Eo and Reya headed back to the abandoned city while talking. Apparently the city was called Amdintel, and that was where Reya had grown up. When a 20,000 monster strong horde had passed through some weeks before, it caused everyone to flee. Those that stayed got completely slaughtered. Reya had found shelter with some other students, and there she had survived, learning how to use her essence as weapons. Apparently the group of kids were able to find an opening to escape, but because Reya got cut off from them for some reason she wasn't able to go with them. For the remaining week or so before Eo found her she had been surviving on her own, searching for other people. Everyone she did find was already dead, and she wasn't able to find the group of students she was with before.
""They've made it. I believe in them."
"How can you be so sure, Reya? You've never actually seen them escape."
"Just let a girl dream. Anyways, there was a lot less monsters from right before you came, so they must've left then."
"What if they didn't?"
"They did."
"Did you search the entire city?"
"No, but as I said before, I trust that they've made it out."
Reya was getting irritated by Eo's cold-hearted, unnecessary questions. Her hands started to crackle with electricity.
Eo noticed it and instantly changed his demeanor.
"Oops, sorry." Eo slightly backed away.
Reya sighed and clenched her hands.
"What about you, Eo? Why are you a mercenary? Aren't those people generally looked down internationally?"
"Well, you see, I needed money."
"Explain?"
"Okay, so I was coming home from school one day, but my house burned down. I didn't really have a lot of money, and even insurance couldn't really cover everything."
"So you tried looking for jobs…"
"Yeah, but all of them rejected me."
"Wha- why?! Were you that terrible of a student?!"
"Dunno. Anyways, they all said they weren't hiring."
"Are—are you sure you went to places that were actually searching for new employees…"
"Er, I think? Finally, I decided to become a mercenary, because I get to fight monsters and get paid!"
"No, you wanted to become a mercenary because it's the only type of job that could accept people like you."
"Y-yeah, I guess."
"What a lame life story. Mine was better."
Eo coughed. They continued to dialogue/run for a couple more hours until they could see Amdintel.
"Look Eo, we're back in the big baddie badlands."
"Back in the Big Baddie Badlands. That would make a nice song title."
"I wouldn't mind listening to a song titled that."