The trio walked through the worn parched road of East Ampyre's farmlands. The soil was in a perpetual cycle of death from the heat and dryness. The only crop that could grow in the harsh, infertile terrains were varieties of bushelweeds, which, despite having different colours of dark brown and lighter, muddier brown, all tasted as bland as dirt. Stone and mud huts littered the landscape with the citizens working the fields wearing old patched clothings.

"Something's wrong," Josh said just loud enough for his companions to hear.

Luce mumbled, "Is this the country we've been fighting against all these years?"

"No," he replied. "It was never this bad. This is beyond normal poverty. Something must have happened."

"The war's been going on for centuries in stalemate. What could possibly tip the scale in six years?"

"I don't know. Do you want to spend some time finding out?"

Luce looked at the faces of the people around her and with visible difficulty, pulled away. "No. We're here to get a doctor for Misti. Let's just go in and out and have this be over with. Besides, three people aren't going to be able to stop a war that has been burning for hundreds of years."

Adelle piped up, "Agreed. Now, walk faster. I don't like the stares we're getting."

They had crossed most of the outskirts with Adelaide teleporting them. But with eyes on them, they could no longer do so without drawing unwanted attention. It took them another hour to cross the stretch of farmlands on foot. For a while now, a few of the farmhands had looked up from their work, eyes tracing their steps as they passed each long stretch of road. The dress code seemed to have changed drastically since he last stepped foot in Seracue territory. It seems that regardless of what they tried, unwanted attention would be drawn either way.

For a moment, he considered turning back and taking the long way around to the city, but they were too far into East Ampyre. Going back would draw even more attention. He quickened his pace again and the girls followed.

He never understood how words could travel faster than a person without advance technology. Did it not usually take a person to travel to another person to convey the words? Yet, it seemed that was the case happening there. As another hour passed in their walking, no longer was it just heads turning. People were actively - some preemptively - walking off the fields and nearer to them to see the outsider that had come into their lands. It would not be long before questions were asked.

Down the path that they followed was a group of notably dressed soldiers. They wore the traditional blue edged brown cloaks of the Seracuen army and a metal mask that marked their positions and ranks. The smooth round shapes of the masks gave away their roles as infantry, with a single 6th ranker wearing a double horned mask amongst the dozen 1st rank recruits. A standard patrol unit.

"Crap. Adelle, get ready."

The soldiers approached them and their leader called out. "You 'here, why are you carrying such wealth? Why have you na' given 'em to Aisa?" Though the voice was slightly distorted through the mask, the Seracuen accent slipped through easily.

Thinking quickly with what was given, Josh slipped into old accents and replied, "We were sen' by Aisa." He had no idea who or what Aisa was, but it seemed the right thing to say.

The 6th rank's head shifted down to Luce's rifle. "Argens of Knife? Ou' here? Why?"

It was hard to read the soldiers through their masks, but the voice of doubt and fear lingered behind the sixth's voice.

"Issi' in line 'na question Argens of Knives? Stepping over 'na line 'na think?"

The sixth turned his head, aback. "You're righ'. Apologies sir. We be back 'na patrol now."

The soldiers saluted, raising their right fists at a right angle. Josh followed, saluting back. Behind, he heard Adelle and Luce shuffling to do the same. But Josh's eyes floated to one of the 1st rank recruits, whose head was turned towards Adelle, arms down. The sixth must have noticed Josh's stare, for he too turned to look at his charge.

"Soldier. Wha' are you looking a'?

Slowly, everyone lowered their salutes.

"Her eyes, sir," the recruit replied. "It's the colour in the Demon's Prophecy."

Adelle slipped. "Prophecy?"

The sixth turned to Adelle and noticed her red-green eyes. "You're no Argens. Who are you people? Arres' 'em!"

From beneath their cloaks, the soldiers drew individual swords. However, the sixth drew a pair of twin blades.

Josh turned to Adelle questioningly. "Adelle?"

But the girl simply complained, "Why is it always a prophecy? Can't I just run into trouble naturally?"

The soldiers charged.

"Adelle!"

The elf jumped and spun to kick. In a blink, she teleported behind the sixth and slammed her attack into the side of the commander's head, dropping the man to the floor. Drawing her axe, she turned around to hook and pull aside a cut by a recruit before slamming the blunt end of her axe handle into his face.

Luce shouted, "No killing!"

"I know!" she yelled back, annoyed.

Another recruit ran up to Luce and sliced down. She blocked with her rifle before kicking her opponent in the shin. The man dropped to a knee and she whipped the butt of her rifle across his face.

"Josh! Where do we go?" Luce called.

Another attacker attempted to flank her but Adelle teleported in and swept his leg, causing him to trip in front of Luce where another rifle butt awaited.

He looked around. Unlike the girls, he wasn't a combatant. Fighting was his absolute last resort, and he likely wouldn't be able to hold out against more more than a single enemy. For him, his mind was his greatest weapon. To tinker and problem solve. To find solutions where there seemed to be none.

Adelle yelled, "Josh!"

The road was a straight path forward. Even if they teleported and ran, they would eventually run into another patrol. There was nothing else around them for as far as the eyes can see aside from farmlands, and definitely nothing close enough for Adelle to jump to without exhausting her. Then it hit him.

He shouted, "Adelle!" The elf turned. "To the wheat field!"

"Where?"

"Anywhere!"

She took his arm and Luce reached out to grab hers. Though before they could touch, the soldier Luce had knocked to the ground grabbed her by the feet and pulled her down.

"Wait!"

It was too late. Adelle had already reacted and in an instance they were in the air, suspended for a split moment before gravity could take hold. With Luce left below on the ground kicking off her pursuer. In another blink, Adelle teleported slightly above a portion of the wheat field and they fell into the foliage.

"Luce!" He yelled.

"Stay here!" Adelle hissed. "I got this."

She disappeared in a puff of rust. For a second, she reappeared in midair before vanishing again. There was a scream. A gunshot banged and echoed into the sky. Then, silence.

"How 'ey do 'at? Where 'ey go?" the voice of the sixth sliced through the quiet. "Find 'em. I wanna 'em girls alive! Kill 'na man if you wan'."

Girls. That was all he needed to here. Adelle must have had herself and Luce teleported to a different field. The fight was a rush, and it was likely the elf was not able to keep track of Josh in the confusion and had lost him. Whatever the case was, they were alive and he needed to move. As long as Adelle was with Luce, he had less to worry about. They'll just have to meet up at Rushtae Tavern later.

Keeping his head down, he slid through the field. Behind, he could hear the guards beginning to shuffle through the wheat. For a tall old man, lowering his body and shimmering through thick plants was not easy, and he could hear the guards behind closing in on him.

Making it to the end of the field, he slipped through a gap in the stone fence. But now he was stuck on the road. He could not make it over the next fence without standing up and drawing the guards' attentions. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a pile of hay next to a pull cart. He made his way to it and quietly climbed into the cart to hide. It was the best he could do in that situation, and he could only hope that the guard passes him without checking.

After a few minutes passed, a figure floated over the cart and looked at him from the tail end and his heart sunk at having been found. But the female hume had no mask on, suggesting she was not a solider. Instead, she looked wearily at the man in what was presumably her cart. But the face tugged at his memory yet he could not recall why.

He laid there, staring at the woman for what seemed like an eternity before she pulled off her cloak and threw it over him. He only got a glimpse of the woman, but the scars on her face further dragged at his mind.

Suddenly, a weight dropped on him with a rustle and he grunted.

"It's just hay, you lucky bastard," the woman voiced raggedly.

The tone triggered his memory. "Talia?"

"Shush. Wait till we're out." The cart tilted as she picked up the handle and they began to move.

Talia was a hume woman and, like him, was one of the few Guides who was able to travel the entirety of the continent. Though they knew each other in their time as 'colleagues', he never struck up much of a friendship with her. It was not because she was unfriendly. It was simply due to her method of working being too far away in moral from his. Where he preferred to talk and think his way out of situations, Talia was not above shooting first and asking questions later. Though in their line of work, they had discovered the necessity of certain evils and developed a respect. She was also the last other Guide he saw before he and Luce escaped Katoki.

After a few minutes, she began, "What are you doing here dressed like that? We thought you died, but turns out, you're just suicidal."

He took the breaking of silence as a sign that he could speak. "Haven't been around lately. Didn't think the dress code had changed so drastically."

"It's been like this for a-" She stopped talking and he guessed guards were likely nearby. After another minute, she continued. "It's been like this for a few years now. Where have you been?"

"It's a long story," he replied. "What are you doing here though?"

"Words travels fast." He was still annoyed at that phrase. "Someone radioed in a couple of hours ago that outsiders were seen walking towards here. A Broker got me to do an info run to see if there's anything worth reporting."

"So... money?"

"Pretty much. What about you? The last time I saw you was-"

She paused.

And paused.

And paused.

He replied, "Yes."

"No!"

"Yup."

"You jest."

"I did it."

"You made it? Across the Helm?"

"Yup."

"Then why are you back?"

He swallowed hard. "To save my daughter. She needs a neurosurgeon."

Talia hissed. "Shit. I'm sorry, Josh. Well, where do you need to go?"

"Is Rushtae still around?"

"Sure. But it'll cost you for me to guide you there."

He stifled a groan. "I don't have any money, Talia."

"No, no. I want you to tell me how you got to the other side. That's worth a million times more than any cash. Also, throw in any other good stories you have from there to pass the time."

A grin formed on his face. "Well then, keep walking, cause have I got stories for you."