Ignavus : City of Blood

Act 21 : A Present from Above

~vroom~

Their new adventure begins.

The Stang GP restarted the group’s voyage across the city of Axeport. John Straverman drives them past the guard-less boundaries and getting away without harm. Now, the road has been teeming with numerous bystanders who were clueless on their next destination to catch up. Many partisans that succeeded in overpowering the stand-in sentinels were roaming back home once found out about the triumph against one of the Caedes in their quarters.

Yet, there are also a small number of citizens that desired a refuge away from their half wrecked-up city state. They asked them for a helping hand to get across the kilometers worth of travel across the forest. Of course, they have no more room to leverage with human passengers any longer. It is saturated with a lot of nourishments and various small-time edibles for the run.

“They would be afraid to cross the Ganabra Forest at night. It is quite eerie, sometimes and precisely not for anyone without the guts.”

Shanice rides shotgun, as usual. The leader of their small group loves to hanging out against the harrowing wind from their speeding car. Meanwhile, the three remaining contestant of their competition strives against the cramped-up space at the middle. Stang GP has an expansive leg room and widened seat for them to rest their feet. It is for the leisure of two person at the most, however, so they trifled in endless combat for a lesser strain on their thigh,” Move away, fatso! You’re choking me out!” Shouted Natasha Gastano infuriated.

Against her visible complaints, Gads Gilmore brings forth a pout forward,”I can’t! It’s already at my limit!” He rattled in return. The bearded man has a pair of arms that amassed two-digits worth of kilogram within. It has occupied a large portion of the space that the middle seat has offered, added to his 6 feet and two inches persona that resembled the most of his powerful feats. It is quite the opposite to the hobbies that the man has developed over time, indeed, for him to produce adequate muscular bodies that aligned towards none of that regard.

Frankly, the blonde-haired woman was somewhat quiet during their clash. She was reclining as their intermediary and leaning at the center of the trade. It was happened because of the light-colored headphones that she was wearing this time around. She was pretending to become unaware of their trivial matters and chosen a music for relieving her mood in its place.

“Stop that! Both of you started to develop a kid-like attitude. You can relax your muscles for a bit, Gads, and stop whining for Gods sake.”

Shanice loaded up her displeased notions and made them all gone noiseless. The driver was somewhat having no concern towards their skirmish and kept his own concentration on the road. John Straverman took a short glance upon his wife, at times, that the black-haired man gradually whistles in the course of their travel,”That’s why I loved her, Shanice. My wife could calm down a storm by her careless sense.” He nudged.

“Yeah, It’s scary to think that she could contain your unpredictable ass, but her current reaction makes myself felt ashamed.” Shanice replied,” Keep your eyes on the road, though. We’re closing in to the intersection five minutes from now.”

John Straverman placed his left hand to the temple, then waves it outward in the sense of a soldier onto the leader at once,”Yes, ma’am. Goggles on and we’re gonna be living the dream in two hours or so.”

It is the well-known intersections that the curly-haired woman has referred to earlier. Its illumination within were already shuttered down because of the black out. Public amenities beyond the border of Brathe will never have the same luxury as its counterparts inside. They relied on the power source derived off the industrial region of Estel that has the jam-packed electricity resources it has to burn onwards.

“Turn to the left, master driver.”

~swoosh~

The Stang GP goes to the left in accordance to John’s input on the steering wheel. Future automobiles of the new world would have its own automatic controller for mere errands like these. For the high-priced ones, specifically, its owners has freedom to do whatever they wanted behind the driver seat. Their respective manufacturers often stated them in many chances on their advertisements as a sort of remembrance towards the advanced quality of such inventions.

No wonder, it is rare for a man to remember pacing a manual ridden vehicles like John does. The curdling blood of commoners will be more sustained to travel under severe circumstances unlike for the elite citizens to use it at its best.

~bzzt-bzzt~

Out of the blue, Elisa’s handheld began to ring once more. The blonde-haired woman hurriedly removed her headphones and fluttering her attention towards the screen. Rather than the name of WIC company, the screen boasted ‘Ignavus’ in its stead,” Is that the same Aldo Meridic? He’s fond of the name, apparently.” Gads Gilmore muttered. Due to the stillness that Elisa Straverman presented, Natasha Gastano quickly press the button for its complete hologram to show up above.

‘This is private transmission for you guys, o’ future winner of Ignavus!’

It is no longer Aldo Meridic on the transceiver. A voice of an adorable woman has replaced his wicked character behind the white scenery of its background. She was chirping before the microphone and supplementing a jovial personality on the board. For a man whose interest in woman aligned towards child-like tone individual, she would continually be transformed into an idol for their everlasting life.

‘My name is Angela Rhapsody. I’m a personal secretary for Mr. Aldo Meridic, and I will appear on your private transmission to give you a hint over the next challenge that you will have to overcome.’

No following information voiced from the screen in a minute. Aldo Meridic regularly used that space to pay heed on numerous miscellanous item around him, eventually created an unique tone of voice on the transmission afterwards. It appears that the woman has somewhat neglected such opportunity for playing around the office. A somber ambience, at its finest, until the woman returned in hustled fashion.

‘Sorry to make you wait. I’ve drink my coffee and muted the receiver a minute ago. Unless if you wanna listen on me drinking, I will shut the transmission once in a while for refreshment on my behalf.’ She joyfully spoke on the receiver and rushing back forward,’ And yes, I will announce a few things to accompany you on the way to Darte.’

Gads Gilmore got a little bit in distraught,”They know where we are?” The bearded man quickly laid a perceive outside the window and wearing his goggles in immediate fashion,”Ah, yes. It’s because of the drones that were leering on us lately. It’s unfortunate that we have no sniper in our team.”

“That means we have to look for one, eh?” Shanice suggested. John himself dipped his chin slightly, then responded with a few nods after,”Yeah, I guess it’s futile for our future if we haven’t had one in our team.”

~bzzt-bzzt~

‘Now, what I wanted to inform you is that there’s a little bit of surprise in a few kilometers from now. Your team has a distinct advantage, so my boss offers a present for you all there.’

~zip~

Elisa’s handheld died out once the radio transmission ended. Nobody have a clear hint regarding the announcement that Angela Rhapsody has given earlier. In spite of new information that the personal secretary has laid out, their leader was clueless from the beginning of its arrival. Likewise, Natasha Gastano was leaning on the window pane to rest herself up against the stream. She was trying to ponder about the way of their purported trial and muster a good perception to them onwards. Yet, it is rather void in her mind nonetheless,”Sorry, guys. We have to see the package. I can’t predict on what’s in it.” Muttered the auburn-haired woman shortly after.

“Yeah, it’s not only you, Natasha. I can’t exactly imagine things that I haven’t been seen about.” Shanice affirmed on her own bewilderment towards the impending challenge,”Speed up, John. We have to take a good look on it sooner or later.”

~vroom~

The black-haired man thrusts the gas pedal in its maximum speed right away. Due to lack of traffic on the highway, they could maintain their pace in the highest possible speed without concerning of any hindrance along the road. He drives the Stang GP into sixty kilometers per hour to conserve the fuel whilst navigating the highway in a blitz,”This is what I loved the most. To ride a manual muscle car on an empty road. I’ve been blessed!” John Straverman shouted in joyful manner. After that, the black-haired man glances sideways and tilted his head with confused face,” It’s crossed my mind, but kinda vague. Do you remember any Angela in the past, Shanice?”

He asked towards the other former employee of WIC company. Against his query, Shanice plays with her earlobe and wandering her thoughts over the ceiling,” that woman speaks about being a personal secretary. It means a person we haven’t get a gist from or a new recruit for this sole contest.” She kept her eyes laid onto the windshield,” Locals would have no ideas of that sort, John.”

“My office on Dewsbury haven’t been visited by that secretary, too. I suppose you’re right about her being a new leaf.”

They passed more than six kilometers already, but no sort of peculiarity occurred. Angela Rhapsody could be testing them out and made fun of their reaction on the screen. The micro-drones should have themselves on the picture for the audience at home already and compiled them all as bloopers of the day in some ways or another.

~grumble-grumble~

Across the peak of the hill, a massive landslide were rumbling down the slope. Natasha Gastano is the first person to notice of such disaster and screamed out of lungs straight after,”Push the gas, John!” She shrieked. Elisa bites her fingers in excessive manner when having found out of their current issue and gripped the front seat in fear. Gads Gilmore wanted to console the two women besides him, yet the bearded man himself was scared as much and gazing upon their driver in terror,” C’mon, man! Faster, or we’ll get-“

~swung~

John Straverman pressed the throttle in far too excessive to making a right-hand turn in proper manner, brought their ride flies off-track into the depth of Ganabra Forest. He squeezes the car in-between the redwood tree to avoid them all in a whole. Shanice grasped the door handle and bracing herself against any possible crash before one of the gigantic trees. In contrary of the terrified three, however, she pressed both lips in silence and keeping her attention to their front at the most.

~ckittt~

He added the handbrake for dealing with extreme velocity that their vehicle has achieved. Shortly after Natasha Gastano realised of the landslide, the black-haired man forced to increase their speed into a hundred twenty kilometers per hour at once,”Fasten yourself to anything next to you!” He warned.

~brak!~

White smokes emanate from the car trunk. The driver could no longer control the car once hitting the brakes in extensive manner, resulted on their imminent crash to one of the redwood tree nearby.

---

“Ugh...”

Shanice wakes up before anyone else. John was saved by the deflated airbags within the steering wheel, but still fell unconscious because of the fierce thumping motion regardless. Gads Gilmore has protected his female teammates by placing his hand crossways before their chest to prevent them on getting serious injury after the crash. He was blacked out alongside them because of their panicking self rather than being struck against the tree.

~kriek~

She opened the front door, then fallen down onto the dirt after attempting to walk out. Her feet feels terrible and drown within its quivering muscles. An unconscious reaction from her limbs, no doubt, towards one uncontrollable condition that they could never anticipate beforehand,”I have to wake them up...” She writhed.

~slap-slap~

It is the mossy dirt that managed to make their tires slipped. Shanice realised such answer when creeping on the moist surface beneath. Their car was having no grip onto the ground as soon as it hits the mud and carried them into unfathomable demise. Her hands are all smeared on the red-colored grime whilst approaching the middle row of their vehicle, struggling for the handle as the curly-haired woman climbed onto the step-rails for reaching them away,”Hraaagh!”

~bam~

She was too shabby for the door handle. Her hands slid down the metal-studded layer of the Stang GP and unable to c***k it open,” Damn it! If I am stronger, this wouldn’t happened!”

“What’s what, sis?”

Shanice heard a whispering call from her brother. Gads has been awakened and still incapable to muster energy for getting out from their ride, yet the curly-haired woman shortly losing her sense over the world and goes blacked out once more.