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Encounters	By : plusfour Category: +M through R > Phantasy Star Views: 1055 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Phantasy Star, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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After safely delivering Anna into the hands of her sister, Janna thought she had heard the last of the Waynes girls. As with so many other things lately, she learned she was wrong when one of the women who worked in the Hunters' Guild tracked her down to deliver a message from Kroe. The text was electronically transferred into Janna's communicator and she flipped it open to begin reading.
�Please forgive the urgency of this quest. My situation is desperate. I found a man who I suspect is involved with the missing hunters. He is a weapons trader. He is called Black Paper. Black Paper seduced my sister, Anna. I'll tell you what happened later. Anyway, I am with him now. Please come here as soon as you can. I'm in an underground cave where I see a big hall that looks outside. He's about to finish his business transaction. This might be the only chance to arrest him! Please help! ~ Kroe Waynes�
Janna knew by now that Black Paper wasn't actually one person, and though she still felt uneasy about the fact that she just couldn't seem to escape the group, she couldn't imagine just leaving Kroe alone with them. Closing out the screen of her communicator, she informed the woman that she accepted the quest. As always, before teleporting down to Ragol, she decided to stop at the tool store to restock her supplies.
She very nearly rolled her eyes visibly when she bumped into Sue yet again. �You again...� she heard the tanned newman mutter under her breath. �Janna? Are you following me? It doesn't seem like it'll work.� The jade-haired hunter fought to maintain her neutral expression. �Just kidding,� Sue said insincerely.
�Mmm-hmm.�
�What?� Now it was Sue's turn to look annoyed.
�Nothing.�
�Oh, please!� She folded her arms across her chest and glared at Janna. �What do you really want to know!?�
Janna knew that she was never going to get a straight, helpful answer out of her. �Nothing,� she repeated, smiling sweetly.
�Are you sure?� The smaller newman did nothing other than keep the fake grin plastered on her face. �Well, okay then.� With one final glare, Sue was gone again.
Janna hadn't progressed very far into the caves when, almost exactly on cue, she encountered Bernie in a narrow hallway. She wasn't sure who he was working for or the details of his own investigation, but after the face-off with Sue, he was a comforting sight. His back was towards her, but he spun around when he heard her footsteps behind him.
�Oh!� he exclaimed, slightly startled. �It's you again. You're still alive.� He beamed at her, appearing equally glad to see her in the depths of the caves. �I don't recall hearing your name before,� he blurted out. �I'm Bernie. It's not my real name, but everybody calls me Bernie. You?�
Though they both most likely had far more pressing matters to attend to, she took the time to return his friendly expression. �I'm Janna.�
�Janna, eh? Nice name.� He nervously pushed aside the strands of blond hair that had flopped over the top of his headband. �By the way, do you remember what I said to you the other day? Like I said, I'm helping someone who's trying to solve the Ragol cases.�
She nodded. �I remember.�
He stared at her with that smoldering look that had the ability to make her shiver and feel like every muscle in her body was tense with anticipation. �Can you help us?� he asked with a hint of urgency in his voice. �It's not a bad idea because...uh...�
His stammering was cut off by the ground rumbling beneath their feet. The earthquake's tremors sent Janna stumbling forward, but the strong ranger was there to grab her before she could fall towards the ground after her fallen weapon. Firmly in his grasp, she gazed up and let her eyes meet his, feeling her breath catch in her throat. They stayed locked in each other's arms for several more moments, wordlessly lost in each other's unexpected touch, before Bernie made sure she was steady on her feet before stepping back. �Sorry, I have to go,� he said hurriedly, turning away in an effort to hide the deepened color of his face. �Talk to you soon. Bye, Janna!� He took off down an adjacent hallway, leaving the flustered newman to collect both her vjaya and her bearings.
There was no sign of Kroe, or anyone else, in the first level of the caves. Janna teleported further underground and eventually reached a spacious cavern with cascading waterfalls and a misty rainbow. A trio of hunters stood in the back of the room, and the newman thought she could make out the white-blonde hair of Kroe, but before she could do anything, they disappeared and another hunter appeared in their place. Spotting Janna, he instantly attacked, but after quickly pulling out her pallasch, he was no match for her. More irritated by the brief battle than anything else, she continued on into the caves.
The rest of the level was empty, so she traveled further underground. Here, the rooms had more of a man-made appearance, with finished floors and various machinery visible to any hunters who dared venture so far. After catching a glimpse of the original trio again, Janna kept her distance and cautiously tracked them through several more rooms. Another guard was waiting for her, though, but he, too, fell easily to her blood-red photon blade.
It didn't take her long to find Kroe standing over two more bodies of injured men in a bright, spacious area. Upon seeing the fierce newman, the young girl beamed at her, seemingly unharmed. Kroe thanked her profusely for her help in distracting the guards, informing her that everyone had been arrested, before asking her to meet her back on the ship.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but Janna felt as if all eyes were on her once she arrived back on the Pioneer 2. One soldier congratulated her on the arrest of Black Paper, while a furtive-looking Force quietly shared a rumor he had heard about the trouble not being over yet, as Black Paper wasn't just one person. She nodded appreciatively at both of them before continuing on to the Guild.
Janna had to give credit where credit was due to the clever Kroe. As the girls were identical twins, it had been easy for Kroe to fool the leaders of the organization into thinking she was Anna, she learned. The more mature sister was again emphatic with her gratitude and promised to stay in touch.
After collecting her meseta, the tired hunter strode out of the Guild, swearing to herself that she was going to take a few days off to relax before accepting another mission. She was about to teleport out of the hunters' area when a familiar face caught her eye yet again. Switching directions, she headed over to where the smirking ranger was standing not far from the teleporter to the principal.
�So, I hear you helped bring down Black Paper,� Bernie said with a sly grin.
�Someone had to do it.� Janna went to return the smile, but couldn't quite manage one. �But we both know that just arresting those few men isn't going to stop the whole operation. We've only just started...�
�I know. At least we're doing something, though. And whatever you did today will make a difference in the long run, I knew I was right to trust you.� He put a hand on her shoulder and guided her away from the teleporter. �Come on, I'll buy you a drink to celebrate. You've earned it.�
Though she had planned on simply returning home to rest, Bernie's offer did sound inviting. She allowed herself to be led to the edge of the floating platform the guild was built on, where they hailed a hovercar to take them to the more residential areas of the massive ship. It had been a long time since Janna had let herself be someone other than the tough, stoic hunter who fought to maintain the integrity and reputation of the Guild, and she was looking forward to an evening away from the world of secrets and conspiracies that had been plaguing her since the Pioneer 2 had arrived at Ragol.
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Encounters