ArmyTale Chpt 4 - Flash Floods

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Salutations! It's me, Malmarshes!

I rlly thought this chapter wouldn't have been done until the end of November since I was working on the Halloween Prompts :skull:

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Notes:

Check the ArmyTale wiki at the bottom of the post/on my profile to see more information, including all of the chapters so far!

ASVAB stands for Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test.

Read it on Ao3!

Trust me, it’s easier!

Time Taken:

About 4 weeks

Programs Used:

Google Docs, Onelook Thesaurus

Word Count:

3645

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Where I got the borders!

The UT Textbox Generator

Catch Up!

Beginning

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Summary:

Gene tried to make it through The Bay, but willingly walking through obstacles doesn't help.

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Gene walked into the fog. It was a suffocating feeling. Only the trees in front of them could be seen as they used their hands to guide them. It sent shivers down their spine. Was this really the right choice? They wondered if Ollie would even care, especially after such a short time. Unaware of the large vine in front of them, they tripped over it. Stumbling out of the mist into a puddle of mud, much to Opium’s horror.

“Hey! Be careful. My vase could shatter.” Opium huffed.

“We’d be more careful at home.” Gene protested, getting up and brushing off the muck.

“Are you mad about leaving? This was your plan.” He criticized.

“I am, but this needs to be done. Home means nothing to a dead person.” They sighed.

“Home. Are you really going to return after this?” He fretted.

“Yes, of course I am. I’ll take my punishment for leaving with grace, and all will be well.” Gene confirmed.

“How optimistic of you.” Opium rolled his eyes.

They took in the scenery. There were large jungle trees with shrubs and other vegetation crowded together. The muddy path winded further into the forest, twisting and turning out of sight. Gene walked onwards, unaware of monsters that took refuge in the vegetation.

“Are you tired?” Opium asked.

Gene scoffed, “I’m tired of this trip, why?” They inquired.

“Something just feels off. I figured it was you.” He jabbed.

“It’s very humid. Maybe poppies don’t do well in rainforests.” They dismissed.

They had made it to the end of the trail, where it opened up to a big balcony overlooking the entire bay below. It had a harbor at the opposite side of the bay, and massive ships strewn about the waters. The rainforest surrounded the bay area. It was a long way down the cliff. There were steep wooden stairs to start the trail again to the side, which now consisted of rickety bridges with flimsy railings on one side and creep vines growing on the cavern wall on the other. The bottom of the walkway was covered by the trees.

They safely made their way down the stairs, despite the looming threats of the bats on the ceiling. Some perched themselves on the vines. They resumed traversing the forest again, growing closer to the harbor by the mile. The middle of the night was getting to Gene. They trudged, shoulders slumped and eyes drooping.

“We can rest if you need to, Gene. Just walk into the woods a little bit, and lay down.” Opium suggested.

“I’m not sleeping in the mud. We don’t have enough time anyways.” They yawned.

“The bats are bloodthirsty.” A raspy voice called out from behind them.

Gene whipped around, slowly putting up their fists. An old man stood behind them, a frog standing on his two legs in an adventurer’s outfit. His walking stick held him up.

“You wouldn't be nice enough to offer me a place to stay, would you?” Gene said defensively.

“If you can listen to me ramble the walk there, I just may.” He chuckled. He continued walking past them, “Come along. It’s been a while since a human fell. You seem to be the same age as them too.”

“They seemed a lot older than twelve.” Gene confessed.

“That’s an odd answer for someone who hasn’t met ‘em. Suppose it’s true in a way. They lived a little longer than twelve, but that was a long time ago. I can’t guarantee you’ll live even another week.” He rubbed his chin.

“How did they manage to survive?” Gene interrogated.

“The prince pardoned them for being human. He found them in the Ruins, and brought them home. Of course, his father was furious. The human was forced to become a janitor for the lower ranks. Crazy times.” He seemed to get carried away in thought for a moment. “I think you would’ve liked them, but it seems you’ve already met ‘em!” He laughed.

Gene gave an awkward smile, “Yeah, you could say that.”

They stopped in front of a stone bridge over a river. A houseboat was completely ashore. It was big, too big to have gotten so far inland and out of the river. The man opened the front door, letting them inside. “There’s a bed in the loft you can use.”

“I never even caught your name. Mine’s Gene, and my buddy is Opium.” Gene sheepishly said.

“Swampson. Nice to meet you, Gene and Opium.” He walked into the kitchen area, making tea.

Gene made their way up the ladder, setting the backpack at the top. They unstrapped Opium and practically jumped into the canopy bed. Their eyes fell fast asleep. They woke up in the black dreamscape once again.

“You know, I didn’t expect you to actually leave. At least not so soon! You must really like me.” Gaston announced.

“If I didn’t then I might run out of time. I don’t want to die. I don’t care about those who are already dead, we just have similar interests right now.” Gene rolled their eyes.

“Rude, but fair. If you start running out of time you can go back to the original plan to kill Opium.” Gaston suggested.

“I don’t want a body count.” They huffed.

“You might end up with one anyways. It’s entirely possible to kill someone with kindness.” He shrugged.

“What part of me gives you kindness? I don’t like you. I would prefer to have actual dreams, and stay at home. I will never be your friend.” They glared at Gatson, scowling.

“I’m not your friend either?” Opium questioned as he appeared behind them.

“You’re just using me to gain something!” Gene yelled, “Y'all are so frustrating!” They grabbed chunks of their hair and pulled.

“Good thing I’m just here for business. Do you have a plan for my soul? If not, I have an idea.” Opium claimed.

“Go ahead.” They directed, unclenching their hair.

“My original plan was to just take the half soul in the core, take it to the capital and hope that was enough. However, we could go to Dr. Corium’s Lab in Blister City. She has the blueprints for the core, and a possible solution to the half souls. Two birds with one stone.” He explained.

“It’s better than no plan, and on the way.” Gene dismissed. They sighed, waking themselves up from the void.

They sat up from the bed and looked out the loft window. It seemed to be early morning. They didn’t get much sleep, but it felt like every other time they awoke. Scooting off the bed, the smell of breakfast wafted by. Swampson sat at the table, waving to them.

“I made breakfast, before you go off on your journey. You’ve got a long way to go before you reach the capital, assuming that’s where you’re going.” He pushed a plate over to them as they sat down.

“Yeah, that’s the goal.” Gene answered, dimly.

“If you’re up for some advice, I’d turn back. I wouldn’t worry about the king, but the general will kill you as soon as you touch the fortress grounds. General Upala is a mean woman, and she hates humans. Can’t blame her though.” He looked out the window. It started to rain.

“How come?” They inquired.

“The last human, Gaston, killed her son. They were best friends, but I guess there are some humans that are truly evil. He was the top of his class, and was going to be the current king’s 1st knight.” He gave a dreary smile, “I miss them, all three of ‘em. Drive me nuts!” He chuckled.

“That’s terrible. I’m sorry.” Gene confessed, losing their appetite.

“Not your fault. Some things just don’t work out.” He shrugged. “You oughta stay away if you know what’s good for you.” He huffed.

They finished breakfast, Swampson taking their plate while they went upstairs to wake up Opium. After packing and strapping, they were ready to continue on their journey. Swampson took one last look at them as he opened the front door. “Be safe, I’m sure somebody out there cares about you.”

“I’ll do my best.” Gene waved.

The forest was dense, and the rain made the trail harder to traverse. Thankfully, the harbor wasn’t too far away. Finally they reached the outskirts. A sentry point was stationed beside the stone pathway. It didn’t seem like anyone was inside, but Gene cautiously moved onwards. As they walked past the door, it burst open. A large dog, a weredog, lunged forward and jumped on top of Gene. They braced for impact, falling into the ground.

“What are you?” It said, baring its teeth.

Gene was stunned, “Uhm, I—”

Opium wriggled out from beneath them and pushed their face into the dog's nose, “We’re a bouquet monster!”

The dogman sniffed before getting off of them. He helped them to their feet. They got a better look at the werewolf. He had white fur and stood on his hind legs. The moppy hair from his head was green, covering his eyes. He wore a green and brown uniform with colorful flowers sewn into the sides. His green rain jacket and brown cargo pants seemed better equipped than the monochrome uniform Ollie wore.

“Why are you coming into town today?” He interrogated.

“I—” Gene hesitated trying to come up with an answer.

“For the tryouts, or course!” Someone called out behind Gene. “Goodness Boomer, did you forget that all the cadets have to report?”

Gene turned to look at their savior. It was a bat, who then perched on their backpack. Boomer sighed, “Right, on with you then.” He dismissed them.

“Thanks.” Gene muttered. Opium glared at the bat, “Why did you help us?”

“You looked like you were in a pickle, and I saw you come from Swapson’s home. Any friend of Swampy is a friend of mine! I’m Batricia.” She boasted as she stuck a wing out to shake.

“Ah, I’m Gene and this is Opium.” Gene shook their wings, “Say, how did you know that a bouquet monster would suffice?” Gene turned to Opium.

Opium went blank for a moment. “I don’t know.”

“...Okay? I’m surprised he couldn’t tell otherwise.” Gene changed the topic.

“That’s because dogs believe their nose over their eyes. It doesn’t matter what they visually see as long as you have the right smell. I told them I was a fish once after I went swimming.”

Gene walked into the town, slipping into an alleyway. A marching formation of soldiers stomped past them. Batricia ired them, “So how are you going to liberate the bay, brute force and bloodshed?”

Opium whispered, “We’re just ing through. There are bigger fish to fry.”

“Nice pun.” Gene quietly chuckled as they went further into the alleyway. It was grimy, but it seemed the middle of the harbor wasn’t too far off. A large statue of a shark monster peered from above the buildings. As they got closer, they could see the decorated uniform it bore. “Who is that?” They asked.

“Oh, General Upala? She eats humans for breakfast.” Batricia claimed.

Gene stayed in the shadows as the plaza lay in front of them. Guards were stationed at every angle. Opium tried making out the sign on the other side, but was interrupted by loud grunting from behind them. Gene turned around to be face to face with Boomer once again. He looked furious.

“You are supposed to be ing the other cadets.” He grabbed Gene by the wrist, pulling them into the light.

The guards looked their way, before laughing at them. “Another misfit cadet? Soon enough they’ll act like they’re supposed to. A few beatings outta shape them up, right Boomer?” One joked as they got closer.

Boomer sighed, stringing Gene along as he walked away. “Enough, they are just lost.”

He glanced at them. “Do what you’re supposed to, and you won’t have to deal with people like guards like them. Understand?” Gene nodded.

“Kind of seems like liberating would be a good idea, huh?” Batricia offered before Boomer miffed, “Don’t follow her advice.”

She changed her attitude, crossing her wings and pouting. She didn’t fly off, albeit an angry demeanor. Boomer brought them to a large building. He pointed to the front doors. “Go check in with your superiors, and don’t let me catch you again.” He started to walk away, but secretly watched them as they stood in front of the building.

“Hmph! I like Boomer, but he doesn’t understand.” Batricia huffed.

“It sure seems like it. What is that place anyways?” Gene asked, taking the place in. It had a high chain link fence outside, and you couldn’t see inside the building.

“Prison.” She groaned, “It’s where they train the new cadets like us.”

“How sad. We have to get going though.” Opium rolled his eyes.

“Wait, maybe it’ll be fun? I haven’t gotten around to finishing my books, and I want to see what it’s like.” Gene offered. They seemed entranced.

“You can’t be serious, Gene. We have to get going.” Opium snapped.

Batricia gave a disgusted face to Gene. “This place isn't fun at all.”

“I’m going in, with or without you.”

He scoffed, “Not like I have a choice. This is a terrible idea.”

Gene smiled as they walked inside. The guards inside ignored them as they walked by. The reception desk had another K9. The woman had fluffy gray fur, and three horns. Two at the base of her ears, and the third in her forehead.

“Nice horns.” Gene chipped in.

“Aw, thank you,” The woman gave a soft smile. She typed into the computer, then pointed further into the building. “Just go right in. The attendees will sign you in.” She waved to her.

Gene went further down the hallway, until they found a map on one of the walls. “I suppose they’d be in the gym?” Gene asked.

Batricia shrugged before pointing at the map. “Go to the left then.”

The obliged, heading further before taking a sharp left. An attendant bumped into them. “Ugh, why are you covered in mud?” She snapped.

“I was outside. I got lost. Can you direct me to the right place?” She pointed to the double doors next to her, and pushed them out of the way. They shrugged it off, opening the door. The gym was massive, with random children loitering about. No one looked happy to be here.

“They look as miserable as you.” Batricia sneered at Opium. “This is going to be a breeze.” She hopped off of them, flying to the nearest group of kids.

Gene fidgeted with their hands. “I’m kind of nervous. Do you think I’ll fit in?”

“Hah, figures. It’s not like you can stick around anyways, so don’t bother.” He advised.

Soon enough the kids were grouped up by several attendees and taken outside. The kids were split up into teams of three. Gene was paired with Batricia and another weredog named Jackson. He had black fur with red markings and yellow eyes.

He sneered at them, “This is who I get paired up with? Give me a break. Just a two-headed weirdo and a tiny bat. I'm tired of these city kids coming down here and telling us it’s gonna get better. Go back home you city slickers.” He was a black K9 with red markings and yellow eyes.

“We’re from the forest!” Batricia shouted.

“Like I’m supposed to believe that.” He spat.

Gene countered. “Look, regardless of what you think I’m just here to have fun, and then I'm leaving.” They surmised.

“You think you can leave?” He smirked.

“Yeah, why?” Gene inquired.

The kid grabbed them, “I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but none of us are leaving.”

Gene stood wide-eyed in his grasp. “I thought this was just a tryout though?”

“You really are a dunce. We’re all stuck in here until they find a job that fits us, and then you get carted off.” He let them go. “If you’re planning on sneaking out then I suggest waiting until everyone is distracted and hopping the fence, but they’ll find you eventually.”

Gene could almost hear the glare from Opium, but they didn’t even sneak a glance. “So, um, what kind of job are you hoping for?”

“Someone in charge, like a drill sergeant.” He smirked.

“That fits you, surprisingly. Did you want to the military?” Gene queried.

“It’s not a choice. That’s how it’s always been.” Jackson grit.

“I suppose it’s time for a change then.” Gene looked at all of the other cadets. They were chatting amongst each other. For a moment, Gene thought of the twins.

It was then that the tryouts started. The three of them worked through various puzzles and parkour. Much to Jackson’s annoyance and Opium’s horror, Gene was terrible at all forms of exercise.

“It’s a miracle Adelita didn’t catch you, even with my own demise.” Opium huffed as Gene tripped over tires and air.

“At least one of you has a brain. Maybe you should go into tech instead.” Jackson said as he practically dragged them through the course. Batricia snickered at every mean remark.

They finally made it to dinner, which would have the mental puzzles and tests before bed. As they two chatted and got closer with the team, Opium suggested they leave as everyone was heading to bed since they would be able to fake being lost if caught. Jackson agreed, albeit he and Batricia were sad to see them go. The food they served was mediocre to most, but it was better than the dry MREs that Downtown dealt with. Maybe Gene could recreate the food with a bit of help.

The team did better on the puzzles than most. Batricia and Jackson watched as Gene and Opium did a stellar job with the ASVAB test. The IQ tests were a bit challenging, but they excelled. The attendees took notes and chatted amongst each other. They smiled at the team and gave a thumbs up as they walked around to everyone.

Soon enough the attendees showed everyone their dorms. Gene slipped through the crowd as everyone was distracted, and went through the gym and accessed the unguarded backyard fence. Opium used his vines to hoist them up and over. As they turned back to look at the facility, they saw Jackson and Batricia peeking through the gym windows. They smiled and waved before rushing back to their rooms. Gene truly wished them the best, turning away, and running off.

“It’s not the majority you have to worry about. It’s the rotten apples in the bunch that turn the rest into bystanders.” Jackson had huffed during dinner, ringing through Gene’s mind.

Most of the guards were gone. It was a clean getaway. Gene slipped in and out of alleyways, getting closer to entrance to the city by the minute. They made it to a long bridge right before the entrance. Gene started across. The rain washed off the remaining mud as they started on the bridge. They had made it halfway when voices rang out from behind them. Gene turned to see Boomer and some of the guards approaching. Boomer turned to look straight ahead at them, calling out as they lunged forward. “Sneaking out I see, even after I gave you a chance!”

Gene turned to run, but slipped on the wet bridge. They fell over the side into the abyss as Boomer reached for them. He didn’t grab them fast enough, yelling as he watched them get consumed by the darkness below.

Gaston caught them as they wrangled their way out of his arms. “Take it easy, kiddo! You're fine, I promise. Just knocked out.”

Gene fell onto the ground, quickly collecting their bearings. “I am not fine! I just died. Where’s Opium?” They yelled, feeling around their backpack.

“He’s fine, and so are you.” He continued to reassure.

Gene slowly regained and lost consciousness over the next several minutes. They opened their eyes in the living world to seemingly be carried by someone, only to open their eyes in the dream-void where Gene and Opium whispered amongst each other.

“We could always just go back to being one person again. Wouldn’t it be safer than chasing this dream of being two separate entities?”

“It would solve the problem. No more trying to kill or make the other lay to rest. We can both coexist without putting a child in harm’s way. This has gone on too far.”

Gene couldn’t distinguish the voices from one another. They were suddenly back in the waking world. They glanced down at Opium, and then to who was carrying them.

“Pops?” Gene groggily asked.

“Hey kiddo.” Ollie cheerfully said.

“What happened?” They looked up, only to grovel in pain.

“You fell into the trash dump. A real nasty fall. Opium’s vase shattered into your arm, but we worked tirelessly to patch you up. We ended up finding a new vase, and Opium promptly fell asleep.” He chipped.

“Where are we going?” Gene questioned, too tired to fight him on the answer.

“I’m checking us into a room for the night, since home is too far. I suppose we can talk about where to go from there in the morning, so don’t worry about it for now. Just rest.” He soothed.

Gene laid their head on his shoulder and closed their eyes. The sound of the waterfall in the distance grew softer. By the time the door chimes jingled, Gene was fast asleep. Ollie gently took them up the stairs and tucked them into bed. He placed Opium on the side table. He cracked open the window before getting into his own bed and drifting off to the sounds of wind and quiet night time bustling in the distance.

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EDITOR NOTE: When I copy & paste from Google docs sometimes the words glitch out and space incorrectly. It’s unfixable even when I rewrite the whole sentence.