The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 49: Hidden Secrets

"St-steel rhino! Steel rhino!" Cinder cried.

A tank. No, not a knight in bulky armor. The Cultists were driving a tank. The machine gun smoldered and smoked, the Cultist operating the weapon laughing in morbid hysteria. The barrel of the tank's cannon fired with enough force to rock the vehicle back and forth, the treads devastating the roads.

Sasha looked at her friends, her face filled with agony. "... W-we have to fight-"

"Bitch, how!?" Jasper snapped. "We don't stand a chance against something like that!"

"Miss Sasha!"

They looked up to see Hekue waving her hand from Verde's broom. "I-I can play my flute! I-If we don't try to do something, we're dead meat!"

Sasha nodded, holding her greatsword in front of her. It was time for her to show what she could do. She clenched her jaw, swinging her massive weapon to the side. "Everyone... Go after those freaks. I really, really don't want you to see what I'm like when I fight like this."

Yin was against it immediately. "B-but if something happens to you-"

"Just... Go. I'll meet up with you later."

Yin looked like he was about to shed a few tears. In his eyes, Sasha was sacrificing herself to continue. Guided by Salem and Jasper, the adventurers pushed their way through the demolished door, running into the palace. Verde dropped Hekue off on a balcony before flying through the door on her broom, giving a blank look back. While her face didn't show it, her eyes revealed her sorrow. She too disappeared, joining the others. Sasha took a deep breath, heaving a heavy sigh. "... That means you too... Vao..."

The dullahan hadn't moved. "... Yin's right, you know..."

"... Don't care. If I die, then that's it," she said. "... I've thought about it for a few months now. We're up against real monsters. Some of us have already died... I've come to terms with it. If I have to die, I want it to be because I protected the people I call my friends. That means you too, dumbass."

Vao flashed a small grin, standing at her side. "You know, I've been told I'm kind of like a doggy. I'm loyal to a fault when it comes to my mates. I'm not about to let you die alone."

Sasha eyed him, towering over the nonhuman. "... You have kids, Vao. A family. Shouldn't you be there for them? Go inside."

Vao nodded, his smile falling. "... Yeah, I got kids. I got a wife. I love them more than anything, even myself," he replied quietly. "... But I consider you guys part of my family, too... Even if we've had our scuffles and arguments, that's just wot brings us closer, mate... I never said it, and I don't want you to go telling Yin this either, but... You, everyone... You guys make me hate myself just a bit less. I laugh, I joke, but I really don't like myself. I'm not smart, I sometimes feel like I'm just bothering everyone, and I'm only good for my strength and skills as a thief. I... Screw up a lot. That's part of the reason I tore up my adventurer card all those years ago - you guys were the only ones who really accepted me, and Verde too... So... Let me die by your side, Sasha. We're the two powerhouses of Team Frisbee, right?"

He nudged Sasha playfully, the tall elf giving him a small smirk. "... It's supposed to be pronounced 'Frostbite', Girl Hips."

"Can it, Biceps," Vao snickered. Sasha sighed again, reaching for her ponytail.

"... I got my troubles, too. When I escaped slavery, I was branded a murderer. I never told you guys this, but I didn't go home right away. I didn't know where home was. I was... I was a bandit. Ran with a gang in the hills, killed people for their stuff. Not a night goes by where I'm not haunted by their faces. You sure... That you're okay with siding with a murderer?"