Faint reconciliation

"Bon Appétit! I worked hard, so I hope everyone enjoys it!"

"What's with you saying weird phrases before we eat? Sit down and stop ruining everyone's meal, runt!"

"Why do you have to be so rude?!"

Having a steaming bowl of food placed down in front of her, Fia instantly threw out that retort to Saria, who had done her best to supply everyone with a good meal. She'd gotten so excited, in fact, that she'd thrown out a phrase many people used in her old world and was promptly called out for it. This type of thing happened often, and though Saria tried to manage how much of her old world came out, there were simply times when she'dforgotten about the cultural—or in this case, worldly barriers between her and the rest of the girls.

"I gotta say Saria this looks really good! It gets full marks from me! Although I wasn't sure at first."

"That's really not helping Jiya." 

The helping that was in the bowl really was what one would call an eye pleaser. Saria herself had done the bulk of the cooking in her old world, having only lived with her father who'd barely made a living, a lot of the cooking fell on Saria herself. To start the dish off one would focus in on the steamed vegetables that'dclearly been prepped by Saria with the utmost care. The waft of steam that still made its way from the vegetables to the air had an inviting air to it. The meat itself was presented moderately well, as it had been something that wasn't quite lamb but wassimilar in how it cooked and in its physical appearance. 

Most of the animals in the world were like that—imitations or rather, mirror images of the animals that most of Saria's world operated around. Which is why she was ninety five percent sure that cooking this food wouldn't have been any different from the way it was handled back in her old world. Aside from the cultural differences of course. The lamb itself was marinated in spices and wrapped in small leaves, looking at the meat itself you could tell it'd been slowly cooked, with Saria implementing what was called "Pit cooking." Which was actually a technique that'd existed in her world before she'd implemented it here. One of the rare instances something i know came in handy.

"Well, dig in! If it's not good i don't know what else we'reeating tonight but at least i'll know not to let the runt cook again!" 

"H-Hey!" said Saria as a blush crept over her face.

"Well, here goes!"

Jiya was the first to take a bite, ignoring the glances she'd gotten from the other girls as she'd done so. She'd went straight for the meat first, which one could tell wasn't overly chewy due to the sounds her jaw made as she tasted it. There was an air of silence in the makeshift "kitchen" which really was eighty-five of percent of the house if any of them were to be honest. Jiya slowly wiped off her face as she'd shoved the food into her mouth.

"It's really good! Though i got a lot of it on my face!" 

"Maybe eat with the fork and not with your hands?" said Saria as she wiped off the food that'd accumulated on the sides of Jiya's mouth. At this gesture the dining room suddenly filled with life as the other girls made their way into their meals as well. 

"Wow! She's right Saria! This is really awesome! We should let you cook more often!" Isha blew off her vegetables as she stacked them on top of her meat, getting some of the remnants of the food on the edges of her mouth. Shantae who'd already made her way halfway through her plate at this point gave a "she's right you know! This is delicious!" as she continued to eat the meal as if it were her last. Even Fia, who was more than likely to hold a negative opinion of the food had dug in, managing to get some of the crumbs of her food interlocked in the strands of her hair, which was a beautiful light brown. 

"Good job runt, this taste good. I might let you cook more often now."

"Yeah, I think i'm good on that." 

Having gone down the list, Saria's eyes naturally ended up on Klessi who hadn't said anything about the dish at all. While Fia was the one who'd most likely have given a negative review of the meal she'd unexpectedly given one that was more than positive, leaving the only negative view that was expected, to come from Klessi. Though one could argue it'd be a biased view seeing as Saria and Klessi had never gotten along. Regardless the review was coming, and Saria patiently waited for it.

"Well, Klessi, how is it?" asked Isha whose mouth was full of vegetables. 

"It's exceptionally good. Guess you're not as useless as i thought." 

What had come from the young woman's mouth had shocked the women around her so much so, that the sounds of life that had come from the dining room stopped all at once. Saria herself could only grip her apron as she'd steeled herself for a negative review of her food. When that didn't come, she'd felt the grip around her apron cease and her mind lost the thoughts she'd held in an instant.

"T-Thank you Klessi! Now please, enjoy!"

"Yeah…." said Klessi with a faint voice.

After that, the dining room did not quite go back to normal, but Saria herself had slipped off her apron and began to eat as well. Saria and Klessi themselves didn't speak to each other but the dining room was far from quiet as the other girl's laughter flew around the kitchen, and even Fia herself shared a smile or two as she finished the remaining pieces of food on her plate. Saria only shared fleeting smiles as Klessi herself said nothing the entirety of the meal, but Saria noted that she didn't seem to be mad as she'd eaten everything that was on her plate. 

"Man, that was really good! I'd ask for seconds but i'm afraid they wouldn't live up to the first!' Jiya leaned back in her chair as her stomach poked out of the robes she'd worn.

"Yeah! I'm so full I'm worried about how i'm gonna work this off!" Shantae, who was in a similar position as Jiya threw out that statement and plopped her hands down on her belly. Saria smiled and gave a "I'm glad you liked it!"as the other three women were similarly slumped over in their chairs as well. 

"Gotta say i'm glad I let you cook tonight runt, haven't had a meal like that in awhile!" 

"Im glad! Guess it was worth it letting Seralyn and the others carry our stuff back tonight! Took a load off my back!" 

"Huh? Seralyn? Hell are you talkin about runt?"

The dining room had gotten quiet once again as it was Saria who'd induced the quiet this time, as she said the name of someone only two of the girls in the kitchen actually knew. Seralyn, the leader of the Thorned Pact, the group of mercenaries that'd shown a rare kindness by carrying the girl'sgroceries from the market. While Saria was still somewhat skeptical of them, she was still genuinely grateful for the help they'd given, but wasn't too proud to keep the money Fia had given them to spend on groceries for herself.

I'll pay her back. Sometime. 

"Oh yeah! We met a group of mercenaries at the market today—the Thorned Pact! Their leader Seralyn was super nice! She helped us bring back the groceries for today!" Jiya sat up in her seat and exclaimed this with a happiness that contrasted with the reactions from the rest of the kitchen. They weren't bad reactions per se but were shocking enough that they resulted in a negative aura being thrust over the rest of the kitchen. Isha was the first to break the silence, with the other girls still having somewhat inquisitive looks on their face. 

"The Thorned Pact? I think i might've heard of them. Some mercenary group from south Valeraia right? I wonder what they were doing all the way out here?"

That indeed was a good question, but not the most pressing matter for Saria who suddenly felt a wave of clarity fall over her mind. It had been a pressing matter that Saria had been agonizing over ever since they'd left the market, that matter had been: did a group called the Thorned Pact, really exist? Of course, by all means it could have, and Saria was in no position to deny this fact, but blindly believing it wasn't something she resigned herself to either. While she wanted to have this be the end of her suspicions, she couldn't help but harbor a bit longer.

"A group of hot men from Valeraia?! Please tell me you guysmanaged to keep in contact with one?!" Shantae practically fell out of her seat as she shot up and exclaimed that, her eyes darting between Jiya and Saria in the hopes one of them would answer her.

"Why? You hoping one will whisk you away on a silver chariot? Get real," said Klessi who'd crossed her arms to further display her dissatisfaction. Saria heard that the kingdom of Valeraia was perhaps, the richest country in the world, they were said to have become this due to being the most technologically advanced kingdom out of the five monarchs. If the Thorned Pact truly was from such a kingdom, then Saria wondered why they seemed to carry pretty primitive weaponry. Their weaponry was pristine of course, but still the basic "swords and shields" system that Saria would've expected to see in an RPG. Maybe it's something only the elite can get? It wouldn't be the first time something like this occurred, as the rich and powerful always kept the highest quality of life for themselves. 

"Hey! A girl can dream, ya know!" yelled Shantae as her face put on a pout.

"So, you really met people from Valeraia? What were they like?!" asked Isha as she practically bounced up and down in her seat. All eyes turned toward Saria, even Fia who usually didn'tpay attention to what the girls had to say, was oddly tuned in, to the conversation that was taking place. 

"They were great, weren't they?" said Jiya as she wrapped an arm around Saria. "Seralyn was really nice! And her second-in-command, Kael? He carried our groceries for us! They really were a class act! Weren't they Saria?"

"Yeah, i mean they carried our groceries for us and even made sure we got home safe. All in all, i'd say they're good people but..."

"But?" asked Isha as the rest of the kitchen eagerly awaited Saria's words. 

"I didn't like their eyes." 

When first hearing that statement, one wouldn't have been able to make sense of it without context. And even if they'd had that context, it wouldn't have been the same as if they'd had the full context that was swirling around in Saria's head. Not liking someone's eyes wasn't a particularly good reason for someone to say they didn't like them, and even less of a reason to base your judgment of them on, considering you'd already experienced their actions. That being said it was a judgement that Saria was unwilling to let go. 

"Their eyes?" asked Klessi with a bit of interest.

"Yeah. Not how they looked or anything, but what they held inside of them. It was like their eyes cared about nothing but their goal, and that they were willing to do anything—no matter what it was, to get them."

She'd seen that same look in some of the kids she grew up with in New Mexico. The ones who ended up dead, but not without taking a haul of corpses with them. 

"So, while i appreciate them walking us home, there was something about their eyes i didn't trust. Something that made me feel really unsettled."

The dining room got quiet as everyone contemplated her words. It was a flimsy reason for not liking someone at best, but a reason that the residents of the Syentharian Sand Dunes could understand. At least those who could do the same. You could learn a lot about a person by the look in their eyes, their temperament, values, maybe even their lifestyle. Though the act of reading a person's eyes was not something all that easy either. And while everyone in the room had experience with it, there were those who were better at it and those who weren't. 

"Well," said Fia as she stood up from the table, the scarping of her chair knocking everyone out of their stupor. "In that case you should stay way from the fuckers anyway, people with eyes like that aren't as nice as they claim to be ya know," she walked over to a small room which had a shoddy wooden door for an entrance. The bottom of it was heavily oxidized, which spoke to the time it'd spent in the Kafa. "Besides we can't risk them finding out about your work, so cut all contact with them understand?"

"Awwww but what about the hot Valeraian men?! I don't wanna stay in these dunes forever!" yelled Shantae as she waved her arms about in a frantic pout.

"No. No arguing. Unless you want a pay cut i suggest you be quiet, unless you wanna test your luck? Now, lights out. We start bright and early tomorrow and i don't wanna keep the Windscorn Clan waiting, you know how they get."

Before anyone could protest her words Fia had slammed the door, leaving the conversation behind. But only one questions was on. the girl's minds at this point. "Okay, does anyone else wonder what she meant by "it'd be bad if they found out about your jobs" is that not weird to anyone else?" asked Isha as she crossed her arms. 

"Well, it is a little strange but i'm sure miss Fia has a good reason, right?" asked Jiya as she'd started to take up the dirty plates much to the protest of Saria who already said she'd do it."I mean, she's kept us safe this long, hasn't she?"

"Yeah," said Klessi in a low tone. "But what if she's hiding something? What if the reason she's never told us whose Mana we're degrading is because it's some—ancient king or something."

Saria paused; she had thought the same thing at a point in time but disregarded the idea as Fia stated it was confidentiality for her client who'd contacted her about the Mana Degradation in the first place. But that idea definitely had holes in it, but so did the idea of it being some sort of "ancient king", though for all intents and purposes it very well could have been. Saria didn't know all the history of this world, and most of the stories she'd read about people being transported into another world, had them getting entangled with figures like that all the time. Though Saria hoped she wouldn't be one of them. Though none could have it worse than an anime she'd watched about a boy in her same predicament who could die over and over. Too bad i'll never get to finish that show.

"Oh, come on Klessi, you don't actually believe that do you? It's obviously just Fia being Fia, why does it matter whose Mana we're degrading as long as we're getting paid. Right Saria?" Shantae turned the conversation over to Saria, who'd been the only one who hadn't given her input on the current conversation. She didn't quite know what she herself thought but resigned herself to speak all the same.

"I think Klessi is right," said Saria as the room became silent, but she didn't stop. "Miss Fia's way too adamant about hiding this. I think there's definitely more at play here, though i can'tsay for certain which is why i'm still skeptical about it. Either way, i think we should all keep our guard up." Perhaps it was the way Saria's eyes looked when she said it, but one opened their mouths to protest the words she'd said and simply took in what the girl had said. Even Klessi who hadn't been expecting Saria to agree with her, stayed quiet at the girl's words. Perhaps due to the look in her eyes or maybe the tone in which she spoke.

"Well," said Jiya as she clapped her hands and put on that well-placed warm smile. "This has been a great talk, why don't we all get ready for bed Fia's gonna work us like crazy tomorrow. Saria? Why don't you go ahead and get ready for bed too? I can clean all this up, it won't take long."

"Are you sure? I can help, i don't wanna make you do it alone."

"Of course, i'm sure now off to bed, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

​​​​​ ***

After awhile of cleaning Jiya had made her way to the girls shared bedroom, they all slept on one pallet, huddling under a giant sheet to garner warmth from one another. It wasn't ideal but no one complained seeing as the alternative was sleeping in the cold with no blanket at all. Though at present Saria didn't find herself in this arrangement, she was outside sitting on top of the muddy Kafa, as she looked at the stars over the dunes. They could always be found at this time of night; they were the one thing this world had over her old one. As the stars here were so many in volume, they could put the cells in a person's body to shame.

"Can't sleep? Can't say I'm surprised considering what you said back in the kitchen, it creeped me out." Saria had turned expecting to see Jiya but instead was greeted by Klessi who wore a sleek nightgown that hugged her body tightly. She looks…

Saria noticed her cheeks were heating up and promptly turned back towards the stars.

"Uhh! Klessi, what are you doing here?! I didn't expect to see you tonight! What brings you out?"

"What i can't watch the stars? And why are you actin all weird about it? Something wrong?" asked Klessi with a hint of annoyance.

"N-No nothing at all!" said Saria as she got another peek at her body, which hugged the gown perfectly.

She plopped down next to Saria and didn't say a word after that. Saria had managed to regain her composure and kept her sight on the stars above her head, opting to keep from looking to her side for as long as she could. Klessi too, said nothing as she moved her eyes to the landscape above her, her eyes traversing the stars as if she herself were in deep space. Until finally that silence was interrupted by an unexpected provocation.

"I don't hate you, ya know?"

"Huh?"

Klessi paused, gripping the ends of her gown as she continued.

"I ma act like it all the time. I may tell you that i do but the truth is i don't. I just never liked how you were able to stay positive in this place, how you were able to find a way to be happy no matter what this place threw at you. I guess it just discouraged me, seeing as i grew up here too and was never able to shake this place."

"I…"

She wanted to say it. That she didn't grow up here and that she wasn't from here or even from this world at all. That Klessi and Jiya and anyone else who grew up in this place—in this world, was far stronger than Saria in every way possible. But she didn't, and so her mind worked trying to find the words to say next as Klessi continued.

"Don't get me wrong, i'm not saying i admire you or anything. But you were able to stay positive in this world when i couldn't do that." It was something about the way she said it that gave Saria pause as there was of course remorse in the situation, but something else in their as well. Longing maybe?

"And i ended up taking my frustrations out on you, and for that, i'm truly sorry, Saria." 

Never quite. Those were the only words that came to Saria's mind as she turned her head to look at Klessi and found something she wasn't expecting, which caused the words "never quite" to come to mind. The first thought that came to her mind was that she never quite expected to hear those words come from Klessi. She'd had it in her head that Klessi would never like her, and that was okay. But in this reality, she hadn't expected to come, that wasn't the only thing she found that surprised her to the point of being speechless. Water, water had slid down the soft facial features that were present on Klessi, and her cheeks flushed in a way that made her look particularly child-like.

She'd just noticed it, but Klessi's voice had sounded particularly unstable as well almost as of it was on the verge of cracking. But all those observations meant nothing once Saria finally realized what was happening before her. In front of her, in front of Saria, Klessi was crying. Klessi...

It was then that Saria decided on the next best course of action.

"Klessi," Saria took her hands in hers as she leaned in close.

"Huh?! Saria what are you doing?!"

"I won't say that some of the things you said to me didn't hurt my feelings. But i never once thought it was coming from a place of true hatred, and while I can't forget the things you said to me i want you to know, I forgive you." 

"But why? How can you be so forgiving? How can you say that you'll let me get away with all the things that i said or did to you? How are you okay with moving past all that?" Klessi's voice broke as the tears in her eyes started to gather, no longer caring if Saria saw.

"Because i know that's not really you. And i'd rather let go of a grudge than hang onto it for the rest of my life. Things are just easier that way you know?" Saria flashed a faint smile as she wiped the tears from Klessi's eyes.

"But are you really sure? Are you really sure you can forgive me for what i've done? You're not gonna go back on it once you've had time to think about it?" 

"Of course not. That's not my style and all i've really ever wanted was for us to be friends anyway and now we are, okay? So don't worry about me going back on my word or anything, i wont."

There was a slight pause between the two of them after that as Klessi nodded her head, seemingly taken aback by the words that Saria had just exclaimed to her. Saria seeing how late it was stood up and began to stretch lightly.

"Well, i suppose it's getting late. I think we should head to bed, miss Fia's gonna have a load of work for us tomorrow. I think it's better to be well-rested for that." Saria held out her hand to a still crying Klessi, who wiped her tears away and hesitantly took her hand.

"Yeah…." Klessi stood, watching the back of Saria who began to walk away. The light from the moon shined ethereally on her back, she strolled towards the Kafa with a grace Klessi had perhaps been ignorant of until now.

"Saria?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Klessi smiled, a smile that Saria didn't know how much she needed to see until the very moment she'd saw it. It was a simple smile, one that reminded her of how she used to look at her father when he'd gotten home. A smile that showed despite the life they lived, they were able to find moments like this, moments where one could be truly happy. It was a beautiful thing, and maybe finding these moments was the reason why Saria was able to survive in another world. Though it has just been a year.

"Don't mention it. Now let's head to bed, it's getting cold out here."

"Yeah," said Klessi as she followed Saria inside. But neither of them had noticed it.

"…" 

Not one of the Mana practitioners—even Saria who'd been innately talented at handling Mana noticed it, the presence that had been watching the whole interaction. Perhaps this was due to the skill-level the presence herself was at though, as one could say she was at the point where if she didn't want to be found, she could make it so. With the help of her [Tactician's Spark] Jiya had managed to control her Mana to the point that Mana detection was simply inconceivable. Even if Saria had been the most proficient Mana handler on earth, Jiya's [Birthright Calling] was simply too strong for such a thing. She hid in the shadows watching with no particular emotions on display, of course she felt happy that her two friends had made up, but she didn't particularly know what compelled her to spy on them—or rather, she knew what had, but didn't know why she listened to it. 

"So, they made up huh? Good for them. I'm happy for you, Saria."

That was all she could say as sadness—or something resembling it had taken over her face and she walked back inside to join the other girls.

​​​​​​

​​​​​​***

"Man, it's super hot! I know we have to work but can we take today off?! This heat is way hotter than normal!"

The next day had come strikingly fast, and the girls barely had any time to catch their bearings as Fia came barging into their room demanding they "get their asses up!" as she clapped her hands to break the girls' sleep. Saria figured the talk they had last night must have really had an effect as Klessi wasn't overly talkative but greeted Saria with a smile and a "good morning!" as the two had gotten ready for the day. The other girls seemed to notice this shift in behavior, but didn't comment on it as Fia left no room for much conversation as she furiously conversed with the Windscorn Clan and Jericho, who were preparing to take the girls to work. 

Jiya seemed a lot less talkative today, but Saria just assumed it was because having to share a space with a bunch of other girls was getting tiring. Either way she didn't pry into what was going on.

"No," Fia flipped around, causing a bit of sand to fly from underneath her feet. "I already told you it'd be a long day so don't go complaining now. If you want out, i'll gladly let you go, just don't expect any food and shelter from me!"

"Point taken," said Shantae as she gave a defeated nod. 

"Jiya, did you sleep well last night? I didn't get in til later, but you were out like a light when i got back in. Feeling refreshed?" Saria expected to get a response from Jiya, but she said nothing, continuing to stare into the never-ending landscape that was the Syentharian Sand Dunes. "Jiya? You, okay?"

"Oh! Saria! I'm fine Just thinking about some things…"

Jiya trailed off, but before Saria could say anything about that Jiya let out an "ummm" that stopped her in her tracks. "Saria, if it's okay with you i'd rather not talk today, i'm not feeling very good."

"Oh, uh…"

All in all, it wasn't a huge problem, in actuality it wasn't a problem at all, but it certainly hadn't been normal for Jiya. During the one year that Saria had spent in the Syentharian Sand Dunes, she'd never so much as seen Jiya in a bad mood, it was almost inhuman. While seeing this side of her may have been something that Saria should have been happy about, she found that it provoked the opposite of that reaction. What could've caused Jiya to be unhappy? She truly didn't know as yesterday's events had been fairly "okay" and maybe even a good day by Saria's standards. Especially considering the fact that she'd cooked a dinner that everyone was highly receptive to and evenmanaged to make-up with Klessi somehow. 

"Yeah! That's fine! I'll totally give you some space!" 

"Thanks," Said Jiya as she walked off, not really paying much attention to Saria after that.

After awhile of conversing about nothing in particular, Fia gathered the girls up and placed them onto one of the Wind-Waders, which were much bigger than Fia's as they were more like a ship on sand than anything else and used the air to get around instead of Mana like Fia's. The girls sat with some of the Windscorn Clan. Saria was grateful for Shantae's flirting as that mostly kept the attention on her and off the other girls. Jiya of course, was still grabbing the attention of the men regardless due to her figure. Though instead of diverting them with her usual humor and wit she simply ignored them, not saying much as she sat on the Wind-Wader with a blank expression. 

"Alright!" yelled Fia as she cupped her mouth. "We're heading out! Get us there in one piece and you get paid like usual, now let's go!"

While there were a few grunts and a couple of grunts of disapproval and name-calling, most of the Windscorn Clan ignored Fia's usual antics and started on their way. Though Jericho did call her a "crazy witch!" as they took off, but that was nothing new to anybody at this point. 

"Hey honey," said one of the men as he wrapped an arm around Shantae's waist. "What do you say after work we go a few rounds?" his eyes turn to Saria and before she could do anything the feeling of a hand landed on her rear-end and a loud smack was heard across the dunes. "Maybe your little friend can join us! If she stops being so shy!"

Saria didn't even have a chance to react to it before Jiya's hand came crashing into the man's jaw. And a second loud slap found it's way into the dunes, this one much louder than the first. It had also been apparent to Saria that someone's hands had wrapped around her waist, and she'd been moved several feet away from her assaulter. She turned to see Klessi holding her tightly, and even Shantae and Isha standing in front of her with angry expressions.

"I'll mind you to keep your hands to yourself thank you very much!" Jiya's eyes narrowed in on the man holding nothing but anger in them, as the man himself seemed to be in the process of figuring out what had happened and once he did, his default reaction of course, was anger.

"You okay Saria?!" asked Jiya, not taking her eyes off the man.

"Y-Yeah," said Saria.

While Saria found herself getting angrier by the minute, she wasn't able to properly express this anger as it seemed that it was being expressed for her. You could say that in this moment, the other girls were harboring a level of anger that far surpassed even Saria's. Though this wasn't due to Saria having a lack of awareness about what happened to her, it was more like she was used to this kind of thing as even this, was something she'd considered doing to keep on living in New Mexico. But it was the will of her mother and the lessons she'd taught Saria before her death, which reeled her in from the idea of selling her body just for survival. It was then that Saria had learned everything was truly a choice, and what she was and wasn't willing to give up for her own survival. 

"Hey, what's going on!? Stop causing all that commotion backthere!" yelled Jericho, his voice coming from one of the Wind-Waders in the front.

"Nothing boss!" he yelled back. "Just a little dispute with the guys, that's all!" his eyes didn't move from Jiya as he said that,his head seeming to hold a throbbing vein as he looked over the group. "Now listen here you bitch!" the man began to draw a sword from his back as his companions around him did the same. "The only reason we put up with you is cuz your whore-for-a-boss pays! But between me and you she's down on the payment and we've been discussing other ways that she can repay us! And since you're all so protective of that one!" he pointed at Saria. "Maybe i'll start, by suggesting to boss, that we take turns fucking her! and—"

The sentence had promptly come to an end, as the man's words never reached the conclusion, they'd seeked. Instead, there was a loud "—woosh!" through the air accompanied by the faint sound of something sliding across the floor of the Wind-Wader.Saria not caring about what compelled her to do so, lowered her head out of pure instinct and her eyes found a substance that had been smeared across the Wind-Wader's deck. 

"—Hk."

She didn't exactly know why, but she decided to follow the substance to the very end, vowing to see the point of origin for the streak she was sure hadn't been there before. But upon following that Saria realized that the streak's origins weren't the only thing her body had unintentionally started to register.

"—Hmm."

A certain smell had tucked itself into her nostrils and Saria couldn't tell at the moment if it was unpleasant or not, or even if the point of origin of the smell was indeed the point of origin for the streak as well. Though she became painfully aware of itsexistence and the effect it may have been having on her nose as it scrunched up and Saria assumed it'd been a smell that wasn't pleasing to the human body. Not only that, but she could feel her body being moved—by who or what, she didn't know, she only knew that it was being moved. In fact, the only reason she knew this fact at all was due to her immense focus on the streak, due to this she was able to discern that the distance between her and the point of origin for the streak was closing. At least that was what she assumed, but the speed at which her body was being pulled hadn't added up with the distance Saria had calculated in her head.

This movement had become even more contradictory as Saria felt the momentum that had been building up as her body was pulled, was cut in half due to something that she'd felt at her feet. 

"—Hk."

Reluctantly moving her eyes off the streak, Saria lowered her head completely to see the cause of what stopped her momentum. 

"Huh?"

There, on the floor of the Wind-Wader was the point of origin for the streak, her assaulter's head which had rolled off the tip of Saria's shoes. 

"AUGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" 

Having realized the reality of what happened Saria's senses found their way to the girl's brain. Though Saria herself hadn't yet gotten to this point, and the only part of her body she'd had access to was used instinctually, as she flailed around, kicking the man's head across the deck causing it to roll once more. It hadn't gotten far though as a sharp object pierced through it, causing the head itself to be impaled on the object. The "object" Itself was contrasting, having parts that unsettled Saria for many different reasons. One was the hairs that stood like needles coming from various spots on the object. They all stood as if the object itself was scared, causing the hairs on its body to stand indefinitely.

They even came from the plates of armor that seemed to be unfairly placed all around the object. As if to show off their armor-like qualities, the spots were dirtied, perhaps to show off the object's past endeavors. Which was more than likely to allude to the fact that despite those numerous occasions the armor-like patches it had, still hadn't been broken through. In fact, those dirty patches couldn't even be called "scars" as that would have been too discrediting to the object itself. And what was perhaps the reason for the victories in all those was the end of the object, which was so sharp that it'd have no trouble cutting through any type of prey at all. Saria herself only took minor note of those characteristics though as something else was pushed to the forefront of her mind at the moment.

"—Guh..."

What was on the man's face at the moment his head had been removed had simply been the angry expression he'd aimed at Jiya moments before his head was lopped off. And while seeing the head would've been enough to scare anyone, what scared Saria the most was the fact that the man had such little time to react, that the fear on his face as he was being killed couldn't even be displayed. 

"—Saria! move!"

But Saria didn't hear—she couldn't. As that object had set itssights on her, impaling the beheaded man's corpse on itself as it did. The voice who'd said that though must have taken action as Saria felt the sharpness of that object and its attack brush off the sides of her hair. She was met with a burning feeling on the side of her face becoming to known to her as her sense finally emerged. It was then that she learned the one who'd pushed her out of the way had been Jiya who'd narrowly managed to escape certain death at the hands of the "object" due to using her Mana to veer the attack off to the side. This must've been what saved Saria too.

The object retracted itself as if it were annoyed due to not reaching its prey. It moved back toward the sand that, setting its sights on the surrounding Wind-Waders, considering them to be their prey now. Saria looked to the sand and immediatelyrecognized what the object that struck at her had been. It wasn't an object at all, it was a tail, a tail that belonged to something Saria was all too familiar with—as were any residents of the Syentharian Sand Dunes. 

"A horde of Wyrmkin?!"

There, sliding across the sand, in a way that made it all too clear the beast were in their element were the Wyrmkin, the special type of Wailbeast that patrolled the Syentharian Sand Dunes, treating it like its hunting grounds. Saria had never truly seen one up close, and her only encounter with one wasn't really an encounter at all, as she'd almost stumbled into one of their nests but was promptly stopped by Fia. In fact, for the year Saria had been here she had managed to see nothing of the Wyrmkin, and Fia herself made sure the route to the tower had been free of the beast so Saria had only one question circling around in her mind.

Why are they here?!

While her mind was pondering that question, her eyes were actively taking in the appearance of the beast she'd heard so much about. If Saria was to give her best appraisal of it, it looked like a mixture of a scorpion and a snake, some sort of unholy mixture of two of the scariest animals on the planet. And while Saria was aware the animals from her world got a bad wrap, she was painfully aware these abominations were the killing-machines everyone fabled them to be. That "Object" which Saria now knew had been the beast tail, acted as a Segway down into the creature's abdomen. Though from the view Saria had, she was only able to see the creatures back, which had black patterns that ran along it's spine.

If one had followed up the creatures back as Saria did, they'd be met with what was perhaps the most puzzling face one would ever see. No, in truth it wasn't that puzzling, it was simply grotesque, as it was not only the head of a snake—but the head of the snake that seemed to have the features of a scorpion grafted onto it. Instead of having normal cheekbones, what was found there were the pincers of a scorpion stemming from the mouth of the Wyrmkin. It was painfully clear they were placedtheir unnaturally, perhaps by the Mana disaster that created the Wailbeast in the first place. If it had been painful, it had been preceded by the fact that the Wyrmkin had been give the optimalevolutionary features to dominate the Syentharian Sand Dunes. 

There was no one that could stand up to such a creature, Human or Wailbeast. Even in the area of size, the Wyrmkin had truly been blessed, dwarfing even the Wind-Wader they were riding on in size. It hadn't been a close size difference either, as had the Wyrmkin truly desired it, they could have swallowed the Wind-Wader and the inhabitants who rode them whole. And once one was swallowed—or killed by the pincers they wielded so efficiently—there was no escaping the fate that awaited them. 

"Saria! Keep moving!" Jiya came sprinting back to Saria who didn't question Jiya's words and immediately stood herself back up. "Isha! Shantae! Pour your Mana into the Wind-Wader! We need to go faster!" The two gave a "right!" as they quickly started to pour Mana into the Wind-Wader causing it to speed up immensely. It put a bit of distance between the girls and the horde of Wyrmkin, but not enough to avoid being eaten if theWyrmkin willed it. 

"Wait! What about miss Fia?! She's still on the Wind-Wader with Jericho!" yelled Saria.

"Are you kidding me?! We're barely out of the woods ourselves and you're thinking about other people?!" said Shantae as she strained to increase her Mana output. Doing this wasn't all that different from degrading Mana, though it was different in the fact that you were simply pouring your Mana into something rather than pouring it in and partaking in an external action. Of course, everyone had a limit to how much Mana they could kick out and it seemed as if Shantae was reaching hers.

"She isn't some "other person!" we owe her our lives! if it weren't for her, we'd have been dead a long time ago!"

Not giving Shantae a chance for a retort, Saria turned her eyes to Jiya. "Jiya, can you pour your Mana output into the Wader too?! All you gotta do is get me close to miss Fia and i'll do the rest!"It truly wasn't like Saria didn't get the predicament they were in, she really did. It was just that in her eyes, Fia was something who's survival was non-negotiable. She was aware survival was all that mattered in a life-or-death situation but firmly believedthat only applied to strangers and people you didn't know all that well.

It was simply a fundamental piece of her character that wouldn't allow her to leave behind Fia even if she wanted to. She was aware that piece of her was idealistic and naïve but it was a part of her self she was only willing to give to those she believed deserved it. And she believed Fia to be an example of that. 

"Saria…"

"I'm not stopping so don't bother! I'm doing this whether you want me to or not!" 

Jiya wanted to protest, but the look on Saria's face let her know that her words were not false. She would do this, regardless of if she had help or not. And since Jiya knew that Saria acting on her own would only result in death, she'd felt herself backed into a corner. 

"Fine! I'll pour my Mana into the Wader! That should give us enough speed to catch up to Jericho and grab Fia. After that, Saria, you'll join us in speeding up the Wind-Wader and we'llhead straight for the tower. But if this doesn't work it's on you! Understand?!"

"I do."

"Fine, then let's go!" Jiya pushed her Mana into the Wind-Wader and as predicted the speed at which they were going increased ten-fold, even giving the Wyrmkin a run for their money as they speed up, relentlessly chasing their prey. Saria stood up as her eyes landed on the Wind-Wader in the front, and as she spotted Fia, something akin to a fire started to grow within the heart of the young girl. As her eyes settled in on her goal. 

And with that Saria Tenorio advanced on the mission to reclaim everything, at the risk of losing it all.