Alicia went home, feeling tired but excited. Things were turning out really well - she had a job assignment that was expected to pay well, and that vibrating ring... She was tempted to touch it, to activate it again, but decided against it - she wanted to be well rested and capable tomorrow.
The ring was still in her navel, but according to Illia, it only had energy for a couple of uses at most. If she were to succeed on the mission, she would get a finalized version - one that recharges, using the body's naturally discharging energy as a source. Ali wanted that ring much more than the money - Illia certainly knew how to motivate her employees.
The next day, Alicia awoke early, feeling ready for action. She was supposed to meet someone she knew at the eastern gate, but before that, she had a lot to do. They will be traveling in the desert, so she brought provisions aplenty, not forgetting to store the water in flasks to prevent evaporation. Second, she brought a camel. She wasn't that experienced in camel-riding, but they weren't that different from horses, and she was used to riding those. She also brought her good old bastard sword and its sheath, the weight of her weapon was a familiar, reassuring feeling on her back.
She had no idea who to look for as she approached the eastern gate. She didn't have that many acquaintances in the Piercer, most of her friends and colleagues were elsewhere. She didn't need to guess for long tough as she immediately spotted the person who she was paired up with. It was Cecil.
The lamia was sporting the body armor she recently bought from Charles, its surface reflecting the light in a beautiful, shiny spectacle. Exposed to the Sun, the enamored lamia was a sight to behold.
Alicia had mixed feelings about her soon-to-be companion. She always knew Cecil as a bitchy, good-for-nothing bartender who bullied her as much as she could. She was good friends with Sherry, the owner, so she could get away with literally everything.
Still, in the recent days, Alicia found out that it might be more in Cecil than she initially thought. She was a mercenary like herself, and she also struggled to find her place in times of peace. Maybe that was the reason for her bitchy attitude. Like it or not, their circumstances were very much alike. Alicia was still musing on this as she approached the snakewoman.
"Never in my wildest dreams would have I imagined that I will be going on a mission with you," Cecil said after they greeted each other. "I knew you were a fighter in the past, but I never met you in your prime. Maybe you can show me some of your... brilliance from the past, hm?"
Alicia could not help but smirk. "Oh, don't you worry about me - worry about yourself not being able to keep up."
"Heh. Big words coming from someone who is flossed with a chain going all the way through." Cecil was also smiling - it was obvious that they meshed together much better than before, their banter having a friendly feel to it. "You seem prepared already. Will you ride this... thing? In your condition?"
"It's a camel, Cecil, and yes, I will ride it. I know that you, lamias, don't need a camel to travel with speed in the sand, but will you carry your own food and water yourself? I doubt it."
"Hmm, you seem to have a good point there. I certainly wouldn't mind if your... sand-horse could carry my supplies as well."
"Sure. Can you tell me more about the mission? Illia didn't tell me much."
"Sure. It's fairly simple: we go to the catgirl pyramid, get the package, and get out. If everything goes well, we don't even have to fight. It's basically a stealth mission, except we go in daylight, because catgirls are lazy and sleep all day long. Oh, and they see much better at night than either of us do."
"That sounds easy in theory, but a million things can go wrong."
Cecil couldn't help but smile at that. "That's why we come armed. I asked Sherry about you, and she was confident that you are actually pretty strong. And I'm not slouch myself."
"And how do we know where the package is? I'm fairly sure that you don't know the inside layout of the pyramids - no one does, really."
"I have a map for that. And the place where the package will be is marked. If everything is clear, we should go, it's a long way from here."
Alicia was satisfied with the briefing, and it's not like she hasn't improvised before. She fixed Cecil's luggage on her camel's back, then mounted it carefully. She was ready.
They traveled all day long, without any interruptions, and in good mood. Both of them had plenty of stories to share about their past adventures, and both of them seemed to mesh together better now that they were in their element. Cecil was able to keep pace with Alicia's camel, her snake-part working much better in the sand than humanoid legs would, and she had the endurance to keep going despite encumbered in her full body armor. Neither of them were really bothered by the heat, they were more than used to it.
It was dusk when they finally set their camp. Alicia wanted to rest as soon as possible to get rested for tomorrow, but Cecil had other ideas.
"How about a little spar? You told me quite a few heroic tales, but I never saw you fight myself. What do you say? Winner gets a small favor from the loser."
"Are you sure it is a good idea, Cecil? We don't have any training swords here. Someone can get hurt."
"Heh, getting cold feet, do you? First to disarm the other is the winner. Hell, one of my sabers will do. Don't worry about injuries, I'm good enough to avoid causing any if I don't want to, and if you are not, you have no chance of beating me anyway. Oh, and I traveled all day on tail, in full plate mail, unlike a certain someone with a camel. I will be disappointed if you refuse."
Worded like that, it was not a challenge Alicia could refuse. She unsheathed her bastard sword. "Oh, you are on!"
Cecil could not help but grin. Her partner seemed to have a warrior's mentality. She armed herself with her sabers. "That's more like it!"
Alicia knew from the first minutes, even without crossing swords, that she was in a disadvantage. Cecil was ambidextrous, wielding a sabre in both hands, and she didn't show any kind of fatigue despite crawling all day in her armor. She wasn't a bit hindered by the desert, unlike Alicia, who found herself ankle deep in sand every time she took a step. Ali's movement was hindered even further by her ever present chain - certain motions just weren't an option anymore. However, despite all of this, she could not back out now, she was the one who accepted the challenge.
They circled around each other a few seconds before engaging. After the initial clashes, Alicia knew that she had the advantage in reach and power, her sword longer and her arm stronger. Despite this, she found herself fighting on her back foot most of the time, the faster moving lamia crawling (sneaking?) circles around her, not letting Alicia utilize her strong points. It was not a surprise when, after about ten minutes of fighting, Alicia's sword hit the sand after a particularly flashy attack from Cecil.