Well then... it's been awhile.
i know i said in the last chapter that i had already written a large part of the next one, and that it would come out soon but then... I don't know fully, i got really busy with my education and some shit went down that left me unable to write for a while. i won't lie, this is probably going to happen a couple of times and though i do apologize for it please mnow that it's because im not able to wether physically or mentally.
But i'm not giving up on this story, hopefully with this i'm getting back on track and can write consistently. i also wanted to say to the couple of people who wrote to me that it means a lot to me and though i know this sounds pretentious and like im begging for attention, know that i'm trying not to sound that way, but feedback does help with motivation.
Sorry for the long talk, i hope you enjoy and i will try to get some out soon.
Thank you
Chapter 7
"Excuse me sir, but I don't think this woman appreciates the way you're speaking to her" I say to the man who stood in the middle, he seemed to be their leader, or at least the one who started this. He turned around to see who had said that I spot me and Jas standing a few meters behind him.
"And who the fuck are you huh?" the man said in a threatening voice. "you two better leave before we fuck you up alongside this animal" he said, referring to the woman they had cornered.
I could only sigh at this guys stupidity. "alright last chance buddy, walk away" I only say, though I already knew what the answer was.
"Oh no, I am exactly where I want to be" he states. The man was only slightly taller than myself, but there was clearly nothing but brawn in him. He took a step forward and crouched down slightly, seemingly preparing to launch himself at me.
Me and Jasmine had opted to leave all our new gear at the aircraft that we had arrived in, while unfortunate that we couldn't try some of it out, there was no way this dude was a threat to any of us.
"Hey boys, get started on the freak. Il take care of these two" the man said to the other two behind him.
He launched at me with impressive speed for his size, unfortunately now where near fast enough to catch me off guard. Coming at me with his right fist, he attempted to hit me with a straight punch, but I was quick to weave my head down left and counter with a right hook to the body, although not enough to leave him gasping for air, it still put him on his backfoot which allowed me to make my next move. Having straighten back up, I use my left leg to kick his front foot from underneath him, resulting in him loosing balance and falling backwards hitting his head on the ground.
Before my opponent could get back up, I walk over to him and place my foot on his throat. He immediately struggles with getting oxygen and I decided that he had his chance. "You should have listened" I put a bit more pressure on his throat before he went limp from not having enough blood to the brain. I step of him and look at the two others who could only stare at me slightly fearful.
"Your friend is going to wake up shortly, but you should probably take him somewhere else" I say to them. They immediately rush over and try to pick of their friend before carrying him out of the alley one arm over each of their shoulder.
"You didn't have to knock him unconscious you know" Jas who had only been watching came forward and said.
"He would have only gotten angrier, I had to de-escalate the situation as quick as possible right" I just reply.
"Yeah, but we're also meant to not draw attention to ourselves, remember?" Jasmine shoots back, she did have a point.
"You're right, I'm sorry" I sigh as I respond to jasmine. I see that the woman who was being harassed still stood with us, so I directed my attention to her.
"Are you alright miss" I ask her, she seemed to be somewhere near my age, she was wearing a red coat and a pair of brown pants, but what stood out the most was definitely her bunny ears on the top of her head.
"Yeah I'm f-fine thank you" the woman answered with an accent. She seemed slightly shaken but I understood why that might be.
"Did you know those people?" I ask, trying to make her calm down a bit with conversation.
"N-no I don't, I accidently bumped into one of them and they im- immediately cornered me here" she said, referring to the alley we we're standing in.
"Is there somewhere you would like us to take you? Maybe your home?" Jas took over for me, she was always better with compassion.
"Oh no, you don't ne-need to do that, I came here with my friends so I will just try and find them" she responds to Jasmine. "we only got separated shortly, so they should still be somewhere n-near."
Before I could think about what she had told us, I heard a voice coming from the street.
"Velvet! Where did you go?" a female voice said right around the corner to the alley, we saw another young woman turn to look at us, before walking towards us.
"Velvet these people aren't bothering you right?" the new woman ask's with a dangerous tone in her voice.
"No no Coco, they just helped me with a problem" the woman I now knew as Velvet told the other girl named Coco.
"You sure? You seem shaken" Coco turns to look at us "I'm giving you one warning, leave her" she tells us with the underlying threat being very clear.
"Coco! I'm serious, these people helped me with some others that we're harassing me!" Velvet told Coco angrily.
"Okay, okay then. Thanks a lot for helping my friend here" Coco says to us, her mood changing quickly.
"No problem, happy to be of assistance" I simply respond, the last part directed to Velvet.
"Hey you guys want to get something to eat? I'm sure Velvet here would like to thank you guys and we were just about to go grab some" Coco invited to eat with them.
"I'm sorry to decline your offer, but we have just eaten, plus we are also on our way out of the city" I tell her.
"Oh, okay that's a shame, I'm sure Velvet here would have loved to reward you two" Coco says with Velvet whining at the last part. I look down at my watch to see that we were about to be late for when we were supposed to meet with the pilot.
"Jas, we need to get going, else we'll be late" I turn to look at Jasmine who just nods at me. Jas looks at the other two women to say goodbye.
"Sorry we couldn't stay, but we're hoping to comeback soon enough so let's meet then" Jas says while waving.
"Sounds good, just come to beacon when you're back" Coco says as she and Velvet leave the alleyway.
"Thank you very much for your help" Velvet also gets out before turning the corner. Jas and I turn the other way and walk towards our flight.
After coming back to our ride, we quickly got inside and took off. We still had about five hours of air travel left, so we would be arriving at the first village when it had gotten dark. Jasmine had fallen asleep pretty fast after we took off, probably the lunch she ate had probably helped her. After looking at my equipment for a while, I had tried to just do some meditation. Meditation was something I did once in a while, though mostly when I had nothing else to do and I didn't feel like sleeping.
I don't know how long I sat alone in my head, but the sound of Jasmine slowly waking up brought me out of my pseudo-trance. I see her wipe her eyes before spotting me and flashing me a tired smile.
"Any idea how long until we land?" She ask's me.
I simply shake my head at her "Nope, though I can't imagine it's going to be long now" I say as I point out of one of the only windows in our aircraft. Jas looked outside to see that the sun had almost set, she knew that meant that it would only be a matter of time before arriving.
We continue to sit in silence, just enjoying each-others company. Neither of us knew when we would have the chance to just relax like this. When we arrive, we would have to be alert on all time, I don't know how important this mission exactly is, but the way Ironwood explained it to us, it just seemed kind of… weird.
But orders were orders. And I have been given mine.
"We are arriving at Fyrot in about five minutes, so get all your stuff and prepare for landing" We heard the pilot saying over the coms.
Me and Jas look at each other knowing that the time had come. Jasmine began packing the equipment she had been given by Winter into her backpack. I do the same, packing the binoculars and my new rifle away whilst strapping my Magnum to a holster that came with it underneath my coat. Jasmine and myself put the small earpieces in our ears and do a small sound test.
"One two, I repeat one two can you hear" I say out loud hoping the earpiece could catch it.
"One two your coming thru loud and clear" Jasmine responds and looks at me. "This is going to be fun as hell" she says with a grin. I could hear her clearly with the earpiece. I smile back at her, happy that she was in a good mood.
"I'm glad to hear that Shine" I respond in a joking manner. Jas just smiles even harder at me when hearing me call her by her code name.
"Alright guys, end of the road for me now, good luck and stay safe out there you hear?" the pilot chimed in, making it clear that we had landed. We stand up and open the door that would lead us to the start of something new. We look at each other and step outside.
It was dark outside and there were no people in sight. I look down at my watch to see that it was just a quarter past nine. Jasmine stood beside me and was stretching her arms. "man that was one of the longest flights I've ever been on!" she exclaimed during her stretch.
"I know what you mean" I tell her. "let's find a place to stay for the night, we'll talk about how we're going to locate Amber tomorrow" i say to her. Jas only nods at my words, despite the nap she took on the plane she still looked like she needed some rest.
"Good idea, I don't think I'm able to think straight right now anyways" the sniper says to me as we begin walking into town.
The town looked very old fashioned, most of the building seemed to be made out of wood and bricks. The street we were walking on was almost deserted, with only a couple of people moving around now and again. Most of the buildings looked like normal living places, but we had been informed that there should be an inn somewhere in the town, so we continued walking towards what looked to be some kind of main square for the people who lived here.
The square had a large fountain in the middle with a couple of benches surrounding it. the buildings around the square all seemed to be part of a commercial district, with restaurant's and shops taking most of the space. We walk further towards the center, hoping to spot the inn that seemed like it would it with the other buildings around here.
We finally spot a sign sticking out from a wall to our left, the sign read Youth-spring inn in bold letters. We walk over to the entrance and open the front door.
Stepping into the inn, we were met with talking going on all around us, this seemed to be the place where most people went in the evening. The inn was simply decorated, with a receptionist desk/bar on the far wall, tables were people sat littered all around, and a stairwell that lead up to what I assumed must have been where the rooms were located. We step towards the person standing in the bar, assuming that he would be able to give us a room.
The "man" behind the desk was very young, so young that I didn't think he was even allowed to drink some of the stuff he was serving. He looked a bit bored, probably not liking all the noise that was happening all around. He looked up at us, seemingly noticing us approaching him, and step forward, ready to serve.
"Welcome to the youth-spring inn, what can I do for you" He said in a seemingly bored voice
"Hello there, my name is Slate and this is my friend Cara" I point to Jasmine. We had decided that it would probably be for the best to go with fake names, just in-case someone might take notice of our real ones. "We were looking for a room to stay overnight" i say to the boy.
"Sure, one night is 100 lien per room or 150 for a double, you want one double or two small ones?" he ask's looking at me and Jas.
"One double will suffice" I respond. The boy pulled out a small key and a card machine, he puts the machine in front of me first and I pull out my scroll to pay. The machine accepted the scroll and the boy pulled it away without questioning the method of payment. He hands us our key and tells us "you've got room 10, it's on the first floor all the way down the hall and to your right" before moving on to another customer who seemed like he wanted to order another drink.
I take the key and look to Jasmine, who still looked like she needed to rest. We walk towards the stairs and go up to the first floor. I remember what the boy had said and walked all the way down to the end of the hallway. I see the number 10 on one of the doors and stick the key I had been given into the keyhole.
The room we had been given was simple in terms of decorations, two beds against the wall to our right, a door that presumably led to the bathroom and a closet that stood up against the farther wall.
Jasmine walked almost like a zombie towards the nearest bed before planting herself down "I may be used to staying up for long periods of time, but at least I'm always during something, just sitting in a plane like that is exhausting in itself" She says out loud. I only give small chuckle before walking over to the other bed and putting my backpack down. I turn to her and tell her what I had planned.
"I'm going back down to the main area, this is a pretty good opportunity to see if someone has seen anything" I say to Jas, she looks at me and agrees.
"Good idea, you do your thing then il make sure I'm ready to kick some ass tomorrow" She says with a yawn. Only five seconds later and I hear the sound of light snoring coming from her body. I only sigh with a small smile before walking out of our room and headed downstairs again.
There was still a lot of noise when I walked downstairs, looking around I saw that there was still as many if not more people than just a few minutes ago.
I walk over to the bar and sit myself down on one of the stools. This was one of the most triggy parts of my job, getting information from people without being noticed or acting suspicious. I look around, trying to spot anyone who looked like they wouldn't have the braincells to suspect anything.
I didn't need to look for long before an elderly man wobbled up to the bar, he looked positively buzzed and therefor probably wouldn't remember my face in an hour. The man sat down a few chairs away from me and called the boy who managed the bar over. I decided to let him get his drink before talking with him, to make sure he was a bit more relaxed.
The man received a glass with presumably some form of alcohol, and I watched as he started slowly drinking from it. I decide that it's time for me to make my move. I stand up and walk over to the man before I sit down on the chair beside him. He only barely notice me, still too focused on the beverage in his hand.
I call to the kid to get a drink myself, trying to not seem to forwarding. "Can I get a soda and rum" I simply say, the boy just goes and fixes my order as I focus back on my target. He still didn't seem to care for my presence, so I start up a conversation.
"Is this place always so busy or did I just arrive during something?" I look at him ask, making sure he could hear me. The man looks at me, trying to confirm where the voice had come from. Once he made sure that I was the who had talked to him he gives a small smile before responding.
"Nah its always like this in the evenings, this is one of the only places to get a proper drink after a long day, besides the prices are low enough that most can afford to drink the night away" the elderly man response to me, taking a big gulp from his drink.
The ´bartender` put my drink down and looked at me expectantly at me, I quickly catch on to what he was waiting for. "Can I pay tomorrow? I left my money in the room" the kid just sighs before nodding and moving on. I take a quick sip of my drink before focusing back on the man. I was talking with.
The man had just kept drinking and seemed like he was getting to the bottom of his glass. He quickly ordered a new one before I start talking again.
"You know my friend told me about this place, said it was the easiest place to find in town, though I haven't seen her yet" I say to the man trying to get his attention back to me. "have you been here for long? You might have seen her" I ask him, it was a bit of a long shot but I had been given a deep description of Amber by Winter, and from what she has told me she was easy enough to recognize, especially because she apparently travelled by horseback.
Horses were not very common now a days, most people preferred air travel so most horses were residing on farms and such, having one in a town would definitely be remembered. Coupled with hear apparent darker skin, and she should be easy enough to spot in a crowd.
"she should have come here on horse, you wouldn't have seen that have you?" I ask once again, the man was not holding himself together to well, so I had to start hurrying before he lost the ability to concentrate.
"Hahaha, then you two suck at coordinating. There were a young woman who came by the town some days ago, pretty big news here when the children saw a horse like that, but she already left. You shouldn't keep your woman waiting like that" the man insinuated by wiggling his eyebrows at me.
I only sighed at the news, already we were far behind, whilst far from preferred, at least Amber was indeed in this part of the continent. Though i didn't know which way she would have gone now. It was another much further shot, but I had to ask the man if he had seen which way she went.
I start to speak again, before looking over and seeing the man had gone completely unconscious. I only sigh before finishing my drink and stand up. I wasn't going to get anymore info here.
I was about to walk back towards the stairs that lead to my room when I was interrupted by a voice.
"She went west" I heard someone say behind me, I turn around and look at the boy in the bar. He just looked back at me before speaking again. "there's a small row of settlements on the road to the west, your friend most likely went to the first one and is probably going to pas each one. If you leave now and don't stop for too long in those places, you might catch her in the last village Posin" he says to me, I just stare at him shortly a bit dumb funded.
Of course! When in a bar always talk to the bartender, there the only ones who aren't allowed to get so hammered that they can't talk.
I look at the kid before replying to him. "remind me to give you a tip when I leave." The kid only shrugs before going back to bartending.
I just smile before going up and getting Jasmine.
"Wake up Jas, we are leaving" I announce as I enter our shared room. Jasmine only slightly open her eyes at me before sitting up and stretching with a yawn. She was about to say something when she saw the clock at the wall and gasped.
"I barely got 30 minutes! What the hell is the deal" she asks me sternly. I walk towards my bag and start searching for the scroll that I had put into it while answering.
"Amber was here but left a couple of days ago, apparently the road that leads west goes straight and through some settlements so if we leave now we might be able to catch her at the last stop" I tell Jas as I get the scroll. "Besides, you woke up before you entered REM so you should be happy that you got the rest to travel, well be walking for most of the night" I say to Jas who looks sadder and sadder by every word I spoke. "this is where the tough part happens, if we want to catch up to our target, we will need to keep moving for most of the day, prepare yourself cause you aren't going to get much rest" I say as I sling my bag over my shoulder.
Jasmine had gotten up and gotten dressed while I talked so she was almost ready to leave as well, though sad she knew that I was right that this mission was a lot more important than her getting her beauty sleep.
"Alright then, where to now?"
Hurray, first chapter in a while and we are finally getting somewhere, not much to say here other than if you haven't read my first message at the top, i ask that you do to understand the delay.
Thank you
