Chapter 32: Josh

Great! Yoru’s just snuck into the lodge without me!

Josh still lay on the hill above, his axe was gone and he was worried about Yoru.

Josh winced in pain as he stood up. His ribs were still injured from their fight with the Anti-Magic poet.

“Dammit Yoru, why’d you have to go and leave me here!” murmured Josh under his breath.

Josh couldn’t find a single way into the lodge, the poets had it locked up tight.

After pacing back and forth for a good while he finally decided on what to do.

The poets only attacked him because he attacked them and they only attacked Yoru because he had magic. Which meant that he could just walk it without any trouble.

Josh strolled down the hill and walked toward the poets.

“Hey! I left my bag inside, can I just go in and grab it?” lied Josh.

“Sir, please back away. This building is under control of the AMPA.”

AMPA, what does that stand for? “So, sorry, but I really need that bag,” Josh lied again, “please let me in to go grab it.”

“Sir, please back away. This building is under control of the AMPA.”

Again! “I think I’ll just go in and get it myself,” said Josh, trying to squeeze past the guards.

The poet batted him away. Its eyes shifted to a menacing red and it said, “Sir, back away now or we will use lethal force.”

Josh backed away a step and picked up a stick. You can do this, Josh! He ran at the poet and smacked them with the stick. The beam shattered and the poet was unscathed.

I definitely shouldn’t have done that.

“Target acquired…terminating.”

The poet drew its sword in one hand and axe in the other. The sword was bigger than Josh, even if he stood on his tippy-toes it would still be taller than him.

Josh rolled to the right and the metal rain crashed down. He tried to punch the poet but no such luck. It swept his legs and he tumbled to the ground.

“Completing termination…killing target.”

But just when all seemed lost a sword pierced through the head of the poet.

“Thank god you’re here, Yoru,” said Josh, relieved.

The poet's corpse crashed against the ground and Josh realized that this wasn’t Yoru. It was the fox-masked man.

His draping robes flowed and he was now wielding a different weapon, a poet’s sword.

“Hello,” he said.

“Uh, can I help you,” timidly said Josh.

“No. But I can help you,” said the man. “My name is Elben Ablebren, former general of the Anti-Magic poet Army.”

Josh’s eyes widened and his heart quickened. General! Of the Anti-Magic poet army! What! Well…he did say former general…maybe I can trust him.

“Can you get me inside the lodge?” asked Josh.

“The entrance is already unguarded, you can stroll in.”

“Thank you, I guess,” Josh said.

“You are welcome.”

Josh walked into the building and he saw the deserted interior. No people walked through the halls. No kids pestering their parents for candy. No employees working to make ends meet. It was deserted.

Then he saw the leg. It was laying limp behind the check-in desk. It twitched a bit and it was covered in sweat. Josh slowly approached the limp and…it was Yoru.

He was lying on the ground twitching and shaking. He was sweating from all over and he seemed to be panicking.

Josh poked his face. No response. He poked his face a little harder. No response. Finally he slapped him with all his might and Yoru shot awoke.

“Iris!” he yelled.

Josh’s face tilted to the right and he cocked an eyebrow. “Yoru, it’s me, Josh, not Iris,” he said.

“I-I saw Iris, she was there, she was talking to me!” he said.

“What do you mean, Iris disappeared yesterday?” Josh queried.

Yoru sat up and shook his head, “Iris, I saw her in my dream, next to someone named Jiyoda,” he said.

Josh rubbed his forehead in confusion and asked, “How…how does that even work?”

Yoru waited a second, “I don’t know,” he said slowly, “but Jiyoda said there was a place for me in his army, then he showed me Iris.”

“Is she okay?” asked Josh.

“I think so, she seemed fine,” Yoru replied.

“Good, but I think it’s time to get into this citadel’s core, and kill the king!” exclaimed Josh. “Oh, uh, by king I meant the poet’s leader.” Josh clarified.

“I got it,” said Yoru.