by Liandra Jake
Arend pulled a strip of white cloth from his bag. "You shouldn't yell so much; you'll wrinkle that pretty face." Arend said as he tied the cloth around his forehead. He turned back to Kronth and gave a short salute. "See ya at the bottom!" Arend called out as he leapt from the railing." Kronth and Faulken rushed to look over the railing. "Woo hoo!" Arend yelled out as he landed on one of the old electrical wires.
Thanks to a slick clear coating, he quickly picked up speed as he slid down it. "He's going to get himself killed!" Kronth yelled. As she did so, Corenden's friends followed Arend closely on the surrounding wires.
Faulken jumped over the railing. "I can't stay out of this!" He shouted as he landed on a wire next to Arend'.
"Faulken!" Kronth shouted as she watched him slide down.
"Kronth! Stop being such an angry Mistress and have some fun for a change!" Arend yelled up.
Kronth glared down at him. Corenden let out a quiet chuckle. Kronth snatched out at Corenden, but he flew back out of her reach. "Are you really too dull to notice that he likes you?" Corenden asked.
"He does not!" Kronth replied, rolling her eyes.
"I think that look he has says something different." Corenden said as he looked back at Arend.
Kronth glanced down as well. Arend was looking back at them with a smile. Faulken beside him had a grin that stretched from ear to ear. "As much as Arend tends to act like one, he isn't an adrenaline junkie. I think he jumped off with the thought of you chasing after him." Corenden said.
"What makes you say that?" Kronth asked.
"The fact that neither he nor Faulken knows where the gathering point is." Corenden replied with a snarky half-smile. Kronth sighed.
"You better catch me if I fall." Kronth said as she climbed up onto the railing. 'I can't believe I'm actually doing this.' Kronth thought as she stared down at the wire.
"C'mon Kronth! I know you're not the kind of person to chicken out!" Arend faintly yelled as he slid farther away. Kronth jumped down onto the wire. She slid down slowly at first, before quickly picking up speed.
As the wind picked up enough to blow back her hair, a smile crept onto Kronth's face. "Here I come!" She called out as she leaned forward. She drastically picked up speed. Corenden was following close behind. Kronth soon passed up Arend and the others.
"That's more like it!" Arend yelled to her as he hopped over to the wire she was on.
"Don't think you're going to get away!" She spun around to face him; sliding backwards.
"Who's chasing who?" Kronth asked with an evil smile. Corenden gave the confused Arend a wink as he dived by, trying to catch up to Kronth. Kronth giggled to herself when she saw the grin that spread across Arend' face. She turned forward when he began to lean forward like she had. He hopped over to a wire across from Kronth before he pulled up alongside her.
"Oh? How nice for you to join me, slowpoke." Kronth said as she looked over at Arend.
"Last one to the bottom buys the other a drink?" Arend offered.
"Are you asking me out?" Kronth asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Sure, you could call it that." Arend said as he put his hat on Kronth's head. Arend' wire came to an abrupt halt as it bent down at a junction with a nearby wire.
Arend managed to get one foot on the space of wire between Kronth's feet when his wire curved straight down from the junction. Kronth's hand flashed out, catching Arend by the collar as she leaned back, rocking the wire slightly from the force she put on it. For a brief second, they were balanced over each end of the wire before Arend got his other leg on the wire and they pulled each other up.
"You're quite strong for being so small." Arend said with and impressed look.
"Pbbbt!" Kronth scoffed. "It was easy with a lightweight like you."
"Hey love birds! I suggest you watch where you're going!" Faulken called up from below.
"How'd you get down there?" Kronth called back.
"I don't think pink is really your color." Faulken said as he held his chin.
There was a slight pause. "I'll FUCKING KILL YOU!" She screamed as she dived at him.
"Uh, okay…" Arend said as Kronth tackled Faulken. They were caught shortly afterwards by Corenden's friends.
Arend jumped onto a nearby roof. 'But she isn't wearing any pi-Ooooh.' Arend thought as Corenden's friends managed to separate Kronth and Faulken and fly them over to Arend. Kronth was stretching out at Faulken with the intent to strangle.
"Kronth, you can kill him later."Arend said when Kronth touched down on the roof. "Thanks for the help!" Arend said to the Floxes with a short salute. They saluted in return and flew back towards the pillar.
"Fine." Kronth growled as she stomped in the direction of a roof access door. Arend turned to Faulken.
"I suggest you follow from up here." He said before following Kronth.
Once they left the building, Kronth led Arend through various alleys to avoid the crowd of people in the surrounding streets. Soon they were across the street from a four story building. A line of SNSD members left the entire front of the building free of people all the way across down both sides of the street. Kronth handed Arend back his hat as he replaced the headband into his bag. Faulken dropped down nearby.
"How did I manage to get so many people to show up?" Arend asked as they crossed the street.
"It's Draken's announcement that made all the people show up." Faulken explained from behind them.
Kronth quickly walked through the open doors, held open by a sweating bell boy. He quickly shut them once they passed through. "Fourth floor. Faulken, take the stairs." Kronth said as she and Arend walked into the elevator.
'Crap!' Faulken thought as the doors shut in front of him. Faulken hurried up the three flights of stairs, bursting through the last door just as Kronth and Arend stepped out of the elevator. "I'll- just- need- a- second." Faulken said between heavy breaths.
"I see your cardio is as bad as ever." Kronth said as she walked past him and into the only door of the floor.
It was a gigantic meeting room, so large that each person had a set of speakers and a microphone in front of them. A single half donut shaped table curved around the entirety of the room. Twenty-two people sat at the table; The S-Ranked members and the people Arend already knew from the Guild, including Cris and Vladd. Two seats were open, one to the far side and one directly in the middle.
Many of them were uninterested in the people around them and found various ways to entertain themselves. A few were sleeping, another was reading, and one of them was cranking out quick sketches of the room. Kronth sat in the far seat and Faulken hopped over the desk to his place in the middle. For what seemed like an eternity, Arend stood awkwardly in the center of the room. Kronth was whispering something with Nate.
Back in the hall, the elevator dinged. A man in a black scale suit with matching black shoes and a blood red tie walked out of the elevator. Everyone in the room stood up, saluted and said
"Sir!" in unison. He had snowflake white hair and dazzling emerald eyes. When he spoke, Arend knew it was him.
"Sit, such formality is unneeded." They sat in with an eerie unison.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting. The traffic was rather dense today." He said to the room before tossing something to Arend as he walked up next to him in the center. Catching it, Arend looked at the small metal pin in his hands. The words "Shadow Hunter" were set in black Armormorite, on the back Arend' name was engraved with a short sentence. "Good Luck Hunting." What Arend assumed was his father's name was in italics underneath. "Strike Myshcell"
Arend glanced over at him. He gave a quick wink. Arend pinned it at the center of his hat. As Arend placed it back on his head, a man beside Faulken spoke out. "Now can someone explain why I was called here?" Draken turned to Kronth. She seemed unsteady under his gaze.
"Well, uh." She started, slowly getting to her feet.
"About a week ago I was attacked." Arend cut in, stepping forward.
Kronth had a look o
f relief mixed with confusion and awe.
"I wasn't talking to you, now shut it." The man from before snapped.
Arend stepped forward so he was eye to eye with him. The man stood to face him. "I. AM. SPEAKING. I am not getting a big head because I was handed a piece of metal from a man I only knew existed this morning! Regardless of Rank or any other bullshit, I will be heard." As Arend said this, he stared the man back down into his seat.
Draken raised his eyebrows. Arend now had the full attention of the room. "As I was saying, I was attacked. By a man with a cloak that resembled Nem's and who wielded Aquaporus." Arend continued. Whispers broke out.
"C'mon! I don't thi-" The man beside Faulken started.
"Arking, SHUT UP!" Kronth yelled nervously, slamming her hands on the table. He looked at her with a shocked face.
"From what I've seen him do with Korvan, he wouldn't mistake a weapon he was attacked with. His Dragon Drive is practically at the same level as them." Kronth said quietly.
"Thank you Kronth. I'm not going to pretend to know everything about Celestial Rim, but based on what Nem indirectly gave me, and how he's so doggedly chased; something big is going down soon. People I have never heard of know more about my family than I do. The fact that what he was trying to create ultimately ended up in my hands is not just a coincidence.
"Especially since Axis is or was involved closely with Celestial Rim. Based on how people closely linked to my past seem to have some idea of what's been going on, I think that Alexander Soum should be watched." Arend turned to Draken. "And you, how do you know my father?" He asked him quietly.
The grin on Draken face widened. "I think you should worry more about your own well being then that man's past. It won't help you now." He replied quiet enough so only Arend could hear him.
Arend gritted his teeth. 'He's not budging. Maybe King could elaborate when he comes back…With Duke…' A strange thought occurred to Arend. As Arend thought to himself, the S-Ranked in the room discussed their point on the situation.
'Faulken said that the sixteen S Ranked that could show up will, he also said the Master wouldn't. So based on the eight non S Ranked here and thirty eight other members, minus the sixteen that should be here, and since Duke is off with King, the head count should be only twenty-one. But I counted twenty-two…' Arend exited from his internal monologue and looked at each of the members sitting at the table closely.
He almost skipped over someone in a dark cloak sitting farther back from the table than the others. A familiar sword poked out from the cloak. "ZED!?" Arend shouted out.
The man immediately shot up, his eyes flashing as his hood fell. The shocked look on his face was almost hilarious. Everyone turned to look where he had, but shook their heads, as if trying to clear them. Nem pulled off the cloak. That's when the other gasped in surprise.
"How did you see him!?" Faulken shouted. "
No-one can see through the Perception Cloak." Draken said, with a look towards Arend.
"Except Pendragons." Nem replied, locking eyes with Arend.
Arend opened his mouth but stopped. 'So King really did know the truth.' Arend thought, contemplating the implications of what it might mean.
"Nem Fifer. It kind of ironic how Arend, as a Shadow Hunter, could see the elusive Shadow of the Moon." Kyrel said jokingly.
Nem quickly pulled his cloak back on and rushed up to Arend. "Alexander will be in the 116th annual Hunter tournament tomorrow." Nem said quickly.
"That title was given to you for a reason." Draken said as Nem slipped out the door.
"Where'd he go?" Kyrel asked, looking around.
"Hunter tournament. I'm in and need to know about it." Arend said with a quick glance at Draken.
"What?" Faulken said, surprised.
"Trust him." Was all that Draken said.
Faulken shook his head. "I guess I have no choice. I'll bring this meeting to an end. I'll be pulling a few of you aside to guard the Nest and the Den until we get a grip on what's about to go down. The rest of you can return to your work." Faulken said as he pulled out a sheet of paper. "S Ring One: Ferrous, Isaac, Merchalice, and Duke since he's gone.
"From S Ring Two: Genifir, Sokeyes, Kancan, and Pike. That's it for now. Kronth will notify you if anything goes wrong. I'll see you all at the Dragon Barbecue. Nice seeing you all again, now get lost." Once Faulken quit talking, the room soon emptied. Only Faulken, a few of the seven he called out, Draken, Arend and his little band of eight remained.
"Was it nessicary to keep Isaac around?" Kronth asked Faulken in a low whisper.
"I picked the first four prime numbers based on an alphabetical arrangement of their names." Faulken replied.
"You know Duke's real name?" Kronth asked with a genuinely surprised look.
"I don't have the time for this. You've got a bird to love on." Faulken said before scurrying away.
The remaining of his seven followed him out. "I'll kill him." Kronth growled to herself.
"So, you owe me a drink." Arend said as he poked Kronth's arm gently.
She sighed. "I guess so." She replied with a half smile.
"Meet me in the Den floor at eight. I know a great place." She said before heading out the door, waving Jenifer to follow.
Hunter and the others swarmed Arend. "What 'cha two talking about?" Kyrel asked as he leaned one elbow on the table.
Hunter casually pushed over and took his spot, leaning against the table. "Well?" Nate asked from the other side of the table.
"Nothing. Just a drink." Arend said as he turned to leave.
Rusty and Hunter blocked his path. "Just a drink?" Rusty asked with a raised eyebrow.
Kyrel's head slid under Arend' legs. "And pink underwear?" Kyrel asked with a mischievous smile. Arend stepped on his face in reply. "Ow!" He yelled as she scurried back.
"Stay out of it. I may tell you about it, but I do not want to see you following us." Arend said as he walked between Hunter and Rusty and out the door.
Duke met him at the lobby door. Faulken and his crew were still in the lobby. "King's waiting outside. He seems a little depressed. I need to talk to Faulken; we can chat later." He said quickly before running over to Faulken.
When Arend walked out the doors, King was sitting patiently in the middle of the street. When he saw Arend, he stood up. "I can't stand this Arend. Living is too much for me at this point." King said sadly.
Arend chopped his head with a hand. "Celestial Rim and the like have gotten interesting. As of now, I believe what you said. Right now we need to figure out how to get you to the Den." Arend said as he looked over King's massive frame.
"For starters, that ring of yours is for Beastmasters!" Corenden called out as he floated out of the sky.
"Where have you been?" Arend asked.
Corenden looked back at the support pillar. "You seem to have created a sport. My friends and I have been taking advantage of it by catching them if they fall, and charging them beforehand." Corenden explained as he pulled out a massive wad of Ere.
Arend raised an eyebrow. "Keep doing it. You should be able to make even more than that." Arend said.
"Well anyway, about that ring. You both have to agree to the partnership and touch it with each other's Orenth." Corenden explained. "Then you can call each other at will."
"Well?" Arend asked, looking up at King. He lowered a wing. Arend reached out and touched it with his left hand. There was a loud zing and then a pop.
A three millimeter blood red star cut diamond was now on the ring. "Cool." Arend said before hopping onto King. "I can't really hang out; I've got to get ready for something." Arend said to Corenden before riding King in the direction of the pillar. Unknown to Arend, Isaac was watching when he used the ring. He had an unhappy look on his face.
[X]
Arend spent some of his free time on the Wire-running, as it ended up being called. He made some quick money by signing autographs and making quick Matrix repairs. The hour before eight, he and Jacob re
paired the Dragon Drive, and retuned the mechanisms that malfunctioned in the mountains. He showered and got dressed twenty minutes before eight.
A pair of blue slacks and a rainbow striped collared short sleeved shirt. A black long sleeve dress shirt was pulled over it. Since most of the upper buttons were missing, Arend had to cut them out and wear it half buttoned. He had no other pair of shoes, so he had to wear his sneakers. He quickly combed his hair as he rushed down the building.
Kronth was waiting at the counter. She regretted having to put on the dress Isaac gave her, but nothing else seemed appropriate. A light blue ribbon tied her hair back in a ponytail. Unlike Arend, she had the shoes for the occasion; short platform heels.