Child of the Atom

[Rogue]

There's mixed results to the kinda stuff ah do. Don't get me wrong, is not a small feather in my cap to be able to say that ah lived through both the death game and the abyss. Ah think there's only a few, if that, who can claim the same! It pays well too! Ah can roll up on a backwater tavern like this and become everyone's friend in an hour. Ah've got the coin that buying the evening's tab of every patron in the place is no sweat.

But, it comes with a bit of a profile. When a pretty hinterlands gal is kicking ass and taking names across every screen you can find, people start to recognize her. Get to knowing her secret. Start keeping a healthy berth when she's walking down the street. Start to quiet muttering and glancing over when she's sitting at the bar. Start looking relieved when she gets up to head out the door.

And they should be scared! Ah'm a one-woman wrecking crew even with a busted arm! When the Abyss and the Carnivale can't take me down, most folks in the crossroads know they ain't got a prayer!

It's why ah seem to keep finding myself in the little backwards towns here in the Hinterlands. You just have to find somewhere so remote that they look at you funny and say "Oh, ah don't follow what goes on with you city folk!" And go on about their day like the rest of it ain't important. Ah'd wager coat-tails for collars that some of these towns don't have the first clue about that Unmaking mess! It's why a walking weapon like me can be welcomed in to join a fourth drunken chorus for an ode to old king Fozzie-lip! Ah know the song well enough from when ah was a tyke, and we're all so drunk that you barely need to know real words anyways!

This's just what the doctor ordered after all that mess with the Rosa and D.A.V.E.'s nonsense. That creep and all his scatter-thoughts were in my head the whole way up until he burst his kettle. It's eerie hearing a voice in your head echo into nothing, let me tell you. Ah wasn't right on the way out of sector seven or back to Erde Nona.

But that's all in the past! Here ah am having a grand old time, dancing in the square with the rest because the tavern was too small to do it properly! Ah can't link arms quite right with the one all broke still, but hinterlanders are used to folks being hurt so they don't bat an eye to working around the sling to keep the lines a-jig! We don't dance professionally, we're drunk after all, but we dance real hearty instead!

Partying out in the stars makes me feel like it's a proper festival. That's something ah could stand to have more of in my life! Makes you wonder what kinda changes a spot of celebrity could help you get through...

***​

That's some pig! Feed her right and ah could take to the big market! Might be able to afford that new plowshare sooner than the plan!

***​

You go and enjoy your magecraft! Ah've got all ah need right here under my feet! There's other fish in the sea!

***​

No set of stars quite like we get here in Pryke's hollow! The Arcadian's don't know what they've lost. It's so sad...

***​

Ah stagger backwards, watching in a sort of daze as the guy next to me pitches over. He had stumbled, a falling hand had brushed my cheek. It could have happened during any drunken dance. To anyone else, it's a bout of laughter at the poor sod's expense.

But ah'm a mutant and my power is to absorb the thoughts, memories and strengths right out of anyone who touches me.

He falls down at my feet, pale as a sheet, eyes rolled back in his skull. In a coma or worse is how ah've been hearing my touch affects normal types of folks. That stops the music deader than a tombstone. Like someone's flipped over a coin, all those friends ah had a moment ago are surrounding me with looks that would give an arbiter pause.

"What didja do to him?" One of them shouts. It's a mousy voice from the back of the crowd. That's enough to break the surface tension though, and the accusations start to pour in, fast and fierce!

"Witch!"

"You killed him!"

"Vampire!"

"Where's the sheriff!"

Even if ah had the words to answer with they'd be drowned out in the noise. All this shouting is bringing more folks from their houses too. This is bad. Before ah can blink, Ah'm backed up against a tree near the center of town, hemmed in by some two dozen folks. They don't have pitchforks and torches yet but there's a couple of knives and rolling pins being brandished in my direction.

One guy steps through the crowd. Most likely the sheriff from his manner and the sword at his side.

"Why are you here, monster? Do not trouble our village!"

Ah raise my good arm in a placating gesture, watching my peripherals in case any of them get over-bold.

"It's an honest mistake, honest! Ah don't want any trouble!"

Ah hate this feeling. Ah can stare down death with a grin on my face, beat the baddest threats in the crossroads like it's easy as pie! Now ah'm all flustered, my head is spinning and ah have to make nice to a bunch of people who aren't even listening to a word ah say! It was an innocent slip-up! Ah didn't even try to touch the guy!

"You will not find us asleep at our posts!" He whips out his sword with a bit of a flourish, "what curse have you put upon Agnew?"

That's me.

No wait, that's the name of the guy ah stole the energy from. Gotta keep my thinking straight, Agnew was drunker than ah was! Than ah am. Whatever.

"Just.. just let me on my way and Ah'll be out of your hair, ah promise! Ah didn't come here looking for trouble."

"Will Agnew awake from your curse, monster?" The sheriff scowls.

That's a question ah can't really answer. My head is aching and ah raise both hands to my clutch at it, which proves to be a very bad idea when one arm is as broken as it is. My cry of pain probably doesn't do much to lower the tensions either. Ah squint at them through blurry eyes. They look scared. There's no saving this interaction, either...

"Just get out of my way!" Ah practically scream and stumble forwards. They do make a gap too, pushing against each other to clear a path as ah swing my good arm in front of me. Ah know how this song and dance goes though, they'll be right on my heels until ah'm outside of town. My head is spinning still but ah don't dare to stop running until the lot of them give up the chase.

Looks like it'll be another night on the road.

 

[Rogue]

Ah startle awake next to the coals of my campfire. There's a figure there, on the far side of my little fire pit, over close to where my chocobo, Remi, is grazing. They're not moving, but ah can see metal glinting in one hand. They're probably hoping ah miss them and go back to sleep.

After a half moment of us both waiting stock still the figure seems to slump their shoulders.

"Aww cripes, that's just my luck!" He sighs.

Sounds like a local fellow from the voice.

"You thinking of making off with my bird, Sugah? Ah had to sneak back into town to fetch the guy just yesterday, ah'm not keen on the idea of him getting nicked!"

Ah sit up properly, squinting at him in the dark.The figure sheathes his little blade and settles down on his haunches across the firepit from me.

"Well that's that, ain't it?" He chuckles, "I know better than to try my knife against someone with your reputation, miss Rogue."

Well that's great. Guess some folks out here do know me after all.

"You didn't want to pick a fight but you were willing to risk a bit of chocobo swiping, is that it?"

"I never have claimed to be a smart man!" Even in the darkness ah can hear him grinning, "But lady, I'd wager you're the richest one of us for a hundred miles, probably more out here in the Hinterlands. I'd be a fool not to give it a shot, don't you think?"

"It depends..." Ah narrow my eyes, not that he's liable to be able to tell in the dark, but he can probably hear the edge in my voice, "Robbing folks is all about weighing risk and reward, ain't it, Sugah? Ah'd reckon the reward needs to be quite good to be worth the risk that comes from getting on my bad side."

The bandit just shrugs.

"There's lots of places to disappear to out here in the Hinterlands, love. Finding someone out here is hard. Assuming that someone in question doesn't go around showering the locals in gold, of course. You're liable to get more than just me following your trail if you keep up with that kinda showboating."

"It's not showboating." Ah hate how petulant my voice sounds when ah say the words, "Ah figure some of these folks could stand a bit easier a life. Besides, you need to get on people's good sides to get reliable information. Gold talks is the sayin', ah believe?"

"Oh yeah?" The bandit seems genuinely curious now. "What's got the interest of a terror like you? Gotta be something important to take you all the way out in the Hinterlands, eh? Tracking down a lover who wronged you now that you're famous?"

Ah snort. But he's closer to the mark than ah particularly like for a stranger in the night who was just looking for a quick swipe. Maybe ah'm making bigger ripples than ah expected to.

"Sugah, ah'd've wronged them worse, ah'd wager. Ah am looking for someone though. You from these parts?"

"Born and bred!" He thumps his chest like it's a point of pride, "Been here all my days, except a brief stint with the Arcadian militia, and an even briefer stay in Arcadian prison!"

"Lovely." Ah remark dryly, "Then have you ever heard tell of a blind fortune teller? Lady by the name of Irene Adler? She up and vanished from a town not too far from here a few years back. Wanted to see if ah could pick up her trail."

He scratches at his cheek, glancing skyward like he's in deep thought. And ah decide to head off his angle and save us both some time. Ah grab a handful of coins from the pouch ah was sleeping with, and toss the across the fire to him. He doesn't even turn his head as his hand snaps out to snatch the little jingling bag out of the air.

"Don't think I've heard anyone matching that name or that description, but like I said, it's mad easy for people to disappear in these parts. You want my advice? Don't go searching the normal way. Get yourself over to the Wallowing Fen, ask the Fen Witch to find her for you, that's what I say."

"So ah can get caught in the witch's trap? Is that the idea?"

"Witch traps are for normal folks, and you ain't normal folks, that's fer certain. She might try to weasel a deal outta ya by force of habit, but I have a feeling she'll mostly just want you on your way and out of her hair!"

He was probably lying straight to my face, but it was a cleaner lead than ah'd caught wind of since ah was back in the Hinterlands. Ah fished in a pocket and flipped him another coin.

"Good info, eh?" He grinned eagerly.

"Actually, that coin's to get you to do some trail work. Get the rest of you bandits off my tail until ah'm done with my business"

The robber man hummed, "well it's no fortune, but I'll see what I can do to mess up your tracks for anyone following. I'd do a better job for one more gold though."

Ah grumble as ah start to gather my things to leave with the dawn's light. Was getting to be an expensive venture, this.

 

[Rogue]

Boots are important things. There's a whole bunch of bad situations you can get yourself into that a good set of boots solve for you very easily. Sharp and slippery rocks looking to twist your ankles? Sugah, that's child's play to good boots. A week of rain has turned your road to slimy mud? Boots won't be coming free in a hurry. The trail comes outta the mud but ends up taking you straight through an overgrown bramble of thorns and clingers? Good boots let you stomp on through if you're not foolhardy about it. A solid pair of boots are the real fighters against the trials that the Hinterlands will rise against you.

It wasn't until ah heard the mechanical spring snapping underfoot that my poor boot met its match. The bear trap looked like it had been out here for a while, all brown and rusted, but it did its job as best at it was able clamping down with the intent to maim. My boot did its job even then, the teeth bit down but really didn't get to my foot enough to hurt. It had a firm grip on the leather though, and it snapped the stick ah tried using to pry it loose.

In the end ah had to slide my foot free and leave the boot behind. The thing was too rusted for me to open it again even after ah'd escaped. Had to keep going with one boot and one sock like a moonstruck fool for another few miles.

The reason ah need to point all this out is so that people understand why ah'm hesitating here on the edge of the Fen. It's not because ah'm too nervous to go further in, it's because if ah keep going ah'd be trudging through shin-deep muck without anything but wool to safeguard my foot from the nasty things that lived in that swamp. A busted arm is bad enough for this kind of wilderness trip, if ah fouled up my leg this far out into the Hinterlands it'd just be asking for trouble. Even just getting back to the waypost that was stabling Remi for me would be a couple days trek even without injury.

Weighing my options doesn't seem to come up with anything especially promising. So that mean's all that's left are the bad ideas. Ah stand at the edge of the true swamp and painfully raise my hands up to my mouth.

"Alright!" Ah shout, loud and strong as ah can, "If even half the stories ah've heard about what you can do are true, then there's no way you don't already know that ah'm out here! You don't like folks who meddle in your business, and ah'm fixing to do more than that unless you can tell me what Ah want to know! How about you go ahead and show yourself now and we can skip the trudging through leech-water. You'll get me out of here faster, and ah'll be in a much more reasonable mood for our discussion! It's a win-win!"

This is a rash sort of approach, and ah know it's not liable to get anywhere, but ah'm not entirely convinced that ah'd be able to make the rest of the journey in the state ah'm in right now. A journey into the wilds isn't like a death match. Ah'm damn good at winning a fight, but that doesn't mean ah can out punch the Hinterlands themselves. Ah let my arms fall down to my sides, keeping my jaw firm and my eyes focused as ah wait for the witch's response. If she's just planning to play hard to get, she'll find that she's got another think coming. It's not easy to find someone more stubborn than ah am.

It's hard to say how long ah'm standing there, waiting for a response. Maybe an hour? All ah really know is that ah'm startled out of my composure by a laughing voice from up in the branches above me. A big old black bird is sitting up there. Looks too big to be one of the crows you'd see in a place like this, maybe it's a raven? Ah'm nah too sure.

"Petulant child!" The raven laughs, "Go elsewhere!"

It could be a servant of the fen witch, maybe even the witch herself in a disguise. Ah'm turn to face it, refusing to back down.

"You really should consider listening to me, Sugah! Ah'm not the kind of person to be dismissing out of hand!"

The Raven just laughs, and ah have an impulse to knock it's smug beak clean out of that tree.

"And just what have you done that makes you worthy of attention, Rogue?" It croaks in response.

"You know my name, and you think that you can pull that? Come on Sugah! Ah've proved ah'm one of the most dangerous folks in the crossroads! Multiple times now! Ah'm willing to cut a deal for the information ah want. Don't go acting like ah've got nothing to offer!"

"Proved, mmm?" The Raven waddles it's way along the branch. It's clear the bird is listening to every word ah say, but ah can't help feelin' ignored despite the fact, "You are born into your power, Mutant. You have discovered that this well of strength is enough to keep you alive when others perish. Yet these are not victories. You continue to fall short of your mark and pretend you have done well enough to claim success even as you flee into the night."

The Raven laughs again.

"Your arrogant antics are most amusing, child, but half-measures are not convincing of your merit. When you accomplish what you seek to do, then return. All the answers you seek will be laid bare. But not before!"

The raven's words end in a vicious squawk.

"You can save your high-horse and the theatrics, hun!" Ah shout back, real angry now, "Ah'll find Mama Irene without your help if you're going to be that difficult!"

"Mmmm?" The Raven tilts its head to the side, leaning in to regard me with one of its big yellow eyes, "A rejection and another retreat! Much to be expected, it seems! Do not mistake my meaning for an offer, girl. Without the fen witch's help you will never find the answers you seek. That is her will. Her power will make it so!"

With a flapping of wings, the Raven takes off from the branch. The thing comes swooping down on me, with talons out. Ah duck away from the barbs and it circles me once or twice. The sound it makes is unnatural, halfway between the croaking you'd expect and harsh laughter. It takes one more idle swipe at my head before flying off into the depths of the bog, still laughing its bird head off!

Ah'm left at a lost, my head spinning. Ah'm not at all sure how to act next. That could easily have been a witch's curse. They don't all come with the nice glow and the clear feeling that you know something's wrong. The Fen witch certainly has a reputation for cursing folks too. Do ah just keep on my search and pretend it wasn't anything? This was the only lead ah've found in weeks, and ah wasn't too thrilled about my odds at another one. Could ah go in there and make the witch eat her words until she told me what ah wanted to know? Was ah strong enough to follow up on that idea right now, or would it just be empty bluster and threats?

Was ah really about to let myself get thrown off so bad that ah gave up on my quest? On my whole reason for being out here? Just like that?