Kaelis huffed her way up the series of switchbacks, deeply regretting her life choices as the midday sun beat down on her back. She could already feel the perspiration pooling under the leather of her jacket, and the cut on her leg, while healing, still stung with every heaving footstep. Whatever was waiting for them on top of the hill, it’d better be worth the trouble of lugging along all of her combat gear.

  Reaching the crest of the slope, Kaelis sputtered to a stop, in dire need of a quick breather. She tore off her helmet, her short hair moistened with sweat, and looked out over the impressive breadth of the town below her. They had climbed a lot higher than she’d thought. Letting the desert winds dry her brow, Kaelis breathed in the pleasant vista.

  A sound of shuffling footsteps pulled her attention away from the view. Trudging up the hill behind her, uncharacteristically lagging, was Jira, draped in her set of war-torn leather armor, mired in deep thought.

  “Something botherin’ you, Captain Sirroza?” Kaelis cheerfully asked, hoping to keep things light.

  Jira snapped back to reality. “No,” she replied.

  “You sure? You seem a bit spacey.”

  Jira stared out at the vista as she joined up with Kaelis, a callous look on her face. She didn’t seem like she wanted to talk, but then again, when did she ever?

  “…I’m fine.”

  “Okay, just checkin’.” Kaelis shot her a friendly finger gun. Throwing her helmet back on, she started up the mountain again with Jira at her heels.

  “So, uh, I saw you talkin’ to that Mayor guy earlier,” she continued a few moments later. “He’s from Dierros too, yeah? He’s got the tattoos I mean.”

  Jira grunted plainly. “Hm.”

  “It must be nice seein’ so many Dierrosi folk around here…” puffed Kaelis as the slope grew steeper. “I know there’s a lot in this town.”

  She briefly looked back to study Jira’s response. The Captain was staring down at the gravel, her jaw firmly clenched, though it almost looked like she had something to say. Kaelis felt a sudden surge of hope—could this be it? Could this be the moment where she and the Captain finally bonded? The only way to find out was to keep the conversation flowing.

  “I never met any Dierrosi ‘til I moved to the cities…” Kaelis continued. “And even then it only feels like recently I’ve been seein’ more around… I think it’s a good sign people are finally getting over the war… I mean, sure, it’s been a couple decades, but better late than never.”

  Jira said nothing. Kaelis pressed on.

  “It’s sad there’s been so much bitterness between you guys and the Empire… So you don’t worship the Angels, so what?... We don’t gotta fight about it…”

  Kaelis could hear Jira’s neck tightening behind her. “…It’s more complicated than that,” the Captain grumbled.

  “Well, yeah, I know there’s also that dispute with the border and all that… But I’m just sayin’… war… it’s all a bit silly.”

  “THAT’S ENOUGH.”

  Kaelis promptly buttoned her lips. She slowly turned her head towards Jira, though she didn’t need to see the Captain’s face to know she was upset. Something she’d said had crossed a line, and Jira’s deep scowl and downcast eyes only confirmed it.

  “Yes ma’am,” Kaelis squeaked, fixing her gaze straight ahead of her. “Sorry.” Suddenly acutely aware of her heavy gear, she trundled up the last leg of the hill, further saddled by the weight of their awkward silence.

  So much for her and the Captain bonding.

  Finally, after what felt like the steepest slope yet, the two women reached the top of the hill. They passed underneath the crumbling columns of the archway and stepped into the sprawling manorial grounds.

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  Kaelis let out an “Oooh,” unable to hold back her wonderment. Splayed out before them was an expansive estate—a domain fit for a duke, once upon a time. Stone paths meandered through rows of leafless hedges and withered gardens mummified by the desert air. Sumptuously sculpted fountains, cracked and long dried, accented the landscape between. And positioned in the exact center of the plateau, watching over the grounds like a dark sentry, was the Sarulean Manor itself.

  “Wow! This must’ve been a sight back in the day! Can you imagine it?” Kaelis elatedly mused. “The last Duke of Saruleah lived, what, six hundred-ish years ago? I bet these gardens were absolutely stunning then!” She wandered over to one of the low walls of thorny brambles, delicately examining a dried branch with her fingers. It snapped off without effort and disintegrated to pieces in her palm. “Now, not so much,” she declared, clapping her gloves of dust.

  Kaelis turned back to face the Captain, eager to see the reaction of an esteemed adventurer.

  Jira simply looked out over the estate with cold and apathetic eyes. She pulled her revolver from its holster and listlessly marched ahead. “Let’s just get this over with,” she mumbled.

  Kaelis’s smile disappeared; a twinge of embarrassment planted itself in her chest. Was she being too much? Either way, Jira was right—they still had a job to do. Tempering her excitement, Kaelis threw the Captain a strong, serious nod before unslinging her rifle from her back. She chambered a round and buttressed the gun against her shoulder. Watching their backs, Kaelis stuck close behind Jira as they followed the path deeper into the grounds.

  Emerging around the lines of lifeless briary, the two women came upon a large brick patio in the middle of the gardens. It appeared as though the web of paths wending through the estate all united in this central courtyard, coming together like spokes on a wheel. Kaelis did her best to ignore the dazzling layout of the landscaping. She tightened her grip on her gun, scanning the horizon for hints of movement. There was a monster on the loose, and she couldn’t afford to lose focus, not even for a sec—

  “Oh, wow!” Kaelis exclaimed, perking up excitedly. In the middle of the brickwork, elevated off the ground with excessive grandeur, was a monumental stone brazier. Its outer walls gently sloped up towards the heavens and were meticulously carved with depictions of humanity lifting their arms in prayer. Flowing through the figures were stone ribbons lovingly embossed with the runic language of the Angels.

  “Is that—?” Forgetting the job at hand, Kaelis flung herself towards the brazier, briskly jogging around its base. “It is!” she announced as she circled back to Jira.

  Jira just stared out at the brazier, looking especially indifferent about the whole thing.

  Kaelis chose to ignore the Captain’s lack of enthusiasm. “It’s a Communion Beacon!” she declared, thrusting her arms out towards it. “I’ve never seen one that wasn’t electric. And just look at the size of it! Lange wasn’t kiddin’ about the family bein’ devout Anjalatrians.” She ran over to the wall of the brazier and hoisted herself onto the lip, glancing down into the void of ash and detritus within. “Yeah, they really went all out. The lords of the manor probably invited the entire village up here every year for the Porrection Festival. Oh, that woulda been so fun! Can you imagine the size of the fire they would have to have built? Now that’d get the Angels attention.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Jira, not following.

  “You know, Communion Day? Everyone puts on a show, tries to get the Angels to come back? You know.” Kaelis planted her boots back onto the ground and glanced towards Jira, waiting for some kind of response.

  Jira just stared back at her, stone faced, and shrugged. “I’ve never been.”

  “What?!” shouted Kaelis, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’ve been livin’ in the Empire this long and never been to the Porrection Festival?”

  “It’s only noise.”

  “That’s crazy!” Kaelis proclaimed. “Ah, it’s the best! There’s lights and fireworks, and you get to dress up in costumes if you want. Yeah, we’re definitely gonna have to take you next year.”

  Jira grunted, disinterested. “The Anja Rai… Why would we want them to return?”

  “Because they created us!” answered Kaelis matter-of-factly. “And, if the Angels caused the Sundering, then maybe they can fix it.”

  Jira rolled her eyes. “Tch. How?”

  “I don’t know,” shrugged Kaelis. “But they got all sorts of crazy tech—or maybe even divine magics, depending on who ya ask. Point is, I bet they know a way.”

  Jira grumbled and raised her vision to the sky. Kaelis followed her gaze. Up high, hanging in the afternoon air, was the outline of the moon, large and lustrous, its azure oceans vaguely visible through the haze of the daylight. The Captain stared at it and scowled.

  “We don’t need them,” she declared. “The Anja Rai are just another race. They have no divinity. They are not worth celebrating.”

  “You’re missing the point,” said Kaelis. “The festival is fun! Don’t you like fun?”

  Jira tilted her head and stared straight at Kaelis, dead-eyed.

  “Alright, have it your way.”

  Just then, a clamorous crash rang out from the direction of the manor. It was a heavy, splintering sound, like two grand pianos had suddenly swerved into a head-on collision. Kaelis and Jira snapped their attention towards the building, crouching low, their guns swiftly at the ready.

  “Did that come from inside the house?” asked Kaelis, double checking that Jira had heard the same thing.

  Jira nodded. “Let’s move.”

  The Captain prowled towards the manor, with Kaelis hot on her heels. They moved low, guns aimed ahead, bouncing between hedges for cover. Bit-by-bit they advanced across the lawn, dark clouds slowly rolling in overhead.