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Normally I loved the rain, any other day it would have been a blissful reprieve from the Sun. Not a day like today, it only accentuated the dreary uncertainty that tainted my mind. Opal had been gone for over two weeks now, with no word or sign. No linkpearl answers. None of her contacts knew anything about her whereabouts. The only thing we had to go off of was the last job taken from the Immortal Flames roughly two weeks ago. The din of rain drowned out into a patter against the fabric of my umbrella, a curtain of water around me as I trudges along the main path. Mud sucked away at my boots, each step threatening to take my footwear with it as I traveled deeper into the countryside.
It was a simple escort wasn’t it? Along this main road. Her client was afraid of Morbols and there certainly wasn’t a shortage of them skittering along the edges of the forest. I let my hand trace along Cinder’s scales next to me, the weight of his footfalls sinking into the soaked dirt road. I hold up the set piece of cloth that I had taken with me – a spare shirt that was left at the house and yet to be laundered, it still had her scent on it. The wyvern flares its nostrils again to drink deep the remains of a trace, not wavering from his path.
We had been looking for hours and irritation was beginning to set in. ‘Where did you go? Why would you just up and vanish like that?’. Wandering thoughts creep about, did we say something offensive to her? Did she and Sky have a fight? My mental ramblings are cut short by the breathy hiss of Cinder, culling my attention as he cranes his neck to a spot off the beaten path. I can feel my heart skip several beats with excitement, wading through the thickening mud towards where he had wandered off to. Was she hurt? Did something get the better of h-
CLANG
A sharp pain racks my foot, instinctively reaching for my toe as clenched teeth fight against all my willpower not to swear. With pain quickly subsiding I reach into the murky puddles and find purchase on something solid. It didn’t feel like a root or a rock, with a grunt I heave it upwards out of the dirt as the downfall of rain start to wash away a bit of the grime. An audible gasp escapes my lips as I feel my heart plummet down into the soles of my shoes.
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Myra rests the axe onto the table, its face coated with rust and the blade long since dulled. The trio of companions all stand in a stunned silence around the weapon. Even Sky’s dark skin looked pale at the prospect, clearing her throat slightly before speaking.
“We don’t know if that’s hers or not. I’m sure lots of people lose their equipment when they’re traveling.”, the Keeper’s words were somewhat shaky, as if less trying to convince them and more so to convince herself. Phearless picked up the dilapidated tool, scraping the dried mud from the pommel as Myra and Sky watch on. The axe falls onto the table with a loud thud, Phearless putting a hand to his temple with an audible swear. He wasn’t the type to swear so easily, taking the two women aback.
“It’s hers.”, he mutters with a heavy hand, motioning to the pommel where underneath caked on clay and grime was a small opal stone set into the pommel of the haft. The energy in the room sunk, Sky’s ears flattening as Myra slumps into a nearby chair. An uncomfortable and eerie silence befalls the room for what felt like an eternity, Myra finally rising to her feet. With a small knife she pries away at the stone, working the tip of the blade along the socket before the dingy gem falls into her hand.
“What are you doing?”, Sky’s words were borderline accusatory, stress at an all time high as she practically hissed the words. Myra offered a small smile to attempt to ease her nerves, taking a napkin from the bartop and giving the opal a through wipe down, restoring its luster to a halfway decent point before setting it on the counter.
[She’s going to want that for her new axe when she gets back.] She signed at her, taking a deep breath before heading to the shower room. Sky could feel the tension leave her body, running her fingers along the gemstone for a brief moment. A small reminder that it wasn’t the end, that there were still unanswered questions. Most importantly that hope was still present.
“Yeah. You’re right.”