8/18 - Anti-bandit camp - morning

Cade and Alex seem to be in the middle of a discussion about allying together.

"You wish to merge your group with ours," Alex repeated.

"That's right, is it a problem," Cade inquires.

"Not at all, but I must ask: why do you wish to fight the bandits if you don’t mind me asking? I'd just like to know who we're fighting alongside, is all."

"It's because we swore to fight them, so we'll do it until they are driven out."

"I see. . .Okay, then sure, let's join up.”

"Just like that," Cade and I say in sync.

"Is there a problem?"

"N-no, not at all. I'm just surprised you accepted so quickly."

"I can tell when someone is genuine in their causes or not, call it a talent of mine."

"One hell of a talent," Cade complimented.

"You think?"

"I think so, and to congratulate that skill and our partnership, here you are."

He placed the shrouded weapon on the table.

"Open it, you'll like it."

Alex opens it like a Christmas gift. The reveal is a weird pole shaped weapon. The blade is shaped like a Kitchen knife.

"It's a lance from a Flame Wraith. The point is considerably weird, however, that's because its unique function is this."

Cade picks up the lance and points it to the ground.

"Watch this."

When he clicks something on the spear it shoots at the ground and sticks itself inside.

"Whoa, that's amazing," Alex expresses his amusement.

"That's not all, it can also separate, like this."

He pressed another button it separated with a chain linking them together.

"That is awesome," I shouted.

"I know, so, I'm offering it up as a gift."

He places it back on the table. Someone else came and picked it up. Marie is examining it. She backs away from the table and starts to spin it around, showing off her skills with a spear. She wasn't bad either, her moves are graceful. Least to say, she was pretty damn good. Cade was staring intensely with a hand on his head while she went on showing her skills.

"What's wrong Cade," I ask.

"Nothing, her moves are just…familiar."

"How so?"

"Don't know, I think I've seen those moves before."

Did he meet Marie somewhere before, or does someone use the same moves as her? Marie finishes her display by spinning the spear, then standing it straight and herself as well.

"Alex, what's going on," is the first thing she asks.

"We have a surprise visit, this is Cade, he proposed a union between his group and ours."

"...Did he agree immediately.”

"Yep," Cade answers.

"Ugh, seriously, brother, you need to look a bit deeper into these things."

"Sorry, sorry, but I believe that his convictions are real, and besides, Proxy walked in with him."

Marie looks over to me, I break contact with her.

"Is something wrong," Cade, who was puzzled by the situation, asks.

"Nothing is wrong.”

"Wow, the air is truly heavy today, what is up with this weather?"

That was a lame attempt on trying to change the subject.

"Good lance, can I keep it, brother?”

"May she," Alex asks Cade.

"As long as you accept, she can use it to cut wood or catch fish for all I care."

"Then I accept this, in commemoration of our unison."

Alex extends his hand, Cade takes it.

"That being said, when would you like to plan an attack," Alex asks.

"Down to the point? All right, how about tomorrow?"

"Sounds perfect, we should be able to do that."

"Great then. As for trade between our groups, I believe you should be the one to set the terms on it, after all, I am the requesting party.”

"Okay, we can discuss it now, if you don't mind."

"Nah, not at all."

"Hm…"

"What, what happened?"

"That accent, do you come from the west?”

"Born and raised. What about you?"

"I was raised in a village outside of the kingdom."

"Didn't the bandits get rid of those villages years ago?"

"Indeed, they did, I am the lone survivor of mine. Along with my sister, Marie."

"You have a sister?"

"Yes, she's the one who spun the spear around."

"I see."

"Anyways, let us talk about trade and coordinate a plan of attack for the camp tomorrow," Alex brought up.

"Sure. Proxy, you wanna join," Cade offers.

"No thanks, my brain sucks for battle tactics. I'll be heading out. It was nice seeing you Alex, sorry I left."

"It's alright Proxy, but I do have to say one thing: please settle things with Marie. It might not seem it but she is sorry for what she did the night before."

Neither Marie nor I respond to Alex's request.

"I'm gonna go, see ya when I do."

"Okay, take care," Alex happily sent me off.

It makes me feel even guiltier than it would if he was mad at me. As for Marie. . .I can't face her after what happened last night, it's too much. As I make my way to the exit, Gilhart greets me. His easy-going presence was still radiating off of him even now.

"Proxy."

"Yeah?"

"Come by and spar with me some time, it’s been a while and I wanted to have a fun fight with you.."

I walk off without uttering a word.

"Damn it!"

Everyone here, they all. . .They're all. . .

"Why is nobody pissed at me!? I just don't get it."

Anti-bandit camp, afternoon

By myself, I sat alone on the couch with the spear that we got from that Cade fellow. Seeing Proxy again was pretty awkward, we didn't even try to look at the other, let alone talk to the other.

"Marie, you should've said what you felt earlier."

Alex approaches from behind me.

"That idiot wouldn't listen, so why should I waste my breath? He listens to nobody at all, not a shred of him even cares to listen. All he cares for is getting in trouble and fighting to his heart's content."

"But?"

"But. . .despite that, he really doesn't mean any harm to any of us. I should've known that all this time when he went to get a cure for the poison that hit Richard. He didn't mean for his friend to get hurt and felt awful about it ever since, and I just ended up rubbing salt in that wound. But I just hate the way he acts with reckless abandon."

Alexander sat down next to me.

"Marie, the best way to explain it to you is this: he's a person with an undying will."

"Huh?"

"No matter the obstacle, he'll keep pushing on at it, even if it might get him gravely injured, even killed."

"But why?"

"Because he stakes everything into one thing. He might seem like he doesn't care about anything or doesn’t take anything seriously, but he does. When he came to break me out he was willing to risk his own safety for our escape; he even risked it to save Gilhart when he was about to fall out of the gondola during our escape."

"I know, he talked about it the night we broke you out."

"Doesn't that speak something about him? Even when he came back with the cure to free Richard of his poison, he was gravely injured with a severe head wound and several broken bones. In the end, he risked his own body to save his friends but even then, he's still being hard on himself. Whenever he goes into battle now he's serious about winning and doesn't waste time entertaining himself in a fight anymore as I've seen so far. Well, this is my guess, but even so, I still believe this is the case. That's why he left, so he can get stronger. But I don't believe he needs to go out on his own to grow stronger, I just wish he would realize that."

Alexander stands up from the couch.

"Well, I'm going to go run drills, care to join?"

"No, sorry, I’m not up to it."

"Weird, didn't you say you needed to exercise so you can lose weight?"

How in the hell did he know about that!? I grab him into a headlock.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Funny, you said something funny, can you repeat the joke, funny man?"

"Ow, ow, I only said what you said!"

"What was it?"

"That you need to lose weight?"

My grip on him grows even stronger.

"OWW!"

Alexander was a bit tackless at times, however, he was right about Proxy. When he was talking to Richard, I heard what he had to say. Proxy is taking on a heavy burden and I didn't understand that at the time. But even so, he shouldn't act so carelessly. I wanted to say that but I knew he wouldn't listen to someone like me, especially since last night happened. Honestly, this is perplexing.

"Marie, please, stop, I beg you, I concede."

"But giving up isn't your style, brother, you need to tough this out like a man."

"I may not be strong enough!"