Chapter 12: Connection

As they march to the next town, our heroes camp out in the woods, where there appears to be something afoot. Elsewhere, Dyterag grows impatient with the status report of his servant's latest mission.

              A loud crash rang out as Lord Dyterag slammed his axe into the stone steps that led to his throne. His eye narrowed and stared directly at Keith, Ebecade, and Strathonox. He breathed heavily, gripping his weapon tighter from frustration.

“You failed to retrieve Ms. Ethoros yet again, General,” Dyterag growled. “How did you manage to let her slip from your grasp this time?”

“My Lord, it wasn’t my fault,” Ebecade exclaimed as he turned his head to Keith. “It was the professor’s cowardice that ruined our mission. Had he not interfered, you’d have Ms. Ethoros by your side like you wanted.”

              Dyterag sat back in his throne, the claws at the end of his gloves tapping the edge of his mask.

“Is this true, professor?”

“As much as it pains me to say, the general is correct,” Keith replied. “I am to blame for the failure of our mission. I miscalculated how strong our adversaries would be. Ms. Ethoros and her bodyguards are more powerful than I had predicted and I thought it would be in our best interest to retreat for the time being. This way, we can form a new plan rather than sacrifice a large portion of our army in a vain attempt to salvage the mission.”

“The professor speaks the truth,” Strathonox said, standing up. “Ms. Ethoros has indeed become a threat to the Taplican people. Her circuitry is of an older model yet she is capable of sparring against our latest advancements in weapons technology.”

“It does not matter how strong she has become,” Dyterag snapped back, turning his attention back to Keith. “This must have been taken into consideration as the assault was planned! For someone who was once considered the greatest tactician of Magraan, I expected much more from you, professor.”

              Dyterag stood up from his throne, leaving his axe in the stone as he stepped towards his three servants. Keith ground his teeth together as Ebecade chuckled from under his helmet. Strathonox looked down at his comrades as the Lord approached the cyborg.

“I must speak to you alone for a moment, Strathonox,” Dyterag hissed. “It is about something rather…urgent.”

“Yes, my Lord,” Strathonox replied, his hands to his sides. The general and professor rose from the floor and left the room silently, closing the large doors behind them. As they stepped into the hallway, Keith began laughing to himself.

“My my, you were certainly quick to pin the blame onto me,” he said, running his hand through his hair.

“He was blaming me for your ignorance,” Ebecade replied. “Of course I was going to redirect it to you. It was your fault we failed again.”

“Was it truly my fault, General? Or was it your men that failed to kill any of our targets?”

“Unit XVI had Ms. Ethoros ready for retrieval. We would’ve had her if you didn’t beam us out of there! What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking about the safety of the armada you were willing to sacrifice for the mission.”

              Ebecade grabbed the professor by his shoulders and slammed him into the wall, leaning in close with his fists clenched.

“Enough of your bullshit! You are the greatest tactician in the whole nation. You’re one of the most ruthless and cunning people on this damn continent. What you did back there was what a beginner would do, what a coward would do. What kind of game are you playing here, huh?”

“General, do you remember what I said before? We must co-operate if we want any chance at capturing Ms Ethoros…”

“We could’ve captured her! Unit XVI had her in his grasp and you f*****g retreated us all back to the ships. Where’s the co-operation in taking authority over my army?”

“No army is led by fear and oppression. Your men should be treated like your own kin.”

“Like you would know anything about family! Don’t even try to use that as an excuse for your " “

              Metallic sounds were heard as a sharp point was pressed against Ebecade’s stomach. Keith had unsheathed his scythe so the tip of the blade was against the General’s armour. His eyes narrowed as the professor grinded his teeth.

“Watch your tongue, General,” Keith hissed as he pressed his weapon harder against his colleague. “Family is something I know more than enough about, which is why I intend on bringing Ms. Ethoros back in due time. However, much like the faith you have in our Lord, you must have that same faith in me. We are allies, General. I suggest you take those words to heart. I would hate to see something gruesome happen to a good friend.”

              Ebecade released his grip on the professor and stepped back. He sighed heavily and held the part of his torso that came in contact with Keith’s scythe. The professor compacted his weapon and placed it on the back of his waist.

“They may have won that battle,” Keith continued. “But they have not won the war. You understand warfare in regards to combat, General, yet you fail to recognize the psychological aspect of it as well. With their false sense of confidence, Ms. Ethoros and her group of delinquents will walk right into our hands, just in time for the Lord’s conquest of Magraan.”

“You expect me to take anything you say to heart after putting your metal to me?” Ebecade clenched his fists, raising his voice over the professor’s.

“I expect you to listen,” Keith said sternly. “Do not forget that we have them out-numbered in many ways; you with your men and myself with the Artificial. If we wanted to kill our targets and take what is ours, we can do so with ease. However, we must wait for the proper time to go to that length. Trust in me, General. Do you understand the importance in our co-operation?”

“Yes,” Ebecade grunted. “I understand, Keith. Just stay out of my way next time and let me lead my squadron. Do that, and you’ll have my trust.”

“You have yourself a deal,” Keith replied as the General walked down the wide hallway. The echo of his footsteps were muffled by the large doors leading to the Lord’s quarters opening. Strathonox stepped out as the doors closed behind him, the boom ringing throughout the hall.

“What did the Lord need from you?” Keith asked as Strathonox walked past the professor.

“That is none of your business, professor,” Strathonox replied. “The information shared is classified between myself and His Greatness.”

“Ah, yes, of course. How silly of me. I understand that Ms. Ethoros is a very sensitive subject, especially for the Lord.”

              Strathonox turned around, walking slowly towards his comrade.

“How did you know that was what we discussed?”

“It is quite simple; you are our best bet at taking her out. Considering how much she means to the Lord, he no doubt trusts you over all to bring her to him.”

              The cyborg stood still, wondering how the professor knew.

“Speaking of Ms. Ethoros,” Keith crossed his arms. “I was wondering if she seemed at all familiar to you?”

“She did. I recognized her from when I fought her in the forest " “

“I mean other than that, my boy. Before your first conflict with her, do you remember anything about her? Have you seen her before, talked to her, played with her?”

“There are no such files in my memory. I must ask as to why you are questioning me on this, professor.”

“I was only curious,” Keith said as he began walking down the hall. “Just making sure we reprogrammed you correctly.”

              The moon was at the 22:00 position as Nova, David, and Carthy sat around the fire they had built. Nova leaned forward on the log on which she was seated, her arms wrapped around her waist.

“Aw, I really want something sweet,” she said as she tapped her boots against the grass under her. “I wish we brought something from the bakery with " “

              Nova put a hand over her mouth as David sighed heavily. He rested his face on his palm, drawing random lines into the dirt with his dagger. His frown sagged more.

“Sorry,” Nova spoke softly. “I didn’t mean to bring it up…”

“It’s fine,” David told her, speaking in monotone.

“It’s been a week since we left Sanjo and you still haven’t let that go?” Carthy asked, her elbows resting on her knees.

“I really felt something special with her,” David explained, not looking up from the ground. “I’ve never experienced anything like that before. How can I just let that go?”

“Were you in love with her?” Nova moved closer to her friend, shuffling her log to advance.

“I guess. It kind of feels like it…”

“Didn’t you only know her for a couple of days?” Carthy cracked her back, sitting up straight. “It seems a bit too soon to say that you were in love with her, don’t you think?”

“Maybe you’re right. But I can’t just control how I feel, you know. Ever since we started hiking again, all I can think about is her and how…” He stuck his dagger into the ground and pulled out his pistol to examine it. “…and how I killed those innocent people.”

“They weren’t innocent,” Carthy chimed in. “They were Taplican soldiers. They wanted you dead. Mercy isn’t exactly something they teach in the Taplican Regime. What you did was in self-defence, mandatory for your survival. Don’t dwell on it.”

“I can’t help it. I feel sick to my stomach whenever I think about it. I’m not used to this…I don’t think I ever will.”

              Nova stared into the fire, drifting in her thoughts and away from the conversation. She knew how David felt and the pain that came with killing someone. It was different from an Artificial. An Artificial can’t think freely, making them slaves to their instincts. A human, from what Nova understood, feels more than what their instincts tell them to. They feel fear, joy, anger, pride, and many other emotions. They have families that care for them unconditionally. They have a sense for the larger community. Their deaths also cause more grief and pain than that of an Artificial. She hated killing humans just as much as David, if not more, but she knew that it was what had to be done for their mission.

“You look pretty distracted, sunshine,” Carthy said, now beside Nova. She knelt down to be eye level with the girl.

“Huh? No, I’m not distracted,” Nova responded as she snapped back to attention, causing her to almost fall off her seat.

“Tell you what, let me take the night watch this time. You’ve been doing more than your fair share lately.”

“I can do it, it’s okay. You need sleep more than me.”

“The rings around your eyes beg to differ,” Carthy rubbed a finger under her eye to demonstrate her point. Nova let out a big yawn as David rolled over in the grass. “I already told him it’s fine. I think it’s best that you join him.”

“What if something comes up? Or if you need company?”

“I’ll be fine,” Carthy chuckled slightly, standing up. “Now go to sleep. I promise I can handle myself. The only time you’ll be allowed up is if you have a bad dream and need to talk about it.”

              Nova smiled upon hearing this, nodding as she lay on the ground. She put her hood on to use as a pillow and closed her eyes, staying close to the fire to keep warm. A few feet away from her, David was sound asleep and watching over both of them was Carthy, who was stretching her back after placing another log into the fire.

              The chirping of small insects helped keep Carthy at ease as time passed. She cleaned her weapons, fed the fire, and monitored the perimeter to make sure no unwanted guests showed up. This kept her occupied for a few hours until she took a break to sit in front of the fire and watch the stars. As the constellation of a wolf hung overhead, Carthy sighed.

“You sure take your job seriously, don’t you?” Carthy whispered to the stars above, her hands behind her head. “Even after you’re gone, you’ve been keeping your promise to protect me. I appreciate the help and all, but I was kind of hoping you’d be taking a break a week ago…I could’ve joined you and Mom if you did, you know. But I guess it isn’t my time just yet, is it? Yeah, I thought so.”

              Carthy took the photo of her family out of her pocket, staring at the young boy holding her younger self. The crackle of the fire blended with the sounds of the forest.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something. You always said that everything happens for a reason, right? If that’s the case, why was I dragged into this situation? There’s nothing for me in Taplica and if I go back, I’m just going to be brought to you-know-who again. It’s their mission…not mine.” She paused and felt a breeze blow across the forest floor. “I guess you could call them my friends, yeah. I mean, they’ve been willing to risk their lives for me and they’ve shown me nothing but kindness. And of course you have to step in when I’m willing to do the same for them. To be honest, I really think they’re growing on me. I haven’t felt like this for the longest time…probably not since you died. But that’s enough about me…how are you and Mom doing?”

              David lay silent in the grass, his eyes open as he listened to Carthy talk to the sky. His back was facing her so she couldn’t see that he was awake. Something about her felt different to him. An air of sadness surrounded him as he listened carefully to Carthy’s one-sided conversation. He felt the heat of the fire grow as she adjusted the logs.

“Mom’s proud of me? Heh, I find that kind of hard to believe. Just look at me…I haven’t done much. No, I really haven’t. All I’ve done is run from my problems. Want to know what I did when you left me behind? I hid from everyone in my room and refused to open the door. When I couldn’t take being a lab rat anymore, I escaped and left the city behind. All I’ve done is run away and hide like a coward! I just don’t know what to do anymore…”

              Carthy rubbed her face gently as to not disturb the bandages. She let out a sigh, shaking her head. Suddenly, a loud shriek was heard in the distance that brought the woman to her feet. She held her weapons tightly, ready to ignite the blades.

“What was that?” Nova was standing up, her hand on her sickle.

“It was nothing,” Carthy quickly spoke, whirling around on her heels to face her friend. “It was, it was just me. I accidently dozed off and dreamt about something bad. Don’t worry about it, just go back to sleep.”

“Are you sure? I can take…I can take the rest of the watch if you want.”

“Nova, it’s fine. I’m fine. See? Look at David, sound asleep. He’s in no danger and neither are you. So just lay back down, close your eyes, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

              Carthy gave Nova a fake smile, which the girl returned with a nod as she lowered herself back to the ground. She looked at David before falling back asleep, who kept his eyes closed pretending to be resting. He heard footsteps get more distant and when he looked, saw Carthy walking alone into the forest.

              Carthy glanced back at the camp and when she believed she was far enough away, pressed two fingers against the right side of her face. A red light shone from under her bandages, allowing her to see. She gripped her weapons tighter as she stepped over the roots growing out of the dirt. The shriek seemed to have come from behind her when she was at the camp so Carthy headed west into the woods.

              The trees overhead blocked most of the moonlight from hitting the ground. It seemed to only get darker as Carthy walked deeper through the foliage. The chirping of the insects stopped a while ago, leaving the lone woman to creep through the night in silence. The only noises to break the eerie pauses were her own footsteps and the coo of owls that would occasionally flap their wings in the high tree branches. However, a new sound echoed in Carthy’s ears as she approached a large group of bushes. She ducked down and huddled next to a tree as she took in the sound.

              It was wet yet it had a crunch as well. A large snapping sound was heard at irregular intervals. Low, muffled growls were coming from over the bushes, along with some harsh breathing. Carthy carefully peeked over from her hiding spot to see three Luuxion Artificial huddled over a corpse. It wasn’t identifiable from where she was, but Carthy assumed that it was whoever screamed earlier. She hid back behind the tree, squeezing her blades as she tried to figure out what the creatures tearing the carcass apart were. She assumed that if they weren’t killed quickly, they’d make their way to the camp and try to feast on her and the others. However, she had never seen these things before and had no idea what they were capable of. Without thinking much farther, she leapt over the bushes and ignited her blades, landing in front of the beasts. They backed up and growled, poised to strike.

“Hope whatever you were eating tasted good,” Carthy said, pointing her right blade at the group of Artificial. 

“Because that’s going to be your last meal if you don’t leave this part of the woods now.”

              The Luuxion in the back pounced towards Carthy with its claws spread. Carthy quickly turned her blade and blocked the incoming attack, yet didn’t anticipating its weight and fell onto her back, the creature over top of her. It continued to try and swipe at her, only hitting the stone of her blade. Carthy wrapped her legs around the Artificial and rolled over, placing her left blade against the beast’s throat and split the skin, causing an inky substance to rush out of the wound. She quickly dismounted and turned around and countered another monster’s strike with her weapons. Pushing it back, she adjusted her grip and waited for the Artificial to strike again. It waited until its partner was beside it, both of them growling at Carthy.

“Two against one, huh?” Carthy shook her head, smirking. “I’ve dealt with far worse and judging by how your friend did, looks like you’ll need all the help you can get.”

The creatures went in two different directions and ran behind Carthy. She followed the one to her right and tracked its movements the best she could. However, they continued to run into the woods until Carthy lost track of them. The woman chuckled to herself, accepting the win. As she turned her attention to the corpse, footsteps began rapidly approaching and the Luuxions leapt over the foliage towards their target.

Time slowed down for Carthy as she turned around and swung her blades in defense. She struck one with both blades, sending it flying against a tree. The other Luuxion took its opportunity and slashed at her face, ripping the bandages off. Carthy cried out and fell to the ground as the Artificial hissed at the bright red light that began shining. In retaliation, Carthy stabbed with all her might at the creature’s visor and cracked it down the middle. Six small red eyes glared at the woman as the monster growled, its visor falling into the dirt.

“Heh, looks like you’re not the only freak here,” Carthy hissed as she stood up, wiping some blood off of her forehead. “Only difference is that I’m smart enough to hide it.”

              The Luuxion pounced once more at its aggressor, to which Carthy instinctively raised her right blade to block. The Artificial went lower than she had thought and it closed its jaw around her right forearm. It gnawed in confusion when its teeth couldn’t pierce it.

“Nice try, a*****e,” Carthy taunted as she thrusted her left blade into the beast’s abdomen. Its body collapsed onto the ground next to Carthy’s feet. She turned her attention to the last Artificial and sneered. “You want some, too?”

              The Luuxion stepped back as Carthy approached it. After four steps, it turned around and began running away. Carthy raised her right weapon and ejected its stone blade. It spun through the air until the tip entered the creature’s neck, stopping its momentum as it tumbled to the ground. Once she knew it was safe, Carthy knelt down and attempted to examine what they were eating. She sighed in relief.

“Couldn’t have been a person,” she said to herself, using her right hand to lift the corpse’s paws. “Looks like whoever screamed made it out safe…”

              Carthy was suddenly brought to attention when she heard something coming through the bushes. She turned around and fell to the ground as a gunshot rang out through the forest. The birds in the trees took flight and the small mammals quickly made their way into their burrows. Carthy looked up to see David coming out of the foliage with his pistol aimed directly at her.

“Watch who you’re pointing that thing at, sunshine,” Carthy shouted, slowly picking herself off of the ground.

“An Artificial that can mimic its victims?” David said, his pistol shaking. "I’ll need to take it out quickly before it kills Nova and me too.”

              Carthy used her left blade to block the clip of bullets David shot at her. As he was reloading his weapon, she tackled him to the ground, pinning his hands over his head.

“I’m not an Artificial,” Carthy exclaimed. “Stop trying to kill me, you idiot!”

“Carthy? Is that really you? I can barely see anything.”

“What are you even doing out here?”

“I saw you leaving the camp and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Well, I’m fine. And for the record, if you want to make sure I’m safe, don’t try to shoot me.”

              Carthy got off of David and helped him up. She froze once she realized the red glow around David’s face. She used her hand to cover the light, holding her breath.

“Hey, what’s that red light coming from your face?” David put his pistol in its holster, his eyes adjusting better to the darkness. He leaned in closer, curious.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Carthy replied immediately, her hand pressing harder against the source of the red glow.

“I swear I saw some kind of red light coming from where you are. It made you look like an Artificial and that’s why I maybe, kind of, tried to kill you.”

              Carthy pressed the source of the light as quietly as she could, the faint clicking noise signalling that it had turned off. She then lowered her hand to sheath her weapons.

“So you shot me because you thought you saw some kind of red light? Sounds to me like you were still dreaming. I never saw a light.”

              David sighed, believing that the light he saw was his imagination playing games with him. He stretched as Carthy patted him on the shoulder. She then started walking back to the camp with David following close. To Carthy, the trek back seemed much longer than the one she made before running into the Artificial. She wasn’t sure whether it was because she was still high on adrenaline from her brief scuffle or if the fear of David digging deeper into what information she gave him was distorting her sense of time.

              Upon reaching the camp, Carthy was glad that Nova was still curled up near the fire, asleep and blissfully unaware. David entered the fire’s glow while yawning, quickly laying down where he was before. Carthy rumaged through David’s bag and pulled out the roll of bandages and some adhesive.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” David softly spoke. “I didn’t know that it was you before...I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“It’s fine,” Carthy said, carefully cutting the bandages into a series of strips. “Lucky for me, your aim was off.”

“What are those bandages for?”

“I’m replacing my old ones. They were starting to slide off.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ll see you in the morning. Good night, Carthy.”

              David yawned, rolling over so he was facing his friend. The sound of the fire crackling and faraway insects lulled David closer to his slumber. As he readjusted his position minutes later, he saw Carthy raising a strip of bandage to her face, her body facing the fire. His eyes followed the strip, catching a glimpse of burned flesh and crusted skin before the bandage covered it. His eyes widened and he bit his tongue, quickly turning onto his other side. Carthy turned her focus onto him before returning to her task, solemnly preparing the next bandage, cursing her father from under her breath.

29 Chram, Cycle 1974; 25 years before the Taplican Raid

              Daniel prepared the posters that he had made for he and Jayven’s project, placing them in order at their station. The gymnasium of their school was lined with several tables with dozens of children showcasing their projects for the Science Fair. According to the analog clock hanging above the entrance, there was less than half an hour before the doors opened to the public and the judging would begin. Once his posters were in their proper spots, Daniel went to check up on Jayven in the locker room.

“Almost ready? We’ve only got about twenty minutes left before it starts,” Daniel said over Jayven’s power drill. The noise was then silenced as Jayven turned it off, poking his head out from behind their project.

“Sounds good,” Jayven called back, waving his drill. “I shouldn’t be much longer, anyways. Just want to make sure all the screws are tight enough.”

              Daniel walked over to his friend, making sure not to step on the corners of the sheet covering their project. Jayven ran a hand through his hair as he carefully inspected the various components of their machine. After circling it various times, up and down, the boy nodded and gave Daniel a thumbs-up.

“Ready to win this thing?” Jayven extended his arm towards his partner.

“Yeah,” Daniel laughed as he shook Jayven’s hand. “Let’s do it!”

              The two boys wheeled the cart their project rested on into the gymnasium, the squeaking of the back wheel echoing through the room until they got to their spot near the right wall. They watched the hands on the clock tick around the face until it was the 19:00 position. At that point, the doors opened and a swarm of parents, friends, and strangers filled the gym, viewing everyone’s projects. They watched in awe at the baking soda volcanoes, the stations explaining photosynthesis in-depth, and the student who made a small scale wind turbine that converts the breeze into power for a lightbulb. Jayven straightened the collar of the second-hand button-up shirt he had on and nodded to Daniel, grabbing a handful of the sheet. Daniel followed his lead and they removed the cover from their project, showing off their creation.

              Sitting on top of the cart was a mechanical recreation of a human’s right arm. The joints were held together by smaller gears that allowed the arm to move in various and natural ways. Jayven took a small remote control from the bottom shelf of the cart and pressed a variety of buttons in sequence, making the arm wave at those walking into the gymnasium. This caused a crowd to quickly form around their station, watching in awe at the two boys’ project.

“What you are looking at is what we’ve called the ‘PHEO Project’, which stands for the ‘Prosthetics Helping Every One’ Project,” Jayven boasted as he handed the controller to Daniel while pointing to the poster taped to the front of the table, labelled with their invention’s title. “We’ve shown here that it is possible to create artificial limbs for those in need that will not only act as their organic counterparts, but can improve their physical performance as well.”

              Jayven took a can of soda and tried his best to crush it with his hands with no success. He then placed it into the robotic hand and put a small empty tub underneath it. He then pointed at Daniel, who inputted a series of commands into the remote control to make the hand squeeze the can. Its contents began filling the tub shortly after. The crowd clapped in approval.

“We’re controlling its motions using this remote,” Daniel said, holding the device above his head so everyone could see it. “But when attached to a person, they’d be able to control it using their thoughts and other muscles like they would their regular arms. This gives it a more natural feel than the current prosthetics we are using for amputees.”

“Not only that,” Jayven clasped his hands together, grinning. “But because this limb relies on metal, it can be made of recyclable material to create the alloy used to model a durable and comfortable-to-use limb that someone needs.”

              The people in the crowd looked at each other, dumbfounded by this project.

“Hey Jayven,” Daniel said as rehearsed. “You didn’t tell them about the best part of this project.”

“Oh yeah,” Jayven snapped his fingers. “Thanks for reminding me! To create the prosthetics, we would need several factories and many upon many workers. This would in turn create multiple job opportunities for those living in poorer areas and boost the economy of the city as a whole, leading the charge to a new era of technological and economical growth!”

              The crowd began to applaud more, cheering for the ideas of the young boys. Jayven put another can into the robot’s hand for Daniel to crush as the crowd migrated to look at the other tables. Many stayed to admire the craftsmanship of the pair, including an old man who was smiling ear to ear, stroking his beard with his only hand. He walked up to Jayven as the young boy was explaining the properties of the arm to an older man in a suit.

“This is truly an incredible piece of machinery,” the man in the suit told Jayven. “You could make millions from this idea!”

“It’s not about the money for me, really,” Jayven replied, grinning as he saw Pheo approaching his table. “I want to help people and I thought this would be the best way to. The money would be the icing on the cake, if anything.”

              The man nodded, shook Jayven’s hand, and walked towards the table showing the erupting volcano at the other side of the gymnasium. Pheo messed up Jayven’s hair then inspected the project closer.

“You never stop amazing me, you know,” Pheo said. “I never expected that this would be your project for the Science Fair.”

“You forgot who you were dealing with then,” Jayven teased. “Dan and I worked for hours on end to make this.”

              Pheo turned to Daniel and shook his hand.

“The two of you make a great team, then. I look forward to seeing the blue ribbon on this.”

“I thought you said for me not to get cocky.”

“Yes, you’re not supposed to. But I never said anything about me.”

              The three of them laughed as Jayven’s mother and father came to their son’s booth. Their clothes were second-hand, much like Jayven’s, but they did their best to dress well for the occasion. They spoke with Pheo briefly and gave him a loaf of bread and a thermos of soup, which the man shared between the five of them. The bread was dunked into the soup using the mechanical arm which, at the end of the day, had a blue ribbon taped to its forearm with two hundred and fifty Dertics in its hand. 

Author's Note

For those who look forward to the next chapter whenever I post a new one, I do apologize for the hiatus; school and personal things really got in the way but I finally finished this chapter! As always, feel free to let me know what you think; there is no need to be shy.