BeAutyBrokEn
The path was empty, peaceful and calm yes, but also boring. For the last few days BeAutyBrokEn had rained violence down upon this stretch of path. But today traffic has slowed, now the path was empty and that was boring. She was up in a palm tree with the trunk to her back, sitting on a platform, hidden by the large floppy leaves. She had started using the tree because of it’s proximity to the road. She quickly found it to be an excellent perch for ambushing passing principie.
Once when she returned from a fight she found the platform had formed. At first it had only been a simple bench, but as she continued to return it had evolved. The bench becoming more comfortable and some of the leaves seemed to shift, giving her better cover while also giving a better range of sight.
She waited for a target, none came. She waited longer, still no one came. She was bored, and a little lonely. This was new, she mused, after the accident the presence of people grated on her, their uncomfortable conversations had only remined her what she had lost. When she had found her way to AntruA she had quickly lost herself in these wilds where her only interactions were transacted in the language of violence. Now she found she was missing conversation; any connection with others. She had leveled up maybe it was time to head back to town and catch up with BuTTherKupp. It surprised her how curious she was to see what everyone else was up to. Maybe interacting with other principie didn’t seem that bad.
She dropped to the path and began walking slowly, sticking to the shadows. Walking like this it wasn’t long before the buildings of the town could be seen over the treetops. She had no idea that she had been so close. When she saw the first building she gave up the pretense and walked casually down the middle of the path into town. The noise level rose noticeably as though passing through some invisible boundary.
Where it entered town the path she was on interested a much wider path. It was this other street which was built up. All the buildings that BeAutyBrokEn could see faced this main street. The path she was on lay mostly hidden in the space, alley, between two buildings. principie moved in noisy clumps, predominantly around two buildings on either end of the main street. Stepping onto the main street, principie seemed to take notice of her. One in particular was quick to turn and walk towards her. As it neared she was startled to see what looked like two heads. As she looked to his cloths she saw it wore the same black shirt of the three who she had defeated when she was last with BuTTherKupp.
“Did you come down that path? Does that mean it’s safe?” The principle asked, She focused on him.
VicTim2020
Level 2
Wallet 3AU
VicTim2020 looked like a regular six foot tall human man, just with two identical bald heads. BeAutyBrokEn wasn’t sure how to respond, or even which head to respond to. She tried remembering which head had spoke, but she couldn’t, so no help there. He was waiting, she had to say something. She spoke to the space between both heads trying to look at both at the same time. “I did come from that path. But I don’t know what you mean by safe.” She said not at all sure how he might react. “I’m sorry I don’t want to be rude. Which head should I be talking to?”
She braced herself for him to hit her, but she must be have done something right because he answered her both mouths moving in concert. “No no, don’t worry! You are doing all the right things. I ask about that path because there are rumors of a coven of witches down that way, No one can say for sure because they have been killing everyone who has gone down that path for the last week or so. I wonder why they let you pass? Maybe it was you coming from the other direction or maybe it was your level.” he said sounding uncertain.
“I wonder.” BeAutyBrokEn tried to sound innocent, pretty easy with her face covered, she thought he must be talking about me. She was pretty tickled by the idea. Hiding her amusement she said, “I didn’t see any witches on my way here. Have they been a big problem?”
VicTim2020 seemed satisfied with her with innocence so he didn’t press her on the issue. “I only heard about them recently. But they were enough of a problem that principie have been finding ways to go around that path.”
“That’s good to know, I guess I’ll leave a diffrent way.” BeAutyBrokEn had to pause to avoid laughing, when she could continue, “Can I ask you another question?” She softened her voice and spoke in a higher tone. Both heads nodded. “I’m looking to find my friend, do you know where people might meet up around here?”
Both of VicTim2020’s heads looked down the main street to his left, “If she has any smarts, she would have joined the Thunder88, like me, and she will be over there at TeDome?” One head then looked to right and the other only the right head spoke, “if she didn’t join, then she might be in that dive.” he said with obvious derision. “If she’s not there, I couldn’t guess where she might be. You should go to TeDome and join the Thunder88 if you do I bet they will tell you if she did too, or if she tried.”
“Oh, you mean I have to join if I want to get any info?” BeAutyBrokEn asked, “and there is a chance I won’t be allowed to join.”
“Yeah, they won’t even let you into TeDome if you don’t join up. But you totally should, at your level you would have no problem getting in and would be very respected. They might even make you a squad leader” He said both heads nodding enthusiastically.
“Why did you join?” she asked trying to get a sense of what this clan was all about.
He shrugged, “All my friends did it, by joining I always know where to find them, even if they are not here I always have homies to roll with” He blushed and continued, “I like having a clubhouse to go to, and I, I like.” She had thought he had blushed before but now his blush really bloomed, exploding from under his black shirt, spreading up both necks till all four cheeks were a rosy red. “I guess I like the shirt too.” He finished.
BeAutyBrokEn couldn’t help but laugh at that, both heads looked so bashful. “You joined up for the shirt?!” She asked trying to keep the mocking out of her voice.
“This shirt is fierce!” Suddenly VicTim2020 was angry.
“It’s a great shirt, very fashion forward.” BeAutyBrokEn held her hands before her in a placating gesture. “Black is the new...black? Right? Look I meant no offence, really. Actually I was thinking that maybe you are right, I should join a clan and why not one with such fierce duds.”
VicTim’s face lit up at her words. “Oh good! You won’t regret it. When you get accepted they give you a new weapon. Uh, actually they will give us both new weapons. I was heading that way. I could accompany you, and introduce you to ThElder404, he’s the our leader. He’ll be the one who will let you join or not.”
“I couldn’t figure out why you were being so nice, I get it now, you just want the weapon. Thats cool, are the weapons any good?” She felt a little more comfortable with VicTim2020 now that she knew what he was after. She stepped on to the main path and he fell in besides her. “They must be if you want it, right? Does everybody who recruits someone into the Thunder88 get a weapon? Or am I special?” BeAutyBrokEn said with a laugh trying to convey that she joked.
“Oh no, you’re special.” he said blushing again.
“Please,” she said sarcastically, “you just met me.”
He blushed again, this time to the tips of his four ears. He stopped and turned to her, “You are a level three! Do you know any other level three’s? I only know one, and that’s ThElder404! So yeah you’re special. It’s a clan wide competition, the first to bring in anybody above a level two gets a weapon”
“Why aren’t other principie leveling up?” It hadn’t been too difficult. Suddenly she felt a spike of fear, maybe there was a consequence of leveling up she hadn’t thought of.
“At least here everyone was afraid of being Tokened. Me and every principle I know just leaves our Tokens at safe houses. That is one of the main reason that principle sign with Thunder88, they provide a safe place to leave your Token. We’re here to see ThElder404.” This was said to the principle standing at the door.
BeAutyBrokEn hadn’t noticed that they had arrived until VicTim2020 was talking to another principle. The two spoke quietly, she stepped back to look at the building. The sign above the door set the template for the decor of the bar, spelling the name in metal scrap and gears. Not so much of a steampunk as junk punk.
The indoors was dimly lit, she had to stop and let her eyes adjust from the bright sky outdoors. VicTim2020 took her arm and guided her through the room as her vision cleared. The aesthetic of junk yard reuse from the sign was fully realized in the decor. The seating she could see were axles stood upright like stools, the tables were a collection of barrels and wheels topped with stained, jagged boards.
ThElder404 sat behind the largest of these cobbled together tables. He was easy to identify; clothed in a long white robe, with a long white beard and long white hair, he seemed to glow in the dark room. VicTim2020 left her to whisper to ThElder404, who asked a quiet question then listened to the answer before saying. “Victim, please get our guest a glass of TZ.” His voice was deep, warm, and kind. “Please, sit.” He smiled at BeAutyBrokEn with his fluffy white eyebrows, his face matched his voice, kind. He gestured to a chair across the table from himself. She pulled it out and sat without breaking eye contact.
She started a little, then recovered quickly, when VicTim2020 placed a glass down in front of her. He stepped back, behind her, out of sight but not mind, ThElder404 spoke. “My dear, I am so pleased that you are here. I have had my minions out looking for someone like you. Now that we have found you, we have work to do. Here’s to you!” He raised his glass, so BeAutyBrokEn raised her’s, they clinked them together. He drank deeply, she looked in her glass but in the dark room this told her nothing. She drank, it was a little sweet, dry, leaving her with a metallic taste on the back of her mouth.
She cleared her throat, her head swelled for a moment, then it was as if she came up for air from deep underwater. It was as if the drink broke over her head like a wave. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “What was that?” She asked, all her thoughts running wild. Maybe the door was open because she found that she could now see much of what had been hidden in shadow, including a few principie standing against the back wall.
ThElder404 drained his glass then placed it on the table, where it was immediately refilled. “This is TonicZ, or TZ. I’m a little surprised that you don’t know about it, it’s not that new. Victim said you were kind of a noob, I see what he meant now. It does make me curious, how did you get to you level and still seem to know so little of what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure really. I guess when I got to AnturA I wasn’t feeling very social. I got out of town and killed every principle that came my way.” BeAutyBrokEn paused for ahad moment, her thoughts flying she decided to lay it all out, she spoke. “Your peon, VicTim2020 standing behind me, said there was a coven of witches that had stopped travel on that road.”
“That’s true.” ThElder404 said.
Her head was spinning a little, maybe because of the drink. Though her head spun, her thoughts were clear. She could see all the angles, she needed if she wanted to join this clan. Did she want to join this clan? This was a good question. A good question that became a mute point as she heard herself say. “That was me.”
ThElder404 stood up, the hum of conversation stopped like it had been cut with a knife. In the silence BeAutyBrokEn clearly heard VicTim2020 behind her breath, “oh no.”
Committed to her course of action, BeAutyBrokEn looked ThElder404 in the eyes through her many layered vail and said, “when I came to AnturA, I wasn’t feeling social. I left town right away, I enjoy fighting and I guess I’m good at it because I have only won. This is my first time back in town, VicTim2020 has been very friendly and helpful in introducing me to some of the things that have been going on. He is the reason I’m here, I had no plans to join a clan, I’m not sure that I really do for that matter. I was, and am, just looking for my friend.”
The whole room seemed to holding their breath, or at least the whole room exhaled when ThElder404 sat back down. “A coven never made much sense to me. But if you caused so much a ruckus on you own, that is pretty impressive. You say you’re looking for your friend, what’s their name I’d be happy to look and see if they’ve joined up with us. If you want to join, we have a place for both of you. It’s pretty good positions too.”
“What do you mean positions?” BeAutyBrokEn asked, surprised.
“I have an idea for an elite unit. If you join with us, I would like to put you in command of this unit.” As ThElder404’s spoke, the room gradually filled with chatter as the principie in the room started debating his meaning.
Aware of every eye on her, BeAutyBrokEn was glad her face was vailed. With that wall between her and everyone else she had the confidence to keep her resolve. Her back straight she asked, “why me? Is it just that I’m level three? I mean you have never seen me fight. Why would you want me to command anyone?”
ThElder404 laughed, a great cheerful booming sound. “I may not have seen you fight, but I have been hearing all about your fights for a few weeks now.” He held up his hand to stop her next question. “I’m sure that every story I’ve heard has been wildly exaggerated. But just the fact that everyone you defeated felt the need to lie, they said you were a coven of witches! Like you were many people. That tells me all I need to know about your skill. As far your leadership ability, I will let you build the unit anyway you want. You can pick your friend or anyone else you want, you can even do it alone if you want. If you join and you know your mission we can talk more about how you want to make up your team. What do you say?”
“If I join you will tell if you know where my friend is and let her join if she wants, right?”
ThElder404 unrolled a scroll and said, “Just tell me her name.”
“BuTTherKupp,” BeAutyBrokEn said, sealing her choice.
“Interesting,” ThElder404 stroked his beard with one hand slowly, then he rolled the scroll back up. “I don’t have to look at my scroll. I know BuTTherKupp. She sat in the chair you sit in now, three days ago. She joined the Eighty Eight a week ago, she is one of our most productive explorers. I can’t tell you where she is, because I truly don’t know where she is. She was heading west, exploring and looking for treasure. I expect her back in two days. You are welcome to recruit her to join your unit, however she choose her role, and I doubt she’ll want to change. She told me you might show up.”
“You knew who I was?” It was the one of many questions that lept to BeAutyBrokEn’s mind, just happened to be the first the one that came out her mouth.
“I wasn’t sure, until you said her name.” ThElder404 replied. “She spoke highly of you, I’m glad you joined. I need a hunter. Based on what she told me, and the fact that you terrorised that road as a ‘coven.’ I want you to be that hunter.”
“Sure, but uh, what do you want me to hunt?”
“Tokeners.”
