Zia's Days, a bastion fanfic

We will see Zia's journey from when she emerged from her cellar after the Calamity, to her days in Prosper Bluff, where she is discovered by the Kid. Let's begin, shall we?

Zia's Days

It's been a while since father told me to hide in the cellar, an entire day I think. I have to go up and see if everything's alright. Clutching my harp guitar and my father's journal that I found down here, I climb the wooden steps and open the door to my home. From there, I look around our house, only to find everything is still there, but it is also very quiet. I open the door to the outside and was met with a blinding light.

When my vision returned, I was in shock. The ground, the buildings, everything, was in ruins. The entire city was deserted as well. I walked down a lonely street calling for anyone. I called for father, Mrs. Mersonal who runs the Fountain Café, the Marshalls, everyone I knew, but there was no other voice but my own. I fell to my knees, holding my harp guitar, and wept. Everyone was gone; father, the Marshalls, the Mancers, the Caels, the Ura, everyone is gone.

I was all alone. Whatever happened, it destroyed Caelondia and all her people. I got up, and went back home. Maybe this was all a bad dream, and if I go to bed, I'll wake up and everything will be normal.

Inside, I was about to go to my room when I saw something sitting on the table in the sitting room. It was a broken picture frame of my father and me. We were so happy in the picture; things were good then, before my father was branded an Ura spy, and I was tricked by that boy. I wonder what happened to him. I went up to my room. There, I laid my harp guitar and the journal by my bedside and fell asleep.

Some time later, I awoke to see everything still the same. I began to cry again, but I got myself together. I strapped my harp guitar to my back and placed the journal in the bag I always wear. I went downstairs and into the kitchen. There, I put some food into a knapsack and slung it over my shoulder. I thought if anyone survived, then they may be wandering through the wilderness of Caelondia.

I stepped outside my house into the ruined world. I looked around; the city was still empty of all life. Well, not all life. A couple small Squirts appeared from an alley nearby. I stared at the two of them and they the same. I backed away from them, but they hovered closer to me. They had a mean look in their little eyes, so I turned and ran down the street with them following after me.

I ducked inside Mr. Raeburn's arsenal. The Squirts pasted by without a second thought. Inside, I looked for something to defend myself with, but almost all the weapons were gone. I only found some large weapons which I could never handle, but I soon found a dueling pistol and a small knife. Strapping them to my belt, I headed out, leaving my home and the city behind forever.

It's been a few days since I left home. I found a couple cities, or what was left of them. The cities were in ruins, much like my hometown. Soon, I found a small mining town. There, I found a few people, but when I got close to them, I realized that they were literally stone. Their faces were frozen with whatever they were doing before they died; being happy, sad, or upset. I touched one of them, an old man, and he instantly broke into ashes and drifted away with the wind.

I couldn't believe this. What could have killed everyone in Caelondia so quickly? I walked through the town to search for some food; somehow all the food I've found during my travels has not expired. I do not know what could cause this however. I found a little, but it wasn't much. I ran into several Squirts, which either left me alone or tried to attack me, those I took care of with my pistol.

I soon ran into a few Gasfellas, who were interested in seeing me. They chased me through the town, all the way to the airship yard. People from over Caelondia used airships to travel across the land before the end, maybe they will still work. I weaved through the buildings, hoping to lose the Gasfellas' sights.

I hoped onto a small airship and began starting the engine. The engine sputtered, but would not start. I looked toward the docks to see the Gasfellas coming. I tried starting it again, pleading for it to start. I gave it a couple more tries and it finally chugged about. I dashed to the steering wheel and pressed the gas pedal and I flew off away from the mining town and the Gasfellas.

The small airship flew over Caelondia. I looked over the railings only to see floating pieces of the world hovering in place. I saw some places still intact, like The Workmen Ward and Pyth's Orchard. I went down to the airship's little cabin and found a spyglass there. With it, I looked at all of Caelondia from afar. Sadly, many wonderful places were gone.

The Wharf District was gone. A lot of nice people lived there, so I've heard. The Sundown Path was gone. It was the best place to view the stars, the mountains, and the sea. Now only the stars remain.

The airship continued to fly over the ruined land, its engine sputtering. I decided to head for the Bastion, the last safe haven for any disaster. I heard it sits hovering somewhere near the northwest area of Caelondia. I set the airship for that direction. It was a long way there however.

I was flying somewhere over Prosper Bluff when that Pecker attacked my ship. Yes, a large Pecker appeared from the sky and attacked the ship's engine. I managed to scare it off, but the engine was badly damaged. I had no choice but to make a landing. I managed to land safely, but now I was stuck in Prosper Bluff. A place not many want to be in.

I searched through the area for any survivors, but I found none. I only found a small camping ground with the stone figure of a middle-aged hunter. I could not bear seeing his face, so I touched him and he turned to ashes. But he did leave his bow. He must've been a Breaker on a journey to send important messages. Too bad he didn't finish his journey.

His camping ground was stocked with the necessities; a tent, food, camping gear, everything. The ground was situated right by a very small pond full of clean water, so I was good to go for a while. I sat down and ate some food and had some water, both very refreshing after what I've been through. After finishing my meal, I sat by the clear pond and began playing my harp guitar, singing my song. I hummed a little before breaking out the lyrics. It went a little something like this:

"I dig my hole, you build the wall

I dig my hole, you build the wall

One day that wall is gonna fall

Come build that city on a hill

Some day those tears are gonna spin

So build that wall and build it strong cause it'll be there be for too long

Come build that wall up to the sky

Some day your bird is gonna fly

Come build that wall until it's done

But now you've got a way to run

So build that wall and build it strong cause it'll be there be for too long"

My song ended like that. I looked up to the sky to see the stars break out into the night, as Peckers flew overhead minding their own business. I went into the tent and went to sleep.

It's been a few days since I landed in Prosper Bluff. I've been doing some hunting with the Breaker's bow; I've only been able to catch a few Peckers, as I have had no training with a bow before. I have been keeping some food from the ground in reserve in case I am unable to catch anything in my hunt.

I sat outside my tent, cooking a dead Pecker over a fire. I spun the lever to rotate the Pecker to cook its underside. I have left signs across the area for any survivors to come to me, but so far none have come. I've looked through my father's journal, but I am unable to read any of it; guess I should have learned how to read in school before taking to music. I sighed as the Pecker finished cooking, then I cut the meat and placed it in a ceramic pot, where I added a couple of spices to the meat for flavor. I ate my meal, smiling at my wonderful cooking skills.

A few more days have passed, and food is beginning to run low. And worse, I lost my father's journal somewhere in the Bluff's area. I was attacked by a large Pecker and in my struggle to escape; the journal must've fallen from my bag. Last I saw it, that same large Pecker carried it off in its claws.

I sit in my camp, pondering what to do. Hunting has been going poorly, my journal is gone, and I have begun to lose hope that there are survivors out there. So I did the only thing I could do: play my harp guitar.

I sat down by the clear pond on a soft cushion, and tested my strings. They still were in fine condition. I ran my hand through the pond water, relaxing in its warmth, and then I began to play. I sang that same song again, the only one I know:

"I dig my hole, you build the wall

I dig my hole, you build the wall

One day that wall is gonna fall"

I heard Peckers squawking out in the distance; maybe they ran into an animal.

"Come build that city on a hill

Come build that city on a hill

Some day those tears are gonna spin

So build that wall and build it strong cause it'll be there be for too long"

Whatever the Peckers were dealing with, it was getting closer. It could be some Gasfellas that wandered in from a nearby town.

"Come build that wall up to the sky

Come build that wall up to the sky

Some day your bird is gonna fly

Come build that wall until it's done

But now you've got a way to run

So build that wall and build it strong cause it'll be there be for too long"

As I finished my song, I heard noises coming up from behind me. I was sure it was some fierce beast, so I sat in my spot, waiting for it to take me. Maybe then, I can be with father and mother again. I played a few more notes from my harp guitar as a hand fell onto my shoulder.

Wait, a hand? I slowly turned my head to see a young Cael with silver hair looking at me. He had a large hammer in his hand, my journal in the other, and a couple of dueling pistols at his waist.

"Are you alright?" he asked me. I was so happy to see another survivor that I embraced him in a hug and I began crying into his shoulder. He held me back. I finished with my tears and we separated.

I took the journal from him, telling him it's mine, and I walked over to my food reserve and gave him a couple of apples. He took them and wolfed them down in a couple of minutes.

"I'm so happy to see another survivor," I told the Cael. "Come with me; together, we can find a way out of Prosper Bluff and maybe find a safe place."

He raised a hand in disapproval. He said he knows a quicker way to safety and took my hand. I shook free of him so I could sling my harp guitar on my back and put my journal in my bag. I went with him deep into Prosper Bluff. He led me to a small area with a little platform that had great bellows of wind shooting from it. He took my hand and we both stepped onto the platform, instantly shooting us into the sky.

In the sky, the Cael guided the two of us to a floating land mass nearby. Both of us fell towards it; I was afraid we were going to die, but the Cael just laughed. As we neared the end of our descent, I felt wind push against me, slowing my fall until I safely landed on the land mass. I looked around, and I gasped.

I was at the Bastion. The Cael and I walked to the center, where I saw a middle-aged Cael and a young Ura man standing there waiting. The Ura man was shocked to see us, mainly at me since I am an Ura. The four of us gathered in a small circle where the kid talked to the middle-aged man about his journey while the Ura spoke to me, asking if I saw any of our people out there.

I told him no, which left a frown upon his face. The middle-aged Cael, named Rucks, gave me a run-down. It's the end of the world, caused by the great Calamity, and we may be the last people left in all of Caelondia. The Ura man introduced himself. His name is Zulf. The young Cael who found me told me to just call him Kid. I introduced myself as Zia, an Ura singer born and raised in the capital city.

Rucks and Zulf talked with each other while the Kid went over to a forge. I followed him. Inside, the Kid was just starting to strengthen his hammer and a Marshall's scrap musket with some materials. I sat down nearby to watch him. He noticed me and gave me a wave and a smile, which I returned.

"Um, Kid?" I said to him. He stopped banging on his hammer. "I, uh, want to tell you I'm happy that you found me in Prosper Bluff a while ago. If you didn't show up, I might still be there, or I could be dead. The creatures have been getting more fierce there the last couple days."

The Kid told me it was no trouble, and that he found me by following the sound of my music, which he heard throughout the Bluff. I said my thanks to the Kid, and before I left him alone, I gave him a peck on the cheek.

Outside, I showed my father's journal to Rucks, who said he'll try to decipher the writings inside. After that, I talked to Zulf a little, and then I went to play with the friendly Squirt on the Bastion.

Things can only get better from here, right? Well, who knows? But I found the Bastion, as well as other survivors, including one of my people. For once, since I climbed from the cellar of my house, I was happy. I have new friends and a new family now.

I hope you enjoyed this. Leave a review, and check out my other fanfictions. I'll see you next time.