Day 4: Of Men and Dogs
"I have been wondering…" Claudia started.
"Why do your people wear masks?" They were in the dining room of the hotel, recently cleaned up from the rubble and the corpses. They were served mushroom stew and some fruits and veggies, they were thankful for the generosity. The hall was overfilled, so the others remained outside. Thankfully providing them with some places to sit.
"Many reasons…" Brick said, drinking some apple juice. "As you can see…" pointing at the administrator, they were surprised by the appearance of this shadowed figure, some of the knights asking if he was a ghost, which Brick calmed down their excitement, but, the visitors were curious still.
"If you don't mind me asking, but, why are all of you like this?" Kin, adjusted his glasses.
"It's… a curse. Yes, a curse." Brick clasped his fingers. Some noticed the odd way he said his response, and Brick saw them and their doubts.
"I don't know what to say really," the man shrugged. "We were just hanging about, then a plane of light came crashing down upon us, and boom, here we are. Probably here to stay." he recounted. "Indefinitely." he looked to the side of the room.
Claudia nodded, then began to prepare herself for the real question. About who they really were, for a while… they only understood so little and too vague of a response. Differentiating answers, and differing perspectives. They were fake, they were real, they were gods, or they were people. "Who are you?" she asked again, perhaps the answer from their leader would see these burning questions to be diminished once and for all. Yet…
Claudia saw his body language, still looking unsure.
Disappointing…
"I know what they are!" Vult started to stand. His men looking up to him in raptured attention. "An odd folk to be sure, like the dwarva! Maybe even more!" he roared heartily, the men began to become rowdy and boisterous. "What?" Brick tilted his head.
Vult grinned, and grabbed him towards his shoulder.
"Oh god…!" Brick shuddered internally.
"Eternal friends! Aren't we!? HAAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He let out a mighty laugh. "Cheers!" he roared, lifting his stew, making some of the black dogs laugh in the absurdity.
"What the hell is he planning?!" he could only hope it wasn't. He scrambled out of his grip, making Vult eyeing him mischievously. "Yeah, eternal as it can be." Brick popped his neck. He looked at Claudia, "We'll need it, we've been low on resources. I hoped that we can open formal relations with the other cities."
"It will be done, lord." Claudia bowed politely. Vult seemed pleased, Brick really wanted to punch him. He looked up to see Zeron aiming the rifle to his head, he looked back at the cheerful men who were taking residence in the city, still outnumbering them, and if they saw the bucket... He looked back up and shook his head. Zeron nodded, deflating slightly.
Maybe, next time…
Banner Alley, Residential Bloc
"Welp there goes the orphanage." Albert turned to see a boy, just about the same age as him, wearing all manners of strange devices upon his person. Albert remembered his name as Dale Gaming Zero Forty-Five, another Verodian name that was just plain gibberish, or was it mine craftian?
He shook his head.
"Well it was kinda ramshackle." a Verodian girl appeared beside him, he covered his eyes from the sheer colors this girl had.
"Let's make it taller!"
"Is it okay? Don't we have to ask Captain-General first?" an introverted girl in introverted colors said.
"You mean Brick?" one said, unimpressed with her.
"Yeah." she said.
"You have a crush on him?" a moss-faced boy asked.
"No." she looked away.
The rest meanwhile began to gather the rubble.
"C'mon Albert, help me." Albert went.
Albert looked at the clock he held in his hand. Looking at the intricate details, stylized stars and moons were expertly etched into the turning wheel. He looked back at his front, the orphanage had been rebuilt in just mere minutes. "Hey Albert!" one of them popped out the window waving at him.
He raised his hand back, illuminated by the darkness by the torches spread around the street. As he watched the building's windows light up little by little, he began to question the future.
Closing his eyes, he remembered grandmother and grandfather. Helping them around the house. Those simple days fluttered softly in his mind, now here he was. His grandmother, being taken care of on the other side of this place. What was he now? Now that he wasn't heir to a far-flung village.
He looked around him, another ruin to be placed in.
But there was a difference.
These people, he realized, were more hopeful than his. They defeated the orcs, unlike his former home. There was truth that they were strong, even if they were invaded, they still held on, at least what the stories passed about were to be trusted. Though he thought of them as naive, perhaps almost idiotic people. They had good in their hearts. Doing all of these things just to make them comfortable.
He looked at the clock again, gifted by their leader.
Verod Public Library, Residential Bloc
"What are you really?" Kin asked, his glasses glinting in the torchlight. He pulled one of the books from the bookcase, it was colored red and there were no markings or titles on it. He opened it and saw…
…
Nothing.
It was blank.
He raised one of his eyebrows and took another book.
…
Still empty.
He looked around more, seeing books in some frames. But they didn't really tell much. He was sure some of them were practical jokes and nonsensical writing. Then he came across something curious.
It was in the back end of the library, someone was there. He scooted closer near the bookcase, trying not to make a sound. He saw a book was floating in mid-air, and the person was speaking in some unknown language. Before he could look closer, he covered his eyes from the bright light that flashed.
He widened his eyes at what the person was holding in his hand. A glowing book, and… magicka? Emanating from it. Soon that figure quickly left without another word.
Kin got closer to the enchanting table, the book still floating.
He closed his eyes and waved a small wand to scry its properties.
…
…
EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION
The Meeting Room, Tower Verod
"We'll need to organize, again." Brick sat tiredly. The tower, though damaged, was still standing amidst all the rock falls. After retiring from dinner, they all went their separate ways, most of the visitors were near the tower, making a small camping ground in the square.
"Can you handle it Chris?"
"I'll try to rebuild most of the original design." Chris crossed his arms,
"That's good, now about my-"
EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION
…
"You felt that?" Zeron asked.
"We did, we all did." Brick stood up to stare at the window.
"They're making their first moves." Brick darkly muttered. Though the players could 'feel' the console logs, no successful attempts of accessing them were made. In the right hands, it could be a boon.
But in less than righteous hands…
"*static*… This is watchtower, is everything okay boss?" his radio activated.
"Yeah… someone was touching something they weren't supposed to."
"…that gonna a problem?"
"Not right now, relax…" Brick said.
"Copy, out."
…
"Oh yeah, the dark elves. Do we have any available?" Brick asked. They just got some news about one of their citizens. A friend of his radioed about his predicament, and also the things that happened to their neighbors in the north. One thing they learned from just a misunderstanding of the circumstances. They also got hold of one of the alchemical chests.
A banned item… well sort of. It broke some balance issues within the server, so its crafting recipe was cut, using some advanced server tools. Most of the chests were destroyed during the Alchemical War arc of the server. But some were left, lingering away in some forgotten storage facilities or in secret stashes.
So far, they have only discovered one, and they can't craft another because of the server tools, which they can't even access anymore.
They really needed it right now, and Olga was in possession of it, according to their resident former hostage.
"We'll need to arm them up first, to hell." Zeron stated. "And we'll probably need some female diplomats, as they kinda don't like men."
"Which gives us the problem of the rapist orcs and shit." Brick shook his head.
"Yeah, we really need the alliance." he hoped that things will change for the better.
The Cells, Eastside Deeptown
"Let us out!" the rogue banged on the metal door.
"Huh, you're fine?" Craig looked at them. With the others, after evacuating the city to come back once it was safe.
"Like hell we are!"
"You left us to die!" one of the rogues glared searing hatred upon him. Smiley face saw that she was tearing up.
"Look-"
EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION
…
"Oh my…" Jason muttered.
"What was that…?! What have you done?!"
Craig gave a disappointing smile, and comforted his migraine that was growing.
"We're gonna die!"
"I hope it takes you with us!"
"AGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
"Fucking melodramatic babies…" he muttered darkly with a smile. Nat meanwhile, looked around the room, trying to see any signs of breakouts.
So far…
Robert's Apartments, Verod
Robert, Lily, Malice, and a few others were almost done with the finishing touches of their newly-repaired home, a lot more bare looking though. Lily wasn't with the evacuees underground, for the most part sticking with Malice during the siege. Thankfully, nobody saw them or smelled them when they hid on top of the many towers.
After the siege they met up with the others from the apartment and arrived to see that Rob's building was looking worse for wear.
EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION
All of them stopped at that exact time, and Lily and some of the refugees looked lost. "What's got into you?" one of them asked. The residents looked tense for a moment, before Malice said, "There was, an access violation." she said tentatively. "What does it mean? Is it bad?" Lily asked, worried.
In response, she looked up, as if waiting for something. The others joined her too.
…
"We'll worry about it later, let's just finish the rooms." Robert said finally, and kept on placing their labours, but was uncertain in their hearts for what's to come.
AN:
08/10/21: Yeah, sadly it's quite a short chapter. Life has been getting to me as of late and with the story being quite complex in the background, I'll try to make up for it in chapter 9 [Day 5: A Capital Idea] which is in progress. Get ready for culture wars boys and gals.