Hikari and the Soul Edge
Hikari and the Soul Edge
Chapter 3: Hikari's New Mission
Hikari and Kenji soon made it out of the woods, where they stepped into a famous town for adventurers.
"Here we are," Kenji said. "Everwood, the most-known port town in the entire world."
Hikari looked around at her surroundings. Many adventurers walked through the streets, shopping for any supplies they needed. Ships filled with treasures and supplies were sailing in and out of the docks of Everwood. Hikari was amazed with what she saw.
"Is this the first time you've been out of the mountains?" Kenji asked.
"No," Hikari said. "My father once took me to a tournament in the Mushroom Kingdom, but I've never been to a city like this before."
"Well, this place is famous for its Adventuring Guild, where you can basically get any information you'll ever need," Kenji said. "This is definitely the place to start if you're looking for someone."
Hikari and Kenji began to explore the city. As they walked through the streets, they saw shops and vendors selling various foods, weapons, and other stuff to the people that passed by them.
They eventually made it to the Adventuring Guild. They immediately walked inside. The first room was filled with tables where the adventurers and clients sat down to eat and chat. Hikari and Kenji sat down at the bar in the room.
"What ya having?" the bartender asked.
"Bring us 5 bowls of chicken wings," Kenji said.
"But one of our bowls is enough to fill a family!" the bartender exclaimed.
"We'll need it," Kenji said.
Half an hour later, everyone in the room was staring at Hikari and Kenji. The two of them were chugging down every single bit of food in the bowls. Soon, the two of them were done.
"Food has never tasted so good," Hikari said.
"Traveling in the woods does that to you," Kenji said. "That's why I always carry a good amount of money wherever I go. I need enough for food and sleep."
"Excuse me," an old man said as he walked up to them.
Neither Hikari nor Kenji recognized the old man who walked up to them. The old man had grey hair, a grey beard, and a grey mustache. He wore a blue shirt with floral prints all over it and a pair of red pants.
"Are you talking to us?" Hikari asked.
"Sorry," the old man said. "You just looked like someone I knew. Do you happen to know someone named Kai Kamai?"
Hikari nearly jumped when she heard the name.
"You know my father?!" Hikari exclaimed, filled with renewed hope. "Do you know where he is?!"
Later, Hikari and Kenji joined the old man for tea in his office.
"So my father worked for you, Mr. Gus," Hikari said.
"That's right," Gus said as he pulled out a picture. "I still remember the day he and his friends first came to my Guild."
Gus handed Hikari and Kenji the picture. The picture showed the younger Kai, Hazel, Serena, Toad, and Zero alongside the younger Gus. They were all standing happily outside of the building.
"They were probably the happiest fighters I ever worked with," Gus said. "Especially your father, Hikari. He'd get so excited whenever he got back from and adventure just because he'd get a bite to eat."
Hikari giggled at this a bit, but they soon got back to seriousness.
"So what did you want to ask me?" Gus asked.
"We were hoping you knew where my mom and dad are," Hikari said.
"Unfortunately, I do not," Gus said. "I'm sorry."
"Well," Kenji said. "It looks like we reached a dead end."
"I do hope you find them," Gus said.
"I've got one other question," Hikari said.
Kenji and Gus seemed intrigued.
"It's about the person who attacked my home," Hikari said. "She had ocean-green hair and wore a skimpy green outfit. Her weapon is a large ring blade. Do you know anything about her?"
The whole room was silent for a minute.
"So she came after you," Gus said.
"Who?!" Hikari exclaimed.
"I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I do know," Gus said. "There's a rumor that some girl with a ring blade has been killing many people around the world. She seems to like going for powerful swordsmen and the like."
"That must've been why she went after your dad, Hikari," Kenji said.
"But why is she going after the strong guys?" Hikari asked.
"I don't know that either," Gus said. "But I do know her name."
"What is it?" Hikari asked.
"She goes by the name of Tira," Gus said.
"Doesn't sound like the name of a mass murderer," Kenji commented.
"Thank you, Mr. Gus," Hikari said.
"I wish I could be of more help to you," Gus said. "How about you two stay the night here for free. It'll be better than paying for a hotel."
"Thank you," Hikari and Kenji said.
That night, while everyone else was asleep, Hikari thought about what she had learned that day.
"So her name's Tira," Hikari thought. "Now I have a lead."
The following morning, Gus met with Hikari and Kenji just outside of the Guild.
"Remember that you can come by any time you want," Gus said. "I'll try to get more info on Tira and on your family."
"Thanks," Hikari said. "We'll see ya later."
Hikari and Kenji waved good-bye to Gus as they left the Guild. They picked up some supplies that they needed and left town. They followed a dirt road that led to the next town.
"Kenji," Hikari eventually said as they hiked across the road.
"What?" Kenji asked.
"A couple of things," Hikari said. "First, thanks for coming with me."
"It's nothing," Kenji said.
"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found out that girl's name," Hikari said. "I'd probably not even be here right now."
"So what's this second thing you need?" Kenji asked.
Hikari stopped. Kenji then stopped and turned to face her.
"I…need to do something before I find my family," Hikari said.
Kenji looked confused and interested at the same time.
"Before I can face my family, I have to fight and defeat Tira," Hikari said. "She can't be allowed to live for what she's done. If...if you want to leave, you can."
Kenji was silent for a moment. He then continued to walk.
"Let's get moving," Kenji said. "She's not just going to pop out in front of us, is she?"
Hikari looked up happily at Kenji. This wasn't the answer she expected.
"I promised you that I'd guard you until you found your family," Kenji said. "If you have to do a few things before you meet up with them, then I'll just have to follow you through them all."
"Thank you, Kenji," Hikari said.
"Alright," Kenji said. "Let's hurry. We have to see if we can get info in the next town."
Hikari followed Kenji down the road. The road was much longer than they anticipated, however, and they were forced to set up camp in a nearby field that was surrounded by trees. Hikari heard something rustling in the nearby trees and woke up. She grabbed her sword and prepared to defend herself.
"Kenji," Hikari whispered. "Get up."
But Kenji was in too deep of a sleep to awaken. After several attempts of waking Kenji up, Hikari gave up and focused on what was hiding in the trees. Suddenly, a strange creature jumped out of the woods. It was a gigantic lizard that walked on two legs like a man. It wore armor on its body and wielded an axe and a shield.
"What the?!" Hikari exclaimed.
The creature spotted Hikari and charged right for her. Hikari rose her sword up for a block, which prevented the axe from reaching her body. The creature took the opportunity to slam Hikari with its axe and force her into a tree. The lizard pinned Hikari up against the tree and readied its axe.
"Thunder!" Kenji shouted.
A bolt of lightning struck the lizard. The lizard, in fear of another bolt of lightning, released Hikari and ran away. Hikari began to catch her breath as Kenji walked up to her.
"It's a good thing the racket woke me up," Kenji said. "You were almost toast."
"What was that thing?!" Hikari asked. "It was too big to be a lizard, and I've never seen a dragon like that before!"
"That's a Lizardman," Kenji said.
"Lizardman?" Hikari asked.
"They're chimeras that were created through a terrible experiment," Kenji said. "As you can tell, they're half-human and half-lizard. By what I've heard, the experiment brainwashed them and completely wiped their memories as humans."
"That's horrible!" Hikari exclaimed.
"That's what happens in the real world," Kenji said. "Not everything is peace and happiness out here."
"Do you think we're going to be attacked again tonight?" Hikari asked.
"Maybe," Kenji answered. "We'd be best to have someone stand guard whenever we're not in town. You get to sleep. I'll take the first watch."
Hikari listened to her friend and lied down again. After a while, she managed to fall asleep. The following morning, after Hikari's watch, the two of them continued towards the next town. They hitched a ride on a hay-cart so they would get there faster and wouldn't be forced to camp out again.