Harriot the Survivor

Harriot is a scavenger and Inventor; she’s a lone wolf and prefers it that way.

Ancient Ground’s
Entry #112

“Maybe I was wrong about you, maybe a ‘Resa’ will bring peace to this land once again. For the sake of this Island, I hope I’m not wrong in trusting you. But for you to truly succeed you must rely on others. The bone’s laid here will lead you to a place known to locals as the Ancient Ruins. We however, have a different name for it.”

Just as the smoke figure said the bones, that looked far smaller than any human bones, lead us straight to the Ancient Ruins. I had been here once or twice before. The place was crawling with Red Papoo’s, Charlottes eyes grew wide when she saw the beaten down building.

“So, this is the place. Somehow I was expecting more mystical stuff like dragons to be guarding such a place.”

“The drakes are more interested in the volcanoes and mountains.”

“Wait so there are dragon’s?”

“Dragon’s, drake’s same difference, right? Can we get this over with now? This place always has a weird feeling about it.”

The bones led us to a spot just behind the building. What looked like golden fireflies floating to the sky stood before us. It was somewhat beautiful and chilling at the same time.

“Now this is more like it.” Charlotte wasted no time at all laying to rest the bones of the Ancient One. A huge gust of wind picked up as the last bone was buried before dying down to a gentle breeze. “I guess that settles it then. So, what’s next?” Charlotte was looking at me as if ready for her next adventure.

“Now, you go home.” My words held nothing but sadness in them.

“Don’t you mean we ?” I turned away before Charlotte could interrogate me more on the matter.

We barely spoke all day in the cave. I had prearranged with my smuggler friend to set up her journey back to Calypso for after we had finished what needed to be done. Part of me regretted following through with the plan, but it was the right time. She had people waiting for her, people that probably worried about her and thought she were dead all these years. If she stayed with me, I couldn’t guarantee she would be alive by the end of the week, heck even I didn’t know what would happen next.

The morning of her departure she woke up early to talk with me.

“Harriot… I don’t know what to say, if you truly don’t want me here, I’ll leave in an instant. But I need to know why.” I let out the longest sigh ever.

“You’re my first ever, friend… Of course, I don’t want you to go, but there are people waiting, your research waiting… If you stay here there’s nothing but a life of hiding and fighting every day to survive. Maybe our paths will cross again, but you have your own path to walk. I can’t block that for you.”

“I understand, I’ll go but not to follow my path. I will work on finding a way for you to not have to fight for your life every day. And I will be back you can count on it. Maybe one day we can even get a proper house here and find a place for all these treasures in the cave.”

The Ancient One’s Trial
Entry #111

Her idea was maybe just crazy enough to work. While the Gorgon was distracted by a full-on attack, I managed to sneak around the back of her. I thought for sure those snakes in her hair would spot me, but just like Charlotte had told me, she had a blind spot. I readied my sword as I stood in wait to strike at the right moment. Our plan wasn’t to defeat the Gorgon but to cut a snake from her hair while she was distracted. Charlotte had fashioned a lasso onto my sword, all that was needed was the right angle and speed to throw it, then cut and run.

The Gorgon never saw me coming, my heart was beating faster than I ever dared possible. It was now or never. With the strongest highest throw, I could ever manage, the blade sored into the air like a kite. The deadly sharp blade glinted in the light just before the loudest scream could be heard. She had stopped and was now focused fully on me. Now’s the time to run! My mind went blank, I almost forgot to pick up the snake hair strand that was still wriggling on the ground. The moment it was in my hand my legs sprinted as fast as they would carry me. Though during her brief interest in me, the other warriors had taken the chance and attack her with everything they had left. Just as my foot hit the edge of her lair, a loud scream of excitement could be heard.

Perseus was standing shaking by the entrance.

“Don’t think that move got past me. It was stupid and brave and probably wasn’t even intended to give the others a chance to defeat her. Almost reminds me of my…” He grew quiet for a moment. “You’d best leave here before the other Stel find out who you really are. Harriot …”

Charlotte was waiting for me outside the lair. Her eye’s lit up when she saw the snake hair in my hands.

“You got it! I thought for sure that plan would fail… I mean, wow it really worked.”

“Now we need to get out of here before they decided the Gorgon isn’t their only enemy.”

Back at Morion Outpost the boars were on edge as if something had spooked them. Before we could even make one step towards the place we needed, they charged blindly into the awaiting turrets. We spent the entire journey fighting are way to the stagnant pond. The boars seem to have started to congregate here also. But as soon as the black smoke figure appeared once again, the boars seemed to squeal and shy away from the pond.

“I see you are back. By the fact you are still alive I believe you have failed the task I assigned.”

The black smoke almost seemed to grin. Before another word was said the snake hair landed with a loud thud on the ground.

“If you want to really test me, try something more challenging.” My words were strong and taunting, yet I knew I didn’t mean those words, the Gorgon was certainly a match far greater than I had imagined.

The Gorgon’s Lair
Entry #110

“Hi, I’m Charlotte. So, this is her lair then?” She was staring wide-eyed up and the spiked mountains that seemed to reach around as far as the eye could see.

I took a deep breath, Perseus was the least of my worries, if it came to it, I could fend for both me and Charlotte. I found myself doing the thing I thought I would never do. I gave up my cover to try avoid Charlotte walk in on something she had no clue about.

“What did I tell you about talking to strangers?” Perseus looked on edge at my presence.

“I know but does he look like a blood-raging murderer to you?” Perseus looked mildly offended before almost bursting into laughter.

“We’ve met before, right? You were asking about Jerad.” My guard went up. Charlottes ears seemed to perk up.

“Well, that doesn’t matter now.” My words were barely a whisper.

“Wait he’s the one that you found those journals from. I must have read them a thousand time. Oh, don’t mind me, this is my friend Harriot. And assuming by all that teasing before that you are Perseus well not the Perseus of legend but… Sorry I talk too much.” Charlotte and her constant need to talk was a killer for my reputation.

“Harriot… Why does that name seem familiar?” Before he could speak screams came whaling from the Gorgon’s lair. About half a dozen people streamed out of the entrance, some of which were injured. One Stel officer seemed to indicate to Perseus.

“Call for back-up. Your new friends there seem like they came ready to fight, we need all the support we can get.”

The inky black water swished about our feet as we clambered over dead snake bodies and humans a like. Charlotte’s face showed no fear, she jotted down notes almost as if unaware of the battle we could hear raging in the background. Her pen almost fell from her hands when her eyes met the Gorgon’s. But before she could express her excitement, some kind of energy surged towards her, I only barely managed to save her from it.

The Gorgon herself was like nothing I had ever seen. 10 times bigger than the tallest man in her lair. Her body was coiled like a snake, yet there was something majestic about her. Before I could fully admire her more, I dragged Charlotte behind one of the stone statues. A stone statue that looked far too life-like. I hated to admit it but for my own preservation all I could see was a losing battle.

“I don’t know about you but this just seems like a death sentence. There’s no way we’ll get close enough to her let alone get one of those crazy… yup, crazy she has snakes as her hair!” Charlotte pouted at me like a sulking child.

“You have the brawn; I have the knowledge. Together we can win this.” Charlotte has a steely look of determination in her eyes.

“Tell me your idea and I’ll think about it.”

The Gorgon’s Lair
Entry #109

The Market was bustling with Ancient Greek residents bartering over unique goods. Spices wafted through the air; the scent was so strong it almost made me sneeze. One stall I came across held decorative pots, some looked like the ones I had seen buried around Next Island but there was one that looked practically modern. I found myself caught up hopping from stall to stall, it was nice walking around people that didn’t seem to care what faction I belonged to or where I came from.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, my natural instincts kicked it and I began to draw my sword.

“Woo, it’s just me. No need to cut my head off or anything.” Charlotte was smiling while still jotting down notes in her note pad. “So, this is the market place. Oh, this is pretty. I wonder how they trade for goods here.” Charlotte was holding a pendant that looked as if it were made from clay.

“We don’t have time for this did you get the information you needed.”

“Oh, right yes, got everything I need for my report. Shall we meet Byron now?”

Byron was waiting at the end of the dock. He had a small looking boat tethered to the dock.

“She might not be pretty, but she’ll make it to the Island that holds the Gorgon.”

It was a seemingly long boat trip across the sea, at one point I thought Byron was about to kill us and dump our bodies in the sea.

“There she is, though be careful up there. Lot of nasty things on that island.”

What looked like a spiked fortress came into view. It looked almost imposing, until it clicked that the ‘spikes’ were actually a rock formation. The distant roar of voices could be heard from where the boat came ashore.

“And here’s where I leave ya, I think you’re crazy for venturing up there. There’s a teleport at the top if you get too scared and want to run away.” Byron’s tone was light-hearted as if it were merely a joke but there was a hint of fear in his eyes.

At the entrance stood wounded soldiers from all sides and planets. We hid just before the row of armed guards. A Stel group had just arrived, they were laughing and joking together.

“Don’t worry lads, Perseus will save us. He’s a legend that defeated her once before right.” A roar of laughter could be heard. Perseus, Jerad’s brother. He looked sheepish but joked alongside them. If any warrior were to defeat the Gorgon, Perseus was not my first choice. He seemed to pause for a moment, as if trying to delay the inevitable.

“You guys go ahead; I’m just going to pick up some more supplies.” The Stel warriors gave him a knowing glance.

“Don’t worry we’ll kill her before you get back.”

Perseus seemed to pace outside the entrance for a moment as if trying to talk himself into facing what laid beyond the row of guards.

Before I could stop her Charlotte walked up to him. I planted my back firmly against the rock, one day she’d be the death of me.

The Gorgon’s Lair
Entry #108

Charlotte was nowhere to be seen on the other side. I was in a cave, the Haruspex Elder seemed to glare at me and for a magical glowing ball I didn’t think that was even possible. Just as I was about to approach it, Charlotte came bounding into the cave.

“You have to see this, come on. There’s no time to waste.” She dragged me to the entrance of the cave. My eyes had to adjust to the sunlight as it beamed over the harbour. Ships that bore the Haruspex symbol laid wait at the harbour as if awaiting adventure. Perfect white buildings stood proudly across from us. For something named ‘Ancient’ this place looked as if everything had just been built.

“I can’t believe it, it’s actually real. I’m going to run ahead; I’ll meet you on the other side.” Before I could stop her, she sprinted off into the distance. This place was not on any map I had, I needed to be careful. Just in case, I started to mark trees as I went along so that I could find my way back.

Without warning, I was ambushed. A scary warrior-like woman came bounding down the hill. Myrinian. I had seen a few from a very far distance on Next Island but this was my first time seeing one up close and personal. I was about to ready myself to the imminent attack, but before I could draw my sword an arrow came flitting through the air, landing a devastating blow to the Myrinian.

“You’d better be careful around these parts.” Charlotte was trailing after the warrior that had just saved me. “Now who are you? I haven’t seen you around here before. You from the mainland? I mean you look like you are.”

“I’m Charlotte, this is my companion Harriot, she’s not much of a talker.”

“I’m Byron, you’re lucky my hunting party was passing by here. Ancient Greece is full of dangers. You’d best watch your step.” The man standing before us wore no symbols of any Next Island faction instead he wore strange armour that I had never seen before. In his hands he held the most magnificent bow which I had never seen anyone own such a weapon.

“Well, maybe you could help us Byron, have you heard of the Gorgon. I know in Ancient Greek mythology, she was known to be able to turn men to stone. I also recall there being 3 of them in total…” Charlotte took a moment to assess the strange glare Byron had given her. “Sorry I talk a lot, I haven’t spoken with many people for a long time.”

“Yeah, doesn’t show much… Anyways I know of the creature you speak of; you’d best go talk to Bat, he’ll give you the full story on that place.”

“Bat? Wait, you have talking bats here?” Charlotte’s naivety was almost endearing. Byron let out a hearty laugh.

“Batiatus, once you know what you’re letting yourselves in for, meet me by the sea near here. I can give you a lift over to the island.”

Batiatus had a lot to say on the matters involving the Gorgon and her Enslaved Daudaomurs. Charlotte listened with intense focus jotting down every word he spoke. I left her to it while I went back to the market place we had passed on our way here.

The Gorgon’s Lair
Entry #107

Before we could even speak a pack of angry mutant boars descended on us. I managed to quickly shove Charlotte in the direction of the stone structure where she found a place to hide. With her out of the way, I could fight to my hearts content. They were fast, but I was much faster, dispatching them with little effort. When the last boar hit the ground, Charlotte emerged slowly.

“Is that all of them?” Charlotte had a sheepish look on her face.

“For now. We need to get moving, the other boars would have heard the commotion.”

Charlotte nodded her head readily as we made our way back to safety.

Back at the cave Charlotte was looking over her tattered map frowning at it as if it would magically show her the answers. A small smirk crossed my face. She must have noticed as her enquiry was now on me and not the map. Her steely look was at times intimidated; she was turning into a fine member of the Resa.

“You know something right? You seem too calm about this whole situation.”

“I have a feeling I found the right place while you were still fast asleep. But I didn’t travel beyond the cave entrance so what awaits us there, I have no clue. I’m not even sure if we are fully prepared for what’s waiting on the other side.”

Charlotte’s eyes were brighter than the night stars, she was almost jumping with excitement.

“Well, what are we waiting for! I’ve spent many years studying and researching for this moment. I can’t wait a second longer.”

This time round the cave was almost too easy to find. I almost didn’t even need the markers I had left to find the way. Charlotte was jotting things down and taking in the scenery. Stopping at every moment to examine things, I had never seen someone so excited over broken remains.

Once we reached the cave entrance, I didn’t have time to warn Charlotte of the strange effect it had. For a moment I hoped it was just a one-time thing, but once again that dizzy drunken feeling washed over both me and Charlotte. Sending us stumbling into the cave. I sat for a moment waiting for the dizzy spell to pass, Charlotte however, looked as bright and chipper as always.

“I guess you can’t handle a drink either then, someday I’ll take you out for a proper drink. But first, look at this place…” She was noting things down as if they would vanish into thin air. Her eyes grew wide when she turned around and saw the mosaic.

“Wait, that looks like a Teleporter. I wonder if it still works.” Before I could even get my bearings, she vanished before my eyes.

I sat staring at the empty space she left behind. A thought crossed my mind. I had gotten her this far; it didn’t mean I had to follow her into the unknown. I had no clue where that teleporter leaded to, or even if it were only a one-way system. But despite my better judgment, I couldn’t leave Charlotte alone. How she had lived this long was beyond me.

The Island Beast
Entry #106

“I know these blue flowers hold a special magical power here on Next Island. Wasn’t easy to find but even an old soul like yourself knows of the significance it holds. Now…”

“You are no better than those that invaded our land.” An eerie booming voice spoke out. “Those that only wish to pollute and destroy this once sacred land. I have had to sit and watch, as species that once thrived, died one by one. I watched as invaders attacked and fractured. This land was once whole, I watched as the island broke apart. Those that are the cause must pay for what they have done.” Charlotte settled herself down on one of the rocks as if it were story time.

“I know it must have been hard to watch as the world changed. But now others are here to enjoy the place you once enjoyed, be it in a different way. The burden of this land is no longer yours to bear, you must pass it to the next generation. We must lay you to rest, properly. You can join your brothers and sisters, but you must allow us the honour of ensuring this world that they create thrives. We can be your voice to ensure the safety of the world that is to be created. But you must trust us to follow out the plan for a better world here.”

The island beast fell quiet for a moment. “In honour of my ancestors I will allow you ONE chance and one chance only to prove your worth. There is a place the locals and tourists alike call Ancient Greece. There you will find a den. Bring me back a snake from the gorgon’s hair as proof of your worth. If you fail or die on your journey you are not worthy enough to ensure the safety and longevity of this paradise”

Charlotte readily agreed, not knowing the full weight of the task that had been given. The black smoke-like creature faded until only the blood red eyes of the mutant boar pierced at us. We were surrounded.

The Island Beast
Entry #105

I was back once again staring at the mutant boar, they looked partially agitated today. As if preparing for a coming storm. Charlotte almost ran into one of their horns as she gazed around in wonder. She barely even noticed when I speared it with my sword pulling her back.

“You have to remain vigilant here, this isn’t some tourist destination. These boars have no manners and wouldn’t think twice about attacking.” Charlotte gave a small nod but I knew for a fact she wasn’t really listening.

I took her to the location Jerad had mentioned, it was a small pond, of sorts, with what looked like someone had deliberately placed stones there. Charlotte’s eyes lit up.

“Fascinating, this is definitely the right place. You see those stone formations, this would have been placed to mark a location the original islanders would have thought held great magical potential. Which makes it the perfect nesting ground to bury their most valued members. The remains must be around here somewhere. Possibly even right underneath our feet.”

At Charlotte’s words a black fog began to form where we stood. It seemed to swirl and form patterns until two beady red eyes stared at us. This smoke seemed to waver; it almost looked like that of a big, gigantic bear, looming over us. The red coal-like eyes stared at us following our every moment. Charlotte seemed to take a step towards the spot I had mentioned to her. The eyes stared at her intently. Charlotte seemed to pay no attention as if it were an everyday thing.

“Ah here. You see this marking on the stones, its buried here….” A loud deafening sound pierced the air, Charlotte was indicated to cover my ears. After what seemed like a few minutes the sound died down. Charlotte faced the ‘being’ as if trying to square up to it. “Are you quite done? I know for a fact you cannot harm either one of us while we have these.” Charlotte held up a bright blue petal. It seemed to shimmer a little in the sunlight. I searched my own pockets. Charlotte had skilfully reverse pick-pocketed me, a blue petal was tucked neatly in my pocket. Charlotte indicated to place it back in my pocket.

The Island Beast
Entry #104

My head started to spin, more than what I had felt at the cave.

“So you’re telling me, what got my mentor killed was just an angry ‘being’ that wasn’t happy people had moved here?” I couldn’t quite bring myself to comprehend the idea of it being a ghost from the old world.

“In layman’s terms yes.”
Charlotte handed me what looked like a freshly written page.
“I believe we called in the ‘Island Beast’, you’ll know it by a fairy-tale that’s told to all Stel. I guess when they made the tale it was based on a form of truth. I would love to know how that story went, but maybe some other time. This entry here was dated 10 years ago, according to one of your recent scribbles. Am I really more like the Resa?”

I rolled my eyes, “no information is safe around you. I guess that proved my point. Anyways, continue.”

“Right, so the ‘beast’ or spirit could still be wandering around the desert. There is a possibility it returned to the place Jerad had found it, as a sort of tether to that location.”

“So how do you fight a spirit?” A cold shiver ran down my spine at even mentioning that word leaving my mouth. “I mean it’s not like we can call in a ghost hunter.” A small laugh escaped my lips at my own light hearted joke. Charlotte was stone faced as she said her next words.

“Do you know any?” Her steely resolve was quite terrifying and I had met the scariest and toughest of warriors.

“No, no I don’t know any ‘ghost hunters’” She sighed, staring a hole into the journal.

“Do you know where this is, the mutant boar lake?”

“Now that’s one thing I do know, however, I cannot guarantee my safety or even yours for that matter. The Stel’s like to hang around there. We need to find you some kind of disguise…”
Charlotte looked thoughtful for a moment. Her eyes gazed at the pile of clothes. Almost chuckling to herself.
“Why do you have a Loyalist armour set there? Think that would serve me much better than some flimsy disguise.”

I tried to hold back my laughter, the armour sat loosely on Charlotte, I had a feeling she would need more meat on her bones for it to fit properly. It would have to do. I had an unsettling feeling I would have to be on top form today, I didn’t know why but something in me felt like I had to protect Charlotte. Like watching a wounded animal. If she was right about this I had no clue what I could even do against such a being.

Finding Ancient Greece
Entry #103

As I approached the cave my view wavered, it was as if I had drunk too much stolen tourist whisky. I had to lay my hand on the rocks to steady myself. Just as my vision cleared another while pillar came into view. These ones were bigger, but something strange caught my attention. They were embedded into the rock formation. How long have these been here? Just as I was about to take another step, my foot stumbled over a large circular disc imbedded in the ground, sending me tumbling further into the cave. After dragging my slightly bruised body upwards I found that disc held a mosaic of what looked like an Ancient Greece figure. I had to show Charlotte this. She would know what it all meant. I had to bring her here. This could be the place she had been looking for.

I laid a few white pebbles on my way back to Orpheus’ Way so I could find the way back easier.

Golden gave out the loudest whirl click as I re-entered the cave. Charlotte was hunched over some paperwork spread out on an old travel case I had ‘found’ laying on the beach. She didn’t seem to notice me until I spoke up.

“What are you…” Charlotte gazed up.

“Oh hi, I didn’t see you there. These are fascinating. Where’d you get them? Actually, never mind, you probably stole them. This though, ‘the Stel myth’ I actually studied before I came here. It was supposed to be part of our research trip here but… That doesn’t seem to matter now.”

She grew quiet for a second. As if something still troubled her. “Oh right, I wrote down my last research notes on the Stel myth. I may have missed something, had to write it from memory an all, but you’d better read it for yourself.”

Charlotte handed me page after page. Her handwriting was almost illegible, I had no clue how anyone deciphered her notes. But sat among them was a drawing also.

“Sorry for the crude drawing. I’m not the best of artists. This however is your Stel beast, well at least how it appears to some people. Also my notes are super messing, but I’ll give you the short and sweet version. Have you heard of the ‘Original’ inhabitants of Next Island? Part of my research was to investigate the original inhabitants. Long before the first wave, this land had its own thriving intellectual species. No one can say for sure what happened to them or what they truly were but some say their ghost’s still remain on the island. Our department called them ‘The Ghost’s of Next Island’. They are said to be spirits from the old times. The Stel myth is one such spirit. Actually, from Jerad’s journal it seems to be a revengeful spirit. I believe the spirit isn’t at rest and won’t be until it ‘reclaims’ the land that it believes these ‘invaders’, the first wave, stole from it.”

Finding Ancient Greece
Entry #102

Charlotte was fast asleep, she barely even stirred as I gathered a few things. I was getting ready to leave. For a split second, I had thought about leaving her here and getting my Ark contact to pick her up and ship her back to Calypso. But instead I was about to do something far crazier than that. I was on a mission to find the place she had been looking for before getting separated from her crew. I had never stuck my neck out for someone other than myself, at least not since Jerad had been alive… And yet I found myself almost caring about the reason Charlotte was here. I had never really cared much for the tales of bloodshed and battle in Ancient Greece, the Island was harsh enough even without looking for trouble.

I left Golden to protect her while I was gone. He seems to be on edge, I could tell it would take him some time to warm up to the stranger in our cave. Before I blindly trekked off I managed to sneak out Charlotte’s tattered map with a location and a name marked down. ‘Orpheus’ Way’. It was the only lead I had to Ancient Greece.

But once I got there I had no clue what I was looking for. Or even which way to turn. But something was glistening in the morning sunlight. When I walked closer to investigate I found white pillars sticking out of the ground, similar to something Charlotte had mentioned. There was what looked like the head of a bull sticking out of the ground. The creature was like nothing I had seen on Next Island. This must be the right way.

Follow the relics.

My eyes scanned for the next relic but only a small Haruspex encampment could be seen. It was worth a try, if nothing else they may have something good I could ‘acquire’ for my collection. Nothing, from the vines and nature reclaiming the caravans it was obvious they had been empty for a long time. I had heard whispers, stories really, about the Haruspex connection to Ancient Greece. Something about that reinstalled my belief that I was on the right track. Just as I climbed the hill, another pillar came into view.

Follow the relics.

The voice in my head kept chanting like a montra. They were my only clue. I wasn’t an archaeologist like Charlotte claimed to be but I could do something as simple as that. The path seemed to twist and turn until the rushing waterfall was at my back. Behind the overgrown plants was what looked like the entrance to a natural cave. Much like the one I had been sleeping in.

The Lost Traveller
Entry #101

“Resa 101, survive above all else.” I had a feeling Charlotte would be around for a while so I took it upon myself to teach her all there was to know about being a member of the Resa. It was the same lessons I had once used to train Golden, but something in me told me that she wouldn’t be able to steal and do what was needed to be done to survive. So I was giving her the brief version.

“If you come in contact with another person, one of two things will happen. One they’ll try to kill you and take all you have or two you may get lucky and not have to fight for your life.”
“Are locals really that bad around here?”
“They are towards us Resa. Honestly, I don’t think you fully have it in you to become a full member of this little team I have here. I’ll teach you what I know but, in the morning, I’ll take you to some people you can trust that can take you back to Calypso.”
“No, I’m not leaving until I find Ancient Greece. And honestly, maybe I do need to toughen up a bit.” Her resolve was what made me want to carry on teaching her. Maybe she could be a member of my crew, if only temporarily.
“I won’t go easy on you, I need fighters. Be prepared, if at any moment things aren’t going right, I will leave you. Without hesitation. Our own survival comes above anyone else’s and I expect nothing less from you either. If things take a turn for the worse, leave me. I can fend for myself and if I can’t then it’s my downfall and no one else’s.” She seemed to go quiet for a moment.

“I understand. However, I cannot do that. You’re the first person in such a long time that I’ve met. You could have just killed me or had nothing to do with me. So if that moment ever arises. Be ready for me to fight alongside you.” I let out a small huff at her words. There was something almost noble about her words, something I wasn’t quite prepared for. I had lived my life by only looking out for myself, but here this untrained, skinny woman was telling me she’d fight alongside me till the end.

“There are a few other things you’ll need to know but the best way to learn them is to live them.”

The Lost Traveller
Entry #100

She was more like the Resa than she would ever know. Survive about all was my number one motto. I had no clue how long their map had been outdated, it had been almost a decade since the islands broke apart. Which only lead me to question how long she had been here. The island was deadly and posed threats for even the highest trained person, but for a mere archaeologist to survive that long, I had never heard of such. It was also a wonder no one had found her until now. Surely there would have been search parties for her, being that most tourist paid a lot to be here. Even the recent population rise on the island, it was a mystery none had crossed her path. A low grumble escaped from her stomach.

“Do you have any food, I’m starving. Been eating nothing but fruit and bugs for such a long time.”
My eye glanced over to my now cured shark meat.
“I think I have a bit to spare.”
The shark meat tasted better somehow that day, it was weird sharing a meal with a stranger. But somehow, I was more impressed by her will to survive over the fact that I was sitting with a complete stranger who could kill and take everything I had taken from others.
“Oh my, this is so good. Why’d you have so much shark meat? I haven’t had a shark before, I’ve tried Leviathan but it’s not as good as this is.”
“It’s not important, all you need to know is there is food here for a good while now.” My defences went up, it was still hard to trust others.
“So, how long have you been living here? It must have been lonely. For the first few months I started talking to myself to pass the time.”
“You talk too much,” my words were barely more than a hushed whisper. Only then did Golden show himself to the stranger in the cave.
“Oooh my, is that an Asclarias! I’ve seen people walking around with them but never seen one up close and personal, can I touch it?” My eyes darted to Golden, his sword was raised. A small chuckle left my lips.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.”
“Oh I’m Charlotte by the way. How rude of me to not introduce myself sooner, it sounds so unfamiliar now though.”
“Harriot.”

The Lost Traveller
Entry #099

It must have been early one morning, I had barely woken up when something caught my attention. She was sat round a pile of twigs, it was kind of amusing to watch her attempt and fail to light them with a stone she had found. I wasn’t quite fully awake, but my mischievous nature sent a fireball to ignite the twig pile. Her eyes lit up as if she had finally achieved something, till she saw I was awake. She straightened her back.

“I could have done that, you know. It was something they taught us before the tour of the Island…” She seemed to go silent for a moment. I sat up more so I could gage her expression. Something that seemed almost foreign to me after Golden’s expressionless face.
“So you’re a tourist?” Her face seemed to lighten up.
“Yes, I am… well was an archaeologist. I heard about the relics left all around Next Island and in Ancient Greece. I still find it fascinating that they could even create a time shift to Ancient Greece. Some of us however, think it’s only a ‘version’ of Ancient Greece. Have you been there? I heard there are many mythic beings I’ve only read about there. Anyway, I came over from Calypso. We… were sent to study and report back our findings. There were 3 of us in the beginning. I’m not sure how long ago it was. The first few months I used to track the lunar cycles, but they are far different to the ones on Calypso. The tour guide gave us an overview of things to expect here and places to avoid. We, however, had other ideas. We heard about… Wait I can show you.”

She pulled out an ancient looking map, it was frayed at the edges. Just by looking at the map I could already tell how outdated it was.
“This is now a river.” I pointed to a section of the land which had split over time to form separate islands.
“Yes, we figured the map was outdated by the time we had started to explore. This was, at the time, the most recent map we had. Ah here…” She pointed to a section that was close to Kamba Outpost.
“We heard there was an ancient ruin here, one not so far from the teleporter. But we never made it that far. We got separated around… Here.” She pointed to a place where the land had split. “We were naïve in thinking the land was one island. I don’t know what happened to the others. But ever since then. I’ve been wandering around the place trying to survive.”

The Lost Traveller
Entry #098

She was fast asleep on the makeshift bed I had laid out for her on the floor. It was just a few layers of cloth I had acquired over the years. Against all my better judgement, I had treated her wounds and begun building a fire. I had this handy little chip I had once seen a tourist playing with, they didn’t seem to notice when it went missing. With one quick flick of my wrist the dry logs caught fire in a roaring blaze. She seemed to stir at the loud boom the fireball made as it ignited. When her eyes met mine there was a sheer panic to them. Like a frightened animal entering the den of a predator. I didn’t blame her, if the shoe were on the other foot I would be the same.

“Who are you, where am I? Is this another one of those dreams? I haven’t seen another human for a long time.” She started jabbering away in an almost frantic manner. I had grown used to being alone, her voice seemed to echo through the cave. It sent a shudder down my spine.
“Keep your voice down, want the whole Island to hear you?” She bolted upright, wincing a little as she did.
“Wait you’re real!!! You don’t know how good it is to hear someone else’s voice, well other than my own that is.” I shot her a warning glare. She shied back for a second before drawing closer. “Are you one of those, oh what was it they called them. Haru… something.” I held my breath and shook my head. She crept closer.
“Not many know my faction, we aren’t the kind of people you want to hang around with.”
“I don’t mind, I’ve been alone for so long it’s just nice to see someone else…” Just as she said those words she drifted off to sleep.

I must have spent a week nursing her back to health, she wavered in and out of consciousness the whole time. I had no clue why I found myself helping out a complete stranger, one that seemed to talk too much and could jeopardize my safety. But there I was. In my head, I kept telling myself that once she could defend herself I would send her on her way and she would no longer be my problem.

The Lost Traveller
Entry #097

My mind was filled with so many thoughts it was hard to pin down just one. All of which felt like I had no power to do anything about. My distrust of the loyalists would never subside, even if they weren’t my enemy. I was also a known enemy of the Stel, but however, there were a few in their midst I could potentially trust that may work in my favour. My mind was racing, I felt on edge as if everything I once knew was crumbling like the old ruins. Things that I never once questioned before were now the only things I could think about. It had been a long gruelling day and despite the fact that both my body and mind were exhausted, sleep would not arrive. The thoughts continued to scream in my mind. Golden seemed to show concern even though his expression never once changed.

My thoughts seized when Golden raised his sword. Someone or something was approaching our hideout. I may have stayed in one place for far too long. It was only a matter of time for others to find this place. Though the thing that stumbled into the cave looked in no shape to fight. It was definitely a human. She tumbled to the ground, as what seemed like a hoard of Portal Guardians followed her through the entrance of the cave. Golden was right, it was time to fight.

It had been awhile since I had fun slashing these robotic beings. They usually left me alone these days after I had killed so many of them. But this new woman looked inexperienced. It was a wonder she even made it as far as she got. Her clothes were tattered and worn. She looked thin as if the lightest of breeze could knock her over.

I was in two minds about it, for the most part my instincts were telling me to kick out this invader or even worse kill them. But she looked too frail and weak to pose a threat to me or my way of life. There was also something about the way she had arrived here, something about it reminded me of the day I had fled the Stel who had wanted to kill me alongside Jerad.

The Land We Call Home
Entry #096

That file sat on the floor staring at me, I was too nervous about what I’d find in it. Golden seemed to sense my unease and, as if understanding my resolve, flicked the file open with his sword. One way or another I needed to find out what happened.

-The Case File-

August 16: We are still unclear why ‘Subject A’ experienced psychosis and episodes of manic behaviour unlike the subjects past behavioural pattern. I have looked into Jer–‘Subject A’s’ medical records and have no reason to believe this is a connection to any family or existing medical illnesses. We have told the Stel to keep a close eye on his… ‘Subject A’s’ behaviour and to report back any findings. We took a sample of the lake based on the pages we found of ‘Subject A’s’ research. The water has concluded to contain a substance unlike any we have seen before. However, it does not explain the mutations seen in Jera- ‘Subject A’.

August 17: Today I spoke with ‘Subject A’, he came looking for me as I thought he would. I didn’t see anything of the man I… of the person he had once been. ‘Subject A’ spoke of treason, to which I fear he will follow through with. If ‘Subject A’ continues on the path he spoke of today I will have not control over what happens. The Stel do things differently than the Loyalists and I fear it will not end well.

August 25: The worst has happened. I write this with a saddened heart, the only man I have ever loved will be killed upon the Stel’s ruling. But as a scientist this is seen as great news, once ‘Subject A’s’ body has been released to the Loyalists we will be able to further investigate and find out why or how to stop this from happening again.

September 20: I have lost all hope in finding out why this has happened. The world that once made sense is slowly crumbling before me. From today onwards I will be transferred to the Mutant Boar Department. Subje– Jerad’s study led us to a dead end. Not only did we lose the chance of understanding this phenomenon and the chance to save a great man from death, I feel my personal loss is far greater. Nothing it the same anymore. My heart feels like its been ripped out dragged through the fiery coals and placed back in the wrong place. I fear I will lose my own sanity, but if in doing so, it saves others from feeling this pain then so be it. I will sacrifices my sanity to stop anyone else feeling the misery I feel right now…

My hand clenched the pages, things that once didn’t add up were starting to click in my mind. I knew Jerad had a secret lover, but never, in the whole of Next Island, had I thought she was a Loyalist and still yet that the person I met could have been the one he spoke of. But one thing was clear, even the Loyalists had no clue why it happened. My back slumped against the wall I was no closer to finding the truth.

The Land We Call Home
Entry #095

“I told the commander to explain, I will have to have words with him about that later. Well, the basic need to know is, we are the research department of the Loyalists. Seems we do all the work and they take all the credit. You’ll be helping out with something that’s been stumping our department for a long time…”
The smell coming from the room was pungent, old rotten meat mixed with a strong chemical bleach-like smell. There on the table laid a Mutant Boar, it was dead and partly dissected.
“I’ll let the other researchers fill you in with the details.” The Loyalist guard that brought me here seemed as if he couldn’t leave the room quick enough.

At the table stood a Loyalist woman in a lab coat covered in who knew what, she was holding a scalpel in one hand and relaying information to a sheepish looking man slumped over a desk. He was scribbling on a piece of paper like a mad-man. The woman only noticed me as the armour made a distinct click as I shifted my weight.
“Oh, Henry, they sent us a new recruit.” Henry gave a defeated nod from his chair. “I would say you don’t need that armour on in here, but probably best to keep it on, this will be messy work. I assume you know what we are doing?” I shook my head, so far no one had told me what was happening here I had just been shuffled along.
“I guess they don’t tell new recruits, so as to not scare them away. We have been sent here to find the genetic sequence of the Mutant Boars to see if we can isolate the mutation and possibly reverse it. Just in case.. that happens again…” She went deep in thought, as if lost in her own self-doubt. Her face seemed solemn for a moment before returning back to the far too peppy attitude she had before.
“I mean these are perfectly safe, at least I believe so. No one’s gotten a third arm or sick from one of these. At least no one has reported such. Though that would be an interesting development. Now, hand me that saw.”

I spent more time than I had dared to think in that room. In some respects, I was glad I kept that Seeker armour on but I was not looking forward to removing the grime and muck off of it. I never in my life wanted to go back there. But just as the Loyalist scientists took off for their lunch break, how they could eat after what just happened was beyond me, something caught my eye.
‘The Case Study of Jerad the Stel Commander.’ Was scrawled across a file that sat under years of scattered papers. Without having to take a second thought about it, I stuffed it into the armour suit and ran.

The Land We Call Home
Entry #094

Every Loyalist buildings had the same design. What Looked like an ecosystem and greenhouse sat on top of a stark white building. It was always easy to spot their buildings. A few Loyalists, in their standard issued armour, hung around outside the front of the building. I had no clue how I was going to get in, get information and get out again in one piece. My only thought was if I could disuse myself once again it would make things a lot easier. Somehow, there must be a way to get my hands on an armour similar to the one they wore.

I had heard rumours of a lesser version of their ‘Atlas Armour’, something known as Seeker. It may serve my purpose greatly, if only for a disuse and not to be used in battle. From my interactions with the bear-man I had gathered just enough currency to acquire it from the trade terminal. It felt odd buying something with money I had earned, most of what I owned I had stolen or traded for. A smile crossed my lips, are the Loyalists that trusting that they made it super easy to access their innerworkings? I didn’t know for sure if this crazy plan would work but it was worth a shot.

No one blinked or asked questions as I brazenly walked into the building with a full set of seeker armour. Though, with only a handful of tourists, I wasn’t all too surprised. When inside the building I found their logo hologram projected in the middle of the room. It was clear to see that they were proud of their faction. The room held what looked like two small nature reserves along with a massive L.A.R.A. bot. At first I froze thinking the Loyalists had set up a guard robot to stop unwanted visitors, but that wasn’t the case at all.

In the corner of the room there was a small televator. There were floors above the one I was standing in. But, something odd seemed to happen while observing it. There appeared to be also 1 floor below. One that seemed to flicker every other second it seemed, as if it wasn’t supposed to be there. When it flickered on, I quickly teleported down to the dark unknown depths below.

The room I appeared in was a much smaller space than the one above, doors with keycodes lined the corridor in a long row. A Loyalist with a high-tech tablet spotted me, I tensed up gauging whether to fight or trying to figure out an excuse as to why I was there.

“You must be one of the new recruits, it seems they’ve been sending me a lot of rookies these days.” Under his breath he muttered the words “guess they don’t have the stomach for this kind of work”
He seemed to stare at my armour for a moment.
“Are they really only issuing rookies with Seeker? Doesn’t matter really, you won’t need to use it. Follow me, I assume you know what we do here?” I shook my head; it was the reason I was here. To find the truth…

The Land We Call Home
Entry #093

I had no clue what was happening with the Loyalist scanner, the only thought running through my head was a natural instinct not to trust anything made by them. The way the numbers on the scanner had changed didn’t sit right with me. It was as if someone didn’t want me to find out the truth.
The only way to know for sure was to use a scanner I knew had no connections whatsoever to the Loyalists. I had a feeling there was one among my acquired junk items.

It was large and bulkier in comparison to the sleek thin Loyalist scanner. It almost looked like a crude version of a scanner I had seen before. And sure enough ‘LifeScanner’ was etched crudely onto its side as if scratched in with a knife. Despite its rustic ‘charm’ it seemed in full working order.

-Continued Study-

Upon my second study I found the values to be far closer to the first set of numbers, not the second Loyalist scanner overwritten numbers. This time the numbers stayed steady with no interference. Which only made me question it more. I couldn’t trust either scanner on base value but something was different between the LifeScanner and the Loyalists one. The LifeScanner never once had static or any form of interference. Which led me to believe that the Loyalists were hiding something.

-End of Study-

We had been told as a Stel fledgling to try, where possible, to work with the Loyalists. But stepping away from the Stel had really opened my eyes to everything I had once come to believe. I needed to get to the bottom of this data corruption. Which meant walking into the ‘lions den’ the heart of the Loyalists main operation. Though, it was very unlikely that they would willingly share their data with a lowly Resa like me.

I knew of a few Loyalist buildings in the area, their main one sat at a place people had come to know as Paradise Landing due to its beautiful beach view and landing point for visitors and travellers from near and far. It was the first place people came to when traveling to Next Island and as such I expected it to be overpopulated and noisy.

My suspicions were unfounded. Upon my arrival at Paradise Landing I found only a handful of tourists leaning over the railing taking pictures of the sea view, they were so captivated by the scenery that they appeared unaware of the people around them, perfect pickpocket targets. I had to focus, it had been many years since my last visit to Paradise Landing. In that time, they had built a large statue to welcome visitors. The inscription seemed to be an homage to the leader of the first colony, Vice Admiral Post. I found myself hiding in the shadow of the statue.

The Land We Call Home
Entry #092

I knew two things for certain: The man called Perseus, the one I had met in the Stel building, once stood up for me in an effort to spare my life. Something I could use to my advantage if the time ever came for it. But, at the same time he let Jerad, my mentor, die in an almost cowardly moment. The second thing I knew for certain reaffirmed that I had been branded as a traitor of the Stel. A shoot-on-sight, no questions needed kind of deal. Which only strengthened my resolve to stay in the shadows and fight for my own right to survive. But recently I’ve become far too careless. It was only by pure luck alone that no one had recognised me. I would be dead if they had.

However, there was something that kept niggling at the back of my brain. There was still so much I didn’t know about the place I called home. I still had no further idea what happened to Jerad. From every account of that night led me to believe it was a mutation, as if he were no longer human. But could it have been something more. Was it really the Stel myth, the thing told to Stel children as a spooky ghost story? But the fact I knew for sure was it all started at Morion Outpost.

Before my long journey to the Outpost there was something I needed. My pile of ‘Lost and Found’ things had grown since the last time I had searched through it. I was looking for a small device I had seen a Loyalist scientist use before in their studies. It looked small and as if it didn’t hold as much information as it did. Loyalist wizardry at its finest. The thought floated through my head. It was time to study the mutant beasts.

-Study of the Mutant Boars-

During my study of the Mutant Boars my scanner went haywire. It was as if some kind of background noise had been interfering with the scanner. Of those I did manage to scan, their traits seemed far different that I had really dared to think. They possessed no, or more like, little intelligence as if they possessed no rational thought process. I dare say it’s similar to how people described Jerad. But as soon as the data flashed on my screen the numbers began to change and get overwritten.

Entry #091

Upon reading his words it was beginning to change everything I thought I once knew as fact. The man that once convinced me the Stel and Loyalists were not to be trusted had stated in his own hand that maybe it was not his own will that had done so. My mind kept racing. So many unwanted thoughts began to flood my mind. Had I been wrong this whole time about the Stel? Or was my judgement on them completely just.

That night another nightmare entered my dreams. One I wished to never relive.

-Lost Entry-

I heard the Stel talking that day about what to do with Jerad. Some were saying to exile him, to disown him. But after it came to light about what had truly happened with the Stel building fire their tone had changed. I had always been nosy, so listening in on conversations was second nature to me.

“We must take action, an eye for an eye and all that. Both him and his apprentice should be killed for their crimes against the Stel and the alliance.” A Stel Officer spoke up, he seemed to be leading the group discussion.
“Surely you don’t need to punish the girl as well, she was only following orders.” Perseus, the only man who spoke up for me, despite his own bias opinion on his brother.
“The wrong orders, but nonetheless, she stood by and let it happen without remorse. So, its settled, they both must pay for their crimes with the highest of punishment.”

I hide that night in the forest, thinking only of myself and saving my own life. Jerad however, wasn’t so lucky. I watched from the shadows as they dragged him off into the desert near Shatterrock.

“Did you make sure to switch the revives off? I want this done properly without a hint of error.” I saw Perseus give a sadden nod as he watched them tie up his brother. His hands shook as he stared. His voice was shaky when he spoke up.
“I can’t watch, I’m sorry. I hope one day I can be forgiven for this.” Perseus fled the area, just as the gunshot rang through the air.

-Lost Entry-

Entry #090

His brothers words offered me a starting point to my investigation. Kyanite Lookout was a hard place to reach, made much easier by my ‘acquired’ Skyripper. On top of the cliff sat a small Stel building. It looked as though it were clinging on to the edge of the world. Inside there was a storage room. But, however, it was empty. My heart began to sink. Just as I began to make my way out, I found a loose tile in the building. It was heavy to lift but worth the work. Underneath it was a bunch of paper work. Entries I had never seen, all signed by Jerad. I grabbed as many as I could carry and made my way swiftly out of there. Back in the cave I began to read through the pages I had found

-Jerad’s Journal-

Entry 10

I was making my way over to the mutant boars when something caught my eye. It was something as if it were lingering in the corner of my eye. I had been sent here to investigate the boars and anything of interest. This could be the source of the mutation, I must follow this lead where ever it takes me. I have instructed my brother, Perseus, to stay behind and watch the campsite. He appeared nervous but didn’t disobey my orders. It’s kind of funny how our parents named him after a Greek Warrior and yet I’m the brave one. I should probably deduct this part when I hand this entry over.”

Entry 11

After what felt like a day of searching, I found the source. There was what felt like an energy seeping through the ground. Unlike anything I had ever felt before. There was what looked like a man-made stone formation next to a pond of sorts. I had a feeling this water was how it spread to the other boars. I have taken samples to be analysed back at base camp. This eerie feeling in the air is like a cold chill in a hot desert, I must return to Perseus as quickly as possible.

Entry 12

I never saw it coming, it was as if it were calling my name. I’m not sure how long I have left in this world, so in case I fail to make it back I wish to warn anyone who finds this information to stay away from here, run as fast as you can. Whatever just entered my body is now changing my mind, I’m not sure how sane I can remain.

-Jerad’s Journal-

Entry #089

They were talking about a Stel myth. Some say it was just a shadow, others say it was more like a mutant beast. But all Stel had heard tales about it. No one really believed it existed as no one had ever seen it. Nor did they know what it was or what it could do. But ever since that day Jerad was different. Even in my own head I had convinced myself it didn’t exist. I had to solve this mystery, one way or another. I had a feeling it would bother me until I knew the truth. I figured those in that Stel building would know what truly happened that day. Maybe I could get some straight answers.

The building was silent when I walked in, almost void of people. There was a Stel Guard scouting out of the window. He seemed on edge as if something was about to go down. When he noticed me, he pulled my arm down making sure I was out of sight of the window.

“Didn’t you hear the command? We are on high alert today.” He had a worried look on his face, under his breath he whispered something like ‘I hope its not like last time’. There was something familiar about he’s features as if I had seen him before. He slumped his back against the wall.
“Do you perhaps know Jerad?” My words were abrupt but by the shocked look on his face I could tell I had struck a nerve.
“That’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time. I thought he was long since forgotten about.” He opened a pack of cigarettes, holding one out as an offering to me. I shook my head; he shrugged and began lighting it.
“Jerad is, I mean was, my brother.” His eyes turned cold as he blankly stared at the wall.
“Do you know what happened to him? I mean I heard stories but you know how it is…” He gave a soft huff at my words.
“Yeah, I understand, truth is even I don’t know what happened. I think the old records of that night are stored at Kyanite Lookout. But not sure how much information you’ll find. Why are you so curious about my brother?” I had to swallow down my nerves and shrunk away, I had been careless. One false move and it’d be over.
“Just curious.” He scoffed as he turned away.
“There’s and old earth saying ‘curiosity killed the cat.’”

Entry #088

‘Day 26, Comm–der Jerad still shows early signs of mad—s.’ The words were hard to make out, some letters were missing to which I began filling in the blanks as best I could.
‘Jerad’s Mutant boar expedition— he came back a changed man after investigating the mutation. I continue to observe his behaviour to report back to —–’ the name written was hard to read, it was burnt, covered in soot and also written poorly. From the only letters I could make out were B–k-t. I continued to read. ‘Jared shows signs of rage and hatred. He has talked many a time about storming the Loyalists and take back what is ‘ours’ of which I cannot understand…’

The page had no more after that point as if the writer had stopped writing. I had a feeling that was the moment the fire broke out. What did the mutant boars and Jerad have to do with anything? I could vaguely remember when he volunteered to take samples from the mutant boars. The more I thought back on that day the more the image became clear.

-Lost Entry-

“We told the loyalists we would work with them to install peace amongst our people. I, for one, don’t want to be at constant war with both the Resa and the Loyalists.” I couldn’t remember who spoke those words but they were as clear as a bell.
“I’ll go take samples; I mean its just a few boars, right?” Jerad was always the first to volunteer.
“Fine, but take someone with you.”

My memory was foggy from that moment until a clear image stuck in my head.

“He’s wounded.” The other volunteer came bursting in, he was holding Jerad. Jerad was waving him away saying he was fine.
“What happened?”
The volunteer seemed to stumble over his words.
“I don’t know, but it was huge, bigger than anything I’d ever seen. We didn’t stand a chance…”

-Lost Entry-

Entry #087

That nightmare from my past had begun to haunt my dreams once again. As if I were reliving the entire thing over again. I could still hear their screams rushing through my mind. Everything felt too real. Was it happening again?

-Lost Entry-

The smell of burning timbers and a smell I couldn’t quite place lingered in the air. However, it was not the reason why I woke up, I woke up to the screams of the settlement next to me. Before I knew what was happening, I was on my feet watching as the marque and all that slept within it burn to the ground. I rushed forward, ready to jump in the flames to save them. A strong arm wrapped around my waist.
“They had it coming. They were working as spies for the loyalists.” His words resonated in the air as their screams slowly died down and stopped. “If anyone asked this was but a mere accident.”
“They’ll revive though, right?” I got no answer, little did I know that at the time he had switched the revive terminals off in the area. They weren’t coming back.

-Lost Entry-

That memory burned into my brain as I woke up. We had been camped just north of Forsaken Outpost to study the boar migration pattern in the area. It was a simple scouting mission to find new locations to settle down in. At the time I didn’t think twice why Jared had wanted to lead the team or why he chose me, a child at the time, as he’s second in command. Some spark of curiosity sat deep in my core. I had to see it once again.

With the Skyripper refuelled and the location set on my compass (Longitude: 131909, Latitude: 89300, above ground at: 203). I flew over to the spot in my memory. There it sat like the day I had first been here, not much was left and the boars had overtaken the land again. I didn’t know what I expected, closer? Maybe. Amongst the rubble laid a burnt tattered page. Some of which was still legible. I found myself taking the page with me to read later.

Stealing from the Stel
Entry #086

Gert had handed me a list, three tasks to prove your worth. There was another old earth say that came to my mind ‘this will be a piece of cake’. I had no clue to what it referred to, only that it meant the tasks would be easy. At least that’s what I thought.

There were three main tasks to complete, crafting, mining and hunting.
I spent what must have been close to a week sewing island shirts for the crafting portion. Why the Stel needed so many I had no clue. Maybe they wished to hand them out as parting gifts for those that didn’t make it to ‘V.I.P status.’ Mining was a little trickier, but I knew a guy who could forge mining papers, for the right price that was. As for hunting, I was going to have some fun.

It was time to take my newly crafted blade out for a spin. The sharks were located to the far west of the island and took a while to travel to. But once there I spent what felt like months doing nothing but hunting. It was a cycle of slicing sharks, coming up to cook the shark meat and going back to killing again. With the amount of sharks I had killed, I had a feeling I could stockpile for months maybe even close to a year.
When the last shark floated to the surface, I stared at the empty sea. Was that really all of them? My arm began to ache as I dragged the last shark ashore. Goldens ‘whirl click’ felt like a form of praise and was the only thing I needed.

When I made my way back to Gert, his smug smile had gone.
“I can’t believe a runt like you completed all the tasks.” Gert clenched his fists. “Fine, I guess you have earned your place. This key will grant you access to the building over there. Guard it wisely as any known rebel will fight to the death to get it.”

Finally, after what felt like months of work, I had gained access to their inner society. The room itself was nothing special, a few top end Stel stood about talking. Their words died down almost to a halt when I entered. They gave me a piecing glare before continuing. I had made it! But it wasn’t at all what I had expected it to be.

Stealing from the Stel
Entry #085

“I bet Gert said you’re not ready yet, I mean look at the size of you.” The Stel warrior was right, compared to him he was much taller and possible not much older than myself. My eye fell back down upon the new contraption laying on the floor. “It’s called a Skyripper, we salvaged some parts from the crashed Loyalists Skyrippers. But between you and me, I think our model is much better.” He gave my shoulder a nudge that almost rendered me off balance. “What you standing on ceremony for? Take it for a test spin.” Surely this was too easy. Had he really let his guard down because of my size or the fact that I looked like a Stel.

I didn’t need to be asked twice, before he could even stop me, I was flying swiftly towards where Golden had been hiding. Golden clasped his hand around one of the struts and I manoeuvred the Skyripper high in the air. Only the angry hushed whispers of the Stel guard could be heard from the ground. Had I really gotten away with it? The vehicle began to clunk to a halt. I had a feeling it had run out of gas. Luckily, I wasn’t too far from the cave, I hadn’t realised how fast the little vehicle could move. I found myself more than ever wanting access to the schematics. These would come in handing to go unnoticed from the air.

When I returned back to the Stel building Gert was looking stressed. I could hear him mumbling under his breath about how many had asked him for access to the building. Now may not have been the best time to ask for another chance. But I might not have another opportunity later. I tried to make myself look as intimidating as possible, even walked on tiptoes to make myself look taller. Gert’s face turned back to a stone wall when he saw me.
“I thought I told you, you’re not ready for this mission.” A lump formed in my throat. Was I really about to speak for the first time in what had seemed like a never-ending silence?
“Try me.” The words seemed course as if sand grated the inside of my throat. Gert rolled his eyes.
“Fine I’m too tired to deal with this lot. Knock yourself out.”

Stealing from the Stel
Entry #084

I spent the day contemplating how I would get Gert to change his mind and give me a second chance to prove myself. But no matter how hard I thought about it, a plan wouldn’t formulate. I needed to clear the air in the only way I knew possible, it was time for another raid. Golden’s eyes seem to light up as if understanding my goal. I knew the perfect place to start, it was a long trek but would be worth the wait. I would take this chance to even the score a little.

Morion Outpost had been overrun with Mutant boars for as long as I had been alive. I had heard rumours that whatever corrupted Jared had also corrupted the boars in the area. So, it was the perfect place for my misplaced memory. Stel warriors would come here from time to time to let off steam, or for game hunting. I was in luck today. A pack a fresh cut Stel men were sat around a fire laughing to themselves. A few had brought along a strangle looking vehicle I had never seen before. It had the engineered look of the Loyalists and the rustic style of the Stel. To my shock, it could fly! I had never seen such a small amount of metal be able to lift a well-built Stel man ever.

I watch in fascination as this strange contraption flew up into the clouds and back down again. It was far different than the Kraka they had made previously, and something in me wanted it. I waited until almost the last second to swoop in, but my timing was off. I had come face to face with the burly man that had just been flying around on this new form of transport. I stopped dead on the spot, he seemed to smile at me. It was an odd unsure smile.
“Want to have a go on it? I bet a young Stel like yourself has never seen one of these.” Stel? Was I mistaken? It was only then that I realised I was still wearing their standard issue clothing. I straighten up as if to make my self look more intimidating. Readying myself to fight if I had to.

Stealing from the Stel
Entry #083

I couldn’t sleep that night, I kept tossing and turning, those words burnt into my brain. ‘Not ready’. Not ready for what? An old memory taunted on the edge of my mind.

-Lost Entry-

“Come on kid, you can’t be lazing about all day. We have work to do.” Commander Jerad. He was a high-ranking member of the Stel and, due to his high status, many admired him. There wasn’t a Stel rookie or local that hadn’t heard of his trails and triumphs on the battle field.

In the beginning, he became a good mentor to me. He taught me everything about the world I was brought up in. Without his teachings on how to hunt and handle myself on the battle field I would have been dead long ago. He taught me the ways of crafting and spoke of what the future of this island could hold for us. Everyone knew of his plans to build a new future for all, and those that knew him often commented that he was only a dreamer. That was until that one night everything changed. He changed; it was as if I couldn’t recognise the old spark in him. No one knew for sure why or what had happened but he grew cruel and bitter. He commanded armies to loot villages and cause nothing but harm. At the time they followed his every word without hesitation. But even though he was not the man I had grown to see as a mentor, I still looked up to him like the father figure I had grown to rely on. I followed him down this new path, thinking nothing more of it.

-Lost Entry-

My heart began to pound faster than I could have ever imagined. A cold sweat began to drip down my brow.

I had thought that memory was long gone and buried like my connection with the Stel, but there it remained. Burnt into me like a hot iron. It was only a snippet of what I had gone through but the way that Stel guard Gert had snorted at me, reminded me of the way Jared would look down on my actions. Something in that sparked my resolve. I would prove not only Gert but also Jerad and any Stel that had looked down on me wrong. If not for them but for myself.

Stealing from the Stel
Entry #082

For the past few weeks, a rumour had been buzzing around the island. One that had even reached my small isolated cave. From the snippet I got here and there, it sounded like the Stel were opening up a new challenge. One that was said to test the worthiness of its latest recruits and, of course, the new visitors who thought they stood a chance in completing the task. Whispers on the wind spread rumours of the difficult tasks they set for their ‘V.I.P status’. The Stel are usually very private and picky about those they let walk among them, so this news was huge, which meant everyone, from all walks of life had come to the island.

I shared a bad history with the Stel, one wound I was not ready to reopen. But the lure of gaining access to their top-ranking headquarters was just enough to catch my attention. If I could gain access then I could plan my raids more accordingly. I would have to be smart about it though, if they suspected a mole within their presence the whole building may go back into lockdown.

This may be my only chance to gain access to their exclusive building and be a part of their ‘inner circle.’ I had already tested out the outfit Golden had precured for me a few days before. Though, I had only managed to fool one man-bear-person, whatever he was. But this would be a much larger crowd with sharper, keener eyes. One mistake could be my downfall.

A crowd had started to form around Gert, he appeared to be the man in charge. My hand clenched into fists; I had sworn to myself to never again associate myself with the Stel. I caught a few glances from passing visitors. Some Stel guards stood brushing their tattered clothes as if to smarten up. They seemed to glare at me for a moment before turning and continuing towards the building. I held my breath. One false move and the pack of Stel guards could jump me in a heartbeat. The crowd seemed to shuffle along with no really order in place. I stumbled just as I reached Gert. He took one look at me, turned his nose up and snorted.
“Not ready. Next!”

Shiny Companion
Entry #081

The bear-man spoke up. I held my breath readying myself for a battle.

“Do have any crystals, I need a few to finish this craft. I’ll pay you for them.” My palms started to sweat, the only response I could muster was a quick nod of my head. He quickly rattled off a list of crystals he needed and gave what I could only assume was a fair price for them. Even though it was stolen goods I had never thought to sell them to others. He seemed satisfied as he continued to craft. I was still on high alert; at any moment I could be thrown into a battle. Just as that thought entered my head, the machine let out a small notification. New blueprint discovered.

My new blueprint appeared to be some form of sword; melee weapons suited me best. I let out a small sigh of relief. I didn’t have time to take note of what the blueprint entailed. I shoved it quickly in my bag, I had to leave here quickly before the bear asked again for more crystals.

Upon my arrive at the cave I walked in on Golden skewering an intruding robot. Golden was learning fast how to survive within this harsh world. I didn’t have to worry so much if I left him alone again for another outing. Golden’s eyes seemed to widen as I laid out my newly found blueprint. The spec’s of the blueprint looked simple enough to follow. I already had crystals from my months of stockpiling. All that was left to do was craft my new weapon. I spent many nights slaving over the blueprint, crafting and double checking everything was where it was supposed to be. But in true ‘Resa fashion’ I found a way to incorporate the metallic scraps I had gathered over many battles with the robotic beings. With their metal added to the blade it become not only sturdy but lightweight as well. Fit for a thousand battles, now, all I needed was a worthy quest to test my newly formed blade.

Shiny Companion
Entry #080

The Stel clothes fit like a glove, but somehow it felt wrong wearing the clothes of the Stel faction. A faction I wanted nothing more to do with. But today I was on a mission. I had to accept my own failure in my attempts to find a new weapon. It was time to venture out and search for new blueprints. Something I could only do with the help of a crafting terminal.

I didn’t know which Loyalist scientist had come up with this machine but it worked. It had this strange capability to analyse things faster and comprehend new exciting idea in what seemed like the blink of the eye. I had been stuck in my own head for far too long. I needed a new take on my weapon-less problem. Golden gave me a longing look as if wanting me to take him with me. I had to command him to stay and guard the base. With this new look no one would dare recognise me as a member of the Resa. With my mind made up and materials packed in my makeshift bag I set out to find an unused terminal.

I knew of a quiet spot that not many, even the visitors to the planet, knew about. But just as I crawled up to the terminal, I found what I could only describe as the body of a man with the head of a bear. Maybe he was one of those mythical creatures everyone had heard stories about, from the place know to locals and travellers alike as Ancient Greece. He wore a strange piece of thin twine that left little to the imagination. His head turned slowly, as he gazed at my tattered bag.

“Don’t mind me, I’m going to be here for a while.”

I found an empty terminal; he didn’t seem bothered by my presence at all. I began my long arduous studying in attempts to find a new blueprint worth to serve as my weapon. After what seems like an hour in silence, the bear turned his head again. I froze on the spot, had he realised I was not a true member of the Stel?

Shiny Companion
Entry #079

To be a member of the Resa, the code was simple. Survival, by any means necessary! I knew for a fact that Golden could fight. I had named him Golden after his golden swirly light. All that was left to do was teach it to loot, a skill I had overheard he processed. Why the Loyalist and Haruspex had added it to their programming was beyond me, why would they need to use a robot to loot for them? In any case, it would serve me well.

I started small, showing Golden the ropes. I brought him along to a few outings and along my scavenging route. There was something comforting having Golden watch my back as I went through my daily routine. We came across a Stel settlement. They seemed to be on a shift change, the camp was almost void of Stel Guards. Golden stared at me for a moment. Without warning he moved towards the camp. My heart sank, maybe he was going back to his original owner? The Stel Guards seemed to nod in acknowledgement at him as if accepting him as one of their own. My eyes widen in fascination of their interactions, even more so as they didn’t suspect a thing as he stole some of the clothes laying on the ground. After all our expeditions, Golden had gained a skill which allowed him to run away faster without anyone suspecting a thing. For the first time in a what seemed like a century a smile spread across my face. Golden was going to make a fine member of the Resa.

Once back at the cave, I examined Goldens first loot. It was a full set of Stel clothing. Their clothing fascinated me, it was much more revealing than my own and looked as if it were also part armour. I had a feeling these would come in handy at some point even if it were only a disguise to walk unnoticed among the Stel. I patted Golden’s head as if he were a dog.
“Good job.”

Shiny Companion
Entry #078

The Asclarias had been on high alert ever since it had fallen from the bag. Whichever Loyalist or Haruspex that had owned it before had trained it well. I could only stare in marvel of its shiny sword and shield it held proudly. I had to win its trust, even it if killed me. I had no doubt that without its trust I would be on the other end of its sword. But, no matter what I did, the bot wouldn’t respond to my commands. It was just sitting and repeat its ‘whirl click’ as if waiting for its original owner. In that moment my stomach let out a loud grumble. The Asclarias stared at me as if it shared the same thought. Even if it wasn’t hungry, I certainly always was, it was worth a try. I hadn’t fully thought it through, I usually had just enough to feed myself let alone another being relying on me. I had never, in my life, had to worry about other living thing and now I had invited this shiny being into my inner circle. I figured it would probably take me all day to gather enough food to feed both of us. I knew of a few good spots to find wild growing fruit, so there was no need for me to steal such from others.

I had just gotten back from harvesting trip. My movements slowed at the entrance of the cave, sat starting at my new shiny companion was a Chimera, its tail whipped about in the air furiously as it readied to attack. My foot crunched under a stone as I shifted slightly. Instantly the Chimera turned its steely glare on me. I tried to indicate to the Asclarias to leave but it stayed firm glaring at me. Everything seemed to happen in the beat of a heart. The Chimera pounced and yet its attack never reached me, the comforting ‘whirl click’ sounded from the Asclarias as blood dripped from its sword. It had just saved my life.

The Chimera would service as a good food stock for a while. I crafted all the fruit I gathered into Nutrio bars, they looked really unappealing but the Asclarias seemed even more excited than before. As it ate a golden light shone around it, something so beautiful I could have never imagined such and for a brief moment I believed it was nothing but a mirage. I had gained its trust. Now was the time to train it as the newest member of the Resa.

Shiny Companion
Entry #077

I had no concept of how much time had passed since I had taken up residence in the cave. At night a cold chilly wind would whip through the cave, I had little protection from the elements. After what felt like months of studying, I found my metallic robot companions offered no solution to my weapon-less problem, yes, their metal was as strong as I hoped but without a blueprint or a vision on my new weapon that was as far as I got.

I needed a new plan, one that fell upon me through the galling hush of a summer storm. I heard what sounded like a metallic whirling coming from the entrance of the cave. In the midst of the mid-summer storm shone the shiniest creature I had ever seen. It was smaller than the robotic beings I had acquainted myself with. The robot itself looked as though it was a Loyalist’s creation, as if only built to serve their purpose. But there was something different about this one, its shield and sword looked battle ready. If only it would serve as my protector and bodyguard. The Loyalist controlling the creature seemed to mumble its name. ‘Asclarias’.

I spent my time, skulking around to catch a whisper of that name once again. Travellers from near and far also came in search of this pet they called the Asclarias, so it wasn’t hard to find information. It seemed like there was a sort of ‘right-of-passage’ you had to undertake before acquiring a chance to tame. But being who I was, such things didn’t concern me. All I needed was a trader willing to trade stolen goods for an acquired Asclarias. There was an old earth saying, ‘birds of a feather flock together’ I guess it described my trade connections perfectly. Over the years I had made many connections with traders that asked no questions. One of such was a smuggler from Arkadia. He would trade anything and everything for the right price. But he wasn’t a man to cross either. I sent word, and the next day he was on the beaches of Shoreline Flats. It had become a regular smuggling route for the Resa. I tossed him my goods from what I had acquired over my little ‘scavenger’ trips, in return he threw over the tattered burlap sack he had been carrying. With a warning.

-Be careful with that one, not sure how well it’ll react to a stranger.

The bag was far heavier than I had first come to believe. Getting it back to my cave took much longer than I had first anticipated. Every so often a ‘whirl click’ sounded from the bag. Once back I had to fight my way through the makeshift guards at the entrance of the cave, it took time clearing them from inside the cave as well. Before I had time to think the bag had tipped over on its side. A golden ray of light glistened through the cave. It stood there glaring at me as if battle ready. But my only thought was ‘I need to investigate the ability of this tiny shiny bot’.

Harriot the Survivor
Entry #076

I have spent many years taking what doesn’t belong to me, to the point where I know no different. Survival is key, the only thing worth living for in a harsh environment that provides nothing for me. I hear their hushed whispers on the wind. Who am I to say they are wrong about us? Resa, a name only known to a few. We are the lone wolves of this island, roaming the world with no real place to call home.

While I was out on my daily scavenging route though oasis outlook, I came across an enormous cave. It was guarded heavily by robotic beings. They look as if the gods themselves had bundled scrap metal to build them, oddly beautiful. They used sharp talon-like hands to attack. Such a weapon as that would keep anyone away from me. A plan formulated in my head, “if only I could use their metal for my own use”. Their metal looked old but sturdy. In my previous encounters with those that call themselves “scientist”, they themselves had formulated a weapon. Even after all their talks of peace they had invented such weapons to defend themselves. And so, shall I. The cave offered me the best advantage point to go unnoticed by those around me, allowing enough time to build my supplies between raids. And with its own deadly bodyguards standing at the ready.

I will study these strange creatures and find a way to utilise their sharp talons and oddly sturdy metal to benefit my own survival. Though I fear their metal alone won’t be enough, so I must make plans to scavenge the rest, even if it means invading my own kind. But maybe, in time, I could find a way to defend myself and live to survive another day…

Back to Top