Jacques was reluctant to tell them the story of his past, and still was, if it wasn’t for his new allies, assuring him that they were more than capable of dealing with the worst of the Nihilo cult. The Loup had fought his battles for so long he did not expect anyone to understand him, giving an impression of a withdrawn wolf person who went against what his kind was supposed to be.

And it all started when his indecisiveness regarding the fate of the Fa’ar kid now under his care caused him to work with his self-appointed rival who happened to be of Felinar-human descent. Now that he looked back to the time before Karkas joined their merry band, he couldn’t help but to be amused. A wolf, a rat, and a (technical) cat. He read pre-war fables about their feral counterparts being enemies against one another. Considering how a rat’s always a cat’s prey and a wolf and a cat couldn’t get along (at least in storybooks, anyway), the trio was unusual. He never thought much about the stories or any fictions in general, but once he remembered it, the situation became amusing.

He was even amused that he could be amused by anything, even caring for a kind everyone would dismiss without hesitation. He risked his life just to give back the kid’s voice. Even a Crocodilian mage who had a notorious reputation as a Fa’ar hunter could sympathize with the kid, though only for the kid.

He really got it good ever since he was freed from his slavery, and Jacques could tell he was using the best of his newfound freedom to be generally useful to his saviors, especially when it came to technical expertise. It was the best decision the kid could ever make for himself. It might take a while before the wolf could learn more about the Fa’ar, or at least know his name. It’s the least he could do as a respect…and as atonement.

It all could wait. Right now, Jacques had a more pressing matter in mind.

The four, now with a clear objective, returned to the desert wasteland after four days on foot. Somehow, despite the desolate region that was mostly sand and ruins, the four felt glad that they did not have to stay in the seaside region for much longer. The air was fresher in the desert when compared to the stuffy air of the sea. That did not account for the fact that they were being slowly poisoned by the air from the polluted sea. This fact, along with the gratitude of healing the kid’s throat, caused them to persuade Sil and the rest of the people living in the settlement to seek a better place to live, away from the sea. Sil had this in mind for a while, but until they found a better place to live, the settlement was the best they could do.

Then there was the problem with the Church of Nihilo. With one of their bigger settlement gone and their hunter now becoming their main concern, they would relentlessly pursue Jacques and whoever allies he gathered. Jacques made sure that whoever tried to attack them would be dissuaded by the Loup’s notoriety, which gave them time to prepare or even hunt down the leaders.

But even if they wanted to start their offensive, they still needed more information. Nihilo was elusive enough before the free town was involved, so with the destruction of that gathering, they no longer had any leads for the rest of the leaders. Maril, as Jacques noticed, made sure no information could point towards her allies, which was a smart move, and something Jacques would do in her position.

So, with no leads, and wary of ambushes, they decided to camp instead of staying in towns. As night fell, they found a ruined building made out of concrete, most of which were already reclaimed by nature. A patch of green in the middle of what was once an atrium gave them a comfortable place to set up camp. Aware that this could be the last peace they had for an unforeseeable time, the unlikely quartet, specifically Raine, decided to use the respite for a well-prepared dinner. He already procured some fresh meat and vegetables from a haven they passed on the way to their campsite. While it was more expensive than anything outside the walls, it was of a far better quality, and also with a lower risk of aether contamination, something a Fa’ar needed.

Following Raine’s suggestion, Jacques sat down on the floor, trying to relax. He soon found that it wasn’t working; his mind was still full of his recent confrontation with Maril. Traveling alone for years before meeting Raine also contributed to this. He needed something to check, and he found it in his guns. Pulling out his gun cleaning kit, he proceeded to slowly dismantle his revolver, checking on every loose part and chamber while also cleaning them from gunpowder.

Raine noticed this, but decided not to talk about it, knowing that he couldn’t easily change Jacques’s routine. He was relieved that Jacques did not have to do whatever he did alone when the kid slowly walked towards him carrying a sack full of junk and scrap metals. Jacques was surprised by the Fa’ar’s haul, noting the big bundle of junk being so out of proportion with the ratfolk’s tiny stature.

“You know you can’t carry that into battles, right?” commented Jacques as the kid dumped the contents of the sack near where they sat, making sure not to make too much noise. “And how are you able to carry that thing around while keeping up with us?”

The kid gave Jacques the answer as he held out a talisman tied to the talisman. The kid’s voice had not fully returned, but he still managed to let out a croaked, “light…weight.”

“Ah. Featherweight magic,” said Jacques. “When did you get that?”

The kid simply pointed towards Karkas, who was preparing the meal with Karkas. Jacques simply shook his head as a smile formed on his canine maws.

“Everyone’s got something to buy behind the wall,” said Jacques. “Ah, well. I hope you can make something useful from all that junk you carry around.”

Then Jacques’s expression changed, evident from the way his lupine ears moved. He was going to return to his gun cleaning but found that he couldn’t. Recent events were still fresh in his mind. Also, when he glanced at the kid tinkering and building his unconventional weapon, he found it to be far more interesting than his guns. He was still amazed at how the Fa’ar could make use of scraps and junk he gathered along the way to create something else. In his own travels, he had never met anyone with such creativity and skill. And this all came from a Fa’ar, of all people.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

But then, as the Loup realized that the kid was making a weapon, along with the grenades he made on the fly, he could no longer find any amusement. It wasn’t because of the Fa’ar, but because of him.

“Kid,” said Jacques, whose long pause made the kid stopped whatever he was doing, thinking that the Loup wanted him to listen carefully. Jacques did not care. “I never regretted my decisions, but I never wanted anyone to be involved with me. Then again, after much self-reflection, I realized how wrong I was to deny you the freedom you seek. You found me as a glimmer of hope, but then I became your despair, even if it was only temporary. Fa’ar or not, that does not justify me returning you to them. I…never knew what you’ve been through.”

The kid could sense regret and pain in Jacques’s usually cold demeanor. It was as if he started to relive his past mistakes.

“So…I’m sorry,” said Jacques. “I could say this world forced me to do what I thought was best, but personally, it’s still wrong. Granted, no choice is right anymore, not when you know that I’m no better than them. I shouldn’t try and dissuade you from feeling that freedom.”

Jacques sighed. “Sorry, I…I don’t know why I’m acting like this. Perhaps it’s because you…reminded me of him. You reminded me of the promise I made back then. A promise that I wish to see the end before I…you know what I mean.”

The kid did not wish to see Jacques going too emotional, knowing how it would look to his friends. To spare him the sentimentality, knowing that the Loup would hate it, he put his hand on the Loup’s fur-covered hand, trying to say something. As the Fa’ar realized that he had not recovered his voice yet, he grabbed Jacques’s clawed hand and gently moved it towards his shoulder, as if asking the wolf man to pat his shoulder. It confused Jacques briefly, but he realized what the ratfolk was trying to tell him.

“Heh. I think I know why now,” said the Loup, before he properly patted the Fa’ar’s shoulder. “I do wish to know more about you, kid. When your voice returned, I want to hear your story. But we can always start with names. You do have a name, don’t you?”

The kid nodded, but before he could say his name, Karkas let out a guttural growl, his kind’s way of clearing his throat for attention. The two turned to see him carrying a pair of bowls full of the soup Raine had been cooking for the past three hours.

“How about you continue over dinner?” suggested Karkas.

“Good idea,” said Jacques. “I also have something in mind to discuss with you two.”

“Will it ruin the appetite?”

“It won’t.”

The two joined Karkas and Raine in enjoying the meal the human made. The kid was the one who thoroughly enjoyed the food as he had never had something so hearty and so delicious before. The spices and the taste of the meat’s broth blended so well with the soup that it warmed his body and energized him. Of course, it was when the soup was not too hot. It helped soothe the irritation in his recovering throat, with the hopes that it would help his recovery.

The dinner by the campfire was short, but with a cheery atmosphere. It made them forget that they had camped in a ruined building claimed by nature. It was a distraction they needed, and something Jacques needed after having a sour mood upon reuniting with his former friend. Raine’s wise-cracking attitude, and Karkas’s rather stiff personality, made them feel less like co-workers and like friends. The kid considered this the first time they ever had an open, friendly conversation around a campfire. Previously, only Raine did so, considering how he was the friendliest of the bunch. Jacques was just too distant before he revealed his past, while Karkas had just joined.

But the jovial dinner talk would soon turn serious after they were halfway done with the soup. Jacques, who finished first, set down his bowl before he started.

“Now, then,” said Jacques. “We need information. Now that Nihilo’s aware of our intentions, we need to find them before they find us. Bring them the fight before they have a chance to regroup. I’m sure by this point Mari’s already gathered what remained of the cult and already made the preparations necessary to hunt us. Knowing her, it won’t be like the Nihilo of the past where they rely on fear. This time, they will strike us when we least expected it. They can’t risk getting their new cult be hunted down by the whole wasteland.”

“Or they’ll make sure the wasteland bows to them,” said Raine. “You said they have mages that can level the whole town.”

“Mages is the keyword here, Raine. Take the magic away and what are they?”

It did not take long for Raine to come up with the answer. He simply made an acknowledging, drawn out, “ah” as he nodded.

“And getting that information is not going to be easy, unless…we find someone who’s already a member and pull that info out of them.”

“No, we don’t need to do that. Kestal will be enough.”

“Kestal? You mean the chameleon,” said Karkas. “How’s he involved?”

“He was a Nihilo acolyte,” said Jacques short.

“Wait, hold on,” said Raine, holding up his hand as if to stop Jacques. “He’s a member of the cult?”

“Was, Raine. He walked away when he no longer believed in them. But you can’t easily wash away their doctrines if you were once a devout member.”

“Weren’t you?”

“I worked for them. I didn’t buy into their crap. There’s a difference,” said the Loup. “Judging by what he did, he must’ve walked out rather recently.”

“And how did you learn about this?” asked Karkas.

“I asked the officer. Nicely,” said Jacques with a smirk, trying to be cheeky. It only caused Raine to look at him with surprise. “His crime’s written all over the wanted poster, too.”

Karkas growled, acknowledging that he did not hunt Kestal because he had a price on his head. He completely missed that information. Then again, the coincidence turned out well in the end.

“So, now we just gotta go back to Macksten and ask him,” said Raine. “How do we know whether he’s still alive or not?”

“There is no other way.”

Raine sighed. “Okay, Jacques. If that’s the plan, then we’ll go with you. Better than going around the wasteland hunting down no-names that happened to have a price because they tried to summon a demon or something.”

“That’s…oddly specific.”

“You told me about your cult. It’s not hard to connect the dots. Anyway…seconds?”

The kid, who had been silently listening to the conversation, was the one who said, “yes”, even if it was hard to hear and was barely a whisper. Raine gladly filled his bowl with the hearty meal he had never enjoyed before. Karkas did too, chuckling as he was amused by Raine’s ability to quickly make the situation light-hearted despite the serious discussion. Only Jacques was more reserved. He decided to take some rest, knowing that he needed all his strength soon.

Raine had a point about Kestal. There was no guarantee that he would be left alone after warning Jacques about Nihilo. Even if he was kept out of the loop, the fact that he was revealed to have Nihilo-related stuffs in his home proved that he could not completely escape that life. The only optimistic thing about the whole situation was that it had not been a week since Kestal surrendered to the authorities and the fact that Maril did not expect Jacques to find her new base by coincidence. Kestal might still be outside their adversary’s scope for now, but they needed to get to him first before the inevitable happened.

Maril was always a good tracker.