Chapter 3
Deaths...everywhere..."
My first vision of Toltus was bone chilling. Saying that the whole town was destroyed would be an understatement to how truly gruesome the whole thing was. The houses were severely destroyed some of them reduced to crumbles, the trees were burnt and the road was filled with severed corpses. Whatever harmony that Cless and Chester assured me reigned here and sadly been long gone.
Cless stiffened trying not to tremble, he was looking around aimlessly, reasonably shocked by seeing all of this. The town where he had lived since he was born, where he probably shared many memorable moments, that very same town...Gone, now in ruins.
"T- This...This can't be !" Distress took over as he couldn't even find the strength to finish his sentence. A blue ponytail ran by us, sprinting owards the back part of the village. Chester. That's right ! His sister was supposed to wait for him to bring back dinner. Please tell me that she survived.
"Ch...Chester. Where are you going ?" I asked still unsure if it was the right thing to ask.
"Ami !" His tone filled with a mix of anger and worry. "I have to see if she's okay." Then without wasting any more minutes, he crossed the bridge and disappeared from our sight.
After momentarily overcoming his initial fright, the swordsman too was now heading in direction of his house with me timidly walking behind him but not too close to give him some space. As we were making our way towards his house, it became even more obvious that no one was actually spared, old peoples, young peoples, child and even animals, ALL DEAD.
I fear for Chester's sister.
I was feeling very uneasy and actually wanted to throw up, I just wanted to run away but couldn't leave those two to their misery I kind of owned them my life.
As soon as we were on the other side of the bridge, Cless hurried to the corpse of a man face first on the ground. He gripped the man's shoulder and desperately tried to shake him. To our surprises, the man actually responded, albeit with a weak cough.
"Dad ! Why did this happen ? Please tell me what's going ? " Cless pleaded, lightly shaking his father. Poor guy, even with everything around him, he still could not comprehend what was happening yet.
"Cless ? Is...Is that you ? Is... your mother okay ?" the injured man now identified as Cless's dad, Miguel, asked between a few coughs ignoring of his son's questions which he probably didn't even manage to hear.
"I don't know I haven't seen her yet ! Dad ! Dad, please don't die ! I...I need you." sobbed Cless, tears staining his face. Miguel was really badly wounded. It was obvious even to an untrained eyes like mine, that he was too far gone to go back. But, I shouldn't be the one to tell it to Cless.
"Cless...I'm so...sorry...Please live...for Maria...and...for...me...Walk...tall...m..y s...o...n." he muttered breathing slower with every words he said. Finishing his dying speech, Miguel let out a faint moan before he stopped moving, Forever.
As if fate itself had a bone to pick with Cless, his mother came out of the house. She too was badly injured, her torned dress showed a deep and bloody wound around her waist, she also had smaller cuts on the rest of her body. She slowly made her way towards us, hands on her wounds. Her pain proved too great as she falled onto Cless's arms who managed to catch her in time.
"Mom, hang on. Don't move too much." said the boy shakily. The injured woman half-opened her eyes and gave her son a weak smile which just had the effect of increasing the boy's worries. "Mom ! Please, please tell me why is this happening ? What happened here ?" The blond bombarded his mom with questions who just like his father ignored his questions in favor of giving him a warning.
"Cless...No...Get out of here...Please, you must run away...Far from here." she kept mumbling those words like a madwoman which made Cless look at her out of sheer confusion.
"Mom ! What are you saying ? If I let you here you'll die for sure. Dad is gone and I couldn't forgive myself if I let you go too." wailed the swordsman feeling his tears coming back. His eyes which were closed, opened as soon as he felt something splashing against his hand, he opened them to his mother crying her heart out.
"No...Cless...Please...They...They are after your pendant. They must not have it...Go...to your...uncle's home...in...Euclid." Even as life was leaving her, she still kept a soft and calm tone to her words. She was probably trying to appease her son, and even thought she wasn't really doing a good job, her efforts were quite admirable.
"Who did this ? What kind of monster could do this ?" Cless asked for the umpteenth time to no one in particular.
"If they didn't try to harm me, your father...he...-agh." She let out one last shriek and then, it was over, Cless's mom was dead.
"Mom ! Wake up ! MOM ! MOOOM !" the swordman yelled hopelessly shaking her body, when he calmed down and realised that she wouldn't be able to answer him anymore, he let out a loud cry and hugged her tighly, the tears flowing endlessly.
I...I can't... This is surreal ! Yesterday, I was worrying about schoolwork and now here I am... This is horrible. Who did this and why ?
We stayed there for a while until Cless had recovered enough so that we could resume our search. Finally, he carried his mother bridal style and gently put her near the place his dad rested. He longly looked at them before swiftly turning around, pushing his cloak behind him and without uttering a single word, advanced south to the neighboring house.
000
The already tense atmosphere became even more intense when we reached the upper level of the house. Chester was already there kneeling with his eyes glued on the ground. He was gently caressing the cheeks of a little girl lying on his lap, she had short purple pigtails and was wearing a simple two-pieces pink and white dress.
This must be his sister Ami. She's actually really pretty...What's wrong with you ! Read the mood, you need to stay serious.
She looked so...peaceful, if it wasn't for the bloody stab mark on her forehead. One (or maybe just a weirdo like me) could have easily thought she was just fast asleep.
Chester made no attempt to interact with us. Even if he didn't talk to me about it, when we entered the house I managed to pick up some random facts like the dinner table only two chairs or how there was only two beds. No doubt that unlike his best friend, Chester was already an orphan. For how long, I dunno but the fact is, Ami was his only family.
Cless was the one doing the first move, he carefully walked towards his best friend and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The blue haired archer didn't even spare him a glance, his attention still on his defunct sister.
"Chester, I am so sorry. I know it's hard but we have to go. This isn't safe here. We have to get to Euclid." he said trying to reason with his depressed friend. It didn't had the effect he hoped as Chester simply smacked his hand off his back turning around to give him a glare.
"Is that all you think about ? Yourself ? I thought you were better than that." He practically spat at the swordsman who seemed shocked at his outburst. He told me that he expected Chester to brush off that idea but I take it he did not expect it to be this violent.
Unfortunately, Chester's anger didn't stop there. "Ami, she was the only family and I won't just abandon her like that. If you're that eager to visit your uncle, if you're that heartless, then go by yourself."
Cless didn't take too kindly of his words and soon the two of them entered in an argument.
"Are you serious ? Do you know how hard it is for me too ? My family is dead and I will never see them again, I would want nothing more than to stay at their side and crying myself to sleep but I know this isn't what they want. We can't avoid reality. Sooner or later, you'll have to accept that Ami is-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT" Chester bawled raising his voice even louder than it was before. These two are friends, they shouldn't fight like that, they shouldn't have to live the rest of their lives like this.
"Chester, Ami is-"
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP" The two friends stopped arguing to look at me wildly surprised. They must have just remembered that I was there. After my outburst, they didn't say or did anything, they just stared at me in silence.
Good job me, now I have to say something
" I don't know what you two are going through and I would be lying if I said that I understand but you guys are the only on whom you can always count on. So please no more fighting. " I said, getting emotional. I hated how I sounded at that moment, so whiny. I was like those cliche kid characters in anime, helpess and a crybaby.
Their lacks of reactions weren't helping either, I just wanted to bury myself and never show myself again.
"You're right. This isn't the time for that. There are more pressing matters at hand." That was Cless, now looking down sadly, I guess all that crying wasn't that bad if I managed to calm the storm.
He then asked me how I was feeling. After assuring him I was good, Cless nodding, looked back at his friend who after the arguing, had once again given all of his attention back to his deceased sister. He sighed deeply before advancing once more towards him. As he did so, the blue archer looked up at him, the anger from earlier still noticeable.
"Forgive me Chester, it's just that...This place isn't safe anymore, what if the people who did this came back and found you ? I don't want to loose you too." He admitted obviously trying his best to stay positive.
It took Chester a good minute to give us his answer, probably thinking hard about whether to give up on his stubbornness or to once again refuse Cless's invite to go with him. Finally, he shook his head slowly once again refusing his friend's idea.
"Sorry man, I can't right now. Ami, your parents and everyone else, they didn't ask for any of this. They deserve at least a proper burial. I will do it no matter how long it takes." was Chester determined reply. That was to be expected, from the little time I spent with them, Chester looked to me like a guy that was rather laid back but also an incredibly stubborn guy unable to change his mind once he is set to do something. And Cless, who known him since way back, knew better than to argue with him.
He nodded smiling at him, a forced smile but still a smile nontheless. " I understand. I'll be going then, promise me that you will catch up whenever you are done."
"Yeah man, it's a promise. We'll catch the bastards who did this and when we will...They will pay. Stay safe buddy." answered the blue haired boy returning the smile.
"You too. Ciel, are you coming ?" I turned to the blond haired swordsman motionning for me to come with him.
If this was any other situation, I would have gladly gone after him, the thought of going on an adventure, even one as short as this one would have been enough to excite me for weeks. But after everything that happened, and seeing Chester like this... Besides, if I went with Cless I would just slow him down, it would just devolves into him constantly having to babysit me but if I stay here, I could at least be helpful.
What to do ? ...I think I made up my mind.
I politely declined the teenager's invitation explaining him that I prefered staying here helping with the burial. A decision that didn't please everyone.
"Not a chance, you should go with Cless I will handle this alone." replied Chester, firmly.
"I can't just let you do all this by yourself. Please, I know this doesn't concern me bu-" I answered trying to defend my idea, to no avail.
"Exactly, this doesn't concern you so why do you care so much about this ? Besides, if you go with Cless, there is a chance you might run into your family." reasoned Chester which honestly with the way he said it, didn't sound like a not so bad idea if wasn't for one tiny detail.
I have no relatives in this world.
I couldn't just give up and be like "Actually, I'm from another world, I have no home to fall back on so I'm staying with you." they would think I'm crazy and they might try to ditch me. These guys were my only "friends" and I sure as hell don't want them to leave me...Not so soon.
"I have my reasons" I answered lamely, lowering my head. That was the best I could do.
That was...lame. But that's all I have. Hoping he won't push it further.
Chester's eyes narrowed and he sighed."I take it you aren't going to change your mind. Well, let's go to the church, they probably have kept some shovels in there. We're gonna need some."
With our equipments ready, we were ready to get down to work. Due to the quantity of bodies strewn over the ground, Chester found it wiser to separate, which I agreed to. In every corner of the village, every time i looked around, I came accross a corpse.
Three hours passed, I digged, and digged, and digged...It went well. It was taking a lot out of me and I was nowhere near finished but at least those poor villagers can now have the rest they deserved. I put my hands my pockets and took out a familiar bottle I found earlier in the forest. I stared at it remembering the conversation i had with Chester earlier about it ; In short, this item was known as a "Life Bottle". When I hurried him to try it on his sister, he sadly told me that despite its name, it doesn't actually revive the dead, only those fallen inconscious. Quite a deceptive name.
As I was taking a little break, I felt the sudden need to check on my partner. I dusted off and settled for the only place i knew he could've been at.
Arriving at his house, I walked along the wall to reach the garden. There I found him, talking to his sister's grave. He made no attempt at showing that he was aware of my presence. After listening to bits of the conversation, it appeared that he was telling her about the upcoming journey, followed by recounting tales from their childhood. After that, my eyes landed on the grave itself, it was a run of the mile grave, very similar to the one I've seen today only this one, was adorned with flowers and his sister's name graved on it.
Ami Barklight
4294 - 4304
Having finished his farewells, Chester stood up and prepared himself to leave. "How long have you been here ?" asked Chester finally acknowledging me.
"You really didn't hear my footsteps ? Anyway, I've bern here long enough to hear you talking about your childhood. I wanted to leave, I swear. But then, you started talking about your life and I lost myself listening to your amazing voice." I answered giving him a toothy grin.
"Also I'm taking a break because there is way too much work. I can handle digging and carrying other kids, but adults... I mean I know I'm strong but there is only so much I can do." I continued, touching my biceps to validate my point.
"Are you always like this ?" Chester who looked done with me asked as soon as I finished talking.
"Rude ! Someone has to be happy here. I understand this is serious matter but I thought it would do good if I sent you positive vibes." I explained, I was wondering if my display of positivity was the way to go or if I would have done better by keeping my mouth shut.
The blue haired teen did not give an answer, instead dropping the subject entirely, walked past me. After a few steps, he stopped and looked down. "She was the most precious person in my life."
"Eh ?" I idiotically blurted out,not the best thing to say but he did catch me off guard.
"My father was a merchant and while he loved us very much, it wasn't rare for us not to see him for weeks. My mother, her, used to run the only general store here. I had a simple life but I was content with it. Following both of their deaths, it was like the world stopped. I was devastated, I could not accept that my life, my life of playing with my best friend, pampering my little sister and eating my mom's meals every night. That same life, was forever gone, everything lost all meaning. Yes, I had Cless's friendship to help me through, but deep down it wasn't enough. No matter how much he, his family, or the other adults in the village tried to "help" me, it was never enough. Bringing foods, giving discounts in shops,... I did not want their pity all I wanted was my parents back."
"..."
"From that day on, I was a ten year old living with his four year old sister. It was long and painful but I had to make up my mind. I didn't want to be a selfish crybaby always relying on outside. My little sister, she was suffering just as much as I was, if not even more. I made a promise to give her the life she deserved no matter how rocky the road was."
"Why are you...?"
"Cless's mother, Maria, she showed me the basics of cooking. Next, I taught myself how to hunt. Something, I ironically hated back when my parents still lived. Until I became good enough, every night played the same. I tucked Ami in bed and made sure she was asleep, and armed with my mother's bow, snuck outside the village graving targets on the nearest trees and practiced until dawn. At first, my shots were always going too much to the right. It took me a month of adjusting before I could even manage to come close to hitting one."
"Why...Why are you telling me this ? No offense, but you just met me this morning. And I haven't really shared anything with you guys." I exclaimed, having finally found a moment to talk.
Chester smiled at me, then shrugged. " Who knows ? I guess I just wanted to get it out of my system and needed someone to listen. Plus, for the time we've spent together you don't really strike me as a bad kid."
I was about to ask him more questions, but never had the chance to due to us being interrupted by the sound of horse galloping, getting closer to the village.
"Mm ? Someone's is coming." whispered Chester.
"Do you think it's the attackers coming back for more ?" I whispered back.
"We'll see ! Let's hide." he exclaimed, taking my hand and dragging me. We hid behind the remnant of an house, at a distance far enough that whoever entered would not be able to detect us immediately but close enough that we could clearly distinguish them.
"Dammit ! I'm too late. Mars, what have you done ?" When we peeked from behind the ruined walls, instead of a bunch of armored knight or whatever, looking around for anything to kill, standing between the destroyed gate was a red haired man. He looked like he was in his thirties perhaps a bit older, he was fully clad with yellow orange clothes or similar clothes, he also wore green gloves and a purse was hanging around his waist.
He looked around visibly angry at something. "This is a disaster ! If only, if only I had arrived earlier, I could have prevented everything. Maria, Miguel, everyone may your souls find peace."
The more we heard him talk, the less hostile he seemed, maybe it was safe to show ourselves. I turned to Chester then glanced at the distressed guy, he nodded at me understanding what I was implying and we got out of our hiding spot snapping our guest out of his thoughts.
"You two are...Alive ! At least there are still survivors around this desolated place. Maybe it wasn't to late." he exclaimed as a sigh escaped his lips and a small smile of relief was creeping on his face.
"Unfortunately, we are the only one still alive. Everyone else was massacred." I corrected him, his smile fell and he didn't do anything else other than nodding at this information. "Apparently, they came looking for a pendant or something, I'm not sure at least that's what Cless's mom said shortly before she... Well, you know." I added closing my eyes, I couldn't get the image of Cless's parents hanging for their lives out of my head. While doing so, I didn't manage to see the reaction our guest had when he heard me mention a pendant.
"Kid, you just said something about a pendant ? Tell me, where is it ? I need to ensure its safeness." He blurted quickly closing the space between us. As if someone flipped a switch, within a few seconds, his calm attitude from earlier went away getting remplaced by a more serious one.
"What's your history with this pendant ?" interrogated Chester not fully trusting the guy. In response, the robed man turned to him, his tone ever so serious.
"I know enough to tell you that, should it ever fall into a rotten mind, the potential damages will be so devastating that our world, Aselia might not survive." We didn't feel the need to add anything, this seemed really unlikely, but the way he looked at us when he said that, he was dead serious. "I'm sorry but I have to go." He started to walk away from us when I tucked his cape causing the man to look at me a little annoyed that I was slowing him down.
"The pendant...It's in Euclid." His eyes widened as I spoke." Its owner is named Cless Alvein, he went there to hide from the assailants whose motive was to have the pendant in their possession. He wears armor and a red bandana, you can't miss him." Chester's eyes narrowed, was he disagreeing with me spilling everything to this stranger ?
"Way to go dude" added the archer sarcastically.
I looked at him and puffed my cheeks. " Hey don't blame me, I'm pretty sure you would have done the same thing". I shot back.
"You talk as if you know me" retorked Chester
From the corner of my eyes, I could see the other guy listening to our bickering. He looked like he was enjoying it.
I slighty shook my head at the teen. " I don't, but Cless does." I paused for dramatic effect before grinning at him."At least, from what he told me." Both the robed guy and I chuckled at Chester's obvious frustation.
"That guy ! He should really know when to keep his mouth shut." mumbled Chester scratching his head.
"Man, aren't you guys a funny pair. Anyway, thank for the hints but I really can't afford to waste anymore time."This time again, his haste was quickly interrupted not by me but this time by my blue haired friend.
"Wait ! If you're going to Euclid, I'm coming with you. I want to know if my best friend is alright, and also, I want to know what's so special about this pendant that Toltus had to go west. " declared Chester, dead set on getting to the bottom of this story.
The robed guy pondered over whether to let Chester come with him.
The ponytail haired teen continued showing him how determined he was." I am an archer, you don't have to worry about me getting in your way." He then faltered, maybe thinking about something before speaking what was on his mind." I know you're in a hurry, but I can't just leave them like that." He turned his head away from the older man, focusing on what was left of his hometown.
"I understand. I will lend you an hand, and besides, my friends are amongs those who perished in this massacre, this is the least I can do. My name is Trinicus D. Morriso call me however you like." stated Mr. Morrison extending his hand which Chester and I gratefully shook. "After we're done, we should first get to my residance, it's to the south. I have to get something first."
"Okay, sounds good." We both answered. Chester gave Mr. Morrison a shovel, and we went back to work. This time a lost faster, thanks to our kind visitor.
000
When we arrived at Mr. Morrison house, we discovered a girl dressed like a priest waiting in front of the door. She introduced herself as Mint Adenade. On her back was a familiar, blond haired swordsman, fast asleep. She explained that her companion got poisoned by a slug during their prison break and that she needed help to cure him.
After entering the house and checking on the injured Cless, Mr. Morrison assured her that he should be fine and just needed to sleep for the poison to go away. We agreed to let Cless rest, with Morrison staying at his priest girl went somewhere, probably visiting the house, Chester went in the woods to practice some more, and I went downstairs to try to finish my earlier recent events had worned me out.
The keyword here is "try". I thought that as soon as I touched the bed, I would catch some z'ss. But no matter how much I tried, something swore to keep me up. I sat on the edge of the bed looking down trying to think about what could trouble me. Guilt, I felt guilty of a lot of things. Guilty of leaving my friend alone, my first real friend, him who recently told me he was glad that I was the only one that did not befriend him in pity or to mock him later. Now, he's all alone. I guess there was also a bit of homesickness sprinkled here and there which was weird.
*sniffle* I never want to go back to "that place". Mommy, Daddy, I wish... No this is too late. *sniffle*
I eventually grew bored of sulking and got out, roaming around like a lost person in the hallways in search of anything able to keep me busy until Cless's awakening.
There must be something to do here. I freaking hate this world, the lack of technology in this world is so frustrating, I miss my TV.
"WHAT ?" I was startled by a shout coming from outside, looking at the windows showed me where it came from.
In front of the house were Mr. Morrison and...Cless finally awake. Next to him, were Chester and that priest girl, Mint. It appeared they were holding a conversation of some sort. Once they stopped screaming, I stopped being able to listen what they were saying, I even tried lip reading, which I failed awfully.
When I looked at Mint, at her facial expression. I could only imagine how serious the situation was. I contemplated the idea of joining them but ultimately decided against it, I would most likely be lost in a real conversation, they were probably talking things about this world and I couldn't possibly keep up with whatever topics they throw at me.
What did they call this world again, Aselia I think... That's weird, what's with this feeling, why do it randomly come and go ? I really hate this.
I looked back at the windows and noticed two things ; Mr. Morrison was gone, he had ran off to somewhere, and the downcast look wrote all over the teenagers's faces.
As soon as I took my eyes of the windows, I heard the front door opening. I quickly hid beneath the stairs, only my eyes protruded, allowing me to see them coming. Soon enough, the three teenagers came to sight still harboring the same devoided walked in silence towards to living door's room on the other side of near said stairs, they then opened the door and closed it behind them.
When everything became silent again, I climbed the stairs passing in front of the room. Earlier when I was looking around, I noticed that room had two entrances ; the main one which they just used, and a back one directly connecting it to the hallways without any doors between them.
I will just use the back entrance. It's ideal for secretly listening on others. Since the kitchen is nearby, if they suspect a thing, I will just hide there until the danger is gone. Hee Hee, smart Ciel. Wait, "Ciel" ? I've really been here for too long. Any more and I won't even remember my real name.
There they were, all sitting around at the there was a new face, an old man to be precise. He seemed to know Cless and Chester if I had to go by the way they spoke to each others.
They were explaining him what had happened, from Toltus destruction to now. Sitting there, listening to their tales, I learnt the whereabouts of Cless after escaping the village ; when he arrived in Euclid, his uncle and aunt welcomed him with open arms only to be ambushed by the very same knights who murdered his parents. With his pendant stolen alongside the rest of his family betraying him, he got thrown to jail where he met Mint, he rescued her and both of them escaped by the sewer and the rest is history.
The old guy nodded, how he managed to process all that info dump was beyond me. I found all of this be overwhelming, maybe it had something to do with him being very old, so very wise. Anyway, he shook his head and groaned. " And this fool Trinicus ordered you to stay behind. That self-important fool, because he can use clerical artes he thinks he's invincible. Hmm... What happened back there, how awful. If only I had stayed a bit more, maybe I could've prevented everything."
"Don't worry too much about it, there was probably nothing you could have done anyway, you might have once been a great swordsman but now you're just a plain old man. Time probably weakened your skills." added Chester, bluntly.
Can't tell if intentional or not.
The veteran swordsmaster didn't react negatively or anything like that, on the contrary, he just shook his head chuckling, guess he was used to Chester's unique way of expressing his opinions. "You may be right young Chester, but Miguel was like a son to me and it pains me to hear about his passing. And to think those cowards used Maria as a shield."
They used Cless's mom as a shield ? That's low, how low can you fall to have to resort to such horrible methods.
An awkward silence envelopped the room, no one daring to say anything to the others. The old guy was still standing near the chimney with his eyes closed, the other three just stood there, each sitting around the table looking at each others in silence as if having a silent agreement.
I honestly just wanted to barge into the room and tell them to hurry up. Too bad, I wasn't supposed to be seen.
Mint was the one to break the silence, she did so when she stood up gathering all eyes on her. "Excuse me, Mr. Tristan. You said earlier that Mr. Trinicus was a user of cleric artes, how is it possible ?"
Tristan turned his head to look at Mint who was harboring a confused expression." Oh, that face. You must be Meryl's daughter. You look just like her, not doubt you'll gather as much attention as she did. You are going to be a real beauty." His words elicited a different reaction from each of the teens.
Mint, being the one at the center of the "praises", blushed at the old man's words. She awkwardly nodded before quickly looking away.
Chester looked astonished at first but then quickly composed himself and just smirked at Tristan. " Well, talk about weighting your words. You're pretty balsy for an old guy."
Cless rolled his eyes before clearing throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Anyway, Master, there is something I still fail to understand. Why do so many people recognize Mint and I, why is my pendant so sought after ? " He questionned the skirt chaser successfully changing the subject.
"Do you really want to know ?"
Cless pondered hard over the old man's offer but then, surprisingly shook his head. " You know what, no. There is nothing I want more than to know the truth but right now that does not matter, what matters is finding out Mr. Morrison. We still need to avenge our families." He declared firmly.
The blond haired priest turned back to look at the swordsman, her embarassement totally gone, instead replaced by hopefulness.
Chester grinned at his best friend. " That's more like it dude. Now you're talking." As he was saying that, he slapped his friend's back who grinned in return.
"Are you sure about this ?" asked Tristan
"I've made up my mind and I won't change it. I know what Trinicus said earlier. Perhaps he was right, perhaps we will actually hinder his chance of stopping them but, they took everything from us. I won't stay here and cry all day, I have to take actions. Master, I only ask for your support, please." backed up Cless trying to prove his "master" he wasn't just talking for show. Mint and Chester just nodded, Cless apparently took the words right out of their mouths.
I don't know about that old guy but for my part, I am really impressed by their determinations, what a good speech.
Tristan nodded at Cless's resolve, accepting it. He first advised them to buy better gears from the peddler who supposedly arrived at the same time as he did. Finally, he told them that Morrison headed to a cave southeast of here. Once he was done, he wished them good luck and left the room, to my luck, using the main entrance.
"Cless, is something bothering you ?" asked Mint. Effectively, the swordsman looked lost in thoughts, I was about to dismiss it as some personal stuffs but hearing my name caused my attention to shift back to the conversation.
"It's about Ciel, what are we going to do about him ?" While Cless was still pondering over whether I would be a nuisance to this quest or not, his blue haired friend had already taken a decision.
"Look, I like the little guy but he can't come with us. There is no telling how tough the going will be."
"I know that. Still, I can't stop thinking that we should take him."
"He's an eight year old kid without any prior fighting experiences, if anything he'll get in the way. He will be safer here with the maids taking care of him." Chester said his arms crossed. Sounds like last time with the burying I got lucky because this time, he was dead set on not travelling with me.
Mint seemed to share Chester's sentiments." Children...They shouldn't have to fight. I feel really bad for him being so young and separated from his family but there is nothing we can do right now. As Chester said, we should let the maid take care of him and once we're done, we will come back."
Before Cless could change mind, I barged into the room to everyone's surprise.
Mint looked shocked, Chester looked a bit angry that I spied on their conversation. Cless himself, didn't really seem to care that much.
"Ci-Ciel ? How long have you been listening ?" voiced a dumbfounded Mint.
I just glared at her ignoring her question before turning my eyes towards Chester who just raised an eyebrow at my sudden hostile behaviour. " So that's it. After all that happened, you guys are just gonna leave me here ?"
"You know we can't constantly keep an eye on you. Within the forest, that was easy because we know it like the back of our hands but now we'll venture into the unknown. Who knows what we will find out there." Knowing that he was right, I just pouted and crossed my arms, turning my head away from him.
"Chester. It's fine, he's my responsability, remember ?" said Cless smiling at Chester.
He actually had my back, Cless you're my god. As of today, I am now a proud member of the "Cresstianism".
Chester deadpanned, then looked at the blond haired girl hoping she would back him up. Her response was something like "Seeing as Cless is okay with him along. It is best we don't push it further and start our preparations". He turned back and walked to the door. Cless and Mint soon followed after. I was the last to stay behind, lost in thoughts. Only leaving when I heard Mint gently called me. I rushed down the stairs and caught up closing the front door on my way out.
A/N: I am sorry for the long wait. I got hit by the worst combo. School exams and then laziness took over.
Once again, sorry for spelling errors. I hope you enjoyed it. I originally wrote a lenghty chapter, but since it was getting too long (and nobody is here to spend 12 minutes reading a single chapter), I cut it in half. The second part (Chapter 4) should be up in a few days maybe next week. See you next chapter.
Update : added timeskips and italics (for when Ciel talks to himself), I had them on AO3 but doesn't take them unless I do it manually.