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The swordsman rushed forward with his shield raised. Jack quickly gathered some green and swung his hand across his body as a gust pushed the shield to the side revealing Garret's hand gripping a red orb. Jack ducked inwards and out of the path of the fire spell, just able to deliver a swift punch to the gut and reset the distance between the two. There was no break before Garret dashed back in. Jack was able to parry his strikes relatively comfortably to his own surprise. Jack didn't think he was faster. Well, he could have been faster, but he was also sure that Garret was holding back that time. It felt like he knew what to do in this situation. Garrets movements made more sense than last time. Experience. He was getting stronger.
"What are you doing here?" Jack felt confident to talk between slashes.
"I'm here to kill you."
"Hmmm, doesn't seem like it." Jack leapt back in anticipation of the large swing Garret took in coordination with the anger in his expression. Stella ran forward, wielding a thin black spear before Garret took another step. Jack saw that her eyes were sparkling. She was waiting for this.
"Wait!" A voice echoed from the distance approaching. "We aren't here to fight!"
A lean man around Jack's height ran to meet them. He had deep green hair that was tied in a way that tiny strands peaked at the end of the ribbon. The rest of his hair was wild and fell over his face. He was dressed in a black suit similar to William's, however the pants were torn away just below the knees. The strangest part of the attire was the sword he had sheathed. It had a wrapped handle and from the design of the holder, it seemed to curve like some sabres. Some kind of backsword?
Jack must have been staring too long because Garret took the opportunity to thrust his sword at Jack's face. The green haired swordsman was in front of Jack in an instant. His sword diverting the thrust towards the ceiling. He was quick. His two hands were on the blade. Wouldn't that be a disadvantage? Garret didn't let up as he circled with his shield up. They danced as Garret tried to get a closer to Jack.
It was to no avail. Jack was in awe as he watched the technique of this swordsman. He wasn't struggling at all, in fact, there was a large grin across his face. His footwork was impressive. It seemed like he was extremely skilled at getting mana to his feet. A few more parries lead to a frustrated Garret crashing to the ground after the swordsman's hilt was planted in his chest. Garret growled at the swordsman before looking off to the side.
"I got carried away." Garret slowly returned to his feet.
"Is that why you came in the first place? I thought it was strange, but you were on edge since the scouts saw them." The swordsman turned to Jack and bowed his head slightly. "I apologise for Darius. That was not why we came to meet you."
"Darius? Of course he wouldn't have given us his real name, and the only one that would have known..." Jack was the first to turn to stare at Luna. She read the room and decided to confirm the revelation with a thumbs up.
"My name is Noa. I am working as a hired guard for Kofka's royal family, and they have extended an invitation to you and your team Mr. Hummingbird and Miss Ice Queen."
"What? You guys are Looney Eclipse!" Wave ran to the front.
"Lunar..." Bruce said.
"What? You guys are Lunar Eclipse! I have heard about you guys. You all met Virgo!"
"Wave, it is rude to interrupt someone. My apologies." Mr. Gray guided the excited adventurer out of the circle.
"Are they not with you? Who are you guys?" Noa directed his questions.
"We are Heroes from Runnel Village. We are currently on a Mission for Linako Lates." Wave's grin covered have his face like usual.
"Heroes." Noa looked over to Darius for some response, but he was gifted with a scoff and a walk off. "Well, we are supposed to invite these guys because they are heroes but if you are heroes too then would you join us at Kofka Kingdom?"
"What is this about? Why are you collecting heroes?" Tana asked.
"The king is obsessed with heroes of old and new. He is just really happy to meet you and probably hopes that you can give tips to the upcoming adventurers. Umm, there is going to be food and drinks and a warm place to stay at least."
"Like a celebration of heroes? I am so in!" Wave replied.
"We are on a mission," Mr. Gray reminded.
"It isn't like there is a time limit," Wave replied and was gifted with a high five from Rose.
"And you?" Noa turned again.
"Um." Jack checked the looks of his friends. William looked completely excited, but the rest of them seemed to be waiting on his decision to give a reaction. "Sounds like it can be fun."
"Perfect! Mission Success! We did it Darius, it turned out well even though you were being dumb." Noa slapped Darius on the shoulder.
"Shut up."
"Oh, but before we go, fight me!" Noa lunged forward with a solid right hand aimed at Jack's jaw. Jack was able to shift easily. He was taken by surprise, but he didn't feel overwhelmed. He actually felt a bit of excitement. He would dance with that fancy footwork himself. He was struggling to keep up with the steps of the opponent but the final step into Jack's guard was his to control. He wasn't going to lose this battle of controlling distance.
Stella looked at Darius as she opened her palm upwards as another thin black spear landed in it. The mystical creature landed on the moustaches shoulder after his job was finished. Darius followed the creature with his eyes. His gazed alternated between Stella and Ace until he expressed his dismay with a tsk before turning away.
It wasn't much longer before Jack wrapped up his fight. There was an agreement in settling it another time, since they seemed to keep the others waiting. A glitter in the eye of the green haired swordsman. Jack was glad with the fight, but he had a strange feeling that swords would change the result tremendously. Hired bodyguard is what he said he was. That is something to remember.
***
The march to Kofka Kingdom was said to be about 2 hours away, by walking, but there were two Ground Gliders in possession. One belonging to the reporter and one belonging to the scout they mentioned. The consensus was the Syng tools would be used to carry all the luggage to Kofka, while the rest would get to enjoy the elegance of the cold and tiring trip through the snow. This was minus the Runnel adventurer that graced the rest of them with tricks on his Syng tool whenever he could. To his detriment, the only one that seemed to pay attention was the Mystical Creature and the silver eyed girl he hitched a ride on, although her gaze seemed to be filled with worry more than excitement. Ace was locked in a conversation with Mr. Gray and Darius was close behind them.
"What are you doing?" Stella approached him on the side. "I haven't forgiven you, but I believe in my mentor and his ways of peace, but you better not try anything to any of these people ever again."
Darius turned his face to lock his angry eyes against the sharp eyes of Stella. She didn't waver. The fact that he was even staring back at her started to boil her blood. The feeling looked mutual until Darius shifted his eyes to that of the mentor. He scoffed and turned away.
"Oh, so you are afraid." Stella laughed out loud.
"What are you guys talking about? Everything okay?" Ace spun to see the commotion with a smile.
Darius growled for a moment. "What is your deal? This girl said something about peace. It is all bullshit, right? You are a killer. It's right there on your arms and legs and your eyes are marked with death. You have killed more men than I have probably seen. What peace is there? Why didn't you kill us in Nectar?"
Stella clenched her fist tightly. It released when Ace laughed whole heartedly. "I am a pacifist. I don't fight, but I am just around to protect them. No killing for me."
"No killing? Is this atonement. What if I kill them?" Darius questioned.
"I won't let it happen."
"But what if I do?"
"Then I would have lost my friends, so...you guys, don't get yourself killed."
"From this guy? If it wasn't for your beliefs, then I don't believe I would have allowed him to be alive right now."
***
"What is the deal with this sword?" Jack drew it from the case. "It is beautiful, I love the weight and balance. Sorry I worked as a blacksmith's apprentice. What is this?"
Jack shook the wooden childish monkey head hanging from the hilt of the sword.
"I like the enthusiasm. They call it a katana where I am from. We have northern swords as well, but there are many that prefer this blade, and that is Tiger the monkey. I got him back home and I promised to show him the world."
"You are going to get along great with Ace." Jack's face fell flat when he returned the sword.
"Northern Sword? You are from the South Continent?" Bruce asked.
"Yea, Oshana. It's not that far from the North Continent and it's on the coast. We border Astrona. I am sure you heard of Astrona."
"There are fearsome warriors there I heard. They deal with war regularly, unlike the Empire that has been at peace for a long time. You must have seen a lot of battles," Bruce prodded.
"Oh no. There is a lot of war. I lost my parents when I was little to a war raid. When we got older, we were supposed to go fight, but my brother stopped me and looked out for me. He fought for a couple of years and then one day we snuck into the North Continent and started doing work for The Night Queen."
"That is a dark kingdom, right? Are you and your brother working for Kofka because of her? Can a kingdom and dark kingdom work together?" Jack barely had time to breathe between questions.
"No, it can't be for her. This isn't her territory, but now I am curious about how he is working for Kofka. It is like a conspiracy theory." Bruce scratched his chin.
"That is a funny story actually. Even with The Night Queen, my brother would take missions and I would barely fight. He trained me, but he is still a lot stronger, and I guess he would be worried. I knew I had to stand on my feet so one day I could beat him, and he would let me stand beside him. That lead to me trying to work for The Chief in his dark kingdom, but on my way here, I saw some mercenaries fighting a convoy close to Kofka so I went and saved them. It turns out that the king was looking for bodyguards and the mercenaries were trying out. I ended up getting the job for the while. It gives me great meals and a good place to stay."
"You sound like trouble." Jack laughed.
"You said it was temporary, but it sounds pretty permanent. Are you getting to fight for Kofka? I mean, would it still hold back your goals?" Bruce asked.
"We don't really have enemies, but since Darius came around a month ago, I have gotten to fight him a lot, and well there is one of the royal guards that I can't beat yet. Once I can do that then I think I will look for the Dark Kingdom to get tougher jobs."
"Um... about Darius," Rose interjected, "I think there is a fight going on in front."
They all glanced up to see the head turns of Darius as Stella's eyes were locked on. Jack felt the cold air in his lungs as his eyes only rested on the view for a second before scanning for Luna. She was holding Tana's hand at the front of the pack. Jack was surprised she hasn't hitched a ride on a back yet.
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"Stella can handle whatever she gets into. I would be more scared to go and stop her." Jack chuckled.
"The Ice Queen." Rose cheeks had a glow to them, and her eyes a slight sparkle. "That is so freaking cool."
"You guys got to meet Virgo, and I heard you run a large hunting guild. Are you out here on a hunting mission?" Bruce questioned, but it trailed off at the end. Jack hesitated in case there was more. "What is Virgo like? Is he really as strong as they say?"
Jack's eyes were distant. It took him a second to answer, but his tone was still chipper. "Yea, like ridiculously strong. He practically stopped an army with a stomp of his foot. He did amazing things, and it was barely a hint of his strength."
Jack turned his face to see Bruce glowing as well, but his red cheeks could have lit the way if it was dark. His eyes twinkling, waiting for more. Jack chuckled awkwardly. He didn't really want to think about it anymore, but he felt like it would have changed the mood.
Before Jack could say something else, Noa spoke up. "You guys are really cool. When the scouts spotted you the king became so excited. Quinn and Darius looked so pissed. The king then told us the story of how you stopped them from being mercenaries. You guys are very exciting, and I am really excited to see what you do at the kingdom. I really am excited to see what happens with me and you."
Jack felt a chill go down his spine. The tone shift at the end of his words and the vague mystery was enough for Jack to feel his stomach turn as he saw the long stretching brick walls ahead of them. He could question him now, but Jack felt like it was too late to not go find out. He looked at Stella, who had joined Tana at the front as they shared a laugh. Jack then switched his eyes to his mentor talking to Darius and Mr. Gray. An invitation from a king. Jack looked down and clenched his fist. They could handle whatever that kingdom throws at them. They have to be able to. They have to be able to handle anything.
***
Looking from the outside, the castle seemed to be the entire kingdom. The massive fortress was slapped against one of the defensive walls as the rest seemed to extend not too far from it. Jack was sure that it was smaller than his village while standing in front of the large wooden gates waiting on for the guards on the large stone walls to relay their message.
With the slow pull of the massive frame and the light breaking free made Jack feel uneasy. This is the first time he is meeting a king. What was the highest authority he met? Captain Rodriguez? Julius would be the same then. Maybe it was Miss City Official in Evergreen. Damn, he never asked her for her name. He can't make that mistake again. Wait, is Stella the highest? Jack glanced over to his friend wearing completely calm face. Did she just yawn? Ah, his nerves feel funny. He will just follow her lead. Noa is here too, and Wave. He is sure he wouldn't be the one to make a mistake.
"3, 2, 1" A lone voice from behind the door instructed. Music. Music controlled the air. Jack's heart pounded with the rhythm. He didn't know much about music, but it was different from the cheerful songs he heard that night in Nectar Village. These instruments worked together to create something powerful. He never heard more than one instrument played. This is a kingdom. This is completely different. The music escalation of rhythms caused motivation to combat the anxiety he just felt.
The gates opened to show the stone streets cleanly cleaved the crowds filled with ages of all. Jack seemed to be correct in his assumption as there was surely less people than his home village and much less than Nectar and Evergreen. They all erupted at the sight of the team. Jack quickly turned red as the anxiety made a triumphant return to slay whatever motivation he just had. Even Wave looked to be a bit flustered. Stella pulled her shoulders back and stood straighter, as everyone screamed nicknames. Royalty must have had their habits. Their new Princess of Evergreen had her familiarity with a crowd. She immediately bowed and grabbed the nearest person's hand to greet them. This formed a mini crowd in the crowd to greet her. Ace seemed to be relaxed but after William joined him, they both puffed out their chest and raise their chins. They are too weird.
"Today is your lucky day everyone. We are welcoming the heroes that have been taking the middle lands by storm. The heroes of..." The voice was very familiar, but it strained for a couple of seconds. Jack looked around to see who was talking. "Lunar Eclipse have come to Kofka Kingdom."
Quinn made his way from the side of the crowd. He seemed slimmer, but his beady eyes still dragged Jack into an upset mood. Jack looked at Stella, that just took Luna's hand. Her expression wasn't the one he liked on his friend's face, but he understood it. Jack then looked over to his mentor, but he was laughing. It seemed he forgot about wanting to break all of Quinn's bones. They figured he would be there, but it is those eyes.
"I can't say it is nice seeing you all here. I was sincerely hoping that I never ran into you guys again. Jack, Princess, Ashe, and you, boss. You are the top of my list of never want to see." Quinn massaged his arm.
"Oh, don't be like that Baker. You turned over a new leaf, I hope. I think we can get along once you don't cause any trouble, and speaking of the past—"
"Don't call her Ashe. This is Luna," Stella growled.
"Yea that."
"Ice Queen! It is you Ice Queen. Do you think my daughter can be a hero like you?" A woman ran ahead of the crowd. She held the hand of her young thin daughter until they both fell in front of Stella that quickly dropped to help them up.
"Ma'am you know that you can't—" Quinn started but was quickly halted by Stella's sharp stare.
"I think she can be. What is your name?" Stella looked into the girl's bright eyes.
"Kara. I...I want to save everyone too."
"I am sure you will. You have to eat and become strong to take on the bad guys. Here, we have some snacks packed." Stella looked over to Ace, who began to search his bag.
"No!" The woman dragged Kara behind her. "No, no. We could never take anything from a Hero. That is for you all. We aren't deserving. I am sorry. Excuse us. I am sorry." The woman receded back into the crowd quickly.
"Quinn, what was that about?" Jack asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play games. Darius? Noa? Why was that woman panicked?"
"You ever think that you are the wrong one? You boldly demand answers and carry about with that tone. This kingdom has rules. It has customs. It is its own place, but do you think to about the people you claim to be saving? Is it all an attempt to stroke your ego," Quinn flatly addressed him.
"I don't want to hear that from you. Someone that only thinks of themselves. All you know is greed. I will find out myself."
"Don't. The king is waiting. I just talked about the rules, at least have the courtesy when you are a guest." Quinn glanced at Noa and then walked over close enough to Jack. He mumbled, "You will have you chance."
Quinn walked ahead as Jack nodded to Stella. She unclenched her fist and continued forward with Luna's hand. Tana remained confused as she stopped lingering by the crowd. The rest of Lunar Eclipse seemed to calmly move forward, enjoying the cheers and music. Quinn ruined everything. No, there is something weird about the Kingdom, but he will find out eventually. His mind screamed Quinn's words from moments ago. A quick flash of Virgo holding Lok made an appearance to. How bold is too bold?
"That was awkward. What is the deal with beady eyes?" Wave's arm landed across Jack's shoulders.
"I guess he is an old enemy? Is enemy the right word," Jack mentioned.
"Tsk. You really are a monster. You try and crush everyone's lives and don't have the guts to say that you are our enemy? I can't wait for the chance." Darius walked ahead, catching up to Quinn.
Wave and Rose waved to the crowd with excitement. Bruce was in his own head, and Mr. Gray didn't appreciate the attention. He has a past. He is trying his best now. Quinn has a past, but he would never change. Ace has a past. This kingdom has a past from the reason it is like this. Jack clenched his teeth. Even he has a past now.
Jack somehow found himself at the back of the crowd. He hadn't realised that he couldn't hear the music anymore. Were his thoughts always this loud? Do louder thoughts come from bolder actions? Crushed their lives. His focus entered reality again with the wave of an elderly woman. Her smile soft was weighed down by wrinkles. She must have a past and was still cheering for him. She probably understands the world, and she is still cheering for them. He had to be doing the right thing. They saw him as a hero.
***
The walk wasn't long from the gate to castle gates. Jack was a bit surprised by another gate to the castle, but he guessed the people would need a reason to visit the king. The crowd cheered for them until the gates closed behind them. Quinn didn't hesitate in walking forward. Noa and Darius was close behind, but everyone else was lost in the scenery. The castle garden was vibrant. Fruit trees, shady trees, tree trees climbed just below the walls. Flowers of all kinds lay on the ground. It was like a piece of Nectar Village existed here, but in the impossible snowy climate.
"It looks like they took the dirt around Vel. That explains why it is so barren outside," Rose said.
"You can move the dirt?" Jack asked.
"They say it doesn't last as long when its moved, but I haven't seen anyone give a clear answer as to how long," Bruce took over.
"You guys know a lot about this stuff. You are like gardening geniuses. Ou, wait, gardening genius adventurers," Tana mentioned.
"Gray makes us do a lot of research before going into something." Wave joined his comrades.
"Hurry up, Hummingbird. You really are stupid." Quinn peaked from behind a wall forming the arches just past the garden. Jack gritted his teeth while in motion.
They were approaching a massive courtyard, where a large amount of children of all ages were gathered in a grid pattern. Each of them imitating the movement of the one instructor standing ahead of them. A tall, muscular man with short, blonde cropped hair. Noa looked toward Jack and Ace with a large smile before dashing away from them.
The blonde man shifted a punch before driving his knee into Noa's stomach. He gripped Noa's wrist before he could fly away and pulled him into a punch. Noa was able to duck under the fist, but his own retaliating fist was brushed to the side. Jack could tell that Noa's punches didn't have the best technique or rhythm, but they were still quick. The problem was that they couldn't make it past the smooth parries of the instructor. The fight was finished soon after with Noa receiving a fist to the jaw that flattened him out.
"He sure has a lot of energy." Ace laughed. "I like it."
"Noa!" The children broke form and swarmed him. He greeted all of them with a bloodied smile.
"Wait...if you are here...then." The kids turned back to see the crew standing there. The children rushed over with questions of all kinds arriving with their footsteps. You met Virgo? Who is the strongest? What is your favourite way to train? More and more. Tana couldn't help but laugh at the flustered Jack and Stella. Tenny seemed to be a bit jealous. Tana figured it was because the team wasn't acknowledging the fact that he was the strongest. That made her laugh more.
"One at a time. We will start with the winner of last week's competition. Step forward and ask your question." The instructor walked up to them.
"This is Wall. He is head guard and the instructor. He is also my last obstacle at this castle," Noa said while throwing another punch. It ended the same way, just without the extra steps this time.
"I am Stareye." A teenage girl a bit older than Luna stepped forward. "I won last week, and I want to ask the Ice Queen. How long did it take you to learn Ice Magic? Do you think being better at Mimics is more useful to heroes? Sorry, those are two questions, but I think they can relate to each other."
"Oh, those questions sound really official. I learned Ice Magic around 3 years ago I believe. Although my mentor tells me that I am still not using it to its full potential. Um, I don't think it is more useful, it is just what suits the hero. If you like using mimics, then there are some really cool things you can do. I also know of a few fighters that just use bare mimics and a lot of mana control. I think there is a balance."
"I am Blaze." An older teenager stepped forward. He might be around their age. "I have a question about how you end up conquering such feats. Do people come to you with requests? Why are you able to find adventures as grand as you have."
"These are all nicknames?" Tana looked towards Wall as he stepped forward again.
"Yes. They all work on their hero names after being selected," Wall took the floor, "It is so they better form a reputation as heroes in the world. It gets them familiar with it and in a certain mindset. I also adopted a hero name when coming to work here."
"That is cool. I wish we had a chance to choose our names." Jack stared at William who quickly adverted his eyes.
"I know right." Stella laughed. "You have a question to answer leader."
"I guess I can handle it. The truth is luck. We might even call it bad luck at times." Jack laughed awkwardly as all eyes stayed on him. "The world is a big place. There is so much going on at one time and so many people are involved in their own things. Sometimes just listening and wanting to help is the idea that changes your life. I wouldn't say that we found adventures that were grand, but more of we were trying to make a difference in the lives of people we came to care about."
"My name is Wonder." A little boy immediately stepped up. He must have been around 7 or 8. "What is the makes someone the best hero?"
"That is a tough one Mr. Wonder. Maybe my mentor has an answer." Jack looked over to Ace.
"I think it's different for everyone. We should all answer. I can start though. For me the best hero is the one that can make everyone smile, even when it can feel there is nothing to smile about."
"You are weird Mr. Moustache." Wonder laughed.
"He is, isn't he?" Jack laughed. "The best hero is the one that is strong enough to fix everything that can be broken. Especially a smile."
Stella started while Jack was flexing his arm for the children. "I believe the best hero is someone that is free to do what they believe is right. The person that is the freest, can do the what they need to."
Stella's sharp eyes seemed to scare the children a bit. The gaze then shifted to Tana.
"Oh, me too? I am not really in the hero business, but I think these guys are pretty amazing. They give their best to help all in their own ways. I think just being a hero is the best, so there aren't really better heroes." Everyone in their team couldn't help smiling. Mr. Gray and his trainees as well. William and most of the children seemed to share the idea of 'that is not what we were looking for' across their face. Jack laughed. It was probably the first time he saw Tana's nature not being overall liked.
"Okay everyone. The top three have gotten to ask their questions. Do you all see how hard work pays off? Try and do better in this week's competition."
"Wait. Don't they have any questions for us. We are heroes too." Wave jumped forward.
"You are?" Blaze questioned.
"We strong heroes too. I am Wave, that is Rose and Bruce and Gray. Look." Wave quickly charged a blue orb in his hand and throws it over the crowd of children. The moment the orb left Wave's hand, the crowd began to shift and adjust to make room for the landing of the orb. They were good to understand its trajectory right away. That has to come with experience.
Rose raised her hand as the orb curved and returned to her smoothly. Her smile was just as large as Wave's as she dropped the orb to the ground and watched it scatter into thousands of tiny blue dots before vanishing.
"Mimic Sharing! That is so cool!" Wonder yelled. Other children began whispering among themselves.
"That's way better than us. We can't get it to curve at all." Jack smiled. Stella had a slight pout on her face. He felt like she was internally screaming for them to go practice it now.
"That isn't all. Check this out." Wave pointed to Gray. He had an embarrassed and exhausted look on his face. His eyes closed and his hand raised until there was a sudden flash of light for less than a second.
Jack couldn't stop blinking. His eye shifting to see all that he could, but every image they captured was out of focus slightly, and each of them had a red orb appearing in the centre of it. Was it red? It seemed frayed. Oh, it disappeared. That was awesome. It was the first time Jack saw Light Magic. Is it really as useless as Tenny says? No way.
"A sage! You all have a sage in your team. Who are you guys?" Stareye was completely won over.
"Now, now, that is all impressive, and I am sure that the King will organise a proper time for you all to learn something from them, but for now he is waiting, and he was very excited. We all know he can be impatient, and the more anticipation can lead to a stronger anger. Please remember you are guest of Kofka, so if you will." Wall signalled them forward.
Jack took a deep breath. They waved to the children, but the majority of them wore a different look than before. Worry? Jack looked up to the window where a few children's gaze was locked. A curtain slightly pulled back, but Jack couldn't see the figure standing in the opening. Can he be another that leads with fear? The anxious feeling washed over him again. Time to meet a king.