"What is she doin-" As Lee watched Marmalade puke out an orange goo, before passing out cold on the phoenix's corpse, her instincts kicked in. With one hand, like a cinematic save, she grabbed the unconscious body.
An expression of terror began spreading on Lee's face, her lips were pursed and her brows raised.
"W-What do I do? We didn't break her, right?" Lee glared at Sami, who watched the scene with a smile. "Hey!" She dug her nails into his shoulders, shoving them around like a madwoman. "That's not funny! Do something!"
"You're worried about her?" Sami asked, faking surprise.
Lee shook her head while gritting her teeth. "Of course not. It's just - she's useful, okay? How are you going to blend among humans without guidance? Oh, your so-called mighty intellect will save us, maybe?" There was perverse, mocking grin on Lee's face.
"No." Sami pushed Lee back in a light manner, now that she was princess-carrying Marmalade. "She's not dead, just tired. Rather, it's her mind that is weak." He sighed. "And if she really died, then we'd just have to take another one. Shouldn't be that hard with you."
That wasn't a lie; Lee never took it as such either. Her lips formed a tiny circle of awe. "Ah, that's smart. Yeah...really, not bad. Hmm." She nodded with vigor at the dangerous proposition.
"But you're right." Lee glanced at the girl in her arms. Her breath was steady, yet faint drops of sweat were forming on Marmalade's forehead and neck. "Humans are pretty weak."
Lee shrugged, then began walking in a random direction. The fog of snow blurred her untrained perception, she turned to Sami with teary eyes of plea. Eventually, he led the way, escaping snow only to reenter it at each step.
It was a silent walk, until Sami asked Lee a question. "Do you know what you want to do?" He came to halt, before continuing. "We're not short on time, but I do have one."
"..." On Lee's face was a rare, thoughtful expression. Her gaze went back and forth between the sky and the passed-out Marmalade.
"The strongest, I guess?" The shaky tone showed nothing of an ironclad resolve.
Sami scoffed. "You mean, to learn from the humans? I don't know anything they could teach you." Lee ran her hand through the falling snow, it irked her skin.
"You're wrong." She blurted out. "That blue stuff we saw earlier." Pale glisters were scattered in Lee's golden eyes. "Though I don't know if this girl is the best teacher."
"...Do you need it?" Sami asked, not in mockery but out of concern. His dry throat gifted his voice a husky tone.
"We'll see." Lee brushed it off. "What about you?"
When she asked, Sami resumed the walk. He coughed, then spoke. "I'll probably travel, see monsters. There's more entertainment in them than anything else, I think. Especially because I'm not some power-freak." He eyed Lee, smiled.
"Hmm? Shouldn't we take over?" Lee's answer raised Sami's brows. It was such a childlike wish.
"Huh?" A crack seeped into his composure, as, for once, Lee surprised him.
"I think you could be their leader, no? Their 'country' surely has one." Lee widened her eyes. "What? You don't want to?"
"Well..." Somehow, a part of Sami's being was fond of the idea. However, his ego wasn't inflated to the point of considering the option. Yet, Lee's brazen behavior began changing his mind.
He stayed in a frozen position, a victim to Lee's fiery glare, until thawing out with a word. "Maybe."
Their conversation lowered down into another silence. It wasn't an awkward one, the two seemed to appreciate their new world or playground.
"You know, the dark's still creeping me out. If it wasn't for this light."
"Right. But it has a certain beauty, don't you think? Those colors."
"Hm. Yeah." Lee finished. These types of idle talk were necessary for the two - almost a ritual. The routine was to share their experiences and thoughts, without a secret or a lie. Eventually, the words disappeared, before they bloomed again as they found a new topic of discussion.
"Can we disappear? I've been wondering." Lee asked, like a gut blow.
"I don't know what it is. Humans probably do, else they'd be everywhere like ants." Sami took out the spray given by Marmalade, before giving a light press on the top. A gas released, rekindling the yellow mist around the two. "We're weaker now, though."
Lee nodded with annoyance; the bare-skin parts of her body had a blue hue. "The cold, yeah; I'm regretting feeling temperature, now."
"Hm." Sami let the two in silence again. They walked, retracing Marmalade's original path. After an hour of shivering fingers, their feet stood at an edge. The cliff they'd climbed with difficulty now was a fall with no end.
Seeing Lee's state, Sami called out her name. "Lee." Her whole body waved like a trembling leaf each time she gazed at the abyss. A dark pit that drew immense fear - misleading, yet uncontrollable.
"Close your eyes." Lee followed Sami's instructions, while he didn't take a glance at the fall. "We know that it'll be fine."
Sami's words soothed Lee, who took his weight on her back, before jumping eyes closed. It didn't take a second before she reached the bottom.
"Huh..haa...he.." Lee's chuckles were like a broken clock. Sami escaped to the ground, sighing. About five minutes of walking passed until they reached the cave's entrance. An ashy smell rose up in the air, before the wind brought it away, much to Sami's delight.
As the two walked side to side, their steps stopped. They gazed skyward without a word. Whites lights brighter than a star were travelling the sky, falling like a rain of meteor. Red, orange, blue, or green, some colors that they'd never seen gave hues to trails, lagging behind the lights.
A soft, high-pitched noise echoed in the night, the sound of a shattering star. Explosions or colorful sparkles lit up the black night, casting a hue on their faces.
Drawn to the spectacle, Lee glanced at Sami, sitting down in the warm snow. She cuddled her way in-between his arms and on top of his thighs, keeping her hold on Marmalade's heavy sleep. The heat cleansed the frosty cold; both from Sami's skin and the natural fireworks.
"Pretty..." Sami let out. Lee's figure and golden hair, lit up by a blue, green, or orange hue, fluttered more beautiful than ever. For this moment, the blizzard indeed stopped, no more than a second.
He, too, was drawn by the sky. His words were conveyed this festival.
"What are these things? It's so cool looking - no, it's the most gorgeous explosion in the world! Hey, are they falling onto us? Should I punch?" Lee twitched in erratic motions into Sami's arms. By tightening his grip onto her waist and chuckling, she calmed down. The mad light in her eyes, however, didn't.
"Ha...Calm down. They're not going to fall onto u-" Sami burst into laughter before finishing his sentence; it was like taking care of a rowdy pet.
"What?" Lee jested, showing off her teeth.
"Sorry, it's just..." He stopped. "You seem happy. It's making me smile, that's all."
Lee frowned, before flashing a smile. "What are you saying? I was always happy, and I'll always be. You're here, and I'm yet to disappear." Her tone, matter-of-factly, made Sami chuckle once more.
"You're quite right, actually." He answered, taking a look at the sky again, where rows of colors withered away. The spectacle ended without a noise. He gazed downwards at Marmalade, then Lee.
"She's not waking up?" He asked. Because of the colors, Marmalade's orange bangs were a striking neon red. Her sleeping face had an idiot filter plastered.
"I don't know. I've never slept, can't tell." Lee stood up with one leg, feeling the cold air brushing her skin. Sami did the same.
After walking into the cave, he pointed at a spot, next to the green, grayish pile of burnt cigarettes. "We'll put her here."
Lee stayed motionless for a second, then nodded. Her moist eyes, blinking at a fast pace, betrayed something for Sami. He frowned, watching her put Marmalade on the floor with little delicacy.
"Are you tired?" His tone didn't carry much concern.
"I don't know? My eyes are all blurry and hazy and something. But it's fine - curse these humans, I swear." Lee's attempt at lying wasn't the best. Still, Sami never pushed the matter, as the decision belonged to her.
"I'm the same; we have time to sleep. Worse case, a monster wakes us up, you kill it, then sleep again. But that means we'll be seeing her again." With a sidelong glance at Marmalade, he sighed. During their walk through the snow, the two talked about leaving soon.
"I don't want that." Lee stated her stance. The shared reason was that - to their surprise - they experienced the bore of staying with a unique person.
Actually, this point wasn't the issue - but rather, the lack of knowledge or connection to Marmalade. They wished for else than trying to break her outer social shell.
"Mm." Sami agreed, albeit with guilt. Leaving without notice left a sour taste in his mouth. Their first human needed to be taken care of with attention.
Therefore, what he was about to do upset his pride. With careful motions, Sami took out the backpack from Marmalade, before eyeing the structure. A tip stood out - as he pulled on it, the contents revealed themselves.
"Are you looking for humans?" Lee asked. She crouched near Sami, who began pulling out all sorts of objects.
"Our next destination, actually."
First, two boxes of fresh cigarettes - a third. Then, five sprays similar to the one they carried. An empty and wet plastic cylinder. A yellow, slimy peel, with juice seeping out. A thick piece of leather folded three times. As Sami opened it, he witnessed a careful assortment of pockets and gaps, all filled.
In one pocket was a white silver card. Marmalade's head, name, and other useless information were written in red embroidered letters. Sami gave Lee the card, as a toy or a gift.
Another compartment guarded a blend of round metal pieces, carved in eccentric, yet identical patterns, and green pieces of paper. 10, 50, 100. The numbers varied, the size didn't.
Sami's brain fumed. Using all the gaps given and clues offered, he tried to understand what they meant, or how he could use it. Eventually, emptying the leather, he found a piece of crumpled paper.
The writing was barely visible, black letters that struggled to make sense. Yet, Sami thought and observed. On the left side, numbers and unreadable instructions. Opposite of them, a column of pictures and names. Messy drawings at best.
Sami recognized two of them. A Wooky, with its deformed face. Then, a gaping jaw and two red jewel eyes. That was a Haptho.
Although it was a guess, Sami's eyes lit up.
"Found anything?" Lee asked, touching and feeling out all of the objects thrown to her.
"These." Sami waved one of the green papers, with the number 500 written onto it. "They use these as exchange chips. I think."
Lee raised a brow, causing him to continue. "Imagine you want this coat." He pointed at Marmalade's delicate cloth. "What do you do?"
In an instant, Lee answered the question. "I find someone who has it, then grab it." For her, the logic was ironclad.
Sami frowned. "No, no, that's not it. This coat as a certain value, I presume. If you wanted to get it, you'll give the guy the corresponding value in these exchange chips. Then, he can use it to get other stuff."
He clapped his hand, trying to coax Lee into understanding. "Simple, right? You don't force him out, or anything like that."
"Why, though." Sami's explanation rebounded on Lee's thick skull.
"If that person is weak, how can they defend it? Aren't you being rude?"
Lee scoffed. "If he's weak, then he'll train until this situation doesn't happen anymore. In the meantime, I get my coat."
"Forget it." Sami bit his lip. "Anyway, I'm taking this. It'll be useful for us." Grabbing the copper pieces and green papers, he stuffed one of his pocket with them, bloating it from the outside. With Lee's assistance, Sami began emptying Marmalade's backpack once more.
A minute passed before they found another folder sheet of paper, thicker and colorful. Lee unfolded it; she saw a map. It was crescent-shaped and cluttered with rows of other shapes and names. Sami leaned closer to get a better look.
On the bottom, the map ended in an abrupt cut. Two ranges of mountains surrounded the crescent. One had a shining red dot drawn somewhere in its upper part, alongside a date.
"The North" Sami said out loud. He mused that this was their current location. From the mountains, his index slid on the right over the rugged surface, unrecognizable landmarks and structures. Tiny lands, closed off by stone walls. Eventually, landing on a massive formation, he stopped.
Lee, too, observed, though without much effort. Seeing Sami frowning, she hummed.
"Is that important?"
"Quite." Sami grinned - not as perverse as Lee's, yet eerie nonetheless. "It's our newest destination." He lifted the map in the air with a smile. Lee pursued more explanations.
"You see these structures? It's likely that most humans live there. And this-" Sami slammed his finger at the crescent's center, where a massive line of curving walls closed off in perfect symmetry. Though it lacked details, the sheer size hinted relevancy. -"is their biggest refuge. I guess they call it a city."
Over the formation, the words 'Capital city - Hilge' were written in beautiful handwriting. Despite that, Lee never smiled nor grinned.
"And how are we supposed to get there?" Lee crossed her arms with a rough tone. "Okay, I get that we're here. " She pointed at the red dot. "But that doesn't mean we know where to go. Ah, how bothersome."
Whereas a sigh left her mouth, Sami nodded with an expending grin.
"That's not half-bad." He said.
"What is?"
"Your deduction. I didn't expect that from you." His tone was dry, yet mocking at the same time. Lee answered with a smile.
"I'm not that dumb, you know." She lifted her chin, showing off her cold neck.
"Are you? I lost count so long ago." As Sami teased, Lee clicked her tongue, settling the debate in a swift cut.
Sami sighed, falling on his back against the damp floor. "But you're right. I don't know where to go. Actually, this map is probably not complete, so this is even less relevant information." He grabbed the map once more. Lee tried thinking up a solution. All that reverbed were falling droplets, a weak breeze, and Marmalade's soft breaths.
"Wait." Lee spoke up. "The back."
As Sami stood with an upright back and peered at the backside, Lee nudged herself closer. The two squinted their eyes, reading a text in black ink that had begun erasing.
Then, in unison, their breath cut, before a chuckle filled the narrow cave.
"Ah."
It was a solution served on silver plate.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Actually, is that a good idea?" Sami couldn't help but ask and frown. An hour ago, a relative warmth settled in the cave. Now, the same icy wind hurled at his skin like a needle. He glanced at Lee, running a meter ahead, dismissing his worry by waving her hand.
"Almost there!" Lee shouted through the noise. Crashing gales or rustling beast - all combined. She waited for Sami's steps. In a minute of walking, they ended up at a cliff.
Lee crouched, taking a look downwards. A twenty-meter fall, or thirty. That wasn't it, neither the same sensation that she got by jumping earlier.
A true, bottomless pit. Despite her infinite storage of pride, Lee wasn't confident on surviving this fall. She thought that they stood at the apex of this world - and yet, that this peak wasn't the tallest of the North.
"This is it..." Sami exclaimed. The darkness made it challenging, but, shrouded by a fog, he could imagine multiple outlines in the horizon.
Cities - they could observe them. Their plan balanced on this simple idea, so much in fact that it slipped out of his thoughts. Another reason, was, woefully, the lack of light, making this plan useless.
Then, Sami remembered Lee and her fists.
"Are we good on that? Control your strength, all right?" Spreading the light mist around with a fresh, stolen spray, Sami patted Lee's shoulder. She turned back with a shining smile that reeked of danger.
He took five steps to the side. Lee's hourglass figure paused in a picturesque way. No flashy motion - she took a fighting stance, closed her eyes. She struck the air, creating an invisible pressure, thousands of times stronger than the mountains'.
Flames danced in the air, creating a gorgeous scarlet storm. The icy air, trying to share a moment, burnt into smoke before collision. A towering beacon of light lit up the entire mountain rear, up to the faraway landscapes of Hilge.
There, Sami and Lee could see it, observe it, and appreciate the sight. It was as described in the map, but in a larger, magnificent size. The city walls casted hard shadows around it, like a black coat.
"Did you find it?" Sami asked, looking at Lee. Her eyes darted at mad speed at any point of the illuminated painting, in constant lookout.
"There." She pointed at something. No, considering the size, a dot. Focusing, Sami squinted his eyes at the spot. Nothing, until a blurred image came to view.
It was getting clearer. Sami saw a flat, concrete area, surrounded by snow. A human structure, by all signs. At the top, black cylinders were riding on the air, staying afloat and unmoved by the blizzard.
The last detail he identified was a white, golden striped flag, dug into a nearby patch of dirt and grass. No matter how much the wind slammed it, it never fell. On the center, letters and numbers were written.
"When are we supposed to go there?" Lee bit her lip.
"A couple of hours at most."
In his head, even Sami agreed - it was a crazy, broken kind of plan.