AP:: 2/3 1 AP spent
Location: Surrounding Area
Prompt: Lander Exodus
Narrator Tag: N/A
"You fucking lander! Watch your mouth!" Lauter shouted, his chest heaving. He had already drawn his weapon, the throwing axe dangling from his fingers loosely, ready to be swung at a moments notice. The lander in robes at his feet covered his head, shivering in fright. How dare this frigging lander blame the Szofrit crisis on the Starcalled? What kind of bullshit was that? They were just npcs! Just a part of the damn game that killed his friend! It was basically their fault!
He huffed out a sharp breath. He bet they all knew, somewhere deep inside those ai brains of theirs. AI, that's right, these bastards were AI weren't they? They were just as bad as the magia. His fingers twitched around the weapon in his hand just as an arm grabbed him from behind. He jerked and turned his head, frowning at Hayman. He and Hayman both were from the same town in the real world, they'd found Terrasphere together. They hadn't anticipated how real this world would become for them. Maybe that was their mistake.
"Leave the guy alone, Lauter," Hayman said solemnly, "He's just some clerk, right? Look at him. He's got nothing to do with this."
Lauter snarled, "Nothing to do with it? They're AI! They're part of the game! It's as much their fault as it is that bitches fault!"
"There's nothing we can do about Szofrit, man, let it go," Hayman urged.
"Damn Astor and the rankers to hell! Rick's in a fucking coma!" Lauter shouted. Nearby, Rick looked away, his eyes falling to the earth. The poor guy, Hayman and Lauter had gone to see his parents after what had happened. It was a damn mess. If those Lander soldiers had backed him up
properly then maybe he'd still be with them in the real world. Lauter rounded on the robed man again even as a crowd of landers had gathered, their eyes filled with a mixture of fear and anger. Lauter scoffed, it wasn't like the damn landers could do anything. They were Starcalled! Invincible by comparison to the common lander.
"Please, I just want to treat the injured, I know you have strong feel-" The robed man tried to interject but Lauter would have none of it. He raised his weapon and stared death down at the man. The other landers shouted, but it was all noise in Lauter's ears. He'd had enough of this fucked up world. He brought his weapon down only for it to stop before it hit it's target. He blinked and turned his head. A woman was standing next to him with her sword drawn, blocking his strike. The hell?
Before he could pull away another person, this time a man with a woodsman's hatchet on his belt darted in and picked up the robed man, backing away from the fight. Lauter scowled, "What's your username?"
"Don't have one, Starcalled," The woman said venomously.
"Fuckin' lander!" Lauter roared, pressing down with his axe to throw off her balance before he threw his shoulder at her, but her sword didn't budge. He jerked his arm back and pulled his UI so he could see her name plate. 'Teresa' no title, no coloration indicating she was some kind of elite. Just an ordinary Lander. How the hell did she block his attack? His masteries were all D rank! She didn't say anything, regarding him coldly before pointing her weapon at him.
"Let's just leave, buddy, alright?" Hayman pleaded.
"No one leaves," Teresa said scornfully. "The Pale Lady has asked for your heads," She paused after saying that, her vision becoming distant for a half second. "...the 'locked one' may live. He has become a lander."
Hayman drew his sword, "Alright, you're getting ahead of yourself lady."
"I'm going to rip that uppity mouth right off your skull, bitch," Lauter growled.
Teresa grinned, a strange pale-white glow rising off of her skin as the air around her started to grow heavier and heavier. The two men blinked, feeling as if they'd just packed on over a hundred extra pounds of weight on their shoulders. Astramancy? Teresa darted forward, slipping past Lauter's axe and driving her sword forward. Hayman forced his body to move, lunging to block the attack only for a terrible pain to explode in his shoulder. He whipped his head in the direction of the new threat. The man with the hatchet. His body was also glowing. "There's two of them!"
"Shit! Niko run!" Lauter bellowed. Shoving Teresa's attack away with a bloodied arm. When he didn't hear Niko respond swung his axe in a harrowing manouver and stepped back to glance around for his friend. He was on his knees, clutching at his head, kneeling before a bare-naked woman with glowing white skin. Her eyes were like pink gemstones, glowing brightly as she stared down at their friend. "...Niko?"
The woman smiled kindly down at Niko,
"You must be so scared, poor dear, leaving your old life behind forever. I understand," She soothed, reaching down and cupping his chin in her hand. Lauter tried to move but Teresa blocked him again.
"Niko... I know it's scary. You're not like your friends anymore. You can feel it in your bones. You've become a part of this world. Soon enough they'll realize that and abandon you, won't they? Look how they treat the landers..."
She smiled at Niko tenderly, brushing the hair out of his face,
"Niko dear... My family and I can protect you, but you have to do something for me..."
"Niko don't listen to he-" Hayman started but was shoved to the ground by the hatchet man, the blade of his axe pressing into Hayman's throat. Lauter tried to dart forward but Teresa stabbed him in the leg, he tumbled face first onto the ground, forcing himself to rise a moment later only to collapse as his other leg was impaled.
Niko's eyes were transfixed on the woman's face even as tears rolled down his eyes. She was right, wasn't she? He'd died his third death during the battle and everyone treated him differently ever since. Damaged goods. Fragile. Some people probably wondered if he was even Niko at all. How was he even sure his teammates had actually gone to check on his family? He couldn't leave anymore, couldn't hear from them, he was trapped. His lips trembled. "W-what do I have to do?"
The Pale Lady smiled,
"Protect your people, Niko. The landers are your family now."
Two players died their second deaths that day at the hands of one of their own. Landers were starting to disappear from their routes away from Astorea. Word was starting to spread. The Starcalled had an enemy out there, and the Landers were turning on them.
Ishtar draws in more cultists and tests out Teresa's newfound corrupted strength on a pair of low-level players before drawing a ui-locked player into her 'family'.
Roll Result
1d3 (2) = 2
Presence | Ishtar | Lander Exodus
