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AN: I know; so much for my hiatus! Ah, it doesn’t matter. Writing helps anyhow. Also, there was a particular scene in this chapter that I was DYING to write. Can you guess which one~? Anyway, enjoy reading!
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Chapter 3:
He immediately snatched little Ghali with his left arm, pulling him toward his chest as he simultaneously unholstered his gun from his coat. He sprung up to his feet, firing several times directly at the man, aiming for his chest.
That wicked smirk only grew as he somehow deftly dodged and deflected the bullets with his blade.
He was clearly no ordinary war magus.
The rapid attacks did allow Gerald to put some distance between them, however. He knew that the bastard would close the gap quickly, but it was better than nothing. It should allow him to reload.
Gerald ducked behind a wall and crouched to his knees. He momentarily set Ghali down on the ground, on his feet as he reached into his coat to pull out more ammo. It took him only seconds to rearm his weapon. He then opened his coat, and gathered the silent child against his chest, wrapping his coat around him to offer him a small form of protection.
“It’ll be ok,” he told the child gently, his heart breaking when a pair of vivid green eyes peered back at him. “I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
“Aww, bleeding heart Gerald,” that bastard suddenly crooned, as if he had heard him. “Have a thing for strays, don’t you? But if you keep protecting that kid, you might not be able to return to poor ol’ Shiki, and his precious little son, hm? Sandra would be disappointed with you.”
Gerald gritted his teeth. How the hell did he know so much about him?
The bricks of the wall next to Gerald unexpectedly exploded into dust and he instinctively hunched forward to shelter Ghali further. A sharp pain erupted from his right shoulder. Instead of stilling, waiting for the pain to pass, he sprung forward in an attempt to put distance between him and the cause of the pain. He somehow managed to stay on his feet as he spun around, raising his weapon to release several more shots.
A wicked smirk was all his saw as the bastard casually slipped behind the wall.
The structure was only a feature wall, and Gerald assumed that the bastard was slipping around to the other side.
Tightening his arm around Ghali, keeping him wrapped up in his coat, Gerald walked backwards as he skittishly moved the sight of his gun between two possible routes of attack. His heart was thundering so loud in his ears that he didn’t hear an attack coming from a third.
Gerald tried to counter the incoming assault, only for another sharp pain to erupted from his leg. The pain lingered for a moment before unexpectedly turning into a dull, numbing ache. And it caused him to fall back onto the ground.
Damn it, Leg Cut?
Gerald raised his gun and kept it aimed on the bastard before him, only to have the man use his own sword to deftly angle the gun away from him. His grin somehow growing in malice as the gun sounded, sending a bullet into the air. Away from him.
“Hmmm, what shall I do now?” he purred. He actually purred.
Psychotic. He was completely deranged.
He had to find a way to fight back. Little Ghali…But, how could he fight against something like that…?
The sheer wickedness of the man’s expression changed suddenly as his eyes darted to his left. Only to have something strike him on that side of his face. It was a fist, covered in thick leather, and it struck him on the cheek, contorting his entire face into something seemingly inhuman. But clearly all too painful.
Red hair and a giant axe.
Axel?
The man used the momentum from the punch to whirl around, swinging his sword around with him. Only for Axel to somehow anticipate his attempt to fight back; deflecting the blade with the harden steel of his gauntlet and countered with a powerful upper jab right to his stomach. So strong that it lifted the guy off of his feet for a few seconds.
Gerald couldn’t help but wince. Swear to God, he heard the guy’s bones grate and crack from the sheer pressure of the attack.
The man immediately dropped back, falling to the ground, only to instinctively curl into a rolling dodge, moving out of range of Axel’s attacks. With several feet of distance between them, the guy rested on his knees as he coughed loudly, gurgling as large drops of blood splattered across the dirt. With one hand slammed on the ground to keep him from falling face first, the other hand clutched his stomach. He was clearly in agony.
Good.
Axel stayed positioned in front of Gerald, axe on his back and his posture defensive.
Gerald breathed a sigh of relief and allow his arm to drop to his side, his gun lying haphazardly in his palm. Hah, that kid. Honestly, he never, ever wanted to receive a punch from him. No wonder the violent, trouble-makers of the city were terrified of him.
He was grateful for him, though. No, grateful didn’t seem strong enough to described how relieved he felt to know that the redhead was there to protect Ghali. And him.
It seemed that the only way to fight someone so deranged was with brute force.
The man pulled his hand from his stomach to grasp his jaw. He uttered something under his breath as he rolled and adjusted his jaw. A small magic circle appeared under his hand, indicating that he had used a form of war magic to heal the injuries Axel had inflicted upon him.
From the strength of the light, he needed a lot of healing.
Spitting out a large clot of blood, the guy raised his head to peer angrily through a steely cold eye. His face then dropped into an expression of unadulterated surprise when he finally took in the sight of the redheaded landsknecht.
“…Haha,” he suddenly laughed in sheer sadistic pleasure. “…you have that bitch’s eyes.”
Axel raised a hand to grip the handle of his axe as he pulled himself into a battle stance. “I don’t have a fucking clue what you’re going on about. And I don’t care.”
The guy continued to grin, though made no attempt to ready himself for battle. “This place may prove more entertaining than first thought.”
He then leapt to his feet, and despite still clutching his stomach, he fled toward the stand of trees and rocky outcrops, moving out of sight quickly. Axel remained tense until he was sure the guy was gone before he slowly eased his stance.
Gerald released his hold on his weapon entirely and carefully peeled back a corner of his jacket, once again greeted by a pair of teary green eyes. The child didn’t utter a word, however. Had remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, like a good boy.
But…
“What the hell is going on?” Axel asked as he turned and crouched in front of him. His eyes then widen when he saw the kid grasping the front of Gerald’s shirt. And the copious amounts of blood that was seeping from his injuries.
“Make sure Ghali is taken care of, ok…?”
… … … … …
Rahas followed closely behind Shiki as he stormed through the hospital front doors and through the patient waiting room. His face was stoic in silent anger and worry. Which was unsurprising.
To think that someone had the sheer audacity, and stupidity, to attack Gerald in broad daylight!
Thankfully, Lynus was the first person they encountered, he appearing to have been waiting for them in fact. With the protectiveness Shiki was feeling, any other medic would not have been able to reassure him. Never in the way that Lynus could.
Rahas stepped back, allowing for Simmons and Shiki to encircle Lynus, letting him be the one to offer comfort he gives so willingly and freely. He reached out to the two men, letting Simmons take his hand as he rested his other on Shiki’s arm.
“Gerald is fine. He’s sleeping off the mild anaesthetic. He has a few stitches, but they won’t leave any scars. I’ve taken care of him.”
It wasn’t even remotely surprising to learn that Lynus had been the one to take care of Gerald’s injuries. How he got to the hospital so quickly was a mystery, but knowing him, he was there to simply ‘speak with Dr Stiles’ and not to check in on things, no of course not.
Lynus seemed to tighten his hold on the two men as a light frown sat upon his lips. He turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder, his movements prompting Rahas (along with Simmons and Shiki) to follow his gaze. And their own gazes fell upon a young, blond-headed child. He was sat at a table, a blanket tucked in around him as nurse Angie sat next to him, speaking quietly to him.
“That child is Ghali,” Lynus went on to say as he turned to look directly at Shiki. “Gerald had been protecting him when he was attacked.”
He released his hold on Shiki’s arm and reached into the pocket of his medical coat. He pulled out an envelope, mostly white but with red smears that had to be blood. And he handed it straight to Shiki. As he did so, he looked up at the older man with sympathy and worry.
“Here. There was no name on the envelop, so I had read it. But…its clearly addressed to you and Gerald.”
Shiki hid much of his confusion as he received the letter from him. He noted the blood smears, but ignored it as he flipped it open. A tense silence fell over the small group as Shiki read the letter. Simmons looked at his father with expectation while Rahas couldn’t help but inwardly bristle from the absolutely solemn expression on Lynus’ face. And from the barely restrained trembling of Shiki’s hands.
What the hell was going on? What was with that letter? And that kid?
Lynus suddenly perked his head up, prompting Rahas to instinctively inspect their surroundings. He first believed that he was simply reacting to the sudden appearance of Tiffany and Kerri, the loud-mouthed gunner and ditzy hexer had finally learn of what happened to Gerald.
Instead of greeting the two, Lynus turned his head toward the half open door of a nearby room. “He’s waking up.”
Shiki hastily closed the letter and rushed into the room, pushing the door aside roughly. Simmons instinctively moved to follow, but Lynus tightened his hold on his hand. While Simmons was more than capable of pulling his hand free, or simply dragging him along, he stood stock still.
“Not yet,” Lynus told him softly. “We can’t overwhelm him yet. I promise you can fuss over him all you want in a few minutes.”
It was pretty clear that Simmons still wanted to rush to Gerald’s side, but he did as Lynus requested and held back. He turned his attention toward the door, paying no mind to the questions that Tiffany was demanding.
In fact, pretty much everyone ignored Tiffany. Rahas certainly did as he focused his own upon that open doorway, and toward the single bed inside.
He watched as Gerald sat upright with a jolt, violently pulling himself out of his sleep-filled daze. Shiki was instantly by his side, arms around him as he attempted to comfort and reassure. The words were hushed between them, Gerald’s voice more muffled with his face pressed against the nook of Shiki’s shoulder. But Rahas did make out a few words.
“…he killed him.”
Rahas wasn’t expecting that.
Getting fed up with being kept out of the loop, Rahas turned to give Lynus a pointed look. Thankfully, he didn’t need to voice his frustrations.
Lynus sighed as he idly patted the back of Simmons’ hand. He clearly didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but from his solemn expression alone, what he had to reveal was serious. “The reason why Gerald was at the outskirts of town. Someone lured him there. Where Lewis, a…former member of Nova was. He found his way to Lagaard, only to be attacked. He’s…gone. Taken by the same man who attacked Gerald. Ghali is Lewis’ son.”
There was a collective sharp intake of air as everyone allowed the information to set in.
Oh, shit.
Shiki’s and Gerald’s old teammate had been found murdered on the outskirts of town? No, did Gerald witness it? What-?
“Who was it?” Simmons practically demanded. “Who hurt Gerald?”
Lynus shook his head. “I don’t know. Ghali is too young to truly understand what happened. Only Gerald and Axel saw the man.”
“Axel?”
“He was the one who stepped in and protected Gerald and Ghali during the attack,” Lynus went on to explain. “He also brought Gerald here. He’s currently speaking with the guards about what happened to the assailant.”
Rahas couldn’t help but feel a bile of jealousy settle in the back of his throat when Simmons seemed relieved. Of course, it was Axel who raced to the rescue. He was the first guy everyone turned to should there ever be a potentially dangerous situation raising its ugly head.
He knew he shouldn’t be bitter. The guy had saved Gerald’s life, and the kid’s as well. It was just…frustrating that Rahas could never, ever compete with him.
“There you are.”
Rahas suppressed a frown. Speaking of the guy…
With his axe still resting on his back, and smears of dark red on his still dirty clothes, Axel strode over to join the small group. He noted that Lynus had a comforting hold on Simmons’ hand, and the fact that Shiki was in the room with Gerald. His gaze lingered on the room, no doubt noting the way that Shiki was comforting Gerald.
“How is he?” he asked, his gaze flickering over to Lynus.
“Injuries will linger, but the emotional scars will last longer,” he replied sadly.
Simmons turned toward Axel and looked at him with earnest relief. “Thank you, for saving Gerald.”
Rahas found himself biting back yet another bile of jealousy at the way Simmons gazed upon Axel. In a way that was far greater than hero worship, which would be frustrating enough…
Axel shook his head, his expression serious. “No. I wish I was there earlier. You need to thank Cass. If he hadn’t told me about the note and asked me to follow, I don’t know what would have happened.”
Oh yes, he did. He just didn’t want to say it.
“Who was it? Do you know?”
Again, Axel shook his head. “Never seen him before. Pale, most of head shaved saved for a few black dreadlocks. But what was most prominent was an open eye tattoo in the middle of his forehead.”
A violent chill raced down Rahas’ spine, simultaneous with Lynus growing alarmingly pale. Their gazes instinctively sought each other’s out and they shared a silent conversation.
It couldn’t be…
Axel took note of Lynus growing alarmed and pale, and instinctively reached out to rest his hand on his back. “What’s wrong?”
Lynus managed to give a shaky smile as he patted the back of Simmons’ hand skittishly. “I…just remembered something. Simmons, could you take Tiffany and Kerri to visit Dr Stiles for me? I really need to get a hold of Form A.”
It took Rahas a second to realise that Lynus was attempting to do and he began to quickly muse whether he should say anything to add onto that request. Simmons had a slight frown on his lips, undeniably confused by the request.
Before Rahas could formulate any kind of reassurance, Kerri floated over to Lynus and stood before him. She tilted her head to the side as she stared unblinkingly at him. After a moment, she righted herself and nodded her head.
“Yes.” She unfurled a strand of her robes and wound it around Simmons’ wrist, the hand that Lynus had been holding. “Come. Form is important.”
Simmons was naturally hesitant, not wanting to leave Gerald and his father. But he relented, allowing Kerri to lead the way. And thankfully, Tiffany followed silently, which was something of a surprise for the blonde.
Rahas watched the trio until they were out of sight before he turned his attention back to Lynus. Whom of which was pressed against Axel’s side, totally uncaring of the smears of blood, finding comfort in his arms once again.
“What’s wrong?” Axel asked again, most pointily than before.
“Ahimoth. That guy was one of Taksony’s best assassin,” Rahas revealed through a hiss. “And a complete psychopath.”
Axel snapped his head in Rahas’ direction, a surprised expression lingering for a moment before his face creased into a protective anger. “What?” he also uttered through a hiss.
“He also killed Sandra.”
Shiki’s voice, low and gruff momentarily startled Rahas. Thankfully, he didn’t jump and squeak out a noise of surprise (unlike Lynus, heh), but it did take a second or two for the words to sink into his overworking mind. And his eyes widen with realisation.
Sandra…Simmons’ mother.
Ahimoth took Simmons’ mother?
…That bastard!
“God damn it,” Axel uttered as he ran a hand over his face. “If I had known…”
“Gerald told me what happened,” Shiki said, a soft expression of gratitude on his face as well. “You saved his life. There is no doubt about that. You managed to land a couple of blows on Ahimoth. You may not have been using your full strength, but it should be enough to have him lying low, licking his wounds.”
Rahas gritted his teeth, inwardly fuming. No. Damn it, Shiki was being too optimistic. Lying low was not in the bastard’s modus operandi. He could heal himself. He was a war magus. Cared for no one but himself. He was only in the shadows to plot something. Plot something heinous no doubt. Something he would unleash fairly soon.
Worse of all, he couldn’t even speculate what it could be.
He didn’t know much else about the guy, unfortunately. Only that he was deranged, so much so that many of the other sadistic soldiers and loyalists of Taksony actively feared and avoided the guy. That was sure to tell you something about his methods.
“I’ve given my description to the guards.” Axel tugged Lynus closer to his side. “But I’ll probably be on patrol. Shen, Jhon, and Tobyn would want to get involved, too.”
Hamza would likely be lurking about, too. Though, maybe Jhon should sit this one out. He was protective, but honourable. Ahimoth’s favourite victims. Now, Shen wouldn’t hesitate to attack, and Tobyn knew how to play dirty. Those two might cause some trouble for Ahimoth.
But Axel…was likely the guy who could take on Ahimoth headfirst, despite the bastard’s dirty tactics. He could defeat the guy easily, probably.
…Defeat, but could he stop him? For good?
Like the karmic balance of Dark Hunters of legend?
The sound of footsteps jolted Rahas from his thoughts, and he returned to consciousness in time to watch as Simmons, along with Kerri and Tiffany, re-joined them. And in Simmons’ hands was a few pieces of official looking papers.
“Here,” Simmons said simply as he handed the papers toward Lynus.
“Oh good, thank you.” Lynus immediately smiled and retrieved the papers. He took a moment he flipped through and nodded his head, somewhat pleased by what he found. He then turned his attention toward Shiki, offering said papers toward him. “These are for you. They’re adoption papers.”
Rahas immediately looked over to where Ghali was, sat at the table with some crayons and papers. Angie was still with him, chatting with him in an attempt to keep the small child from…realising what had happened.
He was…all alone now, wasn’t he?
Ahimoth took his parents. Just like what he had done with Simmons. What he tried to do with Simmons.
Rahas turned back to Shiki, finding the older man also gazing silently, with soft eyes, toward Ghali. He couldn’t even imagine what was going through his head. To know that the same man that brutally took his wife’s life, did so with absolutely glee, was responsible for the death of an old teammate had to be…just incomprehensible.
“It’s just a formality,” Lynus continued. “Derek has already signed it.”
Shiki turned his attention toward Lynus and gave him a small, sad smile. “Hm? No objection from some snot-nosed official?”
“Forms have already been signed, so they can complain all they want. They’ll just have to take it up with Derek. And with me.”
The corner of Rahas’ mouth twitched into a half smirk. As intimidating as Dr Stiles was, he was pretty sure that Lynus was the one that others were afraid to go against. He was skittish toward others in regards to himself, but when he fought for another, he fought protectively.
It was also considered blasphemy to upset him.
Lynus sent Shiki a reassuring smile before he turned his attention toward the silently confused Simmons. “Go on, now,” he urged. “Gerald will be relieved to see you. Afterwards, I’ll introduce you to your new little brother. Alright?”
Simmons perked up at the mentioning of a new sibling. “Ok.”
With Simmons quickly slipping into Gerald’s room, Lynus turned to give Axel a small smile as he slipped out of his arms. He turned and headed to where Ghali sat with Angie. Axel watched as he walked away, his face stoic but it was clear his gaze was protective.
After a moment, he finally tore his gaze away from Lynus to look over at Shiki. And to grant him a purely sympathetic look. “The guards have been sent to…retrieve your friend. And to bring them here. Dr Stiles will conduct the examination. We’ll also prepare the funeral for you. So, just focus on Ghali and yourselves for now.”
“We…appreciate it,” Shiki managed to utter out, his voice gruff. Clearly, a lump of maddening emotion had lodged itself in his throat. “Thank you.”
He then returned to the room, papers in hands.
Rahas stood out in the hallway with Axel, the two of them silent as they stared into the room. Gerald was sat up in bed, Simmons on one side as Tiffany and Kerri occupied the other. Shiki moved to stand by his son as he handed Gerald the papers. He seemed to take a moment to explain to them what they were before Gerald nodded his head without hesitation.
It made perfect sense that the son of an old teammate would be placed in their care. Gerald himself has risked his life to protect the little guy. There was no one better.
And no one had better say anything negative about it, either!
“What are you going to do?” Axel suddenly asked him, breaking the silence.
“I’ll stay with them,” Rahas immediately replied.
“Yeah, Lynus figured you would.” Was Axel’s unexpected response. “It would be for the best, though. Just be sure to keep your charm on hand, and have Simmons use that ointment that Lynus gave him.”
Rahas reached into his pocket and trailed a fingertip over a charm that Lynus had crafted for him just moments before the climax of the Hex Plague. One that would have been useful. A charm that should expel most curses.
Curses that war magus bastard no doubt knew.
“Sure,” was all he said as he silently stepped into the room to join Guild Cosmos.
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