Tag Archives: Manna Han

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #19

They spread out around him blocking any chance of escape.  Dangerous ruffians, all six of them had a practiced look of gruff.  They were probably sent from one of the organized crime lords in this area.  They started toying with their weapons, hitting their hands lightly.  Were they trying to intimidate him?

Manna was already near the wall but he didn’t back up.  He felt no need to hide or run from these creeps.  He had put on his gloves while he waited for them to enter the alley.  He wore them now; red gloves, the exact color of rust.  If the confrontation went the way he thought it would, he would need them.

“We have a message from Bluegill,” the one in the front said.

“Bluegill,” Manna asked, “I paid him off; long time ago.”

The goon shook his head.  “This message is for your friend, Guy,” he said smiling.  The other goons started grinning.  Some of them chuckled a bit and stepped forward when Guy’s name was mentioned.

“I don’t expect to see him for a while,” Manna said scanning their faces.  It looked as though they were trying to threaten him.  He hoped things would escalate.  It would be nice to cut lose after all this time.  Of course, to keep his disguise, he would have to wait for them.  He would also have to look worried, he succeeded.  “I’ll give him the message when I see him though.”

“Tell him ‘Bluegill wants his money,'” the goon continued as he stepped forward.

This was entertaining.  Manna’s disguise fooled all kinds of people.  With his white robe and peaceful gestures, he tried his best to look and behave as a Green Child.  This act usually brought out the best in others.  Occasionally, people tried to take advantage of him.

Green Children abhor violence of any kind.  They don’t even partake in the fruits of violence.  This influenced what he ate, what he wore, and even the job he chose.  In the event of violence, a Green Child would rather be hurt or run than cause harm to others.

But of course, it was just a disguise.

These goons obviously didn’t know anything real about Manna.  If they did, they would have much more respect.  They all stepped forward while toying with their weapons still.

Manna was already near the wall.  With the wind blowing, none of the goons saw the slight movements under Manna’s cloak.  The movements continued up his sleeves without their knowledge.

“We want to make sure you remember to give him the message,” he said stepping forward.

The three goons to Manna’s right took this as an invitation to start.  They rushed in on Manna preparing to strike with their clubs.

#1 – Lost and Found #18

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #18

“What?!  Metcalf!  I TOLD you this was going to happen!”  Haruna Huai always had a way with words.  She never sugar coated anything, especially to people she cared about.  She would seem rude to an outsider but the truth people needed to hear was rarely kind.  She had known and cared for Metcalf for so long, they may as well have been sisters.

The two of them were in the dining hall eating fruit and ice cream.   They were not out in the open like during breakfast.  This time, they were in a room set aside for parties.  There were few parties this time of year so they had the whole room pretty much to themselves.

“Let me see it,” she said reaching for Metcalf’s handheld.  Seeing Metcalf’s student rank, her eyes widened in shock.  Then she said calmly, “Yeah, you’ll definitely have to take the final.”

That was all it took for Metcalf to see her situation.  She was in trouble.  She had been at Spear Mint Academy for as long as she remembered.  The people here were her family.  Hardly anyone passes the final.  And if she failed, she may never see her friends again.  “So what can I do,” Metcalf asked herself out loud.

Haruna picked up on the defeated sound in her voice.  She jerked a hand into Metcalf’s face and snapped to get her attention.  “One thing we can’t do is give up,” she said taking command of the situation, “You have six months, and lots of friends.  We’re gonna fight this.”

Haruna then took her own handheld and called up the gang one by one.  They each expressed the predictability of Metcalf’s situation but agreed to help as best they could.  They had a long six months.

—–

“Bye Manna,” Pinar called.

“See you tomorrow,” he called back as he left.  Tired but victorious he walked out into the sunlit chilly street headed home.  Another day business was finished.  The bakery was reasonably busy today.  There were acceptable leftovers.  He even kept some treats for himself to eat at home.

Chef Thetis usually would let him do that when they had enough for the discount morning special.  The day-old pastries would be sold at a discount the next day while the new ones were still being prepared.  It was good business practices.  In storage, the pastries would stay reasonably good overnight.  Also, the scent of the new pastries baking would overwhelm the senses and cause the hungry to buy more than they needed.

“Well, another eighty notes,” Manna said to himself as he walked down the street.  It wasn’t enough to make a large dent in his debt, but he was making some headway.  It was enough to pay down some interest for this month.  He would be free eventually.

Walking down the chilly street, he saw a face he remembered from earlier in the bakery, then another.  They were leaning against walls, sitting in cars, hanging out on corners, trying and failing to look ordinary.  There were about six of them.  They were all people that didn’t recognize him during his grand entrance to the bakery.  Or maybe they did.

Manna didn’t speed up.  He knew they’d follow him no matter where he went.  He turned down an alley a parking area in the back of a warehouse.  He made his way to a wall and waited to see how long it would take them to catch up.  Using his magnetism skills again, he readjusted his robe to give himself more freedom of motion.

Just as he expected, the six of them came around the corner a little while following him.  Thankfully they didn’t have guns, but their bats, canes, and crowbars seemed to have a specific purpose.

Despite this, Manna only smiles and bows, his orange face serene, his motions practiced.  Still smiling he says “Greetings friends.  How may I help you?”

#1 – Lost and Found #17 – Lost and Found #19

Sons of Sword: Tales of Glory – Lost and Found #12

Being a Thermal Master, it took little time for Teal to get the fires started.  The bakery warmed up quickly, but Manna knew not to get too used to the heat.  Everyone in the back had their part to play.  Only Manna and Teal had energy skills but they were most likely hired because of their abilities.

Manna took a look at the three balls of dough and chose one at random.  They all would be used for something soon.  It didn’t matter which one was first.  It was the one to his left today.  The other two were pushed to the right.

Flour stored beneath the counter was spread everywhere to prepare the first victim of the rolling assault.  Manna lifted his hands and concentrated a little.  At his mental command, two rolling pins flew from the rack across the bakery.  Just as they reached his hands, they stopped.

They hovered in midair waiting for his next command.  His magnetism skills did not allow him to manipulate wood.  However, there was just enough steel in the core of the rolling pins for him to move them easily.  While they hovered in the air, Manna spread additional flour onto them.

Teal returned from the fire pit below the bakery.  He used his thermal energy skills to keep more of the heat in the oven.  Before long, the bakery would cool down as Teal “borrowed” heat from the bakery and “gave” it to the oven.  Even still, it would take some time for him to adjust the oven temperature to the perfect setting.  Manna had just enough time to get the dough ready.

It had already been separated into even smaller portions and flattened thoroughly.  Manna’s hands moved commanding both rolling pins to press and roll the dough faster and harder than any Crisho could with pure muscle strength.  In no time it was spread to the edges of the counter flattened to just the right amount.

Pilar had already prepared the cinnamon mixture for the folds.  It sat on a table at the far side of the counter.  She stood waiting holding six hand sized circular dough cutters.  As Manna set the rolling pins down, Pilar tossed the dough cutters at him.  She tried to surprise him with them differently each time.

Just as Manna turned his head, he saw them and stopped them in the air.  “And I thought the cinnamon rolls were nuts,” he said jokingly.  Pilar said nothing though she stuck out her tongue.

The dough cutters were a lot easier to handle than the rolling pins.  They were completely made of steel and obeyed his commands even without his hand motions.  The circular cutters moved just as he wanted.  Soon the leftover dough was lifted revealing a large counter filled with thin circles of dough.

Surprisingly, Pilar moved just as fast as Manna did.  Seeing her work was much like watching a film at double speed.  In no time, the cinnamon mixture was spread onto the circular cuts of dough.  They were then stacked into three layers and folded into their traditional star shape.  Now ready for the oven, they moved onto the next ball of dough.

——

Spear Mint Academy: Stream Quarter Training Center

Metcalf left the shooting range in slight frustration.  Isabaeu was very kind and perhaps a new friend.  However, the contest was far too easy.  Isabaeu tried to put up a good fight.  It seemed they gave a lot of Academy Points for classroom practice as well as application.

Metcalf was not at all upset at Isabaeu.  She was upset at herself for not believing enough to take the big risk.  She had to admit, she may have done the same thing five times in a row given the same circumstances.

All that was in the past, Metcalf got her points.  She was almost to a safe student ranking where she could leave the training center and let everything slide for the rest of the day.  She needed about two or three good scores and she would be done.

Scanning the faces, she saw a new face that looked very familiar.  This one was beaming with inexperience he even lacked the basic armor.  Then it hit her, “Is that,” she started asking herself a question but thought it easier to check on her handheld.  She focused the holographic image to the bottom of the student rankings.  She was right.

It was Lance.

#1 – Lost and Found #11 – Lost and Found #13