Chapter 20: Chapter 19: Precautions [1]

Chapter 19: Precautions [1]

Soft, gentle hands brush against Maru’s tender shoulders. Her eyes were closed, shrouding her world in darkness as she relaxed her body.

She wouldn’t open her eyes just yet, as she was busy recollecting her thoughts. Maru vaguely remembers what happened at the end of her battle with Elafi. Many of the thoughts in her head were still distant and foggy, though they started to come back to her like a flooding river. She started to hear voices surrounding her, the murmuring and subtle chatter of a crowd she couldn’t recognize. Their tones were familiar, but still uniquely distinct and unknown in her head.

The hands caressing her lightly squeezed her shoulders, and Maru reluctantly opened her eyes.

She blinks a few times, her blurred vision struggling to adjust to the light from the lantern dangling overhead. Someone suddenly puts their head in front of the lantern, looking down at Maru with their silver eyes and white hair.

“Yuri..?” Maru muttered, staring at the girl as her vision returned to normal.

“Finally, you’re up.” Yuri sighs, still lightly massaging Maru’s shoulders with both of her hands.

“What’re you doing?” Maru moves her head to look at her shoulders, watching as Yuri rubs them.

“Fixing you up,” Yuri said sternly, “Tianyu told me your shirt and coat were covered in dry blood when he found you. Be thankful his Water Magic helps with disinfecting wounds and such. Otherwise, you would’ve had a nasty infection.”

Maru stares at the ceiling with her thoughts wandering. She’s suddenly reminded of her fight against Elafi, when her sharp claws were briefly lodged into Maru’s shoulder. Maru was so overwhelmed with adrenaline that she sort of forgot about that injury.

Maru looks around the room while Yuri continues to massage her shoulders. It looks like she was stationed in Yuri’s small hut, a singular window to her right, with a couple of beds aligned near the walls. She notices Tianyu standing by the window, with Francis laying down in the bed adjacent to her.

“Hey guys!” She called out, raising her hand into the air to wave at them.

Tianyu and Francis both turn their heads, smiling at Maru while waving back.

Yuri reaches up and snatches Maru’s hand out of the air, pulling it back down onto the bed.

“No, sit still.”

“Oh – sorry. It didn’t hurt though.”

Yuri steps back, taking her hands off of Maru’s shoulders and letting out a quiet sigh. “That’s because I healed you already. I was massaging your shoulders to see if you had any painful reaction to it. You seem to be doing alright, but you should still get a bit of rest before you start moving again.”

“How long should I rest for? It will probably take a couple of days, right?

“Eh, maybe just a few hours or so. Mages can recover very quickly compared to normal people. That doesn’t mean you should be reckless. If anything, I have a feeling you’re going to become one of my regular patients if you keep ‘kicking it’ with Francis…”

Yuri gives Francis a not so subtle side eye. Along with Sora, they were already ‘regulars’ at her clinic, and Maru was likely going to be added to that list. It didn’t bother her much anyway. Tianyu is always with them, and his Water Magic is incredibly handy when it comes to mending wounds on the spot. All she has to do is make sure they don’t have any lasting infections or conditions after a battle, and that’s much easier compared to the surgeries and stitching she used to do.

“Sorry! I’ll be careful. I don’t want you guys to get worried about me all the time.” Maru gently rubs her cheek, noticing that the cuts on her face were fully healed.

“Don’t worry about it girl,” Francis cheered, “that girl managed to knock me out pretty quickly, and Tianyu is telling me you managed to rock her shit?”

“Uhm, well, I wouldn’t say I did all that but I think I put up a pretty good fight.” Maru quickly becomes flustered, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. Truthfully, she didn’t think her victory was something worth boasting about, but Francis was very ecstatic about it.

“I wish I was there to see it,” Tianyu added, nodding in agreement with Francis. “I witnessed the aftermath, and I could tell it was a valiant and hard-fought battle.”

Yuri sits down in a chair, resting comfortably in between Maru and Francis’ beds. “You’re quite resilient, Maru, I’ll give you that. That doesn’t mean you should be running head first into danger of course. I don’t think you’ll be as stubborn as Francis anyway-”

“Hey!” Francis called out, “I am not that stubborn. I am a vigilant fellow.”

“Sure, says the guy that was out cold after a couple of hits.”

“Okay, well you’ve got to understand – I don’t hit women, you know? So, I basically underestimated her and didn’t think she was that strong. I didn’t actually want to really fight her, and that’s how she got the jump on me.”

Yuri scoffs and rolls her eyes, looking over at Maru instead. She could tell that Maru wasn’t really confident in her own abilities yet, even if it was pretty clear she had potential. Her body was already sturdy, and the awakening of her Magic only enhanced her durability.

“Maybe it’s better she’s a little doubtful,” Yuri said to herself, “if she becomes too reliant on her own resilience, then she might make reckless decisions and get herself killed. As tough as she may be, she’s still cautious. I think it’s best if she stays that way.”

“You did good, Maru.”

A series of gentle knocks on the door grabs the attention of everyone in the room. Tianyu is the first to move, walking away from the window and over to the wooden door. As he opens the door, both Reoh and Marshall step inside, with Marshall carrying a large black duffel bag in his arms.

“There’s my girl!” Marshall exclaimed, holding his arms out after setting his bag down and rushing towards Maru.

“Dad!” Maru sits upright in the bed and holds her arms out, giving her father a tight hug.

“I just –” Yuri stops herself, figuring she shouldn’t say anything. They were just hugging. “You know what…”

Marshall gives Maru firm pats on her back. “I heard you beat up one of those bad guys? You’re already moving up in the world, honey!”

“Mhm! Fighting her was pretty tough, I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to beat her.”

“You’re putting your best foot forward, and that’s what matters to me.” Marshall takes a step back, putting a hand on her shoulder and getting down on one knee to look Maru into her eyes. A small, but equally gentle and warm smile crept across his face.

“I’m proud of you. Keep it up.”

“Thank you! If you don’t mind me asking, dad, where’s mama?”

Marshall sharply inhales, briefly breaking eye contact before looking back at her.

“She’s been pretty ill recently. It started yesterday morning, a little bit after you left to explore the caves with Tianyu and Francis.”

Maru pouts, the atmosphere in the room clearly shifting to one of gloom. “Aw, I hope she’ll feel better soon. I wish there was something I could do…”

Marshall, feeling he was responsible, quickly grabs the nearby duffle bag and starts to open it.

“She’ll be alright, I promise, Yuri gave her a quick checkup. She didn’t want you to be empty-handed though, so she asked if I could give you this.” Marshall reaches into the duffle bag and rummages through a few things before taking out a small wooden box.

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He gently hands it to Maru and she examines it closely.

“What’s this?” she thought, taking a look at the small slip of paper laying on top of the box.

“Hi honey. I’m not feeling well, so I won’t be able to come and see you while you’re resting in Yuri’s clinic. Tianyu told me about your battle. I was a little scared at first, but I’m so happy to hear that you won! I know it’s probably something small, but I want you to know I’m really proud of you, and I hope it gives you the confidence to become the Adventurer you’ve always wanted to be. I made you something special. I hope you like it.”

Resting the note on her lap, Maru opened the wooden box and her eyes lit up and widened at the sight of a marvelous, freshly baked croissant.

“Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed, “she managed to bake one?!” Maru reaches down and grabs the croissant, her hands quickly warming up from the residual heat. Holding the bread gently, she takes a bite, the crisp crunch echoing throughout the room.

As simple as the bread may have been, there was something special about it to Maru. It was warm, crisp, airy, and fluffy all at the same time, its outer layers the perfect shade of golden brown. Her mother always struggled to bake croissants, but she was so passionate about getting it right. Maru was there for every attempt, every failure, and every nigh-success. It was just a croissant, but it was imbued with every ounce of motherly love and care, and that’s what made it so special to her.

“...So good.”

Marshall chuckles, “The recipe is back at the house. You can bake another batch with her when you get back.”

Reoh suddenly clears his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention again. “I hate to interrupt this clearly heartwarming moment, but since we’re all here now, I figured it’d be the perfect time to talk about Manho and his coalition.”

Maru perks her head up after taking another bite of her croissant, briefly eyeing Francis then Tianyu. “Did you guys tell Reoh about everything we found?”

“Yes,” Tianyu nods, “I headed toward his hut and showed him the map you found right after I dropped you two off. Reoh, could you explain what you concluded from the map?”

“Yes of course.” Reoh moves to the center of the room, all eyes now upon him. “That large room you found in the cave is actually of my own fruition. The crystal you found in that room is a special type of Arcanium, known as an ‘Aurem.’ It’s been there for a few years now, and I sometimes venture down there with my crew of scientists to perform research and tests on it. Yuri included.”

“It’s been awhile since we’ve been down there though,” Yuri added, “and because of that, we’ve been unaware of any environmental changes in the testing site. That map you found, Maru, was a wake-up call we cannot ignore. It was tattered and torn, and the barrels and boxes were filled with human remains. Someone has been going down there, and we’ve been completely unaware of it this entire time.”

“Precisely, and I have reason to believe that the Marastruck are the ones behind it.”

“Marastruck?” Maru asks, tilting her head a little.

Yuri looks over at her. “Do you remember when you told me about Gon and Manho? Manho is a new face, but I already knew about Gon. The Marastruck is an elite coalition of incredibly powerful Mages, known for their ruthless acts of violence and terrorism. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want, no matter what it is.”

“They’re after the Aurem then,” Francis responded, “the traces of Arcanium we found in the ritual room, the torn map in the Aurem room, along with the piles of flesh and bones. It’s like they’re trying to fuel the damn thing.”

Reoh nods as confirmation. “That’s what Yuri and I were thinking. We don’t know what they would want with the Aurem, but the fact they want it is reason enough for us to remain wary. Aurems are incredibly powerful, and are essentially more destructive and unstable versions of Arcanium. Considering their history of violent acts of terrorism, I wouldn’t even want to imagine what they could do if they got their hands on it.”

“I fear they already have,” Tianyu interjects, crossing his arms while standing by the door.

Yuri raises an eyebrow, quickly lowering it when she realizes what he was talking about. “Go on.”

“Yuri, you are an experienced Mage, just like myself. I’m sure you’ve been able to feel the presence of the Aurem – it’s stronger than it usually is, as if it’s been gaining more power, more fuel. The flesh and bones, the crumbs of Arcanium, I believe they have already been fueling the Aurem. Not only that, but there’s a major outlier in this. That girl Maru fought – what was she doing in there?”

Silence befalls the room, Marshall feeling the least of the tension. Reoh knew who she was and what happened to her. Yuri was vaguely familiar; and Maru, Tianyu, and Francis saw firsthand the extent of her strength.

“She was some type of human and animal hybrid,” Maru muttered, “but I don’t know anything about that scientifically. In many of the old books I read, there’s talk about hybrid creatures existing, and the way she acted was eerily similar to how the book described them. It’s possible that she’s been fused with an Arcantalia somehow, but I don’t even know if Arcantalia exist.”

“They do,” Francis responded, “my family shows me pictures of the ones they find on their trips overseas. Didn’t think they could result in hybrid Arcanians though…”

“That woman in particular was once a prisoner of mine.” Everyone suddenly turns their heads to face Reoh. “She was found feasting on the dead bodies of lost villagers in the forest. I arrested her, thinking she was the one behind the disappearances in the village. She’s a cannibalist, and that could be a result of her being a hybrid creature.”

“Do you think the Aurem could do something like that to her?” Marshall asked. “Although she acted like that before coming into the vicinity of the Aurem, maybe its presence amplified her primal instincts?”

“While true, I don’t think it would explain the disappearance of the map. I drew that map a long time ago, and it’s been in the same condition for countless years. Someone tore it apart, especially since the only piece Maru found just so happened to be the piece that I nailed to the wall in order to hold the map up. There were no fragments left behind – that was the only piece left.”

Yuri puts her head down, muttering something. “Still so many missing pieces to the puzzle, just like last time…”

“I’ve got an idea for you, Reoh.”

Reoh turns his head to face Marshall, his curiosity piqued. The blacksmith didn’t usually get involved in matters like this, so it caught Reoh by surprise. Marshall was likely only saying something because he knew Maru was involved.

“You know what the Marastruck is after, and you know where it is. Why not set up a patrol route of sorts in the area? Have eyes and ears everywhere. Make it so that someone can’t enter or leave without being noticed. Catch them in the act.”

“Do we have the people to do something like that?”

“You have the greatest warriors in Redville all gathered in a single room.”

“But one is missing,” Yuri added, “and two of them are injured. They still have personal things they need to do, and we can’t have them patrolling all day, every day.”

“It wouldn’t have to be all day, every day. Surely, these Marastruck folk have a pattern in the way that they act and move. Instead of chasing after them, we let them come to us. Rather than a patrol, we could set up a point of ambush not too far from where their base is.”

“I can work with this,” Francis said while nodding, “rather than dancing around everything they do, let’s just confront them and get this over with, yeah?

Yuri takes a deep breath, jumping up out of her seat.

“Alright then, it’s settled. We will rendezvous one week from now to discuss the plan. Then, we enact it days later. Maru, Francis, Tianyu – you three get some good rest and respite. Reoh, Marshall, and myself will be getting everything ready.”

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Reoh and Yuri both leave the room at the same time, leaving the others inside to converse. The two of them felt like the odd ones out, since they were deep in thought regarding their future plans, and the others were sharing heartfelt stories of their past.

They start walking towards the library together, and Yuri is the first to spark the conversation.

“Do you really think they believed every word that came out of your mouth?” She gives Reoh a stern glare, almost daring him to give a dishonest response.

“Yes,” he responded with a quiet and shaky voice.

“Why do you continue to work with the Marastruck anyway? Those people are war criminals.”

“I know they are. I know what they can do to me and the rest of the village. We’ve had this conversation before, Yuri, I’m doing it because they said they will protect the village so long as I play my part.”

“You’re not playing your part anymore. You are actively plotting against them with the rest of us. While I don’t have a problem with that, my concern is that you’re still hiding something. There’s something you’ve told them or something you’ve done for them that you don’t want us to know. They said they will protect the village so long as you play your part – what if they’ve already realized that you aren’t playing your part anymore? We discerned weeks ago that the reason you’re still alive is because they need you in order to figure out where the Aurem is. The map is gone, Reoh. They know where it is. They have no use for you anymore. They have no use for us anymore.”

Yuri stops walking, staring at Reoh as he comes to a stop, not bothering to turn around and look at her just yet.

“Look me in the eyes, Reoh. Look me in the eyes and tell me you have what it takes to turn your blade against them, because they have already tossed you aside. To them, you are a pawn. To us, you are a leader. Maru looks up to you. Francis looks up to you. I once looked up to you too, but I recently realized I can barely trust a word that comes out of your snake-born mouth.”

Reoh is silent, unmoving.

“Tell me that you will fight for Redville.”

Slowly, he turns and looks at her from over his shoulder.

“I will fight for Redville.”

Yuri bites her lip and continues to stare at him. She wanted to believe that he was telling the truth this time, that his words were genuine and he meant what he said, but she knew what he was like. No matter what, he was still a liar, he was still a snake to the Marastruck, but part of her had a glimmer of hope.

“I will trust you, but this is going to be the last time that I do.”