Ronnie was a bit annoyed at Lawrence Bronco's doubt, so he thought it was a good idea to extirpate it:
- Mr. Bronco, put yourself in my shoes just for a fraction of a moment. I, as well as my friends, have to mostly hide for the next couple of weeks from everyone except our families, take orders from an asshole commander and constantly look at the sky and be prepared to fight off aliens. Furthermore, let's not forget that we have - right now, as we speak - no combat experience. Process these facts for a moment and tell me how "easy" this task is.
Lawrence was convinced that they were honest, although he still had doubts about their mental stability. He was not a war veteran, though he has witnessed soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The man had a request, related to the peace in the town:
- There's one thing I want in return.
- What would that be? - Garret feared that the trio would have to work for the police, but thankfully Lawrence's request was not so heavily related to his job:
- I suppose by killing those aliens, you help humanity, right?
- Um... yes, in a way. What do you have in mind? - said Ronnie.
- Here's what I want you to do: I want you to be like undercover cops.
The thought irritated Tyler:
- Absolutely no! We're not going to waste our time solving criminal cases.
- He said "be like", not "work as". It's not like he's going to pay us or anything. - said Ronnie.
- Ronnie is right. It is not obligatory to do everything I want you to do; only when you are available. I'm talking about small crimes - thugs, thieves, pickpockets, not the mafia or terrorist organisations, unless it's absolutely necessary. Leave those to the experts. And don't worry - I won't tell anyone about our little deal.
It seemed like a fair agreement - the police and the government don't know about the trio's special abilities for a certain amount of time, which lets them build a good reputation through helping the community by stopping petty crimes and small gangs. In other words - a win-win situation, as Garret described it.
- So... is there anything else you want to ask or tell us? - said Tyler.
- No. Not at this point.
- Very well, then. Off we go! - said Tyler.
***
- Father, I have a request.
Gibel was Ren'ul Furot's son. And much like his father, his mind was possessed by the thought of power. The current situation that he was in, however, prevented him from coming anywhere near the throne of his father. He was frustrated, because be had to put effort into rising up to the level of his father:
- What would it be, my son?
- I've had it with the Horde you put me in. I've never felt so insignificant in my life. There's no progress that I can speak of. All I do is sit around waiting. Let me fight! Let me prove myself!
-Your frustration is understandable, my child, but it seems to me that you still do not understand what I'm trying to teach you. I do not want you to remain stuck in one of the Hordes for the rest of your life - that would be sadistic on my behalf. What I want you to inherit from me is courage, competence, self-reliance - virtues, my child, virtues. Put effort into it. Prove to me and my armies that you are worthy of being as good as me or that you can surpass and replace me one day. You're the only remaining part of my family that I have; once I fall, I want to be sure that a part of me still remains for the following generations. If I give you power and control over an army outright, the lesson I'm trying to teach you would be void of any meaning. I trust you, but you have to mature.
- But how can I prove myself when there are no opportunities? We've been travelling into outer space for what seems to be eons and now the Immortals have been found. Let me fight them! Tell me where they are, so I can massacre them!
- Have patience. It is difficult to wait for such an opportunity, but this is as close as we have ever been to reaching the ultimate power in the Universe - immortality. I've spent most of my life trying to obtain it for me and my armies and I will not let it be used by lesser life forms. Only for the good of our future, my son.
Gibel left in a fit of rage, after he broke one of the system links in the command hall. A system link is a small computer system that is linked to the mainframe, which is named The Mother System. Ren'ul did not care for the damages - the system link could be easily fixed. It was his son and his spontaneous nature that troubled him.
- "I worry for you, my child. I understand your struggle, but I promise you - your time will come.", Furot said to himself.
- My liege... I'd hate to trouble you... but... what are we going to do about the Immortals, now that we know where they are?
That was Furot's personal advisor, Retion. He was a second pair of eyes and ears to Ren'ul.
- We observe the planet. Once you find them, send a larger attack squad.
- Should we send one from the Horde of your son, my liege?
- Absolutely no. It's too early. We don't know anything about these Immortals yet. I'll personally accompany the squad. Tell the Ptulens to prepare their best warriors.
- As you wish, my lord.
***
Ronnie thought that he had enough excitement for one day, so he suggested that all three of them go to his house, or rather his parents' house to drink and possibly eat something. As soon as the three walked inside the house, Ronnie's father notified him about Ashlynn's visit earlier that day. So he went to his room and sent her a message through Skype to come over, because it was inconvenient for them to walk around freely. 15 minutes later she arrived. The boys were drinking orange juice, because Raymond had guzzled down the remaining beer. Ashlynn did not know how to react:
- Ronnie... what happened to you? And what's with the torn hoodie?
- I can't take it off. It's stuck to my head. Weird, I know, but that is the case.
- I'm so happy to see you. - Ashlynn said and she squeezed him in a hug.
- Everything's alright. I'm still alive... for now.
- Stop talking like that! You'll get me even more worried!
Ronnie chuckled. The boys did, too.
- So it seems our Romeo has a sense of humour... - Garret said.
- God damn it, Garret... - Ronnie said.
- You haven't introduced me to your friends, Ronnie.
- These, uh... "fine gentlemen"...
That made Garret and Tyler laugh.
-... are my new friends, Tyler and Garret.
- And you must be Ashlynn. - Tyler gave her a handshake.
- Yes. How did this... what happened to you?
- Long story short... we're not the same anymore. Before I tell you the whole story, promise that you'll keep it a secret for as long as possible. - said Ronnie.
- As long as possible?
- Ashlynn, the enormous pile of mess that we're involved in will require us to reveal ourselves in public, whether we like it or not. - Tyler said.
- 3 days ago we went to the stadium and a container fell from the sky. Once we opened it, three crystals popped out of it and stuck to our chests, which effectively turned us into armoury cabinets. - Garret added.
- Yeah, and later we...
- Tyler! - Ronnie interrupted him.
- What happened later? Tell me!
- It's better for all of us. She's your girlfriend, Ronnie - she has the right to know.
Ronnie did not want to reveal all of the details and in the end he reluctantly did it:
- We fought some aliens.
Ashlynn gasped.
- We handled it perfectly; there's nothing to worry about, love. - Tyler assured her.
- Whose idea was it to open that... box, or whatever it was?
Garret wanted to say that he suggested the idea, but Ronnie beat him to it:
- It was me. I decided to open it up.
Ashlynn was furious:
- Why? Why did you do it? Why did you not hand it over to the government? What if you remain like this for the rest of your life, Ronnie? You've ruined not just you
r life, but also the lives of your friends.
Ronnie had nothing to say. His father did not want to intervene; it was none of his business to resolve the problems of others, unless he was asked to help.
- Wow, way to ruin someone's mood...
- Am I talking to you right now... Garret? - said Ashlynn.
- Yes, you are. I suggested that idea and asked Ronnie: "Do you want to do this?". He agreed. Me and Tyler wanted to open it; he simply agreed.
Once again he verbally defended his friend.
- I don't believe you. You thought it was a great idea to toy with him, didn't you? - Ashlynn said.
- It is understandable that you don't believe me. But ask yourself this: if I, or him...
He patted Tyler's shoulder:
- ...wanted to toy with your boyfriend, right now he would have been bruised and bleeding. You don't have even the slightest idea what happened to him this morning.
Tyler stopped him for a second.
- Don't you think that this would be too much information?
- Sooner or later the public will find out almost, if not everything about us.
- Alright, go on.
- He fought an entire fleet of spaceships.
Garret was lying. The truth would have been hard to explain. Plus the boys were too confused to explain the visions to anyone. Tyler immediately realised that Garret's lie was a fairly noble one. Ronnie thought:
- "What are you doing, you imbecile?"
Garret read his mind and replied through his own:
- "Did you think I was going to tell her how you lost your fucking mind?"
- How did they find you, Ronnie?
She was unaware of the secret conversation and Garret's lie.
- I walked outside this morning and there they were, in the sky, flying towards me, swarming like hornets. Horrible, absolutely horrible. They almost dry roasted me with... yeah, I think it was plasma. - Ronnie said.
Ashlynn's phone rang. It was her mother - she wanted her to go home for lunch.
- I have to go. It's lunch time. Be careful, Ronnie.
- I will.
The conversation ended and Ashlynn left the house quietly. The brothers were left with negative to mixed feelings for Ronnie's significant other:
- I have no idea how to tell you this, Ronnie, but... your girlfriend needs to calm the fuck down. I'd be freaked out too, if my girlfriend became disfigured, but eventually I'd accept it... maybe. - Tyler wasn't particularly fond of girls who freak out in an instant and kept it that way over a long period of time.
- I see where you're coming from with this. It's not easy being with her, but I'm not willing to give up just because it's hard. That would be silly. - said Ronnie.
Garret had seen many people who gave up far too early on a relationship or a particular activity because of the challenges that come with it, but no one was willing to jump into what would later turn out to be a mess of a story and not immediately say that they want to give up, but instead push forward and try to navigate the maze that they were in. Raymond decided it was the right time to join in the conversation and encourage his son:
- It will be alright, son. It's never easy with women - you should know it by now. Have patience.
Ronnie had faith in his father's words. In Ronnie's eyes Raymond was a man of wisdom, a role model, a shoulder to lean on when he needed it the most. He never trusted his mother entirely, especially when it came to women. Ronnie believed that once he completely looses hope, he could always rely on his own father.
- How do I fix this, dad? - said Ronnie.
- Well... I would not want to give you any bad piece of advice, so I'll just tell you to handle it the way you handle it best. Let it go for a short while, then come back to the problem with a fresh mind and everything will be fixed. - said Ray.
The boys decided to help out Ronnie:
- How about we go buy some beer, chips and go to my house and listen to some metal? - Garret suggested.
- Agreed. You in, Ronnie? - Tyler asked.
- Count me in. - said Ronnie.
***
Helaka was one of the three nuns turned assassins. She shared some moments with Ankonian in the past. She was a prisoner to the Immortals, along with fellow nuns Mintelk and Kunala. Their lives were spared, because of the potential benefits to the race of the Immortals. Ankonian in particular was not very kind to her. He treated her as a slave and not as a priest. Once The Overlord's Hordes successfully freed the nuns, Ren'ul treated them both as queens and as slaves. He gave them power beyond their imagination and the promise of avenging their fate. He knew how unfairly they were treated, so he used their anger and discontent to his advantage. However, he spared the part about using them as mother queens to a new Horde. Their minds were occupied by the thought of murder; peace and spiritual improvement was no longer on their minds.
- What is wrong, Helaka? - Mintelk asked.
- I wonder how battered Ankonian must be from the long journey in outer space.
- Have you not considered the possibility of an ambush, or maybe some trickery on behalf of the Immortals? We could very well lose our lives.
- No trickery shall stop me. Ankonian's cries for help and bleeding corpse will be my reward. We've come this far and I'm not willing to give up just yet.
- I never considered giving up as an option. You know I care about you, Helaka, and it would be tragic for our lives to end before we could complete our task and keep our promise, so that then we could separate ourselves from Furot.
Helaka could recall Ankonian and the disgust in his eyes whenever he saw her. She believed that there was rarely any compassion in his soul, except for his own comrades. She was mentally abused by him for a certain amount of time, before the High Council of the Immortals found out about it and imposed a restrictive order on Ankonian, so that she can perform her duties normally and so that she does not descend into madness. Ankonian had used his alternative voice to intimidate and submit her, though thankfully his negative influence was only enough to reveal the other side of Helaka - the one that lacks mercy. The Helaka who can be vengeful as well as merciful and peaceful. She despised unjustified hatred and disrespect towards her and her sisters. Though Mintelk was right about one thing - their approach to the Immortals had to be violent, yet careful and tactical.
Chapter VIII
Sudden surprise
Garret's idea to let loose some steam through the power of metal was brilliant. This is how Ronnie vented his frustrations - the usually meaningful lyrics, the shredding of the guitars, the thundering drums, the rumbling bass, all rolled up into a package that made him and millions upon millions of people listen and say to themselves: "I can relate to this. I feel sorry for you, whoever you are. I wish you could tell me more about this while drinking beer or bourbon."
- Any preferences, Ronnie? - Garret had lots of music on his computer. A set of powerful speakers were connected to it. He had lots of music - Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Motörhead, Judas Priest, Accept, Manowar, even possibly Ronnie's favourite band - ironically, Disturbed.
- Eh... I want to hear what you listen to on a daily basis. Imposing my own taste is...
- I see, I see. Alright, what do we have here... let's hear something from Screaming for Vengeance.
That was Judas Priest's album from 1982, one of their finest works. Garret put on the song "The Hellion/Electric Eye". Ronnie knew a couple of Priest songs and fortunately this was one of them. He sang the first verse with ease.
- Terribly sorry, sir, are you a god?
Ronnie laughed at Tyler's humorous question. Garret followed up by playing the role of a typical fan girl gone crazy:
- Have my babies, please!
That sent Ronnie into a belly laughter. Garret's mother walked into the room:
- You boys seem to be having fun. Was everything alright today?
Garret lowered the volume. Ronnie froze for a moment, but gave an adequate answer:
- Yeah, it was
...
Tyler interrupted him:
- We found out that our commander is asinine and that we have a very cool martial arts master who's going to teach us how to fend off the Hordes of the Overlord.
- When do you begin your training?
That was not specified, but the trio assumed that their training would begin very soon. But there was some time until that - time that they could fill with rock, metal and beer. The only problem was... they were out of beer.
- Oh... uh, you know what... we ran out of beer. - Garret recalled himself drinking the last bottle.
- Well then that's a perfect excuse to go for a walk. How was it that you said it, Tyler?
It was a rhetorical question on behalf of Ronnie, but nonetheless Tyler gave the right answer:
- Shall we, gentlemen?
The brothers gave a smile and they all walked outside in a formation: Ronnie was in front, Tyler was in the middle, whilst Garret was at the back.
***
The Ptulens had a lot of similarities to birds and bats. In the past they were a race of peaceful females who only procreated; now, they followed the orders of Ren'ul Furot. He saw the rage, with which they protected their sisters and one day he said to himself: "Hm, I could use this to my advantage...". These creatures had a strange trait - their beaks were full of needle-like teeth pointed inwards, similar to the teeth of an anaconda. The assassins were approached by Furot:
- Now is your time to shine, my vengeful beauties.
Kunala quickly turned her head:
- Where are they?
- Our surveillance unit has triangulated their position. You'll join me and a small Horde of Ptulens. I'm not willing to take any chances. You're going to fight - no questions asked.
This is the opportunity the three women were waiting for. Now was the time to face their oppressors, the ones who put them through an enormous amount of humiliation. Kunala prepared her double-edged axes. The women wanted the blood of the Immortals and they were prepared to do whatever it takes to make them beg for mercy.
The Immortal Trinity: Inheritance Page 9
