Okay so this chapter shouldn't have taken so long but I added a lot of things which took so freaking forever to finish. So we are so close to the ending of this arc. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter ~!
PART SEVENTEEN - THE HERO OF HATINO
Dyer didn't question when Link gave the order. As much as he wanted to help his friend, he knew that this was a fight Link wanted for himself. There was no doubt in his mind that Link would do far much worse than what Gorge had done and Dyer was counting on it.
Ilia masked her fear by giving out orders. "Okay, we need to check the buildings and get everyone out safely."
"Where are Gorge's men though?" Gus questioned, his face pallid as he glanced over at the dark alleyways.
"They're loyal to money," Dyer said. "Nothing but thugs and thieves. The second they saw Gorge go down they must've high tailed out of here. I wouldn't be too surprised if we see a couple of shops raided."
"That's not important right now," Ilia snapped to get their attention. She turned her eyes to the town that flocculated ashes. Her voice sounded loud and orotund. "The people are our priority."
A wave of pride rushed through Dyer when she said that. Even with her ambivalence towards the villagers, she has a kind heart and damn everyone who says otherwise.
Dyer couldn't see Hank, Andie or Quill and took it as a good sign. He told Andie and Hank to take Quill and themselves out of sight. A twist tied his stomach whenever he thought of the worst case scenario. What if Gorge's men still lurked around? What if they find Quill again? Hank was too weak to fight back, that's why Link told him to sit tight. Andie would most definitely do something reckless.
"They'll be fine," Gus told him, following his thought patterns. Then with a deep breath he returned back to the task at hand by pointing a finger at one of the buildings that had tenebrous clouds of smoke fuzzing out of windows. "We should start there. Inns normally have more people in them. If we find anyone along the way, we'll go out and help them."
Without wasting another second, the trio ran down the path. Dyer risked to look behind him and could barely see Link through the thick smoke that clouded the air. But there was no mistaking that smile on Link's face.
Gorge was so dead.
The thought abated his worries and Ilia also looked the same way. Gus's mind was elsewhere as he muttered to himself hysterically.
A shriek froze all three of them. A young woman had her leg trapped under a tree. "Help...Goddesses help!"
Dyer and Gus followed Ilia as she festinated towards the poor woman. She dropped on her knees and nodded. "Don't worry," Ilia assured her. "We're here to help."
The woman's leg bled out. Every time she tried to pull it the skin of her leg would tear. The sight turned his stomach as he watched her face tightened in pain. "No, forget me! My baby…" She shrieked in pain, her fingers trying to lift the tree of. "My boy…in there…."
Dyer turned to see a crumpled building with fire raging inside. Anything alive in there would be impossible but he wasn't going to give up. He only took a minute to think. "Ilia and Gus, you both help her. I'm going in there."
"Are you nuts?!" Gus snapped. "You can't go in there by yourself!"
"I'll make it out alright." He sounded confident even though his situation seemed hopeless.
Ilia studied him closely and knew he wouldn't change his mind. "You better hurry," she said sternly. "And come back or else."
Gus gawked at her. "Am I truly the only one with his head on right? Why does everyone want to die so badly?!"
"For once in your life, how about you stop complaining over everything?! She shouted in his face. "Now help me move this thing!"
Dyer didn't wait around and ran over to the house. Smoke clouded from everywhere, too thick to see through. He coughed as he forced his way through what was once a kitchen. The unfettered flames ate the table, and now stroked the curtains. The wood that fell from the ceiling made it difficult to maneuver. It certainly wasn't any easier with flames erupting from time to time.
But oddly he wasn't afraid. If he was going to die then he was going to die. The Goddesses will see to that. If they want him alive then none of those flames will touch his heart.
As a child he had dedicated his whole life to religion, attending every holiday full heartedly. But years went on and this cold ruthless world slowly shattered his belief. If the Goddesses or any deity truly existed and if they were as every bit of merciful as the priests make them out to be, then why do they allow monsters to roam the world? Why do they give people misery while others get wealth and power?
He had tried to look for an answer by indulging the priestess of his church. The people there were sectarian, too prideful and devoted to even entertain a little child. They took his questions as threats and traduced him as a disbeliever. Dyer had always been devoted and pious, even getting a meticulous reward for that but his questions brought disapproval among the members of the church.
Had they really expected him to follow blindly with no questions asked? Just do as he was told like a good boy?
Yeah, fat chance.
As time went on, as he experienced more of the world, his prayers became forgotten, the religious books dusted on the shelf and no more did he think of the consequences of his action. If the sinful really do get punished then why did the wicked live in their towers, fawning over gold? Why do people like Gorge for example get so much power and abuses them as they like?
But now someone sinful had been punished and it was him. The sound of a skull crushing never left his mind, repeating over and over again at night. The sound of the man screaming was as clear as day, often driving him into madness.
Even though he no longer considered himself as religious anymore, what he had done was sinful indeed and it was enough to have him praying all morning. The man was already down with a gun in his hand. Dyer was right next to him, and all he had to do was simply kick the weapon away. He could've ignored that bloodthirsty anger that exploded when that monster pointed it to Ilia who was too busy trying to calm Andie down to even have the time to dodge.
A high-pitched scream tore his attention. It was small, barely audible, but it flared hope in his heart. His feet hammered up on the stairs, his hand pressed tightly on his mouth. The air was a bit thin from here and it would only be a matter of time before the nocuous flames take everything.
The sound came from a small room just at his left side. A little boy, no older than five probably, curled up in the corner, weeping softly. His head snapped up when he heard Dyer and he cringed.
"I'm here to help," Dyer said softly, reaching out a hand.
The boy shuffled away. "I shouldn't go with strangers."
Dyer glanced up at the ceiling nervously. "My name is Dyer, okay? Now I'm not a stranger."
"That doesn't count! Mommy would be mad at me!"
The ceiling caved in with a thunderous smash. Dyer only had seconds to snatch the kid and protect him from the worst of the fall. Miraculously, he survived. Dust falling in his face and the smell of smoke stayed strong but he was alive and so was the kid. A bit flummoxed by this generous miracle, he squeezed out through a narrow gap carrying the kid with him. The kid wasn't complaining.
The only other option he had was the window. He recalled back on the night of Dobbin's mansion how he saw a figure falling in the night. At first he had thought it to be a play on the mind until he heard Link's scream.
But they were only on the second floor and even that didn't seem much of a danger.
"Are we going to die?" The little boy asked tearfully.
He was so small, so tiny that he could easily fit in a cupboard. Dyer recalled on how Andie would say the same thing to Link back when they were kids when monsters would ambush them.
"Not today, kiddo," Dyer said with a grin, mimicking Link's every word. However, through his words he felt dreaded inside since he could now see the whole town in full view, black smokes puffed out in columns from several buildings, tainting the sky. People were screaming and running in all directions, the destruction of Hatino, the end came upon them.
The one thing that still kept his hopes up was Link standing before Gorge, seemingly undaunted even though Gorge himself had a gun on him. Through the chaos and mayhem, Dyer felt immense relief and jumped out the window.
The landing sent a shock sensation through his legs. He groaned, stumbling a bit. "Never doing that again," he muttered and saw a woman leaning against the wall.
"Mommy!" The little boy cried, breaking out from Dyer's grip and spreading his arms wide.
The woman reacted tearfully to her son and hugged him tightly, spluring out several prayers in thanks.
"Bless you boy. Oh bless you, whoever you are!" She cried.
Dyer felt something tug at his heartstrings and flushed a bit. "It was nothing," he told her. "Can you walk?"
She was pale, shaking badly. Her leg had been wrapped nicely which only Gus could do. "Yes. I couldn't leave knowing that my baby was still in there."
Dyer looked around and frowned. "Where are they?"
"They said something about an inn I believe."
"Okay, but please get out of town while you still can," he told her, turning to leave until she told him to wait. "Yeah?"
"Thank you," she told him with a smile. The movement of her cheeks caused two tears to roll down. "Thank you so much."
He found himself tongue tied and only nodded.
There doesn't seem to be anyone as far as he could see. Often he stopped by into buildings filled with smoke and couldn't hear anything from them. There were a couple of stranglers, throwing rocks into windows and filling their pockets but he didn't mind them. No, that part of his life was over.
He climbed up the stairs and noted the broken door. His friends must've broken in already. The inn was once a large and lavish suit, able to represent Hatino as a fancy town. To see it nearly in ruins was just heartbreaking. Wood fell from the ceiling in a ball of fire.
Dyer kept moving forward, covering his mouth and nose with his forearm. "Guys! Ilia! Gus!" He called out.
"U-up here," a voice cracked, in a tone that did not bode with him well.
The flames were still weak, still new, and would only take a few minutes to spread. Going along the untouched stairway, Dyer could feel his heart caught in his throat.
There were several rooms but one door was left ajar. "Ilia!" Dyer shouted, entering the room only to have his nose broken.
With a surprised yelp, he fell on the ground with a loud thump. In front of him was Ilia, her eyes stinging with angry tears. He turned around to see a large man with a knife pressed on Gus' neck.
"You know, I really am starting to hate having a knife pointed at me," Gus muttered, trying to act nonchalant as he always does but his irked expression betrayed him. He grunted when the man pressed the knife harder.
Ilia helped Dyer and he got up slowly, his eyes never leaving the man. "What do you want?" He asked.
The man was as taller than he was, which wasn't an exaggeration since Dyer was six feet tall. With a thick beard and beardy eyes he could easily passed as a no good bandit. "What do ah want?" The man breathed out, some of his teeth replaced with gold. The look on Gus' face said that this man never heard of brushing. "Ah want yu, big boy."
With an iron of a fist, he brought Gus to the ground. There was blood slipping down Gus' face as he shrieked. Dyer went over to help his friend and in doing so he fell for the man's trap. The man brought his knee up, slamming it into Dyer's face, throwing the boy back on the ground.
Dyer heard the sound of a dagger unsheathed and saw it glimmer in the light before it made its way to the man. Ilia never got that far since the back of the man's hand slammed her into a wall. He couldn't go out to help her since she was closer to the man.
"What do you want?!" He shouted. "Can't you see the town's burning in hell?! People out there need our help!"
Gus was still on his knees, his heads on his head as he groaned in pain. He always tried to avoid physical fights if he could help it. The man kicked him aside like a limb doll. "Yu killed ma fockin' brathor ya shit," the man spat. "Yu da one with da hammer, ain't ya?" His eyes narrowed and deep anathema flashed in his eyes. "Smashed his 'ead like a damn watermelon ya did."
Dyer felt his heart sink to his feet. "I…I swear I didn't mean to."
"Well, your brother tried to kill us," Ilia replied dryly, leaning on the wall for support. "I'd say he had what's coming to him."
The man's eyes darkened to slits as he started to make his way to her until Dyer spoke, "I didn't mean to do it!" Dyer said louder in order to divert the man's attention to him. "I swear on the Goddesses I didn't!"
"Oh, ya swear? Oh doesn't that make a shit of a difference?" He let out a dry rough laugh, sending a chill down Dyer's spine. "Swear all ya want, boy, in the grave once ah done with ya."
Dyer didn't have a chance to move, not when that horrible feeling of guilt stuck him in place. The man he had killed did have a family and one who wanted revenge. Who was he to deny his brother revenge?
He was pushed to the ground, meaty hands wrapped around his neck. His head snapped back and forth as his passage of air squeezed shut. Someone managed to push the man off and it was Ilia with fire in her eyes. The man grabbed her by the hair and brought his knee to her stomach. It must've have been quite a blow since blood splattered out of her mouth. Slowly, she fell on her knees and collapsed.
"Ilia!" Dyer gritted his teeth and kicked the man back away from him. He knew he had no right to fight against the man who had his brother taken away but his friends shouldn't be involved with this. "Leave them out of this! I was the one who killed your brother!"
The man's eyes were darker than the night, filled with such hatred that it made Dyer so sick. In a way, this man reminded him of Link. It was only under the influence of alcohol does Link ever seem calm and relaxed.
But Link wasn't like this man. He tries so hard to be a heartless monster Dyer knew otherwise. He's been friends with Link for years and knew that he wanted to save these people.
"Ah'll kill ya all." The man smiled bitterly. "Every last one of ya, even that little shit kid."
Andie.
"He's just a kid!" Dyer snapped. "He did nothing wrong! None of them but me!" He tried to sound reasonable, even though he thought it was madness. "I'm the one you want, okay? Just get me."
But this man wasn't listening to Dyer. "Ah'll kill that green fockin' bastard Link." Yeah, good luck with that one, Dyer thought. "And that boy with shitty goggles. Ya get it now, shit head? Ah don't give a shit. I'll fock with everyone ya ever cared for if it's the last thing ah do. No one focks with ma family and gets away 'ith it."
Again Dyer couldn't move. The man toppled over him again, this time a knife drawn up. The glint made it look more lethal somehow. Dyer's breath stopped and he could only look up and saw what he thought was punishment. How could he ever go on living after killing someone? What right did he have?
Blood soon splattered everywhere. On the floor, on the cupboard, soaking into the carpet and droplets on his face. However, none of it was his.
Behind the man was Gus, his legs trembling badly that it was surprising he could even stand straight and a line of smoke whispered out the barrel of the gun in his hands.
Dyer pushed the motionless man from his body and his vision momentarily blurred. "Ah…ah…"
"D-Dyer, li-listen to me," Gus stammered, still in horror himself.
"Ah…Oh-oh my Goddesses…" He tugged his hair and snapped a look at Gus. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Gus was taken back but soon his eyes sharpened. "I saved your life, bastard." A crackling sound tore his attention and from the staircase that was visible from the room they were in soon clouded with smoke. Dyer was about to say something until Gus cut him off. "Not now, Dyer."
"Not now?! What the hell do you mean 'not now'?! You just killed someone!"
"I had to!" He shot back. "Otherwise he would've killed you and all of us! And how are we going to help anyone then?"
Ilia recovered from the brutal blow, still struggling on unsteady feet. "Where did you get that gun?" She asked.
"It slipped from his pocket when he came at Dyer," Gus replied, still shaken up by the experience. He hastily dropped the gun as if it was poisonous. Gus, who always stubbornly refused to pick up a weapon, had brought himself to kill a man. And he didn't seem as bothered as Dyer was.
Dyer could only sit on the ground with his head in his hands. Two brothers. They had killed two brothers and who knows how many more. "I can't…this is too much."
"We need to get out of here," Gus said, either didn't hear Dyer or choosing to ignore him. "The fire is spreading now."
"I think there's an entrance at the back. We should get there safely." Ilia turned to Dyer. "Come on."
"I'm not going," Dyer said numbly, dropping his hands. "I'm sorry. I can't do this."
"Don't be an idiot! He tried to kill us remember?" Ilia glared at him. She spoke to him in a more commanding tone, "Dyer, get up now."
"I'm not going," he repeated more lugubrious as his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry."
The anger soon replaced with horror. "Dyer, you can't be serious." Ilia sounded as if she was kicked again in the stomach. "We can't do this without you." When he shook his head, she took it upon herself to pull him up. Obviously she couldn't but she still persisted. "Come on, please!" Her voice cracked with tears. "You can't give up like this."
He took back his arm from her. "I'm not going anywhere." He stared down at the floor. "This is for the best."
"Is it?" Gus asked with anger rising. "Because from what I can see you're just running away."
Dyer couldn't bring himself to face Gus.
"You're going to die and just leave us like that? You're no better than Link."
"Don't compare me to Link," Dyer growled.
Gus went down on one knee. "You're not going to change anything, you know that? That man and his brother are dead. Killing yourself because you feel guilty won't make things better."
Dyer brought his eyes up and snapped, "Then what the hell am I suppose to do then? Just pray and pretend like it didn't happen?! How can I live on when I know I killed someone?" His voice strained and his eyes welled with tears. "How…how?" He covered his eyes with his hands. "I-I didn't want anyone to die. I don't know how to say sorry so this is the only thing I can do."
"Dyer, listen to me," Gus said softly. "I wanted to die so bad that night." He was talking about the night when he nearly lost his life. Gus always tried to look untouchable but his eyes were tortured. "I would have if Link didn't show up. That's when I realized that it was pointless to just go up and die like that. It won't solve anything, old boy. It won't bring back Dobbin or those thugs but what we can do is repent for it by living."
Ilia was begging Dyer through her eyes. He took in a deep breath as he looked at his two friends who had stayed with him for so long by his side. They needed him, his friends needed him right now. What if this was the Goddesses plan all along? If they had wanted him dead then Gus couldn't have mustered up the courage to pick up that gun.
There were a mix of exigent screams from the window. These people also needed him.
Ilia went over to hug him as soon as he stood up straight. "We'll make it through this," she promised him. "It will be hard and painful but we will. Together and alive we will." She looked at him now with wet eyes and a small smile. "So stay with us until then, okay?"
He nodded also smiling despite the weight in his heart. Healing and repenting will take a while, he knew this but with his friends anything was possible. He could move on from this, become a better person and a better friend.
"I hate to ruin the moment," Gus interrupted. "But that fire isn't going to stop."
As if on cue, fire flared from up the stairs, reaching until the ceiling. Ilia lead them out through a safer route, and Dyer glanced back over his shoulder to see the corpse one more time. The man tried to kill them all, supporting Gorge to take over the town and even tried to hang a little boy. This man had done terrible things and one could say that his fate was deserving but not Dyer. He was no judge or a God. It was not his place to decide who lives or who dies.
Even then it did ease him a little, knowing that man wouldn't hurt anyone anymore. The trio then went on to preform a task that would changed their lives forever.
Hank couldn't move anymore lest the wound reopens again. It felt like fire traveling up his leg every time he walks and once Andie was assertive that the fire won't reach them from here, he sat down promptly. They took shelter around a merchant's abandoned stall, away from the destruction and people. Andie pressed on one side of Quill's face to stop the bleeding. "That should do it," he said. The blood on his hands didn't seem to bother him.
From time to time, Hank kept forgetting that this was little Anny talking. He was too young to look like that, his face shrouded in worry and hands shaking. "We'll be alright, won't we?"
Hank couldn't even bring himself to comfort Andie. "I don't know, kiddo," he responded dully, only looking at Quill with dismay. Quill's breathing patterns wasn't helping. "I don't know anymore. Goddesses, why is this happening?"
His eyes fixed on the detonator bomb that he proudly made himself. "What have I done?" He moaned, the pain was ever present, more than the aching in his leg. "Why did I make that thing?"
"Hank—"
"Why did I bother making anything?"
The tree house, his inventions, everything he ever made always ended up in smokes. He bit down his lip to keep back tears. "We should've went with Link back then," he spoke, barely audible. He wasn't speaking about Link's confrontation with Gorge.
He couldn't bring himself to come closer to Quill. Fear came in waves, often so storng that the urge to get up and run as far away from the town was so tempting. What kept him grounded was Andie of course…that, and his injured leg.
A part of him was relived when Link told him to stay with Quill instead of going out to help people. And in that, he was ashamed of himself. He was always a coward. There were people out there burning in their homes. At this time of the day, a family might be enjoying their breakfast only to be burned to a crisp.
"Why is this happening?" He croaked out, the screams sounded so clear in the day, only shrouding his heart in more fear. Consternation began to slowly take his mind away, blinding him with panic.
"That's enough!" Andie snapped, bringing Hank out of his delirium. "I know we messed up a lot but we'll make things better. I know we can."
It sounded so cute and naïve. At least it was assuring to know that not all of Andie's innocence was gone. Hank just chuckled bitterly. "Make things better?" He pointed at Quill. "How in everything holy are we ever going to make him better?"
Look, Hank, I have one too, Quill said in a voice that tried to mask his pain. A voice so small and barely audible with a small kind smile.
Hank bit his bottom lip until he drew out blood. He tried to keep his tears in his eyes but they came anyways in fat droplets.
"How-how are we going to make any of this better?" His hand moved to show their surroundings, which were collapsing. The once bright and vibrant Hatino was now burning to the ground. "Say 'sorry', huh, Andie? What are we going to do?"
He couldn't believe he was asking this of a kid, that he was crying and wailing. He should act like the adult in the situation. If Andie sees him like this, he would end up freaking out as well.
"We'll make things right," Andie insisted, unfazed by Hank's tone. "I don't know how but we will. Running away or trying to hide won't make things any better."
Hank took in a shaky breath and covered his eyes with his palms. "You and Link, trying to act like damn heroes."
"You're a hero too," Andie said. "You went back to save me and Ilia and Link from Gorge when he came to the tree house." He frowned when Hank only chuckled at the absurdity of that. "You're not a bad guy here. It's all Gorge who did it."
Hank looked over at Quill who laid there breathing roughly. Guilt tied his heart. Poor Quill. Poor poor Quill. If only Hank hadn't treated him like shit he wouldn't have went after Gorge and messed himself with bombs.
The trigger of the detonator was still there, seemingly unscathed from the explosion of the fountain. How did it even survive that anyways? Hank couldn't bring himself to take it. His invention, the invention he was extremely proud of, had killed the man at the fountain and nearly killed his friend.
Oh Quill, Hank thought mournfully. What have you done to yourself, idiot?
Quill went by himself to the town, had opened up an exit for the people. He confronted Gorge all on his own, twice. And barely made it out alive and all for their sakes.
"I'm not a hero," Hank told Andie softly. Seeing half of Quill's face brunt off made Hank feel sick to his stomach. "If I was then Quill wouldn't look like that."
Andie placed his hands on Hank's laps. His big bright eyes looked at Hank. "You made mistakes and so did he. We all did mistakes. Feeling bad at ourselves won't make anything better, Hank. We have to be strong even if we're scared. That's what Link always says."
When did this kid grow up so fast? Where was this even coming from? This couldn't be the same little Anny from the mud.
There was conviction in his voice that made Hank smile a little. "I'll try," he said. Normally, he should be a bit uncomfortable since it was him that should be lecturing the kid, not the other way around. But Andie grew up a lot over the past few weeks.
Andie saw cruel and bitter people, he fought off against Gorge, he stood up for Quill, he insisted on coming with them even though he might die with him…damn, they shouldn't even be calling him 'little' anymore.
Hank messed Andie's hair a little. "You're tough nut to crack, kid."
Andie smiled but froze when a rough cough hacked from behind them. Quill sounded as if he was breathing through a thick piece of cloth. Enough air passes by for him to live but it was suffocating to hear.
Hank took to his side. "Hang on, man. You'll make it through this." Just looking at his face, Hank dreaded to think of how Quill would react. He swallowed hard. "You're going to be okay, you hear? We-we'll practice archery, me and you. You always like that, don't you?" He gave a shaky laugh.
"We're not going to put apples on our head, just so you know," Andie told Quill with a smile.
Yeah, Quill has a scary way of getting back at people. Hank will think twice before dismantling a bow.
Hank took in a deep breath. "Don't worry. Link's got this one. He'll be giving Gorge a new look once he's done."
There's no doubt in his mind that any second Link will come back unscathed from battle, dragging an unconscious lunatic to the ground and wearing a big smile on his face. That's Link all right. Nothing can stop him.
Link hasn't tormented anyone in so long so of course he was excited.
He held his shield up and watched Gorge vehemently laugh. "So, you actually came?" Gorge grinned widely, holding up his gun. "If this was how to reel you in I would've done this a long time ago."
"Someone needs to lock you in a cage," Link told him, returning a smile of his own. "Like the dog you are or better yet, how about we just throw you to the sea?" He lifted his shield up in time to feel something small banging on it and when he put it down Gorge still had that cheeky grin on him. Link blew the string of hair from his eyes. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything for a dying lad," Gorge said, firing again and Link blocked it.
"So, we both know I didn't kill Dobbin..."
"Uh huh."
Link felt his shield riddled with bullets and it pushed him back. "And the only reason why you wanted me was to make yourself look good in front of people. But now you're using them as target practice so what gives?"
Gorge shrugged. "They don't appreciate anything I do for them so I'll burn them to hell."
"Yeah but you don't need to kill me anymore," Link pointed out. "You have some sort of obsession with me, don't you think?" Link could see his friends moving around town, doing their best to avoid the fight he was having.
He could see Dyer lending his shoulder to a man and Gus was carrying a child with him. Ilia was leading the way, assisting an old man. They were nothing but scruffy kids yet in his eyes they looked like true heroes.
Gorge didn't notice them and now he frowned at the question. "They were siding with you," he said quietly, and fired several shots, before tossing his gun away and bringing out a new one. "They decided to side with a criminal than with me!" His voice rose. Link stepped back when each bullet shoved him. "I know what you want. You want to run the office, don't you? I never thought I had to compete with someone for it. You're the real villain here."
He's really lost it, Link thought gleefully.
Link decided not to correct Gorge. "Come on, can you blame me for wanting the office?" Link grinned as he pointed with his thumb over his shoulder at the burning carriage. "It's not like you were doing any better."
"Shut up!" Gorge barked. "You're the bad guy here. You ruined everything for me!"
"Uh huh. So after you're done with this shootout then you'll turn the gun on yourself," Link said, his view blocked momentarily as he covered himself.
Gorge threw the gun away and he took yet another one from his bag. Link finally understood how Gorge works with his pistols. If the old man had been using just one this entire time the chances of it blowing up in his face were pretty big. In that handbag of his that hung over one shoulder, Link guessed there were about more pistols loaded.
At this point Gorge was getting frustrated and now the tables have turned. Now Link is the one getting closer and Gorge back. Panic was etching on his face as he aimlessly shot away.
Link smiled at him. "How about you stop this now before things get out of hand?" As if they already aren't.
Around them was nothing but destruction. The wind lifted the ashes from the ground in curly style, the flames rose higher into the sky, choking the sunlight with black puffs of smoke.
Gorge didn't say anything as he kept firing regardless. Beads of sweat dripped down his face either from heat or concentration. Link felt a grin on his face just as he was a couple of steps away from the old man. This was far too easy. Any minute and victory will be his. He felt his tools in his pocket and knew that this would be a lovely morning for the both of them.
He needed to show Gorge just how much he appreciated having his friends locked up like animals and burning their home down. Spicy mustard would do it. He'll shove it so far up the man's nose that he'll be chugging it off for the rest of the month. Maybe break a bone or two, slowly. You need to go slow otherwise the person might pass out. Link cracked a grin. It's been so long since he played with anyone. Watching someone scream for mercy would be enough to keep him happy for the rest of the week.
But then Link did the most stupidest thing yet. The ground was slippery, sliding his leading foot a little, making him stubble back. He managed to catch his balance but it was far too late.
Pain erupted from his knee and Link gasped, falling down. He grimaced as pain fired in his leg and he cursed out loud. Clumsy. That was too clumsy for him and the cause of that was his over confidence.
Gorge hid his relief with a smile but Link wasn't done yet. He forced himself up and took cover behind a food stall. Bullets were forcing their way into the wood. The deafening sound rang on his ears as he held his head down. The aching in his leg was excruciating, bleeding all over the place. He needed to finish this quick but how? He couldn't very well limp his way over to the madman. Even with the shield, he would need both legs to hold his ground against those bullets.
"I don't know why but I just really hate you," Gorge said over the boom his gun made. He stopped to throw it away just in case it exploded on him and took out another one. "You just get on my nerves real bad."
Link wanted to punch the man. "I never did anything this entire time! Are you kidding me?!" He complained, and when saw that Gorge was right at his side he made a run for it. The bullets were edging to his feet as he slid at behind a burning carriage then made it to the bar. It was still in one piece and Link turned a table over and took cover.
"You can run but you can't hide, my boy!" Gorge screamed with a delight and blasted away in. He didn't seem to know where Link was since his bullets flew everywhere. Bottles shattered and alcohol flew all over the place. Link ducked down, feeling the glass falling on his head.
He took the moment to pull up his bangs and stick them above his head with a pin. It was reliving to see the world without yellow and black lines in his eyes.
Link crawled his way through the bar, hiding under tables and ducking his head low. He watched Gorge blindly fire away, decorating the place with holes. The madman stopped, threw away the gun and reached for another one. There was a moment of silence and Link risked his neck by peering up. Gorge was rumbling through his bag frustratingly then he saw Link. Link dropped his head just in time before a bullet could touch his head.
Gorge was down to his last gun, Link realized, noticing how the old man stopped his reckless shooting and now was firing attentively as if every bullet counts. He took this chance and bolted out of the bar, bullets chasing after him. A bolt of pain shot up to his leg and it forced him to drop his shield. He tried to turn and get it back but Gorge was right there with his gun.
It was the puppet show that saved his life. It may have been reduced to nothing but a large heap of wood but it had saved him. He pressed his back against it, feeling a curse on his tongue. Gorge was now laughing like a child who found a stash of candy. "Guess you won't be needing this thing anymore!" Gorge sang and Link heard a metallic object thrown away. Goddammit.
This was bad. This was very bad. The only weapon he has was the Master Sword and that can't stop anything. Unless he tries to deflect bullets but that's like trying to catch flies with a chopstick.
Out here with nothing to defend himself with, he never felt so vulnerable before. He was stuck and if Gorge kills him then the town and his friends were screwed. Gorge was coming in closer, his footsteps were crunching the burnt pieces of wood and twigs. Now that Link was defenseless there's no need for Gorge to fear. He was going to stuff Link with every bullet he had on him and then turn on the villagers once more. Link's heart raced as he went through his adventure pouch in a frenzy.
He still had Rick's note and the letter from Dobbin's corpse. Trying to shoot an arrow against Gorge's bullet would be like a turtle racing against a horse. His last resort came down to the brown colored bottle that Rick had given him as a jest. An idea struck him.
"If only you had died," Gorge was saying, placing his hand on top of the puppet show, "none of this would've happened. You could've—" He screamed when glass dug into his face. The gun from his hand dropped and Link lunged himself at the old man.
He landed on top of Gorge and dived his fists into the man's face. He relished how his knuckles burned. Gorge's nose was broken once more and his head snapped back. There was nothing but the burning buildings and the ashes surrounding them and Link felt a menacing smile on his face. Just watching the blood on Gorge's face and that fear – oh that sweet fear sent chills up his spine. He would have decided to use his tools but thought to mess Gorge's face the same way he's done to Quill.
He kept going and going, not stopping to see how Gorge's hand was patting the dirt, seemingly to be looking for something. Blood bled from all over his face and Link was laughing at the pain in his knuckles, at the sight of blood.
The fun ended there when a hot sensation came on his stomach and a loud bang came after. His eyes widen and he dropped to his side from the old man. Gorge was screaming, holding down his head in utter pain.
"You bastard, you goddam bastard!" He shrieked, snarling at Link. "You need to die! You need to die right now! I'm going to kill you so bad and everyone else in this town!"
"E-everyone," Link crocked out, masking his pain with amusement. He lay down with a halo of blood around him. His hand clutched around the wound. "You've lost your mind, old man."
Eyes shaking with fury, Gorge lowered the gun to Link's forehead. "Do I look like I've lost my mind?"
"Yes," Link said lamely without hesitation. "Yes, you do. You really do, buddy."
Link swallowed when he felt the cold metal touch his forehead. Dammit, it can't end like this. Ilia and the town will be goners if Gorge was to roam around for long. His back hurt, his stomach, his leg, every part of his body was aching with pain.
I can't stop, he thought desperately, staring into the cold darkness of the gun. The pain didn't matter for now. It shouldn't matter. His friends need him and he will not leave them again on their own.
He groped at his pocket in search for something but all he could feel was the tube that contained mustard. This was it for him.
Gorge pulled the trigger and Link was staring at the gun. He expected his brains to cover the floor and thought he would at least feel pain before he dies. The only thing that occurred was the empty clicking sound of the pistol and Gorge gaped at it.
Link used every once of his being to move. His hands groped for a rock and he lunged it into Gorge's face. The man shrieked in more pain than Link anticipated. Gorge's head was almost cracking open, he thought, taking another ammunition and throwing it at his face.
He got ahold of Gorge's leg and sent him to the ground. His fists diving once more on Gorge's face, but his strength was disappearing, as was his vision. Link was pushed off and now Gorge was taking a hit. They were both sprawling on the ground, one trying to get the better out of the other. The bastard managed to bruise his eye and cut his lip. Dirt stings his eye and he tasted iron.
"You ruined everything!" Gorge yelled, punching Link's face. "Everything was fine until you came along!"
This was perhaps what he's been told his whole stay. He shouldn't have come here, they told him. Everything was better until he came along.
Which part was exactly better? How on earth was anything in this town any better before and after he got here? The chief has already been dead and Gorge would've still become a chief anyways and the people would've still rebelled against him. The only thing Link has managed to change were his friends.
He had enough of being accused for things he never did. This town is damn lucky to have him here.
Link forced the tube up Gorge's nose and watched the man yelp with surprise. "If you're going to hate me at least hate me for the right reasons!" Link shouted, taking Gorge by the shirt of his neck and slamming heads with him.
It was his turn now. He was on top of Gorge and he couldn't stop. Everything poured out of him, Andie's petrified face on the platform, all of his innocence taken away, the burning home of his friends, Quill's face, that horrible, horrible face of his, the scar of Hank. None of them deserved all that. No one did. Everything was the doing of this man alone. This moron who wanted nothing but power and saw everyone as nothing more than insects.
He didn't know how long he spent rearranging Gorge's face. His body felt unbearably hot and his vision blurred. Gorge wasn't moving and Link fell at his side, clutching on his stomach. His tunic darkened and he lay there next to the old man staring up at the clouds.
Something touched his face. It was gentle and wet. He smiled as he gazed up at the sky, remembering how he loved the endless blue with puffs of clouds. The drop touched him again, like a soft soothing touch. The ground around him was now dotting with small circles and the fire was lessening.
He blinked when one came in his eye but that didn't bother him too much. He liked the feeling, this feeling of calmness and relaxation. It was the first time in a long time he felt this way, that his life wasn't in constant danger, that not every shadow wanted to kill him or people wanted to rip him apart. He glanced up and saw more of them coming. They came down like lines of white and landed on the earth.
He closed his eyes and inhaled the smell of wet earth. His body was too heavy too move and he felt sticky in his own blood. Something was calling out for him and he heard his name but he was too tired to reply.
"Link!" Ilia screamed, shaking him. "Link, no!"
The heavy pour around her tamed the fires and what was left was the last smoke slithering to the sky. Dyer was still bleeding after one of Gorge's men nearly took his life. He wasn't doing too bad though, and even carried three unconscious villagers on his shoulder.
They were all surrounding Link and his pallid face never looked so peaceful. He had a sweet smile on his face and she's never seen him so calm before.
Andie was shaking his head. "Link, please wake up." He gently tapped on his shoulder and cried.
Gus was furiously shaking Link. "Hey, idiot! We did what you told us and now you're thinking of dying?!" He shouted, tears were now running down his face as he shook harder. "What is wrong with you?! You honestly don't give a damn about us?!"
"Gus, please stop doing that," Hank said quietly, his eyes were pooling with tears. He had Quill on his shoulder who was barely even conscious. "Please."
Gus didn't though and Link didn't show any reactions. "You're just pretending again! I know you are so quit it!" He was coughing now and his hands were shaking. "It-it's not funny!" He stopped, covering his eyes. "Okay, you got us so please wake up." He glanced up at Hank who put a hand on his shoulder.
Dyer was catching up and he first saw the kaput chief with a roseate face of blood. "Good lord, he really messed the guy up." Then he noticed Link. "Hey, what the hell happened to you?!"
Quill coughed and Hank let him sit on the ground. He was looking at Link with penitent and weakly pounded a fist on the ground. "Dammit, you...had one job," Quill snapped, panting between his words. "Are...are you seh-seriously going to d-die looking like that?"
Small number of villagers gathered around and Ilia could barely make out of them through her tears. She stood up. "Please is there a doctor?" She took a step forward, looking at them desperately. "You have to help him!"
They were muttering to one another and she wanted to scream for help. Scream to the heavens to send anything to help Link.
A man stood out from the crowd with a thick beard. "That's Link, isn't it?" He glanced over at Link then at her. "Why should we help him?"
Ilia was about to give him a reason from the top of her lungs but Hank did the honors. "He just saved your asses!" He yelled, standing up. "In fact, he wasn't the only one! We haven't been sitting around either!"
"I heard him saying that Gorge was the one who killed Dobbin," a woman said to the thick bearded man. "And Gorge wasn't denying it."
The man still didn't seem convinced. "It doesn't change the fact that you kids were still in his house to begin with," he pointed out. "Let's say that Gorge did kill Dobbin, what exactly were you kids doing in his house to begin with?"
"That doesn't matter!" She gestured to Link. "That doesn't matter at all!"
"I think it does, miss," he told her firmly. "We're not about to help another madman here."
Why did she bother saving them? How was she ever convinced of risking her life for these ungrateful louts? Link, without hesitation, came here and saved all of them. He risked his life but not even that could clear his name? Then what would they have him do? Die on his own pool of blood?
Tears rolled down her face as she glanced at Link who grew paler. He saved them all, saved this town by stopping a lunatic and no one will even acknowledge that?
Andie was the first to move and he surprised them all by going on his knees and touching the ground with his forehead. "We were stealing and we're so sorry!"
The rain brought his hair in his eyes and darkened their shirts. It claimed the fire and poured harder as thunder roared.
"Andie, what are you doing?!" Gus demanded.
Andie didn't listen to him. "We're just stupid thieves and we're so sorry for causing trouble!" He cried.
"Stop that," Ilia tried to say and he lifted his head, glaring at all of them with such hatred that she took a step back.
"Link is dying for all of us!" He shouted. "And you all care more about your pride?! Look at what's happened all because we wanted to steal! He's our friend. Are we going to leave him like we did with Quill?" His face was red as he screamed and went back to bowing his head down. "He's done everything for us and we were all so selfish!"
He was so small in the dirt. He was just a little boy. But this little boy proved to be much braver than all of them.
Ilia didn't know what to do and glanced back at Link who just lay there with that gentle smile on his face. It crushed her heart to see him like this.
The air chilled to the point she could see her breath in a small white cloud.
Dyer was the first to follow Andie, on his knees and forehead down. "He's right," his voice spoke out soft. "We were stealing but we didn't kill the chief. I swear it on my parents grave and the Goddesses that we never meant to hurt the man so please save our friend," he said it softly and his body shook. "Link didn't do anything wrong. It was all us from the beginning. He wanted no part in it, even trying to stop us but we didn't listen."
Next was Gus and he was the surprising one out of all of them since his pride would never allow it. "Punish us instead," he said and it was almost a pleading. His hands were sinking in mud. "He tried to stop us from stealing but we didn't listen. None of this was his fault so please, please help him. We're just stupid kids. We didn't know any better."
"I'm begging you," Hank sobbed, he pounded his forehead down, tears mixing with mud. "You can't let him die. Please, I'll do anything."
Ilia was the last one standing and she stared at them. Link meant everything to them just as he was when they were children. He saved Hatino without thinking of a reward, has done nothing but try to help them and they made things so difficult for him.
These people had the right to be angry but not at him.
Slowly, she followed their movement, sobbing so hard that words were difficult. She felt the mud on her forehead and it squished between her fingers. "Everything is my fault," she croaked out, pressing her head down. "It was my plan to rob Dobbin and I never wanted him to die, I swear on my life." She was crying harder. "We deserve to be locked up. We're the ones that caused all of this but not Link. He never did anything wrong since he came here. So please help him." She shut her eyes tightly. "I'm begging you."
They were the most nefarious gang in town. Robbing people blind, enjoying the power they felt over others. Now here they were, pride abandoned, reputation shattered, finally acting rectitude. They weren't a fearsome, notorious gang anymore but a bunch of children that made terrible choices. She didn't care what they thought about her, there was no shame or embarrassment in her begging but only desperation. Link doesn't deserve this. It was high time he gets vindicated. If they could save Link…just Link…
"All right," the man with the bread said softly. "I think you've already been punished enough." He waited until they all were on their feet, wiping their tears. Mud clung on their shirts and hands, it made an oval shape on their foreheads. "I'm a doctor and I will help your friend."
The relief was so great that she crocked out a small broken laugh and she tearfully glanced back at her friends with a smile.
"But there's one problem," he said gravely, damping on their little victory. "There's no herbs so we might have to go out looking for some and I don't know how long—"
"We'll help look," Gus cut him off, too relived to be patient. "We'll look all over the damn woods and bring enough for the whole town. Just tell us what to find."
They were hurt and languid but more prepared to look all over the kingdom if they had to. If it's to save Link, they would do anything.
The doctor seemed impressed by their devotion and loyalty and was just about to say something until a voice uttered out, "What in hell…?"
She rubbed her eyes and even pinched herself. It must be a dream; maybe the loss of blood was messing with her head. Her friends had their jaw slackening and she knew that she wasn't the only one seeing this. A large man with a massive beard was standing behind the crowd, gaping at the sight. There was an enormous sack on his back.
There was silence followed by a cry. Andie was running to the man, wrapping his arms around him. "Dobbin!" He cried like never before. "You're alive!"
"Of course I am!" He said it like it was obvious and looked around the blackened town as the rain poured all around them. They all flummoxed him as Andie pulled back. "What happened here?!"
"We saw your corpse, you old fool!" The doctor yelled. "You honestly went on an expedition?!"
Dobbin put down the enormous bag he carried, opening it to reveal blooming flowers and herbs. "You said we were running low on medical supplies so I went out and got some."
A woman was weeping. "Oh, Dobbin, it was terrible!" She wailed, wiping her tears. "There was Gorge and…"
"Gorge?!" Dobbin looked again and cursed. "I never knew…good lord, when I get my hands on him—" He stopped when he saw the gang just staring back at him. "Hey, you kids are—" He was nearly toppled off as they all hugged him furiously. "Hey, what now?!"
Ilia couldn't explain her feelings. Nothing in this world has ever felt so amazing. He smelled of earth and nature and she pressed her cheek on his chest. Just smelling him was enough to tell her that it wasn't her imagination. There was blood pumping into his heart, color on his face. "You're alive!"
"You missed you!" Hank clenched tighter. "We're so sorry!"
"Nothing could ever kill you." Gus made it as a joke but he was weeping now. "Don't ever leave us again!"
Dyer couldn't even speak anymore and was crying like a giant child and Dobbin had to push them all off. "Alright already, enough is enough!" He shook his head and his bread swayed at the motion. "Just what have you've al been to? Can someone explain this to me?"
Coming up from the chief's bag was another surprise for them all. It was a little sprit glowing with orange. "Hey, you little brats!" Katie said with glee as she danced in front of them. "Did you think you got rid of me? Huh?!"
Ilia grabbed her from the air and was hugging her by the cheek. It felt like a dream and she wanted to shout out of joy. "You're alive too!" She cried. "I'm so sorry I did that!" Fresh tears came on and she smiled.
Andie was laughing too. "I'm glad you're okay," he told her, smiling kindly with tears.
"What is with you kids?!" Katie was released now and she saw her surroundings. "What on earth happened here?!"
Dobbin stopped when he saw a figure leaning on the tree. Quill managed to stay on his feet. "Dobbin…" He uttered then broke into silent tears. "Dobbin, you're alive."
"Alive and well," the chief answered grimly and placed his hands on his hips. "What happened here, young man?"
Gus tried to help Quill but was pushed away. "I did it. I was the one that set your house on fire."
"You did what?!" The doctor growled and picked up a pitchfork but Dobbin stopped him.
Quill was limping; his hand covered that horrible mark on his face so that none of them could see it. "I wanted to prove to myself...that I am a Sheikah." His voice cracked, as he pulled his hair. "Not a day has passed that I haven't regret doing it. I can't even apologize." He shut his eyes, and Ilia wanted to hug him. He was in so much pain that even the doctor winced. "I should've listened to you and just walked away." He stopped, hot tears running down his face and he couldn't stop. "I'm sorry… I don't know what else to say…I'm so sorry… I'm not a Sheikah. I'm nothing."
Ilia hugged him, could feel his pain at his touch. "Don't say that," she said out loud. "Don't ever say that. We need you here. You're still our friend."
Dobbin sighed. "Sounds like you guys had a tough time." He swallowed. "I won't leave ever again. I promise you all that."
Katie moved next to Ilia and Quill. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier," the fairy said with genuine with a tint of blue. "It wasn't right of me to judge you kids."
"No, you were right about us," Gus assured her with a bitter smile. "We really are worthless."
"Yeah," Hank replied quietly. "We are."
"But that doesn't mean you deserve all this!" She went close to his face, glowing with a warmth of orange. "I should've been more patient with you guys and more understanding."
"Yeah…" Ilia wiped a tear away and laugh a little. "I'm sorry too."
Katie glowed with a warm, amicable orange. "Let bygones be bygones."
They all remembered Link when Katie shrieked at the sight of him. He was deathly pale now and his chest moved slowly. They brought him inside as well as Quill. The other injured villagers and the gang crowded at the doctor's.
Ilia helped as she could, bringing people medicine and assisting the doctor when asked. As she looked at the glowing faces of the villagers, the last of the smoke from the fire, she knew in her heart that this nightmare was over. Gorge was done and his men were arrested for the crimes against the town. Peace was restored back to their home and it was all thanks to Link.
The Hero of Hatino.
AHHHHHH FINALLY FINALLY!
Yes that was me fangirling my own work BECAUSE I FINALLY FINISHED IT OMG! So the next chapter will conclude The Hero of Hatino and Link and Katie will finally be able to continue their journey and annoy the hell out of each other.
Thank you to everyone that still stayed around. Honestly I haven't wanted this arc to be this long which was why I made it short in the beginning but then added more things because I really wanted the characters to stand out. So that was why it took longer than it should have. I hope you guys enjoyed it so far. Please know that reviews even if it's criticisms always make me motivated and work harder on my stories. It makes me smile so isn't that an award?
So again thank you and look forward to the ending of this arc in the next chapter~!
