Yang closed her eyes. She tried to feel the ground beneath her feet, finding for any movement under it. Finally, she noticed a small vibration underground. Yang leapt to the backwards before the scorpion emerged from the ground. Lightning erupted from the ground as the scorpion appeared and struck the air with its pincers.

"Got you." Yang smirked and ran to the scorpion to hit its exposed head. Yet it didn't do much. The scorpion still emerged on the ground and tried to grab her like it was nothing. Yang retreated a few steps, gritting her teeth in irritation.

"See, we told you." One of the hunters said on top of a rock. "Those guys are tough. Even hits on their head won't do much."

"Yeah, I can see that." Yang reckoned that her bullets could help her momentum and strike harder, but she needs to save bullets for the future.

The monster faced her once again on the even ground. Yang charged forward, and the scorpion plunged its stinger to the ground. With a jump, Yang managed to evade the electrified ground and deliver a kick down at the monster's head. However, the scorpion shielded itself with enough electricity to send Yang backwards and straight to the still electrified ground.

Sensing its opportunity, the scorpion moved towards her; its electrifying pincers were ready to maim its victim.

Other hunters quickly rushed to the battle. Shooting the monster with their poison-tipped arrows and slowing it down. Meanwhile, the hunting leader went to Yang and helped her up.

"I can still turn it around," Yang said.

"I was told to help you in an instance of grave danger," the leader replied.

Yang stared at the scorpion as it fell down dead. "I guess I'm not used to fighting different kinds of scorpions, after all."

"You will learn." the hunting leader smiled. "Jeht told me that you are a strong and capable individual with a strong combat sense."

After they made sure the monster was dead, the hunters quickly moved in and butchered the creature. The scorpion's unnatural blood color and twisted organs forced Yang to turn around in disgust.

"So uhhh…" Yang forced herself to bury the visceral image in her mind. "Do you have any more hunting jobs? I can still take another one today."

"Tomorrow we'll hunt a consecrated vulture next. For now, you can take a rest."

Yang nodded and headed to the camp alone.

—

Well, her plan was a bust. Yang thought of using the hunting expedition in hopes of making Jeht see that she is a quick learner, but based on the results, she might get cooped up in the camp longer.

Yang sat down on one of the crates and sighed audibly. The sumpter beast beside her with a moo before chewing on its food. She smiled and petted its side. It didn't take long for two Eremites to walk up to her gingerly while sharing whispers to one another.

Yang turned around and looked up at them. "You need me for something?"

"We just noticed you are back," one of them spoke up. It's the same boy that gave her wine last night.

"Yeah, the hunt is over."

His eyes widened. "That fast?"

Can we ask you a favor?" the other Eremite asked.

"Sure."

"Could you join us for our next mission?"

—

Yang, along with five young Eremites, peered over the sandstone boulder. A couple of Hilichurls are roaming around the riverside while some lean on the old humanoid machine slumped down in the water. Buckets are littered everywhere.

"There they are," one of the Eremites said. "They just arrived here and started kicking us out when we were fetching some water."

"Looks easy enough," Yang remarked. "Why do you guys need me here?"

"Jeht said that we need to have someone reliable to join us if we want to fight something."

The six sat down behind the boulder and looked at each other. Yang spoke first. "So, do I just go there and beat them up?"

"No," One of the Eremites replied. "Just watch us fight them. We can take care of them. But Jeht might be angry if we broke her rules."

Yang nodded. Babysitting is not really her main goal for the day, but at least she gets to do something after the recent bust.

Once the plan was set, the young Eremites jumped out of the rocks and screamed their battle cries. The Hilichurls took notice of their presence and charged as well. It was quite an interesting battle. Yang took note of how the Eremites already have the grasp on the fundamentals of close quarters combat. After a minute, one of the Eremites threw an explosive and accidentally hit the sleeping machine.

Yang watched in horror as the machine whirled to life. The surviving Hilichurls ran away immediately. While the Eremites are stunned in horror as they only stood while the old ruin guard stood on its two feet.

With the recoil of her weapon, Yang rushed forward to grab the nearest Eremite before the cold metallic foot could crush its victim. After getting up, she turned to the rest of the children.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Yang shouted. "Get out now!"

The other young Eremites and the one she saved quickly ran away to the camp. Sensing its targets getting away, the ruin guard launched a salvo of missiles towards them. However, Yang once again used the recoil to launch herself and intercept the six missiles in midair with her bullets. Unfortunately, she only hit two before the rest made an impact on her body. Yang flew straight to the nearby boulder, cracking after the impact.

"Uhhh." Yang groaned, clutching her head in pain. It's been quite a long time since she had her aura break like this. Her gaze was fixed to the machine walking towards her. With a single leap, the ruin guard is meters above Yang. The message is clear.

Using the adrenaline she had, Yang moved away from the boulder she's resting on. The weight of the mechanical soldier was enough to shatter the rock into pieces. Dust flew all over the area, clouding Yang's entire vision of the area, all except the ruin guard's machine eye, staring directly at her.

Yang grinned. A plan formed in her head.

With her aura recovered in a paltry amount, Yang activated her semblance in full power and ran towards the ruin guard and jumped. With one strike her fist went through its eye and shattered the core inside completely. The dust settled and Yang was standing over the destroyed ruin guard, clutching the pieces of the core with her hand.

"Heh…you just got rui–"

Before Yang could hit the ground, a familiar arm caught her just in time.

"Still cracking jokes, huh?"

—

"J- Jeht?" Yang said as she woke up groggily. The painful throbbing in her body has stopped completely replaced by a rumbling in her stomach. A scent of roasted meat lingered in the air.

Jeht turned around with a cup and a piece of meat on her hands. "Do you feel hurt anywhere?"

Yang checked her body. Her aura already did its job. "No."

"Here. Eat some of these so you can recover your strength."

Yang obliged immediately and started tearing at the piece given to her. She only stopped to take occasional drinks. After a while, Yang's hunger was satiated enough for her to focus on her surroundings. It's just the two of them surveying on top of an outpost on a lonely night. An ornate statue depicting a little girl stood by them during their vigil.

"Hey," Yang said to Jeht. "I'm sorry if I acted reckless earlier. You know, both times."

Jeht did not speak for a while, she's too busy recollecting her thoughts. Yang waited for the verdict.

Finally, Jeht spoke. "Just don't do that again. Your folks at home will miss you."

Yang nodded in reply, and silence followed. The night went on without a hitch. Once Yang got bored with admiring the scenery, she turned to Jeht once again.

"You know, I already told you about my story. But you never told me about yours."

"And what would you like to know about?" Jeht answered. Her sight still remained in the vast desert.

"How about Benben for starters? I would like to know how you got that little fella."

Jeht began telling Yang the stories of her adventure, of how she met Benben and the mysterious Traveler and her fairy friend. Jeht talked about her father, a strong and wise man as well as Tirzad, the whiny employer from the Akademiya. Afterwards, she told Yang their adventure in the old ruins of the fallen god king and the forgotten stories they tell. Yet near the end, she paused.

Silence filled the air.

"What about you?" Jeht asked. "I didn't hear what you told to others last night. Care to tell it to me one more time?"

Yang knew she's hiding something, but she didn't press further. Jeht is already trustworthy enough. "You won't believe what happened last night…"

The two shared stories throughout the night. From fun jabs to intriguing gossip. Finally, a yawn escaped Jeht's mouth. The moon is already at its zenith.

"I can take over the first shift," Yang said.

"Sure," Jeht replied as she stood up and went into the tent, but before she entered, she turned around. "And Yang, you can join me next time for my hunt. That way I can teach you myself and you don't have to rush to impress me."

Yang smiled. "Sure thing, boss." It was only after morning she realized what she's in for.

—

Jeht's main duty was obvious to Yang ever since that question on her first morning. Man-hunting is not a job a huntsman would normally do. In fact, this is more suitable for the Branwen tribe.

Yet here she is scouring a sandstorm away from the camp to find a single target with Jeht. Yang watched intently as she followed Jeht during her work. The way she tracks, the way she searches, and the way she moves. All of it reminds her of an animal. No, a predator is a much better term.

Finally, they saw their target. A man wearing a large purple armor walking alone on the desert road and deeper into the sandstorm. Beside him is a large orange sumpter beast trudging along. Jeht waited for half an hour.

"Find him," Jeht instructed. "Find him and drag him here on this spot. You have two hours."

Yang gritted her teeth. The true purpose of Jeht's test is clear now, but she was never specified to bring the man dead, so that's a relief. Taking a deep breath, Yang followed the route the man had taken. Jeht's actions repeated continuously in her mind as if she always knew how to do it.

The trail led Yang into an unknown ravine. The sandstorm still surged above her, but the place was secure enough that the footprints are much visible now. After a few steps, she can notice the ruins leading to a large door. Inside, her target sits alone in the fire. Resting and vulnerable.

Yang took a cautious step, yet her target was more cautious. A small pressure on a hidden string made the chime echo throughout the entire structure. Yang cursed internally as the target saw her and got up with electrifying force covering his body. Even the sumpterbeast is ready to fight. Yang flared up in response. That day, the old temple shook once more after centuries of slumber.

—

The sandstorm had already subsided, allowing Jeht to see the bloodied Yang as he carried the fatuus on her arms. She watched as Yang carried the target to her.

Finally, Yang put her target down on the hot sand. Her attention quickly is fixated on Jeht, looking for approval. Both remained quiet as a sense of familiarity surges through their mind.

Yang got a glimpse of what could've been with Raven while Jeht got a glimpse of what should've not happened with Babel. Both got a sick feeling in their stomach. This is not going to work.

Finally, Jeht spoke. "You did well."

Yang's eyebrow quirked. "So… I passed?"

"With flying colors."

Jeht quickly anticipated what Yang was about to say and cut her off. "But that doesn't mean that I can release you into the desert willy-nilly. You still need to learn a lot of things. Not just trailing someone."

Before Yang could answer, both of them heard a groan from the downed fatuus. It seems that he's returning to the world of the living.

"Wow, and I thought you went wild and drained this guy's blood," Jeht remarked as she looked at the blood-soaked Yang.

"What? No." Yang's eyes widened. "It's from the sumpterbeast. The poor guy was crushed by the rubble during the fight and then…"

Jeht could see Yang almost gagging. "Alright, I got the idea. Just leave him here and go to the camp to clean yourself. I'll take care of the target."

Yang nodded in agreement before she proceeded to the camp without a word. Hopefully, most of the members are away on the mission.

—

It was still morning by the time Yang reached the camp. Her excursion with Jeht only lasted for a few hours yet Yang felt she aged years after that experience. The guards attempted to greet her, but her bloody appearance and rancid smell forced them to nod at her instead.

A few steps in, a group of young Eremites started to rush towards her. It was the same group she protected yesterday.

"It's Yang. She's here," some of them announced.

A few seconds have passed, and she's surrounded by the younger Eremites. They didn't even bother with her smell.

"Whoa, did you kill a giant monster?" One of them immediately asked.

"Can you teach us how to fight?" Another butted in.

More questions came one after another turning it into a wave of noises washing over Yang's senses. But before she could speak, a familiar voice called from behind the Eremites.

"Alright, alright that's enough," Vahini said as she walked closer to them with a basket between her hands. "Yang needs to take a bath first before playing with us."

Seeing Vahini, the Eremites quickly shut up and dispersed, leaving the two alone on their own.

"I hope those rookies didn't bother you so much," Vahini said. "They normally get excited when they admire someone, especially on what you did for them yesterday. Did you know that you are the talk of the camp yesterday?"

"I don't mind it," Yang answered with glee. "As long as those guys are still alive to learn their lesson about being reckless, then I don't mind taking a few hits."

"Oh, I think I heard of this before. Something about the pot calling the kettle…"

"Black? Hey, at least I got enough qualifications to be an expert."

Both of them laughed.

"Anyway," Vahini said as she handed out the basket to Yang. "I already prepared a bath for you and some changes of clothes. We may deal with corpses, but that doesn't mean we need to look and smell like one."

Yang smiled. "Alright then. Catch you later, Vahini."

"Take your time."

—

After the much-needed bath, Yang carefully checked her new outfit in front of the mirror. Her outfit closely resembled an Eremite outfit, yet she can see some modifications Vahini made to it.

The red fabric was replaced by a yellow one to compliment her style. Even Yang's symbol is engraved on the scarf. Yang didn't know how Vahini remembered it, but she can admit that the Eremite woman has a great memory and skilled hands.

After wearing the brown vest and belt pouch given to her, Yang went outside to the camp to meet up with Vahini and thank her. After a few minutes, Yang found her near one of the carts, counting the wares stored inside a crate.

Vahini heard Yang's footsteps and turned around. "So, how was it?"

Yang jumped up and down. She stretched her body as well to get a feel of the fabric. Finally, she started shadow boxing for a few seconds.

"It's quite comfortable," Yang answered. "The fabric is not itchy, and it seems like I can still do my usual moves in this outfit."

Vahini smiled, "I'm glad that's the case. I'm afraid that the outfit I made is not a match for you at all. It would be a shame since it took me all night to make that."

"You seem to have a talent for this," Yang remarked. "I don't think anyone can just take an accurate measurement based on looks alone. Even my emblem is made with accuracy. Why not open a shop near civilization?"

Vahini spaced out for a second. Her usual cheery disposition was gone. "Most of us Eremites don't have that luxury."

Yang felt like punching herself in the face for her tactlessness. "Sorry, I didn't mean to ask."

"Don't worry. It's the fate of us Eremites. Our stories are as common as the sand here."

Vahini's words failed to assure Yang of her situation. In the end, both remained quiet for a while the sumpterbeasts nearby continued on their eating without a care in the world.

"Oh, there you two are," Jeht shouted as she jogged to the two.

"What is it?" Vahini asked.

"It's about Yang's training,"

Yang's eyes widened. "About me?"

"Yeah, I've been thinking about it earlier, but I think joining Vahini and me for the next caravan can give you enough experience in navigating the desert."

"Makes sense," Vahini said. "If it's the chief's usual job then Yang would be bathing in all sorts of blood in no time. But if she joins the trade caravan, she will learn about essential survival without much hassle."

"And I can get some information as well," Yang added.

"Good thing both of you agree," Jeht replied. "Anyways, the caravan is in a week so make sure both of you get ready."

Jeht then proceeded to leave without even waiting for their reply.

"Someone is in a hurry," Yang remarked.

"Of course, she is." Vahini puffed. "As the chief, there are lots of things she needs to do around here."

"Right."

"Anyway," Vahini said as she walked past Yang. "Did you know how to count and record inventory?"

Yang felt a headache just imagining what will happen next. "Well, I'm good at escorting cargo."

Vahini chuckled. "All of us are good with escorting cargo, but it takes a different skill when dealing with economics here. Come with me and I'll teach you."

"Yes ma'am," Yang said begrudgingly.