"What the hell is that? We have to run!" Alby shouted.
He was trembling. Afraid of whatever that thing was, he took a few steps back and prepared to run.
Slap.
Kara struck him across the face. That was enough to calm him down for the moment.
"I-Idiot," Kara stammered. "There is nowhere to run; don't you see we're in the middle of the desert? If we're going to survive, you need to fight that infernal. I hurt my arm in the crash, so I can't be of any help. The frostborne should be in the back of the truck."
Alby was still scared of the monster; he thought he couldn't possibly face off against that thing, but he had no other option. This was a matter of life and death.
Each step towards the truck felt like a struggle. He walked slowly, trying not to draw the creature's attention. The doors of the vehicle were crushed shut, but he noticed the rear window had shattered in the crash. He crawled through it. The searing hot metal burned his skin, and the glass tore into his arms. He reached the sword, half-expecting the same scene from last time to repeat itself, yet nothing happened.
The infernal, noticing him, let out a distorted roar; its flames became even brighter than before. It charged towards him. In the blink of an eye, the infernal slammed into the truck. The truck was thrown into the air until it crashed into the burning building nearby.
Alby managed to get out of the truck in time. Battered and burned, he managed to block a swing from the infernal. The cold air radiating from the sword gave him a little hope in this desperate battle.
The infernal blinked out of existence.
"Watch out, it's behind you!" Kara yelled.
Alby turned and blocked it just in time, yet he was flung across the sand for several hundred feet.
Through Kara's warnings and Alby's lightning-fast reflexes, he managed to keep blocking its attacks. Although he could block the attacks, he was still losing. If he didn't do anything, they would soon die.
The sand in his wounds stung every time he moved. Getting used to the infernal's moves, he managed to find an opening.
He struck. The blade sliced clean through the creature's arm. The infernal let out a blood-curdling scream, a painful screech that echoed across the desert. Alby was stunned by the noise. He was flung hundreds of feet away from the blast of the infernal.
He could barely breathe. Everything hurt. The sword felt heavy in his hand. The infernal stepped closer. Alby raised the weapon, preparing himself for one final swing. The blade shattered.
It was dead silent as the infernal approached him. His vision blurred. He couldn't stand up. He really thought this was the end for him; there was no hope left.
The last thing he thought was:
'If only the sword didn't break…'
The black lines started peeling off like they did in the shop, forming the sword that had shattered. As the infernal approached, it raised its hand to strike. Alby drove the sword forward with everything he had. It went straight through its heart.
Alby used up all the remaining strength he had; his eyes grew heavy. He saw Kara running over while fading in and out of consciousness. Alby collapsed.
"Please wake up," Kara said while silently sobbing.
His eyes slowly opened; he could barely move in his current state. Kara was overjoyed that he wasn't dead; she pulled him into a hug. He yelled out in pain.
"Stop that; you're about to kill me. Where are we? I didn't think there were any other buildings around here."
She got off of him and started to wipe away her tears.
"Once you killed that infernal, it turned to dust. The fires in the building suddenly extinguished. There was something really off about this incident. Infernals don't go anywhere near the domes."
He stared at her for a few seconds.
"What are we going to do now? We're about 40 miles away from the city, and the truck got destroyed."
Kara glanced at him, preparing to say something he wouldn't like to hear.
"We're going to have to walk there; we will die if we stay here. We don't have any food or water. Let's stay here for the night to rest up and leave in the morning."
Alby nodded weakly. He couldn't even lift his hand if he wanted to.
By morning, Alby felt a little better but was still suffering from his injuries. Kara stuck her arm under his to help get him up. The two of them limped to the door. The sun outside was blinding.
"Hey," she said. "Those black lines when they turned into the sword—can you do that whenever you want? We'll need the cold if we're going to make it."
Alby raised his hand.
"It doesn't hurt to give it a try."
The black lines started peeling off his arms until the sword formed. Kara jumped for joy as it happened. The coolness of the sword made the hot air of the desert bearable. They were on their way toward the city again, huddled against the sword for coolness.
Two days passed in the desert. Alby began seeing things in the heat—shadows in the dunes. Most looked like figures. One looked oddly familiar.
After four days and nights of walking without food, they reached the entrance of the city. Kara wanted to jump for joy but had no strength left to do so.
A stern-looking guard glanced at them with pity.
"What's the purpose of your visit today?"
Kara's throat was so parched she couldn't speak. Noticing this, the guard handed them some water.
They both greedily gulped it down.
"Sorry about that; we are on business of the Alchemic Blacksmith Union."
Kara showed him an insignia from her pocket. He immediately straightened up at the sight of her insignia.
"Sorry, I didn't recognize you, Ms. Salazar. Please forgive me. I'll let you in right away."
Alby's eyes widened. They both started to walk into the city.
"I didn't know you were that important here. I wouldn't have guessed since you live in a shabby old building."
She gave him a side-eye and shrugged.
"My gramps is a pretty big deal around here; he's the head of one of the Alchemic towers in the land of Cantania."
This was the first time Alby had been to any place besides Kara's house. He was amazed as they entered the city. The vibe was so different from the outside, Alby thought. Fumes filled their lungs as soon as they got there. Alby coughed a little; the air was putrid, smelling like smoke and rubbish.
Kara laughed at the sight of Alby's face.
"Everyone has the same reaction the first time they enter this city. Come on, follow me; we can stay at a friend's place."
Alby followed her into the city. All the buildings were so densely packed together that they were all dark, as if the city had been painted with coal.
On the sidewalks of each street, there were lines of beggars piled up. One person jumped out in front of him, grabbing him by both shoulders and yelling,
"Get out of here while you can! Melinoë is coming; this city shall soon flood with thousands more!"