Two days after Elyssia’s birth, the crimson hue of the sky fades, replaced by its natural colors. With the illusion of normality setting in, people begin to hope again for their lives to return to normal.
Luna looks up at the clouds, her face burdened. ”The Comet might have passed and yet it's still so far from over. The last three days were just the tip of the iceberg if the legends are to be trusted and the mana levels actually take at least a month to return to normal.”
“That matches what I know.” Lucious nods. “We’re going to be stuck here for quite a while and our supplies will only last two weeks, probably not even that.” Her man looks just as troubled.
“If we ration what’s left we'll be hard stretche-”
“No, we can’t.” Lucious cuts her short. “You have one more mouth to feed, so you’ll need all the food we can get. Besides, even inside the walls, we will need to keep our strength. People will despair when the food starts to dwindle and leaving the city is still far too dangerous for the majority.”
He’s not wrong, the granaries and warehouses weren’t designed to feed nearly double the normal population over months with everyone locked inside the city since Mages and farmers can harvest every second month on the fields surrounding the city. Food will run out. Desperate people can be dangerous, starving and desperate people lead to chaos and riots.
"I’ll be back soon.” Lucious plants a kiss on both his wife’s and their small new bundle of happiness’ cheeks before leaving the small room.
A friendly innkeeper who saw them with the newborn Elyssia lent them the washroom for the time being. Friendly, if you don’t consider that he probably charged them four times the normal price for a room… Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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Strands of white hair cascade down like a waterfall framing the huge purple eyes, staring back at her. A sight that would frighten anyone, but all the little thing feels is indescribable warmth and comfort. This little helpless thing is Elyssia. She has emerald green eyes like her father, with a slight shimmer that makes them even more mysterious. Her hair, which at this point could be more accurately described as a tuft, is light blonde, a slight mix that she inherited from her parents. Her ears are more elf-like but slightly shorter, again a sign of mixed heritage. The color of her skin is difficult to determine, as at the moment it is a mixture of purple and crimson like most newborns.
She’s currently preoccupied with wailing and gasping for air with irregular breaths, the reason for her crying is unbeknownst even to her; however, one thing is crystal clear. She. Is. Hungry. A problem soon solved by the white-haired giant, after which…
[New intelligent life detected, initializing…finalizing…completed.]
Name: Elyssia
Age: 0
Racial Trait:
*ERROR*
[Searching for racial template. No match detected. No previous template found.]
[Creating racial template. First of its kind, integrating parental traits... completed.]
Name: Elyssia
Age: 0
Racial Trait:
Celestial Elf
Stats: *Locked*
Free Points: 0
Might -
Mana -
Speed -
Focus -
Endurance -
Intelligence -
Dexterity -
Willpower -
General Skills: *Locked*
I. Class: *Locked*
II. Class: *Locked*
III. Class: *Locked*
She understands not the words before her eyes, just their meaning resonating with her being. Something important, life-changing… Now that the disturbance is over, back to napping.
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Water was not an issue in the following days within Megaris, food on the other hand ran out faster than expected. Only the perceptive ones saw the crack in the supply system, the subtle signs of things turning desperate. A clear solution would be to reduce the number of mouths to feed, a drastic measure. The other…
The first expedition is about to leave, two weeks after the Crimson Comet left Aeolin’s skies, to hunt and forage for food. The tide of beasts has calmed considerably, with only a few stray critters still approaching the city. The beast population has greatly dwindled as a result of the weeks of mayhem, but the remaining ones that have survived the bloodbath have grown stronger, much stronger, making the surrounding lands no less dangerous than they were at the calamitiy's onset.
“I should join them or we won't last another week.” Lucious proposes and continues before his wife can object. “Don't worry I won't go too far, I promise. I have no death wish, especially with the new member of our family.” The man prepares to leave.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
He gets up swiftly and-
The feminine hand reaching out yanks him back with the force of a full-grown bear. “Oh, the fuck you are!” Luna argues and drags the man back away from his boots. “Why would it have to be you, huh?”
“C’mon Luna, you just gave birth and need the rest so stop being stubborn. I’ll be back in a few days anyway.” The man tries to win the argument with reason.
“Two weeks!” The woman shrieks. “It’s been two weeks since Eli was born and I’m going crazy here. I was not made for indoor life, you hear me? You can look after her all the same and we both know I could still wipe if it came to it.” Luna counters reason with an open threat of violence.
“You know that I’ll be alright just as much as I do. Besides I’m not going alone AND if you try to work with the humans, they might find out that you don't belong with them after you exhaust your mana.” Luna pauses at her man’s reasoning. “Newborns need their mothers more than their fathers, and we can't just leave her with a random stranger. I wouldn't even trust them to hold a piece of bread these days.”
Shit, his points are valid. I could try to force it further but I can't see myself winning this round. And so Luna uses her last card up her sleeve. “Two days, you have two days to return before I’ll go and find you.” She surrenders conditionally in the end.
Much more is at stake now than the two of them and their needs.
“I was never good with children, you know.” Luna whispers with teary eyes. “There’s no way I can raise her alone properly, so… make sure to come back, okay?” She asks weakly.
***
A day has passed since the expedition left. Luna knew she shouldn’t be unreasonable yet worry still gripped her heart all the same. She hugged her little Eli tightly seeking reassurance in each other's embrace, as right now it's just the two of them in their own little world. That night she hardly slept and by the dawn of the next day she began to fear the worst.
Something must’ve happened to him. I know it hasn’t been two days yet… It’s just they haven't planned to go too far. Yeah, something’s not right I must… but Eli… A fierce mental battle plays out in Luna between her heart and reason. “Arghh, this is so stupid. Fuck it, I’ll do both!” She growls and starts strapping her armor on.
Light leather covering the most vital points on a body and her trusty spear in hand, she carefully shoulders a sizable backpack. “We’re going to find Papa and rescue him, okay?” Luna whispered to the sleeping Eli bundled up in the backpack before leaving the room.
Wandering down the streets the city feels like a ghost town despite homeless people sleeping in every corner. The lack of sustenance is starting to become apparent on the many sunken faces and glassy eyes. The general vibrancy of a city this size is nowhere to be seen as if life and business have stopped entirely.
The number of people increases sharply as she nears the gate. Many are waiting for their loved ones to return, while others are preparing to set out themselves as they run out of options. Upon reaching the exit a crowd welcomes her, people pushing each other and shouting in a frenzy.
What is this? Are they back? Or did something…
The expedition was back and the members were sorting through their haul. They had caught a few wild animals and salvaged what they could from the surrounding fields. A share of that was given to the common folk as a sign of charity while also keeping the hungry mob on their side, all the while keeping a generous slice for themselves as compensation for the risk they had taken.
Luna’s heart leaps into her throat as she looks around for her husband. “Luscious! Lucious, where are you, you moron.” She shouts, pushing her way through the crowd.
Out of nowhere, a hand grabs her shoulder. With the instincts of a seasoned fighter, she grips the arm and spins with a kick aimed at the head. As her eyes catch a glimpse of a familiar pair of green eyes she tries to pull her leg back, albeit too late.
Lucious flies back a few paces, landing on his buttocks, dizzy from the vicious attack. People all around her look perplexed at the sudden fight and stir restlessly, preparing to interfere.
“No, it's alright everyone.” The man chuckles. “I just forgot a little about what my wife can do and surprised her with bad timing. Especially with that temper of hers.”
“I’ll show you temper, you’re late! I was about to leave and look for you, you bastard!” Luna rushes over to hug her man.
“What? Were you that worried?” He asks with a cheeky grin. “And I’m not late at all, I still have a few hours.”
“Shut up.” She silences him with a passionate kiss, letting all her worries go.
The people around them let out amused noises at their antics but soon a high-pitched cry breaks the moment, coming from the backpack.
Lucious couldn’t believe his ears as he recognized the voice. ”No way. You didn't!” He rushes to open the backpack in disbelief.
“What else was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just leave her there…” Luna mutters, so embarrassed she wishes for the earth to swallow her whole. “Sorry…” She adds meekly.
“I… We’ll be discussing this when we get back. This was very stupid of you.” Lucious stutters in disbelief before pulling his daughter out of the backpack to the bystanders' disbelief. “She pooped.” He gags. “Let’s just go back, I’m dead tired and we should be good for a few more weeks.”
After a quick farewell to the other expedition members, they make their way back to the inn. The wide streets of Megaris are still mostly empty and deserted. Despair and misery permeated everything, yet a ray of hope shines down on the city today. The brave souls who ventured outside came back, all of them, and brought with them temporary relief for many.
***
Another two weeks passed in the city and some of the refugees began their journey back to their homes, or what was left of them. Hope and happiness began to appear on the streets as people returned to their normal daily routines.
“Where now?” Lucious asks as they sit on a sidewalk near the same gate where he got face-kicked. “I mean, Modicia is likely nothing more than rubble by now along with our home.”
“We start anew.” Luna declares off-handedly. “I’m not sure city life would be the best choice for our baby. Maybe if she were a few years older. This place will be too crowded and expensive for the next couple of years too so I think we should look for another town, I’m sure there’ll be new ones built especially along the beach. The salty air has done it for me and I think she’d love it.”
“I could stand behind that. I’m sure I could get work in the guard again or just stick to being a hunter to be more free, but what would you do?” Asks Lucious in deep thought about their future.
“I’m a great fighter and a decent-level mage, I’m sure I’ll manage.” Winks Luna, smugness basically oozing from her voice. “Training idiot newbies, for example, or just doing some light adventurer gigs in the area.”
“It’s decided then.”
***
The journey wasn’t easy with a little banshee demanding all their attention, every waking hour of the day, and others besides. There were no other complications and they arrived at the planned construction site without much difficulty. The two of them were able to help greatly with the heavy-duty work and protection of the craftsmen, alternating between their jobs and looking after their daughter.
In a month they had a new albeit empty house to call home; all of their furniture having been lost. They now had plenty of space and some remaining funds to buy what they needed.
“I’m starting to suspect that you married me for my money,” Luna teases with her notorious shit-eating grin and crossed arms. ”Now that my reserves have almost run dry you’ll leave me, won’t you?” She continues with the feigned heartbreak, managing to sneak in a few fake tears.
“That’s not why I proposed but the idea of leaving you is becoming more and more promising every second now.” Lucious replied with a poker face.
“Oh, if you were to try that, poor Eli would have to grow up without a father.” Comes the reply a bit too menacingly and without a hint of jest, earning them some loud wailing.
Their days, although different from what they had known from before the calamity, are just as happy if not happier with something new to look forward to every day.