Chapter 6: Aftermath

Under the fiery gaze of the surrounding Sarkaz, Valeria felt her soul being scorched. Shifting her eyes to Anders, she saw him attempting to suppress his smile. Her voice flowed out without any fluctuations making it impossible to to discern her emotions.

"Deal with it."

Anders' felt helpless at her request. He knew what she meant. She wanted him to get them to back off and not bother her, but seeing a long-thought-dead fabled hero of the Sarkaz appear before them was not something that could be easily suppressed.

One of them stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, but Anders put a hand on his shoulder while giving a shake of his head. The words died in the young Sarkaz's throat and he gave a look of confusion. Seeing this interaction Valeria walked off not caring how Anders took care of the riled-up youth. She needed rest and she knew Anders would have a medic look at her while she was unconscious.

The surrounding originium dust was still active, so the group would need to wait a few days for it to be safe enough to leave their little safe haven in the land of destruction. Looking for a quiet place to rest her exhausted body her eyes landed on an Archosauria woman kneeling and looking out at the once sandy sea with hollow eyes. Her movements paused as she saw her. Countless memories flashed through her mind at the sight of the woman who had just lost everything she had ever known. Valeria's eyes grew a little softer as she made her way over to her.

Sitting down next to her in the sand, the woman didn't even react. Valeria reached into her shadow and pulled out a fresh bottle. Taking a long drink, she drowned out the memories that had surfaced. After setting down her bottle she then took the woman into her arms. The woman broke out of her stupor at the touch, but before she could react she heard a gentle voice calling out to her.

"Cry if you wish to. There is no need to hold it in."

As if a dam had burst, tears started to roll down her face before she even registered them. A few tears turned into sobs, as her grip on the woman next to her tightened. Time passed slowly as Valeria held this stranger as a mother would comfort a child. Slowly swaying side to side and gently running her hand through her hair. As they stayed like that, neither knew how much time went by. Minutes? Hours? It did not matter. One needed to vent out unspeakable emotions, while the other bore their weight.

Eventually, the sobs slowed to a stop. Seeing that Valeria's clothes were soaked by her tears, she could only look away towards the now-setting sun in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry."

Valeria gave a small shake of her head without paying it any mind.

"You need not apologize. No one here will judge your heartache. The Sarkaz know what it means to lose a home all too well."

The woman looks back at where her village would be located with anguish in her eyes. There's no sign of her home anywhere to be found. As if the place where she grew up, the place where she experienced every joy and sorrow never even existed.

"Does the pain ever stop?"

Valeria went quiet for a moment before sadness laced her voice.

"No. It never goes away. All you can do is learn to bear it."

The woman looked at her with pleading eyes.

"How? How can I live like this?"

"There are many ways people find to cope. Some choose to find a new home to settle in if they are able, some find comfort in venturing out in an attempt to help others avoid the same pain they went through, some get stuck in the past trying every way they can to reclaim what they lost regardless if it is actually possible, and many more. I can not tell you how to bear your own burdens. That is a path you must discover for yourself."

Not giving up, the woman asked again.

"How do you deal with it?"

Valeria felt her shoulders grow heavy. The answer pained her more than any physical wound.

"...The third choice I mentioned. I can not recommend it. No matter how much we may wish, the past will stay in the past."

Confusion washed over the woman's face.

"If you don't like your choice why don't you choose another method?"

Giving a sorrowful and helpless smile, Valeria answered. The last part was whispered as if she was talking to herself rather than her conversation partner.

"This is my path and I must walk it. No matter how much I may want to suppress the desire in my heart, I can not bear to ignore it. If I could, I would not be here."

Silence reigned as the woman contemplated Valeria's words. After a while, the Sarkaz woman broke the quiet atmosphere.

"What will you do now?"

The woman's tear-stained face twisted at the question.

"I don't know."

"How about becoming a mercenary?"

Shocked the woman whipped her head to look at Valeria

"What? Impossible! I don't know the first thing about fighting! I'm only a mechanic!"

Valeria cast her gaze back to where the village once stood.

"You already met the hardest requirement for becoming a Sarkaz mercenary, and a mechanic's skills are useful. The rest can be learned."

The woman had a look of disbelief.

"I'm not even a Sarkaz!"

Valeria just shrugged.

"A minor detail. As long as you fight for the person standing next to you, such a thing is irrelevant. Besides.."

Turning her gaze, she briefly looked back to the Sarkaz in the distance. She could still see them talking animatedly while occasionally taking peeks in her direction.

"If I say you are a Sarkaz mercenary, then you are. None will object."

The woman was unable to speak as her mind spun. Valeria just pat her on the shoulder with a small smile.

"You need not answer now. Join us on our trip while you decide what it is you want to do."

The Archosauria could only nod her head. She had a lot to think about, but at least she had somewhere to start now.

An hour passed before Anders managed to break away from the other Sarkaz. Joining the Archosauria who was lost in thought, and Valeria who simply watched the sunset, he couldn't help grumbling to Valeria as he sat down.

"Next time you cause a scene, can't you take care of it yourself instead of dumping it on me?"

Valeria simply rolled her eyes at his words.

"If you are going to complain at least stop smiling first. What did you tell them?"

A hint of amusement appeared on Anders' face.

"I told them that you're looking for something at the end of our destination and when we find it then you will take my leadership position. Then, together, we will reclaim the glory of ancient Kazdel. That you would build us a home."

Valeria sneered with annoyance creeping into her voice.

"You have an active imagination."

Anders simply smiled.

"It's a gamble. If we do find what you're looking for, am I wrong? I can see it in your eyes. Even if you try to suppress it I can see the glimmer of hope they hold."

Valeria only gave a grunt in response before picking up her drink again.

The smile on Anders' face only grew bigger. Motioning to the oblivious Archosauria, he continued.

"Who's the stray?"

"Potentially your newest recruit if she wants. She was a mechanic so maybe you can actually keep a couple of vehicles on hand."

Surprise flashed across Anders' eyes for a moment, but soon he understood the situation.

"If you say so."

Anders nudged the woman with his foot to bring her back to reality.

"What's your name girl?"

The Archosauria jumped at the touch in surprise.

"A-ah? Oh! My name is Nadeemah."

"Alright Nadeemah, Valeria here said you were a mechanic. Let me hear what my potential recruit is capable of."

Nadeemah began to feel nervous. It was as if she was at a job interview.

"Well my originium arts lets me connect with electronics, so I used that to diagnose and fix various equipment around the village."

Valeria and Anders both raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with each other. Valeria contemplated for a second before questioning Nadeemah.

"What do you mean by connecting?"

"Well when I touch electronics and channel originium arts, it feels like they become a part of me. That way I can know what is broken right away."

Anders couldn't help but let out a whistle of appreciation much to Nadeemah's confusion.

"Why do you seem so impressed? It's nothing special really."

Anders shook his head at that.

"No girl, it's actually pretty interesting arts. If what you say is true then running diagnostics is just scratching the surface."

Before Nadeemah could ask what he meant, a small tablet rose from the shadows next to Valeria. Picking it up, she handed it to the Archosauria. Even though she was confused, she took it and attempted to turn it on only to find it locked with a password.

"It's locked."

Valeria gave a small smile and a nod.

"Yes, it is, so unlock it."

"...What's the password?"

Valeria just rolled her eyes.

"Use your arts. Like Anders said, just running diagnostics would be a waste. Arts like yours are capable of a lot more. You could become a real terror in the virtual world. Hold on to that tablet during our trip, consider it your entertainment while we travel."

Nadeemah didn't reject the offer. After all, she was interested in the prospect of using her arts in a new way.

Seeing that settled, Anders looked over to Valeria.

"Now let's get a medic to look you over before you rest. Bleeding from your eyes typically isn't a good sign and it would be easier if they could actually ask you questions during the check-up."

Before Valeria could protest Anders cut her off.

"They'll only ask medical questions. I promise."

Valeria gave a deep sigh before relenting.

"Fine, let's go."