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Chapter 6: Under the Stars

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They had been traveling for quite some time, it felt like.

The sun was beginning to sink low on the horizon but they kept a brisk pace. As much as Zoe loved it when the Castaway made her hot and sweaty, hours of following the worn dirt path with the sun bearing down on them was not on her list of favorite things. Never has been if she's being honest, which was a shame since she enjoyed seeing more of the world around her. She just never mustered the motivation to actually pursue that enjoyment.

The Castaway had plenty of water and made sure they took breaks to stay hydrated, but Zoe suspected he could cover much more distance if he recalled her to the palsphere. She wondered why he hadn't, but didn't complain about the choice. She hated it in there.

She could keep pace for the most part. He was more acclimated to this kind of thing than she was but didn't seem to mind any time they stopped for breaks so she could catch her breath. Maybe this was his fun way of building up her stamina and endurance. 'Nothing like a day of fun under the sun' except there wasn't any beach and the sun wanted to cook you slowly to a well-done finish.

Zoe recalled the longer break they had at the exit of the Red Forest, a ways past her Tower. That had been the farthest north she had gone personally, so anything beyond was fresh and new. He had taken the opportunity to touch base on their next objective.

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"What do you know of the Free Pal Alliance?"

The Castaway questioned her as she guzzled down another drink. This amount of physical labor was far from her normal routine. Not that she ever considered herself lazy, but she was far out of practice when it came to extended activity. Probably why she hadn't finished that hot tub before he arrived a few days ago.

"Not much," Zoe admitted, "just that those guys have always been at our throats for a long time. I asked an older syndicate guy about it once but even he didn't fully know, just that it has always been like that. He didn't think we could ever get along with them."

The Castaway nodded at her assessment, not surprised by her lackluster answer.

"They are your opposites, in theory."

He pursed his lips at some thought before continuing.

"Their methods are a problem. I intend to rectify it."

Zoe felt a chill in the air at his words. She mustered up some courage to ask about her suspicions. "Are you going to…you know…" she cupped her hands in front of her over each other, shaping a ball. The Castaway didn't even look guilty as he answered.

"Yes. It's the most effective strategy."

Talk about problematic methods. Maybe he didn't judge his own actions in the same light as he viewed others. What had a group of people preaching about the 'rights of pals' done to get his attention like that? Seems a little strange. Still, Zoe could admit his way had favorable results. She was living proof of that, as was the large portion of her now mostly subservient non-crime syndicate. If he was going to pursue the tried and true method of volun-forced compliance, she supposed there wasn't room for much argument.

The Castaway continued.

"An ancient Ritual Site. That's where we will start again."

Zoe nodded in understanding before she registered what he said. She looked up at him confused. "Again?" she questioned. They hadn't even been here before, what did he mean again? Now he looked a little sheepish but didn't manage the shame to even look embarrassed. Great, what did he do?

"The way ahead is clear."

He didn't elaborate more on those ominous words but she could guess their meaning. He had already been through the area before, no doubt shoving every alliance member who didn't die from his attacks into a pal sphere. Was that what was in those bags she saw back at their base? That had to have been dozens of spheres worth to fill them all up to that degree. God Damn he's been busy.

"Well, that's…good?" she stated hesitantly, "What will we do once we get to this ritual site or whatever?"

The Castaway crossed his arms, tapping his fingers as he pondered.

"We make camp. And I will acquire warmer clothing"

'Warmer' he says. It's already toasty outside, why would they need warmer clothing? Unless…

"We're making our way to that mountain in the distance?" She guesses. The Castaway smiled, indicating she was correct, but something felt off. "We're gonna climb that thing? What for?" Zoe felt like she asked questions a lot but to be fair most things these days didn't make sense at all.

He answered the question simply.

"Their leader resides there."

Ah, so that was why. Beating up their guys and then capturing their leader. He was just repeating the same steps. Stab the heart and cut off their head, a quick and decisive blow to the entire organization. It was ballsy, but the Castaway proved he could pull it off. She had faith in his ability. Just putting another organization under his belt, the new standard procedure. But he said 'I' not 'we', making her suspicious.

Then the Castaway continued, making a critical mistake.

"I'm going to talk to her."

Zoe froze. He was still talking but it was barely a muffled echo.

Her.

Her her HER. Their leader was a SHE.

Zoe clenched her fingers as a vein visible bulged on her forehead. Her teeth were grinding it seemed. Now her mind was conniving with itself. Was it really because of their methods? And what was he going to do with their leader, befriend them too like he had her? Another friend huh, another dear sweet companion?

'Oh, the slimy perverted sonofa-'

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"Are we there yet!" she blurted out to distract herself from those rogue thoughts. The Castaway sent her a strange look at the outburst but didn't scold it.

"Almost. It's just up ahead."

Zoe sighed in relief. They had encountered a few pals along the way but most either ran away or stared at them blankly with those goofy expressions of theirs. They encountered practically no resistance the whole way. She supposed the main paths had to be pretty safe if the wandering merchants used them so frequently.

Not something the syndicate ever did, what with their legally questionable business model. There was a certain charm to being able to walk these paths like a normal person, unperturbed by any grander ambitions or struggles. Not that she had many before but still. The distinct lack of responsibility made this journey far less burdensome than it may otherwise have been.

Nevertheless, Zoe was looking forward to the upcoming night of rest. The strain of the day was beginning to affect their overall speed, she was moving far more sluggishly than only a few hours ago.

Also her feet hurt.

The landscape in front of them began to change. The greens and browns of nature were broken intermittently by gunmetal gray as ancient cubic monuments jutted out at random. The same metal that her Tower was constructed of, although these ones seemed derelict. Very little energy pulsed through their chassis, if any. It was like they were dead.

Or perhaps merely sleeping…

Suddenly the whole place became a lot more foreboding to her. Zoe shuffled closer to the Castaway as he moved confidently into the rising structures. The monoliths towered over them now, covered in that vexing, angled geometry. At least he didn't seem disturbed, that soothed the anxious feelings a bit.

Coming into a wider clearing, Zoe realized they were in the center of what had to be some kind of ring. The structures loomed inwards in a steady curve, and there was also a kind of ritual circle made of stone, with a blue pillar of light at its center. Ancient Ritual Site was a pretty on-the-nose name. What this place might have been used for she couldn't guess, but the Castaway didn't appear to have any interest in the history of the place or its function. Indeed, he instead was more focused on a group of small trees nearby by the way he swung an axe around in his hand dexterously.

Already knowing what he was going for, Zoe dug around in the pack she was carrying. With a bit of effort, she managed to pull out a few large pieces of wool cloth that had been folded and rolled up. She heard a cracking sound and upon looking over found a downed tree. The Castaway gathered two of the sturdiest pieces and planted them a small distance away from each other into the ground, leaning another two thinner pieces on the far side of each.

Zoe walked over and rolled out one of the large wool cloths between the wooden stakes to act as a makeshift flooring. She then tossed another cloth over one stake while the Castaway did the same with the other. Meeting in the middle, Zoe ducked her head as he stabbed soft-tempered nails where the cloths overlapped, the weight of them acting as tension to keep the nails in place. In very little time, they had developed a simple tent structure.

It was open-air on one side but cloth walls on the other three, with the back going down the supports at a slope to give more space. She used some of the smaller twigs and stones in the area to make a pit in front of it, careful of the depth to ensure plenty of clearance from the cloth.

It took a few tries but Zoe managed to start a small fire by clashing the stones in her hands together. She heard a hum of approval from the side as the Castaway rummaged in his own pack, withdrawing a rectangular container. A feeling of anticipation rose up at the faint smell of food.

It was cold of course, but it was more complex than anything they could make out here with just a firepit. And besides, said fire could warm that right up anyway. And that's exactly what happened. Cold food was made warm and it was delicious. Almost as good as it would have been completely fresh, probably by design. No knocking the chef on this one, it had been far too long since she had juicy meat. It was an opportunity to be savored.

However, something kept nagging at Zoe as they ate in silence. It was like a pebble in her boots, barely noticeable but infuriatingly annoying. She rolled the thought over in her head but waited until they were nearly done with the meal before voicing it. Hopefully he wouldn't mind sharing his thoughts.

"Do you know their leader?" she asked the Castaway, who was still chewing the last of his dinner, "You apparently know a bit more about them than anyone else I met."

He paused briefly, swallowing his food as he tapped his fingers on his knee. He seemed to choose his words carefully.

"I am familiar, but not deeply. Her name is Lily. She has a philosophy of loving pals, and scorn those who use them."

'Loving Pals huh?' Zoe thought, 'I can believe that.'

"With how they raid our camps I'm not surprised," she said aloud, "they always steal our supplies and the pals we rightly caught. Erm, used to catch…" she corrected. That was behind her now. The Castaway nodded in agreement with her observation. But Zoe saw the corner of his mouth pull tight for a moment.

"Are they just some kind of cult or activist group then, following Lily's orders?" she asked, trying to be a little more tactful in her approach this time. "They're not afraid to be bold about it, that's for sure."

The Castaway interlaced his fingers together and glanced at the fire.

"In theory. But not entirely in practice. Those 'methods' I mentioned before…she doesn't understand what they have to do to appease her wishes."

He stared at her now, making sure she was listening closely.

"I will make her understand."

Zoe shuddered at the sharp tone. He never took that tone when talking about herself. There must be more to it, so she tried to figure out where the disapproval stemmed from.

"Is Lily…bad?" she realized how dumb that sounded and tried again, "Is she going to be a problem?"

The Castaway nodded, a calculating expression now adorning his face.

"Lily is devout to her cause. She is stubborn in her beliefs and won't easily change her perception. She's not as…open-minded as you are. Far less flexible in her notions and ideas."

Zoe wasn't sure whether that was a compliment or not but kept listening as he spoke.

"I can't take the same approach this time. Lily is more experienced and more zealous. She won't change by words alone, or simple kindness. It will require measures more…forceful."

He didn't seem keen on explaining those measures, but a thought struck Zoe, "Couldn't you just command her to change her mind, if you're gonna capture her in a palsphere too?" she questioned. That seemed like the easiest method, but he shook his head in a negative way.

"She would never find solace like that. Lily could never be herself ever again."

Zoe didn't argue. She understood the sentiment perfectly. Even if she was bound to him forever more, he never took her mind away from her. She tried to imagine herself if things were different, if she was just a mindless puppet, a dull look in her eyes as she lost everything that she was and smiled just as dumbly as the other captured syndicate members. Forever fighting her own will as she lost every semblance of personhood. They could recover though, they were used to following the orders of others their whole lives. They had little individuality as it was. Honestly, they probably enjoyed the work since they didn't have to scrounge for food anymore. Not a whole lot different than what they were doing before. Are they even operating against their wills at this point?

The idea still made her queasy.

"That's good. I shouldn't have even thought of that," Zoe admitted, remorseful. The Castaway seemed to approve of her agreement, moving closer to her. He spoke more quietly now, more soothing.

"I will go alone, but I will need to borrow your strength when I face her. I have to take a very specific approach for this to work."

Zoe looked at him, confused. He tapped the yellow and black plushie on her hip. Her eyes widened for a moment before a large grin sprung forth, "Oh yeah, she'll never see it coming. We won't let you down!"

The Castaway smiled, nudging her shoulder lightly. She nudged back stronger, but he barely moved. Zoe heard him muffle a laugh, the crackle and glow of the fire the only light now that night had taken over the land. The stars were exceptionally bright tonight. He noticed her looking up and followed her gaze, murmuring quietly to her.

"Are you familiar with astronomy…or constellations?"

"Nope," Zoe said with a pop, "Sun equals day and moon equals night is about as much as I've got. And maybe telling the time sometimes."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before pointing upwards.

"Do you see that star there? The brighter one, above the edge of that wall."

Zoe scanned the areas he was indicating, resting her cheek on his arm for alignment, "I think? There's a few bright ones but is it the one by itself?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yes. It's called Polaris, the North Star, and you can use it as a navigational marker. It indicates true north, basically. If we are ever separated, you can use that to find your direction to our previous night's location if you can remember its orientation."

He traced his finger along a line of stars. It's been a while since he spoke this much, his voice was starting to sound gravely from disuse.

"It's also the tip of a constellation. Little Dipper or Ursa Minor, depending on how you look at it"

Zoe squinted her eyes, trying to imagine the grouping of stars as something meaningful. She knew ursa meant 'bear' but she wasn't sure what kind of pal that was supposed to be. He noticed her struggle and added a helpful tip.

"Imagine Grizzbolt was on all fours and had a straighter tail."

She tried to overlay the image on the group of stars.

Ah, now she saw it. It didn't have any arms though, so it was easier to make out the cooking tool rather than the creature. "Why are they shaped like that?" Zoe asked curiously. The Castaway answers succinctly to avoid confusing her with cosmic physics.

"Chance. And perspective. There are many like it. You have to look at it the right way or you won't see it amidst the clutter."

She looked over at his face now, "Is that what you're going to do with Lily? Change her perspective?" she asked genuinely. He seemed to chuckle lightly at the comparison.

"Yes…yes, that's what I'm going to attempt. She's not evil, merely misguided. She can yet be redeemed."

The words caused Zoe to smile and nuzzle into his arm, feeling a little more secure with his objective than she had been before. He leaned his head on hers and sighed, inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Do you oppose this?"

The question surprised Zoe, that he would even ask her opinions on his plans. It made her heart swell, she liked this development.

"No. I have some..reservations, but I don't mind adding another to our posse…" she responded, but the Castaway caught on to what she was hinting at. He assuages her worries.

"Lily won't change anything between us. There's still work to be done with you yet anyway."

Zoe blinked, uncertain of his words.

Eh? What did that mean?

He didn't elaborate further but patted her on the back before stretching his muscles.

"I will take watch tonight. Be sure to get some sleep, you will be fending for yourself tomorrow."

"Uwhhg…" Zoe whined, resting back on her hands with a pout, "You're leaving me?" she groaned but knew he already said as much. She suspected this would be the case, he could move much faster by himself. Going out alone then, off to go galavanting with another woman. How infuriating!

She seethed, wishing for all the world to be less of a burden right now.

He nodded, seeming like he was going to say more but decided against it, positioning himself to face away from the tent and kneeling in a meditative vigil. Zoe thought that looked uncomfortable but the Castaway seemed relaxed. What a strange man.

"Don't you need warmer clothing or something?" she intoned, watching him dubiously. He didn't face her but she heard him hum in confirmation. Guess he was going to do that later, as bizarre as that was. Maybe she should stay up to help out?

Her own body still ached though, and now that she was full from the food the desire to lay down was even stronger. She glanced down at her sore body. Remnant pressure marks were still present on her waist and thighs from when he had taken her, although they were fading quickly with only minor bruising. They would probably disappear in the morning after she slept. Well, no need to fight that. Zoe managed to push herself up, dusting off her hands and shuffling to the more comfortable wool-cloth tent flooring.

She found a smaller woolen cloth to use as a blanket but the heat provided by the fire kept them both warm enough for now. There were still tons of questions she wanted to ask him but didn't want to appear that clueless. Instead, she rested her arms behind her head as a pillow and let her eyes wander the night sky, trying to pick out some other constellations he said were out there.

It made Zoe tired. It was like counting lambells. It was starting to be frightening, the idea of being alone. Was that bad?

At some point she must have fallen asleep, but Zoe didn't remember. Nor did she remember what was dreamt of.

She felt remarkably well rested, so it must have been pleasant.

What she does remember though, upon waking up to the morning sun and no sign of the Castaway, is how much she loathes the small green pal in front of her.

Zoe glared at the Lifmunk standing guard in front of the tent, an SMG swinging dangerously in its arms with that dumb fluffy tail and insufferably stupid face that even a mother couldn't love.

She growled wrathfully.

"Fuck you, and Fuck him for leaving me with you."

Maybe it was just the natural noises it made but Zoe could have sworn she heard it snicker.

He better hurry his ass up or she would kill this thing with her bare hands if she had to!

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A small little exposition chapter this time to transition as I prepare the next scenes. Hope everyone is doing well.

We will get some combat in the next chapter. Forgive me, am slow :3

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