The next morning, our temporary alliance came to an end. Deodat's group was getting ready to leave; they were heading straight for the Tower of Abundance. Our group, meanwhile, made a small detour into the Realm of Davidova, looking for the old man and a car. Before leaving, Deodat and I had a short conversation.
"Do you have a guild, Deodat?"
He shook his head.
"No, not really…"
"I'm not going to offer you to join mine—well, we had our differences—but I'd advise you to join one. I feel like surviving alone will be hard… Talk to Deepa and Senga about it."
"I'll do that… Well, Roxy, it was a pleasure forming an alliance with you for the day… See you at Abundance?"
"Yeah… See you there… Good luck."
Deodat's group left, and we set off toward the Realm of Davidova to meet Vasily, the old man we'd encountered. We retraced our steps to the village where we'd found him, and sure enough he was still there, sheltered in a house that was more or less intact.
"We did it… It wasn't easy, but we beat them," Lesky said with a big smile. Vasily watched us. We didn't really have any proof to show him, but seeing our wounds, he finally nodded.
"Thank you. As I promised, I'll take you to Davidova and talk to my contacts."
After our short meeting with Vasily, we walked with him. The capital wasn't that far from where we were—only about four hours on foot—and we approached Pasternak, the capital. Our first impression almost made me sick: we saw a young Ankari hanging. I noticed from his bracelet that he'd been a participant. Amr's hand went to his chest.
"…Why?"
Vasily grunted softly.
"So the rumors are true…"
"What rumors?" Lesky asked quickly.
"The Realm of Davidova accuses Babylonians of causing chaos… and they're trying to capture Babylonians to execute them… I doubt this Ankari is the first."
I looked at Vasily, wary.
"I hope you're not bringing us here to 'sell' us," I said.
He shook his head.
"I still have some honor left compared to the capital's residents… Hide your bracelets."
Lesky, still wearing his kimono, had no trouble; same for Amr and his long coat. I had an orange hoodie I'd picked up a week earlier when I met Lesky. The guards glanced at us but paid us no real attention; they seemed to recognize Vasily and didn't check us. He stopped when we reached the square.
"Keep low—I'll go talk to some merchants."
It was my first time visiting the capital. The architecture had a distinctive, much more historical feel than the buildings in Neko City, where I'd spent my entire adolescence. Fortunately it was autumn— I know winters here can bring heavy snow. The inhabitants were mostly hybrids with a few rare humans. I also saw a lot of propaganda against Babylonians, calling for them to be reported to the authorities.
We kept exploring the city quietly, and then Vasily came back to us. He said he had spoken to a few merchants and told them that if they saw a red-and-green-haired felkaï, she was a friend. He gave us a list of shops and we did our shopping. We bought food and medicine with the money we had, but our main objective—finding a car—proved impossible. Gas had become extremely scarce and cars stopped being manufactured, which meant we would have to walk or find a horse-drawn cart. Neither option was what I wanted.
Electric cars were out of the question too since no power plants were producing electricity anymore. I love the post-apocalyptic vibe, really—my desire to go back to my old life came back again, and I regretted my behavior toward my adoptive parents once more. After finishing the main errands, we headed for a hotel; it was getting late. We booked a room for the three of us, though we had some money problems. I handed the cash to the receptionist and we went to our room—the cheapest one, on the ground floor. At least tonight we'd sleep in a proper bed and I could take a hot shower.
That's exactly what I did the moment we entered the room.
"First for the shower," I said quickly, then locked myself in the bathroom before Amr and Lesky could react. I didn't even see their faces, but I imagine they weren't holding it against me. I took a quick shower and was so happy to feel hot water on my skin again. I washed my whole body several times with the soap the hotel provided.
I finished and got out clean. Lesky took her turn, then Amr, and once we were all together I opened the map on my bracelet and we checked the route we had to take.
"We're three days' walk from Abundance… and we've got four days to get there," Amr said, analyzing the map.
"We absolutely need the bridges to still be standing or we won't be able to cross," I pointed out.
Amr looked at me. "Yeah, that would be better, but I think they're probably still up."
Suddenly someone started hammering at our window. I looked and saw a tall brown-haired felkaï in a red flannel shirt. I was cautious and held a knife behind my back just in case. Lesky went on guard, ready to call on his fire powers. I opened the window.
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, girls—I come in peace!" she cried.
"What do you want?" I asked.
She flashed a Babylonians bracelet. "I've been hiding in the Realm for a few days and I heard other Babylonians are here… an Ankari, a felkaï, and a kitsune in a pink kimono."
My grip tightened on the knife. If she'd heard about us, that meant we were already in trouble.
"So you should come with me… and quickly!"
A knock sounded at the door. "Open up!"
"Shit…" I muttered. We had no choice but to follow this stranger.
"Lesky, Amr—get out first," I told them.
Lesky and Amr went out one after the other with the woman's help. She introduced herself as Ashley; she was an heir of Revenge. The pounding at the door became more violent—they weren't knocking anymore, they were trying to break it down. I shoved our belongings out first, then stepped out as a unit of Davidova guards burst through the corridor door.
"Stop!"
We started running, hearing the thud of boots behind us as several guards pursued. "I know the way!" Ashley yelled, and we darted down alleyways, but I could feel them closing in. Then, turning left, I felt a sharp electric sting—someone had just tasered me. I recognized the sensation; it wasn't the first time, and I hated it. I fell to the ground screaming in pain as a guard loomed over me, slapped cuffs on my wrists, and then one of them kicked me in the head. I blacked out.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lore informations
Realm of Davidova : A country part of the north in the tundra, they were part of the Coalition against the republic, they are mostly populated by semi-humans.The capital city is "Pasternak" .A long time ago, the Realm of Davidova was a big empire who was in the tundra but power fights over loyalty made it loose a lot of it's territory.Their government is a Monarchy, the monarchy of the Medvedev who rules on the Realm of Davidova since 400 years
Ashley : She is a 18 year old brat type of girl. She left school at 16 to help her dad who works as a lumberjack. She is a heir of the Deadhose of Revenge
86, Revengia : The deadhorse of Revenge, It seeks the one who will be ready to sacrifice their mental healths to accomplish their vengeance.They are stronger against those they have grip with. They get stronger each time they accomplish their vengeance