Marley and I walked out of the town and headed North, retracing our steps from yesterday. We walked along the road this time, instead of going through the forest. I looked over at Marley and opened my mouth to ask a question.
"If you're about to ask why we went through the woods yesterday; don't. I did not know they were close to the road." I nodded and shut my mouth.
"Answer me this, Micheal." Marley said after a while, looking over at me. His face is dead serious.
"Yeah, man. What's up?" He shook his head at my bizarre speech. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself.
"Are you a demon? Have I sold my soul to you by taking that coin?" I laughed, really and truly laughed.
"Naw, man, I'm not a demon. That money came from Arno. I found it on his person. I have no need for money at the moment, so keep it." Marley sighed and nodded his head.
"That makes sense. But how did you do it? You hauled that wagon for three and a half hours yesterday without stopping." I just grinned at him and kept walking. "Fine. Keep your secrets. I'm safer not knowing anyway." I nodded.
"Most likely, yes." We walked the rest of the way in silence.
We arrived in the clearing that held the camp about twenty minutes later. Nothing had changed. The brothers still laid where they fell, the cart of dead was still there, if a little bit more pungent than yesterday. I nodded.
"Alright. Let's get rockin'." I clapped my hands, the noise reverberating around the quiet camp. I walked over to the wagon with the bodies and saw that this one did not have a harness. Well, shit. That's not good. Alright, time to find one, or maybe get some rope...
"Micheal!" Marley's voice called for me from behind the wagon. The chicken man came jogging around the corner, holding a leather harness in his hand. I broke into a wide smile.
"My man!" I said, raising my hand for a high-five. "Give me some!" He looked at me strangely, eyes darting between me and my held up hand. He slowly put the harness in my hand.
"Naw, dude, a high-five." I handed the harness back to him. He looked just as confused as before. I sighed. "Fuck it, dude. Let's get me tied in and gone. The sooner the better."
"I couldn't agree more." Marley said. He worked on getting the harness attached while I just kinda sat there and waited. I know, not the best thing I could have been doing, but fuck man, I had nothing. We were there to cart a bunch of corpses back to the village. Marley finally got the harness ready and called me over.
"Alright, it's ready. The wagon isn't facing the road so we'll have to turn around, but I think we'll be fine." I nodded.
"You got it, boss." Marley jumped up to the drivers seat and turned, making sure our precious cargo was in place. "Ready?" I asked.
"Ready." He nodded. I took a deep breath and leaned into the leather. The wagon was heavy, but not as heavy as yesterday. I didn't falter in getting it to move, the wagon just started moving as I pulled. I breathed slow and steady, keeping the slack taught as I turned the wagon. I lined up with the path and straightened out, letting the slack drop as I went forward. There was a slight reprieve, but soon enough I was back to pulling. We got out onto the road, and I didn't even have to stop, I just kept on going.
My body was in agony, sure. My lungs were screaming, legs were burning, shoulders bleeding, the whole nine yards. And yet, my breathing never wavered. I could keep going. I was loosing some health because the straps were cutting into my shoulders again, but my regeneration took care of it. I pulled. And pulled. And pulled some more. Mark's face appeared in my vision, his smile exploding into wonderfully gory viscera. I saw my face, Ben's face, burnt and cut up like one my passengers. I remembered Mark, lying in that shit hole of a hut, never to see his home again. Rage filled my heart and I pulled harder as gunfire sounded in my head. I gasped for air but continued the march, my legs now the iron part of my body. I was back in Afghanistan, back in that hell hole. My brothers were around me, burned and scarred and dead. I was among them, just as bad. Mark was laid next to me, our bodies to fucked up to recognize. I screamed, but whatever. It felt good to scream.
After what felt like forever, the trees ended and the delta began. I could see the walls of the village through the smoke and gunfire. I was almost there. Ava's face flashed in my mind, replacing the scenes of war and battle. Her laughter replaced the gunfire and the screams, and her smell replaced the gunpowder, smoke, and blood. My heart settled, the darkness abetting for the moment. I grinned and pulled harder, basking in the ache in my shoulders. I kept the steady breathing the whole way, ignoring the burning in my legs.
"Marley!" I gasped, my voice raw from panting and exertion. "Where am I going?" We passed through the gate and into the village proper. Marley directed me toward the other side of town from where his inn was. The place we wound up, the graveyard, was close to where I had first entered the village. I stopped in front of the small house on the edge of the graveyard. I was staring at the ground, chest heaving and hands on my knees, when I felt a familiar pair of hands on my shoulders. I looked up through sweat laden bangs at Ava, who was smiling down at me. I straightened, breathing heavy but steady, and pulled her into me.
"Thank you." I whispered into her wonderful hair. It was soft and silky and smelled like Christmas trees. She laughed, a musical and magnificent sound.
"Why are you thanking me? I didn't do anything."
"That's not true. I was back in...that place, and couldn't get out. When I saw the village, those images of war and blood were replaced by you. I don't know what that says about me as a person, but the thought of you brought me out of that hell and back into the present. So, once again, thank you." I bowed my head a little. When I looked up, Ava had tears in her eyes. Aw shit, did I scare her off? Did I make a mistake by saying that? I hope that...
My thoughts were interrupted as Ava reached up and pulled me down into a kiss. I could taste the saltiness of her tears and my sweat as I kissed her. I pulled away and pressed my forehead to hers. Guess not.
"Did you get everything?"
"Yes, I did. I didn't even have to pay for anything. Everyone just gave it all to me, saying something about how the two girls were worth more than any item." I smiled.
"They're right. A life is worth more than any material thing." We started walking towards the cart Ava had indicated, when I froze. Something didn't feel right and I turned back towards the wagon.
"What the fuck?" The feeling faded as I walked back towards the wagon. I felt right as I picked up the first body and carried it to the graveyard. I watched in awe as an army of shovels marched out of the tool shed and lined up in front of me. They bowed to me, then started digging four graves. "What the fuck is going on?" I asked the world. I felt a compulsion, not one of my own, enter my brain. I wanted to help the shovels. I set the body down at the foot of the grave as gently as I could, making sure not to disturb the body. It felt wrong to speak, so I walked over to Ava, gave her a hug, and shoo'ed her away. I grabbed the next body, lifting it from the wagon easily. I walked over and laid it at the foot of one of the graves. I repeat the process for the other two as well, laying both at the feet of their graves. The shovels finished digging as I set the last body down. I moved over to the first body. A name came to me as I picked up the body; Everette Moltik. I laid her in her grave, taking the sheet off of her and folding it neatly in two quick motions. How the fuck did I do that?
"Everette Moltik." I announced, my baritone echoing off the buildings. A cold wind started blowing from the East, dead leaves scrapping along the ground. One of the floating shovels offered itself to me, and I took it. It was warm, warmer than I had expected. The air got chilly, like a crisp autumn day, and it carried a sense of foreboding as well as peace that pricked at my skin. I watched as my body took a shovel of dirt and cast it over the woman in the grave. I stepped to the next person, letting the shovel float next to me. I picked the man up and the name that came to me chilled me to the core. I breathed deeply and cast a gaze at Ava. She was watching with pure fascination, and as she caught me looking at her, she smiled. It was like the sun had come out after a week long storm, and I knew I could face the man under the sheet. I laid him in his grave and stayed crouched there for a moment, bracing myself, unsure what I would find. I removed the sheet in one movement, standing as I did so. And there he was.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
"Mark Stephen Wilhelm. Private First Class, United States Marines. Operation Freedom's Sentinel, KIA September 4, 2020." My voice was strong and confident, belaying the sorrow building inside me and the tightness in my throat. I stared down at my brother's face as it was before the war, before that house. A strong jaw, high cheek bones, blond hair that fell over his ears. His eyes were closed, and he looked like he could almost be sleeping. I took a deep breath, then another. Tears fell from my eyes as I stood over him, and my voice wavered when I spoke. "I'm sorry, brother. I guess you'll have to wait a little bit longer for me. Tell Annabeth I say hey. Love you." I took one last look at his face, then grabbed the shovel floating next to me. I got some of the dirt and held it there, poised to bury him. He was dressed in a blue suit, hands clasped over his chest, exactly like he said he wanted. My arms shook as more tears filled my eyes. I squeezed them shut, then forced them open. I gasped as I poured the dirt over him, and moved on.
I came to the next body, a woman I didn't know. Her name came to me regardless as I picked her up and laid her in her grave, removing the sheet as I stood.
"Ireene LeFinul." I announced. I once again took my shovel and poured the first bit of dirt over the body, and moved on. I let the shovel go as I came to the last body. I had a terrible feeling inside, like I already knew who it was. As soon as my hands touched the sheet, my fears were confirmed. I stood, holding the body and moving over to the grave. I laid him in his grave and stood, removing the sheet.
"Benjamin Zachary Farmer. Lance Corporal, United States Marines. Operation Freedom's Sentinel, KIA, September 4, 2020." I looked down at my own face, lying in its grave. No tears fell for me as I covered my own body. I turned, going to help the shovels with Mark, only to find his grave covered in pink roses. They were his favorite flower. Mark always said that a pink rose was the perfect rose, half-way between passion and purity. I looked back at mine which had magnolia buds popping out of it, my favorite. At the sight of our favorite flowers growing on our graves, the dam withholding my emotions finally broke. I collapsed to my knees and sobbed.
I don't know how long I stayed there, kneeling like that. Hours, for sure. I felt the sun go down and darkness fall. All the while, I knelt by the graves, numb to the world.
"Not many get this opportunity." A male voice said. I tried to leap to my feet, but my legs were asleep and didn't work how I wanted them to. I looked around, seeing nothing but the night. A man stepped out from behind a tree. He wore a black tuxedo, with a black shirt and a black handkerchief in his breast pocket. His dark skin gave him the appearance of a living shadow as he stepped forward. He came into the moonlight and I could see him fully. His skin wasn't as dark as I had originally thought. It was still dark, but more like a milk chocolate than a dark chocolate.
"And who are you?" I asked, still numb. The man came over and put his hand on my shoulder, and I felt at peace.
"You need not worry about that, son. Thank you for bringing these souls home. You have my gratitude." I was silent for a while, just kneeling there and staring blankly at the world. The god was patient, sitting down next to me and crossing his legs. He closed his eyes, and the scenery changed. As the god breathed out, a wave of energy went with him, and the bleak and dark graveyard sprang to life. The cracked and broken moon was switched with a bright shinning sun. It didn't even hurt to look at. Grass sprang up all around us, our graves blossoming into full blown trees and bushes. The two graves between Mark and I disappeared into the earth and reappeared elsewhere in the graveyard, and the flowers bloom. I looked over at the god, who looked like a monk in the middle of a deep meditation.
"Were you responsible for bringing us here? Mark and Benjamin, I mean. Our... Their bodies." The man nodded, and breathed in. The grass moved towards him, the trees bent, and the animals held their breath.
"I was. I am not your patron, so I cannot assign quests to you. Hence, I had to do it in a roundabout way. I could not physically reward you, so I decided on some emotional closure. I had to send urges and feelings rather than any System information." The god breathed out, and the world with him.
"So, you're a god?" The god nodded.
"I am. I oversee this section of Sehal, and have been watching you closely since you arrived in this world. I have been impressed with you thus far, Micheal. You have shown great honor and integrity, as well as drive and perseverance. Your swordplay, however, could use some work. And your attempt at stealth was abysmal. I understand you come from a world where swords are outdated, but it is not so here. Here, you live or die by the sword. If you are not strong enough to protect what you love, someone will come to take it from you. I suggest you head straight for Rilmon, then head south." The god points out the gate I had first come in. "You will eventually find what you are looking for if you go that way. It also gets you out of the Empire and away from danger."I raised my eyebrow at the god.
"Why are you helping me? Like you said, you're not my patron. So why do this? Why let me bury my best friend?" He did the breathing thing again and the world breathed with him. Honestly, I did too. It felt natural to breathe in time with the god. I frowned. "Are you messing with my breathing?" The god smiled but said nothing.
"I heard one of my children's prayers for help, but could do nothing to assist. We gods are not allowed to intervene in the world but for special circumstances, you see. But if a certain mortal were to come along and save said child, while liberating those he could, it gives a god a little more freedom to act. A reward should be granted to one who so selflessly acted to save others. And then to nearly kill himself getting them all back safely? Why, that certainly requires a much greater reward. And if a certain child and her elder sister were to pray for his stamina to hold out..." The god smiled at me as he let his wrods hang. I nodded, his words making sense.
"Hang on, that explains the quest reward. But you're not my patron and can't... Fuck it, I don't care. Why did you bring Mark here?"
"You did not have to go back and retrieve the bodies. You could have left them there." I scoffed.
"I did leave them there. I trusted Marley to get the bodies, but there were only four. What happened to the others? I'm definitely letting the earth take the brothers."
"The four bodies that you retrieved belonged to my land. They were my followers. It was a simple matter to ask them to switch places. John Brighn and Kildon Danlow were most agreeable when asked to help the man who killed their enslavers." The god breathed once more, and our graves shifted. My magnolia moved of its own accord, taking its place on the right side of the graveyard's entrance. Mark's rose bush took its position on the left; two sentinels against the night.
"South, you said?"
"South." The god confirmed. "I recommend the village of Eagle's Rock." I was quiet for a moment.
"Thank you. For everything. For the gift. For Mark. For me." I barked out a dry life. "How often do you get to attend your own funeral?"
The god smiled and put his hand on my shoulder. It was warm and comforting, like that of an old friend's.
"You are most welcome, Micheal. You are always welcome in my lands." The god started to disappear, the bright green world reverting to its normal self.
"Wait!" I called out to the deity. He returned to full and looked at me. "What's your name?"
He smiled at me out of one side of his mouth.
"My name is Kelltim. Good-bye, Micheal. I know that you will accomplish a great number of things. I wish you good luck. May you make good use of your new body. Try not to explode again, ok?" He smirked at me and faded into nothingness.
I was once again kneeling on the grass alone, the world back to the way it was. The moon really had risen, and as I looked up at it, I noticed something disconcerting. A second and third moon hung below and off to the side of the top moon, forming a triangle. The top one was white, like earth's is. Or was. Fuck, man.
Regardless, the top moon was white. The right one was a bright blue, almost teal. It was strange and hurt my head to look at it for too long, so I moved on to the last one. The left moon was a forrest green, vibrant and full of life. At least the color was. I really hope there aren't aliens living on the moon. That old Futurama song flashed through my head for a moment, and I smiled. Whales on the moon. What a ridiculous premise.
I sighed and stood, my joints popping and crunching as I moved. I grunted and bent over, stretching my legs. I straightened and shook them out, then looked around. Everyone was gone and the wagon had been moved away. The cart Ava had prepped for us had also been moved. In its place stood Ava herself. She wore a white shawl over her jade hair, and the teal light from the moon turned her hair into a forest below a bright blue sky. She wore her light blue dress, freshly cleaned and laundered, and as the light shifted to a greener tint, she herself became the sky. She was gorgeous.
In a daze, I walked up to her. She didn't move, just watched me as I approached. I said nothing, just pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around me and held o\me tightly. I bent down, joints popping some more and muscles quivering just slightly, and picked her up. She gasped as I brought her up to my chest, her smoky lavender eyes gazing at me with worry.
I looked straight ahead and started walking towards Marley's Big Cluckin' Inn. A slight smile spread across my face as I once again laughed at the name. It didn't take long to cross the small village, maybe three minutes. I climbed the stairs and entered the bar part of the inn. Once again, I had to duck a tooth. Thankfully, I was quick enough this time to back up and keep the blood from landing on Ava.
"Yo!" I shouted, and everyone stopped dead. Maurice had that same green rabbit's ears in one hand and his other cocked back to punch him. Fury welled up from my chest and a snarl painted itself across my face. I growled as I started to walk towards Maurice. I knew I shouldn't hurt him, it wasn't his fault. And yet, I couldn't stop the thought that if only he had been there, if he had come with me, we could have saved more. I wanted to hurt him, to make someone else suffer. How dare he stand there and fight another man when there were people that needed saving? How dare he get black-out drunk instead of trying to help? Ava put her hand on my chest, dragging me back from the edge. I came back to my senses and shook my head, moving towards the stairs.
"Fuck you, dude." I said as I walked by. I climbed the stairs, easily this time might I add, and set Ava down on the landing. I held her hand as I opened the door and entered the room. I heard the sounds of people resuming downstairs and chose to ignore it. My stomach growled, sounding its anger at being ignored since this morning. Ava smiled at me.
"Should I go get us some supper?" She asked. She looked so kind, so beautiful as she smiled up at me. The candle in the room reflected off her pale skin, giving it a wonderful rosy color. Her fantastic eyes flickered and wavered as the flame moved. I stared deeply into her eyes, getting lost in the fiery lavender clouds. They wrapped around me so warmly, made me feel so comfortable, that I couldn't help but smile. Even as my heart was torn apart by all that had happened in the last two days, I looked into her eyes and smiled.