"What are you fighting for now?
Does your anger define you?
If yes, if no—what are the consequence of either?
Honestly. Truly. Ask yourself…
What are you fighting for?
And can you feel a fire—even a spark—welling up inside of you?"
—The Man with the Golden Gun
4. The Fire
She fired off a single bullet.
A bullet of pure Light.
A Light that burned like the sun.
And the flying essence of celestial fire struck Viktor, dead center.
Almost an instant, the bullet burned through his thin armor and layer of clothing, disintegrating his ribcage, heart and spine, leaving a scorching, cauterized hole through his body. It pierced through the thick walls of the lodge, leaving a trail of condensed heat through the freezing air across a thousand yards before it was finally vanquished as it hit the side of a mountain.
Alina froze.
She could barely process what had transpired.
Had she intended to kill the man before her? Without a doubt. But never had she expected it to happen the way it did. Never did she expect the outcome to have been so... severe.
All of her anger, she felt it burn across every fiber of her being, until the weapon in her grasps ignited with her Light.
She felt its scorching flames traced along the metal. The flames called to her, beckoning to be released.
And she listened.
She stood up. Her eyes shifted to the mercenaries, whom have bore witness to what she had done. Her golden gun was still burning brightly.
The surviving Sarkaz mercenaries felt a unshakeable terror, as the glow of her gun shone brighter than a rising sun.
In their eyes, it was a form of Arts of such potency and speed never before seen. If it was even Arts to begin with. They weren't prepared for it.
One of the mercenaries held up a shield, putting faith in the sturdy sheet of metal between him and a fiery end.
Alina swiftly took aim.
Bang
The bullet melted through the shield and entered the mercenary's skull, incinerating the bone and gray matter within. Within seconds, his head was reduced to embers.
Another Sarkaz caster desperately tried to cast a spell in retaliation. A vain attempt.
Her aim was faster. Her bullet was much faster.
Bang
Another round of pure Light roared through the air and hit the caster in her abdomen, igniting her entire body. She never had a chance to scream.
Before, Alina could not hit even a single target with the gun entrusted to her. But now, armed with the manifestation of her Light, her vision and movement were no longer obstructed by her inexperience.
She sought another target, but the celestial fire running across her gun began to dwindle. She could feel its heat drained away.
A wave of mental fatigue suddenly washed over her. The gun has now lost its golden shine, as her Light grew dim. Her breaths grew erratic.
Surprisingly, in her brief moment of weakness, not another bolt or arrow was fired upon her, as the last of the surviving mercenaries took the more reasonable option of fleeing for their lives.
"She's a monster!"
"We need to get outta here!!"
Monster, she heard them yell, among other unintelligible curses thrown at her direction.
The remaining mercenaries broke through the doors and fled in a hurry, barely escaping the wrath of a crowd of armed civilians arriving just outside the lodge. But in their terrified minds, braving the endless cold is better than a fiery death.
Alina stood, unmoving.
She had finally felt a glimpse of the true power of the Light. And she took three lives with it.
And yet, it felt gratifying.
"Well, I'll be damned..."
Uttered the Drifter, as he holstered his gun and slowly made his way toward the bodies. Anything left behind by the mercenaries, even damaged, would be useful to him, he thought.
He took a quick glance at Alina, whose eyes weren't on him. "Looks like you had it in you after all."
She didn't care enough to say anything in return.
Instead, she turned back towards a still laying body behind the counter. Soaking in a pool of blood.
"Alina, he's still alive. Barely."
The Ghost spoke to her ear. Without hesitation, she dashed to Josef's side.
She moved his body laid him against the wall. Calling upon the Light once again, she let a faint warmth run through and envelop her arms. But it was a harder struggle than she remembered.
"It's a clean stab wound puncturing through the left lung. He's hemorrhaging fast. You... might still be able to save him."
Even if it was otherwise, she would still not hesitate to take the chances.
The radiant orb of Light within her palms shattered. A wave of energy outshining every other source of light in the room embraced the two of them.
A few seconds passed. Nothing seems to have changed. She held out her palms for longer, pouring out as much of her own Light as she could possibly muster, however little may be left.
She saw the large gashing hole in Josef's chest closing, very slowly. A scar still remained where a wound used to be. But in the process, she felt like a chunk of herself was taken away.
A sharp inhale from the old man nearly made her jump away. But soon her expression changed into a faint smile of relief.
Their eyes locked. A weak mutter came out of Josef. "I didn't take you... for a caster... miss..."
"Alina. That's my real name."
Whether telling the truth was the right call or not, she couldn't help but feel lighter afterwards.
She looked back at the messy scene of her making, broken furniture, bodies covered in crimson, and scorch marks littered across what's left of the main room of the lodge. Her throat felt more dry than ever before.
"I'm sorry for what happened, I really am..."
"Sorry can't turn back time, miss..." Josef remarked, his tone almost like a sting.
Was she guilty of everything that happened? She didn't fire the first shot. She tried a peaceful approach. But her words weren't good enough. If she could've handled the situation better, there wouldn't have been a first shot to begin with.
"I wish I could pay you back for the damages, I swear..." She asked for the old man's forgiveness, if it could mean anything.
Josef stopped her with a raised hand, which was noticeably pale. "It's not your fault..."
'Even then...' If things were to have gone better, she wouldn't have needed to do so.
"But... why are you following him... ?" He suddenly asked.
She realized whom he meant.
As he pried into her with his last question, Alina found herself struggling with the right words.
"I... had no choice." It was all she could muster at the moment. It wasn't the whole truth. She had a different choice. She just wasn't willing to take it.
A rustle called Alina's attention, and she turned to see him. The Drifter saw what had happened, but he remained quiet. His expression was grim.
She wondered about it, but as she turned to Josef, she noticed his eyes had lost their focus. And his skin was beginning to imitate the pale white snow.
"Josef...?"
"Just... give me a minute..." He muttered, before his head slumped down, and his eyelids were shut.
"Josef? Hey, wake up."
Nothing.
Her Ghost emitted a ray of light from his one eye that passed over the old man.
"He's lost too much blood."
"What? I thought I healed him!" Was her Light not enough?
"You only sealed his wounds and stopped his bleeding. But he had lost nearly 40 percent of his blood. He's... slipping away quicker than I expected."
A horrifying thought began to emerge.
"No, this can't be happening..."
She placed her palms on his face. He was becoming colder.
She called the Light again to lend her a hand. But she felt nothing flowing through.
She tried again. And again. She held her breath, exerting every last bit of her energy into drawing out any traces of Light still remaining that she could spare. Hoping that she could somehow restore what was lost.
"Ghost, help me, please!"
"I... I can't."
Her sorrowful eyes met the Ghost's in disbelief.
"I can heal your injuries, and bring you back from death, but... that is the extent of what I'm capable of. I can't give you more Light than what you already have within."
"No... no no no no..."
She moved a finger to his neck. There was no more pulse.
She laid him down and began compressions on his chest. With every push of her arms, she tried once more to draw out any traces of Light out of her palms.
But nothing had changed.
"Josef, wake up... please..." She begged to him. In spite of her cries, his eyes didn't move.
She didn't stop with her compressions. She didn't want to stop.
And yet, he didn't wake up.
"Alina..."
She had stopped.
"... I'm sorry."
The Ghost's words seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
She stared at the lifeless man before her.
She did nothing else, but stare.
"It's not your fault." Her Ghost whispered.
She stood up.
"Please, don't blame yourself for this... you did everything you could."
There was nothing left in her to respond.
She had failed, despite her power.
She wouldn't hesitate to trade her life for his. She has countless lives to spare.
But he only had one. And he wasted it on her. And she couldn't even save it.
Who else could she hope to blame but herself?
But perhaps... her Ghost was right.
She wasn't the one who thought to come to this town, to meet a group of mercenaries with skewed moral codes whose trust had been broken.
Even so, she couldn't deny her own guilt.
Passing by her was the Drifter, with a blanket in hand.
He knelt down and unfolded the blanket, covering Josef's body.
He didn't turn to face Alina, instead heading towards what remained of Viktor.
The Drifter knelt down one last time, grabbing a familiar-looking bright silver coin from one of the pockets of the dead mercenary.
"Was never personal, Vik..." He muttered to no one. The dead couldn't hear him anyway, he knew that.
He turned towards Alina. He noticed her tears have gone dry.
"Hey."
She didn't greet him back.
"We need to move. Out the back door." He declared, hastily gesturing towards where the exit might be.
Still nothing but silence. He spoke again.
"Listen... the rest of those Sarkaz rats, they've already turned tail and left, hopefully they're never comin' back. Town's not gonna welcome 'em anymore, or us. Either way, we can't stay here any longer. And you don't wanna greet the angry mob outside." Judging by his tone, he was used to this.
She finally found her voice again. Her eyes haven't moved away from the blanketed body.
"You want... to leave? After everything?"
"No town wants trouble knockin' on their doors. And that's all we're gonna keep bringin' if we stay." The Drifter reasoned.
This mess was caused by the two of them coming here, and the terrible fate of an unfortunate meeting. But she wasn't the one to have started the fight. She was trying to defuse it.
Even after that, to simply leave and not try to remedy anything, to run away... it felt wrong. But her path of civility had failed. And she still couldn't forget about Andrei.
But the worst of it all, she had failed to live up to her own title. Her own supposed purpose.
Nothing else was spoken between the two of them, as they went back into the endless snow, through a path unseen.
Away from everyone's eyes. Away from civilization once more.
"Alright, we're gonna be flyin' for a while, so... try to be quiet."
Said the Drifter, after a seemingly random set of blips was emitted from the set of panels and buttons in front of him.
Sneaking out of the town wasn't too much of a hassle, and keeping the ship out of sight was the right call. He couldn't risk anyone somehow being able to track down his only home for now.
Alina looked towards Andrei, deep in a slumber, a rest he very much needed.
A carton of juice was all she was able to bring back from their ill-fated stop. Thus, the boy had to settle for another can of unrecognizable meat from the Drifter's own stash, which worryingly enough, didn't taste like anything she could think of.
Bur her thoughts weren't on the boy. Rather, it would concern a question which gnawed at her mind, ever since they stepped outside the town.
She stood up from her cramped seat, her mind ready to speak aloud.
"You stole something from them! Why!?"
Her yell was answered with a sigh.
"Couldn't even last ten seconds, can you?"
The Drifter turned around to meet the very displeased face of an angry Elafia. Despite her best efforts, it was ineffective at coming off as a genuine threat. After all, he had stared down worse.
Still, he couldn't simply ignore her. She has every right to be furious.
"In my defense... I didn't expect them to figure it out that quick. And I also didn't think Vik would jump the gun." He explained, though his excuse meant nothing to her.
"What did you steal from them anyway?"
"It was just somethin' I needed, and they surely didn't. Besides, wouldn't call it stealin' if it weren't theirs to begin with." The Drifter's answer still did nothing to make himself any more innocent.
"But it's not like it's yours either, is it?" Alina challenged.
"Never called myself a saint, kid."
He was more unpredictable than she could've once imagined. How many more had this Drifter scorned before they met? How many more of his enemies might be chasing after them, without her even knowing?
At this moment, dissatisfaction had welled up within her for long enough. And her patience was beginning to crack.
She was willing to put up with his many layers of facade, but now that lives were lost due to his past, her trust had almost certainly shattered.
"We brought chaos to an entire town. Someone died. Someone who tried to help us. All because you stole what you shouldn't have." She coldly surmised.
The Drifter sighed. "Hey, I'm sorry about the old man too... but he knew the risks when he stepped in and raised that barrel on 'em. It's not you or me. We're lucky to have gotten of it in one piece, both of us. Could've gone a lot worse."
Before the Drifter could turn his attention to anything else, he felt the air warming up.
"Is that really all you have to say?"
He slowly laid eyes upon Alina, her hands now glowing.
The Drifter's cold stare met Alina's.
"Alright... calm down. It'd better for all of us. Trust me."
Her eyes didn't waver. And her hands hasn't stopped glowing.
A long and tense silence followed. Soon broken by a warning.
"Don't start a fight you can't win, kid."
Before she could bite back, that was when she noticed it. His eyes.
Something that she had not seen in him before. Anger.
It was enough to make her Light flicker. A small hiccup in her judgement.
"Alina..."
Her Ghost uttered her name, after materialising himself at her side. And her hearing his voice was all it took for her judgement to become unclouded.
Causing a fight inside a flying vehicle possibly hundreds of feet in the air wouldn't be wise. Her Ghost knew that. She was only beginning to realize that.
She took a sharp breath. Her burning Light slowly lost its shine.
She could not risk Andrei's safety. And as much of an enigma as the Drifter is, she at least knew that he wouldn't want any further violence. Neither did she. All she wanted were answers.
"I'm sorry... I lost control."
"Sorry for what? You haven't done anythin'." Reassured the Drifter, almost jokingly. "But I'd appreciate it if you don't try to pull a stunt like that again. Not on my ship."
"Then... are you going to be honest with me? From now on?" Alina asked of him.
He gave her a stare in return, cold as the freezing air outside.
"I just need to know that no one else is going to get hurt because of this. Is that too much to ask?"
The jaded look from the Drifter slowly faded, before a snicker came out. "I don't think you know how the world works, chestnut."
Alina simply shrugged. "Well, I was just 'born' less than a day ago, you tell me." And it was no exaggeration.
She had every right to be suspicious of the man before her. She just couldn't stand having to see more bodies along the way. Not when they didn't deserve it.
The Drifter glanced at her again, before finally releasing the pressure that had welled up in his chest.
"I can't guarantee you anythin' out of my control. What we're doin', what you're made to do, someone's always gettin' hurt for it. It's just about makin' sure that it's the right people that deserve it. Simple as that.
Look, I know how you're feelin', about what happened with Josef. But I knew him longer than you did. He wouldn't pin the blame on you for what happened. Those impatient bastards raised their knives first.
But I'm a man of my word. I said I'll give that kid of yours a nice new place to stay, remember? Now are you gonna hold up your end?"
"... Okay." There was a lack of confidence in her voice.
"Alright, don't keep that sour face for too long..." He turned back to the panels, leaving her to be greeted by his back.
She hasn't returned to her seat yet. She wanted to pry further.
"I don't understand why you did it. Why you took from them."
She got no response.
"Did you really need money that much?"
The Drifter didn't look back to face her. But this time, he answered.
"It's not about money."
Her eyes went wide. "Then what is it?"
He was silent, for a while. If only she could hear his thoughts, it wouldn't be this difficult.
"I don't think you'd get it. Let's just put it like that."
Was that all he could say? Frustration began to grow once again. How much longer will she be kept in the dark?
"I don't want to keep pressing but... why wouldn't I get it?"
"I think you'd get a lot more outta your time if you talk to your Ghost instead of me."
She had a feeling that was the end of their discussion. It certainly could've gone better.
But what could her Ghost say to her that the Drifter couldn't? She didn't know much about the latter to expect anything. Then again, her Ghost certainly was aware of the Drifter, enough to warn her of his possible true nature. What else could he know, that he hasn't told her?
She moved away from her seat, and settled for a more secluded space in the back of the ship, hopefully far enough from the Drifter's ears. If he wouldn't listen to her, then there's no reason to let him pry.
"Ghost?" She addressed her companion softly.
He flew to her side. "You uhh... almost lit up back there. It's alright, I don't blame you. He's a lot of work."
It was time for her to break the ice. "Is there something more you're not telling me?"
The Ghost began to avoid looking into her eyes.
"Well, now that you're asking about it..." His words sounded heavy.
A stern look was what he got in return. It was bad enough for Alina that the Drifter treats her like a child who needs permission from their parents to speak. She didn't want her Ghost to think of her the same way.
A continuous barrage of judgement from her stare eventually caused him to relent. "Okay, I haven't told you everything. About myself. About where I'm from. But it's only because, everything is new to you right now and... I didn't think you'd be ready to know. I didn't think you'd even believe me."
She couldn't fathom how he would think that, as she had long accepted her own bizarre circumstance. She had only hours ago, woken up from her own gravesite. What more could be surprising?
"You don't need to worry that much for me. Everything about me, about us, is hard to believe anyway. But we're here."
It was then her Ghost returned the same look she gave him. She couldn't hear his thoughts, but she could sense his hesitant feeling.
"It's okay... just tell me."
It took longer than she had expected, but the Ghost was finally willing to share his trust. Trust that she would be willing to listen.
"Okay... I told you before, that I come from a place far away, didn't I?"
"Yeah."
"And by that I mean... I'm really not from here."
She began to raise an eyebrow.
"Here, as in...?"
"I'm from a different world."
Her mind paused for a second.
"A... different world?"
"Yes. This world we're currently in... this is not the world that I originated from. I know this because I've looked. This is not Earth. This is not the planet where I was... born, in a way.
Somehow, I've been brought here, by a force outside of my own understanding. I couldn't sense the Traveler, but I do sense Light here. Even if barely. And when I found you, I realized... even if this is not my home, even if it was purely coincidence that I was brought here, it might not have been a mistake."
Alina was silent. Static. Her mind was anything but.
A different world. She couldn't even comprehend the scope of this world, exacerbated by her complete ignorance due to her being reborn by the Light. But other worlds?
She never even thought of what lie above the skies, or under the oceans, or the lands hidden beyond the horizon. And now, she realized there is even more she hasn't seen.
But she calmed herself. A deep breath. She had promised to listen. There was no point in freaking out over this revelation.
Although deep inside she was barely holding on, she couldn't make it seem so obvious in front of the Ghost. He had worried for her enough.
"If you're from... Earth... as you put it, then... how did you get here?"
"I can't answer that." He replied, his voice heavier than before. "It's not that I won't. It's just... I don't know either."
Unsurprisingly, she only became more puzzled by his response.
"My memory is a bit hazy, but all I remember was... a storm. Bigger than anything I've ever seen. But I couldn't figure out how it came to be. I remember getting caught in it, and then, there was a flash. And before I know it... I was here."
She never expected the Ghost to know everything. But it was becoming more apparent that he might know less than she had hoped for.
And as ridiculous as his story might've sounded, she sensed nothing but sincerity from him.
"It's okay, I believe you."
The Ghost acknowledged her in kind. "Thank you. For listening."
Even though she had barely known him for a day, the unwavering trust of her Ghost became her only source of mental comfort.
And after a period of revelations, the long awaited silence finally returned.
Alina couldn't close her eyes for more than a second. She could still see Josef.
What could she have changed, were she to be given another chance? If only she knew, she could've taken the blade in his place. But what would have happened to them if she hadn't ignited her own gun and chased the mercenaries away? Would the Drifter lose his life instead?
Would she even care?
So lost in her own thoughts she was, that she was oblivious to the hours passing by.
A sudden rattle jolted her awake. Their vehicle had stopped.
Before she could question it, she heard blips. Loud and rapid, echoing from the front.
Another moment of peace interrupted. Alina stood up and headed back to the front. The Drifter instead, was too preoccupied to even acknowledge her standing beside him.
"What's going on?" She asked in a dull tone.
He didn't turn around to face her. "There's somethin' passin' by. Below us."
As he announced the anomaly, she looked outside the windows of the ship, and saw in the corner of her eye, a long dark silhouette nearly camouflaged by the field of snow and frozen trees.
"Is that... what you mean?" She gestured to the shadows moving across the ground far below them, at an alarming speed.
The Drifter looked and caught those same shadows. "Looks like a convoy."
He went to steer the ship, moving parallel to the path the shadows are taking. He tinkered with a certain lit panel on his side, before a new set of symbols emerged on its screen. A language that... she couldn't quite read.
A smile began to form across his face. "Guess it's our lucky day."
Alina raised another eyebrow. "What are you saying?"
"The village where you found that kid? The one that got shot to hell? I think we just saw the ones who did it pass by us."
She grew static once again.
Not out of confusion. Rather, a different, deeper emotion began to well up within.
And her Ghost realized it, as he noticed her hands curled into fists.
"And... we're gonna follow them?" She asked, but her voice was frigid.
"Do you want me to?" From the way he delivered that question to her, it sounded like he was already expecting a certain answer.
This rage bellowing inside, she knew why that was. She wanted to heed its call.
But a different emotion passed by, as she turned around to look at Andrei, now also awake and dazed. There are other priorities at hand.
"We need to find another safe settlement first. It's too dangerous to go after them right now, with Andrei here." She reasoned.
As it turns out, what she said was not what the Drifter was expecting.
"Yeah, that's not what we're gonna do."
Her eyes went wide again. "What? Why?"
"Hey, I get what you're sayin', but if we lose this trail now, I can't tell you any settlement around this countryside is gonna be left in one piece. Now, none of us would want that happenin', would we?"
It was a sudden refusal she didn't see coming. She thought he wouldn't object to her idea. It wasn't like he wanted to keep both her and Andrei around as long as possible.
Almost sensing her puzzled look, the Drifter tried to reason further.
"You're a Guardian, aren't you? You said you don't want more people gettin' hurt? Well, this is your chance. We follow this convoy right now, and we can figure out who these rats are. Stop another massacre from happenin'."
This was the first time he had finally acknowledged her title. He truly wanted her to listen to his suggestion. And in all fairness, she couldn't deny the truth in his statement.
But it still bothered her, why he was now suddenly compelled to do a seemingly heroic act, when before he only seemed to be driven by self-interest.
"Why are you so adamant in making me do this? What are you getting out of this?"
He paused himself for a second, but eventually, he spoke his mind. "Let's just say, for now, our goals are aligned. This could be our one chance. And I need to do this, with your help. Just like you'll need mine."
She could hear the absolute sincerity in his voice. It was shocking, to have him become truthful for once.
She wouldn't admit it, not even to herself, but the taste for vengeance had grown enticing. And the anger she had felt before now persuaded her to accept the Drifter's suggestion.
In the midst of making her decision, she had failed to notice the concerned stare of her Ghost.
"Let's just do it."
The Drifter returned to face the screens, a sly grin etched on his face.
Alina went closer to look outside. "Are you sure they won't notice us up here?"
"They won't. I'm keepin' 'em in my sights, but we won't be in theirs."
As if sensing her doubt, he reaffirmed his confidence. "Relax, chestnut. We'll keep our distance, for now. I know you'll have my back. You got that fire in you, after all... just make sure you point it the right way."
She responded with nothing, her eyes glued to the pale view outside. The dark silhouettes remained visible in the distance, almost obscured by the background.
Up above, the clear sky was gone. Replaced by a blanket of dark clouds. But the ship's course would remain unimpeded.
She would be wary of his judgement from now on, but if the Drifter proves himself right, then she might soon face the ones responsible for Andrei's loss.
Though she couldn't explain it, she was hoping he'd be right.
Deep within, she felt a torrent of unhealthy doubts beginning to rise. Followed by anger.
And they became like a whirlwind. Not of a soaring fire, but a more quiet rumble.
Like a growing storm.
Today was quiet.
Not that he wasn't accustomed to it. He welcomed it.
Few things could happen here outside of his own imagination.
The patients were few. All familiar faces.
He has had time to know everyone in this town anyway.
The medicines are plenty. It will be a while before a restock is necessary.
No sight of wild beasts since last week. Enough time to polish and recalibrate his Zen Meteor.
But something deep within told him, the peace might not last.
Knock Knock
So his hunch was right.
He paused his writing and put aside some of his journals. Away from plain sight.
He walked to the door separating the comforting warmth of his mobile home and the outside cold.
He opened the door slightly, and was greeted with another familiar face.
"Mr. Faris? I'm sorry to bother you at this time." Said a middle-aged man, with a pair of antlers on his head. He has met the Elafia before, having visited his own store.
"Pietro, isn't it? Something wrong?" He asked.
"Ah, yes... we have someone from outside town, and they have a few questions that you might be able to answer. If it's not too troubling..."
Questions? For him? His face hardened, unnoticeably so. If trouble has brought itself here to this town, then he would not let it slide. But perhaps it's something different, that wouldn't require force.
"I don't know who would seek me at this time for questions, but I wouldn't mind meeting them."
The man named Pietro nodded. "Very well. You all may meet him."
As the man gestured to someone behind him and moved aside, Faris opened his door wide.
There, he saw those who saught him. Two women, both of whom in winter attire and looked relatively young, all shared a questionable look directed towards him.
The first one bears a pair of furred, cupped ears atop her chin-length grey hair, and a well-furred tail. The eye patch on her left eye however, was an interesting detail he would not forget.
The one beside her was shorter, having long flamingo hair, and perhaps the most obvious trait, a glowing halo which floats a few inches above her head. And judging by her stance, a litte more laid-back compared to her peer.
A Lupo and a Sankta. Not a common sight to be had, especially in this town.
Overcoming their initial first impressions of one another, the Lupo spoke first.
"Are you the one they call, the Stoic?"
A title that he was granted with since his old days. Before he became a traveling merchant of sorts.
"You may call me Faris. I take it you two are not from these regions?" He noted their unfamiliar faces.
The Lupo seemed hesitant to answer, yet the Sankta simply shrugged. "Eh, you could put it like that."
They don't seem Infected. Not at first glance. But they were both visibly armed. The Lupo, with a longsword on her back, and the Sankta with a rifle that seemed far past its prime.
Carrying weapons on oneself is not an uncommon practice. But it is still a sight not to be ignored.
"If you are here to seek treatment or repairs, then I will help you anyway I can. But if you're here for something else, then I'm afraid you might have the wrong person." He declared, in an unvaried tone.
Of course, physiotherapy and engineering is not all he specialized in. But it's best to keep certain things to oneself when it's unnecessary.
"We've simply heard that you're a frequent traveler across the southern parts of Ursus, and that you might know something that could help us." The Lupo explained.
He had been to many places, that was certain. Perhaps it made sense for his name to eventually be known elsewhere through word of mouth.
"Before that, I must ask: Where are you from? And what brought you here?"
His two guests looked at each other, contemplating on their answer. The Lupo finally spoke first.
"I'm Quartz. This is Ambriel. We're field operators sent here on behalf of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals."
He has heard of Rhodes Island before. Though only the rumors. But never once has he went to look for them. It was not in his nature.
And now here they are, looking for him? What a coincidence.
It seemed to him, today has lost its quiet.
Chapter 0 : Lost Light
0-4
A/N: Wow... this took a while.
Been a lot busier in real-life than expected, not to mention a mental block basically holding me back from updating this story for a long time. But now that an unexpected official collaboration has been announced, I'm finally motivated enough to finish this subchapter. Curious to see how the event would go, but I wouldn't hold my breath too much yet.
Alina's Golden Gun was an act of pure instinct. But considering she has only been risen for less than a day, it would make sense for her not to be able to manage her own Light properly and exhaust herself too early, but she'll have time to learn. And of course, her being multi-classed is something I've considered.
And Alina being angry at the Drifter isn't really unexpected. His sly demeanor and selfish tendencies tend to lead people the wrong way. But a lifetime of pain and betrayal tends to do that to someone.
Anyway, thanks for reading.