Zephyria
I struggled to move forward. The snow crunched beneath my feet, as my legs sank deep into the layers of snow. The mountains looked eerily bare, stripped of their snow after the massive earthquake. Glancing around, the visible devastation hardly revealed the true extent of this disaster. The valley was completely silent now. The only exception was the rustling of the trees that stuck out of the snow. The snow that so violently ripped them from the slopes of the mountains.
We had been walking for a few days now. No sign of life in sight nor did we hear any animals. We thought about going north to the city of Sunfrost, but it was winter. During the summer the port would be filled with merchants. Ships full of wares would dock there and try to sell their stock. During winter, however, the port froze over and no ship would be able to get in or out.
Knowing this, should there be survivors in the city, they would likely not hold on too long. Food was already scarce in the winter and this disaster would not help. With this in mind, we decided to move south to the Dew Gate in the far south end of the valley. The gate was the only way in and out of this valley, if you traveled by land. Even though we would be traveling for a while, it was most likely the better option.
My breathing was heavy now, and it was hard to keep going. Zeph on the other hand, could usually go on for a bit longer, though that was not surprising. Zeph had always been stronger than me in most ways. I, on the other hand was always faster, no exceptions. Sadly with our current situation, my speed did not really account for much.
"Come on, Sis! No slacking off." Zeph called out jokingly as he looked over his shoulder.
"You just worry about yourself, ok!" I retorted with a laugh.
Just then, when Zeph turned his head back, he missed a stone that was buried just beneath the snowy surface and consequently nosedived face-first into the snow.
"Told you," I shouted as I laughed.
He pulled himself out, dusting off the snow that stuck to his attire.
"Karma will come to you dear sister," he chuckles.
Not more than 10 meters went by when Zeph almost slipped. This time he caught himself but he lost his mental focus enough for my body to respond as well. My body jerked to the left and like a ragdoll fell sideways into the snow. I could hear the laughter from Zeph get louder as he came closer.
A hand grabbed under my shoulder and he helped me get out of my small snowy coffin. I think I sank down almost a meter into it. I pouted as I looked at Zeph.
"Was that really necessary?" I asked somewhat frustrated.
"You know it was an accident," he said as he dusted the snow of my clothes and my head.
"Are you ok?" he asked sincerely
"Of course I am," I said with a smile.
We continued our walk when I noticed the sun was about to dip below the eastern mountain range. Things would get a lot colder in the coming hour, so finding shelter was a must.
"I think we should find some cover for the cold soon. Let's start making our little shelter." I said as I looked around for a location that would be perfect for our little igloo-ish retreat.
"This place is probably as good as any," Zeph called, pointing at a specific location.
There were some trees that looked like they were leaning against each other, sticking out of meters-deep snow. It would make a perfect support for the snow.
"Alrighty then. Stand back." I said as I set one leg forward and one back.
I twisted my body to the right and swung my left hand to the height of my right shoulder and my right hand floated in front of my hips. I closed my eyes and focused. Feeling the energy inside me starting the stir. Thinking of my goal, I stuck my hand out in front of me, aimed at the place Zeph pointed at earlier, and tried to focus on the water inside the ice. I felt the frequency and locked on.
Without warning I opened my eyes and a small gust of blue Aetheric particles appeared around me as they swirled outwards. A cylindrical shape opened up in the snow with a large ball-shaped opening at the end. Quickly after the snow disappeared I threw both my hands back and the water I had removed came flying out.
Zeph rand into the hole and started a small fire that would melt a small bit of the snow that I then froze to give this makeshift igloo a bit more support.
"Awesome job, sis!" Zeph said as he smiled. "Seems we have our shelter for tonight."
With some difficulty, I snapped off some branches from nearby trees, and as I entered the shelter I pulled them over the entrance, just for a bit more protection. Even though the shelter wasn't much, it was enough for now. The survival programs from Earth seemed to have their uses after all.
We chuckled and decided to break open the pot of beans that we took with us when leaving home. Or what was left of it. They weren't that tasty but good enough. Normally you would warm them up, but some people liked them raw. We were not one of those people but we didn't want to waste our strength.
As we finished we decided it was best to rest early today. We curled up together and closed our eyes. It didn't take long for our tired bodies to give in and soon after everything went dark.
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Much later near Dew Gate
The summer sun was burning high in the sky with its usual backdrop of a deep bright blue color, and small puffs of clouds finely sprinkled around. It was early in the afternoon and the temperature was quickly rising to a comfortable summer level. Zeph and I had been walking up the hill where the Dew Gate would be, for the last couple of hours. The path up was a long winding dirt road. It was made extra wide and somewhat paved with cobblestones, spread throughout, for all the traveling merchants that needed enough space and stability to maneuver their wagons.
Almost halfway up the hill, I glanced over the valley. We were a little higher than our home, which meant we were high enough to look far into the valley. The sight was amazing as always, even if it wasn't from our home. My body shivered a little when I remembered the night six months ago. The sounds and images vividly flashed before my eyes.
"ugh," I winced.
"The people here were lucky. The damage here is far less severe than it was for us." Zeph stopped next to me with an emotionless face.
I could see the pain in his eyes though. But then again, we are one and the same on the inside.
*His pain is my pain,* I thought to myself.
The devastation of the valley wasn't felt equally heavy everywhere. The biggest impact was definitely in the far north. The further you went south, the more you could see the impact ease off. As time went by and we reached springtime, the snow started melting more and more. This also revealed more of the damage that was done. When the snow eventually faded away into the Silverdew River, we saw nothing but destroyed homes, fallen trees, and debris everywhere.
The worst part was the smell. As the snow melted, all the bodies of people and animals that died in the avalanche, and froze up under the layers of snow, now made contact with the outside air. The bodies started to decompose and the smell was something you would not soon forget.
We tried to loot some of the houses that were still somewhat standing upright, but the smell made us puke whenever we got close. Our bodies would physically stop us from getting any closer. It's the difference between looking at a dead body on TV versus real life, I guess.
When we neared the crossing that would lead us to either Tidecrest, a port city at the south end of the valley, or Dew Gate, located to the east of the said city, we found that the sounds of animals had returned. We were well into the summer now, and with the snow long gone, some animals found their way to the now predator-free valley. We also started to see people walking around that either survived or recently arrived here. It seemed they were searching for something, but we didn't give it much thought.
"Come one," Zeph said as he bumped my arm. "We need to move."
We walked for another two hours when we reached the top. I was breathing heavily as the trip was starting to wear me down. My legs felt heavy and my stomach was screaming for some food.
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I could see, and feel, that for Zeph, it was no different. He bowed forward while letting out a heavy sigh.
"What is this then, mister 'I am strong'. Feeling a little tired?" I joked as I bumped into him with my hip.
"It's not like you are faring any better," he smiled.
A man approached us from the direction of Dew Gate and stopped when he came close. He took off his small hat before eying us.
"You folks. Where ya from?" He spoke with a commanding tone.
He now stood in front of us with his arms crossed. It looked like he tried to look intimidating, but it hardly affected us. He was not a small guy, he even looked kind of buff. Nevertheless, we were confident in our skills and our dad always told us: "*The moment you are intimidated, you already lost half the battle*." And smiled.
"Uhm..." I started while acting a bit nervous. "We are from Laurelwood. We have been traveling for the last 6 months to get here. we want to pass through the Dew Gate."
As I talked, me and Zeph tried to gauge his intention. However, the man did not seem to show any signs and it started to make us a bit wary.
"May I ask why you are stopping us?" I asked questioningly.
He cleared his throat with a deep rumble before replying.
"Recently there have been incidents with merchants that passed through here." He squinted his eyes, making him look more serious than he already did.
"Incidents?" Zeph questioned.
"It seems that some bandit-like group has taken up residence in the ruins not far off the forest path. They have robbed a bunch of merchants already and we don't know what they're planning."
*It's strange that bandits would stay in 1 place. Normally they would move around. That way they wouldn't be caught so easily by guards who scouted the locations of their latest prey.*
"Are they armed?" I asked on a whim, not really expecting a reply.
"Yup, as far them merchants told me, they are." He stroked his beard while in thought. A moment later he seemed to have remembered something.
"I believe one of them merchants said he was attacked by a whole group of 'm. He said there were at least 5 warriors, 4 mages, and a bunch he didn't have the time to inspect." His serious look disappeared.
"Buuuut, I have the feeling you folks can handle yourselves well enough. But don't say I didn't warn ya, ok?" He moved to the side of the road as he motioned us to continue our journey. He must have noticed that we didn't feel intimidated and concluded we were good to go.
Zeph and I looked at each other wondering if we shouldn't just go to Tidecrest for now. A moment later we decided against it. The whole valley was probably on the move here. If there were any survivors from Sunfrost, they would have likely started moving south when the snow melted. Other people are pouring in to take advantage of the now empty plots of land. This would likely mean that Tidecrest was now more busy than ever and it would be hard to find any help there. We also didn't know anyone there and if our memory served us, our uncle would be somewhere in the 'Mistral Plains', it was a large area at the center of Verdania.
"Thank you for the heads-up mister, uhm.." I paused.
"Bran Whitethorn, is the name." He did a small bow as we reached out to give a handshake.
"My name is Zephyria and this here is my brother..."
"Zeph, pleasure to meet you, Bran." We shook his hand.
"Thanks for the warning, but I think we will take our chances. There is nothing left here in this valley for us after the earthquake and the resulting avalanche."
Bran looked apologetic.
"I'm... I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you will be able to pick up life again wherever you are heading. I wish ya both the best of luck." He smiled
This little talk gave us a chance to catch our breath and Zeph and I looked at each other we nodded and continued our travels into the forest.
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"Hey there, sweetheart," a man called from behind a tree as he took on a seductive tone.
I got shivers through my whole body hearing that.
I looked at the guy for just a moment and then back in front.
"Not interested, sorry," I replied harshly to his dismay.
He quickly ran towards me with an outstretched arm, aiming to grab my shoulder. Before he got the chance Zeph suddenly turned around to grab him by the collar of his shirt.
"She said she's not interested, or am I mishearing something." Zeph's voice was as low as he could get it and tried to intimidate the man just like Bran tried with us.
"Whoooooa there mister, I didn't mean anything by it." He sounded as sincere as a fox promising to guard the henhouse.
"Then I believe there is no reason for you to approach her, is there?" Zeph finished as he let go of the man and straightened his shirt.
"Go along now." He made the 'get out of here' motion with his hand as if he were shooing off a cat.
Meanwhile, I kept looking forward while Zeph finished up.
"Are you done, brother?" I spoke in a calm but stern voice. Hoping to give the guy an extra push to stay away from us.
"Yes, let's go," he answered.
Zeph turned around and we walked away.
*Fuck, that was close. I hope that was the last of that.*
My thoughts were quickly outdated when a sudden war cry erupted behind us. We looked around and saw a dozen men rushing out with their gaze fixed on us.
"Go get'em, boys." The biggest man in the group shouted. "Be sure to kill the guy and bring back the girl for a little fun!"
My whole body tensed with the thought of a possible, not-so-distant future.
"RUN!" Zeph shouted as he bolted, following the path that would hopefully lead out of the forest.
I took a second, as green Aetheric particles formed around me. With a blast of wind, I shot forward creating enough space between me and our pursuers to have more time to find our way out of the forest. Zeph did the same and we had a good pace to outrun the bandits.
Multiple fireballs, ice missiles, and stone bullets were fired our way by their mages. We were able to dodge them with ease as we noticed the forest was opening up. There were still some trees to avoid that blocked our path, but it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
Every step we boosted ourselves with wind magic to keep up the speed. But while we had a good pace, a second barrage of magic projectiles forced us to swerve off the path. A sudden explosion behind us caught us off-guard and Zeph was barely able to jump over a large tree that lay over the path.
I was a bit ahead of Zeph and as the blast happened behind us we lost our focus for just a fraction of a second, making me react with the same jump as Zeph had to make to dodge the tree. This poorly timed moment caused me to slam into another fallen tree as the wind got knocked out of me. I fell to the floor as Zeph instantly changed direction to help me up.
"Aw fuck!" I coughed while falling to the ground, my back now against the tree.
"Sis!" Zeph shouted as he knelt next to me, trying to pull me up immediately.
"Aaah!" I cried out as my stomach screamed in pain. A branch had pierced my side, still lodged in the wound.
"Ah fuck!" Zeph winced, as he felt it too.
"Get on my back," he ordered as he turned around. His face tensed as he also felt my pain as his own.
We were lucky we gained the distance we did; it gave us a small time window to recollect ourselves. As far as that was even possible.
I pulled myself on Zeph's back and he stood up and used his wind magic to continue the race out of the forest.
The distance we created was completely lost. Zeph had to run for his life, and I tried to keep as still as possible to prevent the wound in my side from hurting more than it already did. But every step Zeph took, made that increasingly impossible task.
"There!" Zeph shouted, out of breath. "The forest edge."
I felt how Zeph's legs became heavier with every stop and his pace was slowly dropping. I couldn't do anything for him now, but the sight of the forest edge was hopeful.
That hope quickly turned into despair as something exploded not more than a meter behind us. The blast and the shockwave threw us out of the forest, we were practically launched through the air where we landed some 20 to 30 meters from the blast site. Zeph crashed into the ground as he flew forward, where I twisted off his back and landed on the side that still had the wooden branch firmly lodged in it. The crash however pushed it out, leaving a gaping wound that started bleeding profusely.
When I opened my eyes I saw Zeph lying in front of me. His face pointed my way as his breathing revealed his exhaustion.
"Ze...ph..." I tried to call out, but my voice had no strength left. I could hardly move a muscle.
Zeph coughed as he rolled onto his back.
"Sis," he called with a strained voice. "Are you ok?"
I couldn't respond. My body was losing strength fast, I tried to stay awake but it became a more difficult task with every passing second.
My hand grabbed the grass as I tried to pull myself towards Zeph, but I was painfully interrupted. A guy I assumed was their leader used his boot to kick me, rolling me onto my back.
"AAH!" I yelled out in pain.
"Well, well, It seems that we have some runners here. But by the look of it, you aren't very good at that." A booming evil laugh erupted from the guy as his followers surrounded us laughing with him.
"Seems like those remote mines we placed, came in handy after all. Good call Marko" he said while smiling and pointing at him in the crowd.
"So, you are the one that assaulted my buddy over there, aren't you." He bowed down, his ugly face hovering above Zeph with an evil grin.
"Ugh!" Zeph yelped as the guy kicked him in the side.
"What do we do with someone that assaults one of our own?!" He questioningly shouted out to his peers.
"KILL THEM!!!!!" everyone shouted as they cheered.
"That's right, we kill them," he grimaced. "But it would be a waste for that beauty over there to get killed for something you did, wouldn't it." He left Zeph for a moment as he stepped over to me and put his boot on the open wound.
"AAAAHHH!" I yelled as the immense pain pierced every part of my body. My mind went almost completely blank when he pulled his boot back.
Meanwhile, Zeph winced loudly, as we could hardly keep our minds separated. Zeph kept his focus on me when the guy started touching me.
"Sorry, did that hurt? It must have, because that was an awful cry just now," his face had a smug grin.
"Look here missy. We are going to take you back to our little fun place and you--" he placed a hand on my inner thigh and started moving up. "are going to help us have some fun," he finished with a big ugly smile. His hand moved to my hips and slowly moved further up. My body tensed up and shuddered. Which hurt like hell as my mind was in complete panic.
"FUCK YOU!" Zeph erupted. "Leave her alone you pig!"
The man let me go and quickly walked over to Zeph. He put his legs on either side of Zeph as he stood towering over him. He bent down to get closer. It revealed his dirty teeth and he could even start to smell his foul breath.
"Look, mister. You don't really see the severity of your situation here, do you? Well look, here's the deal." he said, suddenly taking a serious tone.
"The little girl over there is coming with us. We have some healers that will patch her up. She will be our little plaything. We could use some... pleasure in our group if you know what I mean." He smiled to his followers as they cheered with at the prospect of relieving their stress soon.
Even though I heard it all my body stopped responding. My gaze locked on Zeph while my eyes slowly started to close. The heavy feeling of my body slowly faded.
*Is this the end for me? Those isekai stories in anime always looked a lot better than this.*
My vision darkened and as I heard the guy talking, I couldn't understand him anymore. Sounds started to blend together and slowly disappear.
*I don't want to die, I don't want to die!* I cried in my mind. Tears ran down my cheeks as even my mind slowly stopped working.
"SIS!!!!! DON'T YOU DARE CLOSE YOUR EYES, SIS!!!! I PROMISED! I GOD DAMN PROMIS...."
Everything went dark. I felt nothing, I heard nothing, I was nothing.
*Is this how it feels to die?*
Nothing.