Infection | Jack x Naib [COMPLETED]

Criticism

Chest hurting from breathing heavily, legs stinging with pain, the mercenary ran as fast as his injured legs could manage. Every now and then he would almost lose his balance as he limped. He constantly looked behind him to see if the merciless hunter was following.

He was relieved to see the empty, dead quiet factory. He kept running in the direction of the back door, hoping to find a dungeon there. His teammates were eliminated, one by one, and he had failed to rescue them all.

As he neared the dungeon, his heart was banging in his chest harder than ever. He hid behind a wall nearby and leaned against it, grabbing his injured arm. Taking a deep breath, he peeked around the corner and saw the hunter, waiting for him at the dungeon.

The invisible hunter hummed eerily in the foggy field. Despite knowing that this particular hunter would let him go, he was still dissatisfied to go near him.

With no other option, he limped to the dungeon cautiously. The hunter immediately saw him. "Naib, there you are~" he said joyously.

Naib ignored him and stepped in the dungeon. He could almost escaped before the hunter tugged him back. "Now now, what's the rush?" said the tall, transparent hunter. "Your friends are gone, it's just you and me now. Stay as long as you like~" he continued.

"I would like to leave," Naib said bluntly. He took a step towards the dungeon only to be pulled back again. "J-Jack, leave me alone."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, my dear," he said, leaning in to face him. "After all the trouble I went through to get you a gift~" Jack took out a beautiful, red rose from his back and held it out to Naib. "For you, my love."

Naib took the rose, keeping his face as neutral as possible. "Thanks. Can I leave now?" he said.

Jack took his hand. "No, let's stay a little longer," he said, kissing the back of the mercenary's palm.

"I'm leaving," said Naib. He pulled his hand out of Jack's grasp and hopped into the dungeon.

"Naib, wait-" Jack tried to reach for him but he had already got away, again. He looked down into the dungeon sadly.

The strange wind howled as it blew through his fog. "One day I'll win your heart for sure," he muttered with determination before heading back to the manor.

The mercenary limped through the one-way dungeon which lead to the manor, he held the rose in one hand, twisting it with his fingers. The fragrant smell filled his nose as he admired the bright crimson colour.

When he arrived at the end of the dungeon, he climbed up the ladder which led to a trapdoor. He pushed it open and entered the manor, closing the trapdoor behind him. He exhaled in relief as he was finally safely back in the manor.

'Emily should be at the main hall treating the others,' he thought, hobbling his way to the main hall.

When he arrived, Vera was seated on a chair while Emily applied medicine on her arm. Vera looked up and shot him a glare. "You could've saved me, what were you doing?" she said harshly.

"Sorry," he said. "I messed up."

"By messing up, you mean standing still for the hunter to hit you," she said. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Naib remembered the moment clearly, he tried to save her. His heart was beating rapidly but he had no idea where the hunter was. As he was untying her, the hunter appeared out of no where and gave him a terror shock.

"He was invisible in the fog," he explained. "I couldn't see him."

Vera scoffed. "Excuses. You failed to rescue us many times already," she said. "Acting so strong with that boost you have, in the end you'll get knocked out anyway."

"T-That's not true," he defended. "I can last longer so I can hide from the hunter before I get knocked out."

"But was that ever successful?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Naib looked down in shame. "No...," he said.

"Hah! You can't decode, you can't rescue, let me ask you, Naib. What can you do?" she said.

"Alright Vera, that's enough," Emily said, tying the last bandage around Vera's arm. "Even though he wasn't that great in the match, he doesn't deserve to be criticised like this."

"He does," said Vera. "Otherwise he'll never improve."

"Your wounds have been treated, please leave," Emily said, gesturing to the direction of Vera's room.

"Hmph!" With that, Vera stood up and head to her room, avoiding eye contact with the mercenary.

Emily gestured to the empty seat beside her. Naib reluctantly took a seat. "Don't listen to her," said Emily. "She's always in her own little world."

"But she's right," said Naib. "I'm not a good decoder, and I'm not strong enough to rescue you guys." He sighed. "You're all better off with me."

Naib looked at the ground, disappointed with himself. "Don't ever pity yourself," Emily said. "You'll only make yourself suffer."

Naib continued staring at the floor, thinking about what she said. There was long silence between them. Then, Emily noticed a red rose in his hand. "What a beautiful rose," he remarked. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, Jack gave it to me before I escaped through the dungeon," he said, looking at the rose.

"How nice of him," she said, smiling kindly. "There, all done," Emily kept her medicine and bandages in her first-aid kit.

"Thanks Emily," said Naib, standing up.

"Anytime," said Emily. Naib turned to leave but stopped when Emily called him. "Don't take what Vera said to heart. Not everyone has to be as 'useful' as her."

Naib nodded as he went to his room. He couldn't help but hate himself for being so weak.

******

A/N:
Thank you for reading the first chapter! ^-^
What do you think? :3

Also, don't forget to follow the squad~
👇👇👇

Survivors
Gardener - luminescentie
Coordinator - MarthaBehamfil
Mercenary - Artist-Fantasy
Mechanic - TZYzOeY
Lucky Guy - starsglory
Doctor - DoctorDyer / __poppyseed__
Prophet/Fortune Teller - EchoJustice
Forward - _AwkwardLoser_

Hunters
Geisha - Lollipop11213345
The Ripper - Achinubis
Wu Chang (Black) - Chocofunduk