Fantasy Arivale, The City in the Sky

[The Snowiest Owl]

Zodiac took the map and studied it. He held it close to his mask and inspected the marked locations.


"This sounds and looks tedious as fuck, but it gotta be done."


A few bystanders nodded at his remark and Zodiac put the map in his belt.


@SmittenKitten

 

[SmittenKitten]

Avianna stepped onto the teleporter, taking one last glance at the city and the bystanders watching them leave. A bright light surrounded everyone on the platform, wind swirling around and around them. After a few moments, Avianna and the rest of the heroes were standing on the ground. She looked all around. They were standing on a circle of stone, surrounded by thick, overgrown forests. Everything was luscious and green, so unlike her faction. The air felt different here. Avianna turned to Zodiac. "Is this how you remember it?" she asked quietly. "It's beautiful..."

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

(Sorry, been busy)


Zodiac looked around himself. He planted his boots into the wet soil beneath him and he removed his hood.


"Earth..." He said, drawing a large breath.


"It was a lot more populated, but now..."


He pointed to the image of a diapitaed building peeking through the canopy of trees. The skyscraper was burnt-out and tattered remains of a british flag waved in the breeze.


"It's a dead world now."

 

[SmittenKitten]

(lol its all good :3)


Avianna fluttered her wings excitedly, hovering slightly off the concrete platform. "I've never seen anything like this in Grandfell." She flew up to the trees, plucking a few ripe apples from the branches, offering them to her partners. "so..." she consulted the map. "does anyone have an idea where we should go first?"


@animefordaysXD @Noivern

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

Zodiac shrugged and looked at the burnt shell of a building again and spotted a few rusted cars taken by vines, trees, and other creepers.


"I don't remember the world going to shit like this..."


He ran his hand along a cracked slab of concrete. A gouge in the stone allowed a small waterfall to form. Nature and Destruction collaborating together to make a beautiful and somewhat saddening visage.

 

[SmittenKitten]

(Overview is updated to include the scroll keepers and their cities)


Avianna thought for a moment, consulting the map once more. They had five places to choose from. Karakota's underwater city, D'vrell's mountain city, Asatroth's forest city, Leviathan's underworld city, and the mysterious city of Gold, the sister city of Arivale. She figured that they should focus more on the four on the ground first before heading back into the skies for the fifth and final piece. "Hmm... Asatroth's scroll seems to be the closest to us..." she muttered to herself.

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

"Seems so..."


Zodiac kicked a blackened skeleton lying halfway out of a ajar vehicle door. The skeleton jostled a little but kept it's place. Rooted to the spot by vegetation.

 

[SmittenKitten]

Avianna stepped forward, examining the skeleton. It looked brittle and old, like it would turn to dust if she touched it. She reached out tentatively. "Poor thing..." she whispered to herself. Sorrow filled her eyes. To see an ancient civilization reduced to such chaos...


Just as the tips of her fingers brushed against the charred remains, skeletal fingers gripped her wrist tightly. The bones creaked loudly from having been dormant so long. Avianna yelped, pulling back her hand, cradling it to her chest. The skeleton stood, breaking free from the vegetation that had held it in place for so many years. It grinned, black smoke spilling from between its parted teeth. It smelled like death. She took a step back, not quite believing what she was seeing. She froze, contemplating what to do. The skeleton, however, wasted no time, lunging for her, bony fingers poised and ready to strike.


@Noivern @animefordaysXD

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

Zodiac struck the Skeleton with his dagger, bigging the blade into it's skull. He kicked the abdomen of the thing, splitting the top half from the bottom and ripping his knife from the caved in skull cavity. With a grunt of effort, Zodiac pushed the still-wriggling torso and arms over the edge of the platform. The skeleton tumbling into a pond filled with empty car shells. The thing exploded into a shower of black dust as it made contact with the roof of a cab. Zodiac turned towards Avianna, a smear of black powder on his mask.

 

[SmittenKitten]

Avianna shook herself back to her senses, glancing up at Zodiac. "Wh... What was that...?" she breathed, reaching up and wiping the black powder from his mask. "it couldn't have been real... Right?" the red mark on her wrist proved that it had been real, though.

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

Zodiac shook his head.


"Trebuchet has told me about them. He calls them smokies due to the all of the industrial gas they expell from their half-decomposed lungs."


Another Smokie came up from behind. Ready to strike Zodiac in the back. Suddenly, there was a loud bang to the far left. Zodiac spun around just in time to see a projectile tear through the Skeleton's ribcage. Another bang and the skull shattered to shards. A clicking noise became audible and a pattern of neon strip lights glowed from a shadowed part of the underbrush. The thing rose from the bushes and slung a rifle onto it's back.


"Aye, I was waitin' for your arses t' come 'ere." Said the figure with an Australian accent.

 

[SmittenKitten]

Avianna tilted her head, regarding the newcomer with wonder and curiosity. "Who might you be, friend?" she asked, taking a step forward, examining the strange figure. "And what is that weapon? Is it magic?" She had never seen a gun before.

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

"Trebuchet!" Zodiac embraces his old friend and pats his back.


"Long time no see, lad." Trebuchet says, holding up his rifle.


"Sorry, Hon. But this isn't any old pansy panty magic. It's real fuckin' man made shit. This is called a gun. It'll kill you if I point it at you and pull the trigger. It's loaded, so hands off Lass. Y'hear?"


Trebuchet turned his head back to Zodiac. His metallic, smooth helmet hiding the expression of joy on his face.


"Seems ya brought a crew."

 

[SmittenKitten]

She took a step back, still slightly confused about the weapon. But she was happy to see Zodiac so excited. She smiled, watching them with interest. She knew better than to interfere right now. She clasped her hands behind her back, looking back up to the city far above them. They had a long way to go...

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

(Getting Sleepy)

 

[The Snowiest Owl]

(Back from Spring Break!)


Trebuchet adjusted his scarf and pressed a few buttons on his helmet.


"Aye, Smokies are around. We should get backta base. Get the fuck outta dodge."


Trebuchet slapped Zodiac's back, startling him a little.


"Let's getta move on, eh?"