That Which Divides All

Perching on top of a branch, Rob waited eagerly for some news. His alias should have been making his way to the decided meeting point. However, Rob didn’t know what was taking him so long. Did he succeed in the mission? The smoke that rose from the canopies of the trees was a cause for concern and doubt.

Rob looked over his shoulder. Next him was an unconscious Sam. Every so often, he would slide, so Rob had to periodically check on him to prevent him from falling. If the plan failed, he would need to use Sam as a bargaining chip. Though he would like to avoid that any cost, for sake of his reputation, if the need arose, he would take any costs.

Something knocked on the tree Rob sat in, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief. It was five slow knocks followed by two fast, then another three slow knocks. Other than Rob, only one other person knew the pattern.

‘Oi! Wake up!’ Rob instructed, slapping Sam a couple times.

‘Huh?’ Sam responded as he woke up drearily.

Before Sam could get a grasp of the situation, he was swooped off his position by Rob. Rob leaped off his branch, landing perfectly on the ground below. The suddenness of it all shocked Sam into being fully awake, as he was put down.

‘How much longer are you going to be hiding? Reveal yourself!’ Rob commanded.

Rob felt a tap on his shoulders. He turned around, only to find nothing. Another tap on his shoulder made him turn once more, this time in frustration, which quickly turned into shock as a man appeared out of nowhere. In appearance, his skin, hair and face were exactly the same as Gin’s. The only differences were the lack of beard, long nails and the fact that this man was definitely taller than Gin.

‘What’s with that face?’ he asked.

‘Grr,’ Rob responded, his face was seething in annoyance.

‘You must really hate this guy, huh?’

‘What made you think that?’ Rob replied sarcastically.

‘Nothing we can do about it. It takes half a day for me to change. I just thought I could practise making different types of faces. Now if only I can grow facial hair…’

‘Enough of your rambling! What happened to your target?’

‘Unlike my ex-colleague, I make sure to get the job done. The target is probably a pile of ash from the very inferno he created,’ the man said with confidence.

‘Good. Without him, there won’t be anything to stop me.’

The man paused for a moment. His eyes wandered off, admiring the scenery, before they fixed on Sam.

‘By the way, is it wise to have the guy behind you listening to our conversation?’

‘Who? Oh, Sam’s harmless. I could finish him off in one hit if he tries anything.’

‘If you say so. Though I’ve recently taken a carefree approach to life, I’m still a perfectionist at heart. Don’t want anything to go wrong because of him.’

‘Ha! Don’t you worry.’

‘The ex-colleague of mine didn’t take these sorts of things into account either and screwed us both over because of it.’

An awkward silence fell upon the two. Sam just stood there, too scared to say anything. Too many questions circled his mind. Who was this man? Where did he come from? Who was this target?

‘My job’s done anyway,’ the stranger said, breaking the silence. ‘The boss doesn’t like it if I’m gone too long.’

Boss?

‘Too bad. You don’t get to see when I succeed.’

‘If you succeed,’ the man warned, before heading deeper into the forest.

With a wave of goodbye, the man’s skin changed colour. His long nails became transparent. The clothes he war began to blend into the surroundings. Within a few seconds, he was out of sight. The rustling of stepped-on fallen leaves suggested that he was nearby, but there was no way you could figure that out with just your sense of sight.

Rob turned to Sam, giving him a piercing glare and instructed, ‘You. Come with me.’

Upon signs of reluctance, Rob grabbed Sam’s arms. His grip was tight, but small, unnoticeable spikes in Sam’s armour prevented it being tighter. It didn’t matter as Sam was too weak to do anything against a B rank. How was Gin able to do it?

It was only then did Sam realise his location. Before waking up, the last thing he remembered was a hurtling sucker punch to the stomach. He knew the news of his appointment would have upset Rob, but he didn’t expect a kidnapping.

Wait. How long was he out for? The night sky peering through the gaps in the trees indicated that it must have been a few hours. The others must have began to worry. Was Gin looking for him?

Rob’s conversation suddenly clicked together. That stranger was outside the squadron. There was no one that was able to turn invisible like that within the squadron. Sam didn’t know how or why Rob knew him, but that couldn’t be a good sign. Judging from what they were saying, Rob wanted someone gone, and Sam had a good hunch as to who it was.

It didn’t take long for the pair to break through the forestry and into a clearing. They were met by looks of disgust, scorn and fear. They shouted, causing other squadron members to wake up and give the same treatment. Sam soon realised that they weren’t directed at him, but at Rob who smirked in return.

‘Now, now. No need for this, everyone,’ Rob tried to reassure, letting go of Sam’s arm in the process.

‘Where is he?!’ a couple of mages demanded.

‘Oh. Gin hasn’t returned yet?’ Rob responded.

More mages joined in with the questioning, saying a chorus of “Stop messing about”, “you know what we’re talking about!” and “What did you do to him?” A few of the mages grew increasingly agitated, poised to start a mob attack on the estranged battalion leader.

Calmly and with an air of confidence, Rob bellowed, ‘It goes to show much of a coward he is!’

‘Huh?’ the mages said in unison

Some were confused by his comment. Gin? A coward? What did he mean by that? Others had enough of Rob’s comments. One bestial juggernaut type in particular took action. He charged, bending his upper body for a headbutt, aiming to gore Rob with the horns on his head.

But Rob was too fast for him. He throttled the man by the neck, stopping him in his tracks. With him winded, Rob raised the man above him then tossed him aside as if he was acting like a disobedient pet.

The mood changed as the mages began to grow silent. They had lost their bravado. They were hit with the reality that Rob was indeed someone accustomed to fighting, unlike them. He wasn’t a low ranked mage like the rest of them.

‘At least let me finish before you start attacking,’ Rob said, asserting his dominance. ‘I will say this again. Gin is a coward! Did you think I kidnapped Sam because of spite? We planned it together, isn’t that right?’ he said, turning to Sam with a gentle yet threating smile.

Sam wanted to speak out. He was gripped by fear. The things he had experienced by the hands of Rob made him quiet. That smile petrified Sam. He wanted to tell everyone what Rob said wasn’t true, but the words wouldn’t come out. If only he could show how he felt, but the armour hid his body language well.

‘No,’ Sam tried to say, but it turned into a whimper that no one heard.

‘See?’ Rob. ‘Everyone, why would he be silent if I was wrong? I planned this from the start. I wanted to ascertain if he was worthy to lead us.’

Everyone was fully silent now. The seed of doubt was planted in everyone’s mind. All they wanted to do was listen to what Rob had to say.

‘I hid in the trees, watching the search party from above. I care for you guys, after all. If anything were to happen, I would come and help. That’s just the kind of guy I am,’ Rob boasted, causing a few mutters amongst the crowd, deciding whether they believe his claims or not

‘I watched all of your movements. I saw you guys marking the trees, I saw you heading back at dark. But! But then I saw what Gin did. He ran. He ran far and deep into the forest. I was shocked, so I went after him and guess what I saw? This so-called leader began burning the forest. He showed zero respect to the environment. Everyone saw the smoke in the distance, right?’ Rob asked, with the battalions nodding in response. 'That was him.'

‘I was scared,' Rob continued. 'I had to run. There was no way I could get involved with him. The man is crazy! I’m sure all of you noticed it before. He’s way too short and has facial hair with no functions. He makes all of you do things, that no one has ever done since their time in the MBP, and he willingly took in those Xernims. Do I need any more proof?’

‘Huh?’ Rob commented on the silence, after another pause. ‘What happened to the mob mentality? Did I hit a nerve or two?’

‘But what do we do?’ someone called out, showing signs of instability.

‘That’s simple. Follow me and I will lead us to victory. Get ready. We will depart as soon as possible,’ Rob instructed. Though reluctant, some of the mages began packing up. There wasn't a single leader amongst them. Apart from fighting, acting like mindless sheep was what they did best.

‘Shouldn’t we wait for the other battalions?’ Sam interrupted, stopping everyone in their tracks.

He couldn’t do anything to stop Rob but, at the very least, he could delay him. He just didn’t want to believe Rob. He knew Gin for God knows how long. Yes, there was a forest fire recently, but this wasn’t something Gin would do without a logical reason. If the other battalions, especially Brim’s, could talk some sense into everyone, then they could look for Gin and find out the truth.

Sam sighed a breath of relief as the others seemed to be in agreement. Thankfully, the other battalions were yet to arrive. Going alone, when they were so close to their destination, was a suicide mission.

Seeing their reactions, Rob drew everyone’s attention once more. He looked as composed and calm as ever before denying the notion.

‘No. Gin has tainted their minds with his delusions. If they were to come, we would surely fail.’

There were still doubt amongst the crowd. Gaining control was one thing, but asking everyone to ditch a thousand-large force was another. It was time to use his trump card.

‘Still don’t trust me? You’d rather wait for people who he has gained full control over? Well, do you know why I’ve hated him; why I’ve had my doubts since the beginning? It’s because I know what he is.’

Sam’s eyes widened. Did he mean that? Why does he know? If he told everyone that secret, all hope would have been lost for Gin. A sense of dread rose as Rob uttered the words,

‘Gin is a-’

‘No!’

‘-Manush.’