AN: Well, thankfully I had this chapter nearly done before I had to get medical botox. Thank god I did because it hurt like hell T^T The curse with fibromyalgia is that everything hurts more and for longer than necessary. Anyway, enough yammering from me. Please enjoy reading~
Chapter 5:
Samuel kept to the shadows of the buildings and ruins, sticking to the grass and earth in order to mask his footsteps. The Lost Soldiers, on the other hand, made no attempt to be quiet. Confident in their previous excursions of terror.
The way the Lost Soldiers snickered and talked; they weren't expecting to actually find anyone. Maybe he should just let them pass through.
The breaking of wood caused a wave of panic to wash over Samuel and he almost jumped out of his hiding spot. He pressed his back against the wall of the building he hid behind and peer around the corner. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw that the soldiers weren't near the cottage that Killia and the others had sought refuge in. But they were a couple of buildings down.
Still too close.
Ok, they were ransacking the cottages. He couldn't let them leave after that.
He had to play the role of a passer-by. Let them think he was an ignorant bystander. Someone looking for a fight simply because they were Lost Soldiers. So, if one of them escaped they would think he was just some troublemaker.
Hopefully. That was the plan, at least.
Grabbing the awning of the building, he hoisted himself up and skittered across the tiles. Not the first time he went climbing across rooftop. It did allow him a good advantage, and a good overall perspective of the situation.
Wrapping the end of the chain around his left wrist once more, he jumped down onto the arch of what used to be a greenhouse as he whirled his axe around with his right in preparation for the yo-yo trick.
"Hey! You Lost Soldiers? You responsible for this?" he called out, borrowing some of Red Magnus' bravado.
That earned him a few startled sounds from the group, but he didn't bother to wait for a coherent response. He unleashed a yo-yo trick attack on the closest demon, which happened to be Winged Warrior. The axe slammed into them, the blade cutting into them several times as the chain wrapped around them, incapacitating them further. Samuel tightened his fist around the chain and yanked on it, whipping it sharply to the left, to where a broken and shattered well stood.
More of the well broke, the stone shattering as the Winged Warrior fell into the darkness with a splash.
They didn't come back up.
Not yet, at least.
"So, a habitant dares to face the Lost Army alone?" an Armor Knight stated with a hiss rather than questioned. "Are you that desperate to die?"
He kept his gaze on the band of Lost Soldiers as he yanked back his axe, catching it effortlessly with his right hand.
"No, I'm just a passer-by." He hitched his axe on his shoulder and casually hooked his arm over the handle. "As the name states, I was simply passing by. But this? This stuff pisses me off. Maybe I'll take that anger out on you, hm?"
The Armor Knight stepped to the forefront of the gathering, indicating that she was the leader. "Passer-by or inhabitant, it does not matter; any who dares to defy the Lost will all suffer the same fate. I will give you but one chance; obey or die."
If he got a HL every time he heard that.
"No, I don't think I will do either." Samuel casually bounced the axe on his shoulder, having noted that with one soldier down he only had four more to take care of. "I was looking for someone to ask what happened, but there didn't appear to be anyone around. But, lucky me, I found you instead. You guys gave me all the answers I needed."
"You won't be so cocky when our allies hear our battle cries!" an orc shrilled, waving a mace in the air at him.
Samuel brightened. "Oh, so your basecamp is nearby, huh? Maybe I should pay that a visit, too?"
The Lost Soldier squawked, realising they had just made a mistake, especially when the Armor Knight shot a fearsome glare in their direction.
"After I'm done with you, of course."
Samuel jumped off the greenhouse and swung his axe over his head. The Armor Knight's eyes widen, and she quickly brought her arms over her head, crossing them in a defensive manner. Just as he brought down the axe. Hard.
Boulder Crush. If she survived the first strike, she wasn't going to survive the next one.
The ground beneath the enemy's feet cracked and crumbled, and her legs buckled. Samuel tightened his grip on his axe and pushed forward, forcing the Armor Knight onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her. And stunning her.
She was incapacitated for the time being.
Samuel jumped back as her three teammates jumped forward, coming to her aid.
A Valkyrie with a sword, an orc, and a Mage with a gun. Surrounding him. To his right, to his left, and one directly in front of him. A Wild Crescent should do the trick.
Digging his heels in, swung his weapon in a crisscross motion, effortlessly, and rather nonchalantly, tossing his axe from one hand to the other. But as he moved to strike his three opponents a second time, the Mage was abruptly shoved to the side, and the Armor Knight took the attack in her place.
Surprising. If a little ironic. To be loyal to such a murderous cause. To such a malicious, violent leader.
Do they not know whom they serve?
Anyone who would gladly hurt children, forcing them to flee into the wilderness, to wander for days until they are sick, until they are on the verge of collapse, on the verge of possible death deserve no mercy.
The second attack that the Armor Knight received from him was too much and she crashed to the ground. Promptly followed by her two other companions.
In a flickering blue light, the three Lost Soldiers flickered into the ether. And the last remaining member, the Mage, watching with wide eyes of surprise. Her expression soon creased into a look of anger, and she levelled her gun directly at him.
Samuel swung his axe around in front of him defensively, deflecting the bullets with the harden steel blade. He darted forward and with a single, simple strike of his axe, struck her down.
He breathed a deep sigh as the Mage flickered into the ether with her companions. Battling, and ultimately defeating Lost Soldiers didn't get any easier. But it was either them, or his own companions, and from the boasting and words he had heard them utter, they were unapologetic.
Four Lost Soldiers defeated. But…what about mothman?
He jogged over to the well and peered inside. But it was too dark to see. Hopefully, the Yo-yo Trick was enough. And if they did manage to escape, well, hopefully his ruse of a cocky passer-by was convincing enough.
Ok. Time to get back to the others.
He had better sneak back as well. Just in case the Winged Warrior was hiding somewhere, attempting to spy on him in return. He couldn't sense anyone, but he couldn't afford to be complacent.
Taking a moment to inspecting his surroundings, Samuel turned on his heel and ducked back into the shadows, behind the buildings and remains once more. And he stuck to the grass and soil, hoping to smother his footsteps, while straining his ears to hear if anyone was to follow him.
Surely, if a Winged Warrior followed him, he'd hear the flapping of their wet wings.
After a few drawn out moments, he finally reached the cottage. As he reached out to grab the door hand, a red-hot jolt of pain suddenly raced up his left arm and he winced.
Yeesh, his left arm was really starting to hurt. He might have pushed it too far with the numerous yo-yo tricks. But it had to be done. He'd douse it with medicine and put a bandage on it when he got back to Killia and the others.
Samuel slowly opened the door and slipped inside. "I'm back," he said, quietly but loud enough for someone listening closely to hear. "Everyone all right?"
Aloe Vera toddled out from the kitchen area. "Yes, meow."
"Good." That was a relief. "I disposed of most of them, but I think one escaped. But I managed to scare them off."
"Any injuries, meow?"
"No, they were easy to defeat, thankfully."
"You best attend to that arm."
Yeah.
Setting his axe to wall next to Killia's bed, Samuel rifled through their provisions and picked up a roll of bandages and a bottle of medicine. With those in hand, he sat down on the edge of the bed and slipped off his gloves. He flexed his fingers as he looked down at his left arm. The bruising had grown deeper. He had better strap it up just to do something with it.
As he roughly bandaged up his arm, he thought about their currently situation.
They couldn't hide out forever, though. He needed to find a way to wake Killia from what was keeping him asleep so that they could find a way to make their way back to the others and the Pocket Netherworld. They also needed to find a way to get Aloe Vera and her companions to safety. There was no way he was leaving them alone to fend for themselves.
Tying off the bandage, Samuel turned to look down at Killia.
Wake up soon, Killia. He wasn't sure what do to next…
… … … … …
The crackling fire of the woodstove. The smell of cooking. The warmth of a home. Killia knew he was only dreaming, but he would do anything to be back…home again. It never got any easier. The dreams. The memories. Replaying over and over again.
…Killia…
Lieze?
…Wake up now, Killia…
Lieze, wait.
"Killia?"
Wait…that wasn't Lieze's voice. That was someone else's. And the hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him to awaken held a sense of desperation. Almost pleading for him to wake up. To open his eyes.
Waking up was one thing, forcing his eyes open was another thing entirely. It too far more energy than Killia cared to admit. But with the hand on his shoulder acting as encouragement, he finally peeled his eyes open. And found himself staring up at a ceiling he did not recognise.
He…wasn't on Flowerful or Cryo Blood.
And he most certainly wasn't in the Pocket Netherworld.
His view of the ceiling was soon replaced with the vision of a familiar face of a warrior with blue eyes and white hair. "Killia?"
Killia furrowed his brow and swallowed thickly, his throat and mouth suddenly feeling as dry as the Netherworld Blood Parch. "Samuel?" he managed to croak out.
Relief flickered across Samuel's face nevertheless and he smiled. "You're finally awake. I was starting to get worried."
"What happened?"
The smile dropped from Samuel's face, and he sighed. "I'm not sure," he said as he moved to sit down on the edge of the bed Killia laid upon. "After…after Void appeared, and Bloodis…It seemed that the Final Skill failed. And you were hurt. Christo tried to teleport us out of there, but something went wrong. The two of us somehow ended up here, on Sleeping Willows. I managed to drag you to an empty cottage, and we've been holed up here since."
…What?
The memories soon came rushing back.
Dark Testament.
The Final Skill with Zeroken.
A cloud of malice from Bloodis.
Void!
Killia sat up abruptly in bed, the blankets pooling at his waist. "What!"
He immediately winced and buckled forward slightly when a streak of pain from his diaphragm left him momentarily breathless. The pain promptly reminded him what occurred after he Void Dark made his entrance, and what Samuel had told him; the Final Skill didn't work.
Bloodis attacked him.
"Easy," Samuel chided as he placed his shoulders to push him back. "Don't push yourself, you still need a bit of healing."
Killia gritted his teeth in an attempt to push aside the pain (something he had done numerous times in the past), and to insist that he was fine when Samuel placed a hand against his chest. And he felt a warmth that only ever occurred whenever someone healed him in some form or another.
Yet, it was somehow different to all the other times he had been healed. How it was different, he wasn't entirely sure.
"You can heal?" Killia asked.
Samuel gave him a half smile as he continued to offer him healing. "Yeah. Surprised?"
Honestly? Not really.
"A fraction of my memories came back to me at the right time, thankfully," Samuel continued. "It's…odd. Having this innate knowledge. I knew how to heal, I just forgot that I knew." He finished up his healing a moment later and sat on the edge of the bed, tapping the fingers of his right hand against his bandana. "Having amnesia is wild. I wonder what else I can do but totally forgot about."
He was taking it as light-heartedly, as usual. Unfortunately, they don't have time to dwell on it. Killia needed to know more of their situation.
Feeling better, Killia crossed his legs on the bed. "What happened to the others?"
Samuel shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't been able to get into contact with them. I don't have a teleporter or a phone."
Killia uttered a sigh. "Neither do I." He stopped carrying one after entering the Pocket Netherworld.
Great. Getting in contact with the others was going to be difficult.
"Are you hungry?" Samuel suddenly asked as he stood up from the bed. "I made curry."
He was always hungry. And after the battle, and loss, he just had, he needed several meals to sustain his energy. And to keep that…anger and rage at bay for a little bit longer.
Samuel already knew that as he didn't want for an answer. He moved toward the woodstove and began to busy himself with the numerous pots and pans littered about. Somehow, he gave the distinct indication that he had worked with a woodstove before.
And Killia couldn't help but stare.
The way Samuel stood at the woodstove. The way the firelight cast shadows, the light dancing across his features. The way he looked…content to be of service doing something so simple, but so essential.
He…
Killia clutched his forehead as he clenched his jaw.
He…looked and acted so much like Lieze.
And Killia allowed him within the same vicinity as Void Dark.
"Hey, Killia. Are you feeling sick?"
Killia immediately composed himself. "No, I'm fine."
Samuel didn't look wholly convinced, but knew better than to prod. He quietly handed Killia a large plate of curry, to which he readily retrieved, and sat down next to him on the bed. Killia wasted no time digging into the food, finding a sense of relief feeling the food sliding down his throat and into his empty stomach. With each spoonful, with each bite, he felt his 'other self' be pushed further and further back to far recesses of his mind.
As his ate his food, his gaze shifted over to Samuel. The warrior sat quietly next to him, his own attention directed toward the door and windows of the cottage-like structure they were housed in.
He was about to ask Samuel to explain in a little bit more detail what happened once the two of them were teleported to Sleeping Willows when a brown smear on the collar of his white vest caught his attention.
Killia dropped his spoon into his bowl and grabbed Samuel by the collar lightly. "Blood?"
Samuel pushed aside his hand. "It's not mine."
"Who's-?"
Samuel trailed his fingertips over the now brown stains and his gaze shifted toward the ground yet seemed to take in nothing. "It was yours, Killia. After…after what happened with Bloodis. And Void."
Killia winced as the memories came flooding back, his hand flying up to touch his own chest. Where Bloodis had struck him with the heel of his open palm. It wasn't an all-out attack, thankfully. It was enough, though. It was enough.
Was…he holding back?
He was probably thinking too much into it.
"Your friend is awake, meow?"
Killia stiffened, startled by another's voice. He hadn't realised they weren't alone. He looked to his left, his gaze falling upon a Slumbering Cat with red fur. She stood only a few feet away, and she regarded the two of them with a curious tilt of her head, while Samuel simply smiled at her in return.
"Ah, yes. Killia, this is Aloe Vera. Sleeping Willows is under Lost occupation. They were on the run." Samuel granted Killia a somewhat sheepish grin. "Well, I couldn't leave them out in the rain, now could I?"
Killia took a moment to glance around the room, quickly noting that there were four others; three other Slumbering Cats and a Twin Dragon, all of which were asleep. "No, I imagine you couldn't."
"I happened to overhear your conversation," Aloe Vera began. "You met Demon Emperor Void Dark face to face and lived to tell the tale, meow?"
Killia idly rubbed his chest. "Yeah, you could say that."
"Truth is, we're members of the Rebel Army." Samuel explained. "We're attempting to put an end to this bloody war. We were hoping to take out one of his Demon Generals. We weren't expecting to meet with Void so early."
Aloe Vera lifted her paw to her face in a musing motion. "Rebel Army…"
Killia looked to his left to share a look with Samuel. His blue eyes seemed to search his for a moment before he tilted his head to the side and smiled a knowing, expectant smile.
"How do you want to approach this?" Samuel asked.
That brought a small smile to Killia's lips. No question on what he wanted to do, whether or not he wanted to liberate the Netherworld or forsake in an attempt to search for a way back to the Rebel Army and back the Pocket Netherworld. No, he didn't need to ask him; he knew what he wanted to do.
Samuel claimed he wasn't psychic, but there truly were times Killia doubted that.
"Well, we can't keep hiding. We need to take the battle straight to them. You've faced these Lost Soldiers. What do you think?"
Samuel nodded. "They were easy enough. I believe the two of us can take them, if you believe you're healed enough."
"Yeah, I'm healed enough." Killia stood up from the bed and stretched, rolling his shoulders to earn himself a few satisfying pops and cracks. "And I have some irritation and anger I want to take out on some Lost Soldiers."
Samuel stood up from the bed also. "One of them let slip that they have a basecamp nearby. Aloe Vera, do you know where that could be?"
Aloe Vera nodded. "It's likely the Overlord's former home, since she promptly evacuated it, after all, meow."
Killia smothered a sigh. Some Overlords had no pride. "Then we'll head there first."
"I will show you the way, meow."
Samuel looked over at the Slumbering Cat with concern. "Are you sure? What about the others?"
"They will stay here," Aloe Vera replied. "Overlord abandoned us, but I will not. Buddy will quicken the journey. There must be some that can still be saved, meow."
Yeah, there had to be some inhabitants of Sleeping Willows that could still be alive. If so, then it was their duty as members of the Rebel Army to save them.
"Ready, Samuel?"
Samuel gave him a confident smile as he propped his axe upon his shoulder. "Ready whenever you are, Killia."
Good. Reliable to a fault.
"Well then, let's take Sleeping Willows back from the Lost Army."