[Summer – Dew Fall Forest]

The echoes of the gunshot rippled through the usually quiet Dew Fall Forest, heard easily for a mile around. Jennings limped to his feet with the help of Penny after letting out a noticeable sigh. Making their way toward Poni who had emerged from hiding, Jennings caught his breath.

“Well...that was quite the lil' skirmish, huh?” Jennings inquired rhetorically. “There was a split second where I was sorta' worried to be quite frank.”

He looked down at the dirt floor that he’d just been drug across, burns and scrapes still aching. The hot wind pushed wobbling leaves all round, prompting another remark.

“Been a lotta these moments lately…”

He arose to his feet, with Penny’s assistance.

“You know, Miss Penny, what I saw on that piece of news?” He continued, “A $1,000,000 bounty for my head, dead or alive. Who would've known that I'd be so popular? This head right her' speaking is the most expensive halfway corpse I've ever heard.”

Jennings looked distraught, yet still willed his way to climb up and onto Poni. He was still being aided by Penny and spoke with a delayed, almost lost expression.

“It's only gonna' get tougher. I think I know someone that might be able to help. Gonna find a man named Leeroy Danigan.”

Penny listened intently. Jennings explained his friendship with an experienced blacksmith in the neighboring city of Parso.

He had known Leeroy since he first got involved with the Sharks growing up. Jennings believed that he could help patch up his injuries and perhaps even, if they're lucky, provide further insight to what is happening with the recent appearance of shadow Agists and their heightened presence.

The party of friends decide that it is no longer safe to stay in Dew Fall City any longer since they had already been tracked down once. They had fled to the outskirts of town as a temporary solution.

As the group traveled to Parso saddled on Poni, Jennings rested his head on the shoulder of Penny and drifted off to sleep, overcome with exhaustion. Penny asked Poni as Jennings lay silent, resting on her.

“So, is he-, well are we going to be alright Poni?”

Poni looked back at the obviously shaken young women and replied.

“You know, it's been quite a damn while since I've seen him this beat. He's down, but he’s known for always getting back up. Don't worry about him, Miss May. The best thing we can do is listen.”

Jennings had already nodded off into unconsciousness atop his horse.

Penny looked a bit more comforted with the wise words from the horse as they continued onward to their destination, accompanied by the bright sunny day. A forecast which Penny hoped was symbolic of their near future.

[Summer – Parso]

After traveling a full day, Penny and the others entered the Parso city limits, only able to wish that word about them hadn't spread to Parso faster than they had. Jennings seemed to be healing slightly from his injuries although his leg wound caused excruciating amounts of pain at times.

Even with his high pain threshold, there would be moments where a simple uneasy bump in the road led to an outburst of irritation from Jennings on the back of Poni.

“Ah!”

“So do you know where this Leeroy guy sets up shop still?” Penny asked Jennings. He chuckled a bit before answering.

“Shit, knowing Leeroy he wouldn't have moved a damn inch. You see, me and Leeroy go way back and we used to be quite close until he got out of Sureal in a hurry one Sun. You know Miss May, trust isn't exactly a word I throw around like a hot potater, but when it comes to Leeroy, I'd trust that hairy fucker with my life.”

“Good... it's always nice to have the luxury of trusting someone, like for me with my fath-,” she stumbled into sharp memories before proceeding, “We'd always say something. -Let's go ahead and get you to Leeroy.”

She looked off into the distance.

When they arrived at the blacksmith shop, a sign over the door read “Parso's Finest Blacksmith.” As they entered the heavy, wooden door of the property, loud clanking sounds of metal hitting each other seem to vibrate from the back room of the establishment.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Various scraps of metal aligned every window sill visible as Jennings limped gingerly to the dusty front counter, he yelled out.

“C'mon now, I know you ain't working too damn hard back there to not greet your customers!” in a playful tone.

From the back of the shop emerged a middle-aged, balding man with dirt and metal debris covering practically every square inch of his upper body. He wore a disheveled look as if he’d just come back from a cross-country caravan.

After realizing it was an old buddy of his, the man quickly changed his facial expression to a more welcoming look before shouting back.

“Well I'll be a son of a moist Charlie, if it isn't J.J. Cool himself standing before me!”

The two men locked grips with a firm handshake over the counter. Their elbows slammed down, and any layman bystander would think a drink-off was about to commence with the audio level of this invigorated banter.

The only interfering detail was Leeroy himself, who noticed that Penny was taken aback at the moment, unable to contain her disinterest in their reunion.

“So what brings me the pleasure J.J.? And furthermore, who might this young lady be? You ain't taking hostages now are you J.J.?”

Leeroy asked with an impish grin.

“Leeroy Danigan I'd like you to meet Miss Penny May, from Dew Fall City.”

Penny outstretched her hand for a handshake, which Leeroy grabbed and kissed the back of gently before responding.

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

If he could flutter his eyelashes successfully, he failed his attempt. She stood, peering at his filthy hands, but chose to make an extra effort and not attempt to ruin her first impression with Leeroy.

“As for why I'm here,” Jennings went on, “I have a couple friendly requests I'd like to burden you with. I may need Dr. Danigan to make a quick appearance.”

Gesturing bluntly toward his injured side. Blood was now beginning to soak the pants leg, visible to any passer-by, and that would not suffice for the high profile fugitive.

“So I see, people don't change,” joked Leeroy. “Come on back here and we'll stitch you up on my workbench, you tool.”

After Leeroy altered his sign hanging toward the front of the blacksmith institution to the closed position, they moved on to the backroom. He set his bag down with a charismatic thud as Jennings prepared to receive his much needed medical attention.

As the fat-fingered man rustled through his supplies at hand, he cursed aloud with every prick of sharp metal or other painful object from within the bag.

Bandaged, Jennings’ injured limb dangled off the makeshift operating table. Leeroy instructed him to stop whining, continuing to dart his glances from injury to gash, and applying pressure and sterile pads where needed.

“It's been quite a damn while since I've seen ya' J.J. Shit, I know it's been even longer since I saw ya' in this type of shape. What kinda' shenanigans have you been gettin’ into nowadays?”

Penny and Jennings took a second to glance at each other before Jennings decided to reply.

“Well, I was actually hoping you might be able to help us out a bit with more than just some limb trouble. You ev’r hear anything about some shade magic, or shadow Agi?”

What little light that had crept into their presence would flicker with every passing cloud, yet nature even stopped the wind for a response from Jennings. Leeroy looked up, and then peered toward the front where they had recently entered through.

“My man J.J., trouble seems to follow you like stink on shit don't it?”

After a disconcerting pause, Leeroy began to elaborate.

“These are the type of people your momma' warned you to stay away from. The rumors started surfacing a few months back about a new form of Agists that had some sort of unknown agenda. When veteran criminals like Benny 'Bad Bull' Dennison and Pete 'Death Snake' Raunders started showing up dead, people instantly took notice that these are the kinda' people you don't wanna' fuck with.”

He sighed.

“To be frank, no one knows much about them since anyone who knew anything are now partaking in their afterlife. All I can tell ya' is that they seem to be trying a new form of Agi that seems to be pushing the boundaries of modern Agists. I figure if anyone had known about this type of stuff it’d been you.”

After ingesting what Leeroy had proclaimed, Jennings expressed his feelings about these shadow Agists.

“I seen it with my own two, Leeroy. Their style is somethin' outlandish and did stuff I ain't even think was possible. I need info, or it's gonna' be a sad ending to this J.J.’s story.”

Sweat saturated the outline of his clothing. His usual nonchalant approach to life was invisible while he discussed his latest opposition.

“I can tell this shadow Agi business has been weighing on your mind J.J,” added Penny.

Leeroy spoke.

“It never hurts to be prepared so I can't blame ya' on that one. There might be someone that can help once you start being able to walk like a normal fell’r again.”

As if Jennings took the last statement as a challenge, he sprang to his feet like a spry youngster and answered back. He felt the pain, but refused to show it.

“Walking ain't that tall of a task.” Jennings swung himself carelessly near his company, who remained unimpressed. Leeroy grabbed Jennings, keeping him from falling again.

“The Coldsmith.”

Leeroy impeded Jennings' performance by uttering a name, one unfamiliar to Jennings. The shocked renegade turned with furrowed brows in his friend's direction. He had never heard that name.

“Word is, there's a man from a far-off country that recently arrived in this part of town. If the things I'm hearing about this gent are correct, he might even be a better ice Agist than yourself.”

They share a glance.

“Witnesses claim this man incorporates a unique approach to his ice Agi by forging weapons during combat. It may be worth looking into, young man. If my sources are correct this guy is one of a kind; apparently no one has been able to emulate his craft just yet.”

Jennings thought aloud, “Hmm, that does itch my interest quite a bit. You always come through for me, brother.”

They shook hands.

“If I was your brother I'd beat you up.”

Leeroy laughed. After more conversation on the topic and the shopkeeper sharing the possible location of the Coldsmith within town, the pair said their parting words to the kind blacksmith as they approached the door.

Before they could leave, Leeroy shouted from behind.

“Wait! I almost forgot about your best pal.”

Leeroy reached under his counter and pulled out a small sack, handing it to his outlaw and friend.

“It's a bag of banana chips for Mr. Poni outside. That should get him to shut up for about ten seconds.”