2 nd Banem, 1093.
BANG!
Clang!
Over a thousand pairs of eyes jumped in shock at the smoking rifle in Just Matt's hands. No sooner had the daeben ordered the attack did his rifle ring out across the valley, its bullet accurately fired between the daeben's brows.
"Hehe," a short laugh sent those eyes swiveling back to the daeben, who, to their horror, was still sitting comfortably like nothing just happened. For a second, the crowd entertained that Just Matt had missed his shot despite the close range.
That thought perished with the daeben's next action.
"Someone is eager," Kashi teased, opening his right palm to reveal the remains of a scrunched up bullet. "Good," said the daeben as he played with the flattened projectile. "This would not be fun otherwise!"
Just Matt's eyes went wide behind his glasses, sharp senses forcing him to tilt his head to the side. He quickly took a step and retreated sharply, barely dodging the black bullet that crashed into the earth several meters away. Despite being as flat as a wall, the projectile still managed to dig several meters into the ground before grinding to a halt.
Just Matt, however, did not have time to appreciate his survival as Kashi appeared at the exact location he was a moment ago, arm stretched out. It was evident that if he had been even a moment late, Kashi would have grasped his neck.
The daeben stared at the empty space where his hand was. "Oh? Quick too." Licking his lips, Kashi turned to the MetalBrand boss. "It seems this will truly be interesting."
Despite his shock, Just Matt did not become the guildmaster of a massive guild by cowering in front of overwhelming odds. No one knew when, but he swapped the rifle for a pair of identical carbine model pistols.
These pistols, which in reality would have required the addition of buttstocks to counteract the heavy recoil, were easily brandished by the cerulian with practiced ease.
Kashi's examined the beautiful fusion of metal and wood, its chromic barrel glinting menacingly in the afternoon sun. A smile crept up the daeben's lips, "I'll be taking that!" With arrogance befitting a sovereign, he charged head-on, straight into its line of sight.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Angry smoke billowed out the pistols' barrels as raging black messengers of death stormed out towards the approaching enemy. Despite facing the bullets head-on, the daeben's pace did not slow in the least.
A wicked glint flashed in Just Matt's eyes as Kashi slapped the bullets out of his path.
Fell For It!
BOOOOOM!
The bullets, which secretly had explosives packed within them, ignited upon contact with the daeben's fist.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Without waiting for the plumes from the initial explosion to clear up, Just Matt sent several bullets charging at the daeben. Kashi, whose charge was forcefully halted by the initial blast, could only hold his ground as his frame was quickly covered by dark smoke from rapid eruptions enough to leave a meter long crater in the earth. Cheers erupted from Metalbrand, its members sticking out their chest with pride at their guild leader.
The leader, however, did not share their sentiment.
Just Matt waited, grip tight on the pistols, cold eyes scanning the plumes for any movement. He did not have to wait long, as three seconds later, loud laughter erupted from within the crater. A timely burst of wind swept away the smoke to reveal a large stone wall with the imprint of a dragon upon it.
The stone wall crumbled to reveal a mostly unscathed Kashi with a joyful grin across his face. "Haha! Good! Awesome! This won't be boring!" Eyes sparkling dangerously, the crater dug a feet deeper as he burst out with the speed of a rocket.
Facing this perverse, instantaneous acceleration, Just Matt's steady gaze retained its focus as his left hand swiftly holstered the pistol and drew out a sawn-off shotgun strapped to the back of his waist. This weapon, his favorite trump card, had been saved till this moment when he knew Kashi would be too fast to change directions mid-burst.
Kashi's grin widened as the world slowed to a crawl around him. He looked from the triumphant glee in the Metalbrand leader's gaze to the finger, steadily squeezing in on the trigger. The daeben could not help but see this leader in a new light. Indeed at his current speed, there was no way he could stop on time to change direction, nor would the earth wall rise on time should he rely on it—especially when the bullets scattered after leaving the barrel.
At that point, even if Kashi were fast enough to deflect one or two, the remaining would riddle his body with holes. They would most likely not kill him, but if they held explosives like the pistols, then he would, at the very least, be severely weakened in the short term.
Indeed, if this were anyone else, this would have been Checkmate; Game-Set-Match!
But he was not anyone else!
He was Kashi!
This was far from enough to put him down!
Gaze following the squeezing finger, Kashi's hands drew out his bow and strung it with three arrows in record time, the bowstring drawn till it was taut just as the hammer within the shotgun smashed against the shells.
With a fanfare of bright fireworks, the bullets charged for the exit, where they would part ways to find new homes in the daeben's system. However, just as the first bullet reached the exit, three metallic heads stormed through the narrow entrance and smashed into the charging enemy.
To Kashi, this process might have seemed like a long time, but to Just Matt, it felt like the moment he pulled the trigger, the shotgun barrel exploded brilliantly. Compound explosions from the close cluster of explosives sent metal debris flying everywhere, and the guild leader, too stunned by his missing left hand, failed to dodge the metal pieces that dug into his face and torso.
At this moment, a fist sunk deep into Just Matt’s face, blasting the defenseless guildmaster several meters backward where he crashed hard into the ground.
"Never lose focus," chided Kashi as he notched a pair of arrows. "Losing a hand is nothing in this—" An amused glint flashed in the daeben's eyes as he let the arrows fly, then jumped backward. Just in time, too, as a giant sword that even Cloud Strife would be proud to wield crashed into the earth.
"Hoh... Looks like you guys are finally awake," teased Kashi as he glanced from the valiant Paragon4x, who glared at him with hatred in her eyes, to the monk, CyanidePilgrim, who stood protectively in front of Just Matt, arrows firmly held within the gauntlets.
By his side, PsyoniousPH quickly set up a barrier then began casting [Regeneration] on Just Matt's severed limb. Although the skill was enough to ensure the severed limb would grow back, she had to pay special attention to speed up the growth time.
"DIE!" Paragon4x spat with rage, slashing upwards.
Kashi took a step back, whistling as the blade's tip sliced off a few strands of flailing hair. Paragon4x, holding no desire to give him a chance to recover, rotated the blade in her hand with impossible ease, then swiftly stabbed at the daeben's midriff.
Kashi's eyes flashed.
BAM!
Several mouths hung open in disbelief at the sword clamped tightly between two aura-imbued palms. The rise of a smirk on the daeben's face was cut short, as with a roar, Paragon4x's left shoulder smashed against the daeben's chest. Unbelievably, the swordswoman abandoned her blade without hesitation, choosing instead to [Charge] at the daeben.
Kashi, caught unprepared, stumbled several steps backward, eyes widening with shock as Paragon4x slapped the edge of the released sword, so it spun in place. As she was still in motion, she could only grab the hilt, which turned her way in a backward grip. Common sense would dictate she would need to rebalance the sword, which would then buy the daeben time to recover.
But this was L.N.E
Common sense did not exist here.
And even if it did, it definitely would not apply to those who fought their way to the top of the food chain. These individuals had long since cast off the shackles of so-called common sense for something far more practical.
Overwhelming Strength!
Kashi gritted his teeth, a trace of caution appearing in his eyes for the first time as he quickly raised two metal arrows above his head.
CLANG!!!
Kashi's body dipped under the explosive force of a thousand-pound weapon crashing against his arrows. He could not help but admit this woman was genuinely talented. By choosing to launch herself forward in a spin, she managed to take advantage of her weapon being in a backhand position to continue her attack in one swift combo, aiming for the top of his head.
Still, despite Paragon4x’s apparent skill, it was obvious she still needed training in some areas.
Locking eyes through the sparks, Kashi lectured, "You have great timing, but..." With an explosive force, the arrows 'sliced' upwards. Paragon4x, still clutching her weapon, nearly threw up as her body suddenly rotated in the opposite direction, carried forcefully by the oversized broadsword. "...Never take both feet off the ground unless you are certain of your landing."
BAM!
Paragon4x coughed blood as a heartless fist solidly buried itself in her chest. Torrents of ki stormed into her systems, wreaking havoc as they rushed through her meridians. She could do nothing as the force sent her tumbling across the earth before coming to a hard stop against a boulder.
It would be a while before she could move again.
A sense of impending danger forced Kashi to turn in place swiftly. A light flickered in the daeben's eyes as a massive red gauntlet passed by his nose, clawed fingers crushing the spot where his head had been just a moment ago.
Kashi looked up the arm as he sharply backpedaled, barely dodging the follow-up strike from a hefty boot.
"Ah, it's the shrimp this time," Kashi mocked, flashing a grin at the monk whose brown eyes burned with intense rage.
"Don't. Call. Me. Shrimp!" CyanidePilgrim roared! Aura gushed out of his body in droves as he charged at the daeben. "Die With Me! [Symbiotic Death!]"
Kashi, shocked by the monk's sudden aura burst, could only place his arms across his chest to limit the damage from Cyanide's explosive fist. The daeben's groaned as his feet dragged across the earth from the impact. He glanced up, only to see the enraged monk dashing towards him once more.
This time, however, Kashi was well prepared to deal with him. Extending his arms, the daeben took an instep into his opponent's guard and grabbed the outstretched arm. Using CyanidePilgrim's speed as leverage, Kashi spun the monk over his shoulder.
BAM!
The earth cracked beneath the impact of CyanidePilgrim's back, but Kashi could not enjoy his victory. Instead, he suddenly arched his back as a sharp pain shot through it. Kashi's eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at the monk who had already shot to his feet.
What the hell was that just now?
Several hypotheses ran through Kashi’s mind, but to confirm them, he only had one choice.
Kashi gritted his teeth and charged at CyanidePilgrim, taking the initiative for the first time. CyanidePilgrim reciprocated in kind, meeting his opponent with equal ferociousness. The men instantly traded a flurry of blows and kicks, the speed and sharpness of their attacks, leaving the onlookers bewildered.
Kashi cursed as a fist brushed by his cheeks. He quickly reciprocated, but CyanidePilgrim's left arm blocked his blow. What annoyed the daeben most was the instantaneous pain he felt in his left arm. Though not as painful as the injuries he was used to, the constant bursts of pain whenever a blow connected with CyanidePilgrim was far too distracting.
[Symbiotic Death] was it? What an irritating skill. Judging from how his body felt after the strikes, Kashi did not lose any HP from the skill, but it seemed to transfer a significant percentage of the pain from CyanidePilgrim over to him.
This would not be a problem if CyanidePilgrim were a regular or casual Summoned.
However, he wasn't.
It was an open secret that the truly strong gamers played with higher pain thresholds, as the game system regularly rewarded pain and suffering with quicker stat upgrades outside those obtained from leveling.
To put it in simpler terms, imagine two players.
Player A fights a monster with a high pain threshold, incurring several injuries mid-battle. He would probably get somewhere around +2 ~ +3 Endurance and maybe Agility, among other stats. In contrast, Player B, who fought the same monster the same way, but with a lower pain threshold, might only get a +1 increase if he got any at all.
The numbers may seem small, but as the people of Destia leveled up, it was those who steadily stacked these extra stats that usually took center stage at the top of the food chain.
Judging from the excessive pain he was suffering, Kashi surmised the monk opposite played on a very high pain threshold. It was even possible he played on the max pain threshold, just like Kashi.
This instantly earned CyanidePilgrim some respect from Kashi. When he considered that the kid could already activate his ki willingly to cover his body, Kashi knew this was a fighter with talent—however, one who still needed molding in several places.
Kashi prepared to end this farce when a tremendous sense of danger assaulted his senses. His eyes rapidly scanned the environment, but Paragon4x and Just Matt were still out of the picture, with PsynosiousPH just about finishing treatment on Just Matt.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Wait, wasn't there one more?
Kashi looked over his shoulder, and for a brief moment, the sun seemed to dip behind the clouds in fright from the massive killing intent that exploded across the battlefield.
Faced with this massive killing intent that caused even the heavens to shake in fright, the victim, DogFighterPro, flashed a wry smile as he turned to the songstress beside him, calmly plucking a fast tune on her guitar. "Uh... Falsetto-chan, could you tell your husband I'm a lover, not a fighter?"
Lunette looked up, locking gazes with the daeben. She smiled, directing the daeben's gaze toward the seemingly sleeping wolf by her side.
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, casting its weary light upon Kashi, in whose eyes the killing intent had died off, leaving only puzzlement. With Kira there, he need not fear anything from DogFighterPro. But if the danger he felt was not from there, then where did it originate?
Only then did the daeben's eyes spark with realization as he suddenly moved to retreat. However, he was a step too late.
CyanidePilgrim, who was frozen in place by Kashi's killing intent, broke free of his shackles. His fist, burning with a greenish-purple aura, crashed against Kashi's midriff.
Kashi coughed blood as a poisonous miasma tore through his meridians, attempting to weaken him from the inside out.
CyanidePilgrim, intent on not missing this opportunity burst forward to finish off the daeben.
"Brilliant!" Kashi praised, feet wobbling as he faced the incoming human-shaped missile. "You even know how to inject your ki into your enemies." His eyes shook as the gauntlet reached for his head. "However..."
Pa!
BANG!
CyanidePilgrim stared at the blue sky with shock. What the hell!? How was he admiring the sky right now? What the hell just happened!? Ignoring the pain, he shot back up and charged the daeben once more.
Pa!
BANG!
Oh, that cloud looks like a rabbit—NOT! What the hell!? Why was he admiring the clouds again!?
CyanidePilgrim shot to his feet again, but the result remained the same. He remembered until attacking the daeben, but then the next moment, he would be counting the clouds in the sky.
"You are way too hard," Kashi lectured as he once again effortlessly tapped on the foot, rushing at his face. Despite it seeming like a tiny tap, its true nature lay in its ability to use the attacker's momentum against him/her.
In this case, CyanidePilgrim kept flipping onto his backside before he could catch his bearings. "Sometimes, you need to be malleable, flexible enough to adapt, or else an action at one end..." Pa "... will definitely be transferred all over."
BANG!
CyanidePilgrim finally retreated, fixing the daeben with a fearful glare. "How?"
"Am I fine?" Kashi asked. "Aura can be used for much more than inflicting damage on the enemy. You've barely scratched the surface." Folding his hands, Kashi watched as Paragon4x and Just Matt made their forward with PsynosiousPH. "You've all done much better than expected, but why were you all coming one at a time? I believe I said, ‘All of you come at me.’"
The guild leaders frowned. They had heard him, but who in their right mind would gang up on one Summoned. Was that not admitting they were inferior before the battle had even begun?
Kashi waved his hands. "It's fine. It's not like I can't understand your thoughts. It's just..." The daeben's eyes narrowed. "You guys will die if you don't start taking this seriously. Once again, from the top. This time, you all come."
Next to Lunette, DogFighterPro shook his head with a wry small. "You don't think I'm part of that 'all' do you, Falsetto-chan?"
Lunette's gaze flittered onto the grinning mertian. A dazzling soft smile spread on her lips as she replied, "If DogFighterPro-san wants to see the rising sun, he will join the others."
DogFighterPro whistled, chills running down his spine at the young songstress' smile. "Uwah... Scary, Scary. Quiet girls are indeed the scariest ones. Haa-" He let out a sigh as he fished out a coin from his pocket. "Well then, let's let lady luck decide, shall we?" He flicked the coin into the air, then caught it on its descent. "Would the lady please pick? Heads or Tails?"
"Tails," Lunette replied without looking up from the guitar.
"Tails, eh? Let's see the result, shall we?" DogFighterPro hummed as he lifted his palm to see the coin underneath. His face instantly fell. "Well, looks like I will be joining my colleagues after all."
"May you see the rise of tomorrow's sun," Lunette gently blessed.
"Oi, oi, aren't you too confident in that daeben?" DogFighterPro murmured as he walked toward the warriors. "For all you know, we could win."
"Would you call it confidence that I believe the sun will rise tomorrow?" Lunette calmly responded.
"That is what I'm calling over-confidence," DogFighterPro muttered under his breath. "Whoo... love truly is a scary thing." The mertian sighed as he took out a coin pouch strapped to his waist. "Well, if I'm gonna do this, I've got to do it right." He tossed the coin into the air as he chanted, "[War Roulette]"
A smile spread on DogFighterPro's face as he felt his muscles bulge from an increase in stats. A spear appeared in his hands, obtained from a costly spatial ring on his right finger. Before today, he barely knew the speartip from the shaft, but it seemed Lady Luck was on his side today.
Not only did [War Roulette] grant him a bonus to his stats, it also gave him a complete (albeit temporary) comprehension of an exquisite spearmanship style. At the very least, he would not look out of place if he battled alongside the other guildmasters.
DogFighterPro drew alongside the other guild leaders, chuckling as he raised his hand in greeting. "Hey, Guys."
"You joined us?" Just Matt questioned with a raised brow. His gaze was drawn toward the spear in the mertian's hand. "Ah, I see. Lady Luck was good to you."
"Haha... I bet a lot this time," DogFighterPro confirmed with a laugh. "It would have been painful if I got another balloon sword."
"I highly doubt that," PsynosiousPH scoffed. "The only thing you don't lack in is gold. Only your guild would be rich enough to let their leader gamble away their gold every battle."
"Hahaha, what can I say? I have good colleagues."
"Enough chit-chat," CyanidePilgrim interjected. "He's waiting. Are we doing this or not?"
"I'm in," DogFighterPro confirmed with a raised arm. Following his embarrassing confirmation, the other guild leaders confirmed their participation. "Good then, Chibi Shrimp, you take the lead."
CyanidePilgrim's eyes sparkled. "Call me shrimp one more time, and I swear we will die together at this spot!"
"But you're fine with chibi?"
"Whatever."
"Tiny, short, squirt, little fingers, tyke—"
"Shut up, Dawg," interrupted Just Matt. "Cy won't react to anything other than sh.'" Adjusting his glasses, he turned to face the daeben. "Also, I'm taking lead. Due to getting KO’ed first, I was able to watch all your battles. Follow my lead, and we have a chance of victory."
"Whatever," CyanidePilgrim snorted.
"Fine with me," Psynosious affirmed.
"A-Okay," DogFighterPro gave his agreement.
Paragon4x brandished her sword, her affirmation reflected in its cold glint.
"Good," Just Matt nodded. "If we are all ready, here's the strategy."
Minutes later, Kashi looked up from the boulder he was sitting on as the quintet approached. "Are you done with your strategy meeting? Good, come again."
Midnight
Torches and magelights lit up the hillside, its wielders amazed by the glorious battle unfolding before them at the valley below. Serenaded by Lunette's songs, very few spectators were still standing, most choosing to sit on the grass and discuss the impossible feat they were witnessing.
Of those still standing, a good number were the vice-guildmasters and lieutenants of the five guilds who all had a direct stake in the battle going on below. They murmured amongst themselves, proposing possible solutions and strategies for their bosses to finally defeat the irritating daeben.
That was right. For the past twelve hours, these men and women had been forced to watch their bosses suffer one embarrassing defeat after another at the daeben's hands despite working together. Typically, guildmasters stopped, or at the very least, conducted such embarrassing situations in secret.
But there was a reason none of the five guildmasters could bring themselves to throw in the towel and call it quits even after having their asses handed to them several times over in public.
The reason? Improvement!
The guildmasters, while fighting, was frequently called out on their flaws and mocked by Kashi. Once they then improved on those flaws, they found themselves getting much stronger than before. Not in terms of stats, but something intangible yet much more critical: Skill!
The quintet could finally understand why even the lowest-tier Maggots were so strong. If everyone were sharpened the way Kashi was currently sharpening them, even the dullest knife would at least be able to slice a loaf of bread in no time.
Hence despite the embarrassing loss, the guildmasters gave their all, pulling out all the stops and skills at their disposal with the hopes that the daeben would point out their flaws and guide them on ways to fix them through combat.
Already, they were showing marked improvements.
Just Matt learned not to rely solely on his eyesight and place too much faith on his weapons. A person's movements could be discerned by every shift of muscle, eye twitch, and jerking motion. Keeping track of those was more than enough to estimate a person's next position to high accuracy. Also, he became less static, less predictable, and far more dynamic by moving around, providing far more attacking and defensive options than he previously had.
Paragon4x learned to channel her fierce personality, grounding it, so she did not fly off the handle at every attack. Instead, she learned to steadily build momentum with steady attacks, pulling the enemy into her own pace before unleashing a devastating blow when they least expect it, thereby ensuring her stability and reducing the chances of dangerous counterattacks.
CyanidePilgrim probably had the most ferocious personality of the lot. He possessed the [Poison Prince] title, which meant his body was a hotbed for all sorts of poisons. It granted him resistance to a high range of poison and meant his body was forever in pain. Some of that pain affected his fighting style, making him much more ferocious and suicidal in his attacks, which had little to no defense.
However, under Kashi's beatings, CyanidePilgrim learned to control the aura within his body, using it to calm the poison and hence the pain. This translated to a fighting style that began to incorporate soft into the hard, alternating awkwardly between the two to confuse the enemy. Although he saw progress, he would still have to find a real monk in one of the monasteries to teach him a softer method of attack and meditation techniques to better control his body's poison. He probably gained the most from this experience of the five, and if it wasn't for Kashi constantly calling him 'shrimp,' he might have been genuinely grateful.
PsynosiousPH, as an all-round healer, was in charge of healing, defense, stat boosts, and removing debuffs. In her entire life, her brain had never been as taxed as it was within the past hours, and this was someone who had led over fifty women on dungeon raids.
It was no longer enough to just keep an eye on the HP, buffs, and debuffs, not when the enemy was able to switch targets at whim without being held down by nonsense like aggro.
PsynosiousPH, too, had to learn to predict who needed healing based on subtle tells from the enemy's movements. She also needed to take into consideration the buffs applied to each person.
No more was it acceptable to just caste [Haste] on everyone. She had to pick who needed it, and when, to conserve as much mana as possible for more prolonged battles. Sometimes, she even needed to deliberately debuff her teammate with status effects like [Slow] to signal that they were getting too excited and putting themselves in increased danger.
PsynosiousPH was more than just a healer. She was like a conductor and the quartet ahead of her, her band. She had to ensure they worked together in harmony to produce the best results. It was a real eye-opener for the healer extraordinaire.
Last but certainly not least was DogFighterPro. DogFighterPro...
Yeah, nothing needs to be said about that lucky, rich asshat. Just by tossing money to the god of gamblers, he could summon a roulette which granted him different abilities, gave him nothing, or even weakened him.
This would have been alright—fair even—if the mertian did not have the luck of a four-leaf clover. Over sixty percent of his lottery chances were good draws, and Kashi had nothing to say to someone who switched weapons on a whim, depending on what lucky card he drew.
"This has to be the longest battle in Line, right?" an observer commented as he stifled a yawn.
"Yeah, maybe even the longest boss battle in gaming history?"
"Pfft," another scoffed. "Noobs. Never heard of FF Eleven, have you? 18-hours boss battle yo. Nothing can beat that."
Listening to these three, some other users joined in the argument, each calling higher hours they had heard of, witnessed, or played themselves. Just as the debate was reaching a crescendo...
"Children," another cut in, his gruff voice instantly drawing attention. "All of you seem to have forgotten. Hmm. No, it does make sense. He wasn't as famous back then. Razznik's debut battle against the king of giants. It lasted three in-game days without stop or rest. Three. Seventy-two hours. I dare any of you to top that."
Numerous lips suddenly pressed together, unable to utter a word.
"Yeah, well, that does make sense. Razznik was a monster."
"Yeah, yeah. He totally was."
"Good thing we don't have to face him anytime soon... phew."
"He should just stay dea—Oh, what's happening?"
The users clamored to the hillside as a baleful aura burst out of the valley. Eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets as they stared with disbelief at the draconic monster standing over five fallen bodies.
Shaking his head, Kashi murmured as he undid the draconic transformation, "Maybe I overdid it." He waited for the guildmasters to get back to their feet before flashing a smile, "Wanna go again?"
Shivers ran down the guildmasters' spines.
They would never forget the dreadful aura that enveloped them as that massive, clawed arm reached for their faces. They each frantically shook their heads! Are you joking!? They couldn’t learn anything but despair and destruction from that thing! Who would put themselves through that!?
Kashi's face fell, revealing his disappointment. Aish, he had been enjoying the battle so much he got carried away. Who knew when next he would face another worthy opponent? ‘ Argh, well, let's get this over with then.’
"I want all of you," Kashi stated flatly, eyes boring into theirs. "If you are interested in joining something bigger than yourselves, get to Maggot HQ in two days." He waved them off as he returned to Lunette's side. "You guys can go now. Need to rest for a bit."
The five guildmasters shared a look, each with their thoughts.
Eventually, they bowed to Kashi’s back, then returned to their respective troops, leaving the premises without leaving even a single spy to check up on the daeben.
The warriors soon dispersed, returning to their leveling and quests, leaving only a few casuals and fans who were just satisfied listening to Lunette sing.
"Welcome back," Lunette softly called as Kashi lay down beside her, resting his head on Kira's midriff.
Kashi smiled, exuding a peaceful, gentle presence as he shut his eyes and replied, "I'm back..."