It had been a few days since Alma returned to Sarracas with Qu'l-Nia in tow. After discovering Hwalin in what can only be described as a compromising position, and various utterances of the words “birdfucker” and “cawksucker” being thrown around—to which the Hecatian just shrugged off— the trio then found themselves dealing with the issue of how they were going to reach the Akhlut Mountains. It was further up North on the other side of Malachias and the territory was mostly unfamiliar to Alma, aside from the one time she took a trip up there to take a look at the military encampment they had positioned there. She chatted up quite a few of the other privates there, trying to get a glimpse of the army life she would have soon been experiencing, going so far as to exchanging contact info with a few of them. Unfortunately, things had turned out quite different than she had envisioned in the end. Still, she felt confident enough to be able to guide this squad around the area once they had arrived there and they would be halfway to their destination if not for Qu'l-Nia’s unorthodox plan of getting there much faster.

“Are you… serious?” asked a dumbstruck Alma. “I mean, it's you, so of course you're serious. But do you honestly believe I'm ready for that?”

“Yes.” Qu'l-Nia replied, finger raised. She was sitting cross-legged across from her while Hwalín was intricately braiding her platinum hair. “I believe with your current aptitude, you could form a connecting portal from here to the Akhlut Mountains, granting us instantaneous passage there—as previously evidenced by your display back on that dead world, saving us from certain digestible destruction. Creating a portal between planes was quite the feat, so naturally creating one that could link us across long distances is not only theoretically possible but should prove a ‘piece of cake’ for you. Your powers are growing exponentially and I believe with a bit of training, you can do so much more with them. It is only up to you to discover where your limits lay. This is but a step in that path, and I would very much like to be here to witness where it might lead you.”

“Wow, Q. I’m—I’m flattered you believe in me so much. I honestly still can’t believe I did what I did. I know it seemed really cool initially, but the more I think about it, the crazier I realize what I’ve done. The whole prospect of traveling to other universes is overwhelming enough. Now I’m scared, wondering if I could only do it once. What if my battery’s drained? What if I’m just a simple nobody again? On the other end of the spectrum, what if I’m too powerful now? What if I can’t control it and accidently step into some other place that proves too much for me? Like one night I’m sleeping and then I’m just… falling into some dangerous wonderland, rife with all those dangerous creatures that have been haunting me every chance they get?” Alma rooted around in her pocket, feeling for the familiar charm previously blessed by her sister. “I didn’t mention this before because I was too afraid to admit it, but ever since we came back from you-know-where, I actually haven’t noticed any more of those weird ghostly monsters skulking about. It’s been days and everything’s just been… quiet. I’ve never gone a day without seeing a few of them flying around somewhere in the distance. I should be happy. I wanted to get rid of those things for YEARS. Strangest thing is, I didn’t think once I got my wish that it would feel so lonely.”

Qu’l-Nia’s brow seemed to furrow in worry. Hwalín, who had been uncharacteristically quiet as she work on the eldritch woman’s hair, finally spoke up.

“You sure they’re gone, mate?” The Hecatian took a drag off her cigarette. “Maybe you really did use up the last of your juice getting back home. Doesn’t sound like a bad trade-off. Least you got your guns.”

“Guns, huh?” Alma groaned. She picked up the unloaded pistol that had been sitting on the ground next to her, waving it around dispassionately. “Don’t remind me. Half the time these things are fucking useless. What do I even carry them around for?” She aimed the pistol away from her face and glared down the sights. “I guess they do make me look cool. Aaand I did save Heli with one the other day. Plus, I did kill that shadow dude with one.”

“See, Alm. That’s the spirit. You don’t always gotta throw a bleeding pity party every time the self-doubt sets in.”

“Wish these powers were gun-related instead. You know what would be cool? If I could just teleport more guns in whenever I run on empty. That’d be badass!”

“Ha! You’re always a kick, Alm.”

“As… frivolous as that idea sounds,” Qu’l-Nia noted. “I do not see it as entirely outside the realms of possibility.”

“Whoa, whoa. Wait.” The ex-soldier had a twinkle in her eye. “Are you saying I could have an infinite stockpile of guns?”

“A somewhat silly notion, but yes. Assuming you have an idea of where these ammunitions are stored from which you plan to extract from. As I have said, it is up to you to discover your own limits.”

“Q, there are absolutely no limits to my coolness.” Alma stood up with a smirk on her lips and twirled her pistol on her finger. “My new top priority is filling a warehouse full of guns and ammo.”

“Fuck yeah!” Hwalín pumped her fist in the air.

“Alma, please. Let us not forget our main objective here. You might enjoy playing with portals, but there is a fundamental concern we must deal with first.”

“Yeah, yeah. Guess I’ll start practicing. You really don’t know how to have fun, Miss ‘Nia.”