The sky was a deep, dark grey by the time Spere and Windy had reached their destination. Spere didn't know what she had been expecting, honestly. It was a building larger than most of the others they'd passed, with light grey walls, and it looked like it had been used as a sort of indoor kennel in the past. Spere thought of the books she'd read, and wondered if it had been an indoor section of the zoo for birds, reptiles, and fish. The idea seemed probable enough.

Two hefty men wearing black stood outside the door as guards. They saw Spere, and glared, but as Windy approached them, they opened the door for the two.

The first thing Spere noticed was how incredibly warm the building was. Fluffy straw and hay lined the floor, and there were rows of medium to big sized cages and empty aquariums on either side. She assumed that she had been right; the cages and glass tanks seemed like they would hold birds and lizards nicely. She could tell a couple of windows had been boarded up. Probably to keep the amazing warmth inside. A small fire crackled inside of one of the empty glass aquariums. The smoke filtered out through the only window that was left open- a tiny, one-panel window that was opened just a crack.

Despite the small open window, the fire provided the whole room with astounding warmth (and smoke). Blankets were draped and hung over any bare spots on the walls. Windy and Spere walked through the room quickly. At the end of the building was a man resting in a large bean-bag chair, and, for lack of a better term, snuggled in dozens of blankets. Yellow straw and hay seemed to stick to everything, including the bean bag and blankets. It was warm, though. He looked mighty warm and comfy.

Spere wondered if this place was even all that bad. But, then she remembered the dead girl. She clutched her necklace tightly again. At the same time, she thought of the man that she had killed. Was she really any better?

"Boss," Windy cleared his throat. The man perked up. He had very dark skin, and even darker clothes, and a wide-set build.

He groaned, "What is it, Windy?"

"I've found us a prisoner. How should we proceed?" A moment of heavy silence passed. Then, the man threw his covers off onto the straw-covered floor, and stood up, brushing his thick coat and warm pants off with his gloved hands. Once done taking his sweet time with that, he took several heavy steps forward, and eyed Spere up and down. She did not like that at all, and turned away from him.

"Scared?" He chuckled. His voice was thick and raspy, and every breath seemed painful, the way someone who'd never worn a mask outdoors before would sound. Despite his voice that sounded like an older man, he himself appeared to be fairly young. No older than 30 or 40, Spere assumed.

He breathed, "Don't worry, young'n, I ain't gonna hurt you. We need more soldiers," he turned to look at Windy, "You'll be assigned to her. You can train her and she will become one of us."

Windy protested, "But sir! She killed one of our men! And I've never done training before. This was my first mission."

The man huffed, and pulled something from his pocket that Spere didn't quite recognize. He lit it with a lighter, and put his lips to it, taking a deep inhale. Then, he blew out smoke from his nose. It clicked. Spere realized it must be some sort of Cigarette. It was much too big to be one, though. She was utterly confused by it.

Finally, Boss said in between coughs, "Bet the man she killed was tryna make lovin' to her anyhow. I'da killed someone who'd done the same to me. She'll be his replacement, then. An' I personally mentored you. You're more than capable."

"You are not the wise man you used to be," Windy whispered. The boss did not hear, but Spere had. She shot him a worried glance. He hated her. It was clear to her now.

The man walked back and plopped back down in his seat, "You can take her through purification. I trust your judgement, Windy, but I also know you're a quick one to fight. If she's a good soldier, let her be one. If she ain't- well, I trust you to deal with her accordingly. Or bring her to me. If she misbehaves, we could make a good example outta her." He laughed hoarsely, "Or a bad one, I suppose."

Windy nodded, "Thank you, sir."

"Anytime, folk. Y'all are dismissed."

Spere left the building feeling even more confused than when she'd entered. How did such a- such a relaxed, casual guy become the boss of a bunch of murderers? It didn't make any sense. She did quite like him, though. And, Spere intended to make a good soldier. Not just to save her own ass, but to prove to Windy that she could. Maybe she could have a life here, a whole new life, and maybe she could find her friends and they would join her. She would like that.

She shook her head slightly, and almost chuckled. Walking with murderers? But she guessed she was one now. She needed to find Fallen World and Stonehenge but first, she needed time and a plan. So for now, she would cooperate and gain trust, maybe rise ranks if she could. She didn't want to make enemies while so sorely outnumbered.

The two began to walk through the zoo again. Spere wished she was still in the warm building. The wind was freezing cold. "I guess you'll be staying with me, then. That's the first thing I'll show you. Do you have any questions?"

Spere nodded, "What's the purification process like? And what does it do? Do you guys have any major enemies? And why do you kill so many people?"

Windy growled, obviously annoyed, "We kill because we have to. We have to show our dominance. You'll find we actually don't have to very often, though. And the purification process is just a series of different things you'll do or tortures you'll be put under to show your strength."

"Tortures?"

"Yeah. What else did you ask?"

Spere thought for a moment, "I honestly don't remember." A moment passed, then she jumped, "Oh, wait! I asked if you guys have any major enemies."

Windy nodded solemnly, "For sure. We've got a lot of enemies. We have to be careful. But our biggest enemies are in the sky."

"The sky?" Spere asked quizzically.

"There's a group of people even more savage than us. We have learned to manipulate fire to our will. But them? They've learned to use the sky, the air. They use large parachutes and cardboard pieces and gliders and skates and other various things to conquer the skies and glide overhead. We can't compete with that."

"Kidnap one and make him tell you how," Spere shrugged, finding it hard to believe that anyone could fly. Windy stopped and stared at her for a solid minute.

"That's... not a bad idea at all. Maybe that can be our first mission!" He said excitedly.

"I thought you hated me?" Spere asked. They continued walking.

Windy sniffed, "Well, I don't like you. But you are tough, I have to admit. And I can't pass up an opportunity to do something so exciting and dangerous like that! Since you came up with the idea, Boss'll have to let us!"

Spere chuckled, "You like adventuring, huh?" She, oddly enough, didn't hate the chit-chat. It reminded her of the banter she and Stonehenge would throw, or the conversations she and Mayhem would have. She missed them, now, as she walked.

"Yeah. I don't get to do a lot, though. I'm mostly in charge of guarding and inventory these days."

Spere nodded, "Can we start the mission soon? I'm excited too. Or do I have to do all the training stuff first?" I'm excited to get a chance to get away, she corrected herself internally.

Windy laughed, "Of course you have to do training first. But it won't take longer than a few weeks." Weeks? Spere didn't really like that, but she figured it would go by fast enough, and didn't argue.

Then, Windy said, "Honestly, if I could get the Boss to help mentor you, and evaluate you, and if you're a fast learner, we could speed-track your training. You're already pretty good. You just need to learn to be smooth about things and less messy."

"Less messy? You mean... when I kill people?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds awful, but trust me, it's not as bad as you think it is," he said. Spere sighed and nodded. For a while, they walked in silence, underneath the black skies. She thought about the man she had killed. She wondered what kind of life he'd lived. Then, Windy stopped at a small, cement building. He opened the door for Spere, who stepped in thankfully. The floor was covered in straw, much like Boss' house, and a mattress with several blankets lay on the floor. There wasn't a fire, though, and it was only a little warmer than it was outside.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Windy said, doing a sort of polite bow, stepping aside onto the straw and closing the door behind him with a hand outstretched. Suddenly, being alone with him made Spere nervous. She didn't trust him just yet. "Since it's so late, we should probably just sleep," he said. "You can sleep on the mattress, and I can either stand guard outside or sleep on the floor. It's up to you."

He must've sensed her unease. Spere glanced at him, then said, "I don't know..."

"I'll just take watch outside, then."

Spere looked at a wall away from him, "Is it too cold?"

"Naw, I'll be fine."

"Ok." With that, Windy was out the door, and Spere was left alone. She slowly sat on the mattress, and after a minute, she laid down on it. It was very comfy. She fell asleep quickly despite the many worries in her head. She clutched the silver cross in her hands for comfort in the new place. She prayed. She really prayed now, praying for Stonehenge. And Mayhem, wherever he was. And even Fallen World. Even the others, despite them having turned their backs on her and Mayhem and Stonehenge. She prayed. Maybe she cried a bit, too. She'd never admit it, though.

She was awoken very late at night by some commotion outside, and a hand on her shoulder. She shot up from the bed in the darkness, and her skull thunked into Windy's forehead, and they both sat there for a moment, groaning in pain.

"What the hell? What's going on?" Spere finally asked, the pain spiking her with fear.

"Outside. The ones who conquered the sky? Sky savages?? Bird folk??? They're here. We need every man on the field."

Spere protested, still drowsy, "I'm a girl! I'm not trained!"

"Take this," Windy thrusted a cold bottle of water into her hands. "Drink some water. It will wake you up." Spere did as she was told. And it did. It helped to sharpen her mind.

Windy continued, "I know you're not trained. But you are good with battle regardless, and strong. I'll be there with you. We need you out here!"

Spere took a moment to take it all in and listen to the shouts and chaos from outside. Then finally, she nodded, "Fine. Let's do this." Windy smiled in the darkness, eyes and teeth glinting. Then, he pulled her close, and hugged her.

"It's going to be rough. You'll make it through it. My first time in a real battle was also before I was trained. Just don't think about anything too much."

Spere didn't know what to say but, "Okay." She hated this weirdness. Awkwardness? She didn't like Windy at all, she decided.

Then, as quickly as he had hugged her, he pulled away and got to his feet. He offered Spere a hand, but she didn't take it. She stood up beside him, raced out the door with him, and was flown into utter madness. Absolute chaos.

People running, screaming, fighting. Tall torches and spears being lit and carried and thrown. Arrows rained from the sky, and a few things were on fire in the distance. Absolute mayhem.

Mayhem.

What had happened to him? Wasn't he here?

No time to think.

Spere growled, "I need a weapon!"

Windy nodded, "Your sword. It's down by the medical building, with your friend. That's where we will go. For now, take this." He thrusted a stone arrowhead in her hand. She nodded her thanks, and peered down to look at it. It was attached to a string necklace.

Swiftly, Windy pulled Spere by her hand and began to run. He ran to the other side of the building, and across a small open plot of land with her. They ran for not very long. Everything was blurred to Spere, including time.

Somehow, they both managed to rush into a medium sized building, safely, and slammed the door behind them, panting heavily. They had been very lucky. The floor here was the same as the other buildings- covered with straw and hay. The difference was the DIY cabinets that hung, the makeshift baskets and drawers that littered the edges of the floor. And, even more so important, was the mattresses in the middle of the floor. Two were empty, and one was occupied.

Mayhem.

Spere quietly and slowly made her way over to him, almost in disbelief, the fighting outside growing muted to her tunnel vision. She touched his face with her hands. He had bandages wrapped around his sides. He looked pale, but alive. And well, even.

"He will be fine," Windy said. Then, he said, "The doctor must be on the battlefield treating soldiers." A moment passed. Then, Spere picked up the sword that lay on the ground beside Mayhem. It still had blood on it. She tried to not think about it. She held it in her hands, admiring it for a moment, then turned to Windy and nodded. Almost dramatically.

The two raced back outside.

Windy had to yell to be heard, "The sky soldiers will have thick outfits, made from cardboard and scrap metal. And wings or backpacks that have parachutes, or something like that. You'll recognize them! Stay close to me, alright?"

"Alright!" Spere said, absolutely dazzled by all the commotion around her. The two stood awkwardly for a moment, then finally, Windy charged towards a group fighting nearby. Spere blindly followed.

It was two of the sky soldiers fighting a single normal savage. Spere didn't know what to call them exactly, so she started just calling her allies Normals, and the opponents Birds. They surely looked like birds. The one they were running to fight was covered in thick cardboard, with large cardboard wings sprouting from his back and along his arms. And, he wore a sort of plague doctor's mask, which had a beak, and further made him look like a bird.

Spere charged without a sound. She whipped her sword at one of his wings, the blade feeling comfortable and familiar in her hands, and surely enough, it sliced right through. He turned to her and yelled, but was stopped by Windy and the third Normal, who each grabbed his arms and held him back. Spere plunged her sword through his cardboard vest and straight into his abdomen. He screamed, and collapsed to the ground.

Spere pulled Windy towards her by the arm, and said, "Let's try to get one alive! It will be easier to here than it would be to invade them." What was she even thinking?

Windy grinned, "Yes! Bright idea! Boss can keep prisoners in the cages in his home, so we can lock them in there!" Spere nodded in response.

Then, the two charged off again.

A large figure overhead. It reminded Spere of the airplanes she'd read about. The man glided down right on top of Spere, knocking her over. Big mistake. As he fell on top of her, her sword had pushed itself into his body and through his plastic armour. Spere pushed his heavy body off of her, pulled her sword away, and began to search for another to fight. It was exhilarating and terrifying.

A woman this time, with a hefty backpack on, charged at Spere. Spere whipped her sword in the woman's direction, but was blocked by the woman's own sword. So, Spere very quickly dropped to the ground in a crouching position, and swung the sword at the woman's ankles.

It sliced her skin. The woman collapsed to the ground, and swung her sword at Spere, but Spere blocked with her own. Then, Spere jumped to her feet, and chucked her sword straight down. It lodged itself into the woman's spine, and she fell dead almost immediately. Spere pulled her sword out of the woman's back, and raced away.

Things continued like this for a while. Spere would fight the birds one on one, or with some of her allies. She got bruised, and a few cuts, but never anything major.

For a while, at least.

A woman flew from the rooftop of a building with large plastic wings, and landed on Spere's back. Spere fell face-first into the ground. Spere struggled, but the woman managed to jab a dagger into Spere's shoulder. She shouted out in pain, but her cry was drowned out by the chaos around her. The woman stabbed her again, between her ribs. Spere shouted again, and could feel the warm blood filling her layered clothes. She felt oddly warm. Oddly calm.

Oddly, at peace. Her necklace clinked quietly in her ears with her movements.

The dagger twisted in her gut.