Chapter 8
Ruby's First Mission
"Dad, this place is weird." Ruby hid behind me.
"I know, Sweetie, but we have to check it. These Titans have to go." I lead my family into an old house. It gave off an unpleasant vibe.
"Montehue, remember to test the floor before you step on it. Especially when we get farther in." Tersly reminded me.
"Yes, Darling." I smiled a tiny bit. He smiled back as I winked flirtatiously at him and then blushed.
Ruby gaged, "You're being all mushy."
"You be quiet. I'll flirt with my husband whenever I want." I told her.
"Pffft." She retorted.
"She's a child, Monty. She doesn't understand." Tersly said.
"You're right, Bookworm," I ruffled Ruby's hair as she made a face, "Don't ever grow up." She looked up at me, confused.
"Huh?" She asked.
"You'll always be my little gem. Now, we should probably look around the bottom floor first." I thought aloud.
"Yeah, that's best." Tersly agreed.
We walked carefully through the unkempt house and it wasn't long before we found some clawed up furniture. The floors were scratched up from something. Was there a fight here? Ruby poked at the marks as we heard something roar.
"Ruby!" I called to her as it was getting closer.
"Dad!" She scrambled to me, hiding behind me again.
It was an angry Wolf Knight. Two, actually. They snarled at us, trying to scare us away. I took my axes and charged. Ruby tried to hit one with Boltflare, but it ducked and ran toward her.
"Hon-Honorguard!" Tersly made a shield around them. The wolf Titan stopped clawing at the shield when it saw something and bowed.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked.
"Of course they wouldn't attack you! They'd never hurt a child." Tersly exclaimed.
"Oh." She said dumbly.
Tersly gasped as his Honorguard slipped and the Wolf Knight was now in front of them. It didn't move except to look at them.
"Um, you can get up if you don't hurt my dads." Ruby told him and he got up.
The Wolf Knight I was grappling with backed away. I put away my axes, "Ok, Rubes, it looks like you're our peacekeeper. Tell 'em why we came."
"… We, um, want to get you new Seekers?" She shrugged.
They didn't like that, "Hey, don't growl at her! What's so important here anyway?" I asked.
They thought then took us to a room, letting Ruby go first. It was a girl's room. It smelled musty and old. Toys were covered in dust. The blankets and clothes were unmoved. A sun bleached skeleton laid on the bed. It was small, almost Ruby's size. I shifted uncomfortably. One of the Titans got a little jewelry box while the other got a picture frame. They gave her the objects.
"Is this your Seeker?" She asked, pointing to the picture. They nodded, "And he made you stay with her?" Another nod.
"Montehue, this is sad." Tersly whispered.
"Yes, it is." I sighed, rubbing my thumb over his knuckles.
"There's amulets in here." Ruby showed me. I looked and saw that there were only a few and they were easy to summon.
"Wolf Knights, your Seeker's not coming back. He's gone. And your girl, she's dead. We'll bury her if you want. You just have to come with us. It's not safe for you here. You're scaring everyone in the village." I told them.
They reluctantly sent themselves back to their amulets. Ruby picked them up and put them in the box. Tersly and I dug a grave in the backyard and carefully put the skeleton in. I marked the grave with a simple cross.
We were driving home, Ruby asleep in back, "Tersly, that mission was strange."
"Yeah, like a ghost story or something." He sighed.
"Tersly?" I asked.
"I'm just sorry Ruby had to see that." He explained.
I winced, "If I had known…"
"I know. But there's no way you could have. If not us, then someone else would have taken the mission." My partner told me.
"I hope we get more normal missions next time." I told him.
"You and me both." He closed his eyes and I was the only one awake for a while. We got home long after dark, had a small dinner, and went to bed. I had put the old jewelry box in my office. I snuggled with Tersly, trying to forget the image of the young girl's skeleton on the bed.
