The Devil's Crown

LXIII Treasure Hunt.

“I think their daughter fell in love with you at first sight,” Chris said.

Elfric blinked once before his eyes narrowed giving his friend the are-you-serious look. Hence, there was no need for words, Chris already picked it up…it was kind of hard not to.

“D-Don’t look at me like that!” Chris protested, holding his urge to push his sick friend. “It’s the truth.”

“What you are saying is far away from being the truth, Chris,” said Elfric. “It’s called speculation.”

“It’s called deduction you i***t blondie,”

Elfric raised an eyebrow, gesturing for his friend to elaborate on his case. “Go on.”

“So, you are the type of guy that girls go mad over,” said Chris pointing to his friend's face. “And then a letter comes in from a girl that’s looking for you. And you don’t know her, then what else would it be other than that girl wants to get to know you!”

Elfric second-guessed his recovery, seeing his mind’s failure to process the explanation. “Just forget it, Chris,” he sighed.

So what if there was a Noble girl head over heels for him? What was he going to do about it? It wasn’t that he had time on his hands to date either, a Noble at that. The very thought made him want to puke.

“W-Was she present in the previous events? You know in Casablanca?” Elfric suddenly felt the curiosity eat at him.

“I believe so,” he gave it some thought, more curious about the sudden interest. “Most of the Nobles were there.

*There it was* Elfric scoffed out loud. Another reason that placed the very thought of dating on the impossible list.

Though he has got to wonder what would be her reaction when she unearths that it was him that held her captive with guns to her head.

The thought was amusing.

“Setting that aside did you see the news!” Chris stated.

Elfric had no clue how his friend was able to switch between topics at this speed. “What?” Elfric breathed out, couldn’t sound more disinterested as he yanked his phone from the table to charge it.

“You probably haven’t seen it since you are such a primitive man but…” he paused, holding out his own phone from his pocket. “These videos have been all over the Web and TV.”

He acquired the meaning of the words immediately. Elfric has almost forgotten the fruitful events of merely 3 days ago – that he was responsible for – being bedridden during the time he was supposed to witness the harvest of his events, wasn’t the best of things.

Nevertheless, the news was still trending. His eyes fixed to the phone screen as he saw the memory play itself in front of him, a déjà vu almost. Elfric had to fight the smirk from the surfacing, holding on to his disinterest in anything related to Nobles. He thanked his old self for the personality he built during the past 19 years of his life.

“Terrorist. What’s new?” he shoved the phone back to Chris.

Chris showed almost a hurt face. “You have no passion at all do you!?”

“Why should I?” Elfric faked a scoff. “Whenever they make a mess of our already miserable lives, everything gets worse.”

“Heartless…yup that’s what you are…”

Inside, Elfric was pleased and proud like never before in his whole life. For the first time, there was something that he could say caused a change, a step taken seriously with the intent to change their forsaken lives. Victorious to the side of the weak for the first time. He might have pretended that he wasn’t reading but he was.

Chris was already upon his feet excusing himself, leaving Eflric to the comfort of his room and his phone to surf the Web for the fruits of his hard work. And indeed that was what he found.

*MAYBE NOT TERRORISTS BUT A REBELLION FOR A FUTURE*

The first goal was complete. Now the headlines are forever changed, they are no longer going to be known as a terrorist that threatens the safety of the people, the videos shoot inside the hotel were proof enough to the world.

Now that everything has changed, each step taken from now on needs to be measured. It needs to be planned with utmost precession, the future was resting on him…and his devil.

~~~~

West was in a good mood the past three days. Every headline published was changing the course of their record straight. The record that finally witnessed the victory in its long dark history. The first headline with *REBELS* in bold letters, melted all his worries even if it was for a short while.

It marked the leading point of the change of their purpose to society, it was hard to admit that everything that they did was cast off as an inhumane attack against the peace and tranquility of Greater London. But that was no more.

As he arranged his mind to register the events, he couldn’t help but smirk.

“You are in a good mood,”

His head snapped up to see Scarlet. He allowed her back but still, part of him was not over the trouble she almost got them in by acting stubborn.

“Is there a reason not to be?” he simply uttered, adjusting himself in the chair.

“I just wanted to start a conversation,” said she, helping herself to the chair opposite to him. A small rounded table distancing them apart to prevent their sparks from colliding.

“Let’s not start one if not needed,”

She scoffed. “I’m not here to portray you, West.” She couldn’t believe her own words. “I’m here to deliver the words of the others.”

“Why don’t they come and spit it out?”

She scoffed silently. This was his way of being in a good mood, she found it hilarious.

“Because that’s not the way things work, and you know that,” she simply replied, crossing one leg over the others. “Anyway, we need resources. Weapons, ammunition. We are going broke.”

West didn’t appear to be pissed, perhaps he really was in a good mood.

“You are too calm about it,” she raised a brow.

“Because I already suspected that it would happen,” he leaned back against his chair. “After the heist, we have been getting recruitment, they need training, they will need weapons. I’ve already set someone up for this treasure hunt.”

“What?” she exclaimed. “I thought that I will be the one to get the weapons!”

“With your father’s money I assume?” he uttered, his tone was filled with humorless sarcasm. “Money can always be tracked down, anything transferred with banks and the Webs can always be tracked down to the owner…not to mention that the weapons sold can also be identified. You don’t think the dealer will willingly take a bullet to keep the buyer anonymous, are you?”

Scarlet could feel her cheeks on fire with embarrassment. He had a point but what else are they going to do. They can’t fight with their bare hands. “Then what do you suggest we do?” she breathed out.

“Steal,”

“Steal?”

“Stolen weapons they can never be tracked down back to us you know,” West elaborated. “Allen is already searching for the right target.”

“It won’t be easy,”

“Since when was our work easy,” he said his last words before pushing his chair back with a clatter. Leaving her sitting alone with her eyes glued to his back figure, the limp in his left leg has already gotten so much better. His face looked better as well, she started seeing something in him that she has never seen before.

Not hope. He has always had it inside him, why else would he go through all this trouble despite the humiliating continuous failures? He has finally set a new record, took a new step forward. West was finally feeling the progress after all this time.

Finally, now they are talking.

~~~~

Everything has been a haze since Jake woke up a few days ago. He couldn’t get the remainder of the first thing that his eyes fell on. The venom green that was coating his surroundings, he could taste the metal in his mouth as he bit down on a tube. He could feel the air forcing itself inside him through his mouth to keep him alive. The dark green shadows of men standing on the other side of the glass, staring at him as if he was a painting of sort. His eyelids were heavy, and slowly he felt his toes touch the metal bottom of the capsule he was in.

Jake shuddered the memory away. At least now he wasn’t floating in liquid, he was in a room of some sort. They finally treated him like a human, gave him clothes to at least over his bottom. The cold tiled floor was now warm from his body heat as he rested his back against the wall. He could feel the difference, he could feel the change in his body too much that it felt foreign to him.

He was yet to get to know his own body. God knows what they have done to him, part of him was envious of Ash. *He doesn’t have to go through all this again* he sighed as he hit his head on the wall releasing a shaky breath. His ears flinched as he heard the door in front of him slide open…he wanted to throw up.

“You have always lived up to our expectations, Jake,”