Chapter 54: A City Recovering

Chapter 54: A City Recovering

A bit later, inside the trunk of the giant tree.

Zeth stands on top of the large vehicle. Lights hung around the carved-out interior illuminate the inside of the trunk but it still is quite dark. Zeth approaches a keypad and types in GREATNESS. A robotic voice says, “Access Granted.” The door leading to the interior of the vehicle opens, leading to captives stumbling out of it.

Zeth jumps down from the top of the vehicle to check on them. The people moan, anxious about their situation. Their clothes are dirty, their skin covered in sweat, showing signs of being roughed up by the poachers prior to being forced into the vehicle.

A middle-aged man with brown hair blurts out, “Where are we?! Are we free?!”

“You’re all going to be okay,” Zeth assures, trying to calm them.

One woman falls to her knees in relief, crying out, “Thank the goddess!”

Sasha and Kurt enter through a blown opening in the tree.

“You freed the captives!” Sasha shouts happily while running up to him.

“Sasha! Kurt!” Zeth calls out with a smile. “Where are Joe and Emily? What about the monster?”

“Emily is too wounded to make her way back here,” Kurt replies. “They are going to wait for us. As for the monster, it’s dead… but we’re not sure how.”

Zeth raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“It was some kind of… scarf?” Sasha says with low confidence, questioning her own description.

“Yeah, something like that,” Kurt confirms. “It launched out from the trees and tore the monster apart.”

“That is quite bizarre,” Zeth replies. “You have no idea who did it?”

“Not a clue,” Sasha says.

An exhausted man walks up to them. “Um, excuse me. Could you guys take us home?”

“Sorry about the distraction,” Zeth says apologetically. “That’s what we’re here to do.”

“Some of these people look like they can barely walk,” Kurt notes. “How are we going to get them home?”

Zeth rubs his chin as he stares at the vehicle. “I think we could use this to bring them back.”

“You’re not going to put them back in that interior section, are you?” Sasha asks. “But there’s no way everyone can stand on the top of it.”

“The ones who can walk will have to walk,” Zeth answers. “Those who can’t walk will ride on the top. That said, these people need food and water before we go anywhere. Let’s scavenge through the base to see what we can bring these people.”

***

Later, on the outer edge of the city.

The vehicle drives closer to the city, with many people walking along its sides. Guards set up on the edges of the city take notice, preparing themselves for a possible fight.

Zeth, who is driving the vehicle, waves his right arm and shouts, “Wait! It’s us! Don’t attack! We come back victorious!!”

The guards rest easy, smiling back at Zeth.

“Nice! They actually did it!” one guard remarks.

As the vehicles enter the city streets, civilians begin to gather around, celebrating the return of the captives. The chief of the magic guard, Yurk Egli, walks up to the vehicle. He still chews on a green stick. “Well, I’ll be…! You young lads really did it! I knew I could count on you.”

The families of the captives walking alongside the vehicle run out to hug them in their return. Zeth jumps down from the top of the vehicle to talk to Yurk.

“It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that much,” Zeth says.

Yurk chuckles. “That just makes it all the more impressive, my boy!”

Joe jumps down, carrying the heavily wounded Emily in his arms, who is barely conscious.

“We need to get Emily to the hospital right now!” Joe demands.

Yurk’s smile quickly shifts to an urgent frown. He grabs his radio device from its holster, speaking in a serious tone, “We have a significantly wounded person! Prepare emergency responders!”

***

Later, in the hospital.

Emily lies unconscious in a hospital bed, hooked up by medical equipment. Zeth, Sasha, Kurt, and Joe watch over her with worry. A male doctor focuses on a computer screen.

“How is she, doc?” Joe asks, worried sick over condition.

“She’s stable,” the doctor replies reassuringly. “She’s going to need time to recover but she will be fine.”

The four heroes breathe a sigh of relief.

“Let’s let her rest,” Zeth says as he starts walking toward the room’s exit. “Come on, guys, we need to continue helping the recovery efforts in the city.”

“You guys go without me,” Joe says in a low tone. “I’ll meet you out there later. I just want to stay with Emily a little while longer. Emily and I have been friends for close to our entire lives so far. It hurts seeing her like this. So please, let me have more time.”

Zeth stares at Joe for a few moments before saying, “Okay. Take all the time you need. We’ll see you out there when you’re ready.”

Zeth exits the room with Sasha and Kurt behind him.

***

Zeth narrates, “With the battle against the poachers and Gorge over, it was time for the city to recover. We decided that we would stay during the recovery process, especially since Emily needed it for her own injuries. We ended up staying for one whole month, allowing us to do our best to help the city. During the month, I turned 18 years old and it gave my family a chance to, possibly one last time, celebrate my birthday. Now, one month later, it’s time to get going, and though Emily’s injuries have not fully healed, she is doing well enough to continue traveling.”

The five heroes gather with Miranda and Jack at the edge of the city in the early morning. The sun rises in the east behind them.

Zeth smiles, but in a farewell way. “Well mother, it’s time that we set out.”

Miranda smiles back. “Okay, be careful out there, and if you ever learn about your biological parents, be sure to let us know.”

“I will definitely let you know. Thanks for letting us all stay with you.”

“No problem. Stop by any time you want”.

Jack pats Zeth on the shoulder. “Make sure to stay in contact at least.”

“Don’t worry I will,” Zeth replies. “And now we are off. It’s time to go to the Temple of the Light Goddess.”

The heroes begin walking westward away from the city. Miranda and Jack watch them as they move on, proudly smiling.

“As I watch him… I get the feeling that he is on the path to doing something truly great,” Jack says with a joyful undertone.

Miranda smiles confidently. “Your feeling is accurate. He is most definitely going to do great things.”

She then whispers to herself, “I knew it all along…”

The five heroes now continue their journey! What will they find at the Temple of the Light Goddess?

Chapter 54 END

To be Continued in Chapter 55: Messenger of the Dark Goddess Part 2

End of Arc

Author's Comment: With the end of this arc, that's the end of the rewrites. It's back to just edited chapters from here.