Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 12: Kidnap

Yuuya continues to run deeper in the woods, crying nonstop. "Why did it have to be this way?" A root in the ground trips the upset beast-man, crashing face first into the ground. Yuuya lays in the grass, curling into himself as he sobs. Thunder is heard and soft raindrops follow right afterwards. Yuuya remains in the grass, refusing to seek shelter, his tears mixing with the rain. "I want to go home...I want to be with everyone...I miss them...I miss...Sam..." Rain continues to fall, drenching the poor man.
Back at the village, Sam tries to break out of his father's grasp. "Let.Me.Go! Yuuya is out there!" Rick struggles to hold his son in place. "Sam *Grunt* Samuel! Stop! He's not safe, he's a beast-man!" Sam ignores his father's words, and wrestles out of his father's arms. "I don't care! Yuuya is my friend! He saved my life! He protected this village!" He points to each villager. "He helped you with your shop. He went hunting with you. He babysat your kids. He taught you how to wield your magic better." As he explains Yuuya's kind deeds, each villager looks down in shame. Sam holds out his arms, "He helped us all! If he wanted to hurt us, he would've done so way early on. He wouldn't have bothered to help us. He could've left the village when the bandits came, but did he? No! He came rushing to our aid, even sacrificing his magical items to protect us." He points at the staff in the man's hands. "He has done so much for us...And you all chased him out..." Angry tears flow down his face, his hands shaking. "I...have never felt so ashamed of this village...of all of you...and as a human being...Yuuya...didn't deserve to be treated like that...as an outcast..." Sam angrily wipes his face and turns his back. "I'm going after him...and you can't stop me." Sam rushes past the gates, ignoring his father's shouts to come back.
Sam goes into the forest, calling out to his friend. "Yuuya!" Silence. "Yuuya!" Birds answer his call. "Yuuya please! Come back!" Sam continues to call out, refusing to give up. "Yuuya!" Sam yelps when he trips on a hidden rock. He breathes heavily and gets on his hands and knees, trying to gain his strength back. A raindrop hits his cheek, surprising the human. He looks up and sees more raindrops fall from the sky. The weather brings down Sam's hopes even more. He can't help but cry at his failed attempt at bringing his friend back. "Yuuya..." His body shakes due to the sobs and cold. "I'm sorry..." Sam doesn't move from his spot for awhile, the rain making him feel even colder. Sam decides to get up, sniffing, and slowly walks back to the village. After a few yards, his vision start to blur, the rain and stress causing the human to feel sick. "Uggh..." Sam collapses on the ground, panting as a fever starts to develop. He vaguely sees a blurred figure coming towards him before his vision goes dark.
Yuuya lays in the ground as the rain continues to pour down on him. He faintly hears a voice through the sound of the rain. It takes him a minute to identify the source. He slowly raises his head and strains his ears, blocking out the rain. "Yuuya...I'm sorry." Yuuya's eyes widen when he discovers it's Sam's voice. "Sam?" He gets up quickly and looks around, no sign of his human friend. "Sam!" No answer. Yuuya uses his far sight skill. It takes him a couple of minutes when he spots Sam's wobbly form collapsing. "Sam!" Yuuya uses his wind magic to run faster to his destination. When he reaches Sam's unmoving body, he slides right next to him. "Sam? Sam!" Yuuya uses his water magic to shield them from the rain. Once that's casted, Yuuya cradles Sam's head and takes a closer look at his condition. His body soaking wet, his breaths coming out fast, his cheeks flushed with a fever. "Damn! He must've gotten sick from the rain..." Yuuya uses his light magic, however, due to the day's chaotic events, his light magic flickers and his body grows weak. "Fuck! Not now..." Seeing he can't rely on his magic, Yuuya thinks of all the magical items he has to help until one comes to mind. Just like in the past, the black space appears and drops a necklace. The Amulet of Healing. The amulet itself was two snakes entwined on a winged staff with a blue jewel at the top of the staff and on a silver chain. Yuuya carefully places the necklace around Sam's neck. Once on, Yuuya says the command, "Hermes." The blue gem on the amulet glows and little lights float around Sam's body. As the lights touch his body, Sam's breathing begins to calm down and the fever goes away, leaving him sleeping peacefully. Yuuya sighs in relief and gently picks Sam up in his arms. "C'mon just...one more time." Yuuya activates his teleportation spell and is suddenly in Sam's house, in his room.
Yuuya carefully places his friend on his bed once he dried him, pulling the covers up to his chin. Yuuya sits by his side on the bed, resting his hand on his friend's stomach, sighing sadly. "Thank you Sam...for everything." Yuuya wipes his eyes and stands up, ready to leave when the door opens. There standing in the doorway is Ruby, her eyes wide as saucers. Yuuya internally panics while his mouth opens and closes, unable to say a word. Ruby rushes forward and hugs Yuuya, pressing her face into his soaked shirt. "Don't go...Who's gonna teach me magic?" There are tears in her eyes, but not due to fear rather in sadness. Yuuya smiles sadly and hugs her back. "I'm sorry. I wish I could stay-" "Then stay! Why do you have to leave?" Tears and a little bit of snot flows down her face. Yuuya hugs the sweet little girl tighter, careful not to hurt her. "I really wish I could, but everyone is scared of me. They wouldn't feel comfortable with me being here." Ruby shakes here head and gives him an angry look. "So what!? I'm not afraid of you and neither does Sammy! If we're not afraid then maybe they won't be afraid..." Yuuya rubs her head and chuckles. "Maybe one day. For now, the village needs to focus on rebuilding. I'll only stress them out." He kneels down to her level, holding her hands. "Can you do me a favor?" Ruby nods, curious about his request. "Can you watch over your brother for me? He might still be sick." He points at Sam. "He's wearing a special necklace, as long as he wears it he will get healthy. To activate it, he just needs to say 'Hermes' and it will take care of the rest." Ruby looks at her brother, surprised about the information, and looks back at Yuuya's face. She bites her lip before answering, "Okay...I'll let him know." Yuuya smiles wider and hugs her one more time. His ears pick up the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs. He gently lets go of her and opens the window letting some of the rain in. He looks behind one more time and smiles sadly. "Thank you Ruby...Take care." Yuuya jumps out the window, using wind to softly and quietly land on the ground. He rushes to the wall and uses his wind magic once again to jump over it, tears flowing freely as he went back into the forest. Rick opens the door and sees Ruby at the open window, looking in the distance, and Sam lying in his bed deep asleep. "Samuel!" He rushes to his son's side, placing his hand on his forehead, seeing no injuries on his child. Sam breathes peacefully, unaware of the world. Rick sighs in relief and starts to wonder how his son came back. Evelyn walks into the room and sees both her children. "Ruby! Are you okay?" The little girl doesn't say a word and rushes to her mother, hugging her tightly as her body shakes. "Ruby?" Ruby mumbles softly, "He's gone..." Evelyn eyes widen as she looks at Rick, connecting the dots. Rick slumps on the floor, holding his head. "What have we done..."
Somewhere deep in the forest in a clearing, a group of men are seen gathered around several firepits with injuries scattered across their bodies. The bandits of the Thunder Snakes recuperating after a major loss. A couple of the bandits are wrapping bandages around the leader's hands while using light magic to ease the pain. Thorburn glares at his hands, rage filling his core as he is reminded of his recent humiliation. "That little fucker is gonna regret ever crossing paths with the Thunder Snakes." He stands up suddenly, surprising the men treating him. "I'm gonna fuckin kill him!" He speed walks over to one the many chests they took from their previous raids. He searches through its contents until he pulls out a strange stone that seems to glow in various colors. "No matter the cost..." Laughing at the thought of the carnage he will bring down on the unsuspecting beast-man.
Two weeks have passed, the village is slowly rebuilding itself. Villagers working hard to repair the damages. Even though there was progress, the atmosphere was gloomy. None of the villagers spoke about the day the bandits appeared and...Yuuya left. During the whole time, Sam refused to leave his room after he woke up couple of days later after Yuuya brought him back home. Ruby told him about the necklace and its abilities, crushing his heart even more. Sam never spoke a word to his father, refusing to forgive the man. He barely interacts with his mother as well. The only person he speaks freely with is his sister, she too is upset at the fact Yuuya was kicked out. Ruby brings him his food and joins him, not wanting her brother to be alone. Both parents try to reconcile with their children, but Sam just couldn't while Ruby talked to her mother more and slowly interact with Rick. As the days pass, monster cores are left at the entrance of the gate, appearing out of thin air every morning, which confuses most of the villagers while Rick and some of the expert hunters knew full well where they came from. The hunters continue to bring back prey, not once encountering with any monsters. The village's repairs are coming along nicely, if only the atmosphere wasn't so depressing. Everyone could feel a puzzle piece missing, creating a hole in the community. If only that piece would come back and make them whole again...
A large explosion is heard deep in the forest followed by a pained roar. Yuuya is engaged in battle against a strange creature that had the body of a grizzly bear and the head of a moose with huge antlers. The creature bares its teeth at Yuuya, trying to be intimidating. Bloody wounds covers the creature, making it pant in exhaustion. Yuuya stands his ground, griping his sword harder, his gaze never straying from his opponent. The creature roars and charges him in an attempt to do some sort of damage on the beast-man. Yuuya jumps at the last second and brings down his sword, cutting through its neck, effectively killing the creature. The headless monster stands still for a second as the head drops on the ground before collapsing. It's body turning black then to dust, blowing in the wind and leaving behind a blue core. Yuuya wipes the sweat off his forehead and sighs. "Whoo! That was close. That thing freaked me out." A shiver goes up Yuuya's spine at the image of the monster's sharp teeth. He shakes off the shiver and picks up the monster core, pleased that his hard work was rewarded. "Sweet! It's blue. Haven't found a blue one before." He stuffs the core in a black space along with his sword. The exhausted beast-man cracks his back and yawns. "Well! That's enough monster hunting for one day." Yuuya walks away, going to his hideout. His makeshift home is settled near a pool of water with a waterfall at the top. Vines cover the roof and doorway while the walls were made of solid dirt. A few flowers blooming across the vines adding beauty to his home. Yuuya goes inside and lays on a bed of soft grass, sighing softly at the peacefulness around him. The sound of the waterfall and birds singing slowly lulls the beast-man to sleep despite it being the middle of the day.
When he wakes up again, the smell of smoke fills his nostrils, confusing the beast-man. "What the hell?" He exits his home and looks around, no sign of any intruders or natural disturbances. He listens closely, hoping he could find the source, but sadly no unusual sound is heard. Yuuya decides to follow his nose. He walks for quite a while, the smell of smoke getting stronger. As he walks, Yuuya suddenly notices the path he's on, fear filling his core as a terrible thought crosses his mind. The path leads to the village and the smoke is coming from that direction. Not wanting to believe, Yuuya runs, still following his nose. The smell continues to grow stronger until he clears past the trees, horrified at what he sees. The smoke is coming off the walls, the gate lying on the ground broken.
While Yuuya rests, back at the village. Some of the villagers are still fixing their establishments while others are cleaning up the debris. Rick over watches the entire time while recovering from his injuries, proud at how well the reconstruction is going. Rick checks over each building, mentally making a list on what still needs to be done. "Hey Rick!" Rick turns his head, seeing Mr. Bruce waving him over. Rick speed walks slightly over to the blacksmith, "How's it going Mr. Bruce? Any trouble with the repairs?" Mr. Bruce shakes his head and points his shop. "It's all good Rick. I got my forge running and fixed up all the farming tools and some of the hunters' weapons, but that's not why I called you over." The chipper man's tone grows serious as he talks. The blacksmith leans over and asks in a quiet, "How's the kid doing? Has he come out of his room yet?" Rick sighs sadly and shakes his head, "No...He hasn't said a word to me since...that day. Ruby's been the only one he talks to...Oh Goddess..." Rick covers his eyes with his hand, remembering how Sam yelled at all them, Ruby crying nonstop, and...the look of betrayal on Yuuya's face. Mr. Bruce sighs hopelessly, "I do miss that kid..." Rick nods in agreement, "Me too...Sam always had this positive energy around him...Now he's just a shell." Mr. Bruce shakes his head, "That's not what I meant. Don't get me wrong, I miss Sammy coming around here, but...this village feels...lost. I never knew how much of an impact that kid left on us until..." Rick tightens his lips, "Until we kicked him out..." Just saying those words pains both men. "He's a beast-man and yet...he didn't act like one." Mr Bruce nods and leans back. "Yeah...Anyway, thanks Rick. Just wanted to chat." Rick nods and walks back home, his heart heavy from the conversation. He opens the door and see his wife and daughter in the kitchen, cooking lunch. "Welcome home honey. How's the repairs going?" Rick smiles and hugs Evelyn from behind, "Very well. Most of the shops are in working conditions again. Mr. Bruce was even able to use his forge." Evelyn smiles and kisses his cheek. "That's good. Ruby and I are just about done cooking." Ruby jumps down and grabs dishes, "Hi daddy! We made sandwiches!" Rick grins and ruffles her hair, "Thank you sweetie! I can't wait to eat it." He glances at the stairs and looks back at Evelyn, "Has he come out yet?" Evelyn shakes her head, causing Rick to sigh depressingly. Ruby grabs two plates from the table and walks over to her mother, waiting patiently to be served. Evelyn hands her two sandwiches, one on each plate. Ruby says her thanks and heads up the stairs to her brother's room.
In his room, Sam is on his bed rubbing the amulet in his hands. His eyes dull from all the stress and depression he's been feeling for the past couple of weeks. His gaze out the window, holding onto hope that a certain beast-man will return, even if it was to collect his amulet back. It didn't matter as long as his friend would come back. He thinks back to the day everyone found Yuuya's secret, how they treated him, how he tried to convince them, how he failed to bring him back, and how he came home when he knows he passed out in the forest. He grips the amulet harder as he remembers when he woke up, surprised he was in his room, and Ruby explaining what had happened. He wanted to try going back out, but his mother and sister begged him not to, saying Yuuya would rather he be safe than risking himself either by encountering another monster or becoming ill to find him. Sam retreated back into his room, giving up on trying to bring him back. A knock on his door brings him back to reality. He doesn't say a word until his sister's voice is heard through the door. "Sammy! I brought lunch, it's sandwiches!" Sam numbly gets up and opens the door, refusing to ignore his caring sister. "Thanks Ruby...come in." Ruby smiles and walks in, sitting down on his bed as she waits patiently for her brother to join her. Sam sits right next to her, taking the offered food. They eat in silence for a bit, focusing on enjoying the handmade lunch. Once Ruby finishes, she looks up her brother that is still eating. "Hey Sammy guess what?" Sam turns to her, giving her his attention as he continues to chew. "Mr. Bruce got his forge working! He can fix people's stuff now." Sam nods, finishing up his sandwich. "That's good..." Ruby looks at her brother, knowing what he'll ask next. "Was there uhhh...was there anything in front of the gate today?" Ruby nods, her eyes growing sad. "Yeah...There were more monster cores today. Mostly green ones. Oh! And some flowers and berries too! The flowers were really pretty! Miss Parker didn't even know what they were, she said she has never grown flowers like those." Sam smiles slightly, his friend can still surprise him even when he was away. His thoughts grow dark again. Sensing the gloomy atmosphere, Ruby quickly says, "I also learned how to fly a few feet off the ground. Watch!" Ruby jumps off the bed and faces her brother. She closes her eyes and concentrates. Her entire body glowing a light cyan color, slight gusts of wind blow right under her feet, allowing her to hover off the ground. She kept hovering until she gasps in exhaustion and drops to the floor. Her brother smiles brightly, "Great job Ruby! That was amazing!" Ruby jumps in his arms, proud of her efforts. His door slams open, surprising the two. Evelyn is breathing heavily and grabs both their hands. "Quickly now! We have to get into the cellar!" The woman drags her children out of the room down the stairs, scaring them in the process. "Mom!? What's going on?" Before they could get to the kitchen, the front door is knocked down loudly, making them scream in fright. A familiar face steps inside, making their faces turn pale. "Well well well. Looks like your little beast-man friend won't get you out this time." Thorburn smiles evilly as he recognizes Sam. "I remember you, you're buddy buddy with that freak aren't you?" Sam glares while pushing his family behind him. "What do you want from us?" Hissed Sam. Thorburn laughs at his attempt to be intimidating. "Well I was hoping to kill the little fucker once and for all, but! He's not here. Guess you found him a freak of nature too. Nevertheless, we are not leaving empty handed this time. And...just to be sure that beast-man doesn't try anything." He grabs Sam by his throat, choking him. "You're coming with us."
Yuuya stares in horror at the state of the village. Most of the buildings were burned down, some have collapsed into rubble. Many of the villagers were lying on the ground with various wounds. Some had large cuts bleeding profusely, some had burn marks all over their bodies, some even had broken limbs bent in odd directions. Yuuya walks inside in, stunned at the tragedy. A figure near the broken well makes him freeze on the spot. "Mr. O'Connell!" Yuuya rushes to unconscious man, holding his head up and sees his head bleeding and a deep cut across his chest. "Mr. O'Connell? Please...wake up..." Tears build up in his eyes as his ears flatten. Thankfully, the man opens his eyes, blinking several times to clear his vision. Once he sees clearly, his eyes widen in shock at Yuuya's face. "Yu-Yuuya?" Yuuya nods his head as tears fall down. "Yes it's me sir! Wh-what happened?" Rick smiles in pain, "Th-thank Goddess...Th-thought we lost you k-kid..." Suspecting the man might have a concussion, Yuuya places his hand on Rick's head and summons his light magic. "Heal." A glowing white light flows out his palm, spreading across the man's body. Slowly but surely, all of his wounds glow and heal, the blood disappearing along with the wounds. Once he was fully healed, Rick sits up more without Yuuya's help. He groans as the pain vanishes and focuses back on Yuuya. Once he could freely move, he pulls Yuuya in a bone-crushing hug. "Yuuya! Oh how we missed you..." Yuuya hugs back, relishing the affection, but quickly pulls back. "Mr. O'Connell? What happened?" Rick looks around and sighs sadly. "They took them..." Yuuya furrows his eyes and grabs Rick's shoulders. "Who? What did they take?" Rick looks straight into Yuuya's eyes and states, "Thorburn. His gang burst in here, destroyed most of the village, and took all the women and children. Yuuya..." He grabs Yuuya's arms. "They kidnapped my family. They took Evie, Ruby, and...Samuel." Yuuya's eyes widen and his heart stops for a second.
Neither man spoke a word when suddenly a dark aura surrounds Yuuya's body. Rick gasps in shock, never seeing this side of the usual gentle and kind man. Yuuya gets up slowly, his eyes scanning the entire area, noticing only the men and elderly were around. The beast-man pulls out a golden staff that had two crystals, one large purple crystal on the top and one small blue crystal at the bottom that are entwined from a black space. Yuuya walks a few feet away from Rick, puzzling the man. "Yuuya?" The beast-man still says nothing and raises the staff up, "Faith's Spiritstaff. May the light that shines from deep inside, flow ever out, and never hide. May the shining light within my soul, heal them now, and make them whole. May the light that shines so very bright, help heal their pain, on this night. May the shining light within my core, bring peace and love, forever more!" The crystal in the staff glow brightly, blinding everyone around him. Suddenly, little balls of light fall from the sky and lands on everyone in the village. Once the ball of light lands on an individual, their entire glows a golden light, healing them. No matter the state of their wounds, each ball of light heals without any issues. Everyone gasps in shock, their wounds disappearing right before their eyes, limbs twisted back in place, the pain vanishing from within them. Once everyone was healed, Yuuya puts his staff away in a black space and heads towards the broken gates. Rick gets up from his spot, following the beast-man. "Yuuya?" Yuuya stops and looks at Rick, rage and determination filling his eyes. "Stay here. I'm going after them." Before Rick could argue, Yuuya looks ahead seeing tracks heading east. "I promise...I'll bring them back. I'll bring them all back!" He gives Rick one last glance. "I swear, I'll bring your family back." Then, Yuuya runs in the direction that the tracks head to.