*Back on the highway things were clearing up as Ivo and his men were properly arrested and put into the car of the knights. Leon got done conversing with media explaining that this was a joint effort between the White Tiger and Black Tortoise knights to take down Ivo. After Leon got done answering media questions, he went back to talk to the members of Shadow Eye who were still present*
(Leon): Thanks for all your help once again guys. Especially you, Dust. I’m sorry it got out of control like this, but I’m glad you were there to help out.
(Dust): Don’t mention it.
(Leon): The rest of you did good as well. Tell Amarti and Raika I said thank you. You’ve also gotten a lot better Jin. When I first met you I have to admit I was a little worried you wouldn’t survive the group, but you managed to hang in there. I’ve also heard good things from the local organizations about you. Keep up the good work.
(Jin): Thank you, Sir Leon.
(Leon): *Chuckles* No need to be so stiff. Just call me Leon. Let me know if you ever need help with anything. I’ll see you guys later.
(Ryuuji): Sure you don’t want us to accompany you down to the station?
(Leon): No, we’ll take care of things from here. We managed to round up a majority of his men and I doubt those remaining will attempt to rescue him.
(Sanada): Then in that case we’ll take our leave.
*Sanada bows and begins to walk away along with the others*
(Dust): So, what’s everyone planning to do today?
(Jade): Me and Ryuuji were going to go workout.
(Morgan): I have a class this afternoon.
(Jade): That’s boring, you should join us.
(Morgan): Training the body is good, but one mustn’t forget to train the mind.
(Jade): Whatever, professor. How about you, Zia and Sanada? Care to join us?
(Zia): No thanks. Me and Amarti have a meeting to attend after this.
(Ryuuji): You two have been doing a lot of meetings. Is everything all right?
(Zia): Oh yes. I can’t go into much detail yet, but if everything goes according to plan then we’ll be raking in more money for the order and for ourselves.
(Dust): Sounds good to me. I think we’ve all learned to let you two do your thing and rake in the benefits.
(Sanada): I will be visiting Gael with Raika after this.
(Jin): Oh yeah, his court date is almost here.
(Dust): How’s the mutt’s physical therapy been?
(Sanada): It’s been going well. He’s been able to bend his arm, make a fist with his hand, and write. The therapist says it’s the fastest she’s ever seen someone go through therapy.
(Jin): That’s good to hear. So, do you guys think we have a chance of winning his trial?
(Ryuuji): That depends on who’s representing the opposition. But given his contribution in Orion, I’d say our chances are good.
*All of a sudden the conversation was interrupted by a phone ringing. Everyone looked around to find a ringtone where they looked up and saw a drone carrying a black phone*
(Dust): Hey! That’s my phone.
*The drone flew down to Dust and placed the phone in his hand. Dust looked at the caller ID and saw it was Hibana*
(Dust): Oh crap.
*Dust answers the phone*
(Dust): Hello. I was busy. Trust me, if I wanted to get out of running your errand there are better ways I could have done it. Don’t worry, I’ll get it for now. Have you eaten anything yet? Potato chips don’t count. I’ll bring you some food, so sit tight and stop spying on me with your drones.
*Dust ends the call and the drone flies off*
(Jin): What was that all about?
(Dust): Rookie, you know anything about computers?
(Jin): I’m familiar with them.
(Dust): Good. You’re coming with me. I need you to install a monitor.
*Dust grabs Jin by the wrist, fires off a wire, and takes off with Jin screaming. The others watch in amusement as they head off to do their own things*
***
*Sometime later, Dust and Jin arrived outside of a four-story building. Jin was carrying a 32-inch computer monitor in his hands. Dust was carrying a bag of ramen in his hand*
(Jin): So, what are we doing here?
(Dust): Dropping off this food and monitor to an associate.
(Jin): Another knight?
(Dust): Sort of. She’s an unofficial member of the order. Come on.
*Dust and Jin walked into the building where Jin saw other doors. He came to the conclusion that this place was an apartment complex and felt himself getting cold from entering the building. They walked to the elevator and entered where Dust took out a key from his pocket and put it into a keyhole. The elevator started going down into the basement. Once the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Dust and Jin walked down a hallway until they reached a door that had a camera hanging above it. Using the key again, Dust unlocked the door and entered the room with Jin. The room was so dimly lit that you could barely see anything. Reaching for the wall, Jin searched for the light switch where he found it after clawing around for a few seconds and turned on the lights. Once the room was lit, both Jin and Dust saw that the place was a mess with trash bags piled up and clothes lying around on the ground. Jin stood there stunned at how messy the place was*
(Dust): Well this was to be expected. Hey, I’m here and brought your favorite.
*Dust rattles the bag of ramen getting the attention of the resident inside the room. Peeking out from a room, a girl who was a dark elf came running out after smelling the contents of the bag*
(Hibana): Ramen~!
*The dark elf came running out wearing a black tank top shirt that had the letters ELF LIFE written on it in white letters and black short shorts. The elf had long ruffled red hair, pierced ears and brown eyes. She came charging at the bag Dust was holding before he pulled the bag up out of her reach and flicked her in the forehead with his other hand*
(Hibana): Owww~.
*Hibana bent down clutching her forehead as tears began to slightly build up in her eyes*
(Dust): What did I tell you about keeping this place clean?
*Hibana quickly got a scared look on her face as she stared at Dust with an unamused look on his face*
(Hibana): Well. . .you see. . .I was um, busy watching my new favorite show and uh-
*Dust flicks her in the head once again*
(Hibana): Dahh~, you demon!
(Dust): Listen up. You may have free reign to do whatever you want here, but as the landlord, I will not tolerate trash in the building. Understood?
(Hibana): Yes. *Sigh* I’m sorry. I’ll start cleaning right away.
*Dust smiles and pats her head which makes her smile*
(Dust): Good girl. You can have your ramen after you get done cleaning. Also, we got your monitor.
*Hibana turns her attention to Jin holding the computer monitor. Hibana’s face lit up seeing the monitor*
(Hibana): Yaay~! You got the one I asked for and everything. The 32-inch Bell HD monitor. It’s perfect!
*Jin stood there silent before Hibana noticed him*
(Hibana): Hey, when you’d get here?
(Jin): Now you notice me? I’ve been here since the beginning.
(Dust): Rookie, this is Hibana Underwood. Hibana this is-
(Hibana): Jin Hephaestus. Recent graduate of the knight academy and newest member of Shadow Eye but written as a member of the Black Tortoise Order. Specializes in metal manipulation, favorite pastime is blacksmithing, favorite food is chicken tacos, height is 6’0, weighs approximately 196lbs, and is single.
(Jin): How did you know all of that?
(Hibana): I pulled up your file in the main database.
(Jin): My file said I was single?
(Hibana): No, I just came to that conclusion myself and from observing you with my drones.
(Dust): Hibana here is our resident hacker and information gatherer for Shadow Eye. Through various circumstances, she came to be under my watch. All right, let’s get to work. Rookie, put up that monitor in her room. Hibana, start cleaning your room. I’ll handle the living area.
*Everyone nods and gets to work*
***
*Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Sanada and Raika had entered the hospital and were walking to the front desk to speak with one of the nurses who was a young elf woman*
(Elf nurse): Good afternoon. How can I help you today?
(Raika): Hi there. We’re here to see Gael Tristian.
*The nurse logs into her computer to look up Gael*
(Elf nurse): Ah yes. He’s right in the middle of his physical therapy on the second floor. Just head on up and it’ll be the second door on your right.
(Raika): Right. Thank you.
*As Raika and Sanada head towards the stairs, the nurse stops them*
(Elf nurse): I’m sorry sir, but I must ask that you remove your weapon.
(Sanada): It’s all right ma’am. I’m a knight. I have my ID right here.
*Sanada reaches into his pocket and pulls out his ID*
(Elf nurse): Even so. Rules are rules. Only authorized knights within the building are allowed to carry weapons. I’m afraid your sword must remain here.
*This information shocked Sanada. In the past, he had always come leaving his sword behind, but due to the morning battle he didn’t have a chance to return home and leave it there*
(Sanada): I’m sorry but this sword is my livelihood. I simply can’t leave it in the hands of a civil-
*Raika grabs the sword from Sanada and hands it to the nurse*
(Sanada): Hey!
(Raika): Relax, don’t be such a drama samurai. You’ll get it back once we leave. Come on, let’s go see Gael.
*Sanada stood there in disbelief before following after Raika. After climbing the stairs they reached the physical therapy room where they saw Gael sitting at a desk practicing his writing. The arm that he lost was now replaced with a plastic arm and hand that he could control. The first few days were tough, but he steadily got better at being able to control the arm. He was wearing the standard patient outfit which was a blue shirt and blue pants with white slippers. The therapist sitting across from him was a female dog demihuman with brown hair and white eyes who wore a white jacket with a green-buttoned down shirt that was tucked within a black skirt. When Gael sensed Sanada and Raika’s presence, he looked up and smiled*
(Gael): Bro! Sis! You came!
(Sanada): Sorry we’re a little late today.
(Raika): Traffic was a mess.
(Gael): It’s all good. Thanks for coming to visit me.
(Sanada): How goes the physical therapy?
(Therapist): Great. His writing has gotten very good. Now if we can just stop him from practicing his fighting moves on the roof we’ll be all good.
(Gael): Oh come on, I’m tired of sitting around and just practicing my writing. I wanna move around. Work my body some more.
(Raika): Well, you’re in luck. Your trial will be coming up in a few days and if all goes according to plan you’ll be out of here and working with us.
(Gael): YESSSS!
(Raika): Don’t get too excited. We’ll do our part to get you through the trial, but you’ll need to do your part. We’ve already picked out a suit for you and we’ll go over a few questions on what they’ll be asking.
(Gael): Okay. Let’s talk strategy.
***
*Back with Dust, Jin, and Hibana. Dust was busy mopping up the living room while Jin and Hibana were in her room. Hibana was tying up trash bags while Jin was setting up the monitor at her work desk which he had to admit was impressive. Hibana had six monitors in one spot as well as six more monitors off to the right side. Her bed was on the left side of her work desk and at the other end of her bed was a workbench where she was building drones. In fact, she had a whole shelf of drones*
(Jin): This is one impressive setup you got here. You design it yourself?
(Hibana): Yep. It’s easily the best setup I’ve ever done.
(Jin): This place must be using a ton of power to keep it going.
(Hibana): Pretty much the whole building’s power.
(Jin): And no other residents in the building are complaining about this?
(Hibana): Other residents? I’m the only person who lives here last I checked.
(Jin): Hold on. You mean to tell me you’re the only person living in this building?
(Hibana): Yep.
(Jin): But what about the other rooms I saw?
(Hibana): Server rooms. This whole building is like my giant computer fortress that I power.
(Jin): So that’s why it was so cold when I entered the building. Hey wait, did you say you were powering this whole building? How?
(Hibana): With my powers, duh.
*Hibana snapped her fingers and sparks of electricity could be seen*
(Hibana): My power is electric magic. Whatever I use to power my electricity with, I control.
*Hibana waves her hand and the drones that were inactive on her shelf began to fly and picked up the trash bags to take them out to the dumpster*
(Jin): Woah, that’s cool.
(Hibana): *Chuckles* Yes. My power is amazing.
(Jin): So, how’d you wind up with Shadow Eye? Dust said through various circumstances they took you in.
(Hibana): That’s because it’s the truth. In the past I used to be a hacker who was forced to work for this criminal organization. I took a chance by reaching out to Shadow Eye who saved me and gave me a choice. I could either turn myself in or join their group as an informant and hacker. I choose the latter and that’s how I wound up here with that demon watching over me.
(Dust): I heard that you spoiled brat.
*Dust takes a look into Hibana’s room to see how nice and clean it is*
(Dust): Room looks nice. How’s that monitor coming along, rookie?
(Jin): All set. Give it a try.
*Jin backs away and lets Hibana finish connecting the monitor with the others. The monitor turns on along with the others*
(Hibana): AHH~. Simply beautiful.
(Dust): Well now that the monitor is installed and the place is cleaned up, I say it’s time to eat. Come on rookie, you’re joining us.
(Jin): You got me some food too?
(Dust): You didn’t think I was going to drag you around and not reward you?
(Jin): Yes!
(Dust): Honestly, what do you people see me as?
(Jin and Hibana): A demon.
(Dust): Fine. No food for you.
(Hibana): I mean, greatest guardian ever!
(Jin): And the mentor I’ve ever had!
*Jin and Hibana came running out of the room continuing to praise Dust. They soon sat down at the dinner table and began to eat their ramen all while listening to music from Dust’s phone*
(Hibana): Hmm~, so good~!
(Dust): Now that we’ve fed you and put up your new monitor, we need you to do a little favor for us.
(Hibana): Need help with your taxes again?
(Dust): That’s for later. I’m sure you know that Gael, the mutt we took in will be going on trial in a few days. I want to know who’s representing the opposition.
(Hibana): That’s it? Geez, I thought you were going to give me a challenge.
*Hibana pulls out a tablet and begins hacking into Brister’s private network to find the information they need*
(Jin): You sure this is alright?
(Dust): We’re not harming anyone and it’s not illegal.
(Jin): It’s very illegal.
(Dust):. . .We’ll we’re not harming anyone.
(Hibana): Alright. Representing the opposition is. . .dadadahhhh~, Eren Brandshaw.
*Hibana shows her tablet to Dust and Jin where a picture of a middle-aged man with short wavy black hair with grey strips and red eyes appears*
(Dust): Eren Brandshaw. That’s just great.
(Jin): Someone you know?
(Dust): Only by association. He’s one of Bradley’s stooges in the Blue Dragon Order. Works primarily as an attorney for them.
(Jin): Is he bad news?
(Dust): He’s not as bad as Bradley but he’s still a pain in the ass to deal with. If he’s getting involved that means Bradley can’t be too far behind.
(Jin): But why? Bradley wasn’t involved with the battle of Orion.
(Dust): Knowing Bradley, I’m sure he doesn’t like the idea of a Blood Moon member or demihuman for that matter becoming a knight.
(Jin): That’s messed up. Gael deserves to be a knight just like us.
(Dust): Zenquilo, rookie. Bradley getting involved is a problem, but it’s nothing we can’t handle. We’ll just have to tweak up our strategy. Hibana, send this information to the others.
(Hibana): You got it.
***
*At Amarti’s office in Le Garden, he receives Hibana’s message about Eren Brandshaw on his phone*
(Amarti): *Chuckles* So, Bradley is sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. I admit, his persistence is admirable, but fly too close to the light and you’ll get zapped, just like a fly.
Author’s Notes: End of chapter 2. So what did everyone think of the new character Hibana? Originally, she was going to be the female character that joined Shadow Eye along with Jin, but at the time I didn’t feel her character was as strong and developed as Jin so I put her on the shelf for the time being. About halfway through volume 1 I revisited the character and changed her story from a simple fighter to a smart hacker. Her character was largely inspired by Futaba from Persona 5, one of my favorite characters from the game and Amelia Watson from Holomyth. Two eccentric girls who are very tech-savvy, take risks, and do a lot of behind the scene stuff that really helps the team. I admire that. I decided to put her with Dust as I felt they would have the best dynamic. Dust can roll with her eccentric behavior but can keep her line when it counts. Hibana can match Dust’s wit and do things he normally can’t do. I’m excited for this character being introduced and look forward to seeing more of her in the coming chapters. Moving to Gael. Can he become a knight? Will his past be his undoing? Find out next week on Shadow Eye. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.