The Haunted Voyage for Zazzum

13th Epoch

13th Epoch

Member
(Before starting, state how and why you came to Xalum in your reply. For example, my character, Graw, encountered a voice in the forest while hunting, telling him that he is needed in Xalum for something great.)

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The 14th day of the 9th month of the 30th year after the End came.

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Day 1: When Threads Entangle

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It was cloudy, gray and gloomy, and the air smelled of rain. The air was humid, and the streets were empty, save for debris and plants breaking through the asphalt. Members of the Xalum tribe is large, and full of people, but right now not a face is seen nor a sound is made. They're sheltering in the empty and not-so-much-destroyed buildings in the area, away from the rain. Rain made plants grow, filled rivers and water supplies, but it also makes people sick and in a world where everything is hard to come by, an unsaid rule is made: Do your very best to avoid sickness.

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Somewhere in the far distance, a thunder rolls in the clouds, a noise much louder than it's supposed to be since the area was so still and silent. Grimm Mau, The Alpha Hunter, walked the streets, his eyes darting from side-to-side. A feeling of doubt creeps up inside him, but, nonetheless, kept moving on. He came across a bent street sign on a corner, its pole and signs rusty, and turned. The street looked so much darker here, worn and crumbling buildings loomed on both sides and the remnants of an aeroplane was strewn on the end of the street. Graw walked silently, not knowing where to go. He looked up to his right and was just in time to see a face of a little girl back away into the building, into the shadows. He instinctively felt for his scrolls in the back of his pants and trudged onward.

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Not a few meters away from the crashed plane, where bulks of cement and pieces of the aeroplane's frame were scattered on the road, is-was-a cafe. Daily Pastry, what it's signboard once said, now it was just Daily Past. The only large square-framed glass window that looked out into the street where Graw is standing is shattered and the table and chairs inside were strewn and fallen, but nonetheless still good from the looks of it. It was strange why the Xalum members didn't think of taking those for their own use.

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Raindrops started to fall, making pitter-patters on the streets, making Graw run towards the cafe for cover. Another thunder grumbled in the sky as Graw opened the shattered glass door and sat in one of the booths. From where he rested, the place looked dim-Graw thought of walking at the back to look for candles, but dismissed the thought away-and the air smelled of rain and, faintly, mint. Graw smiled, reminiscing the times when he was still trying to tame Tisme. He'd get bites and scratches everyday and his Grandmother would always be there to apply mint leaves on his wounds. She said it hastens the healing rate of wounds dealt by spirit beasts; she said she used to have a garden filled with Mint. Graw tried to imagine how it'd smell in the mornings. A swift aching in his chest swelled and pushed the memories away. He didn't have to leave his tribe and make a 4-day journey if it wasn't for what happened while he was hunting.

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He started hunting at dawn, as he always did, summoning Tisme, his monky spirit, and Bysa, his wolf spirit, beside him. They spent a few minutes tracking down animal trails, and by the time the sun had its rays touch the paved walkways of the zoo he already had himself five dead squirrel-cats and a fox-rabbit hanging on his back. That wasn't enough, though; he had a tribe to feed. While the tribe members pray and do their false rituals to their false gods, asking for blessing, Grimm was busy sniffing out the scents of beasts. Grimm, and his spirits, found themselves in part of the zoo where the greenery was untamed and thick. Grimm had to cut his way through the foliage until he found a clearing where he can rest. Sleep went down on him, but before he closed his eyes the world darkened and dimmed, and every sound heard trailed away into silence. "Xalum," A voice, raspy and dry as soil in the summer, wheezed itself out of nowhere. "You must go to... Xalum."

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"Show yourself!" Grimm shouted as he slowly turned turned, checking every gaps between plants. "Who are you?"

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Silence. Then there it was, "Go there!" This time it was a combination of a wheeze and an angry hiss. "You are needed, Grimm Mau." It continued, causing Graw's hair on the back of his neck to stand up. "You are there only hope." Grimm looked around and his sprits have disappeared.

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Grimm cursed. "I don't know what you're talking about," He replied, terror and anger swelled up in him and he was struggling to wrestle it down.

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"Xallum... Go there and you will find..." It trailed away into silence. "You will find others... You must search for Zazzum," The last word made Grimm's heart skip a beat. Zazzum, a legend, a myth, a story that was supposed to give hope, but ended as a bitter lie. Zazzum isn't real, was it?

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"Zazzum," Grimm muttered, repeating the voice. It felt new and uncomfortable on his tongue.

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Now, he's here in a destroyed cafe, waiting for the rain to pass, not even sure if there were people coming. He wasn't even sure Zazzum is real, yet he came anyway. That isn't like him, but he did it anyway.

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The rain was harsh, furiously pounding onto her skin. Dark locks stuck stubbornly to her skin, tribal markings washing off due to the intense acidity of the pouring rain. The storm clouds covered the sky in its entirety, blocking off any traces of the sun. Juno was with no tribes. She was all alone by herself in the forest that was near the main city. You wouldn't see anything else in that forest, save for the little makeshift house in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by wildlife. It was made out of straw and wood - it was the place where the strange man led her to, in order to save her from famine and thirst, but now, it was destroyed by a damned rain.


"Curse this," she hissed, forcefully stabbing her staff onto the muddy ground to hold her weight. "Why did I ever accept this?" She heard a rustle, and with her somewhat sensitive hearing, she perked up, lips positioned in a feral snarl. Her stomach ached painfully, loudly reminding her that she needed food to survive - food was harsh these days. You have to kill in order to live. Her pupils dilated upon seeing a squirrel hop off a bush. It was unaware of its fate as, in her hunger-induced stupor, she pounced wildly. It let out a pathetic-sounding squeal as she desperately grabbed her staff - something to stab the little animal with. It stopped moving after a few moments; it was only then she realized what she's done. Blood smeared on her hands as she manhandled the squirrel, crimson eyes gazing at it in utter shock. She felt guilty for doing so - but it was survival. You need to do what you need to do. Heat surged through her hands unexpectedly, frying the poor squirrel harshly. She recoiled back in shock, dropping the squirrel as she furiously wiped her hands on her clothes. W-what was that...?! She thought in distress, crimson eyes glancing at her palm. It was red, like someone attempted to burn it, but to no avail. It felt... tingly, too.


There was a sound of something scratching against the ground, but she paid it no heed, focusing her attention towards her palm. H-how did that happen...! D-did I just do that...? Hesitantly, the woman poked her palm with her free hand, feeling a slight heat to it. Suddenly, her palm glowed red, searing pain surging through her entire arm. She screamed loudly, her voice piercing the air, desperately trying to cool off the palm. It lasted briefly - six seconds at most. She glanced down hesitantly, her heart racing upon seeing the inscription on her palm.


Vide infra, iuvenes legatum. Look below, young legacy.


Her gaze shifted slowly, as if hesitant. She clutched her staff for something to hold on to. In the background, lightning cracked through the heavily cloudy sky, thunder rumbling loudly. The eerie atmosphere did not soothe her racing heart, and the words written on the mud - she was sure it wasn't there, so how did it get there? And the woman that stood there... her eyes were closed, lips in a sleepy smile. Her hair was deep brown, like soil, and her clothes moved continuously as she moved. Earth rumbled as the woman smiled down at her, as if asleep.


Xalum. It was written there. It shifted as she finished reading the word. The woman moved, too, new words forming as she did. Ibis illic... reciperare artificium antiqui vocabant Zazzum. You will go there... to retrieve an ancient artifact called Zazzum. The words shifted again, forming another sentence. Solus non es. Quaeram te artificium sunt. You are not alone. You will search for the artifact with others.


The woman disappeared almost as soon as she read the final sentence. She blinked in confusion. What just happened? Cautiously, she gazed once again towards the soil, the hair behind her neck standing up in fear. There was something else written on the ground.


Terra sum.


"I am Terra," Juno murmured softly, swinging her legs as she sat at one of the stools. It was a broken down Burger King joint, just across the Daily Pastry bakery. She had stolen from the joint - hey, food was hard, might as well steal from some abandoned joint. Luckily, there were still beef patties left in their freezers, som all she had to do was fry them. She can do that. She had been gifted with some powers from the strange man. She scarcely used it, but when she needs to, she needs to. "How strange." She took a bite on her third patty, pondering on how she would go to this so-called Xalum.


(( I forgot to put that Juno was given some gifts by the man. It's nothing too powerful. Just the ability to use the sun's flares to heat up some things and make some fire. ))
 
"Damn it," Graw hissed softly as he slammed his gauntlet-covered hand on the dusty and worn-out table-at least this one survived the End. He looked outside, where the rain got stronger, as if taunting the The Alpha Hunter to get mad and wish himself to get struck by lightning, in his short-tempered case he just might do that. Then, beyond the thick curtain of water droplets and thin film of mist forming on the ground a figure formed itself across the street. A figure too far for him to determine whether who it is.


Born into a world where survival is everything, Grimm knew more than just to march across the street and strike up a conversation. For all he knew, they could be a bandit planning to take him out and strip him off of his belongings. He stood up as another thought came to him. What if that person is also here to search for Zallum? He asked himself.


His grandmother once said, that before the End came, people always had a way to be rescued from being the victim of a crime. Police. Those were the people who were in charge of stopping people from committing crimes. If the police were here, if everything was the way it was, back before he was born, he didn't have to hesitate coming towards the figure. He clenched his hands and gritted his teeth together, starting to get impatient. Finally, he let his frustration and instinct take him over and marched outside the structure. The rain hit him like thousands of ice cold needles and the silence before was now completely eradicated by the force of rain smashing on every available surface. Grimm ran across the street, almost slipping and hitting his head on a debris. "Hey!" He called out. "Who are you?" He asked as he quickened his pace until he was standing on the sidewalk, completely drenched in rain.


Unlike the Daily Past, Burger King's windows and door were fine, but the ceiling inside produced a large hole letting the secrets of the second story of the building spill out into a clutter on the counter and kitchen. He wiped his damp hair away from his face and knocked on the window. It was still too dark for him to see the figures features, but he was sure they had a staff leaning on the wall beside them. He knocked again. "Let me in!" He shouted in the pelting rain.
 
"Ahchoo!! ugh jeez.." Cyrus pulled out a small piece of cloth and blew his nose, tossing it in the air as his horses pranced down the rainy muddy path. It was almost impossible to see traveling in the rain, Cyrus sighed regretting packing up and leaving the previous village to travel. If he had knew it was gonna be this bad out he would had stayed there a little longer, and maybe of made some more sales too. Cyrus shivered as the icy cold rain hit his body over and over, it was really coming down hard..it reminded him over one of his training sessions with his Master Victor.


As Cyrus rode along the trail he couldn't help but notice the upcoming turn to the right, he was not 100% sure but he took this trail long enough to know the right turn he usually took. Cyrus sighed and halted the horses he clutched the end of his case strapped on his back and took a step toward the ground, he stood and looked around mostly toward the ground trying to figure out just where he was. As he was looking he then was alarmed by something else,the horses footprints on the mud seemed to had vanished. Cyrus now expecting some sort of unwanted company pulled out the piece of Tungsten in the case, as he focused the metal crackled and within seconds forged into a nicely crafted broad sword. Cyrus rested it on his shoulder looking for other small clues to figure out where he was,and to just see who was messing around with him. All of a sudden as Cyrus went to take a kneel the horses began making panic noises, Cyrus already spring to his feet came to the front to see what was the matter. Cyrus then blinked seeing the cloaked figure who seemed to be looking at Cyrus's direction but was not sure because he could not pinpoint the eyes, Cyrus pointed his sword at the man "That's my my wagon pal! and if you seriously thought you were gonna get away with riding off with it you have another thing coming..." Cyrus spoke adjusting his top hat as he spoke trying to hide his confusion within the threat as well, mostly because Cyrus was still trying to figure what the hell it was it had human characteristics but that's all he could tell. The figure remained silent and raised his hand slowly, Cyrus confused began to speak in order to get his attention but was interrupted by a booming voice in his head. "Cyrus...calm yourself I have not seek to take your belongings...yet to tell you of your destiny....to find Zazzum." Cyrus gave the figure a very stern look, Zazzum that was just a myth...a stupid fairy tale that old folks told their young, even my father told me the story...there is no way... Cyrus thought but the figure began looking at the sky. "Not far from here you will find Xalum there you shall meet the other destined GO!" The figure points to the direction he was supposed to go and then immediately shoots in the air vanishing.


"Heyy!!!" Cyrus yelled in the sky, he stared up there for a few moments and then sighed. He turned his sword back into the piece of metal it first was and put it back in its case, Cyrus looked at the area the figure had pointed towards, "Zazzum huh..." Cyrus said to himself before getting back on his wagon and sitting down. "Yahh!" Cyrus yelled the horses beginning to move again through the harsh rain, he took a look back for a second still confused at just what had happened but his new destination was now Xalum. Never had Cyrus seen something like that the more he tried to make logical sense outta it the more confusing it became, he later dropped it and focused on the trail ahead the icy rain making him shiver a little once more.


As time passed Cyrus began to see buildings ahead and surprisingly a figure ahead again, as he got close he was sure that these figures were human. You gotta be kidding.. Cyrus thought remembering the figure saying that there were also other destined, he halted his horses again and grabbed a piece of dry meat popping it in his mouth and stepping down at the ground. No need for him to get any closer he did not want these figures to actually be hostile...and if they were they would not notice his wagon..well not at first glance anyway, Cyrus adjusted his hat and slowly began walking toward the person, as he took a few more steps he could then make out the person was a male...so far that was it. Cyrus place his hand on his case slowly as he got closer taking easy and slow steps forward.
 
There was thunder cracking in a distance but it was soon going to come near there location "I should go back to mother." Persephone said as she jumped down an old oak tree, it bark has been turned to a dark color much like coal in a mine probably because it hasn't been taken care of in a very long while but the rain should fix that.. maybe, Persephone stood there as the rain poured down onto her face making streaks of water go down to her chin she was quite fond of the rain it was the only thing that really made her think that there is actually peace in the world but then she remembered that she could easily get sick but she could heal herself if she did but still she didn't want to take any chances, Persephone put-up her white silk hoodie and started to walk towards the art museum where her tribe awaits.


While Persephone was walking she reached her hand inside of her black leather bag and took out a book, it was a book about how you can heal people with your talisman and how you can harm people with spells, Persephone pretty much knew all the spells but she would always read over them just so she knows she does not make any errors. Persephone mother taught her most of the things but after her younger brother died she stopped teaching her wich ment she was going to have to do it on her own, Persephone sighed as she put the book back in the hand bag, thinking about her mother just made her sort of worried her mother doesn't take care of herself because of her depression so Persephone always has to take care of her but when she is out like this someone else in the tribe gladly fills in for her.


While Persephone was walking she was veiwing all of the darken trees and long grass that could be hiding various creatures, the wood wasn't really the best place for Persephone to be walking around but she was in search od some berry's which she did find it was in a wooden straw basket that the children in her tribe had made for her for some reason the children had loved Persephone evan though she is always keeping to herself and hiding in the shadows but to them they think it is a game of hide and seek this thought made Persephone crack a smile then she felt a chill run down her spine like something was watching her she quickly grabbed her silver scythe and looked at her surroundings she then heard a sooth whisper "Xalum." the whisper said it sounded like the whisper was really close but Persephone could not see anyone near her "Zazzum you must fing Zazzum child." Persephone then turned around to see a woman in all black floating in the mid rainy air there were shadows leaking out of her and her face was covered with a mask "W-who are you?" Persephone said with hesitation but the woman just kept saying "Find Zazzum, go to Xalum." it was quite frustrating for Persephone,, when she was about to ask something the women had appeared behind her only a couple inches infront of her "Please go find it, please there will be other people in search of it." then without a word the women had disappeared leaving little shadows behind but they soon vanished.


The event that had just happened left a shock and confused expression on her face as Persephone walked out of the woods and into the remains of a town she then shook it off and thought to herself "What was she talking about, what is Zazzum and what is this place called Xalum." Persephone was so curious but the curiosity then turned into determination she was now determined on finding this place and the artifact the woman was speaking of. The rain started to get heavy which made Persephone curse under her breath "What is making you so angry Hades." she said to herself as she saw a crashed airplane that had left scrambled blocks of cement every where, Persephone then saw figures through the fogginess she could also easily see a figure of a horse "People are out in this wheather?" Persephone thought she then climbed a near by tree and watched the figures "Are the looking for Zazzumm to?" she thought to herself as she watched.
 
"Terra sum."


She repeated again, testing the seemingly familiar word on her tongue. It was an odd thing that she understood the ancient language like she studied it her whole life. It was like the language was natural for her. Juno poked her patty, occasionally making random bites, but other than that, she pondered about Xalum - Zazzum, Terra; heck, she pondered about everything. Her eyebrows furrowed, gazing at her palm. The inscription was gone after a split second, fading into nothingness.


Banging on the door startled her from her stupor, the shock making her nearly dropping her food. Crimson eyes shifted its gaze towards the door, silently wondering if she'd let the person in. For all she knew, he might be some kind of murderer - the very thought, though, made her snort. As if they'll find something important with her corpse. Dropping the fork on the plate - and ignoring the loud clatter as the fork met the porcelain plate - she gazed cautiously through the window. Through the small space the curtain had in between, she had a somewhat clear view of the person. It was a man, she realized. He was damp head to toe, but still she hesitated in letting him in.


Juno reached in for the latch, unlocking the door wordlessly. Her face was blank, but her mind was working. From the event that happened a couple of days ago, to the man behind the door. You can never be too sure. But there was a strange pull from her gut, telling her that the man was one of the people searching for Zazzum. Whatever that is. Terra - whoever she might be - didn't do a good job in explaining. She turned the knob, as some sort of signal that the door was opened, and trotted back to her food - good, edible food. Instead of the raunchy taste the squirrel would've tasted. Blobs of different figures was visible from the windows, the strange pull occurring yet once again. Whoever they are - they may be important people, too.
 
"A little faster would've been better." He grumbled as he pushed past the narrow door and the girl-which wasn't quite easy with his large and muscular build. The interior was also dim here and the smell of meat lingered in the air. His stomach grumbled and he whirled around to glare at the girl, trying to figure her out if she heard that. His Grandmother once said, that in the world they now live in, showing weakness is as good as giving the murderer a weapon and let them kill you. "What's your name?" He asked as he trudged onward, pushing the fallen chairs and tables; making a path.


He stopped beside the large square glass window, watching the cracked and crumbling asphalt streets get attacked by the rain. He looked at the girl again, and back out to the streets where two figures appeared, all misty and distorted in the weather. If he was right, and his instincts were too, then this girl and the people out there could be here to search for Zazzum. There was only one question now. Could they be trusted?
 
The sound of a hungry stomach made her chuckle in response. She stood up wordlessly, though the ghost of a smirk was still evident on her lips, and grabbed a plate from the counter, scraping some burger patties on it. "Juno," she murmured quietly, creating a small aura of indifference. Her tone, however, sounded like she was uttering how the weather was, instead of her name. She jabbed at the newly-filled plate, staring at the man's back. "There's your food. You look like you might kill someone just to get fresh food."


Her words were spoken with a tad bit of interest, like the thought of murdering someone for food fascinated her. With her frustrated mind, she might as well be fascinated with it. She peered outside the window, contented with watching the strange figures outside. Worry about the man later. For now, she must sate her hunger. Ignoring the strange pull in her gut - and the bloody voice in her head - she stabbed a piece of the patty remains, and brought it to her lips and chewed on it.


She paused.


"If you want water, there's the water dispenser." She gestured towards the nearby dispenser; it was almost gone, but there was still water, so it was passable.
 
Persephone watched as one figure had went inside the building where there was another figure waiting inside "There are more." Persephone said to herself cautiously, Persephone did not know these people so she did not know if it was actually safe to introduce herself to them this made Persephone go into a deep thought thinking process "Could these people be looking for the artifact to?" she thought to herself "Or are they just strange tribe members who were lost she then sat down on the branch of the dark tree and made a whistle sound which sounded like a bird calling.


Without a second notice a black crow had swooped down beside Persephone "Please go see who those strange figures are and if the are not safe caw twice if safe caw once and come back to me." Persephone said to the bird the bird the cawed and flew off towards the two figure it then landed on the ground infront of the doorway and it inspected the two people carefully seeing if they posed a threat.
 
"Water dispenser?" He asked. Never in his life had he seen a working dispenser. This tribe isn't as struggling as he thought. They would usually gather water from the rain and boil it before using, the process usually takes a long time and bathing isn't a necessary as before the End came. He took the patties and stared at it. He'd only seen patties in in pictures, food like these are rare nowadays. The spirits must be with them.


He finished the patties whilst standing by the window, not planning to talk to the person called Juno anymore. There was something about her that made Grimm feel exposed and vulnerable. He didn't like it. The figures still weren't moving. The looked like black statues unmoving in the torrent of rain. "Hmmm..." He pondered on whether he should go out in the rain, again, and see who they were. But this isn't exactly the time to be walking to strangers as if nothing is really happening.


Then, a bird landed in front of the doorway. A crow, beautiful combination of darkness and swiftness, like darting shadows in the night under the moonlight. Its beady black eyes stared him for a moment and swelling ache found itself inside Grimm's chest. His Grandmother's animal spirit is a crow.
 
Pausing for a second watching the man walk into the building Cyrus also saw another figure, seeing as how the man walked in the figure may of been human as well...at least that's what he thought, in this sorta rain it is hard to tell what is what. Thinking on how to proceed he folded his shoulders and stared at the building ahead, for all he knew this could be some sort of sick joke someone was playing on him, or on the other hand this could be the real deal,well whichever it is he was not gonna find out in the rain getting hypothermia.


Adjusting his straps and hat he hurriedly walked but then stopped in his tracks seeing what looked like to be a bird in front of the door, Cyrus stared at it for a few seconds then just shrugged believing it to be just looking for food. Cyrus took a cautious step in glancing at the man and the figure which now in clear view is a woman, he took a deep breath relieved to be outta the rain,but now to see about these two. Not wanting to pose a threat toward them he let of his case and let it set on his back comfortably, Cyrus then looked up and cleared his throat before he spoke. "Ahem,hello there I am sorry if I interrupted anything.." He began looking at the two and giving a small timid smile, "But you two wouldn't be here because some weird figure told you to travel to Xalum...in search of a certain...artifact..?" Cyrus said trying to make not sound as ridiculous as he heard it.
 
Juno gathered her plates, settling it by the counter. It clattered loudly against each other, but she paid it no heed. Instead, her attention shifted to the bird. It stared at them with beady eyes, as if analyzing their every move. Then, she realized that it was an animal spirit. She let a small frown lace her lips as she stared down at it, feeling her nose scrunch up in disgust. Crows - she had lots of horrible experiences with the wild ones. This one was obviously tamed, but old habits die hard.


When the door opened once again, she stared at the newcomer. Another man. She nearly snorted. If another man comes in through those doors, then she's out of here. Her blood ran cold upon hearing his words. Right. Xalum. "Sounds ridiculous, eh?" She said with a small sneer, finding it ridiculous herself. But if Terra - whoever she was - told her the artifact was the only hope for the Earth, then it might be important as it is. "But yeah, I'm one of those people."
 
The crow watched as the people looked at him the crow then perked his head only to see a male boy talking (Cyrus) the crow ruffled its feather before it flew then perched itself on the door edge of the door it then scratched one of its feathers before it cawed once and flew into the direction from where it had came from. The crow landed on Persephone shoulder as she still sat on the branch of the darkened tree "Good shadow." she said before digging in the straw basket and giving the elegant crow a small blue berry it then cawed with satisfaction.


Persephone still didn't know if she should go down there or not even though the crow had cawed signalling it was safe she still felt uneasy she then un tighten her scythe that was hanging from her back so if they were dangerous she could easily grab it and fight without using any spells, with a sigh Persephone jumped down from the dark and gloomy tree and slowly walked over towards the figures she then pulled down her hood some because of the heavy rain that was hitting her hard she was actually quite surprised that Shadow was not complaining about the rain she then heard on of the figures mention about that artifact "So he is one of the searchers to." she said to Shadow who was sitting on her shoulder she then stopped walking when she was a good distance where she could make out their faces, there was a girl and two boys standing before her "........" Persephone did not know what to really say she doesn't even really talk to her own tribe but here she is with absolute strangers so she backed away a little bit regretting ever coming down from the tree.
 
Grimm chuckled. It sounded ridiculous, but not as ridiculous; it was true. "A figure, I did not encounter." He replied to the boy, not taking his eyes off the window. The strong and loud splashing of rain on every surface reminded him of the first unbroken television he had seen. He was still young, and his parents had recently died, he was in a state of mild depression and had fits of raging tantrums. One night, he attempted to run away, away from his sleeping grandmother. He found himself lost and unsure of what to do as he entered an office in the zoo. He still clearly remembered the smell of papers and dust, the way he attempted to read the words on the papers; the way a television, hanging on the corner of the ceiling, caught his eye. He took a chair and pressed a button. White noise filled the room, it was ear-shattering, the volume, and it terrified Grimm in more ways than one. He backed away into the other side of the room and watched as the television displayed the white noise image. It was constantly moving and somehow intrigued the young him. He was found by his grandmother the next day staring at the television, staring at the white noise.


"You didn't tell us your name," He said hypnotically, as if in a daze. "Who are you?" He turned his head to look at him, his gaze was petrifying and sharp, like a hawk's. He turned again, towards the fleeting crow. It flew back into the rain, where it became a silhouette, until it became a part of the figure's silhouette. A thought came to Graw. Everyone is a part of something, everyone will be, once again, be a part of the land. This dying land which he loathed for slowly giving away, letting the people crumble with it.
 
Juno sent the newcomer a small, 'good luck in comprehending this' smile - a faint smile, barely even lifting the corner of her lips. But it was there. She took back her original seat, this time crossing her leg over the other and had a little thought. How many would they be? She asked herself, propping her chin with her palm. Initially, she assumed about ten. But a clear look in this would say it would be less than she initially assumed. "What exactly is Zazzum?" She voiced aloud, curiosity taking a hold of her usual indifferent tone. "The lady wasn't exactly great at explaining."


And I'm not even in tribes, either. She thought to herself. She does prefer solitude, so she supposed it's fine. But once you've lived in solitude, you don't know what's happening around the world. Or what's left of it.
 
Hearing the man Cyrus casually took a seat by the door and took the time to get at least a bit dry, once he had finished he looked up and smirked "Cyrus...my name is Cyrus." He spoke looking at the two then glancing seeing the crow shoot off somewhere, must be going back to its owner... "And you two are..?" Cyrus began pausing to have them speak their names. He ran his hands through his wet hair and gave a slight sigh, he obviously was not a fan of getting soaked in the rain..nor sitting around with a bunch of strange people.


Getting a bit uncomfortable with the chair he decided he rather would stand, getting up he walked toward one of the windows his back turned to them at that moment he looked out at the rain now seeing just how horrible it looked out, he remembered his wagon and horses he did not want his stuff to get wet..and he had a feeling his horses were hungry as well. He stopped his wandering thoughts when he spotted yet another figure in the distance where he had halted his horses.
 
Persephone just stared at the strange peiple as they talked about the artifact and introduced themselves meanwhile she was still at the door in the rain thinking if she should go inside with them she then looked at Shadow who was looking at her with his black marble like eyes most people did not like Shadow, they say he symbolizes darkness and bad luck but Persephone did not think that at all, Shadow was actually her good luck charm and best friend then without warning Shadow flew inside the building and cawed signalling that he was sure it was safe.


Persephone sighed and stepped inside of the building sort of happy to get out of the heavy rain she then pulled her hood down, the water had seeped through and drenched Persephone long light pink hair he then heard the boy mention his name and she wondered if she should tell them hers, there wouldn't really be any harm if she but still, she did not know these people Persephone then sighed and moved away from the rest of the group and climbed on the wall using the wood that was sort of sticking out of the wall she then sat down on a little pipe that was hanging from the ceiling "My name is Persephone." she said looking down at the people as Shadow landed on her shoulder.
 
Juno wasn't sure what to expect with the newcomer - Cyrus. But he looked... trustworthy. Her head snapped towards the... ceiling? Well, that was a nice way of entering. The newcomer was a girl this time. She turned her head back, hiding the satisfied smile on her lips. She paused, upon realizing she hadn't stated her name to the newcomers. "I'm called Juno." And left it as that. She glanced at the pouring rain outside, sighing to herself. The strange man hated rain as much as she does. Judging by loud thunder and the lightning cracking, she was sure this might last for a couple of hours before dying. And that's only if they're fortunate enough to escape the wrath of Jupiter - again, whoever he might be. The man kept commenting about planets as if they were humans - or gods, even.


She closed her eyes for a little shut-eye. It's been awhile since she had proper sleep. But with the people around here, she knew she wouldn't sleep that long. Maybe a five minute nap? If that's even possible. She folded her arms on the table, resting her head on top of it. She sighed softly. Hopefully, none of these people are loudmouths. It was kind of rude to sleep while with company, but one couldn't blame her. Sleep doesn't come too easily to her nowadays.
 
Cyrus watched the lady make her way up and address herself, Cyrus looked up toward Persephone and tilted his head a bit "Well then I am guessing you are here for the same reason as us correct?" He says leaning on the wall looking at the three. Cyrus mind was still set on his wagon if this rain kept up it may have been damaged, he sighed and looked toward Juno..she seemed to be meditating..? He adjusted his hat once more and walked toward the door turning to them when he stood by it about to head out "Gimme a second there is something I need to check on.." Cyrus said before walking outta the door and again getting hit by the harsh rain "Ugh it just had to rain on a day like this.." He said to himself making his way toward his wagon seeing the horses their fur soaked. They shook themselves to try to keep dry but that was obviously failing.


"Sorry about that you two.." He said patting the two horses he went to the back of his wagon and got some food, feeding the two and the hopping on his wagon to have them sit somewhere where the rain wouldn't hit them. He looked around and spotted at the side of a building there was a spot where the ground was clearly dry, "Bingo." Cyrus smirked as he began to navigate his horses again halting them when he touched dry ground. "All better now?" Cyrus patted them and smiled feeling that the horses were somewhat satisfied.
 
"Yes." Persephone said silently but loud enough to be heard because of the echo in the room she then watched as the gut named Cyrus excused himself and went outside Persephone then cletched her hood which made rain pour out of it she then did the same thing with her light pink hair, her blue eyes never moved away from the door she then looked at the girl who was at the counter as she started to fall asleep she then looked at crow who was looking at the girl with his back beady eyes and she knew instantly what Shadow was thinking.


"No Shadow you musnt." Persephone said as she petted him gently on the head with the index finger, Shadow wanted to swoop down and caw in the womens face she knew this because he used to always do it to Persephone when she was a bit younger. Persephone plopped a berry into her mouth then gave one to the crow Shadow "Here you goy boy." she said as she scratched under his chin which made him ruffle his feathers with satisfaction.
 
Graw," Grimm mumbled. "Call me, Graw."


He didn't like the people here, so far. Everyone looked ordinary yet there was something different about them, it's as if they're hiding behind something that he couldn't see, a very thin film perhaps. He clenched his jaw; he wanted to get out of here and look for the artifact by himself, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. When Juno asked what the artifact is he snapped his head towards his direction and glared at her. Something inside him appeared. Irritation; frustration? Her obliviousness seemed to get under Grimm's skin and he hated it. There was something about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on and Grimm was starting to get impatient about it.


Grimm's eyes slowly moved from her to Cyrus. This one seemed nice, but out of the ordinary. He doesn't look much, but Grimm wasn't about to trust him either. For all he knew, the artifact is too dangerous in untrustworthy hands and Grimm fears that most of all. Cyrus moved towards the window not far from Grimm, his back turned to them. The Alpha Hunter looked at him and followed his gaze outside the window. He came here with horses and a wagon. He assumed and rolled his eyes. Another reason why he is so out of the ordinary and should not be trusted. No one uses transportation now; animals have turned into savages and it's rare for a person to tame such beasts and cars have been stripped off of their parts for other uses. That's why people never go far from their tribes.


He turned around, wanting to tell Juno about his frustration towards her-he wanted to be direct and straight with everyone here; he has no choice but to be with these people-but the girl already fell sleep. He couldn't hold back a scowl. He was about to wake her up when Cyrus told them something and burst out to the streets. "What the hell?" He grumbled and placed his crossed arms on his large chest. He shook his head in disbelief and followed Cyrus with his eyes. The boy ran towards his horses and his wagon and disappeared into an alleyway into a side of a building. Good. I hope he doesn't come back. He tells himself when another girl comes crosses the street and comes inside.


Grimm sighed remorsefully and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Another one," He mumbled. "The name's Graw." He said, trying to not to sound angry, but he probably did anyway.


He looked at her attempting to get dry and noticed the crow on her shoulder. "You must be a witch," He said, nodding towards the crow silently perched on her shoulder. "There's a difference between animal spirits and tamed ones. Yours is tamed and only witched use crows to do their bidding." He finished.
 
She could definitely feel the glare behind her back. A slight smirk placed itself on her lips, though hidden by her position. She stirred a little, feeling a little uncomfortable from her current position, and shifted. This went on for awhile, but as the feeling of sleep did not come to her again. Juno nearly let out a frustrated cry, snapping her back straight, propping her chin with her palm, creating yet another aura of indifference and stoicness. Truthfully, Juno did not know who these people were - sans for their names, but other than that, they were all strangers. She didn't like them - oh, she didn't like them one bit, though that would have been biased, since she wasn't exactly a people person. There was something about them that made her a bit wary - well, okay, it was that Graw guy. She wasn't exactly a fond person of buff men - and that one guy named Mars; he freaked her out badly. Not that I'm going to admit it.


She reached in for the staff well hidden under the stool, using it as some sort of cane. At first glance, it looked like some normal wooden cane. Curved handle, and markless body. But if you look at it rather closely - beneath some kind of thin film surrounding it - you could see it was a staff, instead of a cane. Juno certainly had no idea why it was like that, but the strange man (Golden Boy?) gave her that staff, so it must come with the package... right? She headed straight up the stairs, opting to search more items from there - something worth it. Hopefully she went unnoticed - after all, two of them were having a conversation, so she was bound to be unnoticed.
 
Cyrus stepped off his wagon and sighed "Well then..back over there I suppose..." He thought as he began walking toward the building again, he obviously did not trust the group they all were suspicious and none of them seemed the least bit cheery...then again nobody he ever met acted as he did. As he walked he couldn't help but notice the horse prints he had made were not there..much like the last time, he gripped his case and looked around...nothing. Cyrus sighed and thought the heavy rain may had covered it with that he continued and walked back into the building looking back every now and then.


Appearing back in the building he saw that not much had happened he smiled speaking "Sorry about that..I didn't miss anything important I hope." He said his smile falling into a little smirk as he walked toward the wall he was previously at, ignoring how wet he had gotten he simply just leaned on the wall and watched the three silently his smirk never leaving. Cyrus put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a black book this was his journal where he did most of his studies with and took various important notes with, it spoke mostly about practices and also a heck of a lot of math that he had done in his head. He scanned through it his eyes looking down on it but occasionally glancing back up at the two..wait two? Cyrus looked up and saw that Juno was not where she was when he headed out,he looked around seeing her by some steps..he wandered what she was doing but shrug not really caring. He then began to remember why exactly were they all sitting here he was not very patient in his days and really hated sitting around, he sighed and continued going through his book.
 
Thump!


Crash.


The article of papers came tumbling down as her staff hit the edge of some box. Her heart raced a bit as it crashed and fell, papers scattering all over the floor. Juno blinked, crouching down to pick up one of the papers. It was an old article, dated during... 2009? Her eyebrows rose, her attention heightening as she continued to skim through the paper. The paper was brown due to age, but she assumed that it was white back then. Judging by the photo - black and white, it seemed - it was a newspaper article. But who knew? The article, per sé, was interesting. It was an article written in Italian (Latin?) about the ancient goddess Juno. "Well, what do you know, I have a namesake," she chuckled to herself quietly. The queen goddess, apparently, had a child, who married a human wife. The goddess, furious of the decision her son did, had him fall from the home of the gods and stripped him of his godliness - powers, titles, and heck, even his status as the son of Juno. It was to make sure the son's offspring would not inherit his godly powers.


However, it was all in vain, as the wife was already in her fifth month of pregnancy when Juno did so. Their child was called a demigod. The child grew up normally, but by the kid's thirty-seventh birthday, the kid's usually suppressed powers grew wayward and caused his death. The cycle probably continued on until... who knows? It was a fascinating article, too bad there wasn't any more. She put the paper back into the clutter, stepping over some probably useless papers and scoured the entire floor. Clutter, some interesting photos of Burger King whoppers, an interesting article about Burger King having a promo to give a free whopper if you delete ten friends from your Facebook account - what is Facebook? - more useless clutter, and... a Santa Claus snow globe. She picked up the snow globe, chuckling to herself. Well, that's new. Finding nothing worthwhile in the second floor - other than the snow globe; she needed something to distract her, anyway - she went back downstairs, noting how the Cyrus guy was back. She shrugged, heading towards a stool and settling the snow globe in front of her. It was... fascinating. Especially the faux snow.
 
Persephone looked at Cyrus as he walked in her eyes followed him as he went to the same wall he was standing at before and pulled out a book Shadow was also doing the same thing as her,watching his every move. Persephone heard loud crashes that made her heart stop for a little bit her head turned directly to the steps that the girl had walked up, she had guessed the the girl with the staff had dropped somethings by accident which made her ease she then watched as she came back down the stairs holding a snow globe, Persephone knew what it was because in the art museum where her tribe stays there is a little shop that has alot of them, the kids in the tribe would usually play with them and roll them around this thought brought a smile to Persephones face.


Persephone smile soon faded the atmosphere in the room was gloomy and full of hatred it even made Shadow ruffle his feathers, Persephone did not understand why everyone was feeling so much hate and caution...well she understood the caution part..they all did just meet but it doesn't really mean you should automatically hate the person, the only one that she did not feel as much hatefulness from was the boy at the wall (Cyrus) Persephone sighed she then hung by the pole with her legs she then whistled and Shadow flew of the pole and started to elegantly fly in a circle Persephone then reached into a basket and aimed a berry at the wall she then threw it and without warning Shadow had appeared and caught it in his mouth. Persephone smiled slightly with satisfaction "Thats my boy." she said as she swung back up the pole and sat back down normally.
 
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