Chapter 10

Amber was ecstatic that night. She was finally free to do what she wanted! Callie and Amber went out and had ice cream together to celebrate their little victory. After that, it was time for Amber to go home. She slept easy that night.

Once morning came around, it was time for her to go to the cabin again. She quickly departs from her apartment, using the rooftops to cross the city. With a jump befitting of a veteran, she dives into the grate.

Amber pops out of the grate with her Hero armor on and the Hero Shot in hand. She puts the gun on a holster, then walks to the cabin. She opens the door and says "Hello? Anyone home?"

There was silence for a bit, then a soft, kind voice says "Well hello again young miss." Amber's eyes widen slightly, and then her mouth opens slightly in shock. From around the corner came that same old man from the day before.

She jumps back and points a finger at him accusingly. "It's you! That… That old man from before!"

The old inkling chuckles, his hands rubbing a glass with a cloth. "Why yes, it is in fact me. That old man."

Amber regains her composure, then blinks. Her hands wander to the glass the man was cleaning, and she is a little surprised. His hand was moving smoothly and without any hesitation, despite not looking at the glass.

Amber could get a few possibilities from this. First, this old man was delusional. He didn't hesitate because he didn't care, couldn't care. That didn't seem right to her, since the old man obviously wasn't senile or crazy.

Another possibility was that this man was crazy good with battle instincts. To enact hand motions that smooth and fluid, you had to have practiced with multiple different motions with your hands, and likely your body, over the years. Plus, that would imply years of work and exercise.

Or… maybe she was over thinking things. She frowns. His name, if she recalled correctly, was Craig Cuttlefish. Ika's last name was Cuttlefish. Could this be the mysterious 'gramps' the family talks about?

She places her hands on her hips and says "Ok, spill it. Are you related to Ika?" The old man chuckles, finishing his polishing and placing the glass down.

He then says with a smile "Oh, a friend of Ika's, I presume? It is nice for that young man to socialize a bit."

Amber tilts her head and frowns. What? Ika not socializing? Sure, he didn't like the spotlight, but he loved joking around. How could he not socialize? She decides to voice the question and says "Why wouldn't he? He seems like such an out-going guy."

Amber's frown deepens as she notices a slight spark in the old man's eyes. A spark of sadness, regret even. The old man sighs and says "That is something best explained by Ika himself. His condition is… unique, to say the least."

Amber wasn't sure what he was getting at and was about to ask more, when she heard voices outside. She turns and smiles as she hears the familiar trio, a welcome sound these days.

The young inkling runs outside and waves vigorously at the three older inklings. She smiles widely and yells "Hello guys!"

Callie waves back just as hard and runs to Amber, while Marie and Ika simply smile and smirk respectively. They take their time while Amber and Callie instantly begin talking animatedly.

Then, from the cabin, came the old inkling. He smiles at the sight as Ika's and Callie's eyes widen. They gasp in surprise, then grin widely, both yelling "Grandpa!"

The old man chuckles lightheartedly as the two young adults run to him, instantly wrapping him in hugs. Marie stops next to Amber as she watches the scene. Amber looks up at her and says "Marie, who is that guy? I asked him a bit ago, but he didn't answer."

Marie smiles warmly as her family members press on the old man, asking how he was in slightly loud voices. She giggles at the similarity between Ika and Callie and says "He is our grandpa."

Amber nods, an angry frown on her face. "I know that, but, like, why is he here? How does he know about Octo Valley and the agents?"

Marie smiles a little smugly and says "That is because he trained us. He is our mentor, and our captain."

Amber gasps, then turns to the old guy. That one sentence explained so much it wasn't even funny. She turns back to Marie and says "The one who trained you… Do you think he could train me?"

Marie laughs slightly and says "Oh, much more than that. He is the Cap'n after all. He directs our missions, helping us with navigating and, most importantly, keeping us motivated."

Amber tilts her head in confusion, then says "I thought you were the navigator?"

Marie cringes slightly, making Amber frown in suspicion. Marie looks away towards the distant valley walls and says "That is the case, isn't it…"

The two of them stand there, a bit awkwardly. Amber shifts slightly, and then Marie says "Alright. I need to get some work done. Be good, alright?"

Amber huffs, a soft blush on her cheeks. "I'm good! I'm not a kid!"

Marie chuckles and ruffles her hair, bending down and smiling at Amber's whines of protest. "Of course you are. And you always will be to me."

Amber huffs again, which just makes Marie giggle. She then stands back up and walks away, moving past her relatives and into the cabin.

The three of them stop playing as they look at Marie walking past. She was frowning and deep in thought, but it looked painful, guilt-ridden. They all turn to Amber, who looks between them, then shrugs.

Ika sighs and walks to Amber, looking at her with a soft but stern gaze. "What happened?"

Amber shrugs again and says "I'm not sure. We were just talking about Cap'n, and then she walked away."

Ika crosses his arms and leans on one hip. "It must've been something you said. What was the last thing you both talked about?" At this point, Callie and Cap'n were with the two other inklings.

Amber frowns, thinking, then slowly says "I asked her why Cap'n was the navigator instead of her. She got real quiet and a bit sad when she responded. Then, she walked away."

Ika frowned and turned back to the cabin. He looks back to Amber and says "Remember what I said, the first time I joined? Marie's story?"

Amber nods solemnly. That wasn't a fun thing to remember. Marie, so happy and carefree, with a boyfriend too. Then, all at once, it goes wrong. She loses him from one mistake. Amber's eyes slowly widen, before the guilt hits her like a pile of bricks. She turns away, the regret obvious in her eyes. "Oh…"

Ika nods. When Amber refuses to turn back though, he kneels down and gently turns her towards him. He smiles slightly and says "Don't feel guilty. With nothing happening, I wouldn't expect you to remember."

Amber looks down, or at least tries to, but Ika kept his hand on her chin. He frowns and looks at her seriously. "Don't ever, EVER, blame yourself for something you didn't know. It isn't ever good for you, and only makes matters worse. Besides…"

He turns to the cabin again, then turns back to her with a slight smile once more. "All she needs is a little coaxing in the right direction. Soon, everything will be fine."

Amber is finally allowed to look down again, although only to gather her thoughts. She looks back up and says, with a hesitant voice, "And… can I help in any way?"

Ika nods. "Of course you can. You are family, and the new Agent 3. Just be there for Marie. If she needs help, go to her. If she is happy, celebrate with her. And, most importantly, make her ACCEPT you, Agent 3. Let her know that her lover is in a better place, and you will forever be a memento of their love."

Amber grimaces a little, saying "I ain't their child." She looks back to Ika, who chuckles a bit, then smiles. "But, I will help. No matter what, I will help."

Ika grins widely, making Amber grin in response. He ruffles her hair, making her yelp in surprise, and he says "I know you will. Now come on. We have missions to do."

Amber nods, flattening her hair once more, and quickly follows. Ika was right. She needed to help Marie. In any way she could, she would help Marie become who she once was.

As much as Amber wanted to help Marie, she knew she needed to keep doing missions. Inkopolis was slowly gaining back power, but it didn't have enough. Some districts were still closed, and some facilities, like Turf Wars, needed more power to operate safely. As such, she needed to continue forwards.

Amber runs around a corner of the octoling town, looking down the street. Seeing no one present, she quickly runs across the path and ducks into a new alley. She creeps along in the darkness, looking around cautiously.

These towns always made her uncomfortable. They were so crowded, the buildings so close together almost no space was left. Despite the obvious Calamarian influence the Octoling Dynasty had, there was another area these towns reminded her of.

One of the ancient cities, forever lost in the slowly receding waters of the sea. A place once known as 'London'. Specifically, during their Industrial Era. She knew of their crowded streets, impoverished homes, made that way by new machines and less jobs. Luckily, inklings learned from that history and made machines slowly, at a pace that was manageable for new jobs to be opened. Their own 'Industrial Revolution' lasted decades with slow advances.

This town was different. This wasn't the result of lost jobs and overbearing social rankings. No, this was the result of low space and overpopulation. The octolings live underground, with no place to go but the domes left behind by the previous land dweller race. Sometimes, it made Amber sad how miserable the octolings must be.

Then, suddenly, she hears a noise. She freezes, her thoughts vaporizing as she locks herself into fight or flight. When she doesn't hear the pressing orders of a soldier, or the heavy footsteps of a squad, she advances once more.

She looks past the corner, slowly, only to freeze in shock. There, on the pavement, was an injured octoling. She looked to be older, in her mid-40s. Her clothing only consisted of an old, tattered shirt and loose pants. She was groaning in pain, gripping a spot on her side, a spot stained red.

Amber pauses, uncertain what to do. This lady was in obvious pain and needed assistance, but… she was an octoling. Amber watches, certain that someone would come.

But, after waiting nearly 20 minutes, no one ever came. Amber shifts around, uncertain what to do. The lady needed help, she couldn't deny that, but would an inkling ever be accepted? What if she cries for help?

Amber looks around, wondering how to proceed, when she notices something. She turns to a trashcan at the other end of the alley way, near a dead end. She walks over and picks up what caught her interest. It was an old, tattered gray cape. Something white was on it, but the dust kept it from being discernible.

Amber then gets an idea from this. She brings the cape around her and holds it close. She turns and notices that the cape, luckily and ideally, had a hood. She brings the hood over her head, making sure to hide her hair and eyes as much as possible. She needed to help the octoling, but seeing inkling features may scare her.

Now that Amber could approach the octoling without being potentially found out, she walks to her. The octoling seems to hear her and looks towards her, only to gasp slightly in surprise. She begins mumbling incoherently, closing her eyes tightly. Amber quickly kneels down, shushing her slowly. "No no no. No need to be afraid. I'm here to help."

The octoling slowly stops mumbling, opening one eye to look at her in disbelief. All the octoling could see was a bright yellow from the shadows, one that held a spark of kindness. She opens her mouth, then mumbles "Really?"

Amber nods, pulling out a small medkit. She knew the kettles and stations healed her, not to mention the random items she finds during missions, but a bag of her own items always came in handy during tough battles with little help.

Amber slowly grabs the octolings hand, saying in a calm voice "I need you to move your hand, that way I can clean the wound. We don't want it infected."

The octoling stares at her again, obviously in disbelief, before nodding slowly. She slowly, and shakily, brings her hand to her chest, and Amber finally sees the wound. She grimaces in response.

The wound was obviously a bad one. It was bleeding ever so slightly, but the flesh was torn deep. It would heal with time, but would easily become infected if left alone any longer. Not to mention the amount of blood loss would be severe.

Amber slowly gets to work, slowly dabbing the blood away. "You did a good job keeping pressure on it. You made the bleeding stop."

The octoling tries to sit up and look, but Amber slowly and gently makes her lay down again. She looks at Amber with tired eyes and says "Is that good?"

Amber nods, pulling out a water bottle. "Yes, it is. Now then, this may sting. I need to use water to clean the wound. No need for infections."

The octoling nods, then closes her eyes tight, obviously bracing herself. Amber slowly opens the bottle of distilled water, then carefully pours it into the wound. The octoling hisses and her body tenses, but she doesn't retaliate. Amber quickly gets to work with cleaning the wound, being sure to dab up the water in the process.

Once she was finished, she takes a bandage out. She puts it over the wound, then says "There. It should be fine until you see a doctor."

The octoling then seems to look down, almost in sadness. Amber tilts her head in confusion, and then she realizes. "Can you… not see a doctor?"

The octoling shakes her head sadly. "I do not have the money. It is why I am here, and not there, getting help."

Amber nods slightly, thinking this over. She couldn't see a doctor because she didn't have the money… but, maybe Amber did.

Amber reaches into her pocket to pull out some change, when she hears the octoling gasp. She turns to her with a quizzical expression, only to freeze as well when she feels a breeze. A breeze right where her tentacle was hanging.

The octoling gasps deeply, then looks at her with frightened eyes. "A-A-An inkling?! You are an inkling?!"

Amber pauses, then pulls out her change. She didn't know how to respond, but the octoling still needed help. She hands the lady 5000 coins and says "Is this enough?"

The octoling looks at the money incomprehensibly, still frightened and shaking. Amber shakes her hand a bit, the coins clinking softly. She repeats the question, with a little more force. "Is this enough."

The octoling blinks, then slowly nods. Amber nods at her, and the octoling looks back at her hand. She slowly reaches to Amber hand, as if afraid she would get bitten. Amber waits patiently, not wanting to startle the octoling. The octoling hesitantly grabs the money, then pulls away quickly, still afraid.

Amber gets up and says "Get to a doctor quickly." She then turns and begins walking away. She didn't get far before the octoling speaks up.

"Wait!" Amber turns and sees the octoling look at her with confusion. "Why? Why are you, an inkling, helping me, an octoling?"

Amber stares at her for a bit from beneath the hood, searching for ulterior motives in the octoling's gaze. When she sees none, Amber turns and says "No reason other than the protection of life. Inkling, octoling, what difference does it make when one's life is at risk?"

And with that, Amber walks past the corner, leaving the octoling's sight. The octoling watches for a bit, as if waiting for Amber to return, before slowly looking at the gold. She counts it, then slowly mouths "Five thousand." She then turns and leaves, a small and hopeful smile on her face.

When Amber exits the kettle, she nearly jumps around in excitement. "Oh man, that felt so cool! Almost like I was a secret rebel of society, helping to fight an evil world! Oh! Or maybe like Robin Hood, the savior of the poor through his amazing plans and stealth!"

She instantly jumps back to the main base, giddy with pent-up energy. She lands with grace, sliding across the ground before jumping to stop the momentum. She turns to the cabin as a voice calls to her.

She sees Marie there, walking to her slowly, a grin on her face. "Well, aren't you excited. What's got you so wound-up?"

Amber grins, then yells "I helped someone get better! I treated their wounds!"

Marie smiles slightly and says "Oh really now? And who was it?"

Amber pauses, then rubs the back of her head sheepishly. "I didn't quite catch their name. What I do know is that they were an octoling."

Marie's eyes widen and she hums slightly. "Really now? An octoling?"

Amber nods slowly, uncertainty rising in her mind. "Um, yes. An octoling. But she was hurt, and really bad too! It would've killed her if left alone!"

Marie hums and raises an eyebrow. Amber slowly looks down, her hands behind her back and once again shifting in place. "I did the right thing… right?"

Marie's eyes widen when she notices the uncertainty Amber was showing. "Oh! Of course you did!"

Amber frowns and looks at her hesitantly. "But… she's an octoling. Shouldn't I have ignored her?"

Marie quickly shakes her head, walking to Amber and putting a hand on her shoulder, kneeling down in the process, just as Ika had done. Amber looks at Marie as she says "No. It wasn't wrong to ignore her. You did the right thing. Remember, as agents, we don't just protect Inkopolis. We are there for ALL people, helping anyone who needs us, even if they are... octolings…"

Marie's voice trails off, and Amber looks at her with confusion. Marie grabs hold of the gray cloth Amber used as a disguise and rubs her hand across it. Marie looks at her with a serious expression and says "Where did you find this?"

Amber looks back at it and says "This old thing? I found it on a trashcan in a dead-end alley. I used it to get close to the octoling and help her without getting caught." Almost not getting caught, she thinks to herself.

Marie doesn't respond like Amber thinks she will, which makes Amber pause. "Marie? What's wrong?"

The older inkling doesn't respond right away, then says "I need to look at this." Amber tilts her head in confusion, but doesn't question it. She shrugs off the cloak, grimacing at a crusty spot she didn't notice before.

Marie stands up and walks back to the cabin slowly, looking at the cloth. Amber watches her with mild curiosity and worry. "Marie? Are you ok?"

Marie once again doesn't respond right away. In fact, this time, she didn't respond at all. Instead, Marie blows on the cloth, making some of the dust go away. Amber covers her eyes to shield herself from the dust.

When she opens them again, she sees Marie looking at the cloth in shock. Amber frowns and looks at it with confusion, wondering what was so shocking.

She notices that it was tattered, obviously old and used. The color was a deep gray, almost black. It had nothing else of interest, except for that big white smudge. The smudge, she realized, was now cleared off and clear once again. What she sees makes her pause in shock.

Firstly, there was a hole in the cap. A big, torn hole, right where the heart would be. And then, there was the white. The white wasn't just a smudge. No, the cape was emblazoned with a massive, white 3. And that crusty spot? Amber realized it was dried blood.

She opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. Marie was holding the cape with one hand, the other over her mouth. Tears begin forming in her eyes, and she mutters "Oh Kami…"

Amber shuffles again, uncertain what to do. "I… I'm sorry. I… I didn't expect… I only used it to help…"

Marie shakes her head, pulling the cloth closer. "N-No. No, it is fine. I just… I need to rest, ok? Y-You… you can go home."

Amber looks at Marie with worried eyes, her hand reaching to Marie and she says "But!" By the time the word left her mouth, Marie was already in the cabin.

Amber lowers her hand, then looks around. The place suddenly felt eerily quiet. Anguish, pain, death, all of it was built up in this valley. Amber couldn't stand it. She quickly turns around and runs back home. But, despite these swirling emotions within her doubt, doubt crept up to the forefront of her mind. One question kept getting repeated, over and over.

Did I truly do the right thing?

-Author Notes-

I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY HOW LONG THIS TOOK! I promise, this story isn't dead in any way! I had a bad case of writer's block, not to mention school, but everything is fine now! It may take longer than before, when I tried to go weekly or daily, but I should be writing the story more consistently now!

I hope you all enjoyed the story so far. We are getting into the deep stuff, and I won't leave you hanging again! And if you can, please review! Any and all feedback is appreciated, especially if I can hear your guys' thoughts on the story!

Once again, I am very sorry for the delay, but the story is back in action! I hope you all enjoyed!