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<01/10/1972 ~ 09:50 | Dakota Training Academy, Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
As soon as Jane got back home, she was fine, cured of the magical buildup and arm twitching. No more blue glow or arcs of light were emanating on any part of her body. Her headache and shoulder pain however were both lasting. Jane only recovered enough of her focus just to apologize to Danny and Taylor for still being messed up and sick, as they worked to tuck her into the large sofa with Smith by their side as well. Neither one of them bought her apology. Jane knew her friends would not stand for an apology for something that wasn't even her fault, but Jane has never felt so useless. Whatever was affecting her - still is. At least that's how it seemed for some time.
An entire week of time passed on by. Dakota continued a ruthless level of magical training in dark room six that was mainly free-for-all training with a few kinks in the plan, mostly related to Eliza's personal lecturing that went beyond normal ability usage. Jane's physical condition of shoulder pain, and the auras sparking up in her hands was on and off as the days went by. Tuesday, she was out of school. Wednesday, she was in, but she held back on Leray magic completely and voluntarily. On Friday, Jane did get in some practice without conflict, but it was short lived. Her physical symptoms were reduced significantly with time, but the only thing that did not change so far was her attitude. After a whole week passed, Monday was up again, with the final week of school now in play, for Eliza's class anyway. It wasn't nearly as much time as any ordinary class session would have, but Leray magic must be trained at specific rates, and for a basic level class at Dakota, this was Eliza's set speed.
Fronas's situation was updated to a new status even though the inhabitants had all calmed down about last week's heist of Dakota's most valuable treasure hidden in their vault system. Supposedly, the entire matter of the Blue Port incident and the heist were still under intense investigation. Both Bella and Kain were apparently called into questioning, but nobody had any data beyond what it was about. While the student of interest was still recovering, Jane did so in the confines of her own home this time, avoiding the medical facility at all costs. As no new information was made aware to the town's people, thus everyone had a calmer mood to them these days.
After arriving in class this time, Jane sat in her new seat, alone, looking as depressed as before. One could mistake it for anger if they didn't know Jane very well, but Taylor was more than willing to guess what was wrong this time. Taylor thus took her seat, waiting for the moment again to start.
Eliza was beyond the moment of waiting on late students to continue her next lesson. Today was expected to be another free-for-all training day. That's what a lot of the lessons were now. Apparently, it's learn everything, then train, though this time, Eliza had a surprising shift in the lesson plans. There would be some actual learning on post-Leray battling, including what one should do after a loss. Jane didn't seem interested, but Eliza took that to mean that Jane already knows the information, and simply moved on after announcing this to be the very last week of school. Technically, other classes behind will only be taking one short break, only to start back up again, though thanks to Eliza's swift speed, she would therefore extend her vacation. Being paid for salary, there wouldn't be any earnings lost to having less days, just so long as all of her students pass the evaluations.
Danny shifted in his seat, trying to get Jane's attention. "Pst!" he called. Jane must have heard him, but she just wasn't listening. Jane also dressed in all black today, indicating that she was either really depressed about something, or just plain spaced out. Danny never saw Jane like this before. Sure, she wasn't totally healed on a physical scale, but Jane's personality could range from highly energetic to hard working and serious. Nothing about her was serious right now, just plain intense. If not for her current depression, Danny would see this behavior as the exact same as the first day they met.
Taylor knew what Danny was up to, and she tried the same thing, whispering over her breath to Jane. The class wasn't too loud, and Eliza didn't actually begin speaking yet. Jane had to be hearing them, which means she was currently ignoring the both of them... This wasn't all new either. Last Friday, Jane wasn't very talkative with anybody. She did train a little, but her mood had changed to some kind of dark negative 'go-away' atmosphere. Though it bothered Taylor a lot, Jane just didn't want talk to anyone right now.
Eliza started with the lesson as planned, standing in front of the class to briefly educate the students on how to be a good sport. "Becoming a Leray fighter is very hard, and even more difficult if one were to try and make a career out of the spoils. You see, money is earned by winning in battles. Reward systems are set before the battle begins, and if no reward system is declared, then refusing a battle doesn't actually count against you. The digital licenses you will receive after graduation are intelligently programed to monitor parameters in a battle. They also monitor specific voice patterns with following combinations and other types of sequences to determine automatically whether or not to record a battle offer or to decline such a thing, and they can learn whether a battle being turned down is justified or not. But with official battles, not every single one of them can be won. This leads into what one must do after losing."
Jane knew what Eliza was talking about, but she chose to tune it all out. So much was on her mind right now that Jane only found the time to think for herself. She didn't mind at all if it meant missing out on a lesson that she already knows about in the first place. Danny and Taylor's needs can come later. Jane still had a lot to figure out.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Eclipse ~ FFXIII-2 OST
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The events from January second - continued ringing in Jane's head, the entire battle against that thief. Jane was only part of the battle, after showing up with Eliza and the other Leray agents in trouble. Nobody could take that man down. But most importantly, who was he? The thief who made off with the crystal shards didn't really identify himself at all, but he did connect himself to the Scarlet Syndicate. Eliza and the others were calling them a new kind of cult with unknown goals. So it was a scarlet cult, right? It still wasn't helpful in helping anyone learn any new information. The Scarlet Cult could be anybody at this point, with their identity well hidden, as is their number of followers or supporters. Why go through all of that trouble to steal from Dakota's vault?
Eliza continued her statements, even though it was obvious that Jane wasn't paying attention. After all she has been through, Eliza figured she deserved some kind of a rest. "Sometimes, you will win, and sometimes you will lose. Losing a battle only points out where you are as a Leray wielder, and where you should improve. You can learn a lot from that. Winning and losing streaks don't matter, and your cards won't discriminate you for that. What matters is that you agree to battle if someone challenges you. Refusing a challenge for reasons other than a real emergency does count against you in many ways. I'll be getting into that later on..."
Why did he want the crystals? Jane played the scenario again and again in her head. She had been doing this day after day. It's more than just wrong; the whole event was unusual. That man who attacked everyone used a teleportation symbol to escape. Moreover, he assaulted everyone around him, putting lives in true danger. Even when knowing that Jane was sick, that guy didn't care one lick. He would see Jane fall over dead if he were given the real chance. Jane could hardly believe she was in bad shape herself, but the fact remains. The people of the Scarlet Cult are willing to kill people in order to accomplish their goals, whatever they may be. The guy did say something about the thief from before, the one who did get captured for a more petty crime. He gave out his name, and then said something about it being a decoy? The heist was made well after, so what was he a decoy for?
None of it made any sense. Jane reminded herself further that it was a rather good thing that she made great recovery efforts. Her status bar only lights up in the normal orange neon color now instead of danger red. The unknown warning error associated with that color disappeared as well with some continued training. Jane got over that flu pretty quickly for having no medication to fight it. All her medication was designed to do is control the temperature of her fevers. Though it worked, it was still a fast recovery, unusually fast to say the least. Maybe Danny and Taylor were right all along. Maybe that spell bomb Jane used back in Blue Port Town had a lot to do with her symptoms.
Danny continued listening to Eliza's lecture. He kept a close eye on Jane though. She really was zoning out about something. She wasn't physically ill if that was the case, but it was just unlike Jane completely to ignore her friends and drown herself out with thoughts. This time, his occasional staring went unnoticed by her sharp green eyes.
"Everyone gets stronger all the time," Eliza quoted. "That is why becoming the best is only a temporary title, and hard to achieve anyway. You might be the best one day, but everybody trains and gets better over time. There will always be someone out there who is better than you are, and there will also be people who are not to your level today. It's perfectly natural. That's why persistence with your goals is the only sure way to achieve them."
It doesn't make sense! Jane yelled at herself in her own head. That spell bomb should have still done something to her, but nothing has changed. Other than getting sick for a while, and being knocked out by a beam of light emanating from the moon, Jane's stats didn't change in any way. Her HP and MP levels didn't go up or down. Her power didn't increase, her speed, her reflexes... Nothing changed! The entire story itself wasn't easy to buy. Jane didn't remember a single moment past the initiation of her spell bomb. As Danny and Taylor were telling it, the spell created a large specialized glyphring symbol, which was likely what caused that beam of lunar energy to zap her from the sky in the first place. That symbol...
Was it as she thought it was? Everybody else only had the details of the beam in the sky, since that moment was hard to miss. But then why? Why would a beam of light shoot out from the sky like that and land on Jane, a beam of light specifically from the moon itself no less? Or perhaps the mirage made it appear as if it were from the moon? No, reports defiantly confirmed that the time of day shifted with the effects of an advanced magical spell, possibly to create a temporary time anomaly. Still, there has to be a reason. All spell bombs are designed to create a specific effect on the user. That effect can be positive or negative; temporary or permanent. Yet nothing showed up in the status log of her own energy scope.
The thought about the moon charged even more visual thoughts. Jane remembered what a full moon looks like. Sprawn Valley gets those all the time, but there was just something about the light reflected from the moon's glow that tugged at her every thought and sensation. The synchronicity of the light mixed in with the position of the moon itself was awe-inspiring. Jane thought about it visually for as long as she could. Even without the memory of what happened to her, there was no denying how elegant the power of the moon is altogether. With a lunar glow like that, turning day into night while illuminating starlight all around, who wouldn't appreciate the beauty of the Earth's most largest orbiting space rock?
Jane thought about it again and again. For some reason, it made her feel calm and recharged all at the same time. It was like a special place of relaxation within her own imagination. Jane didn't want to stop thinking about the moonlight, with its powerful dark white shine. Jane wished she could get even closer to the moon, perhaps live on it for a while. The thought of outer space and orbital anomalies filled her head, and Jane was able to block out everything happening around her.
"With that said," Eliza finished. "We will now be heading to dark room six again for continued training. Final evaluations are on Friday this week. So everybody needs to try and learn new spells. The more you know, the better."
Taylor stood up with the others when it was time to start heading for the dark room. Really - because of the upgrade, it was much more of a bright room than anything else. Jane's intentions caught her eye, as well as Danny's. Instead of getting up to move, Jane was just sitting there, eyes opened and totally ignoring everything. Was she even okay to be here today? "Jane, come on."
Jane still had the thoughts about the lunar energy on her mind. Lunar energy is a technical term when it comes to the magical power that makes up Leray magic, but Jane was thinking about lunar energy in a different meaning. The moon is a powerful substance. Though it is just a rock, the sun's reflection on the moon charges the sight and the glow of that rock. Though it orbits the earth, a gravitational force is constantly being exerted from the moon, affecting everything. Combining that with the energies that are contained within what is known as reflected starlight, Jane couldn't look away from the master design if she wanted to. That's when some other force ended up pulling her right out of her daydream. It was Danny, pulling on Jane's arm the entire time. How did she not feel the tugging there until now?
"Jane! Snap out of it, will ya? We have more training to do."
Taylor was with Danny, wanting Jane to get up and return to her old self in no time. Jane got up out of her seat, but she didn't really acknowledge Danny in the way he wanted her to. Jane didn't want to leave her thoughts behind anyway. The moonlight is incredibly powerful and a wonderful sight to see, and those two can't understand it right now. Jane had no choice but to start heading to the training room, but she still wanted to keep going on in her head about what it means to be moonlight. Such a wonderful feeling is there to be lunar light!
"Uh, Jane?" Taylor winced at the way Jane just stood up and left. No room for talking or acknowledging them at all. It was like they didn't even exist in Jane's eyes. Does she suddenly think they are too weak to be under her wing now? Or was this about something else? Taylor sighed and got a move on as well. At least now, Jane was heading in the right direction. Taylor already spoke to Danny about this, but it was exactly what she was talking about before. Jane was not the same person she was a week ago, especially today. It was as if Jane was still sick with some odd mental aliment that was consuming the very person she used to be. Jane was zoning out, elusive, and just out of it today, ignoring everyone any chance she had. Jane didn't give up training since her hands weren't exploding in magical blue bursts anymore, but that didn't mean Jane was well again.
The spell bomb had to do something to her. Jane was sure of it. Perhaps all of this random thought about the incredible moonlight and lunar power wasn't exactly her own. Jane never remembered appreciating the moon so much like she was today. It was as if someone stole her mind and claimed it their own. Perhaps that spell bomb has something to do with this as well? It could have been a lunar blessing... Actually, after all that's happened lately, maybe it's really a lunar curse. Still, Jane's very awareness of it all didn't drive away the powerful urge she was getting to just run outside of school to bath in that wonderful light, but her conscious side knew better. If she did that, Jane would simply rush out into ordinary daylight, which had not entranced her as much.
As the day moved on, everybody in the training room worked to perform with excellence, learning all sorts of new spells. Jane was practicing as well, but with powers and abilities that nobody had ever seen or heard of before. It was no big deal of course, but Jane was training with a heavy mind, continuing to zone out occasionally, and refusing to listen to other people when it mattered. Her thoughts were still hung up on the details of the moonlight. Jane knew it was not very natural for her lately, but who could resist the incredible concept of such cosmic power?
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Chapter Theme Shift: Alone ~ Jaia
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<01/10/1972 ~ 06:50 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
When Monday's morning light poured into the valley of the town of Fronas, the land was still as quiet as ever. With Dakota opening for classes only a few hours later today, there was plenty of time left for the village to wake up. For that reason, Kain and Bella knew they had to keep their voices down to a minimum.
They were outside behind the medical facility, wedged and hidden between the building structure and the nearby forest of the northeastern side. Bella felt a little sick with the scenery. As peaceful as this was right now, it all began to remind her of a close ensuing death, even with the song of the echoing birds. Though, her feelings had much to do with the heavier topic brought back against her wishes.
"And that's about the whole of what happened." Kain had just finished summarizing the entire dreadful events of last week, particularly related to the heist of Dakota's crystal shards.
Mr. Foster was standing in front of Kain, wearing a similar yet more formal button up outfit. Since this morning, he had been listening to Kain's testimony regarding the incident of which he received news of only a couple of days ago. It was one of the most horrible things such a small village had to face, and to have no positive answers was nothing but unsettling. "There's no need to guilt speak yourself just because our target was more than a match for the entire town. After all, this is the first time anyone has ever stolen crystal shards from our vaults." Foster didn't mind openly discussing such private details among the agents involved, as they were currently out of sight and sound from any potential bystanders.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Bella had to add her summarized version of the same thing, just to make sure she was on the same page as them. "That thief came prepared packing an illegal teleportation symbol. So naturally, it's untraceable. If only we knew what he was up to, I could have taken the stolen loot back."
"Calm yourself Ms. Sine." Foster gave a direct order to someone he doesn't even work with, but given his current position in the investigation, Bella and Kain really were somewhat inferior to him and subject to any specific orders related to the recent drawings. All she needed to do for now was to stop blaming herself. "You know as well as I do that such a high level criminal would not have allowed anyone to take the precious loot. It's a shame that he was allowed to get away. I take it the news here has no upside even after the time elapsed?"
Kain was being asked the question, since he had spoken to Foster more often than Bella has. There was nothing new to report, which felt unnerving since this particular agent has wasted his time coming down to Fronas, diverting attention away from the Blue Port case. This had to be frustrating. "I'm sorry Mr. Foster. There really is no upside, other than the fact that nobody was hurt too badly. And we still have not been able to confirm whether or not subject B used dark magic or not."
"Right. As I recall from the report, nobody's energy scope turned red in the fight..."
Kain then asked how things were going on his end. "What about you? Surely, something new should have popped up by now regarding the Blue Port case. Even just a hint of a clue?"
"Mr. Abel," Foster addressed. "If I had anything new about that case, I wouldn't be visiting the town down here. You and I both know that by now." He sounded rude in his tone, but with much expanse, Kain should have known this to be the case. Still, "But that reminds me. I already asked you what transpired with the heist about a week ago, but I don't think you've said much about the girl; Jane Venn."
"I believe I did mention that she was a late arrival to the battle going on in the field," Kain proposed. Foster knew this already, and while it was true that Kain kept some of those details regarding Jane to a minimum, it was only because they served no importance. "She was in fact injured by hostile magic, though it looked more like the real time damage occurred due to the fact that she was still recovering from an unknown strain of the flu, not from dark magic damage."
"You're sure it wasn't from something else?"
Kain didn't like the tone in his voice right now. Foster is probing in that one forbidden area again. Yes, Jane was a suspect linked in the Blue Port case, but no new evidence has been provided yet. "Foster? She's sick. I believe she is already close to making a full recovery, but I assure you that Jane had nothing to do with the heist, other than butting her nose in business she shouldn't have. Everyone was hurt from that battle, and she was no exception to that. I wouldn't have let a civilian enter such a dangerous situation, but even as we attempted to surround our suspect, he overpowered all of us."
"Very well," he accepted. Mr. Foster studied their expressions. While it felt like Kain was defensive of the girl, he couldn't be all that certain. "So we now have two recent incidents both unexplained and both highly unusual in places closely grouped together. This certainly doesn't go well. But I must say; all of this excitement does appear to be closely timed together. Perhaps our incidents are related after all?"
"That could be the case of the window..." Bella sounded indecisive. Mr. Foster did have a point about one thing. First the petty thief, then Jane's incident in Blue Port, and now this more successful heist. Unfortunately knowing Foster, he may try to link it to Jane, even if she had nothing to do with any of it.
"I don't want to be putting names where they don't belong." Foster glared at Kain carefully, demanding his full attention. "And I know this may very well be your intention too. So just answer me one question Kain. How well do you know Jane Venn?"
"You're really going there again?"
Predictably, Kain tensed in response, but Foster remained persistent and calm. "Just answer this one question. What does Jane Venn represent in the town of Fronas?"
"I think we can both answer that," Bella interrupted. "Kain and I both know what Jane represents in Fronas. She's as innocent up close as she is from a distance." While she was allowed to continue with Foster and Kain listening, Bella let all of this truth out. "Jane really is just some young girl with a passionate love for Leray magic, but her determination to learn and better herself has set her apart from the others on scale. She's one of Dakota's best students because she loves to learn magic with every fiber in her being. I know this because I've seen that spark in her several times." Foster had a curious look; he didn't know where this was going. "Everybody who lives in Fronas, and everybody who attends Dakota academy knows it! Jane represents a shining beacon of inspiration. Other people are excited just from being around her, excited to learn Leray spells, excited to explore, excited to wake up every day and try something new. It's an amazing torch lamp in this town like none I've ever seen before."
"That was quite a loaded answer," Foster replied.
Bella continued to elaborate. "It's the very reason this town is full of depressed kids right now. When Jane fell ill, it was a buzz kill for everyone in a full mile radius. And because she tries so hard to learn magic, Jane also loves the very art of it. That is why she appears to be at the center of all these cases. It's because she puts herself in the line of fire to do the right thing despite how dangerous it may be. But you wouldn't know that, agent Foster. It's because you're not from Fronas, nor do you spend time here like we do, so I don't blame you for suspecting her to be a cause of anything. But now that I've explained to you the truth, I will ask that you cease bringing up Jane Venn in a suspicious manner."
Well that sure was exciting. Kain knew Bella was on his side, but never expected her to hold her own against Foster's intelligence. There's a reason this guy is so eerie and creepy. It's because he is too good at his job. Emotions and sensations mean nothing to Foster. He's the most objective person you'll ever meet, and he is as manipulative as ever. Kain would know, since he used to be like this before. A person can be so cold and volatile when they put their agenda before morality, and sadly, this guy is clouding his own judgment with the only details that don't matter to suspicions. Luckily, Bella is here to point this out.
"Very well then." Foster's answer was delayed only by the few seconds needed to process it all, but she seemed so sincere. If Jane is at the center of these crimes, then she is somehow the victim in every case. But then what else can be considered new in Fronas? What new element has been introduced here that nobody is talking about? "I can think of other names."
"Other names?" Bella repeated.
Mr. Foster began slowly pacing around, jogging his memory while using the scenery here to help him imagine the scenario as it may have played out. "Though it may not have been as recent as these other incidents, it is true that two new elements have been introduced into this village lately. Danny and Taylor; the two teenagers you mentioned earlier in the report. They were involved by taking battle damage too, am I right?"
Kain didn't answer directly, since this sounded a lot more like a preparation to attack than an innocent request for factual information. "What are you getting at?"
"Well," Foster paused slightly, hoping not to insult their intelligence, but it was too late for that now, since they still have yet to consider this as a possibility. "They are new to the town right? But from my understanding, neither of their names show up under any registered database. I made sure to check the last time I left here... They're not citizens of Sprawn Valley."
"I never implied that they were." Kain answered this carefully, driving away any suspicion without drawing further attention. "As you know, our medical facility as well as all others allows visitors or travelers to take shelter if homeless. Danny and Taylor are new to Sprawn Valley; I'll admit that. But for that specific reason, Bella and I have already been keeping a close watch on them both, as well as their motives here. Both students wish to simply graduate Dakota to learn basic magic, and then move on. There is nothing suspicious about them."
Wrong again! "Just hold on now. I know you already told me to leave Jane Venn alone, and I'm following that instruction right now. But Danny and Taylor are the next logical suspects linked to these matters. They were present for at least two out of three crime scenes, and we know so little about them. You on the other hand haven't told me their native history, and I dare wonder if you even know about it yourself. Even if they are kids, they can't be trusted. With the ability to learn magic, even kids can commit the greatest crimes to—"
"Ah, shut up you moron! That's enough out of you!" Despite raising his voice and giving away the position of this meeting to any potential walker nearby, Kain figured it was no longer important. Did this guy get raises for this kind of behavior, jumping to conclusions to try and arrest people who are most defiantly innocent? What is it with his obsession over Jane and her friends? "They were present because they're Jane's friends. You're still hanging on the same exact lead as before!"
"I will ask you to—" Foster couldn't get his voice through, as Kain was not letting up on his vivid shouting. The fact that he is so defensive of these three right now isn't settling, but...
"I wonder why you haven't been able to tell us why all of this recent, crazy horse shit has been happening to us lately. I bet is has much to do with your obsession to penalize some young girl and her friends for things they did not do! You just go after the weak and easy targets; just ignoring the missed details we've yet to see! As long as you do your job quickly, collateral damage matters not to you!"
Foster lifted the hidden blaster weapon from his coat, aiming the single barrel straight at Kain's face. It was enough to shut his mouth, which was the exact reaction he wanted right now. "If you don't keep your voice down, I'll have to take you in for questioning too Kain. I wouldn't want to believe that you would have the intention of sabotaging our little group discussion by dragging other ears into this."
Kain was surprised and mute now. He knew that no such blaster would have the capacity of knocking him out in a Leray zone, but this could be one of those blasters designed to disorientate and immobilize targets instead of causing magic damage. Stun weapons; said to still be in development, but they could be ready by now... For the safety of his sanity, he silenced himself momentarily.
"I hate to be the one to point out that you and Bella both have taken quite a liking to Jane and her band of merry friends. This can lower the chances of seeing something wrong with the picture." Though Kain gave him an ugly anger stare, Bella seemed upset as well. It was just enough to remind him of her words earlier. "However, seeing as this could simply be caused by this whole beacon of hope nonsense your partner has spelled out, I find it rather easy for people in Fronas to take a liking to such people. I consider Jane less of a threat because I can - at any point in time visit her home and talk to her family. It's Danny and Taylor I find more suspicious, since I cannot do the same to them.
Kain got as real as he could, remembering the vows he took as an officer of Fronas. "Since when do we treat immigrants that are only on temporary watch as criminal suspects?" Ignoring the gun to his face, Kain dialed down his volume, eventually coaxing Mr. Foster to lower the unusual gun.
"Mr. Foster? If I may?" Bella had to get his attention once more. Bella's heart was racing through her chest too, but she did her best to hide her excitement. The only way to get this guy off their case was to redirect the focus back to where the true crime lies. "I think we should put more focus on the source of this crime ring."
"And where are you getting at?" he asked.
Bella reminded the three of them one important detail. "The unidentified male we encountered did announce himself to belong to the organization of the Scarlet Syndicate. If he does belong to this group, shouldn't we be investigating them instead of our own people?"
Foster took a second. Bella was sharp for noticing such a connection, but it was almost shameful that neither of them knew more about it. "It is not unusual for criminals with a high sense of pride to announce belonging to the Scarlet Syndicate."
"And what do you know of such an organization?"
"Some people consider it to be more of a cult than an actual illegal organization." Foster changed his direction, realizing he would be speaking for a long time. "However, despite the rumors of there being this new crime ring, the truth is simpler than that. The so-called Scarlet Syndicate is not a new organization. I've studied a few minor cases and incidents related to the unofficial organization of bandits. They've actually been around for at least a decade, if not longer."
"They're not a new group? Why does nobody know about this?" Kain wondered more that with such information, why would Foster not focus on that instead.
"Because they've hardly been a cause of concern over such the long period of time. They've always been one of those wannabe gangs of delinquents, a group of petty thieves and failed raiders. Because they're hardly a threat to civilization, we've known them to be super quiet and super stupid for that amount of time. But now that you've brought it up, it's only been until recently that they've been connected to this recent spur of crime. Then again, we can only pinpoint such a connection to this last heist, and not to the other two incidents."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kain insisted. "I have a very strong feeling that the so called decoy the thief mentioned happened to be that failed attempt of the guy we did manage to capture a week before. You remember the incident in which some unknown tried to get away with three hundred credits stolen right off some kid, and he planned to get away in some vehicle before Jane managed to disable the device. We then captured him and imprisoned the crook. But what if all of that commotion was a distraction for the Scarlet thief we encountered to infiltrate the school system and scope out the vault - to plan the heist later on? I mean, the first incident drove everybody away from the training facility for quite some time; t'would make that an easy matter for a sneaky pest to get around. It even seems more plausible considering what the decoy would have to gain otherwise."
Mr. Foster was finally surprised at this. Kain finally turned on his brain for the first time today, and he made an excellent point. Most agents would reject the idea automatically since they would have too much pride in the security of their own home structures, but the description would have provided an excellent opportunity. To top it off, the reports of that day he studied did include the whereabouts of Jane, Danny, and Taylor, giving all three of them and others best fit alibis. Kain is also right about the mismatching motive of the initial thief. Three hundred credits would never warrant such a daring and stupid crime to begin with. This went beyond being smart; they were getting motivated just to clear these kids. How interesting! "That certainly is a higher possibility. Kain? I'm now impressed that you pieced something together. And it goes without saying that the true security of the facility vaults cannot really be that impressive if a person can infiltrate it in a matter of minutes without setting off a single alarm..." He now seemed to be in deeper thought.
"Look," Kain added. "I know that the incident in Blue Port Town is still very suspicious. And I have no possible way of connecting such an incident to the Scarlet Syndicate just yet. Therefore, it is still possible that Jane may have done something stupid at that time and place."
"Kain!" Bella objected to such an idea, but there was a soon made obvious reason for his testimony.
"I see you're not one of those morning types Kain."
"Can't say I am," he admitted. "But listen to me carefully. I don't care what your damn case file says. Danny and Taylor are my responsibility. I let them both into this town, and I know them both to be totally incapable of causing trouble for others, even if it is by accident. I also know Jane Venn better than you ever will. Therefore, since this is the town I happen to be designated to, I will personally watch the girl myself. I'll observe and report any unusual activity that Jane Venn tries to make. And if I do find something, whether or not I understand it, I'll send such reports to you directly."
"I know that type of work doesn't come easy to you Kain. So what's the offer?"
Foster knew he was doing this for a reason of bargaining, but no matter. This will get the guy away from these three innocent kids once and for all. "In return," Kain added. "I want you to further your investigation directly towards the Scarlet Syndicate. I'm no longer convinced they are the same organization that you've told us they used to be. I think they're alive and active, possibly with newfound motivation. But it's something you are more capable of investigating on your own, which is why I want your brawn in their business instead of ours."
"You drive an interesting bargain Mr. Abel." Foster defiantly sounded like he could tip the other way, but Kain was defiantly thinking things through. It's totally possible he won't watch Jane as he said he would, but the guy is still man of honor, and that means nobody is safe if they are found guilty of a crime. Kain isn't the type of man who covers for anyone if there is a crime involved, and in this particular way, he has divided the line of best fit in order to maximize efficiency in the current investigations. "That settles it then," he agreed. "I will return to Blue Port by day-break, and request from my bosses that the pace of the investigation be changed. I will renounce myself to investigate matters specifically related to the Scarlet Syndicate, and have reinforcements on hold should I provide any evidence that the dead crime ring is indeed alive again. As for you Kain, you will keep things going smoothly inside of Fronas."
"You have my word on that," Kain promised. This wasn't as bad as he initially thought. Foster will actually leave them alone, even if Kain did promise to keep a closer eye on Jane Venn. This way, someone will actually look into the heart of the issue. Of course, if Foster comes back here later to explain that the Scarlet Cult is inactive, it will be a really big problem later.
Foster remained mute momentarily, studying the new expressions on Kain and Bella, who now seemed more lively. This may work after all. "Alright then. Since there is nothing else to discuss, I shall take my leave of you. You may both return to your assigned duties. Don't speak to me for the remainder of the day, as I'll be making preparations to leave Fronas. If you do need to discuss anything, it better be an emergency."
"Yes sir." Kain knew Foster was on board with the idea now, and it actually felt so relaxing to have him leave town, especially for the right reasons. After waiting for Foster to walk away out of sight and sound, Kain stood still, taking the moment alone to relax.
Bella could defiantly detect how much calmer they both were without that man's presence around. He's just so intense, in a way that can unravel other people easily. But as the silence endured, it brought back a painful reminder that she eventually let out. "We really failed to protect Fronas last week. It's an embarrassment to our names."
"That much I know." Kain admitted to the same thing. Despite all the training he received to become an agent, it wasn't close to good enough to handle the Scarlet member that night. They even had so much more assistance from others, which gave him minor comfort in knowing that the man was highly leveled against him. Still... "I wonder if there is even a future for us as agents."
"Don't be dim Kain. Of course there is!"
Kain turned to study Bella's sudden encouragement. She seemed suddenly rejuvenated and excited. That could have simply been because Mr. Foster has already left, but the more likely cause was something else.
"Don't forget how high of a pedestal we put Jane on today," Bella reminded. "If Jane continues to get better, she could eventually mop the floor with the two of us combined."
"And that's supposed to be encouraging how?"
"Well," she put it lightly. "Do you want to get the floor mopped with your body as some girl juggles you in the air?"
"You know how I feel about that."
"Well that's my point," she sharpened. "As agents of Fronas, we have a duty to protect all of the inhabitants of the town. If we're too embarrassed to live up the name, then it's our own responsibility to train harder than ever before and become unbeatable in any situation. We ought to learn stronger magic and better reflexes to deal with situations like these later on. I feel as though we may have to deal with them sooner if this Scarlet group really is becoming active."
"Well, when you say it like that it makes sense, but..." Kain knew that was easier said than done. Fronas of all places is the worst place in Sprawn Valley to go to for Leray training. The field never receives random battles as often due to the low population with so little to attract people down here. Despite having graduations that often fill the field with battles for as long as two months tops, such battles are always only between low level kids. To top it off, Blue Port Town also rarely attracts tough customers to train against. There is no way to better himself with his current skill level in this town. Even the Arena north of Blue Port designed for high-level training and recorded battles of a new championship era has yet to be built. Since they have to stay here and watch after everything, it's counterproductive to the point. Still, it's nice to know that being better than Jane even has that effect of encouragement on Ms. Sine. "There's no real effective way for us to train better."
"There's always a way," Bella insisted. Somehow, she was lifting Kain's spirits without having to try that hard. The solution for being weak was simpler than it would seem. "As far as Fronas goes, there are ways to increase the security level of our town. I just know there are methods of doing that. You know we're going to have to anyway. As far as training goes, we'll just battle each other instead."
"Battle each other?" Is she crazy? How would that even make sense? Does Bella really believe that battling someone she works with will work out for the best?
"Or are you afraid of losing to me all the time?"
Kain made a swift reply. "Don't count on it. If you're so sure you can defeat me all the time, I'll have to show you how wrong you are."
That was all it took. Bella knew that a man's pride for battle experience was all that needed to be on the line to motivate one to try harder, especially when suggested they would lose to a woman. If he wasn't on board with the idea then, he sure was now. "We have all day to test our strengths though."
"That's fine," Kain pointed out. "We can use the southern field of Fronas before dinner time to figure out which one of us needs the real boost."
"The loser has to buy dinner."
Is she trying to turn this into some kind of game? Kain shook it off, certain it wouldn't matter. It doesn't matter because he won't lose. Even if Bella was his partner for several long years, that doesn't mean squat for her actual parameters compared to his own. "Guess I've leave you with the bill today."