III. The Flatlands: Part 1 - The Wild Meggun

They had been riding for hours. Barton and Julien struggled to keep up, as Marius moved at an unwavering pace. He never slowed or hesitated. He simply spurred his mount on until, as if instinctual, he suddenly stopped and allowed it to rest. For a while Julien wondered is he was trying to lose them. He had been ready to abandon them once before. Why not now? Still she did all she could to keep up.

Midday was the worst. Corna and Tarna beat down on the flatlands with such force that she thought she was going be cooked right there. He clothes had been drenched through with sweat, and she had to continually wipe her forehead clean to keep the sweat from blinding her. Barton seemed to be struggling too, but he was determined not to let it show. He put his head down and spurred himself to keep riding as fast as he could. Julien couldn’t help but be impressed. He was falling behind, but he never accepted the defeat. He simply kept riding as fast and as hard as he could. These were the moments that reminded Julien why she trusted him so much. He would fight until his last breath.
As the day wore on and the suns sank lower in the sky, they found that the cool in the temperature did little to ease their passage. Their muscles tensed and strained, and they only found their bodies getting more and more heavy. The vibration of the hooves shot up their arms and spread throughout their entire body. The cracks and crevasses in the ground were getting larger and deeper, and each leap made them land with a painful thud. Yet the worst part, was the deafening noise. The stampeded bounced off the mountains around them and echoed back. It rang through the heads over and over again, refusing to subside. Julien felt about ready to collapse. She couldn’t keep up with this pace for much longer.
Finally, as they came to the edge of small ledge, they looked off in the distance, and saw the end of the world. That’s what the original settlers had called it. Maybe only ten to twenty miles off now, the White Sea Cliffs marked the end of the flatlands, and the boundaries of Olivia. It was here that the land simply dropped off almost three hundred feet down into the violent waters below. The more welcome sight however, was a massive spire, located right at the center of a break in the cliffs, reached high into the air above them. It was the Harbor Tower, the center of the city government, the vantage point of the Port Guard, and the center of Rafe itself. They had finally made it. They could see the tops of a few of the taller buildings, surrounding the massive spire, as well as the outline of some of the higher buildings. Rafe was a city built into the face of a cliff, and therefore from a land approach, it’s beauty and brilliance were not evident. It looked simple, and plain. A great marker for the end of the world. Still, it was their next stop, and Barton and Julien couldn’t wait to crawl into a comfortable inn.
This may have increased Barton’s anger when he looked to his left, and saw Marius beginning to unload his horse.
“What are you doing?!” Barton shouted, “It’s right there.”
“Relax sheeswae,” Marius spat back, “There’s now way we’ll make it tonight.”
“But it’s right there. We can see it.” Barton said almost pleadingly. Marius patted his horse and gave him some water to drink.
“Don’t get fooled by the Flatlands,” he said, “That’s at least a few hours ride from here, and look behind you. Corna’s already setting. There’s no way we’ll make it tonight, and with the way the land cracks and splits around Rafe, we can’t risk traveling at night. We’ll make camp here for now, and first thing in the morning we’ll head out. By midday we’ll be knee-deep in roast gognut and port whores.”
Marius chuckled to himself as he swung his djerik over his shoulder, and grabbed a small handful of wheatbrag to chew on. Barton looked at Julien, flaring anger in his eyes. However they both knew there was nothing they could do. He was their guide, and like or not they would have to follow him. More than that, they would need to trust him, and that was the part Barton hated most. He wouldn’t argue that Marius was stronger than him. More experienced and certainly more capable. But they were putting their lives in his hands. Just because he was a better guide, didn’t mean he worth trusting. Still, for now he would have to follow.
They all dismounted their horses, and began to unload their packs. Marius found a small ledge they could make camp under. This would protect them from the elements and ensure that no raiders could hit them from behind during the night. Some old dried up gut lying on the ground nearby would provide the perfect fuel for a fire. Marius gathered as much as he could in an arm full and placed in down neatly. Scavenging for nearby rocks he surrounded the pile, and left Julien to get the fire going. Barton was weighed down the horses reigns when Marius threw a canteen at his feet.
“We need to get water before it gets dark,” he said, “come on let’s go.”
Without even looking back for confirmation Marius began to stroll off. Barton finished weighing the horses reigns down, before begrudgingly grabbing the canteen and running off after him. It wasn’t until they were already a few hundred yards from the campsite that Barton realized, he had never really been alone with Marius. What little conversation they had on the train was interrupted by the raid, and now he found himself in the middle of the wilderness, walking next to a strange killer, with nothing to say.
Then another thought popped into his head. He was walking next to a killer. Marius could turn at any moment and shove that blade straight into his chest. No one would be able to help him, and at the best if Julien heard his screams, he’d be long since dead by the time she reached them. No. He wouldn’t. He hadn’t killed them yet, so why would he start now? It wouldn’t serve any purpose for him. Still, he had to tread carefully.
“So,” Barton said, simply trying to break the awkward silence, “you’re a journeyman.” Marius took his time with his response.
“Yawp.”
“Hmm” Barton said absently, “and you kill people,” he added. Marius stopped and turned to him. He said nothing, simply staring at him, allowing Barton to sweat. Barton gulped and tried to match his gaze.
“Sorry,” he said meekly. Marius ignored him and kept walking. Barton made to walk a few steps behind him now. He figured his best bet would be to keep the distance of the blade between them. That way he’d at least have a fighting chance if he tried anything.
Marius couldn’t help but wonder what this kid was doing so far from home. He looked baby faced and scared most of the time, but yet he wasn’t. He had to respect that about him. He was young, lost, and way out of league, but that wasn’t going to stop him. The odds were, Barton was going to die. Yet somehow the knowledge of that didn’t deter him for a second. It was only in that moment that Marius was able to make the connection he had failed to make before. He couldn’t believe he had missed it before. Barton was willing to die for this woman, because he was in love. He wasn’t sure if Julien loved him back, but it clearly wasn’t a secret to either one of them. Barton worshipped the ground she walked on, and he would do anything to protect her.
Marius sighed heavily to himself, looking back at the dejected boy walking behind him. He couldn’t keep treating him like a punching bag. If they were stuck together, he might at least offer him an olive branch.
“So,” Marius finally said patiently, “How’d you get wrapped up in this?” Barton stopped in his tracks, amazed at the question. It must have been the first time Marius had ever taken any kind of interest in him, and Barton wasn’t quite sure how to handle it. He looked at him dumbfounded for a moment, and tried to form his words.
“It’s called small talk,” Marius said, “it’s not that difficult.” Barton hesitated for a moment before finally spewing out.
“I’m an orphan,” he spat. Marius remained for a moment, not quite sure how to accept this answer.
“Ah,” he said, “well...” Barton stared at him for a long moment.
“Sorry. I’m nervous.” Marius tried to be patient.
“Ok, well take your time.” Barton took a deep breath.
“Well I was born in Jonthill. It’s a small village outside of Tynska. My father abandoned my mother before I was born, and my mother died in child birth. So with no relatives or family, I guess I was born on the streets. A few decent criminals and bums took me in at first, helped me get on my feet, but by the time I was seven I was living on my own.” Marius was amazed. How could this boy have made it so far on his own.
“That’s a young age to start going independent.”
“Well,” continued Barton, “Some of us weren’t given a choice. But life has plans for all of us, so I figured I’d just wait it out until I figured out what mine was. I made a decent enough living pickpocketing tourists, and stealing fruit from the markets. I lived in an old abandoned clock tower, which gave me a fairly food view point of the village. And that’s when I first saw Julien.” Marius scoffed at his romanticized reality.
“So what, from the top of the village you saw her on the streets below?”
“No,” said Barton, suddenly becoming very serious, “I saw her beyond the walls of the convent.” Marius got quiet at this mention. They hadn’t mentioned a convent before. He wasn’t quite sure what they were caught up in, but if Julien had grown up in a convent, then it had to be serious. More importantly, what had he got himself caught up in. Before he could begin to mull it over in his mind, Barton was on again.
“The walls were high, and as I’m sure you know with most convents, they don’t allow outsiders in. It wasn’t until I climbed that clock tower for the first time that I was able to see her. After that I couldn’t get enough. I snuck over those walls night after night. And night after night I got caught and received beatings from her great-mother. But I kept going back.” Barton trailed off, slightly lost in thought. Marius hung on his words.
“And...?” Barton snapped back to the present.
“And we got old,” he said. “And when it became apparent that Julien needed to get to the Capitol, I was the first in line to be her escort.” Marius let the information sink in, taking a moment to process it. Suddenly he got very serious.
“Why does Julien need to get to the Capitol?” he asked. The Marius saw a strange sight. That smug smile he had so often given them, was returned by Barton, now in a seat of power.
“We pay you for services,” he said, “Not to ask questions.”
With that he stepped in front of Marius and headed for a small creak he saw about forty yards off. Marius met him at the water, and began to fill his canteen. He splashed some of the water into his face, cooling himself off. He looked off to the mountain range that surrounded them. The beautiful dusk of Tarna was beginning to fade. It wouldn’t be long before Dal Niente would set in. He just hoped that Julien would have the fire lit to guide their way back. He let the drops fall from his face and back into the small pool beneath him. Barton was a short distance off, filling his canteens quietly.
“You don’t have to tell me why she needs to get there,” Marius stated sincerely, “but can you at least tell me why you have to go with her?” Barton didn’t even both to look at him.
“I told you, she needed an escort. I was the obvious choice.”
Marius remained silent for a moment, trying to study Barton’s face. There was a history there, but it was unrecognizable. As if a code had been etched into his skin, and Marius couldn’t seem to crack it. There was a pain there too. A pain that Barton either refused, or did not want to explore. Marius knew enough about such a pain. He wouldn’t provoke him any further.
“But why you?” Marius asked, “Why was it so important that you be her escort? What’s your connection?” Barton sighed heavily and slung his full canteens over his shoulders. He remained crouched at the watering hole, but finally turned to look Marius in the eyes.
“Children of the convent don’t have much interaction with the outside world. As such they are generally categorized by those unfamiliar with them in one of two ways. Either as a charge, or a prize. I see something different.” Marius grinned at his idealism.
“So you see what, a beautiful girl?”
Barton did not return his grin.
“No.” he stated simply, “I see Julien.”
They never saw the eyes gazing down on them.
They never knew they were being hunted.

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The flickering light of the fire glistened across Marius’ face. He kept his gaze down, intent on something at the bottom of the flames. Julien couldn’t seem to get any expression off his face. Since he and Barton had returned they had remained very quiet. Something happened between them out at the watering hole. Though she couldn’t be surprised. It was obvious they couldn’t stand each other. Still, they wouldn’t make it another day if they stayed at each other’s throats.
She looked up at the night sky, and couldn’t help but marvel at the multitude of stars that shone down on them. In the convent, the light from the lanterns and torches around the town made it impossible to get a clear picture of the sky. Out here though, stars streaked and glistened across the sky. Forte had risen, and it gave clear outlines of the shades of nebulas and constellations. It was beautiful. She sighed heavily, attempting to break the awkward silence.
“It’s beautiful out here at night,” she said. Marius quickly gazed up at the sky as well and confirmed.
“Mhm.”
“You don’t agree?” she asked.
“The whole country used to be beautiful,” Marius said slowly, “You should’ve seen the plains before the Parliament took over.” His voice trailed off. Whatever he was thinking, it was clearly not something he enjoyed discussing.
“Did you grow up there?” she asked.
“I was born out there, during journey. When my mother collapsed, they picked her up and put her into one of the caravans. She gave birth to me right there, on the road. For years the plains were all I knew.” He couldn’t figure why he was being so honest with this girl, but something about her seemed genuine. It seemed safe.
“I couldn’t imagine a life like that,” Barton said, finally sitting up and joining the conversation. “You move every other day, never letting roots grow. Just picking up your life and carrying it with you on your back. It sounds miserable.” Marius scoffed.
“Some call it miserable.” Barton stared back at him, and Julien could feel the tension rising between them again.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Barton spat back.
“It means,” said Marius smugly, “that carrying your life from place to place makes you strong. The ones who think it’s miserable are weak.” Anger flashed across Barton’s face at such a rude insinuation.
“And how do you think you would’ve done on your own?” he said, “You think you would’ve lasted two minutes without your big fat cushiony tribe to drag you along?”
“That’s the last time you will ever make reference to my tribe again,” Marius said angrily, “Is that understood?” Julien tried to interject herself between them, but by this point they were already lost in anger.
“Oh what the fuck do you care about your tribe?” Barton said.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I saw the way they looked at you back at the train. I saw the hate in their eyes, the disappointment.”
“You don’t know a fucking thing about disappointment.”
“I can’t say I blame them.” Barton was trying to hurt him by this point.
“You try and speak for my people, and I’ll be sure to remove your tongue so that mistake never happens again,” Marius said, with a tone indicating just how serious this threat was.
“Well just look at yourself. They’re starving, and you’ve abandoned them to run around and play killer.”
“And what are you doing? Playing hero? Tell me how’s that going for you so far?”
“At least I know something about loyalty.”
“You don’t know a fucking thing about loyalty,” Marius scoffed. Barton laughed back at him.
“Says the man using a sacred instrument as a weapon.”
Marius quickly grabbed the djerik and extended the blade.
“Then pick up that little toy knife of yours sheeswae and let’s who’s better!”
Julien stood and stormed off with a huff, kicking dust on both of them as she went. They both stopped mid argument to see her go.
“Where are you going?!” Barton shouted. Julien turned back, amazed by the stupidity of the question.
“Anywhere that the two of you aren’t!” she shouted back “I’m done with your fucking pissing contest. So just forget it. I’ll get to the Capitol on my own. You two can fuck off.” With that she stormed off into the darkness. Marius watched as she went and turned to Barton.
“Aren’t you going to go get her?” he asked.
“No,” Barton replied calmly, “She’ll cool down. Just give her a little space.” Marius chuckled to himself.
“I can’t believe it took her this long to run from you.” Barton laughed back.
“Go fuck yourself.” Suddenly, the wind changed direction, and as the slight breeze blew past them, Marius’ head snapped to attention. Barton didn’t even notice as the fire flickered somewhat, and he continued joking with Marius.
“You know it’s not just me she’s pissed-” he started.
“Shut up!” Marius interrupted him quickly, his eyes straining to see through the darkness in the direction Julien had just left.
“Hey!” Barton said, offended, “Don’t tell me-”
“SHUT UP!” Marius said again, with greater attention. Barton now noticed the expression on his face. Something was wrong. He watched as Marius tried to focus, and quickly and deliberately sniffed the air twice. Suddenly, his eyes grew very wide, as he leaped to his feet and grabbed his djerik. Barton scrambled to catch him.
“JULIEN! STOP!” Marius shouted. Julien swung around to see him sprinting toward her.
“Leave me alone!” she shouted back, “I don’t want to talk to you right now!” Marius stopped about twenty yards away from her, and grew very silent and serious.
“Julien,” he said carefully, “whatever you do, don’t move. Stay quiet. Stay still. No sudden movements. OK?” She could see now from his expression that something wasn’t right. In fact something horrible was happening. She strained to see through the darkness to see in her peripheral vision, but she couldn’t see anything.
“What?” she finally asked, “What is it.” Marius slowly steadied himself with his blade, making ready for an attack. She was beginning to shake. She was afraid. More importantly, Marius was afraid, and she had never seen such a look etched across his face. He remained calm though, and kept his eyes trained on her.
“Julien, listen to me,” he said softly, “Just stay still, and keep looking at me.” She caught site of Barton, who now too had gained a look of pure terror. She felt helpless. She couldn’t stand there and do nothing. What was stalking her? What was happening to her. Ignoring his warning, she slowly turned her head to the left. And she saw it.
Staring at her, from the pure, pitch black darkness, were a pair of brilliantly yellow glowing eyes, staring back at her. In the darkness she couldn’t see what they belonged to, but she could read them. They read one word, hunger. Whatever this creature was, it was big, it was hungry, and it had Marius scared shitless. From the darkness she heard a low, guttural growl escape from the creature. It came across as almost a purr, but one filled with bloodlust and ravenous intentions. She turned her head back to Marius, trembling with fear.
“What do I do?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Marius said quietly, “We wait. We don’t want to provoke it. We wait, and hope it’ll leave.” Marius kept his blade at the ready, and Julien knew, the chances of it simply leaving were not likely.
“What is it?” she asked quietly. Marius looked at her with a kind of pity in his eyes.
“You don’t want to know.”
As she turned her head back to the creature, in the far off distance she saw the first flash of violet light begin to rise from the horizon. Morendo was rising into the night, and with it came the deep purple glow that covered the entire land. She watched as slowly the moon ascent revealed the landscape around her, and over the course of a painfully long ten minutes, it revealed the meggun standing a mere ten yards from her.
She had never seen one up close before, only in pictures. It was bigger than she had thought, standing easily five foot at it’s tallest point and stretching out to well over six. It’s four paws were accented by claws that looked sharper than a blade. It’s fur was jet black, and as such the purple glow it gave off as the moon light struck it, allowed it to seamlessly blend into it’s surroundings. It’s large ears stood up straight, the classic sign of aggression, and it’s tail swung erect from side to side. She waited for it to pounce. trembling.
Finally, Barton charged at the creature, his blade outstretch. Marius tried to call him back, but it was too late. The meggun charged at swung it’s massive head, catching the boy square in the chest and throwing his backward. Julien began to run as the creature let out a terrifying cry. The high pitched roar came off as more of a screech than anything else. Marius picked up a nearby rock and threw it at the meggun, trying to keep it’s attention.
“Come on you son of a bitch!” he hollered, “Come and get me!” The meggun looked back at him, and roared, turning and charging after Julien. She tried to outrun it, but she never stood a chance. She heard Marius holler to her, though she couldn’t make out his words. It was no use. The creature hit her with great force and she went rolling to the ground. A paw came across her arm and sliced it, tearing the sleeve from her dress. She rolled to the ground and scrambled to get back. The meggun was circling her, coming at her quick. It pounced on her and roared in her face. She extended her cut arm in an attempt to fight the creature off, and just as it looked to be over, she suddenly found that the creature had stopped.
When she gained the courage to look up at the beast looming above her, she noticed that it was now looking at her newly exposed arm, and found that it was examining that tattoo that lay across the inside of it. The intricate ink work was now stained in blood, but the mark was still recognizable. The animal looked at it hard, and then looked down at Julien, who was now staring up in fear. Her eyes met the creature’s for a moment, and she found that the hunger and bloodlust had now subsided. Instead they were now filled with a sense of awe, as if the creature had recognized a goddess.
She heard Marius holler, and creature’s attention snapped to the wild man, now charging it. Without a sound it ran off into the darkness and out of sight. Julien struggled to gain her footing, as Marius grabbed her hand, and looked around in the darkness, trying to find where the new point of attack would be. He wasn’t sure why the creature had gone, but he wasn’t going to question it. The two began running back to the fire, and noticed Barton now limping back as well.
“What happened?” he called.
“I don’t know,” Marius replied, “But get a position at the fire, it could be coming back.” Barton held his blade out waiting for the creature, as Marius eased Julien down to the ground. He rummaged through his bag for a piece of cloth, and began to tie it around the wood that now slashed her arm. She winced at the pain as she tightened it. Marius spoke quietly as he worked, so as not to attract any attention from Barton.
“What happened Julien?”
“I don’t know,” she replied breathlessly.
“Julien, you should be dead. Megguns don’t stop mid-attack. What happened?”
“I don’t know,” she insisted, “It was on top of me, and then suddenly it just stopped. Like it recognized me of something.” Marius gaze her a quizzical look, that was quickly interrupted by a cry off in the night. It sounded like a small rodent, but he couldn’t be sure. Marius grabbed his djerik and joined Barton at a defensive position, straining to adjust his eyes to the darkness. The violet glow did little to help his vision.
Yet, he clearly saw the creature land in front of them as it jumped from the ledge above. He steadied himself for the attack, but as the creature slowly approached into the fire light, he realized that it was carrying a small, dead Yuvirt in it’s mouth. The meggun paused for a moment, looking at the two of them. It then dropped the dead animal onto the ground and nudged it forward with it’s head. Then, it suddenly say, and it’s face developed into a kind of smile, as it’s tongue hang out and it began to pant. All three of them remained still for a moment. Unsure of what to do.
“Um,” Barton responded awkwardly, “what’s it doing?”
Marius remained motionless for a second, as the meggun stared back at him. Again it nudged the dead animal forward with it’s head and nodded slightly. Marius couldn’t believe what he was seeing. In all his years in the wilderness, he’d never seen such a strange display from a wild animal. The megguns of the flatlands were notoriously aggressive. They killed without hesitation, and they were vicious to boot. Yet here was one, with a clear advantage in every way, simply laying in front of them.
“Marius,” Julien said cautiously, “I don’t think it’s going to hurt us.”
The creature perked it’s head up, almost as if it could understand Julien’s words.
“What are you talking about,” Barton asked nervously, “it just tried to maul you.”
“I know” said Julien still clutching the wound, “but look at it now. It’s different. I think it wants to help us.”
“It’s more than that,” Marius said, as he lowered his blade, still amazed at the situation, “I think it wants to feed us.”