Chapter Nine
Bernhard was still in bed when Ludwig snuck out to the smithy. It took a while for him to find the one particular axe he was looking for. It was a normal hand-axe although slightly larger than most and very simple in design. It needed a bit of sharpening before he could use it for the purpose he intended, but other than that it was perfect condition – just like everything else they kept in the smithy.
Before Ludwig left he stood for a moment, just looking around. He would miss this place, and his father. The tall blond felt a slight pang in his chest – very soon he would be leaving behind absolutely everything he had ever known. All for the sake of a man he'd only recently met.
Part of him wondered briefly if he was doing the right thing but he quickly repelled such thoughts. Ludwig had made up his mind and he couldn't allow himself any doubts now. They had to get Gilbert away from here, and Ludwig was determined that he was going with the albino as soon as they broke that infernal chain.
Taking a deep breath to strengthen his resolve the Relbinese man turned to the door and left the dark smithy for the last time.
He met up with Feliciano on the way. The Atyilan looked nervous and Ludwig squeezed his friend's shoulder reassuringly before they made their way as quickly as they could to the Western Gate. The weight of what they were about to do settled heavily on their shoulders, leaving them in a tense silence. Feliciano was biting at his lower lip and wringing his hands together. As much as Ludwig wanted to say something to assure the other that everything was going to be all right, there was an unfounded paranoia hanging over the both of them preventing them from making any kind of sound.
Gilbert was already wide awake and waiting for them when they rounded the corner. His pale lips curled into a wide grin when he spotted them arrive, pushing himself to his feet. "Got everything we need, West?"
Ludwig simply nodded in return, his grip on the axe tightening ever so slightly. The pack on his back was heavy, though not obstructive. He had tried to pack as much as he could without potentially hindering their chances at escape – as such Ludwig worried that there might not be enough there to keep them going. However the two of them would just have to deal with that bump in the road when they reached it.
For now they had to make haste.
"Ludwig..." the aforementioned blond turned to look quizzically at his best friend who had spoken so softly he had almost missed it. Instantly Feliciano latched onto him, arms encircling Ludwig's waist as he buried his face into the larger male's chest. "I don't want you to go..." Feliciano murmured.
Ludwig sighed and rubbed comfortingly at Feliciano's back with his free hand. However before he could tell his best friend that he had to leave, the Atyilan was speaking again. "But I can't stop you, can I? So... just promise me something, all right?"
With a tiny, almost mournful smile Ludwig made a small noise of agreement from his throat. "What would that be?" he asked gently. Feliciano was another thing Ludwig would miss greatly after he was gone. After so long and growing so used to the constant bright and affectionate presence that Feliciano provided he would be lying if he said that particular loss wouldn't affect him in the slightest. In fact the bubbly Atyilan was probably what Ludwig would miss the most about Relbin.
"Write to me every chance you get. Just let me know you're still alive and well – because I'm going to be constantly worried about you Ludwig." the blond nodded, ceasing the comforting motions of his hand to wrap his arm around the Atyilan's shoulders which he gave a gentle squeeze before hugging him closely. "I'll miss you so much... be careful, okay?"
"I will. And I'll miss you too, Feliciano." he murmured, attempting to keep the well of emotion building up inside him at bay. Ludwig never would have guessed it would be this hard to say goodbye to Feliciano; however he also knew that it was far better than not doing so. If he left without saying farewell then it would only end up hurting them both even more.
All the while Gilbert had watched this in silence, keeping a slight distance from the two friends as he tried to ignore the hollow feeling in his chest. There was nobody who would miss him when he left. Ludwig really was leaving so much behind that he shouldn't. Still, the albino couldn't bring himself to turn him away; after so many years of isolation Gilbert just couldn't help but give in to his own selfishness when he'd seen that Ludwig was so determined to go with him. The Sauprisian werewolf just didn't think he could handle being on his own again, not after he'd grown so used to and fond of West's company.
The guilty sensation only increased when he saw the way the other two embraced each other so tightly. In a way Gilbert supposed he should feel honoured that Ludwig was willing to leave behind someone he was so obviously very close to for him. That didn't didn't help with the guilt though, and Gilbert had to look away in a vain attempt to stop himself from feeling even worse.
"Gilbert." Hastily forcing a smirk onto his face, the werewolf looked over at Feliciano who had called for his attention.
The Atyilan was still clinging to Ludwig like his life depended on it and Gilbert couldn't help but wish he would just let go of the tall blond already. Eyes the colour of rich honey stared over at the albino mournfully as he responded, trying to keep the tone of his voice as normal as possible. "What is it, kiddo?"
Feliciano grudgingly released his best friend and made his way over to Gilbert, smiling as he opened his arms for a hug. Slightly confused at first the werewolf looked from Feliciano to Ludwig and then back again before awkwardly wrapping his arms around the young Atyilan whose arms wrapped around his neck, bringing the albino's head down so that his ear was right beside Feliciano's lips.
"Look after him for me. Knowing Ludwig... he'll try and do stupid things like give you the lion's share of food instead of making sure it's equal. He worries too much about other people and won't be giving a second thought towards himself – so I need you to do it for me, because I'm not going to be there." Feliciano's whispering came out so soft and quiet that even Gilbert's enhanced hearing had some trouble picking it up at first. Gilbert understood now what the kid was doing, West wouldn't appreciate hearing any of this so Feliciano was using his affectionate nature to his advantage. Kid was smarter than he seemed. "I'm trusting you with my best friend; and if anything happens to him I'll never forgive you."
"Verstanden. I don't plan on letting anything happening to West so don't worry. I'm awesome enough to keep all the nasties away!" Gilbert whispered back, with a slight snigger in order to mask the hurt that had coiled within his chest that Feliciano obviously didn't trust him completely. Still he had every reason to, the only 'nasty' Gilbert couldn't protect Ludwig from was himself ... and they both knew it.
With that they pulled apart, planting determined expressions on their faces before Ludwig noticed anything was out of the ordinary. "We're ready whenever you are, West!"
Ludwig nodded, shifting the pack so that it was more securely nestled against his back before looking at Feliciano. "Remember, as soon as you spot trouble, warn us."
The Atyilan snapped his arm and hand upwards in a salute with a reassuring grin spreading across his features. "You can count on me, captain!" Feliciano assured him as he raced up a nearby staircase which would lead him to the top of the wall. They had agreed that would probably be the best place for Feliciano to have the most chance of seeing everything, and for keeping out of sight then getting away.
Ludwig's grip on the axe tightened and now his formerly free hand joined the other one on the handle of the weapon. Gilbert lay stomach-down on the ground as Ludwig approached. This would be the easiest way to get rid of as much of the chain as possible; they couldn't afford Gilbert to be slowed down with all of that extra weight.
Taking a deep breath Ludwig raised the axe above his head and brought the sharp edge of the blade crashing down on the chain. The clanging echo caused both men to wince, but now that he'd started he had to hurry. That noise alone would have brought some kind of attention to them and he really didn't want to still be here when it arrived.
A vicious snarl from nearby almost made Ludwig halt but he forced himself to keep hacking away at the offending chain. "Bloodgaze..." Gilbert glanced over at the scowling man with spiked up blond hair. "The hell do you think you're doing?" the man growled, stalking forward until his chain went taut and he was unable to go any further. "You can't just leave the rest of us here while you run free, you hoerenjong!" he shouted angrily, struggling against his chain defiantly, making it rattle loudly as he started spouting off what sounded like curses in his own native language.
"West, hurry up!" Gilbert hissed, trying to ignore the fresh wave of guilt. Of course he didn't want to leave his fellow werewolves here like this, but there was only so much one man with an axe could do. A loud howl of rage and frustration tore its way from the other werewolf's throat, making Ludwig freeze in fear. However once others started joining in he got back to his hacking, forcing his aching arms to move faster than before.
Gilbert snarled in frustration, glaring at the other werewolf angrily. "Shut up, you're going to get us caught! We can't take you now, but we'll come back! We'll bring reinforcements and break you all out of here too!"
Unfortunately the promise didn't seem to be enough to appease him because he just threw his head back and let loose another unearthly howl. "Ludwig! Ludwig the Handlers are on their way!" Feliciano's panicked voice reached them over the chorus of howls and confused yells around them. Ludwig cursed violently, glaring at the chain, it was nearly there, just a few more swings and they should be able to break it with ease.
"All right, get out of here now, Feliciano!" he called, swinging the axe down once more, wincing at the throbbing that shot through both his arms as he did. They could hear the voices of the Handlers and the clinking of metal armour now, silencing each werewolf as they went. The closer they got the louder each pained yelp became. Panting heavily Ludwig swung one last time before grabbing a part of the chain. "Gilbert, now!"
Instantly Gilbert was on his feet and the two of them pulled in opposite directions, grunting and grinding their teeth together with the effort. Just as the Handlers reached the blond werewolf beside them the chain snapped, a piece flying off and hitting one of the Handlers right on the forehead, making him collapse.
Ivan was right there, his eyes glinting with the promise of agony and his lips curled into a wide and disturbing smile. With a cry he lunged forward towards Gilbert, but Ludwig pulled the albino away just in time. "Run!" And they did just that, racing outwards into the dusty lifeless plains while dodging heavily armoured bodies and dangerous projectiles.
Neither man knew how long they ran for, or how long the Handlers chased them. Along the way their numbers seemed to decrease, some leaving the group in favour of returning to make sure none of their charges also tried to escape. It was hard to run on the wastelands, the dust made it difficult to spot any obstructions in their path and often one of them would stumble, meaning the other had to help steady them and keep them going.
"West! The forest!" Ludwig craned his neck to see what Gilbert was talking about. His heart started racing with excitement and hope – the Handlers wouldn't follow them into the forest ... as soon as they were within the shadows of the trees they were safe. "Come on, keep moving!" Gilbert urged. Their paces picked up despite the agony in their legs and their laboured breathing. Just the thought of reaching the safety of the forest was enough to spur them onto one last burst of adrenaline.
They could hear Ivan yelling and cursing in his Urisas tongue but neither man cared enough to look back, focusing only on reaching the forest. It wouldn't be long; any moment they would be completely free.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Behind them, Ivan threw his metal rod to the ground and grabbed a crossbow from one of his younger peers. They might get away, but Ivan was determined that they wouldn't reach the forest entirely unscathed. As quickly as humanly possible, the large man took aim and fired four bolts at the retreating pair – his scowl shifting into a sadistic grin as he saw one embed itself into Ludwig's calf while another sliced through Bloodgaze's upper-arm.
He raised a hand to signal his fellow Handlers to halt. Those two were out of their reach now, but Ivan was satisfied enough with the damage he had managed to inflict. Besides, if he knew his little Sabaka as well as he thought he did then this wouldn't be their last encounter.
Ivan was a patient man, he could wait until next time.
A/N: Here we go! Excitement, danger and a chase scene. Now that they're away from Relbin we'll see how things will pan out, won't we?
I've been growing pretty fond of Netherlands recently so I decided to throw him in here for a little bit and let him have a cameo appearance! Also in the last few days I've been thinking a bit about who actually turned Gilbert in the first place and have narrowed it down to a couple of possibilities. I'll put a poll up as soon as I post this chapter as I'm interested in who you think it should have been!
Translations
Verstanden - understood (German)
hoerenjong - son of a whore (Dutch)
Sabaka - puppy (Russian)