Chapter 11
"Gah!" Rolf shouted as he was knocked back onto the ground. Resting on his shoulders Rolf looked up in time to see a booted foot swinging towards him. Rolf quickly rolled to the side, letting the foot swing by his head. Quickly Rolf reached up, wrapping his hands around their ankle, swinging them up and back down on the ground. Without wasting a second, Rolf leaped forward, wrapping his arms under their arms, getting a strong grapple on them, pinning his opponent to the ground.
After a brief struggle, however, Rolf felt their fist swing up into his fist, right on Rolf's eye. Rolf gasped and let go, feeling a quick elbow to his gut, causing Rolf to let go even more, allowing his opponent to slip out. Rolf rubbed his eye as he looked up at Annie standing over him, trying to control her breath.
"What was that?" She asked, in a way that lacked volume but more than made up in pure ice. "I know for a fact that you can take a hit like that no problem. Did your eye really bother you that much?"
"Rolf knows that, but how can Rolf know what to do if Rolf doesn't see first hand how to smash the broccoli? Rolf knows that shimmying up the she-badger with Rolf's magnitude won't teach Rolf any-" He was interrupted by her foot getting shoved right up Rolf's mouth, knocking the Son of a Shepherd back to the ground.
"No. I told you from the start to not hold back. Not at all." She said, staring down at Rolf through half-shut eyes. She said, not helping Rolf as he stood up. "You've been doing better, you're getting the basics, and you are getting better at countering."
"Well Rolf knows that peeling the difficulty of this cherub is-" Rolf started, grinning at the rare praise he had received before being interrupted.
"But you're doing so at a painfully slow rate." She started, circling Rolf. "You can't focus, you won't listen to me, and you continue to hold back. You asked me to teach you, yet you won't fully listen to what I have to teach." Annie said, glaring at Rolf.
"Rolf is confused! Rolf says that Rolf cannot use his full upper body usage to learn, but yet you say that you want Rolf to-" Rolf started, before Annie threw a punch at Rolf's face, catching him off-guard before wrapping her arms around the back of his head and kicking at his shin, sending Rolf head over heals over her. Rolf grunted as he landed on his back. Looking up, Rolf reached back, grabbing her ankles and pulling hard, sending her to the ground as well. Rolf quickly stood back up, Annie joining him. She swung a fist at Rolf again, who stepped to the side, grabbing her arm and using it to flip her back to her back. Once she was down, Rolf rested his knee on her neck.
"There! Rolf has done what bee-stinger-Annie has asked!" Rolf said, as Annie looked up at Rolf before Rolf felt her legs wrap around his shoulder and quickly tug him back, landing him on his back.
"Good. You should do that more." She said, slowly standing up, rubbing her neck.
When Rolf joined her, the two heard the sounds of 3DM Gear, and they could see that Marlowe's group where swinging their way back. Marlowe pulled his gear back, kicking off a tree and landing on the ground nearby the two.
"Alright Rolf we finished up the route. And well...Hitch may have broken her blades back there. I don't think the quartermaster is going to be happy."
"As if, not like anyone uses them anyways. He's got nothing better to do." Hitch said, landing next to Marlowe, crossing her arms indignantly. "Besides, these blades are meant for cutting flesh not wood. Not exactly my fault they broke after using them all this time."
Rolf looked over to them as the rest of his unit then nodded to them. "Alright then. Rolf is finished here as well, yes? Let us return home for lots of nourishment and copious amounts of mammal-flesh." Rolf grinned as he walked past Annie who stood there before following the rest.
As the group of ten began to walk down the street, Rolf looked over and saw a member of the Military Police leaning against a wall next to an alleyway, arms crossed until Rolf's group came by. After that happened, he walked over to them.
"Hey there, Rolf Yonick correct?" The MP asked.
"I am Rolf, Son of a Shepherd, yes." Rolf said, before quickly standing at attention, arms behind his back.
"Ah good. Hey listen, see your little training has gotten the attention of some of the brass, and now over here one of the officers wanted to have a little chat with you."
"Oh? Well, Rolf is sure that Rolf's little groups shall be getting recognized as we should. Not playing as little fragile shell eggs should roast the turnip before midnight, as it shows how true warriors act." Rolf said, grinning as he started to follow him to the alley.
"Uh wait a minute. Which officer-" Marlowe started, before Rolf shook his hand.
"Marlowe take the other back to dinner, yes? Rolf shall catch up." Rolf said as he followed the MP into the alley. As Rolf entered he looked around. "Rolf is confused. Why would stuffy-shirted officer wish to speak to Rolf in such a dark alley?"
At that, several other figures came out of the shadows, slowly starting to surround the Son of a Shepherd. Rolf looked around, starting to feel his back-hairs crawl.
"See, rookie, we here at the Military Police in the interior have a way of doing things. And you, rookie, are starting to get a bit annoying to us." The soldier said, resting his fist in his palm. "You see, your little actions are starting to make us look bad. Not to mention how you seem to be so interested in interfering in our business. And frankly, I don't like that."
"Plus you hit me with a table!" One of the soldiers shouted out, one with a noticeable black eye, glaring angrily at Rolf.
"What? Rolf is confused! Rolf wishes to not be seen as a humble abound lazy oaf when Rolf is a soldier. Surely any real soldier would wish that as well, yes?"
"You saying we're not soldiers, huh? Pretty big talk from some punk rookie, huh? Maybe we should teach you how to talk to your elders?" One of the MPs from behind Rolf said. Rolf suddenly felt a hammer on the back of his skull as said MP slammed him with the butt of a musket.
Rolf stumbled forward before turning around, bringing a fist up, only to get a fist to the side of his face, then kicked in the back, stumbling forward. Rolf looked around as he saw he was surrounded by men grinning sadistically as they got ready.
It was at that point when the MP closest to the alley entrance was suddenly launched forward with a grunt, falling face first onto the road, causing the MPs to look back. Standing at the entrance was Annie. She brushed some hair out of her face and looked around, seeing Rolf.
"Rolf, you are an idiot." She said, as several others looked her over.
"Oh, so you wanna get in and help this loser huh? One of his friends huh?"
"Hmmph, maybe she needs to be taught a lesson too." One of them said, before Annie quickly threw an elbow to his face, and quickly wrapped her arms around his shoulder, launching him into another MP. She quickly ran over to Rolf, and glared at him.
"Well, I hope you don't expect to hold back now." She said, as Rolf smirked.
"Ah Annie girl. Perfect timing, no? Rolf chooses to bring upon these lazy buffoons a merciless beating!" He said, as the MP that Annie had launched first got up.
"Okay pals, no more playing-" He said, before a boot was thrown, hitting him in the face and knocking him back. Rolf grabbed the boot, which he'd taken off, before looking around.
"Rolf thinks he's had enough of an unmerciless beating with Rolf's shoe. So, would-be woodpeckers, have you had enough?"
"Get this kid!" One shouted.
"No? Perhaps a two-shoe beating is more your vocation!" Rolf said, grabbing his other boot and holding both like weapons as he leaned back wrapping his arms around the thrown fist of an MP, then swinging the heel of his boot into his face. After that, he fell down, ducking under a musket swing, slamming the toes of his other up the MP's legs.
Annie swung a leg at one guard, catching him in the face, and grabbing his unbalanced body to throw him at another. She looked back, swaying her body back to grab ahold of the guard, elbowing him in the gut, then grabbing the back of his head and bringing it to her knee. She leaped backwards, almost bumping into Rolf, before throwing a punch at Rolf's opponent, winding him, for Rolf to swing his boot up and catching him under his chin.
Rolf smirked at Annie as she stood in her fighting stance behind him, as Rolf held his boots up. One guard swung a kick at Rolf, who quickly grabbed it, bringing it down hard on his shoulder, making the MP cry out as they both heard a sickening snap. Rolf bit his shoe, looking around.
"Tell me, lazy oafs of the nether-regions? Have you ever experienced..." He turned to a group of MPs, the stolen boot in his mouth.
"The All-Mighty Three Shoe Beating?!" He shouted between the leather in his mouth, swinging one boot around a musket and swaying his head around, the heel clocking the MP in the cheek, sending him sprawling.
Annie fought behind him, covering his back as she was faster and more skilled than the lazy guards. She ducked under a punch, throwing two jabs into his chest before he could respond, then stood up to finish him off with a punch to his now-broken nose.
Rolf smirked and leaped back, avoiding a punch and wrapping his boot around the guard's hand and swinging with his strength to collide into two others, knocking all three out of the alley.
Annie looked back and grabbed Rolf by the shoulders, yanking him away from a sucker-punch, also throwing him face-first at another MP, who ended up with a face full of boot. Annie meanwhile charged that guard, kicking his thigh to disorient him, then grappling him to the ground, choking him, him being unable to squirm or grab back.
As Annie started to force the thug's face to change to a lovely shade of purple, Rolf faced down the last few of the MPs still wanting to have a go at Rolf. Rolf grinned at them like a crazed animal, clamping down on the boot in his mouth, squeezing tightly his own.
"I...am not...going to lose to some freak with a boot in his mouth!" One of them said, holding his musket like a club.
"Well than, if you wish to tussle with the swine, how you say, bring it on!" Rolf said between the boot in his mouth.
Two charged at Rolf from other sides, raising their fists. Rolf leaned back to avoid it, swinging his foot at his shin, tripping him, so that Rolf could bring his boot up, slapping his face and sending him on his back. The other's hand got caught in Rolf's arm, before he swung the man like a ragdoll, crashing his back into the wall. Winded, he couldn't do anything before Rolf's mouth held boot could put him to sleep.
The last MP had taken the opportunity to swing down on Rolf's head, but Rolf backed up at the last second, swinging his knee up to knock the MP back onto the ground. Rolf sat on his stomach, looking down.
"Now prepare yourself for a merciless thrashing from the foot of many a fallen shoe!" He shouted, before swinging all three of his boots one at a time into his face. The MP squirmed and struggled, but eventually stopped, just laying there, groaning and breathing heavily. Rolf stood up, spitting the boot in his mouth on his face.
"All is forgiven!" Rolf said, cheerfully slipping his boots back on. Behind him, Annie also stood up, kicking at the unconscious body she had taken care of. She turned to Rolf, looking at the groaning bodies left in the Son of a Shepherd's wake.
"If you could actually master my training, I'm not sure if there's a human alive who could beat you." She said, starting to walk by Rolf.
"Oh ho! And it would be all for you, snake-in-the-grass Annie!" He said, before grabbing her and hoisting her up on his shoulder, to her obvious surprise, squirming from it. "Come, we shall celebrate our victory in your honor for your lessons applying in the defeating of the hankered pumpernickel!"
As the two left (with Annie struggling to get off of Rolf's shoulder) the rest of his team rushed over.
"Rolf, are you okay?" Hitch said.
"Yes, Rolf is very much alright! Although Rolf must insist on giving credit to the training of Ms. Annie!" Rolf said, looking up at Annie, who was trying to look away from everyone else.
"Yeah, something didn't seem right, but Annie told us to stay here." Marlowe explained, before Hitch interrupted again.
"Then those two MPs we caught selling equipment came over, and tried to "punish" Marlowe." Hitch said, shrugging. "Of course there's what, eight of us and only two of them?" She said, looking back at the river's edge, where two MPs where struggling to crawl out. Boris walked over, and kicked them back into the water.
"Not that we'd even need eight against them. Honestly, I'm almost embarrassed to be associated with losers like them." Hitch said, pressing her forehead into her palm.
"Oh ho! Rolf is proud of Rolf's flock! Come, Rolf shall expect a great celebration for today's victory and prepare the eels of forgiveness for our fallen adversaries!" Rolf said, throwing his hand into the air as he lead (and carried) his team back to the mess hall, preparing for a great victory feast in how their training has led to good results.
The next day, the city was all abuzz, with the announcement of the 57th Exterior Scouting Mission to happen the next day. Rolf had heard of it, and decided that today and tomorrow, after yesterday's excitement, they could use a bit of a break. They completed their patrol (or at least part of it) quickly and Rolf said that there'd be no training today. While some, like Hitch, decided to take the time to relax and rest in the markets, Rolf decided to check out where the expedition would leave.
Rolf was content as he looked around, realizing that most of his closest friends would go on a dangerous journey the next day, going quickly to fight against the monsters that he still had nightmares of, while he was still stuck in safety. As Rolf started to walk away, he heard a familiar voice.
"Rolf? Hey Rolf is that you?" Rolf looked back, seeing that his friend Mina Carolina was running over to him. She was in her uniform with the symbol of roses to signify she was a part of the Garrison.
"Ah hah! Yes bright-in-the-eyes Mina-girl! Oh Rolf is happy to see you once again!" Rolf said, grinning widely as Mina smiled back.
"Yeah, it's been a month, right? Heard about the expedition, so of course I had to work this route so that I can see them off tomorrow. Other than you and Annie, pretty much all of my friends from training are going." She said, a quick flash of worry crossing her eyes before vanishing as she returned her gaze to Rolf. "Oh, speaking of! How are you and Annie doing? The Military Police must be pretty easy-going, huh?"
"Ah, Rolf would say maybe yes. But Rolf and Annie have been making sure to not fall wayside with full bellies. Rolf has been keeping us in tip-top shape!" Rolf said proudly.
"Really? Wow, that honestly doesn't sound anything like the MP when I hear about it. But well...I guess that does sound like you." She said with a smile.
"Well...Rolf and Rolf's team are done for the day. Maybe I can get Annie to come with and we can do some socializing over the spilled beans of a sow skin!" Rolf said cheerfully.
"Well whatever we do, hopefully not that, I sure do hope that you can get Annie to come. I know that she tried to be a loner in training, but I knew there was something to see in her." Mina said.
After parting ways, Rolf would find Annie and tell her about it. Of course, Annie firmly said that she had no interest in meeting up with Mina. Rolf, however, was both more stubborn and more clueless and she ended up going with him anyways.
The three met up at a table in the marketplace and pulled up some seats and a small table off the side. Rolf came back with some bread and meat from one of the stalls, with Mina having gotten them drinks. The three (or rather Rolf and Mina, Annie mostly just sat there) began to talk about how things had gone ever since they'd last met.
"No way, you're really ignoring what those MPs say and keep training?" Mina asked, eyes wide.
"Well of course! Rolf won't be listening to the hubdidy does of good-for-nothing louses in uniform!" Rolf said, crossing his arms. "Besides, Rolf's team are ready for any circumstances, mark Rolf's words."
"Still, wouldn't that get them upset?" She asked.
"Of course. Just yesterday, Rolf got ambushed by a large group of them. They were unhappy with how Rolf was making them look, not to mention how he is one of the few in the entire organization not willing to stand for corruption."
"What?! Rolf, what happened, where you okay?" Mina said, concerned as Rolf finished up some of his drink.
"Of course! Besides, Rolf was not alone, right snake-palm-Annie-girl?" Rolf said with a grin, wrapping his arm around Annie. She shoved his arm off and looked away.
"Well of course, an idiot like you should've deserved the beating that came from that, but they couldn't have taken you out anyways, and I didn't want us to spend any more time waiting for you than we had to." She said quietly, before biting into some bread.
"Of course, of course, Rolf can see this. However, Rolf must also thank you for giving Rolf the regime to better handle those miscreants!" Rolf said, tearing into some meat.
"Wait, Annie you're helping Rolf learn how to fight? Oh that's actually incredible!" She said, taking a sip.
"Well...he asked for me to help, and since we're going to be training anyways, and he wouldn't have taken no..."
"Uh huh, sure. Well I'm glad he's been learning well." Mina said.
"Not as well as he could. He just refuses to do what I say. I tell him not to hold back, but he does, and he doesn't learn as quickly as he could."
"...Rolf. You want Rolf to not hold back?" Mina asked with a raised eyebrow. "Well...I mean I'm not exactly good at fighting people or anything like that, but Rolf seems a bit strong to not hold back."
"That's the point." She said, before leaning back, taking another bite.
"Oh Rolf thinks that you need more fiber, venom-in-eye Annie!" Rolf said, grinning. "Besides, Rolf still learns some from you, yes?" He said, doing some mock jabs in front of her, causing Mina to suppress some giggles as she watched.
"C'mon Annie, that's still pretty good. Before Rolf would just blunder through things, even if he could still take it." She said, finishing her chuckles as she took a sip.
"Well...not much has changed I guess." Annie retorted.
"Hey! Rolf takes, as you say, offense to that remark! Now Rolf can say that Annie-girl's blundering is what Rolf does!" He said, grinning as he leaned back to take a bite.
Annie looked down at her cup, feeling her lips slowly move back, as she looked up at Mina and Rolf, the only ones who had ignored her venom and anger, who had still done what they could to stay close by.
She couldn't stay.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." Annie said, standing up, finishing her cup.
"Huh? Rolf is confused, the sun has barely begun to set, and we still have a plentiful bounty of wheat, yeast, and a plentiful assortment of flesh from the sea." Rolf said, looking up confused.
"Maybe another time but...I don't feel good all of a sudden. I think I should return and rest. I'll see you tomorrow." She said, quickly rushing off, Mina and Rolf looking back between each other.
"Well...I dunno. You have been working rather hard, maybe it all just caught up to her?" Mina suggested.
"Rolf supposes so. Still, Rolf maybe should keep an eye. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow, yes?" Rolf said, before picking up his cup and swallowing it.
"Yeah. Hey, I think we should do this again, what do you say?" Mina said. "I kinda missed having you two to talk to. Besides, my job as a guard is pretty boring compared to you guys, and I'd love to hear more about your adventures."
"Of course, eyes-wide-as-a-sea Mina! I'd be glad to meet up with you again, bringing Annie along with. She could use more with talking about things in general as opposed to glaring and stalking like a weasel in the throes of an owl." He said.
The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways, Rolf having a grin on his face at having gotten to meet with his closest friend again after a month.
Still, as Rolf walked back, he wondered what had gotten into Annie. She didn't seem like she was sick...of course, even Rolf found her an enigma at best when it came to this kind of thing. Maybe she had taken a bit of a beating that day? Oh well. Rolf figured he'd keep an eye on her and hope she gets better.
AN: Yes yes, quite shocking I got another chapter out. Well I just got bit by the writing bug I guess and I just really wanted to keep writing. So there we go. As always, don't expect this to mean a change in my writing schedule (if it can even be called that), I physically cannot write Rolf so often. Danny Antonucci was a brilliant man for being able to write everything of his. Plus hey! One year anniversary!