Brutal Journey Of An Unfortunate Female Heroine 47 Ceremony 4

"Peasant." Lydis looked at their spite filled faces hidden behind laced filled fans.

"Do you need something?" Lydis didn't flash her smile. Instead she showed a cold face with indifference. The rich girl saw the boredom in Lydis's eyes and almost went on a shrieking rampage but one of the other ladies stepped forward.

"We have some things you need to tell us." The amber haired girl emphasized the 'need' in her sentence. Lydis almost wanted to roll her eyes at them but held it in, if they had information she could use, there was always a way to get it. Instead Lydis decided to drag things out.

"Me? What should I need to tell you?" Lydis tilted her head to the side.

"Hmph. Play dumb all you want. See that beauty over there?" The amber haired girl pointed behind her to a lady surrounded by girls. The lady was dressed in a white satin ankle dress that almost blended with her pearl white skin. The summer dress blew gently with the wind, her light green shawl s.h.i.+fting as well., Her seafoam hair was pulled up in an intricate bun on top of her head. Green pearls for eyes, her hair had various ornaments in them as well. If Lydis had to describe her in one way it would be like the surface of the ocean collected the softest sea colors and spit out a little girl.

The amber haired girl looked triumphant as she saw Lydis's eyes drift over to the delicate lady.

"That is miss Fior Flur Bianca Breavux. The second miss of the Breavux household. If you didn't know, the Breavux's are a Baron household. You need to go over and pay your respects to miss Bianca. If you don't, bullying isn't all we're capable of. We'll make your life here miserable! Khaha!" The amber haired girl lifted her hand and held it close, moving along with her high pitched laughs. She tried to look intimidating. The difference in height made her look up at Lydis. At most, she came off as a rebellious child.

Lydis had to cover her mouth to hide her mocking smile. She couldn't believe that people really had the thick skin to say those sort of things. 'Khaha'? What was she, an old school villain mob?

The amber haired girl took Lydis reaction as the complete opposite. Seeing as Lydis covered her mouth in shock and horror she knew that the effect was settling in.

"Now that you know go over and bo-!?" She stopped when she saw Lydis turn around and leave. "H-Hey wait!" The amber haired grabbed Lydis's coat and pulled hard. Lydis stopped walking and tilted her head behind her slightly, her hair covering most of her face.

"Huh? You got a problem?" Lydis snapped at the girl. Just from the amber haired girl's words Lydis knew that their group wasn't worth her time. "p.i.s.s off scrub." Lydis swatted at the other girl's hands. She yelped and pulled back, her hand stinging. She shook as Lydis stared at her. Why was this impudent commoner rebelling? Even if she wasn't a n.o.ble family, her family were of the knight rank! It should be higher than some random commoner… so why? Why was she scared for her life right now?

A warm liquid spread down the amber haired girl's legs. Lydis saw it and threw her head back, wild laughter echoing into the rest of the clearing.

"Ha ha ha! Look everyone! This is the perfect example of a child. Wetting their pants at age ten, what a joke!" Lydis made sure to make her voice loud enough for most people to hear. The ones that didn't would still be drawn because of the group.

The other children who had been bored standing around all day quickly clamored over, looking for any action or gossip. As the group around the crying girl increased Lydis took this chance to separate herself from them and slink back into the edge of the forests.

Owen had watched it all unfold from his spot in a tree. Bennox had found him after Lydis left the slum kids. He saw Lydis blend in with the other students then disappear. Even her blazing red hair vanished, then he saw something enter the forest. a.s.suming that it was Lydis, Owen shook the tree slightly, signaling to Bennox below him.

"Bennox, she just went into the forest again. Do you want to follow her?" Owen looked down at the pacing Bennox. He had never really seen Bennox stressed nor as agitated as he was now. Usually he's calm and calculative, not pacing and chewing on his thumbnail.

Bennox looked up and registered Owen's words.

"No. No no, for now we need to… wait. Yeah, we'll wait. Make sure you're keeping a constant watch on her." Bennox didn't stop pacing, soon there was a visible dirt ring around the tree Owen was standing in.

"Alright." Owen went back to observing Lydis. He couldn't actually tell Bennox that when she entered the forest he had lost sight of her.

Lydis was on the move again. Stalking the shadows, she avoided the lighter parts of the forest. A part of the words had bugged her.

"Leave, talent, strength. Childhood, doesn't, prevails. Behind, matter, above all. Three phrases…" Lydis moved from shadow to shadow.

"Leave… talent…strength…" She knew that there had to be three phrases but how to word them was tricky.

"Childhood… doesn't… prevails…" Slowly, Lydis was moving around the clearing. The group laughing at the soiled girl was already far behind her.

"Behind… matter… above all…" Lydis pa.s.sed the twins huddled together. They jumped at when they saw her but she disappeared just as fast.

"B-brother, what was that?" The round faced boy looked up at his slightly taller twin.

"I don't know but it was muttering something." They wrapped their arms around each other and continued to work.

Lydis was halfway around the clearing now. She had pa.s.sed many children, some noticed her while others didn't sense anything. She saw the hooded little girl ahead of her. A flower pattern etched onto the girl's cloak caught Lydis's eye. Thin strands formed a picture of gladiolus upside down. From small sprouts to a fully bloomed gladiolus. Multiple flowers bloomed in the center. Gladiolus. Something about it struck Lydis.

She recalled the faint tips and lessons Zai had taught her about outdoor survival. Not just fighting but traps, scouting, fis.h.i.+ng, shelter building, anything essential to survive in the wilderness she had some knowledge of. Gladiolus were edible but they also made great containers. There was also something else about them. Strength. Valeri had given her a little floriography trivia lesson. Gladiolus meant strength, moral integrity and infatuation. Strength. Lydis stopped a few meters from the girl, making sure to hide behind in the bushes.

"Strength…" Looking at the hooded girl the riddle clicked in Lydis's mind. Leave, talent, strength. Childhood, doesn't, prevails. Behind, matter, above all. She switched the words around and formed three new phrases. One phrase for one.

Leave childhood behind. Talent doesn't matter. Strength prevails above all.

So simple and yet it had taken her some time to figure it out. Lydis still had one piece missing though. Although she had a guess at the three phrases, she still didn't know what 'it' was. Looking at the girl for more clues she saw something strange. The girl stood completely still, so still it was unnatural. Usually a child would sway a little after standing for so long but the girl didn't. Her eyes were fixed onto the clearing. Looking closer Lydis saw that she didn't blink either. Wanting to test out some of her theories, Lydis picked a small rock and threw it into the tree above the girl. The girl didn't move, not even when the rock tumbled back down onto her shoulder.

Perhaps, the girl was the 'it' the board was talking about. Lydis had heard of humanoid AI's but they were mostly in the bigger cities. Everything would make sense if she was one. Lydis had only asked the slum kids if there were any adults or teenagers before them. They wouldn't know if a robot was hiding in the trees or deeper in the forest.

Lydis stood up, no longer caring whether she made noise at all. Where they were it was pretty secluded. The children in that are were spread our thinly.

"You over there in the hood." Lydis was close to the robot now. The girl turned her head to face Lydis. Her cold lifeless eyes s.h.i.+fted up and down Lydis.

"New ent.i.ty registered. Searching database. Recognized as Lydis Fawn. Proceed." The girl moved her mouth slightly along with the words. Lydis was standing in front of the girl now, their faces almost level.

"Leave childhood behind. Talent doesn't matter. Strength prevails above all." As soon as Lydis finished speaking the girl extended both hands holding her stuffed rabbit toy out in front of her. The girl didn't say anything. Lydis stared at the rabbit.

"Take to next grounds." Lydis reached one hand out and took the rabbit from the robot's hands. As soon as she had the robot girl headed further down the clearing edge. About twenty meters down. Lydis could see it reach into a tree and pull out a different stuffed animal. Staying still, it was like nothing had changed. Just the location and toy.

Wary of other kids, Lydis quickly changed locations. Now that she had the directions to the next area there was no need to stay in the clearing any longer. She went deeper into the forest, following the animal trails and then branching off. Ui sensed the change in environment and crawled out of Lydis's bag.

"Master Lydis. Before we proceed any further may I remind you that Valfafer isn't here?" If Ui didn't mention Valfafer, Lydis really would've forgotten about him! When they were still walking to the clearing Lydis had released the leash from his harness, letting him run around freely while she was busy. She pushed a b.u.t.ton on the retractable leash on her wrist. It would send a little shock to the harness until Valfafer came back on his own. Satisfied, Lydis sat down in a small undergrowth clearing surrounded by small wildflowers. The ground was worn down enough to suggest it was a resting place for animals.

Lydis flipped the toy over but didn't find anything like a map or anything on it. She poked at the eyes but found that they were plain gla.s.s. Ui crawled onto it and began using his fine sensors to rake through it's fur. A few minuets pa.s.sed when Lydis got a little notice from her wrist. The small screen on the leash said two words.

"Pet incoming."

Lydis heard Valfafer before she finished reading the second word. He burst through the surrounding gra.s.s and flew towards Lydis, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Maa.s.sterr!" Valfafer sank into Lydis. A few minutes ago, he was happily chasing a random kid in the forest when he got the shock to his back. At first, he had ignored it but when the shock came at steady intervals he knew that Lydis was somehow the cause of it!

"Hey, Valfafer!" When Valfafer had rammed into Lydis the toy and Ui had flown from her hands. They landed in the dirt. Lydis was a bit ticked off. This dumb dog always managed to make her angry at the right times! If she didn't see value in his small size and fluffy fur, who would keep such a clumsy pet? Lydis pushed Valfafer off and reached for the toy.

As she grabbed it's neck, her finger slid into a small cranny at the base of the bunny's neck. Her finger pressed on a slight b.u.t.ton and the head of the rabbit sliced open. Cotton and fabric littered the ground as a small robot tore it's way out. Lydis looked at Valfafer's confused expression and wondered if he really was useless in these situation. Ui instantly placed itself between Lydis and the smaller robot.

"Instructions for the next area." The little robot was about the size of a quarter. It laid flat on the ground and displayed a map directing where to go next. Lydis's eyes followed the lines and found that they led back to the dorms. Checking again to make sure, the map stayed the same.

"Ui, is there any way you can get information from this thing?" Lydis pointed at the small robot. Ui shook it's dragon like head.

"I'm afraid if we do the main server will be notified. I've yet to fully explore the expanse of the network inside of the academy so any unnecessary actions I suggest against. On the other hand, I'm fully capable of sc.r.a.ping any information it might have, out." Ui pulled out it's little guns on both sides as a demonstration while smaller lasers and tools popped out as well.

"Ha ha, no need Ui. If it's not one hundred percent safe, I don't want to risk anything now." Lydis tapped Ui's head. It retraced everything and went back to looking like a mini dragon. Valfafer saw this and got a weird feeling in his chest. Like something was twisting his lungs around in circles again and again. He didn't like the feeling. It made him hate himself and Ui but, he really liked Ui, so why?

Lydis went back to the map. Checking again to see if it had changed. Sighing at the unchanging mao, Lydis packed the broken toy and little robot with her. Making sure to clean the extra cotton and fabric strewn on the ground.

"Ui, time check."

"It is currently zero six forty seven." Lydis was surprised by how little time she wasted at the clearing. She expected it to be a little past seven but with the added time to her calculations Lydis felt a little relieved. On her way back to the dorm she didn't want to interact with any children either going to the clearing or just messing around so she was going to take the long way and circle around. If she left now she'd have a little over half an hour at the dorms.

Taking off in a sprint, Lydis was determined to get there without b.u.mping into anyone.

Owen stared at where Lydis had disappeared. He tried hard to find her again but after the group of laughing children dispersed, she was gone. He knew that Bennox had plans involving Lydis but he didn't know what exactly. In public he was supposed to look like the wary, unlikable one while Bennox played the role of the softie with a big heart. That was what they planned, or at least, what Bennox did. Although his character was somewhat like that, the extent of it was different. Bennox on the other hand was the complete opposite.

Surviving in the slums took more than a smile and soft heart. Those are what got people killed.

"Owen! Any sign of her?" Bennox yelled up at Owen. He was getting impatient now. Owen had two choices now. Either lie and wait there for another ten minutes or tell Bennox the truth that Lydis had disappeared. Maybe it was Bennox's pacing or the way he was off edge but Owen decided to tell him the truth.

"Hey Bennox? I lost sight of her." Bennox slammed his fist into the tree.

"I KNEW IT!" Bennox bit his finger fiercely now, blood seeping from his thumb.

"Bennox…?" Owen looked down and saw Bennox going crazy. Thras.h.i.+ng and punching things, kicking rocks and pulling at his hair. Eventually Bennox started smas.h.i.+ng his head against the tree. Owen watched with horror, Bennox was having a panic attack! Usually people would have difficulties breathing and such but Bennox was different. His resulted him viciously attacking anything and everything around him, even himself. Owen had only seen Bennox become like this when he was deeply stressed, his emotions were wild or when he felt greatly betrayed.

Prepping himself, Owen jumped down onto Bennox's back, holding onto him like a monkey. Bennox swung crazily and screamed his groans. Going low then high. Bennox managed to grab onto Owen's ear and began pulling hard. Owen bashed his head into the back of Bennox's, giving him a second to act. He quickly wrapped his legs around Bennox's waist, pulling Bennox to the floor. He placed both hands over his eyes.

"Sweet aster, sweet daffodil. Sweet aster, sweet daffodil…" Owen continued to repeate the words even as Bennox clawed at Owen's hands, scratching them. Thins lines of blood ran down Owen's arms. Even still, he continued to say the words. Bennox had told Owen to say those words while closing his eyes whenever he had a panic attack. It was something his former foster parent had done and it worked. The words could soothe him.

"Sweet aster, sweet daffodil. Sweet aster…" Bennox was calming down now. His hands no longer clawed at Owen's. Although his breathing was ragged he took deep breaths. A few more moments and Owen's chanting was stopped by Bennox's tapping.

"I'm okay now Owen…" Bennox's voice was a little hoa.r.s.e but his breathing was calm now. Owen sighed in relief and loosened his legs while removing his hands.

"I think that's the worst I've seen it Bennox." Owen already s.h.i.+fted himself onto his feet. Bending down he offered Bennox his hand. Smiling gratefully, Bennox took Owen's hand firmly.

"I know, I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm good now-!" Bennox sucked in a sharp breath. He brought his hands to his face. Streaks of his own blood bled over the dried blood from Owen. The wind blew again and Bennox flinched as well. "Looks like I really did a number on my face huh?" Bennox tried to smile it off but even moving his face muscles to smile was extremely painful.

"Let's go back to the dorms. We can get you treated there." Bennox nodded and left regretfully. As they got onto the main road to the training grounds Bennox looked over his shoulder one last time. He wanted to catch a glimpse of Lydis before giving up but sadly he didn't even catch a hint of her blazing hair. Owen nudged Bennox along and they left the clearing in silence.