Jet ducked under a swing of a wooden sword while getting ready to strike. Unfortunately, he got struck first. He fell to the ground and heaved on the ground. Luckily he hadn't eaten yet. But he had figured something out, just because he was sparring with two people. They wouldn't go easy on him.
"You alright?" One of them asked.
"Yup, blood and sweat keeps the world moving. While sitting makes the world stop." Jet finally got some air to stay in his lungs. Then the man reached down to help him up. "Thanks, Joey."
"Blood and sweat keeps the world moving. While sitting makes the world stop. Huh, I like that." Joey rubbed his chin in thought.
'Great now I'm bringing my dad's sayings to this world.' Jet patted the dirt off his clothes and prepared for another round, he also switched to his left hand. Sparring made his wrists hurt. Although it surprised everyone he could use both hands.
Before he had time to prepare both Rick and Joey came at Jet. His body relaxed as he did what he did on his games. Reacting without thinking he dodged both swings. Jet's body loosened as he moved between their swings. The problem was hitting them. However, he didn't stop trying his swings would come close to hitting Rick. Which he knew meant he had come nowhere close. Rick tended to use as little movement as possible. So he used that to try hitting Joey, by making it look like he was trying to hit Rick. But just before Jet's practice sword hit the surprised Joey, Rick deflected the sword and it fell from his hand.
"Damn kid, you're going to be a monster when you grow up." Joey was surprised by Jet's ability to learn.
"If there is a monster here, it's Rick." Jet frowned.
"I'm not a monster, just took my training seriously," Rick said as he walked off to go eat.
"Jet who is Rick?" Joey asked.
"Not sure, he just said I got potential." Jet used one of the many lies for situations like this. Although he did wonder who Rick really was.
"Well, something about him strikes a nerve. But I can't quite place him." Joey stood there in thought. "Whatever, considering his skills he is a master. So I'm sure he is known in some circles."
Jet just watched as Joey walked away. Then he looked into the forest and immediately caught the guy following them. The guy was terrible at his job. What he couldn't figure out why they haven't taken the guy out. But, they had asked him not to do anything stupid. He was going to complain, but looking back on his life. Needless to say, he didn't argue.
Jet went and sat next to Rick to eat. "So why is Captain Coal letting that scout follow us?" He asked as he ate but then realized Rick was staring at him. "Am I not supposed to talk about that."
Rick leaned in and whispered. "What are you talking about."
Jet had figured Rick was told and the look he was getting he was in trouble. So Jet explained what he saw. "After that Charlotte came back and told me to keep quiet. That Captain Coal had a plan." He said the last sentence slowly and groaned. "Shit."
"Stay here," Rick said as he walked off towards Coal.
While Rick talked with Coal, Jet noticed himself and Charlotte were being looked at. Did he really just fall for a trick. Charlotte seemed so honest, yet she hadn't actually told coal. Then he realized Charlotte was looking towards Coal and Rick, then looked at him. She got up and started to slowly walk out of the camp. Jet being the idiot he was got up and snuck off with her.
It turned out Jet couldn't sneak. Charlotte walked up behind him when he lost track of her. When he turned she had a knife at his throat and the guy following them had a fireball in his hand. Joey was thrown down in front of him gagged and bleeding. The shock in Joey's eyes was apparent, it looked like Jet had betrayed them too.
"Jet you just had to say something. You know I really liked you." Charlotte said while smiling at him. "But nothing personal."
'Crap, Crap, Crap.' Jet repeated in his mind. Why had he followed a woman he suspected lied and tricked him. "You're right, nothing personal." He leaned back as she tried to slice his throat. His neck got cut but just a scratch. He kicked Charlotte in the chest and reached up and grabbed his sword off his back. Then cut the rope wrapped around Joey's hands. Looking back at Charlotte she had fallen into the scout, his fireball caught them on fire.
Jet grabbed Joey and helped him up. They said nothing as Jet helped him run away. After a while Jet stopped and looked at Joey's wound. "Joey, why are you out here?"
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"I followed you." Joey wheezed out.
"Obviously, but why?"
"I noticed you told Rick something, then you snuck off after Charlotte. So I followed."
"I just can't believe Charlotte betrayed us." Jet thought aloud. He couldn't seem to find the wound on Joey and frowned.
Joey smiled and shook his head. When he got up he looked Jet in the eyes. "Sorry Jet, I do like you. But you are just too observant."
"Seriously, you're in on." Jet stopped and realized he had no clue what was going on. "What is going on?"
"Sorry Jet, but again nothing personal." Joey pulled out a short sword.
Jet just sighed. 'Great the two people I got along with happen to be criminals.' So now he was out in the forest alone. Rick was not going to let him live this down if he lives.
Joey swung at Jet, who stepped back to dodge. He swung at Joey who dodged with ease. It was obvious Joey had been taking it easy on Jet in the duels. However, Jet didn't give up easily. Joey down swung at Jet and he sidestepped while hitting Joey's blade from the side. Joey quickly sideswiped at Jet for a follow-through. Jet parried, letting the sword slide past himself.
Jet rounded a tree so he could have time to cast the body-enhancing spell. Then he started a fireball. That hadn't gone well as a sword come close to cutting off his head. However Jet managed to get his sword up in time to parry the blow. Then an air blade sliced through his side. He hadn't had time to dodge the attack. Of course, he hadn't realized the air blade was coming. Since he hadn't actually seen Joey use his magic.
Stumbling Jet managed to parry another sword strike at his stomach. It was no good, Joey wasn't going to give him time to cast a spell. So in the end, Rick was right about needing to learn how to defend. But he didn't have time to dwell on the past. Jet saw that Joey was about to cast another wind blade. To stop the spell Jet walked forward into him, throwing off Joey's spell. Joey then decided to lunge at him with the sword. Using his sword Jet slightly sidestepped while using his sword to parry. But this time Jet's sword slid down Joey's sword, and he sliced into Joey's side.
"As I said, you could become a true monster with your skills." Joey grabbed his side wincing in pain.
"Joey why?" Jet asked because he had no clue what was going on.
"Simple, I do what I am paid to do."
"And that is?" Jet kept him distracted.
"Sorry Jet, but I am a professional." Joey looked at Jet then cast another wind blade.
Jet cast a fireball at the same time, which went straight through the wind and hit Joey. He then took off running back towards camp or would have if he hadn't lost track of his location. Ducking behind a tree Jet just missed getting hit with an arrow. During the fight, he had noticed the other two catching up with him. There was no way he would win a fight against all three of them at once.
After Jet ran for a while he found that he couldn't get away. He quickly hid behind a tree to dodge another arrow. Wheezing in pain from the slice in his side, Jet really wished he had his bow now. Starting a fireball spell Jet got ready to fight back. Only one problem though, he hadn't started his magic training quite yet. He understood a few spells and that would just have to do.
Jet prepared to move away from the tree and dodge an arrow immediately. After a deep breath, he walked out and dodged the arrow, then cast the fireball right at them. Joey tried to use his wind to block, but the scout cast an earthen wall. Jet immediately ran a little further then hid behind a tree. As he prepared another fireball, something about the casting made him stop. This was not the first time he had noticed something while casting.
Jet being distracted almost got hit by an arrow that blew through the tree. 'Ok, I am so screwed right now.' He thought trying to figure out what to do. Then he heard screams coming from the three attacking him. When Jet looked around the tree he saw Rick and three bodies around him. He just walked over to Rick, who was eyeing Jet with disappointment.
"I," Jet started.
"You didn't want to believe that she betrayed you. Jet, the world is a cruel place." Rick had a faraway look in his eyes.
Jet just sat there as someone looked over his wound. Rick and Coal were talking over the new corpses. Apparently, Rick killed them when Jet had thought he knocked them out.
"Well, you are lucky. If this cut was any deeper, you'd have a punctured lung." The man said after healing Jet.
"Thanks, Kula." Jet said as he walked off. Then he watched as Rick got done talking to Coal. Rick walked over to Jet and looked down at him.
They didn't talk as they made their way back to the camp. Jet had made a serious mistake, it had turned out Charlotte hadn't told Coal. She had just acted as she had done so. Making it out like they had wanted to keep an eye on the scout. When in reality the story was just to keep Jet from talking. Joey most likely made friends with him to be close. So he could sit in around Jet and Rick to listen.
Everyone was sitting around while Coal took a person into a tent one at a time. Jet assumed everyone was being interrogated, so he waited with the rest of them. What he didn't understand is why Rick was helping in the tent. If it were him in Coal's shoes, the two newcomers would be on the top of his list. Then again, Rick seemed to know Coal and vice versa. People tended to look at Rick and try to remember who he is. Jet had even had a few people ask him, not just Joey.
After what felt like hours, which was only thirty minutes. Jet noticed someone that was waiting to go in got up and looked to be sneaking away. Well, he didn't actually sneak, the guy walked casually. Jet not wanting to look stupid again leaned over to and talked to the woman next to him. "Hey Vera"
Vera looked at him. "What?"
Jet nodded his head towards the man currently trying to look suspicious. "That man hasn't gone in the tent yet." He hadn't talked to him. The guy who ignored Jet.
Vera got to her feet. "Hey Ikle, where are you going?" She pulled her bow out and readied an arrow. At this point, others had got to their feet. Ikle took off and didn't get far. They dragged him to the tent and explained to Coal what had happened.
It didn't take much longer for the rest of them to get investigated. Rick walked over to Jet who sat by a fire. "You're learning. At least I didn't have to go save you again."
Jet looked to Rick. "Rick, I know I'm a pain in the ass." Rick nodded at this. "If you hadn't saved me, I would be dead now. So from now on, I promise to work my hardest when we train."