to bring about a great change in the entirety of the entwined fates of all humans and non-humans.
This chapter is done. R&R people and I hope you enjoyed it. From here on, things might take a slight mushy turn and there could be a lot of FLUFF! But still, I hope you read on and continue to like this story. I will do my best to keep it updated and fun.
Raruku out~
