Chapter 6: Chapter 6: His Greater Good

A statue stood, stained with dirt, worn by age yet strangely dominant. A helmet with an eagle engraved on it. It's armor that seemed like it was made of the finest materials. The figure of the statue shadowed a well. The square was empty. The shacks made of wood were deserted. The only thing you could hear is the sound of wood creaking.

"Hmm, rain in the desert?" said someone. "Strange didn't know it rains in the desert."

The person has green hair. Her face was gloomy yet there was this graceful defeated look on her face. Her eyes pointed at the beam where a rope was tied. It has been cut off. The walls of the well were moldy green. The rain made her face slightly beam up.

"Oh, I cannot swim. I didn't learn how!" said the person. Her eyes examined the light armor that she was wearing. On her left shoulder, there was an arrow that pierced near her shoulder. "Hmm, I'll be dead?"

The clouds turned darker. A hooded man stepped in the square, his eyes swept the area. The deserted houses reflected in his eyes. His jet-black eyes darted to the wall. He paces slowly towards the well and looked down.

The person was hugging her knees. Her brows rose as she looked at the shadows blocking the light. Is the storm getting nearer? She thought. Her head swiveled up, to her surprise she spotted a grey-haired man poking his head inside the well. His jet-black eyes gawked at her.

"Hello?" said the person. Am I stupid? She thought. Her body moved, her right hand pressed on the wall. She forced her quivering body up. "I am Vie! C-can you help me?"

The jet-black eyes man stared at her silently. His expression still as water, he eyed her up and down. Vie swallowed her saliva, she said. "Please?"

The man suddenly left. Vie open her mouth, puffing a cloud of breath. She was quite dumbfounded that the man didn't reply and just went away. She looked down. She was about to sit down and hug her knees but a rope hit her head. The man who she thought left threw a rope at her.

"Coil the rope around your waist. I doubt that you can climb up." said the man.

Vie nodded. She tied the rope around her waist and pulled the rope. The rope suddenly tightened around her waist. She slowly ascended up the well. The leather armor she was wearing tightened harder on her waist. She opens her mouth to say something but she thought of how she ended up in this situation and decided to close her mouth instead. Her head lowered, her silence made the rain that was pouring seem louder.

Her eyes reflected the deserted houses. The man who pulled her grabs her by the armpit and pulled her out of the well, her toe was caught by the edge of the well and landed on the chest of the man who pulled her out. She pushed her hands on the ground. The man groaned as he dusted his clothes.

"Sorry," said Vie

"Its fine," said the man.

Vie grunted as she felt her left shoulder twinge. The man looked at her injury, his left hand landed on her shoulder. His right hand grabbed the shaft of the arrow. With a quick pull, he pulled the arrow out of Vie's shoulder. She uttered no groan.

"Let's get inside," said the man.

Vie nodded. She followed him inside one of the houses. She sat on the wooden boxes. She tried to unfasten her leather armor but found it hard to do so. The man took a glance at her. "Want me to help?" he said with indifferent eyes.

"Please," said Vie.

The man moved to her with a slow gait. His fingers went to the fasteners of the leather she wore. He undid the belt, and lifted her arms, removing the leather armor. She wore a brown sleeved shirt, blood stained her left shoulder. Her eyes met the man's, she hesitated. "Can you please?"

The man heaved a sigh. He unbuttoned her shirt and lifted her arms up. Her shirt grazed her armpits, making her ticklish for a second. The man put the shirt in the same crate where her armor was laid. He rummaged through his pouches, took out a bottle of alcohol, and poured it on her left shoulder.

"Ah," she bit her lower lip in pain.

"Endure," said the man.

"I will," replied Vie. "May I ask what your name is?"

"Nolan Salvatore, I was wandering around when I heard that there were bandits talking about a woman vaulting inside a well. I was near the area so I thought that I might as well see if it was true. What in the world were you thinking?"

She lowered her head. Nolan lifted her left arm up and wrapped the cloth around her armpit and shoulder. With a pull, he tied the cloth tightly, making Vie contort in pain. "I panicked."

"I can't blame you. But a deserted village, in the middle of the desert, the first thing you thought was to hide inside a well?" said Nolan.

"I was shot, okay?" said Vie. "There were ten of them, and I was tired after exploring a ruin."

Nolan glared at her. "Why not poison them?"

She widened her eyes. "I don't know about that," she said with a stutter.

Nolan pointed at her hair. "Green Ivy Dale, right?"

"You've been there?" said Vie.

"Thrice, went to Hillock Village to concoct poison once," said Nolan.

"So you are?" Vie tilted her head.

Nolan gave a quick a smile. His eyes whirled as two sigils appeared on both of his eyes. Vie widened her eyes, her right eye swirled as an Ivy covered in thorns appeared. Her eyes sparkled her mouth slightly open. "The Dove of Thorns and the Snake of Woes, you walked so far?"

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"I did," said Nolan. He leaned back and looked at the ceiling. "It's nothing special really. Even my companions had two sigils in their eyes when we took the Satin Path."

"I see," Vie nodded.

"Where's your companion?" said Nolan.

Vie nodded her head. Her countenance became strangely still. Her eyes turned dim as she became still as water. Nolan nodded his head. It was a few bleak walkers to turn gloomy when speaking of the dead. Not because they are cold-hearted, but because they were used to it.

...

The weather loomed over the deserted village town. A wooden plank flew as the strong wind blew it away. Oasis City was famous for being the only place in the desert where strong rain can happen. It was truly an Oasis in the desert that also acts as the border of the Kingdom of Talon, the wall against the enemies of humanity.

Inside the house, a fire was lit inside a pot. A man and a woman neared the fire with their hands raised. The man wore a cape stained with dirt and sand. The green-haired woman wore a brown shirt. Her gloomy face was shined by the fire's light.

The storm outside the house grew stronger. Nolan and Vie kept indifferent faces as they stare at the fire. His hood was down. His eyes reflected the crackling fire. Vie eyed the flask filled with herbs. She took the heated flask, poured it into a small bowl. She dipped her pointer and middle finger and rubbed the green salve on her wounds.

She took the dagger and checked it. She pointed the dagger at the flame, she heaved a sigh. Vie sheathed the dagger back. The bags on her eyes, her slanted brows gave her a gloomy countenance. Nolan eyed Vie briefly before diving down to his thoughts.

"I thought that the joke about someone falling down a well was all a joke. But she really was inside the well. If I didn't visit this area then I am sure that she would have been buried. She could barely lift her left arm it was impossible for her to swim. Not to mention that the well was old and moldy. The insides were crumbling so he would have been buried alive if the water from this storm didn't kill her. She would have been found by someone, and the only thing she would leave behind is her green hair transformed because of poison."

"What are your plans?" said Nolan.

"To Oasis City," she raised her head. Her eyes focused on Nolan's eyes. "I was planning to get some supplies from the Throes District and continue on."

"I see," he nodded. "Where are you going?"

"To the Green Maw, I heard that there was a strange hut there that reeks of poison. I was planning to map it out but looking at it now, it was stupid," she said.

"The Green Maw is impassable, there are three bone eaters guarding the footpath. Spit-Poison Lizards are just crawling around the vegetation," he said mechanically.

"Do you know the way?" asked Vie, her eyes showed curiosity.

"I do. But it'll take a group to get out or one Hero. I suggest that you don't go there," said Nolan. He had no qualms about where a walker should go. But if she lives and goes there, it would mean that there would be some event that will change. A hero will conquer the Green Maw, and doing so would mean that the Hero of Earth would be able to strengthen her abilities. He could tell that Vie was someone who wasn't that incompetent.

"I see," she nodded. "If a two sigil walker would say that then it must be really dangerous. Then where should I go? A walker without a purpose is nothing but a wanderer."

"You should help around Oasis," said Nolan.

"Is there a problem?" she asked, her chin lifted up.

"Hordes of Beast, I fear that there's going to be Phantom Trekkers attacking the City."

"Oh," she said indifferently. "That will be a problem. You're going to need wizards from the Capital to defeat them. That will be troublesome. They don't move unless the King or Money orders them. How about the Crusaders of Salt Passing, maybe they can help Oasis?"

"They might if we told them. But can they march to the Oasis City at the right time?" Nolan tilted his head. He bobbed it meekly.

"True. Are you going to end your path in the City?" asked Vie with her brows knitted.

"No," Nolan took out a map and unfolded it. Vie squinted at the map. She played with her left ear as she studies the map with great interest.

"An uncovered ancient route, I can tell that it is legit. Recently drawn, I am guessing it is yours?" said Vie, she patted her right knee.

"Yes, there's been a recent assassination spree on the City of Oasis. Ten noblemen died in same night two days ago. The City's rattled and traders are hoarding their goods," he said gesturing. "It is a bit heinous but I contacted a caravan master to petition to use this ancient route in his name and control the trade lines. He would help the city hire the wizards needed to neutralize the Trekkers from their tracks so cannon fire and weapons could work on them."

Vie's eyes pierced through Nolan's. Her chin was slightly lifted. Her eyes lacked any emotion as she dully continued staring at Nolan as if probing the truth behind his words. Nolan cocked his head and met her eyes. They stared through the fire with a cold aura around them.

"For the Greater Good?" she said.

"Yes. The View from Above says that one must take a whole look above. One must contemplate and meditate the misfortune that might happen, to prepare and expect what to do when misfortune comes. Life is ephemeral. One must remember the weight of things, ten meaningless lives for the sake of hundreds. It is within my control, therefore I can. Hope lives, as long as we choose to walk that bleak path."

"Yes, as we always do," she nodded. She folded her arms. "For the Greater Good it is, I shall not judge you for the bleak path you walk."

Nolan didn't answer. He stared back at the fire with an indifferent stare. Vie continued applying the salve she made to her wounds. The winds outside grew stronger, the sky rumbled, and the rains poured harder. The fire crackled. The wood around the house loosened up. But the two stayed dispassionate about what was happening. For the two already expected the storm and wind. They stayed relax, still, and unpressured. A Bleak Walker expects misfortune not out of pessimism, but because they knew that only fools would get worked up or trouble their soul by things they cannot control.

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