Preparing to Leave

"...."

Amma fell backward, nearly hitting her head on the wall. She wasn't sure why but she began to scuttle away from Bil out of instinct.

The captain shut his mouth, giving up. He too trembled as Bil's pressure triggered the captain's memories of war. But it was no memory of an ally. It was antagonizing. It was sinister. It was bloodlust. But the captain's mouth opened again as his brain stop thinking for a moment. "... Wh.. What are… you?"

Jash and Nelphy were shocked, unable to move and unable to speak. They could feel the strange tension in the air but none of it targeted them. It was their confusion that kept them from doing anything.

Bil ignored the captain's question. "I'm leaving. And so are they. Try to stop me, and there won't be any guards left to protect your town."

When Bil let go, the captain's motor functions hadn't yet come back online. His body collapsed to the ground before he was jolted back to reality.

"Come, Jash, Nelphy."

Those were the final words stated in the hallway.

The children both nodded and waved goodbye to Amma, who struggled to return the favor. Still shaking and trying to get rid of the nerves, the captain slapped himself out of shock.

In the meantime, Bil effortlessly traversed the hallways and exited the inn. He even avoided the tables and food stall outside without ever searching with his staff. Instead, he clutched his staff tightly as if ready to wield it in battle. Only after reaching the street did Bil suddenly stop without warning.

He turned back to the inn and shouted, "Captain! I need a sword!"

"...."

"I said, 'I need–'"

"YES!" Barreling out of the inn, the captain of the guard ran into the street and toward the guards at the gate. "You, give me a sword, now!"

The guards complied and retrieved a common longsword from their small stash, one held at each gate.

Hastily accepting it, the captain rushed back to Bil and presented the sword with a bow. "Here, sir. I hope this is to your liking."

"Hmm…" Bil unsheathed the blade and swung it around, startling the nearby guards. But Bil also turned his ear toward Jash, who was in awe of seeing Bil wield an actual weapon. "This will do. Now get me a good knife, one with sheath."

Clueless and confused, the guards drew closer to the blind man and their leading officer. "Captain, what's–"

"Now," shouted the captain, "bring me a knife. A good one with a sheath!"

"Y-yes, captain!"

The guards followed orders, quickly presenting their captain with a knife, who then handed it off to Bil. And Bil turned back toward the kids and dropped to one knee. He hunched over to match his gaze with Jash's. "Here. You won't be fighting in this battle, but consider this your first blade. When you get used to carrying it, then I'll teach to you to wield it when you're older."

"Th-THANK YOU, BIL!!" Jash bowed deeply and ecstatically took the knife. "I'll always keep it on me! So I'll always be ready!"

"Good. But for now, just keep it at your side." Bil took the blade back, but only to help fasten the tie on Jash's side. "Now, we're ready to leave. Unless you want one too, Nelphy?"

".. You said Jash won't be fighting. So I won't need to fight, right?" Nelphy asked, getting a gentle nod from Bil. "Then I'm ready too!"

Getting back on his feet, Bil smiled and waved to the captain. "Thanks."

With that out of the way, Jash and Nelphy took the lead. Until Bil suddenly started entering the woods. Jash and Nelphy failed to convince him otherwise, so they too went into the woods until they were out of sight from the town gate.

"Umm, Captain, what was–"

"Don't worry about it or think about it." The captain turned about and stared to the east as the sun began to set behind him. "We can only think about the incoming threat. Hurry, help organize the chaos in town square. The sooner the mayor speaks, the sooner we're able to help the elderly and young flee to the woods."

"Yes, sir!"

All the guards scattered and ran off to follow orders. The captain was now alone and able to look back into those woods, where the peculiar, old soldier had fled.

"He's really gone, isn't he?"

"Yeah… they're gone." Sighing, the captain looked back at Amma, who was approaching him. "At least there were no problems with him leaving.."

Amma had a question but it took her a moment to ask, "Who.. was that?"

"I have no clue," responded the captain. "You said he mentioned being a war captain?"

"Yeah."

Continuing, the captain removed his helmet. "That… is surprising to me."

Caught off guard, Amma got closer and snuggled against the captain's arm. "Why do you say that?"

"That pressure didn't feel like a captain's… It felt like I was standing against a commander. And he wasn't even holding a weapon…" The captain let his head lean on Amma's. "Sadly, even a commander can't go toe to toe with a god. Maybe he would've stayed if he was more confident in himself–"

"No." Interrupting the man, Amma turned her face toward the captain's. "The same thing would've happened regardless. You saw his passion for the kids. Nothing would've changed, and nothing was your fault, dear."

"Thanks… That feels a little bit better. But not enough for me to ignore the invasion." The captain gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Go gather the kids. You'll need to be quick and grab everything you'll need for your journey."

"I… Okay." No longer holding back, Amma caressed his face as they kissed deeply. Moments later, they finally broke away. "... I'll get the kids ready.."

The captain sighed, "And.. I'll get the guards ready…"

"... I love you, Ronner."

"And I love you, Amma…. Be safe."

"Y-you... You too…" Amma stammered, struggling to get the words through her veil of tears. "I.. I'll be off."

"Good.." sniffled the captain, wiping away all signs of watery eyes. "Now hurry."

The two went their separate ways, one toward the town's center and the other back into the inn.