I Am The Truth II

Chapter XXXII: Rage

It had been three days since the raid on Tabora Vault. All three of the fugitives had been running non-stop. They had initially planned to flee to Ataraxia before Ria abruptly changed course and instead continued straight to the northeast. All three of them had seldom spoken at all, with Ria and Val still cold with each other. Herobrine was expressionless, simply going where the other two went.

And so they arrived in Hogtown, a rather unappealing community of swineherds. It was essentially a glorified pig house, where the difference between humans and the pink beasts was hardly visible anymore. The three kept to the outskirts, hiding in the forest to evade local police.

"We should stop," Val finally said. "Nobody will come here."

"Not yet," Ria answered. "Not till I say so."

"When is that?"

"When I say so," The Sendaris repeated tartly. 

Val however, was having none of it. Her legs gave way as she sank to the ground. Ria scowled when Herobrine stopped as well, for whatever reason he had. And it was about then that he uttered a word for the first time in probably years.

"Run... no more," He croaked. 

Ria was mildly surprised, but gave in. The Sendaris remained standing however, in constant alert should anyone from the town only a few miles away stray too far.

"Now what?" Val asked, looking up at Ria. "What are your plans now?"

Ria did not answer.

"Ria!"

"What?" The Sendaris hissed. "What do you want from me?"

"What is your plan of action?" Val demanded again. "Why did we suddenly change course and head here?"

"Because I must go to Sendaria for a certain task," Ria answered. "I hope that satisfies your curiosity."

"Hardly," The Mendoris grumbled.

The Sendaris wheeled around.

"If you cannot handle this, then you may as well go back," She spat. "I did not come this far to hear a sore loser's complaint." 

"It was a question," Val replied in irritation. "And I am sorry that I assumed you had more patience to listen."

"No problem," Ria answered sarcastically. "You already made me pay a mental price to get the Prime."

Val was on her feet in a flash. She had dealt with enough.

"What the hell is your deal?" Val exploded. "You act as if I am nothing to you anymore."

"If you keep this up, then perhaps," Ria shot back. "And honestly, I do not know why you care so much about me. In case you forgot, I work better alone."

Val was shocked, which then gave way to rage. 

"You know, I went through so much shit when the case was assigned to me," Val began, pointing at herself. "I was ridiculed by my human colleagues, targeted multiple times by people I did not know, played like a puppet by both you and Allister alike. I was abandoned in Mendoria, and still I came back. You know why?"

"No-"

"I did this for you," Val said, her eyes teary. "I may as well have dipped my head in shit if it meant ensuring you were alive. After everything, you were like my sister and one of the only friends I had in this foreign world. And then you just... left me?"

"Until you see a person you loved die in front of your own eyes, you would never understand," Ria growled.

"Yes, and so you dump everyone else that you have and isolate yourself in a hospital for four goddamn months, all the while feigning mental health issues or whatever," Val said. "And then, rather than just telling me outright, you made me go through the time of my life to understand that you were now a revolutionary."