A Warrior's Rebirth

Chapter 2 The Knight

     The vast oceans of Helios were quite the spectacle. . . though a very dangerous one. Aquatic beings lingered just below the surface of the deep blue, both peaceful marine life and vicious beasts. And so, it was common practice across Helios to never send a single ship across the sea on its own. It was simply too dangerous and much safer to send shipments, trade, and travel in convoys. This brought its benefits and its own share of problems. . .
     One such convoy, coming from the Continent of Alpha, was sailing toward the tropical islands that composed the Zeta Continent. . . Within the flagship of the fleet, two officers dressed in traditional blue and white naval uniforms stepped down into the hull of the ship. It was filled to the brim with crates, barrels, and boxes, ready to be sold once they make it to their destination.
     "I'm telling you, it's probably just rats." The first officer shrugged off concern nonchalantly, his lit lantern illuminating the ship's innards.
     "Regardless, the captain wants us to find the disturbance and get rid of it." The second one stated, drawing a saber out of a scabbard and holding it close.
     "How would we even know it's down here?" The first questioned as they began venturing further. "Some food is missing, not the other supplies." The lantern shifted, lighting up crevices between various crates, the two peering between them every so often.
     "Where else would someone hide?" A sigh left the first's mouth before he begrudgingly followed orders. They moved further through the ship, inspecting the corridors created by the stacked crates. . .
     "This is hopeless."
     "Sh! Quiet." Hushing, the two listened intently. . . hearing in the faintest shuffle of movement. They quietly tiptoed in the direction of the ship's stern. . . but they would never make it. A white flash emerged from the darkness, slamming into the first officer, knocking him right off his feet and flying back into a number of crates, knocking them down! The second officer snapped back and swung his sword at the assailant, but a fist crashed into his abdomen and blew the air out of his lungs! The attacker punched into his chest before uppercutting him off the floor! The man was tugged down, flipped over his enemy's shoulder and slammed onto the ground! A final hook to the face was lights out. . .
     "Agh. . . The hell?" The first officer groaned and tried to stand, only for a heel to stomp onto his face, rendering him unconscious. . . Wordlessly, the assailant grabbed the dropped lantern, letting the light reveal a broken crate filled to the brim with food.
     Silky white hair calmly rested upon the head of a sixteen year old boy. . . Determined, laser focused eyes of silver flared to match. A torn and tattered poncho resided over his body, covering a basic shirt and pants. Heaving out a sigh, the pale teen whipped out a worn bag and stuffed it full of rice, beans, and so on. . .
     At daybreak, the convoy docked in the coastal city of Pipera. The flagship was opened and its contents emptied. Carriages carried off the crates and boxes, merchants ready to sell their product. Within one carriage, a crate was quickly opened, its lid slid off. The white-haired boy took a deep breath and exited his hiding place. He parted the cloth that closed the carriage, peering beyond it and to the bustling city. His transport moved slowly, but favorably. The moment it was out of the sight of bystanders, he leisurely hopped out and stepped into an alleyway. Peeping into his bag, the boy ensured that nothing had fallen through due to its age before smiling softly.
     "Mission accomplished." His voice was of a medium pitch, not too high nor too low. Fastening the pack over his shoulder, he stood tall, quite literally with the stature of 5'9, and quietly left the alley. . . .

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     Pipera was by no means a small city, it was massive, the second to largest within the continent. However, with size came a hefty population. . . and unfortunately, not all were equal. The slums were a nasty place, run down and aging, the poor scrounging what they could to get by whilst thugs repeatedly abused their power to extort all the already downed had. Despite the rampant crime and violence, there was one family that was exempt from such things. The reason being. . .
     "What part of stay away from my family did you not understand?" A hulking man with short ghostly white hair, sharp silver eyes, and an immensely intimidating presence stood over a group of criminals. He was dressed in a dark trench coat, and thick pants, a pair of torn leather boots over his feet. All three of his enemies were aching on the ground.
     "Y-Yes sir. . ."
     "Leave." His low voice was more than enough to scare them off. Spitting on the ground, the man began his march back home. The house was small, the area around it being extremely claustrophobic. It was one floor, the kitchen and dining room being one entity with the living room to its side. They led into a hall with three doors, one a bathroom, and two bedrooms. . . "I'm home." The man called out.
     "In the kitchen, Ryker." A medium pitched, feminine voice called out. Stepping further inside, Ryker Vidal came across his loving wife, Etena Vidal. Glossy silver hair was tied into a thick braid, hanging from the beautiful woman's top, coupled with the same silver eyes her husband held. A dirty brown dress was draped over her pale skin, its end hanging over her knees. . . She flashed her lovely smile from her position on her aging wheelchair. She reeled herself back to properly face him, but the wheels jammed on a crack of the floor. Etena frowned as she tried to move, only for her breath to hitch as her chair was turned out and toward her husband.
     "Easy there, you'll end up cracking it even more." Ryker chuckled softly, his wife rolling her eyes.
     "Sorry. . ." She apologized, only for the man to shake his head.
     "It's not your fault, hon." Stepping behind her, he pushed her wheelchair to the living room before gently lifting her up and setting her on the couch. "Where's Gabriella?"
     "In her room, asleep." Etena replied as she stretched her arms.
     "Asleep? It's the afternoon." He questioned with a raised brow.
     "She's had a rough day, I just let her have some rest." She mumbled.
     ". . . Is Hale back yet?" His spouse froze at the query. It was all he needed to know. . . And as if on queue, the door to their house opened. The Vidals' heads turned and in their sight was their eldest child. . . the sixteen year old Hale Vidal. The moment the boy's eyes met his father's, his skin visibly paled. . . "Ah, how convenient."
     "Dad, let me explain-"
     "What is there to explain? Because that full bag you're holding was not full two weeks ago." Ryker asked, his son immediately averting his gaze. . . The boy was gone for two weeks, having boarded a ship to steal some goods, only for it to set sail before he could escape. And so, he had to board another ship on the Alpha Continent's port city before being able to return home. . .
     "Dad, this food could last us months." Hale murmured quietly. . .
     "Just because it helps, doesn't make it right." His father declared. . .
     ". . . I-I thought you'd be-"
     "What, happy? Happy that my son is a thief. . .?" All was silent after Ryker uttered those words. Hale let the fruits of his work hit the ground with a bang before he quietly walked to his room. . . Releasing a heavy breath, Ryker sat down next to his wife.
     "You're too hard on him. . ." Etena whispered, her body leaning into her husband's side. . .
     "It's not like I want to be hard on him. . ." He muttered, glancing to the bag filled with food. "We really messed up, huh?"
     "Yeah, yeah we did. . ." Being born into poverty made things difficult from the beginning, but much like the families that preceded them, they couldn't break the cycle. . . Ultimately, the blame for their son's actions fell onto them.
     The door to the boy's room closed, or more accurately, his and his sister's room. Gabriella Vidal's sleeping form rested on the lone mattress within the room, her blank white hair sprawled across the bed and blanket covering her pale and thin frame. . . Hale silently changed into more comfortable clothes before laying a blanket on the floor and bundling up a few shirts to act as his pillow. The moment his body became parallel to the floor, his silver eyes met his sister's.
     "Wh-Where were you?" Gabriella asked, her high-pitched voice cracking as she spoke.
     "I. . . I was busy." He told the five year old.
     "Daddy looked scared. . . So did mommy." She relayed as she shifted in bed, turning away from her older brother.
     "I know. . ."
     "I missed you. . ." Hale felt his eyes sting as his throat began to swell. . .
     "I'm sorry. . ."
     "You said that last time. . ." The only response Gabriella received was a very faint weep. . .
     When she woke up in the morning, the floor was unoccupied and the window within their room allowed the air to invade. She hopelessly hoped he'd be back soon. . . .

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     Hale Vidal wandered the streets of Pipera, aimlessly exploring his 'home'. It wasn't long before he walked into a tavern, the small place doing quite well despite taking a heavy hit from the latest StormFall, one of its walls half caved in. Upon finding an empty seat, he simply laid his head down and sighed. He couldn't afford anything, so his small detour was to simply calm down. The teen was utterly exhausted despite having just woken up. . . Silver eyes landed on the job postings hanging from the bulletin board. His head rose before he stood, the young man finding himself right in front of it just a moment later. . .
     Ninety-nine percent of what was posted became invisible, his eyes zeroing in on one quest in particular. It was a bounty, offering a reward of Five-Hundred Thousand Engrams for capturing the target alive. There was no picture, but there was a physical description. . . and a name.
     "Tell me about this." Hale demanded as he slammed it down on the counter. One of the bartender's looked at him and then to the poster, shaking her head with a sigh.
     "Forget it kid, that bounty's been up for a few years, and not one person has been able to get the job done. Not even the bigshots." She explained, frowning sympathetically as she saw the desperation in his eyes.
     "That won't stop me from trying." He countered, determination striking him. . .
     "If that's what you want, I can't stop you. Good luck. . ."
     The Knight of the Hollow, Hale Vidal, soon left the tavern, now on a hunt for a girl by the name of Aurora Lyra. . . .