*It was nighttime and a train carrying passengers was running along the tracks. On the train, some passengers were either sleeping, eating, reading, or conversing with one another. The seats were brown leather with blue carpet. Four seats on the left side and three seats on the right side with each side having a window they could open. When the PDA binged those who were still awake turned their attention to it*
(Train conductor): Good evening everyone. This is your conductor speaking. We are precisely one hour away from the Krylent Kingdom. We ask that all passengers please follow the rules and ask the attendants for help or answers to questions. Please enjoy the rest of your trip.
*The conductor ended the announcement who was a middle-aged man with short-cut brown hair a mustache and yellow eyes. He was wearing the standard uniform all conductors were required to wear. Blue pants, black shoes, white gloves, a blue jacket, and blue cap. He looked to the train engineer who was a wolf demihuman with black and white hair and red eyes. He wore blue pants, a long-sleeved white shirt that was slightly open, a blue vest, and workmen’s gloves. He had a nervous look on his face as the train was approaching an open valley*
(Train engineer): We’re approaching the valley soon, sir. Lots of Eclipse attacks have been happening in this area. Are you sure it was wise to take this route?
(Train conductor): All of the other routes would have delayed the trip. We’ve been losing customers and businesses because of the delays. This is the only option. Luckily, we’ve come prepared. I’ve hired mercenaries to protect the train.
(Train engineer): Yeah, but only one offered to take the job.
(Train conductor): Which is why I’m paying him extra to do his job. He boasted about how good he was so he better be worth every cent.
***
*In one of the carts, two young boys, one with ruffled black hair and green eyes and the other with wavy yellow hair and blue eyes were playing in the alleyway by sword fighting with their spoons. The two both wore white dress shirts, green pants, and brown shoes with long white socks. They were laughing and having a good time. The boy with yellow hair ran away from his brother not watching where he was going and bumped into another passenger. The boy fell backward and looked up to see a rather tall man by his standards staring down at him. The man was slightly dark-skinned with blue medium-length spikey hair, green eyes, and had a red bandana tied around his head. He wore a brown cloak that covered his clothes, but his brown boots were visible for everyone to see. The two boys were frozen with fear as their father caught up to them and pieced together what happened. The father had black hair but was bald at the top of his head and blue eyes. He was wearing a white dress shirt with black pants and black shoes*
(Black-haired man): Michael! Lance! What did I tell you two about horsing around on the train? I apologize for the behavior of my boys. It’s been a long trip and they’re desperate for excitement.
(Blue-haired man): It’s quite alright. Boys will be boys.
*The blue-haired man extends his hand and helps the yellow-haired boy up*
(Blue-haired man): Now you two mind your manners and return to your seats. No more disturbing other passengers, understood?
*Both boys nod which makes the blue-haired man smile and he turns around to head into the next cart. The father of the two boys grabs them and pulls them back to their seats. As the boys were being pulled back to their seats they looked back to see the blue-haired man disappearing from their sight. They couldn’t put their finger on it but there was something different about that man. While everyone else was relaxing and enjoying the ride this man seemed to be on high alert. Like he was expecting something to happen. The boys returned to their seats and sat next to their mom who was wearing a white dress. Her hair was yellow and her eyes green*
***
*After twenty minutes of traveling the train entered the valley. At first, everything was fine, but then a loud thud could be heard on one of the cart’s hoods. The loud thud caught everyone’s attention, even those who were asleep were stirred awake by the sound. Heavy footsteps could be heard walking along the roof of the cart, then all of a sudden an Eclipse in the form of a bear came crashing into the cart. The Eclipse let out a loud roar making everyone scream in terror and clamor out of their seats. The boys were quickly picked up by their parents who attempted to flee but were cut off by the Eclipse who locked eyes with them. The mother had tears in her eyes and was clutching her two boys as the father pushed his family behind him. He prepared to give his life in the hopes of letting his family escape. However, before the Eclipse could attack it was kicked off to the side by the blue-haired man from earlier*
(Blue-haired man): Shame. I was about to enjoy a good drink.
*The Eclipse let out a roar and returned to the alleyway where it turned its attention to the blue-haired man who smirked and gestured for it to attack him. The Eclipse obliged and came charging at the blue-haired man who threw off his cloak and tossed it at the Eclipse. The Eclipse tore through the cloak and was then greeted by a golden greatsword that slashed right through it down the middle. With his cloak gone the family finally got a good look at the man who was wearing brown pants and an untucked buttoned black shirt with rolled-up sleeves and black gloves. The two young boys stared in amazement at what the man accomplished*
(Blue-haired man): Head towards the front of the train. You’ll be safer there.
*The man nodded and left the cart with his family. Meanwhile, the blue-haired man stared at the window the Eclipse crashed through*
(Blue-haired man): Time to earn that paycheck.
***
*On the hood of the train carts were a bunch of Eclipses in the form of bears. Pacing around and clawing away trying to get in. The blue-haired man managed to climb his way on top of one of the carts and looked behind and in front of him to see Eclipses surrounded him*
(Blue-haired man): Alright, a lot more than I expected, but nothing I can’t handle.
*An Eclipse sensing the blue-haired man’s presence turned around to face him. The Eclipse rose to two legs to appear bigger, but the blue-haired man smirked. With his greatsword in one hand he reached by his waist and threw a small ball at the Eclipse. The ball was a flash bomb and temporarily blinded the Eclipse. The blue-haired man took advantage of this and charged at the Eclipse where his great sword began to glow blue and fire soon enveloped the sword. The blue-haired man slashed through the Eclipse to kill it and this got the attention of the other Eclipses who charged at him. With his sword still enveloped in blue flames he charged at the Eclipses and began slashing through them one by one. He swung his greatsword around with one hand and as he chopped through the Eclipse they were catching fire and being burnt alive. As one Eclipse was charging at him, he thrust his greatsword into the chest of the creature and it caught on fire. Using his strength, the blue-haired man lifted the sword up with the burning Eclipse and slammed it down on another Eclipse to make it catch on fire and burn to death. The blue-haired man pulled his sword out and turned his attention to the Eclipses that were coming from behind. Turning around, he gripped his sword with both hands and held it out as he concentrated. The sword was becoming more enveloped in flames and getting longer as he charged forward. The sword thrust through all ten Eclipses that were trying to attack him. As all of the Eclipses caught fire they began to fall off the train and the sword returned to its original length. All of a sudden an Eclipse jumped off a ledge from the valley onto the train and landed right behind the blue-haired man. He quickly ducked to avoid getting slashed by the Eclipse and then his greatsword shrunk to the size of a short sword. He jumped up into the air and slashed through the neck of the Eclipse to decapitate it. He landed back on the train almost losing his footing but managing to keep his balance. As the train was nearing the other side of the valley an Eclipse in the form of a giant rattlesnake popped out of the ground near the tracks blocking the way out*
(Blue-haired man): Oh come on~!
***
*Back in the train, the conductor and engineer were panicking once they saw the Eclipse blocking the way*
(Conductor): Stop the train before we collide!
(Engineer): We wouldn’t stop in time. We’d just be sitting ducks for it.
(Blue-haired man): Keep moving and don’t stop.
*The conductor ran toward the window and looked up to see the blue-haired man on top of them*
(Blue-haired man): The engineer is right. Even if you did stop you’d open yourself up to attacks from other Eclipses in the area.
(Conductor): Then what do we do!?
(Blue-haired man): I’m going to take care of it. Just keep your pants on and have my credits ready once this is over. I’ll be expecting a bonus when this is all over.
(Conductor): You kill that thing and I’ll triple your pay.
(Blue-haired man): Now you’re talking.
*Taking a deep breath and gathering a blue aura all over his body, the blue-haired man jumped forward and landed on the ground in front of the train where he sprinted forward at a fast rate outrunning the train. Everyone in the first carts were looking out the windows amazed at the blue-haired man’s speed. Once he made it to the Eclipse he jumped forward and was swallowed whole by Eclipse. Everyone watched in shock and fear that their hope of getting out of this alive was gone. As the Eclipse turned its attention back toward the train, its belly began to glow blue. A blade soon popped out of the belly and began to move circularly to slice the snake in half. As the head and upper half of the snake fell to the ground, the blue-haired man could be seen in the lower half holding his great sword which was emitting blue flames. Everyone on the train cheered as the blue-haired man landed on the ground and latched onto the train as it was passing him. The train made it safely out of the valley and was finally in the clear*
(Blue-haired man): That was one of the most disgusting things I had the displeasure of experiencing. *Takes a deep breath* Screw you valley! Hope you collapse on yourself and crush every bastard-spawned Eclipse within ya!
***
*About a half-hour later, the train reached its destination and pulled into the station. Everyone was happy to be alive and exited the train in an orderly fashion. As the one family was getting their luggage, the two boys spotted the conductor thanking the blue-haired man for his service*
(Conductor): I can’t thank you enough!
(Blue-haired man): Sure you can. Just be sure you report to the guild that Kai Siegfried did a good job. And don’t forget. . .triple pay.
(Conductor): Of course!
*The conductor walks off and leaves Kai as he decides to leave the station and find a place to sleep for the night. As he was heading for the station’s exit he stopped when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around and saw Michael and Lance looking up at him and smiling*
(Michael): Thanks for everything mister!
(Lance): Yeah, you were so cool!
(Kai): My pleasure.
*The boys were soon joined by their father and mother*
(Black-haired man): Thank you for saving me and my family uh mister-
(Kai): Siegfried. Kai Siegfried.
(Black-haired man): Yes. Thank you, Mr. Siegfried. Tell me, is there any way I can repay you?
(Kai): Well I am looking for a place to rest for the night. Might you know a good place to stay? Preferably cheap.
(Black-haired man): How about the Valentido Hotel? It’s the best hotel in the kingdom.
(Kai): That might me out of my price range. Also, aren’t they booked?
(Black-haired man): That won’t be a problem. I’ll get a room for you right away. Ah, where are my manners? I forgot to introduce myself. My name is George Valentido the owner of the Valentido Hotel and this is my wife, Chloe, and my sons, Michael and Lance. I’ll make sure you get the best treatment imaginable. Free room. No charge. Stay as long as you need to. It’s the least I can do for the man who saved me and my family.
(Kai): Well in that case I accept.
***
*The next morning Kai woke up in a luxury room on a comfy bed shirtless to the sound of his phone ringing indicating that he had received a letter. Grumbling, he reached over to the nightstand and managed to grab his phone where he saw his messages. The first one was from the guild verifying that his mission was completed and that his pay was deposited safely into his account. The second message was one that shocked him as it came from a man he had not heard from in quite some time, Ryuuji Kazuchika. Opening the message, he read it quickly and smiled. As he was engrossed in his letter two hands appeared and reached around his back. He could feel two lovely mounds pressing on his back and the breath of a certain cat demihuman who worked for the hotel and who he invited to stay the night. The cat demihuman had lime green hair that was cut short, yellow eyes, and wore glasses with a red frame*
(Cat demihuman): Good morning honored guest.
*The demihuman smooched Kai’s cheek*
(Kai): Good morning to you as well. Normally, I’m a dog person but if cats are this friendly I might just switch over.
*The demihuman chuckles at his comment and kisses him on the cheek again*
(Cat demihuman): Got any plans for today? My shift doesn’t start for another few hours.
(Kai): Well, it looks like I’ve been hired for a personal mission. But, I’ve got time to spare for you my little kitten.
(Cat demihuman): Nyaa~.
*Kai turns around and kisses the demihuman on the lips. She allows Kai to completely dominate her as they sink back down into the bed for some morning fun. In Kai’s mind, this was the best way to start the morning*
Author’s Notes: Hello everyone. It’s good to be back! We take a break this week from Shadow Eye and focus on a new character. Kai was the original character I had planned to fill Ryuuji’s role in the story but then I created Sanada who I thought was the better and more interesting swordsman and I didn’t want the two characters to overlap with each other. Thus Ryuuji was created who I think is a better fit for Shadow Eye who serves as a good foil to Dust and the great and powerful knight who is also a family man and balances his life. Kai’s personality unfortunately doesn’t fit that niche. Kai was heavily inspired by Ike from Fire Emblem, Trevor Belmont from Castlevania, and Sanosuke from Rurouni Kenshin. He’s a mercenary for hire who has a good heart and will look out for others. However, he wants to make sure he gets paid for his job while also having some personal fun to relieve stress. So what’s his relationship with Ryuuji? Keep reading to find out. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.