Chapter 29
The road to recovery for Zack was far from an easy one. The doctor treated his injury like a break, and after a few days he got him to complete daily routines of physical theory on his arm. When Rose asked if it was necessary, the doctor replied "If he does not use his arm regularly, the muscles there will begin to deteriorate."
The good news was that at this point he also abolished the idea of Zack never being able to move his arm. He still had trouble moving it, and couldn't make any quick movements with it, at least not at this point. Every time he accidentally reached for something too fast or even just spun around would result in Zack grimacing in pain.
Rose observed all this of course from… Well… being there for once. This occasion she didn't sit in the shadows and watch as things unfolded, she was apart of it. Part of it was definitely guilt, but she knew a larger part was just that she liked his company. More then being alone it seems. This was a notion she now openly admitted to herself, and that notion in itself both dismayed and pleased her at the same time. She liked being with him a lot.
Zack still held his good sense of humor, which was at times a godsend and at others a scourge. Zack could still get on her nerves, and when he did she would often stride out before she would say something cold and harsh. Zack was probably used to it by now, but after all that's happened to him she wanted to refrain from it at least for the moment.
Zack too had apparently noticed the slight change in her demeanor. "You seemed to have… changed a little" he questioned after about a week after the incident. He was still in his hospital bed, but he was able to move around freely and only had to return when he had to undergo checkups and complete his therapy.
"I don't know what you're talking about" Rose replied. Although she may be ready to admit it to herself, she knew she wasn't ready to admit it to him. Rose was prepared for the thousand and one more questions he would fire in an attempt to get an answer, but he didn't question further. He sat down on his bed and smiled, and when she turned that smile on her it made her feel like she did when he done that a week ago, just after he broke the embrace. For gods sake Rose, get a hold of yourself. Don't get caught up in this little high school romance theme, it isn't you Her mind called furiously. And it was right.
Rose scowled and stood up. "I'm calling in for the day" and with that she walked out before Zack could get in another word. It was only the late afternoon, but she wanted, or rather needed distance from him. This was becoming too dangerous, especially when the likes of Wen are still out there hunting them somewhere. She had to pull herself together, and put her romance, or whatever the hell she wanted at the moment aside.
She had been residing at the near by inn, although she really only slept there. It was a bed and bathroom, that was about it and even that was shabby. She then reminded herself this is more of a fort then a town. She walked in, and wanted something to cool her blood which has been pumping wildly ever since Zack. An idea had come to her head, and so she entered, got her sword and went out, towards the swampy outskirts of Hoax.
Zack shifted uneasily in his small white sheet bed. The painkillers began to fade and clarity slowly consumed his hazy mind. Something is off he thought. Zack veered his head from one side to the other, as if to look for something in particular. He then let out a sigh, and sat up, placing his hands behind his back for stability. Small pain flickered from his shoulder, but nothing he wasn't already used to.
Something felt eerie to him, something he couldn't quite pinpoint. Intuition perhaps? He didn't know. It could be the drugs he supposed; and although had stopped taking painkillers days ago, he was still heavily medicated on other drugs which had similar effects. Perhaps they still had their delusional influence him. But it did little to shake the feeling of… unease, like something was coming. He wanted nothing more at that moment then to be armed with his spear as the feeling of insecurity almost became too overwhelming.
The doctor waltzed in not a few moments later, muttering to himself as he scanned down his clipboard of patients and their problems.
"Hey doc?" Zack asked, almost tentatively as he heard a string of cusses come from his mouth. "Yes?" the doctor replied, not taking his preoccupied eyes of the paper.
"Is err… everything alright? Like outside?" Zack questioned a little sheepishly. The doctors eyebrows raised, his eyes now firmly on his. "Don't worry doc, I didn't get into your medical supply and steal any painkillers" Zack laughed. "I just want to make sure everything is alright."
The doctor walked over to the nearby window and glanced out. He quickly turned his attention back to his clipboard after finding nothing of interest.
"Nope, nothing out of the ordinary" he assured. Zack nodded and thanked the doctor, and the doctor nodded in returned and disappeared into another room.
Sighing, Zack fell back onto his pillow, feeling silly and embarrassed. It was all probably paranoia, and he assured himself that not at every interval that something would go wrong just because it could. Closing his eyes, he felt tiredness sweep through his body like a river, and subsequently sleep began to grip him. Letting himself be consumed, he felt himself drift into a world of dreams and fantasy.
Wake up!
Zack's eyes flutter open instantly as he feels the warm gust of wind blow through him, his ears ringing loudly feeling like they're about to burst. Rolling off his bed, he peers outside, and his eyes widen in chock and horror at the site he now beholds.
Another explosion ensures.
In the swampy outskirts, full of green overgrowth and thickets that made the area feel like the Amazon, Rose stalks, her movements slow and deliberate, her eyes narrow and focused, her posture composed and prepared. Like a cat some would describe her. She prowls, waits, and strikes at the right moment, sometimes not even giving her enemies enough time to register what had happened. Yes, a cat is a perfect comparison to the way Rose hunts.
Only the last dying rays of light remain in the red afternoon sky as A large four stubbed legged creature trotted across a large mud puddle, its eyes leering, and its large snout slightly ajar. The beast was not tall, but it was long, bore large sharp teeth and rough spiky armor. A crocodile it was, although these breed of crocodiles are more adapted, aggressive, not to mention slightly more intelligent then there fresh and salt water kin. There skin was a dark brown, to match the muddish swamps that they reside in. Its large tail waved as it propelled it faster through the thick swamp and dense shrubs. A small sound came from the near by bushes, and the Crocodile detected it. It spun its head in the direction of the sound, but it only got as far as half way before the crocodile found itself impaled on a large steel sword. A cat indeed was Rose, showing herself only when she struck, and usually that was all they saw if anything. Withdrawing the sword, she moved back into the green bushes, waiting for her next unfortunate prey.
It had been a while since Rose had trained solo, but it was just the thing to get her mind off the matters which plagued her mind the most. Now she was able to escape it all, her mind and body focused on one thing: The hunt. Honing her skills was always something she couldn't get enough of, and while the enemies here proved to be no threat, they were still sport. For the few hours she had been out here, she had killed a satisfactory amount of monsters, although the humid climate and muddy terrain made it somewhat uncomfortable.
Wiping beads of sweat off her brow with her muddy hand, she sighed and decided she should probably call it a day after the next kill. Her eyes flickered and she spotted her next prey. It came in the form of a merman, its upper body humanoid in every way, even its messy hair and brown eyes. The bottom half was a large blue tail that aided it in swimming, in this case the shallow swamps. Sizing it up, she readied herself for another kill.
The merman stopped suddenly, lifted its head up and began to look around. For a moment, Rose thought she had been spotted, and was surprised considering she was camouflaged behind thick green undergrowth and bushes. Then it fled in the direction it came, screeching loudly as the near by crows in the trees spread out in there own directions.
Wandering what upset them, Rose spun around when a shockwave rattled her, almost sending her sprawling. After she regained her equilibrium she gazed in the direction the blast came from, and shrieked in horror when she found out where it had came from. Running as fast as her legs would allow, she headed back to Hoax.
Another explosion rocked the city, blasting many and destroying much in the near by radius, although the blasts weren't as big as they sounded. Rose re-entered Hoax to find it in disarray. Bodies lay everywhere, construction rests aflame and chaos clouds the devastated city. It was somewhat reminiscent of when Sandora attacked Hoax last time. The two front watchtowers were blazing while the second level of the town was treated to a barrage of arrows. Some used the Inn and the strong iron walls of the houses and other structures to safeguard against the ranged onslaught, while others weren't so lucky. The floor level of the city, and more importantly the floor that Zack was housed in appeared to be systematically ransacked by soldiers.
Rose didn't have much more time to analyze any further. Two armored soldiers approached her, their eyes empty and their posture threatening. Rose glanced at the armored genome soldiers, and when they got within range she drew her sword and managed to strike one in the chest. Rose eased the blade out of her first Sandorian victim and lunged at the one right next her, hoping to gain a second consecutive kill. However, this soldier was not to be caught off guard, at least not on this exchange as his comrade had been and was able to place his spear in front of the incoming blade, preventing it from piercing its body.
Rose withdrew and lashed her blade towards the soldier a couple more times, although these were only deflected in the same fashion the first one had been. Sighing with vexation, Rose jumped back, sheathed her blade and opened both of her palms face up. Dark mist began to surround her hand, and the soldier started towards her, its spear high in the air. A smile crept across Rose's face and she clapped her hands together and sent a dark vortex towards her opponent, causing it to cry in agony as the black void consumed the genome soldier. Rose wasted no time and continued forwards, running towards the clinic and avoid avoiding outside interference where possible.
To Rose's horror the door inside had been forced open, the doorknob broken and the door nearly off its hinges. Holding her rapier close, she slowly entered the dark clinic, her eyes scanning the dim vicinity. She made her way to Zack's bed with no hassle, but was alarmed to find he was absent. Glancing around she could see no blood or any sign of a struggle. He must have left she thought.
"I wouldn't move missy" a light voice commanded. Rose felt the tip of something sharp press against the back of her neck. "Unless you want your spine and the rest of your body to stay in one piece" he added.
Rose moved her eyes sideways, her peripherals picking up the blonde soldier who held a spear to the back of her neck. She could spot three others, armed with bow and arrows watching her silently.
"I control these mindless goons, so it wouldn't be wise to –" Rose pivoted around with grace that amazed even the soldier and before he knew what had happened she was now behind him, her blade resting firmly against his Adams apple.
"Then you better call them off" she breathed into his ear. The man began to stutter, apparently not happy with the situation he had now found himself in.
"I only control these ones. The main commander is the only one with a universal authority" he explained, his voice high and fearful.
"Then tell me why you're here" She hissed. She pressed the blade harder against his neck, and bits of blood began to ooze out.
"We're here on an assassination mission, as well as retrieve any Dragoon Spirits we can" he stammered. "Although our primary object was our assassination target…" he trailed off, not saying any more. Zack was your target, wasn't he? Rose thought. The commander's face then brightened a little. "So can you let me go now?"
"…Sure" Rose agreed, and then pulled her blade across his neck, the jagged edge causing serrations in his neck as it sawed into his windpipe. Rose let go of the soldier and he fell face first into the white hospital tiles, chocking out his last few breaths. I can let you go straight to hell Rose mimed and noticed the other genome soldiers began to ready their bow. Wasting no further time, she sprinted back the way she came from and out the door into the frenzied streets.
Rose saw that the Sandora's numbers had dwindles significantly, and thought it a rather odd that the minuscule number of people dispatched was all that was dispatched. Once again it appeared Sandora had underestimated them, a habit caused by their growing arrogance she assumed. Running past all the hectic battles a struggles, she sprinted up to the second floor towards the Inn in hopes that Zack had turned up there.
Rose was able to make it to the Inn with relative ease, only having to kill few on her journey up. The door stood opened, and once she peered in she could see several bloody soldiers lying around the reception area. She heard screams from above, and sprinted up the stairs towards the apparent battle.
In the slim hallway of the inn that branched off into the independent rooms, Kongol stood, Zack at the wall behind him. His axe cleaved through another soldier, the blood spraying in the large giganto's eyes, causing momentary blindness. Kongol's frame being too large in the small area to simply go around (making him an effective wall between the soldiers and Zack), they launched an assault on the dazed foe. One thrust their spear into the olive giant's arm, in lodging it in forearm. Kongol dropped his axe in an act of reflex and roared with what sounded like more anger then pain, and he grabbed the spear, ripped it out and snapped in with his free hand. Although many would be fearful, many had been before, these empty vessels only stared at him, there face unflinching. Kongol leered and with the jagged end of the spear that ended with the metallic fine tip, he rammed it into the soldiers head, right between his eyes. He fell, but this gave Kongol no respite. Another soldier came at him, raising his blunt weapon menacingly. Kongol grabbed the genome with his large hand and with a mighty heave he threw him through the white plastered wall. The soldier yelped as he collided with the thin wall, breaking it and falling to the lower level.
Kongol turned his head to see two more soldiers remain. Kingol fell to one of his knees, exhaustion beginning to take its toll. He had fought from the hospital with Zack, out on to the streets. Sweat and blood mixed together as it dripped off his skin, and he felt his muscles begin to tighten, and then go numb. Even with all the fighting he had been doing, his body was made for the heat of combat, and it was a rarity that his body ever fell into a state of this kind of fatigue, especially this early. Forcing himself up onto his feet, which took tremendous effort, he readied himself for the fight that awaited.
As both soldiers lunged for him, one of them came to a sudden halt, groaning outwardly. The other soldier who was beside him during the attempted assault stopped and looked at his now injured foe, blood running down his chest. The soldier's eyes flashed as he saw the glint of steel, and saw what figure loomed behind it. But instead of turnings its attention to its wounded ally, it turned back for Kongol, raising his sword and beginning to chant a magic spell. Rose looked on in horror, being too far away to intervene in any way. Although Kongol's hide like skin protects him from physical harm, his body has no defenses for magical elemental assault, leaving him dangerously vulnerable to magic. Kongol let out a groan and jumped towards the last soldier at incredible speed. The soldier didn't have time to prepare for the attack, and as a result Kongol used one of his mammoth hands and wrapped it around the soldiers head, squeezing with intensifying pressure. Kongol's hurtling body crashing into the ground, but when they landed Kongol landed on top, maintaining his vice like grip. Squeezing as hard as he could, the skull began to fracture and cave in, emitting sickening crunching sounds. Blood oozed out of the eyes, nose, ears and mouth as Kongol's hand squashed the head like a grape. Kongol then released his grip, panting heavily almost doubling over.
Rose had scanned the area and found no more assailants, although that doesn't mean the same for outside. She ran outside and found the soldiers retreating to the upper hoax walls, climbing over and jumping into grasslands below. Rose saw a particularly interesting figure on the northern wall, standing above watching the mayhem erupt below. He wore the dark garments of a Sandorian Elite, and Rose assumed him to be the commander of this whole charade. As the last Sandorian hoped over the wall, he gave Rose a glanced, and he himself disappeared.
When Rose was sure they had all withdrawn or been killed, Rose reentered the Inn, and saw Zack's worried facing looming over a kneeling Kongol. "Is he alright?" Rose inquired, noting how strange it was for the Giganto to be such a state without any visible severe injuries.
"I dunno. He just kinda seems… really drained" Zack replied confused.
"Kongol fine" the giant assured and got to his feet. Sweat freely dripped from over his body and he still breathed heavily, like he had just run a marathon.
"You sure?" Rose asked with some concern, eyeing him closely. He nodded his head, and began to walk downstairs towards the exit of the Inn. Zack shot a look at Rose, who looked back at him and shrugged. "You get hurt?" she asked him. He shook his head softly.
"Kongol played the bodyguard" he replied solemnly. Rose nodded and signaled that they leave the Inn and catch up with the rest of the citizens and militia who are apt to be as confused as they were.
The trio wondered outside to the bottom floor square where they met meet Kaiser, an old veteran of the Knighthood of Basil. His grey short hair and numerous scars each tell a tale of there own, his features molded by the many tens of battles he has been apart of. He greeted them each, and Rose made the brief introductions of Zack.
"Those damn Sandorians never know when to quit" he cursed vehemently. He looked around, and although the damage had been significant, it wasn't as bad as he had first expected. Only few structures were destroyed beyond repair, and even less ended up dying. The attack was almost… botched.
"Everyone seems to be okay, most escaped with minor cuts and bruises. It appears our militia was the least of there worries" a voice added from behind them. The clinic doctor was where the voice came from, his face sullen yet thoughtful. "It doesn't make any sense, they all came, ran a muck then left. If they really wanted to capture or destroy Hoax they could have done it easily with a bit more coordination."
"I think it was me they were after" Zack inserted, looking down. "All this was done because of me."
Zack looked visibly shaken by the fact that all this rested on him, but Rose couldn't find a point to disagree.
Kongol still hadn't looked like recovering, although he was able to move a bit more freely then how he was getting here.
"Anyhow I'll check your injuries quickly, and that shoulder" the doctor ordered, looking at Zack's wounded arm. Zack waved it off "I'm fine doc, check him, he did all the battling" Zack pointed in the direction of Kongol. The doctor moved towards him, and while Kongol looked at the white doctor with a degree of distain, he didn't offer any resistance. The doctor had no real equipment on him; he salvaged what little he could from his destroyed clinic while really only included some medicines, needles and his stethoscope. After a few minutes of disinfecting his wounds and stitching his forearm gash he walked back over to rose and Zack, who where still had groups of worried citizens grouping around them.
"How is he?" Zack questioned.
"He appears fine physically, he wounds weren't all that deep and only his arm injury required stitching" he replied calmly.
"But doesn't he appear a little… weary? Almost unhealthily so" Rose asked. The doctor cocked his head attentively.
"He doesn't seem a little over fatigued" The doctor commented. "His bodily signs showed strange symptoms, and he had feverish head and sweat pouring from his body, particularly his chest, neck and arms."
"What is it?" Zack asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. It could be that he is just tired. I know that his physical injures didn't cause it, it appears something internal. I haven't the proper gear to assess it further though." Zack sighed. "Well, what is your synopsis doc?" he questioned soon after.
"If you ask me" he began, taking off his glasses and hooking them around the collar of his coat. "It almost appears it's a poison or some kind of slow reacting toxin" he analyzed. Rose's eyes shot over to Kongol, and then everything suddenly made sense. She replayed the events in her mind, and let out a disgusted groan when she had finished.
"It wasn't you they were after Zack" Rose almost moaned out. Zack looked at her, wondering if she came to the same conclusion he had.
"Kongol was their target." She finished, and Zack's head dropped. She had come to the same conclusion after all.
