"We can help others in the world more by making the most of yourself than in any other way."
~Earl Nightingale
"Here. You'll need this," were the only considerate words Sivanna had managed to communicate to a certain friend of hers for months. It was a miracle, really, how she had managed to convince Neo to take this trip with her, given the circumstances of their strained contact lately. It was certain, of course, that the locals on Tesora needed help. For six whole weeks, the humanoids living in the southern hemisphere of that rural planet had been wracked with freakish forest fires, the likes of which were nearly impossible to put out. The fires were a plague; the strength and breadth and horror one could only equate to something found in judgment prophecies. Like the sea itself, waves after waves of a hellish blaze returned and ate up everything in their paths. It was only a matter of time until the inferno spread to the cities. It was startling, really, how quickly those tongues of fire lapped up infirm and substandard living spaces that populated the rural cities on the outskirts of the green, verdant country of Amistad. The cities fell so easily— may as well have been ambrosia to the abominable monster that the locals were beginning to call "Ladr"n de vida," the thief of life within their little slice of paradise.
But the cities fell. First Paz, named for the peaceful binding treaty between the indigenous humanoids and incoming Bruthian settlers— a species not terribly unlike the lupine humanoids of Rhy"Din. In no time at all, Paz had been left a smoldering pile of ash; a terrible sin, for all the diplomacy that went into its one hundred sixty-three year lifespan. Armon"a followed— a town known for its popular threesa harvests (a citrus fruit that tasted a little of kiwi and pomegranate both) whose trade had slowly but surely been encroaching onto Rhy"Din's free, untaxed soil. But where vineyards had stood, all that remained were twisted vines of charcoal, which may as well have been weeds, so effortlessly they blended in with blackened rock around them.
All that was left now in the burning path of fire was the city of Belleza, whose only saving grace was the proximity of Amistad's coastline. It was a much more structurally sound city, being a trading hotspot with a portal directly connected to the business district of downtown Rhy"Din. Sivanna could only hope that bricks and mortar within that town could hold better than the straw and clay materials had within its brothers.
Silently, Sivanna set the dark blue, filtered mask in Neo's lap, simultaneously pulling out a black one of her own and securing it around her nose and mouth. The protection resembled an angular surgical mask, with several saturated mesh slits that acted as filters against the inevitable smoke and ash they would be encountering. As she flicked a switch on the side of the mask to open the slits wider, she took careful care not to bump her company courtesy of the ever-shifting motion within the transportation wagon they had enlisted to take them to the heart of Belleza. The entire skeleton of the wagon was 'reinforced" with varnished wood, though a thick carpet of canvas covered every corner of its innards, forming a lightless dome above them and obscuring any visibility of the outdoors. By the growing rancor outside, however, it became obvious they were getting close.
Neo held the dark blue mask in his hand, looking it over. He looked up to see Sivanna putting hers on, then did the same with his. "It's that bad, huh?" Kind of a redundant question. If it weren't that bad, he wouldn't be there with her. He was rather surprised to hear that Sivanna needed his help with something, considering the growing distance between them, but the surprise ebbed away a bit when he'd heard why, and it made more sense to him. She didn't need Neo Eternity. She needed the Keeper of Water. Far be it for him to ignore anyone in need, especially the one he had called his best friend. Not to mention all the people that need the two of them. With the mask on, he fiddled with the switch on it to figure out what it did. He as well was careful to remain in place throughout the jostling, so not to bump into Sivanna.
In no time at all, it became painfully apparent how warm it was inside the wagon. Sivanna, outfitted in only a pair of sturdy blue jeans, boots, and a black tank top, perspired noticeably, strands of loose champagne hair clinging to the sides of her flushed visage. For an hour, the only noticeable sound had been the creaking roll of the wagon's wheels and the clutter-clop of the pedilarsa's hooves on pavement (a quadruped, llama-like creature with two sets of antlers). But as the seconds ticked away like a man's dying breath, the dull roar and subtle cackle of an inevitable burning was heard nearby, over the cacophony of frenzied voices. The carriage suddenly rolled to a stop, a bundled man in the driver's seat snapping open a sliding wooden window that peeked into the wagon itself. "Perd"n, amiga," he muttered through a thrice-wrapped scarf that resembled alpaca. "No puedo ir adelante. Tengo que parar aqu"."
"Here. You'll need this," were the only considerate words Sivanna had managed to communicate to a certain friend of hers for months. It was a miracle, really, how she had managed to convince Neo to take this trip with her, given the circumstances of their strained contact lately. It was certain, of course, that the locals on Tesora needed help. For six whole weeks, the humanoids living in the southern hemisphere of that rural planet had been wracked with freakish forest fires, the likes of which were nearly impossible to put out. The fires were a plague; the strength and breadth and horror one could only equate to something found in judgment prophecies. Like the sea itself, waves after waves of a hellish blaze returned and ate up everything in their paths. It was only a matter of time until the inferno spread to the cities. It was startling, really, how quickly those tongues of fire lapped up infirm and substandard living spaces that populated the rural cities on the outskirts of the green, verdant country of Amistad. The cities fell so easily— may as well have been ambrosia to the abominable monster that the locals were beginning to call "Ladr"n de vida," the thief of life within their little slice of paradise.
But the cities fell. First Paz, named for the peaceful binding treaty between the indigenous humanoids and incoming Bruthian settlers— a species not terribly unlike the lupine humanoids of Rhy"Din. In no time at all, Paz had been left a smoldering pile of ash; a terrible sin, for all the diplomacy that went into its one hundred sixty-three year lifespan. Armon"a followed— a town known for its popular threesa harvests (a citrus fruit that tasted a little of kiwi and pomegranate both) whose trade had slowly but surely been encroaching onto Rhy"Din's free, untaxed soil. But where vineyards had stood, all that remained were twisted vines of charcoal, which may as well have been weeds, so effortlessly they blended in with blackened rock around them.
All that was left now in the burning path of fire was the city of Belleza, whose only saving grace was the proximity of Amistad's coastline. It was a much more structurally sound city, being a trading hotspot with a portal directly connected to the business district of downtown Rhy"Din. Sivanna could only hope that bricks and mortar within that town could hold better than the straw and clay materials had within its brothers.
Silently, Sivanna set the dark blue, filtered mask in Neo's lap, simultaneously pulling out a black one of her own and securing it around her nose and mouth. The protection resembled an angular surgical mask, with several saturated mesh slits that acted as filters against the inevitable smoke and ash they would be encountering. As she flicked a switch on the side of the mask to open the slits wider, she took careful care not to bump her company courtesy of the ever-shifting motion within the transportation wagon they had enlisted to take them to the heart of Belleza. The entire skeleton of the wagon was 'reinforced" with varnished wood, though a thick carpet of canvas covered every corner of its innards, forming a lightless dome above them and obscuring any visibility of the outdoors. By the growing rancor outside, however, it became obvious they were getting close.
Neo held the dark blue mask in his hand, looking it over. He looked up to see Sivanna putting hers on, then did the same with his. "It's that bad, huh?" Kind of a redundant question. If it weren't that bad, he wouldn't be there with her. He was rather surprised to hear that Sivanna needed his help with something, considering the growing distance between them, but the surprise ebbed away a bit when he'd heard why, and it made more sense to him. She didn't need Neo Eternity. She needed the Keeper of Water. Far be it for him to ignore anyone in need, especially the one he had called his best friend. Not to mention all the people that need the two of them. With the mask on, he fiddled with the switch on it to figure out what it did. He as well was careful to remain in place throughout the jostling, so not to bump into Sivanna.
In no time at all, it became painfully apparent how warm it was inside the wagon. Sivanna, outfitted in only a pair of sturdy blue jeans, boots, and a black tank top, perspired noticeably, strands of loose champagne hair clinging to the sides of her flushed visage. For an hour, the only noticeable sound had been the creaking roll of the wagon's wheels and the clutter-clop of the pedilarsa's hooves on pavement (a quadruped, llama-like creature with two sets of antlers). But as the seconds ticked away like a man's dying breath, the dull roar and subtle cackle of an inevitable burning was heard nearby, over the cacophony of frenzied voices. The carriage suddenly rolled to a stop, a bundled man in the driver's seat snapping open a sliding wooden window that peeked into the wagon itself. "Perd"n, amiga," he muttered through a thrice-wrapped scarf that resembled alpaca. "No puedo ir adelante. Tengo que parar aqu"."