Chapter 10
""Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two"
St. Augustine
There are some references to several movies in the dialogues here, but the dialogues and quotes are rightfully owned by their respective studios, not me. And this chapter contains some adult preferences, that's why I rated this story with T. If u don't like it, skip the joke. If u like it, enjoy.
Two days after the event on the last chapter…
After passing through the desert, the group arrives in Woodstock Village, a small village near a temperate deciduous forest. It is also called beaver nations. "Phew, finally here" Alvin stretches his arms upon coming out from the jeep, "I think we should stay here for a night or two. We need some proper rest, as well as the jeep"
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea" Marilyn, who's coming from behind, quickly agrees, "It's only ten miles away from Enid town, and from there's it only one day to Baskar Colony. I think we can replenish ourselves better here than anywhere else"
Alvin looks around the forest, and then tells his friends after he decided, "Ok, so you three are going to find an inn, right? Looks like this time I'm not going to join you for the fun"
"Huh? Why? You're going somewhere?" Cliff responds.
"Yeah, I think I'll stay in the woods for the night. After I met Frank I think I need to prepare myself to face my father" Alvin waves his hands and goes to inside the forest but pauses when he remembers something, "Oh, Cliff?"
"Yes?"
"Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Yeah, sure" Cliff moves toward the Baskar native, "What is it?"
"I…just want to say good luck"
"For what?"
"For spending the night with who might be future Mrs. Margester" Ah, the typical older brother encouragement, "You know, I'll be away. So all you need to do is take Sophia out of the picture and grab her for yourself, OK?"
"Uh…what?" Cliff is dull to his bone.
"Oh, come on! Stop pretending!" Alvin gives Cliff a thumb up before finally leaving, "Bye, guys. See you tomorrow"
"Yeah, take care!" Cliff waves back before turning his attention to the two girls, obviously ignoring what Alvin said earlier, "So? What we're going to do now?"
"Hm…we can certainly search for a quest" Marilyn quickly speaks to dispatch any attempt Cliff would try to have an excuse to sleep, "Sophia, why don't you take the jeep and our bags to the nearest inn? You can rest there for awhile. I'm going to find an easy job and Cliff's going to accompany me. Now, go! Chop-chop!"
"Uh…okay…" Sophia doesn't ask anything and do what she's told, leaving the bewildered Cliff alone with the cunning swordswoman.
"You…you cheater…" And of course it's easy for Cliff to read what she's been planning.
"W-h-a-t-e-v-e-r" See? They aren't soulmates for nothing, "Let's go the mayor's office. We'll see if we can find something there"
It doesn't take long for them to arrive at the office. A small wooden house with four rooms. The mayor is seen sitting beside his table when the two approaches him, "Ah, welcome to Woodstock Village fellas! Can I be of any help to you?"
"Actually, yes. We're looking for a job. Is there any quest you might want us to do?" Marilyn do the talk…as usual.
"What a coincidence! Yes, we have a certain quest here in our village" The mayor explains, enthusiastically, "For the last two weeks, the forest has been…conquered by a certain grizzly bear. You see, most of our people have tree trimming as their occupation, and with the bear wandering around they cannot do their job without worrying their safety"
"So, you want us to kill the bear?"
"What? No, no! There's no need to kill the bear! Just chase him off the forest or tame him. We don't want any violence here"
"Okay, what's the prize?"
"15,000 gella"
"Deal" Marilyn claps her hands and the two goes outside, "Let's go to the forest and find the grizzly. When we encounter him, you do the job and knock him out cold"
"Hm…in the end, it's me who's got to do the job" Cliff grumbles, but his protests goes fruitless because Marilyn doesn't even bother listening and goes to the forest…with him eventually following her.
Meanwhile, Alvin is wandering on the forest in his own thought, "Hm…what should I do to improve my skills? I was nearly defeated by Frank. If I meet father like this I would be defeated in an instant…"
His though is soon interrupted when he feels the presence of someone else, not far from him. Tracking down using his sense, he sees a man in training suit sitting in a cross legged position among the trees. The man is a well built man in a normal height; he has shoulder length wavy hair that is tied in a ponytail. Both his eyes are closed and he moves his right arm to above his face. Alvin could feel an energy coming from him, invisible yet obvious. The man motions his arm so it touches the ground. Just a moment after it, the trees surrounding him get shook like being blown by a strong wind which knocks almost all the leaves in the trees. Alvin is nearly pushed has he not maintain his footing; his surprised face cannot be concealed, "What was that? It feels like the impact of a cannon!"
"Who's that?" The man notices Alvin's presence and throws a glance at him, surprising Alvin even more. His eyes, blue in color, are now revealed.
"Oh, sorry! I just happened to spot your training! I didn't mean to disturb you or anything!" Alvin clears the misunderstanding before unwanted things happen.
"Hm…you don't seem to be lying. Sorry for yelling at you, man" The man shows his manner.
"Uh, no. I should apologize for surprising you too" But of course Alvin doesn't forget the magic he's just shown, "By the way, what was that? I mean, the skill you showed just now, was that a magic spell?"
"Oh? Hardly, man. But I'm afraid you wouldn't understand it even if I tell you"
"No, no. I'm inclined to disagree" Alvin is so persistent, eh? "Actually…I'm interested on knowing more about what you just showed. I may…need it"
"For what purpose, man?" An obvious comeback. Alvin is silenced, but maybe not for long. He is thinking how he would tell a good reason without revealing the fact that he is one of The Four Garrison.
"Should I be frank?"
"I'd like that"
Alvin isn't stupid, but for things like this, he would make it simple so the other fighter wouldn't have a hard time absorbing what he's saying, "I want to grow stronger"
That's a blunt answer, but the man doesn't hate that fact, "You know…that's so frank. But I kinda like that that style"
"…so?" Alvin sounds hopeful.
"I think we are speaking in the same language on the same page" The man speaks in an amused tone, "I rarely meet someone like you before. God only knows whether you could learn from me or not, but hey, let's give it a damn try, man!"
Advancing with a friendly manner, Alvin offers his hand and introduces himself with a smile on his face, "I'm Alvin, nice to meet you"
"I'm Edgar, but you can call me Ed, man" Ed welcomes the new friendship and shakes the drifter's hand, "Nice to meet you too, Alvin"
Meanwhile, on the outer area of the forest…
"So, how do we find the bear?" As the two finally goes deep into the woods, Cliff wishes to clarify their mission objective one more time, "Are we going to put some bait or what?"
Putting her index finger on her lips, Marilyn answers after some moment of thinking, "Hm…that's a good question because I haven't actually thought about it"
"…you mean, you want to lure the bear but you don't even know how? Great, this is just getting better…"
"Quit whining, snorlax. I will come up with something"
"Is that supposed to be a threat?"
"Yes"
"Am I supposed to be trembling in a minute?"
"Something like that"
"Fine, I'll start trembling in a minute"
Feeling particularly annoyed, Marilyn adjusts the conversation to a better direction, "Rather than being such a jerk, why don't you enjoy the good scenery while we're at it?"
"At what?"
"At here, now, in this place" A good clarification, "Isn't this forest a pretty one? It's calm, warm, and the air is nice. Enjoy it"
"You mean, you want me to enjoy the scenery while I'm trembling?" Cliff continues being a jerk.
"No, you don't have to tremble! Just be grateful and enjoy the environment" And Marilyn almost yells at that one,
"I don't know, the trees are starting to tremble in my eyes. Or maybe it's just me?"
"Hey, will you stop that trembling crap?"
"Crap can tremble?"
The last line results in a punch to the Cliff's arm, which stops both drifters, "What's wrong with you? You're so nosy today!"
"Yeah, or maybe I'm just bored, tired, and sleepy"
"You're a jerk, you know that?"
"And then some"
They stare at each other silently after that; none of them are willing to resume the conversation.
"OK…how about this?" Raising the wager, Marilyn speaks up, "After this bear quest is over, we'll find a good hotel where you can sleep in a comfy bed with an air conditioner. Maybe not soon after this thing is over, but we'll get there at least in two weeks"
"For real?" Whenever Cliff speaks about sleeping, he speaks with passion, "You're not joking me, aren't you?"
"I promise you" That's the last thing Cliff need to be ensured, "Can we go now?"
"You bet!" Not, it's Cliff who wants to catch the bear badly.
In the inn…
Poor Sophia is being left alone with the luggage of her friends. She is quietly sitting on the bed inside the room she booked for herself and Marilyn. As usual, the boys got separated room. But still, Sophia doesn't have anything to do. And she begins to feel bored, "Uh, what should I do? Marilyn and Cliff aren't likely to come back until tonight and Alvin isn't going anywhere near here until tomorrow, what I'm going to do by myself?"
Thinking of something to entertain herself, Sophia's eyesight lands on a phone located near the bed. "A call to anyone would be nice" Smiling to herself, the sniper picks up the phone and calls a random number,
S: Hello?
AOC: Hello
S: Who is this?
AOC: What? Who is this?
S: This is Sophia. Who is this?
AOC: This is AOC, the author of this story. Why are you calling me?
S: I'm bored, tell me a joke about woman.
AOC: OK… A group of girlfriends is on vacation when they see a 5-story hotel with a sign that reads: "For Women Only." Since they are without their boyfriends and husbands, they decide to go in. The bouncer, a very attractive guy, explains to them how it works. "We have 5 floors. Go up floor by floor, and once you find what you are looking for, you can stay there. It's easy to decide since each floor has a sign telling you what's inside". So they start going up and on the first floor the sign reads: "All the men on this floor are short and plain." The friends laugh and without hesitation move on to the next floor. The sign on the second floor reads: "All the men here are short and handsome." Still, this isn't good enough, so the friends continue on up. They reach the third floor and the sign reads: "All the men here are tall and plain". They still want to do better, and so, knowing there are still two floors left, they continued on up. On the fourth floor, the sign is perfect: "All the men here are tall and handsome." The women get all excited and are going in when they realize that there is still one floor left. Wondering what they are missing, they head on up to the fifth floor. There they find a sign that reads: "There are no men here. This floor was built only to prove that there is no way to please a woman".
S: Wahahahahahahaha! Very funny, now it's my turn! Two women friends had gone out for a Girls Night Out, and had been decidedly over-enthusiastic on the cocktails. Incredibly drunk and walking home they suddenly realized they both needed to pee. They were very near a graveyard and one of them suggested they do their business behind a headstone or something. The first woman had nothing to wipe with so she took off her panties, used them and threw them away. Her friend however was wearing an expensive underwear set and didn't want to ruin hers, but was lucky enough to salvage a large ribbon from a wreath that was on a grave and proceeded to wipe herself with it. After finishing, they made their way home. The next day the first woman's husband phones the other husband and said, "These damn girls nights out have got to stop. My wife came home last night without her panties". "That's nothing," said the other. "Mine came back with a sympathy card stuck between the cheeks of her butt that said, 'From all of us at the Fire Station, we'll never forget you!"
AOC: Wuahahahahahahaha! Amazing, I got another one! A bride tells her husband, "Honey, you know I'm a virgin and I don't know anything about sex. Can you explain it to me first?" "OK, Sweetheart. Putting it simply, we will call your private place 'the prison' and call my private thing 'the prisoner'. So what we do is: put the prisoner in the prison. And then they made love for the first time. Afterwards, the guy is lying face up on the bed, smiling with satisfaction. Nudging him, his bride giggles, "Honey the prisoner seems to have escaped". Turning on his side, he smiles. "Then we will have to re-imprison him". After the second time they spent, the guy reaches for his cigarettes but the girl, thoroughly enjoying the new experience of making love, gives him a suggestive smile, "Honey, the prisoner is out again!" The man rises to the occasion, but with the unsteady legs of a recently born foal. Afterwards, he lays back on the bed, totally exhausted. She nudges him and says, "Honey, the prisoner escaped again". Limply turning his head, He YELLS at her, "Hey, its not a life sentence, OKAY?"
S: Wahahahahahaha! Ok, last joke! Two fellas are fishing in a boat under a bridge. One looks up and sees a funeral procession starting across the bridge. He stands up, takes off his cap, and bows his head. The procession crosses the bridge and the man puts on his cap, picks up his rod and reel, and continues fishing. The other guy says, "That was touching. I didn't know you had it in you". The first guy responds, "Well, I guess it was the thing to do - after all, I was married to her for 40 years".
AOC: Wow! That's so funny!Wahahahahaha!
S: See? Good jokes from both of us!
AOC: Right, by the way can I ask you something?
S: What?
AOC: What are you doing calling me like this? Shouldn't you be doing your part of the story right now?
S: Oh…that…I forgot…
AOC: …kay, you are supposed to go to the woods and somehow find the troubled bear
S: Oh, thanks. Can I go now?
AOC: Yeah, knock yourself out. God, how could she be so forgetful?
Back to the forest, the swordswoman is adoring the view. Not just adoring in a normal way, but adoring in a different way. Something in the forest catches her vision and locked them there. To sum it up, the view hypnotized her. And in case she doesn't notice it, her face looks different also. She doesn't pay attention to the path she is walking, nor does she pay any attention to her companion at all.
Of course, Cliff catches this too, "What's wrong, Marilyn? Something makes you fall in love with this forest?"
"Huh? Well…the forest makes me reminding things" Marilyn gives a rather deep answer.
"Of Vold Green" Cliff throws a guess and hits the jackpot. And it is proven further by a slight thoughtful look from his companion, "Let me guess, he used to take you to forest a lot and this forest reminds you of your memories spending time with him"
"…yeah, pretty much so" Marilyn stops for a moment, relieving herself of what she has in mind by letting them out, "He always tells how he likes being in the woods simply to enjoy the atmosphere. He could easily befriend any animals, from the tame ones like birds to the wild ones like wolves. He knows a wide array of plants, trees, and fruits. And when I was a little girl he used to tell me bedtime stories before I sleep whenever we went camping. Whenever he did all that, he looks so happy and glorified. I don't know why, but I think it's because he likes spending times with nature"
"Or with you" The red eyed man adds perhaps the thing Marilyn wants to hear the most. Damn, Cliff's on a hot streak here.
"…does he?" Marilyn puts a low tone before beginning to walk again, "If he does, why did he leave me? If he was happy with me, then why did he wander around without me? Didn't he realize what he did hurt me, and it still does?"
Cliff suddenly becomes silent, obviously not knowing how to approach his soulmate in occasions like this. Marilyn glances to the ARMs wielder to see him not talking, and then continues, "Even thinking or saying this hurts me. I wish to remember good things of him, but these questions keep coming up. I can't hide them, I want to know why"
Too bad for her, she talks too much she didn't even watch her step. Marilyn didn't even realize when she stepped on a small slippery hill, and it was too late for her when she falls down, "Aaaah!"
"Marilyn!" Cliff goes to catch her but she fell from the hill faster than his move. He could only watch before jumping down when Marilyn finally stops rolling down below. "Hey, are you alright?" The Crimson slowly lifts the younger girl; both his eyes are telling nothing but worry, "Speak to me! You're fine, right?"
"I'm not dead…yet" Thankfully, she's fine, "Thanks for worrying, anyway. That really…hurt"
"Yeah, you look so messed up" Cliff refers to her slightly torn clothes and dirtied hair. Her face is also slightly covered with dirt, "Can you stand?"
"I'll…give it a try" Marilyn tries to stand with his two feet, slowly with the help of Cliff. But she stumbles upon trying to move her left foot, "Ouch! My ankle hurts!"
"Maybe you sprained it, we'll have to see it later to be sure," Cliff helps Marilyn to stabilize her footing by wrapping her left arm on his neck, so she could support herself better, "But, let's not do it here. It's almost dusk; we need to find someplace safe enough. Here, the bear might find us and with your injury it would be a disadvantage for us"
"So, where do we go?"
"The river, we can get water and fish as food there" The red haired man turns his face to her face and asks, "Okay then, are you ready?"
"Ready? For what?" Pensively, the girl doesn't get what he's trying to imply.
"For a ride, Marilyn"
Before Marilyn could say or do anything, Cliff quickly puts her in a bridal hold which surprises the hell out of her, especially because they are so close to each other they can feel each other's warmth, "Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?"
"I'm helping you" A short answer from the red eyed man, but that would only prolong the problem, "Isn't it obvious?"
"Not like this! Let go of me!" Without her realizing it, Marilyn's face gradually turns red from embarrassment.
"No way I'm letting you go, Lady Westerfield. You couldn't even stand, how do we suppose to reach the river then?" That's somewhat dull, but reasonable.
"But this is…this is… this is too close!" Obviously, Marilyn could feel his body pressing against hers as Cliff continue walking. To her, let's say she is totally being owned.
"What do you expect? And why is that a big deal?" And obviously too, the other drifter doesn't feel the same way as she does.
"That IS a big deal, all right!"
"Why?"
"It's because…it's because…" In a rare occasion, Cliff wins a debate against Marilyn. And in even rarer occasion, "You…have never done…this to me…before"
There's a weird atmosphere between them. Cliff cannot really state it in words but here's how his logic goes, "Right…I never carried you in my arms before, now's the first time. And that is a problem because?"
"Because…um, I'm fragile! Like a doll!"
"A doll with arthritis problem" Spot on again, "Which is why I should be helping you"
"Which is why you shouldn't! I mean, you can easily crush a doll, being you!"
"Fine…even if I let you go, do you think you will be able to walk?"
"Uh…that's a…good question…" This is what we refer to as lost in translation…
"See? Can't you learn to agree with me for once? There's always a first time for something" Cliff smiles when Marilyn shies away her face, keeping her pride alive by not letting him see her embarrassed look. Although one could question, what does pride have to do with this?
Either way, Marilyn stays quiet as Cliff brings her to the river. Luckily, the ground beside the river isn't rocky at all, allowing Cliff to help Marilyn seating comfortably with her legs unbent, "OK, you stay here. I'll find some branches to set up a fire"
"Fine, but make it fast" Marilyn warns the trench coated man, "It's eerie being alone knowing a bear is wandering around here"
"Marilyn Westerfield is being afraid? Now, that's eerie" Cliff tips the swordswoman and goes to find some tree branches. He didn't get too see Marilyn shooing him. Being left alone, Marilyn checks up on herself.
Carefully, she pokes on her ankles, so she won't hurt left ankle that is already is, to ease it up, "Ow…how could I injured it that bad? What was I thinking back there?"
"It'll heal" A sudden voice from Cliff casts away her attention from the injured ankle. The ARMs wielder returns with a bunch of tree branches, probably enough to build a small cabin. But taking his massive physical strength into account, that shouldn't be impossible at all, "I'll take a look at it"
And that rings something inside Marilyn, "Beg your pardon?"
"I said, I'll take a look at it. You cannot heal yourself, right?" Cliff puts down all the branches on the ground, turning his vision back to the injured girl, "Why? What's so wrong with it? Please don't give me the first time crap again. It's not the first time I checked up on someone's wound, including yours"
As if she cannot absorb what is about to happen, Marilyn asks in a stuttering voice, "You…you're going to remove my shoe and sock?"
"…is that even a question?" Well, who wouldn't answer like that? "Of course I'm going to remove those two things, Marilyn. How am I supposed to help if I don't? Hell, what is it with you today? You've been acting weird all day long! You don't want me to do this, you don't want me to do that, blah, blah, blah! What is you want me to do exactly? Opening a crackhouse?"
"But…but…" Marilyn begs to differ, but she also realizes she is left with no choice. Feeling the defeat for the second time today, she sighs, "Just…do it carefully…"
"You bet I will" Cliff kneels before her and carefully, as she wishes, before slowly removing her shoe, making sure it won't hurt her at all if possible. Done removing the shoe with full attention, next comes the long sock which resembles stocking. Knowing her blood is rushing to her face (again) and turning it red, Marilyn covers her face when she feels Cliff's fingers dipping underneath the band. Cliff began rolling down the stocking, not looking at Marilyn as his hands smoothes down her soft skin. Weirdly, it's as if Cliff doesn't feel anything doing this. Not that's he's gay, though. Inch by creamy inch, her leg was revealed to him, until he was pulling the long sock over her cute little toes. He leaves the sock draped besides him, his hands ever so gently touching her foot. Kneading her skin, he moved his fingers towards her ankle, hearing the sharp hiss of pain from Marilyn. His fingers poked and prodded, and to his relief he could find no serious injury, "No serious injury at all. It's sprained, but it will feel better in two or three days"
"That's good news" And it's even better when Cliff finally moves his fingers off her, "But how about the bear?"
"Big deal, I'll handle him" Cliff shows Marilyn a thumb down right in front of her face, "I can take him down without so much effort, given the proper amount of time and place. And you can relax, I'm not going to kill the bear"
"Wow, since when I can count on you that much?" That's an honest praise.
"Since we first met, my friend. If I can't do that much, I'm unsure I deserve to stay by your side" Cliff leaves a cool impression when he rises back to his feet, "That's the deal, right?"
The drifter just promptly referred to an event happened not long after they first met, three years ago. It was a rather calm yet eerie day like this, in a land where the sand sees all things. "Oh…that…" Marilyn also seems to recall it, thanks to Cliff's notification from earlier, but she doesn't have the chance to talk more because Cliff already drifts somewhere else.
On the other side of the forest…
Much like Cliff & Marilyn, Ed & Alvin are also having a conversation. But not about friendship or such, it's bout the technique earlier. "So, tell me about the technique you showed earlier" Alvin starts the conversation from an obvious point.
"Let's see if you can absorb what I'm about to say" Ed kindly explains, "Have you ever heard of qi, Alvin?"
"Qi? No, never"
"Qi is a reference to things analogous to the qi taken to be the life-process or "flow" of energy that sustains living beings" The real explanation begins, "The central difference between your fighting technique and the elemental and advanced level of kung fu does not lie in its form per se, but rather on the nature of the force employed. There are two fundamentally different kinds of forces in traditional Chinese kung fu. The external mechanical force is called 'Li'; the internal force is called 'Nei Jing' Thus, proficiency in martial arts is not determined by the level of difficulty or complexity of forms or styles, but instead depends on the nature of the force employed. The degree of 'Li' force one can employ in kung fu depends on several variables such as resilience of muscles, strength of bones, speed and timing of attack and so on. An effective way to enhance the 'Li' force is to exercise one's muscles and bones by applying increasing pressure on them. The stronger one's muscles and bones become, the more powerful and skilful the level of kung fu is"
Being a proficient fighter himself, it's not that hard for Alvin to understand, "Kung fu? A martial art from the east? So that's the base of your technique?"
"Yes, but that's not all, man" Ed broadens the topic as the explanation goes further, "On the other hand, the level of the 'Nei Jing' force depends on the extent one can exercise one's will power to release an inner energy called Qi. When Qi is being directed by one's will, it is called 'Nei Jing'. The 'Li' force is observable when it is employed. At the point of attack, one must tighten up one's muscles to unite one's strength and create an explosive power. In this process, the state of one's muscles changes from soft and loose to tight and tense. The effectiveness of 'Li' follows the principle of leverage. In the combat, the point of contact is the point of attack. The combatant who can make better use of this pivot point has a greater chance to defeat his or her opponent. Unlike the 'Li' force, 'Nei Jing' is invisible and hence unobservable when employed. The pivot point is not necessary in the combat. At the point of attack, one must 'song' himself to generate all 'Nei Jing' energy one possesses and direct this energy stream through one's contact point with an opponent. The contact point only represents the gateway to conduct 'Nei Jing' energy at the point of attack. The kung fu component of 'Li' force is limited by one's physical condition. When one passes one's prime age, one's kung fu ability will pass the optimum level, too. The degree of kung fu will decline when muscles and bones are not as strong as they used to be. On the other hand, the kung fu aspect of'Nei Jing' continues to grow as long as one lives. 'Nei Jing' energy becomes stronger despite the aging process"
"And…" The baskar native throws perhaps the most important question for his side, ""How do we…use this 'Nei Jing' power?"
Learning the question, Ed smiles, indicating Alvin more or less understands what he's been talking about, "Within martial arts, the key to unlock and nurture stronger inner energy of 'Nei Jing' is through practising 'song'. The term 'song' can function as a verb which means to keep one's mind and body loose resilient and expanding like the consistency of cotton or clouds or relaxed yet concentrated like the sharp alertness of cats immediately before attack. Practicing 'song' is part of kung fu training process. It occurs when one keeps reminding oneself to 'song' thoroughly and refrain from the 'Li' force because the energy of 'Nei Jing' will be locked and blocked whenever the force 'Li' is applied. So, 'Nei Jing' and 'Li' are said to be mutually exclusive"
"Wow…just…wow…" Alvin shakes his head, that's a lot to learn, "So…I need to be able to control the flow of my Qi if I wish to do the same as you did this afternoon"
"Precisely, man"
"How do I…learn the basic to do that?" Interestingly, Ed grins listening to the question.
"You see these leaves" Ed points randomly to the leaves on the ground, "Make them float without the help of the wind"
Alvin goggles his eyes to the leaf, but smiling afterwards, "Now, we're talking"
Back to where the two lovebirds…I mean, soulmates are…
It's nighttime at last; Cliff caught four fish from the river and is currently frying them while Marilyn waits. It's not like she can cook, anyway. Cliff and Alvin always did the cooking part. It's weird how the girls can't cook, but then again, the first one is pretty forgetful she could set her own butt on fire and still forget while the other one is downright commanding. She is good only at doing everything but household chores.
"It's ready" Cliff puts each fish on a stick and gives them to the waiting lady, "Be careful, it's still hot, fresh from the oven"
"Thank you" Marilyn shortly replies, waiting for a moment so the fish would be safely edible.
"Wow, it's delicious" Cliff, on the other hand, is using the best of his physical ability to ignore the heat and eats the fish right away, "It's either the fish is good or I'm a good cook"
"It's the fish" The response from Marilyn is really cliché, considering her trait.
"Ow, really? Not me?"
"Nope, no chance in hell"
"OK, thanks for the compliment" Cliff plays along with the joke, "Next time, I'll bring you to a candlelight dinner so you can't complain"
"What? You're going to invite me to a candlelight dinner?" Hm, romantic.
"That sounds like a nice idea, I think" Surprisingly, the red eyed man takes it seriously, "You haven't experience a candlelight dinner before, haven't you?"
"No"
"Good, so it would be your first time"
"I'll see to that" Marilyn ghosts a small laugh, turning her face cheerful, "Don't forget to make it sweet, okay?"
"Sweet? You mean, you want to eat cakes?" The typical dull man responds.
"No, silly. I mean the dinner would have to be a sweet memory" The swordswoman raises the bar for the dinner, "I won't tolerate any funny stuff"
"No funny stuff"
"Alvin and Sophia, especially Alvin, cannot know about this"
"That's difficult, but I'll give it a shot" Cliff continues as he finishes his dinner, "That means I'll have to dress in a formal suit…and you will have to dress formally also"
"Easy, I still got those formal dresses in my bag"
"That's what I want to see" Cliff continues with a pleased smile.
"Me in a formal dress?" Marilyn is flattering herself.
"That and the smile you're currently showing in your face" A really stunning response from The Crimson, "It suits you well. It suits you more than the sad looking face you had put nearly all day long. It's beautiful"
"Oh? What?" In lost words again, Marilyn tries to cover her face awkwardly. But that also results on her not being able to give a needed reply.
If only Cliff had any idea that was such a romantic statement, maybe he wouldn't be so bold. But not only he had no idea, he also has no problem being bold at all. And having heard that, Marilyn cannot reply at all. "Marilyn? What's with the silence? Are you okay? Your ankle is hurting again?"
"No…uh, thanks for your help this whole day…I…uh…" The swordswoman slowly rises and walks to the get her sleeping bag, "I think it's best for us…I mean, isn't it time to sleep already?"
"Well, if you want to sleep that's fine. I'll stay guard for the night"
"Seriously?"
"Seriously" Cliff draws his Dreadnaught, ensuring her of his seriousness, "Good night, Marilyn"
"Good night" Without saying anything, the silver-haired girl goes to sleep inside her sleeping bag, under the supervising eye of the ARMs wielder. Watching her, something pops inside his mind…
Meanwhile in the other side of the forest, Alvin is having a meditation in a half-lotus position while Ed is wandering around him, "Qi can only be felt when you feel complete calmness. And meditation is one of the better ways to reach calmness. When we practice meditation we need to have a comfortable seat and a good posture. The most important feature of the posture is to keep our back straight. To help us do this, if we are sitting on a cushion we make sure that the back of the cushion is slightly higher than the front, inclining our pelvis slightly forward. It is not necessary at first to sit cross-legged, but it is a good idea to become accustomed to sitting in the posture of Buddha Vairochana. If we cannot hold this posture we should sit in one which is as close to this as possible while remaining comfortable. When you finally feel calm, you try to feel as if you and this land becomes one by nature. You have to feel the presence of the leaves, the trees, the rocks, and even the wind. Try to listen to their breathes, their voices. If we practice patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while. Free your mind from its thoughts, free your soul from its burdens. Stay calm, Alvin. Stay calm, and feel the Qi. Feel this world"
The baskar fighter focuses his mind to do what Ted says, concentrating. He tries to feel the wind by his skin, trying to grasps whatever it is the 'Qi' feels like. "Now, move the fingers on your right hand simultaneously from your thumb. If the leaves float and fly, you grasped the Qi. If they don't, you didn't"
Moving his right thumb, Alvin's expression turns hefty. Weird enough, he begins to sweat. He is distracted by something unseen, "What is this? I cannot move my fingers? Something is hindering me?"
"Alvin?" Ted calls to him, realizing something is wrong, "You're sweating, you're not calm"
Breaking from his half-lotus position, Alvin tries to catch some breath, "Uh, yeah…sorry about….I don't know what's going on"
"I know what's going on, you have something on your mind. It distracted the flow of Qi from the earth to you and vice versa. You're not calm" Ed deciphers the problem, grabbing a bottle of water in the process, "Have a drink"
"Alright, thanks" Alvin does as he is told, still trying to calm down.
"Good, now sit down and tell me what's bothering you. You can never reach calmness without letting go whatever it is you're thinking" Crossing his legs, Ed sits on the ground.
"It's…kind of cheesy actually" Alvin follows.
"No, it's not. A problem which distracts is never a cheesy problem"
"Well…okay" Alvin takes a deep long breath before starting to tell his story, "Maybe it has something to do with my dream, or more like my ambition"
"Hm, please do continue"
"…I was born in The Baskar Colony in the middle of Filgaia's desert. My people have long served The Guardians of Filgaia, or so they said despite the fact the guardians had vanished for 22 years ever since The Genesis War ended. But during the war, my father led The Colony to join The Red Moon and ended up becoming one of The Red Swords" Alvin reveals a shocking fact to his new friend.
"Goodness…your father is one of The Red Swords? The five legendary warriors from Red Moon under The Great Paladin and The Wizard Queen?" Ed cannot hide his widened eyes from the baskar native, "This is interesting…"
"You bet" Alvin giggles, knowing the fact is indeed interesting, "The Colony has always sees my father as a hero, a legend. Something no one could ever deny, including myself. He has led the colony as the chief ever since, giving his family wealth and fame. But you know, living the life as a legend's son isn't easy. Whatever I do, ever since I was a little kid, was compared to whatever he did. I have been living under his shadow, maybe even now. I hardly get credit for my own work at The Colony. That's why, I decided to surpass my father. So people would see me for what I am, not what he is"
"You are planning to surpass him? How?"
"By defeating him in one on one fight" Alvin expresses the ambition he set alight as a lifelong goal, "My father is known as the strongest martial artist to ever emerge from the desert. Agurzil, The Colony called him. Perhaps defeating Solomon and winning a war is too much for me to dream, because I want no war or massacre at this day and age. So, I settled for challenging him in one on one fight. If I defeat him, The Colony will start acknowledging me for what I'm capable of, not what he is capable of. I want to defeat him, someday I will. That is my dream. That's why I start traveling as a drifter in the first place, so I can experience life for my own. So I can gain more power"
Alvin stated the last words with confidence and flair, so much that even Ed could tell there wasn't an ounce of joke on it. His eyes are filled with determination. "That's a cool story, man" Ed pats his new friend's back to encourage him, "But if you wish to master the Qi, you must free yourself from that ambition first. No calmness, no Qi. No Qi, no power. No power, no victory"
"Good suggestion, guess I'll do it again" Determined, Alvin positions himself to the half-lotus again, this time aiming for the success, "Wipe the needless thoughts, I have to be calm. Take a deep breath, feel this world, feel the nature. Feel the wind, feel the leaves, feel the trees. Feel this earth, Filgaia"
Seeing Alvin is seemingly ready this time, Ed rises and guides him again with a soft tone, "The first stage of meditation is to stop distractions and make our mind clearer and more lucid. This can be accomplished by practicing a simple breathing meditation. We choose a quiet place to meditate and sit in a comfortable position. We can sit in the traditional cross-legged posture or in any other position that is comfortable. If we wish, we can sit in a chair. The most important thing is to keep our back straight to prevent our mind from becoming sluggish or sleepy. We sit with our eyes partially closed and turn our attention to our breathing. We breathe naturally, preferably through the nostrils, without attempting to control our breath, and we try to become aware of the sensation of the breath as it enters and leaves the nostrils. This sensation is our object of meditation. We should try to concentrate on it to the exclusion of everything else. At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused single-pointedly on the sensation of the breath. If we discover that our mind has wandered and is following our thoughts, we should immediately return it to the breath. We should repeat this as many times as necessary until the mind settles on the breath. Imagine the Qi the way you want it, anything would do"
Following his guideline, Alvin concentrates on his breathing, throwing away any needless thoughts he got from his mind, be it his dream or his ambition to defeat his father. He could feel the wind passing by his skin, the leaves silently resting on the ground. He imagines as if the Qi is a green colored flow of energy passing through him and around him, "I can feel it, the green flow flowing through my hand. Is this the Qi?"
Taking a glance to ensure Alvin is on the right way, Ed continues, "If we practice patiently in this way, gradually our distracting thoughts will subside and we will experience a sense of inner peace and relaxation. Our mind will feel lucid and spacious and we will feel refreshed. When the sea is rough, sediment is churned up and the water becomes murky, but when the wind dies down the mud gradually settles and the water becomes clear. In a similar way, when the otherwise incessant flow of our distracting thoughts is calmed through concentrating on the breath, our mind becomes unusually lucid and clear. We should stay with this state of mental calm for a while. Even though breathing meditation is only a preliminary stage of meditation, it can be quite powerful. We can see from this practice that it is possible to experience inner peace and contentment just by controlling the mind, without having to depend at all upon external conditions. When the turbulence of distracting thoughts subsides and our mind becomes still, a deep happiness and contentment naturally arises from within. This feeling of contentment and well-being helps us to cope with the busyness and difficulties of daily life. So much of the stress and tension we normally experience comes from our mind, and many of the problems we experience, including ill health, are caused or aggravated by this stress. Just by doing breathing meditation for ten or fifteen minutes each day, we will be able to reduce this stress. We will experience a calm, spacious feeling in the mind, and many of our usual problems will fall away. Difficult situations will become easier to deal with, we will naturally feel warm and well disposed towards other people, and our relationships with others will gradually improve. Now, move the fingers on your right hand simultaneously from your thumb. You can do it, Alvin. I know you can. You can and you will. Feel the Qi, feel this world. Feel the whole Filgaia. Now, move"
With confidence brimming inside him, Alvin moves his fingers successively from his thumb, forming a fist before swaying his hand away in the air. With precise accuracy, the leaves begin to float before flying to the mid-air among the trees. Alvin moves his hand to a different direction and sends the leaves following him. He looks at Ed who nods at him, giving him a signal to give it a try. Forming a fist with his right hand, the baskar fighter unleashes a punch to the mid-air, giving pressure to the wind on his surrounding and forcing the leaves to scatter, successfully performed the punch Ed executed earlier today's afternoon.
"You did it, man! You did it!" Ed is the first to celebrate Alvin's success, giving his new friend a high five which Alvin contemplates, "See? You could do it, right? Now, you can also do Qi! All you have to do is improvise it by yourself!"
"Thank you, Ed. Thank you. Couldn't have done it without you" Alvin embraces Ed on a friendly hug, apparently feeling happy himself.
"Okay, what do you say we grab something to drink and celebrate? I'm in no mood to calm down any moment soon" Ed offers a small celebration party which Alvin accepts by nodding and smiling. That night, the two goes for a nightlong celebration.
Eight hours later, in the opposite point of the fighters…
The night will soon embrace the dawn silently when Cliff is leaning comfortably to a tree, setting his vision to Marilyn and his surrounding. The bonfire scares all the animals in the woods for all night long, so he didn't have to worry about the bear or any other animals. However, his eyes tell he is worried about something else entirely. Something related to his sleeping companion. His wondering, however, is cut short when he hears Marilyn speaking. Faintly, but enough to make Cliff changes his attention. "You're…still awake?" Were the words she voiced.
"As it should be" Cliff adds somewhat a joyous tone to his reply, "You feel better?"
"My ankle still hurts, but I think it's better than last night" Marilyn shortly says before she realizes Cliff is looking at her in a weird way, "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there anything funny in my face?"
"You didn't sleep at all, did you?" The red eyed man strikes with a piercing question, "Just be honest with me, Marilyn. You've been thinking all night long, I could tell by a small, very small, but visible rings on your eyes"
Yet, he receives no response from Marilyn. Normally, it wouldn't even bother him. But for the last three years, he has lived a life filled with her sound every single day it would hurt him not to hear her talking. So, Cliff mans up and speaks to push her a bit more, "You've been thinking of something, right? What is it, Marilyn?"
"…no. Not really, no" An obvious lie. Anyone could tell what from her shallow tone.
"Come on, don't give me that. You know I won't buy it" Cliff pushes deeper, "What is it?"
"…I've just been thinking" Finally, Marilyn opens up, "You know, about the things I said earlier this afternoon"
"About Vold Green" Cliff escapes the name in whisper, making sure Marilyn does catch that one, "What about him?"
"I…uh…" The swordswoman knows better than to lie to the ARMs wielder. He will read through her if she does and that would only prolong the matter. So, she becomes wiser and admits, "Okay, you're right. I've been thinking about Lord Green all night long. I only slept for an hour or such"
Cliff looks somewhat disappointed listening to her answer. He takes a breath before slowly shaking his head, "Tsk…"
"Huh? What's with that?" Noticing his disappointment, Marilyn raises her tone. The bonfire gets even hotter thanks to her arising anger, "If you have something to say then speak up!"
"It's pathetic if you think about it" Wasting no seconds, Cliff does speak up, "Your love for him, I mean"
"What's so pathetic about it?" Marilyn pierces back with a loud voice. She could see the gaze Cliff is giving her thanks to the bonfire. It is somewhat cold yet meaningful gaze.
"The fact that it hurts you and it makes you suffer" The red haired drifter puts weight in his every word so his longtime companion would never forget. And true to the fact, she seems surprised, "I'm but a novice if we're talking about love. I never fell in one, so I can't really tell how you are feeling. But isn't love something that is supposed to make you happy? You've been thinking of a reason why he left you all night long, right? What's the good of it if it makes you unable to sleep? If it wastes your time and energy? If it hurts your heart? Your feeling? You're content with that?"
"That's…" The black-eyed swordswoman urges herself to voice a response but she is unable to. Deep down, she knew all the thing he said was true. But, she chooses to respond nonetheless, "That's untrue! Who said my love for him didn't make me happy?"
"Your voice is betraying you, lady" Cliff continues gaining the upper-hand on the current occasion, "You shouldn't have said it with a trembling voice. Wanna try again?"
"You jerk!" Marilyn rushes to Cliff's side, ignoring the injured ankle, and slaps him across the face. It hurts her right hand more than it does his face, but that was cathartic at least for her, "Don't you dare talk to me like that ever again!"
She is still lying, yeah. Even after Cliff gave a good effort to push her button she still wouldn't admit it. In this stage, Cliff knows the only option for him is to continue pushing her button. Else, his effort would be in vain. So, he does. "It was a reminder, Marilyn. Not a mockery" Slowly, Cliff arises so he could see her eye to eye. Both are gazing to each other.
Her eyes are filled with anger while his are filled with sympathy. Realizing the sympathetic gaze, the younger drifter reacts with her own way. "Stop it! Stop looking at me like that!" She yells, and she put more effort to that yelling than she did with the slap. Of course, contrary to her wish Cliff doesn't stop showing his sympathetic gaze. "I said stop it!" Marilyn throws another slap with the hurting right hand. But this time the ARMs wielder is quick enough to catch her hand in the mid-air and pulling it a bit closer to himself so their face is only inch apart, surprising her more than once, "Wha? Let go of my hand! Let me go!"
"Not unless you calm down"
"Don't tell me to calm down!" This situation is about to reach its pinnacle. Marilyn starts swaying her left hand to Cliff's face to free her right, but her effort is fruitless. She shouldn't challenge him in the first place. Physical strength wise, he outclasses her in every way possible. She is angered, but not fooled. If this continues Cliff wouldn't let her go even until the sun rises, so Marilyn chooses to become wiser and gradually stop resisting. True to his word, Cliff removes the grip he's been putting on her. Marilyn is stuttered to see his doing. And since they aren't soulmates for nothing, she knows he's up to something, "What's with you tonight? You've been telling me all those things you said because you have a point, right? Stop concealing it and start telling me! I'm bored seeing you implying them all the time!"
"Fine" And Cliff goes straight to the point, "Stop putting sad faces. I hate seeing you like that"
And that's his coup de grace for her tonight. Marilyn slowly raises her eyebrows, somehow not catching what he meant. It is clear she and he are not on the same page. And he knows this. Casting a serious tone to clarify the meaning of his words, Cliff speaks up, "You see, you've been putting a sad face since we entered this forest. I know the reason, but I still think it's wrong. You were unhappy, and when you're unhappy I'm less happy. At least if you smile, you will feel a bit happier. And when you're happy, I'm happier also. I don't like it when you look sad, smile suits you better. Whether it's a cunning smile, irritating smile, victorious smile, or happy smile which you don't show very often, it's better than seeing you sad"
Marilyn is clearly taken aback by what The Crimson just said. And she has no words on her inventory to give a proper reply to him. "Look, I'm not trying to lecture you or patronize you. I'm just worried" Cliff resumes much to Marilyn's delight, who's been longing for further revelation for a minute now, "I do realize how you feel about Vold Green. And to a certain extent, I can also understand you're longing for him. But honestly, I don't think it's a good thing if all those things exist only to hurt your feeling. You…since we entered this woods, there's only a handful of time when you're truly yourself. Most of the time, you're not the Marilyn I know. If I had the faintest idea I would have seen you like this, I would have asked you to wait outside and hunted the bear myself. That is a small price compared to…witnessing you being sad"
For a moment, both drifters are locked in dead silence. Marilyn has no idea she could hurt someone else unknowingly like she just heard. Her anger fades instantly after Cliff explained his thought to her, how could she stay angered after all those words? She doesn't have the heart to. Finally opening up her mind, she could feel the caring gaze he's been casting upon her since she woke up. He's right, something so beautiful shouldn't hurt her. She shouldn't have wasted her time thinking of something absurd. And she feels bad for indirectly hurting someone else. She should be wiser the next time, "Cliff…I don't know what to say…I'm so sorry…"
"Me too, I apologize for saying harsh things to you. I should have chosen better words, I know it was rude in my part. I didn't mean to offend you" Cliff shows a little compassion by slowly reaching for Marilyn's right hand, injured when she hit his steeled face, and carefully holding her fingers while checking it, "Is your hand still hurting? I'll wrap it with some bandage"
"Eh, it doesn't really hurt. Only four bruised fingers" The reply indicates the swordswoman has returned to her normal self, "And it's fully throbbing all over the palm"
"Good then, I can just wrap it in plastic" Cliff plays out with his reply to her, the heavy atmosphere has been lifted at last. Of course he doesn't really wrap her hand in plastic, he does it with sterilized bandage, "It's done. Feeling better?"
"Pretty much, yeah" Marilyn looks at her wrapped hand, seemingly making sure of something, "I guess I should be thanking you this time"
"Don't mention it"
"If you wish" With her mind all cleared up, Marilyn has come to her senses to get the better of Cliff, "But now with both my hand and ankle injured, I'm defenseless. You, being the one to cause all of this, are obliged to ensure my safety till I regain full health"
"Commanding and prideful, that's the Marilyn I know" The Crimson likes this usual upbringing of hers, "I know I'm responsible for your hand, but your ankle? That was your own fault"
"No, it was yours"
"How's that"
"You could have warned me but you didn't"
"No, I did warn you"
"Yeah, but it was too late"
"I did try"
"Yeah, but you were too late"
"Meanie"
"Thank you" Fully understanding each other, both smiles fondly. They make up with each other by their own way. But their moment is interrupted when a growl is heard from behind the bushes, which alerts Cliff and makes him draw his ARMs.
"The bear" Cliff notices the source of the voice, "Around seventy feet from our right, I'll go check it in there. You stay here"
"Okay, be careful" Marilyn says as the red eyed man go deeper into the source of the voice with his Dreadnaught on stand by mode. Cliff prepares himself in case the said animal suddenly attacks him. He isn't planning to kill the bear because he knew one miss shot from Dreadnaught would scare the crap out of the bear. Slowly, he makes his way through the bushes and finally finds the bear lying in the ground with…
"Sophia?" Cliff jaws nearly touched the ground when he sees Sophia sleeping beside the bear.
"Hm…Cliff?" Sophia, with an innocent manner, opens her eyes and wakes up, "What are you doing here?"
"What are *you* doing here?" Cliff reacts normally for anyone in his situation, "Shouldn't you be staying at the inn?"
"Yeah, but I got bored and decided to have a sightseeing"
"In the middle of a forest?"
"What? You can't have sightseeing in the middle of a forest?"
"That's not the problem!"
"What's going on in there?" Marilyn heard Cliff earlier, so obviously she wants a new development. But, of all people, she sees a familiar Garrison, "Sophia? What are you doing in the forest so late in the night?"
"She said she was having sightseeing" Cliff tells Marilyn what the sniper just told him, "And how did you end up sleeping with the wanted bear, Sophia?"
"The bear? You mean it wasn't a heap of fur?"
"It wasn't. Anyway…" Before the conversation heading to a more complicated level, Marilyn focuses on what actually matters, "The bear is here, let's hurry and capture him"
"How? Didn't you say you would figure it out in time?" Cliff reminds Marilyn something unpleasant from earlier.
"Uh…that's right…I forgot…sorry…" Not a good answer, because the moment she's done saying that the bear wakes up.
"Groaaaaaar!" The bear runs wild and sets his sight on the three surprised drifters. Cliff quickly aims his ARMs to the bear the same time Sophia drawing Silvia, but before anything happens Marilyn warns both of them.
"Don't kill the bear! The mayor wanted him alive!"
That stops both ARMs wielder from killing the bear, but doesn't stop the bear from trying to ax them. The bear sends a claw attack to Sophia but the sniper avoids it easily, allowing Cliff to enter the battle from Sophia's behind and give the bear a taste of his straight punch to its stomach, sending him crushing to a tree. "Cliff, what are you doing? Don't kill the bear I said!" Marilyn freaks out seeing the herculean strength of her companion literally clawed the bear, which by now seems half-conscious.
"He's not dead, just unconscious" Cliff sways his hand, shutting down the worry of his soulmate. Sophia checks the condition of the bear and nods, confirming Cliff's words. "See? There's no need to worry" Cliff reaches to the bear, wanting to lift him on his shoulder. But he assures himself too quick, the bear suddenly comes to his sense and attacks Cliff using his claw, more than enough to send him to the bushes.
"Oh, no! Sophia do something!" Marilyn turns to the sniper only see her…nowhere to be found, "What? Sophia? Where are you?"
"Right here" The voice comes from above a nearby tree with Sophia hugging to its top, "I'm sorry, I forgot to load Silvia with bullets nor I brought bullets with me. And I also forgot to bring my bayonet swords. I'm sorry, Marilyn"
"You what?" It's not the right time for protesting, really. The bear is about to chase her, "Fudge!"
Marilyn activates her accelerator and runs back to the river; unfortunately for her the injured ankle doesn't do her any favor so she runs while holding the pain, "Ukh, at this limit I can only run as fast as normal!"
Marilyn dodges a claw attack from behind by the bear, yet it was enough to corner her into a tree, "What do I do? If I cut him open with Iskander Bey he will surely die…or maybe not! I got an idea!"
The bear throws another claw attack, so Marilyn had no choice other than unsheathing her treasured sword and hit the bear right in the face using its hilt before hitting it again on the neck. The bear was so damn wrong thinking of Marilyn as a damsel in distress when he receives another hit on his jaw, this time bringing him down to the river, "Oh Lord, fighting without intending to kill is so damn hard!"
True, because the bear rises again. Marilyn prepares to launch another attack but out of her control she drops her sword, seeing her hand shaking and she had to get a hold of it to stop it, "Ukh, my hand! I forgot it's injured!"
That's not a fortunate fate to have at the moment. The bear sees the chance to attack and moves, this time aiming for the head of the defenseless swordswoman. But before anything could happen, an air-piercing sound ensues as a 9x19 Parabellum passes both the drifter's and the bear's face before hitting a tree and crumbles it. Marilyn slowly glances to the bushes and spots Cliff still aiming his Dreadnaught after throwing in a shot. Dreadnaught's barrel is still smoking.
"If you value your life, bear, you might want to step away from her" A simple threat from The Crimson, and in human language too. Nonetheless, the bear fearfully steps away from his target…allowing Cliff to suddenly run to behind the bear and butt-strike him in the back of his head, knocking him out cold, "That's for attacking me, you bastard. If you dare waking up again, I'll shoot you in the head no matter what"
"That's enough, Cliff. I think you kicked his ass for good this time" Marilyn prevents further violence from happening by calming down her soulmate, seeing how the bear is finally defeated for good this time.
But that's not what the ARMs wielder has in mind. What he's got in mind is something else the time he observes the battered drifter, "I'm sorry, he nearly had you in there didn't he? Are you injured somewhere? Other than the previous two, I mean"
"Why is he so worried of me? He's never been like this before" It is kinda fascinating seeing how Cliff is so worried of herself, she thinks. She doesn't know the reason, but after all things happening tonight, she chooses to relieve him, "No, I don't think so. My ankle and hand are hurting again, but other than that I'm perfectly fine. Thanks for your help back there"
"Don't mention it" The atmosphere when Cliff smiles is unspeakable. Marilyn could feel his worry fade away that instant. Too bad for them, someone interferes.
"Cliff? Marilyn? Are you two alright?" Sophia enters the point with a worried look. She feels guilty about her carelessness earlier, "I'm sorry for my mis…"
"Forget about it, it happens everytime" Being with her for two years, the other two Garrisons knew all too well about Sophia's and forgetfulness. When the sun finally rises, the three already delivered the bear to the mayor's office.
The morning, three hours after capturing the bear…
"It's been a pleasant experience, lad" Alvin is shown shaking hands with his new friend, "I really learned a lot just in one night"
"Don't bother, man. It's fun teaching people too sometimes, y'know?" Ed rather fancies the moment, "And also, it's nice to have a new friend. My job doesn't really allow me of that honor"
"Really? What's your job?"
"Meh, it's not important" The Qi master seems to be so secretive about something, hm? "Either way, good luck sparring with your father. Let's meet again some other time"
"Yeah, let's" Alvin waves his hand watching the Qi master goes back to the woods. The drifter heads back to the inn where his team is waiting for him near the jeep, "Hey, guys! Glad to see you again!"
"Glad to see you too, bro!" Cliff, as usual, is the one to welcome him back, "How's training going?"
"Pretty good. I gain something good now" And also just as usual, Alvin goes into the matchmaker mode, "And how 'bout you, Cliff? Something good happened with the future Mrs. Cliff Margester?"
"Again, I don't get what you're talking about"
"Ow, come on! You can't always ignore my advices like that!"
"Sorry, for spoiling your fun, guys. But can't we go now?" Marilyn, who's been sitting inside the jeep with Sophia, is apparently bored with all the talk right now, "We got the prize money here, so can't we go to Enid town now? We got schedule to catch, remember?"
"All right…" Feeling somewhat defeated, Alvin reminds Cliff when he got to the driver seat, "Cliff, once we arrive in Enid we'd need to talk"
"Okay, I also think we are in some kind of misunderstanding here" With all prepared and ready, the group rides off to the next destination.
Meanwhile, inside the woods…
Ed is eating his breakfast, a bunch of fruits, when his cell phone rings. He picks it up,
E: Hello? Trent?
T: Where are you now, Ed?
E: Somewhere near Enid Town.
T: …let me guess, training again?
E: You guessed well enough, hehehehe.
T: Hey, do you know as the second division Peacemaker you need to be more responsible of your job?
E: Well, Rosella is taking a good care of it. Chill out, man.
T: Good grief…anyway, I need you back in the headquarters. The president is issuing an order.
E: Okay, I'll be there by tonight.
T: You better.
After he cuts the line, Ed grumbles, "And just when I finally meet someone interesting!"
That's it for this chapter! I'm so sorry for the update, I had to take care of my bachelor degree (^^). Hope I can start updating weekly again this time. I'll be releasing chapters for The Knightfall as well. C ya!