The flames slowly subsided from Pheo, he saw that a shell of Beam was all that was left. He had hoped that Beam had died a quick death, he felt familiarity with him. They were both victims of fate, the cruel twists of life.
He looked at the golden flames that covered his body, had he awakened? If so, why hasn't he gone berserk? There were many questions about what he was experiencing, but before he could try and process them he saw that someone was approaching.
"Hey!" Anora shouted out, he turned to see that she was running towards him. Pheo saw that she was completely fine, the fatal injuries she had now gone without a trace as if they never happened. He had a slight moment of relief before realizing that she was about to see him.
I need to hide.
He felt like he had been caught doing something wrong, his instincts forced him to run. The flames grew brighter as he quickly sped off in another direction, going out of her vision in seconds.
"Wait!" She shouted out, but by the time she finished her words the figure had already left. Anora was sure she was going to die, especially when she was suddenly surrounded by fire. It had enough force to blow all the debris away, even the rock that kept her stuck.
But she hadn't felt like she was being burned alive, rather, she felt warm. As the fire wrapped around her, the wounds began to heal. She felt invigorated, her body being able to move as soon as the boulder flew off.
Anora went to where she saw the person, noticing that Beam's corpse was next to where they were. She went inside it to inspect the corpse, looking at the massive opening there was going inside. It wasn't blown open from any of the attacks they did before.
The steel skin was peeled back, warped like it was taffy. She followed along the metal to find indentations. Anora crouched down, they were deep, symmetrical, and unmistakable.
She looked at her hand, then tried grabbing the metal at where the indentations were. It was a match, at least if she had smaller hands. The thought that somewhere in the area she was in existed a person who could easily take down a creature of this caliber made her fearful.
What the hell happened?
Anora backed off and started to run back to the staircase. The operation was already looking grim, but this revelation made it clear that they needed more people for this.
She went back up alone, passing by the gruesome scene once again. The staircase was difficult to go through, with barely any parts still intact. It felt more like trekking in a slim mountain path than a staircase.
After finally reaching the top, she went out to see that the shack was gone. Its remnants were scattered all across the sand. "Looks like you survived." Ikra went up to her, his wounds also gone.
Wing noticed that she was out, he quickly went up to her. "What happened down there?" He asked, "Did you know what caused that fire?" He looked curious, it was the look where she knew that if they started talking now, they would go on for hours.
"I think we need to come back," Anora told them. "There's something down there, something that took down Beam in minutes. Maybe seconds." She told them before heading off.
Passing by, she saw that Warhound and Don were both in a temporary jail, being guarded by multiple soldiers. They have successfully captured witnesses, news that came as a relief for her.
She saw that there was a kid clinging to Warhound. There were some soldiers who tried to convince her to get away from him, but she refused and continued to cling onto him. Anora wanted to help, but what happened today made her reconsider.
I've had enough with kids for today.
Wing was about to go follow her and continue to ask more questions but he got stopped by Ikra. "I think it's best if we leave her first," He suggested. "She was at death's doorstep down there, remember?"
Wing had forgotten, he had been away from the battlefield for so long after all. Everyone handles near death experiences differently. "What she said about Beam dying… Do you think it's true?"
"I think our mission ends for today." Ikra said before heading off. He heard someone else coming out from the hole before going away however. They both saw Arm shoot off to the sky riding the palm of a hand.
"You were there too?" Ikra asked him, "Those hands could've been useful restricting the massive beast we fought earlier. Or for saving the countless kids being murdered by the staircase."
"I was busy dealing with someone else," Arm told him as another hand came out of the hole, dropping Parquatz' dead corpse. "He ended up dying from the explosion."
Ikra could clearly see that the wounds were mostly bruises, internal ones that could've easily been inflicted by punches. If it were caused by an explosion, the body would be covered in burns. If it were caused by an arm however…
He sighed, "Well, at least we have the other two." Arm was one of the strongest, if not, the strongest on the camp. He always acted by himself, but never failed to achieve satisfactory results. "Did you find anything about Timothy?"
Arm got down from the hand, making them return back from where they came from. "This man confirms his death," He kicked the corpse. "He wasn't the killer however."
He looked around, "Did any survivors come out?" Ikra pointed towards the temporary cell, "Only our two targets and a single kid. I did pass by some more while I was fighting, but they didn't seem to survive the way out."
Arm looked at him confused, but quickly dismissed it. Ikra stretched his arms, "Anyways, I'm going to go warm up." He went off somewhere else. Arm went towards a group of soldiers, "Make sure to watch that hole, expect someone to come out."
"Aye aye, sir," Narfius told him jokingly. The unprofessionalism threw Arm off, they had to hire some mercenaries in order to have enough manpower for the operation.
As long as they can do the bare minimum.
Something that happened down there bothered Arm. When the burst of fire came out, he left the corpses out there while keeping himself safe from the flames. When he unraveled his arms however, the kid's body was gone.
It makes no sense.
As time passed day to night, the soldiers surrounded the hole and started to guard it. One of them brought out a pack of cards, "Anyone?"
They sat down in a circle and started playing games of poker. "Huh?" One of the guards noticed something, "Did anyone see something?" The others looked at some, some shaking their heads while others giving no response at all. "You're just paranoid." Narfius told him, making them continue on with the game.
Looks like I still got it.
Pheo thought to himself, he had always snuck by his father when he was angry so that he wouldn't get beat up. He wasn't going to get caught a second time by the same person. There were many essential items he was able to grab before getting out, allowing him to survive for a while.
He tried to concentrate and bring out his power, but nothing happened. After running away from Anora, his power suddenly went away. Right now, he was just a kid roaming around one of the most dangerous deserts, at the most dangerous time. Under the night sky, Pheo snuck away aimlessly in the desert, hoping to find somewhere to stay.
When day broke, the encampment began to pack up and leave back to their base. A small portion of the force stayed behind to protect the area and prevent any intrusions. They travelled across the desert, heading towards a remote military base.
The air shimmered with heat, everything felt scorching hot. Camouflage vehicles baked under the sky, engines quiet but ready. Soldiers moved in a rhythm, going through their daily routines.
"Fancy place you got here." Warhound told them as he got down from the vehicle. "Ain't it a beauty?" Ikra said, slapping the side of a four wheeler. Anora was surprised that the two people who were at each other's throats were getting along like brothers.
Wing got down with Don, "I'm going to report our mission's completion." He went towards the headquarters. He passed by a woman who was heading towards the group. Anora's mood turned sour as soon as she saw her.
"So how'd you guys do?" She ignored Anora and went to Ikra. "Oh, Sylira. It was barely a success," Ikra told her. "A bunch of unexpected things occurred, but you should ask Anora about it." Ikra went up to Warhound and Don, "Alright, you two come with me"
Sylira looked around for Arm, the last person who was part of the mission. "You're out of luck, he already left" Anora told her before leaving as well. She hated that woman just as much as she hated her.
The military camp was full of people who gathered for the cause of enforcing law in the badlands. Being a part of the camp meant that you were part of one of the strongest groups in the area.
It was commonplace to band with others in a place like the badlands, where the sun bleaches bones and burns away the idea of order. It spanned endlessly, mapping it would be a near impossible task.
Due to its massive size, there is no law to abide by except for the law of the strong. The badlands are where fugitives vanish, mercenaries thrive, and myths grow like weeds in the silence. Far away from the capital, it's been a land long forsaken.
She went to her room and laid in her bed, a luxury that many never had there. In exchange for living there, they had to undergo missions for those up above. This place may be where the worst of humanity dwells, but it's also where unknown riches lay dormant.
The land of my dreams.
That's what she had once thought. Anora was a thrill seeker, someone who always chased for that exciting feeling. When she heard of the badlands, she headed her way there as soon as she could and worked as a mercenary.
There, she began to accumulate fame with countless achievements. She was called many names that praised her accomplishments. But to her, what mattered was the excitement. But as years passed, things changed.
She became too influential, everywhere she went she would be recognized. The ragtag adventures she had turned into investigations. People who she once grew close with now either died or had a duty to fulfill.
Everything changed as time went on. When time kept moving everyone forward she was left behind. Stuck in her glory days, desperately trying to find a way to move on.
But the world wouldn't let her.
Anora went to sleep. She needed a good rest after all that has happened recently. From nearly dying to unexplained phenomena, she needed time to adjust.
Meanwhile someone walks alone in these lands. Under the scorching sun, Pheo moves his fingers across the sand slowly. Wrapped in a loose, sun-bleached cloth that he found in order to shield himself against the heat, his eyes scanned the horizon.
He knelt beside a faint trail, carefully following its path. He went to a sudden stop, his eyes locked onto a creature. It was a jerboa, a small long-legged rodent that lived in this barren landscape. As it bounces from shadow to shadow, its massive ears twitch at every whisper of the wind.
Pheo slowly exhaled, settling himself into stillness. He slowly loaded his slingshot with a smooth pebble, fitting it into the leather pouch. Pulling it back as far as he could, his eyes narrowed.
Thwip!
The stone whistled across the wind and struck with a muted crack. The jerboa flips once and collapses, its legs twitching. He quickly went in, grabbing a hold of the creature and suffocating it.
This should be the sixth one.
Pheo had been adapting to his life in the desert. When the sun went up, he realized where he was. He learnt about this area extensively, knowing that this was one of the most dangerous places to be in.
He was lucky enough to not encounter anyone the entire time he was there. A kid by himself was a prime target for slave traders. There was no way he would let himself go back into slavery, he'd make sure of it.
Pheo looked at the sun, he used his hand to measure how much time he had left until it set. "30 more minutes, huh." He took the jerboa and went back to where he lived. In order to ensure no one would find him, he had precautionary measures to hide himself.
Each step he placed was where the wind already blew across the dunes, where his footprints will be erased within minutes. When he could, he would walk along stone or hard-packed ground, veering from direct paths and doubling back when needed.
Occasionally, he would walk backwards, his soles facing away from his true direction to mislead any eyes that were sharp enough to track. He went along a small cliffside, gripping natural handholds in the rocks to keep himself from falling down.
Pheo entered the small entrance to a cave, grabbing the big rocks he prepared to block it. He got out his lamp and burnt the oil he had made from seeds, illuminating the small area.
It was mostly empty, he planned on eventually adding more things that he found interesting inside. He went to the shallow pit he lined up with stones, using it as a way to cook his meals.
As he skinned the jerboa, he had thought of what Ryu was doing. He knew that with Ikra around, he wouldn't be kidnapped again. The thought of having a guardian made him envious of Ryu, but it also made him happy that someone else was there to help his stupidity.
Every once in a while, he would imagine what it would be like if he had found Ikra and Ryu out of that hole instead of Narfius. Would he really be able to continue seeing Ryu afterwards?
It had been days since then. Using his knowledge, he was able to quickly adapt to life in the badlands. Luckily enough, he was able to find the cave he currently resided in the day he escaped.
One of the reasons why the badlands had been abandoned was due to its extremely dangerous weather. During the time the sun would be up, the barren land would be scorching hot. But what would be more dangerous was when the sun came down.
The sand in the badlands was unlike regular sand. It was rich in mineral content and unusually dense. It has a peculiar ability to absorb and retain solar heat long after the sun disappears.
During the day, it bakes under the sun, soaking the heat up like a sponge. The heat can be felt radiating back long after sunset, the sand glowing faintly with warmth as if holding onto the memory of the day.
But during the night, everything shifts. The sky clears into a vast black ocean, and cold winds descend down. The winds were fast and dry, sweeping across the still-warm ground. This would cause a clash between the heated sand and frigid air above, creating violent pressure differentials.
Out of this collision, dust devils would be born. Not the slow, lazy whirlwinds that would appear every once in a while during daytime. They were sharper, more aggressive spirals of sand and wind.
They would appear without warning, dancing across the dunes like spirits made of earth and air. Their forms would be briefly illuminated by the moonlight or the last lingering embers of sunset.
Pheo hung the meat above the fire, watching as it slowly cooked. Since that day, he wasn't able to bring out that power again. Every once in a while, he would try to replicate the situation as much as he could but it always ended in failure.
What triggered it?
The question would always linger in his mind, it was something that he would have to find out. For now, he would have to focus on surviving in the badlands. There was still something he had to do, a mission he needed to accomplish.
The Unknown Curse.
Pheo had already read all of the books that were available in his house. He had limited information in that house, he needed to find answers elsewhere. By travelling, it would be possible for him to continue searching for an answer.
It was then that he decided to travel around the world. With all that he had read about the different regions of the continent, he could surely survive in other areas just as well as he is now.
First step, the Badlands.