[Mkguild] Metamor Keep: Dust

[Jack Moore]

AN: I've been struggling with Life. It's written but it's...not good. And I
need to fix it. While doing that I was batting around an idea I've had for
basically forever. I like looking at the MK Wiki, anybody who know's me
will know this. And one thing I always found interesting was the future of
MK section.

They were always optimistic futures where the Keep had survived and the
descendants of our favorite characters are as great as their forebears.
That got me thinking though, what if that wasn't what happened?

After writing like a loon and speaking some to Chris O'Kane, I decided to
try writing one chapter of the idea in my head. The thing is I genuinely
don't know if this is worth a damn or not. I decided I'd just post the
chapter over the next few days, and if it was well received maybe I'd write
more (shrugs).

Anyway, that was my thought process. I rewrote the MK world in my head, set
it in the future, and changed the dynamics. The story in question I titled
MK: Dust.

Enjoy.

MK: Dust












































*1142 - 428 Years into the Union of the Ten StatesSouthern MidlandsThe name
of the tavern was the Argent Canyon, rather an odd name for a tavern on
flat land. Their were mountains in the distance, it was hard to get away
from mountain’s in the Midlands after all. But right here were no canyons
and no silver, just dirt roads, hitching posts and a thick growth of trees
behind it.The tavern sat outside of blip of a town called Skidsbe. Most
nights villagers, be they human of Keeper, rode out here to enjoy a strong
drink. Right now it was noon and one solid black horse waited here, hitched
up. Usually no one would be along for hours.Right now it was summer. The
trees were green but a bit dry, it had been a very dry summer. There was no
barrier over the tavern, but Rifter attacks in this area had always been
low. They also attacked more often at night and were not likely to attack a
building where the patron’s were well armed.No one should have been coming
along until night. But the sound of hoofbeats soon broke the silence. Off
in the distance a horse and rider were rushing towards the tavern.The horse
was a magnificent creature, with golden fur and a silken mane. The rider
was less magnificent. It was a human male with tan skin, short black hair
and thick. He might have once had muscles but by now they had turned to
mush.The rider was above average height. He wore a stained gray shirt with
blue denim pants, A ratty brown duster with a bowler hat that barely stuck
to his head. The man had a gun at his waist, a golden wrist band on his arm
and a length of rope across his chest. “Fucking whore.” The man grunted,
hitching his horse in front of the bar. “Making me come out here. She’ll
pay well.” The man grunted out a laugh. He paused a moment in front of the
bar to check his gun.The day was hot and dry, they’d been in the middle of
a drought. The wooden bar looked like it had been baked, its walls were
caked in mud and blood from many a different client. The steps up to the
porch buckled and squeaked under the weight of the bounty hunter.“Steps
fall out and I’ll kick some ass,” The hunter mumbled. He paused again in
front of a brass plaque that showed off the name of the bar. It was
incredibly reflective and perfectly showed off the hunter’s face. He
grinned, “I still got it.” The hunter took out a cigarello and stuck it in
his mouth. "Let's get the bitch."“If you don’t mind my asking, which
bitch?” The hunter turned behind him.Behind the hunter was another human
man, at least he seemed human. He was shorter than the hunter, with bright
white hair that seemed to explode out of his head. His skin though looked
dusky, almost gray in fact. It wasn’t natural.He wore black pants with a
puffy white shirt with two arm garters. He had a black vest with copper
buttons and a flowing black and red cape. His hat, a simple black and gray
bowler, he held in his hands. One hand had a white cloth wrapped over it
and a single silver ring on his finger. “Excuse me?” The hunter asked. The
gray man held up a hand “I don’t mean to pry,” He said, “But I was
inquiring if we’re after the same individual. I have come here looking for
a Keeper woman, a scout!” The hunter frowned. “Her name is Emma.” “You want
the bitch,” The hunter growled, “You shoulda got here first. I found her.
Piss off you asshole.” “I am not trying to take you prey, I just wondered-"
SLAM! The door cut off the gray man’s question.“Perhaps that was not the
best method of inquiry.” He muttered to himself. “Perhaps though this will
give me a chance to see her in action…” He ran up the stairs behind the
hunter.The Argent Canyon was hot in the way that only those dry wooden
buildings are. It was very clean and everything finished a deep brown
color. The decor of the place was wood and brick, meant to give the feeling
of a hundred year old tap house. In truth the Argent had been built only
ten years ago, but the owner had decorated well.The bar was a long oak bar
with a brass railing and several stools bolted in place. Behind them was
the bartender, a reptilian Keeper. The gray man guessed he was an iguana.
The reptile was polishing a solid glass mug when the gray man entered. He
gave him a brief glance with bright red eyes before going back to his
glass.The bar had several round oak tables spread out through the room. All
were empty, all except the one near the brick fireplace. Sitting there was
a solitary figure nursing a beer. The hunter and gray man both honed in on
her.'There she is.' The gray man’s knees began to shake. 'How long? After
all this time, she is right there.' She was the otter Keeper he had
imagined. She had brown outer fur (that looked gray in certain lights) and
white inner fur, along with a big black nose. Her whiskers were long and
framed her mouth that had a couple of fangs peak out with each sip. Her
eyes looked black and her ears were drooping right now. There was a
necklace around her neck, tucked under her shirt.From behind her seat her
long and willowy tail swayed back and forth, looking especially slow in the
heat. Her claws meanwhile tapped against the wooden table. They tapped
faster as soon as she saw the gray man.While most women wore hoop skirts
and petticoats with a bonnet, the otter wore none of these. No real
surprise, Keepers always went against the grain. She wore a red cotton bib
shirt which bulged rather noticeable in the chest. Her black pants were
meant for someone without a tail, a hole in the back having been torn,
possibly by her claws. Her boots were mud caked and falling apart,
especially in the heel. Her pistol sat not in its holster at her side but
on her lap. Her dirty coat was draped over her chair.She’s exactly like
you’d think! The gray man tried not to laugh. Emma Caliberas. I’ve finally
found you.“Bullseye.” The hunter growled growled. He tossed his cigarello
on the floor, earning a glowering look from the iguana. Ignoring this the
hunter sauntered way over to the otter’s table. Emma for her part only
responded with a drink.“What?” She grumbled. The hunter put a hand on his
pistol.“I’ve been looking for ya girl.” The man said, sitting down across
from her. He put his feet up on the table, shaking it hard enough to spill
some of Emma’s beer. This barely garnerd a reaction from the otter. “You
owe a lot a money, and my employers want ta,” He laughed, “they gotta
settle an account.”“Settle it later.” Emma said, taking another drink.
Sebastian noticed her eyes were focused on something. He followed her gaze
to see she was focused on the man’s golden bangle. “I wanna enjoy my
beer.”“Fraid I can’t do that girl.” The hunter said. “I gotta get paid. And
you got a bounty.” He grinned at her. “So, whatta ya say? Do it easy, or
hard?” His hand was now on his gun. His other hand, the one with the
bracelet, was on the table.Emma took another drink. You’d never guess she
had a man holding a gun on her. The hunter for his part was still trying to
be intimidating. It wasn’t working.“You got a runic bracelet.” Emma said.
The hunter raised a brow. “Let me guess, makes ya strong? Fast? Can heal
from anything?”“Something like that.” The man said with a grin. “Lady I cut
my bones in Flatlands. I can shoot a sovereign out of the sky. You come
with me and I ain’t gotta hurt you.” Emma just sighed.“You know why those
bracelets have a gap in the middle?” Emma asked, “And aren’t just a
complete band?” Before the man could respond Emma’s hand struck. She
grabbed the bangle and easly removed it.“Hey!” The man tried to unholster
his gun, only to find Emma pointing hers at him.“Because they don’t want
them to be difficult to remove.” Emma said. “Just in case you idiots ever
tried something funny.” She tossed the bracelet behind her. It smacked
against the fireplace with a metallic clatter.“I don’t use magic,” Emma
said, “Soldiers get over reliant on it and then they get soft. And you were
not at Flatlands. If you were, I’d never have been able to do that ” The
hunter began to hyperventilate. Both of them stood, neither wanting to make
a move.The hunter blinked first. He leapt at Emma’s gun, trying to grab it
from her hand. Unfortunately for the hunter, she was ready. Emma slid away
from the table, letting the man crash against it and send her beer flying.
She cracked him between the eyes with the butt of her pistol, knocking him
out in a single hit. 'Like from my history books,' The gray man thought to
himself. 'Goddess. How do I approach her?' “Goddamn it Emma!” The bartender
yelled, snapping Sebastian back to reality. “I told you, I friggin’ told
you if one more debt collector came for you here-” “Oh shut it!” Emma
interrupted. “One unconscious ass isn’t a big deal. How about another
beer?” The bartender pointed at the door. “You broke another glass.” “At
least this time I didn’t break the table.” Emma protested. “Besides,
dumbass here broke the glass. Not me.” The hunter groaned and tried lifting
his head, only to earn another blow from the gun. “I don’t care.” The
iguana said. “Too many sketchy debt collectors and too many fights in my
bar. Get out!” Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah I hear ya.” Emma
reholstered her gun. From her very light coin purse the otter withdrew a
couple of small gold sovereigns and flicked them onto the table. “That’ll
cover the drink ya tight ass.” The iguana kept pointing at the door. Emma
pushed by the gray man never once acknowledging him. As the door slammed
shut behind her the bartender finally turned his attention to him. “Sorry
you saw that.” The iguana said. “Can I get you a drink?” The gray man
slowly shook his head. “I have to go.” Before the iguana could inquire
further he was already out the door and following Emma. The otter was
mounting her horse when the gray man found her. “Excuse me!” Emma didn’t
glance over. “Excuse me miss! I’d like to speak to you.” Now she sighed.
“What?” Emma asked. “If I owe you money I’m afraid I owe a lot of people
money and you’re going to have to wait.” She noticed the gray man was
grinning. It left Emma unsettled. “What do you want?” “I want to hire you!”
The gray man said. She scratched her head, as if she didn’t understand what
was being said.“You want to what?” Emma asked. “To hire you. Oh wait,
please allow me to introduce myself.” The man flourished his cape. “I am
Jason Sebastian Dust. I am pleased to make your acquaintance madame.” He
bowed with one hand across his chest.“Great.” Emma said, “Look I dunno what
you want or what the fuck you’re trying, but I got no money.“I assure you
madame I mean you no harm.” Sebastian held up his hands, “I have no
weapons, I have no ulterior motives. I came looking for a scout and I have
heard of you by reputation. I wish to acquire your services for a venture
in the north.” “Right…” Emma resumed mounting her horse. “It’s going to
look like I’m leaving, but that’s only because I’m leaving.” Sebastian
pulled from his bag a small purse of coins and tossed it at Emma’s feet.
The bag popped open, sending little aluminum coins scattering across the
ground. Aluminum sovereigns. Emma hopped doing off her horse. “That’s a lot
of coins.” Emma observed. Sebastian nodded. “Alright, let’s talk.” She
hitcher her horse again and picked up the bag. “You wanted to hire me for a
job? Well then, what’s the job?” Sebastian began to speak again, so fast
that Emma couldn’t understand him. He paused and held up a hand. “I
apologize for my unprofessionalism.” Sebastian said, “The Semi-Infinite Bag
is rather full-” “The Semi-Infinite Bag?” Emma asked, raising a brow. “So
it takes me a bit of time--Ah!” Sebastian began to pull out a massive
crumpled paper ball. He began attempting to unfold it as fast as he could,
leaning against Emma’s horse to straighten it out. “Don’t touch Casabian.”
Emma growled. “My sincerest protestations.” Sebastian said, barely noticing
her growling at him. “I just-Ah-there we go.” Sebastian’s map was of the
continent in all its crinckled glory. The map was a bit old but it did
still show the entire continent and all ten states in it. His fingers ran
up the map to the northern Midlands. Sebastian’s hand began to tremble
until he pressed against one very specific spot. “I’d like to travel to
Metamor Keep.” Sebastian whispered. “No.” “I know it would be
expensive,-”“God in heaven no!” Emma said. “That’s past the Ten States.
That’s near Giant Downs, No-Man’s Land. Some of the worst Rifts are there.
Oh, and it’s friggin cursed. Won’t mess with me, it will fuck you up.” “It
will be no issue I assure you.” Sebastian said. “Small groups like us are
unlikely to get attacked so long as we move quickly.” Emma shook her head.
“No way” She knocked the map out of his hands into the dirt. “Nope, not
interested. Metamor Keep is a ruin, nothing you need there. I won’t do it.”
Sebastian reached into his bag and withdrew a second small bag full of
aluminum coins. The breath stuck in Emma’s chest. “Damn it.” She whispered.
Emma snatched the coin bag from Sebastian’s hand. “Why the hell do you want
to go there so badly? It’s an empty ruin.” “I disagree.” Sebastian said.
“It’s everything I need.” 'I’m not getting anywhere,' Emma thought to
herself. She rubbed her temples. “Okay, you want to go there so badly. Why
me? Their are lots of bodyguards you could hire.” Sebastian shook his head.
“Not a bodyguard.” Sebastian said. “I don’t need a bodyguard. I need a
scout. A scout who won’t worry about the curse.” “Lots of scouts out
there.” “Not all of them are Keepers” Sebastian replied. “A scout leads and
protects their client. That’s what I need.” Emma sighed. She looked at the
point on the map again. Sebastian could see her will power starting to
crumble. “It’ll take a day on the train to get to Giftum by train.” Emma
said. She began to map out the journey in her head. “I’ll have to leave my
mount behind. In Giftum...we’ll see what we can do.” Sebastian now was
beaming at her. That just made her regret this even more. Emma now bent
down to pick up Sebastian’s map. Looking at it she began to trace a path
from where they were to where Sebastian wanted to be. “The roads there will
be over grown. Their won’t be an easy way to get there. We leave right now,
I could have you there tomorrow night. Night, listen to me. Night!” “I
understand and accept that possibility.” Sebastian said. “Night is when
Rift attacks are at their worst!” Emma snapped. “What weapon’s you got? You
got any guns?” Sebastian shook his head. “No Mage’s collar, so let me
guess. No magic either?” Sebastian smiled again. “Yeshua the Savior, what
exactly do you bring that a bag of potatoes doesn’t?”“Purpose.” Sebastian
said, causing her to laugh.“Purpose.” Emma shook her head. “You want me to
die for purpose. Fucking hell.” She looked at the two bags in her hands.
“Can you pay for everything?” Sebastian nodded at her. “To damn in debt
anyway. Fine. You got yourself a scout.” She reached out a hand which
Sebastian eagerly shook.“I assure you madame, you won’t regret this.”
Sebastian said.“Regret it?” Emma asked. “I regret it already!” She rubbed
her eyes. “If we’re going to do this we need to head towards Giftum right
now. We can catch the evening trade. Stop smiling, it’s creeping me out.”
“No issue madame.” Sebastian said. Emma again mounted Casabian, this time
helping Sebastian up. The horse hesitated with Sebastian on its back, but
the otter rubbed its big neck to it calmed. “There's an overnight train
North in Giftum.” The otter said. “I’ll stable Casabian, you get the
tickets, got it?” The man nodded. Emma kicked the horse and they took off
down the road, kicking up a cloud of dirt as they went.*


AN: Long section. Will be a long chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I know their
are many questions, they will be answered. Don't worry if you don't know
some of the things they're referring to, I want to explain everything.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.integral.org/archives/mkguild/attachments/20180917/aaf44110/attachment-0001.html>