Chapter 12: Road Trip (1/2)
Kaya stood leaned against the wall next to Mike's door. As he approached, she turned and stepped forward to meet him. Her face still had the usual frown she used when looking at him, but it seemed softer somehow. ”Look, I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm not here for you.” She paused and glanced around furtively, as if embarrassed. ”I'm here about Morris.”
”What about him?”
Kaya faced him fully, squaring up as if preparing for a confrontation. ”He's been different since the ambush in the woods. Quieter...less cheerful. I...we are worried about him.” Her voice faltered a little as she stared down at her hands. ”He used to be so confident, I thought he could make it through anything, but now…..” She trailed off as her trademark frown morphed into a look of worry with a hint of guilt.
Mike hadn't interacted much with Morris over the last month, so busy had he been with his training. However, he had noticed the older man become a bit more withdrawn as time wore on. It was evident that his injury was weighing on him to some degree.
After a few moments, Mike decided to break the silence that had descended in the hallway. ”So, what exactly are you asking me to do?”
Her eyes snapped back up to him, frown back in its rightful place. ”I don't really expect anything from you. I know you've been training for the last month, but that is no replacement for real experience. With Morris the way he is now, if you run into any real trouble on the way to Wyrport, it'll be up to you to protect him. Considering your performance in the training yard, I think that is beyond your abilities.”
”You've been watching me?”
Kaya blushed slightly as her frowned deepened. ”I wasn't watching you! I just happened to see you flailing around and getting beat up by Albert.”
She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. ”Anyway! Even if you could handle yourself in a fight, your memory issue means you will have a hard time adapting to circumstances. So, I have a proposition for you.”
”Oh?”
”See Morris safely to Wyrport, get him settled in, and help him find a path for himself.” She paused, looking a little unsure again. ”I don't know what he will do now. The Order pension will last a while, but he's still young. With his family situation, he'll basically be on his own. Not many people will be willing to hire him as he is.”
”That's easy enough, but since you called it a proposition, I assume you have something to offer me?”
She pulled out a small, clear uncut crystal tied to a leather cord. While it wasn't particularly appealing to look at, Mike felt his gaze drawn to it.
”This is a Salvation Stone, a rare magical item designed to save the user from dire circumstances. When you crush it, it creates an orb of nearly impenetrable force surrounding you for a short period of time. While protected, you can use your will to move the sphere in your direction of choice.”
Mike focused on it and used Identify.
{Salvation Stone}
Magic Item (Tier 3, Rank 2)
A mid-grade, consumable, magic item produced through Advanced Force Magic. Used to create a mentally controlled sphere of force, with a diameter of 3m, around the user. Lasts approximately 1.5 minutes.
[Seems useful enough.] Mike thought before asking, ”So, you'll give this to me in exchange for taking care of Morris?”
Kaya hesitated before nodding. ”Use it if you get into trouble. If you manage to make it all the way Wyrport without needing it, you can keep it.”
She reluctantly handed him the stone, her gaze lingering on it before he clasped in his hand. She looked him the eye before continuing. ”Keep Morris safe. If any harm comes to him, I'll make sure you regret it.”
Mike felt a bit intimidated by her sudden seriousness, but felt the need to tease a little bit due to the somewhat unreasonable demands she had been putting out.
”This seems pretty valuable. Morris must be pretty special to you.”
”A-Ah…..” Kaya blushed fiercely at that. She was at a loss for words for a few moments before stammering a reply. ”L-Look, I-I don't care about him. I-I just owe him a favor. He helped me out, so I'm just repaying him.”
Mike grinned mischievously. ”Alright, I'll accept your proposition. You don't need to worry about Morris.”
Kaya gritted her teeth, feeling like she had lost somehow. ”Fine! I don't care if you die in a ditch somewhere but don't let anything happen to him.” She stomped off after delivering this retort.