The desert, oh the endless desert.
A blazing frying pan by day, a freezing wasteland by night.
Fowl of prey reign over the sky and creatures endowed with rows of killing teeth roam the endless ocean of sand below. With scales sharp and hard enough to cut through skin, meat and bone, they stand proud among the unending hills of gold, boasting their indisputable authority over these lands.
One such monarch lazily climbed from his resting place - a palace far more grand than even the mightiest of ancient Victorian castles - a sizable hole in the sand. His Highness stretched his many legs clad in natural grown armor and turned towards the giant fire in the sky, welcoming a new day. The radiant orange spread within the ruler's empty eyes, as his tiny mind filled with longing for a meal adequate for royalty.
His long, lemony body slowly arose from the warm sand, gently rotating itself to face away from the sun. Turning his head, his deep, blank eyes immediately locked onto a pair just as empty.
Four bottomless wells, stuck in a staring contest, neither willing to move even a bit. The ruler felt curious about this new development, interested to find out who dared challenge his might, yet unwilling to gaze away from the pair of inquisitive eyes. A true giant kneeled before him, as tall and grand as a mountain, towering over the king. Garbed in attire a size too big even for a colossus their size, the massive creature curiously stared at the reptilian ruler of the desert.
Andy let out an annoyed sigh.
"... Can we go, now?"
"No."
His voice was as soft as a cool pillow on a warm summer's day. Andy clicked his tongue. Not this bullshit, again.
"Andy, what is this?"
Seven pointed towards the flimsy lizard in front, keeping his dark pupils trained at the little monarch. The tiny creature did not seem afraid in the slightest, returning the boy's gaze with an equal amount of interest.
"That? That's a lizard. Hell if I know what type."
"Lizard…"
He nodded, slowly reaching into his poncho. Out, came the sheathed blade, pommel inching ever so closer to the scaly creature in front. It shifted its gaze from the boy's eyes to the sword's handle, reluctantly approaching.
Andy stood back, watching as Seven lifted the lizard off the sand and brought it closer to his face for a more insightful examination. The creature seemed to be having the time of its life, floating in the air on some weird stick wrapped in a bunch of soft cords.
Those deep, empty wells of his squinted, watching the lizard from all angles, absolutely mesmerized by its reptilian beauty. It jumped down from the hilt and scurried off back to its grand palace in the sand, needing to attend to a multitude of other royal duties.
Andy blinked a few times. He was still getting used to the weird nature of his new companion. Hopefully, their companionship would soon end. At the nearest town, or so. Hopefully, yeah.
"... Done?"
"Yes. It ran."
"Sure did."
Seven turned towards the merc, latching his large eyes onto him.
"Why?"
"Why", what?"
"Why did it run?"
Andy shrugged. He did not know, either.
"Dunno. Got scared, or something."
"Okay."
The boy nodded, standing up and quickly dusting off his knees.
"Your first time seeing a lizard, or something?"
"Yes."
Huh. He thought they were quite common here, in Kazdel, but apparently not.
"Good for you, but can we seriously get a move on? I'm starving…"
"I do not know where we can find food. I'm sorry."
The large, conical hat on his head tilted, drooping over his eyes. Yet, Andy still felt his gaze boring into the front of his skull.
"But I do. Should be a nice, pretty town not too far from here. Here, down south, there's more poverty and sand than war, so it gets kinda peaceful."
The boy tilted his head, again.
"... War?"
"War. Like, war? Civil war? Struggle for power? Nationalists? Babel…?"
Words, words, like droplets of water into an ocean. His tail swished gently through the air.
"I don't know what any of that means."
Andy stared at him for a few moments in genuine bewilderment, before chuckling. He envied the guy, in a way.
"Good for you, bud. Good for you."
And so, they carried on through the burning sands, the barren wasteland of sand and heat, plains utterly devoted to making the lives of anyone who tried to cross them living hell. It took just an hour or so before the first signs of a settlement arose in the far distance. The soft contours of a few old, wooden huts graced the angel's vision, bringing a smile to his face. His wings perked up, his halo shone just a tad bit more bright. Carrying all the gear he had on himself, the guns, the endless pockets of his cargo pants filled with memories, ammunition and some extra provisions for a rainy day, it all proved to be quite the herculean effort.
Seven, however, kept silently draggling at his side, unwilling to let Andy leave his sight.
They made it to the very edge of the town, where the sea of gold turned, battered and bruised, it laid trampled by the many soles of its inhabitants - hardened into one, wide, main road. Andy fell to his knees, burying his face in the sand.
He sighed, content. No more dawdling around the desert. No more "leading."
"... Alright, was nice knowing you. I'll just take a quick breather, here, if you don't mind…"
He closed his eyes, feeling the sun's warmth locked in each and every grain of sand underneath him.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
Yet, a feeling of being constantly watched remained.
"... You can go, you know?"
"Go?"
"Yeah?"
Andy flipped himself to his back, staring up at the curious little swordsman.
"... You asked me to lead you somewhere, you didn't really specify where, so I led you here. That's that. We're done."
His tail perked up, as his eyes only seemed to grow in size.
"No."
"What do you mean, "no?"
"You're still leading."
The angel sat up, propping himself up on his hands.
"Look, bud, I'm not "leading" anywhere. You stabbed me, brought me to a hospital, I helped you run from some coppers, brought you here. We're even. You can leave."
"I don't want to."
"…"
Andy squinted his eyes, seeing Seven's outline being almost entirely devoured by the bright, morning sun gleaming from behind. A familiar little devil scaled his arm once more, comfortably sitting by his earlobe. A distressed, blue haired angel followed suit, on the other shoulder.
"See? Just drop him, Lawie. We don't have time for this circus."
The dead merc yawned, laying against his neck. The idol of Law on his right piped up, poking him in the neck.
"Drew…"
She gave him a stern look. Andy sighed.
One of those days, W, but not today.
"... I can't think on an empty stomach. Can't function."
"I can locate a source of food."
Seven's tail started wagging, fast.
"Sure, just… Can you make it quick? I don't want t-..."
Tick.
And he was gone. Completely removed from his sight, leaving behind only a barely noticeable trail of a dim, light blue hue. It lingered in the air like paint in a cup of water, after being washed off a brush.
"...?"
Tock.
A gust of wind rushed past as the boy returned, his breathing uneven and his quickened heartbeat clearly audible in the morning's lazy silence. It was as if he just popped back into existence, right in the spot where he stood before mysteriously disappearing.
"I found… A diner."
He huffed and puffed, as if he just ran a marathon. Andy stood up from the ground, feeling off about the whole thing.
"How did you do that?"
He took a big breath and slowly let the air seep out in between his teeth. His eyes closed for a few moments and opened, as his heartbeat stabilized.
"I don't know."
"You don't know…?"
"I'm sorry."
"..."
Arts? Something far beyond? He's never seen anything quite like this, after all.
"... That's okay. Just, uh… Just lead the way, bud."
Tap, tap, tap,
Their feet tapped along the sandy road, delving into the heart of the waking town. Along the main road stood wooden houses, all lined up neatly to face the neighbors on the opposite side. Their windows flung open, bringing about a sense of warmth, much different than the desert heat. Honest, roughly, yet affectionately sculpted faces soon flooded the area, hurrying off to start their days. Children, free of sin, of any illness, ran around the place, chasing imaginary burdenbeasts and gleefully laughing along. Sarkaz women dressed in bright, colorful robes stepped from their homes, carrying baskets filled with laundry, hanging clotheslines between the neighboring buildings, engaging in peaceful, lazy back-fence gossip. They shot Andy a glance, to which he responded with a coy wink.
They turned their heads in disgust, going back to their conversations. A tiny angel on the merc's shoulder sighed and slammed the palm of her hand against her forehead.
At the very end of the street stood a town hall made from red brick. A real pretty sight, with dozens of townsfolk leaving and entering, tending to their official matters. At the very top of its roof stood a small tower, home to an old, brass bell, lazily reflecting the sun's whimsy rays.
The burly, genuine men of this little desert town hurried to their respective places of employment, throwing around Hello's, Hi's and Good morning's to the passing folk. Andy caught a few of those as well, always smiling from ear to ear and answering in kind. Only when they had already passed the merc, the good people of this peaceful little town would turn to glare at the outsider in confusion. Him and Seven were like intruders here - unlawful, unwanted and uninvited, dirty mercenaries staining the peace and serenity of their perfect, quiet life.
They left the hustle and bustle of the town behind and stepped into the diner. From the outside, filled with neon signs promising the cheapest coffee and best eggs on toast in town - on the inside, spacious and cool, with the AC running rampant, people gathered in the booths by the windows, sitting by the bar, enjoying themselves and their laid back morning.
It felt as if there was no war happening at all.
The boys found themselves a nice booth of their own, waiting just for them, a kingdom ready to be ruled by its two new rulers. It's been a while since life's been this kind to him. And, look, someone even prepared a pair of menus for the two of them…
"Hi, hello, welcome to AJ's! May I take your order?"
A loud, cheery gal roller skated over to their table, holding a notepad in one hand, brushing her cherry hair behind her horns with the other. Her pointy ears fluttered as she struck a pose, letting a smile as sweet as a Ursus' noble diet adorn her pretty face. Andy grinned back, closing his brochure.
"A coffee with milk and sugar… And some eggs on toast, since you guys boast about them so much."
The girl chuckled, giving a small nod. Seven curiously tilted his head, as a hint of confusion crossed his ever so calm, stoic face.
"Oh, we boast about 'em, 'cause they're as great as we say! Really, I promise you won't be disappointed, sir."
"Sir?" Was he really getting that old, already…? He wasn't even legally allowed to drink, yet people oftentimes assumed otherwise.
"And for you, sweetie?"
Her face was as smiles as she turned towards the little swordsman, who's had his eyes locked on hers ever since she strolled over.
"..."
"... Buddy?"
"I don't know any of these things."
He pointed to the menu. Both Andy and the waitress turned to glance at each other in confusion. She smiled.
"That's alright! I keep telling Matt, that's our line cook, he keeps assembling these fancy menu's, and I keep telling him, "Oh, Matty, there's too much damn food on these things, people are getting confused all the time", and he always goes "Oh, Cilly, I'm the cook here, not you, blah, blah, go back to taking orders, you…"
Seven kept staring her right in the eyes as she babbled on. Eventually, she got the hint and stopped.
"... So, um… So that's that. I'll just get you the same as your friend, alright, buddy~?"
He nodded. Andy flicked the waitress one last smile.
"Alright, yeah, that'll be perfect, hon, thanks."
His eyes followed her all the way to the kitchen door, as she swerved away, carried by the roller skates.
"Hon?" Seriously? Maybe he was getting a bit too lost in character. Clutching the mask a little too tight.
"..."
Seven kept staring at him, silently. A nice little rock tune accompanied the two, flowing through the radio set on the bar in the middle of the establishment.
"... Just to be clear, I'm not paying for your meal."
"I don't understand. Elaborate?"
There he went again, with all that head tilting. He was a sarkaz, not a lupo, yet he was acting like a confused pup all the damn time.
"I mean, you're paying for your meal. What is there not to understand? You got some money, right?"
"..."
"..."
"... Money?"
Of course. Should've seen that coming.
"Please don't tell me you don't know what money is."
"I apologize, Andy."
"Just what sort of backwards tribe are you even from? What, you guys still deal in burdenbeasts and poultry? Law…"
"No."
"Then how do you not know what money is?"
"I apol-..."
"- Yeah, yeah, I get it. I get it."
Andy tapped his fingers against the table. The rock song on the radio ended, giving way to some mumbly broadcast.
"Seven?"
"Yes."
"It's a bit of a weird question, but what exactly are you?"
"I'm Seven Dash Three Dash S-..."
"- No, I mean, WHAT are you? Like, are you… Sarkaz? Some weird, teleporting subrace? I mean, I don't know. Are you even human, at all?"
"..."
The boy took a small moment to ponder the question. A few customers started whispering amongst themselves and pointing the mish-mash duo out to each other.
"... I'm Seven."
Andy sighed.
"I know. But are you anything besides that?"
"I'm a vegetable."
What.
"What?"
"I'm a v-..."
A loud crash interrupted his second declaration of being a vegetable. Seven turned to the noise immediately, his hand diving into the shapeless folds of his poncho and his tail flying upwards into the air. Some patrons were leaving the establishment in a hurry, a clumsy young devil accidentally knocked their mug of coffee off the counter.
"... Pricks. Can't even drink coffee in peace."
Andy leaned his elbows against the table, comfortably laying his chin on the makeshift cushion. Time to make his stand.
"... Anyhow, look, Seven, it's been a nice day or two, but… Y'know. This is where we say goodbye."
He kept drilling into his skull with those empty eyes, looking for treasure, apparently.
"Why? I don't want to."
"I know you don't, but I'm a solo act nowadays, bud."
"Solo act?"
"Yeah. Like… I work alone, mostly. Or in very large groups, but only when the pay's good. I mean, hell, you had half a million shekels on your scalp, y'know?"
"... I didn't know."
Seven most likely did not understand most of what the angel had just said.
"Yeah, exactly. You gotta be in the know to know, you know?"
"No."
"And that's what separates us. I'm a merc, you're a… I don't really know what you are. And don't say "I'm a vegetable", again, please."
"Okay. I'm sorry."
Andy smiled at the boy and closed his eyes.
"So? No hard feelings? We good?"
He shook his head, keeping his expression as neutral as always.
"No. I don't want to leave you."
Andy felt a strange tinge of bleak something plucking his heartstrings.
"... Buddy, we barely know each other."
"I don't want to leave you. I need a guide."
"And I guided you here, to a pretty, little town! Isn't that enough?"
"No."
"Seven..."
He sighed, tired and hungry.
"... Look, buddy, we don't match, at all. We're different. We don't work well together. Hell, you almost killed me."
"I apologized."
"I know you did! No hard feelings for that one. But, still, it's just... You gotta find a different guide. You're, uh... You've got half a million shekels on your head, I can't deal with that."
That wasn't his first reasoning, but it's the reasoning he could confidently give. Seven was the last person he wanted to talk to about his attachment issues and the need to stay independent.
The boy finally laid his eyes off the merc, instead staring down at the table. He seemed a bit disappointed. That's what Andy had assumed, anyway. Hard to tell, with his unmoving face.
"..."
A distressed man burst through the establishment's door, only to rush towards the counter and snatch the radio. He glanced at the two with pure, unfiltered fear in his eyes, yelped, then ran away.
Andy took a look around the place. It was completely, utterly empty. The coffee makers and fryers in the back were the only sources of noise.
"... 'S a bit weird."
"What's weird?"
Seven remained completely calm throughout the whole ordeal.
"This. Everyone left."
"Where did they go, Andy?"
"How am I supposed to know? I'm not all knowing."
"I'm sorry."
"..."
He stood from his seat, walking to the middle of the room. Seven followed suit, eyes glued to the angel.
Plates of food laid unfinished on the tables, mugs and pots of coffee accompanying them diligently. A few papers rustled around the floor.
"..."
The two stepped out onto the once lively, busy street.
A tumbleweed rolled by their feet, skipping along the main road. Not a single soul remained in sight.
"Where the hell is everybody…?"
"I don't know, I'm sorry."
Seven gave a small, solemn bow.
"No, it was a rhetorical question. You're good."
"Thank you."
His tail perked up and wagged.
Andy however, remained as confused as ever, circling the empty street, watching the dead-quiet town. He took a deep breath.
"HELLO?!"
His voice echoed through the desert. Like screaming down a sewage tunnel, no response but for his own words.
Seven tilted his head, but said nothing. He awaited the merc's next move.
Seeing how the ghost town had no intention of replying to his words, Andy turned towards the town hall and its ancient bell on top. Maybe some "music" would loosen its tongue.
With a swift move, Vinny swooshed off his back, stock nestled into the angel's shoulder. He flipped the safety and focused on the deathly dust flowing within the chambered bullet.
A rough, quiet rattle snuck out of the suppressed barrel, followed by the booming yell of the bell, resonating through the entire settlement.
…
They waited.
…
But no one came.
"... Tch."
Andy clicked his tongue and focused his mind once more. The ring of light above his head glimmered bright, as yet another bullet shot from the rifle's muzzle. The bell wailed in pain, again. And again. And again…
"... What are you doing, Andy?"
He put the gun down, a bit conflicted. What was he doing, exactly? Just wasting ammo, at this point.
"... Aim practice. Trying to snuff someone out, I guess."
He slung the rifle behind his back, as a few erratic footsteps poured from behind. Both boys turned their heads.
With a graceful, rapid pace that would put most gazelles to shame, a devil ran across the street, desperately trying to get out of their sight. He slammed his scrawny body against the wooden door of some hut, fiddling with his pockets, trying to reach the keys. Quite difficult, when you're clutching a radio in your arms.
Andy and Seven strolled over to the distressed man, light confusion sprouting from within both.
"Sir? Hello? Could you tell us why-..."
The man screamed in genuine terror at the sight of the two approaching, dropping the radio and slamming his key into the door. With a click, he rushed inside and shut it behind, locking himself away forever.
"..."
"I think he doesn't like us, Andy."
Andy stepped closer to his doorstep, taking a peek at the dropped radio.
"Yeah, no shit."
"No shit?" Explain, please."
"Shhh. Shh, wait."
He crouched down beside the lively box. It kept whispering words of wisdom, gently licking their ears, only teasing with a soft murmur. Andy turned the volume knob all the way up.
"... Last seen escaping towards the Vrana Desert, the suspected convict is still at large. Accompanied by an accomplice, one "Andrew Ricketts", an armed sankta commonly known as "The Exorcist", the convict is confirmed to be very volatile and aggressive, known to take an extraordinary amount of pleasure in killing. The Military Committee has raised their bounty to a whopping seven and a half hundred thousand Kazdelian Shekels and set an official price on The Exorcist's head - Another half a million Shekels. Any and all sightings observed by civilians should immediately be reported to respective authorities of each settlement and…"
Andy kept staring at the chatterbox in front. A light gurgling feeling grasped his stomach, refusing to let go. It twisted his guts, uncomfortably, threatening to spill whatever he had left in there out.
Seven kneeled by his side.
"You're very pale. I've been told it's bad."
The angel gave a small nod, eyes wide with genuine fear. A twisted strain of words crossed his mind, the distorted image of Anton Newmaker spouting something about Andy fearing a situation where it would be him against the entire world.
Now, it truly was him against the entirety of Kazdel.
His breathing slowly but surely became more and more erratic. He tried turning the radio off, but it wouldn't shut up. The volume knob didn't seem to do much, either.
He pulled W's knife from his ankle holster and hacked the entire thing apart.
Seven remained completely unbothered, sitting by his side.
Seven.
Their eyes locked once more. Those deep, empty wells, luring Andy close, unwilling to lose track of him for even a moment.
This lost, little puppy, with a brain so empty, yet so sharp at the same time. Maybe the struggle wasn't so one sided, after all.
Maybe the two of them had a chance.
"Seven?"
"...?"
"Do you still need a guide?"
His pointy ears perked up. His tail shot up, wagging excitedly.
And for the first time since they met, the boy smiled.
"Of course, Andy."