[IC] Ashes [EliteCommander and Vesuvius00]

[EliteCommander]

It is unknown exactly what happened. No records of the event exist, and what little can be gleamed from what they left behind, it all happened at once. Humanity was erased, and in their place, many other species arose with unnatural speed. The time between the fall of Humanity and the rise of the new civilizations is unknown, but many of their creations can still be found across the planet, albeit in decayed states. The new races have widely varied myths and legends on the earliest parts of their civilizations. Some say their gods destroyed their predecessors and created them in their place, some tell tales of being gifted thought and language, but most agree that their time in the world has been brief. The new species are scattered across the planet, with widely different levels of civilizations. Some form tribes or small, nomadic villages, using tools and technology created from their own ingenuity. Others have formed relatively complex city-states, and have even rediscovered some of the secrets Humanity left behind. The world has been reborn, but it is not finished being reshaped. --- Tarentek collapsed to his hands and knees on the sandy dune, panting from exhaustion. Every breath that passed through his frighteningly dry mouth was almost painful. He did not even know how long he had been walking, wandering, trying to find some vestige of civilization. Days? Weeks? It did not matter, for he was reaching the end of his capabilities. Allowing his arms to stop supporting him, Tarentek dropped down to lay on his side. He tightened his hand, grasping the sand beneath him before slowly turning himself and grabbing the canteen from his belt. He opened it up and looked inside, checking for the twentieth time for that one last drop of water that might remain in the empty container. His survival skills had kept him alive since the attack; he knew some places where he could find water to keep him going. But now, his luck was running as dry as his canteen. After what he had survived, all he had been through, was it now going to be his fate to waste away from dehydration? As he replaced his canteen on his belt, he glanced down at his rifle. The lens on the weapon’s scope had been destroyed in the attack, so it now had only its iron sights, but it was still quite functional. In his current state, staring down the barrel of the rifle seemed almost…inviting. He laid there staring at it for what seemed like hours, though only a few minutes passed. However, despite his weakness, he eventually dragged himself to his feet, giving one final effort to press on. Again, Tarentek did not know how long he walked. The rolling dunes all blended together into a mess of amorphous shapes, something his dizziness was only serving to make worse. Eventually, as he crested a dune just like all the others, he saw something that caught his eye. He did not want to get up his hopes as he had for countless other mirages, but it looked like water. The closer he drew, however, the more clear it became. It looked like a lake larger than any he had ever seen. It must have been it; the sea that the old human maps showed to the southwest of Amman. It had quite an ominous name, the Dead Sea, but for now, that did not matter. All he saw was the much-needed water. Tarentek’s pace picked up to being as close to a run as he could manage. Finally, he had some hope of survival, something that could keep him going. As he made it to the edge of the sea, he dropped down to his knees and bent down close to the water. He cupped his hands in the water and brought it up to his mouth, only to spit it out a moment later. The water was perhaps the saltiest thing he had ever tasted; completely unpotable. Regardless, in his delirious desperation, he tried again, in different spots, but each attempt had the same result. The entire sea seemed to consist of terribly salty water. For a city, it could be an excellent source of salt, but for him, it was devastating. To him, it was the final insult that fate was casting upon a doomed man. Tarentek collapsed to the ground once more, the water brushing lightly against him. Were it not for the dehydration, his eyes certainly would have been filled with tears.

[Vesuvius00]

Onyx grabbed her med-kit on the way out of her den. Well, den may not be the right word for it. The place she had been living for the past few years was one of the massive ruins in her tribe's mountain camp. The cavernous inside was always lit with either sunshine or moonlight that filtered itself through the large, square holes in the walls, and the mostly-missing roof. All the relics that her tribe ever found seemed to always be gray, an unnatural gray that -Onyx believed- meant something IMPORTANT about why the race that created the relics died out. As she left the camp, she went to get her day's 'missions' from her father, the self proclaimed leader of the tribe after the previous one died. The 'missions' she got were more like 'chores'. Things one would assign a child to do. She grumbled to herself as she completed the simple tasks before the sun had even reached past the second mountain-peak in the sky. Finally done with her 'chores', Onyx takes off for the lake/sea for some relaxation, thinking and fishing. She was just getting to the lake when a strange difference in the sand near the waterline caught her eye. It could have been driftwood, had there been any type of tree in the area, and had she not clearly seen it fall to the ground after what seemed like a failed attempt to drink the dark water. Landed lightly on the sand not even a meter from the creature. It had scales the color of the sand, and was wearing a simple-looking cloak. she was about tot try and wake it up when she noticed the relic that had fallen to the creature's side when it had collapsed. It was one of the larger versions of the two she used, one that could fire really fast. Carefully, she searched around the creature ad took anything that it could have used to hurt her with away, hiding it all behind a nearby rock. She purposely put one of her sharp tools on the ground near the creature, so it could feel some form of safety and power when it woke. It would, probably, try to use it against her. Then, she pulled out her small water-skin, and gently turned the creature onto its back, propping its head up on her knee, and poured a small amount of water into its mouth. Its eyes opened almost immediately, and she quickly backed away, being careful not to spill the water from the pouch. She watched as the creature sat up and stared at her, seeming to start panicking as it could not find its weapons, until its eyes locked on the small knife she had left in the sand. She slowly went over to where the knife was, and put the pouch of water down right beside it, sitting down on the sand behind the two objects. Could this thing even understand me if i spoke to it? Might as well try. Onyx thought to herself as the creature eyed her warily, and she noticed, desperately. "Now, you choose. The weapon, or life."

[EliteCommander]

It took a few moments for Tarentek to come to his senses after he experienced the familiar taste of water flowing past his tongue. At first, he thought it was another trick of his mind, something to give him another shard of hope before fate stabbed it through his heart. However, as he opened his eyes and looked around, he started to realize that it was no trick. Tarentek’s gaze darted around himself, more out of confusion than anything. He looked at everything around him, not really taking in much of anything at first. There was a person who he believed to be female, if his knowledge of non-reptilian races was accurate. She was covered in short, spotted fur, and was staring him down. She said something, and though he understood the words, he was not paying close enough attention to register what she actually said. Instead, his attention was wholly on the pouch beside him. It looked like a waterskin, and after he quickly snatched it up, he found that was indeed the case. Without hesitation, Tarentek drank down the contents of the waterskin’s contents, giving him his much-needed hydration. Slowly, he felt a sense of normality come to back to him, after which he was able to think more rationally. “You gave me water? Thank you. By Koisk, Jhala, and Vikrii, thank you. It’s been days…maybe weeks. The attack…” Tarentek began, his expression quickly becoming more serious as he thought back to the reason he was in this situation to begin with. “I need to get to a city, or a town, or a village; it doesn’t matter where. I just need to get somewhere.”

[Vesuvius00]

Needless to say, Onyx was surprised when the creature spoke. The water seemed to have energized it, and it was now babbling about an attack and needing to get to a city. She slowly picked up her knife and returned it to its sheath, taking the now-empty water-skin back from the creature. She gathered up the creatures things from behind the rock and placed them next to it as it sat, watching her. It looked thankful, and scared, and some mixture of emotions that she couldn't decipher.

A city... the nearest city was her own, but she couldn't bring it there. Her people would kill it on sight, not to mention that he could probably do much worse to her tribe with that relic of his. The next closest nest was across the desert, and even with her wings on her own it would take three days to get there from here...

She decided to cut off her involvement with it right then. "Not my problem." She said, trying to emulate the power of her father's voice when he gives a command. "I saved you, i owe you nothing." As she said that she stepped up onto the rock, about to take flight, when she decided to wait and see how the creature would respond. She pretended to be watching for something on the horizon while she waited.

[EliteCommander]

Though Tarentek was still fatigued, the water had been reinvigorating enough that he was slowly able to drag himself back to his feet. He felt shaky, but at least he stood a chance of improving. He had not even noticed that the woman had taken his weapons until she returned them to him. There was a moment of surprise, but he could not say he blamed her. He would have done the same to a stranger, even one he intended to help.

Now that he was actually in good enough condition to listen to what the woman was saying, he found he could indeed understand her, though he had to focus on paying attention. Their language was the same, but there were definite differences in their dialects. Her accent and the way she pronounced some words was entirely different from the inhabitants of Amman, or even most of the traders passing through it. Nevertheless, his expression became much more serious once she started to act dismissive towards him. She was certainly a curious individual; at one moment, she was saving his life, and at the next, she was abandoning him entirely.

Tarentek did his best to make his voice sound strong, despite his weakness. "You misunderstand. It's not because you owe me, it is because I owe you. What I have seen...I guarantee it will become your problem when they raze your city or village to the ground. They are ruthless, uncompromising, and above all, powerful. I am from Amman, one of the largest and most well-defended cities known to us. We have learned the workings of many of the mechanisms left behind by the people who made the ruins that cover this world: the Humans. Our soldiers had working firearms, like my rifle, our city was fortified with the unnaturally strong metals they left behind, but it did not matter. We fought, but they were destined to conquer, and they will not stop with us. They are spreading west like a plague, and they will conquer all in their way. No one, not Amman, not you, not any city I know of, will stop them alone. That is the word I need to spread."

[Vesuvius00]

The creature didn't take long to reply, its voice was hard to listen to though. It had a slight hissing quality to it, and Onyx couldn't understand some of the words the creature used. Although, what she did understand sounded a lot like a threat, causing Onyx to explode. She started crouching into a defensive stance as she spoke, her voice thick with anger. "I do not care for your histories or beliefs. You say that your nest has fallen, I'll have you know the Elissics will never fall. No creature can match our speed, or our strength. This group you speak of will not even be able to reach us."

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek started shaking his head lightly. He did not know if her stubbornness was usual for her race, or if she was something unique, but she was dead wrong. He just hoped he could get her to see. "You speak without knowledge; you have not seen what I have seen. This army is legion in number, by all accounts. I heard the rumors from the east before it happened, but I did not believe it either. Not until it was too late. Our walls were too strong, we were too well armed; those were the lies we told ourselves. I do not know where this force comes from, or who leads it, but their army has mastered the humans' machines in ways we never thought possible. Like us, they use the humans' weapons, but...they have more than that. They have armor like strange, thick clothing that can stop a bullet from our weapons, something the best metal armor we have cannot do. More frighteningly is the other machines they've mastered. You know the long stretches of roads in and between the Human cities? You know the old metal machines you can often find decaying on the roads? My people have tried to learn about them, but they are magnitudes more complicated than the weapons you and I carry. Somehow, they have learned to repair them. They can move around at speeds far faster than you can fly. They put metal on them for armor, and put large firearms on them that can shoot through anything and everything. That is just the beginning of what I saw them do, and who knows what they can do beyond that? Believe me when I say that to face them unprepared is suicide. Your flight will not save you, unless you are running away."

Tarentek did his best to reach into his memory to convey the gravity of the situation. This enemy was capable almost beyond belief and had mastered technology he thought would be forever lost. It was impressive and frightening in equal measure. He knew little of the woman's race, the Elissics. He had heard the name once or twice in passing, mostly from traders from the west, but all he had heard about them were that they were reclusive. From his impression of this woman, that description was accurate.

[Vesuvius00]

Part of Onyx heard and understood the warning the creature was giving, the creatures he was referring to were certainly very advanced compared to the types of Relics her tribe had been able to restore. It did remain possible, however, that the creature could be delusional from the long-term affects of dehydration and separation anxiety. The other part of Onyx, the part that still believed that she shouldn't have been talking to the creature in the first place, only heard a challenge in the creature's words.

"You believe that no one may stand up to them and survive? Obviously, you have never met an Elissic before!" She was about to charge at the creature, aiming to push it into the water, when she noticed and remembered the creature's powerful relic, which it was now holding by the barrel at its side. Implementing her new plan, she quickly flew up into the air and out of view. Maneuvering quickly, she managed to get behind the creature and snatch the relic from it before it had realized where she was.

"I hope you can swim, creature!" She said darkly as she pushed it into the dark water, causing a large splash of salt-water that Onyx dodged easily in the air.

[EliteCommander]

As the woman started to fly up into the air, Tarentek let out an audible sigh. He rubbed his free hand across his face and shook his head. Part of him wanted to give up and move on, but it would not be right for others to suffer for her stubbornness. Besides, he still had little in the way of supplies and could use help if she was willing to give it.

While he was thinking, Tarentek was not exactly paying attention to where the woman was flying, so he managed to knock away his rifle, then pushed him into the water. Why she did this was entirely unknown to him, but he was starting to become frustrated. She had saved his life, so he withheld retaliation, but his opinion of her was not quite as high as it was before. At the very least, she had knocked away his rifle beforehand, so it was spared from the salt water.

Tarentek leaned up just out of the water, which was not deep along the shore. He started to rub his head, giving her a slight scowl. "I feel like I am trying to save a child." He muttered, mostly to himself. "You believe I am lying to you? Or that I overestimate the enemy? I know what they did to me, and I will show you." He said, pulling back his robe to reveal an alarming assortment of scars across the right side of his body. There were countless cuts and burns on the right side of his torso, and even down half of his leg, enough to make one wonder how he was in as good of a condition as he seemed to be. The scars had been given some time to heal, so they were not quite as prominent as when they had formed, but they were still very obvious. Given his species' enhanced healing capabilities, they would disappear entirely over time, but for now, the illustrated what he had experienced.

"This...was a glancing blow, from a weapon the likes of which I have never seen before. It was small, enough to fit in the palm of your hand. I did not know what it was when it rolled into our group. After a few moments, there was a blinding flash and a deafening sound, then I was knocked on my back, bleeding and in pain. I was far enough away to survive, but my friends...it was capable of ripping the flesh from their bones. They had plenty of these things, which could destroy buildings and flesh alike. Imagine what these things could do to your people? Just throw them in the air; they do not even have to be precise. They would rip you to pieces. If you want to ignore my warning, then go ahead, fly home. Wait for them to come. If you want the help of one who has seen their capabilities, however, you will need me." Tarentek warned.

[Vesuvius00]

The scars were, horrible. Worse than anything Onyx had ever seen before. The shock the sight sent through her left her unable to do anything but float slowly down to the ground and stare. She suddenly felt, guilty, guilty for refusing to listen until now, and for reacting like a child. Yes, Onyx was 19 years old, but she has not gone through her tribe's rights of womanhood ceremony, which is held on the first day of the girl's 20th year, making Onyx currently little more than a child.

She was so shocked, she had barely noticed when the creature walked up to her and took its Relic back. All she could think to do is ask, "Are you in pain?"

[EliteCommander]

While the woman was speechless, Tarentek took the time to get out of the water and retrieve his rifle. He was still quite agitated, but just as before, he restrained himself from lashing out against the one who saved him. Both himself and his robes were now soaked, much to his discomfort, but at the very least, he seemed to have driven in his point well-enough.

Tarentek shook his head. "At first? Definitely, but not anymore. Removing the small bits of metal was the most painful part, but like I said, this was a glancing blow from that weapon compared to its potential. My race has heightened healing capabilities compared to most that I am aware of. Granted, with as little food as I have had since the attack, the healing has slowed, but with enough time, the scars will disappear entirely. My friend who escaped with me was not so fortunate. He was not caught in that terrible weapon, but..." He began, approaching close enough to show her the hole in his robe near his heart. "A bullet cut through his heart. I do not believe it was a direct hit, as he held on for a few hours, but...it was not enough. He, and almost every warrior in Amman, shared the same fate. This...force, I do not know their name, but they call themselves an Empire. They come from the east, moving from settlement to settlement. From what I know, they sent a messenger to us, demanding we surrender ourselves to their authority and join their Empire. We refused and...we could not have known their power. The rumors I heard say they do the same to every city. When it is time, they will come to your people and make the same demand. If they refuse, then history will repeat itself. No city can face them alone, and in truth, I do not even know if there is time to warn enough settlements, but...I have no more purpose with my life other than to fight them."

[Vesuvius00]

"You are the last of your tribe..." It is... Alone. The word cut through Onyx to her heart, and she very nearly started to cry.

"My people wouldn't listen to you, as an outsider you have no right to speak to us. I don't even remember why I bothered to try and save you in the first place..." Onyx regreted having to say so. Her people would most likley kill the creature on sight, unless...

Unless she could sneak it in somehow so it could talk directly with her father first.

[EliteCommander]

Tarentek did not precisely know if he was the only survivor of the attack, as he had been forced out of the city during the fight, too weak to help no matter his own desires. There was no questioning that their enemy had won, as it was already a losing fight when he escaped, but he could not say how many others were able to retreat. Still, even if a few managed to get away, it was unlikely he would ever see them again, so in essence, he was alone. There were other settlements that were partially or completely comprised of members of his species, but they were entirely separate from Amman, and not always allies. They were not his people.

The woman's answer was starting to make Tarentek wonder if saving them was even worth the effort, but he pushed back those thoughts for the moment. The fate of her people was at stake, and he had the means to help her, as long as they would accept it. "You are truly living up to your reputation as reclusive. That...stubbornness will be your people's end if you can do nothing about it. I owe you, and I want to help you, but I cannot perform miracles. Is there nothing you can do to get your people to listen?"

[Vesuvius00]

"I- I could take you directly to our tribe leader... He is proud and does not keep guards. You could convince him the same way you convinced me." Onyx said before she could change her mind. She looked the creature up and down. It looked like it would be heavy to carry, and so she'd take longer to get back to the mountain camp of her tribe... But she was sure she could do it.

"You're going to have to trust me for a while. I'm going to carry you there."

[EliteCommander]

"Hmm, you must have strong wings. Are you sure you can carry me, waterlogged as I am?" Tarentek asked before his thoughts went onto a different matter. If her people were really as proud and isolated as she described, he could not imagine he would receive a warm welcome if discovered. He did not like the idea of heading straight into the center of their "nest," as she called it.

"Also, I do not know how comfortable I am being dropped straight into the center of your nest. It seems like that would place me in great danger. Perhaps...do you think it would be possible to persuade him to speak to me just outside of the city? If so, I would not be in immediate peril, and I could still get my message to your people." He asked. He did not think it was likely that she would say yes, but he could at least ask.

[Vesuvius00]

"That will not be necessary. As a tactial strategy the leader and those of highest rank live closest to the outer edge of the nest, and those who would need to be protected would live in the inner circle. Most enemies are unable to fly, so this works very well." Onyx paused before she spoke again, gauging the creature's reaction.

"Should it come to violence, I will fight to defend you. This is a promise." She held out her hand for the creature to take, and when it did she pulled it closer, wrapping her arms and wings around it in embrace.

"This is how I show a promise will be kept." She said after she had relased it. "We must go. Now."

[EliteCommander]

Given her track record so far, Tarentek was somewhat nervous when she wrapped her wings around him, but it seemed to be just some strange custom. Perhaps he could ask her to share more of their customs with him on the way, so that he could avoid offending their leader. In any case, it seemed this was the best offer he was going to get. It was a risk, but he needed to spread the word about the attack, and he still did not have enough supplies to get to a city on his own.

Tarentek sighed. "Fine, fine, I suppose it is the best option we have. Having fought them myself, I can give important details about our enemy to your leaders. I just hope it will be enough."

As he approached the woman to allow her to pick him up, another thought entered his mind. The rational part of his mind said it was a bad idea, but he was still not completely in his right mind. "Wait, there's one more thing..." He began before suddenly, and without warning, shoving her into the water, just as she had to him. Their situation was indeed serious, but they still had time, and he needed that well-deserved retribution. After a few moments of brief laughter, he closed his eyes and let out a deep, satisfied breath. "Okay, I am ready."

[Vesuvius00]

"Wha-?" Onyx's words were cut out by the salty water that had suddenly filled her mouth, eyes, and ears. The creature had pushed her into the Sea! She shut her eyes as she thrashed around for a moment, looking for the surface. She sat up, and found that she was sitting in only about a foot of water. Spitting, hissing, and shaking her head to get the water out of her ears, she did not know how many times she swore at the creature, or even what she was yelling at it at all. She tried to stand, but her wings had soaked up enough water to throw off her balance, causing her to fall into the water again. She cursed some more, although these weren't really directed at anything, as she tried again to stand.

After her second failed attempt, she settled for crawling from the water to the shore. She was sure she looked ridiculous, and decided that she may 'accidentally' drop the creature once or twice along the way as payback. She coughed a few times when she got back on the dry sand, trying hard not to throw herself at the creature and skin it alive, even though those scales would make a pretty offering to her father... if it weren't for the scars...

She beat her wings a few times, shaking most of the water out. It would take a few minutes for them to dry enough for her to fly again, and she'd have to wash the salt out of her fur when she got back to the mountains as well. She was not pleased to see the smile the creature was wearing, it looked as if it thought it had won something.

"Teckn'aiz!" She hissed at the creature as she walked past it, towards her Tribe's nest. "Follow if you will, choose quickly though, I will leave you if you do not keep pace."

[EliteCommander]

The woman's reaction to the water seemed well-worth the effort. From appearances, it looked like she was not terribly fond of the water, something he would need to keep in mind. Tarentek gave another chuckle, following the woman as she walked past. "I believe that was fair. You did do the very same thing to me, did you not?" He commented rhetorically.

After a minute or so, Tarentek's expression became serious once more. As entertaining as it was to watch her flail about in the water, they did have important matters to attend to. "At any rate, there are some questions I should ask you first anyway. Remember, I know nothing about your people, and if they do not react to the warning I bring, then it could mean the end of them. I need to know what to, and to not say when I meet your leader. Something that is normal in my city might be offensive in yours, so do not assume I will know anything."

[Vesuvius00]

Still angry enough not to care about whatever it was the creature had said, she simply ignored it. Her wings would be dry again in another minute or so, she could just abandon it then... But, she made a promise. She would bring this creature to her father, and defend it when it came to that point, even if it was a "Teckn'aiz."

She said the last word of her thought out loud to get the creature's attention. "I will call you Teckn'aiz from now on. It fits you perfectly, for it means 'One who cannot be trusted'." She tried to take flight, but was not able to stay in the air for long before drifting down again. Just a little longer...