“Can’t believe it’s already time,” sighed Lange. “Feels like you just got here.”

  Kaelis gently nodded to herself. She too could hardly believe it. The past half-week had passed as fast as a falling star. There was a real sense of serenity to life in Concord Village, and Kaelis had enjoyed every second of it. But after five full days the ship was finally repaired, and it was time for her to move on.

  Parked in the village’s central square was the Redland Runner, restored to its prior glory and gleaming in the morning sunshine. Dez had worked tirelessly to bring the ship back up to scratch, and thanks to his efforts it had never looked better. It almost even looked clean.

  Gathered around its cargo ramp was a small cluster of townsfolk. Throughout the week, while Dez was busy making his repairs, Kaelis and the others had passed the days by helping the villagers in any way they could: performing odd jobs and assisting in settling the mess caused by the Duke’s experiments. In turn, some of the townspeople were nice enough to take the time to see the team off on their journey. Kaelis watched with a smile as they engaged the rest of the crew in jovial conversation and bittersweet goodbyes.

  Dez mingled off the port stern, chatting with all five of the town’s resident mechanics. They stood around him, laughter flowing freely as he joked and pointed to parts of the ship with pride. Dez had made a fast impression on the group, immediately finding his way into their biweekly poker game. Apparently, he’d spent the long nights regaling them with his most amusing stories, all the while thoroughly trouncing them at cards. Leave it to Dez to win both peoples’ money and their friendship at the same time.

  Across the plaza, Jira and Mayor Xenova conversed with one another respectfully, each attempting to mask their newfound fondness for the other’s company. Jira had mostly assisted the Mayor throughout the week, and during that time she’d gotten to know many of the town’s Dierrosi veterans. As they worked, no words were ever spoken about the war. Instead, they had only ever discussed Dierros—where they were from and what they missed about it most. For some, it was the first time they’d spoken of their home in years, and they seemed thankful for the opportunity to remember. A few of them had even shown up that morning, joining the Mayor in expressing their fond farewells, locking wrists with Jira in a warm, Dierrosi manner.

  Sheah finished circling the Redland Runner for at least the third time that morning, inspecting every insignificant nook and fold in the machinery. She probably had never seen her ship in such a shiny state before, and with the journey ahead of them, she wouldn’t again for a long while. As she stuck her head into the undercarriage, a young family approached her, gathering her notice. Kaelis recognized them: she and Sheah had helped repair some damage done to their home by the recent earthquake. With some parental encouragement, a small boy shyly stepped forward. He offered Sheah a parting gift: his favorite patchwork ball. Sheah, nearly moved to tears by the gesture, happily accepted the ball and thanked him with a dear hug.

  “Seems like the town’s taken quite a liking to y’all,” said Lange, standing with Kaelis at the edge of the square, taking it all in.

  Kaelis humbly shrugged. “These are good people. I’m gonna miss it.”

  “This town’ll do that you ya. I was just passin’ through here at first, no direction, just aimin’ to run.” Lange looked at the townspeople and smiled a contented smile. “Now there’s no place I’d rather be.”

  “You should be proud.”

  Lange nodded, breathing a soft sigh from her nose. “So—” she said, abruptly changing the subject. “Y’all are really goin’ all the way up?”

  “All the way,” said Kaelis with brash confidence. “First we gotta swing by Mount Duarrima, pick up the trail of the Lost Collective, find this one thing. Then we restock at Fort Schirm and it’s straight onto Ama-Lasria from there. Bust through the storm, discover the secrets of the Dead City, and we’ll be back as big celebrities by the end of the summer.”

  Lange raised her brows high. “That’s a rough road,” she said, her voice creaking with apprehension. “Ya sure I can’t convince ya to stay? I could always use a deputy.”

  “Sorry, Lange,” laughed Kaelis. “You got your calling, I got mine.”

  “Fair enough. But… well…” Lange placed a hand on Kaelis’s shoulder and looked her friend in the eye. Her voice turned grave. “You be careful out there, Brighteyes. Ya hear? It’s a tough life in the Deadlands, but it ain’t nothin’ compared to what I hear it’s like past the mountains.”

  Kaelis didn’t take Lange’s words lightly. She tried to avoid the thought, but a part of her knew this might be the last time they ever saw each other. Looking back into Lange’s eyes, Kaelis nodded, matching her severity.

  “I’ll be safe,” she promised.

  Lange smiled. She shoved her hand off of Kaelis’s shoulder, lightening up and clearing the air. “And once you’re a highfalutin’ so-and-so, don’t you be forgettin’ about your ol’ pal Isola.”

  “Haha, I promise I won’t!” laughed Kaelis.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Lange’s eyelids suddenly snapped open. “Oh, and before I forget—” She started rummaging through a pouch on her hip. After some seconds, she pulled out a beveled silver disk covered in intricate markings. She held it out in her palm. “I want you to have this.”

  Kaelis looked down at the object, oohing delightedly. “What is it?” she asked as she plucked it from Lange’s hand. She rotated the disk in her fingers. On the backside was a set of metal loops, large enough to slip a belt through. “Oh, it’s a buckle of some sort.”

  Turning the object back over, she took a closer look at the symbols imprinted into the front. An interlacing floral pattern was wreathed around the buckle’s edge, surrounding a sigil depicting a cross-shaped spear.

  “These patterns… it’s old,” she concluded, the symbol jogging her memory. She rummaged through her internalized list of ancient sigils, tuning her thoughts like a radio, until finally it came to her. “Wait… No! This… This is from Ama-Lasria!” she ecstatically exclaimed. “This is a badge of the Archguard!”

  Lange smirked. Clearly she already knew. “Found it sweepin’ the manor grounds after ya scared off that ‘bear’. Figure it belongs with you.”

  Kaelis smiled at the buckle, running her fingers along its immaculately preserved detailing. Suddenly, she felt the air compress from her body. Shaking her head, she thrust the object away from her.

  “No, no, I can’t take this,” she realized. “This is a precious item! It should be kept somewhere safe.”

  “Eh, there were three others just like it scattered across the manor,” Lange shrugged. She leaned in coyly. “Plus, this one’s actually the most worn-out of the bunch.”

  Kaelis crooked her mouth, unsure how to feel about that.

  “Think of it as a nice accessory,” said Lange. “I know how much you like those.”

  Kaelis bit her lip, debating with herself internally. She did like accessories. “Well…”

  “Just take it,” Lange chuckled, pushing Kaelis’s hand away. “Put it on your armor, that way you’ll always have a piece of history with ya.”

  Kaelis sighed. “…Okay,” she acquiesced. “But I’m only doin’ this because you asked me.”

  “‘Course,” said Lange with a wink.

  Kaelis carefully slipped the buckle into her pocket and threw her arms around her friend. “Thank you, Lange,” she said dearly.

  Lange returned the hug. “Hey, what’re friends for?”

  “Vintra, let’s move!” called Jira from the cargo ramp. Kaelis turned her head to see the rest of the team saying their final farewells and shuffling into the ship.

  “Well, don’t let me keep ya,” said Lange.

  Kaelis held on for just a second longer before heading towards the Red.

  “Take care,” she called as she walked off, throwing Lange a small salute. “I’ll see ya again soon!”

  Lange returned the gesture, smiling a wistful smile. “I don’t doubt it.”

  Not daring to look back, Kaelis ambled up the Redland Runner’s cargo ramp. She limply punched the door-side button, closing the ramp behind her.

  Jogging up to the bridge, Kaelis found Sheah and Jira hunched over the helm, methodically discussing the pre-launch checklist and preparing for the day's long road ahead.

  “How we lookin’?” she asked, joining her crewmates.

  Jira adjusted her position in the driver’s seat and flicked a row of switches on the dashboard. “We’re ready,” she responded. Grabbing the radio receiver from its cradle, she held down the button and brought it up to her mouth. “Okay Dez, start it up.”

  A few seconds later and the Redland Runner rumbled awake, its gentle roar echoing out across the mesa. Even though Dez hadn’t done any work on the engines, the ship had never sounded stronger.

  As Jira inched the Red up to the gates, Sheah gazed through the rear window at the smattering of townsfolk below, a deep melancholy veiled behind her smile.

  “…You were right,” she said, turning towards Kaelis. “I do like this town.”

  Kaelis flashed her a boastful grin. “Told ya you would.”

  Dez waltzed into the bridge a few moments later, his shirt and hands already stained with grease and oil. “We all set?” he asked.

  “Aie,” confirmed Jira. She called out to the two young women behind her. “Ready?”

  Kaelis and Sheah cast one last yearnful look at the village and its people. It was funny—just last night, Kaelis had been so ready to move on, so ready to get out and take on the world. But now, standing at the precipice of infinite possibilities, all she wanted was one more moment with the ground beneath her feet. She felt a sting of fear, drop-kicked by the thought that everything was about to change, and this perfect place in time would end, never to see another sunrise.

  Kaelis drew in a courageous breath. “Let’s dust off,” she answered.

  Jira tapped the horn. At her signal, the landship gates of Concord Village laboriously rattled and began to heave apart. The Captain put the Red into gear and let it creep towards the slowly widening exit.

  Kaelis, Sheah, and Dez stepped out of the bridge and leaned themselves against the aft railing, throwing out one last farewell wave. The few townsfolk all returned their goodbyes before trickling off, slipping back into their daily lives.

  Lange remained behind. She stepped forward and raised her arm high, signaling at them—at Sheah.

  Sheah perked up; the pair locked eyes. The Sheriff placed her hands on her hips and gave Sheah a single, empowering nod. Smiling brightly, Sheah nodded back, a confidence pooling behind her glasses. Kaelis raised a curious brow but decided not to ask.

  The town gates settled open with a rusty squeal. Jira took one last look over her shoulder before feathering the gas. The Redland Runner rolled ahead, slipping through the gap and into the vast unknown of the wasteland, leaving Concord Village behind.