Wastes and Wilds: Kyo 1.0

No one knows where the Empress originated from. Not a single text in the Wastes or Wilds of our world can pinpoint her origin. Only two singular facts have followed her rise from poverty to opulence.

One, any of the Lion Clan are untouchable. This fact was proven by the annihilation of fourteen clans and twelve guilds upon the discovery they were involved in the death of a single cub.

Two, only death awaits rebel scum be they noble or not. This fact was proven by those who rose in rebellion after the heavy hand of the Empress struck down those clans and guilds involved in the slave trades of young females.

-from the Moonlit Tale of the Silver Empress circa. 4289 B.E.

Kyo stared carefully out of the alley at the broken twisted metal towers shattered by the ancient Cataclysm. Her silver hair had been cut short once again to facilitate keeping cool. The desert of the Waste was merciless to those who didn’t understand the path to staying cool. This part of the ancient city nearest her home city base was a warren ruled by those who controlled the sky. A quick glance upwards allowed her to count the number of evil flying demons perched on the metal bars protruding from the stone framework.

Seven hands and one finger of flying demons.

A good number, not enough to swarm, but not too few as to suggest a predator was in the area. Kyo rotated the large furry ears atop her head attempting to listen for anything out of place. The normal noises of dead wind, groaning metal, and fluttering demons were all she could hear. Her nose didn’t smell anything out of place, and the primary scent that had lured her here was still strong. Her eyes returned to the hole from which the scent of four legged prey emanated with tantalizing temptation.

Scavengers preyed upon everything that was no longer living, yet at the same time they were the tastiest source of meat-blood in the entire old city. Kyo new well the delicious taste of four legs as they were her primary source of both income, and food. She glanced once more at the demons overhead marking their numbers.

Seven hands and one finger of flying demons still perched.

Kyo carefully checked her attached gear smoothing over each piece in a flowing motion honed from just under a decade of experience.

Wrapped and bound cloth rag suit dipped in metal scented water. Check.

Harness belt made from prey-skins. Check.

Rusty spike-splinters from decayed metal rods. Check.

Padded canteen of deep-clean water. Check.

Flexing her claws Kyo kept her long tail from betraying movement as her eyes flickered once more to the flying demons before she froze completely still. Only the cool rags on her skin kept her fear-sweat at bay. Iron control from a lifetime of bare survival in the Wastes kept instinctive reactions to the minimum.

She checked the numbers again to make sure.

Where seven hands and one finger of flying demons had perched now only six hands remained. The flock hadn’t even noticed the loss yet which meant the attacker was a mind type. Those who could affect the mysterious reaches of the mind were among the most hated of all enemies. She had seen mortal enemies of the Waste band together to kill a mind type before, although they had gone back to murdering each other after it was dead.

Kyo quieted her mind slipping into the Still Water mind technique along with the Turtle Breath body technique. Each had been learned at the price of one hundred four leg corpses. They wasn’t a great techniques that could shatter reality or unmake the world, but they were better than a mind screaming fear, rage, and other ‘tasty’ emotions to the predator at large. At the same time her body wouldn’t betray motion to searching senses either.

As she watched the flying demons with her body crouched eight tendrils wrapped themselves around another batch of flying demons. The greedy predator had taken a risk, and it failed spectacularly. At this point it was too much for the predator’s mind power to remain unseen. Five full hands of the flying demons rose into the air cawing at the revealed attacker.

Kyo was careful only to follow the tendrils with the corner of her eyes. It wouldn’t do to catch the gaze of a mind-eater. That was the path to entering a stomach, instead of staying well-fed. From side of her sight she witnessed a large floating creature with many plates of chitin armor flicker into existence. Tendrils wreathed in many hands weaving in the air like the grass beneath the Oasis. The well-known weakness of mind types was once they were focused on by enough eyes, the mental power to keep unseen rose so high none could remain invisible. At the top of the floating chitin armor form appeared a singularly colored orb of blind milk-white surrounded by stalks of smaller orbs.

Eyestalker. Kyo thought the word almost enough to break her Still Mind before she controlled herself. Closing her eyes she repeated an oft used mantra. See no evil. Hear no evil. Touch no evil. Smell no evil. Taste no evil.

There was no need to see the outcome of this fight. With the Eyestalker revealed the murder of flying demons had a target to strike. The sound of ripping blades of wind, and the splash of blood informed Kyo exactly what was occurring in the air above her. Without question, the Eyestalker was a supremely dangerous creature.

But those who ruled the skies hadn’t gotten there because they flew.

No, the flying demons were as black as the power they wielded. In the air, with enough hands, everything around them were reduced to a single set of words.

Meat and prey.

There was a deep bellowing scream as the Eyestalker attempted to fight back. Kyo could see colors flicker behind her closed eyelids as the beast attacked the flying demons with rays of frost, gobs of acid, and flaming lances. The ability of the Eyestalker was based on the many orbs which mimicked eyes that it had. Each orb granting a singularly powerful attack, be it ray, sphere, or some other form of attack. She was certain if the creature wasn’t fighting flying demons, the variety would have been enough to drown lesser foes.

The flying demons however, with their black, sleek forms of death controlled a single power.

Air.

The power of Air was the Element used by the flying demons, and they were unquestioned masters of it. Kyo had watched a Champion from the human Race disassembled like a butcher chopped fresh goat after enraging a large number of flying demon hand-counts. A single hand was able to crush most enemies, much less the five in the air now. It had been a lesson learned in blood at age three, do not taunt those who rule the skies. For that singular reason she stayed absolutely still in both mind and body. Once the Eyestalker collapsed to the ground with a wet squelch Kyo was certain the murder of flying demons would feed.

True to form, the Eyestalker died shortly later and the flying demons descended to feast. Kyo opened her eyes to watch them with caution before checking her surroundings once more. Even though it was doubtful anything would challenge the murder of demons for dinner, that didn’t mean she was safe.

However, with a fresh corpse nearby, my true targets will be certain to reveal themselves. Kyo thought eyeing the hole once more.Nothing lures four legs like the scent of blood.

Her patience was rewarded as from the small hole she watched a twitching nose with a bevy of whiskers appeared. While many of the richer young girls thought the weaker four legs were cute Kyo knew the truth.

The only good four leg, was a dead four leg.

Four legs were pack hunters, much like most of the dominant species in the world. A pack provided multiple advantages in the Wilds and Wastes of the world.  Beyond the more basic things like having more teeth and claws, a pack was a form of insurance. No one knew when the claw would fall for them, but having more of your own around you delayed the deathblow. For that reason, even some of the more idiotic races like Humans ran in small packs.

Kyo focused her attention fully on the hand and a half sized four legs that rose from the hole in twos and threes. Within moments the ground around the hole was carpeted by at least ten hands, if not more. At a squeak from the leading four leg, they all instantly faced the Eyestalker corpse like a gang of thieves planning a heist.

The flying demons eyed the four legs as they continued feeding, but Kyo had no doubt. The four legs were cowards, even in a swarm. Challenging the rulers of the sky was nothing but a path to suicide. If by some miracle the four legs managed to kill a demon only death awaited them. The murder of flying demons would campthem like a merchant watching their wares in the marketplace. Even worse, they would call for more of their Kin, to blanket the buildings around the four legs. Once they were completely surrounded, and every bolt hole, escape tunnel, and wall opening was found the demons would settle down to wait.

Any four leg that attempted to escape would be killed.

Any four leg that attempted to fight back would be killed.

Using their mastery of Air, the flying demons would slowly and inevitably strangle the four legs Den to death. Kyo knew this for a fact, as she had seen it occur once before. It was enough to make sure she neverstruck at the flying demons, even by accident. While there was no assurance they would perform the same tactic on her, she felt no interest in gambling. Gamblers were the morons that fate strung along until she clawed their guts out. Kyo knew that to be a truth, no matter what the white-robes claimed in their clean little temples.

Kyo liked her guts right where they were, so she didn’t gamble.

Her musings were cut short as the flying demons departed the orb-less corpse of the Eyestalker. Once more taking their place upon the metal-boned thrones of the old world corpse-buildings all around. With their departure, the four legged swarm instantly attacked the Eyestalker corpse. Kyo waited patiently allowing the prey to feast upon the fallen one. They were only fattening for the slaughter in her mind. The moment for striking with claw-talons was close. When the four legs finished their meal, she counted as they entered the Den.

Ten hands.

Eight.

Six.

Four.

Two.

As soon as the count reached two hands of four legs, Kyo struck with blinding speed. Like a mantis unraveling from stillness into motion, her hands struck forward in a pattern of deadly blows. A single talon-claw pierced each four leg’s heads murdering both hand-counts within a fraction of a second from each other. Without delay she quickly stacked the corpses neatly, attaching them to her rat-skin harness with the ease of long practice. The metal-scented rag suit concealed the slight blood-scent of dead prey with ease. As the first twitching nose of a four leg exited the Den to investigate the missing brethren, she departed in the direction of the flying demons.

The Den of four legs only sent two hands after her, which she cleaned up using thrown nail-spikes. Kyo left the fresh corpses untouched after removing her spikes, as an offering to the flying demons above. It was a practice that had served her well over the years, a secret she had learned from patient watching. Without haste she cleaned the nail-spikes removing blood using the sand nearby. Observance of proper ritual to the rulers of the sky had saved her much ear-pulling over the years.

The sacrifice was clearly accepted, and the flying demons allowed her to escape without targeting the fluffy ears on top of her head. Kyo picked her way through the ancient city towards the slowly cooling Wasteland desert. Even though the route was well-traveled that didn’t lower her wariness at all. Those who grew too complacent in the Wastes were quickly removed from the herd and packs of the world through the Law of Natural Selection according to the white-robes.

While crossing a particularly annoying territory within the city claimed by foot sized ants the glint of a shining object lured her into a nearby building. After determining that nothing was nesting inside, Kyo slowly approached the sparkling object that had caught the evening light. Buried into a crack in the building’s wall was a silver ring capped by a sapphire crystal jewel. Three icons of a squiggly plant, a small thatched hut, and a book were etched on the ring in multiple manners. She could almost see a pointy eared human figure too, but it was vague like a trick of the moonlit waterways.

How did anyone miss this? Kyo thought staring at the expensive luxury ring. Her eyes glanced about noting the wall opposite the ring had a clear cut where the ring had penetrated through. A ring from the heavens?

Her fur stood on end, and only iron discipline kept her from fleeing the room. Almost without meaning to, Kyo glanced back at the ring embedded in the wall. Her eyes froze as the sparkling sapphire crystal captured her gaze like a pile of treasure. Even as her mind screamed in terror her body ignored the warning. With almost robotic movement, her right hand reached into the cleft and removed the ring.

Kyo gulped heavily as her body once more came under her control. Sitting in the palm of her right hand was the most gorgeous piece of jewelry she had ever seen in her entire life. It was something the word weavers would make tales about, something Wasteland rulers would pour rivers of blood to possess.

She immediately tried to throw it towards the ant nest nearby.

Kyo flinched as a feeling of pleasant calm came over her mind. Her body once more lost control as she placed the ring into a small pouch on her harness. Shuddering, she decided to ignore the object that clearly had no interest in being cast aside. Rather than attempt a second time, and find out how persuasive the ring might be Kyo returned to exiting the ancient city.

If the ring was cursed, she wouldn’t be able to enter her home city. The totem guardians would handle whatever the ring was, hopefully without killing Kyo in the process. Assuming the wards woven into the sandstone walls could even detect the ring. For some reason she highly doubted the Waste city she called home had the level of power required to detect something like the silver sapphire ring.

Putting it out of mind, Kyo was able to travel rapidly as the wet clothing kept her from overheating. Even though she didn’t have the luxurious fur of full-blooded Catkin it didn’t stop the heat from being a cruel enemy. Heat, specifically the dry, dusty, blood-baked heat of the Waste was the enemy of many of the Beast races. By the time the light of V’nor was almost hidden, her clothing was dry enough to be warm and comfortable, a minor blessing she was thankful for.

Even in the slowly dimming light as evening crept into night Kyo could see without issue, it was one of the reasons she was able to traverse the Waste without fear. Most night predators recognized that attempting to fight her was a gamble not worth taking. Her entire body gave the scent of latent power, making those few predators of the night sands wary of a fight. There was no worry of Kyo getting lost in the Wastes either, as long as her nose worked. It was almost impossible to fail in finding a Waste city as the scent of water permeated each one due to the metal-tainted Oasis. While the Oasis itself was controlled by whoever ruled the city, the water flowed without stopping. Rulers who attempted to keep all the liquid gold to themselves had a wonderful habit of consuming poison before shortly dying in agony. Sometimes they would even leap from balconies in order to add flavor to the deaths.

Even those in the slums knew not to attempt to control the waters.

It was a law of the Waste that even if a traveler arrived at a city after dark they must be allowed to enter. In times long past when the powerful beings worshipped by the white-robes had walked the land before the Wastes existed they often took the form of wandering nomads. According to the stories Kyo had listened to while waiting on food distribution, when denied entry into a city, their rage had been nothing short of apocalyptic. After the war between the powerful beings that created the Wastes, the tradition of allowing travelers entry as long as they passed the city ward’s check remained a constant in the shifting world of sand.

Even millennia later no one wanted to test the traditions.

Kyo saw the lights of her home city on the horizon. The burst of joy she felt was suppressed by long instinct as she became even more cautious. Now that the Waste city was in sight, the predators didn’t crawl, fly, or run on four feet. Instead it was two legged enemies that became prevalent the closer to a city one came. She had no intention of losing her ten four legs to the predation of two legged robbers.

Slinking down onto all fours Kyo prepared for the last leg of her journey.