His whole presence—being—was obnoxious incarnate. He stood there flaunting his attire to us in a way we did not ask.
He whipped out sunglasses and threw them on. "Fine," he said as if he was reading my mind and knew why we had come. Why I had gathered Ryo, Zeno, Snow, and now him. "You may touch the jacket."
Never mind…
"WE DON'T WANT TO TOUCH YOUR STUPID JACKET, DIPSHIT!" Snow and I yelled at him once more.
"And why the hell are you called the Yellow Jacket Knights if your jacket isn't even fucking yellow!?" Snow added.
"FOOL!" Rex shouted for no reason at all. "The Yellow Jacket Knights are a double entendre! It stands for the rare animal that most Guilds in the Kingdom are named after, while simultaneously representing the coolest Guild attire in the Kingdom—yellow jackets!"
"YOUR JACKET IS FUCKING BLACK!" Snow barked.
"Unrelated! You sound like a poor sport just cause' you lost," Rex insinuated. "Honestly… So, this is what they meant when they say 'it's lonely at the top'."
Your Guild is technically the last ranking Guild… I thought.
"LET ME DO IT! LET ME SWAT THAT FUCKING WASP, I SWEAR TO THE KEEPER I'LL—I'LL—!" Snow griped as Zeno held him back with a blank face.
I cleared my throat and said, "Well, I will say the outfit is cool. This is the direction I had hoped for the Valley Kingdom Knights anyway."
"Right!? No more gay robes or lame ponchos!" He made a gagging noise at the end, to which Ryo and Snow slid in with expressionless faces as they looked down to their robes and ponchos…
"I hear ya," I said coolly. If I had learned anything from Ryo, it was his way with people and how he was able to get what he wanted out of them while raising them up as well. 'People love their ego stroked.' I remembered him saying at some point. Seems I've caught on to something positive after all. "Now, for the fact of the matter, I came here today to—"
"Say less!" Rex interrupted with an index to the tip of my nose. He slid closer to me and said, "You may touch…" as he ran his hand over the sleeve of his jacket.
"I FUCKING WANT TO SWAT HIM TOO, LET GO OF ME, RYO!!" I barked as well while Ryo held me away, along with Snow, who was still in Zeno's grasp.
"Calm down, you two," Ryo said to us all the while.
Then, as if the bipolar took over him, Rex looked me in the eyes with those black star pupils of his. "Count me in, Dweeb!"
I finally calmed down and dusted myself off. Rex was a goof, but at least he still had sense.
"Keeper, always so over the top. You guys all banded together to say this to me today, didn't you?" When I caught sight of each of them, they all gave me the same look: a half-smile and calming eyes, "But I'm glad to have you all on board. It makes me feel… relieved."
"AW DON'T SAY IT LIKE THAT, BRO-BRO, YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME CRY!!" Rex said as he proceeded to cry anyway.
Again, halting his emotion for a different one, he said, "I did this for you! I wanted to make sure that the Valley not only had a new eighth Guild, but so also you had another supporting Guild backing you up on your future endeavors!"—he threw his hands in the air with comical tears in his eyes—"Savior from the Shadows—no… my bestest friend Greed, know this—the Yellow Jacket Knights will always, always, always have your back! Count on it!!!" he sobbed at the end.
Zeno lost his grip on Snow at this moment, and he trailed over to me. When he made just behind, Snow placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "I've got your back too. I may still be just a Vice Captain compared to you guys, but the Silver Sharks are on your side," he said in such a cool way that I had almost forgotten that out of us five, he was the coolest of us all.
Ryo placed his hand on my other shoulder, and then Zeno with a hand to my head. "Correction. We have got your back, Greed. From the Crimson Dragons—"
"And the Purple Panthers… regardless of what Tubolt may say… I, Zeno, their Vice Captain, vow to protect and have your back to the very end."
It was out of nowhere and it wasn't much, but I felt uplifted then. I had been worried for nothing. About being the right leader. About doing the right thing. None of that mattered to these four. We just supported each other through and through. I didn't know it at the time, but it was everything I needed to hear.
"Thanks, guys," was all I could muster up to say.
I know they would swear they saw tears of joy in my eyes. But I didn't cry… I definitely didn't cry…
***
**The next day**
It was 0800. The five of us: Ryo, Zeno, Snow, and Rex all stood outside of the South Gate of the Valley Kingdom. Many from our Guilds were seeing us out for this mission. It was the type that would have us away for a whole month. The destination was far, and the retrieval was just as tough. There was a reason the missions to retrieve Zion Orbs were only conducted once every ten years and by the Valley's best each time.
For one, Zion Orbs were huge and needed a special magic item to store them. Because of their size and the fact that they radiated so much mana, any regular magic item would not be able to successfully store one. Ryo's pouch that stored his claymores would burst only seconds later after attempting to store a single Zion Orb.
Another reason was that they were located at specific, Kingdom neutral zones. And were operated on a first-come, first-served basis, which meant if there were other Guilds from other Kingdoms in need of one and they were at the site first, the ones who arrived last were required to withdraw their retrieval, no matter who needed it more. However, that didn't stop fights from occurring. The Ocean and the Valley always called a ceasefire, but if we ran into knights from the Sky, or worse, the Mountain, then we had to be prepared to defend.
And that was the thing. Defend. Only if we had the Orb first. Even if it were the Mountain to retrieve it before us, even if they did try to allegedly absorb the Valley over a month ago with the Syemore and the Blue Phoenixes, we would let them have it. Not out of weakness or cowardice, but out of neutrality. Because if the Apostles really are declaring war on the Four Kingdoms, then they are now technically our allies—whether we liked it or not. Enemy of the enemy…
There were other neutral locations where we could retrieve a Zion Orb anyway, but that would mean extending our mission more than it was originally projected.
We were in a prickly situation. I had remembered Pride say that other Apostles were invading the other three Kingdoms and taking their Zion Orbs, meaning… there was a high chance that we were going to run into other Kingdom Guilds either on the way or by the time we got there.
And lastly… the reason we didn't just mine these Orbs was that the places they grew were heavily infested with Grade 3 and up monsters. Going there to collect a single Orb was already a taxing effort. Each Kingdom could only hold so many Orbs anyway. Any more than the required number (three for the Valley) would relinquish the barrier, and we would be a shining beacon for monsters to invade as they were drawn to high mana sources. As they say 'too much of a good thing is a bad thing'.
It was best to keep all those monsters away in these neutral zones and only go to retrieve a Zion Orb when it was needed.
These were high-class missions that required the lowest ranking mage in the team to be at least an S rank; and it was obligated to have at least one SS rank mage as well.
The party we had was:
- Rex: S class mage of the Yellow Jacket Knights. Magic: Trajectory. Skillsets: stealth, reconnaissance, maneuvering, and long-range fighting.
- Snow: S rank mage of the Silver Shark Knights. Magic: Steam. Specialty: illusion, healing, status ailments, and heavy damage fighting.
- Zeno: S rank mage of the Purple Panther Knights. Magic: Shadowsteel. Specialty: defense, protection, camouflage, and wide range fighting.
- Ryo: higher S rank mage of the Crimson Dragon Knights. Magic: Firebolt. Specialty: offense, elemental advantage, and close combat fighting.
- And myself: SS rank mage of the Black Wolf Knights. Magic: none (sub with Tantra). Specialty: offense, defense, magic rejection, and close combat fighting.
The higher class team and the fewer people, the fewer the casualties. That was the saying in theory, at least.
"Teddy, please come back safely!" Star cried as she sobbed on my chest, doting on me.
"I'll be back in no time. Be good for Code and I'll bring back as many choco bars to fill a room," I said back to her.
"REALLY!?" Her eyes sparkled.
"So spoiled…" Code said from the side. "Even if I tell you no, I know you'll be doing it anyway. And your reasoning is—"
"—because she's cute."
"Seriously, how has Belle not beaten your ass yet?"
I stuck out a tongue as I stretched out my hands, separating me and her. Right then, a head of girl with black hair and an eyepatch formed on my chest.
"Keeper, Ophelia! Why do you gotta be like this!?" I said to her as she giggled and passed through me, standing with Star.
"For someone who, quote on quote, doesn't get scared easily, I sure do scare you quite often!"
"Startle is not the same as 'scare'…"
"The reaction's the same though…"
"Shut up."
"Be safe, would ya?" she said, blowing a kiss.
"You guys act like I'm gonna be gone forever. It's only a month." I replied.
"Yeah, and a month is the longest you'll be away if you really think about it. Even when you go see Asura every quarter, you're only gone for two weeks, max. You can't blame your girls…" Havoc said next, continuously looking at Code as he said that last part. "The chick over there worries the most!" gesturing to him with a thumb.
"Fuck off!" Code spat.
"Captain! Please be safe on your travels!" a cyborg said to me as he pushed Havoc and Star to make room for himself. His arm had just gone through Ophelia… "Please! Be! SAFE!!" he bowed intensely with each word as the last bow slammed his metal mask onto my forehead, and my eyes turned white from the impact.
"Brand, what the fuck!" I shouted as I staggered backward.
He gasped and then sprinted so far that he looked like an ant in my view as he repeated over and over again, bowing profusely from that distance, "I'm deeply sorry, sir! I'm deeply sorry, sir! I'm deeply sorr—"
I could barely hear him, but he kept going…
"What a fucking idiot," Star commented.
"GG," a cool girl's voice said from the back as she made her way to the front of me now. "For the road." She held up a well-prepared basket of food, shyly looking away.
I gently grabbed it and took a peek inside. The basket was small, but there were tons of well-prepared meals inside. I felt like I was taking a look into Ryo's pouch.
"She was up all night preparing your meals. It's more than a month's worth of food in that tiny magic basket." Code said, blowing out smoke from his cigarette, acting like he didn't help her make any of that all night. Knowing him, he was the one who cooked and prepared the meals from start to finish while she slept. "She sorted the plates quite nicely…"
"Code, shush! I cooked them, remember?
"Right… What she said." He said dispassionately.
"Thanks, Jo," I said with a serene expression on my face. Jo blushed as she continued to look away and threw her arms behind herself. Her tail was visibly wagging when I said that.
"Thank you as well, Code, Star, Ophelia, Havoc, Brand… you too, Alice," I added.
When I said her name, the rest of the crew cleared, making one open path from me to her. She pouted as they did this; her blonde pigtails bounced as she reacted.
"Be careful, you hear! A month to that area is longer than you think! And don't forget to message us and Belle any time you get some signal or free time!" Alice preached like a parent to a child—me being the child in this situation.
I smiled at her and replied, "Aye."
She blushed and then dashed over to me, giving me a quick hug.
I patted her head as Havoc added, "Nash is back in his room, but he sends his regards."
"Arabella Housekeeping—" Alice said.
"—and Yuna!" Star added.
Alice cleared her throat and went on, "… Send their regards as well."
"I can say that myself…" Kiki said, unbeknownst to us all on how she had arrived—or if she had been there the whole time and we just didn't notice…
"Aren't you supposed to be back at the Den?" Code asked.
"I am head maid and personal escort to Master Greed; I must make sure his needs are met up until departure."
"Head?" Star said distastefully.
"Escort?" Jo seethed.
"Yes. And if anyone… and I really do mean anyone gets in my way. They will feel the wrath of former 1st Executive." Kiki pompously added. To which Star and Jo coiled their fists and ground their teeth in response—eye ablaze like her words meant something else entirely.
"Meow!" Havoc mocked.
"I knew it. You truly are a kitty…" Kiki mocked back.
"What you say doll eyes—!?"
"Hey, you." I casually interrupted.
"H-H-Hey… I mean—Hello Master Greed!" She bowed profusely as Brand arrived back in time to join her in unison.
"Thank you for your services. Though you, Milo, and Ulrich aren't Black Wolves, I feel you've adjusted nicely to this dysfunctional family. Please clean up after these idiots, they're like animals."
I felt multiple punches on my head at this time that I couldn't even imagine who didn't punch me except for her.
"MASTER GREED, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"
I raised my aching head and chuckled softly, "Tell the other two thanks for me, would ya?"
She bowed gracefully.
"All this sentimental shit is making me sick…" Havoc gagged.
"Aw, it's okay. There, there… good boy." Ophelia grabbed his head, placing him on her bosom and began petting him repeatedly.
"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A GODDAMN PET!" After Havoc said this, he sniffed once, and his attitude changed completely. When he raised his head, Ophelia's hair was now silver with the long end a well transitioned purple ombre.
"Raeyn," he said with a look of surprise, like he had a nine-to-five job, and he had accidentally ran into the boss, who said she was off today… and his head was in her breasts…
He scattered away as Raeyn merely looked at him with stoic eyes. She then looked at me, sashaying over so elegantly as the others moved away from her except Code. She stopped in front of him and casually snatched his cigarette, taking a hit and then placed it back in his fingers like it never happened. Code was still as stone all the while. When she made it to me, she raised a hand to my nose and flicked it, and I flinched.
"You realize the last time you spoke to me directly was over a month ago, telling me to stay at the Den, right? What kind of Captain are you?" she said. Stern. Emotionless. I dared not talk back, but I couldn't help but gulp.
She looked me up and down with that one bright yellow left eye of hers that had switched from Ophelia's purple one, the other hiding behind their shared eyepatch. She then sighed and then looked down, closing her eyes and leaning forward for a second before raising her head to peck me in the cheek. "You don't have to worry about these idiots," she whispered, inches from my ear.
"Stare…" Jo and Kiki said out loud, knowing that's all they could do to oppose her.
Star had instantly become submissive. I had forgotten that the only one these band of fools could not cross was her—Raeyn the 2nd Executive of the Black Wolves. Code and even Asura didn't demand such respect without speaking. "Code and I will take care of them while you're away. Just make sure you eat well and travel safe. And most importantly, come back. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am," I said reservedly.
She gave me an easy smile, reminding me that even she had emotion under that stoic persona.
One month without them… I was going to miss all of this within a week's time, minimum… They just had to make it tougher for me right now.
It was at this time that Code directed them all to step away. He pointed with his eyes to someone else who was at a corner watching us, not doing a very good job of hiding behind the South Gate.
When I caught her deep blue eyes, she just stared at me like I didn't see her. So, I took out my comm and gave her a call. It barely rang once when she juggled her phone to pick it up.
"You know I see you, right?" I said through the comm.
I only heard deep breathing on the other end…
"Hello? Babe—"
Right then, quicker than I could react. She appeared before me with a passionate hug. Like she had thrown herself to me, comm still on with our call in one hand and her head burrowed in my arms and chest.
"So, you can teleport now?"
"Only short distances."
"You get stronger by the day, princess."
She wore an oversized, cropped white shirt, a baby blue-billed hat with the logo of what looked like Toto embroidered on it, light blue short shorts, and matching flipflops that showed off her light blue painted toenails.
"Baby blue, huh? What's the occasion?"
She ignored me for a moment, letting me bask in the awkwardness of the silence.
"I just got you back, and already, you're leaving me again!" she finally said like she was angry.
I tightened my hug and burrowed my head to hers; her platinum white hair smelled like a bouquet of white gardenia. "I promise I'll come back."
"You better!" she pouted. The rest of the Black Wolves crew were only a short distance away, but they all pretended they didn't notice us. And reluctant as they were, Jo and Kiki let us have the moment.
She then pushed herself off me with my arms still wrapped around her, but creating some space. And she had a determined look on her face.
Before I knew it, she held up a silver necklace to my face. It was made of sleek, shiny metal that looked almost as durable as my black coating—Tantra-steel as Zeno would put it. It was cylindrical and was a five-sided pentagon from top to bottom with the symbols of a small wolf, a rose, and two claw marks—each with their own designated sides—and looked carved with excellent care. The last space was left intentionally blank…
"What are these symbols?" I asked.
She showed me each side and said, "Stands for you, me, and our bond and connection through wolfdogs. The claws represent Yuna and Toto's. If you look closely, the claw marks are slightly different. That is because it was molded by their actual claws and then shrunk to fit perfectly on this necklace."
"How did you get Yuna's claws molded?" I asked, intrigued.
"How do you think? I'm over all the time, silly."
"I see. And this blank space behind them?" I pointed at the last empty space of the necklace.
She was silent for a moment.
"No way… are you—"
"N—No!" she interjected.
A pause between us both, and then she said, "It's just an empty space, it doesn't mean anything."
"Perhaps not now. But maybe in the future, if it's what you want as well?" I said with a serene smile.
"As well?" She reiterated. "You… You also?"
Her face lit up. She was already so beautiful the way she was, but seeing her like this about our future made my heart leap bounds. Like the time I had remembered her. Like we were falling through the sky again and she finally expressed her true feelings.
As I watched her meekly speak and nervously brush her hair, I let myself enjoy the sight of her one last time before I had to leave.
A month… it didn't hit me earlier. But a month without her felt like a dreadful eternity.
I looked at the empty space again and immediately started envisioning a life with her. A proper one like we were supposed to all that time ago…
I grasped her hands, which felt so small in mine and she calmed herself. I then let her put the necklace on me, and I kissed her, "Thank you, Belle. I love you."
"I love you too, my Greed."
At this time, Ryo called for all of us. Rex had been crying to his crew the whole time as Snow said his goodbyes; he was like a son to Jecht. Zeno formally said goodbye to his crew, and they all seemed to have a newfound respect for him. Tubolt, however, was not there. He apparently had some pressing matters to take care of, but he was grateful nonetheless to see them all. Even Wilren looked humbler. Maybe that's why I finally remembered his name then.
"I have to go now, princess," I said lastly to Belle as she reluctantly let me go, trailing her delicate fingers across my arms as I stepped backward, not taking my eyes off her all the while.
We all stood a distance away from our Guilds, holding bags and gifts of all kinds from them. With Ryo to my far right, Snow next to him, me in the middle, Rex, and then Zeno to the far left, we waved one last goodbye to them all as they all cheered and passed on their blessings and prayers for our safe return.
Praying to the Keeper always felt like a chore. It didn't feel right. Perhaps it's because I had this internal feeling that my father truly was…
"Hey!" Rex said as he threw his arm over my shoulder. "We'll be back before they know it!"
I gave an approving huff and closed my eyes with gratefulness.
Despite whom the Keeper was, I had somehow been blessed with all of this. My friends. My crew. Belle. And even the honor of thinking of life after this… It seemed like the work of another God.
"Right." I replied, and Rex gave the biggest grin.
From high up on the walls of the Valley's South Gate, I saw Daz there, sending his parting ways with us from afar. We acknowledged him and then turned around into the vast hills of tectonic plates and green fields.
***
As they left, miles from view, Belle still looked over to the five of them, Greed especially. With a clenched hand to her chest and the other to her side, she was the last to leave after the Black Wolves. And she said under her breath as she put a hand to her tone stomach,
"We will be waiting, my love."