The Wastes.
Centuries ago, all living beings on Earth were plagued with an unknown sense of dread, similar to what many feel as they perish. The once bright skies seemed dimmer, and people lived their lives unaware of what happened.
But like a truck, humanity was hit with two things: Prana and the cataclysm.
When the Cataclysm happened, half of the world was engulfed. The Americas and parts of Asia were lost to miasma and overrun with corrupted beasts.
Humans weren’t spared from this, as our numbers dwindled to the hundred millions. Many were displaced. Many more were lost to the miasma.
This corruption remains even after centuries, yet we’ve barely cleared it.
But despite how much was taken from us, the greatest asset of humanity continued to shine: perseverance. Refugees from all over the world made their way to parts of Europe and Africa, and with our smaller numbers kept on surviving. But how?
Prana.
All living beings were gifted with this newfound essence, capable of reshaping the world to those that could properly wield it. The very origin of a person became the core of their power. This newfound power also became the gift that allowed humanity to survive the Cataclysm, pushing back the miasma and giving immunity to those that were especially strong with its use.
But humans weren’t the only ones altered; animals of many kinds were changed by this, becoming closer to mystical beasts than the instinct driven beings we know them as. Household animals became empowered and beautiful protectors and those of the wild changed similarly, with some being capable of communication.
But those engulfed by the miasma become closer to demons with never-before-seen ferocity. They grew more intelligent yet so did their savagery. Only their appearance could match this new behavior.
Humans, too, were not spared from this, as many became insane with prolonged exposure and their cores becoming corrupted, changing their essence and appearance. But this is extremely rare, as many would simply perish before they could get to that stage.
Yet despite this clear and present danger, I find myself in that very place, across the world. We lie in some random forest in North America. It was one of the first places engulfed by the miasma and the first continent to fall. Its forests and cities became a breeding ground for all sorts of beasts, aside from a few we've taken back.
“Omari, get your ass back to the camp!”
I can’t help but sigh when I hear this. I’m just a little bit on the outskirts of the camp, but the leader of this expedition can’t help but bother me. Reluctantly, I exit my mind start heading back to the main part of our camp, where my fellow explorers are. We are ten strong.
Well, except me. Nine strong with one deadweight.
Maybe that’s why I got called back; they were concerned. With this in mind, I arrive and see that dinner is ready, freshly caught and purified boar with a side of packed green beans.
“You know not to wonder too far from the camp, kid. What the hell were you doing?”
“Just thinking sir. And I was pretty safe-“
The gruff man talking is named Boreal and his gaze intensifies as we talk.
“You know damn well safe won’t cut it. This is the Wastes! And you’re not qualified for this, so stick with the group,” he says sternly.
“But there wasn’t any danger. A little me time would hurt-“
His prana purposely leaks from his body, constricting the atmosphere between us. “You can’t afford ‘me time’. Stay here.”
“Ease off the kid!” One of the more carefree members, named Daven, jumps in. “He’s just a little uncomfortable, let him breath.”
“You and me both know this is no place for a child- “
“I’m eighteen- “
“-yet he got forced on us. He shouldn’t even be here!”
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“Well, not much either of us can do about it. Just go with the flow Boreal.”
“He’s fucking up ‘the flow’.”
“How the hell did you get married, man?”
“You mother- “
Daven raises his hand and holds it in front of Boreal’s face. “I’ll look after the kid since you’re pissy about it.”
Boreal, stumped, calm down and rescinds his prana. He takes time to ponder to himself before simply saying, “Good luck.” Daven turns towards me and smiles.
“You’d think he’d be used to this by now. Even after weeks of being here, he’s still on edge about you being here. I guess the oaf cares too much.”
That man? Caring? Sometimes he seems like he’s more bothered about having to carry my corpse than caring about my life.
“But we all know why he’s worried. Hell, we all are. Why did you beg the old man to let you come?”
Oh. I guess he saw it.
I ran away from my home and had to make ends meet someway. I was fine doing my job, but a surprise payment led me to taking this on.
“Money. I need money.”
“… Most of us are here just to explore or for research, yet you’re here for…money?”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“No, you just chose a really shitty way to get it. Needlessly dangerous for you, too. You haven’t even unlocked your Origin.”
“Yeah…but I can handle myself- “
“You can’t. You haven’t for the past 7 weeks. How many times has a hawk, or a corrupted dog damn there killed you man?”
“Just a couple of times…?”
“Too many.”
I know, I know. The whole You’re getting in the way or You’re too weak to be here tangent. I’ve heard it all, and they aren’t wrong, but circumstances don’t care about how strong or weak you are. They just happen.
“Don’t worry, kid. I’ll watch your back for the rest of the journey. We’re just about ready to get back to the teleporter anyway.”
“That’s…unexpected. And I’m eighteen!”
“We’re all in our thirties here. You’re still a kid to us! But it’s too bad you missed one of the old members of our group. She was kind of close to your age.”
“Yeah…what a loss.”
Daven shaped his prana into a ball and used his fingers to flick it into my forehead.
“What the fuck- “
“Don’t roll your eyes at me.”
Powerless, I can only stare at him with anger.
As we conversed, the expedition was gearing up for our final journey here: the way back home.
The Wastes haven’t been conquered, but portions of it have cleared up due to natural shifts. Old cities have been uncovered and are constantly purified by the powerful mages stationed there. Our destination is one of those cities, as we lie on the very dangerous outskirts of the city, being over 200 miles from base.
The miasma is still quite strong but Boreal, the man from before, frequently clears the areas we reside in, but the time to go comes when he becomes fatigued.
“Daven! Omari! We’re just about ready to go!”
An older woman, named Olivia, comes up and greets us.
“Are the tools gathered?”
“We’ve been doing this for years, of course! But are you ready to go?”
Daven blankly stares at her as if she asked a dumb question.
“Thank you for the answer, then…”
The rest of the expedition is scurrying around, making sure nothing is left behind for the miasma to ruin. Within hours, the bags are filled and everyone, except for me, is carrying something. Sometimes I wonder why that old man let me come here.
But during our first week, I understood. They wanted an errand boy.
Somehow, this was more taxing than my actual job. But that’s beside the point.
Our journey began.
To pass the time, their conversations were retold again…and again….and again… and sometimes new info would be revealed in the expedition’s retellings.
“Oh yeah! Daven! All these years working together, and you still haven’t told me your stats”, Olivia said, her green eyes full of anticipation.
“... You have it on file. We all had to fill out our applications with our stats…”
“I value privacy.”
“Whatever. I’m normal, C-D ranks across the board. My Attunements are mostly C-rank, though, with a B in Conjuration.”
“I see…we’re pretty similar, but I have an A in Restoration!”
“Show off. Act your age, lady.”
“Your highest rank isn’t something to scoff at, though! What about you, Omari- oh.”
When Prana came into the world, many gems, specifically quartz and diamonds, became empowered and could absorb prana. Those two gems specific sensitivity allowed it to change its color and brightness based on the properties of the prana it is filled with, and within the last 50 years, we’ve managed to use technology to turn these into values. The values, known as ranks, go from X to F, with X being godlike, and F being trash.
They test two things: personal attributes and Attunements.
Quartz is used to test personal attributes. They are:
Might
Defense
Vitality
Speed
Control
and Reserves.
But once you unlock your origin, the core of your existence and being, your attunements can be measured and graded based on what you get.
“I don’t have an origin yet…but I did test my attributes. It’s bad…”
“It’s not like you have Fs in everything”, Daven snickers to himself.
“…”
“No way.”
“Of course not! Just an F in Reserves…and Vitality. Everything else is D… but Control and Speed is C!”
“You’re hopeless, kid.”
“Maybe a little…”
Another expedition member joins the conversation. He’s Collins, the second strongest next to Boreal and the lead researcher AND cook. “I’d shoot myself with those stats. Why don’t you study and become a researcher?”
“You have to go to college for that, and there’s NO one that will accept me.”
“Tough shit, kid. Better get that Origin then.”
“How- “
“You probably won’t. It’s too bad you can’t be like me and get a cool origin!”
Olivia interjects. “So, what’s so cool about yours?”
“Amalgam. My prana is like slime, but deadly.”
Almost in unison, everyone that hears this says, “Ew.”
But Collins used his prana on a tree, and it is quickly gnawed away.
“Ew my ass! I even got a B on Transmutation!”
Yeah, attunements. I haven’t even experienced those yet.
But in the midst of our conversation, an ear-piercing roar could be heard and silence flushes through our group. Boreal breaks this silence.
“Tuskers! The damn pigs are coming. Prepare for battle!”
Crap.