Part 21d: Out of the wilderness

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Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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The stranger trudges in out of the desert.  Most don't see him arrive, safe indoors from the sandstorm which is threatening to blast across the town.  The only sound on the street, apart from the tramping of his worn boots, is the rattling an old tin sign at the gas station.
The wind blows his long hair forward, around his face, where his eyes are concealed behind grime-encrusted dark goggles.  A black and once-white scarf is wrapped around the lower part of his face.
The long coat he wears is old and weather-beaten, flapping open to reveal some kind of body armour beneath.  Scarred, burned, blistered and blackened, the armour has definitely seen better days, but not recently by the look of it.
He wears boots that look even more disreputable than the rest of him.
Across his backpack, there is something long and narrow, bundled in cloth and tied with string.  Maybe a rifle or a shotgun, maybe not.
Beside him, mostly, is a dog, its ancestry uncertain, but possibly including more than a little coyote.  It wears a red bandanna around its neck in lieu of a collar, and the bandanna looks to be the newest thing that either of them possesses.

The door of the diner opens, the bell tinkling cheerily as it lets in a howl of wind and a flurry of sand before closing again, and the stranger and his dog are there.  The waitress starts to say, "No dogs!", but one look from those goggle-covered eyes changes her mind enough to add, "Unless you take it right down at the end, away from everybody else."
His face, on the left side, looks as though something with poor table manners and worse coordination has chewed on it, and then somebody has tried to repair the damage with a branding iron.
The stranger unwraps the scarf to reveal a beard that hangs down onto his upper chest, then pushes the goggles up, showing circles of clean white skin around his eyes.  Or, rather, eye.  The left socket is empty, a gaping red ruin of flesh that perfectly matches his face on that side.

"Give me a pitcher of water and a glass, an empty bowl, and two hamburgers." croaks Aaron, son of Amber.

Numbly, the woman shuffles away to fetch Aaron's order, while the man himself takes the dog down to the far end of the diner.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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He finally found his booth, and sat himself at the farthest end of the diner.
It was in a dark corner, the width of the aisle seperating him and Dog from the other tables and the windows across from him.

Dog sat obedienly upon the floor beside him as he slid his way into the booth.

With a tired sigh, he leaned over the table and ran his hands across his face.

Scars. He felt scars, there. Across most of the left side of his face, leading up to the mess of what used to be his left eye.

A flash of memory. A flare of pain. He blocked it all out.

But there was more behind that. Names.

Cyan, Jack, Kalika, that other man... what was his name? Leon? Something like that.

He could remember their names, but not how they looked. Had it been five years, or six?

He could hardly remember much of anything anymore. Aaron didn't revolve around his memories, or the memories of the magic he had confronted. He revolved around understanding, reasoning and logic, now. Purity, without the blindness of self or egotism.

He had been purfied by pain, but he knew he had only adjusted his errors. He hadn't solved his mysteries. Not yet. The old man said he'd have to discover "his full truth" when the time was right.

Beside him, Dog whined, then laid down upon the floor.
In the back of his mind, he felt her.

One eye gazed out across the diner, and Aaron, son of Amber, watied for his burgers.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Aaron's burgers arrive, together with the pitcher of water for him to share with Dog.
A kid walks to the edge of the booth, blue eyes going so round they look to be in danger of rolling out of his skull as he peers around the corner, open-mouthed, at Aaron.

Further down the diner, a guy in a work shirt and Miami Porpoises cap gets up and slips a couple of coins in the juke box.  Soon music drowns out the wind noises from outside...

Once I built a railroad, I made it run
I made it race against time
Once I built a railroad, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once I built a tower, up to the sun
Bricks and mortar and lime
Once I built a tower, now it's done
Brother, can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell
Full of that Yankee-Doodly-dum
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell
And I was the kid with the drum

Say, don't you remember, you called me "Al"
It was "Al" all the time
Say don't you remember, I was your pal
Brother, can you spare a dime?

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Beginning his meal, Aaron takes a massive bite out of his first burger, and gets an eyeful of the kid who suddenly wandered his way into view.

Beside him, Dog raised his head and sniffed. A "bwoof" followed that, before his attentions were turned by the smells of lunch.

Taking a butter knife in hand, Aaron cut his second burger in half and placed it on a napkin before he reached down and put it on the floor before Dog. Secondly, he filled the bowl with water from the pitcher and set that beside Dog's burger.

Inhaling another portion of his burger, he eyed the youth.

"S'not polite to stare, kid." he said, prior to completing his first burger.

Leaning forwards, he stared at the child with his one good eye and sniffed.

"Careful. My dog'll eat you." he chuckled, and gestured to the totally ignorant Dog, who was more than busy destroying the burger, and the napkin beneath.

Leaning back, Aaron began on the remainder of his lunch, and listened to the music.

Music... I remember Cyan's music.
His chewing paused.

It was definetly better than this stuff.
His chewing continued.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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The kid runs off, terrified, and Aaron finishes the rest of his meal in peace.  The song shifts on the juke box, and the waitress makes her way, nervously, towards the end booth.
"Will there be anything else?"

It's a kind of magic...
It's a kind of magic...
A kind of magic - no way

One dream, one soul, one prize
One goal, one golden glance of what should be
It's a kind of magic
One shaft of light that shows the way
No mortal man can win this day
It's a kind of magic
The bell that rings inside your mind
Is challenging the doors of time
It's a kind of magic
The waiting seems eternity
The day will dawn of sanity

Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Is this a kind of magic?
It's a kind of magic...
There can be only one
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be done...

This flame that burns inside of me
I'm hearing secret harmonies
It's a kind of magic
The bell that rings inside your mind
Is challenging the doors of time
It's a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be, will soon be, will soon be done

This is a kind of magic
There can be only one one one one
This rage that lasts a thousand years
Will soon be done
Magic - it's a kind of magic
It's a kind of magic
Magic magic magic
Ha ha ha haa - it's magic
Ha haa
Yeah yeah
Wooh
It's a kind of magic

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Clearing his throat, Aaron leaned back and considered the waitress' question.

"No. I don't think so." was his response.

Dog sniffed at the waitress, then sneezed.

Cocking his one eye in the direction of the jukebox, Aaron suddenly felt like frowning.

How, in all of reality, did he come to a diner in the middle of nowhere, and get a song that hit him right on the head?

Waves of reality, spreading out between Pattern and Logrus.

He chuckled, and poured himself a glass of water.

Aaron would have to leave soon.

Jack... are you dead yet? I wonder.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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The waitress leaves the check on the table and heads over to the register where a timid-looking guy with a vicious-looking wife is waiting to pay.  After, as they head for the door, Aaron hears the woman demand, "Why in the Hell did you give that much of a tip?"  The man's answer, if he has the nerve to give one, is drowned out by the next record...

I see trees of green... red roses too
I see ’em bloom... for me and for you
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

Dog sits up and gazes at Aaron with an expression that clearly says, to Aaron's mind at least, Do you think somebody is trying to tell us something?

I see skies of blue... clouds of white
Bright blessed days... dark sacred nights
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow... so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces... of people going by
I see friends shaking hands...sayin’ how do you do
They’re really sayin’... I love you.

I hear babies cry... I watch them grow
They’ll learn much more than I’ll never know
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world


The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin’ how do you do
They’re really sayin’... (I... love... you).

I hear babies cry... I watch them grow
(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than I’ll never know)
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself... what a wonderful world.


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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Aaron drank as much water as he could handle without having to take precautions.

Glancing at Dog, who glanced at him, he paused as the glass hung before his lips.

"Yeah. I know." he said, and looked towards the door.

Setting the glass upon the table, he reached into his jacket and came out with a proper amount, plus an ample tip.

He didn't need any more enemies in Shadow. And God knew, mad waitresses were the worst.

So he rose, Dog following in his wake, and proceeded on his way to the door.

"Cash is on the table." he told the waitress as he passed by, and pulled his goggles back over his eyes. Or, eye, as the case may be.

Exiting the diner, pulling his scarf back across his face, Aaron adjusted Ilsefranvir who sat snug in her bed. Dog barked, and Aaron began to walk.

Humming all the while. It's a wonderful world. Isn't it?

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Aaron gets perhaps five paces before the pickup blindsides him.

The truck is doing maybe seventy, and the Amberite bounces off the windshield, over the roof, and nearly manages to land on his feet in the back.  Nearly isn't nearly good enough though, and he gets dumped down onto his shoulder on the concrete road.
The truck skids to a halt fifty or sixty yards further on, and as Aaron rolls over to scramble to his feet, he sees Dog lying in a crumpled heap against the bottom of a signpost.  Aaron doesn't know much about biology, but he's fairly certain an animal's spine isn't supposed to curve that much in that direction.

Two men, looking to be in their forties, get out of the truck.  They look identical.  Twins, dressed the same, and everything.  Work boots, jeans, blue cotton shirts, dark glasses.  No hats, so their dark hair whips about in the wind.
The only difference between them is that one is carrying a grey metal tube, maybe three feet long and four or five inches in diameter.  The other has a shotgun.
They both walk towards Aaron, perfectly in step, and stop maybe thirty yards away from him.  Shotgun nods to Aaron, then says, "Been looking for you, Grandfather."

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Everything you do, as a son of Amber, reflects in Shadow. Everything.

Pain. Pain pain pain pain.

His shoulder would have ached, if Herzkrieg wasn't wrapped around his form. The fact that Ilse's danger sense flamed in his head mere seconds before the impact had helped him to relax when the truck roared into him.

But that didn't stop it from hurting.

He looked to the limp, broken form of Dog, and frowned as he rose.

"I swear. This is the last time I'm going to tell you kids."

Herzkrieg flowed over his body, hands, head, boots, everything that wasn't already covered became a reflection of battered, semi-impervious serpentine scale.

Rage, power, anger, agony and memory.

He couldn't see, then he could. A scaled plate covered his entire face, and gave him vision of everything about him.

Familiar.

He took a step forwards. Chink of the armor hitting dirt earth. The swish of his leather duster brushing against his tank-like form.

"Either you guys stop spawning every time I split Shadow..." he began, and reached behind him, uncovering the glaring silvery hilt of Ilsefranvir.

"...or grandpa's going to get angry."

And she sang forth, flaming in his right hand. The muscles in his exercised bicep twitched as he drew it down to his side. The contained power of the Sjardring ignited as of a blue and red flame around her blade.

I am prepared.

A second step forwards, and his eye gauged the twins.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Shotgun steps forward, levelling his weapon at Aaron's belly, "See... there's the problem.  Mom lived a long time... long enough to have a good two dozen kids.  Some of older ones still remember Grandmom telling us about how you ran out on her.  About how you always had a problem with responsibility... "

Behind the windows to each side of the street, faces are pressed to the glass, attracted by the sound of the "accident"...
Shotgun pulls the trigger, and lets Aaron have it.  The shot doesn't penetrate, but it hurts, like being punched in the gut.  People are screaming in the diner and the other businesses along the street.
Aaron straightens up from the blow, and sees the second twin has the tube resting on his shoulder, one end pointed straight at Aaron.

"Still, it's been good tracking you down.  Joshua managed to pick up a new toy on the way."

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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He swore, quietly. The muscles in his abdomen were spasming like his bicep had been. Pain, again, made itself known on a very intimate level.

Aaron rose, and got a good look at his two grandsons. He'd had to remove a few more of his extended family since he started his journey from Cyan's cabin, and he was getting mighty tired of it.

At first, he hadn't believed it. Now, though...

Now, he looked at their weapons. He and Ilse had made designations between "normal" weapons, and "extraordinary" weapons. The extraordinary kind could penetrate Herzkrieg no problem, like Mindemar and Ilsefranvir herself.

He was very glad that shotgun wasn't extraordinary.

The tube, though...

"Just like kids. Always assuming they know everything." he said, and his voice was like gravel.

He hoped he wouldn't have to use Herz. He hoped his own skills were enough.
He swallowed his hope, and surged forwards, silent, intent, a glimmering force as he snapped Ilsefranvir towards the one known as Joshua.

She flamed and sang, eight fangs of glinting light seperating and lashing out towards the tube-wielding man at extensive range.

He'd anticipate the other one, though. Aaron was prepared to snap the whip in any manner of directions. He'd had a lot of practice.

For, you see, Arianne did not control the blade, now.
Aaron did.
Arianne was the focal point for the Sjardring magic.
Aaron was its manipulator.

He didn't understand it all, yet, but he took his responsibilites in hand.
He was the last pure representative of the magic of the Sjardring. He had what Arianne referred to as a "mirrored pair", Herz and Ilse mimicking and reflecting eachother. But their true power would only be seen in the hands of one who totally understood the Sjardring magic, and one who had brought order to the magic.

He wasn't there yet.
But as for now, his intent was to destroy these two men, and he would continue to do so until his intent had been satisfied.

Deep within, the third voice spoke.

Use it. You know you need to.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Fire streaks from the tube, and something hits Aaron in the chest and explodes.  Windows on both sides of the street shatter, lacerating the faces of the watchers and bringing screams from within the buildings.
Aaron lands heavily on the sand-dusted concrete again.  Herzkrieg is scorched, blistered and dented again...

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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The explosion surprised the hell out of him. Aaron found himself lying flat on his back, and again, pain was there to greet him.

He figured he had a cracked rib, in the least.

Aaron lay there for a few seconds. Not just to get his breath, for that was definetly in need, but to give the two goons a good sense of whether he was dead or not.

It was his writer's side. He loved surpises.

More than that though, he was very, very angry.

Coughing, he finally rose, forced himself to remain sure-footed, and stood straight.

Clutching Ilsefranvir in a deathgrip, he stared at the twins, and red stars glowed within the metal plating covering his face.

"You are going to die."

And then he charged. He didn't yell, he simply moved.

Pain was merely a shadow behind his violent rage. It was obvious that the both of these men held projectile weapons, weapons that couldn't necesserally penetrate Herzkrieg. Weapons of Shadow that could be eliminated quickly.

Do it.

He gritted his teeth. He didn't need Herzkrieg's power. Not to defeat these two simians. Aaron had begun to refuse that these two were related to him. If they had been, they would have understood the logic behind using weapons that took so long to reload.

In a flowing, destructive rage he lunged into their personal space, and made sure that his sword-whip was an exploding, lashing vine of death.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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There is a howling sound, and it takes Aaron a few seconds to realise that it is one of his granddsons, trying to keep his intestines from spilling out on the road.  The other, the one with the shotgun, seems to be a head shorter than Aaron remembered.

From behind him comes the sound of an engine, screeching tyres, and then red light is flickering all across his vision.  An amplified voice calls out to him, "Okay Mister, throw the... the weapon away, and lay face down, with your hands behind your head!" and two men, armed and in dark blue uniforms, scramble out of the car.

Another voice, much closer, whispers, "Let me have them!"

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Herzkrieg was whispering to him.

He had been correct. He hadn't needed Herzkrieg to defeat his grandsons, but he would remind himself to be more cautious in the future. None knew what other tricks his extended family, if he had any left, had up their sleeves.

Taking in his new situation, he considered Herzkrieg's request.

He probably had a pair of broken ribs. He couldn't Hellride in that condition; it would take too much out of him, and he needed room and time to shift Shadow.

Then again, he could probably just start walking anyway. Herzkrieg surrouned him quite snugly, and he seriously doubted the pistols that the officers were carrying could penetrate.

But if they ganged up on him, tried to subdue him... well, then he'd have no choice, eh? He'd have to let Herzkrieg own the situation for a moment.

Yet, that would sap his strength as well. He'd live, but he'd need to move fast to get away.

He was certainly in a conundrum.

Aaron was just tired of it. He felt that something was pulling him back to his destination, and he needed to get moving.

"Maybe some other time." he said, and began to walk away.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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"Freeze Mister! I won't give you another chance!"

"This is your final warning!"

"I won't tell you again!"
"Aw Hell!  He isn't going to stop, Bobby Ray.  Just take him down!"

Bullets ricochet of Aaron's armour, doing no more than produce an annoying noise.  And talking of annoying noises... "Give them to me!  We can take them easily!"

Finally, as Aaron vanishes into the blowing sand, the hail of bullets dies away until all he can hear is the hiss of sand against Herzkrieg's skin, and the slight whistling noise as the wind blows in through a new crack in the armour.

"Hell, Bobby Ray, that guy was like something out of that movie with the killer robot.  You know the one I mean, got that Stallioni guy in it?"
"Earl... it's Stallone, not Stallioni.  And the movie's called The Terminator.  But you're right, he was just like something out of the movie."

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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He had been able to refuse the power of Herzkrieg.

Yet, the insistence on the part of the soul gave him quite a time to pause. It didn't scare him, but he was quite concerned.

For all intents and purposes, he didn't know the condition that the soul was in. If his daughter (...was it his daughter?) truly had such a long time to study it, perhaps she also had time to disturb and derange the sacred soul.

Aaron certainly hoped that wasn't the case.

Yet, if it was the case, then their may have been a connection between the state that his armor was currently in, cracking and being damaged by things that simply shouldn't damage it, and the quality of the soul within.

That made him pause in his walk.

But not for too long.

Aaron continued on, and soon, he placed his power over the land. He needed to return to Cyan's cabin, but he'd have to take his time, and heal on the way.

His ribs ached.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Aaron walks, but this time he is alone.  No Dog to keep him company on the long way back.  He trudges across the sands and stone of the desert, and the wind drops eventually, though the cloud cover remains, shielding him from the sun's glare.
After a while, a slow, painful while, he reaches an old blacktop, arrow straight and deserted as far as the eye can see in either direction, apart from a couple of foot long scorpions fighting over a dead gila monster...

Aaron turns his eye towards a sign, standing at a precarious angle.  Beneath the dirt and dust, the faded paint spells out, Pheonix 15.
The name seems somehow hopeful...

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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"Phoenix. A bird out of legend, rising from the ashes of its own destruction to burn bright yet again."

Aaron spoke that to himself, and attempted to stand straighter, only to get an agonizing lance of pain in response.

Taking a deep, painful breath, he trod on in the direction the sign pointed.

He passed the dead gila monster on his way, and shook his head with a small chuckle.

"Hope I won't end up like you."

With a sigh, not so forlorn as before, he moved on.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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There are ashes enough, but it is doubtful that this Pheonix will ever rise from them.  The city has almost certainly seen better times.

The buildings are little more than piles of rubble and a few tottering walls, which look in danger of falling at any moment, surrounding a wide open space with a circular lake at its centre.
The open area glares in the late afternoon light, as if paved with broken glass.

Most worrying of all, are the crucifixions.  Every hundred yards or so stands an "X" shaped frame, and bound to each frame, facing out from the ruined city, is a human skeleton dressed in the age-tattered remains of what may once have been expensive clothing.

Unsurprisingly, a voice whispers in Aaron's mind, warning of danger...

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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With a wince and a sigh, he unsheathed Ilsefranvir.

Seconds later, the armor folded around his frame. He wasn't sure just what he'd be dealing with, but it was close enough to make Arianne tingle in the back of his head.

Sword clenched in his right hand, he continued on.

"I just want to get out of here, and I'm guessing this is the only way I'm going to make it." he said, more to himself than anyone else.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Aaron makes his way into the city, the whisper always present in his mind, although the danger fails to manifest itself.

There is vegetation here, though it doesn't look too healthy, but no sign of any animal life other than insects, spiders and scorpions.  No live animals anyway.  There are dead birds here and there, and the occasional rat corpse, diseased and covered with sores.

The sun slips down towards the horizon, and as the light fades, Aaron sees for the first time that the sky is blazing with an aurora.  There is also a pale light from the heart of the ruined city.

Behind him, and off to his left, there is a sound like metal sliding across stone...

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Should I stay or should I go..., he almost hums to himself.

Go.

So he does, hurrying faster towards the strange light, almost limping due to his injuries. He didn't like that sound, but he wasn't about to wait and see what was making it.

Aaron figured he could deal with what came his way, but with the way things were going lately, his assurances weren't exactly solid.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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The voice in his head is screaming a warning of danger, now, as Aaron steps onto the open plain around the lake.  The light rises from the water, a hundred yards ahead of him, like a mist, pale and unearthly, and climbs to merge with the fire in the sky.

The ground crunches under his feet, reflecting the light from above.  Thick glass, crudely made, and seemingly just dumped here while molten.  It reminds him slightly of the image, the glass city, but without the fragile beauty.
It reminds him of something else too, if only he could remember...

He is starting to feel warm, and a prickling across his skin under the armour.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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His fist clenched on Ilsefranvir's hilt, and Arianne was practically grinding her mental teeth inside his head.

Upon reflection, he decided to shift the sword to whip-form... which he then snapped and wrapped around his right arm.

Then, a strange chill, and he made his feet move backwards now, towards the way he came. There was just something totally wrong about this place. It didn't feel right.

Baked earth. Molten glass. A glowing lake.
Something totally bad had gone down here.

Aaron decided to make tracks in the opposite direction, and then more than likely make a left somewhere distant. Anywhere but where he was. There was a word for what it felt like, only he couldn't place it.

Irradiated? Was that it? Damn. That doesn't sound good, even if that's not the word.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Aaron moves away from the lake, and just as he reaches the edge of the glass area he sees them.  People.  Several dozen of them watching him from between the buildings.  They don't look hostile.  Some are armed with crude spears, knives, or cudgels, but there seem to be women and children among them.
All are dressed in ragged clothes, all dirt-coloured and hard to distinguish from their skin, save that the clothes aren't covered with angry red sores.

They make no move towards him, and stand in total silence...

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Suddenly given the visage that was set before him, Aaron has a surprising recurrence of memory.

"War. War never changes." he said, and he knew it was a quote from a game he had played on Shadow Earth, known as "Fallout."

This felt way too much like that game, and he didn't like it at all.

An idea would be helpful.

They don't seem to be hostile... perhaps communication is in order?

Aaron had the urge to sheath Ilse, if just to seem less hostile himself, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was just... bad stuff going on. He kept her strapped around his arm.

After clearing his throat, he raised his voice so they could hear.

"Uh, hello?"

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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One of the men shuffles forward, mid-forties perhaps, hard to say with all the missing hair, the layers of grime, and the boils and scabs across most of his face.
He stops a good fifteen feet from Aaron, which he seems to consider a good balance between friendliness and safety.  He nods at the Amberite's greeting, then replies, "Howdy... uh... Sir.  Are you the Gov'ment Man, come to help us?"

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Aaron coughed, and looked about him as if lost.

"Uh, sorry, but no. I'm actually just passing through, and I'm on my way out..." he said, letting the sentence trail off.

He figured he'd let them make a decision about what to do. As long as their answer didn't have anything to do with those spears.

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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The man's face falls, and he turns and shuffles back to the others, his head hanging.  There is a discussion then, though none of them seems to have enough energy for it to become a heated one.

In the end a decision is made, though the spokesman doesn't look too happy about it.

He makes his way to the same spot he had spoken from before, looking even more nervous.  "Uh... Sir.  We aren't beggars, but could... could you spare any food?  For the young'uns, mind?  Most of what we've got's tainted, I reckon, and... well... the kids are sickening on it."

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Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Aaron
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Aaron thought about it for a moment.

He couldn't return to the diner. Not with the authorities there.

However, perhaps he could do something else.

"You know, I think I may just be able to get what you need." he said to the man, and turned away slightly.

"Just let me go get it. I'll return shortly."

And then Aaron began to walk away, in the opposite direction of the toxic lake. As he gained distance from the refugees, he began to place his intent upon this Shadow. They wanted food, so he'd make sure he got food. Good food.

He winced. Those burgers had been pretty good, but Aaron figured he needed to keep his strength up as well, if his ribs were going to heal. A bit more sustenance wouldn't do him any harm, either.

At least, he hoped not.

===========================================================
Re: Part 21d - Out of the wilderness by Dworkin (GM)
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Aaron walks again... and around him things change.  He turns the corner of a building, and this street is in better repair.  Another corner, and there are people about.  Through an alley, and a car cruises past.  The next corner brings more traffic, and sun gleaming from tall buildings of glass and steel, and just along the street is a diner...

There is a sign on the front, all glowing red neon...

                         GOOD FOOD, FAST
                         Bra Mat, Snabbt
                     El Bueno Comida, Rápida
                        Buono Cibo, Veloce
                Großartig Speise, Schnellstmöglich
                             好 糧 快
                     チョベリグ 膳部 スピーディ