Exiled

[Jealous]

Blood. Slowly it slid across the white tiles. Violet clothe darkening as became soaked. Raven tresses danced in the warm liquid. Innocent hands stained red.

With a crack, the log splintered in half with a fine cut. Knocking the pieces aside, Gavin Hargreaves turned to grab another. Lifting his axe once more, he brought the sharp object down. As the repetition continued, the memory slide back into the recesses of his mind. Yet the anger that surfaced remained as he continued his work. It provided the fuel to get through the heat of the day and weariness of hard labor.

Sixteen years ago he had lived a different life. But that was the past – as his future seemed to be stuck in this meaningless task. Yet, Gavin longed for the opportunity to change the future. But there was not much he could do with the mark upon his neck. The circles and crosses arranged to signify what he was to the kingdom of Larimore.

"Gavin, you must come quickly."

The woodsman put his tools down, rubbing his hands upon the sides of his shirt. From the edge of the woods approached a man whom he admired. Alvin had been the first one to teach him how to till the earth and use his hands for something more than combat. The aged man stopped for a moment to gather his breath before he motioned for the black haired man to follow, "There is news. News from Larimore."


= = =


Her days of waiting were over. Life in the cold prison in one of Arcana's high-rises hadn't been too different to sleeping on the streets. However, she hadn't seen the sky in so long. She missed the sun – the mornings and evenings of watching the sun appear and then disappear at the edge of the world. She missed running over the rooftops, the wind chilling her skin. And now she would never see this world again. She had made a mistake and she would surely die. Her punishment would be death, and those that claimed leadership of the city would not be gracious enough to grant her one last request.

Now was the time of her execution. The walls of her prison had been replaced with walls of metal that hummed with energy. Phoenix rubbed at the raw skin at her wrists which were finally free of the cuffs that had bound her. Circling her new imprisonment, she tried to find an exit, but the walls were seamless. The ground shuttered, throwing her into one of the metal walls. Fear filled her as the temperature began to quickly rise.

Over her beating heart she heard a loud buzz and the sound of static. "Citizen. Guilty of thievery. Punishment – death by disintegration."

The words chilled her to the bone. Out of all the options of how to die, she did not want to be pulled apart atom by atom – to leave nothing behind. And to die in such a confined space … all she wanted was to be free.

The floor beneath her rocked and her cage grew louder as the gears whirled and electricity crackled. And then the world around her went quiet. The world turned white as a resounding bang resounded through the air. The machine rocked back and her head slammed into the metal. Blood dripped down the back of her head, and as she lifted her gaze, she felt as if the world had slowed around her. As the white haze thinned, time seemed to still. It was then that the wall seemed to melt away and she found herself falling backwards. The world of metal was replaced with bright blue.

Phoenix could feel the wind whipping through her hair and she was enveloped in the sensation of falling. Instinct took over - habit developed from running through Arcana. In seconds her feet slammed into the ground. Her knees bent and her hands slammed into the ground, trying to absorb the shock of the impact. Her muscles and bones ached as she remained still, crouched down in the soft grass. Her rapidly beating heart evidence that she was still alive.

 

[Librarian]

A trifecta of knocks rattled the door as a young blonde woman stood over a bag, shoving supplies into it, her brow furrowed in concentration. There was nothing she could do now about the knocking and new the knocker would be unhappier if she let them inside. So, she continued to pac the bag laid out on her bed with what she would need for her journey. The adventure she had been waiting for. Another round of knocks sounded and this time a woman's voice screeched, "Noelle Evers! You let me in this room right now!" Noelle peered over her shoulder at the door but then returned her attention back to the bag, putting some dried meat she had found in the pantry inside along with a few jars of vegetables and fruits.

There were more knocks and more ignoring on her side. Slipping a knife into the bag she figured she had learned enough about hunting to be able to do so without help at least for a little while. She had tucked a map away so she could find the next town and restock her supplies when she got there. It was perfect.

Throwing her bag over her shoulder she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and looked around for anything she may still need. There was a letter on the desk for her mother and the window was cracked open. This was her chance. Hoisting herself out of the window with her bag, her feet hit the ground and she began to sprint, never looking back. People around her stared and even called after her but she was already too far gone.

Veering off the road she ended up running through a field. Noelle could have sworn her mother was screaming behind her but it was still too late. Noelle wasn't coming back.

All of a sudden there was a loud noise. Noelle slowed and frowned. What the hell could it be? She looked up into the sky and watched as something fell. No, it couldn't be... It was a human! Panicking she wasn't sure what to do as she watched the person come crashing to the ground. She stood there, her mouth open and gaping. She... She wasn't dead! The person, a woman, wasn't dead! Noelle's hands slapped over her mouth and she watched incredulously as the woman crouched on the ground.

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Charlie gazed at the multitude of weapons lining the walls of the armory. There was a little bit of everything there and he reached to touch the blade of an axe. It was smooth, easily cutting through anything and everything that could possibly come into contact with it. It made him grin. Next to it was a sword, his trusty sword that he had had since he could remember picking one up. It had been sharpened as soon as he knew he was leaving for his assignment.

Laid out on the table were his favorite throwing knives tucked into the sheaths that he hid in his clothes when he left for his jobs. He would need them within the next day for he was no setting out to do something his boss was willing to pay an arm and a leg for. Not literally but it was funny to think about.

Charlie walked out of the armory and began his way down the hall through the castle. Many of the servants tended to avoid him. They knew who he was and what he did. they knew that he did it well and they did not want to upset him or their king for fear of having Charlie kill them in their sleep. If they were only so lucky.

He stopped outside of a room and opened the door. It was his. He hadn't had much in his life and now having his own room was something he would never take for granted. Everything was there and ready to be utilized. On his bed sat a bag that he planned on taking with him, his rations, some extra clothes, whatever he could want. Taking a seat on his bed he removed the hood he wore and began to look at the map that he had been given. Where oh where would he begin his search?

 

[Jealous]

A string of curses slipped through her lips as the redhead collapsed to the ground. Her grace gone along with her strength. In silence she lay there, staring at the grass that cushioned her fall. If it was not for the pain that coursed through her, she may have believed that this was heaven. Never had she seen such lush greenery in such abundance. Nor had she seen it so vibrant. The greenery of Arcana grew out of cracks in the ground as it fought to take back the apocalyptic town. Even in places that weren't as run down, the plants had more of a brown-sickly hue.

Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds around her. It was much quieter than she was used to. There was not the sound of fighting or skirmishes. There was no not a heavy smell of smoke in the air. How was it that this could not be the afterlife? Where was she if not dead?

The sound of footsteps pulled Phoenix out of her reverie. Quickly, she sat up, grimacing from the pain of sudden movement. Sliding her hand to her waist, fear coursed through her. She had no weapon, nothing to protect herself with. Staring up at the stranger, her eyes narrowed as her brain tried to predict what would happen next. "Who are you?" she spat her question. Perhaps a conversation would give her time to get her body moving.

 

[Librarian]

Noelle had been about to approach the woman on the ground but stopped when she began to stand. There was something wrong. Noelle had wanted to continue on, not wanting to stop and have someone catch up with her but here she was. Stopped at the top of a hill and now staring at a woman who had just free fell from the sky.

"Me? I'm Noelle." She quickly said, shrinking away from the angry woman. "You... You just... You fell from..." She stuttered, unable to finish her thought as she looked from the redhead to the blue sky above them.

"Do you... Do you live up there?!" She asked incredulously. Would it be so crazy to think that there was a city in the sky? THe possibilities could be endless and it excited Noelle to no end. She was almost shaking she was so thrilled with this possible information. "Who are you?" Noelle asked curiously, moving towards the redhead slowly with her hands out so that she knew she wasn't a threat to her.

 

[Jealous]

She pulled herself to her feet, raising to stand at her full height. It wasn't much, but at least she was able to stand without falling over. Phoenix tilted her head slightly as the stranger stumbled for words.

Lifting her head, she looked to the sky. It didn't make sense that she had fallen so. "No." Phoenix answered the question of if she lived in a city in the sky. She most assuredly had not.

Turning her attention back to the stranger, Phoenix relaxed a bit. Another good look at the girl allowed her to see that there wasn't a threat. The look in Noelle's eyes did not hold malice. And Phoenix didn't feel the need to run and hide - aside from the fact that this situation did not make sense.

"They call me Phoenix," the thief answered. "And I come from the city Arcana. Is that... far from here?" It was a small chance, a very very small chance, that the machine had telephoned her to some close by city. Which meant that instead of death she had been given a new lease at life away from the corporation.