(Lylah): It was me. He left because of me.
(Jin): Wait. You’re the reason Dust left the clan? Why?
(Lylah): 20 years ago I served as a key figure in a plan. A plan that would have seen the collapse of the clan, their rivals, and other kingdoms. There would have been mountains of bodies left had the plan succeeded. However, the plan was a bust thanks in large part to Dust. Those who were responsible were all dead. Someone had to take the fall for the aftermath, and since I was the only survivor of the conspirators the punishment would have fallen on me, but Dust stepped in. He took the full blame for the plan and left the clan. This absolved the clan of any wrongdoing and anyone out there who wanted revenge would have to go after Dust themselves. I can only imagine some of them trying to get Dust and failing after all these years.
(Alita): Seeing as how he’s still alive and kicking I say them failing is the safe bet.
(Lylah): Dust sacrificed everything just to save my life. It is a debt I can never forget and one that I intend to repay by becoming the next chairman of the clan.
(Gael): You, wanna become the next chairman of the clan?
(Lylah): That’s right. After Dust disappeared on us. I knew I had to make things right, so I went to speak to Lady Jemisha and Cad about what happened. She was not happy and banished Dust from the island.
(Scarlet): You mean for the last twenty years Dust hasn’t been to his home island?
(Jordan): Supposedly, yes.
(Dante): There’s been no sightings of him on or near the island for the last twenty years.
(Lylah): I pleaded with Lady Jemisha to forgive Dust. I even got on my knees and begged her to let him return. After much pleading she agreed to let him return on one condition. Make him the chairman of the clan.
(Hibana): How is that possible? I highly doubt he can just leave a clan and come back like nothing happened.
(Baek): You’re right. He can’t. Once you’ve left the clan you’re out of it forever. However, there is one way back into the clan, the chairman’s intent. If the clan’s chairman forgives you of your past transgressions, then you are free to come back.
(Lylah): That’s where I come in. I will become the next chairman of the clan, forgive Dust of his transgressions, welcome him back to the clan with open arms, and then step down and name him as the new chairman.
(Hibana): That’s quite the plan you’ve thought up. And you guys are okay with this?
(Jordan): I’ve been okay with it since the very beginning.
(Dante): Same. We owe Dust everything for what he’s done not only for us, but for the clan.
(Jin): How does he feel about this? Does he even know about your plan? If not, you know we’re going to pass this information along to him.
(Lylah): Go ahead. We weren’t trying to be secretive. It won’t change anything in the end.
(Jin): You’re talking about removing him from the kingdom. He’s an integral knight to the order.
(Lylah): I’m sure he is. But he’s an integral part of the clan.
(Jin): But Dust is a knight of Brister. He’s great at his job and I respect him as a teammate and mentor. He can be cruel and unfair at times but he’s a good person. You have no right to tear him away from that life when he’s happy.
(Lylah): Is he really happy? Do you know what it’s like to not be able to see your home for twenty years? To work for something your whole life and have it snatched away from you because of one mistake? Make no mistake about it I am grateful for you and the others looking after him, but his place is obviously here with us. I don’t know how many years it will take for me to become chairman but I intend to do it as quickly as possible and give him back the life he sacrificed for me. If you truly care about his happiness you’ll do the right thing and let him go when the time comes. Assuming you’re still alive by then.
*Lylah takes her leave and walks off followed by Dante and Jordan. This left the young knights with Baek who stood there taking in everything they had heard. Jin and Hibana were the most distraught of the bunch. They had no idea Dust went through all of this and were torn on what to do. They liked Dust and wanted him to stick around, but was this lifestyle what he wanted to do? Was he just doing this to pass the time? Would they be okay without him? Would Shadow Eye be okay without him?*
***
*On the other side of the city, a pool party was being thrown. There was music and laughter in the air as people were talking, dancing, drinking, and swimming. The male members of Shadow Eye had entered the party area each wearing swimwear. Dust was wearing black swim trunks and showing off his impressive physique with no shirt. Sanada and Ryuuji wore red swim trunks and were also shirtless. Morgan was wearing a white tank top with dark blue trunks that had white Hawaiian floral printing on it. Kai was wearing a black speedo and black jacket and Amarti wore purple trunks and night sunglasses*
(Kai): Woah! This is my kind of scene. If we didn’t have the work we could enjoy ourselves.
(Amarti): It was the right call on Dust’s part to come here. This is definitely the perfect place to blend in and make drug deals.
(Ryuuji): I don’t see any of the ladies. Do you?
(Morgan): Probably still getting changed. Let’s head over to the bar and wait for them there.
*As the men made their way over to the bar they started getting looks from many women checking them out. Some blew kisses, some teased them, and others invited them to come over. They pretty much ignored the invitations for the time being and made it to the bar where Amarti, Morgan, and Dust sat on the barstools while Sanada, Ryuuji, and Kai stayed standing*
(Dust): Bartender, six beers please.
*The bartender who was a male human with sleek brown hair and purple eyes heard the order and delivered the beers. The bartender was wearing a black short sleeved shirt with black pants and shoes. He put the beers on the counter where he noticed Amarti and believed him to be a child*
(Bartender): Hey! Is he sixteen?
(Morgan): Sir, the drinking age is eighteen.
(Bartender): Oh.
*The bartender walks off to return to his business leaving Morgan dumb-founded that he didn’t bother to confirm that Amarti was of legal age. As everyone took a beer, Morgan decided not to think too much about it and grabbed one as well to enjoy. As they were drinking their beer they heard some commotion coming from the balcony. They turned their attention to the balcony where they saw everyone’s attention was on a group of females and not just any females but the females of Shadow Eye. The first one that got everyone’s attention was Zia wearing a two-piece green bikini that emphasized her breast. Following her was Brigit who was wearing a two-piece bikini that was red, black, and white just like her hair. Raika was wearing a one-piece blue bikini with a white t-shirt over it. Jade was wearing a strapless white bikini and adding an extra sway into her hips to get extra attention. Many men found the ladies attractive. Even those who were with other women couldn’t take their eyes off the ladies. Even the men of Shadow Eye were mesmerized by them. Except for Ryuuji because he was a married man*
(Zia): Hey guys. Sorry for the wait. How do we look?
(Ryuuji): If their silence is anything to go by I would say stunning.
(Brigit): Aww thanks.
(Jade): Oh~ beer.
*Jade snatches the beer out of Morgan’s hand and guzzles it down in front of him. This act seems to snap Morgan out of his trance*
(Morgan): Hey!
(Jade): What? It’s a school night.
(Kai): All right. Now that everyone’s here let’s split into pairs and start investigating.
*Everyone nods and heads off in different directions to mingle with the partygoers. Dust and Brigit hit the dancefloor. Amarti and Kai went over to a group of women of mix races and they quickly began fawning over Amarti and flirting with Kai. Amarti quickly found himself being spoiled by multiple women surrounding him. Zia saw this from far away and clutched her fist in anger at all those women being too friendly with her Amarti. A part of her would like nothing more than to go over there and put those girls in their place, but Zia knew she had to bear with this for the sake of the mission. She returned to her task which was chatting with a bunch of guys who were trying to flirt with her. Jade was also chatting with some guys who were hoping to get some action with her. Raika and Morgan were in the balcony area acting like a couple and chatting with other couples who were drinking, smoking, and gambling. They were hoping to spot the Smile drug but were having no luck. Ryuuji and Sanada were in the pool swimming around. They got asked to play some pool volleyball which they were obliged to do*
***
*About an hour went by and the group had spotted no signs of any dealers at the party. Dust and Brigit were sitting at a table waiting for some food to be delivered*
(Dust): This doesn’t make any sense. Why haven’t we seen any dealers at this party? We should have at least spotted one by now.
(Brigit): Maybe your intuition was wrong. Maybe they did go to that celebrity party.
*As Dust was beginning to contemplate his intuition being off, he saw out of the corner of his eyes two guys fighting. One guy was a gorilla demihuman with spikey silver hair and black eyes wearing a speedo while the other was a regular skinny human with frizzy brown hair and blue eyes wearing light blue swim trunks. Out of nowhere, the human lifted up the gorilla demihuman and slammed him through a table*
(Dust): Well there’s something out of the ordinary.
*Brigit turned around and saw the skinny human gloating over the gorilla demihuman as a human girl with wavy black and yellow eyes watched in horror while cowering on the floor. The skinny human then grabbed the girl by the arm to pick her up and was trying to drag her away but she resisted. Just when the skinny man was about to get physical and slap her his hand got stopped by Dust who fired his wires to stop him*
(Dust): Taking things a little too far for my taste, buddy.
*The skinny man turns around to face Dust while Brigit sneaks past him and goes to stand in front of the girl*
(Skinny man): Damn elf. This doesn’t concern you. Get out of here before I put you through the table like that monkey.
(Dust): You’re obviously not in your right mindset so I’m going to ask nicely that you leave before that mouth of yours gets you in trouble.
*The skinny man then charged at Dust who used his wires to smash a beer bottle upside the head of the man. This caused the skinny man to become dazed and Dust picked the man up to slam him through a nearby table which rendered him unconscious*
(Dust): Take a quick nap to get your head on straight.
*Zia and Jade were walking in just as Dust had slammed the guy through the table*
(Jade): Geez, we can’t take you anywhere without breaking public property
(Dust): I gave him a warning. He was acting out of the ordinary.
(Zia): How so?
(Dust): He slammed a gorilla demihuman through a table.
(Jade): Yeah that is out of the ordinary.
*The black-haired girl ran to the unconscious skinny man to check on him with Brigit by her side*
(Dust): Don’t worry. He’s just unconscious. But his back is going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up. Do you know this guy?
(Black-haired girl): Yes. His name’s David, he’s my boyfriend.
(Brigit): Is he always this violent with others?
(Black-haired girl): No. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s been a little stressed out from work so I thought bringing him to this party would help him relax. Then that demihuman came over and started hitting on me. Before I knew it David just leaped at the guy and started fighting him like a madman. I’ve never seen him act like this before.
(Brigit): He hasn’t been taking any drugs, has he?
(Black-haired girl): Of course not! He just had a few drinks and ate some kabobs.
(Dust): Kabobs?
*Dust was intrigued by this information*
(Dust): Zia. Stay here with her and tell security what happened. Jade. Brigit. Come with me. Time for a little food inspection.
*Dust, Brigit, and Jade headed for the kitchen area while Zia stayed with the black-haired girl*
***
*In the kitchen a bunch of humans, elves, and demihumans who were male and female could be seen prepping food to serve. They all stopped working when they heard a commotion outside the kitchen doors and then a security guard who was a dark elf with green hair and blue eyes came crashing through the doors as Dust, Jade, and Brigit walked in*
(Dust): Well, hello. I’ll have one party platter and the ladies here will have the salmon.
(Brigit): Make sure you give us plenty of tartar sauce.
(Jade): We’ll make this quick. Which one of you is working on the kabobs?
*All of the chefs turned their attention to the kabob which was being run by a dark elf who had lime green hair covering his eyes. The elf tried to make for the side exit, but Dust fired his wires to trip up the elf. Brigit and Jade ran toward the elf where Jade inspected his station sniffing the food while Brigit searched his body*
(Jade): Yep. Just like you thought. This stuff has been laced with drugs.
(Brigit): Not only that. Look.
*Brigit pulls out a vial containing a purple liquid she found in the pocket of the dark elf. She tosses it to Dust who quickly inspects it*
(Dust): It’s Smile. Got a lot of questions about how you got this.
(Dark elf): Britter!
*All of a sudden a huge dark elf enters the kitchen with twelve other dark elves. The huge dark elf was wearing long swim trunks and a tank top shirt while the rest of the dark elves wore an assortment of trunks and speedos. The tall elf had low-cut black hair and brown eyes with a black beard and had an athletic but skinny build*
(Britter): Banosee (Good evening)!
*The large elf spoke*
(Dust): Ladies. Secure our guest.
(Jade): Have fun with that party platter.
*Jade and Brigit picked up the dark elf chef and ran out the side exit. Britter motioned for the twelve smaller elves to go after Jade and Brigit while he handled Dust. The twelve elves made their way over to the over to side exit in pursuit of Jade and Brigit. Britter went to grab Dust only for Dust to swat his hand away. Britter reached for Dust with his other hand and once again got swatted away. Britter chuckled impressed by Dust’s reflexes. Using his wire, Dust whipped Britter across the face twice then on top of his head which had little effect on him. When Dust tried to whip him again Britter caught the whip and Dust used his free hand to deliver a hook punch. Once again Dust’s attack had little effect on him and Britter managed to pick him up. One hand around his throat and the other on his trunks. He threw Dust onto the table which such force that Dust slid across it and fell to the other side with fruit, vegetables, and meat flying in the process and silverware falling to the ground. Dust was quick to get back up where he grabbed the table and pushed it forward into the waist of Britter until his back slammed into the kitchen wall. Britter let out a grunt of pain and Dust jumped onto the table and ran forward where he delivered a running knee to the head of Britter. Unfortunately, Britter got his hands up in time to absorb the impact of the attack and minimize the damage. Britter used his strength push Dust’s knee back and then grabbed the sides of the table. Dust quickly jumped off the table as Britter lifted it with ease. The rest of the chefs began to flee the kitchen fearing for their lives. Britter tossed the table at Dust who dodged the table doing a jump flip. As he flipped through the air Dust used his wires to grab the table. Once he landed he spun around and tossed the table back at Britter who ducked to dodge it*
(Dust): Ui tera quibe peress (You are quite impressive).
(Britter): Liweiss (Likewise). Ie famoss periz ie relik ui (I’m almost sorry I have to kill you).
*Dust charges forward and throws a punch at Britter who leans back to dodge it. He blocks the second punch, but Dust counters with a jumping knee to the chin which dazes Britter. Dust then kicks Britter in his right knee to bring him down to one leg. Before he can follow up the attack, Britter grabs Dust by the neck to pick him up and slam him on another table. Britter grabs a butcher knife that was lying nearby about to stab Dust, but Dust managed to grab a meat tenderizer hammer and bash Britter across the head with it. This allows Dust to free himself from Britter’s hold and he hops off the table where he uses the hammer to hit Britter in the stomach which causes him to bend over and Dust follows by hitting him in the back of the head which seems to knock him out. Dust takes a minute to catch his breath as he tosses the hammer aside. As he prepares to head for the side exit, he can sense Britter rising back up to his feet. Britter slowly gets back up with blood dripping from his nose and breathing heavily. Dust turns around to face him where he shoots his wire off to the ceiling and pulls down a light fixture directly on Britter’s head. Glass could be heard shattering as the fixture smashed into Britter’s head and once again fell to the ground unconscious. Dust then went out the side exit to catch up to the others*
***
*As Dust was fighting against Britter, Jade and Brigit were running down a hall with the chef while being chased by the dark elves. They came to some doors and made it back out into the party*
(Jade): Made it outside. Now who’s going to fight?
*Jade and Brigit do a quick round of rock-paper-scissors where Brigit wins with paper*
(Brigit): Yes!
(Jade): Damn it! The scissors failed me. All right, you’re with me, buddy. Let’s go.
*Jade drags the chef away while Brigit makes her way over to the dance floor and tells everyone to clear as she makes it to the DJ booth where she grabs the mic*
(Brigit): Yo DJ. Play me some rock n’roll with a dubstep.
*Hearing her request, the DJ begins to play a song as the dark elves came out*
(Brigit): Folks! How’s your life? Are you having fun? Just forget all your worries and have some fun. Chu! Chu! Chu!
*The dark elves made their way to the dancefloor to confront Brigit who put the mic back on the stand and went to confront her pursuers*
(Brigit): Hope you boys like dice.
*Brigit puts her hands and shows six dice in between her fingers. The dark elves were unfazed by this as one of them charged at Brigit who threw a die at him*
(Brigit): Come on six.
*The die bounced off the chest of the dark elf where it came up six and exploded to send him flying. The other dark elves stood there stunned by what they just witnessed. Brigit threw her remaining five dice at the dark elves with each die making contact with a dark elf. Three of them came up six, one came up five, and the last one was a four. The die that were a six exploded and sent three dark elves flying. The die that was a five created a flaming fist and punched the dark elf it made contact with to knock him out. The die that a four turned into a fireball and launched itself into the elf’s face blinding him with pain*
(Brigit): Not bad. But I can do better.
*Brigit’s hands began to glow red as three now dice appeared in each of her hands and she tossed them as the remaining six elves ran away. All six came up as sixes and began to glow red. They all combined to form a giant flame cannon which opened fire on the six elves. The flaming cannonball exploded as it passed over the elves and sent them all flying in different directions*
(Brigit): And that’s game.
*Everybody applauded as Brigit took a bow*
(Kai): She’s still as lucky as ever I see.
*As the applause was dying down Dust came out of the doors where he saw the dark elves had been defeated by Brigit. He then felt a presence behind him and turned around to see Britter. A bandage around his head and eyes slightly glowing purple*
(Dust): Hey~ big guy, how’s it going? You’re not mad about the tenderizer and light fixture are you?
*Britter punched Dust to knock him to the ground. He then reached into his trunk pockets and pulled out a vial of Smile which he drank to make himself stronger*
(Dust): Uncle Britter, you promised you were off the sauce.
*Britter picked up Dust and tossed him into the air. As Dust was coming back down Britter kicked him to send him flying toward the dance floor*
(Dust): How can I even talk to you when you’re like this?
*Dust got back to his feet as Britter entered the dance floor*
(Dust): Un mimer papiz (One moment please).
(Britter): Gonsiero, Ie hymentry (Sorry, I’m in hurry).
*Britter punches Dust across the face to make him drop to the floor*
(Dust): Ohw yarge fu Smile qing (Who is in charge of the Smile ring?)
(Britter): A raberous kan (A dangerous man). Uy boshoya ave fomo (You shouldn’t have come).
*Britter then extended his hand sideways and caught three dice. He crushed the dice in his hand creating a small explosion that did little to no harm. He focused his attention on Brigit who threw the dice. Brigit smiled nervously waving her fingers at Britter*
(Britter): Yave zext jittle kronnie (You’re next little bunnie).
*As Britter was focusing on Brigit, he failed to see Dust return to his feet and deliver an uppercut to his jaw. The punch staggered Britter as he took a few steps back and once he recovered, he focused on Dust who was giving off a different aura than he previously was. Dust cranks his neck and raises his fist prepared to fight*
(Dust): Come on over.
*Britter moved toward Dust where Dust sidestepped Britter and jabbed him in the ribs. Britter heard a snapping sound and screamed out in pain as he clutched the side of his ribs. Bruising could be seen as a dark spot was beginning to form around his rib area. With his free hand, Britter attempted to punch Dust, but Dust caught the punch with his hand, twisted the wrist, and then delivered an upward punch underneath the elbow area of Britter’s arm snapping it out of its socket. Britter screamed out in pain once again as Dust kept control of the wrist and snapped the arm back into the socket and then punched Britter in the stomach which brought him down to one knee. Britter was finally at eye level with Dust and could see his own reflection. He saw an elf with a look of fear on his face, but Dust was paying no attention to him whatsoever. He was looking past Britter and focusing on what was to come next. In Dust’s eyes, Britter was just a dog who got loose and needed to be disciplined. Dust’s real goal was the owner of said dog. Dust began to unleash a barrage of punches on Britter who had no defense against the onslaught. Britter’s head went up, down, left, and right from the series of punches losing consciousness in the process and falling over. Everyone at the party watched in amazement at what happened and were completely silent as Dust delivered the final blow. Dust looked around to see everyone’s attention on him*
(Dust): What? He was talking shit about my girl. I had to teach him a lesson.
*Everyone cheered and whistled for Dust for protecting his girlfriend which everyone assumed was Brigit. The elves quickly left the dancefloor and made a break for the changing room*
***
*A few minutes passed where Dust and Brigit had finish dressing into their normal clothes and were now outside of the building where the party was being held at. They were now looking for the others where they heard someone whistle for them and looked to the side to see Kai and the others waving at them by the hummer*
(Kai): Impressive work back there. I forgot how much fun and hectic your missions can be.
(Amarti): Interested in joining full-time? We have openings.
(Kai): *Chuckles* No thanks. I like being my own boss. Get to travel around and set my own work hours.
(Brigit): Do you have our friend?
*Jade smirks and opens up the back door of the hummer to show the chef tied up and gagged*
(Dust): He looks comfy. Let’s head back and ask him some questions. The night is still young after all.
*Everyone enters the hummer and drives off into the night*
Author’s Note: Well this was a fun chapter to write. Leaving off on a suspenseful note in the last chapter and following up on it at the start of this chapter. Lylah wants to get Dust back into the clan and the others want Dust to remain a knight. Everyone wants the best for Dust but what does he want? Speaking of Dust, this chapter shows us the more comedic side of him. I said this previously but Dust’s personality is like a cross between Dante from Devil May Cry and Gex the Gecko. This chapter displays his Gex the Gecko side. Making wisecracks but still having the confidence to fight and back up his attitude toward his situation. It’s not that he doesn’t take the situation seriously, he just knows that given his skills and abilities, there’s nothing to worry about so why not have some fun? We also got to see a little bit of Brigit’s fighting style here. I won’t reveal how it works yet but I will soon. And that’s all for now. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.