Opening song: None
"What's the plan?" Asuka asks.
"There's a well behind Gessen that will take us to the archives. We will use that to get into the academy. From there, we will use the rooftops to get into the dormitory."
"Shiki's room?"
"That's where I'd look first."
"Alright. Where do I go?"
I grab Asuka's hands and steer Oktitohbi left. The outline of Gessen Academy manages to hold its form despite being shrouded in a curtain of black.
Although we are about a mile (1.6 km) away from the gates, it's best to stay as far away as possible. If word has traveled like Mr. K said it would, then Gessen should be aware that Asuka and I are wanted. However, if we sneak into the archives, I can use my gold talisman to draw Ryoki to us since she will be the only one that can sense it. Then she can inform us where Octavian, and the prisoners are.
Since the well is directly behind the lake, it should be impossible for anyone to see us. I guide Oktitohbi behind a tree and Asuka slides off.
"Be careful you two." Oktitohbi says.
"Will do." I reply as I hold up his stone.
Oktitohbi fades away as Asuka approaches the well, "How are we going to get down there?"
"Superhero landing."
"What?"
Before she can think, I scoop her up in my arms and jump into the pitch-black sea. Asuka squeals from the surprise and grabs onto me. My feet land on the ground below and cause my legs to buckle. I bend my knees and plant one into the concrete below. Unlike the last time I was here, someone has removed all the lanterns.
Darkness from my soul rushes to my eyes and changes my sclera black. The irises turn red and the entire hallway lights up. My knee cap has managed to drive itself all the way through the concrete and has left a sizable crater. Cracks from the impact have managed to travel up to the sides of the hall.
"Do you think you could be any louder?" Asuka states as I let her go.
"I wasn't the one yelling." I reply.
The shirt Asuka had tucked in worked its way out of her skirt. As she tries to push it back in, something on her left side is glowing orange.
"Hey Asuka…"
"What is it?"
"Your side." I say as I point at the place where she received her brand.
Asuka pulls her shirt back out of the skirt and looks. Surprise comes over her as she reaches down and touches it. Asuka yanks her hand away and shakes it a couple times. Like she just touched something hot. I reach over and touch it. Immediately, I feel a surge of power and pull away myself.
"Asuka, can you see right now?"
"Yeah, why?"
I pull my gauntlet off where I received my brand. All the lines that form Makaria's tattoo are glowing orange as well. The worst comes to my mind as I look Asuka in her eyes. Neither of them have changed color, and I've never been more relieved to see that hazel color.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I was just trying to figure out what was going on…"
For a second, I thought Asuka had the same color eyes as me, but because she doesn't, she's okay. For now, and here's to hoping she stays fine. Asuka and I push forward, and she takes a hold of the ladder. The orange color that was radiating from her brand disappears as she climbs up. Just to make sure, I pull my gauntlet off and look. Just like Asuka's, the brand isn't glowing right now.
I take a couple steps back, and the brand on my hand reignites, although there is no indication what triggers it to light up or fade away. What exactly is this power Makaria gave us? I don't feel any different than when the brand is activated, or when it's not.
"What's taking so long?" I hear Asuka yell from above.
"I'm coming." I reply as I put my gauntlet back on and climb up.
Other than all the candelabras being blown out, the Archives haven't changed much since my last visit here. A combination of my blood and Yumi's stain the staircase and walls that lead up to the second floor. Probably from where I smashed my fist into her icy barricade formed from her essence. Asuka walks over and examines a dried puddle of blood.
"What happened here?"
"Remember when me and Ayame came here to look for Oliveria's stuff?"
"Yes."
"Well we kind of got into a fight with Fubuki and them. Then Yumi got involved, and it kind of went from there."
"Did she ever figure out you and Ayame were responsible?"
"No." I answer as I pull my gold talisman out and run the metal fingertip of my gauntlet around the brim a certain way. The sound of liquid inside a crystal glass softly rings out. If Ryoki is anywhere within a half mile (0.8 km) radius, then she will be able to hear it. We'll give her about five minutes and if she doesn't show up, Asuka and I will proceed to Shiki's room.
"What are you doing?" Asuka asks as she sits down beside me.
"It's a little trick Jonathan taught me. The sound being emitted is so low that even dogs can't hear it. However, beings like Ryoki can because that's the sound they hear when someone they love is in trouble. Kind of like an unconscious warning within their head."
"Can you hear it?"
"Barely. It's just loud enough to let me know I'm doing it right."
I slowly reach into my holster and pull out my lever action handgun. Asuka realizes what I'm doing, so she puts her thumb on her katana and slightly pushes it out of its sheathe. I put the talisman away, and grab my revolver as well. The door knob leading into the room we are in starts to jiggle.
The door suddenly flies open and a triple barrel shotgun, two revolvers and a shield burst into the room. Asuka jumps behind me and draws her weapons. She wraps her arms around me and positions her sword and wakizashi in front of me.
Ryoki has her shield linked to her chest plate while the barrel of her shotgun is nestled into a side notch she carved out. Octavian is standing behind her with both revolvers aimed over her shoulders.
"Easy now! It's just us!" Gehrman states.
The adrenaline and blinding urge to protect one another slowly subsides and Asuka re-sheathes her weapons while I spin my guns around and holster them. Ryoki lowers her shield and Octavian puts his revolvers up.
"Jesus, I thought you weren't coming." Octavian says.
"Well it certainly crossed my mind." I reply.
"You bastard." Octavian chuckles. "So where is Lawrence and the others?"
"They're in Frambosta."
"Frambosta? Why the hell are they there?"
"It's complicated. We had the entire city after us, and Lawrence said to meet us at the house." I reply.
"That's quite a journey with two prisoners." Octavian states.
"That's all we could come up with." Asuka replies.
"Speaking of which, where are those two runts?" I ask.
"Yumi found out I had them here, and she ordered to have both girls put in the cells. I had to make something up, so I told her they were runaway criminals from the north. It bought us some time, but it won't be long until Yumi catches on."
"Then we've got no time to spare. Ryoki, Octavian, lead the way." Gehrman states.
Ryoki and Octavian head upstairs and climb out a window that leads up to the rooftop. Asuka and I stick close. Right now, the school looks like it's supposed to. Silent. All the girls are in their dorms. The only light that's on is the one in Yumi's room. She's either training, reading or perfecting one of her techniques. Regardless of what Yumi's doing, she poses a threat to what we are doing.
"The cells are just on the other side of the courtyard. It's off campus." Ryoki says.
"So how are we going to get two little hoes out of here without raising any suspension?" Octavian adds.
"Let me and Ryoki handle that. She can show me where Frambosta is, and we'll meet everyone there." Gehrman says.
"He's right. We'll be able to travel unrestricted with one girl each." Ryoki adds.
"Then let's get a move on." I answer.
Octavian and Ryoki take the lead and jump over to a nearby building. Asuka leaps across the gap and I bring up the back. The both of us catch up with Ryoki and Octavian, and the four of us all make the jump over to the dormitory.
This jump seems a lot further than the last. At the last possible second, I hook my arms under Asuka, deploy my wings and flap once to gain some altitude. The force combined with the way Asuka lands on her feet causes me to fly over. I fold my feathered wings under me to try and cushion the noise. Octavian lands on the very edge and slips. Out of reflex, he grabs the shingling with one of his hands. Ryoki dives over and grabs a hold of his arm the moment he loses his grip. She pulls him back up while Asuka reaches out and helps me stand.
We all give the nod we are okay and continue onward. Despite me landing in the middle of the roof, I don't think anyone was able to hear the landing. All I could really hear was the sound of feathers being ruffled, and a couple boards creak. Hopefully that wasn't enough to arouse any suspicion.
Asuka and I jump over to the treetops that sit outside the academy's gate. The moment that happens, I look back at Asuka's side. There's a faint, orange glow underneath her white shirt. Which means my hand has to be glowing as well. How does this work, and what does this power do?
About one hundred yards (roughly 91 meters) away is a decent size building. It's completely constructed out of concrete. Ryoki and Octavian drop down from the tree tops and proceed to the front of the building. Asuka and I jump down. Ryoki opens the door, and the three of us follow her in. A cold blast of air chills me to the bone and forces me, Asuka and Octavian to shiver the moment we step into the cold, grey tomb.
Each cell has some kind of wall restraint. The first couple are minimal. Some chains here and there. As we progress farther into the building though, the cells start to get smaller, and the security measures become more evident.
Some have racks where prisoners lay on, while others seemed to be more reserved for some kind of interrogation. Just the idea that this used to be part of Old Gessen sends chills down my spine. I can only imagine the horrors that potentially happened here.
Ryoki notions for Octavian to stop. She continues forward and looks in the cell at the very end of the hall. Ryoki motions for all of us to move up. Inside the cells are both Gekko and Senko. Senko has been strapped to an upright cross while Gekko is inside a wall restraint. Their clothing have been completely removed.
If it wasn't for their weak shivering, and the strained breaths that emit small puffs of steam, then I'd say that they were dead, because both of them have literally no life in them.
Ryoki opens the cell door, and we all walk in. Gehrman takes form and rolls his wheel chair up to Senko. As bad as this looks, I was expecting way worse to be committed against the girls once I heard Yumi took them in.
Not that Yumi would do anything cruel and unusual, but because I don't know many of the instructors, they could have done way worse other than stripping Gekko and Senko naked and leaving them to freeze to death. Certainly a lot kinder than what would have happened to them if a hunter of shinobi in the wasteland got a hold of them.
"Emittere flamma (emit flame)."
A small ball of flame emits from my palm and I hold it next to Senko's body. Ryoki and Gehrman put their hands together, say the phrase and use the heat being given off to warm Gekko and Senko back up.
Senko softly coughs and opens her heavy eyelids. Her eyes are bloodshot because of the lack of rest. She lays her weak gaze on me, but remains silent. Personally, I think she's just happy to see someone other than her captors. Although that's what we are about to become.
"Gekko…Is Gekko alright?"
"I'm here for you Senko…I'm here…" Gekko coughs in-between shivers.
"You're not…going to separate us?"
I shake my head no, "We need you both alive. Now if you agree to help us, we'll nurse you back to health."
"Anything is better than here…" Gekko states.
Gehrman pulls his scythe blade out and starts cutting one side while I use my kopis to cut the restraints on the other. The heavy-duty nylon straps and chains snap off and Senko rolls off the rack. Asuka and I grab a hold of her and try to help her stand. There is absolutely no strength in this girl's body. Gekko can't hold herself up either, but both of them try with everything to reach out and grab the flame within our hands.
Ryoki wraps Gekko up in her arms and prepares to leave. Gehrman does the same exact thing with Senko. He makes sure she is wrapped nice and snug before rolling himself over to Ryoki.
"Shall we?" He asks.
"Let's go. We'll see you at the meeting place." Ryoki whispers to us.
"Alright." I reply.
Ryoki kneels and places her koukla to her forehead while Gehrman throws his head back and places his hand on his forehead. They slowly fade away and in a split second, they are gone.
"Alan? Octavian? What are you doing?" A heavy voice asks.
I turn around and standing right beside Yumi is some guy wielding a double barrel shotgun. Grief fills my soul as she silently stares at me with puffy eyes. Yumi is expecting some kind of answer, but I don't know what to really say. She reaches around her back.
"Easy Yumi. We aren't here to cause problems." I reply. Yumi pulls out some kind of flintlock pistol and aims it at me.
"Why Alan?"
"Yumi…"
"I was supposed to hand those two over to Gallowglass. Do you know what is going to happen if I don't?"
Yumi, there is more at stake here then you can imagine." I reply.
"So you took my only hope of keeping Gessen out of war away?! Those girls were my only bargaining chip!"
"Yumi, listen to me. You know what happened up north, and if you don't, then you will before tomorrow night. Those two girls are my only hope at stopping those truly responsible. If they die, war is only going to be the beginning."
The boy lowers his shotgun as if he understands what I am saying. Yumi isn't though. She grasps the gun with both hands and tries to breathe through her nose like she is holding back some kind of sorrow. Although I'm sure Yumi won't pull the trigger, she has a determined look on her face. Almost like she wants to. The boy slowly reaches out and takes a hold of the gun.
The strength in Yumi's arms disappear as he pushes the barrel where it's angled at the floor. Yumi completely lets go, and the boy takes the gun away. He looks over at Octavian and gives him a notion to leave.
"I'll catch up." I say.
"Okay. See you at the place." Octavian replies. Yumi, and the guy step out of the way as Octavian adjusts Makaria's ring and exits the cell.
"What are we going to do Luke? That Ange woman was supposed to collect those two girls, and with the circumstances, there is no way she is going to believe they just escaped." Yumi mutters as she tries to think.
Yumi is right. There is no way anyone is going to believe Gekko and Senko just escaped. That isn't even remotely possible. Neither of them could stand on their feet. Nor could they fight their way out in that condition. I have an idea though. There is one way for Yumi to protect Gessen, but she is not going to like it. Not one bit. I try to form sentences and possible responses within my head before going through. I take a deep breath and clear my throat.
She looks over at me, "What do I do Alan? I told my girls we wouldn't be going to war as long as I handed those two over. Now, I guess we are..."
"None of you are going to war."
"How!? No excuse is going to sweep this under the rug!" Yumi replies.
"There is one excuse that will though."
Yumi goes silent for a second, and ponders what I just said. She searches her thoughts for all the possibilities. All except the last one. Yumi shakes her head back and forth, "No, no, no! You can't! You're not going…"
"I'm going to be what you and those girls need."
Tears fill Yumi's eyes at the thought of what is going to happen. What has to happen. I've seen war first hand, and Yumi and those girls don't deserve that. They deserve so much more. To live in what little peace they can. Even if it means bearing their cross as well as Asuka's.
"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to become a villain. I busted Gekko and Senko out, because I'm not a hero."
Yumi walks at me with open arms and hugs me. Her chin rests on my shoulders as I wrap my arms around her.
"I'm sorry things had to turn out this way Yumi." I state.
"You better get moving then. Gallowglass is supposed to be here at dawn." The boy named Luke says.
"Take care of Minori for me." I say.
"I…will…" Yumi huffs.
"Goodbye Yumi."
"Goodbye…Alan…"
Asuka and I exit the cell and make a mad dash for the exit. Luke hands Yumi a phone and slowly walks behind us with his shotgun. I grab Asuka's hand as we both burst outside and run into the forest. Luke points his shotgun up into the air and pulls one trigger.
A monstrous soundwave erupts from the barrel as he halfheartedly takes aim at us. Before he pulls the second trigger, he aims it off to the side and fires a blind shot into the forest. The spread isn't anywhere close to either of us, but it will be enough for him to say he tried to stop us.
I grab Oktitohbi's stone and throw him out in front of us. He bursts into shape and slowly jogs as I step into the stirrup and position myself. Asuka grabs a hold of my hand, and I pull her up. She wraps her arms around my waist as I tug on the reins and guide Oktitohbi in the direction Frambosta is.
"Well Alan, what do we do after we meet up in Frambosta?" Asuka asks.
"We make Gekko and Senko talk. That, or we keep them alive long enough that Fubuki comes after us."
Asuka works her hands over where my wrists are and grabs a hold of the reins, "As long as we're in this together, I'll happily follow you anywhere."
"And as long as I'm with you, I'd carry the weight of the world." I reply…
To Be Continued…
Ending song: Crysis Epilogue by: Hans Zimmer