“Get out of here!” An older man said as Eldin, Lumina, and the rest of the people hired by Christoph were being yelled at.

  “Sheesh. You’d think they would be grateful for ridding them of that spirit.” Flip commented, thankful that the auto transport was made of metal. The loud thuds heard from inside attested to how unhappy the population was.

  “What are they throwing at us?” One of the men asked.

  “Sounds like rocks mostly. Some bigger than others.” Lumina replied.

  The angry complaints were audible, but the metal between them and the mob were muffled quite a bit. Eldin asked Lumina what they were saying,

  “They are really angry.” She said after a pause. There were more than a few curses and other unsavory language being used.

  “Why though?” Flip asked as he looked out a peephole at the unhappy populace.

  “My guess is that Alice was kind of like a guardian spirit or a town mascot or something. By getting rid of her, we literally took away a unique aspect about the town. Even if it was malicious.” Eldin theorized to the rest group about the unrest.

  “It makes sense, but she was scary.” Lumina added in as her ear twitched again. She noticed the other men were staring at her. She explained to the crew that sudden sounds tended to make her ears reflexively twitch. She stifled her amusement when they all nodded like they understood even though they didn’t.

  As it stood, the residents of Alice Springs were the least of their worries. No one in the transport was looking to have a rematch with the man-eating prairie dogs as they made their way back to Gildale.

  The sun was at its highest point when they finally left town. With their cargo now in tow, they needed to be more careful how to drive so as not to crack the cases holding the water. Everyone immediately prepared for another assault as they rolled through the hole infested plain. The longer they travelled without being attacked, the more they worried something bad was going to happen.

  They all looked at each other completely confused when they traveled all the way through without a single sighting or attack. Flip was the first to comment, “I’m not one to complain about good fortune. But anyone else feel like something is wrong?”

  Both Eldin and Lumina got out of the transport and cautiously approached one of the tunnels. Inside it was one of the monstrous prairie dogs, but dead. A single large hole completely through it. “Well, it’s definitely dead. But every single one of them? They couldn’t all be killed in a single night, could they?” Eldin said with surprise.

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  Lumina also thought the idea of so much slaughter in a short time was impossible. “You don’t think Adrok did this when he left. Do you?”

  “Do you know anyone else who could do something so ridiculously impossible?” Eldin stated as he wished Adrok was still around to ask questions. The primordius literally ghosted them last night.

  Agreeing on Eldin’s conclusion, Lumina was happy that Adrok was on their side. “Milli’s comrades are truly terrifying.” Which also meant that she hadn’t even come close to seeing what the woman was capable of.

  Making their way back to the transport, the two got back on and explained what they saw and the reason for it. “You’re telling me, that the guy with that crazy cloak was one of the legendary heroes?” Flip said in surprise.

  Eldin once again confirmed that it was indeed one of those legends.

  “I should’ve gotten an autograph or something from him.” One of the men said as he went back to his scout post on top of the vehicle. “I thought you were still trying to get Saphina’s autograph.” The driver commented laughing. The ensuing argument between the two was akin to close friends having a friendly disagreement.

  Seeing Flip sitting across from her, Lumina asked. “Who’s Saphina? Are they a legendary hero as well?”

  Flip didn’t respond immediately. He didn’t know Lumina was talking to him. “Who? Saphina? I’ve never met her, but apparently, she is a famous idol in Runefal.”

  This was the first time Lumina had ever heard the name, “Do people worship her?”

  Flip wasn’t sure how to answer the question, “Well when you say it like that. I mean she isn’t a god or anything if that’s what you’re asking.” He could tell Lumina was not following along. “You do know what an idol is right?”

  “It’s an object people worship.” She replied

  Flip coughed a bit at the technically correct answer. “Look. Saphina is not an object.” He scratched his head not really wanting to debate on a topic he had no care for. “Jach! Let me switch places with you!” He shouted, looking at the ceiling. “Our friend is asking questions about Saphina.”

  The man on lookout duty dropped down almost immediately. With an overly excited look in his eyes, he sat next to Lumina. “You wish to know more about my Goddess Saphina? Runefal’s number one popstar?”

  Lumina could hear the grumbling of the driver and other men. She wasn’t sure what she had gotten herself into as she watched Flip abandon her. For the next couple hours, Lumina was assaulted with information on what a popstar was, what they do, who Saphina is, and everything else she did not bargain for. Granted, most of the information was fascinating. A young woman performing on a stage in front of thousands of fans wearing interesting costumes while singing and dancing. The way Jach was describing the concerts actually made her want to go to one herself.

  To everyone else’s relief, it was Jach’s turn to drive next. Once he got in the driver’s seat and started the vehicle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The other men, Flip included, gave Lumina an accusing look before going about their duties.

  As she sat in the transport admiring the scenery, she could clearly hear Jach humming whaSaphina’s catchy tunes. Like everyone else, she was also relieved when he stopped talking about Saphina. She didn’t know someone could talk about something for so long.