Chapter 27: Hiding Place for Two Faced Assassins
"Ow …" Rose groaned as she found herself waking up on the river banks just at the edge of a forest late at night. She looked around her to see an unconscious Sorey and horse. "How did we get here?" Then she remembered that Sorey rode them off a cliff. "Right." She sighed figuring that the landing in the river knocked them out and swept them down to where they are. She went over to Sorey and checked up on him she touched his forehead and found him burning up "… Of course." She sighed. She then looked over to the horse. "Shit … Dezel is gonna kill me." The horse woke up and stood up. "Oh good, you're alive." She said to the horse. "Have you seen any seraphim around?" The horse pointed its nose next to her. "Dezel? Edna?" She called, no response. "Fuck … what did that cat faced guy do?" She muttered to herself. She looked over to the unconscious and feverish Sorey and back to the horse. "You mind if you can help me with one more thing?" She asked. The horse huffed in response. "I'll take that as a yes." She picked up Sorey and dragged him over to the horse and tossed him over the back of the horse. She heard rustling in the bushes and looked around then tugged on the reins and they started walking through the forest until they heard a groan from Sorey. "Oh hey you're up."
"Where …" He started.
"In some forest. We got swept up here after your stupid idea got us in a river and by all accounts we shouldn't be alive." Said Rose.
"Wait …" He said weakly. "I know this place … head north."
"Really?" Said Rose looking at him skeptically, "What do you have in your head this time?"
"Nothing. We have a hideout in some ruins there." He said.
"All right." Said Rose.
"It's not gonna cause us to fall to our deaths." Assured Sorey. "And you do realize we're being followed right?"
"Oh no. Really?" Said Rose.
"Heading to our hideout might give them the slip." Said Sorey.
"You know for someone with a fever you're being awfully chatty." Said Rose.
"Might as well do something if I'm gonna be bedridden for the next couple of days." Said Sorey.
"Okay yeah I can't really argue there." Said Rose. Rose then turned towards the north or what she guesses to be north and heads there only to have to turn around because Sorey told her it was the wrong direction. But eventually they passed a huge ass tree stump and then headed towards a ruin where other unmasked Scattered Bones members and Muse came running towards them.
"Sorey! Are you all right?" She asked helping him off the horse he wobbled a bit but gained his balance.
"Y-yeah." He said. "I'm fine." Muse then brought his forehead down to hers.
"No … you're burning up. You need to get to bed, now." She said.
"But … what about the people who have been following us? I can't-." Sorey started but Muse silenced him.
"Felice, Rosh, go see what's going on." Said Muse.
"Wait." Said Rose.
"Don't worry Rose, we're just seeing what's going on." Muse assured. "You help Sorey get inside."
"I can walk on my own." Said Sorey.
"Still. Keep an eye on him." She told Rose. "Now get inside you two."
"Okay okay." Said Rose as she took Sorey but he shoved her off and they went inside the ruins. They went to a room in the ruin where the Scattered Bone/Light Sparks used as a sleeping area for the guild and the two flopped onto two different beds.
"So can you hear the Seraphim again?" Sorey asked.
"No." Said Rose.
"I wonder what happened. What did that man with the lion head … Heldalf do?" Said Sorey.
"I don't know, but whatever he did it blocked off our resonance. Do you think Muse is affected?" Rose asked.
"I don't know." Said Sorey. Rose then sat up. "Rose?"
"You … stay here and rest, I'll go talk to Muse." Said Rose leaving the room. She went to the ladder where she and Sorey entered the ruin to meet up with Muse climbing down with other members of the guild. "Hey." She greeted when Muse got down and the other guild members separated. "Did you get an idea on who was following you?"
"Just a bunch of kids." She replied. "They've been driven to the streets due to their parents dying from illness and took up a living of looting soldiers."
"What?" Rose exclaimed.
"We didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking." Said Muse.
"Oh." Said Rose.
"Honestly what do you take us for?" Muse asked.
"Well when we last talked you told Mikleo that you were two faced." Said Rose.
"I have standards." Said Muse. "I refuse to kill children because I believe they can change and they have the largest capacity for that out of any of us."
"But what did you do with the kids?" Rose asked.
"I just gave them enough money to eat for at least a day and scared them off." Said Muse.
"You didn't threaten to murder them if you sat them again did you?" Rose asked.
"What? No!" Muse exclaimed. "Anyway you look like you want to talk about something. What is it?"
"I was wondering if you could still see and hear the seraphim." Said Rose.
"Yes of course I can what are you getting at?" Muse asked.
"Well … on the battle field me and Sorey ran into the Lord of Calamity." Said Rose.
"What?!" Muse exclaimed.
"Let me finish!" Said Rose. "We ran into him and he gave me shit and called me an idiot. Then he did something that made us unable to hear or see the seraphim."
"Is this true?" Muse asked, Rose didn't reply because she assumed she was asking the invisible to her seraphim. She fell silent for a bit looking like the world was going to end until she finally muttered "Dammit!"
"Has this happened before?" Rose asked.
"No!" Muse said "We didn't run into anything, or anyone that could some how make you not resonant. I can't tell you what to do in this case."
"Shit." Rose hissed.
"Yeah. Shit is right." Said Muse. "I really don't know what to tell you Rose I've never ran into this and I can't tell you how to fix it. All I could say is just get some rest and we can figure this out in the morning."
"… All right." Said Rose going back to her bed. By then Sorey was asleep. She kicked off her shoes and fell asleep shortly after.