Two Sides of the Coin

Chapter 3

Rude Awakening

Hot, humid air gripped Joey, making his clothes stick to his skin. He grimaced, puffing out a short breath as his eyes fluttered. Through his blurry vision, he saw a fern swaying in the sweltering breeze, dew dripping from its large leaves onto the mossy ground.

A groan escaped his lips as Joey rolled over. He reached up, wiping at his eyes, flicking sweat away with his fingers. A thick, jungle canopy sat over his head. Green vines mingled with long-dead ones, running like ropes and rigging across the various trees. Enormous branches with innumerable leaves fanned out around him, providing some shelter from the blistering sun that baked the jungle. A large, square shadow loomed over him, suspended by some vines, swaying precariously in the wind.

God, I feel like I got hit by a truck.

Vines snapped. Metal groaned. The sound caused adrenaline to shoot through Joey's veins. His eyes opened and he stared up, vision clear.

His truck dangled in a net of vines. One by one, those vines were breaking beneath its weight. Half a dozen held it aloft. Then three. Then one.

"Holy shit!"

Joey rolled to the side and curled into a tight ball. Seconds later the truck crashed to earth, slamming into the mossy ground hood first. Glass shattered. Metal shrieked and bent. Through that cacophony of noise, Joey heard the clicking of his hazard lights flicking on and off.

Sharp, panicked breaths shot in and out of his lungs. He rolled over, eyes wide as he stared at the truck. Slowly, he sat up.

"My truck…"

Oil leaked out of the bottom, along with coolant and other engine fluids, staining the ground black beneath it. A couple pathetic puffs of exhaust shot from the exhaust pipe sticking up out of the truck bed. Finally, with a final whine, the truck died.

All Joey could do was sit there and stare, dumbfounded.

How did my truck wind up in a tree? His brow furrowed. How did I wind up in a jungle? He looked around. There was no sign of frozen Lake Winnebago, or jam-packed Interstate 41. Where the hell am I?

Joey grimaced, pushing himself to his feet. His body felt sore, like he had just finished a hard football practice in full pads. Nothing he wasn't used to, but still not comfortable. He limped over to his truck, frowning as he grabbed the passenger door. He gave it a tug, and it fell off the hinges.

"Yeah, totaled. Great."

Then again, what use is a truck here?

Joey looked around at the jungle. Bugs chittered and buzzed. A few mosquitos flew around his face and arms. He paid them no mind, for now. He had other things to worry about. Birds squawked in the branches around him, but he couldn't spot any.

I feel like I'm in one of those documentaries I always slept through in science class. He let the passenger door fall to the forest floor then clambered into his truck. All that's missing is a narrator. Who narrated those again? Bill Nye? No, he was that guy in the bow tie who talked about other science stuff.

He pulled a lever, making the passenger seat flip forward into the crimped dashboard. Behind the seat, he found the first thing he was looking for.

A shotgun, and a box of shells.

He smiled as he hefted the gun. "Never leave home without it."

A chuckle left his lips as he slung it over his shoulder. Next, he grabbed a buck knife from the center console, slipping that into his belt. After rummaging through the glove compartment, he threw on a Dale Earnhardt hat he found in there, slicking his blonde mullet back as he put it on. Next, he found the most important item other than the gun.

"Copenhagen can."

He spun the can between his fingers then shoved it in his jean pocket. Thinking twice, he pulled it out, placed one of the pouches inside his cheek, then put it away. The sour taste of tobacco hit his tongue. Renewed energy hit him. Now he was ready.

"Alright, Planet Earth, or wherever the hell I am." He pumped the shotgun, readying it to fire as he turned to face the jungle. "Bring it on."

Something sharp hit his neck. Joey snarled, reached up, and yanked a slim dart from his skin. His brow furrowed.

"What the-"

Dark rings swarmed his vision. Seconds later, his limbs lost all of their strength. He flopped to the floor, a line of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth as his entire body went numb. Despite the fear and anger shooting through him, he struggled to remain conscious.

The last thing he noticed before blacking out was a pair of black boots marching up to him, and a man in a mask reaching toward him with rope.

Muffled voices sounded in Joey's ears. Five of them, to be precise. One of them was a bit quieter and mousier than the others. Another sounded like someone was wearing a mask. The rest were normal enough. Still, despite the relaxed voices of the people nearby, adrenaline shot through his veins.

He roared awake, only for a strong hand to shove him right back onto his back. Anger flashed hot through him. Immediately, Joey tried to throw a fist.

Only to pop his shoulder out of its socket as his hands pulled against a rope that kept them tied behind his back.

"Shit!" He hollered, falling forward onto his face.

A snort of amusement sounded nearby.

"Well, gotta give it to him, he's got spirit."

Joey flicked his eyes to the side. There, he saw one of the strangest people he had ever laid eyes on.

"Who do you think you're looking at?"

"Hinoka…" The smaller voice mumbled nearby.

"Who am I looking at?" Joey managed to roll over then sit up. He glared at the lady sitting beside a horse with…wings. "I'm looking at some short lady sitting next to an angel-pony, with hair so red it had to have come out of a box."

"Huh?" The girl, Hinoka, said.

"There's no way that's natural."

A snarl sounded to his right. Joey glanced over. A man stood a couple of feet away from him, wearing a black and crimson tunic. A mask covered the lower half of his face. One eye was sealed closed by a scar while the other dark pupil glared at Joey. A blue scarf sat around his neck, embroidered with a symbol, logo, something. Joey didn't recognize it.

Soccer maybe?

"You'll show the Princess due respect, prisoner," the man warned.

"Princess?" Joey snorted and looked at Hinoka again. "Listen, I may not like her very much at the moment, but even I know she doesn't look like a princess."

"What does that mean!?"

"Hinoka, Saizo, please."

Joey whipped his eyes to the left. A smaller girl in some sort of Japanese-inspired outfit knelt nearby, clutching a strange staff in both hands. An embarrassed, nervous blush shot over her pale cheeks when Joey glared at her, causing her to avert her gaze. Joey narrowed his eyes as he stared at her pink hair.

"That definitely came out of a box. And by the way, Saizo, was it, yeah," Joey nodded at the other girl, "she's clearly the Princess here."

"Lady Hinoka and Sakura are both princesses, and if you know what is good for you, you will show them respect."

"Two princesses?"

Joey leaned back, wincing as his dislocated shoulder throbbed. He frowned as he looked past Sakura at a pair of others watching nearby, a man in lacquer armor next to another winged horse, and a lady with a pair of swords, who somehow was the only one with normal colored hair.

Joey leaned his head back. Swords, horses with wings, a guy in a mask, princesses.

"Am I being punked?"

"What is punked?" Hinoka asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Never heard of it," the woman behind Sakura said. "Subaki?"

"No clue."

"If Subaki's never heard of it, then no one's heard of it."

"Punked…" Sakura pursed her lips. "It's kind of funny."

"I mean, am I being- ah to hell with it. What do ya'll want with me?"

Sakura blinked her pink eyes and flicked the mover to Hinoka. The other princess shrugged. It was Saizo, the masked one, who finally spoke up.

"Are you a Nohrian spy?"

"A what?"

"I-I- um- think that answers it," Sakura said, her voice so soft it sounded like a whisper.

"No, it doesn't, Sakura," Hinoka said, rising to her feet as she shook her head. "We can't just take this guy at his word."

"A wise position to take," Saizo nodded. "Nohrians will use whatever underhanded means they can to harm Hoshido. Always remain vigilant, Lady Sakura." His one good eye narrowed on Joey. "As for you, bear that in mind as well. One word out of line, and I will cut your throat."

Joey swallowed hard. This time, he didn't say anything snide or snarky. The glare Saizo gave him was the kind a man only gave when he was deadly serious about something. So, Joey gave him a slow nod.

"Understood," Joey mumbled.

Saizo grunted in reply. He then nodded at Sakura. "If you're so worried about him."

Sakura shuffled to Joey's side. When she reached him, she placed two, dainty hands against his dislocated shoulder.

"You may feel a slight pressure," she said, the most confident statement the small girl had made all day.

"Slight pressure?"

Sakura twisted Joey's shoulder. A loud pop sounded through the air. Joey's eyes shot wide.

"Motherfucker!" He bellowed, wincing as some residual pain continued pulsing through his shoulder.

That pain was chased away when Sakura hovered her staff over his shoulder. Joey spotted a green glow coming from the staff right as he was about to utter another loud curse. He stared at the staff, dumbstruck.

Sakura gave him a meek smile. "Have you never seen a festal before?"

"A what?"

"I guess not," she said with a soft laugh.

Joey's brow furrowed. "Magic?"

"If you want to call it that," Sakura replied, the green glow fading away as she finished her work.

Another warm breeze passed through the jungle. Joey leaned back in his seat, blinking, trying to piece together what happened.

A little princess used magic to heal his shoulder. There were angel-ponies here. He was in a jungle and not in the frozen tundra of Northeast Wisconsin. Was he taken somewhere? Did he wind up being teleported to a strange part of the world? Or, did he go back in time to when swords were the main thing used to fight and not guns? These folks were heavily armed with plenty of sharp objects, except for Sakura.

If a talking lion and a pair of beavers show up, I'm going to declare this a fever dream and try to pass out.

"What's your name?" Sakura asked him.

"Huh?"

"She asked for your name," Hinoka said as she flopped to a seat beside her angel-pony. "I'm curious about it, Nohrian."

Joey bit back a retort. He was in no position to get lippy, even if that was his first instinct. Saizo made it abundantly clear that if he stepped out of line, he was dead.

"Joey," he replied. "Well, my mother named me Joseph, but no one calls me that back home in Wisconsin." He glared at Hinoka, who gave him a confused look. "Not Nor."

"Nohr," The other person with an angel pony, Subaki, corrected.

"Thanks, Mr. Know-it-all. That sounds like the same fucking thing."

Joey could feel Saizo's glare, making him grimace.

"Sorry."

"An apology from a Nohrian? That's new," Hinoka replied, making the girl with the swords snicker and Subaki chuckle. She flicked her eyes up. Joey followed. He blinked in surprise when he saw stars twinkling overhead. "It's getting late. Hana, you're on first watch."

"Yes, my lady," The girl with the swords replied with a smile.

"I'll make a fire," Subaki said, moving towards the thickets to gather wood.

Joey leaned back in his seat. As he did, he glanced around him, finally taking time to take in his surroundings in full. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he spotted his shotgun lying idle beside Subaki's angel-pony. So long as that was nearby, he had a chance of getting out of this. All he had to do now was untie himself, which was easier said than done.

Speaking of untying myself.

"Hey, uh, Saizo?"

"What?"

"I gotta take a piss."

Saizo glared at him. "I'm not stopping you."

"But how am I supposed to-" Joey's mouth stopped moving. He leaned his head back in realization. "You're a son of a bitch. Ya know that, right?"

Saizo didn't reply. After that, none of the group spoke to him. Although, Joey did see Sakura cast him a curious glance every now and then.

With a full bladder and an empty stomach, Joey finally laid down. He closed his eyes, trying to sleep, but he could not. Right when he thought he would begin to drift off, a new worry shot into his mind. One he couldn't believe he forgot.

He bolted upright. "Mac!"

A hard hand cracked the back of his skull. His eyes rolled. With his last shred of consciousness, he overheard Sakura managing to say a meek rebuke to Saizo for hitting him.

He passed out.

Pain throbbed across the back of Joey's skull. He winced and groaned, rolling over onto his right side. When his eyes fluttered open, he saw the dying embers of a campfire glowing a deep red beside him. Smoke drifted into the night air in lazy swirls. He spied the two angel-ponies sleeping next to their riders, with Hinoka and Subaki using the wings as makeshift tents for them to sleep beneath. Sakura slept near the other princess as well. Hana slept close to the fire. The only one awake was Saizo.

Joey grunted as he sat up. He opened his mouth to say something to Saizo, only for the one-eyed man to raise a hand, silencing him.

Saizo's dark eye roved the edges of their camp, studying the shadows. His gaze narrowed as he peered into the darkness. A lump formed in Joey's throat when he saw a knife slide from Saizo's sleeve into his hand.

"Subaki, Hana!" He hissed.

The two non-royals stirred. When they did, Subaki's angel-pony awoke as well, but not as quietly. The beast snorted and uttered a sharp whinny, shot to its feet, and reared its head back in a panic. Subaki moved to its side, running a hand along its muzzle as he tried to calm it.

"Saizo?" Subaki asked.

"Faceless," Saizo said, creeping toward Princess Hinoka and Sakura. "Hana, stay near the prisoner."

"Right."

Faceless? Joey gave Hana a puzzled look as she moved to stand in front of him, one hand on her sword as she scanned the shadows beyond the camp.

A cold wind blew into the camp, flinging embers from the dying campfire across the mossy ground. Some of the coals heated from the blast of cold win, casting a scarlet glow. Through the glow, Joey caught a glimpse of something large and fast dart through the darkness.

He gulped and rose to his feet.

"Uh, Hannah?"

"Hana."

"Yeah, um, Faceless?"

"Monsters," she said. "Stay close to me or Subaki."

"And not Saizo?"

Hana pursed her lips. "Princess Sakura has expressed to me and Subaki that she wants you to remain alive. I'd rather not give Saizo the chance to disobey said wish."

Joey's eyes widened. "He'd kill me."

"Considering you Nohrians kidnapped his little brother, I wouldn't put it past him."

"But I'm not a Nohr-whatever it is!"

"Silence!" Saizo hissed. The older man crept to the Princesses and nudged them awake. He whispered to them. Immediately, Hinoka was on her feet, pulling Sakura behind her as she grasped a weapon that looked like a spear with a large blade at the end.

"Where?" Hinoka asked Saizo.

"Everywhere," Saizo replied.

Joey swallowed hard. Saizo was laser-focused. The way he gripped the dagger in his hand told Joey that something was about to go down. This group seemed pretty carefree other than Saizo. Seeing them so tense set him on edge.

His eyes drifted toward Subaki. His shotgun was still on the ground.

"Hannah."

"Hana," she replied with a frown.

"Whatever! Cut me loose."

"Absolutely not!"

"I can help," Joey whispered.

"I will sooner betray Lady Sakura than cut you loose Nohrian-"

A roar erupted from the shadows, making Joey's hair stand on end. The air dropped in temperature as the roar reverberated through the darkness. He took a fearful step back, eyes wide as he stared at the spot in the jungle where the sound came from.

A behemoth of a figure lumbered out of the darkness toward their camp. It made Joey feel small, which was no small feat. Large, dense muscles rippled across its chest and arms. A large weapon which looked like a hunk of metal sheared off of something, sat in its grasp. Black blood dripped from its palm as it squeezed the sharp metal. It didn't show any pain, because it could not. A grotesque mask hid its face. Hollow eye sockets stared at Joey and the others. Lifeless and void.

Hinoka leaped onto her angel-pony and rested her strange spear in the crook of her arm as she faced the hulking monster. Her steed snorted and stamped; angelic wings spread wide as another gust rushed through the jungle.

"Subaki, to the sky!" Hinoka ordered.

Joey's mouth fell open as Hinoka and Subaki's mounts beat their wings hard. In a flash of white feathers, they were airborne, soaring up into the jungle canopy above. The beast that lumbered toward their camp snarled and roared, watching them rise, allowing Saizo to get in close.

The man leaped and jammed his dagger deep into the beast's neck. The Faceless uttered a loud snarl of pain before reaching up and swatting Saizo away with a large hand. As Saizo flew away, he launched a pair of shurikens. Both of them sank into the Faceless' forearm, drawing more black blood.

Another snarl and growl sounded to Joey's right. Hana shoved him back then moved to slash at a Faceless that snuck up on them. Her blade bit through the Faceless' left wrist, sending it snarling back. She did not give a moment to recover, darting forward and delivering two more swift slashes to its chest.

The Faceless shuddered, then fell into a pool of inky liquid on the mossy ground.

"Hana, the big one is coming after you!" Saizo warned.

Hana spun, only to get backhanded by the first Faceless. She twirled then fell unconscious to the ground, a bloody gash marring her forehead. Sakura gasped. After a moment of hesitation, she left her safe spot near the fire and rushed to Hana's side, pulling her away from the monster right as its jagged weapon was about to end Hana's life.

A third monster burst from the shadows, charging for Saizo, keeping him from intervening. Hinoka and Subaki dove from the sky, keeping it from getting to Sakura.

Still, the big one remained, looming over Sakura.

None of them paid attention to Joey. He wasn't sure why. Maybe they didn't see him as a threat? After all, he was bound, and he wasn't armed yet. If that was the case though, then these monsters made a mistake.

Joey saw a fallen shuriken on the ground. One of the ones Saizo threw when fighting against the monsters that ambushed them. He rushed to it, picking it up and twisting his wrist so he could try and cut the ropes around his wrists.

"C'mon, damn it. C'mon!"

Another roar sounded. Sakura screamed as she ducked out of the way of the Faceless' sword. Saizo managed to step in the way of the follow-through, but he could not block it. The weapon bit into his side, causing the man to snarl as the weapon drew blood.

"Hinoka, help!" Sakura cried as Saizo stumbled back, barely standing, blood seeping through his tunic as he stared down the largest of the Faceless.

"Can't! There's two more!" Hinoka cried. "Subaki!"

"Moving, your grace!"

Would this damn rope cut already!

The binds around Joey's wrists went slack with a snap. Pain throbbed through his forearms. He ignored it. As fast as he could, he scrambled around the fire toward his shotgun. As soon as he picked it up, he heard a terrified scream.

The Faceless had grabbed Sakura by her hair and was holding her up off the ground. She squirmed and kicked, trying to free herself to no avail. Subaki was cut off from rescuing the princess, forced to deal with another Faceless.

"Sakura!" Hinoka cried as she slew one of the monsters, turned her steed, and bolted for the younger princess.

Joey knew she wouldn't reach Sakura in time. That was okay. Bullets moved faster than angel-ponies any day.

"Hey ugly!" Joey shouted.

The Faceless' empty eyes glanced at him. Joey pumped the shotgun, braced it against his shoulder, then pulled the trigger.

A titanic boom erupted through the jungle. The Faceless' head exploded in a mass of black goo. Immediately, the beast let go of Sakura then slumped to the ground before becoming a puddle of ink on the jungle floor.

Sakura stared at Joey, stunned and terrified. Saizo looked at him as well, surprised. Joey grinned.

"One down! Now then, I need-" Joey looked around. A pit formed in his gut. "Where's the ammo? You grabbed the gun but not the ammo!?"

"Behind you!" Sakura exclaimed, pointing at him.

Joey spun around. A Faceless loomed over him. It raised a hand. Sharp claws shimmered in the starlight above him.

Instinct kicked in for Joey. Instead of sitting still, petrified by fear, he swallowed it, screamed at the top of his lungs, and rushed at the Faceless. The claws shot over his head, missing by a hairsbreadth. A second later, Joey's shoulder plowed into the Faceless' gut.

The Faceless didn't budge. Joey gave the monster a confused look as he wrapped his arms around its waist.

"What the hell are you made of?"

A fist hit his side, sending him flying over the spent campfire and into Saizo. Joey quickly sprang up, still moving despite sharp pains flaring in his side. He winced and rolled his shoulder. Then, he glanced at his hands.

His shotgun was snapped in half.

"Well damn," he tossed the parts to the side. "Useless now."

"I think we both are in this instance," Saizo grunted, wincing as he got to his feet, standing hunched beside Joey. "Can you get to Princess Sakura and get her out of here?"

Joey blinked. "I thought you didn't trust me."

"That was before you used strange magic to make a Faceless' head explode," Saizo grunted. "And I don't trust you. I'm just using what I have available to make sure the Princesses survive. So, I'll ask you again, can you get to the Princess and get her to safety?"

Joey glanced in Sakura's direction. The Princess had one of Hana's arms draped over her thin shoulders as she tried to drag the unconscious woman to safety. Hinoka and Subaki were holding off more Faceless, but Joey wasn't sure how long that was going to last. Saizo was wounded badly.

"I'm guessing this is bad," Joey gulped.

Saizo reached into his tunic and withdrew a familiar knife to Joey.

"Yeah, it's bad alright." Joey took the weapon, feeling the leather grip in his hands. It was his grandfather's old buck knife he used for deer season. Always sharp. Always ready for use.

"Head east," Saizo said. "Castle Shirasagi is that way. Now move!"

Saizo spun Joey toward Sakura and shoved him. Joey stumbled forward, catching himself before he ran the small princess over. More Faceless roars sounded in the dark. Joey gritted his teeth and turned, glancing at the camp as the others fought the Faceless bursting from the shadows.

Hinoka and Subaki were blurs of steel and wings in the night. Their spears were making short work of the Faceless. But, there were only two of them. Not enough to hold the enemy off forever. Saizo rejoined the fray, but his movements were slower, languid. He would be out of the fight soon. Hana was unconscious still.

The asshole is right. We need to get out of here.

"Um, Princess Sakura?"

"Wh-what?"

Joey didn't ask her permission. He wrapped a thick arm around her waist and hoisted her onto his right shoulder. Thankfully she was light.

Hana, on the other hand, was a bit heavier. He threw the other girl over his left shoulder. A grimace and groan escaped his lips as his legs wobbled.

"Damn, you're lucky I can lift, ya know that?"

"Joey, what are you doing!?" Sakura exclaimed.

"Saizo's orders. Yell at that asshat later."

East? Where is East? Joey turned in the one direction the Faceless were not coming from. Don't know, but fuck it.

As Sakura protested, Joey sucked in a sharp breath and started running.

He didn't stop for anything. Not for the cries of Sakura as she kicked and squirmed in his strong grasp. Not for the roars of Faceless as they grew dimmer behind him. Not even when his toe managed to catch a tree root, causing him to briefly stumble before he righted himself.

His legs burned. His calves ached. Sweat soaked his shirt. Still, he ran, carrying the Princess and her friend as he did. As he ran, he had one thought in mind.

Please let this way be East.

And chapter! Joey has entered the story, and he's comes in during a dangerous situation as well, although his response was a bit different lol. Having someone with his personality in Hoshido is going to be very fun to write. Let me know what you all think of this chapter! As always, I hope you all enjoyed it. Have a nice day!

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