by Samuel Small
“Dante, don’t—”
But a sharp pain exploded in Jake’s buttock, and he hopped up the rope at a greater speed. “Hurry the fuck up, bedhead!” Dante shouted, and continued to keep pace, stabbing Jake in the ass each time the boy hoisted himself up. As he cried out in pain and hurried to climb faster, Jake took fearful note that the boy was consistently stabbing him, which meant that he had to be climbing the damn thing one handed as fast as Jake, with a girl on his back!
Jake was in such a frantic fit to be away from Dante’s torment that he only briefly registered that the area in front of him was dark and smelled like soil. He climbed inside the landmass now, the rope leading up into darkness. He would have stopped to appreciate it, but Dante jabbed him in the ass again and up he went.
It could have been a few minutes or even an hour, as time seemed to slow due to Jake’s torture, but soon a faint light shined into his eyes. It almost hurt when he first squinted at it, but he quickly climbed onward, eager to be free from the torment that was a pissed-off Dante armed with a sword.
He reached the top and hauled himself out of the shaft and lay on the dirt, then rolled onto the grass, panting and heaving with his back pressed against the ground. To his side, he heard Dante calmly climb out and let Sara down, who fearfully thanked him, then plopped to a seat in the grass as if he wasn’t just in the biggest hurry of his life. He heard a faint reverberating sound as Elizabeth’s sword hit some sort of solid object, but Jake was too exhausted to stare at anything but the clouds that drifted overhead, which seemed closer than usual.
Next, there was the stamping of boots. “Give me that,” Elizabeth yelled, and grasped her sword quickly. Jake turned his head to see her inspecting it for damage, then sheath it, glaring at Dante the whole time the blade was sliding inside. There seemed to be a stone wall that they were surrounded by, although it wasn’t large, only going up to Elizabeth’s waist. He looked around for immigration, customs, or a guard, but there was no one. Jake sat up, ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Then his finger shot out, pointing at Dante.
“You almost fucking killed me!”
“Your ass shoulda— oof!” his head jerked forward as Sara’s palm made contact with the back of his head, and he rolled his arms to avoiding falling head first through the hole they’d just climbed out of. When he caught his balance he sighed, then turned an angry glare at Sara. “What the hell was that for?”
“You almost killed me too!”
“Wha— oof!” he curled inward and gaped down at his stomach, where Elizabeth had firmly planted her knee. He tried to shrug it off and act brave, but his knotted face and shaking body betrayed him. He fell to his knees, grasping at his injury. Jake almost felt bad for him, as he knew better than anybody how bad her knees could hurt.
“If you fell off you’d have taken me with you, so that’s payback.”
“Sneak attack!” he wheezed as he fell to his side. Satisfied that his almost-death had been avenged, Jake switched his attention from the boy and took in the luscious surroundings. Around him was just about a normal-looking village of wooden cottages in an area populated with lush tall trees. They were at the center of a thoroughfare that branched to either side of them, and, not wanting to attract more attention than they already were, Jake hoisted a leg over the stone wall, then hopped over, landing on a fine gravel pathway on the other side. He turned to his comrades and Elizabeth and Sara climbed over, followed by a grumbling Dante.
“Where do you think the government office is? I mean, assuming there is one,” Elizabeth asked, looking around at the surrounding path and homes. Jake followed her lead and tried to scan for any sort of grandiose building but saw none. He figured they could find someone to ask, but as he looked around he realized that he couldn’t see a single person.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit odd that there aren’t any people anywhere? It’s almost nighttime,” Sara said.
“There could be some kind of special custom in this nation, or maybe a gathering – we know next to nothing about this place after all,” Elizabeth said.
“Like standin’ around solves shit,” Dante said, and stormed off along the gravel path. “Let’s just find someone and ask for directions,” he barked over his shoulder. Jake moved quicker so that he was walking parallel to the orange-haired boy, who stared off into the distance as if extremely irritated.
“Listen Dante, this isn’t the Republic. These guys might not be so appreciative if you act like, y’know, you,” Jake said.
He stopped and Jake had to stumble not to fall as he tried to match the boy. He quickly jerked his head toward Jake, his eyes blazing. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“He means,” Elizabeth interrupted, coming between the two of them, “that you can’t go around attacking people and blowing things up. This country exists without the assistance of any other nation, so they won’t be giving us special treatment just because we’re representatives of the Republic,” Elizabeth slid her hand to the hilt of her sword. “If you cause trouble and upset these people we may have an entire nation to contend with, and if it comes to that, I’ll chop off your head as an apology.”
He glared at the hand resting on the hilt of her sword, then pulled back, as if he was about to say something confrontational, but just before he bellowed his first insult his eyes flickered to something just behind Jake and all the fight seemed to leave his body. Jake almost turned to catch his eye, but the soft voice from behind him confirmed who it was he’d spotted.
“Dante, just try to behave for me,” Sara said. “We won’t be able to fight the Malice if we get kicked out.”
He turned in the direction of the path. “Fine, I’ll try. But only cos I’m curious about what a shit dragon looks like and because—” he began, but his eyes rested on Sara and glimmered. He swept an arm at her and started walking. “Forget it, it’s just cos I want to know what the shit dragon looks like, all right?”
Jake exchanged a weary glance with Elizabeth as the boy strutted out of earshot, Sara at his heels and trying to ensure that he would indeed remain calm. He shrugged. “With him, this is probably the best we can expect.”
“Whatever,” she said, stepping forward, “that boy doesn’t know how to carry himself around others. If he talks to the lord of this land the way I’ve seen him speak to others, it could be disastrous for us.”
“I’m aware,” Jake said, walking beside her, “he’s too used to being pampered by the Republic, but he needs to learn how to behave sooner or later.”
“Is that what you think it is?” she mumbled, looking off at something in the distance. Jake didn’t understand what she meant, so he asked her.
“The root of his behavior, you think it’s due to him living a pampered life?”
“Well, given what I know yeah. I’ve only known him for about half a year, but he’s always off doing something crazy and he never gets in any trouble for it. Back in Niflheim he actually attacked Führer Bellator once and nothing came of it.”
“Strange, my theory is quite the opposite. I think he’s someone who has never gotten his way, so he assumes that everyone’s out to get him. That’s why he faces the world with such a combative and aggressive mindset,” she said, her eyes locked on the back of the boy as he waved his arms around in front of Sara. His silhouette was dark against the sun, and Jake had to squint to even make it out. He wondered if her theory was correct.
“Now that you mention it… that does make a lot of sense. The people from his village didn’t seem to like him very much.”
Elizabeth continued to look at the boy, then her eyes narrowed into slits. “Although that doesn’t justify his behavior. Regardless of his circumstances, he can’t go around attacking people. That way of acting, the senseless violence,” she winced, then nearly whispered, “it’s disgusting.”
Chapter 3
Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun!
Dante lowered his clenched fist then took a step from th
e door and placed his hands on his hips, glaring at it as if he could will it open. After about one whole second, which was pretty patient for Dante, he removed one hand from his hip and raised it back up, but Elizabeth seized his wrist. He looked at her and she shook her head. He tensed his face, shrugged, then jammed his hands into his pockets. They waited for a few more seconds, and when he was sure he didn’t hear any rustling within the home, Jake set out for the next house. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dante remove a balled fist from his pocket.
“There’s nobody there, Dante,” Sara said.
“They’d have certainly heard you if they were,” Elizabeth finished, her arms folded across her chest. She took a large step off the porch, clearing three steps in one go, and strode past Jake, who followed beside her. “Do you think there’s some kind of festival or something going on?” he asked.
“I think not. If there were, surely we’d have heard some kind of commotion by now. Or seen people heading for it or coming back…”
“You don’t think—” Jake began, but Elizabeth shook her head.
“We haven’t seen a single one of those creatures since we arrived. If they eliminated everyone, they’d be roaming around free.”
“Well then where are all the— oh God, what’s Dante doing!?” Elizabeth turned to catch Jake’s eye, and both of them looked on, shocked. Dante was struggling to climb over a picket fence that surrounded the backyard, only avoiding the act of criminal trespass because Sara was pulling on his jacket. Jake and Elizabeth quickly ran to him and helped Sara heave him back, all three of them falling firmly onto their bottoms when the boy finally gave way. He sprung up before any of them could shake themselves off and leapt over the fence.
“Dammit,” Jake spat, and quickly hurled himself over. On the other side Dante charged forward. His destination: a man swinging lazily in a hammock. Jake sprinted with all his might to catch up to the boy, then tackled him from behind. Dante quickly turned and tried to fight Jake off, but by the time he was in a position to do some real damage Sara and Elizabeth arrived and backed Jake up. The girls both placed a knee over each of his arms while Jake weighed down his hips. Even if he was Dante, their combined weight should keep him restrained.
Trying his best to do some damage control, Jake looked up, rubbing the back of his head and forcing a grin. “Sorry about that sir, our friend’s got some mental health issues. I hope you won’t think too poorly of the intrusion.”
“It’s nooooo problemo duuuuuude,” the man said without opening his eyes, swaying between the two trees. Jake was caught a little off guard by his calm demeanor. He had just witnessed what was essentially a violent citizen’s arrest on his property, but he didn’t seem fazed at all. Hell, it didn’t seem like he cared whether they stayed or left. Underneath Jake, Dante stopped resisting, likely having the same reaction to the man as Jake. Jake exchanged glances with Sara and Elizabeth, both of whom nodded their affirmation, and the three of them stood up. Dante followed, wiping some grass stains off his shirt. “You coulda got the door, y’know,” he mumbled.
The man smirked, his slim mustache curling up. “Yeah, I could of but that woulda been wooooooork. And I’ve been having such a good time relaxin’.”
“Is that why nobody else has been opening their doors?” Jake asked. The man nodded, muttering “probably” under his breath. Jake raised an eyebrow and turned to Elizabeth, and she was doing the same. He’d heard about cultural differences, but this man’s behavior was absurd. Figuring that this guy wasn’t worth questioning further, Jake asked him where the local government building was located. He nodded and pointed. “It’s easy, you just gotta go that way, then that way,” he continued to point in all directions, and even made a circle in the air. Jake sighed. He supposed this man had no concept of east or west or even up or down for that matter.
Jake trekked through the grass, his head held low. His companions followed after and they all clambered over the fence.
“That was a bit… odd,” Sara said once she was on even footing.
“Totally odd. Ain’t you glad I investigated further?” Dante asked.
“You hardly ‘investigated’ anything. My theory is that you peeked over the fence, saw the man, then charged and tried to attack him,” Elizabeth said.
Dante scoffed and folded his arms. “Yeah, well it worked out didn’t it?”
“Only because we stopped you!” Jake yelled.
Dante stuck out his tongue and continued down the street once more. Without a better idea, Jake decided to follow him, Sara and Elizabeth at his sides.
“You’d figure they’d have a guard or something watching the entrance,” Jake muttered.
“Or someone patrolling the streets… something,” Elizabeth returned.
The four passed by wooden buildings, all with fenced-off backyards and presumably a lazy owner lounging within. They continued through the neighborhood and into a more wooded area, rich with trees baring fine fruits and benches placed about. Jake figured this must’ve been a park. It wasn’t much, but at least the landscape was changing. It wouldn’t be long until they encountered something or someone useful.
Once they were out of the park they came across something very promising. The buildings were much larger and had a more formal style of architecture, and were constructed of stone rather than wood. This was either an upper-class housing district or where the government resided. Jake and company stepped onto the cobblestone street and headed for the promising building directly ahead, which had a dome-like top and arches lining its front.
The building didn’t actually have a door, instead opting for just an open entryway, which Jake thought was fitting for the nation that allowed anyone who was strong enough to climb a rope entry without any kind of resistance. Once inside, Jake’s face lit up. Crossing the foyer was a man clad in a long robe. Jake called out to him and waved. The man stopped and turned his head, then patiently waited for the youths to approach him.
“Excuse me, are you with the local authorities?”
“I suppose you could say that. Are you by chance… a groundling?”
It took a little for Jake to register what the term ‘groundling’ meant, but it wasn’t super difficult to figure out given the context of the floating city. He nodded. Almost immediately and without warning, the man jerked forward and grasped Jake’s hands. He tried to pull away, but the man held on tight. The guy was clearly insane, inspecting Jake’s palms as if there was something of importance there, then looked up, his eyes shining.
“It’s just— it’s just been ages since we’ve had visitors,” he looked behind Jake, his eyes lingering on each of his comrades in turn. “And so many!” He wrapped an arm around Jake and led him further into the temple, and from behind he heard Dante snicker. “Come, come, all of you. We’ll secure lodgings for you and throw a festival tomorrow in your honor! Please, stay and make yourselves right at home!”
The man, who introduced himself as Light, led them through the building, which must have been a twisting maze of hallways based on the number of left and right turns he made. It was unnaturally dark and musty, with the scent of wet stone permeating the building. Despite this, the way was lit in places by crackling torches that were hung on the wall.
As they walked, Light told them that technically there wasn’t a government, only a holy church that saw over the day-to-day operation of the nation. People attended a ceremony once a week, and Jake and company had just missed it as it was held that very morning. It was odd hearing them talk about a religion as most of the major belief systems had died out over time, but this region must have been isolated for a long time, since their way of life was completely intact, and their technology – based on the torches and the way the man eyed Jake’s Sol rifle – was apparently primitive.
Soon the shadows faded as they came out of the other side of the building, walking onto a grassy field with a few wooden ranches lining the way before them. The man led them inside one, where a boy in similar garb w
aited behind a desk, flipping through a book and not even noticing as they came in. The man coughed, and the desk worker sprang up, looking at the four travelers as if they were some kind of Malice. Light turned to the group and folded his hands before his waist.
“You’ll have to forgive Ratio’s lack of preparation. We rarely get visitors, so it’s easy for him to get distracted.” He then turned to the boy known as Ratio. “We have four travelers, two males and two females. Please set them up in the appropriate rooms.” The boy stumbled to leave the counter and rushed down the hall, clearly in a hurry to get everything ready. As his heavy footfalls faded into the distance, Light turned to the group.
“Ratio will have you set up momentarily. Please feel free to explore the place at your leisure. Someone will come to get you tomorrow when the shadows are here,” he said, pointing down. With that, he started to walk away, but Jake still had many questions. He called out to the man, a bit louder than he would have liked, although Light didn’t seem upset at all, meeting the boy with soft features. With a million questions rushing through his head, Jake didn’t know which one he should ask first. He figured he shouldn’t bother the man too much, as he seemed very important, and instead asked if there was a library nearby. Light looked to the sky, as if searching for something within the nearby clouds. Jake couldn’t figure what was so difficult about the question, but then realized that these people’s language must have been untouched for centuries. Even though they could carry out a conversation, certain terms were bound to be the source of confusion.
“A place where a lot of books are kept and loaned out?” Jake offered. Smashing his fist into his open palm, Light nodded then pointed into the distance, where the land began to slope upward. “Just beyond that way,” he said, then thanked Jake and company for their tourism and was off.
When he was back inside the building, Dante snickered, then waved his hand. “And you guys were worried that they’d be assholes, but it turns out they’re the nicest group of assholes I’ve ever met,” he said.
