king stand e8
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Episode 8- underground case
Redstern came out of the academy after a day of learning ready to go back to the store when he noticed Leon coming toward him. He stopped his transformation thought line and moved over to him. “ Officer, I never got to thank you for your help." Leon looked at the young dragon and smirked. “ You have become more of a handful than I thought but you are worth it I guess. I need to speak to Jake." Redstern looked behind him. “ He is usually chasing Lord before I get out. I was about to go to the hobby shop. He is likely only a block away however." Leon sniffed into the air. “ Your right. I can hurry to catch him. I will see you at the hobby shop later."
After Leon left him there dumbfounded Redstern transformed into his true form in a burst of fire and took to the air following him and spotting Jake not far from his guess. He transformed over the ground before using his wings in his knight form to ease his landing in an alley. That was not something many residents liked seeing in the street. He then came out of it and was fairly sure Jake saw him and he also saw Leon coming up behind him as well. He signals into a shop before going into it and both Redstern and Leon arrived at it's entrance at the same time. They enter it and find it is a coffee shop. Jake was sitting in the corner and there was no one else there but an automated bot. “ So what is it Leon?" He clears his throat. “ Well Jake I made some progress on the case involving our friend here."
Redstern scratches his chin. “ Which case?" Leon seemed disappointed when he said, “ The underground battlers. I followed up the lead his former partner but that lead to a dead end and him being banished from the city. However I am not the only one on this case it seems and in fact I am the only one with a living witness." Redstern became worried. “ What do you mean only living one? I know those fights. I told you about them." Leon stopped when the bot brought a few cups of coffee to them. “ I did not know how you like yours Leon. I figured strong." Leon took the drink and sniffed it and his whiskers went strait before putting his tongue into it. “ Hot and strong."
He sets the coffee down as he continues. “ Well you were a lucky break Redstern. Those investigating this have found the majority of visitors enjoy these fights and they are usually deported before they can give any usable material. However sense you gave us information we can actually use we formed a plan." Jake takes a drink of his coffee before looking at Leon. “ And that is?" Leon grabbed one of his whiskers and starts twirling it. “ It is an undercover operation. Threw some digging we found that the locations for these fights are very specifically picked and happen once a week. So far we have found about a dozen locations but we believe we know where the next one is going to be."
Jake looks at Leon seriously as Redstern takes a drink of the coffee not too sure of it. He became delighted over it and started drinking it rapidly. “ And what is it you want from me." Leon lowers his hand that was twirling his whisker. “ I know you are a King Stand system designer. You helped make the game and light crystalline systems." Jake looked coldly at Leon as Redstern goes to the counter for more coffee. He notices this and speaks softly. “ So you want me to make a unit to a specific spec. You should know that is against the treaty."
Leon looked back at Jake not too surprised and mildly disappointed. “ I thought as much. Without a modified unit no one in the union can get into one of these fights. This much we have discovered from examining Redstern's last partner's unit. Undoubtedly whatever code they were using has been changed by now as well." Jake has a thought and takes another drink thinking on it. Leon takes one as well waiting. “ Well I could help you but I think it is better you let me handle the undercover work." Redstern returns surprising the two with two trays of coffee in his hands. “ Commander if we do not hurry Lord is going to be stuck at the shop alone when the young ones arrive."
Redstern enjoyed the cups of coffee as the two of them walked down the street. Jake however had the underground fights on his mind. Redstern could not have missed this as he was walking behind him. As they got to the shop Redstern spoke. “ Commander, about what Leon said. I know those fights are dark dangerous evil things. A fighter pit is a thing of honor and duty. To test one self against rivals and allies alike. The fire dragon tribe had these pits and I have been in them as well. But these fights are not right. They do nothing but punish the losers for being weaker than their opponents. They are there for the amusement of the watchers."
Jake turns and finds tears running down his cheeks. “ There has been many times there I have been dealt pain in the first months sense I came here. I thought perhaps that is the way of this world. I was wrong. You have shown me a way of light I have never seen before. And knowing such darkness exists pains me more than anything else I have been threw." Redstern raises his elbow and plants his face into it to wipe away his tears. “ I am sorry Commander. I did not mean to speak out of line." Jake chuckled. “ It is fine Redstern. I think those that run these fights are an insult directly to those who have put so much work into the union and the King Stand game. Me included. So tomorrow I will talk to Leon about a plan I will create tonight." Redstern nods but looks threw the window to Lord coming down the stairs. “ Are you going to tell Lord? He has a noble heart. Gentle to a fault." Jake grabbed the door. “ Of course, he is the one that is going to be helping me."
That night Redstern laid in the darkness of the basement asleep twisting and turning remembering the fights he was in in the underground fights. He woke with a start and put a hand to a scar on his shoulder. After a moment to reminiscence he heard voices above him. He moved to the stairs and moved quietly as he peeked out of the door as he saw the back of two thunder dragon royal guards. “ Are you sure you want the union involved Jake. I can not tell you the number of ways that complicates things further." Jake sighed. “ I understand your position as lord of the thunder tribe you must look out for your own and you have taken them under great risk in sponsoring my world as you have after you took the throne however I too must look to my own and if my world wishes to truly be part of the great ones we must be able to clear our own bad roots. We must weed out the corruption and degradation and we must look like we are doing it."
The lord sighs. “ Jake we are old friends. I trust your word as much as any of my advisers. Maybe even as much as my brother. But what you are asking of me is very costly if things go wrong." Jake sighs. “ And it is a position I am not asking you to take lightly. But these fights are the start of a poison that must be removed from the union. How else could they get the technology or the inside knowledge to do this. Tomorrow I will be speaking to my union contact about this and I hope to get more information. I hope to scout these fights once or twice to gather information before I plunge committed." The thunder lord pauses to think. As she was Redstern lost his balance and fell threw the open doorway. He held his head where it hit the doornob as he heard a word. “ Hold."
He then realized that there was a pair of thunder staffs in his face. One of them was removed as a Terran ambassador to the dragons appeared. He has heard of the Terran that could wear dragon knight armor but he never saw one before. “ Ambassador he is a fire clan member. I must silence him." The ambassador extended his hand and an arm blade came out of the armor right beside the guards neck. “ He is the key to my mission of destroying this poison in my world. Harm him and I will take your life." The guard turned an eye to the ambassador.