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Dust: AET - From the Ashes - Chapter 25

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From the Ashes

Chapter 25


Dust was shaken awake by Nix the next morning. The fire was crackling once more, several fish cooking over the fire for their breakfast. He expected either he or Ginger went to the market by the docks before he woke up. Either way, he was grateful for the hot meal that morning.

Neither Nix, nor Ginger asked about Fidget or Dust’s well being. Such questions were futile anyway and would only warrant a dull ‘I’m fine’ from him.

“So I guess we’re heading back to Archer’s Pass today,” Nix said, uncomfortable with the silence.

Dust nodded.

He narrowed his eyes slightly in irritation. “Seriously Dust, how long are you going to sulk like this?!”

“Nix!” Ginger scolded, getting cross.

“Well it’s true!” He shouted, standing up. “Yes, Fidget’s not here, but sulking around isn’t going to bring her back. You can either go find her, or stop sulking and get on with your life!”

“NIX!” Ginger shouted again.

Nix huffed and grabbed the bucket of water nearby and dumped it on the fire before standing up and heading towards the port.

“I’m sorry, Dust,” Ginger said, looking worried.

Dust shook his head. “It’s fine. He’s right. I shouldn’t be acting like this. It’s not fair to you or him.”

Ginger didn’t respond as she watched him stand.

“Let’s get going,” he said, looking towards the ports.

She sighed and stood up, following him towards the marketplace.

...

Dust tried to cheer himself up as he crossed the lake with Nix and Ginger, but it seemed as though the harder he tried to smile, the deeper his pain became. The honest truth was that he missed Fidget. Yes, she was quite annoying most of the time, but she was good company. She was his friend. What hurt the most was that he was the reason she left. He knew blaming himself wasn’t the best thing to do, but he couldn’t help it. If he hadn’t saved Steam on the volcano, Fidget would still be here. Not to mention he wouldn’t need to travel all the way to Felana’s capital just to battle him.

He swallowed, suppressing a shiver. That’s what he was doing, wasn’t it? He was heading to the final battle. He’d been so caught up in his depression that he’d completely forgotten why they were travelling. He would face Steam in mere days, and if he kept thinking like this, he would never be ready. He would never survive the fight. And with or without Fidget, he would still go there and cross blades with him once more. He’d nearly died last time. He could only hope that this time, Steam was a lot weaker.

When they docked, Dust felt fear race through him once again. He’d be going into battle alone unless Fidget returned. If it hadn’t been for her when he fought General Gaius, he wasn’t sure if he would’ve succeeded or not. Last time, they’d been defeated by Steam, and they’d been fighting together. If he had to fight alone, he wouldn’t stand a chance. After all, Steam had a Nimbat too.

“You don’t look so good, Dust,” Ginger said, frowning slightly.

Dust forced a smile on his face, hoping to hide the fear he was feeling. “I’m fine,” he said, his voice betraying him.

Ginger frowned at him, her expression disproving of his blatant lying. “Jin was always a bad liar.”

“Well I’m sure any time Jin ever lied there was a reason for it,” Dust countered, or at least tried to.

“He lied for others to protect them,” she said. “He lied for everyone so they wouldn’t get into trouble. Needless to say, everyone knew he was innocent. That much was always obvious. So what are you trying to hide?”

“Nothing,” he said, his voice remaining steady this time.

Ginger sighed heavily, giving up, even though she knew he was still lying through his teeth.

“Come on. Nix is getting ahead of us,” Dust said, changing the subject and walking a little faster.

Ginger had to jog behind him a little before catching up. Eventually they caught up to Nix who hadn’t said a word since breakfast this morning. Thinking he was still in the lead, he nearly took a wrong turn and had to be corrected onto the right path by Dust. He looked even more bitter after that and started trailing behind instead of rushing ahead. Dust didn’t bother protesting. But he now knew what he and Ginger had been feeling when he’d been sulking in silence. He thought he was the only one he’d been hurting. He’d been wrong.

“Nix! Hurry up!” Ginger shouted back at him.

Nix rolled his eyes and jogged after them, catching up in a few seconds.

Archer’s Pass steadily approached them in the distance. The closer they got, the more they could see the smoke from the forge at the top. Nix looked like he wasn’t looking forward to the climb, but he didn’t complain.

They stopped at the base for lunch. They rested on giant boulders surrounding the pass, some of them so freshly fallen they still shifted in their loose foundations. Dust looked up at the cliffs towering above them. The outcroppings blocked the smoke from the forge at the summit, as well as the sun as it crept behind the peak. It was cool, almost chilly behind the pass, but after hours of walking in the sunlight, it was nice to sit in perfect shade.

They started climbing an hour after stopping to rest. It was no more difficult than last time for Dust. He hoped it was easier for Ginger and Nix.

The sun was setting when they reached the forge. Dust crawled over the top cliff, turning to reach down and help pull Ginger up and over the side, followed by Nix.

“Hi Haley!” Ginger greeted with a bright smile.

“Ginger!” Haley said happily, holding a still red hot sword, her hair filled with ash and metal fragments from the forge. “Matti, take over!”

Matti grumbled but shimmied over to the anvil to work on the sword while Haley rushed over and hugged Ginger.

“What brings you back here?” She asked.

Dust stepped over when Ginger and Haley had finished hugging and held out the box with the comb in it. “I promised I’d bring it back.”

“Wha...” She looked like she’d forgotten he’d even had it. “Oh right! Thanks, Dust!” She took the comb back, turning as the hiss of something hot in water replaced the sound of the hammer hitting the metal. Matti hung the sword up on the rack and headed inside, deciding without being told that his day was finished.

“Well, come inside. I’ll get started on dinner.” Haley said, pulling off her apron before heading inside.

Dust, Ginger and Nix followed her into the house and took their seats at the table, exhausted from the climb.

She washed her hands before opening the fridge to pull out food to make for dinner.

Ginger stood up to help her, even though she looked really tired. Nix put his head down on the table and closed his eyes. Dust had a feeling he’d fallen asleep within seconds.

“Hey, I just realized...” Haley said, turning around. “Where’s Fidget?”

Dust found it hard to respond.

“Oh no, is she okay?” Haley asked, looking worried. “Is she...?”

“She’s fine. She’s just not here.” Dust told her.

“Where is she?”

“I don’t know.”

Haley frowned, looking confused. She turned back to the counter and went back to cooking.

The kitchen was mostly silent as Haley and Ginger cooked. Nix was in fact, asleep. He barely stirred when Haley and Ginger began setting out the food. Dust shook him awake, receiving a sharp glare from him. Luckily it went away almost immediately when he noticed the food on the table.

They ate in relative silence, Matti staring at Dust with suspicious eyes, and Haley watching him with something close to worry.

Nix finished first, asking if he could be excused so he could go to bed early. They bid him goodnight, and he headed into the guest room to sleep. Matti finished his next and shot Dust a look before retreating up the stairs to his own bedroom. The rest of them sat around the table, eating in silence until they were finished.

“I’ve got to finish up work for the day,” Haley said, putting her dishes in the sink.

“Okay,” Ginger said, nodding. “I’ll clean up.”

“You don’t have to,” Haley replied, pulling on her shoes.

She shrugged and began running the tap.

Haley pouted slightly, as though she wanted to protest but gave up. She pushed the door open and headed back out into the forge to take inventory as she did every night. Dust took a moment in a spare room to pull off his armour and followed, knowing it needed some serious repairs after what had happened in the volcano.

“Need something, Dust?” Haley asked, taking inventory and stocking shelves.

“Yeah, my armour needs repairing.”

“No problem,” she looked down at the armour he was holding out and took it from him. She froze, noticing the scorch marks. She looked up at him expectantly.

He realized there was no sense in lying to her again. “Can we walk? It’s a long story.”

Haley nodded, pulling off her apron and leaving it hanging over an anvil with Dust’s scorched armour. She fell into step beside him as they headed for the summit of the pass where they’d talked last time in relative peace. Dust followed her, climbing steadily until they reached the ledge. She scooted over, making room for him as he climbed up onto it and sat down, leaning up against the rock. For a few moments they stared in the distance, trying to think of something to say.

Then he sighed. “I was at the Everdawn Basin,”

Haley turned towards him, her eyes wide. “W-What?”

“I told you who I was, but I didn’t tell you what I was doing,” Dust said, staring at the sky. “I was trying to find information on my enemy, Steam. Because he’s sort of like me. He has two souls. The fire spirit was the one who knew about his creation.”

Haley was frowning, trying to understand.

“So I went there and found Steam who was trying to find out the same thing I was. The fire spirit tried to kill us, which is where I got burns,” he shifted his sleeve up, showing a mostly bald patch on his arm.

“That must’ve been horrible...” Haley said softly.

“It was. I ended up saving Steam’s life up there, which is why Fidget left. She was angry at me because I saved the enemy.”

“Well I don’t blame her,” Haley said looking cross. “I mean, he’s your enemy. Why would you save him?”

“Because I couldn’t watch someone fall into lava. Enemy or not, I couldn’t watch that happen. Not when I know what it’s like to die like that.”

Haley nodded slowly. “You’re going to defeat him, aren’t you?”

Dust nodded. “As soon as we’re ready, I need to face him at the capitol,” he felt himself shiver slightly.

“O-Oh...”

“I don’t even know if I’ll survive.”

“Don’t say that, Dust,”

“I’m so scared, Haley,” he choked slightly, “Fidget and I almost died last time facing him. And now I’m going alone. How can I possibly stand up to him?”

Haley reached over and pulled him into a tight hug. “Stupid, you’re never alone. You have Ginger and Nix. Even I’ll go with you if you really need the help.”

“But then I’ll be putting all of you in danger!” He protested.

“So what? You’re our friend, and I think we’d rather do everything we could to help you survive than have you go in alone and die.” She released her embrace slightly to look at his face. “Know what I mean?”

Dust nodded slowly, not looking at her.

Haley smiled slightly. “Good. You’d better. Now, because of the repairs I need to do on your armour, you’re staying for another few days!”

Dust couldn’t help but laugh.

“Come on, you look tired,” she said, standing up and starting to climb back down the mountain.

Dust smiled to himself and headed after her. He felt a little bit more at ease thanks to Haley’s words. They’d really helped him.

When they finally reached the house, Haley turned, smiling at him.

“What?” Dust asked.

“I guess I just want you to know that I’m always here for you,” she said, shrugging and glancing away. “Because I care about you, Dust.”

Dust smiled slightly. “Thanks, Haley. I really appreciate that.”

She glanced back at him for a moment, almost shyly. Then she stepped forward and kissed his cheek, startling him slightly. Haley smiled meekly at him before retreating inside, disappearing behind the door. Dust stood there for a moment, not really knowing how else to react. He touched his cheek, feeling his face burn as he did so. He shook it off after a moment and headed inside. Haley had already disappeared into her room.
I FINALLY DID IT :icony-u-noplz:

idk when the next one will come though ^^'

Chapter 1: silvereyeshinobi.deviantart.co…

Chapter 24: silvereyeshinobi.deviantart.co…

Chapter 26: silvereyeshinobi.deviantart.co…
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AgathaShadow's avatar
The ending! (fangirling on the inside)