Tried out a new VR game this week. Propagation: Paradise Hotel. Basically a Resident Evil-style game. So many jump scares, but the game was an absolute blast up until the end. Only real downside for me was that the story just kind of ended on a cliffhanger without any real resolution. Kind of a game version of an orphaned RE fanfic, in a way.
Don't worry. This fic won't ever be left unfinished. Just because I orphaned Adam doesn't mean I'll do the same to his fic.
The walk back to the bunkhouse never felt so long. Or empty. The mine workers were still nowhere to be seen and most of the tree clearing crew had gone on ahead. With the guards still gathered back near the gate, Adam found himself making the long walk back alone.
No. Not alone. Bane followed him closely, his footsteps strangely quiet considering his size. It took Adam a moment to realize they were walking in step, Bane matching his footfalls to Adam's like some weird military march. Whether on purpose or some weird, subconscious tic, it only made Adam uneasier. Not because of Bane being there, but because of how he'd latched onto Adam so suddenly. It wasn't just the walking or how Bane waited for him when he got back. Bane had jumped in to help during the interrogation by Trechend. He'd lied to cover for Adam, tying his fate to Adam for no reason.
It was something Adam couldn't just ignore. "Why, Bane?" Even without the guards around, Adam kept his voice down, just to be safe.
"Why what?"
"Why'd you get involved back there? With Trechend." The guard had been suspicious of everything Adam said, picking apart every detail with ruthless efficiency. Adam had a feeling he hadn't heard the last of it. He'd be in the man's crosshairs from now on, and Bane had jumped into the firing line for no reason. "We both know that's not what happened."
"I killed a Grimm, just like I said." There was a hint of amusement in the big man's voice. A smugness at being so clever. "I didn't lie."
"Yes you did," Adam hissed. "You didn't follow me. You weren't even there when I found Axol."
"When you killed Geryon."
Adam's mouth clicked shut. He knew? Bane said it so matter-of-factly without a hint of doubt. "How did you-"
"Seems obvious. You said Axol got away. Doubt he would've survived long if Geryon had already died." True, but it still seemed like a bit of a leap. Most people would just assume convenient timing. Bane had skipped that and gone straight for the idea of Adam taking down a guard with aura without missing a beat. "And you reek of death."
Bane could smell it? Or maybe it was metaphorical. It didn't matter. "A bunch of people died, Bane." Another idea popped in his head. "And I did kill some of the Grimm."
Bane smiled, as if killing and dying were such lighthearted topics. "No, not that kind of death. You're a killer. You faced an equal and took their life. Unless you count yourself among the Grimm, that only leaves one option. Geryon."
Some sort of warrior code thing, then. Adam didn't know how Bane would sense such a thing, but whatever his method, he'd picked up on the truth. The Grimm had meant nothing to him. He'd cut them down without much effort, barely taking a scratch along the way. His axe never would've endured such a beating without a little help, though.
Spreading your aura beyond yourself was a vital skill - one Jean had drilled into him time and time again. Aura protected your body, but if it stopped there, every Huntsman would spend a fortune on clothing. Or they'd be running around naked after most fights. Spreading it over clothes mostly solved that problem, though the fabric would still rip with enough force, even if it didn't break through aura. Extending it to a weapon would be the next logical step. What good was a weapon that broke in the middle of combat? It almost felt good to flood his improvised weapon with aura. Nostalgic. He hadn't really used his aura in forever, so wielding it against Grimm and even Geryon had come with a familiar rush of excitement.
Through all that fighting, his axe had taken plenty of hits meant for him. Even some of Geryon's shots hadn't made it through. It took a beating for him, then got its revenge on Geryon in one brutal hit.
A hit that made no sense. Geryon should've been able to tank his attack. It would've hurt like heck and probably knocked him off his feet, but he'd broken through the man's aura with almost laughable ease. He'd felt only the briefest resistance, like slapping a pool of still water. Just the momentary resistance before it gave way entirely. Anyone with even an ounce of training should've been able to put up more of a fight than that.
Did Geryon not have his aura up fully? He'd been shocked by Adam's charge, but he should've instinctually flooded the point of impact with aura, not left it paper-thin. Had he been worn down from Grimm before Adam arrived? Possibly, but what were the odds of that? And if the Grimm had attacked that heavily, Axol would've either fled or been killed. Adam doubted a single Beowolf could push Geryon to the brink like that. No matter how he tried, Adam couldn't quite explain it.
What he could explain, however, was what really happened after he left Bane. "I killed him," Adam confirmed. "He…he was going to execute Axol."
Bane should've been a poker player. He didn't even flinch at the shocking news. "But you stopped him."
"I did." The thought cheered him a bit. He'd saved Axol. He'd prevented a needless death, albeit at the cost of another life. Did that make Axol's life worth more than Geryon's? Maybe. Considering what Geryon had tried to do, Adam couldn't say he felt bad about the trade. "I hacked him up afterward to make it look like a Grimm attack, then told Axol to run. With any luck, he'll be back in Anima soon."
"But his tracker-"
"Gone." He'd been ready for the obvious question. "H-he…" It sounded terrible even as Adam forced the words out. "He had me chop his foot off." That got a little more of a reaction from Bane. Adam hurried to explain. "It was the only way we could get it off without a key. He said it'd grow back. Some sort of lizard trait." And wasn't that a weird thought. Adam hated to imagine how Axol discovered that ability.
Adam waited for the condemnation - for Bane to tell him there had to be another way. Sure, he'd saved Axol, but then he'd turned around and maimed the guy a moment later, leaving him to hobble through Grimm-infested woods on his own. What sort of friend would do something like that?
"It sounds like he's finally free, then." Bane's simple statement had none of the vitriol he'd expected. If anything, Bane sounded content - pleased with the outcome - even if the method could use some work. "You did good."
Had he? Sure, Axol wasn't dead and might even survive, but he didn't dare imagine that things wouldn't change in Orostachys. Trechend was on edge and looking to pick a fight. He'd probably take Geryon's place as head of the outer guards, which could only mean trouble for Adam. Even if Ferric assumed Grimm had killed him, it would only serve as proof that he needed more guards. He'd freed one worker, but the odds of any of them escaping had gotten even worse. Not to mention there'd be new workers arriving soon to replace Axol and the ones that died. New workers unknowingly condemned to slavery in the shadow of the cursed mountain.
But Axol was free. And if Axol could make it out, maybe they could do the same someday. Adam couldn't just chop people's feet off and turn them all loose in the woods. He'd have to find other ways. It might take time, but maybe he could get someone else out. If nothing else, it could give hope to his fellow workers.
Speaking of them. "What's going on?"
They'd finally reached the bunkhouses, but the normally empty area around the buildings looked less deserted than normal. It looked like almost everyone from the clearing crew were waiting, all gathered outside the door of one bunkhouse in particular.
3C.
Someone spotted them. Even from this distance, Adam could hear the words that passed through the small crowd like wildfire. Fingers pointed. Heads turned. All in one direction. His direction. They were all waiting for him, watching him like he was some sort of celebrity. Getting closer only made it worse as he picked up on some of the hushed words.
"It's him."
"Taurus."
"The Grimm killer."
Oh gods. He'd forgotten about Marion and his big mouth. They knew. Well, they knew part of the story. Marion knew he had aura. He'd seen him take on a Beowolf and barely break a sweat. As far as Marion was concerned, Adam was a Huntsman.
The man in question pushed his way to the front of the group, eager to greet the returning hero. "Adam!"
"What's everyone doing here?" Adam demanded once he got close. A gathering like this would raise questions.
"They're here to see you," Marion explained. "They heard what you did…what you are."
And Adam knew exactly where they'd heard it from. "Dang it, Marion! Why'd you go…" Adam paused, staring at the excited man he'd grabbed by the collar. With a sigh, he released his captive. "Fine. It's fine." It wasn't. "Is this everyone?"
"Couple of guys went to lunch," someone said. Adam's heart sank. Containing the story was out of the question. The entire first shift would know, and there was nothing he could do about it. He'd hoped he could convince them all to keep it quiet, but he should've known that wouldn't work. All it took was one person to ruin everything. Loose lips sank ships and all.
If the cat was out of the bag, then there was nothing else he could do. By nightfall, every worker would know. The least he could do was make sure he got their story straight before someone went and made it worse. With gritted teeth, Adam marched through his adoring fans, turning once he reached the doorway to the bunkhouse. Bane took up a spot beside him, looking like a bodyguard for the new celebrity.
This was gonna suck.
"Hey everyone," Adam began, cringing a little inside at how awkward it sounded. "I don't know what you've heard, but-"
"You killed a Grimm."
"You have aura."
"You're a Huntsman."
"You've come to save us!"
Oh gods. Each new bit of information only made things worse. "I'm not a Huntsman." Adam could see the confusion on some of their faces. "I have my aura unlocked and know how to use it." He held up his hand, letting the red light grow and recede briefly as proof. "But I'm no Huntsman. I'm just…someone who knows how to defend themselves."
"Against the Grimm!"
"I did kill a few Grimm," Adam confirmed, drawing some impressed murmurs from the crowd. Crap. They'd only known about the one. "I trained before I came here, but I didn't come here to fight. I'm like the rest of you. I had nowhere to go and ended up here."
The disappointment was palpable. They'd come looking for a savior - someone to march in, take on the entire camp, and lead them to freedom. Instead, all they'd gotten was another worker. Someone strong enough to win a battle, but not a war. What good were half-measures in the face of such subjugation? The group before him began to mutter and complain, watching their last bit of hope slip away. He hated letting them down, but the sooner they realized the truth, the better.
Adam lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I can't save anyone."
"You're wrong."
The crowd went silent at the simple, firm words. "Bane?"
"You're wrong, Adam," he repeated, ignoring the onlookers as he focused on Adam. "You can save people. You saved us from the Grimm. Then you saved Axol."
"Axol's alive?"
"I thought he died in the attack."
"Axol lives," Bane said, silencing the hushed voices as he stepped forward. "He escaped. Adam freed him."
The voices started up again, but one rose above the rest. "Did you?" Marion. Adam had promised to tell him later. He'd planned to keep it quiet, but there was no way to ignore him now. "Did you really save Axol?"
Bane nodded to him, forcing Adam to fill in the gaps. "I did." Adam's popularity hit an all-time high. "But it wasn't easy, and I don't think I could pull it off again. He-"
Adam didn't get a chance to explain, his words cut off as Marion slammed into him, squeezing him tight. "Thank you," he whispered before finally letting go. "Thank you, Adam." His eyes had a far-off look, and Adam had a feeling he wasn't looking at them anymore. "Save me a drink, Axol."
"He's a hero."
"He'll save us all."
"No!" Talk like that would lead nowhere good. If they tried to fight back, they'd die. Even without Geryon, they still had Trechend and Dahaki, not to mention all the other guards. They might take down a few, but the rest would waste no time arming themselves and putting down any attack…permanently. He had to diffuse this dust bomb before it went off in their faces. "There'll be more guards coming soon. They'll be on high alert from the Grimm. We can't win."
"So what do we do?"
He'd known that was coming. The question had been eating away at him since the moment Jakob opened his eyes to the ugly truth of Orostachys. "We wait. We watch and we wait for another chance."
"You want us to just give up?" Adam didn't recognize the latest complainant. "You got Axol out. What about us?"
"What about everyone else?" Adam practically threw the words back. "If we fail, it won't just be us that suffer. Everyone else will, too. They'll come down on everyone. It's not just our lives on the line here. It's theirs."
Maurice. Jakob. All of 3C would suffer. It would be so much easier if he thought they'd only punish him, but Orostachys wasn't that kind. They'd make an example of his crew as a warning to anyone who dared oppose them. He couldn't let that happen.
"Look, I'm not happy about it either, but we have to play the hand we're dealt." Several heads nodded in understanding. Good. Hopefully they'd pass that sentiment on. "It's lunchtime. Go get some food, then rest. It's been…it's been a long day." A few heads drooped, no doubt the ones who would have empty bunks in their rooms tonight. "I'll be at the Watering Hole tonight. Anyone who wants to join me is welcome."
They always were, but tonight would be different. Tonight, they'd drink to remember those they lost. Four fellow workers that wouldn't be coming back. And maybe, just maybe, they'd toast to the one who got away.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
Lunch didn't go quite the way he planned.
"Is it true?" Jakob demanded the moment he found Adam. Not that it surprised him. Adam knew he'd be targeted the moment his friend arrived. He could even hear Jakob asking for him as soon as he stepped in the door. No one else from 3C was with him. He must've run on ahead the moment he heard the news.
Word traveled fast - faster than he'd ever thought possible. Whoever slipped away for the first lunch shift had spread it to everyone at lunch, and they somehow carried the rumors back to the mine. Probably stopped the second shift as they passed each other, only for the second shift to tell the third.
"Some of it." Adam didn't need to hear the details to know there'd be inaccuracies. The only question was exactly how much embellishing his little fan club had done.
"Did you really kill a dozen Grimm?"
Ah. There it was. "More like four," Adam corrected, even though that number still nearly floored Jakob. "Bane got one, too."
His attempt to redirect earned him nothing more than a nod from Bane. Apparently his accomplishment didn't mean much to Jakob at the moment. "So it's true, then. You…you're a Huntsman. Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"I have my aura unlocked," Adam quietly corrected. "That's it. I can take on a few Grimm, not an army." Like the one lurking in Orostachys waiting for a fight.
"And the part about sneaking someone out?"
"Okay, that part's true," Adam admitted with a grin. Jakob's eyes widened comically. "Not here. Later. We're gathering at the Watering Hole to…" Adam swallowed, the memory of the two worker corpses he'd found still fresh in his mind, "to remember the ones who didn't make it."
Talk about a buzzkill. Jakob's excitement dwindled a little. "Oh. I'll be there." Of course he would. Most of the camp would probably show up once word got around. They might be forced to endure some ceremony on Sunday for Geryon, but they'd hold their own memorial tonight for the ones that actually deserved to be remembered. "But afterwards, I want the whole story. Got it?"
"Got it." He'd planned as much. Adam trusted Jakob more than anyone else in Orostachys. He'd understand. Plus, Adam could use some extra insight, and Jakob had a lot more experience dealing with the guards. Granted, those dealings usually ended up with him in the hole, but if anyone could keep him from crossing the line - well, being caught crossing the line - it was Jakob.
"What are you two whispering about now?"
Maurice. Jakob could be trusted to take Adam's side, but he didn't know about Maurice. He was too sold on the idea of Orostachys being fair to them. Adam wasn't sure if Maurice would rat him out or not if he knew the truth of what happened, and that worried him.
"Just some rumors," Jakob answered, his face instantly calm. Someday, Adam had to get Jakob to teach him that trick. The rest of their crew quietly took the usual seats, eager to get some answers.
"Rumors, you say? I've heard a few myself. Pretty outlandish stuff, too." Maurice took a long drink before staring Adam directly in the eye. "Mostly about you."
Adam nearly choked on his food. Straight to the point. Maurice wasn't usually so direct. "I-is that so?"
"He has aura," Bane suddenly offered. "He saved us from the Grimm."
Adam had forgotten one very important detail - Bane's loyalty to Maurice. No one knew more than Bane did of what really happened out there. He was the only one who knew Adam had killed Geryon, at least until he had a chance to fill Jakob in later. If Bane told Maurice…
"So it is true!" Maurice laughed, drawing every eye in the room. Wait. That wasn't right. They'd already been looking at their table. At Adam. "That…that's such a relief."
"It is?"
Maurice smiled brightly. As far as reactions went, this was far better than Adam expected of the man. "Of course it is. You took to the work so quickly! I thought I was getting old, but now I understand. That aura stuff makes you stronger than any man here!"
A few disapproving grumbles was all the argument they received. To be fair, aura didn't actually make him that much stronger. Not by itself. It did, however, increase his potential. He could train longer. Recover faster. Push himself beyond what a normal person could without causing permanent damage. Unlocking your aura didn't immediately make you superhuman, aside from the potential shielding. Instead, it accelerated your growth exponentially. With training, you could take it so much farther than any civilian could hope to achieve. You could even squeeze extra strength from it in time by focusing it on the specific muscles, too, but that took time to master.
The men of Orostachys didn't know that. To them, aura meant power. Speed. Strength. Agility. Protection. Something straight out of a comic book, though Adam never understood the appeal of those. In a world of Semblances, a superhero was nothing but a Huntsman who cheated by mastering their powers without training. Years of practice skipped all because someone got bitten by a radioactive Grimm or something.
Maurice had that look on his face again. The look of some sudden thought that had taken root and was even now starting to blossom into some ridiculous plan. Adam imagined he could see the smoke rising from Maurice's ears as the wheel of the older man's mind kicked into high gear. "That gives me an idea." Uh oh. Maurice's ideas were never simple. "Why don't you give everyone else aura?"
"What?!"
"Yeah," Jakob hummed in agreement. "If we all had aura, imagine how much stronger we'd be."
"We could mine the mountain dry in days!" Maurice cheered, nodding along with Jakob. The two men likely had much different ideas of what to use an army of aura-empowered workers for. "Imagine Bane here with aura. He could probably just lift the entire mountain and shake the dust loose!"
"Yeah! Give us all aura." The peanut gallery, no longer content to just listen along, threw in with Maurice in an instant.
"I can't." Adam's words took the wind out of their sails.
"Can't?" Jakob questioned with narrowed eyes. "Or won't?"
"Can't," Adam promised. "I…I don't know how."
"Didn't someone unlock yours?" Maurice sounded curious compared to Jakob's unspoken accusation.
"He did." Adam could still remember Jean's words, but it wasn't the words that unlocked aura. Otherwise, he could've just repeated them and unlocked everyone else. There was some sort of process to unlocking aura. Something that required training. Jean had never really covered that, and Adam hadn't pushed for more. It just wasn't something he needed to know. "I don't know how he did it, though. I wouldn't even know where to start."
Did he push his aura into someone to lure theirs out? Drag theirs out to the front? How would that even work? If aura was someone's soul, toying around with it sounded dangerous.
Jakob looked like someone had just crashed his birthday party, lit his presents on fire, and taken a dump on his cake. "Drat." There went his dream of turning the workers into an army of Huntsmen. "But that still doesn't explain why you never told anyone."
Wasn't it obvious? If Jakob could see the potential of an uprising, then so could Ferric and his guards. If they thought there was even the tiniest chance of him teaching the workers to fight, he'd be dead within the hour. Might even kill the whole crew, just to be safe. "They'd never let me stay," Adam explained, choosing his words carefully. "Too risky to have someone like me around. They'd terminate my contract."
More like terminate his life. Maurice would never believe that, though. His rose-colored glasses refused to budge, no matter how many "accidents" happened. He might even tell the guards, just to prove Adam wrong.
Jakob, on the other hand, nodded knowingly. "I guess you're right. Don't worry. We won't tell anyone. Can't have you leaving us." Adam had a feeling the last bit was more of a warning to those listening in. None of them would want to risk losing someone like him now that they knew the truth. He'd already saved someone from the Grimm. What happened next time if he wasn't there to step in?
"I'm not going anywhere." None of them were.
Maurice seemed pleased, missing the truth in his words. "Good. Now, why don't you tell us all about what really happened out there?"
Adam regaled them all with a story - heavily edited, of course. He left out the part of him killing Geryon and helping Axol. Maurice would've had a fit if he knew Adam had gone that far. Word would get around about Axol's fate eventually. Bane chose not to interject beyond confirming his own kill, earning no small amount of praise from their audience. The entire room had crowded around, eating quietly as they listened in on the most exciting news ever shared in their miserable camp.
"One of the guards died?" Maurice looked shocked. To be fair, the outer guards were meant to fight the Grimm. If anyone could survive out there, it should've been them.
"Serves him right," someone muttered.
"None of that!" Maurice snapped, whirling on the one who'd spoken. "A man is dead. Death is not something to celebrate." Adam couldn't say he agreed. If anyone deserved it, the Geryon did. Maurice didn't know, though. He assumed Geryon had given his life protecting Adam and the others.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
The man who'd spoken up quailed for a moment at being called out, but he refused to give up without at least a little fight. "He didn't do his job. Five of our brothers died because of him. If he'd been a better fighter-"
"Then people still would've died." Adam's words silenced his protest. The four workers died without anyone there to save them. Had Geryon been stronger, Adam and Axol might've died as well. "The guards can't be everywhere. The Grimm surprised us. Someone was going to die either way. It doesn't matter how strong he was. One man can't save everyone."
The harsh truth was also a warning for anyone thinking he could single handedly break them all out. He was just one man. One man against an army of armed guards. If three trained guards couldn't save everyone from the Grimm, then how much worse would it be for all of them?
"They're having a ceremony for Geryon on Sunday," Adam advised. He had a feeling attendance would be mandatory. Already a few groaned at the loss of their already limited freetime. "But we're gathering tonight at the Watering Hole for our own ceremony."
"You heard him," Jakob suddenly piped up. "We're having a wake tonight after dinner. First round's on me."
That certainly cheered people up. The room erupted in excitement, more at the free drinks than what it commemorated.
The cheering died down as a familiar tone rang out. "Back to work," Jakob announced needlessly as he rose from his seat, patting Adam's shoulder as he passed. "See ya tonight. Lookin' forward to chattin' a little more."
So was Adam.
/- - - - - - - - - -/
No one told them to go back to the mine. Whether that was an intentional reprieve for the tree clearing crew or a mistake on Ferric's part, none of them were eager to descend into the mines after such an eventful day. Instead, Adam and Bane went back to their bunkhouse after lunch, grateful to see they didn't have a crowd waiting for them this time.
Adam climbed into his bed and felt the last traces of adrenaline finally give out. The moment his head hit the pillow, he was out. Half a day of work wouldn't normally be so bad, but it'd been a while since he really used his aura like that. It wasn't just the Grimm, either. His fight with Geryon, as brief as it'd been, took a lot out of him. Aura protected him, but he still felt the force of each bullet. He'd fought Jean plenty of times, but those usually lasted a lot longer. Either those bullets packed more of a punch than Adam realized or he was just getting rusty. Either way, he didn't so much as stir until the bell rang, shattering his peace and quiet.
"Huh?" Adam looked around, blinking away the lingering sleepiness.
Bane sat across the room with a grin. "You're awake."
"How long was I out?" It felt like he'd only just gotten to sleep.
"That was the dinner bell." Dinner? He'd slept the entire afternoon away? How tired was he? "You had some visitors, but I chased them away. You're going to be very popular tonight."
No doubt more questions about his aura, the Grimm, and everything else. Hadn't he already told them enough? He hoped the wake would keep them all busy tonight, if only so he could have a few moments to himself.
"You coming?" Bane asked, heading for the door.
"We're third shift," Adam reminded him. They had to wait their turn, even if they weren't working.
Bane's smile widened. "And that was the third bell. You slept through the other two."
He had? "And you didn't wake me?"
Bane shrugged. "You needed your sleep." And with that, the man stepped out, leaving Adam to scurry after him.
Dinner was another rushed affair. This time, though, Adam put them all on the back foot first, asking about the mine. There wasn't much to tell, but it meant he could actually eat his food while they talked. Work in 3C was always slower on tree clearing days with both Adam and Bane missing, but they managed. No doubt they'd expect the duo to pick up the slack when they got back.
The moment they finished, the whole crew headed for the Watering Hole. They could hear loud, off-key singing before they even reached the door. The first two shifts had already started without them, it seemed.
Adam's arrival was met with a new cheer. A drink found its way to his hand almost instantly. The break in singing left the room feeling oddly quiet as they watched him eagerly, a few already looking like they were a few drinks deep. Adam raised his glass and said, "To the fallen."
"And the survivors!" Jakob added, lifting the mood a little. As others greedily guzzled, Jakob leaned in and added, "Lighten up a little. This is a party."
Adam had never been to a wake before, but then again, this wasn't really one either. Not officially. Hard to keep watch over the bodies when there wasn't enough to fill even one casket. But the spirit was there. A trio of men struck up a lively tune, soon joined by several others who raised their glasses in the air and sang along. Two others arm wrestled in the corner to the amusement of a small gathering. Drinks flowed as freely as stories of the dead workers and all they'd done in their time at Orostachys.
Every new arrival received a hearty cheer until the place was fit to burst. Still they piled in, somehow always having room for one more. Those that knew the dead workers the most - their bunkmates - held a place of honor close to the bar and never paid for a single drink. Adam made sure to offer a round to them on his tab, laughing at how pointless it was. Their tabs were taken from their wages - wages that would never be paid anyway. They were spending money they didn't have from earnings that didn't exist.
Marion and his crew were among the honored, though they appeared far better off than the others. Adam caught Marion's eye for a moment, earning a nod and a raised glass. Adam returned the gesture but left him to it. Judging by those around him, he'd let the rest of his crew know the truth. They weren't mourning a loss. They were celebrating Axol's freedom.
And all because of him.
Adam got pulled this way and that. He sang along to the few songs he knew. Listened to stories of jokes and pranks long past. Several people demanded an arm wrestle, eager to test themselves against what they saw as a Huntsman. Few held their own as Adam decided not to hold back as much, flexing his aura slightly to push his muscles further against the larger men. He'd learned a lot of control from Jean along the way, including how to focus on just one arm and protect the muscles from tearing. It was like those stories of mothers lifting a car to save a child. People pushing beyond their limits with no regard to how much damage they did to themselves. Hysterical strength, some called it.
It was hysterically easy to win when you didn't have to worry about things like that. A few challengers pushed him to the point of having to cheat a little, but they almost seemed to enjoy the defeat in the end. After all, it was proof of the rumors. Besides, was it really cheating? He'd trained hard to learn how to do that. Here, it was a cheap parlor trick, but it could mean a stronger attack or even faster healing of a specific injury. The only downside was focusing it on your arm meant less for other parts.
Thankfully, he didn't really have to worry about a knife in the back here. A few hearty slaps that sent him stumbling, but nothing lethal.
As the hours wore on, the group finally lessened as some decided to head back to their bunks, whether from exhaustion or overdrinking. Plenty of faunus stumbled their way out into the evening, helped along by sympathetic bunkmates or leaning against their fellow imbibers. Monti and Maurice waved to them on the way out, neither of them being particular party animals themselves. Colton and Kieran stumbled out later, each relying on the other to hold them up as they slowly swerved out the door. Even so, most of the workers were still gathered when Jakob nudged him toward the door.
The cool, night air felt fantastic after the stuffiness of the bar. A few people lingered nearby, leaning against walls as they gathered the strength for the short walk back. Adam wrinkled his nose at the stench of someone vomiting nearby. Their path took them away from it all, following their usual path until they found themselves alone at last.
Not quite alone.
"You taggin' along tonight, big guy?" Jakob asked the night air. Adam turned to see Bane following after them. "We're just going for a walk." And a talk. Jakob probably wanted to avoid extra ears, especially ones that might report back to Maurice.
But Maurice wasn't the only one Bane was loyal to now. "It's okay," Adam assured Jakob. "He knows what happened. What really happened."
"Before me? I'm hurt!" Jakob laughed as he slowed down, waving for Bane to catch up with them. He took up position on the other side of Adam. "That's better. Now what's with all the secrecy? Something else happen today?"
"Well…" Adam looked to Bane, but his new bodyguard didn't show any interest in bailing him out. "You could say that."
Adam ran through the entire story again - the unedited version. Not much changed in the early parts. Jakob listened in earnest, though he did pale a little when Adam mentioned the bodies he'd found. Throughout their walk, the distant sound of singing echoed through the camp. Jakob really perked up when Adam got to the grand finale.
"You killed Geryon?!"
"Sh!" Adam cautioned, nervously glancing around. "He was about to kill Axol. What else could I do?"
Jakob waved his hands in front of him. "No. I'm not saying you shouldn't've. It's just…you killed one of the outer guards? All by yourself?"
"I did." It wasn't his first kill, and it had been in self defense, but it still felt weird to admit. Even weirder that it had been so easy. "I tried to make it look like a Grimm. Used it to cover up Axol's disappearance, too." Handling his friend's foot hadn't exactly been a pleasant experience. He just hoped it did the job.
"Wow." Jakob took a minute to let it sink in, but it didn't seem to help. "Wow. You actually killed one of them."
"It was a one-time thing."
"Good." This time, it was Adam left speechless. He'd assumed Jakob would be all for the bloodshed. He was finally fighting back. More than that, he'd won! He'd proven he could fight, so why didn't Jakob push for more. "You got away with it this time, and you even got Axol out, but they'll be on guard now. Once is an accident. Twice is a pattern."
"I know." Which is why Adam was trying so hard to stamp down on those urging him for more. "Trechend suspects something. Grilled the two of us afterwards. Thank goodness Bane was there to cover for me." Adam had almost forgotten Bane was with them, but on seeing him, he suddenly remembered a burning question he never got an answer to. "Why did you help me?"
"Why not?"
Why not? Adam couldn't accept that. "You could've just left me on my own. There was no risk for you. Now, if I go down, they'll come after you, too." Because if they figured out Adam was lying, then that meant Bane lied, too. "So why? Why risk all that just to cover for me."
Bane shrugged, as if he didn't think it was such a big deal. "That's what friends do."
Friends? He considered Bane a friend, but more a work friend. They shared a room and a job. That was it. Adam hadn't done anything to deserve more than that, yet Bane had gone all in on him without a thought.
His confusion must've shown. "Don't look so surprised," Jakob said. "You're a good kid, even without that aura of yours. Plus, you're about to be very popular around camp."
"You think so?"
"I know so." Jakob sounded so certain that it was hard to doubt his words. "Take it from me. Everyone knows what you did."
"All I did was fight a few Grimm." Hardly world-shattering stuff there. They didn't know about Geryon, and only some of them knew about Axol.
"It's more than that, Adam," Jakob insisted. "You didn't just fight a Grimm. You fought it for someone. You saved people. I guarantee every man here is wishing he had a friend like that. I'm glad I do."
So it wasn't really friendship then. They just wanted someone strong to rely on. As cynical as it sounded, it made a lot more sense to Adam. They needed a hero. Someone to look up to. Someone to turn to when times got hard. Well, harder than they already were. Was that why everyone kept crowding around him today? He felt a lot more comfortable as a protector than a celebrity.
"We've got your back, Adam." Bane grunted in agreement to Jakob's words. "Whatever happens, we'll be there for you, just like you were for them."
That…that sounded nice. No, better than nice. He had people he could rely on, even if only to cover for him against someone like Trechend. Together, they'd find a way through this. And maybe, just maybe, they'd find a way out of Orostachys someday. Whatever came, they'd do it together. He didn't have to do it all himself.
Maybe he wasn't so alone after all.
Adam's in the clear...at least for now. Geryon's dead. Axol's escaped. And now the whole camp is hearing of some super-powered fighter in their midst and are clearly looking for an uprising. If only their fearless leader would get on board.
Had one of those random moments of inspiration yesterday and plotted out the remaining chapters for this arc. Just some high-level ideas of what each chapter would contain. Weird to realize we're already around the halfway mark of the mining camp arc, but I really didn't want to fluff it out any further. Things are happenin' at last, and I'm not quite ready to let off the accelerator. If this chapter seemed slower, consider it a quick breath before we start to plunge in again. It's both exciting and nerve-wracking to know how close the next arc already is.
Also, I don't think I mentioned it before, but Geryon, Trechend, and Dahaki are all three-headed monsters from different cultures. Geryon is a three-headed giant, though some sources have him with three bodies as well (so meating at the waist). Trechend and Dahaki are three-headed are ruthless killers and destroyers. Didn't want to give that away too early, since they were meant to look like the reasonable guards until Geryon tried to kill Axol.
Next chapter: Adam feels the full impact of his new popularity.