Kingdom of Humans - afternoon

Alexander and I were done shopping for supplies in the lower level of the kingdom. Been a while since I’ve come here. I can’t say I hate this place, but coming here always puts me on guard… Wish I had my spear with me; it always calms me down, tells me that I’m safe, and even if something bad happens, I can at least protect myself. Without it, the world feels much more dangerous, and I feel vulnerable.

"Such a haul, right, Marie?"

Brother’s voice reels me back to reality. Right, even without my weapon, my brother is with me, so I don’t feel vulnerable. No matter where we go, or what’s ahead of us, as long as he’s with me, everything is alright.

“Yeah, sorry if I went overboard on the spending.”

“No worries…though, my arms are growing fatigued.”

"Then let’s find a spot to sit."

I remember seeing a bench near the entrance, so we’ll go sit there since we’re close.

"Want to get something to eat, brother? I can go get it myself if you’re tired?"

"No, no. I’ll... Hm?"

"What is it?"

"Those people over there."

He points to a group of people yelling at a guard outside the entrance of the kingdom. A woman in the group is yelling at him. Sounds like she’s giving him a piece of her mind. Well, whatever, it’s not we… H-hey! Why is brother… Don’t tell me… I rush to his side as he approaches the woman.

"Excuse me, what seems to be the-"

"My husband! H-he was taken!"

"Please, calm down. What happened?"

The woman took a minute to calm down, sniffling with her eyes closed. "We were trekking to the kingdom, but we were attacked by bandits! But my husband, he got caught, and these knights won’t do anything!”

“Sorry, ma’am, but we aren’t meant to go out and rescue anyone. I’ve been trying to tell her that, but she won’t listen. There’s really nothing I can do, and even then, I’d have no idea where to look.”

He has a point. If we have no idea where to look, then what are they supposed to do?

“Please you have to look for him," one of the men in the group said.

“We’re begging you…”

Desperation is painted on their faces, grim even, If he hasn’t come back by now, then I’m not too sure that he’s still alive. Though, that thought makes me feel bad for her.

Brother grabs her hands, staring into her eyes with a hardened determination.

"Don't worry, I'll find your husband; you have my word." Brother puts down all of our supplies on a nearby bench. "Marie, would there happen to be a Fire Wraith camp nearby?"

Yeah, I assumed as much. If he’s out there, then the only things that could’ve gotten him are predators or bandits. Still, they wouldn’t stay close to the kingdom, but I know there is one not too far from here.

"Yeah, northeast, not too far. Brother, we–"

Before I could finish, he runs out of the kingdom.

"Wait, brother!"

Shit! We don’t have weapons and he’s just gonna run out like that! Damnit, I can’t just let him go alone.

"Excuse me, I know this is a bother, but watch those for us, okay!?"

I dash out after brother. He got a head start, so I’ll have to move fast. Despite my appearance, running for a long period of time isn’t an issue, and my legs are strong enough to cover long distances. I followed my brother’s bootprints. Leading down a slope, there’s a camp nestled in the bottom of this small pocket forest.

Brother is surrounded by armed bandits. Their stances are awful, posturing is all their good for. Then again, they are just grunt units, nothing more and nothing less. I’d be concerned they were stronger, but I was worried for nothing. I’m confident in that because my brother’s holding a sword, and if he’s good at anything, it’s swordplay. He easily dispatches all of the bandits, hitting them with his fists and the back of his hilt, subduing them without shedding blood.

He missed one. The sneaky bastard waited for him to turn his back. I quickly scale down the slope, picking up the closest weapon and bringing it up to the enemy’s neck.

"Drop the knife or I’ll tear your head off." Realizing the threat to his life, he dropped the knife.

"Now go to sleep!"

I tripped him to the ground, stomping his head against the ground.

"Marie, you came?"

"Of course, I was worried that you got lost."

"I'm not a child."

"Trust me, children have a better sense of direction than you. But forget that, let’s go find any prisoners. We walk around the camp, searching every nook and cranky until we found…bodies, dead ones. They were put into a pile. They must have thrown them to the waist side, clearly caring less for who they killed. This isn’t looking good.

Brother gazes at the pile, horrified by the sight of the stacks of the dead. There’s stuff lying around, items that probably belonged to the dead but no survivors…

“Come on, brother. We need to tell them.”

He says nothing. Balling up his fist, rage stirs up inside him. “Marie, I think it is time.”

“Time for what?”

“To strike back at the Fire Wraiths!”

Ruin camp - evening

Proxy and Marie had to transport them by coming back and forth from the kingdom to transport the new residents of the camp. Apparently, their village was burned and the guards weren't allowing them in, so bringing them here was the next best thing; unsurprising, it was Alexander's idea. Nunnalé and I walked until they were able to pick us up. When I asked Proxy about the bike, he said he found it in an alleyway. If this were NewPort - even if it were - he should have asked if it belonged to someone.

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The new people exude nothing but sorrow with a bit of anger in there. I couldn’t stand the feeling, but what was I supposed to do? Such sorrow was familiar, all too familiar; like being at the bottom of the ocean, where light can’t reach. Should I feel bad that I find their sorrow to be a headache to me? I mean, I’m not trying to say that I don’t care, and I never will, but it feels like that sometimes. Feeling it the way I do makes you somewhat reluctant to hear anything at all.

Proxy takes a seat next to me. "Man, what a day. Riding back and forth is tough. Know what I’m saying?"

“Not really. Where did you even get that bike?”

“It was a gift.”

“I was being serious.”

“So was I… Gonna have to make something soon for everyone.”

“You need help? I know the cooks are short-staffed.”

"Yeah. I love cooking, but doing it for so many people is kinda rough, so thanks."

From the corner of my eye, I notice Alex standing on the stone table at the far end of the camp.

"Everyone present! I…have a confession to make. Today, we failed to save someone…a husband. Not only him but several others were killed by the hands of bandits known as the Fire Wraiths.” I feel nothing right now, but I can tell the crowd is confused. “Those outside the kingdom live in danger. We live in fear of these brutes coming down on us and annihilating us in one fell swoop. They steal, kill, and destroy everything in their path without a shred of mercy. Even after the war, death and violence persist without end… That is why I wish to change this! And in order to bring this change, I ask for your help.”

A sudden burst of shock came from the crow. The crowd of people voices their concerns at him, telling him ‌he’s insane, that the bandits are beyond us, or just voicing their befuddlement.

“I am well aware of how it sounds, but if we do nothing, then their reign will remain unchallenged! Knowing this, please, take a moment to discuss it with yourselves. Choose carefully on this."

He says that but it’s not a simple decision to make, and with all this thick apprehension, they'll probably say no,

"Proxy, what are you thinking here? Should we agree with Alex?"

"Why not? That's pretty much the only way to solve this bandit problem, right? Then all we need to do is band up and kick some ass."

As simple as it sounds he isn't wrong. But I don’t know if we have what it takes. I mean, we’re not an army of well-trained men, so do we even have a glimmer of a chance? Besides, I think it’s better if Proxy and I should keep a low profile. Hm? Where did he go?

“Alright, now we’re talking!” Proxy runs through the crowd, jumping up on top of the rock slab with Alexander. "What's the point of talking about this? It's simple: you either fight to live, or you don't, and wait for those Fire Whatever-you-call-them to show up here. So why don't we just stop talking and take some action?"

Proxy's declaration was rather unrefined, but I wouldn't say ineffective. There’s still a bit of hesitance in the crowd, but it seems like he reduced it somewhat.

"And don’t sweat it. As long as you got me, and some of the other powerhouses in this place, we’ll all be good. So screw the odds, let’s bust some heads and show those bandits whose boss!”

Everyone goes quiet, giving Proxy an awkward silence, making it harder to read the atmosphere.

“Master Richard.” Nunnalé approaches me from behind, eating the sweets she has been saving since we came back from the kingdom. “...Would you like to fight?”

“Good question. I don’t want to, but I don’t know if that’s right. What do you want to do?”

“What I think is irrelevant. I fight for you. The reason is irrelevant.”

That sounds really messed up. But what do I want to do? I… I never been asked that before… If I can, I’d like to help Proxy as much as I can, even if I’m not all that useful.

“...I want to avenge my husband,” a woman in the crowd said, radiating an immense amount of anger. “I want them all to pay! Each one of those bandits!”

Her anger grows intense, sparking more anger to come from some of the others in the crowd. Not too many of them, but their rage is stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. Anger in itself is a strong emotion, but its strength depends on the subject. If it were over someone getting coffee spilled on their shirt, it wouldn’t be all that bad. But in this case, their anger is overwhelming, bone-chilling even.

Soon enough, the rest of the crowd starts to go with the flow, voicing their support for this cause. They aren’t as angered, but it feels somewhat similar to it.

"All right! Let’s do this shit!"

Proxy was getting hyped up, and everyone is getting swept up in it. He has that effect on people and I can't say that it doesn't work on me. However, it’s only by a bit.

"So, it's finally begun," Marie, who walked beside Nunnalé and me says, seemingly unsure by this decision.

"You knew he was going to do this?" I asked.

"Yeah. I knew this would happen." She takes a seat next to us. “To be honest, I don’t like the idea. If it were up to me, I’d have us stay out of sight, but my brother is stubborn. And with Proxy here, we’re pretty much on a set course. So, I have no choice but to ride it out.”

That’s…unexpected. Marie comes off as self-interested, so as long as it’s for her own benefit, she thinks of herself and her brother. So naturally, it’s surprising to see her accept this.

"What will you and Nunnalé do?" she asks me.

What else can I do? Striking out on our own is risky, and besides, I don’t want to leave Proxy’s side. I want the both of us to get home. Also, I have to pay back Marie for letting us stay here and for saving us. Without her, Proxy and I would’ve probably starved to death, or worse.

"We'll be staying. I don’t want to abandon Proxy and I want to repay you for your kindness…"

Marie places a hand on my head, ruffling my hair a little. "You're a good friend, and I thought you’d be a coward."

"Do not insult my master," Nunnalé countered, wearing a serious expression.

Marie giggled. “Sorry, sorry. You’re right, I’m sorry. I was just trying to say you have a dependable friend here." She pats my shoulder. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but if you help us, I promise I’ll have your back.

Wow…

"Marie, you’re actually nice."

She gives me a strange look. "What does that mean!?"

Oh shit!

"Um, uh, nothing! Nothing at all! Forget I said anything!"

Transitioning to a vexed appearance, she gets up from the ground. “...Well, anyway, I’m gonna go to bed… Say, Nunnalé, you want to sleep with me?”

“Why?”

“Because it might be fun, and I want to see how smooth your hair is.”

“I see, but what if–”

“It’s fine, Nunnalé. Go have fun with Marie.”

Getting her to relax isn’t easy, so if Marie can help with that, then I’ll take what I can get.

“You heard him. Come on, let’s go!”

She lifts Nunnalé off the ground, dragging her away. Nunnalé looks back at me, showing no uneasiness in those distant eyes, yet calm eyes of hers. Looks like I’m myself… Hm, I wonder what I should do now?

Suddenly, a pat on the back spooked me, having me turn my head to see who tapped me. “Sup, buddy.”

“Hey, Proxy.”

“What you got there?”

“Sweets. Want some?”

"Hell yeah! Man, you have no idea what I’ve been through without some sweets."

I hand him some from the bag and we went to town on them.

"Man, things are starting to get crazy, huh?”

"Yeah, and you seem excited about it."

"Nah, that was just to hype up the crowd. I was just helping Alex get his point across, ya know?"

"I suppose, but your speech was lacking in finesse."

“Huh!? Finesse is my middle name.”

“Do you even have a last name?”

“Ouch. Cold…”

We both watch the crowd, gossiping among themselves about what happened tonight.

"Proxy, do you think we’ll ever go home?"

"Who knows, but I promised I’d get us back there, so I’m gonna do it."

Hearing him being serious about this is comforting. I never doubted him about this, but it’s just nice to know that I can still count on him. Even if I can't read his words, I don't need to; that's how much I trust him,

“Thanks, Proxy,” I express my genuine gratitude.

"No problem, buddy.”

I don’t know what’s going to happen from here on out. Hell, I had no idea what would happen before all this. But, I want to believe everything will be fine, so I won’t go into this with a negative mindset. Though, I still have this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I always wanted to get rid of this feeling, but it always rears its head, whispering the worst-case scenario… No! It’ll all be fine. I know it will… I hope.