《Death of Humanity》 Prologue ¡°So exactly how and when did it happen ¨C during the 21st century or more accurately the technological revolution scientists and engineers made a breakthrough and discovered we weren¡¯t alone in the universe. It¡¯s not clear which country made the initial contact but what was clear was at first contact severance to the outside was blocked and thus the first war started, known now only as the dark war. It was a massacre, we didn¡¯t stand a chance. The ¡®aliens¡¯ were superior in almost every way, they were a race of war and no means of communication seemed to quell there appetite for destruction. Our only ray of hope was that this was our land, we had the home ground advantage, we were suited to this environment and that is how we drew out the war. Generations later others came, the war became stagnant, who was foe and who was friend. And there in lied our salvation, the end of the dark war brought about a short time of unstable balance. Four different races became connected by an invisible thread, no one race could move against the other in fear of a hanging knife. Earth became the middle ground, Earthlings found there ways to mountains and underwater safe havens. The cities and skies became the property of the three, Furiants the first race, Seaenaris came second and lastly the Konta. The Furiants later simply known as Furice were our contenders in the dark war, the hatred between the two races was ¨C well irreconcilable. The Seaerians and Konta arrived almost identically, each in their own war of sorts. Afterward a secondary war began, named throughout history simply as hopes war. It was later named that due to humanities ability to have hope in surviving in such a helpless situation. And so a peace has reigned since, but we all know that calm water now can easily become a raging storm in a moment¡¯s notice. How long I wonder¡­?¡± Memoirs of General Tyga, Chapter Exodus ¨C The End. ¡°General Tyga, that man was truly formidable.¡± I sit on an old wooden chair by a small candle, expelling just enough light for the faint words to be seen. The smell of old leather fills my nostrils, the old style parchment and black ink. ¡°Captain, all the goods have been stowed. 17 cases of military grade assault rifles. 10 duffle bags of small firearms, a further 3 cases of rations and 50 cases of ammunitions¡­¡± Staring down at the journal I close it and clasp it shut, it is just small enough for it to fit into the inner pocket in my jacket pocket. Ignoring the brute of a man standing at attention I stand and take a cigarette from the outer pocket in my jacket and light it in the candles flame. I breathe in deeply taking a deep puff, ¡°prepare to move out.¡± Leaving the small room with that simple sentence I enter into a now bare empty warehouse, ¡°If you were alive today what would you say ¨C General.¡± Exhaling a silver smoke cloud I make my way outside.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. A gigantic ship hovers in the sky, styled like a sailing ship from the ancient era. It is made from alloys far beyond their time, sailing not through water but through air. The sails made from spider thread, empowered with djinn. The sky blue energy radiates with an antigravity aura allowing it to sail the clouds. Thrusters line the hull all the way to the two massive ion thrusters at the rear, a distinct heat shimmering from the outer nozzles. Rope as thick as 10 men falls from the ship¡¯s bow to the ground, a black steel anchor reflects the dazzling sun high in the sky. ¡°Odin, god of the sky,¡± another cloud of smoke flows from me. Walking outside the warehouse the thin oxygen makes me feel slightly light headed. This is, was General Tyga¡¯s fortress of the end, at the summit of Mt Dragoon. Legend told, he chained a dragon inside the mountain, a weapon of utmost power capable of combating the Furice. ¡°In the end ¨C it was but a legend.¡± Sighing deeply I channel energy into my legs and with a low breath shoot into the sky and land directly on board the ship. ¡°Make preparations for departure, we move now.¡± Marching into the captain¡¯s quarters overlooking the deck I sit in the captains¡¯ mantle throne chair and look over the archaic map. ¡°5 hours to Paryha city, 13 hours sea voyage to the Oster coast and then a further 2 week convoy to Lint city,¡± looks like we will barely make it on time. *knock knock* ¡°Captain, we are ready for your order.¡± The same brute of a man stands at attention. I walk out onto the raised platform just outside the raised cabin, ¡°Then ¨C let Odin fly.¡± This brute¡¯s name is Finks, Second mate Finks the Tank. His signature red hair and tenacity in battle gave him the nickname the human tank. Some even mistake him for a human Furice. ¡°Fire up the ionic wave thruster,¡± I speak into a small intercom just to the left of the captains¡¯ door. ¡°Aye aye Cap,¡± a simple reply responds. The Engineer Kites, a genius with machines and my number four on board. She grew up in the slums of the Seaers capital Liandrew Prime, where she made ends meet through scavenge and salvage. ¡°Baines, take the wheel, set course for Paryha,¡± Helmsmen Baines the Dead, Master with long range navigation and my number seven. ¡°You got it Boss,¡± a match hanging between his lips takes the vintage wheel in his hands. ¡°And Victor, prepare a feast, we are heading home,¡± and lastly Victor Slaine a simple cook and my number twelve, ¡°keke, anything for my captain.¡± And with that a loud cheer reverberates around the deck. Chapter 1: Paryha City If you are reading this, then that means I am dead. I don¡¯t need to be a master strategist to know my future is sealed in blood. My name is Megan, that¡¯s right you haven¡¯t read incorrectly. I am General Megan Tyga, self-proclaimed god of war. Alas I have failed my mission, the Aliens have won. The fools of Earths military fail to see that peace won¡¯t last so in secret I moved military caches all over the world. All under the disguise of showing trust to the three races and releasing our military might in order to prove our commitment to peace. It seems you have found my true haven, I don¡¯t know how long it will be until this thing will be found but let me tell you a story and I hope you will pay very close attention. Because every word, every letter has an un¨Cprecedence meaning¡­ don¡¯t forget.Memoirs of General Tyga, Chapter 1 versus 1 My dark royal blue eyes scan the first page of the journal. ¡°Tyga was a women¡­¡± A kind of pronounce profound feeling covers my body. My medium black hair and long black jacket flutter in the wind. I am standing at the bow of the ship, sailing like a bird through the sky. Looking up from the book, an island approaches in the horizon. ¡°Paryha city, it¡¯s been too long.¡± All the crew members strewn across the deck, smiles plastered on their faces. A strong scent of liquor wafts the entire ship. ¡°Everyone is happy we are heading home, their families are waiting huh¡­¡± I take a moment to light a cigarette. ¡°Aye Ca,¡± I cut him off quickly. ¡°It¡¯s just us Finks, no need for titles amongst friends.¡± A rare smile etches onto my face. ¡°Aye, but in my eyes you will always be my Captain.¡± I stare at him and another rarity occurs. ¡°Haha!¡± I break into a roaring laughter and so does Finks. ¡°Fine, Jinn. Captain Jinn Paryha.¡± He pulls out two mugs of ale. ¡°Then cheers to another successful haul huh,¡± knowing too well I don¡¯t drink and in the wink of an eye he downs them both. A goofy grin sitting on those rock hard features, he salutes and stumbles back to some of the crew still awake, planning to join a round of wagering with there new found wealth. Turning back to the approaching island, it¡¯s been hard on them, 3 years we have been plundering and taking, all the while on the run from the Seaerian Empire. Taking a long breath of smoke I talk aloud ¡°Paryha City ¨C one of the last remaining free cities of man, impossible to find except for those who know where to find it.¡± I smoke to myself, ¡°My city.¡± A glint as if the grandest jewel were in front of me. A few hours later and Odin sits resting like a colossal beast above Jinn Palace, the entire city of Paryha stands on ceremony. Cheers of celebration thunder through the island. Every street, every foot path are lined with people stamping their feet. ¡°The jubilee is reaching its climax as the crew of Odin begin to come down from the ship, bringing with them supplies in not only food, but building materials, tailoring, riches of gold and silver. At the centre of Jinn cathedral a podium stands, where I stand. I raise my hands to quite the thunder. ¡°Parhya City! We have returned and with it the wealth of our city grows again. With enough wealth we Paryha can sit and manage in this cruel harsh world. With this wealth we stand tall, with this wealth we become an independent nation!!!!!¡± I speak a few words and towards the end start to shout as if shouting to the heavens. Then silence follows, and I wait for the cities reply. ¡°Long live Paryha! Long live Jinn Paryha! Long live Parhya! Long live Jinn Parhya!¡± Shouts and cheers greet my statement after a slight pause. Man, women and child all have faces of happiness and repeat my name and city as if it is a mantra of safety. After hours and hours of celebration, the quaking of feet stamping finally die down and the city begins to sleep, sleep in the cocoon of safety and happiness. ¡°Baines, Kites. Our journey is not yet finished.¡± I state flatly. ¡°We have a limited window, the Lint underground auction will commence in one month. I have already convened with some of the others and they will make their way there.¡± Looking down at the small group below I carry on, ¡°Finks, Victor you will stay in Paryha with Elijah, the management of the city will stay with him but he is going to need a hand with all the new exports and imports.¡± As if my word is law they bow their heads, even Victor voices no complaints and only Kites speaks out. ¡°The City of Lint, will we make it. It¡¯s in the middle of the Lint desert.¡± She trails off a bit absent minded. ¡°Do not worry, I have organised a guide from Oster.¡± I nod to Kites, ¡°Boss ¨C will you know¡­ she be coming¡­?¡± Baines hesitantly asks. A small smirk worms onto my face, ¡°who knows¡­¡± I reply mysteriously. ¡°We leave in three days, take all the ¡®other goods¡¯ from the ship and load it onto the Nethus. You have three days to get all affairs in order.¡± Finishing the brief meeting I walk to the cathedral of Jinn, the bare plaza brings me a sense of calmness, and an odd reminiscence. A small flash triggers in my mind, when all land on this island was dirt. ¡°Imagine it bro, imagine this place being our home, a city of happy people, run by its own people. Not by corrupt governments or constrained by the other three races. Something completely on its own, imagine it Jinn.¡± I light a cigarette. ¡°Well ¨C Jinxx¡­¡± My sad gaze looks to the lonely moon, ¡°Not yet, it¡¯s not enough¡­¡± I whisper to myself. At this moment, a lonesome women approaches, dressed in rags almost like she just got out of slavery. ¡°Misure Jinn, please may I speak with you.¡± Her brunette hair hangs to her sides, her skin a pigment of malnourishment. Looking to the lonely figure approaching, a spark of blue arcs through my azure eyes for a brief second. But long enough for the women to notice, ¡°Found me out did you, guess you aren¡¯t an emperor for nothing.¡± Her skin and clothes immediately change form and a Seaerian takes the women¡¯s place.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The Seaerians are a light blue race, slightly reptilian and quite tall on average. Specialists when it comes to the mind. Be wary of their whimsical persona for they are as cunning as they are beautiful.Codex Entry 13~2: The Race Origins A small passage from the book of Solomon echoes through my mind, a strange codex that appeared with the knowledge of ¡®Aliens¡¯ when the initial contact with the Furice was made, forever updating and forever expanding. ¡°Seaerian, while it is a surprise to see you here it isn¡¯t uncommon for outcasts to find their way to Paryha.¡± A small seductive smile crawls onto her face, ¡°you are indeed quite a rare specimen of your race. Face to face with a Seaerian and you do not lose your composure at all.¡± The tall reptilian stands at about 6 foot 12 inches, which for a women is very tall but for their race is quite average. Hair as silver as the moon, clothes styled like that of the ancient roman empire in history. Robes and etiquette are there values. ¡°I suppose introductions are in order, I am Queen Sefur Que Lia.¡± The woman makes a dignified bow. At the same time my eyes narrow almost to slits like that of the reptiles. ¡°I see I have your attention.¡± A playful smile flickers on her lips. ¡°As proof of my royal heritage, well you should already have it. One of the Seaerians cannot reveal a false name or title under any circumstance.¡± A small melodious laugh escapes her. I look at her, really look hard. ¡°Otherwise we will be subject to torturous pain.¡± She laughs. Seaerian¡¯s can never lie, for if they do they will be forever taken. The codex never mentioned what this was but it never ended well for one of their race to lie. I look to the Seaerian, ¡°What may I address you as, my queen? Sefur? Ms Lia?¡± I ask almost quite seriously. ¡°My you are quite accustomed to us, how is that I wonder? Hmmmm, well it doesn¡¯t matter, you see I am at your mercy so call me what you will.¡± She replies, quite simply at that. ¡°You see,¡± she begins with an uncomfortable look on her face. ¡°I gave birth ¨C I gave birth to what you Earthlings call a half breed. And well, it was because I lay with a human. He was of course a special human. He did not see the difference of race as an issue. He saw all races as equal. But the Seaerians not only see women as an object of influence but as an object of empowerment¡­ And so, I fell in love with this human man¡­¡± This creature in front of me so easily confessed her love I almost couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°But he died, died by the hands of my husband. King Hon.¡± A weird sadness enveloped the area. It is said that Seaerians were highly emotional creatures capable of many things due to their behaviours contrary to their deviousness. My eyes soften a little, she isn¡¯t lying. ¡°Then what is it ¨C I can do for you¡­?¡± I ask simply. Deep down I know she has suffered at the hands of her own race. ¡°My daughter, Kiria ¨C I can no longer hide her, she is 15 in your earthen terms and has become¡­ how do I say it. Reckless, I¡¯m afraid she will soon be found out by my husband.¡± She shifts on her feet uncomfortably. I already know what she is asking but I do not speak a word and simply wait for her to continue. ¡°Can you, will you take her with you. She has the blood of adventure and wishes to see the world. Everyone in Liandrew has heard the rumours of the captain who sails the skies.¡± I feel an almost praiseworthy feeling coming from this woman. ¡°Please I implore you, take her with you.¡± By the end of her speech she is kneeling, completely at my mercy and destroying the strong presence of the Seaerian. Taken aback I just stare at her for a moment. ¡°I will take her,¡± that was all I could say. The next two days I decided to wonder the streets, dressed in rags. Exploring every nook and cranny I could find. The only time I enjoyed myself was when I would take off my mantle and be but just a beggar and live off what I could find. I as the ruler had banned slavery. I had implemented a simple law system with no currency but that of trade. What one man needed and what one man had could mutually benefit them both from exchange. Even if you have nothing, you do have the strength of your arm, in no circumstance could you not exchange labour for food or lodging. I look up to the blue sky ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to head out.¡± I murmur to myself and begin heading to the dock of Paryha. Paryha City, developed in the New World Era. Year 7366, Ruler Jinn Paryha ascended from slavery to establish his own city, a safe haven for those who had nowhere.Codex Entry 4~32: New Earth¡¯s Continents Chapter 2: Kiria Sif Lia The races have become unstable, unstable to such a degree I fear a war will break out soon. I have managed to set up a simple warehouse at the top of a lone mountain. A lot of Earths geography warped when the aliens invaded. We have started excavating the mountain. This will be the fore front of combating the Furice. The gate that started all this mess, ¡®crystal window¡¯ at first looked how one would imagine when thinking worm hole or gateway. When the severance act commenced the gate broke down, in its place a flat mirror took its place. Mere molecular size in thickness, the piercing crystal surface made it look extremely beautiful, until the first of the Furice stepped through. The hulking ¡®thing¡¯ stood at 3 meters, its body humanoid in general. Two legs, four arms, three eyes and a red Mohawk style hair reaching all the way down its back to their 2 meter long tail. I intend to re-open another window, the legacy of the dark war research on project crystal window has aided me in my search for the key to controlling the gate¡­ the Djinn, it¡¯s energy has seeped into our world through the gate. Djinn, is the key¡­ Memoirs of General Tyga Chapter 1 versus 2 ¡°I don¡¯t wanna get on some scummy looking boat. I mean just look at it, it¡¯s made from wood¡­¡± A young blonde girl, almost a women yelled to a rough looking brunette women. ¡°Enough child, your uncle has been looking forward to this for a very long time already.¡± The brunette woman holds onto the fiery young women. ¡°hmmm mmmm mmm.¡± The girl struggles in her iron grip making all sorts of grunting and moaning noises before eventually relenting. ¡°But mom, do I really have to go¡­¡± Puppy dog eyes look to her mother, ¡°HM!¡± the brunette women gives the girl a tough smack over the head. ¡°Don¡¯t even try to pull one over on me,¡± she stares down at the girl. ¡°Arghhhhh! No fair no fair!!¡± Kiria really starts to kick and scream. I look up from the journal, my ragged and tattered clothes still hiding my body and face. ¡°This is her, Kiria Sif daughter of Sefur Que. What a spoilt little brat.¡± I grumble to myself feeling a massive headache coming on. ¡°Hmmmmmm, is this the bosses niece my my I didn¡¯t think he had such blood relations.¡± At that moment Baines walks down from the nearest tavern, ruck sack over his shoulder. A scent of strong liqour on his breath, dark circular shades, hair tied into a samurais knot. Plaid shirt and army scrubbed leggings and a pair of simple army boots. He bows with unexpected politeness, ¡°pleasure to meet you, boss junior. I¡¯m Baines pleased to meet you.¡± After the interruption by Baines the screaming and yelling cease for a moment, ¡°nice one Baines.¡± I muse to myself. ¡°Ahh haha yeah ni-ni-nice to meet you,¡± Kiria turns red which surprises pretty much everyone except her mother. ¡°Silly girl,¡± Sefur gives her a slight tap on her back. ¡°Lay off it Baines, you are no more gentleman than I am a man.¡± Behind Baines Kites walks slowly, a pair of engineering goggles rest on her forehead. Short multi coloured hair, a tight blue jump suit fits to her curvy body with a patch work coat over the top. ¡°Ohh how you wound me my dear Kitten,¡± Baines responds in false bravado. At that Kites grabs Baines by the jaw and lifts him into the air. ¡°No no, kites I was only joking¡­ yes joking¡­¡± It came out in lisps and slight whimpers but everyone could hear the pleading in his tone. ¡°Do not pay any heed to this pile of shit ¨C Kiria, Sefur.¡± *Slam* Baines was sent flying into a nearby group of crates, all obliterated by the rag doll sent flying. ¡°Best gather your things, the Cap¡¯s time lines are precise to the second so we will be leaving shortly with or without you.¡± Kites give¡¯s a sideways glance to Kiria and nods to Sefur. Kiria has sparkles in her eyes at the raw power of Kites and forgets about her previous misgivings about the boat. ¡°Ah uhm, miss whats your name. I¡¯m Kiria, how-how did you get so strong¡­¡± Kiria instantly latches onto Kites and begins bombarding her with questions which Kites actually enjoys. ¡°Nothing too strange there considering her well ¨C tastes¡­¡± I think to myself. It seems everyone has boarded. I think back to after my late night conversation with Sefur. ¡°I will be playing cabin boy, don¡¯t wait for me. I will leave all final decision making to Kites, and don¡¯t forget you will find the guide at the devils tongue.¡± Boarding the boat I go to the crew¡¯s cabin and clean up and dress like a true cabin boy. I tie my hair into a basic pony tail, rough and frayed shorts with a sleeveless plain unbuttoned shirt. And to top it off, some flip flops. ¡°Alright, perfect.¡± I glance down and look my trademark pocket watch, 6:59 in the morning. ¡°3 seconds, 2 seocnds, 1¡­¡± on the dot the boats horn thunders and lurches forward. I race to the main deck. I join the rest of the crew and set the sails all the while watching my home leave into the horizon. It¡¯s been 4 hours and we have another 9 hours to go till Oster coast. ¡°You there boy,¡± A hard old man with a sailors hat thrusts a mop and bucket into my hands. ¡°Scrub the deck! I want to see my beautiful face staring back at me by the time we get to Oster.¡± He laughs and smokes from his pipe while walking away. ¡°Yes sir,¡± I bow and shout back at him with such enthusiasm. ¡°how pathetic,¡± I hear off to the main section of the deck, looking over I see Kiria and she has a repulsed and stuck up attitude written over her entire face and body. Our eyes connect for a moment.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. *Smack* ¡°Oww-ow-ow¡± Kiria grasps her head. ¡°Pay attention, or I won¡¯t teach you,¡± Kites sternly reprimands the girl. ¡°a-a-aye Kites, sorry I just hate seeing people like them.¡± ¡°Like them?¡± Kites looks at my direction and sees the mop and bucket in my hands. ¡°They just do whatever they are told, they take no control over their life and let everyone walk over them¡­.makes me sick¡­¡± *smack* ¡°OWW, ouch Kites that really hurt¡­¡± her trade mark puppy dog eyes come back. But instead of sympathy a hint of a primal desire seeps into her eyes. I had just started walking away when I feel her lust and in an instant a faint shimmer radiates from me. Almost like a spear of pure death. A shiver of fear runs through Kites body and her lust disappears like a wisp in the wind. ¡°People like them, you shouldn¡¯t look down on them for simply trying to live in such a world.¡± Kiria shows a rare passionate side and rests her hand on Kites head. ¡°Now back to training. Stay like this for the remainder of the journey and do no move an inch.¡± Kites walks steadily away from Kiria. She reaches below deck, her heart racing, cold sweat starts to drop down her body. ¡°Mmmmm, the captain¡¯s aura is so ¨C cold¡­ It just drives me so wild¡­¡± The same intense primal desire surfaces for a moment. A perverted grin spreads onto her face and saliva begins to seep out her mouth. She grabs one of the leg straps and pulls it so tight it inflicts great pain and her minds clears. I head to the back of the boat, and begin mopping the boat, the memory of releasing such aura on Kites already vanishing from my memory. She may have her problems but she is a precious ally. ¡°And that damn brat, such rotten behaviour.¡± I grumble to myself. For the remainder of the ships journey I mop. I shoot a glance to Kiria every so often, studying her intense desire for strength. Not once did she flinch and to her word she remained in the stance of the horse. One did not need to be a master to see her shaking and sweat pool below her feet to realise her will was strong, monstrously strong. Baines remained the helmsmen the entire time not even speaking a word. His bruised and battered face left him slightly traumatised for the moment no doubt he will be back to his nefarious ways in no time. Kites would come along every so often to give Kiria a small lecture and like that the voyage sailed smoothly. Oster was just on the horizon. The end of light had just dawned, the harbour of Oster never slept and the cheering could already be heard, illegal gambling dens, markets, food. It was all happening on the Oster coast. Everything could be found here, you just had to have the right know how, connections and of course money. ¡°Alright, I want all the cargo unloaded on the double no one gets paid until I see that cargo leaving the port. Is that understood.¡± The captain screams over the deck. ¡°And you, cabin boy!! hmmmm not to shabby but you too. No slacking or I¡¯ll break your balls¡± He roars in laughter and went back into his cabin. ¡°Yes Sir!!¡± Everyone shouts back in unison. *6 hours later* ¡°Heave!¡± *crash* ¡°Ahhh, that was the last one, well done boys.¡± We lift the final crate on the row of convoy trucks. All the cargo is safely aboard. ¡°The time is almost midnight, tomorrow at noon we set out for Lint, Baines and Kites should have taken Kiria with them to look for the guide.¡± As part of the Parhya guard Baines and Kites did not have normal cabin duties and were able to leave the boat as soon as it docked giving them the time to get all affairs in order. *6 hours earlier* ¡°Kiria! You are coming with us we have some business in town.¡± Kites shouts to the sweat drenched 15 year old girl, muscles spasm at every movement. ¡°J-j-just a sec,¡± she collapses to the ground and breaths in deep heaves. ¡°Drink this, it¡¯ll help,¡± Baines leans down offering her a hip flask, a playful smile worms onto his lips. But before he could give it a cold shiver runs through him, looking over he can see Kites with a dark aura surrounding her. ¡°Just a joke ¨C haha just a game haha,¡± he takes the flask away and backs away. ¡°Okay I¡¯m good,¡± Kiria stands up in a superman pose and trying to fake a full recovery but it seems to be enough for Baines and Kites. ¡°The devils tongue was it, you know where it is?¡± Kites ask. ¡°Ohhh, the mighty Kites asking dear old me for directions.¡± A sideways glance to kites shuts his mouth for speaking any further nonsense. ¡°Follow me, I know the way.¡± Baines always had an extra sensory perception to death threats, at least when it was with Kites. ¡°Hey Kites, um I know I never really brought it up or anything. But when do you think I will see him¡­ My uncle I mean, I thought he was coming with us and mom said well she never said anything about an uncle until just a few days ago when we had to leave Liandrew.¡± A sad wistful look fell upon her face. The group pausing for a moment, Baines also had a slight frown on his face. ¡°He¡¯s here. Actually you have already seen him you just weren¡¯t paying enough attention to realise.¡± Kiria just looks at her trying to discern her statement, but with nothing more to go on just stares in befuddlement. ¡°Don¡¯t think so hard Boss Junior, he¡± *smack* But before Baines could mutter a single extra word Kites is already walking forward, ¡°so you know the way then,¡± Baines pushes his luck slightly. ¡°Get the fuck in front¡­¡± Baines having reached the limit he could tease Kites, walked to the front leading them to the devils tongue. ****** In the near shadows a presence lay. Feline like eyes peer at the trio from the dark ¡°Is that my prey, kuku this is going to be fun¡­¡± ****** Oster city, home to all, sometime after the nestling of the three races it quickly began to become a trading hub for lesser races. Seaerians and the Furice ruled their worlds and had many races under their subjugation. In time they became the collective lesser races. These races ranged from Werebeasts a result of genetic mutation, Finx a djinn imbued race loved by nature, Mermillia¡¯s a fish hybrid similar to the mermaids of myth, Gunk¡¯s the giants and lastly the Shadowed. They all managed to integrate in society and live a life of the lower tier, basically working alongside humans in order to survive. Codex Entry 13~6: The Race Origins Chapter 3: A Strange Fox The Djinn, it is ambient in nature, even in here it exists but remains separate to us. I have viewed various recordings of the Furice and Seaerians, a small number of them can draw upon this power to come about a destructive might I have never witnessed before. Some could punch right through a tank reinforced to withstand artillery shells, the Furice tear through it like paper. I have been observing and it seems there are slight variances, or categories of abilities in them. Enhancement ¨C The body can reinforce itself to a degree many times stronger than our strongest steels. Manipulation ¨C It is rare, but I have summed it under an ability to take possession of a type of molecular structure, Metal or sand for example. Conjurer ¨C It seemed like magic, but based on science I have uncovered its secret. Every living thing bless by the Djinn can access a spatial rift within themselves, some can access more space than others, and in some cases enough space to store and imbued a weapon with their own ¡®aura¡¯. Personal Note: I have yet to understand ¡®aura¡¯, is it innate or some kind of trained ability. Whatever it is, only a very small number of the races tend to use this ability. More and more cases of Djinn seem to be popping up, I even hypothesize humans may start to develop this ability, but sadly we are very late to the starting line in mastering this ability. Maybe, just maybe we can simulate the Djinn and synthesize a way to give the humans an edge ¨C a natural bane to the Djinn, a Djinns¡¯ Devil? Memoirs of General Tyga, Chapter 1 versus 3 ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong, humans did manage to gain the Djinn. But the Devils Djinn, to think I would find out something only ever murmured about from the cursed¡± I reply almost like I am talking with the journal. I smoke a cigarette lying near the convoy trucks, closing the journal I look at the time, 10 more minutes. The cursed ones, their minds completely shattered from the red Djinn, a berserk power that corrodes the mind. Codex Entry 66~9 *Sometime in the night before* ¡°I¡¯m getting tired of this shit Baines, do you know where this place is or not,¡± Kites starts to grind her teeth in aggravation. ¡°Trust me, this is the way. Not everyone can simply reach the demon bar of the red light.¡± Baines replies back. ¡°Demon what of the red..?¡± Kiria stutters, she is only 15 and from the cyber city Liandrew. Liandrew Prime lives in a completely different world to the rest, run under the Seaerian King Hon Bon Prime, a power hungry Tyrant. The rich live in luxury, slavery of not only humans was common but the slavery of the weak in their own society would sweat blood just for the niceties the rich enjoy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry you are with yours truly,¡± false bravado oozes from him. *Smack* ¡°Alright alright, geez we are here anyway.¡± The trio stop outside an empty bar, the overhead sign half hanging down. The sign reads, Sin City. ¡°What a crusty sign, ew we aren¡¯t going in there right.¡± The little blonde women states with clear disgust. ¡°It¡¯s just a front ladies. Follow me. And follow close. This is the dark side of society, what you see down here ¨C well just don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± Kites and Kiria fall in behind Baines, they walk to the counter where a very out of place man stands. He is dressed in a very sharp black butler uniform, a conical rests over his left eye, his features pale and sharp. ¡°What may I serve you today Master,¡± the man polishes a glass while he talks. ¡°Hmmmm, if I remember right it goes something like this¡­ Three hail marys, extra bloody with two hints of pepper.¡± Baines half mumbles and then finishes cleanly, quite sure of himself. ¡°Oh my, sirs are you sure that¡¯s what you want?¡± The butler leans over looking closely at his guests. ¡°So be it, take the booth over there far to the right, I will bring your drinks shortly.¡± A few minutes later the butler walks to the booth, 3 blood red drinks on the tray. He places them on the table, ¡°May the blessing of red light watch over you.¡± The man walks away from the table and begins polishing his glass once again and it¡¯s at this time Kiria notices the lack of shadow produced by the man. ¡°Hey th- mmmm mmmm¡± in a fraction of a second Baines had covered her mouth shut and whispers to her, ¡°never under any circumstances reveal their shadows¡­¡± Leaning back he shoves the drinks at the two girls. ¡°Well, bottoms up,¡± and gulps it back in a single go. Kites follows suit and also gulps it back, Kiria however just stares at it scrutinizing its colour, and smell. She pinches her nose and closes her eyes, and with one swing drinks it down. She winces at first, expecting a foul tasting substance only to find it is sweet, sweet as the sweetest candy.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Opening her eyes she is completely dumbfounded, the run down bar is gone and in its place a stylish gothic bar appears. Music thumps in the background, ¡°what the fuuuck, how, when did we get here?¡± a small cascade of questions leave her mouth. ¡°This is Sin City, the gateway to the red light. Right next door should be the devils tongue.¡± The man stands and quickly grabs the two women and heads for the exit. ¡°We have to hurry, the hail mary grants us passage but it also has a very powerful aphrodisiac. 20 minutes tops and you will be on fire,¡± a red heat streams across his face at the thought. ¡°Bastard, if I guessed correctly there is more than one drink that grants us passage,¡± Kites grinds her teeth in fury but at the same time her primal urges start to show. ¡°Hey simmer down my kitten, what¡¯s that saying. While in Rome¡­something something,¡± he laughs and leads them to the tongue. Kites can barely contain her rage. But the heat from below stops her and her lustful desires start to take over. ¡°Aw no without the captain I can¡¯t keep myself in check I better get out of here ¨C quick.¡± Her thoughts stammer to herself. She looks to Kiria, her eyes betraying her. She devours her body with her eyes. ¡°Shit.¡± Kiria doesn¡¯t notice as she too is struggling internally, the fire is starting to rage out of control. She constantly squirms. They enter below a red neon devils tongue, smoke and music drift out. ¡°The beautiful people, the beautiful people¡± A song age old booms in the background. It¡¯s heavy but the crowd jump and scream. That tight latex, leather, makeup, piercings and tattoos fill the room. It truly felt like they had entered in through the devils mouth and fell in amidst demons. That wasn¡¯t all, Seaerians and Furice a like occupied VIP booths, down here race didn¡¯t matter. Kiria struggles, sweat soaks her body and the want, the need for release drives her to the brink of insanity. The others fade into the crowd but Kiria can¡¯t control herself anymore. ¡°Found you,¡± suddenly two sharp hands grab her around the waste. A ginger haired woman with feline eyes grabs her. She leans in close and licks from her neck up to her check. Kiria feels the limit break, total and complete pleasure explodes, sound waves send mini orgasms through her body, deep down a burning desire ignites. ¡°Mmmmm, how I waaant yooou.¡± The light in the little girl¡¯s eyes dim and she loses consciousness. ¡°But I don¡¯t have a death wish either. The captain might actually kill me.¡± Walking to the bar with an unconscious little Kiria the feline women yells to the almost naked barman. ¡°No need to ask Cait, your rooms upstairs baby,¡± the queerness in his voice plain as day. After she takes the blonde girl to her room, she leaves again looking for the other two. Kiria wakes up some unknown time later, the lingering smell of all sorts of sweet scents the feeling of silk sheets make her feel so comfortable. A feeling of never wanting to leave hits her hard. A small amount of fire still sits underneath but not enough to cloud her rationality. ¡°Ahh you¡¯re awake my little cutie,¡± A fox like women stands looming over her, stark naked under her loose robe. An entirely naked body enters her view. Horror explodes through her as she remembers her last moment. ¡°No-no-no last night we didn¡¯t¡­ did we¡­ noooo my first time¡­¡± Kiria changes into complete hysteria. Her face heats up in embarrassment and confusion. Cait stands there stumped for words, ¡°damn maybe I should have just taken her, a reaction like that isn¡¯t normal. Well I guess everyone around the captain isn¡¯t normal.¡± ¡°Whoa, whoa slow down.¡± Cait lends over the bed and crawls on all fours towards her until she is face to face with Kiria. ¡°Relax, we didn¡¯t do anything. Dear old captain goody good forbade me from laying a finger on you.¡± She licks her lips and bits them gently. ¡°But I¡¯ll be damned if I don¡¯t get a taste,¡± cait leans in. Kiria feels her warm breath and feels a small smouldering flame begin to fire up slipping into a sexual haze. *smack* ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll have to let the captain know about this. Cait Fox, number 6 the shape shifting enchantress.¡± Kites seemingly appears off to the side, no emotion what so ever evident on her face. ¡°Oh no-no kitty please. I¡¯ll do anything.¡± Kites face twitches at the mention of kitty. ¡°Aw oh, now you¡¯ve done it.¡± That symbolic top knot walks through the door. ¡°Ah ha ¨C ha did I say kitty I mean sweet Kites my bestie, I¡¯ll do anything just please don¡¯t tell the captain. Baiiny boy, you can help me can¡¯t you my strong man.¡± Cait bats her eyes at him. ¡°Why you, fuck I¡¯ll tell the captain if you keep this up.¡± Baines for once doesn¡¯t play around. ¡°Awwwh, poor Baiiny.¡± Cait talks in a sweet baby voice. ¡°Alright I won¡¯t mention it, and neither will he,¡± Kites shoots a death stare at him. ¡°Fuck you both, whatever. I¡¯ll be out front, outside the red light that is.¡± He stomps off. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Bainy bum, he usually loves flirting with me. Have you been bullying him too much while I¡¯ve been away?¡± Cait sulks a little. ¡°No,¡± is all Kites replies. ¡°She didn¡¯t try to rape you right,¡± she turns towards Kiria who is still in the silk sheets beet red. ¡°Eww, no way. She ¨C she saved me actually,¡± the girls turns towards the fox women. ¡°Thank you ¨C Cait,¡± she says seriously. Whether nothing happened or not Kiria actually felt quite shaken, reduced to such a state with no strength to save herself. A soft look appears on the felines face, she looks at the girl and deep down she begins to really like this little blonde vixen. ¡°Hehe, Kiria mind if I stay with you for a while,¡± before she can respond a fox the size of a large cat had already jumped into her, and crawls up on her neck and shoulders settling there like a small cloak collar. ¡°Hmmmmm, Cait Fox doesn¡¯t just let herself settle on just anyone. Maybe she really is related to the Captain,¡± Kites actually frowns talking internally. ¡°We better go meet the envoy, it¡¯s almost noon.¡± The patch worked women heads for the door. ¡°What about the captain?¡± Cait yawns on her shoulders. ¡°He¡¯s been with it the entire time.¡± The red light, Sin City was once the site of an experiment gone wrong. An unexpected red light enveloped the entire area, it had the feel of djinn but it was recorded to feel inexplicably blood thirsty. One day it simply vanished, or so it was believed. Practitioners of the djinn discovered shimmers and tears in space. Stepping through the rift, a district formed from the red mist and thus became later known simply as ¨C the red light. Codex Entry 66~3: The Devils Djinn Chapter 4: 2 Weeks in the Lint After a surmountable task of capturing some of the Furice and Seaerians we have made a small break through, the power originates not from themselves but an actual contract. Something that doesn¡¯t have a conscious but it has its own intelligence. In saying that, every one of their races is born with a small boon of Djinn, which is how they can use the basic fundamentals of the spatial ¡®backpack¡¯. But how does one even gain a contract, is it initiated or is it earned? Can a contract be forced? It also seems only those blessed with natural born Djinn can establish a contract. ¡°Fuck¡±. Memoirs of General Tyga: Chapter 2 versus 1 Staring down at the increasingly aggressive writing style I can feel her frustration, I place my fingers over the black letters. For a brief moment I feel a tremor through my body, like something pulling at my soul but it disappears in a flash. Shock filters through, ¡°what was that just now.¡± It has been 1 week. We are now in the middle of the scorching dessert, resting now at one of the jewels of the sand. An oasis with the purest fresh water, a few days rest and we will continue forward. Nothing much has happened the last week, thinking back to the day of leaving. Baines, Kites, Kiria and Cait all returned in the nick of time. If they hadn¡¯t guessed it, Cait was the guide. I could tell something frisky had happened judging by their silence but what was most surprising was Cait Fox. She was actually in her natural form around the neck of a 15 year old girl. The Finx are a mystery to most, but those who understand them realise they are a very deeply connected race to their feelings. They can judge a person¡¯s heart in an instant. During the convoy ride, Cait was stuck to Kiria and would ask her about the luxurious life style of Liandrew Prime, which to no end bugged Kites. Even though Kiria was an illegitimate child her mother had glamour cast on her when she was born. But 16 were their age of emergence, the glamour¡¯s would fold into nothing and her presence would have been known to her tyrant father Hon. Liandrew in her descriptions was heaven, a place of a technological high. Virtual reality, autonomous robots, flying cars, it was all happening in Prime. I was always not far away, always with in ear shot. It was easy considering I acted as their driver. We had all redressed into the robes of the Lint, garbed and clothed head to toe to keep the suns insane heat from killing us. ¡°Man, it is HOT.¡± Baines exhales loudly. The sound of tapping follows quickly after, *splash* ¡°HAHA, aw man that is so damn good.¡± He yells at the top of his lungs. Baines had decided to take a dip in our only source of clean water. ¡°You-you fucking pig,¡± Kites grates her teeth. I swear her teeth are going to break someday. ¡°Fufu, I don¡¯t mind a hunk of a man bathing in my drinking water.¡± Cait shifts into her human form dressed in nothing but a traditional bikini. Her feline eyes reflect her temptress nature. ¡°Ca-Cait are you going in too?¡± Kiria hesitantly asks, her face turning red at the still vivid memory of her naked form. ¡°Ohh you wanna go swimming with me cutie?¡± Cait slithers closer reaching for the blonde girls top trying to lift it free. ¡°Hey baby, don¡¯t worry about her, this sex god right here is waiting for you,¡± a perverted Baines beckons provokingly. Cait stops and glances at the man, who is blatantly trying to show off his ¡®guns¡¯. ¡°Uhhhm, in second thought I think I¡¯ll just go over there and lie in the sun with this cutie. A man revealing his desires so quickly are a turn off. Coming kitty?¡± Cait winks at both girls. Kites just turns on her feet and walks off back to the convoy. ¡°That was cold, even for you Foxey.¡± The near naked man whistles, a downcast look also on his face from Caits remark. ¡°Shit,¡± Cait mutters. ¡°I forgot about that, it¡¯s been so long.¡± ¡°Forgot about what?¡± Kiria interjects. ¡°Don¡¯t worry your little head cutie, let¡¯s go.¡± Her smirk returns and drags the girl to a small spot in the sun away from Baines, giggling all the while. The lonely figure of Kites walks to a lone rock and sits on it, and begins massaging her left shoulder then her left leg. ¡°Fucking Cait, fucking sand, I hate fucking sand. FUCK!¡± The girl starts muttering in a small heated rage. I had been sitting in the truck the entire time watching, I know all their stories so I make my way behind Kites. Silently that not even the dead would know I had come. I place my hand on her shoulder. ¡°Is it painful?¡± I ask her, knowing full well it is excruciating for her.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Mmmmmm,¡± a soft whimper comes from her mouth. I massage slowly, knowing right where to put my hands to alleviate her pain. A minute charge pulses into her arm, the pain immediately disappears. ¡°Leg,¡± I state and she leans back giving over her leg for me to massage too. This time no charge is emitted. ¡°We will have company tonight, I forbid you from making a move. Baines can take care of it.¡± I massage for another 10 minutes in silence and go to turn around and head back to the truck. ¡°Captain, can¡¯t we you know¡­?¡± A dark hunger surfaces in her eyes. ¡°My heart, belongs to only one, you know that ¨C Sofia`.¡± A soft voice replies eliminating her lust instantly. How long had it been since she had heard her true name. ¡°Sofia` K Kites¡±. The lonely back of the Captain looked so heavy and burdensome to her. Night came quickly, all afternoon I just sat in one of the convoy trucks, smoking. It was a hell of a bad habit but one I would rather indulge in, it also helped me to remember her. Kites had managed to wake up a distant memory, Veronica¡­ A cloud washed over my eyes to anyone that could have been watching him, a tear gathered but never fell. *boom* *boom* boom* Magnificent booming sounds woke me from my trance, it didn¡¯t take a genius to work out that the ¡®company¡¯ had arrived. ¡°Everyone get down!¡± one of the convoy men yelled before being blown completely to pieces by a falling mortar. ¡°Mortars!¡± another yells, the booming continues but never gets too close to the convoy trucks. ¡°Bandits,¡± I smoke casually as if the outside explosions weren¡¯t of any real concern. The convoy of 60 men had been halved over the 30 second barrage. Everyone had crowded around the trucks for sanctity. The bombing stopped, a low bird whistle is sung. From all directions men and even some women flew in on horses and camels. ¡°Jesus, horses and camels, seriously? In this day n age?¡± I was more shocked at the surprise of horses and camels than the bandits themselves. ¡°Everyone hands in the air, we just want the goods and we will be on our little mary way.¡± I raised my hands in the truck, but amidst the chaos one man stood up. ¡°Haahahahaha,¡± Baines was in absolute hysterical laughter. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you boy, you wanna be pumped full of lead.¡± The ¡®leader¡¯ of the bandits points his gun at Baines. Once the weapon had been pointed however, his laughter stopped abruptly. Kiria had been struggling against Cait during the entire ordeal, but all that met her was a strangely strong resistive powerful field. No matter how much strength she mustered nothing happened. ¡°You need to be still cutie,¡± the fox whispers in her fox form still wrapped around the girls neck. ¡°But what about Baines, he ¨C hes¡­¡± trailing off she looks to the always so light hearted man. But in a mere glance a cold sweat ran down her spine. ¡°I¡¯m going to die.¡± She fell back in horror, a low glow enveloped the girl, ¡°that man may be a playboy tool, but never, under any circumstances give him a reason to get serious.¡± The Fox even had a slight trace of fear in her whispered words. ¡°Fuck the kid, just waste em.¡± A twisted eyed women next to the man leaned on the leader. You could tell she was a bit ¡®cuckoo¡¯. *bang* The woman starts to cackle until she realises the leader has fallen. Baines stood. A flint lock pistol in his left hand, pointed at the leader. A ghostly green glow emanates from the weapon the carvings along the handle and barrel glow with fluorescent green. ¡°Emerald Dead,¡± Baines faint voice echoes, the whisper only ever reaching the bandits but to whom ever heard it ¨C died, never to feel the warmth of life again. The cackling women stares wide eyed at the bodies drop. She may have been evil and twisted but these men and women were her family. ¡°Wha-wait-wait-stop,¡± she collapsed. A pool of foul smelling urine stains the sand underneath her. *crunch* *crunch* The steps of Baines felt like the knocking of the grim reaper coming for her life. Tears began raining from her. Hysterical wordless ramblings fumbled from her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy this,¡± Baines grabbed the women and began dragging her away. A look of fired excitement burns in his eyes, the same fluorescent green flares deep within them. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± A stabbing whisper that only he could hear pierces the green man¡¯s heart. The flaming green in his soul vanishes like a small candle in the wind. He drops the women in the sand. She shivers violently, the fear she experienced was worse than dying. It terrified her beyond anything she could comprehend. The shivering stopped. And then she was dead. The aura of death vanishes with the green. Everyone just stares at the lone man walking away deep into the desert. Kites watches him walk away, a knowing look on her face. She knew his past and what he had done. No amounts of fake bravado and playful flirting could change his cruel nature. I stare at the scene left by my helmsmen, hoping out of the truck I go about gathering the bodies. The other convoy¡¯s men not being rookies also begin to help and we pile the bodies. We had planned to stay a day longer to recuperate but it was decided to burn the bodies and move on ahead. Some of the horses were captured. But mostly all of the camels ran for the desert. Tied to the convoys the horses followed behind, hauling with them some of the weapons scavenged from the bandits, a small addition to the auction. The next week goes by, Baines sits sulking to himself in the back convoy truck staring into nothing. Kites massages her acting shoulder and leg. Cait and Kiria talk non-stop almost like the whole bandit incident never happened. I catch Kiria glancing at Baines every so often, a look of more curiosity than anything else. I did hear Cait tell her to not worry with such strength, that kind of strength is ¡®ugly¡¯, Kiria just nodded. But it seemed only to fan her curiosity even more. A seed, a hunger for strength had surfaced. Emerald dead, an ability of the one named Baines. No one has been known to discover how it works. Only that is can shatter the very soul of its target. Codex Entry 0 Ability ¨C Emerald Dead Chapter 5: Appirition Success!!!! I have extracted the very source of the energy from one of the Furice. Only it has been tainted to a red. It¡¯s to be as expected I suppose, I tried many methods all of which failed. For a time I almost lost hope, however I was surprised by a sudden thought, blood. In the blood, maybe I can find what I seek, and I was right. There is a similar signature to Djinn in the blood, maybe it is integrated over a life time but it is there, in minute amounts. I need more. Memoirs of General Tyga: Chapter 2 versus 2 A mere 20km stretch of desert between us and Lint City, a grand circle city structure, 100 kilometres in radius. On the contrary to expectations it is more of a hole in the ground, split into 4 layers, each layer further towards the centre and lower into the hole. The sheer differences of the outskirts to the centre zones are worlds apart, a magnitude almost indescribable. Zone 4 is home to the slaves, beggars, and all the lower class that do not even have a place called home. The streets are their bed, the bare wells situated around the city are their only source of water, food is rotten and bad where ever you look, but still these people and aliens alike share their livelihood together to live. Zone 3 is home to the middle tier working class, 20 meters below ground the shanty town house are filled with miners, engineers, everything related to construction and well-being of managing the city. Zone 2 is 60 meters below that, holding the city guard barracks, doctor¡¯s quarters and surgeon clinics. No matter the zone, all are permitted to go to the surgeon clinics and doctors quarters if a working permit is present. If people get sick, they die. Therefore the loan shark method is free service for a minimum of 10 fold labour free work, of which serves to chain the poor to the city for free labour. And finally, zone 1, largest of all the zones at 50 kilometres in radius and placed at an incredible 200 meters below the surface. The rich and wealthy business tycoons, mob bosses, and the ruling faction of Lint the Sand Wraiths. All living in tall skyscraper like buildings ranging from 100¡¯s of meters all the way to a massive 500 meter tower located in the dead centre of Lint. Sand Tower, built so high it can be seen and looked on with envy. ¡°Wooow, look at that tower. It¡¯s amazing.¡± Kiria leans into the front, twinkling lights in her eyes. ¡°That is sand tower, home to the ruling faction of Lint.¡± I talk directly to Kiria for the very first time. ¡°Hm,¡± she turns her head turning her hose up at me. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you!¡± she barks at me, clearly remembering I was the ¡®broom boy¡¯. ¡°This little,¡± a deep frown crosses my brow. ¡°Kiria! That¡¯s no way to speak to our sexy young driver,¡± jumping into the conversation Cait defends me. ¡°Bu-but he¡¯s just a broom boy, who cares.¡± *slap* A bright red mark spreads across the smooth white skin of the girl. A look of bombshell appears instantly, ¡°I expected better from you, you should be ashamed.¡± The Fox had changed to her ginger self, instead of her regular smiling cheeky grin a cold and disgusted look pierces the blonde girl. She could not even respond, for some reason a feeling of deep shame overwhelmed her. She felt like crying. Not because she was slapped, but because this women she seemed to have really gotten along with was staring at her in such a way she felt rotten inside. Looking down, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Tears form, ¡°There is more to people than appearance and status¡­¡± Cait speaks in monotone. The girl looks to this figure she was beginning to admire over the last 2 weeks. The words rebound constantly in her working brain, but she still could not accept such reasoning, she who had been born into royalty her entire life. She who was told her father did not have time to play house, a mother who gave her free reign of the city, money and extravagance is all she had known. The lower class were like a plague in her eyes. But these two women she had met, Cait and Kites defied logic, whose might completely broke the boundaries that she knew. These powerful people stuck up for these lower class people, ¡°why¡­?¡± The trucks grind to a halt, the main checkpoint of Lint was a shitty little guard post. ¡°Permits,¡± a cold rough voice shoots into the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Here,¡± the convoy driver hands him a black card, ¡°oh, sorry for the rude behaviour sir. Carry on, I will phone ahead and let you directly into zone 2. Enjoy your stay.¡± The soldiers all did a 180 and stood away from the trucks when they saw the obsidian card, the letters SAND written in gold, impossible to counterfeit. The out zone did not actually count to the size of Lint, they were looked down upon as vagrants but it was more trouble to move them than to force them out. 40 kilometres of rubbish filled dirt streets, people sitting in the streets. Despair engraved into their very skin. I look from the passenger seat. A stirring of anger fills my heart. ¡°One day¡­¡±. Kiria looks at these people and for a second she begins to feel in her heart she is wrong.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Stop the truck,¡± gritting my teeth I clasp the door handle, veins popping. The truck comes to a halt again, the other trucks follow suit, hopping from the truck I stride towards the body of an infant. It was bruised and battered. A fury already raging to get out was threatening to get out. A sickly woman, on the edge of dying sat, staring at the body. I could tell she was the mother, I pick up the kid and take it to her, her legs were broken and cripple. The strength in her arms was gone, the tears had dried. She was broken. She nods her head in appreciation, a sad happiness cries from her. Kiria stares in awe at this ¡®cabin broom boy¡¯, a sting in her chest makes her feel the slap before again. The sad smile of the broken woman and the smile of sadness brought to her by the pony tail man bring tears to her eyes. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, her thoughts turn to confusion. ¡°I am a royal woman I can¡¯t be here¡­¡± but, ¡°my home feels so dirty¡­¡± ******* All the while Kiria was on this path of self-discovery, and the captain providing a kind of closure for the baby infant and mother. ¡°I see now, this was the beginning. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± A man in a grey cloak stares out onto the far street, eyes white as snow. ¡°The red lamp, you must take the red lamp.¡± A muted sound hangs on the wind drawing close to the Captain. ******* I feel a soothing vibration, turning my head. ¡°Take the red lamp,¡± inaudible streams of words enter my ears, only the last few words seem to make sense. The grey cloak and ghostly eyes stare at me intently and then vanish from sight, ¡°what the hell..?¡± I look around and notice no one else seems to have notice and I wonder if he was there to begin with. ¡°Hey come on, we gotta make the meet time.¡± The driver to the truck yells to me. Snapping me out of my trance, I give the woman a tap on the head. She nods appreciatively. The next hour we drive past similar scenes but we do not have the time to spare, we pass another 2 checkpoints and reach the second zone. The SAND hotel is the most luxurious hotel in the second zone and is the place where all auction guests and auctioneers must report to. After all the trucks are parked the hosts of the auction come down to value all the ¡®goods¡¯ and take the guests to their rooms until the time and place of the auction is released. ¡°Arms cache of the late General Tyga, research notes from the industrial revolution Era on steam power, harpoon of old¡­¡± The list goes on to state many trinket items and special materials Odin had plundered over the years. ¡°Well ¨C you sure have been busy, Jinn.¡± The curator in charge of valuating the items turns to the pony tailed man. ¡°Eyes like a hawk, curator Sven. I had hoped to remain anonymous...¡± I gaze steadily at the old man, grey hair and clean shaved face, walking cane by his side, curator Sven dog of the Sand Wraiths. ¡°Ah, my apologies Captain.¡± A polite bow replies but the sharp threatening look in his eyes didn¡¯t go unnoticed. ¡°That old fuck stain,¡± Kites curses. Baines and Cait nod in agreement and Kiria, she just stares at the pony tailed man in front of her. ¡°You¡¯re the Captain!!?¡± disbelief hanging in her outburst. ¡°What do we do now boss?¡± Baines turns to their captain. Kiria¡¯s question forgotten in the past, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m talking to you¡­ Are you really the captain!?¡± she stomps her feet while yelling. ¡°Yes, I am the captain.¡± I turn towards the blonde girl, ¡°and don¡¯t think I have forgotten about your words toward me these last two weeks.¡± The girl immediately flinching, she casts her eyes downward. A waterfall of questions and thought whirl her mind, but nothing comes out. In addition a small buzz worms into her conscious. ¡°We can¡¯t leave, not without fighting our way out. The enticement of our cargo is too great, without the threat of retaliation from my city they might decide to go for my head.¡± Thoughts drift out of my brain and into the elevator. ¡°How did he figure it out anyway,¡± a soft sputter drifts from the Fox. ¡°It¡¯s not like he has ever met the Captain¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing he was tipped off,¡± Baines breathes irregularly. ¡°I mean, could someone really have betrayed you Captain.¡± He finishes. ¡°Whether there is a Judas or not the trap has already been sprung. It is now just a matter of its design. There are in my view two possible plans with some amounts of success.¡± Lighting a cigarette stimulates my thinking. Electrical currents zap through my frontal lobe, spiking the response to complex thinking. ¡°Plan 1 we make a break for it, with our combined power at least 2 of us will die. The chance of capture is higher which in some cases can be worse.¡± Pausing for a moment I continue, ¡°Plan 2 we attend the auction in two teams. Team 1 Baines and Kites take the low profile, stay hidden amongst the guests. Team 2 will take high profile and take the spotlight and attend the auction.¡± The arcs gain in intensity as I simulate the plan virtually in my mind. ¡°Chance of plan 2 succeeding with no casualties is high. But¡­¡± A tingle sits like a fly landing on my skin. ¡°Something is out of place.¡± ¡°But what?¡± Everyone on the elevator except Kiria asks in unison. ¡°Never mind it¡¯s nothing.¡± A scary uncertainty takes a misty shape. Desert Lint city, a place of scum and sand, built by warlords and slavers. After staining the sand with blood for over a century one lone man came and decided to rule it. He forever became known as the emperor of Sand. Legend has it he alone killed every living person, slave and slaver alike and with his power opened a hole to the underworld. He traded 1000 gallons of blood for an ivory gold tower to rule over the harsh desert. Codex Entry 4~23: New Earth¡¯s Continents