The night had passed. The dew clung to the woolen, or polyester tents that the two clans had used to make their temporary camp. The sun had risen early, as if rushing to see the continuation of the drama. And when it propped over the horizon day bloomed for the whole of the Steppe, and its infinite plains.
A warm white light washed the world anew. People woke, birds chirped, frogs croaked, roosters blared their cries as their flock rustled out of their coop with a fresh egg propped on the golden straw. A peaceful morning for some. For others, things were different. Already Archeseus was up, getting ready with the only set of clothes he had. Ru Wai doing much the same. Their people still slumbering to some degree, well deserved rest, in many ways.
Ru Shi was up, she had taken little Argea from Xanthip, who seemed to have been clouded by worries with the young girl for a stroll around the outskirts of the city. Wheels rolled over pebbles and dirt, crunching on the path, as Ru Shi pushed silently in step. Dark circles dragged Argea’s eyes as she palmed the warm red Spirit stone, the Dragon scale having been hidden somewhere safer. Not for the eyes of any random person to see.
“Do you know what I think? Argea?” Ru Shi gathered a breath to speak. She was perturbed by the sound of her own voice as she tried to placate the young girl. “Will it bring Atlas back? After he was disowned does he even have a reason to come back?” Argea asked, mostly herself, testing how she felt about the answers she got.
“Maybe… It’s time to stop being childish.” Argea turned around, eyes of so similar, and young, and fragile drilled into Ru Shi’s own. “You, me, Atlas. We’re children. He took the first step, before us, to being something else. He won’t be returning, maybe not ever. But I know for sure he will try to stop the earth from falling into the horrible prophecy our ancestors had made. All on his own, his clan doesn’t support him, so he has to make it there.”
“I support him! Carius does! Xanthip is the same. There are plenty of people within our clan that understand him, we were trained to kill but that doesn’t mean it comes easy…” Argea’s voice turned weaker as she spoke. A cynical version of herself laughed at her own words.
“That is why he is still a child. I do not know how he will fair inside Eternal City… But why don’t you visit him? If that is what you want… We can go and search for him right now.” Ru Shi knew the answer Argea would give. Argea was a person to be read from the first conversation. She was simple, honest, curious, loving, and oh so smart. “He wouldn’t want that.” The girl too young, forced to mature too soon responded. To which Ru Shi nodded sagely, a smile of scandalous youth formed on her lips. “We’re gonna help him. I can still do things form here. And it’s not like I can depend on him anyway. He was always a little naive. We’ll strike at the same time, from different perspectives. I can already see our success! Come on Ru Shi! We have things to discuss!”
Ru Shi wryly smiled at Argea, who had pushed her wheelchair into the city and was now being chased right back to her by the guards. The little girl drove past Ru Shi at blinding speeds, Ru Shi’s wavy black hair ruffled in the wind of Argea’s passing. The Guards stopped giving chase in the early morning in good fun, sending joking threats Argea’s way.
Ru Shi walked thoughtfully after Argea. Her thoughts with her father and Archeseus, who right about now were in the central tent, meeting underway, speaking of the terms and conditions for their stay, or not, within the Scavenged Union. It was a good place. If only Bi-Ran and Atlas were here, maybe they could confirm if it also had that… Qi Spring. The Infinite well of Qi the Ru Clan had lost after searching for so long. Ru Shi took in a deep breath. Her lungs filled to the brim with air and the smells it brought were disappointing. Not a single flower, Not a single herb, no spirit. Even if they stayed, it would not last. It wasn’t in the Nature of the Ru to be out here.
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The Meeting had been short, a dream come true for many a bureaucrat. Yet it was also bitter, sour, and angry. A ,metallic bitterness was left in the mouths of everyone that had participated. Young Anthony had only just welcomed those tired people’s yesterday. They had come together yet they would be leaving separately.
It smelt rotten still, the words he had heard uttered by the sleepless man. The one whose son had apparently been the cause of the disturbance last night, the one that had gone into Eternal City unregistered, one more headache to deal with. Search parties had been sent but nothing had been found. Not even a hint of footsteps. Some had pushed for the banishment of the father and his clan right that moment. But they were the minority, implants most likely, some, not all. Anthony’s thoughts turned to a darker path, remembering the report by Agent Carter. The things they had found about the Council would break it apart with just one wrong move. He was walking in darkness, bathing in it, eating it for breakfast lathered all over his oat pancakes and dropped inside his warm goat milk tea. It was slimy, and Anthony did not enjoy it.
Yet even Anthony, who had wanted to hear the man out could not last long when the man spoke emphatically about taking revenge on the filthy peoples that took over their home for some fake religion, their holy grounds had been decided. It was a joke of a reason. He could understand the hate.
The Crystal Palace, the Peach Dragon faction he had called them. Even if Anthony were to believe that all this were true. His values simply did not lay with the man. Revenge, taking back what was lost, now after weeks of travel. Anthony was not such a man. Even if he had been, Old O’Donnell would have knocked that out of his little head and put some sense instead. After all, you do not work with David once and you’re done. Once you go in there is no going back, and at the end you’ll be a different person entirely. Anthony chuckled to himself, for a moment forgetting his troubles as he rode through the large streets heading southward, following the two Patriarchs with whom he had just met. Despite the breakdown their Union had just experienced, the two walked close to each other, they talked heartily, intimately. It was peculiar. But not compared to things he had seen the past six months. One clan wanted off, another wanted to join. That was all he cared for.
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They were on a strict time schedule after all. According to the earliest estimates the Seal of the Tower would be breaking in a few months, maybe even weeks. If all this spiel about a Seal on the training tower was true, that is. All they had to go by, was the martyr and traitor to the otherworlders, Jean.
Anthony stared on from a distance as the two clans got the news, tents split up, groups broke up and a whole lot of children with their mothers were left standing on thin air they looked towards their husbands, the children towards their new friends and cried. Men gathered around that Archeseus, the raven haired Patriarch as he spoke of his plans, stupid ideas in Anthony’s opinion.
A woman with graying hair tied in a high ponytail with barely any jewels on her person, dressed in plain clothing yet with brows straight as knives marched up to the Archeseus. They looked alike, if only the Patriarch looked more alive. She shouted at him, made him blush, pushed him aside and addressed the crowd of men, of hormones and hate.
Anthony was quietly distracted by two people appearing on the corner of his vision. First was an unknown little girl, one that had faced many hardships, and as her smile faded upon her return it made one’s heart shatter.
But of much bigger interest was the girl running after the young paraplegic, it was the dark skinned, thick maned, emerald green eyed, girl with a dazzling weight about her that caught his attention. Special orders came to Anthony’s mind about a girl that looked just like her. He spurred his short, thick boned horse forward and it trotted to a stop in front of her path. “Hello young lady.” He spoke with a kindly smile.
“Hello.” Ru Shi greeted back and made to twist out of the way.
Seeing as how she was not about to engage in conversation he went straight in. “It’s nice to meet you Ru Shi, Joseph had a lot to say about your fiery attitude.” Anthony said, she stopped dead in her tracks. She glared fiercely, fire growing in her eyes, a hunting growl came from the base of her throat, she was not about to let him make this a bigger deal than she wanted. But Anthony only motioned for her to move along. “We’re gonna have to talk. You’ve given the NUN a real dent in the proverbial gears, you and your two friends.”
Ru Shit bit back plenty of retorts as she turned away and rushed to Little Argea’s side. Both of them now hearing Xanthip’s speech, at least the tail end.
“In short. Throwing the whole clan at them will be useless. A strike force both completely willing and capable to ambush and assassinate their leaders is needed. Me and my brother will be the leaders of this mission. We will pick who goes and all the rest will stay here in limbo. When we return depending on success or failure the rest of the Laertis members will either return to the burned compound or start a new life.” Her voice was clear, it reached the ears of every person within the crowd, and all listened. Charisma had been oozing out of her as she spoke, but now she withdrew and her air faded. The devil would be happy at the path Xanthip had chosen. She turned around and glared at her Brother. “Do not try to fight this Archeseus. You’ve done enough as it is. This will be the last help you’ll ever receive by your sister, so you better stay still and listen.” The words came out in that commanding tone every little brother new and loved. Archeseus shivered as the lioness passed him by. Utterly silent, not a squeak from his mouth. A warm smile bloomed on said jungle king’s face when she saw little Argea and her fear factor melted away. She rushed forth and picked up the little girl in a hug so tight she almost broke a few ribs.
“Xanthip… I… What is happening?” Little Argea asked in between pained groans.
“We’ll talk about this inside, don’t worry too much about it, I don’t plan on every leaving you alone.” Xanthip whispered as she placed the nearly breathless little captive back down on her wheelchair. Argea wheezed for breath, a premonition sunk into her gut. Yet the girl spoke nothing. She had learnt not to say much when her thoughts grew dark. I had been that which pushed her father into…
“Dear ancestors. You hug like a bear Xanthip.” Ru Shi patted girl gasping for breath on the head as she spoke, a soft smile on her lips. Yet her emerald jewels saw the future that Xanthip had just created.
Xanthip, nodded at Ru Shi with her kind smile, and took the little girl back to the large tent that had been set up for her, while Ru Shi was left alone, she saw her father gathering up the Ru Clan members on the other side of the wide dirt road, where they would be slowly identified and registered as members of the Scavenged Union.
From behind her the soft whine of a horse brought her back. She swayed forward, away form its teeth that tried to chomp down on some of her loose hair. “Where is your boss? We have a lot to talk about.” Ru Shi did not turn around as she spoke. Taking in the dazzling the light of the sun, stretching this moment of quiet as best she could.
Eventually, she was prepared, she had gathered her courage one ray of light at a time and locked it near her heart. Complicated emotions flooded her, eyes no closed. Thoughts of her poisonous lies, her terrible mistakes, her happiness whose reality had changed in the years like milk left out of the fridge for a month. Her vicious little smiles, the horrifying giggles that only conjured nightmares in her mind. The person she played and the one she used to be, both mocking her actions as weak and cowardly.
“David is gonna like you. You have that scarred, torn down look about you. The one that has seen too much, that has done horrible things. You stink of PTSD.”
“And you have no tact mister. I hope one day you find it in yourself to rejoice that you’re only popular with David, and people with his twisted mind.” Ru Shi chortled in mean spirit, the horse under its rider’s saddle neighed much to Anthony’s chagrin. He slapped the back of its head.
“This is gonna be a very fruitful meeting. I can tell.” Anthony rolled his eyes as he bobbed in his saddled. Sir. Mast, the drooling horse, walked in rhythm behind Ru Shi, showing her the way every so often with a soft nudge. “See? Tact.” Ru Shi chided.