The Orb And The Onslaught {COMPLETE}

Down Time

    The first town they reached after the border, they chose to stay a while and restock some of their supplies; they didn't want to be caught short in the desert-like landscape. It also gave Florence and Quentin chance to change their clothes; they'd both lost track of how long it had been since they'd last washed and changed. Skyrah changed her clothes but she kept Quentin's jacket, she'd become quite attached to it and Quentin didn't mind in the slightest.

     While they waited for the horses to finish eating, they stood around the carriage. The town was just as horrible as the rest, those begging in the streets seemed to eye up the horses' meal like it might be worth the potentially deadly kick just to steal it.

"After everything we went through, why does it feel like we didn't accomplish anything good for this place?" Quentin asked of nobody in particular, his voice cracked mid-sentence.

    Florence stared sympathetically between him and the beggars.

"I know it feels that way but the bigger problems take time, give it three or four years and you won't recognise this place. But if you plan to come back to see Hunter when we've finished our mission, you'll get to see the changes first-hand."

    Quentin didn't seem keen to talk about that subject and his mood dipped lower.

"If it helps, you accomplished something for me." Skyrah spoke up, her words conveying no other emotion except sincerity.

Quentin turned to look at her and guilt etched his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to belittle your rescue. I just hate to see these people suffering still."

     Skyrah glanced to the beggars, "You don't have to apologise, I understand."

Her response was a little ambiguous but it managed to pull Quentin out of his mood. They cleared up after the horses and set off once again, though they'd only gone a few steps when the horses whinnied and stopped in their tracks. It took them all a moment to notice the reason for their behaviour.

    Projected into the air in the middle of the town was a large image with Cyan's face on it. Suddenly her voice boomed all around them, there wasn't a person in the town who couldn't have heard it.

"Greetings, folk of Nuplax." Florence noticed straight away that she seemed to have dampened her accent. It was only slight but it was already much more imposing. It would also help her to appeal to the upper class as well as the lower- which Florence assumed was the point.

    "I come to ya now with a tale and a lesson that y'all need to hear. We've been lied to fer long enough, we've been treat like vermin for long enough and it's time for change."

She went on to explain who she was and what she wanted for their Domain, she talked of her mother and their life. Of the slums and how people there were left to die, how nobody cared about their people but that she did.

    She spoke of the changes and how much better the whole Domain could be. Then her voice turned grave and she spoke of what the church-cult had been doing. Her face on the projection disappeared and was replaced with the footage Quentin had supplied, starting from the moment they'd entered the priests' house. It showed their charade with the priests and then the horrific scenes of the prisoners.

     The whole town was silent, every single person on the street and even in the houses came to watch the projection from their doorways. Not only was it technology they'd never seen before, it was also the first time one of their own had a seat of power. Someone to confirm things they'd been suspecting and hearing rumours on for years. Florence heard screams of pain mingle with the one she made on the projection; they felt the anguish she had seeing those people caged and abused like that.