Chapter 14: Friends
Two weeks later…
Cole sat on the stone ground. Resting her head on his thigh, was a little girl at the age of five.
“Cole! Kara! I’ve brought us some fooooood!”
The little girl’s eyes went wide before she hopped up playfully and speeded away to the voice. Cole smiled at the scene but simply continued sitting on the stone ground, looking at the most entertaining wall that he could.
“Not hungry?”
Said the twelve year old girl.
“Hey, how old are you by the way?”
“I’m fourteen now. Why?”
“Ummm! No reason! It’s nothing…”
“Oh okay.”
“You don’t wanna eat? My mom brought us some fish.”
“No it’s okay.”
Yela sat down next to Cole, though not too close…
“Soooo…”
“Yes?”
“You look like you’ve been thinking about something. You’re just…zoning out a lot.”
“Yeah…”
“Do you wanna talk about it? You…ummm…you…you can tell me things.”
“I can tell you things?”
“Yeah. Like…you know…whatever you wanna say to me and I won’t say anything to anyone.” She said in an embarrassingly quickened pace.
“Oh I get it…”
“Okay, I’ll tell you but you have to tell me stuff too.”
“Yeah! Of course!”
The little girl's face turned red as she covered her smile.
“So ummm…what were you thinking about?”
“...My friend.”
“Oh. The nice mister…”
Yela thought about Zan, thinking about how he had almost died thanks to her mom…She felt kind of awkward around Cole now.
“You’re wondering if he’s okay?”
“Yeah…”
Cole smiled.
“He said he always tries to avoid trouble, but whenever I got bullied he would always stand up for me.”
“Oh I get it. Like what you do for us?”
“Umm…it’s kind of different…”
“...He beats them up doesn’t he?”
“Yeah…”
A moment of silence occurred before Cole broke the ice.
“Do you think…do you think he’ll forgive me?”
“Forgive you?”
“...I told them. The men.”
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“Oh…I’m sorry for what my mom did, I’m really really sorry…”
Yela said as her eyes started to water. Thinking about how the men beat Cole up to find his red haired friend, she felt a pang in her chest, and was close to fully bursting out crying.
“Hey! It’s fine, okay?”
“Okay…”
“...I don’t know if mister will forgive you.”
“But…I can tell you that you’re not a bad person.”
“I’m not?”
Cole said as his voice cracked, his throat feeling locked.
“You’re not.”
“Mom…has been around bad people…I know you’re not one of them.”
Yela said as stars fell from her eyes. She leaned her head against the blonde boy’s skinny shoulder as she closed her eyes. Cole rested his own head against hers, as they found solace in each other for the brief moment.
…
Kaerys sat on her makeshift stone throne. Which was really just a piece of elevated stone a few feet higher than the ground.
Perhaps it was fate, but with it came a convenient natural arm rest to her left. Despite being made of ordinary stone, and the sin of missing another arm rest, she somehow sat there gracefully. As if it was made of pure ruby and gold. Leaning her left arm on the stone as she held her beautiful face, she looked like a bored princess. Except she was. Both bored and a princess. Though she would not be bored for long.
From the echoing caves, multiple series of steps could be heard. Ten— no at least twenty of them.
Kaerys’ band prepared for a fight. Many groups had tried to challenge them before for their spacious territory, and they all failed. Despite being young and inexperienced, Kaerys chose them for two reasons.
One, because it was simply entertaining for her and it would lift her boredom. Two, for their innate talent. Every fight lost turbo boosted their fighting capability, and every losing battle would bring down the dragon from her throne to clean up their mess.
The slaves made from the defeated warrior tribes and warring states were strong, unbelievably strong. But not to the point where her band could not challenge them and become stronger.
Of course, the truly strong and feared from the defeated warrior tribes and warring states, were too dangerous to be left alone to a simple slave operation. If Kaerys’s band faced against them, it would have been certain death. Even the young princess might have to flee from the strongest of them.
Yet, the slave town was not so simple, and those who were simply too strong to be slaves, were used somewhere else…
The footsteps had reached their destination. Thirty three men and women stood behind a beautiful fourteen year old girl. She had long gorgeous auburn hair that resembled flames, on her face, was a similar mark to Kaerys’s.
“Kaerys!”
“Sister. I almost didn’t notice you because of the veil. Or is it because you normally don't catch my attention at all?”
“What are you doing here, Kaerys?”
The beautiful girl still sitting relaxed on the stone throne burst out in an elegant alluring laughter.
“Hahahaha! What am I doing here? What's someone who stays within the lines like you, doing here?”
The girl’s face turned red in embarrassment but she still took the time to reply.
“...A radioactive core.”
“Oh? A rumor spread by an unknown shadow force and you just believed it? I’m disappointed in you sister.”
“It’s not just a rumor…Balon and Aela are here too.”
“Oh are they…”
“Older sisters!”
A shout came from behind the crowd of men and women.
The sea separated to reveal a single young lady with a long bob haircut. Her red hair bore the same color as Kaerys, but her eyes were light brown instead of sky blue. Fresh blood covered and dripped from her hands, painting the cold stone floor with warmth and life.
“My dear sisters.”
The girl smiled.
“Aela.”
…
Intense cyclones and powerful spiraling energy spun in the cylindrical liquid tank. A spiky red haired youth floated spinning in the pod, eyes closed right in the center of the hurricane-like conditions.
On his left shoulder rested a hand without a body or an arm. It grasped onto the boy’s shoulder, almost like a pet. No! Like a friend…yes…
“Baby~!”
Zan’s closed eyes suddenly opened wide, like a mad beast disturbed from its slumber. A determined cold look appeared on his face.
“Is it time…?”
“No silly, it's only been two weeks.”
“Huh? Then why…?”
“Why what? I can’t come to see you? Hm?”
“Uhhhh….”
“I’m just playing with you sweety. I just got a new stock of— uh I mean friends for you.”
“They’re around your age and I thought it’d do you some good to get to know people around your springtime of youth.”
“...”
“We’re not doing your weird things?”
“What weird things?”
The doctor wondered innocently.
“Ohhh, no of course not, I pinky promise baby.”
“...”
“If you give me another month I’ll go.”
“Hmph. I’ll add another two weeks if you make friends.”
“...Deal.”
As if the pod was voice activated, the liquid blue agent started to drain from the bottom of the cylindrical tank.
VWOOSH!
The glass frame opened in the middle, inviting Zan to step out.
As Zan cautiously stepped out he had the feeling that multiple eyes were staring at him.
“Don’t try anything funny now. I just brought a few…helpers, just in case you misbehave.”
‘A few she says…why did I feel more than a few…’
The keen boy put his hands up.
“If it’s really like you say it is, I won’t do anything.”
“Hmmm, okay. Follow me, and don’t try to run! Mommy’s getting too old to play tag.”
Zan looked at the brunette. Perhaps she had a good diet or she was doing those weird things called experiments on herself, but she looked to be in her late twenties rather than thirty or fourty like his mom and dad were.
They walked along in the darkness. Zan could swear that he saw a few gigantic eyes open in the black void before closing once again.
As they passed through, Zan even saw a group of children before him in cages. He seemed to forget sometimes just how insane this doctor was. Perhaps he was getting used to that too…
“We’re here~”
They stood at the door of the same enclosed room Zan was in two weeks ago.
“It’s a surprise for them too! I umm, didn’t want them to see that my lab was such a mess.”
“...ok.”
Zan replied dryly. If anyone saw what he saw, they wouldn’t be in the best mental state to make new friends.
Bracing himself, he turned the door knob. Eight curious heads turned to the direction of the door that finally opened. A newcomer. One that definitely wasn’t from the same nation as they were.
“Hey servant. Tell me, what did you see outside that door? Why are you here like us?”
Zan seemed not to hear the youth. Instead he was thinking of asking the insane brunette for some food.
“Heh. Look at him he must be used to being a slave. Doesn’t even bother listening to anyone but his masters.”
“He’s too scared to even say anything haha.
“Hey. Look at me. I’m the new guy you’ll have to answer to.”
Said the ginger haired youth.
The red-haired boy finally snapped out of his daze, glancing at the fly buzzing at him.
“Looks like I have to set another guy straight huh guys?”
His goons laughed as he raised his hand. Before he could swing it down however, a swift slap hit his face, lifting him off the ground as his gums started to bleed.
“AARGHH!”
Cried the boy.
The gang of youths stood up from the stone floor, giving the outsider menacing looks. Zan cracked his fists and smiled, before getting to work…