Falling Worlds

[The Writer]

Falling Worlds


Participants



​

@Viper


@TheDaftStudent

Plot


Deadly Apocalypse


Wolves have just evolved, they are larger, stronger, smarter, and faster. They live in an unbalanced world were even their pray is more dangerous.


Deer are larger with fangs that will cut through you like butter, they are faster and are rarely caught alone, young ones are said to even spray an odor as a last resort.


Rabbits live in larger groups, often times if the group is large enough they can turn and kill predators that come near, it is advised to only hunt the smaller groups.


Many birds have become larger to seek out larger prey, while Vultures still normally hunt the dead, Eagles, Falcons, and Hawks can hunt and kill wolves.


Some plants have become large enough to ensnare large animals, often times putting them to sleep to digest them. Often times it is advised to stay away from taller grasses or vines. Some vines connected to these man-eating plants will seek out warm bloodied animals and entangle them.


Winter lasts much longer than normal, and colder temperatures rise and fall quickly, forcing many animals to remain underground.


Summers and falls can be rainy, even then sprinkling snow can happen or devastating heat waves can dry out water sources.


In this world, not many survive alone. A Group are living in a old ruin city still left from when human wars destroyed their world thousands of years ago. Will they survive in this new environment? Or will their worlds fall to pieces?


Welcome to Falling Worlds



​

 

[Viper]

To say it was a bad day in the ruins was like saying the sky was blue. The people in the village had become accustomed to strife and hardship yet they had managed to pull through in spite of it all. One problem that always caused them trouble was dehydration and starvation. The ruins were hidden high within rocky mountains, away from all water and wild life. Many of the villagers thought that this was a foolish place to live yet when the founders moved to the ruins they found the natural protection and stone walls more valuable than easy access to food.


So on a bright fall day the council sat inside and debated how they would deal with the imminent starvation as well as how they would prepare for the upcoming winter. "We cannot sit ideally by this year. We need our storage filled to the brim, we lost enough people, good people, to malnutrition this past winter." The youngest member of the council, Conan, spoke as he paced back and forth, "I propose that we send our best out into the wild in order to hunt for game and other edible goods. However, I believe the best chance we have of making it out of this winter is moving as many of us as possible south, to someplace warmer and with a more ready supply of goods. The party will search for a new haven for us at the same time" There was an outcry among the council but after many hours of debate and arguments that almost came to blows, the mass of them agreed to this plan as long as while the chosen few were out scouting they continued to send food to the ruins to help with the current starvation and as a plan B. So with a final sigh Conan waved to a guard standing outside the city hall, "Go fetch the strongest and most intelligent people who are currently stationed in the village and bring them here. Quickly, this is urgent"

 

[The Writer]

"Ha!" A clang of swords rang through the air as a white haired girl quickly ducked into a roll and swung her sword at the back of her opponent. She had hair long enough to cover her entire back, white as snow, she held a deep green eyes, she was tall for the average girl but she was still painfully out-shadowed by the man currently blocking her sword's path. He was huge, muscular, broad shouldered, and intimidatingly tall even for most men. Of course his name even matched the stoic and cold outlook he held. Flower was pushed off, she hoped back from him, smirking as she spun her sword in her hand.


Deathwish was who Flower was facing off with. Not many people talked to him, most people were afraid of him, but he and Flower usually had spars before their shifts to guard the ruin. He charged, his blade aim right for her stomach. Flower swung her sword to hit the sword up, as her sword slid under his, she reached to punch him in the stomach, but Deathwish slammed his arm down on hers. He flicked his sword, forcing Flower's blade out of her hand. He slashed down but Flower ducked away, rolling as she grabbed her blade again.


Deathwish turned quickly, waiting as Flower came at him, she lunged, attacking from above him. Her jump was impressive and Deathwish raised an eyebrow at her. He blocked her blade, he suddenly twisted and grabbed Flower's arm, throwing her to the ground. He stabbed his sword down but Flower twisted her body and used her legs to knock Deathwish down. Flower hopped up but before she could lunge at her prey Nick came up behind her with a knife.


Nick smirked at Flower and Deathwish. He had been apart of the spar the whole time, but he had mostly hidden himself waiting for Flower and Deathwish to wear down before striking. He of course also happen to have a little rigged trap just above Deathwish. Nick would use anything to gain an advantage. Flower suddenly shifted her leg and threw Nick over her shoulder, while Deathwish quickly moved off before the trap poured rocks on him. Nick chuckled lightly as he got up and dusted himself off.


Deathwish looked at his twin, dusting his shirt off as he hummed lightly, his deep voice questioning in tone.


Nick looked at Deathwish, ignoring the ever present death aura that came off of his twin. "What? You think while you two were busy sparing I couldn't rig a trap? Look I found some nice parts and I've been keeping them." He said pointing to his backpack which looked like something straight out of steampunk with old mechanical parts.


Flower chuckled and pushed her fingers through her hair, taking a breather to try and cool herself down. "I'd say you still need to work on your trapping, you can finish a fight if your prey still escapes you." She said as she crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto one hip.


Nick smirked. "I'll work on that, maybe next time you won't escape." He said his tone teasing as he winked at her.


Flower rolled her eyes and with one whistle a giant black wolf sprinted into the area and chased after Nick. Flower started laughing as Nick instantly ran from Hunter.


"Gahhh! No! Bad DOG! Bad wolf! Stop it!" Nick said as he raced from the wolf which was nearly the size of what bear's use to be. Soon though Flower whistled again and Hunter came back to her.


Flower chuckled as Hunter sat down, her head nearly coming to Flower's shoulder. Flower leaned herself on Hunter and rubbed the Wolf's chest. "You need to learn to be more commanding."


Nick, who was now brooding, merely glared at Flower. Deathwish of course stood from afar, watching the two in slight amusement at his brother's terror of animals, though, Deathwish's face remained stoic and emotionless. No one really could tell what Deathwish's thoughts were. Nick of course read Deathwish like a book, he tried to ignore the irritation of his own brother's amusement. They all turned as someone approached them.


"The Council wants you...Now!" The guard said as he ran off to fetch the others. The group blinked, but none the less turned to heed the summons. The whole group seemed to turn silent and serious, well execpt Nick who never turned down an opportunity to flirt with a few passing women.

 

[Viper]

Kiria was sitting at the tavern with a large cup of ale in front of her. The ale was nothing to write home about but it did its job, the taste was just something you had to get past in order to get the buzz desired. She took a large gulp of the foul tasting alcohol and glanced at her ever present bow and arrow which sat on the stool next to her. It was shining, without a single scratch on it, yet that made Kiria grimace. She hated it when her weapon was so clean and perfect because that meant that she had not been in the field for a while, just thinking about the wild made her shift on the stool out of restlessness. "I cant wait to get out of here" She mumbled into her cup just as a guard burst through the tavern door looking out of breath. He stood there for a moment, eyes scanning over the small establishment before resting on the pale blonde girl.


"I figured I found find you here" he panted "The council has summoned you, it's important" Without another word he turned on his heels and hurried out the door.


With a sigh and a rolling of her eyes, Kiria finished the last of her cup, threw down a dead rabbit as payment, picked up her weapon and walked to the City Hall. Even though she seemed annoyed that her drinking was cut short in the back of her mind she was happy because a summoning could only mean one thing, it was time to leave the ruins.

 

[TheDaftStudent]

Atlas snored lazily as he slept on a pile of wood that had been laid out as a makeshift bed. The wood was me likely intended for a fire somewhere, but he had made it into a sort of bed for the time being. He slept peacefully on his wooden bed as a shadow crept up on him. Atlas' right eye opened to view the intruder. A man stood above him with a disappointed scowl.


"Mister Harkonnen."


"Yo." Atlas greeted the man with a smile.


They stared at each other for a moment before Atlas closed his eye and tried to go back to sleep.


"The council needs to see you."


Atlas scowled this time and opened both eyes to look at the man. He eyed him for a moment before sitting up and sighing heavily. "Fine, fine. I'll grace them." He said as he good off the wood pile and headed towards the council's house. The man followed behind him and let out a sigh. Atlas looked back at him and smiled, "They been runnin' you wild?"


The man groaned tiredly and didn't speak.


They reached the council house in no time and went inside. He saw that he wasn't the only one summoned. A group this size meant some kind of mission. He knew the huntress and the guards, but not by name. Only profession. A scouting mission? His stomach rumbled emptily. He needed to eat. He hadn't done much of anything yet today. He was slacking off, as usual.


"Yo ho, council! Why have we been summoned?" He asked rudely and unceremoniously.

 

[The Writer]

Finally they all were there, Flower looked at all of the council, in all honesty, this must have been huge considering that the group was so huge. Flower glanced back at the Twins. Deathwish has slunk into the shadows, his eyes seemed to shine like a predator as he stared out. Of course his aura was at a low, Flower never really could figure Deathwish out. All she had to say was he could be terrifying with just his aura, at that was coming from a beast tamer. Still she looked around at the two others, analyzing them quickly before she turned back to the council. There was one man who smiled at her, his name was Roger and he was her uncle, well sort of adopted uncle.


Roger noted all of them were there. He was a large man with black hair, and his left eye was covered by a eye patch, most likely taken by some animal. He stood up from his seat, looking around the large room. "We have a mission for all of you." He said, looking at all of them. "You are our best and brightest, no pun intended for those of you with white hair." He said smirking as he looked at Flower and Kiria. Another council man coughed, signalling for Roger to continue. Roger finally got serious. "Supplies are running low, and winter is approaching us fast. Without food or access to water we need to move. You are to hunt and find us a new home, while your at it you need to send us back supplies and food."


"How will we get supplies back to you?" Nick asked,


"Hn." Deathwish agreed, staring at the council, unnerving a few of them. The ever silent twin rarely spoke to anyone, even his humming could be considered chatty for the man.


Roger smiled. "You have a beast tamer in your mist. I'm sure she can arrange for a bird to send us food." He said looking at said beast tamer.


Flower shifted as she crossed her arms and held her chin up. "There are a few birds others have tamed. An Eagle named Sky might do us good. Their so large she'll be able to carry larger game back." She said, calculating the size of the giant bird, they probably range to be fifty feet in length, the wing span doubling that. Several tons of pure aerial terror.


"Any questions?"

 

[Viper]

Kiria was instantly uncomfortable as she looked at the four others, already exhausted at the thought of all the conversation they would provide. She opened her mouth to protest this plan but her older brother quickly spoke over her. His white hair blended in perfectly well with the other council members, who all were turning white from either age or the stress of running the ruins "Well then, if there are no further questions I suggest you all return to your homes and prepare for this long journey. You must begone before nightfall for, as you all know, descending the mountain in the black of night is suicide in the most gruesome kind" With a final nod he sat down, dismissing the individuals before him.


Without a moment to lose Kiria took a few strides forward until she was leaning over a wooden table, face to face with her stoic brother. The small bit of alcohol had given her the courage to ignore the many pairs of eyes watching her. Speaking through her teeth she whispered to Conan "What were you thinking when you sent for me? I DO NOT work with others and I sure as hell don't work with....boys" With that she looked over her shoulder at the twins and when she turned back to her brother he was smirking with a knowing look.


With an overly dramatic voice and grand arm movements he spoke sadly, "Oh how could I forget? Oh silly, silly me! If only the council hadn't already made a decision. I guess what I am saying is..." He dropped his voice and looked at his sister with a cold stare, "You don't have a choice but to go." Kiria knew this but that doesn't mean she liked her brother holding that over her nose. In the end she only glared at her brother and stormed out of the hall, dodging around the others in the room with light feet. "I wish you did." He whispered once she was gone with his face leaning in his hands. "Be careful"


It took only a few short minutes to pack, she was always prepared to go back out into the wild, the only reason it took extra time was that Kiria knew it would be a longer trip than usual. Right after that Kiria went to the only exit of the ruins in order to wait for the others.

 

[The Writer]

Flower watched Kiria. She chuckled lightly, knowing that the first time she was sent out with Nick and Deathwish she had protested to. She still does, but for now there was no time to argue. This was for the whole ruin, and they had to go quickly. She turned to Roger who had stepped down to meet with her. Flower looked at the two she was paired with. "Please tell me I can hurt them if they get on my nerves?"


"I'm sure Nick wont be that bad." He said and Flower gave him a look. "Be good Flower, you may be a beast master but some animals wont be tamed." He said placing a hand on her shoulder, his fingers brushing past the scar on her shoulder, making Flower twitch for a moment. "Be safe." He said as he placed his hand on her head. "Your father will come out from his grave to haunt me if you died. Your mother probably won't be far behind."


Flower moved out from under his hand, she confidently walked toward the door before she turned and smirked at him. "Who do you think your talking to? I'll be fine, Uncle." She said before she walked out.


Roger sighed and turned to Deathwish. "Please keep them from dying out there." He asked knowing fully well the most mature out of all of them probably was the emotionless man currently leaning against the dark corner. "Don't let them kill each other."


Deathwish pushed himself off of the wall, he slowly approached Roger, Roger was only a few inches shorter then Deathwish. "Hn." He closed his eyes and bowed slightly to Roger. He turned and left himself.


Roger sighed and shook his head. "Their all going to die....and Benjamin will haunt me for the rest of my days..."


"If they fail at least the rest of your days wont be that long lived." Another council man said, smirking slightly before he frowned.


Roger shook his head. "And then he'll rant at me in the after life...nice to know." He grumbled before he returned to his seat. "Who wants to bet Deathwish will kill them first?"


"I have my money on Flower."


"I'll take those odds, I bet Kiria will be the first to kill one of them."


"Anyone for Nick or Atlas?"


"...."


"NAH" A bunch of them said at the same time.


Flower soon was packed, she carried light, strapping down on Hunter's back. She looked as another beast tamer released Sky, The large bird zoomed out of his cage, Flower grabbed her whistle and blew, the bird instantly landed and stared at Flower. Flower smirked and threw Sky a piece of meat. Sky swallowed it whole, the large eagle screeched before it flapped it's wings, hovering about the ground before it fled up into the sky. Flower smirked and got on Hunter's back, whistling for Hunter to move. She quickly met up with Nick and Deathwish, Nick had his backpack and Deathwish didn't carry anything but a small bag of food and water, his swords, and what looked to be a compact weapon of some kind. Flower didn't question him, as Deathwish was silent as ever, she merely turned to wait to move out.

 

[Viper]

Kiria was leaning against the strong stone gate with a closed off expression, eyes shut with arms crossed, but when she saw her new team mates approach she pushed off the wall and waved. "Hello, I'm Kiria. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier, I'm afraid I was distracted by what I needed to accomplish before setting off." The boy that was named Nick introduced the others with a sly smile and perky disposition. Kiria tried to keep a civil expression even though everything inside of her was screaming to get away from this boy, since he was so loud and he was a he. "I guess that's enough for now, we will have plenty of time to get to know each other better while in the wild." Holding a hand to her mouth Kiria called up to the guards posted on the wall "Open the gate!"


With stone screeching against stone, the grand gates opened to show off the dangerous world to the party. Even from where they were standing they could see large shapes flying above a pitch black forest only to dive down and disappear underneath thick fog. In spite of all of the dangers before her and the important task she was given, Kiria smiled. She stepped out of the ruins and began the slow climb down the mountain. The rocks were not steady beneath her feet but from years of practice and her Goddess gifted skills, she kept her balance even after the base of the mountain was engulfed in fog.


The party had a few choices at this point. They could head north into the dark forest which blocked every ray of sunshine no matter the time of year, they could head west where a large body of water sat attracting all manner of beasts, or they could head east into land uncharted by any one from the ruin.

 

[The Writer]

Flower looked out, Hunter instantly was antsy to get moving. Flower petting her head, looking around as Sky flew in a circle above them. Flower slowly leaned down. “Search.” She whispered to Hunter before the wolf sprang into action. Flower giggled as she rode the wolf a ways before she stopped, Hunter raised her head to sniff out any prey.


Deathwish and Nick instantly followed behind. The twins stopped as Flower carefully watched Hunter for excitement and other body language. Deathwish turned to look where they could possibly go. He hummed with displeasure, knowing the further from the ruin the less safe it was, Nick did always have a habit of getting into trouble. Deathwish turned to look toward east, it was uncharted but then again they needed to find a new place. He also knew West was good for hunting, but north was the most dangerous. No they couldn’t go north unless absolutely necessary. He turned to look at Flower.


“As expected she wants to head west. But it also appears she’s picking up prey from the East.” Flower commented, looking back at all of them. “It wherever we go, we need to hurry. Nightfall will be soon upon us.”

 

[Viper]

"I say..." Kiria started looking at the quickly descending sun, "We should head west, it is territory we are familiar with so finding suitable shelter should be easy enough. It is unwise to approach foreign land even in slight darkness, even with easy prey." The huntress made sure that the others agreed with the plan before setting off at a quick pace.


Just as the last of the suns rays vanished behind the black forest the party approached a small cave which the people of the ruins had used in the past. There was already a campfire, a few straw piles to be used as a bed and a warning from the previous inhabitants. Kiria ignored the note at first and got to work on the fire, only once the party was safely inside the warming cave did Kiria take the time to examine the parchment. She only read a few lines before she started from the beginning and read aloud "To my fellow brethren I beseech you to travel forward with caution. As my fellow companions returned from the great water, stocked with food for our villagers, we witnessed an odd occurrence. We were to far to determine a cause but in the distance were the water lay we witnessed smoke. There were no storms that day however we still suspect that it was just a lightning bolt hitting a dry tree. We do not wish to implant dark thoughts when you already have an important task but please, keep an eye out for other anomalies." For a brief moment the cave was silent, this was odd, and odd often meant dangerous.