《Born of Blood》 Sights ```---13 AO (After outbreak)--- ~Chicory~``` Somewhere to the north of Fort Syon, there was a city. The city was just like any other that had existed before the fall of humanity, empty, broken, and populated only by the undead that roamed the streets even after thirteen years. The scents of humans had faded to nothingness after all that time, and so most of the zombies didn¡¯t remain in the city for long, they wandered the streets, flowing in and out of faded traffic cones and long-forgotten vehicles. Inside the city, someone moved. Someone alive. She snuck through the mostly empty streets, past unknowing zombies, and through broken-down doors. It would have been more dramatic to describe had it been nighttime, but Chicory could barely see five feet in front of herself when it was dark. She would have been more like a stumbling rhino than the graceful wind that she currently resembled. She didn¡¯t really have a goal, mostly this was practice. As well as a way of blowing off some steam. Chicory found an intact window and took a moment to admire the abilities of the world that was now lost to her. She looked out at the city, more a town really, and thought about the battlefield she¡¯d seen yesterday. She thought about the blood, the carnage, the sorrow that she¡¯d seen in the eyes of the dying. Chicory wanted to take them all and force them to get along, but when famines came, so did conflict, and she was only one voice among hundreds. The only good thing in her mind was that Syon wasn¡¯t part of the killing. She never would be. Syon was a place of peace and might, she had no need of the resources that the others squabble over, but she would heartily defend her borders if anyone tried to take what was hers. Chicory still saw death whenever she closed her eyes, even though she hadn¡¯t held the spears or swung the swords. There was a special kind of irony that she came here to get away from death, in a place where only zombies roamed. She could have gone home already, back to Syon¡­but the Guardian was becoming more insistent lately that she was finally going to give Chicory a job. That is, once the sparking spirit decided what she wanted. Hearing a pained yowl, Chicory turned away from the window and backed away from the noise cautiously, peering toward it. That hadn¡¯t been a zombie sound, but that didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t out to kill her. Chicory went toward it anyway, deciding that the Tempest would probably be plenty of a match for whatever it was. She found herself a couple of rooms over, peering down at a ginger ball of fluff and claws. A cat. It had been a bit since she¡¯d seen a cat, the ones back at Syon weren¡¯t much for people. This one yowled when she approached and tried to flee, but one of its legs gave out, leaving it a trembling mass of orange fur, bright green eyes glaring up at her as a low warning growl began at the base of its throat. Chicory stared at it, not sure exactly what she should do, she could help the cat, and generally there wouldn¡¯t be any problem with that, but she didn¡¯t want to scare the poor thing any more than it already had been. She sat down a decent distance from the cat and rummaged in her bag, she knew most cats preferred live prey, but she found some salted jerky and tossed it toward the cat, which continued growling as it first ignored the thing and then sniffed at it curiously before greedily gnawing on the tough meat that was too big to swallow whole. Chicory waited patiently as the cat ate and then finally moved forward with a smaller piece, setting it beside the cat this time. She didn¡¯t get clawed for her efforts, so she stayed where she was, leaving her hand there. After a bit, the cat finished the second piece and decided to pretend it didn¡¯t want anymore by ignoring her, but when Chicory got out another piece, the orange cat watched it attentively as she slowly moved it closer. She dropped the piece in front of the cat and gently rested her hand on its head, stroking the dirty fur and pulling at her Tempest. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, little one.¡± Chicory started singing, it helped her to focus. The other healers did it differently, but she knew a couple who agreed with music helping. ¡°Everything¡¯s fine in the morning, the rain will be gone in the morning, but I¡¯ll still be here in the morning¡­¡± Chicory sang for several minutes, stroking the fur, gently touching the small creature as the Tempest rose and began the healing process. -- Chicory continued to hum a half-forgotten tune and left the sleeping cat, entering a different room, opening a couple of drawers, and noticing a spray-painted symbol on one wall indicating that this room had been cleared a long time ago. Sparks, was that the symbol of the old alliance? Her humming paused with surprise, that was the one that fell apart less than five years after the outbreak. Maybe there was still something of worth in here after all. Older raids had been much less thorough. Chicory got to the floor and looked under the big ornate chair, took off the cushion, and found exactly sixteen cents. At least, Chicory assumed it was sixteen cents because it was in a little baggie with a big number sixteen on it. She left the bag where it was and kept searching, blinking as she found a large wooden box with a bike lock on it. What the sparks? She sighed and examined the lock, frowning at the tumblers inside and the sturdy make of the bar. Well, she could see why a group of raiders would have just ignored it, it probably just had guns or money in it or something equally useless. Chicory dug into her side bag and found her multi-tool, and then proceeded to simply bypass the lock by unscrewing the hinges. It took a bit since the wood was so stubborn, but eventually, she was able to open the thing, frowning at the contents. It was filled with books, packed in so thoroughly that Chicory almost thought the storage folks from Syon had done it. It was like a puzzle with barely any space for air, as corroborated by the dead spider she found at the bottom after unpacking all of them. She was very sure that she could never replicate the feat, so there was no way that the books would be going back inside. Her humming picked up again as she went over the books, skimming through a couple to see what was inside, wondering how many she could bring back. The librarian would probably appreciate them, at the very lea- Chicory jumped to her feet, feeling a stack of books as it fell over at her sudden movement. The Tempest inside her was spiking, waving all over the place, her blood heating up, her heartbeat increasing concerningly. She looked around for the problem, as, usually this only happened when something was wrong, but¡­there was nothing. At least, that¡¯s what she thought until she heard the voice, melodious, feminine, familiar in a deeply subconscious way that Chicory couldn¡¯t describe, and yet still somehow imperceptible and quiet, easily ignored. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡®Are you seeking knowledge? There won¡¯t be much you don¡¯t know in there.¡¯ Chicory wavered, as any sane person would, and then forced herself to relax, there was no point in freaking out, even if it had been a while since she¡¯d heard this voice, ¡°Guardian? I didn¡¯t realize you still contacted people outside of Fort Syon.¡± ¡®I never lost the ability, I just haven¡¯t had the need for it.¡¯ ¡°That makes sense, ah¡­are you doing well?¡± ¡®Interesting question, very philosophical, I have a home, I have people. For you, that would be designated as ¡®well.¡¯ But I digress, Chicory, do you know why I¡¯m here?¡¯ Chicory nodded, and clearly, the Guardian could tell because she continued speaking, ¡®You are correct, I am here to finally finish our deal. I saved your life with my Tempest, now you help me with something. Now you find a true place in my legion.¡¯ Chicory swallowed the slight bile that had risen to her throat, nervousness, ¡°I will serve. What will you have me do?¡± The Guardian sent a mental probe and directed Chicory¡¯s attention to the piles of books. What did that mean? Would Chicory become another librarian? ¡®To your left, on the bottom of the stack, there is a book of maps. To your eyes and the eyes of any other with my Tempest, you will be able to see the central locations of all my siblings and a vague idea of the routes of the traveling ones. You understand, correct?¡¯ Chicory nodded, ¡°Magic maps, got it, and this is part of my calling?¡± She made another mental prompt and guided Chicory¡¯s hands to a specific page, the world map. It had over twenty locations that pulsed softly to Chicory¡¯s eyes. ¡®I would like you to travel to as many of these locations as you can, and try to help the people there.¡¯ Chicory stared at the map for a long moment, daunted, until something occurred to her, a terrible thought that refused to leave. ¡°Is this an exile?¡± She asked softly, feeling terror at the idea, of never again setting foot in the beautiful land of Syon? That would be worse than a hundred battlefields. The Guardian sent her warmth, a long trailing chasm of it, enveloping Chicory in what felt like a hug, ¡®No, you can come back as often as you like. Like the traders. In fact, I demand a regular check-in. I thought for a very long time about this, and I know that you can do it. I will call others to this soon, you won¡¯t be alone.¡¯ She stared at that map for a long long moment, wondering how to even start. She felt her heart throbbing at the continued effect of the Guardian¡¯s attention. ¡°I¡­thank you, thank you Syon. I¡¯ll try. Is there anything else?¡± ¡®You should take a team with you, ones without my Storm yet. I will inform Patch of who to send.¡¯ Further gratitude warmed Chicory¡¯s heart as the Guardian¡¯s presence began to fade. ¡®May the heavens watch over you, Chicory.¡¯ -- Chicory was there when the cat woke up, just as she¡¯d promised. It was still strange to her after so long of possessing the ability how most people fell asleep when she used it on them, perhaps it was the body''s way of making sure that the incoming energy would be used for the right thing. Regardless, she waited in the room as the tiny leak in her own energy steadied down to a trickle and then barely a dribble. Once that happened she closed the map book and quietly slid it into her bag along with the three other books she¡¯d taken from the box. The more expensive and interesting ones she¡¯d returned to the box so they¡¯d be protected in case someone else stumbled upon them. Watching the cat for a few minutes, she slowly put a full stopper on the energy she was providing and a moment later the cat stirred. It wasn¡¯t long before Chicory found herself watching a surprisingly happy cat bounce around the room. Apparently, it knew who to thank because once it was done making certain it was healed, the cat climbed onto her lap and started purring. Chicory was fascinated by the sheer volume of the purr. She hadn¡¯t realized it could get so loud. She pet the cat for a minute until it got tired of the idea and left her lap, sitting on the floor and watching her expectantly, Chicory sighed, ¡°Yeah I know, gotta figure out what to do now. You wanna come with me? Probably not, you might not find it fun, though I can¡¯t say it¡¯s much more dangerous than a little cat living in a city filled with undead.¡± She frowned at the ceiling, thinking of the map book, ¡°How about this, you can come if you want, but I¡¯m just going to leave now since it seems like you¡¯re okay? You can follow me if you want, just don¡¯t get hurt again either way, alright?¡± The cat just cocked its head at her. Yeah, she probably sounded like nonsense to it. She shook her head and opened the door to the outside, following the hall and heading down the stairs. It didn¡¯t seem like the cat was following, but Chicory wasn¡¯t devoting all that much energy toward finding out. She snuck past the undead again, out of the city, and back toward the war camps. -- Chicory smiled nervously as Kairah scrutinized her with that unreadable stare that was her default. ¡°And where have you been? The battle ended hours ago but I didn¡¯t see you helping any of the wounded.¡± It was more a statement of fact, and indeed, she seemed more curious than accusatory, but Chicory still grimaced, glancing away. ¡°I was¡­tired of watching the fighting so I left. I¡¯m sorry, I should have been here.¡± Kairah nodded and turned back to the various wounded lined up in the tent, walking along the line. Chicory followed her, watching as the old nurse paused every so often and touched one of the wounded, giving them more energy, or even just a hand of support for one who didn¡¯t sleep during the healing process. ¡°Well, are you going to help now? I need more runners to find the wounded that shouldn¡¯t be moved from where they fell.¡± Chicory hesitated, she wanted to. She wanted to go out there and save lives as was the duty of any healer without a calling. ¡°I don¡¯t know. While I was gone, the Guardian came to me.¡± This was the only time that Chicory had seen Kairah lose her focus, she stopped and turned fully toward Chicory, folding her arms. ¡°Please elaborate.¡± And so Chicory told the story. She told her about the old city, the book of maps, and the call that Chicory had received. ¡°And so I came to tell you that I think I have to head home now? The Guardian wasn¡¯t clear on the timelines.¡± Kairah frowned slightly, ¡°Well, we¡¯re almost done here, it seems like Wistforge and Tumbleton are done with their spat for now. They already left, taking anyone that could walk. Why don¡¯t you help out for the rest of this run and then you can head home in front of the group.¡± Chicory blinked, feeling a slight smile across her face, ¡°I¡­yes. Thank you Kairah, I like that idea.¡± The head nurse nodded curtly and continued down the line of quickly healing patients. They would still lose a couple, some didn¡¯t take healing well or didn¡¯t take it at all, some were simply coherent enough to refuse the healing, and so they tried to make them as comfortable as possible, using more traditional bandages and casts. Many of those lost their lives anyway, they would be buried. The healers of Syon always found their way to every battlefield they could reach, saving who they could; anyone who wanted to come with them at the end of it was taken back to Syon, the land of peace, the land of soft might. The land of seed. Chicory began to sing as she found her own people to heal, as she served humanity, and as she brought life to the dying and healing to the sick. One man grabbed her arm as she held it toward him, his eyes were pools of pain and sorrow. ¡°Those eyes¡­the angels? The angels are here?¡± Chicory nodded, ¡°Syon is here, it¡¯s alright, everything is alright.¡± He cried out with what looked like joy but sounded like pain, ¡°Save me, please. I¡¯m tired, so sparking tired¡­I see their faces in my nightmares, I see their death, I feel my death¡­help me.¡± Chicory knelt beside him and began to sing again, ¡°Short steps, deep breath, everything is¡­alright¡­¡± She gently pressed a hand to his forehead, he slumped down amid the song of quiet storms. The healing took hold and he fell into sleep. She poured her energy into him and finally stood up, motioning for the tempest-less nurses who were following her to take him to the sleeping tent. They did, and more appeared in their place, helping her search for the wounded among the dead, the dying came first, they always came first. ¡°When the stars all fall down, they empty from the sky, but I don¡¯t mind, if you¡¯re with me, then everything¡¯s alright.¡± Chicory felt an indescribable love pour through her as she healed them, a love that couldn¡¯t possibly be her own, it was too perfect, too eternal and infinite. After the hours had passed and the amount that needed doing was almost nothing, Chicory finally felt the soul-deep exhaustion of channeling that much energy and she knew that she would do it again and again wherever there were battlefields. But¡­it wasn¡¯t her calling. At least, it wasn¡¯t going to be all she would ever do. Chicory felt a quiet but powerful thrill at the idea of going out into the world and finding its people, finding the broken, the lost, the people that needed her. Healing those that needed her specifically, not just another healer of Syon. It was a beautiful dream. Sleepless ''''''---13 AO (after outbreak)--- ~Kailin~'''''' A lone human stared out at the darkness, apprehension and fear at the front of her mind. The stars were just now appearing, their meager brightness was barely enough to cut through the weak light that sputtered in her hand. The dancing orb of light was far from helpful, but Kailin liked to think that it was the only reason she''d survived this long alone. Monsters didn''t like light much, they liked darkness so they could hide from sight. Kailin had been alone for three days. She liked to think that was a new record or something, but she felt like most folks who knew anything about survival wouldn''t be counting the days and being pleased with themselves. They would be surviving instead. It was a total fluke that Kailin had lived through the outbreak, before that, there''d been twenty-five years with the only danger in her life being that one time a gun-wielding robber came into the store during her shift. But sparks, the outbreak had been a million times worse. Sometimes she could still close her eyes and hear the screams even after thirteen years. Kailin moved the light above her head with a soft command and let it float there, examining the dark forest with trepidation as she brought a hand to her only weapon, the small knife at her side. She moved forward, knowing that if she found a place to sleep, the Anomalies and storms would find her before her consciousness did. It really sucked to be alone out here. She bit her lip as a terrible inhuman howl sounded from somewhere far away. She couldn''t be sure, but it sounded like a Sleepless to her. One of the most dangerous Anomalies there was. Something that would tear her apart without a second thought, or even a first thought. Kailin suddenly felt so impossibly tired. She wanted to curl up in a ball and let dreams take her far away from here. She wanted to just end it already, the constant running, the constant fear, the overwhelming terror every time she heard a noise like this one. Yes...it had to be a sleepless. Only sleepless made you this tired. They would steal your energy, making themselves stronger and faster as you become weaker and more tired with every passing moment. Kailin drew her knife and took deep, even breaths, she had to stay awake, it wanted her to fall asleep. If she was asleep it wouldn''t even need to fight her, she would just die. Out here. Alone. Without ever having the chance to prove everyone back at New oregan wrong. To prove to them that she was more than a useless woman who didn''t even know how to survive. She gritted her teeth with determination and fear, sliding the knife across the back of her arm, counting on the pain to keep her awake. Kailin felt it go deeper than she''d intended, but a second later she was already wrapping the cut with mostly clean cloth torn from her pants. It worked though, she felt the tiredness abate into something that she could ignore. She tried to keep her breath even, but her heartbeat only increased as the seconds ticked by and she stared out at the darkness. Wishing that the sleepless would ignore her but knowing that the scent of blood would only spur it on. Kailin walked faster, gripping her knife like death itself and glancing up at her orb of light every few seconds, checking again and again. Was it still the right shape? Was it going to collapse in on itself again? Now would be a terrible time to lose her only means of giving an Anomaly pause. She moved into a run, sheathing her knife but keeping a hand on the hilt. Feeling her warm breath spill out into the cool night air in time with her heartbeat. Survive. Is this what it is to survive? Kailin felt the tiredness pull further back as she ran. She wasn''t sure if it was the Sleepless leaving her be or if she was simply feeling the effects of adrenaline. She wasn''t sure how she could even know. All Kailin knew was that she had to keep on running. To survive. ---Chicory--- Fort Syon wasn''t close to either one of the coasts, she was far enough north that the winters were rough, and she was just the right distance from all the old-world towns that in the early years of the outbreak, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly where the place was on a map. These days no one was quite sure how far away anything was, but as Chicory sat in the front of a wagon and poured over the map book, she realized that one of the slightly pulsing lights was Syon herself. Apparently, the spirit didn''t want Chicory to forget how to get home. She felt a slight warmth in her chest at that, yes, it wasn''t an exile. She glanced at the driver beside her, who looked mostly content but also rather bored, and then back at the nervously chatting men sitting behind them. Each one of those had been warriors fallen at the battle. She wondered if any of them thought of this as a new life. She closed the map book and slid it back into her bag before climbing over her seat and into the slightly more shaded area in the back of the wagon. She sat down and watched the men for a couple of seconds as their conversations petered out. "What?" One of them asked, looking kind of nervous. Sparks, he probably thought they''d broken a rule on accident or something. Chicory glanced out the side of the wagon at the passing view. "I was just wondering if anyone has any questions about Fort Syon." They were quiet for a bit, apparently scared of her, fantastic...Finally, one guy cleared his throat, "What are those powers? Most folks talk about them only in hushed tones, rumors, and such. Warriors that are so powerful that they''re entire armies, nurses that heal with a touch, men that can see the future. What are they?" Chicory smiled softly, pushing her eyes to glow brighter and letting them know that, yes, she was one of the people he was talking about. "That''s the Tempest. It''s hard to explain, but it is magic as far as I can tell. We are...just people. People who have made deals in exchange for what we needed." The man frowned, "Well that''s sparking pretentious." "Oh definitely." Chicory agreed, "You can ask someone better at explaining once we get to Syon. Any other questions burning at your hearts?" She focused on the rest of the group, and the first guy reluctantly backed down. "What''s it really like there?" A quiet younger man finally voiced. Sparks, he looked younger than her. "Like...we''ve heard so much stuff about it, not certain of a lot of it, some of it makes no sense." Chicory examined him for a moment, yawning as strange tiredness flowed into her mind, "What''s your name?" "Why does that matter?" She raised an eyebrow, "It''s part of my answer." He sighed, "River. That''s it." Chicory nodded, pleased, "Nice to meet you River, I''m Chicory." He snorted contemptuously, apparently being grumpy on purpose. She rolled her eyes, "It''s the most amazing place in the world. I first came there when I was almost twelve. So... roughly seven and a half years ago. I remember it felt like I died and went to heaven. For a while, I was convinced that''s what happened. It''ll feel like that for you too." River gave her a flat look, decidedly annoyed looking, "Alright, but what''s so great about it? I know Syon is the strongest city that anybody knows about. Every place I''ve gone to agrees that if Syon wanted to, you guys could rule the entire continent. Everyone else could''ve attacked anyone, but making Syon angry was always a death wish. That sounds pretty great to me, but what the sparks else is so great about it." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Chicory tilted her head, drifting off for a moment before answering, "I think mostly it''s the little things. Regular meals, stability, that kind of stuff." She smiled, "And the people. They truly care. They aren''t perfect, nobody is, but they all want everyone to be happy." River narrowed his eyes in doubt but didn''t question her further, he moved to the back of the group and Chicory effectively lost track of him, answering other questions and slowly easing the men out of their nerves. A large part of Chicory would have greatly preferred to have stayed up front with the driver, but doing things like this was part of her deal with the Guardian. To help people, to see that Syon became as strong as she could. She learned as many of their names as she could, there was Mason, the enthusiastic old man who asked question after question. There was Kyle, the nervous pit of anxiety who constantly glanced at his surroundings as if he was going to be attacked at any moment. There was River, who frowned at the back of the group, contemplative but also resiliently grumpy. There were many others, and Chicory felt joy swell in her as time passed and slowly the questions about Syon died down and she was able to ask them about themselves, their likes and dislikes, and their dreams. Somehow, she found joy in the little parts. -- Chicory got out the map book as the men finally started chatting to themselves again, this time it sounded much more excited. She was trying to figure out where to head first once she found out who her team was and procured supplies. She should probably stay at Syon for a couple of days or so before heading out. Someone walked over to her and she glanced up to see River frowning at the book, "What''s that?" He sat down next to her. Which was the last thing she''d decided to expect from the guy. Chicory had a momentary panic that it was the obviously magical nature of the book that was making him come over, but then she remembered what the Guardian had said, only those with the Tempest could see the pulses of light. She sighed, "I''m going on a trip soon, trying to figure out where." He gestured to the world map page that she was currently staring at hopelessly, "That''s kind of broad." Chicory shrugged. She had to go to all these places eventually, or at least, she hoped to try and do that. The Guardian had made it seem like something that she expected to be far beyond Chicory. He sighed, "Look, where are we right now? Where''s Syon?" Chicory pointed at the pulsing heartbeat that represented the Guardian, figuring that was probably in the city or at least close to it. "Right there." He took the book, glancing at a couple of numbers that the regions were labeled with, flipped to the back of the book where a bunch of other numbers were, and somehow found his way easily to a different page which was a closer view of the continent up to the coasts. "Looking at the whole world won''t help much without a boat or the ability to fly. It''s not like you could get there easily anyway." Chicory nodded, feeling once again daunted at the enormity of the task, also still rather tired. "Yeah, I was thinking that too... but who knows, maybe it would be better to start as far away as possible." He gave her an odd look, "For someone who was preaching earlier about how amazing your city is, you sure seem eager to spend years away from it." "It''s Tempest business." "Well, against my better judgment, I noticed you were staring aimlessly at a book and figured, ''Hey, I''m a competent person, maybe she needs someone to smack her in the face with reality?'' Apparently, I was right." He pointed at the new page again, "Is there anywhere on this page that piques your interest? Or does it have to be several years'' worth of travel away?" Chicory examined it forlornly, only one other pulse besides Syon was on the map, one to the west, beyond the mountains. She pointed to the spot, "Right here. I guess, yeah, that''s the most logical place to start." He frowned at it for some reason, giving her an odd look, but he schooled his features, "There you go, problem solved." He handed the book back to her and scooted away awkwardly, perhaps realizing how close he''d plopped down. River then fell silent, sitting in a corner, watching the other men with distrust and analytical contemplation. Chicory sighed and put a page marker in the corner, closing the book and sliding it back into her bag. -- Chicory smiled as Syon appeared on the horizon, letting out a little cheer. The men behind her stood up or peeked out the side of the wagon to get a good look at it, a couple of them whooping and grinning at each other like idiots. The only one who didn''t make any discernible reaction except to stand up and gaze thoughtfully at it was River, which Chicory really should have expected. He moved back to his corner once he was done, glancing at the surroundings for a moment before unceremoniously plopping back down onto his seat. Chicory would have called his expression a glare if she hadn''t been around him for the last five hours. It had come to her attention that apparently, this was simply his neutral face. She glanced behind the wagon at the rest of the procession, tired horses, excited-looking passengers, and a couple of relieved fighters who were probably more than tired of leading off curious zombies. They approached slowly and Chicory saw the moment when the fort sent a couple of people to lead off the zombies crowded around the fence. One of those horseback riders headed toward them though, meeting them on the road and making sure everything was alright. It was Patch, perhaps he wanted to speak with Chicory about the list of names, or maybe he needed to ask Kairah something. Or perhaps Patch was just bored, he really didn''t seem to like being bored. She''d heard of some of the things he''d done in response to that. He smiled at their Wagon and slowed his horse, them being the first in line would mean a bit of a report on their part. Chicory stood up and saluted the more powerful Tempest, "Almost there, friends!" He said, nodding to Chicory and the driver and smiling at the once again apprehensive-looking men in the back, they could tell that this man was someone powerful, but they weren''t sure who he was yet. "Chicory! Everything''s gone well, right?" "Yes, Patch!" She nodded happily, "One broken weel earlier but we just made it an early lunch and fixed it without a problem." He nodded again and began to move down the row, "Come see me later Chicory, I heard about your promotion." She smiled and he was gone a moment later. She sat back down and glanced back at the men, "That''s Patch, he''s the leader of the fort." A couple of them balked and glanced back at him with worry, apparently thinking they hadn''t given him enough respect or something. River on the other hand remained seating, Chicory wasn''t even sure if he was paying attention. "He seems nice," Mason eventually said, which was about right to Chicory, the two of them seemed like they would be kindred souls. -- Chicory handed off the group to one of the guides at the gate and excused herself, promising to come find them again at dinner if she could. She always tried to keep tabs on new people, and she knew that most of the other healers agreed with her sentiment. Fewer people to heal if you made personally certain that they didn''t do anything stupid. No one seemed to think it was strange for her to leave at this point, and so she extricated herself without issue, humming as she made her way to the central spire where the most important stuff was, including the radio tower and Patch''s office. She felt a burst of sudden energy as she left the group, opening the door cheerfully. She smiled at one of the front desk people, "Patch is in, right? He asked me to come see him." The woman smiled back, it seemed a bit strained for some reason, but she pointed toward the office, "Yes, I believe he''s waiting for you." She sounded...almost annoyed about something. Chicory wanted to ask about it, but she figured she could do that on the way out, she wasn''t sure how urgent Patch''s new information was. Chicory nodded and entered with the woman frowning at her back all the way. Patch was going over some papers at a desk, looking slightly contemplative and a tad bit anxious. He looked up when she entered the room, relaxing slightly. "Ah, Chicory! Sit, sit! How are you doing?" "Uh, pretty good. Tired from the two weeks out at the battlefields, but mostly fine right now. You?" Patch smiled, "Good that you''re good, I''m mostly fine too. Though this new job you have is...well it feels a bit out of nowhere from the Guardian." Chicory nodded, "Sparking right, has she explained why she needs me to do this? I don''t need a reason I guess, but I feel like it would be easier if I had a more stable goal than ''go help people.'' Ya know. Like, I could figure it out, but..." "But it would be nice to know the why." Patch finished. Chicory nodded. "That''s part of my frustration with it, she''s not explaining, I think she just wants to know what her siblings are doing. It could be anything though, like maybe there''s someone there that she really wants you to help. Or maybe her siblings are being tyrants and she wants you to make them stop." Chicory sighed, "Well, now I''m overthinking it even more. Anyway, I plan on leaving in a week or two, I''ve decided to head to the closest one first." Patch perked up, "Oh, I''d like to see the map if you don''t mind. Since this is in the first stages I''d like to have an idea where you''ll be in case something happens." Chicory obliged and took out the book, flipping first to the world map to show him the various locations and then to the closer map so he could see where she would be heading. The Guardian was right, Patch could see the pulses perfectly fine. After a while of examining the map and even taking out his own map to mark it on, Patch finally relaxed. He took a page from the stack of papers and handed it to her, "This is your list of names. Ceder Snow, Reya Burges, and Kade Stott. She also said that someone else might tag along but not to hang on the idea because she needs to speak with him first. She sounded kind of worried when she told me that part." Chicory nodded and took the list, it was describing where to most likely find the people in question. She was kind of surprised that there were only three, maybe four. "I don''t think I know any of them that well. Kade is the guy in charge of loading the supply bay, right?" Patch nodded. Chicory felt a knot of worry well up inside her. So many changes...Things were going to be so different from what she was used to. Sure, she was mostly excited about that, but sparks, her instinct was to just not. She remembered what the Guardian had said, I know that you can do it. She sighed and then smiled, it felt a bit strained, but...yeah she could do this. She trusted Syon. Patch examined her for a moment, "Reya...isn''t very happy about the idea, just so you know. I believe she''ll go, but she has a lot of people here. Then Ceder...I don''t know him well, he appeared out of nowhere two years back with a fully developed Tempest, apparently the Guardian has been using him for little things for a long time." Chicory nodded slowly, "Looks like I mostly got the colorful ones." Patch smirked, "This is Syon, we''ve got more colorful ones kicking around than anyone would believe" He frowned for a moment, glancing at his watch, "Well, I''ll let you go now, I told Reya, Kade, and Ceder already, you four should meet up and discuss things. Oh, and Reya''s right out there, you passed her on the way in, she''s my front desk right now." Chicory blinked, that was the one who seemed kind of angry about something. Yeah alright, apparently she was going to have a chat with her after all. Chicory smiled, "Good to know." undead ```---May 29th, 13 AO (After outbreak)--- ~River~``` River examined the city around him, bustling and happy in a way that he used to think old-world cities had been. He¡¯d been disabused of that notion though, humans were too selfish, too¡­destructive to truly have joy. And so he knew immediately upon entry to Syon that there had to be more to this place than everyone else seemed to think. He didn¡¯t plan on sticking around long, just enough to get a measure of how this place might impact the life he was leading, but even he felt an indescribable pull to join in with the work, to feel the beat of humanity in his veins once again¡­ But that wasn¡¯t what he was anymore. Instead, he was sleepless. Someone who should never trust himself to be close to anyone. Someone who was more likely to end up killing someone than he was to help them. After the tour guide got distracted by one of the others, River slipped away from the group to do some snooping. He didn¡¯t like the idea that there could be a spirit running the place, everything he knew about spirits was how thoroughly they¡¯d destroyed the world and how terrible their destruction was. Zombies, disasters, chaos storms. There were too many things to blame on the spirits. Never mind his¡­personal history with them. But River couldn¡¯t discount the possibility of a spirit living here, and if there was, he would at least know what the sparks could be happening here. It would explain why the place was untouched by the continuing disasters of the outside, but it wouldn¡¯t explain why everyone was so sparking happy. He took note of the radio tower, it didn¡¯t look like the old-world ones so they¡¯d probably built it themselves. He¡¯d seen a few to the west, but this one, just like the make of the buildings and the wall, well it was far better made, it had a distinct style to it. It was similar to the old world cities, but somehow just the slightest bit better. Its scent was clean, old enough to not give away much about what it truly was. River was under no disillusions that he could find anything useful in the architecture though. River passed the scents of hundreds of humans, the loading bays where storehouses of supplies sat as if they were preparing for the end of the world version two. He smelled the scents of hard sweat and dirt, the scents of the farmers outside the wall, working at their fields tirelessly, sentries with glowing blue eyes who protected them from the hordes of undead. It was more than survival, it was living. But somehow, this¡­Tempest was far far too similar to the deals he¡¯d seen to the west, sure, sometimes people randomly popped up with magic unassociated with a spirit, but he couldn¡¯t simply forget what Chicory had said ¡°We are¡­just people. People who have made deals in exchange for what we needed.¡± Yes, this place was different. These people were different. But there was still something hiding and River didn¡¯t sparking like it when things didn¡¯t make sense. If they had a spirit, they would be a whole lot more dead about it River turned away from the fields, he caught a whiff of cooking food and remembered that they had communal meals here, strange, very strange. He was hard-pressed to find anyone on the outside who would think about such a thing. Every man for himself, and most of them got eaten or sometimes even sacrificed. The world was brutal. He continued to wander the streets, no one looked at him strangely, and no one thought he could possibly be doing something against their happy world. It was a terrifying thought, no one looking for the betrayals that would be inevitable. Well¡­they would all die that way. But somehow there weren¡¯t any betrayals to be found. Somehow when he scented the b???????l????????o?????o?????d??????????, it wasn¡¯t the cause of hate or destruction. It was simply a street sweeper who had cut himself on a piece of glass he hadn¡¯t noticed. It was simply a child who¡¯d tripped and scraped her knee. It was simply life. The blood that told the world one was still alive. Not the oh so familiar b???????l????????o?????o?????d?????????? of someone who was fighting for their last breaths. River gritted his teeth and continued onward. Pulling himself this present, feeling an ache of sorrow for things he hadn¡¯t been able to change. And then the energy in the air increased. He felt his throat constricting by instinct, like a beaten dog who had made his last stand, like a broken man who didn¡¯t want to sparking be anymore. He wanted to live. He stopped in his tracks as he felt the presence. ¡°Stop it! Just go away. I don¡¯t want to talk to anyone. I want to sparking be alone.¡± He spoke loudly, loud enough that some passerbys heard him and he felt a trickle of energy from that fact. The voice entered his mind anyway, melodious, familiar in a deeply subconscious way, and¡­feminine. Right, he wasn¡¯t back at the clans, this couldn¡¯t be the Other trying to claim him again. ¡®River? I know that we have hurt you. We must have, for without that hurt, you would not hate me.¡¯ ¡°Who the sparks are you.¡± He demanded. ¡®I am Syon. The Guardian. The patron of Tempest. I am not seeking to destroy, or to hurt you.¡¯ ¡°And what proof do I have of that? The spirits destroyed the world. I know that things like you break their promises.¡± Syon paused, seeming more concerned than outraged. ¡®River, my proof is my city. I want them to be happy. That is all.¡¯ He stilled, he did have an answer. He knew what the deeper thing he¡¯d been sensing this whole time was. It was this thing. This spirit. Inside he wanted to think that they would all be like the Other, that every one of them would be terrible, they¡¯d destroyed humanity after all. But he knew that things with souls couldn¡¯t ever be so black and white. ¡°What do you want from me?¡± he finally asked. The Guardian sent warmth. It was strange, so very strange to have a piece of life inside him and yet still be unable to feel his own heart. ¡®I want you to help her. You don¡¯t remember it, but a very long time ago, you promised her something. I don¡¯t want her to be hurt, and I think neither do you.¡¯ River paused, frowning, ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± ¡®Chicory. She¡¯s going to be leaving soon, I want you to go with her.¡¯ It all suddenly clicked for him. ¡°That¡­That¡¯s why she¡¯s going to the Clans?! You told her to? That¡¯s a death wish for a human!¡± The spirit hummed a long, soft, and sorrowful note, ¡®She isn¡¯t human in the traditional way anymore.¡¯ River ran a hand through his hair and continued walking, trying to figure out if this really even changed anything. ¡°Sparks, I should have stayed far away from this place.¡± ¡®You can¡¯t change the past and you shouldn¡¯t want to. You know this better than me.¡¯ He glared at the air, ¡°If you care so much about her well-being, why are you sending her there?¡± Syon fell silent, ¡®I¡¯m sending her to all of them.¡¯ River frowned, ¡°What?¡± ¡®My siblings, I¡¯m sending her to all of them. She can help them and the people they have ruined.¡¯ River glared at the air, wishing he could see the bigger picture. He was confident he would understand if he could, he was confident he could do something. But he knew spirits; around this point, they always got evasive, which was starting to happen already. She wouldn¡¯t answer what he really wanted to know. How do you know her, how do you know me, why do they need to be helped, why do I care? And most of all, what the sparks makes you think that any of this is okay? The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He hated the idea of getting tangled up in spirit drama again, because he would never sparking know the answers. But at least it seemed like this one was trying to care about humanity. ¡°And why do you need me.¡± ¡®You are River. You have skills that will be needed, you have a mind that is sharper than any blade, and you have the drive to continue even through the pain.¡¯ River stopped in his tracks, ¡°The pain¡­¡± ¡®You feel sorrow as the world rejects you. As people don¡¯t try to understand your pain. You feel deeply, but they only see your mask.¡¯ River closed his eyes. ¡°They think they know who I am, as they smile and joke with me and never try to find out what¡¯s deeper. As they drift away and I can¡¯t help but simply let them¡­¡± ¡®I see you. I know you. But you need to stop focusing on your own problems if you ever want them to get better. You need to accept the world before it can accept you.¡¯ River felt the annoyance and fear drain out of him, replaced with sorrow. ¡°I¡¯ll help her. But I want something in return.¡± For some reason, the spirit seemed surprised at that. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he was agreeing or because he wanted to make a deal. ¡®I can¡¯t give you my Tempest. My brother still has your soul.¡¯ River had figured as much, but he didn¡¯t want it anyway. ¡°I want you to take away my bloodlust.¡± He thought about asking her to fix his voice, but he wasn¡¯t rightly sure he would know how to fight without that particular problem. Syon was silent for a long moment. He felt something prodding at him but besides that there was nothing. ¡®I¡­Can¡¯t take it away. It¡¯s firmly part of his gift.¡¯ River frowned, ¡°Could you modify it? Maybe make it less powerful?¡± There was more prodding. A low hum of contemplation. ¡®Perhaps a little bit, but it won¡¯t be enough payment for such a deal.¡¯ River closed his eyes, ¡°Anything. I¡¯ll take anything.¡± He felt that warmth again, a fountain of endless care and compassion. It flowed into him. He felt the moment she touched the bloodlust, but when she withdrew, it felt¡­the same. ¡°Did you do it?¡± ¡®It will activate only if you begin to lose yourself. A failsafe.¡¯ River relaxed slightly. ¡®I still owe you more, remember that.¡¯ ¡°I will.¡± And then she was gone. River felt the absence as he tried to remember again what it had felt like to be warm. So beautiful. He sighed and made his way to dinner, looking for Chicory. For some reason, he trusted that the Guardian had done something. He had no way of knowing for sure though until it helped or¡­didn¡¯t. He frowned at the sky; once again, falling into the promises of the spirits. He thought he would have learned after the first time. He trusted that he wasn¡¯t doing this for nothing though. Probably because deep down, he really just wanted to do something. Maybe he just wanted to go back to the clans and punch some particularly terrible people¡­ -- River frowned at the mess hall, which was still distinctly devoid of any convenient Chicorys, besides the plants in the salad, which weren¡¯t the right kind of chicory. He didn¡¯t want to ask people, and thankfully he didn¡¯t have to, considering he had something far more reliable than people. Noses were great, useful tools when they weren¡¯t mostly dead human ones that could barely smell the mint family when it was right in front of them.. River took in the scents around him, feeling the bloodlust rise in excitement because apparently, it thought he was going to kill something for it. The stupid thing never learned. He picked out the faint scent that he¡¯d memorized on the way to Syon, it wasn¡¯t the most distinctive scent ever, but River would sooner be torn apart by regular zombies than fail to identify someone he¡¯d known for five hours. He followed the trail, kind of annoyed at how much meandering she¡¯d been up to, but he quickly figured that she¡¯d been heading to the radio tower area. Right, didn¡¯t she have to have a chat with that Patch fellow? The leader of the fort? Perhaps that was taking place here. Well, that was fine, he could wait outside until she was done or¡­ The faint sound of raised voices met his ears as he approached the doors. Raising an eyebrow, River entered the ground floor of the radio tower and held the door so it would shut silently. Thankfully it wasn¡¯t a particularly noisy door so it easily stayed far beneath the volume that the two women were reaching. ¡°-and I don¡¯t want to go. Are you sure you can¡¯t just tell the Guardian that? You¡¯re the one in charge of this whole thing, she should listen to you!¡± Chicory drew her lips to a line, ¡°Reya¡­I don¡¯t know what¡¯s best, but the Guardian clearly knew about your sister before this, she probably has a plan for that! Or maybe we could even-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t suggest we bring her. She¡¯s barely six!¡± River frowned at them, clearly the two were trying to compromise, and to be fair it was the most polite arguing that River had ever overheard. But sparks, he could see where this was going. Chicory sighed, ¡°Look, I have a friend who would probably love to help, great with kids and everything, we could let her stay there for a few months and you could try out the first mission. If it¡¯s not something you ever want to do again then I¡¯ll never ask for your help again. But-¡± ¡°Yes yes, everyone wants to help. This is Syon, of course, they want to help. But I don¡¯t sparking want to miss months - if not years! - of my little sister¡¯s life. It¡¯s just sad!¡± Chicory looked distinctly as if she¡¯d rather be anywhere but here. ¡°Reya¡­please? You¡¯re the only other girl on the list, I mean I¡¯m not trying to be selfish or something but like¡­¡± Her face softened slightly, apparently finally understanding some part of Chicory¡¯s perspective. ¡°Well, maybe the Guardian will agree to send someone else?¡± She sighed, ¡°All I know is that I don¡¯t want it to be me.¡± River tilted his head, he liked this one, she wasn¡¯t complacent to the whims of a spirit, and she questioned what seemed to be everyone and everything. It would be nice to have someone like that along because that¡¯s what it seemed like the two were arguing about, the trip that River had just barely agreed to go on. He agreed though, taking a human barely six years old to the Clans was a terrible idea. He took a step closer, ¡°It would only be a three-week trip, less if Syon sends us with horses. We would probably only stay for a month, and that¡¯s if we don¡¯t get turned away immediately; which is far more likely.¡± River fell silent again as the two women turned to look at him, surprised at his sudden presence. ¡°River?¡± Chicory asked. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Was his name not on the list thing? Well, he supposed if the spirit wasn¡¯t sure if he would go, she wouldn¡¯t have added him. ¡°Looking for you.¡± he answered, glancing back at the other woman, ¡°That¡¯s three months maximum, two or less if it goes badly. Personally, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s long enough for a kid to forget about you and decide she likes someone better.¡± Reya narrowed her eyes at him, ¡°Are you in the group or something?¡± River nodded, ¡°I was kind of pissed about it too, but my reasons are way different.¡± He cleared his throat, ¡°Anyway, your excuses are stupid.¡± Chicory stared at him, slack-jawed, apparently at his blunt proclamation. Reya glared at him instead, ¡°Excuses?¡± ¡°Your sister will be perfectly fine and there¡¯s literally no reason not to try it out once and then decide you hate the idea. Who knows, maybe Syon just needs you to fill in this time because someone she wants long-term isn¡¯t here yet. Wouldn¡¯t you like that?¡± Reya huffed, moving from behind her desk and pushing an unseen chair back under. ¡°I¡¯m going to go eat dinner.¡± And then she was gone. Chicory stared at the closing doors for a long moment as they swung shut and made a supremely unsatisfying thump. After a moment she turned back to River, eyes curious, ¡°So you¡¯re number five then?¡± He sighed, ¡°Apparently.¡± She gave him a somewhat concerned look, ¡°But¡­didn¡¯t you just arrive? Weren¡¯t you looking forward to living here or something?¡± River couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that one. ¡°What? What¡¯s funny about that?¡± He grinned, ¡°Chicory, I came here to see what the sparks was going on here. I never had any intention of staying more than a month.¡± She blinked at him, ¡°Ah, well you would¡¯ve changed your mind.¡± River raised an eyebrow, ¡°Uh huh, I sorely doubt that.¡± Chicory rolled her eyes, ¡°Alright, well I¡¯m going to go get dinner. I also have to track down two guys, Ceder and Kade.¡± She frowned at the door, ¡°Although if their reactions are anything like hers, I have a feeling that they¡¯ll come and find me.¡± River made a noise that could be perceived as affirmative and followed her outside, breathing in the air and feeling the bloodlust poke at Chicory, dimly trying to get him to attack her because of how close she was walking. In response, River walked ahead of her, examining the bloodlust to see if her being behind him helped at all. Yeah nope, it was just convinced she was going to attack his open back now and trying to make him be the first to attack. Ugh. ¡°Hey, so¡­how do you know how long the trip will be?¡± Chicory asked, presumably trying to fill the silence. ¡°I¡¯ve been there before.¡± ¡°Oh, huh, cool. What are the people like?¡± River sighed, ¡°Most of them aren¡¯t human anymore.¡± Like me. She didn¡¯t even bat an eye, giving him a mildly concerned look, ¡°Like are they all zombies or is it something like the Tempest?¡± He paused, well¡­that was a very good question. He frowned, ¡°Both. It¡¯s both.¡± She blinked and caught up to him, apparently not liking the view of his back, ¡°Wait, how can it be both?¡± ¡°Persistence.¡± ¡°How is that even an answer?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± She glared at him, ¡°Sparks River. Just answer the question.¡± He sighed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, half of them are insane. The other half are mostly insane. Plus you¡¯ll have plenty of time to interrogate me later, which is River-eese for ¡®I¡¯m annoyed a the world right now and would rather brood in silence¡¯.¡± His voice rose a bit higher than normal and he had to clamp his mouth down before his stupid voice did something stupid. Chicory sighed, ¡°Sorry.¡± The rest of the way was silent, and although he could tell it bothered Chicory far more than she was letting on, she did stop pestering him. He couldn¡¯t help but feel bad about it though. He began to mentally prepare himself for when he finally did let her ask all those questions that were undoubtedly burning in her mind. Trying to figure out how to say it all with as little words as possible. But he still couldn¡¯t force his mouth to open long enough to tell her the real reason he had to stop explaining. He could feel the fountain of energy inside her slowly stopper itself with his silence, which was¡­a relief in every sense of the word even as he heard a soft yawn from her.