CHPT 513: Flock

"So…. What was it like inside? I mean— as a Beast Tamer your sensory perception is different from the average human so I want you to paint your picture for us."

"Too much."

Ilka sighed and dropped her pen as she looked up at him. The other interviewers swarmed the center tournament grounds once more.

"Claude, I understand your not the most social person. But come on. Give me something. Humor me. I'm bored out of my brain— I'm not connected to any high standing guild, scouting agency or organization. Nobody wants to talk to me." Ilka explained.

"So your hanging with the outcasts." Warren jokingly concluded.

"Uhm…. That isn't a bad term, actually." Ilka replied warmly.

"One wolf is better than forty sheep." Maris muttered.

"Forty sheep would flatline a wolf." Isaac commented.

"I will stab your foot."

"This is why people don't talk to you."

"You talk to me." Maris replied as Ursula placed her arm around her. "So does she."

Claude watched Ilka smile as she viewed the interaction.

"How about… absolute shit hero stock and embarrassment to the global collective or reborn individuals." Warren was feeling snarky it seemed.

Ilka seriously considered his words as she looked up at the clouds, stripped and dissipated as Sky Ships ripped through them. "Nope. It's a bit too wordy."

"I agree actually." Warren replied before leaning back against the wall they occupied on the outskirts.

"Claude…." Ilka pressed. "You barely said anything yesterday either— which I understand…. Erm."

"Right." Claude collected himself, sweeping his hair behind his ears and wiping his face, "ERHM... like I said— it was too much. When your senses are too dialed in it can become overwhelming. It can slow you down or speed you up in the worst scenarios. So it's best to find a way to shut it out."

Claude grabbed at the blindfold hanging around his neck.

"Do you go into fights blind often?" Ilka wrote away on her paper.

"I wasn't blind. For more than a few seconds at a time at least. It helps to even things out. There was a lot of flashing lights— explosions... blood."

"And as an aspiring Hero, what was going through your head when you entered."

Claude thought back to the event.

Samuel…. Jack….. Jack ….J—

PFFT!

A snowball hit his chest plate.

"Answer the woman, please and thank you." Ursula faked a smile as she leaned over Maris.

"Find the unconscious students." Claude replied.

Ilka nodded, "Speaking of unconscious students….." She turned to face Warren.

"On the Rune Feed, you were moving. Shooting down Vampires….."

Warren smiled sadly and looked at Claude as he grabbed his shoulder, "Dammit man she's so nice….."

Ilka blinked.

"She's lying— FOR MY SAKE! To try and make us look less embarrassing this is outstanding. Somebody get me something to wipe my tears— I can't…." Warren dramatically played off her question before adjusting himself despite Ursula and Isaac's chuckles.

"No seriously, you don't need to do that. You know damn well I was fast asleep like the rest of them."

Silence...

Mostly from Claude and Ilka.

Warren caught it.

"…..What?"

"You don't remember?"

"[Ohhh more surprises. More surprises indeed. If I had a heart it would be in absolute shambles as of late.]"

Warren itched the nappy course hair on the top of his head. He must've skipped out on the pick for once. "No. I don't remember anything. You saying I was up?"

Claude didn't reply as his ears twitched.

"He's over there. Let's go…!"

"They're by themselves….? Where are the interviewers? Who's the homeless guy with Zombie-Ear?"

"Are you nuts? He won the martial arts expo— he did so good they had to ban him from the next event..? Hello? He beat your bully— Donna?"

"Ah, love him alread—"

"AYE! Dude! Don't give me hope and then go all broody silent mode." Warren complained.

Claude flicked his head in the direction of the crowd of people coming their way. Arthurian based on the color of their uniforms and style of weaponry. Classic broadswords with gothic styled hilts. Longbows, scepters and heater shields.

A team of five young women. He only recognized one— though the last time he saw her she was covered in spider bites.

They stopped as they faced the group.

"Hi." The one he recognized greeted them with an accent that immediately reminded him of Arne. Though hers was less posh and more rugged. Somehow fitting coming from a long limbed Archer who'd visibly seen her fair share of the outdoors.

"I heard you're the reason I'm not spider-chow." She looked at Claude.

Claude shook his head. "That's him."

He and Isaac tapped Warren's back and the Archer took a half stumble forward.

"I made the mistake of closing your wounds…. After Warren fought arachnoid babies off you for…. I actually don't know how long." Claude explained.

The girl made a confused face at him— followed by her healer who looked mortified by his actions.

Claude cringed internally, "I'm new to healing."

Warren awkwardly coughed— gaining their attention.

"I….. hmmm ….. uhm— What's up?" He moved to shake up with her.

The young Archer ignored his hand and hugged him.

"Oh yea that works too."

Warren reached out to shake hands with the girls friends behind her.

"What's going on?…"

"Nice to meet you— sick sword."

"My names Warren…. Haha…. They said that like six times I'm going to stop talking now."

Warren and the fellow Archer disconnected.

"My name is Robin. I owe you big time."

Warren waved it off, "Don't sweat it."

"Have dinner with us….. as a thanks! Your friends are welcome to com—"

"We actually have a meeting. For New Glorian students only. Warren we'll fill in for you so you can go." Isaac cut in faster than lightning.

"Oh ok." Robin replied.

Warren looked back at Isaac. Ilka had to hide her face from the reddening of her cheeks.

"Dude…. If you don't go plan that dinner with them right now I'm going to turn you into ashes then make Claude tell Frosty to piss on you."

Warren looked at Claude.

"What the hell is happening."

"[Agree like a good wingman or I'm ripping myself out of your brain.]"

"Yes." Claude nodded as he leaned cross armed against the wall next to Ilka and Isaac.

Warren nodded.

"Ok guys. You just got me…. And you know what? That's fine. I am a social butterfly! I bring the mood and the taste. You guys got pizza over there in sword-in-the-stone land?" Warren was off in his usual fashion talking, joking, voicing his fears unapologetically. It seemed to partially be working. Only some of the girls looked at him with weird glances.

"You guys are weird sometimes." Ursula said from beside Maris.

"You wouldn't get it." Isaac explained.

It seemed like for the first time in a while he and Claude smiled.

"Oooooh I get it. You know I do. Actually, I bet the only people here who don't get it are Claude and Maris."

They looked.

"What? I'm not going to disagree with you." Claude said in the silence. "I'm assuming it's got something to do with romance— Ilka's more red than a sunburn."

"Stop!"

The group laughed. Claude smiled again. Nic—

"Ruponts ready for you." Cassidy's voice entered his mind.

Claude looked at Maris and Ursula, nodding for them to head off.

"Well. I have to use the woman's room. Maris come with me."

The two walked off casually.

Ilka faced Claude.

"Thank you for the interviews. You may not always be the most detailed— or seemingly interested. But you are …. Interesting. Actually you remind me of someone. That guy I told you about before. I hope he's still alive I think you two should meet."

Claude nodded, "Someday.."

"Thanks to you too. I hope you're fired up for next event. New Gloria's got some stuff to prove." Ilka said to Isaac before also excusing herself to the ladies room.

Claude and Isaac stood together in silence— away from the crowd. Watching Warren laugh and joke with his thankful compatriots.

His skin tingled. A Sky Ship headed their way.

He found himself thinking back to his conversation with Maris. The feelings they brought up. His own conditioning.

"You never thought I was a WereWolf…"

Isaac didn't even flinch. Didn't even release the scent of fear from beneath his knights armor hidden under his gifted cloak.

"Truth is… no."

"Aeron didn't call me a WereWolf. Did he?"

"…..No. Not at all, man." Anger.

"How do you feel about the truth, Isaac?" They continued watching the crowd. Having one of their most intense conversations.

It shouldn't have been. He and Isaac should've been closer. Closest. Best friends— brothers, they could've been from childhood in another life. The same interests. Same goals. Same pressures. One was poor. The other from a legacy of heroic symbols. But the same nonetheless.

He could see it. As if he stood at the apex— the precipice of a critical moment in broad daylight around a thousand unknowing souls. He could envision it.

Not a boy and a wolf. Two boys and a wolf. The tall and hardy one, wailing away at and chasing down the nimbler unwavering opponent as their canine cheerleader howled to the skies.

Then older. Teenagers. Reborn. Two Beast Tamers accompanied by Wolf and Lion. Still training. Still sharing their blades through the bond of combat.

Adulthood in a flash. Companions fully evolved, twisting and blending with the adult brothers in fluid transformative beastly magical combat. A flurry of flames and unending nature. Leveling the ground only to regrow it. Roaring beside their beasts blasts of energy and sword blows. Laughing all the same. Bantering. Joking as they copied instances from the books they read about heroes. About wild creatures in the forest around them. Nerds, as many said.

Would he lie to him? Were they not the same? Changed only by the smallest directional switches? What even was fate? A Red Queen? A Wolf over a Wild Rift? Twin babies in the wilds of Islandia?

"I think the truth is something we're all owed. ...But also something that has context." Isaac explained. Claude had almost forgotten the question.

"Do you believe the truth can be withheld for someone's else's sake?"

"That ain't my style. I know that much." Isaac replied. "We're in a world that's barely gotten back on its feet from an apocalypse. There is no —for someone else's sake, unless you're standing under a blade and I have to pretend like I don't know you so they won't kill you to hurt a kings son."

"So that shits for the birds, huh?"

"The biggest birds." Isaac nodded. "But then again, that ain't my style. Me and you have very different styles."

"So what does that mean for you?" Claude asked.

Isaac shrugged, causing his armor to grind against the wall. "I don't know. We're talking about you, aren't we?"

The Sky Ship once headed towards them didn't pass. It hung overhead.

The two didn't look up. Too deep in their own conversation. Too deep in to notice as a man hopped out of the skies and rocketed towards the floor, stopping only with two jet streams of focused golden flames.

BOOm!

The Lion of the Sunlands hit the floor in front of them. His gold silver and red knights armor steamed under the sun. Runes written on the inside of the gauntlets, chest plate and shoulder guards gave the armor a magical under glow.

The man took off his leonine helm to face them.

Claude felt like his insides were vibrating. But the Lion wasn't there for him.

Like any father, he missed his son.

"I'll talk to you later. I actually have somewhere to be anyway." Claude headed off before Isaac could say anything.

For once, the eyes weren't on him. At least that's how it felt in a physical sense. But he could still feel it. Someone in the crowd. Watching hi—

"H-hey…. C-c-cllllaude."