Arknights - Hearts of Fortune collection

Hearts of Fortune

Alter Valero, that's me. A 23-year-old Liberi Iberian living the life! Well, I am currently hiding in the dumpster from the Laterano's Pontifica Cohors. You may wonder how I got into this sticky situation? The answer is simple, really. I stole guns. A lot of em. Hopefully the pope doesn't deploy the Apostolic knights to pursue me.

Disrupting my inner monologue is the sound of screeching tires as a suspicious white van halted in front of the dumpster, after which I immediately got out of the disgusting dumpster and entered the van. Of course, that is my getaway vehicle driven by my best friend Aro.

"Aro! There you are! Now let's get the fuck out of here! Come on!" I shout full of adrenaline, urging him to speed away.

"I'm trying here, Alt! You just had to steal more than we agreed!" Aro yelled back, with a frustrated tone. How dare he? It was I who procured him his white van!

"I can't help It okay! The experimental guns were just to good to pass up! Besides, it's not hurting anyone right?"

"We're being chased!" Aro panicked as our van was rammed from the side. I took a look at the window and saw a Sankta reloading his rifle. I immediately took action and took the wheel from Aro.

"What are you doing?!-" he tried to protest but I shut him up by ramming back the car that rammed us, and made it crash into a light pole.

"Aro! Can you shoot them?!"

"I don't know how to use a gun!" He helplessly yelled. How useless of him, no matter, we'll just have to leave the city and go to somewhere. How hard could that be?
5 hours later

"We made it. We are in bumfuck nowhere..." I said exasperatedly, "hm? Where are you going Aro?"

"I'm sorry Alt, but I can't keep living like this..." Aro said rather pathetically, "I can't keep living this life! We're a wanted fugitive now, Alt. A WANTED fugitive." He half yelled in frustration in front of my face, that's rather close, isn't it?

"Well, life has its ups and downs, Aro. This is simply one of the times where life is in its downs." I casually said as I picked an apple from a tree. It looked rather rotten, though...

"YOU CRASHED THE VAN!! MY VAN!!" He suddenly yelled and pointed towards the totalled van that has become one with the river. That caught me off guard. Dropped my apple too, tch. "Do you even know exactly WHERE We ARE?!"

"Somewhere in Iberia?... I think..." I scratched my head. It's true that I have no fucking idea where we are, but come on! Don't be so aggressive and yelling all of a sudden! Really, in all my years of knowing Aro, I hadn't seen him become this angry. Or disappointed.

"SOMEWHERE?!?! That's it?! Somewhere in Iberia?!?!" Aro let out another burst of anger before taking a deep breath and calming down somewhat, "I'm leaving, Alt. You do whatever you want... But don't drag me into this. I'm going home." He turned to leave, but stopped halfway, "Also, do whatever you want with those stolen guns. I don't want any of it."

"Whaat? Weren't you the one who enthusiastically agreed to this heist? Why not grab one gun for your spoils?" I asked him dumbfoundedly. This guy... What's going on in his mind?

"Like I said, I don't want it. Good luck Alt. And Goodbye"

I watched as Aro walks away further and further, until eventually his figure is merely a speck. I thought about it, suddenly, my best friend of 15 years left me alone after we stole a bunch of the Sankta's beloved guns... Isn't it better if we stay together to avoid imprisonment? Isn't it better to stay on the run?

Whatever, I don't get that guy anyways, even though we've known each other for 15 years.

I laid back on a rather comfortable looking rock I found earlier, it was near the river bed so it was close to our totalled van. I thought of the apple I previously picked, but I remembered that it was rotten already. How disappointing.