The sun rising over the snow realm marked the beginning of a new day. The shine of the sun reflecting off the snow. The sun's radiant light peeking through the window of a certain inn.

"It's too bright outside."

Lappland used her tail to cover her eyes so she could return to the darkness of sleeping.

"Why is it so bright?"

Marth similar to Lappland, hated being woken up. Sleep is good and she wants to stay that way. She moves around a bit before covering her eyes with the thick blanket.

The two managed to find some level of sleep as they felt themselves descend back to dreamland.

Sadly that would not last for long. As if the world wished to mock them, the digital clock in their room went off.

Lappland's ears fell flat against her head and Marth covered her ears as they tried to ride out the alarm.

The alarm only seems to get louder as if responding to their efforts.

"Fuck off!" Lappland, feeling her blood boil, grabbed one of her blades which is never too far away from her and threw it at the clock.

With good aim the sword pierced the clock causing the alarm to quickly die out, letting silence grace the room once again.

"Thank you." Marth said as a yawn escaped her lips.

They two women tried once again to return to sleep knowing that the alarm was silent.

'Ring,ring'

Morkery is a cruel thing and this clock was a master as if against all odds managed to sound it alarm. This time louder than ever.

Marth got out of bed, staring down the clock that for all intents and purposes was broken. It wasn't out of rage, or spite, just resignation that she isn't going back to sleep. "Tragic." Was all she could say.

With a sigh she gets out of bed. Lappland could do the same but annoyance was clear on her face. She retrieved her sword as well.

"How does Mr. Apollo sleep through this?" Marth asked as she looked around, failing to find her target, "Huh? Where is Mr. Apollo?"

Lappland follows the train of thought as she also couldn't find him. "I see he's still out."

"He's likely downstairs eating breakfast, he doesn't enjoy missing time to eat." Marth said as started to do her morning stretches.

"Huh, so you do have horns." Lappland said as she looked at Marth.

Marth could feel her heart sink into the bottom of the ocean. He raised her hand to her head which only confirmed her fears. She no longer felt the soft wool of the hat Apollo bought her on one of their trips, she only felt her hair and her hardened gray horns.

She quickly scrambled for her hat, not being able to find it she continued to search, flipping her section of the room upside down.

"Is hiding those horns really that important to you?" Lappland said.

Marth didn't answer as she continued to search, but within a few moments she managed to find it. She quickly put the hat on as a wave of relief overtook her. "It's a very important thing, it allows me to hide that I'm a sarkaz. It's a one of a kind hat that Mr. Apollo got for me. I don't know how he did it but when I wear it, it makes the horns basically disappear."

"If you are scared of being harassed by people because of those horns, then just beat them." Lappland said as she got ready. "That's what I do when someone pisses me off."

"Then they'll call me a devil." Marth pressed.

"So you're one of those people." Lappland waved at Marth dismissively as she left the room. "Then go die in a ditch for all I care."

Marth, now left all alone, was able to quickly gather herself left to ponder those words. "What did she mean by that? 'One of those people'".

It didn't take Marth long to get ready as she went down to the dining area. The place was full of people as the smell of soft dough and the bitter smell of coffee overtook the other smells present.

"Marth, over here!"

Marth looks towards the source of her name to see Cliffheart and everyone else sitting at a long table, everyone but Apollo. Hoping that he will show up later she makes her way to the table next to Amiya.

"So what's on the agenda today, Amiya?" Sharped asked as he ate his biscuits.

"To continue talks with Mr. Silverash, we managed to reach an agreement with Karlan trade in regard to some resources but there are some things that need to be touched upon." As she eats her strawberry yogurt.

"So we're being deployed again? I wonder if we're going to be attacked again, not that it would be too much of an issue. Those last few guys were rather weak." Lappland said as gripped one of her pancakes, rolled it into a circle and took a large bite out of it.

"I would prefer if we didn't have to fight anymore, most of the people have been welcoming towards us. Then again it could be because we are in the Silverash domain so they are used to outsiders like us." Amiya said.

Everyone continued to talk as Marth simply minded her own business and ate her own food, which consisted of just pancakes and bacon. As she ate she thought about a few things.

Mainly where Apollo is, even with how lax he is. He always made a point on being on time, yet he is nowhere to be found. She was worried but she remembered that it was Mr. Apollo she's talking about. He'll be fine.

The group finish their breakfast and make their way to the meeting place. They were led in by a butler that Marth has seen before, if she remembers what Cliffheart told her is correct then it's their uncle.

The interior of the building was stylized, that was the best way Marth could describe it. On the wall were portraits of the goddess, many of them being centuries old, yet you wouldn't think that as they were in good condition.

A particular painting caught her eye, it was a particular depiction of the goddess. While many of the paintings have her portrayed like a goddess, with Kjerag symbols around her; yet this painting showed the goddess differently.

It was the goddess sitting on a table or a bunch, in her hand was a single piece of paper. In the hand was a cup, she wore traditional Kjerag clothing. Her dark eyes had a neutral look in them as they contrasted with ice colored hair which had black along the ends.

If the painting didn't have 'The Goddess and paper' Marth would have assumed that it was a normal person. There wasn't a shred of praise or worship in the painting compared to the others. To Marth it didn't look like a Goddess doing her divine duties, it just looked like a normal woman living her life.

"Perhaps this country is different."

A voice rang in her ears.. No, it was like the voice came from inside her head. She looked around to see no one around her. It took a moment for the voice to match something Marth has heard before.

'It was that armored person from Columbia, in that wasteland of place. The one who took over my body, the one whose name is Yuki.'

"Ah, there you are."

Marth snapped out of her daze as she heard another familiar voice.

"Oh, sorry Amiya. I didn't mean to get lost." I said as I approached her.

"It's ok, just try to stay with us. I would rather not draw unwanted attention from anyone."

"Did you manage to find your friend Amiya?"

Turning the corner was an unfamiliar woman. On her back was a large shield, almost as big as her with spikes peeking between her legs. Her white hair and round fluffy ears made me want to touch them.

"Ah, yes we did find her. Thanks for helping me find her Aurora." Amiya said with a smile on her face.

"No problem, so let's be on our way." She said as she walked the way she came.

Very soon I found myself in a very standard office. A desk, a couch and various objects of varying importance along the walls. The thing that sticks out the most is the insignia of the Silverash family.

"I humbly apologize for the delay, Mr. Silverash. Shall we begin?" Amiya asked as she took a seat on the couch.

"Yes, let us begin."

Marth was never experienced in negotiations so she always let her mind wonder as they talked. The question on the location of Apollo still weighed on her mind since he still hasn't appeared.

As her mind wandered she didn't notice that she was staring at two people. One was the woman she saw before, she remembered her name being Aurora. The other was another woman she also didn't recognize.

If Aurora's white hair gave the impression of the snow, then the other navy blue hair of the other was like the deep ocean. It was soft on the eyes and blank expression didn't leave much for the mind. On her hip was a sword but Marth couldn't get much more from it.

As time passed and Marth left herself to her thoughts, she was unaware of the gaze of someone.

The meeting soon ended.

As the Rhodes Island personnel made their way out the building being escorted by Aurora and the navy blue haired woman. Amiya made her stay with Marth so as to not lose her again.

"With the Rhodes Island branch office being approved by Silverash, we now have a presence within the country. I say this trip has been nothing but a success." Amiya said.

"So us getting attacked is a good thing?" Lappland instantly said back.

"This trip has been mostly a success." Amiya quickly corrected herself.

"Oh, I'm not disagreeing with you. Getting jumped and still winning I would say is a good thing." Lappland said as she pulled out one of her swords.

"I heard about that, did you guys ever find out who ordered the attack?" Aurora asked.

"We haven't at the current moment, and to be frank we don't know where to even start. I didn't find any information on their persons. That's why we brought it up with Mr. Silverash during the meeting." Amiya explained.

"I see." Aurora replied.

As the two continued to make conversation, and the other members of the group did their own things nearby, Marth was left alone with Lappland.

Out of nowhere the navy blue haired woman approached Marth and Lappland. Her eyes as distant as the stars, it wouldn't be uncommon for people to think that she wasn't here mentally.

Her gaze was fixed on Marth as small strands of hair covered her face, her tall stature along with her stare made Marth feel as if she's being interrogated.

The woman's gaze traveled up from her feet, to the chest before stopping at the head. Her eyes focused there, as if trying to find something that wasn't there but should be.

After a few moments the woman seemingly gave up and walked away returning to Aurora's side.

"I should be going, tell Lord Silverash for me."

"Ok, Alice. Stay safe on the way back." Aurora said as she rubbed the top of Alice's head.

Her voice was weak, barely audible and not comprehensible to Marth. Alice didn't stay long before she walked away. Marth didn't understand why but the look she received from her was, frankly, odd frankly. There was no malice in her eyes, it was like a scientist observing a specimen.

"With everything settled I say you all should take some time to relax. Later today you guys will be meeting with Alice once again to talk with another member of Tri-bear council." Aurora said.

"Then thank you again for leading us today." Amiya said.

"No problem, after you folks from Rhodes Island saved me before. Just think of it as a way to repay you guys." Aurora said.

Amiya widened slightly. "I was aware that Rhodes Island encountered Karlan trade in Minos from our report, however I didn't read all of it. Who was the one that saved you?"

"His name was Apollo but I didn't manage to get his last name." Aurora explained.

Marth overhearing this quickly approached the two. "Did he have a red beaded necklace, white hair and red eyes?" She asked, almost slurring her words.

"He does. You know him?" Aurora asked.

"He's actually my teacher and my family." Marth said with full confidence.

"Really, I would have been fooled." Aurora said understanding there is likely a story behind the two, seeing as this isn't the best place and having things to do she doesn't push further. "Then I can tell you are in good hands."

Marth could do nothing but nod.

"I should be going, so I hope to see you all later." Aurora said as she left.

With Rhodes Island being alone, consisting of Amiya, Sharp, Lappland and Marth. Cliffheart and Matterhorn stayed with Silverash as in her words "Family time is good time."

Marth stayed with Lappland while Amiya and Sharp led the way. Amiya turned to the other two.

"Has anyone gotten word from Mr. Apollo at all today? Sharp or I still haven't received anything." Amiya asked, concern clear on her face.

"The crazy idiot hasn't said anything to me." Lappland said.

Amiya's concerned look only got worse as she turned her attention to Marth. "What about you Marth, has Mr. Apollo contacted you yet?"

Marth pulled out her phone and went through her call and message logs. All of them were from before Apollo disappeared. "I have not, he hasn't said a word to me."

"I see, then all we can do is hope he is safe. He is quite skilled so I have faith that he is alright, even if he is unfamiliar with the inner workings of Kjerag." Amiya said as she continued to walk.

A spicy aroma traveled the air as it flowed into everyone's nose. The spicy was so thick it feels as if you can see faint traces of red in the air. The source quickly came into sight as a food stand was preparing their products.

"Amiya, is it possible we have some snacks on the way?" Marth asked.

"Of course, I don't see the issue. Would you like anything Sharp?" Amiya asked.

Sharp simply shook his head in denial.

"Food is always good." Lappland said as she made her way towards the stand with Marth behind her.

As those two made their way Sharp and Amiya stayed close by.

"Amiya, did you also find it odd how that meeting went?" Sharp asked.

Amiya made eye contact with Sharp. "What do you mean? I thought everything went smoothly."

"It's not what was said, but rather wasn't said. Besides Matterhorn and Cliffheart, Apollo was the one who had the closest connection to Silverash. From the report it said that he was a key player in protecting Silverash and the others. Apparently he managed to single handedly defeat 3/5th of the attackers, with minimum injuries."

"What exactly are you getting at?" Amiya asked.

"Silverash is a man who doesn't forget his debt, at least that's how Matterhorn and Cliffheart talked about him. So for him to not ask where Apollo is at all during that meeting is odd in my eyes." Sharp explained.

"So you think Silverash isn't what was described as, or something else?" Amiya asked.

"It could be that or …." Sharp elaborated

"Mr. Silverash already knows where Apollo is." Amiya finished.

"Atta girl." Sharp replied.

"Is it possible that they made a deal, and if so for what reason?" Amiya asked.

"That's something we'll have to figure out, with Apollo's history being lost to us. Who knows what he knows about our world." Sharp said.

Amiya could do nothing but sigh and listen. "I understand what you mean but I would like to believe Mr. Apollo is telling us the truth and doesn't mean us harm. After all even if he doesn't care about us, he cares for Marth and that is clear to me"

Sharp could see the shine in Amiya's eyes, that shine that lights a path for Rhodes Island's future. "I can't argue with that. We should get moving soon."

Agreeing, Amiya told Lappland and Marth it was time to go. Marth handed her and Sharp some food she brought thinking they wanted some themselves.

The Rhodes Island crew decided to rest once they made it back to the inn. Amiya was laying down on her bed reading, Sharp was taking photos of the outside through their window, Lappland was browsing through her phone as Marth was going over notes she had to read.

With Lappland being awake she decided to keep her hat on even though the room was properly heated. It wasn't long however before Marth's mind drifted back to this morning as she recalled the things Lappland said.

She felt her chest tighten up and she understood what she needed to do. Conversation was never Marth's strong suit but it has gotten better since she met Apollo, but on her own she felt at best and incompetent and at worst an idiot.

However, the want to get answers allowed her to swallow the anxious feeling and turn her body towards Lappland who seemed to not care about the world around her.

"Lappland, do you know where Mr. Apollo went?" She asked while she tried to filter out the nervousness from her voice.

Lappland's finger stops moving but she doesn't turn her head to face the girl. It took her a moment before she responded. "I don't know where he went." She said as she continued to swipe along her phone.

"Then do you have an idea as to where he might be?" Marth asked.

"Not a clue." She replied.

Marth feeling as if she was being led nowhere asked again. "Where did you last see Mr. Apollo?"

"I can't say. It isn't any of my business."

Marth could feel the tension in her body rise as Lappland looked as if nothing in the world mattered. Unable to think of a way to convince Lappland, she returned to what she was doing before with bitterness in her mouth.

Hello everyone, first I'll apologize for the lack of updates. Life has been getting in the way as I'm going to be a college student soon so yeah. I just wanted this update for a few things.

At the current moment I'm feeling mixed about the stories. As many of you can see the number of readers takes a sharp downturn after the first dozen or so chapters. While I do understand not everything is made for everyone I feel as if I did something wrong writing wise.

Also as I write I feel as if I've messed up in terms of pacing. I revealed things too early or too late, or arks feel weak at times.
So I just want to ask if you would like a rewrite of the story from the beginning and if so what are some things that bugged you. Any feedback is appreciated.

I want to thank all those who have stayed with the story and I don't want you guys to feel as if I'm pushing you to the side l, I just want to make something better not just for me but for you too.