Chronicles of Espiria Season 3
Episode 2 – The Land of the Exiles
Written by CindyDaGreat
It was nearing the end of the gamble, and Kren was having none of it.
Thinking it'd be a genius idea to trade away his human accomplice for a fellow criminal's one-of-a-kind, gold-studded leather boots he met at a beaten-down bar, he found himself chasing the persistent man for hours, begging him to relinquish his goods.
"Oh oh oh, but I assure you, this human is very capable, absolutely incredible. Walker, lift me up!" Kren proceeded to stretch his arms out waiting to be hoisted, but the burly bounty hunter only stared down at the rat.
"What's the use of wearing boots?! You don't even wear shoes!"
"Who said I was wearing them? Clearly, they're for my beloved Lady and Hot Stuff! They've been sorely deprived of luxury shoes ever since entering this bar!"
Their third accomplice, Thali, snickered at the exchange while crossing her arms. "Men."
The two bickered and spat, only for the fashionable criminal to cough in his fist. Suddenly very interested in the two, he looked up and down Walker and took special notice of Kren.
"Lady and Hot Stuff, eh? How 'bout this, a night with the two women, and I keep the servant."
Kren audibly gasped, and Walker facepalmed.
"Don't you disrespect my beloved that way! I'll have you know that these babies are some of the toughest in town, big guy." Kren mounted his guns, lovingly caressing and apologizing to the inanimate objects.
"Oh, they're guns? Even better. I'll take both guns, the servant, and one of your molars."
Kren was ready to explode at the ridiculous offer, bunching up his sleeves and handing his guns over to Walker, before the door of the bar croaked and slowly swung open. The bell announcing their presence rang bright and alone. Patrons at the bar who were already engrossed in Kren's entanglement were now drawn to the newest two in their wake.
In came a scrawny, jittery Durri, much unlike Kren, and who looked like he had just been through a war. His clothes were terribly tattered, he sagged with every step of his feet, yet his eyes were wide, alert in every way. On the Durri's shoulders was another, whom some in the bar would recognize as Vurk, renowned Dragonslayer and Stealer of Ridiculously-Hard-To-Get-Arachin-Venom. Vurk's stone-still body quite deterred the fiery rat. Vurk actually made a name for himself, after all. Upon reaching the entrance of the bar, the tired Durri dropped to his hands and knees, as if thanking Dura for all her troubles.
"Refuge...refuge in the Land of Exiles. What a find, Fritz. What a guy you are." Fritz laughed, each rumble shaking his frame, a maniacal quality about him. Shaking his head, he peered up at the crowd of patrons observing him. Just noticing this newfound attention, he suddenly tensed, awkwardly dragging Vurk to an empty table, seating Vurk down like a limp bag of flour.
Click.
A familiar, yet frightening noise caught Fritz's attention. Hands still adjusting Vurk's head, he twisted his face, awaiting a dreaded answer. A portly, well-dressed human in an expensive purple suit got off his stool, pointing the barrel of an equally intricate shotgun at his forehead. Fritz couldn't help but notice the man's lavish boots in his panic.
"Drop the Durri, or your death will be a tad slower."
BLAM!
Fritz barely dodged in time, ducking his head under the table, pulling Vurk's head down in the meantime. Unfortunately, the velocity at which he was dragged was too much, causing Vurk's head to firmly slam the ground.
BOOM!
A different-sounding explosion occurred right next to the targeted Durri, and two small hands grabbed each of them.
"Quickly! In here!"
No time to argue, Fritz ducked into a newly exploded opening with Kren, who blocked the entryway with expertise using nearby debris. A small glimpse to the outside, and Fritz saw Walker brandishing double hand cannons, seemingly shooting aimlessly but with purpose into the crowd. Nearby, Thali was laughing in glee, and seemingly shot fireballs right from her hands, much less precisely. It did not deter the purple criminal, however, wielding his shotgun mercilessly at the two.
"Oi! Want my help or not?"
Fritz was shaken out of his trance, greeting his savior. Kren shook him again, addressing himself proudly.
"I'm Kren, and you're about to perish. Help me steal something and you walk away free! Hear me?"
Fritz considered his options, which were none. This oddly inspiring Durri did save his life. "Alright, fine. What is it? How do I hide this guy?" Fritz relented, gesturing at the newly knocked-out Vurk.
"Actually, can I borrow him? Thanks. I'll explain in a second."
Kren latched on to Vurk, leaping and bursting through their opening. Holding Vurk's body like a trophy in the air, he yelled into the open fire.
"Free bounty in my hands! Come and get it!"
Like dogs to scraps of food, they bounded towards their prize. Queen Anhkira was bound to greatly reward whoever brought her the infamous rat. Kren sped off, quickly looking back at Fritz. "Perfect! You're still alive."
"What are we doing?! I don't sense a plan!?"
"Oh, sweet, naive Durri. Well, since you asked so nicely, just a bit of arson, that's it."
"Arson!? I risked my life for a suicide mission?!"
"You just haven't worked with Thali over there, squirt. Walker!"
The bounty hunter glanced at Kren's voice, then threw both the hand cannon and grenade launcher back to their awaiting owner's hands. He wasn't vulnerable however, whipping out a revolver and continuing to blast as if nothing happened. Kren caught his two guns with delight, calling out to Thali.
"It's your time to shine, maniac!"
From the command, Thali seemed even more invigorated. Fritz quickly shielded Vurk's body with his own as Thali unleashed the full force of her fire. In the corner of his eye, he could see Walker body-blocking the purple-suited man, whose shotgun was now held by Walker. In a split second, the old, creaky floorboards of the bar flared up with hot flames. The areas in which Kren and Walker stood were left untouched, a ring of fire cautiously avoiding them. Kren looked on with a tear in his eye, as panicking patrons tried stomping out the fire or fleeing the bar, with no regard for any life but their own.
Soon, all that was left was the man in the purple suit, forced to squirm on a stool away from the fire. Kren handed Fritz a smoke bomb. "I want you to lob this at the rich man, got it? I've got the escape part covered."
A daunting responsibility handed to Fritz, he chucked the bomb at the stool. Soon, he could hear a coughing noise from the smoky haze, and Kren sprinted towards it. A path was formed from the flames under his step dying out. Seconds later, he came back looking victorious, two lavish boots and a wallet in his hand.
"Let's roll!" Walker exclaimed. Kren took Lady from his waist and blasted a grenade at a random wall not affected by the fire, and a giant hole exploded from the contact. The four and Vurk leaped out, greeting an endless desert. Thali turned around to face her handiwork, sighing in bliss. "I wanted to burn this place into a crisp the moment I stepped in."
"Of course you did," Kren said sarcastically. Though his negativity was short-lived, as he held up his boots and the wallet. "I got the boots! And I robbed him! Job well done, associates."
Walker stared soulessly at the shotgun he stole from their target, handing it to Thali. "If you may."
Thali hoisted the gun as if she was about to shoot it, before twirling the object as it burst into orange flames.
"Actually, burn these too." Kren held up his boots for Thali to happily incinerate.
"We risked our lives getting those!" Fritz interjected.
"Turns out guns don't wear boots, birdbrain. And this size is much too small for a boot-wearer like Walker here!"
Conjuring up another flame, Thali snuffed out the boots as easily as a candle. Fritz observed this strange trio for a moment, wondering how they ever came to meet.
"Well, thanks for letting us borrow your friend here." Kren acknowledged. "Our terrific plan couldn't have come to fruition without him,"
"You're welcome!" An enthusiastic voice responded. "...Who are these people? Oh, hey Fritz! Why am I on the ground?"
Fritz nearly choked from confusion. "Vurk! Uh, how do you feel?"
"Well it feels like I've just woken up from a relaxing coma, that's what. I must've slept like a baby." A daunting realization passed over him. "Wait, what happened to the Durri? The battle, there was a battle, wasn't there?" Vurk looked over at Kren. "You know what happened, right? Though you do seem unfamiliar…"
Kren only stared back in confusion, glancing at Fritz for assistance.
"N-nothing happened at all! We won, didn't we?" Fritz frantically nodded at Kren, who was quick to reply. "Yes! I mean, everyone's safe and back in their beds, isn't that right?"
Vurk let out a visible sigh, but his confusion still lingered. "Then why am I not in bed? Where am I? I could be kicking a demon's backside right now."
"That's, because…"
"Because we owe Fritz here a favor." Walker stepped toward Vurk, carefully choosing his words. "He helped us, now we help him. What did you want us for, again?" Behind Vurk, Fritz gave a look of gratitude.
"I...I needed an escort through the Land of Exiles to report back our victory! A-and I needed Vurk's account of the tale. I ask that you kindly guide us out."
"Well I'm sure there were other Durri with better recollections of the fight," Vurk mused. "I think I was knocked out somehow…?"
"No no no! The person we're reporting back to...prefers professional faces like you! You're our leader, Vurk."
Vurk seemed puzzled at the reason, but beamed nonetheless when regarded as a leader. "You know what, I suppose I was the first to awake when those ferocious beasts came into our territory. Alright, I'll come! They'll never hear a story more awe-inspiring than this!"
Vurk slammed his fist into his palm resolutely, smiling wide for the first time since awakening. Meanwhile, Fritz looked ever more crestfallen.
"Can we speak to Fritz in private?" Thali finally said.
They ushered Vurk away as best as they could in a desert, opting to travel a good distance away while Vurk sat peacefully on a rock.
"You didn't win a battle." Kren said matter-of-factly.
"No, we really didn't."
Fritz explained the entire story, from the apparent alliance between the Arachins and the Hypogeans, to them laying waste to their once-fortified stronghold. "I want to protect him. But is this the right way?"
A hesitation passed between the four, before Walker cleared his throat. "I can't tell you what's right and what's wrong. You disturb that balance when you become a bounty hunter. You cross lines you'd never think you'd cross." He drew in a breath through his nose. "So I can't help you with that. But, I know someone who'd be happy to help and hear your reports. Ever heard of someone named Gretel Hawke?"
Silence.
"That's expected, she's not one for attention. Knowing her, she may have descriptions of this Hypogean leader you saw. She's been in every corner of Espiria, it seems. Her research may help you turn the tide with this war."
"Now hold just a second, if this Hawke isn't one for attention, how would YOU know about her?" Kren interrupted.
"Walker's past isn't as simple as we thought?" Thali jested, the attention now on the annoyed bounty hunter.
"Calm down, you buffoons. We encountered each other in this Scorched Expanse, not long before I met you two. Not too long ago, she was seen traversing here, supposedly speaking to Mauler officials about the Hypogeans. Some other man was with her, I don't know who."
Walker shrugged nonchalantly, which disappointed but alleviated his Mauler accomplices. Fritz considered Walker's words.
"Well, she does sound handy...it might not hurt to go meet her." He quickly glanced towards Vurk's direction, making sure none of this went to his ears.
"Then it's settled. I'll take you to Gretel Hawke!" Kren boldly decided, though was quickly cut off by Walker.
"I knew a long time ago that you were nuts, Durri. I'll take us to Hawke."
"I'm the clear leader of this pack, you bumbling..."
Thali quietly commented. "And there they go again."
The two watched them squabble a few minutes more, Thali mentioning how entertaining it was being around to witness them. Finally, she broke up the fight, and led them back to Vurk, who was now standing up, his pleasant demeanor still present as they approached.
"I can't wait to outline our victorious deeds!"