Chapter 10: Harmony Part 2

Emily, Kiran and Easton run as fast as possible. 

"Come on Kiran! You have to run faster!"

"I'm trying!"

"It would be easier if we didn't have to slug around these stupid potatoes!"

"We need to eat!" 

All of them are using 2 arms to carry their potato bags. 

"MIHIIIII"

The boar chases the group and stampedes through the road. Its massive tusks knock down the trees next to it. 

"We can't keep running this way! We need to steer away from the other guild members! This way!"

Emily cuts left. Easton and Kiran follow suit. 

A huge portion of bamboo appears in front of them. 

"Through here! Hopefully, this will slow it down!"

Emily weaves through the bamboo bars. Easton hits every single branch.

"Agh! Ow! Hey! This is hard!"

"Just keep running!"

The boar snaps each bamboo bar it hits.

Kiran passes Easton. He manoeuvres through the bamboo quite easily. 

"Hey! Wait up! Ow!"

Emily turns her head and sees the boar catching up to Easton. 

"Easton run faster!"

"I'M TRYING! OW!"

Another bamboo hits him in the face. "These are growing straight up. How do they keep hitting me?! I'm dodging them!"

 "GHYHUHIIII!!!"

The boar sucks in the air and torpedoes through the bamboo. They all fall like dominoes.

"OH S***!"

The beast creeps closer and closer. Each step takes him nearer to Easton. The tusk of the boar is just about to hit him.

KAPOW!!

A woman flashes through the air. With a swift kick to the nose, she backflips off of the boar. She watches with her violet eyes as the boar retreats. 

Kiran and Easton stare at the woman who made the boar turn and run away. Blood-red hair that goes down to her lower back. A pure black attire from her feet up to her neck emphasises her dark brown skin, which is visible due to her sleeveless attire. 

"Mehaki! Thank goodness you saved us-"

A fist plants on Emily's head when she goes to hug the tall redhead.

"OW!!"

"I told you to harvest the potatoes yesterday Emily. There's a reason I ask for things, like changing schedules with members."

"I know! I'm sorry! I was worried because of Joseff! I sat waiting for him all day yesterday."

"Sigh… I understand."

Mehaki rubs Emily's head. "So these are some of the newborns joining Harmony? Welcome. I am Mehaki. Pleasure to meet you two."

Mehaki walks towards the 2 newborns, both blushing as she whips their potato bags over her shoulder. 

"I am one of the Directors of Harmony. I'm sure we will become quite well acquainted in due time."

She walks back over to Emily and lifts her bag as well.

"Come. Let's head back. It's time to prepare for dinner."

Mehaki casually carries the 3 potato bags to Harmony.

"Are you three coming?"

"Yes ma'am!" Kiran and Easton immediately follow.

"But what about the boar Mehaki?"

"Namrah and Ebbot will handle it."

"Oki!" Emily skips. 

They get to the Harmony tree. 

Mehaki looks at the 2 newborns. "You two, go get some rest. I'll have some members bring food to you. Emily, take them to their cabin. Afterwards, go to Joseff. He called you."

"Ai ai!" Emily salutes and leads the 2 newborns to their cabin, where they rest and fall asleep after eating. 

The next day arrives. Kiran and Easton are sitting in a section of the Medical Centre, one of the medium-sized buildings with a red cross on the front. Kiran lies on his hand and has his eyes half open. 

"I am… so tired…"

"When is this going to end?"

Kiran and Easton are wearing light blue shirts, grey long pants, and black shoes. This is the same clothing that the majority of other Harmony members wear. 

"Are you two even listening to me?"

Emily stands in front of a blackboard. Topics of Arkodia are scattered all over the board. 

"Well duh."

Easton stretches backwards. 

"You talked about Guilds and Creditation."

Easton pulls the hand out from Kiran and he falls hard on the table.

"The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell!" shouts Kiran as he wakes up.

Kiran blinks his eyes in focus. Easton whispers to him.

"How are you so tired?"

"I didn't get much sleep."

"How? We are in the same cabin. The beds are fine. We are with 10 others-"

Easton looks at Emily, who's also in their cabin. He rolls his eyes. "This red rank is as typical as ever."

"I guess you two are listening!"

"None of what you are teaching seems relevant to us. Can't we go back to Soul Potential Energy? Even the red-rank listened then." 

"I'm just using what Joseff gave me! And no! I said we will get to it some other time."

Emily slams a gigantic stack of papers in front of her. 

"We've never done this! But every guild does this with their newborns. It's how they, you know, decide where you will fit best."

"Yawn… Then why is the yellow-rank not here?"

"That's because Consus asked for him specifically. And when the guild leader asks for something, you listen and do as they say! That reminds me…"

She grabs 2 pieces of paper and hands them to the newborns. 

"You two need to write your desires on here! This will help us figure out where you can help us. Consus asked me to give it to you two."

Kiran stares at his paper. Easton puts his paper in his pocket. 

"Also! Here are the jobs you can do for now while they figure out where you fit."

Emily hands them each another piece of paper.

"More work?"

"Everyone helps around here in Harmony. At least in some way."

"Ugh. Fine. Can I go?"

"Yep! I have work to do here."

Kiran keeps staring at his paper. "What is my desire? Again with this…"

"Hey, Kiran. Hello?"

Emily is right in Kiran's face.

"You asleep?"

"N-N-No!"

"I have to go. You were staring at your paper for 5 minutes."

"Right! I'll h-head out."

Kiran scurries and leaves the room. He looks at his paper of tasks. "Oh…"

Easton walks to his job. The instructions on the paper lead him past Harmony's residential housing.

"I have to chop all this wood?!"

A humongous pile of wooden logs are in front of him. A pile taller than 5 times his size.

"I'll have to chop this all down first… ugh…"

He grips the axe already inside a tree base and yanks it out. He carefully rolls the logs down from the pile. Easton starts to chop.

"This! Stupid! World! Sucks! And! This! Guild! Too!"

It takes him around 15 swings to chop off a section. Each chop is accompanied by one word.

He does this 4 more times to create 5 equal stumps. 

"Few… That's tough." 

Easton hears bushes rustling and branches breaking nearby and turns his head. He pulls the axe back. 

Kiran pokes his head from the bushes and sees Easton.

"EASTON WAIT! It's only me!"

Easton lets out a breath of relief.

"You stupid red-rank. Don't sneak up on me!"

"I didn't mean to."

Kiran comes out of the bush and wipes away the twigs and leaves. Easton leers at him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-I was looking for you. I came to help with whatever your job is."

"UHHH? Don't you have something better to do? What does your job list say?"

"W-Well…"

Kiran hands him the piece of paper. Easton reads it. 

"Something? You have to do… SOMETHING?"

"Yeah. I went to Joseff, and he said he didn't have something specific for me to do. He said I can do whatever I want."

"So?"

"So I can't help Garnett. I don't think I'd be any good with Emily… So I decided to come and help you. I heard you yelling." 

"How lucky am I."

Easton hands the axe to Kiran. 

"Here. You do the next log then. We can alternate. Cut it in 5 pieces"

"Okay!"

"Easton said he was lucky! He's warming up to me!"

Kiran smiles as he rolls down the next log carefully from the pile. While Kiran struggles to chop it, Easton takes out the piece of paper from earlier.

"So what is my desire huh? It's the same question that guy in the white coat asked me at Kura…"

He scrunches the paper in his hand.

"Such a stupid question." 

He looks up at the sunbeams shining through the branches of the high trees. 

"Did I work that hard only to end up at a place like this? Is this all that's meant for me?"