The clanging of steel rang out all around Annabeth. Shouts. Screams. An arrow flew past her eye. Where had it come from? Who shot it? Her eyes darted around frantically as she tried to find something to focus on. Where was Zazie? Was she in danger? Annabeth needed her. No sign of that familiar gray dress.
A glint of steel. An attacker with a sword. Annabeth froze up. Her own blade was still sheathed by her waist. Her breathing cut short as her mind raced.
No. No time to freeze. Annabeth blinked once, then twice. Still stood in place as the attacker charged. He was older. Larger. Probably stronger. He raised his sword into the air, preparing to strike down with all of his might.
Annabeth drew her sword and parried the strike. Before the attacker could recover, she cut him down, slicing him from shoulder to stern. His blood spewed from the wound as he fell. Some of it stained Annabeth's armor. Stained it red. Blood red. She felt her lungs seize up as she fell short of breath. Had she been breathing?
Breath in. Breathe out.
The clanging of steel stopped.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
The blood was still there.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Voices.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
"Unfortunately, we have neither the manpower nor the time to bury the dead. Have some men collect what they can from our fallen allies; we'll keep those for their families as we press onwards."
"Huh?" Annabeth jumped as she heard Zazie's voice. There she was, in her familiar gray dress, talking to one of the soldiers. She looked over to her. Looked past her. Bodies strewn across the ground, slashed and pierced and burnt. Most had been enemies. Some had been allies. Annabeth knew a few of their names. Hadn't learned the others. Too late now. She closed her eyes. Still saw the bodies. Bloodied. Cut, maimed, burnt. Her lungs seized again.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
"Annabeth!"
"Ah!" Annabeth said, going wide-eyed as she looked up to see Zazie right in front of her. "I'm sorry, I..."
"Don't apologize. You look pale. Are you injured? You don't seem so..." Zazie followed Annabeth's gaze to the bodies strewn out across the ground behind her. "Ah. I see. This is your first time on the battlefield, after all; it's understandable."
"No, I... I shouldn't be..." Annabeth paused for a moment. "I've seen people die before. When... when I first met you, back when I was saving you -"
"That was one death. You had yet to see bloody conflict on a larger scale before today," Zazie said, interrupting Annabeth. "It's understandable. Nobody should have to see this. To get used to it."
"How are you... how are you handling it so well?" Annabeth asked. "You're unfazed by... all this."
"I'm... not unfazed. But I've seen death before, many times. Both with my own eyes, and the visions I've received. I know that the death I've seen so far is nothing compared to what may come, and so I must steel myself and press forward," Zazie said, putting her hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "And that is why I want you to promise me something."
"What... what is it?"
"I chose you to walk this path alongside me. I believe you're capable of steeling yourself for the fight ahead, no matter how bloody it is. But it won't be easy. Both of us know this," Zazie said, looking straight into Annabeth's eyes. "I may ask you to fight for me in conflicts a thousand times bloodier than this. To spill the enemy's blood and kill in my name. And, as much as I would like to avoid it, there may come a time when I would ask you to put your life on the line for me. To enter the abyss with the chance that you may never come back out."
Zazie stopped. Took a breath.
"Through all that, I need you to swear to me that you will not waver. That you will steel yourself and face our obstacles head-on. Such conviction is necessary if we are to save this world."
Annabeth paused for a moment. But only for just a moment.
"I swear," Annabeth said. She took a deep breath. She faltered during this battle. She wasn't prepared for what she had to face. What she would have to do.
She wouldn't make that mistake again.
"Good. Now, take some time to rest and organize your thoughts. I'll send someone to check on you before we move out," Zazie said, flashing Annabeth a weak smile before she moved to coordinate the other knights. Annabeth took her advice, stumbling over to the nearest tree and slumping down against its trunk. She looked down. Blood still stained her armor.
It likely wouldn't be the last time.
Chapter 7: Enemy at Twelve O' Clock
"Finally, solid land!" Zazie exclaimed, smiling as she jumped from the walkway onto the dock. "It feels nice when the ground isn't rocking back and forth all the time, doesn't it?"
"I suppose it does," Annabeth said as she followed behind Zazie. Back in the old world, it was rare to see Zazie give a genuine smile; they often felt forced, for the sake of others rather than herself. It felt slightly strange to see her joyful and smiling. Not strange in a bad way, of course.
"Anyways, we should probably head into town and grab some supplies," Zazie said, pointing down past the port to the connected town. It wasn't as large of a city as Wind Path, but it was still larger than nearly every settlement Annabeth had been through in the old world, barring a few capital cities. "There's not gonna be a lot of places to restock once we get further into the desert."
"Could we not travel along the coast?" Annabeth asked. "I imagine there would be more settlements by the ocean compared to what we would find in the desert. They would be good places to rest and resupply."
"Yeah, they would. If we were just headed to, uh, Valus and that was it, I'd go along the coast until we got to Vale," Zazie explained. She pulled out her scroll and opened it to a picture of a map of the kingdom; there was a big red marker to the east of where they were, in the middle of the desert. "Unfortunately, whoever wants this package is located smack-dab right in the middle of the desert. The area around the southern coasts isn't very developed, so if we take a detour down that way, we'll have no way to actually cut north into the desert, unless you wanna hike a hundred miles through sand and sun."
"That wouldn't be ideal."
"Exactly. But if we just head up north along the coast for about an hour, there's some roads that'll take us into the desert to where we need to go," Zazie said, pointing out some lines further up on the map. "It's not as easy as going along the coast, but it beats crossing open desert on foot. Plus, if we continue along that road, we'll be headed straight to the edge of the kingdom, and right towards, uh, Valus. I've already pinpointed a few settlements along the way where we can stay for the night and resupply."
"I see. That does make sense," Annabeth said, looking over the route Zazie pointed out. "You've put a lot of thought into planning this out."
"I'm a Courier, remember? It comes with the job. If we weren't good at getting things from point A to point B, there'd be no reason to hire us," Zazie said as she put away her scroll and started down the dock. "Now come on, let's go find somewhere to resupply before we head out. There's still a lotta daylight left, you know? I wanna get as far as we can, especially since, you know..."
"The Black Hand are after you. I agree, we shouldn't linger about then," Annabeth said, following Zazie down the dock and into town.
Annabeth slung the pack over her shoulders as she followed Zazie out of the store. It was full of various items; food, Dust, spare clothing, and some other things that she wasn't familiar with. The pack certainly had a weight to it, but Annabeth didn't mind; after all, she was strong enough for it, and any weight she was carrying would lessen the burden on Zazie as they journeyed into Vacuo. Of course, it wasn't like Zazie wasn't pulling her own weight; she also was carrying a pack, but not one as large as Annabeth's. Back in the old world, Zazie's attendants would usually relieve her of any physical burdens. That wasn't an option here, obviously.
"Let's see... I think we have everything, right? At least, what we need until the next place we can resupply," Zazie said, turning to Annabeth. "Anything else you can think of?"
"I suppose we should be fine on supplies, but..." Annabeth said as her eyes wandered down to her sword. "It's been quite a while since I've given my blade a proper look-over. Do you know where I would be able to find a smithy around here?"
"A what?"
"A blacksmith's forge. I would usually go to the castle's forge to have my blade checked and sharpened, but that is unavailable, and I've had neither the equipment nor the time, so..."
"Uh... I don't think blacksmiths exist anymore. If they do, I dunno where you'd find one," Zazie said, opening her scroll and looking through some maps. "But if you're looking for weapon maintenance, pretty much any weapon shop will do that for you, and there's one right down the street."
"Is there?"
"Yeah, it's this way," Zazie said, pocketing her scroll and leading Annabeth over to a nearby shop. Peering through the window, Annabeth saw a wide array of what she assumed was firearms lined up along one wall. The other wall had a variety of more colorful weapons; some of them resembled altered versions of weapons that she knew, while others seemed completely foreign. There were a variety of other products as well, though Annabeth recognized almost none of them. In the back was a counter where an older man was sitting.
"Welcome to Wild Arms. If you're looking for something to protect yourself or do some damage, you've come to the right place," the man said, standing up. "What can I get for you two?"
"I'd like to have some maintenance done on my sword, please. Nothing too special, just sharpening and a light cleaning," Annabeth said,walking up to the counter. She pulled her sword and sheath from her waist and placed it in front of the man. "How much would that be? And how long will it take?"
"Let me take a look," the man said, pulling the sword from its sheath and looking over it for a moment before putting it back. "It's still in decent condition. Thirty Lien and about half an hour should do it, and I'll throw in a nice polishing for good measure."
"Thirty Lien?" Annabeth asked as she turned to Zazie, who fished some of the multicolored cards out of her pocket before handing them to the man. He counted up the cards, then nodded.
"Looks good. I'll be working this over in the back, so feel free to hang out or leave, as long as you're here in half an hour," the man said, taking Annabeth's sword and exiting through a door in the back of the shop. After a few seconds, Annabeth heard metal scraping metal as she assumed the man was getting to work. Now, what to do in the meantime?
"We've already gotten everything we need, so there's not much to do until we get your sword back. Then, we can head out," Zazie said with a sigh. "You wanna stay here? Or take a look around town?"
"It would probably be better for us to stay and wait. The sooner we can get my sword, the sooner we can leave and hopefully avoid any assassins," Annabeth said as her gaze wandered to the wall where several guns were displayed. "I'm also quite curious about these weapons. There are some that look similar to ones I've seen before, but others look... well, completely different."
"Oh yeah, you probably wouldn't really know. I guess, you know how there's a bunch of different bladed weapons? You've got shivs, throwing knives, swords, scimitars, axes, spears, and whatever? It's the same with guns. Sure, they all shoot bullets, but besides that there's a lot of differences between them," Zazie said, pointing to one of the larger guns on the wall. It was large and sleek, with a lengthy front piece and a number of pieces and attachments that Annabeth didn't recognize. "Like, that Atlesian A30 Precision Rifle? It's designed for range and accuracy above anything else. Sure, the recoil can be pretty killer on your shoulder if you're not used to it, but depending on what you're shooting through and what kind of ammo you're using, you can take down a target from up to two kilometers away."
"Two kilometers?" Annabeth asked as she pictured the distance in her head. Being able to hit anything from that distance seemed unheard of with any weapons or magic, let alone doing so with any degree of precision.
"And if you're looking for something a little more compact, there's the VC-45," Zazie continued as she pointed down to one of the smaller guns. It looked similar to the weapon that she had used to kill the assassin back in Wind Path. "It's easy to carry pretty much anywhere, and with the right attachments and ammo, you can barely hear it go off. It's not as popular since it doesn't have enough stopping power for Grimm, but that's not really what it's for."
"You know quite a lot about these weapons. Is it something you have to learn as a Courier?" Annabeth asked, turning to Zazie. "I thought you didn't like using weapons due to your Semblance."
"Yeah, uh... not really, but I learned some of them because, well... if I had to use them against Black Hand assassins, I'd have to know how they worked. Plus, some of them might be used against me," Zazie explained. "Anyways, maybe we should buy you a gun? One of the cheaper ones, of course. I'm not sure how effective your sword or your... magic will be against everything that might attack us. Most people who need to fight carry at least a pistol or something."
"My blade and magical talents have served me well thus far. I'm not completely closed off to the idea of learning how to use one of these guns, but I assume it would take me quite a while to become proficient with them, and I don't think that's time we have," Annabeth said, turning and looking around the rest of the shop. Along the other wall were various weapons that she was having a hard time describing; they resembled familiar weapons such as swords, knives, and spears, but had odd mechanical parts integrated at certain points, often resulting in unconventional and sometimes strange shapes and forms. Some resembled crosses between bladed weapons and the guns Annabeth had just seen, while others she had no idea how they functioned. "What... how do these work?"
"Oh yeah, those are the more eccentric weapons. Mecha-shifts, hybrids, stuff like that. Huntsmen like them a lot, and you sometimes see more eccentric combatants use them. I think I've seen a few more high-profile mercenaries use things like this," Zazie explained as she followed Annabeth's gaze to the other wall. "They're usually custom-made, and they cost a lot to make and maintain, so I don't like them. Huntsmen love them though, so I guess they're good against the Grimm or something."
"How do they work?" Annabeth asked. She wasn't quick to discount these weapons, but they seemed oddly balanced or complicated to handle compared to her own blade or the guns she had just seen.
"It depends from weapon to weapon, but usually - " Zazie started to say, just as there was a ringing sound coming from her pocket. "Hold on."
"What is it?" Annabeth asked as Zazie pulled her scroll. She frowned for a moment before closing and pocketing it.
"Eh, it's nothing. Actually, gimme a minute. I wanna ask the shopkeeper something," Zazie said, making her way over to the door in the back. "Can you keep watch? If someone from the Black Hand comes along, a place with a bunch of weapons is probably the worst place for me to be with them."
"As you wish," Annabeth said as she watched Zazie disappear into the back room. She took a moment longer to look over the strange weapons on the wall before turning towards the entrance of the shop. The street outside was fairly busy, which made sense; it was approaching noon, and people were going about their jobs or finding a place to eat.
Right. We should find a place to eat after this, Annabeth thought as her eyes scanned over the street. Through the crowd of people, one person in particular stood out. A woman with a wide-brimmed hat and a bandana over the lower half of her face. She was eyeing the shop, looking it over. Was she interested in buying a weapon?
No. Her gaze fell onto Annabeth, and she tensed up instantly. Her instincts screamed. The two locked eyes, and everything was still for a moment. The next moment, she had a small gun in her hand, the end pointed directly towards Annabeth. Between the end and the grip was a cylindrical structure that seemed to hold -
Bangbangbang!
The glass shattered. Annabeth ducked to the side as three projectiles passed right through the air where her head was a moment ago. She crouched low to hide herself from any further gunshots as she reached to her waist, only to remember that she didn't have her sword. She turned and looked to the door in the back of the shop.
Maybe I can -
Annabeth's thoughts were cut short as she heard a crashing sound behind her. Turning around, she saw the woman with the gun kicking down the front door. She looked around for a moment before her eyes locked on Annabeth and she raised her gun.
No time to get my sword, then, Annabeth thought as she silently cast a magic barrier over her body. And not a moment too soon; the woman fired three more times, and while Annabeth was able to sidestep the first shot, the next two caught her in the shoulder, forcing her to stumble back. As she recovered, she saw the woman push the cylindrical structure in the middle of the gun out and load several small metal pegs inside. Annabeth didn't know what she was doing, but the important thing was that she wasn't attacking her.
Now's my chance, Annabeth thought as she channeled magic into hand and formed a small fireball in her palm. However, before she could launch it, the woman raised her gun and -
Bang!
- blasted the fireball straight out of Annabeth's hand, causing it to explode in her face and send her crashing against the back wall and land in a heap in front of the wide display of odd weapons she had seen before.
Alright, no fireballs, Annabeth noted as she looked up to see the woman's gun pointed at her once again. As she fired, Annabeth grabbed the nearest weapon - a strange-looking sword with a mis-angled handle and some odd parts she didn't recognize - and swung it forward, swatting the projectile out of the air. The blade felt alien to her, off balance and awkward to hold, but it was better than no weapon at all.
Bangbang!
Two more shots. Annabeth ducked past one and tried to slice the other out of the air, but her grip faltered on the weapon, causing her to stumble for a moment before she picked herself up. She ran forward to try and get within striking distance of her assailant, but the woman backpedaled, dashing out of the weapon shop with her gun still trained on Annabeth.
Get back here, Annabeth thought as she dashed into the street to chase after the woman. Two more shots rang out; Annabeth sidestepped the first and grit her teeth as the second one slammed into her arm. At this point, nearby bystanders were shouting in panic and clearing the area. Good.
If I remember correctly, last time, she needed to refill her weapon after six shots. Annabeth looked at the woman's gun, and sure enough, the cylindrical part in the center had pushed out. Now she just needed to -
BLAM!
Something slammed into Annabeth's stomach, nearly shattering the barrier she had cast over herself while knocking the wind out of her and sending her tumbling back. Looking up, she saw another gun in the woman's hand, a larger one with two holes at the end. She didn't know what it did compared to the first gun, but whatever it was, it packed a punch.
Just one more thing I have to avoid, Annabeth thought as she pushed herself back to her feet. The woman raised both of her weapons.
Bangbangbang!
Three shots. Annabeth dashed forward, ducking beneath one as she tried to deflect the other two. The weight of the blade threw her off, and she only managed to hit one as the other hit her leg, making her stumble.
BLAM!
A shot from the larger gun fired what looked like a multitude of projectiles. Annabeth stepped to the side, avoiding a direct hit, but some of the shots caught her in the hip. She grit her teeth, pressing forward as she re-cast the magic barrier surrounding her body. Once she got within striking distance, she swung her blade towards the woman's side, only for her to step back just out of reach.
Get back here, Annabeth thought as she advanced and stabbed forward, but the woman stepped to the side as she refilled the larger of her two guns. Annabeth tried to swing her blade to catch the woman, but the awkward handle and weight balance of the sword slowed her down significantly, allowing the woman to duck out of the way before pointing the larger gun right at Annabeth.
BLAM!
The projectiles from the gun slammed into Annabeth's chest like a cannonball, sending her flying back and tumbling to the ground as the sword she was holding flew out of her grip. The barrier she had cast had shattered, and she wasn't sure if she had enough energy to create another one - at least, one that could stand up to the firepower she was facing. She looked up to see the woman approaching, her smaller gun raised towards Annabeth.
"Here!"
Zazie's voice. Something slammed into the side of the woman's head, sending her stumbling as it clattered to the ground. Turns out, that something was her sword. Annabeth reached out and grabbed it as she pushed herself back to her feet.
"Zazie?" Annabeth looked over to the shop, but wherever Zazie had thrown the sword from, she was already out of sight. Well, no matter. That meant she was safe. Now to continue this fight. Annabeth drew her blade as she looked to the woman, who was turned towards the weapons shop.
"Was that..." the woman muttered. Her attention was pulled away from Annabeth for some reason. Was the woman going to try and go after Zazie? Either way, Annabeth couldn't let her do as she pleased. She lunged forward, stabbing her blade forward towards the woman.
Bangbang!
The woman turned and fired twice, but Annabeth was ready, cutting both shots out of the air with her blade as she continued forward. As the woman raised the other, larger gun, Annabeth raised her free hand, channeling magic energy into her palm.
BLAM!
Burst.
Just as the woman shot a barrage of metal forward, Annabeth cast her hand forward, unleashing a shockwave that blew away the projectiles before continuing forward and knocking the woman to the ground. Before she could rise, Annabeth stepped over her, swinging her blade down towards her shoulder. She felt her blade cut through not flesh, but rather metal as the woman brought up the larger gun to block the strike. The woman's arm remained intact, though the same could not be said for her weapon as it split in half.
Bang!
Annabeth leaned back as the woman fired with her other gun, the projectile passing right where her face had been. Before she could fire another, Annabeth kicked the gun out of her hand, sending it clattering down the street.
"Who are you?!" Annabeth shouted as she pointed her blade at the now-disarmed woman's throat. "Why does the Black Hand want to kill Zazie?! Who hired you?!"
The woman stayed silent, but her eyes looked confused, confusing Annabeth in turn. It was clear what she was asking for. What could she have said that confused the woman? There was a clattering noise. Annabeth looked down and saw a canister clatter to the ground right by the woman's hand. What was -
BANG!
A flash of light consumed Annabeth's visions, and her ears suddenly exploded in pain as she stumbled back blindly. Gathering magic in her palm, she quickly passed her hand over her eyes, recovering them just enough so that she could see a mess of blurry shapes in front of her. One of the shapes was quickly running off down the street.
"Wait!" Annabeth shouted, though she could barely hear herself over the ringing in her ears. She tried to give chase, but only made it a few steps before the blurry shape disappeared. Was that even the woman she was after? She couldn't quite tell in her current condition. Best to not risk it. If she was gone, at least Zazie was safe.
"Annabeth!" Zazie shouted. Annabeth turned to see another blurry shape coming towards her. She assumed that was Zazie. "Did you get her?"
"Sorry, I think she got away," Annabeth said as she rubbed her eyes and ears. Soon, the blurriness had faded enough that she could see that it was indeed Zazie in front of her. "But at least you're safe, and that's what matters."
"Yeah, well, I guess that's true," Zazie said, looking back towards the weapon shop. "Come on, let's go back. We need to explain what happened to the shop owner, and you still need your sword sharpened. Plus, we should probably return that gunblade you stole from his wall."
"Gunblade?" Annabeth said, looking over at the odd-looking sword she had taken from the shop.
"Yeah, it's, uh, basically what it sounds like," Zazie said as she made her way over to the sword and picked it up. She pressed something on the side and the entire blade shifted its form, becoming something more similar to the weapons that the woman had been wielding. She pointed it up into the air and fired a few times. "See? Gunblade."
"I... I see," Annabeth said. What a strange design. Well, it fit this strange world, at least. She followed Zazie back into the shop.
The box Annabeth was sitting on shook beneath her. To be more accurate, the carriage underneath it was the one shaking as it rumbled down the coastal road. She looked to the side and stared at the mechanical contraption pulling the carriage along. Zazie said it was... a truck? Whatever it was, the person residing in the front of the truck had offered to drive them up the road for just a small sum of money, which she quite appreciated.
"If you need to go somewhere by road, hitching a ride with someone who's passing through is usually the best way to do it. Sure, you might need to pay a little or barter, but it sure beats walking," Zazie said. She was sitting across from Annabeth, on a box of her own. "Plus, if the view's good, you've got all the time to sit around and appreciate it!"
"I suppose that's true," Annabeth said. She turned as she looked over her shoulder past the road, to the beach and the ocean beyond it. "I assume this... truck, it functions similarly to the boat we crossed the ocean on?"
"On a smaller scale, but basically, yeah. The engine burns Dust to create energy, and that's what gets us moving," Zazie explained. "Let me guess, you're more used to horses or something?"
"That and walking."
"Must suck, having to feed your ride."
"You need to feed these engines Dust, do you not?"
"Yeah, but that's different. It's not like you can leave a horse sitting in a garage without any carrots until you need it."
"That's a fair point."
The conversation died down for a moment as Annabeth watched the ocean go by.
"What happened during that fight?" Zazie asked, breaking the silence. "The assassin got away, right?"
"She did. I tried to question her, but she used something that blinded me and got away," Annabeth said. She sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been caught unaware."
"It's... well, you kept me safe in the end," Zazie said with a smile. "By the way, what kind of weapons did she use? I heard gunshots, but I didn't get a good look. Also, what did she look like?"
"She had a hat and a bandana over her face, so I don't know exactly how she looks. She used a smaller gun with some sort of cylindrical body, and a larger gun with two holes at the end," Annabeth explained. "Why do you ask? Are you familiar with this one as well?"
"If I remember correctly, yup. Cowgirl apparel with a revolver and a sawed-off shotgun? That's probably Jessie Slate, another of the Black Hand's top assassins. She's an expert gunslinger, one of the best in the organization."
"Another high-ranking member? Whoever hired them to kill you must have paid quite a lot," Annabeth said. "Do you know who would do such a thing? I know they came after your family before, but why start again now? Why would someone want to kill you so badly now?"
"I'm not really sure. I've been... I've just been a Courier ever since, well, you know," Zazie said, looking over to the front of the truck. She turned back to Annabeth and smiled. "But things aren't so bad, right? Even with the Black Hand after me, I've got you to rely on. You'll protect me, right?"
"Right."
That was the oath Annabeth swore to uphold.
"You're pretty strong. You even managed to fend off some of their elite assassins," Zazie said as she leaned in towards Annabeth. "But... if we want to keep me safe, you might need to do more than that."
"What do you mean?"
"Jessie got away. That means she might come after me again, right?" Zazie asked. Annabeth nodded. "That's one more danger to me. To us. The next time you manage to catch her down, don't try to question her. That let her get away this time."
"You mean..."
"I... don't like to say it, but it would probably be better for you to just kill her. As well as any other assassins that come after us. If the Black Hand is sending their most elite, we should be taking any opportunity to stop them from being a threat. That means you need to eliminate them when you get the chance," Zazie said with a sigh. "Besides, they probably wouldn't know anything about the contract other than who they're supposed to kill. The people who hire the Black Hand often do so anonymously so that they can't be traced. Questioning them would be useless, even if they were cooperative."
"I see. That... makes sense," Annabet said. She did swear that she would spill blood in Zazie's name if she had to. As much as she disliked killing, Zazie's logic made sense; by questioning the assassin and letting her escape instead of just killing her, Annabeth had put Zazie in very real danger. "Very well. If I find myself in that position again, I won't waste time with any questions. I'll do what's necessary to ensure your safety."
"Great! I knew I could rely on you," Zazie said with a smile. She reached back into her pack and grabbed a sandwich, tossing it over to Annabeth before grabbing one of her own. "Here, I picked this up at the general store back in town. It's getting close to noon, and I'm guessing you're probably hungry after that fight."
"I am," Annabeth said, grabbing the sandwich and biting into it. Ham, tomato, and lettuce. It tasted good. "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. It's the least I can do after all you've done."
As the two girls continued eating, the truck rumbled down the coastal road, towards their next destination.
A/N: And that's chapter 7! The two girls make it to Vacuo, and another assassin appears. Luckily, they make it out safely, but what will happen next as they continue into Vacuo? Stay tuned to find out!
Thanks to those who have read, followed, and favorited. If you've got anything to say, please leave a review; I really appreciate hearing what you think of the story, as well as any feedback you might have. Have a nice day!