“You two are siblings?” Vikram asked, an eyebrow raised. “You don’t look much alike.”

They could only nod. The five-person group had migrated to a nearby café to talk. Currently, they were seated around the table in a circle, with Maria sitting between Gale and Sora and occasionally shooting Gale a suspicious look. It was strange, interacting with someone with two very different reactions to each of their persons.

“Does that mean you’re a Rune Mage too?” Zana asked curiously.

Sora shook her head. “No, I don’t believe so.” She placed her katana on the table. “I’m…” She struggled for a moment to come up with the correct words. “Decent at swordplay.”

“Well that’s better than Vikram,” Zana said cheerfully.

“Hmph.” Vikram didn’t bother to even retort.

She turned towards Maria. “Gale’s considering joining our adventurer team. We were hoping you could make him some more appropriate clothing.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “…Fine,” she begrudgingly accepted. “There’s stuff I have in stock that might work for him. I’ll have to adjust the sizing though…” She glared at Gale. “I expect to be paid for this though! I’m not that generous.”

They blinked. She had accepted quicker than they would’ve thought. Payment would be fine, they still had some money left.

Zana clapped her hands together and beamed. “So how about it?”

Gale frowned. “I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand what you find so special about me. What’s so great about being a Rune Mage?”

Zana and Vikram exchanged a look, while Maria perked up at the mention of a Rune Mage. “Er…” Zana awkwardly scratched her cheek. “Are you not a Rune Mage? From what I understand Rune Mages have runes tattooed on their body. The ones along your arm… they resemble the ones I see in books.”

“Maybe he’s just a poser,” Maria muttered.

“No, I can certainly do magic.” Gale held out his hand. “Wind.” A burst of wind emanated from his fingertips shooting straight up, making everyone’s hair a mess.

All three of them gawked at Gale’s impressive use of magic. “You can do that,” Zana said a little weakly. “But you don’t know what a Rune Mage is?”

They hesitated for a moment. “Actually,” Sora said. “We should probably confess something.” They didn’t know how the three of them would react, but they refrained from telling them about their shared conscience. They found that it’d just be too hard to explain. But their amnesia… well it was the only way to explain their naiveté about the world.

With Gale and Sora alternating in speaking, they divulged to the others what had happened in the past day and about their amnesia. Once they were finished, all three of them looked deeply troubled.

“Amnesia?” Maria muttered, looking thoughtful.

“A prison…” Zana folded her arms.

“If I had to guess…” Vikram said, everyone, turning to him. “The two of you are refugees from Tepla.”

They blinked. “Tepla?” Gale echoed. They had heard Vikram mention that name before.

Vikram nodded. “It’s a country to the northeast of Brigade,” he explained. “About six years ago, I believe there was a coup d’état from the military there against the royal family. A lot of supporters of the royal family and civilians who profited from the monarchy ended up fleeing to Megumi and Brigade to avoid prosecution.” He scratched his chin. “The two of you do have some resemblance from people of Tepla, if not to each other.”

“Tepla…” Sora muttered while they made sure to keep Gale’s mouth shut just to avoid getting any strange looks. Originally they had intended to head to Megumi, their only clue the Aozora they had gotten from the museum. But now, with this new information…

“If there is any information on your pasts, it should be in the governmental archives,” Vikram explained. “The government would most likely have paperwork on when you entered the country and with whom you did so.” He gave them a reassuring smile. “I’ve gone through the process a couple of times before, so I can help out, but we’ll have to head to the capital if we want any luck of finding something of value.”

“Why not here?” Sora asked.

Vikram shook his head. “Turm may be one of the larger cities in this half of Brigade, but it doesn’t get a whole lot of immigrants from the west. Immigration data isn’t kept up as much here compared to eastern Brigade.”

Zana's eyes were twinkling. “That works out then!” she exclaimed excitedly. “You can join us on our next job!” Seeing their confused looks, she explained, “We’ve been hired to protect a train from monsters. Apparently, the conductor has noticed an increase in goblins and hobgoblins alongside his route, so he's afraid that the train’s going to be attacked. The plan is to protect the train through its entire route and, at the next stop, get off and cull their numbers.”

They digested her words. “And you think we'll be some help?” Gale asked.

Zana nodded. Maria rolled her eyes. “More numbers wouldn’t be a bad thing,” she mumbled, reluctantly.

“You’d have to take that train to reach the capital anyway,” Vikram reasoned. “The next one leaves tomorrow. Better to just ride with us on this job. You’d get out a paying a ticket anyway.” He smirked. “I’m guessing you don’t have a lot of money.”

Gale just mutely nodded. Still, a question was nagging them in the back of their heads. After a second of self-deliberation, Sora decided to ask, “Why are you so willing to help us?” A little rude? Perhaps, but it still felt prudent for them to ask.

Zana and Maria seemed taken aback by the question, their eyes flicking to Vikram, who merely closed his eyes pondering the question. It looked like they were deferring the question to him.

Finally, he answered. “I’m a refugee, too,” he admitted. “From a country to the south of Brigade.” They caught Zana flinch out of the corners of their eyes. “I suppose I’m just sympathetic to people who have gone through what I have.”

They were silent for a moment. It wasn’t hard to tell that it wasn’t the whole story. Still, they could tell that he wasn’t lying. Gale and Sora nodded their heads. “Fine,” they decided, with Gale speaking. “I’d be grateful for the help.” They hesitated for a moment, before Sora added, “But if you change your mind by tomorrow then I’ll understand-!”

“Oh be quiet,” drawled Maria with a wave of her hand. “You’d be better off trying to move a mountain. You can’t stop these two from helping any lost puppy they find on the road.”

Zana made a face. “You’re exaggerating. Besides, you said you’d help too!”

“I said I’d provide him with some clothes similar to the ones I gave his sister,” Maria corrected. “I already have something almost prepared, but I need to adjust the size, so it won’t be finished until tomorrow morning.”

Zana clapped her hands together excitedly. “That’s perfect!” Maria recoiled at her enthusiasm, but Zana paid it no heed. “That’s right before the job!” She turned to them. “You can stay with Vikram and me for the night!”

They began to protest, but Zana was having none of it. And they suspected that if they turned to Vikram for help, he’d just take Zana’s side. Despite his stoic exterior, they’ve learned that he was rather quite soft.

“Er…” Maria frowned. “It’s almost noon. What are you planning to do until then?”

Zana smiled mischievously. “They are tourists,” she exclaimed, cheerfully.

Even Vikram looked a little taken aback. “Oh.” Maria appeared unimpressed. “Well, have fun, showing them the garbage heap of Turm.” She stood up and cricked her neck. “I’d also recommend the Turm slums. Great tourist attraction there.” It took them a second to realize she was being sarcastic.

She waved her hand and walked away. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said tiredly. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“Bye!” If Zana noticed Maria’s sarcasm, she didn’t say anything. Instead, she gave Gale and Sora a grin. “So where do you want to go first? The garbage heap or the slums?”

Gale and Sora turned to Vikram, but he just shrugged. They were stuck for the time being.

----------------------------------------

It wasn’t until late into the night when they finally made it to Vikram and Zana’s homes. The two adventurers lived in a small rundown apartment close to Maria’s own home, but at this point, they didn’t really mind how cramped it was. Gale and Sora's bodies ached with their experiences of the last few days finally catching up to them.

“Sorry about this,” Vikram said, as they climbed up the stairs, reaching the fourth floor. “I understand it’s not the most comfortable place.”

“I-It’s fine,” Gale insisted, but they were surprised when they paused on the fourth floor.

“Come on, Sora.” Zana grabbed Sora’s arm and began to drag up another floor. “Let’s leave the boys to their own devices.”

“Huh?” They blinked. “W-wait,” Sora protested. “I think I should stay here- I mean I should stay with Gale.”

Zana made a face. “Nonsense. Besides, Vikram’s barely got enough room for one person let alone for two and it’s the same for me. Besides,” she added, brightly. “We can take a bath together!”

Both Sora and Gale flushed. “T-Together?” stammered Gale.

“Nah.” Vikram rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly. “You can go first, man. I’ll go after you.”

That wasn’t the problem! They weren’t ready for this! “Um…” Sora nervously said as she followed Zana to her own apartment room, a floor above Vikram’s. “I don’t need to take a shower, it’s fine.”

Zana rolled her eyes. “No way,” she insisted. “We’ve been walking around all day. Besides when’s the last time that you had a shower?”

Sora was quiet. “I-I don’t remember,” she admitted.

“Exactly. You need to wash yourself. That prison must’ve been really dirty.”

Gale entered Vikram’s apartment a little before Sora did. Both were identical, each cramped and tiny, with only three separate rooms: a bedroom, bathroom, and a small living room with naught but a table, radio, and small sofa. The only difference was perhaps the color scheme (Zana’s apartment was more brightly colored than Vikram’s) and that Vikram’s room was a little cleaner than Zana’s.

“You can sleep on my bed.” When Gale tried to protest, Vikram waved him off. “It’s fine. I'm used to sleeping on the couch anyway.”

“Come on!” Zana cheerfully dragged Sora into the bathroom. “Let’s-!”

“W-Wait!” Sora managed to wretch her arm out of Zana’s grasp. “Um… I’d… I’d rather just take a shower by myself if that’s alright.” Not only that, but Zana’s bathroom was a little too small to fit the two of them.

Zana pouted for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “Fine…”

They couldn’t help but let out a relieved sigh. Well, that was one hurdle cleared at the very least. Both Gale and Sora entered the respective bathrooms and quickly cleaned themselves up, doing their best not to dwell on the strange dichotomy they felt. Once they were done with their shower and had thrown a towel around themselves, they stepped out of the bathroom.

Vikram was sitting on the sofa, a large pot of some curry and rice placed on the table in front of him, while Sora could hear Zana in the kitchen rattling pots and pans. Whatever the young woman was doing inside her own kitchen, it didn’t sound too good.

Vikram gestured a small pile of clothes placed nearby. “I grabbed some that I thought might fit you,” he said in between bites of his food. “We’re not exactly the same size, but it should be fine for just tonight.”

“I put some clothes on the couch!” Zana called from the kitchen, where Sora could smell something burning. “I hope it's okay! It’s only for the rest of the night!”

“T-Thanks,” they managed to say, a little stunned by the generosity. They threw the clothes over themselves (with Vikram being polite enough to turn away) and just as Sora managed to pull them on, Zana returned to the living room carrying a tray of something… smoking.

“Um…” Sora stared at the charred mess. “What is that supposed to be?”

Much to their relief, Zana tossed it in the trash. “An experiment,” she replied a little glumly. “Don’t worry, I’ve got some leftovers in the fridge. I’ll just head that up in a pot.” She returned to the kitchen, her shoulders slumped.

For a second, Sora considered helping but they doubted their own ability in the kitchen. If anything she would probably just make things worse.

At least Gale would have a full stomach for tomorrow.

Vikram had pulled a chair over for Gale to sit across from him, along with a small plate, which Gale gladly accepted. He placed a small amount of rice and curry atop the plate and was about to take a bite, when…

“So what are you hiding from us?”

They froze, Gale’s head snapping up to meeting Vikram’s eyes. The young man’s posture was relaxed and he met Gale’s surprised stare with a lax look in his eyes. “You are hiding something then.” He deduced. “I’m going to guess it’s something important. Connected to your memories perhaps?”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

They chose not to answer and instead Gale fired back with a question of his own. “If you thought I was lying then why are you so relaxed?”

Vikram blinked. “Lying? No, you’re not lying. I trust and know, that your story was the truth. But I also know you’re leaving out some important information.” He smiled. “You can thank Maria for that. She can tell when someone’s lying to her.”

“How?” Gale asked.

He shrugged in response. “No need to tell you now. You’ll find out eventually.”

“Dinner is served!” Zana finally stepped out of the kitchen, just as they were confronting Vikram only to pause when she took notice of Sora’s stillness. “Is something wrong?”

“Oh! No, I was just thinking.” Sora paused, as something occurred to her. “I was actually just wondering… I saw Maria use some sort of attack against Gale when we met her. Do you know what it was?”

“Oh, that?” Zana placed the food on the table and sat down. “Both Jacob and Maria are actually adept at mana manipulation, though Maria is more talented. She can tell if you're hiding something by just keeping an eye on how your mana is moving throughout your body.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Sora said with a nod. It really didn’t, as there were some terms there they didn’t recognize, but they got the gist of it.

Gale let out a sigh. “I am hiding something. But… I don’t know how far you’ll believe me nor can I explain it. It’s…” He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as Sora just tried to act casual with Zana. “Well, it’s-!”

“Nah, don’t bother telling me, I understand wanted to keep things to yourself.” Vikram waved him off. “I just want to know…” His brow furrowed. “Whatever your secret is, it’s not going to hurt my friends or the people of this country right?”

They considered it for a moment, before shaking Gale’s head.

Vikram relaxed. “Well, that’s good.” He looked away and muttered, “At least you have one over me…”

Gale frowned. “What was that?”

“Nothing important. Let’s just eat.” He paused and added. “But given that Maria can read you rather well… that does mean you really are a pervert.”

Gale couldn’t help but hang his head in shame, unable to truly refute it.

“Don’t worry,” Vikram said with a snicker. “I’m sure you’ll redeem yourself in her eyes. In a couple of years.”

As Gale and Vikram fell silent, choosing to focus on their food, they finally noticed that Zana had been poking at her food the entire time, not eating. “Is something wrong Zana?” Sora asked.

It took a second for Zana to answer. “Sora if you don’t mind me saying…” She finally took a bite of the rice and chewed it thoughtfully. “You and Gale are kinda the same.”

Sora blinked. “What do you mean by that?”

Zana took a minute to find her words. “You two… you react the same. You have the same tastes, the same wants…. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you are the same person.” She laughed, missing Sora's surprised look. “But that's ridiculous!”

“Yeah…” Sora joined in with the laughter, albeit with a tinge of nervousness.

“It’s just that you two remind me of Vikram,” Zana continued once she calmed down. “When he first came to Brigade as a refugee, I mean.”

“I don’t understand,” Sora said with a shake of her head.

“When Vikram first came to Brigade from his home country, he was only six years old and the rest of his family was apparently dead. As such, my own family took care of him and provided him with a home. So we kinda grew up really close together.” She shrugged, halfheartedly. “I guess you’d call him a childhood friend.”

Sora nodded along. They were following along.

“He was a little… emotionless,” Zana recalled. “He preferred to stay by himself, not interacting with the other kids in the neighborhood. I don’t think he ever even spoke a word to another person until he was eight years old. And even then, it was to return…” She flushed suddenly. “R-Return something,” she finished in a blabber. “Since then we’ve been friends and he was the one who inspired me to become an adventurer.”

“Inspired?”

Zana nodded. “I’m sure you’ve noticed but being an adventurer isn’t exactly a prosperous job here in Brigade. If there are any monster troubles, the citizenry relies on the military or city militia to handle any rising populations. Adventurers are so unnecessary here that our small group are essentially the only adventurers in western Brigade and we only get jobs that aren’t thought to be dangerous. We all have second jobs just to support ourselves. Maria has her clothing store, Jacob works with the national train lines, Vikram is currently suddenly archeology and me…” She giggled. “I’m just a ditzy waitress working at a run-of-the-mill diner.”

Sora frowned. “Then why work as an adventurer in the first place?”

“As I said I was inspired. In other countries, adventuring is much more popular. In Tepla for instance and Vikram’s own country. Vikram would tell me stories about his father and mother. Apparently, they worked as adventurers and he and his older brother were expected to follow in their footsteps. Vikram would tell me all of the stories his own parents told him of their adventures. That’s when I decided I would have the same adventures.”

She paused and tapped her chin in thought. “Er… What was I getting at exactly?”

“How I’m similar to young Vikram.”

“Oh right!” Zana slapped herself upside the head. “I’m an idiot! Right well… I just think you guys could use a little more personality. I know you have amnesia and all, but you shouldn’t let your brother dictate what you want to do.” She poked Sora in the chest, causing her to blush. “Gale’s… he’s handsome for sure, but you’re as pretty as he’s handsome.” She grinned. “Just maybe do your own thing once in a while, okay?”

Sora merely nodded, promising to try her best, but already their minds had latched onto something that Zana had merely brushed through. “Vikram,” Gale said to the young man in question, nearing the end of their dinner. “You mentioned you were a refugee before? Are you from Tepla as well?”

Vikram froze, a shadow falling over his face. “No,” he finally said, after leaving Gale hanging for a full minute. “I am not from Tepla. I’m from a country from the south.”

“Oh.” Gale blinked. “What’s the country called?”

“It has no name anymore. It’s gone.” He paused. “It was razed to the ground. By Brigade.”

----------------------------------------

After a full night of sleep and with some food in their bellies, both of their selves finally felt fully refreshed. It felt like a weight that they’d been carrying had finally been lifted. In fact, both Zana and Vikram had commented on their apparent healthier look. They certainly felt a little more relaxed.

Vikram and Gale had left earlier than Zana and Sora, to Maria’s store, where she, begrudgingly, handed over Gale’s new clothes. They mirrored Sora’s in coloring and style, except that he had a pair of ironed slacks as opposed to a skirt. “How is it?” Vikram asked, once Gale exited the small bathroom.

Gale tugged on the blazer with a frown. “It’s comfortable,” he admitted. “But I don’t get how these clothes are supposed to protect me.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “Dumbass,” she grumbled, before pointing a finger at him. “Listen those clothes – hers and yours- are woven together enhancement spells. Any armor or clothing woven with them is bound to be more durable than any standard armor.” She shook her head with a rather exasperated sigh. “It’s pretty standard nowadays. You should see the shit the Brigade army has.”

“It’ll be more than enough,” Vikram said, shooting Maria a glare. “It’s better than what I have at the very least.”

Maria rolled her eyes. “I’m a business,” she drawled. “A small one at that. I don’t have the money to constantly buy new clothes for someone who destroys them every opportunity he gets.”

“You’re overexaggerating,” grumbled Vikram, but it didn’t look like he wanted to argue the point. It wasn’t hard for Gale to tell that Maria was probably telling the truth or some version of it.

Vikram sighed. “Well moving past that… let’s get going,” he said to the two. “I’m sure Zana and Sora are already waiting at the train station.”

Gale winced. That... actually wasn’t true. Sora and Zana had yet to reach the train station. In fact, the two of them had only just left the apartment. Zana… had actually overslept, but when Sora finally woke her up, she had made Sora promise not to tell Vikram. Well… she more so begged and they didn’t have the heart to deny her.

If by luck or Zana’s knowledge of the city, both she and Sora managed to reach the train station before Vikram, Maria, and Gale. When Vikram finally arrived, he was none the wiser. As Vikram went over to the manager of the station to explain the situation, Zana examined Gale once over. “That… really suits you,” she complimented.

Gale blinked. “Oh, um thank you.”

Zana nudged Sora. “What do you think about him?” she asked, slowly winking.

Sora stared at her for a few moments, before realization dawned on her face. “O-Oh!” She turned to face Gale and nodded. “You look really good in that Gale! Very… er… very handsome!”

They racked their brain for a second trying to think of a good response. “Thanks! You look… um… beautiful, Sora!”

“She was wearing that yesterday,” muttered Maria.

“Laying it on a bit thick, but okay…” Zana mumbled to herself.

Both Gale and Sora could only sigh. It looked like they still had some work to do.

Vikram returned only looking mildly frustrated. “Well the conductor explained the situation and they’re going to let us on the train.”

“But…?” Maria asked.

He sighed. “But, they aren’t delaying the passenger’s departure for another train or even issuing a warning. They’re intending to continue with the train’s journey as planned. Something about someone important being on the train today.”

“Well, we expected that,” Zana said sadly. “We’re being hired to essentially investigate someone’s paranoia.”

“There’s another thing.” Vikram rubbed his temples. “We… We have to pay for our tickets.”

Maria frowned and looked between Zana and Vikram, before shrugging. “Sorry. I’m broke after your last order.”

“I… I didn’t bring any money…” Zana said sheepishly.

Vikram glanced at Sora, who merely shook her head, and then Gale, who pulled out whatever small amount of money he had left and handed it over to Vikram silently. Vikram looked at the wad, let out a sigh, and pulled out his own wallet.

----------------------------------------

When Jacob finally saw his two friends and little sister enter the train, he couldn’t help but feel a little relieved. He had been the one to tell them about the conductor’s request, after several days of suffering from the old man’s paranoia. While Zana and Vikram seemed to take it seriously, Jacob was a little more realistic. It was more than likely ramblings about nothing from old man Renken.

However, when another two people entered the train close behind his friends, his heart sank.

Vikram immediately noticed Jacob and split from the small group to talk. “Hey, we managed to get in.” He chuckled scratching his head. “This job better pay decently as you said. Without it, I won’t even break even…”

“It should be fine…” Jacob looked past Vikram to see Gale and Sora talking to Maria and Zana, figuring out where each of them would sit. “Hey… um… what are they doing here?”

“Sora and Gale?” Vikram asked, blinking. “I thought you met them the day before.” He shrugged. “Zana roped them into the job. The guy’s a Rune Mage and the girl apparently knows how to wield a sword.”

“But…” Jacob sounded a little weak. “They aren’t… Are they not kinda weird?”

“Oh good they’ll fit in with the rest of us,” drawled Vikram, rolling his eyes. “I understand what you’re getting at, but, in their defense, the two of them have amnesia. I agreed to help them after we completed this job.”

“W-why?!” whispered Jacob furiously.

“They might be refugees,” Vikram explained with a wince, causing Jacob to pause. “I-I can’t just leave them.” He frowned. “Besides I don’t think they are bad people. At the very least, your sister believes them.”

Jacob sighed. “Ok,” he relented, trusting both Vikram and Maria's judgement. “Ok. I won’t fight you on this. But just so we understand… those two are kinda creepy.” He lowered his voice a little. “They spoke in complete unison when I talked to them before and while they were on the train they were like… practicing having a conversation.” When he saw that Vikram’s expression didn’t budge, he let out a sigh. Zana and Vikram… for how nice they were they sure could be incredibly stubborn. “Just promise me… promise me, you haven’t gotten Maria wrapped in something dangerous.”

Vikram sighed. “Jacob we’re supposed to be adventurers-!”

“You know what I mean, man,” Jacob said a little more forcefully. “We’re friends but Maria’s my little sister.”

Vikram was quiet for a moment. “If anything happens,” he finally said. “I’ll take responsibility.”

Jacob let out a huff of air, running a hand through his hair. “Fine,” he relented. “I suppose I can accept that. In return, I’ll put away my earlier experience with them and try to start anew. Though it’ll have to be later,” he admitted. “The conductor’s prolly shitting bricks right now with me gone so long. He’s just too pessimistic. He’s convinced something bad’s gonna happen.”

“We’ll just be in the car over, close by,” Vikram said with a grateful smile. He was a little relieved that he didn’t have to deal with a paranoid old man.

“Yeah, thanks.” Jacob raised a hand in goodbye, turning away from his friend. “Make sure the guy doesn’t make a pass on Maria.”

“Well I don’t think you have to worry about that…” muttered Vikram. Jacob merely gave him a strange look, before leaving the car for the front of the train. Vikram joined the others, sitting beside Gale, as Sora, Maria and Zana had chosen to seat together and away from the guys.

While those three talked extensively, which Vikram tuned out, he and Gale remained silent. It appeared that Gale was listening in on the conversation as every so often he’d turn a bright red whenever Sora also looked embarrassed.

It’d be funny to out him to Sora later. Vikram was sure Gale didn’t mean anything by it, but he had to learn a lesson about eavesdropping.

As an hour passed, Vikram, bored, took a glance at the other passengers. The train car they were in was nigh empty save for them and two others – a young girl wearing an intricate dress with a white veil over her face and a tall man, with sandy blonde hair and wearing a suit, sitting aside her.

It made sense it was so empty. There were the most expensive seats to buy (much to Vikram’s displeasure), but the two were still strange. The girl for her attire, but if Vikram was to peg the man as a bodyguard then the man’s posture and general attitude were too lax. Were they the important pair that the station manager had been referring to?

Well… Vikram settled into his seat and let himself relax. It wasn’t that important. He had no reason to think strangely of them. Nothing had happened as of yet.

Another couple of hours passed without anything happening. At this point, they were a little more than halfway through the trip. “Alright!” Vikram cracked an eye open to see Zana suddenly stand up and stretch. “It’s too boring staying here.” She smiled at Maria and Sora. “Let’s explore the other cars!”

Vikram sighed. “Zana…” he started.

“Sorry!” She pulled Sora to her feet with a wide grin as Maria stood up herself, her arms folded behind her head. “Girls only!”

“H-huh?” Sora barely had time to protest as she was pulled into the next car with Maria following close behind. “Why-?” she started to ask.

“It’ll be fun!” Zana insisted. “We’re already not doing much of anything, might as well as have some sort of adventure. Besides Brigade trains are pretty neat. There’s bound to be a food train somewhere.”

Well, they truly weren’t doing much of anything else. Even they had gotten bored of the trip. Sora, followed Zana through the line of rail cars, while Gale remained with Vikram. During the girl’s trip, Jacob returned from the front, looking a little exhausted. He glanced around, his face morphing into that of minor panic. “Where’s my sister?” he asked, directing his question to Vikram.

“Calm down, she’s with Zana,” answered Vikram.

“I don’t see how that’s calming.”

Vikram winced. “…Fair point. Still, I’m sure Zana won’t do something reckless.” He shrugged helplessly. “How’s the old man?”

Jacob sighed. “He’s better,” he admitted. “We haven’t seen any goblins on this run at the very least. The conductor isn’t completely worried we’re going to get suddenly attacked.”

Gale raised a brow. “You haven’t seen any?” he asked. “Is seeing goblins here common?”

Vikram shrugged. “Less common near the railways,” he answered. “They could surely try and get on a speeding train, but more likely the goblins will just be crushed under its wheels.” He glanced at Jacob, a troubled look falling over his face. “But you’ve seen them near the tracks before?”

“For the past week,” explained Jacob. “They never attacked, obviously, but the conductor’s pretty paranoid about goblin raids. So I’m glad they’ve left. It’s a load off my shoulders.”

“I wonder what caused them to leave then…” muttered Vikram, placed a hand on his chin, before something through the window caught his eye. He squinting, peering through the tinted glass. “Is… Is that a car?”

A car? Gale looked over Vikram’s shoulder to see that, surprisingly, he was right. A large car with its roof ripped off was driving alongside the train on the dirt road the ran next to the tracks. A large logo, that Gale didn’t recognize, was painted on its side. The logo itself was a picture of some sort of young girl, her hands held together in prayer.

Vikram narrowed his eyes. “That’s…”

“What is it?” Jacob asked.

Gale was about to answer when suddenly the car’s passenger door was thrown open, a large man seen squatting within. As Gale watched, the man pulled out a large weapon from the backseat and pointed its end straight at them. The man’s face stretched into a wide grin as he pulled the trigger.

Vikram recoiled, before grabbing both Gale and Jacob’s arms. “Get down!” he shouted, pulling them down onto the floor.

Gale or Sora barely had time to register what was happening, before Gale was thrown to the ground and felt the hot heat of an explosion on his back. He cupped his ears as the sound of the blast shook his cranium. After a while, with his ears still ringing, he held up his head to find Vikram in front of him, a large claymore planted into the ground as, around them, the thin light blue barrier shuddered before vanishing completely.

Where their seats had been, now there was only a large hole. The same large man who attacked them, swung into the car from the hole, using the broken roof as a sort of handhold, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He cracked his neck, before glancing down a thin piece of paper in his hands. “Alright…” he muttered. “They should be around here…” He paused finally noticing Vikram’s, Jacob’s, and Gale’s presence. “Oi? You still alive?”

“Is that a surprise?” Vikram asked, though his voice sounded a little weak. Jacob pulled, from his back pocket, a small revolver about the size of his hand. Out of the corner of Gale’s eyes, he could see the two other passengers in the car scrambling away from the dangerous man and hiding behind a seat. Luckily they had yet to be noticed.

“A little,” the man admitted, before raising his weapon, an enormous gatling gun held steady by the man's arm strength.

Vikram narrowed his eyes. “You’re Marrow,” he accused. “From that terrorist group. Adelphi. I’ve seen your wanted poster.”

A grin split apart Marrow’s face. “Smart kid. But you probably should’ve used those smarts to run away.”