Chapter 3.1 

Izumi

Immediately after our departure, Wilson started asking questions, much to my annoyance.

"So what are ladies such as yourselves doing out here?" Wilson asked, as we slowly jogged along. "And with such a man? Why."

"First, I'm not a lady. I build things, not attend fancy parties and act snooty. The name's Izumi, and her name is Danya, so please, just call us that." WIlson looked at me questioningly.

"Alright... Izumi. I have never heard that name before." I rolled my eyes.

"Figures, but whatever. Second, I gotta ask, please try to speak clearer. I can barely understand you. That's gonna be a problem, and one that we need to fix. Finally, as to why we're here..." I paused, weighing my options. I considered just up and telling the man everything, but decided against it. Drawing the least attention possible would be best, and proclaiming that we were some sort of alien-like beings that were teleported here by an experiment gone wrong would accomplish exactly the opposite. "We were traveling by, when we noticed that you had gotten yourself thrown out of your house, so we decided to do something." Wilson blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"May I ask, why?" Wilson asked, looking me up and down. The environment around us had started to change, from fields to forest, and trees started lining the road.

"You obviously are nobility, judging by the quality of your clothes and accent, though they are unlike any others I have ever seen. Why would you help a lowly peasant?" I chuckled, despite myself at his description of us.

"Does the fact that you're a peasant matter?" Danya asked. Wilson opened his mouth to answer, most likely literally, but I spoke before he could.

"Rhetorical question." I clarified. "What she meant, was that just because you're a plain old farmer doesn't mean you don't deserve justice. Plus we are Omega, even if I'm only a 'geek' and Danya's a rookie. Protecting people is kinda our job."

"Wait." Wilson stopped, eyes suddenly filled with worry. "Omega? Is that a mage guild?" I shrugged.

"Sure... Is that a problem?" I asked. I could tell something I'd said had disturbed him.

"You act like you've no idea about how the world works." He observed.

"Well, you're not necessarily wrong." Danya conceded. Wilson looked shocked. "We've been traveling for a long time. We were sent out to study the world for our country, which is quite remote."

"You don't know about the Medriane Empire?" Wilson asked, incredulously. By now, our pace had slowed to a walk so that we could speak without panting.

"I do now." I giggled. I hated it when I did that, but I couldn't help myself as I studied the look of pure shock that passed over Wilson's face.

"Are you serious? The Medriane Empire is the largest nation on the continent!"

"I'll take your word for it." Wilson's mouth quickly shut as he stared at me. There was silence after that, and as Wilson processed what he had learned, I resisted the urge to giggle again.

"So why are you here?" Wilson suddenly asked. Danya was pointing at some buildings in the distance as we crested a ridge, and I was busy following her finger. I looked to him questioningly.

"I told you, already, we're here for information. Please, do try to listen, at least a little."

"Not here in the Empire." Wilson clarified, ignoring my sass. "I mean you going with me to Saten, instead of the man. Why? Pardon me, but you do not seem to be physically meant for fighting, though your weapon is certainly impressive."

"What was that?" I growled, temper flaring. Wilson stepped back hastily, nearly tripping into the ravine running along the road in the process.

"I was just wondering!" Wilson pleaded, holding his hands out in surrender. I took deep breaths, and quickly calmed myself.

"Okay." I sighed, once I had cooled off. "Ask me your question again, minus the part about how I'm... unimposing. I kinda have a... thing about that."

"Sorry." Wilson said sheepishly. "I didn't realize how different our backgrounds really were, to the point where someone such as yourself could be considered normal for a warrior." I mentally restrained myself, for both our sakes.

"Is this normal?" Wilson turned, asking Danya. She shrugged.

"Couldn't say." She answered. I sighed.

"Unfortunately, it is. I suppose I... should apologize as well. My temper never has been the best. Ask me your question. I'll answer it as well as I can." I resumed examining the buildings in the distance, which were noticeably closer than before.

"Saten." Wilson explained, noticing my gaze. "That's our destination, but we still have some time. So, back to my question, why are you here instead of the gentleman?" I sighed again.

"Well, remember when I said I built things? Well, Gray's job is combat, specifically, dealing with abnormal combat situations. And, while Danya also has plenty of training in preparation for entering the same field, I'm assuming she doesn't much experience." I looked back at her for confirmation, and she nodded. "Now, that doesn't mean we can't fight, it just means that Gray's better at it. The problem is, now that we're here, we need to figure out a plan of action. Gray's probably working on one as we speak, but he needs some peace and quiet to do so." Wilson looked thoughtful as I explained, but remained silent. He asked no more questions as we started to jog again, and we soon reached the outskirts of Saten.

"This building here should be it." Wilson said, suddenly stopping. We had made our way into the heart of Saten in complete silence, earning a few glares along the way. Most of the townsfolk were dressed the same as Wilson, albeit a bit flashier, but they obviously resented the quality and cut of my clothing. I had caught several staring, only to see them quickly avert their eyes nervously in response. It was not what I would call a warm welcome. I looked around our surroundings, noticing that we were just outside the central city square. Wilson was currently pointing at a large building in front of us.

"Alright." I sighed, swinging my Scion around to my front. I flipped it on it's side, and began toggling the power switches on the side.

"Danya, I need you and Wilson to guide the slaves out of there, while I deal with the guards. Keep them calm, and don't let them just rush out, control them as best you can. Keep them in order, and this'll be much easier, not to mention faster, which considerably lessens our chances of dying." Wilson and Danya nodded their assent, so I continued. "Wilson, do you have any magic of your own? Or a weapon?"

"No." Wilson answered regretfully. "I was not permitted to join a mage academy due to my standing, and weapons are too expensive."

"Alright," I sighed, running through my plan in my head. "That makes this harder. As soon as we take down a guard, take whatever weapon he had, and use it to defend yourself and the slaves. I am guessing you don't have much experience with weapons either, but the theory is simple enough. Swing at the person, don't get hit, repeat until they stop." I chuckled softly. "That's a gross understatement, of course, but that's all there is to it."

"I'll keep an eye on you, but I'll be a bit busy." Danya reassured, face grim. "I'd prefer not to kill anyone though." Wilson nodded, a grim determination taking over his features.

"Let's get this over with."

A small ball of dark red flame appeared in my hand as I coaxed my Arcan to life. It sat, flickering around in the faint wind blowing down the street for several moments as I steadied my breathing. Once I felt it was powerful enough, I hurled it at the doors of the warehouse. It exploded in a bright flash on contact, expanding into a crimson plume of fire and black smoke. The door exploded outwards, raining splinters of burning wood on the street outside and catching several small weeds on fire. We rushed in, and I quickly surveyed the situation. I counted eleven guards among the various crates and boxes, with various weapons, standing around the warehouse floor. There also was a catwalk, with several guards occupying it as well. These ones were all equipped with bows instead, arrows visible in their quivers. All the melee fighters wore plate armor, and the closest one was standing in front of a cage that sat in the near right corner of the warehouse, where the slaves were held. I fired a single round towards the guard near the cage. Taking advantage of his surprise. It collided with the man in a bright explosion, knocking him with a scream into the bars of the cage. A few of the slaves screamed in response.

"Wilson!" I called, gesturing to the mace the guard had previously held. He rushed forward and grabbed it. Danya had shot two rounds in the time it took for Wilson to retrieve his new weapon, knocking a guard off the catwalk overlooking the floor, before his bow could launch any arrows. The third was on its way, when Wilson called out to me.

"Izumi! It's locked!" He shouted ,voice filled with fear.

"Kinda busy!" I huffed. The remaining guards' shock had broken, and they were currently swarming me and Danya. In their haste, they had forgotten about the archers, and their proximity actually prevented them from doing anything, for risk of hitting them.

I jumped over an axe aimed at my feet just in time as a guard lumbered past, and immediately another guard attempted to split me, crown to navel. My PDW panned upwards and he wailed like a banshee, clutching his face. The man stumbled back, colliding with one of his comrades, who attempted to push him aside roughly. The man shifted his dying friend from in front of him, only to be struck by a simple fireball from me, and he too fell back screaming. Then, the guard with the axe charged again, this time towards my back. I rolled under his swing, the blade grazing the side of my temple, and nimbly delivered a kick engulfed in flames to his back that sent him the way of the others. A shot of pain ran through my body, and I could feel the blood running down the side of my face, plastering hair to my head. Grimacing, I focused my Arcan around my head, and the wound closed as the resulting heat dried the blood and formed a closure. The guards, thankfully, had fallen back, most likely debating their options. I looked over, to see Danya, completely unharmed, with two bodies at her feet. Her rifle was slung over her shoulder, and instead, a thin blade sat in her left hand, the end dripping blood. The respite was short, and the remaining guards advanced again, following an arrow that just barely managed to miss it's mark.

"Tell them to move away from the lock!" I ordered Wilson, as two more guards closed in, ready to strike. I quickly dispatched one with another round, this time to the joint between the armor's arm and shoulder, and the other with a strike to the back of the head from my elbow as he rushed past, sword swinging. I adjusted my Scion's power settings with a switch near the trigger during my brief break, and aimed at the cage before firing once. A shower of sparks exploded out from where my round intersected the bars, melting the lock, as well as a good portion of the cage itself. The door swung open, albeit only on one hinge, causing the slaves stuck inside to rush out, though they carefully avoided the dripping bars. Wilson did his best to guide them, as they fled out the hole in the front of the door, while I watched from the corner of my eye. Danya, her rifle back to her shoulder and the sword gone, backpedaled slowly after him.

The remaining guards, observing the fate of their comrades, had wisely chosen not to attack again. They stood, watching me in turn, keeping their hands near their weapons, or in the case of the lone archer remaining, an arrow nocked.

"Who dares attack the Tarin guild?" A guard shouted, eyes hard. His voice rang with authority in the silence, the only sound groans and sizzling otherwise.

"It's funny," I mocked, moving my focus to the guard, and bringing my Scion with it. "The last person who said that is just as dead as you'll be if you don't shut the hell up!" The guard gritted his teeth, and opened his mouth to speak in defiance, but was interrupted.

"Izumi!" Danya Called from outside.

"Sorry to end our nice little chat, but I have somewhere to be." I spoke, mockingly cheerful. I slowly backed out of the building, sights trained on the same guard who had spoken. Wilson entered my peripheral vision as I exited, always keeping my eyes on the entrance to the warehouse. He was brandishing his new mace, while the slaves were huddled together, watching him with careful eyes. Danya had taken a position a bit ahead of them, watching for any other possible enemies.

"Is this all of them?" I asked cooly.

"No." A girl, dressed similarly to Wilson stepped out of the crowd of slaves, her face dirty and eyes wide. She was absent the scars and wounds of the others, and had obviously not been a slave for very long. She was quite tall, with red-brown hair and matching eyes. Wilson immediately dropped his weapon, and embraced her.

"Leah!" He cried. "I'm so happy you're safe!"

"Sorry to interrupt your reunion," I intruded. "But where are the other slaves?"

"Slave." The girl, Leah, corrected. She wasn't particularly striking, like her father, but had a beautiful voice, like a ringing bell. "She's in her own cage in the back right corner."

"Thanks." I replied. I peered into the smoke exiting from the warehouse through the hole in the door. I could faintly see movement from inside of the warehouse, as the guards presumably moved to secure the remaining slave and goods. I rushed back towards the entrance to the warehouse.

Wilson, Danya!" I called over my shoulder. "Get them out of here now! I'm getting that last slave!"

"Right!" I heard Danya respond.

"Why! She's a.." A slave in the middle of the group started.

"Get moving!" I ordered, ignoring him. I didn't wait to see if the group obeyed me, and charged into the depot once more.

The guards instantly tensed up at my presence. As I thought, they had been moving towards the back right of the warehouse, and some had even sheathed their weapons.

"Get away from that corner!" I yelled out. The guards complied, remembering their performance against me earlier. They slowly moved over to the opposite side of the building, making sure to keep their hands away from their weapons if they were sheathed, and sheathing them if they weren't. One, whose armor was more ornate than the others, stood his ground, gritting his teeth and glaring daggers at me.

"Why do you even want her, she's a." A round exploded in a shower of sparks against the wall behind him, creating a large, steaming hole in the brick. A nearby guard yelped as a fragment of a brick landed on him, igniting his clothes. He hastily started patting the area with his hands, as a comrade rushed over to assist him.

"The next one goes between the eyes." I snarled. While I wasn't as zealous as Gray, I still had an automatic dislike for this kind of person. The man, most likely the commander, shut his mouth, and moved against the left wall with the other guards, though he certainly took his time. I started to walk, deliberately, towards the back right corner, keeping my Scion trained on the commander's heart. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a cage with an open door, and a dark figure sitting inside it in the shadows of the corner.

"Can you walk?" I asked quickly, as I arrived at the entrance to the cage.

"No." Came a soft voice. It sounded like a young girl, which infuriated me. She seemed terrified, and, given her situation, I couldn't blame her, but I was confused.

"Okay." I sighed. I dropped to a knee in front of the figure, forcing myself to calm down.

"Grab on to me." The girl whimpered, but voiced no complaint. I heard the shuffling of fabric before a pair of thin arms wrapped tightly around my neck. I stood up, surprised at how little the girl weighed. She seemed even smaller than me, which wasn't exactly easy. Her arms felt weird where they met my skin, almost like silk, or satin, and had a cool texture. However, there were rougher patches of thicker skin, which I presumed were scars. Whoever this girl was, she had probably been abused terribly.

I slowly started walking towards the entrance again, PDW still trained on the commander. Neither he, nor his men, made any move to stop me, though their glares were deadly enough on their own. When I eventually made it outside, I lept into the air and let my scion draw taut on it's shoulder strap, drawing a stifled groan from my passenger. When I did, fiery wheels appeared under my feet. I landed on them, sparks flying as they pushed into the ground, slightly melting the dirt beneath them. I summoned one last ball of fire, blue this time, and casually tossed it into the building. A roaring flame and shouts of exclamation could soon be heard, and I grinned satisfactorily. I shifted my passenger higher on my back with my now free hands, and started to roll away from the warehouse, still facing it. These wheels were my gift, a magical trait or spell that was unique to a specific legion. Every legion had at least one, and it was usually connected to the type of arcan they specialized in. My lava wheels, as they were called, let me move around faster then what would be normal, at the cost of maneuverability,

"Hold on." I told my passenger. Once again, she whined, but made no effort to stop me. The wheels spun, and we started accelerating as I turned back in the direction me and Wilson had arrived from. I thought I heard a gasp from my passenger as we sped through town, earning confused looks from the townsfolk. They worked almost like powered roller skates, and we quickly exited the town at rapid speed. I pushed myself as hard as I could, but I could feel my reserves of power quickly draining. Using my wheels used up a large amount of my body's arcane energy, which would need to be regenerated later once I got a chance to rest. I spied an apple tree I hadn't noticed on the way out, and decided to stop before the wheels took too much of a toll. I dispelled the wheels right as we flew over the ravine on the side of the road, causing me to land gracefully on my feet on the other side, and eliciting another whimper from the girl. I walked over to the tree, and crouched down, ready to drop the girl off, at least for a while. She may have been tiny, but I wasn't exactly muscular, after all.

"Let's stop here for a while." I said. My passenger quickly slid off my back, and leaned against the tree, sighing in relief. She was covered in a dark, ragged cloak, that completely hid her, save her feet, which were covered in scratches and sores. They were bony and slightly misshapen, leading to the conclusion that they had been broken and not set right, or something like that. I created a small flame on the end of my pointer finger, and the figure gasped. There was fear in her cry, and I chided myself for my stupidity. I waved my non-alight hand, attempting to comfort her.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you." I comforted, smiling. I looked up into the leaves, searching. Finding my targets, I smiled. The flame shot off my finger, and two apples fell, steaming. I caught them, and held out one for the figure. It cocked its head slightly for a moment. A hand shot out, nearly faster than I could see, and snatched it, pulling it under the cloak. I could hear contented sighing from under the cloak, along with a good deal of crunching. I shrugged, and bit into my apple. We stayed like that for a while until the figure spoke up a short while later.

"W-why are you being nice to me?" She asked quietly. Her voice was light, but a bit scratchy, and filled with confusion and fear. In the middle of taking a bite of my apple, I paused.

"Is there a reason I shouldn't?" I asked, blankly. I studied the figure, which seemed to slump in resignation. The girl sighed. A small arm reached up and tugged down the figure's hood. My apple was immediately forgotten, and fell to the ground.