Chapter 28: No! Wait! I’m coming!
"How did it go?" Chance asked as soon as Rykar made his way through the door. It had only been around half an hour since Rykar had left under the direction of the guard. Chance seemed to have been waiting on his arrival, unable to calm his nerves as he waited bolt straight on his bed. Contrast to this, Loki could just about be seen sat down on a feather cushion in a state of meditation while an almost indiscernible breeze could be felt coming from the second room.
"Who do you think I am? The greatest actor to ever have lived stands in front of you, bow down and accept my grace!" Rykar opened his arms like a manganous lord while tilting his closed to the ceiling. When the praises he had been expecting didn't come, he looked around with mock sadness in his eyes.
"You know, it all makes sense now! You must have been kicked in the head by a donkey while you were a baby. How unfortunate." Chance shook his head while thoroughly destroying Rykar's sense of achievement.
"Ha! The donkey you're talking about must've been your mother!" He countered, preparing himself for a drawn out round of insults. While he was stockpiling possible comebacks in his head, Loki walked out of the other room. His presence disrupted the flow of the conversation between Rykar and Chance as they reluctantly fell silent while still glaring at each other.
"So, how did it go?" Loki asked flatly.
"Come on bro, its not that bad! You should have stopped being mad at me by now!" Rykar moaned.
"So, how did it go?" Loki asked again in the exact same tone as before.
"Lokiiiiii come onnnnnn broooo. There were only a few of them! it's not like I went on a killing spree! Wait, technically I didn't even kill them! I only framed them!" He would let up, adamant to regain his innocence in his brother's eyes. He knew that if Loki kept up the silent treatment then it would only get harder as time went on.
It may not have effected interactions between them, but his life would become a hassle, with his brother serving as nothing but a pain in his ass. No jokes, no help, no conversation, no advice, there would be no unnecessary interaction between them. It would be like trying to interact with a chunk of wood.
"So, how did it go?" Loki carried on saying the same line like a broken record.
"Ok, I'm sorry Loki. It was wrong for me to have done that to them, I shouldn't have played with their lives like that. I won't do it again." Rykar relented, accepting all responsibility with a downcast face.
A black swirl wrapped around Loki's palm as the Book of Greed materialised. The book already open with its eerie black pages facing upwards. "Promise you won't kill anyone anymore."
"Hahaha, you can go f*ck yourself and your wooden face if you think I'm going to end up in that book. I'm sorry but I'm not THAT sorry. They had it coming." Seeing the red characters beginning to take form as Loki spoke, Rykar immediately dropped the act. He shrugged and jumped onto his bed, pretending to immediately fall into a deep sleep.
Loki let out a sigh as he looked down at his Rykar, who was exaggeratingly snoring as saliva trickled down his lip. "Dumbass. Ok, stop messing around. How did it actually go?"
"As I said, I'm the genius actor, blessed by the gods." Rykar wiped away the spittle and sat up lazily with a grin on his face. "He bought it completely and he wants to see you immediately! He's promised almost anything we want including freedom, although that's obviously bullsh*t. I've told him that you've seen something on the fields but don't know who to tell. There's someone waiting outside for you now"
"Mhm, good job, I'll be back in a bit. We're going to be really busy for this entire holiday, so I suggest you get some sleep. You too Chance, we'll need all the energy we can spare." With that, Loki made his way out of the door. As he made his exit, a guard was patiently waiting not too far away, ready to direct him back to Sir's offices.
It was only round twenty minutes before he arrived at the same room which Rykar had recently made an exit from. Walking with the guard was quiet as usual, with them making their way to the rear side of the isolation pits. Sir's office was located in a house which was three stories tall and designed like nothing he had ever seen before.
The roof came to a point, with transparent glass windows placed an even distance apart. Loki couldn't help but walk over to one of these windows to touch and examine the cold and colourless sheet. While living in the forest, he had never seen anything similar to this apart from the clear water of the spring. He was able to understand what it was straight away, however, due to the multiple references heard in his mother's stories.
"Loki, it's been a while." Sir's voice drifted over as the door to the building opened. "Come in, come in. I'm sure we have much to talk about."
Loki was welcomed in with a warm smile while the guard waited outside, motionless as a statue. As the door shut behind them, it was like being welcomed into a new world. The glass in the windows and the snug fit of the door completely isolated them from the outside while the heat from the fireplace was kept in. it felt like he was being embraced in blankets just by standing there!
"I hope you feel comfortable! Come over." By this point, Sir walked to the end of the room and sat behind his wide wooden desk. "I took the liberty of bringing out a few snacks, I hope they are to your liking. I know the food in the food hall is aplenty but they lack a certain, finesse."
Approaching the table, the papers and books which occupied the table when Rykar had been there were nowhere to be seen. The table was now covered in decorated plates which held cakes and pastries, most of which, Loki had a hard time even recognising as food.
Loki slowly walked over while sizing up the plates. Under Sir's expectant gaze, he raised one of the cream covered cakes to his nose and smelled it lightly before taking a small bite.
"Mmfh!"
Loki's eyes bulged as he almost swallowed his tongue. The cream and fruit jam practically melted into his mouth before he had time to register what was happening. The taste alone almost made him want to ditch any plans the trio had against the man in front of him. Scoffing the rest of the cake, he eyed the rest guiltily.
"Haha take your time my boy, there's plenty! I also packed a few boxes just over there." Sir pointed towards the corner of the room where three boxes were stacked one on top of the other. "You can bring them back to your brother and Chance as you return. I know you've all been working amazingly hard on the fields lately. So, your brother tells me that you have something you with to tell me directly.
"Well, I know that there have been people stealing the fruit, those seven were working with them. But I know that they were also working with managers to take the actual plants too! I swear I would have reported it sooner, but if I told someone who was in on their plan…" Loki's voice trailed off as though he was thinking of his fate should that situation arise.
"No, I totally understand! I've known for a while that I have untrustworthy people among my people. I just couldn't figure out how deep this runs. This is something only you can help me with Loki, I'll be forever in your debt." Sir didn't even show any greed or happiness as he spoke to the child in front of him. Only sadness could be seen plastered on his face as he seemed to be mourning the betrayal of a family member.
"I know who it is, the main person taking them all! I don't know exactly how he's been hiding them, but they just vanish shortly after they are uprooted or delivered to him." Loki's face showed a look of confusion and fear. "What if he makes me disappear too?"
His body began shaking as he held onto the edges of the desk so tightly that his fingers could be seen losing colour. Looking at the ground, tears dripped from his eyes and hit the floorboards below him with a crisp sound.
"NO! I refuse to let anything happen to you! Trust in me Loki, I'll take care of everything." Sir exclaimed as he stood up and dabbed at Loki's eyes with a handkerchief before getting back into his seat. "If there's anything I can do to compensate or make you feel more comfortable, just let me know my child. Anything."
Loki slowly stopped shaking as his breathing regained a regular rhythm. His hands left the table and dropped down towards his waist while he took a step closer to the desk.
"I- I have th-three requests. If you can do this, I'll tell you exactly who it is that's stealing the plants from you!" He stated his demands.
"I'm listening, as long as it's within my power." Sir replied while placing his hand over his heart.
"Ok. Me, Chance and Loki can do anything we want during this holiday, complete freedom." The first condition became known.
"Absolutely."
"You need to do your best to ensure that no harm comes to us until after you deal with the thieves! I want you to accompany us everywhere until they are dealt with." The second demand.
"Of course! I wouldn't trust anyone else to escort and guarantee your safety but myself."
"I- I don't know what I want the third thing to be yet. Can I leave it blank and ask you to fulfil it later? I promise it will be something within you're power!" A watery-eyed Loki looked up at Sir as his third and final demand spilled from his mouth.
At this moment, Sir hesitated for a brief moment. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something seemed to have his nerves slightly on edge. He tossed the thought to the back of his mind immediately while putting it down to the thoughts of traitors.
"You have a deal." He said solemnly. "So who has been stealing from me and betraying our trust?"
"Well… It's me, Rykar and chance that have been sealing the fruits and plants from you. I don't know how Rykar does it, but he is able to store them and make them disappear and reappear." Confusion spread onto Sir's face as he heard Loki's words.
Both their faces changed at the same time. Loki dropped the childish act as his eyes became cold and distant, as though he wasn't even looking at a person. On the other side, Sir's face showed confusion and mockery before anger set in.
"Are you f*cking with me boy?" Wrath was evident as Sir rose from his seat and made to grab Loki by the throat.
Just as he was thrusting his hand over, he froze in place before clutching his head and chest. The pain which tormented him was so great that he couldn't even shout or lose consciousness. Slumped over the table, he squashed the cakes and pastries as he writhed in agony.
"Wow wow, it's not bad to go back on deals remember. I wouldn't hurt me if I was you…" While speaking, Loki's hand, which had been hidden from Sir's view by the desk, rose up and revealed a black and grey book. The page was covered with red symbols alongside a vivid figure of Sir, which was in the corner.
"By the way, I decided on my third request. After this holiday is up, you will take me, Loki and Chance through the portal and out of this fragment before forgetting about us completely. Thanks for the treats, I've really never tasted anything as good as this! Well, I'm going back to get the other two, as our escort, you're coming along right? Or do you want to break the deal again?"
Symbols danced on the page once again just before Loki threw it into the air. As it moved away from him, it disappeared into a cloud of black particles which then fused into his tattoo. The sight left sir shocked as he began regaining his breath.
Without waiting for an answer, Loki turned and headed towards the exit as Sir crawled after him desperately.
"No! Wait! I'm coming!"
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