Chapter seven: Budehuc
Hugo and co. led the three Tinto warriors through Yaza Plains on their trek to Budehuc Castle. Samus was wondering what it would look like, as he had never heard of a castle on Zexen territory. Even the name Budehuc was unfamiliar to him.
After a good while of walking through Yaza Plains, the group passed the entrance to Iksay Village, proving that they were getting close. During the walk, Samus looked around in awe around the plains. Never in his life had he traveled through Yaza. These plains were much more beautiful than the Amur Plains, even through the monsters on Yaza were more dangerous.
Eventually, Hugo led the team to their destination, Budehuc Castle. All Samus could see on the outside was a long wall going around the front of the castle, a couple small buildings inside the courtyard and a young girl standing at the entrance. She wore battle armour and a helmet and held a spear and shield. Samus cocked an eyebrow. This girl looked a little too young to be a guard, but he didn't mention anything.
Hugo smiled at the girl. "Hello. Is this Budehuc Castle?"
The girl's eyes widened when she saw the team approaching. She quickly nodded. "Y-Yes. I am Garrison Commander Cecile." She said. "Just one moment. I'll fetch the master." Suddenly, Cecile turned around and ran off, shouting "Thomas! Thomas!"
The team stood in silence as they watched the young girl run off. Reed broke the silence when he turned to Samus. "She's the Garrison Commander?" He asked.
Samus replied with a shrug. "These days anything goes." He said.
The team walked into the castle courtyard and continued walking to where Cecile ran. Looking around, Samus noticed that the castle wasn't much of a castle, but was instead a mansion surrounded by several buildings. Walking up the stairs Cecile ran up earlier, the team saw Cecile standing aside, talking with a boy about her age. Samus' eyes widened as the team walked towards them. This young boy was the castle master?!
The young boy, Thomas, turned around and saw the group approaching. He backed up a couple steps and politely bowed. "Welcome to Budehuc." Thomas said.
As Hugo and Thomas talked for a little bit, Samus still couldn't get his mind on how young the master was. He was also wondering on how the castle could be surviving with the state it was in. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Thomas speak up.
"Perhaps you'd like to talk inside." The young master said. "Please follow me."
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Samus sighed as he and the others walked back outside. Apparently, Cecile was under the impression that Hugo and co. were people seeking to open a shop and had told Thomas just that. Samus found out that Thomas was leasing the land to people whom were willing to open a shop. That was apparently how they got the Runesage, rancher, Trader and Blacksmith.
After walking outside, Reed looked at Samus. "It's getting a little late. I think we'd better check into the Inn before Lilly starts to get angry." The blonde man suggested.
Samus replied with a nod. "I guess so." He was silent for a few seconds. "Although I have this sneaking suspicion that something's going to happen."
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Samus woke up the next morning with a start. He was sleeping right by the window, and had heard a noise coming from outside. Deciding to check it out, Samus got dressed, went to the next room and woke up Reed. However, Reed suggested that they also wake up Lilly. The young woman wasn't exactly thrilled about being woken up, and even got mad at her two attendants, but soon gave in and went downstairs with Reed and Samus, into the sitting area of the Inn, where Hugo and Sgt. Joe were already sitting.
Going outside, Samus saw Thomas, Cecile and a few other of the castle residents standing at the front gate to the castle, staring down an overweight man in purple and a group of Zexen soldiers.
Hugo and Sgt. Joe decided to approach the 'meeting', and Samus decided to follow them without saying anything. However, when they approached, the fat man looked in their direction and smirked vilely.
"There! THAT'S the problem!" He spat.
Thomas turned around, saw Hugo and turned back, a serious expression on his face. "What? Those are my guests."
Samus watched as Thomas and the fat man exchanged insults. He was wondering why the man had addressed the team as a 'problem'. Listening in, Samus found out that Hugo and Sgt. Joe had escaped from Vinay del Zexay, and was considered a fugitive. Samus instantly knew that Hugo had done nothing wrong. Heck, he was the son of the chief. He'd NEVER pull off anything illegal.
Samus brought himself out of his thoughts and saw the fat man walking away, leaving his guards at the gate. Samus saw the man turn to the group and let out a quiet snarl. "Barbarian." He spat quietly. Anyone would guess that the insult was directed at Hugo.
But Samus would've sworn that the man was staring at him when he said it.
A few minutes afterwards, Hugo and co. ended up going back towards the mansion, where they saw Thomas and the rest of the staff standing in a semi- circle around two new figures.
As they were approaching the group, Thomas and the staff split up, leaving the two new figures alone. The boy introduced himself as Caesar Silverberg, and the woman as Apple, a student of the late Mathiu Silverberg. Caesar had said that he had a brilliant plan to get Hugo and co. out safely without alerting the Zexens, and had given Thomas and the others jobs to do.
After Caesar and Apple walked off, Hugo turned to the others. "I'm going to see if I can find Thomas. I wish to talk with him." He said. "I hope that you guys don't mind that I want to keep it private."
Sgt. Joe nodded. "I'm sure we'll all find something to do while we'll wait for you to finish, Hugo." The duck replied.
Lilly also nodded as she turned to her attendants. "Samus. Reed. I don't have anything for you to do, so I'm giving you both a break until Hugo is finished or until I say otherwise." She said.
"Thank you, milady!" Both men said as they bowed to Lilly in unison.
As Lilly walked off, Sgt. Joe entered the mansion and Hugo walked off in the direction Thomas went. Samus turned to ask Reed what he was going to do, but the blonde man was already walking away.
Samus looked around, as if trying to realize the fact that he was alone. Shrugging to himself, Samus opened the door to the mansion and walked in.
Inside, Samus looked around. Sure the outside of the mansion wasn't in good shape, but the inside surprisingly was, other than a few holes in the walls. He noticed Sgt. Joe walking downstairs, into the basement.
Samus decided to go upstairs to see what was up there. After walking up the many stairs, Samus looked back and forth. To the left was a hallway with a few doors. To the right was a bulletin board hanging on the wall, the door to an elevator, a young boy with glasses pacing around by the bulletin and a lone door against the wall. Curiosity getting the better of him, Samus walked to the right, towards the door at the end of the path.
Pushing open the door, Samus walked into the room. Again looking around, Samus saw shelves and shelves of books, with a table and a couple desks. Obviously, it was the library.
Smiling slightly, Samus walked over to a bookshelf and started running his finger across the books, trying to find something he wanted to read.
"...May I help you?" A calm voice asked, breaking the silence.
The voice caused Samus to jump in fright, but he managed to keep himself from shouting. Turning around, Samus found himself staring at a man that seemed to be the librarian. He had brownish hair and wore a brown vest over a white shirt, with brown, neatly pressed pants, and nicely polished, black shoes. He wore a pair of white gloves on his hands, probably to hold the book in his with delicate care to keep it from getting his fingerprints all over it. The most noticeable feature was his colourless, emotionless eyes. While the sight of them freaked Samus out a little, he thought that the man looked and seemed kind enough.
"Um...Are you the librarian?" Samus asked.
The man nodded slowly. "Yes. I am Eike, head librarian of Budehuc Castle."
Samus nodded. "I'm looking for something to read. Do you have any romance novels?" He asked.
Again, Eike nodded slowly. "Yes." He walked towards the bookshelf and showed Samus a small section of books. "You'll find what you need in here, my friend." Looking at Samus, Eike politely bowed. "Please enjoy yourself." Without another word, Eike walked off, towards a young girl in the corner of the room, dressed as a scholar.
Turning back towards the shelf, Samus easily found a book he liked and picked it off the shelf. Sitting down at the table, Samus opened the book and started reading.
A good few hours passed, and Samus was still in the library, reading through the book.
Suddenly, Samus heard the door to the library open. Looking at the entrance, Samus saw Reed walk into the room. Samus sighed. "Our break is over?" He asked.
Reed nodded. "Milady is waiting for us outside."
Samus nodded as he stood up. After placing the book back on the shelf, he followed Reed out of the library.
Walking downstairs, Samus turned to Reed. "Where'd you go, anyway?" He asked.
"The ranch." Reed replied. "I met the rancher and she seems like a real nice girl."
"Girl?" Samus asked.
"Yeah. Her name's Kathy." Receiving an odd glare from Samus, Reed laughed. "Don't worry, Samus. She's only eighteen. I can't fall for someone like that."
(A/N: Oh, if he only knew...:))
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It was almost midnight, and Samus sat at one of the tables in the Inn, alone. Even though he knew he'd need to get up early if Caesar's plan was to work, but even still, Samus couldn't sleep. It was a pity that he'd have to leave Budehuc so soon after arriving, but he didn't want to be trapped by Zexen soldiers either. He was thankful that he'd be going back to the Great Hollow after escaping Budehuc, as he'd be able to have another talk with Anne. Even though that talk was a couple days ago, Samus still remembered how much he enjoyed the talk with Anne.
Samus was brought out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps. Looking up, he saw Hugo walking into the room, a little surprised to see Samus. This was expected, as Samus was supposed to be asleep by now.
"Can't sleep, eh Samus?" Hugo asked.
Samus looked at the table and shook his head. "No. I guess I've just got a lot on my mind." He looked up at Hugo. "What are YOU doing up, Hugo?" He asked.
"I've got a meeting with Thomas." Hugo replied. "I tried looking for him this afternoon, but he said to come see him tonight." He was silent for a couple seconds. "If you want, you can come along."
Samus smiled as he got to his feet. "Sure. It beats just sitting here."
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Samus followed Hugo down the hallway to the left of the stairs until they reached a door. Pushing open the door, Hugo walked in. Samus decided not to barge in on other people's business, so he stood around outside the door.
Even though Samus was leaning against the wall, he could hear the conversation going on between Hugo and Thomas. Things were a little uneventful until Hugo's main question was asked.
"Why are you protecting us from those Ironheads?"
"Well, as you already know, I'm leasing this land to whoever wants to open a shop." Thomas replied. "The Zexen Council doesn't seem to thrilled on this, and they want profit from it." He was silent for a few seconds. "But I want this to be a land where anyone can come, even Zexens."
Samus heard nothing for several seconds, as if Hugo was struggling with his answer. However, once Hugo gave his answer, Samus wished that he didn't hear it.
"I...Can't. They killed Lulu."
Samus' eyes sprang open as he fell back against the wall in shock. Was it true? Lulu, that adorable little boy in Luce's arm when he left the village, was killed by a Zexen 'Ironhead'? He couldn't believe it! Luce was childless for years, and when she finally had one, she was overjoyed. But now, her only child was dead! He couldn't understand how much pain Luce could be going through right now.
Suddenly, Samus narrowed his eyes. His newfound hatred for Zexen just got bigger. Not only taking the lives of innocent people but also the life of an only child, leaving his mother childless.
Samus listened to the conversation a little more until Hugo and Thomas finished. Samus stood outside the door until Hugo emerged from it. The two started walking back down the hallway.
"How'd it go?" Samus asked, not wanting Hugo to know that he had listened in.
"Well, I found out what I wanted to know, if that's what you're talking about." Hugo replied. Samus nodded. "Well, anyway, we'd better get to sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow."
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Like the day before, Samus woke up first. After waking up Reed and a reluctant Lilly, the trio went downstairs, where Hugo and Sgt. Joe were already sitting.
"How long have you two been awake?" Lilly asked.
"To tell you the truth, we just woke up." Sgt. Joe replied.
"Well, we'd better get going." Hugo said. "Caesar's probably waiting for us outside."
Everyone agreed as they went outside, where, as Hugo said, Caesar was waiting.
"You ready, Hugo?" Caesar asked.
Hugo nodded. "Ready when you are."
Caesar nodded. "Okay. Let's do it!"
To be continued...
Hugo and co. led the three Tinto warriors through Yaza Plains on their trek to Budehuc Castle. Samus was wondering what it would look like, as he had never heard of a castle on Zexen territory. Even the name Budehuc was unfamiliar to him.
After a good while of walking through Yaza Plains, the group passed the entrance to Iksay Village, proving that they were getting close. During the walk, Samus looked around in awe around the plains. Never in his life had he traveled through Yaza. These plains were much more beautiful than the Amur Plains, even through the monsters on Yaza were more dangerous.
Eventually, Hugo led the team to their destination, Budehuc Castle. All Samus could see on the outside was a long wall going around the front of the castle, a couple small buildings inside the courtyard and a young girl standing at the entrance. She wore battle armour and a helmet and held a spear and shield. Samus cocked an eyebrow. This girl looked a little too young to be a guard, but he didn't mention anything.
Hugo smiled at the girl. "Hello. Is this Budehuc Castle?"
The girl's eyes widened when she saw the team approaching. She quickly nodded. "Y-Yes. I am Garrison Commander Cecile." She said. "Just one moment. I'll fetch the master." Suddenly, Cecile turned around and ran off, shouting "Thomas! Thomas!"
The team stood in silence as they watched the young girl run off. Reed broke the silence when he turned to Samus. "She's the Garrison Commander?" He asked.
Samus replied with a shrug. "These days anything goes." He said.
The team walked into the castle courtyard and continued walking to where Cecile ran. Looking around, Samus noticed that the castle wasn't much of a castle, but was instead a mansion surrounded by several buildings. Walking up the stairs Cecile ran up earlier, the team saw Cecile standing aside, talking with a boy about her age. Samus' eyes widened as the team walked towards them. This young boy was the castle master?!
The young boy, Thomas, turned around and saw the group approaching. He backed up a couple steps and politely bowed. "Welcome to Budehuc." Thomas said.
As Hugo and Thomas talked for a little bit, Samus still couldn't get his mind on how young the master was. He was also wondering on how the castle could be surviving with the state it was in. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Thomas speak up.
"Perhaps you'd like to talk inside." The young master said. "Please follow me."
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Samus sighed as he and the others walked back outside. Apparently, Cecile was under the impression that Hugo and co. were people seeking to open a shop and had told Thomas just that. Samus found out that Thomas was leasing the land to people whom were willing to open a shop. That was apparently how they got the Runesage, rancher, Trader and Blacksmith.
After walking outside, Reed looked at Samus. "It's getting a little late. I think we'd better check into the Inn before Lilly starts to get angry." The blonde man suggested.
Samus replied with a nod. "I guess so." He was silent for a few seconds. "Although I have this sneaking suspicion that something's going to happen."
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Samus woke up the next morning with a start. He was sleeping right by the window, and had heard a noise coming from outside. Deciding to check it out, Samus got dressed, went to the next room and woke up Reed. However, Reed suggested that they also wake up Lilly. The young woman wasn't exactly thrilled about being woken up, and even got mad at her two attendants, but soon gave in and went downstairs with Reed and Samus, into the sitting area of the Inn, where Hugo and Sgt. Joe were already sitting.
Going outside, Samus saw Thomas, Cecile and a few other of the castle residents standing at the front gate to the castle, staring down an overweight man in purple and a group of Zexen soldiers.
Hugo and Sgt. Joe decided to approach the 'meeting', and Samus decided to follow them without saying anything. However, when they approached, the fat man looked in their direction and smirked vilely.
"There! THAT'S the problem!" He spat.
Thomas turned around, saw Hugo and turned back, a serious expression on his face. "What? Those are my guests."
Samus watched as Thomas and the fat man exchanged insults. He was wondering why the man had addressed the team as a 'problem'. Listening in, Samus found out that Hugo and Sgt. Joe had escaped from Vinay del Zexay, and was considered a fugitive. Samus instantly knew that Hugo had done nothing wrong. Heck, he was the son of the chief. He'd NEVER pull off anything illegal.
Samus brought himself out of his thoughts and saw the fat man walking away, leaving his guards at the gate. Samus saw the man turn to the group and let out a quiet snarl. "Barbarian." He spat quietly. Anyone would guess that the insult was directed at Hugo.
But Samus would've sworn that the man was staring at him when he said it.
A few minutes afterwards, Hugo and co. ended up going back towards the mansion, where they saw Thomas and the rest of the staff standing in a semi- circle around two new figures.
As they were approaching the group, Thomas and the staff split up, leaving the two new figures alone. The boy introduced himself as Caesar Silverberg, and the woman as Apple, a student of the late Mathiu Silverberg. Caesar had said that he had a brilliant plan to get Hugo and co. out safely without alerting the Zexens, and had given Thomas and the others jobs to do.
After Caesar and Apple walked off, Hugo turned to the others. "I'm going to see if I can find Thomas. I wish to talk with him." He said. "I hope that you guys don't mind that I want to keep it private."
Sgt. Joe nodded. "I'm sure we'll all find something to do while we'll wait for you to finish, Hugo." The duck replied.
Lilly also nodded as she turned to her attendants. "Samus. Reed. I don't have anything for you to do, so I'm giving you both a break until Hugo is finished or until I say otherwise." She said.
"Thank you, milady!" Both men said as they bowed to Lilly in unison.
As Lilly walked off, Sgt. Joe entered the mansion and Hugo walked off in the direction Thomas went. Samus turned to ask Reed what he was going to do, but the blonde man was already walking away.
Samus looked around, as if trying to realize the fact that he was alone. Shrugging to himself, Samus opened the door to the mansion and walked in.
Inside, Samus looked around. Sure the outside of the mansion wasn't in good shape, but the inside surprisingly was, other than a few holes in the walls. He noticed Sgt. Joe walking downstairs, into the basement.
Samus decided to go upstairs to see what was up there. After walking up the many stairs, Samus looked back and forth. To the left was a hallway with a few doors. To the right was a bulletin board hanging on the wall, the door to an elevator, a young boy with glasses pacing around by the bulletin and a lone door against the wall. Curiosity getting the better of him, Samus walked to the right, towards the door at the end of the path.
Pushing open the door, Samus walked into the room. Again looking around, Samus saw shelves and shelves of books, with a table and a couple desks. Obviously, it was the library.
Smiling slightly, Samus walked over to a bookshelf and started running his finger across the books, trying to find something he wanted to read.
"...May I help you?" A calm voice asked, breaking the silence.
The voice caused Samus to jump in fright, but he managed to keep himself from shouting. Turning around, Samus found himself staring at a man that seemed to be the librarian. He had brownish hair and wore a brown vest over a white shirt, with brown, neatly pressed pants, and nicely polished, black shoes. He wore a pair of white gloves on his hands, probably to hold the book in his with delicate care to keep it from getting his fingerprints all over it. The most noticeable feature was his colourless, emotionless eyes. While the sight of them freaked Samus out a little, he thought that the man looked and seemed kind enough.
"Um...Are you the librarian?" Samus asked.
The man nodded slowly. "Yes. I am Eike, head librarian of Budehuc Castle."
Samus nodded. "I'm looking for something to read. Do you have any romance novels?" He asked.
Again, Eike nodded slowly. "Yes." He walked towards the bookshelf and showed Samus a small section of books. "You'll find what you need in here, my friend." Looking at Samus, Eike politely bowed. "Please enjoy yourself." Without another word, Eike walked off, towards a young girl in the corner of the room, dressed as a scholar.
Turning back towards the shelf, Samus easily found a book he liked and picked it off the shelf. Sitting down at the table, Samus opened the book and started reading.
A good few hours passed, and Samus was still in the library, reading through the book.
Suddenly, Samus heard the door to the library open. Looking at the entrance, Samus saw Reed walk into the room. Samus sighed. "Our break is over?" He asked.
Reed nodded. "Milady is waiting for us outside."
Samus nodded as he stood up. After placing the book back on the shelf, he followed Reed out of the library.
Walking downstairs, Samus turned to Reed. "Where'd you go, anyway?" He asked.
"The ranch." Reed replied. "I met the rancher and she seems like a real nice girl."
"Girl?" Samus asked.
"Yeah. Her name's Kathy." Receiving an odd glare from Samus, Reed laughed. "Don't worry, Samus. She's only eighteen. I can't fall for someone like that."
(A/N: Oh, if he only knew...:))
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It was almost midnight, and Samus sat at one of the tables in the Inn, alone. Even though he knew he'd need to get up early if Caesar's plan was to work, but even still, Samus couldn't sleep. It was a pity that he'd have to leave Budehuc so soon after arriving, but he didn't want to be trapped by Zexen soldiers either. He was thankful that he'd be going back to the Great Hollow after escaping Budehuc, as he'd be able to have another talk with Anne. Even though that talk was a couple days ago, Samus still remembered how much he enjoyed the talk with Anne.
Samus was brought out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps. Looking up, he saw Hugo walking into the room, a little surprised to see Samus. This was expected, as Samus was supposed to be asleep by now.
"Can't sleep, eh Samus?" Hugo asked.
Samus looked at the table and shook his head. "No. I guess I've just got a lot on my mind." He looked up at Hugo. "What are YOU doing up, Hugo?" He asked.
"I've got a meeting with Thomas." Hugo replied. "I tried looking for him this afternoon, but he said to come see him tonight." He was silent for a couple seconds. "If you want, you can come along."
Samus smiled as he got to his feet. "Sure. It beats just sitting here."
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Samus followed Hugo down the hallway to the left of the stairs until they reached a door. Pushing open the door, Hugo walked in. Samus decided not to barge in on other people's business, so he stood around outside the door.
Even though Samus was leaning against the wall, he could hear the conversation going on between Hugo and Thomas. Things were a little uneventful until Hugo's main question was asked.
"Why are you protecting us from those Ironheads?"
"Well, as you already know, I'm leasing this land to whoever wants to open a shop." Thomas replied. "The Zexen Council doesn't seem to thrilled on this, and they want profit from it." He was silent for a few seconds. "But I want this to be a land where anyone can come, even Zexens."
Samus heard nothing for several seconds, as if Hugo was struggling with his answer. However, once Hugo gave his answer, Samus wished that he didn't hear it.
"I...Can't. They killed Lulu."
Samus' eyes sprang open as he fell back against the wall in shock. Was it true? Lulu, that adorable little boy in Luce's arm when he left the village, was killed by a Zexen 'Ironhead'? He couldn't believe it! Luce was childless for years, and when she finally had one, she was overjoyed. But now, her only child was dead! He couldn't understand how much pain Luce could be going through right now.
Suddenly, Samus narrowed his eyes. His newfound hatred for Zexen just got bigger. Not only taking the lives of innocent people but also the life of an only child, leaving his mother childless.
Samus listened to the conversation a little more until Hugo and Thomas finished. Samus stood outside the door until Hugo emerged from it. The two started walking back down the hallway.
"How'd it go?" Samus asked, not wanting Hugo to know that he had listened in.
"Well, I found out what I wanted to know, if that's what you're talking about." Hugo replied. Samus nodded. "Well, anyway, we'd better get to sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow."
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Like the day before, Samus woke up first. After waking up Reed and a reluctant Lilly, the trio went downstairs, where Hugo and Sgt. Joe were already sitting.
"How long have you two been awake?" Lilly asked.
"To tell you the truth, we just woke up." Sgt. Joe replied.
"Well, we'd better get going." Hugo said. "Caesar's probably waiting for us outside."
Everyone agreed as they went outside, where, as Hugo said, Caesar was waiting.
"You ready, Hugo?" Caesar asked.
Hugo nodded. "Ready when you are."
Caesar nodded. "Okay. Let's do it!"
To be continued...