Dark Earth (Male Reader)

4: Camp

The world around you is growing darker. The sun hiding behind the grey clouds is starting to set on the horizon. The one armed girl led you through the piles of bones down a small path carved out between two rocks. The wind blew your hair and ruffled her grey cloak. Even though you were dressed in rags, you didn't feel cold. You didn't feel much if anything.

You keep walking for quite a while. Leading you though the rocks, she turns off in a corner into a small cave entrance. She ducks down and crawls in and you follow behind her. Your feet scrap against the rough rock floor as she takes you through a winding cave system, moving through the hill. Eventually, the dimming light of the world hits your eyes again as you exit the cave on the other side.

In front of you sits a camp. A small tent with a cot rests to the left. A fire pit and stake rest in the center. A wooden table littered with bowls and tools ate next to a large stone embedded in the ground. The girl moves up and sets her basket of small bones on the table, pulling off her cloak. Her white hair falls over her shoulder as she sits on the ground next to the fire pit, rubbing her feet.

"Is this your camp?" you ask.

"... yes..."

Her voice is quiet and raspy. It's safe to say that she doesn't get the chance to use it much. You move up and sit across from her, looking around. The campsite is surrounded by tall trees and boulders. The wind above the tree line tugs at the dried limbs and few remaining dried leaves.

The girl moves and grabs a mortar and pestle from the table, holding the bowl between her legs and reaching into the basket, grabbing out a handle of bones. She starts to grind them up, smashing them into a fine powder.

"What are you doing?"

"making... food... cooking..."

"You grind bones for food?"

She nods and then points to the fire pit.

"can you... make?..."

You get up, looking for something to start a fire with. As you look around, you feel the fire return, though not as strong as before. Heat builds up in your hand. Inhaling and grabbing one of the old sticks in the pit, the energy in you bursts to life in your palm, setting the stick and pit on fire. You pull your arm back. It's undamaged and there are still only three ring tattoos circling your wrist. The girl looks in shock and awe as you light the fire with your mysterious power.

"what... are you?..."

"I... I'm not sure. I don't know who I am. I woke up in... the cemetery. I can do these things and I don't know how... I don't even know my name..."

"... dim.."

"What?" you ask.

"my name... dim..."

"It's... it's nice to meet you Dim."

She smiles and continues to grind up the bones. She looks cute when she smiles. Once she has enough powder, Dim pours the dust into a metal pot sitting in the fire. She mixes it with a strange blue and green substance that you can't place. The mixture bubbles and turns into a white soup. She lifts the pot carefully and sets it on the broken ground, waiting for it to cool.

"no... memory?...," she asks.

"That's right... I just woke up in a coffin and shot lasers from my eyes... What about you?"

Dim looks down at her knees, playing with her white hair. It looks like she doesn't want to talk about her backstory, so you don't press her on it.

"what... now... for you?..."

"I don't know. What is there for me in this world? I might as well be good for those things back there if I have nothing."

She looks at you, thinking for a moment. Taking another bowl from the table and a ladle, she spoons up a helping of the soup and hands it to you.

"there is tower... far north... has secrets..."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"it has those around it."

She points to the tattoos on your wrist. You look at them, rubbing them slowly. You can see small details in the ink. Lines and shapes crossing the bands of black skin.

"Really?... If I'm connected to that tower, then I'm probably supposed to go there. You said north?"

"... yes... but it is far away... long trip..."

"And I don't have a map... Great..."

The silence falls again in the camp as you wrack your brain for some way to get to the tower. You're not sure if it's even related to you, but you know it has to be. It has to be. Taking a sip from the bowl, you start thinking of different possible ways to travel there, all of which crash and burn immediately. You have no idea how the world works or who lives in it. No sense of direction. You're completely lost.

"you are strong..."

"Huh?"

"strong... beat monster... with powers..."

"I guess I did, but I don't know how to work them really. It just... happens."

Dim sets down her own bowl and starts crawling towards you. She gets uncomfortably close to your face, staring you down with her blue eyes. Her face is one of determination.

"... i will take you."

"Really? You will? Why?"

"you are strong... you save me... i owe you life..."

"No, you don't. Anyone would have done the same."

"no... they wouldn't..."

You sigh and nod slowly. Dim moves back and holds out her hand. Smiling awkwardly, you take it and shake, making a deal with the strange girl.

"besides... i can't stay here... this no life... i want to get out..."

"Well," you say smiling," I hope we both get what we want."