A/N: So, I noticed a really stupid error when reading back over my story. In the chapter "Divine Intervention", there is a scene where Alex meets a kind guard. In that chapter, I'd called her Lindsay. However, in the next chapter, I'd completely forgotten that I'd named her character, and so I called her Amelia.
That is really sloppy, and I apologize. I plan to fix it as soon as I figure out how to do that.
Yuri felt sick to her stomach.
It wasn't because of the gore. She'd spilled enough blood in her day to be pretty much desensitized to the sight. Hell, as much as she hated to admit it, she still enjoyed it to an extent. That wasn't something that would ever completely go away, and that was fine. She'd managed to keep herself (relatively) sane for the past decade or so, and she'd likely continue to remain stable for years to come. It wasn't really difficult, but it got boring at times.
...Anyways, the reason she was currently feeling a little ill was, of course, related to Alex. He'd always found trouble somehow, and man, he'd gotten into some shit this time. Or at least, that's what might've possibly happened. She really didn't know for sure. By the time she'd arrived, his teeth had been firmly planted into a guard's neck. That was a rather... concerning sight, one might say.
He looked fine, physically. However, something was definitely off. Okay, to be fair, Alex was always at least a little strange, but something was different, and she sure as hell didn't like the look of it. It was mostly how he moved. It was a little jerky, and his posture was much more hunched than usual. Every now and then, he'd twitch, shaking for just a moment. He seemed unbothered by it, which was weird, because that would've normally pissed him off beyond belief.
As she slowly approached him from behind, she took a moment to observe the bodies. They were mangled, which meant that he hadn't used his sword. The fact that his blade was over fifteen feet away only confirmed the evidence. Now, the question remains: What did he use if he didn't have access to his weapon? His hands? The wounds seemed to suggest it, but it required a hell of a lot of force to rip an elf apart, more than she thought possible from her son. He was absolutely deadly, but he was still human at the end of the day.
His hands were pretty bloodstained, though...
She heard a quiet, whimpering sound off to her left. She snapped towards the noise, her eyes spotting a legless dark elf, who was trying their hardest to stop the blood which flowed seemingly endlessly from her stumps. She'd been somewhat successful, but even then, her survival probably wasn't guaranteed. Well, before anything else, she had to know what the hell happened here. For all she knew, Alex went mad, and killed a whole bunch of innocent guards. That was unlikely, but still possible, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. If he'd gone off the deep end...
Well, then it would be her responsibility to take care of him.
"What happened here?" She spoke lowly, careful to avoid Alex's attention. She gazed at the guard, looking her over for any signs of deceit. She'd never trusted most of the villagers, and this one didn't seem especially honest.
"H-He attacked us." She whispered quietly, wide-eyed. "We were just trying to apprehend him, and he went ballistic!"
Yuri's eyes narrowed. The dark elf wasn't lying per se... but it was obvious that she was hiding something. Her eyes were frantic and she was breathing heavily, which, to be fair, was understandable, considering the fact that she'd just lost her legs. Still, something didn't add up. Alex probably wouldn't have snapped without at least some provocation. He got angry all the time, but never usually attacked people over it (despite threatening to do so multiple times.)
"Why did he attack you?" She continued, gazing intently at the elf. "What did you do to set him off like this?"
The elf froze, looking up at her fearfully. Her eyes were wide as she realized that she'd been caught. She hadn't said anything condemning quite yet. All she needed was a little push in the right suggestion.
Yuri grabbed the dark elf by the collar of her shirt, growling as she glared right into the guard's eyes.
"What. did. you. do?" She seethed coldly, watching in hidden delight as the guard proceeded to freak the fuck out.
"I-I didn't do anythi-HRK"
Yuri sighed, tightening her grip on her victim's throat. The guard writhed against her, struggling for even a whiff of air. After a moment, she let go, dropping the dark elf.
"You ready to talk yet?" Yuri grunted quietly, taking a moment to make sure Alex was still preoccupied. (Surprise, he was. That boy just loved some blood.) "Lie to me again, and you won't live to regret it."
She began to speak, but stopped suddenly, her eyes widening as she stared at something behind Yuri. No points awarded for what she was staring at.
"Why, hello there." A scratchy, growly voice called out, a dark hint of amusement ringing in its tone. "Yuri, were have you been? You missed the party."
Yuri turned backwards, facing the ragged form of Alex. He was panting heavily, and there seemed to be a bit of blood pouring from his nose. She didn't fail to notice how he limped forward, wobbling slightly to one side.
As she looked closer, she realized just how cloudy his eyes were. He wasn't really staring at her. He was just looking forward, moving only because some strange force demanded that he do so. The front of his shirt was positively drenched in crimson liquid, and she was fairly sure that none of it came from him.
"I was just... disposing of some garbage I happened across." He muttered casually, as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with the situation. "Now, please move aside, will you? I'm... really fuckin' thirsty, to be honest, and there's a whole can of red just sitting right behind you."
Yuri felt a pit form in her stomach. Alex looked dead on his feet, both physically, and mentally. He was also referring to the dark elf as a "can", which was... odd. Did he really only see her as a container of blood? If so, that was... concerning.
"Alex..." She warned, slowly adopting a fighting stance. "You've done enough today. Get some sleep, and we'll figure this out in the morning."
He raised an eyebrow, looking at her with just the barest hint of uncertainty. After a moment, he sighed, and shook his head, as if to say "This is some bullshit." He wasn't happy that she was barring the path to his latest snack, but quite frankly, she didn't care. The guard could be dealt with at a later date, but Alex was starting to get a little out of hand.
"Yuri, I'm gonna be honest with you... You're being a real cunt right now." He growled. "I feel like shit, and everything in my body is startin' to hurt like hell. I've had a long day, and I'd like to wash it down with a nice, warm drink. If you don't move, then I'll have to take some... drastic measures."
Yuri felt a spark of anger flash through her. Was he threatening her? He'd never done that before, no matter how mad he'd gotten. Or, if he had, it had been back when they were still getting to know each other (She was a little fuzzy on the details. It had been the better part of a decade, after all.). His words were proof enough that he wasn't stable. Part of her debated whether or not to relent, and just let him have is fill of the legless guard. However, she decided against it. Something was wrong, and she'd have to figure out what that was, even if it meant beating it out of him.
"Alex." She stated with the authority that most angry mothers had. "Go home, and sleep. We can deal with this later."
He scowled at her, and took a step forwards. She tensed, watching him closely. She wasn't entirely sure if he would actually attack, but it didn't hurt to be prepared.
For the longest time, he didn't move, glaring at her with a strange, silent anger. It was almost alien, when compared to the loud, vulgar boy she was used to. It made him seem more dangerous.
...You know, now that she thought about it, his... energy, for lack of a better term, felt a lot like that bastard hero that nearly killed her. It made sense, considering the fact that he had been Alex's father, but that fact didn't make it any less creepy. If anything, that just made it worse.
Suddenly, he exploded into action, charging at her with speed that he definitely shouldn't have been capable of. She stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding a blow to the face. She jumped back again as he clawed at her throat, wincing as she felt his hand whizz by.
"Alex, stop this foolishness!" She exclaimed, dodging another vicious blow. "If you don't stop right this instant, you'll be in serious- Woah!"
He cut her off with another attack, clearly not keen on speaking. She'd been expecting it, but that didn't make the situation any better. With the way things were going, it was likely that she'd have to knock him out.
With a frown, she stepped into his guard, and delivered a swift uppercut to the underside of his chin. He flew backwards, unprepared for the sudden blow. Landing a few yards away, he rolled to a painful stop, grunting as he landed on a particularly large rock.
Quickly, he shot to his feet, staring at her with uncomfortable intensity. He didn't seem angry, but he still had that hazy look in his eye. If anything, he looked even more unhinged than before, which, until now, wasn't something Yuri thought was entirely possible.
"Heh." He chuckled, running a hand over his jaw. "Heh heh. Ha Ha Ha!"
He continued to laugh, his chortles growing in volume until he was practically belting out his amusement at the top of his lungs. It was an odd sight to see, but honestly, Yuri was just used to weird shit at this point. It was worrying, sure, but so was practically everything else he'd done so far.
After a moment, his giggles finally died down. He grinned suddenly, showing off teeth that were far sharper than they had any right to be. They had become a little pointy over the years, but this was the first time they'd looked so absurd. She had no doubt that those could cut her. Judging by how bloody they were, they'd probably already been used. They kind of looked like they came straight from a hagfish; oversized and jagged.
"You know, Yuri." He said, somewhat menacingly. "You pack quite a punch. Did I ever tell you that?"
Yuri stood still, observing him carefully. He was suddenly a lot more talkative, and that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
"You say that every time we spar, Alex." She said neutrally.
He chuckled again, as if she'd said something funny. It was starting to get on her nerves, but she didn't say anything. Alex was quite a dangerous individual, even if he was weaker than her. It would be quite the foolish move to take her eyes off him, even for a second.
"It's makin' this fight so much better." He continued, a little small hint of pleasure creeping into his voice. "I'm not usually this excited by combat, but right now... I'm havin' fun!"
Yuri cursed to herself. It seemed that Alex had gone full Battle-Junky. She couldn't exactly judge him though, because she'd be one of the biggest hypocrites to ever live. Still, that was problematic behavior (Her past was a shining example of that.), and would only be harmful in the long run. Great, yet another thing she had to fix. Hopefully, this was just temporary, because it would be a pain in the ass to regulate if it wasn't. And that was on top of the rampant bloodlust.
Ugh, those were problems for later. Right now, she needed to focus on beating him unconscious. She didn't really want to hurt him, but he wasn't giving her a choice in the matter.
He dashed forwards yet again, roaring as he did so. Yuri waited until he grew close, and then kicked her foot out, aiming to catch him in the stomach. To her surprise, he caught the offending limb, and pulled her forwards, slamming his forehead into hers. Yuri cried out and fell backwards, unprepared for the vicious assault. He leapt atop her, his fists ready to pummel her face into the ground. With a grunt, she twisted to the right, sending him tumbling. With practiced ease, she flipped the position so that she was on top, her hands catching his wrists and holding them above his head. He prepared another headbutt, but any resistance died a merciless death when she rammed her knee into his crotch, causing him to let out a high-pitched yelp.
"T-T-That was a dirty t-trick." He ground out, gnashing his teeth in pain. "I didn't try to kick you in the vag."
Yuri looked down at him, an unimpressed look on her features. Was he really arguing about fairness in a fight? Surely, she'd taught him better than that.
Suddenly, he coughed violently, spattering a thick, phlegmy wad of blood all over her face. She recoiled in disgust, temporarily blinded by mixture of blood and snot. She felt a fist catch the side of her jaw, cracking her face to the side. Blindly, she rolled away, desperately wiping at her eyes with her sleeves. Once her vision was clear, her gaze immediately landed on Alex. He was leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. Their eyes met for a split-second, and Yuri felt her heart drop at what she saw.
His cloudy eyes looked at her, but it felt more like he was staring past her, off into the distance. There was the distinct marks of tear-tracks running down his cheeks, and blood had started to very lightly seep from his eyes.
"Fuck..." He wheezed, his body beginning to seize up. "Ohhhhh, that's bad, that's real bad."
For what felt like the longest time, he stood like a statue, his words devolving into loud, panting breaths. After a moment, he took one shaky step forwards. Yuri tensed, awaiting some kind of attack. Fortunately, it never came.
Alex collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. A sudden rush of blood poured out of his mouth, splattering against the dry, packed earth that made up the street. Swiftly, she made her way over to him, feeling a sudden sense of worry creep into her heart. Ignoring the blood and viscera that Alex was soaked in, she knelt down to check his vitals. He had a pulse, which was good. However, when she put her ear up to his mouth, she noticed something deeply wrong.
Alex wasn't breathing.
"Shit." Yuri cursed, scooping him up in her arms. "Shit! SHIT!"
She made a break for Micaela's house, sprinting as fast as she possibly could. The sounds of her rapid footfalls echoed throughout the village. Seeming to mirror her frantic heartbeat. Alex didn't even react to the sudden change in momentum. He was completely limp.
As Yuri threw open the door to Micaela's house, she could only hope that she'd gotten there fast enough.
*LINEBREAK*
Pain.
That was all I felt as my mind slowly awoke. Little lances of agony seemed to dance throughout every muscle, vein, and bone within my body. I was simultaneously burning and freezing at the same time. I opened my mouth to scream, but all that came out was a quiet wheeze. It felt like a railroad spike had been wedged into my brain, and that wasn't even the most sore spot! My limbs felt like they were being dipped in acid, and it was as if my torso had been crushed by ten-thousand tons of rock.
I couldn't talk. I couldn't think. Hell, I could barely fucking breathe.
"-w did this happen?" A faded, almost muffled voice asked. "What did he do?"
Those were words. I knew that, and yet I couldn't comprehend them. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than the pain. It killed any and all thought processes before they could even begin. It was kind of like an abortion, actually.
...No it wasn't. What the fuck is wrong with me? Scratch that last thing I just said. The point is, my brain wasn't really doing much other than wallowing in misery. Sure, it was keeping me alive, but there wasn't much happening beyond that.
"...attacked me." Another muffled voice said. "After a while, he just... collapsed."
Who was that? I couldn't even hope to recognize the voice, because I could barely hear it over the sound of blood roaring in my ears. The pain in my body was constantly changing, ever evolving for the sole purpose of causing me discomfort. One minute, it felt like I was being stabbed. The next, I was being electrocuted. After that, I was being drawn and quartered.
You get the point already. EVERYTHING HURT! I didn't even want to die, because my mind was so preoccupied by the sensation that the concept of anything other than agony ceased to exist for me.
"...'s awake!" One of the voices exclaimed. "Quick, put him to sleep!"
There was a stinging pain in my arm, but it was so miniscule compared to everything else that I didn't really even register it. However, its effects were almost immediate. From the original point, a warm, fuzzy numbness seemed to spread outwards, slowly but surely enveloping the pain in my body, and rendering it down to nothing. Exhaustion washed through me, once again shutting off most functions in my brain. Swiftly, my mind was claimed by unconsciousness yet again, and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
*LINEBREAK*
When I awoke again, I wasn't in nearly as much pain as before. Don't get me wrong, everything was still really, really sore, but I was still in a much better position than before. I could even think now!
The room I was in was large, and made of stone. There were multiple beds to the left and right of me, all of which were empty. The room was completely deserted, save for me, and that loneliness gave it a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.
As I perceived the room in which I resided, I came to a concerning realization. I, for whatever reason, was handcuffed to the bed. The chains were long enough to allow me to rest my arms, but they prevented me from sitting up.
I felt heat bubble up in my face. Not the embarrassed kind, mind you. It was more of the "Red-faced, screaming incoherently" kind of heat. Man, this was some bullshit. Why in the fuck was I chained up? There were implications to this situation, and quite frankly, I didn't like any of them.
Just what had happened anyways? The last thing I remember was getting caught by that tentacle bitch. I doubted she was the one who chained me up, as she made it very clear that she was going to suck me dry right then and there. So, how did I get away from her? All I remember was getting really, really mad... and then nothing. There was a gap in my memory, and I had no idea how long it lasted.
Whatever, that was unimportant for the time being. I needed to find out who chained me up. Of course, finding that would be a simple matter. Escaping... not so much.
I tugged on the handcuffs which kept me restrained, sighing as I realized just how sturdy they were. Had they been normal iron, I could've easily broken them. Alas, they were much, much tougher than that. They might've even been enchanted, which was a real possibility, considering the village I lived in.
Well, it was time for Plan B.
"HEY!" I roared out, my words echoing throughout the building. "LET ME OUTTA HERE, COWARD! I'LL FEED YOU YOUR OWN FUCKING KIDNEYS!"
The reason I'd yelled that was simply to attract attention. Whoever had taken me probably heard me shout that, so hopefully they'd reveal themself. You might be wondering: What was my plan for when they walked in? Well, the answer, you see, is very simple.
I didn't have one.
Now, before you look at me like the moronic fool that I may or may not be, please understand that I already wouldn't have been able to get out of those handcuffs. As previously mentioned, they were some heavy-duty shit.
There were a couple minutes of silence afterwards. I had just started to wonder if anyone would react when I heard the distinct sound of shuffling feet. I looked over to the door at the other end of the room, quietly waiting for someone to walk in.
My patience was eventually rewarded. With the screech of hinges that obviously hadn't been replaced in decades, the door swung open, revealing the last person I expected to see.
Micaela walked over to me, her expression seemingly carved from stone. Her eyes were cold, looking at me as if I was simply an animal that needed to be put down. I felt a spike of fear drive itself into my heart, instantly killing the train of insults that I was about to hurl.
"Care to repeat that?" She asked, her voice ominously neutral. "I'm not sure I heard what you said."
Why was she here? More importantly, was she the one who had imprisoned me? If so, why? I mean, I never liked Micaela, but I'd never given her much reason to hate me, I don't think. I mean, I was a pain in the neck, but I tried to stay out of her hair.
"O-Oh, Micaela." I chuckled nervously, giving her a sheepish grin which didn't even come close to expressing how terrified I was. "I wasn't yelling at you. I was just frustrated that I was chained to the bed. If you could just get me out of these restraints, I'll be on my way."
Micaela shook her head, confirming that she was my captor. That didn't bode well for me, as I'm sure you know. Still, I wasn't dead yet, so that was a good sign. If Micaela wanted me dead, she would've already killed me. She didn't like to waste time on monologues or anything stupid like that. In a way, I respected her for that.
"After what happened a few nights ago, I think it would be better to leave you restrained until you get to the bottom of this situation." She stated, her icy gaze never leaving me.
I blinked. What the hell was she talking about? How big was the gap in my memory ? Her words had suggested that multiple days had past, which was a concerning amount of time to completely forget about.
"A few nights?" I asked, my eyes widening slightly. "Fuck, what the hell even happened?"
Micaela stared at me for a moment, seemingly searching for something in my expression. After a moment, her eyes softened somewhat. With a sigh, she sat down on the empty bed directly to the right of me.
"Alex, how much do you remember?" She asked, frowning slightly. "Do you remember getting into a fight with someone?"
Oh... Shit. Did they not know about those guards trying to kill me? I mean, from an outsider's perspective, this whole situation probably looked really really fucking bad. Thankfully, Micaela knew how to read people, so she'd hopefully know that my words weren't bullshit.
"Well, let's see here..." I began, taking a moment to recall just what had happened. "I'd gone out into the forest last night, hunting animals so I could take their red, when I happened upon a pretty fucked-up scene."
Micaela grimaced when I mentioned what I'd been doing. Yuri had let Micaela know what I was doing when I first started going out, and while she wasn't entirely comfortable with the fact that I killed people on occasion, she wouldn't actively try to stop me until I started hurting innocents.
"To make a long story short, there was a Tarantula Girl that raped some poor bastard to death." I shrugged. "I killed her for it, but got seen by an elf from the village."
Micaela raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. With one hand, she motioned for me to keep talking, so I did.
"She freaked out, running away while screaming like a fuckin' banshee." I grunted. "I tried to stop her so I could explain, but she kicked me in the balls and ran away, screaming for the guards. I chased her all the way to the village, but was surrounded as soon as I got there."
"It was a setup." I continued, cutting her off before she could say anything. "The elf lured me into a trap, essentially. All of the guards that ambushed me had been working together for the sole purpose of fucking me to death."
Micaela frowned, muttering something that I couldn't quite hear, but was fairly certain contained the phrase "Background checks".
I kept on talking for a while after that, essentially explaining what I remembered of the fight. Just to make sure that she didn't get any wrong ideas, I emphasized the fact that I was fighting in self defense. Thankfully, Micaela wasn't an idiot, and believed me.
After mentioning the weird gap in my memory, Micaela stopped me by placing an arm on my shoulder, as if to say "Hush, it's my turn to speak now."
"Alex..." She began, looking somewhat uncertain for a moment. "You slaughtered those guards."
...Well that just didn't make much sense. Hell, I'd been badly outmatched by that tentacle elf, to the point where she fucking caught me with little to no effort. Well, that's not entirely true. I made her work for it, but that didn't change the fact that she had been stronger than me. Just what had happened to turn the tide in my favor?
"Really? How?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "The situation was looking pretty bleak, last I remember. I mean, I'm glad to be alive, but I don't fully understand how I beat them."
Micaela nodded sagely, seemingly understanding my confusion. From her pocket, she fished out a small, leather-bound notebook.
"Do you remember what happened when you fought with your father?" She asked, her eyes peering at me curiously. "Do you remember suddenly growing stronger, or something like that?"
I took a moment to think back on that day, realizing with some wonder that it had been over half a decade since that day. Time really does fly, huh.
After a moment of sifting through all the mental bullshit from around that time, I was able to faintly recall such an incident. Though, the memory felt rather... fuzzy. That made sense, considering how long ago it was, but something was different about it. It was as if trying to remember something you did while drunk. If you tried hard enough, you'd get maybe a sliver of it, but recovering the whole memory was next to impossible. Still, I knew enough to be certain of what she was talking about.
"I suppose so, but why are you bringing that up?, I mean..." I began, before realizing what she must've been implying. "Oh, you think that happened again. That makes sense, I guess."
Micaela nodded, opening her mouth to say something else. Before she could, the door opened again, revealing the tall form of Yuri. She moved towards me quickly, her motion almost robotic. In a couple of seconds, she was right by me, staring at my handcuffed arms with no small amount of annoyance.
"Why is my son chained to the bed?" She asked hotly, her tone surprising me. Where was the normal "Yuri-brand" of stoicism that I had come to know and respect? It was unusual to see, and it made me think that she was just a bit more frazzled than usual.
Micaela reached into her pocket again, pulling out a small, silver key.
"It's just a safety precaution." She shrugged. "I didn't know how he'd react when he woke up, is all. Honestly, I forgot he was restrained for a while there."
I shot her a dirty look, and she looked away innocently. Sure, it was easy for her to forget. She wasn't the one who could barely move her arms. Wordlessly, she reached over, and unlocked the handcuffs. Now that my hands were free, I made to get up and stretch. However, before I could move out of the bed, I was enveloped in a strong, nearly crushing hug, courtesy of Yuri.
"I was so worried about you." She quietly grunted, running a hand through my hair. "I'm just glad you're okay."
I sat completely still for a moment, caught off-guard by the sudden display of affection. After a moment, I decided "oh, what the hell", and relaxed, wrapping my arms around her.
You know, as sappy as it may sound, it felt nice to get a hug every now and then. Yuri didn't give those out very often, so it was always special when she did. I knew she loved me (it was purely familial, you creeps.), but she just didn't express it all that often, you know? Of course, that was fine, but it just made moments like this feel much more meaningful.
"Well, that's certainly kind of you to worry." I stuttered slightly. "I'm fine now, though... I think."
The moment was interrupted by a polite cough from Micaela. Calmly, Yuri released me, but her eyes lingered on me for a moment.
"Yuri, how did the interrogation go?" Micaela asked, a small smile on her face. "I trust the guard didn't give you much trouble."
Yuri sighed, and once again, I saw a flash of annoyance on her face.
"Managed to get a confession, after doing a bit of digging." She almost growled, her eyes narrowing somewhat. "How they stayed hidden for so long is a mystery. Some of those bastards have been living here for years."
Micaela winced, suddenly finding herself the object of Yuri's ire.
"Well, it's not like I can just investigate everyone who comes into town!" She exclaimed, crossing her arms. "This is a place for monsters to come and live peaceful lives! I'm not going to hold someone's past actions against them unless they endanger the town."
Yuri glared at Micaela, her eyes dangerously cold.
"All it took was some asking around." She practically spat, her words concerningly venomous. "They'd tried to recruit multiple people into their little group. Hell, they bragged about their plans! If you'd actually paid attention to what goes on in the village, you'd have heard about them!"
Micaela stood up, snarling as she marched right up into Yuri's personal space.
"You don't exactly listen to them either!" She roared, her fists shaking as if she was holding herself back. "And for god's sake Yuri, they're monsters! Almost all of them were rapists at some point! If I turned people away because of their past, I'd have never let you come within ten miles of this village!"
I watched in subdued awe as they continued to shout in each other's faces. Never before had I seen them like this. Honestly, it was kind of frightening. Still, as scared as I was to get between them, their constant screaming was starting to make my headache much worse. Besides, it looked like they were about to come to blows, and that would be a really unpleasant fight. So, I intervened.
"ENOUGH!" I yelled, straining to be heard over their bickering voices. Thankfully, screaming was something I was good at, so my screech cut right through their little argument, stopping it in its tracks.
Yuri froze for a moment, before a neutral expression came over her face. Micaela looked annoyed still, but at least it got her to shut the fuck up. She opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.
"What the hell has gotten into the two of you?" I growled, glaring both of them down. "You're giving me a headache with all this racket. Whatever you're arguing about isn't that important, seeing how we're all alive and well. So stop screaming at each other."
There was silence for a moment (and it was a wonderful silence, let me tell you.), but eventually, Yuri stepped forwards, her hands balled into fists.
"Alex, you weren't even breathing when I brought you in here." She said quietly, her eyes staring distantly at nothing in particular. "I came so, so close to losing you..."
...Well, shit. Whatever happened must've been bad for her to be acting this way. I could see little tears welled up in her eyes. She wasn't crying, but it was close. Quite frankly, that shit broke my heart.
"And then, when I get you to Micaela, we find out that she couldn't heal you for some reason. We had to treat you the normal way." She continued, her arms starting to shake. "And then, when we finally got you stabilized, you just started screaming."
Her voice quivered as she went on with her explanation, until I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I interrupted her with another big hug cutting off her story before she could get anymore upset.
"I'm fine now." I grunted quietly, my voice tinged with a bit of uncertainty. "That doesn't matter anymore. I'm okay, so it's all good."
I probably sounded stupid as fuck, but at least I got the point across. I was never great at comforting people, so usually it just sounded pretty awkward or stupid (or both). Still, it worked somewhat, as it stopped Yuri from getting more upset. That was good enough for me.
After a moment, I glanced over at Micaela, who was staring awkwardly at the ceiling. She looked uncomfortable, which was somewhat understandable. I also felt a little strange when people around me expressed strong emotion. (Emotions other than rage, of course. I was quite experienced in that particular field.)
After the hug concluded, I walked over towards Micaela, intent on saying... something. There were some questions that needed to be answered, and I wasn't about to rest until they were.
"So..." I began, starting out with the first thing that came to mind. "Why couldn't you heal me?"
In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best thing to say, considering how her eyes flashed upward again, staring at something that only she could see.
"W-Well..." She stuttered slightly, caught off-guard by my question. "Your body was damaged in such a way that I couldn't heal it through magical means."
That was bullshit, of course, but I wasn't mad at her for lying about it. If anything, she just proved that we were, in fact, being spied on. That was a pain, but it wasn't like I was going to reveal anything to her otherwise. I'd keep my game knowledge secret for as long as I could, because I had a feeling that the big woman upstairs would have a few questions for me if she heard anything outrageous.
"Ok then..." I grumbled, before asking the actual important question. "Now, why don't you have some kind of screening process for when you hire new guards? I mean, if they were as obvious as Yuri said, then they should've been rather easy to root out."
Micaela winced again, sighing heavily as she sagged her shoulders somewhat. She gazed at me, and for a second I could see just how tired she was. She'd been alive for over a thousand years, so I guess that made sense. I mean, I wouldn't want to live that long, because the thought of outliving everyone you'd ever know was, quite frankly, pant-shittingly terrifying.
"Alex..." She muttered, pausing for a moment to think over what she was going to say. "The people here all come from different walks of life. Looking into the pasts of every single newcomer would be intrusive, difficult, and impractical. Things will certainly be more strict around here, though."
I raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further. As much as the situation pissed me off, I was getting a little tired of beating this horse when it was already basically a fucking skeleton. I just wanted to go home, and have a nice, long bath. Then, I'd curl up in my bed, and sleep for however long my body deemed necessary.
I started to walk over to the door, but both Yuri and Micaela stopped me.
"Going outside might not be the best idea right now." Micaela said quickly. "Why don't you just stay in here?"
Yuri nodded, though she was noticeably agitated by the decision.
"...Why?" I asked, feeling my eye begin to twitch somewhat. "Why must I stay in here?"
Rather than answer, Micaela pulled back the curtains on a window that I hadn't noticed until right then. She gestured for me to look outside, so I did, swearing at what I saw.
There was quite a large mob of monsters out there, all of which were looking mighty upset. A few saw me looking, and pointed, gathering the attention of the disgruntled masses. They hurled insults, and other sorts of comments, some of which were rather... filthy. Swiftly, I closed the curtains, slowly turning to face Micaela in a way that could only be described as "Woodenly".
"Well..." I quietly grunted. "This is a fine pickle."
A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long. Work's been kicking my ass, and it will probably continue to do so for a while. This chapter feels okay to me. It's not my best work, but it'll do.
