Three weeks had passed in the Wastes ever since Kaiden's death sparked the end of the conflict from the Sand Sinker. Those three weeks consisted of pure solace and peace that the Wastes had ever experienced in since their uprising and creation decades ago.
Now that the conflict was over, a system of powerful individuals who were responsible for ruling beside Kaiden reelected several high overseers to hold power among the seven cities in the Wastes. Each overseer was responsible for distributing goods through trade, maintaining the peace with a strong system of law, and creating defense mechanisms and emergency procedures to defend against the Rot from the outside.
From an outside perspective, if a wanderer were to enter any city in the Wastes, they would be able to detect a much greater sense of security and control with the newly improved and designed architecture, alongside the guards that now had the responsibility to maintain order from within.
The streets of Gietha were not so desolate as those three weeks passed. There were bountiful food and rations distributed among the common class from the scavenger roles that the overseer established. Additional homes were rebuilt, statues were erected, and institutions that never would have been established if Kaiden were still in command were established, such as banks, schools, offices, and parks.
For the first time since its creation, the location's name, which was known as the Wastes, were now renamed by the high overseers as the Bountiful Sands. The name enriched the souls of the young, paving the way for future generations to be known for something more positive rather than a detriment based on their location.
In the midst of a developing tavern, extended to provide more comfort for guests and citizens, Lyn assisted muscular men and women in lifting a sign indoors, allowing for her to prop it up with Alfaic from behind to nail it to the wall successfully. Scabs, who had been reading childish tales and fables to the children of the workers, received a new piece of information from a rushing scout from the East, prompting Scabs to rush outside while the children waited.
"Wow, what a beautiful sign," One of the tavern workers said, admiring the wooden beer carving on top of the wooden bar counter, frothing with a light brown color to its design. "Never thought something like this would ever happen."
"All thanks to the Lightning Huntress," A female tavern worker chimed in, wiping her hands off of the wooden shavings she accumulated after working endless days and nights. She looked at Lyn, who smiled at the both of them. "Wouldn't have done it without you, obviously."
"Thank you," Lyn calmly stated. She had also been working endlessly with her incredible stamina. Her appearance was now more of a hard worker, wearing cloth clothing to keep herself cool in the scorching heat of the desert. "You as well." She said.
As the tavern workers departed, Alfaic floated beside Lyn to catch up with her.
"Guess it's break time," He excitingly stated. "Wish I could drink some of that ale they mentioned... but-"
"You are my blade," Lyn blatantly stated. "I had also tried the drink earlier. It didn't suit my taste."
"YOU tried it?" Alfaic surprisingly replied in surprise. "From peer pressure, no doubt. I can't imagine you trying alcohol for any reason in particular. It's not your style, as if you had any style at all..."
Lyn shook her head and moved toward one of the tavern's tables, sitting down to rest herself from the heavy lifting.
"What did it even taste like?" Alfaic asked.
One of the tavern employees, who heard their conversation, swung a pint of ale in front of Alfaic and laughed heartily after being incredibly joyous at their new tavern. "It tastes like sweet paradise! I wish you could try it yourself, Alfaic."
"Eh, even if I was a human, I think I'd rather abstain from that," Alfaic admitted. "Can't stand drunk people either."
"Hmm, roadkill," The employee muttered before turning to Lyn. "Well, perhaps the Lightning Huntress would like to participate...? We're holding a drinking game tonight for the celebration of our new tavern, all thanks to you!"
"I'll pass," Lyn said. "I didn't think it was a sweet paradise."
"Fair enough, fair enough. Well, we're always open if you change your mind."
Suddenly, their conversation was broken apart by Scabs, who barged through the tavern door with his stout shoulders perked upward. He nearly slid toward the other side of the tavern door, missing his spot. But his face could be read easily, filled with some excitement and concern.
"Lyn, Alfaic!" He shouted. "Ardine's back! He's parked beside the guest hall! Let's go!"
Dorothy, who peeked her head over the door, beckoned toward Lyn and Alfaic for them as well. A short nod came from her before the two of them departed across the roads. The tavern employees returned to maintaining the establishment, leaving Lyn and Alfaic by themselves.
"He's finally back," Alfaic said. "Bet the others couldn't stop thinking about him."
"Let's go." Lyn said with a straight face.
The two of them departed into the scorching heat, approaching the guest hall down a series of narrow alleyways where children flew kites for their enjoyment. They also gathered water and used it as toys to cleanse their dry bodies from the heat. After passing through, they met a plethora of Gietha civilians crowding in front of the guest hall; located behind the building was Ardine's gargantuan airship, although it was difficult to see intricate details of what he had returned with, and what it was all for.
Scabs and Dorothy met Lyn and Alfaic behind the crowd of individuals.
"He managed to bury Kaiden and Aema after all," Dorothy stated. "Other than that, I don't know why he's back so late."
"Late?" Scabs chimed in. "It's early to me! Wonder what everyone's gathering around for. That's not normal."
"Here to greet the celebrity, I bet," Alfaic said. "Why is he so popular?"
"He's a hero in these parts that not even the overseers could even accomplish," Dorothy pointed out. "He's always been traveling and helping others along the way. They write about him in stories, you know. Especially ones that the new teachers are reading about."
"Stories, huh..." Alfaic began, turning to Lyn. "Maybe someone could write a story about you, Lyn. You've practically changed the Bountiful Sands for the better."
Lyn left the thought behind her mind. Out of all of the stories she had heard in her short lifetime, she never expected to have a story written about her, if not, at all. She was still in the process of uncovering the secrets about Krin and what the Rot were, which she believed would make the story more engaging had it been a dramatic conclusion or outbreak. Nevertheless, she dispensed it away and did not acknowledge it.
"Hey! HEY!" A member of the crowd shouted. "Ardine's got refugees he picked up! Outsiders!"
"They're taking our damn food that we worked so hard for!"
"What the hell!?"
After chaos erupted through the crowd, the high overseer of Gietha, a well-dressed man with a regal tunic and gown approached from in between, parting them all and bringing silence to the crowd instantaneously because of his higher power. Lyn, Alfaic, Dorothy, and Scabs watched as all eyes were pressed against him, admiring and listening to the newest form of leadership of the Bountiful Sands at play.
"Citizens of Gietha, disperse!" The overseer commanded the crowd with his thunderous voice. His singular statement caused the Giethan civilians to scurry away, yet many of them still harbored malice intent with their backtalk and sneering for the refugees.
The high overseer approached Lyn with a pleasant smile. It was one of those smiles that mimicked positivity, but seemed feasible enough to be counted as truthful. "Ah, Huntress, you're here," He began. "Mr. Buchasa's done it again, it seems. Harboring refugees over his travels was unexpected, but then again, everything he does is considered unexpected."
Scabs chuckled once in response to the high overseer's comment. As soon as they exchanged eyes however, Scabs purposefully hid his eyes away.
"In any case, I believe Mr. Buchasa needs your assistance in gathering the refugees," The overseer continued. "They're quite rowdy. I know we've been relying on you for too much for the past few weeks, but if you could help distribute the food and drink to them, it would be most appreciated. Good day."
Lyn nodded as the overseer passed through them. She watched as Alfaic, Scabs, and Dorothy stared at her humourously. Dorothy rotated her eyes toward the entrance of the guest hall, pointing to it while Scabs began to follow.
"After you." Alfaic said to Lyn.
As the four entered the establishment, their ears were met with rising uproar from riotous and bombastic individuals from different areas across METIS. Many of them began criticizing and yelling at the guest hall employees, pressuring them for a surplus ale and bread for all of the fourty refugees.
They shoved down the tables and chairs that were so neatly piled up, and trashed the establishment despite Ardine saving them from their dangerous situations.
"The overseer's insane." Alfaic commented.
"Where's Ardine?" Lyn asked, looking around the crowded guest hall.
"Guess we'll split up," Dorothy said. "He should have the food.
Lyn and Alfaic took point while Scabs and Dorothy stayed together, attempting to pass through the crowd of refugees. As they did, many of the refugees exchanged glances at her unwavering beauty and the unusual presence of a flying sword. Some of them even tried to snag Alfaic and Lyn's elongated ponytail, to which Alfaic denounced on sight.
After a few minutes, Lyn had sighted Ardine lifting crates of food from the back door of the guest hall, sending it to the uniformed employees and commanding them to distribute it. Scabs and Dorothy arrived from the side, also sighting him.
"Well, look who it is! Did you all miss me?" Ardine asked the group, multitasking at the same time.
"Of course. Couldn't stop hearing about you!" Scabs stated.
"Did the funeral go okay?" Dorothy asked.
"Yeah, everything was fine," Ardine admitted. "Managed to bury them both together, just as he wished."
"Any particular reason why you brought forty refugees to Gietha?"
"Well, I always believed the Wastes needed more hands to help rebuild, you know? And with all these able workers at hand, we should be able to speed up everything, once they've started understanding our situation."
"Ardine…" Dorothy began.
A guest hall employee approached Dorothy from behind, tapping her shoulders. They called for her assistance, to which Dorothy gladly accepted and disappeared into the crowd.
"Let's hear the real reason why you're here." Scabs said, placing his hands on his hips.
Ardine set a crate on an employee's hand before opening the final one, unveiling a bountiful amount of white bread from Gietha's storage rooms.
"Well, you got me," He said. "I still haven't been satisfied with what happened to Buchasa. I came home to look for answers, but all I got were more questions. So, I traveled on a solo expedition across METIS, searching for answers, and I eventually picked up these refugees. I'm planning on questioning them, once they settle down."
Lyn began picking up the bread from the crate, unexplainedly. Ardine approached her and gently nudged her shoulder with his fist. "Glad to see you again, Lyn." He said.
"It's good to see you too." Lyn replied.
"The overseer told us to distribute the food around, so that's what we're here to do!" Scabs informed them.
"Sounds like a plan," Ardine said, handing Scabs more bread. "Although we need to find some way to settle these hooligans down. Lyn, come with me. I need to talk to you; and only you, please." He emphasized, eyeing Alfaic.
As the group dispersed, Lyn followed Ardine, passing the food to the unruly refugees who began hogging and hoarding the food aggressively to themselves. Lyn noticed that most of the refugees appeared quite similar; fat and pompous with a hint of attitude. Many of their facial qualities and characteristics almost mimicked hungry pigs attempting to make a quick meal and take advantage of Ardine, yet she was numb to the whole situation from the start.
"Did you find any clues to that piece of metal that I gave you?" Ardine asked.
"No," Lyn said. "The others did not know either."
"Not surprised at all. Qliphos is an entire light year away. I wouldn't expect anyone here to know that, but it was worth a shot," He paused and examined Lyn's blank face. "Well, what about you? Are you practically living here now?"
"No," Lyn replied. "I do not intend to I have heard nothing about the lords of METIS ever since Kaiden's death."
"Nothing seems important around here anymore. You've practically solved all of their problems for them."
"I do not believe these people will help you," Lyn concluded, examining the crowd. "They do not seem to care about your wishes."
"Yeah, you're probably right…" Ardine admitted, shrugging and moving on with the food.
Lyn and Ardine continued examining the audience of pompous refugees, many who had already been supplied with food and drink. However, there was one unknown individual seated in the corner of the guest hall who the other employees had neglected to visit.
A petite female teenager adorned in regal black leather clothing crossed her legs together, peacefully sitting alone away from the other refugees. She had short brown hair tied up in a ponytail. Upon further glance, the girl had gleaming white eyes that stared in front of the establishment, seemingly zoning out from the clamorous yelling across the guest hall. There was an aura of serenity surrounding her freckled, despite appearing quite inapproachable. Nevertheless, she was the only one that seemed different and unique among the other refugees.
"She looks like she hasn't eaten in weeks," Ardine commented upon first examination of the unknown girl. "Let me finish up with her, and then we'll talk."
Lyn followed Ardine over to the petite girl, who only rotated her glowing white eyes to face an approaching Ardine. She appeared not much for conversation with her blank expression.
"Hello, young Miss," Ardine greeted, extending his hand with a handful of white bread. "I remember seeing you board my ship. You haven't eaten whatsoever since then."
"I'm not hungry." The girl's delicate accent surprised Ardine's ears. She didn't seem from anywhere around close to where he had frequented.
"Well, you can have this either way. We've got plenty of food in our storage room." Ardine continued.
"Thank you." The girl said.
Ardine moved away, along with Lyn, who exchanged glances with each other for a split second. He seemed bothered not only by the lack of enthusiasm, but the initial pervasive hostility in her eyes. The girl had mystified him in many ways he had not experienced before, causing him to look back at her multiple times before leaving.
Lyn noticed his unusual behavior as well, but showed no sign of pushing forward.
From the distance where Scabs and Alfaic were at the time, a fat refugee with a double chin slammed a pint of ale on the wooden table multiple times before breaking a section of the table he sat at. He ignored the damage he purposefully caused, while a nearby guest hall employee did not."
"Sir, if you would kindly please…"
"Get outta my face!" The man roared, shoving the employee into another muscular woman guzzling ale and bread down her throat. "What are you lookin' at? You trying to pick a fight with me?!" His drunken demeanor began to transform the rowdy guest hall into a one man show. All eyes were on him, yet he seened unaware of such things.
Ardine watched as Lyn wanted intervene with Alfaic. Ardine held her back.
The drunken man raised an entire slice of bread and slammed it together with three other pieces of bread, hogging the food for himself. "Oh, waiter! We need more food over here!"
Just as he was about to devour the combined bread, a swift flash of lightning overcame the man's bread. A throwing dagger flew across the guest hall, striking the bread and sending it soaring against the other side of the building faster than one could have blinked. The knife wobbled upon contact of the wall, keeping the layered bread stable.
All eyes were on the direction of where the dagger was thrown. The drunken man barely noticed his bread was gone until he opened his eyes wider than normal. He then turned to face the corner of the room, realizing that the unknown petite teenager was responsible for it. She crossed her arms and legs behind a round wooden table, smirking at the drunken man with spitefulness.
"Well, well, look what we have here," The drunken man began, turning his body to face the young girl refugee. "A little girl with white eyes. Take a look, gents! We got ourselves a Qliphosian here!"
Ardine's eyes widened as he stared back at the girl who denied his bread. He eyed her immediately, aghast at his inability to tell her identity from first glance. Lyn noticed his reaction, paying heed to his sudden gaze, which meant more clues for who was responsible for the attack on Buchasa if she were to be an asset.
"Scurry on back to your home, vandal," The drunken man insulted, slamming his fist on the counter once more. "This place has no need for the likes of you, little girl."
"Well, if your brain were as big as your belly, you'd realize that we're all in the same big boat," The little girl retorted, receiving the full attention of the crowd on her. "Speaking of big boats, I'm looking at one right now."
The audience around the drunken man were audibly shocked and hyped for the girl's comeback. Ardine briefly laughed as Scabs joined in. Lyn carefully observed the little girl and could see no parallel between the two. They hadn't met before, but her eyes were what captivated her attention the most.
"What did you say to me?" The drunken man retaliated.
"Couldn't hear me, or did you need me to translate for you?" The girl continued spouting insults. Her light accent gave off a radiant tone that charmed the refugees, making them favor her instead of the man. "Fine by me," She continued, slyly leaning forward. "I'm. Calling. You. Fat."
The refugees cheered once again for the girl, smacking their ale cups together in harmony. The drunken man retracted from his seat and aggressively pointed at her. She leaned back into her chair until the lower half of her body was invisible from sight.
"You're playing with your life, girl," He continued. "You've got a big ego-"
"Speaking of big…" The girl insulted once more, holding in a brief giggle.
"THAT'S IT, you're DEAD!" The man exclaimed, rushing to the girl in the form of a power walk. Ardine attempted to step in just as he rampaged forward, but there was no need. The moment the man shoved his face toward the girl at the table, a sudden surprised lifted his pompous and rude demeanor, shifting it into fear.
A razor sharp dark gray blade pierced through from below the table, reaching the man's right ear directly. It touched against his lobe, causing a single droplet of blood to leak from the minor wound. The refugees gasped as the drunken man retracted himself. The girl sliced the table in half with one upward slice, extinguishing the candle on it as she ejected herself off of the seat with the blade pointed directly at the man's neck.
"You... you can't do this," The drunken man's voice quivered as the girl's pushed him all the way to the bar counter with his hands raised. "If you kill me, the law here will kill you for sure!"
"We're refugees in a distant land," The girl pressured with a smirk on her face. "No one would even know you're dead, and no one would care."
"What... what do you want!?"
The girl silenced herself for dramatic effect, looking at the other refugees gazing at her awe. "Some peace and quiet. Is that difficult to achieve?" She said, placing her blade back in her sheath.
"No... I guess not," The man accepted. He smiled and turned around to the bar counter, with the others believing that their hasty conflict had ended. However, after taking a swig of ale, the man took the pint cup and swung overhead with an entire rotation of his body. However, he didn't expect the girl to expect his attack; she leaped over the man's entire body with a somersault, pedaling over the bar counter and landing feet flat on it. "What the!?" He exclaimed.
"We fight!" The girl shouted, extending her blade and slicing sections of the man's hair until he appeared bald. The crowd went wild, riling up over the girl's nonlethal attack by celebrating with loud hollers. The man's embarrassment caused him to trip over from a fallen ale pint, leaving him exposed.
Over the corners of both side of the rooms, four Giethan guards armed with spears charged forward to stop the refugees from their unnecessary chaos. Their spears extended to both the drunken man and the girl, threatening them to stop. The other refugees backed off, calming down their excessive gluttony and behavior.
"Cease this violent act this ONCE!" One of the guards roared at the teenage girl. "You shall come with us and pay the price of your life, if you continue this, Qliphosian refugee."
Ardine stepped in immediately between the extended spears, putting himself between the guards. Lyn, Alfaic, and Scabs watched as Ardine's face, for the first time, expressed himself with a curt and aggressive seriousness. His eyebrows were slanted down as he extended both of his palms toward the guards and the girl. The guards immediately retreated backward, planting the end of their spears on the wooden floor.
"Lord Ardine," One of the guards greeted him with a bow. "My apologies."
"The apology's all mine," Ardine corrected, standing up and switching his gaze from the guards back to the girl multiple times. "I was irresponsible to put forty of my refugees in a single room. Take half of them to the tavern. They'll be satisfied there."
"And the girl?" The guard said. All of their eyes were set on her on the bar table.
Ardine took a step forward toward the guard and held his palm up near his head. "She comes with me." He commanded, turning his gaze to the girl, who purposefully tried to avert his gaze by turning her head.
"Very well," The guard said. Two of them stepped into the center of the crowd of refugees with their spears. "All of you, to my left, step away from the counter and come with me. We'll have plenty of food and drink for you at the tavern."
The crowd remained silent as they followed the guards out, still ogling at the girl on the bar counter. Alfaic flew toward Lyn's hand and vanished, embedded into her armor's core to hide from the combative girl. Lyn and Scabs approached Ardine, but stepped away slightly further back to give them space.
Ardine extended his hand to the girl, wanting to support her on her way down. Her short stature and height proved to be a difficult descent. "Here, I can get you down-" He said, reaching for her left hand.
She paused, staring at her left hand before ignoring his offer. "I can do it myself, old man." The girl said, leaping off of a wobbling table before descending down to the wooden floor. She fixed her collar before turning her back against Ardine and the others.
"Old man?" Ardine looked at the others with a disturbed reaction. "Did she just call me 'old man?'"
"Well, you are forty, give or take..." Scabs commented, watching Lyn place her hands on her hips from a distance.
"Hey, hey!" Ardine called, chasing after the girl. "I need to talk to you."
"Then you better get to it," The girl said. "A man as old as you chasing a girl as young as me doesn't exactly make you look like a saint."
"Okay, stop that," Ardine's witty dialogue was somehow matched by the girl, whom he never expected to have such a sour attitude from. "You're a Qliphosian, right?"
"In the flesh, yes," The girl replied. "I thought you would have recognized it by now."
"What? Why?"
"The eyes?"
Lyn and Scabs looked at the girl's glowing white pupils, a unique trait that they hadn't seen before. Alfaic, who was rested in Lyn's armor, could see as well, though he kept quiet.
"You really a clueless, aren't you, old man?" The girl jested. "White eyes? It's the common trait we Qliphosians share among our bloodline," She looked away and muttered to herself. "Not that it matters anymore, really..."
Scabs entered the conversation with a brimming smile. "Well, I thought what you did to those jerks was really cool," He complimented her. "They were messing up the place that the people worked so hard to build."
"Oh," The girl replied. "Well, thank you."
"Yup."
Ardine stepped in between them. "Alright, listen. If you're trying to play your way out of this situation, it's not going to work," He said. "I need information from you."
"I'm not selling anything." The girl sarcastically stated.
"No, it's about... the droids from Qliphos," Ardine continued. "I want to know... well, let's just say... a lot of things about them," He then turned to Lyn for approval. "Can I see the metal plate?"
Lyn tossed over the plate and Ardine caught it. He held it up to the girl, revealing the faded letters of '-IS04'. "Do you know... anything about this?"
The girl blinked rapidly in response to seeing the droid's metal plate. Lyn and the others could not quite read what was in store for her.
The girl on the other hand, could see more than just the metal plate in hand. She could see the blood of the innocent villagers splattered across on it, symbolizing the end of times. She could hear the whispers of the deceased calling her name, and the smiles of those that came before it all. The multiple faces of those who held her hand, watched the skies, and the stars, faded as soon as reality began to phase back.
"It's been two years since I've seen this." The girl said.
"So you know about the droids?" Ardine asked.
"I don't just know about them. I've lived through it all," The girl corrected before handing the plate back. Ardine noticed her hand quivering in fear, which was out of character for her jolly and witty attitude. Her eyes then propped up to meet Ardine's. "I would rather not relive this-"
Ardine's resolve, emboldened by his stern gaze upon the girl, fiercely stood above her with a keen and strong expression. Scabs was threatened by the level of ferocity within Ardine's face; something that he hadn't witnessed before. Lyn kept a straight face as Alfaic remained quiet.
"Please," Ardine said. "I'd want nothing more than that." Ardine said.
"Is there a reason for all this?" The girl asked. "You look desperate, old man."
Ardine averted her concerned gaze. "It's personal business," He stated. "Damn, my airship's refueling. It won't be until two days until it's all ready."
Scabs raised his hand for a voluntary position. "I'll look after it!" He offered. "You can count on me to watch over it while the refugees are settling in. And I'll take care of Dorothy too."
The girl sighed before blinking slowly at the ground. "Fine," She concluded. "I have personal business of my own to attend to as well with them. We leave in two hours."
Ardine stopped her in her tracks and pointed at Lyn. "Only if she gets to come with us as well." He suggested.
The girl locked eyes with Lyn, who had remained silent throughout their conversation. Lyn seemed to lack any enthusiasm or emotion through her blank stare, which prompted the girl to slowly accept her as someone who wouldn't disturb or get in her way. She turned away and began making way for the exit to the guest hall. "Very well." She finished.
"Wait!" Ardine called. "You never told us your name."
The girl stopped by the end of the door and turned around with a smirk on her face. Her short brown ponytail flowed behind her back like butter as her freckled red cheeks blossomed in the desert sun.
"Just a wandering traveler," She said. "That's all."