07-13-2017, 09:09 PM
Zack smiled at the sight of Caira. At least she was alright. He stepped forward and embraced her in a strong hug as soon as they made eye contact. He’d seen her bleeding nearly to death far too much, lately. Caira was surprised, but returned the hug just as quickly. It felt comforting.
When Zack let go of her she looked down, only to see that the man had slipped his sword out of her hands and was already returning it to its resting place on his back. She gave a wide smile. If there was one thing she’d learned about him, it’s that he and his weapon were certainly one being.
“Should have let them take me,” Zack remarked, back to his usual self in no time. “Seemed like they knew all about a good time.”
“You might have a different idea about good times,” Caira remarked, putting her hands on her hips. “Or, you’re just dreaming a bit too much.”
“Can’t blame me for that,” Zack laughed, looking to Gary and seeing his signature disapproving scowl. He figured the two of them needed their own conversation, and he was really just ready to get away from Gary, anyway. “I’m going to check on how we’re running. Don’t scare me like that again, Ayryn. We’ve done that enough.”
Caira gave a sheepish smile, but said nothing more as Zack turned and disappeared further into the vessel. She didn’t know exactly what to say, anyway. She couldn’t quite get a read on how he was processing all of this. Surely, it would come up, soon.
******
A few hours had passed, and the submarine was on the move. Zack had retired to an open room he’d converted to a small training area at some point in their journey. It was wide open, and refreshingly empty, with the exception of the few pieces of equipment he’d personally placed in there. He was working a training dummy pretty hard with his bare fists, as unarmed combat was just as important to him as his abilities with his sword.
The last mission hadn’t gone well, and it burned at him. He and the mysterious gunslinger had thinned the horde to almost nothing, but it only took a poison dart not even aimed at him to undo all of his hard work. He’d leave out the part about intentionally jumping in front of it to protect another. It was irrelevant in the grand scheme.
He took a break from his merciless assault on the punching bag as Gary entered the room, sans Caira. That was an oddity, and Zack was immediately suspicious. Still, he played it cool. As Gary approached him, exuding purpose and determination, Zack casually pulled a towel from a nearby table and wiped the sweat from his face.
“Didn’t think you knew about this place,” Zack opened the conversation casually.
“I’m aware of everything that happens on my ship,” Gary quickly retorted, stopping across from the ex-SOLDIER.
“No slipping past you, huh?” Zack chuckled as he tossed the towel aside. “How’s Caira?”
Gary flinched, just barely, at Zack’s choice of words. “She’ll be alright. No thanks to you.”
Zack dropped his arms to his side and rolled his neck. So, it was going to be one of those talks.
“Well, that’s the fun part about a team, Gary,” Zack said. “Some people click with a situation better than others.”
“Maybe so,” Gary replied, not totally convinced with Zack’s logic. “Either way, the information this individual you two met might be worthwhile. Jad has us en route to a destination where we can follow up on it, after one more stop.”
“What kind of stop?” Zack asked, genuinely curious about what would be worth delaying the expedition at this point.
“There’s an uninhabited island along the way, devoid of any sort of natives like the last one,” Gary explained stoically. “It’s where you get off.”
Zack paused, mentally going over that statement for a second. “Excuse me?”
“This isn’t your concern any longer, boyo,” Gary harshly said. “You’re too much of a distraction, and not worth your weight. You can summon whatever type of boat you please and then be on your way as soon as we’ve left you.”
“And Caira agreed to this?” Zack challenged, turning to fully face Gary, now.
The complete silence in the air was answer enough for Zack.
“I thought so,” the young super soldier remarked.
“I make this decision for her own good, and that of the quest,” the old man snarled as he squared off with the young man in return.
Zack studied Gary’s facial expressions and his body language. The man was ready to fight. And certainly he had some surreal powers, but Zack had experienced a taste of them firsthand once before. He could tell from Gary’s general demeanor that he was already surprised Zack hadn’t backed down, yet. Zack decided he’d held his cards long enough. It was finally time to play his hand.
“You wouldn’t be so stupid,” Zack challenged the older man.
Gary seemed genuinely taken aback by Zack’s brazenness. Still, he took a step forwards, as if challenging Zack to close the gap. “What did you just say?”
“I said,” Zack repeated much louder, taking a matching step closer to the seafaring old timer. “You wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“You foolish child,” Gary spat, as an aura of black energy began to form around each of his tight fists. “I should just kill you here and spare us the detour.”
In an instant, Zack grabbed the handle of the Buster Sword and ripped it from his back. A discernable snarl was present on his face, unlike anything the crew of this submarine had ever seen before. Gary had expected such a reaction, and the darkness on his hands grew larger and more vibrant. Zack watched, keeping his massive blade in just one hand.
Then, the young super soldier tossed it aside. The large slab of sharpened metal clanged uselessly aside on the other end of the wide room. Gary’s curiosity betrayed him, and he watched the entire movement of the Buster Sword, right down to it settling helplessly aside. He turned back to Zack, only to see the young man goading him to attack by gesturing towards himself with his right hand.
Gary was no fool, and he was far from unobservant. Just like Caira, he knew that that the Buster Sword and Zack Fair were all but one being. For all of Zack’s prowess with martial arts, it was only secondary to his skills with the Buster Sword. Zack making a challenge without it was a clear statement on how he assessed his opponent. Gary’s heart burned from the insult that was Zack saying he didn’t need to use anywhere near his full abilities in a fight against him. And yet, the older man didn’t dare make the first move. The aura around his fists shrank.
“This is a war,” Zack broke the heavy silence with a serious tone no one on the ship believed the happy-go-lucky man capable of. “And you’re no warrior.”
An audible growl escaped Gary’s lips at Zack’s insult. “I already told you what I’ve seen in my life, laddy. You couldn’t fathom the circumstances that shaped me.”
“And you have no idea the ones that built me,” Zack countered. He would spare Gary the details of the final year of his life in his own realm. It didn’t matter. “But I know one thing, from all I’ve seen of you. You’re built on hardship, and nothing more.”
“The greatest teacher of all,” Gary retorted.
“Not without focus,” Zack said, taking another step forward. “I’ve seen villages, towns, cities burn over and over in my short life. Families have died before me in the heat of human savagery. But I’ve also trained under great warriors, learned tactics from strong leaders, and grown from every difficulty I’ve faced.”
“And the problem with youth, and primes in general is that you think you’re the best there is,” Gary remarked. “You don’t understand the depths and the worlds others come from, and you think you’ve magically seen more than anyone else.”
“And the problem with age is that you think you can’t learn anything from those younger than you,” Zack countered once more. “Like you’re some wise sage simply because you’ve been around longer. I know a lot of people a lot younger than you I wish were here, instead.”
Gary unclenched his fists. This was a side of the young warrior he’d yet to see. The man was clearly smarter, and more observant, than he cared to admit, but it didn’t shake his dislike and complete lack of trust for him.
“If you keep doing something wrong, it doesn’t magically become right,” Zack finished his outburst.
“I’m still considering killing you,” Gary answered Zack’s statements.
“My sword’s still over there,” Zack dared the man to approach him further. “So come and try.”
Gary hesitated. It was a turning point, to allow Zack to call his bluff so completely. Yet, apparently this hyperactive kid wasn’t as dim as he seemed. He was right about one thing without question, though. Zack was the one with the most military experience, and as the scale of this conflict grew, he wasn’t someone they could alienate. Gary’s demeanor turned to a scowl.
“Fine,” the old man spat as he turned around. “There’s a meeting in ten minutes to determine our course of action. Be there, and have some useful input.”
Zack didn’t answer, instead recovering the Buster Sword silently before Gary finally departed. It was going to be a little weird, the rest of this quest, but damn did Zack feel good about standing up for the little guy. Even though he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to become the little guy this time around.
He shook his head and went back to the training dummy, looking to get a few more reps in before it was time to get back to work.
When Zack let go of her she looked down, only to see that the man had slipped his sword out of her hands and was already returning it to its resting place on his back. She gave a wide smile. If there was one thing she’d learned about him, it’s that he and his weapon were certainly one being.
“Should have let them take me,” Zack remarked, back to his usual self in no time. “Seemed like they knew all about a good time.”
“You might have a different idea about good times,” Caira remarked, putting her hands on her hips. “Or, you’re just dreaming a bit too much.”
“Can’t blame me for that,” Zack laughed, looking to Gary and seeing his signature disapproving scowl. He figured the two of them needed their own conversation, and he was really just ready to get away from Gary, anyway. “I’m going to check on how we’re running. Don’t scare me like that again, Ayryn. We’ve done that enough.”
Caira gave a sheepish smile, but said nothing more as Zack turned and disappeared further into the vessel. She didn’t know exactly what to say, anyway. She couldn’t quite get a read on how he was processing all of this. Surely, it would come up, soon.
******
A few hours had passed, and the submarine was on the move. Zack had retired to an open room he’d converted to a small training area at some point in their journey. It was wide open, and refreshingly empty, with the exception of the few pieces of equipment he’d personally placed in there. He was working a training dummy pretty hard with his bare fists, as unarmed combat was just as important to him as his abilities with his sword.
The last mission hadn’t gone well, and it burned at him. He and the mysterious gunslinger had thinned the horde to almost nothing, but it only took a poison dart not even aimed at him to undo all of his hard work. He’d leave out the part about intentionally jumping in front of it to protect another. It was irrelevant in the grand scheme.
He took a break from his merciless assault on the punching bag as Gary entered the room, sans Caira. That was an oddity, and Zack was immediately suspicious. Still, he played it cool. As Gary approached him, exuding purpose and determination, Zack casually pulled a towel from a nearby table and wiped the sweat from his face.
“Didn’t think you knew about this place,” Zack opened the conversation casually.
“I’m aware of everything that happens on my ship,” Gary quickly retorted, stopping across from the ex-SOLDIER.
“No slipping past you, huh?” Zack chuckled as he tossed the towel aside. “How’s Caira?”
Gary flinched, just barely, at Zack’s choice of words. “She’ll be alright. No thanks to you.”
Zack dropped his arms to his side and rolled his neck. So, it was going to be one of those talks.
“Well, that’s the fun part about a team, Gary,” Zack said. “Some people click with a situation better than others.”
“Maybe so,” Gary replied, not totally convinced with Zack’s logic. “Either way, the information this individual you two met might be worthwhile. Jad has us en route to a destination where we can follow up on it, after one more stop.”
“What kind of stop?” Zack asked, genuinely curious about what would be worth delaying the expedition at this point.
“There’s an uninhabited island along the way, devoid of any sort of natives like the last one,” Gary explained stoically. “It’s where you get off.”
Zack paused, mentally going over that statement for a second. “Excuse me?”
“This isn’t your concern any longer, boyo,” Gary harshly said. “You’re too much of a distraction, and not worth your weight. You can summon whatever type of boat you please and then be on your way as soon as we’ve left you.”
“And Caira agreed to this?” Zack challenged, turning to fully face Gary, now.
The complete silence in the air was answer enough for Zack.
“I thought so,” the young super soldier remarked.
“I make this decision for her own good, and that of the quest,” the old man snarled as he squared off with the young man in return.
Zack studied Gary’s facial expressions and his body language. The man was ready to fight. And certainly he had some surreal powers, but Zack had experienced a taste of them firsthand once before. He could tell from Gary’s general demeanor that he was already surprised Zack hadn’t backed down, yet. Zack decided he’d held his cards long enough. It was finally time to play his hand.
“You wouldn’t be so stupid,” Zack challenged the older man.
Gary seemed genuinely taken aback by Zack’s brazenness. Still, he took a step forwards, as if challenging Zack to close the gap. “What did you just say?”
“I said,” Zack repeated much louder, taking a matching step closer to the seafaring old timer. “You wouldn’t be that stupid.”
“You foolish child,” Gary spat, as an aura of black energy began to form around each of his tight fists. “I should just kill you here and spare us the detour.”
In an instant, Zack grabbed the handle of the Buster Sword and ripped it from his back. A discernable snarl was present on his face, unlike anything the crew of this submarine had ever seen before. Gary had expected such a reaction, and the darkness on his hands grew larger and more vibrant. Zack watched, keeping his massive blade in just one hand.
Then, the young super soldier tossed it aside. The large slab of sharpened metal clanged uselessly aside on the other end of the wide room. Gary’s curiosity betrayed him, and he watched the entire movement of the Buster Sword, right down to it settling helplessly aside. He turned back to Zack, only to see the young man goading him to attack by gesturing towards himself with his right hand.
Gary was no fool, and he was far from unobservant. Just like Caira, he knew that that the Buster Sword and Zack Fair were all but one being. For all of Zack’s prowess with martial arts, it was only secondary to his skills with the Buster Sword. Zack making a challenge without it was a clear statement on how he assessed his opponent. Gary’s heart burned from the insult that was Zack saying he didn’t need to use anywhere near his full abilities in a fight against him. And yet, the older man didn’t dare make the first move. The aura around his fists shrank.
“This is a war,” Zack broke the heavy silence with a serious tone no one on the ship believed the happy-go-lucky man capable of. “And you’re no warrior.”
An audible growl escaped Gary’s lips at Zack’s insult. “I already told you what I’ve seen in my life, laddy. You couldn’t fathom the circumstances that shaped me.”
“And you have no idea the ones that built me,” Zack countered. He would spare Gary the details of the final year of his life in his own realm. It didn’t matter. “But I know one thing, from all I’ve seen of you. You’re built on hardship, and nothing more.”
“The greatest teacher of all,” Gary retorted.
“Not without focus,” Zack said, taking another step forward. “I’ve seen villages, towns, cities burn over and over in my short life. Families have died before me in the heat of human savagery. But I’ve also trained under great warriors, learned tactics from strong leaders, and grown from every difficulty I’ve faced.”
“And the problem with youth, and primes in general is that you think you’re the best there is,” Gary remarked. “You don’t understand the depths and the worlds others come from, and you think you’ve magically seen more than anyone else.”
“And the problem with age is that you think you can’t learn anything from those younger than you,” Zack countered once more. “Like you’re some wise sage simply because you’ve been around longer. I know a lot of people a lot younger than you I wish were here, instead.”
Gary unclenched his fists. This was a side of the young warrior he’d yet to see. The man was clearly smarter, and more observant, than he cared to admit, but it didn’t shake his dislike and complete lack of trust for him.
“If you keep doing something wrong, it doesn’t magically become right,” Zack finished his outburst.
“I’m still considering killing you,” Gary answered Zack’s statements.
“My sword’s still over there,” Zack dared the man to approach him further. “So come and try.”
Gary hesitated. It was a turning point, to allow Zack to call his bluff so completely. Yet, apparently this hyperactive kid wasn’t as dim as he seemed. He was right about one thing without question, though. Zack was the one with the most military experience, and as the scale of this conflict grew, he wasn’t someone they could alienate. Gary’s demeanor turned to a scowl.
“Fine,” the old man spat as he turned around. “There’s a meeting in ten minutes to determine our course of action. Be there, and have some useful input.”
Zack didn’t answer, instead recovering the Buster Sword silently before Gary finally departed. It was going to be a little weird, the rest of this quest, but damn did Zack feel good about standing up for the little guy. Even though he wasn’t sure how he’d managed to become the little guy this time around.
He shook his head and went back to the training dummy, looking to get a few more reps in before it was time to get back to work.