*It was the next day in the kingdom of Brister where it was cloudy and raining. The weatherman said there would be a storm passing through the area today and advised everyone to have an umbrella on hand when they head out. At the office of Internal Affairs, Ryuuji and Jin have just walked into the building with Jin having on a long-sleeved brown hooded sweatshirt, dark blue jeans, and brown shoes. Ryuuji had on a long-sleeve red martial arts shirt and pants that were black and had a red flame taking up half of the right pants leg. They were slightly soaked from the rain, but it didn’t really bother them all that much. The two are soon greeted by Morrison and Raika. Morrison wore his standard suit only this time he had on a green scarf while Raika had on a black top, a green military jacket, and green cargo pants along with brown boots*
(Morrison): Good morning. I just got done reading your report from yesterday. You both did an excellent job. Especially you, Jin, not too many knights would have done what you did yesterday.
(Jin): Thank you.
(Morrison): We’ll be having you help Raika on her mission for today.
*Morrison hands Jin a file and he opens it to see a document and pictures of human sized spider-like Eclipses outside of a water pumping station*
(Morrison): There’s been reports of Eclipses spotted near the water pumping station outside of the kingdom. There’s only a few of them and as of right now there’s been no damage done to the station.
(Jin): Shouldn’t this job be handed over to the Red Vermillion Order?
(Raika): They claim they’re too busy at the moment because of the storm and since it’s only a small number of Eclipses it’s not high on their list of things to get done. In short, they’re saying they have no intention of wasting their time dealing with small fries like this.
(Morrison): While I admit the number of Eclipses is low, if left alone for too long they could cause major trouble for the kingdom. That’s why we’re going to eliminate them as quickly as possible.
(Raika): Not to mention this will be good training for you as I’ll be able to gauge your combat abilities.
(Ryuuji): Oh~, lucky you, Jin. Raika is easily the best fighter out of all of us in Shadow Eye. Not even me and Dust could beat her in hand to hand combat.
(Jin): Really?
(Raika): Really, and since your fighting style leans more toward hand-to-hand combat that makes me the perfect teacher for you. Get what you need and meet me at the train station in one hour.
(Jin): Yes ma’am.
***
*One hour quickly passes as Jin and Raika carrying a large briefcase arrive at the train station and try to board a train but get stopped when the conductor sees Raika’s handguns around her waist. Raika pulls out her Knight license to verify that she’s a knight and on a mission. The conductor allows them to board and they enter their private room with a window and table bolted in the middle where they sit across from each other*
(Jin): Man, that had me scared at first. I didn’t know knights could bring weapons on board a train.
(Raika): We can, just make sure you behave and don’t do anything stupid.
*Jin looks out the window and sees another train pulling up where a bunch of knights in matching blue military uniforms exit a cart*
(Jin): Woah! It’s the Rangers of the Blue Dragon Order.
*Raika looks out the window to see that Jin is right*
(Raika): Good eye, kid. I take it you’ve heard of the Ranger program?
(Jin): Heard of it? It’s one of greatest knight programs in the kingdom. Elite knights with great power and superhuman strength that protect the kingdom. Only a select few get picked to enter the program.
(Raika): Yeah, it’s a program not for the faint of heart either. I saw one guy try to enter the program and dropped out after the first day. Poor sap couldn’t survive one day of my basic training.
(Jin): Your training? You were a trainer in the Ranger program?
(Raika): You’re looking at one of the first recruits of the Ranger program.
(Jin): No way! You’re a Ranger?
(Raika): Former Ranger. I left the program after the rebellion.
(Jin): Oh man! I can’t believe I’m sitting across from an actual Ranger. It’s a huge honor, I have so many questions.
(PA system): Train is now departing. Next stop Bowen Territory.
*The train begins to leave the station where it’s still raining outside*
(Raika): Easy there, boy. Since we got sometime what say I answer your questions while you perform some maintenance on my guns.
*Raika removes the handguns around her waist and places them on the table for Jin to examine*
(Jin): Sure!
*Jin begins to examine the first handgun where he sees it’s been maintained excellently but is a little dirty on the inside. He pulls out a cloth, some cotton swabs, and cleaning liquid from his bag to properly clean the handgun*
(Jin): So, how did you become a Ranger?
(Raika): It wasn’t by choice. In fact, I never wanted to become a knight in the first place. I joined to get my eyes fixed. I’m sure you noticed how I have different eye colors.
*Raika stares at Jin to show him her different eye colors. Jin had noticed this the first time he met her, but choose not to say anything as he didn’t want to be rude and pry into her business*
(Raika): This blue eye used to be green. I was born with a rare illness that gave me bad eyesight, by the time I was 10 years old I was completely blind. Thankfully, my dad had a few knight buddies who were starting up the Ranger program and he called in a few favors to them. Apparently, they were working on this serum to increase the abilities of knights and needed volunteers to take it. He begged them to let me in the program, but they had conditions. When I turn 13, I would have to join the program full-time as a knight. My dad accepted and I was put into the program and given the serum where it worked. Not only was my eyesight better, but other senses improved as well.
(Jin): Improved your senses? You mean-
(Raika): All my senses are enhanced. I see further away than the average person. I can hear and smell things better as well. Not only that, but I think faster, move faster, and my strength was enhanced as well.
(Jin): Wow, you’re practically a super soldier. No wonder you’re such a good gunman.
(Raika): That was the idea of the program. To create super soldiers who could perform better out on the battlefield and they succeeded with me. Once I got my eyesight back me and my parents were overjoyed, but we all knew that I would be forced to join the program in 3 years. During that time my dad taught me mixed martial arts, so that when I went off to join the knights, I was well prepared and could protect myself.
(Jin): Protect yourself? Why would they try to hurt you?
(Raika): You really think a bunch of guys who spent their whole life training is going to accept a 13-year-old girl into their ranks?
(Jin): Good point. No offence.
(Raika): None taken. They were right to be upset, even I felt out of place there. Still, the program was good to me and my folks. I worked my way up through the ranks, got to be in charge of my own squadron when I was 20, and did a lot of good things for the kingdom. While it may not have been the life I asked for, it’s the life I got, and I don’t regret it.
(Jin): So, if you were forced to join the Ranger program, why are you in Shadow Eye?
*Ding Dong Ding*
(PA system): Attention passengers, we are now arriving at the Bowen Territory. Please make sure you have all your luggage and belongings when you exit the train*
(Raika): *Chuckles* Now that was thanks to Amarti. I’ll tell you about it someday.
*Jin hands Raika back her handguns that he got done cleaning, they leave their room, and exit the train to arrive in the Bowen Territory station which was near the ocean, so it was known as a good fishing port town in the kingdom. As the two begin to walk through the station they see a pig demihuman with spikey yellow hair and blue eyes harassing a dark elf girl who had blue hair tied in twin pigtails and yellow eyes*
(Pig demihuman): Come on, Leena, let’s talk about this. Don’t I make you happy? I’ve given you everything you asked for.
(Leena): It’s over between us Clarence. You lied to me about quitting your brother’s gang.
(Clarence): I am quitting. I’m just sticking around to train my replacement. I can’t leave my bro high and dry like that, not after all he’s done for me.
(Leena): I don’t care Clarence, we are through.
*Leena tries to walk away but Clarence grabs her arm forcing her back*
(Clarence): We’re not done until I say we’re done.
*As Clarence keeps a tight grip on Leena, she starts to reach into her purse looking for something. Seeing enough, Jin was about to step in before this problem escalated further, but Raika beat him to the punch as she made Jin hold her briefcase and approached the two where she taps the shoulder of Clarence to get his attention*
(Raika): Excuse me, you’re causing a disturbance, and making everyone and including her feel uncomfortable. Please stop this.
(Clarence): Hey this doesn’t concern you, hag. Piss off!
*Clarence shoves Raika which makes her smile and chuckle as she takes out a pair of brown gloves and puts them on*
(Raika): I’ll let you have that one, but don’t do that again.
(Clarence): What’s with the gloves, and don’t do what again? This!?
*Clarence goes to shove Raika again only this time she stops him by grabbing his wrist and twisting it to make Clarence cry out in pain*
(Clarence): Ow!
(Raika): It’s so I don’t get blood on my hands when I break your nose.
*Rakia does a 180 spin to hit Clarence in the stomach with a back elbow strike, followed up by a punch to the nose which gives him a nosebleed as she broke his nose, and finishes him with a judo toss where he lands on his back groaning in pain*
(Leena): I had that under control.
*Raika gives a stern look to the young dark elf which makes her quickly shut her mouth and not say another word*
(Raika): No, you didn’t. You were about to pull a gun out on him. I won’t ask where you got it but let me let you in on a little secret. That’s not a toy you’re holding, what you have in your purse can decide a person’s life. You better make sure that if you ever have to you use it, you have the resolve to pull the trigger or the situation could get really out of hand.
*Raika motions for Jin to follow her as she leaves the station where the rain has stopped but it’s still cloudy and thunder can be heard in the distance. Jin catches up to Raika and hands her back the briefcase she gave him earlier. After 10 minutes of walking through the town, Raika and Jin were outside of the water pumping station which was unmanned as it was an automatic pumping station. They see a nine of the smaller spider Eclipses crawling around the area*
(Raika): Okay, the report said there were three big spider Eclipses in the area. Those are the ones that have me concerned the most, so here’s the plan. I’ll leave the smaller ones to you. Taking them out should get the attention of the big ones and then I’ll take them out with this.
*Raika opens up her briefcase and takes out a PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II sniper rifle*
(Jin): Oh, cool~, a Hecate II sniper rifle. Where’d you get that?
(Raika): Trade secret. Just think of it as being one of the perks of being a part of Shadow Eye. I’ll be up on that cliff to get a vantage point. When one of those bastards comes out, you lure them toward my field of sight.
(Jin): Okay, a good plan, but are you sure you can hit them especially in this weather?
(Raika): Don’t worry, I won’t miss. Mother Nature is on my side today. I promise you can trust your back to me.
*Raika gives Jin a reassuring smile before going off to the nearby cliff to get the vantage point while Jin takes out his brass knuckle knives to prepare to attack and puts a headphone piece in his ear. He presses a button on the headphone to make the device light up with blue lights. Once Raika reaches her vantage point, she takes a headphone piece and puts it in her ear. She presses a button on the headphone which makes the device light up with blue lights*
(Jin): I’m ready to go when you are, Raika. Tell me when you’re ready.
(Raika): I’m good to go up here. Show me what you can do, kid.
*At Raika’s request Jin begins to approach the group of ten Eclipses which are about three feet tall. Jin concentrates on the knives to make them larger and sharper. When the spider Eclipses notice Jin’s presence it’s too late as he slashes through four of them cutting them in half. Two of them jump up trying to attack him, but he uses his other hand to slice the Eclipses in half while the last three start to run. Jin changes the brass knuckle knife on his left hand into a hand cannon and takes out a metal ball from his utility belt to load into the cannon and fires it off to destroy the remaining three spider Eclipses. The noise and cries of the spider Eclipses dying managed to get the attention of one of the big spider Eclipses which was about seven feet tall. The spider Eclipse saw Jin and began crawling towards him determined to kill him. Jin turns around to run away but gets cut off by the other two big spider Eclipses who were hiding in the sand. Concentrating, he quickly transforms his hand cannon and brass knuckle knife into bucklers to protect himself from the spider Eclipses. One of the spider Eclipses in front of him tries to stab him with one of its front legs, but Jin blocks the attack with his bucklers. The spider Eclipse from behind tries to stab him in the back with its leg, but he senses the attack at the last minute and rolls out of the way. Jin finds himself in the sand underneath the body of the third spider Eclipse who moves around trying to get Jin but having no luck. Jin crawls underneath the Eclipse to reach the other side of the Eclipse where he gets back to his feet and starts to run with the spider Eclipses chasing after him. The spider Eclipses shoot lobs of webs at Jin which manage to entangle his whole body and he falls to the ground unable to break the webs the Eclipses shot and are almost above him*
(Jin): Uh Raika, are they in position yet?
(Raika): Give it a second. You might want to close your eyes for this.
*When the Eclipses are right on top of Jin who closed his eyes, Raika fires three lightning bullets into the clouds above Jin which light up the clouds. Lightning shoots down from the clouds and hits the Eclipses shocking them with high voltage and killing them. When the lightning stops, the Eclipses fall to the ground and begin to fade away while Jin still has his eyes closed*
(Raika): You can open your eyes now. The monsters are gone.
*Jin opens his eyes to see that the Eclipses have been destroyed and are starting to fade away*
(Raika): Hold still, I’ll be down to set you free in a second.
*Raika puts the sniper rifle on her back and climbs down the cliff to run to Jin, so that she can free him. Once she makes it to Jin, she reaches behind the back of her waist to pull out her energy saber to cut through the webs and set Jin free. Raika offers Jin a hand to help him stand up and he accepts rising to his feet*
(Raika): You alright?
(Jin): Yeah. Nice shots. Also, I didn’t know Rangers had energy sabers.
(Raika): They don’t. This one is one of a kind. I got it as a gift from the Seraphs. They’re masters when it comes to creating energy sabers. I helped them out from a group of Eclipses a few years back. They were so grateful, that they custom made this saber exclusively for me.
(Jin): I heard that sabers were black because of the crystals they use to power it.
(Raika): They are, but the crystal used to create this saber is said to carry the power of a lightning bolt. They literally waited for a storm, placed the crystal on a lightning rod and let it get struck by lightning giving the energy saber a yellow color instead of a normal black.
*Raika turned off the saber and placed it on the back of her waist*
(Jin): Oh man, I would love to study that saber.
(Raika): I don’t think so. Feel free to fiddle around with guns to make them better, but the saber is off limits. Come on, our work here is done.
*Raika begins to walk off with Jin following her*
(Jin): So, just out of curiosity how would you rank my fighting skills back there?
(Raika): C-. Your attacks are slow and you use big and sloppy movements which gives your opponent plenty of time to react to them. Your senses are dull. You leave yourself wide open to attacks in the back and front. Your only saving grace is that metal manipulation ability of yours which you can use to surprise your enemies with your various weaponry, but even that will get predictable if you keep using the same weapons. We have a lot to work on when we get back to the office.
*Raika puts the sniper rifle back into the briefcase and the two begin to walk to the station. After ten minutes of walking from the water pump station and through the town, Raika and Jin are just outside of the train station and just outside the station is Clarence with 4 other pig demihumans. Clarence has a bandage covering his nose where Raika broke it. Clarence and the 4 pig demihumans approach Raika and Jin*
(Clarence): That’s her bro! That’s the old hag who broke my nose.
(Pig demihuman): Really Clarence, this is the broad who beat you? You made her sound like a complete monster. Talk about a disappointment. Come on Gus, this isn’t worth our time.
(Gus): Shut up, fool. Anybody who hurts my brother needs to pay. Look here lady, you gave my little brother here a proper beat down and we’re here for some payback, with interest.
*Gus and the 3 other pig demihumans surround Raika as she stares at Clarence for a second who was smiling deviously before looking back at Gus and smiling*
(Raika): Yeah, I don’t think so.
*Raika jumps back and quickly pulls out her dual handguns where she fires at the two pig demihumans on her right and left. She shoots off her lightning bullets which hit the demihumans between the eyes and knocks them out as they fall to the ground. Raika then turns sideways to shoot Gus and the final pig demihuman in the heads where they also fall to the ground unconscious. Clarence stood there in disbelief as he just watched his brother and his gang get taken out so easily by one woman. Raika puts her handguns away and continues to walk to the train station with Jin. Raika and Jin walk past Clarence who was shaking visibly and too scared to move or speak. As Raika walks past Clarence she glares at him before speaking to him one last time*
(Raika): The next time you call me a hag, I’ll do more than break your nose.
*Raika and Jin enter the station where they sit down at a bench waiting for their train to arrive*
(Raika): By the way Jin. Your gun maintenance, A+.
*This made Jin smile at the compliment he received from Raika. A few minutes later, their train arrives, and they board it returning to the capital*
Author’s Note: And that was Jin’s day with Raika. This was another chapter where the action wasn’t a major part of the story and instead we focus on the characters and their interactions off each other which I believe is just as if not more important than the action. We also get some subtle world building as we go to a district outside the kingdom’s walls and learn a little bit about Raika’s past which in turn helps you build a connection to her. She’s a person who has overcome hardships and worked hard to get the skills she has today. Nothing was handed to her, she didn’t take anything for granted, and didn’t settle. Next week, we’ll be continuing Jin’s tour de Shadow Eye as he helps out Amarti and Zia. Look forward to that and thanks for reading as always.