Chapter 12: The only Thing they Fear (more than Wilmarina)
Joshua and Eristia went back into the living room with Joshua smirking the entire time. He wondered what Mimil's reaction to the crystals would be once he brought them to her. Luciana and Yuriy noted the sack he was carrying and wondered what he could have found that put him in such a good mood when it only took a small band of werewolves to make him scowl and start issuing threats. Joshua set both his backpack and the sack down next to his chair before rummaging through his backpack. Once he found his portable charger, he pulled his cellphone from his coat pocket and checked the battery life.
"…..Thirty-three percent left….better charge it while I can. I should also do a bio-scan while I'm at it…." Joshua mumbled as he looked at his phone's battery meter.
Joshua plugged his phone into his charger before opening an app that said "NANO-health" and confirming a "bio-check". The screen turned dark blue while showing a pale blue male character icon. It only took one minute for the scan to complete to his satisfaction. His condition came back normal while a white pentagon popped up after the character icon disappeared. Intelligence, strength, speed, health, and psyche all showed average as the center of the pentagon filled in with yellow and stretched towards each branch. Joshua smirked as he shoved his phone and charger in his coat pocket. Eristia, Yuriy, Luciana all gave him a confused stare.
"…What was…" Eristia started to say before Joshua interrupted her.
"Just a health check-up. Very standard where I'm from," Joshua replied with a smirk. "Science is such a wonderful thing. It can make a machine so small you can't see it with the naked eye, but it monitors your body's overall condition."
"…Science?..." Yuri asked as his face contorted with confusion.
"The study of the world and how everything works. From physics and chemistry to biology and medicine. Don't ask for details…you wouldn't be able to grasp it even from a fundamental level." Joshua replied happily.
The other three were slightly confused by what Joshua said. Eristia then thought back to his flashlight and his world's "smokeless gunpowder" that it began to make sense. His world couldn't have such technology without putting in a great deal of time towards its research. In this world, education was exclusive to those who had the money to pay for it. Most children in Lescatie either stayed home helping their families or playing in the streets. Noble children had tutors, but children from lower classes sometimes became apprentices to whatever their parents did for work. The blacksmith in Lescatie was a good example of this as the men in his family generations before him were all blacksmith's and learned from their fathers and so on. She then thought back to how Joshua said he learned how to shoot from his grandfather. Perhaps the men in Joshua's family before him were hunters or had ties to the military?
"Hey, Joshua, what did your grandfather do for a living?" she asked him with an intent stare.
"…Grandpa Joseph was originally part of the U.S. marine corps. He joined when he was seventeen, and by the time he was twenty-one he was deployed to Vietnam, landing at Da-Nang among other marines. This was in 1965 when the U.S. entered the war to fight against the North Vietnamese, who wanted to be communist, compared to South Vietnam which was democratic," Joshua replied as his face grew serious. "Vietnam was covered heavily in dense jungle, and that made the marine's job difficult and often led to patrol teams getting ambushed or falling into booby traps. One day, in 1968 while My grandpa's squad was on patrol, they ended up in such an ambush. Several of the men in his squad were wounded severely while others were K.I.A….My grandpa, being the man he was, began helping the wounded to a more defensible position all the while being shot at by the NVA. As he was heading back to help more wounded one of the NVA soldiers tossed a grenade, a hand thrown explosive device, in his direction. He survived the explosion but had multiple shrapnel wounds to his legs and got shot in his right arm as he stood up. He went back to continue helping wounded despite his injuries and rallied all the remaining marines in his squad as the enemy force continued to grow and the odds stacked against them with each passing second. Once reinforcements arrived and the NVA were driven off, Grandpa Joe was medically evacuated to Japan with the rest of his wounded squad and recovered from his injuries. Shortly after getting back to the United States of America, he was awarded the distinguished Medal of Honor, the highest military award in the U.S. military for going above and beyond the call of duty as well as his bravery that day."
The three of them were amazed by his story. They didn't expect him to come from such an honorable background considering how he said he didn't want to talk about his own father earlier. It was clear to them that Joshua had a great deal of respect for his grandfather especially since he was the one who taught Joshua how to shoot. It was then the four of them saw a flash of light outside through the cracks in the front door followed by the low roar of thunder. The sound of the thunder caused Joshua to grow a little anxious. He didn't know what kind of monsters would begin stirring at night let alone during a thunderstorm. They could hear the wind growing stronger as another flash of light burst around the cracks in the door followed by a loud roar of thunder.
"Just my luck…." Joshua muttered annoyedly.
They then heard a loud thud up on the roof. Eristia's glance shot upward as the thud then turned into footsteps heading towards the door. Luciana and Eristia drew their swords while Yuriy readied his spear. Joshua clipped his flashlight to his hat then readied both his baton and dagger. The footsteps jumped off the roof and landed in front of the door and a female voice let out a slight grunt on landing.
"It just had to start storming just as I was about to get home! That lightning bolt nearly killed me! Ugh…at least the 'hunting' cabin exists…" A female voice said angrily as the door was thrown wide open.
The voice belonged to a succubus. Her body was complete with large breasts, revealing clothes, and jewelry with purple gemstones embedded in them. Her purple hair was unfrazzled and beautiful. She was only slightly surprised by the occupants of the cabin and gave a slightly seductive smile when he looked at Yuriy. She then noticed Joshua and gave him a confused stare. It was then that it dawned on her as a look of shock spread across her face.
Earlier…..
The sun had dipped well below the trees. The forest was quiet except for a lone werewolf running down a path that wrapped around the base of the mountain. She stopped by a large oak tree to catch her breath as the sound of beating wings could be heard getting closer to her. A succubus descended gently from above after noticing the lone werewolf. Her purple hair glistened in the little light available and her skin was smooth as glass. Her clothes did little to hide her features, especially her large breasts.
"Well if it isn't Natasha!...what are you running from?" The succubus asked her before noticing Natasha's breathless state.
"You..wouldn't believe me….even if I…told you. A strange man….travelling with the hero….Eristia Vitral and her squire and…one of the Ice Flower knights…." Natasha said between breaths with a look of absolute horror on her face.
The succubus was a little puzzled by Natasha's words. How could a 'strange man' be terrifying enough to cause a werewolf to run away? Humans were out-matched when it came to fighting monsters just on pure strength alone which made them easy targets. The only obstacle to the monsters thus far had been heroes blessed by the chief god, but even some of the heroes ended up being easy prey at times.
"You were scared by a 'strange man'? Men are such easy targets, though. You show a bit of skin and you could have them eating out of the palm of your hand. I'm sure you just overreacted." The succubus said with a sly smile.
"You don't get it, Minna! Annie's sister, Alicia, said that the strange man killed Annie even after she offered herself to him. We ambushed his group and his speed and strength are on the same level as a hero's speed and strength. Alicia was killed by him! The most disturbing part is the lack of spiritual energy coming from him! I ran while I still could but haven't been able to find anyone from our ambush party…..oh…oh, god! He must have killed them all! Do yourself a favor and stay away from him! He has no mercy…" Natasha replied as it dawned on her what had happened to the rest of her group.
Minna watched as Natasha broke down and began sobbing. She kneeled down next to her and gave her a sympathetic hug and held her as tight as she could. Minna realized Natasha might very well be telling the truth if she's getting like this over one man.
"I have to warn the rest of the pack! If he finds them it'll be a one-sided blood bath!" Natasha wailed as she stood up and took off running down the trail.
Minna watched her with a look of concern on her face. She had never seen Natasha so distraught before this. Minna then looked at the sky before taking off herself to head home. She had a husband waiting for her to return from her trip to visit her parents. As she flew, she felt a few raindrops plop against her face and began flying faster. The last thing she wanted was to get soaked before getting home.
In the present….
Minna stared at Joshua with a look of shock on her face. Natasha really was telling the truth. Minna froze in place with fear as Joshua locked eyes with hers. She began to have a pounding headache the longer she stared him in the eyes which caused her to break eye contact and rub her temples. A bolt of light magic regained her attention as she barely managed to dodge. Eristia's left hand was outstretched as her right hand firmly grasped her saber.
"By the will of the Chief God, I shall smite thee!" She yelled with a scowl on her face.
Minna took a few quick breaths before she felt a sharp pain in her right leg. Joshua's dagger had dug itself deep into her thigh. She stared at him in horror as he and Yuriy charged at her. Luciana tried to as well but fell over the second she put some real weight on her left foot. Eristia helped her up and both were surprised to see Joshua and Yuriy had the succubus pinned.
"Please, spare me! I won't say anything about this to anyone if you do! I have a husband….please!" Minna begged as tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Not my call, sorry. Only the boss gets to decide your fate." Joshua said with a cold look in his eyes.
"Bring her to me. I have questions for her." Eristia commanded.
Joshua and Yuriy lifted her up and Minna began struggling to break free. She felt disgusted being in Joshua's grasp and struggled harder against him. She spat in his face causing him to grab the hilt of his knife and twist it to punish her. Minna let out a cry of pain as Joshua twisted the knife in her leg again before he and Yuriy dropped her at Eristia's feet.
"Tell me…what is the Demon Lord planning?" Eristia asked as she pointed her saber at Minna who stared back in fear.
"I don't know anything of what she's planning, honest!" Minna replied.
"I'll make this clear…if you don't answer my questions, I'll let the soulless man make an example of you. He'll scar you so no man will ever look at you or touch you again." Eristia shot back.
Minna looked at Joshua, who had an evil smile on his face. She shuddered at the thought of what he might do to her. Joshua then grabbed his knife, and with a firm tug, pulled the blade out which caused Minna to cry out in pain again.
"Are the Demon Lord's armies in the area?" Eristia asked as Minna looked up at her with fright.
"I don't know! I left her army ten years ago! I've had no contact with anyone in Royal Makai since then!" Minna answered. "If they are nearby then they're probably hiding in the old iron mines!"
Eristia's Expression remained unchanged. Monsters often lured humans with tempting words so she wasn't sure if the succubus was telling the truth. Tears were streaming down Mina's face in torrents. Minna looked up at both Yuriy and Joshua as she felt her situation getting worse. An idea then popped into Eritia's head.
"I'll make you a deal. We'll hold you for now, but you'll be coming with us tomorrow. We need to gather more Solar Glory tomorrow, but once that's done, you'll be coming with us to the old iron mines. If there is a detachment of the Demon Lord's army there you will be free to go. If there isn't then you will be executed. Joshua, take her to the hole and keep an eye on her." Eristia said to Minna before looking at Joshua.
Joshua nodded before lifting Minna up.
"You heard her! Get walking! Someone bring me a chair, please, it's going to be a long night." Joshua said as he took her back to the bedroom.
Yuriy and Luciana grew slightly concerned. Succubi were the most lecherous and most powerful of monsters. The Demon Lord herself was a succubus. This time things seemed different, though. For once, a human other than Wilmarina, became the one a monster feared most. Maybe the tables really had turned? Maybe with Joshua's help they'd win this ten-millennia long struggle?
When Joshua and Minna got to the bedroom, Joshua pointed to the hole in the floor. Minna was hesitant, but Joshua lost patience and forced her down into the hole. He then went and got a chair and tossed it down into the hole before fumbling in his backpack for his glowstick. He jumped down after clipping it to his backpack and the ghoulish green light filled the hole. Minna had crept towards the far wall away from him in fear as Joshua placed the chair directly under the hole.
"If you make any sudden moves, I'll break your wings and your legs." Joshua warned her with an ice-cold glare.
Minna sat huddled up against the wall with her wings wrapped tightly around her body. She was trembling with fear at the thought of everything he might do to her and sobbed softly. She then heard his clothes rustling and looked up to see a strange metal object in his right hand. The object was in the shape of a small gun and was small compared to any musket she had ever seen.
"Don't get any ideas….Maria's still itching for more kills. 9x18 makarov has proven to be effective in sending all you bitches straight to hell." He said menacingly as he gripped his pistol tightly.
Joshua made a show of training his sights on her and making soft "pow" noises. Minna cringed and did her best to curl into as tight of a ball as she could. She then heard Joshua snicker and she looked up to see a smirk spread across his face.
"You're insane…." Minna said in response to his smirk.
"Insane?...has anyone ever told you the real definition of insanity?" Joshua responded with a raised eyebrow. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome each time. You try once, and fail, and then you keep trying the same thing while doing it the same way as the first time only to fail again. You then end up dumbfounded as to why it didn't work with each attempt failing to realize your methods are entirely wrong. That is real insanity."
"What would you know? You're nothing but a monster!" Minna shot back with a face twisted in disgust. "You killed Natasha's friends….you killed Annie and her sister Alicia….you threws your dagger at my right leg and even twisted it…."
Minna had spit on him causing him to twist the knife to begin with and barged in at the wrong time so that all was on her. You can't really blame a man all because he's doing his job. Joshua was a hard-working man, and he did have a debt to Mimil to pay back, and if that meant getting his hands a little dirty taking out a few "rapist" monsters then so be it. He still found it amusing that the bad guy was calling him the "bad guy" in this situation. He had seen much worse atrocities committed by the Chinese during the war than what he had done to her.
"I'm the bad guy here?...That coming from someone who's nothing more than a rapist…..trust me, bitch, I've seen far worse than you can imagine. Some of it still gives me nightmares. You'd probably withdraw from society to try and deal with it all behind a bottle like I did if you went through the exact same things I have." Joshua told her as irritation crept into his voice. "Though to be fair you are right. I did use my knife to stop you in your tracks. I only twisted the handle after you spit on me. Everything that's happened to you so far is a result of your own actions."
Minna didn't like the truth of Joshua's words. She couldn't help but feel she was still getting the short end of the stick. Minna had only gone to visit her parents in Royal Makai after having not seen them in three years. Her husband must be worried sick by now seeing as she was supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago but then the storm started. On top of that she was getting tired, hungry, and thirsty.
"What can I do?! If I try to escape that…thing…will surely kill me! Then there's the matter of those three Order soldiers. The orange haired woman won't show me any mercy and the blonde haired one looks incredibly strong even though she's injured. The only easy prey is that other man…but I'm already married!...I'm hungry…tired…..thirsty…." Minna thought as she realized the hopelessness of her situation. She then got an idea as she looked down at her right leg.
"Hey….if you have any decency, then you will treat my wound. My leg hurts and its all your fault! I'm also hungry and thirsty. This is no way to treat a prisoner! That orange haired woman wants my help tomorrow, right?" Minna said angrily.
Joshua looked down at her right leg which slowly oozed blood. He did have his trauma kit but there was only one suture left in it. As much as he wanted to save that suture for when it mattered most, the succubus was right, he should probably treat her wound if she was to be of any use tomorrow. With a sigh he opened his backpack and dug out his trauma kit. Joshua turned his flashlight on as he rummaged through it for the last suture and pulled a granola bar from his backpack.
"If I'm going to close that wound, you'll have to sit as still as possible. I don't have anything to numb the pain as I sew it shut so just bear with it. I'll give you some pain medicine, food, and water after I'm done but if you try anything then you're dead." Joshua replied coldly as he grabbed the chair and dragged it towards her.
Joshua set the chair down in front of her and motioned for her to take a seat. Minna was reluctant to, but still did her best to stand despite the severe pain shooting through her right leg. Joshua began carefully sewing her wound shut but worked as quick as he could. Minna on the other hand had clenched her teeth tightly as the needle pierced her skin again and again. The metal thread glinted from the light of his flashlight being shined directly on the wound. Once Joshua had sewn the wound shut, he reached for his swiss army knife and cut the metal thread with its scissors.
Minna wasn't really expecting him to comply which had caught her off guard. Maybe there were other "layers" to him? She watched as he wiped some of the blood off with a small gauze pad then gently wrap a bandage around the wound. Joshua then went and dug around in his backpack for his bottle of painkillers and his water bottle. He then gave her the water bottle and painkillers as well as the granola bar.
"Swallow that ibuprofen with some water then eat that granola bar. That ibuprofen will help with the pain. That's as far as I'm willing to help you." Joshua said with a cold stare.
Minna tossed the pills in her mouth and unscrewed the cap of his water bottle before swallowing a big gulp of water. She then unwrapped the granola bar and took a big bite out of it. The taste of cranberries, oats, and chocolate chips filled her mouth and was surprisingly delicious. She scarfed down the remaining half of the granola bar then drank another big gulp of water. Minna begun to wonder how worried her husband must be getting seeing as she still wasn't home yet. She sniffled as a tear ran down her cheek and pulled her wings tight to her body. The only thing she wanted more than anything in the world was to see his face again and love him. If it hadn't been for the storm, she wouldn't be in this mess.
Minna was startled when Joshua went back over to where the hole was and climbed out effortlessly into the room above. She heard him messing with the bed above before a blanket and a pillow dropped through the hole. Joshua was next and picked up the blanket and pillow and carried them over to her. She was a bit befuddled to be given a blanket and a pillow given his actions towards her earlier. Minna couldn't figure him out no matter how hard she thought about it. She took the pillow and blanket a trudged back over to the corner she had originally huddled away from him in and did her best to curl up and get some rest.
Joshua grabbed the chair and dragged it back under the hole and sat facing her. Part of him felt he was being to kind to someone who was nothing more than a rapist—a criminal and wanted to take away the blanket and tear her wound open as a result, but even he had some morals in such a situation. Joshua thought back to his encounter with his father, who tried to sell him to the russian mafia when he was eighteen and the things he went through and felt maybe he was a little too hard on the succubus. Then again, his father was nothing more than a bastard who tried to use him to settle his "debts" and changed his mind after reminding himself that rapists only use people for their own "pleasure". Joshua stared at the succubus, keeping a vigilant eye on her as he waited for dawn to come. He wanted to finish the job so he could get back to Lescatie and hopefully clean his gun. Little did Joshua know he would begin slowly uncovering something worse no one had ever expected to find.
A/N: You can thank a review someone left for giving me the idea for the title. You would not believe how hard it was to even come up with one, to begin with. Granted the person was a guest reviewer, so...whatever your name is...thank you. That really helped me when I was having some serious difficulty. One thing I will clarify: everything in Joshua's backpack is the same as what I carry in my EDC (every day carry) bag. I put that bag together based on situations changing so my gear should be able to adapt even if it means I have to leave my car behind somewhere and walk thirty miles to get home. When I got laid off from work at my last job, I began to really rethink my bag and swapped some things out for others, but everything that was mentioned in ch. 7 IS currently what I carry in it, so nice to base things on some sort of truth. As for the knives like the swiss Workchamp and Rescue Tool, those have locking blades and the rescue tool has a serrated blade, so if you want one, check your local knife laws regarding locking blades, blade length, and serrated blades.