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<12/30/1971 ~ 08:58 | Fronas, Gulop Region, Sprawn Valley>
Today marked the temporary break in school session for the Dakota training facility, as it was declared Thursday. Danny and Taylor met up with Jane outside, right before nine A.M. chimed. Right in the middle of the field of Fronas, the town's people were rarely active today, as the populous remained mostly inside their cozy homes. Jane had already deduced that everybody else was either asleep in their beds, or out training in the dark room, though there was also plenty of time on her way to Dakota Academy for the three of them to soak up the beautiful breezes of the morning weather.
Just as promised, Jane led the two over to Eliza's classroom at Dakota. The conversations were kept light, with Danny's usual complaints about waking up too early. Jane instead had a lot more on her mind. After what happened yesterday, it once again seemed like a dream. Jane hardly remembered needing to do anything to dodge those attacks; it was mostly automatic for her during that exercise. Seeing it without a first person perspective sure made her memories seem less possible than they really were. But how often would Eliza do something like that with Jane? How often would some random thief enter town and cause trouble? The answer to both of those questions warranted a word stronger than rare.
Once they found their teacher again in the classroom, only talking while tiding up the place by herself, Eliza handed Jane the sheet of folded paper after the usual greeting. "Rise and shine you three. Here. It's the list of everything we need for this month. Food, items, everything."
Jane accepted the note from her teacher's hand. It wasn't as quick and easy just to say goodbye and leave. "Thanks. I'll be sure to get it all." Jane partially regretted the decision to accept the chore, as she remembered now how much to the list there was for Dakota's supply line. Still, it would be nice to take the day off just this once.
Eliza bowed to Jane for being such a big help today. "Go ahead and take your time. We only need them by nightfall, and your friends can certainly enjoy Blue Port for the first time."
"Yeah," Taylor admitted. "We've never seen it there before. Is it bigger than this place?" Taylor already heard that Blue Port was bigger than Fronas by rumor, but it would be best to confirm that first.
"You'll just have to see it for yourselves," Eliza marked. "Oh! And before you go, remember what happens if you run into any other Leray fighters in town or on the way there."
"Run into fighters?" Danny repeated. How would that even work? Do Leray fighters just run around to people and force them to have battles? No, it would have to be more intuitive than that, right?
Eliza clarified the rules quickly, which Jane already knew. "Since you are still not yet graduated with official Leray licenses, nobody can challenge you. You can't challenge other people to a battle either. It's against the law to do so. If you run into any crazy goof demanding a Leray match, just show them your training license, and they will understand."
"That's disappointing," Jane gloated. "I bet I could win any fight right now."
Of course you do. Danny knew all about Jane's tough confidence and tenacity. It's probably what keeps her going and training so hard all this time. It would be arrogant to think he was already tougher than Jane, but that ego of hers will have its own consequences. Just you wait Jane.
"We'll that's too bad." Eliza sure wasn't giving anyone a long leash about this, not even to Jane. If she did her best in a real official Leray battle, Jane may actually be the victor hands down, but this isn't like some video game where anyone can just find inexperienced people all near Fronas and Blue Port. The best of the best are mixed in with the weak fighters, all diluted around the nation. She could get the most difficult fight of her life even if it is the first one. Still, it's only natural that Jane would want to have a battle already. She demonstrated that she could dodge anything. "Graduation will arrive soon enough. After that, you are free to battle as many wielders as you want to."
"Right." Jane knew she had to keep that promise. To fight without a real license is one of the more major crimes, but she was certain that Eliza wouldn't tease her about graduation being so soon. It won't be long now, and as for Blue Port... "Come on you two. It's time to show you around some more." Jane turned and headed for the door, forcing her friends to take action.
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Chapter Theme Shift: Echoes in the Glen ~ Art Ceilidh
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Danny and Taylor followed Jane out of the building, waving to Eliza on the way out. A short and simple request, but both of them had a feeling that the day was too young to judge at this time. Danny was being forced to wake up against his own nature. He had not been tired like this since the first time they spent a night in Fronas. At least now, he was finding his natural energy again. Jane had to lead them to the northern path from the field in Fronas. From there, it was nothing but a widened path with forest on the left and on the right. Only dirt and weathered down gravel mixed with tarnished dead grass covered the ground where the trees were absent. There was plenty of room to walk, and it would be impossible to get lost because of how obvious the road was to the eyes, but from this current distance, the next town was just not currently visible.
Jane had Danny and Taylor follow her on the path as they began the short journey, remaining silent only for five minutes. There was much more time left to pass, so she broke the silence and gave them something to do on the way there. "Since you're so new to Sprawn Valley, and even Fronas, it'll be lively to get a peek into Blue Port."
Danny immediately thought about the name. It sounded like the town was some sort of port for something. "Is it called Blue Port because there is a port to the water there?"
"There used to be," Jane answered. "And it was really just to a small lake anyway. That lake dried up long before I was born. But lots of people we go to class with live in that town."
"I wonder what it's like," Taylor muttered. Blue Port, the lively town without an actual port, though too proud to change their name.
Jane reflected the general description of the town from her own memory. "It's like Fronas, but much bigger. It's got many more private homes there, but the town also has shops, medical facilities, food stops, and even a bar." Even though Jane was still too young to be allowed to drink the hard drinks at the bar, she had been inside with her father on numerous occasions. Not only did the interior have such a wonderful artistic design that would attract anyone walking by, it also served as the town's many hot spots being the only pub established here. Alcohol wasn't uncommon in Sprawn Valley either, since it has the usual effects on humans without affecting their magic directly.
"So..." Danny tried putting it all together in his mind. "It's like a small city integrated with a village. That sounds nice. How long is this walk?" Danny didn't mean to sound as lazy as he did in his last question, but he was trying to get a sense for the rest of the path. You might think a dead-grass and gravel dirt road on the ground with surrounding forestry would seem dull if you were only to hear about it, but Danny was paying attention to the scenery on both sides, sparking his imagination. The peace here with the clear sunny weather gave him two powerful sensations at once. One was the amazing serenity around him right now, as if nothing in the entire world could disturb him here, and the second sensation was the excitement of the unknown. That comes with traveling anywhere unfamiliar, but it wasn't a negative or positive sensation, just one that sharpened his thoughts and senses further.
"Only twenty-five minutes or so. We'll be in range to see it soon..." The peace became more resonant here, since nobody else was currently traveling the path right now, though the lower population and day off of school made this a usual thing. Jane closed her eyes momentarily, thinking back to some of the other things on her mind. "I can't wait!"
Danny noticed that same usual excitement in Jane's tone, but it was a little strange to see her get so psyched about a town. "Is Blue Port that incredible?"
Jane shot Danny an angry look. "No, stupid! I mean about the graduations. Dakota is supposed to have the evaluations soon. I just know it! And once I've got my real Leray license in my hand, I'll be able to challenge the world!"
Taylor could feel a single sweat drop on her neck, appearing in fear from Jane's current aura. "The whole world huh? Maybe you should take it one step at a time...?"
"I know I have to wait," Jane offered. "But I've been waiting for so many years to have this moment come soon. And it's right around the corner."
Amazing! The fired and sharp look in her green eyes, all of that energy supporting her body, enough to send off powerful waves of excitement to people around her... Jane really loves Leray magic, more specifically Leray battling. Danny knew already that he was far and deep into the training of Leray magic, totally going against what Nyar said before. But there was one thing Nyar failed to recognize about magic. First of all, there was still no evidence of real danger here. Secondly, the fact that the veil saves lives also happens to be responsible for saving Taylor's life back at the cliffs. How can Leray magic ever be a bad thing if it can do that much for a person? Taylor is still the same Taylor too, so it doesn't have any effects on who she is as a person. No, Leray magic isn't so bad after all, and learning how to use it in school was fun in itself. "Hey Jane?" Danny formulated. "What are the evaluations like? I mean, what do they expect you to do in order to pass?"
Jane thought about everything she had heard, from Dakota's standards to other training facilities as well. "Most higher ranking training sites actually make the students battle against real Leray warriors to prove themselves worthy, and let me tell you, those are the battles that make Cran look like a harmless bug. But for Dakota, I think this year all we have to do is show off about ten official skills that we've learned so far, and demonstrate them correctly to the instructor."
"So it's about providing evidence that you've been training a lot?"
Jane answered Taylor's question casually, feeling more relaxed while walking her own pace beside them. "Pretty much. I've learned so many spells already that I'm sure to win it. But you two better step up as well, or you won't have enough abilities to perform."
Danny watched as Taylor swallowed the instructions with much thought. He had confidence enough that the teacher would not just sit back and let them all fail. That would just make the rating of the school even worse, but this is also Eliza's class, and she means business.
Right now, Blue Port was ringing in Danny's mind. It wasn't the name reminding him again. The visual memory of the old map Kain showed him burned back into his retinas, as he remembered exactly where the town was on the map. Particularly, he was paying most attention to the Junon airport, because the next town was closer to Junon than Fronas was. Only by a hair, but getting closer just by a fraction reminded him about the telephone conversation he had with Nyar, and the promise he already made. Any day now, Nyar would arrive in Sprawn Valley to pick the two of them up, and they were not even paying Blue Port a permanent visit. This was just temporary. Tonight, they would be taking another step back, back to Fronas.
There was a lot more to consider as well. Danny promised Taylor to take care of her most private and most terrible situation back at home. But how? If Nyar picks them up from here, and they leave for home, what could he do? Both his and her parents will be worried sick for their safety. They may even show up with Nyar if it really is as bad as he thought. All Taylor has to do at this point is to hide out in this particular region, that being since Gulop and Junon are sub regions separate from each other though both within the nation's natural boundaries and the veil. So doesn't that make Junon a bad place to go? If they took off now, it would still take much time to arrive, and it would require leaving Jane behind completely. But even if they wait long enough, it's only a matter of time before one of their parents arrives in Fronas and finds them, and they had to be worried by now. The news event of falling off a gigantic cruise ship in the middle of the ocean probably ranks really high on the scale of an emergency situation, and it's not as if they knew for sure whether he and Taylor were fine right now. Danny never called in since the second time he did when arriving in Fronas. It doesn't change the fact that Nyar will most likely let everyone know he and Taylor are trapped in Sprawn valley.
Taylor absorbed all of that silence coming from Danny. Jane was only talking to her anyway, but she could just feel that Danny was not his normal happy self this morning. It may have had something to do with eating a bad tasting MRE, but he could have that other stuff on his mind too. Taylor thought back to last week, when she broke down in tears in front of him, explaining one of the most far out and horrifying situations of all time. Though it seemed inescapable then, all of this crazy stuff happened to them anyway. In fact, arriving at Sprawn Valley only seemed to escalate the weirdness of their situation, ever since they swam to shore. Even if he wasn't in that realm of thought, she just had to know what the current plan was to fix all of this. "Danny...?"
Danny looked up from the ground to Taylor, who slowed down just slightly to walk side by side with him. Her expression seemed different, like she wanted to discuss something both serious and personal, but Jane was also walking just in front of him. Even though she couldn't see and hear as well as Taylor would at this range, it was obvious enough that Jane was listening out of curiosity, probably still in detective mode about last Saturday.
Taylor continued before confirming whether Danny was paying close attention or not, keeping her footsteps calm and in sync. "What do we do about your uncle?"
Danny's eyebrows lowered and twisted. She was serious about this, like her thought patterns just connected directly to his own. She also sounded kind of sad; perhaps she has already lost hope in his ability to protect her. Honestly, he wasn't sure what there was to do, but there had to be some way... "Good question..." Still thinking in silence about how things might turn out at the airport, Danny made Taylor wait for his response. Jane slowed her pace noticeably to listen in. Thankfully, Taylor knew how to sugar code anything, making it easier to hide as much from the nearby spy. "We can't stop him from coming to find us. So we either both stay here and wait longer, or we go now and face whatever comes."
Taylor felt her body sink almost an inch, hating the thought about just facing things as they come. It was not a solid plan at all. "I say we stay clear of Junon at all costs. I don't want to go just yet."
Jane couldn't be sure what on earth they were going on about, but it almost sounded like one of their adult guardians was on their way to come and pick them up. She wanted to ask about it, but seeing as there was more for them to discuss, Jane waited out a little longer.
Danny shifted his arms in frustration. "We can't avoid it forever. We have to think about what to do once we get to the airport. Like a sure plan of some kind." Having Nyar find him was unavoidable, so he would need to think of something else instead.
"Are you two leaving soon?"
Taylor, as well as Danny glanced over to Jane. She was walking at the same speed in front of them, but her head was facing forward in disbelief. That's right, Taylor remembered. If she and Danny leave Sprawn Valley, whether it is in the plan or not, that means leaving Jane behind. Adventurous or not, Jane won't want to leave the place she finds so special. "I..." Taylor couldn't answer, so she looked at Danny, expecting him to fill in instead.
Though it was now on him, Danny wasn't sure if that was the best thing to do. Heading to the airport isn't exactly the same thing as leaving Sprawn Valley, but Nyar and possibly his family will be there searching for him. "We're not sure." He had to be honest. What else could Jane expect anyway?
Jane's walking speed slowed significantly, as if the news hit her right in the heart. It couldn't be true! They just got here, and now they are going to leave? Jane could feel too many sensations building up, forcing her to stop in her tracks completely. Taylor and Danny incidentally stopped as well, with their eyes now on her. "Then why?"
Danny didn't understand the question, but Jane was just standing there. Her mood totally changed into something he had never seen in her before. Jane became so tense that her hands balled into fists, like she was preparing to fight something nobody else could see. Does Jane want their company that badly?
Jane asked the question again, rephrasing the meaning. "Why did you two enroll in Dakota, if you knew you had to leave Sprawn Valley? I bet it has to do with last Saturday doesn't it? Why won't you tell me what's going on?!"
Taylor and Danny winced. Jane surely never acted like this before. Taylor had to think of any of the possible reasons for Jane being upset. She must really not want them to leave. Instead of answering Jane, Taylor looked at Danny again, hoping he would take care of this.
It made perfect sense to why Jane would finally be upset. It was inevitable anyway, especially given they had to leave eventually. Jane was obviously well aware of their secret keeping last Saturday, and has probably connected several dots by now. She must know they are not from a family of magic. They ended up here by mistake, but how much was there to tell Jane anyway? Danny didn't know where to begin, so he just finished what he started with Taylor, making up his mind for sure. "Taylor?" he shifted. "We need to go to Junon. It doesn't have to be now. But... Before we get there, I'll know what to do. Okay?"
Taylor didn't say anything, not for a while. Danny already made the decision in his mind. Go there anyway and face the consequences? No, it wasn't that. He had to be thinking of some new master plan, but it needs more time to develop. What did he have in mind? And what about Jane? "Okay."
Danny returned his attention to Jane. All three of them were no longer walking, so he tried to get that started again, while signaling to Jane to keep up. "Jane? Let's talk."
Jane caught up to Danny, and Taylor began moving as well. All three of them kept their speed relatively low, as to not bounce their voice around with each footstep. "So you're going to start telling me what's going on then?" Jane had never seen this serious side to Danny before. Usually he was just tired, lazy, or less motivated than Taylor was. So this is what he's really like?
Danny thought about where to begin with Jane. She still didn't know about Taylor falling off that cliff, or any of that other business about how they got here to begin with. Jane basically knew nothing about them, and was totally absent minded to what kind of place Kalamo was. "Jane? How much do you know about Kalamo, or North America?"
"Not much," Jane admitted. "I know a little about America, but nothing on Kalamo."
"Kalamo is a country separate of Europe," Danny began. "It's where Taylor and I both live. And before you ask, we didn't know anything about Leray magic before coming to Sprawn Valley."
Taylor was listening to all of this as well. She wanted to make sure Danny didn't say anything too private to Jane, but it was sort of interesting to hear a story about her own self in a different viewpoint.
Jane interrupted, "But... If you didn't know about it, why come here? Nobody learns about Sprawn Valley and Leray magic separately."
Danny continued with the same tone, pecking at Jane to quit interrupting. "Our trip here in Sprawn Valley was an accident; a detour. Our original travel destination was New York in America. But we were traveling by sea and..."
Jane thought about it even more. They both got here by accident? They couldn't have swam all the way here, and they couldn't have used the docking port either. Otherwise, they would have already known about other places, including Blue Port Town. Vanon Port connects to a small shoreline that eventually links a path to Blue Port; it won't go anywhere else directly.
Danny's story paused, as he had trouble believing the event himself. "Our cruise got caught up in a bad storm, and being the moron that I was, I took Taylor with me out onto the deck. It was right in the middle of the night too. Couldn't see anything, and the rain was coming down too hard."
Taylor added, "I don't even remember why he wanted to go outside."
Danny didn't forget that small detail. "Remember?" He glanced at Taylor, trying to get her to see the same thing in memory. "I saw some strange green light outside. It was brighter than any normal light I've seen before, and it had some strange glow to it as well, all without a normal source. But when I went outside, it disappeared."
"A green glowing light?" Jane repeated. She seemed distracted deeply by the description, forcing the other two to remain silent. Jane thought about what that meant. There were certain magical spells that made powerful lights far in the sky. But all the way over towards a cruise ship far out in the ocean outside of the country? "That sounds like Leray magic, like a spell that went astray."
Danny twitched at the thought. "Are you saying that someone was on the deck that night using magic?"
"No..." Jane didn't think that was likely. Past the oceanic barrier of the Leray protection zone, even if that cruise got close to the continent, nobody would have been able to use Leray magic on the cruise. The laws of physics would not allow that. "It could have been some effect within the storm, or just a pocket of stray magic shot in the air somewhere. Anyway, you actually fell off the deck?"
"More like we slipped off," Taylor corrected. "Right into the ocean, both of us together."
"That's absolutely crazy!" Even Jane didn't believe that. Right in the middle of a storm? How would the security team even let anybody that stupid right on the deck? They fell into the ocean? Right off Sprawn Valley? That doesn't even make any sense!
Danny continued. "It was right off the outer barrier of Fronas, but we both didn't know where we were, and it was so dark outside, it took a while to even see the island." Danny thought back to another detail, when the ship's power went out. That alone was the only thing that allowed him to bypass the control panel connected to the frame unit to get outside. Otherwise, it would have been in full lock-down mode, and the three of them would not be having this conversation at all.
"Well, we both thought it was an island," Taylor gestured. "All we saw even after arriving were the large cliffs and the natural barriers blocking our way."
"So you just swam for it?" Jane guessed.
Danny cleared his throat to continue. "Yes. We both made it to the delta of the place, full of wet sand and all. And seeing as a giant rock wall was blocking our way, we chose to rest a bit since we almost drowned of swimming such a distance and time."
"I see now!" It did make sense, why Danny and Taylor survived as soon as they hit the land of the enchanted valley, and why they arrived in Fronas when there was no other official entry point. They both made Fronas their very first town to visit, when it should have been impossible otherwise. How the hell did they scale that wall? "You two survived from drowning and exhaustion as soon as you made it to the shore, because of the Leray veil!"
"Drowning wasn't the thing we were protected from," Taylor reminded. Jane sounded like an eager detective right now, but she wasn't doing any of the digging.
After a short glance was returned from Taylor, Danny knew it was time to admit that embarrassing mistake. Taylor was giving him permission to tell her after all. At least now, even though he could not forget any details about that terrible fall, he came to terms with forgiving himself for letting that happen. "Right. That... Taylor and I knew we needed to find out more about the island we landed on as to not die from hunger, so we knew we needed to get past that wall despite the risks..." He knew what his first mistake was even now, and though it wasn't an aware fact to him at the time past, people can supposedly die of hunger, dehydration, and illness despite the veil. "I should have scouted around, but at first glance, I couldn't even see if it was possible. Taylor and I began climbing the wall. No protection, no mercy, and no way back down."
"I think I see where this is going..."
Danny rewarded Jane's guess with a nod. "Yep. I was the moron yet again, and Taylor was the one who fell, not me. The rocks we used to climb were just too slippery after that storm."
"I fell two hundred or so feet down," Taylor rehearsed. Saying it didn't make it easier to believe either. After all, Taylor could only remember herself beginning to escalate herself up that wall, and nothing after that. There was a gap between that moment and the moment she woke up with Danny being shocked that she was alive, in the forest south of Fronas.
Jane's jaw dropped with her teeth stuck out, at the fact that their story had become even more believable. That's what made them find this place so weird! Taylor falls to her death, but fails to die right in front of Danny's eyes. That had to be hard for both of them.
"I couldn't believe it," Danny announced. "Taylor should have died. As soon as she fell, I didn't want to believe that either. I was torn between reality and what I wanted. I was glad that she was still alive, but it was just impossible. Of course, she did pass out down there, took some heavy real time damage to the back of her skull."
"Oh my gosh." Jane was just going along with this for now. She had no idea that this was all involved in their journey here. Danny spoke about real time damage as if he didn't fully understand its effects, but based on what he described, Taylor really came so close to death. If it weren't for the veil, that would have been a total tragedy! Is this what they've been struggling with the whole time? Magic must seem freaky to these two!
"I carried her to a different spot." Danny thought back to every moment he remembered. "Finally and inconveniently too late, I found an opening in the barrier that was weathered down. It led right into the forest south of Fronas. I had a way to jump in, since it wasn't as inaccessible as it looked. But it was much easier than scaling a five hundred foot wall."
"So that's how you got in..." Jane was staring at both of their expressions. Taylor was looking really shy right about now, and Danny was grieving. With that, the guilt of her unwanted curiosity came crashing in.
"I'm sure anyone could imagine how I reacted when Taylor woke up, right there on our way through the forest. The scar on her neck was completely gone, and Taylor was totally fine."
"O-oh!" Jane skipped. "The Leray magic protected and then healed Taylor right on the spot."
Taylor replied, "And I didn't even learn what happened until later, since I was out cold."
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"We were strangers to Fronas and Leray magic," Danny clenched. "The only reason we joined Dakota was to kill more time I guess. And I was still skeptical of magic for a while, even after two demonstrations."
Jane exhaled nervously. "I had no idea." Jane didn't expect to hear all of that. Danny and Taylor sure were not the people she thought they were. "But I'm so sorry I asked about it."
"No worries." Danny decided to allow this. It was too late for Jane to unlearn it now. Perhaps if she does feel bad, she'll quit digging into people's business. "It's all in the past now."
"Of course," Taylor started. "Danny can still be a blockhead about it. I already know it was just a series of accidents..."
"Which were mostly my fault to begin with," he finished.
Jane saw the two of them glaring at each other, like they were about to start fighting here and now. Were they always this competitive? Did Taylor realize she was mad about letting Danny feel responsibility for her?
"As I said—"
"What about the airport?" Jane cut Taylor off, since it wasn't relevant anyway.
"Oh, right." Taylor still was frizzy on the details, since Danny was wanting to go along with it. "We're supposed to go to the airport there to be picked up. Only..."
Danny finished Taylor sentence before she let too much loose. "Only, we don't want to leave. Getting picked up from there means going back home in Kalamo. I can't even begin to tell you how much personal baggage is waiting for us back there."
"I see," Jane configured. "If you go, you leave. But if you stay, you'll be separated from your family for too long. You want to stay here because there's too much to deal with back home." What an interesting situation!
"Not like they would want to come here." Danny was playing along with where Jane was drawing the line. He promised Taylor earlier not to tell Jane about her situation with the Banshee people, at least not now. With everything said so far, Jane should stop asking questions about it too. "Even my uncle seems to have negative thoughts on Leray magic. I don't know why that is though."
"Same here," Taylor added. "Why do so many people hate Leray magic? You know that that's the reason we didn't know about it until now?"
Jane closed her eyes, but with a smirk. It was an obvious answer for the entire situation. "Lots of people just don't give it a chance, afraid of what they don't know. People out there always say it's unnatural, or sometimes evil. I wonder when that will calm down."
"Well..." Danny thought about Leray battles, and all of the cool spells he has learned. Even with what happened with that robber the other day, it's not like there was any severe way in which Leray magic could be used for crime. If people can't die from magic, then criminals can't use it to kill. And whatever this dark magic was, there wasn't any evidence that it existed despite Jane being the one to bring it up. It's like a blessing more than a curse. "I don't see how it can be that bad."
Jane folded her arms, continuing the walk with an affirmative attitude about some of the other history lessons that she retained. "It's a similar situation to the Salem Witch Trials. Many women were killed because they were thought to be users of dangerous magic. While it was happening, the people accused them of using Leray magic, despite the impossibility it would serve by physical location. Remember that it didn't happen here in Sprawn Valley."
"Was that actually a thing that happened," Taylor sketched.
"No," Jane responded. "I mean, the trials and the killings was real, but the so-called witches who were burned alive were just innocent people caught up in some personal business that escalated into a town's hysteria. It didn't even happen in Sprawn Valley. None of those people accused even knew about Leray magic, so they were practically killed for nothing. But you can clearly see how people react to things they just don't understand."
"I think I get what that means." Danny increased his pace, uncertain how long they have been walking, but it felt oddly great to get all of that stuff out to Jane. His breathing became easier. Jane certainly seemed to be relieved.
"Well, it's just like Eliza said," Jane quoted. "If you two do end up leaving Sprawn Valley, remember that you won't be able to use Leray magic outside of the zone, even after all you've learned."
"Do— does that cause us to lose our abilities that we did learn, like permanently?" Taylor was going to be damned before learning all of this stuff for nothing later on.
Jane denied, "No! Heck no. It might be different if you leave for many years at a time, but as soon as one returns to Sprawn Valley after leaving, the magic assimilates into their body like before. Using abilities you already know is just as easy at that time as well."
Taylor sighed relief, thankful that she wouldn't have to face that problem, but the inability to use magic outside of the country was quite alerting. She can literally not fight back as soon as she leaves, so what could Danny possibly do?
Danny was in thought again. If he can't use magic after leaving the zone, how the hell is he supposed to protect Taylor then? Screw seeing his family in reunion! He vowed not to let Taylor get into that Banshee stuff. That means taking all costs as well. There has to be some way out of this...
"Look," Jane advised. "All you have to do is just remember that you are not invincible, even here. People can still die of diseases or old age, sometimes even dark magic. It's unlikely, but I don't want you to bring any reckless habits you learn from here to the outside world. That's also how people can die quickly."
"Don't worry," Danny promised. His tone totally changed from before, sounding much more confident. "I won't let anything bad happen. We're also not going to just leave you here either. If we aren't ready to go, then we won't make a single move. But whatever happens, I'll protect us, especially Taylor."
Jane smirked at his vow, specifically because of how he involved Taylor's protection significantly into his mind. It was obvious that he had some feelings for her. Jane gave Taylor a quick study, and sure enough, she desperately kept her eyes and face forward. Taylor's face soon turned that darker aura of color again; so easy to read.
Taylor couldn't describe how amazing Danny's courage felt to her, but for whatever reason, she found herself afraid to even thank him for it, and now Jane was giving her that look she did at the last sleep over. Dear god! Please don't tell me I'm blushing again!
"Hey Taylor?" Jane elbowed. "What did I tell you before? I think this one's a keeper." Jane even added that creepy sexy tone of hers, making it more obvious to what she was talking about.
"Oh, shut up Jane!" Taylor seethed through her closed teeth. While trying to keep Danny from hearing about it, Jane started laughing. Taylor just continued walking, ignoring anything he might have heard. Though he certainly wasn't there for the sleep over thing, that didn't mean he was totally dense.
Danny saw some strange language exchanged between Jane and Taylor. "What are you two going on about?"
"Agh— nothing!" Taylor couldn't pretend to sound normal anymore, and she knew that even right now, Jane was eating this up.
Danny shook his head a little, continuing to walk straight. Whatever then. "If you say so."
Taylor waited a moment, and then exhaled with a deep breath. Jane was of course watching her carefully. It was pretty rude of her to bring that up so suddenly. Thank god again that Danny is one of those oblivious types after all.
Jane thought she was going to blush in sympathy. She just loved messing with people who were helplessly in love. It was one of her favorite time passers. Then, after realizing what was in front of her, Jane squinted her eyes to confirm. "Look ahead!" she pointed. "Blue Port Town, over there."
Danny looked more closely. Jane was right; it did look like a town was visible up ahead at the end of the path. It had to be just ten more minutes away. Five more if they decide to sprint all the way there... Nobody offered though.
"We're finally there. Well, we will be soon," Taylor processed. It was nice to finally see a new place around here. Sprawn Valley really can't be an island with this much room to run around in. It seemed bigger now that she could compare it to the map she had visually seen before.
Danny felt excited again, finally getting the chance to visit the new town. Of course, they had to officially enter through the borderlines, but it was going to happen at any moment now. It was just getting weird talking to Jane about all of this stuff, but at least now, he made up his mind about the airport. We go there. Whatever happens, Taylor is promised safety.
Jane took it all in again, the surroundings of the area. It was the same as before, since the time of day didn't really change much, but she only noticed it a lot more now that her mind was free of thoughts regarding what secrets those two were hoarding away. The bright yellow glow of the sunlight illuminated every single leaf around them. The path was still just as open with plenty of room cutting the center, making room between the forest on the right and the left. The bird population in the area got denser as they hovered from one side to the other, singing to their families. Nobody could deny that it was a nice day out right now, and still so early - so fresh!
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Chapter Theme Shift: MoppySound ~ Nagi (凪) {Alt Version}
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The painted wooden sign shoved into the earth was the billboard announcing the border that the trio arrived in Blue Port Town. Though Jane had already been here multiple times in the past, she still took in the sights of the place. People were walking everywhere, still just as lively as ever.
Danny took it all in. There were houses and structures everywhere. The homes here seemed to be built out of some finer looking wood, or they were simply newer looking, though that was only the half of it. In some distance, near the center of the endless open field, several community built structures stood out. The field was cut flat on purpose, after gravel was placed to make it a person's walkway in the town. It looked like Fronas, only larger. Essentially, the town was upgraded by size and capacity compared to the last one. There were families walking around everywhere, adults and children. Some looked as if they belonged, while others were in some sort of uniforms going to specific places.
Taylor studied all of the structures that were not designated as houses. The medical facility in the east corner made the one from Fronas look like a shack in the wilderness. The facility here was made out of similar metals to what would be seen on the outer design of the Dakota training facility. The inside of the facility was probably even more impressive, as would be the staff with what the mayor here could afford.
A single well tap also populated a random unused space with other decorative structures surrounding it. Some structures of which were like miniature ponds with stone carvings trapping fresh water inside, and there were other stone patches with flowers growing on the top of them. All of it was for show, but it worked exceptionally well to bring out looks and class.
Then there were three shops all spread out in distance. It was hard to see what they specialize in, from the outer posters or billboards attached to the shops. One of them looked like a shop for clothing and jewelry. Another one looked like a simple grocery store, and the strange one in the center of the field was one Taylor didn't seem to identify well. This was easily six times the size of Fronas just by the open field involved.
"Welcome to Blue Port Town," Jane announced.
Danny's eyebrows rose. He recognized portions of the layout from similar scenarios back home, minus the natural looks, and the total mixing of house to commerce ratio. "It's... It's like they just built houses right next to the businesses. But this is like nothing I've ever seen before."
Jane continued her short description of the town. "Blue Port has a lot of elegance to it, but there is no Leray training facility in the town, just a general school for younger students instead. That's why most of our students are from here. They have to travel to Dakota to learn, or to Gross City, which would take longer than an hour on foot every day."
"Gross City?" Taylor echoed.
Jane pointed to the western path in the distance. It looked like another section of trees were split down a medium to form another narrow section, though much wider than this one. "The exit to the west of town cuts through Arragon Forest. Travel through there takes forever, but it's the only way from here to Gross City."
"And by city..." Danny wasn't sure anymore. A Leray city could be some kind of underwater kingdom if the land really was that magical.
"I mean tall vertical buildings everywhere with little nature anywhere in sight."
"Oh." Danny wasn't expecting it to be that simple. Gross City was like any other large city area he was used to hearing about. It even sounded a lot like New York. But without cars as a common travel method, what takes the place of roads?
Taylor pointed north, where another path was located well in the distance. Only this time, the gravel path beyond the split by trees was widened out a lot, as if it were designed only for vehicles to travel through instead. "Where does North go?"
Jane cleared her throat and explained, "North of Blue Port is technically a dead end. Recently though, there have been talks of the idea for a Leray arena being built there."
"What's a Leray arena?" Danny questioned.
Jane automatically answered every question asked with ease. "It's where people get to fight in Leray battles via contests with rules bent or changed a little in round matches. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's a giant arena structure with thousands of people capable of watching each match."
"That sounds awesome!" Taylor awarded.
"It's currently incomplete," Jane finished. After watching Taylor excitement for the arena degrade rapidly, it was obvious why so many people were here instead of there. "The arena is still just an approved idea. They're three years or more behind the construction time it will take to make it happen."
Taylor relaxed her muscles, after realizing that it's not a possibility to have that kind of fun. Though Jane seemed a little disappointed about this as well, it wasn't as easy to tell. "That's okay. We only came here to shop, right?"
"That's right." Jane pointed first to the fashion shop in the distance that had some flashy logo on the front of the building. "Here we have Starcove. It's a shop that only deals in fashion and jewelry. They don't sell any Leray related items, and that includes dress spheres too."
"I wish I had the money to go there," Taylor dreamed. Though if their merchandise aren't dress spheres, such clothing wouldn't be protected from battle damage. That still wouldn't stop people from wearing them just for show.
Jane changed the direction of her arm. "Then right in the center is Sentiment Pollox. Sentiment's the company that specializes in every Leray related item you can imagine. Of course, Blue Port's ornaments only have a limited amount of imported items. Though it's the one we need to go to, Danny should head inside as well."
"Um, I should?"
Jane knew he was typical enough to sound surprised to be dragged into helping, but this time, he would be helping himself in the process. "Taylor? They sell certain food and drinks there, but also the orbs that are on that list. I'm giving it to you."
"Wait, you're not coming in?"
Jane reassured Taylor that she would be fine. "It's easy. You just go in, get the items, and checkout. I have some things in town I would like to explore, and I'll let you stay longer after this to do the same."
"Thanks." Taylor took the folded piece of paper from Jane, and restored it from its crumpled form. "I won't let you down."
Jane finished the talk with Danny after seeing Taylor become ready. "Danny? They also sell other items in there as well. Specific armors, weapons, and possibly an updated guidebook like the one you've already been carrying around. It's the place to be if you want to excel in Leray battling after graduation."
Jane immediately made it easy for him to have an interest in entering the Leray shop for his own needs. "But..." Danny realized that the currency here being different did not help. His Leray training license still had that familiar number of zero where the mark of Cr was. "I can't afford anything in there, and Taylor's borrowed money is being used to buy the things Eliza needs."
"Silly," Jane remarked. "You can still go in and look around. It's not illegal to browse what you could be aiming for later you know. And they also don't require anyone to be a paying customer just to use the bathroom."
Danny felt as if Jane was referencing something specific about most other stores that wasn't pleasant, but he couldn't recall any convenience store that ever had that kind of a rule. If they did, it wouldn't be very convenient. The offer was very tempting however. All he had was this silly blaster. He could upgrade to anything here, anything at all. Not to mention that his own new weapon was probably at a low rating anyway. There might be no end to what they could sell at that place. "Alright. Taylor? I'm coming with you."
"But Jane?" Taylor turned around towards Jane. "What are you going to do?"
"Just enjoy yourselves," she ordered. "We can stay here for a while, and I want you two to get the most of it. I'll be around as well, just outside. Or I might pay that dress store a visit." Jane quickly realized that normal dresses were not for her, seeing as anything such as those would invalidate her ability to fight in a Leray match. Imagine buying the best looking dress in the world, only to have it torn or burned up inside of a harmless match...
"Okay," Taylor replied. "We'll be going then." It figures she would be able to afford a cute outfit from that place.
Jane lightly waved them on, while Danny followed Taylor towards the store. It's not like it was that close though. They would have to walk for at least a minute or two just to get to the building, since Blue Port is so much bigger in size. Jane waited until she realized that she was now alone at last. Taylor might take some time since it would be her first moment in a store like that. But then what could she do? It's not like Jane knew anybody in particular that lived here. She could easily find some people that go to her school, but that didn't really make her friends with them. Danny and Taylor? They were both something else.
Taylor arrived at the entrance of Sentiment Pollox. Traffic in and out of the medium sized store was just moderate for now, and the doors there were automatic sliders. They must run their electricity based on the same way Jane's family provides it for themselves. Using Leray magic to generate long durations of electricity? It's absolutely brilliant! Taylor really admired how well the people here adapt to the magic they are all able to use.
Danny was right behind Taylor, but he walked inside first, heading a little ahead of her to see what the interior looked like. As amazing as the differences were, he had to look in all directions just to get his bearings. The interior design was much like a gas station shop mixed in with a cleaned up pawn store. It was however the cleanest and most organized store he had ever seen. With only one small counter for checking out items, the entire right side of the store had a lot of random weapons already in sight. Some of them were hanging from the walls. Axes, swords, short blades, and even a pair of gauntlets populated the walls next to sets of unusual looking orbs.
Taylor walked in with Danny, allowing the automatic doors to shut behind them. It was certainly a nice looking store, and there was much to look at for what one could buy. The food looked as if it was in the far section in back. There were other items in the middle with many set up shelves too.
Danny headed in further taking slow and careful steps. He had much to see, starting with all of the orbs on the shelves. There had to be over a hundred of them per isle, all stacked on top of some kind of welded in claw. The orbs were held in, less prone to rolling off the metal shelf. But there were many different sizes and colors, all organized into different sections. Danny moved on, getting closer to the weapons and armor sections.
Taylor proceeded to the shelf containing all of the orbs. The list in front of her had several healing and MP orbs on the list. Specifically, it called for sixty health orbs that restore HP, and forty MP Booster orbs that restore MP. From where she was standing, despite the obvious signs to mark which ones were which, Taylor also noticed many other orbs as well. The healing orbs had a green top on the inside of it, appearing as a color-designed marble the size of one's fist. The stamina orbs were of the same size, but had a blue color in the top of their interior, but there were other orbs as well, some to the right with red colored tops, and the much larger sized orbs to the left with purple colored tops.
Danny studied the many fabrics in front of him. Though the suit designs in front of him were just for show, they stored them in boxes with serial numbers below them. It looked like you had to talk to the clerk and ask for that number just to pick one up from storage. That made sense, seeing as the store wasn't large enough to hang up all of those suits with everything else, but there were fabrics here he had never seen before, with appropriate names as well. One of them was a black cloak with a hood, marked as an ice proof cloak. Another was a special beige colored leather outfit with red strips here and there, marked as a mercenary scoutfit.
Scoutfit? Danny felt as if that was some kind of lame pun to go with outfit for scouts, but the quality was not that bad. In the same sign where the names had shown up, there were stats displayed in small printed text. It had red and green bars, indicating levels of protections. He read all of them under the sign for the mercenary scoutfit. "Resist fire +20%. Resist cold -5%. Resist piercing +33%. Resist Slashing +25%." Danny had to think about what that all meant. There must be hundreds of armors and suits out there that change your resistances in battle to specific types of damage. Wearing this had little downsides at all, and though it was not an ordinary dress sphere for show, it was made for magic battles anyway, meaning it was still indestructible to battle damage, so it has to hold up to all kinds of punishment.
Taylor started bagging as many orbs as she needed to, specifically the ones on the list, but after reading the descriptions to the other orbs, there were all kinds of things she did not know before. A few of these orbs were actually in-battle use spell bombs, which are items that change many factors during a battle, only to be used once. They weren't cheap either. Each healing orb cost 25 credits, while each MP Booster orb cost 10 credits. Based on how many she had to pick up however, it made more sense why Eliza had sent 2850 credits straight to Taylor's card. It was originally sent to Jane, but Jane was the one who sent it to Taylor. Jane must have planned on Taylor doing the shopping in the first place.
Danny saw another interesting sign. There was an empty slot where a suit was supposed to be. The name read mark one chainmail - coming soon. They must not have imported any to this place yet. It has to be expensive. The mercenary scoutfit was priced at 3400 credits, and that was just on clearance for now. One Kalamo coin had to be about two or three credits in this place, if they accepted their currency that is. Now that the weapons were coming up on the left, Danny shifted towards that direction.
Taylor went for the food next. A lot of it was frozen meats, food packages, and cold drinks. At least that is what was on the list. Milk was sold here too, along with water and other brands of food she did not recognize. Taylor had to open the cold door to access each item, and put them in the large bag she picked up near the entrance. By now, the load was getting very heavy.
Danny studied each weapon. Every single one was marked with nametags and price tags like the armor was, but even for their so-called small selection, they sure had a lot to choose from. A spiked mace, a large hammer, knives, a long sword, a short sword with a built in hand guard, a bow and arrow, flash gauntlets, a crystal staff, a metal club, hand grenades, gravity deflectors... There seemed to be no end to the variety of Leray weapons in this place. Even though they had to do much less damage than in real life due to the Leray protection zone, they were all better than his training blaster by far. After seeing how little the blaster did for him against the Cran, there was no way he wanted to keep the weapon he had now, but there was so much to choose from.
Taylor finished packing in all of the food on the list, and immediately felt chilly afterwards. It wasn't easy to think how one would keep the food and drinks refrigerated on the way back, but that was for Jane to worry about. And now for the weapons...
Danny really wanted the metal gauntlets. One punch from that would have to hurt no matter what... But the short sword seemed brilliantly designed. Providing agility in battle from its lightweight and small size, the blade itself was still much longer than a knife, less wide to make it more narrow. From what he knew about some of the Leray magical abilities, swords like this could be enchanted to automatically deal magical damage in battle as well. This was like its own multi-tool for slashing damage, useful as he knew he couldn't move like Jane could. So a sword like this was a must have... "Eight thousand credits?!" What a bummer. Even Jane could not afford that on a good day. Unlike the other items, it didn't reach clearance levels yet. Still...
"Hey Danny," Taylor greeted. She finally made it over to the weapons area. A few short bladed weapons as well as a spiked mace was on the list to purchase, so Taylor naturally placed them into her other shopping bag. Danny seemed to be heavily interested in the stuff, but also mysteriously disappointed.
"Hey Tay. Can you believe how expensive the good stuff is? I'll never get good without these things."
"Oh." He was already interested in buying from here. The small blades were cheap, and the basic spiked mace was only 612 credits. Taylor believed that now she had reached her limit, but it was nice to see so many options about Leray related items. "Well, I'll be done soon. There's still a lot more cool stuff in the store, but I'll need to find Jane first."
"She did say we could look around. It could be hard to find her anyway if she's gone off to mess around."
Taylor replied, "I bet she's out there now, training in front of everyone like it's no big deal."
Danny huffed. It sure sounded a lot like Jane, and if that were the case, it would be too easy to find her outside drawing attention to herself. Still, how does one make a career out of this with so much to pay for on top of it all?
Taylor waved to Danny before heading back to the front of the store. They had three separate lanes available to ring up items using electronic equipment. Blue Port Town sure doesn't seem to suffer from any kind of poor economy. It was much different from Fronas. Taylor made her way to the front most area, where one of the three clerks were just waiting for someone like her to start buying things at their counter. The lady only looked twenty-two years old, beautiful for her age too. The nametag on her work clothes read as Annmarie, and she was already asking Taylor about her day.
"Hey there. I haven't seen you here before."
"I— uh, yeah." Taylor felt a litter hotter than before. It didn't make sense to her, but for some reason, she didn't feel comfortable. Come on, don't be shy about a shopping trip. "I've got a lot to ring up for someone."
"Oh. You new to town?" Annmarie began ringing up each item while talking to Taylor. She made it seem as if getting to know her customers was a normal thing here.
Taylor felt a little awkward for some reason. Perhaps since being from the outside world is a little stressing, it was just making her shy? A store like this being so different than ones in Kalamo sure didn't help. "I'm just a visitor."
Annmarie continued ringing up the items, but she suddenly fell quiet. Maybe Taylor was supposed to give a better answer? Why wasn't she talking so much anymore?
Taylor could already feel sweat between her arm pits, mostly from having to carry such heavy stuff. She began hoping this could just go a little faster. Taylor had to come up with something to talk about, perhaps something Jane already said before. "S— so I hear that the arena's still long way out of commission."
"Yeah, they sure are slow to finish it. You a first time Leray wielder?"
Taylor at least had a question she could answer, but it was a little intimidating. Was Annmarie a Leray wielder herself, or just here to run a store? "Um... Yeah. Actually, I still have to graduate first, but I'm not far off now."
"I see. That makes sense." Annmarie rang up the heavy mace last. "Okay. That will be 2845 credits please." The clerk made a specific announcement that totally confused Taylor for a moment. Instead of saying the amount as two thousand eight hundred forty-five credits, Annmarie stated the value as two-eight-four-five credits. Was that supposed to be normal around here? The language couldn't be exactly the same English format from where she was from, right? Or was this just something Annmarie did? Come to think of it, none of the four-digit price tags ever had any commas or punctuation between any of the numbers. That must be how they mark their credits here.
Aside from that, what 'made sense'? Taylor knew that this woman was judging her somehow. She hated when people did that. Wait... 2845? That was only five credits off from the limit. How did Eliza get that close of an estimate? Taylor pulled out her training license, and read the front of it right before handing it to the woman for transaction. Just to confirm, Taylor read the section where it had the content money on the bottom, 2850 Cr.
Annmarie took the card, and inserted the license into a slot for the machine. The machine beeped after one second, and she took the card back out. After handing it to Taylor, she said, "Have a nice day."
"Thanks." Taylor was still looking down at her card as soon as she got it back, where the number now read 5 Cr. It was a metallic like card, but there was no visible screen, unless it was a screen itself. How did they manage to do that? There was no evidence that the card itself was fully an electronic panel, yet it somehow functioned like one. Taylor put her card away and carried back the bag she held before. With everything now in there, it was a complete and heavy collection they would now need to haul back to Fronas. But first, better find Danny.
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Jane sucked up some more of the fresh morning air. The sky was still as clear as it always had been here without a fluff in the sky, and with the sound of the nearby forest giving off its chirps and other mysterious bug noises, Jane felt totally at peace. Instead of running around town like she said she was going to, Jane decided to just take it easy near the east forest entrance. Though there was no real path into the woodlands that direction, Jane knew that it basically leads to a dead end on the other side anyway, with another tall rocky barrier in the way at the edge of the continent.
After evaluating the usual atmosphere of the town, Jane began thinking more about her near future. She would be a qualified Leray wielder soon. And with much more hard work, she could become a Leray master in no time. It was only weeks or less away from now.
Jane's thoughts shifted to Danny and Taylor. After hearing that long and crazy story on the way here, it was almost impossible to believe that they were telling the truth. It still didn't really account for what made Taylor so upset last Saturday, but maybe she was just homesick. Whatever it was about, Taylor and Danny... There is no way they would lie to her anymore. After all they've been through in the small amount of time that's passed, Jane just knew how awesome their friendship has become. It even sounded like Taylor didn't want to leave Sprawn Valley at all, not after being here and learning how to use Leray magic for the first time ever.
Jane immediately snapped out of her trance, and hunched down a bit into her fighting stance. Something nearby just made a noise, coming from the woods to the east. Squirrels break tree branches and step on twigs all the time. So she soon calmed herself down from nearly being triggered off guard.
Jane tried to zoom in on whatever was making the noise in the distance, especially as it continued over through time again and again. It sounded like something was running through the foliage in the woods up ahead, as the forests here make everything echo louder. It was impossible to see anything through all of the leaves and branches getting in the way though. Jane didn't want to feel paranoid over nothing, but still...
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Chapter Theme Shift: {Deception (track mix)} ~ Freelancer OST (unlisted version)
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Right out from behind a couple of stone boulders, a person emerged, running from their original position. Whoever it was, still too far away to make out any other defining details, the person was running really quickly as to display being in a hurry. The person was wearing a dark blue colored cloak, and holding their arms tucked into their chest. Jane just stood there, clueless as she tried to figure out what was going on in there. It wasn't uncommon to see someone in the eastern forest here just traveling around or exploring, but this person was obviously running for his or her life, as if currently being hunted or pursued.
Now the person changed his or her course, heading straight in Jane's direction. It was likely to try and get out of the forest and into the better safety of town, but it also happened to be right where Jane was standing. This allowed him to get closer, allowing Jane to identify that the character was a male, or so it seemed. He was a little taller than her, grey craggy hair, his cloak wasn't covering up any part of his head. Whoever this guy was began to identify where Jane was, and he ran even faster in her direction as a result.
Jane instinctively took two steps back. Whoever this was, whatever the adult male was doing, it was freaking her out quickly. Who the hell is he, and why is he running so recklessly? The man tripped forward step by step until he finally emerged completely from the forest area, stumbling right in speaking range of Jane. Jane jumped back and lifted her arm up to the guy as a threat. "Stop there!"
The unidentified man followed Jane's warning to the letter, planting his shoes in the ground as he stiffened. He had to take several quick and deep breaths before he could even begin to try and gasp anything out, exhausted from his high pace movements earlier. The teenage girl in front of him was already getting overly cautions, holding her arm up to him in order to take aim for a magical attack. The man didn't move an inch except to catch his breath and momentarily check all of his surroundings. "Youthful wielder," he called. "You have to help me..."
Jane squinted her eyes in confusion. He did look as if he was running for his life, but that didn't make him trustworthy at all. Why the hell is he holding his stomach like that? Just to be on the safe side, Jane prepared her MP energy ready to fire anything and everything if he tries anything funny, causing her right hand to form a dim aura of light. "What's going on? Who are you?"
This is perfect, the man thought silently. A normal looking girl who blends right into town, and in such a less populated area within Blue Port. What better choice for how to break this away? The man had to slow down his breathing before he could say anything else, and he glanced behind his position to confirm that his six was clear for now. "I need you to protect it. They're trying to take it back, and they won't let me go either."
"Who? Protect what?" Jane felt frustrated, and she raised her voice to let the guy know how soon he better start talking in logical sentences. But instead of a direct response, the man in front of her reached in for what was tucked under his coat. Then he carefully pulled out the object. Jane's heart skipped a beat. Whatever the hell that thing is could be dangerous.
He held up his prize, a large purple orb, like many others related to Leray battle orbs, but this one was much bigger, much more solid, and it had an identifying symbol on the front of it, in the shape of some kind of crystal engrave mark; an ellipse with two perpendicular rings wrapped around the center of the eye. Jane backed away just a little more, afraid of the special sphere. "Please. I need your help. You have to protect the spell bomb on my behalf."
"Th— that thing's a spell bomb?"
"Yes," he replied. There wouldn't be any point trying too hard to make this girl understand the situation; there isn't enough time to explain everything though. How far could they be away after the ticking seconds of time? "They're very bad men. They're chasing me through the woods, for hours without rest, but they won't see you with it. You have to hide and protect the orb." The man twisted his head around, checking to see if it was clear behind him.
He then offered the large sphere to Jane. She reluctantly opened her arms out to take hold of the device, carefully in the event that this could be a trick. Jane took the orb into her hands, and nearly dropped it as soon as the guy let go. Damn thing is way heavier than it should be. Jane held it closer to her body, intent on not letting it drop to the floor. If it did fall, the glass sphere would certainly shatter, putting an end to his little request. She then looked back up at the guy, who was still looking around everywhere for anybody that he knew in particular. "Who are you? What is this thing? And why are bad people chasing you?"
"I don't have time to explain that. They'll be here soon, and they'll find you if you don't put that thing away now!"
Jane scrambled to her feet, fumbling for her supply sphere to hide the orb inside, but the man stopped her before she could completely open the device.
"No! Not there. The orb won't go inside supply spheres." The impatient man waited, while Jane thought to hide the orb under her dress sphere. It wasn't an ideal look, since the orb was too big, and it made her belly bulge too much, but this was already taking too long. At this rate, he would have to let those people discover his presence again on purpose just to lead them away from town. "That's good enough. They must not see you with that permanent spell orb, or it's all over."
"What's over? Why won't you just calm down and talk to me?" Jane tried and tried to figure this guy out, but he was too paranoid to listen and relax. She watched his stance change, surely was he about to take off again.
"You're just a teenage girl. They won't suspect you have it even if you look that way. You have to keep that orb away from everyone else, no matter what! It's a permanent spell bomb beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and it is very dangerous."
"But," Jane had to protest the unusual initiation of this guy's unknown plight. "How is it dangerous? What is this?"
The guy got firm and more impatient, assuming Jane not to understand the potential consequences of any mistakes. "Don't let anyone else touch it! Not your friends, not your family, not a single soul!" With yet another paranoid glance behind him, the guy inched a few steps back, trying to put an end to any misunderstandings. "I've got to go and lead them off. Don't let anyone see that thing, and don't let it into the wrong hands. I'm warning you now!"
"Wait!" Jane held one hand out to try and signal him to stop, but the guy was already running away back into the woods, putting the hood over his head to further conceal himself. Jane wanted to follow him, but she couldn't make any sense of what was going on right now. He left almost as soon as he came.
Jane hunched over more, trying to feel the orb under her dress. It sure was a solid spell bomb. And did he say permanent? Why would some random guy just give her some random spell bomb and then run off? It all happened too fast to feel normal, or to give any plausibility to his expressive fears. The man finally got further in, but not enough to hide from Jane's eyes. That's when she suddenly heard some more manly hollers echo in the distance.
"Found him... He's this way!"
Jane held her breath, after which she saw the same man from before, running as far and as fast as he could further down the southern end of the woods, but there were two other people a little ways behind him. Dressed in some kind of dark looking suits, they chased the blue hooded man with a sheer determination. He really was running for his life. All of that trouble for one orb? Spell bombs aren't that valuable, Jane thought. However, with a pure crystal marking on the front of the permanent spell bomb, this could be anything. It certainly was not recognizable, and the man left before he could tell Jane what it does.
Keep it safe, Jane reminded. The man told her to keep it safe and keep it hidden. But if it can't fit into a supply sphere, how could she hide it? This wasn't right. All items are supposed to go inside of a supply sphere, no matter the size. Jane immediately lost track of sights and sounds from the people running around in the woods. Just like that, she was left with a responsibility that didn't even make much sense.
Jane looked all around her again; making sure nobody was looking. Then, she pulled up her dress a little, just enough to slide the spell bomb orb up from under her shirt. The thing was large for any kind of spell bomb, specifically larger than the size of her own head, and it looked so weird too. Jane knew how to activate spell bombs. Only the red tip ones are thrown on the ground at maximum force. The others with different coloring, probably this one as well would require magical charging just for activation.
Jane stood alone again in thought. Who was that guy? He didn't even tell her his name, or the orb's name. How is she supposed to protect something she doesn't even know about? People don't just get chased down in the woods in plain sight, unless something major is going on. Jane certainly wasn't about to try and figure it out firsthand; that's what Leray agents are for, but there was nothing northeast or south of Blue Port except for more dead-ends from the rock wall mountains and more trees. It's not like Jane had any idea what kind of marking this was. Obviously, it looked like a type of crystal for the engraved symbol, but it might as well have been unmarked. There are thousands of different effects that permanent spell bombs can carry. So what does this one do to warrant such an awkward situation?
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To be continued...
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