Elise Seaver's Story

Elise made her way to where the others gathered, wincing a little when she sat down. She'd gone off for a moment to wrap her torso, hoping the bandages would keep her fractured ribs at least a bit stable. she drew her knees to her chest and out her chin onto her knees, "We were in the air for too long...Dol-Duna is miles away, we'd never make it." She slipped her face further behind her knees before adding, "Not all of us." She then cast a glance over to where Aisha lay. She felt sorry for the young woman, and even more sorry for the man who lost his life trying to save his niece, the same niece who now bore the burden of burrying him.

She took a deep breath to collect her thoughts, they survived, there was hope the Change was real, and the irony of being thrust into an adventure was not lost on her. She eyed each of the members, all seemed to bring something unique to the group, the Clan. "So, we can't seem to deny any longer. I know I feel it, and I'm hoping you all do as well...we are all here for a reason, if not, you'd have left alone hours ago. After all, we don't owe each other anything, but yet, here we are. Fate has brought us together for one reason or another." She looked at Skullivan, "You say you know the Change is real, I want to find it, my name is Elise Seaver, and I think we should become a Clan."

Everything just moved so fast. Musa's observent tendencies had led her to witness multiple scenes take place on that airship. She'd seen desperation, anger, nobleness and silence. The only thing was that there were too many people who weren't listening to eachother, for her to do anything about how they were feeling. But then again, human relations weren't her specialty. So she had kept watching until things really went left. Suddenly everyone had been running and Wetland soldiers were trying to hold their shimmering blades up to her neck. Luckily a hunter like herself was never allowed moments of blankness like the one she had felt trying to take over her. Her eyes narrowed and she'd fought back, clearing the circle of potential apprehenders before her. Then she'd helped along where she could, especially the with the ones who were in fact consumed by that feeling of a loss of direction when the action started. Musa had tried to get them moving but everyone was behind enemy lines and with so many of their prisoners already escaped, they weren't about to try and fail completely. Her heart had been pounding in her chest as she donned her Bull Skull and stood in front of a group that was now hers and tried to protect them. Then that explosion had stopped her heart and breathing as the ground was torn from under her feet.

Muss had plummeted probably hundreds of feet and managed not to pass out. When the sand was the right distance, she managed to pitch herself into a roll and safely land into a nice slide. When she was finally still, her right ankle was throbbing and the world seemed wobbly. She then had pushed up her mask and looked pale.. If a woman of her skin tone could even look that way. Flying, Falling, Explosions and jumping out of that flying contraption to face an immesurable height could do things to a person who's lived their whole life at the base of a volcano hunting and gathering for her tribe. Her golden eyes looked distant and dull as she had swayed and tried to get herself off of the dune she had landed on and closer to the voices that sounded distorted to her ears. She had.. Somewhat witnessed the death of Andle. If gasping and wiping her mouth between bouts of vomiting a little ways from the others really counted.

In the silence that had followed his death, Musa dropped her staff and took one step forward. She made another gagging noise and lost her footing as the horizon tipped and rolled, taking her with it. Her eyes rolled and everything went black as her body hit the sand with a soft thud.

Skullivan stared in despair as Thessir helped Musa, his hairs blowing in front of his eyes as the sands shifted around his sitting form - like a sheet of fog swaying across white hills - freezing in the night. He glanced around - bodies littered, people trying to get warm, trying to help one another. The Wetland Traitor glanced over to Elise - whose words had fallen on deaf ears. "Right, I'm not from here but I'm pretty sure you can't just decide to start a clan," He said. "There's... probably ceremony, or something. I don't know..."

Skullivan's words drifted off as his gaze lingered angrily onto the sand before him. "So are we all dead, is that's what's going on right now?" He called out, pushing himself off the slope lazily and standing in the wind - his bare body still shivering. "Because I was telling the truth to the... to the man, there," With a swallow he nodded to Bohdana's direction - to the grave she dug. "The Change is real... and I can find it. Or rather I could if we weren't in the middle of the god damn desert, and if the Leviathan didn't still have the idle." He glared back at Uluru. "Great plan, by the way."

Skullivan sighed, kicking sand.

"Ceremony...right...as if I wasn't just born into one. Clans are just governmental structures, they exist because people say they do and others recognize them as such. How you ask? Someone introduces themselves and their clan as a clan and boom...it's a clan." She rolled her eyes, "It was just an idea." She drew her knees closer to her chest as the wind picked up, "And they don't have your Idol. A woman named Mirova from Dol-Duna has it. I fell into her shop with Boh and Aisha, Boh gave her the idol in exchange for her fortune. If you need it to find the Change, then we need to make our way back to Dol-Duna."

Uluru shoved Skullivan slightly in annoyance. "No one else came up with a better one, wetlander," he replied before looking in shock at what Elise stated. "You...you gave it to someone in Dol-Duna?! That...was our only link to it...the Change," he looked at her once more. "Who was this woman? You say you GAVE the idol to her....you didn't sell it?"

Elise eyed Uluru, "I didn't give anything," She pointed to the young woman digging the grave, "She had it when Aisha and I were looking for him," she nodded in Skullivan's direction. "She came out of nowhere and next thing I knew we were on the floor of a very exotic tent. The woman there asked for payment in exchange for information...I can't remember what Boh wanted, though. She said she'd found the idol, and gave it to the woman." She sighed, "The woman got very excited, not like she wanted to hurry us out and get some glory, more like shocked and awed by being in the presence of the idol. She said it would bring about the Change...that's when the Wetlander's came in...We got separated, I'm sorry."

"Exotic tent..." Uluru mouthed silently, remembering something that that Andel person had mentioned back in Dol-Duna. "What tent? The Nomad's tent?" Uluru asked Elise, though he was positive his assumption was correct.

Who else but the Nomads were fully aware and fully believed in the power of the change. Not that it did them any good now. If there was any lead on the change at all, it seems Dol-Duna still had the key to it all. Luckily the Wetlanders didn't have it, but it was still to close to them for comfort. Uluru then turned to Elise and asked a question, in a different tone than before, "This woman, by the way....how old would you say she was? You remember at all?"

She squinted, thinking on Uluru's question, "Yes! She was one of the Nomads." She shook her head, "I got so caught up in looking for him, I didn't think. We shouldn't have left her...it all happened so fast." She sighed, "I'm sorry. I should have thought more clearly." She stretched her legs out and leaned back, her hands running through the quickly cooling sand. "I don't know, I just have a feeling she'll find us."

"Wait..." Skullivan's eyes lit up at Elise's words. "If the- if the Wetlander's don't have the idol, if the Nomads do-" Skullivan looked up at Uluru, the starlight in his eyes. "Then we can still do this- we can still-"

Suddenly Skullivan saw a fire-light up in the distance, in the centre of the group. "YES," Skullivan breathed, kicking sand up into Uluru's mouth as he sprinted for the fire. Skullivan slid to a stop at the fire, the sands of the desert blowing over it - constantly threatening to snuff it out. But it was warmth. Skullivan glanced up, looking around - people injured, separated, talking among themselves.

"Guys, theres still hope," He called out. "GUYS!" He yelled loudly, standing up. "LISTEN TO ME. We can get out of this but we have to do it together - she," Skullivan glanced back at Elise. "Whatever her name is, just told me the Wetlanders don't have my Idol. That means there's still hope. That means we can... we can still get out of here and change things."

Skullivan's incessant yelling caused the other's to take notice. "But we have to work together - right now."

"How?" was the knight's first word, sitting at the edge of the group. She swallowed loudly as she noticed some eyes turn towards her and realized what a mistake it was to take her helmet off. Dents in the armor seemed to be highlighted by the glow of the fire.

Ka'wa shifted uncomfortably as she sat cross-legged upon the sand. Averting her eyes, she chose to look upon the sand instead. Her right hand tugged upon the glove on the left with small, anxious tugs.

Skullivan glared at Ka'Wa. "Well, let's figure out - let's figure out whose injured, let's work together - get me a blanket, if possible, you know, so I don't literally freeze to death." Skullivan's eyes glanced over at the wall of dunes that surrounded them, sand shifting atop them, and the maze of stars above. They shone so brightly here. "Then figure out who can navigate what, who has maps, compasses - figure out who is familiar with this part of the desert, figure out where we even are."

Bohdana smoothed down the sand of the grave with the back of her shovel, glancing to Rusten with a proud expression. Finally done. It took less time than she thought, which she was thankful for when she heard the Wetlander's stupid screeching over to where the fire had started.

"Damn," Boh swore. She'd have to add the finishing touches later, "Damned fool of a took."

Sand lifted at her steps as she stomped toward the rest of the group, the fire blazing brightly in the middle where the Wetlander stood and screamed to them all, "Hey!" Boh growled, grabbing Skullivan's wrist angrily, "HEY! Shut the damned hell up. D'you know how far your voice carries in the desert? Have you ever noticed how silent the dunes are? We don't know where we are! Your friends could be around any corner!"

The young girl shook her head and released his arm from her snapping grasp, letting go of her frustration with a sigh. She looked up and down at the Wetlander with a raised eyebrow, catching his last comment about being freezing, "Listen, you can have Andle's things, here--" she shuffled over to where she had placed Andle's pack and hoisted it up, dropping it at Skullivan's feet, "We packed for 2 weeks back at the bazaar. Were gonna go to...well, it doesn't matter anymore."

Bohdana swallowed, "Now where the hell have you people been that you've never heard of the north star?"

Ka'Wa's face burned and she merely nodded at Skullivan's words. Of course that was the answer, she thoughts as she bit her lip, Of course he would glare at me for that. Her eyes looked up from the sands, awaiting the input of the others. She was taken aback by Bohdana's reaction and couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth and trying to keep it quiet. However, she didn't answer, fearing Bohdana's wrath since she wasn't too sure of how to use the north star.

Skullian frowned at Bohdana, remaining silent before opening the pack of Andle's belongings. He pulled out a blue tunic from it and hastily pushed it on, ripping off the remaining black tatters of his uniform and kicking it into the fire. He grabbed a white cloak, wrapping it around his body as quickly as he could - giving out a loud sigh of relief as the cold no longer hit his bare flesh. "What the hell's the north star?" Skullivan sighed. "Will it get us to a town? Because if the Nomad and the idol are out there, we have to find it - and that means healing up our sick."

"The north star is the worlds natural compass. It'll tell us where north is and therefore which way to go. It should be right over...aaah..." Bohdana pointed up to the sea of stars. There were millions. Billions. Thousands of different constellations and even more notably bright stars. Boh swallowed, hunting the sky with a glare.

Look for a star that's brighter than the rest, usually sorta separated from everything else.

Bohdana frowned as Andle's voice rung in her head. That wasn't very helpful. She glanced back down to Skullivan, "I'll uh, I'll find it, don't you worry. In the meantime Andle and I always kept medical supplies in our packs. Maybe it'd be best to rest up for the night or...I don't know."

Elise felt herself smile for the first time since that morning. How different the world was atop of the Eastern wall of Dol-Duna. She smiled and let out a small chuckle, the air around them becoming more hopeful.

"So...assuming we follow this star, what's the plan here, exactly?" Uluru asked, with a hint of impatience.

"Watch the mouth, kid," Uluru shot back. "I don't exactly have all the time in the world..." he muttered to himself before turning to look at the others. "Alright we're all a bit scattered about! If any of the wounded are still ailing I have some remedies to ease the pain that we can hand out!" He called out.

The murmur of voices continued to rise as everyone began interacting. The wounded were getting treatment, and others making polite conversation. Elise laid back in the sand and looked up at the stars. The night was growing cooler, but the warmth and light of the fire were enough to keep her comfortable. She turned her head to look at the small tent that a few of the others had sat up, "We're all unsure what to do." She sighed, reaching her hand into her bag and pulled out a small pin. It signified her status both in her family and her Clan as a whole. She fingered the small pin, holding it up to the sky while she thought of home. What would her mother think if she knew what Elise was doing now?

She'd never followed the path her parent's laid out for her, and when they'd split, suddenly there were two paths. Her father would never accept anything she did, yet always told her she could do or be anything she wanted; while her mother wanted Elise to follow in her footsteps and become a politician. Her position as the Archduchess was secured either way, but Elise had always wanted more than palaces and balls. More than being married off to some rich man without her consent, more than the ignorance nobility feigned about their "subjects" as if they couldn't truly see how much people suffered every day. No, Elise was more fascinated with the group who studied the world, seeking to solve mysteries left behind by the Old World and solving the mystery of how to safely enter the White Ruin and explore what it had to offer. Some would trade stories about what they thought was beyond the sands, each more exciting than the last. Her favorite was always that there was a secret society out there that preserved the ways of the old world and had the means to solve all the problems within the Qafar. Of course, that meant the Change was within the White Ruin, but she now knew better. A smile crept across her face as she closed her eyes, trying to put the events of the day behind her. Tomorrow was a new day, and the true start of this new adventure.

The thick cotton-mix smell of smoke washed in and out of Thessir's senses with the gusts of wind. As he grew aware of the new day he could feel it pass over him, hot bits of ash falling on his skin and flying off a second later. The sound of relentless burning could be heard, Thessir opening his eyes to reveal the bright-sunlight shinning through the burning roof of his tent, black and grey curls of smoke blasting out like a raging furnace. His hut was on fire.

Outside Skullivan lazily opened his eyes. A burning hut in the distance was the first thing he saw. "Thessir?" Skullivan began, suddenly snapping awake as he scrambled to his feet. "THES-" Suddenly a blast of fire smashed at his feet, igniting into the air as it hit the sand. Skullivan stumbled back, looking up to where the shot had come from.

His eyes trailed up the wall of the dune, where at the top a figure stood - covered head to two in desert coverings and a thick hood. The figure held some sort of rifle in hand - a fire-launcher, connected to a large three-crystal generator in the sand beside them. "Good morning!" The figure called down from the sunlight, causing launching a few more fire-shots around the camp - they exploding upon impact with the sand and rocking the entire group into awakeness.

"You guys don't look so good!" The figure began as a small, wheeled robot came into view at their feet. From the mechanical creature's back a jug of water balanced. The figure pulled the jug out and casually poured it onto themselves, drinking it messily as liquid splashed down their robes. After a few moments the figure stopped even pretending to drink the water, emptying the rest into the ground.

Skullivan frowned as a few drops rolled down the top of the dune. His lips were very dry.