City on the Mountain

It was a sight unlike anything Graham had ever seen. Lights dotted the side of the mountain, coming from the windows of the many buildings that seemed to weave themselves around the large earthen formation. Structures were built all the way up to the top; meaning that the roofs of many buildings served as the streets to the levels above them, and the Kitsune could spot all kinds of different buildings from up where she was. All around the mountain, the air space was filled with zeppelins and aerodromes of all size, many like the one she was currently riding. They softly floated around, calmly circling the city of New Joppa like bees around a flower, and among them were clusters of bright white flying birds everywhere, glowing in the wind like petals from a daffodil.

It was the largest city Graham had ever been to; much larger than the town she grew up in. As the sun was dipping behind the horizon, lights were flipping on all across the town, giving Graham a visual representation of exactly how many people were living in the city. And from all the little points of lights, it seemed to be several hundred. She leaned over the railing a bit to try and get a better look; the wind blowing her long black hair wildly around her head. She felt someone grab her back the back of the collar and pull her back onto the observation platform from behind. “Hey, be careful, Graham. We’re pretty high up.” Arch said.

She glanced back at him with a smile on her face. “I know but isn’t this just the coolest? This place is amazing! We haven’t even been inside the town and I am still just completely awestruck by it.” She said. It had been a while since the traveling duo had seen any settlements. They had been traveling country roads for the past day and a half. Luckily for them, they managed to catch a ride on a merchant zeppelin that was en route to New Joppa and was picking up travellers in the area. The price was steep, but Arch paid for it anyway. Anything was better than  the way they were traveling, especially after Graham had nearly fallen off the side of the continental floor and fallen to Level Zero twice. Not to mention the bright green floral wolf that nearly bit her and infected her with it’s many diseases.

The Kitsune tried not to think about it. Instead she tried to stay focused on the positives; she was out in the world for the first time in her life and on an adventure with a companion who she had gotten to know a bit over the past day. She learned that he had been traveling for much longer than she had, ever since Eburary of last year. He told her that he had planned on reaching New Joppa by Une, but was sidetracked and now that it was Uly, he could get a chance to finally see the town. That was about all she really learned about him, but it was a start right?

Though she hoped she would learn more as she traveled with him. They had gone so far together in the past day already. Other than the attacks from bandits, the danger of wildlife, and the haunting mystery behind Arch’s “Mark,” it had turned out to be a very good trip. And now they had arrived at New Joppa; the city on the mountain. Arch and Graham stood out on the platform just outside the gondola of the zeppelin, staring down at the city as they descended towards the nearest air-harbor. Several other travellers were there as well, observing the city in awe. Graham assumed that this was a far-cry to what they were accustomed to in the forest covered wasteland of Asphodel.

When the Zeppelin had successfully docked and all the passengers had disembarked, Arch and Graham left the Hangar immediately and headed for the streets. Arch seemed to had an idea of where to go, so Graham asked him about his plan. “Hey, so where are we heading now?” She asked.

“My friend is waiting for me at the ‘Golden Ivory’ Pub on Kingstead Street. That’s normally where you’ll find him anyway. But we’ll have a few drinks, he’ll book us a place to stay for the night, and I’ll find out what it was that he wanted me to come here for.” He said without slowing his pace. Graham wanted to talk a bit more, but she was distracted by all that was happening around them. Storefronts and shops hugged the street on either side of them as they walked down it. Lantern posts stuck out above doorways and street lamps were erected every 20 or so feet. Bright white birds were perched upon each of them, and along the edges of the roofs. Graham didn’t recognize the species, and she was a bit blown away by the sheer number of them around the town, but Arch didn’t seem bothered by it, so she wasn’t either.

As they walked on the streets, they passed by many people who were walking in the other direction. Graham could see all kinds of different folks; light skinned, dark skinned, young, old, humanoid, neko, and the occasional human whose species she couldn’t quite determine. It was good to be in such a diverse place where nobody would stare awkwardly at her nine tails or fox ears.

Back home, it would also be unusual to see people dressed the way Graham and Arch were. She was now wearing light leather armor with bullet proof padding underneath, and Arch was dressed in a trench coat that probably featured the same thing. Her arms were bare though, mostly because she chose not to wear gauntlets, and pants were short so that she could run more. But here in the crowds of New Joppa, every fifth or so person Graham passed was a fellow adventurer; dressed in a similar fashion. She assumed that this city was an epicenter for regional travel. Everybody here had a different journey in mind, which made her think about what Arch’s journey was. She knew that he had been traveling for awhile, but for what reason?

“Hey, uh Arch?” Graham asked, being careful not to trip over the misplaced stone in the cobblestone street they walked on.

He turned his head and looked back at her with one curious eye. “Yeah?” He asked.

“Why have you been travelling? What was it that you were looking for all this time since last Eburary?” She asked.

He grimaced and looked forward; his eyebrows furrowing as he jaw clenched. “I’ve been...looking for some people. People who have wronged me.” He said.

This only piqued her interests. She moved closer to him. “People who wronged you?” She asked.

“Yep. Not just me, but a lot of people have been wronged by this...group of individuals. It’s strange: they are known all around the world, but actually finding where they are has proved to be quite tough. But eventually I’ll catch up to them. Though you won’t have to. By then, you’ll probably be off adventuring by yourself, with maybe a different companion. You won’t need me anymore.” He said.

That thought alone struck Graham in a hard place; she didn’t want to leave Arch. They had only known each other for maybe a day or two and she had already grown comfortable to his presence. Plus she couldn’t imagine adventuring out into the open world on her own. But before she could protest, Arch spoke again. “We’re here.” He said. They were now in front of a large, wooden set of double doors. Overhead there was a flashing neon sign that read “Golden Ivory” in bright, yellow words. He pushed through the doors, allowing the sounds of the inside establishment to come seeping out. Not wanting to leave his side, Graham followed in after him.

The Pub itself was quite embellished; all the tables that lined the place had nice green and yellow table cloth, pleasant yellow and green lights were hung along the walls and over the bar where the bartender washing an ornate glass pitcher with a clean white rag. A Jukebox played soft guitar music off to the side far in the back where three young men were flinging knives at a target hanging up by the bathroom door. Graham found it hard to ignore the smell of blood and hard ale, but Arch didn’t seem phased by it. He just carefully scanned the room for the person he was looking for.

Graham did too; though she wasn’t quite sure who it was they were supposed to be keeping an eye out for. Arch suddenly placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to grab her attention and she looked in the direction he was facing. “There he is!” He said, pointing out a waving figure near the big glass window. Graham could see his short, bright-colored rusty red hair and his deep bordeaux overcoat. His round blue eyes could be seen from across the room, and they reminded Graham of a kitten’s curious eyes.

Arch led her over to him where he sat on the other side of a large, wooden table. This gentleman had already gotten up from his seat to meet Arch halfway. “Ah, so the Hero from the Wastes finally arrives to grace me with his presence. Great to see you again, friend.” He said as he approached Arch.

They pulled each other into a brotherly embrace, one that would be had between two comrades coming home from war. “It’s great to see you again. It’s been so long.” Arch murmured as they hugged. They withdrew and Arch patted the man on the shoulder. Then the stranger looked over at Graham.

“Oh, who is this, Arch? A fellow traveler who just took a liking to you or something?” He asked with a smirk.

Graham felt herself blush a bit, and opened her mouth to explain otherwise, but Arch spoke for her. “This is Graham: I met her while I was in the town of Neophyte and she told me that she really wanted to start travelling but didn’t know how. So I offered to be her companion provided that she traveled with me until she wanted to break off and do her own thing.” he explained.

He then turned to look back at the Kitsune. “Graham, this is Tusks. He’s been a friend of mine for a very long time.” He said.

Tusks stepped forward and offered his hand to her. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a...blossoming adventurer.” He said. Graham awkwardly took his gloved hand and shook it before he withdrew and went back to speaking to Arch. “Alright, well I’m glad that you’re here and all but we really should get down to business. Though I would be remiss as a host if I didn’t offer you a drink.” He said.

He called out to a neko waitress from across the room. “Carliah! Get me seven orders of Trueheart Ale.” Arch took a seat across the table from Graham, and shortly after Tusks sat down as well. He then addressed Arch once again. “Alright, let’s talk. I’d love for us to spend time together and just drink all night be we’ve got bigger issues. There’s a situation going on downtown at the old Crawling Green Inn. It’s been abandoned for a long time due to mind spores.” He said.

“What are mind spores?” Graham asked, suddenly interrupting him before she realized what she was doing.

“Spores from a kind of fungus called Cerebral Shrooms. They drive people insane when they are inhaled.” Arch specified.

“Yeah, but I got reports that someone’s living in there now. And this guy’s been stirring up all kinds of trouble around New Joppa.” He said. The neko waitress came by with a tray of glass bottles, all containing a bizarre glowing orange liquid. She set them each down on the table and proceeded to walk away. Tusks smirked slightly and reached over to gently grab at her posterior while she had her back turned to him. In response to his sudden touch, she growled and swiped at him with unsheathed claws, tearing three red lines across his cheek before quickly walking off. Tusks groaned and covered that side of his face with his hand as he grimaced.

Arch didn’t seem to sympathize. “Alright, so there’s someone camping out in a place that’s infested with mind spores. Not a smart idea. But how is he harming people around town? And hasn’t the City Watch done anything about it?” He asked.

Tusks took a moment before responding to that as he winced from the pain. “...If it was a crook or a common bandit, they would definitely do something about it. But I’m willing to bet that we’re dealing with...someone who might be Marked.” He said. At the mention of that word, Graham quickly glanced over at Arch to see his reaction. It was difficult to read, though she could tell that he was just as alert to the word as she was.

“Marked? How do you know?” He asked, leaning a bit forward.

Tusks stopped fussing over the scratches on the side of his face and helped himself to one of the ales that sat next to him. After popping the cork off one and taking a swift gulp, he spoke. “Did you happen to notice the inordinate amount of birds flying around town?” He asked.

Graham’s ears perked up. “Birds? Yes, I did actually. I thought that was normal though.” She said.

“Well it’s not. That species isn’t a common sight in Asphodel, they are more common in the region of Hallowbee which is to the far east. But they started to appear not long ago and since then there’s been an influx of them. What’s worse is that sometimes they attack people for no reason. Suddenly a group of them might just come down and converge on one person, and so far the City Watch doesn’t seem to be further investigating this. Though some people around town report that the same person is always talking to the person who is about to be attack. Just as the birds come raining down, that same person takes off running from the victim. I think whoever that person is, they are controlling the birds.” He said.

Arch held his hand out for an ale which Tusks kindly passed his way. He uncorked it and took a sip himself. “Hmm...how do you know this person is camped out in the Crawling Green? This isn’t a new city, I’m bound to believe that there are tons of abandoned buildings all over the place.” He said.

“Because for some reason, all of the birds go and they congregate around that building late at night. All of them. The place looks like one big coat of fluffy, squawking white fur around midnight. I’m guessing they return to protect their...master while he or she is sleeping. But this only occurs around midnight so if we want to get the jump on this person before their legion of feathered minions show up, we should do it soon.” He said.

Arch took some more time to think about it, and Graham joined him. She didn’t like the sound of it; this person having control over birds. The kitsune had a love for birds, and one of them wasn’t a problem. But entire flocks of them attacking all at once was a nightmare for her. But if this person was terrorizing people, then they needed to be stopped, and Arch didn’t disappoint her with his final decision. “Alright, if it’s just one person, we can handle it. Are we looking to turn them in or plain out shoot them on sight?” He asked.

“If we turn them into the City Watch, they’ll just execute them anyway. You know how people feel about the Marked. But if this place is filled with mind spores, then they’ve probably been driven beyond reason. We’ll have to put them down.” Tusks explained.

Arch looked to Graham. “Are you okay with that?” He said.

She nodded. “I’m fine. Sounds like something we have to do. I do have two issues though. The first is this: how are we going to go into this place and not breathe in mind spores ourselves? I’m not sure how many in your system it takes to ruin your brain but I don’t want to find out.” The Kitsune inquired.

“Well, luckily for you I had planned for that. This stuff we’re drinking, Trueheart Ale, is one of the best defenses against mind spores. Drink it and it’ll sterilize your cerebellum for a few hours. Here, have yourself a drink sweetheart.” he said, sliding one her way. She took the glass, uncorked it, and looked down the opening at the glowing liquid inside. She had never drunk any form of alcohol, not even the communion wine back at her monastery. But at the same time she stood by what she had said earlier about avoiding cranial contact with the spores so she prepared herself mentally and downed a few ounces of the stuff. The Kitsune immediately regretted it and it was all she could do to not spit it back up.

“Huh...looks like you’re friend can’t quite hold her ale yet. You should take her out to bars more, help her toughen up a bit.” Tusks said to Arch.

“That’s not necessarily a ‘wasteland survival tactic’ but thanks. Anyway, what was the other issue you had, Graham?” Arch asked.

Graham winced as she quickly recovered from the drink. Then she shuddered a bit at the thought of drinking anymore. “Uh...yeah, I have an issue firing guns. They’re so freaking loud. I’ve been on the road for the past day and we’ve had a few encounters but it was out in the open and even with a wide open space for the sound of the gunshot to disperse, it still rattles my ear drums. I figure that inside it’s going to be even worse with the fact that the sound is so contained. Got anything to help with that?” she asked.

Tusks looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he smiled. “I got just what you need, girl. Check this out.” He said. He grabbed the two drinks that were next to him, still unopened, and popped the cork off of each. Then he got up and walked around the table to Graham who was still trying to piece together his plan. “Alright, don’t panic. This’ll feel a little weird but it’s totally going to work.” He said. He gently grabbed Graham’s left fox ear with one hand and carefully pushed a cork down into her ear cavity. She flinched from the weird and slightly painful experience, but didn’t say anything. He did the same with the other ear and then withdrew. “So, what do you think?” He asked.

She looked up at him with surprise. Though he had been standing right next to her, it sounded like he was talking on the other side of a window. Arch spoke too, and his words were even more far away in sound. “What was that, Tusks? Is that even sanitary?” He asked.

“I’m not worried about the health factors. I want to know about effectiveness. Now, how is it working for you? Is it blocking out most of the sound?” Tusks asked.

“It...it feels weird...but I think it can work...” She said, her own voice just as muffled as theirs were.

Arch nodded. “Alright, so that should help you better operate a gun in close quarters. Novice gun users typically do start out using ear plugs anyway, but I wanted you to get use to firing a weapon without them.” he said.

“Well right now, we need her to have no handicaps. I don’t know what to expect from this guy but we gotta get in there soon and take him out. Anyway, let’s finish up here and head over there as soon as we can.” Tusks said. So Arch and Tusks proceeded to drink the rest of their ale. Graham tried to, but she just didn’t like the taste. She was able to finish at least half of it before Arch told her to stop, not wanting her to throw it up all over the table. While they drank, Tusks and Arch talked a bit about their lives and what they had been doing since they last met up. Graham didn’t want to eavesdrop on a private conversation but since she was in ear shot anyway, she picked up some info from their muffled conversation.

Apparently Tusks was involved in a mercenary outfit called “Serenity Corp” but he was working on the side with an organization called “Vortex.” He suggested that Arch should join them sometime and that maybe Graham should too. He quickly dismissed the idea, explaining he had to stay focused on tracking the people who he was looking for, and that getting involved in the affairs of an organization would mean running pointless missions and getting caught up in unnecessary conflicts. But then Tusks pointed out that Vortex was also looking for the same people he was, and that he might get some help in his search if he joined. Arch said he would consider it, but didn’t go any further than that.


Afterwards they took off for the Crawling Green. When they reached the location, night was rapidly descending, and the streets were getting thinner and thinner with civilians, especially as they got closer to the Inn. Graham had just enough time to worry herself into a stupor. Her first ever real fight was with drippers, and fighting them was practically like fighting an injured person anyway. The bandits were tougher though, and she just barely got out with the only injuries being a few minor scratches and part of her ear missing from where it was shot off. But the lack of what she knew regarding the Marked didn’t help matters; especially when she wasn’t sure exactly how difficult it would be to fight one.

At the very end of the emptiest street they had come across, there stood on the promontory an old tenement made of concrete bricks and seasoned mortar. Cracks stretched across the ornately carved columns that stood out from the faces of the walls and every window had been busted out. It was at least three stories tall, and in the shadow of the falling night, the whole thing had turned a sinister dark blue in tone. Luckily, there weren’t any birds anywhere to be seen near the building.

“Alright, here we are. The Crawling Green Inn. How’s your ammo?” Tusks said to Arch as he pulled out a high powered pistol.

Arch unholstered his revolver and and popped out the cylinder, rotating it in his fingers as he stared down into it. “I should be fine. I’m bound to miss a shot or two, but you really only need one to hit straight on.” He said. Graham pulled out her own revolver and analyzed it. Unlike Arch’s revolver, which was a shiny silver magnum with a rather long and menacing barrel, her’s was a snub-nose .38 with an indigo finish on it. Though it didn’t matter the size of the round as long as it found it’s destination. So she was fine was that.

“I’m not sure exactly what to expect when we go in here. But the second you see our man, take him down. Don’t even think twice about it.” Tusks said as he began making his way to the door. Arch carefully scanned the windows as he approached the doorway from behind, making sure that their target wasn’t watching them from inside. Graham kept her pistol low and stayed close to her partner. After pressing his ear against the door to check for sounds inside, Tusks withdrew and gave it a hearty kick, knocking the rotting piece of lumber off it’s hinges and into the darkness. Then the three entered.

The forces of nature had not been kind to the inside of the inn. Dust and debris littered the floor, wallpaper was peeling and falling off all across the hallway walls, and large holes in the ceiling gave way to even more darkness. Tusks shined a flashlight inside, illuminating the corridor. Arch stood close to him, pistol at the ready. They slowly walked down the hallway, listening intentively for any noises. Graham glanced in through an open doorway to their left and caught a glimpse of an old room that must have been a lobby that was in no better shape than the hallway.

Down the corridor, she passed by someone’s old bed room where at one time a young girl, probably not much different than her, might have hung up posters of famous adventurers and laid on the bed as she listened to soft tunes on the radio. Now the room was a wreck with an overturned bed, and knocked over cabinet and a busted radio which lay in a thousand pieces all across the floor. The sight made her grimace, but she recomposed herself when she remembered what they were supposed to be doing there. They had to find this person and stop them.

She tried to use her fox ears to try and locate the person somewhere in the building but the corks kept her from hearing beyond the range of just the hallway. Though after weighing the benefits of having better hearing versus the ability to fight, she wanted to be able to fight when the time came. So she kept vigilant as they walked. As she was glancing through the doorway of another room they were passing, the Kitsune jumped at the sound of a nearby gunshot. Her head turned around to see Tusks with his smoking pistol pointed at the recently deceased body of a rat. “Tusks! Why the hell did you do that!?” Arch asked.

“Sorry! I’m just...a little jumpy right now. Saw something moving, shot it. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done it yourself.” the rusty haired man said.

“Great...well now they probably know we’re here. Not that you kicking in the door didn’t tip them off earlier. Come on, let’s just hurry up and locate them before they have time to escape.” Arch said, taking the lead as he rushed down the hallway. Graham and Tusks followed his example and ran with him down the hallway and then up the stairs to the next floor. Once there, they came across two hallways that went off in separate directions.

“...We need to split up now.” Tusks said.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea. There’s strength in numbers after all.” Arch argued.

“Well, luck doesn’t factor into that. And if we go down the wrong hallway by chance, then that’ll just give the Marked more time to get out. So why don’t you take your friend and head down that way; I’ll take this way.” Tusks said, and with that he rushed off down the right hallway on his own.

“...I sometimes worry about that man. With his lack of foresight, I’m surprised he hasn’t been shot to death by his own stupidity. Come on, let’s hurry up and find this guy.” Arch said, rushing down the left corridor with Graham following behind.

“What happens if Tusks finds the person first and we aren’t there to help him?” Graham asked as they advanced.

“Then if he still has any sense, he’ll fire once and run. That way we’ll know three things; that he’s found the person, where he found the person, and that he needs help.” Arch confirmed.

As they rounded the corner, Arch stopped Graham with his outstretched arm, much to her confusion. Then she saw why. Down the hallway, though difficult to see, was a figure. Low nighttime light poured in through the busted window of a nearby room, and some of that found it’s way out the door and into the hallway where it illuminated the side of a girl, a bit younger than Graham, in a very loose fitting dress made of stitched together cotton patchwork. Her hair was short and silver, but very unkempt as it hung in clumps down around her neck. The sleeves of her dress drooped down as her slender arms failed to fill them. The look on her face reflected a short-lived lifetime of anguish and anxiety.

Graham froze up in fear. This couldn’t possibly be the target, could it? It was just a little girl. Arch didn’t seem to be taking the chances. He drew back the hammer of his revolver and took a step forward. Graham looked up at him with surprise. “Arch, wait! She’s just a little-” She began to say.

Suddenly, the girl at the end of the hallway wailed a scream that could only be described a demented crow call. Then she lifted up her arms in their direction. Her dress began to flail and whip as birds flew out of her sleeves and out from under her skirt in their direction. At first, they were all bright white birds, but the feathers were quickly shed, revealing pitch black feathers underneath. Arch grabbed Graham and threw her out of the way, just as the birds converged on him, all squawking and cawing at the same time.

The Kitsune hit the hard floor with a yelp, quickly scrambling to her feet again. She looked back at Arch who was pressed against the wall, covering his face with one arm as the birds fluttered around him, violently scratching at his exposed flesh. “Arch!” Graham shouted, pointing her pistol in the direction of the birds. She fired once, and though it didn’t hit any of them, it scared them off. The flock broke up and dispersed, flying into separate rooms where they disappeared from the scene. She quickly rushed over to Arch who was still groaning in pain. “Are you alright? What did they do to you?” She asked.

When she got closer, she saw the bleeding cuts all along his arm and the slashes in his weathered trench coat that hadn’t been there before. His face was mostly untouched except for a cut here and there on his cheek. Regardless, she didn’t know that birds could be so vicious. He looked at her, rage building up in his eyes. “I’m fine, but we can’t let her get away.” He said through gritted teeth.

“But she’s just a little girl. She must be terrified.” Graham argued.

“Little girls don’t attack people like that. The mind spores must have made her paranoid and impossible to reason with. We can’t allow her to continue on in this state, we have to stop her.” He said before taking off down the hallway, pistol in hand. Graham knew he was right, but she hadn’t considered that they might be going off to kill a little girl when she agreed to this. The way she could spawn living creatures from her body like that, and command them to attack without even saying anything made her much less human than anyone she had ever met. But still, her looks were so deceiving that Graham started to wonder if she would be able to kill her at all.  

She tried to catch up to Arch who had already ended up at the end of the corridor, chasing the girl up the flight of stairs to the next level. When she entered the third floor, she saw that there was a huge rotting hole in the wall, giving way to the next room over. Arch was standing in the room, batting away three birds which fluttered around his head. When he saw Graham enter, he called out to her while trying desperate to keep the birds at bay. “Graham! She went down that way! Get her!” He shouted.

She looked to the left where she could see the little girl just as she was entering through an open doorway at the end of the hallway. Without putting any further thought into it, she rushed down it in pursuit of the dangerous being. Though Arch seemed content with killing her, Graham wasn’t sure if she could do that. Perhaps he was wrong and she could be reasoned with; people do crazy things when they are afraid. All she would have to do is just talk to her.

She stopped at the doorway, looking inside. It was clearly a dead end for the Marked girl, as inside the empty bedroom where blue light from the shattered window lit up the floor, she could be seen huddled up in the corner; eyes wide with fear. Graham froze, her gun held down as their eyes locked. Carefully she reached down and placed the gun on the ground, keeping her eyes firmly aligned with the little girl. Then she began to calmly whisper. “It’s okay...it’s okay...I’m not going to hurt you...just...just calm down...” She said as she held her hands up to show she wasn’t going to pull anything.

The Marked girl didn’t move, she just pressed herself against the corner, keeping still as her big, helplessly innocent eyes tracked Graham’s every movement. Seeing that she had the girl’s attention now, she slowly took a step towards her. Then another. So far, so good.

Then suddenly something changed in the Marked girl’s eyes. The innocence was drained and replaced with a dead look of emptiness; like the eyes of a vulture. Her lips curled up into a snarl and before Graham had time to react, the girl angrily shouted a wordless exclamation of hatred and pointed her open hands at the Kitsune, releasing a flurry of birds in her direction. As the fluttering beasts all flew directly at her, terror blossomed in Graham’s mind unlike anything she had ever felt before.

In that second, she could see their glowing red eyes that demanded her flesh, the feathers that shed from their bodies like embers floating off of burning paper, and their claws glistening in the moonlight. She covered her face with both arms, quickly turning and running. Unable to see where she was going, she ran straight into the wall, knocking her forehead against the peeling wallpaper. The pain distracted her, and for a split second she forgot what was going on. She was quickly reminded when she felt claws tear into the back of her clothes, ripping fresh wounds along her spine. She screamed in agony and sunk to the ground, covering her face as the sound of cawing filled her ears and wings beat all around her.

Points of pain bloomed all around her as the birds pecked and clawed at her arms, shoulders, chest, legs, tails, pretty much everywhere. The terrified Kitsune had no idea what to do next; she could only weep and silently beg them to stop. In that moment she wished she had never left the monastery; that the High Priest had never agreed to let her go. Or even that when they returned with the slave girls, that the High Priest asked Graham to come back so that her adventure had ended on a high note. She hadn’t thought in a million years that her adventure would end by her dying as she was rapidly skinned alive by a flock of deranged birds in an abandoned building.

There was a loud gunshot. The pecking stopped and the birds fluttered away. Graham refused to uncover her face. It was followed by two more gunshots. At this point, she had to open her eyes and find out what was going on. Standing there, in the middle of the room, was Arch with his gun smoking from the barrel. She looked over at the Marked girl who laid against the wall, face pressed into the torn carpet of the floor as a dark liquid began to spread out from her stomach and soak into the fabric. Graham frantically looked around for the birds, but she soon realized that they were all gone; scared away by the gunshots. Then she looked up at Arch, who stared down at her with a look of concern. “You got pretty torn up there. Nothing a few bandages can’t help. Let’s get out of here.” He said, offering his hand to her. She casted one last glance at the corpse in the corner. Maybe the young girl wasn’t so innocent after all, but it still didn’t change the fact that she was staring at her dead body. That, coupled with the fact that she had almost been torn to shreds by birds made her want to leave the building even more.

So she took his hand, and he helped her to her feet. Speechless, she just stared at him and he stared back. “...You were crying. I can help you with that.” He said, pulling out a handkerchief. As he dabbed her cheeks, she suddenly felt embarrassed; the same thing had happened to him twice and he was only fueled with determination by it. But she couldn’t handle the horror of it, and broke down the second it started happening.

“I...I’m sorry...” she murmured, her voice still heavy with sadness.

“It’s okay. I understand. It’s a scary thing, but it’s all over now. I didn’t want you to end up in situation like that. It’s over though, and you’ll be fine.” He said. Even as he was drying her tears, still more came streaming down her cheeks, soaking the rag even more so. Arch gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace, and with her cheek pressed against his chest, she let loose with her emotions; draining herself of the fear she had experienced with her first encounter of the drippers, and when she was almost stabbed by that bandit, and now when she was attacked by a flock of birds.

Arch calmly allowed her to cry, standing there with his arms around her, holding her tight. She wasn’t sure how long that lasted, but she knew that eventually she calmed down enough for the two to leave. They found Tusks not long after that, and he could see the scratches and cuts on both of them that they had found their target. They left not long after that. Tusks bought them both their own hotel rooms and an occupied hotel uptown. Arch had spent a bit more money getting her some bandages and some alcohol so that she wouldn’t get any diseases, and left her to lay in her room while he retired to his own across the hall. Graham was okay with that; she needed a rest. And as she laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling, she had some time to think.

It had only been two days, and yet she had almost died so many times that it was staggering. Was this really what living felt like? Almost dying repeatedly? If that’s what adventuring felt like, she couldn’t imagine what had attracted her to it. Then she remembered that that wasn’t what adventuring was. It drew her back to recall what it was that made her want to become an adventurer. She wanted to see the world, not from her bedroom window but from the open road. And she had gotten a chance to see that. But like Arch said, the world had many troubles, and travel was dangerous.

She had learned firsthand just one of the many horrors in this new world. So much was still unknown to her, even about her own companion. She wanted so badly to know more, and the young Kitsune figured that she would have to continue to risk her life if she really wanted to learn more. She wondered if that’s what it was like for Arch when he first began adventuring; experiencing the dangers of the beautiful wasteland and immerging still alive somehow. He had become a veteran, and had been doing this same thing for a full year. When she saw him, she saw a kind of bravery that could only surface in the midsts of overcoming past fears and horrors. Graham wanted to be like him; she didn’t want to be afraid of that which would stop her from further seeing the world.

She had a taste for adventure. She had always had one. And she made the decision that no matter what she faced, she’d never stop adventuring. Because she already knew that there would be many more dangers down the road, but she would be ready for them, and she wouldn’t be afraid. And with that final thought, she went to sleep.

That night, she dreamed that her and Arch were riding on the tip of the wing of some kind of mechanical bird as it flew through the void of space. All around them, bright points of white light could be seen, each of them a new destination where they could go and see new things. Graham looked around, amazed in her dreamlike state at the vastness of Creation and how much more there was to see. Suddenly, they passed under a stream of stars all close together like fish in a river. Little glowing orbs the size of marbles. Arch reached up and ran his hand through the stream as the bird flew on; the orbs parting as he pushed through it. Graham did the same thing, and she could feel the warm heat against her fingertips and the strange feeling of inner bliss and serenity that it came with.

Together, they had the power to go anywhere, and they would. They could fly to any point, and place, anywhere across the Omniverse. All Graham had to do was dream, and it could become a reality before she knew it.