There are slight game spoilers about what lies in the Amber Island cave from this point forward.

Chapter Two

The view of Portia was always the best at dawn when the city was backlit by the rising orange sun that would awaken life in the city. Chirping birds sat in the branches of the trees on Amber Island keenly watching the woman who was currently resting on a tree branch where she could see the view of the city she had grown to love over the past few seasons. Cool, crisp air filled her lungs and her breath came out in white wisps.

An emerging speck caught her eye at the city gate. Squinting, Linda attempted to make out the figure from atop the tree on Amber Island. As the figure grew closer, she recognized it because of what was trailing behind. Gust was rushing to his painting spot near the bridge with QQ failing to keep pace with him and dragging behind like usual.

Poor QQ, Linda thought, sighing. She continued to watch as Gust set up his easel and paint supplies. Surprisingly, he set it up so he could face the city, which was the opposite direction from the typical setup. Apparently she wasn't the only person that noticed the beauty of the city at dawn as it was adorned by the sun. Gust had an appreciation for art and beauty that she could respect.

QQ eventually caught up and plopped down at Gust's side as the man started to swipe the paintbrush across the canvas. A soft smile flickered to her face as she stared at him. The passion he poured into his work was admirable. It was him letting down his guard and putting emotion into something—his artwork. There was thought put into each meticulous brush stroke, creating life on the once blank canvas. This was a side to the refined man that she rarely glimpsed, as he didn't allow anyone to hover over him as he painted.

Although breathtaking, watching the blond man paint almost made her feel guilty, as if she was infringing on his privacy. This was an activity he performed in solitude for a reason.

Managing to shift her gaze to the ground, she slid off the branch and onto the next one down and continued on down the tree as silently as possible. As much as she loved a great sunrise, it hadn't been the reason she was on Amber Island. Slinking over to the entrance to the cave, she peered inside with her dark blue eyes. There was a dim light pulsing from inside, but it was dark at the entrance of the cave. Reaching around to ensure her iron sword was holstered to her back, she entered the cave, not knowing what to expect.

Meanwhile, Gust's hand was poised over the canvas, but unmoving. His sharp eye for detail had noticed her immediately before he had even set up his easel. It had irked him to an extent that she had been there in the tree and could watch him paint. However, even he could admit that she had been there first and him saying anything otherwise would have been out of line. Besides, it wasn't every day that he noticed someone else slow down and appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.

Unbeknownst to the Builder, his green eyes were trained on her as she wandered behind the trees on the island toward a ginormous, protruding rock. A part of the man wanted to shrug it off, but another part of him was slightly curious as to where she had gone.

It's not like I care, he thought to himself, although he knew this was a lie. The young man's feelings were hard for him to place. There was a certain fondness he felt for the Builder. He would never admit this to anyone, and barely to himself, as he tried to ignore it a majority of the time. The woman was always inquisitive of how he was, how his work was going, and she had become good friends with his sister. Mostly, he brushed her off, as was his habit.

However, his mind kept taking him back to the night he saw her stumble back from the Hazardous Ruins. The man had been about to go to sleep when he had heard a clank outside. This had annoyance surging through his veins, as there was no way he could sleep with noise outside. He had peered outside his bedroom window into the night, the dim light from the street lamp illuminating the feminine frame that had collapsed onto the ground, her sword having been what had clamored to the stone path. The unmoving body had struck a panic in him that he hadn't experienced in years—a feeling he thought was only reserved for family members. Sure, Gust was cold and callous a majority of the time, but he wasn't entirely heartless. He had rushed to the door to assist the woman, but found she had started crawling toward Dr. Xu's house by the time he swung the door open. The panic was slowly washed away with relief upon her movement and seeing the doctor rush from his house to come to her aid.

His hand wavered as he considered returning to his painting, but he let this hand drop to his side as his attention once again returned to the island. He waited a few minutes to make sure she didn't reappear.

Setting down his paintbrush into the bucket of water at the foot of the easel, the man made his way over the bridge and up to the side of the protruding rock formation. Peering around it, he noted the entrance to a cave. This must be the Amber Island cave he had heard his father discussing at some point.

Mouth curling down in disgust of the dirt and filth that was likely inside, the man shoved a hand in one pocket and strolled back across the bridge to his painting. Gust returned to his task after shooting one last glance in the direction of the cave.

"Don't be stupid like last time," he grumbled in regard to the woman.

Along the way to the last room of the cave, Linda had picked up various items that she remembered the townsfolk mentioning were lost or stolen. It had become clear that the bandirats she was encountering had snuck into the city and looted people's property.

Heaving a sigh, the woman stabbed her sword into the soft earth and knelt down, swiping the back of her hand across her forehead to remove the sweat. Her limit had been reached at this point, as bandirats had jumped her from behind when she had been recovering the stolen items for her friends in Portia. Swinging her backpack onto the ground, she pulled some apple juice out and took a swig as she gazed over the edge of the metal overlook she was perched on. Below, her eyes rested upon an oversized rat wielding a fork fit for his size. He was lounging on a couch eating meat off the fork, his minions standing around him, on guard to defend him from anything that may come to harm him.

Standing abruptly to run back to the entrance in order to exit the cave, the Builder froze when the large rat hopped off the couch and pointed the tip of the fork at her from below.

"Who dares to enter my lair?" he shrieked, swinging the fork angrily.

"Are you the one stealing from the citizens of Portia?" she demanded. The rat chuckled somewhat maniacally, clearly proud of himself. There was a glimmer of an unidentified emotion in his beady eyes. His intentions quickly became apparent.

"I've managed to steal everything I wanted from the people in Portia...but I have no one to share all these possessions with." Linda couldn't help but let out a brash laugh at the thought. "They call me the Bandirat Prince. Come, share my possessions and be my Princess."

Placing a hand on her hip and the other hand on her chin as if thinking, she hummed. "Hmm...I don't think so."

"It's not a question," the Bandirat Prince bellowed.

Turning to run back through the cave before having to struggle with the Prince, Linda called, "It's still a no for me!" As she ran, she overheard the Prince order his minions to chase after her. The bandirats were fast, especially against her lagging pace due to lack of stamina.

The light of day splashed across her body as the woman finally emerged out of the cave right as the bandirats were clawing at her back. Linda crumpled to the ground from the flood of relief through her body. Falling onto her back, she stared up at the white, puffy clouds.