The entire bar had gone completely silent. Mercenaries and common folk alike had all begun to mug Akira. Then, after about half a minute, the whole bar burst into laughter. This random young man had declared to a bunch of "weapons for hire" that he was going to take down monsters he presumably knew nothing of. There was a young boy sitting next to Akira, but unlike everybody else, he was not laughing. Instead, he was grinning ear to ear with excitement. Akira looked around at the bar, though he wasn’t surprised since he knew just how much he stuck out. He didn’t look rough and tough like the mercenaries but wasn’t a normal guy, just some peculiar kid with a sword. As the laughter calmed down, he began to speak again, though in a much more serious tone.
“There has been unrest for years in the towns that occupy the outskirts of the western border and it’s understandable. I myself have also observed a pattern. Every year a town at the border has it’s whole population disappear.”
Ren and Angel are shocked by this information as they have spent the last few years in a mining facility.
Akira continued, “hey, Mr. Bandit sir, are you sure about the pattern of the attacks?”
The bandit nodded. “If I’m correct then their next target is Zero.”
Arbie shouted in frustration, “DAMMIT! THAT’S WHERE MY BUTCHER SHOP IS!”
“Then it’s settled. I shall follow this small meat man back to Anti Peak and unmask these so-called demons.”
Arbie was too weirded out by Akira to care about his comment on his height. He just wanted his business to survive. The whole bar began to chat once again, though this time it was about the overly confident kid who claimed he was going to be the next Pillar of Fawn. Akira and Arbie step outside to talk. At this point, Angel and Ren are surprised by the amount of new information they had just got.
“Angel! This is a lot to take in. This means that It wasn’t just us. So many people...gone.”
“I know. There’s also the patterns as well. I think we’ll have much more luck looking for these creatures than Momoko and Hisa. My main concern is if they’re still ali-”
“They’re alive. They have to be.”
Angel stood still and watched Ren clench his fist with resolve. He smirked.
“Then how about we follow the short guy to Anti Peak too. We don’t know how long it’ll be before those creatures show up but we could just wait there until something happens for the next while.”
“That sounds like the move to me!”
The boys left the bar and approached Akira who was standing with Arbie and the young boy from the bar.
“Hey! My name’s Ren and this right here is my brother Angel. We saw what you were saying in the bar and wondered if we could tag along. It would be a pleasure to be able to travel with such an ambitious warrior like yourself.”
Akira pauses for a moment then begins to blush. He clears his throat. “I-I m-mean, if you w-want to then I do-d-don’t mind.”
Angel had looked behind Akira and noticed a young olive skinned boy. “Who is he?”
Akira looked at the boy and answered. “This is my student Rashid! He’s training under me to become a great warrior so that when I become a Pillar, he can stand by my side!”
Ren was confused. “What’s this Pillar of Fawn thing you keep talking about”
“Ptff, well I guess commoners in this country don’t know that much about other places outside of their own town. The Pillars of Fawn are our neighboring countries finest warriors. They are the legs that hold up the throne and are well respected by many governments throughout the continent, unlike Kazahana’s 12 seasons who are more feared than anything. A Pillar of Fawn is just the coolest thing you can be! Theres s-”
“Okay okay we get it you can shut up now.” Angel was getting annoyed by Akira.
The 5 of them took the day to rest and set out the next morning.
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The group began traveling through the forest on a Mule drawn wagon. They spent most of the ride listening to Akira talk about warriors and righteousness. He had a huge fixation on this idea of being this perfect knight like figure. Eventually, Angel cracked and decided to ask him about it.
“So, Mr. ‘Protector of Justice’, what in the world made you so driven to be a warrior for Fawn? You’re not even from there.”
Akira smiled at Angel with a sense of excitement. Angel whispered to ren "this guy’s off his meds."
“When I was younger I lived with my family in a small village in the southern plains on Fuji Island. We weren’t very wealthy or strong so we often got bullied by the notorious gangs that run rampant in East Kazahana. Sadly that was not the worst of it. Soon, Terra Marique began their invasion of southern Kazahana. They had religious motivations and decided that our home rightfully belonged to them. Since the border between East Kazahana and Terra Marique had never been solidified, conflict was very prominent. Amidst all that was happening, my village got caught in the fighting. I lost everything and had to migrate north with my father. However, on the day my village was burned to the ground, I found something. A goal I could dedicate my life towards.”
Ren was fully engaged with Akira’s story. “What did you find?”
Akira smirked. “I found a role model. You see, the only reason me and my father made it out alive was because of a Pillar of Fawn named Sniper Jay. He had fended off what seemed like an army, and helped us escape. And after all that, I asked him if I can be someone like him, and he said, ‘don't ask me, ask yourself.’ So that’s when I decided to dedicate my life to the path of the warrior!”
Ren took a liking to Akira after hearing about his past.
“It’s guys like you who make me love people.”
Everyone on the wagon looked at Ren as he shed a tear when he said that. He realised he changed the mood and decided to get back on topic.
“So how did you meet Rashid?”
Akira’s face grew a smug look. “He was captivated by my bravery and awesomeness!”
Rashid interjected. “And his recruitment poster looked cool. I was the only person who came to meet him though.”
Akira’s soul left his body out of the sheer embarrassment of having no other students. Ren began laughing.
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After a few days, the crew arrives at the town Anti Peak (aka Zero). The Town was pretty large and buzzing with life. It got its name from being located at the base of the northern mountains of West and East Kazahana. The town crosses directly over the border so it’s a big point of interest for travelers.
After arriving at the butcher shop, Arbie tells the boys that he only has one extra bed. Akira calls the bed and Rashid says that he doesn’t mind sharing it with him. Since there isn’t enough space for Ren and Angel, Arbie gives directions to a nearby inn that can house them. On the way the two discuss their plans while they are in town.
“Okay Ren, our main goal is still going to be information gathering. We still don’t know much about these creatures so while we’re here, we gotta gather as much intel as we can on them, preferably before their next attack.”
“Why not just wait till they attack so that we can catch one of them and question it directly?”
“Because not only do we not know when they will attack, but we have no idea how strong they are. It'd be better if we knew more about them before running into them.”
Both boys went silent. For the first time in years, they felt like they might be making meaningful progress towards finding out what happened.
“You know Ren...”
“Yeah?”
“...it’s going to be a new moon tonight.”
Ren smirked as he looked into the sky. “Oh the Kazahenian Emperors last words right? A new beginning for our journey.”
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The boys make it to the inn but run into an issue. They left their bags at Arbie’s place. Ren tries to smooth talk the receptionist to get in.
“Hello miss! Has anyone told you how lovely you look? I bet all the other grannies are jealous of your beauty huh.”
Instead of being flattered, the receptionist was enraged.
“YOU CALLING ME OLD BRAT!?”
She proceeded to yell at Ren for a bit until someone interjected.
“Ma’am please. You’re too lovely to be this upset by the words of a peasant.”
Ren, Angel, and the receptionist looked up to see a tall dark man standing over them.
“If money is the issue don’t worry about it, I can pay for their room.”
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