Two chapters in a month!? What is this? Well yes I'm back guys before expected. I have been hard at work with the story. I'm proud of the route I'll be taking this story. in other news my new story is out! Brave New World! Please give it a look if you enjoy this story! You won't Regret it!

Chapter 11: Explanations

3 years ago

Nikolai was sitting in a run-down house. He was pulling out his medical supplies. Tanya to his side was bleeding from a cut in her arm. It had been a few weeks since they both started up this partnership and so far it had been very fruitful. They had just finished cleaning an area of Limansk of mutants. One of those mutants had gotten Tanya in the arm.

"You gotta keep your eyes open" Nikolai mused as he prepared to treat her.

"Haven't I saved your sorry ass more than once?" She asked smirking.

"I do not recall such thing," he said sarcastically.

"I sure you don't," she said sarcastically.

"Good to see your snark hasn't left you. For a second I thought it was serious" Nikolai chuckled. "Okay let me give it a look." Tanya extended her arm as Nikolai checked it.

The cut was a bit deeper than he would have liked. He had tied it up trying to stop the bleeding and now he was able to properly treat it. He pulled out a bottle and grimaced.

"I'm going to have to disinfect the wound," Nikolai said as he handed her a piece of cloth. "Bite down. This won't be pretty."

She bit into the cloth as Nikolai poured the contents of the bottle in her wound. Her eyes widened in pain as she twisted in pain, Nikolai doing his best to keep her from moving. After a few seconds, she stopped struggling. She pulled the cloth out of her mouth.

"T-that hurt like... Like a bitch..." She said breathing heavily.

"We aren't done... I have to sew it..." He said darkly.

"Fuck... Well... When we get back to Rostov... You better buy me a drink." She said bracing herself for it. Nikolai started sewing the wound, he could hear her grunts of pain and saw some tears coming down her face.

He did his best to finish as fast as possible. He finished and saw how much it had taken out of her.

"We're resting tonight," Nikolai said looking outside the window.

"What? We can make it to Rostov..." She said slowly standing up.

"Yeah no..." Nikolai quickly said forcing her back to her seat."You're tired... We are sleeping here tonight. Don't worry I'll take first watch."

"You aren't changing your mind are you?" Tanya said with a faint smile.

"No, get comfortable. Rest a bit" Nikolai said sitting next to a fire he had set up. Tanya walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're soft," she said. Nikolai turned quickly his face red.

"What!?" He asked surprised.

"Oh my God your face!" Tanya said giggling. "Big bad Nikolai blushing? What never been kissed by a girl?" She asked smirking.

"S-shut up blondie!" He stammered

"Aww, you are totally innocent! Didn't expect that with how you carried yourself."

"I said shut up!" He said angrily.

"You must think holding hands is such a lewd thing" she mocked.

"Ah yes! Well... What would you know!?" Nikolai asked accusingly.

"More than you think!" She said letting out a laugh. A laugh that Nikolai noticed was bitter.

"You don't sound happy about it" Nikolai probed.

"What gives it away?" She snapped back.

"If you are so bitter about it why bring it up?" Nikolai asked raising his brow.

"Why do you think dipshit!?" She asked surprising Nikolai.

"Fuck should I know?" Nikolai asked.

"You are so fucking dense!"

"Yeah, I am. Skip to the point and spit it out! Fucking hate melodrama!"

"I'm interest okay? Fuck is that so hard to notice!?" She asked.

"Why?" Nikolai asked genuinely confused. In the weeks since the start of their partnership, he had realized that Tanya was flirty by nature. Everything also seemed to have a double meaning. He had grown to understand it. But this was different, she normally would just beat around the bush what was this all about?

"What do you mean!?"

"Why are you bringing this up now? You always beat around the bush. I never know when you are serious or not."

"Okay yes I'm serious, no bullshit no playing," she said. "And why? Because you actually have treated me as an equal. You cared, you don't seem to be out for a quick fuck. Can't tell you how many times I fell for a sweet talker before they ditch me after fucking." He could see some tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear," he said softly.

"I was... Well still am so desperate to prove someone loves me... I'm not exactly a model" she said bitterly. Nikolai pulled her into a hug. She tensed up for a second before returning it. She sobbed softly into his shoulder he caressed her hair telling her it was alright.

"Hey... It's all okay... You have nothing to prove to no one. People will be dumbasses but you are truly special..." He said.

"Really?" She said sniffling.

"You're a badass stalker in the zone. You are strong! And that face of yours is 10/10" he said making her laugh.

"You sound like those sweet talkers," she said jokingly.

"I take that as an insult! I wouldn't treat a fair maiden such as yourself like that!" He said dramatically. Tanya laughed loudly as she gave him a warm smile.

"I'm not maiden. I can tell you that for sure." She replied.

"Even better!" Tanya slowly got closer to him and kissed him. He was taken aback as she pushed him onto his back."I... Um..." He blushed trying to find the correct words.

"Don't worry Nik leave it all to me" she said. That night Nikolai saw things and did things he never expected to do in the zone.

Present-day

Nikolai slowly opened his eyes. His body hurt like hell, he felt as if an 18 wheeler had just ran him over. His vision was heavy he looked to his side and saw Beatrice on a chair it seemed as if she hadn't noticed him waking up. He slowly sat up his head spinning.

"Fuck me..." He muttered. Beatrice turned to him her eyes growing wide as they filled with tears. She tackled him back to the bed.

"You idiot! Do you have any idea how worried I was I suppose!? I thought you left me!" She said crying into him. Nikolai was taken aback, seeing the normally stoic Beatrice so worried for someone was strange. He slowly petted her head as she cried.

"I told you I would be back. You are not alone anymore Beako" Nikolai cooed. He saw the door open as Rem and Emilia stood there surprised they ran towards him and jumped on the bed. He saw Ram glaring daggers at him and Roswall looking amused.

"Help... Air... Please..." Nikolai said being smothered by the girls.

"Okay girls give him some space" Puck said as Nikolai took a deep breath.

"Thanks Puck..." Nikolai said. Puck proceeded to punch him or at least he thought that was it as he barely felt it.

"That is for making Lia cry!" He said proud of himself.

"I know... Damn I fucked up... I thought I could take them all alone." Nikolai lamented. "But you are all safe and there shouldn't be any threat from Monolith."

"What happened to you?" Emilia asked. Nikolai explained his run in with this Preacher character. How he said he needed to go and how he held a black book.

"A black book?" Beatrice asked. Nikolai could see she knew something... He would need to question her later.

"Yes he said it guided his actions and some other crazy stuff." Nikolai said.

"Weeeell at least this is taken care offff" Rosswall said. "We doooo have visitors todaaaay."

"Wait who?"

"It haaaas to do with the royal selectiooooon" Roswall said.

"Of fucking course it does" Nikolai said. He now was noticing his hands were hurting a lot. Moving them actually took a lot of effort. "My hands look healed but fuck me does it hurt moving it. He saw the people in the room exchange glances ones that unnerved Nikolai.

"We... We healed you as best as possible but the damage to your hands was too much for us to heal properly." Emilia said sadly.

"I see... Well... At least I didn't lose my hands. If I can hold a gun I'm okay" he said trying to calm everyone down. "What happened to the other guys?"

"The people who brought you here went to the village. When they heard what you were doing they decided to help" Rem explained. "They left this." She handed him a radio. "They said you would know what to do with it."

Nikolai grabbed it and turned it on. "Hello?"

"Good to hear from you Nikolai!" A voice over the radio said.

"I hear you set up shop at the village."

"We did! I see you were trying to set up some Rostov defenses. You were doing well but you are no builder that's for sure! We found flaws in the design. But don't worry we are the engineering core. We'll get this fixed up." The voice explained.

"I see... And about the other stuff?"

"We got loot from what was left of the secondary camps. Not much was left in the primary. We are a bit busy at the moment but we'll pick you up after we are done."

"Okay, appreciate it."

"You saved our lives we are just returning the favor."

Nikolai turned the radio off and saw everyone watching in fascination at the item he held in his hand.

"What is that I suppose!?" Beatrice asked surprised.

"A radio. An item from home. Let's you keep contact with other people with radios in a certain range." Nikolai explained putting on the table besides him. "Looks like a good one too. Military grade..." Okay... I'll go have a bath." He said, he stood up but felt light headed and felt as his legs gave in. He was caught by Beatrice's magic.

"Thank you Beatrice" he said with a soft smile.

"You can call me Betty I suppose" she said blushing a bit making Nikolai grin.

"Of course Betty." He said. "Can you help me to the bath?"

"Of course. Betty is your contracted spirit I suppose." She said using her magic to help him.

"I-I'll also help you" Rem said putting his arm over her shoulder.

"Emilia. I'm sorry for all the shit that I've put you through. After you finish your meeting" he said. Nikolai was probably the worst bodyguard ever. He returned most times at death's doors to her. The worry on her face was clear and he wanted to make her feel better.

Nikolai walked into the bath and the girls walked out. Nikolai slowly took off his clothes and jumped in the hot water. The water felt really nice almost as if it took so much pressure off his shoulders. He slowly traced his body seeing a bit scar on his shoulder.

"More time passes more scars I collect" he muttered. That bite looked particularly nasty he let out a sigh and sank into the water trying to clear his mind.

Nikolai stepped out. He saw his suit had already been placed on a nearby chair he put it on with some difficulty. He opened and closed his hand and he pain felt unbearable. He let out a sigh and walked out. He saw that Betty had waited outside the door for him.

"Thank you for waiting Betty" he said patting her head.

"S-Stop that I suppose!" She said embarrassed.

"So... You were worried huh?" He asked smirking.

"I-I was a bit."

"I see... Also, thank you for helping walk. I still feel a bit lightheaded. Guess I lost too much blood."

"You did. The soldiers tried stopping it but the wounds were..." She seemed to hesitate.

"It's okay" Nikolai hugged her and patted her head. She backed out and blushes.

"S-stop that I suppose!" She said.

"Okay okay" he said putting his hands up. He arrived to the room and walked over to the Exo. Even in his lightheaded state the Exo should compensate. He kept his helmet off. The last thing he wanted was to seem intimidating to Beatrice. "Okay... As much as I would like to rest I have a job to do now that we are having visits. Mind joining me?"

"Of course I'm your contracted spirit I suppose" she said, he gave her a smile and patted her head. The patrol was normally boring but with company it was much more bearable. Still lightheaded he chatted with Beatrice.

"Tell me... What do you know about the black book I was talking about?" Nikolai asked bringing the subject up. She stopped dead on her tracks.

"What are you talking about I suppose?" She asked trying to hide her surprise.

"Betty you need to get better at lying" Nikolai said with a chuckle. "I need to tell you more about my homeland but most people there were dangerous. You need to know how to read people. And you are like an open book." He said, the irony of his phrasing not going past him.

She looked at him hesitantly. She grabbed her dress. She looked fearful, Nikolai realized this needed to be serious then. His smile faltered as he kneeled besides her.

"What can you tell me Betty?"

"Before I do Betty has a question I suppose." She said softly. Nikolai nodded and signal her to proceed.

"Why did you lie to Betty I suppose?" She asked, Nikolai looked surprised at her discovery of this.

"How did you-"

"When we made the contract. I looked into your soul. I saw what you were feeling and your thoughts in fact." She said seriously. Nikolai let out a soft chuckle.

"Didn't expect you to look into me." Nikolai said honestly. "And why I did it... If you saw then you know why..."

"I-I want to hear it I suppose" she said.

"I understand how you feel." Nikolai said with a sigh. "I heard that you were waiting for someone. Someone who was God knows where. But you held hope that someday... Someone would come."

"I-I"

"I know that feeling. The only difference is that the person I would wait for was dead. She was never coming back and yet I always expected her to walk into that same bar..." Nikolai said solemnly. "That shit eats at you... So I decided to be that person for you." He said softly. Her eyes watered as she hugged him. Nikolai put an arm around her comforting her.

"You lied for me..."

"You could say that. Tell me... What is it that you fear?" Nikolai asked softly.

"Would... Would you use me as a weapon I suppose?" She asked as Nikolai's eyes widen.

"What?"

"Will you use me I suppose?" She asked a bit louder. "People have tried getting me out of the library before. They only cared about the knowledge in the library or me because I am a great spirit in fact."

"Never... I accepted and did this for your sake. I will fight with my own two hands as I always have! I just need to know what I'm facing." Nikolai explained. "You do not need to fight anymore. Just enjoy life..." He said patting her head. She hugged him tightly as Nikolai gave her a warm smile.

"Okay... I will tell you." She explained. The information that she gave him surprised him. A book that would show the person the route to the future they desire through vague details. The witch-cult... How it all connected... It made him wonder how she knew so much.

"Wow Betty that is a lot to take in." Nikolai whistled. They were now sitting outside at the entrance of the mansion.

"It is I suppose." She said almost flippantly making Nikolai snicker.

"So quick question. You are my contracted spirit but what exactly does that entail?"

"I'm tied to you till death I suppose." She explained. "I can't drain mana out of the atmosphere. I depend on you for mana I suppose."

"Am I enough? I mean I don't practice magic. Barely used it. Do I have enough mana?".

"You have much more than I expected in fact." She said surprising him.

"Say what now?"

"Yes, you have a quite large supply of mana in fact. More than anyone expected. If you practiced you could become quite prolific in magic I suppose." She explained to him making him whistle.

"Well that's great!" Nikolai said smiling. "I have another question. How did you learn so much about the gospel? I doubt there is a book on that? Or is there?" Nikolai asked, she averted his gaze as Nikolai let out a sigh. "Can you please tell me Betty? Oh great spirit!"

"Are you mocking me I suppose!?" She asked angrily.

"Nope just singing the praises of my great spirit companion!" Nikolai said smiling. "Oh great spirit please tell me!" Nikolai said dramatically getting a smile out of her.

"Okay... I have one I suppose" she said taking Nikolai by surprise. His eyes widened...

"Can I see it?" Nikolai asked. She slowly pulled out a black book out of her dress. A book that Nikolai knew pretty well. "Can you hand it to me for a second?"

"Okay I suppose." She slowly gave it to him. Her fears rising, did she judge him wrong? Was he like everyone else? Was he using her? Then Nikolai did something she didn't expect. He pulled out a silver item from one of his pockets. He flickered it and a small flame appeared. He put it under the book and set it ablaze.

"What are you doing I suppose!?" Beatrice asked horrified.

"Let me tell you a secret Betty. If I have learned something in my short but... Eventful life is that nothing is set in stone. If something says it can predict the future it's probably bullshit. He threw it on the ground as the flames ate the book. "We are masters of our own destiny. You tied yourself to that book. Consider this my way of saying you are free."

Beatrice couldn't believe her ears. The things he said, the things he did. He didn't act out of self-interest but out of what he thought was right. Even if he wasn't they... Even if he wasn't who Echidna had told her about... She knew she made the right choice. She gave him a smile as he patted her head.

"Stop patting me I suppose!" She ordered him.

"But you seem to enjoy it" Nikolai snickered.

"I-I may but stop it I suppose!" Nikolai laughed loudly at this and patted her head more.

"If you were expected some guy with a stick up his ass you are wrong. Let go and relax. It's all okay" Nikolai said. The sound of a carriage made him turn around as he saw one approaching. His had instinctively going to his holster.

"I wouldn't suggest thaaaaaat" Roswall said surprising him.

"Visits?".

"That would be theeeeeem" he confirmed. He saw Ram and Rem standing next to him. The carriage stopped an old man was driving it. Nikolai quickly noticed he was built like a tank. He looked old but sharp like one of the veterans. His eyes examining every single detail of the area. He opened the carriage door. Nikolai had taken a position next to Rem. He saw... A cat... Girl? He looked confused. He remembered one of his friends raving about this thing and how cool it was. He wondered how he would have reacted to this...

The normal pleasantries were exchanged and Rem was to guide her to the meeting. Nikolai quickly whispered in her ear.

"Keep a close eye on things" she looked at him and nodded. In the end it was only Beatrice, Nikolai and the old man. Curious Nikolai sat on the fountain pulled out his last cigarette and started smoking.

"So tell me... You got any good stories?" Nikolai asked him huffing smoke.

"Stop that I suppose!" Betty said trying to swat the smoke away.

"Excuse me?"

"You got any good stories? You look like the veterans from where I come. Always good to get some advice." Nikolai explained.

"Are you not going to try to get information on our visit?" The man questioned raising his brow.

"Nah... If miss Emilia doesn't think I should know then I'm okay with that." He said dismissively.

"I see... May I have your name?"

"Sure, Nikolai Kyznetsov" he said calmly.

"I've heard a lot of you..."

"You have?"

"The talk around the capital is about a traveler with strange weapons that spit fire. They say you killed the bowel hunter."

"Thank God she actually died. She was tough" Nikolai said.

"So it is you?"

"Yup... Can I have your name?"

"Wilhelm" he simply said.

"Well mister Wilhelm it is good to meet you. This little girl here is named Beatrice. She is my contracted spirit. She might look bitter but she is totally a softy."

"Who are you calling softy I suppose!?" She asked as he laughed. Wilhelm looked at the curious exchange and let out a smile. Before they could continue he saw the same person walk out of the mansion with Rem by her side. She got close to Nikolai.

"Nya?" She said. She started studying Nikolai at a uncomfortable distance. Then he noticed it. It wasn't a girl it was a guy! He felt a bit more uncomfortable as he kept inspecting him.

"Only I am allowed to get that close I suppose!" Beatrice said saving Nikolai.

"I'm sorry Nya!" He said. That dress, the feminine features those cat ears. He definitely looked like a woman but the body language gave it away. "I've never seen an armor like that!" He said curiously.

"I come from a far land" Nikolai simply said.

"I see..."

"We have to go" Wilhelm said. He pouted but nevertheless got in the carriage. They exchanged goodbyes and left.

During the carriage ride Felix looked curiously at Wilhelm.

"I didn't expect you to talk with anyone." He stated Wilhelm wasn't know as the talkative type and seeing him interacting with such a strange character was amusing.

"I didn't plan but he insisted." Wilhelm simply said.

"And what else?" Felix asked.

"His eyes... His eyes told me he was a man who had seen much death in his time"

Somewhere elseA fire raged as a village was burned down. Bodies were scattered across the ground as the screaming died out. In the center of the village a sort of tottem rose. The sound of bullets echoed as Monolith soldiers checked each body killing any survivors.

In a tent on the outskirts of the village a man sat in his tent. He hummed a song softly as he read his gospel. He smiled as things had been going as planned.

"Sir!" A man entered the tent. When he saw the back of the head in front of him he averted his eyes to the ground. "I-I apologize."

"There is no need my son" a gravelly voice said. He heard the clicking of a helmet as he raise his eyes he saw Preacher standing in front of him. "What is it that you need?"

"T-the village sir... We are finishing the cleanup. There should be no survivors." The soldier explained. Preacher put his hand on the soldier's shoulder.

"Good... Good... We have made much progress. The will of the zone told me these places had to be eradicated. We only follow the gospel. Pity those who the gospel finds unworthy for I won't."

And cut! Hope you guys like the chapter. The support has been insane in this story thank you so much! As always feedback is welcomed! On another note... This particular story has no pairings in mind so if you do want to see one leave it in the comments and whichever option has the most votes will win! UltimateMetroMan out!