Harold
His shift was almost over, just needed to go up the wall, into the armory, and take off his armor. Meeting Maria was a rather nice surprise, mages were quite rare, so rare in fact that it's said only one in ten thousand are mages, and outside the deadlands that number was even lower! So he was glad he managed to meet her again, even if she barely remembered him! Maybe he could invite her over for dinner with his family? He wasn't wealthy in the slightest but he could definitely afford to feed her and that girl traveling with her, though now that he thought about it, he was curious about her and why she was traveling with a mage. Was she Maria's daughter? No she didn't even have a last name… apprentice? Perhaps, he might've seen some crystals growing out of her neck, probably, maybe? Okay maybe he wasn't the most perceptive guard but it's not everyday you get to meet a mage who saved your life!
He remembered that day, even after all these decades, even after starting a family of his own the memory was practically embedded in his mind. It was just before dawn under the Reign of the warlord when they attacked, he remembered the broken moon's crimson glow, the belt of false stars that occasionally fell towards the earth, it was dead silent for most of the night, almost every man, woman and child was asleep, unaware of the subtle buzzing until it became louder and louder. His family lived on a farm, the only reason they even survived was because he stayed up late to look at the false stars fall. He hoped one landed nearby so he could sell it to a passing merchant, yet instead he saw a horrid sight. One of his family's cattle had refused to move off the ground, someone had accidentally fed it some crops that mutated a poison in its leaves, and all it could do was lay down in pain as its body tried to process the poison. Unfortunately it would never finish.
Buzzing, subtle at first, grew louder and louder over time. He couldn't tell what direction it came from, north or south, left or right, it even sounded like it came from above and below. Over a dozen insectoids covered in a metallic carapace flew around the area, looking for any signs of animals or people, one spotted the immobilized cow and instantly flew down, a dull blur flew past as the cow's head seemingly just disappeared in an instant. An eight legged monster flew above, the hard cracks and sickening squishing sounds echoed through the night air as the monster feasted on the decapitated cow's head while attracting its kin to feast on its body.
Yet while he watched the strange insect-like beings, his eyes locked with one that was left out of the feast, it stood to get a better look at him just before the young Harold realized it was looking at it's next meal. He quickly stepped away from the window and ran towards the door, it slammed open as he pushed his weight on it and was quickly followed by the noise of his window breaking open! A strange chittering noise followed by buzzing and several footsteps before he shut the door behind him, the sounds of a strange mix between chittering and hissing rang out before the door was torn down in nearly an instant.
Harold looked back as the insect larger than him rushed forward, now barely a few feet away from him, a single bite could easily snap his body in half! Fortunately however, his father stepped out his room and swung a mace at the monster's head which caused a loud CRUNCH sound the ring out as it's carapace was compressed. Though it's now flattened head seemed to only stun it was it still tried to stumble it's way towards them, while it's swarm began to follow it through Harold's broken window.
"Honey, cellar, now!" His father yelled as his mother rushed to join them as they nearly ran downstairs, an overwhelming swarm of what he now knew were Locust-men gnats attempted to follow close behind, leaving only broken furniture behind as the family quickly stuffed themselves into the cellar and shut the door tightly before barricading it with whatever they could find down there. The scratching, bashing, and chittering lasted for less than half an hour, yet at the time it felt like hours-
The barricade lasted for most of those minutes, yet during the last three minutes of the constant assault a gap large enough for one gnat to get inside opened, his father rushed forward and tried to hold it off, the gnat bit down on his arm and didn't even wait to begin eating it. His father gritted his teeth in pain as the gnat looked him in the eyes while chewing on his still attached arm, a few more seconds and it would've gotten to the bone, but soon a freezing wind flew through coming from the half open cellar door. The gnats hissed in unison before turning around and rushing towards whatever the source of it was.
A minute, less than one in fact, was all it took for the swarm to freeze over. The cause? One singular woman, who seemed rather unimpressed as her glowing hand began to dim, it was made of a crystalline growth that had spread halfway towards her elbow. She looked around for more, yet the gnats seemed to have come alone. "Hm… strange… are you three alright?" The mage asked curiously, causing Harold's father to cautiously walk towards her while clutching his wounded arm. "Well, we'll live, though I'm not sure if I'll be able to work like this… you wouldn't happen to know how to heal wounds?" his father answered cautiously, causing the mage to shake her head. "Unfortunately no, the best I can do is freeze it until you can find a physician or something in the city." She said as she raised her hand and froze the area around the wound, stopping blood flow and preventing swelling. His father tried not to flinch before looking at his arm. "Thank you… may I ask your-"
"Maria. Now if you please, I'd like to do a little investigating, get your arm treated, after I'd like to ask some questions." She said in a rather hastened tone, while Harold didn't know at the time, there was a camp of locust-men nearby, a small one but still dangerous nonetheless. Maria made sure they wouldn't bother the city or anyone else ever again.
He sighed as he realized he'd have to look for her around the city if he wanted to speak with her more, it shouldn't be that hard since her outdated outfit combined with her arm made her stand out, he could probably just ask the other guards if they've seen her if he has trouble. He briefly closed his eyes before he heard someone speak up "Hey, you know you're not supposed to nap until after you're done working, couldn't even wait a few minutes could you?" The voice questioned, a rather smug looking guard named Jack approached, he was the one taking Herold's place at the gate and for several years they've held the same position, not the most exciting job but it puts food on the table, and usually they'll could retreat inside the gate before they closed if something actually dangerous like monsters or bloom-touched got a bit too close for comfort.
Jack wasn't in uniform so he probably was on his way to the armory as well, causing Harold to snicker at the man. "Bold words coming from you, you were supposed to be at the gate just before my shift ended, not after." He replied in a half joking tone as the pair walked up a set of stairs that lead to the top of the walls, giving a great view of the terrain. Hundreds of farmers worked the fields under the light of the bloomlight, crops grew faster than they could plant and harvest them! They could probably throw a few feasts after the blooming withered and made way for the broken moon, yet Harold's gut sank as he felt something was going to happen, he looked over the bloom-touched jungles in the far distance, from the ground not even the top couldn't be seen. Yet from here Harold could see thousands of flowers the varied it size from trees that had petals the size of small houses, to ones so small that even blades of grass look titanic compared to them… or at least that's what he heard, he wasn't getting paid to go over there, and even if he was he'd rather work in the fields than get close to whatever is lived over there. If he had a spyglass on him he'd try to satisfy his morbid curiosity by looking into the strange jungle, the few times he did he'd always see something odd there like an ape covered in vines, a strange squid-like plant that swung around between the massive tree like flowers, last time even he could've sworn he saw some people but- no, no way someone would willingly even go near there without proper equipment, much less travel through it.
Jack placed a shoulder on his arm and shook him a bit, snapping him out of his inner thoughts, "Spot something?" He questioned in a more serious tone, causing Harold to stay momentarily silent before shaking his head. "No, just a little paranoid is all, I was having a good day, so just a bit worried something will ruin it is all." Harold responded before continuing his trip to the armory and already beginning to take off his armor, he wanted it off as soon as possible so he could spend the rest of the day relaxing. After a few minutes he came out with a simple tunic and some pants, not exactly what the younger men wore but still it felt comfortable compared to the poorly made armor they were forced to wear. Still, it was probably better than whatever the blacksmith were selling now, ever since the fall of Salvumm getting any high quality ore was as hard as it was expensive, especially iron! Even after all these years no one had found out what caused it to turn into a permanent inferno, and instead of founding a different mining settlement somewhere nearby the survivors decided to found some sort of order… Now until someone finds out what caused the fires, no one outside the order is allowed near it, which means no one on this side of the continent can get any ores without being exploited by merchants, risking a fight with an order of zealots or going into an area with a dangerous amount of unstable mana-
He let out a sigh as Jack got ready and looked over the wall again. He saw something in the distance as the wind brushed against his short beard, but it looked like it was just a few Goleths. Usually they don't come this way but in the rare cases they do, it's often due to their preferred routes being blocked, rarely a major concern but he should probably inform the captain.
—
Lemmy
The men and women in smiling mask leaped from rafters and dived into a pool that looked far too small to contain them all, yet somehow they all not only managed to fit inside causing a massive splash that hit even Lemmy, but also a massive bird few out of the pool; leaving a trail of mist behind as it flew just above the audience that was in awe of the unique sight. The strange bird did several mid air tricks and showed off it's various shades of gray feathers before rushing towards the ground and exploding into a massive fog.
Suddenly all the must and fog retracted into one singular point and formed a fifteen foot tall humanoid with a mask like face made from what looked like ceramic, four muscular arms shot out of its golden body and a silvery gray cloth covered its lower half. It spoke in a loud and booming voice that everyone in the colossal tent could hear. "Hello my flesh bound brethren! I am pleased to see so many happy faces amongst us and hope this shall not be our last meeting, for I simply wish to bring everyone joy in the final days of this dying world!" It said in a rather happy tone, though it's words confused Lemmy slightly, the world was dying? Then why wasn't anyone concerned about it… Perhaps he was lying? But why would someone lie about this? A few others seemed slightly confused but the majority didn't seem to question what he meant.
Lemmy wondered for only a few moments before her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal creaking and stone rolling, two creatures formed next to the strange golden man; the first was a dragon made out of stone with an emerald glow coming out of the various cracks and openings in its body, the second was a metallic like bird that made a grating roar, like a beam of metal that violently bent that left Lemmy's ears ringing. "Now for the climax of our little show, if you wish to place a bet simply take whatever you wish the bet and raise either your right hand for the dragon golem, and left for the Artificial Phoenix!" The strange ring master said as dozens of men and women raised their hands with coins which were pulled by some sort of invisible force, before being separated into two pots with the left one containing a decently larger pile of coins.
After the final coin was placed, the pits vanished along with the ring master, the lights rapidly died out until only the lights surrounding the attractions could be seen. The dragon let out a roar that sounded like a strange mix of a rolling boulder and a drumbeat before charging forward! Yet the phoenix quickly flew above the charging dragon only to dive towards it, it's body ignited with a fire so hot it's metallic body began to glow, the dragon used it's stone wings to block the attack yet it's right wing quickly crumbled from a single attack.
The Phoenix stared down at it's grounded foe with a glowing eye that showed a surprising amount of determination before diving yet again, like before the dragon used it's remaining wing to cover it's body despite the fact it'll likely lose it and be practically defenseless. The Phoenix closed in, literally a moment away from striking, before the dragon's wing smacked the Phoenix away and briefly grounding it as the stone wing shattered, the dragon did not let it's sacrifice go in vain and rushed to finish off the artificial avian.
The Phoenix attempted to quickly fly away; the dragon grabbed it's leg and threw it into a nearby pillar which shook the tent with it's primal wrath, then the strange green glow intensified as it opened it's maw. A magical beam shot forth, beginning to melt the metal planting of the artificial bird as it attempted to get up and struggled to even survive the seemingly unwinnable battle. Yet managed to walk over with it's nearly broken legs and head butted the dragon with whatever force it could muster, resulting in the dragon's head partially shattering and scattering the beam in several directions, nearly hitting several people in the audience who gasped and nearly fell backwards as the beams struck a magical barrier separating the deadly fight and the morbidly curious audience.
Despite it's head being nearly shattered and cracked almost all over, the dragon leapt onto the Phoenix and began tearing it apart, the sound of stone scrapping against metal, the bird's pained caws as it's metal plating caved in, and the sounds of a metallic creature literally being mauled filled the tent before only scraps remained… along with a dragon shaped golem that barely managed to stay in one piece.
The audience cheered, especially those who bet on the dragon as coins appeared in their lap, while those who bet on what was now scattered piles of scrap sulked in their seats. Lemmy however, felt utter disgust.
She was not against killing, especially if it was for survival. But this- this wasn't survival, it was entertainment; making two creatures fight to the death for pure enjoyment, even if they were artificial… The look in the bird thing's eye seemed real.
She looked over at Maria who was focused on the ringmaster that was busy giving a speech. She wanted to speak out and call out the cruelty. "Ma-" As soon as she tried to speak to Maria, an explosion could be heard in the distance, like the ones near the wall. Were they still testing the mortars or whatever they're called? Did they normally last this long?
No one else seemed to notice, though something felt wrong, curiosity filled her mind as she stood up and said "I need to use the bathroom-" while walking away, before Maria could even speak.
She quickly exited the tent, heading towards where the explosions were coming from. The streets were far more empty compared to last time, the thousands of people on the street were reduced to a hundred, the moon's sickly green light was overpowered by the sunlight; yet it's effects were far from nullified as she saw massive trees over the city walls grow taller and taller.
—
Harold
Three bloom-touched Goleths, usually peaceful creatures that avoided humanity, now corrupted into vessels for a parasitic seed that only sought to expand and corrupt anything it found it's way inside of.
Harold only ever saw one that was bloom touched before, but three? He thought bigger things were resistant- He shook his head as he shoved another shell into the mortar, covered his ears and braced before he felt a Shockwave rush over his body followed instantly by a Boooooom… that became a ringing in his ears. Followed by another Booooom in the distance as the second Goleth seemingly shrugged off the explosion.
"Damn, load another shell! Why isn't the alarm going off?!" The captain questioned an older man who refused to let time wear him down.
"We've tried to set it off, but something's wrong with the system sir, someone will have to go to the central tower and manually set off the alarm." Jack replied, causing the captain to click his tongue before pointing at Harold "You, go to the alarm, now." He ordered before going back to commanding the rest of the guards to take down the Goleths.
Harold simply saluted before rushing down the stairs to rush deeper into city, luckily most of the people on this side of the city seemed to realize something was wrong, but without the alarm everyone on the other side of the city wouldn't be able to tell if the guards were still doing a drill or if they were in active danger. He ran faster than even he thought was possible, he never stopped to rest or even warn those he passed by, for what other reason could there be for a fully armored guard running like a mad man through the streets other than an emergency? Well, perhaps there were a few reasons but right now the alarm mattered more than warning individuals!
As he went deeper into the city, the dirty streets turned into well maintained roads, fresh bread and flowers could be smelt with every breath he took. He could barely even hear the mortars as they became distant thuds that a normal person could ignore, even a casual conversation could be louder than a shot.
A shortcut down a narrow alley, a push through a crowded street, the sounds of carnival cheering and a quick turn down a corner. Harold knocked someone down, they were short and wearing a witch hat, they looked familiar yet Harold didn't have time to remember who they were. "Sorry! Go find a bunker or somewhere safe!" He said before rushing off, only a few more blocks away-
—
Lemmy
"Ngh!" Lemmy grunted as she was pushed to the ground, she heard the man say something but couldn't make it out before he ran off. "Hey at least apologize before-" she stopped as she recognized his face, his name was… was… ah screw it Lemmy can't remember, instead she chose to follow after him, he was a gate guard right? Then why was he here? Was he off duty? If so, why did he have armor on? Or was it normal for guards to be in armor constantly?
She followed him even after losing sight of him, how did he move so fast? Luckily the clanking his armor made as he rushed through the streets made it far easier to follow him. Eventually he stopped at a tall, fortified tower, it was one of the tallest things in the city, even taller than the Goleths she saw when she met Maria! Yet the clanking of the man's armor was replaced with yelling.
"Yet do you mean the door's lock? Unlock it!"
"No I said it's stuck, not locked, something must've fallen over and blocked it from the inside."
"Then help me push it open! We're under attack by three bloom-touched Goleths and something's wrong with the alarm system!"
Bloom-touched Goleths? The massive creatures that could simply throw Lemmy and Bucket around for simple entertainment? That wasn't good… in fact it was bad, even if she didn't know how powerful they were she knew they were strong enough to do a lot of damage to the city if they got past the walls.
She needed to help! But how? They need to turn on the alarm, but they can't get in, so maybe if Lemmy could figure out how to get in- her wings fluttered a bit underneath the cloak Maria gave her to disguise herself as she thought of how to get inside.
Wait… her wings! She can just fly into the tower and turn on the alarm or whatever! She smiled as she climbed a nearby building, took off her cloak before stretching her wings and taking a deep breath; if she messed up she would end up faceplanting on the wall… or ground… or end up revealing her identity as a monster… she shook her head and lightly slapped her cheeks a couple times before rushing forward and jumping!
"W-whao! Okay maybe this wasn't the best idea-" She said as her wings struggled to keep her steady, Lemmy did not have much time to practice her flight in fear that she'd draw attention of wandering bloom-touched. Her inexperienced flying skills resulted in almost slamming herself into a nearby building, diving towards a barrel before lifting herself up at the last moment, and finally crashing into a window. Her black blood briefly shot out of several cuts in her body before they rapidly closed, though she did need to pull out a few glass shards to fully heal…
"What was that?! Who's in there? Open the door immediately!" The guard's voice rang out as he demanded to be let in, followed by heavy thuds against the door a few floors below.
"I'm uh- Lemmy, I wanted to help get in and turn on the alarm! Just tell me how and-"
"If you want to help then open the door so I can do it myself!" The man yelled in a rather angry tone… rude.
Lemmy frowned, she seemed to be on the third floor from what she could tell, there was a spiral staircase that led up and down stairs; the third floor was full of wire, pieces of machinery and crystals were scattered all over the floor, occasionally sparking as they were clearly damaged somehow.
Strangely, other than the window she broke there wasn't really any obvious signs of someone breaking in… Unless maybe the window she broke was how they sabo… Sabotager? Whatever they were called got in?
No wait, they probably got in from the lower windows, she checked to other floors, the second was some sort of recreational room with unfinished drinks and a deck of cards on a table, while the first was an armory with all the gear pushed against the door… yet none of the windows were broken or even left open, in fact the lower floor windows were reinforced with metal bars. They could've used the door to get in, but how would they get out? The roof maybe? It was a pretty big fall though-
Lemmy shook her head, it'd take a long time to pull all the junk blocking the door away, but she wasn't sure if she was strong enough yet to punch the door open. Every second she spent thinking was a second she could spend doing something! The Goleths were getting closer every moment, she knew the guards would get angry at her, but she needed to pull the alarm immediately! She rushed back up upstairs, the third floor didn't have anything that looked like a switch or button for the alarm so she ran upstairs after failing to find an alarm.
Though what she found was… unsettling, a monster engine like the one guarding the exit to the cavern she lived in for so long, yet it was immobile and seemingly asleep. Was this the alarm? She paced around the monster to get a better look, it's limbs were replaced with bundles of wires that kept it alive and in place, it's body resembled a strange mix between a frog and bird creature, and it's head had a strange cone shaped device protruding out of it's mouth. Lemmy thought about how to activate it, most devices she's seen use mana to work right? Or at least mana crystals, Maria did some monster engines needed to have their mana crystals replaced every so often to keep them alive, so perhaps she can just insert mana into it?
She didn't understand how mana worked, or even what it was other than an energy that lets people use magic, there weren't any mana crystals so she simply placed her hands on the creature's slimy chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath before imagining the mana flow into the monster.
It felt clumsy and uncomfortable, like trying to pour out a liquid but spilling it out everywhere including on yourself, but she did feel movement so… it was working? She opened her eyes and looked up at the strange monster, it stared back at her with soulless eyes as she felt it's chest rising, filling with air that flowed into it's lungs. Wait, did this thing alarm everyone by-
"SKKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!!!"
Lemmy's vision blurred and her ears rang as she heard the loudest thing she has ever heard in her life, it was definitely an effective alarm, even if Lemmy could no longer hear it, or anything else as a matter of fact-
Her body felt heavy and warm, it was impossible to stand and she fell onto the stone floor, it felt as if her muscles were screaming in agony as they refused to respond to a simple instruction coming from her confused mind. Her back felt like it was burning, the heat rapidly spreading from her spine to her limbs, her insides, and especially her head. Then finally, it felt as if something was beginning to tear itself out-