It was early in the morning when the news began to travel through the camp of general Denlleonis' disappearance. No one had seen her since the punishment of the drunken soldier the previous evening.
The news was alarming to many, and they quickly began to fear the worst, that some members of the Army had finally been pushed beyond the point of no return by the Esedict General's most recent show of disciplinary might and killed her while she slept.
Baccoso was the first of the generals to hear that general Denlleonis was missing. He nearly strangled the footsoldier he overheard discussing it before he realized what he was doing. He put the man back down, who fled before the bear-like general could ask him any more questions.
Without any way to get more information about Y/N's disappearance his mind immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusions. The rows of tents that already felt constrictive began to feel as though they were closing in around him, suffocating him as he pictured her dead in a hundred difficult ways.
No that-that can't be what happened to her, Baccoso thought, trying to dispel the illogical fears from his mind. He recalled their time together in the mountains. She had shown him who he was, who he was meant to be, and he would owe her for the rest of his life. She's too strong to have allowed herself to be killed - she -she...
He fell to his knees, groping desperately in the mud, imploring the earth to aid him in trying to get any leads on what had happened to her and where she had gone. He tried to focus and calm his mind, but there was nothing. Only silence and the feeling of cool clay between his fingers.
Suddenly he had a thought that caused his teeth to gnash in anger. Esclave. That little snake of a man who was always following Y/N around. Baccoso knew that it was his job, but he could see that it was more than that. He had noticed the adoring, and sometimes even lustful looks that the brunette gave her, and it made him sick.
If anyone knew what had happened to her, it would be the man who literally never parted from her side. Filled with burning jealousy, Baccoso rose and started heading straight for the general's tent.
. . .
"WHERE IS Y/N?!" Baccoso bellowed as he threw the flap of the tent open. He had to stoop to enter because of his hulking size, but he scarcely noticed too consumed by his emotions to care.
"W-what- what are you doing in here?!" Esclave asked, as he sat up in his cot, completely startled by being woken by Baccoso's angry shout. His eyes narrowed as his groggy mind realized that Baccoso had entered the tent without Y/N's permission. "General Denlleonis will take out one of your eyes if she catches you-"
"WHERE IS SHE?!" Baccoso snarled, seemingly deaf to everything that the brunette had been saying.
"Where's who?" He asked, genuinely confused as to what had the normally stoic general so aggravated.
"WHERE'S DENLLEONIS?!" He screamed, his dark eyes blazing.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Esclave protested as Baccoso lunged forward and wrapped his meaty fist around his neck and lifted him into the air. "You better put me down Baccoso-"
"Not until you tell me where Y/N is!" Baccoso growled, shaking him violently. "I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW."
"How dare you address the general so informally?!" Esclave snarled as he clawed at the bear-like man's grip and kicked and flailed.
"I don't have time for your formalities!" The black-haired general threatened, tightening his grip. "Now tell me where Y/N is or I'll squeeze you 'til you pop!"
"I-I don't know-" Esclave gasped, his blue eyes widening as they began to roll back into his head. What is this beast raging on about? He was struggling to string coherent thoughts together due to the lack of air. Something-something about the general - something about Y/N...
"Hmpf," Baccoso grunted, a manic glint in his eyes as he tightened his grip even further. "Maybe this will loosen your tongue."
Stars winked in and out of Esclave's sight as his lungs painfully convulsed from lack of air. He was going to die. Baccoso was going to kill him, he could see as much in the murderous glint in his obsidian eyes. "Put him down." A small voice suddenly called, disturbing the silence.
Baccoso loosened his grip slightly and looked over his shoulder to see who had spoken. The slight general Vilu stood in the doorway, his pale cheeks flushed with anger and his violet eyes blazing. "Like I'd listen to a runt like you!" Baccoso scoffed at the boy who was four heads shorter than him.
"I said put him down!" Meccio ordered, as his glare hardened. His volatile temper had been triggered and with alarming speed, he pulled out the small ceremonial dagger that Y/N had given to him and stabbed it into Baccoso's arm. "DON'T QUESTION MY AUTHORITY!"
The shock and pain of the unexpected wound caused Baccoso to growl in pain and drop Esclave. Pulling the blade from his flesh he clutched the bloody wound with his other hand. He snarled menacingly at Meccio, as though he were a real beast before he stormed from the tent.
"You s-saved me," Esclave coughed, gasping for air as he crouched on the ground. He looked up at the redheaded general with a mixture of bemusement and gratitude on his face. "why - why would you do that?"
The ginger smiled proudly, although his eyes also held warmth. "Let's just say that I'm returning the favor."
"Thank you Meccio, I-" Esclave began, but he was interrupted.
"- don't read too much into it," Meccio scolded him as he offered the older general a hand up. "Anyway, I take it that you haven't heard what's going on."
"Nope," Esclave replied in a disgruntled manner as he got to his feet. "I was too busy getting strangled first thing in the morning."
"The whole army's talking about it - general Denlleonis is missing," Esclave's blue eyes widened as Meccio continued to explain. His heart froze in his chest as he heard the ginger's next words. "But that's not all, Vanbinicci's also vanished."
A/N
You have no idea how happy it makes me to see that Meccio and Esclave are starting to genuinely get along. Something tells me that they'll need to work together more frequently as more yanderes enter the scene.
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.