Alexander awoke back in the room the Puma and Eagle tribe had provided for him. He rubbed his tired eyes and sat up in the makeshift bed. Pengu, again, had been lying below his head, gifting him with a comfortable pillow. No sooner had his vision cleared up, that the pain surged in his body. A mix of soreness and stabbing pain attacked Alexander in waves, increasing in severity the more he woke up. It appeared his body was making a habit of rousing in agony when he rested in this room.
Looking to the gray curtain that sealed away the room, Alexander attempted to stand, but his body refused. The pain was ever increasing, threating to drown him its waters. Activating his white flames within his eyes, Alexander took stock of the damage. He was in terrible shape: fractured bones healed messily, collapsed vessels running all over his body, nerve damage, and the terrible scar plaguing his left eye and running across his eye. With a groan, he was at least happy to see his mana reserves had topped off again. Pangs of hunger mixed with the pain as his stomach informed him how long he’d been asleep.
While Alexander began to surgically guide the white flame to recover his health, Pengu’s snoring ceased. The little chick rolled over slowly, but as she realized the source of the noise that had awoken her, she jumped up and waddled out of the room squawking. Alexander blearily watched the penguin dash through the curtains, his mind too preoccupied with his injuries to understand what she had said.
Shutting his eyes, he focused on moving the white flame around his body. From his heart, it divided in two, and as his blood vessels branched so too did the flame. He was passively healing them, strengthening them with the presence of his flame. This considerably reduced the pain he was feeling, but it also took time. He moved the fire through his body once, twice, thrice, over and over again until his vessels were pristine.
Beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead from the consumption of his mana, but his efforts were well worth it. He could feel it; his vessels were stronger now, of a higher quality. He smiled to himself as he wondered whether his reckless abuse of his body had been a benefit in disguise. Not that he was willing to undergo that torture again, the agony of his body breaking down from lack of mana had left a mental scar.
Running his hand down the scar on his face, Alexander was eager to begin healing his eye, but he didn’t have the mana the safely undergo the procedure. Patting down on his pockets, he was disappointed to find no more of his mana recovery snacks. Perhaps Thomas or Kai had some.
As he opened his right eye, he recoiled a little as he noticed Pengu had returned bringing with her a guest. Blonde hair, a healthy tan, and two shut eyes, Alexander recognized her as the girl from his dream, but was that possible?
Furling his eyebrows, he walked over and put his hands around the girl’s face. Her skin was soft and warm and… definitely real. Falling back, Alexander struggled to string together a sentence. “I had a dream… but you’re here. And I didn’t know. Your face… I just thought. Uhh.”
Stepping into his visual field, Thomas walked over to Alexander from the left side of the room. “Alexander, my brother. Did you just touch the Venus?”
A sheen of red covered his face as Alexander stared down at his hands. “Did I just touch the what? I just… I thought…” Turning to face Thomas, Alexander was again taken aback as he noticed what seemed like a pregnant belly beneath his friend’s shirt. “Am I still dreaming?” Standing back up, Alexander neared Lady Venus again and poked her forehead.
“Alexander, I appreciate your body’s current condition, and respect your status as the protagonist of a prophecy. But I do promise you, as the eternal guardian of the Venus, if you do not retract your hand from milady, I will make it so that you no longer have one to defile her with.” By the curtain, Maia spoke with such cold enmity that Alexander shivered. Kai stood beside her with Pola sitting on his shoulders, motioning to back away.
Perplexed, he removed his finger and sat back down on his bed. Venus smiled. “I apologize. Maia has always been a tad overprotective, but it is a pleasure to speak with you in the physical realm, Alexander.”
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Sipping on a glass of water, Alexander embarrassedly apologized for being so disrespectful to someone he now realized was an incredibly important figure. Thomas had filled him in on the events after his collapse. He spoke of Venus’ arrival to the battle, accompanied by a group of fresh Emerald warriors. They had been the final nail in the coffin of the Green Mamba, and the battle had concluded soon enough. After which, Venus went into the medical bay and used her powers to knock anybody critically ill unconscious, and with the cooperation of her entourage, she transported them back to the tribe with utmost haste. It was thanks to her efforts that many were able to reach the camp back alive.
“I’m telling you it is completely okay. It is to be expected you would be out of it once you woke up. Your body and mind went through a lot.” Waving away his worries, Lady Venus sat on a chair formed of her pink mist, stroking away at Pengu who had taken a liking to her lap.
The group had swapped locations in favor of the outdoors. Their group was much too large to comfortably fit inside of Alexander’s room, and his stomach demanded its fill. Kai and Thomas had procured food for everyone while Venus formed a table and seats with a flick of her hand.
“Let it go, bro. I’m sure there’s many people who have laid their hands on the Venus without consent. Oh, wait, no there’s not.” Laughing to himself, Thomas bit a chunk off the turkey leg in his plate. “Maia, is Alexander a criminal in Anima?”
The Emerald warrior leader put Thomas to shame as she demolished not one but two turkey legs. “Oh, most certainly. We actually tend to execute anyone who dares approach the Venus without her consent.” Glancing at Alexander with a pitiful look, Maia lamented. “I can only imagine the penalty for touching her is worse. Well… it was nice to meet you, Alexander.”
Kai waved goodbye at Alexander from across the table, and Pola, eager to be included, imitated her brother. The memory of his unsightly behavior made Alexander focus on his food all the more. His right eye occasionally darted to Venus, staring at the girl from the corner of his vision, but his reply to the mockery was feeble. “Accidents… accidents happen. I was half asleep and exhausted from everything. Any of us would’ve done that give how strange the situation was.”
“Hmm, is that right? What do you think, Maia? Do you wake up and just grab stranger’s faces?” Holding back his laughter, Thomas mischievously engaged with Maia.
The warrior matched his energy perfectly and joked back. “Certainly not. Only a pervert would do such a thing. A pervert I say!” Slamming her hand on the pink table, Maia clamored, sending herself and Thomas into a fit of laughter. Kai tried to remain ambivalent to their antics, but their cheerfulness was contagious. And, too, he soon erupted in laughter.
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Alexander lowered his face even closer to his plate, silently eating his food as he did his best to ignore the two’s teasing. He wasn’t angered by any of their words; if anything, he was thankful everyone was in such a good mood they would holler out in the open. Alexander knew his friends to be unruly but receptive, and he expected Maia to be the same judging by her actions.
It would appear the tribe’s situation had improved considerably from the rainforest battle. While he ignored the ongoing jesting in the table, Alexander noticed any Puma or Eagle tribe warrior who walked near their table wore something they had been starved of before: a smile.
The tone of the camp had undergone a complete transformation. Slowly, Alexander noticed the people no longer sprinted as they moved in and out of the buildings, Instead, the warriors strolled through the grounds. Their backs had straightened somewhat, perhaps signaling the lightened load on their backs. Their faces were yet to depict total relaxation, many of them snapped their heads side to side at any nearby rustling of leaves, but Alexander could tell they were heading in that direction. A few of the more pioneering ones were even sitting around on the ground, engaging in what Alexander could only assume was a picnic.
As he observed the tribe’s changes, he noticed an Eagle warrioress guiding a small child towards him. The pair walked hand in hand, exchanging the loving gaze only a mother and child can. Alexander watched with interested as the two approached him.
“Hello!” The child happily greeted Alexander, silencing the chatter on the table.
“How do you do, little missy? To what do I owe this lovely surprise?” Alexander smiled widely, doing his best to be welcoming rather than scary in spite of his scar.
Nudging her child, the mother encouraged her. “Go on, Kena. Tell the hero what you wanted to say.”
“T-Thank you for saving, daddy!” The little girl bowed her head ever so slightly as she expressed her thanks.
Surprised, Alexander stared quietly at the duo, unsure of how to respond.
The mother grabbed on to her daughter and bowed as well, much lower than her daughter. “I hope our presence did not interrupt your meal or offend the heroes in any way. We were just so eager to extend our gratitude to you, to all of you. Your noble gesture in the battlefield stabilized my husband just enough so that he could return to the tribe alive. His days of fighting are behind him, but from the whispers in the tribe, this does not seem to be all that bad.” The woman paused as she raised her head slightly to ensure Alexander was not angered. “Our tribe has been awash with stories of you and your companion’s heroics all week, but none have been more repeated than your gallant healing. Thank you, hero. From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of our tribe, thank you.”
The woman did not wait for Alexander’s response as she backed away, leaving Alexander to stare at her retreating figure. His face was blank, but internally, happiness blossomed in his very soul.
“It feels amazing, doesn’t it? We endure so much pain. Go through such suffering we tell ourselves it wasn’t worth it, but then someone goes and says something like that. And all of a sudden, everything is okay.” Maia broke the silence in the table, speaking with more seriousness than she had since Alexander awoke.
“It’s… fascinating. I remember healing. It’s embarrassing to admit, but I did it out selfishness. I was lost, searching for a way to make up for the moral blemish in my consciousness. Healing the injured was the best thing I could think of, so I did. Now, the people think me a hero?”
“Many would have done something different: fled from the battle, sink into the darkness and kill more, or do nothing. All acceptable, but you chose neither.” Venus spoke calmly, her voice luring Alexander into a peaceful state just like in his dream. “You’ll find most times what leads to people calling you a hero isn’t a large display of power. It’s the little things; actions you made without a second thought and forgot about. Those always leave the strongest impressions.”
Thomas slung his arm around Alexander, and he was thankful for it. Smiling freely, Alexander finally felt as if the burden of his actions had lightened, allowing him to straighten his back. Laughing, he addressed the table. “You said it’s the littlest things that leave an impression, right? Well, have you guys heard the legend of the Cactus warrior?”
Thomas groaned as he shook his head. “They wouldn’t want to hear that, dude. It’s a boring story. Nothing of interest. Why don’t we start planning our next move. That sounds way better.”
“Not going to get off the hook that easily, Thomas. Trust me, ladies. You’re going to want to hear this one. I’ll get us another round of drinks.” Rising from the table, Kai took orders as he entered the nearby saloon the group had gotten food from.
“Well, you see, it all started with a cactus as most good stories do.”
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Glass smashed against the wall of Celia’s mountain abode, joining the broken shards of the other ceramics the Pirate Empress had destroyed. Her anger, however, was not appeased.
Slamming down the entire cupboard, Celia roared, releasing a burst of lightning that burnt the wooden piece to ashes and left stains on the floor. “Incompetence! I am surrounded by incompetence! Tell me, how am I supposed to present my sister with the Venus, if you people seem intent on letting her get away!”
Isaac’s broken figure lay buried beneath the mounds of broken glass. Bloody and battered, the parrot Hunter couldn’t even muster out a whisper in reply.
Venus and her Emerald warriors had been spotted by Gabriel leaving Port Talan. The Jupiter noble had given chase along with the storm flamingo and the Hunter, but the group’s speed on land proved too difficult to follow. Isaac had managed to heavily injure one of the Emerald warriors, presenting Celia with his arm, but it had not been enough.
Gabriel and the flamingo were also prostrated in shame at the edge of the room, but no punishment had befallen them yet.
No, Isaac had taken the brunt of Celia’s anger because Port Talan had been his jurisdiction. He was the one in charge of making sure the Venus couldn’t reach the port, yet clearly, she had every opportunity to leave Kedra.
With another blast of electricity, Celia shocked her executive and blew away the glass. Raising the near-unconscious Hunter by the scruff of his collar, she coldly stared into his eyes. “You know, I’m not quite so sure you’re worth it anymore.” Her finger shone with electricity as she sliced through his cheek. “Your constant failures, lately you’ve been nothing but a disappointment.” Slicing through his other cheek, she dragged her arm back and pierced into his chest, unleashing a current into his heart. This elicited an unadulterated scream. As she lowered her arm, Celia sighed. “Fortunately for you, your useless self still brought some good information, and for that, I will keep you. Damond!”
The blonde man materialized beside the Pirate Empress. “Here, madam.”
“If the Venus had the opportunity to leave Kedra but didn’t, it means her main objective lies on the island. Bison and the Bucko have ceased all communications with us. This could be either from their death or their betrayal. Either way, she now has access to the gateways in the North. However, I doubt what they did in the North was for the purposes of securing them. Those gateways are useless, leading only to Derapen’s mainland. She could have used her own gateway back in Anima to reach the continent. No, I believe her intention in the North was to gather allies.”
Dragging Isaac’s body through the glass as she formulated a plan, Celia made sure the Hunter endured as much pain as possible. “And if it is allies she needs.”
“Their goal must involve attacking our base.” Damond finished Celia’s thought.
Flinging away Isaac like a ragdoll, the Pirate Empress smiled menacingly, sending shivers down even Damond’s back. “Yes, exactly. We do not need to chase the Venus. All we need to do is to wait for her.” Pausing as she sorted through her thoughts, Celia tapped her lips. “Recall every Green Mamba member back to our base. We are going into high alert. The executives will guard our gateway to prevent any subterfuge, and the pirates will act as fodder to decrease whatever allies they bring. Also, set up any defensive formations you can muster in the quickest time possible. Let’s make sure this mountain will be the death of them all.”