Chapter 4: Oasis

In a lecture hall in the most esteemed university of the land, class was in session. Most of the students' attention wasn't focused on their instructor, however. It was focused on a young man, seated at the end of a row of seats near the centerline of the hall. The seats in his immediate proximity were conspicuously empty, but the young man tried to pay it no mind, and concentrate on the instructor's presentation.

The snatches of conversation he overheard from his fellow students, however, made this increasingly difficult:

"I can't believe he looked at me the other day! I felt like I needed a bath afterwards!"

"I know, right? So gross…"

"Why doesn't he just drop out already?"

"You heard, right? About his aptitude scores?"

"How they're not only the worst in this year's class, but the lowest the academy has ever seen? Yeah, I heard…"

He tried not to let their words bother him.

Tried was the keyword.

But at some point, the young man stopped taking notes. He sat, the grip on his pen growing tighter, and tighter, until there was a snap, and he felt something flowing through his fingers. He looked down- sure enough, he'd snapped his pen in half, the ink within spilling onto his notes.

This did not go unnoticed, and snickering erupted from the others. But the young man didn't say anything as he stood up. He didn't ask for permission- after all, as the instructor once said, everyone in this room was an adult (nominally, at least), and in any case, it was likely the instructor wouldn't even notice he'd stepped out for a moment. At least the washroom wasn't far.

Thank the gods for small comforts.

A minute later, the young man was rinsing off his hands in a small metal basin. He couldn't lie- he appreciated the silence of the otherwise unoccupied washroom. Reprieves from the taunts of his classmates were rare, and thus much appreciated. In all earnesty, he had no idea why they attacked him with such ferocity. True, his magical aptitude scores were quite low, but he hadn't come here to study magic. He had no intention of becoming a great battlemage, or unraveling the great mysteries of the universe. All he wanted was to receive a good education, to land himself a decent job, and to find himself a nice girl to marry one day.

But as the young man turned from the washbasin, he was confronted by a strange sight. A book with a black cover was lying on the tiled floor right behind him. Odd… he didn't recall seeing the book as he entered the washroom. And no one else had entered since he'd come in. Still, students lost items all the time- perhaps it had some means of identifying its owner. And if not… well, the library was always seeking to fill out its shelves. With that in mind, the young man reached out to the book.

But as he extended his hand, a strange feeling overcame him. It was if the book was… calling to him. It… wanted him to take it. His arm continued on of its own volition as the tome beckoned, and yearned to be possessed. The hairs on his arm stood on end, as if the air was filled with the remnants of an electrical spell, and when his fingertips just barely brushed against the leatherbound spine…

There was a flash. In his mind's eye, he saw a horned figure, wreathed in flame.

He yanked his hand back, as though the book were a red-hot iron. He looked down at its blank cover, breathing heavily. Even now, he could still feel it pulling him, begging to be taken, yearning for his touch. But he forced himself to step over it. To put one foot in front of the other and leave the washroom, to put as much distance between himself and that book as he could. He didn't know where it had come from, nor what was in it.

But he knew whatever it held, whatever vile power dwelled within… he wanted no part of it.

But what he didn't know was that it no longer mattered if he took the book with him or not. It had felt his wishes. His pain. His desires. All that was in his heart was laid bare to it.

It would find him again.

One way or another.

To Abel, it seemed as though the forest stretched on forever. He'd seen its edge, and according to Lailah they should've left it by now, but five whole days had passed since leaving Hokes, and they were seemingly no closer to leaving the forest than when they started.

"Hey, Lailah, you don't think that dryad is… moving the forest around, do you?" he asked. "To try and trap us, or something like that?"

"Sister Alexei said the dryad should let us pass…" Lailah began. "But… there is something strange about all this. Did we break a fairy circle?"

"We should make marks on the trees to make sure we're not going in circles," Holly suggested.

But then, Abel spotted something ahead that made him stop. The others stopped as well. "What's wrong, Abel?" Lailah asked.

Up ahead, a signpost stood in the direct center of the road. And leaning against it was a figure wearing a brown cloak and a wide-brimmed hat. She stood upright as soon as she saw them.

"What- you?" Abel stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"You know her?" Holly asked.

"Well I don't know her…" Abel began, "…but she was the one who told me to pass on that message."

Lailah looked at the figure, "Wait, then… that's Lord Hermes!?"

"You're a surprisingly hard person to track down, you know that?" Hermes said, approaching Abel. "Anyway, sorry to drop in on you like this, but… turns out that the power you got… was actually supposed to go to someone else, so… I'm gonna need to take it back."

Abel barely had time to respond, "…what?" before the woman thrust her hand into his chest. Her hand roamed around for a few moments, as if searching for something, before she said, "Aha, here it is!" She then pulled her hand back, holding what looked like a small globe of shimmering green glass.

"There we go," Hermes muttered, pocketing the green globe. "Sorry about the mix-up. Bye!" There was a powerful gust of wind that stung Abel's eyes. He brought up his hand to shield his face, and when he looked again, the stranger in the brown cloak was gone.

For a moment, everyone stood in a confused silence. Then, Lailah turned to the road she'd just come down, turning her back to Abel. "I suppose that's the end, then. Let's go, Holly."

"Wait, Lailah, Holly! Where are you going?" Abel called as the two girls began walking away.

Lailah stopped, but didn't look back."You are no longer a Hero. Thus, any agreements made between you and the Church, or its representatives, have been rendered null and void."

The priestess began walking again. Abel tried to follow, but his feet refused to move. He looked down, and saw that his feet had sunk into the earth. He tried to pull himself free, but the ground simply seemed to pull him down even harder in turn. In mere moments, the ground swallowed him up to his knees, then his waist, then just below his ribcage. As hard as he strained, Abel couldn't stop himself from sinking- he couldn't even slow it down. "Lailah, wait! You can't leave! I still need you! Please!"

She stopped, and looked down at him coldly- there was no trace of the warmth she'd been radiating just a few moments before.

"I am no longer under any obligation to assist you."

She turned away.

Abel had sunk up to his shoulders now. He reached out his hand, as if it would somehow stretch to reach her. "Wha- n-no wait! Lailah, come back! Lailah! Lailah!"

But she didn't stop. She didn't even look back. The last thing Abel saw was the back of her robes, and his own outstretched hand as he reached futilely for her, before the earth swallowed his head, and the world went black.

Abel awoke, gasping. His heart hammered in his ears, and his whole body felt cold, as if he'd been dunked in a river. He looked around- he was surrounded by trees, and to his left, he could see a sleeping bag with a familiar swath of golden hair spilling out of it.

Damn it… that dream again. For the last three nights, a nightmare had come to Abel. It was always the same: the stranger in the brown cloak came to take away his title as a Hero, Lailah and the others turned their backs to him, and he was swallowed up by the earth. The first time it happened, he'd been so frantic that Lailah had to slap him several times to just get his attention, and it wasn't until he successfully cast Angel Fire that he was convinced his powers were still in place. Now, his heart was merely racing.

He hated that he was getting used to it.

After a few moments, his heart finally began to slow, but he was still gasping for breath. Why? It almost felt as if something were pressing down on his chest… and that was when Abel noticed the strange mound in his sleeping bag. Reaching for his sword with one hand, he gripped the fabric covering him with the other, and yanked it aside.

Holly was in his sleeping bag, clinging onto him tightly.

Abel almost gasped, but clamped a hand over his mouth to stop himself. What… what was this? It hadn't been especially cold the night before, so, why? As Holly lay against him, he became aware of something pressing against his chest. Something… soft. Or rather, two somethings.

Then, the mercenary began to stir. With a groan, she lifted up her head, and rubbed her eye. She then looked at Abel. She squinted, as if not entirely sure what she was looking at, before she gasped, her face quickly turning a deep red. In an instant, she pulled back, and was out of his bedroll. "Eh- I-I'm sorry!" Holly quickly said.

"W-W-W-Why-Why were you in my sleeping bag!?" Abel stammered.

The mercenary bowed her head. "I… I didn't mean it! I just… I have a hard time sleeping when I don't have something to hold onto."

"Mmghh… what's going on? Why is everyone being so loud?" Lailah sat up in her sleeping bag and looked their way, bleary eyed.

"Sorry, Lailah. Just… had a nightmare is all," Abel replied quickly. The words came to him easily- then again, what he'd said hadn't technically been a lie.

The priestess sighed, and began climbing out of her sleeping bag. "Well, since it looks like all of us are awake anyway, we may as well get the day started."

The three dressed themselves, Abel situating himself a good distance away from the others. Seeing Lailah when she'd just woken up, with messy hair and wearing thin white robes made his heart flutter a little. But Holly… what he felt… had it just been his imagination? He'd turned his back to the girls, to give them something resembling privacy, but in the end, his curiosity won out, and he stole a glance over the shoulder.

As Holly was in the midst of braiding her hair, it suddenly occurred to Abel that it was the first time he'd ever seen the mercenary outside of her armor. She wore a black long-sleeved top made from some manner of ribbed fabric that stretched all the way down to her thighs, and a pair of long black socks that stretched up her legs, coming close to but not quite meeting her top, leaving a strip of bare skin on her thighs exposed. But her chest. It was…

They were…

…massive! Abel tried not to stare, but… each one on its own must have been at least as big as his head. How did she manage to fit it all under her breastplate? How did she manage to walk around without bumping into things?

"It's rude to stare at a girl's chest like that, y'know," a scratchy voice said. Loudly enough that everyone in their small camp heard.

Holly looked confused for a second, before looking down at herself and squealing in shock. She covered her chest with her arms, face turning a deep red… though her effort didn't do much to contain the situation.

Abel's gaze snapped forward, but something he didn't expect came to his ears. "I… p-please forgive me, Holly," Lailah stammered. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."

After a moment, a small weight set itself on Abel's shoulder. "That goes for you, too, Abel. Although… I can't really blame you or the priestess." Niel leaned against the side of his head. "That girl's got some of the biggest tits I've ever seen. And when you've been around for as long as I have, that means something." Her tone hardened. "Just keep your eyes, and your hands to yourself, got it?"

Abel spluttered. The thought of putting his hands on Holly's- on anyone's… b… b… breasts… had never even occurred to him. Why would she even want him to, anyway? The only situation he could conceive of that involved… touching them was to test their weight. They did look rather heavy. And if they were, it would explain why Holly seemed to stumble and trip so often…

Suddenly, there was a hard yank on his earlobe "Hey! Dammit, what'd I just say!?" Niel snapped. "Honestly, that's the problem with choosing Heroes at your age- girls are all you've got in that head of yours…"

"So… Niel, right? You're an angel?" Holly asked.

"Yep," she replied. "What, the wings and the halo weren't a big enough hint?"

"No, no, it's not that at all," Holly replied, waving her arms. "I just… I always thought angels were bigger."

The angel looked down at herself, frowning. "Oh, that. Well believe it or not, in my original form, I'm actually taller than the priestess over there. But, after giving my blood to Abel, I lost a good chunk of my power, and most of my stature along with it." She put a hand on her chest- or rather, her lack of one- and puffed up with pride. "You don't have to worry though- even like this, I can still overpower even the strongest human mages."

For three days, the group traveled north through the cedar forest surrounding Hokes. Thus far, the journey had been uneventful- their encounter with the dryad aside, the only other threat they came across was a small pack of wolves that were easily warded off. According to Lailah, they were making good time, and would be leaving the forest- completing the first leg of their journey- in no more than a few hours.

Holly tilted her head. "You aren't gonna be stuck like that forever, are you?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Niel replied. "My powers will replenish themselves with time, and once that happens, I'll be back to my old self."

"And how long will that take?"

Niel brought a hand to her chin, deflating a bit. "I'm… not sure. The heavenly scholars say it shouldn't take more than a few months, but they admit that's mostly an educated guess. Angels have empowered humans by giving them their blood in the past, but I'm the first one to ever give such a large transfusion." The angel looked over. "Hear that, Abel? You managed to stump Heaven's best and brightest! Doesn't that make you proud?"

But Abel was nowhere in sight.

Niel stopped fluttering and looked around. "Uh, Abel?"

"There he is!" Holly pointed- Abel had stopped in front of a signpost along the side of the road a few feet behind them, staring at it rather intensely. There was something… strange. Not about the sign itself, though.

It was the fact that he could read it that Abel found strange.

Lailah and the others returned to his side. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Abel pointed at the sign. "This part here. It says 'Lohan.'" He then pointed to the line under it. "And this part… it says 'Hokes.'" He tilted his head. "Seven hundred fifty… stda? What does that mean?"

"It stands for 'stadia.' It's a unit we use to measure distances," Lailah replied as she read the sign- it did indeed say what Abel said it did. "Is there… some sort of problem?"

Abel scratched his head, unsure of how to explain things to Lailah. "Well, no…" he began. "It's just that, I uh… well… I didn't know… how to read, before…"

The priestess looked at Abel, puzzled. "You… can't read?"

"My master never taught me how." Abel's tone shifted, becoming more somber. "Said I wouldn't need to know. But, why can I read now?"

"I believe I can answer that," Niel said. The three looked up- the angel had taken a seat atop the signpost. "As messengers of the gods, angels need to be able to communicate with any mortal we come across, no matter where in the world they come from. So, angels are endowed with the ability to understand any language. But we're not limited to just spoken languages- we can understand nonverbal forms of language as well, such as writing and even gestures." She fluttered to Abel and sat on his shoulder. "And since being infused with my blood lets you use my power…"

"…then Abel can understand other languages, too. I think I understand," Holly said. She then stepped forward. "Can I try something?" She took a breath, and then said, "Abel, shcho my yily vchora vvecheri?"

Abel had never heard such a strange language in his life. And yet somehow, he knew precisely what Holly had just said: What did we have for dinner last night?

A stew made from bread and dried meat, is what he intended to say. But what actually left his mouth was, "Rahu z khliba ta vʺyalenoho mʺyasa."

Holly gasped. "Whoa. Abel, that's amazing! It was so clear! And there was no accent…"

Abel… didn't really understand. It didn't seem like he did anything. Niel seemed to agree with his sentiment, as she cleared her throat and said, "If there's anyone you should be impressed with, it's me. It's my power Abel's using, after all."

"Being able to understand the local language wherever you go is a useful power all the same," Lailah replied. "Good thing, too. I haven't been practicing my Apollonian since I left, so I'm afraid I might've gotten a bit rusty…"

A few hours later, the forest came to an abrupt end. Beyond was a land so foreign to Abel, that he could scarcely believe he was still on the same world, let alone still in the land where he was born. Great hills of sand rose and fell across the horizon before them, like waves frozen in time, and the very air shimmered from the heat radiating off the ground. "Here we are," Lailah said. "The Al-Uzza desert."

"There's about six hundred stadia between us and Lohan," Niel said. "And once we cross this… we'll be home free."

Abel knelt down, scooping up a handful of sand. As it ran through his fingers, he asked, "So, how do we get across?"

"The last time I crossed, I was with a caravan bringing supplies to the abbey," Lailah replied. "But if I remember right, there should be an oasis about four hundred stadia south of Lohan. We should stop there first before continuing to the city."

"I remember that," Holly said. "I came to Hokes with a caravan, too. We stopped at an oasis for a while."

"Well, we can't afford to wait for a caravan to come through," Niel said. "We'll have to cross on foot."

"Is that… safe?" Abel asked. He looked out over the dead beige world before them- just looking seemed to sap the strength out of him. How could anything survive out there?

"We'll set up camp here and wait for sunset," the priestess replied. "Then, we'll cross during the night when it's cooler."

"But aren't monsters more active at night?" Holly asked.

"They are," Lailah replied. "But it's still safer than crossing during the day. You can't exactly fight off heat stroke the same way you can with monsters."

The three withdrew into the shade of the forest and began setting up camp. As they did however, Holly spotted something crossing the great hills of sand. It looked like a wagon, pulled by a horse, but rather than wheels, it glided over the sand on two lengths of wood. Sitting in the driver's seat was a figure draped in various swaths of fabric, presumably meant to protect him from the sun, the sand, or perhaps both. And, it seemed the wagon was headed toward them.

It took several minutes, but eventually, the wagon pulled up to their campsite. "Hello, friends!" the driver called in a friendly voice. He removed the cloth covering his face. "Looking to cross the desert?"

Abel stepped toward the caravan, but before he could call out, someone reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked back, expecting it to be Lailah, but instead… "Abel, hold on for a moment," Holly said.

"This is the caravan you were talking about, right?" Abel asked. "Why don't we get a ride?"

Holly shook her head. "No, this… I don't know why, but I don't like this," she replied. She seemed concerned, more concerned than usual, anyway.

"What? Why not?" Abel asked.

Holly hesitated. "I… I can't explain it. But we shouldn't go with that man. Just trust me."

"Abel, I think Holly's right," Lailah said with a serious expression. "There's something weird about this."

"Not you too…" Abel muttered. Master Rachel liked to boast that her "female intuition" told her whenever Abel was planning to cause trouble for her. Usually, it was just so she could give him a beating she couldn't justify otherwise, but… had Master Rachel not been bluffing? Could Holly and Lailah see something that he couldn't?

"You should take the lift," Niel said in Abel's head. "Your priority is to get to Lohan as soon as possible. And if a kind traveler is willing to help us on our way, then who are we to refuse them?"

"You sure?" After receiving an affirmative from the angel, Abel said aloud, "Niel says we should go with him. Looks like we're split down the middle."

Holly remained tense, but didn't reply. Lailah frowned for several moments, but in the end, she relented. "…alright. We'll have him take us to the oasis, but that's it."

"Thanks." Abel turned back to the driver. "How much to take us to the oasis?"

"Normal fare is six dinars per passenger for a ride to Lohan," he replied. "But since the oasis is only a third of the way there, I'll only charge a third of the price."

Abel struggled for a moment with the math. Six dinars wasn't bad at all. But… "How did you know we were going to Lohan?"

The driver scoffed. "Where else is there to go in the stretch of the desert? Now, you taking a ride or not?"

"Right, sorry." Abel circled around the wagon, and climbed into the back.

As he did, the driver said, "Mind your valuables. If anything falls off the carriage, I'm not turning around to go back for it…"

The sun was beginning to set by the time the wagon came up to the oasis. Abel couldn't help but marvel- after hours of nothing but sand, to see actual color in the desert was a welcome relief. And the water looked so refreshing- Abel was tempted to strip down and dive in… but then he remembered that he wasn't alone. And he wasn't there to sightsee.

And when he said he wasn't alone, he didn't just mean Lailah and the others, or the driver. A camp had already been set up by the edge of the oasis- from the light of the fire at its center, Abel could see others resting, checking their supplies, cooking… was it another group of travelers, or was this the base of some kind of business that ferried travelers across the desert?

Once the wagon came to a halt, Abel and the others climbed out. "We should fill up on water while we still can," Lailah said. "We still have about four hundred stadia between us and Lohan."

Holly said nothing. She'd been quiet for the whole ride, and even now, she seemed tense.

Once he was on solid ground, Abel turned to the driver. "Thanks for the ride, sir. We should be heading out."

"Already?" the driver asked. "But you just got here."

"Yeah," Abel replied. "We have something we need to do in Lohan, so we're in a bit of a hurry."

The driver leaned forward. "Why not stay for a bit? Put some food in your stomach first?"

Lailah looked back. "It's alright. We have plenty of supplies of our own. We can eat on the way."

"The gods smile upon a charitable soul, you know," a man's voice called. It came from a bearded man stirring a pot over the fire. "We have plenty of food to spare. I'm sure the others won't mind."

So that's how Abel and the others were roped into sharing a meal with the men at the oasis. As he ate their stew and drank the fresh water they drew from the oasis, Abel's initial suspicion was confirmed by the men's chatter: they were drivers who ferried travelers across the desert to and from Lohan. He ate readily, as did Lailah. But Holly… she just stirred the stew with her spoon, and didn't actually eat any of it.

"So, what's this business you have in Lohan?" the bearded man asked. "I'm assuming it has something to do with the Church?" He eyed Lailah as he said this.

Abel took a drink. "Yeah. We need to deliver a message to the Archbishop."

"The Archbishop!" the driver said, a touch of awe in his voice. "Sounds like you've got friends in high places."

"Well I wouldn't say that…" Abel replied sheepishly. "I've never ever met the Archbishop. But I-"

The cup suddenly slipped from Lailah's hand, and she slumped over. Abel tried to stand up, to call out to her, but his whole body refused to move. He slumped over, and then Holly did as well.

"So easy," the bearded said. "The charitable soul bit always gets them."

"Got ourselves some good catches this time," the driver's voice said.

"Yeah. Between the sister and the girl from the city, we'll be set for a good long while."

A new, wheezy voice spoke, one Abel didn't recognize. "The mercenary girl isn't bad either. I think we should keep her for ourselves."

"What about the boy?" the driver asked.

"What about him?" the bearded man replied. "He's worthless- too old for any buyers to be interested. Kill him."

Panic began to set in as two of the men neared. Abel strained, but again, his body wouldn't cooperate. Even his mouth was paralyzed. He thought, Uh, Niel? I don't know if you'll be able to hear me, but I could use some help here!

"Working on it," the angel replied. "Need a little more time."

But Holly suddenly sprang up, and swung her shield with both hands. The beveled edge slammed into the side of one of the men's head, and he instantly dropped to the ground. "What the hell- gah!" Holly then scooped a handful of sand off the ground and threw it into the other man's face- the driver. She then ran to Abel, trying to lift him up. "Come on… snap out of it, Abel!"

But before she could pull Abel up, the driver recovered. He grabbed her arm and yanked her back, throwing her to the ground, and climbed on top of her. "Clever one, aren't you?" the driver said as he pinned Holly down. "A bit too clever for your own good." Pinning her arms down with one hand, he drew a knife from his belt.

"At least the dead don't fight back."

Holly screamed, her legs flailing as she tried to push the man off of her. Abel strained with all his might, trying to force himself to move, but nothing happened. Come on! he thought. If I can just… stand up!

A scratchy voice then said, "Remedium." Abel's body glowed, and the feeling returned to his limbs. Niel said only thing after that:

"Go get 'em."

In an instant, Abel sprang up, drawing his sword and swinging it at the bandit with all his strength. The driver had just enough time to look back in his direction before Abel's blade cut into him. He cried out- Abel pulled back and swung again. And again. And again. He hacked at the bandit in a blind fury, showering himself in sprays of blood, until the man was little more than a heap of raw flesh that was barely recognizable as a human being.

"What the hell!? I thought you mixed Girtablilu venom into their drinks!" one of the bandits shouted. Abel recognized his voice- it was the bearded man.

"I did!" the wheezy voice shouted back.

"Then why the hell are those two still moving!?"

Abel turned his attention to the rest of the bandits. Holly got to her feet and stood next to Abel, shield raised. But Abel ordered, "Holly. Stay with Lailah. Don't let a single one of these bastards lay a hand on her."

Holly looked to him. "But-"

"Just stay here," he snapped. "I can't promise you won't get hurt if you don't."

Abel stepped forward. Two were down… but there were still four more to go. One of them swaggered forward, a thin man with a face that looked like a skull. "You really think you can take on all of us?" he began, speaking in a wheezing voice. "You're gonna wish-"

Abel held up his hand. "Angel Fire."

White flames erupted from his palm, burning brighter and hotter than before. The skull-faced man stumbled, trying to stop himself from blundering into the flames, but it was too late. He cried out briefly as the flame swallowed him- then, there was only the roar of the flame as it gushed out of Abel's hand like a fountain. The flames finally died away- the only trace of the man was his sword, now little more than a white-hot, half-melted hunk of metal.

"Aasif!" another man shouted. "You bastard!" He charged at Abel, a woodcutting axe in both hands.

Whatever plans he had ended the moment Abel aimed his free hand at him. "Angel Fire." He too was swallowed by a torrent of white flames that left nothing in their wake. And just like that, their numbers were cut in half.

One of the remaining bandits turned and ran into the darkness outside the oasis, dropping his sword as he fled. But the other- the bearded man- stood his ground. "Hey! Where the hell are you going!?" he shouted. But the other man didn't stop. Gritting his teeth, the bearded man raised his sword to Abel- it was short, with a thick, curved blade. "You think your magic mumbo jumbo scares me!?"

Abel tightened his grip on his sword. "It should." He aimed his hand at the man. "Angel-"

But he was cut off when a searing pain surged through his skull, as if someone plunged a red-hot knife into his temple. He started to reach up, but at that moment the bearded man rushed him. Abel tried to step back and out of reach, but he was too slow, and the man's blade caught him across the arm. "Swing your blade up!" Niel ordered. Abel did, just managing to deflect the bearded man's sword. But he turned, and swung again- Abel tried to retreat, but the blade scraped across his breastplate, leaving a deep gouge. If not for his armor, that blow would have been lethal.

The bravado Abel felt from earlier was quickly evaporating. This man was good with a blade- better than he was, at least. And Niel's guidance could only take him so far. He had to tilt the fight in his favor. But, how? His head still pulsed painfully- using magic was out. And he had to do it while keeping Lailah and Holly safe.

"He's left-handed," Niel said. "Try to circle around and strike at his right." Abel did, drawing his sword back and to the left before swinging. But the man stepped aside, grabbing Abel's wrist and pulling him forward. Abel stumbled, his momentum turned against him, and he fell forward.

Abel rolled, expecting the bandit to strike while he was vulnerable. But he didn't. As he climbed to his feet, he saw why.

The bearded man was heading straight for Holly.

"No, no!" Abel ran at the bandit. But the bearded man had already closed the distance between himself and Holly, sword raised. Holly readied her shield, but…

Abel suddenly rushed forward, as if blown by a powerful wind. He crashed into the man, knocking him off his feet, and continued for a few yards, before he suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Wha… What… what's going on?" he panted. He was… floating. Only a foot or so above the ground, but he was still floating all the same. He looked at himself, spotting something over his shoulder.

It was… a wing. A wing was sprouting from his back. Upon closer inspection, Abel realized it wasn't a feathery wing like Niel's- rather it was some kind of projection of light, shaped like a wing.

"Abel, focus!" Niel commanded. "Hold your sword out to the side. And hold it tight. I'll take care of everything else."

"R-Right!" Abel held his sword out, his grip tightening as much as he could. And then, another rush propelled him forward.

The man had already gotten to his feet as Abel flew at him. "You won't get the best-" Abel felt his whole body rotate- then the man choked, and a shock traveled up Abel's arms as his blade cut into something. Again, he continued on, before coming to an abrupt stop and turning around.

The bearded man's throat was cut wide open. Blood flowed from his wound and down his front like a river, completely staining his clothes a dark red. But he staggered toward Abel, sword gripped tightly in hand. "Damn… you…" he choked. He took only a few more steps, before falling forward. He didn't rise again.

All of a sudden, the wings of light on Abel's back vanished, and he fell to the ground, collapsing down to one knee. Holly rushed to him. "Abel! Are you alright?" she asked. "What was that just now?"

"I… I don't-" he began

"You have angel blood in your veins, remember?" Niel replied. "You have all the same powers that I do. I can fly. You can figure out the rest yourself."

Abel put two and two together. "It's… an angel thing," he replied, climbing back to his feet. "But that can wait. What about Lailah? Is she okay?"

"I stayed with her, like you told me to," the mercenary replied. "But-"

Abel didn't wait for her to finish. "Lailah!" He ran to the priestess's side. She was still slumped over, motionless. "Lailah, are you okay!?" No response. "Lailah!" Still nothing. He held out his hand. "Remedium!"

Pain stabbed through Abel's temple as Lailah was bathed in a white light. After a moment, she put her hands out, and pushed herself upright. "Abel," she began. "I… I couldn't move, but I heard everything." She looked him up and down, spotting the cut on his arm. "Abel, you're bleeding." She stepped toward him.

But he stepped back. "Lailah I…" Abel hung his head. "…I'm sorry. You were right. And I didn't listen to you."

"It's okay," she replied. "You-"

"No, it's not!" Abel shouted back. "I almost died, and you and Holly… you were…" He sank to his knees. "…Why can't you just be mad at me? At least… I'd understand that…"

At that moment, a sound rang out across the desert. Like a clap of distant thunder. "Great, now what?" Lailah asked, readying her spear. They waited, but nothing seemed to happen. The night air became still, and quiet.

Until, it wasn't. A new sound filled the air. Creaking wood, and were those… screams? "I'm not the only one who hears that, right?" Abel asked.

"I think it's coming from over there." Holly pointed at the wagons by the water's edge- sure enough, one of them was rocking slightly. And as they approached, the sound of muffled screams became more distinct.

"Someone's in there," Lailah said.

"What if it's some kind of trap?" Abel asked.

"I really doubt that's the case…" the priestess began. "But just in case it is…" She positioned herself in front of the door at the wagon's rear, spear raised. "You get the door, Abel. I'll be ready."

Wordlessly, he nodded. He stepped up, and threw the wagon doors open, raising his sword. But…

There wasn't a bandit inside the wagon. Rather, inside was a blue-haired, dark-skinned girl, her legs and arms bound by thick ropes, her mouth covered by a cloth. "Wait, a girl?" Abel asked.

"Hhhgghgmmmghgmhh!" The girl screamed the moment she laid eyes on him, and tried to wriggle away from him.

Abel began climbing into the wagon. "Hey, hold on! We-" But the girl didn't wait. She started kicking at Abel with both feet, catching him below the waist. He doubled over as burning pain flared through the whole lower half of his body. He nearly vomited, the pain was so intense.

"It's alright! Calm down, please!" Lailah almost shouted as she climbed into the wagon too. "We aren't bandits! I'm with the Church! See?"

The bound girl finally stopped kicking, and quieted. "There we go. Now let's get these ropes off of you." Lailah began untying the girl, starting with the cloth over her mouth.

"But what about-" the girl began.

"Don't worry. They're all dead now," the priestess replied, cutting the girl off. "They tried to capture us, too. But we showed them what happens when you underestimate a Hero."

Outside, Abel was still doubled over, the pain only just beginning to recede. Holly stood at his side. "Are you okay?"

"Not… really…" Abel gasped in reply.

He wasn't okay. And as the realization of what he'd done began to sink in, some small part of him deep inside knew… that he would never be okay again.

A few minutes earlier, the bandit Holly had struck in the face with her shield was slowly coming to. He groaned as his sight returned, and he was forced to squint as his eyes refused to focus on anything. But he still managed to spot the silver-haired mercenary, standing over the still-paralyzed priestess. And even better, her back was to him.

So she'd be none the wiser as crept up behind her and cut her miserable throat. "Damn… bitch… no one makes a fool of me and gets away with it!"

He drew his shortsword from its scabbard. Slowly, to not make noise that would draw attention. He stumbled, and fell to his knees, tripping over something his blurred vision stopped him from seeing. He held his breath, hoping he hadn't been heard, but the mercenary remained oblivious. But something seemed to be missing from the picture. He squinted, but his eyes weren't deceiving him- the priestess was gone. But where did she-

"Hhk!"

Pain.

Pain unlike anything the bandit had ever felt surged through his whole body, concentrated in the center of his chest. He looked down, and would have gasped, had he been able to.

A black talon tipped with claws that looked like they could rend steel stuck out through the middle of his chest. Then, another hand gripped his shoulder, and a cold voice whispered in his ear, "This is what happens when you underestimate your prey."

The fingers of the talon flexed, and it was ripped back, sending another nauseating surge of pain through the bandit's body. He fell forward, and as his vision was swallowed by darkness once more, all he could do was ponder what in the world had just happened to him.

Lailah looked down at the man, then her hand, her eyes blazing red. With a thought, the black plates covering her hand receded, as if they'd never been there. The blood on her sleeve remained, but there was an easy way to remedy that. "Pmuut Cdaym." The blood flowed from her hand, as if drawn through an invisible tube, and into her chest, the man's life force being absorbed into her own. After a moment, her sleeve was clean, as if it hadn't just been thrust through a man's chest.

Lailah could still taste the paralytic those bandits had used on her tongue. Girtablilu venom. Very potent. One needed to add only a few drops to someone's food or drink to completely paralyze them for several hours. Unfortunately for these bandits, she was resilient enough that she didn't even need to use her powers to resist its effects.

Her powers…

When Lailah left home, she swore an oath. An oath to the gods that she would never again use the power she was born with. That she would live the rest of her days as a human. She even went so far as to cut away all vestiges of her former self, as a symbol of her devotion to her oath. And here she was, breaking it. To protect someone, yes, but she was an oathbreaker all the same now. She didn't know if the gods truly cared that she had broken her oath. She didn't even know if they cared she made such an oath to begin with.

But she did. And she would always remember it. And she would always remember this moment, where she broke her word. Where she betrayed the promise she made to herself.

But… that wasn't important now. She needed to get back in place. Right now, Abel and the others would be expecting to find Lailah, the apprentice priestess from Hokes, when they returned to her side.

So that was who she would need to be.

In the darkness surrounding the oasis, the narrow-eyed woman watched as a priestess clad in armor slumped to the ground. "Hmm… looks like there's another one I'll need to keep tabs on…" She tapped her temple, the vision in her left eye returning to normal magnification. "Alright, time to get moving."

It had been a big risk, letting things play out. One misstep and everything would've ended before it really had a chance to begin. But she had faith Abel would pull through. And her faith had not been misplaced. Now, she could slip into the bandits' camp and pretend like she'd always been there. Infiltration was an essential component of her line of work, something she'd done a hundred times. This would be no different.

To most people, four days was nothing. But for an observer like her, four days was an agonizing wait. A lot could happen in four days. But she'd finally gotten word back from her supervisor. Her request to mark Abel as a target of interest, and her request to observe him alongside her current target, were approved. She couldn't help but smile as she took one last glance at the glass slate in her hand, and the two confirmation messages displayed on it.

So she wasn't paying attention when someone crashed into her.

Despite the other's momentum, she remained on her feet, staggering only slightly. But the man who ran into her fell back. It was one of the thugs from the oasis. She'd hoped Abel's group would have taken care of all of them. No matter.

She'd taken care of loose ends before.

"What… Who the hell are you!?" he demanded, as he shot to his feet. "Are you another one of those freaks!?"

The narrow-eyed woman didn't reply as she slipped the slate into her pocket, replacing it with a baton hanging from her waist. With a mere thought, the small baton shifted, lengthening, becoming a weapon the likes of which most in this world had never seen before.

"Sorry," the woman began coldly, "but I'm too close to let anyone spoil my plans." She pointed the strange weapon at the thug, aiming a dot only her left eye could see directly at his forehead. "So I'm going to have to ask you to die now."

There was a flash, and a clap like a bolt of thunder. They were the last things the thug saw and heard before a metal slug accelerated to nearly three times the speed of sound tore through his skull, tearing out his blood and brains and splattering them on the sands behind him.

He was dead before he even started falling over.

The strange weapon shifted, shrinking back down to its original form. "Right. Hopefully that takes care of any loose ends." The narrow-eyed woman hung the baton on her waist as she began walking toward the oasis, and pulled out a length of rope, carefully tying it around her wrists.

A burst of white fire erupted from Abel's hand, consuming the body of the bandit laying before him, leaving no traces behind. Now that the threat had passed, they took to securing the oasis: Abel cleared away the dead, Lailah saw to the bandits' hostage, and Holly patrolled the perimeter, to ensure that if any bandits escaped, they wouldn't be able to return undetected.

The strain of using Niel's magic was beginning to set in. So, Abel looked over to Holly and said, "Holly. What you did earlier, that was… how did you know those guys were up to something?"

"My big sister taught me how to read people, to figure out their intentions," the mercenary replied, looking out over the dark sands. "I knew something was wrong because… well, I hate to say this, but that wasn't the first time someone's tried to kidnap me."

"It sounds like you've led a very interesting life," Niel said. "You'll have to tell us more about it sometime."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Abel added. "I'd love to hear more about her. She sounds like a great person."

The mercenary seemed to tense up a little, and didn't reply. But at that moment, Lailah and the bandits' hostage approached. "Alright, I've looked her over, and it looks like she's okay," the priestess said. "Could you both come over? She has something to say."

As soon as Abel and Holly gathered, the young woman bowed to him. "I… I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't realize you weren't with those people."

"It's fine," Abel replied. He really couldn't fault the girl for attacking him- he had no way to know what those bandits had done to her, or how long she'd been with them. It was only natural she would assume he meant to do her harm. "How did you end up out here, anyway?"

"Well, my troupe is performing in Lohan right now," she replied. "I grew up in this area, so I wanted to come out and see the oasis. Unfortunately, some local criminals recognized me, pretended to be a traveling caravan, and kidnapped me. They were gonna hold me until my troupe paid a ransom."

Abel's brow furrowed. "Uh, troupe?"

"Holly here is a dancer with a traveling group of performers," Lailah answered. "They put on shows all over the continent."

Something Lailah said jumped out at Abel. "Wait, her name's Holly?"

The girl's chest puffed out a little in pride. "That's right! I'm our troupe's headliner! Why? Don't tell me you've never heard of me before."

"Can't say I have…" Abel replied. "But that's interesting…"

"Oh? What is?"

He motioned to Holly. Their Holly. Mercenary Holly. "This girl… her name's Holly, too."

Dancer Holly gasped, clasping her hands over her chest. "Oh wow! That is quite a coincidence!"

Holly- mercenary Holly- seemed to jolt slightly, and she laughed nervously. "Ehehehe… yes. A coincidence."

Suddenly, Niel spoke up in Abel's head. "Heads up," she said. "Someone's coming this way."

Abel turned, drawing his sword. Something was crawling out from one of the wagons. It was…

It was a woman, taller than him, with dark red hair pulled into a short ponytail and eyes so narrow they were practically shut, wearing a dark blue outfit that seemed… well, in terms of overall area, it covered quite a lot of skin, but as to the actual areas that were covered…

She wore a short, sleeveless coat, wide open with her chest and stomach completely exposed, with only a black band across her breasts preserving her decency. Around her waist she wore a pair of incredibly short trousers, fitting loosely enough that he could catch glimpses of the black panties she wore underneath. Her legs, long and slim, were covered by a pair of boots that reached halfway up her thighs- her arms were similarly covered by a pair of gloves that reached her elbows. Her skin was dark, though unlike Abel's it appeared to be because of constant exposure to the sun, rather than a feature she was born with, judging from the lighter shade of skin he could see beneath her waistband.

Seeing the sword in Abel's hands, the woman held up her hands, and backed away- her wrists were bound with rope, but Abel couldn't help but notice some sort of black mark on the palm of her right hand. "Whoa, hey. Easy," she said.

Abel lowered his sword. "Who are you? Are you another captive?".

"Yeah. One of the guys here brought me out for a bit of… fun when all the commotion started. I saw my chance, so I took off and hid. Since those guys are dead now, I figured I'd have better chances with you than out on my own. So, um…" She held out her wrists. "…a little help?"

Abel's sword cut through the ropes easily enough. "Thanks," the strange woman said, shaking her wrists. "You know, I saw you fighting all those guys. You were incredible, Blue!"

Abel's brow furrowed. "Uh, Blue?"

"Well yeah. You don't see people with hair like yours that often." She circled around him, and traced a finger down his back. "And you definitely don't see people with wings made of light coming out of their backs around much, either. What's your deal, anyway?"

In an instant, Lailah was beside Abel, and seized the stranger by the wrist. "His 'deal' is none of your concern," she said coldly. "And you should mind those wandering hands of yours. Unless you're looking to lose them."

"Lailah, calm down," Abel pleaded. "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by that." He looked to the stranger. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves? "I'm Abel. This is Lailah. That girl's name is Holly, and that girl over there is also named Holly. So, what's your name?"

The strange woman put a hand on her forehead, looking away. "I refuse to let myself be bound by petty ideas such as names. Are we not all just human beings, struggling to find our place in this world?"

Lailah folded her arms over her breastplate, looking unimpressed. "Well, you have to call yourself something, don't you?"

The strange girl sighed. "Very well then. If you must insist on a name, then you may call me Raine." Raine looked at Abel. "Anyway Blue, I couldn't help but notice you checking me out earlier." She slipped her hands behind her head, pushing her hips forward. "Not to be boastful, but I always thought I was a pretty hot piece."

Abel averted his gaze- he wasn't sure exactly why, but something told him that wasn't something he should be looking at. "That was… it was… your hand."

"Hmm? Oh, you must be talking about this." She held up her palm- printed on it was some sort of circle, inscribed with various shapes and lettering. "Pretty snazzy, right? Well, it's not just for style. This brand is proof of the pact I made with a spirit of primordial fire."

"Pact… you're a witch, then," Holly said. Mercenary Holly.

"No I'm not!" Raine protested. After a brief pause, she added, "…well, I am, but I'm not a bad one! I've never cursed anyone in my life."

"Not a bad witch…" Abel didn't know what to make of that. All the old stories that had witches in them described them as old hags that lived out in the woods and ate children.

Lailah must have seen Abel's confusion. "It's true that witches and warlocks often form pacts with dark entities such as demons, so they're often looked down upon," she explained. "But strictly speaking, the terms refer to a person who receives magical power through a pact with any supernatural entity. That includes demons of course, but also other non-malevolent entities, like elementals or fairies. Although…" The priestess eyed Raine with suspicion. "…if you made a pact with a fire spirit, couldn't you have used its flames to burn through your bonds?"

Raine scratched her head. "Yeah I tried that. Turns out it's pretty hard to draw sigils with your hands tied."

"Sigils?" Abel asked.

"There are many ways to cast magic spells," Lailah began to explain. "Some are activated by reciting an incantation- others by drawing a sigil, a diagram which directs-"

"Sorry to interrupt, professor, but it'll be faster for me to just show him." She held up her right hand, and quickly traced a pattern in the air. When she was done, a glowing red circle appeared, and a ball of fire shot out from it, flying over the dunes before dissipating.

"Wow…" Abel marveled.

A small weight rested on Abe's shoulder. "Abel, you can cast fire spells, too. It's not that impressive."

"Yeah it is," he retorted. "I mean, I've never seen a real mage before."

"What, you think I'm not a 'real mage?'" the angel asked indignantly.

Raine jumped when she saw Niel. "Whoa! You're a warlock, too!?" She leaned in. "And I'm guessing this is your patron spirit."

Niel stood up and put her hands on her hips. "Wrong, and wrong. Abel's not a warlock, and I'm not a patron spirit. He's a Hero, and I'm an angel." She reached up, and took her halo into her hands, looking down at it. "Honestly, does this halo mean anything to you people?"

"You're an angel?" A pause. "Holy crap, you're an angel!" She leaned in, getting uncomfortably close to Abel and Niel. "Hey! Make a pact with me! I was so focused on finding elementals that I never even considered other spirit types!"

Niel visibly moved away from Raine. "Uh… yeah, I'll pass." The angel crossed her arms over her chest. "Besides, it's in bad form to make demands from someone who just saved your life, you know."

"Oh, I see how it is." Raine fell to her hands and knees, pressing her forehead against the ground. "I am ever so grateful to you for saving me, My Lord. How ever can I repay your kindness?" Her tone changed, making her words come across as… less than sincere.

But, either way, something about the sight of a pretty girl groveling in front of him made Abel feel very uncomfortable. "Uh… that's… okay. It's enough that you're safe."

Raine sat up. "But I can't let you walk away with nothing! I don't have money, but there must be something I can give you! Information? Arcane knowledge?" Raine traced a finger down her stomach, to the hem of her shorts. "Or could it be that perhaps you desire… my body?"

Abel immediately turned away. "That-That-That's… going way too far!" he stammered.

Raine let out a laugh, throwing an arm across Abel's shoulder. "Come on, Blue, I'm just teasing." She then tilted her head as she looked at him. "But, you shouldn't let yourself get so embarrassed by this sort of thing. It's gonna happen to you a lot more from now on."

"Uh, what is?"

Raine grinned, and dug her elbow into Abel's side. "Beautiful maidens throwing themselves at you! After you save them from mortal peril of course. It's a standard trope for Heroes, you know."

"Don't tell me you're supposed to be the beautiful maiden in this situation…" Niel grumbled.

Raine wasn't really wrong. But before Abel could reply, she pulled away from him. "Anyway, Blue," she began, "I know I'm already up to my eyes in debt to you, but can I ask you for a favor?"

"Um…" Abel hesitated before replying, "What is it?"

Raine clasped her hands in front of her, rocking back and forth shyly. "Mind if I roll with you until you get to the nearest city? My excursion to find a new elemental spirit's a bust, and I need to get back to civilization so I can figure out where to go from here."

Abel was quiet for a short while. Something about Raine felt off from almost the moment he untied her. But it wasn't until now that Abel put his finger on what it was- she was… trying too hard. Trying too hard to be likable, to win their trust. But… why? Was it just so that he would let her travel with them? Or was it something else, something more… sinister? Or was he just overreacting, searching for ulterior motives where there were none?

In the end, he replied. "…well, there's no reason you can't." Indeed there wasn't… at least no reason that held water.

Raine instantly threw her arms around Abel, almost dragging him to the ground. It felt like he was hugging a wall. "Great! Thanks a million, Blue!" And then she wandered away.

Abel watched her leave, his heart racing. But it wasn't racing the same way it did when Lailah was near. Nor did it feel the same as when his life was in danger. It was a feeling completely alien to Abel- if there was a name for it, he didn't know it.

"Abel… are you sure about this?" Lailah asked. The priestess looked over to Raine, who had started chatting with dancer Holly, her hand slowly creeping toward her. But the moment Raine's fingertips brushed against the dancer's leg, she reached up and slapped her across the face, sending her reeling.

"It's fine, isn't it?" Abel said in reply. "It's just 'til we reach Lohan. And after what just happened, more eyes watching our backs is only a good thing, right?"