8/20 - Abandoned ruins, early morning

The first thing I feel as I begin waking up is a throbbing headache. My body is a bit stiff from sleeping on the hard ground. There’s a bit of drool coming from my mouth, not gonna even bring any attention to it.

"Shit, my head!"

Rubbing my head, I look around to find that I’m by myself. I notice something else as well. The sky has some blue in it. It was still dark before I was knocked out.

"How long was I knocked out? Wait, where did Cade and the others go?"

No use asking myself that, they were probably getting ready to go kill Marie. I need to go warn the others about Cade. Other than my headache, my body is good to go. I traverse the uneven road without any problems. Road Burner was parked just where I put it, it remained untouched thankfully enough. Turning her on, I race back to the anti-bandit camp in a hurry. I should've known those guys would've knocked me out, damn it, why didn't I see it coming? To be honest, I thought Cade would understand where I was coming from, but I guess I was wrong about that. Whatever, I gotta warn them, or else. . .

"Road Burner, go faster!"

On command, it made a mad dash right for the camp, breaking when it was near the entrance to the camp. I nearly went flying off, thankfully I was holding on for my dear life. Jumping off the bike, I run into the camp to find that the campgrounds are burnt to ash. The smell of smoke and ash spread throughout the camp. Some areas of the camp were burnt, the inhabitants of the camp are sitting away from the main area of the camp. Crow is examining any affected by the presumed fire. Alex is going around and making sure everyone is alright while giving orders at the same time.

I saw Richard sitting next to Nunnalé.

"Richard!"

I dash over to him. He notices me running over to him.

"Proxy!?"

"What's going on!?"

"Fire just broke during midnight, we woke up while it was getting out of hand."

"Who did it?” My grip on my scabbard tightened.

"I don't know but Nunnalé said she sensed someone near the camp and went after them."

The camp wasn't in terrible shape, but it wasn't good either, some of the tents are burnt up. I can see the tent where we keep the weapons burnt up, as well as the food. I went to go check up on it. It’s not looking too good.

"At least we have some left," Richard whispered.

"Yeah, still not great though."

Leaving off with that, I head over to Alex, who is checking the burnt grounds.

"Alex," I anxiously called.

"Hello, Proxy."

"Bad time to come back?"

"I’m glad to see you, just not glad that this happened. Can you help me, I'm searching for Marie and anyone else who might be missing."

"You don't know where Marie is?"

"No, I searched for her while commanding everyone. She wasn't in her tent."

"Shit!"

"Proxy, what's the matter?"

"I think someone is going to kill her!"

"Seriously," Richard jumps at the mere mention of it.

Alex goes with a sharper expression.

"Who?"

"Cade's group."

"But why?"

"They know she was a bandit."

Alex tenses up after mentioning it.

"She was a bandit!” Richard lowers his shock as to not shout it.

"So you know now?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter right now, we need to go after them. I know where they are, so I'm heading there right now."

"Please take me with you," Richard leans forward as he eagerly asks.

"It's too dangerous, I can't!"

"But I can't let you go alone, and I'm not taking no for an answer! Plus, Nunnalé will be coming along, so we'll be able to rescue Marie much faster."

Nunnalé emerged from the sky, gracefully landing in between us.

"Master, I figured out who attacked us."

"I already know, we're going to be going out," Richard informed her.

"Where to?"

"To save Marie."

"Understood, I shall go with you and Proxy."

Despite my protest against him coming along with me, Nunnalé would probably be a big help in getting Marie back, and she'll probably only go if Richard goes. Against my better judgment, I guess I'll have to let him join me.

"You know we'll probably have to fight, right," I ask him.

"I. . .I don't want to, but I know they're eager to fight after they-"

"Don't say," I cut him off. I didn't want to believe it but considering the circumstances. No, we're just wasting time. "Alex, we'll be back with Marie!"

"Okay, I'll be waiting for you."

"Also, this is my fault. I knew Cade wanted to kill her and I almost helped him, too. I should've warned you guys about him. When we get back, you can punish me for it."

Wasting no time on anything else, I storm out of the camp, with Nunnalé and Richard behind me. We hop onto my bike. Little did I know, my bike didn't have enough room for three.

"This might not work," Richard points out.

"Master, if you want, I'll let you sit on my lap."

"You kidding me!?"

Yeah, this wasn't going to work out, my ability to drive may be affected by this.

"Maybe we should just figure this out before we drive off," I suggest.

"Why don't we take that vehicle?" Nunnalé pointed towards Marie's bike.

"Hm, not a bad idea. . ."

High treetop camp - early morning

We arrived at Cade's hideout, the moment we entered the forest I was in caution mode, my body was ready for anything. But nothing happened. We park under the rope station to climb up. I climb up the rope with minimal effort. Nunnalé jumped up onto the platform. Pretty cool, not gonna lie.

"Is this the place," Richard asks as he eyes the area. Nunnalé moves in front of him, spawning her sword

"Yeah, but it's too quiet, there are usually people here."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I detect people on the west side," Nunnalé tells us.

"Guess they know we're coming, let's not keep them waiting then."

During our walk to the west side of the camp, not a single soul was to be seen in our path. That was until we hit a group of kids ahead of us, Wedge being in the front and center of the whole group. They have weapons in their hands.

"What's this, a get-together," I quip.

"Cade told us to stop you, and that's exactly what we'll do," Wedge replies.

"Where is she, Wedge?"

"I won't tell you! You won't stop that bandit's execution!"

"Execution!?"

"That's right, we're going to kill her in our home village!"

Damn it, we're just wasting our time here, we need to figure out where that village is.

"Wedge, you're going to tell me where that village is."

"I won't!"

Shit, he isn’t going to make this easy. So, I guess we'll have to do this the way I like it.

"Fine, then I'll beat the shit out of you!"

Taking a few steps forward, three teens come at me with weapons. As they swing their weapons, I easily dodge their attacks and knock them out in a quick fashion.

"Amazing speed," Wedge compliments.

"I'm serious here Wedge, tell me where they're at! I'll really hurt you all if I need to."

"Be that as it may, we still have an obligation to Cade! So even if you break us, we will never talk!"

"Bet you won't. How about this then." I threw off my jacket and sword to the ground. "If I beat your ass, you tell me where Cade is."

"Why should I? What's the trade-off?"

"You can kill me, easy as that."

"Proxy, what are you-"

"Don't worry, if it's just a fistfight, I can win it."

At least I need to, I don't know if he’ll buy into my confidence, but I had to at least try. To my relief, he seems to understand based on his body language.

"If it gets too dangerous, I'll have Nunnalé pull you out, "

"Got it!"

The crowd of teens begins to surround us, giving us enough room to fight but also keeping us from running away.

"Okay, Proxy, take your best shot!"

He takes on an open posture, leaving his chest open. He’s giving me the first attack, but it’s too good to be true, he’s probably going to counter my attack before I connect it. Then again, if I do a fake-out, I should be able to hit him before he gets the chance to know what's coming. All right, here goes! I run towards my opponent with a strat in mind. My first honed in on Wedge's chest, but as I was about to shift towards his back, I noticed he didn't move his arms at all, not even when I was so close to his chest. He was just gonna let me hit him. Fine by me then, might as well go for it. With all the force I could add on, I hit him in the torso.

"Gaah!"

"Nice shot, Proxy, you got him!"

Richard cheers me on as the other kids remain silent. Something is wrong with that hit. Punching him feels like. . .punching a brick wall!

"That was a nice attack Proxy, but now that I gave you a free attack, I shall be attacking you!"

"Bring it on then!"

My next attack is gonna have to be a decisive one. I commence my next attack by going for his head. A left jab finds its mark against his cheek, but the same thing happens like before, his face is as hard as a brick.

"Sorry, but that will be your final attack."

Wedge grabs my arm, his grip is firm, keeping me from getting away. He strikes me in the face. The punch was harder than I expected, it was as if a brick struck me. He’s getting ready to throw another, I kicked him in the head until he let go of me. With my athletics, I backflipped away from him. The hit he landed was still bruising, my cheek is thumping like crazy.

"I'm surprised you're still awake, most impressive, Proxy."

"That was nothing."

That attack was strong, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. But that body of his is pretty strong, so just one attack isn't going to work, and if he catches me again he'll land another strong hit.

"Proxy, are you okay!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, just needed to recover my nerves."

It’s more than me needing my nerve, something is bothering me ever since we got here. The thought of who tried to burn the camp down plagued my mind. I already knew who might've done it, but I need to confirm it for myself. I get up from the ground and slowly move toward Wedge.

"Wedge, I'd like to know something: did you guys set the camp on fire?"

"We did, anyone who affiliates themselves with bandits are enemies, no matter who they are!"

I see so that's how far Cade and these guys are willing to go. . .!

"Proxy, we are willing to go towards any depths that it takes to beat the bandits, are you!?"

Wedge came running towards me, with a battle cry. The rage inside me is boiling to its breaking point. Marie already hates herself for the things she did as a bandit, and then you bastards try to burn the camp down with everyone in it. You guys went too far! I'm not gonna let you get away with this, I'll kick your asses!

"Proxy, dodge!"

I sense a fist coming my way, Wedge is right in front of my face, in striking distance. His fist is moving slowly, it’s just like back in the fighting arena in the Kingdom when I fought Quincy. It doesn't matter, he's in range and I’m gonna make sure he regretted it. As his fist came close, I tilt my head, and with my left fist, I smash in his head. It isn’t enough, so I hit him again, taking his head and crushing it against my knee, then clumping my hands together to hit him over the head. His body hit the floor like a wet blanket. He is still able to move, so for my final move, I slam the heel of my shoe against his head after raising it high to the air. The ground below brakes as his head goes through it.

"That was for destroying my camp and hurting my friends, you sons of bitches!"

I lifted Wedge, he’s unconscious. Shit, I didn't mean to knock him out. I was thinking too much with my fists than my head.

"Wake up, I said wake the hell up! You need to tell me where Cade is!"

It is a no-go, he’s out of it. I stare at the crowd around us, Richard and Nunnalé come towards me as the teens begin to close in. Nunnalé draws her sword from thin air again.

"Take it easy, no killing!" Richard lowers Nunnalé’s sword. This is no time to be screwing around, we need to know where Cade's village is at.

"Hey, you brats, where's Cade's village!"

"Like we'd tell you."

"I won the fight, so you better tell me before I kick your asses."

"Go ahead, but we won't tell you."

"Yeah, that bandit is probably already dead!”

These damn brats aren't going to blab no matter how much I hurt them, huh? We'll see about that.

"If that is the case, then. . ." Nunnalé pauses near the end of her sentence. She grabs Wedge and strolled over to the edge of the platform. She dangles him over the edge with one hand on his shirt. The teens and kids tense up.

"Tell us the location of the village, or I shall drop him," she threatens, her machine-like tone doesn’t leave room for doubt.

"Put him down, or else!"

"That's dirty, you're as bad as the bandits."

"Those comments do not have anything to do with my question. Tell me where the village is, or I shall drop him."

"Nunnalé, stop this!"

As Richard attempts to stop her, I halt him.

"Proxy, what are you-"

"Let her do this."

I don't want Wedge to die but the kids won't talk unless we make them. This is a gamble on whether it would work or not. Just in case, I'll try to get closer so I can catch Wedge if she drops him.

"The deadline to answer my question is 7 seconds. I suggest someone answer the question immediately."

I could see her grip slowly becoming looser as she went by 5. As she hit 2 her grip was almost nonexistent, but that’s also when someone raised their hand.

"Cade's village is far south of here, you'll be able to find it when you find burnt grass," a young boy explains with their shy, low pitched voice.

"Then come with us to point us in the proper direction."

Nunnalé throws Wedge back on the platform. The volunteer steps forward as navigator.

"Come on, we have no time to waste!" Nunnalé grabs the navi and runs off along with Richard following behind her.

"Wait!"

Before I head-off, Wedge's voice calls out to me. He’s sitting up on the ground, breathing heavily, and has his hand on his head.

"Why do you want to save that bandit? She killed Cade's parents!"

"I know, and I'm not saying that it's okay, but I can't let her be killed, not since she regrets it. Plus, I promised I would bring her home, so I can't back down now, even if I have to cave in Cade's face."

I quickly follow behind Richard and the others to go rescue Marie. Maybe I might be doing the wrong thing, but it doesn’t matter to me, I think this the right thing to do.

Cade's village - early morning

With the navi's help, we were able to reach the village with no delays. The first thing I noticed was the burnt grass all over. It stretched as far as the eye can see. It was horrible, to say the least, but seeing the village elevated that feeling. The place was burned to ashes, the houses were practically just wood and somewhat of a foundation. The roads are scorched as well.

"Cade, it's me Proxy, show yourself!"

Nothing, nobody responds to my announcement. As the three of us head into the village, I take notice of objects on the ground. Weapons were laying all over the place, most of them were rusted with dry blood and from proper age.

"Whose weapons are these," I ask as I pick up the weapon.

"Villagers that tried to fight back."

In front of me, Cade and Puck came out of hiding.

"Where's Marie?"

"How'd you find this village?"

"I beat the hell out of Wedge."

"I see, but are you really sure about this, trying to save a bandit."

"I am, what about it?"

"What about it, you're going to die for a worthless bandit," Cade bites back, irritation seeping out.

"She's not worthless! She's a proud member of the anti-bandit army, and one of my allies," I declare from the top of my lungs. I take a battle stance.

"She was a bandit once, and she might've killed some people, but that time has come and gone. She might be a pain, overbearing, and just too demanding, but that's the Marie I know, so I won't judge her for her past! And don't act you're better than the bandits, you're just as worst; burning our camp for no good reason at all, nearly getting my friends in there killed!"

"They were on a bandits side, and the leader of that group saved one. Are you going to tell me that you're okay with that?"

"I'm totally cool with that!"

We aren't going to budge on our differences now, Cade and I are gonna have to fight now.

"Fine then, Puck: Proxy and his friends are our enemies now, kill them."

"Okay, Cade."

Puck loads a bullet into her gun, pointing at us soon after. I don't know what to expect, but I can tell that this fight was going to a rough one!