Lying on the ground, Holan breathed a sigh of relief as Lucien departed from the scene. The drugs were beginning to wear off and he was regaining his senses at this point. He would have to make this plan work tomorrow without stumbling upon that man again if he wanted to be successful.
__________
NEXT DAY
__________

The sun rose on another morning.

Tyr awoke at sunrise as usual and exited his bedchambers into the city of white as the locals began to wake up for their busy day. In a somber mood, he walked into the streets and searched for stalls of vendors, which were just opening, for breakfast. After thinking more about his place with the remnants, he did not desire to look at Qalim or Sera. They were happy with their yellow eyes and their beliefs, but he was growing unhappier every moment he thought about them. He was never attuned to the life his people led and he desperately desired to separate himself from them, afraid of the fanaticism in even his own family. However, he was unsure if he felt better being near Lear's group. They were... more of what he wanted; not bound by religious pursuits, but he felt they also were people he could not trust at all. They had as much of an agenda as the remnants did, and Tyr was tired and wanted out. He did not want to run around protecting the messenger of a God he cared little for. Back home he was just pest control, not a bounty hunter or anything else. He killed things, that was his deal. Fighting other people was not.

Once again Sera sulked the entire night. She yearned to fly back to Urbel with her wings, but in the end did not do it. Qalim wanted her to stay one more day so he could show her to someone and even though she was exhausted and her expectations of the surface were shattered, she cared for Qalim's feelings. He did not seem to be a bad man and wasn't as flaky as just about everyone else turned out to be. Exiting the room she slept in, she decided to fly. Not away, but to pass the time until the rest of the world sluggishly pulled themselves from their beds. If anything, it would take her mind off the conflicting ideas she struggled with in her mind.

Sera pulled off her gown so she could extend her wings. Flapping them energetically, she emerged from the tent into the cool morning air and flew up into the sky.
______________________________

Ildan rose early to work in his fields. Sitting on the front steps of his cottage, he pulled on his boots and watched his neighbors ride off in carriages toward the city with goods to sell in the market. Usually Avia would be working with him, but he grew accustomed to the solemn loneliness that he felt when she left. It was as if he did not need her to work anymore. She came back battered and he had already become used to life alone again and wanted her to rest, holed up in the cottage. It would take him time to readjust, but as he continually felt depressed over his losses, he was unsure if he ever could.

As he stood up from the steps and walked out to the fields, the one thing he was sure of was that he would rather not have to go see Avia's clan, but that wasn't something he had control over at this point.

At the far edge of the settlement there stood a mud pyramid. It wasn't tall or specifically hidden in any aspect, people just saw it as a tomb or repository for the dead. It was far more. So Qalim stood there until Sera flew to him. Though she was naked as she landed, he felt nothing apart from the need to provide her with the appropriate garments. It was a simple robe like his, only white, as befitting someone from the faraway father.

They ducked in to the structure, assaulted by the lowered temperature as they went deeper. The maze like passages were simply connected to different areas of the hidden super structure underneath. Qalim had taken her through a passage that lead to the most scenic location.

It was there that they stopped. It was like a balcony that ran the length and breadth of the whole thing. Below them, rows and rows shelves were lined up perfectly in hexagonal shapes, missing only one side to permit entry in to the interior of the formation. These shelves were filled with books. Even from where they stood, the far end of the library could not be viewed. It was truly that big.

"Behold Sera, this is the Infinity Library. The repository of all our history and knowledge. I have only request of you if it is possible. I want you to bring as many books from this library as you can so that you may never forget us, nor repeat the mistakes of history written within."

---

Bahaa rose at the crack of dawn. The farmers were up and about as well. The scary miss Lady Aranida was not yet, and thus allowed Bahaa some time to himself. Turning the corner he found their host, the grumpy farmer named Ildan working in his field. With nothing to do, he sat and watched the farmer work.

A shaft of light that managed to escape between the thin curtains that covered the windows of the cottage landed on Aranida's face causing her to stir. She rolled to the side with a groan, but having already been awakened she no longer attempted to go back to sleep. She sat up in the bed, and it was then that she remembered where she was and the flood of events from the prior days. She noticed that a bowl of warm water had already been prepared for her and she quickly began to wash off her face as well as most of her body before she put her uniform back on and brushed her hair. She noted that the house was quiet, peaceful even, much more so than her estate, by this time servants would already be rushing about for the day's duties.

Finally ready she exited her room and entered the kitchen looking for Avia. They needed to continue their mission as soon as possible. Afterwards she would check on her Bahaa and the other two, and then make a quick excursion back to her troops to see how they were dealing with supplies and various other administrative chores.

Falst was pleasantly surprised to find that his commanding officer barking orders wasn't the first thing to greet him when he awoke. In fact, Aranida was nowhere in sight. To his left, he spotted Bahaa, who was intently watching the one of the farmers. At a second glance, he recognized the man as Ildan, the husband of the strange woman that Falst had just recently learned was traveling with them. Falst had more than a few questions for him, but between the man's degruntledness and Aranida's distrust, he doubted that he would ever see them answered.

The recruit tore himself from his mattress and stood up, stretching out his arms and legs. He looked at Bahaa. Until Aranida returned, the kid was still technically in charge. It was up to the boy whether Falst would be allowed to approach the farmer, which was unfortunate. Rather than ask permission, however, he decided to go ahead. If the child had any objections, he'd make them known.

Sera, surprised at Qalim's request, began to tear up. She took the books from his arms and perused the titled on their spines.

"Qalim, thank you. These are as beautiful as those in the great library in Urbel."

Handling the books close to her chest, she stared past Qalim's hood into his dull, yellow eyes, streams gushing down her face.

"I don't want you to die, Qalim. You are the only person I met who I did not feel was shifty and untrustworthy. You have a good heart, something few others here seem to possess, and even though you commit horrible acts upon people like the others, I feel that you don't truly enjoy it in the end. Everyone seems to love killing, but you do it because you must, not because you desire it to be done! If there was only a way I could take you back with me so you wouldn't have to die a wicked death!"
_____________

Ildan rose his head to the man walking toward him. He recognized him as one of the soldiers from yesterday, but he did not seem to be the same as the others, as his uniform looked different. Turning his head away, he began to walk toward the side of the cottage. He was not in the mood to talk and desired to avoid any interaction at all this morning.

Thomas sat up and rubbed his still sleepy eyes. He was certainly used to sleeping on the ground, but he was never much of a morning person. He looked around for the other two it their merry little group. Bahaa was already up, no surprise there. He looked around for Falst. The other man was heading for the owner of the little cottage, Ildan, if he remembered right. Personally, he thought that was a bad idea. Ildan didn't exactly look welcoming to him, for good reason. They were strangers that just barged into his life.

Thomas shook those thoughts out of his head. He needed coffee. He reached into his pack and pulled out a small pot. He walked over to Bahaa. "Bahaa" He made the kid turn around. He involuntarily flinched. Careful, don't make him upset. As much as he didn't like it, the kid was in charge. "I'm going to fill this with water to boil so we can have coffee. Permission to leave?"

((I don't see this going over well.))

He embraced her. It was the only method he used to comfort crying women and children. His hand going through her hair as he did so.

"Shhhhh, it is alright Sera," Qalim answered, "I value and respect your feelings. I hope you will do the same with me. Immortality is not what I seek Sera and when you return, I will not be by your side. With a smile on my face, I shall bid you farewell and be at peace with what is to come."

He did not know how long she was going to continue sobbing.

---

Bahaa turned his head to the noise in a most unnatural way. His head tilted back and turned as far he could, he answered the other recruit whose name he hadn't bothered to remember yet.

"Be quick, flipped one, or the scary miss Lady Aranida will think you are deserting."

"Make way! Make way! Thy Imperator hath arrived!" Voices echoed across the village as a fairly large sized caravan crept it's way into the village square stopping as heavily and lightly armored soldiers dismounted horses and swarmed the area protecting a row of carriages, one of which stood larger than the rest and bore a gold and bronze crest of a two headed Eagle. From out of one of the smaller carriages that lead the group, a man dressed in red and white robes emerged and began to issue orders to numerous cloaked soldiers who immediately scattered about the town. Making his way to the largest carriage the robed figure's head vanished into the window for a moment before stepping out and shouting to a nearing crowd.

"Will the Elder of this village step forward?!"

The soldiers who had split from the caravan early on broke off into two groups, one group scattered for the inn in which Nadev and his companions were staying in, the other group headed for the edge of town before breaking up into even smaller groups and disappearing in the outskirts. At the Inn Eris and Lear were humbling enjoying breakfast when the cloaked soldiers came bursting through the door. "Where is Lucien?" were the first words uttered after the clamor in the room had settled. Immediately Nadev descended the stairs and took a seat beside Eris before calmly responding back with a simple "He's already on the move, he should still be fairly close to the messenger." pausing for a moment Nadev stood and inspected the soldiers. "None of his kin are among you? Then are they already looking for him in town?" The figures nodded before parting ways for Nadev to exit the building in which he kindly obliged them giving his regards to his companions as he exited the Inn with the men surrounding him.

Tyr backed toward one of the market vendor stalls as the caravan arrived. He didn't know who they were, but decided to keep his distance. A stray thought entered his head concerning whether they were related to Lear's group or not. It did seem odd that just after they arrived this caravan rode in. He decided it was in his best interest to sneak away and walked back to the inn.

Sera gripped Qalim tighter and continued sobbing.

Holan entered the city of white as the commotion arose. Taking a puff from his spliff, he headed down an alleyway. He did not know where the shadow of the sands was, but he doubted that he would be in the middle of the main street. Pausing midway through the passage, he took another puff and saw the mud pyramids in the distance. One of them was the great library of the desert, from the information he gathered before he left for the city. It was a long shot, but the shadow could be there, so he might as well head over.

The town's streets emptied as quickly and orderly as possible. No one wanted to give the impression that the visiting monarch was any important. Deeming him beneath their notice, the Keepers sent Vizier Abdullah. It was a calculated insult, not to the Vizier but to the monarch, to be greeted by an elder so young in appearance. They even had the temerity of calling Filistine a village.

Abdullah approached and bowed a good distance from procession.

"How may I help you today monarch?"

---

Holan had meanwhile escaped the commotion on the dirt path that lead to the array of mud pyramids. Around them, mounds of sand were piled up around the entrances. From a certain angle, they lined up perfectly and one would hide the others from view. There were three obvious entrances.

Falst watched almost dejectedly as Ildan trudged off. He couldn't say he was surprised, though. The man probably had a lot on his mind. With little else to do, the recruit was becoming increasingly desperate to have orders barked at him. He returned to the campground and sat down, resigned to wait for Aranida to leave the cottage.

Stepping forward the figure in robes gave a slight bow before beginning his 'speech'. It was at this point the man's face became much clearer, he was old, perhaps in his late sixties, wrinkles ran across his face and his hazel eyes shone bright with graciousness. His hair was short and greyed and barely poked out from beneath a cap he wore on his head, and his body was thin but tall for one of his age. "You'll have to excuse me sir, but I am no monarch." He gestured behind him to the much larger carriage. "His grace waits inside, I am the Grand Court Bishop Maurice Alexius." as he spoke his name he once again made a bowing gesture. "We have traveled far from the capital to escort a person of interest back with us, and more importantly rendezvous with an allied force. If you and your council would see it fit the King would liken to take three or four days of composure time in your region."

"Messenger." Spoke a not so distant voice. "I have come to seek your company." with little to no haste a cloaked figure revealed himself from behind the mud pyramid. Removing the hood of his cloak he lowered himself onto one knee before Qalim and Sera, his head positioned downwards all that was visible was his dark brown hair.

Tyr stormed into the inn and walked up to Lear. Pulling out a chair, he sat beside the man and leaned forward, resting his arm on the table. He stared intently into his eyes.

"I'm assuming that your people have arrived, Lear," he began. "What does this mean now?"

He was going to get the information so he could decide whether to continue with the group or head back home. It probably would not matter in the end; Tyr was no longer interested in returning to a colony made up of people who dreamed for a salvation they would never achieve. What he was taught was wishful thinking, but he started to realize that with the messenger unable to stand on her own two feet without crying, no good would ever come to the world.
----
Sera tucked her head into Qalim's chest and sniffed as she readied herself to speak. Lifting herself from him, she turned around, eyes and face red, and wiped away a few remaining tears.

"What is it you want?" she asked, gripping the books close to her chest. She was afraid of who it was because there was a chance he was from Lear's group and she generally did not like to be around them. At this point all she wanted to do was return to Urbel. She did not want to follow them anymore.
----
Holan entered the mud pyramid and descended into the library chambers. As he caught sight of three people, he recognized the shadow of the sands with a yellow eye and an unknown man. This was his jackpot. He already knew what both the shadow and the back of the man looked like from this position, but he never actually needed the drugs for this, as they were right in front of him. Bracing for the pain he would feel from shooting, he thought of both of them and fired two shots at each, keeling over almost immediately.
___________________

Ildan returned to the front of the cottage almost immediately. He only needed to perform a quick checkup on his crops today as he had to prepare to take Aranida to the remnant tribe. As he passed by the three campers he gave them another bad look and then he entered the front door.

Aranida was standing in the kitchen aimlessly as if she were lost.

"Avia was deep asleep. I decided not to wake her up. In addition we're not taking her to the tribe, even though me going without her results in the stink eye," he commanded. Pausing, he turned his eyes down to the floor in shame. "They can't see her in this condition, especially her father. It would be the death of me."

With that Ildan walked back outside and whistled for his horse. A black-spotted white mare rode by his side and he pulled a saddle from the porch and began to prep her.

((Holy f*** ninja shenanigans Ichigo.))
The bullets struck Qalim squarely in the sides. They tumbled about but did not penetrate far. Crumbling as he saw the other man hit with the same type of projectiles he looked towards where the pain had come from. Barely visible in the darkness was alone gunman, slumped against the wall, no doubt the same man that had tangled with him at Phoenicia.

Ambushed with his guard lowered, Qalim laughed a little at himself as he struggled to ignore the wounds. He stood shakily.

"Sera, you must leave now. What I am going to do is not pleasant," he turned to the gunman, "Name yourself, I deserve at least to know the man I am going to kill."

---

The Vizier went up and put his hands around the Bishop's arms.

"You know of our customs do you not Brother? You shall have your three days honoured guests. After that I can no longer assure your safety."

---

Bahaa saw the man summon a horse, like in the tales he's heard of. As he saw the farmer start to saddle the horse he turned to the other two.

"We are breaking camp."