Chapter 14: Chapter 14: A Hero’s Worth

There was lingering tension after the beast flew away, but eventually, the hunters began to let their guard down. Artie rose to his feet and began backtracking to where he'd last seen Rachel. It was warm and sweaty, yet his body was cold.

"Hold it," Commanded Ryu.

Artie paid him no mind and continued on his way. Without another word, the solid man approached Artie from behind, grabbed his shoulder, then forcefully turned him around. Ryu then slugged him in the face, knocking Artie down. He fell silently; the sound of the punch was more audible than himself as he sat quietly holding his jaw.

Ryu hunched over Artie and furiously pulled him off the ground by his shirt collar.

"If Rachel had died because of you, I swear-"

"She's alive?!" Blurted Artie, his face painted in surprise.

Fuming, Ryu clenched his fist so hard that his knuckles cracked. He jerked his hand back behind his shoulder then pulled Artie's body closer, ripping his shirt collar.

"Ryu"

Mayumi shot the man a look of plea. There was hesitation, but Ryu snarled and released his hold on Artie.

"She has a few broken bones, but she'll live." Explained Mayumi gloomily.

Artie looked wistfully at the dirt floor, lowering himself further towards the ground.

"That's a relief…." He thought, rubbing his bruised cheek.

Another man, wearing a gray shirt, walked next to Artie and kneeled on his right. His legs and arms were angled widely outward as he placed his elbows on his knees. He sat like a character in an old gangster movie and looked threateningly at Artie.

"You got my lovely involved in this?" Said the man menacingly.

Turning his head, Artie regretfully looked at the new stranger then lowered his sights once more.

"You got nothin to say for yourself, eh?!" Shouted the man squatting at his side.

Like many other hunters, he was well in shape, tall, and wore leather armor. The brown protective vest he wore exposed the sleeves of the light gray shirt underneath. On both sleeves, there was a graphic of a black skull. The same skull symbol was tattooed on the man's forearm as well. He had tan skin with spiky hair, which was black at the base but dyed ash gray at the top. His ears were larger than average, and his dark eyebrows were cut vertically at the corners.

"Not much of a talker, are we?" Said the man, repeatedly poking Artie on the side of the head.

"What's his deal? The god type was definitely targeting him at the Guild Hall." asked one of the hunters.

There was a pause as the curious gazes of nearby people aligned to Artie.

"What's it matter? at least there were no casualties." Smiled Sebastian, stretching his arms above his head.

There was anxious chatter among the group. Artie could hear their dissatisfaction with such a response.

"Sorry, sir, we can't let this go so easily." An unfamiliar voice rebutted.

"I have to agree; that thing flew right over our defenses."

"You're all mighty calm considering we just encountered a GOD TYPE in our home."

"..."

The man next to Artie pressed his finger harder against his head and smirked.

"You must have really pissed it off that day, eh?"

There was another pause as the concerned hunters tuned into the man's remark.

"I was there, hiding while the god type tore into everyone around me. And, I saw you, the brave dumbass hero that led it away."

As the gray-haired man spoke, his smirk became a frown, and his voice became more bitter and grieved.

"So, whatcha do to piss it off that much?" Continued the man, finishing his sentence with a flick to Artie's temple.

Continuing to look down, Artie hid his face. Those nearby clearly wanted an answer from him; however, they wasted their energy. Artie had already clocked out; his mental and physical exhaustion deprived him of any interest in responding to the man.

"The monster must have marked him somehow. It'll follow him wherever he goes."

"We can't let him stay here, can we?"

"I've seen what that monster could do. It didn't use half of its strength today."

"Mhm, it may not be so merciful next time."

The chatter picked back up in full effect; anyone wanting to give their input on the situation did.

"That's enough." Declared the woman who protected Artie.

Her weapons were lying face down on the ground, the flames around them dying out. She continued, patting away a fire on her sleeve.

"We'll hold a proper discussion later. First, update the other leaders."

"Yes, ma'am." Replied Ryu, nodding at the woman.

The gray-haired man next to Artie sucked his teeth before standing and leaving.

"Nothing will come out of sulking," said Mayumi, turning her body away.

Artie raised his head and observed her beginning to walk away; as she left, she turned her head back to Artie and motioned for him to follow. He stood, then blindly followed the woman, not sharing a word.

 

<>

 

Artie found himself back at the clinic that tended to him. Mayumi led him through the entrance, down a hall, and to a small room where a familiar face awaited.

"She survived that…."

He'd entered the room where the woman named Rachel laid asleep. The room was more typical than the roofless version he stayed in. There were four even walls, a ceiling, and a wooden floor. An open window lit the room, and a fireplace in the corner kept the warmth. Against the middle of the north wall was a wooden bed frame that Rachel laid on. The cushion on the bed resembled a mattress but was much flatter and makeshift.

There was a brace wrapped around the woman's neck. It held her head in place, angling it slightly upward. A single layer of bed cover went up a little past her chest; Artie noticed the outline of arm and leg braces underneath the cloth.

While observing Rachel's state, Artie gradually approached the side of her bed. He looked drearily down at her, not noticing how far he was leaning over her body. Despite her injuries, Rachel rested peacefully. Her lips slightly parted as she softly breathed, and her long blonde hair let down and spread widely across the pillow. The woman's face was relaxed like the surface of captured water, undisturbed.

…

Artie slowly separated his gaze from the woman and took a step away. There was a short bench on the east side of the room where he retreated and sat. Once he was seated, Mayumi approached the bedside and had her own moment. She gently placed her hand on Rachel's cheek and whispered softly.

"Get well soon."

After her interaction, Mayumi sat on the short bench next to Artie. She didn't say anything for a while, but Artie wasn't bothered by it. The sound of outside chatter and wind blowing into the room was relaxing.

After some time to herself, Mayumi spoke. Her tone was surprisingly sensitive and sarcastic.

"You don't strike me as the 'Hero-Type."

"..."

A few seconds after her remark, Mayumi looked at Artie and faintly chuckled.

"In fact, you seem more like the type to abandon someone in need."

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She continued to chuckle and peer at the side of Artie's face. He stared at the dark wood floor, attempting to hide his displeasure.

"Of course, she'd be upset." thought Artie.

"It was probably the first time in your life that you tried to help anyone other than yourself. And instead of being rewarded or praised, you get labeled a hindrance."

Mayumi covered her mouth with both hands as she laughed. It was the most child-like expression the woman had shown since their meeting; his only qualm was that she was laughing at him, not with.

"What's wrong? Not so cranky now, are we?" Snickered Mayumi, leaning and pointing towards Artie.

"…"

"I see, then it'll probably be a quick trial." Continued Mayumi.

Curious, Artie turned towards the woman. He parted his mouth as if about to speak but hesitated and looked away from her once again.

"Stubborn too, it seems," Murmured the woman, calming her giggles.

Mayumi leaned back against the bench and raised one of her legs up. She rested her head on her raised knee then glanced out the open window.

"Sorry about her." Murmured Artie, sneaking a glance at Mayumi.

She sighed, continuing to look outside. The breeze entering the room blew back her dark hair allowing Artie to see the black piercings on her ears. Trying to make out the design of the earrings, he held his gaze for too long, and the woman turned and made eye contact with him. It was the first time they'd held each other's gaze for more than a second. Her dark monolid eyes were attractive yet chilling as if one look could reveal every secret he stashed away.

Intimidated, Artie turned away from the woman. His face had warmed up, and his heart fluttered unexpectedly.

Mayumi sighed again then returned to looking out the window.

"If you mention that you're colored, they may not expel you from the town."

"I'll keep that in mind," Mumbled Artie.

"Except you won't," Responded Mayumi.

"What do you know!?" Artie snapped back.

"You're not difficult to read," the woman promptly responded.

Artie scowled, glaring at the ceiling.

"I really hate that about you." He furiously mumbled.

The woman didn't respond to his ridicule but left him in hush. Artie felt a tension between them, a stress created from his own poor mood.

"I was a psychologist; Before everything, I mean."

Her confession was oddly timed and completely caught him off guard.

"And you?" she asked, turning away from the window and looking towards Artie.

"It's a bit late to start getting to know each other, don't you think?" replied Artie, avoiding her eyes.

…

Mayumi stood from the bench, looked to Rachel once more, then headed for the room's exit. She did not leave right away but slowed down at the door.

"Good luck," She breathed, then opened the closed door and disappeared from his sight.

 

<>

 

Thirty dull minutes passed, and Artie sat blankly on the wooden bench.

There was a brief moment when he reflected on what Mayumi stated. But the threat of being kicked from the town wasn't a concern. At least he didn't have the energy to contemplate it.

"Fuck…" Murmured Artie, tapping the back of his head against the wall behind him.

He stopped when he heard a faint groan. Looking over, he noticed Rachel slowly opening her eyes. The way her neck was braced, she only had a view of the roof, so Artie inched onto the edge of his seat and proceeded to raise himself silently.

"Bandages?" Moaned Rachel, lowering her sight as much as she could.

Discovered, Artie planted himself on the seat again. He'd planned to sneak out of the room but remained unsure what to say to the woman.

"Yea… It's me." Replied Artie faintly.

Her body fixed in place; Rachel subtly smiled and began to speak softly.

"I'm glad you survived. You're far too valuable to lose."

With his free hand, Artie covered the left side of his face. He then hunched over and looked sorrowfully down at his knees.

"I almost got you killed. Why aren't you angry…." He Thought.

He cleared his throat, raised his head, and looked at the woman with his uncovered right eye. The warm light from the window revealed her honest expression, no sign of malice or contempt for him, just relief.

"Hey…" Breathed Artie.

"I'm not sold on the idea of becoming your research subject, but…."

"I'll answer any question you want; just one."

Rachel took a moment to respond. Artie assumed it was because she had so many things to ask that narrowing it down to one was difficult.

"Then, could you introduce yourself?" asked Rachel freely.

Immediately after her inquiry, there was a knock at the door followed by a man entering the room.

"The leaders will see you now." He said with an urgent voice.

Artie looked from the woman to the man in the doorway, then at the ground.

"You sure you want to waste this opportunity?" he asked, standing from the bench.

"I told you, we can't skip formalities," Insisted Rachel, smiling brightly on the bed.

Artie's eyebrows tucked inward, and he fought back the tears that so desperately wanted to crawl from his eyes.

"It's Artie," He uttered softly.

"So, your name is Artie," giggled the woman.

He nodded and walked over to the man at the exit. Before leaving, Artie turned back towards the woman once more; his dark eyes were baggy, his skin an unhealthy pale brown, and his body shriveled.

"Sorry, Rachel"

Following his last words, Artie was led from the room, then away from the clinic.

 

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