Banished Pt. 18

"You? Sweetie, you're probably a distant fourth by my reckoning," she said, and I furrowed my brow, however I noted that Casey seemed quite intrigued by the observation.

"Wait, then who's the best fighter?" I asked, and as she gestured across the training ground, I followed her gaze but couldn't quite figure out where she was indicating.

"She's angry and green, and a real fighting machine."

"Lucia?" I asked, somewhat surprised, and she nodded.

"She needs to grow into her body a little bit, and her core capacity seriously limits her, but she's got the right mentality and the right unique skill to bring it all together."

I rubbed my chin.

"What is that skill?" I asked.

"Prodigious talent. Notice how almost every skill she has is already at level one? Without skill training, getting that many skills to that level would take even one of you at least a month."

"Is there any way I can mirror that?" I asked, and Aletta laughed.

"Mirror? That skill is coded into her genes. That's not the thing you could learn, even, but... might be worth it to foster that into a legacy. You probably won't find another prodigy for her to 'procreate' with, but her kids will all be carriers, whether they manifest it or not."

Casey stared at me as I rubbed my chin, giving it some thought.

"Are you seriously thinking about this?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"She's my daughter now, basically. When I become king, that'll make her a pretty significant marriage candidate. Wouldn't hurt to choose a partner for her with the right kind of skills to establish a bloodline of highly skilled warriors," I reasoned, and Aletta clapped her hands together.

"This is getting exciting," she exclaimed, and as I nodded in agreement, Casey shot a disapproving look between the two of us.

"So, Francesca," I began, trying to change the topic, and Aletta nodded, turning her attention to the girl.

"Yeah. Her skill is unique, but not quite as rare as yours or hers," she said, gesturing towards Lucia.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Combat awareness. Makes for a pretty good fighter, but kind of tapers off when you start fighting opponents with mixed mental and martial skillsets."

"So, it's mostly effective against martial skills?" I asked, and Aletta nodded.

"Don't get me wrong; below T-three that's basically the only kind of skills you really ever encounter, but around T-four, you start realizing almost everyone is supplementing their combat skills with some kind of mental skill; whether its disruptive, offensive, or defensive, and it gets a lot harder to win using only martial abilities."

"Speaking of tiers; you got a pretty good look at Ethan, didn't you?" I asked, and Aletta nodded.

"Guess I did."

"What's your assessment?"

"His speed is a little over tier four. Maybe halfway to five, even? But his other skills are just about the three to four range."

I frowned.

"Doesn't sound that formidable," I replied, and she snickered at me.

"Sure didn't stop him from kicking your asses, though."

I studied her for a bit.

"So, you don't think we can take someone of that level? Even if we prepare?" I asked, and she nodded.

"You sure could. But do you think he's waiting for you alone? If you do, we could go get that gal of yours right now," she said, and I bit my lip.

"So, you're preparing us to face him and a small force," I asked, and she nodded.

"There's been some movement around my grove recently. The monsters were sticking to the eastern sections, but otherworlders have been moving around the western fringes."

I turned to Casey.

"Did anyone interrogate Taylor?" I asked her, and she tilted her head.

"Taylor? Is that the prisoner?"

I nodded.

"She isn't talking at all," she said, and I bit my lip.

Guess we'll have to interrogate her, then.

"Yeah, yeah," Aletta said, as if reading my mind. "You go off and do what you need to. I'll start with the brown-hair, then probably the other two."

As she turned to leave, however, I stopped her.

"Wait; you said I was fourth. Who's number three?" I asked, and she smiled.

"You tell me, stud. You're smart, aren't 'cha?"

"Bianca?" I asked, and she smiled.

"Brain and a half on this one," she said, smiling at me, and I shook my head as she headed off.

"Fuck. Is Bianca really that good?" Casey asked, and I shrugged.

"She picked up fighting pretty quickly, didn't she? Plus, she even wounded a monstrosity in her first fight. Initially I wanted to say it was luck, but I've been judging her based on her ability to go toe to toe with Lucia, and if Lucia is as good as Aletta says, then I've been misunderstanding what 'unable to beat even a child' really meant."

Casey frowned a bit.

"You were right. She's a major asset," she conceded, and I smiled at her.

"If you keep that up, I might fall for you all over again," I warned her, and she frowned.

As we walked past the grove tree where our rooms were, however, I noted that Juliette seemed to be sitting by the window, looking wistfully down at the scene below.

"Did Evie or anyone else take a look at her?" I asked, and Casey followed my gaze, before swallowing uncomfortably.

"Uh, yeah. She overexerted her core somehow... it's not muscular atrophy, but the nerves in her legs are all unresponsive."

"Is there a fix for that?" I asked, and she frowned.

"I imagine there should be, but it's not really my field of expertise," she replied.

I bit my lip as we walked along.

"We'll need to get her a wheelchair or something in the meantime then," I said, and Casey nodded.

"I think Jayden's already working on something with Raul," she said, and I nodded.

"Is Raul really focusing on construction, by the way?"

Casey shook her head.

"He's using it to keep the boys occupied until we can figure out who we can trust with weapons and armor going forward. Oh, Wilt and Colt also decided to stay on, by the way."

"Figures," I replied. "So, Raul will be handling our security while the rest of the team is out?"

Casey nodded.

"We're hoping to have at least two more fighters figured out by then, so that we have decent coverage."

"Who are the candidates so far?" I asked.

"Jayden and Devin," she replied, and I nodded.

"They have my endorsement."

As we headed into the grove tree, I noted that Casey was leading me away from the usual staircase, and down a few corridors which eventually led to stairs that went downward.

This is like that basement area, isn't it? I thought, as my mind went back to the day when the princess first gave me my armor.

"Here," she said, coming to a door off of the main hall.

"No guard stationed?" I asked, and Casey shook her head.

"No, but they do routine checks at a random time, at least once per segment."

There were two bolts across the door, at the top and bottom, and as Casey slid them open, she opened the door to reveal a slightly withered looking girl sitting in the corner, her arms wrapped protectively around her knees.

It reminded me slightly of Bianca, however, as I looked across the room, I noted that there was a platter of food that seemed untouched, and her face looked slightly hollow.

"You aren't eating?" I asked, and the girl looked up at me.

She didn't answer, and as I approached, I saw tear streaks on her face.

I turned to Casey.

"Could you give us a minute?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I'll be with the training group," she said, and I nodded as she headed off.

As the door closed, Taylor looked up at me, her eyes tearing up a bit.

But there was also a stern look there, and before I could say anything, I felt that weight on my body, as Taylor's eyes began to glow.

I let out a sigh, summoning up the image of her, and quickly paralyzing her.

She let out a whimper, slumping to the floor, and I quickly created a clause to paralyze her if she tried to attack me again.

"Please kill me," she said, her voice a whimper almost, and I frowned.

I leaned against the wall, then slid down beside her.

"That ability of yours. It helped me to defeat a pretty strong monster and protect my group. I can't help but think you could do the same thing for us eventually," I began, and she studied me.

"You want me to join you?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"It's definitely on the table," I said. "Why? Do you have something better to do?"

She wiped at her eyes, looking ahead with that dead expression.

"You killed them... like they were nothing," she said, and I studied her.

"I did what I had to. Maybe we could have saved that other guy too, but your group did attack us... have you never killed?"

She shook her head.

"He... he was my brother. The one you killed."

Tears streamed down her face, and I let out a sigh.

Guess I might have to cut my losses here, I thought; but as I gave it a bit more thought, I decided to press on.

"What were you fighting for?" I asked. "You and your brother?"

"To go home," she said, staring at me as if I were crazy. "Isn't that what everyone wants?"

I bit my lip a bit, and she studied me.

"There's no way home," I said. "We more or less have confirmation about that."

She continued to stare at me.

"You're lying," she said. "If there isn't then what are the tickets for?"

"We don't know everything, but a few people who've bought tickets have just returned as monsters. One of them is with us here, actually. And I plan to find out more. But the fact that she ticketed out and is still here basically confirms it for us," I explained.

She cried, burying her hands into her face.

"I don't believe you," she whimpered. "I don't believe you."

I let out a tired sigh.

"Look; I don't expect you to like me, considering who I killed. But I don't like burying people if it can't be helped. Eat your food, okay? Your brother would want you to live..."

She stared up at me, a slightly angry, slightly shocked expression on her face, and I got up, then headed out of the room, bolting the doors shut as I did.

As I got outside, I noticed Juliette again, and as I approached her window, a smile crept on my lips.

"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliette, the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon who is already sick with grief, that thou her maid art more fair than she!" I called out, and Juliette began to giggle.

"That was pretty good," she called back.

"She speaks!" I replied. "Oh, speak again, bright angel! For thou art as glorious to this night, being over my head as is a winged messenger of heaven unto the white-upturned wondering eyes of mortals that fall back to gaze on him, when he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds and sails upon the bosom of the air."

She leaned forward, smiling brightly now.

"Oh Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Uh- oh, crap..."

"Or, if thou wilt not..." I offered, and she nodded.

"Or, if thou wilt not, uh..."

"Be but sworn," I said, helping her along again.

"-be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet! Oh my god, I've been waiting my whole life for someone to do that! I can't believe I screwed it up!" she called out.

"Do you mind if I come up?" I asked, and she quickly nodded.

I confirmed the directions to her room, then headed on up.

"Hey," I said, as I let myself in, and she turned to me, smiling as she returned the greeting.

"You were really good at that," she said, and I smiled.

"I played Romeo a few times in high school plays. My adoptive sister was really into it, and she made me play opposite her almost every time we got an opportunity."

"You played Romeo opposite your sister?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, and I rubbed the back of my head nervously.

"Adoptive sister," I replied, but as I studied her position by the window, I furrowed my brow worriedly.

"Do you stay there all day?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"When Jayden comes over to check on me, he moves me back to the bed," she said, and I chuckled a little.

"Jayden, huh? Did you two know each other on earth?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"I don't think anyone knew each other before this," she said.

"We need to get you a wheelchair; asap," I said. "I'll ask the builders to put it on priority, okay?"

She shook her head.

"It's fine. You all seem to have your hands full. That battle was pretty intense the other night, huh?"

I nodded.

"Do you wanna come over to the bed?" I asked, as she shifted a little, turning awkwardly to talk to me, and she nodded.

"Do you mind?" she asked, and I shook my head.

She put her arms around my neck, and I picked her up, then moved over to the bed, where I rested her gently down.

As she settled into place, I gave her situation some thought, as being up here on her own was far from ideal...

"Have any of the Kobalt girls been up here to check on you?" I asked, and she nodded.

"They're pretty helpful," she admitted. "They kind of treat me like I'm royalty or something," she added, smiling a little, and I nodded in agreement.

"Not to give you any ideas, but they kind of think of us as Gods," I said, and she laughed.

"Wow. You all really lucked out running into them, huh?"

"It's true. We wouldn't have lasted this long without them," I admitted, and she smiled.

"Is there really a princess here too?" she asked, and I nodded.

"Yup. And she's a real treat. Do you wanna meet her?" I asked, and she eyed me.

"You know her?"

"I'm... technically married to her," I boasted, and her eyes went wide.

"Well, look at you. What does that make you, a prince?"

"Soon to be king, I think. My princess is due to be crowned queen, in I think... four days?"

"Sheila's gonna be pissed," she said, smirking a little, and I regarded the comment with some amusement, given the lengths that my relationship with Sheila had already progressed to, unbeknownst to her, obviously.

"Have Sam and Sheila been up here to check on you?" I asked, and she nodded.

"And another girl. Ellie, I think?"

"Evie," I suggested, and she quickly nodded.

"That's the one. She really seems to know her stuff," Juliette said, and I nodded.

"She's been in the thick of it, with all the wounded these last few conflicts have produced. Kind of thankful that she has Sam to help out now as well."

"Sam? How come?" Juliette asked, and I chuckled a little.

"She's a med student," I said, and Juliette gave an impressed nod.

"Wow. I had no clue," she replied.

As I studied Juliette a bit, something occurred to me.

"You haven't really seen the place yet, have you?" I asked, and she shook her head.

"Jayden says he'll take me around when he gets the chance, but I know that everyone's kind of had their hands full since that last fight," she said, and I nodded.

"It's been a rough few days. And it's probably gonna be rough for a few more. I actually have some time right now, though. If you wanna take a little look around."

"That sounds like fun," she said, but as I moved to pick her up, she pursed her lip, seemingly reconsidering the proposal.

"Something wrong?" I asked, but as she shifted uncomfortably on the bed, I caught her stealing a quick glance towards the bathroom, and I chuckled. "It's fine; I'll go fetch some of the girls to help you out," I offered, but a teasing smile quickly crept onto her face.

"Or... you could help me," she quipped, and I stopped to study her.

"You'd be comfortable with that?"

She shrugged.

"I'm not really comfortable with anyone helping me go to the bathroom, but I've got very little choice," she said, and I smirked at her.

"Fair enough. Why me, then?"

"Guess I wanna see what lengths 'my king' is willing to go to please his subjects," she teased, and I snickered at her.

"Well now, we're definitely doing this," I said, and she studied me with interest as I helped her up and carried her to the bathroom area.

As I studied the area, however, trying to figure out what the best approach would be, Juliette giggled at me.

"Not getting cold feet, are we?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"Just trying to figure out the approach here," I said.

Much unlike everything else which had been designed in a way that imitated modern furniture, Kobalt toilets were a little bit different, as they were much more like a hole in the floor, with ridges on either side designed for one to squat comfortably over the opening, unlike traditional toilets which you could sit on.

"You've gotta get my feet in the right place there, then kind of hold me over the- you know," she said, and I nodded.

"Okay."

"Wha-?" she began, yelping a little as I lifted her up and hauled her over my shoulder before stripping her pants off, and as I got her into position, crouching down in front of her and holding her in place around the hips while she held onto my neck for support, I smirked a little, and she blushed, as we were quite close, considering what she was about to do.

"Are you sure you aren't having cold feet?" I teased, starting to enjoy her little game a little, and she pouted a little.

"You can't make fun of me; I'm practically disabled right now," she countered, and I snickered in response.

"Little late to play that card," I teased, and she smiled.

It took her a little while to get going, but I didn't tease her as much and as soon as she was done, she looked around for the little bamboo stem that the Kobalt used for washing themselves when finished 'attending to business'.

"Could you help me grab that?" Juliette said, and I smirked a little.

"I'll do more than that," I teased, as I untapped the line, then washed her off, and she giggled, holding onto me, as I also used the line to flush down the waste.

"Where does that go?" she asked, and I shrugged.

"Truthfully, I don't know everything there is to know about these trees. I'm just thankful as fuck that they work as efficiently as they do, or else we'd still be digging holes and burying stuff wherever we could."

She giggled again, and I shot her a smile before hauling her up over my shoulder, retrieving a towel as I did, and heading back to the bed.

"Do I have to towel you off as well, my lady?" I asked, and she shot me a cheeky grin.

"Obviously!" she answered, and she giggled again as I tossed her the towel, before heading back to the bathroom to retrieve her pants.

"I have to say, I'm kind of impressed. No inappropriate touching, no staring at my lady bits. I feel like I'm in a modern Victorian romance novel," she said, and I chuckled at her.

"Well, I'm glad I could be of service," I answered, bowing slightly, and she smiled.

"You were pretty efficient though; have you done that before?"

I nodded.

"My dad made sure we all did some volunteer work growing up. Homes for the elderly, the differently abled; that sort of thing. He said it was an important experience that everyone should have."

"Your dad sounds awesome," she said, and I shrugged.

"He was a brilliant instructor; just, not so much a brilliant father, I guess."

She frowned.

"What do you mean? Like, he wasn't affectionate?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"Not just that. He never really talked to or interacted with his kids. I didn't really mind, but my other siblings really hated him for it."

When she was finished toweling off, I turned around and she wiggled back into her pants.

"All done," she called, shooting me a shy look.

"Ready to head out then?" I asked, and as she nodded, I picked her up and headed for the door.

"I didn't really have any kind of relationship with my father," she said.

"How come?"

"He was always away. With work."

"And your mom?" I asked.

"She died when I was really young."

"Hnn~. So, you were raised by single dad too, huh? You think our parents would have gone to war while we fell in love?" I teased, and she giggled.