Andrew

"Man this heat kills!" he said, his mouth felt dry from the desert heat. Pulling out his water skin he gulped down its content with a sigh.

“Did it take this long to get to Coubblston? Could have sworn it was a few hours quicker.” He wanted to douse himself with the remaining water he had but resisting the urge he put it back in the hook under his ragged cloak.

Not getting a response from Natalie he shrugged to himself and looked out at the barren desert wasteland in front of him with growing boredom. With Natalie busy reading the map whilst repeatedly whispering something under her breath he’d only had himself and the barely visible tar road underneath him as entertainment.

The road had been constructed seven hundred years ago apparently. Its countless potholes and deep cracks caused by the earth's crust moving between then and now made it useless for its original function. Now it serves as a kind of breadcrumb trail between Coubbleston and Zannidue. Besides the two towns, the Herbenry desert strip held no other thriving civilizations. According to Natalie Coubblston and Zannidue, it does not even count as civilization. Something about them not even being a shadow of their former selves. They both used to be far bigger kingdoms who fought each other for more land. Nowadays they silently trade goods to another, both in an effort to keep another afloat. Both found a common enemy in the harsh desert climate.

As far as Andrew was concerned Coubbleston and Zannidue, were the only two places left occupying the desert strip. Even though they lived at the fringes of the desert. But that was not always the case. Walking along the fractured road Andrew saw great towering beams of rubble alongside dismembered buildings. Although it was hard to see through the hazy heatwave and sheer distance Andrew could only describe the building as a long thin pyramid of shimmering glass. He knew of the place being mentioned vaguely in a story, he knew even less about what fate had done to its people. It was a good story, not the happiest of endings, that he knew because apparently, it was how the world is the way it is. But for the life of him, he could not remember the details.

If it was not important for survival, good food, or a new skill that could increase the two Andrew seldom kept the details of a thing in mind. But even so, a part of him wanted to get closer to the ghost city and get a good eye full of the odd building. they'd hardly have the time for such a thing on the way to Coubbleston. Now, however…

“You know what that thing is?” Andrew asked. Knowing Natalie to be rather fluent in her history and historic stories he gathered that she’d know a thing or two more about the place than he did. Maybe jog his memory on some.

He expected her to give an answer or just outright ignore him and bury her nose back in the map so it came as a slight surprise to him when Natalie walked off the fractured road and like a pin drawn to a magnet made her way towards the ghost city.

Cursing under his breath Andrew followed behind her with brisk steps. Drawing closer to the city they passed the great beams. Andrew noticed that he'd stepped off of the baked sands and onto a smooth sheet of stone. It was all uniform and smooth except for the thin grooves that left grid-like squares along its surface. Upon the platform a large monument shaped like a half crescent moon towered over them atop the four-foot block of stone. This cool blue metal crescent had intricate grooves inlaid upon most of its shiny surface. The intricate shapes were partly filled in with small bits of red sand that covered the land but it was seldom enough to hide grooves that formed a kind of sensical pattern. It was one of those forgotten languages Andrew wagered. Even though he was not all that good with his native Kemish tongue he was fairly sure that it was Alermuric at least in its written flow. It was a striking design but beyond that, he knew of next to nothing about it.

Natalie folded the map up in one hand as she walked up to it in careful strides. Gently, she placed a hand onto the intricate metal grooves of the crescent moon statue. Her gentle as if reaching for the divine. Seeing some of her older self resurfacing at that moment Andrew could not help but smile to himself.

"If you'd taken the map just to make sure you could touch this old thing then you could have told me," Andrew said, his grin widening. “What’s with all the strange markings anyways?”

Natalie just glanced back over at him, her face unamused while Andrew just surged off with a shake of his head. That was until he'd noticed her eyes still glancing at him. It was as if she was trying to pick apart what he was thinking, her glare became distant with that intent.

"Is there sand on my face?" he asked with narrowed eyes.

As if slapped, Natalie blinked and turned away to look back at the crescent statue. Clearing her throat, her eyes instead darted to every witch and way as her thumbs twirled around interlocked hands.

Odd she did she choke on something? Andrew tilted his head baffled.

If she turned around to hide her flustered face then she did a poor job hiding it. When she realized her mistake her eyes widened, she was about to reach for her waterskin by her side only to fold her arms over her chest and turn her back to him instead.

"It's called calligraphy. It's a form of ancient text that dated back to before the winds stopped." Natalie said over her back. Andrew's eyes narrowed, however. He could not help but find Natalie’s voice a bit raspy.

"But I thought this place-"

"-Dunhini,"

That was its name.

"But I thought that Dunhini was built after the winds stopped,"

"They were, but they took heavy inspiration from the calligraphy of eight-hundred or maybe nine-hundred years ago." Natalie sighed, soon after. She cleared her throat once again and this time Andrew knew.

Taking another gulp of his water he wiped his arm across his lips before throwing his bottle towards her with only the word ‘catch’ said between it. In a silent daze, Natalie caught it over her shoulder. Murmuring thanks she drank its content. Seeing this Andrew nodded to himself content. Bit by bit it seems like she’d had gained a more healthy appetite and today was no exception.

“Eight hundred years,” Andrew mused. Walking on over he hoisted himself atop of the four-foot platform that held the great crescent moon. He looked at the reflective glimmering light of the gigantic tower off in the distance.

The year was 2764 and although Andrew had no personal experience of what it was like back eight hundred years he’d been told that they are in a better off place than they had been at the end of the twenty-first century. He’d heard stories of the apocalyptic event that was dubbed the great fall or the day the world held its breath. He’d heard debates about what old nation was to blame for the fog wars and the three hundred years of hiding from the suffocating air that was the surface. He’d been told tales of countless years of people’s desperate plea for a second chance. A desperate cry for the wind’s to return.

Personally, Andrew found it aggravating to keep track of. A few hundred years of vague history and as many different spins on that vague gap as there were people in the world to argue them.

Some say the winds stopped and the men of the time battled another for the remaining parts of the world clear from of their own demise. Others say that the winds were stopped by an angel and so it’s their fault for the great fall. No, the angel had stopped the winds to punish our forefathers for sins they’ve committed and so they choked on the fumes of their own war. Some even argued that it was a combination of all of the above tagged along with a host of other absurd reasons. One thing all could agree on was that for whatever reason the earth was dying. The winds had weakened. Many compared it to a man taking his last breaths on his deathbed hence the names.

The earth was dying. And for whatever absurd or impossible reasons for how it happened, this fact remained for three hundred years until a pivotal event happened. Known as the second winds as its name imply it is said that the world breathed easy once again. The earth was alive... but with that came a new problem. Creatures born from the will of the earth’s elements formed and began to roam the world. As if the living life cells of the earth some believe them to be the living embodiment of the planet’s will they exuded epic displays of elemental feats the world over. Over the hundred years, they roamed the earth repairing and reshaping the land according to some but they are few and far seen now. Now that he thought on it Andrew was beginning to think that those giants walking rock faces they encountered were more likely one of those creatures. But that was not the only thing that changed during the second winds.

Groups of wild animals began exuding supernatural powers of the elements that somewhat replicated those creatures. And soon even man began to tap into this elemental energy that no laid all around them. Given that it was the very things that have kept him alive until now this was something Andrew knew for certain. That, along with the fact that demons came soon after, the old cities were made into labyrinths by the high-ranked demon made. A twisted realm ruled by the demons made out of the husks of old ghost towns and cities, they imbue themselves within its very foundations in much the same way their ancestors sealed them into weapons or objects. This melding at this scale created an invisible gateway between them and their native realm. That’s where they sit in wait for victims to walk into the trap much like a patient spider does its web. At least that is the consensus. It said that you will not realize you’ve walked into a labyrinth until it is too late. Testimonies from people who claim to have come out of one are if they could ever be believed. All that was known for certain was that all fo enter one never come back, not even pentagon knights were not exempt.

What he knew for sure came from hunters that had paved the way before him. A path of carnage and blood it was told. The argument on whether it was the planet’s blessing or the demon’s curse that they now have these powers did not bother him. The fact was that this power exists, he never knew a world without them, and he knew enough of it to hold his own. Knowing how the other affinities fair against his own helped him quickly assess what was and was not a good idea. He knew that demons meant trouble and demon hosts should never be fought one on one.

Andrew knew what he knew and that gave him comfort. It was the things that threatened him and he did not know however that bothered him.

"You feel anything?" Natalie’s questioning eyes gave a layer of concern. It was only then that he noticed that he had a hand right over the place he was stabbed. Biting down a shiver Andrew fainted a peeved snort.

"Oh I’m fine," he reassures with a thump of his chest. "Only pain I felt recently was watching you drink the last of my water," with a snarky tone that he was not completely feeling he chuckled at Natalie’s disapproved stare.

“Then what about before?” she asked.

“What time before? Do you mean the time when I woke up and realized that my shirt had been sliced right down the middle? Yeah, that really did hurt. Maybe more so than the water, I’ll need time to work out my feelings on that.”

With a sigh, she tossed the water bottle back at him which he snatched out of the air casually. Taking a swig, Andrew noticed that Natalie was yet again looking at him as if trying to pick apart his brain. That made him scratch the back of his locks in slight frustration. With Natalie noting his show of frustration he shrugged his shoulders to himself. She knew something was up, and like it or not he had promised that he will tell her what it was if it happened one last time. If he had the same dream again. That time came the night before.

"There was one thing that’s been bothering me since. Some dream I keep having," Andrew confessed, his tone darkening as he tried to relive it.

Natalie carefully leaned off of the block to look at him. With his thoughts lost in the sensations, he experienced this, and other nights since their encounter with the star his hand clenched onto his chest without his notice.

"And what dream was that?"

Andrew's lips tighten as he relived the dreaded sensations of pain and loss, shock guilt, and betrayal. Yes, this was the same dream he’d been having. The same one over and over, the intense emotions coming up in the same order each time. Leaving the same cold hopeless impression on him when he woke. Except that was the thing.

"I forget. I just know it’s the same dream. Funny how that work!" he said in an upbeat tone. For what it was worth that was the truth. Up to this point, he’d wake up only remembering impressions of the nightmare. The only thing the last one proved was that it had and will keep coming repeatedly. Not wanting to worry Natalie he tried to make light of it but he almost failed to take control of his shaken hand.

With an exasperated sigh, Natalie shook her head to herself and leaned back against the stone block.

"I’m not joking this time!" he said half chuckling to himself because he knew how this all looked from her perspective. “It’s what been bothering me, I said I’ll tell you what it is not why I feel like that.”

“Maybe I should have kept your bottle and left you here,” Natalie grumbled.

“Now that would have been a memorable nightmare if we were not that close to Zannidue. So much for lost opportunities,” Andrew grinned as he tossed the water bottle back at her. Natalie’s face betrayed a hint of puzzlement. Andrew nodded for her to take the rest. Mumbling something to herself Natalie looked at the bottle hesitantly. Chuckling to himself Andrew looked out at the distant city as Natalie drank what was left. He’d barely realized that Natalie was finished she spoke up.

“If I’d not finished mine so quickly I wouldn’t need to bother drinking yours,” now she looked plain troubled, and that troubled Andrew. To keep her from worrying he maintained an outward indifference.

“It’s no big deal,” he said.

“But I-”

“-With you drinking what’s left I now have a good enough excuse to buy my favorite grape soda,”

Natalie just gave him a withering look which he chuckled to all the more. Even if it meant looking the fool he will gladly do so if it helped her smile more.

"Fine, fine then I’ll change the subject. Coubbleston was an interesting place right?" he began.

“This again?” Natalie scoffed.

“Since when did I bring it up before now?”

“I don’t know, I was… distracted,” the voice held a sliver of mockery within it. Was that meant to be him? All of a sudden recollection struck him like a steel knight’s hammer.

His embarrassing confession that he was distracted by the dancers of Coubbleston ran across his mind making his face heat up once more, in this direct heat that came close to frying as he’d even been.

Maybe I should change the subject again. Andrew thought to himself but a part of him shot that idea down.

"I just meant that it was so different to any place we’ve been to, sure there are plenty of people who dance and stuff on other towns but not one that is so dedicated to it. I think it’s kind of fascinating." he continued.

"People dressed up like shameless monkeys is fascinating?” Natalie shot back, which left Andrew frowning.

“I would not go that far,” he said to himself, Natalie heard it which was just as well.

“They waste their gifts of harnessing the elements to prance about on the streets. Dancing around in the cold whilst they burn through their sir-plus of resources in the middle of a desert and you find that fascinating?” she said.

“You did not find their ways fascinating?” Andrew asked. That drew Natalie glared at him, however. After a short moment of studying him, she nodded.

“Yes, I spouse it did fascinate me. Was as fascinating as watching a man throw himself off a cliff’s edge with a cute red ribbon elegantly flowing off his neck making the suicide somewhat elegant, artful, and maybe unique!"

Andrew stunned to silence sat there with his mouth agape, for once he was honestly baffled. ‘A ribbon’? Thinking of a light way to counteract Natalie’s dark and sharp analogy Andrew sat there a moment with his head tilted and eyes narrowed.

"Why a red ribbon though? I mean I think I get it but..." that much earned him a low frustrated groan from Natalie before he could say anything else. It took all that Andrew had to keep from laughing. Seeing this Natalie shook her head to herself and continued walking.

"My point is that for people with such a high mastery over their powers, instead of doing some noticeable good in the world they waste it on stupid parlor tricks and a few chuckles. I fail to see how they can be the descendants of the ones who made all of this," she said as walked onwards, gesturing to the distant ruins that gleamed in the horizon. She looked… withdrawn. Tired of being disappointed. Frowning, Andrew jumped off the stone platform to follow her tail in silence. Although they were some way off the road that led to Zannidue they walked in roughly the same direction. Instead of going back to the road, they walked beside the ancient city of Dunhini. He watched her looking west towards the place with a longing. Andrew felt that if he was not here then she would have willingly entered the ghost city and faded away forever. He could not help but a knot form in his gut to the thought of that. Sure Coubbleston was a bit of a letdown compared to an age where a king held a thone with the power to send him and his city to any part of his kingdom in a blink of an eye. Maybe Natalie was right and the past was indeed a better place. But even so, there had to be some merit that even a place like Coubbleston still had up till today otherwise why would it exist?

Why do I care about Coubbleston’s merits anyways? He thought.

"It brings in a lot of tourists, there night parties and display of flame knight’s I mean." he’d only realized he said that out loud until Natalie blinked out of her trance and looked back at him disapprovingly. Andrew knew that he should have long dropped the subject for another one but a part of him could not help it.

"That is perhaps the most pointless use of a flame knight that I have ever witnessed," she mumbled back.

"That’s a bit harsh don’t you think? Just because they entertain does not mean that they are pointless. The Hymalens are just singers who use their gale knight powers to amplify their voice but I never hear you complain about them."

"They sing of historical events. It preserves what little knowledge we have from our past. Most people nowadays are worst at reading than you are so it helps.” Her eyes widened just as his walking pace slowed down in slight disbelief. He could not recall a time when Natalie had called him out on his reading and it just threw him off a little. It was no big deal to him. He could read good enough to get by but seeing the shock on Natalie's eye kept him from playing it off as a joke. With no reaction, Natalie closed her eyes to pinch the bridge of her nose before she walked onwards. “Never mind what I said, you're missing the point," she sighed. Andrew staring at the spot where she last stood remained idle.

“Things have changed I get it. But who’s to say that pointless stuff like dancing flams knights were not a thing that happened in the past too?” He said, Natalie stopped walking just ahead.

“And what makes you so sure that’s the case?” she said.

“We don’t know everything. Not even the Hymalens can seem to keep the facts straight. If even they can’t be consistent with their tales then who’s to say what those times were really like?” Andrew said. Falling silent, Natalie folded her arms as she tried her best not to look in his direction.

“Would you rather they kept new discoveries to themselves just for narrative consistency?” she mumbled.

“Seems to me that every time they discover something new the epic tales of our past seem less and less fantastical. When you were bringing the kids back a group of them at the village sang Clench of the fog wars. Apparently, the champion of ruin did not imperial himself with his weapon in despair at what he did but was betrayed by his own followers who used his own weapon to slay him. It leads to the same end I know but although it’s said it also seems less dramatic kind of like now. The next telling will be that he was killed by his enemies.”

“And what are you trying to get at Andrew?” she was storming ahead now, Andrew could tell that she did not want to have this conversation anymore and in a sense neither did he. But something about the subject made struck a chord with him.

“What I'm saying is that maybe those historic stories that we grew up on should not be taken head-on,” That brought Natalie's match to a halt.

“You saying that the people who wrote them lied?” she asked, her back still turned to him, Andrew shrugged.

“Maybe the age before was no more fantastical things are now. Maybe they added some more drama to help put up a front and that was the whole point, I don’t know. I just think it’s possible.”

She turned around to him now, eyes wide. With one hand clenched she pointed with the other at the ancient city off in the distance.

“The tales and stories. The history of a once-great nation. It’s all there right in front of you. What is there to doubt when you can see it with your own eyes?” she said.

“A ghost city with nobody from it’s time to tell you how it was really like,” he said. Hands in pockets. “Unlike them, the cities of now are still relevant and some have substance.” Natalie scoff cut Andrew short.

“Places like Coubbleston?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“That’s hardly fair,”

“Stand there and tell me that a place like Coubbleston has substance, I want to hear you say it.”

“I mean I agree with you on that front but still. I don't think that we should shun a whole nation just because we can’t find meaning in what they do. Even if that thing is a bit more on the... primal side." he shrugged whilst giving a playful smile. Folding her arms Natalie nodded to herself. For a moment Andrew thought that she was getting it.

"It’s own self-worth being what we should measure it by is valid. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that the place is one big scam sham. A brave act put up in the face of adversity. The place sounds like Zac in so many ways it's ironic. It's as if fate brought town and man together," she scoffed under her breath.

Andrew's playful demeanor faded as he took in those words.

"But don't we all put up a front sometimes? Pretend we are more ok than we really are?" Natalie must have seen something he was not aware of on his face because she frowned soon after before looking away and sighing to herself.

"Sorry. It's just when I look at this," she points to the distant ruins. "When I think of the age of findings, and how this whole desert had once become an oasis in a blink of an eye thanks to that discovered power. How the second winds encompassed the world from that very spot when I remember the epic battles and betrayals my mum told me took place here. And how the two founders fought for this land, then worked together to keep it from vanishing. When I think about what we once had and what we got now. All I see is hollow eggshells being shown off as proud dragons."

Andrew bowed his head at that. He’s understood what he was trying to do then and it was pathetic. What more was there to say? All he could do was be there for her but again he’s always in fear that one day she will fade away. One day she will just walk into a labyrinth to try and live out some so-called glory days, in a vain attempt to try and go back to a time where her parents were still alive, and that will be it. He clenched his hand within his pockets in an effort not to show his frustration on his face.

“Sorry, just forget I said anything. ” she sighed and walked onwards. She looked downcast, Andrew could not say that he was fairing any better. Her persona felt like that of a wall, not wanting to be approached. Even so, he could not sit on his morales. Forcing on a smile shook his head.

"You say ‘sorry’ one more time and I’m going to assume that you suffered a sunstroke," he said with vigor. That made her pause long enough for him to take the lead. Mouth agape she was about to say something else until Andrew cut in. “But I understand, if you buy me my favorite drink then I’ll pretend that all of this did not happen. How does that sound?”

Natalie was able to collect herself enough to give a snort and pull the map back out before matching onwards.

“Fine, I owe you a drink anyway so consider it payment,” she said walking beside him eyes already looking down at the map.

“Drink? Since when did I give you a drink? And why are you holding my bottle?” he said in a sarcastic tone. Natalie just mutter a curse under her breath and rolled her eyes.

“I guess you don’t want the drink then,” she said.

“If your offering then I’ll take it, the map too. I still remember that you’d not given it back to me but it’s ok, to let you borrow it a bit longer.”

"You're a sod, Andrew. I hope that you remember that." Tossing him back his bottle Andrew’s grin widened.

"I’ll burn it to memory!" he replied. "So then! When we reach Zannidue our first line of order is to review our next step from here. But first: We get my grape soda, second: get some good grub on one of them fancy round tables with the napkins and shiny spoons and forks on it,”

“I’m only paying for the drink,” Natalie mumbled but Andrew continued.

“Then we recruit ourselves an army." He was being serious. So it came to his surprise when Natalie glanced at him oddly from the corner of her eye before she simply walked on ahead as if trying to slowly escape him.

"What kind of response was that!?" Andrew said as he tried to catch up. "I'm am being serious here! Natalie wait!!"