[Mkguild] MK: Dust II

[Jack Moore]

AN: Was originally going to post this story in the big chunks I wrote it
in, only to discover the mailing list had trouble with those big sections,
so I decided to post them in shorter sections.

The inspiration I am taking for this world is 19th century Europe,
especially countries without freedom of movement. To us today it seems so
bizarre, but once upon a time you had to carry passports everywhere. When I
mention that to people I'm met with disbelief. Funny isn't it?

MK: Dust II

Emma was used to having people share a mount with her but she didn’t
exactly enjoy it. People were sweaty. People were grabby. Above all else
though people smelled terrible. Far too often they smelled of unwashed
cotton, cheap tobac and horse urine.
This man though smelled of nothing worse than soap. Far from grabbing Emma
hard, she had to confirm he was holding her. Sebastian just stared straight
ahead the whole trip, never moving or blinking.
Beyond that it was Emma’s experience most riders jumped at every noise or
movement in the woods. They were always sure a Rifter was going to jump out
and slaughter them where they stood. Emma never worried, she’d killed
plenty in her life and could kill plenty more. Sebastian also didn’t worry.
In fact he never mentioned the Rifters once.
Somehow this left Emma more unsettled.
For Sebastian’s part he could feel every bump and twitch from the muscles
of the horse. Emma’s tail occasionally slapped against his leg. And he
could feel the butt of a sword, one he hadn’t noticed at the bar, jabbing
against his stomach.
They rode until the sky had turned a deep wine red. Soon enough though a
shimmering curtain began to peak out in front of them. Before long the two
could see a sea of orange lights. They rode on the empty bridge over the
water, usually full of travelers. All were inside now, not ready to risk
attack by Rifters.
Giftum had been built after the destruction of the first city bearing its
name four hundred years ago. It had been created with no planning or
design, and now it was a sprawling mass of wooden and stone, spreading out
in all directions and stopped only by the river it stood near. Yet it
looked amazing at night, shining from hundreds of gas lights and the dome
of pure light that covered it.
“Alright Seb,” Emma said, “Welcome to Giftum.” Sebastian whistled, causing
her ear to start ringing. “Next time not near the otter ears.”
“Sorry.” Sebastian said sheepishly. “Just I always like seeing a new city.”
Before Emma could respond he let go of her waist and jumped off the horse.
“The barrier makes it look so shiny.”
“Yeah it also keeps the Rifters out.” Emma said. Her eyes made her way to
the tower that grew out from the center of the city. A hundred in
circumference at the base and growing narrower as it raised up. Mounted on
the top was a blinding white light, like a false star.
The barrier it created shimmered unceasingly. This barrier would cause
Rifters indescribable pain should they try to enter, so none did. As long
as the people paid their taxes the barrier stayed on and the people stayed
safe.
“Their were threats before the Rifters. I mean, the city was burned down
before the Rifters.” Sebastian said. Emma glanced down at him.
“Well yeah I know.”
“Their were lutin attacks,” Sebastian said, “Before they were driven to
near extinction. Their were wars, dragons, evil mages, evil mages living in
evil chateaus” Now he was grinning, “A human-elven war, even the
intervention of gods.”
“Right.” Emma said, interrupting him. “Well right now there's me on a horse
who needs to be stabled and you staring at a barrier like it's the greatest
thing in history. We going to get going or we going to stare?”
“I apologize.” Sebastian said half-halfheartedly. “Let us continue our
voyage.” Emma nudged her mount to start again. Sebastian walked beside her,
one hand on her mount all the way. His eyes though stayed focused on the
city in front of them.
In spite of its misshapen form Giftum was surrounded by a series of guard
houses, wooden fences and gates. A guardsman sat in the hut wearing the
blue and white uniform of the Union. He didn’t glance up as Emma and
Sebastian approached.
>From a distance Emma could see his hands moving. It took her a moment to
realize he was playing a card game by himself. Emma’s fur bristled.
Seriously? Union’s gone to shit since I left the service.
Casabian squealed and stumbled to a halt in front of the barrier. Animal’s
as a rule also didn’t like the barriers. In truth Emma hated them as well
but they were necessary. Emma gave her mount a small kick.
'I always hate this part,' She thought as she crossed through the barrier.
When you entered a barrier their were several sensations that went through
your mind at once. First was that the wall kept growing brighter, until it
was the brightest thing in the world.
Then the cold hit you. It rushed up through your nostrils until it infected
spread from the tips of your ears to the edges of your toes. All the while
you could feel your inside being scrubbed, though that wasn’t an accurate
term for the sensation.
The rush of blood blocked out the sound of the world. Your heart usually
started racing without picking up speed, just suddenly it was banging to
get out of your chest. The world was little more than a backdrop.
And then, as fast as it came, the sensation left you. Less than a second
but always lasting an eternity. Coming through the barrier, Emma shuddered.
“You never get used to that.”
“Used to what?” Sebastian raised a brow, “The barrier? I like it!” Now it
was Emma’s turn for incredulity.
“You like the barrier?” The gray man nodded at her. “The barrier feels like
its replacing your blood with soapy ice water.”
“Perhaps,” Sebastian conceded. “But it’s a completely unique sensation, one
you can’t feel anywhere else on Earth.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” Emma climbed off Casabian and took the reins in
her hand. She approached the guard shack. The shack itself was a little
wooden cube with a peeling black shingle roof. It sat in the middle of a
wooden fence, with a wooden gate to the left blocking the entrance. Two
guards stood in front of it, holding rifles, wearing the blue uniforms of
this state. Neither moved, neither blinked, both the picture of Union
professionalism.
They might have glanced at the two but if they did it was only for a
second. Emma moved past them, over to the shack. She tapped on the window.
“Excuse me.” The man held up a finger. He was a very round man, fitting in
his uniform with a lot of luck. Emma could smell his lack of bathing
through the window. His hair was blond, thin on the top but military cut in
the back. “Excuse me! I’m trying to get in.” The large man sighed.

“Lady it’s late, why couldn’t you” He glanced up and finally saw who he was
speaking to. “Oh you’re a Keeper.” Emma suppressed an urge to wince.
Instantly the man’s demeanor changed from annoyed to sympathetic. “I’m
sorry, I just need your name and I’ll get the gate right open for you, poor
girl.”

“Thanks.” Emma mumbled. Sebastian smiled.

“Well at least he’s being nice.” Emma didn’t respond. She pulled out her
passport, always with her since she frequently traveled between cities.

“I hope you have yours.” Emma mumbled. Sebastian pulled his out from his
semi-infinite bag, pushing it past Emma to the guard.

“Something bothering you?” Sebastian asked as the big man looked at their
passports.
“Purpose of travel?” The guardsman asked.
“Further travel, north to Meridian city.” Emma said. “We won’t be staying
long.” The fat guard wrote that down in a ledger he had, before stamping
both passports.
“Enjoy your stay.” He said. Emma nodded and grabbed both passports.
Sebastian followed closely behind.
“At least he’s treating you better than that bounty hunter was.” Sebastian
said.
“Yeah of course,” Emma said as the guards opened the gate, leading Casabian
forward, “Nothing quite like being condescended to and called a poor child.”
Giftum was not the largest city in the world, not by any means. But
nonetheless it had a special kind of beauty to it. The streets ranged from
flat packed dirt, cobble stones and even some nice brick.
The buildings were tightly packed, even in the wealthier areas. They
reflected a city built back from nothing. Traveling through here Emma
wondered for a moment how hard it was to rebuild. Your homes are burned to
the ground, but they brought them back.
'I’d have moved,' Emma thought to herself. 'Wouldn’t want to live where all
my friends died.'
The roads were lined with gas lamps, big black poles with orange globes at
the top. The figures that moved through the streets could only be glimpsed
briefly as they walked between these halos. They briefly glanced up at the
two, always giving Emma a smile. Sebastian watched them with a detached
curiosity.
“Beautiful.” He whispered. Emma gave him an aside glance.
“What is?” She asked. From where they stood there was a crossway before
them with several identical buildings packed together. Standing under one
lamp was a reptilian Keeper, with tan scales, golden eyes and spines
growing out of the back of her head. She wore a dress with a low cut that
showed off her lack of cleavage and her golden eyes darted at every figure.
Sebastian pointed.
“It’s a prostitute!” He exclaimed.
“Yes...yes it is.” Emma’s tail unintentionally slapped the back of her
legs. “Please tell me you’re not going to hire her.”
“No of course not.” Sebastian said. His behavior had drawn the prostitute’s
attention. She looked as confused as Emma. “I’ve just never seen one
outside of a book.” Rather than shock her, this just rolled off of Emma. It
fit with his bizarre behavior up to this point.
“You’ve never seen a prostitute outside of a book?” Emma asked, barely
disbelieving. The prostitute now took a step back. If lizards could sweat
then she was now. Again Emma grabbed his cape. “Let’s get going big boy, I
gotta get Casabian quartered.”
“Of course.” Sebastian said, though still not moving. Finally Emma yanked
him forward.

AN: One thing I'm always interested in is watching how cities and countries
change in (relatively) short times. The world as it is now and the world
400 years ago would be unrecognizable. Heck, 100 years ago would be hard to
recognize. How does that apply to the world of MK? Well I hope to find out.
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