AKAME ASSASINATION (26)
Nala wondered when the last time she last cared for something was. It was probably a while back, and it was probably for the best back then even though she didn't really understand it herself.
Even now she didn't really understand why she had a very deep appreciation for the person that she had just met. Maybe because it was hard trusting people you didn't know, maybe it was because those closest to you had a tendency of always betraying you because they know you the best.
The last time she ever cared for someone was when she had a heart of gold, a heart that easily folded when pushed into a corner. A heart that bothered her whenever she saw something she didn't like, she always acted on impulse to things she viewed as bad or rude. And of course being the chief's daughter people would often take this as her being a spoiled brat.
To some extent that was true, to some extent she was spoiled. And she sees that now, she was spoiled in thinking that all the world's problems were her own and that she had to come face to face with that injustice to stop it head on.
But that wasn't it either, was it? Because people still betray, people still break your heart and people still hurt you. You can't hurt them back or else you're the villain, but you can refuse to help them. Not every problem is hers not every problem needs her to fix. You don't need to risk your life for someone who picked that battle in the first place.
What if you lose?
What if you die?
It all goes up in smoke and you are buried under the great tree to be forgotten, perhaps passed down through verbal speech and stories of a generation that will distort your image and soon forget who the real you was.
So why? She needed to understand why a man she had just known for barely a day would risk himself for her, she needed to get an answer. Wasn't he worried that she would eventually escape, maybe even take the opportunity to stab him rather than that creature. Why did he let her live this long?
The next day came again, although it was still very dark, it was a miracle the both of them could even walk at this point. Although he staggered a bit the girl wouldn't let him down even for a moments rest. In her mind they had to move, she had to get him to the village, there were people more qualified to heal him than her.
For extra care though, she applied medicinal herbs she had on her to ease the pain and enhance cell functions. These herbs also needed to be in a settled environment if they were to be properly ingested. Meaning he had to take a proper rest before they continued.
"Hey, I can walk…" He'd been saying that for the past 3 hours they had been walking.
In her eyes the wounds seemed more internal rather than external, because there were no scars left on his body.
"You know I didn't think I'd ever see you smiling at me." Gil spoke even though he understood that the girl in front of him didn't understand a word he said.
She looked at him again but didn't say anything, not like she could anyway, but maybe she was trying to understand him beyond the words he might've spoken towards her. There simply one question she wanted to ask, but one she couldn't voice it on her own. Which in a way made her kind of sad.
Gil looked at her noticing the sadness on her face, he opened his mouth as though he was about to say something. However the distant sound of an engine riving stopped him in his tracks.
'A car?' He wondered, 'Out here?'
The girl had no idea what it was she was hearing, she perhaps thought it was another monster because the moment she heard this she began summoning her spear from the grass.
"No." Gil stopped her by grabbing her hand. He then looked back his eyes grazing over the dark figure of the trees the they had gone passed.
"That's definitely a car, but it seems a few miles out." He couldn't move that fast, he could barely walk, so wondering was the only thing he could afford to do.
But even in this state there were somethings that were clear to him and there was no mistaking it, he could feel it.
Bloodlust
A specific type of bloodlust he had felt before, but from where? He couldn't quiet put his finger on it. But it was so dense whoever it was must've been very mad.
"There." Gil pointed at a horde of tall grass, they would be living the trees behind meaning there would be nothing more than grass with nothing to shield them from anyone looking to kill them. But because it was the cover of darkness and there was plenty of tall grass Gil thought that maybe waiting for a moment in the grass just to see who it was would be the best play here.
The girl followed the trajectory of his finger with her eyes and saw the tall grass. She nodded identifying that she understood and agreed with that.
With her help he limped all the way there slowly, but steadily as well.
***
A FEW HOURS BEFORE THIS MOMENT
"Right in front of us." Justine said sticking his head outside the window. "There is a large pocket of energy right in front of us."
Where the desert ended a small valley with trees lined up, at the bottom of this valley was more scattered trees but mostly with grass everywhere.
The four of them all got out to investigate what Justine had been going on about this entire time.
"I do feel a lot of fragment energy around here, but isn't that due to the storm?" Angel asked.
"Nah, the storm spreads out through a large area, but this is just here and its enormous."
"What are you even saying?"
"You're just a dumb bitch, which is why you don't get it." Justine responded with a grin.
"You…"
"When the both of you are done kissing let me know." Jericho broke them off from fighting. She pointed down the gentle slope, and leaning on a tree was a dark figure.
"Teddy." She called out.
"Yes Iman." He responded.
"Can you feel another fragment signature here?"
"No, the residue of fragments in the area make it hard to pick up individual signatures."
'So is this where you've been hiding this entire time?' Jericho wondered, 'Instead of fleeing from the country or even moving a variable distance away, all you've been doing is lazying around. You Bastard.'
She slid down the hill.
"Iman?"
Teddy followed right behind her, Justine and Angel remained still arguing about something. The two made there way down the slope.
ORGANIC ALCHEMY: CARBON BASED ROD!
Out of the palm of her hand a thick black rod made of carbon emerged. She would use it to execute and or capture the figure she believed to be Saikyo Akame.
"Hya!" In one leap she made it close to the figure as it leaned close to the tree. She swung her carbon rod and Teddy clasped his hands together ready to assist where possible.
However, the figure was able to catch the rod with his left hand.
"!"
Jericho tried to pull away but the man's grip was way to strong, she let go of the rod and jumped back ready to unveil another one of her attacks. But she quickly lowered her palm as she realized something.
"What is it Iman?"
"Its not him."
She was right, the man who sat leaning on a tree wasn't Akame or any of his associates.
"Are you suppose to be the back up I sent for?" It was none other than Donovan Blight, "You've got to be joking."
TO BE CONTINUED!