Taitle had been abandoned. The fighting tournament had not done what was meant to be done. The city was still desolate and lifeless. The tournament had ended 13 years ago when the champion competitor, Annie, struck the runner up, Karl in the head with a pick axe barrowed from an outsider. Since then No one has entered the city. Taitle is now seen as a taboo symbol of bloodshed and foreboding and no soul has been brave enough to break that taboo. 13 is an unlucky number so it made sense that on the 13th anniversary of the tournament's end someone would break that taboo.
Dusty, durable, leather boots climbed and crunched over the rubble of what used to be Taitle. A 5'9" figure toppled over the bricks of what used to be a chapel and landed roughly at the bottom of the pile of red brick with a yelp of pain. With a grunt and a groan the figure stood up and dusted the dirt off the tan cargo pants and the brown vest and white shirt that's clung tightly to their curves and features. The wide brimmed hat they wore atop their head had toppled down the side of the red bricks with its owner and was retrieved not long after the trip down.
The tabooed traveler slapped the wide brimmed hat atop their head of frazzled purple hair that was normally stringently straightened and braided to where it extended down their back past their waist. They continued their trek not far off from the chapel and found what looked like a parking garage that was blown to bits and then those bits were slowly eroded for the past 13 years. The tabooed traveler began digging through the remains of the city for anything of value to her goal. "They have to be here somewhere. Mr. Jack told me this was where I'd find them. Then again he and Chimbley said that it was also a bad idea to bring one of them back but he never told me which one that was so I'll just have to bring them both with me."said the tabooed traveler.
They continued to dig until they came across a chip of ceramic about the size of their palm that was painted in a bright golden yellow that had dulled over the years. "How intriguing." They said with a smile in their large and curious red eyes. They continued the search and soon a plethora of ceramic pieces were gathered in front of the tabooed traveler and they were starting to form various parts of a ceramic statue. The traveler stared in awe at what was forming in front of them. "There's not question. I have to rebuild this statue. It'd be such a waste not to."
"No! Don't do it!"
The frazzled purple hair swayed at it turned around to see a torso with a head and arms that were hobbling him over to the traveler. The upper body of the mannequin was adorned in worn and filthy climbing gear and had a pasty complexion painted on his face. "Oh, you poor thing!" The tabooed traveler ran over to the disembodied mannequin and scooped him up off the rubble covered ground with a caring and healing look in their eyes. He stopped dead in his metaphorical tracks. This stranger who had traveled an unknown distance for an unknown reason into this taboo city was nothing but a fragile young girl of no more than 22 years old with an aura of trustworthiness hovering about her that gave one the feeling that she could do no wrong.
"What's your name?" She asked. The mannequin snapped out of his analyses of the traveler who he assumed was there as a rescuer. "I'm Climber. Who are you and why are you here?" said the partially destroyed mannequin. "I'm Ronni. I'm the new owner of the Castle of Nations and I'm here to retrieve some lost employees of mine."
