Chapter Three – The Castaways
Ten years ago….
It was almost evening now when Sherman and Marianna returned to their home from the Western continent after, as Marianna often pointed out, conditionally assisted the CPU of Leanbox to victory after almost getting defeated by the leader of ASIC, Magic.
"If only you hadn't pulled me away from there, I would have taken advantage of the situation and take on Vert myself." Marianna begrudgingly muttered as she and Sherman walk back together towards the Main Hall of Dorfa.
"Please set aside your petty grudge for now, Marianna." Sherman told his companion calmly. "It wouldn't be quite a noble act to take advantage on the badly weakened. For now, what is important is that the threat to the peace and stability of this world has finally been defeated."
"Don't you dare call it petty grudge after all I've been through…!" Marianna hissed at Sherman angrily as she stopped on her tracks after feeling like Sherman has insulted her. "We only got caught in to this battle because of you. You only think about yourself and your own desires in destroying all evil!"
"I could say the same thing to you, Marianna." Sherman calmly told Marianna as he give the girl a glance. "All you think about is getting revenge on the person who left you for dead, isn't it? Be thankful that we got involved in their strife. Because of that, you were finally able to meet the person whom you have a grudge with."
"Tch…."
And as they have reached the city proper without arguing with each other any further, they noticed that some people are huddled together and talking either quietly or cautiously. Sherman also noticed some of the city's guards running towards the shoreline where the city's fishermen dock their boats.
"Hmm…. I wonder what all the fuss is about?" Marianna asked Sherman.
"No idea." Sherman replied. "But judging from the fact that the general hasn't communicated with us yet means that this is no threat."
"But whatever it is, it seemed to have alarmed some of the guards and residents." Marianna deduced while observing those around them. She then approached a small group of people who are still busy talking to each other. "Uhm, excuse me. May I ask what is all the commotion about?"
"Oh, it's lady Marianna." Said one male Dorfa resident.
"Well, my lady, some people are saying that a burning body of a person got washed on shore just now." Answered a woman who seemed to be a vendor of one of the shops nearby.
"A…burning body?" Marianna repeated in confusion.
"That's right, my lady." Said the man from earlier. "Isn't it weird that after getting washed over by the sea, the body is still burning?"
"Hmm…. I think we should go check, Marianna." Sherman told his companion calmly.
"Sure. I wanna see for myself if what they claim is true." Marianna agreed. "If it's still burning even though it came from the sea, then that means it could be enchanted."
"Enchanted by fire elemental magic, perhaps." Sherman commented to Marianna's deduction. "Let's go, then."
"Okay."
When they got to the rumored shoreline, there they saw a couple of city guards standing along with some shoreline residents and some other eavesdropping people from the city.
"S-sir Sherman, and Lady Marianna…." Muttered one of the guards after seeing Sherman and Marianna approaching.
"Whoa…. It's Dorfa's duo of elite Fencers." Muttered another city guard.
"We appreciate the flattery, good sirs. But I would like to know what is all this commotion about?" Sherman said in a business-like manner.
"Well, sir…"
As the guards stand aside to let Sherman and Marianna through, there Sherman saw the source of all the commotion. From afar, he can see a body of an unknown person engulfed in hot flames all over the body. Unable to identify the burning body properly, Sherman got closer to it. And when he got closer, Sherman couldn't still recognize the burning person but could only make out the body's outline. But then, he realized something about the burning body.
"There's two of them…." Sherman muttered calmly.
"What do you mean?" Marianna asked before coming in close to where Sherman is standing. And when she got near though, she got her answer after getting a better look at the burning body.
There, Marianna could make out the outline of a woman from within the angry flames. What caught her attention was that the woman seems to be hugging something very tightly. But Marianna can't properly make out what it looked like due to the bright flames burning up more angrily.
"If you can't make out what it looks like, then I will tell you what is with this woman." Sherman told Marianna. "She's hugging a child. A toddler, to be exact."
"Are- are you serious?" Said a perplexed Marianna.
"Yes. But there is a peculiar thing, however." Sherman deduced before kneeling down beside the burning body. "The woman and the child, they are still alive."
"What?" Asked Marianna who is confused even more now.
"H-how can they still be alive, sir?" Asked one of the guards who overheard their conversation.
"Remember what you said about it being enchanted, Marianna?" Sherman asked Marianna instead of directly answering her confused question.
"Well, yes but-" Marianna started before finally realizing what Sherman meant. "So she and the child are not really burning…. She just covered herself with protective flames."
"Correct." Sherman replied with his usual calm demeanor. "Well if it wasn't an enchanted flame, it would have been extinguished by the sea now, right?" He added with a tinge of sarcasm.
"W-way to state the obvious…." Marianna said, trying her best not to show irritation. "So, how do you know that she is still alive?"
"I can still sense some life energy in them." Sherman answered. "However, the woman's life energy seems to be weakening slowly. She must be badly hurt already after casting her protective flames. We must find a way to extinguish her flames so that we can give them treatment."
"I bet you only used Ryushin's ability to read human vital signs there." Marianna pointed out mockingly. "So, how do we get through her protection?"
"Simple. We ask her Fury that is protecting it's owner." Sherman said before pointing at what seems to look like a sword being held tight by the woman in her hand while tightly embracing the toddler in he arms.
"I didn't noticed that…." Marianna mumbled in her breath.
"Now then…." Sherman said before rolling up the sleeves of his white jacket and slowly but calmly started to put his hand near the raging flames.
"Are you seriously going to put your hand in there?!" Marianna said in alarm.
"Well I have to touch the Fury to let it know that we are not here to harm its owner. That we are here to help its owner and the child with her." Sherman explained calmly. "Just keep this healing potion ready once I'm done, Marianna." He added before pulling out a small glass vial with a cork that contains a clear green liquid. He then handed it over to Marianna.
"O-okay."
"Now then…." Sherman muttered once again before slowly putting his hand in the flame. Once his hand made contact with the flames, it immediately made an uncomfortable, sizzling sound.
"I don't know why but I can't stomach seeing your hand get roasted in there…." Marianna said after looking away.
"One…gh…has to endure sometimes…. Ehehe…." Sherman muttered. It is obvious in his face that he's really trying his best to endure the burning pain as he finally got his hand to touch the sword in the woman's hand.
As for Marianna, she still refuses to look at what Sherman is doing as she really find it quite disturbing to see his hand get burned from within the flames.
" Oh brave Fury, I speak to you directly from my mind and heart." Sherman thought in his mind as he communicates with the Fury. "We assure to you that we are only here to help your master and the child she is with."
However, it seemed that all the Fury did was ignite it's flames even more, giving Sherman an even more painful burning sensation in his hand.
"Burn my hand if you like. I don't mind." Sherman thought as he continues to communicate with the sword, trying his best to endure the pain and making sure that the sword feels that he really meant no harm to the woman and the child. "But your master is slowly getting weaker and weaker as time passes. She needs medical attention and we can provide that for her and the child. So please, trust us. We meant no harm to your beloved master."
At first, the Fury seems to be hesitant to what Sherman has told to it as it continues to ignite the protective flames surrounding the woman and the child. But slowly, it seems to be extinguishing it's flames now, proof that Sherman has finally got the trust of the Fury.
"Thank you. We will take it from here." Sherman told the Fury through his mind. "We will take good care of your master and the child."
And finally after Sherman's negotiations with it, the Fury has completely extinguished the protective flames surrounding its master.
"H-hey. I know her." Marianna told Sherman after seeing who the burning woman was.
"So do I. But only in looks, though." Sherman replied before raising his badly burnt hand away from the Fury. "But Marianna, please pour the potion in my injured hand now. It's really painful now, just so you know."
"Okay. Hold it up straight." Marianna instructed as she opens the small glass vial that contains the healing herbs potion. "But why not just drink it so as to absorb the entire content than just pouring it directly into the wound, which could waste some of the potion?"
"It would take a while before the potion takes effect when I consume it, though." Sherman said as his reason.
"Hmm. I think you're just reasoning that because you don't like the bitter taste of the potion." Marianna told Sherman as she gently pours the watery contents of the potion bottle directly to his burn wounds. But Sherman only laughed off Marianna's sly remark. And as the potion pours into Sherman's burnt hand, his injury shows signs of immediate healing thanks to the effect of healing herbs from the potion.
"So…it's miss Nitroplus, huh." Marianna said, mentioning the woman's name as she continues to gently pour the potion in Sherman's injured hand.
"So you know her name, huh." Sherman mentioned.
"Yes, but it could just be an alias. She's the girl who fought against the felon named Magic and she almost got cut clean in half by the felon." Marianna recalls, stating that this isn't the first time Nitroplus got into a near death experience. "As for the little girl in her arms, I think she's with Vert."
"I see." Sherman muttered in his breath. But to his relief though, after the potion bottle got emptied by Marianna, his burnt hand has fully healed. "Thank you."
"Sure." Marianna replied casually. "What do we do with her and the little girl now?"
"Hmm…. You there, sir guard, please get the attention of our local hospital and bring in some medical personnel here quickly." Sherman ordered to one of the guards.
"Yes, sir." The guard replied before running off towards the city proper to get some help from the hospital.
"But…she's also a FL-virus carrier, right?" Marianna curiously asked Sherman. "So a hospital isn't necessarily needed here, correct?"
"I am the one who administered the virus on to her, after all, so I know." Sherman admitted quietly to her as he gets close to the unconscious Nitroplus to remove the unconscious little girl off her arms gently before carrying the little girl in his arms. "The medical personnel I called for will look after the poor little girl, Marianna." He then handed the little girl over to Marianna, who is a bit reluctant at first but then gave in and carried the unconscious, little purple haired girl in her arms.
"But she seems to be uninjured." Marianna mentioned as she looks at the unconscious little girl's body to look for any signs of injuries. "She's really uninjured. Not even a scratch."
"If so, then that is good to hear." Sherman said in relief. "That means miss Nitroplus, or whatever her name is, did an excellent job in protecting the little one. However, I can't say the same thing for her." He indicated at the unconscious Nitroplus.
"She looks like she's at deaths door with those injuries." Marianna can't help but mention.
"Miss Nitroplus is injured almost everywhere in her body." Sherman pointed out. "But what concerns me more is her head injury. And you of course know that the head should not be damaged especially for us FL-virus carrier."
"I am…aware of that…." Marianna said bitterly.
"Well, I hope we aren't too late to use this on her." Sherman said before pulling out another glass vial of healing herb potion from his pocket. And after he uncorked the vial, he gently raised Nitroplus' head and slowly poured the potion into her agape mouth.
After emptying the contents of the potion bottle, they quietly observed Nitroplus to see if the effects of the healing herbs in the potion will still work on her. But in just almost a minute after he administered the potion, Nitroplus' body started healing itself.
"Well, again that's quite reassuring. Even her head injury has mended itself." Sherman breathed out in relief. "Now all we have to do is wait for the medical personnel to arrive to give them proper resting places."
"And what are we going to do with them after they have recovered?" Marianna asked Sherman curiously.
"We let them go home, of course." Sherman answered casually. "But it is tempting to make a Fencer such as miss Nitroplus here to ally with Dorfa and fight for its cause. She would prove to be quite the significant addition to our forces."
"Hmm…. Then let her go back once she recovers." Marianna told Sherman. "But as for this little girl, she will stay here."
"Stay? But what if she looks for the little girl?" Sherman asked casually.
"Then I will personally tell miss Nitroplus that she had failed to save the little girl and was already dead even before she could have saved her." Marianna said coldly. "If this little girl really is closely affiliated with Vert, then I will not let them meet again."
"So this is your way of getting back at the CPU, huh…." Sherman muttered calmly.
"I know how much Vert loves little children, especially little girls." Marianna mentioned before giving off a cold smile. "If she finds out that this little girl has perished under her protection, it will definitely crush her heart. But that alone isn't enough for me."
"What more are you plotting to do with the little girl then?" Sherman asked further.
"Hmhm. Who knows. Given the right amount of time, I might even use the little girl against Vert…." Marianna replied in a cruel manner as she gently caresses the little girl's head.
"How very cruel of you, Marianna." Sherman said but the tone and expression he's giving seems to be not against Marianna's plot. In fact, he was just smiling at her like usual. "But I do hope that you aren't plotting anything bad on the little girl."
"Hmhm. Oh she'll live a fruitful life, that I can give." Marianna said, still in her scheming mood.
"You'll do anything just to make the CPU of Leanbox suffer, huh." Sherman said while still remaining calm and composed.
"Anything to make her suffer, Sherman…." Marianna muttered with a cruel expression.
"Well just don't let it overshadow your duties to Dorfa, Marianna." Sherman reminded her. "I did noticed that your thirst for vengeance has been fueled once more after meeting the CPU in an undesirable place."
"Of course. Dorfa's cause is most important to me." Marianna assured to Sherman.
"But if I can get my vengeance along with fulfilling my duties to Dorfa, the better. Hmhmhm~" She thought in her mind as the medical personnel arrived at that moment.
To be continued….