Wednesday Spring Quarter 2016 Week 9
“Just you today, Kisai?” I saw no one around at the Crossroads meeting spot.
“Long’s doing homework, He’ll drag us down anyways. I asked Kuan but he hasn’t responded. Might just be the two of us,” Kisai answered as he pulled out his phone.
“Man, you can’t just expect someone to be free. You’re lucky I didn’t have anything important going on,” Kuan said, walking towards us.
Kisai dismissed Kuan’s claim he only reached out to him an hour ago. In other words, standard behavior like usual.
“Just us today?” Kuan stifled a yawn.
“Come on, I’m obviously good enough to get this s*** done. With both of you here, it’ll be easy,” Kisai assured us, flashing a confident smile.
“You sure, Jin? This isn’t the first time you said that and bad things happened. Did you even call Long?” Kuan stared at him with skepticism.
“Long needs to rest, right? Tess is busy with her school stuff. The three of us got this,” Kisai pointed out.
“What about Darryl? He’s definitely not doing anything,” Kuan suggested.
“Darryl never responds. I’m just kidding. Said he had to take care of something,” Kisai revealed.
“Uh, Shan?” Kuan took off his glasses and then put on a different pair.
“He’s stuck doing lab work and won’t be done until eight,” Kisai replied.
“Hey Yuki, if you need to leave for something important, just let us know,” Kisai said as we neared the gate.
“Okay,” I replied, not sure why he switched over to my first name.
“I heard from Shan that Long called you by your first name. You know, he’s actually right. It’s a bit unfortunate how we all met but it’s been about, what, six months now? You’ve shown us more than enough that you’re capable. Maybe even better than us so I thought it made sense to just be casual,” Kisai explained.
“I don’t really mind. I’ll try to use your first names too. It’ll take awhile since I’ve gotten used to calling you by your family names,” I agreed.
“But you’ve called Kuan by his first name all this time,” Kisai revealed, pointing at his friend.
“Yeah because you guys introduced him like that. Sorry Kuan,” I said.
“It’s easier this way. It’d be weird if you suddenly switched to my last name,” Kuan said.
“Are we clearing out the castle today or just getting information?” I watched Kisai ready the portal.
“I want to go inside but that’s not happening. We’ll ask around and see what we can figure out,” Kisai answered.
The castle was foreboding and surrounded by weaponry. It would be a terrible idea to storm it by force.
* – Ishi’s House
“Jin, good to see you again,” Ishi greeted him.
His son, Grant, wasn’t here today. Ishi excused himself and returned with a tray of cups. The tea was grown in his backyard garden. He personally harvested and brewed it himself. It smelled really fragrant too.
“Jin, I have news for you regarding the fortress,” Ishi said, handing the mage a folder.
Kisai peered through the contents before handing it over to Kuan. The f***, Kisai could read that fast? There was no way he skimmed through all of that and already understand the contents! Kuan took his time and read each of the papers inside.
“The fortress is a collaboration between the different factions? The cannons mounted up there make sense now. No wonder it felt off. How much do people hate me?” Kisai grinned.
“The seal is one of the rare things people agree on. You’re already thinking of trying to get in and break the seal?” Ishi folded his buff arms with a concerned look.
“Why else would I ask you about the fortress? Besides, Yuki and Kuan are here. Totally got this,” Kisai replied.
Ishi sighed and unfolded his arms. He gave Kisai a serious look. Kisai reciprocated with a smile, not sharing the man’s concern. Kuan shrugged his shoulders and continued examining the documents.
“Fine, I’ve known you long enough now that you won’t back down. Besides, Tess told me that breaking your seal is important. I don’t know a method of entry. But I can point you to a few sources,” Ishi relented, pointing at the folder Kuan held.
Kisai and Ishi discussed matters relevant to this dimension. Kuan finally finished inspecting all the material inside and handed it to me. I skimmed through the papers and noticed red stamps. Ishi had access to such sensitive material. From what I could figure out, breaking the seal could result in all out civil war. Why would it trigger such a catastrophic event?
“Tomo, your magic level has risen since our last meeting,” Ishi commented, giving me an approving nod.
“Really?” I didn’t know the training sessions elevated my magic levels.
“Quite impressive. I assume Jin has taught you a few things. He’s not the best at teaching but he’s pretty damn patient if you’re tenacious enough,” Ishi chuckled.
“Kisai’s been pretty helpful. He’s taught me how to control and manage my magic,” I agreed.
“If that’s the case, I have less reservations about the three of you. I wish everyone luck,” Ishi said.
Kisai and Kuan talked about the documents while I stared out the window. Rain struck the window and I sighed. My luck with weather wasn’t good.
“Let’s stop by the knights association. They hate you, Jin, but they might have answers for us. Yuki, didn’t you and Ichaival meet one the last time you were here?” Kuan suggested.
“Vagabond mages I think. Am I right?” I looked at Kisai for confirmation.
“Yeah, that seems right. Hold on, you were there, Kuan!” Kisai pointed at him.
“I didn’t remember. That’s why I asked Yuki,” Kuan said.
“I doubt the knights will admit any involvement with the vagabond mages. Maybe with a little help, they might. Yeah, let’s go and see what they have to say,” Kisai decided.
Knights Guild: Magic Division
“Kisai Jin, what a rare visitor,” the leader of the magic department greeted with a thin smile.
The atmosphere inside was tense. The knight glared at Kuan and me. It was a cramped, enough to fit five people at most, with barely any leg room. Behind the leader’s chair, a fancy sword was displayed on the wall.
“You claim one of our associates was involved with the vagabond mages? Ridiculous! Are you sure they were not mistaken?” the leader clasping his hands together and placed them on top of the desk.
“Let’s just say it was true. What would you do about it?” Kisai didn’t miss a beat, not backing down.
“They would immediately be disciplined. Any involvement with vagabond mages is a violation. But that never happened. So, please leave,” the leader answered, pointing at the door.
Kisai sighed and gave the knight leader a curt nod. We then left with no new leads.
“What now?” Kuan glanced at the building directory map on the wall.
“I know some people in other departments here. I saved them a couple of times so they’ll help me out,” Kisai answered.
We followed Kisai to the courtyard. I thought the people here might be hostile but no one paid attention to us as we walked around.
“How come no one is giving you any dirty looks here?” I noticed several sports fields in the distance.
“The magic division leader might hate me but everyone else is pretty nice. I worked here for a bit while on a mission. Nice place,” Kisai replied.
Of course he led us to the basketball court. Everyone playing paused. One of them walked up to Kisai, greeting him with a smile. Kisai laughed and gave him a high five.
“You gonna join us or what? Don’t tell me you’re scared I’ll kick your ass!” he tossed the basketball at Kisai.
“I can beat you with one hand. Let’s go!” Kisai removed his jacket and hat.
Kuan and I sat watched from the bench. The magic user’s shooting was smooth and he evaded defenders with quick spins. He was jammed a few times and missed shots when opponents double-teamed him. Overall, Kisai was a major contributor, scoring at least twenty points based on my tally.
“Damn, you haven’t lost it at all. Good game, man,” the man from before fist-bumped Kisai.
“Nah, gotta get better at jump shots. I still won though,” Kisai pointed out.
“So, you here for information? You didn’t show up just to play basketball against me,” the man said.
Kisai updated him on the situation. He left afterwards, letting us know he would return in a couple of minutes.
“One of your friends?” I stood underneath a tree for shade.
“Yeah. I actually trained here before and he was my partner for the whole thing. His name’s Michael,” Kisai revealed.
As expected, Kisai made friends pretty easily. As we waited, a woman approached us. Another one of Kisai’s acquaintances? She wore a military uniform, two stars adorned on her breast pockets. On her collar, there was a red patch with a shark.
“Jin, you didn’t tell me you were back,” the woman said, sitting next to Kisai.
“Kei, nice to see you again! How have you been?” Kisai replied.
“I got promoted as you can see. You probably already ran into Micheal,” Kei answered, gesturing toward the court.
“Yep, just finished a game against him. I won of course. Anyways, I want your help with something,” Kisai said.
“A favor? It’s usually the other way around. Who are you friends?” Kei looked over at us.
“That’s Jeonxiang Kuan and Tomo Yuki. We were hoping to get inside that huge fortress. I know the seal is in there,” Kisai introduced us before arriving at the main topic.
Kei sighed and remained silent. When Michael returned, she pulled him aside for a private discussion. Could these two really help us? They were nice, but given their positions in the guild, any assistance from them might jeopardize their standing.
“The fortress, huh? We all know you’re pretty damn good as is. Why now?” Michael wore his work uniform now too.
“The Traveler’s back,” Kisai replied.
“We haven’t been briefed about this. Is Tess and the others not enough?” Kei folded her arms with a surprised expression.
“Actually, I’ve been doing some investigating on my own. There’s something inside I want to confirm. Besides, if I’m right, there’s other stuff in there worth checking out that might matter more than my seal,” Kisai explained.
Kei and Michael exchanged glances. Kisai waited with a smile on his face. Did we even have a backup plan?
“Once your seal is broken, the factions will have nothing to agree on. Did you talk with the oracle yet?” Kei tapped her foot with a concerned expression.
“Not recently. I was hoping you guys might have something for me,” Kisai replied.
“Michael and I don’t know much about the fortress’ operations. We’ll investigate and let you know right away if we find anything,” Kei said.
“Thanks for the help. I really appreciate it,” Kisai said before we left.
“Where’s the oracle?” I asked.
“She’s on this little island, far from everything, pretty nice place,” Kisai answered, glancing around the parking lot.
What the hell was Kisai doing? The magic user pointed at a car but Kuan shook his head.
“Are we really going to steal a car?” I confronted Kisai and Kuan.
“Nah, just wanted to find a certain one and do a few modifications,” Kisai revealed.
Only one person came to mind. Kisai didn’t seem to care about the potential repercussions as the two men continued their search.
“It’s over here,” Kuan announced.
“Perfect. Let’s f*** it up,” Kisai grinned.
The magic user tapped the car’s front tire. I was surprised no one was around. Still, Kuan and I kept an eye out just in case someone did come by. Three minutes later, Kisai finished the modifications.
“What did you do?” I watched Kisai access a travel portal.
“Nothing much. Let the air out of the tires. Rewired some stuff, brakes might not work. At least that’s what he’ll think is going on,” Kisai revealed.
When we exited the portal, I saw a raised bridge. Beyond it, I discerned the faint outline of multiple medium sized buildings.
“There’s a security check. I’ll handle it,” Kisai said.
Kisai walked up to the bridge and held his left palm out. The pathway vanished and a ladder appeared. An illusion? Like Lyra, several preventive measures were in place to prevent trespassing.
“Is it safe?” I couldn’t see anything up above.
“Yeah,” Kisai confirmed.
I climbed up and a strong wind struck my face. Midway, it increased in strength and I steadied myself using Shan’s gravitational powers. Kisai snapped his fingers and the intense wind ceased. He then pointed downward. Kisai, you better not be f****** with us because I swear…
“Trust me. I’m never wrong!” Kisai laughed as he leaped down.
B*******! Kuan leaped down immediately after him. Here goes nothing!
