Chapter 9: Rescue Mission (Part 1)
It almost seemed like I was walking through mist. I couldn't tell if I was awake or not. Vague images kept popping up around me as I continued to walk. They would fade before I had the chance to make sense of what they were.
The air around me felt unfamiliar. The ground beneath my feet felt like a soft cloud. I was afraid that I would fall through, but my legs never shook. I kept walking...it seemed like something was pulling me along. I didn't get the chance to figure out who it was before a loud sound came roaring all around me. Shaking the entire world around me into darkness.
"DUDE, WAKE UP ALREADY!"
I threw my head up in shock. As soon as I opened my eyes, I had to squint them right away. The sun that peered through barred windows shone so bright. The first thing I saw was the figure of a woman. My vision was still blurry, so I couldn't make out who it was at first. The sun seemed to create somewhat of a glow around her.
"Ah...are...are you an Angel?"
I couldn't tell exactly, but I'm pretty sure I saw a scowl form on the ladies face.
"You know, I could put you right back to sleep if you want." The woman said as she raised a fist.
I felt a jolt of energy rush through my body. I threw my torso up off the ground, giving myself whiplash in the process. As my vision finally started to clear, I turned back to see a familiar face with a little added murderous intent to her eyes.
"Oh, Ember, it's you!" I stated in both an excited and terrified tone.
"It's about freakin time you got up. You've been out for almost a whole day." The black haired woman retorted.
"I was?...but, what happened!?...I don't…" I quickly grabbed my head after a sharp pain shot down through my spine. I suddenly remembered being smacked in the back of the head by something...or, I guess it was someone. I felt my skull, only to touch a large lump that had formed. I winced as soon as I made contact with it.
I shifted around on the floor, rustling, what felt like hay, under me. Thankfully I still had Ember's pants, that she let me wear, on me or else this would've been very uncomfortable. I glanced at my surroundings, noticing the light that I saw from before. The barred windows looked like that of a dungeons. The rest of the area just looked like a regular shed. A feeding trough for cattle, sat in the back, appearing to have not been used in a while. The entire space wasn't that big. You could probably fit a max of 5 cows in here, if even that.
"Who...those guys that attacked us, who were they?" I asked.
Ember appeared to hesitate a little, almost seeming to not want to answer the question. She fidgeted on her feet, trying to find a comfortable position to sit down on. I was sure that she had to be uncomfortable sitting on the hay with tights on. They even had rips on them that weren't there before.
"...Let's just say that...those guys are the reason I was out here to begin with." Ember said in a reclusive tone. She breathed heavy, leaning back while grabbing her cross legs to keep her from falling. "Well...not all these guys, just one of them to be specific."
My eyes fell flat. "What do you mean when you say 'Those guys', who are they?"
Before Ember could respond I heard the sound of footsteps outside. Both me and Ember noticed it. The footsteps quickly got louder and louder until they finally stopped right next to the wall of the building. A loud pounding sound soon followed after.
"Hey, is that dumb*** still alive in there?" The raspy voice of a man said.
I turned to look at the the woman with a nervous look, pointing at myself as If to say "does he mean me?". She shot me back a nod, before putting her pointer finger over her lips. I knew what that meant all too well. She then proceeded to gesture her hands down, for what I could only assume meant 'get down'.
"Hey, you hearin me b**ch?" The man yelled in an irritated tone. I watched as Ember picked herself off of the ground, before walking over to the spot where the man was at, on the other side of the wall.
"No, he's still out cold." The Bounty Hunter responded.
"Hm, you sure he's not dead?"
"I think I'd know if someone was dead or not. I mean, it's kinda my field of expertise."
"HA, expertise huh? Yet you still wound up here."
"I mean, it wasn't exactly a fair fight. I kinda got poison darted before anything happened."
"tsk, whatever you say. Just let dips**t in there know that the chief wants to talk to him after he gets his lazy a*s movin.
"Will do!" Ember finished with a flick of her wrist, as if to signify shooing the man away.
I listened as the man's footsteps got further and further. Ember layed her back against the wall, and slid down into a sitting position. I could hear her make a loud sigh, as she rubbed her face with her hands. I mustered myself up again to ask more questions.
"Ember...I'm guessing this has to do with your Bounty Hunter stuff. I'm sure you're trying to avoid getting me involved, which I appreciate, but I think It's safe to assume that I'm already involved and there's not getting out of it. So tell me...who are those people?" I said with the most serious tone I could muster up.
For a while, Ember seemed like she didn't hear what I said. Her eyes shifted around the ground, as If she was trying to find hidden markings in the dirt. She pulled a knife out of a sheath wrapped around her leg...ok, wait, they actually let her keep a weapon? The woman flipped the small blade around in the air, managing to catch it by the hilt perfectly, everytime.
"Sigh...I didn't want to tell you because I knew that once you knew everything you would stop at nothing to try and fight every single bandit at this camp. Which, in turn, would most likely get me killed in the process too." Ember said while continuing to twirl the miniature blade around in the air.
"You said that you were after one person in particular...this may be a shot in the dark, but I'm guessing the chief of this gang is the one you were after" I said. "Am I wrong?"
With a flick of her wrist, the Bounty Hunter threw the blade at the ground, sticking the blade into the wood floor. It made a surprisingly loud noise that seemed to echo. She placed her hands on her knees, and threw herself to her feet.
"Yup, you got it." Ember said as she began stretching out her limbs. "His names Koona. He's pretty well known in my line of work, but I wouldn't be surprised if you've never heard of him."
Koona...why do I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before. I rack my brain to try and pinpoint exactly where I heard it, but It seemed like I couldn't get a picture of it. I let the thought leave my mind and just assume it was a coincidence.
"You said that if I knew everything, I would stop at nothing to fight everyone here...so I'm guessing there's more to this?" I asked inquisitively
Once again, Ember appeared to not hear what I had said for a while and continued on with stretching her limbs. I starting tapping my finger on my knee impatiently.
"You see...Koona's what we call a Rogue Treasure Hunter. Anything that he
deems of being worth something, he will get it. Regardless of how many innocent people he has to slaughter. His obsession with wealth and power is what lead him to become what he is now...the leader of a gang of bloodthirsty bandits." Ember remarked.
I couldn't help but feel underwhelmed by that description. This Koona guy sounded like any other bandit leader to me. Maybe he's super strong or something. That's why he's so infamous. There's nothing special about him, but no one can beat him...something like that.
However that still didn't answer the question of why Ember thought I would want to fight everyone here If I knew the whole truth. I mean, I guess I kinda wanna find the guy that whacked me in the head. I wouldn't mind giving him a smack, but that's it.
I thought about how the woman had said that Koona lusted for riches. Anything he deemed worth something, he would get it. Did I have something worth value that he had? I mean, the only thing I lost were my pants...and my dignity, but that's besides the point. Was there anything else I had that I would care about?...
I flinched as a lightbulb went off in my head. I froze for a good 10 seconds. I could feel cold sweat begin to drip from my eyebrows. I threw myself up on my feet, and turned to look at Ember who had gotten up with me She stood in front of me, as if she was going to stop whatever I tried to do. I furrowed my brow.
"Ember...they have her, don't they...they have Orianna?" I asked, wary of letting the words out of my mouth.
The woman locked eyes with me, also furrowing her eyebrow. We both stood there for a while, unsure of which one of us should make the first move. I found it pretty impressive though, that even though we've only known each other for a little while, she was able to figure out the kind of person I was. She knew exactly how I'd react if I had found out sooner. I clenched my fist in irritation.
"If you know how I feel, then why are you standing in my way?" I asked in a discerning voice.
"Isn't it obvious? You have no idea what we're up against here...I do. If you run up to Koona, demanding for him to return your little robot friend, he will kill you without question after forcing you to watch as he tears her apart limb from limb." The Bounty Hunter lamented.
"THEN WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!? JUST WAIT TO BE KILLED HERE INSTEAD!?" I yelled, stomping my foot on the ground, causing dust to shake from the ceiling.
Look, I know how you feel, but waiting here until an opportunity arrives is our best bet. Besides…" Ember said, before almost cutting herself off. She seemed like she didn't want to say the rest. I gritted my teeth.
"Besides, what?" I asked.
"Sigh...I'm pretty sure your 'friend' will have already been sold off by now. Koona doesn't like to hold onto his merchandise for long. Even if she was still here, I'm positive she would be in pieces." The woman added.
I wanted to scream in aggravation, but I couldn't seem to be able to muster up the energy. I wanted to retort back, but what could I say? Maybe Ember was right...maybe it would be for the best to wait here for an opportunity. I let the tension drop in my body, before sinking down onto my feet. Why did I even care about this machine so much? It's like I have any reason to...right?
Suddenly, an image of a familiar girl popped up in my head. Her body laid dying in the grass. Her hand, outstretched to me, but I was useless to help. My lip quivered as that memory continued to plague my thoughts. However, as much as I hated it, I refused to let myself forget.
I thought back to waking up in Orianna's home. How she had bandaged up my wounds so meticulously. I held my chest, remembering how much it hurt. She could of just left me there to die...but she saved me. A so called 'emotionless-uncaring machine' saved my life out of her own free will. I pounded my fist into the ground, before shooting a furious look to the Bounty Hunter.
"You may not see her as someone worth caring about...but I do. You may only look at her as data and parts...but I see more." I said, as I got back up on my feet."You may only see her as someone worth disposing of to save your own life, BUT I NEVER WILL!"
Ember's expression seemed to change. I watched as she loosened up her fighting stance. Her eyes gave off a more curious expression now She folded her arms, before leaning back against the wall. She seemed to be pondering something, but I had no idea what to make of it. I started to feel a little awkward here now after having said all that...I was expecting more of a 'fight me' response.
I was really thrown off after I heard a chuckle come out of the woman's mouth That chuckle soon turned into full blown laughter. Alright, now she was just being rude...she could atleast pretend that what I said was cool.
"Hahaha, ohhh man, you really do have the hots for that robot, don't you?" Ember asked. I narrowed my eyes to her.
"You really need to drop that." I responded in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, cmon, lighten up. I'm just teasing you." Ember retorted.
"I KNOW YOU ARE, SO STOP IT!" I yelled back.
"Alright alright, I get it." The woman said earnestly. "So...let's hear the plan?"
"...uh..."
I felt a clot fill up in my throat. I didn't expect for her to switch gears so fast...wait, was this actually her intention all along? Was she planning to help save Orianna from the beginning?...dang, she's crafty.
"So...yeah, the plan…" I racked my brain a bit. I hadn't really given this much thought. "Well...uh...I guess, our first step should be to get out of here." I stated with as much positivity as I could muster up. Throwing my fist in the air triumphantly.
"Yeah, afraid that's not happening." Ember said, before raising her hand to the wall. She gave the thin metal a few taps. The sound seemed to amplify immensely, as the entire area echoed with the eerie sound of hollow metal being hit. The sound made my skin crawl.
"Afraid that this little storage area has been completely shrouded in magic. You attempt to punch or kick through this thing, it's gonna feel like getting your funny bone hit by a sledgehammer." The Bounty Hunter continued. My shoulders sunk in disbelief.
"You couldn't of told me this sooner?" I asked.
"I mean, I kinda thought it was obvious. We're a ways from the actual camp, I thought that much would be obvious from the lack of big burly men making a racket. It wouldn't be too smart of them to put us so far away in an unsturdy holding like this without a little extra insurance. Not to mention the fact that you were kinda talking loudly after I had convinced that guy from before that you were still unconscious. I think I would've been more than willing to shut you up if they were able to hear us."
"OK OK, I GET IT! I'm an idiot, you happy now?" I said in a defeated tone.
"Well, so long as you're aware that." Ember added with another big smirk.
I walked up to the wall myself, next to where Ember stood. I placed my hand on the metal. Instantly, I felt a tingling sensation run through my entire body. It was like a shock that just kept shocking me. It didn't really hurt, but it definitely felt weird. The metal itself didn't feel any different, but the sensation was like touching a frozen bolt of lightning. I saw Ember out of the corner of my eye, looking at me curiously. I think she expected me to pull my hand off right away.
"Hey...doesn't that hurt?" the woman asked inquisitively.
"Hm? No, not really. It just feels kinda weird. It's like I'm getting little bolts of energy that keep shooting throughout my entire body." I said, letting my hand graze along the metal surface.
"Uh...but you're full on touching the thing with your bare skin...your entire body should be throbbing in pain." The Bounty Hunter said in a confused tone.
"I mean, you're leaning on the thing. Don't you feel anything?" I asked.
"The sensation can only pass through skin. That, and my clothes are somewhat magic resistant." The woman said, before pushing herself off of the wall. She was looking from my hand, back to my face, trying to figure out if I was just faking it.
Before I could make sense of the situation, I suddenly remembered back when I had first met Rona...that moment when she encaged us in that magical barrier. I broke through it with such ease. Apparently that feat should've been nearly impossible according to the mage.
I looked back to my hand. A light blue aura had enveloped around my fingers. It was like the mist of dry ice. However, it didn't feel cold at all. Infact, it felt really warm. I furrowed my brow, and clenched my fist. I had no idea why I was able to do these things when it came to magic...but if I could do something, then I was going to try.
"Hey Ember, could you stand back for a second?" I asked.
The woman looked at me suspiciously. I'm guessing that she had sensed the same thing that I just did. Maybe she even had more of an answer for me about why. She folded her arms and started eyeing me up and down. She eventually responded back with a large sigh.
"Yep, there's definitely something weird about you. Whatever you have planned, just don't get yourself killed, okay?" Ember responded before stepping off to the side. I nodded back to her.
Alright, I had no idea what exactly to do here, so I just decided to wing it. I placed my other hand on the metal as well, instantly feeling the same sensation. In no time, the overall feeling changed. I could feel my body begin to heat up, but I wasn't burning. It was like I was being used as a connecter for the flow of magic...and as dumb as it sounded, this gave me an idea. I grit my teeth and planted my feet firmly on the ground.
"Alright, here goes nothing."
With a grunt, I yanked my hands off of the metal wall. As I thought, there was a lot of tension when I pulled. I'm pretty sure the magic flow literally used my body as a pathway. I watched as, what looked like magical saran wrap, begin to peel off of the wall. It feel the ground, disappearing before ever reaching it. An eerie screech echoed through the building again, just like before. It died as soon as it had come, and soon both me and Ember were left in silence. The only sound that could be heard was the wind and birds from outside.
I instinctively placed my hands on the metal again. This time, there was no sensation, no energy that pulsed through my body, it just felt like metal. I moved my hand to my chest. I don't know what to make of what just happened. I couldn't even begin to describe what it felt like to have magic flowing through me like that. My fingers were still tingling from it. I turned around to look at Ember who just stared at me with a shocked expression.
"Um...im guessing you're wondering what just happened, but I really don't myself, haha." I said, scratching the back of my head nervously.
Without a response to that, Ember walked right up to me, and grabbed my hands. Out of reflex, I took a small step back, almost tripping on my own feet. Ember began analyzing my hands so intently. She grazed her finger along the crevices on my palm. It made me shiver a bit.
"ALRIGHT, GETTIN KINDA UNCOMFORTABLE NOW" I yelled. Ember's eyes soon meet mine. I could tell that she was definitely curious, but also super suspicious at the same time.
"What...are you?" the woman asked.
Before I could respond, I could hear the sound of men shouting in the distance. It caused me to jump out of my skin a bit. It wasn't just a few men, it was several. I couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but I could tell they weren't happy. I looked from where the sound was coming, back to Rona with a look that clearly said 'WHAT DO WE DO NOW!?"
"Well, this is great. As much as I'd love to knock you out again, I'm pretty sure the fact that the magic barrier's gone will make them more than a little suspicious." Ember said before reaching down and taking another knife out of her boots pocket. Seriously, why did they let her keep those?
She walked up to the metal wall, and in the blink of an eye, threw her leg up and smashed it through the metal with ease. I would of been more impressed if I didn't fear for my life with this woman. Sunlight shone through the hole brightly. I had to squint my eyes a little bit to see.
"Alright, Mr. Magic Breaker, you first." Ember said before grabbing my arm.
"Hey wait, what are yo-" I didn't have time to say anymore before the Bounty Hunter pulled me over to the hole, and threw me outside into the world like a rebellious teenager finally getting kicked out of his home. I started tumbling on the soft grass like a bowling ball. After I had finally stopped myself, I threw my body up off the ground, and tried standing right away, only to fall back down from the momentum.
"Ah, HELLO, I'm pretty sure I could of climbed through on my own, thank you very much." I said in a frustrated tone.
Once my vision had finally adjusted to the light a little, I was able to get a good look at the place we were in from the outside. It really was just a random shack in the middle of nowhere. All around me was a large patch of grass in the middle of a wall of trees.
I looked at the hole in the side of the building just as Ember had jumped out of it. That was when I noticed something moving from around the back of the storage area. At first it was the figure of 2 guys...then it was 5 guys...then It was 10 guys...then I decided to stop freakin counting them and get my butt movin.
I threw myself off the ground again, this time managing to stand up. Ember ran past me, grabbing onto my wrist as she went by. I'm surprised my arm wasn't pulled out of socket when my body got yanked into a full on sprint.
"HEY HEY HEY, HOLD ON! Where are we even doing?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.
"What, don't you want to save that Machine? If those guys catch us, then we're gonna die before we even get the chance." The Bounty Hunter responded.
"So what, you're just running away from them?"
"No, we need to get to Koona, but I'm quite certain those guys wouldn't give us the pleasure to make his acquaintance."
"So what, we're just gonna sneak up behind him, put a knife to his back, and make him give Ori back?" I asked very pessimistically.
"You know, for someone who spoke so high and mighty back there, you're sure whining alot now. If you have any better ideas, then feel free to enlighten me." Ember retorted.
As much as I wanted to enlighten her, there really were no other ideas that I could think of. I breathed a big sigh and accepted my defeat in this matter. I looked back, to see a group of about 50 men tailing not too far behind us. I could definitely tell they were bandits just from their outfits. They ran with swords and axes held high, yelling and screaming like monkeys.
"So, uh…*pant*...you know where this guy is, right?" I asked.
"Well...guess were going to find out." Ember answered.
I didn't really like the sound of that, but I guess I had no choice but to trust her. It's not like I had a solution to this situation that I was in. Although, I was still trying to figure out why Ember would help me in the first place. At first I thought she was still trying to finish her mission...but maybe she's just a good person at heart.
I put that thought to the back of my mind for later talks as Ember pulled me into the vast realm of Oak trees. My body instantly got covered in scratches as we pushed and broke through all of the branches in our way. The trees were so tightly packed together that it felt more like a maze than a forest.
I wanted to look back behind me again to see if we had covered anymore distance, but I'm quite sure a random branch in my way would of knocked me out if I did. I decided to just focus on what was ahead of me. I started to follow Ember's movements. She moved through the trees with such ease. It was like I was watching a Ninja at work.
Suddenly, right in front of my eyes, a long metal object came flying down through the air and in between me and Ember. I quickly let go of the woman's hand as to avoid getting her's or mine chopped off. The momentum caused me to crash into one of the trees in front of me, knocking me to the ground.
"Heeeey, where do ya think you're goin?" came a shrill and creepy man's voice.
Because of all the adrenaline flowing through my body, I was able to get back up from that fall really quick. I was soon met face to face with a gigantic man. He had the same outfit on as the other guys that were chasing us. His scars and scruffy beard sent shivers down my spine. I watched as the man yanked his sword out of the ground, pretty sure it was the one that almost chopped my hand off, and pointed it at me.
"Hey ugly, over here!" Ember yelled as she came barreling towards the man. He didn't have time to do much before the Bounty Hunter hurled a knife at him, piercing his hand that held the sword. The man screamed in pain, letting the blade clash to the ground. In a couple Ninja like moves, Ember drop kicked the man, sending his face crashing to the dirt.
"HOLY CRAP, THAT WAS AWESOME!" I said, being unable to contain my excitement.
"Keep moving, they're trying to flank us." Ember said earnestly before taking off in the same direction. I knew if I fell behind, I was a dead man, so I did my best to match her speed.
All around me, I could hear the leaves rustling, and the sound of men wailing. Once in awhile, one of the men would spot us, but Ember managed to take them out almost instantly. I'd try and describe exactly how she did it, but most of the time I had no idea what the heck was going on.
After what seemed like an eternity, a dim light shone at the end of the trees. It got brighter and brighter as I got closer to it.
"Hey, is that the end?" I asked.
"Yup, and it's also where we make our break." Ember responded.
After hearing that, I picked up the pace. I was more than ready to get out of this maze. I let a smile color my face as the vision of a grassy field finally caught my view. I had to admit, that everything that had happened so far was pretty exciting...way more fun than anything that happened in my town.
I got up right beside Ember, looking to her as we neared the exit. I nodded to her in a 'let's do this' kinda way, to which she responded with...at first, a look of shock that I was actually neck and neck with her...but she eventually nodded bad. With a heavy push, I broke through the branches that blocked my way, and finally stepped foot on grass again.
I wanted to celebrate before...something happened again…In the sunlight, I saw the large figure of a man. Everything happened so fast that I wasn't able to get a good look at him before I was knocked to the side by incredible strength. I tumbled through the grass, just like last time, but this time it hurt alot more.
I heard Ember scream, causing me to push myself off the ground, despite the fact that I was pretty sure I had a lot of broken bones from that. I turned to see the man, holding Ember in the air by her neck. The woman squirmed and rythed, but it was like a kitten trying to escape the mouth of a lion.
"My my, such a feisty little creature, aren't you." The man said condescendingly.
"HEY, LET HER GO!" I yelled.
The man turned to me with a surprised look in his face. That's when I was able to get a good look at him. He had a pointed beard that reached all the way to his torso. His dark hair was tied back like that of a samurai. Across his entire face he had one large scar, going through his right eye that I'm pretty sure he was blind in. His clothes looked like a Yukata. The sash that was tied around his waist appeared to be the pelt of some wild animal.
"Oh, you're already back up? Well, aren't you a tough little critter." The man said in that condescending voice again.
Without thinking, I picked up the nearest rock that I could see and tossed it at the man. I watched as the stone was instantly deflected...even though it didn't look like the guy moved his hand at all. I gritted my teeth before charging full speed at him.
"I SAID LET, HER, GOOO!" I screamed.
Before I had even gotten close to the man, I was suddenly flipped upside down onto my back. I gasped as all the air in my body had been pushed out. I layed there for a good while. I wanted to get back up, but my body seemed to not want to respond to me this time. It wasn't until I heard the voice of the person that threw me...when I moved.
"pLeASe...StAY doWn." Came a very familiar robotic voice.
I slowly rolled over onto my gut, and pushed myself off the ground. With slight hesitation, I looked up to see a face I recognized. Her glowing blue eyes pierced through me like they always do.
"O-...Orianna?...is that...you? I asked, almost unable to get the words out.
The mechanical girl just stared at me blankly like she always did. She eventually bowed to me in an apologetic notion.
"pLeASe, I BeG yoU...dO NoT aTTemPt tO hArM MAsTer kOoNa." Orianna added.
My eyes grew wide as I turned to the man. With a smirk, he tossed Ember to the side, slamming her against a tree. I heard her make a sound like all the life in her had been puffed up. Emotions swirled around in my head, and I wasn't able to make sense out of any of them.
"You're...Koona?..." I asked, before turning to the mechanical girl. "But you...why are you here...with him?...why did you call him...master?" I asked, unsure of what to even say at this point.
The man started laughing as he walked over to me. I watched as he placed his hand on Ori's head and began to rub her metallic hair. The fact the she let him do that so casually seemed to piss me off somehow.
"Ah, do you know this boy my darling?" The man asked. I couldn't help but shiver at the way he said that.
Orianna finally moved her eyes to look at mine. It was like she was scanning me...like she was trying to remember who I was. After a while she turned her eyes back to the ground.
"yEs...I kNow ThiS BoY.
So per usual, I gotta thank you guys for reading this chapter! Whether or not you're a new reader to this story, or a previous one, I'm still so glad you stuck with me for this long! Also, I do gotta say that I hate where I had to end this chapter...it's not enthralling enough. However the part that I wanted to end it at would of taken another 1k words. That would of made it way too long...so I had to go with ending it here. It's sucks, yeah, I know.
Secondly, as some news for this story, I'm trying to hire my sister to rewrite it. My sis is an English major, and MUCH better at writing than I am. If I did end up doing that, I'd upload all the re-written chapters as a seperate story (Aside from probably the 1st chapter). Don't worry though, I wouldn't stop writing it myself. I would just like to get someone's who's better than me at this stuff to put their spin on it :)