Chapter 374 - A Piece Dies...
{I have a p-a-t-r-e-o-n with exclusive stories on it! I hope you guys will give it a chance. The link is https://www.p-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/easyread. Remove the dashes. NovelFull censors the word.}
~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~
~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~
~~~(Time: 8:02 AM)~~~
Manni has the look of a man that's happy with his fate. If he weren't, he would've been searching for help all this time... I'm not the only one with strong healing skills. The downside is they only activate when I equip my Divine Grade Title. Manni not wanting to be healed is a saving grace because once my title is activated, people will know I'm here...
Manni has unknowingly saved our entire quest here by refusing any help. "Are you insane!? You're getting healed!!" Terox is the one to blow up now, and it's interesting to see. Helda and her are similar from what I've seen. Helda having a borderline meltdown isn't what I'd thought I'd see today.
The man who is the subject of the woman screaming at him stands up calmly and fixes his bartender clothes. "I've already accepted that I'm dying in a few years... I'm looking forward to the end... Seeing them all again... One thing that sucks about being an elf is the incredible lifespans..." He's right about that... Living too long can be a curse...
His family had to have been killed over the years, and he's waited for an event in his life to help rejoin them... He sees the sickness he has as a chance to be with them again... "I'm sorry, to both of you... But nothing will change my mind... You'll both be fine without me. You've been doing things on your own for years now..." That's an understatement.
My eyes land on Helda specifically, and I've never seen her look like this before... Tears are falling heavily from her eyes, and her face is red. She's trying hard to bottle it up, but it's still bursting out... "How could you... How could you be so selfish..." Her words sting Manni, but it's not changing his mind. He steps forward and places his hands on Helda's shoulders.
She looks up at him, and her tears are pouring down her face. "Hey, everyone goes eventually... Don't you think I deserve to be with the people I miss and love? They're waiting for me on the otherside... I miss them so much, Helda..." She cringes in pain, and she wraps Manni in a hug. Suddenly, Terox hugs him from the otherside, and he's being sandwiched by crying girls...
He closes his eyes and smiles. One arm is behind him. Hugging Terox, and his other arm is hugging Helda. "Cera?" My eyes meet his, and he gently stares into my eyes. "I'll need you to watch over Helda here..." She'll resent that statement, but I nod my head regardless. He peels both of them off him, and he turns to Terox.
He takes a breath and places his hand on her head. "Now, you're getting out of this town. I'd appreciate it if you went with them, but you don't have to if you don't want to. Cause I'm not staying here after today. There are some people I need to meet with before I die." Terox has pain all over her face and body. She's the one that stayed with Manni after all...
I'm not against her joining us. The more help we have getting into the capital, the better. She has skills and contacts that'll make that easy. Manni steps away from Terox and starts walking towards the door. Turning around as his hand rests on the handle. "I love you both like my own children. Remember that, okay?" He turns around and leaves.
As the door closes, Helda and Terox both collapse from where they're standing and hit the ground hard. Sally is quick to rush to both of them and do her best to console them. My eyes land on Terox, and I walk up to her. She looks up at me, and her eyes are red and puffy. Fresh tears are rolling down her cheeks. "How about it? You coming with us?" Her eyes slightly widen...
She brings her hands up and wipes the tears away, doing her best to regain her composure. "I'm sorry that you've had to witness this embarrassing display, Slayer Zern..." Ahh, there it is... I help her up with my hand, and she straightens up. I turn my body and look at Helda, still on the ground with her hands buried in her face.
Sally looks at me in some sort of attempt to tell me to help. As I walk towards her, she keeps her head down. I squat in front of her, and she slowly raises her head. Her eyes are looking into mine. "I know what you're going through, but Manni has chosen his fate... And you should be happy for him..." She grits her teeth and abruptly stands up...
She takes a deep breath, and her body straightens as she does. She walks over to Terox, and I see something that genuinely surprises me. She slaps her across the face harder than Manni. "You could've gotten ahold of me!! Why didn't you tell me what was going on!!?" Terox holds her red cheek in surprise and pain...
This is truly sad to see, but sometimes a conflict needs to happen... Things need to be hashed out and dealt with... "I'm sorry... He made me promise that I keep it a secret... Even from you..." Helda's eyes bulge in rage, and she balls her fist and strikes Terox. She falls to the ground and jumps on top of her. Sally moves to stop them, but I hold my hand out in front of her.
Helda smacks Terox over and over again... "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!! YOU COULD'VE DONE SOMETHING MORE!! STEPPED UP AND TOLD ME!!" Helda's strikes are slowly getting weaker... "WE promised that we'd all look out for each other!" Her punches are now slaps, and she's losing her will and rage. "You broke that promise..." She fails to see she did the same by leaving... In a way...
~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~
~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~
~~~(Time: 8:11 AM)~~~
It's hard to watch this, but she's not hitting Terox anymore... Suddenly, Terox flips Helda over and is on top now. She balls her own fist but doesn't strike. "AND WHERE WERE YOU!?" Helda looks like she's lost a part of her soul. "You left and never came back! You became a Terrorist and changed everything!" Helda's hollow eyes slowly leak fresh tears.
Terox stands up and wipes the blood from her lip and nose, spitting some out to the side. "Before this escalates any further, you should both consider this isn't anyone's fault... It's life, and it happens..." Cera slowly talks at my side, and I look at him. He has a solemn look, and his arms are crossed. Standing tall and confident, like he always does...
Terox turns to him, and her anger is quickly fading. Helda took this way harder than anyone else... Probably cause Terox has known the truth for a long time now... That Manni was dying, but I don't think she truly accepted he wanted to die... "Helda, there are moments in life that change you... Let this be one for the better..." Helda flinches and slowly gets up at Cera's words...
She stares at Terox, and her anger is gone too. They both needed to let out the pain and anger. "Terox... If you want to come with us, I won't say no... But I don't think I'll ever have the same relationship with you after this..." The bitterness in her voice is evident, but it's understandable. Terox looks to the side, rubbing her elbow in nervous silence...
It's something that I didn't think I'd see today, but this is evidence that anyone can be vulnerable... "I'll join you, and I agree with you, Helda." There is a spiteful edge in her Terox's voice, and I can see the trouble brewing already...
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A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.
[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.196]
[Exp: 40/100%]
[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]
[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]
[Mana aura control: 6/100%]
[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]
[Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500]
[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Sally's Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x]
[Passive Perks]
[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]
[Active Skills]
[Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [Slash Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun]