Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8
Chapter 6: The Underground Harvest
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was busy in the Thunderstruck's sickbay as I was being scanned all over again. Still, the raw power that I had was not up to full, but I had no choice but to be put on light duty after all that has happened. It was pure hell for me as I wanted to go back to Skald Island very badly, for I have had enough of being on unwanted missions already. Laying down on the examination table, I was starting to get impatient with what was going on as I was wanting to go back to finishing up my convalescence.
"I just want to see this stuff over with," I said as I was getting irritated from being scanned.
"Come on, don't be that way," said Agni as she was busy examining me.
"Captain Wickham is pushing it, but I won't cooperate further other than what got put in front of me."
"From the readings, you still have exhaustion, but you also experience mood swings stemming from being happy to pissed off."
"It's complicated, but I have to manage it after all that I went through."
"Hey! Get your ass to the conference room!"
I heard Seto's voice as I got up and went towards the conference room the moment I was slowly going there. By the time I arrived, I saw Merrick sitting at a table in which he was looking at the reports of the miracle that restored Rookpaw in the early hours of the morning. What I also didn't expect was that Seto was there as I noticed her not glaring at or berating me as usual. What this conference was about started to worry me a little bit as I had no other choice but to report my findings that were there.
"I know that I'm meant to be here for a short time, but I need to get back to Skald Island, Captain," I said. "I've observed more than what I noticed, for I'm good to go on my way back to where I need to get to."
"Change of plans, Sam," said Merrick. "Your observation in Rookpaw just got extended."
"'Extended?!' You can't do this to me!"
"After that miracle that restored Rookpaw, the Order's higher-ups are breathing down my neck in which they've also wanted you to observe this place a little more."
"I've done my work, okay?!" I was getting testy as I was about to lose it. "I observed the damage to Rookpaw the moment it was later restored! Now, if you don't mind, I'm going back with Cletus on the seaship that we travelled on!"
"Sit your ass down, Sam!" yelled Seto. "I know that you still suffer from exhaustion, but hear us out first!"
I obeyed as I wasn't in the mood of dealing with Merrick and Seto directly. I wasn't too happy with them as I wanted to get off the Thunderstruck and go towards the seaship that was bound for the Skalvarg Archipelago. I didn't want to deal with them as I was also feeling the pinch of exhaustion gripping me at the wrong time. When I saw Merrick fish out some files, I gathered them up as I read them thoroughly. The files had documented Rookpaw in all its glory in which the Executive Division had targeted it not only for causing chaos, but there was something that piqued my interest. There was a file that a picture of the inn I stayed at as I noticed something near it that was made of metal poking out from the ground, but what is it, exactly?
"There's something underground here," I said.
"Finally, something that piques your fancy," said Seto.
I looked at the piece of metal that was poking up as I knew it to be an exterior part of a spaceship. I never saw anything like it before until I put the file down and left the conference hall. I wanted to look into what was there in Rookpaw as I carefully left out of the Thunderstruck while I held onto the walls and corridors of the ship. Still weakened from exhaustion, I was finally outside as I saw Nibori rushing towards me the moment I collapsed onto the ground. The condition that I had for two years was similar to my past self's illness from the trials in the Elder Days as I was struggling to get up, only for the Dwarf in Medical Corps garb to rush in with the wheelchair the moment I was put into it.
"They really put you through the ringer, didn't they?" said Nibori as she wheeled me towards the inn. "Captain Wickham is a lot of things, but his record as an officer in the Garrison Corps is spotless due to his penchant for sticking to the rules."
"I just wish that other people would stop putting an ailing man on the battlefield for once."
"Captain Wickham has his reasons to come here, My Laird," said the Dwarf. "And for the record, my name's Orson Longpole and my family has served in the Medical Corps for generations. I also happen to be a close friend of the late Kazuo Mitani as well."
"Oh, take a look at that," said Nibori as she spotted the familiar mound of metal from the file sticking up from the ground. "It's an exterior of a forgotten Draaza ark. The look of it is very rusty, but it looks like that we're gonna need some shovels to dig it up."
I slowly got up from my wheelchair as I examined it carefully. The exterior of the find had a set of doors on it as I used my raw power to open it up the moment I saw some of the dirt clear away from it. Even though I felt more exhausted, I made an effort to open up the strange spaceship that was under the ground for so long.
"Open sesame," I said as I got back into my wheelchair.
"Take a look inside," said Nibori as she rushed into the ship. "This is a treasure trove that even rivals the finds of old artefacts from Earth."
"It seems that a Draaza ark has been hidden here on Valinor the whole time," said Orson as he was carting me inside of the ship. "My family has told me of how the Draaza had endured all the strife that had them travelling to other galaxies since their homeworld was destroyed. Their story is a very sad one indeed."
I wheeled myself further into the ship as I saw some lights that were on the moment I noticed the name of the ark that was buried underneath the ground of Rookpaw. The word was in the Draaza language as I translated it to be the name of the vessel that was found. The name, Franklin, was plastered on the wall as I wheeled myself further. What I didn't expect was that there had been vines growing all over the walls as the sight of blackberries fully ripe and ready to be harvested was something that I never expected before. Picking one of them, I began to taste it as it was grown with care in which something ended up triggering the growth of what was planted inside of the Franklin, for this was getting more complicated than normal.
When I went further into the ship, I saw the source of the growth as it was a hydroponics lab that hadn't been used in years. The sight of corn stalks and apple saplings growing from test tubes and beakers became out of control as I also noticed some potatoes growing on the ceiling. It wasn't long until Nibori and Orson entered into the hydroponics lab as they never saw anything like it before, for this was something that hadn't been triggered before until now.
"This place served as a lab that grew food for the Draaza," said Orson as he walked towards a journal. "Looks like the ones who occupied this place kept everything in top shape before going into stasis for parts unknown." He flips through the pages as he translated the Draaza language. "It says here that the crew had to go on a long journey to a place beyond the Solar System. The plants that grew here were in stasis over the centuries until a chain reaction above caused all the vegetation to grow all over the place."
"That explains the potatoes au gratin on the ceiling," said Nibori as she saw them above her.
I heard a small alarm blaring as I wheeled myself out of the hydroponics lab and into a further room where I noticed some of the Draaza in stasis with four human women of different ethnicities put in with them. To my shock, I saw one of the stasis pods open up as I noticed a woman with brown skin emerge out of it in which she was dressed up in servant garb that was a lot older than I expected. I sensed her to be scared to death as she was looking for one of the Draaza crew in stasis, but to no avail. I noticed a stasis tube that was empty as I feared the worst in which whoever was in there must have died or much worse.
"Looks like one of the Draaza in stasis must've left out of his tube," I said.
"Zaltri!" yelled the woman who was out of stasis as she was looking for the one who came out early.
"And there's a set of footprints on the ground," said Nibori as she saw them leading back to the hydroponics lab. "Looks like he was in charge of gardening in this lab."
"Wait! I don't know who you are, but I have to find Zaltri! He's in charge of this futuristic place in which he is known to preserve food seeds."
"Ekurvna! Ekurvna!"
"Someone's in trouble," I said.
I wheeled out of the stasis room as I returned back to the hydroponics lab in which I saw a Draaza dressed up in science garb all tangled up in the potato vines that were in the next room next to it. The place was also part of the hydroponics lab as I slowly got up from my wheelchair and used my hair that turned into a set of twin blades to cut him loose. He was scared as he never expected the plants to grow rapidly here. The Draaza man had a cyan comb and green eyes as he was also holding a pair of garden shears that were no avail due to the vegetation that went out of control, for this was an awkward encounter that I never expected before.
"Thank the Matriarch that someone came and got me out of this mess!" he said.
"I take it that you're the one in charge of hydroponics," I said.
"We landed somewhere, didn't we?"
"Your ship was buried for centuries here on Valinor. Luckily, we found it and got you out of this mess of produce."
"My name's Zaltri Sandrekar and I am in charge of hydroponics in which we hit a snag when we went up against some greycoats."
"'Greycoats?'"
"They were men who dressed in grey uniforms while carrying a red banner with a blue 'x' all decorated with stars on it."
"You and your people dealt with the Confederates during the American Civil War, didn't you?"
"We fled, but not without taking a stowaway on board. Her name's Audrey and she was on her way to the North while carrying plant seeds with her before she went with us. She wasn't the only one who came with us. Three more human women are on board the Franklin and they've been earmarked as wives for my brothers. It's the most we can do after they left their homes with their seeds with them."
I looked at a small Japanese lacquer box as I noticed it to be empty due to what was preserved into it. What I didn't expect was that the seeds have sprouted all over the place as the abundance of eggplants, daikon, carrots, and cabbages everywhere. It was a huge produce section as I picked one of the carrots in which it was grown to absolute perfection the moment I took it with me. Even Zaltri was impressed at the produce here as it was everywhere on the Franklin, for it was something that became more useful in the time of harvesting…
Seto was outside of the Thunderstruck as she went towards the inn I was staying. What she didn't expect was that some of the Valinorian soldiers were assessing the ship that was buried in the dirt in which she had a feeling that the Draaza crew were hidden below in plain sight. Just as she was about to investigate even further, she saw Merrick coming out of the Thunderstruck as he was most likely to be searching for me in order to bring me back to the Skalvarg Archipelago soon enough.
"He's taking too long," she said as she was getting impatient.
"Give him time, Seto," said Merrick as he hasn't lost his patience. "It's been two years since he did field work, but he can't do it for too long due to the exhaustion that he's been bogged down with."
"His raw power may be rebounding after a two-year slump, but his condition is dire due to what your medical officer noticed in the sickbay. I'm going in there and bringing him back to the Thunderstruck, you got that?"
It wasn't long until Seto turned around and noticed a human noble dressed in purple garb arriving as he was in a pull-cart that was pulled by a pair of six-legged horses. Merrick knew of him to be a headache to Rookpaw and its Elven neighbors as he simply glared at him due to his status and his portly girth while getting out of the pull-cart. Surrounded by soldiers, the human noble was busy assessing what happened here in Rookpaw as he was also ready to collect taxes from the struggling townsfolk, for they were getting fed up with his petty harassment.
"Look who it is of all people," said Merrick as he saw the noble with a hint of disgust.
"You know him, don't you?" said Seto.
"His name is Leopold DeSermoise and he is the worst of the pantheon that Laurent despises."
"And from what I gather, he's ready to squeeze this village dry due to the fat moneybags he spent on that pimped out pull-cart and the six-legged horses that carry it around in the mud."
It wasn't long until Leopold went towards Seto and Merrick as he was surveying the miracle that saved Rookpaw from ruin. Surrounded by his entourage, the fat noble was ready to force the townsfolk to pay taxes as he had his moment ruined when he saw the Orc from yesterday arriving on a grand warg while getting off of it while carrying some food for the townsfolk. Merrick was glad that someone upstaged the fat noble as he smiled to see the Orc get off his grand warg and was ready to stand up to him, for he was not about to stand for such drivel right now.
"Sorgun Orguz," said Leopold as he was starting to get annoyed. "You and your filth from both your clan and the Order of Letters have the gall to meddle in the affairs of this town—my affairs to be exact."
"And you have the gall to overtax the townsfolk who are getting fed up with your crap," he said.
"Rookpaw is my town, you filthy Orc, not yours."
"This town belongs to Laurent LaPointe and those who are willing to protect it."
"The last time I came here, Rookpaw was nothing more than ash and filth, but from what I heard, a smidgen of raw power just perked it up back to life. I'm just here to get what I came for and that's all the eldarin that can fill my moneybags anytime."
Sorgun's grand warg growled furiously as he had to calm it the moment he detected that something was off with Leopold. When Merrick came to intervene in the confrontation, he saw the grand warg growling even further as he had a gut feeling that the noble who came here had a dangerous secret that he didn't tell anyone before.
"Calm down, Bertha," said Sorgun as he was trying to soothe the grand warg.
"Looks like your warg's not too happy with Cartman in the elegant attire," said Merrick.
"Leopold's been harassing the townsfolk before and after the invasion of the Executive Division. As for his presence, he sure pissed off Bertha to no end."
"Wargs have a sense of smelling things out of the ordinary. No wonder your mount gets suspicious."
"Alright, I'll come clean to you… Ten years prior, Leopold was in debt big time in which he had to pay off the shady lenders he borrowed from. Penniless and widowed, he and his young daughter were scrounging the streets until he made the worst deals imaginable."
"What kind of deal?"
"He made a deal with a Crossroads demon in which he wanted to be the richest Terran in all of Andunevar, but it lasts up to ten years. Once his contract is up, his soul is taken directly to Hell for all eternity by a hellhound. Bertha has the abilities to sniff out the aura of a hellhound in which fat boy is in the crosshairs of becoming Puppy Chow. She knows of it because she's no stranger into going up against them."
"That means that Leopold's contract is almost up and he's desperate." Merrick sees him get out some herbs as he lined them all over the pull-cart. "He can run from the hellhound, but he can't hide from it."
Merrick had a gut feeling that Leopold was on the run as he saw him get back into his pull-cart the moment he noticed him place more repellent herbs onto it. What he didn't expect was that his entourage was doing his dirty work while knocking on the doors of the homes and businesses of the townsfolk. By the time they reached the inn where I was at, they noticed the spaceship near it as it was opened, for they were ready to force whoever was in there to pay the taxes here in Rookpaw. It wasn't long until Merrick noticed Seto standing firm to defend the ship below as she refused to leave.
"Lord Leopold demands you to squeeze every eldarin from the pockets of some unwanted denizens," said one of the men. "You either let us do our work or die like a dog!"
"Your master made a deal with a Crossroads demon," said Seto. "No wonder Sorgun's grand warg growled at what was going on."
"Our master is a man of honor. He would never make an unholy deal like that."
"Your master is in so much deep shit right now in which his contract expires tonight at midnight. Are all you lunkheads too ignorant to see what the fuck is going on before it's too late?"
Seto sees the clock near the inn ring up to eleven in the evening as Leopold was hiding in his pull-cart. She was aware of the demon deals in the time of the Elder Days as she was no stranger of looking into such situations like that. She was also concerned about my safety as she was willing to get me out of the derelict spaceship, for I made an unusual discovery so far…
I was back in the stasis room as I saw Orson hard at work thawing out the Draaza crew and the remaining three humans who were in suspended animation over the centuries. The crew itself were alive, but filled with uncertainty as Nibori was marveling at the technology that hadn't been used in a long time. To her curiosity, she saw an ancient newspaper that was well-preserved as she noticed a picture of a man with a whaler's beard in front of it. She never saw anything like it before as she saw the front page of the newspaper to be very old.
"So, this is an image of Abraham Lincoln back during the time of the Middle Days," she said.
"Back then, he was stuck in the American Civil War in which the Union forces were also on the lines battling the Confederates," I said. "The woman who woke up from stasis fits the mold due to the servant garb she wore."
"Her name's Audrey Fitzhugh," said one of the Draaza crewmembers. "Like the three that were taken with us, she endured such toil after her tussle with some of the Greycoats and their repugnant banners."
"There's some commotion coming from above," said one of the human women as she was dressed up as a geisha. "Is it from the outside?"
"Don't even think about involving Sam in this crap, you greasy son-of-a-bitch!"
I heard Seto's voice echoing from above as I noticed Zaltri coming here with some of the eggplants that he gathered. He never expected such yelling form outside as he set the eggplants down on a table and rushed out of the stasis room. I followed him as I wheeled myself to where he was in which he was at the entrance of the ship that was underground. When I saw him get outside, he saw the surroundings that he never noticed before in which I followed to where he was. I saw a mob of people dressed in noble garb as they were not letting Seto off the hook, for I had to intervene before it was too late.
"It's about fucking time that you got out of there!" she yelled.
"And you're looking chipper this evening," I said as I wheeled myself to her aid.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but fat boy's been busting his rump squeezing the money out of the townsfolk while you and your friends were busy on a three-hour tour of the spaceship in the ground."
"It seems that there's company," said Zaltri as he saw the men that were there.
"Yeah, and those men belong to Leopold DeSermoise, whose contract is about to end in less than five minutes! The bastard loves to add to his already swollen pockets in which he made a deal with a Crossroads demon ten years ago."
It wasn't long until I saw Leopold coming to the ship near the inn as he wasn't about to let the ones living there escape the moment he was itching to collect any change. I never saw him before, but I sensed that he was skating on much thinner ice as I had a gut feeling that he would meet his end soon enough, for his time was running out quick.
"Well, well; the man of the hour as become a cripple and a head case and all crippled people and those with mental problems are scum," I heard him say to me. "If you were an able man, you would inherit a lot more than expected, but you're in the bottom of the barrel."
"You better watch what you say, fat-ass!" yelled Seto as she was defending me. "As I recall, you made a deal with a Crossroad Demon in which your time is nearly up. As for what you say about those who suffer from such disabilities, both physical and mental, I hope that you literally choke on it the moment your contract is up!"
"I won't let anyone rule Rookpaw! Rookpaw is mine and no one else will ever have it!"
It wasn't long until we heard the sound of a hellhound howling in the distance. I knew of it very well as I felt the aura of a familiar monster the moment I saw Leopold screaming in pain. The invisible clawing of his body was proof that his contract was up as I saw him being ripped to shreds the moment he took his last breath. When Merrick and Sorgun saw what was left of Leopold's body, they had a feeling that the latter had it coming as he was ripped to shreds beyond recognition. I wheeled myself towards the body of the fallen noble as I saw the evidence clearly due to the claw marks all over him, for he wouldn't be sorely missed by those he had bilked for ten years.
"He had it coming, Sam," said Merrick.
"I wasn't about to feel sorry for him anyway when he made a contract with a Crossroads demon," I said. "As for the spaceship near the inn, it won't be dug up further other than the entrance in it. The people in it were in stasis for centuries in which they have an abundance of food growing inside of its hydroponics lab."
"You did good, for you can go back to Skald Island as planned."
"Yeah, good answer… As for the guy who got mangled to death, he shouldn't be taxing everyone here in this town."
"And personally, I have no sympathy for him in the afterlife," said Seto. "After what he said to you, it was an ableist offense after what you went through in the past two years."
"I'm not worried about that, but—"
"Well you should! Your body is frequently exhausted, you have a fever, and your stress levels are more like the Incredible Hulk on speed dial. Once you get back to your location on Westeros, the better."
"I love that, but Skald Island is connected to Matarote Island on Westeros. I can go on two islands instead of one."
It wasn't long until Nibori and the others rushed outside to see the commotion that was there. The sight of the men that Seto faced while covering Leopold's body and carting it off was something that she never saw before as something went down earlier. Still, I had no sympathy for the one who lost his life as saw his mangled body being carted off while put into the pull-cart he was in. I never expected something like this to happen before as I had to report this soon enough, for there would be no end to this debacle anytime soon.
"Looks like something gruesome happened while we were gone," said Nibori.
"There's no sympathy for fat-ass after he got ganked by a hellhound earlier," said Seto.
"It seems that the worst is over, for the townsfolk are now happy," I said as I saw them coming out of their homes to celebrate the noble's demise. "As for our discovery, it seems that they're here to stay after all."
I saw more of them rejoicing in the streets as they were more than glad that the worst was over in which the noble's demise was a lightning rod for helping the people of Rookpaw get back on their feet at last. I was also starting to get tired as I wanted to get back to the inn for the night. Wheeling myself back in there, I returned to my room as I laid down on my bed. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I opened up the door as I saw Seto enter in which she was concerned about my well-being at long last, for she didn't want me to go past my limits.
"You're here to berate me again, aren't you?" I said.
"Not this time, Sam," said Seto.
"Is it about putting me on my next mission?"
"No, but the Cartman clone had it coming not only for taxing the people here in Rookpaw and making a deal with a Crossroads demon, but something else that pisses me off even worse."
"Well, his death liberated Rookpaw from overtaxing the townsfolk."
"That isn't the case! What I heard earlier was when he insulted you for your frailty after that battle with Sawney Masbath two years ago. The fat, greedy prick even said that those with physical and mental disabilities are called scum and bottom of the barrel. Now that his soul is dragged into Hell, I bet that Abaddon is willing to literally 'chew the fat' on that pig."
"I heard his words, but that didn't phase me." I yawned as I was feeling more tired than normal the moment I felt my body feel weaker. "I'm just glad that I discovered that Draaza ship under this inn."
Without warning, I collapsed as I fell off the bed. Seto was worried about me as she saw me to be getting another fever in which I was in dire need of medical attention immediately. She had to get me back to the Thunderstruck as soon as possible as she grabbed me and hauled me out of the inn, for I was in a much more dire situation so far…
I found myself in the old Men of Letters bunker again as I noticed that I was in the kitchen the moment I saw various weird foods that were made on the table. I never saw frosting and sprinkles on plain tortilla chips before as I also saw a cake that was decorated with jelly beans and some cheese puffs on top. When I walked closer to the cake, I was ready to examine it further until I saw a hand burst out of it the moment that I veered away from it. I was scared out of my mind until I woke up in the Thunderstruck's sickbay in one of the beds. What I didn't expect was that I was slightly damp while dressed in a white robe as my long silver hair was also wet from being bathed, but how did this happen? I never expected myself to be in here as I saw Agni come in here to check up on me, for I was once again still not in fine fettle.
"You passed out at the inn," she said.
"I… did that?" I said weakly.
"You should be thankful that Seto dragged you in here or else you would've been toast."
"Damn it…" I was worried about the crew in the Franklin as I was starting to get up out of bed.
"Wait, where are you going? You need to stay in bed, Sam."
"I have to get back out there. I need to assess the rest of the Franklin before—"
"Don't even try to get out of bed, Sam," said Seto as she came into the sickbay with a basket of food in her hands. "You should be thankful that those people in that ship got out some produce mainly for you to take home to Skald Island."
I saw the basket of food in it as I picked it up to see some of the eggplants and potatoes that were in there. When I saw Seto leaving the sickbay, I was left with the food that was given to me as I wanted to show everyone back at the two conjoined islands through the room with the red rubber ball. To my surprise, I never saw that much food in there before as I also noticed some blackberries in a container the moment they were fresh and ready to be made with. I was starting to get hungry as I noticed the clock on the sickbay's wall approaching at nine in the morning. What I didn't expect was that there was another box of food in a Japanese lacquer box next to my bed as I opened it up and saw some dorayaki with some red bean paste on it as I began to eat them quickly. My hunger got the better of me as I ate the rest of the dorayaki that was there, for it was brief for me to get my strength back after the scare that I had, for I wasn't out of the woods yet.
"You're very hungry for a Cetra," said Agni as she caught me eating at the blackberries that were in the basket. "I also take it that you're trying to maintain balance to your health in which you're trying hard to get your strength back. According to Seto, you collapsed out of your bed in which you ran a temperature of 107, which is dangerous. You're lucky that you were hauled in the sickbay, got your clothes stripped, and immersed in one of the bathtubs filled with water and ice cubes."
"Is that what happened to me?" I asked as I finished up the blackberries.
"You're lucky that Seto saved your life or else you would've been toast. You should thank her for it after what you suffered from."
"You got it wrong," she said as she returned to the sickbay. "As I recall, you saved my life from that Jefferson Starship. If you hadn't done that, I would've been killed. As for your ongoing problem, I suggest that you do a lot more than just sulk in bed."
"There are meditative exercises that I followed during my convalescence."
"It's not enough, Sam. You need to step out of your comfort zone just to recover from what you went through. You did get the message from Ippei, didn't you?"
I remembered Ippei's message as his words reached me the moment I was on the brink of despair at the time. I had to do a lot more than what I needed to be as I got up out of bed and was about to go outside to see what has happened. I was having a hard time trying to maintain my balance as I saw Agni get out the wheelchair the moment I sat down in it. Wheeling myself out of the sickbay, I rushed out of the Thunderstruck as I saw Zaltri and the other Draaza crewmembers bringing out the produce that grew all over the Franklin. I also noticed the human passengers with them as they were busy providing food for the townsfolk that have been ravaged by the overtaxing from the late noble who caused them such strife, for the relief was needed at last…
Laurent was at his home in Mirhuin as he was looking at the newspaper that featured Leopold's death on the front page. For a while, he viewed the late noble to be a thorn in his side for years as he never expected him to end up dead last night. Even in his sitting room, he had a loathing for the late noble as he never saw his death coming until now. Just as he was about to put down the newspaper, he saw Akio entering as he was on top of things in which he was concerned about the turn of events in Rookpaw, for this wasn't the end of Leopold's troubles so far.
"You have the gall to come here unannounced, Akio," he said.
"I just got back from Leopold DeSermoise's funeral not too long ago," he said.
"I got word that the count who rose and overtaxed the people of Rookpaw and its neighbors in this region ended up making a deal with a Crossroads demon in which he had a contract for ten years."
"Before that, he was on pins and needles being the lowest of the low in which he was making shady deals, only to start with the death of his wife from the Red Plague two years prior. The deals to purchase illegal medicines to provide for his wife have been banned by the Medical Corps, the Intergalactic Medical Association, and the Intergalactic Science Association. Things went downhill when he was forced to give up his wife and have her in hospice care until her death. What also put him down that path was that he not only had to pay off the debt collectors, but was broke and had to care for his daughter. The only 'get rich quick' scheme he had left was to make a deal with Crossroads Demon that lasted for ten years."
"And that was when his time was up the moment a hellhound came for his soul…"
"Now that the bastard's dead, there's the matter with his young daughter who doesn't know about how shady her father was."
Akio looked out the window as he spotted a young girl with black hair and green eyes standing near the gates of Laurent's home. She was surrounded by several guards of her late father as she entered into the house the moment Laurent would soon expect her momentarily. Even though Leopold will never be missed, his daughter was left an orphan as she had no choice but to be in foster care for the rest of her days. Akio had a gut feeling that the girl had a much terrible childhood than that of a child of privilege as he saw bruises on her legs and arms. There was also the factor of her wearing tattered clothing than the rich fabrics that nobles wear as she wasn't in fine fettle even after her late father made a deal with a Crossroads Demon. Laurent also saw the girl had a black eye on her face as he had a gut feeling that her late father was nothing more than a monster who became brutal towards her despite the wealth he accumulated from overtaxing the citizens all over Rookpaw, for this was a red flag indeed.
"That girl should be wearing proper clothes for being a nobleman's daughter instead of the rags she has," he said. "The late bastard not only instilled cruelty towards the townsfolk in Rookpaw and its neighbors, but on his own daughter as well."
"Corinne DeSermoise…," said Akio as he saw her go through the gate of Laurent's home. "She's twelve years old and not doing too well."
"Lord Laurent," said a servant as he brought the girl into his sitting room.
The girl, Corinne, was a complete mess as she was brought here after the death of her father. Laurent saw the bruises all over her body as he even noticed the painful welts beneath her tattered dress that she wore. Anger overwhelmed him as he vowed to protect her from further harm, for seeing her in such a sorry state despite her father living off the fat was the last straw indeed.
"This is extremely despicable," he said. "A noble should be treated with respect, not forced to be a scullery maid."
"According to the servants, Leopold always treated his daughter poorly to no end," said Akio.
"And that's not all… He blamed her for the death of his wife for a long time in which he cared about filling his already swollen moneybags than caring for his daughter."
"And I say in his memory: rest in piss."
Laurent saw Corinne in a corner as she was crying penitently. He had to make sure that she was okay as she was in his custody now. Even though her father is gone, she had to heal as her time with Laurent was just the beginning of her new life so far…
I was overseeing the townsfolk in Rookpaw thriving for the first time in a while as they were busy buying and selling their food and wares. Even the Draaza crew of the Franklin were busy selling and cooking their food as business was booming for the better. It wasn't long until I saw Nibori with a newspaper in her hands as she was reading the front page of Leopold's death, for he ended up getting what was coming to him the moment his contract expired.
"Take a look at this," she said as she showed me the newspaper. "The guy who died last night got a fancy funeral, but his daughter has been taken into custody by the Chieftain of Andunevar."
"Sounds to me like Laurent will have his hands full," I said.
"According to the servants who took their severance pay after his passing, Leopold DeSermoise wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to abusing his daughter and even blaming her for his wife's death. A nobleman's daughter should at least have privilege like a film star, but she was forced to be in the dark and wear the same tattered dresses she wore for years."
"It's very cruel for that fat scumbag to do that to her, but I hope that Laurent does a better job at taking care of her."
"By the way, I heard that you fell off the bed and had a bad fever."
"I know…"
I saw a mechanical bird perched on a lamppost as I knew of it very well. It was the same nuisance that the Executive Division as it was recording my every move until I noticed Sorgun get out his crossbow and shoot at it the moment it fell to the ground. He was aware of the mechanical bird as he picked it up and yanked out the SIM-Tron chip that it had. Even Nibori noticed it as she knew of them very well due to their purpose to record and spy on me, for this wasn't the first time that this has happened.
"Hello, what do we have here?" she said as she picked up the mechanical bird. "Looks like you have a knack for spying on Sam until Sorgun took out your SIM-Tron chip when he shot you down."
"Akio's gonna have a field day," he said as he examined the SIM-Tron chip in his hand.
"I take it that Akio's the head honcho of the Order of Letters like Ginryu, Ryosuke, and Shion."
"If Akio's that bad, you should see his mother and she is known to have a short fuse."
"And I know it all too well…" I said.
It wasn't long until we saw Seto approaching as she saw the downed mechanical bird that Nibori picked up. She had a bad feeling that the battle over me wasn't over as she was vigilant into protecting me in my frail condition, for she couldn't let me fall in this time of need…
To be continued...