City of Sinners

City 19

The bees are not attacking us anymore. I was busy attending to Valour, but half of my attention were towards the fact that the bees are not attacking us anymore.

I have no idea why that was happening. It was as if the whole Vulture gang suddenly became invisible in the eyes of the bees, and just pass through us without any bothering.

I am kind of glad however because I and Gaston are having a free time in helping Valour out of the honey trap he was being covered with. When we’re done, we started to tap Valour on his face.

“Valour? Hey, Valour, wake up,” I said.

On the Background, I heard a man screaming in pain because of something. And when I looked at it, I saw a man that was flying above, blood filled and dripping on his chest, being dragged in the air by the bee as the needle sting of the bee was cursing on his chest. Bullshit.

Then Valour grunted. I quickly removed my attention away to that poor man who had horribly died from the needle stings, and then I looked at Valour.

“Man’s gaining back his self,” Gaston said.

Slowly, I saw how Valour open his eyelids. I smiled triumphantly when I finally secured that Valour was still alive. I am extremely happy because I managed to save him. For the time, Valour has been somehow a great company to me. Though I know that it was because of his job, being a butler and a body guard for me, with his company and sometimes annoying following of me towards wherever I go, I could not deny the fact that he became an important person in my life. He became my bestfriend—because I do not have any. And the fact that I was able to help him; save him … it was fulfilling. I felt bliss even though we’re inside this hellish place.

“Where are we?” It was the first thing that Valour asked after he gained back his consciousness.

“We’re still inside the first circle of hell. Though not in the safe zone anymore,” I answered him.

“Sitri, I think I know the reason why we’re being left out by the bees,” Gaston suddenly said. While helping Valour to stand up and be finally free from cocoon made out of dried honey, my attention were on Gaston.

“Really? Why is it?” I asked.

“’twas because bees were the first challenge to us. And you just snatch away the red flag in a snap the moment you saved Valour,” Gaston explained.

“Huh?” I am confused.

“You see, to catch the red flag means we’ve caught the victory. And so, the moment that you got Valour back, is also the moment that you caught the red flag of victory. That means, in simpler term, that Valour was the flag. That right after you caught Valour back to us, means you also caught the victory. Which means, we won the challenge. And the prize is the resistance to the attacks of those frightening creatures.”

Valour has finally stood up. He started to stretch his body who has been crumpled in a small sack of honey cocoon. With that, I decided to come towards Gaston to clarify more details about his conspiracy.

“Got there any proof to tell what you say are probably true?” I asked him. His gaze was far away. And then, he pointed something: another group from the six gangs of Sao Garde. The crows.

“The crows has just saved their member. Though nearly five people were their casualties. But look at them now. As soon as they cut the honey rope from the bee hive, the bees had not attacked them again.

I have to say that Gaston’s guessed and explanation were making sense to me. It was right after I saved Valour when the bees and hornets started ignore me.

“Look at Solomon and the Ravens. They were fascinatingly moving and fighting the bees, but they were constantly being attacked by those insect because they haven’t saved their member yet.”

On the other direction, I saw Jerross and the Eagle gang, about to cut the rope that hangs their member on the bee hives. They were being attacked by the insects, but when Jerross successfully cut the honey that make s them hanging, the bees suddenly moved to other direction and left the eagles be untouched.

“I guess you’re telling the truth,” I said.

Then something has hit me hard. “I-Is this challenge only effective to the gang you belong to?” I asked.

“It only affect Vulture gang from saving Valour. Then I am pretty sure the effect is to the gang who had done it right,” he casually said as if he had sense nothing wrong in it.

But for me, there is. And I have a bad feeling that this group and gang separation will be a huge deal in this place. In this hell. Or am I just overthinking? I don’t know.

“The whole place is messy,” from the back, Valour said. When I looked at him, I saw him holding his head. “Damn it, I can’t remember anything.”

“It must be because you were in the state of shock, dude. Allow yourself to breath first. We can handle this situation,” Gaston said to Valour.

We were stunned by how many deaths we were seeing as the battle of gangs versus bees were being held. Still, there were three more gangs who haven’t saved their captured members yet. One of it was the Ravens—which means people of Solomon. But then, as I watched Solomon swiftly moving in the battle field (as if he was a master of assassination), I knew then that in no more minutes, they will be able to save their members back again.

Minutes after, we were surprised when the Mocking Birds had also finished the challenge. Mocking birds were usually the dark horse of the gangs. They wouldn’t be talking that much compared to Ravens and Eagles, but in terms of power, they would never fail to surprise everyone.

The only left gang that was still in the middle of danger—and of losing hope, were the Owls. They could not save Agos from being bounded. And worst, they are one by one … dying.