The Story: Chapter 2

## Volcano Town

Hernez and Macklanya arrive to Volcano Town, a cold wind make Macklanya shivers, the place looks dead with a few houses built through the mountain, the sky is gray and cloudy with the wind taking the clouds quickly to the north, it looks like it's about to rain anytime soon.

-Brr... it's so cold here!- said Macklanya crossing her arms

Hernex looked at her -not surprised with those clothes of yours

-Ugh, it's summer, besides I lost all my money, remember?

-Well...

Suddenly two men appeared out of of nowhere and stood in front of them. Hernaxyom and Macklanya looked at them surprised, they looked like guards and didn't seem to be too friendly.

-Who are you two?- asked one of the men

-Huh... why would I tell you?- said Hernaxyom with contempt

Macklanya quickly intervened to interrupt Hernaxyom and exclaimed:

-Sorry, we're lost and trying to find the town- said Macky with a nervous smile

-Why are you here? I suggest you go home, this place is not for foreigners- replied the other men

-We can't do that, we're looking for someone and we were told he's here- she said

-Who are you looking for?

-Well... -Macklnaya looked at Hernez

-Pestripe- said Hernaxyom

Both guards opened their eyes wide open and stared at each other with surprise

-Look, I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play but I suggest you to leave this place immediately- said one of the guards with a very serious look

-We can't do that- said Hernex

-Tsk.. you don't get it, kid, we're not asking you to leave this place, it's an order, go home and forget about whatever you were trying to do here

-I refuse. Get out of my way, please

-Sigh, I guess we have no choice... look kid, if you insist, we're gonna have to make you understand by force. This place is not for you- said one of the guards while they both changed their postures to a more menacing one

-Ha... as you wish then- Hernaxyom smiled while getting ready to fight

-Wait! We're not here to fight, we just need to find this person- said Macky trying to calm down the situation

-Shut up, girl! You should leave while you still can-

-But...- Macky looked at Hernaxyom with a sad face

-I'll get rid of these two and then we're gonna head to the town- said Hernaxyom and stood ready to fight when suddenly a mysterious man wearing a huge sword on his back appeared.

-Stop, Let them enter- said the mysterious man

-But, Mister Oxzon, we don't know who they are nor their intentions!

-I think the old man caught interest in them, so these are his orders now

-But..

-Silence! Don't make me repeat myself

-Alright sir... you both can enter...

-Huh...- Hernez gazed at them and walked forward

-Thank you...- said Macky following Hernaxyom

-Tell me who are you two?

-Why would I...

-Shush! I'm sorry, he is Hernaxyom and I am Macklanya

-What are your business here?

-Well...

-We're looking for a guy called Pestripe, are you him?

-Hernaxyom!

-No, I am Oxzom, captain Oxzon, it's my duty to protect and keep this place safe

-Oh, that's amazing

-So I'm guessing you're strong, huh?

-...

-Do you know this Pestripe guy?

-Why do you want to find him?

-Well, mister captain, it turns out that this Pestripe guy is trying to invade and take the throne of Nebran, I'm not sure about what your relation with him is but I'm here to stop him and anyone who interferes

-Taking Nebran? That's just...

-If you're his ally, you're my enemy too

-I have no relation with him, but I know about him, though I'm not allowed to tell you anything without knowing who you are and your true intentions

-Well, I'm here to get as much information about him as I can, even if I have to get it by force

-I'd gladly test your strength but I have orders to take you to the old man

-Old man?

-Yes, the leader of this place and one of the strongest warrior you'll ever meet

-Does he know about Pestripe?

-If someone knows about him better than anyone, that's the old man, but you gotta come with me pacifically

-Yes, we will, we're not here to cause trouble, captain- said Macklanya

-Tsk, alright, guide us to him

They both walked to the center of the town

-Oh my God, this town is bigger than I thought, lot of houses and people

-Ugh, they're all looking at us as if we were some kind of weirdos

-Don't mind them, Hernaxyom

People gossiping

-Who are they? They look like foreigners

-That guy looks like a delinquent

-How scary!

-Don't you think the girl with him is really cute though?

-I know right? She's so pretty!

-I wonder who she is!

-Why does she dress like a slut though?

-Ugh, excuse me?!- yelled Macklanya furiously

-Calm down, don't mind them, remember?

After walking through the whole center of the town they took a dirt road that leaded to a mountain trail, after some minutes of walking the trail started to become steeper and more difficult, a cold wind started to blow as they were getting closer to the end of the it.

-Is there still a long way?- Said Macklanya with a really tired look

-Hold on a little longer- Said Oxzon

Macklanya made a sad expression and kept walking, then suddenly they could feel a very hot air current coming from the end of the path, the closer they got, the stronger and warmer the wind got too. Finally they reached the top of the mountain beholding an amazing landscape, they were standing next to a very high cliff, at the bottom of the cliff they could appreciate a large plain full of volcanic rocks and far away in the horizon they could descry the volcano crater, a really strong and hot wind was emanating from it. Macklanya was astonished by the scene.

-Why did you bring us to this place?- asked Hernaxyom

-Well...because this is where the fun starts...

Before Oxzon finished his sentence a mysterious man appeared, suddenly picked up Macklanya and jumped off the cliff running away from Hernaxyom.

-Hernaxyom!- yelled Macklanya and disapeared in the arms of this mysterious man

-Macklanya!- yelled Hernaxyom -Who the hell is that?!

Oxzon smiled slightly and then disappeared by jumping off the cliff too.

-Hey! Dammit! What the hell are you bastards doing?!- said Hernaxyom and without any type of hesitation he jumped off the cliff too, chasing the man who took Macklanya, he fell off hundred meters into the crater finally touching the bottom of it destroying the ground with his landing.

-Where are you?!- he shouted but nobody replied, he saw himself in the middle of the volcano surrounded by volcanic rocks and heated gases emanating from ground, he looked everywhere trying to find Macklanya without any success.

-Oh here, here I am, boy!- said an old man standing at the top of another cliff

-Where is her?!

The old man pointed at another cliff where Oxzon was holding Macklnaya, she was unable to move or do anything but yell.

-Hernaxyom! What's going on?! -said Macklanya in fear trying to break free pointlessly

-Let her go, you damn bastard!

-Oh no, no no no, you know, we don't have pretty foreign girls every day here, I promise I'll take good care of her- said the old man with a creepy smile on his face

-Disgusting old man, I don't have time for games

-Well... if you want the girl back, you will have to defeat me first, what do you say?

Hernaxyom didn't even try to respond but just just powered up releasing a great amount of energy cracking the ground around him, then suddenly charged against the old man, he quickly disappeared before Hernex could reach him. The old man quickly appeared again, this time standing on some rocks.

-Hey, you don't need to dash like that, you won't be able to beat me like that

Hernex turned at him and charged against the old man again, throwing several punches at an impressive high speed, yet the old man kept evading every punch. The old man made his moves look easy while evading every punch, it seemed like he was dancing.

Hernex threw a fast kick that the old man stopped with his left arm, then he tried to throw a direct punch to his face, but the old man blocked it too using his other hand, Hernez gazed at him while the old man kept smiling, he then threw a potent punch at him but the old man disappeared before his eyes.

-You won't be able to do anything unless you calm down and think... you're attacking recklessly

-Huh.. shut up...- hernex gathered energy in one of his hands and launched a powerful energy attack.

The old man got surprised, but then suddenly diverted the attack using his left arm, making it impact on some rocks, a powerful explosion could be heard while lot of small rocks went out flying everywhere.

-What's your name, old man?

The old man smiled and replied -Zoxkar, better known as chief Zoxkar, and you are..?

-Hernaxyom and... I like to know the name of the person I'm about to kill- said Hernex with a smile on his face. His gaze changed and so did his expression

-Oh... such an interesting young man

Hernazyom then powered up again releasing a great amount of energy, the battleground started shaking and a light blue aura surrounded Hernez as his energy kept increasing. Zoxkar stared at him surprised.

-So... he still had that amount of energy, this will be interesting- whispered to himself

A great explosion surrounded Hernaxyom as he charged at Zoxkar so fast to the point he couldn't react in time and received a direct punch from Hernez on his face, Zoxkar quickly regained his balance while Hernaxyom launched appeared behind him throwing a kick that he was able to block with arm. They stared at each other for a second before Hernaxyom started attacking again at an even greater speed than before, Zoxkar kept blocking his attack but with a more dfficulty. Then Hernaxyom was able to reach Zoxkar again landing a potent hit on stomach, Zoxkar quickly reacted by landing another potent blow on Hernaxyom's face and then a potent kick launching him far away, he jumped backward regaining his balance, touched his face and could see his blood shedding across his face.

-So are you finally getting serious, old man?- yelled Hernaxyom with a smile on his face

Zoxkar stared at him with a serious look and thought -this guy is strong, stronger than I thought actually... what should I do...

While Zoxkar was still figuring out a way what to do, Hernaxyom started gathering a lot of energy on both hands and getting ready to launch another attack, this surprised Zoxkar but before he could react, Hernaxyom launched one of his most powerful attacks. He charged his hands with a huge amount of energy before gathering together mixing his energy to form a powerful energy cannon.

-Hax... attack!- yelled Hernaxyom launching a powerful blue energy cannon direct at Zoxkar, he knew he couldn't dodge it so he made the decision of stopping it with his hands. He received the impact and tried to hold it using both hands, but the amount of energy was so big he started failing to do so.

-Hernaxyom, huh?! You're really strong, but...

Zoxkar charged and released a high amount of energy from his, red light beams covered his arms as he started to stop the Hax attack.

-But you're still not strong enough!- he yelled and countered Hernaxyom's hax attack by launching an even stronger attack direct at Hernaxyom, the only thing he could do was covering before receiving the impact. A massive explosion covered the whole area shaking the whole crater and destroying a huge amount of the ground, a huge fireball covered the area and then vanished leaving a lot small rocks, ashes and dust falling like rain.

-Phew, that was dangerous, young man- said Zoxkar -but you can't die from that, right?

As the smoke and dust started dissipating a figure could be seen in the middle of it, it was Hernaxyom who had not just blocked the attack but not having received any big damage from it other than a few scratches.

-Damn, old man- said Hernaxyom with a furious look

Zoxkar was astonished and couldn't believe Hernaxyom could survive the attack without any big injury.

-You... how did you manage to leave unscathed after that attack?

-Huh? These kinds of attacks can't hurt me, plus you're still holding back, it's really lame

-Hmm I see...- Zoxkar smiled and made a gesture to Oxzon, this jumped off the cliff and landed with Macklanya, then he left her go.

-Mhpf, it was being time already- said Macklanya with an angry expression on his face

-I'm sorry- said Oxzon -but we had to test you two

-Test? -asked Hernaxyom

-That's right, we pretended to kidnap your girlfriend to test your skills, if we told you about this, I'm sure you would have held back

-I'm not his girlfriend!- yelled Macklanya

-So... was all this just a test? -said Hernaxyom- that's ridiculous!

Zoxkar smiled while looking at Hernez

-Well... it'd explain why you were being so soft on your attacks- said Hernez arrogantly

-You're not an ordinary fighter, that's for sure

-That doesn't matter right now, I'm looking for someone, can you help me or not?

-Oh, I've heard you mentioned Pestripe, right?

-That's right, do you know him?

-Maybe I do...

-Ugh

-I mean, yeah I do, how could I not? I trained him

-Really?- Exclaimed Hernez

-Yes really, he lived here, in my school

-School?!

-Mmhm!

-Mr. Zoxkar founded a martial arts school in this place long ago, he's been teaching and training a lot of kids during these years

-Hey hey, it's not a martial arts school, it's just a school like any other, except the students are allowed to learn how to fight too, that's it- Said Zoxkar with a big smile on his face

-Yeah yeah, but it's mainly a fighting school, at least most of our students are there for it

-Oh that's true but I'm not expecting them to become fighters or anything, I just want them to find their own path and... have a second chance-

Hernaxyom was surprised, he didn't really understand what he was witnessing but he could tell this old man was really happy when talking about his school and his students.

-Anyway Hernez, you should come and know my school, I'm sure you'd fit in very well there

-Hmm I don't know, sounds like a waste of time

-We're coming!- exclaimed Macklanya

-What??

-I'm cold, hungry and tired, what do you think I am? I can't go on walking for days like you!

-We've just been walking a few hours...

-It's still a lot for a girl like me! Ugh, you really are inconsiderate, aren't you?

-Eeeh, but you're the one who decided to follow me here

-Stop making excuses, we're going with them!- Yelled Macklanya pointing her finger at Hernaxyom

-Fine fine...

-Haha, ok then, you two follow me.

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Hernaxyom, Macklanya, Oxzon and Zoxkar arrived to the school, they were surprised when they saw the huge building with an enormous campus.

-It's huge- said Hernez

-This is not an ordinary school!- exclaimed Macklanya

-Well, it's mainly a boarding school, lot of our students live here too

They all entered the school, then Hernez and Macklanya noticed how they both were being observed by all the students present there, Macklanya felt intimidated by so many eyes put on her. Students started whispering about them as they kept walking the main hall.

-Who are they? -I have no idea -I wonder if they're new students -It could be -The girl is cute though! -I know right, I really hope she is a new student! -I think the guy is cute -Eeeh, he looks scary to be honest -I agree, he's scary and really handsome! -I don't understand girls

-May I have your attention please!- yelled Zoxkar as all the students went silent and gathered around them

-New studentes, Mr. Zoxkar?- Asked a guy with long hair and cold eyes

-Well, not yet, they're some visitors who were interested in our school, right?

-What?- said Hernaxyom surprised

-Yeah, we are- quickly exclaimed Macklanya

-Uh... where are you two from?- asked one of the guys with a serious stare

-Well...

-Why should I tell you?- Said Hernaxyom with an arrogant voice

-Hernaxyom!- yelled Macklana while punching his arm -I am from Green Valley and he's from... uh...- Macklanya went blank when she realized Hernaxyom never told her where he was born and she couldn't tell them he just got back from outer space and belonged to Karx, then she whispered to him -You never told me where you were from!

-Hmm I am from Palkan City

-Green Valley and Palkan City, uh..? I know Green Valley is a pretty quiet place but Palkan City... is not the city that was destroyed and taken by that extremist government group?

-I've also heard it became a base for Karx and it's one of the most dangerous places to live right now- said another guy

-Calm down guys, what manners are those? You didn't even let them introduce themselves- said Oxzon

-I'm sorry

-Can you please introduce yourselves?

-Yes! I'm Macklanya Martiz, as I mentioned before I'm from Green Valley, it's a pleasure to meet you all

The guys started whispering again -She's really cute and nice too! -I know right! -Her name is so pretty too

-C'mon, be polite and introduce yourself Hernaxyom!

-Yeah yeah... I'm Hernez, I came here looking for someone, that's it

-Wow what a douche! -I know right! -He sounds so arogant! -I still think he's cute though! -He is! -He acts so mysterious too! -He looks tough too! -Ugh here they go again

-Well well, that's enough talking, I want you guys to please make them feel at home, they'll be staying with us for a while, so please be nice to them

-What?? I have no time to waste here, I need to find that Pestripe guy, where is him?

-Oh he's not here, but... if you want to find him, this is the right place to wait for him

-I'd rather go looking for him

-Oh Hernez please, we both need to rest, plus I'm sure Zoxkar knows where to find him

-She's right, you need to rest, why don't you stay with us til you recover from your wounds? It's easy to tell you're still badly wounded, I noticed it when I fought with you

-I need no rest, I can keep going like this for days

-Maybe so but that's not good for your recovery, staying here will help your body recovers way faster, and you can train here too...

-Hmmm...

-It's decided, we're staying here for now!

-What?! You don't decide things for me

-I just did, we're staying here

-Ugh, fine

-Anni, could you please lead Macklanya to one of our guest rooms?

-Yis sir!- exclaimed a short, high pitched voice and skinny girl with big brown eyes -Hi, I am anni, it's nice to meet you, Macklanya!

-Nice to meet you too!

-Please come with me, I'll show you your room

Hernaxyom observed how Macklanya walked away ad then heard a voice

-Hello Hernez, I'm Lars, let me show you your room