15 Chapter 3: A Small Benefactor
A.P.238/3/4
At the Shopping Plaza, aboard the ARKS Ship...
At the third level of the plaza near the elevator from the center (if one were to take the middle one at the Gate Lobby), a Female CAST was looking around, being a little fidgety if one were to look closer at her. The lass wore the Lanx set of outfit [1], with orange being the dominant color of the outfit.
Josua, in the meantime, was just walking around. He went from the Gate Lobby to the Plaza via the middle elevator in the lobby, hence he arrived at the third level of the Shopping Plaza. When he exited the elevator and headed left, the CAST girl saw him and waved at him, basically wanting him to come over.
'Huh, it's Fourie.' He was surprised for a moment before he went over.
The lass sized her up before speaking: "Say... You're an ARKS operative, aren't you?", before adding another one to the loop: "You wouldn't happen to be the one, would you? You are? Th-Thank you for accepting my request!"
"Isn't THAT much obvious? Putting that aside..." He answered her, rolling his eyes.
"Your request, you say? Hmm... Lemme check for a bit-" He said, pausing as he opened up his comm and take a look at the client orders list, before continuing: "Ah, that I did. So... What was it that you wanted me to do?".
Fourie breathed a sigh of relief, someone had finally taken her request! Since her request wasn't much of importance when compared to other people's, her's tend to get ignored for the past few days since she posted it. She was glad that someone finally picked it up.
"Before we get into the details, can I ask you something?" She asked.
"Sure. Shoot." He shrugged.
"Okay... Here's the thing: Have you ever seen any tiny shadows in Lilliput's Desert? Do you happen to know where they can be found?" She asked the question.
"The Desert on Lilipa? Well, from the first few times I've been there in the past month, I don't recall anything about seeing those little shadows." He held his right arm on his side, pondering before answering her.
Not long after his interaction with Xion, and his subsequent attempt at implementing Photon Dash and Glide on Naverius, he had gotten his permit to conduct missions on Lilipa.
FYI, Lilipa is an Arid-type Planet. The planet's surface is mainly deserts, with some oasis at certain locations. There were other things on the planet's surface though. Dotted on the planet were various ruins of the previous civilization of the planet, most of which were either already excavated, buried in the sand that spanned the planet or destroyed. The civilization that left those ruins was probably quite mature in their automation technology, given the ever-present automatons/robots/mechs on the planet, sometimes still churned by a factory of some sorts that remained operational long after the passing of their creators.
"...Oh, I'm sorry. I guess you haven't seen them before then..." She felt a bit embarrassed and apologized.
"Sorry for the strange question. I keep seeing reports of people seeing them, but no one seems to know where they can be found..." She apologized again.
She paused for a moment before realizing something crucial: She hadn't even introduced herself yet to him. She was blushing HARD in her mind.
"...Oh, right, where are my manners? My name's Fourie. Technically, I'm an ARKS op myself." She introduced herself, trying to keep her face from blushing like how she is inside her mind.
"I'm Josua." He reciprocate and introduced himself as well.
"Nice to meet you." She bowed before straightening herself again.
"Have you ever heard about the tiny shadows on Lillipa before? Rumors of them tend to come and go." She began to explain.
"Well, would you believe me if I told you that those tiny shadows saved my life recently?" She asked.
"From how things will go based on your words, I don't see why I shouldn't believe you." He shrugged.
"I was injured and immobilized while I was out in the Desert, and just when I'd given up, those shadows came and saved me." She explained.
"Once all was said and done I managed to make it back safely, but I never got a chance to thank my benefactors." She continued.
"So I only have one request!" She went to the heart of the matter.
"Would you please track down those tiny shadows in my place!?" She requested.
"Hmm... I get it, but... Why not do it yourself?" He asked back.
"I wish I could go myself, but as you can see, I'm still healing up from my injuries." She answered.
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you. I'll still make sure you're rewarded. All I want is to know for sure if what I saw was real, or only a dream." She added.
"Okay then... When would you like for me to finish the request by?" He inquired.
"Whenever you can get around to it is fine; I'm in no rush. Thank you." She answered.
"You're welcome. I'll come by when I've fulfilled the request." He nodded before leaving shortly after.
.....
A.P.238/3/5
During an expedition to search for clues at Fourie's request on Lilipa...
Josua was walking around an area in the Desert Region on Lilipa, when suddenly, he saw (and heard) a round of explosions coming from some distance ahead. If one were to also listen more carefully, however, they could also hear the sounds of punches banging through the air as well, which mixes in with the explosions as well.
KABOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BAM! KABLAM! BAM!
'Wait a minute... Isn't this...' He thought as he tried to recall what part of this was from, when suddenly, someone spoke from his side all of a sudden.
"Hello." The voice greeted him.
He was given a jump for a moment, before he took a look at the speaker. It was Melfonseanna (Melrandia).
'And if she's here...' He thought as he looked at the direction of where the explosions came from.
"If you are not in a hurry at the moment, I suggest you stay where you are." She said.
"And... Should I ask why? Let me guess... It's HIM, right?" He reluctantly asked.
"Yes. For your own safety." She nodded and answered.
'Yep, it's him alright.' He sighed.
As they spoke, another round of explosions occurred ahead.
KABOOOOOOOM!!!
"As you can see, Master Gettemhult is currently in a very foul mood." She said.
"Gee, why am I not surprised?" He rolled his eyes.
It's really something else when you're in the shoes of the protagonist directly. This cannot be emphasized enough, since they're not some 3D models made with a 3D modeling program and then added some codes to it to allow for movement and some voice from a VA. They're real people.
Yet another round of explosion occurred.
KABOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"To be blunt, he is apt to take out his frustrations on anyone that comes near him." She explained.
"Anyone? Even you?" He frowned a little.
"You, and I, are no exception." She nodded, confirming it.
"...I'm surprised he hasn't been dishonorably discharged from ARKS." He facepalmed.
To be honest, it's surprising that Gettemhult hasn't snapped yet towards other ARKS operatives. As in, like fighting against them that endangers their lives. Venting towards native sylvants and Falspawns are tolerable, but towards other operatives? Who knows?
There hasn't been any known cases, from what he had learned, of an operative doing any sort of harm towards another operative. But who knows? He only heard of rumors of operatives harming another operative because of their overload of F-Factors, but it remains mostly rumors because of those troublemakers 'got taken care of'.
While pondering on this thought, another round of explosion occurred.
KABOOOOOOOM!!!
"I know that others think he treats me poorly, but that is only how it seems to outsiders." She said.
'I doubt it.' He rolled his eyes on the inside.
It's bullshit, really. She only said that because he hasn't done (yet) any harm to her directly by his own hands (as far as Josua knows from the knowledge he could infer from the game and the anime). Who knows if she's saying the truth or it's simply her Stockholm Syndrome speaking.
"As long as I can be near him, that is all I need. I ask for nothing more. Indeed, I do not allow myself to ask for anything more." She muttered.
Josua was silent for a moment, before he decided to speak in a cryptic way, similar to that of Xion's, since he really wasn't a fan of this whole Stockholm Syndrome she's playing at. And also, this should give her some food for thought before she decides to pull that shit to him again, if she could solve his words of course.
"What thou wish, mayhape naught be what the oother seeketh." He said cryptically, speaking in Shakespearean mixed with some Olden English to further complicate it.
She was taken aback by his words for a moment. She couldn't understand his words, but it seemed to say something about her words earlier. She could only ponder, and before she could ask what he was saying, another round of explosion occurred ahead yet again.
KABOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
But this time, after the explosions, Gettemhult's shout could be heard.
"C'mon, Seana! Let's go already!" He shouted from ahead.
"I suppose that concludes our talk for today." She said.
"That it is. Do think about what I said." He nodded.
"...Good day." She bade farewell, bowing before she left for Gettemhult.
'If she still doesn't get the hint... Well...' Josua closed his eyes for a moment, before opening it and muttered: "Don't blame me for what will happen later on." with a bit of indifference on his face.
.....
On an unspecified date in A.P 238...
While walking in the Desert Region on Lilipa, Josua bumped into a familiar ARKS operative: Marlu.
"Mm, hello there. I hear the occasional rumor about you. Everyone agrees you are a real go-getter." She said.
"Hello. And uh... I'm honored?" He felt a bit weird.
He wasn't so much doing it because he wants to help others, but rather, because he felt like it should be something that he has to do to keep the timeline from diverging from what he will attempt to do later down the line.
"Just do not try to take on the world alone. Sometimes you need to form parties to get the job done." She suggested.
She probably read some reports on his missions, and most of it him doing it alone.
"I know, I know. But since you said that, who you'd recommend for a party then?" He waved his hands before asking.
"As for who I would recommend in a party... Probably a Force." She answered after giving some thought.
"Why?" He probed in.
"They are good at both offense and healing. In fact, you could have a whole party of Forces." She was clearly pushing for a Force-centric party.
"Wouldn't that be a bit... Off-balanced? What would you do if the enemy got close to you and attacked?" He tilted his head and asked.
"What do you do about enemy attacks, you ask? Easy. Just dodge them all." She replied nonchalantly.
"...Bruh." He facepalmed.
That wasn't exactly the best words to persuade someone, no? Especially coming from the overseer of the Force class.
.....
On another unspecified date in A.P 238...
Yet another bump into another familiar face at the Desert on Lilipa: Oza.
"Hey, you're lookin' well. Hear you've been staying busy lately. I see you around sometimes." Oza greeted him.
"Yeah, you know, the usual. A bit of request here, a bit of expedition there..." Josua replied, making some small talk.
"Just don't stick your neck out too far on solo missions. It's safer to work in a group." Oza suggested.
'Oh no, they're a match.' Josua facepalmed on the inside.
"If you DO form a party, I'd strongly recommend bringing a Hunter along." Oza said.
"Why a Hunter though?" Josua played along and asked.
"They're strong and sturdy, making them the foundation of any good party. You can't beat that." Oza answered with a bit of a smug on his face, clearly proud of the Hunter's known prowess in endurance.
"Some people say parties should be balanced, but I see no issue with going full Hunter. Then you don't have to look out for anybody else!" He further went on with it, clearly advertising Hunter supremacy.
'Uh... Who'll heal you Hunters then if you don't have enough mates to heal up?' Josua screamed on the inside.
"I guess my point is this: when in doubt, a Hunter will always have your back. There you have it! Later!" Oza concluded, before waving his hand to bid farewell and left.
'JUST DATE AND BANG HER ALREADY FFS!! ARRGGHHH!!!' Josua was being tortured mentally by this romcom idiotic of a couple.
.....
A.P.238/3/6
The next day...
Since yesterday's search ended up with the bizarre encounter with Melrandia and Gettemhult, he ended the search at the time and decided to continue it today. Continuing with his search for clues on the mysterious shadows at Fourie's request, he was walking around the Desert Region once more, when he bumps into Afin, who seems to be looking for something, or someone.
"Hey, fancy meeting you here, mate! Looking for something?" Afin, who himself was looking around, greeted Josua who he bumps into, and asked.
"Ah, Afin. Yeah, I'm looking for the rumored tiny shadows from a request. Apparently, the requester was saved by the tiny shadows, and she wishes to find her benefactor to express her gratitude." Josua nodded and gave him the short rundown.
"Tiny shadows? Oh, you're looking for THEM, mate?" Afin pondered for a little before he snapped back and said when he understood on which tiny shadows Josua was referring to.
"Seems like you saw them?" Josua asked.
"Yep, I saw them over thereabouts not too long ago." Afin nodded, before he sighed and said: "You know, it's funny—I've always had a way of spotting things others are looking for. If only it would work when I want to find something".
Josua shook his head and patted Afin's shoulder. Then, Afin brought him to the place where he last saw those tiny shadows that Josua was looking for.
"Yeah, right in this area... Hmm, I guess they WOULD be gone by now." Afin said when they reached the place.
"Yeah, I guess..." Josua shrugged.
"But look, over there..." Afin then said as he points towards an item of interest on the ground.
"Hmm?" Josua frowned a little as he knelt on the ground to examine the item.
Meanwhile, Afin walks closer to him to also see what the item was. Josua picked it up and held it on his hand. It was a piece of cloth of sorts.
"What's this? Cloth?" Afin tilted his head.
"Seems like it." Josua said while he's scrutinizing the cloth.
"It's not something automata would carry around. Is it from the tiny shadows?" Afin pondered.
"Probably. The civilization here no longer exists, right? Who else but those tiny shadows then?" Josua nodded.
"Hmm... Well, it could be proof that they were here, at least. Hard to say for sure, though. Frankly, this planet's puzzling enough as it is." Afin sighed.
While Josua now found the clue he was looking for, it's a bit... Lacking than what he'd normally like.
"Call it intuition or a premonition, but something tells me the secrets go deeper here." Afin said.
"Don't jinx it, dammit. We got jinxed the last time." Josua smacked Afin's back.
"Ouch... Ow ow... Sorry 'bout that." Afin rubbed his sore back.
"Regardless, I'm sure a little legwork will turn something up, though." Afin said after the pain subsided a little.
"Here's to hoping then." Josua nodded in agreement.
"I'm going back to exploring for a bit." Afin then said.
"You should join me for my missions sometime, mate. See you!" He continued as he bade farewell to Josua and left.
'What a reliable little brother, ain't he, Euclyta? He sighed as Afin slowly left his view.
With the requirement for Fourie's request fulfilled, he decided to return back to the ARKS Ship, with the clue on him as well.
.....
Not long after his latest excursion to Lilipa, he returned to the ARKS Ship. With the cloth suspected to be from the tiny shadows as the clue brought along, he went to Fourie's usual hangout location: the third level of the Shopping Plaza.
After arriving at the third level, he immediately saw the person in question fiddling around. Of course, when she saw him, she was hopeful for him to find some clues.
"Hey, how'd it go?" She asked.
"Well, while I didn't encounter them directly, I managed to found this from their last known location. Courtesy of my friend." He said as he took out the cloth and showed it to her.
"You think this cloth is something the tiny shadows left behind?" She asked.
"Yep. Since there's no other possible candidate, we can pretty much assume that those tiny shadows weren't just rumors after all." He nodded as he puts away the cloth.
"So they WERE here. I wasn't just dreaming. That's good... Very good. Now I know that I have someone to thank." She muttered, feeling glad that she wasn't just imagining it.
"Thank you very much." She bowed, thanking him.
"No, no. It's fine, really." He waved his hand.
"Once I recover from my injuries, I'd like to thank them personally." She decided.
"I would like your assistance when the time comes, if it's not too much trouble." She then requested.
"Well, if you want me to, then sure, I'll accompany you then." He nodded.
He then bade farewell, having completed the latest order, and left the place.
.....
A.P.238/3/8
On the Desert region of Lilipa...
Josua was walking around the area during an expedition, when suddenly a group of Falspawns appeared. To be exact, a couple of Dagans and a Briarda. He sighed as he takes out his Gurenbana, getting ready to engage them in battle.
But before he could do that...
'!!!' He felt a tingle coming from behind him.
He looked to the direction and then he saw something big was coming out of a dark warp of sorts. When he saw the being fully exits the dark warp, he recognized the being. It was unmistakable just from a single glance. While there may be similar beings, but... That ribbon on its left horn... [2]
There was no doubt. It's Haddred, the dragon that Quna's been searching for, and her pitiful 'brother' that she brands as a traitor (or rather, her superiors did and she just believe them).
Its massive body was supported by its arms and legs, it roared as it set its sight at its prey.
ROAAAAAAARR!!!
The roar was loud enough to cause the sand around him to fly into the air, becoming dust of sorts.
'And here comes his specialty...' Josua thought as he's seeing the events unfolding in front of him.
The dragon spread its hands before making a pose that would remind you of some fortune-teller using her glass ball to predict some fortune for her client. But instead of a glass ball, it forms a black hole of sorts. The vortex pulled the Falspawns into it, basically compressing them in one space. Haddred then proceeded to consume them.
Josua furrowed his brows as he looked at the dragon that was eating the compressed Falspawns. Not long after, the dragon finished its meal, and turned to Josua, looking at him. He couldn't tell what it was thinking. But he then recalled something from the anime.
'Ah, it's probably looking at the F-Factors in my body...' He recalled.
As to why and how, it'll be explained later down the line.
Before long, the dragon turned away, walking on all fours for a little before it jumped into the air, opening the dark warp and left the place through it.
.....
Later on that day, Josua returned to the ARKS Ship after his abrupt encounter with Haddred on Lilipa.
He was walking through the Gate Lobby when Fourie suddenly asked him to come to her on her usual place. He obliged and then went to her. Not long after, he arrived on the third level of the Shopping Plaza. Fourie who saw him waved at him for him to come over.
"Thank you for your recent assistance." She thanked him for what he did a couple of days ago.
"I'm fully recovered now. I can go anywhere, whenever I like!" She exclaimed with excitement.
"That's great." He nodded.
"So... I have a large favor to ask of you." She muttered while fiddling with her fingers.
"And that favor is...?" He played along.
"Would you please go with me to the desert?" She asked.
"Well, I did promise to go with you once you're all better." He said.
"I'm not entirely sure about what I saw, so I'd like to have some company." She continued.
"I already said yes, you know?" He rolled his eyes.
"Please, whenever you have time to spare!" She bowed.
"Listen to people's words already..." He facepalmed.
This girl simply doesn't listen when she's too focused on something! GAHHH!!! Regardless, the two later on agreed to travel to Lilipa the next day, so Josua bade farewell and went back to his PQ for some rest.
.....
A.P.238/3/9
The next day, Josua and Fourie deployed together to the Desert region on Lilipa, in search of Fourie's benefactor, the rumored tiny shadows. After looking for some time, perhaps because it was fate, or luck, they catch sight of the tiny shadows who was skittering around the place.
"Ah! Look, look over there!" She exclaimed when she saw one of those tiny shadows.
"Did you see? Did you see that? I know what I saw this time! This isn't some memory or camera malfunction. They were definitely there!" She felt relieved after confirming that she wasn't hallucinating.
"Yep, they're ain't some mirage. They're real enough, alright." He lets out a helpless sigh at her enthusiasm.
"Good... If you saw it too, then there's no mistake." She was glad that he also confirmed that he saw them as well.
"It was a tiny shadow... No, it would be more accurate to call it a small person." She said after pondering.
"I couldn't speak with them or thank them, but... It's all right. I can take things slowly. For now, it's enough to know they're here." She muttered continuously.
"After that, it's a matter of patience and perseverance! Don't worry, I have both to spare!" She continued before she makes a guts pose.
"Uh... Yeah, take it slow." He felt suffocated by her enthusiasm.
"Thank you so much for everything!" She thanked him.
"It's fine, it's fine." He waved his hands.
The two decided that it was enough for them to at least have some idea of what her benefactor looks like, so they teleported back to the gateway ship with a telepipe and went back to the ARKS Ship for the time being.
.....
A.P.238/3/10
While wandering the Desert region on Lilipa...
Josua spots Fourie who's kneeling down for some reason. He then follows her gaze towards her supposed target of observation. It was a bunch of the tiny shadows, or Lilipans.
Mind you, at this stage, the Lilipans are pretty much the only intelligent species left on the planet Lilipa with any semblance of civilization since the previous civilization on the planet had already been extinct, and it seems to be for a while now.
"...Oh." She whispered in surprise when she saw Josua coming to her.
"Uh... What are you doing?" He was gobsmacked by her behavior which reminded him a little too much of a certain type of character.
"I'm sorry, could I ask you to please keep it down a bit?" She pleaded in whisper.
"Yeah, yeah." He whispered, waving his hands.
"Look, over there." She gestured to look over her subjects of observation.
There were three Lilipans in the distance together, seemingly speaking with each other in their local language that's still not yet translated to ARKS' language. He turned back to Fourie and tilted his head, signifying "So...?" in a sense.
"It's unusual for one to be standing around relaxing. They're always incredibly wary of their surroundings." She explained in whisper.
"My God... How long have you been observing them?" She once again surprised him with her rather disturbing observation of them in terms of the time she possibly spent to watch over them in secrecy.
Suddenly, after he said those few words, a Spardun [3] appeared near them.
FYI, a Spardun is an automata made by the automated remnants of the previous civilization on Lilipa. Its body is like a cone, with the core of it being a blue half-ball that sits as the 'ice cream' on the 'cone', while it's supported by four limbs that would remind you of crabs or spiders.
"Wait, are those...automata?" She gasped.
"The little ones are natives of this place. The automata would have no reason to attack. Something isn't right about this..." She pondered before she stood up, and shouted at the trio, "Look out! Run!".
The Lillipans spot the automata and two of them leave with the third trembling in fear. When the third one finally saw Josua and Fourie, it finally left as well in pursuit of its friends.
"Ah, I'm sorry. That was careless of me... Now the enemy knows we're here." She apologized, feeling a bit regretful.
"No, it's fine. We should just deal with this and get on with it anyways." He shrugged.
"Agreed. Let's take them all out. I'll help as much as I can." She nodded as she takes out her Launcher, while he readies Gurenbana at the opposing automata.
A short battle with nothing of worth to mention occurs, and it ended in a short time as well. After that, the two decided to leave to give the little ones some room, since they blown their cover and the Lilipans were pretty scared of them as well.
They returned to the ARKS Ship and went on their ways. But, before they separated, Fourie asked him to accompany her again on another outing to Lilipa two days from today, and he agreed.
.....
A.P. 238/3/12 10:00
"Hooooaaahm...." Josua yawned as he was accompanying Fourie on Lilipa once more.
It was early in the morning, and while his sleep cycle had improved ever since coming to this new reality, he's still sucks at waking up in the morning. The Desert region was a tad quiet, with only sounds of wind carrying the sands blowing over every once in a while. They had walked for some time, until they heard a sound that disturbed the tranquility of the area.
"What's that sound? Swords clashing? Is there a fight?" She asked.
"Dunno, but I feel like it might be just that." He shrugged.
The two ran towards the source of the sound. After some distance were traversed, they came across quite a... Devastating scene. Saying it's gruesome would be more apt, but... You'll see why.
A couple of people were standing near a recently-wrecked automata. The big guy was punching the remains while spouting quite the drivel on the destroyed automata. It seems like as if the guy wasn't satisfied with the automata for some reason. Meanwhile, some Lilipans were hiding behind some grass, watching in fear as the guy was still beating the destroyed automata.
"Hey, what's wrong!? I thought mechanical bodies were made of sterner stuff! Come on, you can do better than that!" The big guy exclaimed, while punching some more on the dead automata.
When Josua and Fourie arrived to take a closer, look, Josua immediately realized who that big guy was. It's Gettemhult.
'Geh... This edgelord again...' He rolled his eyes when he saw it was Gettemhult.
"How horrible..." Fourie said in shock.
Gettemhult, who noticed the incoming two people, turned towards them.
"Oh, hey, guys. No offense, but these are my stomping grounds. Go find your own." He said.
"Hey, wait a minute. I dunno about the CAST lady, but haven't I seen you before?" He asked after taking a closer look at the two.
"You met them on Naverius, Master Gettemhult." Melfonseanna, who was standing beside Gettemhult, reminded him.
" Oh yeah, them! Where are my manners? Gotta remember the name of my quarry." He smacked his head.
"So if you're here, does that mean that masked jerk is around, too? Or will you be the one to entertain me this time?" He grinned nastily as he readies himself to charge at Josua, depending on his response.
Before he could charge, however, Fourie immediately stood between them. Her action irked him.
"...What's your problem, lady? I've got no business with you." He points at Fourie.
"Y-You must be the ARKS that's been rampaging around this area!" Fourie said, stuttering in fear.
"Rampaging? I resent that, lady. This is all part of the ARKS job description." He shrugged at her remark.
"We make planetfall, we dispatch our enemies. That's what we do." He said.
Well, it's one of ARKS jobs, to be fair. But...
"I disagree! ARKS is also expected to interact with native inhabitants, and—" Fourie refuted him, but before she could finish her words, she was interrupted.
"Yeah, whatever! That's a load of crap, if you ask me!" He sneered at her.
"You can't expect me to interact with creatures that don't understand our language! They could be corrupted by Falspawn, too!" He fired back.
"You see what I'm sayin' here?" He turned to Josua and asked.
"...You do realize that we're not immune to Falspawns either, right?" Josua facepalmed at him and posed back the question.
That question shut him up for a moment, before he waved both of his hands.
"Bah, you're a regular goody-two-shoes." He couldn't care less.
"Put on airs all you like. Your crap still stinks just as much as mine." He snides.
"Hearing that from you, a failure, it's ironic." Josua shrugged.
"What did you say...?!" Gettemhult glared at him.
While the two were still arguing, a Lilipan slowly approached them. It then stares at Fourie, with curiosity on it's eyes.
"Huh? What's up with this little shrimp? The way they're starin' is creepin' me out." Gettemhult looked at the Lilipan that approached them and remarked.
"I'll bet they're corrupted by Falspawn and coming after us. Best way to keep trouble from coming down on ARKS later is to waste it right here and now." He said, before he tries to strike the Lilipan, only to be blocked by Fourie's body.
"No! Don't!" She exclaimed as she takes on his attack, getting injured in the process.
"What?" Gettemhult was surprised.
"Are you okay? You'd better get away while you can." She turns towards the Lilipan and said with a warm look on her.
The Lilipan, who was frightened by Gettemhult, heeded Fourie's words, as if it understands her and left with its fellow Lilipans. The perp, Gettemhult, was certainly not happy with her actions.
"You're stickin' your neck out for an enemy? How stupid can you be?" He shook his head.
"They're not enemies! They saved me...and now it's my turn to return the favor." She refuted him and said.
Seeing as she won't budge with her answer, Gettemhult turns towards Josua, who was observing from the side.
"What? You with them, too?" He asks.
"As far as to what I can see, the native Lilipans are of no immediate threat to us ARKS operatives. What you did is inexcusable." Josua answered perfunctorily, clearly jabbing at Gettemhult.
"How goddamn thick can your skulls be?" Gettemhult shouted.
"They're gonna get corrupted by Falspawn and go crazy sooner or later. When you've got the power to decide who lives or dies, it's an act of mercy to kill 'em before they suffer." He continued.
"Do you actually think you have the right? Look back at yourself and try speaking like THAT to me when you do. You're a failure, and I don't wanna hear JACK SHIT from YOU." Josua sneered at his words and remarked.
"You...!" Gettemhult is seething with anger from Josua's words.
"What? Don't give me that look, you worthless piece of shit. I could OWN you in a heartbeat, and you'll be powerless to do anything about it. I'd suggest you piss off, unless you REALLY want to get OWNED." Josua sneered again at the man.
Fourie stared at Josua in surprise, mostly because of his ridiculous remarks. She then stared at Gettemhult.
"Don't you dare give me that look, you worthless CAST." Gettemhult glared at Fourie.
"Tch. Any buzz I had before is long dead. We're leaving, Seana!" He said before he left.
"Yes, sir. Good day, everyone." Melfonseanna bid farewell.
"Girl. Remember my words from before." Josua said to her before she left.
Melfonseanna paused herself for a moment, before she was brought back to reality by Gettemhult's shout.
"Seana! Chop chop!" He shouted.
She and Gettemhult then left together, leaving only Josua and Fourie there. Josua sighed and went to check on Fourie.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
"Don't worry, the wound isn't deep. I am sturdy, at the very least." She answered, puffing her chest a little, before continuing to press the injured part with her hand while slightly being hunched a little..
"Okay, that's good..." He was relieved, but when he saw the look on her face, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you still bothered by what he said?".
"Yes, I know. What he said made sense." She closed her eyes.
"They will fall under the Falspawn's sway and go mad. Once they go mad, destroying them will be the only option. He spoke truthfully." She nodded, understanding Gettemhult's logic.
"What I am doing is hypocrisy under the guise of repayment. I am kicking the can down the road, as it were." She admits.
It wasn't as if Gettemhult was entirely wrong. Everything can be corrupted by Falspawns, and he's not wrong in getting to the logic of taking care of the problem before it sprouts. But, the question is... Is it the right thing to do? Is it impossible to save them?
"And yet... I still want to have faith." She opens her eyes and looks at the sunset as she straightens herself up.
While the two were having this conversation, the Lilipan from before came back and goes to Fourie. It was clearly worried for her.
"Are you worried about me? Thank you. I'm flattered. Yes, I'll be all right." She smiled and said.
Two more Lilipans came out, but they didn't come near them.
"Ahaha... It seems I'm still a bit shaken. But don't worry, I'll be fine." She said.
"This is going to be time-consuming, but I won't give up." She makes a guts pose.
"I do envy that positivity of yours..." He shrugged in envy.
.....
A.P. 238/3/15
Five days after the confrontation with Gettemhult...
Josua, who was conducting an expedition on Lilipa, was approached by someone from behind him, when he was surveying some area in the Desert region on the planet.
"...Hello." The voice greeted him from behind.
"Ah." He immediately recalls the only candidate that this particular voice should belong to.
He turns around to see Quna (yet to introduce her name to him) de-cloak herself and coming up from behind him.
"Ah, I see. An approach from outside one's field of vision would certainly help evade discovery." She muttered.
"On most people, yeah. But those like me? Such a thing works half of the time." He told her.
"While I don't understand the reasons behind it, I understand WHAT sets you apart now." She nods.
"Uh... Sure..." He tilted his head.
"When I have business with you, I will be the one to reach out to you. And please try to avoid approaching me when I'm alone. I might be on assignment." She then said.
"I wasn't even planning to approach you, you know? Simply wrong time and place, that's all." He shrugged.
"...I see." She sighs, before she said, "A question, if I may.".
"Shoot." He nods.
"Have you identified the whereabouts of Haddred, the rampaging dragon?" She asked.
"Hmm..." He ponders.
It wasn't as if he couldn't tell her. It's simply whether or not that Dragon he saw last week was indeed Haddred or not. While he already know that it was indeed Haddred, there was simply lack of evidence for him to show her that it was it.
"You really haven't discerned anything?" She asked again.
"I should think locating Haddred would be easy for someone with senses as sharp as yours." She sighs in disappointment.
Oh boy, that pricked him a little.
"...Ahem. I beg your pardon for that brief lapse in composure." She apologized.
"Before I say anything else... I want to ask you: Why are you so fixated on this... Haddred?" He asked.
"The dragon is... Haddred is a traitor." She paused before saying it.
"I doubt that would explain anything to me, really. Then tell me: Who IS Haddred?" He probes further.
"Haddred is a particularly powerful rampaging dragon. An unpardonable traitor." She said.
"Traitors must always pay. That is a given in any organization. And this vendetta is personal..." She continued, with a tinge of anger in her voice.
"...Ah, never mind. Please forget I said anything." She waved her hands.
"Okay. Personal vendetta, huh? I was planning on telling you, but... Nevermind. I should tell you anyway." He shook his head.
"I did saw it last week around this area. I won't go into specifics, but I believe that Haddred that you were searching for was that Dragon that I encountered last week." He summarized without divulging anything further.
"...! Is what you say true? Haddred is here?" She got close to him and asked intensely.
"WAS here. Pay attention to the word WAS. I don't know where it went, but it was indeed here last week." He emphasized.
"...I see..." She fell into silence for a moment.
"If you do discover the dragon's whereabouts, please inform me. If you'll excuse me, then..." She then spoke up and was about to leave, when he stopped her.
"Before you go, a word of wisdom, for you." He stopped her and said.
"Okay... I'll listen." She reluctantly allows him, since he already gave her some important intel.
"Doubt not your enemy. However, do doubt the facts. For what you know, may not be what it seem." He said.
"..." She was silent for a little, before she said, "I'll keep that in mind.".
She then cloaked herself and left, leaving him alone.
"I hope she at least understands my meaning." He hoped inside.
Her story with Haddred is quite tragic, really. And even if it's impossible for Haddred to be saved (which it pretty much is), at the very least, both Haddred and her deserve some final moments before she should do her job and move on to the real culprit.
He then went back to the ARKS Ship after finishing the expedition.
.....
After he disembarked from the Gateway Ship and arrived at the Gate Lobby on the ARKS Ship, he went to the Medical Bay to check on Matoi. The girl was standing in front of the Medical Bay counter, seemingly daydreaming on something. It took awhile before she finally notices that he was watching.
"Hm? Ah? Sorry if I keep gawking." She apologized.
"No, it's fine. So, what's on your mind that you're dazing like that?" He shook his head and asked.
" I'm sure most people find these things to be the norm, but it's all new to me. It's kind of thrilling." She said.
"Oh? For example?" He smiled and asked.
"Those monitors in the lobby boggled my mind at first. Like, hey, something's moving in the wall!" She said, with her voice still containing some of the initial feeling of the used example.
He chuckled at her. It was as if someone from the 17th century were brought to the 21st Century and was shown either TVs or advertising billboards. Her reaction was exactly like that.
"It's annoying forgetting so much stuff sometimes, but at least one plus side is getting to experience basic things like they're new." She continued.
'Yep, I l know that feeling.' He nodded in understandment.
For him, when he was transported into this new reality, it felt surreal. Not only he was younger, some things were different from what he had gone through in the same year back in the original reality, hence it was a fresh experience for him. Aside from some things that stays the same, of course.
"Ah... I'm still working on jogging my memory, of course. I haven't forgotten that." She stuttered a little.
"It's fine. Take your time." He smiled.
" I was just thinking... I sure hope the stuff I've forgotten isn't all bad." She muttered.
He only smiled and patted her head, which made her face red, for the unknown time. She was simply too adorable for him.
.....
After bidding farewell to Matoi, Josua went to walk around the Shopping Plaza. And, surprise to no one, Xion was near the monument, again.
"A new Divergence Matrix has been born. This positive turn of events exhibits the significance of your actions." She said, before she turns around.
"I and we profess a thousand gratitudes." She thanked him.
"We comprehend that this is no straightforward path, and yet I relied on you nonetheless. The one who repaid that trust is you. Your will answered. That is why I am grateful." She explained.
"And I hope you will... pardon me for needing to depend on you time and time again." She said.
"I don't mind it. I do hope you remember that you're not alone in this." He said softly.
"Once again, I and we profess a thousand gratitudes." She closed her eyes.
"I suppose... I'll be seeing you later then. I hope I'll hear your answer." He said.
"Perhaps. In due time." She smiled softly before she disappear from her place.
Episode 1, Chapter 3: A Small Benefactor END.
Note:
1. The right one is the girl in question, the link image for reference: https://forum.pso2.com/assets/uploads/files/1589882751790-19-05-2020_17-47-30-l1eghyoo.jpg
2. Image for reference on Haddred: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/phantasystar/images/2/22/Pso2_ep_oracle_ep4_99.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/1000?cb=20191101173415
3. Image for reference on Spardun: https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/phantasystar/images/1/1b/Pso2id_spardana.png/revision/latest/scale-to-width-down/256?cb=20200327163901
