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Chapter 105
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Yemen groaned as he clutched a piece of paper.
Botswana had to find a pen and piece of paper where he could write the details of his predicament to the others. He stood there with his head bowed, feeling bad about the whole situation.
"Alright, so, who's going to call Miguel?" Oman asked. "Sammy's obviously not going to do it."
"I'll do it," Yemen said. "Did you at least manage to get the details you were supposed to get?"
Botswana nodded his head. He held out his hand, and Yemen handed the piece of paper back to him. Botswana started writing on the other side of the paper and handed it back to Yemen. The Middle Eastern nation scanned the page before he arched his eyebrow.
"I may not know all of these things, but I understand the important parts," he said. "I'll call Miguel."
Botswana and Oman watched as Yemen pulled out his phone and wandered a bit away, the paper still clutched in his hand.
"Harbi, I'm surprised you're calling," Miguel said. "Did something happen?"
"You could say that," Yemen sighed. "Sammy used his astral projection. Good news: he managed to talk to Garcia. Bad news: he ran into Jamaica, who uses a more powerful version of Sammy's magic."
Alright, so Yemen learned a new Portuguese word. It sounded pretty powerful. The meaning might not have been clear, but the intent certainly was.
"What happened, is he alright?" Portugal demanded.
"He's mute," Yemen replied. "Jamaica stole his voice."
"I'll ask Vlad if he'd be able to undo that spell."
"He managed to find out what's going on with Garcia. Apparently, they did make a Blood Vow, since Requiem wanted to capture someone and he felt that it would be better if he was captured instead of the rest of you."
"That's what we suspected… Does Sammy know what the terms of the vow are?"
"Yes, he wrote it here. Angela remains unharmed, Garcia won't be hurt without Peru's permission, and the rest of you should be allowed to get to safety. In return, Garcia goes willingly and he doesn't try to escape. He…" Yemen stared at the note as he tried to absorb that information. "He also isn't allowed to allow himself to be rescued."
Another new Portuguese word.
"Of course," Portugal spat. "Being rescued counts as escaping. I… Alright, thank you. Vlad's doing the rounds, so I'll tell him to take a detour with you and help Sammy out."
"Okay, thanks," Yemen said. "So… With the rest of the invasion, any news?"
"Denmark and Switzerland are dead, but so is Toris."
This time it was Yemen's turn to teach Portugal a new word.
"Gilbert must be devastated," he said. "But I guess that's what was meant with the whole 'succeed and fail' thing."
"Right," Portugal agreed. "Now we just need to figure out the rest of the prophecy before it's too late."
…
Saudi Arabia wandered through the camp. He kept thinking about the conversation he had with Spain, and what it would mean in this current climate. He kept thinking about the possibility of someone who he trusted being afraid of him. Betrayal would have made him angry, but fear was just painful.
He needed to ensure that the people he cared about weren't afraid of him, and he needed them to know that there was nothing for them to fear. The only problem was he didn't know how to go about it. He wanted to show them that he wouldn't hurt them in any way, but how? And who needed to know that?
The answer came to him in the form of a hazy memory. He recalled how everyone was suffering under the effects of Mecca being attacked, except for one person. There might have been more, but he could only recall one. Someone that had done his best to help them when they were all reeling from the attack, and who especially helped Saudi Arabia get to his room in order to rest.
He knew that he needed to ask him about it, and he knew that he should try to make it clear that he wasn't angry about it. With the decision made, he started to seek out Iran.
It wasn't too hard to find him. Iran was sitting on the grass, speaking with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. That was something that was odd. He didn't think they were more than acquaintances, who would only have conversations about the affairs between their respective countries. But they looked a lot more friendly and informal with each other lately.
"Iran, could I have a word with you?" Saudi Arabia asked.
Iran turned to him, and Saudi could see that the smile that was on his face became strained. Nevertheless, he nodded and followed after Saudi a fair distance away from the others.
"So, what's up?" Iran asked.
The tone was light, but Saudi could see a flicker of concern in Iran's eyes. He wondered if he should consider it to be a confirmation of his suspicions.
"I would like to know about that day Mecca was attacked," Saudi Arabia said. "Specifically, why you didn't get sick."
There was a flicker of fear in Iran's eyes, and Saudi knew that he was right.
"I think I was," Iran said. "But I usually have a strong stomach, and you needed my help more, so…"
"Enough," Saudi Arabia interrupted. "I just want to know whether or not you really are a Muslim."
Iran was silent, though his gaze darted around. Finally he closed his eyes.
"And what are you going to do if I told you 'no'?" Iran whispered at last.
"I want to know why you would keep something like that secret," Saudi said. "Why you would pretend."
Iran snorted.
"You really want to ask me that?" he asked. "Tell me, Saudi, do you have any idea what it's like to have your faith be the minority in your own country? And you can't do anything about it, because you're the minority between your neighbours? And none of your neighbours take minorities well?"
Saudi Arabia swallowed. He could see that he was right. Iran's expression was guarded, but his fear for what Saudi Arabia would do was still evident.
And he knew that Iran's fears were justified.
"I… I wanted to thank you for helping us all when Mecca was attacked," Saudi said. Based on the way Iran's eyes widened, he wasn't expecting to hear that. "I am not ungrateful. And I realise that… If you were a Muslim like the rest of us, then you wouldn't have been able to help, and it would have been a long time before someone felt well enough to take the initiative. I am especially thankful for what you did for me."
"I… No problem," Iran said.
"I decided to use this war as an opportunity to bring reformations," Saudi continued. "You should feel free to reform your society as well. It won't be easy, but it's going to be worth it in the end."
"…Thanks."
Saudi Arabia smiled, and he was pleased to see the fear leaving Iran's eyes. He was going to have to think a lot about it, and he would need to decide what needed to change, and how fast it would need to change.
He hated to do this, but he was going to have to ask the Europeans about it. They had their problems, yes, but their countries were still safe, for the most part. They just needed to work around this growing war.
He just hoped that they would be able to manage something like that.
…
There was a commotion outside the tent, and White and North Korea went to investigate. They immediately noticed Romania and Brazil, and they quickly assured the humans that they were allies before turning to the two male nations.
"What's going on?" White asked. "How…?"
Brazil wrapped his arms around her, and she was immediately worried about him when she felt him tremble. She turned to Romania with a puzzled expression.
"We ran into Requiem when we went to rescue France," he explained. "And Roberto battled Chile, who… decided to take a bite."
Her eyes widened in understanding, and she hugged him tighter.
"How'd you get out of that situation?" North Korea asked.
"Garcia sacrificed himself," Romania replied. "It seems they were desperate to capture one of us, and Garcia might have made a Blood Vow to make the deal with Peru."
"Angela's not going to be happy about it," White said.
"…Right. I still need to go tell her and…"
He was interrupted by his phone, and he quickly answered it. North Korea and White exchanged a look while White rubbed soothing circles on Brazil's back. Romania turned back to them after a while as he slipped his phone into his pocket.
"Miguel just informed me that Sammy managed to figure out that it was a Blood Vow, and that it involved Garcia to go willingly and not attempt escape in order to allow the rest of us a chance to get to safety," Romania explained. "And they can't hurt Angela, and they also can't harm Garcia without Peru's permission."
"But knowing Requiem, they're going to find a way to get past those conditions," North Korea said.
"I'll also need to help Sammy. It seems that he ran into Jamaica, and Jamaica did something to him."
"Agewe might want to hear about that one," White said. "Good luck, Vlad. It seems like you've got a hard day ahead of you."
He nodded in gratitude, before disappearing. White helped Brazil to the tent. She turned and gave North Korea a meaningful look, and he nodded in understanding. The Asian nation went in the opposite direction, most likely to check on South Sudan.
White helped Brazil to sit down on a chair, but he wouldn't release her. Eventually she settled for a chair right next to him, allowing him to hold tightly to her arm. She needed to get him out of this somehow.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
She noticed that both of his arms were bandaged, but figured that neither of the arms were the places of interest, since the hand that wasn't holding onto her was resting on his collarbone.
"He… he knew," Brazil said. "Somehow, he found out about what Tupi tried to do to me and… He e-even touched the scar. And he kept c-chewing, and…"
White winced, partially in sympathy, and partially because his grip had grown tighter. She needed to think of something else. And only one thing came to mind.
Well, he would have to find out sooner or later.
"The other day, Vlad told us that there's a potion ready," White said. "Angela, Sierra, Imane and I asked for it a long time ago. We still don't know if it worked, but… Roberto, if that potion is a success… then you and I will be able to become parents."
His head whipped to her, eyes like saucers. His trembling stopped, or at least became unnoticeable.
"A-are you serious?" he demanded. "Is… Is that why…?"
She blushed and nodded. Brazil simply stared at her before his gaze went down to her stomach.
"How… How soon do you think we'll be able to tell if it worked?" he asked.
"A few weeks, I guess," she sighed. "So… you're not mad?"
A small smile crossed his face and he shook his head.
"Of course not," he said. "Do you have any idea how often I thought that I would have liked to start a family with you, only to be reminded that it's impossible? Is… Do you think there's a way that we can use magic to make sure? Or… What do you think the humans would use for something like that?"
"Clearblue comes to mind," she muttered.
"This… This is amazing! I… I can't believe it!"
Brazil pulled the both of them up and embraced her. Her eyes widened as he kissed her, before she chuckled in amusement and returned the kiss. This was better than she could have hoped for.
"I love you," she whispered when they broke the kiss.
"I love you too," he replied.
…
"This is insane!" Mauritania exclaimed.
Mauritania and Mali had reached Tripoli, and all of the humans were attacking. Not just soldiers either. They had no idea where they managed to get the firearms, but even the children were wielding them.
Mauritania flinched after throwing a grenade towards a crowd of Libyans. It was only afterwards that she realised that those were schoolchildren.
"Do you think this would stop if we manage to kill Libya?" Mali asked. "When they're no longer his people?"
"I don't know," Mauritania sighed. "I hope so. This… I've never seen anything like this before."
Mali was busy reloading his gun, and Mauritania checked her own ammunition. The two of them paused when they sensed a shadow looming over them. They looked up and two words went through both of their minds.
"Oh…" Mauritania started.
"…Shit," Mali finished.
They weren't experts, but they assumed that seeing a woman with the head of a cat was not a good thing. Especially if that woman seemed to be carrying a sword…
…
"There it is," Malaysia muttered.
They were approaching Wellington. A few of the bombers had already done their job, and now they had to make sure that the politicians in New Zealand would be taken care of. If they could cause the fall of the capital, then New Zealand would be vulnerable, and all it would take then was to find New Zealand and finish him off…
Or they could simply make him lose every major city, reducing the threat substantially. They weren't too picky, and this way they wouldn't get Italy to go on a vengeful spree against them.
Indonesia and East Timor were with him, and they all reacted in shock when they saw the truck in front of them explode. They came to a sudden stop, and the truck behind them exploded as well. They didn't know whether or not they should get out of theirs, since it didn't seem to be the effect of landmines. Someone was launching an attack. But then they saw her.
Philippines with a rocket launcher on her shoulder.
She grinned when she saw them, and Malaysia had a feeling that things were about to get messy.
…
"Do you think it's going well?" Hout Bay asked.
She, along with Western Sahara, Khoisan, Lesotho, Swaziland and the smaller islands had been instructed to remain in the base. Sao Tomé and Príncipe weren't particularly happy, and Haiti was busy trying his best to get Sao Tomé to relax. And it's been a while since any of them had heard news, other than on the actual news channels.
"If you really want to know, you can probably call and ask," Khoisan remarked. "Just think carefully about who you can call, alright? We don't want to interrupt anyone who's doing something important."
"That would be most of them," Sahara sighed. "Imane should be resting after helping Asim with Libya, so I think I'll call her."
"In the meantime, I think I'll go make us something to eat," Hout Bay said. "It's almost lunch, and I'm going to assume that everyone is starting to get hungry."
"Need some help?"
"No thanks, I can manage."
Khoisan smiled. The two girls weren't a couple, but there was reason to believe that they might become one at some point in time.
…
Angola went to check on Djibouti. It's been a few hours, and it was almost their turn to strike Somalia. Angola felt really sorry for Djibouti, who had to suffer through all of this three times.
She whipped her head around when she heard a commotion, and she saw that Romania had used his magic to arrive. He looked serious, so she knew that it wasn't a social visit. Wasn't he supposed to rescue France along with Ecuador?
"Vlad, what's up?" she asked, looking around. "Where's Garcia?"
Romania's expression became pained, and she started to fear the worst.
"No…" she whispered.
"He made a Blood Vow with Peru," Romania explained. "Requiem was after a prisoner. Angela, he's not allowed to attempt escape, and he can't allow himself to be rescued."
"B-but… They'll torture him! They'll… They'll try to brainwash him!"
"I know. They can't hurt him without Peru's permission, but knowing them, they're going to look for a loophole. Angela, I'm so sorry…"
Her hand automatically went to her stomach. She didn't even know if it was successful yet, and she didn't even have a chance to tell Ecuador about what they were hoping for. And now, she was most likely never going to get the chance. And if her desperate attempts the last few days weren't enough, she wouldn't be able to attempt it again.
Unless…
She burst into tears, and Romania wrapped her in a comforting hug. This was horrible. She wanted Ecuador to hold her – to comfort her – but that wouldn't be possible for a long time.
"There is one way to override the Blood Vow," Romania whispered.
She sniffed and looked up at him.
"How?" she asked.
"By killing Peru," he replied.
She averted her gaze. She knew that Peru and Ecuador were brothers, and despite everything, Ecuador still cared for Peru. Now she only wondered if he would forgive her for killing his brother. Did he love her more than his brother?
Angola didn't know, and she was too afraid to find out.
…
Pain. That was the first thing that China became aware of as he opened his eyes. It took him a few seconds to realise that he was in a tent, and he could hear the sound of the other nations outside. He remembered the nuclear attack, and then…
He remembered the conversation with Xia and Zhili.
He had to warn the others about what was happening, and what was going to happen.
No, not what was going to happen. It had already begun.
I don't think I gave Yemen a name before. Anyway, I first went to Wikipedia to see if I can find one in the list of famous Yemenis. And I started to think that I should have made Yemen a woman. Anyway, I settled on a seventh century scholar.
