tex

Petrichor

Ki'Tann pushed his way past the small girl with little heed for her curious musings, in a hurry himself to satisfy a fletching of morbid curiosity that had been slicing its way into the recesses of his mind with relentless determination.

"Move, little one," he hissed, making haste towards the back of the inn, and leaving Patricia to wander aimlessly. Tip, tap, tip-tap. His hind claws clicked against the cold wooden boards, drawn indefinitely for balance and caution. Barefooted was more comfortable, more natural, even if it turned heads and allowed the occasional pebble to find itself lodged between the pads of his paws. It's how he liked it, and it was a fantastic way to differentiate the intolerant and the accepting, not that he was about to make the distinction all that significant. To him, it only separate those who deserved to die, and those who deserved to die painlessly.

He'd been here for less than a minute and the putrid smell of Humies was already sticking to the inside of his nostrils. The tabby stepped past a few patrons carefully, weaving around the cracks in the floor like a dancer. The pace of his steps jittered, one two, one-two-three four, one two-three four-five, subtly indicating a methodical approach to the well versed in subterfuge, or the pacing of a drunk to anyone with a shred of common sense, but Ki'Tann wasn't trying to hide anything, and he certainly wasn't intoxicated. His massive sword was on display for everyone to see, tucked away comfortably in its sheath on his back, with a crossbow hanging just below that, clipped to his belt. Beyond that, his face was open for all to see. He hid nothing about his features, and his lithe figure was discernible with ease. He was about as cat man assassin as one could get.

Ki'Tann took a wide glance of the Inn as he stepped forward, collapsing into a chair that he found secluded from the Inn's tables. His tail whipped around and rested comfortable at his side, flicking from side to side as he surveyed the room carefully. His curiosity wouldn't be sated until he found out what all the hubbub was about.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

The ramps that lead up towards the Paradise's outer Rim creaked and wobbled from where Bruce and Jenso climbed. Each relatively thin strip of wood seemed out of place in the rocky cavern, contrasted by Ashen Stalagmites, and an overwhelming abundance of powder laced boulders. The western portion of the cave sat just above hell, where Diver's dug deeper and fought for their lives on a daily basis. Explosions and debris from the occasional monster attack lay scattered about. Boulders were cracked in half, powder kegs were strewn about in pieces, and the usual crimson walkways made of solid stone were absent, instead replaced with the hastily crafted wooden pathways that Jenso and Bruce took caution in traversing.

As they approached the mouth of the western tunnel, Divers glanced in their direction fearfully. Nobody headed west, not since the slaughter two years ago, long before Bruce was among Luke's ranks. What exactly were they getting themselves into?

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Luke nodded happily and bounced his way back into the eye of paradise, but not before patting Jenso's shoulder confidently, without a word, passing on one final blessing to his son. He smiled and looked at Jenso with a great deal of pride, before heading back into his home.

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Luke looked back at Jenso briefly and then back to Bruce, swishing his right arm from one to the other. "I need you to Take Jenso down the West Mountain tunnels, towards the Wind Temple. We haven't been anywhere near there since the big ole' sum'bitch out front wiped out a squad of my people. Ignore the warning signs," Luke ordered. "With Jenso around, I'm sure you two can handle a silly spider."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

~ Chapter 88 ~

_{Temple Run}

Luke lead Jenso outside, and noticed Bruce nearby. He looked over to him quizzically and greeted him with a weak wave. "Hey, Bruce, I was about to come looking for ya."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Luke nodded and stood up. "You're headed for the Temple of Temperance first."

---

~ End Of Chapter 87 ~

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Luke's heart skipped a beat and he shook his head. "Luke's just fine, Jenso. And I appreciate the kindness. As for the other four amulets, we already know exactly where they are. But they're all heavily guarded locations, temples in the mountains. As soon as you're ready, I'll send you off on your first mission as an official Diver," Luke paused and chuckled, "That is, if you'd consider yourself one of us, while you're down here."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Luke exhaled and his smile shrank. "It's complicated. I never even knew you existed until a few years after you were born. Your mother," Luke paused and looked down at the reddened rocky floor, smirking uncontrollably. "Your mother never told me about you, and around that time, I stopped taking time away from the paradise to go see her. She refused to join our cause, and I couldn't abandon my people for her." Luke closed the small book and tucked it away into his pants. He brought both hands up to his face and rubbed vigorously as he pulled long untouched memories from his subconscious.

"One day, she ended it all. She told me to stop coming, and she told me about you, a few years after you were born. Then, she disappeared." Luke's expression drooped and he hunched himself forwards. "It really was my fault. I'm not trying to make excuses or nothin'. If I'd just gone to see her more often, she wouldn't have.. Ah.." Luke wiped his eyes clean before shedding any tears and nodded. "It's all in the past. The point is, I never meant to abandon you. I would never think about using you either. Truth is, you're already a hero, without my guidance at all. You built yourself up all on your own. Your reputation speaks for itself. It has nothing to do with you being my son or anything. It's because you're a real hero, and I aint." Luke let out a single breathy laugh and looked at Jenso. "'Sides that, I couldn't get the amulets on my own, even if I wanted to. I need your help, either way."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

Luke didn't respond at first, instead gently grabbing Jenso's hand and placing the white amulet in his grasp.

"I was never planning on using any of these amulets myself, Jenso!" He said with a wide smile, "That's a job for a hero."

A Hero Tale {Complete}

"It doesn't," He said, "I don't even know how it works. But if Bobba was right, then collecting all 5 will grant the wielder a power beyond anything you could possibly imagine, exactly what we need to beat those masked fellows. And I.. I want you to help me get them."