September 1st 4070 - 6 AM
The sun rises over Kelbath, blaring throughout the entire massive city. In the city of Kelbath, people tend to be very active, starting their own businesses, interacting and getting very close with their community, ect. Despite the city being so massive, the people that live there are really close with each other. The megacity is massive, and on the roof of one of the highest buildings sits a boy. The boy is dark skinned with twists, he is seen eating some small and freshly baked bread he just got from one of the shops that just opened. Boy is seen wearing a typical adventurer outfit, the outfit is leather, with a spiky silver shoulder plate and a weak stone sword on his back. The boy wears a cape and goggles, the cape blowing in the wind as he finishes his bread.
“New day! Let's see what it brings me.”
He stands up, stretching his arms and putting his goggles on his face.
“Time to reap the BENEFITS!”
The boy jumps off of the roof, snapping his fingers and a portal appears in front of him. The portal is a dark greenish purple color, it’s decently large and its colors emanate in the sky. He hops in, and is quickly transported down to the main street of Kelbath, hopping out of a portal and stumbling on his feet. He dusts himself off, and looks around the general street. He sees some store owners setting up, putting up their signs and bringing out the goods, which he's clearly eyeing down with intent to steal. He rubs his hands together, walking through the streets and waving to the store owners. The boy seems to be familiar with this part of the massive city.
The boy walks past one shop with the label of “Immense Armory”, he stops, smiles to himself, and then looks over at the shop keeper, who seems to be setting up his work for today. The shopkeeper is a tall dark skinned male with a long beard and bald, he wears an apron, and has a sword on his back. The man has scars on his arms and doesn’t seem like he's in the mood to be messed with, as the day has just begun. “Hey there Mister!” The boy says innocently, walking up to the new stand on the boardwalk. He notices the boy's eyes instantly shoot up toward the shiny golden blade near the top of the shop, being held up with straps.”This is it!” He thinks to himself, twiddling his thumbs.
“What'dya want, bratt.” The older man says, with a very dismissive and annoyed tone. “Well, I was just wondering if you were selling anything on this wonderful morning.” He says in an innocent tone once again. The man points to the massive CLOSED sign directly beside him, signifying that he doesn’t want to, nor intend to continue this conversation with him. “Awwww. Well that's unfortunate.” The boy remarks, sounding more snarky this time. He turns around but he hesitates, and turns back to the shop,, “That's a really pretty sword.” He snaps his fingers, and the man falls into a purplish green portal, and immediately comes out behind the boy with another snap, as he crashes face first into the ground.
The man is enraged, jumping up and turning toward the boy but before he can even swing at him, the boy is on the run. The man looks at his shop and realizes for the split second he was gone, the shiny sword sitting atop the shelf is gone. He dashes after him, trying to keep pace in comparison to the portals. He sprints down the street at top speed, keeping his distance and snapping open a portal. He jumps through, and appears around the corner on the left.
The man almost turns to the right, but looks over to the left for a second, and he sees the boy hop into another portal to get even further away. The man begins to scream with rage. “RAGGGGGGH!” He yells, then claps his hands together. Water begins to flow through his fingers, dropping and corroding onto the ground, forming shoes of water on his feet. He then opens his hands, and spreads the solid water around his body. He then claps his hands again, making 2 full body water clones of himself. The clones seem to share his memories and thoughts, and as they slowly materialize, They all split into 3 directions, increasing the chase and precision.
The boy keeps his pace, but stops using his portals, smiling to himself. “I’ve got far enough from that dickhead, it’s better to keep my mana for later.” He hops over a decently short wall, and when he appears on the other side, a water version of the man from earlier is waiting for him. The aqua version launches a water bullet at him. The boy hardly manages to dodge by ducking down, as the water bullet slashes through a bit of his shirt. He drops, covering his hand in a glowing green aura, swinging into the clone. Its body evaporates, as the soul energy completely repels the clone made of mostly mana.
“Easy peasy!” He keeps running down the now open street, little did he know, leads him directly where the man wanted him to go. He keeps his pace, not sure if the man is still following him. “I can’t go home yet…” He thinks, remembering the last time he went right home after a heist. “Thorton is gonna kill me…” He remembers his brother scolding him, pretty brutally and for over 3 hours. “Not trying to deal with that again.” He whispers out loud.
He hops one last fence, which reveals a massive hole in the ground. “What the-” Right as he hops over, while still in motion in the air, he feels a wave of Mana flood around him. The aura from it is strong, overpowering every other essence in the area. While still the air, from an open pipe on the ground, jumps out a creature made of water. It’s the final water clone, which decks the boy right in his face, as he crashes into the building beside him. The wall doesn’t break, but it cracks immensely from the force of the punch, which spooks the woman and her daughter inside of the house.
He begins to fall toward the open crater in the ground. He snaps, attempting to make another portal to get out of the situation. As the small circle forms, it immediately retracts, vanishing as a shocking sensation surrounds the boy's body. “What the- ARAGGHH!” The lightning zaps him, as he falls into the crater made for him. He begins to stand, and it then immediately clicks to him. “This aura… this mana… it’s trying to repel my magic!” The water clone stands on the fence, ominously above the boy. From the other side, walks in the man he stole from to begin with. “You won’t get away this time, rodent.” He makes a water sword, completely solidified with intent to kill.
“Don’t do anything reckless old head, you don’t know where I put your legendary sword!” “That doesn’t matter to me.” He dismissed immediately, “I don’t give a fuck about any of that. I’ll open your portal gateway myself after examining your corpse.” The boy gets chills, but he takes this opportunity to stall a few seconds longer. “What’s that sword so important for anyways?! You’re willing to kill a teenager for stealing it!” “You aren’t worth explaining it to. Thieves like you are the scum of the world. Heroes get rid of scum like you.” “Pretty ironic… What if I was some poor homeless kid stealing from the prophet to help my dying mom or something? Would you still think I was scum?”
“There are no excuses fo-” “Bullshit.” The boy says, getting a bit serious with an angry smirk on his face. “I hate people like you. You think you’re heroes or some shit for killing the less fortunate and have some dumbass complex.” The man stops moving, taken aback with these words. “Not everyone is some socially rejected psychopath that just does heinous acts for no reason. Most people are less fortunate and do what they need to survive. You think you’re some hero for killing people already suffering and you’re fucking wrong, no doubts about it. You’re the scum.” The man gets angry, rushing toward the boy with his water sword. The clone above jumps down as well, turning its hands into 2 sharp water blades to pierce through the boy's skin.
He wastes no time, attempting to form 2 big portals, which don’t work, sending electricity through his body. He gets shocked, but it doesn’t seem to damage him as much as it should, even when the electricity is way more powerful than before. He spins toward the water clone, and punches it directly while still being covered in electricity. The clone's body expels, being zapped with lighting, as it explodes and rains down. The water splashes on him, and the angry man, who gets closer. The electricity gets stronger from this, and in one swift motion, he goes from destroying the clone, to spinning around and jumping fully at the man.
The man's body is flooded with electricity, zapping him with an immense wave of lightning. He screams out, hitting the ground as the mana around in the area goes back to his body to keep him from dying and keep his heart stable from the sudden shock of lightning. The boy stands above the man, who lays on the ground hyperventilating. “I hate heroes.” He scoffs, and spits on the man. He then makes a portal, hopping into it and leaving the man in the alleyway, on the verge of a heart attack, but not dead.
After around 5 minutes, he teleports into a pawnshop. “Hey Thermo!” He calls out. From over the counter, stands a blonde haired old man. “Hello Keen… Do you have what I requested…?” He says, coughing a bit in between his words. “The golden sword from that shop right? Yeah, I got it.” Keen snaps, opening his portal and digging his hand through it. He wiggles around in it for a few seconds, not seeming to be able to find it. He sticks his head through the portal. There isn’t a view on what he sees, but he pulls out the sword after 30 seconds.
“Here ya go!” Keen drops the sharp golden blade, with a smirk. He drops the blade on the table, and Thermo picks it up as Keen smiles. He taps the blade, examining the gold and the sharpness of it.. “This has to be at least 400 gol-” “I’ll give you 20 gold for it.” Those words are like a gunshot through his heart, as his mouth drops and he screams. “NO WAY. 20?!!!?!?!?” “The sword isn’t up to a good enough standard. It's dull, not strong enough to kill anybody after hitting them with full power.” Thermo scoffs, pushing the dull blade away from him. “It’s weak. But it looks pretty. Whoever made this was a bad craftsman.” “Fine… I’ll do 20.”
Thermo opens his desk, and pulls out a bag of 20 gold pieces. “This could keep your family stable for a week.” Keen smiles, giving Thermo a handshake. “Here’s the-” “No. Keep the sword.” Keen is surprised, as Thermo hands it to him. “B- but.. I don’t need your charity! We made a deal! Take it!” “No. You didn’t bring me what I expected, keep the weapon as some self defense.” “That goes against my rules!” Keen says with a bit of anger and aggression in his voice. “I refuse to use any weapons!” “Keen. It can’t kill anyone, it’s not sharp enough. so it will stay within your rules, won't it?”
Keen sighs, picking up the blade and dropping it inside of the portal. He picks up the bag of gold, looking at it with some annoyance. “It is what it is.” He tosses the gold into the portal, and then looks at Thermo. “What's your reading for my future TODAY?” “I sense danger in your future, Keen. Keep your head high, and don’t let your debt decide your fate. You have purpose in the world besides this, you and your family.” “You know me! Purpose is like a burden to me, gramps!”
Keen opens the door, and heads right down the street. He expands his base mana output a bit. “This should be good… so I know if that brute starts following me.” He keeps his eyes peeled, staying confident in his sensory abilities but playing it safe.this allows for him to gauge if anyone with strong mana outputs or anyone with vicious amounts of it come near him, basically as a way to observe his surroundings without keeping a birds eye view all the time.
Keen begins to head back to his house, thinking about what his brothers would say to him about taking a freebie instead of actually selling off the sword. “they're absolutely gonna be mad at me… fuck.” But then he sighs of relief. “Wait! Odion and the others are all out for the week! That means I just have to deal with Thorntin while he runs the shop.” He smiles, his older brother is more relaxed than his other ones, so he won't get too mad at him. As he feels more relaxed, he sees a group of 3 women.
He smiles, rubbing his hands together as he walks towards them. “How are you lovely ladies doing today?” He activates his charm, attempting to swoop in and swoon the women. The women turn and look towards Keen, and feel something dangerous. His presence is intense and breathtaking. He has a strong aura that instills fear into these women. It's dark and suffocating, and they begin to feel as if they're getting watched, with eyes all around them installing inexplicable fear. A chill floods their body, as they begin to step away, blood running cold. They then hit the jets, running away from Keen at top speeds, attempting to avoid any further interaction or conversation with him.
He gets annoyed, watching as the women he was trying to swoon run away in fear. “It happens every fucking time… I don't even know why I tried.” He sighs, “Looks like the mighty masked thief will die a virgin. Unless I find some freaky girl that's into stuff like that.. but that's a bridge I can't cross.” Keen keeps his walk going, thinking about the different kind of girls he wants to take out on a date, but never can. It begins to make him a bit sad, wondering where this curse came from. “So hopeless..” He scratches his head, as he walks past a park.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
This is a park he's very attached to, playing at it since he was a little kid with his siblings. He heads into the park but stops at a vending machine, tossing in 1 silver piece. He looks at the options of chips he could buy. “Do I want Goblin Grubs..? Maybe Crimson Crunchies..” Keen sighs, deciding not to be picky and goes for his ol reliable, as he buys himself a bag of “Dragonfire Crisps! (Extra Spicy)” And a can of “Royal Quench”. “Normally I don't buy stuff that supports Royals, but the Cavendines actually made a good drink with this one.” Keen talks to himself, as he flips to the back of the can. Royal Quench is an energy drink endorsed and made by the Cavendine family, heavily pushed in different media and commercials. “The drink that makes you feel like Royalty.” Keen reads off the back of the container. “Not a feeling I miss all that much, but fuck it let's reminisce.”
He heads into the park, sitting down on a bench and opening his spicy bag of Dragonfire Crisps. He takes a bite, smiling as he thinks about how good the chips taste. “Eating this and sitting in this park is nostalgic.” He smiles, as he looks over to see some kids playing around in the park.
The sun casts a warm, golden hue over the park, dappling the grass with patches of light and shadow. Nearby, three boys are engaged in an animated game of tag, their laughter ringing through the air. One of them, a boy with a red cap turned backward, is "it," and he chases the other two with a determined grin on his face. “Catch me if you can, Ed!” shouts a boy with a green shirt, his sneakers kicking up small clouds of dust as he sprints across the grass. “I’m gonna get you, Nolan!” Edward yells back, his face lit up with excitement as he closes the distance between them.
The third boy, smaller and quicker, darts around a tree, giggling. “You can’t catch either of us! We’re too fast for you, goofball!!” Edward pauses for a moment, panting and wiping sweat from his forehead. “Okay, new rule!” he announces. “If you touch the big rock, you’re safe for five seconds!” The boys cheer at this new twist, their faces alight with the thrill of the game. They immediately incorporate the large, flat rock near the playground into their frantic dash, each boy making a beeline for it whenever Edward gets too close.
As he watches, the Keen munches on another Dragonfire Crisp, the spicy flavor mingling pleasantly with the fresh summer air. He smiles, biting onto another one as he finds himself getting reminded of the fun he used to have with his brothers out in this exact park. “I’ve always liked tag.” He smirks to himself, watching as the boys up the antics for the game.
“Look out, Ed’s coming!” shouts Nolan, leaping onto the rock just in time to avoid being tagged. He sticks his tongue out at Edward, who stops short and laughs. “Hey, no fair! You can’t just stay on the rock forever!” Edward protests, but he’s laughing too, his earlier determination giving way to the simple joy of playing with friends.
The smallest boy, who had taken refuge behind a bench, pops out and dashes towards the rock. “I’m gonna make it!” he cries, but just as he’s about to reach safety, Edward swoops in and tags him lightly on the shoulder. “Gotcha, Ben! You’re it now!” Edward declares, backing away with a triumphant smile. Ben stands there, momentarily stunned by his new status. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he starts counting down, giving the other two boys a head start. “One… two… three…”
Edward and Nolan scatter in different directions, their laughter echoing through the park. Ben finishes his count and takes off after them, his smaller legs pumping furiously as he tries to catch up. Keen on the bench continues to watch, a sense of peace settling over him. He opens his soda, and takes a sip as the tag game heats up. The children’s game, so simple and carefree, is a stark contrast to the complexities of his situation. “Childlike wonder, you love to see it.” He finishes his Dragonfire Crisps, crumpling the bag thoughtfully as he keeps an eye on the boys.
Nolan and Edward are now employing various strategies to avoid Ben, darting behind trees and benches, using the playground equipment as impromptu shields. Ben, undeterred, is chasing them with infectious enthusiasm, his laughter blending with theirs in a harmonious chorus of youthful joy. Keen's mind begins to flashback to his childhood, back when he and his brothers could play all carefree.
November 11th 4060 - 2 PM
The 4 boys run around the park, their tag amping up, as suddenly one of them calls out, “Let’s play something else! How about we be knights and dragons?” The boy sits on the floor, with his longer yellow hair drooping down to his soldiers, “I’m tired of tag! Odion and Keen keep teaming up to trick me and it's not fair!” “Whatever…” Odion says the boy has white hair and wears a white shirt and shorts. “Well….” What seems to be a younger Keen speaks, with his darker skin and fluffy afro. He’s instantly intrigued by the new idea. “I wanna be a dragon if we play knights and dragons!”
“No way! I’m the dragon!” His older brother Tyson insists, puffing out his chest. “You can be the knight, and you have to rescue the princess.” Keen shrugs, accepting his role. “Okay, but who’s the princess? I’m not sure if Iris would wanna play with us.” Keen turns over and looks toward his big sister, who's supervising them while reading a book. “Iris! Join us… PLEAAAASE?” The big sister sits on the bench with her legs crossed, her skin a similar complexion to Keen, with braided hair and a black dress on. Iris reluctantly puts the book down, standing up and walking towards the part of the park where all the boys stand. “Whatever… What are we playing?”
“Knights and dragons,” Odion explains. “You’re the princess, and Keen is the knight. Tyson, Thortin and I are the dragons, and you’re trapped in the tower.” Iris rolls her eyes, “Fine. But if my clothes get dirty you’re paying for them.” She walks away, standing decently far away from her brothers. “I’ll pretend the slide is the tower!” She sits under the playground slide, crouching so she doesn’t touch the dirt and then pretending she's captured.
Keen grabs a stick, enchanting it with his mana and brandishing it like a sword. “Don’t worry, Princess Iris! I’ll rescue you!” His three older brothers roar, now in their roles as dragons, growl playfully and block Keen’s path. “You’ll never get past us, brave knight!” Tyson declares, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Keen charges forward, swinging his stick-sword and making exaggerated battle noises. The dragons put up a good fight, but ultimately, Keen’s determination wins out. He lightly taps Tyson and Thortin, who fall to the ground pretending to be defeated. The last person standing in the way from our noble hero and the princess, is Odion, the oldest of the siblings. He jumps around, but Odion is faster, overpowering and outspeeding his younger brother before he can make it to the slide. He pushes Keen, as he crashes onto the floor and drops his stick. “It's over! I’ll win and you’ll never get the princess!”
Keen's body begins to glow a bit, his determination staggering. “I hate losing…” He thinks to himself, standing back on his own two feet as he rushes toward his brother. His hands glow, and his siblings genuinely look at him with shock, as Keen uses his magic for the first time. He puts his hand out, instinctively snapping his right hand. A portal appears in front of him, and he runs into it. For the second he was gone in the real world, Keen for the first time felt Nirvana. He hops out from the other side, not even remembering what he saw when he hopped into the portal, but he was in the same motion as when he started running towards his big bro.
He spins around, picking up a stick and tossing it at his big brother, hitting his back as the dragon falls over, slain and defeated. “I did it!” Keen announces triumphantly. “The dragons are vanquished, and the princess is saved!” Iris walks from under the slide and joins her brother, giving him a high-five. “Thanks for rescuing me, knight Keen! What kind of power was that..?” “I’m… not sure.” Keen says, looking at his hands as all of his brothers run to him to congratulate him.
The siblings lie on the grass, catching their breath and basking in the satisfaction of a game well played. Keen snaps back into reality, as he looks over to the 3 boys still enjoying their game of tag. He smiles, “Life really is precious, isn’t it?”
September 1st 4070 - 10 AM
As the sun shines higher in the sky, casting long shadows across the park, the man stands up, tossing his empty chip bag and his soda into a nearby trash can. He takes one last look at the kids, their laughter still filling the air, before he starts his walk back home. The nostalgia of the park, combined with the simple joy of watching children play, leaves him with a warm feeling that lingers long after he’s gone. He heads back into his shop, looking at his brother Thortin manding the counter. The sign outside reads “Odin’s Cauldron”. The building is massive, showing off the popularity of it. Inside the shop, customers can find a bustling assortment of goods and services, ranging from potions and ingredients for spellcasters, to enchanted weapons and armor for warriors, as well as a variety of trinkets and curiosities for those with an adventurous spirit.
The shop is organized into several distinct areas, each showcasing a different collection of goods. The potions and herbs section is stacked with colorful vials of various shapes and sizes, filled with bubbling liquids of all sorts of hues, some glowing with an inner light, while others emit a pungent odor. Keen doesn’t work here, but his brothers run the shop and keep it all stable.
The magical weapons section is brimming with enchanted blades and shields that glisten with an inner light. These weapons are designed for battle-hardened warriors, enchanted with powerful runes that enhance their user's strength, speed and agility, or give them the ability to slay specific types of creatures, which were all designed by Thermo. In addition to weapons, the shop also offers a wide selection of armor made from magical materials like dragon scales, or enchanted to protect its wearer from a variety of attacks.
There is also a section full of enchanted trinkets and curious artifacts, ranging from crystals that glow with an eerie light, to small charms that protect the wearer from harm, or even a crystal ball that shows glimpses of the future.
“Yo big bro!” Keen yells over to his older brother Thortin, who puts down his sandwich right as he's about to dig in. Thortin had long blonde hair that reached down his back, a beard growing in, with blue eyes and a scar on the side of his face. It's small, but it's still a noticeable feature nonetheless. He wears some metal armor around his body, along with a hammer beside him which sits as a reminder of his strength to all customers. “What's today's profit, Keen. You’ve been out for 4 hours so it better be good.”
Keen smiles, walking up to his brother, snapping open the portal, then pulling out the 20 gold pieces on the table. “This is what I got for ya!” Thornton looks at the tiny bag, opens it, and throws it back in Keen's face. “4 hours. For that? I’m good. Keep the pocket change, dude.” Keen sighs, “Look, I was expecting to get more from the heist but it didn’t do that well, ok?”
Thortin rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair, crossing his arms. "You know, Keen, we can't keep operating like this. We're barely scraping by as it is. If you spent half the time you do on your harebrained schemes actually helping with the shop, maybe we'd be in a better spot." Keen shifts uncomfortably, shoving the bag of gold back into his pocket. "Come on, Thortin! You know the shop doesn't pull in enough. I thought this heist would get us a lot more, especially with the value of what I stole! But It didn't go as well as I hoped.”
Thortin snorts. "As planned? When do your plans ever go right? You’re out there playing Robin Hood while I’m stuck here trying to keep this place afloat. We’re on the brink of bankruptcy, AGAIN, Keen. Do you get that?" Keen's face tightens, and he looks away. "I know things are tough, but I'm doing what I can. Iris is gone, Tyson is too focused on his stuff with the Royal Knights, and Odion’s got a weird case, why is he around? He barely helps us out!” Keen says, critiquing each of his siblings one by one. The shop... it's just not enough. We need more than just a few coins from customers. Besides, I'm good at what I do. It's just... sometimes things don’t pan out."
Thortin shakes his head, his blue eyes narrowing. "Yeah, 'good at what you do.' Good at getting into trouble, more like. Watch, your consequences are gonna come strolling in through our front door any day now, especially after the Tritons scheme. You think I enjoy watching this place fall apart while you’re out playing hero? We’ve got debts piling up, Keen. Real, serious debts." Keen takes a deep breath, his voice softening. "Look, Thortin, I'm trying. I thought the heist would help. I didn’t mean to come back empty-handed."
"Empty-handed?" Thortin scoffs. "You call that empty-handed? No, Keen, that's worse. That’s a waste of time we don’t have. You need to get your priorities straight. This shop is all thats left of the Odinson name, and thats fucking pathetic for a Royal bloodline." "I know!" Keen snaps, then quickly calms himself. "I know, okay? But you’ve gotta see it from my perspective. The shop can’t be our only plan. We need to take risks to make real money."
Thortin leans forward, his voice low and intense. "And look where those risks have gotten us. We’re one step away from losing everything. You think if we go bankrupt, anyone will care about your heroics? We’ll be out on the streets, Keen." Keen clenches his fists, struggling to keep his cool, especially after his brother keeps talking about him like he's trying to be a hero. "I’m not saying we don’t need the shop. I’m saying we need more than just the shop. If we don’t take risks, we’ll never get out of this hole. I’m not going around doing this because it's fun. I'm doing this for US."
"And if you keep failing, we’ll just dig ourselves deeper," Thortin retorts. "Maybe it’s time you start thinking about what’s best for both of us, not just your next big score." Keen sighs heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Alright, I get it. I’ll... I’ll try to help out more here. But you’ve got to trust me a little, Thortin. I’m not useless."
Thortin’s expression softens slightly, but he doesn’t let up. "I trust you, Keen. But trust doesn’t pay the bills. We need results. And right now, this shop is the only thing keeping us from drowning. So, you need to step up, here and now." Keen nods, looking down at the floor. "Okay. I’ll start by helping out more with the shop. And I’ll think of better plans. We’ll make it through this, Thortin. We have to." Thortin nods, finally picking up his sandwich again. "We will. But it starts with both of us pulling our weight. No more half-measures. Deal?" "Deal," Keen agrees, extending his hand. Thortin clasps it firmly. "Good. You’re a good kid, but you’ve gotta keep it real.”
The 2 brothers then hear a knock on the door. “Oh, a customer.” Keen says, turning to open the front door and start business for today, even if its an hour or 2 early. He opens the door with a smile, but his blood runs cold when he sees who's on the other side. A man in rags and a mask, standing with a girl with white hair behind him.
“You’re dead. Keen Odinson.”