"Sure," Victoria replied as Larkin sighed in relief before breaking into a smile. "Thanks, 'cause woo, if we couldn't get one, it would have been a nightmare to get there on foot." Larkin had spent the last few minutes persuading Victoria to lend them a steamstrider, a vehicle designed for long-distance travel. Fortunately, he succeeded.
"You rescued me from Eirisse, so the least I could do is give you something for doing so," Victoria said before calling over a militia member. "Ready the Mark IX," she ordered, and the militia member saluted before leaving to carry out her command. "Hold on a sec, Mark IX? You don't have to go that far; a Mark VIII would do, hell, even a Mark VII is more than fine." Larkin exclaimed, astonished at the prospect of receiving the latest steamstrider model available.
"It's fine. Like I said, it's the least I could do," Victoria assured him before walking away to check on Kaden, leaving Larkin in grateful surprise.
Larkin turned back to the group, enthusiasm lighting up his face. "Well, holy shit! If we manage to snag that Mark IX steamstrider, we're getting to Aeruna in record time," he exclaimed. Xain, however, was skeptical. "Can you even drive, old man?" Larkin shook his head, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Nope, but you sure can, so you're gonna be the one behind the wheel." Xain sighed in reluctant agreement. "Fine, I guess I have to," he mumbled. He was indeed the only one in the group who could drive, and he knew it. *Well, maybe Erkie can too, but I doubt he'd want to,* Xain speculated.
Just as Xain mulled over this, Zee tapped him on the shoulder. "What's up, Zee?" he inquired. Zee, trying to maintain an air of casualness, mentioned, "I have to go do... something, so I'll be gone for a minute or two." Xain arched an eyebrow. "Alright. Why are you telling me?" he asked. Zee, not-so-convincingly nonchalant, replied, "Just in case you look for me, you know? Anyway, I do have to go do the thing I have to do, so bye!" She left, heading in the direction of the town's main gate.
"I wonder what's got her acting like that?" Xain muttered aloud. Larkin gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "Who knows, but let her be. She clearly doesn't want us to follow her," Larkin suggested, and Xain nodded, although he couldn't shake off his curiosity about Zee's mysterious errand.
Meanwhile, as Zee slipped out of everyone's view, she extracted a square device with an extendable small antenna from her pocket. The device emitted a steady beep, and she muttered, "Phew, thank goddess it works." With a press of a button on the device's side, the beeping ceased. Shortly after, a loud beep echoed from the direction of the main gate. Reacting swiftly, Zee started running toward the source, her thoughts reflecting a hint of anticipation. *He's going to be upset, isn't he?* she pondered as her pace quickened.
It didn't take long for her to enter a concealed back alley near the main gate, away from the few civilians still outside their homes. Once there, she called out calmly, "Come out, I'm here." Zee didn't need to raise her voice; she knew he would hear her. True to her expectations, a noise behind her indicated a landing, likely from a jump off one of the surrounding buildings. As she turned, The Fiend stood before her, his sleek metallic, featureless mask staring back at her.
As soon as The Fiend stood before her, Zee instantly bowed. "Sorry for not calling you! I never had the chance!" she exclaimed. The Fiend, taken aback, reassured her with a wave of his hands. Nevertheless, he swiftly retrieved a pen and notebook from his pocket, jotting something down before showing it to Zee. The message read, "It's fine, please don't apologize."
Still concerned, Zee looked at The Fiend and asked, "Are you sure? You're not upset?" The Fiend shook his head and wrote, "No, I'm not. But could you tell me why a massive black tree suddenly sprouted?" He directed his gaze toward the colossal shadow tree.
"Oh, that. The black knight did that to reinforce the town in a way; it's magic," Zee explained. The Fiend tilted his head, writing, "Who's the black knight?"
"He's a monster hunter who helped us fight Eirisse. Wait, you probably don't know who that is, do you?" Zee said. The Fiend shook his head, and Zee sighed. "There are a lot of things I have to explain to you."
As Zee spoke, The Fiend wrote down, "You can explain later, but are you okay? You look hurt." Reading this, Zee chuckled while rubbing the back of her head. "I'm fine, don't worry. Us elves are sturdy!" she declared, placing her fist to her chest. However, the attempt to assure her well-being caused her pain, and she winced. "Ow," she muttered. The Fiend stared at her, his emotions concealed behind the mask.
"Sincerely, I'm fine. Besides, I'm sure I'm not the one you're most worried about," Zee teased. The Fiend looked away, and he wrote down, "How's Xain?" Zee smiled, but her expression shifted quickly. Worried, The Fiend hastily wrote, "Is he okay!?" Zee sighed before replying, "Yes, he's fine right now." The Fiend, visibly relieved, calmed down.
Zee continued, asking The Fiend, "Can I ask you something?" Tilting his head, he wrote, "What is it?"
"Have you ever seen Xain's eyes filled with anger? Actually, no. Have you ever seen his eyes filled with hatred? Like he—" Zee was abruptly cut off as The Fiend dropped the pen and notebook in his hands. Zee heard him start to hyperventilate, and concern filled her expression.
The Fiend collapsed to his knees, still hyperventilating, and Zee asked with growing concern, "Hey, are you okay?" Panic laced her voice, regret echoing in her mind for pushing The Fiend to such a reaction. *I shouldn't have pressed him like that,* she thought, worried about his well-being.
Using the serrated claws of his gauntlets, The Fiend started writing on the ground, "Did he kill anyone?" Zee quickly shook her head, reassuring him, "No, he didn't. Cain stopped him!" As she spoke, The Fiend gradually steadied his breathing, taking deep breaths in and out. Slowly, he rose to his feet, picking up his pen and notebook.
Zee, still concerned, asked, "Are you okay now?" The Fiend wrote, "I need to go," and before Zee could ask further, he moved with astonishing speed, swiftly climbing up a building and vanishing from her sight. Left alone, Zee muttered, "What caused a reaction like that? And why did he ask if Xain killed someone?"