Ayos: The Heir with the Crimson Eyes

by Justin Parks

  Chapter 25

  Next Generation

  It was a normal day at the academy, and Jin had just finished one of his classes. He walked out into the hall where he was greeted by Sky. “Hey, man!” he said, waving to Jin.

  “What’s up?” Jin asked, as they began walking together. Sky had an excited look on his face. “Well, spill it,” Jin said.

  “Yeah, so I got signed up for a new mission and I signed you up too,” Sky said.

  “What is it?” Jin asked.

  “It should be a pretty cake assignment. We get to chaperone some of the one-star kids on assignment,” Sky explained, as he smacked Jin on the back. “Besides, we haven’t got the chance to hang out it a while.”

  Jin nodded. “Yeah, it sounds good,” he said.

  Sky smiled. “Sweet, we leave tomorrow. See you then,” he said as he walked away.

  The next day Jin and Sky met and waited by the gates for the three apprentices to arrive. “So this is weird; I mean, I never had a chaperone on any of my missions,” Jin said.

  “Well, this is a group of one-stars on their first mission. We’re supposed to train them on basic mission protocol and how to lead their own missions. Plus, I think the academy’s been taking extra precautions lately, especially since the abomination incident,” Sky explained.

  “What do you know about the group we’re watching?” Jin asked.

  “I don’t know much. Just a three-person team consisting of two boys and a girl. I guess they can tell us more when they get here,” Sky said.

  The first apprentice they saw was a young girl with glasses. She had blonde hair that was pulled back in a French braid. She walked up with a spring in her step and bowed to the two. “It is very nice to meet you senior apprentices. My name is Elaina Sultin.” Elaina seemed to be a very proper girl.

  “Nice to meet you; my name is Sky Keng,” Sky said, before pointing to Jin. “And that’s my partner, Jin Kaizer, Good to see you’re on time. It’s important to be punctual.” Sky added.

  “Thank you very much, sir,” Elaina replied, bowing once again.

  The second apprentice to arrive was a young boy. He was stout, with short black, buzzed hair. He walked up and bowed. “Hello, senior apprentices. My name is Dante Monark,” he said as Sky and Jin introduced themselves once again.

  Finally, the third apprentice arrived late. He was a young man with shorter messy, green hair. He made his way lazily up to the group. “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey what?” Sky said, in a serious tone.

  “Hey, sir,” the young man said.

  “State your name,” Sky demanded.

  The boy straightened up. “Nate Rechs,” he said. Sky glared at him with displeasure. “Oh . . . sir,” he continued.

  “All right, let’s go,” Sky said as the group then set out on their mission.

  They made their way to the up the road. “Okay, so what are the mission details?” Jin asked.

  “Yes, it is usually a good idea to discuss the mission before hand. It’s a good time to strategize and gain information that may have been missed in the report,” Sky said to the group. “Now, if you will; discuss, please,” Sky said, ushering them on.

  “The mission details say that we are to go to the village of Wukong. There have been sightings of a monkey-like kami appearing near there. So far, it’s been mainly a nuisance. It has also been eating up a lot of their crops,” Elaina explained.

  “Wait . . . so why would a kami eat the crops?” Nate asked.

  “Kami consume magick to become stronger. Magick resides in all living things. Kami usually attack people because they have the most, but this one probably isn’t that strong yet, so it’s been consuming magick from the plant life,” Dante explained.

  “Very good, Dante and Elaina. You both seem to have been keeping up with you studies,” Sky complimented.

  “What about me?” Nate asked, as the group passed through the atlas gate.

  Sky just looked at him. “I’ll give you a point for asking questions because it’s always good to ask questions,” Sky replied giving the boy a hopeful smile, “but a deduction for not paying attention in class in the first place,” Sky finished, taking it away.

  The party continued along the road, chatting, until they finally came to the village of Wukong. It was a quaint little farming village, not unlike many Jin had seen on his journeys. The group walked into the town. “So what should we do first?” Dante asked.

  “That’s what we’re here to learn,” Sky explained, looking up at the sky. “Well, the first thing you should do is attain lodging for the night. Next, you should gather information from the townspeople. Report back to us with what you’ve learned. Then, you can begin searching for the kami,” Sky explained.

  The five found the inn. Jin and Sky sat talking, while the kids were checking in. “So you’re awfully quiet,” Sky said.

  “I don’t really know what to say,” Jin responded.

  “C’mon, you’ve been on tons of missions. You know the rules. Just tell ’em how it is. Remember, they’ll most likely be chosen to lead when they go out on a mission. That’s why we’ve got to be strict with them. They won’t learn otherwise,” Sky explained.

  At that moment, Nate walked up to the table. “Uhh, I don’t have any money . . . so ahh,” he said.

  “Looks like you’re sleeping outside tonight,” Jin said. Nate just stood there with his jaw dropped. “What? Don’t look at me like that. The first and most important rule is . . . be prepared!” Jin explained before he walked away.

  “Wow, man. That was harsh,” Sky said with a serious face.

  “What? That’s what happened to me my first time out,” Jin explained.

  Sky laughed. “Man, I’m just joking,” he said, “but seriously, you had to sleep outside? Who were you grouped with?” he asked.

  “Liz and Saga,” Jin said as he began his story. The two stayed at the inn and continued catching up for a while. Eventually, the apprentices returned and sat down with them.

  “Well, what do you got?” Sky asked.

  “I heard that the kami is mostly spotted around noon in the orchard down the road from her,” Elaina explained.

  “And I heard that the kami is shaped like a monkey. It stands about four to five feet tall and has attacked someone before. It bit them, but they were able to escape. Also, it has a tendency to throw things at anybody who gets near its area,” Dante explained.

  Nate sat silent. Everyone looked to him to begin. “Well, I heard it was big and red, and it can fire laser beams from its eyes. It often flies over town at night, attacking kids who don’t brush their teeth,” he explained.

  “Who the heck told you that?” Jin asked bluntly.

  “Uhh, it was this kid down the street,” Nate explained.

  “Okay, another lesson. Make sure your intel is liable and makes obvious sense. This just sounds like a story the kid’s parents made up to make him brush his teeth,” Sky said.

  ToC

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