Earth: The Second

Jerry

Hidden from the fight between Adma and the Black Claws, is a kid who is ditching his work by tailing Adma’s activity again. Probably feel ashamed of himself after Adma save and cornered him, today Jerry decide to sneak out of the orphanage after breakfast, to find that Adma brings the buckets to the fountain for fetching-water assignment. 

He wants to see with his own two eyes how that man will be able to bring those water quickly without pouring out its content.

What he found instead is one guy, fighting against four men, and one woman. He realizes that those are Black Claws, a group of an adventurer who also worked as mercenary. Whatever jobs pay them better. Also, Black Claws are the group assigned by the duke of the city to persecute people of the outskirts. In other words, they are his enemies.

Jerry sees how the conversation went between Black Claws and Adma. He finds it difficult to listen to it clearly since he had to hide at one of the houses, pretty far from where they are.

“What are they talking about?” Jerry thoughts, he sees that Adma right now is bending his knee to fetch the water from the fountain. Behind him, the leader looks like he has an idea to bully that man by pushing him onto the water.

But Adma move so quickly! He spins his body to the side, and lets that man pushed an empty air and falling to the fountain! Jerry is opened his mouth in awe, a grin then appeared on his face to see that hilarious moment where those nasty people get what they deserve.

But the funny moments quickly end there, as the Boss started to advance himself. Soon after that, his subordinates are following him to encircling Adma. At this point, Jerry started to worry about what will happen to Adma, while he spouting mean stuff to him yesterday, this fight proves that Adma has no connection with adventurers that are persecuting his village.

On the other hand, he is pretty strong himself! Able to dodge and parry their attack, also giving counterattack while he is at it! No wonder Kiki is looked up to him!

However, things do not look good to Adma as he receiving more and more damage. Jerry wonders will he go down soon, only to find out something that is more surprising. While he looked like an ordinary adult, under those clothes are black-colored muscles, made out of some kind of metal, with a joint that looked similar to a doll. However, from the neck, Adma looked just like a normal human.

“Is that… a doll?” he mutters to himself. He does see dolls as toys for the rich children, in the city. But this one, is able to move and act just like humans? He grew afraid of what Adma is.

As the fight continues, Jerry can hear their conversation. It looks like the Black Claws are on the mission from the Duke again, looking for some Artifacts, and for some reason, they suspect that Adma, may know something, only to find something extraordinary about him. 

Finally, the fighting comes to the c****x, as Adma decides to go all out against them.

“I feel very uncomfortable to come along with people that tried to kill me!” he screamed, then with a speed as fast as lightning, he advancing toward one of those people. Jerry noticed that weird-haired adventurer, as the one which going to kick him yesterday, if not stopped by Adma himself.

That weird-haired man is screaming, but Adma already behind him and circling his hand around. With a swift move, Adma makes his neck create a crackling sound, and that adventurer fell to the ground, lifeless.

“You monster!” one more screaming while swinging his sword to Adma, but Adma already had the sword from the person he previously killed. and throw it to his next target. The sword successfully stabbed his chest, and he just fell to the ground.

In the end, there are only three of them left. A shielder, a thief, and the leader himself, presumably, a swordsman. They are standing head-on, until Adma threatening them.

“This is your last chance to leave, or I will break all of your necks!”

Soon after that, the group decides to retreat. Leaving their fallen comrade behind. Jerry saw it all, his heart throbbing with fear and admiration towards that man who managed to repel those adventurers that he hates so much. He decides that his friends have to know this, not his ordinary friends but people who ganged up intending to overthrow Udeka, the Duke. 

Quick but silently, he left the scene and walked towards the fields and farm. Many people are continuing their activities there. They don’t want to go to the plaza as they already know ‘there are adventurers on the plaza, and I won’t be involved with their mess.’ Soon after, he arrived at one of those wheat fields and screamed his friend’s name.

He asked them to come to their usual locations and then continuing to get his other friends from the grape fields, vegetable fields, and finally the farms. One of them is a teenager, probably two or three years older than Jerry with curly hair, and a thin beard. He is in the middle of tending pigs when he hears that boy’s sound. 

“Leader! Leader! You have to hear this!” said Jerry excitedly.

“Sssh! Cut out with the ‘Leader’! What happened?”

“I have a proposal that we can use to fight against Udeka! This time, we may be able to do it!”

That person that Jerry called ‘leader’ looked at him with questioning looks, but as he wanted to ask Jerry what is he talking about, Jerry just said that they will meet in their base where he will explain everything.

And just like that, Jerry left him to catch his other friends from the same movement.

***

Adma dragged the body of his ‘victim’ to the village’s cemetery located in the chapel near the plaza. Over there, he can found a shovel that was intentionally left there. And then, he started digging.

Because his previous clothes have tattered from the previous battle, he decides to take Toby’s clothes as his replacement. After all, he does not want to freak people out with his machine appearance. 

The only problem is that he is digging a grave for two people in light of day. Whoever seeing him will call him a murderer, and probably, he will be thrown to prison.

“Have to do this quickly,” Adma said to himself, as he digs those holes faster. Eventually, he manages to dig deep enough, so that Toby and Oddy’s body is fit inside it. After sealing the hole with dirt and ground, Adma placed a stone that can be used as a gravestone. 

“Finished. Don’t come back to life and haunting me, since you two brought this upon yourself,” comment Adma until he realizes how stupid it sounds.

He returns the shovel to the place where he found it. This chapel and graveyard seem so quiet. Adma has prepared if he going to meet someone who will suspect him as a criminal, but not even a priest from this chapel came out to inspect what outside.

This also comes to Adma’s mind, does Father Risto is the only priest in this village then? but he himself had never seen him providing services other than tending the orphans.

Finished with his business, Adma planned to his original duty, but a voice stopped him.

“Hey! Adma!”

Jerry screamed at him, sweat and dirt everywhere, exactly just like yesterday.

“I thought you have stopped following me and doing your job?” Adma replied.

“You killed them!” Jerry shouted again, hearing that, Adma prepared for the worst where he will be outcasted from this place. “You won! You manage to kill those damn adventurers!”

Adma’s eye goes wide as he surprised with how is this event turned out.

“Listen to me, I want you to meet these people, they are my friends and we have struggled many times to keep the peace in this village! We are in dire need of your help!” asked Jerry.

Adma staring at Jerry. Yesterday, Jerry act very hostile toward Adma, but today for some reason he begs for his help.

“Is that mean… You see what happen some time ago?” Adma asked.

“Of course! Kiki’s story is real! You are so strong and able to beat those bastards just with an empty hand!” 

Adma let out a sigh. He wondered why this child in front of him goes excited to see a man killed someone else.

“Go away kid, and I will leave you alone instead,” Adma quickly turns him down, and proceed to go back to the village’s plaza.

“If you won’t come with me, I will just tell the people that you are a dangerous person, and have to be expelled outside the city,” said Jerry, he looked at Adma with sharp eyes. His words are straight with no sounds of afraid hidden in them.

Adma looked at him from the corner of his eyes, as he questioning what the hell happened with him today. Confronted by the thugs, having to kill another person, and now persecuted by a child?

“I’ll come and hear what you have to say, but that is all that I’m going to do,” said Adma, finally letting Jerry won over this conversation.

A beam of a smile appeared on Jerry’s face, and then turn to grin.

“You got it. Come to the woods after dusk, you will see light hidden beneath the trees,” said Jerry to Adma. Then, he just leaves.

Adma seeing that kid until he is gone in the distance. That grinning face that he sees is not something that should be shown by a child. Today, he just killed two adventurers that persecuting this village. 

He probably can not show his face around the guild either, or he risking himself to find Boss with his crew walking around to hunt him down. On the other hand, Adma also questioning himself, that there is probably even more person who is stronger than him in this world.

From now on, he has to proceed carefully.