The day had a gloomy atmosphere, which Amari found fitting for what was happening currently. People gathered around—mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and friends, even children of the bodies being buried in the ground. All the bodies from the lair—there were about 50 to 100 of them—were laid to rest. Amari's eyes were cast downward, her mask in her satchel and hands behind her back as the gang beside her did the same. As many people around cried a little far away, a woman with a heavy sword lowered her head, and the man beside her with gray facial hair put his book to his chest and lowered his head as well. "Farewell."
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Looking around at the lair that Amari can officially call hers, she realizes, "Yeah... I need some help." Although the bodies were now gone, the smell still lingered, and grime was everywhere along with cracks and mold. Slimey floors and even the walls were unclean. "Not only do I need help, but also cleaning supplies and—" She held up her fingers, which she was counting on, and tilted her head so far it was basically on the other side of her head. "Wait—how am I going to get all this?" She puts her hands in her hair. "I'm broke!" She turned around to look at the drake egg."You better be grateful for everything I'm doing for you."
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"So, you want our help?" Otto asked. Amari nodded. "I know you're busy, but..." "Everyone is recovering, Sebastion is on bedrest, and the rest of the gang is training or—" A hand patted her black hair. "Alright, we will help you, kid, but you better come to the farm and help out later as repayment though." Oliver lifted his hand from her hair as Otto grinned. "So! How awful is it?"
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Oliver put a hand on his face as Otto looked on with horror. "Good lord, we're going to need so much cleaning supplies...and rags."
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Amari stood in front of the inn she first stayed in. Otto and Oliver were getting a head start with the cleaning supplies they had. However, she knew that it would not be enough, so she was currently trying to get some more... for free. She walked up the cracked steps into the inn as a middle-aged lady at the front slowly looked up from a desk. "Welcome to—Oh, you're back," she said, coming from behind the desk. "Do you need a room?" Amari shook her head, feeling a little nervous. "Ah, uh, no, no, nothing like that—you see, I got a new place... again, but the place is, um, not in the best shape, and I was wondering if you have any cleaning supplies I could use?"... For free." Amari knew the odds of getting anything for free were slim, let alone in a kingdom where everyone is struggling. "If it comes to it, I'll just have to buy more and be in debt," the woman—Sliva—hummed. "I'm sure we have something to spare, be warned, it might be a little old though." Sliva turned around and motioned for Amari to follow her as she walked towards the back. Amari blinked before following her. "Really?" "Yeah, like I said, it probably will be old though. Is that a problem?" "No, it's just, uh..." "You didn't realize that when you gave me that gold coin, you basically bought an all-around stay, do you?" "... I did?
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"Where is your room going to be anyway?" Otto asked while sitting down and drinking water, "I was thinking about that hole over there. It's big enough for a room, and this big space could be for training or something? Maybe some wood floorboards..." Otto nodded along before a rag was thrown at Amari's face. "Quit the yapping and get to scrubbing!" Oliver shouted, "We were taking a little break!" Otto yelled back. "Do you want this place clean or not?!" Oliver shouted, throwing a rag at Otto's face.
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Amari—with her sleeves rolled up and hair tied back—wiped the walls with a wet rag. "We need to get the ceiling too," Oliver said as Otto put his head in his hands. "Now how in the heck are we going to do that?" Amari looked around before spotting a slight edge in the stone. She backed up. "I have a little idea." "What are you planning, kid?" Oliver asked, eyebrow raising as she kept backing up. Amari started running towards the wall, her pace steady until "Haste," she whispered under her breath as her speed reached twice the speed she was running at before. Otto and Oliver's eyes were wide as she kicked off the wall, her arm reaching out and grabbing the slight edge. As she hung, Otto's eyes sparkled before grinning. "All right! "Now that's a plan!" he said, cheering her on as she scrubbed the ceiling. Oliver looked at her, eyes holding surprise and something unreadable, before he shook his head. "Dumb kid, you could have fallen!" "I didn't though!"
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It was night as Amari walked down the dirt-stone path with her hands in her pockets under the stars. Just then a teenager grabbed an old lady's purse. However, before the teen could get far, the old lady held out a leg and hit the teen on the head, in the process making the teen trip on the leg and fall on the ground. Amari—who was watching this happen—chuckled and walked over to the two. She bent down and picked up the purse. "Here, miss." The old lady smiled. "Thank you, dear." Amari nodded before looking at the teen and holding out a hand. The teen looked at her, shocked, before shakingly grabbing her hand. Amari pulled them up, dusted off their shoulder, and walked off.
Not too long after, she came to her destination. The gang's house. She yawned as she walked through the door. It was quiet as she walked through the house. She passed Sebastions room, he was wrapped head to toe in bandages, and seeing that he was sleeping, Amari tiptoed past. She made it to her room, and as she walked in, she made sure to close the door before falling on her bed. She took out the drake egg from her satchel, pushing it close to her side. Just as she was about to close her eyes, her eyes caught on something. A book. The one from the lair, one she still hasn't opened or read. She sat up, taking the book in her hands. "Eh, might as well. "She opened it, and as she turned a page, her eyes widened as she read.
Windslash
And as she read more and more, she realized that it's the same spell that the Rat King used: "Condense and sharpen the mana around you..."
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One week.
Amari stood in front of a tree in the forest on the mountain that Aaron had her run every morning. She took a deep breath and took a step back.
"Windslash"
The tree fell.
She said it again.
"Windslash"
Another fell.
She stayed on that mountain until the wood was wooden floorboards.
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The main entry was packed as gang members got their food. "Thanks, chef." "Aye." As Amari sat down beside Aaron, Sebastion—who was now off bed rest—did the same. Sebastion blinked slowly. "I feel like I got hit by a horse." Aaron ruffled his hair. "That's what bed rest does to ya" Sebastion pushed his hand out of his hair. "Oh! When I was walking around the village, you wouldn't guess what I heard. You know the baker's daughter?" "Yeah." "Not really, but Milo told me about her, so continue." Sebastion leaned up. "And you know how she's dating someone, right?" "She is?" "Yes, Amari, keep up. Anyway, it turns out they were both cheating on each other with each other's best friends, who are both in a relationship with each other." Aaron stopped chewing, Amari nearly dropped her fork.
"HUH?!" They screamed at the same time, Aaron nearly choking on his food as Sebastian nodded. "Yep, and that's not even all." "WHAT DO YOU MEAN—?"
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Lying down in her new place with the drake egg beside her, she sighed, "I really don't know what I'm doing, do I?" She turned, facing the egg and pulling up the blanket Diana insisted she have, and before her mind completely faded into darkness, she had one last thought. "...or maybe I do."