Welcome to another adventure of Kane. Thank you all who continue to stick around. I'm very sorry for the wait
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"More than 2 but less than 4" – Gabe Newell
Warning. And a minor "Vine" scene
Unto thine stowy
Kane and Leanna stood outside smiling at each other. Though suddenly in his mind. Leanna is replaced by a familiar woman…. Ashley. This breaks Kane out of his smile as he looks away. Leanna reminds him so much of her. He can't seem to get her out of his head
"Is something wrong?" Said Leanna worriedly
"…no. But…thank you for everything Leanna. I shall see you tomorrow" said Kane with a slight smile as he then turns around to walk back into the house before stopping "…. Buenos noches" with a hint of innocence as he then disappears from her view
Leanna was unsure what he just said. But she could tell he was saying something in a different language. But due to how he said it. She assumed he said something very sweet. Making her smile though. She wanted to ask if something else is bothering him
Kane walls back into his room quietly and sees Zack is asleep. He then sees Sky sleeping on the other bed. He smiles to himself as he lets Sky gently before sitting onto a chair. He looks at his helmet and thought further
"Go kick their asses for me….. got it?...
Kane frowns remembering her. He still wishes she would have still been around…. He sighs before putting his helmet back on and trues to keep himself awake…. He looks at his journal wondering if he should write at all.. but decided not to this time
But thinking about her brought up memories of his time with the empire. This time though it seemed much easier to stay awake. Though he still felt sleepy at times. To him this maybe a long night
The next day
The sun shines through as Kane looks over to see Zack and Sky are still sleeping… he gets up and pokes Sky
"zzzzz-poi….poi…" said Sky as he began to wake up "Poi?" Sky puts on a smile as he hops "Poi Poi!" Kane smiles as Sky jumped into his hand as he walks over to Zack
"Zack… wake up" said Kane with no effort and got no response "…Do it" Sky then jumped onto Zack's sleeping face making Kane smirk behind his helmet
"zzzzz-Ghff! Phfff! Ppppppff!" said Zack as he then pulls Sky off his face waking up
"Poi poi!" said Sky as he happily hops on him
"Well.. good morning Sky" said Zack as he then notices Kane which slightly unnerved him for a moment "Morning Kane"
"…Morning… Zack" said Kane as Sky jumps back on his hand and Kane leaves to go downstairs. He could hear everyone else but Amelia's parents start to wake up. Kane noticed Helena packing a bunch of parcels while her father was about to go upstairs to be surprised by the titan
"!" Said Arthur "Oh it's just you" calming down as Kane inspects one of the candles on the shelves. Then. Everyone else see to pour back in. Helena frown
"Are you really leaving us now? You sure you can't stay a little longer?" said Helena as her lip trembles while Leanna softly smiles in response
"I wish we could stay longer. But we must get going. Thank you very much for all your hospitality" said Leanna as Helena gives each one of them a parcel
"Of course. You're all welcome here at any time!" said Arthur
"And I've packed you all some food for your journey" said Helena as Kane curiously inspects it "And I won't take no for an answer"
"Thank you again" said Leanna
"It's been a lot of fun. Thanks for having us" said Kara
"Thanks" said Zack
"Farewell Mother, Father" said Amelia
"…." Said Kane as all eyes went on him "…Thank you"
Helena then spreads her arms out and walks over. Kane quickly steps back as she brings them all into a hug. And Kane watched as she squeezed everyone as much as she could
"Please take care of our daughter" said Helena before letting them go
"I will" said Leanna as they all waved each other goodbye and began leaving
"I like them. I'm glad she was able to find a great group of friends" said Helena as she watched them leave
"Me too. Though I wonder about that tall one…" said Arthur referring to Kane
To Kane
They gang walks further through the town until they see a clothes shop. Leanna then gets an idea as she then unexpectedly grabs Kane by the hand and pulls him in. Surprising the others as they watched from the window
"Welcome how may we help-" said the clerk before noticing Leanna bring in a titan "You?"
"Do you guys sell cloaks in his size?" said Leanna as the clerk inspects Kane
"Hm…. That would all depend on what kind of cloak your looking for" said the clerk as he then checks where the cloak section is
"…Leanna.. why are you doing this?" said Kane
"Because" said Leanna cheerfully "I think it may help you fit in"
"…" said Kane as the clerk comes over with a stool and measuring tape. He steps into to and gestures for Kane to stretch his arm. The clerk dues some quick measures before writing it down and going into storage "I'm.. not sure that will make me fit in very much"
The clerk comes back with a large dark brown cloak and shows it "This is the only thing we have available for his size"
"Its perfect!" said Leanna "How much?"
"15 coins" said the clerk as Leanna gives him the money, he tips his hat and goes off to continue with whatever he was doing earlier
"Try it on" said Leanna as she gave him an encouraging look. Kane then looks at it. Before slowly putting it on. It was a perfect fit for him which surprised him a little. And felt nice. Through it only reached down for most of his back
"Seems a bit small.." said Kane
"Kane. You look fine" said Leanna as she gives him a look of reassurance
They both left the shop and continued their way through the town. But surprisingly. Kane received a lot less stares from the townsfolk
They continued their path until the passed the down gates into the familiar dirt path surrounded by greenery with most of their journey being uneventful until..
Something almost bumped into Kane. He didn't see much of it though he did see a bushy tail. He looked at it curiously as it hopped into a bush. Sky curiously hope on over to it
"Poi?" said Sky as he looks in the bush before jumping back to avoid a claw swipe "Poi!" He then hops behind Kane's leg. Kane gets his baton ready
"A sabali!" Said Leanna as she gets excited
"…a what now?" said Kane
"Basically an overgrown rodent" said Zack
"Untrue. Sabili are not part of the rodent family" said Amelia
"They are way too cute" said Kara
"They are very rare! And since you saw one Kane you are going to get good luck!" said Leanna this only rendered Kane more confused. But the thought of good luck made him… amused somewhat. Hopefully it helps him
"I don't see how lucky it can be if it almost tripped him up" said Zack as Kane puts his baton away
"Well they tend to hide from people. If one let's you spot it. Then that must make you special" said Leanna. Then Amelia goes on about superstition which Kane zoned out of
"Aw come on Any. Key them keep their superstitions" said Kara playfully as she ruffles her hair making her pout
Leanna on the other hand noticed Kane has zoned out "Kane?.. Kane…" She then waves her hand in front of him. She then snaps her fingers
"?" said Kane as he looked at Leanna
"Good your back" said Leanna
"Anyway. Let's get going" said Zack as the gang continue their path for much longer
Much longer as day turns to night
Kane sits on a tree stump staring at the sky. He then takes off his helmet to feel the gentle cool breeze of the night wind as Leanna noticed and walks over
"Kane?" said Leanna "There's something I wanted to ask you…." As she feels slightly worried she may strike a nerve
"… is there a reason you don't try to sleep?" said Leanna with a hint of worry
"Me?... " said Kane "….I still don't understand why you care so much"
"Its because. Your my friend… friends always help each other. They are always there for each other…" said Leanna "Please Kane… at least give me a chance to be there you"
"…." Said Kane "….you really want to know?..." she nods in response "….very well" making her smile slightly
"I…... I… am afraid.." said Kane making her lose that smile
"Afraid of what?" said Leanna
"For a long time.. I have not experienced sleep… and I've…. Seen a lot. If I go to sleep. I'll only be reminded of what happened.."
"…May I ask what happened?" said Leanna as Kane shook his head
"….But I can't tell you.. I just can't …. " Said Kane "Im sorry if that wasn't satisfying enough… but I hope you can understand"
"Its alright Kane…. But.. you need to know. You'll need to sleep eventually. It's what keeps us healthy and ready" said Leanna
"But-"
"Kane. There's nothing to be afraid of." Said Leanna "I understand that you are scared but know that we are here for you."
"…" said Kane
"I am here for you" said Leanna "There's nothing to be afraid of… just think about the hope that there is for your situation. Think about what you still have… you know?" her words flooded into Kane's mind. It reminded him of Ashley once again…
"Just think about what you have left and make the most of it. Alright?"
"…yeah…." Said Kane "….Thank you once again Leanna" as he gives her a very sincere smile making her happy. But she could tell he is still unsure about sleeping. Kane looks into the moonlight sky before looking at Leanna
"Its alright Kane. Go on ahead" said Leanna as Kane looks down on the ground and hesitantly began to close his eyes. Sky hops onto his lap and began to rest much to Leanna's surprised. Though unbeknownst to her
Kane really is trying to sleep but all he could see is blackness. At first he felt scared he may face another nightmare flashback. But Leanna's soothing words prevented his scary memories from resurfacing
"Hey Kane remember that flood thing? That was so damn fun"
"Yeah.. it sure was…"he muttered as Leanna could barely hear what he said. She watched him as he tried to sleep. Though she noticed he was stirring slightly.. she then put her hand on his shoulder to which he began to slightly relax at her touch
Even though Leanna now has an idea .. albeit a sort of obvious one of why Kane has trouble sleeping. She hopes that he will open up more about in the future and lose the fear as well. He then began to uses his cloak as a blanket
The next day
Leanna wakes up to see Kane is no longer in his spot again. But she looked over to see him standing seemingly in the breeze. Though his helmet is back on. And his cloak seems to be flowing with the breeze
She walks over to see him turn around to face her. And notices that Sky is in his hand
"Poi poi!" said Sky as he hopped over to Leanna who smiled and held out her arms for him to hop into
"*giggle* good morning sky!" said Leanna raising him closely before looking at Kane "And good morning to you too Kane"
"…good morning Leanna… I trust you slept well?" said Kane as she smiled and nodded back to him. After spending a few moments holding Sky. She puts him down
"…hey Kane…. I know I asked you earlier. But is there any chance you can use your magic more effectively?" said Leanna
"…my magic?" said Kane as he suddenly remembered she was talking about "Why?..."
"Because I saw you use fire magic. When we fought the shadow familiars" said Leanna "If you were able to do that. You should be able to cast other magics"
"…Well I never saw myself being a mage…" said Kane making Leanna shake her head
"And yet you have the chance. Why not take that?" said Leanna
"You know. If you had the opportunity to learn a crazy skill. Don't just brush it off. Alright Kane-y boy?"
"…ok Ashley.." muttered Kane
"Swee-Wait did you just call me Ashley?" said Leanna
"!" said Kane "…No…I said Leanna" as she gave him a skeptical look before brushing it off that she misheard him
"..alright then. But let's get started" said Leanna
"poi poi?" said Sky as he hopped over to Kane
"…you may want to stand back little one" said Kane as Sky hopped back a little "..So what are we starting with?"
"Simple. I want to see if you can deflect my wind blasts" said Leanna readying her gauntlet
"..your wh-ACK!" Said Kane as be was knocked back by a gust wind from her manipulator
"Deflect it Kane!" Said Leanna shooting another gust came at him. Kane put out his hand only for nothing to happen. So he gets hit again this time harder than before
"!" said Kane getting hit into a tree "…hehehe… so that's how you want to play.." as he dodged another gust and pulled out his baton. Leanna saw what he was doing and readied her sword before shooting another gust
Kane dashed towards her as fast as he could until he was close enough. He then swung his baton at her to which she used her blade to block it
Meanwhile Zack, Kara, and Amelia (While holding onto Sky) were watching Leanna and Kane clash weapons in interest and amusement
Leanna used her wind magic to make herself faster as she slashed at Kane who quickly pulls out one of his knives and used both it and the baton to block each attack from her
He then lunged at her narrowly missing her hitting the ground with his baton as he used his knife to block another strike
"Your pretty good" said Kane as sparks were flying as she jumped back
"And you'll be better if you cast!" said Leanna as another gust is shot. Kane holds out his hand to try to cast. Only fir nothing to happen and gets hit into a tree. Making her put her hand on her mouth as she is worried she got to far
But then Kane got up and seemingly cracked his neck with a turn before running to her wielding both his weapons
Zack low key liked that sight as Kane getting hit
Leanna then blocked multiple swing from Kane as she managed to knock his knife out of his hand. And before she could shoot another gust at him he used his free arm to grab her gauntlet arm and pushed it aside making it shoot a tree
"Maybe you should fight him" said Kara as Zack began to wonder what would happen if he and Kane would go if they were genuinely trying to kill each other. While Amelia pets Sky to keep him from jumping
"This skills. Certainly ordinary knight could do this" thought Leanna as she blocked another blow from Kane's baton. She then drive her knew into his chest to which her surprise he shrugged off and making her move back
Kane then tried casting again to no avail before dodging another gust
"Kane if you were to ever fight a Jedi like that you need to know what you can do"
Kane then sees Leanna charge right at him as he stood his ground the best he could as he felt the force nearly knocked him off his feet
They both clashed weapons as Leanna knocks his baton out of his hand. He pulls out his other knife and spins it expertly in his hand as he slashed at her purposely aiming in areas where when knew she would deflect it
Upon doing so. He grabbed her blade and firmly grasped it the best he could surprising Leanna as she pulls her blade out of his hand which heavily stung
She leapt back before shooting another gust successfully hitting Kane once. She does it again.
And then. She reluctantly does it a third time
"I WONT LET YOU FAIL"
Before that attack could touch him. Kane shoots his hand as he felt a click. And shoots our a blast stopping the attack. Albeit it was weaker than Leanna's. But it was still a magic either way and strong enough to deflect
Leanna stops everything and looked at him in surprise. Kane looks at his hand and then back at her. He gets up and gets in a battle stance
"You did it.. oh sweet!" said Leanna excitedly running over to him. Kane could tell that this session is over so he puts his knife away and looks for his baton until she caught up to him
"Damn. And it took him this long." Said Zack crossing his arms
"Yes. But his wind magic is weak. If he were to continue training like this. Be should get stronger" said Amelia while Kara looks at Leanna and Kane with interest
"Poi poi" said Sky
"I wasn't too hard on you was I?" said Leanna worriedly as Kane remembered that this was kind of like fighting magicians and jedi back home
"It's alright Leanna" said Kane in a significantly more reassuring tone than she is used to hearing him. But then she notices his bleeding hand
"!" said Leanna "Kane your bleeding!" as she points at his hand. Kane looks at it and then back her "Hold on I got bandages"
"Leanna I'll be fine" said Kane as she shook her head
"No its my fault that you got hurt" said Leanna as sge grabbed his arm and gets a cloth to dab at it. Kane felt a few stings in his hand "I'm sorry I'll try to be gentle"
Kane could feel her gentle touch as Leanna began to wrap a bandage around his hand. He low key liked it very much as he hadn't felt a touch as soft as that since…
"Kill every last one for me. Ok?"
She smiles at him as flashes of Ashley appeared in Kane's mind for a slip second moment… which made him. Appreciate Leanna a bit more as he smiled back to her behind his helmet. Meanwhile Sky jumps out of Amelia's hands and hops over to the two of them
Sky circles around Kane before jumping onto his other hand "Poi!"
"Hey Sky" said Kane "Enjoy the show?" Sky happily hops as the other caught up to them
"We should pack up and leave" said Amelia as Kane nodded. Leanna on the other hand drill felt kind of bad she cut his hand as they all went to gather their things and pack
Later
They all had ventured towards the a forest with a warm light path. Which began to get darker and darker the more they trekked inside
Kane began to notice that Leanna and Sky are getting scared again. And apparently so did Zack. While Sky nuzzles his hand for comfort. Zack then smirks
"We apparently have stumbled into the forest of grieving" said Zack which made Leanna balk
"…Grieving?.." said Leanna nervously while Sky is more concerned while Zack nods in response
"Poi poi?" said Sky with a slight shakiness. Leanna then began to suspiciously gaze around her. Kara mischievously decides to join in
"…You mean the one with the trapped souls?" said Kara which made Leanna's eyes widen and her voice began to tremble
As funny as Kane thought this is. He began to pet Sky which slightly easiest him. Though he still wanted to see how Leanna will be
"…trapped souls?" said Leanna with her voice significantly more nervously
"Do you want to know how these souls got trapped in the first place?" said Zack with a smirk
"Nope! I don't want to know! In fact none of us want to know!" said Leanna. And now. Kane couldn't help it
"….Do we now?" said Kane ominously which spooked her greatly when he looked directly at her with his hood only revealing the green visors of his helmet
"Kane!" said Leanna while Amelia rolls her eyes
"Evidently. You three are misinformed. There is no such place as the forest of grieving" said Amelia with her hands on her hips with a slightly annoyed expression
"Um, no. There is definitely a forest of grieving. Right Kara?" said Zack
"Absolutely" said Kara
"If that is true. We are certainly not here" said Amelia with Leanna now having a red face and pouting
"You guys are the worst!" said Leanna. This made Kara and Zack try to hide their amusement while Sky shoots them both a dirty look
"Poi…" said Sky in an annoyed as Kane pets him again to try to ease him
Kane then held out his hand to her. To which she looks further into the scary forest and then back at him
"But no scares this time" said Leanna as Kane nodded to her to which the then took his hand and he held her close while they walked through the dark forest with lots of overgrown roots. Again. To her. Being around a scary titan like Kane makes the forest less scary to her
They ventured far enough where the trees looked so old but at the sane time they were giving off some sort of faint blue light
"…anyone else feel that?" said Kane as Sky looked around
"This place.. its full of magic energy!" said Leanna
"Poi poi!" said Sky as he hopped of Kane's hand and into the ground and gazed at the sight. Kane on the other hand kind of
Amelia took a closer look as she then realized
"There are magic crystals giving this place its glow" said Amelia as Sky saw something in the bush and hopped over to investigate. To see that it's a pink pango
"Poi?.." said the pink pangos
"Poi poi" said Sky as the pink pango then hopped over to Leanna
"Aw… how cute.." said Leanna as the pink pango hopped into her arm surprising her slightly. But enjoyed it as she gave it a hug "I think it likes me"
"Poi" said another language appearing from another bush.. surprising Leanna. And then more started to come out of the bushes around Leanna. She was overwhelmed from the cuteness
And another…
"More pangos?" said Leanna as she then grinned and held out her other arm which a few more jumped onto her nearly knowing her over. The others could hear her giggles
Then even more began to show up. Zack then took several steps back and kept his hands on his discharges because he didn't want them to eat the energy from them, Amelia and Kara excitedly go over and joined the fun with Leanna and the pangos
Meanwhile Kane… watched for a few moments. It low key reminded him of one of Ashley's guilty pleasures. As then a very small pango. Much smaller than Sky. Hops over to him
"Poi?..." said the smol pango
"?" said Kane as he then got on his knees. To poke it
"Poi~" which tickled it
"Poi!..." said Sky angrily
"…What?" said Kane as Sky turned the other way "What did I do?"
Leanna tried her best to keep herself from sobbing "Cant… hug… them all…" she said as she held onto more pango tightly
"Just hug as many as you can before we leave" said Kara hugging more pangos to which Leanna a sniffs and nods
The smol pango curiously looked at Kane as it then hopped into his Hoodia
"!" said Kane getting up and fishing through his cloak to find it. Until it slides onto his hand "…" to which it gave him an innocent smile before hopping off and joining the other pangos. He then looked at Sly who huffed and turned back around "Sky… you know you're the best of them all"
Sky then turned slightly
"…Your my favorite pango.." said Kane which seemingly made Sky turn fully around with a smile
"Poi poi!" said Sky as Kane held out his hand to hop on. Kane then began to affectionately pet him
Eventually a very large pango significantly bigger than the others began hopping over. Which calmed down much of the other pangos
"Poi poi?" said the large pango. Sky then gets an idea and hops off Kane's hand and goes over to the large pango
Kane could hear them seemingly have a conversation through lots of "pois" eventually the large pango started hopping further away as Sky followed it. Sky the stops to gesture for everyone to follow
"Should we… follow?" said Kane as Zack shrugs while Leanna nods
"Yes I think we should, at the very least we can't leave him" said Leanna
"You sure he won't lead us to any danger?" said Zack
"That is unlikely" Said Amelia "That big pango seems to be an authority figure here. If we were in danger. I think we would be already known"
They all followed the pangos until they reached a what appeared to be old ruins
"This should be the earth temple. There is so much energy concentrated here" said Amelia as they all walked in
When Kane looked around it reminded him if an abandoned Jedi temple in a way. And so far he has a feeling in his gut someone new is nearby
"…." Said Kane inspecting the weathered stone of what appeared to be statues from long ago while Kara goes around the place looking for traps. To which thankfully there didn't seem to be any at all. Amelia foes around scanning the place with her manipulator
Kane could hear them converse which each other about elementals and bow they suspect that he may have seen one. To which Leanna then came over
"Kane.. did you see an elemental?" said Leanna
"An… elemental?" said Kane
"Yes an elemental. They are women that represent an element. We believe you saw one in the temple" said Leanna
"Really?" said Kane as she nodded. Kane began to think of the red woman again "…huh. I might as well have" as he continues observing the surroundings
But then coincidentally a large rock came tumbling down
"Look out!" said Leanna as faster than Kane could react. She tackled him out of the way. Though. Kane could feel his back hitting some pointy rocks
"Ow…" thought Kane
"POI!" said Sky appearing out of nowhere and hopping over to Kane
"Oh no I'm so sorry Kane!" said Leanna as she is now on top of him
"No Leanna.. its all right.." said Kane "But are you alright?"
"Yeah. Thankfully the brunt of the force was broken by.." said Leanna as her mind then registered what is going now. Her face turns red as she quickly gets up and dusts herself off
Though Kane did not mind being in that position as he brought himself up and dusted off albiet he wished he didn't land on some pointy rocks
Leanna with her red face immediately looks at the rocks. There is basically a collapsed wall in front of them both
"You guys ok!?" said Kara on a muffled voice
"Y-Yes! We are fine!" said Leanna
"Then I advise being cautious when you move forward" said Kara once again in a muffled voice
"How are we going to move all these rocks?" Zack could faintly be heard saying
"POI POI!" yelled Sky from the otherside
"Don't worry he's safe with us!" said Amelia
Leanna tried to use her wind magic to remove some stones. Only for her magic to bounce off as if they were nothing
"…This is not good" said Leanna
"What is it?" said Kane
"They are coated in magic that protects them from other magic… in general" said Leanna
"…." Said Kane as they stared at the wall
"Poi!" yelled Sky from the other
"Sky! I'll see you soon. Alright?" said Kane
"Poi poi!" said Sky
"…" said Kane as Leanna gestured to get going. "….Leanna?" gaining her attention while they walked
"Yes?" Said Leanna
"….thanks" said Kane "For saving my life.." slightly surprising her
"No Kane its nothing. After all I owed you when you saved me from that blast" said Leanna "From Ravenpass. Remember?"
"..yeah" said Kane "But… maybe I should've done a better job dodging after I saved you…Ash-" quickly stopping himself from finishing that name making her raise a brow "..sorry"
"But Kane. You still saved me. And your still ok" said Leanna
"…." Said Kane as they then heard something move making them warily look around before…
A green vine wraps around her legs. Which caught her off guard. Before she could react. They then wrap around her
"Ah! What is this!?" said Leanna as she could feel another vine wrap around her chest while she tried breaking free to which began to lift her off the ground
Though Kane. Was wondering why the vines didn't seem hostile to him. He then poked a dormant vine. But it didn't react to him at all. He then looked at Leanna who was struggling to break free
"Kane help me down!" yelled Leanna as he tried breaking free. The worst part. The vines were moving around so it was kind of hard to get a clear shot as Kane got both of his knives
"Kane please hur-Ahhhhh!" yelped Leanna again as the vines grow tighter. Kane also began to feel something deep below. A feeling only Ashley provoked. So Kane gets closer and closer to the moving vines while Leanna makes more grunting noises
But at the sane time.. Kane does remember a particular similar time in his life…. Was it what they call… arousal?
"DON'T JUST STAND THERE YOU F***ING MORONS GET ME DOWN!"
Kane quickly snaps out of it and runs closer to see again. The vines have gotten to her chest and she lets out a sharp gasp
"Ah!" yelled Leanna as her expression goes from pain.. to pleasure "Wh-What is this!? Wh-Why does this-nnnrgh feel so weird!?"
Kane then lunged over to chop song of the vines that was wrapped g around d her legs causing the others to loosen their grip on her as he began cut more and more of them giving Leanna a much easier time to wriggle free
Some vines then go straight for Kane but he cut them down with ease brcirx moving onto the lady of the vines holding Leanna
Once those were cut. Leanna silent gets up. With her hair covering her eyes. Kane could tell she doesn't seem to be too happy with him right now. She then stops in front of him
"?" said Kane before she then drove her knee up to his gut "!" thankfully his armor protected him from too much pain
"You think I didn't know what you were up too?" said Leanna with her face beet red
"…..Up to what?" said Kane curiosity which made her face redder and slightly angrier thinking Kane is pulling a smart-ass move her. So she kicks him harder
Kane recoiled after the kick. Standing still for a moment before slowly standing back up. Honestly to him. If someone else did this. He wouldn't hesitate to retaliate. But he couldn't seem to want to purposely hurt her
"I can't believe you.. you perv!"said Leanna. Now Kane really understood why she is mad. However her cheeks were now really burning red
"….." said Kane before menacingly leaning over her "Leanna… I'm sorry.. for waiting too long"
Even though Leanna couldn't stay mad at him. She sure as hell was still annoyed
"This. Never. Happened." Said Leanna as she storms away "*sigh* let's get going"
Kane goes over to catch up with her though making sure to stand a few feet away to avoid bothering her even more. Thankfully without further incident. They finally head further where they see the others
"You guys finally made it" said Kara
"POI POI!" yelled Sky as he hopped out of Amelia's arms and jumped at Kane into his hand. Kane then began to affectionately
"Hey Sky…. Been good?" said Kane as Sky hopped into his shoulder and pressed himself on his head Meanwhile Kara examines Leanna making her blink curiously
"Whoa… did something happen?" said Kara causing a subtle pink to tinge Leanna's cheeks
"*clears throat* N-Nothing at all.. right Kane?" said Leanna before shooting him with a warning glare
"..nope… nothing happened" said Kane as Kara then looked between him and Leanna and simply grinned
"Oh.. I get it.. you two were alone together after all" said Kara putting her hand on her face to hide a smug look causing Leanna's cheeks to flare up
"No its not what your thinking!" said Leanna as Kara winks to her. Kane on the other hand…. Wasn't sure what to think really
" Riiiiight.. nothing happened" said Kara smugly
"What is with everyone and their over active imagination today!?" said Leanna in frustration as everyone looked at Kane
"…..What?" said Kane "..Am I supposed to say something?" as Sky then hopped into Kane's hand
"Nevermind. Your fine" said Zack "Lets just go"
"…Poi?" said Sky giving a curious look
"..don't worry about it" said Kane petting him as they all walked further towards the Earth temple
When they did they saw that the place wasn't crumbling to pieces like the rest if the place. There is lush greenery everywhere and birds began flying away out of their spots whenever they were near. Sky then hops off to explore around
But in the middle of it. There was a beautiful woman. Who wore a green dress. Though seemingly once again. Only Kane saw her. But just like the other woman of the fire temple. There was an inviting aura about her
She then got up from her seat and walker over to him. Like the red woman. This green woman didn't have any ill intent oozing from her. To which once again he felt compelled to kneel. Everyone else looked at him in curiosity
The woman then gestured for his helmet to which Kane slowly puts his hands on his helmets and began to take it off
"He's actually taking it off.." muttered Zack as he and Kara finally see what he looks like without it before Leanna and Amelia both shush him
Kane pulled his helmet off making the woman smile. As she then reached out to put her hand on his cheek. Feeling her warm touch. Kane then leans into it while closing his eyes. That amazing feeling again
They then began to crowd around curious to why he is like that
Though from the perspective of Zack, Kara, and Amelia. They are seeing the face of their companion for the first time ever. They could see his pale skin, scar, and messy black hair that covered his eyes
"Damn.. he really must not take that bucket off that much" said Zack as Kara elbowed him
If Kane were to describe it. Beyond a soft touch he would say he feels peace and tranquility as Kane could feel something flowing into him once again as he opens his eyes
The woman smiled as she became more and more translucent until she was gone. Leanna and Amelia then go over to see him in a trance like state
"Kane?.." said Leanna waving her hand in front of his face to get no response. She then pushed his hair aside to see his crimson red eyes are dilated which began to return to normal
"It seems his pupils have returned to normal now" said Amelia though hmshe was surprised he has eyes similar to hers
"Poi poi?" said Sky as he looked at Kane
"Kane are you feeling ok. You zoned out" said Leanna
"…." Said Kane as he puts his helmet back on
"Did you see the earth elemental?" said Leanna as Kane nodded before getting up and Sky jumps into his hand
"It seems he has once again absorbed a substantial amount of energy here" said Amelia "…Kane.. would you mind discussing what you have experienced in greater detail later?" Kane just nods to herbefjre he looks at Zack and Kara with bags in their hands
"What? We've just went on an all-you-can-grab treasure buffet" said Kara before pulling out a book "Here I think it may peak your interest" grinning
"Thank you. I shall study and translate it" said Amelia "Thank you"
Before anyone else could say anything. They could hear a rumble. To which they quickly ran our of the temple as fast as they could
When they left Amelia then examines Kane
"That energy you absorbed. You could possibly open up a temporal rift if you wanted too" said Amelia making Kane's head whip to her direction with his eyes snapping open
"I could?..." said Kane
He couldn't believe it. He could have enough energy to return back to his dimension… though what irked him was that she said 'possibly' which yells him its not safe to do it… buy then again being home sooner could be good
Kara upon hearing that took a few steps back worried that Kane may want to immediately try opening one. Zack did the same
"…Amelia. How safe would it be if I were to try it" said Kane
"Hm.. I would say it would be a risk to try it now. But if you had more energy it would make it safer" said Amelia
"…So the more energy absorbing I do… means it will be less likely it will be a disaster" said Kane
"Correct" said Amelia
"…" said Kane as he then ventured ahead of everyone else
"Hey wait up!" said Leanna going after him
"Poi poi!" said Sky hopping after them
They all continued their walk back into the forest and into the plains. Eventually they found a good camping spot to which they began to settle down
Kane sits at a tree with Sky on his lap gently caressing him as he watch Zack Cook food while Amelia uses her magic to spark a fire
He eventually took a peek at the fire and thought about the candles he had. He felt tempted to set one of them aflame
"Is there a particular reason why you like this?"
Though he decided to save his candles for later. He felt like he has forgotten he still had them… thinking about it again. He decided to wanted a better way of lighting them rather than magic
"Hey Kane. Zack finished the soup" said Leanna bringing him a bowl of steaming soup as she handed it to him "Careful its still hot"
"…" said Kane putting the bowl down as Sky hoped off him to curiously sniff it ad Leanna then sits next to him as she takes a spoonful and blows on it before eating it
"Cmon Kane its good" said Leanna as after a moment of silence he reaches for his food after he took off his helmet and he could feel the gentle breeze brush his face as he stared at the steamy soup waiting for it to cool down
"Hey Kane?" said Leanna gaining his attention. Though she kind of liked it better that she directly talking to him without his helmet on "What exactly did you see?.. at the temple"
"…." Said Kane recollecting what he saw "I saw.. a woman… in a green outfit. She gave off a very inviting aura like the red woman " Leanna began to perk up at that "…she wanted me to take off my helmet… so I did… and then she put her hand on my face.."
Leanna was curious about this as in her kind Kane directly saw the elemental women. That is something not many people is able to do
"She kept it there until she just… vanished" said Kane as his food was cooling
"..Is that why you were in a trance?" said Leanna
"..yes.." said Kane as he found himself craving for more of that touch..
"Interesting…" said Leanna "Thank you Kane" as he nods to her "But you know…"
"?" said Kane
"Lets spar again tomorrow. I'm sure that absorbing that energy probably has made you stronger " said Leanna
"..sure" said Kane as he then began to eat his food
Meanwhile Zack was talking to Kara about all the treasure they found. But the thought of Kane also entered his mind When he saw his face. He certainly looked like a warrior. But Zack expected him to be much older than him. Maybe a decade or so. But he could tell he maybe slightly younger than himself
Hell. He would go as far to say that he and Kane are similar as people and in appearance in a way.. though he wondered what is his story that made him much more hardened than himself
As for Amelia. She was studying the book she received from Kara as she was comparing it to her books and research trying to translate it
"Kane. I also wanted to ask.. I noticed you have an accent.." said Leanna as he is almost done with his food
"Well.. this isn't my first language…" said Kane
"..you mean you speak another language besides common?" said Leanna interested. To which ut also explains why he sounds a bit different than any other common soeaker
"Common?... is that what they call galactic basic here?" thought Kane "Alright… think Kane think… what other than Xylo regis…. Call it its ancient name.. of course!"
"Yeah…. I speak Spanish" said Kane
"Spanish?" said Leanna tilting her head in curiosity
"Yes… It is my mother tongue" said Kane
"I see.. so was it hard for you to learn common?" said Leanna
"No. As I learned common when I was a child" said Kane "As children are much more likely to learn language than adults"
"I see" said Leanna "Can you say something in it for me?"
"…What do you want me to say?" said Kane
"Let's see… um…. How about 'Hello how are you today?'" said Leanna
"Hola como estas hoy?" said Kane as when Leanna heard him speak it. He sounded much more natural than when he spoke common
"Oo~ now say…. May I have your sword" said Leanna
"Puedo tener tu espada?" said Kane as Leanna excitedly clapped for a moment
"Why didn't you tell me you spoke another language?" said Leanna
"You never asked" said Kane
"Of course… do you speak anything else?" said Leanna
"Nope. Just Spanish and Common" said Kane as she smiled at him
"..I wish I could know more than one language" said Leanna leaning back on the tree
"…well… if you'd like…. Maybe… i can teach you some words.." said Kane
"I would love that *yawn* man I got to go to sleep soon…" said Leanna as Kane have her a slight smile "See you tomorrow Kane"
"Buenos noches" said Kane making her smile to him
"*slight giggle* good night to you too Kane" said Leanna guessing what he meant "…And Kane. Just remember there is nothing to be afraid of for sleep" as she got up and walked over to her sleeping bag
"…alright" said Kane as he then looked at her and everyone else. They all were pretty much asleep at this point. Even Sky as Kane saw that he was right next to him. He then gently petted Sky for a moment before looking to the sky
He tried looking for the sign of Elwina.. it took a moment. But he found it. He looked at it fir a good moment before grabbing his journal and began writing
And when he finished.. he began to lay back taking a deep breath. Thinking about what Leanna said to him about it. He might as well start. He then used his cloak as a blanket
He closed his eyes and welcome the darkness of it. As he slowly but surely began to drift asleep. Albiet something was different this time. He was unsure why. But it just was.
….
"Of course… what I still fear is the future. After losing Stan I'm sure it will be a domino effect…"
….
"I shall. For as long as I live. I don't want to let you down. My best friend…"
…
"Don't let that loss go to your head. After all. We have each other. I won't let you die. I promise…."
"Arthur…?" muttered Kane in his sleep
Dreamscape
Kane found himself walking through plains similar to where he was. But something caught his attention as he walked over to it
He realized it seemed to be a gravestone. Ge bent over and tried to read it. But he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried. He took off his helmet and set it down to the side to see if would be any better but still no luck
But then. He felt someone's presence which prompted him to turn around to see a figure shrouded in darkness. Yet had seemingly glowing green eyes. Yet it had a rising hostile feeling. To which Kane quickly readied his fighting stance
"…Who are you?" Said the figure starting to get in a defensive position
"..I could ask you the same thing" said Kane. He wasn't sure why. But he felt like he didn't want to hurt that figure as he threw a punch to which the figure blocked. Hell sometimes him the figure felt the same
Bur sure enough. The figure tackled him rolling onto the green grass as they suddenly were off a ledge falling
"!" they both said as they both hit the ground in a forest area
*crack*
Kane looked over as the figure could be seen in better lighting. To see… ANOTHER DEATHTROOPER
He took off his helmet and groaned as he walked into sight. Kane's hood part fell off as he unsteadily stood up. There was something familiar about him. And then he saw a familiar face…
"….Kane?" the figure said getting a good look at him
"…" said Kane as he examined the figure as he know realized who he was. Kane widens his eyes upon the realization
But before they could say anything A bright light began to fill their vision
The next day
"Arthur…. ARTHUR!" said Kane snapping awake looking around to see he was still at the tree.. je noticed everyone but Leanna was still sleeping. He stood up and walked after putting on his helmet
She seemingly was watching the sky as she turned around and saw Kane walking towards her
"Good morning Kane. Have a nice sleep?" said Leanna as Kane catches up to her
"..you could say that.." said Kane "…you still up for that spar?..." which made her smile
"You bet!" said Leanna as she gets her sword "Shall we get started?"
Kane then took a moment to stretch as he then grabbed his baton
"…we may" said Kane as they both got into fighting stances. A moment passes by as Leanna then lunged at him driving her sword to his chest which he blocked with his baton as he then used his strength to fend off the sword as Leanna then shoots a gust of wind at him
He quickly shoots back a much weaker one in response to cancel it out as he then grabbed his knife to swing at Leanna where she blocked and narrowly avoided others
Meanwhile Zack wakes up to hear the commotion as he goes over to check it out. To see Kane sparring with Leanna. He didn't seem surprised that they were doing that as he wondered how close they could be for a moment
Before rolling his eyes and smirking as he saw Kane get punched in the chest as he narrowly avoided her sword to his heads he quickly grabbed his knife and they clashed blades
Zack then felt something at his foot prompting him to look down
"Poi!" said Sky giving a big smile
"Uhm… go see them. They could use you" said Zack as Sky looked at Leanna and Kane seemingly having a stand off. Sky then happily hops over in front of Kane. Zack smirked knowing where this could lead too
"Poi poi!" said Sky in a 'good morning fashion
"Huh?-AUGH!" said Kane as he was hit by another wind knocking him down
"Kane you alright?!" said Leanna running over to him and holding our her hand worried she may have overdone the wind
"I'm alright" said Kane taking her hand and getting up. He looks over to see Zack trying to hold in a laugh
"…I'm so getting him back for that" thought Kane as he picked up Sky
"Careful next time. Alright boy?" said Kane
"Poi!" said Sky happily as Kane affectionately pets him as they go catch up with everyone else to see that everyone has packed up
"Oh yeah. You both missed breakfast. So uh.. here" said Zack handing them both over pieces of bread
"…" said Kane taking a piece as Leanna takes the others as Kane began to eat the bread through his helmet
"Kane why don't take that off?" Said Zack "Eating through that thing will mess with the taste"
"…" said Kane as he ate the rest of it while Leanna began eating hers. They then began to make their way while they did that Sky hops onto his shoulder
Much later
They walked high up where the clouds were thickening and there is loud thunder
"This does not seen promising" said Leanna
"We should find shelter" said Zack "We do not want to be caught on this storm"
"We are still quite ways from Elendale" said Amelia
"Then we better stop at the first city we see" said Zack
"Wolfsden is nearby. In fact. If we keep following that path" said Kara as they followed on of the paths and continued on
"Hey Kane" said Zack
"?"
"I know you mentioned you didn't have too much time for fun.. but what exactly do you do within your.. knight. Training or something" said Zack
"…" said Kane thinking for a moment looking down upon a sleeping Sky on his hand
"Well… I don't think we did anything I could think of…" said Kane "…I mean.. we did sparring…"
"Sparring?" Said Zack "You must've done it very hard"
"..I guess so..' said Kane as they all eventually reached the city. While they began to walk through the place Leanna seemed to get a lot of suspicious stares. Which made Leanna shift uncomfortably
"Is it me or is everyone staring at us?" said Leanna
"No, They're staring at you" said Zack "Your getting the stares Kane ge-ow" as Kane punched his shoulder. But thinking about what he said. He wraps and arm around her. It did block her from view partially. Which made her smile
"Thanks Kane" said Leanna looking up at him
"When your in a town like wolfsden its no surprise everyone is staring at her" said Kara
"..shady town I guess.." thought Kane as they reached an inn. They go in to see that it was less quiet than the other inns than they've visited before. They got some curios states for a moment as Kara then orders two rooms
"Cmon you guys" said Kara tossing Zack the other key as they head up to their rooms. When Zack and Kane got into their room. Zack collapses on his bed
"Ugh…" said Zack as Kane then puts Sky upon the other bed on a pillow and gently pat him
"..can I have the room key?" said Kane as Zack holds it out
"I don't think I will get up tonight" said Muttered Zack as Kane takes the keys and leaves the room and heads downstairs
Kane then leaves the inn and walks around in the rain. Most stores seemed to be closed. And there are a lot of shady people. Thankfully due to his menacing appearance, no one dared try to bother him. He walked through the place
One shop that thankfully was still open caught his interest. He widened his eyes as he ran over as fast as he could to see it. It was a cigarette shop
"Hm?" said the shopkeeper trying to hold in a few coughs after he pulled his cigar out of his mouth "Oh! How may*cough* I help you? *cough*" as he saw a shadow. When he saw Kane outside he nearly had a heart attack "!-Holy s**t you.. you. Oh dear.." as he takes a puff of smoke
"…You got any cigars for sale?" said Kane as the thought filled his mind as the shopkeeper shook his head as he relaxed knowing Kane isn't a threat
"I'm sorry sir. But I just sold out. But your free to look around if you wish" said the shopkeeper scratching his bald head as Kane walked inside the shop and looked around. Kane felt slightly excited as he tried looking for the more interesting g looking ones
As much as he wanted to grab them all. He felt it would be better to grab some simple ones. Kane then found a box of mainly simple looking cigarettes. Thinking those look good he takes two boxes
"Ah. I see you have made a good choice" said the shopkeeper putting his hands together
"..you sell any lighters or matches?" said Kane
"Well. Someone like you could you a good lighter. I don't know if you use magic or not. But if you do. Magic fire always overdo it" said the shopkeeper as he looked in his desk drawers before grabbing several different colored lighters "Take your pick!"
Kane looked at each one. But then picked out a black lighter with a gray 'X' on it. He then pulls our a few coins and gives it to the shopkeeper
"Thank you very much. Please come again or tell everyone I'm the best cigarette man!" said the shopkeeper waving goodbye as Kane walked back outside
He made his way looking around to see more closed stores. Which made him frown. Surely a shady town like this has a black market or something. But apparently Kane felt disappointed as he assumes that a black market will just be elsewhere
Seeing that there is no other open store of interest. He then walks back to the inn to get our of the rain. He felt slightly excited now
When he reached the inn. He then sits down among the front porch in a dark corner. He takes out his box of cigarettes and pulls out one. He examines it before taking off his helmet as he sat back
Someone wale out of the inn. And looked over to see Kane. But could only see his head. But saw the lower part of his armor. To which that person just skidded away
Kane then puts away his cigarette box before he lights his cigarette
"…" said Kane taking a puff of smoke. To him. It felt both good and disgusting. To be able to smoke for the first time In a while. It certainly helped him achieve a calmer state of mind. But he has a feeling that Leanna may not like it
As for everyone else. He was unsure what they would think. But now he doesn't care. Taking another puff of smoke and blowing it within the atmosphere it reminds him of his childhood in a way
He gave a slight smile to himself as he laid further back taking another ppuf
Kane's journal notes 4
Looking at everything that I have been through without my medication. I'm willing to bet my life has been I would say. It's a renewed experience
Leanna being as kind as ever. She was super nice enough to continue help me with everything. I shall be forever grateful to her for her help. Maybe I should convince her to come with me
Sky. The lovable little guy. I think I'll try to make a plan if he ends up coming with me
As for my other three companions. Kara is incredibly nosy meanwhile Zack just reeks of being an arrogant fool. Amelia is the most tolerable of the three due to her quiet stature. Like any deathtrooper or quiet person
I wonder what will become of then when I depart
But the best part. I apparently can do magic or something. However it is currently much weaker than any magician than the ones here and at home. Hopefully no higher up will want to kill me due to the reputation of magicians in general
Maybe I'll get a Promotion? Or they'll put me in a new squad with gifted Empire soldiers. Like that one kid. Who is believe I had something to do with Ashley. Younger brother maybe?
But there is something on my mind. Arthur. I felt like I just saw him. But at the same time I didn't. Maybe its an effect of absorbing all that temple energy. Or maybe I'm starting to go crazy. I have no idea
He left me there. Yet I watched him disappear. Into wherever the hell that briefcase man took him.. yet it feels like I could still see him in a way. Arthur. If what I suspect is true. I'm happy to know your alive
Maybe if I'm lucky. Remy or Stan will show up
But returning to the Empire. I can't help but think, I could never be the same. Not after all of this
Am I really going to walk away. Just like that?
To be continued
Trivia
1: Overall since the last time I have updated this. Many things have happened. I will not disclose it but. This does not mean this fix is dead. It fact it will remain my biggest priority
2: I finally got to intertwine this and my other story The Passenger. As that's the character Arthur is mainly from. Besides the prequel fic Death Before Life
If any of you would like to go check out them it may give insight on certain events that are sometimes alluded to. Or not. I can't force you to do anything. But I just will say. It would be nice
3: I have been getting hooked on Undertale, Little Nightmares, Gravity Falls, and Over The Garden Wall lately. The suspense of those stuff is just so juicy in my opinion
4: Lately RED and Joji is what I've listened to nonstop while writing this. ever listen to their albums "Innocence & Instinct" and "BALLADS 1"?
Bonus story
Some time ago…
Wake up
Wake up
How do you feel?
Kane twitches as he pulls himself off a hospital bed. As he felt a surge if pain in chest as he looks to see that it is wrapped in bandages stained by his blood
Please wake up
Wake up
Kane then unsteadily gets off the hospital bed and grabs a clipboard
Please hold
He then walks out of the room ducking under the ceiling due to his tall stature and goes to see another room as he slowly opens the door
Please hold
Kane looks at who exactly is on the bed and gives a slight smile before leaving as he looked at the clipboard
He sighs as he goes back into his room and sits upon the bed as an ominous silhouette looms over him
Please hold
Wa-
He then turns off the alarm as he he turns off most of the lights. The last light that remained seemed to have a shadow next to his own
Next up: Closer to Secrets