A LITTLE SQUABBLE

"Cathy! Where did you put my boxers?!" I asked my maid, heaving, as I frantically searched for my clothes through the mass wardrobe.

"Don't yell at me, Max! Anyways, I've already packed your bag for the trip, it's on your bed,"

I poked my head from the wardrobe and sure enough, there was my bag, packed just as she said on my bed.

"Wait, how did you–"

"I know many things, Max. You should know that by now," she said as she walked into my room, carrying a parcel in her hand.

"Here," she handed it to me.

"What's this?"

"Something to get you by during the training. If I know about this things, and I do, the general has something planned for you all, and it sure doesn't involve you eating something good along the way,"

"Oh, thanks. Hey Cathy, come here for a bit,"

"Huh? Why–"

I hugged her before she could finish her sentence. I'm sure she was surprised at first, but just as I said before, I had to try this out to test something. And just as I thought, it was warm and nice. I didn't imagine it.

"What is this for?" Cathy asked as she hugged me back.

"Cause you always take care of me more than the normal maid. And also, because I wanted to and have no idea how else to repay you,"

She rubbed my head as she spoke. "This is enough. And just you presence too. You don't have to repay me with anything, Max,"

We pulled away and she started pushing me down to the lower floors, where the transportation gates were.

"Now run, kid. Or you'll be late for the training,"

"Bye Cathy,"

I met up with Queen on my way and together, we run for the gates. We found Earl and Alvin already waiting there, Mrs Kelly nodding after some words from general Zard.

Looks like everyone had a bag on them, just hope this trip of ours won't take as long as the size of Mrs Kelly's bag looked like.

"Well would you look at that! First day in job and you're already late," Earl mocked. I rolled my eyes at him and walked over to the general, who beckoned for me to come.

"Let me explain to you what the training is all about, since you are my sub-leader and all. We're taking a trip to one of the planets of the beast verse, called Kirus. This planet is really dangerous, hence Mrs Kelly will be accompanying you,"

"The entire planet is filled to the brim with beasts of all kinds and nature, including smart beasts. But, it also has edible fruits and good water for one to survive in. Now, it's good that you know that the princess over here–"

"THAT'S IT!"

Mrs Kelly punched the general right on the face even before I could blink, almost making him do a three sixty spin. But the general remained sturdy as he rubbed his cheek in surprise.

"That was a lot weaker than I expected," he mumbled, but even if he said that, I could see that that punch didn't do just nothing to him with the blood trailing from his mouth.

Mrs Kelly balled her other fist and entered a fighting position before she said in a dangerously low voice, "I dare you to say that again, Cli"

I turned to the general in shock,

" Cli?"

The general looked absolutely horrified when he heard what Mrs Kelly said. Then his eyes arched if fury and he too entered a fighting stance.

"Don't you think that's going a little bit too far, calling me 'that' in front of all this races?" he mumbled in a hushed whisper that only a select few could pick up on.

Mrs Kelly looked at him smugly before saying, "You started it,"

"I think you should take a few steps back, kid,"

A warm hand directed me to the back, and I realized it was Merlik. She snapped he fingers and both demi-gons disappeared to nothing.

"Where did you take them?" I asked her. She shrugged and pointed upwards. Suddenly, a large sound could be heard of wall breaking, and a small earthquake to accompany it.

Guess those two are up on the training grounds.

"Don't worry, Max. This will be over very soon. If you ask me, I think the general had it coming. Let me continue from where he left off. Where did he leave you off again?" Sally asked as she joined me and Merlik.

I was temporarily looking at the group I was supposed to lead, and I think I saw then exchange money or something. But I turned to Sally and explained to her what the general was trying to say.

"Ah, I see. Well then, what he was about to tell you was that we've decided to meet up with you kids after a few weeks. I'm sure by then, you'd have already have a clear grasp of your partners abilities,"

"I wonder... did he inform you why we had to speed things along? And no, it's not just because we have limited time,"

"Oh, Nah. He didn't explain anything about that," I answered.

"Oh well, if he decided not to tell you–"

*BOOOOM*

The whole corridor echoed with the sound coming from the fight going on from above. Over the few minutes they have been gone, that was all we could hear, but this was by far the largest blast I've heard.

"Looks like they are about to wind up this little dispute of theirs," Sally commented.

"Huh, may be. Hey, I'm curious. What's the history between those two?" I asked her.

"You don't know? Those two grew up together. You might say Zard was the first friend Mrs Kelly had. At that time, the Beast king was yet to take his role, and so they all lived in the same planet, Shin, and grew up together for over these many years till the King became well... the king. That's when they were separated," she explained to me.

"Then why do I feel like there's something more between them?"

"Right?" Queen joined us, together with Alvin and Earl.

"Oh, that must be because even after all this many years, neither if them is bold enough to state their feelings to each other," Merlik said. We all turned to her in shock.

"What? I can observe too, " she shrugged.

"You don't seem like the type to even care, no offense of course," Sally said.

"None taken,"

We soon heard something coming our way and after a few minutes of waiting, some dragging sound. Mrs Kelly later walked in, bruised and beaten, but not as much as general Zard, whom she was dragging in.

"Oh, man!" Alvin exclaimed in disappointment and handed Queen and Earl two good monster wards. I can already tell who those two had their money on.

"Sorry... about....the wait, guys. He passed out on the way just in case you are wondering, but he'll soon come to. Like let's say, Now!" Mrs Kelly said as she dropped the general on the ground and kicked his side.

"Ow! Jeez, Kelly. Was that kick really necessary?" he complained as he got up from the ground.

Surprising both his wounds and Mrs Kelly's were healing surprisingly quick, just what I wound expect from the half-dragons.

"Anyways, let's get going, everyone,"

When everyone was ready, we all jumped into the gates and we're soon taken to the planet Kirus.

The first thing I saw when I arrived was the weirdly similar qualities of the planet to Earth. We were in a forest, basically what the general has said about the entire planet being filled with trees.

Oddly enough, I didn't find them as creepy as I thought they would, but maybe it was just because the sun was out. I turned to the ground and was shocked to see actual sand down there.

"As you all can probably tell, this planet has a lot of similar characteristics as Earth, but the difference comes in with just how powerful the monsters that reside here are,"

"Wait, how can such monsters come up from a planet such as this?" Queen asked a very good question.

"Oh, that's easy. See the large deep rooted trees and really tall stems over there?"

"Yeah?"

"Those trees are barely five years old,"

"Wait, what?!"

If what the general said is true, then this are just young trees. Meaning that we grossly underestimated the size of this planet.

"So what you're telling us is that–"

"Yup. We're on a giant planet. And just as the entire area is large, guess how large and powerful the beasts here are. Now, time for the rundown of things. First of all, kids. Even if Kelly will stay with you, your survival will depend solely on your selves and on your leader, until it reaches a point where she will have to be forced to take charge of the situation, understood?"

We all nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, this is where we split of for now. There's a tracker in all your backs and a map marked exactly where we are too meet on two weeks time. Don't disappoint me kids. Stay safe, and more importantly, don't die," the general said and departed with his group.

"Well then dear "leader". Shall we get going," Mrs Kelly said with a devious smile.

Dear, gods, I just remembered... I'm the leader!

"So...Um...yeah. Let's go to... ah... Let's just go,"

"Real leadery there,"

"Oh shut up, Queen."

Well, I guess we're really doing this. I just hope I make it through these few weeks on our own alive.