All legends start somewhere

The sounds aboard Kite's ship would be very quiet, not completely off but the systems were in sort of sleep mode. It was a new feature that had been recently made possible with the installation of EDI, Kite's AI that was bound to the ship and acted as his own personal auto pilot. However she was much more than that, While she was in fact able to fly the ship she also was security system as well as something akin to a maintenance worker, she is able to tell him when there is something wrong with the ship. Kite would be leaning back in the pilot’s chair looking out at the horizon as the sun would rise. For as long as he could remember he use to dock the ship so it faced the sun rise. Little did the Demon Slayer know that as the sun rose, casting it’s light upon the Sabertooth guild and upon him inside his ship, it would usher in the start of his journey to become a legend in his own right. Kite would remain in his chair for the next couple of hours awaiting the arrival of Ryo, his mentor and friend. Kite had been told the day before that Ryo would be taking him on his first job under his tutelage and that had both excited him and made him a bit nervous. While he wasn’t necessarily worried about the difficulty of the job Ryo would be sending him on but he was more concerned with the expectations that would be coming paired with this task. EDI’s station would come to life in the form of a bright blue light shining from the Lacrima which housed EDI’s consciousness.  “Good morning Kite.” EDI would say to Kite who would lean forward in his chair but wouldn’t move his eyes from the scene outside his window, ”I was wondering when you were going to be activating yourself. Anything new to report?“ EDi would remain silent for the moment. She would run her usual diagnostics and with a small beep she would come back in her hologram like form, “All is functioning normally. Should I prepare the engines for takeoff?” Kite would give a small hum sound and look at her finally. ”No, that’s okay. We have a guest coming aboard sometime this morning.“ Kite would say to her before leaving his chair and making his way towards the doorway that would lead to the foredeck where all dorms were located. His boots would click and clank on the steel plated floor but soon the sound of EDI’s voice would accompany the sound, “Is there anything you would have me do?” she would ask the demon slayer eagerly. Kite would chuckle a bit, ”No it’s fine EDI, If you’d like keep scanners on for visitors. I am going to head down to the Cargo bay and train for a bit.“

Kite would make his way down the catwalk and onto the bottom level of the Cargo area which would act as his training area. Kite was wearing his black pants, black combat boots and black sleeveless turtle neck shirt that was tightly fitted to Kite’s body showing off his physique. Kite would start to stretch out his muscles, rotating his arms over his head and back around, bend at the knee a couple times, loosen up his hips by lifting his leg up and rotating out and would then bring it into normal position. He would repeat the process with the other leg and would get to work. For his first workout he would get down on the ground assuming the push up position and would let his body drop down his arms bending as he did so. He would extend his arms pushing himself back up and would repeat this two hundred times. Once he was done he would push off with his legs and would use his arms to support his body’s weight and would hold himself in a handstand. He would lower himself allowing the top of his head to touch the ground and would push his body back up. He would do one set of one hundred and fifty handstand push ups. Kite feeling extra confident he would lift one arm and put it behind his back and would balance all his weight on his right arm and would lower himself down doing a one handed handstand push up. Once done his set he would bend his arm slightly and push himself back up to his feet. Feeling good he would begin to go through his combat routine starting with five minute rounds of shadow boxing and the like for five rounds. If Ryo would approach he would hear the sound of EDI alerting Kite to his approach and would also see Kite practicing his combat techniques.

Kite was nearing the end of his training session with what he seemed the combat stage of his routine. If you were to ask him he would never admit it but the one thing that Kite had made sure to develop over the years since his formal training as an anti mage was sense of ironclad battle focus during his training sessions. The idea behind this style of mental training was to maximize the potential of a fighter during actual combat. Luckily he had been able to escape before the more indepth phase of this style of combat was implanted into his brain. So he omeans to spite those who taught him he rarely used this during a fight. In a real fight he would use this as a means to waste movement and have fluid combinations but the part of the training he ignored was the part that would make him seem like a soulless fighting machine like the other members of the cult. So that being the case Kite’s senses had failed to detect Ryo’s arrival. It wasn't until his mentor spoke that he was able to take notice. Kite’s gaze would shift from the invisible target before him over to the entryway of his ship where Ryo was leaning against the frame and would be twirling his card. He would make commend Kite for his efforts of staying in fighting shape but would throw a bit of a curve ball. He was told that the job he was going to be taking with Ryo wasn't one that would test his combative skills. Kite would raise an eyebrow and felt compelled by to ask what the job was but felt that if Ryo wanted to tell him then he would have so he mentally shrugged it off but Ryo was kind enough to give some details of a the job. So what Kite now knew was where the job was going to be held and knew that involved a stable of some sort. What made Kite fell a mite wary was the bit of information Ryo mentioned about being able to find the stable easily by scent but he wouldn’t complain about it after all a job was a job/ ”Alright.“ he said accepting the mission and would look up at the viewfinder where EDI was observing the conversation. ”EDI, you heard the man. Set course for Hosenka.“ the EDI would acknowledge and would pull the ramp closed behind Ryo and the air lock doors would start to slide shut so take off could occur. ”It won't take long for us to reach the spa town. “ He would say to Ryo as the ship began lift off from the dock on the guild hall. Once at a prefered height EDI would turn the turbines so the propulsion would send the ship racing forward but inside the ship they wouldn’t feel any bit of turbulence from this maneuver. “Kite the we are on our way to Hosenka.” Kite would smile from the news and look up at the viewfinder again ”Perfect EDI. Give us a heads up when we get within five minutes of Hosenka.“ Kite would then turn his attention to his Mentor, ”Let’s go above deck, we can sit in the dining area while we wait for destination. Perhaps you can tell me a little bit more about this job we are on.“ He only said this due to his curiosity. It had been quite sometime since he had been on a job which didn’t include some sort of conflict. He would lead him up the stairs to scale the catwalk until they were in the upper level of the cargo bay. He would take the stairs on the left leading Ryo to Foredeck which tothe left was the dining area. ”Have a seat and I will make some tea.“

”“

Kite would stand over the counter top extending from the inner haul of the ship. The stove was not on and the cups that the two Sabertooth mages would eventually be drinking the tea from were located next to the unlit stove next to the kettle. He would fill the kettle with water but instead of using the stove to heat the water Kite simply put his hand under the kettle and begins to heat it up with the heat generated by his magic through his hand. If one would listen, he could hear the sound of the water beginning to get restless. After a few more seconds the sound of steam escaping through the kettle's spout with the sound of a whistle. Normal methods of heating up a pot of water would take several minutes but with this method it took Kite only mere seconds to do it. Kite would position the spout over the tea cups and pour the hot water into the cups what both had tea bags laying inside waiting for the hot water to fuse with it and create a wonderful tea. The water had filled the cups three forth of the way and the tea had began to steep. It was a fruity tea, dragon fruit. Alone it wasn't too sweet nor bitter, it was just the right balance of both. He would grasp both cups of tea in each of his hands and would transport them over to the table where Ryo had already taken his seat. Kite would set down the tea cup in his left hand for Ryo before sitting adjacent to his mentor with his own cup situated on the table but still in his hand.
”Just a heads up, the tea is very hot, might wanna let it cool off for a bit before drinking it. Heat doesn't bother me but never made it like that for guests.“ He would say to his mentor before taking a casual sip of his tea and letting out an "ahhh" sound at the end. Dragon Fruit tea was his favorite flavor to make but usually drank alone, so this was quite a joyful experience to drink with his guild mate in such a scenario.

Kite would take another sip as Ryo began to share the details pertaining to the job they would be going on or rather the details he actually knew about. He would admit that he didn't know much about what they would be doing exactly but it was a big enough deal that it would put the client's lively hood on the line. He would listen as Ryo admitted that he only took the job due to the need of good quality hands and that was enough to prompt Ryo to sign them up. What caught Kite's attention was how Ryo made it crystal clear that he wouldn't be doing Kite's work for him and that he was claiming the role of supervisor for the job. The demon slayer would chuckle a moment before sipping more of his tea before looking at Ryo,
”No need for that warning. I don't leave my work for others to do. I'll hold up my own slack.“ He would state matter of factly. Ryo would also share that they had a time limit on this job a full night's work to do some sort of menial task and get paid for it. Kite would hear Ryo's offer to lend him a spell for on this job. Kite would smile from the gesture, ”A non combat job, most likely I won't be needed use of magic for much. I'll rain check that spell when we need it.“ EDI's voice would come over the intercom shortly after "Kite time remaining until we land is thirty minutes." her voice would crackle at the end. Thirty minutes?, could get boring if they just sit there for the remainder of the trip. ”I know I'll regret this but wanna play cards or something?“ Kite's trip with Ryo to Hosenka would be long and full of the pain of loss, at card games.

”“

It was made apparent that Ryo was rather pleased with his answer as much as he was pleased with Dragon fruit and jasmin tea he had picked up during his travels. It was sweet from the dragon fruit but was nicely balanced by the jasmin. Kite would pay attention to Ryo's words regarding Kite's willingness to not use his magic on the job but made a point about how a mage's magic is an irreplaceable tool.”Most of my life as a child I was taught ways to fight without using magic and how to use this against magic users. Despite my abandoning of that life and as much as I hate to admit it but their training on now to survive without magic is useful.“ Kite shared a bit of his past with Ryo in those words. His time in that anti magic cult he kept that part to himself. There are something he didn't mind sharing but there was even less that he refused to share, the only other thing would be his time during his demon slayer magic training. On a different not, the demon slayer didn't disagree with this philosophy by any means but he did see both sides of the spectrum. ”You aren't wrong. Magic is indeed a useful resource to say the least but from my understanding there is much more to it than a tool also. It was apart of your being. Like an artist who draws out his true inner feelings and displays them on a piece of paper we wizards use our magic to tell our story.“, this was something he learned since his time with Sabertooth began, he learned this from Marcy a dark guild Wizard whom he had taken a fancy to despite her being a soul eater. He was able to save her then by sucking in souls and giving them back to her. It was this experience seeing souls giving life through magic that allowed him to make the connection that magic wasn't just an abstract concept but a living part of his soul.

It was after the conversation that things had gotten interesting for Kite. It would be revealed to the Demon Slayer that it was indeed foolish to challenge a man like Ryo to a game of cards. Kite had gotten completely trashed during each and every game they had played. He did come close onceduring a single round of Black Jack but some how even Ryo lucked out by getting twenty one. Then there was the Red Mary game, and at first he thought he was doing well in that as well according to the rules. However Ryo's mastery of this game allowed him to fool Kite all along. The ship would land in Hosenka with the landing gear making contact with the ground. The suspension made the landing smooth to say the least, "We have arrived at Hosenka." EDI would inform them. Kite would accompany in exiting the ship and once his feet were firmly on Hosenka's property he would hear Ryo just say follow your nose. Kite looked at him for a moment of confusion but remembered then the detail his mentor had mentioned prior to their take off, that they would be able to locate the job site easily if they were to follow the smell. Kite would inhale through his nostrils once taking in the fragrances that Hosenka offered and it was pleasant. Kite would turn to his right so he was 90 degrees and would inhale through his nose and it was the same scent as the first time. It was however when he looked in the third direction that he picked up a scent that wasn't like the others. His nose would scrunch up from the foul smell and the rest of his face would crinkle, ”What on earth and hell is that smell?“ he would ask and for him to ask it had to be rancid for sure. After all during his time in Asmodeous' realm he grew accustom to the foul stench of brimstone and this even beat it on the smell meter. Kite would point with his right index finger and look at his mentor while holding his nose closed with his left hand, ”It's definitely this way.“ he would say before leading his mentor towards the job site. Once there Kite would see the absolutely trashed stable complete with the strongest stench of horse shit located right in the building. ”“
”Ryo... please.“ Kite would look at his mentor with dead eyes ”tell me that this isn't a clean up job. For horse shit.“ he would wait for his mentor to answer, but in the meantime would look back at the stable wishing that he could just blow it all away with a rage attack.

As much as he would have enjoyed a chance to debate views on magic the time for philosophy was not this time. Instead the thrill of the job's actual start was foremost on Kite's mind, except what he discovered was that his mentor's idea of a fun job was nothing more than a possible clean up duty. It was only possible at the time because Kite was keenly unaware of what the job actually was and the silence of Ryo was almost enough for conformation but the nail in this coffin was that elderly older man who was the owner of the stables. Kite couldn't say a word before the owner started to speak to him, sharing the details of how all his workers walked on him leaving not only the mess but the city breathing down on his neck with threats of closure. It wasn't a combat oriented job but it was certainly as urgent as one. Through out the old man's rambling he didn't get a single word in, not even a you're welcome but then again it wasn't needed. Words didn't need to be spoken now he would just watch the old man wander off and have Ryo ask what he would do as a plan of attack. ”Good question, my first idea would be to burn it all away but that could cause the smell to worsen, not to mention the possible damage to the barn... I will have no choice but to resort to doing this the old fashioned way. Shovels, hay and wheelbarrows.“ He would say before walking towards the barn. Once inside he would remove his shirt and grab the nearest shovel and begin his work shoving one shovel under a pile and would lift into the wheelbarrow.

”“

Kite waited rather desperately for an answer but he never truly got one, all he had been given was silence and that's where the old saying "silence speaks volumes" popped into his head. This brought a shitty job to a whole new level and he was not enjoying the irony. Kite would turn his head to face the stables only up have an elderly old man come from out of nowhere and took hold of Kite's hand and shook it without invitation as as much as he wanted to tear his hand away from the old man the words were able to pull on bid heartstrings and he just accepted the fate. ”No a problem. Happy to help.“ he would say as he peered over at the stables which the odor radiated from, a stench so foul it made the hair in his nose curl back.


The old man would walk away and Kite was left with his mentor devising ways to clean the mess with magic. After making the statement that his flames wouldn't play any real part here aside from causing the smell to increase Ryo would pose a question for Kite to solve. If not fire then what element would be best served. Kite took off his jacket and hung it up on one of the hooks as he pondered the question. ”Which element?.“ he would ask out loud and then one answer would stand out among them all. ”Ice would prove to be the best element for the job.“ he would say as he took up a shovel and began to scrape it against the soiled hay and dropped it into a wheelbarrow. ”The smell coming from the poop is a form of gas one way or another. A cold enough chill would freeze all the poop solid and the smell would also cease so long as it's cold.“ he would scoop another pile of poop up and plop it in the wheelbarrow. ”It would also be easier to shovel up.“ he would proceed to scoop up all the piles of poop with Ryo and would await Ryo to provide whatever wisdom he had to offer.


”“

As Kite started to scoop up the pile of poop from the floor of the stable and was tempted to put it in the wheelbarrow but stopped when Ryo began to speak. He told Kite that while his answer was an interesting one the answer to his question was slightly different to that of ice. He states that he would use the element that has been responsible to washing the land over the vast millennia from fire to something more tangible such as homes and towns to something as massive as a mountain. Being a user of flames of course he didn’t much care for water over all, he could wash away many things if he wished as well but before he was able to voice it Ryo mentioned that flames have their “washing” abilities as well but for this job water was to be used so Kite would watch as Ryo would gather his cards and pose another question for the demon slayer and that question was where should the water carry the excrement and that was a good question and took a look out the door of the stable at one of the sewer drains and thanks to his heightened sight due he had an answer. ”Well if we were to use water we would want to send it to a sewage drain however we wouldn’t want to make the mistake of sending into one of the drains that is for water only like outside there otherwise it will go into the bay.“ he would say matter of factly and looked took the initiative to walk to the barn door and look down away from the pier. ”perhaps one of the drains closer to town. “

”“

Kite could tell Ryo was sincere when he approved of Kite’s suggestion to find a proper sewage drain in order to avoid accidentally putting all of the poop into the bay. The trick was that Kite would have to lead Ryo as he attempted to locate one which Kite figured would be most likely found further into town. After a suggestion by Ryo for Kite to use his Slayer enhanced sense of smell to locate one he would stop and consider this option for a moment before he would inhale a few times in an attempt to sniff out the drain he was looking for. After two more deep inhalations he would look at Ryo and shake his head. ”even with the horse manure smell diluted by your water it's noticeable but that alone isn't the issue. he would pause and look at the people, animals and sea food all around at several stands. ”There are so many smells localized in this area my nose won't be able to distinguish the drain out of the crowd. “ he looked out the door of the barn and peered down the street tracing the curb of the sidewalk until he noticed a drain. ”Looks like there is one just down the way there.“ after exiting the barn he walked down to the drain and took note it didn't have a sign identifying it as a storm water only drain meaning it was safe for the sewage. ”Ryo its over here. Let's dump it and go home.“

”“