Hi guys, how's everyone doing?
Finally did chapter 14, and it was fun to write. As for the story I've decided to stick to the canon events as much as possible, I will throw some of my own arc or events in between but I'll try to stick to the main events as much as I can. I've got some things prepared for the next chapters that I've been waiting to write about. But for now just enjoy!Btw I've been thinking about renaming this story for quite a while but I don't know when I'll do it so I will think about it.
Anyways cya!
Erebus frowned as he could feel the eyes of everyone resistance members resting on him as he walked through the camp, they were looking down at him as if he was a dirty peasant. Who did these weaklings think they staring at? He was far more superior and powerful than them in every possible way, yet they kept looking down on him with distrust and disapproval which infuriated him, however now wasn't the time to let his anger out of control. But the constant remarks and whispers that were directed at him were making it harder for him.
''Hey! Look at the guy behind you!''
''Look at the size of the sword on his back!''
''He looks quite strong...''
''Quiet! He might hear us!''
''I don't care, he's just a show off.''
''Do you think he's a scavenger?''
''As if we don't already have enough of those deadweights...''
Erebus was having a hard time controlling his anger which forced to lower his head so that he wouldn't be tempted to retort to these remarks but the more he walked, the more these remarks were started to turn into insults until he reached what looked like a shop that had swords displayed on shelves. In front of the small shop was a man sitting on a chair while polishing a sword, Erebus began inspecting the weapons on display until the weapon dealer perked up at him with a confused expression before putting down his sword.
''And...How can I help you?'' The man asked with hesitation while inspecting the strange hooded man before him. Erebus didn't bother to respond him and took his smaller sword from his waist and dropped it down in front of the man.
''It needs some sharpening.'' Erebus curtly said while occasionally glancing behind himself.
The weapon dealer scowled at him and looked behind the hooded man, surprise could be seen all over his face as he saw everyone were intensely watching the both of them, he took the sword from the ground and began inspecting it before quickly taking his sword's catalogue and rapidly flipped the pages while looking back at the sword.
''I've never seen a sword like this...From the hilt up to the blade.'' The man looked at the sword from every angle possible before looking back Erebus with an astonished expression. ''Where did you find a sword like that?! It looks like it a relic from the old world!''
''The old...World?'' Erebus slowly asked while narrowing his eyes.
''Yes! It looks so authentic.'' The weapon dealer said but his excitement soon vanished when he saw the confused gaze the hooded man gave him. ''You don't know about the old world? How's this possible?''
Erebus blinked as he couldn't comprehend what he just heard, it was the first time that he has ever heard about the old world which made him wonder what exactly was the man talking about? Aren't they in Midgard?
''Since my recent accident, I don't really remember much...'' Erebus lied while speaking in a more quiet tone. ''I just need my sword to be sharper, are you able to do it, yes or no?
The man was slightly taken back by the stern tone clear in his voice and slowly handed him back his sword. ''Listen, by the looks of it and the way everyone is staring at you it's pretty obvious that you're new around here. Go talk to our leader and if she approves of you then come back and I'll see how much it will cost for your sword.''
Erebus took back his sword while glaring daggers at the weapon dealer before asking another question that lingered on his mind. ''Where's your leader?''
''At the back of the camp, you can't miss her since she's the only one wearing a green cape.'' The weapon dealer said while pointing ahead of him which made Erebus turn to look wherever the leader camp was supposed to be.
Erebus put his sword back into its sheath and began walking through the resistance camp but not without noticing that everyone was still staring at him. Why couldn't they mind their own business? Erebus wasn't foolish, he knew that his appearance made him stood out from most of the crowd but he hadn't anticipated the way that everyone would be staring at him as if he just committed a horrible act. While Erebus was lost in his thought, he barely hadn't noticed that someone was coming towards him until they bumped each other's. Erebus glared at the person that had rudely pushed him, he desperately wanted to teach however that person a lesson about manners, but to his surprise the person began apologising before he could even open his mouth.
''Sorry about that, are ya alright?''
Erebus turned around and saw a woman wearing a cape while some of her black hair covered her eye. He didn't know exactly why but the mere sight of these resistance members were enough to make him consider just slaughtering them all. They were nothing but a source of nuisance for him.
''Yes, i'm fine.'' Erebus calmly said with a slight edge in his voice.
''I'm Jackass.'' The black haired android said while crossing her arms. ''You're new around here, aren't ya?''
While Erebus remained calm on the surface, deep down he was beginning to feel slightly anxious. He could feel through her body language and her tone that she was intensely observing him, the chances of this woman recognising him were small however he knew better than pushing his luck inside the enemy territory.
''And what makes you say that?'' Erebus asked with curiosity while keeping his head down.
''I don't know...Maybe by the looks everyone is currently giving ya?'' Jackass said while raising her eyebrows as it was the most obvious thing. She felt there was definitely something wrong about this guy however she couldn't place her finger on it. ''And on top of that you look quite...strange?''
Erebus didn't speak but instead just kept coldly staring at everyone that was looking at him which seemed to make them rather uncomfortable under his gaze and quickly averted their eyes. After some moments he began walking away without sparing another glance towards the black haired woman before being stopped once again.
''Wait!''
Erebus grunted in anger under his hood as he felt her hand resting on his shoulder, 'And now she's touching me, is she trying to get on my nerves?' He slowly reached for his sword ready to teach her a lesson however before things could escalate she pointed towards the back of the camp.
''If you have business with Anemone then go inside the tent since she's busy packing away some supplies.'' Jackass said before removing her hand away, as he was about leave she suddenly brought her head closer to his and whispered something in his ears which made him tense up. ''Just a friendly tip, don't start trouble around here even if they provoke you. The best thing ya can do is ignoring them, if you don't then it will only make your life harder.''
Erebus didn't bother to answer back and continued walking ahead through the camp as his mind kept thinking about the recent red haired woman that he had saved earlier. While he didn't care about that woman there was still something that bothered him, it was one of those two resistance members he killed. They were blaming the red haired woman for a war which made him wonder what exactly did they mean by that since it didn't seemed like they were in a state of war to him, but if it was true then who exactly was fighting in this war? And how was that red haired woman possibly responsible for this supposed war?'There's more to it than I'm aware of.' Erebus thought in frustration until he reached the entrance of a tent and could hear something moving from inside. Now all he needed to do was to speak with their leader and not present himself as a potential danger or else this whole plan would have been in vain, not that it really bothered him since if his identity was discovered then he could always turn this camp into a graveyard. The sudden thought made him deviously smirk but he regained his usual stoic expression and entered the tent.
Anemone was gently touching a black blindfold while recalling the memories of the mount Ka'ala mission, the constant fighting while having to watch many of her friends died on the frontlines still haunted her mind. It has been the most horrible years she ever had experienced, the machines kept evolving while her allies kept diminishing until they were forced to retreat and wait for more androids to come while awaiting the same fate that many of them did in this meaningless war. No matter the numbers of time that she along with her friends used call out for help to the humans on the moon they would always end up being ignored by them, almost as if they didn't matter or they weren't worthy enough of their acknowledgment. But what have they ever done to deserve this punishment from the humans? Many androids have died in this war hoping to make their creators proud of them, hoping to give back humanity its home.
Anemone thoughts were cut short by the sound of someone entering the tent, it didn't take long for her to guess who could've possibly entered without making its presence known. ''Jackass, how many times do I-'' her words were caught in her throat as she turned around and saw someone else than her friend, instinctively Anemone reached for her knife across the table from behind and pointed it at the mysterious hooded person.
''Who are you?! Identify yourself right now!'' The green eyed resistance leader sternly asked while firmly gripping her knife and took a step forward, the first thing she noticed about this person was that his face was mostly covered except for his eyes. Anemone felt paralysed in those grey eyes that were staring down at her, there was something sinister about his eyes that were melting through her. Never had she felt this kind of fright coming from someone which made her question who was this strange man, Anemone felt so small and insignificant under him however she wasn't going to let him see that. As she was about to repeat herself the hooded man began talking in a unusual quiet voice.
''I've just recently stepped foot inside this camp, I was hoping to buy some supplies here but one of the merchant said I should come here and present myself to you before I could purchase anything.''
Anemone narrowed her eyes as she kept observing the strange man. ''But I still don't know who you are''
''I...don't remember my name due to a past accident that I've suffered.''
''And you expect me to believe that?'' Anemone walked closer until they were inches apart while still pointing her knife towards him. ''How can I be sure that you're not lying?''
''I promise you that I have no malicious attention towards you or anyone within this camp, i would just like to rest for here for a short amount of time and possibly get some supplies. Nothing more, nothing less.''
''Do you know how many scavengers say the exact same thing as you?'' Anemone said with venom, not only she didn't trust him but furthermore there has already been accident of other resistance androids coming from here to steal their supplies or information that they possessed. The people in this camp were already facing a hard time in this war including her which is why she needed to be careful of who she allowed to stay.
''No i don't, like I said I just need some rest then I'll leave this camp.''
Anemone carefully inspected his behaviour and noticed that he didn't seemed to react at being called a scavenger, nor did he show any negative emotions towards her hostility which made her conclude that perhaps this person wasn't here to cause any troubles. But still she wasn't blindly going to trust a stranger that came from nowhere, she considered his words for a moment before setting her boundaries.
''Everyone works hard around here, this war isn't any getting better with each passing day.'' Anemone lowered her knife but still remained on her guard before walking closer to him. ''If you're gonna stay here then you'll have to pull your weight like everyone else, this isn't an offer that I propose to everyone that comes here. But by your appearance you look quite capable of survival, and maybe even more?''
As much as Anemone didn't want to admit it, she felt intimidated by his presence. She didn't know if it was his silence or his eyes but something told her this guy wasn't to be messed with, never had she met someone like him. Anemone sincerely hoped that this person would accept her offer since he looked strong and capable of fighting the machines, they weren't many competent androids that were suited for battle within the camp except the few Yorha androids that came here. Many resistance androids had to go in groups just to accomplish their daily missions, after all they weren't the latest models that a secret military organisation had to offer which is why if one of them would go out by themselves then the chances of survival for them would be small. But for Yorha models it wasn't the same since they were literally made for this war, she was thankful for Yorha soldiers help but at the same time it was more humiliating for them due to the fact she had to rely on them for most of the dangerous mission that she had. Before Yorha came they always had survived on their own but now that these latest soldiers were here, many android felt not good enough even some completely useless and she would be lying if she didn't feel the same way sometimes however for now the only thing they could do was to help each other's through this war.
''So...have you made your decisi-''
''I accept your offer.''
Anemone blinked in surprise before saying the most intelligent thing that crossed her mind.
''R-really?'' She must've misheard right?
''Did I stutter woman? I just told you that I accept your terms as long as you keep your words.''
Anemone felt the annoyance in his voice but quickly dismissed it as she was relieved to know that he had accepted her deal, a faint smile crossed her lips at the realisation he maybe could accomplish some of her missions way more effectively than most of the androids here. Anemone didn't waste no time and immediately offered her hand towards the hooded person. ''Anemone... I'm the leader of this resistance camp, nice to meet you.'' She politely introduced herself, however there was some hesitation coming from him before he looked at her hand and shook it, a sudden jolt run through her body at his contact. Never had she experienced something of this magnitude.'What's this odd sensation? It feels good and warm.'
''The pleasure is mine.''
''So...?'' Anemone was still enjoying the strange sensation from his hand. Why couldn't she stop this strange feeling from spreading across her body? What was happening to her?
''Do you intend on letting my hand go?''
''Y-yes of course! I'm sorry!'' Anemone profusely apologised, why couldn't she stop embarrassing herself?
The confusion and irritation in his eyes made her shiver but she quickly composed herself before crossing her arms.
''...I can't remember much of my life because of my memories losses so I'm still trying to adapt to this environment.''
After hearing that Anemone looked at him with uncertainty, did this person have memories lost? It wasn't uncommon for androids to forget their names or other important aspects about themselves however she felt as if something didn't add up, but for now she wasn't going to pry any further but instead offer him a solution. ''I understand but if you feel like it's bothering you then we have a nurse around here, she could try to recover some datas or memories that are damaged.''
''It won't be necessary since someone has already helped me.''
''Well I'll have to think for a temporary name for you, but for now you should rest. I'll announce everyone about your presence shortly after i finish sorting out the supplies.'' Anemone said while showing the boxes behind her. There was some silence between them before the hooded man began making his way towards the exit without sparing her another glance, as he was about to leave he suddenly stopped and turned his head before muttering something under his breath.
''I don't have any money on me...''
Anemone mind went blank for a moment as she could've sworn that was a hint of embarrassment coming from his voice but brushed it aside, an amused smile spread across her lips after hearing his concern but was quickly replaced by her usual face as she saw the cold glare that was directed towards her.
''Don't worry about it for now, but if you need some upgrades or even water? Then just come and find me so that I can arrange it for you.'' Anemone reassured him with a faint smile. After his departure she quickly supported herself against the edge of the table before she could collapse, the feeling from their handshake was still present which disturbed her. Instinctively Anemone traced her finger at the palm of her hand, it was almost as if it has left a mark on her consciousness. She didn't know what it was but it must have been the most relaxing experience she has ever felt through her entire life.
''Just who's this guy and what has he done to me...''
Erebus was walking through the resistance camp after finishing his discussion with the camp leader, it turned out to be better than he anticipated. Even if he wasn't pleased with working for them but at least he would be able to learn more information while living here for the time being, however there was still something that lingered on his mind. It was the fact that they were indeed fighting in a war, but who exactly were the humans fighting against? Are they fighting between themselves? Or against the androids? Perhaps the machine? For some reason the mere thought of humans or even androids fighting against these grotesque machines sounded beyond ridiculous to him, as if any respectable army could possibly be defeated by some small metal beings.
'That would be humiliating indeed.'
Erebus passed through a giant fence and looked around him, there was what appeared to be some construction sites which made quite confused. Everything looked old and decaying, but what caught is attention was a small path that lead towards the entrance of a building. As he followed the path he noticed there were less people present except a pair of women that was discussing with each other but ceased their conversation as he passed by them, Erebus could feel their eyes glued on him as he continued walking.
''Hey! Do you mind stopping for a moment?''
Erebus didn't bother paying any attention to them and continued walking until he felt someone grabbing him by his shoulder. He was getting sick and tired of people always getting in this way, didn't they see that he wasn't in the mood for a conversation? If not then he would gladly make them understand.
''I don't think I've seen you around here...You're new aren't you?''
Erebus perfectly heard what the resistance member said but decided in staying quiet, why would he answer her question? He didn't own her any explanation of his presence.
''I'll take that as a yes then.'' She said while walking in front of him. ''That's a nice sword you've got there, mind telling me where you got it?'' She waited for a response but was only met by silence which made her smirk.
''Silent type hm? That's adorable but what would even better is if you take off that hood from your face.'' Her hand reached towards Erebus hood but was quickly caught by his. Before she could say anything he began twisting her hand causing her to wince in pain while staring at with coldness in his eyes.
''Since this is your first time I'll let it slide.'' Erebus looked deep into her eyes. ''If you ever touch me again I'll amputate your fingers one by one. This is your last warning, are we clear?'' But to his frustration she didn't reply.
''Answer me when I'm talking to you.'' Erebus dangerously threatened her while furthermore twisting her hand.
''W-we're clear, just let me go!'' The women hissed under her breath before Erebus let go of her hand, she glared at him as he walked by her but screamed after him.
''Fine! Have it your way! but you'll soon realise what you're missing out!'' The women said before storming off back towards her friend.
Erebus ignored her screams as he entered the building and saw there was nothing inside which didn't surprise him anymore, those buildings must belong to the resistance camp perimeter if nobody bothered blocking the entrance of it. He slowly remembered Anemone had told him that she would be able to provide him the necessary resources that he required if he accepted being part of the camp for the time being, but he couldn't help but to believe that there was more to it then what she had told him. Erebus wasn't stupid, he knew that she would keep an close eye on him as long as he resided within the camp. Which is why he hasn't told her his name, he couldn't afford to take the risk revealing his name to her since he wasn't sure what affiliation she held with Yorha. For all he knew she could have close connections with someone among Yorha and that wouldn't be very helpful for him if they knew that their main wanted target was resting inside the camp, furthermore hiding his face behind a hood wouldn't guarantee his identity to not be discovered. Erebus just hoped that whatever task he was given that they weren't involved with Yorha.
His grey eyes were wandering around the room before he finally sat down on the cold floor and closed his eyes. Luckily for him that wasn't anybody here to bother him which meant that he could rest without being disturbed.
''Hello...?''
Or so Erebus thought until he heard the voice of someone that sounded quite familiar, his eyes shifted towards the entrance to see who had the audacity to disturb his peace. Unfortunately for him it was the same red haired woman that he rescued from the two resistance members that were harassing her, Erebus brow's contracted as he was beginning to regret saving her. He watched the red haired woman shyly walking towards him before settling down on the floor with her hands resting on her lap, the cheerful smile that spread across her lips irritated him more than anything. What could she possibly be so joyful about? Not even an hour ago her body was laying on the ground covered in blood and bruises and now here she was, smiling as if there wasn't anything worth worrying about. Erebus couldn't comprehend this woman's behaviour, it didn't make sense to him but perhaps she had already lost her sanity which wouldn't surprise him.
''I saw you leave anemone's tent and...'' She nervously said while fiddling with her clothes, if weren't for his help in the alley then she would've been already kidnapped or even worst. And for that she was sincerely grateful towards him. However Erebus didn't bother listening to her but instead kept staring at the black flower he summoned in his palm, which seemed to peak her curiosity before gasping in amazement.
''Is that a black flower?! I've never seen a flower like that! Or even knew its existence. Is it like a different type of Lunar Tear?'' The excitement and curiosity in her voice was enough to make herself earn an irritated glare from him, the embarrassment she felt after realising her rambling was making him lose his patience made her quickly compose herself before she lowered her head.
''I'm sorry, I got carried away but it's just that I'm kind of passionate about flowers.'' She pointed towards the white flower in her hair. But the uncaring look that Erebus presented her made it very clear that he didn't care about her flower at all. She didn't understand why he refused to acknowledge her, had she said something wrong? But her smile soon faded as she reminded herself that she was an outcast, it wasn't very hard to understand why he probably didn't want anything to do with her since everyone else despised her. The people around here must've probably already warned him about her and to stay away from her. Maybe the reason he had rescued her was because of pity and not because she was actually worth saving, a somber smile crossed her face as she knew that everyone inside the resistance camp was patiently waiting for her death, even if most of them didn't say directly. But what has she ever done to deserve this fate? What has she ever done to deserve to be treated and insulted as if she was nothing more than an abomination? The only person she could rely on was her sister that shared the same fate as herself.
''Your wounds...''
''...What?''
''I've asked you about your wounds.'' He impatiently repeated. Erebus didn't understand why he was interested in knowing about her physical health but he figured that if he pretended to care then this conversation would be over pretty soon. Erebus sincerely hoped that she would leave him in peace, if not then he could always resort to violence which didn't sound bad to him.
''O-oh well, they're healing up just fine, thanks to my sister's help. Without her I couldn't imagine what my life would've been like.'' She quickly explained as she was surprised that he was willing to have a conversation with her. It felt nice talking to someone that didn't raise their weapons at the sight of her, normally her sister would always step in and defend her but most of the times she couldn't bare seeing her sister suffering for her mistakes.
''Good.'' Erebus curtly said as took his great sword from his back and positioned it on the floor. He was beginning to feel exhausted for having to walk for hours before finding this camp, but thankfully he would be able to spend the night or rather the day resting somewhere safe for now.
''I also wanted to properly tell you something that I've been waiting to say ever since you've saved me.'' She confessed which caught his attention. Erebus had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he had already forgotten her presence, why couldn't she leave him alone? Didn't she understand that she was annoying him? As Erebus was about to make it very clear that he wanted her to leave she said something that would stick with him for quite a while.
''Thank you for saving me back then, nobody has ever defended me. The people here don't care about me or my sister, they would rather watch us suffer than to even acknowledge our existence.'' Her emerald eyes were filled with misery and frustration as she stared at the ground before looking up towards him. ''I understand if you don't want to speak to me anymore but know that I'll always be grateful towards you for saving my life, I'll leave you now but if I can ever repay you then just let me know.''
Erebus was so dumbfounded by what the red haired woman said that he barely noticed that she had already left the building. He was glad that she had finally left alone, but then why did a small part him wanted to stop her from leaving? Erebus frowned as he was conflicted on how to feel about what the red woman had said, it wasn't hard to deduce that she wasn't appreciated inside the camp due to what those two resistance members had said about her before he intervened. But he didn't know it was that bad, but that didn't mean he cared about her situation. Not even even in the slightest however he would be lying if he said that her gratitude towards him didn't make him weird, people never really showed gratitude towards him through his entire life which is why her statement caught him off guard. However he was way too tired to be bothered thinking about these feelings, Instead he chooses to lay down on the floor and take a nap before slowly closing his eyes.
'Foolish woman...'
