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ILIAS VAN PAYNE

After our exhausting and near-death battle with Oyecomova, the military personnel that was sent to our fight's location rewarded us with an extravagant stay at their jail's most luxurious cell.

My fight with Clint and me and Jaime's fight with Oyecomova disturbed more than half of the town. Many witnesses turned their fingers to us, and because the story was unclear, the three of us were sent to jail until our innocence was proven by a clear and concise story.

Currently, Clint was housed in the cell beside ours (alongside the guy that was being puppeted by Oyecomova). The gunslinger was a quiet kid. He never once spoke a word during our fight nor during our stay in Orisa's jail. He simply stared out the window and watched the celestial bodies in the sky.

When we tried to ask him questions, he pretended not to hear.

Jaime was relentless in proving our innocence, but the soldiers wouldn't entertain it. They ignored her after every word. By the time the sun had set, she paced back and forth in her cell.

We have no money to pay for our fare, but that doesn't really matter. All we need is to explain our situation to Roxy and Roxanne. I don't doubt that they'll pay for our fare.

Once we get to Roa, Jaime and I can finally join the Adventurer's Guild. We will pay them over time.

What we can't miss is the strict deadline of Mrs Robinson's expedition.

If we do, we can't travel back to the village and ask them for money to pay for the next expedition's fare. That'll take too long.

An expedition only happens once a month and the poison ring in Jaime's throat will claim her life.

If we're not released before sunrise, we're left with no option but to cross the desert on foot.

Jaime didn't sleep at night. She went through many different emotions as if she were an actress practicing before a show.

We were still stuck in the cell by the time the lower arcs of the sun were well above the ground.

"I am so dead," Jaime cried. "The expedition left long ago. And it won't even matter if the twins waited for us or not. The next expedition won't happen until a month from now. I'm going to die."

I massaged her shoulders as she sulked in the corner. "We'll manage."

By noon, the stories of numerous witnesses had proven our innocence (along with the poor guy that was dragged into this). We were questioned for a quick couple of minutes before being allowed to leave.

As Jaime and I left, I glanced back at Clint. He watched us with eyes that expected their fate.

I pointed to him. "He's innocent as well."

"It says here he snatched your money," one of the soldiers said," which led to you two fighting."

"It was only a misunderstanding. We're strangers to this town so he was showing us around. That was when the tattooed elf stole our money. I got angry because I mistook him for a scammer that was helping the elf. After everything was sorted out, he helped me find Jaime. He was knocked out during the fight. I let my emotions get a hold of me is all."

"Hmm..."

"Sir, the story from multiple witnesses has already placed us as victims. If Clint was working with the elf, why am I vouching for his innocence."

After a quick conversation with the other soldiers, Clint was promptly freed, joining us.

"We've just freed you," I explained to him. "Don't try anything idiotic or rash. My Stand is faster than you."

Firstly, we headed back to the inn we were staying at just in time to collect our belongings. We checked the twins' room to find it empty.

They really did leave without us.

We immediately headed to Mrs Robinson's office to find it empty. There was a notice stating that the business was temporarily closed until three weeks from now. After asking around, a baker who opened early in the morning confirmed that the expedition left on schedule. He also confirmed that twins with blue and pink hair were part of it.

Jaime gritted her teeth while watching the desert before suddenly grabbing Clint by the throat and pressing him against the wall.

"Where is Oyecomova hiding?"

Clint didn't answer and only choked, his eyes bulging red.

"Jaime, stop it. You're choking him. He's not going to answer."

"Which earring has the antidote?" she persisted.

I placed Clint in a bubble, freeing him from Jaime's grasp. He collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air.

"Jaime, you have to calm down. Killing him isn't going to destroy the ring in your throat. He's more use to us alive."

"Is your definition of use different from mine? How is he of any use? He stole our money and gave it to Oyecomova. He hasn't said a word since yesterday and he's going to stay as silent as the grave. What are we supposed to get from him?"

"I don't know. But I do know that he knows things that we don't."

"Even if you're right, it's all useless if his voice remains silent."

"We'll get it from him. You heard Oyecomova saying Clint's not part of their party. It means he's not loyal to them to some degree. We can use that."

Once Clint was done catching his breath, he snapped his fingers to get our attention. He pointed to the ground in front of him.

Written in the dust were the words: "I can't hear or talk."

"He's deaf?" Jaime laughed hysterically. "This is ridiculous. I have to be dreaming."

I pointed my staff into the air. "Noise Pollution!"

I summoned an arcane spell that would send a scream barely strong enough to break our eardrums. Jaime collapsed to the floor with her hands around her ears, the baker cringed as he winced in pain. Clint watched me in confusion, unaffected.

I stopped the spell, causing the baker to scream insults at us.

"What the hell was that for?" Jaime questioned.

"Clint just passed the test," I said. "He's telling the truth about being deaf."

To collect our thoughts and relax, even for a mere moment, I led the three of us to a tavern. The place had a lively and joyful atmosphere, but they weren't getting to Jaime.

I tapped Clint. "Can you read lips, at least?"

Clint nodded.

"That's good. This makes it easier for us. So what's your relationship with Oyecomova? Do you consider the party as friends?"

Clint gestured his hand as if to say, "So-so."

"Do you consider them as enemies?"

Again, he gestured, "So-so."

"What about the leader? Is he an enemy to you?"

Clint's eyes lit up with the passion of vengeance. He nodded.

Jaime, who was fidgeting her leg up and down, downed a mug of ale. "We have to cross the desert soon if we have any chances of making it to Roa in thirty-three days. No-it's thirty-two now. We wasted a day in that damned cell!"

"Jaime, getting fired up about it won't help us."

"You try not to get fired up if you have a poison ring in your throat."

"You bet your life that we can defeat him in a month, what were you expecting?"

"I was bluffing, obviously. He was going to kill us so I bluffed. Even if he took our money, I knew the twins would lend us theirs. How was I supposed to know Oyecomova had a magic ring that can reinforce my promise? How was I supposed to know we were going to spend a night in that damned cell and miss the expedition?" Jaime massaged her throat. "Maybe I should just cut my throat and try to take it out on my own."

Clint shook his head, warning us not to do that. He looked around while holding an imaginary quill.

He wants to say something.

"Book!" I said, summoning Talking Book in front of him.

Clint took the quill and wrote. "The ring will release the poison no matter what. The antidote just nullifies the poison. Even the most skilled surgeons can't remove that ring."

"So is he on our side now?" Jaime asked.

"Stop antagonizing him."

"We've lost the only two friends that know our struggle because of him. We lost our money because of him. And I have a poison ring in my throat that'll kill me in a month because of him. That deaf gunslinger put us in this situation, so forgive me if I antagonize him."

Jaime's always been bad at controlling her temper. She was much calmer when the ring was just put around her throat. But now that she's had a full day to sit on the reality of the situation, she's gotten stressed.

I can't really blame her for wanting to murder Clint.

Even if he did put us in this scenario, we can't change the past. And from here on out, this deaf gunslinger is an asset.

"So, Clint," I said. "Why did you steal our money?"

Clint struggled for a bit, wondering how to put his thoughts into words. Before he could write anything-

"Who cares why Clint did what he did?" Jaime said. "We have to strategize a plan on crossing the desert on foot if we want to make it to Roa in a month."

"Oh, I don't suggest that little lady," the bartender said as he began his round of wiping glasses. "There are lots of monsters and highwaymen that are out to get you. And if they don't, the desert is a formidable foe. She always wins."

"Sir," I said. "Is it possible to cross the desert in a month?"

"If you don't get lost, I'd say you have a good chance."

"Let's say that our only option is to cross the desert. What do you suggest we do to maximize our chances of making it across?"

He chuckled as he poured a shot of bourbon for a customer. "I can tell you for sure that the three of you are too small a number. You'll need to find other people to cross the desert with. The more of you there are, the chances of you dying become smaller. There's also the fact that if you are in a sticky situation, there are more heads that can contribute to a solution. Three is too small a number. I bet thirty is good. Better if three hundred."

Jaime turned to me. "Ilias-"

"I know what you're going to say, Jaime. And I have the same idea." I took what little money we had and left it on the table. "Finish up your meals you two. I bet they haven't left yet."

"Oh, and by the way," the bartender said. "Travelling with others is also a bit riskier. Your chances of dying to monsters and highwaymen will fall significantly. But the heat will still get you. And if the supplies get low enough and everyone becomes desperate, everyone will turn on each other. If you take away everything that makes us civilized, humanity becomes the worst monster of all."

We packed our things and left town, heading to the gathering of Desperados we passed by while entering Orisa.

Once we left the walls, I tied a tight rope around Clint's upper body. I was sure that what he was telling was the truth, but I couldn't let him walk around freely solely on my instincts. There was also the fact that he put us in this situation.

I'd seized his firearms, but he still had the ability to summon a six-shot revolver at will. It was safer for everyone involved if Clint was restricted in some way.

The company of drifters had made the outside walls of Orisa their home. If left for a month or two, this place would resemble a slum. But the military would clear the area before the situation even got that far.

The only reason why these Desperados were being allowed to make this place their temporary homes was because everyone knew they were going to cross the desert sooner rather than later.

It was something everyone was used to. A ritual even.

"Is there anyone in charge that we can talk to?" I asked the desperate crowd. "Who can I talk to?"

They ignored us, giving us nothing more than an eyeing glance.

"What do you kids want?" a woman spat.

The hostility toward us made sense. We were nicely dressed, carrying expensive equipment, and our speech screamed we had an education. These people had probably been made fun of by kids like us.

"You're crossing the desert, aren't you? We want to join."

Murmurs spread among the drifters, but none answered.

A blonde girl wearing glasses approached us. She was carrying a pail and ladle. I could only assume she was going around to give everyone a drink.

The girl had fair skin and neat hair, and seemed almost foreign among everyone here.

She searched around before speaking meekly. "So you want to join us? Is this some sort of joke?"

"No, we truly want to join in crossing the desert with you. May we know your name?"

"Ri-" she let out a cough. "It's Melissa."

"I'm Ilias, she's Jaime, and the tied-up fellow is Clint. We need to cross the desert in less than a month."

"You don't really need permission to join."

"But is there someone who's taking charge?"

"That'd be Filthy Frank," the spitting woman butted in. "He went into town to do some errands. He'll be back soon."

We helped Melissa give everyone a drink of water. I used water jynx to make it easier to get the job done.

By the time everyone's thirst was cured, this Filthy Frank and four others arrived. Melissa went straight to him and told him of our request. He inspected us carefully and pulled us far away from the others.

Frank was a middle-aged man with tattoos running up his biceps. For someone I had to guess was in his fifties, he was surprisingly very fit.

Why do they call him Filthy Frank? His clothes are clean, his skin is smooth, and his greying hair is well-kept. There's nothing filthy about him.

We started with introductions before getting right into the important part.

"Three cursed swords," Frank took note, unwrapping the cloth I had wrapped around Aurora Ventus' tip to avoid anyone with sticky fingers. "And a very expensive staff. Why don't you simply sell your stuff and wait for the next surefire expedition?"

"We promised ourselves not to stoop so low as to sell the only things more valuable to us than gold," Jaime answered harshly. "And we are under a strict time limit to get to Roa."

"You don't need to get so defensive. I was only asking a mere question."

"Forgive her," I apologized. "She's just been stressed these last few hours."

"I can see that. I can also see that you two are strong and would prove to be useful allies in our crossing."

"We will carry more than just our weight."

"I believe you." Frank pointed to Clint. "What about him? Why is he tied up?"

"He's our prisoner. He stole our money. It's why we couldn't join the expedition to cross. So he's our prisoner for safekeeping."

Melissa hid behind Frank. He then rubbed her head to reassure her that there was nothing wrong.

"Is he dangerous?"

"Nothing that we can't handle."

"Very well. I invite you to join us."

"We need to reach Roa in a month," I reminded him. "When do we leave?"

"We leave tomorrow."

What's next on Rebellion?

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Thanks for reading this far and don't forget to comment and vote as it would help push this story out a lot.

Action-heavy chapter right at the beginning of the volume, what do you think?

What are your feelings on Ilias and Jaime having to cross the desert on foot?

What do you think of the plotlines that have been set up?

Do you trust the Desperados?

Where do you think the Clint and Oyecomova plot go?