Two Sobbing Protagonists and Counting

Kuroni pressed against Mars’ chest. The blow to his heart had healed, but it was not the same as before, and refused to start. She did everything she could to get him to breathe again, blowing air down his windpipe, clearing the water. He was submerged for some time. His body was still. She had focused so much on stopping the general that she neglected the orc, the orc she claimed to despise, the one she feared. Why was she crying?

“Please, come back!” she cried, hugging him. “You can’t go now, not after everything you did! Please, I’m begging you! I don’t wanna lose you, too!”

Who's to say if it was some divine intervention, but at the Shrine dedicated to Marine’s fresh water, her holy magic, and a bit of sensory stimulation had the orc spurting like a fountain. His heart beat as excitedly as it always did. The orc’s brain was foggy, but he was happy to see what he woke up to.

“This is weird,” he coughed. “Is this really my dying dream?”

Kuroni could not kiss her hero fast enough. Every pent-up emotion let out as she squeezed him with her Amazonian might, and Mars was left with a conundrum. Should he press his advantage or not? He was not really in a position to be a proper orc. Also, nearly dying made him quite delirious. It seemed like an ally was aiming at her.

“Mars, watch out!”

The orc dropped, and an arc flew inches from his face, almost striking Kuroni, who used her body to protect him. She turned to see a familiar face.

“Master, you’re alive!”

“Get away from her!” Fuuma panted, his chest heaving. “Move, now!”

“No! Don’t hurt this man! I love him!”

Fuuma fired again, taking off the very top of Mars' head. The two were forced even closer.

“Boy, that’s enough!” Dige dragged himself forward. “The monster’s dead, we won!”

“Shut up!” Fuuma was crying, his voice squeaking with sorrow. “Was this your plan? Keeping me in my lab the whole time? Was that all for your rapist orc!?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” 

This couldn’t have been the same Fuuma he was with a few minutes ago, or the boy he spent so much time inventing with. Where was that wonder, that camaraderie? Was that even real? Who was Fuuma Toyotaro?

“There’s no way,” he sniveled. “There’s no way you’d fall in love with an orc. He’s controlling you somehow. He has to.”

“Master…”

“I’m your master, Kuroni! I won’t allow you to be with anything else! You’re mine!”

"Master, this orc saved my life! He almost died for me! I..." She thought of her next words. "I want to show my gratitude to him! Is that so wrong?"

The boy took another step further, pistol ready. Out of the three, Kuroni was the only one capable of fighting. She gently pushed Mars back into the water and drew her saber. 

“You don’t have to do this, Master,” she said. “I care about you, too.”

“That’s not enough! I want you to love me, just as I love you.”

“I do love you, Fuuma. Just not-.”

“No! Don’t end it this way! Tama’s ugly now! I don’t have a backup. I want you! I’m your hero. I’m the hero. Not that dwarf or that fucking orc! Me! This is my heroic fantasy! I’m not going to start over again! I won’t!"

The boy broke down, if just for a moment, and his aim fell off Kuroni. There was an opportunity to move on him, but she couldn't move. Those words. She had served under him for months now. The Master entrusted them to take care of Fuuma, to be everything he needed to succeed. Her life belongs to him. He couldn't deny his will. The power of suggestion from a hero sealed her loyalty more than anything, but beyond that, she was disgusted. Nothing disgusted her more than this child in her entire life.

The boy sniveled. "I didn't die just to get rejected again in another life.”

“Fuuma…”

Whatever Fuuma was about to do next, it was halted by a fist to the back of his head. As he scrambled on the ground, his assailant beat him over and over with her fists.

“Don’t you dare point a gun at my sister!” Tama wailed. “Don’t ever do that again! You hear me!? You! Stupid! Psychopathic! Petulant child!”

“Tama, stop!” Kuroni held her fists. The boy was already unconscious. “Oh gods, Tama, your face. I’m so sorry!”

It took her a while to stop. Tama's fury was the only thing keeping her from breaking down, but it eventually gave way. “It hurts so much! Why did it turn out this way?”

"It's okay, Tama. It'll be alright." Kuroni meant it, too, but she wasn't sure when it would be.

With a slightly different head shape, Mars let the sisters be to check on the dwarf. He seemed shaken.

“Oi, Marsy. Are you alright?”

“Yep. You?”

“I- uh.” The dwarf looked away. “The boy is dead. I…left him to die.”

“Shame.” Mars went to look for his axe. “Your goddess, Marine. She’s very powerful. I can feel it here.”

“I suppose.”

Mars gazed out at the meticulous pool and garden. Not that he wasn't fighting for his life, he could appreciate the fine craftsmanship the temple had to offer. It was just like the ones he burned to the ground at home. He could imagine the caretakers cowering away further into the structure, which amused him, but it did evoke reflection in the grey beast. Gratitude. That's what the ninja called it earlier. Perhaps he owed something to this goddess of water.

His eyes glanced back at the morose half-man. While sloshy from the water, the chain-axe's engine worked just fine. “You still come back to life, right?”

“Aye.”

“Good. Hold still.”

It was as if the world had changed as they traveled down the mountain. The long black horizon miles out had disappeared in a puff of smoke. The creeping terror had left the valleys and deserts barren, wilted, and bloodied, but they could see the light again. Hopefully, one day, the dead plant life would regain life in the sun’s rays. This was the reward for defeating a demon general: peace and a calm, serene breeze.

The land outside Fargo could be called anything but peaceful. The land was pocked by craters and erosion. The once fertile land had been blasted away by magic and stomped by thousands of demons. The walls were scorched, crumbling, and black. There was a concentrated effort to tear down the eastern wall on the demon's part. It seemed that while Dige and Fuuma were contending with an insurmountable creature, the others faced forces far more powerful, or at least much more numerous. They were lucky to be alive.

Dige, with a fresh, reincarnated body, walked up to the first familiar face he found in the bustling camp.

"Oy, monkey man," Dige said, his voice rough and weary. "It's good to see you alive. How, uh, how was the battle?"

Hideyoshi didn’t answer. He sat quietly on top of a barrel, head drooping like a wilting plant. His clothing was ripped and splattered with all forms of grime and residue. He likely didn’t hear him. Dige felt the tension.

“Where’s your big wolf friend? She's still around, right?”

“Lupa.” His voice was low, almost inaudible, and his whimpers drowned out anything else. “I wasn’t strong enough. How could I…?”

The boy looked up and actually noticed Dige’s presence. His eyes were so bloodshot and watery that he looked positively ill.

“She tried to protect me. She’s bigger than all of us. She couldn’t help herself. It’s not fair. I can come back from the dead. I’m the expendable one. Not them. Why did they follow me!?”

Team Hideyoshi:

Leader: Hideyoshi Sarugami (Revived)

Support: Lupa Bronn (Deceased)

Support: Gerthwyn Vierde (Wounded)

Support: Sawa Poulos (Deceased)

Support: Khylee Nepara & sisters (9 Deceased, 3 Wounded)

The boy erupted into a pile of tears again, clutching his staff as if he wanted to hit someone, perhaps even himself. Dige didn’t want to stay any longer.