Three days later, Amir and I were about to enter a city called Tulza to restock on supplies for the rest of the journey. It was a rainy day. Next to the city was a military base. It seemed that this place, in particular, was under the jurisdiction of a high-ranking Aglonian Knight.
"Ragna. We must disguise ourselves somehow. Or find a means to obscure our faces." Amir warned.
"Huh? Why? Are we wanted or something?"
"No, not really. There are rumours that this city, Tulza, is very hostile towards Dunya-Kelenians and Mashreqdians."
"Doesn't sound any different to any of the other parts we've been to if I'm being honest," I replied.
"True as that may be, this place is quite the exception. Whenever non-Septumians set foot in this city, they are immediately hanged at the gallows for the entire to town to watch in glee."
"Wow, that's just dark."
"Here you go. Try hiding your face with that." Amir handed me a shemagh scarf to conceal my face with. He had one for himself too.
As we arrived in the city, we left our horses in a stable in front of the town gate. The town had a giant wall surrounding it. This bustling metropolis was built upon a slope, making it appear as if each building was built on top of each other. As we reached the marketplace, we noticed a bunch of people running towards a certain direction.
"I wonder where they're all running to. Could it be some kind of event?" asked Amir. "In this sort of weather though?"
I approached one of the residents stopping them in their tracks. "Hey, do you mind telling me where you guys are going?"
"We're going to the city square! We wanna see if he's dead yet! Now let me go, I wanna be early so I can get the best view!" The resident ran off into the distance.
"Hm… I'm actually curious to see what they're talking about. C'mon Amir, let's check it out!" I ran off following the direction the residents of the town were going to.
"Wait, Ragna! Urgh…" Amir followed after me.
The trail of the stampede of civilians led us to the town square. Their attention was all gathered to one point as if they were watching a playwright's masterpiece. The crowd's attention fixated on a gigantic clock tower, which appeared to have been erected recently. Below, right in front of the tower, stood a giant scaffold. Hanging by the scaffold's gallows was a man from the Dark Continent, just like me. He was a muscular man with an X shaped scar on his chest. He had hair as white as snow, which was bound into four locks of twisted braids covering his eyes juxtaposed by a puffy ponytail at the back. His hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes bore signs of starvation and malnutrition. He was covered in wounds all over his body. His arms and legs were shackled and bound to two wrecking balls pulling him downward from the gallows, while the noose around his neck strained to lift him towards the heavens. Below him, there was an opening on the platform of the scaffold, beyond said opening was a pot of boiling oil. To me, this was nothing short of overkill.
I wondered how big of a crime this man must have committed to be punished to such an absurd degree. Surely, he must have done some unredeemable acts of evil for it to have reached this point. So, I asked one of the civilians about the context of the situation. "Excuse me, but what is happening here? Who is that guy?"
"You've never heard of him? That man is Senzo the Walking Bullet, he is one of the most dangerous men alive. He's been hanging on those gallows for the past 2 months without food or water. There are rumours that he might be immortal at this point."
"FOR TWO MONTHS?!!" Amir and I yelled in awe and confusion.
"Yeah, it's a miracle that he's still alive. The executioners said the reason he's so hard to kill is because his neck is so strong that the noose around his neck can't even block his airways. That sounds far more ridiculous that him being immortal. There's just no way that anyone could be that strong. Not even him."
"Senzo the Walking Bullet…I've heard that name before." Amir whispered to himself.
"W…What did he do? Surely, he must have done some really heinous stuff for the people in the city to be celebrating like this." I asked the citizen.
"Yeah, before coming to Aglonius, he sank entire armadas of ships from the southern tip of the Dark Continent to here."
"What kind of ships?"
"Slave ships, of course. He sank them all, one by one, without a hint of remorse in his heart. Once he reached the continent of Septum, he took down many Septumian military bases and slave plantations, causing slave rebellions and insurrections in his wake. This bullshit eventually spread here to Aglonius, so we had to further fortify Tulza and made sure that the slaves here behave. But then, this bastard arrived and shattered our peace. He slaughtered the feudal Lord of Tulza and caused most of his slaves to run away. My cousin got killed during the fray! I have no idea what truly motivates this bastard, but he makes me sick, I tell you! Sick!"
"Oh, I see!" As I looked over at him, I noticed people throwing bananas at him while calling him a monkey and making monkey noises. By now, he seemed completely accustomed to it. He looked more bored than anything. Just as bored as I was when I fought Jean-Pierre. Just as bored as Victor was when he fought me.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY LAST WORDS, SENZO THE WALKING BULLET?!!" asked the man next to him with a blonde mohawk and heavily clad armour. This man held a giant axe too.
"Just get it over with." said Senzo.
"VERY WELL. MAY YOU BURN WITHIN THE BOILING OIL AND WITHIN THE ETERNAL FLAMES OF HELL UPON CROSSING THE AFTERLIFE! THAT IS THE PRICE YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR KILLING MY BROTHER!!"
"Okay." Senzo replied. A clear sign that he'd heard this monologue daily for the past two months. His voice carried the apathy of someone stuck in an infinite time loop.
"AAAARGH!!" Like a madman, the armoured man swung his axe, cutting the noose in order to drop Senzo into the boiling pot of oil. Before Senzo, could fall, I leapt over the scaffold in a single bound and tackled him before he could drop through the opening in the scaffold.
"HEY! WHO ON EARTH ARE YOU?!" Yelled the armoured man. Without so much as an answer, I unleashed my bracelet and yelled, "Kiki! Unleash your blinding light!"
[Very well! Kiki! FLASH GRENADE!! KIKI!!] The bracelet unleashed a light that blinded everybody in the town square. "ARGH!! WHAT IS THIS?! I CAN'T SEE!! ARGH!!" yelled the armoured man.
I grabbed Senzo, dived off the scaffold, and dashed toward Amir, pulling him along. We got to an alley a few blocks away from the whole scuffle. We sat there breathing heavily.
Amir caught his breath. "Ragna! What are you thinking!? Do you realise that you just helped a high-ranking criminal? That's gonna make up criminals by association? Like, why?!"
"Huh? What do you have your panties is a twist? Weren't you already a criminal before this?"
"I was coerced into it, okay? That's different!" said Amir in an irritated and anxious tone.
"Hah, you don't say…"
"Hpmh! The little runt is right. You had no reason to help me."
"'Little runt'?" Amir muttered under his breath.
"Hm? Why wouldn't I help you? You fought for an honourable course, didn't you? I wish I had the same amount of guts that you did. Freeing all those slaves like that."
"Hmph! You seem to have some form of misconception about me. I'm not fighting for some nebulous noble course. I don't give a shit about such pesky things such as justice. This is a personal matter for me. Now scram. I don't need your help with a damn thing."
"Oh, I see. Goodluck on your journey then!" Amir and I walked away.
"Wait!!", yelled Senzo.
"Hm?"
"Can you get these restraints off of me? Please?"
"Sure, okay." The moment we removed his restraints, he got up stretching his body. You could tell that the composition of his body was unbalanced due to malnutrition. His ribs and muscles seemed locked in battle, each trying to define the shape of his body. His cheeks hollowed, his eyes sunken, his lips chapped, his legs shaking.
"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked him.
"I'm going to retrieve my spear from the clocktower in the town square."
"Your spear? Wait, how do you know it's in there?"
"It's spiritually and magically linked to me. How could you ask me such an obvious question?"
"Yeesh! Excuse me for asking!"
"Well, you've asked more than enough questions. Now get out of my face!" As he walked away, he fell to his knees and his stomach growled like a bear being subjected to military torture tactics. He bowed his head in embarrassment. "Hey, how about I get your spear for you?"
"Huh? Are you trying to mess with me?"
"No, I'm serious!"
"Based on that dumb question of yours, I'm beginning to wonder if you even know how to sense a weapon or not!"
"Yeah, I really have no idea what you're talking about."
"My point exactly."
[I guess that's where I come in! Kiki!!] Kiki materialised out of my bracelet.
"Huh?! W…What the?!! Is that an Aziza?!"
"Heya, Kiki! My name is Kiki! I'm this kid's weapon!"
"An Aziza as a weapon? Who on earth is this kid? You couldn't possibly be someone from Dunya-Kelen could you?"
I pulled down my shemagh scarf. "Yeah, see?" I replied. Senzo looked shocked at this revelation.
"So, Mr Senzo. Are you willing to form a heka link with me? That way, I'll be able to track down your spear!" Apparently, in Dunya-Kelen, Heka referred to magic.
"Huh? You guys are serious?"
"What would we gain by joking around with a matter like this?" I said to him.
"Th... thank you." He bowed to us.
"Urgh, okay dude, you don't have to do all that." Kiki and Senzo created a magic link by pointing their palms at each other for a minute or two. A light surrounded by blue sigils enveloped them. Thus, the magic link was complete. I still had no idea what this magic link thing was, but Kiki made it seem like it would come in handy. I trust Kiki with my heart completely.
After this ritual was complete, Amir took some cloth from his bag and lent it to Senzo to cover himself. We rented an inn for Senzo to rest in for a while. Along the way to the inn, we also bought some food for Senzo in the marketplace area that we crossed while in our disguises. We rented one room for the three of us because it was better for all of us to stick together most of the time aside from this one instance of me retrieving Senzo's spear. Senzo was able to eat his fill before passing out on the bed after Amir attended to his wounds. He was in a deep sleep. It was a good thing that he got a chance to regain his energy.
I left the inn. Kiki, back inside the bracelet, advised me to avoid the roads of the city and use the roofs of the building here instead. That way, I have a wider view of the city, thus giving me both the means to anticipate potential threats and avoid them while I'm on the move. I ran across the roofs of the city, mounting walls and jumping from house to house like a parkour expert. Eventually, we returned to the city square. There were a bunch of military polices looking up and down the area leaving no stone unturned and there it was, the Clocktower where Senzo's spear was being held. I took down one of the officers and wore his armour. [Renen, look at the window on the eighth floor. That's where the spear is. Kiki.]
"…" I ignored him.
[ NOW'S NOT THE TIME FOR THIS! KIKI!]
I made sure that the coast was clear, so, I used the opportunity to run up the wall of the building, as I reached the walls of the third floor, I lost momentum. So, I pulled out my sword and stabbed the wall with it in order to avoid falling. At that point, I realised that it was about time for me to climb up all the way. "Kiki, activate Sekhem-Ma'at!"
[Right! Kiki!] Kiki transformed into the hilt of the Sekhem-Ma'at. With the remaining piece of the blade stubbornly stuck on the hilt, I used it to stab the wall of the tower as well. Up and up, I went, aiming for the 8th floor. I was at a point where birds were even trying to poke the helmet of my armour. This armour was quite heavy. It made me wonder how the knights even managed to fight in these things. However, it felt like a great exercise. I even suspected that I got slightly stronger than I did before climbing the tower in this armour. Unbeknownst to me, the military police discovered the officer I had knocked out beside a dustbin in an alley. Alarm spread through their ranks.
Eventually, I made it to the eighth floor. I paused, turning to take in the view. The city was so beautiful from up here. It was hard to believe that such a city hid such horrid elements of hatred and bigotry. As I looked over the horizon, I pondered on how far Bjorn was to me now. Looking beyond, it was as if he was devoured by the ether. As if he would cease to exist depending on how far I went from him. I felt the same way about Roberta too. For a moment up here, it felt like the world revolved around me. The rain deepened my melancholy. While turning my back towards the wall while starring into the rainy horizon, the Sekhem-Ma'at was the only blade plunged into the wall. I held onto my normal sword on the hand that was lose. The rain drops that fell onto the hilt of the Sekhem-Ma'at caused my hand to slip unexpectedly and the helmet fell off my head as I was about to fall. I didn't put it on properly it seems. "WHOA!!" I yelled. This caught the attention of the Military Police. "Hey, look! That must be the intruder!"
[RENEN!! KIKI!!] yelled Kiki as he transformed back to normal and flew as fast as he could to be by my side. He bashed me with the crown of his head, pushing me towards the wall of the tower again. I used this chance to stab the tower with my sword again in order to hang on. I was back to the fifth floor all over again. Kiki transformed back into the Sekhem-Ma'at and flew into my palm like a boomerang with a mind of its own.
"FIRE AT HIM!!" Said one of the military officers. At his command, a storm of arrows rained down on me, almost trying to outnumber the droplets of rain coming from the sky. "YIKES!!" I yelled as I climbed up the tower as fast as I could. The more I tried to outrun the arrows, the more ridiculous I found that whole idea to be, so I just gave up and smashed through the window on the seventh floor. I took time to catch my breath before exploring the floor in search of a staircase that led to the eighth floor.
"HEY! PRIVATE! WHO GAVE YOU PERMISSION TO BE HERE?!" asked a higher-ranking knight. As soon as I heard his voice, I turned around towards him instinctively and covered my face with my swords. "WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS PRIVATE?! AND WHY IS THE WINDOW SMASHED?!"
"Uhm, it was a g…giant bird sir!"
"I SEE! I'LL ASK YOU ONE MORE TIME!! WHO SENT YOU HERE?!!"
"Oh, uhm… I was ordered get a flower for, uh… Vice Admiral… uh…" I looked at a trash can on the hallway, a painting of a sailor holding a wooden tankard full of rum, and a small marble statue of a naked woman with a flat bottom on top of a round end table near the window I smashed through. "Vice Admiral Trash Rumsbottom!" 'Holy shit! I just pulled that out of my ass. I'm screwed, aren't I?' I thought to myself.
"OH!! YOU MEAN THE VICE ADMIRAL FLOTSAM TRASH RUMSBOTTOM?! WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY SO KID?! HAHAHA! C'MON, I'LL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO HIM!"
'HUH?!! HE EXISTS?!!!'
"BY THE WAY, WHERE'S YOUR HELMET?"
"Uhm, the bird ate it up…"
"OH, I SEE. BIRDS THESE DAYS SURE ARE GETTING PROBLEMATIC. YOU COULD SWEAR THAT IT'S AN OMEN OF A TERRIBLE FUTURE AWAITING US. I WONDER WHAT WE AS A NATION DID TO DESERVE SUCH A FATE." Yeesh, you don't say~. If only he knew that what awaited us wasn't just going to spell doom for Aglonius, but the entire world too. This guy's lack of self-awareness was absurd. I couldn't tell if he was gullible or if he was taking a piss at me.
"BY THE WAY, WHY ARE YOU COVERING YOUR FACE LIKE THAT?" he asked.
"Uhm, the bird gave me, uhm… 'Never Show Your Face Syndrome'. I…Its really contagious if I show it to anyone."
"OH MY. POOR SOLDIER! I REMEMBER A VERY DISTANT COUSIN FROM MY MOTHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY HAVING THE SAME CONDITION MANY YEARS AGO! YOU POOR THING. HEY, HOW ABOUT I GET YOU A NEW HELMET! I'LL BE BACK IN A JIFFY!"
'THIS GUY REALLY IS GULLIBLE ISN'T HE?!!!' I thought to myself in utter disbelief.
As the knight led us to this so-called Trash Rumsbottom guy, he handed me a jar of flowers. We found out that his location was the exact room we were searching for Senzo's spear. Meaning that Trash Rumsbottom was the same man I nearly got into a scuffle with at the top of the scaffold.
"Lieutenant, who the hell is this supposed to be?" asked Rumsbottom as we entered his office. I glanced around the office, and there it was, Senzo's spear, resting in the corner.
"SIR! YOU ORDERED THIS YOUNG GENTLEMAN TO DELIVER A JAR OF FRESHLY PICKED FLOWERS FOR YOUR OFFICE, SIR!"
"HRMM?! I DON'T REMEMBER GIVING SUCH AN ORDER!!" Trash Rumsbottom replied.
"HUH?" The lieutenant looked at me and said, "GUESS, YOU MUST HAVE MISHEARD HIS ORDERS PRIVATE!"
"Oh! Is that so? Oh, uhm, I think I remember now!" I hit my fist against the palm of my hand. "I was…uhm…actually supposed to take that spear over there to the storage room! Hahaha!"
"NOW THAT'S AN ORDER I REMEMBER GIVING OUT. PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH THAT THING! ONCE WE EXECUTE SENZO, WE SHALL ADD THIS TO AGLONIUS' MUSEUM OF ARTIFACTS, TO CELEBRATE YET ANOTHER VICTORY OVER THOSE DIRTY MOON CRICKETS FROM THE DARK CONTINENT! SQUEE KWEE KWEE KWEE KWEE KWEE!! SQUEE KWEE KWEE KWEE KWEE!!"
What kind of laugh was that? Plus, I wasn't sure if I took kindly to that 'Dirty Moon Cricket' remark he just threw at us. I walked out, carrying the spear. This spear was nearly as tall as Jean-Pierre and weighed about as much as Bjorn's axe. So, this is what Senzo uses in battle, huh? Pretty cool! I'd like to spar with him someday. A fight with someone from the Dark Co-, I mean, Dunya-Kelen isn't an opportunity that comes by every day. I could also learn quite a lot from fighting Senzo. As I was walking away, I overheard more of Trash's monologue.
"ONCE WE KILL SENZO, I SHALL CELEBRATE WITH A LARGE BANQUET IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS CITY SQUARE! WE SHALL CELEBRATE OUR COUNTLESS VICTORIES OVER THE DARKIES, AND TO HAVE A TOAST IN THE HONOUR OF MY FALLEN BROTHER'S MEMORY!! DETRITUS RUMSBOTTOM, MY DEAR BROTHER, YOUR DEATH SHALL NOT BE IN VAIN! I SHALL DRINK TO MY HEARTS CONTENT AND HAVE MY WAY WITH ALL THOSE POOP SKINNED FEMALE SLAVES!! RULING OVER THESE BIPEDAL MONKEYS IS THE SEPTUMIAN MAN'S BURDEN, GRANTED TO US BY THE ALMIGHTY SON OF GOD, EIUSA TYRONE KREISS!! SQUEE KWEE KWEE KWEE KWEE KWEE KWEE!!" As he laughed, a flock of birds bumped into the windows of the tower.
"THE BIRDS ARE AT IT AGAIN!!" said the lieutenant.
Hearing the bastard's remarks really pissed me off to no end. I wanted to stick this spear up his dirty ass Rumsbottom if he didn't shut the hell up. As I was being caught up in my emotions, I accidentally tripped over myself, causing the helmet to slip off my head without my noticing.
"HEY, PRIVATE WE TOLD YOU TO BE CAREFUL WITH--- {GASP!!}. Gasped the lieutenant. "SIR! A MOON CRICKET JUST INVADED THE CLOCKTOWER AND TOOK THE SPEAR FROM US!!"
"WHAT?!!" Yelled Trash as he dashed out of his office with his axe in hand. I got up holding my forehead in pain. "Ow, ow, ow. Huh? Wait a minute!" I started touching my head suspecting that the helmet had fallen off, and there is was on the floor. Oh crap, I didn't put it on properly! I'm such an idiot!
"HEY, WHAT'S A NAP HEADED BABOON LIKE YOU TOUCHING THE GROUND OF THE HOLY TEMPLE OF THE CITY OF TULZA?! ARE YOU TRYING TO INFECT IT WITH YOUR BOOTY SCRATCHING GERMS?"
"Man, relax, it's just a Clocktower. Besides, it's kinda crazy that you mentioned booty scratching germs, when those very same monkeys that you look down on are the same ones that cook your food. The very same ones that clean your house. The very same ones that breast feed your baby. The very same ones that make your garden look sublime. The very same ones whose artifacts you steal after every conquest yet have the gall to say they lack culture. The very same ones you force yourselves. The same people ones who built this city to be what it is while you sat on your fat ass looking down on them! DON'T FUCKING TELL ME ABOUT GERMS YOU BASTARD!!"
"DON'T FUCKING LECTURE ME YOU UNCULTURED SWINE!! YOU WANNA GET CHOPPED TO PIECES? HUH?!"
"I'd like to see you try!"
"SIR, I'LL HANDLE THIS FIGHT ON YOUR BEHALF! I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF LETTING A NIGHTSKIN IN HERE!" said the lieutenant.
I put on my helmet in order to mock him. "A nightskin? I don't see a nightskin around here."
"HUH? GUESS YOU'RE RIGHT. HE'S REALLY GONE AFTER ALL."
'HE ACTUALLY BELIEVES ME?!' I was utterly flabbergasted by the amount of gullibility I had just witnessed. How did this guy even become a lieutenant in the first place? How? He's got to have bribed someone, cause there's no frigging way on Odins beard someone could be this much of a blockhead!
"YOU USELESS PIECE OF SHIT!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!" Trash decapitated the lieutenant with his axe and charged towards me.
"So, you're seriously taking out your own ally? What for?!"
"FOOL! IN THIS WORLD THERE ARE NO ALLIES! ONLY PAWNS THAT WE USE AS LADDERS TO HELP US CLIMB TO THE TOP! IT IS EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF! THAT IS THE EPHIPHANY OF LIFE ACHIEVED BY US SEPTUMIANS THROUGH THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT!!"
"I CALL BULLSHIT!! ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT!! BJORN'S EXISTENCE ALONE FLUSHES THAT DUMB ASS FALLACY DOWN THE DRAIN! THE PEOPLE FROM MY VILLAGE, AS SHITTY AS THEY WERE, THEIR EXISTENCE TOO PROVES YOUR ENTIRE POINT OF VIEW TO BE A PILE OF NONSENSE!!" I punched the side of Trash's giant axe, causing him to slide a few meters away from me.
"HMM, SUCH POWER!"
This bastard needed to get his ass kicked. And soon. I apologize Bjorn, but I won't be using your sword for this fight. I'm gonna use a blade crafted by the hard work and ingenuity of the people of Dunya-Kelen, to show this bastard that his ridiculous claims don't mean squat in the face of reality. I'm gonna use the Sekhem-Ma'at. "Kiki, transform."
[Yes, master!!] Kiki transformed into the half blade. Just a hilt with a fragment of the blade desperately clinging on, yearning to be whole again. [Renen, aren't you going to fuse me with your sword?]
"No. Not needed. You're more than enough for this guy."
"SHOW ME YOUR POWER YOU LITTLE RUNT!!" As he swung his axe downwards in an attempt to cleave me into two, I blocked the strike with my helmet. It was a risky move because thing would have gone completely wrong if I miscalculated the trajectory of the swing by a single digit. I pierced Trash's abdomen, sending him flying back.
"Is this the code that the Aglonian knights stand by? Is this the code for all knights from Septum? If so, I can see why Bjorn decided to leave you bastards! The values you stand for are hollow. You erect cathedrals, recite scriptures from a Holy book and blurt out Eiusa Kreiss' name as if you stand for something substantial!"
"DON'T YOU DARE INSULT OUR CUSTOMS, YOU BRAT!!". He dashed towards me, leading to the two of us clashing blades. My broken sword versus his gigantic axe, an axe even larger and heavier than Bjorn's. His blows felt heavy too. Each blow was powerful enough to cut through concrete like butter, leaving shattered debris in its path. I flipped backward multiple times after kicking off his helmet and used my Flying Dagger technique to decapitate him. However, that tactic was not successful because he ducked out of the way. The only thing that was cut was his ridiculous looking hair.
"MY MOHAWK!! YOU LITTLE BRAT!! THIS MOHAWK WAS MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY LOVE FOR EIUSA HIMSELF!! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THAT!!" He continued his flurry of ferocious swings. I just continued blocking and weaving. His technique lacked grace and fluidity. He was full of so many unnecessary movements. I could still attest that this man was in a higher league than a grunt like Jean-Pierre. This man was named Vice Admiral for a reason. But still, I had fought foes far mightier than this. After the stories I just heard about Senzo, it was hard to believe that this guy was the one who beat him and locked him up. If anything, it was more plausible to believe that Senzo was ambushed and caught off guard while in a weaker state. However, I had to treat this man as a genuine threat, for even the smallest fraction of my pride as a Dunya-Kelenian was on the line. I had a point to prove to this bastard. We carried on clashing blades over and over and over. He was formidable in his own right.
"Your ideology strips you of compassion and severs bonds with other people!"
"EMPATHY IS A SIN!! I DO NOT EXPECT A HATCHLING LIKE YOU TO UNDERSTAND!! THE WORLD IS NOT ALL SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS!!"
"So what? You would rather have people suffer, while giving them hope that things will be better in the afterlife, without trying to make things better for them here and now!? I've come to realise that dream of mine to join the Aglonian Knights was just an ignorant pipe dream! If I joined, you guys I wouldn't have been accepted! If I joined you, I would have been forced to put more people through pain, just like Roberta. Just like Bjorn! Just like Senzo! Just like the slaves in the Crimsonfield house! Just like the slaves in this town! Just like the people of Kemmutu! I can't forgive such a screwed-up ideology! I can't lose to people with such a screwed-up view of the world!!"
I slashed him repeatedly, tearing through his armor. I kicked him away, causing him to bounce around the hallway, finally landing on the floor in a violent crash, face down, his posterior lifted up to the heavens for his beloved Eiusa Kreiss, in a crater of his own misdeeds. To me this battle was far from over. I had to do a little something extra on behalf of Senzo. So, I took Senzo's spear, walked up to Trash and delivered a humiliating jab to his rear. Trash yelped, jumping in pain as blood and faecal matter trickled from the wound.
"Ohohoho!! Tell me, who's the poop-colored savage full of germs now? Hahahahaha!!" I pointed at him and laughed mockingly.
"YOU BRAT!! I SHALL ALLOW YOU TO DESECRATE THIS MONUMENT NO LONGER!!"
"Is that so? Since you've brought that up, I'm going to do it anyway just to spite you!! I'll do this in commemoration of my fallen homeland's monuments! I'll have my way with this blasted Clocktower!! Kiki!! Let's fuse!!"
[ You can count on me!! Kiki!!]
"Alright, lets go!!" I smacked the Sekhem-Ma'at together with Senzo's spear. The brilliant flash coming from the fusion of both weapons erupted, blinding Trash. "SHIT! I FELL FOR IT AGAIN!!" Once the light vanished, the weapon was formed. It radiated an almost celestial brilliance. It was a gigantic blue spear shaped like a harpoon at the end. Decorated around it was a golden snake coiling around the stem of the spear, on the end of the spear was the head of the serpent devouring a round jewel made of Lapis Lazuli, seemingly representing the sun. The spear-blade felt quite light too.
"COME AT ME PUNK!!"
"You can count on it!!" I jumped high up, as I was about to descend, Trash awaited me, holding his axe like a baseball bat. As he positioned himself into this stance, the ground under him formed a crater. "NOW DIE LIKE A TRUE MOON CRICKET! BOY!"
"I WON'T DIE HERE!! I'LL TEAR DOWN EVERYTHING THAT YOU STAND FOR WITH THIS!!"
"BRING IT ON NIGHTSKIN!! RAGNO-KNOCK STERNENDOLCH!!!" He swung his axe as hard as he could.
"BIFROST THUNDERCLAP!!!" In that split second, I dug deep inside myself, drawing out every carnal emotion and desire. I let go of my humanity to unlock the strongest version of Berserker mode I could at the time. Veins bulged from my forehead, under my eyes and along my arms. Blood spilled from my mouth as I gritted my teeth, trying to ignore the pain and strain on my body until it finally subsided. My pupils became blank and bloodshot. I swung my arm forward, clenching the spear with all the power I could muster in a stabbing motion. As our weapons clashed, a shockwave erupted, shattering all the windows in the clocktower and nearby buildings.
Eventually, my spear destroyed Trash's axe and pierced him right through the chest. Once the deed was done, I released the spear, hurling it down toward the first floor of this eight-story clocktower. As the spear struck the first floor, another shockwave swept through the town square, demolishing buildings and the scaffold. Windows surrounding the town square exploded, including those of the inn where Senzo and Amir were holed up. The shockwave even reached the bells of the churches in Tulza, causing them to ring an eerie melody that seemed to prophesy impending doom. Birds and critters fled from the city in droves upon droves, fleeing the wake of destruction. All that was remained was a massive crater where the town square once stood, with a malfunctioning, gigantic clock sticking out of the ruins of the once majestic clock tower Trash had considered holy.
The rain never let up even once. There I was, looking down on the corpse of the man who was once known as Trash Rumsbottom. In hindsight, that name suited him quite well. The corpse of the man lay upon a burnt crater, surrounded by rubble. Beneath the hole in his chest, a cavity in the crater resembled the work of a mole drilling toward the centre of the earth. I looked down upon the corpse, droplets of rain falling upon its eyes, staring into the void as if wondering whether it would ever be granted the chance to walk through the gates of heaven.
The remaining military police ran toward me. They were still unaware of my presence in this aftermath of destruction, so I escaped without being caught. I slipped through the onlooking crowd without being caught and made my way inside the inn where I had left Amir and Senzo. I gave Senzo his spear back. "Hey, is this my… I can't believe you got it back for me. This weapon is as important as my very life. I wish to repay me debt to you."
"Very well. You seem pretty strong Senzo. How about you join me on my journey."
"I'll take you up on that offer, as long as your goals to get in the way of mine."
"That's fair enough!"
The both of us shook hands.
"Ragna, what's going on? What was that explosion just now?!" asked Amir.
"I'll explain everything once we leave this town. Let's go!"
[ Wait, before you go. We better fix up those wounds on you guys first! Kiki!] said Kiki. He materialized out of the bracelet and cast a healing spell on us, giving us the energy, health, and mobility to move around freely. We used the rooftops to move around, avoiding both enemy and civilian encounters. We eventually reached the stables by the city gate where Marx and Amir's horse were waiting.
"Close the gates! Close the gates!" Yelled one of the city guards. We forcefully pried open the stable doors to release our horses. Meanwhile, Senzo paced back and forth, panicking. "Oh, shit! My horse is missing!"
"They probably confiscated it months ago! C'mon get on my horse for now!" Yelled Amir.
"Tch!" Senzo grumbled in frustration as he jumped on the back of the horse. We managed to make it through the gate before it could close in on us. The guards at the gate shot arrows at us but every shot missed, allowing us to ride off into the wilderness unharmed.