Flossindune
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Chapter 303
🕑 Added 2025-06-23 13:54:35 +0000 UTCEtson, Florida - 11:09 AM
I stood there awkwardly, leaning on the Staff of Raphael, as Thomas walked towards me. Gabrielle was not far behind him. The fact that I couldnât read his aura was messing with me a bit, especially since his face was set in stone and could mean any number of things. Regardless, I held my ground, taking in what I could. Namely, their gear.
Thomas Brown wore plastic studded leather armor that covered him from the pauldrons on his shoulders down to the greaves. He had the metal gloves, boots, and belt that belonged to a matching set, but he wore nothing on his shaved head but a diamond earring. Hanging from his waist was a warhammer not unlike the one he had used in our fight back at the Safari Resort. The oversized sword on his back was more his speed these days, though.
The woman beside him was small compared to the bulky man, and she was clad fully in robes befitting a healer. It was a big change from the bulky chain shirt and leather helmet she had worn during the Vespae raid. She still had the Doveâs Rod of Peace in her hand, which had probably been upgraded a few times with Enhancement Jewels. The pacifistâs buff to her healing would still be great today regardless of how long ago she picked it up.
I said nothing as Thomas approached with the gait of a man on a mission. Our last conversation before we left Etson came to mind. He had been understandably distraught at the loss of his sister, Gloria, and blamed me for her death. It sucked, but I was the person who pushed for the attack, and it had been the best decision we could have made. One thing stuck with me more than anything else.
âI hope that son of a bitch youâre running from catches you,â Thomas had said.
That âson of a bitchâ had been Jeremiah Wilson, Pustibuleâs pet Shadow Sniper, and Thomas had wanted him to put a bullet in me. Thankfully, he hadnât succeeded.
âIâve been waiting for you to come back,â Thomas said as he covered the last few feet between us.
I had expected him to stop before reaching me, to stay out of my personal space. He, apparently, had other plans. One of his hands reached up to grab me by the head.
There was no physical reaction from me, but my response was swift. Four Constructed daggers appeared behind him, inches away from his back. Gabrielle squeaked in surprise when they materialized, but didnât have any time to say anything.
I was ready to attack at a momentâs notice. Any injury would light a beacon that would call other players to my location, so I didnât have room to play. Despite that, each one was pointed towards one of his non-vital areas, meant to damage but not kill. Thomas was too important for that, and I didnât want his death, anyway.
To my surprise, his other arm wrapped around me and he pulled me in close. With one hand on the back of my head, the other one thumped me behind my shoulder.
âIâm sorry,â he said, his stone facade breaking away as he hugged me tightly.
âAntââ Gabrielle started to say, but I released my hold on the Constructs and she stared at the now empty space with wide eyes.
âAfter I lost Gloria, I was in a dark place,â Thomas continued, unaware of what I had done. âI lashed out at you because you were the easiest target and I was feeling that loss on a level I hadnât been on since our mother died. It wasnât right. I shouldnât have pushed you away, or put blame on you.â
I returned the embrace with gusto, activating Peacekeeperâs Will at the same time for good measure. Thomas immediately relaxed at the feeling. âWater under the bridge, friend,â I told him earnestly. âThe attack was my idea, andââ
âNo,â he interrupted. âIt may have been your plan, but what happened to Gloria wasnât your fault. We all knew the risks. She died out there doing what she knew she had to, killing bugs and saving lives. Without her sacrifice, we could have lost a hundred more people out there. What I said to you was inexcusable.â
âI disagree,â I replied, shaking my head. âYou had just lost the sister who raised you, man. Nobody blamed you for what you were feeling. Not me, not the Mills. Your reaction came from a place of love and pain, Thomas, and I understand that. Iâm just glad that youâve had time to mourn.â
âMy reaction would have gotten me slapped upside my head if she had still been there,â Thomas said softly. âAnd call me Tommy. Weâre friends, if you really can forgive me.â
âAnd who doesnât need a good slap upside their head every now and again?â I asked with a chuckle. Mentally, I changed his name in my head. Being able to call him by his nickname again felt better than I thought it would. âYou lashed out, and thatâs fine. Itâs a process. Iâm still really sorry that Gloria isnât with us anymore. The world is lesser for her passing, and I truly mean that, Tommy.â
He took a shuddering breath as he nodded, and then let out a halting chuckle. âYou know, I never would have forgiven myself if that bastard did catch up to you and put a bullet in your head,â he admitted. âI regret those words.â
âHeâs tentatively on my side now, so, allâs well that ends well,â I said. âYouâre alright, though? Like, youâve had time to process and all that?â
âI wouldnât say Iâm all good, but Iâm definitely better than some of the people out there,â he sighed. With one more hearty thump on my back, Tommy let me go and took a few steps back. âItâs good to have you back home, Ant, no matter what that scum sucking son of a bitch is trying to play by making you the enemy of this scenario.â
I smiled at him calling Seraphim a scum sucker just like I did, and nodded. âWhile I was trying to make a stealthy exit, itâs good to see you, too. And you, Gabrielle, obviously.â
The healerâs smile was warm and all nervousness had left her aura as she closed the distance. âWelcome home, Big Tipper,â she said as she wrapped her arms around me.
âBig Tipper,â I repeated with a snort. âForgot you ended up calling me that.â
âAnd then I never even got to spend your money,â Gabrielle grumbled as she pulled away. âPunk ass system, keeping me from my hard earned buck.â
âI can spot you fifty points if you need it that bad,â I said with a teasing half smile.
âNormally Iâd take what I can get, but things havenât been bad lately,â she admitted, glancing up at Tommy. âLike, yeah, everythingâs a shit storm and half of the city nearly burned down, and a quarter of it did, but it doesnât feel like weâre scrambling anymore.â
âWeâve jumped into the deep end but weâve finally figured out how to swim,â he added.
I nodded. âThatâs a big first step. I was worried that the scum sucker was going to come down hard on you all after I left.â
âHe did, but itâll take more than what heâs been throwing at us to put us down,â Gabrielle stated proudly. She reached out and affectionately slugged me on the shoulder. âBut what the hell happened to you, man? Youâve been gone for ages now.â
With a smile, I shrugged. âNot much to say. I have my own train. Won a tournament in Atlanta, started a guild in Pittsburgh, traveled across the states, fought the next two evolutions of the Writhing Juggernaut, and went to Ireland. One of my guildmates, no one yâall have met, is actually going to meet me in Stanley.â
âHold up, there was more of that bastard you and Gloria took down?â Tommy asked incredulously. âPast the Zeppelin thing, right?â
âYeah, which the administration made specifically to kill me,â I answered with a dark chuckle. The Writhing Nautilus and the thing protecting its heart, the Writhing Guardian. Those were not fun fights. Well, in their own way they were, I just donât like having to fall back on hypotheticals.â
âThat sounds rough.â
âIt is what it is. We made it through, so it all ended as well as could be expected.â
âWe?â Gabrielle perked up. âKayla and Jeff are okay?â
âOh, yeah. Theyâre part of my guild and everything,â I said with a grin. âCorwin, too. He can turn into a big ole Demon dog now. Still precious, though.â
âThatâs great to hear. Have Francis and Jess caught up with you?â Tommy asked.
âThey⊠No?â I replied, arching an eyebrow. âI didnât realize anyone was looking for me. Well, anyone from Etson. Well, anyone from Etson who didnât want to put a bullet in me. When did they leave?â
âNot long after you did,â Gabrielle answered, shrugging. âFrancis kept talking about how he wanted to find you, but Jess just wanted to get out of here. I wouldnât be surprised if she kept sidetracking him.â
âKnowing her, thatâs exactly what happened,â I said, turning my gaze northward even though I couldnât see. âIf they didnât go straight to Atlanta by train then thereâs next to no chance that they would have found us. We might have been sticking to major cities for a while there, but itâs a big country.â
âIâm sure those two are fine,â Tommy sighed. It didnât seem like his heart was in it. They would become powerful as a Fire Mage and Carbon Cutter combo, but they were also easily distracted and didnât plan far enough ahead. âAt least, weâre praying they are.â
âI know a guy. If theyâre still alive out there, Iâll be able to figure out their general whereabouts,â I said before returning my gaze to the duo. âThough, speaking of people who arenât here, I got kind of nervous when I didnât see John with you. Is he around, orâŠ?â
âHeâs fine,â Tommy answered, crossing his arms. âHe was the frontliner for Seraphimâs little get-together with this new scenario. I figured he could handle whatever popped out, if anything did at all.â
âNot you?â I asked, surprised.
âNah. It seemed too easy, you know?â the Justicar said, scratching the back of his neck as he looked back towards the college. âSeraphim hasnât made anything easy so far. When he came out with the new quest saying to meet up in one place to instantly defeat the new foe? I got suspicious. So I let John take the lead and sent out a few teams to scout the area. Because, you know, we canât trust the scum sucker.â
âSmart,â I replied, nodding.
âThen, Ish led me to you,â he finished, gesturing towards me.
I tilted my head. âIsh?â I asked. There were plenty of Patrons who had that sound in their names, but none that I thought of when it came to Tommy.
âYeah. My Patron, Ishmekarab,â he answered.
âThe Mesopotamian god of justice, nice,â I said, nodding. Normally, Tommy was able to get himself a Patron, but his upgrade to Citizenâs Justicar must have helped him pull in a bigger fish than usual.
âDamn, you know that right off the top of your head?â he chuckled before gesturing towards my head. âI forgot you had all those memories in you. We could have used some warning about what was going to come before you left. I mean, I know Iâm at fault there, but still.â
I shook my head. âIf I left you with anything, then Iâm sure Seraphim would have changed things. Either making them more difficult, or turning it around so my advice would hinder more than help. Nah, a clean break was exactly what we needed. The sooner I got away from here, the better it would have been for us all.â
âBecause the moment you come back, heâs already scheming to kill you,â Gabrielle said, frowning. âHe must really be obsessed with you.â
âYeah, unfortunately,â I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. âWhich also means I should be getting out of here. The sooner Iâm gone, the sooner things will go back to normal for Etson. Itâs not just the scenario, but he really does have a vendetta against me for reasons I canât talk about. I managed to negotiate safe passage so he couldnât trap me here.â
âHold up, you negotiated with him?â she asked, arching an eyebrow.
âItâs a long story,â I said with a shrug. âEither way, you should get a day or so of peace before a monster spawns in that fits the description. In order to make the scenario work, you know.â
âYou shouldnât be in such a rush to leave,â Tommy stated. âThereâs a lot of people here that are going to be sad and disappointed that you didnât stay.â
âYeah, and Iâm sure thereâs going to be a lot of people who are going to be just as happy to put a sword through me,â I laughed. âItâll be better for everyone if I just slip away quietly. If that scum sucker does drop a Doppelganger or some kind of shape shifter that looks like me, for catharsis reasons or whatever, then you can kill them with no issues whatsoever knowing that itâs not the real deal.â
Gabrielle and Tommy shared a look with each other. âIf someone looking just like you comes here and theyâre not you, then weâre going to have some issues,â the healer said.
âWhat do you mean?â.
She pointed at her chest, right over her heart. âCan you not see the new logo?â
Frowning, I shook my head. It wasnât a patch, so it didnât pop up in my aura. âOkay, so, full disclosure, Iâm actually blind right now,â I admitted. She opened her mouth to ask a question, and I held up a hand. âI can see through my aura, but my eyes arenât working. Neither is the left side of my body, which Iâm keeping up using psychic powers, and I canât taste or smell anything, either.â
âThe fuck happened to you?â Tommy asked, eyes wide as he looked me over.
âSomething necessary, but ultimately very harmful,â I answered. Gabrielleâs aura pulsed and I felt a soothing wave of healing wash over me. I smiled. âUnfortunately, what happened to me is far more spiritual than physical. It happened when I was in my Angel form, and my Patron is looking up ways to try and reverse it.â
âDamn, dude. That sucks,â she said softly. âWish I could fix you up. You sure you canât find a healer for it?â
âThereâs options,â I reassured her with a small nod. âItâs on the to-do list. After meeting up with my friends, but before throwing myself into a nuclear reactor to get parts.â
âThat sounds like a really shitty to-do list,â Gabrielle said, putting her hands on her hips.
âYeah, well, my plans always did look like they were coming straight off of a terroristâs manifesto. Call in a bomb threat to the library, knock over a grocery store for some ham, lead a semi-truck through several buildings before causing a massive sinkhole to appear downtown, to name a few,â I chuckled. âBut thatâs neither here nor there. Whatâs this about something on your chest that I canât see?â
âFirst thing you should know is that the Etson Faithful isnât a thing anymore,â Tommy told me.
âOh, sweet,â I replied, grinning. I turned to Gabrielle. âDid you take over? Or did you guys merge with the Tumblers?â
âThe Tumblers donât exist anymore, either,â the healer said slowly, looking at Tommy. âNot the way you know them, at least.â
I arched an eyebrow. âWhat are you guys calling yourself now?â
âWeâre, uhâŠâ the Justicar ran his hand over his bald head. âWeâre Anthonyâs Faithful, now. On account of, you know, the whole Angel thing. You rocked a lot of peopleâs world on that battlefield, man. Itâs kind of blown up.â
âHuh?â I asked, blinking as I tried to process the words. There was something about them that disgusted me down to my core. âI mean, what the fuck?â
âYeah, weâve got a lot of catching up to do,â Gabrielle said with a sympathetic smile. She reached over and patted me on the shoulder. That didnât reassure me as much as I thought she wanted it to.
