Thanks, MikauIncarnate! Well, enjoy the next chapter everyone!
Friendly warning: contains some suggestive dialogue, violence and swearing.
Chapter Nine
A day later, Naomi suggested to me that I visit Oz for a check-up.
“Even though Anjean healed you, it's probably wise to get a check-up, just in case.” she explained.
“All right. Should we go now?” I asked.
“Yeah, we should. Before his clinic gets busy.”
And so, we left Naomi’s house. It was near the clinic, just a few blocks away. She lived in a small cabin, and Oz lived in his clinic. As the only doctor in the town, he was always flooded with patients, so he never left the place.
It was early in the morning, and daybreak was beginning. The small, golden sun rose slightly above the rooftops of the village, making the snow glisten brilliantly in its rays of light. It was snowing, but very lightly. The cold air nipped at our noses as we walked at a steady pace through the snow. I was wearing my new light gray jacket and a yellow scarf that matched my eyes coiled around my neck. I carried the Lokomo Sword strapped to my back. Naomi was wearing a pink winter coat, a matching pink scarf, and snow boots. Her ears were veiled by purple earmuffs.
“So, when are you going to leave, Alphonse?” Naomi asked me as we walked. There was a hint of anxiety in her voice, as if she were afraid I’d leave her soon.
“Probably tomorrow. I need to get back to my friends.” I answered.
“I see…” she said sadly.
I noticed she was upset to hear this, and so I thought for a minute on what I should say to cheer her up. And without even realizing it, I’d said it.
“Would you like to come with me?”
Naomi abruptly stopped. I almost walked into her and stepped back a bit. She turned to me with an astonished look on her face. Her eyes seemed extremely hopeful.
“Do you really mean that, Alphonse?” she asked me quietly.
Her hopeful eyes looked as if they were screaming for me to say yes. Her body leaned toward me aggressively, and her hands were clasped together at her chest. Her body language seemed to crave vigorously for my answer.
“Yes, of course.” I told her.
She stared at me silently for a few seconds. Before I could even blink, her cheeks flushed with color and the biggest grin I’d ever seen stretched across her face almost instantly.
“Oh, Alphonse, I’d love to!” she cried out with overflowing joy.
She hugged me tightly, but there was something different about the way she hugged me this time. Before when she hugged me, it was always joyful. Now, it seemed to be more intimate. A more powerful feeling than joy was present here.
My face went bright red as she hugged me and said, “Thank you so much, Alphonse!”
“Um, n-no problem…” I said shyly.
I began to notice something. A certain feeling that welled up inside me. I’d never really felt this way before, but I was sure I knew what this was.
Love.
* * *
I sat in an examination room, on an examination table. Naomi was in the waiting room. Oz was giving me an examination. I’d already explained to him how I was healed, and he accepted it without any questions.
“Everything seems to be in order.” he said, pushing his glasses back into place with one finger. “I’d say you’re good to go. But I’d advise you to take it easy for a few more days. Just because you're healed now doesn't mean you should go crazy, young man.”
“All right, thank you.” I said.
I put my jacket back on, wrapped my scarf back around my neck, and strapped my sword to my back. Oz told me to wait in the room while he goes to get Naomi. After he left, I waited quietly, thinking about my feelings for Naomi.
- I’m pretty sure it’s mutual, but I’m not sure… I want to talk to her about it, but what if it’s just wishful thinking? That would be embarrassing…
My train of thought was broken by the sound of shouting. It sounded like it was coming from the waiting room. I couldn’t hear any words clearly. I heard a loud crash, and then a scream. The voice of the scream sounded like Naomi.
I rushed out of the examination room and down the hallway to the waiting room. As I did, I almost ran over Oz, who was rushing back to see me.
“Alphonse, it’s terrible!” he cried.
“Oz! What happened?!” I asked desperately.
“Some hoodlums came barging in… They… They demanded money… I told them I work for free so I didn’t have any… Then they… They… They…” He was on the verge of tears.
”They kidnapped Naomi for ransom!”
As soon as I heard him say that, it was like a black void of fear enveloped my heart. I was terrified. What would I do if they hurt her, I thought. I wanted to save her, and nothing was going to stop me.
“Please, Alphonse… You have to save Naomi!” Oz pleaded.
“Of course. I promise I’ll bring her back safe.” I assured him.
With that, I rushed out of the clinic. I looked around in all directions. West, south, east, and when I looked to the north, I saw them. Naomi was being dragged by a group of thugs to a group of horses, unconscious. Seeing Naomi like that infuriated me.
As they tossed her onto the back of a horse, I sprinted toward them as fast as my feet could carry me. They noticed me, and one of them stayed behind while the other three rode off with Naomi.
“Stop right there!” I shouted as I drew my sword.
The thug that stayed behind was holding a mace. Our weapons clashed, and he shoved me back with ease. His build was quite large, and was a lot bigger than me. He was dressed in all black, and his dark hair and sunglasses matched his attire flawlessly. He grinned, showing off a gold tooth.
“Prepare to die, little brat!” he said menacingly.
He swung his mace down through the air at me. I dodged and pressed forward with ease. He may be big and strong, but his form and skills were seriously lacking. Unlike me, he had no training. He was nothing more than a common thug.
“What?!” he shouted as I closed in on him. He had no time to react as I sliced through his gut.
A shower of blood stained the snow as he collapsed. I sheathed my sword and mounted the horse he'd left behind.
“Hyaa!” I shouted as I cracked the reigns. The horse whinnied and galloped off after the others.
- Just hang on Naomi… I promise I’ll save you, no matter what!
* * *
The horse I was riding galloped at a fast pace. I followed the tracks left by the other horses in the snow for several miles northward. Eventually, I found the rest of the horses tied to stakes outside a cave.
- This must be their hideout…
I dismounted the horse I hijacked and tied her to the open stake. I then turned and faced the opening of the cave. Flickering candlelight was the only source of light in the dark tunnel.
- Here I come!
I rushed in, and dashed down the tunnel for several feet before it opened out into a wider room. This room was filled with tables covered with weapons and gear, most of which were outlawed in our country. A mace is one such banned weapon. There were also pistols and javelins in the mix. Aside from the weapons, the room was empty. There were a few more tunnels I could take. I picked one at random and rushed onward.
Candles lit this tunnel too, and as I ran, I began hearing someone speak.
“Man, the girl’s a cutie. Maybe we should sell her instead of milking her old man for cash. A young dame like that would fetch a hell of a price!”
"Why don't we keep her to ourselves for a while first? I'm sure she'd be great!"
"Yeah, but they sell for more when they're fresh."
"Hah, good point."
This disgusting conversation was followed by a laugh of agreement and the banging of beer glasses together. That only infuriated me further. My trembling fists were clenched so tightly they started to bleed. I walked forward toward the room the voices were coming from.
“Hey, is that you, Dune?” a voice asked after hearing my footsteps.
As I rounded the corner, the two thugs realized I wasn’t their buddy.
“What the hell?!” one of them freaked. He picked up the javelin next to him on the table and attacked me. I had no trouble parrying his attack as I drew my sword and cleaved through his shoulder. I sliced his left arm clean off.
As he screamed in pain, blood spurted from his wound, splattering across the table and floor. The other one fired shots from his pistol at me. I evaded his random and sloppy shots as I charged him. I grabbed him by the neck and forced him against the wall.
“Where is Naomi?” I demanded.
“W-who?!”
I tightened my grip and shouted, “The girl you took from Kakariko Village! Where is she?!"
“T-t-the hold! The holding cell! Down the hall to the left!” he stuttered fearfully.
I tossed him aside, and he sunk down in a sitting position as he gasped for air. As much as I wanted to rip him to shreds, Naomi was my top priority, so I left him alone and moved on down the hallway to the holding cell. I turned the corner and saw Naomi lying in the back of the cell. She was still unconscious. I rushed over and sliced through the bars like butter. I sheathed my sword and rushed to her side.
“Naomi! Come on, wake up!” I pleaded as I held her in my arms. She didn’t open her eyes.
I carried her on my back as I left the cell. Just as I did, the thug I spared earlier appeared wielding his pistol with trembling hands. He fired a few sloppy shots at me. I ducked past them as I charged him. He cowered as I got closer and closer. He was clearly not over the shock of what I did earlier. I used that to my advantage and ran right by him as he cowered in fear, and headed for the exit. He was too busy cowering to notice I’d gotten past him.
I didn’t want to fight anymore. My first and only concern was getting Naomi to safety. I reached the large room with the weapons again. There was the last thug, blocking the tunnel that lead outside. He was holding a large guillotine blade, which was dripping with blood.
“I’ve killed all the horses, boy! Even if you
do beat me, you’ll never get back to the village without freezing to death!” he rasped.
He was right. Without the horses, we wouldn’t make it back to the village before we froze, dressed as lightly as we were now. But that was the least of my concerns.
- If I don’t defeat this guy, he’ll kill both me and Naomi. There’s no way I’m going to let that happen.
I laid Naomi down on an empty table and drew the Lokomo Sword as I walked over to face the last thug.
“Come, kid! Show me what you got!” he shouted.
