41 Departure

The next month or so the circus troupe's headmaster went to the mansion along with his aide, in proper attire of course.

"It's an honour to have an audience with your grace."

"Enough with the formalities, please sit."

Richard gestured to the prepared chairs in front of his desk, the headmaster and the aide.

"I'm pretty sure both of you already know why you were asked to come in here?" Richard spoke calmly.

"Yes your grace, but for the child of a Duke to work with us?"

Richard nodded "Although I don't know what came to him, I heard personally why he wanted to work for you. So, is he not allowed to?"

"No! No! He is pretty much allowed!"

The headmaster and the aide both said in unison, probably because Richard's calm demeanour is something that creeps them out. Something only nobles had.

"Well, I heard your problem with the circus, I just hope," he slips a cheque with an absurd amount of Oles(currency) in it. "That my son's safety is a priority. You can make him work for his meals though."

The headmaster and the aide coughed. Especially at the amount, the cheque has.

"Think of it as a donation, I know that your troupe is a wandering one."

The headmaster then nodded and accepted the cheque, this might not be the first time, but surely the past donations must have a different reason.

"Oh right, where are my manners? My name is Oliver, the master showman and the headmaster of the circus called Maestros Wonder. And this with me is Gordon, my aide when it comes to paperwork"

Richard nodded. Today they were called for the permit and other discussions as well. The troupe stayed for a few hours and then left satisfied.

"Ha… what did you think about getting in this circus, Leo." Richard sighed.

***

Leonard on the other hand had finished everything on cubecraft, he left the source code to Yula and her development team of Box Box studios. Leonard and the development team had met before this, and they discussed what to do with the next updates till next year and start developing them.

After all, Leonard would be with the circus.

Leonard had the number of the headmaster of the circus, Oliver. They talked over the phone about where they should meet when picking Leonard up.

And eventually, a week later it's time for Leonard to be picked up by the troupe. Only to eventually meet Yula on the same site.

They're on the fountain of a boulevard.

"I didn't know I'd meet you here."

"Oh, no, no I came here for a purpose."

Yula admitted that she waited for Leonard. She seemed sober, well in a sense as she looked at Leonard.

"I'm sorry," Yula spoke apologetically.

"huh?" Leonard tilted his head.

Leonard felt that sorry was more than it was supposed to reach, her crimson eyes stared at Leonard's blue eye, as if reaching much further. If only Leonard knows that this one is the same Yula on the first iteration. He would forgive her. But it would not be bygones be bygones.

He shook his head. "Did you do something?"

As if being ripped out of her delusions, Yula blinked her eyes and then shook her head.

"Here." she reached out. "That's the only thing I could think of as a 'get back soon' token."

She reached her hands out and Leonard reached out his when Yula gave him a simple keychain. A keychain of a logo, the logo of his game Cubecraft.

"Well, that's the only way I could think of my sincerity." Yula chuckled.

Leonard took a while and stared at it and back at Yula, all he could give was a simple smile, probably a hug. But no, skinship with her is still hard for Leonard.

"Lenneza is complaining, you know?"

"Is she?"

Yula chuckled "Yep, why didn't you tell her you were leaving now?"

"I did tell her I would leave, just not when."

"You're really hard on your sister."

"She's tough anyways."

In the distance, Leonard could already see the circus troupe members, primarily two going near the fountain.

"Hey, Yula."

"I know, I see them as well."

"Take care of Lorraine."

"...?"

Yula already knows how precious Lorraine is, she was never in the first iteration. That's how special she is this time. But why did Leonard say this to her?"

"I trust you."

She was stiffened, those emotionless eyes seemed to mellow, and a bit of hesitance as if saying he couldn't believe he was saying that.

"Hey! Leonard, right?"

The circus members came in, and Leonard mumbled something, Yula heard it unclear.

"See you at the Academy."

***

Martha ran towards the top of the buildings, the supply drop had just come in and everyone was very alert. Some movements from the infected make them worry.

They were displaying strategies that they didn't account for. Especially some Slingers, an infected with vine-like arms that could extend and entangle a survivor.

Or the tank, a simple name for a special infected that could take a lot of damage, magical or weaponry alike would be insufficient to kill this infected. The last time they encountered one they have to use the gas truck and make it explode while the tank was near it.

"Fuck, it's the Hunters."

The hunters, a special infected, its features that discern from the others are its hind legs, it could jump high, climb walls, and its sharp claws that could go through metals, but its most special feature is its reaction time. It could dodge an assault rifle bullet.

"How many… 3… fuck we were supposed to get those quietly. How're the suppressors on those guns?"

"Bad, not gonna lie," Jane whispered.

"Tsk, should we risk it?"

Martha asked. A group of 5 is on this mission, one is a basic healer. This group is formed along with many others to gather what the military is dropping in the city.

Mostly, the military drops supply crates on top of buildings, ideally close to man-made structures via helicopter. Mostly, one of the supply helicopters got hunted by a Hunter and brought down by a tank throwing a mini car at it.

But that's from the past now, Martha and a few others aimed at the hunters who are seemingly guarding the supply crate.

"Fire," commanded Jane.

—Fwit!

Two hunters went down, the other survived by moving suddenly and it instead got hit in the shoulder.

—Screech!

The Hunter screeched. The whole group clicked their tongue and resumed fire. But thinking they could kill the Hunter after alerting it is just wishful thinking.

The Hunter dodged the bullets before hiding in a spot and suddenly disappearing. The group threw tear gas towards the direction where the Hunter disappeared and deployed their gas masks.

"Get what you can and go!" Jane commanded.

The tear gas surrounded them like mists, but the gas mask was protecting their orifices so they went to the supply crate.

When they removed the tarp cover there were several containers with straps like a backpack, thanks to this they easily carried a backpack filled with supplies and left the area.

Unknowingly to them, a coughing infected with a very long tongue would make their lives difficult.