Rend Hope

by Josh Webb

  "You don't I guess, but don't blame me if you go hungry tonight." He responded. She once again examined the meat. She hadn't eaten since she was captured by the group of cannibals. That had been a few days ago and her stomach was now growling at the thought of nourishment. Still, the thought that this meat might have come from a fellow human gave her pause. The internal debate continued for a little bit until her stomach growled again. Finally deciding that some food in her stomach, no matter what it was, would be better than nothing, she stuck the small portion of meat on a stick and put it near the fire.

  They sat in awkward silence as they waited for the campfire to warm their meals.

  "Okay, so if it's not human meat what is it?" Marie asked him, Markus extracted his portion of meat from the fire and poked it hesitantly. He smiled in satisfaction at the meat's temperature and took a big bite out of it. The short blonde-haired man chewed a few times before swallowing.

  "It's cat." He said with a smile that was very mischievous. The black-haired girl almost dropped her meal in the fire.

  "C-cat?" she said hesitantly. Markus' grin grew wider.

  "Oh yes he was pretty plump too. Caught him in the last village I was at. Damn thing was eating a bunch of rats in a wine cellar." The "Ordinary" magi chuckled. "I think that cat was eating better than I was."

  Marie nervously laughed, even though cat meat was better than human. She only felt a little better, she rather liked cats. In her thoughts she pictured a cute and fluffy black cat, the feline mewed at her before bursting into flame. When the fire subsided it revealed the small portion of meat she was currently cooking. The color drained from her face.

  "You okay over there? You look like you’re about to puke." Markus questioned. The teenage magi laughed and rubbed the back of her neck with her left hand nervously.

  "Me? Oh I'm just fine! Never better! Can't wait to dig in!" She exclaimed overexcitedly. Markus leaned back, clearly perplexed.

  "Er, okay. If you say so." He replied, turning his attention back to his meal. Marie looked at the cooked meat impaled on a stick before her. She said a silent prayer, asking for forgiveness of the dead cat's soul she was about to devour. When she was finished with the prayer, she took a small bite out of the meat.

  It tasted like chicken.

  **********

  Ebrim Thrave's eyes roamed dismally over the destroyed cannibal's camp, the sun just barely peaking over the horizon, shedding some much needed light on the scene. Finally, his gaze rested on the severed head of the ghoul he had created several weeks ago. He frowned at the state the ghoul was in, sliced into pieces and strewn about all over the ground. Whoever had done this was either one hell of a swordsman or a powerful wielder of sorcery. His lips peeled back from his whiskered chin and lips, forming a snarl. He had put a lot of time, effort and magic energy into that damn ghoul and now it was gone!

  He put a hand to his chin in thought. Ebrim was a tall man, with short dark hair. His face was decorated with a dark mustache and goatee. He wore a blue scarf around his neck, black shirt with some elbow length dark brown leather gloves, worn denim jeans and brown boots. A brown pouch rested on his left hip. It was hardly the look you would generally expect from a necromancer. In this dark age of humanity however, well-tailored clothes were pretty hard to find.

  Whoever had destroyed his ghoul had hidden their trail well. There weren't even any tracks in the sand to follow, the work of sorcery no doubt. Ebrim shook his head in disgust. He had used his ghoul to infiltrate that band of cannibals in order eventually have more fuel for his necromantic experiments. Unfortunately, the stupid undead idiot had not only got himself destroyed, he had used his poison to destroy all the bodies during his battle with whoever killed him. Ebrim was effectively back at square one. Given enough time he could probably pick up the trail of whoever had done this, but it would take him awhile, how bothersome.

  The sound of coughing drew the necromancer's attention, Ebrim shifted his gaze to a cloud of dust that appeared slightly to his left. He saw a thin man with chin-length blonde hair start to crawl slowly toward him. The scrawny man had definitely seen better days.

  "Help! Help me please! Some bandits came by and killed my entire family! I'm the only one left, but I'm wounded." The thin man said, Ebrim smiled and made his way over to the thin man. "Please, I know you must not have much, being in this Savior-forsaken desert and all, but if you could spare some water or clean bandages for my wounds, I'd be eternally grateful!" The necromancer stopped in front of the prone thin man.

  The wounded cannibal felt there was something a little off with his gaze, but it didn't matter. All he had to do was let this idiot get a little closer and he'd lop off his head. The thin cannibal reckoned the dark-haired traveler would make a decent meal.

  "Sure thing stranger, here let me grab some water from my pack." Ebrim said, diverting his attention from the skinny cannibal to the pack on his left hip. The thin cannibal smiled, this was his chance. With surprising quickness, the skinny man brought his right hand up from its buried position in the sand. His hatchet clutched tightly in his right hand, the skinny cannibal brought it forward in a vicious arc. The slash was aimed at Ebrim's neck, intending to decapitate him. When the sharp edge of the hatchet was inches away from the necromancer's throat, it met heavy resistance and was stopped completely. The skinny man was so sure of his swing, its sudden stoppage jarred every bone in his body. He looked at what stopped his hatchet and found a hand made of bone holding his weapon.

  The thin cannibal stared in shock at the hand holding his hatchet by its sharp edge. It was not one of the dark-haired man's hands, both of those were still rummaging through his pack. The skeleton hand had come from the ground itself. The skinny man began to feel the same fear that took hold of him when the hooded stranger killed his fellow cannibals. It permeated his entire body and paralyzed him. He could only stare as the man he had tried to kill kept rummaging through his pack nonchalantly.

  "So sorry stranger, I didn't find any water, but take heart...." Ebrim said, pulling a six inch long knife out of his pack and gripping the handle with his right hand. "...You'll no longer need it." The necromancer finished casually. The thin cannibal only had time to scream before the knife plunged into his skull.

  **********

  "You lied to me!" Marie fumed, walking side by side with Markus. The mid-day sun blazing in the sky above them. The "Ordinary" magi looked at her, feigning confusion.

  "About what?" he asked. She grit her teeth and jabbed a finger at his backpack.

  "You said that meat was cat, but it was really chicken wasn't it?" She questioned, Markus shrugged in response.

  "Everything supposedly tastes like chicken. I had some alligator once and that tasted sort of like chicken." was his answer, Marie glared at him.

  "So was that chicken or not?" She asked, He threw her another mischievous smile.

  "I'll never tell." He replied, Marie growled in frustration.

  "Why not?" She asked through gritted teeth, the short blonde magi laughed loudly.

  "Because it's fun keeping you in the dark." He answered, Marie's glare intensified.

  "You're evil, you know that?" She told him, the smile never wavered from his face.

  "You aren't the first person to tell me that." He replied. She crossed her arms and snorted, the action caused Markus to start laughing again.

  "Probably won't be the last either, stupid smart ass." She muttered under her breath, Markus laughed again.

  "I had a friend named Erik, great guy, taught me how to hunt for food and how to properly search buildings for supplies. Necessary things if you're out on your own let me tell you.” Markus paused for a moment, scanning the desert surroundings for any threats, finding none, the aeromancer continued, “He used to tell me that the meat we were eating was dog when I was first learning the ropes, bastard knew I liked dogs and wanted to see the look on my face." Markus revealed, shaking his head and chuckling at the memory, Marie raised a questioning eyeb
row.

  "So how did you know I was a cat person?" She asked him, he shrugged.

  "Honestly I just guessed." The "Ordinary" magi answered.

  "Okay, makes sense." Marie admitted. They walked in silence for a few more moments before Markus broke it.

  "You sure this is the right way to your city?" He asked his traveling companion, Marie sighed in frustration.

  "Don't you know how to read a compass?" She questioned. Markus rubbed the back of his head nervously.

  "Not really." Was his answer.

  "Why didn't your buddy Erik show you how to use one?" The teenage magi inquired, Markus frowned.

  "Because Erik had a natural sense of direction, he never got lost, so he never used a compass and therefore, never showed me how to use one. Damn things are confusing anyway." The blonde magi answered, Marie threw her hands up in exasperation.

  "How the hell did you expect to get from...wherever you came from to the west coast with no idea how to read a compass!?" She exclaimed, he shrugged.

  "Some guy just pointed in this direction and I started walking." He told her, Marie eyed him suspiciously.

  "And just how long have you been walking in this direction?" The teenage magi inquired, Markus smiled.

  "Oh that's hard to say, probably around a couple of months give or take a day." He answered. Marie stopped walking, her eyebrow twitching.

  "Two whole months you've been walking in this direction!?! Where the hell did you come from anyway? The east coast!?" Marie shouted, in shock at the news she just absorbed. Markus kept smiling.

  "Actually yes." He replied, Marie got over her shock and looked at him seriously

  "And you never deviated from your path?" she asked.

  "Nope." came his simple answer.

  "Not even once?" She asked once again.

  "Not even once." He stated, repeating her words. Marie rubbed the bridge of her nose with her right thumb and index finger.

  "That has got to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard." She announced, Markus shrugged.

  "It led me to you didn't it?" He said, Marie crossed her arms with an angry look on her face.

  "I guess it did." she grudgingly admitted.

  **********

  Marie was elated, the pair of magi were only an hour's walk from Midas City, her home. Despite her being annoyed with Markus' simple-mindedness and his teasing of her, she found his company to be enjoyable. For a man who has been on his own for few months, he really seemed light-hearted and dangerously nonchalant about the savage world around him. As friendly as he was however, Markus didn't like to talk about himself much, only relaying some stories about some of the adventures that his friend Erik and him had. Whenever she would ask who had trained him in sorcery or why he was journeying to the west coast. He'd gently steer the conversation to another topic or pick fun with her to switch her attention. She wondered what it was that would have someone like Markus, who seemed very approachable, close up like a book.

  Knowing the way the world was now, it was most definitely something tragic. Perhaps he lost a loved one or two? Probably anyone left alive in the world now could relate. Marie herself had lost some family members to the harshness of the wasteland. The teenage magi figured that eventually Markus would tell her when he was ready.

  "So what's this Midas City like?" Markus asked. She turned toward him.

  "Well, it started as a haven for any survivors. However, my master and Mayor Watkins managed to organize them and create some semblance of a society there." She explained, Markus' eyebrows furrowed in thought.

  "So why is it called Midas City exactly?" He questioned. Marie put a finger to her chin in thought.

  "I'm not sure really, our resident lorekeeper says that a long time ago, long before even the Great Purge they found gold near there. So we decided to just go with that." The teenage magi told him. Markus looked disappointed.

  "Ah damn, I thought it was going to be buildings made of pure gold and other stuff like that." He replied, Marie looked at him incredulously

  "Seriously? Look around you. You really think you can find a structure made completely out of gold in this god-forsaken wasteland now? Most villages use the small amounts they find as currency for trade." She scolded mildly, the "Ordinary" magi shrugged.

  "I can always dream can't I? I've already seen some crazy things traveling from the east coast, so a city made out of gold wouldn't surprise me." Was his reply. Marie was speechless for a second.

  "You are...something else." She told him, shaking her head. The two magi continued on toward's Marie's home. Unknown to them, they were being followed by a tall man with dark hair.

  "Not a village, but an actual city of people? This is very intriguing." Ebrim said to himself, a smirk on his face.

  Chapter 3

  Ebrim couldn't believe his luck, the trail the young man and teenage girl had left wasn't easy to pick up, but he had eventually succeeded, tracking them from a safe distance. At first he thought to kill them both right away, but decided to stay his hand in hopes of them meeting a larger group of people. Gazing upon the city now, he had definitely made the right decision.

  Oh it was nothing grand, most of the buildings were in a state of dilapidation. A crude metal wall was erected around the city, it was no higher than thirty meters and made from whatever scrap the people could scavenge. It could probably keep out the wild animals and a small assault from bandits or cannibals. Attacks from strong feral magi or necromancers would probably breach it however.

  Still, this city promised to have lots of people. Which meant lots of fodder for his necromantic experiments and spells. Once he massacred everyone he could use the place as his base of operations. Yes, the city had more than just potential, for Ebrim, it was a gold mine.

  The necromancer quickly ducked behind one of the palm trees scattered around him. It was best to scout the area out and get as much information about the city's defenses before making his move. A place like this was bound to have a magi or two with magical defenses as well. Once he was satisfied with his scouting and had a plan to take out the city however, all bets were off.

  Ebrim grinned wickedly at the prospect of all those bodies to twist and corrupt to his will. His ultimate goal could be within his reach sooner than he had expected.

  **********

  As Marie and Markus approached Midas' East Gate, two people who were guarding the gates themselves drew their weapons. One was a lean man in his late thirties or early forties with tan skin and short dark brown hair. He was of average height and was wielding a machete. His partner had a more solid physical build and wielded a two handed sledgehammer, he was shorter than his companion and had lighter skin as well. A blonde mane flowed down to his shoulders and he wore a goatee and beard. Both men were dressed in what looked like tattered tan military fatigues. The dark-skinned guard wielding the machete nodded at Marie.

  "Lady Marie, it is good to see you safe! When you didn't return a few nights ago we feared the worst!" The machete wielder said. Markus raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the word "Lady" but Marie ignored him. Instead, she smiled at the guard.

  "It was pretty bad Teivon, some cannibals managed to capture me. I probably would have been their dinner if Markus here hadn't shown up." She told the guard. Markus laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.

  "Yeah well, I didn't do much, was just kind of at the right place at the right time. No big deal." The "Ordinary" magi stated humbly.

  "And what about the rest of your group Lady Marie? What happened to them?" The one with the sledgehammer asked. The teenage girl's face turned solemn in response, she just shook her head.

  "They didn't make it Henry, I'm sorry." Marie answered, Henry's face paled slightly, but then he nodded.

  "I see." He replied, almost in a whisper, the teenage girl felt a pang of sadness. Henry's sister had been a part of her group before they were massacred. She knew all too well how badly the pain of losing a loved one felt like. Whi
le Henry walked off a little ways to compose himself, Teivon turned his attention toward Markus.

  "And what's your story?" The dark-skinned guard questioned, Markus smiled.

  "Oh nothing much, I'm just a wandering ordinary magi." He answered, Teivon's eyebrows furrowed.

  "There's no such thing as an 'Ordinary' magi, those born with the gift of sorcery are rare." The machete wielding guard stated, almost in a challenging tone. Markus was taken aback by the man's sudden zeal.

  "Well okay, magi-wise, I'm just average is that better?" Markus tried, Henry managed to compose himself and returned to the group. He turned his gaze toward the blonde-haired magi.

  "So you saved Lady Marie?" The sledgehammer-wielding guard asked, Markus nodded in response.

  "Yeah I guess. I was cold, and all I was trying to do was sit by a nice cozy fire, but then some cannibals with thumbs up their asses got all mad. Tried to make me their next meal so I had to take them out." Markus explained, he interlocked his hands and placed them behind his head, raising his face slightly to the sky. "It's kind of ironic now that I think about it. Their remains are probably some vulture's meal now. The predator became the prey." He finished, Marie glared at him.

  "Uh no, they most definitely are NOT food for the vultures. Don't you remember the huge damn poison cloud that got thrown into their camp while you were fighting that ghoul?" She scolded him. "That damn poison cloud dissolved everything, there was nothing left! Not even vultures could get a meal from that." Both guards’ eyes widened at the mention of a ghoul, but neither magi was paying attention.

  "Yeah sorry, sort of forgot about that." Markus replied nonchalantly, Marie hissed in frustration.

  "You were IN the fucking poison cloud for Savior's sake! How the hell could you forget about that?" She yelled, Markus' eyebrows raised in mock surprise.

  "Damn, getting pretty vulgar there. I don't think someone who's referred to as 'Lady Marie' should be using such harsh language." He told her with a grin, the young female magi fixed him with a severe glare.