Hello everyone welcome to chapter 6. I'm glad many of you continue to stick around even after my absences
Reviews
Ceridwen Lucius: Thank you for liking Sky :) it is pretty fun to write how Kane bounces off him as a character at this point
Unto thine stowy
Kane and Sky strolled down the shops hoping to find a shop that they haven't seen. Kane was hoping to find another candle shop while on the other hand maybe picking up a snack. He continued looking around but no particular shop particularly caught his interest….. except one.
Kane didn't know what this shop was on the outside. But he felt like he should totally check it out. Sky looked to him with a big smile making a slight gesture to go in. Kane internally braced himself before opening the door
"Welcome to m-" said the store owner before his eyes open wide seeing Kane's scary appearance as he then looked around to see that this is appears to be a knick knack shop "Oh dear your terrifying*Ahem* but welcome to my shop"
"…." Said Kane as continued looking through the shop. He felt curious to see what people apparently didn't want anymore as Sky jumped off his hand and began to hop around. He then hopped onto the table of the store owner
"Oh uh.. hello there" said the store owner as the pango smiled at him before hopping off
Kane on the other hand saw two things that caught his interest. A flask. And a bag of small candles. He grabs them both and looks around some more before deciding that there is pretty much nothing else. He inspects the flask he picked out. And noticed that it is partially covered with black designs like flames
He then walked over to the store owner and put the items in front of him. Sky then hops back on the table to look at what Kane picked
"Poi….." said Sky curiously looking at the little pumpkin candles
"I-Is that everything sir?" said the store owner as Kane nodded his head "Got it" as he then counts the amount of pumpkin candles and looks at the flask "That'll be 7 coins". Kane then puts the money in front of him and grabs his things and left with Sky hopping after him
Right when he left the store he looks at Sky
"….Want to head back?" said Kane as Sky bobs up in down for yes. He hold out his hand for Sky to jump on and proceeded to go back to the inn. At this time some there are more people walking around. At this point. Kane starts to care less and less at the fact that some of the people are glancing at him since he knows they won't matter once he leaves for good
"…" said Kane as he then realized something. If he came home. Would the Empire allow to have a pet? He personally believed no. But maybe he can sneak him. "….you good at hiding?"
"poi?..." said Sky as he was unsure why Kane asked that out of the blue
"…. Nevermind." Said Kane as he pondered what to do with Sky now
A little later
Kane entered the inn and noticed everyone else seemingly planning. Leanna then turned around and saw him. And with a smile runs over to him
"Kane. I know you probably aren't very interested in magic. But. I bought this for you just in case. And since you are full of magic energy. It may be beneficial to you" said Leanna handing Kane a black gauntlet
"….Thank you Leanna" said Kane as he began to inspect the gauntlet. He wasn't sure what to think of it at first. But he liked the design. Thought it urjs him to wonder how did Leanna know his hand size
Though on the gantlet. The crystal was the same color as Leanna's. He is getting lightsaber vibes just holding it. But now. Kane wanted to test it out soon as he the puts it away
Sky on the other hand stared at his gauntlet nonstop ever since she gave it to Kane
"Poi…" said Sky
"Now that you're here Kane. The crystal pick up is happening soon. We should make our way there" said Kara
"Once the kids make the exchange. We should follow them to find their hide out" said Leanna
"I still can't think of why they need these crystals" said Kara
"Some crystals have varying utilizations…. Some are outlawed" said Amelia. When Kane heard her say that. The subject of drugs popped into his mind "We must not waste time"
"Kane…" said Zack gaining his attention as every gets up and leaves "What where you doing?" This question peaks Leanna's interest as she was curious to what Kane was doing earlier
"…" said Kane as he digs in his bag. And pulls out one of the mini pumpkin candles he bought earlier. This made Zack sweat drop
"Aw. It's adorable" said Leanna as she inspected the pumpkin candle before Kane puts it away. Sky looked a little bummed as he wanted to see more of the candles
"More candles?" muttered Zack as he felt like he received a couple daggers from Kane just by his stare. "Ok then" he said awkwardly as they all began to make their way out of the town and begin tracing their way back to the hideout
Eventually passing through the ruins and to the abandoned house where they saw the kids in the first place. While on their way Leanna began filling Kane in on what he has missed about the plan. The oldest kid was standing outside seemingly waiting for them. He then runs back inside the abandoned house
Zack, Amelia, and Leanna then began to hide in bushes surrounding the house to cover more ground as Sky then hopped off Kane's hand to go hide with Leanna who was more than happy for it until he a force pulling him in the house. This of course was Kara
The boy nods to them both as he runs downstairs to get all the crystals he and the other kids had stolen. Kara then gestures for Kane to hide with hear behind the bricks
"….do know how long we'll have to wait?" Said Kane as Kara shrugged her shoulders as even she was unsure how long it will take. Kane rolled his eyes in annoyance as he just sat there quietly with Kara for over twenty minutes
Kane then takes a peak outside his hiding place to see a man in his twenties with a hat resembling a brown beanie. Kane widened his eyes to see that those exist here. Maybe Stan would like to check those out. He also could tell the man is showing physical signs that he is a stoner…. This started to feel familiar to Kane… as if he knows him
Kane then hides back thinking that this should be easy. Since it's just a stoner that's paying these kids made him wonder who else he is dealing with if he is that desperate to use kids. Kane quickly hid once again as he and Kara listen carefully
"Ayyo you punks got my crystals or what? " said the stoner man
"Wait a minute… why does he sound familiar?..." thought Kane as he could've sworn he met someone with that description as he then heard the oldest kid walk over and hand the stoner the crystals
"What is this? These crystals are weak, yo!" said the stoner after examining a few of the crystals
"That's all we could find" said the oldest kid
"Nah, Nah, this ain't good man" said the stoner
"sorry" said the oldest kid
"hmph" said the stoner as he lifted the bag over his shoulder
"What about our coins!?" said the kid
"You'll get your payment when you deliver, yo, this is only half if what you promised" said the stoner as the kid looked down in shame with his hands clenched. Kane looked at Kara and could tell she has fury in her eyes and a serious frown
"…..Kara?" said Kane as she glanced at him
"Did you not see that? We should take him out now!" said Kara angrily
"Think about the bigger picture" said Kane "We have a plan to stick to. He's obviously not the man in charge" Kara slightly nods while still fuming
"But still…" said Kara as Kane then gets up
"He will get his justice. Now we just have to follow him" said Kane as they follow the stoner while making sure that he doesn't see them. They continued to tail him while the stoner mumbled and grumbled
Kane also wondered where Zack, Amelia and Leanna are. But since they maybe tailing the stoner as well. They must be good at not being seen. They tail the stoner to outside the city gates. And eventually they reach what appeared to be an abandoned train cart with smoke coming out of it
"No ….. it can't be" thought Kane "The Stoner-mobile… heh." As they watch the stoner enter it. While also looking around making sure he wasn't followed. Kane then ducks to make sure he doesn't get s The stoner then goes in and shuts the door
Kane and Kara sneak their way towards the cart and noticed all the windows are blocked off. Could could feel that this is screaming "familiar" as they could hear muffled voices inside
"Yo Mr. White!" said the stoner
"Jesse. How many times do I have to tell you to call me 'Heisenburg'?" said the other voice with a soft and strict tone now named Heisenberg. Upon hearing this. Kane widened his eyes
"No…. They can't be the same people are they?..." thought Kane. Their descriptions already seem matching. Even if he hasn't seen Heisenberg yet. Last he remembered they were dealing drugs with the Empire
"I AM THE ONE WHO KNOCKS."
"Hell. What is even going on?" thought Kane
"My bad, but I got the crystals" said Jesse "They are pretty small and aren't that many. But we should get something out of them"
"It doesn't matter their size. Once we are done cooking them they'll be exponentially more effective" said Heisenberg. Kane suddenly wondered if Remington snorted some of their stuff back on his planet. Good times. Even though Kane is more of an liqour person "It's a simple matter of science"
"You serious you can do something like that?" said Jesse as Heisenberg nods "Yeah science!" Kane facepalmed and shook his head upon hearing that. Jesse is pretty much the same as ever. So is Heisenberg. Kane and Kara could hear lots of clanging of glass. Kane could already tell they are 'cooking'
Then Kane heard a twig snap. He turns around to see that it's just an animal that ran away
"What was that?" said Heisenberg as Jesse the opens one of the windows and saw Kane. He then looked at Heisenberg who also looked very identical to the one Kane knew. If it were up to Kane. He would've let them run after forcing them to answer questions
"OH S**T! Run!" said Jesse as he and Heisenberg dart out the back door to see Leanna and Zack already there. Leanna then points her blade at them
"Surrender now and come with us peacefully" said Leanna as Jesse was about to run. Only Zack to point his discharger at him
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" said Zack
"Crap. What do we do?" said Jesse as Heisenberg began to chuckle "Why are you laughing at a time like this!?" then Amelia standing a good distance away shines her manipulator on Heisenberg then friend
"The branding of VOID" said Amelia
"Clever observation young miss" said Heisenberg
"W-What!? You're a part of VOID!?" said Jesse as Heisenberg smiles "I didn't sign up for this!"
"Don't be so naïve you think the crystals were going to just magically create more energy?" said Heisenberg
"Your intent was to perform shadow transmutation on the crystals to create tainted spheres" said Amelia. Heisenberg doesn't answer "It appears confrontation is imminent"
"Then why don't we even up the odds?" said Heisenberg as he gets 4 spheres and threw them on the ground emitting black smoke. Leanna then blasts her wind magic to blow away the smoke. To see 4 scary looking shadow creatures
"Well played Heisenberg. You did it once again" thought Kane as he then noticed that everyone else seemed to be more tense than he is
"Shadow familiars!?" said Leanna as she then readies her
"This is getting way to crazy for me. I'm out!" said Jesse as he then bolts away. Kara then dashes after him ad they dashed out of sight
"Unfortunately. You have disrupted my work. Which means I have to start all over again. So I am going to leave." Said Heisenberg as he then channels a spell making shadows crawl up and consume him as he smirked
If Remington saw that. He definitely would've thought that was super cool. And the Heisenberg Kane knew couldn't do that
"We must not let the shadow creatures insight panic in the town and cause havoc" said Amelia as one of the shadow creatures lunges at Kane. He then readies his baton and whacks the familiar in the face as he then received a slash from it's claws sending him backwards
The creature attempted to pounce him as Kane rolled away and immediately got up and grabbing one of his knives and thrusts it over at it's back. He the stabs it repeatedly for a few moments as it uses his tail to attempt to whip him. This time Kane dodges as he throws the knife at its head causing it to his in pain
Kane the grabbed it's and clenched as hard as he could as brutally yanked it off. Making it hiss in pain as another shadow creature jumps onto Kane. The one armed one then joins in pinning him down. But this time. He felt a bit of fire in him
He could feel the shadows creatures trying to tear him alary as suddenly belt felt a force of energy inside me. He couldn't hold it back any longer
"GET. OFF ME!" yelled Kane as from both his hands came out a scorching fire killing one of the shadow creatures as he then gets up. He looks at his hands which are still on fire before looking at the other shadow creature. He then lunges at it using the flames in his hands to burn it as much as he could
The show creature hissed and hissed until Kane reached for his knee and ripped it off it's back and stabs it directly in the head and tries to force it to go deeper. Causing it to screech pain as suddenly the knife and his hand catches on fire smiting it. This did not go unnoticed by Leanna
Then after it disappears. The flames disappeared as well as Kane gets up feeling significantly more tired than normal. He watched as Leanna sliced two of the shadow creatures to pieces while Zack then shoots the last remaining shadow creature
"Looks like you really know how to fight Kane… even though you don't seem to have any magic training" said Zack as he noticed Kane looked bit tired just from using the magic
"….yeah?" said Kane as Zack nods to him as they both then noticed Kara coming over with Jesse as she throws him in front of them with his hands bound. Kara was just about to interrogate him until Kane held out his hand before grabbing Jesse by the shirt holding him up high
"Hello Pinkmen…. I see you've been pretty busy" said Kane in a very menacing tone "Tell me everything you know or you'll lose something you'd rather not" as he then got his knife and spun it on his hand for a second before putting close to Jesse's face making everyone's eyes widen. Leanna was about to intervene until Zack stopped her
Zack was slightly starting to like Kane
"Mr. White was paying me to get the crystals! That's all I know I swear!" said Jesse. Kane had a slight smile under his helmet. This Jesse even after the same way as the Jesse he knew. As he then lowers Jesse down
"So you were not an accomplice for shadow transmutation" said Amelia
"I don't even know what shadow transportation is!" said Jesse
"transmutation" corrected Leanna
"Exactly!" said Jesse "Look all I did was make deliveries to him, he paid some good coin, but later he said that I was going to help with his operations" everyone but Kane glared at him. He looks desperately at Kane "Please don't hurt me"
Kara seemed skeptical but Leanna, Amelia, and Kane doubted that he was the type of person VOID would trust. While Zack crossed his arms a bit mad he didn't get to shoot Jesse. Though to him. Kane tearing Jesse apart was the next best thing
"Whoah!" said Jesse as Kane throws him over his shoulder as Leanna then enters the train and comes out with a bulging bag of crystals
"Better hope the guards believe your story" said Zack making Jesse turn pale
"He'll do an even better job when he is fully sober" said Kane as they all began to leave back to town. Sky then quickly hops over to Kane
"Poi poi!" said Sky as he hops on Kane's hand as they continued their way. Kane wanted to ask Jesse a few questions but resisted due to knowing Kara will hear him. It was getting dark as they reached the town and there were fewer and fewer people outside
Some of them continued with what they were doing without a care whole others seemed to stare at the group particularly at Kane. Whenever Kane looked their way they always scurried faster
"Hey Kane" said Leanna getting closer "I noticed you just used magic… and I don't want to sound prudent but. I recommend that you wear it. After using magic energy like that without a manipulator or another conductor will tire you out. Please Kane…"
"….very well. Once we get this stoner to guards I'll put it on" said Kane making Leanna making a slight smile
"Hey" said Jesse before Kane hits his leg "Ow
"Be quiet" said Kane to Jesse as they got closer and closer to the barracks and noticed the same guard from earlier writing a report. At first a looked a little surprised before calming down
"Oh it's you guys" said the guard happily as Kane then puts Jesse on his feet and pushes him towards the guard
"We found the source of your missing crystals" said Leanna as the Guard holds onto Jesse looking him up and down
"Its….. this guy?" said the guard with doubt raising an eyebrow
"Nah man it's because of VOID!" said Jesse as the guard stares at him clearly unconvinced
"Uh-Huh maybe a little lock up time and you'll think of a better story" said the guard
"Oh come on! I'm telling you the truth, bitch!" said Jess as the guard frowns and passes him to another guard taking him to the back. They could still hear his muffled ramblings about VOID while Leanna then looks at the guard with a smile
"Hopefully you won't have any more issues" said Leanna as the guard grins
"I can't thank you guys enough. Please take this as a reward" said the guard as he then hands Leanna a satchel of gold "You have no idea how much of a thorn to my side this has been"
"Well then I'm happy we are able to help" before handing the bag over to Kara as they all make their way back to the in
"Poi" said Sky as Kane pet his head as he then remembered. He takes the gauntlet he got from Leanna and puts it on. It fits perfectly. He thought about what Leanna asked of him. If she recommended it surely it's good "Poi.." as Sky then looks over at Kane's other hand curiously
"…" said Kane as he noticed Leanna seemingly coming over to him "?"
"So then…. I wanted to ask. Would you be willing to train? After seeing what you did against those shadow familiars. I wanted to see what you can do with the manipulator" said Leanna making Kane look at his gauntlet before looking at her
"…..I don't see why not" said Kane as this made Leanna smiles. Sky then looked over at her making her instinctively pet him
A little while of walking Kara finished sorting out the money and tossed an even bag of coins to each of them. Kane looked at Kara for a moment as Zack walked to his side
"Ah…payday" said Zack "Pretty good right?"
"….." said Kane as he looks at Zack before looking ahead as they continued their way to the inn. Upon reaching the inn. Kane noticed Kara slip away with her share. If he had any good guesses. She probably went to see those kids
They began to settle down on a table while Kane went to see the bartender who seemed happy that he came. Sky then hopped onto the desk to look at the bell
"Hello again Kane. Its good to see you finished a job" said the bartender as Kane nods to him
"…you too" said Kane "….Is Leslie here?" hoping to see her again
"Afraid not. She we t to go stay with a friend for a day. She be back tomorrow" said the bartender as he cleans another glass
"…" said Kane as he holds out his hand for Sky to hop on as he then went over to sit next to Leanna and Amelia
"Poi" said Sky in a 'hello' manner as he jumps onto the table in front of Leanna who looked happy to see him
"Kane. Have you seen Kara" said Amelia
"…..I don't think I have" said Kane half lying. He knows she slipped away. But he wasn't sure where exactly as a staff comes over with a notebook
"Umm. Can we have we have a round of stew for all of us please?" said Leanna whole petting Sky while the staff writes it down "That will be all" as the staff leaves
"Rabbit stew? Hadn't had that in a while" said Zack "What do you guys think of it?"
"Poi Poi!" said Sky while Kane shrugged
"I like it" said Leanna as the staff member comes back with the bowls of stew. Zack and Leanna started to dig while at the same time Zack was taking looks at Kane in case he took off his helmet. Kane on the other hand noticed something about Amelia
"…Amelia?" said Kane gaining her attention "Something wrong?" as she shook her head
"No. I was wondering about the lab at the void hideout which was used to make shadow transmutations" said Amelia
"…" said Kane as he then stared at his own food while Amelia began to eat. He then picked up his spoon and started to eat as well… through his helmet. Disappointing Zack once again.
A while passed and Kane eventually stopped eating and pushed his bowl to Sky
"Here" said Kane as Sky looked at it with sparkles in his eyes
"Poi poi!" said Sky as he hopped onto the bowl and began consuming what's left of the rabbit stew as everyone else finished their food
"Not that hungry?" said Zack as Kane did his usual stare as Kara then came in
"Sorry I'm late guys. I met up with a contact. And he has mentioned that there is an adventurer that has been logging about one of those high concentrations of energy" said Kara "He's at hearthpoint right now but he probably won't be staying there for long. We should head there in the morning and see what he knows"
"What's the guy's name?" said Zack
"Artan Hunt" said Kara as Zack shrugs "It might sound like a rumor but there is always a grain of truth in one. At the very least we should be able to get a clue or two" as Leanna nods
"Ok. Tomorrow we'll head to Hearthpoint" said Leanna as everyone gets up and began to head to their rooms while Leanna lingers behind
"Kane?" said Leanna stopping Kane in his tracks gaining his attention "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure.." said Kane
"Please follow me outside" said Leanna as she leads Kane outside. Sky began to fall asleep a little on Kane's hand as they were in the alleyway "I wanted to ask if your ok"
"….I'm fine.. why?" said Kane curiously
"Its just that. I've noticed you haven't been getting much sleep. In fact. You seem to be up much earlier than everyone us yet you are very sleepy" said Leanna "Its just that if there is something I can maybe help you with?" Kane was surprised she cared that much to ask him this
"…It's nothing really" said Kane
"No it's not nothing" said Leanna "Kane. Something clearly is bothering you. Please Kane. Just let me help you"
"…" said Kane looking at her pleading eyes "I'm… sorry for making you worry Leanna. But I'm not sure I'm someone worth your time"
"Don't be stubborn Kane. You are someone in need. And I would never abandoned you" said Leanna
"…..You really think so?..." said Kane
"Kane. You show signs of stress at night" said Leanna
"….Well then… I guess I'll tell you later" said Kane
"You promise?" said Leanna even though it wasn't ideal for her. It was the next best thing
"…I promise.." said Kane as she gave a slight smile to him as they both went back inside the inn. Kane looked at the bartender who just waved at him as Kane gave a slight wave back as he then heads back into his room
Upon entering it he noticed Zack and Sly fast asleep on the beds with seemingly nothing out of place. It made Kane smile for a bit as he then pulled out his journal and sat down. He sat there in silence for a few moments before thinking about what he had just promised
NIs he really going to tell Leanna his problems with sleeping? Surely enough he felt the urge to dismiss it. But yet he felt like he should tell her… he's off as he opens his journal. He began to write something different this time rather than a more to a friend
He began to write what he felt about this whole situation he is in. He then looked at Sky's sleeping form and began to smile to himself as he wrote down even more. Eventually. He stopped writing and closed his journal
He thought about it more as he then took off his helmet to breathe in the fresh air without the helmet. He continued sitting until he remembered what he has and pulled out one of his bottles of liqour. He then noticed something some writing on it
"To my new friend Kane. I hope to talk with you more"
Kane slightly smiled at that as he opened the little bottle and began to drink. It was really good. He loved the taste of it so he continued drinking until there was none left in the bottle. Upon that happening he felt a bit disappointed as he then puts the bottle on the table right next to him
He continued sitting there trying to stay awake as he then puts his helmet back on as he slumped back. Thinking about everything that has happened so far….. but eventually he couldn't do it as he couldn't stay awake any longer as he closes his eyes
But thankfully this time. He felt himself slightly at peace due to having a dreamless sleep though he felt himself slightly twitch. This was better than dreaming in his opinion
The next day
Kane then felt something jump onto his lap causing him to slightly tense looking around the room before looking down. To realize Sky jumped on him. With a big innocent smile
"Poi Poi!" said Sky as he then hopped onto Kane's hand. He then looks at the other bed to see Zack peacefully sleeping. He then got an idea as he stood up and walked over to Zack
"Jump" said Kane as Sky then happily hopped onto Zack's face
"GFFFFF!" said Zack muffled by Sky as he then jumps off further into the bed "Sky? *sigh* thanks for the wake up" he said sarcastically
"Poi poi" said Sky in a 'good morning fashion' as he then jumped back onto Kane's hand
"….Zack. I'll be downstairs" said Kane as Zack nodded in understanding as Kane then left the room leaving Zack to get ready
Kane walked over to a table where he noticed Leslie sitting down. She looked at him with a smile
"Hello again Kane. I see you've been probably had a real hell of a time" said Leslie as Kane then sits down across from her while Sky jumps onto the table to relax
"…I've been better" said Kane as he takes off his helmet as he ruffled his hair while Leslie resists her urge to comment on Kane's paleness
"*Giggle* oh please. Your just like my late husband. *Sigh* oh to be young again and with him…" said Leslie closing her eyes for a moment before taking a sip from her alcohol "Please tell me what have you been doing?"
"…I fought against some… bandits" said Kane as was very close to drinking his of liqour bottle. Only to decide to save it for another one occasion. Leslie on the other hand seemed very interested. As she eyes him up and down noticing some scratches on his armor
"I bet you beat their asses didn't you" said Leslie as Kane shrugs
"….. I guess so" said Kane whole Leslie excitedly clapped her hands for a moment while Sky hops over to her. She then smiled and pat him a few times
"Poi…" said Sky as she stroked his head
"You know Kane. Do you remember the time when I told you that me and my husband truly started talking after he saved me?" said Leslie as Kane nodded "Let me tell you. We became a real duo. Fighting some bandits here and there during our days in the town. Being super tall like you had a great sense of intimidation scaring away every crook"
"…What was his name?" said Kane interested in her late husband
"Benjamin…. His name was Benjamin" said Leslie as she imagine Benjamin in place of Kane looking surprised as she then rubbed her eyes to see Kane
"….How good was Benjamin at fighting?" said Kane making Leslie smile while Sky then hops over to Kane
"He wasn't much of a talker so scaring is one of his advantages. But let me tell you. He really knew how to wrestle someone down. And was especially good at popping in and out of nowhere…. At night." Said Leslie
"…sounds like he was an amazing man" said Kane
"Indeed he was Kane. Indeed he was" said Leslie sipping more of her alcohol. Kane could tell that Benjamin meant the whole world to her. It made him feel bad for her as she then seemingly had a mood swing to a more cheerful attitude "But you know. I always look forward to the future. So Kane. How is your travels?"
"…They've been getting better I guess. I got some souvenirs" said Kane pulling out a candle and holding it out to her. She the looks at it in interest before Kane puts it away "…but that's about it" they both heard voices talking to each other as Kane realized that it was Kara and Zack. Kane then put his helmet and got up
However. Neither Zack nor Kara saw his face as they saw him with Leslie
"I see you have another friend?" said Zack
"Yes" said Kane as he then held out his hand for Sky to jump onto his hand
"I see your going on another journey?" said Leslie as Kane nods "I see. Please come see me again. I can't to talk again" as Leanna and Amelia come out of their rooms and walk downstairs. Kane nodded once again to Leslie as they waved each other goodbye
"You guys ready?" said Leanna as they left the inn and began to leave the town. Thankfully once again. There was barely anyone to give Kane a weird stares as they head through the plains
The sun shines overhead and there is a soft breeze to balance out the warmth for the day. Kane liked walking through a place like this. It seemed peaceful enough too him to simply relax
They continued walking through the plains until Zack felt tired and decided to go under shade while Amelia and Kara rummage through their bags to pass around bags of water as Leanna approaches Kane
"Since we are taking a break. Would you be up for some magic training? We can go into the clearing so you aren't just out on the open road" said Leanna
"…Yeah… you said you wanted to try earlier right?" said Kane as Leanna smiles in response as she leads him more on the open plains. Just out if view for any passerby by in view of the others
"Sky. Stay with the others for a few moments ok?" said Kane as Sky then smile and hopped off his hand to hop over to where the others are
"Since I saw your potential from that fight. You could probably use some work" said Leanna as she remembers Kane's hands catching on fire. "You have your manipulator right?" Kane holds up his hand showing that he has it on "Oh good"
"Try to channel the energy into your manipulator like this" said Leanna as she points her manipulator at Kane as he then feels a slight gust of wind. He looked very interested as he looked at his manipulator and points it away… and nothing happened
Kane was confused. It worked earlier when he was fighting those shadow creatures… kind of…. So why isn't his fire power working right now? He then tried to focus on an anthill but yet nothing happened once again
"Just concentrate your energy" said Leanna "And let go of your distractions"
"How the hell do I do that?" thought Kane as he heavily concentrated on his manipulator once again only for nothing to happen. Leanna looked just as confused as he does. She knows he can do it…. Maybe just need more time
"….I don't think this is working" said Kane putting his hand down
"That's ok. Its always hard the first few times" said Leanna "Just focus your energy into your manipulator and use it channel it" Kane stared at her blankly for a moment
"…..you got a better way of explaining that?" said Kane as Leanna frowns and scratches her head
"I… don't know how else to put it" said Leanna sheepishly "Once you get it you'll know. You just have to keep concentrating and trying" Kane then focused on his manipulator one last time on the anthill. And still nothing happened
"…forget it. We'll deal with this later.." said Kane slumping down for a moment before starting to walk back to the group
"Kane wait up!" said Leanna as she then catches up to him "Maybe given more time to think you'll be successful" as he looked at her for a moment "But since you managed to make that fire. You may just need to mentally adjust. Its worked for me"
"…." Said Kane continuing his way as they both saw Sky happily hopping toward Kane
"Poi poi!" said Sky as he jumps onto Kane's hand while Amelia walks up to him and hands him a water bag. He then takes a few sips through his helmet before handing it back to Amelia
"Thank you" said Kane as Amelia nods to him. They all relaxed for a moment as Amelia then puts a pango plush on the ground when no one was looking. Kane saw it and wondered how she got it. So he then puts Sly in the ground
"Poi?" said Sky as Kane makes a slight gesture to the pango plush making Sky look curiously as he then hopped off Kane's hand to investigate this new pango
"Poi poi?" said Sky as he looks at the pango plush before smiling "Poi poi!" he hopped happily thinking he found a new friend… only for nothing to happen. He then bobs at it. Again for nothing to happen. Which made him deflate with a sad face
Kane noticed Amelia her manipulator to use magic on the plush pango making it lifelike surprising Sky while Kane continued watching in amusement
"Poi" said Amelia trying not to move her lips as Sky then looks at the pango plush with wide eyes as he then gave a big smile
"Poi!" said Sky happily bobbing up and down happily
"Poi" said Amelia as she watched Sky squish himself on the pango plush as in a hug. This made Kane slightly smile under his helmet
"Aww" said Amelia closing her eyes happily for a moment she then realized Kane is watching as she then turns around and clears her throat trying to look like she did nothing the entire time
"tch.." thought Kane slightly shaking his head as he then watched Sky then hop back over to him
"… Making friends?" said Kane as Sky bobs up and down happily while Amelia took this chance to scoop up her pango plush
"Poi poi!" said Sky
Kane then sees Kara sneak up on Zack while he is seemingly cooking something
"It smells amazing" said Kara after sniffing what Zack is making "What is it?" as she then sneakily reaches for one of the skewers before pausing after Zack gives her a look
"It's not done yet" said Zack making Kara pout in response while continuing to stare at the food Kane on the other hand was very curious to what Zack was making. Taking a closer look. He saw that Zack is making….. soup? The name is on the top of his tongue. Sky just relaxed in his hand taking a nap
A little while of both Kane and Kara watching as Sky then catches a whiff of the smell making him perk up in curiosity as Zack then finished and pulled out the skewers and poured the soup into a few bowls before handing one each to Kara, Amelia, Kane, and then Leanna when she arrived
"…where'd you go?" said Kane as Leanna sat next to him
"Eh. Just checking around. So far I did not find anything" said Leanna before taking sip from her soup "Mm.. Zack. I really like your porridge" Kane suddenly felt dumb. He had forgotten what it's called as he then dips his spoon in to take a sip. He thought it was pretty good
"I didn't know camp food could be this good" said Kara as she really enjoyed Zack's cooking while Zack shrugs
"Its nothing special" said Zack
"We've been doing this all wrong. I vote that Zack cooks for us every time" said Kara
"I don't see the big deal about this" said Zack turning his head as his hair covered his eyes. Kane debated on joining in or not. But he really likes the porridge. So why not?
"…I wouldn't mind that" said Kane as Leanna looked at him in a slight surprise. While Kara on the other hand looked at Zack with a soft smile. Zack looked confusedly at Kane and then gave a slight smile
"I wonder what other talents your hiding" said Kara smugly as Zack shrugs "It's ok I'll find out sooner of later"
Everyone continued to eat until they felt like they have tested enough and began to pack their things and started off on their way to Hearthstone
Much later
Even though the sun started going down. They finally reached Hearthpoint. Kane strangely enough felt happy he didn't have to walk as much
"I say we better hurry. Adventurers aren't exactly known for sticking around for long in one spot" said Kara
"Lets not waste any time then" said Zack while Amelia nods
"I propose that we investigate the taverns" said Amelia
"Taverns?" said Kane curiously
"Yes. There are two. One over there" said Amelia pointing to a tavern entrance "And there is another one facing northeast of the second gate"
"There isn't much daylight left. I say we split up. We'll cover more ground that way" said Zack "If one Tavern is a dead end we'll check the other. If he isn't in either one well meet back here" as he, Kara, and Amelia began heading to one Tavern leaving Leanna with Kane and Sky
"Wait!" said Leanna making the three of them stop "We didn't decide who's with who" while Kara smirks in response
"I think it's quite obvious" said Kara with a hint of smugness
"Hey.. what's that supposed to mean" said Leanna
"…." Said Kane before looking at Sky in his hand before shrugging "…shall we get going?"
"..Ready when you are" said Leanna as they both take a brief walk to the tavern that Amelia pointed to earlier. Sky then bob's towards her making Kane hold him out to her making her smile as Sky jumped into her arms
They both reach the tavern and enter seeing many men and woman sitting together, eating, and drinking. Seemed cozy enough. It reminded him of all comradery the stormtroopers had whenever they went to a bar. Thankfully not that many people paid much attention to Kane
The though of Ashley came into his mind as he could remember entering a bar like this with her and Arthur…..
"Kara did mention he has an eye patch" said Leanna unintentionally breaking Kane from his thoughts as he nods to her and began to walk through the tavern. Making whoever sees him feel a bit nervous due to his appearance
Kane continued until he saw a man sitting alone with an eye patch scribbling on a piece of paper. He had a feeling he found this "Artan Hunt" as he then approached him. Aryan noticed Kane but his expression didn't change at all
"What do you want?" said Artan in a very gruff tone
"….Artan Hunt?" said Kane as Artan then gets up. He clearly isn't afraid of Kane and only stood at 5'6
"What of it?" said Artan
"I've become aware you have found a high energy area. I need to see that" said Kane as Artan waves his hand dismissively
"That is not something to be shared" said Artan as Kane the gets his bag of coins making Artan frown "You can't just buy experience of discovery. Coins are merely a social construct of human greed" this made Kane slightly annoyed "I'd like to get back to work and your taking up my time"
"….Fine." said Kane as he then began to look for Leanna to see that she is with everyone else
"He wasn't at the other tavern so we came here" said Zack as they saw Kane arrive
"…He is here" said Kane making them look at him
"Did you find him?" said Leanna as Kane nods and points over to Artan who is scribbling on his paper
"I offered to pay him but he refused and won't talk" said Kane as everyone but Kara sigh in defeat
"Great. You did the hard work for us" said Kara cheerfully making Kane and Zack look at her curiously
"Did you not hear what he just said? He won't even take money" said Zack
"Who said there aren't 'other' ways?" said Kara "Finding the target is the difficult part. Getting information is just a matter of being 'Tactful'" as she winks at Zack
"Aah.. I get you" said Zack cracking both his knuckles as Kane then brought out his baton "Finally on the same page" making Kara look at them both in surprise
"I didn't mean beat the information out of him!" said Kara as Kane immediately put his baton away while Zack frowns "You just have to give him an appealing reason to loosen his lips"
"What a cunning method. I approve" said Amelia interested in trying it as everyone stared at her for a moment "Who shall be executing this plan?"
Kane immediately looks at Kara "…You?" as she then grins in response
"Thought you'd never ask" said Kara as she walks towards Artan swaying her hips alluringly. Leanna looks on with amazement while Zack was clearly starring at her backside. Kane noticed and tried his best to hold down a slight chuckle
"She managed to turn it on just like that?" said Leanna
"Poi poi.." said Sky as he hopped out of her arms and onto the floor and onto a table
"…It seems like she's not the only thing turned on" said Kane making Leanna curious for a moment as he gestures to Zack who is clearly staring at her derriere making her gave a slightly annoyed face
"Zack!" said Leanna as Kane gives a slight hit to his arm snapping him back to reality making his face flush as he knows he's been caught but he also notices Kane seems to be enjoying this situation just by his body language
"W-What!? I wasn't staring!" said Zack trying to deny it
"No accusation was made, yet your defensive disposition is quite revealing" said Amelia as Kane smirked behind his helmet hearing it as Zack scoffs and looks away crossing his arms
"Your thinking too much into this" said
"…sucker" muttered Kane as Zack shoots him a glare while he notices Kane slightly chuckling as Leanna watched as Kara worked her magic. She talks with Artan and manages to make him laugh as she scoots closer to him and rests a hand on his arm
The conversation continued as Artan shakes his head and dismisses Kara. She tries laugh it off and reengage him but he shakes his head again and continued scribbling on his paper. She came back to the group stunned
"I… I don't understand.." said Kara with her eyes full of disbelief
"…Leanna.. your turn" said Kane surprising her. Upon hearing that. Sky looked very interested as he hops closer to Kane
"M-Me?" Said Leanna. Kara and Zack both snickered at her making her frown "What's with that reaction?" as Kara smiles
"Oh don't get me wrong. Your cute, but I'm not sure you've got the personality for this type of thing" said Kara as Leanna frowns again
"And what's that supposed to mean!?"said Leanna
"You're a bit… shy" said Kara making Leanna annoyed
"I can be plenty forward!" retorted Leanna as Zack and Kara burst out laughing "As if you cared any better" making Kara's smile drop
"Its always worked before." Said Kara as Leanna then looks at Amelia
"You think I can do it right?" said Leanna
"I admit that your propriety does not tend well to the suggestion that you can entice the desired sexual tension" said Amelia making Leanna cross her arms and pouts
"Even you Amelia?" said Leanna looking a bit defeated
"Aw… ok how about you show us what you got? If your successful, you can try" said Kara
"*sigh* Fine" said Leanna as Kara pointed to Kane making his head slightly tilt in curiosity
"There's your target. What are you going to do?" said Kara making Leanna's cheeks tinge slightly
Leanna then imagined what Kane looked like under his helmet. Maybe a man a decade older than her with green hair and face full of tattoos…. Or a man in his 40s with a shiny bald head, or even an old man with a super long beard being hidden by his helmet…..
All these thoughts plagued her mind until she shook her head and imagined her ideal man under Kane's helmet filling her with more curiosity
Kane on the other hand felt a strange feeling. Its very weird to him. Yet it felt very familiar…. But he didn't seem to mind it at all whole Sky observes in massive interest
"Don't think he's bald. Don't think he's bald. Don't think he's bald" Leanna thought as an image of her ideal man becomes more prevalent in her mind as she took a deep breath and flashes Kane a look of determination
Leanna then over-sways her hips as she walked over to Kane. The movement was way too exaggerated to be normal as it makes her look like she doesn't know how to walk. Kane already could tell it probably won't go well. But maybe her words can make up for it
"Oh um…" She said as she stammers as she tries to speak as if the words elude her "H-Hey there… Sailor"….. or maybe not. Under Kane's helmet had a deadpan expression
"Well that one way she and Ashley differ" thought Kane
"What?" said Kara
"What?" said Zack
"Poi?" said Sky
"Despite having an attractive figure and aesthetically pleasing features, it is now abundantly clear why Leanna is unable to acquire a companion" said Amelia
"Amelia!" said Leanna annoyed at her
"At this rate the only companion she'll acquire is a house full of cats" said Kara with Zack nodding in agreement
"You guys are so mean!" said Leanna as she pouts
"….Don't feel too bad. I think the mere intention could be seen as… 'cute'" said Kane
"Your only saying that to make me feel better" said Leanna
"I believe we should nominate someone else?" said Amelia as Leanna crosses her arms but doesn't protest
"…uh… Amelia?" said Kane
"Wow." Said Zack sarcastically giving Kane a glare
"...I don't understand.. she is a girl and.." said Kane stopping himself when he sees Leanna's disapproving look
"Shes just a kid!" said Leanna
"I never knew you turned out to be such a creep" said Kara also giving Kane a disapproving look while Amelia blinks in surprise
"I… believe you are mistaken about my age" said Amelia as her words fall on deaf ears as Leanna and Kara continue giving Kane death glares as Kane slightly puts his hands up
"…alright then. Not Amelia" said Kane still a bit confused why Amelia isn't a good option to work. Zack facepalms before sneaking off
"Regrettably. All of our options have been exhausted" said Amelia as Kara looks around
"Wait where did Zack go?" said Kara as Kane spots Zack speaking with Artan. He then points making everyone else look at Artan "Oh no. He'll get in trouble with city guards if he's—" as they then see Artan's face turn red as he looks away before handing something to Zack
Zack came back with a parchment surprising everyone
"Here" he said handing it to Kara. She opens it up to reveal a map of the neighboring forest and where exactly the high energy is
"But… how did you get this?" said Kara as Zack shrugs. She seems a bit more impressed with him
"You f**king told him about more exotic women didn't you?.." thought Kane as he shakes his head as he glanced outside the darkened sky
"…Now what?" said Kane holding out his hand for his pango friend to jump on
"I say we stay for the night. And then we start tomorrow morning fresh" said Leanna
"Now that business has concluded I shall take my leave" said Amelia making everyone look at her in curiosity
"Where are you going?"
"I have an obligation I must fulfill" said Amelia packing her things
"If I didn't know any better it sounds like your meeting someone" said Kara
"You are correct. It will not take long and I will be ready to rejoin you in the morning" as before Amelia could leave Zack stops her
"You sure you should go alone?" Said Zack making Amelia raise a brow
"Surely my parents would mean me no harm" said Amelia "As they would be very upset if I pass through without visiting them"
"You have family here and you didn't tell us?" said Leanna as Amelia nodded to her
"I did not see the relevance" said Amelia "To visit them is currently the obligation I must fulfill"
"Great we are going to get moving then" said Kara as she began pushing Amelia towards the exit
"I do not understand" said
"We're going to meet your parents" said Kara as they all excited the tavern
Kane walked closer to Leanna who still seemed a bit annoyed with him. Giving her an image of a pervy old gray haired with a nosebleed
"…look Leanna. I'm sorry about that" said Kane "I didn't know that would bother you" Leanna then raised a brow as she then realized. Kane was probably raised and taught differently than her and everyone else she knew
Therefore he probably didn't know it was very weird to suggest Amelia. But then again. Amelia was chosen last. And considering how he has acts. He probably didn't think too much of her
"Look Kane. I understand that you probably came from a different upbringing. But please think a little more before you speak as cultures are different" said Leanna
"….Ok. I will try" said Kane. Normally. She would've dismissed his apology. But since he is a bit strange. And even similar to Amelia in a way. He sounded very sincere. This made her slightly smile whilst shaking her head. And probably another indicator is his reaction to being called out….
…..Or maybe he just simply thought she was older than she actually is and made a mistake. Leanna sighs as they continued their walk while petting Sky
A moment later
"…So then Kane… what do you think her parents are like?" said Leanna
"….. probably normal people" said Kane
"I think so too. Since she grew up in the university and didn't spend much time at home" said Leanna as it then dawns on her once again that Kane is very similar to her in a way
They continued their way until they see a modest house with a small garden in front. Amelia runs to the door and knocks. The door swings open and an older woman. Her eyes light up upon seeing Amelia and quickly pulls her into a tight hug
"Amy! What a pleasant surprise! I didn't know you were stopping by!" said Amelia's mother who had the same color hair as her
"….Amy?" muttered Kane as he and Leanna look at each other before back at Amelia as her mother let's go as she calls onto the house and hears a faint voice. She turns back to Amelia and hugs her again
"Oh we missed you so much!" said Amelia's mother as she then noticed everyone else. She then let's go of Amelia "Did you bring friends? Come in! Come in!"
Kara and Zack follow Amelia in while Kane was about to turn the other way only for Leanna to reach up and grab his shoulder
"C'mon Kane. It won't be that bad" said Leanna as Kane sighs as they both enter the house with Amelia's mom. Kane didn't expect her mother to be like that at all. They enter a dining room where Amelia's father comes in and scoops her into a hug
"What an unexpected pleasure!" said Amelia's dad as he then sets her down and stands next to his wife
"Hello mother. Father." Said Amelia
"You know we love seeing you, but what are you doing out of the university? It isn't a holiday" said Amelia's dad
"Oh! Was your little field study finally approved? That's wonderful!" said Amelia's mom "Remember what I said about rejection is just one step closer to success" this tells Kane she was probably trying to get out of the university on an adventure for a while "I just knew you were bound to get one! Even after all those tries and applications" this made Amelia's cheeks both turn red
"Honey let's not embarrass her in front of her peers" said Amelia's dad. However. It seems that neither of them were bothered by Kane's appearance.. At least not too bothered. Kane didn't mind that at all "Oh where are my manners. My name is Arthur. And this is my wife Helena"
Kane's eyes went wide open as he heard the father's name. It reminded him of his friend who coincidentally had the same name
"Oh you know how excited I get for this!" said Helena as she goes to Leanna "You must be the field lead" making look bewildered
"Uhh..-" said Leanna unsure of what to say
"Yes that is correct" Amelia interjected. Leanna shoots her a question glance which Amelia ignores while Arthur and Helena look at their daughter with pride
"Its nice to see you are working hard at your studies" ssod Arthur nodding approvingly
"We are very proud of you sweetie" said Helena "Ooh what sort of mission is this? I should think you would be an apprentice of another mage or mage caster rather than a mage knight?"
"Leanna is part of the mage guild" said Amelia
"So it's an internship with the Mage Guild? That's very prestigious" said Arthur as he puffs with pride
"We entrust our daughter to your leadership. Please lead her well" said Helena to Leanna as she paused for a moment. But then after seeing Arthur and Helena's hopeful appearances she returns their smile
"I promise I will" said Leanna with a big smile as Arthur looks at everyone else
"And what about the rest of you?" said Arthur as Kara stepped up
"I assist with locating and exploring ancient sites" said Kara
"We have been following instances of magical anomalies in an attempt to understand their occurrences" said Amelia making her parents look intrigued. Arthur then looks at Kane and Zack
"You two look more like fighters rather than mages" said Arthur scratching his chin as Kara steps in again
"This one here is my companion. He helps me secure our sites and well…" said Kara grabbing Zack's arm with a smile
"Hands off." Said Zack as Kara laughs slightly and bounces closer to her
"Oh you don't need to be shy. Just pretend it's you and me" said Kara as Zack had a blush before turning away
"Ooh. Say no more. I remember what it was like to be young" said Arthur chuckling at them as Zack's blush deepens "And what about you?" gesturing to Kane
"…." Said Kane as he didn't know what to say. Arthur makes a guess in his head that he is the hired muscle due to his very tall stature. And intimidating look.
"Oh…well it's nice to meet you" said Helena awkwardly "Amy will your friends stay for dinner?"
"We do not wish to impose upon you. We are about to return to the inn" said Amelia
"The inn? Oh nonsense. You can all stay here for the night. We certainly have enough room for all of you" said Arthur before looking at Kane again. He may have to check for any furniture for his size
"Yes we insist! I'll get started on dinner and afterwards you can all relax" said Helena "Come with me Amy."
"If that is what you wish" Amelia obliges as they start towards the kitchen
"Its wonderful of you to visit! We never get to meet any of your friends" said Helena as she looked at everyone else "In fact you are the first ones she had ever brought home"
"Really?" said Kara as she glances sideways to Amelia who remained stoic
"I hope she's not giving you any trouble. She can be pretty hot blooded" said Helena making everyone look at Amelia
"Are you sure we are talking about the same person?" said Kara as Helena laughs and heads into the kitchen
Later
Arthur tells the gangs many things about this town as Helena brings them food. Upon tasting it. Kane really seemed to like it. Even though he slightly bothered her parents by eating through his helmet. He looks at them curiously
"…?" said Kane as both her parents awkwardly continue eating
"Oh don't mind him. He almost never takes off his helmet. Even when he's eating" said Leanna slightly patting him while Sky bobs up and down in agreement
A few more moments go by as everyone finished their food
"Would anyone care for seconds?" said Helena as Both Leanna and Zack take a second helping. Leanna piles up her plate with food until it's even fuller than Zack
As Leanna digs in. Kara watches enviously
"Where does it all go?" said Kara
"Hm?" said Leanna looking at Kara questioningly
"You have such a healthy appetite yet your so slim" said Kara
"Oh no.." thought Kane seeing where this can go very wrong as he puts his hand on his face while shaking his head
"Oh you think so? I guess I'm just luckily I guess" said Leanna as she continued eating her food
"Rather than luck I'd attribute it to the wind resistance you emit during your travels and activities" said Amelia making Leanna looked surprised and nervous "I can detect a constant energy utilization in your manipulator which is creating wind friction—"
"Haha! Your thinking way too much into this Amelia!" laughed Leanna with her face red "Its probably… just.. magic residue your detecting" Amelia gives Leanna an unimpressed look and Kane could tell Amelia was going to say more
"Amelia. Don't prod at her" said Kane in his usual monotone voice. Both Amelia's parents were a bit surprised that he spoke just like her as they looked at each other and back at Kane while Kara smiles smugly
"So that's your secret" said Kara with a smirk
"Ms. Kara" said Kane making her stop talking. Though she still had her smug expression making Leanna feel a bit better
"Anyway… this is really good! What is it?" said Leanna as Helene happily answered her and began chatting with her, Kara, and Amelia. Zack chatted with Arthur as they found themselves to have a common interest with weapons
Kane stared at the table watch Sky eat the piece of bread that he didn't finish for a few moments that felt like an eternity
But at the same time. Kane felt envious of Amelia. To have a loving mother and father to care for her very much…. If only if those rebels never took anything from him…. He began to pet Sky after he finished his bread
"…was it good?" said Kane
"Poi" said Sky
"…..You ever had this much human food before"
"Poi poi" said Sky shaking sideways… he must've been a really wild pango before Kane took him in. Sky hops towards Kane making him have a smile behind his helmet as he then noticed Sky look at Zack. He then felt an elbow from Leanna
"Look at Zack. This is got to be good" whispered Leanna as Kane started at Zack then forces himself to smile. Kane found his discomfort to be very amusing
Zack curled his lips more making an awkward grimace-smile hybrid. Kane began to slightly chuckle. Since Leanna was right next to him. She felt a little surprised as this was the first time she ever heard Kane laugh. Albeit with his helmet still on. But still a laugh nonetheless
Everyone but Kane recoils from this look. And Kara who blushes
"Oh that's very hot" muttered Kara as A moment later as she whispered in Zack's ear before dropping his smile as everyone began chatting again
Only this time. Leanna was quiet as well. She did it with a smile but Kane could tell something is on her mind as Helena gets the girls up and showed then to their rooms. Same with Arthur as he leads Kane and Zack to their room
"Now then Mr…" said Arthur
"…Kane." Said Kane
"sorry. Mr. Kane. I don't think I have a bigger bed for you bu-" said Arthur nervously as he hopes he didn't offend Kane while opening their room
"Its alright. I've slept in worse" said Kane as Arthur scratches his head slightly and quickly retreats away hoping he didn't anger the titan.
Before they could both get in. They heard a shriek of laughter in the girls' room making Zack curious to what is going on. Kane looks at him who is clearly imagining what is possibly going on due to his very intense stare hearing more sounds that the girls were making
Kane was about to go into his room as he suddenly heard a gust of wind behind the door making him turn around
"….not even gonna ask" thought Kane as he then notices Zack's face finally cracks
"What is.. going on in there?" said Zack
"Poi poi" said Sky looking at the door in interest as he hops on Kane's have and hops over to the girls' room. And as if on cure the door slides open. And Amelia then pokes out for a moment to snatch Sky. Kane could see Sky is enjoying it very much due to his very wide grin
As Zack continued his intense stare
"You dork" said Kane too Zack shoot him a glare as he walks in his room before Zack tails behind. Kane takes a seat on a chair doing nothing. Zack paces for a second staring at Kane for a moment
Kane then began to think for a moment
"Don't you ever take that off?" said Zack. Kane looked at the floor and then at Zack for a moment.
"…" said Kane as he got up and approached Zack. Kane debated on doing this for a moment. But this is something he always wanted to do…
"Wha-" said Zack as Kane then punched him in the face. That felt very good to Kane "Ow! What the hell!?"
Kane then chuckled for a moment. Zack rubbed his cheek before smiling "Ohh… I get it…. C'mere you" as They both tackled each other and began to wrestle before getting into a smoke fight
Outside both rooms. Arthur and Helena were in bed. And could hear the commotion. But due to the girl's being much louder. They could not hear Kane and Zack's fighting
"What do you think is going on in there?" said Arthur
"Oh they are just having a typical slumber party. Let me tell you honey. I did that all the time my friends when I was younger" said Helena as they then heard the gust of wind from Leanna
"…did these slumber parties have magic in it?" said Arthur raising a brow
"Believe it or not. A few times. You wouldn't believe how much fun it was" said Helena as he looked at the wall where he could hear muffled laughter from the girls before shaking his head as he and Helena snuggle together
Back to Zack and Kane. They were both laying on their beds chuckling at each other. Even though they fought for a bit. They made sure not to give each other bruises or evidence.
"…I take it you've done something like this before?" said Kane
"Yeah. I hadn't done it in a while. That was fun" said Zack
"…Well it was actually my first fun fight" said Kane
"Really?" Said Zack
"Yeah. Growing up I don't have that much time for fun" said Kane as he looked over at Zack's bed
"Hm. Then what did you spend most of your time doing?" Said Zack
"…most of my time were spent training… I'll leave it at that" said Kane "But what about you?. You seemed find of Arthur"
"Yeah. We both liked weapons a lot. I showed him both my dischargers and he was very impressed with it" said Zack
"Hmm…" said Kane as they both sat in silence for a moment. In Kane's mind. Maybe Zack isn't too bad. Zack could also tell that Kane has a significantly less hostile feeling around him
"Goodnight man" said Zack as he then yawns and lays down under his covers and began to fall asleep. Kane then later on his bed for a bit staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours
Meanwhile in the girls room. Everything has calmed down. Leanna began to think. Strangely enough she thought particularly of Kane. Even though he was extremely awkward with her parent. She tried not to think of too much as she began to fall asleep
Only for her thoughts to linger on about Kane. From what he looked like. To who he really might be. As she analyzed what she could remember from ranging from his behavior to his abilities. If there really was a knight training academy that stored knights like him. Then surely the Mage Guild would know…. Probably. And she noticed he looked up at the sky a lot…. A more than an average warrior. Like he doesn't recognize everything
But she then remembered that she met him exactly where she was scanning for dimensional rifts. Not to mention he was full of that energy… now the answer became very clear as it hits her like a brick wall. She felt a bit stupid not knowing earlier
Surely she wanted to know. But he doesn't owe it to her to tell. But yet he was still willing to talk to her about his problems as she then imagined a yellow portal with Kane crawling outside.
This probably would explain a lot to her. Not to mention being a lonely wanderer really fits him in her opinion
Later
While continuing laying down. He began to think where he would be if he never lost his family to the rebel alliance. The very thought of still having parents both bothered and intrigued him. Maybe he would be a stormtrooper in the imperial army like his grandparents wanted or maybe an officer like what his parents wanted
Kane then imagined himself joining stormtrooper training. But honestly now that he thought about it. He doesn't know if he could handle being either one. But one thing that did slightly interest him being a shore trooper
Kane then gets up off of his bed as he then left the room and fumbled around the dark living room to to make his way back to the balcony. He then saw Leanna leaning over it. She then noticed Kane approaching and smiled
"couldn't sleep either?" said Leanna as Kane then nods to her
"…sounded like you had lots of fun" said Kane
"Well...Kara got my boot off. So I returned the favor" said Leanna as Kane slightly tilted his head as she had a feeling he was probably smiling
"…something on your mind?" said Kane
"Oh it's nothing really. Tonight has been so much fun and Amelia's parents were nice. It just started to remind me of my family… and then I got thinking" said Leanna
"…and yet you couldn't stop?" said Kane making Leanna nod as they both look into the beautiful starry sky. They fall into a comfortable silence as they both stared at the stars. Kane could only wonder what Leanna was thinking while he imagined flying on another spaceship again onto the unknown wherever the Empire sent him. Suddenly she turns to him
"You know. I will help you accomplish your goal of returning home" said Leanna. Kane's eyes widen significantly once again. Just by his reaction she could tell she was right
"….how?" said Kane
"You see Kane. After observing your behavior. I can tell you really aren't from here.. and since you are bent on finding more about these energy rifts. It only made sense for me to assume that you cane from there" said Leanna
Kane didn't know what to think…. But he can admire that Leanna certainly is smarter than she looks when it came to this
"…." Said Kane "…but Leanna…. I still won't understand why you continue to help me…. But I am grateful for you" Leanna smiles at him upon hearing that "But when did you find out?..."
"last night. Thinking about it more explains a lot about you" said Leanna "I would never leave someone who needed help. Especially if I have the power to help them. I'm sure if you were me in that position. You would have done the same"
"….naive" thought Kane as she smiles
"I'm sorry. But I have also noticed how you looked up at the stars… I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to do the same and not recognize a single one…"
"….then tell me… what star is that?" said Kane pointing to a star cluster in the sky as she looked at it for a moment
"Do you mean Elwina?" said Leanna as Leanna points to the same cluster as Kane nods to her "She was a woman renowned for her beauty"
"…well I can recognize that star now" said Kane
"Actually. Elwina is my birth sign" said Leanna
"…I can see why" said Kane making her slightly blush. As she smiled to him
"Hopefully this place won't feel so lonely and foreign to you anymore" said Leanna
"..Being in a team with you and the others has made it significantly less foreign… I doubt I would be this far if I have never met you…" as she and Kane locked gazes. Until Leanna notices something behind Kane
"Look a shooting star!" said Leanna as Kane turned around and saw a star fly through the sky leaving a trail of glitter as she closes her eyes. Kane looks at her and back at it and does the same thing "So what did you wish for?"
"…It's a secret" said Kane "What about you?"
"I wished to continue to go on adventures" said Leanna happily
"Well… I'm glad to have embarked on this one with you.." said Kane making her face slightly flush "…Leanna are you still interested in seeing my face?..."
Lean a then perks up and looks at him with full attention... Kane then kneels down and puts his hands on his head loosening his helmet
"…go ahead" said Kane as Leanna's thought began to zoom in her mind again? Shiny bald head? Full head hair? Beard? No facial hair? Mustache?
Her arms where a bit shakey as she then puts both her hands on his helmet. And slowly removes it. Her eyes widened as he wasn't exactly what she expected
She was expecting a man in his 30s at best but no. Kane was clearly her age. If not then slightly younger. His raven hair that slightly covered his eyes similar to Zack (albeit much shorter) he was pale. Very pale making her realize he rarely took it off
He had a few scars on his face. Giving her the impression he must've fought much more than Zack. She carefully moves his hair to see his crimson red eyes to meet her crystal blue. All her thoughts on what he possibly could have looked like disappeared as she now saw him.. she had to admit. He is pretty cute. Kane then made a slight smile at her
"Wow Kane.. I think you actually look better then this way" said Leanna as she put her hand on his cheek
"You…. You really think so?" said Kane as she noticed he has a bit of an accent. However he still spoke clearly
"Yeah. You should take off your helmet more often" said Leanna
"Hm…. Maybe I will" said Kane as he gets up. After seeing his face made her realize. That face is of the man that has helped her solve many problems, The face that stood up for her, the face that was willing to listen to her all those times, the face that held her closely through the scary forest….
And the face that was softened by his new friend Sky. She then remembered what Kane promised earlier.. but she decided that it can wait… as they both locked eyes once again as they have a newfound fondness for each other despite knowing each other for a short time
To be continued
Kane's journal notes 3
Living in this place so far is very strange. No familiar technology. Nothing all I could get is this "dimension rift". I'm not sure if it's too reliable but I believe it's my best chance of getting home. If it does not work. I'll find another way wherever the hell it sends me
In this new place. I do like how it's not touched by either Rebel Scum or the Empire. It gives a really peaceful feeling. Sure this place has its conflict as I've become aware. But it's nowhere near as catastrophic as the wars I know
Strangely enough. Even though I would love to return. I feel like I don't want to leave at the same time. Like having a life here is better than back. And I sure as hell don't want to write a report on where I've been
Maybe that's just the side effect of my meds wearing off
Note to self. Get more meds
Things are weird here. Magic is much more prevalent than I've ever seen so far. But it's not as. . "bad" per say as I know. Maybe I'll understand it more the longer I stay. But then again. I never understood much of magic and The Force
I've met five new companions. 2 are an annoyance, one is strangely has similar behavior to Deathtroopers in training…. For the most part.
But I want to focus on the first one. Sky. He is a little slimeball. He sure makes a great friend and pet. If I get the chance to go back. I'll try to take him with me. And maybe I'll find a way to hide him from my superiors
And Leanna. She is one hell of a person just by meeting me she felt determined to help me the best I could. Even if she doesn't know my real intentions. She's naive that way but I am very pleased to meet someone like her
It will be a real damn shame to never see again. But then again. Maybe she is willing to join me. She'll make an amazing asset to the Empire given guidence and new ways. I doubt she'll say yes. But I'll offer her the chance when the time comes
I sincerely hope she agrees
Now that I think of it. Remington and Arthur(Hyun Woo). I still don't know where they are. But I surely know They probably are in a similar situation as me. Maybe I'll be lucky and run into them again.
Trivia
1: Originally. Kane was going to reveal himself in the next chapter. But I decided that having him partially doing it here may work better giving more room for growth.
2: Leanna was supposed to have another cryptic dream sequence regarding Kane. But I decided to scrap it
3: Ashley was meant to be referenced more as I decided it would be better for a future chapter
Thank you all who continue to stick around and are interested in a Deathtrooper. I shall start more chapters of other things involving them soon. Hopefully you'll like them
Next up:…. Picking Up the Pieces