The clan is scattered.
The thought shoved among the depths of Aiba’s mind, refusing to dim. The young gladiator ran his left hand through his grey, spiky hair, feeling concern welling up within him. It wasn’t that scattered, reality argued. Its members are just…doing other stuff…far away from each other. Aiba took a deep breath. He should have done this clan recall stuff a long time ago.
He was leaning on the wall of an old blacksmithing shop, just behind a vendor who sold magical-imbued weaponry. Aiba smiled a little, remembering the first time he’d laid hands on his kudo-yari. What a special gift that had been! He found himself hoping someone would actually buy something from the vendor as he watched, just so that he could see the joy on a new warrior’s face.
Across the street from his position, there was a new hardware shop. It had opened up just a few weeks ago, and was filled with both gladiators and civilians alike. Two of those gladiators were his allies: Charlotte Hyshards, a pyrokinetic warrior with flaming swords, and Zackeroar. The latter was a rather short-tempered but likable demi-god who almost made a mess of some people that tried to fight them as they were coming here. He said they’d made fun of his clothes earlier. Despite his downsides, he had quite a few upsides when you got to know him.
Aiba’s thoughts were interrupted as he saw Charlie and Zackeroar approaching, their hands shoved in their pockets. Zackeroar’s impressive bronze armor and Cornithian helmet only drew a few stares. The civilians here were used to just about anything.
“Any luck?” Aiba asked Charlie.
The man shrugged, his slight musculature screaming for volume beneath his plain white T-shirt. His long straight brown hair was getting only a little too scruffy (what time does he go to sleep at night again?), and his normally bright blue eyes were now dim with irritation.
“They don’t have it.” Charlie grumbled, unable to hide the frustration in his voice. “Are there any other stores you know of that sell what we’re looking for?”
Aiba shook his head, and Zackeroar unsuccessfully suppressed a groan. He flicked his head to look at them, his black locks slightly disturbed by the breeze. His blue eyes drilled into Aiba’s own, their intensity obvious.
“Maybe they don’t sell it legally.” the demi-god muttered, just loud enough for his allies to hear.
Taking the cue, the three clan members moved further down the alley, distancing themselves from the public eye and ear. As soon as they believed they were safe, Zackeroar raised his eyebrow at his leader.
“Well?”
Charlie began to shake his head, but then relaxed his shoulders and looked at Aiba.
“Your call, clan master.” he said quietly. “I don’t like it, but I also hate to comb this entire planet for this one product.”
Aiba’s brow furrowed with worry. If they went to the black market for this stuff, the word was bound to spread. The last thing he wanted was to give his clan a bad name with the authorities. But they needed it badly. The security of their building depended on it. There was a tense silence.
“Alright.” Aiba sighed, feeling out of options. “But just this once…okay?”
Charlie still looked uneasy, but he was willing to go with what Aiba wanted. Zackeroar cracked a smile.
“Let’s do this!” he said.
***
The three clan members moved quietly down the alley, alert for any suspicious activity. This part of Cansad was a hotspot for just about every illegal item imaginable. Not to mention a few bad practices as well.
Aiba scanned the crowd, searching for a sign of what they sought. The smell of trash and cigarette smoke was overpowering. Behind him, Charlie and Zackeroar shuffled along, hoping they weren’t attracting too much attention.
As the gladiators neared the back of the alley, Charlie tapped Aiba’s shoulder and pointed at the very end of the channel.
A ragged cloth lay on the pavement, so faded and muddy, that it was impossible to discern what color it had been. However, what lay on top of this forlorn fabric drew their attention instantly.
An E411-iCoREX mini-power generator. This item would power their clan building technology for the next few decades, if not centuries. But there was something wrong with it. It looked so new. There wasn’t even a single sign of wear on it. Zackeroar’s eyes narrowed.
“Something’s not right.” he whispered to Charlie.
“You think?” the pyro-expert replied. “This item screams ‘STOLEN’.”
Aiba looked back at them, a reassuring smile brushing his face.
“Don’t worry guys, I’ll be careful.” he said, and then he stepped forward, looking about for the generator’s seller.
The shadow directly above the item suddenly opened its eyes. Large, red, and pupil-less, the startling sight caused the teen to backpedal, on the verge of drawing his weapon. Judging by the harsh word exchange from his clan mates at his back, he could assume they’d been frightened too. Aiba recovered first and took a few hesitant steps towards the item. Looking directly into the shadow’s eyes, he gave it a sunny smile.
“How much?” he asked.
The shadow’s eyes narrowed. Aiba caught glimpses of bat-like wings curled against the stone wall, nearly invisible in the dark.
“Money doesn’t matter to me.” the shadow hissed. “I look for a different kind of trade in return…”
Charlie cocked his head at the mysterious being. It looked kind of like a stick figure.
“I seek a position among you.” the shadow continued.
As its listeners tensed, the creature crept down to the generator, spreading its wings protectively around it.
“I want to be part of your clan.”
Aiba opened his mouth, but Zackeroar spoke first.
“Where did you get that generator from?” he asked, suspicion dripping off his words.
The shadow hesitated, and its wings trembled slightly.
“Answer my first question.” it insisted.
Zackeroar put his hands on his hips. “No. Me first, weirdo.”
“Zack…” Aiba cautioned.
“Weirdo?” the creature responded, almost spitting the words. “If anybody is a weirdo right now, it’s you. Where’d you get that ridiculous hat from anyway?”
Charlie’s mouth dropped open, and he moved closer to Aiba, signalling him to get ready to grab Zackeroar’s arms. This wasn’t going to end well…
***
“So…your name is Venox?” Charlie asked, looking up in the air.
Above him, the bat-winged stick figure looped a few times, giving him a nervous smile.
“Y-yeah. That’s right.” he responded.
“And that generator…you stole it, right?”
“I didn’t steal it.” Venox snorted, and then his voice trembled a little. “I-I just…took with nobody s-seeing me, that’s all.”
“Why?”
The question seemed to catch Venox off guard. He flapped his wings harder, thinking of how to reply.
“He knew we needed it.” Zackeroar growled, restrained only by Aiba’s hand on his arm. “He was spying on us all this time!”
He looked directly into Aiba’s face, eyes tinted with a mix of distrust and rage.
“Why’d you say yes?”
Aiba looked back, trying to avoid direct eye contact for a little.
“He didn’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, I pity his position here. Everyone thinks he’s a freak.”
“Are our powers normal to you?” Zackeroar shot back, his fists tensing to clench.
“Do we look
anything like him?” was the reply, and then the demi-god was silent.
The clan building neared, and Aiba let the scanner run over all of them. Then he tapped a few buttons to allow the system to accept Venox as well. The panel sparked a few times, and then to door slid wide open. A few punches refused to convince it to close again. Aiba tried to drive out his frustration with a forced smile to his companions.
“Well, we’re here!” he said, gesturing to the building’s interior. “Shall we enter?”
Venox landed on the doorstep, and Zackeroar gave him a rough shove into the building.
“He goes first.” he said to Aiba. “I don’t trust him coming in behind me.”
Aiba gave the demi-god a glare and helped Venox up.
“Don’t mind him.” he said to the bat. “He’s just a little edgy that you knew all that stuff about us.”
“I-I’m sorry. I really am.” Venox responded, twitching his aching wings. “My earlier career k-kind of rubs off on me, I-I guess.”
Zackeroar snorted audibly, hands on his hips as he strode through the broken doorway.
“Was that a career in spying?” he grunted. “That’s my wild guess.”
Venox didn't reply, crawling quickly behind Aiba and clinging to his legs. Aiba shot a
help me glance at Charlie, but before either could do anything, a shuffle of approaching feet interrupted them.
“Did you guys find it?” a feminine voice asked as it came. “The heater cut out downstairs and I was
freezing…
The woman came into view, wearing a light-pinkish T-shirt and a light blue pair of skinny jeans with intentional tears along its sides and knees. Her blue eyes brightened when she saw the generator, but then clouded with slight confusion when they settled on Venox.
“Who’s that?” she asked Aiba, folding her arms. “He looks like the same species as that assassin you brought in a few months ago.”
Venox’s blood iced. Vamprina was here? Did she know he was coming? Who was her target this time? Had Slinx been with her, or that lightning creature, Volt? He pressed harder against Aiba’s legs, looking for signs of the Dark female. Was she hidden in that shadow, or that one?
“I was thinking, Zoe…” Aiba said quietly, noting Venox’s discomfort. “…of including him in this clan.”
Zoe cocked her head at Venox. Something about his bat-like wings reminded her of her demonic form. She shut her eyes for a few moments, forcing the memories away, and then opened them again. A small smile spread across her face.
“Okay.” she said lightly, pivoting on one heel and heading back downstairs. “As long as he doesn’t sleep near my side of the room.”
Zackeroar’s eyes tinted red for a few moments, and the veins on his neck stood out. Charlie looked at Aiba and quickly said, “Deal! Let’s crash, I’m beat!”
He hurried after Zoe before Zack could say anything, and then the infuriated demi-god turned to Aiba.
“Please,” he said, his fists clenched. “Don’t do this. I don’t trust this thing any more than I trusted Vamprina.”
“She’s never wronged you in any way.” Aiba responded, surprising himself with his calmness. “Remember that she did join us to avoid the public eye. Venox deserves this chance too.”
Zack leaned in close to Aiba’s face. His words were whispered, but intense.
“Just because you’re the leader…” he said. “…just because of that.”
He then turned abruptly and followed Charlie, shooting a glare over his shoulder. Aiba sighed, walking into the main control room. He lifted a panel beneath the control board, popped out the old generator, and then fitted in the new one. He waited for the system to reboot, and then turned to Venox.
“Welcome to the Wind Chasers.” he said, giving the figure a warm smile. “Sorry about Zackeroar. He’ll warm up to you after a little while.”
Venox smiled back, allowing himself some slight relaxation.
“T-thanks.” he replied. “It’s an honor.”
“You could sleep near my side of the room if you want.”
“Okay.”
The two gladiators vanished downstairs, and a shadow tore itself from the wall. Vamprina’s ears flattened a little. What was Venox doing here? If Darkarcangel sent him, what did he want? These humans were just unique, like almost every other human on this world. It wasn’t a surprise that some of them banded together in clans. She would have to tread lightly. Venox had been among the general public longer than she had, and undetected too!
As of this moment, her guard was up.
Beside her, the light blue form of Volt materialized from the dark. He cocked his head at Vamprina.
“That’s right Volt.” she confirmed, folding her bat-like wings to her sides. “We’re going to do a little spying of our own. We’ll watch that little bat
very carefully…”
