Chapter 11 A New Sword

The suns was almost gone, the orange sky was fading into the darkness of night. The fight with the Ambush Worm was quick but still slowed them down. Walking through the forest Jack was aiming to reach a nearby town he had only visited one time before.

" Isn't it dangerous." Zalane spoke while examining her sword witch Jack had used to dispatch the Worm. She was checking the blade making sure it wasn't chipped anywhere. 

" What. The town." Jack was walking a step ahead of her leading the way.

" Yea, were kind of on the run you know. Isn't there a chance of guards their that will recognize us. Plus if were gonna stay there the night, Couldn't some body recognize us as rouges and report us."

". . . This town. Isn't wealthy. Actually their like dirt poor. I doubt they could afford any sort of magical police force. Plus even if they recognized us as rouges. These people couldn't care less. Unless their was a cash reward." 

" You don't think their is." Zalane finally finished with her sword and put it back on her hip. Speeding up slightly to catch up to Jack.

" No. I don't think their is." Jack paused for a second and looked up to the stars witch were starting to appear. " Mabey I'm overrating Ace Coles righteousness, but he didn't want anymore of his solders to die right.? So I doubt he would mark us as rouges because if he did every solder or bounty hunter or even criminal would be after us. And they don't care if we come out alive." Zalane was walking next to Jack. She saw him starring at the sky and she started to as well.

" Do you no any of the constellations." Zalane asked

" Nope, why."

" Because your staring at the stars.

". . . Yea I am-- Their pretty."

"Woah!" Zalane suddenly stopped in her tracks. Looking straight at Jack with a face of disbelief.

"What." Jack looked straight back at her but with a face of confusion.

" I did not expect the word pretty to come out of your mouth." 

"Huh." Jack was now even more confused. " Is it not supposed to. It's just a word."

" No that's not what I mean. You just didn't seem like the type to say it out loud." Zalane waked back next to Jack. He began to continue the walk but it was a little bit slower this time.

" You've only known me a couple hours. You don't no what type of parson I am." 

"Your right I don't completely. I got the impression that you didn't really take time to examine the little things like how pretty the sky is. . . I'm sorry for assuming."

" Don't apologize for something so harmless." Jack tilted his head back up towards the night sky. The bright stars providing a light glow onto his face. The moon was starting to rise it's light poking through the leaves of the tree.

" Assuming things isn't harmless. It can lead to misunderstanding that hurt people. So I'm sorry." Zalane was looking dead ahead at the moon light. Her eyes reflected the rays of light right back at it.

". . But your not really wrong." Jack slowly brought his head down finding the moons rays shining into his eyes. " I never really used to notice the small things. . . It's weird the first time I did." Jack took a full second pause his head slightly tilted towards the ground. " Was last afternoon. During the sun set." Remembering that night caused his words to trail off has he said them. That sunset was right before he lost them all. " Hm. Mabey I should stop paying attention to the little things. The first time I did got people killed."

"Don't be stupid." Zalane spoke in a low but deep tone getting Jacks attention. She was still walking directly next to him. " You said you found the sky pretty didn't you."

" Yea." Jack replied softly.

" I didn't meet your friends so I can't say what type of people they were. But I bet they wouldn't want you to stop appreciating the small things in life because you blame yourself for their deaths." Her words cur Jack like a blade. Remembering Durcell standing next to him also enjoying the sunset. Valina also. They wouldn't want him to stop apricating these things because that would include throwing that memory away.

" Yea. Your right."

" Your welcome." Zalane looked back at the stars. Her eyes were dancing between them like she was taking a picture in her mind of every single one of them. Jack lifted his head and noticed the reflection of the night sky in her eyes. He couldn't help but stare at it. It was like what ever her eyes reflected made them even more beautiful.

" What you starring at?" She had noticed. The way she asked was in a tone letting Jack no she had caught him staring at her. But also in a way where it almost forced him to answer. An attempt to embarrass him. Cheeky smirk on her face confirming it.

Jack remained silent for a moment. Tilting his head slightly to the side thinking of an answer. ". . . You I guess." He couldn't think of any sort of reasonable excuse. So he decided to be honest.

 Zalane eyes grew wide and her face flashed red for a moment before she looked away. " What the hell!. . . You can't just say things like that." She whipped her head back around meeting his gaze.

" Why not. It's a compliment." Her face flashed red again

" Uh . . . You-" She was stuttering over her words attempting to possibly find a reply.

" Ha Ha Ha. I'm sorry okay calm down." Jack found the sight of her so lost entertaining. So entertaining that is even caused him to laugh out loud a little. Zalane looked away staring blankly at the ground intertwining her fingers and wiggling them back and forth.

" I thought. You were going to be a quiet, boring, emotionless guy. But you seem to be a bit more happy. Then I thought you would be." Zalane remembered how he looked when they found him in the cave and the ride back. He had a dead look. Like he had nothing left but a life. Now he seemed like he had more, but she couldn't figure out what caused this change.

" I guess. It's the promise I made." Jack and Zalane were still walking through the forest still at the same slow pace. Jack was looking dead at the moon now.

" Promise?" 

" I promised my friends that I would achieve great things. I can't do that if I'm always sad. And they wouldn't like it If I failed the promise because of them."

"Jack. Are you forcing It. Your happiness. . . To trick your self into fulfilling your promise to them. Because-

"They wouldn't want that. Yea I know. . . And I don't know. If it's real or not." Jack paused and tilted his head slightly once more. This time so out the corner of his eye he could see Zalane. she was still looking dead ahead with the moon reflecting in her eyes. " Right now tho. I'm leaning towards real."

Jack and Zalane continued to walk at their slow pace. Both looking dead ahead. Until they pushed through some thick brush into an opening. Lying ahead of them were some old wooden buildings. The wood looked like it was rotting and some of the roofs were falling apart. Their was a dirt path leading into the village not a road. It was dead silent.

" Is this it." Zalane asked examining the half collapsing buildings. Their were only a few light on in some of the buildings. But they weren't bright. Not like they were being lit up by light bulbs. There were no street lights. Just some oil lamps sitting on top of fence posts.

" Yea. This is what happens to towns that don't get direct funding from they main city." Jack began walking towards the old town that looked abandoned. " Be carful. This place has some not so good people in it."

Walking through the old rotting town. Their were boards falling of buildings supports leaning making it look like the building was tilted. She originally thought that it was abandoned. Looking closer she could see it was the opposite. In the dark corners their were people. They were sleeping on the floor on hay or grass. Some were awake and obviously eyeing her. They had swords or knives. Some sort of weapons. They had magic but it was unstable due to lack of training.

" Stay close." Jack said taking a close step in front of her. Like he was protecting her.

" I could handle them if they tried anything."

" Yea. You probably could but still. I don't want them to try anything.

" So. You think you being close to me would stop them. Hate to brake it to you but your not that scary. I mean your barley taller than me and I'm 5 foot 5."

" I'm still getting taller."

" Suure." Jack and Zalane continued to walk through the town while people eyed them up. Not just men but women to. They all seemed like they wanted their chance to attack. Even though Zalane could tell how dangerous some of them were. She couldn't help but feel bad for them.

They continued to walk towards one of the building with light glowing from within. Zalane couldn't tell at first but at the top it said. " Noals Motel"

" Hold on. How are we gonna pay. I doubt they would want to let us stay for free." They climbed the steps and Jack put his hand on the door nob. Before twisting he brought out a lather rectangle.

" I got my wallet. I can get us two rooms no problem." He twisted the handle and opened it walking inside onto the creaky floor.

" Of course he brought his wallet." Zalane whispered.

A bright yellow light shining through the window. A cool breeze that shouldn't have been able to get in. But with the holes in the wood it was inevitable. Zalane woke up in the same cloths she had yesterday. She stood up slowly, holding the back of her neck. The mattress had been uncomfortable. She walked over to her door and opened it. It led to a balcony witch over looked more of the town. Their was more people now and not just the scary ones. Everyday people. She could smell breakfast cooking from somewhere. The sun was almost directly overhead. It was mid day. They were both so tiered that as soon as they got into their rooms they fell asleep almost instantly.

Looking ahead below her she could see Jack who was talking to a man who was showing off a sword. It had a shiny blade with a dark blue handle. A straight sword. Jack pulled out his wallet and cave the man what looked like a 60 bills, in exchange he got the sword.

" Jack." Zalane called down " Got a new sword."

" Yea." Jack replied examining it further. " Come on we got to get moving." He slowly put it into his empty sheath before turning to face her.

"Where exactly are we going.

" I'll explain on the way." Zalane began to walk down the steps on the outside of the Motel. Approaching Jack who was stretching his shoulders and arms. "Get good sleep."

" Nope. You"

" Not at all. But any sleep feels good after you've almost been up for two days straight." Jack started down the dirt road for the exit.

" Wait. Have you been up for two days. Since two days ago." Zalane said with a concerned look on her face. " If you need we could stay longer. Don't rush your self."

"Nah I'll be fine." Jack gave her a small smile before looking straight ahead again. They left the town and followed the dirt road into a cut path in the forest.

" So what exactly is the plan" Zalane asked

" Right now. We'll bounce town to town until we find something on these creatures. Then we kill them." Jack squeezed his hand around his new blade.

" You make it sound easy." Zalane said with a nervous look plastered across her face. It was hard to believe that these things were killable. Jack noticed her look in the corner of his eye.

" Zalane. We will protect people. We will find away to kill them. To save people." Zalane looked at him and could see. A fire. He had such confidence. When she looked at him it caused her to fully believe what he had said.

" Yea. We will." Her confidence wasn't as solid as his was tho. She did truly believe that he could do it but her. She wasn't so sure. Then she remembered something. " Uh. Jack."

" What." Zalane had stopped walking prompting Jack to turn and face her.

" I need to go to the bathroom." 

Silence

" You serious. Why didn't you go earlier." Zalane could tell that he was annoyed, but he was holding it back.

" I'm sorry!"

It's fine. Were not that far from town let's head back.

"No! I'll go on my own." 

" No you won't. There are some dange-"

"Yea I know I'll be fine." Zalane turned back and began sprinting back.

WAI- Uh fine." Jack watched her run off back towards the town.. He looked up at the blue sky examining the clouds. The rocky path he was standing on was causing him to feel how sore he was. He reached into his pocket and felt the rock once more. Grasping it, he thought about taking it out he then sensed magic. Not Zalanes.

Quickly turning around he found someone slightly crouched with two daggers in his hands. He had black hair and a lean figure. He slashed his daggers at Jack but he bent backwards and caused them to only cut a piece of hair. Jack used his left hand to spring board backwards taking out his new sword.

The sound of mettle on mettle rang through the woods. The stranger was quick, swinging quickly but precisely at Jack. He was trained. Jack decided he was most likely working with Ace Cole. Although he wasn't wearing the normal Ace solders uniform. It was more of street cloths that normal solders are allowed to where.

He was bouncing around with each slash. He was fast but Jack could keep up easily. They both hadn't landed a hit. Jack took a stab but he leaned to the side spinning around with the other dagger attempting a slash. Jack ducked it and blocked the follow-up. The stranger threw a kick which landed on Jacks shoulder knocking him back.

The stranger brought his hands together and whispered something. HIs shadow grew until it completely covered him.

"Shadow magic." Jack recognized it. It would cover up the stranger and almost make him invisible. All you can see is the shadow but that doesn't allow for precise blocking. It also almost completely conceals his magic. Almost. Jack had better magic sensing abilities than most.

He felt his presence from above. Jack raised his sword and a loud "clang" rang. Looking up the shadow peeled away and the stranger was above him with both daggers pinned against his blade. The long spikey hair. A face Jack recognized. The same Ice blue eyes as Zalane.

"Xavier!"