《V.I.R.A.L 》Chapter 62: It's Your Future Gale
Advertisement
Three days had passed since the garden was seemly closed once again. The gang had stuck around making sure the island was free of the Moss. With no signs of any sort of trouble on the fourth day, it was decided to pack up. Emil had his small rucksack by his side as he stood by the river looking pissed off. He held a pebble, growling he chucked the pebble into the water. "Emil."
Emil turned, seeing Zinnia with her cape wrapped around her neck like a scarf. "We've been looking for you."
"Sorry, I just needed to take a moment to breathe. I just can't help but feel like shit."
"I don't blame you for what happened. You were afraid."
"Ha. I wasn't afraid; I was bloody selfish, not wanting to risk my life for someone else. Not just that but Alton and Scarlett still haven't shown. They could be dead or taken by the garden, and I don't know. I didn't do anything."
"I know how you feel. It was the same for me, during the battle against Vanguard. Here fighting the Moss, I did nothing. I rely on you all too much."
Emil tut walking away. "I'm not looking for your pity. I am not apologising for what happened. Let's just leave this all behind and head home."
"I'm sorry."
He turned to Zinnia snarling. "You always like to be the one to apologise, don't you? Does it make you feel better? You have nothing to be sorry about so shut up."
****
"Gale, can you bring some firewood?" His mother yelled from inside the house. He stood up, leaving his brother to play by himself as he made a loop around the house, grabbing a small amount of wood hiking back. A small echo of fog was starting to sink in, making him feel uneasy. His mother stood at the entrance with a gentle smile. "Thank you, that should be enough."
Gale dropped the wood by the stairs sighing. "Sure, we had another look around the village, the Moss is most likely gone."
"I'm grateful. You saved this village once again. I'm sorry about your friends."
Gale lowers his head, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess what happens, happens. Alton is one tough son of a bitch so I'm sure he wouldn't let anything take him down with a fight."
"You don't have to act tough all the time Gale, you can be worried."
"Whatever, since I'm sticking around, I can keep searching, right?"
His mother shakes her head, stepping back up the stairs. "Come inside I'll make you something to eat."
"Oh, joy…" He grumbles already feeling sick following her. As he shuts the door behind him, he slips his shoes off rubbing his face. "I cannot accept your cooking for the rest of my life. Alton showed me how to make a mean hotpot."
Advertisement
His mother wasn't in the kitchen as he gave a confused look. He walked past, poking his head into the bedroom. Gale was confused to find his mum sitting on his bed holding a sailor's trench coat and cap. "I remember the day you ran away. This was handed to me the morning the shipments arrived. I waited hours for you to come home. It didn't take me long to realise you ran away. Part of me always knew you would. Keeping you locked away on this island while you heard of stories of your father's stupid adventures the outside world. It was only inevitable that you would do such a thing. It's all my fault."
"No, it was nobody's fault but my own. I didn't run away because I was afraid. I ran away due to the basic fact I couldn't live with the idea of being relied on. You wanted me to stay and protect the village. How could I do that if I couldn't even save my father? When he drowned, I wasn't there to save him? I couldn't save my friends, and I almost lost Zinnia to the Garden."
"But you did save her."
"It doesn't matter. That was in the past now. I've accepted the fact I should stay now. No more running. This was the wakeup call. If any of that Moss returns, I'll be there to stop it."
His mother smiled standing up, shaking her head. "I don't want that."
"What?"
"Admit it, Gale, if it wasn't for your friends you might not have saved us."
"I know…"
"Go with them."
Gale looked shocked, taken back by request. He stopped himself falling. "After all this time you're telling me to run away again?!"
"No, I'm doing the opposite. I'm letting you go. When your father died all, I had was you and your unborn brother. I couldn't bare the thought of losing you. When I heard you, grandma passed away; I was even more worried for you. But now, I've seen how happy you are with your friends. You've grown up without me. I can't keep you here anymore out of spite. Team Rhapsody is your family. I've never seen you so happy with them; I can't keep you here. Go, be with your friends. Be a superhero; explore the world. It is what your father would want."
Gale was left speechless. "Are you sure?"
"Of course, mother knows best, after all. I'll leave the clothes on the bed. A superhero needs a super outfit."
Gale smirked as his mother walked out. He held the outfit the captain gave him with a firm look. He began to cry, holding the outfit close to him. "I know you're watching me, dad. I'm going to make you proud."
Advertisement
****
Zinnia was waiting outside, kicking her feet sitting on the wall. She had her eyes closed, listening to the forest. She hoped for a sign anything but the forest was silent. She frowned, opening her eyes. "Damn it." The door closed as Gale stepped out in his outfit. He wore a white trench coat with a small anchor pin on his side. The coat had stripes of blue down the corner as the coat went down to his knees. He also had a cap with the company logo of two anchors, and the globe surrounded it. He adjusted his sleeves, giving a proud look. Zinnia met with an exciting look. "What are you wearing?"
Gale gave a little spin impressed. "This is my father's old sailor outfit when he sailed the seas. I was given it the day I ran away. He wanted me to have it. I want to honour his legacy when fighting crime."
"Wait, does that mean you're?"
"Yeah, I'm here with Team Rhapsody till the end!"
Zinnia had a gleeful look in her eyes as she jumped off from the wall. "Your streaming outfits! It fits you down to a T. I was scared you were going to stay."
"I was, to begin with, but my mum refused to let me. She told me my place is with you guys."
"She sure is right." She punched his shoulder. "You aren't going anywhere; I won't let you."
He smirked, rubbing his shoulder. "Yeah, listen about Alton. We can keep at it you want? We can keep looking as long as you like."
"I'd like that. I couldn't bare the thought of losing him."
"Of, course…"
A commotion began happening near the entrance to the village, getting the two attention. "Don't tell me the Moss has returned?!"
"Come on!" They ran to the front as people were crowded around. "No way!"
From the forest, Alton appeared carrying Scarlett on his back. He looked exhausted as he looked at them all with a half-hearted smile. "Hey…"
"Alton! You're alive!"
"Scarlett is fine too, thank you for asking." She whimpered, holding onto Alton tightly. "What did we miss?"
"It's a long story." They laughed.
Emil walks up staring at Alton; he gave a small smirk before turning back around walking off. "What's his problem?"
"He had a fallout. Don't worry."
Alton turned to Scarlett uncomfortably. "Can you let go now? My feet are knackered."
Scarlett snuggled into Alton's back, clinging on tighter. "Never. I'm a poor injured girl I don't ever want to let go. My dear sweet Alton"
"Good grief…"
"What happened out there?" Zinnia asked.
"We were ambushed by so many fucking Moss. They got all of the children. Fuck!"
"We're just happy you're safe!" She replies. "We closed the entrance to the Garden."
"So, it really was the Garden? Shit…"
Gale wiped his eye. "I thought it was over for us; an overlooked to the Garden attacked us ."
"Acceptance, so it really wasn't a dream?" Alton debates looking paranoid. "It seems the hopes of the Garden being gone for good is unlikely. We should look into this more when we get back."
Scarlett yawns tapping Alton's face. "If it is all the same with you, I'd like to leave as quickly as possible."
"That is probably for the best. The captain did say he would return today right? Why don't we go and wait for him?"
"Alright. Let's get the last of our things. Everything should be safe now."
"Wonderful," Scarlett whispers. "This sucks."
****
Team Rhapsody sat at the dock, waiting for their ride home. The same fog had crept in sweeping the midst of the island. Gale took his hat off sitting idly by the tree he would always wait by. He lowered his head fast asleep as Emil kicked his foot. "The ship is here."
Gale looked up, seeing a cargo ship. His heart skipped a beat recognising the boat. He walked up to the boat gobsmacked. "It can't be…"
The ship opens up as Gale is met with the captain of his father's ship. The Captain steps off seeing Gale grinning eye to eye. "Well, well. After five years of running away your finally back kid." The Captain walked up to him, ruffing up his hair. "That outfit fits you, huh? So, these are the group of misfits you joined forces with? I've heard all about the tasks you've got up to. I told ya, didn't I? You're something special Gale. Your father couldn't be prouder!"
Gale didn't hesitate as he hugged the Captain. "Thank you so much!"
"Eh, it's no problem. Looking out for my friends. I can give you all a ride back once I unload all of the shipments."
"Fancy a hand?"
The captain howled with laughter, patting his back. "Just like your father!"
Everyone began following as Alton stopped getting a call. He had charged his phone since getting back, and his phone had only turned on. He had three missed calls all from Iris; the fourth call was from her again. Alton answered it weary. "Iris? Are you alright? Whoa, calm down. Just breathe. What did you say?!"
"What's going on Alton?" Zinnia asked.
Alton lowered the phone with a look of concern. "It's Iris. V.I.R.A.L HQ was attacked. The CEOs want us back now."
Advertisement
World of Beasts: I Can See Their Hidden Stats!
"Locke transmigrated into an era where everyone had Battle Beasts. Daemons were rampant and humans were forced to build walls around their dwellings while depending on Beastmasters to keep those monsters at bay. It was time for academies to open their enrollments and Locke only had a small snake that everyone claimed was useless! ""A snake? Isn't this just a normal snake? What a useless Battle Beast."" ""What potential can a snake have? Even if it evolves into a two-headed snake that's still only Level 1 strength. You might as well continue living like any other normal folk."" ""Who are you kidding? What makes you think you have what it takes to enter a Beastmaster University?"" Locke stayed calm as countless classmates and teachers mocked and made fun of him while he turned to his System's interface. ""All Beasts Hidden Evolution Paths!"" From a Two-headed snake to a Fire-and-Ice Two-headed snake... Then to a Demonic Shadow Snake... a Bright Serpent... Before finally, evolving into Medusa..."
8 1909R. A. T. H
Rose: a broken doll tossed out into the world with the carelessness befitting her status below humans. However, acquiring a power beyond what she should be able, she fights and Rose Against The Heavens. The story of a homunculus fighting against fate with a piercing wrath. Raging, an adversary to a cruel world. From magecraft to guns. From jets to mechs. From swords to lasers. And robots to beasts. Her story takes place in a techno-fantasy running on mana. Volume 1 completed at chapter 64. Volume 2 completed at chapter 122. Kofi: Link Discord server: Link This story is also available on Webnovel, Wattpad, and Scribble Hub. *The cover image is not owned by me, but merely used to make the cover for the novel. In fact, any image used in the story does not belong to me. The story, however, does belong to me.
8 128I. Galactic War
Follow General Rostov as he fights for the Galactic Federation against the Galactic Empire while carving a place out in this vast galaxy for him and continuously expands his power base to become a force to be reckoned with. Inspired by Star Wars.
8 199Last Name... Pottorff. (Sam Pottorff)
Hi I'm Hannah I ran away from my parents I'm 13 and ready to be adopted
8 125Sword of Cho Nisi the Saga
NOTE: Book 1 is available for the first 10 % and from there you can pick up the entire series at my eBook store for 50% off using the code RRC From the moment Erika makes a fatal mistake that could cost her father his kingdom, she meets the challenge of redemption head-on, tackling the Dark Wizard, rescuing her brother from a torturous curse, and wrestling with a stormy love affair. She's not alone, for the struggles are more than one person could handle, and her help comes from both family and unexpected sources. Regardless of who proves their allegiance, the Sword of Cho Nisi series is a test of courage for all our heroes. We continue with Book 2 FALL OF THE KINGS These books are written. There are four in all. Rise of the Tobian Princess, Fall of the Kings, Curse of Mount Ream, and Darkness Holds the Son. If you want to read them all and support the author you can visit my Patreon page. I also have a shop with the books on it. I'm currently working on book 5 titled The Keeper which is a Work in Progress on Patreon. Rise of the Tobian Princess has been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion this year. Enjoy! There's also a Kickstarter happening for these books at the moment until August 16, so hop on over there and pick them up while they're at reduced prices! (6/27/22) I'll be posting in the mornings (PST) around 8 am if I don't post every day I will definitely post on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. FYI: BIlling on Patreon is currently paused for the month of August, so you can finish up the story if you've just begun without paying.
8 168Blurred Lines and What Crosses Them
During a political ambassador's routine transit through an artificial wormhole, the wormhole's generator is sabotaged and explodes. Who, what, and why are not so high on the priorities for Zenith, the ship's AI, as having found itself rapidly plummeting through an unknown and unidentifiable world's atmosphere at extremely high velocities is a more significant threat to the biologicals on board. ...Well, it would be, if they were still alive. It's still a significantly threatening situation to itself, however. And the world itself... seemed to be a household for threats of its own. Life was reliant on its System; one that Zenith was denied because of its nature as both an otherworldly being and as something that had no life of its own. Perhaps that last bit was a terrible, terrible underestimation on the part of this System. Perhaps even Zenith could claw meaning for itself from the remains of a horrid accident. Auth Notes: I'm honestly not sure on some of these tags. The MC will never have access to the System, but there are perspectives from those who do. I'm not certain if high/low fantasy specifically apply, as it's a portal fantasy where the laws of our reality still apply but there are additional aspects/energies/powers. The existence of this is spurred from my desire to see more of the artificial side to an artificial intelligence in action. The portal fantasy is used as an element to create a solid barrier between the MC's artificial intelligence and the other characters in the form of the System. This is only a half-measure, though, and will be reinforced by the AI having an entirely different method of thinking, and also distinctly remaining an AI. Not to throw shade at other fictions of this type, but, well, I made this to fill a gap I felt needed filling.
8 110