by Liandra Jake
"Good thing we both thought semi-formal. Otherwise this might be a bit more awkward." Arend said as he walked up to her.
She glanced down at Arend' shoes. "I have nothing else." He said nervously.
"Let's go then." Kronth said as she started to the door. "It's a place called the Frozen Shamrock; it's got the best Irish stew I've ever had in this city." Hunter and the rest of the troop were peeking over the counter, watching them walk away. "Have you got us a ride?" Kronth asked as they stepped out the door. Arend smiled and whistled loudly.
In a small blast of air, King dropped from the sky. Arend raised his eyebrows. King's old bandages had been removed. His fur was washed and brushed. If he was human, his hair would be combed and greased back. The Dragon Drive was sheathed along his side in an elegant saddle.
"Woah." Arend said as he looked him over. Someone whistled behind them. A blonde and a redheaded women were giving a thumbs up, before being yelled at by the women that approved Arend' request.
"Huh. I guess you can thank them later." Kronth said as she nudged Arend in King's direction.
Arend hopped on, holding a hand down to Kronth. She ignored it and jumped on directly in front of Arend. "South Sareville please." Kronth said to King.
King spread his wings. The Orenth went straight through the saddle and curled around Arend' legs. "Hold tight you two, this'll be fast." King said before rocketing into the sky.
After a quick flight, King dropped them off at a small restaurant directly at the edge of the south side of Sareville. It overlooked the massive rolling green hills that stretched beyond their sight.
"Thanks for the lift." Kronth said as she slid off King's back. Arend gave him thumbs up behind his back as he walked into the restaurant with Kronth. King shot off into the hills by himself.
Kronth and Arend were quickly seated in the almost empty restaurant. They ordered their food and quickly got settled. "So tell me Shadow Hunter Myshcell, how was it you ended up as a shut in working for your uncle?" Kronth asked.
"He was the only living relative on my mom's side. Naturally, no one could get a hold of someone from my dad's side, so I ended up being sent there from the hospital." Arend replied.
"How did you decide to become a Beastmaster?" Arend asked.
"My parents own a ranch and I spent most of my childhood playing with the animals. When they began turning larger and larger profits, they expanded into monster ranching. I guess I've always felt closer to animals and monsters than humans." Kronth replied.
A waiter dropped off their drinks. Kronth got a simple fruit cocktail and Arend got what was called a Tigre Megabomb. It was almost 100% alcohol spiked with the venom of a Sky Snake and the meat of a sub-arctic Tiger Whale. The waiter watched nervously as Arend sniffed the frothing concoction.
"Bottoms up!" Arend cheered before downing the half gallon of alcohol. Arend slammed the mug on the counter and shook his head. "Is that the best you got?" Arend asked the waiter. He shook his head. "Then bring me some uncooked potatoes. The fresher the better." Arend replied with a disappointed look.
By now his face was thoroughly flushed. "Please tell me you're not a drunk." Kronth said; her drink still untouched.
"Nope. I'm too much of a lightweight to be a drunk." Arend replied.
"So what about the 190 proof alcohol slowly killing your liver?" Kronth asked.
"You don't need to worry about that. The doctors say my liver regenerates at like 10 times normal." Arend replied.
"Seriously?" Kronth asked, skeptical.
"Yeah. I'm guessing it's from the Pendragon part of me, or maybe even a genetic thing from my parents." Arend replied.
The waiter walked up with a full potato plant, presumably pulled from a garden in the back. Arend snatched it and waved the waiter away. "How are we supposed to price that?" The waiter asked his boss as Arend devoured the entire potato plant. "We have no choice to make it free. That's the deal about drinking the Tigre Megabomb. The question is does he know the potato plant's leaves and stems are poisonous?" His boss replied.
"Part Pendragon? What?" Kronth asked. Arend explained all of what King had told him. As the time went by, Arend' face soon returned to its normal color. Their stew arrived when Arend explained that sometimes he can see things that others couldn't.
"I guess that's how you saw Nem back there." Kronth said as she scooped a chunk of potato into her mouth.
"I got to talk to King about it shortly after the meeting ended. He said that I shouldn't worry too much about it as long as the frequency of it happening doesn't increase. Something about the Pendragon taking over and driving me insane, flooding my body with toxins works as a distraction to use up the excess Pendragon Orenth so its concentration doesn't reach that level." Arend explained.
"Sounds like a load of crap, but it's not like we can prove him right or wrong." Kronth said as she ate more of her stew.
Arend nodded and tried the stew. "Mmm! This is good." Arend exclaimed as he chewed a piece of lamb.
"Nope!" Kronth exclaimed, pressing a finger on Arend' lips. "Chew first; then speak."
Arend swallowed. "Carmply flakes right?" Arend asked before taking a second spoonful.
"Yeah! I'm surprised you can tell." Kronth replied.
"I kinda fancy myself a cook of some sorts." Arend said with a roll of his hand.
"You're a cook?" Kronth asked excitedly. "You've got to cook for me sometime."
"Is that a second date?" Arend asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Maybe." Kronth replied.
The rest of the dinner flew by and they soon found themselves under the light of the moon. "This seems like a good place just to run." Arend said as he gazed out at the hills.
"Well come on then!" Kronth exclaimed before stealing Arend' hat. Arend chased her up one of the nearby hills. She made it to the top before Arend tackled her.
"Gotcha!" Arend exclaimed as they rolled down the far side of hill a few feet. They rolled onto their backs. Kronth rested her head on Arend' chest.
"Isn't it great to be able to see the stars so close to the city?" Arend asked as he gazed up at the stars slowly filling in the darkening sky.
"Yeah." Kronth replied softly. "They're a little different, but they remind me of home."
The full moon shined brightly from above. As the last fingers of light from the setting sun faded, a swirling swath of stars came into view. "You know, this Guild has been a good thing for me. As bizarre as it is, it's been a lot of fun." A light flashed lazily on a nearby hill. "Oh?" Arend said, looking over. A different one flashed from a different hill.
Soon the air was full of fireflies and their soft light. "It's been a long time since I last saw fireflies." Arend said as he watched them fly about.
"You really were a shut in." Kronth said as she snuggled closer to Arend' chest. She could hear the strong and steady beating of his artificial heart. Arend began to hum quietly. The fireflies swayed slightly to the tune.
"The song of words long lost." Kronth said quietly. Arend let the last note drift into the breeze before speaking.
"But not forgotten to the hearts of the world."
"Even for those who may have lost their hearts." Kronth said as she glanced up at Arend' face.
"A person can never truly lose their heart if they have someone to share it with." Arend said as he looked down at her. Kronth sat up a little and looked down at Arend. And with a single soft kiss, the night drifted by under the light of the moon, stars, and fireflies.
-Nostalgic Dream-
"Well?" Kyrel asked as he leaned over the small table in Dragon's Den's lobby.
Arend was eating his breakfast before he would be leaving for the tournament. "We kissed. That's all you're getting." Arend replied as he quietly ate his food.
"C'mon." Nate said, trying to persuade him. The rest of the troop were surrounded Arend, picking him for information about his date.
"Under the full moon? In the firefly hills? There has to be more." Kyrel said, pok
ing Arend' forehead. Arend left his fork in Kyrel's shoulder as he returned the dishes to the counter. "What the hell man!?" Kyrel exclaimed as Arend walked away. Hunter pulled the fork from Kyrel.
"Maybe you shouldn't push it. He's already turned you into the comic relief." Hunter said as he tossed the fork onto the table.
Kyrel rubbed his shoulder. "It's not like I wasn't before he showed up." Kyrel retorted with a snort.
Arend walked over to the side of the lobby where Kronth was busy with a computer. "You're in. First fight's in an hour." Kronth said as Arend walked up behind her.
"Cool. Up for dinner at my place?" Arend asked.
"Sure, but Jenifer and her brother will have to come. They've recently have had some personal trouble and need some help with something like that." Kronth replied.
"Alrighty. I just need to go shopping beforehand." Arend replied.
"Is it just me, or do they seem a little distant?" Nate whispered as they watched them.
"I have a spare fork." Arend said as he held it out to Kronth.
"No, I have my own." Kronth replied as she stood up. She quickly tossed it in Nate's direction. It embedded itself in the steel chair, directly between his legs. They scrambled to run away, knocking over the table and chairs.
"Think they'll learn?" Arend asked.
"I don't think so." Kronth replied.
"Kronth! Arend!" Duke called out. "The car's here!"
Kronth and Arend hurried out the door. Rusty, Kyrel, and Hunter followed them out the door. They had tickets and were going to take Rusty's car. Nate and Cris had to stay behind to watch it on the T.V. A black, heavily armored van was waiting outside the lobby doors. The letters SNAC were painted on the side.
"The Assault Core? Are we really that important?" Kronth asked as she, Duke and Arend climbed inside with a group of five people in riot gear.
Rusty made sure to tell the driver that he would be following close behind. The five SNAC members were glaring at Arend through their visors. "Think I could get an explanation?" Arend asked; confused about the dark looks he was receiving.
A man in red riot gear, instead of the usual black, crawled in and shut the door. "We were assigned to guard you during the tournament." He replied with a gravelly voice. "And we do not like it."
"Too proud for guard duty?" Duke asked with a disapproving look.
"We are the Assault Core, the toughest fighters in Silver Napalm. None of us went though that insane training to guard some kid." The man replied.
"I agree. I don't need guards for simple travel. I could understand if we were at war or something, but this level of protection is ridiculous." Arend said.
"That's not the point. We do not babysit." He said through his tinted visor. Arend punched the wall of the van besides the man's head. The metal crunched in around his fist. Blood ran down from his knuckles.
"I am not a child. You can be as angry about this as you want, but do not treat me like I am defenseless." Arend growled.
Kronth and Duke had looks of terror on their face. "Arend, that's Armormorite. It should be impossible for you to even scratch." Kronth said quietly.
The man sighed. "Very well. I apologize if I offended you." He replied. Arend retracted his hand. A nearby SNAC bandaged up his knuckles.
The man leaned forward slightly and pulled off his helmet. Kronth's eyes widened when she saw it was the head of a grey wolf. His eyes were as black as the van's metal. Arend twitched, but did nothing else. "Wesken Saunder." He said as he offered a hand. Arend shook it with his newly bandaged hand.
"They sent the Captain's squad for this?" Duke asked; a very surprised look on his face.
"Why do you think we're so irritated?" The driver asked. He had a seemly common male voice that sounded a little young.
"That's Tenken, clockwise it's; Glock the weapons expert, Clancer, the close combat expert, Ceaser the medic and long range support, Zern the recon expert and marksmen, and finally Casandre, the wild rookie pushing to replace me." Wesken said, gesturing to each person.
Casandre didn't even twitch when her name was called. "How long till we get there?" Kronth asked Tenken.
"Ten minutes. They said we can drive straight into the building." He replied.
"What?" Arend asked.
"VIP premium parking." Duke explained.
"Oh. Do you think we could get some music in here?" Arend asked.
"Sorry, the radio's busted. We haven't got it repaired due to budget cuts." Tenken replied.
"You people are hopeless." Arend muttered as he worked his way to the front.
"What are you…?" Tenken started. C
rios pulled the entire radio out of the dashboard. Without even unplugging it, Arend disassembled it. "Shorted wires, capacitors, and resistors? What did you do? Drive though a lake?" Arend grumbled as he quickly replace the parts.
"Holy hell…" Wesken said as he watched him work at an amazing speed. Suddenly, the speakers squealed.
"Car commercial." Arend said happily as he turned the volume down. "Now let's see…"Arend said as he switched through the channels. "Spanish pop, classical, polka?" A familiar guitar riff made Arend pause. "Fernweh!" Arend exclaimed.
"What?" Duke asked.
"It's German. Literally translates as the ache for faraway places." Arend explained.
"Kind of like wanderlust?" Zern suggested. Arend nodded.
"OH!" Kronth exclaimed. "This is Hunter's band! I forgot what it was called!"
"Yep. Now let's stop talking and enjoy the music." Arend said as he replaced the radio and hopped into the empty front seat. The time flew by and they were soon looking for the way in. The VIP parking had a lift to take the van to the highest parking area. "What kind of VIPs park here?" Arend asked as they slowly rose past the normal parking.
"The kind that get their own room." Duke replied. The lift light turned green and Tenken turned into the nearest empty space. It was long enough to fit multiple limousines.
Arend and his group quickly walked though the lot of expensive luxury cars and limousines. They all walked through the open doors into a small lobby with a bar that overlooked the stadium. Arend ran up to the window.
"Wow. It's much bigger than I thought." Arend said as he pressed his face against the glass.
"Doesn't he know who he's standing next to?" Wesken asked Kronth and Duke.
"No." The replied flatly.
"First time here?" A man in an emerald suit asked.
"Yep. I'll be participating as well." Arend replied.
"What are you doing up her then?" He asked.
"No idea, ask back there." Arend replied, thumbing to Kronth and Duke.
He waved them over. "Is he like your younger brother or something?" The man asked.
"N-no sir. He's a rookie member of our Guild that recently got a massive amount of media attention." Kronth replied.
"Oh, Oh! So this is that Arend?" He asked, looking over at Arend.
"Aye, and who are you?" Arend asked, glancing back.
The man had his black hair pushed to one side and a ruggedly handsome face. He had a pair of soft blue eyes that looked at Arend with modest contemplation.
"Arend!" Kronth hissed though her teeth.
"No, no. It's okay. I'm one of the highest Ranked Guild members in the world. Since I hit Y, I don't really get my face in the news anymore." He said.
"You don't need to worry about that when it comes to him. He didn't even know who Draken was and couldn't care less if you were Z Ranked." Duke said.
"Really?" The man asked.
"And it's not a prideful ignorance. I just don't remember people who don't have an effect on my daily life." Arend said.
"Anyway, my name is Richard Griffin. It was nice meeting you in person." He said before ordering a second drink.
A man in a black suit cam running up. "Stop that!" He exclaimed as he pushed Arend back from the window. "You'll get you oily skin everywhere!" He wiped the spot Arend had his head against with a cloth.
"Alright! It's time to rock!" Arend exclaimed as he jogged after to women.
"Good luck!" Kronth called as they left.
A different woman walked up to show the group to their room. "It comes with a full selection of drinks and food. If you need anything, call us with one of the control panels. They can also be used to adjust the tilt, zoom, and tint of the window. As well as turn on or off the announcements."She explained before disappearing out the door.