Sheriff's House

Sheriff's House

(Chapter 15)

**

[<<]

"Don't be an idiot. I'm just here to inform you that I'm not your enemy."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"I'm not expecting you to; you will."

"Elaborate."

"… This location is not safe for either of us so I'll make contact the next time you're out of town. For the meantime, why don't you pay little Eris a visit so she can explain how gentle I was with her." He departs.

"{Is that supposed to be a threat? Last time I saw Eris, she was worse off than the day before. If he hurt her… I'm gonna have to dispose of the Dark Alley as soon as possible.}

[>]

[Mom]

She brings a tray of food to her son's room; namely, where the prisoner is. He had fallen asleep so she wakes him up. She was cleaning up before she looked at the poor thing and remembered that he hadn't eaten. She puts the tray down and rubs him gently on the shoulder. He's startled.

"*gasp*heavy breathing*…"

"Don't tell me you're scared of me too."

"… Thank you for this morning."

"No need to mention it… you must be hungry, aren't you?"

"…" She unties his hands and gets back to mopping the floors. After a while, she can only notice that there's no sort of motion in that corner of the room. His head hangs low and if you looked carefully, you'd notice that he was crying.

"Hey there. What's wrong?"

"… I said some really nasty things about you before," he sobs. "Aren't you the least bit scared of me? Don't you think that I might hurt you?"

"Make no mistake. You couldn't even if you tried. My son would come and save me… Never the less, as a mother, I can tell that you're not a bad person."

"What do YOU know about me. Two days ago, you wouldn't have been able to say the same."

"I would've. You see sweetie, there are people who're soft at heart. When the need arises, they delude themselves with violence but their innate nature remains the same. The mere fact that my son kept you alive proves that."

"…"

"Stop stressing your brains and eat up. I've never seen a prisoner with so much to eat before," she says with a winsome smile.

[The Twins]

They're checking in the extra items. They could probably get back to spend the night so they make sure to deposit all food supplies that fall in excess.

"While you're at it, why don't you drop your Raid Gear as well?"

"Very funny Paz.

"I'm done here brother."

"Alright. We'll be leaving now. Thank you."

"Fare well!"

[Veteran: Alexandra]

She's almost fatigued. She lost blood yesterday: physically and from electrocution. She hasn't had even a sip of water. But she could care less, the most important thing is all of them making it out alive.

She uses her feminine wisdom and still sticks to the foliage. She sticks her head out because she doesn't recall seeing grandpa come by. Up ahead, she can see the designated city.

"{It's right there. If Grandpa overcomes the last obstacle it'll all be over. Where is he?}" Only a few seconds go by before she spots him. She lets out a big sigh of relief and emerges from the camouflage. She waves hard at him and shouts "GRANDPA!"

[/]

"{I wonder why she didn't attempt to stop me…There she is! It's finally ov—}" his gut instincts kick in and he notices a bush rustle while there is nothing but a breeze. Maybe it's paranoia? Either way, now that she exposed herself he can't take any chances.

"Sorry horsey." He crouches on the horses back pumping maximum effort into his thigh muscles and blasts off. You'd think they were just playing before. Volleys of axes come hurling at him. The horse is minced in an instant. He even has to deflect most of them with his Cranium. A few leave him with a desire for stitches.

[/]

All in a dreadful second, she witnesses her Grandpa almost get minced to shreds. The instant he touches down is like a whole minute to her. She can only hope for him to rise again. He does just that. As if tapping into a power reserve, he sprints at his ultimate speed, the speed of a Raid Unit Veteran. His left hand holds on firmly to his Cranium which he utilizes to guard his rear, and his right sweeps Alexandra off her feet. He hurdles on as if his life depended on it.

"Wait! What about brother!?"

"I couldn't carry the two of you. Pray that he remains unconscious for the meantime."

"But… he also needs medical attention."

"I'll come back for him once you're safe."

Afternoon soon comes by. It's been a total of seven days since Elmus met Tina. Nothing big has gone down yet but it's about to change, because tomorrow is the day that Tina's supposed to get her new suit.

[Guillelmus]

The young Harmonie sits next to Ms. Laura in the couch of her compound living room, a beautiful scene actually. It looks like she could fall asleep in his arms any moment from now.

"Ms… Laura."

"*gg*(gg-giggle) What?"

"Is it possible for Valentina to still be asleep halfway through the day."

"Oh… Valentina…" her optic focus falls.

"??? Something happen?"

"*sigh* Where do I start?"

She narrates what happened during the rainstorm last time when they went to the witch's place and ends with what she told Valentina the night before.

"Ouch."

"It might have been mean but I'm just not ready to go through such an ordeal again."

"That's about right."

"{She lost her child on the same day that Tina waltzed into all of our lives,}" Amitha marks out.

"You're obviously hurting so I don't think she took it personally. Don't worry about it. I'll go—"

She pulls him back down the instant he starts to get up. "No, you can go see her later."

"Hunh? But we've been sitting here for hours."

"Time flies by when you spend it with people you care about."

"… I really can't comprehend you creatures. Just bear in mind that if I leave, YOU'LL have to be the one to talk to her."

"I don't care about that." She rests her head on his chest and her eyelids grow heavy.

"{Gah. She just wants a human pillow. Well I guess I have to put up with this since I let Lil' Laura die.}"

"{Elmus, there's something going on—}"

"{…What's that?}"

"{Nevermind. I feel like tomorrow's gonna be a rough day so stock up on some sleep as well.}"

"{A'ight.}"

[The Twins']

They're walking along a sandy road with forest on both sides. The orange sun beams down upon them. The trees that obscure their view soon give way to a vast scenery. It's the Southern Rice Plantation.

The road that they walk on is more or less positioned to the far right and the terraces begin just a drop off the road which has a downward slope. The orange sun glistens on the rice terraces due the elevation of the path giving them a sufficient angle. The terraces persist from their immediate left all the way down to the point where the people below are barely visible. The clouds also have a yellowish hue beneath, a scene you'd just wanna dive into.

"Wow!" Tamar's rendered speechless.

"Hey. Maybe your brother won't have to be a bachelor for life anymore."

"Nature's a beauty isn't she?"

"Unless you wanna walk home with two girls in the dark we'd better hurry."

"What's the rush? Don't you wanna take your time as the breeze throws your hair?"

"I don't see the need. We're all just gonna die and leave all of this behind anyway, aren't we? C'mon."

They're walking along a sandy road with forest on both sides. The orange sun beams down upon them.

[Veteran]

Alexandra lays on a bed in a room almost darkened; if it weren't for the setting sun. She looks worried. If it were another, she'd already be asleep.

"{Grandpa, what's taking you so long?}"

[<<]

After Grandpa secured her, they headed straight into the city, Gaza de Porto Novo. Grandpa could afford to relax and so he did; he put her down so he could suppress the bleeding at his rib. The town looks quite busy and a few commoners try to take them in but Mr. Alex refuses. They ask for directions to the—Accommodation Unit.

The Invaders emerge from the East whence the sun rises. For that matter, majority of the Raid Units coagulated to form Guilds at the frontlines. However, provided any of the towns in the rear need assistance, Guilds can dispatch Raid Units on request. The mercenaries consider the conditions of service in taking up such Raids and full accommodation's the best. To paraphrase, they'd prefer a region with an Accommodation Unit.

The Accommodation Unit happens to be at the Sheriff's. They get there as fast as their injuries allow them. If you're talking about size, the sheriff's place only falls short of a mansion by a little bit. They arrive at the large, fancy, black bar gates which are twice as tall as the stone walls. The guards ask for clearance but their family crest doesn't mean nothing to the guard as far as he hasn't received orders from above. He asks his colleague to follow up from inside. It doesn't sit well with Alexandra.

"Wait. So we're gonna wait here? Did your mother drop you when you were young? Can't you see our condition!?"

"If you keep up with that attitude I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

"Leave?! Then why did you call us over in the first place?"

"I told you that I wasn't informed of your presence. I'm only doing my job. Your grandpa understands that."

"No, he's just shocked by your stupidity."

"You're single, AREN'T you?"

"*scoff*Well here your partner comes."

"What'd she say?"

"She said she didn't hear anything of the sort but we should let them in." They open the gate.

"Atleast SOMEBODY has manners here. I feel sorry for the woman who'll turn out to be your wife." She says as they slowly walk away.

"I'll have you know that I'm happily married with two kids!" he shouts back.

"Well they're probably gonna commit suicide!"

"Cut it out Princess." She stops. "He never did anything wrong. Where'd you pick that attitude up from?"

"You're taking his side?"

"I'm not. Don't you think bad guys could employ that to get through their gates? He was only doing his job and you made yourself look so awful."

She doesn't know what to say in her defense. She crosses her arms, looking the other way. "Well I was infuriated. Had to let it out… The more time we waste, the higher the threat to my brother."

"Then let's hurry."

They don't really have time to admire the place but it's really beautiful. They tread a cobblestone path with gardens, hedges and fountains towering on both sides. The houses exterior has a yellowish tint due to the stones used in finishing the exterior surface. That about wraps it up. The walkway is a bit long but they get inside eventually.

[>]

The interior is a dark shade of pink. I'll spare you the rest of the details because no matter how you think about it, all houses look the same. Besides, it's a huge house. The house keeper approaches them. She's a small and cute looking old lady.

"You're welcome. The infirmary is this way."

They speed down the hallway in the direction of the western wing and meet the medic on the way. Alexandra's looks serious and she wishes for Mr. Alex to leave as soon as possible so she defers her treatment. Besides, she wouldn't the person she admires most to witness her screaming her lungs out. He just has her stop the bleeding so he can go back for Lil' Alex.

The medic moves onto her right after Mr. Alex leaves. She starts by cutting her clothes off from around her most serious wound. Another female medic comes in to join her. There's no doubt that they tend to use Medi-Gear, a variant of the raid gear. This version's called Asclepius Digits. It's like a group of hovering digits connected to the fingers via chains. They consist of metal grains which can morph into most of the tools a medic would use like the scalpel, suction et cetera. It is usually puppet mastered by the user's most proficient hand and there's also a lens that hovers at eye level so the medic can actually see what they're doing.

"What's your name sweetheart?" the blondish head medic asks.

"Alexandra."

"I know you can tell that this is gonna hurt but I need you to be strong. The arrow went all the way through you and I'm not proficient enough to take it at one go so this is what we're gonna do."

"Wait. Aren't you two gonna work together?"

"She's gonna keep blood out of my way and make sure it stays in your body. I'll be doing the restructuring… but the wound's in a bad region."

"Why?"

"Difficulties breathing?"

"Yes. It's actually a bit tough."

"The arrow cut through a muscle and an artery, just below your clavicle. Your diaphragm has dropped. Blood loss is also inevitable. We're gonna take half of the shaft out of your body and work halfway through before we turn you over and do the other end. We'll need you to stay absolutely still and relax your body. If you displace the shaft and the hemorrhaging starts, we won't be able to save you."

"Slow down. Why don't you just give me a soporific o something?"

"Some people wake up. We're gonna need you to be strong.*gg*"

"What the heck are you laughing about?"

"I know what I'm asking is ridiculous… but it looks like our—no, YOUR only hope."

"… If you promise me that I'll fully recuperate after this then fine."

"Over time."

"Alright. Três vite!(Very fast!)"

The operation's underway. Like she stated before, the lead nurse converts three of her Asclepius Digits into pincers and the final two into scalpels. "Get ready" is her only warning. The scalpels dig in right at the edges of the shaft and gently decapitate it. Blood starts to gush out but in a moment, the assistant has the bleeding suppressed and redirects blood flow. It's an agonizing experience for her though. She writhes in pain and endures the whole process. It's almost as bad as what Eris suffered.

She pulls through, but is left with a splitting headache. The painkillers they gave her before the surgery start to kick in so she starts to ease up. They go through the trouble of getting her cleaned up after treating her minor injuries. The blonde medic finally tops it off with honey padding and a massage. When she's done, she leaves her be…

"Wait!"

"Yes sweetheart?"

"…Thanks a lot. This hospitality is more than you're obliged to isn't it?"

"*gg* Well a guest of my father's is a guest of mine," she winks. "The name's Marlene." She shuts the door behind herself.

"{? Wait a second. She's the client's daughter?}"

[>]

She hears a knock on the door, it's the House Keeper, Madam Bernarda. She comes in and closes the door behind her. Her face doesn't suggest good or bad.

"Is he back?"

"…Bad news."

[The Twins]

[<<]

They got to the village that reported the incident, the village at the top of the terraces. One look at them and the villagers knew it was help that arrived. The villagers took them to the village chief's hut, and they did away with their footwear so they could go in to talk with the chief.

His hut's the biggest in the village but it's quite stuffy. It seems like he administers healthcare to the village because there're herbs here, there and everywhere. He welcomes them warmly. As usual, Jedi does the talking.

"Welcome," the chief bows.

"Thank you. Good evening Sir. Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine."

"*gg* I needn't ask you what brings you here." Everybody laughs.

"What's the gravity of the situation."

"I can't really tell. The bigfoot was first spotted over a week ago or so. It hasn't attacked anyone but it's towering stature and aggression towards the trees is putting the villagers at unease. A lot fear that it may be constructing weapons and they even fear to go to work out in the lower terraces."

"So I can deduce that it's made the lower border of the plantation it's home."

"Indeed. Just a few meters into the forest. It'd be impossible to miss that stack of logs."

"We'll be going then."

"But it's getting late. Wouldn't you wanna wait till tomorrow?"

"I'm actually excited. Night is not a problem."

[>]

"Night isn't a problem, hunh Jedi?"

"It's not like you always stand guard. Quit whining."

"You're not a young lady so you wouldn't understand the danger of being out at night."

"What you're failing to see is you couldn't call yourself safe even if you were in a steel vault. True protection comes from above."

"Doesn't mean you have to be stupid."

"Ha. And why do you care? I thought you were Ms. Apathetic."

"Just because I'm hurting doesn't mean that I don't care about myself. Why do you think the tendency to commit suicide is a mental disorder?"

"Logs!" Tamar warns them. The trio stealthfully moves past the stack of logs, but nothing's there. Out of the blue, there's a giant "THUMP!!!" behind them. The ground tremors beneath their feet and The wind blows them of balance as it whips up a dust storm. Visibility is extremely poor. Tamar puts up a flame, and they behold the face of the giant from the ground. They must be threats 'cause it's bearing it's giant axe at them.

"YOU STILL DARE!"

"Guys, I think we found the Big foot."

"No Sis, the Bigfoot found us."

---------End of Chapter 15--------

Chapter 16 Teaser

And his name is Solomon.

To be continued…