Kyngdom Survival Guide
Beginner Thread For
Chatterbox: KYNGDOM™ RP Board
Beginner Thread For
Beginner Thread For New Kyngdomers or Those Who Want a Slightly More Relaxed Roleplay To Participate In
By relaxed, I really just mean a thread that doesn't directly alter the main plot.
Here's a link to Hazel's Kyngdom Academy thread, if you have any questions: http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/inkwell/node/412799
Anyways, let's introduce a segment of story, hmm?
The Grasplands, located in Southeastern Kyngdom, were once a peaceful land, where people of all nations came to visit and enjoy the warm climate. But ever since the war, the Grasplands have been altered. And not in a good way.
Nations bordering Kyngdom began to take advantage of its weakness. They began to seep into the boundaries, seeking to take some of the land.
However, Catastrophe didn't want other nations meddling in his war. He began to bomb the area. The other nations left, leaving the Graspland to view him as their savior.
Ever since, the Nobyls (wealthy families that used to rule Kyngdom) have been replaced with Catastrophe's soldiers. He has begun to recruit people living in the Grasplands.
But he's not the only army in town.
The Resistance has been hiding in the alleyways and basements of towns in the Grasplands, seeking to recruit those who do not agree with Catastrophe's motives.
What side will you join? Or will you join any at all?
~~~
Remember, post your charrie sheet on the Who's Here? thread, which is located on the homepage.
Happy roleplaying!
submitted by Sybill, age ????, Kyngdom
(November 23, 2019 - 3:32 pm)
(November 23, 2019 - 3:32 pm)
~Zanrii~
Zan darted toward the small port, the annoying, life-threatening wolf right behind him. A helicopter was speeding away. The beast howled again. Zan sighed and ran faster, putting on a burst of speed. He darted out on the rickity dock, grabbing a line swinging from the ship that was under attack. Quickly i scrambled up the line. The beast tried to follow me but it was a little too big... slipping down the dock, it resorted to taking my boot-which I was rather fond of.
"Not my boot, you big monster!" i screamed, and sguiggled up the rope. My foot was FREEZING-and i could hear ripping noises from below-so i vaulted over the ship's railing and landed in the middle of a battle.
-=-
i really want Zan to meet Kimi and Davina-BUT I NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM-lol, i was gonna write all about their encounters, but, uh, i dont even know what they look like and what species they are and how old and what gender and-yeah.
Zan is also unknown to the world, so, uhm,
His name is Zanrii, but no one calls him that-his permanent nickname is Zan.
He's rather daring, but he gets scared a LOT. he'll be friendly, but he wont trust you entirly until you... how do i say this... prove yourself or something.
Zan has dark green hair, pointy ears, a dirty grey tunic and baggy white pants that are even dirtier, and thick brown boots. one bright green eye, one dark (almost black) green eye.
Okay. thats it, i guess. he's Ashya's cousin, which i decided this second <3
-=-
Zan's Thoughts While Being Chased
-This is insane
-That wolf is terryfying
-and it made me lose my bread
-Where am i even going?
-away from the wolf. thats right.
-This is tiring.
-=-
yes, he's a little grumpy at times.
and im totally not writing enough lol but i stopped cuz of the not-knowing-kimi-and-davina thing.
ill write more next time, dont worry
(June 10, 2020 - 11:21 am)
Selena~
"DARYA, LOOK!" I shriek as I spy two bandits stabbing the life out of our sails.
"I SEE THEM CAPTAIN," she yells back. "GIVE ME A BREAK! WHY DO YOU HAVE SO MANY ENEMIES?"
The two men on the docks have conveniently disappeared, likely to shuttle their packages to safety. At least, I assume that's what they're doing. I can't find them either way.
"Hey, they could be those guys' enemies, we don't know!" We've barely even lifted the gangplank--we're just getting ready to set sail. "Defeat the thieves!" I draw my blaster and aim for the largest target, but she leaps away at the same time as her partner. They land on deck, weapons drawn, right into the clutches of my crew. Above us, the sails flap limply, bleeding warm air that should have been carrying us off into the night.
I hear two shots and a shout, and the fight begins. The two young men miraculously return, scaling the side of the boat to help us fend off the wily attackers. It's in their best interest. Wouldn't want their precious safe getting stolen tonight. But I have the money, hahaha! Two thieves couldn't carry our chest away. They'd just drown!
Wait a minute, that is fishy.
The fight is intense and sends adrenaline coursing through my every vein. This is the kind of rush I've been missing! And I'm not even fighting; I'm just trying to get close enough to see who dared vandalize my ship. My enjoyment of the battle is tainted only slightly by my inability to determine an incentive for the attack.
I hear a yelp and see Arroyo limping away with a stab wound. When I look to where the culprit should be, I see a striped tail zip behind a pole and a couple of barrels. I can guess where she'll pop out, and there I also find her partner. I reach the bandits at the same time the curly-haired reptilian man does. We're on starboard, close to the shore and the dock. (The Thunderbird has barely moved and will likely not move from this river until it is repaired.)
Lookie there, it's them again. Fancy meeting those two here. The raccoon person, and Davrina, or something, was the Sanukan's name. "You again! I thought I was done with you." Darya was right. Ah, this will be fun. They can't get away from us this time.
My contact is annoyed by this reunion. Just when I thought he was starting to like me, too. Oh well, you can't please everyone.
I lunge at the Sanukan with both my cutlass and my blaster. Darya appears at my side to help, but she's wounded. I can't tell where, but I see blood.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," she hisses.
"So what?" I've got to fight this out. This is the revenge I've been waiting for.
Darya has to bow out of the fight. She's too injured. And these bandits are better armed than the last time we fought them. I'm not sure where the rest of the crew is--I think they must have carried the crate of gold down into the hold for safety. They're probably still down there. I see Arroyo, though, binding her leg with a strip of her own shirt. Goji, my parrot, is with her, and Darya is running to help.
It's just me and reptile man. We're losing. I don't want to die today.
There are other plans in store. Suddenly, the ship gives out a thunderous roar, rocking violently, and then the deck explodes. Wood flies everywhere, and flames lick up through the hole. The noise is deafening. I leap out of the way--we all do--but too late. The force of the explosion sends me careening across the deck on my side and smashes me into the starboard wall. Something crunches inside. I groan and attempt to stand, but the Thunderbird is rocking like a seesaw, and I can only crouch on my hands and knees.
I try to spot my crew through the pungent smoke. "Darya!" I call. "Arroyo!" I can feel the ship shuddering. It's sinking.
"Captain!" I hear some coughing just ahead. Darya and Arroyo have also been blown over to the starboard wall. I'm not sure where the homo tenebris or his partner is.
Flames rise up through the hole in the main deck, overtaking the masts and sails faster than any normal fire should grow. I can feel the heat from here--heat more intense than a thousand suns.
"Abandon ship!"
The gold below deck feels the heat as well--and melts, revealing small blobs of blue gel in the center of each ingot. These are the real finale.
The fire absorbs enough heat.
The gels combust.
It happens too fast. One second, we're throwing ourselves overboard. The next--before gravity has even had the chance to grab us--the world blows up, and there is nothing left except for the massive concussion blast of ultimate destruction that slaps my body with the force of the entire weight of the ocean. I'm blown away, but not fast enough. One half of me is facing the ship as I am shot into the air, and I see my Thunderbirdenveloped in a ball of flames expanding--expanding--rushing at me at light speed, eating the masts and sails, disintigrating them, turning night to day.
So this is death. What a way to go.
The surrounding water turns to steam, and the banks on either side of the river burst into raging flames. When the fireball reaches me, it pushes me back even faster, and I sail through the night, barely conscious of the searing heat, barely conscious of my own life, and then everything turns black--
blissful, quiet black--
and I remember no more.
~ ~ ~
She's not dead, but she's barely alive. As for her crew, though...
(June 10, 2020 - 9:47 am)
Adrion K'rosi~~
I pull myself onto the banks, far enough that I'm not in fear of the fires, but close enough so that I can still see the flaming ship. My shield had vanished--the force of the explosion proved to be more than enough to destroy it, magic or not.
Curuxa's dead. I saw a wooden splinter spear him in the initial explosion, and even if he survived that, the flames from the gel explosion would have burnt him. I've no idea what happened to the pirates or the Sanukan agents, though I'd be surprised to hear they survived.
Another howl breaks out across the night, and I know it's no normal wolf. It's some sort of ice wolf, or magical wolf, to make a noise like that. They're fairly common in the Grasplands--a great deal of people use them to protect their livestock. But this doesn't sound like it's coming from the fields--it sounds very close, and like it's chasing something.
I pull myself to my feet, wiping blood off my face and looking around. I can't see the wolf, but I can smell it--and an elf. Judging from how close the two scents are, I'd guess the wolf is chasing the elf. I listen carefully, and I can hear the sound of footsteps--but the wolf is limping.
I stumble through an alleyway to witness the chase. There's a massive wooden splinter in the beast's hide, and both wolf and elf are covered in burns. Likely from the explosion.
The elf notices me, as does the wolf. I use my remaining energy to conjure up a spell. Inky blades forged from shadows shoot from my hands, piercing the wolf. It drops, as do I.
The elf approaches me.
"Leave me, you common filth," I spit, grasping for some semblance of dignity. But the truth is, there's none--I'm lying on the ground, too exhausted and injured to move, with the elf my only chance of help. Hopefully, he'll just think I was some wealthy hybrid caught in the fray, not a Homo Tenebris Black Skull member.
~~~~~
Davina Starr~~
"DAVINA!"
I turn my head to see Kimi. She's injured, but--thank Lunee--alive. We use each other as a brace, stumbling and falling towards a rickety shed. Just as my hand touches the door knob, another explosion goes off.
Kimi and I are both blown into the side of the shed. The wood cracks and I feel it dig into my arm, shoulder, torso--the entire right side of my body. Blood drips down the side of Kimi's face--but all head injuries bleed alot. I'm sure it's nothing too serious.
Kimi pulls me to my feet and I yell a sharp curse word in pain, wincing. The fires grow ever closer and I can feel the searing heat.
"Sorry!" She yelps. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," I say through gritted teeth. "We need to move, before the flames catch up." She nods, and we manage to walk a fair distance before collapsing, half on the sandy beach, half in the murky river.
I notice the form of a body, not far from us. I tap Kimi's shoulder, and point.
"Do you think they're..." She trails off.
"Dead?" I finish. "Probably, but we might as well check." I somehow manage to stand, nearly doubling over from the pain. Kimi looks concerned, but I notice she's wincing from her injuries as well. What a sight we are.
We get closer to the body, and I recognize it as the captain.
"Oh. Her." Kimi sounds disappointed, and I don't blame her. Part of me wants to leave the captain to bleed out in the weeds, but whatever conscience I have left protests. Besides, we need to take her captive, so the Sanukans can question her for information about the Black Skull.
I ungracefully slump into a kneeling position, using my good-ish hand to check her pulse. It's there, but she seems weak. Probably on the verge of death. I press my neck, trying to turn on the emergency communicator attached to it, but find it's broken.
"Kimi, your communicator still working?" I ask. "We need to tell Hviti to get us the heck out of here.,
~~~
(June 10, 2020 - 11:29 am)
~Zanrii~
the explosion propelled me off the ship-and im glad for that-but only a little. The wolf is chasing me again. I sprint away from the beast, who's limping from a gigantic splinter. Im covered in splinters too, and theres a large burn on my arm. Cant think about that now-gotta get this terrible wolf away from me. Suddenly, a blade of shadow shoots past me. a weak howl tells me the wolf took the blow. i stop running, squinting to see who helped. i see someone/something, collapsed on the ground. Theres whisps of shadows curling off them. I approach cautiously.
"Leave me be, you common filth" the creature says. I dont respond.
"i said leave me be..." they repeat, and close their eyes momentarily, clearly in pain. I sigh and rip up a handful of grass. Absently, I weave a blade between my fingers until the sharp grass cuts me.
Dropping the grass, I sit down next to the stranger. They wince.
"Who are you?" i say, and rummage around in the little pocket of my tunic. i take out a bundle of yellow leaves and hold them out. The stranger mives to take them, then stops.
"Who are you? Its a simple question-and these will help." I say, forcing the leaves into the creatures hands. They sigh and say,
"Adrion. And, um, thanks? But what do I do with these?"
"You put them on wounds. Like this-" I take a leaf and press it to the burn on my arm. The pain i didnt even realize was there lessens, and the burn seems to fade a little.
"Oh. Thanks." the creature responds, and starts applying the leaves to their many cuts and bruises.
i get up and scan the area for my boot. My feet are sore and the one with no boot has several blisters. I hope the beast didnt completly destroy the boot-speaking of which, its over there, by several forms clustered on the ground. I squint, trying to make out what their doing. Too far away. I sprint across the grass, slowing to a walk once i reach the group. One of the people leaps up and points a pistol at me. Great...
"Im just getting my boot. No need to attack me, please." I say, reaching down and grabbing my torn boot. Great-the heel is ripped off. Oh well... I shove my foot back in the boot and back away.
"And, um, is she okay? The lasy on the ground?" I toss my last yellow leaf at them and shout,
"It'll help!" as I leave. Now where to go? my normally not-peacful life has become disrupted by an exploding ship. No where else to go, I head back toward Adrion. The wolf is slumped on the ground where Adrion stopped it with those shadow blades. I switch directions and run toward the wolf, who seems to be disinigrating. When I get closer, I see, yes, it is disinegrating. Weird. In seconds, all thats left of the wolf is a pile of black dust and a yellowed peice of paper-which i grab.
get out of here. youre not supposed to be in the middle of all this. leave, now!
PS-i hope my wolf gave you lots of trouble.
well, thats weird. I crumple up the note and rip it into shreds. what now? i take a bit of the black dust and tuck it in my pocket. might come in handy later, who knows? I went over to Adrion and sat silently next to him. For right now, i would just relax.
(June 10, 2020 - 12:58 pm)
@Heroes - Here's a little bit about Kimi and Davina.
Alright, so Kimi is a raccoon anthro--human-sized, human shaped, but with a raccoon head, paws, feet, and tail. Davina is an extremely tall Sanukan (humans, but with giant blood) who usually wears her hair in a braid, if I'm not mistaken.
Kimi~
I reach for my communicator and find it gone, replaced by a giant bald patch and countless oozing neck wounds. Panic rises in my throat, and the fires suddenly feel a lot more real. "It's gone. It must have come off when I fell onto the dock."
I look behind us, where there isn't a dock anymore--just fire. No ship, no people, no life. Just a wall of white-hot flame creeping along the riverbank, roaring like a wild beast, sending black smoke billowing into the sky. The river glows orange, and in some places, liquid fire even slithers above the waves.
"What are we going to do?" I yell over the roar of the flames. "Maybe Hviti will see the fire and rescue us!"
Suddenly, we hear a crashing through the small forest fringing the shore. I leap to my feet too fast and yelp as my ankle snaps again. My blood pressure drops and my wounds throb harder, but I aim my weapon at the sound even though my hands are shaking.
A person I don't recognize emerges and yells for me not to shoot. He reaches down and snatches a charred boot out of the sand, shouts something about the dying captain, and throws a leaf in our direction before sprinting away. Bewildered, I grab the leaf and stumble back to Davina.
Davina slaps her communicator again and again. "I've got nothing. We're going to have to move to some open ground where we can be seen."
Even the mention of moving sounds like torture. But I guess I'd rather move than die.
I've been trying not to look at the captain of the Thunderbird, but now I have to. Her left half is completely burned--blistered and red from face to feet, like she's been dipped in something. Most of her hair has been singed off...I don't know how she's still alive. One more second and I find myself thinking, That could have been us.
"Are we taking her with us?" With all our wounds, I'm not so sure we can even carry ourselves.
Davina's eyes are narrowed and kind of glazed. "If we can find a place to go. We'll leave her here and look for open ground. And then...come back for her."
"Do we have time?" I wonder, indicating the fires.
Davina shakes her head. "No time to find out."
We stumble to our feet. Even being still for a moment has caused my injuries to swell. "Wowwww that hurts."
"You're telling me."
"I think I might pass out."
"Kimi, don't you dare."
We make our way along the riverbank at an awfully slow rate. I really don't think I can go any farther. But, about ten feet away from where we started, we spy another body at rest halfway in the river. Even from here, I can tell it's a pirate.
"Not another one," I moan. A moment later, I recognize her as the one I injured in the leg.
Davina collapses at her side and checks for a pulse. "Dead."
The proclamation stuns me a little. She was up and fighting less than ten minutes ago. I don't dwell on the thought for more than a second, though; there's no time for that. "She has a bag," I point out, coughing, and drag myself over to inspect it. It appears to be an insulated medical bag--just what we need. But there's something better than bandages resting inside.
"Oh my gosh Davina, look," I splutter. Within the pack is a flare gun, miraculously intact, with two charges.
(June 11, 2020 - 11:15 am)
Davina~~
"Oh my gosh, Davina, look." Kimi stumbles over her words, showing me the contents of the pouch--bandages, some herbs and potions, but most importantly--a flare gun, with two charges left.
"Oh, thank Claaws," I gasp. "Let's treat our wounds as best we can, then we can fire one."
"Right. How do we plan on treating them?" Kimi asks. I examine her and I's wounds--mostly cuts, scrapes, and bruises, with a few burns. First we'll need to clean them, then treat them with whatever herbs are in that bag, and then bandage the cuts, and any burns that our clothes will rub against.
I look at the water of the river. There's far too much debris in it to be safe to clean our wounds with.
"Kimi, can you find any water sources that are clearer than the river? We need to wash out our wounds," I ask. Kimi looks around.
"Maybe there's a sink in one of these houses. I'll check," Kimi replies. She vanishes inside one of the few wooden buildings that's still standing and not on fire. After a few moments, I hear a weak cry of victory. "There's one in here!"
I pick up the medical bag and the strange leaves the person gave us, slowly stumbling into the house. I show Kimi the leaves.
"Think we should use these?" I ask.
Kimi examines them for a moment, then shakes her head. "I've never seen them. They might be poisonous."
"Good point," I reply, tossing them into the empty trash can. The house we're in looks like it's been abandoned for years--dust covers every surface, and the windows are so dirty I can hardly see through them.
Kimi turns on the sink and we clean our wounds to the best of our ability, wincing every few moments. Despite the pain, having clean wounds feels better--less chance of infection.
I rummage through the medical bag, looking for anything useful. There's some sterile cotton pads, which we use to wipe away the blood and any grime we missed. I also found some aloe vera gel--it'll help the burns and smaller cuts.
I apply the gel to my wounds, then pass it to Kimi. "Remember to bandage your burns loosely," I say, handing her one of the rolls of bandages. She nods, and we lapse back into silence.
After a while, we're covered in bandages. My burns and cuts already feel better thanks to the aloe, though I know they're not fully healed. I manage to stand without nearly passing out, though.
"So, time to shoot some flares?" Kimi asks.
"Yeah, it's time," I reply.
"Thank Lunee. I'm ready to get out of this place," Kimi says. I murmur agreement.
We head back outside, closer to the pirate captain, who's still unconscious. Half of her body is burnt and charred, and a good chunk of her hair is missing. She looks lovely.
Kimi raises the flare diagonally upwards. She squeezes the trigger, and a brillaint streak of orangey light flies across the sky.
"So, now what?" Kimi asks.
"Now," I say, "We wait."
~~~
(June 11, 2020 - 3:56 pm)
~Zanrii~
Turns out I fall asleep quickly when scared. Who knew. I wake up to find Adrion out of sight. With a round of squinting, I confirm that the people down at the docks are gone as well. I let myself sigh and then get up, closing my eyes while I stretch. When I open them, the people at the dock are back. I watch as one of them lifts something and an orangey-red flare shoots up into the sky. I leave them behind and walk past slightly burnt houses and charred grass. I let myself break into a light run, the sun beaming down on me. I used to run through the feilds of our family farm, chasing after my siblings... I shake away the memory and blink, convinced I saw another elf running with me. Another blink and their gone. I double back and stop running, sitting against a house that managed to escape the flames but looks really old. Suddenly, theres a rumble behind me and I roll out of the way just in time - the house collapses.
-=-
that was quick, but i have to go T^T
ill write more next time! @Hazel-thanks for the descriptions of Davina and Kimi!
(June 11, 2020 - 5:09 pm)
Eniyan~~
The group had spent the next several hours in the tree-house-basement thing, Eniyan still not entirely trusting Griffe, or his sister. Cadao had been watching Kira forge weapons with a look of wonder on his face, and Ember had shifted into a small, firey black cat, and was resting against the forge.
The tentative peace was interrupted suddenly by a loud BANG coming from outside. It sounded like an explosion of some sort.
"What in Claaws' name was that?" Eniyan snapped. Griffe shrugged.
"No idea," He said. "From what I know, nobody in the area was planning to set off fireworks."
"We should investigate," Ember said, already shifting back to a human. "Make sure it's not...Catastrophe, or something."
"Right," Eniyan said, already thinking. "Griffe and I should go out. Ember and Kira...watch Cadao." Griffe was already performing the incantation required to open the door. He completed it, and with a brief flash of blue light, there was an exit.
Eniyan followed Griffe outside, already drawing his silenced pistol. When they stepped out into the air, the sky was lit by the lights of a raging fire in the distant.
"Where is that?" Eniyan asked roughly.
"Nevaru," Griffe replied. "It's a fairly small port along the Barrier River. Don't know why it would be on fire, though. Should we investigate?"
Eniyan was about to reply when there was a streak of brilliant light across the sky, raising into the air. It burst in the air, with a bang only slightly quoted than the first--a flare.
"Someone's injured out there," Griffe said. "We should get Ember and help them."
"Are you an idiot?" Eniyan snapped. "What we need to do is stay hidden and not throw ourselves into danger."
Griffe's eyes turned dark. "Do you not have a conscience? Someone could be dying."
"And that affects us how?"
"Aren't you supposed to be more than a ruthless killer?" Griffe snapped. "We're going to at least see what's going on, and that's final."
Eniyan bit back an angry response, and let Griffe step back into the bunker. He returned a moment later with Ember by his side.
~~~
(June 12, 2020 - 4:39 pm)
Ember~
Griffe enters the bunker with startling news--Nevaru is on fire.
"What?!"
"That's what the explosion was. And Eniyan and I just saw a flare go up. Someone's injured."
"I'm sure it's more than someone. I'll get my things."
"Are you leaving?" Cadao wonders.
"Yes," Griffe answers, then looks at me.
I nod at Cadao. "We'll be back, Cadao--we've just got to see what's going on. Kira, if you keep a fire going, I can use it to relay messages."
"Eniyan's not too keen on going," Griffe says. "We're not sure what we'll find out there."
I chew my lip. "You said Nevaru's on fire? I can jump through Kira's forge and see what the situation looks like."
"And by that you mean...?"
"As a cat, I walk through fires. In one, out the other. Like a portal. Just don't put out the fire while I'm gone."
"I won't," Kira says.
I shift into a cat and immediately feel the pull of Kira's fire drawing me in. Without hesitation, I leap into the flames. They envelop me in warmth, and my crackling fur expands to form a blaze of its own. Within moments, I've dissolved into energy.
When I close my eyes, all I see is white, and I don't even need to look for a nearby flame. I feel it like you'd feel a black hole--the hottest inferno I've ever encountered, eating and growing and incinerating everything in its path, sucking in every last drop of oxygen in a neverending thirst to expand.
Its power is terrifying, not comforting like most fires. The chemicals feeding it must be powerful indeed. If I go in there, I'm not coming out--not until the fire dies. I back out slowly and feel warm stone on my paws again. I'm back in the bunker.
"Anything?" Griffe wonders doubtfully as I shift back into human form. I was only in for a few seconds.
I shake my head in concern and a little shame. "The fire's way too big. Sorry. I guess we'll have to go in blind. We should hurry."
I scoop my bag up and follow Griffe out of the bunker. Eniyan is standing outside with a scowl on his face. By the way he steps aside, I can tell he's upset with what we're about to do...He's been through a lot today. But then again, so have the rest of us.
"How long will it take to get there?" I wonder, hoisting my bag to a more secure position on my shoulder. The glare of firelight raging on the horizon catches my eye. It's big enough to see from here. "That's terrible. I wonder what caused it..." Even the animal sounds on the surrounding grassland have quieted completely, frightened by the sound and sight of destruction.
"A reasonable amount of time," Griffe answers vaguely.
"We don't know what's over there. It could be crawling with soldiers," Eniyan points out.
"The fire is out of control," I tell him. "Even if there were soldiers, we'd be the least of their worries."
"The flare went off right about there," Griffe says, pointing to one side of the fire.
"Let's go."
(June 12, 2020 - 10:20 pm)
Davina~~
Kimi and I had moved to a more open and noticeable area on the outskirts of the village, taking the pirate captain with us. I'd searched for the Black Skull members and the elf we found, but all I found was the corpse of the non-tenebris Black Skull member and the remains of several more pirates.
"Davina, look!" Kimi said excitedly, tapping my shoulder. She pointed into the distance, where three figures were approaching us.
"Oh, thank Lunee," I said with a sigh of relief. Both of us kept our eyes trained on them. After a few moments it became clear they'd spotted us and were heading towards us.
But it also became clear that these were not Sanukans.
One was a strange cat-boy--though it didn't quite look like the Homo Felis we'd met earlier, another was a regular human girl carrying what looked like a medical bag, and the third was a Homo Tenebris. If there was a Homo Tenebris, then surely these had to be Catastrophe's forces. I swore under my breath.
"What's wrong?" Kimi asked. She looked worried.
"There's a tenebris. Chances are, they work for Catastrophe," I replied, already attempting to stand and move away.
"So...not rescue?" Her face seemed to drop, losing that hopeful flicker it typically had.
"No," I said. "But we also can't outrun them."
"So then what?"
"We fight." I drew my pistol.
When the three people were close enough for me to see them clearly, I raised my pistol, aiming it at the tenebris's head. Kimi had pulled out two daggers, and had gotten into the closest thing to a fighting stance she could manage.
"We're not here to hurt you," The girl said, in a soft voice. "We came to help, after we saw the flare."
"Really?" I snapped. "Then why in Claaws' name do you have a tenebris with you?"
"Good question," The cat-boy muttered under his breath. The tenebris shot him a glare. The girl looked at him for a moment, before turning back to us.
"He's...different," She said eventually. "He doesn't work for Catastrophe anymore."
"Assuming you work for Sanukaville," The Homo Tenebris interrupted, "Why were you in Nevaru? It has no relations to Sanukaville."
"No," Kimi said, "But it's ten minutes away from somewhere that does." There's a soft groan of pain, and I notice the pirate captain is starting to awaken. Oh, good. Now we'll have to deal with her, too.
"Listen," I snapped. "Our--" I swallowed, already hating the word I was going to use to describe her--"friend here is dying." I gestured to the pirate.
"And we're badly injured, and don't have the supplies or knowledge to fix ourselves properly. We're not going to attack you unless you attack us, so just hurry up and save our lives already."
After I finished, I put away my pistol, as a symbol of trust. Kimi does the same with our daggers.
"Right," The cat-boy said. He gestured to the Tenebris. "Eniyan, you carry the unconcious one. Ember, see if anyone needs immediate care, then you and I can help the anthro and Sanukan walk. We'll figure out who they are and what happened when we get back."
~~~
Dar'sava~~
"Listen," I continue, sitting back up and rubbing my head where it hit the dashboard. "You can't just charge into situations like that! Do you have a death wish or something?!?"
Kirah doesn't reply, so I keep talking.
"What we need to do is think about things. We can't do this with just the two of us--we have to get help."
"Oh, right, because we have people who are going to help us," She snarls. Her rage is barely contained.
"Actually, we do," I inform her. "There's Eniyan and Ember, and that other cat guy. We just have to find them."
~~~
(June 13, 2020 - 8:23 am)
Jira~
The soldier I rescued revived long ago, and we've been wandering aimlessly since then. Him apparently being a relatively low rank, he didn't know where they were going, although he knew it was somewhere near [?].
Near dawn(?), we see a flare shoot into the sky.
"Someone's in trouble!" I gasp. "We need to help them!" I start in the direction of the flare, but the soldier pulls me back.
"Are you crazy?" he barks. "We don't even know what's out there! How do we know they're not Resistance members or Sanukans? And how the heck do I know I can trust you??"
I look at him steadily until he drops his gaze. "First of all," I say, "I saved your life. You're welcome. Do I need to say it again? And second of all, your arm is bleeding again." I crush a handful of medicinal leaves and trickle the juice into the wound, then rewrap it in long strips of grass. "Third: If they are Resistance or Snakudans--"
"Sanukans."
"--They obviously need help, so they probably can't hurt us. But just in case...." I gesture for him to remove his badge, which I then put in one of my waist pouches. Then I give him my cloak to drape over his shoulders. "Not bad. With all that mud, you look like a regular bandit."
He grimaces. "Fine. Let's go and get it over with."
We arrive at the place that the flare came from just as several figures are leaving. I recognize two of them (Eniyan and Ember), and can't suppress a cry of surprise. I immediately clap a hand over my mouth.
(June 13, 2020 - 3:01 pm)
Ember~
I rush to the side of the Sanukans' friend, aghast at the sight of her. The burns are at least second degree--third in some places. Her clothes are plastered to her skin, charred in some places, covered in blood. Her pulse is extremely weak.
I stare at the Sanukans' bandages. "Why--didn't you have enough for her?"
Neither one replies. So they're not really her friends.
I collapse next to the pirate and get to work immediately. Leaving her like this for another second could mean the loss of her life. I cut her clothes away from the wound, using peroxide to loosen them from the blisters. I don't have nearly enough to give her the care she requires. She's feverish and the burns have dug deep into her skin, unfettered. They're very bad on the left side of her face, which is too swollen for me to even see her eye. If there's even an eye left.
"She'll die if we can't get her to a hospital."
"We have access to one," says one of the Sanukans behind me.
"Hurry, Ember," Eniyan demands. "We've got to go."
"Let me bandage her!"
I wind gauze loosely around her arm and face, but I don't have time to do the right leg. The burns there aren't so bad. I've hardly secured the last binding when Eniyan cuts in and scoops her up, slinging her smoothly over his shoulders.
I glance over the Sanukans. They can stand just fine, so they don't need my care.
"Care to tell us what happened here?" Eniyan demands.
"Not really," the human replies.
"Are there any others who are in danger?" I interject.
"Probably not," says the raccoon anthro. "She's the only one we found alive. And we need to keep her that way."
"Then let's go," Eniyan says emphatically. The pirate moans unconsciously again. "This place will be swarming with soldiers soon."
Kimi~
These so-called rescuers are rushing us to leave the scene. Yes, we need to go, but what will Hviti think when he doesn't hear from us? Probably that we died in the fire. Surely he'll have more faith in us than that, though...
Ember offers her support, which I accept, but not too keenly. Davina seems equally hesitant to allow the cat-boy to support her. Before we can set off, I hear the tenebris, Eniyan, shout, "Stay back!"
I'm not in any shape to turn around and see who's behind us. Ember is, though, and she knocks me in the snout as she whips her head around.
"Hey! We saw the flare--we're just here to help!" The voice is female.
"Already done," Eniyan snaps. "Move along."
"The fires are spreading," Ember says. "If you want to help, you need to find someone who can put them out."
An awkward silence falls over us, filled by the roar of not-so-distant flames.
"We'll find the army," says a new male voice.
There's another awkward silence. I don't know what side the two strangers are on. So I can't say what's in my brain.
"They're the only ones with the resources to stop something like this," Ember points out.
(June 14, 2020 - 2:53 pm)
Jira~
I flinch at Eniyan's harsh tone, but straighten again quickly. "Do you even know where the army is?" I ask out of the corner of my mouth. The soldier doesn't answer.
The small group, of which only Eniyan and Ember I know, seems to be having a discussion about whether or not to accept our offer. I don't understand why, as they could hardly stop us. "Lets go," I say quietly. The soldier hesitates, then nods, so we slip away, headed in the direction of [where should the squad of Catastrophe soldiers have been going?].
(June 14, 2020 - 5:02 pm)
(Maybe the army would have some people and resources in Spiaggia, which is ten minutes away by boat and probably a little longer by foot.)
Ember~
The hooded figure and her companion leave to get help. I wish I had my radio with me; I feel extremely cut off with no electronics, no voices buzzing in my ears. It's been like this for a long time now, but in the awkward silence of traveling through the dark, it would be useful to have a diversion.
It's slow going back to the bunker. I keep reminding Eniyan to be gentle with the pirate he has slung around his shoulders. He might not be experienced handling living bodies...probably only dead ones.
"Alright...you're going to have to tell us what happened," Griffe pipes up once we're safely in the wilderness. "Where did you get explosives like that?"
"You think we did that?" splutters the raccoon anthro leaning on me.
"No, but saying it made you talk, didn't it?"
"Look, we're with the Resistance," I remind them, revealing my pin. "You can trust us."
The other Sanukan speaks: "...A threat to Sanukan trade had planted explosives on a pirate ship involved with smuggling. They were set to detonate both the ship and the Spiaggian port ten minutes after disembarking from Nevaru. We were sent to stop it."
Politics, I think ruefully. These things get so dirty, don't they.
"Is that pirate the captain, then?" I wonder, seeing her in a new light.
"Yes. We need her for interrogation. And then she's going to jail for a long, long time."
"Where are you going to take her for better care?" I propose. "You said you had access to a hospital."
"If we can get access to a phone we do."
Griffe reminds everyone, "We don't have phones at the bunker."
Hm. Come to mention it, I don't know if Griffe has any communication at the bunker. That would defeat the purpose as a hideout.
We might have to find a city to find a phone.
(June 16, 2020 - 8:51 am)
(All right then, they'll go to Spiaggia.)
Jira~
"We're almost there," pants the soldier. I've made him run the whole way, and though I feel like I could go on for a good bit more, he's breathing hard and can hardly speak.
"Good," I say. "Are you sure they'll let me in?"
"If I tell them you're with us, they should.
(Sorry this is so short i gotta go)
(June 16, 2020 - 2:01 pm)