She sat on an outcropping that overlooked the choppy water surrounding the old city. Her legs dangling off the edge, back resting against the corrupted earth, and a bag of marbles in her lap. Vera ran her thumb over the soft hide bag as she looked into the distance, a half interested stare at a dot on the cloudy horizon. Likely a ship skirting around Port Silver. Probably sailors too scared of the corruption to come near.
Or possibly just something in her eye. Likely the latter. “Yes.” Probably since she’d knocked some chunks and dust off in climbing this far up.
“Ooor… maybe not.” Something like that would probably hurt to get in one’s eye.
“What if dead corruption got in someone’s eye? What then? Bah-“ She pulled one of the marbles out and tossed it. She aimed for the dot that may or may not be imagined, the black speck where the sky met the water, and threw. She lost sight of the marble as it arced and fell, though the speck that may or may not be a ship remained.
“Bet it’s a temple working in rising up outta the water.” She tilted her head to try and get a different perspective. But temple’s don’t often rise out of oceans for no reason.
She tossed another marble with this new perspective. It still disappeared like the last one. She whistled this time as it dropped. She tried to imagine the sound of it hitting the debris covered ground below. She heard nothing. “Bet it sounds like a crack.” Or maybe a thud? “Probably a thud.”
Tzemik would know. “Why would Tzemik know? She makes hands ooze and bones snap.” Well the speck could be a giant waking up in the depths. She could probably snap a giant’s bones. “No, that’s ridiculous, Vera.”
She pulled her arm back as far as she could and yelled, “Giant’s beware,” as it hurled only a smidge farther than any of the others had gone. “Beware of… yeah…”
She sighed. The moor let her head fall back on the mottled and corrupted stone, but winced at some sharp bit that rudely protruded into her scalp. “Nether blasted piece of sh-“
Did the speck just move? No. Yes? Maybe it was a new nether portal blasting up into the sky. But.. slowly. Very slowly. “Too slow to be a nether portal.” Those things had more personality than a speck on the horizon. Not like she’d ever been, of course. “Looked at the thing here, though. Bit unsightly.” What was behind it? More specks? Millions of specks? Specks on fire.
Another marble fell, though this time merely by Vera’s design of dropping the thing to its doom. No hurling. No lobbing. Drop. “Down you go..”
She dumped the rest of the bag and imaging the crack thud clinks as they smashed bounced rolled cracked onto the ground below. Vera tossed the bag into the evening breeze and stood. The wind whipped lightly at her baggy breeches, but she didn’t mind it. In a matter of seconds hours days minutes she has climbed down from her perch. The marbles had beaten her. She tilted her head curiously at the ground. “Cracked. Definitely cracked.”
She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Why do the fingerstips have to stick through the holes?” Pockets should not have holes. “But they do.” Cities should also not have gaping portals to hell. “But this one does.”
Her feet carried her to the courtyard. She sucked a bit of air in through her teeth, noting the acrid smell of brimstone around her. She should be used to it. “But why should anyone get used to the smell of a realm of fire?”
She looked up at the darkening sky. What was just a cloudy evening was turning into a hazy twilight. “It’ll rain later.” Not like she’d be around to know. She was done looking at water specks. Maybe fire specks would be better.
“And there she went.”
Or possibly just something in her eye. Likely the latter. “Yes.” Probably since she’d knocked some chunks and dust off in climbing this far up.
“Ooor… maybe not.” Something like that would probably hurt to get in one’s eye.
“What if dead corruption got in someone’s eye? What then? Bah-“ She pulled one of the marbles out and tossed it. She aimed for the dot that may or may not be imagined, the black speck where the sky met the water, and threw. She lost sight of the marble as it arced and fell, though the speck that may or may not be a ship remained.
“Bet it’s a temple working in rising up outta the water.” She tilted her head to try and get a different perspective. But temple’s don’t often rise out of oceans for no reason.
She tossed another marble with this new perspective. It still disappeared like the last one. She whistled this time as it dropped. She tried to imagine the sound of it hitting the debris covered ground below. She heard nothing. “Bet it sounds like a crack.” Or maybe a thud? “Probably a thud.”
Tzemik would know. “Why would Tzemik know? She makes hands ooze and bones snap.” Well the speck could be a giant waking up in the depths. She could probably snap a giant’s bones. “No, that’s ridiculous, Vera.”
She pulled her arm back as far as she could and yelled, “Giant’s beware,” as it hurled only a smidge farther than any of the others had gone. “Beware of… yeah…”
She sighed. The moor let her head fall back on the mottled and corrupted stone, but winced at some sharp bit that rudely protruded into her scalp. “Nether blasted piece of sh-“
Did the speck just move? No. Yes? Maybe it was a new nether portal blasting up into the sky. But.. slowly. Very slowly. “Too slow to be a nether portal.” Those things had more personality than a speck on the horizon. Not like she’d ever been, of course. “Looked at the thing here, though. Bit unsightly.” What was behind it? More specks? Millions of specks? Specks on fire.
Another marble fell, though this time merely by Vera’s design of dropping the thing to its doom. No hurling. No lobbing. Drop. “Down you go..”
She dumped the rest of the bag and imaging the crack thud clinks as they smashed bounced rolled cracked onto the ground below. Vera tossed the bag into the evening breeze and stood. The wind whipped lightly at her baggy breeches, but she didn’t mind it. In a matter of seconds hours days minutes she has climbed down from her perch. The marbles had beaten her. She tilted her head curiously at the ground. “Cracked. Definitely cracked.”
She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Why do the fingerstips have to stick through the holes?” Pockets should not have holes. “But they do.” Cities should also not have gaping portals to hell. “But this one does.”
Her feet carried her to the courtyard. She sucked a bit of air in through her teeth, noting the acrid smell of brimstone around her. She should be used to it. “But why should anyone get used to the smell of a realm of fire?”
She looked up at the darkening sky. What was just a cloudy evening was turning into a hazy twilight. “It’ll rain later.” Not like she’d be around to know. She was done looking at water specks. Maybe fire specks would be better.
“And there she went.”
Last edited:
