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[indent]When Kymir left Alphos those few nights ago she never expected to step foot in the city above the clouds.

It was hard to believe that Exusia’s Queen hadn’t placed this quest years ago. Her majesty wanted to know the history of the cataclysm before now, surely. So what was it that kept her from asking for help until now? Somehow this must mean that the Queen’s own citizens could not fulfill her wishes, or perhaps they were too frightened to step food in these lands ever again. Kymir believed in the latter, but she had it in her heart to give the Exusian’s the benefit of the doubt. Surely some of them were confident to roam the lands in the name of the Queen. Either way, Kymir wasn’t surprised that her [i]majesty[/i] would leave it to the scavengers of Deadwood to make the journey for her.

Still, Kymir was filled with a fresh feeling of excitement as she stepped into the Bone Sea for the first time in a while. The first day’s journey was spent speculating. Kymir thought of any way this quest could go the wrong way. She also wondered where the group that answered the Queen’s call should start first. To that, Kym really had no answers. She just hoped that someone else would have that in mind. What discoveries would they make? Would it shatter previous speculations, or would it only lead to more questions? Kym wasn’t certain of anything, but she knew that an open mind would yield the best results.

For the next few days, Kym’s focus was more on her surroundings than the journey ahead. She kept an eye on the horizon and her ears to the wind. She was fortunate to see a group of sandwalkers in the distance before they saw her. Kym was glad that this land was called the Bone Sea. The large structures of bones were the greatest advantage in this sea of sand. Kym hid in them, slept in the empty bellies or skulls of the beasts, and often used their shards to carve new arrowheads. In her opinion, the Bone Sea would be easy to survive in, if not for the lack of water and the lurking Beast of the Sand beneath.

Except she forgot to account for the sandstorms.

Kym was nearing the Hope Passage when her eyes set upon the glooming wall of misery. [color=777DBB] “Well, that’s not a good sign.”[/color] She said to herself, yet her voice was anything but grim. With a shrug, Kym untied the blue scarf from her waist and proceeded to wrap it around her head for protection. Her pace quickened, and she made it to the entrance of what she assumed to be Exusia’s makeshift base by the time the sand arrived.

[color=777DBB] “I am here to answer her majesty’s request. Which tent shall I find her messenger?”[/color]

The guards posted there, quick to retreat from the sandstorm, gestured inwards and dared to shout an answer before the sand could coat their throats. [b] “In the cent-”[/b], but he cut his sentence short. His gaze brought on a look of terror as he stared behind Kym into the storm. Kym turned to see what struck him so, and immediately understood his fear. She ran past the guards and into the encampment before they could sound an alarm.

[color=777DBB] “The Clansmen have arrived with the storm!”[/color] Kym shouted into the nearest tent. The men inside didn’t believe her at first. They laughed while Kym withdrew her butterfly swords and moved away from the tent. The clansmen were already upon the encampment. Kym could see the frontline breaking through the camp’s lines easily. The soldiers in the tent were still laughing when the first wave of clansmen hit. Kym turned and continued further into the camp before she could be caught up in the fight. She shouted a warning as she went by groups of travellers and Exusia’s men but she was sure that the sandstorm muffled the sound. At least she tried.

Kym kept going further into the center of the camp. Her eyes searched for the tent where the messenger would be. If she could get the warning to him first, perhaps backup would be sent their way. There! A glimmer of a brightly colored, rather large tent. A few more metres and she’d be-

-too late. A wave of clansmen came from Kym’s left and barraged the nearby tents. A man dressed in the skin and skull of a beast burst from a tent next to her with a war cry. Kym turned to face him, holding her blades at the level of her chest. [color=777DBB] “I bare no ill will for the Clan of the Bones!”[/color] Kym shouted, as if her statement would keep him from attacking.

The clansmen acted as if she said nothing. He raised a giant blade carved from the stone of a beast, it’s handle wrapped with leather stomach lining and stained with red blood, and pointed it at her chest before charging. Kym planted her feet firmly in the sand. Her left blade collided with the bone machete and stopped it mid-air. Her heels digging into the earth as she stood her ground. The clansmen, startled by her strength, cursed her in his language, but had no time to react to her second blade as she swung it towards his stomach. It cut cleanly through, blood flowing from the wound and drenching the sand between his feet. Kym stepped back from the man and let him drop to his knees. Most of the clansmen around her were busy raiding the tents to notice her victory, but she knew that wouldn’t last long. She moved to crouch near a cart, out of sight of any clansmen that roamed, and her head turned to look in the direction of the messenger’s tent.

The sandstorm quelled for just a moment. The space that opened in front of her was enough to show that the group that gathered for the quest were still standing. Perhaps the messenger was as well. Kym searched the storm for any sign of clansmen and with no sight or sound from one took off in the direction of what remained of the tent. She felt as she was nearing it just as a clansmen towing two horses behind him galloped out of the storm. He swung an axe made of bone her way, bellowing a victory cry.

Kym raised both of her swords to meet it. She hadn’t been prepared, and the assault knocked her off of her feet and onto her back. The clansmen galloped away, his laughter fading into the wind. Kym groaned from her place on the ground. The stiff bow on her back had dug into her shoulder and lower back upon landing. At least she’d held onto her blades.

A gust of sandy wind blew into Kym’s face and she grimaced. Her scarf had been knocked loose as well. Kym spat onto the sand next to her and got back to her feet. [color=777DBB] “I hope the Queen doesn’t mind a little sand.”[/color] Kym chuckled to herself before she continued towards the remains of the tent. 

[color=777DBB] “I don’t expect her majesty to grace us during a sandstorm, do you?”[/color] Kym asked rather loudly as she approached the group so that they would hear her over the storm. Except, just as she made it close to them, a bright white light engulfed the area around the tent. Kym took a step back in an attempt to avoid it and her foot felt solid ground beneath it. [color=777DBB] “Huh?”[/color] The light faded, and Kym found herself standing in one of the grand hall’s of Exusia.

Kymir was speechless, for the first time in her life. Her very existence felt wrong. Her body was telling her that she didn’t belong here. Everything about this place was just too… [i]perfect[/i].

Her first instinct was to lower her swords. The blood of the clansman still clung to the edges of her blade and she was glad to realize that sand clung to it and kept it from dripping onto the stone floor. Kymir sheathed the blade in her left hand, and pulled a square of worn leather from her pocket to wipe her right blade clean before sheathing it as well. A man had approached them and began to speak. Kym listened to him as she removed her scarf and tied it to her belt.

She was the first to step forwards out of the group, even though she had been the last to arrive.

With a bright smile on her face, Kymir approached the man as she began to remove her bow from across her chest and back.

[color=777DBB] “I’m sure all will go well. We are here on behalf of the Queen’s request, after all.”[/color] She said as she handed the bow over to him. She kept her same smile and gaze on the man as she proceeded to undo the attachments for her quiver and butterfly sword sheath from her belt. After she unceremoniously handed them over to the man, she raised a finger into the air. [color=777DBB] “Oh! I almost forgot.”[/color] She grinned before leaning down to pull her dagger from her boot. [color=777DBB] “That certainly would have made things uncomfortable.”[/color] She said as she placed her final weapon into his care. All done, Kym politely stepped off to the side so the others could take their turn. As she stood to the side, she continued to stare at the room around her.

So this was Exusia...



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