Violent Reaction

Flames spilled from Solaire's eyes, as she held Haruki in the air. A fiery fist clenched ready to strike if he didn't answer her question, but he could barely breathe let alone talk. Despite his assailant's overwhelming heat, Haruki's body grew cold from a lack of oxygen. He clawed at the wall and Solaire's hand, but it was useless. He was too weak, just like always. Weakness that grew, making his limbs slack and his vision blur as he faded out. 

But why... you made me feel so warm... is this what I get for flying to close to the sun... for believing in myself...

Haruki slumped in Solaire's grip, his breathing was shallow but it was present. He was out cold for the time being however. Solaire dropped him, and he crumpled on the ground in a heap. 

"What's wrong with you?!? He just forgot my name!! Why would you attack my big brother, you stupid bully!" Weiwei ran toward Solaire, and kicked her in the shin with her tiny foot. Weiwei began punching Solaire's leg while tears ran down her tiny cheeks. Solaire stood there offering no solace, no reaction, she simply stared at Haruki in shock.

"Weiwei, get away from there this instant!" Chief Chez rushed over to protect his daughter, grabbing her by the torso. He glared at Solaire, anger and confusion in his eyes. "What have you done? What's come over you Solaire? Please!! What's the meaning of this!" He attempted to bargain with her. Weiwei struggling, screaming and crying in his arm. 

"I don- I don't know, Chief. I can't. I don't have an explanation. I just.. I know that name. But I don't know how, my body just reacted on its own. I'm so sorry you had to see that. I wish I understood this feeling in my chest. It's anger, sadness, longing, powerlessness, all wrapped into one magma-coated feeling that just erupted from within me. I've never done anything like that before. I've never harmed another person in my entire life. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Solaire crouched down, holding herself as the tears began to flow. They sprinkled from her eyes to the floor, sizzling and steaming the moment they landed. She stayed like that for a couple minutes, resting on her haunches, letting her tears flow freely. Chief Chez just watched, giving her space to feel. Weiwei calmed herself as well. Finally, Solaire stood wiping her face clean. "Sorry about that, truly. I'll make it right. I don't think he's going to wake up anytime soon, but the least I can do is put him somewhere comfortable until he comes to. Do you have a spare bed, Chief?" 

Solaire picked up Haruki in her arms, holding him like a small boy. Chief Chez gestured to the spare room across the way, and she brought the Creator over to it. His breathing was better but he was still fast asleep. Solaire covered him with a white blanket, and moved some hair from his face. Despite being a full-blown adult, he seemed child-like to her. Stunted, compressed almost. "We should let him rest for now. I can't apologize enough for the trouble I've caused, Chief. Please forgive me."

Solaire bowed before Chief Chez. He took a moment to think, letting Weiwei down as well. 

"We all let our emotions get the better of us sometimes. I suppose mighty heroes who wield impossible explosive fire powers also get overwhelmed too. Consider yourself forgiven, my dear. But please ensure that nothing like that happens again. You would make a frightful adversary." Chief Chez let out a hearty laugh that cloaked some of his anxiety but not all of it. He stepped over to Solaire and put his hand on her shoulder in support. 

"CHIEF!" A yell came from outside the hut from a breathless young man. "We need your help, come out quick!" 

Chief Chez rushed outside, Solaire followed but not before she noticed that Weiwei crawled into bed with Haruki and was fast asleep.

The young man had his hands on his knees while he caught his breath. The Chief and Solaire met him outside, though many people were surrounding them with looks of worry. "What is it lad?"

"It's Lac, he stole some of the guardsmen gear, a spear and a shield as well. He said he was going after the Merrymen on his own. He said they would pay for the loss of his family! He knocked out me and stole one of my rollies, before I could stop him, Chief. I'm so so sorry!" The young stableboy blurted it all out in quick succession, clearly upset. 

"You did good lad, you did good. Go get a hot meal and take a load off. You earned it. I'm proud of you." The Chief ruffled the young mans hair and nodded with appreciation. The young man ran off, still upset but eager to fill his belly. "Solaire, I know we've asked much of you but allow me to lean on you once more. Can you attempt catch up with Lac and stop him before he makes a mistake that could put all our lives in jeopardy. I'm afraid with his lead, trying to catch him on rollieback would be impossible. We need you to fly after him."

"I can do that, Chief. After my recent blunder, I definitely owe it to you. He said earlier that they were south of the village, right? I'll head there at once." Solaire clapped her hands together, engulfing herself in a cocoon of flame. She transformed in seconds, her normal attire becoming ornate and shimmering with fiery sparks. She tied her long bright crimson hair into a ponytail and readied herself to take flight.

"Yes, south of the village and Solaire before you go. I don't know how much you've interacted with the Bunstaz people but keep your wits about you. They employ cunning trickery and are extremely fast. There is no doubt you are strong but... just be careful." Chief Chez gave her another reassuring pat on the shoulder, and she nodded. 

The ground under Solaire's feet sparked and rippled as she built up her power for the launch. A controlled boom shot her into the sky, flames trailed behind her as she took flight to the south. In an instant, the people of Curdia became indistinguishable to her in their distance. She flew hard and fast, hoping to catch sight of Lac or an abandoned rollie. 

The landscape of Nest she became so familiar with over the years, unfolded before her in sectioned neutral colors. The browns of barren plains that connected most of Nest, the grey grasses of Softsteppe, the pale yellow lake plateaus of Ottle, even the flat pure black cliffside of Mt. Puteresk. All these places were beautiful in their own way, but what she was looking for laid in the Arbage Wastelands. A collection of discarded ruins, littered with times from before. Unlike the rest of Nest, the Arbage Wastelands were home to many and nobody. People who have no where left to go, beings without purpose or drive. A place where you end up, not where you choose to go. 

Solaire landed in a small clearing, blowing away some stagnant fog in the process. As she stood observing, the fog reclaimed its place where she landed. It only came to about waist height but it was everywhere, making it hard to distinguish proper shapes and structure around her. 

"Lac!! Are you here? It's Solaire! I came to bring you back! You have everyone super worried!" She cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, only having her echo reply. "Lac!! Please!! We shouldn't be here! It's dangerous by ourselves! We can have the Chief come to the Merrymen! Don't be reckless!"

Yet again, only her echo replied but there was a new sound. Frantic, quick steps approached her. The emptiness of the ruin made it impossible to tell the direction they were coming from and the fog made it impossible to see. Solaire scrambled for some sort of hint, some leeway, a chance to catch a glimpse but it was useless. The sound crashed into her, knocking her against a nearby ruin wall. Cracking it slightly. 

"That was pretty rude and pretty cowardly." She stood up and got into her signature boxing stance, ready to take on the next blow. The sound clattered toward her with great speed, letting out a shrill whine and in that moment she knew what she was dealing with. It crashed into her again but this time she was ready. She grabbed it by its midsection, jumped on its back and tugged at its reins. It was a rollie, likely the one Lac took to get to the Wastelands. The creature struggled for a bit but relaxed at the familiar tug. All the movement cleared the fog enough for Solaire to get a proper visual. The rollie was frightened, she could hear the clattering of its dark armored hide as it trembled. Rollies rely on their keen sense of sight and vibration to navigate. The poor creature was effectively blind amidst the dense fog and probably just got spooked. Solaire gently patted the poor creature and it instantly relaxed under her warm touch. 

"Alright bud, let's find your rider, shall we?" She snapped the reins lightly, and the rollie began trotting forward at a brisk pace. Solaire continued to call out for Lac, as they made their way further and further into the ruins. 

Eventually, they found their way to an area made entirely of tents and makeshift structures. Solaire dismounted and tied the rollie to a post in the ground just before the entrance. There was no fog here, but there were many signs of life. She moved forward keeping her fists clenched just in case. "Hello? I am looking for a friend of mine, maybe someone here has seen him?"

"Go away!! Leave us alone!!" Someone yelled out from somewhere in the settlement.

"I'm afraid I can't do that until I find my friend! If he's here, it would be best you hand him over to me now. I would hate to set your homes ablaze." Solaire threatened back, taking more steps forward into the settlement and setting her fists on fire. 

"You dare threaten us? You will pay with your life!" They yelled back again, throwing a few grey spheres at Solaire, but they fell just at her feet.

"You're going to have to do bett-" The spheres exploded into clouds of grey fog, filling Solaire's lungs and blinding her. A kick landed against the back of her legs, bringing her to the ground while she struggled to breathe. A flurry of punches connected sharply with her body. The fists hurt but they lacked killing power, and there was a pattern to them. She counted them out in her head and grabbed one of them before it could connect again. 

Solaire sprang from inside the dust cloud, catching her breath and dragging her attacker with her. It was a young Bunstaz woman, her dusty grey fur bushy and face filled with anger. Solaire raised her flaming fist to strike the woman but her wrist was grabbed by something she never would have a expected.

"A human?" Solaire lowered her fist and stood up. The man looked up at her, he was short with brown messy hair, wore glasses and smiled at her without any sense of seriousness.

"Hi there, I'm Keiichi, Haruki's best friend."