“You know for a guy who was saved out of the goodness of our hearts, you’d think you would be a bit more grateful,” another individual retorts as she walks into the room. “But for the sake of hospitality, this is Azoco. Azoco Village.”
Despite never seeing her before, there was a certain air of familiarity with her presence. From what he could tell, Keenth figured that she was roughly his age.
But her long, gracious hair, complimented by her warm, sun-kissed complexion, contrasted with her straightforwardness.
“Azoco? They never said anything about this place at the Academy,” Keenth thought out loud. “The last thing I remember was being on the Prospear Bridge and—”
“Ah, so you’re one of those. You base everything you know off whatever the Academy or Lantech tells you? I hate to break it to you sweetheart, but that whole Prospear incident happened a week ago.”
“It’s LanTech–and what did you mean a week ago? Why the hell were you people keeping me cooped up in this hut for so long? I’ve got to get back to Cory and the others so we can find the Sage! There’s no time to waste—”
A frantic Keenth stumbles off of the bed, realizing that his body was in no condition to continue his journey. Trying to get back on his feet, he was approached by a helping hand.
“Alright, alright. Let’s just take it easy. Lady Aida and the others did the best they could to keep you alive, but it looks like there’s still a long way ahead before you get to play hero, bud. So, do me a favor and keep it together, would you? Your questions will be answered before you know it.”
“Okay, fair enough. Thanks, well, again, I guess. By the way, my name is Keenth. Keenth Hedstrom,” Keenth responded as he was being helped up. “I take it that it was Lady Aida just now, but you are…?”
“Ah, right. Kendra. Kendra Leight,” a young woman acknowledged with a welcoming smile. “Come on, let’s get you settled in the village, Keenth.”
Stepping out of the hut, Keenth was awestruck by the tangible warmth of the village and its people.
Surrounded by a sea of trees under a drowning blue sky, Azoco was made up of dozens of buildings that were home to its numerous inhabitants.
Everyone from the farmers tending to their crops to the children playing near the forests came out to greet Keenth with open arms. He was further surprised by Kendra presenting him with a wooden bo staff.
“Wow, thanks. I don’t know what to say…I really appreciate this gift.”
“Don’t mention it, Keenth. Don’t mention it at all. I’m just glad that you’re humbly accepting this gift...this gift of death!”
Kendra suddenly attacked Keenth with a staff of her own. An alarmed Keenth instinctively defended himself, with the villagers surrounding them, eager to see who would come out on top in one-on-one combat.
“Are you out of your mind, lady?? What happened to me getting settled here?” Keenth shouted at the spirited young woman.
“Shut it! I’m doing the talking here! Are you a Lantech spy? A rebel? A vegan??”
“It’s LanTech! And I don’t know if I should be as confused as I am offended, but could you just give me a minute to catch my breath, lady?”
“The air’s for villagers only, you filthy outsider,” Kendra counters as she swiftly lands a blow on her unexpecting opponent.
While her pride wouldn’t let her say it, she was considerably impressed by how well Keenth was holding up, especially since he was still recovering.
Keenth, realizing that she was holding back from using fatal blows, decided to move from a defensive approach to a surprise attack.
After moving some distance from her, Keenth launched his staff with all of his strength towards Kendra, who was able to easily dodge the weapon.
It penetrated a tree behind her, greatly astonishing her and the other villagers. Using this opportunity, Keenth blitzed his opponent and was able to arm himself with her weapon.
“Give up…You’re defenseless!” Keenth says, feeling he himself was running out of stamina. “As fun as all of this is, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You? Hurt me? What, is there something about carrying a big stick that goes straight to your head? Are you overcompensating over there buddy or what?” Kendra says to the crowd’s amusement.
“You take that back,” a clearly flabbergasted Keenth says. “I’m not going to let your petty words get to me, you wench!”
“I mean, by the looks of it, they already are, so–”
“Oh, yeah? Then just take a closer look at this!”
Letting his temper get the best of him, Keenth rapidly spins the staff to gain momentum, before rushing to strike his opponent.
Kendra confidently extends her hand to stop the attack and the sheer force of the clash is enough to cause a massive shockwave throughout the immediate area.
Keenth was blown back and, after getting to his feet once the dust settled, he was surprised to see an unfazed Kendra standing before him. Without words and with little strength left, he was dumbfounded by the villagers’ ovation.
“How many times am I going to have to help you up today, man?” Kendra says and sighs as she assists Keenth to his feet.
“Shouldn’t be too many as long as you could keep yourself from attacking me again.”
“Ha, you’ll live,” Kendra returned as she swats Keenth’s back. “I just had to give the villagers peace of mind by feeling you out. Nothing personal, I promise. So, are we good?”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re good…Sore as hell, but good. Now while you’re still emotionally stable, could you tell me where I can find my sword? As fun as…whatever this is, I’d feel a lot better having it with me,” Keenth responds as he hands Kendra her staff.
“What do we look like, the lost and found? It was one thing to find you floating about, but your sword? Sorry, but consider that long gone, my friend.”
“Damn…Sorry, I just…That wasn’t just any old sword, but it was from my home village. So much for keeping the legacy alive,” Keenth murmurs.
“…I see. Well, we have a lot to cover and you never know when you’ll get another surprise death match from me, so why don’t you hold onto this for now,” Kendra says as she tosses the staff to Keenth. “Consider it a welcoming gift from me to you.”
“You know the last time you gave me a staff…”
“Are you still on that? And to be fair, you snatched this from me. So, if you want to be technical…”
“Ahh, fair enough. Thanks again,” Keenth says. “If you’ve got time, I can tell you everything you need to know about me. Sounds alright with you?”
Kendra agreed and the two spent hours upon hours sharing their stories.
From Keenth’s time growing up on Colonia Island to Kendra being raised in Azoco Village by Lady Aida, it didn’t take long for either of them to realize how much they had in common, despite their different backgrounds.
At this point, it was nightfall and the two were talking over a warm campfire. Although they were practically strangers, there was an undeniable sense of familiarity between the two. Still, Kendra needed to enlighten Keenth about how the world around them works.
“That is quite the series of events, Keenth. So, you’re really pressed on finding that Sage, huh? Why not take the opportunity to go back to Colonia?” Kendra asks. “It sounds like your time on the mainland has already had its fair share of twists and turns.”
“Truth be told, there’s nothing for me back home right now. I really don’t see the point of taking a step backwards.”
“Really? No parents, siblings, baby mothers? You seem like the deadbeat type—”
“Me? No…Old Man Renzel focused on raising my older brother and I for years.”
“You have an older brother? How come you didn’t bring him up before?”
“Yeah, his name is Mark. Not much to talk about. He’s been gone for about five years now, so…”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Keenth. Was he sick or something?”
“Mark
? No, he…Well, it’s kind of complicated…”
“Look if you don’t want to talk about it, I completely—”
“He drowned while fishing with some of the—”
“Wait, he drowned? Didn’t you say you two grew up on islands? How is that even possible?” Kendra blurts.
“I don’t know, we never got around to learning how to swim. Like I said, it’s complicated.”
“I have several questions,” Kendra calmly responds. Knowing that it would be better to redirect the conversation, she decided to bring up their sparring session from earlier that afternoon. “Hey, I don’t mean to be that person or whatever, but for someone who handled himself pretty well earlier, why aren’t you using your Auraen properly?” Kendra asks.
“I mean don’t let it go to your head or anything, but, if you put in the effort, you could really make the most of your potential.”
“Auraen? They taught us a bit about using Energy back at the Academy, but that’s about it. As far as fighting goes, I pretty much follow my gut. It hasn’t always worked out for the best, but what can you do, you know?”
“I see. Well, tell you what: you’ve been on your ass for about a week now, and Mama Kendra’s feeling pretty generous. I’ll train you up nicely free of charge. Assuming that you don’t die or anything, that should bring you up to speed.”
“M-mama Kendra? If I die? Look, I appreciate the offer, I really do, but I really need to make my way to Sage Haden. Cory and the others…well, the least I can do is make sure what they did wasn’t for nothing.”
“Ugh, again with the Sage business. I can’t force you or anything, but what’s to say you won’t run into even more problems once you leave here? Based off of what you’ve told me, you’ve been a real magnet for trouble lately. How about this? Give me a few days, about a week tops, to train you up. Sounds straight?”
“That’d work, thanks. Though I have to apologize to you now since I might be a bit of a slow learner. I didn’t realize it until my time at the Academy. Would a week still be enough time for us?”
“First thing’s first, forget everything you thought you knew up until now. Second, when it comes to training under Mama Kendra, class is always in session. I’m not here to waste our time or anything–for you to really learn about Auraen, you need to allow me to show you firsthand.”
Kendra takes a deep breath before being cloaked in a glowing, flowing light-blue Auraen. Even though Keenth felt something similar with Benjamin and the others, he was at a loss for words at the sheer amount of power emitting from her.
Clearly noticing that Keenth is awestruck, Kendra calmly began to explain things in a way he could understand.
“I’m sure you understand by now that this world and everything in it is made of Energy, but its proper name is Auraen. It took some time, but I was able to manifest my Auraen into what I like to call Reiki Mode. Through meditation, my spirit shines through, bringing my strength, speed, and senses to their peak.”
“This…no…you are incredible, Kendra...Simply incredible. Is this something you can teach me in a week or would I need more time with you?”
“I guess that remains to be seen, grasshopper. While everyone has Auraen, I believe that roughly one in five could utilize their own properly. Even then, there’s no guarantee what, if anything, would manifest in your case,” Kendra says as she releases herself from Reiki Mode.
“Just to put things in perspective, I am the only person in the Azoco with this ability.”
“Really? Out of the whole village? You could have fooled me, Kendra.”
“That’s understandable. You see Azoco is a place where people with exceptional Auraen potential find refuge. The world could be a pretty dark place and I’m glad Aida and the others were able to make a place where people like us could call home.”
“Ha, that Mama Kendra business makes sense now that I think about it. But, anyway, is it alright if I could get some rest? Something tells me that I’ll definitely be needing it.”
“Color me surprised: you aren’t as dumb as you look. We have a cot laid out for you not too far from my hut. And don’t get any ideas! After all, I’m not a first date kind of girl,” Kendra jokes.
“Kendra Victoria Leight!! You watch that tone of yours right now,” Lady Aida shouts as she makes her way toward them.
“Y-yes, Ma’am. Go on, and get out of here, Keenth. We start at 5AM sharp. Be sure to drink plenty of water,” Kendra states.
As Keenth wandered off, Kendra got Lady Aida up to speed on the young man and her plans for him moving forward. While she may come off as a bit too stern at times, Kendra always confided in Lady Aida as if she was her own mother.
While Keenth’s arrival felt like a stroke of fate, there was an odd sense of foreboding between the two women.
“Why the long face, Kendra? I haven’t seen you this concerned since you found out that chocolate milk didn’t come from brown cows,” Lady Aida said to lighten the mood.
“Well, for one, that’s debatable. But in all seriousness, I don’t know. I just can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something different about this one.”
“I’m not big on coincidences,” Kendra continues. “But there has to be a reason why he ended up with us the way he did. I can’t shake that feeling, you know?”
“Ah, so the infamous Mama Kendra has a heart after all. I’m kidding…Especially since that would make me Auntie Aida. But don’t stress yourself about it too much. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there, young lady.”
“I guess, you’re right. I told him that I’d be able to train him in a week. Do you think that’ll be enough time?”
“Well, you probably shouldn’t make deadlines like that without thinking them through. Why a week, though?”
“He keeps going on and on about meeting up with Haden. Who am I to hold someone that determined back?”
“I see. Well, we’ll see how things turn out soon enough. Let’s call it a night, dear.”
Keeping to her word, Kendra gave Keenth a day to rest while she made training preparations. In that time, Keenth took in the sights and had the opportunity to formally meet more of the other villagers.
Most of the younger children were amazed at Keenth’s recent adventures and sharing those stories from Colonia and the Training Academy gave him the chance to reflect on how much he had gone through.
While it was humbling to remember his past, Keenth took great pride in being in such a welcoming environment, especially since Kendra shared how many of the villagers had so much in common with Keenth and his upbringing.
Lady Aida observed the camaraderie and thought to herself about how Keenth being there was the most welcoming surprise that they had in some time.
“Keenth, was it? Let’s see what Larkin’s son brings to the table,” Lady Aida thinks to herself.
Chapter Seven
Finally, the day of training was upon them. Keenth was awoken by a bucket of freezing water at around 4AM. While he was somewhat frustrated at this, Kendra claimed the bucket slipped and that a morning run around the village would be a great way to dry off.
Irritated yet competitive, Keenth made it a point to put his best effort into this training. He believed that time on the islands had prepared him for whatever Kendra would throw his way.
It took quite a bit of effort, but he was at least able to keep up with his newfound mentor. Mildly impressed, Kendra told him to take a few minutes before they began their actual warm-up. With his soul somewhat crushed, a visibly exhausted Keenth nodded his head to show he was ready to get to work.
Kendra smiled and told Keenth to ready himself before she charged forward. Even though he was ready, he was surprised at her instantly tapping into Reiki Mode.
Before he could react, Kendra struck him from behind with enough force to send him flying into a nearby lake. Before he could fall into the water, Kendra repeated this attack to redirect him back to land.
“I suggest you take the time here in Azo
co to learn how to swim,” she shouts.
Keenth was upset at having to train like this while still not fully recovered, but Kendra insisted that if he could push himself enough to stand toe to toe with her in her empowered state, then he’d be stronger than he could ever imagine.
Inspired, Keenth rushed at her once again, but was swatted into the lake for a second time. Only this time, Kendra refused to save him. Instead, she instructed him to run laps around the village to dry off and try again.
It took several times for him to realize Kendra was slowly rebuilding his stamina and strengthening him to improve. With this fresh motivation, Keenth continued to press on.
As the week went on, Keenth and Kendra were hard at work and the villagers noticed. They gave them their space as expected, but couldn’t help but admire the amount of effort being put into training.
Keenth was surprisingly running at a pace that was comparable to Kendra’s, though she would say she was holding back.
On the fifth day, Keenth was finally able to spar without being tossed into the water. To his surprise, Kendra offered a congratulatory fist bump.
“Congrats, kiddo. We’re finished here,” Kendra says, wiping her forehead. “It took some work, but you’ve done made Mama proud.”
“R-really? I feel like I could barely get you to show me what you’re really capable of,” Keenth replies. “Though you won’t find any complaints from me!”
“Yeah, yeah, well, just be glad you haven’t seen my bad side…yet! Anyway, Aida and the others prepared a huge meal to commemorate you coming out in one piece. Go ahead and clean up so we can grab some of our greatest home-cooked meals!”
Keenth and Kendra joined the villagers for amazing food, toasts, and laughs which carried on throughout the night. There was a tangible sense of pride in the improvements Keenth had made in such a short period of time, with many agreeing that he had a wealth of untapped potential.
Despite this, Keenth humbly downplayed the fact that he hadn’t unlocked any particular new abilities under Kendra’s tutelage.
Fighter's Fever: The Metallic Siege Page 10