Chapter 8: Arrival

Valeria stood beneath the setting sun and gazed through through a pair of binoculars. After another month of uneventful travel, she has finally arrived at her destination. A village was set on the horizion that looks remarkably similar to what she saw in one of her visions.

The streets are empty and the doors of the local residences are left ajar. Signs of battle littered the place, and the only people lurking around the otherwise empty village seemed to be mercenaries. At least, according to their appearance they were mercenaries. The way they carried themselves and surveyed the surrounding area suggested they have more training than simple mercenaries would.

According to her visions, these should be soldiers belonging to the local Lord Ameer in disguise. Their presence alone helps support that her visions were not just mere drunken hallucinations, but more evidence would be needed for Valeria put her full confidence in them.

Anders approached from the side, and and stared intently at the village next to her. He scanned around trying to make out anything that would warrant Valeria making the trip all the way here. Not seeing anything noteworthy aside from the so called mercenaries, he frowned.

"You see what you came here for?"

Valeria briefly glanced at at him before handing him the binoculars.

"Maybe. See that collapsed building over there? The one that most of those soldiers are searching around? There's something I want to confirm there."

"Alright but you've got me curious. What's so special about this place?"

Valeria contemplated for a moment and decided to share a little insight with the man. They have known each other for a long rime now, and he warranted at least this much trust.

"I assume you have figured out those people over there are no mere mercenaries? They are solders of the local Lord Ameer sent here to retrieve a relic."

Anders' brows furrowed in confusion.

"What kind of relic could be found in a dusty little village like this?"

Valeria scoffed.

"Relics are often found in such inconspicuous places. If they were in locations you would expect, they wouldn't be very well hidden. Regardless, this one is not kept away in some vault. This place is the research grounds of a Columbian scientist group that called themselves the 'sand soilders.' They were attempting to create an advanced power source that is leaps ahead of any modern day energy source. The key to their research lies in a relic plundered from an old Kazdel ruin, a modified originium crystal that outputs far more energy than any normal crystal would."

Anders raised his brows at the information.

"So the Lord Ameer caught wind of it and decided to take it for himself. What about the relic, does it mean anything to you?"

Valeria's eyes grew cold as she gazed at the village.

"That crystal is the fruit of our people's labor. It belongs to the Sarkaz."

Anders nodded, but he still felt something was off.

"I get that you don't want the relic to go to outsiders, but that alone wouldn't get you off your bar stool to walk across a desert. What are you really after?"

Valeria folded her arms and frowned. She fell into silence before answering.

"I forgot the occasional intellegent thought makes its way into your head. Have you heard of the cyclops sub-species of Sarkaz?"

Ignoring her insult with a roll of his eyes, Anders responded.

"I don't know much, just that they moved far north long ago to live in Sami, and that they supposedly have the power to see the future in a cryptic prophecy-like way."

Valeria gave a small nod as he confirmed Anders words.

"Not supposedly, they can. Though they have no control over what they are shown and it is often abstract. Whether or not they can correctly interpret what they are shown is another matter entirely."

"So? Did you get word from a cyclops about something?"

Giving a small shake of her head, Valeria looked directly into Anders' eyes.

"No, I may have received my own vision. I have peered behind fate's curtain, but what I saw was much clearer than the glimpses that the cyclops witness. I have seen events spanning across decades. Every detail has been perfectly burned into my mind as if the visions themselves will not allow me to forget them. The battle-torn village you see before you just one instance that I foresaw. I came here to see it with my own eyes. To confirm their validity."

Anders widened his eyes and his heart shook at her declaration.

"...If it was anyone else who told me that, I would recommend them to a psychologist. Hell, I still might."

A small smile appeared on Valeria's face.

"If I end up being wrong, I may take you up on that."

Anders could only give a sigh. Regardless of the possibilities that flew through his mind if her words were true, he had to be realistic.

"What else have you seen?"

"Given that it looks like the attack on the village only happened a few days ago, right now the relic should be in the hands of Columbian mercenaries sent to retrieve the sand soilders. However, they are being pursued by a Sarkaz mercenary group hired by Padishah Murad. The Sarkaz will catch up and wipe out the remaining Columbians bar two survivors who escape with the relic. Those two will seek out a black market located in a place called Reefsteep. There they will find a way to escape this land."

Anders furrowed his brow in thought.

"How does the Sargon Padishah play into this?"

"He's fanning the flames behind the scenes. He leaked the information on the relic to the Lord Ameer so he would make a grab for it. That way the Padishah can have those Sarkaz on his payroll whisk it away after the Ameer and Columbians have weakened each other."

Anders nodded at the revelation and he grew serious.

"Alright, I get the picture, so now we just need to see if your visions are right. Are we making a play for the relic too?"

Seeing Anders willing to help without any hesitation, Valeria felt tension she didn't even realize was there disappear.

"Of course, as I said it belongs to the Sarkaz, and Anders ... thank you for going along with this."

A smirk made its way onto Anders face.

"I've been trying to get you out of that bar for decades now. It wouldn't be right if I didn't even entertain your new found schizophrenia, or maybe your hallucinations are coming from dementia? How old are you again?"

Valeria's eye twitched as a black tendril broke out of her shadow and flung Anders through the air. Anders slammed into the ground next to Nadeemah, who had her head buried in her tablet, and sprayed sand all around.

"Augh! Flipping heck Anders, I was so close to cracking this thing!"

Anders pulled himself out of the sand and gave Nadeemah an exasperated look.

"Are you ten? Who talks like that? And don't yell at the victim! Go take it up with Valeria if you have a problem."

Nadeemah just scoffed at his words.

"Can't, I'm using her tablet. Don't want her to take it back."

Anders looked at her with disdain.

"You really have no backbone huh?"

"How about I break your backbone?"

"You're more likely to break your own bones trying to fight me. You only started learning how to fight recently and you're still terrible."

Valeria walked up with an amused smile gracing her face. She pondered how Nadeemah really has opened up the mercenaries over the past month. After all, she had lost everything on that day, and by extension they became her only connection in this world. She still cried during the night when she thought no one would notice, but she is moving forward one step at a time.

"Alright, enough bickering. I have a request for the two of you."

Anders gave Valeria a bitter smile.

"A request eh? Not an order?"

Valeria dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"Currently I am just a client who hired you for a job you already completed. As for anything else ... it depends on how the next few days turn out."

Standing up, Anders' smile becomes a bit more genuine.

"Then I'll look forward to calling you by a more fitting title soon."

Nadeemah narrowed her eyes at the man.

"How come you always want Valeria to order you around? Are you actually a sub?"

Anders face twisted under the unprovoked verbal assault, but before he could refute a rectangular sheet of shadow sprang out of the ground between them. The two could only stare blankly at the divider as Valeria started talking before they started squabbling again.

"Anders you recall the other band of Sarkaz I mentioned? I want you to find them. No need to make contact, I'll speak to them myself if you locate them. Nadeemah, I want you to go to the closest village to here and ask about the location of a place called 'The Sleeping Sargon.' The locals will be more willing to speak with an Archosaurian rather than a Sarkaz."

Nadeemah wore a conflicted look at first, as accepting the request would be like accepting Valeria's offer when they first met. However, as she thought about getting along with the mercenaries over the past month her expression eased. She didn't hate this kind of life.

"Ok, I'll do it. What will you be doing in the meantime?"

Valeria cast her eyes back towards the distant village.

"Once night comes, I will pay that village a visit. There's something I want to confirm there."

Three tendrils came out of the shadows and presented a small walkie-talkie to each of the people present.

"These communicators are a little better than what you'll find on the market. They should have enough range to keep in contact. Once you find your target let me know."

As the three of them took the communicators, Anders felt his heart beat in anticipation and a fire burned in his eyes.

"Consider them found. See you on the other side, Valeria."