Jarvi's fate was too far away for anyone to comment. Eryn knew he needed
to try and at least keep Jarvi safe so knew he had to follow but with caution.
He examined the beam and found what seemed to be handles on either side. Both
these bars had a button inlaid near the top. Although he could reach both of
them if he allowed himself to dangle off of the beam, he decided it was
probably better for him to use his flaming hand on one, while using his
attached hand on the other. The flames paused in on the button but nothing
happened. Eryn released the button and pressed his own, to which again nothing
happened. It was only when he pressed both at the same time that the beams
vibrated into life. With only one hand clinging on to the poll, both extended
out towards the planet pulling Eryn along with it. After a few seconds the
handles returned to their original length and it was now up to Danton and Xera
to successfully reach the dirt ball in the distance.
Both of them followed Eryn's actions, although firmly gripping both bars
after pressing the buttons. They quickly descended for a few seconds before
handing feet first an inch or two off the ground. Eryn had a few scrapes from
his one handed landing but Jarvi was seriously injured. He was crouched in a
corner, his arms crossed over his chest with his fingers interlocking behind
his back. Eryn had carefully watched the other's decent and remarked to
the group that the beam they had left was still within sight around one hundred
meters, and not as far an orbiting body. The ground around them however was
exactly as expected, vast, featureless and dusty, save for what seemed to be
metal sheets in the distance creating encampments. Eryn hoped these people were
perhaps from Darkperch or from Auspar and that whatever had effected the fiancée
to age and become mentally unstable had not tainted them.
Unfortunately, as they got closer to an encampment, they noticed a guard
standing a gap in the fence. He was stooped and disfigured with crusted sores
extending from his lips to whatever fabric was covering his chest. He at
least, from this distance, had a full head of hair and wrinkle free. Danton
recognised that the man suffered from mutations much like the ghost stories in
his family about mutants that a distant relative created. He took control of
the group, telling them they needed to go inside and without much discussion
preceded.
The guard stopped them as they reached a close proximity to the
entrance. Without provocation the guard prepared to lash out but was stopped by
a hand on his shoulder. It was the hand from a fully naked overly rotund man,
with greasy folds of skin. He was caked in mud and sweat and dried blood mixed
in with the saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth. He ran his left
though his hair before rubbing his crotch, sniffing his hand before wiping the
saliva from his mouth. Adorned on head were a crown of wires, with a barbed variant hung living grubs around his neck, over his sore laden skin. There was
hunger in his eyes as he spoke. He calmed the guard down and invited the group
into the encampment called No Hope. Inside were around thirty to forty more
people. They were also naked, sleeping in a pile like wild animals on top of
what looked like matted and frayed clothing.
As the group were brought in they sleepers awoke, with a few taking up
arms. Their leader, Mungrun, was insisting the group was not from an invading
party and were not to be eaten. Although he himself was having to stop himself
from slathering. In the corner of the encampment was a grudge cage, with a
young girl locked inside. She, like everyone Eryn had encountered, had the
scars of the pincers. Eryn demanded to know where she had came from, and what
she doing in a cage. Jarvi stamped his fingers and bared his teeth at the image
of a a young girl trapped. Mungrun was absentminded about the facts, only
revealing that her tribe was tasty but she had useful knowledge.
This was all Eryn and Jarvi needed and both flew into an onslaught
against Mungrun and his guards. It was over in an instant, defenceless apart
from a jagged piece of metal, the cannibals had no chance against what the two of
them could muster. Mungrun died in the blink of an eye. However despite Jarvi
and Eryn's best efforts, the subdued swore fealty to Danton. Eryn managed to
catch a glimpse of a blight blue and dark wood pendant around his neck before
Danton snatched at it and stuffed it back into his shirt.
Soon all of Mungrun's remaining guards and the
citizens swore fealty to Danton. He smiled a little nervously as the others
look at him for an answer. He gave none. Throughout the fight Jarvi managed to
hear a man hollering and yelling, cheering them on. This man turned out to a athletic
rat of a man, with oversized ears and a singular buck-tooth down to his chin. He
introduced himself to Danton as Shork with a offering of a grub. He did not
wish to offend the man, who seemed a little out of place to the rest of the
group. He looked more alive than the rest.
Danton bit down into the pale grub, grasping it at
both of its black plated ends. The taste was worse than rancid meat and manure
but Daton knew this was most likely
their only food. His beard suddenly started to tingle. The hairs matted
mutated into tentacles around his mouth, although he could not move them. Shork
burst out laughing, mentioning that usually the mutations took multiple meals
before it took hold. The moment passed but out of the blue Jarvi started
laughing. Danton looked over to notice Eryn was describing him to Jarvi and in
their distraction, the girl had gone, along with the as many weapons as she
could carry.
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