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We spent a couple of days within Jaden staying in hiding until I and Tay were fully prepared to approach the mayor of the city. We had seen his daughter, whom was the Princess of Jaden. She, unfortunately, was against the idea of trying to ask her father for help with the Crimson Gavel.

"Daddy may be a bit senile in his old age now, but there's no way he'll relive what he had to do to get Jaden back in his control," Princess Moya stated as I stood before her, managing to catch her outside of the palace.

"We're not asking for him to help us personally," I said. "We're - well, I'm - asking to speak to him about his contacts from back then. Perhaps they have the means still to aid us or at least can point us in the right direction. Please, Princess. If even you want to purge the Crimson Gavel from Mortion, the let me speak to him. If we become rather successful, then maybe we could find out if the Gavel extends to the other provinces and help them eradicate them as well."

"He won't help," she said with a stubborn tone of voice, though she eventually let out a sigh. "I can see that you're persistent. No matter how many times I'll try to tell you that he won't help, you still beg. Very well then. Daddy's sitting in his throne room up at the top of the palace. You're still a tourist here, as I have no idea if you want Jaden citizenship. You may have to earn my father's trust if he somehow decides to side with you."

"That's fine by me," I said, bowing before her. She was royalty, so it was habit to do that.

I walked past her and into the palace, looking around now. I admired the cleanliness. Not a spec of dirt that I could see on the white tile flooring. There were paintings along the wall, most definitely of talented artists in the area. None that I recognized, unfortunately. I approached a spiral staircase, beginning to ascend it. My heart was beating a bit fast due to nervousness.. I shook my head of any distracting thoughts as I approached the throne room, finding the door closed. I cleared my throat and then knocked on the door.

"Come in, door's open," Roland's burly old man voice echoed from the room. I heard some coughing as I opened the door, knowing it was common among older males.

"Hello, sir," I said, opening the door and walking into the room.

Roland turned in his chair toward me and raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, stop right there," he said, chuckling. "I think I've seen your face somewhere before, kiddo." He then grabbed a remote and pointed it at a television mounted on the wall. "You're the kid from the newest scare ad from the friendly Baron and his wife."

"I am?" I asked, turning toward the television.

"See for yourself," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"Dear citizens of Mortion," the ad started, with a pan to the face of Baron Runo. "We are pursuing a Cryptic Guard soldier that has seemed to go AWOL. His name is Lane Horatio Silverbane. He is highly dangerous and possibly unstable. He might want to raid your homes and steal your children away, and then sell them for gambling money at the Imperial Casino within Downtown Tonoko. He is also very lewd toward women. I have been told to tell you females to protect your breasts at all times. Wear a jacket or something. If you spot him, contact the Cryptic Guard immediately."

The smug look on the Baron's face made me want to punch something nearby, though I controlled myself.

"He is attempting to join the Crimson Gavel," the ad continued. "We don't need to make the criminals stronger by having them brainwash the ones that vowed to protect you. Bring Lane to my palace if you find him and we will rehabilitate him. If you don't, then he may be the next face you see with a gun barrel to your nose, robbing you of all of your money, murdering your loved ones or taking your daughter on a date as a filthy gangster, which adds onto the lewd actions mentioned earlier."

I stared at the screen, my eye twitching. I hated the smug grin on the Baron's face. It was the same grin that was on every poster around Tonoko. His brown fur was always perfectly fluffed; his muscles were always showing in his outfits as he was a show off. You could see the veins in some of his photos even under the fur, which lead to me just assuming he was using steroids. His 'perfect' white teeth shone brightly whenever he cracked that damn smile, too. His hair was short, trimmed down to a simple buzz cut. His voice was loud and booming, definitely a commander's voice. His usual attire for whenever he was seen publically consisted of a red bandana, gray spiked steel shoulders that covered the shoulder entirely, a gray breastplate with black lining, armored leg plates with a similar color scheme, and spiked steel toe boots. His hands were covered in large fingerless gloves, having the symbol of the Cryptic Guard on them.

"I paused it because he does go on, spewing possible myths out," Roland said, interrupting my thoughts. "Something about you devouring puppies for fun, poking innocent children with razor sharp sticks for enjoyment. The usual slander campaign technique."

"This doesn't surprise you, I take it?" I asked, turning back toward him.

"Of course it doesn't, boy," he laughed. "Look at me. I'm nearly dead in my chair. I've been through a lot worse. I fought for the very city you're standin' in because my own family wasn't runnin' it right. This was meant to be a sanctuary, not another city for a dictator to rise."

"I've read about the history," I nodded, scratching my neck a bit nervously. "That kind of history wasn't exactly allowed in the Cryptic Academy. I had to find a way to learn about anything non-Baron and Queen related through my Communicator and occasional delivery from a shady book dealer."

"Shady book dealer?" he asked, scoffing. "Back in my day, we didn't have books banned or altered. If you read, you were smart but not strong. You couldn't do much with brains if you didn't have the brawns to back it up. This Runo is far too paranoid to be a good ruler without restrictin' such a silly thing."

"Then why don't you try to get your team together and overthrow him?" I asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "I'm too old for fightin' now," he said, sitting back and then turned toward the window in his chair. "I don't have enough fight in me anymore, boy. My daughter ain't a fighter either. She prefers to negotiate non-violently. Can't say I blame her, especially after what my own father did to my wife." Sadness crept across his face as he looked away, toward a wall.

It was silent for a few moments now until I tried to open my mouth to talk, but he suddenly continued.

"I know you're curious," he said. "I see a lot of me in you, boy. Young, ambitious, wanting to do the right thing. It makes me proud to see someone hasn't been changed by the society the Baron and his wife tried to artificially create. Everyone in this city I run is hiding from them. I hate to say it, but they are cowards. Even my city's military, the Seekers, can't muster up courage to storm Tonoko. So they vow to protect this city, which is free from the Baron for now."

"It may be free from the Baron, but it's not from the Crimson Gavel," I said, still seeming nervous as I looked around the room to find something to concentrate on.

"That may be true, but the Gavel knows better than to test my Seekers," he said, a grin forming on his wrinkled face. "I'd love to get you the best team I know for a job like you want, but I'm the youngest out of 'em. I'm afraid they're dead, boy."

"I hadn't thought to consider their ages ahead of yours, sir," I said, trying to not sound too disappointed.

"There may be a team you could still form though," he said, stroking his beard as if he was lost in thought.

I looked at him in a bit of a shocked expression. There was some hope after all, to form a small team to combat the Crimson Gavel.

"Take this small address book of mine," Roland said as he tossed a little black book at me, which I did catch. "Look in the back. You'll find the addresses of several children of my former friends and teammates. If they harness the skill sets their parents had, then you could possibly use them."

"That's an excellent idea, sir," I said, letting a smile form on my face. "Thank you for your help. I promise we'll try our hardest to get the Crimson Gavel out of this city of yours. It is far too precious to house scum like them."

"I appreciate the sentiment, kiddo, but you don't have to eradicate anything for me," he said, laughing a bit softly. "Do it for justice. Do it for yourself. Just don't say you're doing it for me. I have had enough people sacrifice themselves or throw themselves in danger for me or because of me in my life time."

I nodded and then turned to leave. I looked back at him before nodding again and ran out of the office. For once in a long time, I was actually excited for something.

I drove back to the hotel Tay, Bernie and Minnie were currently at in a bit of a hurry. I hopped off of my Hooverbike as soon as I parked it and turned the ignition off. I hurried to Room 302 and used my hotel key to open it. I managed to make myself calm down a bit as I entered the room, looking around as I didn't hear much commotion. I did find Tay at least sleeping on the bed, clearly exhausted from the events that had unfolded just a few days ago. It felt like it was only hours ago though. I wanted to forget about the image of Sprock coming so close to Tay with that Shock Gun, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw the scene again. It was bad enough that I kept having nightmares about Marci, but now I had to deal with that image somehow.

I sat on the other bed and began to look through the address book, deciding not to wake Tay up yet. The first name I found was Toro Kyle. According to the description in the address book, he was a skilled hacker. The group would need that, so I definitely considered him now. The second name was Jazz Hugh, a Seeker explosives expert. The only other name and occupation that caught my attention was Rolio Brant. The name was familiar to me for a reason and I knew immediately why. Rolio was one of my idols in terms of upholding the law when I was growing up in the Academy. He had disappeared five years ago and here I was, staring at an address and his name. I would definitely want him as he was the province's most brilliant strategist.

I continued to look at the address book until I heard Tay begin to stir in her bed. I looked over to her and tried not to sound too excited about gaining the book and having access to potential people that could help us.

"Morning already?" I heard Tay grumble as she sat up.

"Not exactly morning, more afternoon since its one o'clock," I chuckled.

"I'm not in the mood for a smartass right now," she said, scoffing at me. "At least not until I've had my breakfast or in this case, lunch."

"Well, get in the mood," I said. "I say that as a bit of an order because I spoke with Roland earlier. Unfortunately, most of his team is now dead. The bright side of it though is that they had grandchildren, perhaps ones of equal skill. He gave me an address book listening potential applicants." "What are we, a job posting!?" Tay suddenly yelled, startling me a great deal. This was joined in by a swift punch to the back of my head, causing me to fall over face first into the bed. "We're not a want ad, you idiot! Here we are, facing doom and potentially an execution sentence if we're caught and you're looking up people in an address book some old man gave you as if you're going to chat with them in order to give them a spot on a supply line!"

I looked up at Tay, with a bit of a shocked expression. I then sat up, rubbing the back of my head as it was in a decent amount of pain right now.

"First of all, that was creepily specific," I said. "Secondly, this is our only lead so I suggest you stop calling me an idiot and hitting me and go with it. We're forced to use an address book to find help, yes. It's rather unconventional, but what do else do you want me to do? Hold an exposition on recruiting a bomber or a hacker to go against the Crimson Gavel? Even if I did do that, it would only cause unwanted attention from both enemies - the Gavel AND the Guard!"

My face was a hot red color right now, being really bothered by the example Tay gave and assuming I had stooped to such a desperate level. At the time, that didn't seem to matter too much to Tay though. We were both tense from the squabble with Sprock and my near-death experience from that talkative hit man.

"Who said to hold an expo?" Tay humphed.

"You missed the point entirely!" I blinked, uttering a low growl now.

"Did I?" she asked. "You're resorting to an old man's friend's grandchildren and you don't call that stooping low?"

"If you have a problem with it, then get the hell out of here," I snapped. "I found a means to get us some skilled help quickly and you ignore it, claiming that it's a joke or just an awful idea." I stood up now and gripped the book in my left hand. "I'll handle this by myself if you'd rather walk out on this after the events we've been through." "Fine," Tay said, standing up. "You've ignored my advice regardless. You still haven't been to the Jaden Hospital as you promised to go. Even if you did, you'd try to sneak out." I heard h the bones in her fingers pop with how much her fists were clenched. "Why don't you think about it, Lane? I... No, we... nearly lost you twice a few days ago. Then you move on like risking your life was nothing. You're doing it right now and you don't even realize it." She then looked up at me with wide, tear-filled eyes. "The only thing that's become important now... is getting rid of the Gavel. That's all this is to you. Nevermind the fact we found a city we could possibly be safe in, but the Crimson Gavel operates here. You have to take them out. Tell me, Lane. Why? Is it only because of Marci? I bet she'd hate seeing you throw away your very life just to avenge her!"

My eye began to twitch a bit as I set down the book. I looked at her eyes, still full of tears, and grabbed her shoulders. I noticed she looked frightened for a moment and my grab turned into a tight hug. My arms wrapped around her as she could feel the hug I gave her wasn't just a casual one. I gave her one with a squeeze tight enough because my own eyes began to produce tears as well the more I thought about how I wouldn't be standing if it weren't for her or the fact she might have been killed by Sprock.

"I'm not doing it only for her," I said, still holding onto her. "They hurt me, my friends... and maybe even my family when I was just a kitten. Sprock went for you, Tay, and I couldn't let that happen. Not when you're the reason I'm still breathing. Not when... your company gave me more reason to fight. Your eagerness helped as well. The ball of energy that I've grown,... accustomed to... nearly killed... I just... I don't even know what I'd do. I had to put Marci out of her misery because otherwise I couldn't help her. I wasn't going to let that pain happen to you. I don't want that to ever happen to you or anyone again."

I noticed Tay's look as she seemed frozen after she was returning the hug. Her expression wasn't blank, thankfully, but her jaw was slightly a jar as she seemed to be more in awe that she saw tears coming from my eyes. Ever since Marci had died, I hadn't shown much negative emotion other than anger. This was perhaps the first time she had seen me cry, which would explain the shocked expression on her beautiful face. It took a few moments, but I felt the hug be returned finally with nearly as much power from my own arms. "I'm sorry, Lane," I heard her whisper.

"I'm sorry, too, Tay," I replied. "For being closed up, for being angry, for being..." I trailed off as I was the one shocked rather suddenly.

I looked around, the room seeming to suddenly go silent as I felt suddenly much more calm and collected. I felt as if my worries were temporarily lifted off of my shoulders by little spiritual birds that flew right above me. The anchor tied to me seemed to become untied as well, allowing me to breathe better through my nose because it had been a source of my stress. I almost lost my perception on reality until it finally dawned on me. Tay had kissed me.

I recovered myself from the sudden kiss the beautiful woman before me had given. I only stared at her still though, unsure of what to do or say. I could feel the redness of my cheeks somewhat flaring up now as I also found myself a bit embarrassed. After all, it was technically my first kiss with a girl.

"Seriously?" Tay blinked, also blushing rather profoundly.

"Huh?" I asked, then blinked, realizing I had said my last thought out loud.

"You've... never kissed a girl before...?" she asked, clearly in shock but I knew she wanted to laugh. "Not even this... Yuno?"

I gently shook my head, gulping slightly out of my increased nervousness.

"That's a bit of a shocker, but you must know that I can't pass up a moment to tease you about it," she said, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me into a tight hug. "I do apologize though, Lane. I was just... upset myself. I was thinking it was dumb to put yourself in danger with that Shock Gun after already nearly being killed by a sniper. Turns out, I was the misjudging one. You did it to keep me from being hurt. Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, wrapping my arms around her in return.

"Just know that I'm going to learn how to use a gun and if anyone tries that again, I will kill them right on the spot," she spoke softly into my ear. "I'll learn to defend myself while you lead the pack. Now, come on. We need to find these people."

I nodded as the hug ended, getting up from the rather comfortable bed and stretched my arms up high. I then looked back through the address book and focused on the first name I saw.

"Let's try this one first," I said, pointing to Torro's address. It didn't seem to be that far away from the hotel, so it was likely that we could just walk there.

Tay nodded and stood up, quickly grabbing an outfit. She pulled on a white baseball t-shirt and a pair of brown khaki shorts. She tied her blue sneakers firmly before taking my hand and yanking me off of the bed.

"Come on, slow poke," she smiled. "Let's go meet this Torro guy. You seem quite excited to meet him!"

Her sudden reversion to her usual attitude made me smile. I nodded and followed her as we left the hotel room, still holding hands.

We had walked about two or three blocks before arriving at the street where Torro lived. The neighborhood looked rather normal, with the usual structures of both wood and steel serving their purpose as housing. I walked a bit slowly as Tay went ahead of me about thirty feet to look at the addresses on the houses. She then waved at me and motioned for me to come over to her. I sped up my pace before noticing she was already at the door and knocking on it.

"Someone's a bit excited now," I said, leaning against the railing that was created for the small step in front of what I assumed was Torro's house.

Tay rolled her eyes, clearly back to her old self as the small slit in the door opened up.

"What do you and that man want?" the resident asked.

"We're looking for Toro... uh... Kyle," she said, looking at the little black book.

"Who exactly wants to know?" he suddenly snapped. "No one knows that I live her besides Roland Rutan. How exactly do you know where I live?"

"I do," I chimed in, stepping in front of Tay. "I'm Lane Silverbane. I've come to request your services on behalf of Roland's little black book."

"Silverbane?" he asked. "I've heard of you, you're all over the Cryptic Guard's scanners. Apparently, you are a deserter to them."

"I don't care about that right now," I said. "I am only interested in people that have a grudge against the Crimson Gavel. I'm sure most of the people here in Jaden do have that kind of feeling." "The Crimson Gavel?" he asked. "What exactly can you do about their operations? Not even Roland's military can purge them from this city legally."

"That's the problem with militaries," I chuckled a bit darkly. "They abide by the law. I'm willing to break it and I'm sure Roland knew that as I reminded him of himself, apparently. He abides by his laws now because he created them."

"You have a point," he said. "Well, the Gavel certainly didn't make me want to be their friend. They froze up my bank accounts with their own hacker whom also happens to be a Don in this city."

"A third Don, huh?" I asked. "I guess that adds onto my hit list for Vinchi and Bortelli then."

"There are four," he said, opening the door. "Bortelli is said to hold some power, but Dons Morta and Jipper are also pretty powerful."

"Then we'll give them a hell of a hello, won't we?" I smiled. "I have to go and find a couple more people, but I still don't know if you are in or not. Are you in, Torro? I would love to have my own hacker."

"Alright, fine," he nodded. "But only with the Crimson Gavel. Once they're gone, I'm not helping with your Cryptic Guard issue. It'll be laying low a while for me."

"Fine by me," I shrugged and then turned to walk down the steps. "Just meet Tay and I at the Hyda Hotel down the road at six this evening. I'll go over a potential plan with the other new members if we get any." Toro nodded and walked back into his house after getting my Communicator number and I did the same with his number.

Tay and I walked back to the hotel to grab my Hooverbike. We both stopped and looked at what seemed to be a hooded person walking up to our hotel room door. I raised an eyebrow curiously at the situation and looked back at Tay.

"Stay here for a moment," I said. "Actually, you can go and recruit Jazz for the group and I'll get Rolio once I'm done here."

Tay began to protest before I put my finger to her lips and she just sighed and nodded.

I walked up to the hotel, putting my hand in my holster as a precaution as I gripped the handle of my gun. I looked around slowly as I ascended the stairs, suspicious of this figure pulling some sort of trick on me. I noticed the door to my and Tay's room was indeed open somehow. I pulled my gun out fully now, looking around still as I sensed the figure close by. I walked into the room, making sure to move silently. I made it to the bed before feeling a presence behind me. I turned around just in time to block a strike from the assailant. I let out a grunt as it did hurt, but I managed to catch their hand. I let out a surprised grunt as the other arm came in and swung at my gut, connecting with it. It caused me to fall onto the bed and drop my gun. I then managed to block a second strike and retaliate with a strong kick to their abdomen. This attack connected, causing the figure to fall backward and lean against the wall. I held my stomach as it hurt, but I hopped up regardless.

"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" I asked, and then blinked when they just darted for the door. I attempted to block them by running over to the doorway first. Unfortunately, I was knocked over as they rushed me like a quarterback going for a touchdown. I fell to the ground and rolled to the iron railing, hitting it somewhat hard and causing pain to disperse throughout all of my body.

I didn't let it get the best of me as I just grit my teeth and stood up. I still saw the running figure and darted after it. I was still fast, despite some of my injuries I now had.

"Get back here, you honorless piece of scum!" I called out.

I watched them turn the corner quickly, a tactic used in the Guard to try and lose a tail. I just smirked to myself and used the same tactic, managing to close the gap between myself and the assailant slightly. They seemed spooked by this and continued to use tactics the Guard had taught me, such as throwing a small marble on the ground that created an illusion of them hopping into a trash can. That was a pathetic illusion, as I knew no one would do such a thing. I ran past the garbage can and headed up a ladder, seeing the assailant climb up it. Luckily enough, they seemed to stop at the top. I let out a few pained grunts before finally reaching the top and standing behind them.

"Gonna tell me why the hell you're here and why you attacked me?" I asked, coughing slightly.

The hooded assailant stayed silent and didn't seem to acknowledge me. I let out an annoyed growl and threw a punch at them. I was surprised, however, as my fist went right through it.

"This is the illusion?" I asked. "Then that means..." I turned around and saw the assailant high tailing it on the ground. "Oh hell no! You're not going to make a fool out of me!"

I hopped down from the rooftop, stumbling slightly due to my ribs still hurting. I then gave chase despite feeling that way, looking around for the hooded assailant again. I did run for a good five minutes before feeling the presence behind me again. I then heard a battle cry from the person behind me.

"Maki, bring me strength!" the figured called out and soon rapid gunfire rained down upon me.

I dodged it completely, knowing how to counter the gun being fired. I narrowed my eyes and ran around the corner like they had earlier. I readied my pistol and sighed, knowing I didn't have a Guard battle cry of my own. I knew the battle cry though. It was Yuno's gun, which was named Maki.

I smirked and kicked the air just as she ran by, connecting before being able to push her onto the ground and aimed my gun at her.

"You were an idiot to reveal your battle cry," I said, pulling my gun away as I noticed she wasn't trying to go for her weapon now. "Even more of a waste if you use it as a way to tell me that you're here, Yuno."

Yuno coughed and looked up to me as her hood had fallen off. "Shut up," she said.

It was the first time in a long time that I saw her sparkling green eyes or her plush white fur. I moved my foot away from her back as I let her get up, noticing she seemed to be alone and not in her Crimson Gavel uniform.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "More importantly, why are you not in your uniform and trying to arrest me?"

"That's a terrific way to greet me, Lane," she said, putting her four arms on her sides and hips.

"Forgive me for being hostile to my supposed friend that wanted to turn me in back when I chose not to put two innocent people into prison to be either killed or tricked into serving the Baron and his wife," I said. "Again, what are you doing here and why are you not in your uniform?" "Well, I'd consider asking how I found you," she said, with the same smug attitude I remembered her by. "I'll be a courteous guest and tell you all that you need to know. I'm here because I wanted to find you and make sure you're okay. Secondly, I'm not in uniform because I don't want to be known that I went to find you and Jaden is off limits to anyone in uniform. And to answer this new third question, I found you through Jack. He told me where you were because he knew I wouldn't try to turn you in. After all, it's against the law for a soldier to be here that isn't part of the Seekers."

"If you were so adamant about upholding the law in Tonoko, then why are you breaking it here?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "I'm sorry if I sound suspicious, but you did quickly throw away our friendship in Tonoko. I don't trust you that much anymore."

"Well, I deserve that," she nodded. "I had no choice though. A group of soldiers and a carrier wagon were with me. I had to be the soldier they trained me to be, no matter the pain it brought me. Believe me, Lane. I've been riddled with guilt ever since you deserted the Guard."

"Yeah, well, save it," I said. "You damaged the friendship beyond possible repair."

"Beyond repair?" she blinked, seeming surprised. "Well, I was hoping to repair it with giving you information I recently uncovered. I'll give it to you anyway. You see, you know the pact between the Gavel and the Guard, right? How some portions of Tonoko and even the desert are off limits to officers unless a crime is stage, right?" I looked at her with a shocked expression on my face. "You knew about the pact and the staging of crimes?" I asked, my left eye twitching. "How could you still follow their orders, Yuno? There's nothing noble about that damn military. It's just an army of mindless drones the Baron likes to create."

"I don't see that point of view, but that pact reduced crime quite a bit," she said. "Besides, it's quite the hypocritical move to make by lecturing me about staying in the Guard. You joined up with the Gavel, Lane. You became a criminal just by association."

"I regret that decision completely," I said through gritting my teeth. "I have no plans to deny joining the Gavel, but I didn't participate in much of anything outside of a few deliveries and payment pick-ups. To recall back to what you said about the reduced crime rate, the rate lowered because in the sections where the Gavel has free reign, no one's allowed to report or stop the crime unless they want to become a treasonous vigilante!" My eye then twitched again. "Impersonal's fire... Marci's death... was in a Crimson Gavel marked territory, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid so," she nodded. "No one is looking into the death of this Marci you just mentioned, as I never heard of anyone dying in that incident until now, nor are they looking into why Impersonal is no longer in business. It is not in the Baron's best interests, according to Virgil and Vaxis."

"And you're okay with this?" I asked, my fists clenching tightly as I resisted the urge to slam my left fist into an object nearby.

"I have no choice but to be okay with it," she sighed. "I can't do anything about it, but I'm sure you can. You're the one with the balls, after all. Quite literally, too."

"This isn't a joke," I snapped, hearing her giggle. "You're mocking me by coming here, telling me this crap and expecting my reaction to be a distraction so you could kill me."

"If I wanted to kill you, Lane, you'd be dead," she said, crossing her arms over her chest now. "You know my fighting style, so I'm not saying it wouldn't be difficult and you knew how to dodge Maki even though it's been nearly a year since you've seen me or my Maki attacks. Do you still not have a name for your gun?"

"What good is a name to a gun that I didn't train with?" I asked. "Just get out of here, Yuno. You will only get yourself hurt or worse by sharing knowledge with me. I don't want you to die by the Baron's hands, despite my distrust for you now."

"Well, alright, fine," she shrugged. "Just know this, Lane. I came here to warn you. The Gavel and Guard are planning something together. I don't know what it is, but it involves the Shadow Vault here in Jaden. I know you know what the Shadow Vault is, so I don't need to explain that. You can put a stop to those plans, whatever they are, if you take care of the Gavel. And yes, I'm aware of your vendetta. I did my own covert ops, even seeing you run from Impersonal that night. I saw the sadness in your eyes, the pain that I saw when you deserted the Cryptic Guard. I never thought you'd show that pain again. I really do apologize Lane. If you choose to deny my apology, then that's your choice. I just wanted to help you with this information. I'll be going now, alright?"

I looked away from her and closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. "I accept the apology," I said, looking back at her. "But... Give me your Communicator number." "Wait, what?" she blinked. "What are you, crazy? The Guard will find you for sure with that information."

"They won't if I disguise the signal type by switching out the Cerion Chip into another model," I said, pulling out a newer updated model of the Communicator. It looked like a commercial phone, perfectly disguised and gave off its own signal that differed from my Cryptic Guard issued one. I switched the chip in front of her and then let her place her number inside of it. I then let her put my number into hers.

"Okay, well, you've definitely been studying again," Yuno laughed. "At least that didn't change. I knew you'd be able to take care of yourself, Lane. I miss you, you know."

I nodded and then blinked when she came closer to me.

"One last thing before I go," she spoke softly into my ear before lifting my chin and locking lips with hers.

My eyes were as wide as they were when Tay kissed me earlier, even when the kiss ended and Yuno had pulled back.

"Unexpected, but as good as I imagined," she smiled before disappearing as she said goodbye.

"W-What the hell is wrong with both her and Tay...?" I asked myself softly, but out loud.

It took me about twenty minutes to walk back to the hotel, finding Tay there along with Jazz. I looked the figure over as I approached the hotel. She was slightly shorter than Tay was, she was a canine of a race that I didn't recognize, and had short, spiked hair that was colored both black and red - with the red acting as high lights. She had a tattoo of the Seekers' crest on her left arm, which was uncovered completely and so were her left arm as she was currently in a muscle shirt. Her figure was feminine, but not as shapely as Yuno's or Tay's. She wore jeans that did hug her thighs and hips, along with some black sneakers. However, there was another woman next to her. I raised an eyebrow curiously at Tay now as I climbed up the stairs.

"Oh, this is Lane, our leader," Tay smiled at the woman as Jazz immediately greeted me.

I looked at the other woman, who emitted a strange vibe to me as if I shouldn't really trust her. She had a caring face though and that was enough to convince me that I was just being paranoid. The woman was of another race I hadn't seen either. She had long ears, sticking slightly up. She had two teeth in the front of her mouth that stuck out even when she had her mouth closed, as well as having long green hair. Her eyes were a hazel brown and added to her caring look. She was in a blue blouse, with a pair of short shorts underneath the edge of the blouse. Her figure was very shapely, obviously a fully developed woman. She was the shortest of the three women, which made me almost laugh a bit because they were standing in the order of who was tallest to who was the smallest.

"Hello," I greeted, holding out my head. "As Tay said, I am Lane. Lane SIlverbane. Who may I ask are you, Miss?" "Juno," the woman smiled, shaking my hand excitedly. "I heard a small group was being formed to combat the Crimson Gavel. My husband and I would like to join in your fight. We have a long standing debt with the Gavel that was just want to disappear."

"Husband?" I asked, keeping my eyebrow raised from earlier. "Who is this husband of yours and why isn't he here with you?"

"Oh, he's currently out for groceries," Juno said. "I came here right away as soon as I was told by Tay here what she was doing."

Tay laughed nervously.

"I accidentally bumped into her and the cute girl was just so curious," she said, letting a blush escape her cheeks.

"Well, alright then, but I need to know if you specialize in anything," I said. "That goes for your husband, too."

"Ooh, goodie!" Juno cheered. "Tran will be so happy! I have a talent for navigation. I know Jaden inside and out, even the district ruled by the Gavel! Tran specializes in using fire as a weapon. He invented the Pyro Jouster, you know."

"Pyro Jouster?" I asked. "The large flame throwing machine gun?"

"That one!" she nodded, sounding just as eager.

"Well, then it's our lucky day," I smiled. "We need some talented people like you, Juno. Welcome aboard. Now I just need to go talk to Rolio."

"Rolio?" she asked. "Rolio Brant? You guys don't need him. He's not as good as the rumors say he is."

"Well, we still have to give him a shot," I said, shrugging. "Subpar or not, we do need a strategist."

"My husband is a strategist," she insisted. "A very good one at that."

"Then we'll have two," I smiled at her. "Tay's already on her way to get ROlio regardless. I don't see why you want to see your husband work alone. I'm sure he'll shine even more with teamwork."

"That sounds like a lame after school special," she said, letting out a soft sigh. "Alright then. You are the boss, after all."

"I wouldn't really think of it like that," I said. "We're building a team that can take down the Gavel, not creating an identical group to them. I would, however, want your husband to show his face soon. He might not be so inclined as you say he is to join if he never shows up."

"Of course," she nodded. "Well, when will our first meeting take place? I could call and tell him!"

"Tonight at six," I said as I watched both Jazz and Juno walk away.

The evening came a bit slowly as Tay and I sat in our hotel room. I watched her hunch over a laptop she had managed to borrow from a relative living within Jaden, constantly researching the new members of our group.

"Out of a bit of boredom, Lane, I decided to look up Acrolytes," she said after perhaps fifteen minutes of silence.

"Oh?" I asked, looking at her a bit more intensely. "Why were you looking up my race?"

"Because I've been curious to why I haven't seen more of your species since I met you," she said. "I knew they were of the Ancient Races of Krater, but... I didn't think that only you were left in the entire species."

"I wasn't the only one, technically," I sighed, sitting back. "My parents were both Acrolytes, very relieved to have one another to have the chance to birth a pure Acrolyte instead of a hybrid. You should know each time a race combines itself with a new one, it becomes a weaker incarnation of both races, Tay."

"I've known that since Biology in high school," she said, letting out a small laugh. "A pure Acrolyte after yourself is seemingly impossible though."

I gave off a small shrug as I looked over at her again. "I'm not worried about that," I said. "I just want to get rid of the Gavel and then maybe, just maybe we'll be powerful enough to take on the Guard." "Don't take this the wrong way, but Lane, I want to know why just planting evidence set you off. Typically, even the best soldiers can withstand one act of planting evidence."

I just chuckled at that, which did make Tay look a bit angry at me.

"Well, I knew before that the Cryptic Guard was corrupt," I said. "I'm not a naïve citizen like most are. It only took a couple of years after being accepted into the Academy to realize the soldiers were abnormal. The sheer size of the military - of any single military for that matter - is also suspicious. How on earth does he control that many guards? How does he have very little insubordination? Well, I still don't know that. I'm going to find out though, through the Shadow Vault no less."

"Well, before I ask the sudden mention of the Shadow Vault, I want to ask something else," she said. "Why didn't you just desert them before the evidence being planted incident?"

"A good question," I said, looking out of the window now. "It was the only thing I didn't train to prepare for. Becoming close to Yuno, only to feel betrayed when she did threaten to arrest me if I didn't listen to her orders, the same orders coming from the man and two goons I despise. It finally set me off. Yuno and I had become so close, yet she shoved me to the other side of the field just to keep in good standing with the guards and not risk becoming a fugitive. I had attempted to tell her of my ideals of escaping before, but she shrugged them off as jokes."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath as I could see Yuno in full uniform still staring at me.

"I knew she was shocked when I told her to arrest me," I said. "I was perhaps more shocked than she was when she did start walking toward me. Her and suddenly being on my own and desperately looking for a way to conceal myself outside of the academy by joining the Gavel were two things I didn't expect. You know me, however, Tay. I told you how I felt and you understood, especially since we share the same mutual hate of both enemy parties."

"Oh my," she said. "I'm sorry I asked, Lane. I was just curious, that's all. But... can you elaborate on the Shadow Vault?"

"I'll do that at the meeting," I smiled, getting up and hugging her close. "And dn't be sorry, Tay. I enjoy the fact you're curious. It's what makes you a great reporter." Another blush crept across her face as she lightly returned the hug.

"We'll get rid of the Gavel, I promise," I said softly. "The Guard? I can't be too sure, but it's a worthy goal."

"I know, Lane," Tay said, looking up at me. "I have one request though for when the Gavel is gone."

"What's that?" I asked.

"I want... to go out with you," she said, still blushing. "On a date, that is. I want an attempt at making you happy. Truly happy, not this happiness you feel about being able to take down the Crimson Gavel."

I looked at her for a moment, slightly confused. Though I rubbed her head gently as the hug ended. "Of course, Tay," I said. "I'll be happy to take you out on a date when the Gavel's gone."

Tay's smile quickly widened as she clung to me in another hug, ruffling my jacket a bit. She was definitely a strong girl, perhaps as strong as Yuno was whenever she hugged me in the academy. I returned the hug again and held her close, still hoping she felt safe. I was going to protect her all I could, along with anyone else in the Gavel's way.

"The first order of our meeting is to come up with a plan to take on the Gavel here in Jaden," Bernie stated from the end of the table in the conference room of the hotel Tay managed to rent out. "Though the other order is to find out what that lady is and why I've never seen her kind before!" He pointed over to Juno, who blushed. "You've never seen a rabbit before?" Juno asked through her shyness, giggling slightly. "I'm a Jibodi, as is my husband!"

I blinked and looked over at her, once again with the strange vibe feeling.

"A Jibodi?" I asked. "You're not in much of the older history books, Juno." "Well, of course, silly!" she smiled, which put a puzzled look on my face. "I see you're confused, dear. Let me explain. Much like the Kreemer species, the Jibodi arrived on Krater long ago as a foreign race. Our numbers have diminished since then, more rapidly than your race, you handsome little Acrolyte you! There's only a handful of Jibodi left, but it's enough to continue birthing a few generations."

My ears twitched at the notion of being called a handsome little Acrolyte. My expression twisted a bit as I didn't like being treated like a child in such a manner.

"Oh, well, that would explain not seeing them very much," I quickly said, trying to maintain my composure.

"Mmhm," Juno nodded. "Well, my husband's the shy one here. The only shy Jibodi I ever did meet, haha! That's probably what attracted me to him. Yes, sir! He's quite the man in the clan, if you catch my drift."

I saw her husband's facial expression change to a similar twisted and disturbed look like mine had.

"Honey, please, stop talking like you're going to pass out from not doing so," he said, clearly embarrassed.

"Moving on..." Bernie interrupted as Juno prepared a rebuttal. "Laney here has the floor now!" He then sat down, holding Minnie's hand as they sitting side by side.

"Thanks, Bernie," I said, standing up. "As you all know this group I've formed with the help of Tay is meant to be a means of taking out the Crimson Gavel once and for all. It by no means is an easy task. If it were, I wouldn't need a team now, would I? I came across some information regarding the secret pact between the Gavel and the Guard."

I chuckled at the surprised looks on some of their faces. Rolio looked especially surprised, though he was perhaps the questest Festo I had ever met. He was pretty much bald, had quite the large muscles on all of his arms, a six pack that perhaps was made of iron, and a height that rivaled my own. He seemed nervous still, which I didn't mind. The meeting was supposed to be giving everyone a peace of mind by the end of it.

"This information has lead me to confirm that the Gavel and the Guard are working together to get something," I continued. "I was told the target was Jaden's Shadow Vault. In there, there lies several powerful artifacts related to Magazor, the mythical Time Lord that once watched over the entirety of Krater. When these were recovered, they were placed in the Shadow Vault under extreme protection in hopes no mortal could touch it. The first artifact is the Time Watch of Magazor, which supposedly was the means for Magazor to track any moment at any time, even in the past, present or the future. The second artifact, the Relic of Time, is said to possess an unnatural power and if the user's energy is powerful enough, it could awaken that power. If it isn't, then that person could be consumed by the relic and endlessly, people would die just trying to wear it and activate it. The final artifact is known as a Klutchbell. It's never been personally seen after it was placed into the Shadow Vault, but it is a necklace that if worn, allows the passing into the Forgotten Fields. It supposedly exists on Krater, but only ones with the necklace may see it. Only the chosen few of Magazor could wield those artifacts. Even one person wielding all three would be incredibly rare. This won't stop the Gavel or the Guard though. That's why we're at least stopping the Gavel and blocking off the Guard's entrance to it. There's also the matter of them treating this province's laws, its people and Jaden itself like trash. If we can strike a blow big enough to kill of the Gavel, then we can keep the Shadow Vault away from the Baron as well."

The group looked at me in a puzzled manner. Even Tay did as her expression told me that she had no idea about the artifacts that I explained or where they were. I assumed she only knew about the Shadow Vault because it was always used in urban and ancient legends.

"Don't worry, you guys don't have to fight of the Cryptic Guard," I said. "We're only fighting the Gavel for now. The Guard can't set foot in here because of Roland and his own military. We have our strengths and together we'll be able to take out the Gavel once and for all."

The group nodded in agreement as the meeting continued on, discussing various means for approaching the Gavel and I preferred the more direct approaches opposed to the subtle. However, there was one idea that I did like out of them all.

"Alright, we'll go with your idea on telling the Gavel how serious we are," I said, patting Toro's back gently.

We began to get up to leave before the lights suddenly shut out and I heard a familiar roar of an engine.

"Sprock's back already," I chuckled loud enough for the group to hear. "Get down, everyone." We all ducked under the table as a reign of gunfire soon entered the conference room, clearly guided by a mini gun latched to a military unit. The Gavel must have 'borrowed' it from the Guard.

"Come out here, Silverbane!" I heard Sprock yell, though his voice was still pained meaning he definitely hadn't recovered. "You're dead, you hear me! You. Are. Dead!" I grabbed my gun and looked at it, sighing. "It looks like this time I'll send that bastard in a body bag," I said before hopping over the table as the gunfire stopped.

"Fearless, eh?" he chuckled, obviously grinning as I could see him clear through the hole in the wall. "I've never been afraid of you," I said, walking outside. "You and me, Sprock. One on one."

"Alright, ya little pansy," he laughed as I disappeared from the conference room's sight. "By the way, you get to eat lead!"

I blinked, realizing he planned to use that military mini gun and its cannons against me. I gripped my gun and darted out of the way, ready to fight.