After sitting in silence for some time, not knowing where to take the carriage, Riley cheeks were shying away from Anastasia. His gaze, perhaps in shame, was fixated on the path ahead.
"I didn't know you had unlocked Your 1st Evolution. Congratulations, I guess."
Riley said in a desperate attempt to break the ice.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, I guess i unlocked it somewhere along the way."
She replied.
"That's great!"
He said.
"Hmm"
She mumbled. As another silent spell started. Pehaps Riley was the only one who found it to be awkward. For when he looked to his right, He saw a bright face on Anastasia's face. Perhaps it was the first time he had seen it, ever since they embarked on a journey together.
"Hey, So, Umm... I uh... I am Sorry. For the way i behaved yesterday!"
He couldn't get these words out of his mouth. Yet that smile he had seen just now, gave him some sort of innate strength. For he found that scenery to be so fascinating, that it filled something inside of him. The void, emptiness that he had in himself, was perhaps partially and slowly filled by her.
It was like a thread of silk that patched his shattered consciousness together. He thought that he had become whole again. For at last, he wasn't thinking or grieving or being on hard on himself. He was free, devoid of any burden or responsibilities that had been imposed onto him since he was ten or perhaps even before than that.
So in that sudden sense of freedom, he told Ana how he felt for treating her badly. His remorse and guilt; concentrated in simple words.
"Huh?"
Anastasia was caught off guard as he said that.
"You learnt the lesson didn't you?"
Anastasia said as she smirked.
"Yeah i did"
"Then i forgive you!"
She said, as if honoring or blessing him.
"Thank you!"
He gently replied.
"So where are we headed now?"
She asked, emphatic.
"Well, We don't have any leads on the Phantom Troop. Considering they are all together. And that verse we found out about. "Seek refuge from the Evil that whispers into the Breasts of Us". What do you think about that?
He asked.
"I dont know, I am confused as of now. What if we track down Pacedillos or The Chiroi, the thief gang. Maybe we can get some leads there."
Ana suggested.
"Marika said that Pacedillos is based in Biscow. Should we head there then?"
He asked.
"Hmm"
She mumbled with a confused look.
Riley cued the horse to walk abit faster.
Near Dusk, travelling through a rather sluggish area, Near the gate of Biscow, Their carriage was suddenly surrounded by some thieves. The horse neighed loudly, Riley gripped the reins tightly as he calmed it down. Yet in a moment, Riley and Ana were surrounded by Four people, dressed in rather ragged tunics, whom had hid thier faces with a black mask.
"DONT MOVE!"
One of them said as he pointed his dagger towards Riley.
Riley glared at him with utter disgust.
"EMPTY THE CARRIAGE!"
That man ordered the other three, as one of them opened the door, he was suddenly
thrown back, covered in ice.
He screamed, yet the other two, more than prepared, drawing thier daggers forward screamed as they charged into that carrige.
Yet within moments, all four of them were captured with a thick ice block.
"Please! Please! Spare us!"
The presumed leader begged.
"Yknow what, kill me and let these three go!"
He added.
"Ohoho! Look at that. You have pride for a shameless thief now dont you?".
Riley joked as he crouched down in fron tof them.
"Now, tell me which gang are you from?"
He asked.
"We are no gang. We are just some men feeding for our families. We... We are revolutionaries!!"
The leader said.
"Are you now, And what revolution are you going to bring?"
Riley asked in an intriguing tone.
"Uh... We... We will change this country!! This evil country, it has been marinated by evil for a long time! WE WILL CHANGE THIS CIUNTRY FOREVER!!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs. As everyone around him, even his own teammates, looked at him with dead eyes and expressions.
"Yeah right. I've listened to you guys enough! Lets finish them off!"
Riley said as he got up.
As the four heard that. They started to rant and beg for forgiveness and mercy again. This time pinning the self persumed leader for his useless bickering over revolution.
Suddenly from behind a fiery spiral beam gazed Riley's left arm, as he quickly dodged it. That intense spiral beam melted the ice block that binded the four thief. As Ana and Riley looked back in shock, They saw a man and a woman, Clad in Green Capelats and Fur hood, standing at the ridge of that path.
As the four thieves got free, they quickly escaped towards the back.
"Who are you guys?"
A woman with short red hair asked them.
"Pacedillos!"
Riley ravagely uttered.
"Well no shot Einstein! We are infamous people in green aren't we?
The woman said.
Riley frowned and geared up as if ready to take that woman on.
"Wait Riley!"
Anastasia suddenly stopped him.
That woman in short red hair and the other two men were also shocked.
"Oh.. And who are you supposed to be? Some preacher of peace? When in reality you are just some clever bitch who is planning of running away!"
The woman said.
"No. But i have a question for you? Have you encoutered any gang that goes by The Phantom Troop by any chance?"
Anastasia kindly asked her.
The woman's disgusted face got even more disgusted as she heard that name.
"Huh? What kind of a children's group is that!"
She said as she laughed about it.
As Anastasia heard her laugh, Her warm expression suddenly changed.
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK!!"
She shouted as she charged at her with an ice dagger in her hand.
The woman dodged that dagger comfortably.
"Now we're talkin!"
She said as a smirk curled across her face.
The other two men, as they tried to interfere, were stopped by Riley who trapped them into a tornado.
One of them suddenly threw an ice diamon at him and the other threw a spiral beam. Riley swiftly jumped and rolled in the air and dodged both of the attacks.
"Fire and Water. Huh? Bring it on!"
Riley said as both of them charged at him.
Meanwhile Anastasia recklessly engaged with the woman in close combat with nothing but an ice dagger in her hands.
The woman easily dodged her reckless movements, as if that didn't mock Ana enough, she yawned to enrage her more.
"You are worthless!"
The woman said as she suddenly grabbed Ana's arm that hled the dagger and with her other arm she loaded a Spiral flame. Yet to her surprise it was all Anastasia's plan. As she grabbed Ana.
"Krustallos"
She shouted as her arm started to freeze.
The woman quickly freed herself and gained some distance as she was caught off guard.
"Krustallos Toxon"
Ana shouted as she created an Ice bow and shot multiple arrows at her. The woman dodged as she danced around.
Yet before long, The woman had reached had reached a corner. As behind her was a giant boulder and infront came Ana with a bow in her hand, ready to shoot that arroe out from it.
Even in that condition, Looking into Anastasia's dead serious eyes, She laughed.
"Do you really think you've surrounded me?"
The woman said.
"So you're not only a babbler but blind aswell. Huh?"
Anastasia said as she released that arrow.
The woman tilted her head and dodhed it as she yawned again.
As Ana saw that, she frowned in rage. Shooting arrows endlessly from that bow.
Yet as she stopped, she saw that woman, completely unfazed by her attack. As she had melted all of Anastasia's ice arrows.
"Is that all?"
The woman said in a demeaning manner.
Yet as Ana created arrowd again. The woman snapped her fingers.
"Ignition"
She calmly said.
As Anastasia's surrounding exploded like giant bombs.
Those explosions were so loud that they could be heard from the far off Riley aswell.
As Riley heard those explosions he got distracted. That singular moment of distraction was enough for the two men of Pacedillos to take charge.
As suddenly one of them freezed his legs and the other shot a powerful magma beam into his abdomen.
Rikey grunted as he crouched down, covering his injury.
"Prehster Lapilus!"
Riley shouted as they both got close.
Yet the one with short blue hair of the Pacedillos, smirked as he saw that approaching galloping tornado.
"Krustallos!!"
He shouted as that entire tornado was turned into ice. That iced tornado fell towards Riley, shttering into tiny diamonds.
Riley saved himself as he jumped back. Breathing heavily as he had still covered his injury with his hand.
Riley sat behind the back of a tiny boulder, concealed from the back. He finally lifted his hand up from the injury.
"Found him yet, Bowen?"
Riley heard a call in his back. As he tore his grey shirt and patched his injury.
"Found him"
He suddenly heard yet as he looked infront,
Bowen was sitting right infront of him with a gentle smile on his face.
Riley quickly punched him, yet that Bowen faded away in air.
Surprised, he quickly got up.
"Heat Illusions? Is it some kind of power of his?"
He thought to himself. He got sharp, noticing every single movement. Yet suddenly as he noticed a movement at his left, Riley had been frozen, entrapped in ice.
"Now that's what i call victory, Sadem!"
Bowen said, as both of them walked infront of the frozen Riley.
——————
Meanwhile, the rest of the Pacedillos, including Xyrock, Heather and Lisa, traversed the mountains of Durdenhiem.
The three had split up in the dark. Each calling out for Jessica as they tracked up the tiny pathways and went ascended upwards.
Soon enough, Xyrock found a tiny cave. As Heather was still tracking upwards. Lisa had gone out of reach for the two.
Alone in the dark, she shivered upon the tiniest of sounds. As she called out Xyrock and Heather.
Suddenly she heard a roar. Frightened she didn't even look behind and started to run until she hid herself behind a broad tree.
On the other side, Xyrock also tcalled the other two upon seeing that cave. As Heather arrived, They entered that cave together.
Through the little tight of the moon, They saw some half burnt logs.
"Looks like someone was here till recent. This smell of fire is still fresh"
Xyrock said. As Heather went deeper inside the cave. She suddenly fell down. Xyrock rushed to her.
"Are you alright?"
He asked as he held out a hand and lifted her up.
"Yeah.. i guess something is here!"
She said as she picked up a cloth of some kind.
"A Robe?"
Xyrock mumbled.
The two then took the robe outside the cave to look at it.
Meanwhile, Lisa covered in fear as she had covered her eyes and ears.
Then suddenly, she saw a light. She slooked up holding her hand out.
"Who is it?". She called.
Then suddenly that light appeared again, at some distance.
Amused, she decided to follow that light.
She opened her hands as that small light moved around in her hands.
"Woww! A firefly!"
She said out loud.
Endearing at that firefly, the light of moon suddenly illuminated ontop of her. She blinked her eyes as she stared at the beautifully glowing golden moon. That light of the moon that fell ahead of her, had created some sort of a path for her. That firefly flew in circles along that straight path. Lisa followed on that path, that had perhaps been especially illuminated for her. As she looked around her, she could see nothing but blackness. That firefly, guided by that path of the moon, illuminated for Lisa, had finally led her into a tiny cave.
That firefly suddenly vanished as Lisa entered that cave. The path of light that had been created behind her, erased into blackness aswell.
For as she looked behind with her wide eyes, Nothing had remained but pitch blackness of the night.
On the other side, As the loght of moon fell on top of that robe it revealed its dark red color.
"Look".
Xyrock said as he pointed at a golden circle with small golden straight lines printed across it on the robe.
"What is this printing?"
Heather asked.
"Its the Dawn. The Sun breaking free of the darkness and finally coming out again".
Xyrock said.
"Look what's written bneath it. The New World Order?"
Heather read as she got confused.
"What a let down!"
Xyrock said. As he threw that robe away.
"I thought it would be something cool or flashy!". He added as they both decided to turn back and look for Lisa.
************
Tips:
Why has the firefly, that guided Eiser, came to Lisa?