Heartland was a lively city. Anything could happen inside of it. The list included commerce, trading, tourism, and apparently fights among criminals. After escaping from Xan thanks to Trixta’s surprise intervention, Kay and Wilt were following the vixen across the city to find a good hiding spot.
Kay, Wilt, and Trixta hid in the alleyway near the residential area. Trixta gestured at Kay and Wilt to not say or do anything, pointing at them to remain in the shadows. The Fenger and the Florian obeyed her instructions as Trixta looked around to see if the coast was clear.
“Are they still following us?” Wilt whispered, knowing that Trixta was going to hear him thanks to her sharp ears.
“Still checking,” Trixta looked around on both sides, using eyes and ears to detect their pursuers. She even sniffed the air just to make sure. She sighed and then turned her face to her comrades. “Alright, I think that we’re in the clear.”
Wilt fell to his knees. He was breathing in and out, trying to control his breathing. Trixta and Kay exchanged glances, waiting for him to control himself.
“So…” Kay spoke, delaying his question a bit until he was sure that Wilt was okay. “You gonna tell us what that was about?”
Wilt stood up and rested his back on the wall.
“I didn’t want to involve you into my mess,” Wilt told him. “If you want to cut ties with me, I won’t blame you.”
Kay turned to Wilt with a confused look on his face.
“What are ya talkin’ about, Wilt?” Kay asked with disbelief. “I just want you to tell me what you did so that we can fix it.”
“You’re not mad at me for getting you involved in my mess?” Wilt asked.
“I don’t think that you’re a bad person,” Kay shook his head. “But if we’re gonna work together, you gotta be straight with me.”
“Seriously,” Trixta chimed in, acting like the bad cop to Kay’s good cop. “How does a guy like you get involved with Girasol of all people?”
Wilt sighed, accepting his fate and coming out with the truth. He needed them by his side. If that meant talking about his past, then so be it.
“Well,” Wilt sighed as he started. “This actually involves the airship that I told you guys about. I’m developing a special engine for it. And that engine costs a lot of money.”
“By a lot, you mean like 100,000 Moolah?” Kay asked.
100,000 Moolah?! Trixta thought so hard that she heard her voice echoing inside of her head. She had a horrified face that made Wilt look self-conscious about his debt.
“Yeah…” Wilt blushed as he spoke of his debt. “And well…I haven’t actually paid ‘em back yet. And it’s been 2 months now.”
Trixta snapped out of her stupor to facepalm in disappointment.
“How the…” Trixta had to take a few seconds to come out with her question. “Why the hell would do something so stupid?! You don’t make deals with that bastardo!”
“Because I was desperate!” Wilt yelled back, not caring if he was heard by all of Heartland. He sat down on the floor, overwhelmed by the situation. “I wanted to finish as quickly as possible. “It would’ve taken years to get the money that I needed to get the material. And with how things have turned out, I have to finish it as soon as possible.”
“So this is all for just an engine?” Trixta asked, putting her hands on her hips as she looked down at Wilt.
Wilt stood up, looking offended by what Trixta said.
“It’s not just any engine,” Wilt stared at the vixen with uncharacteristic passion. “It’s a special engine developed by my dad. One that would advance airship functionality.”
Kay looked amazed by Wilt’s description of the engine. For her part, Trixta’s ears twitched as she remembered something from not so long ago.
“I heard of recent news of airship manufacturing companies suddenly developing these revolutionary engines,” Trixta muttered. “Are those the engines that your father wanted to make?”
“That’s right,” Wilt nodded his head. “And to ensure my protection, I sold my information of the engine to the Master Broker.”
“Is he one of those Information Dealers that buy and sell information?” Kay asked, confident that he heard the term Broker back in the Skydrome airship.
Wilt nodded his head, not wanting to go into a tangent.
“So that’s how you managed to survive for this long,” Trixta sighed, surprised at how crafty Wilt was to get what he wanted.
“Yeah,” Wilt sighed. “But that was until someone sold me out, which forced me to leave my home.”
“So that’s why you wanted to work with me?” Kay asked, taking in all of the information Wilt was giving him.
“Yes,” Wilt admitted, feeling shame and guilt at lying to his savior. “I’m so sorry. But you see…the engine. It’s me and my dad’s dream to make an airship with that engine and make the best airship ever. That’s why I did what I did to make it happen!”
Wilt was tearing up. So many emotions were coming out of him. He expected Kay and Trixta to react negatively to his deception. To his surprise, Kay’s reaction was anything other than what he expected.
“Hmm!” Kay nodded his head as he offered his hand to Wilt. “Alright then!”
“Alright then what?” Wilt asked as he stared at the Fenger’s hand.
“Alright then, I’ll stick with ya!” Kay laughed as he made a corny joke.
“What?” Wilt and Trixta shouted at the same time, surprised at the Fenger’s ability to forgive Wilt after he got him surrounded by the Girasol Gang.
“Well, you don’t peg me as a bad guy,” Kay took Wilt’s hand and made him stand up. “And you were honest with me. I can appreciate a guy who’s honest about his dream.”
“Kay…” Wilt stammered, feeling unworthy of his forgiveness. “But I….”
“You can’t be serious,” Trixta voiced her skepticism, finding Wilt’s predicament more trouble than worth.
“Besides,” Kay boasted at him. “I’m still startin’ out as a Reaver, so this could be my best shot to making some big money! So I’m seein’ through this!”
“Kay…” Wilt whispered, unable to believe his luck.
“Me lleva la chingada!” Trixta crossed her arms in frustration. “You can’t be that foolish! To go against Girasol is just asking to get yourselves killed.”
“If those guys come back, I can deal with ‘em,” Kay boasted, punching a fist into his palm. “Even against that Blade Breaker guy!”
I still need them to get through Gigatopolis, Trixta thought as she rubbed her head, sighing as she realized that she had no other choice than helping them out.
“Alright, alright,” Trixta groaned. “I’ll stick around. But if things go south, my tail is gone from this group.”
“Alright, that’s fair,” Wilt agreed with her conditions, feeling that it wasn’t nice of him to make Trixta stay.
“Yeah, okay,” Kay smiled. “But now we gotta ask what are we gonna do right now.”
“We’re gonna have to wait until nighttime to make our escape,” Trixta stated. “So we’ll have to stay here rather than go to Hotel L’amant.”
“At least this fiasco happened before I paid for the rooms,” Wilt groaned. “This ordeal is taking a number on my wallet.”
“How long are we gonna wait before nighttime?” Kay asked. “I don’t know what time it is.”
“We’re gonna have to check the sky to measure up the time,” Wilt suggested as the trio stared up. “The sky was no longer blue. It was a mixture of red, orange, and yellow hues.
“I’d say that we have an hour before nighttime arrives,” Trixta calculated.
“I can easily wait an hour,” Kay pointed out. “But I think time will move faster if you two have a game that I can play with ya.”
“Do you have cards or anything that we can play until the lights go out?” Trixta asked Wilt with a deadpan expression.
“No,” Wilt shook his head. “We’re gonna have to settle with an hour of awkward silence.”
“Or we can try talkin’ with each other,” Kay proposed. “If we’re gonna be hidin’, we might as well break the ice.”
“I’m pretty sure that we’ll need more than hour to share everything,” Wilt pointed out.
“Then let’s make the most of it,” Kay beamed at his two partners. “Who goes first?”
“This is the worst team-up of my career,” Trixta groaned as she and Wilt sat beside Kay and waited for the nightfall to arrive. She just hoped the hour ended quickly before it was her turn to speak.
Back at Hotel L’amant, several Sentinel offices were investigating the scene that took place. Some people made a call and sent videos of a fight taking place in front of the entrance of the hotel. From the looks of it, the conflict revolved around the Girasol Gang, a Fenger, a Florian, and a very dangerous criminal.
As soon as the Sentinels arrived, they prevented onlookers from entering the hotel and residents of the hotel to leave the premises. They wanted to investigate the crime scene before letting things return to normal.
Two Sentinel officers were in charge of the investigation. One was a dog and the other one was a cat. They each wore a white and black jacket. The front and collar of the jacket was white while the sleeves were black, ending in black fingerless gloves. The jacket was held by a black belt with golden buckles and complemented by black pants with black boots.
They had a badge on their left pocket that showed four yellow people forming a circle by holding hands. It was a sign that they were Mediator Sentinels whose main purpose was to keep the public calm and informed during times of crisis.
On their back, there was a gray logo of the Sentinels. It was a circle with an S in the middle. The word “Sentinel” was written above the S and the words “Global Military” were written beneath it.
“Well, I see no serious damages here,” the dog Sentinel pointed out as he investigated the broken swords that were left at the place. “And it seems like those gang members made themselves scarce.”
“Apparently, they had the Desert Scale with ‘em and were fighting some guy who had magic,” the cat officer inspected the swords that his comrade gave him.
“A Caster, right?” the dog Sentinel wanted to verify what his sources told him when he interviewed the witnesses. “And it was one who used black and smoky shadows?”
“That’s what the report and the witnesses say,” the cat clarified.
As the two Mediators were talking, a third person arrived. He was a canine Korkin with white hair and red fur. He wore the same uniform that the Mediators were wearing. The difference was that he wasn’t wearing a badge. He was a rookie and therefore not placed in a Sentinel division yet.
His name was Tendo, and he got interested in the conversation.
“Black smoky shadows,” Tendo muttered as his mind thought of the only person that had a magic like that. “No. It couldn’t’ be…could it?”
“I could be having a spa night right now,” Trixta complained as she stared at the sky to measure the time that passed.
Kay started talking about a childhood friend whom he wanted to see. He already told the story about him to Wilt, but decided that Trixta deserved to know as well. Once Kay finished, Wilt started talking about his engine. It quickly bored the hell out of Kay and Trixta, the latter taking control of the conversation.
Since Trixta didn’t want to risk revealing confidential information about her past, she chose to focus on the near future. For this topic, she decided to focus the trip to Gigatopolis, knowing that Kay and Wilt would be equally interested in the journey once they got out of trouble. The conversation was the most fun the three had during that hour of waiting because they were all dying to go into that adventure together.
After finishing the conversation and giving some mild complaining about their situation. Trixta raised her head and noticed that the sky was black. It was nighttime already.
The vixen stuck her head out of the alleyway again. Nobody was present. She sniffed the air, satisfied that there was no scent of Xan or the rest of the Girasol Gang.
“Okay,” Trixta addressed Wilt. “I’m pretty sure things should’ve died down by now.”
“Kay,” Wilt stood up and gestured at Kay to do the same. “It’s time to go. It’s nighttime already. We need to leave this alleyway.”
“Finally,” Kay stretched a bit, happy that he was no longer sitting on the ground. “So, where are goin’ now? Are we going back to the hotel?”
“No way!” Wilt crossed his arms to deny that option. “Those guys could still be there, waiting for us to return. It’s where we fought them in the first place.”
“No worries, boys,” Trixta laughed. “Thanks to years of experience as a…woman of my profession, I have a plan for these kinds of situations.”
She turned her head and winked back confidently at the boys, letting them know that she had a plan.
The Girasol Manor was one of the landmarks of Heartland. However, it earned its landmark status through infamy rather than a good history. On first sight, it was a beautiful house, a great place to live.
The truth was that the Girasol Manor had a long history of crime. All of the money that was used to make it was made with the blood of many victims of the Girasol Gang. The house itself was the main headquarters of the Girasol Gang, where they planned their own crimes.
Inside the manor, there were two people walking in the hallway to the main office. They were both dressed in fancy clothes that contrasted with their criminal lifestyle. One of them was an iguana. His name was Marv Mahogany, and he was one of Girasol’s elite lieutenants. Next to him was a black and white bull named Calén Girasol. He was the son of the boss and the future heir of the Girasol Gang.
The contrast between the two was notable. Whereas Mahogany, as he preferred to be called during the job, was an older adult, Calén was a young man who was a year away from turning twenty. Though Calén had a more distinctive body shape due to his semi-athletic build and tall height of six feet, it was Mahogany who had the most presence due to his experience in the business.
As the two walked down the hallway towards the main office, Calén decided to make some small talk with the iguana next to him.
“So, umm…Señor Mahogany…that’s your name?” Calén asked nervously.
“It’s my mother’s maiden name,” Mahogany replied curtly.
“Oh okay,” Calén replied, unsure of how to continue the conversation.
“So, you finally sworn in kid?” Mahogany asked him.
“Uh yeah,” Calén hesitantly nodded his head. “Though, if I’m being honest, it wasn’t my first choice.” He sounded disappointed as he kept on speaking. “I really wanted to be a chef, but my father wouldn’t have it. You know how he is.”
“Do I ever,” Mahogany groaned, already familiar with the kid’s father.
“Speaking of which, how’s the situation going?” Calén asked curiously. “I heard that things didn’t go so well a few days ago.”
“Well, we’ve been losing staff like Heartland loses stock,” Mahogany snarked before moving in to the important part. “Hell, we’ve had to replace 20 guys killed by some vigilante group. They’ve been messing with our trade, and we had to make some cutbacks, which has been pissing off the boss.”
“Do I even need to ask how he’s doing?” Calén asked, feeling how angry his father must be feeling right now.
“No, you do not,” Mahogany shook his head. “You know how short-tempered the man is.”
They both reached the end of the hallway, standing in front of the door. Calén was scared of opening the door, believing that his father was going to be angry at him. Sighing, Mahogany reached in for the door, stopping when he heard loud and angry yelling behind the door.
“Maldito hijo de puta!”
“Ah…what did I tell ya?” Mahogany rolled his eyes as he recognized the voice of his boss swearing like usual. “Está muy enputado!”
“Dios mío,” Calén groaned. “That isn’t good.”
“Stay beside me and nothing will happen,” Mahogany warned him as he opened the door.
The two of them were greeted by a chuckle when they opened the door. They walked in at the office to join the meeting. The first thing they noticed were two other lieutenants. The one who greeted them with a chuckle was Palo, a rooster with a sadistic sense of humor. The other lieutenant was Jiwe, a hippo who was strong but silent. Next to them was Benny, a hamster who acted as the secretary to the boss.
And at the center of the room, sitting on a large desk fit for a large man, was Black Bull Fernandez Girasol.
As his nickname indicated, Fernandez Girasol was a black bull. He had a muscular yet athletic build easily dwarfing his son, as evident by the top of his shirt being unbuttoned to show his pectorals and part of his abdominal muscles. He wore a black suit with black pants that matched his fur. His hair was slicked back and his horns were polished to glow. His eyebrows were furrowing as she was snorting, trying to control his rage.
“You have got to be shitting me!” he yelled at Benny.
“I’m afraid not, sir,” Benny shook his head, scared out of his mind of Girasol’s rage. “Reports say that the shipment was destroyed by a group who goes by the name Lan Yè.”
“Maldito pedazo de…” Girasol raised a hand angrily, curling it into a fist, and slamming it into the arm of his chair. It made a booming noise as his incredible strength resonated in the metal chair. “What is it with people these days screwing around and destroying my profits and losing my income for the next 3 months?” Girasol complained as he made sure that he didn’t dent his chair again. “As if I don’t have enough on my plate with those Sentinel bastardos breathing down my neck!” He clenched his fists imagining having the pleasure of punching them in the face until their skulls cracked. “Sweet source, those pricks have been a bigger pain in the ass than my ex wife! At least her I could sue! And ya still haven’t found those guys? We haven’t gotten any leads in weeks!”
“We’re still looking, sir,” Benny reassured him. “Seems they’ve been off the grid.”
“Screw the grid!” Girasol shouted at Benny, making him fall on his back. “Search the whole continent if you have to! Just find those Lan Yè fuckers!”
He turned around on his chair, showing his angry face to his lieutenants and son. Calén was slightly shaking in fear upon hearing his father’s outburst.
“Listen up, you well dressed tontos!” Girasol chillingly addressed his son and his lieutenants with exasperation. “I want ‘em shot! Stabbed! Beaten! Their teeth ripped out! I want ‘em hanged by their tails like a fucking noose over a goddamn fire. And I want it RIGHT FUCKING NOW!”
He yelled the last part as he walked by his lieutenants. His son moved across the room, trying to stay out of trouble.
“I have it all written down, sir,” Benny stated, hoping that it would calm down Girasol.
Girasol turned his head away from Benny, taking a deep breath to regain his composure.
“Benny, put the word out,” Girasol addressed his secretary. “A million for a nice bunch of Lan Yè heads.”
“And how much for the rest of them?” Benny tried to relax Girasol with a joke.
“Ya know, Benny,” Girasol growled. “If I wasn’t so angry…I would’ve considered that joke real funny.”
“Appreciate the compliments, sir,” Benny relished on the compliment even if he got it from an angry Girasol.
“So, any word on that punk, Wilt?” Girasol turned to Palo, hoping that the rooster would provide him with good news.
“Ah yeah, ese tipo,” Palo nodded his head. “They located him in Heartland. Got my boys lookin’ for him right now.”
“And on top of that, we have this green shit heel,” Girasol’s anger returned as he imagined finally punishing Wilt for not paying his debt as soon as possible. “He’s been ducking me all this time. Ain’t nothing stopping me from wringing his fucking neck dead!”
CRACK!
Girasol punched a hole on his office, surprising and scaring everyone, except Benny, who was sighing as that was the third wall broken this week.
“Meeting’s over!” Girasol declared. “Everyone, get back to work. And have someone patch this hole, Benny!”
“Yes, sir,” Benny speed dialed the repairman as the other left the room.
Hotel L’amant was one of the best hotels in Heartland. It was also one of the favorite places for tourists and visitors to sleep when they planned on staying on the city for a while. As a visitor of Heartland, Trixta spending her nights there every time that she visited the city. Despite Girasol Gang chasing after her for her association with Wilt, this was not going to be the exception.
“Estan listos, muchachos?” Trixta grinned at her friends, who were wearing the most cliched disguise ever.
Kay was holding Wilt on his back so that the Florian could ride on his shoulders. They were covered in brown clothes that made Kay look like he had a hunchback. They followed Trixta at a slow pace.
“ACHOO!” Kay sneezed because of the dust of the brown clothes that Trixta found in the dumpster.
“Bless you,” Wilt replied politely.
“Thanks,” Kay rubbed his nose to prevent another sneeze from coming.
“Both of you hush,” Trixta told her comrades as they reached the reception room.
“Beg your pardon?” the receptionist asked.
“Ah yes!” Trixta beamed with an exaggerated smile. “I’d like two rooms for me and my…dear grandpa, please.”
The receptionist stared at the hooded figure. She felt that there was something suspicious about it, but she didn’t care.
“Uh-huh,” the receptionist replied sarcastically as she gave them two keys tied to numbered cards. “Well, I don’t get paid enough to pry, so here. Your room numbers are 657 and 658. Enjoy your stay.”
“Muchas gracias!” Trixta hugged Kay and Wilt as if they were one person before she took both keys in one hand. “Ven abuelito!”
Kay slowly shuffled his feet around, walking like an elderly person as they headed for the elevators. It was a bit hard with Trixta dragging him around, but he managed to walk across the hallway without arising suspicion.
“I can’t believe that worked,” Wilt remarked from within the brown cloak.
“Of course it would when you’re a pro like myself,” Trixta boasted with a prideful tone.
“It was a great plan, Trixta,” Kay congratulated the vixen as the doors opened and they reached the doors.
“Hmmph,” Trixta used the keys to open Kay and Wilt’s room, entering once she unlocked the door. “As I said, it’s simple for a professional like myself.”
“A professional thief certainly,” Wilt muttered beneath his breath as he and Kay undid their disguise. The Florian felt a bit suspicious of Trixta with how fast she came up with a plan to infiltrate Hotel L’amant. It was as if she had previous experiences entering places while running from pursuers.
“What was that, Señor Deudas?” Trixta placed her hands on her hips to glare at Wilt, not appreciating the Florian suspecting him after she saved the team’s lives with her plan.
“Nothing,” Wilt turned his head away, feeling as if Trixta’s glare could burn him into a crisp with how angry she looked.
“No fightin’ on the team,” Kay got in between Trixta and Wilt. “We are safe and sound. That’s the only thing that matters now.”
“Fine,” Trixta crossed her arms and then gave Kay the key to the room. “Now here’s your key so that you two can enter and leave the room. I’ll be next door, so let me know if you need anything. Though try not to say up for too long. We should leave as early as possible.”
“Good idea,” Wilt nodded his head. “We’ll be easy targets if we stay here for too long.”
“Maaaaannn…” Kay groaned in disappointment. “I really wanted to see the city more.”
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“I’m sure we’ll visit again,” Wilt spoke comfortingly before frowning with dread. “As soon as we have Girasol’s thugs off our trail.”
“All the more reason to go to Gigatopolis,” Trixta crossed her arms. “I’m sure that they will get off your back if you pay off your debt when you return.”
“I hope so,” Wilt shuddered. “I don’t think that they will appreciate me trying to escape them or having a bodyguard beat them up.”
“Forgiveness is easy to buy with these bastardos,” Trixta shrugged her shoulders. “Just give them a big tip as compensation.”
“What should we do now?” Kay asked, staring at his surroundings. There was so much to do in this hotel, but he was in a hurry. He wanted to try at least a couple of things before he left the hotel room.
“For now, we get some sleep,” Trixta pointed at Wilt and Kay and then gestured them to go to the beds of the room. She had a look of realization as she stared at Kay, remembering the Fenger’s appetite. “Oh, and if you guys need something to eat, just give them a call and they’ll deliver it to you. But have your disguise on when you open the door, just in case one of them is from Girasol’s Gang.”
“We will,” Kay and Wilt promised at the same time.
Trixta didn’t say anything else. She took out her key and twirled it on her fingers as she walked into her room, letting Kay and Wilt to remain in theirs. With the vixen no longer lecturing them, Kay was free to admire the hotel room where he was going to bunk with Wilt.
He was amazed with how fancy it looked. It had two beds that looked softer than any bed on which he ever slept. There was a television with cable. There was a phone to ask for room service. There was a bathroom where he could shower. The room even came with air conditioner and heater to change the room temperature.
“Whoa…” Kay stared at the room in awe. “It’s so ritzy! The outside of the hotel looked high class, but the inside definitely shows it.”
“Well, Hotel L’amant is known for its quality and service,” Wilt chuckled, amused at how Kay was easily charmed by his surroundings. “Among other things…”
“Speakin’ of service,” Kay interrupted Wilt before he could give a lecture. “Let’s get some eats first. All this hiding gave me hunger.”
“Don’t forget your disguise, Kay!” Wilt rushed at the Fenger. “We are supposed to be an old man. Try to sound like Trixta’s grandfather!”
This is going to be the hardest sleepover of my life, Wilt lamented as he reached Kay before he could call room service and started to form a protocol on surviving at the hotel.
“Me lleva la chingada,” Trixta remarked angrily as was standing in the bathroom with her clothes off, trying to take a bath. “This day has been a mierda. I can’t believe these pendejos got me into this mess.”
With Wilt and Kay no longer present, Trixta was able to finally express her frustration. All she wanted to do after her visit to the bank was to go to Hotel L’amant to relax before she and her new team moved to Gigatopolis.
Since she became a thief, Hotel L’amant was one of her favorite stops when visiting Heartland. She made it a habit to order a full package. She ordered a gourmet meal. Then it was followed with a spa treatment. She always felt like a queen when she had the workers gave her a manicure, a pedicure, a facial treatment, and a massage.
But she couldn’t do that now. She couldn’t order anything because she was afraid that Girasol had spies at the hotel. All that she could so was order a simple meal and go to sleep. But first, she needed a bath to get rid of the stench of garbage.
The hotel that was supposed to become her sanctuary became a gilded cage. She couldn’t enjoy herself when she knew that there were people looking out for her. And the worst part is that she wasn’t being chased for something she did. She was being chased for associating with someone else.
With nothing better to do, Trixta went to the bathroom to take a long bath. She wanted to get rid of the smell of garbage in her body. She turned on the bath, applied some liquid soaps and smelling salts, and then she got in.
“That’s better,” Trixta swooned as she enjoyed the warm water on her fur. She grabbed the soap bubbles at the top of the water and used them to scrub her fur clean. There was a loofah at the edge of the tub, so she used it to further clean herself.
It’s a shame that I can’t keep this bath going longer, Trixta lamented inwardly as she got out of the tub to dry her fur. I’ll have to take another bath that lasts twice as long as my usual ones to make up for this short one.
Trixta smelled her fur. She was relieved that she was no longer dirty. She took a look at her naked body, admiring her feminine curvatures. Once she was satisfied with how she looked, Trixta put on the bathrobe that the hotel offered and returned to her room. With nothing better to do, she hoped that her partners didn’t ruin their disguises by asking too much to eat.
In the room next to Trixta, her male partners were having a sleepover. Once Wilt finished lecturing Kay about the safety protocol, Kay ordered a meal for the two of them. Fortunately for Wilt’s wallet, he convinced Kay to only order one plate for the both of them.
To Wilt’s surprise, Kay actually managed to order a meal without arising suspicion. He just made his voice raspy and room service agreed with the order.
“How was my granddaddy impression?” Kay asked boastfully at the Florian.
“Surprisingly convincing,” Wilt remarked.
“I have a granny,” Kay laughed. “I know how old folks think.”
With nothing better to do, the Fenger and the Florian started talking again. This time, Kay spoke about his grandmother since he brought up the subject. He mainly spoke of how she raised him and his cousin. The meals that she cooked. The stories that she told him as well. Fifteen minutes were not enough to describe Kay’s grandmother, but Wilt could see how much Kay loved her from the way that he spoke about her.
DING! DONG!
“It’s room service!” Wilt hissed at Kay desperately. “Put on the robes while I get on your shoulders.”
After successfully passing as Trixta’s grandfather again to reclaim their dinner, the two young men enjoyed their meal in peace once the servicemen left. Kay ate the plate of paella that was served to them while Wilt focused on reading the news. As Wilt promised him, the hotel food was the best one that he tasted so far. He didn’t even need to ask for seconds because he was already satisfied.
“That was the best meal of my life,” Kay moaned in delight as he flopped into the bed.
“Told you so,” Wilt chuckled as he lied down on the other bed.
“I hope Trixta is enjoyin’ herself right now,” Kay stated. “Happiness is better when it’s shared with everyone.”
“Maybe she’s having a beauty spa or something,” Wilt guessed as he focused on the newspaper.
“I miss my spa treatment,” Trixta lamented as she finished her paella for dinner.
Though she was used to visiting Hotel L’Amant, the experience wasn’t the same with Girasol’s men going after her. She had to limit herself just to remain undercover.
Wanting to focus on something else, Trixta sat into her sofa chair and started reading the newspaper. Maybe finding out what was happening around the world was going to help her deal with what was happening now.
“Hmmm,” Trixta hummed thoughtfully. “So Lan Yè made another hit on Girasol’s shipment. And one of the Warring Houses, Sídero Vounó, is causing trouble in Ivor. Just what is going on right now?”
Trixta was confused. With the way things were going in the world, she felt like there were going to be complications in this journey.
“Doesn’t matter,” Trixta declared as she licked her lips. “We have two weeks until that gate opens. We need to make sure that we make it in time.”
The vixen focused on the objective. Gigatopolis was her main concern now. If she didn’t arrive there, then all of this would have been in vain. Feeling exhausted, Trixta went to sleep, she felt like she was going to need all of her energy for what was going to happen tomorrow.
Heartland was a beautiful city to admire. However, because of the amount of tall buildings that made up its surroundings, the splendor of the city could only be appreciated from an upper view, such as on top of an airship.
In Xan’s case, he was staring at Heartland at its most luminous from the tallest building that he could find. He had to admit that the night lights of Heartland made it more beautiful during the night than it did during the day.
Sightseeing was one of Xan’s favorite things to do during a mission. It made him relax while he waited for his missions to continue. It provided a moment of respite. And it allowed him to memorize the geography of a terrain in case that he needed to make an ambush.
His hands fell to his hips, having replaced his previous swords with new ones due to breaking them during his fight with that Fenger named Kay. Xan was used to breaking his swords, it was even the source of one of his nicknames. He even had a bag next to him filled with spare swords in case something like this happened. However, there was something bothering him more than the destruction and replacement of his swords.
That Fenger is still out there, Xan thought as he sat on the rooftop, staring at the city and imagining the possible hiding spots that Kay would take. I can’t end this mission without beating him first.
A part of him was angry at how the fight ended with Kay escaping. It was hard to determine who was going to be the winner. With the destruction of his swords and a third party throwing a smoke bomb at him, he couldn’t tell how the fight would have ended.
“Not long now,” Xan thought as he opened a bottle of beer and started drinking it. “You can’t hide forever.”
Though he was hired to capture Wilt, Xan was more interested in fighting his bodyguard. He was the strongest opponent that Xan fought so hard. He couldn’t let him get away like that until their match was settled.
He had the members of Girasol’s Gang spread across the city. The moment one of them found Kay or Wilt, they were instructed to speed dial him so that he could intercept them. It was obvious that Wilt was going to be impossible to capture unless his bodyguard was defeated. And Xan was going to make sure that Kay was defeated.
I guess the only thing left will be the third member, Xan thought. Even if he were to fight against Kay and went to capture Wilt, there was still another person in his way. From what he could tell, the third member wasn’t a fighter, but they were good at escaping pursuers.
Xan sighed, deciding to forget thinking about it. The plan was made. All that he needed to do was wait until it was his turn to show up.
As Kay was peacefully sleeping on top of his bed, Wilt was laying down on the second bed trying to sleep. Though he was safe in their room, Wilt was unable to sleep. He opened his pouch to take out a flashlight so that he could read in the darkness. The Florian read the blueprints for his airship and the list of materials that he still needed to collect to make his dream come true.
“Two weeks,” Wilt muttered. “We’re almost there.”
Kay breathed silently in his sleep, not bothered by today’s misadventures. Wilt stared at him, awed at his friend’s ability to remain calm despite the events of today. Seeing Kay made him feel relieved, as if the Fenger was transmitting his confidence to him. He was still scared of Girasol’s Gang, but having Kay around made him feel safe and confident. It was the first time in a long while that he felt like that.
“I can do this,” Wilt changed his mantra. He still had an obligation to fulfill, but he was not going to repeat it to himself as a way to push forward. For the first time, he felt safe and strong enough to believe that he could achieve his objective. And he was going to succeed.
Smiling in satisfaction, Wilt stored his blue prints and the material list. He then turned off the lights and slept, having a peaceful slumber for the first time in a long while.
The following morning, the trio ended their stay at Hotel L’amant. Once they got out of the hotel and returned to the alley, Kay and Wilt got rid of their robes and resumed to walking alongside Trixta.
The trio was walking downtown to the busy district. While Trixta and Wilt were making an effort to not bring attention to themselves, Kay was happily munching on some donuts that he ordered at the hotel before leaving.
“Mmmm…” Kay moaned. “These donuts are freakin’ good!”
“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” Wilt asked as he stared at both sides, trying to see if there were spies or pursuers among the crowd.
“Of course,” Trixta answered, offended by Wilt’s doubt of her plan. “I thought of it.”
“That doesn’t reassure me at all,” Wilt replied, still feeling suspicious of Trixta.
“It’s obvious that they’re gonna lie in wait for use at the Skydrome, so we’ll take the long route there,” Trixta explained her idea, having thought about the enemy’s strategy during the morning before they left the hotel. “That way, we can make it without getting detected.”
“Hmmm,” Wilt frowned in thought, unable to see a flaw in her logic. “Makes sense, I guess. It’s not like we have much options anyway.”
“Good,” Trixta gave the Florian a victorious smirk. “So for now, we stick together and enjoy the tour as much as we can. The next ship leaves in a few hours anyway. That’s the one to your hometown, si?”
“Yes,” Wilt nodded his head. “It goes to Starkland, so it’s best we get there in half an hour ahead of time.”
“Hmmh!” Kay happily nodded his head with his mouth full of donuts. “Sho, whi don wi have soom fuun an wook uroun?”
“Eat or talk, pick one!” Wilt scolded Kay for talking with his mouth full.
Kay swallowed his donuts and was about to speak. But then his ears twitched when he heard some sort of catchy pop music. He noticed that Trixta’s ears were twitching too. She raised her head up and he followed her gaze to a monitor.
The monitor showed a busty pink fox girl. She had a long wavy mane of red hair. Her face was cute with yellow eyes that made her look sensual, fluffy cheeks, black nose, and pearly white teeth. She wore a black collar in her neck. For her attire, she wore a sky-blue blouse with a black corset underneath. And beneath the corset was a white skirt that was short at the front and long at the back, showing her long legs. Her left leg wore a black piece of lace with white on top. And she was wearing white high-heeled boots.
The camera focused on her boots and moved up to flash her attractive body. Her legs had a perfect mixture of slenderness, muscle, and body fat, ending with wide hips connected to a slender waist. And the blouse and corset combo showed the top of her large breasts, which were lighter in color compared to her fur. And then it focused on her face as she gave an expression that was between cute and sensual.
“Heya, hiya, my Heartland Lovelies!” the fox girl called. “Hope you’re all well-rested this morning! I know some of you all aren’t a morning person, but let me be your morning coffee that will kick you into working shape! Remember, as citizens of Heartland, you are the lifeblood of the city! So keep working hard just as I’ll do the same, kay? Till next time, love ya!”
The crowd started chattering. It was the first time that Kay saw the people in Heartland interact with each other since they were too busy doing shopping and touring. Whoever this fox girl was, it was clear that she was clearly beloved by the city.
“Hey, it’s Min-Ji!” one of the citizens called.
“She’s super hot!” another person remarked. “Totally worth waking up for!”
“Hmm?” Kay raised an eyebrow as he ate another donut. “Hoose da-oh,” Kay paused as he finish swallowing his donut, remembering how it annoyed Wilt. “Who’s that?”
“That’s Min-Ji,” Trixta looked annoyed. “Heartland’s National Sweetheart.”
“National Sweetheart?” Kay asked.
“Heartland holds beauty contests for the title of Sweetheart,” Trixta explained as she stared at the monitor. “They end up at the cover of Ivor Beauty magazine, getting supermodel deals, and of course, getting paid insane amounts of money!”
“Do I hear a hint of jealousy?” Wilt tilted his head, curious on Trixta’s sudden animosity towards Min-Ji.
“Not at all,” Trixta’s reply sounded fake with a hint of genuine haughtiness. “Anyone with good curves and half a brain can win one of these contests. I have both curves and intelligence.”
Trixta walked ahead, ignoring both males. While Kay focused on his donuts, Wilt rolled his eyes at Trixta’s vanity before following her.
Since the airship at the Skydrome was going to take a while to sail. The trio decided to do some touring around Heartland’s areas of entertainment.
Their first stop was the national park named Lovely Land. The trio got in a couple of rides, such as the carousel, the roller coaster, and the bumpy cars. Kay and Trixta were having fun, but Wilt wasn’t the type of person who could do rides since he got dizzy. That being said, he fared better in carnival games where he couldn’t get sick.
After having fun at Lovely Land, the trio went to Amour Stadium to watch some fights. While the trio sat and watched the fights, Kay was enjoying the fights as he saw different fighting styles. Trixta wasn’t much of a fighting fan, but she did love betting, especially because Kay’s predictions about the fighters allowed her to make some quick cash because he could always tell who was going to be the winner.
After enough time passed, the trio finally headed back to the Skydrome through the marketplace.
“Alright,” Trixta addressed Kay and Wilt. “It’s been a few hours. Make yourselves scarce and head to the Skydrome.”
“Oh,” Kay raised his hand to ask a question. “Before that, can I get somethin’ to drink?”
The Fenger pointed at a vendor selling soft drinks and alcohol.
“Fine, fine,” Trixta groaned in exasperation at the Fenger’s appetite. “Make it quick! We are on a time limit here!”
Kay didn’t waste time replying to Trixta. He walked forward to the vendor and asked for his drink as fast as he could.
“I’d like a drink please!” Kay spoke at the same time another person did. Feeling curious, he turned around to see who asked the same question he did at the same time, believing that he’d get a few laughs. To his surprise, the other person was Xan.
“Huh?” Kay and Xan asked at the same time, surprised to meet each other there. Their encounter from yesterday was still fresh on their minds.
As the two stared at each other, Wilt and Trixta were freaking out.
“WHY IS HE HERE?” Trixta and Wilt shouted at the same time.
Kay took a step back and assumed a fighting stance, ready to continue his combat with Xan.
“Hold on!” Xan raised a placating hand. “I don’t wanna fight you here.”
“Why not?” Kay was hopping on his feet, not trusting Xan’s words.
“For one, I just came here to get a drink,” Xan extended a hand, letting the intimidated seller to put the beer on his hand so that he could pay for it with the other hand. “You three just took your sweet time to get to the Skydrome. Figured I’d get a drink while I wait for you.”
“How did you know we would be here?” Kay still had his fighting stance, only changing it when the seller gave him a menu to select his drink. The Fenger pointed at a soda with one of his fingers while still keeping his hand curled into a fist.
“You learn how to think of how to capture prey by depriving them of escape routes,” Xan shrugged his shoulders. “Also, I’m no canine Korkin, but my sense of smell is at least good enough to sniff out the specific perfume that the vixen here has on.” He stared at Trixta, who gasped and blushed at his accusation. “Piece of advice, girl, try not put so much on.”
Kay and Wilt stared at Trixta with slack jaws. After all the plans that she made for them to escape detection, it was her who actually led Xan to her because of her perfume.
“Hehe,” Trixta giggled in embarrassment. “Can’t blame a girl wanting to be fresh in the morning.”
“It is when we get caught!” Wilt yelled at her angrily for unnecessarily putting them in danger with her vanity.
“So what now?” Kay asked as he took on a soda in his hand and started drinking only when Xan was drinking his beer. “Ya say you don’t wanna fight here?”
“Yeah,” Xan finished his beer quickly. “Got a better location, without the view of unnecessary onlookers.”
“Even from those gang guys?” Kay asked, refusing to fight Xan if it meant putting Trixta and Wilt in danger.
“To be honest, I pretty sure they’re gonna screw me over on our deal,” Xan shrugged his shoulders dismissively. “It’s never smart to make deals with Girasol unless you’re to pay him back or bring results,” throwing a look at Wilt that made him shrink in shame. “If that happens, I’ll deal with him then. But for now, I’m gonna give you a fighting chance. Beat me, and I’ll let you live. Fall by my blade, and string bean here is coming with me.”
“Oh please,” Wilt rolled his eyes, not believing the deal that Xax was proposing. “You don’t seriously think we’ll believe this, right?”
“Alright,” Kay nodded his head as he finished his soda. “I accept the terms.”
“Que?!” Trixta looked alarmed at Kay accepting the duel.
“Kay, this is clearly a trap!” Wilt shouted at the Fenger.
“And we don’t have time for this!” Trixta reminded him of the time limit. “Between missing the ship and Girasol’s Gang still snooping around waiting for us.”
“Look, I can handle those chumps, but this guy…” Kay glared at Xan, feeling the danger that emanated from him. “If we tried to escape like we planned, he’d kill us. This works better for us, plus, I prefer the straightforward approach anyway.”
Xan smirked at his response, glad that Kay reciprocated the desire to fight.
“Good,” Xan chuckled. “Then let’s go to the designated location. But first…”
Xan made a serious look at the drink vendor. He was intimidated by Xan’s glare. Kay took a fighting stance, ready to defend the vendor if the situation demanded it.
“I’ll take three more beers!” Xan ordered.
Kay, Trixta, and Wilt fell to the ground comically, annoyed at Xan’s poor timing.
Meanwhile, a Girasol Gang member spotted them from a distance. He was a boar wearing binoculars to keep track of Xan or Wilt’s crew. Having seen the targets, the surveillance Girasol Gang member made a call to his compatriots.
At another location far away from the scene, some Girasol Gang members were sitting near a restaurant outside.
“Damn,” a chunky boar muttered angrily. “What’s taking him so long? He said he’s found ‘em and we’re just sittin’ here!”
“What can we do?” another gang member asked him. “We were lucky Sentinel gave us a pass thanks to our permits. Heh…helps Girasol has been paying off a majority of the officers here to look the other way.”
“Yeah, but we shouldn’t push our luck,” a third one spoke. “We’ll just have to wait it out.”
Suddenly, he got a ringing noise from his pocket. He pulled out his communication device to see what was going on.
“Yeah, what’s up?” the third gang member spoke. “Huh? No shit? Keep an eye on ‘em and inform us on where they’re goin’!”
“What is it?” the chunky boar asked, his attention no longer focused on complaining now that he had something else to do.
“One of our guys saw Xan and the Florian punk!” the third member scolded the chunky boar for not paying attention. “Seems like they’re going somewhere and we’re gonna go there too!”
Outside of the restaurant, Tendo watched as this suspicious group of hogs were walking off with a suspicious look on their faces.
“Those guys,” Tendo muttered to himself. “They fit the description.”
Feeling that he had a lead, Tendo started following them.
Xan lead the trio deep into the tunnels of Heartland. While Kay didn’t seem to mind the ambiance, Wilt and Trixta were not comfortable since they’d never been to this part of Heartland in their previous visits.
I don’t like this… Wilt thought nervously. Dark, quiet, and suspicious spells suspicious
“Where are you taking us exactly?” Trixta asked, feeling that she wasn’t going to like the final destination.
“Somewhere where we won’t get interrupted,” Xan replied.
The walk was awkward. Nobody said anything. It only increased to the tension. Wanting to focus on something else, Wilt decided to ask Xan a few questions about what was going on, hoping that it wouldn’t piss off the swordsman.
“By the way, how are those thugs able to hang around town in the open like that?” Wilt questioned Xan with a confused frown. “I figured that they had to be arrested after the shuffle yesterday.”
“Because the authorities were paid off by Girasol,” Xan shrugged his shoulders.
“Wha?” Wilt squawked, horrified at how much range Girasol’s power had over Heartland.
“Yeah,” Xan nodded his head. “Despite the BS most spill, they have some crooked ones in the bunch. And so long as they don’t cause big enough trouble, the higher-ups will look the other way.”
“Si,” Trixta nodded grimly. “That’s how scumbags like Girasol have been avoiding trouble from law enforcement.”
Wilt felt depressed, feeling that it was yet another reason to fear Girasol. What would be the point of Kay defeating the gang if they were going to be out the next day?
The rest of the travel was silent. They kept walking until they reached their destination, showing an underground waterway.
“Whoa!” Kay marveled at the waterway. “This was under the city the whole time?”
“Of course,” Trixta nodded with a smile, having known about the waterway but never visiting it in person until today. “It’s where the water travels through the city.”
“Alright,” Xan pointed at the setting. “This is good enough.”
He walked ahead of them, laying his bag down with a loud thump. Kay stepped forward, leaving Trixta and Wilt on the sidelines.
“Kay, are you absolutely sure about this?” Wilt asked Kay with worry in his eyes, not wanting the first friend that he made in a long while to get injured on his behalf.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” Kay was shadowboxing to warm up. “Besides, I feel like this guy ain’t a liar. I can tell…he just wants to fight!”
From his tone of voice and big smile at this sentence, Wilt and Trixta could see that Kay was excited to test his mettle against Xan. The two of them focused their attention to the reptile Korkin.
Xan picked up the bag and opened it, revealing the swords that he had stored in them. He then flung the bag, launching dozens of swords in the air, which landed in various places in front of him. The swords moved forward across the field as they reached the trio. Wilt and Trixta were stepping back frantically as some swords fell near them. For his part, Kay stood in the same spot, not the letting the swords phase him. He had a focused look on his face that let him know that the swords were not going to hurt him yet and that he wasn’t scared of facing them when the duel started.
Kay got into a fighting stance as Xan readied his swords.
“By the way,” Xan cocked his head at Kay. “What’s your name?”
“Kay,” he replied. “Kay Crossroad.”
“Alright,” Xan smirked arrogantly. “Now I know what to put in your obituary.”
“Sorry,” Kay smirked back at him. “But I ain’t lettin’ ya decide how I die today.”
Xan grinned at his opponent’s fighting spirit.
“Ready…” Xan tightened the grip on his swords, tensing his muscles for the clash.
“Go!” Kay surrounded his hands with shadow magic to start the fight.
Kay and Xan charged at each other, clashing attacks equally.
“BLACK CLAW!”
Kay relentlessly swiped his hands, creating black claw marks to attack Xan. The reptile Korkin expertly blocked Kay’s attacks with his swords. He then leapt in the air over Kay, landing behind the Fenger. He then attempted to hit Kay with an horizontal slash, but Kay backflipped away from the attack.
Xan crossed his arms and his blades, getting into the same stance that he used for his special attack on their last fight.
“Tatsugaryū Kōsatenga!”
He charged at Kay as the Fenger tried to counter with Black Claw. This time, Xan managed to power on through and hit Kay with his attack. Fortunately for Kay, Xan didn’t hit anything vital with his swords. To add to his good luck, Xan’s blades immediately broke apart.
“Damn!” Xan angrily threw his broken swords to the ground. “He managed to avoid a fatal strike. No matter. I still have plenty of spares this time to keep the fight going to the end.”
He demonstrated his point by picking up nearby swords to begin another attack. He jumped and spun in the air, creating a circular slash. Kay ducked to avoid the slash and performed a sweeping kick the moment that Xan landed on his ground. However, despite being knocked off his feet, Xan kept his balance by sticking his tail on the ground to keep him standing up.
“What?” Kay asked perplexed before he rolled back to avoid Xan’s retaliating slash.
While Kay and Xan kept fighting each other. Trixta and Wilt were staring at the fight with awe, surprised at the level of skill that both fighters were showing.
“I didn’t expect him to be strong,” Trixta remarked, her eyes not missing a single detail of Kay’s fighting style.
“Yeah,” Wilt nodded with the awe of a child seeing his favorite superhero show. “I mean, he took out Vera like it was nothing. Now he’s going toe to toe with the Desert Scale.” Wilt sounded proud of Kay’s progress, but then he frowned with worry as the fight was growing longer. “Still, I can’t help but get a bad feeling here.”
“Huh?” Trixta tilted her head, confused at Kay’s biggest supporter doubting him. “How so?”
Xan’s swords broke again from another clash.
Damn! Xan thought angrily as he replaced his swords and stared down at Kay. He’s a real stubborn one to put down. Can’t find any openings.
Kay was panting , having a focused look on his face.
After so many exchanges, most of Xan’s swords had been destroyed in his clashes against Kay, either from Kay’s magic or Xan’s own strength. There were fewer swords for the reptile to use by this point.
Only a few swords left, Xan counted the remaining swords that were standing, including the ones in his hands. Gonna have to take him out in two hits!
Xan charged at Kay, ferociously slashing away at him. The Fenger dodged and countered with Black Claw. The moment that their attacks clashed, Xan suddenly turned, using his tail as a whip to smack both of Kay’s hands in the air, leaving him open for an attack.
“Ay no!” Trixta placed her hands on her cheeks.
“Kay!” Wilt shouted, trying to rush at him in despair but being held in place by Trixta.
“Got ya!” Xan grinned, feeling victory within his grasp.
As Xan started to slash at Kay with his swords, the Fenger immediately bent backward to perform a backflip. The shadow magic around his legs moved downward until it was focused on his feet.
“BLACK CLAW!”
Kay used the shadow magic on his legs to perform a Black Claw through a backflip kick.
He can attack like that with his legs! Xan thought with alarm as it was too late for him to stop his attack. He managed to clash against the Black Claw, but his swords were cracking. They were going to shatter apart soon.
“Whoa!” Wilt’s eyes sparkled with awe at his friend’s comeback.
“Ay que bien!” Trixta jumped excitedly, figuring out that Kay was going to achieve victory in a few seconds.
Xan backed off as Kay went to the offensive. As Xan defended himself, his swords were broken again by Kay’s relentless assault.
“Shit!” Xan threw his broken swords at Kay to distract him while he went to retrieve new ones.
Kay dodged the broken swords and went after Xan. He jumped into a wall to perform a spinning kick, pressing Xan away as soon as he got his replacement swords.
“Gotta admit you’re a tough bastard!” Xan exclaimed with frustration, exhaustion, and excitement.
“Hehehe…same to you,” Kay smirked at Xan. “First guy to make me work up a sweat with since I got here.”
Both were grinning as they got read to continue the fight. The sound of their clash was echoing across the waterway. The sound traveled across the cave, where the Girasol Gang members were waiting.
“You heard that?” a boar asked. “I think that’s Xan fighting against the Florian’s bodyguard. We need to move now!”
The boar led his team into the tunnels. Unknown to him, Tendo was seeing how the group walked into the entrance of the waterway.
“I see,” Tendo narrowed his eyes at the entrance to the waterway. “So I just need to go there.”
The volume of the fight was growing louder as the two warriors were reaching their limit. As Xan and Kay continued to clash, a group of unwanted guests started to sneak up on Wilt and Trixta. The vixen Korkin and the Florian were too distracted by the fight to notice their presence behind them.
“Got no choice,” Xan muttered to himself as he tightened his blades.
“Time to go for broke,” Kay clenched his fists as he covered them with shadow magic.
Both of them charged at each other, ready to unleash their final attacks.
“Black Be…!”
“Kōsaten…”
Their concentration was broken when they heard Trixta screaming out. Both fighters stopped in their place upon seeing the Girasol Gang members, grabbing a hold of Wilt and muffling his mouth shut. They were also doing the same to Trixta, who was kicking her legs in resistance compared to Wilt.
“Alright, nobody moves!” a boar shouted at the pair as he held Trixta by the neck.
“Wilt! Trixta!” Kay shouted in fear at seeing his friends in danger.
“Not another step,” the boar who restrained Trixta threatened as he tightened his arm around Trixta’s neck and pressed a large hand on her snout to silence her. “Not another step or the vixen gets her neck snapped.”
“Bastard!” Kay shouted angrily at the boar.
“Now go ahead and finish him, Xan,” the boar ordered the reptile Korkin. “Then we can complete our deal.”
Wilt frantically cried out, muffled by the grasp of the gang member restraining him.
“So you managed to find us,” Xan sounded displeased at having the Girasol Gang members show up when he was about to finish his fight with Kay.
“Of course,” the gang member restraining Trixta spoke, ignoring the vixen’s futile attempts of resistance. “We did pay you for the job. We just figured we’d give you a bit of a hand. Now, just finish this prick off and we’re straight.”
“Tch,” Xan sounded disgusted at the gang members. He then stared at Kay, giving him an ultimatum. “So, Crossroad, how do you wanna do this? Try and help your friend or try and beat me? Better make your choice mean something.”
Kay was silent. He looked at Xan and then stared at the fearful faces of Trixa and Wilt. He closed his eyes and built shadows in his fist, readying to attack the gang members.
“Trixta!” Kay shouted at the vixen about to get her neck snapped. “Hold on!”
“Hey, step back or the bitch gets it!” the boar choked Trixta harder.
Another member pointed his Magus Gear rifle at Kay, who was slowly walking towards them with anger in his face. Behind Kay, Xan started to get into an attacking stance, preparing to attack Kay from behind.
“Hurry up and kill the fucker!” the gang member shouted as he kept choking Trixta to demonstrate his hold over Kay.
“BLACK!” Kay quickly charged at the group with Xan in pursuit.
“Tatsugaryū…” Xan growled as he prepared his attack.
“BULLET!” Kay shouted with all the fury of his heart as he fired a black projectile towards the boar who was holding Trixta.
“The fuck?!” the gang member shouted before he got struck in the face with an exploding mass of shadows. The impact sent him flying away as he released Trixta, who was breathing normally again.
He can release that attack from a distance? Wilt thought with shock as the gang members restraining him were starting to tremble in fear.
As Kay finished his attack, he focused on the gang member who pointed his Magus Gear at him, ready to fight him. The gang member did nothing, remaining still before falling down, revealing that Xan struck him down while Kay was saving Trixta.
“Hey,” Kay nodded at Xan, not sure if he should be grateful or friendly. Everything was confusing with the way things were going on in that fight.
He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Trixta quickly got up and ran towards Kay, getting behind him.
“Kay,” Trixta muttered on his back, trying to hide behind him as best as she could.
“You okay, Trixta?” Kay asked, sounding angry and hurt at not protecting her and Wilt.
“Xan, what the hell is wrong with you?” the leader of the group was shouting at the lizard Korkin angrily.
Xan’s swords broke as he dropped them to the ground.
“Ugh, screw it!” Xan complained as he glared back at the boar. “I may slice people up for money, but this is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. And I get the odd feeling that you pricks aren’t being honest with me.”
The gang members started to flinch, shocked at Xan treating them as an enemy because they knew how strong he truly was.
“The hell are you talking about?!” the leader shouted at him. “You’re the one fucking us over right now! And now we’re gonna have to teach both of you a lesson!”
A crowd of gang members started to show up. They were crowding the place to surround Kay and Xan.
“Hehehe,” another gang member laughed. “Good luck fighting without your swords, pal.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the boar in charge pointed at a restrained Wilt, holding him under his arm as an object to be delivered. “We got our quarry. You boys deal with him while get this green shit stain out of here!”
“No, Wilt!” Kay shouted in despair as he watched his friend being dragged out of the cave.
Before the boar could leave the waterway, a blast of fire struck him in the chest.
“Gyyyaaaa!” the boar screamed in pain as his chest was burning.
He and Wilt fell to the ground. As the boar was rolling on the floor to turn off the fire, Wilt stood up, looking around with panic in his face.
“Guaaahhh!” Wilt moved away from the boar and then stared at the direction of the fire, fearing to get burned. “What was that?”
“What now?” Trixta complained, feeling that the day was going to get worse.
“Wait,” Kay narrowed his eyes as he noticed a figure at the entrance of the waterway. “That you…Holy heck, it is you, Tendo!”
Tendo moved forward, revealing that his hand was aflame. He offered Kay a kind smile, glad to see his old friend again.
“Yeah,” Tendo grinned as he nodded at Kay. “It’s been a while, but better late than never.”
Chapter 2 Act B: End