BLACKMAILED.
1774, SEPTEMBER 27th TUESDAY 4:00pm.
Noche sat on the edge of her bed with her hands cupped together on the top of her thighs. Her eyes were shut and she breathed slowly in meditation. With a sigh she stood up, stretched, and opened her eyes. Her phone showed it had been an hour since Mary's visit. The blue death, the disease made Noche think of her anchor. Noche's hand went up to the choker and its little anchor on her neck.
"... Why is everyone scared of death?" Noche muttered. "It's not scary at all."
Noche saw a shadow move on the floor, she turned around to a crow sitting in her windowsill. It cawed as the door to Noche's room creaked open, revealing Hectare. Noche's fist tightened as her face went stern.
"Are you a dildo?" Noche asked. "Cause I feel like you keep fucking with me."
Hectare smiled, closed the door, and locked it; Noche narrowed her eyes at him.
"We're fighting each other in round two," Hectare said. "You're going to forfeit."
Noche threw her head up with laughter. When she lowered it to wipe a tear out of her eye, she took a step towards him.
"Do you want to die?" Noche asked.
"Does Cherries?"
Noche's eyebrows tightened.
"What?"
"Check your phone." Hectare smiled.
Noche's eyes didn't leave Hectare's as she hesitantly took out her phone. A moment later an unrecognized number sent her a text. Opening the message, she saw a photo of Cherries trapped in a DriveMetal box that hung upside down from a cliff. The timestamp was only three minutes ago.
Hectare was slammed into the wall by an explosion of air. Papers, blankets, and books were scattered everywhere as Noche grabbed him by the collars and held up a foot above the ground. Gold lightning crackled across her arms as Hectare grinned.
"You recognize the box, right? You've seen Dreg use it on that terrorist. It's a DriveMetal box," Hectare said. "If you don't lose this fight, then Cherries will be taking a very high swan dive with 2,000 pounds of metal on his neck."
Noche pulled her right fist back for a punch.
"Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hectare's sang tauntingly. "If anything were to happen to meee."
The winds stopped, only faint crackles of lightning arced from one bicep to another; Hectare's feet still dangled in midair.
"Do you think you can get away with this?"
Noche's voice was dangerously low, but Hectare kept smiling.
"I do," he said.
Noche dropped him, he adjusted his collar, dusted off his shoulders, and stretched his neck.
"A friend is watching the tournament. If something happens to me. If I don't win this fight... Then Cherries get crushed."
A bead of cold dripped down the side of Noche's stern face.
"I'm giving you a choice. Sacrifice yourself, save someone you love," Hectare said. "Or win and suffer."
"Bastard!" Noche muttered. "If you think I'll let you walk away unhar-"
The world spun as heat rushed to Noche's cheek. Hectare shook his hand in the air, as if shaking off the sting of his slap.
"You still don't get it," he said. "I'm will make you understand. Undress."
Noche blinked.
"Wha-".
"You heard me," he said. "Take off your top."
Noche didn't moved, she didn't even blink.
"Alright," Hectare took out his phone. "If you aren't going to listen."
"Wait!" Noche's arm shot up as she took a step forward.
Hectare raised his gaze from the screen and arched an eyebrow. Noche bit her her lower lip in frustration and slowly unzipped her jacket. Throwing it on the bed, her hands trembled at the bottom of her red and white stripped shirt. She looked back up at Hectare; nauseous that she almost made a pleading expression.
"Did I tell you to stop?"
Noche scowled, closed her eyes, and whipped her head to the side. She pulled off the shirt and threw it at the floor like a comet.
"The bra and choker too."
Noche's head spun towards him. His thumb hovered over the screen. She held back a growl and tightened her jaw. Her fingers found the back of the bra and unsnapped the buttons. It fell to the floor and Hectare whistled. Tears welled in the eyes of Noche's crimson face. Making their way to the back of her neck she found the buttons to her choker and paused.
"D-Do I have to take off the choker?"
"Why? What are you hiding under there?"
Noche bit her lip and didn't respond.
"Well now I'm more curious," Hectare laughed. "Take it off."
Noche slowly removed the choker Cherries made her and gently placed it on the bed. It took all her effort to ignore Hectare's gasp as she carefully folded the cloth under the ornamental anchor. She turned to Hectare pointing at her neck.
"Yo how are you still alive? That this is hideous!" He said. "Man, maybe I should have let you keep that on. That wound makes you ugly as hell."
Noche closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Her eyes shot open when she felt a grip on her right breast.
"At least you got something decent to draw my gaze away."
Both hands immediately balled into fists and rose about an inch before she stopped. She had to protect Cherries. Hectare released his grip, traced his palm towards the left boob, and flicked her nipple with his thumb; Noche flinched.
"Yeah you got some pretty nice tits," he said. "Could stand to be bigger though."
Noche opened her mouth, but the world spun again before she could speak. Now both cheeks stung as Hectare rubbed the back of his hand.
"Don't think I didn't notice you clenching your fists."
Hectare took a few steps backwards, raised his phone, and a white-flash filled Noche's eyes.
"Oh I'm gonna enjoy this later."
Noche's eyes widened. Disbelief, embarrassed, and shame all intermingled in her gut like a rotten banquet thrown into a washing machine set to spin.
"Turn around, in front of your bed."
Momentarily stunned, Noche slowly did as she was told.
"Now. If you scream, Cherries will suffer."
This was it, Hectare was going to rape her. Once again tears welled up in her eyes, once again she fought back the urge to cry.
"This is not how I wanted to lose my virginity... Not like this," she thought. "Hell, I don't even know if I'm a virgin... Still, I don't wan-"
Noche's thoughts were cut short by the burning lash that tore up her entire back; the steel crack of a bull whip and the aroma of iron filled the air. Both of her hands flew up to her mouth to smother the scream as a trail of blood fell down her spine. She shuddered with each throb from the red gash and swallowed another cry as a burning twin appeared.
A third CRACK sent her to one knee, Cherries choker encompassed her entire vision. It shimmered and blurred as a fourth flame tore open her flesh. She had to endure the pain, she couldn't fight back, or Cherries would die. The fifth lashing made the world shake, she had to protect Cherries, a sixth lashing, Noche shivered. She had never felt so defenseless.
Noche grit her teeth and place both forearms onto the bed; she was careful to avoid the choker. A seventh lash and she fought not to scream. Her world went red, how could she allow herself to feel so pathetic? To be so weak. It was a turmoil of emotions... Hurt, anger, humility, sadness, but mostly shame. Noche was ashamed with herself for being a failure.
Her other knee buckled and she fell to the ground. She kneeled as another lash tore open her ribs. Failure. LASH! Failure! LASH! FAILURE! LASH! Sweat covered Noche's trembling body; her breathing was ragged and faint. There was a pause.
"-sounds too much like his belt," Hectare murmured.
Something in Noche pushed her, she didn't want this to end on his terms. She didn't want it to end with her displaying such weakness.
"Done already," Noche said. "You know, its normal for guys to finish quickly. Nothing to be ashamed of."
The twelfth fiery rip in her skin forced Noche to bit her lip. She took some small glee at Hectare's frustration, but oh god! The pain!
"A-Aim a bit higher," Noche stammered. "I have an itch."
Noche struggled to stifle her cries from the thirteenth strike. Blood ran down her back as her lips tremblingly opened.
"M-Man Hectare... A-And I t-thought I had muscle atrophy-"
Noche's right hand had to cover her mouth again to muffle her sobs from the fourteenth lashing. Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream.
"Y-you need to c-cancel y-your gym m-memberSHIT!"
Noche bit down on her hand to avoid screaming from the fifteenth rip in her skin.
"Y-y-you really aren't using it."
She closed her eyes preparing for the next strike, instead an acidic odor filled her nostrils. Her eardrums were still beating in tune to the throbs of her back, so she dared a peek behind her. Despite the ring in her ears, she could practically hear Hectare puking as the green stream cascade onto her carpet.
"I can't do this anymore," Hectare threw the metal bull-whip down, then walked to the door. "Throw the match, or Cherries dies."
He walked out and closed the door behind him. Noche was left there, trembling and bleeding. After a few minutes, Noche stood up on her blood soaked floor. She picked up the whip and stared at the dripping crimson at its tip. Air stung her back as she stood there and watched the drops fall. Noche slid the weapon under her bed and shambled to the shower.
Cold fire lit up her back like a firework filled sky. Her head thudded against the wet tile and she stared at the floor. Pink bubbles popped in the froth of the drain; countless red tendrils danced around her feet. Noche closed her eyes and felt the rage of the ocean. The weight of the anchor around her neck. Crashing waves lapping overhead as her failures tried to drag her down down into the abyss.
That desert turned raging ocean into apathetic sand. It crept towards Noche as she struggled with her potential failure, her potential anchor. Noche's fist tightened on the bathroom tiles as storms thundered above. She had to keep moving forward, that desert was too close, there was no time to waste on another failure. This weight, this DAMNED ANCHOR, wouldn't be here if she could sacrifice Cherries.
Noche's eyes shot open, how could she think that! If she won, Cherries would die! And yet... if she failed, that desert would consume her. Between his death and that desert's approach, the call of the abyss became ever more alluring. How could she choose between saving her friend or escaping that desert! Tears threatened to spill out.
"I will not cry... I will not cry!" Noche muttered. "Fight it! FIGHT IT! You weak bitch!"
Noche bit her lip.
"You'll drown if you don't... So fight." She whimpered.
The water stopped, Noche stepped out, and stared at herself in the mirror. A small, fragile, young girl stared back at her. Noche punched the mirror and it shattered into a million pieces. She removed her bleeding fist as a broken Noche stared back at her.
An hour later Noche sat on a tree stump beyond the track field's chain link fence. Storm clouds drifted about the mountain range, creeping closer. She had searched every inch of Cross for Cherries. Broke down his door and checked his room. Even investigated the forest, yet nothing. There was no trace of her friend.
"Yo-che!"
Noche nearly jumped out of her skin; the bandages rubbing into her fresh wounds.
"Damn it Varen! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
He laughed, "Sorry, sorry. What are you doing out here?"
Noche grit her teeth.
"Theres a dick in gym."
"Woah now, no need to talk about Jim's sex life."
Noche gave him an unamused stare; he smiled.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I'm looking for Cherries. He missed his match against Alice," he said. "Have you seen him?"
Noche turned her head sharper than she intended to; she had to will her frown to disappear.
"No... I haven't."
That desert crept closer.
"H-hey Varen... Can I ask you something weird?"
Out the corner of her eye, Noche saw his face go red as he quickly checked his breath.
"Whats more important?" She asked. "Selfless sacrifice... Or selfish survival?"
Varen's face went lax as he stared at the back of Noche's head; she stood up.
"I admire Cherries so much... His views of peace... His desire to help others," Noche said. "Is it wrong if I'm not like him?"
"Admiration is the death of understanding," Varen said. "That's what my mentor always said. I love Cherries too, but you have to take your own path to find solace."
"I... I want to join Cross. I want to find DeathTech and recover my memories."
Varen flinched, then slapped the back of his neck.
"Damn mosquitos."
Noche walked towards the chain link fence. She interlocked her fingers between the links.
"I have three options. Win, lose, and die." Noche said. "If I win, I move forward. If I lose, I stand still. If I die..."
Varen stared at her back.
"Noche what is going on? You're worrying me," he said.
She turned to face him.
"Do you fear death, Varen?"
His mouth opened, he stammered, then stayed silent. Noche turned away, she didn't fear death. She had accepted it once before.
"My failures are anchors. Anchors that want to drag me into the abyss... To my death."
Noche raised her hand to the ornamental anchor on her choker.
"Win, lose, die... Like I said, if I lose, I stand still. And that desert only creeps closer when I stand still," she said. "If I can't win, then between the two remaining, doesn't death seem like a good escape from that desert?"
Noche's eyes widened as a tight grip wrapped around her arms. The fire on her back returned, but was smothered out by Varen's gentle, but firm hug.
"Noche, I don't have the foggiest clue what you're talking about," he said. "But you're really scaring me."
Noche patted Varen's hands as his head laid on her shoulder; she stared into the tree line ahead.
"... Was the desert really so bad?" He asked.
Noche chuckled.
"Its my biggest... No, it's the only thing I'm afraid of," Noche said. "Even death is better than living in such nothingness."
Varen let go as Noche turned to face him.
"I sincerely thought, that as long as I tried my best, I could even reach the sun... But the sun isn't something we can touch," Noche said. "The sun isn't something people craft for you in their workshop."
Noche walked away from the chain link fence and towards the track field.
"It's something dangled above us, forever beyond our grasp... Cherries is something like that. A guiding light, with ideals I could never reach," Noche said. "He's helped me stay on the path of good... But that may not necessarily be the path that leads me out of that desert."
Varen placed his hand on Noche's shoulder; she flinched from the gash underneath her jacket.
"Just because we can't reach it... Doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it," Varen said. "Even out of reach, that light brightens our world."
The storm rumbled above them both, the forest swayed under intense winds. Leaves fell from shaking trees as the scent of dirt and rotting things rose. Faint specks of light crackled within the darkness that consumed the sky. Noche turned to Cross at the same time the storm reached it. Her fist tightened as the first bolt of lightning struck.
"... Come on," She smiled faintly, "My match is starting soon."
Noche walked towards storm, and Varen couldn't tell the difference between the two; both were destruction given form.