The spar ended with him planted to the ground, his chest heaving up and down as he desperately tries to fill his starved lungs. His sword lay forgotten at his side, chipped and damaged beyond repair. It's to be expected, the twin Damascus steel swords lasted much longer than he originally expected. They were bought at a secondhand weapons shop in town with his earnings from beast hunts at a descent price, so he doesn't feel cheated by their durability.
"Why did you tell me all that?" he huffs.
"All what?" Jasper inspects the mangled remains of the armored suit on the ground with shrewd eyes. He nods his head, apparently satisfied with Rei's destructive capabilities.
"About the Elder race, you didn't have to bring up the True Creator's curse on the elder race just to scare me out of divorcing Ariellia."
Jasper abruptly turns towards him, his red eyes narrow in silent frustration. He never thought he'd find himself in a position to hate iron for not becoming steel.
"Do you really think I wasted so much saliva just to scare you nephew?"
"Maybe." They just met a few days ago, Rei isn't entirely clear on his uncle's character. He doesn't understand his motives most of the time.
Sigh, Jasper can only grab the back of his neck like an old man. "It's okay…he doesn't understand…it's too farfetched…no one would believe it at first…hm-hm…he's not stupid or anything...there's still time."
Rei sits up, giving the mumbling elder an odd look. He secretly feels like the other is quietly cursing him in his heart, but he doesn't voice it. It's enough for him to do it in secret, he fears that if he asks, Jasper wouldn't hesitate to do it in the open as well.
"Rei!"
Just then, he hears a familiar loudmouth calling his name. He looks back to see his bestfriend Riell running through the tunnel leading into the training field. It's obvious he's there to get him, but he easily loses himself, impressed by the duke's grand stadium. His eyes glow at the expensive looking weapons hanging in the glass protected racks to the side.
"Woah, I can't believe I'm actually standing in the duke's castle!" His honey brown eyes dance with excitement. Rei doesn't correct him for his audacious behavior, they grew up together, what manner of poverty haven't they seen. It's rare for them to encounter such extravagance, so he lets Riell marvel at the experience for a minute before reeling him back in.
"You came screaming my name like someone had died, what's wrong? Are the kids okay?"
"Oh, right. Rei, you need to come back with me to the orphanage, quick. Sir Emiya got hurt while patrolling, lady Oya tried to heal him, but something's weird about his wounds. They're not closing no matter how much mana she puts into them." The scatterbrain fox replies in one breath.
Rei frowns, this sounds like a serious matter indeed. He turns back to Jasper, about to excuse himself only to see the older Bastion eagerly step forward.
"Don't be so quick to ditch me, I told you I was bored, remember? It's only right for me to see where you grew up and offer my thanks to the nuns that helped raise you." There's that annoying twinkle in his eyes again. There's no way his intentions are as innocent as he claims. Rei almost wants to stop him from tagging along but has no proper rebuke, someone's life is on the line, and he can't waste time arguing.
"Rei, who's he?" Riell eyes the older Bastion warily, already calculating the similarities between the two. His fox ears flatten and his bushy tail anxiously shifts about behind him. He's burdened by the worry that his best friend may get whisked away by this stranger like some of the other kids at the orphanage, never to return.
It's hard for young beastmen to hide their feelings. Seeing his friend's depressed state, Rei rushes to assure him. "He's my uncle Jasper from the capital, I just found out a few days ago myself. I was going to tell you…I just wanted to be sure of some things first you know."
"...will you leave?" Riell asks, his voice painfully small, unlike his usual energetic self.
…
Rei is caught off guard by the question. He knows he's going to the capital with Jasper at the end of the month, but it never really sunk in until this moment. It's only now he begins to realize all the people and things he likely won't be able to see for a long time.
"Yes, I'll be leaving for the capital with him by the end of this month…but I'm not going alone!"
Both Riell and Jasper look startled by his declaration.
"Right, you'll be going with Ariellia." Jasper nods with a satisfied smile on his lips.
"Not just Arie, I'm taking Riell and Anya with me." Rei clarifies, his red eyes burning with firm determination, daring his uncle to object.
"Of course, the more the merrier. Don't look at me, I'm not saying you can't. Still, that's quite daring of you, shouldn't you let them make that decision for themselves? Not to mention poor sir Emiya should likely be kissing death's hem by now."
"Right! Sir Emiya!"
This is not the time to get all sentimental, the two boys quickly take off for the orphanage. Rei's not worried that his uncle will lose them in the crowded streets, he knows Jasper could give them a ten-minute head start and he'd still be able to catchup. The party of three arrives at the church's doorstep in record time. Concerned about the loyal knight's life, Rei doesn't have time to greet the kids like he normally would. He rushes into the annex building's infirmary. He can already hear Sir Emiya's pained groans through the door.
Inside, the sight of the large knight laid out on the small infirmary bed with bloody gashes all over his body looks worse than what he expected. The guard's usually warm brown skin becoming unnaturally pale and his lips chapped, almost turning blue. It's unclear what he could have encountered to end up in such a sorry state. This is not the work of normal beasts around the city walls.
"Good, Rei you are here!" Anya looks over to him in delight, ready to run into his arms as usual but stops short the moment she notices he's not alone. She takes a step back when she spots the taller male behind him. Her eyes widen in alarm, a look of sheer panic reflected in their evergreen depths. Her face becomes ghastly pale as though she's just seen her worst enemy. It's the prime example of the old adage 'seeing the shadow of a snake in a cup' and acting overly suspicious.
"Rei…why is he here?"
"Huh, do you know my uncle Jasper?" Rei finds it strange, how could she know the uncle he didn't even know he had before now?
"Jasper?"
"It seems the young miss may have mistaken me for another." There's some dark humor in Jasper's tone that he can't bring himself to understand at the moment.
"If none of you are going to save my patient I need you all to get out of here!" Lady Oya's harsh rebuke breaks the awkward silence between both parties.