Chapter 31: 70%

Zell and Anna left the area towards the direction in which Kaitlyn ran. "Kaitlyn!" Zell shouted. "Everything is okay, where are you?!" It did not take them long to find signs of a struggle.

"Looks like the mortals took her." Anna said. "If it were a god there would have been no struggle."

"So where is their village?" Zell asked. "We need to go save her."

"Why bother?" Anna asked. "She is weak and just a burden, why worry about her?"

"Because she is my friend." Zell said.

"Oh, a friend and how long have you known her?" Anna said.

"Truthfully, years, but I was in the astral plane most of them." Zell explained. "So actually a few days."

"Sounds like a real close friend." Anna laughed. "Should you wish to play with the mortals, their village is due East of here. I am going back to my waterfall. Do visit me once you fetch your feline pet."

"She is a friend!" Zell snapped back.

"Right." Anna winked and left the area.

[Alright I need to get there quickly.] Zell thought to himself. [Set power output to seventy percent!] The sudden burst of power caused a shockwave of energy around Zell, knocking down trees and ripping the topsoil and foliage up from around him. He bent down and prepared to run. As he started his run, he went full speed causing a sonic boom, followed by four more in rapid succession. His run trashed trees and plants, anything in his path was obliterated. He reached the village in a matter of a few seconds. His insane speed however made it difficult for him to stop. He attempted to stop as soon as he saw the village, but his sheer speed caused him to travel several hundred yards past it.

The villagers were taken completely by surprise. All they knew was something dashed through the village and destroyed all in its path.

Kaitlyn was dangling in a cage near where Zell had cut a path. She knew it was her friend. "Zell you made it!" She said to herself.

The warriors of the village dashed over to where Zell stopped. They had their arrows and spears pointed at him as he walked towards them. "Give me Kaitlyn." He said as he approached.

The guards launched a volley of arrows at Zell, they bounced off his flesh but ripped his clothing. Seeing this the guard captain decided to speak up. "You there who and what are you?!" He said.

"I am Zell, a human." Zell replied. "You took my friend, and I would like her back."

"The lioness?" The captain responded. "Since when are humans friendly with the beast kin?"

"Look I don't want to have to hurt you." Zell said. "Just give her back to me and we can have peace."

"What happened to the snake goddess?!" The captain shouted. "We saw her use her attack! We felt her mana from here."

"Anna?" Zell said. "Yeah, she is fine. Now give me Kaitlyn."

"Anna?!" The captain said. "How dare you speak of one of the divine ones in such a casual manner."

"I am over here Zell!" Kaitlyn yelled, hoping her friend would hear her plea.

"So that's where she is." Zell said and turned towards her. The guards rushed him. They slashed their swords, which broke on impact. The spears they stabbed at Zell snapped in two. He was unphased, determined to see his friend and he kept walking forward.

The captain watched his men try and fail repeatedly. Zell just continued walking towards Kaitlyn.

After a few moments Zell finally arrived at Kaitlyn's cage. "Zell!" Kaitlyn said. "I am so happy you are alright." A few guards were still hitting Zell with whatever weapons they could find. Zell reached up and grabbed the cage and broke it open. He caught Kaitlyn as she fell.

"Enough!" The captain yelled and the guards stopped attacking. "Why are you ignoring us?"

"If I killed you what good would that do?" Zell said. "I imagine you all have family, mothers, fathers, children. I would never want what happened to my family to be repeated. If I can help it, I would rather choose a peaceful solution. You all lack the ability to harm me, however if you harm my friend here, I will not be responsible for my actions."

"Then why are you here?" The captain said. "Our ancestors left the world generations ago. They left stories about the horrible deeds of man. How mankind was evil incarnate. I never thought a human would find us, and that he would prefer peace. I apologize for my men and I's actions and thank you for not killing us when you clearly have the ability to."

"Did your ancestors leave a way to get back by chance?" Zell asked. "We really need to get back to our world to stop a war and save the planet."

"I am sorry." The captain said. "The god of space and time was the one who brought us to this place. He liked my people's culture and wanted to make sure we continued existing. He is the only one who knows the way back."

"Where is he?" Zell asked.

"He has not been seen in over five centuries." The captain replied. "He said he wanted to see if we would last a thousand years and then he left."

"Maybe Anna can help." Zell said. "She seems pretty knowledgeable."

"Who is Anna?" Kaitlyn asked.

"That giant snake." Zell replied. "She gave up killing me and was actually super helpful."

"She?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Oh right." Zell said. "After you left, she reformed as a beautiful woman with white hair. She wanted to talk more with us after I fetched you from the village."

"Before you go." The captain interrupted. "What can you tell us of our ancestral homeland?"

Zell took a deep breath and then proceeded to tell them all about their home. Kaitlyn filled in the parts that Zell did not know.

"So, you are trying to bring peace between all the races?" The captain was shocked. "I had no idea such a human could ever exist."

"Look, we have to get back to Anna." Zell said. "The faster we get back home the better."

"I understand." The captain said. "Please take this with you." He handed Zell a way stone. "With this you can teleport back to our village. Allow us to feed you and provide you with lodging, I think that is what is best. Our way of helping you which in turn will help our homeland.

"Thanks." Zell said. With that Zell and Kaitlyn left and headed back towards the pond to meet once again with Anna.