Chapter 2
"Alys...for God's sake...wait up...!" Chaz gasped angrily, but it was no use. She was pissed. Fists clenched so tight the knuckles were white and light blue eyes narrowed to almost slits, Alys made her way down the long narrow hallway to the Dean's office.
Hahn grabbed onto Chaz's arm and pulled him to a stop, taking deep breaths as he did so. "Hey..." He gasped. "Alys...she won't...you know...hurt the Dean, will she...?" His eyes widened when Chaz remained silent. He clutched his forehead with a trembling hand and started again after the fuming Hunter.
The Dean's office wasn't so dark anymore; he had lifted one of the shades, and allowed a single beam of light to illuminate him, sitting at his desk. He looked up as Alys stomped into the room. "Oh, Miss Brangwin, you're back early! Is something wrong?"
Alys took a deep breath and walked to the desk. She growled and slammed her fists down on the top, rattling the piles of books on the edge and causing them to scatter to the floor. "Oh, yeah." She said softly, bringing her gaze to his surprised eyes. "There's a problem."
Hahn and Chaz appeared behind her, wheezing. The Dean glanced up at the sight of Hahn. "Hahn, why is this woman acting in such a way?"
The scholar opened his mouth to speak, but Alys broke in. "You got somethin' to say, you say it to me!" She cried angrily pointing to herself.
He flinched. "Alright then...Miss Brangwin. You look....upset for some reason...Why?" he asked cautiously.
Alys smiled and nodded. "That's better." She said leaning forward. "Yes...I'm quite upset. I get very upset when someone's breaking the law."
His eyes widened. "Breaking the law? What are you...?"
"Don't interrupt me!"
The Dean leaned back from her glare and nodded slowly. "Alright...continue."
She reached up and pushed her hair back. "Last time I looked, my dear Mr. Gains, breeding monsters was not on the list of things law abiding citizens do."
"Breeding monsters? You must be mistaken! I..."
Alys' hand shot out and grasped the Dean's coat front. She smiled and pulled him nose to nose with her. "Hey now, don't you be beatin' around the bush, principal man. I know what I saw."
"How dare you..." Dean Gains sneered at her. "Unhand me right now...!"
"I'll unhand you when you tell me what the hell I saw!"
The Dean gave a pleading look at Hahn and then turned back to Alys when he received no response. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "We're not breeding monsters down there. That I can assure you."
"Then what the hell..."
"It's not ours! They were brought back from Birth Valley!"
Chaz perked up. "Birth Valley? But how...?"
Alys released her grip on the Dean and leaned back. His hands flew to caress his neckline. "I don't you there was an outbreak of a new kind of monster. It's got everyone all riled up. Professor Holt's team analyzed the situation, and realized it originated from there." He said eyeing Alys.
"But I don't understand..." Hahn started.
"He found the remains of an ancient civilization."
"Oh wow, an ancient civilization?" Chaz cried.
Alys shot a glare at him, then back at the Dean. "Continue."
The Dean nodded. "Yes, a city of metal he called it. Lights blinking, sounds whirring...he said it was more amazing than anything he had ever encountered... He found many trinkets there and among them were the monster breeding capsules." He clasped his hands and rested his chin on them. "The investigation was a success. They brought the capsules back to examine them, but something went wrong. They began to act on their own, breeding monster after monster and making the basement a hell hole. We tried to shut off the entrance and seal them in, but obviously, it didn't work."
"That's why you needed us, right?" Alys asked.
"Yes."
Hahn stood and leaned over on the desk. "But what about Professor Holt? He's gone and no one knows where he is! How do you explain that?"
"Patience, Hahn." Gains said waving a hand casually. "He figured they didn't bring enough things back. He wanted to send a second team out. Of course he would lead them and..."
"They never came back." Alys said softly.
"Ah...that is correct."
"So...why didn't you send someone to find them? I mean it can't be too hard..." Chaz said.
Dean Gains coughed. "You don't understand...I tried to rescue them, but..."
"You 'tried'? What do you mean by that? Why hasn't the Professor returned?!" Hahn cried.
The Dean's pale blue eyes went to the floor. "It was...'Him'."
Alys and Chaz leaned forward. "Who?"
"As I was organizing the rescue team, a man appeared before me, right out of thin air..."
"Who?" Alys repeated sternly.
"Zio, alright! A man named Zio appeared!" The Dean cried harshly, glaring at the Hunter woman. Her eyes widened. "Zio? I've heard of him! Guy in black, right? Walking around using techniques and calling it 'magic', right?"
The Dean went quiet. Hahn pushed Alys to the side and leaned on the desk. "What did he say to you, Gains? Why did you not send out the rescue team?"
"I couldn't."
"Why not?!"
"Because they're all dead, Hahn!"
Hahn's face blanched. "They're...what...?"
The Dean's voice began to tremble as he spoke. "He showed me... He showed me the team. All...all of them...turned to stone..."
"Stone?!" Chaz cried. "But there are no techniques for that? What the hell..."
"Chaz is right." Alys spoke gently. "There aren't any. How could he have done something like that?"
Hahn clenched his fists and turned towards the door. "Whatever the case, they can't be dead. There's got to be someone."
"No Hahn. He got everyone. He'll get you too if you go. He told me he would..." The Dean whispered.
Hahn shook his head. "I have to go. I won't believe it until I see it. You're known to be a coward, Gains. I...I just can't believe Professor Holt would allow anything like that to happen."
"He's a Professor, Hahn, not a warrior! Things happen...and I would rather everyone just leave this alone!" The Dean cried.
Hahn laughed gently and reached into his pocket, fingers closing around the knife. It felt cool under the scorching heat of his hand. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone what happened. If I die...let it be so. He would have done it for me." He said starting to walk.
"Hahn..." Alys whispered watching him disappear from the room. She didn't know why. It wasn't like it had anything to do with her, but she couldn't watch him go to his death. There was something she remembered hearing about that Zio man. Something horrible. What, she couldn't remember, but it banged on the edge of her mind and pushed her to stand, pushed her to follow him, pushed her, to join.
"Alys! Where are you going?" Chaz cried as she stood abruptly.
She turned and flashed him a smile. "Hey, he helped us, now why don't we help him?"
"It has nothing to do with us, Alys, you know that. Why do you want to get us involved in something..."
"You do want to see the ancient civilization, don't you?"
He sighed and looked down. "Yeah...I guess...but..."
She reached out and grasped his arm. "Alright then, let's go! I mean, what else are we going to do? Save puppies? Lost children? Who cares about that stuff? This is the big shit here!"
Chaz turned as a soft laugh filled the air. The Dean was pressing his hands on his mouth, trying to muffle the sound. "You'll die. Just like them..."
Alys glared at him. "You just make sure our money's waiting for us at the Guild, Gains, and I'll keep my mouth shut about the monster situation, alright?"
The Dean continued to laugh and nodded. "Whatever Miss Brangwin...much use that money's going to be when you're a statue..."
"Come on, Chaz, let's go find Hahn..." Alys said softly, pulling him towards the door and still eying the laughing Dean.
* * *
"I don't believe this! Professor Holt can't be...he would let...he couldn't..."
"Hahn! Wait up!"
Hahn turned to see Alys and Chaz running towards him, arms waving. He sighed and shook his head. "What do you want? If it's to join me, I'm not taking you. I'd rather do this on my own."
"Aw, Hahn, it's not like we have anything else to do... Come on! You helped us defeat the monster, we should return the favor!" She pouted.
"I'm not taking you. You and especially the kid."
"I'm not a kid!" Chaz cried, cheeks flushing.
Hahn shook his head again. "I can't...I..."
"Hahn...you do know it's egg laying season for sand worms, right?" Alys said putting her weight on one foot and pushing her long brown hair back. "You'll need the extra hands, I'm telling you. Pretty as your little technique you used back there was, it'll never match those monsters out there."
"It's still none of your business..."
"They get up to fifty feet long."
Hahn's stomach churned and he closed his eyes. "Are you...serious?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yep. So...what do you say?"
"I...I still don't think..."
"I'm telling us you need us!" She cried, cheeked reddening. "Okay, okay if we don't prove useful in at least a day, we'll go home, alright?"
Hahn thought a second, then nodded quickly. "Fine, but hurry up before I change my mind, alright?"
She smiled. "Alright, three hundred meseta, plus expenses."
Hahn blinked twice. "Huh...what?"
"Okay! It's a deal! Come on, Chaz! We're going to buy you the best sword in this dump!" Alys cried grabbing the blonde boy's arm and pulling him down the hallway.
Hahn clenched his teeth and balled his fists. "Hey! Wait! You're the ones who wanted to come! You...stop! You're taking my money! Wait up!" He cried running after them.
* * *
"Oh, wow this is the best sword ever! It's so much better than the one that broke, don't you think, Hahn?" Chaz exclaimed swinging the sword into the air. The metal gleamed in the sun and Hahn shielded his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah it's good alright. For how much that damn thing was worth, I better see it save my life, now...quit waving it around, Chaz....you're going to hurt someone." Hahn said sharply.
Chaz brought it down. "Boy, mister, you sure know how to suck the fun out of everything."
Hahn glared at him. "It's not that...I just...it was really a lot of money!"
Alys clapped a hand on his shoulder and he winced. "Hey Hahn don't be such a crybaby! It's gonna be okay! We're going to help you save the Professor and then we'll be on our way!"
Hahn looked back at her and sighed. "It's...really not like that, Alys... To tell you the truth, I am a bit glad you guys came."
"I knew you would be."
He scratched his head. "So, how about we stop in Mile before we get to Zema. I heard they make pretty good armor there. If there's something weird in Birth Valley, we're going to need some armor."
Alys nodded. "Well put, Hahn." She lifted her hand to her forehead and peered out into the sandy distance. They had only been walking for about an hour, but Mile was already coming into view.
Chaz waved the sword again and did a few little jumps into the air. "What are you doing?" Hahn asked.
The boy grinned. "Practicing. Alys likes to make fun of my technique. If I practice, she won't be such a bitch."
"Language. And I'll make fun of you no matter how much you practice. You're still too slow."
"Aw...Alys..."
Hahn kicked some dirt with his boot and hiked his backpack higher on his back. "You know, Alys, for this world to be so 'dangerous'... I haven't seen a sandworm yet."
Alys stopped and turned to face him, hands on her hips. "Are you calling me a liar Mahlay?" She sneered.
"No, no, no!" Hahn cried, waving his arms. "I just...don't know if you have your information all...right..." Suddenly, the ground beneath him bubbled up and threw him off balance. Sand flew and he shielded his eyes. Through the stinging grains, he opened his mouth to cry out and was met with an ear piercing inhuman scream. As quickly as it had started, the small sand storm died down and Hahn moved his arms back, shaking the sand off of them. "What the hell just happened..." He stopped as his eyes met a large brown blob lying next to his feet. It's mouth was opened and angled to the sky, rows and rows of jutting yellow teeth shining in the sunlight. His stomach churned.
"You okay, Hahn?"
He turned to see Alys breathing heavily, holding a blood soaked slasher. Stunned, he nodded slowly. "Yeah...I..."
Combing her fingers through her hair and picking up a pack that she obviously threw off, she snorted. "Don't you ever question me again."
His wide brown eyes went back to the slain sandworm and closed. Yeah...he wouldn't.
* * *
"Hello! Welcome to Mile! Are you here to visit my famous sandworm ranch?"
Hahn tried to keep himself from gagging while Alys shook her head kindly. "Well, we were just passing by and..."
"Holy shit, Alys! Check this out!" Chaz cried running and jumping onto the large wooden fence lining the outskirts of the town.
Ignoring Hahn's protests, she settled beside the boy. It was a huge quicksand-like cage. Every now and then the largest sandworm she had ever seen would burst through the sand, leap into the air with an awkward grace, and then plunge back into its depths. She noticed her fingers were clutching the wood painfully hard. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" She turned to see the man that had so eagerly met them at the town entrance.
"Ah...yes...I guess..."
He smiled through a large black bushy mustache. "Are you serious? You don't think so? I mean, the grace...the marvelous beauty of something so wonderful...here in our town!"
"It's actually kind of creepy." Hahn said softly, clutching a sign posted near them saying 'Mile's Famous Sandworm Ranch'.
"I think it's neat." Chaz said wide eyed, watching the sandworm do another dive. "This pretty great tourism. I mean the town's doomed anyways, what with the spreading quicksand...I mean sooner or later it'll be engulfed and then what will you do? You'll need money to move, right?"
"Chaz!" Alys cried reaching and grasping his arm. She pulled him from the fence and shoved him towards Hahn. "You don't say things like that! Have some decency...!"
"No, the boy's right...Ever since that castle came into view."
Hahn looked up. "Castle?"
The ranch owner pointed out over the sea of sand. Sure enough, deep in the distance, something that resembled a castle shimmered in the desert heat. "It just appeared one day. It appeared and the sea of sand began to spread." He sighed and stroked his mustache. "One day it will overrun this place, and then we'll have to move on. It's a harsh reality, but we all know it."
"Why do you stay? I mean it can't be too much longer..." Hahn said.
"Maybe it's because we love the land we're born in. I love my sandworm ranch. I wouldn't trade it for the world." He said softly.
Alys nodded. "Well said, now it's starting to get dark guys, let's head for the Inn."
"Oh I own that too." The ranch owner said excitedly. "Since you guys took the time to see my precious ranch, I'll give you tonight for free."
Chaz grinned. "Seriously? Wow, hey Hahn, you don't have to pay now!" The scholar grumbled.
Alys nodded and shook the owner's hand. "Well, thank you very much, we appreciate it!"
"Just head on over there. Tell me wife it's on me. I'll be there soon; my little baby needs feeding!" he exclaimed heading over to a small shack near the ranch's entrance.
Hahn's stomach growled and he clutched it. "Oh gross, I can't believe my stomach could be hungry at a time like this."
Alys laughed. "Come on you guys, let's get to the Inn."
* * *
"Well, that sure hit the spot!" Alys cried tossing a chicken bone back onto one of the plates in front of her.
Hahn nibbled on a leg and glanced over at Chaz who was still wolfing everything down. "Do you people never eat?" He asked making a face.
She laughed. "Well, yeah, but nothing like this."
"Yeah, Alys' cooking sometimes sucks."
"No it doesn't! I happen to be very good at it! It's just, we never have the right things..." She cried clenching her fists.
Hahn laughed. "You two are quite entertaining, you know that?"
Chaz burped and took a swig of water from a plastic jug on the table. "Yeah, well Alys doesn't know when to not be a bitch sometimes."
"Damnit Chaz, I've told you time and time again, not to use harsh language!"
Chaz slammed the jug down and water flew from it. Hahn covered his dishes. "Why don't you just shut up Alys! How come you can use bad language, but I can't?" He cried, cheeks reddening.
She grasped a napkin and dabbed at her mouth. "Because you're too young."
"Too young?! What the hell is that supposed to mean? You ain't that much older than me!"
"I'm older than you think! Now, why don't you get onto bed. I want us to get up early in the morning."
Chaz stood abruptly and gathered his dirty plates. After shoving them into the sink, he faced Alys, green eyes blazing. "Fine, but I want to remind you of something, woman." He said softly. "You ain't my mother."
She threw the napkin down and stood from her seat. "No shit, Chaz, I know I ain't your mother! And you can't yell at me like that, and..." She was greeted by a slam from Chaz's bedroom door. Body trembling, she sat back down slowly in her seat.
Hahn took a napkin and tried to mop up all of the water. "You know, Alys, why are you so harsh to him?"
"What did you say?"
Hahn shrank back at the look she gave him. "I was just asking, I mean...how old is the kid?"
"Sixteen."
He tossed the wet napkin to the said and laughed. "Ah, he's old enough, let him say what he wants."
"You don't understand."
Hahn looked up. She didn't look angry anymore. Her blue eyes were narrowed, peering intently at the floor. She reached up and knotted her hair in a messy unbanded ponytail. "What don't I understand?"
She smiled. "I don't want him to end up like me."
"Like you?" Hahn asked taking another bite of chicken. "You, the 'Eight Stroke Warrior'? How could you not want him to be like you? You're famous, you're..."
"Do you know how I got that name?"
He lowered the chicken leg to his plate and shook his head. "Well...no, but..."
She lifted her leg and set it on the table. Hahn made a face and pulled the food back. She draped an arm over it and smiled. "You wanna know?"
"If it helps me to understand...then I guess so."
She laughed gently and raised a mug of beer to her lips. She took a swig and then slammed it back onto the table. "Alright then." She said licking her lips. "It's a long story."
"I figured it would be. Go ahead."
She winked and then started to mess with the condensation on her beer mug. "Well, let's see...I joined the Hunters Guild about...oh, say eight years ago, a few years before I met that blonde idiot." Hahn laughed. She smiled and scratched her leg. "Well, when I joined, I was young...hot headed, always in the mood to fight."
"And that's any different from now?"
"Shut up, Hahn, You wanna know or not?"
"Alright, alright."
"Anyways, like I said, young. When I joined, there was something going on in the Guild. Remember the big Black Market Scandal back in the day?"
"Yeah. I remember." Hahn said nodding. "Made my parent's pissed."
"Yeah, well, the Guild found out even some of the Hunters were part of it. They couldn't let that happen, so they hired some of the best people they could find." She pushed her bangs back and stared out into the night sky through the window in front of her. "There was this man. Great man, arrogant man. Not a Hunter, but a damn good technique user. From Dezolis they said. Anyways, I had to partner with him. They wanted some of us young Guild members to get some field work in."
"So you guys went after the Black Market Hunters, right?"
Alys nodded. "Word got out they were having a gathering in the depths of the Guild. The Guild for Christ's sakes...Anyways they wanted us to bust it up. Ru...I mean my partner told me we might have to take some of them down. He didn't want to do it, and neither did I, but if they attacked, we would have no choice."
"So..."
"So..." She said glaring at the impatient Hahn. "We busted up the party and I..." Her eyes again went to the window.
"You what? What Alys?"
She forced a smile. "Have you ever killed anyone, Hahn?"
His eyes widened. "Hunter's kill people? I thought it was just monsters and putting the people in jail! I..."
"Have you ever killed anyone?"
"Well...no, of course not, but..."
"Do you know how it feels to take someone's life?"
"No, Alys...I..."
"I took the whole room."
Hahn stared at her for a second, half wishing she didn't say that and half wishing she wasn't still smiling. "Alys..." He finally managed to say.
"Of course, my partner helped, but I took the majority of them in eight strokes. Amazing you say? Luck had a big part of it. That...and I was scared. Somehow they knew we were coming. Probably a traitor on our side, I mean, half of them were crooked Hunters. They killed half our men before we had a chance to attack. I had to. That's what Ru...That's what I had to do." Her eyes widened when she felt Hahn reach over and grasp her hand. She blushed and took it away. "I don't need your pity, Mahlay. I chose to do it, and I got the name for it. No one really knows why. They just think I'm one hard ass Hunter and that's perfectly fine with me."
"I just can't imagine...what that would have been like..."
"Not pretty." She said smiling. "Anyways, like I said, I don't want Chaz to have a reputation like me. I want him to be respectful, and hopefully decide to quit this business. He's a good kid, and I feel like he has so much more to him than beating up monsters."
"Yeah...maybe he does."
Her gaze went to Chaz's closed door. "I just wish he'd understand why I'm so hard on him... I just want the best for him. I know I'm not his mother, and I'm not trying to be. I damn well think, though, that he's my responsibility. If he fucks up, it's under my name, you know, Hahn."
The scholar laughed and nodded. "You might as well be his mother."
She laughed. "Hell no, I ain't that old."
Hahn wiped his mouth and stood. "Well, I'm off to bed, Alys. Good night."
"Hey Hahn," She said gently as he turned.
"Yes?"
She looked down and felt the embarrassing twinge of a blush on her cheeks. "Thanks for...uh...listening to me. It was nice of you to take the time and all..."
He smiled. "No sweat Alys, anytime!"
She watched as he disappeared into his room and took another swig of beer. Eyes closing, she leaned back. "Well...I haven't thought about him in a long time..." She whispered to herself.
* * *
In the darkness, Chaz wiped away a tear stubbornly. This was stupid, why was he crying? It wasn't as if he didn't think she cared, he had just...she never said anything... He squeezed his eyes closed and pulled the covers tight over his head. "Alys..." He whispered into the pillow.
