Aftermagic (1x1)

[Fus ro dah]

Notes for le RP!


Main city Everedge – Capital of Ironfair (The country where the war took place.)


Government – Grand Eye


Notable Places


Scarred Plains – The site where the war was fought and ended, massive, huge chunk of land flattened in the explosion and is now barren. The trees are like...partially uprooted, some are still rooted in the ground but the trunks are horizontal to the ground. Oh, and the trees are all uh what's that word... uh... petrified! And shiny black brittle stuff.


Just like the bodies of all those fighting when the explosion happened.


Oh, and this place takes a few days to cross by land.


Also, here be monsters. Either they are remnants of the war, twisted by the huge magical force into not-so-friendly shiny black beasties.


OH and some ribby, scary, creepy as fuck looking ones that are gentle unless you give them reason to attack.


Stuff on the fringe of the explosion is less flattened, but gets more flat as you delve closer to ground zero.


Everedge was damaged by the explosion, but it was past the edge of the main explosion. The force was enough to do much damage to the city itself, but nowhere near as bad as Delouis. Half of the Delouis was decimated and the rest is in crumbling ruins.


Aranith; Old God of the world, no longer around. He got mad after the war and took his magic, then went home.


Earth = One bigass continent like Pangea? Split kinda down the middle for warring halves.


10 years since war ended


Cause of crumbling world – Massive world war, exponential use of magic exploded and caused magic to fizzle away into pretty much non-existance. Magic was a gift from a God? The God? Some kind of higher power who got all FUCK YOU GUYS YOU RUINED MY PRESENT. I'M GOING HOME.


OH and that explosion? Took out several towns and a city that are on the fringes.


Current health issues – Plague/disease of some sort.


Oh, and yeah there's public executions. ESPECIALLY FOR REBELS IN THE GROUP THAT WANTS TO LIBERATE THE PEOPLE. Or to just remind the masses who is in control after a raid on government foodstores or a riot.


Current world issues – Food and safe water is controlled by the ruling power. Lots of black/brownouts. Electricity is limited. Curfew at 11pm.


Most magic relics are dead, but are worth lots of money on the black market. If they've got a hint of power left? YOU GET LOTS MORE MONEY. Unless of course the ruling power finds out. And takes it. Which they probably will. ALL relics are taken, dead or alive.


(Posting what I have to give you more detail on Everedge and Caell. Inc many words lol. Feel free to post some stuff from the past too. \o/ It'll only be 2 long posts from me.)


Three Years Ago


~


“Caell, where did you put the candles?”


“I didn't use them last, ask dad or Saffy.”


The family of four stumbled around in the darkness of their small apartment, this was the third time the power had shut down this week. It wasn't just them, it was the entirety of the city of Everedge.


“Honey, I found them!”


“Bring them into the living room Serina, I found some matches.”


They assembled in the living room and crowded around as one candle was lit, the flame sputtered to life and threatened to go out before it finally caught the wick aflame. The room was dully illuminated by the single candle, the others were lit shortly afterwards and placed around the room.


“You'd think after ten years they would have figured out how to stop the power going out.” Caell grumbled as he set a candle by the door.


His younger sister made a sound of agreement. “It's so annoying.”


“It is, yes, and as for the power going out... I wish they'd figure it out too.”


There was a knock at the door, two taps, a pause then three rapid taps. Flint cast a glance towards his wife before answering the door, a man in his early 40's stood there with salted hair and a grim look upon his face.


“Kellen, come on in. What's wrong?”


The man stepped into the apartment and nodded a greeting to the other three. “Caell, Serina, Safa. I hope you're all doing well. Flint, there was a raid on Shamel's place tonight. Everyone there was taken.”


Flint and Safa's features crumpled into concern and sadness at the news, Shamel was one of the founding members of The Last Hope, the resistance group who worked to try and stop the corruption of the government, and a close friend to the family. There was a very, very high change that the next time they'd see Shamel, would be at the town centre... where they held the executions.


“Uncle Sham was arrested?” Safa piped up from where she'd sat on the sofa.


“Can you two please go upstairs? We need to talk about this.” Flint asked, nodding his head upwards.


Caell went to protest, but decided against it. “C'mon Saffy, let's go find something to do.”


The two went upstairs, using a candle to light the stairs that creaked under every footstep. They went into their bedroom, the siblings had to share due to the fact that this place only had two bedrooms. It was small, but the larger apartments were unlivable, broken walls made it rather hard. It was amazing how much damage Everedge suffered this far away from the war zone, but looking at what was now the Scarred Plains made it not quite so amazing.


“Caell, tell me a story?” Safa was only eleven, and still loved being told stories. “That will pass the time!”


Caell sat down on the floor next to his sister, he was 23 and still remembered the day the magic died. He pulled his sibling into his lap and hugged her gently, resting his head on her shoulder.


“Which one?”


“Tell me... About the war. What was the world like before the war?”


“Let's see... We used to use magic for everything. It regulated the weather, it grew our crops and provided power and clean running water to homes across the world. It was used to heal the sick and even used to help build the cities and towns. It was so nice, life was pretty good.”


“Where did it come from? The magic? Did people always have it?”


Caell shook his head. “There used to be a God that looked after the world, He was named Aranith. He saw that the humans were struggling to survive in the world and He took pity on us. Magic was Gifted to the human race and with His help, the people learned to harness it.”


“But didn't he... go away after the war? Isn't that why the world's all... mean now?”


“That's part of the reason, yeah. The War used magic in ways it wasn't intended, and when Aranith saw the battle on the plains He got angry. He caused the magic to explode, which is why the Scarred Plains are they way they are now. Then, He left. There's no God watching the world any more.”


“So that's why the Grand Eye tore down all the temples?”


Caell nodded. “Mhmm. A lot of people protested it, but of course they didn't listen.”


“That's sad.” Safa frowned sadly. “I bet the city was really nice before the war. The explosion broke the city too, right?


“Not as bad as some of the other places. Three towns and half a city were destroyed in a few seconds and now monsters roam the plains. So don't ever. Ever. Go there, ever. Not until you're older and with people who can protect you.”


“But I want to see it.” She whined. “Will you take me to the Fringe one day? Just so I can see it? Please?”


The bedroom lights flickered a few times, stayed on for three seconds, then went out again. The siblings both looked up at the light bulb and sighed.


“Well, perhaps I can sneak you out to the Fringe. Just don't tell mum and dad, okay?”


The bright smile that lit Safa's face was almost enough to light the room, and she turned in Caell's lap to hug him with a happy sound.


“Thank you!”


“Kids?” Serina's voice floated upstairs. “We're going to go with Kellen, we're having an emergency meeting. Will you two be okay?”


“We'll be fine. You guys take care.” Caell replied, shifting Safa off his lap so he could stretch his legs.


“Bye mummy!” Safa called a little too loudly before she grabbed her favourite rag dolly and started to play with it on her own.


Caell went back downstairs once his parents left, his stomach was growling and hopefully there was something he could eat for a snack. Rations had been tight for the last few weeks, not for any logical reason of course, but because one of the smaller rebel groups had tried to raid one of the Grand Eyes' warehouses two weeks ago. They'd failed, and their bodies had hung in the City Square for a week afterwards.


He'd seen the four bodies as they swung in the spring breeze, they'd been tortured before they had been murdered. Two had had their fingernails removed, fingers broken, and had lacerations on their faces and arms. It was a sight Caell could never get used to, any time there were new corpses on display, he felt a sickening chill down his spine.


It had the intended effect on the general populace, things went back to running just how the Grand Eye wanted. With them at the top, with all the money, all the food and all the comforts they thought they deserved more than the rest of the country. Even the smaller towns didn't escape the overly watchful eye of those in power. Farms were heavily guarded and any food that managed to grow in the harsh soil was taken straight to the warehouses.


There wasn't a lot of food left in the cupboards, mostly porridge and some bread that was probably on the stale side. It wasn't worth putting fire in the stove to cook one bowl of porridge, so the bread was going to have to do. He wandered back upstairs to his bedroom, Safa was still playing with her rag doll by the candlelight.


“Want something to eat, little sis?”


Safa looked up from her little game and nodded. “Yes please, I'm a bit hungry. It's not... porridge again is it?”


“Just what's left of the bread.”


“Better than porridge again, I hope they'll let us eat better again soon.” Safa pouted. “It’s not our fault those people broke into the food place.”


Caell broke the bread in half, passing some down to his little sister. “I know, but they don't care. If it makes people behave in the way they want, they'll keep doing it.”


“And people like mum and dad and uncle Kellen are trying to stop them, right?”


“Mhmm, that's right. The Last Hope is doing everything they can to try and set the people free. It would be nice if all of the little rebellion groups would just join them, rather than work alone. They keep getting caught.”


“I wish I was grown up enough to help, but I can't.”


“Saffy, they won't even let me help. I think they're just trying to keep us safe, bad things happen to people who get caught.”


The lights flickered again, rapidly, then they stayed on. From outside came an audible crackling, that was new. Caell moved to the window and looked down onto the street. Nothing looked different.


“Testing. Testing.” A loud, booming male voice crackled from the previously dormant speakers that had attached to buildings throughout the city over the last month.


“Just what we need.” Caell sighed.


“What's that?” Safa was at his side, her face pressed against the windowpane.


“Commencement of the new Grand Eye communication system will start tomorrow morning.”


“Caell... what does it mean?”


“It's like a radio, but without the fun music.” Not that the Eye approved music was really that fun. “It'll let them announce things across the city at once, and everyone will hear it. Unlike the radio, which can be turned off.”


“Oh. That's... I don't like that.”


“I'm pretty sure everyone in the city feels the same way. Now, it's time for you to go to bed.”


“I'm not tired.” Safa pouted, trying and failing to hold back a large yawn.


“That yawn suggests otherwise, little sister.”


"I only yawned. It doesn't mean anything.” She yawned again.


“That's twice now, bed time.” Caell chuckled, yawning himself as he poked playfully at the end of her nose.


Safa whined in protest, but climbed into her bed. “Tuck me in?”


With a nod, Caell tucked her in nice and tightly, kissing her forehead gently. “I'll just be downstairs if you need me.”


He drew the curtain and turned the lights off on the way out of the room. Stopping on the third to last step, he turned to face the fourth and reached under the lip. Finding the latch hidden there, he clicked it and opened the secret compartment.


Inside was a safe, which Caell unlocked and opened. Inside was the family savings, along with several books. The books were on the official banned books list set by the Grand Eye and would get them in a whole lot of trouble if they were found. Caell liked to read them, he just had to be careful. The Grand Eye came down extremely hard on prohibited materials, quite often a little too hard.


For this small amount, whoever was found with it would face a handful of years in the Grey Tower. The tower rose high above Everedge's western coast, the only barred windows faced the ocean and the sharp rocks below. It helped keep the rate of attempted and successful escapes pretty low. He remembered the first book burning the Grand Eye had held, he was only young at that stage and didn't realise the impact that moment had taken on the city. He just thought the fire was pretty.


Not many books were released through the main channels now days, books released legally were heavily scrutinised by the Grand Eye and most were deemed too 'unsafe' for the public. Illegal books were sold on the Underground Market, run by those who were so careful about avoiding the Law they could easily be mistaken as paranoid. Anyone who dealt with them wouldn't blame them for acting so. Dealing in illegal goods, especially the written word, would quickly find themselves swinging from the gallows.


Caell hated those books. They were always so boring, predictable and full of propaganda. Unfortunately the general populace were so brain washed they thought those books were amazing, or so terrified they didn't speak up. He sank into his comfy chair and re-read this book for the umpteenth time, he got three pages in, and fell asleep.

 

[Meredith]

Seven years ago





"It'll be okay, Georgie. It'll be okay."


Meredith bit her lip, hard, as her little sister looked at her. Her blonde hair shone in the faint light, the little light the sunset brought through the wood, as did her skin. It was covered with a sheen of sweat. Her skin was flushed, a red rash had spread over it almost as soon as she'd been infected. Meredith didn't know how she hadn't gotten the disease. Perhaps she was immune. She'd heard some stories like that, though she didn't know if they were truth or fiction.


"I'm going to die, arn't I, Meredith...?" Meredith looked away from her. "You know I am, but you don't want to tell me." Georgia touched Meredith's hand lightly. Her hands were clammy. "It's okay, Mera. I know I'm going to die." Meredith let out a heaving sigh. Hot tears stung at her eyes, and she looked to the floor to hide them from Georgia.


"You're not going to die. We'll find a way to beat this. We'll..."


"It's not going to work, Meredith... We've tried everything." Her voice was not dismayed, and Meredith's head snapped up to look at her. "But that's okay. I get to meet Mummy and Daddy again soon." The tears started then, and her sister let Meredith cry, the sound of the sobs and tears filling the squat they were inside. I'll be all alone. Please, Georgia, please don't leave me alone! She felt selfish for thinking the way she did, but she wasn't sure what else to think. "I love you, Meredith..." Her sister looked at her, smiling sadly.


"I... I love you too." Meredith looked at her sister, tears still leaking out of her eyes, but silently, now. She knew that Georgie wouldn't make it another night. She'd survived longer than most already, but then, Meredith had been giving her all her food for a week and a half, at least.. They only ate what they could scrounge out of the garbage cans, usually, but with only one person working, only one could eat. Meredith took her sister's hand gently. It was hot to the touch. They sat there for a while, until Georgia closed her eyes, her breathing slowing slightly. Meredith watched, holding her hand, as her sister's breathing gradually began to slow even more, and she watched until her sister's breathing stopped entirely. "...I love you, Georgie." She said quietly. She waited for the tears to come, but they didn't. She sat there, staring at her sister's body, until a small amount of light entered the squat. She picked up her sister's body, cradling it in her arms. Meredith's backpack had already been on - she knew she'd need it. She left the squat, the place where her sister had gotten sick, and then died. People avoided her as she passed, going toward one of the Eye's funeral offices. She arrived at the dimly lit building, and, going inside, she stopped at the desk. The man looked down at her.


"...And what do you want?" He asked her. Meredith bit her lip.


"I... I want to bury my sister..." She said quietly. The man snorted.


"It had the disease, did it not? You can't bury that. We'll burn it. Give it to me." Meredith shook her head. "I said give it to me." His voice was dangerously quiet. Meredith obeyed, though she didn't want to. "It'll be burned tonight. You will not get the ashes." He said. His voice was expressionless. Meredith nodded, biting her lip. "You will not get government help. You will go on as you have." Meredith nodded again. "You may leave now." Meredith's eyes clung to her sister, and another man, bigger than the first, took her arm, hauling her out of the building. There were still no tears, but Meredith was angry. She turned and ran.


And she didn't stop running. Not for a long, long time.

 

[Fus ro dah]

“Do not panic! We can survive without magic! The Grand Eye will lead us forward!”A deep, booming voice sounded at 7am, on the dot.


Caell inhaled sharply through his nose as the sound woke him from his sleep. The book slid from his lap and landed face down on the floor, the book the least of his worries. Why hadn't anyone woken him? Safa's footsteps caught his attention and he turned to face her, her teddy clutched in her arms and her lower lip trembling.


“Caell... It scared me.” She crawled onto his lap and laid against him. “It's early and it was loud.”


Caell stroked her hair gently. “I know Saffy, it scared me too. I really hope they don’t do that every morning.”


“Where’s mummy and daddy?”


Caell lifted Saffy from his lap and set her on the floor. “I’m not sure. I guess they stayed over with Uncle Kellen after curfew. It’s safer. I’m sure they’ll be home soon. How about we go down and see if they reopened the markets yet, if they have, we can get something good for breakfast.”


“Okay!” Saffy clapped her hands together, dropping her teddy and scooping him up again. “I’ll go get dressed.”


Caell followed Saffy upstairs deciding that he probably should get changed as well, he closed his bedroom door behind him and went to the window, looking out at the city. It seemed so different now, everything seemed dirtier and darker. The people relied on magic so heavily that even keeping their streets clean seemed almost too hard. He sighed and pushed away from the sill, going and getting changed into some plain clothes. He could hear Saffy next door singing her ‘I’m getting dressed’ song and he smiled, humming along. He knew most of the words. Once his boots were on his feet and laced, Caell grabbed some of his money from his desk and went downstairs to wait for Saffy. She was probably trying to decide between two or three different sets of clothing, and no doubt she would take parts of each and create something no self-respecting teenager or adult would wear by choice.


He put the book away, back into the safe beneath the step while he waited and took the moment to have a glass of water. The clear glass jar was three-quarters empty, they would have to organise to get another one from the Grand Eye soon. Saffy bounded downstairs and threw herself against Caell’s back in a hug, her arms wrapping around his legs and her face pressing against the side of his hip.


“Ready!”


“Do you want a drink before we go?” Caell set his empty tumbler aside as Safa shook her head. “Okay, let me tie your shoes properly and then we can go out.”


She tried so hard to tie her laces properly, but never could get the bow quite right. Caell knelt down and quickly fixed her attempt, making a mental note to try and teach her a different way. She took his hand and the two of them headed outside into the mild morning air. As they made their way towards the market, a smile crossed Caell’s lips. It seemed the Eye had allowed the market to be reopened and people bustled about, trading, buying, selling, or just browsing. He felt sorry for the traders and the farmers, when the markets were closed it would have to be hard for them to make any money. Roadside stalls were expressly forbidden, as was roadside trading. Any sales had to be done within Everedge’s walls. Of course, everyone knew it was because outside of the city walls the Grand Eye would get no money from sales. The Eye told them it was to keep the traders safe from bandits. No one believed them, especially as traders and farmers hired mercenaries to travel with them from city to town for protection.


“I smell kebabs! Caell! Caell! Can we get kebabs for breakfast?” Safa skipped alongside her older brother.


“I think that your idea is a fantastic idea.” Caell replied with a nod. “Especially if they have those spicy ones.”


They made their way through the crowd, Safa gripping her sibling’s hand tightly in case they got separated. A few months ago she had wandered away and had been swept up in a group of people, the poor child had been lost for almost half an hour and was finally found crying behind a glass worker’s stall. So now she was overly wary and refused to let go of Caell’s hand unless she had no other choice. The crowd thinned slightly and finally they reached the stall where a tall, broadly built woman with deep lines and silver hair was tending the kebab stand. She looked down at the two and smiled.


“How can I help you two?” Her voice was rough and slightly accented, her words lilting at the end.


“Kebabs!” Safa exclaimed. “Do you have the yummy yummy spicy ones?”


The silver-haired woman chuckled softly and nodded. “My, my, aren’t you an energetic one? Why yes, I do have the spicy ones. Freshly cooked this very morning. How many would you like?”


“Two beef ones please.” Caell counted out his coin and set them down on the counter, taking the kebabs by the thick sticks and offering Safa one.


“Enjoy them and have a grand day.” The woman bowed politely.


The siblings went and found a table to sit at, Safa quickly, tearing the large chunks of beef from the stick and when she was done she plucked the remaining stray strands of meat off of it with her fingers. Caell was a slow eater, except when Safa finished first she would sidle up to him and stare at his food, asking if he was done with it yet. Which of course, she did, staring at him with an almost unsettling smile on her face.


“Are you done yet?”


“Nope.” Caell waved the stick to and fro before taking another bite.


“Now?”


Caell raised a brow at her and ate a little faster, knowing all too well she could keep this up for longer than his sanity could stand. Once he was done, Safa grabbed his stick and ran them over to one of the rubbish cans, dropping them in and skipping back to him. “Where now?”


“Let’s go see if mum and dad are still with Uncle Kellen. They might have been up working all night.”


“Okay!”


Again Safa took Caell’s hand and he led her back through the market and onto the much quieter city streets. It was then he realised that he had forgotten their ID papers and could get in a lot of trouble with the law if they were interrogated for merely being on the streets. He’d just have to pray and hope that they were overlooked, seeing as home was on the other side of the market to Kellen’s. If it came down to it, he could always try playing dumb and just deal with a fine. The streets seemed strangely quiet away from the markets, and anyone who was out and about seemed to be going in the same direction they were.


“… these scum dared to undermine the Grand Eye!” A woman’s voice snapped harshly over the speakers from the City Square.


Caell frowned, but grew curious. He knelt down in front of Safa and looked her in the eyes. “Saffy. I want you to go home.” She did not need to see what was going on. “Take my key and run home, lock the door behind you. I’ll be home soon, okay?”


“But Caell, I want to see!”


“No. Safa. You’re far too young to see what’s going on the Square. Please, just go home.”


Safa stared at Caell for a few moments, her lower lip jutted out in a pout as she fought herself over what to do. Finally, she sighed and her shoulders slumped as she took the key. “Okay Caell. But you better bring me something pretty from the market!”


“I promise I will, I’ll find you a nice butterfly brooch. How about that?” Caell hugged her. “Now, go.”


As Safa raced back off towards home, Caell hoped she would be okay. He had a bad feeling about the goings on in the Square and if he could spare his little sister from seeing what the Eye did to those who opposed them, he would. He stood and made his way towards the ruckus, the crowd was a mixture of heckling and cheering. Fists were waved above heads and venomous words were spat by a few people he pushed past. He couldn’t see what was going on from back here, and he shoved his way through the crowd, apologising as he did so.


“They know the Law, as you all do, and they know what becomes of traitors!” The woman’s voice was louder now, trying to drown out the shouts from the crowd.


Just as Caell broke through the last line of people, he found himself at the front of the crowd that was being held back by armed guards. He looked ahead at the platform where the woman stood and then to the four figures on the left just as the hooded figure pulled the lever which opened the trapdoors beneath the feet of the doomed. His world melted away as he watched the four people fall through the gaps, screaming, the eyes of the woman meeting Caell’s and widening in shock slightly as her neck snapped and her body twitched and jerked at the end of the rope before it fell still.


His mother’s eyes.


Caell’s scream was swallowed by the roaring of the crowd as they surged forwards, knocking him to the ground, pushing the guards out of the way. Fighting broke out between those who had been cheering and those that had been heckling, fists met flesh and blood spurted from split lips and torn skin. Feet stepped on Caell’s body as he lay on the ground, paralysed with shock, unable to even feel the physical pain. His ears were ringing, the screams of the voices were a muffled blur and his vision blurred, unable to focus on anything. Gunshots exploded above the crowd and feet kept kicking and stepping on Caell, they didn’t meant to be doing so, no one even knew he was down on the ground.


Finally, his world came back into focus and he was instantly terrified. He was trapped in a sea of legs that were surging back and forth, one boot barely missing his face as he struggled to his feet, himself jostled and shoved about with the crowd. He tried to push forwards again, back to the front to see if what he saw was real or just his imagination but he kept being shoved backwards as the rioting crowd was pushed out of the square and into the streets. Sirens sounded from the rooftops and people began to break away from the crowd and flee from the scene, their lives would depend on not being here when the backup arrived.


Caell broke into a run back towards home, he had to get there and he had to find Safa. His legs pumped like pistons as he raced along the streets, shoving his way roughly back through the market crowd and out the other side. The sirens were still blaring from the Square, the sound accompanied by the sound of gunshots that echoed through Everedge’s streets. They only drove Caell faster, his heart was pounding in his chest and his legs were starting to burn, but he wasn’t going to stop until he reached home. His chest was burning and it was getting hard to breathe, but his front door was in sight.


“Safa? Mum? Dad?” He burst through the front door and lent against the kitchen counter, his chest heaving. “Safa?!”


It was then he realised that the house had been torn apart, furniture had been smashed and cut open, even the water jug had been smashed. Terrified, Caell raced upstairs to find the scene was the same.


Their beds had been sliced open, their cupboards emptied and Safa was gone.

 

[Meredith]

Four and a half years ago


Meredith's face twisted into a ghostly smile as she pulled the rotting wooden beam aside. She'd always enjoyed breaking into a buildings. Much more captivating than searching it, she thought, at least unless you found something.


She slipped inside the decaying building, tripping over another plank in the middle of the floor. Picking herself up, she moved in the semi-darkness through what she thought would once have been a house. There were holes in the ceiling, and enough light that she could barely see. Her eyes adjusted fairly quickly, though she was nearly blinded when she stepped into a shaft of light. She searched the floor. It was obvious the building had been ransacked before, but she searched it nonetheless.


One certain spot on the floor caught her eye, and she kneeled next to it. She wasn't sure why the place had attracted her, but nonetheless. She pressed her hand into the rotting planks, and one of them gave out under her touch. She pulled it from the hole, breaking one of her nails. She didn't even notice. She stuck her hand into the hole, not thinking that there could be some sort of animal inside. Thankfully there wasn't. Her fingers brushed a smooth object, and she pulled it out of the hole. It was an an ebony box, very heavy, and it sank in her palm. She put it down and opened it. There were... cards, inside. They closely resembled Tarot cards. Meredith wasn't sure what she could get for them, but she knew it would be a lot. The smile wiped off of her face suddenly, despite her find.


"I wish you were here, Georgie." She breathed, getting up off of her knees. She brushed herself off, standing to leave the way she came. She again tripped over the peice of wood in front of the opening she'd made, but she tossed it aside. No reason for me to trip over it if I come back. Or someone else, I suppose. She thought, stepping out of the structure. She walked away from the stucture, walking towards where she knew a hidden market lay. She walked without incident for a while, a few hours, at least. It was when she stopped, having found a place to sleep, that she heard movement. She turned around.


"I know you're there." She said calmly. The movement stopped momentarily. "I am armed and I am not afraid to fight." The statement wasn't entirely true. She wasn't afraid to fight, but she had no weapons excepting her fists. The movement resumed, and she heard it coming closer. "Declare yourselves." She heard muttering, and then, a voice spoke.


"We know you found something. Give it and we won't hurt you." The voice was muffled.


"What if I say no?" I felt impact on my back, and I was forced to the ground. Somebody was on my back. I felt a hand on the back of my neck, and I twisted around, trying to push the person off of me. There was a group - four men and two women. One of the men was on top of me. As I struggled, he held a knife up to my face, placing it on my cheek. I didn't stop struggling, and he dug the knife in. She turned her head, and it cut, deep, down the right side of her face. She could feel the edge of her lip downturn. The sudden rush of adrenaline allowed her to push the man off. She threw a punch at his face, and he could her wrist, turning it. She yelled. He didn't let go.


"Hand it over, sweetie." Meredith shook her head. The man twisted her wrist suddenly, and Meredith screamed. The man let go, and Meredith fell to her knees, cradling her right arm to her chest. The man pushed her over again, stuffing his hands into her pockets. Meredith let him. She couldn't really see, think, through the burning pain. He found what he wanted, and she could hear the group of scavengers move on. She crawled underneath the rock overhang, still clutching her hand to her chest...

 

[Fus ro dah]

“Head west and keep your eyes peeled, we haven’t been out here for a while now.”


The steam powered buggy swerved westward and took off at a running pace, those on board did not want to cross the lands too fast. It drew more attention than they cared for and they did not want to miss anything that might be obscured in the ground. There were five figures on this particular buggy, each of them carrying weapons in case they needed to defend themselves.


The life of a Scavenger was not a life one chose lightly, it was a tough life fraught with danger. Sometimes they would travel away from the Scarred Plains and search safer grounds, but the pickings were often slim. This particular group often dreamed about finding that one Relic that would set them up for an easy life in the city. Of course, the chances of that happening were slim to none, but it was nice to dream.


“I never imagined life would be better outside Everedge.”


“You’re kidding me, right Caell?”


“Just because you’ve never lived there doesn’t mean it’s any good.” Caell scowled at the chestnut-haired woman who was at the wheel of the buggy.


“Well you never talk about it, and we can’t afford to do anything but visit.” Katricia replied waving a hand in the air dismissively. “You don’t even come with us when we go in to trade.”


Caell snorted and crossed his arms over his chest, looking out across the plains at the distant monsters. ”Trust me. You don’t want to live there.”


“It’s gotta be safer.” Interrupted Katricia’s brother, Phaeyl. “I mean, those giant walls and all the guards.”


“It’s not. Can we stop talking about it now.”


Katricia looked at her sibling and mouthed ‘every time’. Phaeyl nodded and stifled a little laugh, coughing to cover the sound. The group remained quiet, the mood soured now. Caell sighed and pulled his goggles from his eyes, wiping the sweat that had gathered under the leather before he pulled them back down. It was getting warm and the heat always seemed more intense in the Scarred Plains.


The landscape was still something somewhat terrifying to behold. The trees, once thick with green leaves were now black, the strange substance shiny and brittle. It was easy to spot where the explosion had started as all the trees were laid backwards away from the blast site, some laying flat on the ground, some petrified in a half-uprooted state. Remains of humans who were involved in the war remained here in the same state, their bodies petrified by the same black, brittle substance. Over the years parts had fallen away, leaving them looking like grotesque statues.


Monsters lurked these lands day and night, no one was entirely sure where they had come from. The most common theory was that they were remnants from the war, the survivors who had been exposed to so much hatred and magic that it had twisted them into these creatures. They too, were the same black colour, but they were far from brittle. In fact, they wore the substance almost like armour.


“Hey! Stop the buggy!” Deahnna called out, waving her arms towards Katricia. “I see something!”


The buggy came to a halt and the group followed Deahnna towards the base of an uprooted tree, watching her back as she approached a silver object that was partially buried in the ground. She took her pick from her belt and carefully broke away the black Brittle, sighing when it was revealed to be nothing than a silver platter.


“It’s better than nothing. I’m sure we can get a little bit of money for it.” Phaeyl patted her shoulder.


“Eh, true. Let’s check around in case there’s anything else around.” Deahnna scanned the area. “There’s gotta be a ruin somewhere nearby, how else would a plate get out here? Ah hah!” She pointed towards a lumpy looking mass not too far away.


“Let’s walk it. I need a break from driving.” Katricia nodded towards where Deahnna had pointed.


The group agreed and set off towards what they hoped was a ruined home, weapons at the ready. Caell was at the front of the group, ever since he had joined the group he had always walked at the front, and quite often was reckless. He would not talk about why he had left the city, he would shut down and go brood alone somewhere. He walked faster than the others, slowly pulling ahead, silent and most likely in a partial-brooding mood due to the previous conversation.

 

[Meredith]

Present Day





Meredith's lips were dry. She licked them again to try and keep some moisture onto them. Her mouth felt like there was dry sand inside it. She coughed. She'd never run out of water before, not like this. She forced herself to keep walking. She wanted to stop, to just lie down, but she knew that if she did she wouldn't get back up. She swallowed again, sucking the last bit of moisture from her mouth, she drew all the spit she could into it, swallowing it again. She did it to prevent her tongue from swelling. She knew dehydration wasn't pretty. She hadn't eaten for days, either, though she had a little food. You can't eat without water in your stomach. She sighed, looking down at the blackened ground as she walked. The dead bodies didn't bother her anymore, though she was a bit worried she'd join their ranks.

 

[Fus ro dah]

Something moved from behind the building and the group froze, aiming their weapons towards the movement, waiting, watching. Caell kept moving forwards, his gaze locked on the movement. As he neared the building, the others had started to slowly follow, stopping again when the creature emerged from behind the remains of the house. To their relief, it was one of the creatures that were passive, almost friendly unless they were attacked or threatened.


They stood tall, about six and half feet at the head and were so emaciated that their ribs sometimes broke through the taut, black flesh that was stretched over their bony frame. Their eye sockets were empty, yet they seemed to be able to see and smell. The nostrils of the creature quivered as it scented the air, turning to face Caell. ‘Experts’ assumed that the passive creatures were once horses and up close it almost seemed like they were.


“Hey uh… boy?” Caell spoke softly and ran his hand along the creatures nose.


The creature huffed a snort and tossed it’s head before turning and walking away from the group, the stumpy tail swishing at nothing. The group relaxed slightly and moved to start sorting through the ruins. The brawny, dark skinned Garet was put on watch with his twin brother Menne. It was hard to believe they were twins as Menne was lighter skinned than his twin.


The other three got their picks and started to chip away at the Brittle, hoping to find something of worth. Family items were especially sought after, more so if the family still lived somewhere. Deahnna dug next to Caell, looking over at him every now and then, obviously wanting to ask him something but not daring too. Caell noticed almost every glance and after about ten minutes, he dropped his pick and stared at her.


“What is it?”


The strawberry blonde woman met his stare. “Why won’t you talk about your past?”


She swore she saw his heckles raise and he was struggling visibly to not just snap at her. “I don’t want to talk about it.”


Deahnna huffed irately and threw her hands up. “Of course not! You never do. You know all about us, and we are your friends, Caell. We can help you with whatever you need.”


“No. You can’t.” Caell slammed his pick into the Brittle, sending small shards flying into the air.


“Why not?” She asked softly, determined to get him to open up a little bit.


Caell remained silent as he took his anger out on the Brittle, slamming his pick into it over and over again. “You just can’t.” His voice broke slightly as he spoke, she was getting to him.


“Let us try?” She put a hand on his shoulder softly. “It’s not healthy to hold onto all that anger.”


Caell threw down his pick and turned, his eyes narrowed into slits, tears welling in the corners. “It’s better than feeling pain!”


Deahnna set her own pick down and shook her head. “It’s not. It’s better to feel the pain, let it out and stop holding it in. Then you can move on and the pain will be a lot easier to deal with.”


He knew she was right, her fiancee had been murdered by bandits when they were travelling five years ago, but he was scared. He didn’t want to deal with the pain, he wanted to hold onto it and… and then what? A few tears rolled down his face. What exactly was he going to do with his anger? It was an emotion, it wasn’t like he could sell it, or make it a weapon, or even change the past. It was just a feeling that was trying to take him over.


“Dee. You… You’re right.” He took a shaky breath, closing his eyes. “All this anger is going to do is get me killed… and I don’t want to die. Not anymore.” It was terrifying to even say those words, to admit that his recklessness had been a half-hearted attempt at suicide. “I’ll… tell you guys about it tonight. I’m not ready yet.”


Deahnna smiled softly. “Take your time. We’ll all be here if you need us. Me especially.”


“Thanks, Dee.” Caell managed a sort of smile as he wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve.


She patted his shoulder, her hand lingering for a few moments before she went back to breaking through the Brittle. This house was only small, two bedrooms it seemed. Most of the items were ruined, stained, charred and torn by the explosion. They had not yet travelled to ground Zero, due to the fact that the land there was completely flat for at least two kilometres so they assumed that nothing at all would be there.


Caell concentrated on excavating, trying his best to push back the feelings which threatened to overflow. No, that would have to wait. No doubt it would happen tonight when he recalled his reason for fleeing Everedge. He knew he had to go back to the city one day, there was no way he could avoid it for the rest of his life. Caell felt a surge of courage as he broke away some thick Brittle, finding a necklace with a locket attached to the chain. He would go back to the city soon and keep looking for Safa. She had to be hiding in the city somewhere.


He crumbled the black Brittle away from the chain carefully, not wanting to cut himself or damage the item. He shoved it into his satchel for now, there wasn’t time to look closely at everything they found. The sun would begin to set soon, and the monsters of the plains became more active in the twilight. He found some rings beneath where the locket had fallen and put them away, hoping someone would pay dearly for lost items. Sure it wasn’t the most honest work, but it was outside of the city and they were free out here. The Grand Eye wasn’t watching their every move and taking everything for themselves.


No, the Eye had no jurisdiction outside of the cities and towns, which is why road bandits were so common along the roads. There were no guards to stop them, which suited those who lived outside of civilisation oddly happy. Dealing with bandits was never a fun task, but it was better than relying on a corrupt Government.


“Hey, guys! Check this out!” Katricia’s voice rang out, filled with excitement. “I think we’ve hit a jackpot!”


Everyone turned and moved over to the brunette, looking on as she chipped away some more Brittle, slowly revealing a safe. Without a word, the others gathered around it and broke the Brittle from around the base. It was not a large safe, which meant they could lift it onto the buggy easily enough.


“I’ll go get the buggy with Menne, you guys keep working on getting it free. We don’t have a lot of time left, ten minutes maybe.” She stood and waved to the paler of the twins to follow and the two of them jogged away to go fetch the buggy.


“It’s been almost a year since we found a safe.” Deahnna smiled widely, pulling away some of the black substance away from the legs on her side. “The last one was empty, but the safe itself was completely intact. That’s the one we use at the headquarters.”


Caell nodded. “I wondered how you guys afforded a good safe like that.”


“Here, let’s try and lift it out. The bottom looks pretty clear except for the stuff we can’t reach.” Deahnna stood up and together they began to pick the safe up, facing some resistance from the Brittle attached underneath.


“Keep pulling, I can feel it moving.” Phaeyll’s hands almost slipped as the Brittle began to splinter and crack as it gave way.


Finally the small safe was freed and together they moved it to the outside of the ruin as Katricia and Menne pulled up in the buggy, waving their hands madly.


“Quick! There’s a pack of something coming this way.” None of the monsters had been named, due to the fact that they never seemed to have the same appearance for extended periods of time.


Bags were thrown into the back of the vehicle and the safe was lifted into the back before everyone got on board. Katricia put her foot down hard on the accelerator and steam exploded thickly into the air as the buggy sped forwards. They had to drive fast, some of these creatures in the right form, could almost catch a fast car. The buggy had nothing to protect the group from, all they had was their weapons.


A dozen shiny, black beasts the size of lions sniffed around the ruins of the home, their pitch black empty-socketed eyes swivelling in the direction of the buggy and they began to give chase. Their distorted roar echoed across the plains, the sound almost more like a scream of agony as they raced across the ground. If they caught the humans aboard the buggy, they would tear them to shreds and leave them to bleed to death. They did not eat the flesh of humans, they merely killed for sport.


Horror stories surrounded these monsters, one woman claimed that they had taken the form of men and had raped her, only to leave her battered and bleeding on the fringe of the Scarred Plains. A passing trader saw her and saved her, bringing her into the Everedge Hospital. Of course, people did not believe her, assuming it was probably a gang of bandits.


The buggy sped over the Brittle tainted surface, small black chips flung up by the wheels that bounced off the surface of the smooth Brittle. They were gaining distance between themselves and the monsters, until Katricia pointed to a lone figure ahead of them.


"Is that a person?"


"It looks like one." Phayell replied. "We should grab them before the monsters do."


The buggy changed slightly to head towards the lone figure and slowed down as they neared it, a woman.


"Get in!" Caell shouted, the group of them waving her onto the buggy. "Hurry! There's a pack of monsters coming!"

 

[Meredith]

Meredith turned her head. People...? She sighed slightly. Well, getting on will prevent my untimely death, at least. She thought. Running toward the buggy for a second, she jumped on, rolling. She looked suspiciously at the people. She wet her lips again, and this time the top one cracked open. It bled into her mouth. She turned away from the people, sitting down. She sighed, closing her eyes, listening for any threatning movements.

 

[Fus ro dah]

They paid her no heed for now, right now they had to get off the Brittle to safety. The monsters never left the safety of the shiny black surface, it was like they were too scared to do so. The edge was coming into view, the cracked dirt that spread out between the Brittle and the green grass a border of hope. Caell noticed the woman looked thirsty and he grabbed a water bottle, kneeling down beside her, keeping one eye on the pack of creatures chasing them.


"Here, have a drink." He offered her the bottle.

 

[Meredith]

Meredith turned her head, opening her eyes and looking at him almost blankly.


"...Thank you." Her voice was hoarse, like sandpaper, and she took the bottle, opening it and taking a drink. She looked at the boy, handing the bottle back, she nodded slightly at him. She sighed again.

 

[Fus ro dah]

The buggy jolted roughly as the Brittle surface ended sharply, they rolled over the bumpy dry, cracked ground and soon reached the grass and the dirt road that led to the city. Safety at last. They crossed the road and pulled to a stop on the other side, looking back at the Brittle landscape where the monsters lurked, their roars twisted with cries of pain.


"Is everyone okay?" Katricia asked as she leapt from the buggy to the ground.

 

[Meredith]

Meredith nodded slightly. She'd squeezed her eyes shut, but then she stood, brushing herself off. Opening her eyes, she looked at the small group, jumping down to the ground. She looked over at the group, all the... people. She took something out of her pocket. It was a small die, glowing blue faintly. She looked over at the boy that had given her water, and she crossed to him, taking his hand and placing the die in it. Her voice, as she spoke, was still hoarse, but less rough.


"...Thank you..." She said, looking at the boy. "It's yours." She turned around, beginning to walk away.

 

[Fus ro dah]

Tyne took the die and looked down at it curiously for a few moments, then he realised the girl was walking away. He leapt from the buggy and hurried after her.


"Hey, hey, wait up. Are you okay? I mean, why were you wandering alone in the wastes?"

 

[Meredith]

Meredith looked at him, stopping. She did not smile, not did she frown. She swallowed.


"I belong, everywhere and nowhere." She watched him, carefully. "Such things happen when you have no home..." Her gaze became almost glazed. "Home is where the heart is, after all..." After a minute or so, her eyes came back into focus. "Now, if that's all..." She said, turning away.

 

[Fus ro dah]

"Are you... on drugs or something?" He had no idea what was wrong with her, she was being all... weird. "Or are you just really dehydrated. Where are you going?"


For some reason he cared, probably because she reminded him of himself after everything went bad in his life. Although he didn't wander the wastes, he just wandered elsewhere.

 

[Meredith]

Meredith looked at the boy.


"I may be dehydrated, but I'm not high..." She said quietly. She looked back and forth before speaking. "I don't know where I'm going, honestly." Her voice was hushed, almost detached. "I guess I'll find some supplies and head back out there..."

 

[Fus ro dah]

"And what? Die? You do know those creatures will just kill you and leave you to die right?" Wow, this girl seemed... uh... depressed? "If you're going back out there alone, you may as well forget the supplies."

 

[Meredith]

Meredith shrugged, nodding,


"I'm not afraid of death..."


She said nonchalatently. "It's not my area of expertise."

 

[Fus ro dah]

What does that even mean? "What does that even mean? You're making no sense at all. Wouldn't you rather, y'know, not get mauled to death by monsters?" No really, she was making no sense at all.

 

[Meredith]

Meredith sighed, bringing her hand to her face, she rubbed her forehead. Her head was foggy, and although she knew what she wanted to tell him, she didn't know how to say it. She made a strangled whimpering noise, almost like a growl, low in her throat, still rubbing her forehead, before removing the hand, sighing heavily.


"I don't know how to tell you what I mean. You're just going to fight with me. Maybe I just... have a death wish, but I go out there alone, trying to find things." She sighed, looking at them in turn, her voice quiet. "...Isn't that what you guys do?" She asked. She looked away from them, opening her mouth as if to speak. She eventually did. "I just... I paid you for picking me up, allright, and it's great you came along... but I'm just going to go back out there soon as I can."

 

[Fus ro dah]

"Yeah, we do go out there and hunt for things... but not alone. I don't even remember how many rotting corpses we've passed over the years." Tyne frowned slightly. "Too many. People can't survive out there alone, it's bad enough with a group.. "


He looked over at the others who all nodded, they'd given him a similar speech and knew where it was going.


"Why not join up with us? We split the money from anything we sell, and you'll be safer with a group. Plus, we're pretty awesome."

 

[Meredith]

Meredith swallowed, hard.


"I..." She took a deep breath. Protection. They're offering protection. Nothing more, nothing less. She forced herself to nod. "I've... never exactly been in a group before, but..." She shrugged. Georgia, laying, stiff, still... She swallowed, hard, once more. "I can try..." Her voice came out, almost a hoarse whisper. Georgia... It was the first time she'd allowed herself to think of her sister in days. She shook her head ligghtly, not allowing her eyes to tear up. She cleared her throat. "I'll go with you guys, I suppose..."

 

[Fus ro dah]

"Anything's gotta be better than getting... whatever'd by those monsters out there." Deahnna chimed in. "Hi, I'm Deahnna. This is Tyne, Katricia, Phaeyl, and Caell."


Caell smiled at the girl a little. "You've made the right decision, these guys are pretty cool. They saved my life and I've been with them since."

 

[Meredith]

The girl ducked her head.


"My name is Meredith. Meredith Caine." She didn't smile, only looked back at the group. "I hope I've made the right descision." She swallowed slightly. "What now...?"

 

[Fus ro dah]

WIP while being rejoined