(Discontinued) CORHEIM Year One Volume 1: The New Heart in Town

Chapter Šestnaest.75

Chapter 16.75——MOLD OUR LEGACY
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//Ryoji//
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Trouncers.
An old, expired convenience store.
The "first" big food store in the N.U.S.N.
Held the title three years before Walmart won that title.
Quite the irony, as rumor has it that corrupted police officers kill and leave the bodies of members of the Assassin's Guild for the past months, ever since the Nevermore Act instantly took effect.
A name derived from the word "trounce", which means "defeat heavily in a contest".
Maybe the "Wall-Mart" actually beaten Trouncers into obscurity, since Haruka is in her late twenties by the looks of it and has decommissioned before her being. Never been into one, or a food market overall.... The Crows, or the ones below us Ravens, gathered our supplements and nutrients.
I was determined to get my friend, Batsaikhan Dorj, to come with me. I only had a leather whip, my remaining caltrops, a small knife but I will not lose him like Castillo.....I won't let that happen.
I won't let it happen again.
The Dolle Incident happened on my twelfth birthday, as the Magpies did not care on our well being or anything that defined us; but our proficiency in battle when it came to it. I knew something was amiss as one of the villagers smiled at me while I wore my mask.
I didn't know there was going to be an aerial ambush, followed by many turning into Daemons and another thing..... My whole memory of it has been scrambled. One part I can remember so well that I can painfully relive them again and again. Who would want to live those sick experiences? It is troublesome when my brain has so much trauma and the only I know is to fight.
At times, I do wonder: What if I was an ordinary child?
What if I knew worried about what homework I was supposed to do?
Or which girl has a crush on me? Actually, I don't not care about that, even if I was normal: I would not
All those questions and I soon remember what I needed to do, those four thingsI had promised myself: Find the truth about my parent's' death, restore the Heart'z honor, atonement from my past and become the first Heart-Bond as a Protector.
Another, my hippocampus cannot fire up to save my life.
The traveling was a bit long, strenuous and my stomach was starting to unravel, I looked around and saw a little sign that said "Now Entering: Houndspire." It was a worn, black green sign yet still to legible to read from a 20 meter distance.
The states were a bit closer than I thought they would......Including the massive crowd of people protesting about something in front of the rumored location.
Are...They expressing opposition against the law here? I thought out of curiosity, coming closer to see the two sides of the story: The oppressed and the oppressors.
One stood as the champion of the weak—their spokesperson. A plump, misshapen man with a limp arm, yet he was filled with energy and charisma.
Discarded by society; yet filled with abundance to change for what is right in life.
"Kudos to you, Guy with the limp arm!"
You shouldn't be referring him by that, Igneus. I scolded him quickly. He was discarded by his masters
"Uhhhh....Sorry. I'll call him.....Charismatic Cult Leader!"
Not exactly an excellent judge of character, are you?
I felt pity for the man.
ZiON lost about twenty chemical plants ever since the Dolle Incident, putting the blame on Sera's mother, Pearline Bishop; CEO of ZiON.
He could have lost his job like the hundreds that did, does not make him any less unique.
All of twenty chemical plants that ZiON in Esthar and around Eurasia, the objective behind their locations remain unknown, had exploded simultaneously when we were there. It perplexed me, considering how that day it was supposed to be safe to go there.
How we were given the "okay" by our superiors
This is a strange world, after all. I thought. Radiation from the plant had enough chemicals to kill things bigger than us, and made Dolle an inhabitable zone.
Dolle can never flourish once again.
It was so beautiful and we had to leave it all in  desolation.
This man gained my interest, not only was he an obstacle, he began to inspire me a bit. People like him are victims and are tired of being treated as if they have no voice.
No power.
The spokesman wore nothing more than a dirtied up suit, but it  did not matter how he looked: It mattered on how he was presenting himself.
This man had the people's trust, pull their strings effectively.
"It is time to know the truth: The Raven is nothing but a victim against the prejudice and stigma they face by the law!!!" He stated the facts towards the wall of nervous policemen, and began to stand on a higher step. His followers yelled back after him, applauding and getting closer to their oppressors.
A rookie, or at least I assume he was, since he still had his safety on his gun.
"Back up or else!" One policeman warned the rioters with sheer  with the riot shield, he was much older than the rookie.
The spokesman raised his arms up higher than before. "Or what? You'll shoot a person who is abandoned by the people——I thought not all heroes wear capes, but I believe that heroes are the ones indeed wearing capes in these times!" He chided at the rookie and the veteran, the two parties was about to engage in a brawl.
I know the body language when someone is hostile, and anybody could initiate the fight. A protester can get become violent, the policeman in front with a stun baton can swing: Anything goes.
There could be a way to diffuse this. This protest can be extremely peaceful: It does not need to derail.
The beast, Igneus, was impressed with his speech. Then again: Igneus would be the same one who believes he could see in his eyes, I quote, "rescue a thousand princesses from the jaws of a giant dragon turtle", unquote.
"Shit, Ryoji: That was mighty deep!" He approved of it
I agree. I agreed with him while feigning disinterest due how good the spokesperson's diatribe was. This is my chance to make it happen!
"Wait!" I hollered out, gaining everyone's attention to me. I didn't think that would actually work. That never happens.
I'm never in the spotlight.
Igneus chuckled and said to me, "well, Ryoji, you manage to get their attention. Even though this is supposed to be a stealth mission.." His voice was intense, very much upset since I have ruined my opportunity to see Batsaikhan.
I knew as well but I can't let things escalate here.
The mastermind stopped and looked at the sky then gazed upon me. "You." He said while pointing at me, everyone looked at me. When I wore a mask, no one could see how nervous I was when I was out in the open.
Public speaking is one of my fears that I need to conquer if I'm going to be in Surwick.
The man asked me kindly, "what is your name, child?"
I didn't hesitate on a fake name. "John.......Tick." I emphasize on the "ck" part of my fake surname.
Great, if they were found out who I actually was; then perhaps they put a wood stake in me. I thought frantically, I had no idea on what I was about to do
"John Tick? JOHN TICK? What the hell, Ryoji? Do you really think that's going to work with these people. You really think they're that gullible?" Igneus, my Heart, yelled at me.
"John Tick has spoken!!!" They rejoiced behind him, their appraisal was funny to me as I was unfamiliar to this sensation. The sensation of
They would praise anyone who looks appealing to the cause.
Even Igneus was shocked at their gullibility. "They're gullible, alright......."
All of them wanted me to get closer to the man in charge.
Jebi ga.......Here I am if you guys want to eat me alive.
"How do you feel about the heinous act that the government put into their law system?" He asked with a bit of haste. This is starting to feel like an interview now........I give them two minutes of my time, then I'll see how this goes.
I cleared my throat and said, "Tako je, Kako je. It is what it is." I felt as if I betrayed my fellow brethren, whose lives were lost: I felt like spat on their graves.
It was not "it is what it is".
I'd bring them back in a heartbeat and free their chains; let them take their own path in life. I would do that for them.
They gasped on what I said, walking off before another protester asked, "but don't you want justice for the Ravens? Aren't you upset of how they are treated?"
One question led to another question, I was beleaguered by them; I couldn't get away from them.
"Ryo-I told you but you didn't listen to me, man! Should've just kept out of it but nooooo—You had to make it worse!"
The winds pushed all of us to the side and I was getting enraged by the fact my one comment, as I was the one who shook the jar of speech.
I ignored their questions, and broke my silence. "You want justice? Go to the Supreme Court and make sure the Anti-Nevermore Act is approved, because all this bitching about it isn't going to work." I broke my silence, I had re-escalated the situation as they grew more furious.
A policeman snatched me by my t-shirt, and put me behind him with his fellow workers. "Stay behind us, kid and go back to where you came from! We can handle it from here!"
I can handle myself, thank you very much. I wanted talk back to the policeman, but it was best to keep quiet for now.
One protester, clenched his fists and threw the first punch at one man, a good shot to the jaw made the rookie go down.
Tear gas was starting make the objectors drop to the ground in a defeated fashion.
Every I did not want to happen—happened quickly.
I cursed under my breath. You're right, Iggy. I should have just been an observer.......I should have focused more on the mission....... I apologized to him, he was too proud to accept the apology, as he always had, so he said said nothing.
However, I could feel the breath of a living being on me; a breath that should not be there in the first place.
Never has anything or anyone had the guts to surprise me from behind. The result is imminent death in the battlefield, here: They'll live.
"I like the way you think, Ryoji Kazama. Don't lose your way of thinking." A girl my age spoke behind my back, and I looked to see who it was, vanishing quickly as I turned around.
No one that special. I thought.
I never heard that voice before. It was new to me. The girl's voice was a contralto—lower than Akina and definitely Sera, yet higher than Funka's voice.
This girl's voice had a undertone of patronizing me, it seemed to be a innocent compliment.
Kinda words can even drive a person insane.
I wish she can reveal herself to me.......Whatever..
I had no time to think about it. Front exit and back exit is inaccessible due to rust and mulch. I checked and my theory was correct.
I can't get through it. I thought as I struggled for a bit before looking up. the only way is the...... I finished my brief analyzation while looking up at my next destination.
The Roof.
Luckily; I have my trusty grappling hook gun. I remember it very well and has proved quite versatile.
No one else saw me. Everyone in these territories are so damn oblivious to everything. If there was a giant ball of fire heading towards them; they would paying attention to their social media. The roof should not be standing any longer, yet I'm relieved it would stand for another day.
In a straight line, the grappling hook connected perfectly with the roof, making me go up and saw an unorthodox way of getting in: The ventilation system.