Beda maintained an inscrutable expression as he observed Maline’s bewildered state.

With Lee already marching down the hill, Beda picked up the boot that had tumbled to the ground due to Lee’s unnecessarily forceful kick, rummaging around for its companion.

Eventually, he found it, returning while holding a pair of sturdy, laced wooden boots encased in scuffed leather.

“Here, wear these. As you can see, it’s pretty warm,” he said, gesturing to the evaporating water as he strode out of the shack, wearing only his mitten-like shoes and sweater for protection.

Maline hesitated for a moment, her fingers grazing the supple leather. Beda’s clothing still didn’t seem very suitable to Maline in comparison.

Despite her reservations, she trusted Beda's judgment and decided to exchange her worn dress shoes for the unconventional boots. However, a sense of loss and familiarity nagged at her once again.

Putting on the boots, she followed them through the door, observing as their strides covered ground quickly. She was forced to pick up speed as she watched Beda jab at Lee while they walked.

The boots shielded her from the searing heat radiating off of the rocky ground beneath. As she walked, Maline found herself adjusting to the unfamiliar weight and feel of the footwear which proved to be surprisingly comfortable.

She had never seen anything like this. Even while wearing the boots, the heat from below radiated through, causing her to sweat despite wearing relatively light clothing. Her shirt was now missing a few buttons, and her pants showed signs of deformation, crinkling near the ankles from exposure to both snow and heat.

The uneven ground below occasionally emitted a low, rumbling growl as if the earth itself was alive. Maline had to concentrate to avoid tripping; she didn’t want any part of her body touching the branding iron that was the near-molten rock below.

Uncertain if she should even ask questions at this point, Maline shouted ahead, “Where are we headed?” Her energy was waning, and her strides lagged behind Beda and Lee's.

Glancing behind him, Beda noticed her lagging and purposefully slowed down, turning to address her as they walked.

“A quaint town. Don’t worry, it’ll go smoothly.” He said as he walked beside her. Lee, not bothered to slow down, continued his descent down the curve of the hill ahead of them.

…

Soon, they reached a distance where they could begin to see their destination. As they neared, Maline grew increasingly perplexed.

What preceded them did not resemble a “quaint” town at all; instead, they faced a massive wall that nearly obscured the horizon. It almost resembled one of the hills they had descended from. Maline discreetly tucked the whip into the side of her pants, careful not to drop it.

Approaching the wall, which seemed almost naturally formed, Maline took the opportunity to survey her surroundings once more.

The faint scent of sulfur began to waft in on a light breeze, and although it was far from overpowering, it made her nose crinkle slightly.

A path began to emerge underfoot, lined with brown moss and rocks that weakly reflected the unrelenting sun from the cloudless sky.

As the distance between the three grew, Lee nearly became a dot on the horizon.

Finally, the two reached the entrance. They stood before a wall of gargantuan proportion, at least relative to Maline’s experiences.

In her vision, it nearly obscured half of the sky. This was sufficient enough to frighten her, but the shouting ahead did a decent job as well.

Looking forward, it seemed that Lee had already gotten into an argument. A crowd had formed around him, composed of individuals waiting to get inside of the town. He stood directly before the guards. Had he cut in line?

Beda, observing silently, beckoned to Maline before they reached the entrance, “Give me the whip. It won’t be for long.”

Maline complied; it wasn’t a particularly treasured possession. Observing him put it away, it seemed to disappear within the pockets of his sweater.

As they grew near, the inauspicious shouting gave way to actual words of which Maline could understand.

“Typical of you Stome, I should’ve expected…” A stumpy woman near Lee shouted, joined by her comrades. Maline began to pick up on something–a familiar accent lacing their words.

Most were dressed in peculiar attire, distinct styles of woven sweaters that reached down to their ankles. On their feet, they wore shoes that resembled mittens, decorated with intricate designs…

As this line of thought crossed Maline’s mind, she turned over to Beda, observing his clothes in curiosity.

Beda noticed, facing her. Confused, he observed her expression before realizing the source of her curiosity.

With a hint of revelation, he pulled at the hem of his sweater. “They were a gift. Do you like them?” he asked.

Finally, they reached the source of the commotion, Maline realizing that this wasn’t Beda’s first time here.

“Back of the line, now!” A guard ordered Lee. The guard stood stern before the opening of the wall. It could barely be called a gate and Maline was confounded at how an opening like this could form naturally. She could see the other side of the wall through a hazy, steam-like mist. Maline couldn't calculate its sheer distance.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

The guard was dressed in a knit sweater also, but it was more attuned to battle. Thin metal pads at the shoulders, utility belts, etc. He held a spear upright and a dagger at his side. The make of these items was strange to Maline.

They appeared to be made of metal, but upon closer inspection, the spear in particular, Maline noticed an abnormality. The metal didn’t look to be crafted through a process of forging, but rather, broken.

Akin to obsidian, they had abnormally sharp edges that could have been the result of fracture via stone. They bore sharp serrations on each edge, reminiscent of refined obsidian, lending them a crude and formidable appearance.

The unaltered sections of the blades weaved like waves in an ocean, sharp and abrupt separations dividing the inclines and slopes.

Only, the material was clearly a kind of metal. When moved, these weapons emitted a strong metallic resonance, distinct from any metal she had encountered before. All of the guards’ weapons shared in this aspect.

Intrigued, Maline turned her attention back to Beda and Lee, curious to see how they would navigate the situation.

Lee stood resolute through the insults hurled his way, his stance unyielding. As the guards began to advance on him, Beda saw it fit to intervene.

Confidently, Beda moved forward, positioning himself at the back of the crowd, with Maline in tow. He cleared his throat and addressed the gathering crowd.

“Settle down, settle down! This guy’s a bit dull, but he means no harm!” Beda proclaimed, slapping his hand onto Lee's lofty shoulder, eliciting a low grumble from his companion.

With the surroundings growing quieter, Beda turned to address the onlookers, “We’ll make our way to the back of the line. I apologize for the inconvenience, everyone...”

In a slick manner, he began to turn around and make his way to the end of the line.

Maline heaved a sigh of relief, turning around with Beda once she was sure that everyone had calmed down.

“Halt!”

A guard commanded, bringing their group to a stop a few strides away. “The gall you must have to dare come back here wearing our stolen clothes!”

As the guard ordered, Beda could only turn around slowly, receiving the hateful gazes of the surrounding group.

“I assure you, you’ve got it all wrong…” Beda’s words began to take on an intentful accent, slightly rough around the edges and similar to the inhabitants.

He began explaining but was interrupted once again.

“Oh, do I? We’ll confirm that in your jail cell.” The guard began advancing steadily, Lee stepping to the side and staring at Beda in schadenfreude.

Beda's eyes stilled as he ceased his complaints, his lips souring. A seed of disdain seemed to sprout in his countenance as his eyes gradually moved, slowly gazing toward the young lady next to him. In a sudden twist, he jumped away, pointing at Maline with an expression of fear and desperation.

“Thief? Thief! Help me!” Beda cried out, his finger accusingly pointed at Maline in utter horror.

“I knew these clothes weren’t yours, you conniving brat!” He screamed at her with conviction, continuing, “You even stole one of my precious coins! Give it back!”

Confused and startled, Maline found herself in the unexpected role of the accused. The crowd's attention turned to her as she backed away from the gate, her heart pounding in her chest.

“Coin? Beda, what’s going on?” she implored, searching the faces of the people around her for some hint of understanding.

Beda grew quiet, a triumphant smirk curving his lips, “You even dared to hide it in plain sight… Give it back, now!” He pointed left of her face, to an area hidden by her hair.

Baffled and uncertain, Maline reached behind her ear, her fingers displacing her hair to find a cold, circular piece of metal. With a sense of dread, she dropped the coin onto the ground, where it landed with a distinct clink, witness to every spectator.

Horrified, she exclaimed, “That isn’t mine, I swear! I don’t know h-how it got there!”

Laughing triumphantly, Beda faced the guards, assuring, “I’m a native. An Ember would never steal from their comrades, you know that.” His accent grew more refined as he spoke.

He then shifted his gaze toward Maline, standing up straighter as he gestured up and down at her form, stating with derision, “Look at her. She’s a foreigner… It’s only natural for her to want the things we have. Frosians like her, especially.”

“Look at her boots. I’m willing to bet they were personally made by your tailors!”

The guards were taken aback by the unfolding drama but were quick to catch on. They immediately started moving toward Maline, intent on taking her into custody.

“Thief! Come fir’ a bit’a revenge after your lashin’, eh?” A guard behind the leading group jeered, eyeing the healing gash that traced Maline’s face. Their accent was particularly pronounced, vowels enunciated with pomp.

Beda looked at Maline with a face void of expression. In her fear, Maline wondered what was going on inside of his head.

“Hands to your sides, girl. You’re coming with us.”

Tears began to well up in Maline’s eyes as she stood paralyzed, noting Beda’s smug expression and Lee’s uncaring gaze.

Before the guards reached her, though, Beda quickly waltzed over to pick up his coin.

“I really didn’t…” Maline pleaded to him, before being interrupted.

“You had to get inside one way or another,” Beda whispered, reaching upward with a deft motion and tucking the whip into the space between her torso and arm while retrieving his coin.

Surprised, Maline looked downwards at it before slightly facing Beda again, thoroughly confused.

He motioned sternly with his eyes, gesturing for her to conceal it.

Under the watchful gaze of the group on the right side of her, she carefully placed the whip into her pants once again. Lee, meanwhile, observed her with disdain, his attention now fixed on the approaching guards. His amused smirk had long vanished.

Approaching cautiously, the guard at the forefront, his short black hair framing his slim features, said sincerely to Beda “I apologize, I shouldn’t have jumped to such conclusions.” Hoping to clear things up between them, he offered his apologies.

Before the guard turned to arrest Maline, Beda offered him some keen advice. “Oh, don’t worry about that,” he said, consoling the guard, “Sometimes, it’s better to focus on the bigger picture. Small obstacles are minor in comparison.”

He sincerely patted the guard’s chest, building a faux camaraderie between the two with a sincere smile.

“Bigger picture…” The guard briefly lapsed into a daze, staring at Beda as if he were receiving a very meaningful life lesson. “Yes, I agree.”

The guard's gaze lingered on Beda for a moment, his brows furrowing as if he were considering something particularly profound.

Finally, he weakly motioned for Maline to raise her arms, preparing her to be frisked. She briefly looked at Beda, receiving a quick glance that indicated it would go smoothly, and raised her arms.

The guard then began patting Maline down in every possible place, even her hair, specifically searching behind her ears. When he got to her sides, his fingers ran over a bump and continued. This wasn’t something that he should disregard.

His eyes were still slightly listless, as if a revelation soon awaited him.

He swiftly completed the frisking, confirming that all was well, and led her toward the gate.

She was still unwilling, but Beda's antics had slightly calmed her mind. She was sure that the guard had run his hands over the whip; had he missed it?

The other guards turned to face the two after confirming that Maline was in captivity.

“Is he with you?” A guard asked Beda, scanning Lee's figure with a glare.

“Yes, of course. I apologize for his earlier attitude, today hasn’t been a good day…” Beda responded, looking toward Maline and shaking his head with a pensive expression.

“I understand. We’ll escort you two inside. We apologize for the trouble.”

Although they offered to escort them inside, their actions mirrored their strict training regimen, roughly shoving the two forward.

Yet, no matter how hard they shoved, Lee only walked forward at his own unhurried pace, completely unbothered. He stared at Maline as she was led into the gate. Only Beda seemed affected by their shoves.

Despite their efforts, the guards grew exhausted and let up, Lee lagging behind them as Beda engaged in casual conversation, the pushing gradually decreasing as they entered.

“Did she steal anything else? Anything else on her person? I could have sworn that I saw something like a baton…” A guard pestered, surveying Maline’s frail posture as she walked down the stairs into the bafflingly wide crater that Beda referred to as a “town.”

“Of course not… Is the heat playing tricks on your vision?” Beda laughed along with the guards, quickly making friends. As they walked, he subtly shifted languages, speaking fluently an unknown tongue that the guards followed suit in. Their native tongue.

The guard who had apologized to Beda and checked Maline seemed to be confused, refraining from engaging in the conversation.