Who Needs Magic in a Fantasy World Anyway?

Chapter 35: Confrontation

Staring up at the ceiling in her room until the sun finally began to rise, Koko didn't even feel tired as she pondered just what to say to her roommate, who was still sleeping peacefully. Over an unknown amount of time, the birds started chirping, the light from the sun intensified and Christina's soft snoring became quieter and quieter until the girl eventually started stirring awake. Though, even though they'd only been together for a short time, Koko knew that it was still far to early for Christina to begin her daily schedule of training and studying.

"You're up early." Koko stated without moving on her bed, though it was only after several minutes as the words had seemed to stick in her mouth. She found herself almost reluctant to begin the conversation knowing that it would eventually bring one of them pain, but she had to do it. She had to risk both her and Christina's happiness in order to save that of other people's, and it wasn't an easy thing to do.

"And you're still awake, despite being exhausted in class everyday." Christina replied, finally speaking to Koko again. "But at least you're up by yourself today, so you should be able to make it to class on time."

"And just where are you going so early in the morning?" Koko asked.

"The church has asked for my help in a matter." Christina answered cryptically. "Please tell the others."

"Say Christina... does doing hero work feel rewarding?" Koko asked in a curious tone as she turned a stern gaze towards the girl. "How does it make you feel when you help the church."

"It does feel rewarding." Christina answered shortly as she donned her armor. However she was turned around and didn't see Koko's eyes, otherwise she would have noticed the doubt in them.

"Really? Because your attitude tells otherwise." Koko commented before getting up to where she was sitting on the edge of her bed. "If you don't like it, then you don't have to go. The church is supposed to help the hero, but it's purely optional if it's the other way around."

"Thank you for your opinion, but I didn't ask for it." Christina replied with a voice that cracked like a whip before she walked outside of the room and shut the door behind her, leaving Koko to let out her held breath as she looked at the floor. As expected, Christina had fled when the topic became uncomfortable. So now, there was really only one way to proceed. To make sure that she couldn't run away.

Taking deep breaths in an attempt to keep herself calm, Koko wait until she heard a door shut from somewhere outside before she watched as the church's carriage began moving towards Goldgate. Though it didn't even reach the first training field before Koko opened the window and jumped three stories down to the ground, landing lightly on her feet before she began chasing after the wagon with her letters and memory crystal in hand.

Following the carriage as it sped past the fields, Koko used the rows of corn to her advantage as she went through one of the farm fields, speeding past the carriage before positioning herself beside a large tree near the road ahead of it. And as the carriage approached, Koko kicked the side of the tree, detonating the side of it from the pressure before it started to fall and she guided it's path onto the road.

Whinnying as they panicked slightly, the horses of the carriage were almost instantly reigned to a stop as the surprised coachman attempted to avoid the fallen tree that was now on his path. And as it stopped, the door on the side of the carriage immediately opened as an alarmed Christina walked out with her hand on the hilt of her long sword before she spotted the tree and started scanning the area around it. However, she didn't have to look for long before Koko moved out from behind the tree's fallen canopy and hopped lightly over the fallen trunk to reveal herself.

"You..." Christina's eyes narrowed as she spotted Koko. "What are you doing?!"

"Stopping you from doing something that you'll regret." Koko replied, watching as the startled coachman nervously escaped off to the side of the scene as Christina slowly walked forward with her hand still on the hilt of her weapon.

"You're stopping me from purging a den of criminals? Are you with them?!" Christina demanded to know.

"A den of criminals?" Koko asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, you mean the orphanage that you're heading to, right? Or did Celdric even tell you that before he asked you to help with evicting those kids that have nowhere else to go?"

"Wherever evil may be, it is my duty as a hero to root it out in the name of the gods." Christina replied. "It is none of your business."

"Geez, listen to yourself! Do you even remember how many family's lives you've ruined by 'purging' evil?! Do you?!" Koko yelled, angry now as she once again thought about it before walking over to the tree's stump and slamming down the bundle of letters on top of it. "Did you ever question Celdric about what you two were doing, even when you were surrounded by the crying families of the people that you hurt?!"

"They have to pay the price for associating with the evil!" Christina yelled back.

"Wake up!" Koko snapped back in reply. "The gods teach nothing but forgiveness and understanding, so do you really think that this is how they would work?! You've read the church's teachings before. You know that this isn't right!"

"You will not be the one to lecture me about the gods, not when I am their chosen one!" Christina snapped back. "I've been raised as a hero for my entire life. I've followed the god's teachings for my entire life!"

"Yet you've done nothing but cause harm and disgrace everything that they've ever tried to teach you!" Koko yelled, despite feeling the blood lust rising to a dangerous level from Christina. "But it isn't your fault, it's Celdric's!"

"Celdric's?" Christina now looked confused as soon as Koko brought up his name.

"I know that Celdric raised you and that you probably trust him a lot more than anyone, but he's an evil man!" Koko declared. "Yes, he raised you, and he was probably the best thing to ever happen to you. But he only raised you to become a tool for him! And I can prove it!"

"Don't you dare talk about Father Celdric like that!" Christina yelled in fury.

"These documents that I have here are all written by Celdric personally!" Koko continued. "They are all to bandits and Goldgate's criminal population! They're all about targeting innocent businesses inside of the city and robbing the owners of everything that they own, just for the criminals and Celdric to get rich!"

"The funds from the purges are all used to help the people of the city, none of it goes to the priests!" Christina countered in an attempt to help Celdric's case.

"Really? Because the last time that I was there, I sure saw a lot of starving orphans and beggars... I wonder where all of those funds went to exactly?!" Koko continued. "Not that either you or Celdric care, because I'm willing to bet that you were the cause of half of them to be in that position in the first place!"

"Shut up!" Christina yelled as golden light flared around her, disrupting the air as she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Koko. "I'll not hear your lies for a minute longer! I am a hero, and I will destroy evil wherever I find it. Be it in an orphanage or elsewhere!"

"You've lost the right to be called a hero a long time ago!" Koko declared, retrieving the letters from the stump and placing them within her robes before getting into her own stance. "Right now you're nothing more than a puppet, working for the very evil that you're trying to purge! But you can fix this! All you have to do is open your mind to the possibility and you'll see Celdric for who he really is!"

"Shut up!" Christina screamed, finally having enough before the ground around her suddenly erupted as she burst forward, almost flying through the air as she charged directly towards Koko.