Did you know that it is illegal to jump between dimensions? Even if you are escaping the destruction of your world, you'll be hunted down and captured. Even if you are summoned by powers beyond your control and tasked with saving the world, you cann...
The body of the bandit was taken and dumped unceremoniously outside the village. The Weufouru people had no love to spare for one of the priestess's captors.
Flora felt sick at the thought of the dead left unburied, but she couldn't find a way to voice her unease. She didn't understand enough of the otherworldly village culture to claim the raider had a right to their time and respect. And they were all too busy with preparations for the mercenaries' return.
Shyla and the other "heroes" were examining the abandoned machine in a small building that was usually used for storing food. Bryce was being paraded around the village by the Weufouru people, lauded as a hero for taking out one of the mercenaries.
She felt powerless to help any of them. She always felt out of place at home, but here she was completely alienated. But she couldn't sit still. When everyone else had returned to the village, she remained. She found a shovel tucked away in a small half-shed against one of the homes on the outskirts. The owner was pleased to let her borrow it, not guessing what she wanted the shovel for.
She chose a spot outside the wall where the ground was firm, and she began to dig. She didn't plan it. It was impulse. It was a necessity. It was completely foolish. Even with the ground she chose, sand poured back into the hole with every shovel-full removed. The heavy heat from the sun and the hard labor soon forced her to realize that the task was beyond her.
She couldn't stop. She had to vent her frustrations. She recognized her uselessness, having seen the powerful weapons and machines the mercenaries had. If it had been she who was caught by the mercenaries instead of Bryce, she would have been killed without a fight.
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She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Truthseeker standing nearby until he spoke.
"Care to rest a moment, miss?" The imposing man's voice was so gentle that Flora forgot her initial fear of him.
"Oh! I mean, sorry..." Flora nearly dropped the shovel, embarrassed that she'd been caught in the act. But she was still only halfway toward completing her task, despite working at it for several hours. And Truthseeker had come alone, sparing her the attention she did not want. Perhaps it was all wasted effort anyway.
"Please," she said, finally giving in to the ache that filled every bone in her body.
Truthseeker reached his left hand out to her, lifting her easily out of the hole. He gestured to the low wall nearby, where food and water sat waiting for her. It was a full meal this time, with meat and a sweet-smelling porridge complimenting the phyet from before. She sat on the wall and began to eat.
The fatigue from her work left her drained both physically and mentally. Her emotions were not so easily quenched, and in moments her tears ran freely.
Truthseeker remained silent, allowing her this chance to express her anguish.
After a time her tears dried and shame colored her face again. But when she looked to the man beside her, she didn't find the contempt she expected for her display of weakness. She didn't even find pity.
