Chapter 15: Disclose

Our heroes attempt to escape from Mackerel's clutches in order to save themselves and April.

The metal barrel of Mackerel’s musket pressed against Nova’s forehead. She attempted to struggle free, but her bindings held her in place, the rope around her wrists tightening with each movement she made. Amongst her desperation, she began to feel something stir within her. A sharp anger built up inside the girl and, in a spontaneous burst of rage, she jerked her head to the side as Mackerel pulled the trigger. The gunshot right next to the girl’s ear caused it to ring loudly, but she was too focused on her task to care. She bucked her head back into Ryvin’s chest, loosening his grip on her. Mackerel aimed his weapon at Nova, but she fell onto her side to avoid the shot.

On the ground, Nova swept her tied legs, tripping Mackerel. She quickly made her way up to her feet and jumped into the air, landing on her back on the man’s armour, breaking the wooden chair she was bound to. With her hands now free, Nova grabbed her sickle and cut the rope around her ankles. Ryvin swung a short blade at his aggressor, but the girl blocked the attack. She hissed as she stomped on the man’s toes, then proceeded to kick him into the wall. She turned around and saw Orvin reaching for his blaster. Pain coursed throughout his arm when Nova’s sickle found its way in the elbow joint, interrupting the stretch for his weapon. He cried out in agony as Nova tackled him to the ground.

Nova hissed and growled in Orvin’s face, her saliva dripping onto the man’s skin, before she violently pulled the embedded sickle from his limb. He yelled out louder, watching the weapon be raised above the girl’s head. Before it was brought down onto the male Mercenary, the front window shattered as a stone projectile flew passed Nova and struck the now standing Mackerel in the chest, knocking him back down before he was able to fire the musket he had aimed at the young girl’s head. The doors opened, and Carthy walked into the lobby, her blades activated.

Nova, startled by the breaking glass, began shaking as she made eye contact with Carthy. She looked down at the terrified man she had pinned down, feeling the blood spilling from his injury run against her knee. She dropped her weapon on the ground and froze in place, staring wide-eyed into space. Carthy untied David, keeping one of her weapons pointed at Mackerel. The boy helped Nova off of Orvin, rubbing her head slowly.

“For a group of guys who get paid to help people, you do quite the s****y job at it,” Carthy spoke, keeping her weapon aimed at Mackerel as she walked towards him, “it’s also a good thing you’re dumb enough to try to kill someone in front of a window that everyone in town can see through.”

“Listen, Ms. Ethoros, how about we put the weapons down and talk about this,” Mackerel asked, standing up with his hands raised up to his chin, eyeing his weapon that lay on the floor.

“I find it hard to talk calmly with someone who almost killed people I know. Just sit down and shut up.”

Mackerel slowly sat in the chair behind his desk, his hands still raised. He retained eye contact with Carthy, who was periodically looking back to make sure Nova was okay. David was holding her quivering body. Her stuttered breath was muffled by the boy’s jacket.

“Here’s how things are going to work,” Carthy said to the seated Mercenary, “we’re going to find Helena’s sister, and you’re going to stay right here. Once we bring her back, you’ll be run out of town faster than any of you can think, if you haven’t been thrown out by then. Try anything else, and you’ll be the next person slapped on a ‘Missing’ poster. Understand?”

Mackerel clenched his jaw and reached for his musket on the ground. A fireball singed his hand, and he jerked it back. Smoke came from the bell of the weapon Carthy had pointed at him.

“I said, understand?”

Mackerel grunted, blowing on his hand in an attempt to treat it. Carthy began walking backwards towards the entrance, directing her head towards it to David and Nova. As they left with Helena, the bandaged woman glanced at Orvin, who lay on the ground, groaning.

“You might want to treat him before yourself,” Carthy remarked, “you only need cold water. He needs ice, bandages, a sling, and a better leader to follow.”

Carthy made her way towards her group around the corner. Helena was helping place the groceries in David’s pack, with Nova watching them timidly. As Carthy approached them, the female Mercenary threw herself into her friend’s arms.

“I’m so sorry,” Nova cried, “ I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It just...happened, I-I just didn’t want David to die. Now, that other guy might die, and, and we’re being hunted, and - “

“Remember when I told you to calm down,” Carthy asked quietly, “now’s the time to do just that. You did what you had to do. I’m just glad that you and David are okay.”

“But Carthy, I could’ve killed someone back there...and I don’t want to ever do that again…”

Nova blew her nose in Carthy’s shirt. The woman sighed heavily, sheathing her weapons before gently patting Nova on the head. She looked at David, concerned and confused. Helena approached the two ladies and peeled the green haired girl away. She bent down slightly to make eye contact with the distraught Mercenary.

“I know what you did was scary, and that you feel bad for it, but you did save yourself and David,” Helena placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder and smiled, “You were very brave back there, and that bravery will take you a long way. I like to think that April is being just as brave right now...wherever she is.”

Nova nodded. She wiped her eyes and looked towards David, who finished placing the last of the supplies into his pack and gave her a thumbs up. She chuckled slightly.

“Yeah. I guess it was brave to stand up to those guys, wasn’t it?”

“It was,” David replied, “and we’ll need that to find Helena’s sister, and teach Mackerel a lesson.”

“Can’t believe I’m actually agreeing with you,” Carthy stated, turning her head to look at Helena, “you should stay in town, Helena, in case April comes back. Just make sure to stay away from those guys. Something tells me all of us aren’t welcome there anymore.”

“Heh, you’re probably right,” Helena said, “but I can help you out in the forest. It’s the least I can do for all that you’ve been through.”

“You’ve done more than enough,” David said, “besides, if April does come back, I bet she’d come looking for you.”

Helena smirked and hugged David tightly. Carthy chuckled slightly, nudging Nova. The boy was released a few awkward moments later.

“You guys are the best,” Helena replied, “promise that you’ll come back safely, okay?”

“We promise,” Nova said, “we’ll bring April back before you know it!”

Helena nodded, shaking her new friends’ hands, and bid them farewell. The trio then made their way to the border of Schir-Etsas, walking towards the part of the forest where Carthy heard the scream late at night. Nova was still trembling slightly from what had transpired earlier, and Carthy stayed close with a hand on the young Mercenary’s back.

*****

The moon was at the 00:00 position as David sat silently in the glow of a crackling fire. He fixed his hair whenever the wind blew it the wrong way, distracting himself from his own thoughts periodically. He sighed heavily, his head resting in his hands. He went back and forth in his head from question to question. The world and people he seemed to know and understand was fractured upon his reunion with Mackerel and his team of Mercenaries. He scratched his forehead, looking up suddenly when he noticed Nova adding another log to the fire.

“It was dying. Remember to watch the fire,” she told him, something that David had heard more than once.

“Yeah, I forgot. Sorry,” he said, “I guess I was just distracted.”

“I saw. You had your thinking face on...is it about Mackerel?”

“Kind of, I guess. It’s just...yeah, it was all of it, really. Finding out Mercenaries don’t have a Code, we’re criminals, your name isn’t Nova...it’s just so much to take in.”

“David, we can’t trust those guys. For all we know, they could’ve been lying about it all.”

“If that’s the case, why did you almost kill one of them? I saw you...you weren’t yourself. It was like watching an Artificial attack someone. If they were lying, wouldn’t you have known? Nova...I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

Nova sat next to her partner, wrapping her arm around his shoulder. David shrugged it off and moved himself away. The girl frowned and brought her knees to her chest, staring into the dancing blaze before her.

“I don’t know where to start explaining things to you. It’s just so...complicated.”

“So, let’s try going one question at a time, then. Maybe that will help us?”

Nova nodded, twirling a length of her emerald hair.

“Alright. So, why were you labeled as a rogue Mercenary,” David asked.

“It’s because...it’s because I never got a license to be one. I didn’t understand why we needed to if we were helping people, you know? People should just help people, so...I lied. We aren’t real Mercenaries. We’re just people trying to help others.”

“And what about the Mercenary Code?”

“I made that up, too. I wanted what I did to sound more heroic to you when you were younger. You always wanted to be the good guy, so I wanted to make our job sound like it.”

“Then why did we accept this mission? It was to kill the Lord, right? That involves hurting people, and we’ve already done that! Is it because you knew the Code was fake, and didn’t see a problem with killing people?”

David raised his voice, turning to face Nova. The girl stared back at him, her mouth open with shock. She exhaled heavily, looking away from her partner.

“You don’t get it, David,” Nova explained, “this is more than just a black and white situation. I grew up with nothing, and...I did what I had to do to survive, okay? I’m not proud of what I did, and I thought becoming a Mercenary would make things right. All I knew about the job was that I had to kill Artificial for money, money I could then use to support you.”

Nova stood up and walked away, biting her lip as she wiped her eyes.

“We’ve both been affected by the Artificial,” Nova continued, “so I thought this would be a good way to help us get rid of what’s been haunting us since Surrogate Mountain. The letter says that this Lord person is responsible for the outbreak. If that’s true, then, by the rules we set for ourselves, we have to stop him. I don’t want to kill people...but sometimes, I don’t have a choice. I do it to protect us now. That’s why I attacked the way I did yesterday… they were going to hurt you.”

“Nova, that’s in the pa-”

“Why can’t the world be fair, David? I thought being a Mercenary would fix everything, but it’s only putting us against each other! Carthy already hates me, and now you’re starting to as well. Wha-is everything just pointless? Is what we’re doing going to even matter?”

The hysteric girl fell to her hands and knees, screaming into the night. She slammed her fist into the dirt, pulling her hair forward. David tried to comfort her, rubbing her back gently.

“Nova, it’s going to be okay,” David spoke softly, “maybe we just need some rest.”

Nova pushed David away, the boy landing close to the fire. She was switching between shrieking, growling, and hissing. David felt panicked. He had never seen Nova get so worked up. He noticed a groggy Carthy begin to approach Nova. He held his hand out, signaling for her to not intervene. The woman stepped back, allowing the boy to handle the situation on his own. He approached his friend once more and knelt down again next to her.

“Nova, please listen. Maybe it is an unfair world, maybe what we’re doing really is pointless. But you know what? We’ve always been fighting an uphill battle, and whether it’s going to make a difference or not is a dumb question. Of course it will.”

“How can you say that? What makes you think we’re going to make a difference?”

“Because that’s what you’ve taught me to think.” David embraced Nova, holding her tightly. The girl froze in place, her hands to her side. “You’ve never given up, Nova, and we’re not going to start now. We may not like doing it, but if it’s going to help a lot of people, we need to do it. I don’t care if the Code is fake, we’re going to stand by it… together. All of us.”

David looked over Nova’s shoulder at Carthy, who nodded and gave him an approving smirk. Nova buried her face against her partner’s jacket. The bandaged woman approached the pair, placing her hand on the girl’s shoulder as the three of them sat in silence next to the fire..

“Cliche but sentimental. I like it,” Carthy said as she rubbed Nova’s head, looking up into the night sky, “let’s just hope you’re right.”

*****

22 Yaujarn, Cycle 1977: 22 years before the Taplican Raid

The weekend bustle filled Dareve Bistro in the late morning. Each table was filled by a group of people talking about their week, laughing at whatever jokes were made. The staff shared the enjoyment to a degree, speaking with their customers when they got the chance. Despite the atmosphere, Jayven continued to keep his head in his work as he took orders, recited them to the kitchen, then brought them to the hungry patrons. He gave the most recent ticket to the cooks, stopping only briefly to look at the time.

“Hey, Jayven, Table 23 is asking for you,” a male co-worker told him.

“Alright, I’ll check it out. Thanks, Rob,” Jayven replied, taking his pad out as he walked into the main area of the restaurant. He approached the corner booth closest to the front window, taking a quick glance at the people seated there. He smirked, walking slightly faster around the other waiters.

“About time you showed up,” Pheo joked, “I thought we were going to starve.”

“Excuse you, but this table was cleared only a few minutes ago,” Jayven stated, “you couldn’t have been here for that long.”

“So much  for that discount plan,” Daniel sighed, leaning back in his seat.

“You guys always get one, anyways.”

“How could we ever thank you for your kindness,” Felicia asked, looking up at Jayven as she made a kissy face.

“Not here, please. I’ll just get the usual order to the kitchen, which is… a traditional breakfast for Pheo, scrambled eggs with a side of bacon for Dan, and the ham and cheese omelette for my shnookums.”

“Do you always have to say that in public,” Daniel asked.

“Of course. I know how much you love PDA,” Jayven leaned in teasingly to kiss Daniel on the forehead. The boy recoiled away, leaning on Pheo’s shoulder to get away.

“Is your break soon, Jayven,” Pheo said, “I want to talk to you about something… alone.”

“Oh, uh, yeah, it’s in half an hour. What is it you want to tell me?”

“I’ll tell you in half an hour. For now, get our orders in. I might eat my other arm pretty soon.”

“Alright. Yeah, I’ll see you then. And no cannibalism in the restaurant.”

Jayven continued his work, keeping a close eye on the clock. He usually did so anyways, as he always enjoyed some time to himself during his shifts. However, this break seemed to have more weight to it. His mind attempted to think about why Pheo wanted to speak with him privately  to no avail. Once his break came, he saw Pheo walk into the bathroom, signalling the young man to follow. Nervously, he did so, locking the door behind him.

“So what’s up,” Jayven asked, leaning against the sink.

“There’s something that I’ve been meaning to tell you for a long while. Do you know how Taplica was founded?”

“This is why you dragged me into the bathroom, to quiz me about history? Of course I know, Pheo. It was built by the chiefs of all the small villages across Magraan as a symbol of unity. The clock tower was one of the first things made in the newly formed - ”

“Wrong.”

“Hm?”

“That isn’t how it was made. I guess the schools are still painting over history.”

“What does that mean, Pheo? What are you getting at?”

“Taplica has a bloodier history than what you’ve been led to believe. You were right about one thing; this city is a symbol of unity, but only because the nation was divided to the point of near extinction.” Pheo paused, sitting on the closed toilet, holding his face in his palm. He took a heavy sigh before looking up at his friend standing still in front of him. “Do you want to know the real history?”

Jayven nodded.

“Magraan was once a nation of various towns and outposts. It was a system of trade and prosperity, where the small towns all got along for the most part. But, as most stories go, it all changed. The mountain village of Nattry, a home to thieves, attacked the mining town of Griterg for their gold and precious metals, sparking a war between the two. Tension between Nattry’s trade partners and the rest of the nation rose and, eventually, rumours of a civil war brewed across the nation, setting off a chain reaction of embargos and restrictions, discrimination and prejudice. It was only a matter of time before the rumours became reality, creating a civil war and splitting the nation apart.”

“What happened next?”

“Well, the war spread quickly and caused everyone to spiral into hysteria. Walls were built, weapons were made, lives were taken. It caused the biggest industrial boom that Magraanian history had ever seen. But, the carnage really started at the edges of the borders. There, the towns would become war grounds. From what I heard from my parents talking to refugees, their homes became sniper towers or cover for ground troops, the streets riddled with bullet casings and bodies. The towns quickly became abandoned by the residents, followed by the winning army once all was done. This wave of chaos closed in on the rest of Magraan, causing the same to happen to more and more cities, towns, and villages. The refugees had to run from one safe zone to the next, or fight for the town they sought salvation in.”

“This seems like a really big deal… and how do you know all of this?”

“Because I fought in that war,” Pheo stared at where his arm was missing, “it’s amazing, some of the strategies that were thought up. You just don’t expect a gas grenade to go off, then a boulder rolls down a hill and crushes your arm as it goes by. That was in Cycle 1905,  so… I must’ve been fifteen.”

“Wait, hold on. So you’re telling me that there was this massive war that tore apart Magraan, child soldiers were a thing, it caused a refugee crisis, and forced people into combat? How come this has never been taught in school?”

“They are teaching it, but they’re skipping a few parts here and there. It was a dark time for the nation. So much so, that when the smoke cleared and the refugees founded Taplica, they wanted to make sure that no one spoke of the events. It caused them too much pain. The war stopped in Cycle 1906, giving the refugees plenty of time to go through the ruins of Magraan and bring everyone they could find to the final salvation for the nation, leaving the empty shells of houses and the destroyed culture of the towns behind to form a utopia, their symbol of unity. Did you know that the clock tower’s hands are made of gold? That is the memorial for the old world.”

Jayven leaned against the door before sliding down to sit on the sticky floor. He scratched his head, staring wide-eyed at the ground.

“Why are you telling me all of this? And why now,” Jayven questioned, “am I supposed to tell people? How do you expect me to go about my shift as normal after this?”

“I’m telling you because I want you to take this information and do what you think is right with it. No one would believe some old hobo they just met. But maybe they’ll trust you the same way I do.” Pheo stood up and helped Jayven to his feet. He grabbed the young man’s hand tightly, staring him in the eyes. “For now, let’s keep it our little secret. I don’t think Daniel and Felicia are ready to know this. Can you do that for me?”

Jayven nodded, attempting to swallow the knot in his throat. He sighed heavily, unlocking the door and going back to work as Pheo returned to his seat next to Daniel, where his meal was waiting for him. He quickly began eating, making small talk with his young friends about their plans for the rest of the day. As he ate, he kept a close eye on Jayven as he moved around the bistro, still shaken by what he had just been told. When the two made eye contact, Jayven didn’t acknowledge him. He only looked away moments later to continue working and think about the war.

Author's Note

First post of 2017; go me.