Descendence
The Catalyst Stories
Edge’s Story
The Bandit Break-In Part II
‘Day 11’
Edge had barely been able to move around yesterday. The intruders from the night before had done such a number on him, Edge just couldn’t progress through that next day.
He had woken up in the hallway, a splitting headache, ears ringing, and feelings of dizziness throughout. At one point he was certain he was about to throw up, but he managed to hold down whatever wanted to come up.
That night, the intruders had beaten Edge by hitting him in the head with his own sword, the Unavenged Sheath. When Edge remembered the sword, he had rushed to the kitchen, stumbling over himself in order to see if it was still here. Thankfully it was, but he was in no fit state that day to pick it up, let alone use it.
Instead, Edge spent that day recovering, and resting himself up for the days ahead.
But today, while he still didn’t feel great, Edge felt like he was beginning to get back to his normal state of health. The headache was gone, he could see and hear clearly, he still felt slightly dizzy at times, but he was well enough to continue his workout routine again and practise his sword skills.
When it came to lunch however, that was when the hard-hitting side of the Challenge finally let itself down onto Edge.
The kitchen was barely stocked, and it seemed that whoever had robbed Edge the other night, hadn’t spared him much. He remembered them talking about leaving some food, but the fight that ensured shortly after must have given them a change of mind, enough to give Edge less to eat. Was what once a few weeks' worths of food was now only at least a week, which Edge should have been grateful for, but he wasn’t. That was his food they had stolen, no matter what reason they had had, it was his stock. Okay, it was Sparda’s stock, but he wasn’t here to eat it, and Edge was.
The thought of those robbers getting away with his food, anger swept over Edge. He wanted to stay ahead of the game for the Challenge, he wanted to be stocked up on food and supplies for the long-run. If he waited too long, he may never regain this much stock to keep himself weighted and healthy.
There was only one option now, and even though he had food for a few more days, the rest of the week in fact, Edge decided to head out and see if he could buy some supplies.
* * *
Despite the lingering sight of certain death above, the Rich District seemed quite...normal.
There were of course conversations happening all over in regards to the state of the city, people wondering what the state of other Districts was, where family members might be. As Edge walked deep into the depths of the District, he could hear parts of conversations all over.
“My husband was working out in the Eastern District before this happened, been a week and no word from him.”
“I’m sure he’s okay. He might have holed up in an inn until the Districts start reopening again.”
“The guards were talking about bandits in the Catalyst District. Why would anyone want to go back there?”
“Beats me. Although, if I was strapped for cash, which I ain’t, I’d be grabbing whatever I could from there. They ain’t getting anything here, Catalyst District is the second-best place to.”
“All I want to know is when can my kids go back to school? Districts not knowing when they’ll re-open services. I can’t have them at home all day every day!”
“Why don’t you just start home-schooling them then?”
“Mining work is on shut-down. Not allowed anywhere near the caves to even begin getting some ore to sell.”
“I’ve heard that’s not exactly stopping anyone here.”
Edge had the same wonders and thoughts he couldn’t deny. He hadn’t heard much of what was going on in the outside world, only what he had seen himself in his travels to Military District the other day.
He knew Human Legion soldiers were still guarding the District gates too, but for how long? His conversations with Red had told him that those soldiers didn’t have any reason to stay put and defend the District in the event of an attack. Those soldiers were choosing to stay and do their job, with no money income, no hope for the future, yet they decided to do their jobs anyway. It was a newfound appreciation Edge had for those people.
As he reached the Southern Sector of Rich District, Edge found himself amongst a vast market street. He wasn’t shocked at the crowded nature of the place. Vendors were doing whatever they could to sell their stock, and the supermarkets along the streets had queues lined upright to the entrance of the Sector. With a heavy sigh Edge reached into his jacket pocket. Taking out a small black pouch-like object, Edge opened it with a small grin. Inside were plenty of large gold coins, the currency of Cor.
Sparda was a wealthy businessman, and he had earned quite the fortune in his years. He had managed to secure a house here in Rich District, as well as buy the house for Edge & Lunar in Northern District. The best part was there was still plenty of cash leftover. While Edge couldn’t get into the accounts due to the lack of electricity, he at least had the stash of money Sparda held at home.
He was relieved heavily when he realised the thieves from the other night hadn’t found that stash. If they had looked upstairs in Sparda’s study or room, they may have just found the emergency stash.
Edge wasn’t entirely keen on spending this money, but he knew that Sparda would be more than understanding given the circumstance. After all this was also emergency money, and this situation could be counted as an emergency surely. He could hear the calls of sellers all around him as he walked deep into the markets.
“Two for one! Two for one! These are trying times ladies and gentlemen! Two racks for one, you won’t find a better deal!”
“Freshly stocked, as fresh as can be these days, everyone!”
“Everything has gotta go! Come on now, you don’t want this fresh fruit rotting in the sun when it can be nice and cosy in your stomachs can ya!?”
“Are you looking for chicken, sir? We’ve got it right here, humanly killed, safe as can be, healthy too! Get some meat on those bones!”
Edge spent the next few hours stocking up on food however he could. He wouldn’t be able to carry too many bags, but it would also help with his training in carrying packs of supplies home. With his pouch significantly lighter, Edge now carried five bags, stocked to the brim with meats, spices, vegetables, the healthiest options he could find.
Now all he had to do was...get it all home.
* * *
The walk home was of course, harder than the walk from. With the bags, their weight slowly gained effect as Edge wandered back down the streets to Sparda’s home, which he may as well start calling his own for now.
Even though he had been robbed the other night, Edge didn’t regret travelling here to stay. The Rich District was still the safest place in the city, not immune to crime, but the safest.
On his way back, Edge decided to take a different route, opting to travel down the neighbouring streets as opposed to the meat of the District itself. While food was still buy-able in supplies such as this, Edge didn’t want people staring at him due to his large supply. He didn’t know really why he was so worried, this was the Rich District, there were people who had probably wasted their money on much larger sources of supplies. He was just trying to keep himself well-fed for the next few weeks.
He wondered how bad things might be in the next few weeks. Would supplies run low? Would food run scarce and then would the District fall into disarray?
On the outskirts of the District, there were farmers who of course provided for the humans here, but would they be able to meet the demands? Edge knew they hadn’t been cut off from those suppliers, but the demand was surely already greater.
The world had become a complicated mess, that much was certain.
As he walked down a housing street, he took note of how peaceful everything was. Even with the barrier up, Rich District still seemed to shine in the sunlight. Maybe it was just the quiet that bought a sense of peace because whoever lived on this street was either in their homes or maybe out buying supplies, either way, it felt a surge of relaxation.
But this did not last long.
As Edge reached the end of the street, he heard a loud crash nearby. Turning around, Edge saw two figures sprinting out of a house nearby. They reached the front garden fence, and as opposed to running through the clearly open gate, both of them hopped the fence and turned down the street, still at a full sprint. There was a scream as a young woman followed them, calling after them in fury.
“Thieves! I’ll tell the guards about this!”
In Edge’s mind, it warped to one thought. Two thieves. Could they be?
Edge, still carrying his bags of shopping, reached the house that seemed to have been broken into.
“Those bastards, those stupid bastards!”
“Excuse me? Did those people break into your home?” called Edge as he dropped his bags by the gate.
The young woman, who was wearing a yellow jumper, a blue shirt, and her hair tied back in a bun.
“Two people dressed in black and masks sprinting out of some random house. Yes they broke into my home! I’d heard people were starting to commit robberies but I figured we were-”
Before she could finish, she saw Edge beginning to make his way after the thieves.
“I’ll see if I can catch them, watch my shopping if you can!” he called out as he entered his own sprint. He could still see them heading down the street, and even though he was unarmed, if these were the same thieves that stole from him the other night, he had a score to settle.
He could tell one was quite bulky, the other nimble, at least one matched up, but he never had gotten a look at the other one.
They reached the bottom of the street, and Edge noticed them turn back, staring at him for a split second.
“W-what do we do?” asked the nimble thief. The bulky one turned to them. “Split up! He can’t follow us both!”
“But what if he goes for me!?” they squeaked.
The bulky one shook his head. “He won’t, go on, go first, I’ll wait for a second, and then he’ll think he can catch me.” he replied.
“You be careful!” They took off to the right.
“I always am!” replied the first.
As Edge drew closer he noticed the thieves split, one after the other. If his past told him anything, it was that the bulkier of the two had managed to best him in a fight, and even though in the end Edge had gained the upper hand, it was the nimble thief who may have knocked him out.
Edge took to the right, he could only catch one thief, and the second was his personal choice.
* * *
He was now running down a narrow alleyway, the thief still quite a ways ahead of him, but nonetheless in sight. They turned back, catching sight of him gaining, and in a squeak of fright, Edge noticed the thief move to the side of the alley, just as it reached its exit point. They turned to the right, and as Edge gained towards them, he saw a flurry of storage crates, small yet many, fall ahead of him. Grunting in annoyance, Edge stopped in his tracks, and when he regained himself, he leapt over the crates and continued on.
The thief was now barely ahead of him, and as they passed through a gate leading to the next street, Edge noticed they were heading for crowds of people in the Sector. They were right in the midst of one of the many markets, but not for food supplies, this area housed jewellery, trinkets. Edge couldn’t believe despite the situation there were still many people here looking around going about daily life.
Edge continued to chase the thief through the markets, crossing past people, narrowly avoiding painful collisions. He saw the thief run up small steps, he followed quickly. They had gained some distance in running through the crowd, Edge ideally should have called out that they were a thief. As they ran up more steps, crossing through a small gated side-path, the two now had their chase along the central river of the District. The water still ran as quickly as the thief as Edge desperately tried to catch them. The thief ran down a flight of stairs, leading further down into the District, and Edge had no time for steps. A small balcony nearby, Edge hopped over, while not anticipating the distance of the fall he took after, he managed to recover well.
There were small circular tables stretched across the riverside, and as Edge saw the thief turn into a nearby building, a cafe that was still open in these times, he brushed past a table to reach the door.
Instead he felt hardwood collide with his body as the door burst open, hitting him back. He felt himself fall against one of the tables, his body lifting itself up to it almost like the kitchen counter the other night.
As Edge recovered he darted into the cafe just in time to see the thief leaving at the front entrance. Though there were calls of outrage from the staff, Edge ignored them as he rushed through the kitchen and out back into the main streets.
They both turned down into a narrow street, and Edge was finally gaining on the thief, although the stitch in his side was beginning to take notice. Edge’s cardiology was not that of a healthy young man, more one who hadn’t done nearly enough. But his will to find out if this was one of the thieves was what was driving him right now.
As the thief turned the right corner due to the end of the street, Edge was a hair away from grasping them. Instead he was briefly pressed up against the brick walls, but as he continued to chase after, he was one reach away from catching the thief. They couldn’t hope to outrun him now.
As they exited the narrow street, into a wider area, Edge decided to take his opportunity. He grunted as he dove forward, attempting to collide with the thief. A mix of low pitched and high pitched cries of shock echoed as both Edge and the thief over one another, onto the stone ground, following into the centre of the enclosed space.
By the time Edge had gotten up, he heard a high grunt as he saw a fist heading towards him. His reflexes weren’t as bad when there was a proper source of light to help him see, and he managed to avoid the punch. Gripping both of his arms together, he threw them back in response, colliding with the thief, who cried out in pain as they fell to the ground at the sheer force of Edge’s combined might.
With the face down, Edge didn’t know if this was one of the thieves from before, but it was a thief either way. He’d have to report them to the authorities, but he wanted to know who this was.
He bent down, grabbing hold of the black mask on their head, and he removed it.
A lock of bright orange hair fell as he moved the mask, and upon turning the culprit over, he saw a long face, black eye massacre, and red lipstick lips.
“A woman.” He muttered to himself as he looked down at the thief. One of the thieves back the other night had had a high pitched voice. Edge couldn’t believe he hadn’t put that puzzle together, this had to be one of the same thieves, surely.
Edge heard a noise behind him, a small crack of stone on the ground, and his senses awoken. The weight of the boot, the breath approaching him, Edge knew who this was. As he stood up, Edge swung back with his fist, and just in time too to see a more bulky weight man covered in black, step back to avoid his punch.
The long reach of his legs collided with Edge as he felt himself being swept off his feet.
As he hit the ground, he saw the first thief, raise his strong thick black boot up to stomp on him. Edge turned away, rolling out of harm, and quickly regained his feet.
“Leave her alone!” growled the thief as he raised his fists. Edge swept his mouth, getting rid of the strange of saliva that had escaped during that brief encounter.
“I don’t think so. Not letting either of you get away this time.” he replied.
The thief pushed forward, aiming a smooth uppercut, which now in full light, Edge’s reflexes managed to dodge, and he responded with a quick jab to the thief’s stomach. He heard a groan, but not one enough to realise he had hurt the thief. But with a hit connected, Edge decided to follow up. With swift quick movements, he managed to hit the thief’s jaw, payback for however many times he had received that. Edge followed up with a kick, which now gave him the sign that the thief was hurt. But as he swung for a third punch, the thief ducked, grabbing hold of Edge’s arm and twisting it into the same hold Edge had managed to lock him in the other night before the end of their brawl.
But with his free arm, Edge threw his elbow back into the thief’s stomach. The thief then stumbled back, and clearly angered by Edge’s sudden surge of victories in combat, the thief roared as he ran towards Edge.
He went to grab him, but Edge ducked, jabbing the thief in the side again, and then a mighty blow to the jaw, which caused the thief to spin around, falling to the ground.
The bulky thief began to climb up, and he turned to see Edge ushering him to get back up.
“Not so tough now are you? You’re not very bright when fighting in broad daylight.”
Through the mask however, Edge saw the thief has a snide grin on his face.
“I could say the same about you. You seem to forget you’re dealing with a duo here.” He smirked.
Edge blinked for a moment, lowering his guard. When he put two and two together, he turned quickly realising his mistake.
The next moment, Edge felt something hard hit around the side of his shoulder and head, and then everything went black...
* * *
When Edge came too, he was all alone again. This space empty space between buildings, all alone, his head once again with the largest feeling of pain he had ever felt.
He didn’t feel dazed or dizzy like last time, instead, he just hurt all over. Once again the thieves had bested him, and had gotten away. He didn’t know what they’d taken if they’d taken anything, but he’d failed.
But in retrospect, as he began to make his way back through where he has chased the thieves, it hadn’t been for nothing. He definitely needed to work on his cardio and stamina, but in terms of hand to hand combat, Edge had had the upper hand there until the end where he had once again been caught off guard.
“Fool me once, fool me twice...” he groaned on his way back.
Part of him didn’t expect to see those bandits again, but if he did, the third time would be the charm.
Next Time:
Crystal’s Story
The Personality Reform Part III
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