Kid wakes up.
His grey eyes picked up the Rippling Walls, floating around in pieces. Kid doesn't even blink as he jumps to his feet. One hand went to one of the dual peacemakers holstered on his hip, while his other hand gripped his partner, standing ready just to his right.
And just as the kid hears the windbags coming, the world fades away. His Dueling Pistols fade out of existence. Kid is no longer standing on the busted pride of the Masons', but in the Masons' Barracks of Caelondia.
He shook his head, his white hair rustling slightly. The vision he'd seen faded into the recesses of his head, his recognition of it a fleeting thought. Kid holstered his partner, slipped on his boots, put on his armor, and tied his scarf around his neck.
His face was as calm and tight as you remember. His eyes are narrowed as he walks out of the barracks. Kid's hardened from his time in this world and the world of phantoms. He'd only just come back from his stint on the Rippling Walls to find his mother gone.
He walked down the path with purpose, the folks of Caelondia passing the kid by without a second glance.
Never liked the city, he thought. Preferred the walls or the Prosper Bluffs.
Kid paused in his march. He shook his head as he wondered why he thought of a place he'd never been. He continued on, his mind summoning up a tune familiar to you and me but unknown to him.
His brisk pace brought him to center of town. His target was the recruitment center. There was nothing tying him to the inner city. Kid was gonna sign up for another turn on the walls, but if there's one thing I can do, it's throw a wrench in peoples' plans.
Before walking into the plaza, Kid glanced up at the archway that marked the way. His eyes were drawn to gear hanging off the arch. Unconsciously, he reaches to his back, feeling underneath his holstered partner. His callused hands make contact with the City Crest he wore on his back, marking him as a Mason. A shred of relief shot through Kid's system. Though he couldn't figure out why, the Crest felt important, almost like it was as much a part of him as his trusty hammer.
Kid weaved his way through the crowds, moving towards the recruitment offices. He stopped mid step. For a second, the world flashed. Pieces of debris floated up to meet his step, people in the distance turned into ashen statues, and squirts flew in circles. And just as soon as it came, the world went back to normal.
The kid blinked. Somehow his hand had found its way to his hammer, ready to draw it out in a moments notice. He rubbed his forehead, idly wondering if he came into contact with Lungblossom fumes. Throwing the thought aside, he continued his way to the recruitment offices steps.
Kid walked into the office, glancing quickly to the board with multiple papers tacked on. He debated making an offering before moving towards the Masons' desk.
The Mason recruiter, a bald, stocky man with a beard, grinned.
"Well, looks like you made it through your run, Kid," he said chuckling. "Just hand in your Crest and I'll get you your final pay."
"I'm going for another stint," Kid said flatly.
The recruiter's jaw practically fell off. "What," he gasped. The man narrowed his eyes at the kid. "Don't get cocky, Kid," he growled. "Not even veterans do two runs in a row. You're lucky you got through the first time."
Kid just crossed his arms. "Not your call," he said narrowing his eyes further. "Sign me up."
The man growled. "Your funeral, Kid." He sat down and pulled out a book containing all the employed Masons. Kid gave him his name when he asked. The man's brow rose as he found the kid in the book.
"Well?" Kid asked. He was eager to get back to work if only to escape the weird visions.
The man shook his head. "Sorry, Kid. Out of my hands." The man moved towards the back of the room. "You got reassigned. Wait here."
Kid raised his brow as the recruiter went through a door to the armory. He came back after a minute, sporting a Fang Repeater in one hand and a Bullhead Shield in the other.
"Your reassignment comes from a Mancer," he said placing the crossbow and shield on the desk. "No fighting it. They asked for you specifically, said to give you these and send you to the Bastion."
Kid looked at the equipment in confusion. He didn't know any Mancer. Why was he asked for specifically? And why did he need this stuff? He wasn't even trained for this stuff. Kid picked up the Fang Repeater, turning it over and appraising it in his hands.
Needs an upgrade, he thought before clipping it to his belt. Hammer could use one, too.
He then picked up the shield, wondering why it felt he'd found an old friend and staunch ally. The shield shrunk down, becoming a small ornament on his wrist guard.
"Here's your pay, Kid," the recruiter said handing a bag of money to him.
As the kid walked out, he could faintly hear a voice in his head.
"A repeater goes with a hammer better than a box of nails."
He heads off for the Bastion, place everyone agreed to go if there was trouble. Tired of crowds, he had taken the back-streets. The sounds of people going about their business floated over the buildings. Kid's mind was preoccupied with his hallucinations. The destruction unnerved him. A part of him called it a calamity. What unnerved him the most, was the familiarity of the visions.
The world shifted again. Buildings fell away as Kid stood on a floating, narrow path. He looked down at his hand which was grasping a large blue crystal with smaller crystal jutting from it in random directions.
A Core.
Looking ahead, he saw two turrets float down and lock onto him. He stepped back only to stumble slightly as parts of the narrow path started to fall behind him. His eyes narrowed as his hand gripped the Core harder.
Gotta get to the Bastion.
And so he ran through twisted streets, nothing but the City Crest and an old stranger's voice to guide him. His path was blocked by a turret. Before he could reach for his hammer, the turret shot. Kid's instincts took over and he dodged left, right off the path. Then, he was falling, falling towards the Bastion, the core tightly gripped in his hand.
The kid gets up. The core was no longer in his hand. He rubbed his forehead, a headache forming. Glancing around, he narrowed his eyes. He'd reached Caelondia's vaunted safe haven. Now the kid sees something stranger still. The Bastion floating in the air, stone, metal, and wood suspended over an endless abbysis.
A single thought ran through his head. Did anyone else survive?
And then the Bastion was back in the ground, surrounded by buildings. Kid shook his head to clear the fog.
"Is anyone else here?" he voiced, glancing around the empty space.
Sure enough, he finds another. He finds me.