Dreamer
Kett sits in his hotel room but is not fully conscious. He shrugs side to side grunting. Sada takes his helmet off and uses waterbending as she attempts to heal his mind. A baffled Ruken crosses his arms, "What's going on with him?"
Sada comments, "He is having a spiritual meltdown." Calveko and Kashen watch in the background. Kett sees himself in a cloudy room with a white floor and light grey walls. The room seemingly has no end. Kett looks up and notices the bright blue sky.
Kett mutters to himself, "Where the blazes am I?" Kett sees a humming bird buzz past him. Kett follows the bird, but it soon fades away in the clouds. As the hero steps, he can still hear its echo.
The voice of a man chirps, "Can you honor that armor?"
Kett then hears a woman's voice, "He doesn't have what it takes. He will betray them."
Kett argues, "No, I'm not like that." A black and red spider monkey dives over Kett and knocks him down. The avenger tries to raise his arms, but the beast pins him down. Kett's legs are likewise bound.
Spidermonkey: "Suuuuuuussh, young one, I have plans for you." The creature kneels down as it prepares to bite him, but a frustrated Kett heats his armor burning the creature. The animal hops backward and Kett jumps into a fighting stance. The Spidermonkey bellows, "Zeeesh!!"
The creature opens its mouth and spews a stream of yellow acid at the avenger. Kett rolls left. The animal turns and shoots a massive web from its butt at his chest. Kett pulls his arms forward which are caught in the web and the creature spins as it yanks the armored crusader closer.
Kett grunts before he spits a fire gaze through the web, freeing himself. The monster flips at him and swings two of its limbs at Kett's head. Kett ducks and generates an orange and yellow fire sword. The VA slashes left and cuts the animal's arms off.
The spidermonkey cries in rage, "Ahhhh!" The animal twirls another two of its limbs but Kett blocks both blows before whipping a fire beam into its stomach, severely crippling it. Dark blue blood leaks from the animal as Kett steps encroaches it. The beast springs up again but the teen knocks it down with a hard right overhand.
Kett ignites his fists. Spidermonkey: "Finish it, do what your people are known for."
Kett glares at the vile vermin in rage. A barrage of people can be heard before him, it appears to be a crowd. Most of what is said is indecipherable, but a few clear messages emerge. A man whales, "No, don't do it. That is a sacred creature."
Kett looks down again, still desiring to take its life. Spidermonkey: "What are you waiting for, do it?" Kett looks but does nothing. Spidermonkey: "Do it, before..." A white surge of fire obliterates the animal.
Kett turns and sees his old comrade. Macai stands in his classic red and black armor with his gold collar shining. Like Kett, he is also hearing a helmet, but his is nothing Kett has ever seen before. The commander points, "What are you doing? Have you forgotten your role? You are lost!"
Kett takes off his helmet, "No Macai, I'm fulfilling my rightful destiny. You stand to protect a lie!" Macai throws his helmet at Kett who smacks it aside. Macai zooms at Kett with a white blaze of fire and Kett wakes up. Sweat pours across the seventeen-year-olds face.
Sada: "Kett, are you ok? You look like you saw a ghost."
Kett replies, "No, but I saw something." A puzzled Calveko and Kashen look at each other. Kett stands up and starts putting his armor on.
Sada: "What are you doing Kett?"
Kett: "It's time we back in the fight. We have a mission to complete."
Calveko: "Aren't you going to tell us what you saw?"
Kett answers, "I will, later today. We need to get going, I have a feeling that now is the time."
Kashen: "Here we go again, do you remember what happened the last time you had a feeling. Cause I do, last time we ran straight into a trap. If that is how this spiritual stuff works, maybe we need to get a little more practical."
Kett: "Sometimes you have to lose to win."
Calveko: "I was praying you WOULDN'T say that."
Spiraled Family
Kett, Sada, Calveko, Ruken, and Kashen continue their search as they are openly investigating in the streets of Kuvusha. The strange elder returns to greet the gang of heroes. Kett: "Sir, what is your name?"
Elder: "My name does not matter, only my message."
Calveko: "Here we go again with this nonsense."
Kashen slaps Cal's arm, "Be respectful."
Elder: "That man you saw, the one with the mask, I know who he is."
Kett: "How exactly do you KNOW?"
Elder: "I've had a vision."
Calveko: "Great, so we're going off dreams now."
Elder: "And I have evidence."
Calveko: "Such as?"
Kett: "Let the man talk Cal." Calveko groans.
Elder: "About ten years ago, there was a man who had two small children. Then again, at least one of them must have been a toddler at that time. He also had a beautiful wife, and his name was Pillan.
Pillan was skilled waterbender and farmer. He contributed strongly in his village, but the people were strict and had standards for how many crops someone is expected to grow. One winter, his loving spouse became gravely ill. She died and Pillan was distraught.
Pillan's output went down, and he became a poor cropsman. During that time, he fell into a deep state of depression. Heavy bags stood under his eyes as he struggled to care for his children, and he started to act oddly. He became averse to eye contact and distanced himself from people.
Other members of the village started taunting him for becoming a hermit. One evening, a group of three men started harassing him. Pillan stood his ground and spoke back which led to a scuffle. The trio wrestled him down and beat him before forcing him to eat a radish.
Pillan's daughter witnessed the incident from a bush. When he realized what had happened, he gained strength in his anger and badly beat two of them men. The third man began to gain an advantage until Pillan lodged an ice dagger through his throat. Knowing he killed someone and had increasing unpopularity, Pillan felt his exile was forthcoming.
He immediately took his children and fled; never to be seen again. That is until perhaps now. In the last few years, people have been disappearing on the outskirts of the village. From what I've gathered, he has killed people of all economic classes. He has killed some with both good and bad reputations. He dresses like a spirit, and I think he is taking lives in the same pattern as one."
Sada inquires, "Why would he do this?"
Elder: "The most likely reason is he made a pact with spirits to protect him and as an exchange for power he must take lives."
Ruken: "That is a classic supernatural pattern."
Kett: "Do you know where these people might be now?"
Elder: "Explore the outskirts of the village and you will find your passage. The light will guide you." The day pushes on as Kett and his friends wonder across the outskirts of Kuvusha where the grass has a yellow-brown tint and trees have fallen leaves from the prolonged winter.
The Vindicated Avenger points, "Man, it's freezing. Let's keep going into the countryside."
Sada: "Look on the bright side, it's almost spring."
Kett: "That it is." As the squad strolls along, they push through a boreal forest. Eventually, they take set up camp during sunset. Kett starts a fire Ruken and Calveko roast fish kabobs.
Calveko takes a bite of his kabob, "Emm, nice and crispy, just the way I like it."
Kashen: "Ok dork."
Ruken prepares to lay in his tent a little earlier until he senses something strange. Ruken peers through the trees and notices a mammal hoping through bushes. Ruken looks Sada in her eyes, "Hey, we have company."
Sada glances and the animal retreats. The United Way operative smiles, "Maybe we scared it off."
Sada changes her position and looks down the path. She can hear a faint noise, "No, we didn't, looks like he's brought some help."
Ruken alarms the others, "Kett, Cal, and Kash get ready! We have visitors!"
Calveko retrieves his sword, "Oh, what a joy!"
Kashen: "I'll say, I'm equally pumped." Kett cringes. Six kangaroo-hyenas hop into action. They have dark grey fur with brown spots, yellow eyes, serrated claws, pointy ears, and needle-like teeth.
One kangaroo-hyena screeches, "Hy hehe haaaa!!!" The other five continue their stampede.
The Vindicated Avenger puts his helmet on and warns the others, "Wait on my signal." The creatures gallop ahead at 15 miles an hour. Calveko draws his sword as he stands at his left and Kashen readies his spear as he waits on his right flank.
Behind them, Sada stands at center formation while Ruken holds on her left with his black sword. The predators move closer. Kett: "Steady." The kangaroo-hyenas are now just twelve feet away. Kett commands, "Strike!!"
Kett pounds two fire bricks through a kangaroo-hyena's chest. Another lunges at Kashen but he punctures it at just the right moment. Another beast skips at Calveko but he counters with a right swing. The animal hops further right and back then flips at him with a spiraled blow.
Cal backpedals but trips over a rock in the process, "ooof!" Ruken hurls a rock into the beast's face, causing it to spin backward.
The animal grunts, "gruff." Kashen lunges at another kangaroo-hygena but the hybrid beast springs left and smacks him down with its tail.
Kashen: "Woh!" Sada blasts the animal back with a cold waterspout. Kett blows the head off a different predator with an explosive fireball. One kangaroo-hyena pounces at him with an ambitious 4-feet-high and 5-feet-long jump. Kett uses a spark of fire to propel himself three feet left, moving himself out-of-range from its claws.
The kangaroo hybrid counters by elongating its rubber-like tail and whipping it at him. Kett crouches under the strike. Ruken grabs another rock and hurls it into the creature's chest. The kangaroo-hyena stumbles a couple of inches back before it looks at its other remaining packmate.
The creatures groan and retreat. Kashen: "Well, that was a great workout. I believe we've earned a goodnights sleep."
Calveko: "That and we've gained an extra set of food. Hello?"
Kashen: "Oh that's right."
Ruken: "You two have fun gather their hunks, I don't want to eat those abominations."
Kashen: "Kangaroo-hyena meat tastes the best."
Calveko: "Yeah, whatever pansy." The next day, the group continues their trip to the point that they have traveled past the forest into a tundra.
Sada: "Kett, I think we're going the wrong way, if we keep strolling through the middle of nowhere, we will eventually become very lost. Maybe we should wait for him to come back to us."
Kashen: "I'll say, I'm terrified of being lost."
Calveko: "You say a lot of things."
Kashen responds, "As do you."
Kett: "Just keep going, give it twenty more minutes, I have a good feeling about this."
Calveko: "Here we go with these feelings."
Kett: "Hey, sometimes they work for us, other times they work against us."
Calveko: "Can we at least try to find out which is which?"
Kett: "I'm working on it; I'm not exactly seasoned with this spiritual stuff." After fifteen minutes of walking, the team spots a massive light green crystal structure. Kett: "What in the sparks is that?"
Calveko: "That's your sign."
Ruken comments, "It looks like some sort of sanctum."
Sada admits, "That's gotta be it. That must be where Pillan dwells."
Kett rubs his hands together, "So we've found him, let's see what else we discover." A few minutes later, the group steps to the front door which is obviously locked. It is twelve-feet-long and of a sturdy dark brown wood composition.
Sada: "We don't want to make it obvious we're getting in."
Ruken: "Don't worry, being a United Way agent has taught me many tricks, including how to pick locks and break into any type of door." Ruken pries the door open without making it obvious. The team enters, silently closing it behind them. The floor is marble and is light grey.
The walls and ceiling are of an expected light green crystal make-up. The building is naturally illuminated, so there is no need for torches. The place is packed with decorations and paintings. The building also feels like a library since it contains multiple wooden bookshelves that are packed to the brim.
Kett: "Wow, they have a lot of stuff in here."
Sada looks and points, "And they have jewelry." Kashen rotates his eyes and notices silver, gold, and copper items on display. These items include finger rings, earrings, ankle bracelets, wrist bracelets, necklaces, and belt interiors.
Kashen: "Well, I guess they have a knack for fashion."
Calveko: "And I have one for fish kabobs, I want another one."
Kashen: "You'll eat after this mission is done."
Calveko: "But I'm hungry and I want it now."
Ruken blurts, "Be quiet."
Calveko childishly quips, "Meanie." Suddenly, the team finds the silver front doors to a chamber. Kett pushes them open, and the group looks around.
Kashen notices a map and picks it up, "This just seems to be a world map, but it has some locations I've never heard of before."
Sada: "Maybe he has spiritual secrets, displaying locations long forgotten by historians."
Kett: "One thing at a time, right now finding and handling them is our priority."
Ruken hears a noise under a table. The bottom of the table is concealed by a cover. Ruken slashes the cover in two and looks down but sees nothing. Ruken turns and points his blade at a young man who seems to be around fifteen. He has curly dark brown hair, brown skin, light blue eyes, a thin frame, small ears, thin lips, and a long nose.
Ruken: "Hey, guys I've spotted someone." Ruken points his black sword at the young man's neck. Ruken: "Start talking."
Young man: "I am Frako, Pillan's son."
Calveko comments, "So it is Pillan, great!"
Frako: "I know you can't reasonably trust me, but I do not condone nor advertise what they are doing. If you let me live, I will cooperate. All I ask is that you don't kill them, at least don't try to. They're my family, I could never wish that on them. Even if that means you must arrest them, so they can get the help that they need."
Frako adds, "My father is severely depressed, that's part of the reason he got into these spirits in the first place. He is particularly loyal to Kanosshu, the spirit of nocturnal destruction. He's also made a deal with Tenzann, the principality of the frost."
Kett: "What is he planning to do?"
Frako: "They are planning a grand attack in two days from now, you came at the right time. I don't know all the details, but I know they are getting some help from some winter reapers. These winter reapers or collectors as some call them, gain power through blood. They kill people then return transfer blood into the frosty tundra; this in-turn empowers Tenzann."
Calveko: "Is Kanosshu the reason he butchers people at night."
Frako: "Yes, my father turned to Tenzann for survival when we were forced to live in a harsh winter without much way to find crops. Somehow, they just came after he made his pact, but that wasn't all. He came to Kanosshu for power and revenge."
Kashen: "Revenge?"
Frako nods, "Yes, he wanted to make others feel his darkness, emptiness, and loneliness. So many people made fun of his turmoil, he meant to do the same to him. What's interesting is he's long ago slain everyone who harassed him in the past, but the darkness took over. Now he feels empty but keeps claiming lives because it is all he knows; he is a mere vessel to those superbeings."
Sada: "The temptations of ascendancy can prove disastrous."
Frako: "Believe me, I've seen it. My father is much closer to my older sister, Aylin. She is a year older than I. I can't bend and he always thought I was lesser because of that. What's odd is my mom loved me for who I was, but after she died, he progressively treated me worse."
Calveko: "Well, that's..."
Frako: "I think it's because I remind me of the last thing he ever loved and had hope for. His love for us was tied to her. When she went, his mind and hope went. My family will be back by midday, you must leave before they return."
Kett: "Why would we wait for them to unveil their plan, when we can hit them now with the element of surprise and prevent bloodshed?"
Frako: "Please just give me time so I can emotionally prepare myself for what might happen. Besides, if you hit them tomorrow right before night, they won't be expecting it. I promise, it takes a while for them to summon monsters anyway."
Sada: "I sense he's being honest, at least in his intentions."
Kett: "I wondered how this armor might change my life and role as a fighter. I've learned that it isn't just about winning battles or bringing down menaces. This armor has spiritual implications, this armor pushes me to not only do what works but to value what is difficult to do because it is morally justified."
Kett points, "I will give you this chance, but from this moment I hope you remember what I have done. I hope you recollect the grace I have shown you and how people can still win while showing these qualities. They may make us seem vulnerable, but they make us more potent in the light."
Frako nods, "I agree wholeheartedly, I've been yearning for a change. The supernatural realm is not predictable. Just in case things get crazy, please get help and bring some of the local authorities with you. Have them on standby." Kett and his friends leave the structure.
Sada: "Even though I think we can trust him, I'm not sure we should bring backup. What if, Pillan has a way to drain people, the attendance of others around could make him stronger."
Kett: "Drain people? Where do you get that from?"
Sada: "I don't know, I just have a hunch."
Kashen: "And that hunch is based on?"
Sada: "Absolutely nothing..."
Kett: "We don't have much time to wait or plan, the longer we do, the more likely we will be exposed. We know where they live and now that we do, it is only a matter of time before Pillan discovers this, even if his son can be trusted. When they find this out, they will realize their days are numbered and strike big."
Kashen: "And when that happens, we'll be ready."
Calveko: "While I don't think we need the help of authorities; it might not help to tell them. They aren't necessarily keen listeners, even though they've saved us once, they might step forward too soon causing us some problems."
Ruken: "The way things have been going, I bet they'll come if they're meant to. I think we should have ambushed his relatives then and there, but I let you do your thing."
Kett: "To be honest, I wanted more information on our enemies, but it did not feel like the right time for a final confrontation. Perhaps the dark spirit would eventually find a vessel to stage this attack anyway, this could be our best chance to humble it for the time being."
Kashen: "I'm not going to pretend like I'm not confused, but I have faith this will work out. I also am going to keep training and follow through as best I can. Hopefully that will be enough to keep my head on its shoulders. Then I want to go back to having normal missions."
Calveko: "Right, these mystical journeys give me the creeps."
Ruken: "Eating kangaroo-hyenas gives me the creeps."