Chapter 248: Late to the Kellen bandwagon

Kellen let the others bully him into resting. It didn’t have anything to do with the fact that his chair mostly consisted of Rhys’ comfy thighs, nor did it have anything to do with the warm, calming hand that rested on his lower back. Rhys’ fingers didn’t stay still, but not in the way that Kellen expected.

He was petting him, stroking him in a calming, respectful way that had Kellen relaxing in the other man’s arms. It was clearly a sight to witness for the S Class men who were watching them, and the Guides if Kellen was honest with himself.

Everyone seemed a little shocked. Except his parents, and Brent. If anything, Brent was looking at Kellen with envy, but Kellen only shook his head at his foolish friend.

He could have this too if he asked for it. He knew that Sergei would give Brent pretty much everything that he wanted. Brent just didn’t trust him.

Not through any of Sergei’s actions, but because of the shit that Brent went through as a kid. When Kellen got his hands on his stupid ass brother...he was going to pay. And the rest of his family. None of them were safe from the wrath that Kellen wanted to rain down on them.

Thankfully, he was able to offer opinions still, and it appeared as if his awareness was back in place. He wasn’t allowed to guide anymore today, that much was made very clear to him. He didn’t even need to ask the question. The way that Rhys was holding him told him enough.

There was a small part of Kellen that was very proud that he was able to know that about Rhys. He was getting to know him on a level that didn’t require words. It was something that his parents did often, communicate without speaking, and Kellen was delighted that he was on the way to be like that with Rhys.

After all, Kellen had only ever wanted a relationship that was somewhat like his parents. Of course, it was a bit different, but Kellen wasn’t his Dad. It had to be different.

~

With the other S Classes taken care of, the S Classes were taken up to the meeting room so that the Guides could rest. Brent and Sergei stayed with them since someone needed to stay behind, and Kellen wasn’t of much help in case more S Classes arrived. Brent also spoke up before Kellen could.

"I’ll stay with the Guides." Brent said, raising his hand before anyone could suggest otherwise. Kellen narrowed his gaze while Brent gave him a hard look. The S Classes who didn’t know Kellen and Brent well, froze. They hadn’t seen Guides speak like this to each other, or if they had, a fight was about to break out.

"Brent." Kellen said, trying to calm him down. Brent practically snarled at the man.

"You are not going to Brent me. You are going to sit like a good little boy in Rhys’ lap and listen or so help me I will tie you up." Brent warned and Kellen realised that his friend had been very freaked out by what had happened. He had played it off well because he knew that he had to, but Kellen could see it now.

Sergei, sensing that Brent wasn’t okay, stepped closer and wrapped his arm around Brent’s waist. Brent jerked, surprised, but didn’t step away from the man’s hold.

"I wasn’t trying to argue with you about it." Kellen softened his voice. "I was just going to say that I was going to suggest you stay behind with Sergei. Maybe explain what’s going on and what’s to be expected." Kellen gentled his voice and Brent stared at him in silence. It was a long, awkward moment before Brent huffed.

"You mean that?" Brent asked, on the cusp of relaxing. No one else spoke, clearly focused on the interaction between the two friends.

"I do mean it." Kellen clarified. He felt bad. He hadn’t wanted to scare anyone this bad, but especially not the people who cared about him like this. It was really not intentional. "I’m sorry I scared you all like this. If I had known-"

"It’s okay." Rhys cut Kellen off. "It’s okay, Kellen. We all know that right now, you wouldn’t do something so reckless." Kellen winced. Yeah, he’d earned that.

"Well, um, probably not for a while?" Kellen responded, and Brent rolled his eyes and groaned while Rhys gave a tight smile. Even his parents knew Kellen well enough to not fight it.

"Why don’t we just get these Captains upstairs and ask them the questions we need to get a full picture before letting them rest, hmm?" Aunt Dina piped up, not defending Kellen either. What could he say in his defense? They had just spoken about the poison gate, Kellen had no legs to stand on.

"Yes. Let’s do that." Kellen agreed, wanting to get this strange moment over with. Rhys gave a quiet laugh at Kellen’s quick response, pulling him close and pressing a kiss against his shoulder.

"Are you okay to walk on your own or do you want me to carry you?" Rhys asked softly. Kellen, for his part, didn’t immediately say he was fine. He could tell, with the aid of his powers, that if he said he was fine things could go terribly.

"Let me stand up first before we make that call." Kellen told him and that seemed to be the best option. Rhys let him stand with his help and Kellen was aware of several sets of eyes watching him like a hawk. He was fine though, but he didn’t let go of Rhys’ hand for a second.

"I’m fine to walk. Maybe we can have some tea while we’re chatting upstairs? And some snacks?" The suggestion was accepted easily, and Zaria rushed off without needing to be prompted.

"I’ll grab a bit of everything!" She called as she bolted, not needing any instruction. Aunt Dina was nodding in approval as she left, looking pleased. Even Kellen’s Mom looked pleased.

"She’ll make a Guide happy one day." His Mom commented and Aunt Dina chuckled.

"She’s looking." Aunt Dina said dryly. "All of this stuff with the poison gate really threw a hurdle into her plans. That’s a story for another day, though. Come on, follow us, everyone." Aunt Dina gave Kellen a pointed look. As if telling him to take his time even though Kellen felt okay now.

Kellen just let them behave the way that they were. It wasn’t hurting him in any way, and it was out of concern for him. He just held Rhys’ hand as the others funneled out of the room and Brent gave him a two finger ’I’m watching you’ gesture. Kellen just smiled and shook his head. They cared about him at the very least.

~

They didn’t get into the serious talk about what had happened to them until Zaria came back with her haul. She made a serious point to lay everything out before Kellen, and his Dad. That came as a bit of shock to his Dad who hadn’t really been treated as a Guide for the most part, but from his flushed cheeks and the way he said thank you, he wasn’t upset but the treatment.

Rhys was already pulling pastries onto a plate that was provided for Kellen, a warm cup of tea before Kellen, as Aunt Dina began to ask the same questions Kellen had asked of the S Classes so Kellen could eat.

Kellen sat back and listened, letting them talk as Kellen observed.

It seemed that much like the other Captains, these ones had also done scans, set things in motion, and made sure that their front lines were in a good state before they left. They had planned to meet in one spot and travel together to not only test how they were doing with other S Classes, but also to get themselves accustomed to the energy of other S Classes again.

Their cities didn’t have that many S Classes and lots of the Guilds were actually run by S Class descendants. Kellen didn’t know what that was like since it felt like his city was new and fresh compared to the histories of these places. It wasn’t true, but it was just an energy that he felt at the moment.

One of the S Classes, a Captain named Melvin Hawks, said that he was the first one to arrive at the meeting point and before he’d even arrived his senses were on high alert. He could tell that something wasn’t quite right, and he was right to be worried.

He flashed a bright smile, his dark skin creasing as he gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head. He kept his hair short, close to the skin but Kellen could tell, like his Aunt, it had a reddish hue to it.

"Unfortunately, I did burn that area of the forest. It’s supposed to be a protected area, but..." He trailed off while another Captain, Captain Richard Kinders, spoke up. He was soft-spoken, quieter. Kellen wondered if that was tied to his powers. He had the same powers as Sergei, and he was a relatively quiet man as well.

"It was a good thing that I got there when I did. I also think that our people will be understanding that some of the forest burnt when they realised what we collectively saved them from." He pointed out mildly. Captain Hawks gave a light laugh, while his eyes hardened. A deep, red glow came from within before it dulled.

It was an impressive use of his powers.

The last Captain, Captain Justin Culver, was a man that after Kellen had finished working to get him to a stable point, bothered him a bit. Not because he was a bad man, but he was...strange in appearance. He looked ethereal. Eerie, and Kellen knew it was related to his powers. Kellen knew better than most that powers tended to change people’s appearances or other characteristics about them. It usually only happened with elemental Espers, but could happen with others.

He was just curious as to why it appeared he was affected by his powers since he’d had a relatively easy time helping with his guiding. He wasn’t an elemental Esper is what Kellen felt, but he couldn’t put a finger on what his powers were.

"I agree with Rich, Melvin. They’ll be understanding." Whatever it was, these three clearly were well-acquainted with each other, which probably helped make this questioning easier. It also helped that they didn’t need as much recovery time as the others had.

Aunt Dina had been paying attention to the questions that Kellen had asked, and made sure to go through the list. Especially about the types of monsters, what was normally found in the region, those kinds of things. It was important information to have, and Captain Hawks even offered to reach out to some of the other S Classes that he knew were coming on their way for the meeting and see if they had run into anything similar as well.

Kellen was delighted to hear that he would, but he was also hesitant. What if the others alerted the E.A.G.? What if they were working with them?

So Kellen finally spoke up and asked that instead of asking right away, probe carefully, see if they offered any information first. They were here to check in on the S Classes across the globe and make sure that everyone understood how serious the E.A.G. threat was.

They could not let the E.A.G. know that they were up to something. Kellen also made it clear that if anyone in the room was working the E.A.G. they should let him know immediately. He would make their death painless if they ratted them out.

"Holy shit." One of the Captains whispered, and Rhys’ hand on Kellen tightened. He raised his left hand in warning, showing off the ring Kellen had got him.