Blood & Noodles

In the wake of a world-shattering battle against the god Avri and its Cult, General Maja wanders the battlefield, executing those who have been corrupted by exposure to Ravenblood - including her own soldiers. Returning to her few remaining forces, she encounters three children: Orvi, and the infant twins Sash and Dash. Maja tests Orvi for Ravenblood by forcing him to kill an incompetent soldier, and concludes he shows no symptoms.

Eight years later, the three children have been adopted by Maja - now dubbed 'Ma' by the children - and live in 'the Foot', a city made derelict after much of its population died in the battle and to sickness. The four of them operate a restaurant. Orvi is now fourteen, and the twins are both nine. He has befriended the leader of a gang of children, Blake, and Blake's second-in-command, Erin. House Esfaria's forces have been sent to the Foot, and are attempting to curry favour with the local populace, using promises of safety, various trade-goods, and bloodtech devices. This infuriates Orvi.

Jackson - Orvi's 'uncle' - had been groomed as a successor by Ma, and has now joined House Esfaria. After Orvi confronts him, Jackson confides a quiet fear: that he, under the influence of his Oxblood, will lose control and hurt those around him. He professes a need for the Houses, and the discipline they provide.

Ma reveals to Orvi that the twins wish to join House Esfaria as soldiers.

He is approached by a young scribe - Bab - who informs him and his friends that House Esfaria is in the Foot to recover Godsblood, aided by a mechanism which can separate Ravenblood from other types of Godsblood. Bab offers to alter paperwork, which will encourage the House to leave earlier - however he requests help in breaking in. Bab offers an additional piece of information - the Lizard Dure is approaching the Foot.

Orvi, accompanied by Bab, breaks into House Esfaria's local offices - tricking the abusive guard Peeler - and helps Bab alter documents. In the process, Bab persuades Orvi to switch a collection of potions with a set he has brought. Bab encourages Orvi to take a few of the original potions. Orvi creates a necklace, using a broken wing he had pilfered, and gives it to Bab as a sign of friendship. This embarrasses him greatly. Bab gives him a bag.

Afterwards, House Esfaria - alongside Jackson, and Orvi's 'uncle' and 'aunt' Dirk and Stitch - and local monster hunters journey into the Wastes on an expedition to hunt a Ravenblooded monster. This goes horrifically wrong when the creature proves more powerful than anticipated. Potions intended to heal transform drinkers into maddened creatures. The expedition loses most of its forces, including Dirk, and Jackson stumbles back home.

Upon his return, Jackson is ambushed by Foxblooded assassins, alongside a reluctant Bab. Jackson kills the four Foxbloods, but collapses from his wounds. Bab partakes in the dead assassins' Godsblood, in the hope it will grant him power to free him from an uncertain master.

Orvi and the twins are attacked by a beast as they loot abandoned furniture. The monster is far faster than Orvi, however he manages to send the twins away and evade the creature for long enough to reach a warehouse. He traps the creature inside, however it breaks out and disembowels him. Preventing growth on the creature's wrist is a broken wing.

Ma arrives and swiftly kills the creature, however the execution splatters blood on Orvi's forehead. He watches a vision of Bab's life, wherein he is threatened by House Leyden to spy for them. Ma manages to force the stolen potions into Orvi, and he survives.

Several days later, Orvi wakes to unnaturally adroit senses and new skills (which are a source of great panic), and Ma at his bedside. He asks if she will kill him, to which she reveals she has known he was a Ravenblood for several years. The twins are let in on the secret. Orvi realises he has enabled the death of almost the entire expedition, and weeps.

Ma leaves to join a meeting, and Blake and Orvi leave to find House Leyden's base and extract blackmail. Sash follows, and Orvi reluctantly lets her come. They arrive to find the manor in flames. Both Blake and Orvi enter, and find their way to a lone Dolphinblood. Orvi easily defeats the Blooded, and proceeds to wound and torment the man. However, he halts, horrified at himself, and nearly allows the Dolphinblood to kill him before Blake knocks him out.

The Dolphinblood is tied up. Orvi is entirely silent, horrified at his own actions, but Ma manages to convince him to open up, and persuades him of his goodness. After the Dolphinblood is tortured by Ma and interrogated, he reveals the location of House Leyden. Ma pursues them, and persuades the group to assist her in deterring the rapidly approaching Lizard - who is now too close to flee - in exchange for the technique to extract Ravenblood from Godsblood it has incorporated. She does not have this technique. Reagan, a scion of the House and leader of the group, agrees.

The Foot's inhabitants, led by Ma, prepares for Dure's arrival, attempting to put in measures to ensure the plague its parasites carry does not spread through the Foot. Ma begins to extract her Oxblood at an accelerated rate, just in case she perishes. Orvi is posted in the city as a courier.

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Dure arrives, provoking a maelstrom of dust. While Ma, House Leyden, and House Esfaria's one remaining Blooded rides to meet it, its parasites approach the Foot. Three groups are gathered in the city, preparing traps for the parasites, however one has lost a crucial explosive. Orvi retrieves a spare, however it detonates when he is attacked. This breaks his arm.

The third group craft a plan to use flour to create a dust explosion by luring parasites into Ma's restaurant. They do so, and Orvi, accompanied by Erin, uses a strip of cloth as a bandana, manages to avoid getting enough blood on him to trigger his Ravenblood. The two repel a horde of parasites. Erin realises Orvi is a Ravenblood, and stabs him in the side, leaving him to die. Orvi barely survives the ensuing explosion. Upon extricating himself from the wreckage, he is surrounded by several people, all of whom want to kill him. He is readying himself to die when the Lizard cries in agony, and Erin reacts, allowing him to escape.

Orvi remembers how he and the twins were the only survivors after the Raven fed the Cult's children its blood.

Orvi returns to the warehouse and manages to scale it, where he is attacked by a Dolphinblood and Foxblood. He comes close to killing the Dolphinblood and incorporating that power, but stops. He is knocked out.

Orvi awakes to himself being held hostage and Ma - having lost an arm in the battle against Dure - negotiating. The two of them manage to free him, and fight atop the roof. Orvi kills one to protect Ma. Realising Ma is being wounded protecting him, Orvi tackles two figures, an Owlblood and Reagan, off the roof. The fall kills the Owlblood, and Reagan is stabbed in the throat.

He rips it out and reveals himself as a Lizardblood. Maddened, he overwhelms Orvi with his skill and inability to die. Orvi barely fends the blows off, when he receives a vision of a woman's life - Ma's. In the final moments of Ma's life, she drops her sword off the side of the roof, and connected by the vision, Orvi manages to catch it and use it and Ma's skills to decapitate Reagan.

Ma dies, and her body hits the ground.

Orvi retrieves her body and carries it across the Foot, accidentally taking it to the decimated restaurant. He finds the twins, Stitch, and a wounded Jackson. During the ensuing confrontation, he lets slip a piece of information only Ma would know. The group assumes he has killed Ma. Jackson attacks him, and is quickly defeated. Dash, enraged, castigates him, while Sash weeps. Weakly, Orvi pretends to have planned the whole thing, and flees.

A future Orvi accepts himself as a monster.

Glossary

Below are terms listed so far, and the information made available about them in brief.

Gods: Powerful entities regarded with great fear. Seven are well-known,

Godsblood: Blood from one of the gods, which alters those that incorporate it into themselves both mentally and physically.

Blooded: Humans that have partaken in Godsblood. The strength of their powers and mental changes correspond to the amount of Godsblood partaken in. Past a certain point, the physical changes make a Blooded obvious.

Godkin: Also known as monsters, Godkin are creatures that have imbibed too much Godsblood, becoming dangerous in the process.

Dure, the Lizard: Also known as 'the Plague' and 'the Suffering'. A gargantuan entity, the Lizard is the carrier of innumerable parasites, and despite being in a perpetual state of rot, rapidly heals.

Lizardbloods: Humans or animals altered by Dure's blood. Lizardbloods have rapid regeneration. They are regarded as stupid by most. Lizardbloods also have strong wills. Notable Lizardbloods: Reagan, Orvi (via Ravenblood).

En, the Ox: Strong.

Oxbloods: Humans or animals altered by En's blood. Oxbloods are large, strong, and physically imposing. They are easy to enrage. Notable Oxbloods: General Maja, Jackson.

Kani, the Fox: Fast, capricious.

Foxbloods: Humans or animals altered by Kani's blood. Foxbloods are skilled combatants, and have enhanced senses. Sadistic. Notable Foxbloods: Aston, Bab (monstrous), Orvi (via Ravenblood).

Siik, the Spider: Calculating.

Spiderbloods: Humans or animals altered by Siik's blood.

Wump, the Dolphin:

Dolphinbloods: Humans or animals altered by Wump's blood. Dolphinbloods are capable of manipulating the emotions of those around them. Notable Dolphinbloods: Representative Fedor, Serl.

Yoot, the Owl: Arcane.

Owlbloods: Humans or animals altered by Yoot's blood. Owlbloods are capable of using magic, which manifests alongside purple light, and can comprehend runes. Notable Owlbloods: Captain Vernon.

Avri, the Raven: Killed eight years before the bulk of the story, at great cost. Avri was worshipped by a cult, which held the Raven to be capable of 'saving' people. Avri had innumerable eyes and mouths, which gibbered madly.

Ravenbloods: Humans or animals altered by Avri's blood. Ravenbloods are capable of sensing the lifeforce of others, and can incorporate the &*(#!& of the dying, so long as the dying's blood is smeared across their head. Ravenbloods are known to be insane, and immensely dangerous. Notable Ravenbloods: Orvi, Sash & Dash (latent).

The Shrike: Mentioned once. Little is known about the Shrike, besides that it strikes quickly, and disappears just as suddenly. Appears little, known by few. There are no Shrikebloods.

Houses: Organisations/Families that control resources, territory and Blooded.

House Esfaria: Emblem is a hawk. Uses red colours, and wears lamellar armour. Militaristic, disciplined. General Maja was a member of this House.

House Leyden: Infiltrated the Foot and sabotaged House Esfaria in an attempt to steal a technique. Reagan was a scion of this House.

House Albright: Supposedly the monarchs of the continent.

House Heltia: Mentioned only in reference to the Heltian Conditions.

Heltian Conditions: A treaty between Houses for the purpose of killing the Raven and destroying the Cult.

Bloodtech: Recent technological advancements powered by runes and sometimes Godsblood.