“We risked our lives through the wasteland…for this?”

“Changed your mind already? I thought you’re doing this for the Fa’ar.”

“Well, I expected a quaint seaside town, not rotting wood!”

“That’s what you’re expecting? In this time and age?”

All Raine could do was groan in frustration as they entered the small port town of Evechi.

The seaside region of the wasteland was always considered to be a place to escape from the bleakness and danger of the inner lands, at least for those who spent most of their lives never going to the sea or the best waterside settlements they could find were beside rivers. For those who lived closer to the sea or even in the port towns, that assumption would only draw out laughs.

The coastline had lost its ecosystem a very long time ago, when the sea became polluted by Aether, dangerous after-product from any mana-powered machineries that once powered the nations a long time ago. It was dangerous to those who pursued the art of magic, and deadly for those who couldn’t use magic to protect themselves. It was also called ‘anti-magic’ due to this, but also for what it was responsible for.

The Aether was weaponized a long time ago to be used in a devastating magic war where everyone lost. Even after a thousand years, it was still around despite the fact that the particles had broken down through cleaning efforts that gave mixed results. The sea saturated these dangerous particles, which in turn led to the destruction of the marine ecosystem. This also blackened the sea and made sea travel risky. Deadly, even, if precautions were ignored.

There were rumors that only the coastline was affected, and far out in the ocean, the sea was clear and clean. But no one had ever ventured that far. Those who did never returned to tell the tales. Either the sea claimed them, or they found their paradise, and refused to return to the hell they left.

This affected the people that lived close to the dangerous sea. No one bothered to live beside the black sea. They only ever considered going to one of the seaports to travel to the neighboring continent for whatever purpose other than leisure. The neighboring continent had nothing to offer for holiday, as nothing was left standing ever since the war. They only travel because they have a responsibility, not to escape from one.

For those who stayed, life was not comfortable. The despair and the bleakness ate through their hearts, making most, if not all, of the settlements near the sea technical free towns. This included the havens that had long since became a shell of their former selves, and could no longer be the beacons of the past for the future.

One of these havens, Pescita, was home to many Fa’ars and people who took over after the previous dwellers decided to retreat inland for a relatively better life. This was the first time the Fa’ar kid had ever entered a haven, and he was astonished by how different it was with the settlements outside the walls. Even if everything was in disrepair and many of the wooden buildings were close to collapsing, there were still evidence of a normal society of the past.

Raine, too, noticed that the haven was populated with Fa’ars and said, “Do you think it’s wise staying in a haven full of Fa’ars if she had been a victim of Fa’ars before?”

“She moved out of this town soon after the incident,” said Karkas. “We’re only passing through. It’s better to go through a well-protected haven than risking your lives being chased by dangerous aether-mutated creatures.”

“Or being shanked by one of them,” remarked Jacques, who noticed that some of the Fa’ars looked at them hungrily, as if waiting for them to lower their guards. He kept one hand on his gun in case that happened.

The tense situation as they walked through the fallen haven alongside many other wary travelers soon died away when they exited Pescita and into the seaside region proper. As Karkas warned, it was not a pretty sight, and was far more depressing than what Raine and Jacques were used to.

Beyond the haven was the sea. Ruins of a past settlement could be seen a distance away. Nearby, a well-maintained port made out of concrete and other aether-resistant materials had a ship docked to it, waiting for passengers to board. Given the aloofness of the people maintaining the ship, and their bored demeanor, they presumably had not had anyone traveling with their ship for a while. Their disregard to their own well-being was very apparent, considering that no one with a common sense would want to work in such a dangerous place, especially if they did not have any mana to protect their body.

The four went the other way, continuously walking while staying alert for bandits or dangerous, mutated creatures that they could spot at the beach. It was close to sunset when they finally reached their destination: a small settlement near a healthy patch of forest, populated only by a handful of people.

Karkas directed them to one of the wooden buildings, specifically the one with a mortar and pestle sign. He entered first, where he soon found the person he was looking for: a bored-looking Lizan with a colorful assortment of scales. Her yellow, reptilian eyes lit up when she noticed a familiar Croc walking into her store.

“Karkas Sobesk, in the flesh,” she said with a smile. “Been a while since you showed your face around here.”

“Two or three years, tops,” said Karkas.

“Still working on your little hunt? Found progress?”

“No, not exactly. Got into trouble and now I owed someone else.”

“Owed, eh? Who?”

Karkas sighed. “You wouldn’t like it.”

The Lizan wondered what he meant when the Croc moved away, revealing the Fa’ar kid behind him, looking at her nervously. Her cheery demeanor was slowly replaced with a cold expression, something a Lizan was good at, but subtle enough for the non-reptilian people to notice.

“Oh,” said the Lizan coldly.

“I told you so,” said Karkas. “I assure you, he’s harmless. When this is over, they’ll leave.”

“What troubles him?” said the Lizan. “And…why is he looking like that?”

Raine was going to say something before Karkas interrupted him by saying, “It doesn’t matter, Sil. Check his throat.”

Sil, the Lizan, nodded and proceeded to kneel so her eyes would be level with the Fa’ar. The kid looked at her thin slit pupil and wondered if she was glaring at him, so he looked away while she opened his maws.

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

“Say ‘ahhh’,” she said monotonously. The kid tried, but all he could let out was a shrill, croaked voice. He tried vocalizing it, straining his throat until Sil said, “Stop. I didn’t ask you to strain yourself.”

She stood up, looked at Karkas and the others, and said, “Where did you find him? Don’t say it doesn’t matter because it does.”

The only one who was not reluctant to say anything was Jacques, who walked in front of Raine and said, “We liberated him from a slave convoy.”

“Ah. That answered my question.” Sil’s eyes mellowed as she sympathized with the Fa’ar’s condition. Only Karkas noticed this. “His vocal cord’s heavily damaged. He must’ve screamed his lungs out to the point where he lost his voice, and even beyond that. Does that sound right?”

Sil then realized that the Fa’ar kid looked away and tried to hold back his tears. She also noticed that he was shivering and tried to back away from her, so mortified and traumatized by the circumstances that damaged his throat he essentially became defensive. It took him quite a while before he could even shakily nod. By this point, he already started sniffling. This time, instead of acting coldly, she exhibited a surprising warmth as she embraced the kid.

“It’s fine. I understand,” she sympathized. “You don’t need to remind yourself of it anymore. I know it won’t be easy, but you have friends. Cherish that thought.”

The Fa’ar’s attempt to stay strong instantly shattered the moment she said so. He cried over her shoulder, sniffling while trying to regain his composure. He couldn’t, so Sil looked at the three. Raine was the first to offer his hand to the young Fa’ar. He asked the Fa’ar if he wanted some time alone, to which the Fa’ar nodded. They soon walked out of the shop, while Sil crossed her arms looking rather sad.

Karkas, realizing why Sil’s demeanor changed, said, “He, too, huh?”

Sil shook her head. “All these years, I maintained my professional integrity when it comes to Fa’ars. I swore an oath when I became a doctor. I won’t turn away anyone who needs medical attention, regardless of who they are and what they do for a living. But…I never felt anything but contempt against Fa’ars.”

“Yeah. I can tell. You became emotionless when I showed him.”

“But he’s just a kid. A kid, Karkas! How could…how could anyone do that? Now I know why you, of all people, tolerated a Fa’ar. You knew what he went through.”

“No, actually. I only realized it when you comforted him. I am only doing this because of a misunderstanding.”

Sil shook her head and said, “In any case, I can give him his voice back. His vocal cord can be regenerated. It might take a while, so it’s better to start the procedure now.”

“Then name your price,” said Jacques.

“You’re a bounty hunter, yes? I can easily tell. Loups don’t go around carrying guns on their hips, or a rifle, for that matter,” said Sil. “I want you to hunt down someone.”

“Depending on whether it’s worth it,” said Jacques. “I don’t usually take requests without pay, but we are asking you to treat the kid.”

“Good that we’re on the same page here,” said Sil. “Are you familiar with the Church of Nihilo?”

This time, Jacques’s ears perked up. His aloof demeanor turned serious.

“Keep talking,” he said.

“The seaside region is notorious for the bandits and criminals, but there are also those who tried to have a normal life. The corrupting nature of the sea, however, could test even the strongest of us. That haven you went through to get here, Pescita, was abandoned by its previous inhabitants because of the aether, and they resettled further inland. But that move was not done because they decided to. Someone or a group convinced them.”

“And you suspect that this ‘someone’ is a member of that cult?”

“I don’t suspect. I confirm. I treated patients who tried to ask me to join the Church without even hesitating. It’s like they did not care about the law coming to get them. I mean, granted, this place’s already a shit hole for as far as I know, but that’s too bold.”

“And they didn’t harass you or anything?”

“Thankfully, no. But I don’t know for how long. No one is going to act on this, but since you’re here…I think we can do this in a less…formal way.”

“Show us the way to their new settlement and let me handle it,” said Jacques. “You take care of the kid.”

Sil could only nod, surprised by how Jacques reacted to the mentioning of the cult. Jacques did not even waste any time staying around after Sil gave him a map on where their settlement was. He simply checked on his weapons and bullets, then paced out of the shop without saying anything.

But after he passed Raine, he turned to the human and said, “I’m going for a job with the Croc. Do you mind staying with the kid?”

“Yeah…sure,” said Raine, confused. “What’s going on?”

“Made a deal to pay for the procedure,” said Karkas. “We’ll be back.”

Raine and the kid wondered about what happened when Sil walked to the two and said, “Let me explain inside.”

***

“Hey! Stop!”

Jacques did not stop. He continued walking towards where Sil pointed out the settlement on the map. It was only after the Croc grabbed his arm that he stopped.

“Calm down,” said Karkas. “Rushing in will only get yourself killed, or worse.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” said Jacques. “I know how the Church works. They are a slippery lot. The moment they realized they are being hunted, they’ll disappear again. Five years, and this is the best lead I get.”

“I know what you’re feeling right now,” said Karkas. “Believe me, I do. You’re not the only one who has a business with shitheads.”

“Isn’t everyone?”

“Doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to rush and ends up killing yourself. Like I said, you need to calm down. Don’t…don’t act like I did.”

Jacques finally calmed down after Karkas refused to take off his hand. The Croc’s grip was strong enough to hurt the Loup. He was serious. If the Loup stubbornly tried to get away, either Karkas ripped his shoulder off his sockets, or they would fight. One of them needed to stand down and Jacques volunteered.

“Sorry,” said Jacques. “Whenever the topic about the Church comes up, I always want to go find them before they return to the shadows again. This moment, when they are sure to be safe, is the perfect opportunity to strike.”

“I can see that,” said Karkas. “However, we need to know their strengths first before we strike.”

“I should’ve thought about that earlier,” said Jacques. “Come on. Let’s not waste any more time.”

Both continued their journey to the settlement, which became more and more visible as they approached it from the sea. Along the way, Karkas, wondering why Jacques’s demeanor changed when the Church of Nihilo was mentioned, became intrigued by it.

“So, what’s your history with them?” asked the Croc.

“Something of a…personal kind,” said Jacques. There was a considerable pause before he continued. “A revenge. No one in their right mind would…would try to ruin everyone else’s life just because they believed they are right.”

“In an ideal, normal world, that would be the case,” said Karkas. “But this isn’t that world. Anyone in their right mind must do that in order to survive. Yet, I know what you mean. What they did is unnecessary. I had encountered them around the time before they were being hunted. Even back then, I could tell that they bolstered their ranks with madmen.”

“Mad…and the hopeless. You can’t blame them for trying to find a purpose in this bleak world. Even if they knew the Church’s problematic, they had no choice.”

“There are better alternatives.”

“But was it as prominent?”

“In some places,” said Karkas. “Anyway, what’s your plan? Surely you have something better than blindly rushing into wherever building they based in.”

“I got you,” said Jacques with a smile.

Jacques and Karkas then entered the settlement, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, which was expected. A cult that had long become the enemy of so many settlements in the wasteland would not dare to be conspicuous unless they knew what they were doing.

Sil’s claim, however, meant that they had a hard time controlling their acolytes. Staying anonymous for survival would be something the leader would think and tried their hardest to enforce. Even then, Jacques wondered if they considered it a gamble to do what they did best: spreading despair in an already despairing world.

Or maybe they learned their lessons and were just focusing on keeping their beliefs alive, no matter how misguided it was. Either way, Jacques had a personal mission against them. He would not miss the chance to disrupt their renewed operations, which to him was much more important than hunting down former members while disguising it as a ‘wise’ choice.

They ruined his life, among others.