BLOOD BOUNDED - THE MOONLIGHT - Eng - Castlevania Lords of Shadow (fanfic) PIII

Chapter 50

The level of irritability was reaching ranks that not even he himself could have imagined that he could acquire.

"And then it boomed in it's face and whoosh, fire everywhere!"

"Yeah, the wretch didn't see it coming."

"That mission was incredible, I'm sure those creatures won't bother anymore."

"All thanks to our good brother. Don't you think, Gabriel!"

"I have to admit, I don't normally approve of his bad temper, but if he lets off steam in combat like that, he could become the trump card of our party."

"Come on, Gabe, don't be a curmudgeon, celebrate with us sometime! You are the guest of honor, after all! And if you bring your friends it doesn't bother us, you know?"

"Thomas!"

"José is right, Tomás, the ladies never bother, but if we celebrate the men, we could scare them away."

"More if Gabriel keeps growling like that..."

"Come on, brother, relax."

Gabriel removed Tomas's hand from his shoulder and snorted.

"I already told you that there is nothing to celebrate. We defeated those creatures, but one village was devastated. We did not arrive on time."

His brothers backed down, knowing that he was right, however, they were not going to give up so easily:

"We know that well, brother," said José "but if we are guided only by those we could not save, we will not be able to pay tribute to those who still live thanks to us."

"Even if you're right" Gabriel insisted "it won't erase the victims. If you'll excuse me, I want to finish as soon as possible and go rest."

He squirted some water over his head and went back to rubbing furiously with the crude bar of soap.

"Rest?" Manuel gasped, rubbing his arms "Do you actually rest?"

"Leave it alone" José was passing a damp cloth over his chest.

"Of course" he continued sarcastically "when he went to wash in the river he took all the time in the world. Now that he's finally using the bathrooms with the rest of the trainees? So he wants to finish as soon as possible... Let's say he doesn't have the right company, perhaps."

"Manuel!"

"But" Tomás was shaking his blond hair "who are we to judge? We already saw them, the maidens, they are not easy to ignore, you know?"

"Suuuure" José raised his eyebrows "so how about a little date of the river with that lady... Julia, was she called?"

"Well," he cleared his throat, with a hint of blush "I couldn't be rude by refusing such a meeting."

"Aaahhh, it can't be!" Manuel complained, "How come you always get all the attention, it's not fair!!"

"I don't know, why could that be..." His brothers rolled their eyes.

Gabriel threw water at himself again and had to push his brown hair out of his face. In his mind he flashed Marie's face again, recoiling from her presence. That, apparently, had been one of the many ways that his mind had found to torture him, in all this time that he had isolated himself from her. Although that had not been the only one, nor the cruelest.

He saw his hands, which at that moment were full of that substance close to blood. His body had lain stinking for days, maybe weeks after that, no matter how hard he fought to stay clean. He told himself that he didn't want to approach her in that state... but he knew better.