[IC] Long ago, in a kingdom far far away. (Fantasy appcalypse, more details to come.)

[That1Guy]

Spark was in a strange mood, not really sure of anything right then. It was not just her either. As she walked she joined one other, then as they kept walking more and more arrived until a good 50-60 children walked alone into the middle of nowhere, nearly all too terrified to even think about approaching a settlement until everybody was too hungry to complain.

It was nearly midnight, and it took hours of arguing between thevolder kids, something Spark was glad she had not been a part of. Eventually though, they had to go, sending a party of older kids into a strangely quiet town at the edge of the forest the rest hid in. The little town was quiet, no torches burning or smoke rising to be seen. The buildings themselves were of simple make, sturdy and made of the wood from the nearby forest. The cultivated land nearby betrayed the small settlement's farming origin.

Spark had not been chosen to go with the older kids, but she snuck along anyways until they were too far into the village to argue. They were there for supplies of any kind, food, water, blankets. Ways to defend themselves would not go amiss, but they were children and this was a farming village, there would not be too many useful items.

The fight that happened here did not last long, a fact apparent by the multitude of bodies that lay still in the center of the village, a group that thankfully was devoid of children. Spark avoided looking at the dead, she was reminded of the undead that attacked when she was 7, easily repelled but frighteningly persistant. Spark almost half expected these bodies to getvup as well.

[Vertigo]

A E L I N O R K I A N D A L L

Unknown Town
Midnight

Eli never believed in ghosts. They were nothing but products of a simple mind, existing only in stories told to babes and old men to fill their heads with needless fear. She was almost a woman grown. Her resolve would not be shaken by such nonsense.

And yet, as the small group ventured deeper into the darkness of the town, Eli could imagine herself forgiving those who believed it haunted. She did not, no of course not, but those of a weaker mind--

A scream pierced the silent veil that had settled upon the town, and Eli immediately spun around, bow drawn. Her eyes darted about in the darkness, the tip of her bow lacking a target. A boy few years younger whimpered and thrust his torch forward. Light spread into the darkness, trembling in tandem with the boy's hand, until the source of the scream became visible. Someone had tripped and fallen.

Eli sighed, turning back to where she'd been heading. "Keep your wits about you," she mumbled to whoever happened to be in earshot and pressed on further.

The shadows around them seemed alive. They slithered up wooden walls like snakes, and if one stared at them long enough, they could nearly hear them hiss. Eli would have preferred real snakes to these ethereal ones, in truth.

The light of the torch illuminated yet another face of a man long gone. He was slumped against the outer wall of a house that seemed brand new, carved of wood finer than many a house around it. Eli guessed he used to be rich. In death, he didn't look any different from the corpses of the less wealthy; his eyes were equally empty, and shadows danced upon his pale face all the same, silently mocking his fate.

Eli averted her gaze before her stomach could turn.

She held her bow at ready and edged towards the open door next to him. Whether he'd been meaning to escape or join the fray, the man hadn't gotten far before someone had plunged a dagger into his throat. Was whoever did it to him also dead? He should have been, yet Eli found it hard to still her racing heart as she reached for the door.

It creaked.

Had Aelinor not been accompanied by others, she would have jumped out of her skin. As things were, her pride kept her legs steady and aim steadier. Bow braced, she pushed the door open with one boot. The torch-boy stepped behind her and lit the way inside. The light licked at the wooden floor, sprucing the shadows back into a crazed dance on the walls.

Steadying her breath, Eli stepped inside to explore. If the man was rich, the chances of finding something of use were high - that was, unless someone else had gotten here first.

A sudden shudder ravaged her spine. If someone had, she truly wished they were long gone by now.

[ShwiggityShwah]

"What a mess."

Angel had to keep a sunny disposition. It was to keep her sanity. Laugh in the face of danger, and maybe you can pretend to be brave.
Inside she was freaking out and kept her pitchfork nearby. She wished she had a real spear but that was the best she could do for a long time now, and frankly, it worked pretty good so far.

Anywho, she didn't need torches, her unique structure could pick up on warmth, and her tongue could taste the air for anything strange. She decided very quickly to keep that in her mouth. It smelled like death here. Alot of these bodies were only a few days old and the flies were having a feast. Without that, and without light, her progress between the buildings were slow.

Having been a farmer herself, she knows how folks would store their food. There was always some stuff in jars and pots, most of the time, meal food like wheaet and corn were stiched in giant bags like flour. There were also the silos. If the silos were here, and their contents weren't completely invested with vermin, the kids could eat pretty for atleast a few days. She had to remember her family though, how they barely did any work in the days leading up to this insanity, and how their hard work was allowed to wilt and spoil. He hoped that this town had thought of something for the winter before everything went to hell.

She thought back of the decision to head into town. "Y'all better not try ta shoot at me, ya hear." She reminded everyone before they went on this little errand. She went ahead of the group. Her tail actually made less noise then everyone's feet, shockingly so she could scout it out first just to make sure. She knows she was different. One of the only 'monsters' of the small army of kids. But she was trying to be a sweetheart as best she could. The kids were scared, and there were worse thing about then a beautiful smiling snake girl. Atleast that was her reasoning. She could swear some of the kids though she was going to eat them, even though she was the one that ended up cooking most of the time.

Regardless, so far so good, but as quiet as things were, she could hear the noises in the distance. A scream even and this made her go peeak past a corner and take a look. They weren't panicking so everything must have been fine.

Speaking of, she didn't check this house yet. She climbed in through the window, her bulk landing with a creak.

@Vertigo

She winced at the sound, which almost made herself jump. "Eeep... okay okay Angel, you be brave now." She kept the prongs forward as she vaulted up on her tail. Typical cottage, typical things in a typical house. It was like a hurricane went through it. Tables, chairs, broken windows, soot out of the fire. A rocking chair lay broken, balls of wool on the floor. She made her way to the kitchen, not much better. The pots and pans were scattered, some hanging dangerously from hooks threatening to fall off.

She kept her eyes, nose trained on the floor, the corners, anywhere someone or something could hide. If there was a battle here, where are the bod- She stopped as she almost tripped on a woman's corpse. "Good lords..." She said with a quiver. The woman's head had been bashed in with a frying pain. The blood and pulp had congealed into a blackish mark. This made the naga put a hand to her mouth and back up---

into the pot that was hanging. It fell off the hook and landed on the counter and then the floor with an audibly large crash!

[That1Guy]

All in all the place was terrifyingly quiet, smelt of rot and generally made Spark wish she stayed behind. After waiting to watch the others split up, she ducked into a small building, the edges of her hair lit and casting a soft orange glow on the inside of what seemed to be a chicken coop containing a single chicken who stared at Spark with a single unblinking eye. Needless to say Spark was immediately smitten.

Walking out carrying the newly warded and concerningly patient chicken in her arms. Spark wandered around, checking up on the bird every so often. It seemed to blink very rarely if at all and seemed to take interest in the strangest things, such as the tiny flames that flickered across Spark's body.

While the chicken was a goldmine in Spark's opinion, she knew the others would be angry if she did not find something of real value. It was then she noticed the larger of the buildings, an obvious residence to a sort of landowner. Spark remembered her father complaining about a particularly old and stubborn man, and the etchings above the doorway matched the shaky signature of the old man in question.

Ducking into the doorway was the moment Spark noticed the others were there, it was useless at that point to hide really, being a literal living torch holding a now audibly complaining chicken that, while completly still, clucked and grumbled at every flickering shadow.

" Surprise I guess, look what I found. "

Spark sounded absolutely thrilled about her find, while the chicken meanwhile kept its eyes on the particularly long shadow to their left, clucking in what can only be described as a threatening tone.

[MissCapnCrunch]

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🅶🆁🅴🅴🅽 🆀🆄🅴🅴🅽

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"Well, how does it taste?"

"I haven't tasted it yet!"

"Hurry up little sister! I don't have all damn day."

Torc rolled her eyes as she threw her head back in dramatics. Her brother had her trying tons of his made up recipes, some better than others. Today was roasted bog rat. The secret was that you used the wet muddy ground water that the creature bred in to also cook it. Torc took a hearty bite of the meaty side of the rodent as she chewed. The small bones were melting in her mouth as she savored the taste. Her lips pulled to the side as she thought. Her eyes glistened as she began to spoke, "It's not terrible." a heavy laugh bellowed from her tummy as she took another bite. It was delicious, Forc had truly mastered his craft.

"I hate you Torc, you joke around too much."

He pushed her as the two began pushing, pinching, and kicking one another around the open flame.

"What are you two doing?"

A stern and heavy voice that was clearly their father's brought Forc to an instant stop as Torc laid one more heavy punch on her brother before turning to her father. His heavy brow was even heavier on his eyelids as he crossed his arms against his chest. "I repeat myself, once more. What are you two doing?" Torc began to speak to tell their father that the two were just messing around but Forc spoke loudly, his tone changing completely. That of a warrior and not as a playful older brother with a love for cooking. "It is my fault father. I was having Torc try my new creation, it's something I think you will enjoy Fath-" Quickly the leader of the family interrupted, his large green hand up out in front of him. Signaling for them both to remain absolutely quiet.

"We have been having outsiders come and kill your brothers in arms, and you have been wasting your time prancing around the kitchen like a cockroach? I can expect this from your sister, as it is her duty to keep us fed, but you? You are my son. This is not for you. You are a warrior!" He slammed his hand down, sending the cooked food into the dirt below them. The two siblings remained silent, staring up at their father in a mixture of respect and fear. He turned and walked away, there was nothing more to be said about the situation.

When their father was out of ear reach, Torc turned to her brother, "I'm sorry, I didn't me-" Forc grunted in an outburt, "Yeah you didn't mean anything! You never do, You'll never even understand what it's like. You're lucky you were born a girl, you have it so easy. You just lay on your back and get on your knees when you're told." Forc stopped, his demeanor changing as he looked to his youngest sibling and only sister. "I'm the one who is sorry now my lovely sister, I didn't mean what I said. It is just frustrating." Torc nodded, she felt like crying but kept her upper lip stiff as she was embraced by her older brother.

"Make it up to me, and go to the bog and get me some more of those rats, and I'll make it up to you by cooking them."

Torc rolled her eyes once again, "That doesn't sound like a great deal to me." Torc admitted as her brother looked at her. "Go." he said, stern in his tone but gentle in his smile. She shrugged it off and turned, leaving away from her small village.

The last time she would see her brother alive.

It had been awhile since this memory had played in her head, and what she wouldn't do to have a bite of that rat right now Torc thought as she scrounged around the town with other children, though death was quite common in Orc culture it never got any easier to see the entrails of a woman spread across her back step. Torc went to open the door as a large crash came from inside, startled at first, but brave and true Torc opened the back door to the small house to explore the noise inside.

_{@ShwiggityShwah}

[Fetzen]

It was a discomforting feeling that in spite of all the devastation, all the utter disappointment, all that overwhelming feeling of being thrown into a world without hope, without any means of going on around him, one could still experience something as mundane and distracting as boredom. How could one be bored in that kind of situation Funark found himself in right now ? Stranded in an abandoned village with nothing more than children around him. Children of species his own kind would have despised with ferocity, that was, if his own species still would be in existence... Why were they all childs and what had happened after all ?

Still there were other mundane feelings, feelings one couldn't try to ignore as easily as boredom and that would come at a severe cost if left alone for too long. Hunger. Thirst. He needed food and water and a lot of it as one could easily see. Try to work for it and get some payment ? No kind of economic system was in existence right now, but one could only wonder how long it would take for one to reestablish itself. Could children be as ambitious and rationally thinking as adults ? Hopefully so... At least he didn't have to be afraid of competition. They obviously were rather few, casting a massive doubt onto any belief that there'd be more than an only halfway trained blacksmith around here. On the other hand all of the adult's items were still there: Houses, carts, horses,... maybe he'd pick up one of those later in case they needed to go faster.

Funark didn't spent any significant amount of time on picking any particular building. Instead he walked right into the very next arrangment of four walls he could find, lured into it by the loud and aggressive clucking of a chicken. He had no idea that somebody was already in there, and once he had squeezed his enormous self through the way too small doorframe stopped dead in his tracks. The floor beneath him appeared to be on the brink of breaking, another reason to move only very carefully. "Erm... sorry... who are you ?"

Fire! Funark's instincts told him to remain as polite as possible. Yes, fire was an important thing to have, but not if it touched one's skin or started burning all around oneself...

[ShwiggityShwah]

@MissCapnCrunch

Angel slithered to some quiet part of the corner, her pitchfork in a death grip in her hands as her chest heaved in shock and surprise. She knew the entire village would hear that. It was mixing with all the other various bits and bobs that the others were doing with their 'sneaking'. She had boasted that she was the sneakiest but she was mentally punishing herself with that. Even having one of her comrades find her would be bad.

Then fear struck her as she stiffled a scream with her hand, eyes widening as the back door opened. She came in through the side window, and she was ahead of the group, so now to suddenly have someone at the back. Her heart raced and her skin and blood ran cold as a figure appeared in the doorway. A big one, big and riddled with muscle. A man maybe.

This was bad.

So that meant the village wasn't abandoned after all. Her tongue ran from her mouth as she detected the pungent taste of the interloper in the air. She wrapped her fingers around her weapon and went low. It was no or never. She had to protect the kids, she had to put this threat down. As the figure stepped fully in, she slithered across the kitchen, ducking under the preparation table. She made a slight spray and lunged out, weapon raised high.

She shrieked a battle cry."YAAA-EEEH!?" It was Torc, one of the Orcs of their group and more a warrior than Angel could ever imagine herself. The multipronged spear instead dipped low, and she looked absolutely foolish as she stopped herself, the points sticking into the floor and the rest of her scaley body hunching over it. She was breathing hard, holding her chest. "What y'all trying ta do? Give me a heart attack?" She complained with a nasty hiss.

Letting her nerves catch up and getting her balance, she looked back at the house, it must be deserted after too loud pieces of evidence. "Guess it's clear, there was a tussel at some point, but don't see no one. Maybe they left in a hurry, should be a storage celler round here somewhere." She began feeling at the floor to find the catch for it.

[Vertigo]

A E L I N O R K I A N D A L L

Unknown Town
Midnight
Interacting with: @That1Guy, @ShwiggityShwah, also briefly @Fetzen

The longer Eli listened to silence, the more she feared she'd gone deaf. The only things that kept her sane were the occasional crackle of the torch and the rapid breathing of one of the younger girls behind her. Without those tiny fragments of sound, the darkness of the house was soundless and dead. And yet, every long shadow looked very much alive, long claws extended towards her.

Ever so carefully, Eli dared another step in - and as she did, the world exploded with sound. It was metallic and loud, stealing away her breath and scaring some of the other kids into scrambling backwards in terror. Eli would've likely been among them, had everything she'd ever been taught of animals told her otherwise.

Instead, eyes darting, heart aflame and arms trembling, she drew her bow and pointed the top of her arrow into darkness. In her panic she squinted, struggling to see. Movement, an outline, light, anything, anything, anything she could shoot at, before it--

"Surprise I guess, look what I found."

Eli spun around wildly, only to find herself blinded by the sudden light source next to her. One of the younger girls stood in the doorway, tiny flames hugging her form, and her form hugging a--- chicken?

"Spark," she believed that was her name - it wasn't difficult to remember, in truth. How could Eli forget a girl who burned, when the sight of her still made her stomach churn? "This isn't the time t--"

Another new face entered just then, filling the entirety of the doorway with his frame. The floor creaked, and Eli took an instinctive step further away. Who was--- where had he---?

The chicken clucked again, louder - this time in warning.

The second Aelinor was reminded of the loud sound she'd heard, there was another. Louder, but more unnervingly, human. It was a scream, and Eli reacted to it by instinct. She spun around, drew her bow and released an arrow.

It was only after that she realized she knew the voice who'd screamed.

Luckily for the other, the arrow had whizzed by the moment the naga had dipped low to the ground. Not that Eli was aware of that. She held her breath in terror, staring after her arrow and begging to hear Angel talk again to signal she wasn't dead.

She did, thank the Goddess. She was talking to someone - and judging by her words, Eli hadn't been the only one startled out of her wits just now.

She sighed. At this rate, she would start growing grey hair at the tender age of twenty four.

"I'll... leave this house to you." she said to no one and everyone, lowering her weapon and stepping out of the house before her heart could stop the third time. She tried very hard not to hold her chest. It felt like her heart was gonna bust through it, but she knew it would not. "I can take the chicken. Go see what's inside."

She might've not had many an opportunity to talk to chickens as of late, but her understanding of birds was better than that of other animals. Perhaps she could turn the chicken into a guide.

And a distraction, if things came down to it.