Thirty-Nine

The desert winds blew and the rays of the sun pierced through sparse clouds to burn the sand upon the earth. Liz Amok stood before a dead figure: A blaze falcon with mangled brown feathers, a beak that had been cracked to pieces, and a head with a hole bored through. There was blood leaking from a crushed throat and, underneath the massive body, was a familiar corpse she had long grown tired of hunting.

"Easier than I thought, tch," She commented crudely, bloodied hands on her hips, crimson hair blowing with the wind, and emerald eyes in a perpetual glare.

It was simple, really. She had baited the creature with the corpse of a sandworm and slew it. There were scorch marks upon her oddly fashioned jade skirt, that parted quite quickly to show off her thighs and legs, and sweat stuck the white dress-shirt below her emerald colored vest to her skin.

Of course, Liz was not a person that liked to admit that she had fought a grueling fight. No no, even as she wiped the blood from her lips, and wondered at the burns on her arms, she still thought the battle had been one-sided. The sand and dirt upon her did nothing to quell that notion, nor did the ash-burned ground beneath her feet or the aching of her body. Of course, as she thought of it in the most positive light, she was proud of single-handedly taking down a beast a team of hunters would have fared suspiciously against.

"Hmm?"

Her head turned to the sound of crunching to see the sight of an armored vehicle kicking up sand as it rolled towards her direction.

'Didn't I have this place closed off?' She thought with a scrupulous gaze.

It didn't take long for the motor to stop before her. The doors of the jeep-like thing opened sideways and out came an individual in a riot-type armor. The person in question stopped in-front of the vehicle.

"A word from my lord, Walker," The voice was a bit timid before her, and the individual walked closer in ginger steps.

She rolled her eyes and shook a hand. "Are all the men under Paul as dumb as you? Make it quick."

"Y—yes."

The militant removed a glove and revealed a pad. Quickly, a screen soon blinked up to her face.

"Hello there, Liz."

An eyebrow twitched as she saw the smiling face upon a comfortably sitting Walker.

"Creepy as always. . .what do you want, old man?"

"I'm sure you've heard about my little 'war'?"

"Get to the point," She sliced him off, "I'm already pissed."

"I would like your help."

"Oh? Really now?"

"How does it sound?"

"You want me to help ya huh, even after moving through a zone I restricted?" She said, raising a finger to the militant's helmet, "Simple. Next time, come in person, would'ya?"

"?"

A flick combined with the sound of bone crunching and the militant flew back. Sand flapped, rolling around, and the individual slammed into the car. A scream of pain falling from his lips followed the metallic sound of his body hitting the motor's front.

Liz retracted her finger as her red hair blew with the winds of the desert. Her emerald eyes in a squint.

"You can come out now."

The door of the vehicle opened once more as out stepped a well-dressed Walker. He looked to his soldier, unconscious upon the lid of the car's engine, and dusted his suit. His right hand, flashing with three lights upon three rings, retreated into his pocket as he smiled at the woman before him.

"Lovely to meet you again, Liz. Sorry for my late entrance, but with how. . .'rowdy' you could be, you can't blame me, can you?" He spoke calmly, uncaring of using one of his men to take the brunt of the tension, "Unless you wanted to partake in a brawl?"

"Damn you and your shitty rings, what do you want you prick?"

Paul's smile deepened. He knew how immense a problem it would be to go too long dilly dallying around with a woman whose might increased with her anger.

"A partnership."

— — —

[Auctioning Alo's entry info in 10 Days. Bidding starts at 5 million. After proof of monetary power has been shown, the location of the site will be given.]

"It's time," A young blonde looked at the message that popped onto his pad. The short and brief letter had been delicately put together by the hands of Mare.

"Finally. How long do you think we're gonna need to wait for the girl?" Nicholas glanced from the side of the vehicle.

"A day, maybe?" The blonde replied placidly at the helm of the driver's seat, "She's been moving around a lot, but she's bound to return to her house, from there, we'll go with the first plan, unless something crops up."

"Alright." The man smiled before turning to tap the wall behind him. "It's time to catch us a homunculus."

With the crunch of the wheels leaving the dessert, Lilias sat inside of the enclosure, her back against the wall that separated the front from the cargo of the motor. Her twin custom armaments rested on her lap as she caressed the build with soft hands.

Restoring her family's heirloom to its former glory was going to take a long road. Much less climbing Alos's dungeon, she still had yet to even reach the city.

'I'll free you, brother.'

She felt nothing for the homunculus. Companionship wasn't in her list of things to do with a doll. A girl like her that came from a clan of sword masters could only look down on such artificial creatures. Fake beings given little more than programmed personalities.

"I hope you keep your promise, I won't be fighting against Elsa," She spoke up at that moment.

"Relax," Reed said, "We'll take care of her, if she shows up anyway."

"As long as she remains safe in the end."

Nicholas answered that one, "So what if she's harmed? I don't get the point of following the customs of a clan you were kicked out of. You don't mind harming the homunculus, right?"

The dragonian narrowed her eyes momentarily.

"Mind your words, Nick," She said.

A huff came her way, "I'm paying her back if she gets in the way."

"We'll see."

Lilias closed her eyes and rested her head. On the other side sat a quiet Fieth surrounded by several canisters of blood, along with some that held the limbs, meat, or veins of beasts. In his hand, he toyed with a new bow.

Since the day they left Elsa alone with Rose to carry the armaments, till now, they had worked to acquire the right equipment and conditions to take on a homunculus with a Gear. Keeping her secret with a smile? Sure thing. Letting her go? With how much she could sell for in the Red District, it couldn't be done.

This was an opportunity to leave the slums. Nothing more. Nothing less.

— — —

Golden-blonde hair wafted behind a woman, she held a brown suitcase up by one hand and her pale-blue eyes looked down into the city as the platform she rode slowly lowered. A mismatched metropolis of towering skyscrapers and smaller houses and shops. Even under the bright glare of the sun that came through the thin dome above her, and as the twinkling light radiated from the countless panels of windows, the city bustled with activity. Cars flew within the air just past the docking station, most rode on the ground along with pedestrians on foot. In the distance, as she looked through the parted main road as if the skyscrapers had suddenly gave way, there was a brick-like tower striking the heart of the city and piercing through the air. The cream colored construct reached beyond the city barrier and the white clouds to a height only the ancients knew.

The woman took her right hand, held a piece of chocolate to her pink lips, and crunched down as her gaze raised, glaring out through the azure film of mana that covered the city.

"She hasn't even entered yet," She sighed, her eyes grew softer, 'Should I have given her a bit more?'

No, she shook her head, she had been careful to make sure the girl would reawaken with just enough that she could survive on. She didn't know what sort of situation she would end up in, and seeing as she had broken the laws of this world, perfect plans had preceded perfect perpetration. A human who even attempted what she did would have been jailed, being a half-elf, she ran the risk of execution if even so much as a word slipped out to the Upper Echelons of The Tower about what she had done.

"I'll wait for you, then, Rose," She muttered.

She had trust in her creation and, as the platform finally reached the ground, began walking amidst a sea of people. It took no time to find her ride. Setting to sit, eyes admiring her beauty followed after her.

The sleek, black motor raised skyward and entered automatic mode, a must for traveling the air.

"Welcome back to Alos, Silent Witch," The chauffeur said, releasing his hands as he turned to face her.

The woman watched the visage outside as they passed by the glass of skyscrapers.

"It's good to be back." She saw an unintended smile on her reflection and turned back to spot her driver, a young male with chestnut-golden hair to her left. "Wizard Grey."

He smiled in return. "Let's cut the formalities. I presume you came for business? Will you be staying at my villa, again?"

"Of course. Or would you rather I didn't?"

"Of course I wouldn't."

"That's what I thought," Her words preceded a yawn as she relaxed into the chair, "Nice car you've got here, must have cost a penny or what?"

"Twenty-five million. It's one of a kind. Custom."

She whistled, patting him on the shoulder before closing her eyes. "Good on you, finally pouring money like water."

"What can I do but pour it?" He shrugged. "Not all of us can be compared to you, I'm afraid, you make water."

"Right you are, lad, but most of it goes down the drain when you're at my level." She smirked, emphasizing the word 'lad.' "Wake me up when we arrive, I'm going for a nap."

As the car advanced towards the more quiet, suburban, area of the city, Wizard Grey could only sigh and allow his life-long Mentor to rest, wondering if she had been deep in research even before she boarded her ship.

"Sleep well."

"Mhmm."

'It's really too bad,' She thought as her mind began to drift to sleep. Although she had spent better parts of 15 years of research and crafting, bidding time for the perfect chance, formulating her assassination—she still could not see her sister as of yet. If eyes did not follow her every move, she would have very much liked to pick up Rose as soon as she had been dumped outside of the city.

However, she knew there was no way for the homunculus to ignore the goal of meeting her, the goal of entering Alos again. She had placed those thoughts deep inside of the girl and, with the shattering of her outer core, all she had to do now was wait. How much should she push? How much should she give? It had been tricky, but falsifying a goal as free will had been a part of her research.

Perfect plans had preceded perfect perpetration. No matter what, she would have her sister back.