Underground town - morning

We speed down a random street hill that has little to no people. The buildings are a blur as we zoom past them. I’m holding onto the shield’s edge as right with my dear life. Alex is right behind me on another shield, and Vella is sitting with me. The wind races past my face, feeling as if I'm falling from the sky or something. It nails in how fast we’re going. One mistake, and we’re eating dirt.

“Vell,” I shout, fighting back against the wind.

“What is it,” she responds with the same volume as me.

“Where does this lead to!?”

“It leads to a water bank!”

Good, good. Now to ask the more important question. “Did you do this before!?”

“Yeah! Why?”

“Just curious, how many times have you hit the ground?”

“Not too many times, just 6 times!”

Yep, we might die before hitting the bank… Speak of the devil, a bank of water is up ahead. From what little I’m able to see up ahead, there's a ramp to help us glide into the water. Well, at least we'll have a landing… Wait a minute.

"How deep is the water?" I ask her, praying that she doesn't give me the answer I don't want.

"Not too deep, but you'll have to get ready to swim."

Oh shit, oh no, oh God!

"Oh no… I can't swim…"

"We're about to hit it!"

Intense fear hits me like a brick hitting a windshield. While Vella yells with excitement, I'm screaming from the top of my lungs as we're about to hit the water.

Underground town - pet section - morning

After I almost drowned, we went to a pet reservation. It only has one animal here. It's like a panda except it has the tail of an otter. Its face looks a bit goofy with that long mouth, but It looks pretty cute.

"What is this thing?"

"It's a Plato. It's a very kind creature that loves it when people give it treats. Plus, its fur is soooo soft." Vella hands me something that looks like jerky. "Give him this and he'll let you hug him. "

"Really? Alright then."

I hand it the food Vella gave me. It throws it into its mouth, chewing on it with relish.

"Wow, you were able to do that so easily.

"No surprise, I was called the dog whisperer back home. No hound was beyond my ability to tame it!"

Now, time to go in for the hug. As I approach it, I open my arms wide. "Time to embrace the fur--" it smacks me with its giant hand, sending me soaring to the side of the reservation, into the fence surrounding the creature.

“Oh, right. I forgot to mention. They only like to hug girls, so when a man tries it. Well…”

“Thanks for the tip,” I sarcastically utter. The pain isn’t too big of a deal, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.

"So fluffy!" Bella hugs it while rubbing her head against it, pouring salt on my wounds. "Proxy, it's so fluffy."

"Yeah, sure… I'm just gonna pass out."

Underground town - afternoon

I’m panting like a dog at this point. One thing after another, Vella seems to be getting me into scrapes at this point. Well, maybe it’s just a bit of bad luck on my part, or maybe hers.

“Proxy, you seem tired, maybe we should take a break.”

“Yeah, maybe I should…”

I squat on the floor to catch my breath. As I’m relaxing, I see Gil and Vran walking together.

“Yo,” I called out to them.

“Proxy, what are you doing?” Gil asks as he rushes over to me.

“Chillin’. You?”

“We just got back from a practice match. Vran is a great partner. She was able to lift me off the ground.”

“I-it’s no deal, really!”

“I don’t, with the size of someone like Gil, you have to be pretty strong to do that."

“Vran really is strong. She can even beat bigger animals with only her bare hands.”

In a swift motion, she approaches Vella and puts her hand on her mouth. “Vella, stop!”

Even though she’s being muffled, her innocent laugh is clear. Vran grows even more embarrassed by the harmless act.

Vella moves Vran’s hand from her mouth. “But I bet Proxy can beat you. After all, his muscles are pretty big.”

Huh?

“R-really?”

Vran turns her head to me, giving a stare that strikes fear into me. Time stops in my body, becoming a statue. “P-Proxy… Let’s fight!”

For the first time, my fight or flight instincts let my flight take control. “W-what!? Wait a minute, I ain’t ready, besides…”

“No debate, we must fight!”

She cracks her knuckles as she closes in on me. Judging from her wacko bloodlust, I’m going on a whim that she’ll crush my damn head if she gets ahold of me.

“Hey, look over there!” Everyone’s attention turns the other way. “See ya!”

I make a mad dash for my life. Vella is behind me as we run from this crazy scene. It doesn’t take long for Vran to chase after me. A spine curling feeling is behind me, turning around feels like a death sentence.

“Why are we running Proxy?”

“Because of you!”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

“You airhead!”

Death is behind me, and it's because of an airhead...

Underground - afternoon

We’re in the same bar that we got chewed out in yesterday. Elizabeth is drinking like usual, not even batting an eye at the fact that we're in here. Did she forget about that stuff, or is she just not trying to think about it? Either way, I don’t want to bring down the mood, so I won’t bring it up.

“Yo, Marie, ya seem upset. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“C’mon, ya have that pouty face.”

“I’m not pouting! It’s just… Do you think we’re feminine?”

“Oh, you’re still upset about yesterday?”

“Aren’t you?”

“Not really.”

“How can you not?”

“I mean… For most of my life, I wasn’t raised to be prim and proper. My pa was one of the first people to be an engineer, but even before then, he loved to take shit apart. So, he taught me how to do it.”

“What about your mother?”

“She kicked the bucket when I was a kid. Wasn’t in the best of health.”

Guilt hits me hard. I should've figured that was the case. It's not exactly uncommon for parents to be dead or missing. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it, I ain't delicate. Point is, even if I ain’t so feminine, I love who I am, and how I do things. So if someone has a problem with it, they can kiss ma ass!”

She takes another drink from her cup. “C’mon, just one drink.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“No, I shouldn’t. I’m about to leave anyway.”

“Why?”

“I need to find Vezra. I have to apologize for how I acted.”

“Ya sure about that?”

“Yeah.”

“‘Kay, then I’ll drink for the both of us!.”

The declaration gets a chuckle out of me. “Alright, drink as much as you want. Just make sure not to go overboard.”

“Roger that.”

At first, I didn't think much of Elizabeth, but now, I think she’s much stronger of a person than I can be… Maybe I should take a page from her book?

Underground town - Zeal’s room - afternoon

My body goes up and down as I use my arms to elevate and deescalate myself… I’m doing push-ups. My body is tightening as I’m closing into my limit. The strain in my arms is becoming more apparent, but that’s good, it lets me know that my body is growing. As the pain grows and my sweat drips off my body, I finally move past my limit and stop at my new record.

I get up from the floor, wiping off the sweat from my face. “How many, and you better have counted them all.”

“From the start to end, I counted 180 push-ups.”

“Yes!”

I’m close to 200. Next time I should just push it, even if it leaves me sore.

“May I ask why you did so many?”

“It’s not that much. Besides, I want to get stronger.”

“Oh my, how manly of you. Just don’t wear yourself out, or else you won’t be able to grow properly.”

“Shut up, I know how to grow.”

“Do you get a good night of rest?”

“I stay up sometimes.”

“Do you eat a proper meal every day?”

“Who cares, food is food.”

“Do you wash your--”

“Yes, and stop! I get it. I’ll sleep more and eat properly.”

“You should also take care of how you look. People will give you funny stares if you continue to dress the way you do.”

“It ain’t that bad. Though, brother does scold me about how I tear up my clothes, but that’s just a style choice. But maybe I should at least tidy up, but only a bit.”

Vetra hands me a towel. I use it to wipe the sweat off my body.

“You seem to have a great amount of respect for your brother,” she says, smiling all the while.

“Of course, he’s the best person in this world. What, I can’t love my brother?”

“No, it’s wonderful that you’re able to get along. You should always get along with one another.”

“No shit.”

She wags her finger at me with a, "scolding you" expression. “Language!”

I click my teeth from the comment. I didn’t mean to curse to be rude, it’s just how I talk. But I should learn to control it, as brother said. It’s just so damn hard to do so.

“S-sorry.”

“That’s much better. Now, do you want something to eat?”

“I ain’t hungry.”

“It’s no good to--”

“I know, I know. I mean it, I ain’t hungry.”

“If you say so.”

She hums a quiet tune to herself. It's nice to the ears, but more importantly, it sounds vaguely familiar. Memories of a time I can scantily recall. A woman is humming to me, soothing me. It's as if the tune itself eased my heart and soul all at once.

"What is that?" I ask, my tone soft so it won't mess with the humming.

"Huh? What am I humming? It's nothing at all."

"Nothing at all, huh? Well, whatever."

"What is it? Come on, you can tell me."

"It's nothing…really…"

She just sits there with a beautiful smile that captivates me. My brain is telling me to not tell her anything else, but something else is just itching to share with her. That smile doesn't help things. Man, what am I getting conflicted about? Thinking about this shit is just annoying.

"This is gonna sound dumb, but you remind me of someone."

"Who would that be?"

I'm struggling to get the words out. Son of a bitch, they're just words, say them!

"Y...you remind me of my mom…"

She covers her mouth, raising her brows as well as her eyelids. All of a sudden though, she starts laughing. She's trying to die it down but it isn't working.

"What's so funny!?"

"Nothing, it's just… I was always told I was a motherly type of person. I suppose that is true, but I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"Well… I just don't feel as if I deserve to be a mother."

She drops the smile for a second. Her expression is dower while still retaining her beauty.

"Why?"

"No reason… None at all. Simply ignore me." There's no way I can do that with you making it obvious that something is wrong. "...May I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"If you...failed someone, failed to protect the one you hold dear… Would you be able to forgive yourself?"

"No," I immediately answer. "Who the hell would forgive themselves for it? If you forgive yourself after someone you care about gets hurt, then that means you never cared in the first place."

"I see…" The room goes dead quiet as we sit or stand in place. Vetra gets up from her chair. "Well, I should go get something prepared for dinner. We're all going to be eating in the dining hall again, so please come around in 30 minutes, okay?

"Yeah, sure…"

She shuts the door behind herself. The clicking sound of the door barely reaches my ears. The question she asked was odd, and it's still bugging me.

"If you fail to protect them, then what good are you? That's a question I never wanna answer ever again."

Underground town - afternoon

It took me a while, but thanks to some of the girls here, I found Vezra. She's in the kitchen, alongside several other girls who are preparing dinner. Her knife chops through something on a cutting board in front of herself. The way she uses the blade in her hand is smooth, swift, and without effort. She uses it to cut up the last of the ingredients she has in front of her.

"You have a great handle on that knife."

She jerks her head at me. She recoils from the sight of me. "Oh, oh my! You scared me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

She quickly collects her cool, bringing back the mature air around herself. "It's fine, I just get too focused when cooking."

"Ah… May I join you?"

"No, it's fine. I can do this on my own."

"Oh, I see…"

The words clog in my throat as I try to force them out.

"Do you need something?" Vezra's voice brings me back to reality. "I need to get these done before dinner, so…"

"Actually, I do have something to say." I bow my head to her. "I am so sorry about my behavior yesterday! I was acting like a drunken fool and I behaved disrespectfully!" Looking up, Vezra is stiff, staring at me with a 100 mile stare. "...Was I too loud?"

"What? No, you weren't. I was just surprised, is all. However, there's no need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one apologizing. We were the ones who instigated the argument."

"But you didn't do anything. Besides, I almost hit one of them, so I'm the one who was about to take it too far…"

We went back and forth on whose fault it was, after a while, Vezra starts giggling to herself as she puts the knife down. "...Then why don't we say it was both our faults."

"I don't know if it's really fine by me, but at least we can resolve this."

She and I shake hands. Her grip is stronger than I imagined. Now that I notice it, her hands are a bit callus; it's not too noticeable from afar, but getting close helps.

"Your hands are quite strong," Vezra compliments.

"Thanks," I nervously responded. "...But it's probably not all that feminine for me to be muscular."

"No, it's alright… Personally, I think it's amazing!"

"Really?"

"Of course, you look so cool, not to mention you look strong."

"Oh, oh shit… Well, I wouldn't say that, but I have knocked quite a lot of heads during my time."

Besides bandit's heads, Proxy is the usual suspect, but that’s neither here nor there.

“I think it’s fine to be muscular, it adds a certain charm to the woman.”

“O-oh! That’s nice to hear. Honestly, my muscles didn’t bother me before, and they still kinda don't. I only develop them from fighting a lot and using a spear.”

“You use a spear?”

“Yeah, I was taught at a young age how to use one, so it became my main weapon. What about you? You ever use a weapon?”

“Perish the thought, I’d never be able to. I’m too weak to even use one."

"It's not too late to start… Judging how you use that knife, that could be your main weapon."

"You think so?"

Her expression goes blank from the comment. Her eyes go dull for a moment. It's as if all the life had been sucked out of her, only for them and her expression of a cool, mature woman to come back.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine…"

"Oh, then I must've been seeing things."

Maybe I did, but it looked as if she was bothered by something for a moment. I don't know, maybe I am seeing things.

Vezra hands me another knife that's on the table. "...Maybe I can use a little bit of help."

"I thought you didn't need any help?"

"I might've exaggerated that point. Besides, I can use a hand with carrying a few things."

"Sure thing, I'll help where I can."

We get to work on making dinner. Vezra helped me with the cooking part and I helped get things from point A to point B. She's such a kind but cool woman… I'm kind of jealous of that.

Underground city - Proxy's room - evening

Dinner is about to start, but I need to take a break. After all the trouble that Vella brought on me, I more than need it. First I almost drowned, got smacked into a fence, then I barely escaped being thrown around like a ragdoll. Meanwhile, she doesn't have any idea what she's doing… Any more of this, and I might kick the bucket.

Light knocks come from my door. "Proxy, it's Vella."

My heart skips a beat. Her voice turns my whole body into an icicle. Any thought in my head ceased, turning off from sheer fear. Maybe I should pretend that I'm not here?

"Proxy, please open the door. I know you're in here." She even sounds like a horror movie villain! "I need to talk to you, it's important."

"You ain't got something on you that'll mess me up, right?"

"No, I do not."

Well, in that case, I can let her in. I just hope I don't regret it.

Carefully opening the door, Vella's wry smile is the first thing I see. "Sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"It's okay. But Vell, about today…"

"I know, it was quite fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah...sure."

This chick is honestly so airheaded that it isn't funny. Though, I don't think I should bring that point up; she seemed to be having fun, so who am I to ruin it?

"However, something that has been on my mind."

"Spit."

"Why would I do that?" She asks, tilting her head to me.

"It means say what you gotta say."

"Ah, I'm sorry. Your way of speaking is very colorful, I just can't keep up."

"Don't sweat it, I forget that some people in this world don't know most of my slang. But what do you want?"

She shuffles her fingers around each other as she stares at her feet. "You said you would do whatever I asked, remember?"

I did? Sure as shit escaped me, I wonder when I said that…? No, wait, I did; back when we decided to stay here.

"Yeah, I do," I said, trying to come off like I didn't forget.

"Then, could you do me a favor? I know it's a bit ludicrous to have you do me a favor, even though you're our guest."

"Don't worry. A guest shouldn't be a freeloader. So tell me what needs to be done?"

Well…" Her voice dies down as she looks up. An innocent smile that radiates excitement. "...Can you take me outside…?"