In a Sea of Unending Sand

Athelius staggered across the desert dunes, the sun glaring down on him. He should have made it to Lior by now, but something had gone wrong. Was it poor directions from the old man he had met a few days prior, or did he take a wrong turn somewhere? Either way, the situation was grim. Athelius had eaten his last food ration a day ago, a meal of 5 salted crackers and a small piece of dried meat.

"Why in the world would I bring crackers out to a desert? Now I have no water!"

Yet still he pressed on. Lior couldn’t be much farther; he had been travelling for days. He was on foot because he couldn’t afford a ticket for a bus or train; it was that or the little amount of food and water he could afford for the trip. He had hoped to be there in four days, however this was the sixth day of travel.
Athelius climbed a sand dune in hopes of spotting Lior, or at least some sign of civilization. Weak from hunger and thirst, he clawed his way to the top. In that moment a wave of relief washed over him. There it was, the unmistakable church of Leto, its high steeples standing above the horizon.

“Finally! I thought I was going to die in this damn dessert! I hope I’m not too late for the job, otherwise this was all useless!”

He quickly rose to his feet and began sprinting down the dune, nearly falling several times from the loose sand. It was so close, maybe only a few miles away. Athelius sprinted towards the distant town with all his remaining strength, ignoring the pain in his stomach. He would have food soon enough. He drew closer still running as fast as he could, but his body was working against him at this point. Dehydration had set in and his muscles started to cramp up. As hard as Athelius tried to ignore this, a sharp pain shot through his left knee causing him to fall.

“No! I’m so close! I have to make it!”

He used his arms to pull himself towards the town. He made it to a road, just outside of town. Almost unconscious from the extremes he was putting his body through, he fell and rolled down a small incline on the other side of the road. Exhausted and face down in the sand, Athelius let out a faint chuckle. He had made it, he would survive. He looked up for one last glance at the town before he passed out, only to find that the church steeples were in reality a tall three pronged cactus.
Though he now knew this wasn’t the town of Lior, in his delusion he still reached out to the cactus, his hands shaking.

“Please, won’t you just give me some water? I haven’t had in drink in two da-“
He was cut short by the dryness in his throat. Using the very last ounce of energy left in him, he rolled over to watch the sky. It was sunset, and the stars would be out soon.

“Well, at least I have something to look at before I die” he thought to himself as his eyes slowly closed.

Feng was pretty happy with his trip and everything had gone according to plan, much like it always did. He had flown as close as he could get to the desert and made his way first to the Xerxes Ruins and stayed there for what seemed like a day but was in reality only 7 hours of nothing but writing about what he saw. He then, with his handy compass and map , had made his way off towards Xinotime but then decided to make his way to Lior instead. On his back he carried enough supplies to last him a couple of weeks, and plenty of water bottles to last him just as long. And it may have been heavy but it was worth it to always be prepared. It would suck to die on your unorthodox vacation to the middle of nowhere with sand.

He was wearing his usual cap with a slightly bored expression with a sucker in his mouth and was wearing a black tank top, covering his chest binders well, and well fitting dark blue cargo pants with stuff shoved in his pockets carefully and his usual black combat boots. He didn't think he was going to bump into anybody soon because he was still a bit of ways from the only sign of life so he was generally somewhat lonely looking and bored. And yet somehow completely comfortable. He wasn't too hot, he wasn't cold either of course and was hot just not to where it was uncomfortable. And he was well fed and had plenty of water in his system.

Feng hadn't noticed the alchemist male as he walked, not particularly observant that the moment. He was about past the cactus that was about a yard or two away when he heard something that sounded like a voice. He stopped suddenly and began looking around. And that was when he looked down and saw him and at first he looked calm. Collected. Everything a A-Okay. But then suddenly all of the color drained from his face and the concern for the stranger became evident as he quickly dropped his bag and made his way over to him and pulled a bottle of water out of his pants. He figured that was what he needed as that was usually what caused a dying man in a desert.

"Sir! Are you okay? Are you thirsty? Hungry? Injured? Oh my God please don't die in front of me pleasepleaseplease" he said sounding panicked at he crouched down in front of him and shoved the water towards him. Nowhere in his mind was he even considering if this man spoke Xingese or not. He was too busy worrying. He bit his lip and looked at him with a nervous look that expressed his fear of this man just dying here in the desert. He could feel his body rushing with adrenaline a bit as he shoved the water at him.

Feng was the type of guy who actually cared about human beings so he didn't care if this man was good or bad or what have you. It was somebody who was in trouble and he was there so he was going to help. That was what Feng did. He made a point of being helpful and a good person! He was the Second Command of Xing! He wasn't just going to pass a dying man in a desert!

“Ni hai hao ma!?” The voice faded out. “Am I dead? Is Xingese the language of the afterlife?”
Qing buyao si yu zai!

The frightened voice awakened Athelius, saving him from what very well could have been his last sleep. It took everything in him to only half open his eyes. To his surprise, his first sight was a cool bottle of water, dripping with condensation in the desert heat. He feverishly reached for it, praying it wasn’t another mirage. His fingers touched it, feeling a chill in his arm as he wrapped them around the bottle. Bringing it to his chest, he slowly unscrewed the lid. His hands shaking, he tried bringing the bottle to his lips, but most of it ended up being poured onto his face, causing the sand around him to clump and stick to him. He looked over the man knelt down beside him, nervously biting his lip.

“Thanks for the water…” He said in a soft voice, doing his best to conserve what precious energy he had left. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stay awake for long. His stomach still felt like it was in knots from hunger and his muscles still felt stiff. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two small coins, dropping them in the sand without making any effort to reach out to the man. At this point he was too weak to even manage to speak. His eyes closed, but before he slipped away once more, he used his finger to push some sand around. He wasn’t even sure if he was writing correctly, nor did he care. He was putting his faith into the man to take him out of this hell. He could feel his consciousness fading as he desperately tried to finish the word. Athelius did what he could, but he couldn’t fight it any more. He slipped away, his body going limp. Next to him lied the two coins, and a single word written into the sand. “Lior”

After hearing him saying something about the after life he then realized he must not have understood him. He bit his lip as he turned around and dug into his bag and grabbed a salt packet. He was prepared, okay? He poured the tiny salt packet into the water and shook it to condense the two. Usually people related salt to dehydration but with water it caused them to retain water. He then smiled lightly as he zipped his bag up again.

"You aren't dead yet... You are going to be fine, okay? Drink this one, it should help better than the other one" he said calmly and set it next to him. He rolled up his sleeves slightly and put his hands on the ground and there was a slight rumbling and sand parted. Half a dome of stone pulled up, providing shade. He didn't bother making sure he was in it, which he wasn't. He then sat down next to him, watching the water hit his face. When he thanked him for the water he nodded and smiled politely though still looked nervous and worried.

"Just... Don't die and we are fine" he said, tilting his head. Then he noticed a change that errected his panic again. He look like... Well, like he was dying. And when he passed out he was about to do something when he noticed the word written in sand. He stopped and tilted his head again, scratching his head below his hat and took in a long breath. Okay, Feng. You can do this.

He stood up and collected his stuff and pulled out his map and compass. He looked at it for a moment and found the direction he was supposed to go to get to Lior and he shoved the map back in his bookbag and shoved the compass in his pocket for now. He put the bag back on his back. How was he going to do this? He leaned down and picked him up with effeort and put him over his bookbag before grabbing his compass again. He wasn't tall enough to support his full height so his feet would drag but he could atleast make it do he didn't fall.

- Later at Lior -

Feng had had trouble but he had made it and they were greeted with the concern of some elderly couple who seemed rather used to this. They had brought them to their home and after setting Athelius into a bed with a cool rag on his forehead, Feng was finally able to relax a bit. The woman had stayed around with him as they both watched to make sure the wondering man was okay. Sitting in a chair accross the room, he closed his eyes and settled into the chair. He wasn't sure why this man needed to get here. But they were lucky to have ran into the elderly couple.

The woman only seemed to speak in Esparian which was fine for Feng, though his Esparian was poorly practiced so there were holes in his grammar and the woman had noticed. He cracked open an eye as he saw the woman get up and walk out for a moment and he sighed.

"Better not die after all that work I did to keep you alive" he mumbled to himself. He had to admit, he would be somewhat irritated if he died after that.

The sun shone in to the small room where Athelius slept, crossing across his chest. It only took a few minutes for the light to cross onto his face, warming his skin. The cloth on his forehead let out a bead of water, running to the bridge of his nose and into his eye. The light had moved far enough to reach his eyes, the warmth awaking him. He took the cloth off of his forehead and leaned up. As the blanket around him slid down, he realized all he had on was his pants. He scratched his head, noticing his hair still felt gritty from the sand. He looked around to find his clothes and his guns, but they weren’t in the room. That’s when he noticed the man in the corner, asleep in a chair. His first reaction was to pull up the blanket to hide his scar, but seeing how this man had saved his life, he lowered his guard. He got out of bed and walked into the next room, making sure not to wake the man. He was greeted by a thin old man leaning on a cane.

“I appreciate you letting my stay here, and thank you for helping that man save my life.”

Then man smiled as he looked up at Athelius. “Forgive me, my Cretan not so well. You are welcome, your things in down hall on table. We cleaned.”

Athelius could tell the man was struggling to find the right words. He smiled gently as he walked past him. He found his jacket neatly folded on the table with his shirt, his two guns resting on top of them. Next to it was his belt holding his holster, along with all ten of his ammo magazines. Athelius put on his black sleeve-less shirt and strapped his belt across his waist. Normally it would go on after he but his jacket on since the holsters are in the back, but since it was daylight he left it off to stay cool. He placed magazines into his guns and then holstered them, and began fastening the spare clips onto the leather straps on his pants. He took care to arrange them so when he had to reload, he simply had to put his guns to his side and the clips would slide in. As he did this he looked out the window, noticing the large church in the distance, the rising sun barely above its steeple. He had made it to Lior. Athelius finished arming himself and then turned back to the old man.

“If you just wait here for a moment I can come back and pay you for letting me stay. I only have to go to the church to get the advance for the escort job and I will give you as much as you need.”

The man looked at him with a slightly confused expression. “Escort?” he said uneasily and through a heavy accent. He left the hall, returning moments later with a piece of paper and handing it to Athelius. It was an advertisement for an escort for a priest of Leto, on a mission into northern Drachma. Athelius smiled, realizing this was the same ad that had convinced him to cross the desert, as it paid ten thousand cens, offering one thousand up front.

“Before you go, we eat breakfast” the old man said as Athelius looked at the paper. Athelius’ first thought was to turn it down, but before he could say no his stomach rumbled, convincing him to stay. He nodded and the old man led him into a small room with a table, where the man’s wife sat eating a plate full of eggs. Three other plates were prepared, complete with sausage and glasses of milk. Athelius sat down and smiled at the woman , then began to eat. The woman said something to her husband, but Athelius couldn’t understand what she was saying. The man gave her a nod, then shuffled into the room were the man who had saved Athelius’ life was sleeping. Athelius watched him through the bottom of the milk glass.

“Well, time to meet my savior” Athelius thought to himself as he took a bite out of his sausage link.

Feng hadn't realized he had fallen asleep until he felt a light hand on his shoulder and his abruptly opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at the elderly woman, who was smiling at him gently. He smiled slightly. This couple was quite nice and he was glad that he had found them. He hadn't known what he was going to do once he got to Lior but he was grateful he wasn't just left to help that man on his own... Speaking of, he looked over and saw the empty bed. He hoped that mean he had gotten up and left of his own will.

"We have food, if you want some" the woman said in Esparian and Feng couldn't say no. Something about her kindly expression and her soft voice just made him not want to tell her no. He nodded as he stood up and yawned, stratching. The woman caught sight of the wrappings on his chest and she had tilted her head. "Oh dear, are you injured?" she asked, sounding concerned.

Feng was at first confused by what she said and looked around his own body checking for any blood or anything, thankfully not finding any. His eyes slid up to the ceiling as he picked his hat up from the chair and shoved it down over his hair. He smiled nervously, thinking about what she may be talking about and he shook his head.

"No, thank you for you concern though, ma'am" he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. She nodded and smiled and began for the door and he followed with his hands in his pockets and his glasses in place, looking slightly nervous. They made their way in the the kitchen and the woman seemed to be shoving Feng towards a chair and when he sat down, food being shoved in front of him. "Thank you" he bowed his head at her slightly with an awkward smile before he looked at the one he had saved and looked down slightly.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he started eating slowly. He looked calm though, smiling slightly still as his eyes scanned around and saw some Esparian text which his brain translated. He looked away and smiled at Athelius, glad he was at least moving around and eating like a healthy person should.

Athelius was just swallowing a mouthful of eggs as the Small woman walked back in. He raised his glass to signal he wanted some more milk. He hated doing this, he felt it was a rude gesture, but since they spoke different languages it was all he could do. As she poured milk into his glass, the man who had saved Athelius came in and sat down. He smiled as he asked Athelius how he felt just before taking a bite of the meal in front of him.

“I’m much better, thank you.”

Athelius wanted to say more, but his stomached growled demanding more food. He took a few more bites of egg, swallowing them all in one gulp. His stomach satisfied for the moment, he looked back at the man, smiling warmly. He was relieved that he spoke Cretan.

“I would have died if not for you, and you even brought me to Lior. I don’t know how to thank you, but if you would like payment I would be more than happy to give it to you. I’m here for an escort job, and I can give you my advance payment.”

Hearing the word “escort” again, the old man pointed at the paper on the table. He started speaking to his wife in Esparian in a concerned tone. The woman looked at Athelius with an expression of pity. Athelius picked up on this, but wasn’t sure what it meant. Worst case scenario, he had nearly died for nothing. By the look on her face, he began to think that was true. The old woman turned and started talking to the man in Esparian, the same tone of concern as her husband. Athelius waited for the woman to finish speaking as he finished off his plate. When she was done he drank the rest of his milk and turned back to the man.

“I’m guessing you know what she is saying? It isn’t about the job is it?”

Feng watched Athelius amused and felt the slightest bit amused. He most likely hadn't really eaten well, now that Feng thought about it. Not everybody prepared like he did. Which was easy for him especially because he wasn't exactly poor. He bowed his head slightly as he listened to how he said he was. Thank the Gods he wasn't in any sort of obvious danger at the moment. Though he was still a bit worried admittedly. He looked down and ate slower than the man near him, that was for sure. Appearing well mannered. As he spoke again he shook his head.

"No need, I was happy to help. No payment required. Just as long as you are well I see no point in asking for payment" he chuckled lightly as he found the idea of getting paid just for helping somebody live came off to him as a bit silly. He shoved more food into his mouth slowly as he turned to the old woman who now spoke to him. Did he understand her? Of course he did. He nodded to her then looked at Athelius.

"It was... The job was taken" he said with a tone both apoligetic and curious. He tilted his head as he tapped his fork slightly against the plate and shivered. His family didn't use silverware so the sound was slightly surprising to him. He closed his eyes as the thought for a moment. That was when he got the idea and he looked at Athlius and smiled.

"How about instead you do something for me?" he asked as he leaned back in his chair and twitsted the fork in his hand. He didn't know exactly how to word this. He didn't NEED help. But perhaps he could give him something to do. Feng had the money and supplies to spare, really. So... He didn't see how it could be bad.

"Oh... And my name is Feng Xiu" he bowed his head slightly and the old woman looked surprised by his name and asked him a question relating to his name and Feng laughed nervously and nodded, hand now on the back of his head.

“T…Taken?”

Athelius hung his head in despair. Not only had he almost died, but now he was out ten thousand cens. The only upside is that at least the man across from him was offering him a job. He stared down at the empty plate lying in front of him as he contemplated what to do. After a few short moments, he took a deep breath and looked to Feng, Smile on his face and right hand extended.

“The name’s Athelius Masters, gun for hire! It’s a pleasure to be working with you!”

It didn’t occur to him that Feng didn’t even ask for a gunman; this could be a simple job. That line was so rehearsed by Athelius however that it is the first thing that comes to mind whenever he is offered a job. Realizing that Feng could translate for him, Athelius began toning out what the old couple and focused on Feng. Although he had business on the mind, he still did his best to keep a calm, soft expression on his face.

“So, Feng, What does this job entail?”

Feng grinned and took his hand in a handshake and nodded. Gun for hire, huh? Well, how does he make this job appeal to a gunman? He considered it then found the perfect way to word it.

"Well, I need to get to Xing safely and I hear the desert isn't the safest place ever. So maybe you can come with me through the desert and keep me safe from whatever it may be we will encounter?" he asked. This was true though, he had heard that occassionally people have been attacked in the desert and that did somewhat scare him. Was he bad at fighting? Not at all. He didn't even have his swords with him but he was still a careful person. That could have been how he has made it in so many fights. He would rather wear down the enemy than actully fight them.

"Shouldn't be too hard. No like I am an important figure that would normally get attacked" the second of command of Xing laughed. What? He wasn't lying!... He doesn't normally get attacked. Thus his laugh wasn't nervous or anything. He smiled as he went back to eating, At a normal eating speed now.

"Sound like a plan?"

“I would be more than happy to accompany you! I have never been to Xing anyways, so this will be a nice trip for me. As for payment, how much are you offering?”

Athelius thought about it for a second, looking around the room. The old couple was happily eating, barely paying attention to Athelius and Feng anymore. His eyes wandered to the window, looking down the road. He could see the main square from here, a medium sized fountain stood in the center. As it pumped out water a light mist blew in the breeze, forming a faint rainbow. Athelius began to drift, and daydream about his hometown, but quickly came back to attention. Although this town was nice, it was also isolated, which means there wouldn’t be much work. He didn’t want to end up stranded. He turned his attention back to Feng, smiling gently.

“You know what, don’t worry about that. We can talk about it when we get to Xing.” Athelius said in a soft voice as he stood up from his chair. He approached the old couple, shaking the old man’s hand, and giving the woman a hug. He thanked them for their hospitality, even though he knew only the man would understand what he meant. The woman began to say something, but before he could ask Feng for a translation she patted his stomach, a universal sign for “you need to eat more” Athelius gave her a smile then approached Feng.

“Finish your breakfast and gather your things, we will leave whenever you are ready.” Athelius moved a little closer, placed his right hand on Fengs left shoulder and bending over slightly. “Thank you…for everything.” He straightened himself out and walked towards the door, throwing his long red jacket over his shoulder. Without looking back, he called out to Feng.

“I’ll be outside, let me know when you’re ready.”

"Xing is quite nice" Feng smiled as he then watched the man space out. He tilted his head and then looked down and continued eating. He could not express how much he love Xing. He was born and grew up there. Sure it had it faults but overall there were good people there who deserved good things. He then realized he was thinking to much and then shook his head. He most likely just looked like Athelius did there for a moment. Then at the mention of pay he thought. He could figure something out. He would certainly have to pay him well because it wasn't like Xing was down the street or anything.

He closed his eyes for a second then felt the hand on his shoulder and heard the thanks. He looked up at him and nodded, smiling. He watched him walk out and he finished eating quietly then stood up and smiled at the old couple.

"Thank you for all your help. The food was delicious" he bowed slightly and they smiled and he came over and shook both of their hands before making his way back to the room they were once in and began grabbing his stuff and pulling it onto his back. That was when he noticed his bad was heavier. He set it down and unzipped it. He noticed there was more water and packaged food than before. He smiled and opened a different pocket and set down some cens on the bed to pay them back before putting the bag back on his back and heading off towards the door.

Outside again he closed his eyes, the sun entirely too bright and pushed his hat down more to shade his eyes better. He opened his eyes better and looked at Athelius and smiled.

"Well, let's go" he said sounding enthusiastic. He pulled out his map and compass again and looked at them before pointing in... A direction. He knows. "That way" he nodded.

Athelius looked into the sky as a cigarrete slowly burned. The smoke climbed upward, dancing in the air like a waltz with the breeze that was gently blowing. The sun had risen past the horizon now, and it wouldn’t be long before it reached its highest point. Athelius closed his eyes and took a drag. As he did this a beam of light peeked up over the rooftops, landing onto his tinted glasses. He opened his eyes, looking through the smoke to find a magnificent scene. The sun had just reached the top of the church, the cross on its highest steeple casting a shadow across the town. A small flock of birds flew by, crossing in front of the church. He could hear people in the square talking with each other, children yelling in delight as they played a game a tag. Athelius took another drag as he drew all of this in, letting the smoke out through his nose.

“It almost feels like home…”

Athelius raised his boot and put out the cigarrete, placing the butt in a trash bin in front of the couples house. Just as he did this Feng opened the door and stepped outside. After letting his eyes adjust to the brightness, he pointed in the direction they needed to go. He set his jacket onto the ground and took out his guns. He ejected the magazines, counting the rounds. Doing this for both guns, he put them back into their holsters on his back, knowing they were fully loaded. He glanced down at the clips on his pants and noticed that one of them was three rounds short. He picked up his jacket and took a pair of black leather gloves, a basic transmutation circle embroidered onto the back of the right one. He put them on, then unclipped a pouch strapped to the jacket. He opened the cap and carefully poured out the black powder inside into the cap. Once it was full he scrapped the top making an even surface, then pouring it into a neat pile on the ground. He did this three more times and then capped the pouch and clipped it back to his jacket. He knelt down and put his right hand over the first pile, closing his eyes. For a moment, there was nothing. Then, drawing a deep breath, the circle on his glove began to glow. Alchemic sparks jolted from his fingertips to the ground, and slowly metal began to wrap itself around the pile. It continued up, forming a cap. Once finished the circle faded out, going back to the white thread used to sew it into the glove. Athelius did this twice more, each time the process taking less time to complete. He gathered the three newly formed bullets and slid them into the clip that was short. After returning the gloves to the inside pocket of the jacket, Athelius formed a hook with his finger and picket it up by a small loop sewn into the collar for hanging. He threw it over his right shoulder and looked over to Feng. The sun illuminated his face as he smiled warmly.

“Lead the way, boss"

"Hey, that is a pretty neat trick" Feng smiled as he adjusted the bags on his back. Alchemy interested him and he saw that skill as a useful one for a gunman. He began walking and folded his map and shoved it into his bag and shoved his compass into his pocket again as they made their way back to the harsh desert. As they finally broke Lior and made it out to the desert he then thought of something and looked over at his companion.

"oh, and if you need any water or food I got it all in my bag" he smiled at him pleasantly as they walked. The sun on the sand made the sand incredibly hot and he felt the searing heat hit the bare skin of his face and arms but his body remained at a fair temperature. He couldn't help but hate the desert a little, though the ruins and the people made up for it. Well, at least all he has found now was people that seemed nice.

After what seemed like forever of walking the heat was becoming almost unbearable. It had only been about 45 minutes but to Feng it seemed to drag on for hours. He had rented a vehicle up some ways that he had left in a stone dome so he knew nobody stole it. So that was good. He thought for a moment he heard something but dismissed it quickly. He pulled a bottle of water out of his pocket and took a drink. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw a derk figure flash into his vision. He calmly lowered his bottle and when he saw movement again he dropped the bottle and all before it fell down he twisted to kneeling on the ground. He slammed his hand onto the ground and brother it up in an arch over him right as a bullet hit the stone wall. Fast, but not fast enough.

He didn't complete the dome and before he knew it he felt a hand yank him out and throw him accross the sand. He landed on his bag, lucky for him, and quickly scrambled up and out of his backpack. That was when he noticed the shear number of them. Three alone had surrounded his companion by popping out of the sand rather mysteriously. And three around him. Dammit. When had this happened? He got in a position to fight them off, and as one came towards him with a sword he quickly dodged the attack but before he knew it another blade had slashed towards him. His thrust his body forward again but the blade caught his back andgot in a good slash that cute through that back of his shirt a couple of inches and... Oh... Shit... Feng felt his binding begin to release and in a quick motion he moved down and spun, creating a full dome around himself.

Xiu sat inside the dome, her breathing that of panic. She looked down to see her chest reminding her she was female. She closed her eyes. What did she do? She felt her black bleeding slightly. She felt a kick being dilivered on her dome and sh closed her eyes and slammed her hands against the walls of it, sending spikes to rise all around the dome. She felt three hit people and stab through them... Three down. She wrapped her arms around herself. She had to make sure Athelius was okay... Even if that meant exposing herself. She hit head hand against the base of the dome and created another arch motion with her arm and the dome fell and she slowly stood up. Looking for Athelius.

The sun beat down on Athelius as him and Feng walked along the seemingly endless sand. He had a bottle of water in each hand, both missing their caps and half empty. He was much more used to cooler climates, spending much of his life in northern regions of the world. This wasn’t his first time in the desert, but it didn’t matter. It never seems to get better.

Athelius had just poured one of the bottles over his head when he noticed Feng looking across the sands to a distant dune. Athelius wiped the water from his eyes and squinted to try and find what he was looking at. That’s when he saw him, but it was too late. To make a shot at that distance, Athelius knew he would have to draw Erebus first. By the time he had dropped the bottle from his left hand, a shot had been fired. Still reaching for his gun, he looked over to Feng to make sure he wasn’t hit. That’s when he noticed the stone semi-dome covering him. He chuckled a little as he focused back onto the man in the distance.

“I knew it” Athelius thought to himself as he dropped to one knee, Erebus now fully drawn. His jacket laid out behind him as he held Erebus out with both hands, left finger on the trigger. The black metal seemed to dim the bright desert sun as Athelius looked down the sights, lining up the red dot at the end of the barrel with the figures head. The rippling heat of the desert made it difficult to make out exactly where he was. Athelius pulled the trigger, a brilliant red ring flashing before him as the shot rang out across the dessert. His hands kicked back, his body shook as he moved with the recoil. No sooner than when he pulled the trigger, three more people had risen up from the sand, almost like ghosts.

As Athelius reached back for Hemera, he never took his eyes off the man in the distance. The bullet had found its target, though only clipping his shoulder. It didn’t matter though. The bullets Athelius uses are powerful enough that he wouldn’t be firing at them anymore, and that’s all Athelius wanted. He didn’t like to kill, but he knew he was going to have to. One less death would be easier on his conscience.

Hemera now fully drawn, he took aim at the men who had appeared out of the sand. The man on the left was the first to charge, a machete raised above his head. Athelius quickly moved Erebus into position, catching his attacker just before he was to close. The barrel was buried in his stomach, the impact knocking the air out of him. Just before Athelius pulled the trigger he heard a thud. His focus broken he glanced to Feng who had been thrown to the ground.

“Feng!” Athelius got onto his feet as quickly as he could. By now the other two men had begun to move in, though hesitant being only armed with clubs and blades. The one who had charged first had regained his breath and grabbed Athelius’ wrist. Seeing this, another decided to make his move, running at Athelius with a heavy bat. Athelius caught sight of him as he began to swing. He ducked down, the bat zooming by his head and barely missing his partner.

Athelius took this small opportunity to check on Feng, whom was inside a dome surrounded by three men. One of their blades had blood on the tip. It wasn’t enough to mean that Feng was dead, but it was enough to push Athelius to kill. He pulled the trigger of Erebus, the bullet causing a massive exit wound in the man’s back. AS he began to fall Athelius stood back up, almost simultaneously, and bashed the man with the bat in the head with the handle of Hemera. He fell down beside him, clenching his head as blood ran out. Athelius took aim at the third man with Hemera, Erebus locked onto the head of one of Feng’s attackers. His eyes were locked onto them as they kicked at the dome on the ground. A small bolt of energy bolted across the dome, the unmistakable product of alchemy. Then, almost in an instant, spikes sprang from it, impaling all three of the attackers. Athelius was somewhat taken back by this.

“I figured this guy could take care of himself, but if he is this good why did he hire me? Did he just feel sorry fo-“ He was cut short by a sharp pain in his leg. He looked down to find a switchblade lodged into his right calf. He yelled in pain as he aimed Hemera directly at the man’s head, not even hesitating to fire. His skull shattered, its contents strewn across the desert sand. The fragments of bone and cartilage pelted Athelius’ face, blood splattered across his body. He looked over to the last man standing, aiming both guns at his head.

“Do you want to die to!?” Athelius yelled, his whole body shaking from the pain in his leg. The man dropped to his knees trembling in terror. “Get the hell out of here, and if you have partners tell them to leave us alone, or I’ll make a point to kill every one of you!”

The man stood up and ran without saying anything. Athelius kept his sights on him until he disappeared over a dune. Once out of sight, Athelius dropped to his left knee, pulling the blade out of his calf. He only grunted as he pulled it out, he didn’t want to broadcast to whoever may be around that he was injured. Once it was out he dropped it and looked over to Feng, who had already lowered his protective dome. Athelius wasn’t sure how much he had seen. He stood up and walked towards him, trying to ignore the pain in his leg. He needed to make sure Feng wasn’t hurt.

“Hey! That was pretty crazy huh?” Athelius yelled out in a playful tone as he limped toward Feng. “I noticed one of them nicked you, are yo-“ Athelius stopped dead in his tracks. Was he hallucinating? Was he really seeing this? He just stood there, staring with his mouth slightly open as Feng stared back.

“You…but…YOU’RE A GIRL!?” Athelius sprinted towards her, almost as though his wound wasn’t even there. He could only ignore it for so long though, it bringing him back to his knees only a couple yards from her. He still continued though, sand and grit entering the wound. He crawled to her feet and looked up, gently taking her hand. He looked directly into her eyes, doing his best to look calm and collected, despite the burning pain shooting across his entire leg now.

“Did they hurt you? Please, relax. Let me take care of it.” Athelius gave her a crooked smile, the best he could manage. It was stupid of him to move around when he has a hole in his leg, but he was trying desperately to look good. He let go of her hand and continued his slow crawl, now towards the bag. He only made it halfway there before collapsing though, Passing out only a short moment later.

After the battle Xiu watched as Athelius finished defeating the rest and her eyes stayed on his wound as soon as it happened. He had a first aide kit right? Right. She bit her lip. If only she had been alone... She could help him though. She could fix him. She could make him better. And as he mentioned it being crazy she nodded hesitantly and that was when the subject came up. The words echoed mockingly. Girl. She bit her lip harder and felt like she was ready to collapse into herself. Then she watched as he moved.

"Ah... Athelius... Don't move" she said, suddenly her voice sounding a tiny bit more femanine but still somewhat gender neutral. He then looked down and then he passed out and then she felt herself relax... If he was out, he couldn't see. She now calmly stepped towards him and sat down, grabbing her bag and unzipped it and pulled out the kit in question. She sat down next to him and numbly began patching him up. First cleaning, stitching, then wrapping. She didn't think about it at all at this point. She felt completely numb at this point. She then stood up and dug through her bag and sighed. Of course... No more binders. She would just have to live with being female for now which honestly made her uncomfortable. She was already done bleeding at this point so she wasn't worried. They BARELY got her actual skin.

She grabbed a gray t-shirt with a skull on it from her bag and... Well... Her... Female... Sleeping... It was a bra, okay? She sighed as she looked at it with complete distaste and stepped over and created a dome around herself and changed. the dome then lowered and she made her way back to her bag and sat down next to it and shoved her shirt and bindings into it. She would throw them away later. She looked at Athelius with a blank expression. He was a rather nice guy... And she had to admit, his reaction was a bit funny. But... It was her. She wrapped her arms around her knees and pulled them up tight against her chest. She rested her chin against her knees as she watched him. She hoped she had acted fast enough... this would be the second time she saved his life and the first time he saved hers. It may have looked like she had it under control... And she did up until she lost her chest binding. That was when she wasn't so okay. She most likely would have been fine but... Well, she was still grateful he was there.

But now he knew. And she had to make sure he didn't tell anybody. Ever.

Athelius wasn’t out long before coming to again. His eyes opened to find a group of five vultures circling overhead. Judging by the sun, it had only been about 15 minutes. His first instinct was to check his leg. He felt the bandages, remembering he wasn’t travelling alone. He looked over and saw Feng, or whatever her name really was, Sitting on the ground most likely waiting for him to wake up. He propped himself up his arms and slid back so he could sit up. He cringed a little from doing this, not just from the stab wound on his leg, but because his wrist were beginning to ache from his guns intense recoil. He looked to Feng, took a deep breath, and began talking.

“Before you say anything, I have a few things I want to say. First off, thank you for tending to my wounds, I greatly appreciate it. Second…” He looked away from Feng and into the distance, as if trying to find the right words.
“I want to ask, why did you hire me? It’s obvious you don’t really need me out here.” He stopped for a moment, drawing a cigarette from his pack. It wasn’t like him to smoke more than one a day, but then again, he did just get stabbed. He lit it and took a drag, then turned back to look at Feng.

“I think you know what else I’m going to ask about…” Again he stopped. This was already an extremely touchy subject to him. She wouldn’t hide it if she didn’t have a good reason, whether it is to hide her identity, or to just feel normal. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to say anything to offend her. The fact was she did save his life, twice. He could have taken the bandits on by himself, but if not for her he probably would have died from infection.

There was also the sense of compassion that she had, something Athelius highly admired. Whether from a man or woman, the world needs more people like her. Athelius took another deep breath, deciding to change the subject all together.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that. Killing is such a terrible thing, I only wish it could have ended different.” He thought back, rerunning what had happened. The one in the distance was gone; probably back to a camp somewhere. As for the six in the sand? Five now lay dead.

“It could have ended different…” He said as he took a deep drag, causing the cherry to crackle faintly. He pulled himself into a similar position as Feng, running his fingers through his hair and resting his forehead on his palms. His hair hung down, leaving only his mouth and chin visible. The smoked from the cigarette danced around hands before dissipating into the air.

“We can leave whenever you are ready.” He said without looking up, taking another deep drag from his cigarette

As soon as she saw him wake up her heart stopped. And yet at the same time she felt relieved. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against her knees as she waited for it. Waited to hear it. That she was a girl and she lied to him and now he was uncomfortable or mad or whatever. That was what was normal. That was what she always hears... She hugged her knees righter but then he DIDN'T say all that. He kindof brought it up but not straightforward... Maybe she should just explain everything...

"I do need somebody, actually... I do nothing but block and only really attack when I am upset..." she said softly, her head lifting from her knees ever so slightly. It was true, and if she had gotten seriously injured she would have just grit her teeth and taken it like a man. And eventually die because of it. She closed her eyes again.

"And yes... I'm a girl. I don't feel comfortable as one, though... Being Feng is... Normal for me. More normal than being Xiu Feng" she sighed heavily. Nobody fully understood, really. Her parents did a little bit but not even they understood like she wished some people would. And usually at that point people assume she is some kind of butch lesbian which wasn't the case either. In any manner. She looked up at him, tearfully smiling at him pleasantly.

"But... As long as we both made it, it's fine, right? It is quite a shame, though... I certainly agree there..." she said as she wiped her eyes and stood up. She looked around, it was a good enough time as any. She looked down at him again.

"We are almost to my car, we can stay here for a little bit and regain some lost energy" she nodded as she leaned down and began digging through her bag and pulled out a fudge dipped granola bar and made her way over to grab her water bottle she had dropped some time ago. She came back and sat down but then smile.

"Want some shade?" she asked, easily able to provide some.

Athelius listen in silence as Xiu explained herself. He stared at the ground, his hands still holding his head as his cigarette slowly burned. He took one final drag and then stuffed it into the sand. She mentioned her gender as Athelius looked up at her, noticing a small tear on her face. They sat in silence for a moment, then Xiu stood up. She mentioned a car, which made a wave of relief wash over Athelius. At least he won’t have to walk much longer on his wounded leg.

Athelius watched as Xiu looked through her bag for a moment. He thought about what she had said about her gender, thinking of a way to help her. Before anything came to mind she had sat down next to him though, so he tried not to think about it. He didn’t want to make the situation awkward. He looked over to her with a smile, her returning it and offering shade.

“That sounds great, but I think we should go. There’s no telling whether those guys will be back, and there could be more next time. Let’s just get to your car.”
Athelius rose to his feet, cringing a little from the pain in his leg. It was nowhere near as severe as earlier though, Xiu had done a good job in cleaning it. He walked to where he had dropped his jacket and picked it up. As he brushed the sand off of it he looked back over to Xiu, giving him an idea. He walked back over to her and held out his jacket.

“Here, take this. It may be a bit big for you, but it will be baggy enough that nobody will notice your…um…well you know.”

Xiu nodded as he said they should go but she was still unsure. Would he be okay? She bit her lip and looked down, closing her eyes as she tried to think if he would. She decided he most likely would be... But she could stop him half way to make sure. That would be easy enough, really. She nodded and smiled smally, looking at him. That when he held out his jacket and she felt her heart stop as he offered him. Oh crap, nononononono. NO. NOO.

He heart started again, beating loudly. She felt her face heat up slightly because of the kindness he was displaying. She looked down. Why here, why now? She was blushing lightly now, and that wasn't okay. She swallowed thickly as she tried to think of something else. Anything. "I-I couldn't" she finally said and shook her head quickly with her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She needed to stop this now. She smiled at him smally as she killed the blush. Not completely, though. There was still a hint of it there.

"It would be rude" she nodded, sure it would be. It was his jacket, after all. She was the one who had the issue, it wasn't his problem... It was sweet he wanted to help but she was the one who had been reckless. Not it was time for her to suffer the consequence. She couldn't go back to Xing like this, though... She would just have to make sure to buy something as soon as she got somewhere. Even if it had to be bandages... Even if it messed up her ribs can caused bruising. She would be fine until she got home.

Athelius put his hand on Xui’s shoulder and smiled.

“Look, you hide it for a reason. You don’t have to wear it now since it is just you and I out here, but when we get to Xing you can put it on and wait in the car while I find you some new wraps. That way nobody will notice.”

Athelius threw his jacket back over his shoulder and let go of Xui’s shoulder. He began walking in the direction they were going before the fight. He did his best not to limp, masking the pain with a soft smile. He didn’t want Xui to worry. Besides, the car can’t be much further, he could rest during the ride.

Athelius looked back to Xui without stopping. “By the way, this can be our secret, alright? I won’t tell anyone!” He approached the spot where he had dropped his water when the fight began. He picked it up and saw most the water had poured out, the rest had a brown tint to it from sand falling into the bottle. He turned back to Xui and held up the bottle, chuckling under his breath.

“Hey, you coming? I need some more water!”

Xiu looked down, blushing slightly until he asked if she was coming. She looked up at him and blinked before swinging her bag over her shoulder and nodding. She made her way forward up to him, not looking at him as she got closer and moved her bag into her right hand and began digging around the major pocket with her left hand and pulled a bottle of water out and handed it to him. She looked back out forward and zipped the bag without looking and pulled it back over her shoulders and began walking.

"Thanks..." she said quietly and looked at him with a smile. Rarely did she deal with people that knew and even better was people who knew and wouldn't tall. And didn't seem to care. It made her nervous. In a way she hated nice people because nice people could cause stuff like this. Her behavior to move away from being calm. She didn't like it... Yet she kinda did.

"So do you plan on taking me all of the way to Xing or are you going to go off somewhere?" she asked, sounding slightly nervous. She looked down slightly as her hands gripped the straps of her bag. She hated the feeling of being nervous and wanted to go back to being the more confident Feng but that wouldn't happen now... Now she was more... Her. Who SHE was.