An ant trail cutting through the mountains of sand, occasionally eyeing a moving tumbleweed, that's what they were. No one was in the mood for small talk, even though a few hours had passed without anyone speaking so much as a word. Okshender trotted behind them, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground. Moris was eyeing Firil, making sure the young woman was safe, or as safe as anyone could be here.

Firil herself had a resolute expression on her face. She ignored Chosh at her feet, who was trying to gain her attention with playful tricks. Sincan walked near the back of the group, Okshender close by him. Something might be wrong with him but he can he seriously not even carry his own pilot? Kos was the first one to break the silence. "For an advanced machine such as yourself, I'm surprised that you can only walk."

Okshender replied, "Haha, you might be right, young lady. I do not feel as robotic as I should though."

"That's a weird way to phrase it. Want to elaborate on that?"

"I do not think I could, even if I wanted. Something seems to be blocking me."

"Jake, you think you could help the big robot with that?", Kos asked.

Jake stared at Okshender before turning his head towards Kos. " Kos, that thing's made with techniques that we don't even know. It has the intelligence of a human and memories. I don't know how to fix that."

"Guess we should be questioning this entire situation a bit more, huh?" Moris said.

"We're all just tired. Let's talk about it more when we've had something to eat," Firil said.

They agreed with that sentiment and continued walking. Not to mention Gears are impossible to make. It's nothing less than a miracle that Okshender exists, Sincan thought to himself.

They had barely taken another step when the ground beneath them gave way to a ditch. The weight of Okshender broke the ground beneath them as they fell. The fall was not long but when they recovered, the entrance was too far to reach and they were surrounded on all sides by rothers. The tiger like ganvers who brandished large teeth and a singular eye. Their blonde fur covered in dark stripes.

These ones seemed to be especially emaciated. They weren't carnivores but hunger could drive any ganver to break its rules. There seemed to be 7 of them surrounding the group, preparing to strike. One of them lunged at Kos, who was still getting the sand out of her eyes. Sincan reacted immediately and shot a small burst of wind at it, pushing it away from her and towards the ground. Another rother raised some pillars with crystal magic, which increased the speed of the others.

"Take out the main one! And pull your robot out, Sincan!" Firil ordered.

"Don't order me aro-"

"Just do it!" she interrupted.

Sincan looked towards Okshender and said, "Get up Okshender and get rid of these ganvers!" Okshender replied, "It would cause permanent damage to my systems if I were to do that. The fall already broke some armour." Indeed, Okshender had some dents and small cracks on his legs and joints. Sincan turned his attention back to the group. Moris was useless as he only had the power to control water. Jake had his glove tucked away and brought it out for the fight.

One of the rothers circled Jake and threw some sand in his eyes to blind him. Although blinded, Jake could sense the emotions of the ganver growing stronger, indicating it was getting closer. He held out his hand and shocked the beast before kicking it away. The ganver whined and stepped away from Jake while he brushed the sand out of his eyes.

Firil, Sincan and Jake made a circle enclosing Kos and Chosh in the middle of the pit. Firil eyed the entire hole and noticed Moris with his back against the wall, trying to evade the slashes and bites of the 2 rothers that cornered him. Sincan noticed that Okshender's eyes were not glowing, meaning the giant Gear must have lost too much energy.

Firil shouted at Sincan, "Go help Mor!" Sincan ignored her order and dashed towards the ganver in the back who created the crystals. Damn him, Moris needs help. Moris' leg got caught in a slash and he screamed in pain. Firil noticed this and gave a positive charge to her shoes and a negative charge to the rother, who magnetized towards her. She grabbed it by the head and fried its brains before tossing it aside. "Watch out!" Jake told Firil as he tackled another one to the ground and shocked it. He kept shocking it until the crystal on his glove broke and the rother died.

Sincan put all of his bewl into one attack and created a spike that impaled the buffer rother through its ribcage. The rother instantly expired and so did Sincan's spike as he ran out of bewl. This slowed down the pack of rothers, allowing the rest of group to manage them. The sun directly hit Sincan's eyes, so he was unsure if his gamble had paid off or not.

Moris grunted as he kept slamming the rother that was harassing him against the wall with his legs. The rother eventually gave up and retreated with a distinct limp. Jake used the body of one of the dead rothers to stab another one through the side. the rother howled in pain but Jake ignored it, he kicked it into submission instead.

The last two rothers were headed towards Kos. Seeing this, Sincan and Firil both ran towards them. Sincan arrived first, boosting himself with a charge from his bracelet as soon as the rother jumped at Kos. He took a nasty bite to his right arm and Kos stood in awe at what Sincan had done. Firil pried the rother away before frying its brains as well.

"S-Sincan..." Kos said at the sight of the wound. It was bloody and looked quite serious.

Sincan stood up with a self-assured smile and said, "I didn't do it out of the goodness of my heart. Why would I let another piece of insurance leave like that? No matter how scared that insurance may be."

Kos was astonished but replied with her usual demeanour, "I'm not sure if I should be worried or not. Here I thought the story of what you did in Gissal was exaggerated to sefper and back."

Moris picked himself up and added," If only you knew..."

Firil checked up on Moris and Jake while Chosh returned to pestering her. She stopped to address the wound on Moris' leg. "Lay down here, Mor. Don't want you bleeding everywhere." She ripped off a piece of cloth and used it to bandage up Moris as best as she could.

"It's enough, Firil. At least until we reach civilization," Moris told her.

"If you're sure, Mor. Who knows what kind of ganvers we might run into here. Are the rest of you okay?" Firil asked.

The group all nodded except Sincan who was busy bandaging himself.

"Good, then let's try and find a way out. Okshender, can you move?"

"Yes, young lady. It will be somewhat of a strain on my body but I can escape this ditch," Okshender said.

"No need to worry about me though, not like I'm bleeding over here," Sincan complained.

"Does the wind sound whiny to anyone else today?" Firil asked as they started climbing out of the hole.

It was a difficult task for Sincan to accomplish, especially with his arm still bleeding beneath the jury rigged dressing. He was straining to reach the top when a hand offered to help. Moris' antlers cast an uneven shade down at Sincan as he was helped up. "I do appreciate what you did, Sincan. Without you, Kos might've been the one to take that hit," Moris said.

"I did it for my own gain, Moris. Nothing else about it. Now let's catch up before they leave us behind. Come on, Okshender."

He walked to rejoin the group with those words. Moris sighed in resignation and picked up his pace as well. he didn't want to be the point in the string of their group that caused strain after all.

----

They kept walking for another hour before Firil spoke up. "Okshender, can you read memory devices?" She asked.

"I'm sure that if I had a compatible port, I could. But otherwise, I cannot. My apologies, young lady." He replied.

"No need to apologize, Ok. You're my Gear so you don't bow down to anyone except me," Sincan said.

"Sincan, shut it and keep walking unless you want us to leave you behind," Jake told him.

Firil used this time to unbuckle Chosh's collar as the rest watched. She took out a memory stick that looked a few years old. "What is that?" Moris asked.

"Something that I think we'll be using soon enough, Mor," Firil replied.

Sincan walked ahead and crested the dune in front of them. He whistled at the sight, drawing the attention and gaze of everyone.

"Are you just going to stand there or tell us what you see?" Kos asked.

"Nothing much, we should pick another direction. All I see is more sand, some trees and a small city. Seems we've been mighty unlucky today, haven't we?" Sincan said.

The entire group lightened up and ran towards Sincan. They reached the top and looked towards the city, with its many roads and buildings that reached the sky. They were also lucky enough to see an airship departing from the station.

The entire group except Jake started chuckling. "Finally, we can rest and find a way home," said Moris. Firil teared up a little while Jake breathed a deep sigh of relief. The muscles around his face seemed to relax a little.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Let's move. The sooner we reach a police station, the sooner we can get home," said Firil. Sincan stood in front of Okshender and said, "I think you should stay here, Okshender. Don't want to scare the locals off."

Kos replied, "Yeah you don't want to keep him or anything, do you?"

"You know me so well."

Okshender sat down on the sand and made himself look as inconspicuous as possible. No one would notice a white blot on a sandy desert, after all. Sincan and the group started walking towards the city, a kick in their step all the way.

----

They were walking through a fairly crowded street, the smell of local delicacies making their stomach tremble. "Oh man, can't we stop at a restaurant or something?" Moris asked. Firil replied with an annoyed tone, "First, the station. Then you can gorge on whatever you like, Mor."They were being eyed weirdly by the people walking through the streets. Some of them had a worried expression on their face. The group squeezed between a few workers and ended up in front of a window to a TV shop.

They stopped in their tracks. They really did have such horrid luck, didn't they? Trying their best to stay out of trouble, when trouble itself wanted to be involved with them. The news channel showed their faces and Soot, the Gear that homlin man was piloting as the culprits of the incident. the scrolling text read as such.

"Police report that the culprits behind the attack at the Vitan International Airport in Sonh belonged to a terrorist organizaton theologically opposed to the beliefs of the Valkarian people. These terrorists disguised themselves as long time employees of the Southern Kom-Kich company. The attack took place at 11 O'clock and resulted in the deaths of two lyclans, a man and a woman, as well as minor injuries on several civilians.This group was also seen utilizing a Gear in their attack. More at 11."

I-I can't believe this. Why? There's no way! Firil thought to herself. Why did it have to be her? What did she do to deserve this? Sincan tried to calm himself, but he was clearly shaken by the events. He assumed a scowl and led the way for the rest of them.

"We need to find a secluded place, now," Sincan said.

"Just give us a minute, please," Firil replied.

Sincan shook her by her shoulders. "The longer we stay here, the higher the chances of us getting caught. You saw what they said on the TV, didn't you? They think we're the ones responsible for this mess," he reasoned.

----

The group sat down in an alley, demotivated by the news they had seen.

"Can't even go back. What's the point?" Jake pondered.

"Don't say that, we can tell them our side of the story. They might listen," Kos rebuked.

"Or they could notice the Gear we have parked outside and question why we have that."

Jake glared at Sincan. Like I asked for it.

"What do you have to be angry for. You got a gear now, fly away to another country or something," Jake said.

"It's not that simple, shit for brains," Sincan replied.

Jake stood up and walked over to Sincan, who was standing near a dumpster. "Aren't you some super manipulator or something? Figure it out."

"Stop it." Firil said.

She turned to address everyone. "I...I might have an idea. But we need to find a place to stay and recover first. And something that can play this." She held out the memory stick in front of her.

"You want a place to stay, sure. First of all, Mor, hand me that jacket of yours. And give me your hat, Kos," Sincan said.

"Why do we need to do this, Sincan?" Firil asked.

"It'll make it harder for them to find us. Switch clothes with Kos and let's go, horn head. The rest of you, stay put," Sincan answered.

"They're antlers."

"Yeah, sure, and I'm a homlin."

Moris threw his jacket to Sincan who picked it up and put it over himself. The dark brown cloth fit him nicely and hid his white button up shirt and tie. The hat made his eyes hard to see, so that he could be mistaken as any other normal scalin. Firil switched her blue button up for a loose white shirt while the others looked away and hid them from the eyes of walking passer-bys.

----

The aisles were filled with shoppers searching for groceries and workers stocking the shelves. The sound of a crying child drew the attention of the people in the store, who looked over to inspect what was happening. A mother was having troubles with her kids. A scalin man walked past them and looked up to search for the medicine aisle. As soon as he found it, he walked towards it with a female derlin in tow.

"Do you have bewl left?" He asked her.

"Yeah but I don't think my Wheel will be any use here."

"Firil, I saw what it could do in the pit, that's not a Class 2, not by a long shot."

"Fine, what do you want?"

"Squat down for a second and break that camera over there. The employees are distracted so they won't see it."

Firil did as instructed and sat down behind Sincan so that the camera wouldn't see her Wheel tattoo glowing. She jumbled up the charges in the camera to stop it from transmitting any information while Sincan pilfered through the medicine, discretely placing painkillers, gauze, antiseptic and other things in his clothes. As soon as he was done, he ran out of the sight of the camera, standing near her and giving her the signal to stop.

They walked out of the store without paying a single dim.

"Good job."

"Shut it."

"You'd make a great criminal. Why not change professions?"

"I'll change your face if you don't stop, scale sucker."

They continued on like this for an hour or two. Sometimes they'd use Firil's unassuming looks to sneak a wallet, other times it was her charge affinity Wheel that would help them magnetize some money.

----

They walked through the shop, looking at the newest model of phones along with laptops and other bewltronics. Jake was with them this time to determine which one would be good for cheap. He sauntered over to a display case for one that wasn't too expensive and looked well made.

"This one works well," he said. Even after all this time, he still wore a serious expression. No doubt lost in thought.

After making sure the memory stick fit and buying the laptop, they decided what to do next.

----

This part of the city was supposed to have been rebuilt ages ago, but problems arose and because of them, it remained in the state that it was in. Buildings had a more washed out colour and the streets were not well maintained. The scorching sun seemed to be especially hot here while the citizens themselves looked dirtier. Sincan led them through here, occasionally shooting a glance towards punks that would have liked to pick a fight.

He stopped in front of a small building whose sign was broken. The remaining glowing letters read out "Esm e Lux ry Hot l!"

Sincan stepped through the broken double doors and looked around to find a barren resting area. The only things he could see were some old sofas and a counter. He walked up to said counter with the rest of the group following shortly. An old homlin woman sat there. "How may I help you, young dragon," she asked in an aged voice.

"I'd like to rent out a room for a few days."

He slid her some money.

"Thank you for your patronage. Do you have any preferences?"

"None."

She searched around and gave him a key. Sincan looked at it for a few seconds and pushed some more money towards her.

"Here's a tip. And if some officers come around asking for me or my people, a small favour, please?"

"Of course, young dragon."

They walked up to the room they had rented. It seemed that it was less dirty than the room below, but scarcely furnished nonetheless. Jake could feel Firil's guilt emanating like a volcano. "What did you make her do, Sincan?" He asked.

"What did I do? You should be thanking me. I made sure we wouldn't get thrown into jail without a second thought, that's what I did."

"Please, both of you. We're too tired for this. Just get some rest and then continue the conversation," Moris pleaded. Jake stopped and so did Sincan. Moris could finally see how tired both of them were as they fell asleep almost instantly after lying down. Moris picked up the remote and turned on the air conditioner. At least the place wasn't that bad.

----

"Y...g....S..n.an."

"Yo..ng...Sinc..n"

"Young Sincan!"

Sincan sat up quickly. Looking around, all he could see were sleeping bodies. Jake and Moris shared the couch while Kos and Firil shared the bed. Chosh was curled up on the night stand. Sincan himself made himself a very crude bed on the ground, one that did not help much with getting rest.

"Who said that?" he whispered.

"It's me, young master. I'm talking directly into your mind."

"Okshender? Great, another weird power to add to the list. Why did you wake me up this time?"

"I just wanted to inform you that I have regained some functionality. If need be, I can take you anywhere on the ground."

"Good to know, Okshender. One question though, can the others do this too?"

"Only my pilot has a link with me, young Sincan. Were you sleeping?"

"Yes I was," said Sincan.

"My apologies," replied Okshender.

He looked at his watch and noted the time. "Just forget about it. We slept long enough anyway," he said. Sincan stood up and took a shower. He changed clothes into a pair that he bought. The shirt had a hoodie built into it so that Sincan could hide his face along with long sleeves. He rolled those sleeves up and put on some common pants.

Once he was done, the rest of them were awake and took their turn as well. During Firil's turn, he told them about the mind link.

"Spirit Wheel," said Jake. "Wouldn't expect any less from something like a Gear."

"Still amazing though," Moris said.

After they were all well rested and clean, Firil spoke. "Jake, can you bring over the laptop?" she asked. "Sure," he said and placed it down on the bed. Firil slowly but surely inserted the memory stick into the laptop and played the singular file that was on there.

The video showed a man lounging on a folding chair, fiddling with the camera. The derlin was covered in wrinkles but had a wise look about him. Around him, lush green plants and small animals could be seen. Sand could be seen at the bottom of the screen.

"Damn it, is it even rolling? Eh, I'll get that kid Nato to take a look at it later, he's got a good head on his shoulders."

He moved the camera so that a waterfall was visible behind him. The waterfall was a small distance away so its sounds couldn't be heard very well. The sight was beautiful and the cliff itself was covered in greenery. The sun was shining splendidly behind the frame of the derlin.

"Hello there, my impeccably adorable granddaughter. As you can see," he moved his arms around to show off the area behind him, "I'm somewhere you might remember. We used to go here all the time. Now I'm hoping you do, or hiding that damned safe here would've been a waste of time."

He grabs a drink and sips it before continuing.

"I'm sorry I had to do this to you, Firil. But if there's anyone I trust with these secrets, it's you. You're a capable young woman and I'm proud of you. If you do end up finding that safe, do what's right. I love you, send my regards to your parents."

The man struggled to turn off the camera before finally the video ended. Firil sat there dumbfounded. It's been so long since I've seen him. Oh, grandpa, why? Why did you have to make me cry? The rest of them understood and gave her some time to process it. A few tears left her face before she composed herself and started speaking. "I know what we need to do now," she said.

"You know where that was?" Sincan asked.

"It's a place my grandfather used to take me when I had vacations, in the country of Lokor, south of Jonzu," she answered.

"We need to head south? That sounds like a challenge," Kos said.

"Seems like it. Apart from that," she stood up and looked at Sincan. "You can leave, I won't hold it against you. Not that I forgive you that easily."

"Do you think I don't want this? Cervo was the only man i could call a friend. I at least want to avenge him before we go our separate ways. Bringing down Oxe Meyers is the best way to do that."

"Fine with me. I haven't really mentioned what's inside that safe, have I? Sorry about that. It has several documents contained within that detail the illegal dealings between Oxe Meyers and other criminal organizations."

"That's some heavy stuff. You think we can do it, Firil?" Moris asked.

"I hope so, Mor. People are either going to try and stop us from going there or make sure they get those documents first. Hopefully we beat them to the punch. Jake, I want to ask you personally though. Are you sure you want to go with us?" Firil questioned.

"it's....it's what Vanessa would have wanted," He answered.

Sincan spoke up, "Those people didn't seem to belong to Oxe Meyers though. Unless he decided to switch up his strategy and go for a direct approach." Firil was confused as to what Sincan was insinuating. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I think that man with the Gear and those two peopl-"

Sincan stopped mid-sentence.

"Those two Hands of Phobos I meant, are working for someone else."

"Hands of Phobos?" Kos said, "What kind of name is that?"

"Don't ask me, Okshender told me that's what they're called."

"I think it was Oxe who made the cover up. Nobody will bat an eye if a couple of terrorists go missing as opposed to a couple of office workers. They might just think we went into hiding," Sincan said.

"Sounds like something my uncle would do," she said while stroking Chosh's fur. She put the robulin down and addressed everyone at the same time.

"So, do we agree on what we need to do?" she asked.

They all nodded in agreement. With that, they started packing up.