“Do you remember me? From last night?” the woman said.

“No? What do you mean, remember? Were you at Thundervale?”

“Sort of,” she said. “I was stalking you last night on your way back…”

A flash of inspiration: she was the one. She was the sound, the premonition he thought he heard while walking back. He hadn’t just been imagining things!

“W-wait. You were stalking me? Why? What for? Also, how did you get in here?”

“What did I just say? Yes, I was stalking you. As for why, it is because I need help. How I entered this place? The front door, like everyone else.”

“Okay…” Zan said. “So, what do you need help with?”

Making tentative moves to the bundles of food collected by Sigma-Prime, he sorted the food into the pantry or the icebox depending on its storage needs. As he did so, he listened as well as he could to the mysterious interloper. Just because a stranger was hogging his ear did not mean his needs waned.

“I was hunting for my village when the invasion happened. It is a small tributary a little ways outside Thundervale’s walls. The enemy took my whole village as prisoners. If we act fast, we might be able to free them before they’re shipped back to the occupied territories as slaves,” the woman said.

Her words spoke of a righteous cause. He had to feel for her.

But he was also hungry. And his stomach was growling so loudly it literally was breaking the flow of conversation. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I and my friend and battle buddy are the only practicing members of this order, and this order did not exist until yesterday. Or the day earlier? Later? I can’t even ride a horse, neither can my friend. You’ve wasted your time. Sorry.”

“Seriously? You can’t be serious. The incredible warriors I heard all the murmuring about back in Thundervale can’t even ride a mare?”

“It’s a weakness, yeah, but it is what it is; and let me tell ya, ma'am, I might not know how to tide a horse, but at least I’m not the one stalking people in the dead of night based on a rumor. Now get the feck out of here before I lose my temper,” he yelled, becoming angry.

The woman whose name he hadn’t even learned stormed off in a fit, pitching shet.

He didn’t care. He was hungry and needed a gods-be-damned bite to eat. He wasn’t playing anymore; he needed something in his gullet.

Alone at last, he got the stove going in record time and threw in some eggs and meat. He had to pick out the shells, which irritated him to no end, but he was happy to finally have something going for him. He toasted some bread in the oven. The meat practically did itself up and cooked the proper way after only a few minutes. He piled up a plate high, drizzled some refined tree syrup over it all, and dug in with the intensity of a ravenous dog.

Thinking he should have saved some for Jiehong, he considered making up another batch for his brother.

Then again, he thought. I don’t know what Jie is going to do when he wakes up. He will probably go have a meal with his family.

He brought his dishes over to the sink and cleaned them out. Washing his hands, he returned to the war room and to the Wardens.

Jiehong was not present. He wondered if he should wait for him. No need to, he figured. He would let him be with his parents for a while.

“Sigma-Prime: did you see a woman leave the building?” he asked.

Turning to face him, Sigma said, “Yes. Was she not a follower you picked up along the way on your most recent mission?”

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“No… not really. Although yes? In a way… she was desperate and asking for help. In the future, if someone is in the building and it is neither myself nor Jiehong, let me know, okay? I thought only Ranger-Knights could enter the building?” he said.

“Anyone with the potential to be Ranger-Knights can enter the building. If they are not an initiated Ranger-Knight, but their hearts are pure, they can enter. I can change this security setting, but it might require more repairs being completed,” Sigma replied. “Why was she here? You said she asked for your help?”

“Yes. And no, the security is fine for now… she wanted warrior companions for a rescue mission. But we do not even have horses or have the talents at riding the horses, so I had to turn her down. Her village was all the way outside Thundervale near the border. Kind of a suicide mission to be waging the war in an overrun region.”

Sigma replied right away and said, “In our current situation, yes: it is not strategically advisable to launch expeditions to regions heavily occupied by invading forces. However, this will not always be the case. I am close to repairing a fundamental function of the command center. Once repaired, it will make transportation much easier.”

This intrigued him. “What do you mean?”

Sigma explained: “There is a tool Ranger-Knights use. It is called The Backroads; it is a warped region of space-time which allows Ranger-Knights to travel between far-flung locations in the blink of an eye. Once it is fully operational, you and your party will be able to at will. Using The Backroads, it would be possible to launch an extraction operation. However, the risk remains high.”

The Backroads? He had never heard of it, clearly. Yet it lined up hope.

He asked, “What can we do to help?”

Sigma-Prime told him all she needed was time. In their current condition, there wasn’t anything more they could do to help. Though, in the future, she might need highly advanced ores for the most advanced repairs. “Leave it to me, Zan. Thank you for your offer of help, but there is nothing to be done, other re-routing wires and incinerating grim from the many years slowing the center’s processing abilities.”

Sending him out on his way, he went off to find Jiehong.

The search was not long. Most people in their makeshift refugee camp had little more than a thin tent, if that. Jiehong’s family had an elaborate, multi-colored tent large enough for several people, plus a pet.

Asking permission to enter, he found Jiehong at the center of a family gathering.

“Oh, hey, you guys. I hope I’m not interrupting. I need Jiehong for war stuff. Now a good time?” he asked.

Jiehong’s father, a tall, thin man with more hair than one would expect, said, “Perfect timing, actually, Zan. Sit. Tell us about your recent adventures!”

Without thinking about ulterior motives, he did just that and told Jiehong’s parents, and his sort of half-adopted guardians, all of which happened. When he finished, he expected a hearty hug, maybe even an honorable handshake.

Boy, how wrong he was…

“So, this is how you disobey us? With wonton adventurism? With usurping of the natural order? Did you even stop to think about it? No, clearly, you did not. For this disrespect is immense!” It was 'their' father who spoke.

When Zan exploded, he directed it to the patriarch. “What the fecking-heck do you mean?”

His cursing cast a shadow over the table.

“Language, young man!” the mother replied. He had a love-hate relationship with her and would despise her guts one moment while at other moments adore her. Her head was ‘fiery,’ as the doctors would say.

“We meant we expected you to give our son the leadership role. He has always been the leader, hasn’t he?” the father said, remaining calm.

“It was not in my power to control,” he told his guardians. “Besides, the circumstances were chaotic. Neither of us had a choice in what happened; I did what I thought would be best given the conditions.”

“This creature-crystal, though… my son here says you thrust it into you so quickly to spite him? Is he lying?”

By now, his patience had entered the negative. “What can I say? What can I say to make you two happy? Nothing I take it? Same as ever?”

Silence reigned again over the dining table, but this time it was a silence of a seething variety. Not hearing them say anything in response made his rage boil like the simmering blood of a demon's cauldron. He knew he should stop what was about to come out of his mouth, but he didn’t want to stop it. He knew it needed to be said:

“Yeah, I took the leadership position, but that is because I found the command center; I imbued the way stones with magic; and I was the one who decided to confront that huge four-legged machine. I was doing my thing, defending people. I didn’t become the leader to spite him. Seriously? Do you guys really believe I would ‘spite’ Jie?!” Letting his emotions flow, he got up with a start from his seat. Then slammed the tabletop with his fists. He let flow through him every instance of second-class citizenship they forced on him, from the extra chores to the nullification of his studies. Continuing, he said, “Because if you believe I would spite my best friend, then I think our relation has ended. Thanks for the table scraps and secondhand sheets!”

Storming out was all he could do not to show himself crying.

He held back the tears, but it was the hardest thing he ever had to do.