The next day Kage walks into Vane and Swan's room, to find vane staring out the window. "Did he sleep?"
Swan shakes her head "No, I had to make him eat something even then he didn't say anything." she wrings her hands.
Kage looks from Swan to Vane and shakes his head "Stubborn as usual, but I'm not one to talk."
Swan tilts her head looking at Kage questioningly.
"I'll explain later. Swan why don't you and Helen go restock us then take the day to relax." Kage suggests.
She begins to protest but stops when Kage places his hand on her shoulder and nods. She turns to Vane "I'll be back later okay?"
Vane doesn't respond just continues to stare.
The door closes and Kage sits on the bed "Okay shes gone speak. Tell me how you're feeling."
Vane sighs "Cold. Its a cold that chills me to my bones."
"Killing is not so easy as the innocent believes." Kage says.
"Your quoting That? That Kid was right its the end of everything." Vane says.
"Yeah well it seemed apropos. I can quote some more if you'd like." Kage says grinning.
Vane suddenly explodes with anger. "No! Kage I killed someone I'm not in the mood for your normal 'I'll quote famous lines, while avoiding anything that resembles a feeling.'"
"What you did was save Maria, If you hadn't reacted the way you did Maria would be dead and possibly even Tessa." Kage stands. "Also, my quoting famous lines seems work it got you out of the fog you've been in." Kage fires back.
"How did you stop?" Vane asks tears welling up, "How did you keep yourself from killing that scav and keep your sanity?"
"Vane, thats like asking a masked man who he is, I've always been a little cracked. That being said, I wouldn't have stopped. Helen is thing only thing that brought me back from the edge." Kage state looking out the window. "Terrible view by the way."
Kage straightens his back "So you gonna walk out this room or am I gonna have to drag you?"
Vane glares at him "I'd like to see you try to drag me out of here."
Kage takes a step and Vane holds up his hand "Alright I'll walk out."
Swan closes the door then starts to go find Helen when she rounds the corner almost running into each other.
"Oh, sorry, Ready to head out?" Helen asks.
Swan nods and the pair make their way to the market.
"So Kage told me that you and Vane have been together for two years and are engaged." Helen asks trying to make conversation.
"Yes Matt was like a ray of light in the darkness." Swan answers smiling. "We met then moved in together three months later and after a year he proposed. Our wedding was to be this summer."
Helen buys some potions and ingredients to make some dinner and moves to her side, "Something is bothering you what is it?"
Swan looks down, "I've never seen the ruthless side of Matt before. He's always been calm and collected. He never even raised his voice to me." tears begin to fall down her cheeks
Helen rubs her back "All men get that way with their loved ones. I think its hard wired into their brains to jump to the rescue even at the risk of their own life."
"I mean he killed that boy without even thinking like it didn't even matter." Swan pays for a few crafting items and resumes walking with Helen.
"It mattered to him, remember how he was after he realized what he did? If it didn't matter he would have been fine." Helen says dodging a runner, "Hey, watch were your going."
"I don't know how to help him, I felt so helpless last night as he sat there staring out into nothing." Swan looks at Helen tears streaming down her face.
Helen takes her arm leading her to a cafe. "Well I think you just being around will help him. Lets rest here and get some tea yeah?" They sit down at the table across from each other.
A waiter walks over to them "How may I help you?"
"Umm two herbal teas and some bread sticks please." Helen orders and the waiter walks away to get heir order.
Helen puts her hand over Swans "Let's stop thinking about that for a little. He may not look like it, but Kage has a way of making you forget."
They finish their tea and Helen speaks up "Okay how about this you and I go out and find a beauty salon or a hot spring and pamper ourselves."
Swan give a bright smile "Alright, let's go."
Swan smiles and the girls giggle as they run off.
Kage and Vane are standing in front of the newly opened school, when Kage turns to Vane and says "Now your upset over killing that asshole but think about this. They had the misfortune of springing that trap on us. What if they had sprang that trap on those kids." Kage turns back tot he kids playing and smiles, "The way I see it you saved them as well."
"I'm not like you Kage. I can't just forget about what i did." Vane says.
Kage looks at him offended."You think I forget the things I do? Everything I do, good or bad, I think on and replay over in my mind."
"Right Mister I only have one emotion, you agonize over your choices?" Vane says growing angry.
"Yes,I do," Kage admits "the last time i showed people how I really feel most days the stuck me in a mental hospital." Kage goes back to watching the kids and catches a ball that flies his way and tosses it back.
"Anyway, I'm not saying forget about it, I'm saying learn from it and move past it. Cause if you don't your gonna push Maria away." Kage goes quiet letting that hang.
Vane turns watching the kids a smile creeping on to his face as a ball rolls to his feet. "Kick it back mister." "Yeah kick it!" A few of the kids call to him.
Vane rolls the ball to his side and kicks it back to the kids who run after it giggling.
"Let's go find the girls and see what we can get into." Kage suggests slapping his friend on the back.
The duo head to a side street when they spot Swan and Helen exiting a dye shop with new eye and hair color.
Kage sneaks close to Helen and picks her up in a hug she squeaks then begins laughing. "I like the purple hair. You girls having fun?" He sets her down but doesn't let her go.
Swan walks over to Vane looks him deep in the eyes and kisses him.
"Yeah we are. So?" She asks.
"Well either he will just fine or he'll murder us all in our sleep." Kage says with a grin.
Helen smack his arm,"Stop with the jokes Kage and be serious."
Kage looks at the couple "I think he will just fine, especially with her to help him get back to light."
"I'm sorry I scared you." Vane says quietly.
Swan shakes her head "No, you don't need to be sorry."
They kiss again, both now crying.
Kage whispers in Helens ear "They keep this up and whole sever will begin to cry."
Helen stomps his foot glaring back at him.
"I was kidding geez." Kage says hopping on one foot.
Vane and Swan look at Kage laughing.
"Glad you two think mt pain is funny." Kage says.
"Bet you'll never make that mistake again will you old friend?" Vane asks walking over with Swan on his arm.
"He won't if he knows whats good for him" Helen answers for him.
"Ok now that we've had a laugh lets head to Horunka town." Kage opens his map marking the location.
"What's in Horunka?" Vane asks.
"A quest to get you a better sword, it's called the secret medicine of the forest." Kage says laying out more details for the group.
They leave running to reach the town faster.
"Vane your telling me that you neve did this quest?" Kage says almost laughing.
"What? So i never found this quest i still out leveled you during the beta." Vane said jumping over a rock.
"You only beat me by two levels the difference being I had you beat on damage output." Kage says matter of factly.
Kage looks out over the plain leading to a dense forest "Theres the... This is gonna take a while..."
The others join Kage up on his over look and see hundreds of players trying to complete the same quest.
Kage walks up to the npc and accepts the quest.
"I'm not sure where to even begin to look." Vane says scratching his head.
Kage dashes in cutting off a blue haired guy from getting to the monster. "Hey! That was mine!" the guy yells.
"Sorry pal too slow." Kage says killing it.
Helen takes up following Kage trying to beat other players to killing the limplets.
"I think the only thing we are getting at is pissing everyone off." Kage says trying to find more.
Vane walks over to Kage "This is gonna take forever. Think you can make use of your sneak?"
Kage grins as he walks behind a hut but isn't seen walking back out.
Kage disappears behind the hut ans begins stalking out into the field to take kills. Kage gets a few but is soon noticed by a grey haired girl.
"Hey! Fucking cheater." she calls out to Kage.
Kage stands and walks to the tree line were Vane is leading the girls in gathering kills.
"Guess we are doing this the legit way." Kage says wryly and jumps into the fray.
Two days later Kage and Vane are leaning against the hut taking their shift break.
"How many do you think we've killed?" Vane asks.
Kage shakes his head "Not sure. More than one hundred less than four maybe. I read some where that the spawn rate is like one percent." He passes Vane a cantina, "Gonna have fill it soon."
The girls walk over "Your turn boys." Swan says sitting down on a barrel.
Helen takes the cantina plopping on the ground.
Kage and Vane head back into the field.
"Gods this is shitty." Kage comments killing another limplet.
"I know what you mean," Vane agrees killing two with one sword cut.
Kage looks around looking for more monsters when he spots it. Standing off on the far side of the map and no one has noticed it yet.
Kage quickly open his private message and send his friends a message and takes off in a dead sprint "Oh shit no you arent beating me there." He says launching into a slide the cuts off the invading group.
Kage throws a back kick drawing aggro from the monster. Kage moves keeping his body in front of the group. Please be stupid and don't split up. Kage thinks.
"Flank him." The tall one says.
"Fuck." Kage says just as his pals swoop on behind him.
"This is ours guys." Vane says letting the girls take up the battle.
"Sorry about your damned luck." Kage says as the second group leave.
The group defeats the monster gaining the item and turn it to receive much needed money experience and gear.
(Current levels Kage-5, Vane-6, Helen-6, Sawn-6)
Please review tell me what you liked or hated thanks you for reading.