"Here we stand, alone and forgotten. Our deeds will go unremembered, our hearths burn out with no tenders. Our castles may crumble, our people buried in the snow, forever lost to the darkness. But we will stand regardless. We will fight. For that is our duty."

- Boyar Vladimir Keriga, Ingramarian Peoples Militia, "Last Stand Of Silakmensk"

"Adrianna, do take better care of yourself." A gentle voice scolded her.

"I do! And that's rich coming from someone who wanders around in the cold so much." Adrianna defended herself.

"Tah, spying on me were you? You little creep." Her friend retorted.

"Creep? The only one who could be called creepy here is you, Maria." She scowled at the girl.

The black haired girl rolled her eyes jokingly and gave Adrianna a firm pat on the back, making her yelp.

"You are far too tense. Got to relax and just enjoy life a little, eh?"

Adrianna growled and turned away, ignoring the other girl.

"Don't be too upset. I'll miss you." Maria cooed.

"You don't do anything anyways."

"How rude! Vile lies you sordid little doxy."

The two giggled a little.

"I'll have you know, I actually have plans for the foreseeable future." Maria continued, adopting a more haughty attitude.

"Sure, sure." Adrianna scoffed.

"I am! Now go! I don't need this doubt and slander in my life." The girl shrieked exaggeratedly, almost like a priest pontificating to his misguided flock.

Adrianna just flipped her off and headed for the door.

"Ah! Wait a minute!" Maria screeched.

Adrianna winced and stopped in her tracks, mildly annoyed.

"Yes?"

"Before you go, here! A gift! Wear it well!" Maria laughed and choked her with a strange silver locket in the shape of a bird.

"The fuc-" She gasped in surprise but Maria's grip was firm, holding her in place as the other girl finished tying the locket around her neck, the eagle shaped studs on her bracelet poking into Adrianna's throat.

"Oi, oi." She growled.

"Sorry, sorry, stay still. There! Pretty! Now you'll impress that boy of yours, eh?"

"This is-!" Adrianna held the locket in her hands and just started. It looks expensive as hells. Then she shook her head, "Wait how did you-"

"Ah-ah. I can tell. I'm the smart one between us, after all. The one with the brains. Now go! It might look expensive, but it's pretty, yes? Now shoo! Shoo!"

Caught completely off guard, Adrianna wordlessly let the girl shove her out of the room. Still too shaken by how carefreely she had just been given such a pricey looking gift. Feeling it in her palm, she could sense a certain heft behind it. Real metal if not silver at least. Expensive either way, stars.

It astounded her just how different their lives were. Where Maria was able to just remain clothed and fed by the matron's good graces due to her dynastic ties. Adrianna had to work for the right to even stay at the bunkhouse. A smattering of odd jobs ranging from selling little crafts, a store clerk, and even selling herself when money was tight. But life was life, and she supposed she was already luckier than most, being able to have a modicum of a life within the city walls of Saryama.

Though it paled in comparison to the capitals of Cyndralia or even the other trade cities like Ostia or Arteria. When one laid eyes on the plethora of large multicolored domes and spires that soared up from the city like a glistening garden that danced between worlds. Situated on the lowlands at the northern edge of the Trannoire basin, flanked by the mountains of Kraka Mourn and the Lucurian desert on the other. The city itself bridged the gap between worlds. The fertile rolling hills of the Trannoire and golden sands just beyond meeting in the middle to cradle this oasis of civilisation.

While it had not the luck of location nor the storied history that allowed the other city states to flourish as they had. Saryama holds within its sleeve something beyond the merging of lands and cultures to bring itself to prominence. A welcoming philosophy that gave shelter to all kinds and creeds. From criminal to noble, to even exiles and wandering adventurers. Saryama welcomed all that beheld its splendor. Though one would quickly learn that the glittering spires and ornate domes were playgrounds of the elite and not meant for the common folk. Lessons that people like Adrianna had come to learn well during her stay here. But she understood it, and would try to carve her only little place out regardless. For even she too, was a visitor of sorts.

For here, at the confluence of so many different worlds. Tributary to the Lucurian Sultante, edge of the Traxian sphere of control, but bordering the free cities of the Trannoire. There was much opportunity to be had, all just waiting to be seized.

She sighed deeply and stifled her fantasies. Life was tough enough without idle thoughts stirring her soul. She had a lot to do today and not enough energy as it is. If only Maria could help out more, she grumbled.

Still, she supposed she had lucked out in a way. Though Maria failed horrifically to hide her noble upbringing, she was at least pretty well behaved and mannered. Given that the bunkhouse was one of the cheapest places to stay in the city, she could've gotten far worse roommates. Maria was accomadating too, more or less.

Walking until she reached a small red lamp post, she fished out a small piece of paper from her pocket and glanced at the address. Ahead of her, a stout sandstone tower more rectangular and square than the Lucurian spires waited quietly for her. Eighth Redstone Street, that's this alright, she sighed.

Perhaps one of the few things she appreciated about herself was that when she had been younger, she was enamored with reading and writing. With a little luck and a whole lot of practice, she picked up those skills and could also offer up services for poorer families, if needed. Today however, would be a challenging yet hopefully rewarding endeavor along those veins. For she had been hired as a scribe at one of the city's Scholarly Guilds for a few weeks.

It was a grueling, monotonous task. To do nothing but transcribe and copy old texts into common or whatever was required by the guild. Still, it paid well enough and she wasn't too bothered by it. She gave the customary three knocks and a chime to indicate a worker was on the premises before entering.

Unlike the brightly colored world outside awash with a rainbow's worth of colors. The interior of the tower was about as exciting as its exterior. That being dyed sandstones that blocked off the outside world leaving only a strange hazy reddish yellow that seemed to stretch on endlessly within the tower. Shelves upon shelves of books also cut the sight-lines while also disrupting the natural light that snuck in through the windows, leaving only depressingly little lanterns to light up most of the corridors and corners.

She bid a wordlessly greetings to the front desk, the scribe there looking equally bored as her. He did a cursory scan of her documents before grunting. The universal sign for 'get going then'. She followed the instruction to the letter and trekked upstairs to where the scribes would be stationed for research and material reproduction.

Manning the main station was a rather handsome if tired looking lad called Amir. He was an apprentice to the cadre of master scholars that ran this guild and the unfortunate one who had been ordered to keep things in check almost a full hour before anyone else would be here. A thankless task that she had discovered by accident when she had arrived far too early on one of her first days here. An embarrassing if fond little memory.

"You're early." Amir smiled at her, the scribe perking up at the thought of company.

Adrianna chuckled before gesturing at the clock, "Only half an hour left."

He rolled his eyes and snorted, "Oh, I'm sure the esteemed masters are ever so grateful for your dedication. Not like they'll pay any extra." He scoffed jokingly, "Well, welcome back regardless."

Adrianna giggled before going to her desk and throwing down what little belongings she had including an emergency change of clothes.

With a new pep in her step, she slithered back over towards Amir and wrapped her arms around his neck, making the scribe tense up. While also very overtly pressing her breasts up against him, making certain that he absolutely could feel them.

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"Little curt today are we?" She teased.

"You try getting here an hour in advance to rearrange desks! For free! No training, no promises of extra lessons. Just 'Oh, Amir, make sure the desks are in this order' but why? What was wrong with yesterday's setup?! Now they're just parallel horizontally in rows instead of columns when looking at the floor plans!" He hissed with agony, but relaxed and sank into her embrace.

"Done?"

"Ugh. Just about." He groaned.

"Mmm, save some of that energy, hmm?" She tittered.

In a practiced dance, she unbuckled her belt and let her pants slide down to the floor. She spun around him until she was practically straddling him and pulled loose her panties, exposing her lower half to the now significantly more excited scribe.

"Adrianna, I…" He murmured worriedly.

But they had done this song and dance before. The fear of being caught, and the delight that this little moment would be theirs to share was what made it worth it. Instinct too, have had already honed them to perfection for their roles. A slight brush against his pants with her pussy, his hands automatically cupping her breasts. All a part of their little routine.

"Shh." She cut him off, "We have half an hour, yes?"

An eager nod.

"And from what I can see, you're not the only big guy excited to see me." She giggled and wrapped her hand around a rather large shaft.

"Stars, you look very beautiful today…" He whispered with a husky growl.

"Mmm, that's right. Keep up the compliments and you'll see how nice I can be." She smiled and replied with a kiss.

With a rough tug, she pulled off the scribe's trouser and freed his surprisingly large package.

They had met that first day, and the two shared an amicable if passable friendship with each other for a time. Then one day, when she was helping him tidying up the tower for the day, she found herself wondering what a proper relationship would feel like. A stray thought for a girl who came from outside the city's structure, one of the thousands of immigrant nobodies. And yet, she found an equally curious spark within the scribe and offered herself to him, something he seemed almost scared to accept until they sealed their feelings with a kiss. A romance that blossomed ever so bizarrely in a dull sandstone tower. An acknowledgement that her presence meant something to someone.

"Let's hurry now. We've about twenty minutes before someone might show up early." She urged.

And with no real need for incentive, he pushed himself inside her and made the two of them gasp. Their grips on each other tightening just like their privates. Sitting still for a moment, she let out a soft moan of pleasure and kissed him again, marking the start of another brief but fiery tryst. Maybe today won't be so bad after all.

Work had dulled her senses. By the time she transcribed and copied Lex Limes: Intersection Of Saryamian Law And Traxian Legal Procedures she was just about ready to talk off the top story of the tower. Thankfully, the end of the day came soon enough that the daunting possibility did not come to pass.

With a kiss and a gentle caress, the two lovers shared a quiet little moment together as the tower began closing its doors. As it was everyday the past few weeks, Amir would need to stay behind to close up the guild. Whereas she needed to make sure that Maria hadn't done anything dangerous at the bunkhouse.

"I'll see you later." She gave him a kiss.

"Until next time, my beloved." He returned the gesture.

She giggled and relished in the warm feeling she felt.

Working in the scholar's guild was mind numbingly dull, but the bright side was also plenty bright. Ahh, he called me beloved, hahah.

Exchanging a few more minutes of lingering farewells and soft pecks, the two finally separated as she made her way back out onto the city's bustling streets. She yawned and stretched a little. Her back was aching from being hunched over old texts for the whole day. In a way, she supposed that this was what normal life should feel like. A mostly passable routine with that little extra drip of excitement that kept spurring her along. Not that she minded, knowing that she had someone always expecting her was reward enough for someone like her.

Like many that wandered into Saryama from outside of Lucuria, she had been someone trying to escape from her past. She was Traxian born and bred, but the recent rise in monster raids alongside the ever growing Traxo-Lucurian war meant that staying in the frontier regions would mean either conscription or death. A fate she had sought to avoid by fleeing alongside a few others from her town towards the Trannoire basin. That their ship had come to dock near Saryama was lucky coincidence. That she had been allowed residence in the bunkhouse while others were turned away was luckier still.

Maria was likely much the same. Though her roommate had kept private information mostly to herself, Adrianna could tell from some her mannerisms that she was Traxian nobility. In particular the ever present sneer she would sometimes do when they passed by the slave markets and the non-humans that were always there in abundance. At least she kept her disgust to herself and made an effort to be more genial of a person. Something that Adrianna thought the girl was doing quite well, especially compared to some of the nobles that she'd seen in the past. Although that Maria was here at all spoke more to the idea that she too, was running from something. And the problems of the nobility were something completely beyond Adrianna's understanding. As long as she behaves, that's good enough for me.

She found herself in a more cheery mood than usual and wondered if she should buy a snack for Maria. A gift in return for the pretty little locket she got. A poor exchange in terms of price, but it was all she could afford at this point. Pistachio and almond nougats were a popular delight around Saryama and Adrianna wondered if the noble had ever tried them before. She hoped so but if she didn't, then Adrianna decided that today would be the day. As for herself, it would also help covering up some lingering saltiness within her mouth.

Her course decided, she made her way to one of the city's many open air markets. The bazaars were now teeming with life and people. Performers of every stripe came to earn what donations they could and in the hopes of potentially catching the eye of a wandering wealthy patron. With the promise of more people wandering about as work places came to a stop, the streets were now lined with dozens upon dozens of little stalls and carts as merchants tried to peddle their wares. Jewels, crafts, foodstuffs, spices, and so much more now created their own little panoply of colors to make up for the fading glimmer of the city's skyline under the setting sun.

Sneaking past a snake charmer and a small gathering of visitors to the city, she found a small cart peddling the exact foods she was looking for. From scented candied, to dried fruits, biscuits, and a variety of different nougats. She traded in fifteen cooper artes for a mixed bag of different flavored nougats. It was a dent in her paycheck that meant her dinner would be a little smaller, but she felt happy enough about the purchase that she didn't mind.

A little more happy than usual, she untied the bag and snuck a rosewater and almond one into her mouth. Delighted by the delicate taste and chewy texture, she hummed happily to herself. Today had been one of mostly ups and less downs, a fact that she very much appreciated in contrast to the usual monotony of her routine.

Clang, clang.

A loud ringing shattered whatever thoughts she might've had, the booming noise completely deafening her own mind. It took a few startled moments to get her bearing, to look around and find that she wasn't imagining things, other people had also paused in their steps to glance around with concern. Her eyes turned to the setting sun, the orange almost blood colored rays still poking over the rooftops, and she felt herself tense up. For the bells of Saryama usually tolled once for the morning, twice in the afternoon, and thrice when the sun had finally set for the day. Should they begin at another other time, either a festival had started, or something foul was afoot.

"What's going on?" She asked a nearby merchant.

The man shrugged, "I don't know. But something's happening, that's for sure. Go home girlie. To your khane. Your home."

She grunted a brief thanks and began making her way to the bunkhouse, now wondering if she should've spent her pay on more supplies instead of snacks.

People all around her were starting to quicken their pace. Shuffling became light jogs, a few even outright running down the streets. The air was heavy and tense, everyone was nervous. The bells had purportedly only rung out of order twice. Once a few decades ago because of an accident. And one from apparently a century ago because of war. She dearly hoped it was the former.

A few city guards running past her soon revealed the mystery.

"Fire! Fire! In the old quarter! Quickly, draw water! Go go! You two, get more help! Go!" One of them shouted to a group of them.

She felt a small pit in her stomach watching the soldiers scatter. The old quarter is where the bunkhouse is, fuck. Tonight's going to be rough.

As she got closer though, her mood sank even further. Thick plumes of smoke started streaking up into the sky. Multiple buildings were on fire.

She raced through the last few streets until she ended up past the old town square. Smoke now came from the north, an ill omen. And when she drew close enough that the flames bathed the streets in a horrid sickly orange, the heat from the inferno made her sweat even from a block away. She saw it. Her new life was engulfed by the monstrous blaze. Her little room, so pathetic but hers, and her belongings, all no more.

"Arson. A murder and Arson." One of the soldiers informed another. But to her, the words were like a blur. An unintelligible noise as you tried process what was happening.

Then she saw it. A squadron of Sarymian soldiers in their tunics and turbans busy fighting the fire. But in front of them laid about a half dozen bodies shoddily covered with canvas and cloth. Seeing the oddly pale and unblemished but blood covered arms sticking out from under one of them and the odd bracer with an eagle upon it, she had another sickening realization. Maria. She tried to run towards the blaze but immediately found herself face down against the sandstone streets, her chest out of her and desperately coughing from a layer of dust, ash and agony.

"Are you crazy?!" A gruff voice called out from above her, the guards weight forcing her down and keeping her from responding.

What? She wanted to ask but couldn't.

"You have to stay away. Order of the sultan." The man breathily informed her, "Turn back at once. If your home is there, sorry. But you have to go."

The man helped her up and she immediately tried to break into a sprint only to be pulled back instantly.

"Enough! Away with you!" The man shouted.

"But… but… my things… my friend…" She meekly protested.

The man's grip slackened but did not let go, his tone lowering to a firm but more understanding one, "If they are lying there, I am sorry." The man now actively dragging her away as she tried to futilely dig in her heels , "There is nothing to be done now but pray."

"But… but… what…" Her voice died. That's impossible. This can't be happening. Everything was going fine today. Just what happened? What the hells happened?

"It was the damned dirty dogs." The man cursed under his breath, "This is an act of war. Witness say he saw, them. Men of the eagle. They attacked. Those dead there? They were killed by those filthy dirty dogs." He spat into the ground next to them, "Traxians."

Still in shock, Adrianna could only stare at the blaze and bodies while the soldier dragged her away. Not even bothering to correct him that she too, was one of those dirty dogs.

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