"AGHHH IM TOO YOUNG TO DIE!" Rika shouted as she flailed on the ground.
She looked up and realized they were back in town, also to see the townsfolk staring at her.
Nanami and the others rightfully looked confused.
Kaito sees all of their confusion. "I can teleport." He says.
Toni smiles but before he says anything Kaito cuts back in. "Once a day." But before continuing any explaining he decides to help them all up from their battered states.
He first goes to Nanami helping her up. "I apologize for my inability to combat him." She apologizes. Kaito smiles at her, shaking his head. "What are you kidding, you got some good hits in." He compliments.
He then picks Toni up. Toni limps standing. "Thanks friend, i ain't a fan of being tossed around like that."
Rika comes back limping falling into Kaito. "I already know i was great, don't have to make me feel better." She says.
Kaito rubs her head. "Yeah, you did great Rika."
Rika also looks at her hands. "Also I think you switched my right and left hands around." She looks and she's right.
Kaito burst out laughing. "I never teleported that many people before, that's so cool!" He explains in between laughing.
Dante stood off to the side hesitant to even speak to Kaito after what he did.
Toni sees him over and storms to him. "Hey, friend what was that?!"
Dante stammers. "I just..."
"Just what man, the guy threw me through a mountain and you're just standing around!" Toni barks.
Dante holds his head low. "I... i know."
Toni grits his teeth annoyed with him. Rika pulls him back. "Calm down Toni, he froze up it's ok."
Toni shakes his head. "Nah, nah it ain't, he let us to get smacked around, and all he did was freeze the fellas legs!" Toni shouts.
"That's enough Toni." Kaito says. Toni sighs once more before walking off. "I thought adventurers were supposed to be strong." He says under his breath.
Kaito turns to Dante. "I'm glad you're ok Dante." He says with the same calm smile on his face.
Dante's chest tightens from Kaito's smile, even after he was a coward, even when he had failed to lift a hand to help out, Kaito would still smile at him as if he did nothing wrong. "Aren't you upset with me?" He timidly asks.
Kaito looks puzzled for a moment. "I don't have a reason to be, i know you're scared and that's ok." He says offering comfort to Dante.
Dante clenches his fist. "But I can't fight." He responds, avoiding Kaito's gaze.
"Would you feel better if I yelled at you?" Kaito asks him. Dante shakes his head. "You can fight Dante, you just doubt yourself, you're in your own head too much." Kaito calmy says. "I won't yell at you for being afraid."
Kaito smiles at everyone. "Don't stress guys, we can still win this." He says to them all.
Nanami nods. "Right, but since we're back in town, I think it best to resupply on jellies, Dante could I have the blastie?"
Rika nudges Dante, who was spacing out. "R-right sorry. Here you go."
Toni rolls his eyes at Dante's stammering.
The party has a silent walk to the other side of town. Dante not really knowing what to say.
Rika nudges Nanami. "Man this got awkward quick." She says.
Nanami nods. "I can understand Toni's frustrations, that could have been much worse, if Kaito didn't have that random ability."
"I'll go get the jellies." Kaito says.
Nanami squints her eyes. "I'm not sure I trust leaving our blastie with you." Seeing the big goofy smile on kaito's face…. "I'll accompany Kaito."
Dante not wanting to be alone with Toni, decides to tag along too.
Rika and Toni went to rent the inn room.
"Was I too harsh back there?" Toni asks Rika.
Rika looks at him for a moment. "Maybe a little, but I hate to say it, he did need to hear that. I've been traveling with them for a while now, and Dante freezes up a LOT." Rika explains.
"But how do you not get annoyed by that-"
"Buuut, you didn't have to yell at him." Rika says. "Dante, was a sheltered kid, and ever since he's left home he's been working all the time to try and be a better fighter. The guys trying and Kaito sees that, i'm sure that's why he's so patient."
"Also even with that, he's a lot better then when he started, and keep in mind i'm sure it's cause he almost died."
Toni lowers his head.
Kaito and the others had bought the meds and were walking to the inn. "I'm sure he didn't mean it Dante." Nanami said in an attempt to make him feel better.
Dante shook his head. "I mean, he was right, you guys were all fighting for your lives, and I just sat to the side like an idiot." He says.
Kaito slurps one of the jellies. "Listen Dante, Toni just got a bit annoyed, I mean, he just left home, and got thrown through a mountain."
Nanami slurps one too, feeling better already. "Just give him some time."
Then they heard a familiar voice again. "Oh I remember you guys!"
They turn and see it's none other than Modus. Kaito raises his guard and Modus puts his hands up in defeat. "Relax, i'm not here to rob anyone this time, besides doing that inside of an imperial city is like begging for trouble."
Modus looks at the three of them. "What happened to the other one, you replaced her with a….."
Nanami doesn't say anything in response. "Well i'm not here to judge anyone, I just wanted to say hi."
Dante was astonished that this guy was acting like they were old friends. The audacity of it baffled him.
"Do you know who Renji is?" Kaito cuts in asking."
"Huh? Why're you asking about him, but yeah I know him why?" Modus furrows his brow as if even mentioning his name was taboo.
"Because he kidnapped my friend and i'm gonna get her back and beat him up!" Kaito declares.
Modus rushes a hand over kaito's mouth, "Hey hey," he says before quickly looking around. "Don't say stuff like that out loud, I heard the guys tryna frame the onslaught guild, don't ask how I know, if he's picking fights with a master guild what the heck are you tryna do?!"
Nanami finally gains the courage to speak. Connecting the dots between what the magistrate said before. "He's attempting to start a war in the liberty region, but what I can't figure out is how he gains anything from it."
Modus looks at them all still very serious about fighting him. "You kids are freakin crazy, but I like the spunk, Renji's guild hall isn't always in one place, but I know he's mostly in Kuni, and he actually tried to get me in on his plans, truthfully I did help him steal some stuff but he payed well."
Nanami and Dante looked like something just clicked, Kaito lagged behind with this. "So you must know where he plans to attack next?!" Nanami blurts.
Modus nervously smiles. "I don't know, saying that means he might come after me, and i'm just a bandit I definitely cannot handle that guy!"
Nanami gives Modus blastie. "Any intel you have will help."
Modus looks at the blastie and sighs. "Alright all I know is he had targets, something after he got the noble lady, he was going after someone in the empire, the boy he was with mentioned something about a black haired empire kid?"
As the others thought on it Kaito used 100% of his brain power…. "YUKKI, THEY'RE GONNA ATTACK YUKKI!"
The shouting scaring the three of them. "Alright I told you kids stuff, i'm gonna mosey on out of here, don't want that guy knowing I got any affiliation." Modus hurries off before they can even thank him.
Nanami thinks. "That's good, so we have an idea of his next move, and a Yukki, Kaito tell me all about it tomorrow, I think we should rest up before deciding anything."
Kaito thinks in a panic before nodding. "Yeah, you're the idea person!"
Later that night at the inn as everyone slept Dante left the room for some fresh air. He sat alone at the bench, taking in the nice cold breeze.
As he sat alone, mind swirling with thoughts, the soft melody of a guitar is heard steadily approaching.
"Hey, friend..." Toni silently said.
Dante nodded solemly, "Hey, Toni."
Toni sits next to Dante still strumming his guitar. "Friend, i fear I may have gone out of line earlier, and I wanna apologize."
Dante sighs. "It's ok." He says.
Toni groans. "Come on friend, stand up for yourself!"
"I mean, what can I say."
Toni looks up at the stars, and just one of the many moons in the sky. "Look friend, I won't say you were wrong for freezing up, but you can't do that, now I know im new here and all, but when your friends are putting everything forwards you gotta do the same."
"I'm sorry for my outburst, i'm still a bit sensistive I guess."
Dante turns to Toni. "I haven't been a fighter for long, I only started practicing about a month ago. I'm not sure if i'll be able to swing it actually."
Toni smiles. "Alright friend listen, it's like when I first stepped on that big ol stage, all I felt was shaking, I was terrified, wondering, hey.... can my fingers even move?!"
Toni says taking up his guitar, starting to play. "But, in that moment, i decided, all I want, all I really really want, is this... if I don't play, how would i achieve my dream?" The soft guitar melody washing over Dante. "So I stopped thinking so hard and just started playing, and it all just... came with it." Toni says.
Dante looked back at him, feeling the music. "I think it's the same for you friend, just stop darn thinking so much, and hey, i'd love for you to prove my big ol mouth back there wrong!" Toni says.
Dante burst out laughing, making Toni feel embarrassed. "Hey now, what's funny friend?!"
In between laughs Dante rubs a tear from his eye. "I'm sorry, you're just, I didn't think you'd be so thoughtful."
Toni smiled. "Well, that might be because of my rugged good looks." Toni says him and Dante laughing.
Dante punches Toni's arm. "Yeah right man."
Toni yawns. "So friend, how's about we get our rest?" He asks. Dante smiles and nods. "Yeah, let's go."