Chapter 9: Omnistra’s Gifts
image [https://i.imgur.com/g7OnSrY.jpg]
Part 1: Meeting Maela
The sun had just started to rise when Kenji raced out of the tavern, he had barely taken the time to pick up his backpack and coins. Even Barrelson was still asleep. While he was moving, Kenji explained the situation to Aito. “People will die if we don’t get there in time.” He started running towards the Guild one more time. He knew he couldn’t help anyone if he kept traveling by foot.
Aito was quiet in response to Kenji’s explanation for a little bit before speaking. “It sounds like they are in a dangerous situation, should you really be in a rush to get there? Your safety is important as well, regardless of what Omnistra might have said or done.”
Kenji didn’t accept that reasoning, “They are only in trouble because I didn’t get here fast enough.” Aito didn’t respond to that, but Kenji knew his friend wasn’t fully convinced.
Kenji was out of breath by the time he got to the Guild. “I need help!” he announced as soon as he walked in. He was the center of attention in the Guild once more, but it was nearly empty this early in the morning.
“Well look at that, Kenji Sato, welcome back. What do you need my friend?” The same middle-aged man who exchanged his teeth addressed him. A few faces in the crowd also looked in his direction, expecting that this might be part of a repeat performance.
“I need a ride. Half a day’s walk. A carriage. They are in trouble. I can pay.” Kenji struggled to catch his breath while explaining the situation. He held up the larger of his two bags, the one holding their silver and gold coins.
“It’s early in the day, why don’t you sit down and explain the whole situation to me. There is a procedure to create a request. We will set a fair price for all involved, and in a couple hours there will be many who will help you.” While he wasn’t a beautiful woman, he was as good at his job as any receptionist from a manga.
“I’m sorry, there is no time, this is an emergency. They will be dead by then.”
“What type of trouble is it?” The man asked, placing a supportive hand on Kenji’s shoulder.
Kenji was temporarily at a loss. He didn’t know exactly how much money he held, but he knew it was more than he had on Earth. He simply hoped that he had enough coins to throw at the problem without having to explain the details. “I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t know what type of trouble it is. I had a dream, and I believe it is real. If I’m wrong, keep the money.” Kenji insisted, more firmly this time, pressing the bag against the chest of the other man.
The room was quiet, and the man had a deep frown. He seemed unsure in this situation. Luckily, a voice spoke up behind Kenji. “I’ll help you boy, my horse is strong enough to carry the two of us.”
Kenji turned around, not caring that he was being treated as a child again. However, the tall woman who stood behind him was old enough to call anyone ‘boy’ without much offense. Kenji opened the bag and showed it to her. “I hope this is enough.”
image [https://i.imgur.com/HtZfK6g.jpg]
The old woman glanced at it, raising a gray eyebrow. “You are offering me almost enough to buy a horse to carry you a short distance… to help people you don’t even know… because of a dream?”
“Yes, I’m afraid it might be dangerous, but you just need to get me there.” Kenji wasn’t trying to hide his desperation. Luckily, she spoke before he fell to his knees and begged.
“Bramwell, write down that old Maela will be helping this young man. If I’m not back by evening, something went wrong.” She handed Kenji’s bag to the receptionist, Bramwell. “If I don’t come back, offer that to someone else to investigate.”
“Let’s go boy.” She walked quickly out of the Guild office, and Kenji followed her. He had some time to inspect the woman named Maela. On Earth, she would have doubtless needed a cane to get around, but she was clearly in her prime on this world. Kenji had a hard time keeping up with her long strides. Maela’s hair was white with gray streaks, tied in a simple ponytail. She was a bit taller than him, and wore a long leather coat over her dark clothes. Her leathers were designed to protect from the strain of riding and travel, rather than swords or fangs. Following behind her she did not look that old, with straight posture and confident steps. Kenji was reminded once more that the people of this world did not play by the rules of Earth.
They left the keep from a different entrance than Kenji had first used. There were stables against the outside wall of this entrance and a smaller set of walls around the stables, designed to protect the animals within from animals outside, rather than from any type of invasion or attack. Maela threw a silver coin to a boy that was sitting outside, he was dressed similarly to Bramwell but was carrying the same tools as the guards. “Fetch my horse and gear, quickly.”
The boy’s eyes grew slightly at the silver, and he sprang into action to follow Maela’s instructions. There would be a few moments before he returned. Maela turned to Kenji and spoke. “People your age are not usually so devout.”
Kenji wasn’t sure what she meant, but Maela saw his confusion. “Omnistra’s dreams sometimes comfort us, but she rarely provides visions. When you are as old as I am, you start to expect her last dream to come to you. I haven’t received that yet. I did have a dream once, where I spoke to my brother. It was the day he passed away. I thought it was a normal dream, until I received word from back home.” She sized Kenji up. “I suppose your parents raised you well.”
image [https://i.imgur.com/MkzXa7g.jpg]
Soon, the boy came out leading Maela’s horse. Her gear was attached to the saddle, including a sword. Kenji realized it was the first sword he saw so far in this world, and guessed that they might not be allowed in the main fort. No one had bothered taking his stick. Maela saw him looking at it, and handed it to the stableboy. “That stick will slow us down on horseback.”
Kenji was worried he was unprepared for the task at hand. Hopefully, enlisting Maela could help him get to the carriage in time. Maela reached down from atop the horse, and with a single strong motion she practically swung Kenji into the seat behind her. The horse sprang into action, and there was no time to feel awkward as he held on for his life.
Maela and Kenji galloped across the expansive grassland to the east of the keep, the sun of this strange world began to climb higher in the west, casting long shadows on the ground in front of them. Aito was still silent in the bag, but communicating would be impossible at the pace they were going. Kenji’s fears were palpable, he could not imagine a faster horse or more skilled rider than Maela. He hoped and prayed it would be enough.
Kenji caught himself praying, he had never been very religious so he didn’t have a lot of experience with it. He soon realized he wasn’t sure who he was praying to, was it Earth’s God, away on vacation, or his hopes for an even higher power? He supposed it was Omnistra, since he knew for a fact that she was powerful enough to hear his thoughts, so he mentally begged for mercy on behalf of the people whose deaths would be laid at Kenji’s feet. However, it seemed futile. Omnistra was powerful and close to all-knowing, but she made it very clear that Kenji’s job was to aid her… not the other way around. She also made it clear that she was willing to make sacrifices. Kenji gritted his teeth, he had to replace his fear and guilt with something more useful. The best he could do was be angry at himself again. That would have to do, for now. He fixed his eyes ahead, scanning for the carriage he knew would be in view soon enough.
Maela's horse kicked up clods of earth as it raced towards the distant horizon. The horse was covered in sweat, but hadn’t yet slowed down when the broken down carriage came into view. Maela's sharp intake of breath was telling. "Damn, it really is there." she muttered loudly, her experienced eyes quickly taking in the scene. Around the carriage, four figures were gathered.
A young woman with short red hair, dressed in dark purple robes, was tending an older gray-haired man who clearly had an ugly wound on his side. The man looked like a merchant, wearing finer clothes over a round belly. The robed woman was doing her best to treat him with some bandages and wet rags.
image [https://i.imgur.com/jR1TxP9.jpg]
A middle-school aged boy with blond hair was standing nearby, ready to assist the woman and looking worried. His hands clutched a bowl of water in his hands, as if it was all that was keeping the older man alive.
image [https://i.imgur.com/TnnvKME.jpg]
The fourth figure was about Kenji’s age, maybe younger. His purple scarf contrasted with his darker complexion and short black hair. He must be a guard, he wore a metal breastplate and pauldron over one arm, over simple cloth armor. Two spears were balanced against the carriage near him, and he wore a short sword on his back. He was doing his best to reattach a wheel, hammering a makeshift wooden rivet to lock the wheel back into its place. He noticed Kenji and Maela, and waved with both hands, clearly hoping to flag down some help.
image [https://i.imgur.com/ObAlAUz.jpg]
Maela brought the horse to a stop in front of the group. Kenji jumped off the horse and ran to the old man. “I’m so glad you guys are still alive, what happened?”
“Damn horse.” The merchant whispered, angry and in pain. The man looked ready to punch the next horse he saw.
“Don’t talk.” The red-haired woman said to the merchant, speaking soothingly. She put a damp cloth on his forehead. She turned to address Kenji, speaking in a more matter-of-fact tone. “Something happened to our horse, broke his leg with a strong kick, and then almost bit a big chunk out of his side before running away screaming. I’ve never heard a horse make sounds like that. Luckily this guy is old and healthy, so I think he’ll recover. He needs stitches, but I’ve never closed up something that looked like this. He needs to finally relax and stop moving so I can give it a try.” That last sentence was clearly directed towards the man she was caring for.
“I can help!” Called an excited voice from Kenji’s backpack. Aito leapt down from behind Kenji, already holding a pair of silver needles. As had become almost a custom, everyone stared at Aito. Maela, who had shown nothing but confidence and strength, was so shocked that she looked like she might actually faint and fall off her horse for a moment as she grabbed onto the saddle for support.
“I can even spare some thread.” Aito said, looking down at his chest and a stray loose thread that had started to poke out.
Aito waddled over and inspected his patient. “Scanner please.” He held out his left paw. Kenji, playing the part of nurse, reached into his bag and attached Aito’s scanner to his head. It briefly hummed to life as Aito observed the wound in the man’s side for a few moments.
Except for Kenji, no one in the group knew how to react to the teddy-bear. “What’s the verdict Aito?”
Aito didn’t respond right away, inspecting the bowl now. “The young lady here has been cleaning the wound with regular water, just clean enough to drink. However once applied, it is clearly working as both a coagulant and disinfectant. Quite fascinating, have you given him anything for pain?”
The red-haired woman decided not to question Aito’s existence, caught up in the flow of treating a patient. “I’ve never heard the words coagulant and disinfectant, but my Gift allows me to treat wounds and lessen their pain.”
Aito gave the older man’s hurt side a couple pokes with one of his needles, observing his face for changes. “Sir, what hurts more right now, the bite or your broken leg?”
“My leg. The Priestess blessed the water. I feel almost nothing on my side right now… unless I talk.” The older man whispered.
“Okay then, I believe we can proceed with the operation. Kenji, wear the scanner, and I’ll paint the optimal placement of the stitches for you.”
Kenji was surprised. “Really, you think I should do it?”
Aito turned to Kenji. “No, the other dummy who knows how to operate a scanner and has two opposable thumbs.” Aito held up his paws meaningfully.
“Not having thumbs hasn’t slowed you down so far!” Kenji retorted. “How’d you make those needles then?”
“Very slowly! It took me half the night. Do you know how much processing power it takes to figure out how to perform simple tasks without thumbs, and still make it look easy?”
The people around them watched the surreal exchange without a word. The priestess exchanged the damp cloth on the man’s head one more time and started humming, which seemed to help him relax and finally fall asleep.
Kenji only knew some basic first aid, but he wasn’t going to win the argument with the teddy-bear. He grabbed the scanner from Aito, adjusted the straps for his own head, and put it on. A familiar digital overlay appeared over his vision. True enough, Aito had indicated where Kenji needed to sew. The ugly wound now looked like a complex paint-by-numbers through the screen.
Aito spoke, trying to coach Kenji through it. “We are going to go in an order that might seem unintuitive, but I calculated the optimal locations for allowing this asymmetric wound to heal with minimal scarring and tearing. The area is numb, so he won’t feel any pain. The trick is to really stick the needle in there, deeper than you think it needs to go, through the epidermal layer. If it isn’t deep enough, it’ll just tear and make it worse.” A helpful illustration of the procedure popped up on Kenji’s display.
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Kenji sighed, it was his fault the man was hurt, so he resigned himself to listen to his friend and perform the task at hand. The Priestess and the young boy sat down, and observed the process. Neither questioned the purpose of the scanner Kenji was wearing, though they were obviously curious. Maela watched for a while as well, before tearing her attention away to help the young guard fix the wheel.
Seeing the process through a digital filter helped Kenji focus on the task without worrying about the fact he was poking holes into a stranger. Aito coached Kenji through the entire way, even going as far as to send little congratulatory messages, animations, and celebratory sound effects through the scanner. In all honesty, they were patronizing, distracting, and insulting to Kenji’s intelligence. Aito had dumbed the instructions down to the extreme. Kenji wished he had a special pop-up blocker installed for this situation, but stayed silent since he was completely reliant on the tech and Aito’s help. The entire procedure might have taken half an hour when he finally pulled the final thread gently to close the wound, the pieces fitting together as smoothly as a jigsaw puzzle. By the time he finished, his display was over halfway filled with the 30 Gold Stars he received and a little animated mommy-type character clapping like he had just learned to use the potty like a big boy. Kenji couldn’t wait to take the scanner off, immediately stuffing it back into his bag.
“Hey, you actually did it!” Aito remarked at the end, nodding at his work, and sounding slightly surprised.
“No thanks to all that crap you were filling the HUD up with! What was all that for?”
“You mean my perfectly crafted tutorial based on your level of experience, skills, and psychological profile? You're welcome for not taking any chances!.” Aito poked Kenji’s leg with the second needle.
Kenji was just about to pick Aito up like a football and punt him into low-orbit when the Priestess interrupted their argument. “Thank you both so much, that was very skilled needlework.”
image [https://i.imgur.com/xq5fsa6.jpg]
“You're welcome.” Kenji and Aito replied simultaneously.
While they had been working, Maela and the young Guard were just finishing with the wheel. The travelers, except the merchant, gathered around Kenji and gave a deep bow. The Priestess spoke first “Maela said you raced here to save us, after receiving a vision from The Goddess. Few would trust their dreams enough to come here the way you did. Thank you.”
Kenji’s stomach twisted. He did not deserve their praise, their situation was his fault. “It wasn’t really a dream, Omnistra spoke to me very plainly. She said you were in trouble and that I needed to help. She said you would die horrible deaths if I didn’t arrive on time. She wants me to travel with you to Aurel after fixing your carriage.”
Maela chimed in, “The carriage is almost ready for travel, my horse can pull it, but we should head back to the Keep so they know we’re okay.”
“No!” Kenji said, louder than he intended. “Sorry. I mean I’m supposed to use Mana Stones to turn this carriage into a type of golem, she was very clear about this. Omnistra said you would be able to provide the stones needed for the task.”
They all glanced at each other, wondering who had the stones. This time, the young blond boy spoke. “Sir, my father and I run the route between Greenhold Manor and Aurel. We would give them to you gratefully, but we don’t carry Mana Stones. Mostly letters, leather, and the occasional passengers. The Guild manages the trade of stones directly.” He looked at Aito and frowned. “I don’t doubt your Gift and skills, but are you sure she told you we would have them?”
As if in answer to his question, a loud piercing wail sounded from the west. Just on the horizon, there was an explosion of dirt as a large creature clawed its way from the earth. Soon, a chorus of wails sounded, and several explosions were visible as an entire pack of beasts broke through the surface. Kenji couldn’t see them clearly, but Maela squinted and whispered. “Bloodscent Burrowers.” Cold sweat was visible on her brow. “It sounds like they have our scent already.”
A chill ran down Kenji’s spine. These were the promised Mana Stones. Omnistra’s gifts, brutally timed to prevent him from taking a single step backwards.
image [https://i.imgur.com/zcpUo6Z.jpg]
Part 2: Trolley Problems in Another World
Maela jumped on her horse. She held out a hand to Kenji. “Come with me boy, I can get you out of here if we leave now.”
Kenji looked at the others, “I came to help them, not abandon them.” He picked up a spare spear that was resting against the carriage. “Maybe together we can fight them off.”
Maela spoke plainly, looking the others in the eyes as she did. “They are drawn to the scent of blood and the sounds of screams, blind to all else. That is a large pack, and they have the merchant’s scent already. The others must leave him behind, and get as far away from the carriage as possible. They can’t make a single sound until the beasts have had their fill and dig their way back deep underground”
Kenji was horrified, but Maela continued. “We are outnumbered two to one. Furthermore, even including you, those of us who can fight are also equal to those who cannot.” She pointed at the Priestess, the boy, and the wounded man.
The blond boy yelled out, “No, I won’t leave my father!”
The priestess shook her head, “I swore to never abandon a patient, and this man is not beyond saving.” She continued to rest her palm on the sleeping man’s forehead.
Aito spoke as well, “I can’t abandon Kenji, or convince him that this isn’t his fault somehow.”
The guard spoke last, rather softly “I swore to never abandon my priestess.” He stole a glance at her, a brief flash of fear shone on his face, but it didn’t seem to be for himself. There was obvious determination in his eyes.
Kenji looked at Maela, “It’s okay Maela, I didn’t hire you to fight monsters or keep me safe, I just wanted you to drop me off. I expected something like this, to be honest, but I never intended to get you wrapped up in it.” He was silent for a moment, watching the pack of creatures grow larger. “It was a miracle that we got here before them.”
Kenji turned to the others, Maela meant well with her words but the travelers were clearly disheartened, almost resigned. Aside from the wounded man sleeping on the ground, there was a good chance Kenji was the oldest of the four travelers he met. He knew he had to say something. “Drag the wounded into the carriage and barricade the doors. Young man, stay with the priestess and your father, we need her to tend the wounded if we survive. Aito, go with them and zap anything that tries to break down the doors. I’m putting him in charge down there, so listen to him. Maybe if the guard and I fight on top of the carriage, we can keep ourselves from being surrounded and fend them off.” The others moved to follow Kenji’s instructions, starting with dragging the wounded merchant into the carriage..
Maela gave a frustrated grunt. “I’ll give you credit. If this was a pack of wolves, that might work. You are underestimating these things.” She drew her sword. “I’ll draw away as many as I can, if you are lucky, most of them will follow me. If you are luckier, some of you will survive.”
In one swift motion, Maela drew the edge of the blade against the back of her own arm, drawing a surprising amount of blood. A long straight gash, nearly as deep as the one Kenji had just stitched up. She raised her wounded arm above her head as she wiped her blade clean on her pant leg. Kenji realized she was being careful not to spill a single drop on the ground, but was letting the scent of blood cover her. She looked at Kenji, sizing him up one last time. “One spear won’t be enough. You’ll stick one, and these crazy bastards will just push themselves further onto it and you’ll lose your only weapon. When that happens, use this.” She threw the sword down in front of Kenji.
“With just my weight and Gift, Gray can outrun these things. I won’t need the sword, because I’m not foolish enough to fight them alone.” She saw the look on Kenji’s face “I’m not going to die today, but we likely won’t see each other again. Good luck Kenji Sato, may the Goddess bless you.”
With that she kicked her horse and started racing towards the pack of creatures, yelling the whole time, trying to attract their attention.
Kenji grabbed the sword, and threw it and the spear on top of the carriage. He threw his backpack inside with the non-combatants and did his best to try and help barricade the carriage from the outside, using a loose piece of rope to tie the doors shut. The guard was already on top of the carriage, watching Maela run circles around the beasts. “No more time, come up!” he yelled down to Kenji, holding out a hand to pull him up.
Kenji joined the Guard and watched Maela managing the monsters, they were not far away anymore. Next to her horse, Kenji realized the Bloodscent Burrowers were much larger than he had thought. After getting a good look at them, he reconsidered his earlier bravery and current plan.
Maela was right, from a long distance he had assumed they were the size of dogs or wolves. What they most resembled were gigantic moles, with large oversized claws designed to break earth and slash prey. A single strike from one could kill him. Their apparent blindness was also evident, where eyes would normally be, instead there was an eerie glow emanating from sunken sockets. Perhaps under the earth, their tiny eyes shone bright enough to sense an inch or two ahead while digging. Each of them looked more than capable of bringing down Maela and the horse, but she expertly rode as they jumped into the air behind her. They missed her by inches each time. She had bought as much time as she could.
Maela screamed and yelled at the top of her lungs one last time, louder than before, she turned away from the monsters and started riding her gray horse towards the direction of the Keep, trying her best to stay only a single step ahead of the monsters. True to her plan, she had gained the monsters’ full attention and wrath. Most of them immediately followed her in that direction, but four of them still hesitated, and raised their nostrils into the air. They breathed deep as a stray gust of wind carried the scent of Kenji’s party to them. This smaller pack broke away and sprinted towards the carriage instead, their claws destroying the earth in front of them as they ran and shrieked. They were only moments away. Kenji gripped his spear as the carriage started to shake on their approach.
Kenji and the young guard both fell to their knees as the Burrowers crashed into the carriage beneath them, aiming immediately for the smell of the wounded merchant inside. Their slashes broke glass and sent splinters flying. Unchallenged, they would make quick work of the barricade and doors. Kenji gave a loud yell, trying to mimic the sounds Maela had made and stabbed down on the exposed backs of the beasts. The young guard was doing the same on the other half of the roof.
It worked, perhaps a little too well. The mole-things went from trying to burrow through wood, to climbing the carriage and eating whatever was causing them pain. The tips of Kenji’s and the guard’s spears were covered in fresh blood, and their yells were loud enough to keep most of the monsters’ attention. One of them had its head temporarily stuck in the door still, and let out a unique high-pitched yelp as the inside of his mouth was electrocuted. The sound caused the beasts to jump backwards momentarily, facing the direction of the noise. The beast that had been shocked shook himself off, and gave an angry shriek that sent the pack back into a frenzy.
Each of the Bloodscent Burrowers had several spear-wounds on their backs now, but the shallow wounds and the pain didn’t slow them down, it only made them angrier. The guard next to Kenji brought his spear down double handed with all of his might, and lodged it into a good spot. The spear was ripped from his hands, and the beast actually backed off. It spun and rolled to try and dislodge the spear from itself. The guard drew his short sword, and started yelling louder to try and draw the others into his range.
Another beast reached the top of the carriage temporarily on Kenji’s side. Kenji stabbed forward, striking its skull and knocking it back down. He was surprised he had the strength to knock something that large backwards, but the creature’s thick skull deflected the spear’s point from landing a fatal blow. That one, having reached the top of the carriage once, had a new sense for how far up his prey was, took a couple steps back, and tried to pounce on top of Kenji with a single high jump from the ground. Luckily, Kenji had his spear braced in front of him and it absorbed the blow, but the monster continued to slash and push itself closer, ignoring the fact that it was now stabbing itself. The monster toppled backwards, taking the spear with him, but not before slashing Kenji’s left arm with a cut just as deep as Maela’s had been. The wound Kenji’s spear inflicted wasn’t immediately fatal to the jumper, as it also tried to dislodge the piece of wood from its stomach; it would soon succeed in breaking off the exposed half of the spear and resuming the attack. Kenji picked up the sword Maela left him with his good arm, hoping he could make good use of it single-handed. The guard next to him was already busy trying to slash at another.
Below them, the priestess and the young boy were each pushing against one of the doors, trying to slow down the one that was still fixated on the merchant’s scent. Aito had shocked it half a dozen times, but it no longer feared the sensation. The beast finally clamped its jaws down on Aito’s arm, bending metal but getting a jolt of electricity directly into its mouth as well. The burrower jumped back, startled at the sensation and the lack of blood from its prey, it made another high pitched yelp which shook the pack out of its frenzy momentarily. They each raised their noses into the air, reacquiring their prey.
Except for one, the Burrower stabbed by the guard at the beginning of the battle was now bleeding profusely, laying on its side and making small shrieks as it started to lose consciousness. The other three turned to their brother and the prey-noises he was making, and fell upon him with an immediate savagery. Like piranhas in a frenzy, they were making quick work of their wounded kin. Blind to everything except the smell of blood and the screams of the fallen. Kenji understood Maela’s words now.
Kenji had a few moments to wrack his brain and try to think of a way out of this situation. He looked at his left arm, bleeding. They had his scent now too, and it didn’t look like these monsters were the type of animal that would realize their stomachs were full while they still smelled blood. He tried his best to imagine them as animals instead of monsters. What might work against them?
He had an idea, but he wasn’t sure if it would work. If it didn’t, there was a very good chance they wouldn’t all survive the next charge. “Aito! They have a strange reaction to high-pitched noises! Especially the ones they made when you got them right in the mouth! You know what I’m talking about?”
From below him, Aito’s voice called back out. “I think I know what you are thinking! I’ll see if my speakers can handle it!” Soon, a high-pitched noise, well above what a human could truly appreciate, sounded out from the carriage. It was the sound of a microphone too close to a speaker at a rock concert. The pieces of unbroken glass started to crack. The frequency and volume was intense enough to hurt Kenji’s ears.
But if the noise was painful for people, it was even worse for the mole-monsters. They lifted their bloody snouts from their fallen comrade and tried to look around with their weak eyes, but it was this sound that truly blinded them. They snapped out of their blood-frenzies and felt a real fear. They didn’t fear pain, they feared the helplessness of losing their senses.
The noise didn’t immediately stop the way it had when one of the beasts yelped in a moment of surprise. So, like frightened animals, they turned and ran away as fast as they could, in the general direction Maela and the rest of the pack had run. The one that still had Kenji’s spear in its stomach fell over, the wild adrenaline of the hunt no longer carrying him forward. The guard and Kenji jumped down and finished it off quickly, before it could make the dying sounds that would bring the rest of them back. Kenji was surprised at how well Maela’s sword could cut, it didn’t even look particularly sharp.
Soon, the noise from Aito cut off, replaced by a sad static sound. Kenji ran over and checked on the others. The Priestess and the merchant’s son seemed okay, if exhausted, the merchant himself looked like he slept through the entire battle. However Aito was the most banged up out of any of them. His right arm, the one that held his trusty zapper, was bent out of shape and when he tried to speak there was a static clicking noise.
Kenji, seeing Aito in that shape, immediately gathered him into his arms and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry Aito! I’ll fix you, I promise. I wasn’t really going to kick you earlier.” Tears flowed unashamedly down Kenji’s face as he apologized to the teddy-bear. Aito would have told Kenji it was okay and probably just a loose wire, but his speakers were blown.
While everyone else checked in on each other to make sure the other humans were still alive, Kenji kept telling Aito about how he would make it up to him. This continued for quite some time.
image [https://i.imgur.com/BzxX102.jpg]
End Chapter 9: Omnistra’s Gifts
Next: Chapter 10: Upgrades and Repairs
image [https://i.imgur.com/I2233Q1.jpg]