Keeping Him Loved

Chapter 11

        "We can take a break if you need to," Add said. He came to a stop and looked behind him knowing that (y/n) had fallen behind again.

        Just three days ago, they had started their trip. Add figured it would be safer to head into the sandless desert plains for a number of reasons. It would be easier to notice a group of nasods making their way across the dry unforgiving rocky terrain. The locals would warn them just by simply reacting to such a strange sight. In this era, nasods were presumed to be extinct. In fact, most people were unaware of nasods having ever existed. Some of their technologies were adopted into modern culture in very few parts of Elrios, but a real living nasod was not something one could just come across.

        "How much further?" (Y/n) asked as she staggered forward and fell into Add's open arms. He hadn't realized just how much of a tole the trip had been taking on her. They'd left in a hurry, but were still prepared. At least, Add had thought they were. It was the desert heat that was destroying them both. He had underestimated it, and (y/n) was the primary one suffering as a result. He wasn't sure if it had anything to do with her lineage, but she was more prone to dehydration than he was.

        "It can't be too much further, but I don't want you to push yourself. You'll risk heat stroke." Add was already searching through his mother's old data to aquire any helpful ways to treat any health conditions due to overheating. It frustrated him to have the knowledge but not be able to fully apply it due to lack of experience. "Here." Add gave her the last of his water. He had perfectly calculated the amount they needed for two humans to survive, yet (y/n) had required more than he accounted for.

        (Y/n) sat down in the sand and let the extra bag she was carrying flop down next to her. "I really hope I'm not hallucinating," she mumbled before pointing up into the sky. "What's that thing up there? Please tell me you see it too."

        Add turned to face the direction that she was pointing in. Sure enough, there was something enormous floating skyward in the distance aside of them.

        "Interesting." His dynamos placed down the metal box they had be carrying before he sat on them. "We'll find out what it is soon enough."

        Before they had left, Add went to gather some intel on the surrounding areas which is how he knew there was a city in the middle of all this scorching heat. Leaving behind the laboratory that contained his mother's research had bothered him, but he used the codes stored within him to lock it back to the way he found it. The samples and physical files would be safe until he returned for them. The electronic data was with him, so he didn't count it as too much of a loss.

        "I'm alright now. We can keep going." (Y/n) stood up again. Her cloak had been too thick to keep on, so she had it tucked away for now. It was a little strange to see her without it on, but Add assumed that was the same thing she was thinking about him at the moment. Since she had needed to take her cloak off, Add removed his eye patch in accordance with the offer that (y/n) had made to him. Even though he never agreed to it, it sounded reasonable enough.

        A relatively short walk brought them right up to a wooden bridge. An arrow shaped sign pointed them across with the name "Bethma" written on it. Add shot an arm out to stop (y/n) from going any further.

        "It doesn't look like anyone's been keeping up any maintenance on it." Add had his dynamos put down the box yet again. He even took off the bag he himself was carrying. (Y/n) curiously watched him until he faced her. "Come here." She was already standing right next to him, so she blinked at him in confusion. Add didn't feel like waiting. If the city was too much further than this bridge, he worried that they'd need more water. Specifically for (y/n). He pulled her towards him and firmly kept an across her back. "Step onto these and don't move. Make sure you hold on too," he quietly instructed. The fact that he couldn't break eye contact with her for a moment briefly drove him mad.

        The dynamos guided them across the bridge with ease. What awaited any unfortunate traveler that found themselves below it was an abyss of certain death. (Y/n) had closed her eyes the entire time to avoid looking down. Add set her down safely on the other side before returning to retrieve his belongings.

        Much to Add's content, Bethma was not far from the bridge at all. Before they reached the city, Add powered off his dynamos and sent them into the box with Dynamo. All he and (y/n) had to do was walk between two large cliffs of sandstone and the city was right within reach. It was carved into a canyon that swirled around in a circle. The bridges that led across the canyon were in far better shape than the one that they had just seen.

        "Well, the hard part is out of the way. We arrived in one piece," (y/n) pointed out. Both of them stood at the edge of the canyon to get a proper look at the area.

        "Doesn't look like it'll be easy to find a place to stay," Add commented.

        The far off voice of a woman caught their attention. "Hey, you two! Yeah, right there! Come down this way!" she called to them from within the canyon. A pair of stairs was carved at their left and led down to where she stood. Seeing no harm in doing so, Add led them down the steps towards the brown haired woman. She watched them to figure out what their intentions were.

        "We're travelers. I'm a medic and she's a messenger. We're looking for somewhere to stay for a while," Add told the woman. Perfectly recited just as he rehearsed.

        "I didn't ask you that yet." She narrowed her eyes at him and looked over to (y/n). "Both of you seem far from home. What brings a medic all the way out here to Bethma. You better convince me that you're not up to any scandals. I'm the head of security around here. I won't allow anyone from that Black Crow terrorist group to take up residence here. Choose your next words wisely."

        Add sighed. "We're no terrorists. I'm more than willing to demonstrate any of my medical practices if you don't believe me."

        "That isn't what I asked you." The woman shifted her attention towards (y/n). "Are you here to take refuge from someone?" Neither (y/n) nor Add answered the question. "Are you really even a medic?" she now asked Add.

        "He is," (y/n) spoke in his stead. "We're here because I keep getting targeted by species traffickers. I'm his assistant, though I don't know much about medicine." Add hadn't told her to say that. None of that had been in the script. "We mean no harm. I heard from a merchant that Bethma is a small quiet place to live in."

        The woman furrowed her brows in thought. "I'm Stella, the head of Bethma's security. I'm going to choose to believe you for now. There's no reason for two kids to risk their lives to get here of all places." Stella crossed har arms and tilted her head. "Are you actually as young as you look? I can never tell with elves. There aren't any here in Bethma, but I know one when I see one."

        "Half elf," Add corrected. "She's half elf, and we're not kids."

        "Kids or not, you'll need somewhere to stay until you establish yourselves, right? I suppose you really aren't terrorists, so I'll show you both to the only inn we have here. You can stay there for free as long as you complete a few odd jobs for the innkeeper every now and then." She made a hand motion for them to follow her. Add shared a quick glance with (y/n) before they headed after the woman. "Don't be shy. Tell me your names. If you're going to be staying a while, I'll need to learn them."

        "I'm (y/n). This is Add," (y/n) introduced them both.

        "Are you absolutely sure that you're a medic, Add?" Stella asked again. "There are few sick among the villagers, and there's only so much the village alchemist can do to help them. If you are who you say you are, then I can prepare some compensation for you if you treat them."

        Add took a moment to search through the data left behind his mother. In theory, he understood it all. It wasn't hard to make sense of. He had plenty of time to carefully pick through the information on his way there. "At the very least, I know what I'm doing." He had gotten a basic understanding of paramedics long before he obtained the new research. Now that he had it, he could try some of the newer methods he had learned. No one really had to know that they were being used as practice runs.

        "That isn't very reassuring, but you seem confident enough." Stella shrugged. Her suspicions had been avoided for the time being. "Welcome to Bethma. Hope you two keep yourselves out of whatever trouble you might have been in."
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Looks like that's the end of the chapter eh? Until next time you fantastic readers!