Chapter I: The Dune of pilgrimage
"Those who seek comfort in wreckage shall lie upon the steep of dismay."
- Prophecies of Tenelor
The city was a beautiful wreck to perceive. Its ruined buildings danced under the midday sun as light refracted from its edifices. A woman stood high up by the central obelisk, engrossed. She wore trimmed dusters as her pauldron donned a hexagonal ⬡ symbol. The structures towered over her in great melancholic fashion as the wind rustled on her face. She viewed across the horizon, against the towering behemoths, while tattered banners swayed in the wind, reciting ballads of truthful sorrow.
The woman sighed, "Why move when tomorrow is unclear?" she thought to herself. She had been rummaging through the ravaged surface for as long as she could recall. For once, she felt safe. She felt at peace. She caught a moment of stillness in a world full of motion.
The burning wind whistled across the ruined aqueducts, as the sounds of rattles came about the wires that hung over her. The towers stood tall. All were created with purpose, yet all were disgraced of passion.
"Progress report, sign of activity?" a voice rang from her utility belt.
"Lilith Varie. Report immediately," the voice continued. Lilith slammed her hand on her belt, clutching the radio as hard as she could with a distasteful expression before deactivating the device.
She then reached for a circular disk deep within her pocket. Holding it in her hands, she clenched her right hand into a fist and placed it on her shoulder, muttering a tiny prayer in hopes of blessing its circuits.
Flesh of Ver'As bless this seeker that lay upon my hands. I move unto my sleeve, one of power that will lead us to your blessings. C'est Fayt.
Slowly releasing her grip on the circular device, Lilith slid her thumb across the delicate switch embedded on the device's side. Gradually, the device lifted off her hand, floating as it spun slowly in the air. Soon, the sounds of gear and circuitry were audible, as the upper half of the device lit up, displaying a holographic image of the ruined city she was in.
Selford, her mind whispered as her eyes gazed upon the interface. Where must the dune be when the map itself ignores it? She said, frustratingly, as her hands crossed and her foot tapped on the floor endlessly, unable to find the landmark.
Her struggle with the holographic map lasted multiple minutes until the silhouette of a man appeared behind her screen.
"You do remember that the administration said that the dune's North of Selford, yes?"
The man had a tall stature as a rifle hung from his shoulders. The venturi of the ruined city freed the wind as it hummed throughout the area, lifting the man's cape, revealing a ⬡ mark on his ragged vest.
"How many times are you going to ask me that, Vance? Selford is a city wrapped in a labyrinth; it's not that simple-"
"Then how about the wind?" Vance continued, cutting off Lilith's frustrating rant.
"What?"
"I know you obsess over the flow of the wind, I see it, truly." Vance took three more steps, grabbing the seeker out of the air and deactivating it in his hand.
"The city may be a labyrinth, but it still breathes. Wind follows the path of least resistance, so why not follow the paths where the wind flows smoothest?"
"I've.. never thought about it like that.." Lilith lowered her head. Despite Vance's help, however, she had never gotten used to the language he spoke, as it tended to emanate a confusing aura.
"C'est fayt, my friend. In a world barren of working technology, it is unwise to depend on the ones you hold." Vance let out his arm, handing the seeker towards Lilith.
"Progress report. Now," the radio on Vance's arm yelled with increasing irritation.
"Daise and I have been down here for ages. Do not forget that we're still within scraper territory."
"Yes, Sermänt. We are close to the objective. Just stand by."
"Stand by? We have been on standby for half an hour now, Vance. Do you not understand? If we fail this mission, we will be labeled heretics and be bled across the child's altar."
"Give us five more minutes-"
"But we don't have five minutes!-"
"Wait," Lilith said, pausing the two's conversation over the radio. "North-west, the street is carrying winds of faint yellow dust."
The girl, by her shoulders, always lifted morale within their group. She was shorter than the rest and held a medical pouch by her side. She wore dark gloves that had a heart ♡ symbol on each one. The girl found no freedom and enjoyment in death and blood, compared to the rest. Her face was covered by a tagelmust to protect her from the debris. Despite this, her voice remained charismatic, reassuring Lilith of her delightfulness.
"Daise, a question," Lilith said, approaching Daise as their party slowly crept on the streets north.
"Hm? What is it, Lilith?"
"The wind. Do you think it's alive?"
"Pfft- the wind? Alive? I mean, how could it be alive? It doesn't breathe or eat. It doesn't fight wars of men!"
"But it moves."
"And so do we, Lilith. Yet, I know that in every one of us, we feel just as alive as the wind."
The debris lightly crunched on the rough ground with every step that the group took. Sermänt walked 3 yards ahead of them. His figure was tall and powerful, as his head donned a jagged helmet with a lemniscate ∞, and his eyes a tinted visor, while he kept clear of the way that they were taking.
"Lilith," Daise called as she pulled herself towards Lilith. "You know, I've never understood Regans ∞ and their fashion. I've never gotten a glimpse of Sermänt's face. I do wonder why their culture's blood thirsty."
"Because they're expected to protect," a voice behind them echoed.
"Excuse me?" Daise responded, looking behind her.
"Those in Regas ∞ are expected to protect, and they feel the need to do it well."
The group traversed across the complex streets of the city, with each turn bringing them increasing confusion and fatigue. The wind blew throughout the streets like water flowing in the tunnels, as dust and debris were brought forth to their eyes and faces. The further they scouted north, the stronger the wind's grasp began. What was once a thriving residential city, sprouting with life and greenery, had been abandoned and scourged through time.
"Halt," Sermänt commanded, raising an open palm in the air. "Lilith, remind me of the mission."
"To locate the fallen armored Valiquet of the Enlightened."
"Be specific."
"To gather its remaining hoverports."
"Very well."
The streets seemed never-ending, as Lilith felt her knees start to falter from the fatigue. They had been walking for what felt to be hours, as no new sign of the north had been acquired. Lilith prepared, as she was about to express her discernment to Sermänt, until their final turn.
The harsh winds forced dust into their faces as they struggled to hold their ground. Lilith felt her face being scathed as the harsh winds threw debris towards them. She reached into her vest, pulling out a spare mask, and wrapped it around herself.
"Hold! The wind should clear in a moment!" Sermänt yelled as Lilith clutched tightly on Daise's arm.
With time, the storm weakened as their vision cleared. In front of them was a towering mound of soft yellow hues, the San Pellegro Dune.