[IC] A Hero Tale {Complete}

[Jensoman]

Jenso frowned. He wasn't fully convinced by Bill's words, but they made him feel somewhat better none the less. "Thanks man..." Jenso replied, and got back onto his feet. He stared at his damaged shirt. "Don't worry about it..you've already done plenty...I owe you my life." He said, looking at the stairs. "You're right, I can't give up. That Prisma guy...I need to stop him before he kills any more people. I don't know if I can beat him...but I need to try." He told Bill.

[tex]

"Are you crazy?" Bill grunted, dropping his arms and tossing Jenso's shirt onto a pile of useless rags. "That guy will kill you the way you are right now! He uses some kind of voodoo-shit that nobody's ever seen before! Fucking magic, Jenso!" Bill turned away from him and walked towards the exit of the basement, stopping next to the door and leaning against the wall. "Nobody wants you to just go and throw away your life."

[Jensoman]

Jenso walked over to Bill. "What other choice do I have? I can't let him get away with this!" He said, intent to go after Prisma. He wanted to bring the man to justice. "How am I supposed to improve...I gave him my best.." Jenso said to Bill. He had no clue how to get better. "I mean, Prisma did mention something about me having a strong aura and stuff but...Where can I find someone who knows about magic?"

[tex]

Bill tapped the wall a couple times in frustration. "Magic? Jenso, you 'aint a monster like that guy. There's no magic for you in this world," He stopped and started heading upstairs, hoping Jenso would give up the stupid idea of going after Prisma. "How would you even find him?" Bills voice grew quieter as he left to the main floor, but Jenso could hear his wife and his brother talking about something above them. Jenso's shirt looked far too damaged to wear as it lay strewn in the dirty fabric. They hadn't even bothered to wash the blood out, not that they could. White fabric was so difficult to purify.

[Jensoman]

Jenso followed after Bill, unsure what to do next. He wanted to go after Prisma, but Bill was right. He would simply lose again. Just the sheer thought that Prisma would get away with what he had done filled him with anger. What if there were even more like him, running around slaughtering innocent people? Could they just do what they wanted and get away with it? Jenso wanted to make sure no more innocent people would die, even if he were to risk his life again. He remained silent as he reached the main floor.

[tex]

Bills wife turned to him and kissed him on the cheek before running over to Jenso and hugging him. "Oh thank god you're alive! We've been worried sick!" She said hysterically. Bills brother and him exchanged a nod, before the mayor turned to Jenso with a somber frown.

"How are you holding up, boy?" The mayor asked. He was a reserved man, Bill's older brother and the guy who ran the town. "Well, I hope. After this bloody mess it'd be hard to keep it together."

"Jenso, I just finished a new shirt for you!" Maggie said, backing away and running into the other room. "One moment!" Bill shook his head and motioned Jenso towards the dinner table, where his sandwich still sat, wrapped in plastic.

"I saved it for ya. You must be hungry after being out for nearly an entire day."

[Jensoman]

Jenso smiled as Maggie hugged him, and looked at the mayor. "I'm fine, all things considered...thanks to you guys." He responded. He turned to Maggie who ran off into the other room. "Oh cool! I can't wait to see it!" He shouted at Maggie, and turned to Bill who mentioned food. "Thanks, but I don't think I'm hungry.." Jenso muttered.

But then, a loud growling noise broke through the silence. What was it? Was some kind of giant beast near Bill's house, preparing to attack?

"Guys, be careful! I think there's a beast-" He muttered, as the loud growling noise could be heard once more, cutting Jenso's words short. He looked down at his stomach that was growling. "Huh..looks like I'm hungry after all.." He said, a little embarassed. He walked over to the dinner table, sat down calmly despite his hunger and began to eat.

[tex]

Bill couldn't hold back a quick laugh but cut himself off and sat down with Jenso and the Mayor. "Harold didn't think you'd make it," Bill said abruptly. The mayor looked at him disgusted and shushed him.

"Don't tell him that, Bill! How rude! And I merely didn't think he could survive with such a fatal wound," Harold corrected, looking at Jenso's chest curiously. "Apparently it stopped bleeding within an hour. There's something special about you, Jenso." Bill nodded and grabbed a mug of water from the other side of the table, handing it to Jenso.

"Drink. You need to stay hydrated," He insisted, moving the mug towards him. All was silent for a few seconds after, until Harold suddenly cut in with a random comment:

"I haven't seen magic like that in twenty years..."

[Jensoman]

Jenso gave a faint smile as Harold mentioned that he was special. He was surprised himself, he didn't know that the bleeding would have stopped so quickly. Sure, he'd taken some beatdowns in the past, but he was never brought to the point where he would nearly die. Jenso nodded to Bill, resting his sandwich on the table. He grabbed the mug of water and drank from it. As Harold spoke the one comment, Jenso turned to him with a look of great interest. "You've seen that magic stuff before?" He asked.

[tex]

Harold nodded silently. "Friend of mine from way back when could perform some interesting parlor tricks. Needless to say I was a little shocked," Harold explained. Suddenly, Maggie bursted in with a shirt in her hands. Bill and Harold turned their heads towards her and smiled.

"Here it is, Jenso. I took the liberty of using some of our best fabric, now that there's..." She paused and shook her head, walking over to him with a half-smile. "Here," With both hands she unfolded the shirt and held it by the shoulders. It was a yellow T-shirt with very smooth fabric that looked very durable. "It's made from Gold Fibers. Really easy to patch up, and hard to tear..."

[Jensoman]

Jenso nodded at Harold. "Oh he could, huh?" He muttered, only to be interrupted by Maggie bursting into the room. Jenso stared at the yellow T-shirt and smiled. "Wow! It looks really cool!" He shouted with a wide grin on his face. He respectfully took the shirt from Maggie and put it on. "I like it way more then my old one! Thanks!" He added. He turned to Harold. "So umm, where does your friend live? I might go pay him a visit.."

[tex]

Harold looked up at Jenso and hesitated for a moment. "Zentai," he mumbled, to Bill's disappointment. "He lives on his own."

"That's quite a ways away," Bill murmured loudly, trying to discourage Jenso. "Hun, can you get us some cakes?" Maggie nodded and skittered off.

"Why do you ask jenso?" Harold inquired.

[Jensoman]

"I want to learn more about magic...that way, I might be able to beat Prisma and others who are like him." Jenso replied to Harold, and stood up after finishing his meal. "What's your friend's name? I'll ask him if he wants to help me out with this." He added. He knew that Harold might not have wanted him to go after Prisma either, but he wasn't going to lie about it. Not that it mattered if he would, since he'd already told Bill of his intentions. He knew he would need help, if he were to stand a chance to beat Prisma.

[tex]

Bill shook his head disappointed and walked away from the discussion. Maggie passed him and placed a couple coffee cakes on the table and gestured for Jenso and Harold to help themselves. Harold cleared his throat and nodded. "You've always been a little thick in the head Jenso. Do you honestly think that stopping that man is even possible? How would you even find him? And what good would magic do you? You're not the type who thinks things through carefully, my boy.."

[Jensoman]

Jenso clenched his fists in anger and stared at the ground. His tone of voice sounded more sinister and dark as he spoke, and his smile vanished. "Do you really think I'm going to let that bastard get away with what he's done? When I find him, I'm going to give him the beat down of his life. But I can't do it the way I am now. If magic can help me beat him, I need to learn it." After saying this, he looked back at Harold. He did not have an angry expression on his face, but rather one of sadness. "Please, man. Tell me his name. If this Prisma guy keeps running around, he's probably not going to stop with just Arcadia. Innocent lives are at stake. If I don't stop him, how can I still call myself a Hero?" He finished.

[tex]

Harold inhaled deeply and sighed, placing his mug down on the table. "You want to be a hero? Jenso, the world is a lot bigger than Arcadia. This Prisma fellow isn't going to fall into your hands even if you master the art of magic," Harold insisted, shifting his weight, "I can give you his name, and I can send you off, but you'll be running into a world that Arcadia has never known anything about."

"It's suicide," Bill shouted, rushing past his wife. He slammed his hands on the table. "You'll be walking into the darkness and getting nowhere fast, except dead. Don't throw away your gift of life on your pride."

[Jensoman]

Jenso began to walk to the front door, and looked over his shoulder. "Please tell me his name, Harold..I've always wanted to explore the world, but I never really did so because there was too much crime going on in Arcadia. But now..." He spoke, and paused for a moment. He said nothing until Bill slammed his hands on the table. "This isn't about pride..." He said, walking over to Bill and placing his hand on his shoulder. "It's what I have to do, man. To protect you and other innocent people. I promise you, I won't let your efforts of saving me go to waste." He said in a confident tone, and a smile on his face. "The idea of exploring new places is exciting!"

[tex]

Bill's mouth snapped shut as he began to understand Jenso's resolve. It wasn't just the musing of a child looking for glory. Something about the way he spoke sparked a new hope in Bill's heart. He didn't want revenge, he just wanted his family to stay alive, and as far as he was concerned, Jenso was just as much a brother to him as Harold. The mayor sighed and walked towards Bill's study, leaving the room for a little while.

"Excitement and adventure, I know we can't stop you," Maggie interjected, nearing Jenso, "The only thing we can do is support your decision. Right, Bill?" Maggie put one hand on Jenso's left shoulder without turning back to her husband. Bill was silent for a moment before he walked over and stood on Jenso's right.

"We can't stop you, can we..." Bill croaked.

[Jensoman]

Jenso smiled at Bill and Maggie. "No, you can't.." He muttered. "Thank you guys for everything..take care of yourselves, alright? I'll make sure to do what's right. I won't let you down." He said, waiting for Harold to return into the room. He felt somewhat sad for having to leave his friends behind, but he was excited to explore a whole new world. And he got to fight bad guys while doing it, too!

[tex]

Bill nodded and placed a hand on Jenso's right shoulder. "Of course not," He whimpered, holding back tears. "You'd better come back alive one day, idiot." Maggie rubbed Jenso's shoulder and grabbed her husband's hand. "We'll be waiting."

"Don't take on more than you can handle," Maggie begged, turning to comfort her husband, who seems far more torn up over the occurance. Harold cleared his throat as he appeared behind the married couple with a letter in his hand. "Oh, Harold-"

"Take this to him, Jenso. The man's name is Lark Gaiaco. He's pretty reclusive, and last I checked, he's living somewhere out in the Zentai Forest. You might not even be able to find him, but if you're insistant, than this letter might convince him to guide you," Harold explained, extending his arm forwards with a golden-rod envelope in his hand.