Chapter 31: We Learned

* We had to learn to be strong from an early age when we were driven out of Elysion and our families found themselves in the northern mountains. I had to learn to be strong because my religion did not go in the direction of that of the Duke. All my peers were kicked out for such a simple reason. Jessie had to learn to be strong because her skin colors scared a lot of people. She had to put up with the laughter and mockery of others at least until we all fled into the mountains. But Nahel, Nahel, he had to learn to be strong against everyone because he was persecuted from all sides by his own as well as by our common enemies. But rather than languish in fear and pain, he kept a cool head and behaved in an exemplary manner. He's always been like that, despite the hateful and indiscreet looks he remained impassive in that shell *.

-Lars at your six o'clock. * Shouted Dimitri *

* There we were on the run. From the incredible spectacle we had witnessed we galloped away from the cave, away from the guards and away from everything. We still had that sword but no one knew how it works so tempted that we haven't all been hallucinating. The only one who could activate it was Nahel but he remained unconscious lying in the cart *.

-Adrien continues, don't stop. * Shouted Dimitri *.

-I'm trying.

* We in the back of the wagon while Maggie, Aaron and Dimitri on the horses covered us. Jessie still not being able to hold a gun it was me and Arianne who took care of their case while Brenda took care of her. I wasn't a precision freak but I couldn't miss such big targets. Thinking that we were going to run out of ammunition, I motioned to the others to save their cartridges. We had barely come out of the forest, but our pursuers weren't going to let go so easily. They kept chasing us *.

- Shit, we can't lose them. * Aaron yelled *.

* Right next to me Ezra, Nahel's dog who brought me the solution in his mouth. A bag full of old spherical grenade *.

-Good dog. * I say, stroking his throat *.

* I grabbed one of the spheres and lit the wick. Arianne passed me a strong net to serve as a sling then I whirled the ball to the maximum before throwing the bomb violently in the jaw of the guardian. The object smashed into his face and the explosion blew out a number of them. But barely a few seconds the rest of them continued to rush at us. I cocked a second ball and I threw it again, the one planted itself in the ground and the explosion dispersed most of our pursuers *.

-Keep going it works * Brenda shouted *.

-Big brother Lars we are soon on the ice. * Adrien told me *.

-Already ?

* We would no longer be able to use bombs on a frozen lake and as if our pursuers knew it they chased us along the icy part. I felt Ezra growl behind me and I felt the wolf want to do battle but I stopped him *.

-No you don't move.

* The bugs eventually caught up with us and even surrounded us. While I was preparing one of the bombs one of them tried to pounce on me but Jessie, suddenly coming out of her torpor beheaded him with Keith's sword. I was quite upset to see that she still had a level of confidence *.

-Woah are you still alive?

-Throw that fucking grenade you moron.

* I saw Brenda snatch it from my hands and throw it into the mouth of the guard on the right who exploded into a thousand pieces. The blast and the flames reached us without too much damage. In the end we end up surrounded by these critters anyway. A guard jumped on Aaron's horse and beheaded him, causing the rider to fall.

-AARON. * Shouted Dimitri *.

* This one wanted to rush to save him but just but a guardian jumped on him making him fall from his horse as well. Maggie ends up surrounded by the horde. Jessie got up and wanted to help them but I grabbed her hand *.

-Do not go. *I said*.

-And let them die? I grew up with them dammit.

* She withdrew her hand violently and leaped out of the cart with that damn sword. But just after slicing his first critter in half they all stopped moving *.

-But what is that? * Little Adrien wondered *.

-They don't move anymore. * Said Jessie *.

-May be because you killed their leader? * Said Adrien *.

-No that's not it. * I replied *.

* It was to understand nothing. I climbed slowly and carefully out of the cart and grabbed the sword from Jessie's hand. I then walked over to Aaron who had his leg stuck under his canasson. I managed to free him by splitting the beast in half and Brenda helped him up. I then walked over to Maggie but she was unharmed, her horse too. I then went to Dimitri who was unsurprisingly evicting one of those critters with bayonet. There was blood all over the place and his rabid brute gaze showed he was on full blast. The fact that they had stopped moving didn't bother him *.

- Are you aware that they have stopped moving?

* He kept hitting them relentlessly *.

-Ohey moron. *I said*.

* He stopped suddenly and fell sitting on one of the corpses and running his hands through his frizzy hair *.

- Damn I really thought it was over. * He said *. Why did you stop? It doesn't look like you, Lars.

-I remind you that a new page of the equation has just been added. *I say pointing at Jessie*.

-Oh that's right.

-At the risk of appearing incongruous to you, does anyone know why they stopped moving? * Aaron asked *.

-Does it kill you to speak like all of us? * Maggie asked *.

-Excuse me for expressing myself correctly.

- That's enough you two. * Say I irritated *. Arianne, apart from Nahel you're the supernatural expert. What is going on there?

-At first glance I would say they would lack energy. Or that we are so far from their home that they no longer have the strength to chase us.

-Which explains why such animals do not come to hunt in the South.

* I ran my hand over the face of one of them. I could feel it ... They are still alive but weren't moving. At the slightest touch my hand could fall apart. Aaron and Dim almost died today *.

-Good considering that they do not move we will be able to go home.

-No. * I say firmly *. Since we have them all on the ice, this is a unique opportunity for all the exterminated.

-What ? Do you plan to cut them up? * Jessie asked *. Personally, the idea does not bother me but look around you. Even with the bombs we will not succeed.

*She was right. It stretched out as far as the eye could see, but that didn't mean it had to be got rid of in case they started moving again. That's when Adrien approached and whispered something in my ear. I smiled and stroked her hair *.

-You are a Rashford for sure. Maggie comes a little way there.

* Half an hour later we were a good kilometer away from these carrion *.

-Do you think this will work? * Arianne asked *.

-In life you have to be creative. Aaron let go

* He grabbed his rifle and aimed away one of the cannonballs *.

- Especially take your time. *I said*.

-I know how to do my job.

* He calmed down a bit and moved into the position of the seated sniper. He yanked and the bullet flew through the air for a good mile before landing one of the cannonballs, which exploded. The process was simple, we had to create a cannonball pentagon linked together by ropes. Ropes that had been impregnated with alcohol so that it burns, ideally the fire should take all the balls that will explode around the monsters *.

-We did not have enough rope you took what to compensate? * Arianne asked *.

-Our spare clothes. * Smiles Brenda *.

* The goal is to melt the ice under the feet of these monsters so that they join their ancestors underwater. And it works the ice was melting and they were all drowning *

-Oh what is this delirium?

* Only downside, we had not anticipated that 1 km would not be enough as a safety distance. The crack came down to us. Results*.

-RUUUUUUN.

*But that's another story. After passing the entrance to the "North beyond the North" we found ourselves again in human territory. We were all extremely exhausted, the only one who didn't enjoy the party was Nahel and he was still sleeping. Beside him Ezra who warmed him and Jessie who watched. Night had just fallen but we would be home the next day *.

-It's good, stop the cart Adrien.

-Yes .... Yes boss.

* We stopped and set up camp. This adventure will have definitely got the better of us. We had undoubtedly just faced demons from hell but no one spoke of them or rather everyone behaved as if it had not happened. I could feel it in their eyes, as we ate around the fire together we decided *.

-We won't tell anyone about it. What we saw there does not exist. *I said*. If ever it can be learned from demons ...

-Lars. * Said Dimitri *. You talk too much. Eat.

* By tacit agreement we decided to keep this adventure for ourselves. After the meal I went to join Jessie who was sitting alone in her corner thinking. She was all shaking and it was clearly not the cold. I decided to cover it with a coat to look Gentleman *.

-So ... how are you feeling? You made us see things, you know.

- You had to see it to believe it. You came to my rescue without even thinking twice.

-That's what friends are for. And then you would be bored without us. * I say sarcastically *.

-Who are you saying that to ? Who is this girl here? The blonde who takes her ease with us as if we were equal?

* I felt the anger in Jess' eyes and it was justified. She did not know her and confused if it was the case it would take time for her to understand *.

-This is Arianne Rhodes. A guest, we captured her during the all-out operation.

-What ?! * She shouted *. Oops ... What ?! * She said in a low voice *. The all-Azimut operation. Did it at least work?

-Of course. * I say showing off *. Thanks to my tactical genius and Nahel's muscles.

-Truly...

-No I'm kidding it was our plan together. Anyway Arianne is a really good person. She doesn't try to be mysterious or hide anything and unlike most nobles ...

-So what she is a noble ...

-She respects life and human beings.

-Life and ... no but do you hear yourself talking Lars?

-When the moment will come, she will negotiate for us.

* She got up in anger and leaned back against the cart *.

-And I can know who put this stupid idea in your head? Nahel?

-No it's mine.

- She's an Elysian.

-She is a human being.

* She might get angry, I will stay in my positions and she felt it in my eyes. You can't go on fighting indefinitely and I refuse to fight all my life *.

- Sit down Jess.

-Yes, you're right. I have to calm down.

* She sits down and smirks before staring at me *.

-Do you remember the craziest thing Nahel told us?

-That the earth was round? Yes, I remember ?

* It was a long time ago, we must have been around 11 years old and we had been seeing Nahel for a while. It was on a starry night like this, we had fled the camp to look at the sky and suddenly he let us go *.

-The earth is round.

-Is that so ? In this case we must be at the top then. *I said*.

-If it is really round why don't we fall when we go to the sides? You are really stupid sometimes.

-The earth is round, you idiots.

* This time he had insisted with a tone that I did not know him *.

-Hey calm down, mate.

-Sorry ... I just read in a book that I shopped to Elysion. We are here to fight for a piece of land but the world is very large.

-I don't accept your apologies. * Said Jessie *. And how do we do not to fall?

-Gravity. It is a force that causes everything that goes Up to fall. And it is active over a distance between the ground and the space of 120 km.

-Nahel you lose me there, where did you get this gibberish? * I told him *.

-And the sun is a gigantic ball of fire that shines for millions of kilometers.

*As I thought about it I burst out laughing with Jessie. This is where I saw Arianne landed a little intrigued. Of course Jessie gave her the look of death, but I tempered her*.

- By the way Arianne since you are Elysienne and you seem to have listened, you can tell us? Is it true what he says?

* She was silent for a while and Jessie took advantage of it *.

-You see I told you it was bullshit.

-It's the truth. Other than what he said about the sun which I don't understand, the rest is true.

-Sapristi. * I Swear *. So ... Nahel.

-Only books dealing with this kind of information are not within the reach of the first comer. * She continued *. Even in Elysion very few people have access to education which makes me think ... How does he know all this?

-Ha you can't imagine how many things he knows.

-Just ... How does he know these things? Who is Nahel K. Rashford? Or rather who is Seb?

* This question left us speechless and unanswered. The next day we were back at the ranch but there was almost no one to welcome us, especially not Aisha, who however had to wait impatiently for us. But while I was lost in guesswork one of our cars landed with Tribe and a platoon on board. Right behind Aisha Rashford who ran up to us *.

-Lars .... Where is big brother? * She asked in a sweat *.

-Your brother is ... No wait Aisha are you bleeding? There is blood everywhere.

-This is not mine. We must warn big-brother quickly. The Elysians have launched a surprise attack and we are pushing them back.

- Are you going to fight?

-Of course. * Said Tribe for him *. And it's only just started. Someone has to be in the driver's seat or old Elias will not make it.

* What the hell is this? I saw the commotion at the ranch and as expected it had been changed into a hospital to accommodate the wounded. I then turned to the rest of the group *.

-Maggie, Dimitri you know what you have to do. * I was shouting *.

-Boss Lars.

-I take the lead. * I decided *. we will apply the self-defense plan to the letter. If the Elysians want war then either they will have it.

* Most of the men gathered around me as I got ready to give the instructions *.

-Dimitri gathers the assault section.

-Yes.

-Maggie finds the demolition unit and reviews the traps.

-Aaron is get heal that damn leg, I want to see you back on your feet tomorrow.

-Yes sir.

-Tribe brings Blanka out of his hole we're going to spray them with whatever we have.

-And how.

-And you Aisha ....

* She started to sweat when she saw that I was pointing at her with that look she hated so much. She understood that I wanted to get out of the fight only *.

-Go get me a rifle damn it. You go to the front.

-Hell YEAH.

-Gathering. * I was shouting *.

* We stood in a circle and put our arms over our shoulders *.

-Do not forget. We have learned to be strong. Since we were little we have braved danger and what it represents in all its forms. Today Elysion has decided to attack at the Cost of his hostages. Arianne becomes persona non gratta again, but that's not the most important thing. What is important is that we protect our homes to the end.

-Yes...

-He is right.

-So I ask you. Are you Ready and Proud?

- READY AND PROUD.

-Let's go massacre some Elysian.

* Yes we learned to be strong ... And we ARE ... STRONG *.

*To be continued*