Bab 220: She Meets Felix
"Even today, was just for my self-satisfaction. I threw myself into a fight, because I can't forget this rage. Nor am I allowed to, for the time being."
With that, Robin tilted her head back, and finished her mug, then stood up.
"When will you be able to forget it?" Christian asked. He had listened quietly. But what he heard had made his heart ache. Had Robin been quietly suffering this whole time? How could anyone live like that?
Hearing his question, Robin paused. "...I don't know. But, ever since I came here, I have a feeling, that maybe the answer to that is back home." She replied, as she stepped out into the light of the setting sun.
Christian, lost in thought, looked down into his mug of coffee. Perhaps, Robin's reasons were not the best, but...in the end, Christian couldn't think of Robin as being bad or selfish.
"Even so, I still believe that you are kind." Christian chuckled, and drank his coffee.
"Aye. Kind by nature. But, Christian, even kind creatures will fight when backed into a corner." Keith agreed. "Robin's been cornered and fighting for so long. I'll reckon that there'd be a lot of hidden wounds still bleeding. scratches can heal, but wounds to the heart can sometimes take years to resolve."
"What can I do to help?" Christian asked.
"Just being someone Robin can open the heart to is more than enough." Keith replied, clapping the prince's shoulder. "It looks like you're of use after all. Robin only told me what happened, yesterday. I was never shown where the wounds were hidden."
"Such a person..." Christian laughed and ran his fingers through his hair. "He's been through hell and back again. I can only imagine what he's been through. How in the blazes has he been able to hide it for so long?"
"Indeed, even I was fooled until just yesterday." Keith nodded. 'Boy, if only you knew....' He thought to himself with a smile, as they followed Robin out into the golden twilight.
---------------
"You seem out of sorts." A voice sounded from behind Wizard Marin. At the moment, Marin's hair was untidy, and his forehead was furrowed. He turned his head to glare at Fest and grumpily harrumphed.
"No thanks to you. Didn't you leave already?" Marin jabbed.
"I did. But I came back to give you some news I know you've been waiting to hear." Fest replied with a smirk. "The black merchants guild has fully abandoned their hideout, and been disbanded. I am now free to allow you to view the sewer systems."
"Eh?....Wait, you mean it!?" Marin was dumbfounded for a moment. But when the words were finally processed in his brain, he stood up with a beaming grin on his face.
"You of all know that I keep my words carefully." Fest pointed out. "I always mean what I say. The credit this time is all due to a certain Hero's good friend, and his intervention."
"By the Tower, that Hero Robin and his men have finally done it!" Marin was so beside himself that he clapped Fest on the shoulder.
"Don't get carried away." Fest reminded. "This incident still isn't over before the sewers have been cleared out."
"Right, right, of course!" Marin replied, as he motioned for Fest to reveal the trouble spots.
"Should we tell Hero Robin the good news?" Marin asked.
"It appears Hero Robin is currently occupied. Perhaps at a later time." Fest suggested.
------
Liam stood outside next to an abandoned dry well, lending his arm to support Chelsea as she climbed out of the hole.
"I never knew the skylight led to this." Felix looked at the well, surprised. It was a good thing that the sun had gone down, or else Felix would have had to tie a blindfold about his head. His eyes that had grown accustomed to the dark needed time to readjust to daylight.
Jasmine, who was standing nearby, shrugged.
"I suppose it was a preventative measure, as a last resort." She mused, looking knowingly at Liam's blatant care of Chelsea. Perhaps there was yet another incident developing which Chelsea had not foreseen.
"Liam? Chelsea? Jasmine?" A familiar voice sounded from a nearby street. They turned to see Robin walking towards them.
"What in the world were you doing down a well?" Robin asked, with interest.
"The usual." Chelsea replied. "Jasmine found a roomful of slaves branded with illegal magic slave crests, and had to take a lot of trouble to remove them. You might want to let Marin know that he'll find the rest of the victims we rescued at the fourth warehouse in the East sector. This one, Felix, is our last rescue."
Robin's expression darkened with anger when she heard about the slaves. As someone who had barely escaped a fate worse than a slave, she had no tolerance for those who promote it. But her expression relaxed to a more neutral one, when she heard they'd been rescued. She nodded at Jasmine.
"Well done. It appears I am not the only hero of Peg Leg City." Robin said with a hint of mischief.
"No. I only did what I ought to do." Jasmine replied, hesitantly. "This...might be our magi council's oversight. And I have my own suspicions on the matter..."
"Is that so?" Robin asked. "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
Jasmine agreed. For now, unless she found evidence, she would need to keep her suspicions to herself. At that point, Christian and Keith had caught up to the group.
"So, Felix, is it?" Robin asked the small boy, who decided to hide behind Liam. "Who's your little friend?"
"...Boukki." Felix replied.
"Bookie? He must be quite the intelligent little friend then." Robin joked. Skye took that moment to fly down and land on Robin's shoulder. He looked curiously at the raven perched on the boy's shoulder, then blinked in surprise.
"Boukki! Boukki!" Boukki said to Skye, who mewed back to it. After a short conversation, Skye turned to Robin.
"Robin," He mewed. "That raven is someone's familiar."
"You're sure?" Robin asked, surprised.
"His owner is related to this boy." Skye replied. "But he's trapped, and in need of a rescue."
Robin was still weary from the day's events. No one would blame her were she to put off the rescue until the next day. However, Robin simply sighed with a shrug. "I've already rescued so many today. What is one more, in comparison?"
Then she quickly informed the group about Felix's relative.
Liam pondered something then turned to speak to Felix.
"It appears I was wrong about earlier. Perhaps the situation isn't as bad as I had previously thought."
"What does that mean?" Felix asked.
"Perhaps your father did not abandon you, but was only treating you that way to protect you." Liam replied. "As the head of the black merchants guild, there were sure to be others eyeing his position. If you had shown any signs of there being hope of you gaining power, then your life would be endangered."
Boukki nodded emphatically. "Boukki! Boukki!" It agreed.
"Then you mean...?" Felix's eyes widened.
"Mmmn. I can only think that your father was trapped somewhere while trying to help you." Liam replied. Off to the side, Chelsea unconsciously nodded in approval.
Robin raised an eyebrow. Then she turned to the others and pointed at the Raven. "Is this how you feel whenever I'm speaking with Skye?" She asked. They all instantly nodded, aside from Liam, of course. Seeing Robin talk to a mewing flying cat was something they'd gotten used to, though.
"You guys..." She exhaled in exasperation, before turning back to the topic at hand. "While I'm sure there's a story here that I am not currently aware of, the issue remains. Someone is trapped and in need of our help. Our answer?"
Liam looked at Felix. "Well?" He asked.
Felix forgot his shyness in the heat of the moment. "What are we all waiting for? Isn't it obvious? Let's go save him, immediately!" He exclaimed.
Robin nodded. "Right then. You'll have to lead the way, Boukki. Otherwise, I'm not sure we'll be able to find him."
"Boukki!" The raven saluted, before taking off and landing on a nearby fence.
"That direction then!" Robin acknowledged, and the whole group took off through the streets, following the tail feathers of a raven with a strange cry.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone