Obsidian Brigade

The other side

'It was the year 10, when three boys were born among the lands now known as Eymitdall. Growin' up, they spent every moment together. The mountainous area wasn't a save environment to grow up in and many infants would pass before maturin'. But not there three. No, these three would and could withstand anythin' together. My ancestor, Reynold Rivendor, was an inventive fellow and had a way with words. His friend Sinon had roots from Risano, a group of islands in the Copper Sea. He wasn't afraid of anythin' and would often bicker with Reynold, despite bein' deeply loyal to him. Their friend Monty however, was a bit of a wimp. Earnest and kind, he would always mediate between the other two. They would go fishin', practice swordplay or climb on trees to reach for the stars. The catalyst came when they hiked to the top of the mountains. Reynold's father had warned him about the upcomin' storm, but ever so stubborn they went anyway. They tried to poke the clouds with an iron pipe and disaster stuck. Miraculously, the boys survived. Tales of the thunderous Gods would soon spread the country and the boys would become known as the "Thunderous Trio". They emitted an aura that made their convictions stronger. People would start followin' in their footsteps and the mountain storms would become known as a message from the Gods. The boys would become men, and would found the walled-in metropolis known as Atlas. Their clashin' worldviews would push them away and separate the city into three districts: honesty, loyalty and harmony. But Atlas wouldn't thrive under such an unruly government, so it was decided that whichever district was strongest, would rule that year. A fourth district was carved in the middle of the original three, named "Pandora". The Pandoran Games are held every year to this day, decidin' which thunderous path the city should take that year.'

'It's nice that you know that story, but all I asked was if you wanted to go with me', Kaimir waves a yellow ticket in front if the cowboy's face.
'I thought we were spending the money on finding a place', he swipes the ticket from him and shakes his head.
'Those hay bales coddled you too much', the rogue puts his arm around him. 'There's another Askian in the district.'

'Please don't be a dead end', a guy with a red headband mutters in between deep breaths as he runs through the moist, shaded alleys of the Reykjavell district. The pavement and walls are made of the same rock formation that are just dull and gray. He tries not to slip as he frantically exits what seems to be a monochrome maze. He runs into a paperboy whose letters are sent flying.
'I'm sorry', he shouts before running away from the insults thrown at him. He stumbles his way into another side street and stops to catch his breath. He leans his palms on his knees. Two feet step in front of him under his eyes, startling him. In front of him stands a girl with scales on the side of her face and her arms and legs. She's not fully covered, but enough to make her seem like she dressed up for an outdoors party.
'Apologies, I didn't mean to startle you', she had a polite tone to her voice, but her face barely changes expression.
'Thank the Gods you're not them', he sighs relieved.
'I could be them, depending on who you're running from, though I'm not after anyone.'
The boy takes a small step back and tries to read her. 'You're joking... That was a joke, right?'
'I've been told I'm not particularly humorous', she says standing perfectly still.
'Hehe, right... Well, thanks for not killing me', he takes a few more steps back.
'I would like us to be friends', she continues.
The boy laughs sheepishly. 'You can't just say that to people. I don't even know you.'
'My name is Lilith Navao, I'm from the Naga tribe from Okoo'a and I'm new to the city. Considering you're on the run and I don't mean to discriminate, but your skintone tells me you're not from Eymitdall yourself either, I think we're kindred spirits in a sense.'
'You don't have any friends, do you?', he asks.
'None. My tribe had isolated themselves and perished from famine. I've never met other people before until recently.'
'Clearly... Well, you can't just ask anyone to be your friend and you should definitely be careful sharing personal information like that. I'm sorry about your people though.'
'Your name?', she asks.
'My... name?'
'I can't accept advice from a stranger, so I would like to learn your name', she reaches out her hand.
'Kaphiri', he slowly reaches back to shake hers.
'An Askian name. I feel embarrassed about my lack of social manners.'
He frantically waved his arms and puts his finger against her lips. 'Please, don't say that out loud. I don't want anyone to know I'm from... there.'
'Is this another custom I'm not aware of? Oh, I see, I shouldn't be sharing friends' personal information either, is that right?'
'Yeah, kinda', he calms down.
She shakes her fist victoriously.
'Say, you wouldn't have a place to lay low for a little while, do you?', he asks.
'Do you have back pains or do you simply want to lie down?', she tries to look at his back.
'N-no I mean a place to sleep. I'm kind of a stowaway', he stops her from trying to massage his back.
'Though I arrived here legally, I have only camped outside so far. Nothing I'm not used to', she notices his disappointment. 'I did see an abandoned house the other day.'
'That could work'. Kaphiri smiles.
'As long as no innuendo's are implied, we could check our options there', she says.
'No innuendo's implied...', he scratches his head. 'You must be pretty strong, if they allowed you in.'
She smiles and leads the way.