‹ Prequel: Symbols of Strength
Status: Finished, sorta. Just have to post it all.
At First Lyght
Part 4
Soon after the group was fully armed to the teeth in weaponry and clad in the regulatory Partisan armor, the four of them headed off and followed Leo’s directions. He’d gotten them lost quite a few times on the way. First they’d ended up at central park in the middle of the city, and then he lead them to an abandoned parkway with the sign “AREA TO BE DEMOLISHED: KEEP OUT”. But worst of all was when he accidentally brought them to a smelly alleyway. Ashton cursed at him silently.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” He asked sternly.
“I-I’m sorry... I ain’t mean to go this way...” Leo twiddled with his thumbs. He knew he’d forgotten the way there. Vincent, another member of the group with jet black combed-back hair, looked around gloomily. He hadn’t spoken since their conversation had been interrupted back at the HQ, where he was telling them all about his intricate hair process. He was gazing around without a care when he noticed a flash of light in a district not far from where they were. It looked almost like an ARSF (Assistance Required Signal Flare).
“Guys...” He looked at his companions with a worried look on his face.
“Well, at least I don’t have a flawed sense of direction!” Ashton was shouting at Leo.
“Look, I tried didn’t I? I ain’t no geography expert. Only been here a week—I don’t know anything about this town!” Leo shouted back. Rachel was rolling her eyes and watching them argue without saying anything. When Ashton got like this, there wasn’t much she could do.
“Hey... guys..?” He repeated, a little louder.
“You’re a Partisan! Your primary task is the memorize the layout of the city you’re in! Are you an idiot or something, kiddo?”
“No one told me that! How am I supposed to know?!”
“Guys!” Everyone looked at Vincent. He’d been so silent they nearly forgot he was with them.
He pointed in the direction of the flare. “I think that is where we should be going. Mere assumption.”
Leo, his eyes wide with rage and terror, bolted off in the direction of the flare. “I’ll save ya, Fyra… I promise.” The others called after him, but their words did not reach his ears. One glance at each other and a silent agreement later, and they ran after him. He wound through alleys and crossed silent streets like a racecar, leaving dust and destruction in his wake. Mild destruction mind you, but toppled trash cans and overturned recycling bins are enough to ruin anyone’s morning.
Glancing up at the sky, Leo noticed something he didn’t notice before: the deep blue overworld known as space seemed to almost shimmer in and out of existence. Sometimes it took on a metallic undertone, whilst other times it seemed perfectly fine. There was a lot of wrong energy going on up there. He leapt over a stray trash bin, tripped, and came tumbling into the middle of a street. Normally he would’ve been honked at and heard the loud roar of a honking horn and the painful screech of someone braking or trying to go around him—but he didn’t hear anything. There was utter silence.
Glancing up off of the pavement, he took notice of the absolute chaos wrought around him.
Giant holes were blown in the sides of buildings, craters as deep as small ponds ravaged the ground, flames took birth all over the place, and scattered pieces of debris and carnage lay strewn without a care. Leo tried not to notice it, but he could’ve sworn there was a lot of blood everywhere. Most of it was human; the rest of it… was not.
“Do you even know where you’re going?” He asked sternly.
“I-I’m sorry... I ain’t mean to go this way...” Leo twiddled with his thumbs. He knew he’d forgotten the way there. Vincent, another member of the group with jet black combed-back hair, looked around gloomily. He hadn’t spoken since their conversation had been interrupted back at the HQ, where he was telling them all about his intricate hair process. He was gazing around without a care when he noticed a flash of light in a district not far from where they were. It looked almost like an ARSF (Assistance Required Signal Flare).
“Guys...” He looked at his companions with a worried look on his face.
“Well, at least I don’t have a flawed sense of direction!” Ashton was shouting at Leo.
“Look, I tried didn’t I? I ain’t no geography expert. Only been here a week—I don’t know anything about this town!” Leo shouted back. Rachel was rolling her eyes and watching them argue without saying anything. When Ashton got like this, there wasn’t much she could do.
“Hey... guys..?” He repeated, a little louder.
“You’re a Partisan! Your primary task is the memorize the layout of the city you’re in! Are you an idiot or something, kiddo?”
“No one told me that! How am I supposed to know?!”
“Guys!” Everyone looked at Vincent. He’d been so silent they nearly forgot he was with them.
He pointed in the direction of the flare. “I think that is where we should be going. Mere assumption.”
Leo, his eyes wide with rage and terror, bolted off in the direction of the flare. “I’ll save ya, Fyra… I promise.” The others called after him, but their words did not reach his ears. One glance at each other and a silent agreement later, and they ran after him. He wound through alleys and crossed silent streets like a racecar, leaving dust and destruction in his wake. Mild destruction mind you, but toppled trash cans and overturned recycling bins are enough to ruin anyone’s morning.
Glancing up at the sky, Leo noticed something he didn’t notice before: the deep blue overworld known as space seemed to almost shimmer in and out of existence. Sometimes it took on a metallic undertone, whilst other times it seemed perfectly fine. There was a lot of wrong energy going on up there. He leapt over a stray trash bin, tripped, and came tumbling into the middle of a street. Normally he would’ve been honked at and heard the loud roar of a honking horn and the painful screech of someone braking or trying to go around him—but he didn’t hear anything. There was utter silence.
Glancing up off of the pavement, he took notice of the absolute chaos wrought around him.
Giant holes were blown in the sides of buildings, craters as deep as small ponds ravaged the ground, flames took birth all over the place, and scattered pieces of debris and carnage lay strewn without a care. Leo tried not to notice it, but he could’ve sworn there was a lot of blood everywhere. Most of it was human; the rest of it… was not.