Chapter 3

Arilla followed behind the group of three, she struggled to keep up due to the fragile state of her body. She kept herself going with the constant thought that if she lost sight of them, she would lose sight of her only way to civilization.

The sand burned hot under her feet, the hot rays of the sun only serving to lower her morale. Jeremy kept looking back at her, distressed, however Lael shook his head subtly. Arilla didn't mind his refusal to help her, after all she didn't want to end up owing them anything.

This was something her mother had made sure to instill in her when she was younger. She could remember her stern gaze when she asked for help with her homework, "If you want my help with your problems, you are going to have to pay the price. If you don't want to owe me anything, deal with your problems yourself." It had frustrated her to no end at the time, but she still considered it a valuable lesson, one that she kept in her heart all her life.

She could feel pike in the band of her trousers digging into old bruises, the weight of the metal gun heated by the sun scalded her palm, only serving as another reason that farther slowed her down. Fortunately, despite her expectations she wasn't hungry, neither was she thirsty.

She felt pain with every step she took, looking down at the ground to check what was constantly scratching and poking at her delicate feet, she felt bile rise in her throat. There were pieces of bones, she could see a piece of a femur poking out of the ground.

'What could be capable of this?', despite having the smells as proof, she was sure that a gas explosion would not leave the bones this intact. Zara noticed that she had stopped and backtracked to see what she was looking at.

"After the explosion, there was nothing left here but a few people. They're the bones of the only survivors in this city… Oh there's you as well." She skipped back to catch up with the others while Arilla continued to limp after them.

Her mind was focused on what Zara said, if they were survivors, the only thing she could think of that would kill them was starvation. Thinking back to some of her history classes she started to push herself faster, she couldn't stomach the thought of those people being eaten, however that was the first explanation that came to mind.

They trudged on, avoiding the debris and cracks that had formed in the ground. As the sun started to shed it's setting rays on them. Lael perked up, "Finally! I need a good bed to sleep on."

Looking up, Arilla went slack jawed, gazing up at the humongous gatehouse. It was exactly like the type she would see in medieval movies. It was a genuine garrison, there were multiple soldiers stationed on it, it had a large ornate gate, and a deep trench ran right on the outside of it.

"Amazing, isn't it? This is the smallest city among the ones that were rebuilt." Lael looked over his shoulder at Arilla's awestruck face, and chuckled.

Ignoring him, she frowned, 'How are we supposed to get in?' the large gate was already closed, it was already sunset. Based on what she knew about the medieval times, gates could not be opened without the permission of the city lord, however she wasn't sure if they had adopted that way of life completely.

Jeremy walked up to the gate and pulled out a badge, holding it up for the soldiers on the garrison to see. Upon sighting it, they immediately called out the order to lower the gate. There was a loud rumble and clinking of chains as the large gate was lowered slowly to the ground, as it fell with a thud, the earth trembled beneath their feet.

Arilla sucked in a sharp breath, further aggravating her already sensitive throat. They started toward the gate which functioned as a bridge across the trench.

Walking across it, Arilla had only one thought, 'HOT!' letting out a hiss of pain. It was to be expected, after all the gate was made of metal. Blinking quickly to force back tears, she hobbled across as quickly as she could, much to Zara's amusement.

Lael turned away from Zara disdainfully, watching Arilla as she made her way across. His gaze narrowed in satisfaction; he appeared like a farmer looking at healthy growing crops. Getting to their side, Arilla shifted slightly from his line of sight, uncomfortable at his gaze.

He took his eyes off her, turning to an approaching man who appeared to be the head of the guards. His head slightly bowed in a form of deference, his attention directed at Lael. As he opened his mouth to speak, Jeremy interrupted smoothly.

"Sir Landers! It is an honor." He shook his hand firmly, with a meaningful gaze. Landers seemed to catch his meaning and straightened up. While they exchanged pleasantries, Arilla took in the city around her.

Although the sun had not fully set, all the windows were shut, and the stores were closed. She looked at the stone walls of the houses, realizing how little wood appeared, even the small stores seemed to be made of metal sheets. There were barely any growing plants either, in fact the city was incredibly clean, almost too clean.

'What era is this exactly? They dress like modern people, weapons are modern… everything else is medieval ignoring the materials used.' She scratched the side of her itchy neck, internally groaning, 'I need a serious scrub!'

She trailed after them as Landers guided them to an inn, it was rather large compared to the buildings she had seen at the entrance. It was about the size of an average Bed and Breakfast. The entrance was lit by a glowing lightbulb, the yellow light barely lit up the quickly darkening area.

Landers knocked at the door, calling out his name to inform the owners of his arrival. The door was quickly opened, and he began to negotiate the price of their stay. Lael let out a yawn, drawing the attention of the innkeeper. His eyes sparked with greed at the sight of the gorgeous white-haired man. Jeremy stepped up blocking Lael from the man's view.

Arilla's skin prickled with disgust as the innkeeper's eyes drifted over her. She looked over to Lael who looked as unbothered as ever, 'How can he stay so calm?'

Reigning in her revulsion toward the innkeeper, she tried to distract herself playing with the now cool gun in her hands. Admiring the clear cut details of the one thing that was familiar to her. Landers had glanced enviously at her gun multiple times; it was safe for her to assume that it was a limited commodity in this world.

Clenching her hands tightly around the gun, she thought back to what Lael had said when he handed it to her. 'To protect myself from the monsters…' her eyes drifted to where the innkeeper was standing. She wasn't sure what he meant anymore.