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— My head hurts so much, — Foxy thought without opening her eyes.
Trying to open her heavy eyes, the girl felt a cloth bandage on her eyebrows, and the back of her head felt like one warm and damp pillow. Bunny was lying curled up on her chest.
— So, I’m still alive. What a shame, — the scout tried to smile.
There were only bare walls of pure polished metal around, but this even seemed pleasant to Foxy. The room smelled of engine oil and spirit.
— Like in the Engineers garage, — the girl grinned and relaxed.
Despite the fairly beat-up condition, she felt calm and rested.
— So that’s what sleep is good for.
In a moment, the feeling of calm was replaced by fear and panic, when the “eyes” of the Ravagers appeared in the mind of the scout.
— Ochre! — the girl shouted and tried to get out of bed. Her neck and the back of her head seemed to have been pierced with a red-hot knife. Foxy collapsed back and groaned, clenching her teeth in pain. Darkness.
Another time, Foxy’s eyes opened before her mind could think. The familiar interior reminded of the battle with the robots and evoked anxiety rather than calm. But this feeling came back together with Ochre, who appeared in the doors.
— How are you feeling? — the Seeker asked excitedly.
— I don’t want to say that I’ve been better. But I really have been. Looking at these walls, I can only assume that we both died, and now we are in an iron heaven.
— One who keeps his optimism will always be ahead of others, — Ochre smiled. — We’re guests here, Fox. And we’ll have to leave soon.
— It’s a shame that we couldn’t get the ravager parts, — the scout sighed.
— At least we made it out of there, — said Ochre, lowering her eyes.
There was silence in the room.
— I see you’ve settled in well here, — a hoarse voice came from behind the Seeker.
A tall woman in a robe embroidered with floral patterns stood at the entrance of the room. She wore glass glasses with scrolling text and holograms, and metal plates with shimmering neon lines were visible on her body.
— The Ravagers gave you a pretty good beating. Thank our people for having the ability to breathe now, — said the girl, coming closer to Foxy and looking her in the eyes.
— Were they really your people? They were mercenaries you sent to their death by promising them money, — Ochre said angrily.
— And I was told that the Seekers are wise... — the guest sounded upset. — There’s no compulsion involved. It is just a favor. They do good deeds, they save others. And they get a reward for doing it. Usually such things are done to someone’s own detriment.
— They die there.
— This is war. And they take the risk — the payment to do good deeds.
Ochre didn’t answer anything, but patted Foxy on the shoulder instead.
— Sorry, you need to rest.
— I feel great already. Don’t worry, — the scout said enthusiastically, rising from the bed. — How long have I been out?
— Just two days. It was courage that cured you, girl. And our medicine, — the woman in a robe said with an arrogant smile. — I’ll be waiting for you in the meeting hall.
Ochre gave Foxy a hand and, carefully supporting her behind her back, helped her to rise.
— How did we manage to escape? The Syndicate? Whom do we have to thank? — The red-haired girl asked anxiously.
— There is no one left to thank, — the Explorer said slowly. — We were rescued by the mercenaries who were conducting the Syndicate’s mission. They draw the enemy fire. Thanks to that, I was able to drive the ship away. And then Nobuko and her squad met us.
Foxy gently hugged Ochre by the shoulders and held her tightly to herself.
— You’re not responsible for their deaths. If you had stayed, we would have just died.
— I know, — the woman said quietly. — My oath is turning into a curse. I’m tired of seeing people die in front of my eyes and doing nothing...
— You’re doing a lot to save them. Much more than the others. You bring knowledge and reveal the truth to people. We’ll handle the rest. I promise. I will avenge them.
The conference hall at the Syndicate outpost was a large room lined with polished metal. Neon billboards with images of colorful dragons spewing flames were flashing on the walls. Nobuko was sitting at a large square table of a rectangular shape. Ochre and Foxy were sitting on the opposite side. The Seeker was making notes in her notebook, and Foxy was studying the surroundings with interest.
— So, what are your plans? Why did you come to fight the Ravagers? — asked Ochre, leaning a pencil to her chin.
— Any evil is easier to kill at the start. People stroked the cat, and then the tiger bit their hand. The Syndicate is interested in development, not in death.
— But why did you come to the Valley for this? — Foxy joined the conversation.
— Foresight. That’s the difference between you and us.
— Then why don’t we join our forces? Together we can quickly find Lloyd and destroy him, — the scout began to get impatient.
Nobuko silently looked into the girl’s eyes for a few long seconds and sharply, but gracefully rose from the chair and approached the wall. The image of the dragon on it has changed to a map of the Valley.
— Not everyone is as brave and strong as you, girl. The dragon no longer cooperates. You can only obey him or get out of his way. The iron snakes have already become too strong thanks to their spellcaster. Experienced warriors will soon arrive in the Valley. They will help the dragon to cut off the heads of the snakes and to shut the mouth of their master.
— But why did you help us then? — Ochre was sincerely surprised.
— The Syndicate respects those who try to preserve this peace and do not sow violence. We know about your Order. And we are ready to help those who are on the right path. It is where we walk and we will burn everyone who stands in our way.
— So, you’re on your own? Some people in the Valley are pinning the sins of the Ravagers to you, — the Seeker noticed.
— It’s their right. And it’s their problem if their eyes are so blind.
Only now Nobuko turned back to the girls.
— Why did you come to the Abandoned town? What were you looking for there?
— To learn how to fight with robots! — said Foxy. — To find their weaknesses. But, as you remember, we barely survived.
— Finally, everyone begins to understand the threat posed by the Ravagers.
Nobuko looked at the map again and turned it off.
— Your ship is downstairs, — she said to Ochre. — We have finished the repairs. Consider this the last act of our hospitality. Goodbye, Ochre. And... Foxy.
Nobuko gave the women a contemptuous look and went out of the hall.
— Hospitality? — Foxy was surprised. — They already consider themselves masters around here.
— That's right, — Ochre said with concern in her voice. — I noticed on their map that the Dragons have more and more new bases in the Valley. They want to gain influence and are hiding behind a fight with a common enemy.
— Why did they really help us and fixed the ship? I don’t believe in fairy tales about “mutual path”.
— Damn… The name! — Ochre exclaimed and rose from the chair in confusion.
— The name? — Foxy was surprised.
— I didn’t tell them your name. Looks like they hacked into my computer and got access to the Order’s data. I’ll kill her! — Ochre headed for the exit, but Foxy grabbed her tightly by the hand.
— Rather, they will kill us. We must go to the Engineers, — the scout said excitedly. — The people of the Valley can no longer be apart.
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