Jane, Warrior of Decura Chapter 13

The Grandest of Legends

Several days went by and despite their best efforts, neither Jane nor Nate could land a single strike against their teacher. The incredibly skilled William remained untouched during every training session, even when both his students tried to take him together. As the sun reached it's peak on the seventh day of their journey, Jane's party left the mountain trail and found themselves in a vast open grassland filled with small clumps of thick trees.

Nate leaped from atop the carriage and walked beside Jane, who smiled back at him while continuing to pull the vehicle. “Finally...” he sighed while stretching out his arms and neck. “I thought we'd never get through that trail.”

“You know Nate, I wasn't expecting it to be that easy” Jane said. “With names like Dead Drop Bridge and Death Mountain, I thought we'd be fighting for our lives the whole time.”

“We kind of were though...” Nate grumbled while rubbing his aching head. “William didn't take it easy during training...”

“True, but it's good for us” Jane explained before wiping the sweat from her forehead. “I doubt I'd have lasted this long if not for Will's training.”

“And my heroics of course” Nate said with a confident smile, only to immediately lose it when Jane stopped pulling the carriage and wrapped her now free arms around Nate.

“My hero” Jane chuckled while tightening her hug just enough to make Nate panic.

“There's castle Kaelen” Kiera said while pointing far into the distance while sitting atop the carriage. “We can make it within the hour if we pick up the pace.”

“I know just what to do!” Nate cheered while trying to free himself from Jane's grasp.

“Don't you dare put another carrot in front of me” Jane growled before giving Nate a noogie when he smirked at her. After tossing Nate back on top of the carriage, Jane cracked her fingers and grabbed the carriage's handles. “Hold on everyone, I'm going to run.” Not wanting to be thrown from the carriage, the entire group secured themselves within it before locking the doors. Once she was given the all clear, Jane took a deep breath before running toward castle Kaelen.

Unbeknownst to Jane and her companions, a few moments later, a single robed figure emerged from the group of trees closest to the mountain range. In complete silence, it watched Jane's carriage begin to disappear over the horizon despite having no eye-holes on its childish white hedgehog mask. Once the carriage was completely out of sight, the mysterious person suddenly vanished into the ground.

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Elsewhere, a large gang of pirates were causing a huge ruckus in a tavern of a small harbor town on the outskirts of the human empire. Due to the town's distance from Etin city, it had few guards and those that were there knew from experience not to disrupt the pirate's shenanigans and kept their distance. The tavern's workers wished they could do the same, but the threat of execution kept them at their jobs. They had no choice but to endure the constant groping and property damage.

One such server found herself in the arms of two of the dirty corsairs and silently prayed for someone to save her. It seemed somebody was listening as the tavern's front door swung open so loudly the entire room went quiet.

Welkin stepped into the tavern and studied the pirates, smirking under his mask when he noticed they all had cut nooses tied loosely around their necks. “The High Sea Hangmen...” he chuckled as Felix followed him inside. “What a surprise to find you all here, wasting time.”

“Who the hell are you?” one of the pirates asked as he and several of his companions got out of their chairs.

“Out of the way, bilge rat” Welkin snickered while trying to wave the smell of the pirate's foul breath away. “I'm here to see captain Quill, not parley with her bootlickers.”

“Tough talk coming from a dead man” the pirate growled before attempting to draw his knife, only for Felix to suddenly grab his wrist and break it a second later. Seeing their companion writhing in pain on the floor caused every pirate in the room to draw their weapons. However, they quickly put them away when a reyn woman snapped her fingers.

“I assume you're here on behalf of our mutual friend?” the woman asked after sipping her warm tea. When Welkin gave her a nod, the reyn waved him over. “Please, have a seat.” Once Welkin and Felix sat across from her, the woman brushed her long autumn hair from her light green eyes. “So what does the 'great' Hazel want from me this time?”

“She'd like you to kidnap somebody from the Mirian kingdom for her” Welkin said after putting his feet up on the table. “A simple task for one such as you captain Quill.”

Quill took another sip of her tea. “It can't be that simple if you've come to me and my crew” she snickered. “It must be either somebody really important or powerful.”

“It's a kassi” Welkin said, causing Quill's pierced ears to flicker. “She's been spotted in a small fishing village within Mirian territory.”

“A kassi?” Quill said with widened eyes. “How interesting...” Quill looked at the four crew members standing behind her. “Can you believe that boys? A kassi? In Decura?”

“Sounds like a bunch of bull captain” the largest of the four said before cracking his knuckles. “Want me to pound this masked freak into paste for wasting your time?”

“Why do you get to have all the fun?” another of the four giggled, this one covered in chains. “Please captain, let me have him.”

“But what if he speaks the truth?” the shortest of the four asked while balancing a knife on his finger. “Do you know how much gold we could get by selling a kassi?”

“It's pointless to question commands from Hazel” the fourth pirate said while inspecting his black crossbow. “Best just to get it done before she gets cranky.”

Quill rolled her eyes while remembering her previous dealings with Hazel, it was like talking to a spoiled brat. “You got that right” she sighed before cracking her neck. “Alright, we'll capture this kassi and bring her to Hazel.”

“Excellent” Welkin said before reaching into his robe and pulling out a silver ring. “Here, a gift from our mistress. Consider it your backup in case there are complications.”

“Is this magic or something?” Quill asked while studying the ordinary looking ring.

“Something like that” Welkin replied.

Quill shrugged and put the ring on her finger before standing. “Hangmen! We are going kassi hunting!” she cheered causing her entire crew to burst into a hearty laugh, only to immediately quiet down again when Quill asked the question “So, what does a kassi look like exactly?”

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Some time later, an exhausted Jane lay on the grassy field in front of castle Kaelen. She needed the rest after spending the last hour running while pulling the heavy carriage. “You ok big sis?” Emina asked while leaning over Jane.

“Yeah Emi, just taking a well deserved rest...” Jane mumbled while breathing heavily.

“Well don't get too comfortable” William said, sitting on a nearby rock. “You and Nate aren't done with training for the day.”

“Seriously?” Nate sighed before flopping down next to Jane. “Wouldn't it be better to rest now while we wait for Kiera to come back?”

“Do you think she'll be able to sneak you in William?” Patti asked while looking up at castle Kaelen's huge walls. “She's been in there for awhile now.”

“She is the grand marshal” William replied before crossing his arms. “That gives her a lot of influence. If she can't do it, I doubt anybody could. Miss Jane, if Kiera can't get me through, I still want you to carry on without me.”

“I'm sure it won't come to that” Jane said while brushing that outcome aside.

Suddenly, castle Kaelen's huge gate opened and Kiera appeared, escorted by Lisa and several dozen soldiers. Jane's party quickly gathered around the grand marshal, eager to hear what she had to say. Kiera quickly ordered her soldiers to give her some privacy and approached William. “Alright, I have good news and bad news” she said.

Jane was about to ask for the bad news first, but Emina quickly cut her off. “Emi likes good news!” she cheered causing Jane to smile and roll her eyes. “Do that first!”

“General Caspar will look the other way and allow you entry into the human empire” Kiera explained, causing Jane's group to smile at each other. “Just be sure to keep your head down if you go to Etin city.”

“Isn't that great William?” Patti said after grabbing William's hand.

William nodded at Patti before looking back at Kiera. “What's the bad news Grand Marshal?” he asked.

“It's not so bad, but we can't let you through until tomorrow afternoon” Kiera said before looking up at the castle's main tower. “One of the nobles is inspecting the castle until tomorrow morning. Its the same one that first informed me about your exile. If she was to see you...”

“Figures Edith would be here...” William grumbled.

“It's not so bad” Jane said after giving William's back a gentle slap. “That just means we can take a day off and relax.” Nate and Patti quickly nodded in agreement. “Kiera, are there any interesting sights to see nearby?”

“Well... The only nearby town is a small fishing village” Kiera answered before pointing toward the horizon. “I think it's called Sunhaze Bay and it takes about an hour to get there on foot. The mirian that live there are pretty friendly. So long as you don't stir up any trouble, they'll gladly let you stay in their inn.”

“Oh, we're the kings of staying out of other people's business” Nate assured causing the rest of his party, bar Emina, to roll their eyes.

“Just be sure to be back here tomorrow afternoon and I'll get you all through without hassle” Kiera said before glancing over to Jane's carriage. “We'll hold onto your stuff too, just so you don't have to carry it around all day today and tomorrow. Go ahead and grab anything you think you'll need now.”

“Thank you Kiera” Jane said with a smile while she and her party bowed their head. “How can we ever repay you?”

“Don't worry about it” Kiera replied. “I'm the one repaying you for what happened in fort Lukos. Not only that but...” Kiera put her finger on Nate's chin and gently lifted his head up. “I just can't stand how adorable this one is when he smiles. He's so cute.”

A big dumb smile appeared on Nate's face, quickly disappearing when he heard Jane crack her knuckles. “Thank you grand marshal” he said after clearing his throat.

Kiera smiled back. “I told you, just call me Kiera” she giggled before walking back to her soldiers. “I hope to see you and your friends tomorrow Nathaniel.”

“Bye nice lady!” Emina cheered while she and her friends waved goodbye to Kiera. “Emi will see you tomorrow!”

“So Will, you know I have to ask but...” Jane said after putting the still blushing Nate in a headlock. “What's a mirian?”

“You'll find out when we get there miss Jane” William said with a smirk.

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An hour later, Jane found herself in awe while standing in front of Sunhaze Bay. It wasn't the village itself that amazed her. After all, it was a pretty average looking fishing village with several wooden huts scattered near a beach. The overall town was very small, probably no more than fifty people lived here. No, the thing that shocked her the most were the mirian's. The best way she could describe them was, komodo dragons in clothes standing upright. The mirian seemed similar to scalekin, albeit shorter and less spiky. Jane then remembered seeing a mirian in Four Corners awhile ago. She would have asked William about them then but the incident with the golem's made her forget.

“Oh, one thing before we go in” William whispered. “Don't confuse the mirian for scalekin. That's the fastest way to get tossed out.”

After everyone nodded, Jane took a moment to survey the village. There were no more than a handful mirian outside, the rest seemed to be gathered around the largest building, which Jane assumed was a tavern given the mug of ale on the sign. “I wonder what's going on over there?” she asked.

“Let's find out” William said before approaching one of the town's few guards. “Excuse me, may I ask what seems to have your village's attention?”

The mirian guard gave Jane's party a good look before motioning William into whispering distance. “You're not going to believe it but guess what showed up on our beach the other day... A kassi” he explained.

“A kassi?” William parroted before raising an eyebrow. “Really?”

“See, I knew you wouldn't believe me” the guard hissed. “Still, you should go in and check her out for yourselves. The stuff she can do is pretty incredible.”

“What have we got to lose?” William said before shrugging and turning back to his friends. “Alright everyone, looks like we're all in for a surprise. Apparently there's a kassi here.”

Patti gasped while Jane, Nate and Emina all looked at each other in confusion. “A kassi?” they all asked together.

“An ancient and powerful race” William eagerly explained while waving his hands around for emphasize the kassi's importance. “Legend has it that they're Decura's first people. Apparently they could control nature with their very wills and people often theorize that the kassi were the ones who originally shaped the land.” As William continued to tell the tale, Emina thinking it was a fun game, began to imitate the old knight. “I've been told the kassi used to be all over Decura, but the great war nearly wiped them all out. To save themselves, the remaining kassi left to create a new home, somewhere nobody would ever find them.”

“Fascinating...” Jane said. “What do they look like?”

William shrugged. “No idea” he said before giving Emina a glare, causing her to stop copying him and hide behind Jane. “I'm not so old that I was around when they were. Their exodus apparently happened over three hundred years ago.”

“You don't look a day over two hundred” Nate joked, causing William to turn his glare toward the snickering reyn.

Patti chimed in. “According to dwarven scholars who were around back then, kassi were hulking, faceless creatures made of wood” she said. “Probably even taller than you Jane.”

“Well now I have to meet one” Jane said with widened eyes. “Come on, let's go!” Jane took off toward the crowd of mirian, her friends quickly following.

“That's right I'm really a legendary kassi!” a voice called out from beyond the crowd. “Look on in amazement as I perform feats never before seen by mirian eyes!”

A bright glow suddenly appeared, causing the crowd to gasp and then cheer. “My arm? It's healed!” one of the mirian screamed in joy. Eager to see, Jane squeezed her way through the mirian, parting them enough for her friends to easily keep close.

“That's all for today folks!” the kassi's voice chuckled. “I need to rest to recover my energy but I'll be here all week! So stop by tomorrow for another amazing demonstration!” Satisfied with the show, the mirian began to disperse around the tavern, their chatter ringing with excitement about what they just witnessed.

Eventually, Jane and her friends managed to lay eyes on the legendary kassi. She had pointed ears like Nate's except more round. Her hair was a bright green color and was tied back into a ponytail that seemed to spin like a fan in the wind. She was wearing a light blue robe that flowed behind her like a cloak, revealing most of her midriff and her white undergarment. Two thick brown boots kept the kassi's feet nice and comfy as she stood atop one of the tavern's tables. In one hand, the kassi wielded a brown staff with a chestnut hanging from the tip.

This 'kassi' looked nothing like the hulking and faceless wood monster Patti had described. In fact, 'hulking' was probably the last word one could use to describe this creature, considering she was barely six inches tall.

A big smile appeared on the kassi's face when she spotted Jane's party. “Well hello there little children” she giggled while looking up at the group's shocked expressions. “What can this giant legend do for you today?” Jane was about to say something but the kassi threw her hand up to cut her off. “No need to explain human, I understand completely” she said before beginning to do a slow spinning dance. “You're face to face with an actual kassi and your little, tiny brain just cannot comprehend my enormous level of greatness. Don't worry, it happens.”

As Nate struggled to hold in his laughter at how ridiculous the tiny kassi looked, Jane checked the rest of her friend's faces to see if they were just as perplexed as she was. While Patti and William had joined her in her confusion, Emina had clasped her hands together and was smiling at the little dancing woman with wide eyes. Eventually, Jane was able to snap herself out of her shock. “Hello there miss” she said. “My name's Jane. What's yours?”

“You want to know my name?” the kassi asked before ceasing her dance and gleefully throwing her arms up in the air. “Stare in wonder feeble minded peasants! I am the amazing Ni'cetsukichi and I have come to bless you with my presence!”

Jane raised an eyebrow and turned her confused look to William. “Will, is that really a kassi?” she asked.

William seemed even more baffled. “I don't know... I was expecting something more grand and less... uhh...

“Cute?” Patti added.

“Cute” William agreed.

Suddenly, the sound of Nate's snickering entered Jane's ears and she looked over and spotted him on the verge of laughing, tears were beginning to form in his eyes. “Nate, knock it off” she growled as quietly as she could.

“I... Can't... Help... It” Nate snickered while holding his hand up to his mouth.

Jane felt a tug on her arm and she turned to find it was Emina. “Can Emi keep it?” the golem girl asked, her face lit up like a child on their birthday. “Emi always wanted a pet!”

Ni'cetsukichi turned back to Jane's party and put one hand on her hip. “Well? Aren't you just amazed?” she asked with the smuggest smile Jane had ever seen. “Am I not just the most incredible person you've ever seen?”

“Well she's full of self confidence” William chuckled while being unable to dispel his perplexed look.

“She's full of something alright” Patti grumbled while leaning on the table.

TO BE CONTINUED....