Chapter 137: Giving In

How many more sleeps till I could get a firm grip on that? I only turned away when Nuwari was out of sight and turned right into Buddy. Well, he had the decency to give me a hand span space of personal space and when I got turned around, he took a couple more steps back. Damn mind reader!

"I can't help it most of the time," Buddy said apologetically.

"I know, Buddy, but I hardly have thoughts to myself these days, so maybe just pretend like you don't hear my thoughts sometimes, okay? Anywho, what's cracking?"

"Nothing is cracking, but I would like to join you in the hunt for these children. It isn't right, and I agree that we should take them all alive, but it will be faster if we go together and spread out. I know you worry about us, but you have to remember that whatever worry you feel, is magnified tenfold for us. I can't imagine how it must be for the closest to you," Buddy explained.

"Wow, Buddy, that's more than you have said to me if we added up all the conversations we have had since meeting! I guess I will take you but know I don't do this lightly and I expect you to listen. Not like you won't, but I can't stress it enough; I know I am a kid still, and I have a lot to learn, but I brought you all here. I get it that it's hard, for everyone, but you could have still been living peacefully back in Sunroot Forest, and I took you from that."

This actually caused Buddy to start laughing, a gesture that I had never seen from him before. To say it was strange wasn't the right word. No, it was more of an oddity, but a fresh relief to know my friend wasn't all stone thoughts on the inside. Soon, Buddy got himself under control, and wiped a tear from his eye, before speaking to me with a large grin.

"Took that from me? Are you serious, Hyde? There isn't a single person that would go back to the way things were before. All of us have benefited from meeting you, and I for one could have never imagined finding myself standing side by side with a man like you. Even the things you have called failure have been greater than any one of our successes, Hyde, we are the ones that need you. So, please, allow us to serve...to help you in the best ways we can."

Huh? I mean I guess he was right, and trying to do everything alone was going to take forever, but there was still the matter of untrained people. Sure they all worked out and trained together, but neither Mesh, Buddy, or Breth had the experience with training a battle plan, and I was no better. What we needed was someone that had experience and could train people, but who?

'You should talk to Kyra, and go see her father after you are done in Acosta. Linkun has been back for a while, but after seeing the town and all the new people, his tune has changed you might say.' -Nina.

'Why Maxven? He is the Wolf God, right? What war or fighting experience does he have besides pack tactics?'

'Maxven was a general in the war that was over four hundred and fifty years ago.' -Nina.

It was probably time to go visit Grandpa anyways, he would want to see his daughter and cute grandchild, but I still wondered about the whole reason why she was in the Sunroot village in the first place. The relationship with her brother seemed fine, so I wonder what made her leave?

'She will tell you if you ask, but it should be asked of her, not someone else.' -Nina.

'Yeah, I'll talk to her later. I am sure we will see each other at some point today and I will talk to her about going for a visit, maybe we can all go on a bit of a vacation or something for a day.'

"Okay, Buddy I will take you, Mesh, and Marley if she will…"

"You will take my mother, but not me, your wife?!" Wendy asked from directly behind me, scaring the bejesus out of me.

"Jeebus woman! Your mother has been training with Mesh, what have you been doing? Beside sneaking up on people and scaring them in broad daylight!"

I whirled on my cute little dragoness with a grin. I was about to get it, so I might as well be smiling. The angry look with puffed out cheeks made her look adorable, but I could tell her mood was anything but.

"I have been training too! So have the rest of your wives, since you think that we are all just weak and useless!" Wendy shouted at me from so close, I thought she might stand on my boots just to get up in my face more.

"Oh? And when did I ever say you were useless my beautiful love?"

"Don't try and pour honey on me, I want you to fight me, right now!" Wendy challenged.

I quickly grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss she wasn't ready for. Wendy struggled at first and then slowly relaxed into my arms, giving into my lips. After an extended period, I finally pulled my lips from hers, but I didn't let go yet. Wendy's face was stained with pink blush and the fire had been cooled from her crystal blue eyes.

"I will take you, but you don't leave my side, do you understand?"

"Mmhmm," Wendy replied through her smile.

I picked up Wendy and turned to Buddy with her in my arms. He had a big, I told you so, grin on his face and I could feel his internal laughter. Ya, Ya, I know, I'll never win.

"Go grab Mesh, but first, how do you plan to stop them without killing them?"

Buddy was wearing a utility belt of some sort, and he pulled a box out that looked about the size of a pack of cigarettes. When he opened it up, there were about ten to fifteen seven-centimeter nails inside with sharp points. They also had a dark pink coating on the end, that made them look like they were dipped in candy.

"These are the results of your wives' work, Xelios, and Titania. They each have been using any free time they have had to work on this project. Everyone is working hard while you are out saving the world!"

Buddy took on out of the box and held it up close to my face so I could get a better look at it. On closer inspection, I was able to see that it was so much more than just candy-coated nails. The head was actually a button and the shaft of the nail was a tube that the pink coated part was inserted into.

"What the hell is this? A miniature dart gun? No, a micro dart gun! How does it work?"

"I hold it in my fingers like this," Buddy put the nail facing out of his hand, and between his pointer and middle fingers. "Then, you press the button, and the dart shoots about a meter. It is not very far, but they are very easy to conceal while fighting."

Asking Buddy for the technical explanation would only leave us both more confused in the end, but this was a great invention. I wonder what Xelios put on the ends of these? Would it take down a magically enhanced assassin fast enough? Considering how close you would have to be, the effect would need to be quick, or that would spell trouble for whoever was using them.

"What does it do? Like the pink stuff? I would assume that was Xelios's work?"

"Yes, Xelios used a plant that can help with sleeping and increase the potency of the mixture. I guarantee that it will work," Buddy said with confidence while he put the needles away.

"Oh? Who was the lucky person to try it out?"

"Breth, and he was at full strength."

"And? Don't leave me hanging, this isn't some frickin soapbox drama! Spit it out!"

"Lights out, almost instantly. We first tested it on animals while hunting, and there were a couple cases where they didn't wake up after twelve hours. Xelios then maybe this to help if the person has too much."

Buddy then pulled out another container the same as the last but the box was a dark green this time. When Buddy opened the box, it was filled with normal looking pins, except they had been dipped into a neon green liquid. I moved to grab on, but Buddy closed the box.

"These we need to be careful of, they give you an adrenaline boost that burns like fire through your veins. The liquid is made from the venom of a hand-sized insect called the Hausp, which normally will kill you by making your heart rupture from overexertion. Your wife was able to decrease the potency, so now it only gives a massive adrenaline boost, rather than making your heart explode," Buddy explained.

"Well, I don't want to know what happened to the test subject!"

"No, you don't," Buddy agreed.

"Okay, go get Mesh and enough darts for him and Wendy. I also want everyone wearing these."

I made three pairs of gloves, black and red like mine, but Wendy wasn't having them.

"No, I will not wear those!" Wendy protested.

"Why?"

"Do I look black and red?"