"Loke! Where is Loke!?"

Nova was shouting for me; she could not find me anywhere; in my defense, I was still being schooled by Terence about not having chosen to put the Soul fractions he had given me in my main Class

For him, Taming was bullshit.

"Creatures are for killing, not playing! What did you learn as a damn Hunter? Eh? Damn savages…"

I didn’t really like that manner of speaking… did he think he could already act as a master for me? I didn’t even know him... But I didn't care about what he said.

My Tamer Class offered me a much-needed Willpower, Focus, which was becoming my best friend, and now it offered me Strength.

Of course, since I had chosen the Perception route, I could not get that much close to the mythical point at which my arrow-shots would break the sound barrier, but it was still better receiving Strength from Taming than switching to a Class that gave me even more Perception. More Perception would just be redundant.

 

I stood up, stumbling a little, and was caught by Caitlin, who was wearing a blanket, for she had gotten cold after the flight with me.

"Thank you," I whispered, then I raised my hands and waved in Nova and Aisha's direction.

"I'm here!"

They immediately saw me, and although Aisha took her time, Nova exploded in a run and launched herself at me once more in under two days.

"You made it!" She shouted.

"I did," I said, reciprocating her warm hug, "I'll tell you everything later; now I think these people need your healing Skills."

"Alright, but you stay by my side, okay. Don't you dare leave!"

"I'll stay right here, see?" I dropped down on my bottom.

"Okay, maybe that's a little too much… just stay up, okay."

"I can't. I'm just too tired…"

She chuckled, "Stay there then, but don't leave my sight! I want to see you when I turn to check on you!"

"Alright, alright, little monkey; now go. Show them what the Nightfold siblings are worth."

She nodded, then run at Aisha, still coming toward me, took her by the hand, and left in the direction of the first wounded she found.

"You've got one cute... little sister," Caitlin said.

"Yup, my pride and joy."

"Is she the reason why you push yourself so much?" Terence asked.

I didn't answer.

Was she the only reason? Probably? I didn't really know right then and there. The only thing I knew for certain was that she was the main reason I pushed myself so much.

"Well, love can be one of the most potent motivators. Now I see why you can do what you do even without any desire for grandeur," answered Terence. Then he slapped his hands together, "Good! I can accept two more apprentices."

At that point, I snapped, "Why are you calling me an apprentice!? I'm a Hunter. I can't learn Animancy; I don't even know what that is! The same goes for Nova; she's a Flow Battle-Mage now! You just can't take us as apprentices; I’m sor-"

"A Flow Battle-Mage, eh? Very, very good. Though harsh, a harsh class. Practically defenseless, well, at least if she hasn't got some powerful defense or regeneration Skill since I understand that she's also a Healer…" Terence said, adjusting invisible mustaches.

"She does have a powerful Flow Shield, but that doesn't take away from-"

"Very good! Very good! Yes! You two will be perfect apprentices! It's settled then! You shall hear news from me!" Then he turned toward the young girl, "Caitlin, let's go!"

"Ye-yes, master."

 

"What did just happen?" I asked an incredulous Azim.

"It just happened that you've gotten damn lucky, Shade-blessed. Try and not get on anybody's bad side, and the High-Inquisitor is gonna pave your road toward glory," saying so, Azim left, heading toward the monsters that were slowly getting closer.

Until another Sand-Crawler got there, they would not be able to get back. Sundoorians would have to wait.

 

---

 

Soon the main effort went to remove the boulders from the collapsed rock that had covered the Sand-Crawler.

I took that time to inform Aisha and Nova that I would take a nap into Aisha's Flow-cart that they had parked close enough not to be bothered by creatures.

Loki had instead left to hunt down the incoming monsters.

There were a long few hours in front of the surviving party, and they would have to be especially ready against nomads' reprisal. It was not one hundred percent possible, but there was a chance that a second party of nomads was heading our ways.

Yet the Sun was upon us; it would not be the brightest of ideas to attack the Sunguards during the day, even they were not that stupid.

 

I yawned as I closed the cart door behind me. Then, I literally collapsed on the seats and fell asleep like a log.

 

---

 

"Loke."

"Loke?" Someone kept calling me.

I just wanted to rest, for fuck sake.

"Let me sleep.”

"Yeah, that's why I'm trying to wake you up. Don't you want to sleep on a proper bed?"

A proper bed?

I turned toward her, "Where are you going to find a bed in the desert?"

"We're at the Hillhouse, silly, come on, get down."

"We are?"

"Yup."

I heard Loki's low growl of happiness. He licked my face.

"Damn your tongue, lion. It's worse than sandpaper."

Yet, thanks to his licking, I was awake. Sitting up, I noticed that we were indeed at the hill's feet, and Twilight was almost upon us.

"Damn, how long did I sleep?"

"You slept through the whole day," Aisha answered.

"Yeah… and I would have gladly kept on sleeping… Oh shit…"

"What is it?"

"I've had some other clock-technician get her hands on me. What am I going to say to Harlow? Oh, sunny shit!" I realized, "I've lost Spectre's Dignity; how am I gonna tell Logan!?"

Nova and Aisha shared an amused look.

"Well, let's just say that today is your lucky day. You are going to have to deal with only one of those problems," Aisha said.

"Yeah… I don't think saying it to her is gonna solve the issue, Aisha. If anything, it'll make it worse… and Logan's not gonna forgive me for losing that knife…"

Damn, I was in a lot of trouble. But Nova was still giggling.

"There's nothing to laugh-"

Spectre's Dignity was resting safely in her open palms.

"What! You had it!?"

"Me? Of course not. The Sunguard found it on that woman, Kaleeki. Then that big man, Lester Teriman, gave it back to me, saying it was likely my father's."

"Oh… oh, that's good then. I won't have to tickle you to the death for taking my revenge.”

"Like I wouldn't fight back. I've got giant swords at my disposal now." She exploded into a fake bout of laughter.

"Alright, alright. Can we just go to the Hillhouse, please. I've been doing nothing but talking and talking and talking today," Aisha said. "I would just like to rest and sleep. I'm human too."

"You are going to sleep here?"

"Yeah. My father sent a clock-sparrow to Logan about that; he's sorting something out and also said that I'm starting to get into a little bit too many troubles for his likings. Thus he wishes I leveled up some, and since you two guys are going to stay at our house, we might as well get to know each other better," she added.

"Right, that makes sense…"

It took me a few too long seconds to understand that in full. But in my defense, I had just woken up.

"WHAT?"

Nova started laughing again, "See! I told you his exact reaction would be that! You owe me!"

"Damn it…" Aisha said to herself, "Shouldn't have bet against his sister…"

"What kind of story is this!? Did we become Citizens!?"

"You pretty much did. Father has come with the Sand-Crawler and, you're to have to answer a few questions, by the way, but Terence McLamar himself has come to speak with my father. Saying he wishes to support, quoting: The siblings' quest to become Citizens."

"Sunny fucking shit…"

"Stop swearing already. You can't do that in the City. Especially since you are a Shade-blessed," she said judgmentally. "We are going to need to fix a lot of your bad attitudes.”

"Yeah, Loke. You need fixing," Nova added, nodding with vigor.

"You are not exempt from this, Nova. Also, you are going to have to go to school. Loke can frequent some courses, but you are going to be taken to school every day. I'm going to make sure you go by taking you myself," she clarified.

Nova gawked. She knew only the concept of school but already learning about it; it was clear that she was not born for that.

I had to follow her through the whole village and corrupt her with food to make her do the homework gramps assigned us when he taught us. And she had only started learning from the Church of the Sun when the plague hit the village.

She was not born to go to school, just like me, but she would have to even if I had to ingrain it in her personality with the brutal fist of parentage.

When we descended the Flow-cart, which Aisha had parked near Logan's, while Harlow's was currently absent, I could see Harlow waving at me from there, though… how weird.

Nova shot out of the cart with Loki in tow and headed up the hill before us all.

I could see my friends waiting for us and waving at us by the lone oak tree.

I purposefully stayed behind with Aisha, though.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked.

"What? Have you at my house?"

"Indeed. You've seen me murdering people in cold blood just a few months ago. Now, I know we've got our agenda, but that doesn't mean that you have to force my presence in your life just like that. I could understand if you wanted to take Nova; she has never even hurt anybody before, but— would you feel safe and at ease having me around?"

Aisha smiled, "Loke, I'm not what you think I am. I'm not some perfect, defenseless maiden. I've… wet my hands with blood as well…" she said, her sight staring at the soft grass beyond our feet.

"I've killed more than a few in the Golden Tower. People that wanted to— let's say, take advantage of me. The Golden Tower is not a place for anybody, and even before that, it is unregulated. You can enter, but you cannot know what you'll find in it. So, if you think I'm a fragile little girl, crawling her way into society only thanks to her father's rank, then you've got me entirely wrong."

Saying those last few words, she raised her gaze, placing hers right in front of my eyes. It was a stare she had never given me, and I… liked what I saw.

I couldn't hide that it even made my heart jump a little, not for the scare, but for the woman in front of me.

I was the first to look away then.

"Okay, I won't ask anymore. It's your choice and Aisha…"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad I kidnapped you."

She did not answer, not right away.

Aisha only smiled a few seconds later, just before we joined with the others.

“However… I have to make sure you didn’t say anything about the Primal because having that thing in the hands of the City is downright scary.”

“I told you I wouldn’t already, Loke. You need to start trusting people, seriously.”

 

---

 

The first to react to my new look was, of course, Harlow which after asking me how in the Abyss I had lost my leg, and hearing my story out, and after a little bit of tantrum, she literally threw me to the ground to study my new leg.

"That's a fine piece of work… a damn fine piece of work. Ah!" She said, realizing it. "This is a Sunguard's official piece!"

"What!?" Logan said, "Let me see!"

Then he proceeded to literally grab my ankle and raise me up as if I was a piece of wood.

"This is humiliating…" I said, covering my eyes as they studied my new leg.

"Yeah… I think it's about time then…" Logan said, turning around and heading back into his house, "Oh, Aisha, you are welcome, just, the basement. It's off-limits, and I mean it. If you try to descend, even by mistake, it will kill you. Alright? So, watch out."

About time for what?

"It will kill me? What will? I'm not following," Aisha said, turning toward Harlow.

"Yeah, about that, I'm… I'm really not allowed to say. You just stay clear of it, and everything is going to be okay, okay?" Harlow was keeping a rather high-pitched tone.

That was not regular Harlow… damn, that was jealous, Harlow.

I decided to change the topic then. Looking around, I could see Roana, which was currently receiving Nova's treatment, and Faruq, who had already received it and was caressing Loki, but I could not see Alistar anywhere.

"So, where's the big guy?"

"I believe he should be coming back from his daily delving in minutes now," answered Harlow.

"What? Alone?"

"Yeah," answered Faruq. "He said he needed to go; we did not want to stop him. He's a grown Kob, after all. He's fared well until now, though. Really well."

"I can't believe you let him go all by himself, Faruq! You should have stopped him!" I found myself saying.

Faruq raised his still set arm, "Yeah, not like this, captain. And anyway, it's not like I could just stop him like that. As I said, he's a grown Kob. Would you have wished for us to stop you if you wanted to go alone?"

Damn, he was right…

"I guess you're right…"

"Yeah, anyway... Care to tell us what you've been through, captain? You all look… uncared for."

"Just say, filthy. I know it's true," said Aisha as she sat by the wooden table.

"You do smell nasty, especially you, Loke. And what's with all that sand stuck on your body?" Roana asked as she was bathed in Nova's dim light treatment.

"Well, Ro. Things have gone rather— differently from what we expected. You have no idea how much."

"Yeah, how so?"

"Well," I sat down, my stomach wishing desperately for food, but my heart for my friend's warmth, "Let's start from the beginning, why don't we. First things first, it turns out the nomads were damn Necromancers…"

Happy when their mouths turned into an "Oh," I continued recounting our few days of exciting adventures.

 

---

 

Alistar arrived a few minutes after Twilight had gone by.

He saluted us with warmth, but I could feel there was unfinished business among us, and after we dined and Nova summed up what we had been through, he excused himself and went to sleep, saying he was too tired.

 

---

 

Logan had not come back from the basement for the whole night, it was past midnight now, and I had let Nova and Aisha use the incredible shower inside of Logan's bathroom.

It was a tech piece that I adored… and Aisha said that everyone had at least one in Sundoor.

I had no idea how it automatically fetched the water, but I was thankful for Logan letting us use it every single time.

My respect for that man was… boundless.

However, I preferred the old ways. I had washed myself of the filth first, then replenished a big wooden tub of theirs with water, and was soaking myself in it.

Although I did not feel cold like all the other people, regular hot water was a blessing for my senses too.

 

I was basking in the glory of hot water when somebody entered the bathroom.

"Aisha," I said, suspecting it was her who didn't know about there being another room for the toilet. "The toilet is in the opposite door," I tried being as quiet as possible, not to wake people up but not softly enough to be misheard.

"You wish it was Aisha joining in the tab with you?" Said Harlow.

"Harlow…" I grinned, "Not at all; I would wish you joined all my baths… especially looking like that," I added as she removed her nightgown and entered the tub with me, giving me her back.

She rested her head and hair on my shoulders and kissed my neck.

"Then I guess I won't have much to worry about."

"Are we safe? I mean, are you sure your dad is not coming up from the basement?"

Biting my neck a little, she said, "He won't get out from there until morning."

"So, I should think you don't know what he's up to?"

"Won't tell you," she said, slowly turning around and hugging me.

"Then I guess I'll wait."

"Loke…" she said after a few moments of a silent piece.

"Yeah?"

"I've missed you."

"I missed you too, Harlow-bear…"

"I need to know something.”

"Tell me."

"Why is Aisha really here?"

I smiled, "We're going to be invited to the City."

"Oh. So, you've done it."

"Yeah."

"I… I'm happy for you, for both of you. Really."

I could feel a “but” coming.

"But… you know dad, he won't go back to live there anymore… and I can't leave him alone, Loke. Not right now, not like this…"

"I know. I didn't really expect you to."

She took a deep breath; I could feel her chest against mine puff up.

"I wish I could, Loke. I've always liked it there."

"You have to follow your heart, Harlow. Also, know that for me nothing will change, villager or Citizen, I'm Loke, and I will always be the little boy that told you he wanted to marry you."

Harlow laughed, but it was a sad laugh.

"I'm a bit older than you, Loke. I know a little about how these things work. Life in the City is completely different than here, and you are still young, and capable, and damn charming…" she added with a giggle, "Shade-cursed or not there are going to be women fawning over you and… you know how they say, Out of sight, out of mind."

I snorted, "If you are so convinced, then let's just wait and see what the future brings."

She took a few moments to answer, making my heart flutter, but then she did. "Alright, Loke. I'm going to trust you. Besides, I'm way better than that Aisha girl; she's too slim for her own good.”

"You are, you are the most beautiful of them all, and I love you is what matters."

She looked at me, surprised.

I didn't realize it right away; it took me some time. I could be incredibly dense with some things...

That had been the first time that I said I loved her. The very first time...

She hid her face in my chest, gripping me just a bit too tightly.

"Took you a while…" she whispered.

"Yeah… I'm sorry, I can be really stupid at times."

"You're not… Hey, Loke?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too."