At Corwyn's words, Yana raised her head again, looking equally astonished as irritated.
"You want to tell me about yourself? Why? What are you gaining from doing so?"
To Yana, Corwyn's sudden proposal made no sense at all. He had asked her about her past, which she had rejecting fervently, and immediately after, he wanted to tell her his backstory? She couldn't help but be suspicious of his motive.
"What I'm gaining from telling you? Oh, I would say plenty. For instance, we can kill some time until the sandstorm subsides, because just sitting around here for hours is boring as hell. Hmm, what else? Oh, right. If you know more about myself, then I'll be no stranger to you anymore, and someday you can tell me more about yourself. Isn't that a good reason?"
Yana didn't say anything for a long time after Corwyn had finished his explanation. That was because she was simply too speechless to word a proper response. Was this guy actually serious about what he was saying? Or was he just messing with her?
"Are you... an idiot? What kind of logic is that?"
While Yana was still trying to figure out if Corwyn was being sincere or a complete fool, the young man's mouth formed into a cheeky grin.
"Well, it doesn't really matter, does it? It's not like you have anything better to do, so why not just listen?"
"..."
Once again, she had no words to refute. Although he was technically right, did he have to act all smug about it? Her astonishment soon turned into annoyance.
Yana's first impression of Corwyn was actually not that bad. Even though she was his enemy, he had hesitated to kill her, and he also didn't treat her like an outlaw, but rather just as someone caught up in the same situation as him. A part of his reasons was probably the fact that she was a woman, but still, he looked like a pretty nice guy.
What annoyed her about him was him sticking his nose into places where it didn't belong, and his manner of acting like he saw right through her. When he was acting like that, it really made her want to punch him in the face. However, Yana refrained from doing so, since a part of her really was bored and wanted to listen to his story. As much as she hated to admit it, at the moment, his proposal was actually enticing. But there was no way she would tell him that. Yana put on a disinterested expression and spun her head to the side, then stated in an equally indifferent tone:
"Alright then, if you're that eager to tell me, go ahead! But it would better not be a waste of time, even if we have plenty of that at the moment!"
Having gotten her approval, Corwyn's smile grew even wider. Satisfied, he leaned himself back against the stone pillar behind him, and looked towards the ceiling.
"Okay, where should I start...?"
For the next few hours, Corwyn told her everything. How he grew up with his father in the smithy. The sudden loss of his father and the newfound bond with his friend Teo. About his fear of never finding out what had happened to his parent, and his determination to go search for him. And about his many adventures on his journey, the places he had visited, and the people he had encountered. By the time he had finished, Yana had already lost all track of time. She was that immersed in listening to his tales.
"So, that was basically it! What do you think? Was it worth listening to?"
Yana was still in a strange trance when his words reached her brain. It took her a moment to realize that the story had ended, and she snapped back to attention with a jerk. On Corwyn's face, she saw the same grin he had shown before, and her own face immediately went red as she realized she had actually enjoyed his story. She truly felt embarrassed about her earlier indifferent attitude now.
Still feeling awkward, Yana coughed multiple times until she finally managed to put on a serious expression again.
"It was indeed more interesting than what I had expected! However, my stance still won't change!"
She expected him to be disappointed, but Corwyn simply shrugged his shoulders at her answer.
"As I said, I will not force you to do anything. It was still worth a try I would say! And it helped us kill some time too."
With a yank, the young man stood up and began stretching his limbs while at the same time turning around. He was now looking towards the staircase which resembled the entrance to the cellar.
"Well then, the sandstorm should have subsided by now. Do you think we should check if it is okay to go out?"
"Alright, but shouldn't we wake up your friend over there before that?"
"Oh, right, almost forgot! Hey, Teo, get up! We're leaving now!"
"Hmmnnn? What is it?"
Corwyn's shout seemed to have ripped Teo out of the land of dreams, as he was letting out a deep grumble while raising his head. Slowly but surely, the third person in the room stood up and walked over to them, still stretching his body from the long inactivity.
"I said we're about to get out of here! So get ready and pack your things!"
"Oh, it's already time? Give me a second!"
Now fully awake, the young swordsman immediately ran over to his belongings and began packing multiple objects into his backpack. Corwyn too used the time and searched the wooden crates on the back of the room for supplies. Yana simply stood where she was, as if rooted to the spot. She had only known these two young men for a few hours but already felt like she had figured them out. Both of them had shown good poise in battle, with calm minds and tactical understanding. Even more praiseworthy was their teamwork, which had cornered her as well. Looking at them from that perspective, they weren't acting their age at all, appearing more like old battle veterans.
However, outside of combat, they were displaying a youthful playfulness, with their occasional jokes and nonserious remarks. Seeing them like that, even Yana couldn't help herself but show a slight smile. She had never met people like that in her entire life.
It didn't take Corwyn and Teo long to get ready. Teo tilted his head slightly when he set his sights on the exit.
"So, what's the plan? As far as I understand it, the trapdoor upstairs should have tons of sand lying on top of it, not to mention the warehouse overall. How exactly are we going to get through all that?"
Once the question was out, Corwyn too directed his eyes towards Yana, looking puzzled. Yana had composed herself again by then, and put on a serious expression while explaining.
"I'm not sure if you two have noticed, but the door can not only be opened from both sides, but also open towards both sides. Meaning, you can pull the trapdoor downwards. By doing that, the weight of the sand matters little."
"But wouldn't doing that mean that all the piled up sand would flow downwards through that opening? I thought the meaning behind hiding down here was to avoid being buried alive."
Her explanation made sense, but now a completely different concern showed on Corwyn's face.
"Yeah, that's right. Don't worry, that problem had been taken into consideration when the Red Vipers took over this village and discovered this place. Inside the warehouse, we have dug multiple sewers deep into the ground, which absorb a large part of the sand. So the amount coming through the door shouldn't be that drastic. In the worst case, we have to dig for a few hours."
Having finished her explanation, Yana shrugged her shoulders before turning around and facing the entrance to the staircase again.
"Alright, I guess we should start now. First, let's open the trapdoor, and then, we will see how long it will take us to get out!"
And without further ado, Yana walked up the stairs, leaving Corwyn and Teo with no other choice left but to follow her.
It indeed went just like she had described it. Once the three of them had made their way up the stairs, Yana opened the metallic trapdoor, and sure thing, sand kept flowing in en masse. Fortunately, she was also right about the reduced quantity, as, after about three minutes, the flood abruptly stopped, and light entered through the hole. It was already night outside. Although they had only been in this cellar for a couple of hours, the fresh air and dim light of the moon gave their hearts a kind of reassuring feeling, the confirmation that they had indeed survived.
"Okay, I guess we have to start digging our way out now! I don't know if you two have anything useful for this task with you, but in case of doubt, just use something flat. Better prepare yourselves, this might take a while!"
"Actually, I have a better idea!"
Both Yana and Teo turned their heads towards the one who had spoken, Corwyn. A smirk was visible on his face briefly. It was quickly replaced though with a look of deep concentration. Arcor gathered inside his hand. They might not be within an Arcor vein, but the village was not that far from one, so the density was still decent. Once he had gathered enough Arcor, he started to transform it into solid iron, and then formed it into the shape he desired. It didn't even take two minutes until he had finished, holding the newly created object in his hand, showing a triumphant look to the other two. On Yana's face, bewilderment was apparent, since it was the first time she had seen Corwyn use his ability. Teo on the other hand merely raised his eyebrows.
"Is that... a shovel?"
Yana had overcome her astonishment a few seconds later, and asked in a doubting voice. Corwyn nodded his head, still proud of his idea.
"Yep, a shovel it is! Wouldn't it be more efficient to use this to dig ourselves out? I can make an additional two for you guys in a matter of minutes!"
Having said that, he immediately went to work. Not much later, each one of them was holding a shovel of pure iron in their hands, and they began to work their way out of the cellar. The nights in the desert were cold, but fortunately, the hard labor was keeping them warm to some extent. Bit by bit, the sand surrounding them was shoveled to the side, and after around two hours, they had reached the top of the sand mountain. The trickiest part had yet to come though. The newly amassed sand which had buried the whole village was kind of hard to move on. Slowly and carefully, the three made their way to one of the windows nearby. From there on, it was shoveling again, until they were out of the sand at last, the night sky stretching out above them.
"Your ability is really useful, you know that?"
"Hahaha, I guess you're right!"
Yana's remark on the side made Corwyn glad, in some way. She might not have realized it herself yet, but she was interacting more casually with him now than a few hours ago. Apparently, him telling her his background had indeed improved her view of him.
Observing the area around himself, Corwyn discovered that the whole village was in the same state as the warehouse they had just exited. Except for the rooftops, everything was covered up by the sand the sandstorm had brought. Corwyn couldn't help but smile sadly. Under those piles of sand lay friend and foe alike, having lost their lives in suffocation. No one would come to give them a proper burial, and by the time someone found them one day, only their skeletons would remain.
There was nothing he could do anymore for those brave men, but to hold his fist against his chest and give them a minute of silence. Teo and Yana seemed to understand what he was doing, as neither one of them said a word either. The silence continued like this for a while.
"So, what are we going to do now?"
It was Teo who finally broke the silence. Corwyn turned around again, facing his two companions at last.
"I'm not sure yet. The expedition party has probably continued on its route, because I doubt that they have continued their fight in the sandstorm. We could try going after them, but only Rogar knows the exact path they are taking. Trying to go back to Tarrov seems equally impossible. It would take us multiple days, and there are no places where we can refresh our supplies on the way. Long story short, I'm also clueless about what actions we should take."
Corwyn sighed. No matter how he looked at it, they were still in a dire situation, even after surviving the sandstorm.
"I don't know about you guys, but I may know an option that could help you!"
Both Corwyn and Teo simultaneously spun their heads towards Yana.
"Around three days of marching from here, there exists a long forgotten oasis far away from the Arcor veins. We discovered it about three months ago, so I still have an idea of how to get there. If you want, you two can come with me."