Augustus Maxwell
Cyllene Castle
2 Hours
“So, they were able to escape you?” Agamemnon asked.
“I’m afraid so; they had their own Digimon Summoners among them, and their Spirits were able to overpower mine,” I replied.
“Is that so…well, whatever. Eliza’s already reported back; apparently, she was able to take out their sniper. Pretty sure that Eeno’s out having himself a good time.”
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least…
“Well, don’t feel bad or nothing ‘bout losing to the enemy. Even the very best lose a battle every now and then. That’s what makes them the best; they learn from their mistakes, and use them to grow even stronger.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, Green General Agamemnon,” I said, bowing to my superior.
“Anytime, Blue General Augustus,” the older man said. “Now, I need to go check in on a few things. Reflect on this loss, and use it to your advantage.”
“Yes, sir.” Agamemnon and I saluted, and the Green General walked off, leaving me by myself. I turned and leaned on the railing, and looked out at the deepening orange sky. “…The war has begun, has it? …This’ll be the first war I get myself involved in…Did I make the right decision; joining these knights? It was my childhood dream to become a knight, but now I’m not so sure it was the right thing to do…” Behind me, I could hear the hurried shuffling of footsteps. I turned around, only to see the slave, Amber, walk past me. Alarmingly, her clothes were in tatters, leaving barely anything left of them, and there were several fresh cuts all over her body. “Amber!” The young blonde turned around, but she didn’t give me her usual smile. “Amber, what happened to you?! Are you okay?”
“Oh…yes, sir, I am…quite all right,” Amber said, speaking slowly as if unsure of what to say. In one of her rare moments of timidity, she rose her arms to cover her almost naked body, and did her best to avoid my eyes.
“…What happened to you? Why are your clothes torn up?”
“N—Nothing…sir…I…I need to go—”
“Who did this to you?” I gently grabbed the young woman’s shoulder to keep her from leaving. “Who hurt you?”
“…It was…Sir Eeno,” Amber whispered. “But…I’m okay…He didn’t do…anything, really…He just…Ripped my clothes off…and scratched me up a little bit…” As the grim realization of what Eeno must have done to her came to mind, I gently took her arm in mine, and walked her to my room, quietly closing the door behind me.
“…Amber…what did he do to you?” I whispered.
“I…I’ve already told you, Sir…He…he just…” Amber looked down and away.
“…Did he rape you?” Amber’s clear blue eyes began to fill with tears, but even so, she shook her head. After a moment, she threw herself into me, crying into the front of my shirt.
“…I’m sorry…Sir…for lying to you…Eeno…he…he…” Without a word, I placed my arms around the maid’s body and embraced her.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” I whispered. “I should have realized that he would have done this to you someday…I could’ve protected you…But I…” I forced myself to leave Amber’s embrace, and looked down at her. “Don’t worry…I’ll make sure that he suffers for what he did to you, Amber.” I slowly walked into my bathroom, and came back out with a few wet washcloths.
“…Sir Augustus? What are you—?”
“We…are going to leave Cyllene.” Amber’s eyes widened. “You were taken at a very young age, so I’m not surprised you don’t remember…but you came from the continent of Arcadia…and I’m going to take you back there.”
“…You would…do that for me?” I nodded. “Augustus…Oh, Sir, Augustus—”
“There’s no need for that now, Amber. I’m not a knight anymore,” I said somberly. Amber smiled up at me.
“…What are the washcloths for?” she asked.
“I want to get you cleaned up as best as I can…from all that’s happened. I’ll get you nice and prettied up for your parents when we find them.” Once more, Amber placed her arms around me, and I could hear her quietly whisper her thanks before sitting down on my bed. Gently, I ran a cloth on her face, removing many years’ worth of dirt and grime. It was then that I discovered that her skin was a pale white, having been kept inside the castle ever since her kidnapping. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that Amber had not been properly bathed or groomed during that time. I raised her legs, and wiped the dirt from her feet, which had left the bottom of them completely blackened. Her fingernails and toenails were a little over an inch long. Her arms and legs were thinned from lack of proper nourishment. I could clearly see her ribcage, and her stomach was caved in. Every last little inch of Amber’s body showed one form of this abuse or another. As I went on, it became harder and harder to look at her directly, and though she smiled, I sensed an overwhelming sadness within her.
“…Am I pretty yet?” Amber asked.
“You were always pretty, Amber; it was…just an expression,” I said, just a little bit surprised at her misunderstanding. “…I’ll need to get something to clean up these scratches so they don’t get infected.” After taking another look at Amber, I untied my cape, and gently wrapped it around her shoulders before walking off. Before I could find something in my bathroom, someone banged on my bedroom door.
“‘Ey, August; you in there, man?” It was Eeno. Amber flinched at his voice, and drew herself up inside my cape. I motioned for her to hide inside my bathroom, and once she was out of sight, I opened the door, and Eeno let himself in. “Oi, this’s been one hell of a day, man; heard from Aggie that the enemy escaped you.”
“…What do you want, Eeno?” I asked.
“Just got back from fighting the enemy myself; stabbed a chick in the gut with my poisoned knife. From there, it was easy for me to escape. All their attention was placed on the girl, so I was able to slink away…but not before dragging away the body of their sniper to…enjoy it,” Eeno smirked. “Man, oh, man, was she delicious…”
“What do you want?”
“Oh, I just came to check in on you, man,” Eeno repeated. “Wanted to make sure those assholes didn’t rough you up or nothing, you know?”
“…Like how you did with Amber?”
“Oh, so you’ve found out, huh? Yeah, that was the most fun I’ve had in months. She was so…tender…”
“…Do you not remember our previous conversation?” I asked. “What I would do to you…if you ever hurt Amber again?”
“Huh? Oh, right…Well, no hard feelings, right, August?”
“I told you not to hurt Amber. And you raped her.” I held up my golden sword, and pressed it against Eeno’s neck.
“Ah, come on…Can’t you take a little joke, bro?”
“There is nothing funny about rape!” I screamed. “Eeno…your judgment day is at hand!”
“Augustus, you bastard—” Before he could finish his sentence, I slit Eeno’s throat with the edge of my sword. His blood came spurting out and fell to the floor, and after it, his body. He was still and lifeless in less than a minute.
“It is safe to come out, Amber,” I said. “He’s dead.” Slowly, Amber tiptoed back into my bedroom, taking care to keep her distance from Eeno’s corpse.
“…Are you certain…?”
“Watch out!” Inadvertently, Amber stepped foot in Eeno’s blood. At the sight of the crimson liquid, her lips went pale. “…Sorry…”
“No, its…fine,” Amber whispered, wiping the sole of her bare foot across my floor to remove the blood.
“…Are you…ready to leave?” I asked. “We should leave as soon as we can. Do you have anything you need to get before we go?”
“You know they don’t let me have anything of my own,” Amber smiled. “And you…sir?”
“All I need is my sword and my Digimon Spirits…” I looked across the bedroom that had long been my solace in times of need. The place I would hide when afflicted by high levels of stress. Of course, being here had only served to increase my worries and problems. “…I suppose I ought to get you some clothes, Amber.”
“Sir Augustus, you don’t need to go through so much trouble on my behalf,” Amber replied.
“…I sort of already did…” I looked down at Eeno’s corpse. From a dresser, I retrieved a few shirts and jeans, hoping that they wouldn’t be too loose on the malnourished maid.
“…Thank you…for everything…Augustus,” Amber said. “I’ve always felt so…safe…in your presence…and happy…” I smiled at the young woman.
“Save your thanks for when we get to Arcadia, my dear,” I said. “…Just in case…I’m not strong enough to protect you…”
Tamiko
I lay in my bed for hours, staring up into the infinite darkness of night. I couldn’t even move after…what had happened…to Kelik. It was as though the sharpest knife in the world had torn through my chest and pierced my heart. At first, the pain had spread across the rest of body, but it eventually numbed over, leaving behind only the pain in my heart. And yet, after I had awoken, I found myself unable to shed a single tear anymore. Not a single droplet.
I guess I ran out over the course of my life, I thought. And the knowledge I had recently obtained didn’t help me. I heard the entire conversation between my father and Kentaurosmon…and how my father…no, how Desmond had molested me when I was younger. And how he had planned on doing so tonight, and would have had Kentaurosmon not intervened. At this point, I just didn’t know what to think. My bedroom door opened, and once more, Kentaurosmon entered.
“I know you’re awake, my lady,” the Mega level said, quietly closing the door behind him.
“…Kentaurosmon…why…how…I…I don’t know where to begin…”
“Perhaps…I am also to blame for what happened earlier today,” Kentaurosmon said. “Earlier, when I grabbed you…I knew nothing could penetrate UlforceVeedramon’s Tensegrity Shield, and the only thing I could have done for you was to make sure that you didn’t see…And I failed you…”
“No, Kentaurosmon…You are…the only friend I have in the entire world right now,” I said. “And you…you did your best to protect me. I could never spite you for that…And you protected me once more tonight, too…”
“…You were awake for that as well?” I nodded, even though I knew Kentaurosmon couldn’t have seen the small, almost unnoticeable gesture.
“And I…must give you my thanks, Kentaurosmon,” I whispered. “For protecting me not once, but twice…”
“No thanks are necessary, Milady. It is my job to ensure your safety and happiness.” I was surprised by the second word; none of the knights I’d ever heard of were bound to ensure something as trivial as happiness. But as I thought it over, remembering all the times Kentaurosmon had been there for me when my brother had not. I’d known him since I was a child. He had always permitted me to ride on his back, and I remember thinking back to the many hours of fun I spent riding him, which is why it pained me so much to say these next few words.
“…Kentaurosmon…I’m leaving.”
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