Vandal craned his neck looking around the area. Farther out, beyond the neighborhood of warehouses, there was a gathering of square buildings. Suppose this odd realm is not too different from my own. That looks like a town.
"Maybe we can find some over there," said Vandal, pointing to the town with a burnt finger. He looked down on the man called Jaden. He looked quite older than himself and had dark blonde hair with eyes that reminded him of emeralds. "Can you walk?" he asked him.
He said he could, but in the middle of his ascent he grabbed his head in pain, and at near the same time, the little box in his hand made a subtle, buzzing noise, like some kind of enraged bug.
The girl, Nuallis held him up, but Jayden gestured to her that he was alright to stand on his own.
Together they walked towards the gate that led out of this lot of warehouses. It was made out of the same material as the fence: woven metal wires crowned with coils of bladed spirals.
"So," he said to Nu, "water healing, eh? I rarely come across another magic-user."
"Oh?" Nu said with surprise, "what do you mean?"
"Well, at least where I'm from, you'd have to look far and deep to find such talent."
"You mean where you're from, your kind can't use magic?"
"We can if we learn it. But you wouldn't want to be caught doing it; not since the Blood Moon War and King Orphandeus II's edict. I'd tell you all about it, but it's a long story."
And not a cheerful one, at that.
"Well, what can you do?" asked Nu with curiosity.
"Let's just say, I'm more of a 'breaker,' than a 'healer,'" said Vandal.
Winston did not know much about repairing the flesh or cooling a fever. A small wash of sadness came over him as he thought of his mentor. The old battle mage would be worried sick about him right now.
The trio walked through the empty streets. Not a single soul stirred from the buildings and the silence was only broken by the wind and the creak of metal. One tall building made out of red bricks stood with its door wide open. A big vertical sign in the shape of a bent arrow had the words "MOTT'S HOTEL" set into it.
Within the lonely halls, they called out, but nothing living responded.
Vandal came upon a small room in a hallway where the carpet seemed to tear and rot away. Within, the tiled floor shined, and a wide mirror took up most of one wall. Below it was bowls set into marble with curved metal pipes pointing downwards into a hole in the center of the bowls. Opposite this mirrored wall were pale green stalls. Vandal pushed one open and behold, a porcelain latrine held water! Though it was filthy, there was no disgusting smell emitting from it.
Vandal rushed out into the hall, calling for his companions.
"Nu!" he shouted through the halls, "I've found water!"
Down one hall, Nu and Jayden sidled up to a corner, carefully looking over the edge of a corner.
"I have found—"
Nu and Jaden shushed him and told him to walk to them slowly and quietly.
Vandal alarmed, by this behavior, looked around the corner, trying to keep he head hidden as much as possible. The sharpshooter's heart sank at what he saw.
A black mound with eyes that shined like gold coins slithered in a dark corner of the hotel lobby.
Not again, he thought, flexing his wounded fingers and wishing Leonette was wrapped within them.
ns 15.158.61.54da2
