Dealing with the villagers was like dealing with a stubborn and hard-headed customer. Everything you say or do would upset them in some way, thus leading to more tension and hatred on both sides. Almost every villager resented our offer to watch over them, many of them worked us like slaves while others demanded to be freed from the only safe place left in Altera. Some of the Nasods tried to aid us but they were quickly driven away by the angry villagers, so they spent most of their day huddled on the other side of the hideout. Eve sat among them as she worked on a way to extract the memory of an enemy Nasod, from the looks of it, the rebel Nasods were eager to help her.
Amos isolated himself from us and the villagers for the majority of the day. He worked quietly on his alchemy on the sidelines, only responding to us with short answers and would only interact with other villagers when he was confronted by them. All of us were concerned for his well-being but none of us knew how to provide him the comfort he needed at this time, so all we could really do was watch out for him from a distance.
We were more than happy to leave the bitter crowd alone when Elsword and Raven returned. Both the guys came back with a good hand full of berries and fruits, it was just enough to feed every single mouth in the hideout. As dinner proceeded we asked what they had discussed but neither of the guys were willing to give out any information. Raven left our circle once he was finished with his dinner and returned to Amos' side. I can't imagine he got a good sentence from the Ponggo, but he seemed like the only person who could give Amos the comfort we failed to provide. Elsword motioned us to close in our circle once Raven was out of earshot, we eagerly followed his order.
"I'm going to tell you guys our plan of attack for tomorrow," Elsword whispered. "I want everyone to keep quiet of this until tomorrow morning. If the Ponggos hear about this, they might try to escape tonight."
I exchanged concerned looks with a couple of people before returning my attention back to Elsword. I hope this plan won't make us turn around and run away.
"Raven and I agreed to get up early tomorrow to get food," he began. "We'll return as quick as we can so we can feed you guys, Raven expected the Ponggos to wake up by the time we're finished breakfast. Once everyone is full we'll head to the core."
"Who will look after the villagers?" Aisha asked.
"I'm getting to that," Elsword replied. "The villagers will be protected by Yang and the Nasods, which they probably won't be too happy about." He paused for a moment. "I plan on using the El Shard to fly us over to the core, but there's a bit of a twist."
His eyes jumped in between Aisha and Chung," I want you two to stand near the front with Ara. When we make our way to the core I expect some Nasods to attack us, if not Nasods then some traps. You two will try to counter those traps and keep it from hitting Ara."
The duo bobbed their heads at their given tasks. Elsword smiled at their compliance and continued," Once inside, we will try to look for an enemy Nasod and get their memory of the layout. From there we will split into a rescue team and an attack team. The rescue team will find as many captured Nasods as possible and free them while the attack team will face the King himself. If there are no more Nasods to be rescued I want the team to deliver the Nasods back, with the Wind Shard, and return to help us fight."
"I'm assuming you've already got the teams made?" I asked.
Elsword nodded," I want strong attackers at the very start, so I will be relying on both Ara and Eun, Aisha, and-"
"E-excuse me." Eve cut him off. "As the former Queen of the Nasods, may I join the offensive unit to take on the King? I-I understand if that does not abide with your plans."
"It's okay," Elsword smiled warmly. "I completely understand why you'd wanna join."
"Thank you," she answered.
"In that case," Elsword scratched the side of his head. "I'll switch Raven out with Eve. So it looks like the girls will be taking on the Kings while us guys will do the rescue."
"I'm okay with that," Aisha said as she checked her nails. "We're strong enough to take some rusty old King on, the battle will be a piece of cake."
Her cheeks flared with a faint shade of pink as Elsword snaked an arm around her shoulders," and don't worry if you ladies have some trouble dealing with him. You can always rely on little ol' me to help you out." He winked.
Aisha tightened her lips together and pushed him aside," like I would need help from you." She slapped him on the stomach.
"Okay, okay, no need to get so excited." Elsword laughed, earning him another smack.
"Get on with that plan of yours," Aisha crossed her arms together with her cheeks still slared in a tint of pink. "It's rude to keep people waiting."
Elsword hastily re-positioned himself and cleared his voice," as I was saying," he shot a quick glare at Aisha. "The rescue team will join the fight after the Nasods have been rescued from the core. If there are any additional dangers in the hideout please stay behind to help defend it. We've had enough casualties already, let's not try to add any more."
Someone sneezed as a cold wind brushed past us. The wind showered us in the tiny water droplets it picked up along the way.
"I'll be telling the Ponggos before we leave." Elsword added. "Until then please try to keep quiet."
"Don't worry, we won't tell," Chung answered. "Besides, I doubt any of us would want to talk with them after the day we had."
That's how we launched ourselves into a conversation about our crazy day. We tried to keep our voices down and our laughter to a minimum, but it was hard to contain ourselves when Chung wouldn't stop complaining about this one old and cranky Ponggo. Talking behind the villagers' backs wasn't our greatest idea, nor our proudest moments, but it was something to calm us down and lift the mood back up.
I slept through a majority of the night without a problem. When I woke up the sun was still not out yet but Raven and Elsword had already left to find some food. Eve was also up at this time on watch duty, she stood quietly at the mouth of the cave and gazed mutely out to the core. Knowing I wouldn't be sleeping any time soon, I gingerly helped myself up to my feet and walked toward her.
"Good morning," I whispered.
She jumped at my abrupt greeting and snapped her head back," o-oh, good morning, Ara." She replied as she relaxed from the initial shock.
"How long have you been up?" I asked, turning my attention to the core. It's blue light brushed against the dark cave softly, gently pushing night's shade to the farthest corner of the cave. In some way, the light provided the hide out a false sense of serenity and comfort-comfort from the darkness.
Eve shrugged," I have been too busy thinking to keep track."
We fell into silence shortly after, the rushing water roared loudly into the cave to fill in the silence.
"I have been thinking," Eve said after some time had passed. "Raven and I are very much the same, but we have matured in very different ways."
"How so?" I asked.
"Raven seems more open now that he has faced his past," she began. "Before he was quite distressed about his sins and was quite obviously in denial of his actions. Now that he has faced those mistakes he seems more human."
"More human?" I arched my brow at her. "What made him so inhumane before?"
"Perhaps I worded it wrong," Eve quickly elaborated. "To me, humans are interesting and amazing creatures. Your species may not be very intelligent but you all have a goal and purpose to fight. Almost every human I have met has a goal they want to meet or a purpose that keeps them fighting-to keep living."
I can't argue with that statement. One of the only reasons I fight is to avenge my family and to find my brother. I can't think of any other reasons to enter battle.
"Raven only had a purpose to fight for the good side, in hopes of turning back to the person he once was." Eve went on. "Although it was a good goal, it wasn't enough to fuel his power. After observing his fight in the Factory I have concluded that he has changed his purpose to fight. His power and courage has grown significantly greater with this new goal, according to my observations."
"What do you think he fights for now?" I asked, genuinely curious at Eve's answer.
"I may be over analyzing the situation," she warned. "But I believe he now has a goal to redeem himself to those he has harmed and to protect the ones he cares for. Why else would he have fought so hard on the Ponggos' behalf; and why would he have rushed in to make sure we didn't leave a comrade behind?"
"You do have a point," I admitted. He has seemed extra motivated to fight on the Ponggos' behalf.
Eve laughed to herself quietly," talking about how he's changed has got me thinking about myself. I used to fight for the sake of becoming stronger, my goal was to increase my power and rebuild my fallen Kingdom. Now I feel a stronger need to protect the villagers that live on the island and a responsibility to guide the Nasods on a path of peace. If I want my Kingdom to prosper I must crate good relations with those outside it."
"Wow," I blurted. "That's a really good goal to have."
Creating peace instead of focusing on strength, in the long run that would benefit everyone. If Eve manages to rebuild her Kingdom without conflict, humans may be willing to welcome her Nasods back into society. No doubt an accomplishment like that would go down in history.
"I will admit, the idea of rebuilding the Nasods Kingdom with peace is great, but I fear that I may not be able to do it alone." She folded her hands tightly together. "I know my friends will always be there to support me, but everyone cannot dedicate all their time to helping me rebuild the Kingdom."
"I'm sure you'll do fine," I said, patting her on the back. "I know it'll be hard to make people accept Nasods again, but I know you're strong enough to do it. It's true we can't always be with you during that time but you can always be sure that we've got your back, and I bet those rebel Nasods will be standing firmly by your side as well. You won't have to do this alone, Eve. Everyone is here for you."
"I suppose you are right," Eve sighed deeply. "The simple idea of creating new relations with the humans is stressful enough but I know it is an obstacle I must overcome."
"And you will overcome it," I reassured.
"Thank you," she smiled warmly. "I am glad I have your support."
We stood by the edge of the cave's mouth talking for hours about nothing in particular. Eve was more willing to show her emotions during that talk which made me feel both honoured and surprised-surprised because I didn't expect her to be so willing to express herself, and and honoured that she's willing to drop the poker face and be herself around me.
During our talk I couldn't help but ponder on the idea of changing your purpose to fight. Raven and Eve both had a drastic turn in their goals, now they both hold up very noble purpose to enter battle. Their changed mindset had forced me to reflect on my own goals.
My purpose to fight was to grow stronger and avenge my fallen village, it's a goal born from pure hatred. I didn't really gave it much thought until now. Seeing how much my friends have changed has made me wonder if I could find a better purpose to fight, something that can benefit others and not just myself.
But is there really any other purpose for me to fight? Would I really be standing where I am today if it weren't for the hatred I held for ones who murdered my village?
Compared to Eve and Raven, I really had a rotten reason to fight.
Elsword and Raven returned just as the sun began to peak from the horizon. They hastily woke everyone up and began preparing for the upcoming attack. No one spoke much during the breakfast or during preparations, we only spoke up when we clarification of the attack. Elsword stepped out to make a phone call as some of the villagers began waking up. They were quick to catch on our strange behaviour and quietly questioned our next plan of action.
Raven and Chung went to serve them breakfast once a majority of the villagers were awake. They were bombarded with questions about their early rising as they handed our food, but neither one said a single word to them. Their silence only made the Ponggos more distressed.
Elsword was still talking on the phone by the time the guys came back from serving the Ponggos. We took this time to check over our supplies and go over the plan. The tension was quickly escalating along with our anxiety for the blind invasion.
During that time I pulled the guys aside to teach them how to use the El Shard. We started practising on small objects like rocks and weapons, and then moved to more advanced objects like a pile of backpacks. Chung was quick to master the El Shard and was able to lift himself off the ground while Raven was stuck trying to lift the backpacks. It took Raven a bit longer to grasp and control the Shard's power, but he was soon able to lift himself up along with another person.
"Okay, team, I hope everyone is ready." Elsword walked back into the hideout with his head held high. "It's time to take on those Nasods."
An uncomfortable silence fell on us. Raven gently placed himself back on the ground and returned the El Shard to me.
"Eve, do you have what you need to get a Nasod's memory?" Elsword asked as he lifted his backpack off the ground.
Eve bobbed her head," I tested it on some of the Nasods here yesterday and it works just fine."
"Who did you call?" Aisha asked.
"Lowe," he answered. "Uh, he wasn't very happy with our plan."
"And you're proceeding with it anyways?" Chung piped in.
"We had an argument but I managed to win," he shrugged. "He called me stubborn and then promised to do something about the King if we..." He paused for a moment. "I-if we don't make it out."
One of the younger Ponggos began to cry on the other side, it's scream echoed loudly along the cave walls.
"We should tell them now," Raven said stiffly. "They've been asking us questions all morning."
"I know," he ran his hand through his hair. "Well, let's get this over with." He glanced over at the many Nasods stationed around us, each one had their undivided attention glued on him. "I'm counting on you guys to protect the Ponggos."
"We won't fail," one of the Nasods replied. "In return please protect our Queen. She is the only hope we've got."
"Don't worry," Raven answered before Elsword could say a word. "We'll make sure she returns to you." He clenched his hands into a tight fist. "You can bet my life on it."
"We should get going," Aisha said softly. "We can't waste anymore time here."
Elsword bobbed his head and mutely gestured us to follow him. Yang pulled at my sleeve just as I was about to follow. It whined and nuzzled its moist nose in my hand," it'll be okay, buddy." I knelt down to its level and wrapped my arms around it. "I'll come back."
Yang rested its head on my shoulder and whimpered once again.
"I promise I'll come back." I ruffled its fur. "I can take care of myself so don't worry okay?" Yang responded by licking my cheek.
"Take care, big guy." I said, kissing it on top of its head. "We'll be going back home once the King is defeated."
I hopped back onto my feet and hurried back to my friends. When I arrived Elsword was already finishing up his announcement to the Ponggos. Many of the Ponggos looked shock and even angry at his plan while others held worried expressions-especially Amos. He was standing at the back of the crowd with widened eyes at the the sound of our plan. There's no doubt he's conflicted with our attack, especially since the risk is so high.
"And if we are to fail, another Red Knight party will come to keep you all safe." Elsword finished hastily. "Until then the Nasods over there will protect you-"
"Absurd!" The chief bellowed. "I can't believe how stupid you kids are. How can you possibly expect a group of Nasods to keep us safe? All they want is for us to die so they can have full control of our land."
Elsword took a sharp breath in," I know it's hard to accept." He began slowly. "But these Nasods are different, they show full loyalty to the Queen."
"Like that makes a difference." The chief replied angrily. "I refuse to be left alone with those machines."
"Please have faith in them," Eve piped in. "I understand your villagers have been harassed by the Nasods, but I promise those days are over. Once I take down the King and reclaim my throne I promise to rebuild my Kingdom in a peaceful way-"
"I don't believe you." He cut her off. "Nasods don't care about anyone else but themselves."
"Then I will change that," she answered coolly. "I vow to keep peace between your villagers and my Kingdom. I vow to use my royal subjects to protect the Ponggo community from outside harm, and I vow to use my powers to fight for your villagers and my loyal followers."
Silence fell between both sides. The chief Ponggo held a cold glare on us while we stood our ground quietly, not saying a word to return the hate.
"M-maybe we can trust her," one of the villagers spoke up. "I-I've never seen a Nasod show s-so much emotion before."
"A-and her friends have done their best to protect us," another added quietly. "T-those Nasods haven't done a-anything to hurt us either."
"Don't be fooled, they have done a terrible job to protect us." Another piped in.
"At least they were brave enough to fight for us."
Debate among the crowd erupted, with some Ponggos sheepishly defending us while others pointed out our past failures to protect them. The chief tried to calm his villagers down but nothing he said could calm the chaos sweeping over the angry crowd. It's a matter of time before the villagers turn to physical violence.
"Quiet please," Elsword shouted over the agitated crowd, quieting most of the villagers. "I understand why some of you might be against us and the Nasods, but you must understand that we have no other option left. We either stay in this hideout forever or go attack the core head on-the second option must involve the Nasods we have here."
He gestured to the group on the other side of the cave.
"It is a chance you must take if you want to end this suppression." Eve added, she took a step forward. "I believe it is very possible for us to live in peace, but that peace cannot exist if you do not wish to put faith in my Nasods." She paused and allowed the crowd to soak in her words.
"I am joining this attack because I see a future for both sides." She continued softly. "A future where Nasods live along side the Ponggos. I am willing to fight for that future and I will do everything in my power to start that new era of peace."
"Oh really?" The chief arched his brow at her. "Do you really believe you can give us a peaceful future with Nasods?"
Eve nodded with eyes locked onto his.
"I'll believe it when I see it," the chief said with a scoff. "I wouldn't be surprised if those Nasods turned on us when you're gone."
"They won't," Eve replied almost instantly. "I promise they won't."
The chief didn't say any more as he turned his back to us and walked away. Many of the villagers erupted into hushed conversations, most of the villagers shared their doubts in us while others openly showed their support for us. Eve took her time to thank her supporters and reassured them of her promise.
"Well that went better than I'd expected." Elsword said with a sigh. "Now all that's left is for us to face that scrap of metal they call a King and take back that El Shard."
"I-I'm getting really nervous about doing this," Aisha admitted with an uneasy giggle. "I hope things will go according to plan."
"Don't worry," Elsword casually wrapped his arm around her. "We'll be totally fine out there."
"Easy for you to say," she rolled her eyes. "You're not the one facing the King."
"Awe, don't be like that." He replied. "I know you'll do fine out there."
A tug on my sleeve dragged my attention away from them. I looked down and locked eyes with Amos, he held a small bottle with a clear liquid inside. Now that I got a closer look at him I could see the fatigue hanging from his bloodshot eyes. It was like he hadn't slept for a long time and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Seeing his sister dying would no doubt keep him up at night.
"D-do you really have to go?" He asked, his voice came our hoarse. "C-can't you get another Red Knight party to go?"
"Sorry, buddy," I ruffled the top of his head. "We need to do this."
"B-but what if you don't return?" Tears began welling up in his eyes. "I-I don't want you guys to die. W-what would I do if y-you guys were dead too? W-who would I have after that?"
He wrapped his arms around my leg and began to cry. At this point he caught the attention of the rest of my team.
"D-don't leave me," he sniffled. "I-I promise I'll be good. P-please don't go." His grip around my leg tightened.
"Amos, we need to do this," I tried to explain, but it only seemed to make it worse. "I-I know it's hard but I promise we'll come back."
"I-I don't like promises!" He screamed. "Agatha promised she'd always be with me but she lied. She lied like mommy and daddy did."
His comment hit home with me. I wanted to tell him I understood his pain and I understood his fear but I didn't think it would be the best time to reveal my past. Right now Amos was the one who needed support, not me.
"Hey, kiddo." Raven made his way over to us and knelt down beside Amos. "I don't wanna leave either, but I have to."
"Why?" Amos cried weakly. "J-just stay here with us. It's safe."
"I know," Raven answered softly. "But it's our job to protect you and the others. You heard Eve's speech right?"
Amos nodded mutely, his grip around my leg weakened.
"Everyone here wants to see that future, some believe it more than others." He explained slowly. "We can't have that future unless we're brave."
"Brave?" Amos repeated curiously.
Raven nodded," no one here is excited to go to the core, we're all really scared, but we're brave enough to overcome that fear for your village. We know it's dangerous but we want to take the risk for everyone."
"B-but what if you fail?" Amos let go of my leg and tackled Raven with a hug. "W-wouldn't all that brave be wasted?"
Raven chuckled," it's bravery, not brave." He corrected as he returned the hug. "Look, kid, our efforts won't be wasted here. Elsword contacted someone who will come to protect you if we fail. They'll then finish off what we started and free everyone from the King."
"It wouldn't be the same." Amos cried.
"Kid, I can't promise you we'll return safely." He said with a sigh. "But I can promise you that we'll give it our best shot. We'll use all of our power to fight that Nasod King."
"Raven is correct," Eve walked toward Raven and sat down beside him. "We will use all of our power to fight for everyone's sake."
"That Nasod King won't know what hit him." I added enthusiastically.
Everyone joined in and reassured Amos our strength and the power we plan on using against the King. Amos laughed at a few of the exaggerated comments which helped him calm down.
"Look, everyone is ready to fight the King." Raven said after some time had passed. "That Nasod will get a good beating from us regardless."
"I-I guess that makes me feel a bit better." Amos released Raven from his hug, with the same bottle still held in his hand. "I'll try to be brave too."
"That's a good boy." Raven replied with a smile.
"Here," Amos held out the bottle to Raven, the liquid inside swayed back and forth at the quick movement. "It's not perfect but this is the closest I can get it."
"What is it?" Raven asked, accepting the bottle.
"An acid," Amos answered. "It's a very special acid that is activated with magic. The book said it can eat through anything once activated so be very careful."
"Thank you, Amos." Eve smiled. "This potion may come in very handy during our fight."
"I should be the one thanking you," Amos crawled over to Eve and hugged her. "The adults don't see it but I see you guys as heroes and heroes like you deserve all the 'thank yous' in the world."
