Ball of Nothing

Thirteen orders or steaming hot ramen later, the party found themselves sated and ready to take on Gnaway. At least everyone who had more than one bowl was, Jermine was still feeling ill.

"Are you alright? You look unwell," Zero commented while they started to walk towards the ruins."

Jermine shook her head and smiled. "It's alright, sir. Just maybe indigestion from eating too quickly."

Hearing that Jermine was indeed unwell, Zero didn't hesitate to give her some homemade hawthorn candies. The poor mole beast girl wanted to cry. Why did Zero have to be a doctor? If he was a kind and unknowledgeable adventurer, he could have sent her back to trade places with Bob. Things weren't going her way and Jermine moved to plan B. If she couldn't get out of this, she would stick very close to Truen and Zero just in case something happened. They were both very strong and also her best bet of surviving this ordeal.

They passed through the magic barrier and Truen quickly warded the attack of illusions with a piercing shot of Perfect World followed by a Homing Tracker arrow to locate their hidden host. Zero didn't stop his friend because none of the arrows were aimed to take lives. The archer fired a few more shots to get a better idea of what they were dealing with and Zero walked around to mark out the things his minimap could reach.

"How is it looking?" Zero asked and checked the image projection on the minimap. Mii pieced together what Truen feedback and slowly, the city's size was known. Jermine didn't know what the two elven brothers were doing but she understood at once that they were making a plan.

"The east side looks suspiciously weak," Truen noted and Zero agreed. "It's definitely a trap."

Jermine sighed in relief. At least they were able to avoid the first trap. However, her relief was short-lived when Zero declared that they headed east.

"Why?!" the terrified beast girl yelled, unable to hold back her frustration. "You said that it was a trap, why are we still going to the east?"

Truen and Zero blinked. "Isn't it obvious?" Zero asked. "If they set a trap deliberately for us, it means that there is either a huge secret or weakness they are trying to protect there. The other places are evenly fortified, this is the easiest way to find a clue to how to get in. It might not be the jackpot but it's a clue to what we need. Then again, doesn't the idea of solving puzzle traps excite you?"

Jermine wanted to disagree but Truen wasn't even bothering to hide his dangerous aura from her. With an obedient nod, Jermine reluctantly agreed even if her tone disagreed. She didn't want to die so soon. If she was asked to choose between dying by Truen's arrow or by the traps they were about to walk into, she chose the latter. As crazy as it sounded, she might have a higher chance of surviving with these two insane people by her side. Besides, there was no way she was going to survive this desert if she ran. There was no food or water, everything was provided for by Zero.

The east side of the ruins didn't appear through the sand like the ruins they saw earlier. Jermine knew that this was a job for her and got to work immediately. Truen told Zero not to stray too far from them when Zero claimed that he was going to check on something towards the southern part that they hadn't explored.

When Zero was out of sight and hearing range, Truen didn't bother being courteous with Jermine who shivered even though her claws were burning from digging hot sand.

"Just to be clear, I don't really care for the secrets you're hiding from us. But know this. If you cross Zero and refuse to pull your weight, you can forget about our protection in this desert. I won't kill you because Zero is a doctor and refuses to take lives. However, I can make it seem like you no longer wish to travel with us. Do your part properly and we will keep our end of the deal to help you reunite with your family. Did I make myself clear? If I sense any more funny business on your end, I won't hesitate to do what I have to. You don't eat for free in our group."

Her mouth felt as dry as sand but Jermine still swallowed painfully and nodded. The warning was clear as day and Jermine nailed that firmly in her head. Truen meant business and this was probably her last warning.

While Jermine and Truen tried to make a way to get to the east entrance, Zero secretly went to study the mysterious array on the stone surface. Truen might not realise it yet but there was a dial on the ground buried beneath the sand. The doctor worked quickly to push the sand aside for a better look. The circle on the ground was carved with many unrecognisable symbols but after meddling for a while, Zero managed to push one stone block with a carving into what looked like an empty space.

"What is this?" he asked Wii. "I don't detect any magic. Is this a puzzle or a trap?"

The three of them gathered over the stone dial puzzle trying to figure out which piece fit in which slot. After Zero's first accidental discovery, Mii understood that there was a pattern to the symbols and every stone tile on that dial was a piece to fit into a combination to unlock something.

While they worked, Jermine and Truen had already secured a pathway down to the east gate. Truen decided not to disturb Zero and went ahead to investigate, dragging Jermine along behind him.

Both sides were determined to find the true entrance first, much to the city guardian's amusement. While they were not wrong about their guess, it took two hands to clap. Not sharing information with each other was going to be their first stumbling block and he looked forward to keeping his soul if they couldn't even get past the first door.