Chapter 8 - The Defense of the Moon

[Jack]

(Kyi\\Finch)
Kyi instantly cleared out the city of its citizens, pushing them off into a forest nearby once she heard attackers may come. Not just any attackers, though, a group of people who wished to kill the queen, or something of the sort. Then again, it could just be gossip. Then again, it could be truth.

Quickly, Kyi had gathered some volunteers - very few, but still some - to help her defend the entrance of Black Moon. They waited at the Black Gates, silver swirls etched in all over the metal, and attatched to a large wall that looped all around the City of the Damned.

The city seemed to be more deathly quiet then usual, missing it's slightly talkitive citizens and all. Being that the citizens lived underground, their conversations were constantly muffled which made the entire city sound like wind and moaning coming up from below. Some people who had passed through told their friends once before that the moans came from the depths of Hell, but Kyi knew otherwise.

As most days were here, the wind thrashed harshly, causing Kyi's daggers to bash around in her pockets, and her chain to clink and clank against her side. She had her hair up, with the two strands of hair gently hanging down by her cheeks. They weren't gentle for long though, the wind continued to make them flick harshly at the air, and her ponytail waved gently with the motion. In her right hand she held one of her daggers tightly. It was a good thing she knew to hold it by it's handle, considering she was holding it so tightly - if she had been holding it's blade it was sure the blade would have cut right through her hand. Her eyes narrowed as she scoped out the land placed infront of her, looking for anyone she didn't recognize, her grip tightening as her thoughts swirled. More memories she didn't know, the ones she tried to figure out, taunted her again, adding to her rage. To calm herself, she quickly thought of her love. Telling herself to do this, get through it, and live - for him.

[Jack]

(Kyi)
A large wind then roared over the barren land, forcing Kyi to raise up her arms to protect her eyes. The wind then lashed, Kyi's dagger quivering in her grasp, then suddenly fluttering away, striking at it's own owner. Twitching her head away, Kyi wiped at that new blood under her right eye. Quickly she dashed out, skidding to a halt and swiped up her dagger. Crouching, she held the dagger loosely and murmured some words quietly, but loudly in her mind. The wind began to swirl slowly into a circle, then lessen its speed and cause small dust clouds to rise about, almost like a show.

Grinning, Kyi stood, tightening her grip on the dagger's handle. The cut on her cheek still bled lightly, but she didn't take much notice. Checking the people around, there was only one she could see. The other must have drifted off earlier that morning to Darkened Sun, since they needed more protection if people were to come.

Kyi was growing nervous, and wondering if this all was necessary. People threatened to get rid of the Queen everyday, and were eventually missing the next, or they were just messing around. She was unsure, but decided to see what would happen anyways.

"Ronin?" Kyi turned towards the one volunteer, "Shall we go back for tonight? I believe no one's going to come, and I can't control the wind as much as I wish without getting in trouble, as you may or may not know." Scratching the back of her neck, Kyi watched Ronin's figure step closer.

"Mayhap... You're bleeding, by the way." Ronin quirked her head to the side, then back to normal and coughed gently.

"I know, it was the wind's harshness that brought my own weapon upon me. Anyhow, I think it's best if we go back to the Haven, just for tonight, then come back tomorrow morning. Not sure if I can carry you all the way - by flying, of course." Kyi licked her lips, spitting afterwards from the dust that had caught to them. Ronin paused before she answered, placing her hand thoughtfully on her sword's handle.

[Jack]

(Ronin)
Ronin suppressed the urge to sneeze violently as the wind whipped more dust clouds into her face. Her eyes watered and whatever moisture remained in her mouth dried as she pressed the cloth of her travel cloak over her breathing holes to filter out some of the matter. The few wisps of hair escaping her up-do curved against the line of her cheek.

‘Supernatural weather… Vengeful and meant to obscure,’ she thought as her hand hesitantly left her sword. She really wanted to kill the winds’ movements, but decided that slashing at the air would be a rather silly whim to follow. Never mind useless.

Plus, she was slightly uneasy about that cut marring Kyi Moonfeather’s face. All that dust and foreign material clinging to the mouth of the wound invited serious infection. Ronin forced that thought away and considered the statement Kyi had posed just moments before.

“Yeah… We should go back,” Ronin replied, her voice muffled due to the fabric against her lips.

“If you drop me, I’ll find me way back,” she added.

The wind decided at that moment to throw a little more dust into her sparsely lashed eyes and the oaths formed in her throat, pouring forth freely and then subsiding into hoarse coughing.

Kyi only arched one of her brows at the human girl’s outbursts. “Try your hardest not to die."

The odd Elemental dipped her head and moved her lips to a language alien to Ronin’s ears. Suddenly, a very different kind of wind circulated around both of them. It carried no dirt and somehow took away the ill effects of the vindictive wind. Kyi glanced at the volunteer’s surprised demeanor and smiled impishly.

“Shwee.”

[Jack]

(Kyi\\Finch)
Kyi's smile dwindled as she fumbled around for her white rag. After a few moments, she dabbed her bleeding cheek gently with the rag then slipped it back carefully into one of her many pockets.

The wind now blew towards the Haven, perfect for flying, thanks to Kyi's training. Shaking off her jacket and tying around her waist, Kyi waited a short moment and her black, normal wing sprouted out, teathers of her shirt dangling at the spiky tips. Her metal wing was only a half a second behind, spreading out above her as well.

"Shwee!" Kyi said again, smiling, and grabbing Ronin gently by her two arms as she rose up into the air. Gradually, the two gathered around six feet into the air, Ronin being the start mark of six feet, and Kyi's head being about nine.

Thanks to the new wind direction they flew smoothly and swiftly back to the Haven. It took only about forty-five minutes at the most to reach the bar near the entrance.

Landing as quietly as they could - considering it was around nine - and sneaked into the back where Kyi usually stayed.

Kyi put her wings back down and opened up the sidebed she had in the room for Ronin. "If you need more blankets there in the cabinet over there." Kyi motioned towards it with her hand, then took her place on her own bed, snuggling up under the covers as she began to doze.

[Jack]

(Ronin)
The overall appearance of Black Moon Haven left her gasping for breath again.. Or maybe it had been the result of flying with Kyi Moonfeather for nearly three-fourths of an hour.

At first, the appeal of actual flight had smoothed out Ronin's uneasiness about heights. As the minutes stretched however, the complaints in her head, her chest, and her stomach started. And a strange itch had started in her back where her birthmarks were. These problems seemed to accompany the wandererer whenever she found herself in the air. She detested her symptoms.

The fact that they had to be very discreet upon their arrival at BMH instantly put Ronin on her guard. Just whose attention were they trying to escape?

'Muggers, drunkards.. and oh yeah, the people who are bent on murdering the Queen.'

In any case, the tension between her shoulders did not ease until they had reached their desired destination-- Kyi's backroom in the BM bar. Ronin had been hit with the smell of cream upon entering the room. Underneath the strong fragrance was a subtle, but unmistakable odor of carcinogen-laced tobacco. And on the walls were various bits of paper tacked every which way. At first, the written characters on the papers had appeared to be those of a foreign language, but after seconds of close study, Ronin realized that Kyi's penmanship crossed the border of illegibility.

"Oyasumi nasai," Ronin said to the lump settled in Kyi's bed. She doffed her sword, her boots, and dive bombed her allotted sleeping space. This was much better than the nights she had spent under the DS Tavern and the BM bar tables. A sigh breezed out of her mouth as she rumpled the thin coverlet and pillow to her liking.

The noise caused Kyi to flick the covers off of her head and send a deadpan, sleep-dazed look at she-who-was-still-awake. Ronin winced and took this as her cue to go to sleep.

'I'll make waffles in the morning,' she promised herself as her eyelids fluttered closed.

[Jack]

(Kyi\\Finch)
Kyi woke to the sweet smell of waffles and syrup. The cream scent was still slightly detectable, but not as much.

Kyi's room was much of a cluster. Aside from the tacked up papers, she had some ripped shirts strewn about the floor, trinkets that she had found useless or old, shoelaces, cups, buttons, small boxes, and other assortments. On the farthest wall was her bed, pushed up against the wall. Near the end of it was one of her cabinets, mainly full of clothing. Then on the side wall was a mini-kitchen - currently full of Ronin and her waffle cooking. Then, on the next wall, was a door slightly in the middle but a tad off to the side with another cabinet next to it. That cabinet held blankets, pillows, and other extra things for the kitchen. The next wall had a couch and some other weapons Kyi had on a small coffee table.

Reluctantly, Kyi toppled out of her bed, mumbling about the cold air, and shuffled over to Ronin. Smiling, Ronin waved cheerfully, "I made waffles!" The two sat down on the couch, Kyi with her legs crossed and Ronin sitting normally, they ate their share of the waffles and syrup. Of course, Kyi took out a small bottle of cream that was in one of the kitchen drawers and poured some of it over her waffles.

Finishing their breakfast rather quickly, they gathered up their things and started to head back to the City of the Damned.

It was only 11 o' clock when they left, but because of the harsh winds in the city, they arrived at 12:30. Standing firm once again, Kyi peeked through the black gates of the city. Distracted by the gate's intricate designs, Kyi did not spot the few figures scattered about in the small portion of healthy land outside of the city. The small forest had many trees to hide behind, and whoever they were, they had a hard time hiding their shadows - they were just lucky Kyi didn't notice.

Stepping away from the gates, Kyi sat down by Ronin who was huddled against the ground trying to protect her eyes from the dust that the wind had cast about. Kyi wanted to calm the winds, but they were too harsh. She had a small feeling they were matching her emotions, anyway. Each time she paushed to hold her breath, the wind softened. Maybe it was her actions and emotions - she wasn't sure, and didn't exactly care at the moment.

"We should check the gates every few minutes incase anyone comes. I'm getting kind of worried about the whole thing. We know nothing about them, not really, just the things they did in Hell, so I have no idea how to fight them, really." Kyi stared off in the sky, blinking rarely.

"We'll just have to see, I presume." Ronin said, sitting up as the winds seemed to retreat into a calm, swirling motion.

• • •

[Jack]

(Kyi\\Finch)
As Ronin and Kyi idled about the city, close to the gates, hidden creatures sneaked there way to the front of the forest. They slithered silently through the gate bars, praising their gods that Kyi and Ronin were busy chatting, their backs turned. Still, ever so silently, the tiny swarm of demons popped up, tackling both the girls onto the ground. Howls and yelps echoed into the barren wasteland. Kyi struggled to get her chained dagger, stabbing a few of the very small demons through their heads and chests. Stinging, green blood gushed out at her, luckily not at her face. She twisted her dagger continuously out of their bodies harshly and quickly, just to stab another. She batted a few away, kicking the rest off of her. Ronin had done the similar actions, using her sword to cut the demons to bits with one swift slice, spattering blood onto the dusty ground.

These demons were more like baby Devil spawn, or better yet, demonic imps. Their high-pitched screeches rang through the two girls' ears, slightly distracting them.

"What the Hell is this!" Kyi yelled over the demons, trying to catch a glimpse of Ronin. Dust was kicking up quickly and everything became clouded. With the loss of vision, Kyi found herself hitting the floor again, demons scurrying all over her wings and back. They began to tore at her wings, blowing her temper right then.

With one sly movement, Kyi turned over, crushing half of the demons that were on her back, then smashing the rest with her swipes and kicks. They let out a squeaky howls and yips of pain until she felt and heard their bones crack. She screamed as she felt one of the stronger muscles in her non-bionic wing rip, but she transferred the pain into anger, and cut into the air again. At least ten of the demons fell, and a few decided to retreat. Their howling never ceased, but it did grow dimmer as the clouds of dust began to clear. Cautiously, Kyi turned about, looking for Ronin. The ground was covered in sizzling green-blue blood, as well as red blood that must have belonged to Kyi, and Ronin. Ronin wasn't near her. To her horror, she realized the demons had left because they had somehow killed Ronin and were now taking her body to feast upon somewhere off in the forest.

Shocked, Kyi stood still for a long moment. Ever so slowly she wiped her chained dagger across one of the white cloths she had had in one of her 30 pockets. She let the dagger hang then, not minding to slip it into its strap on her pants. Half zombie-eyed, Kyi wandered over to the gates and opened them slowly, stepping out into the forest. She could see the quick moving bodies of the demons, all huddled around to carry Ronin's dead carcass. Instantly she sprinted, but the demons must have felt the vibrations in the ground and picked up speed. They quickly disappeared behind the trees, reeds and bushes, completely out of Kyi's sight. Not even Ronin's blood left a trail.

Somehow she had gotten to the end of the forest, and now she was standing in the middle of the Ship Port. Ships here took people from Black Moon to Earth, and vice versa. Those people.. Kyi wondered what was going on down on Earth, especially on the side that was frozen. She had heard of a portal to Hell there many times, and again wondered about the people who threatened to kill the Queen of Black Moon. Could it be true? She tilted her head at her thoughts, although people saw it as her tiling her head at nothing. They passed by her, looking at her curiously.

She could always go down there and find out for herself. Tuning in to side conversations of the bustle about her, Kyi heard a thing or two about some sort of war. How would they all know about it she could not figure, but now her curiousity took her over.

"'Scuse me," Kyi said, tapping the shoulder of a man by a door of one of the ships. "Where's a ship that's goin' to that Frozen Planetside or whatever it's called?"

The man blinked. "Uh, I think it's over there." He pointed, and Kyi followed the direction with a nodding thanks.

He had been right, and it was no surprise to her that the ship was completely empty. She hated the fact that people thought that rain and snow was "bad" weather. Cold good, hot bad.

"How much?" Kyi said bluntly.

"Wha'?"

"How much to go on," She raised a brow at the girl chewing bubble gum loudly standing by the ship.

"Oh, right." The girl paused, smacking her gum a few thousand times, getting Kyi worked up. "I dunno." She smiled, then opened the creaky door to the ship. "But I'll let ya go in for one thirty. How's that?"

"Are you kiddin' me? These things usually--" Just take it, you won't need your leftover five dollars. "Sure," Kyi smiled kindly, reached into one of her pockets and shoved her perfectly ordered and flat money into the girl's hand.

"Cool. Uh, enjoy the ride?" The girl gave Kyi a questioning look, but she didn't know how to answer and took a seat inside the ship. She heard the door close with a sucking sound.

The ship was mostly white and a silvery-chrome color. All the seats were soft and plush, but tattered and old. She assumed few people went to the frozen place, and the Ship Port decided to use their crappy ride to get there. Kyi scoffed, taking a seat by one of the windows near the front. While there was a front, there wasn't much of a back. It was a terribly small ship, with at most ten pairs of seats on each side. The front ended with a wall that had a door-shaped cut out in the middle of it, going straight down the aisle. A blue curtain covered it for just one second, and then a rather obnoxious pilot stumbled out.

"Hey thurr, missy," The pilot said, quirking a brow at Kyi. "I'm surprised we gots someone on hurr." Kyi stifled a laugh at his odd talking, wondering if he was trying to be some sort of gangster.

"Yes, well, can we get goin'?" She tried to smile, noticing the man's oddly large hands digging into the seat diagonal of her.

"Oh sure, missy. It'll be a quick one," He grinned a half-toothless grin, then trudged back into the cabin. A sudden rumble and vibration rumbled underneath Kyi's feet and she felt the ship begin to maneuver out of the port. She glanced out the window, staring out into the blue sky.

The ride took only fifteen minutes until the sky was a pure black, twinkling with space stars. "We gonna get goin' fast now, missy!" The pilot called from the cabin, letting out a whoop of excitement as he kicked into light speed. Kyi wondered the point of light speed while Black Moon wasn't too far away from Earth. Perhaps he wanted to get there quickly, or liked the rush; either way it didn't matter.

Her feet were crunching into crisp snow now, the distant noise of the breaking ship flying off onto another point on Earth.

-1 Ronin
(Continued in Frozen Planetside)

[Jack]

(Kyi\\Finch)
The cold wind nipped at Kyi’s bare arms and shoulders, her tank top rippling with it. There was a stale fragrance in the air, one of which she did not prefer. Although it was stale, there was still a tint of blood and death buried deep underneath it. As she scoped the snow-barren land, she noticed odd lumps, heaps and indents in the ground. They were oddly shaped—partially taking the form of something that resembled a human body. Curiosity still burning, Kyi trekked over to one of the lumps, leaving the spot where the ship had landed, her footsteps slowly disappearing underneath the downpour of flakes of snow. With a gentle movement, she half-nudged half-kicked one of the lumps. Mini-avalanches of snow slipped down the lump, revealing bloodied skin and articles of clothing. She kneeled down and started dusting the lump off to find, to no surprise, a body. She couldn’t quite tell if the body was that of a human, what with it’s distortion and bloodiness. The only thing she was sure of was that the creature in front of her was most likely part of the recent Demon War held on this side of Earth.

With a shivery exhale of breath, Kyi stood again. The snow went on for a long time, blending in with the gray-white sky. Why had she come here again? She figured she’d have to walk on, hoping to find someone who could possibly tell her about the portal she had heard of vaguely. Maybe another person, or the same person, would know about this tell-tale war.

Another smell entered Kyi’s nose, still faint and stale. It had to be some sort of fire, smoke or something burning. This was good, and urged her to move on forward. As she walked the snow began to drop heavier and quicker, yet still maintaining the size of a dewdrop. The flakes soon stood out brightly against her black clothing and dark hair. She forced herself to keep her mind off the fact she was walking across a snow-covered grave, and that the crunching beneath her feet wasn’t always just snow.

The smell of fire and smoke grew stronger as she walked on, and decided to try to track it down to its source. It was surprising that so far she hadn’t gotten near exhaustion, but she certainly was tired. It was moments like these she wished she didn’t love her pants so much. She debated on whether or not being a fox at the moment could help her, but only came to the conclusion to use her thinking energy to just walk. Plus, she couldn’t change right now, she wasn’t scared or in need of hiding in the least.

Unfortunately, the source of the fire-smell was not an actual fire. Fortunately, it was the portal to Hell. Of course, she had no idea what it was, except for the chance of it being a portal. She had seen her fair share of portals in her time, and if this wasn’t a portal, she had no idea what it could possibly be.

The warmth it gave off caused all the snow near it to melt and drip, and was now warming Kyi’s chilled skin. She rubbed her hands near it, this time not seeing the CO2 she exhaled into the air. The odd portal whirled, the flames flickering and twitching in the air. The crackling of the fire reminded Kyi of so many things and somehow brought her comfort, until she thought of food. Had she brought any food? She checked all of the pockets she knew didn’t contain daggers. All she found was a slice of beef jerky, half of a loaf of bread, an apple, and a very tiny peach. Why she was caring any of these things and not cream was beyond her. Not feeling as hungry as she thought at first, she zipped and buttoned her pockets closed, then took out a pack of her specially made cigarettes. She slipped one out, put the pack back, and took out her lighter. Lighting it, she placed it in her mouth. Now she knew she’d be thirsty afterwards, and the only thing she could think of was scooping up some of the melted water in front of her, then mixing it with some of the cream dust. At least it would then have a vague taste of cream.

Kyi sucked in the creamy, sweet smoke, then puffed it out into a silky, wavy line into the sky. It evaporated much later, but seemed to disappear sooner because of its color and the other whiteness surrounding the area. Numerous times she had wondered if this was at all bad for her lungs, but the person who helped her make these calmed her paranoia by telling her that she was clearly not human, and most likely wouldn’t affect her. Not to mention that her cigarettes were just powdered cream, basically; no tobacco, nicotine or tar.

After finishing her cigarette, she took the butt of the cig and stuffed it in one of her paper-filled pockets. She unzipped another and took out a miniature cup-like item, then scooped up as much melted, clean water she could. The cream scent still lingered in her mouth and the air, deciding she’d just wash it down with plain water. She gulped down the water, and once again put away her little trinket.

So, do we go in? Kyi asked herself. She decided she’d take the risk, the worst thing that could happen was that she’d find herself in Hell. She couldn’t certainly die from that, could she?

Hesitantly, Kyi stepped into the middle of the fiery circle, hoping they wouldn’t burn her. She spotted one of the flames touch her directly, but did not feel it. Half-giggling from this intriguing experience, Kyi hovered her hand in the middle of one of the flames, untouched and unburned. Her quiet laughter faded as she disappeared into the levels of Hell.

[Jack]

Kyi stepped out of the flaming portal lightly. There was a sloped hill before her, then the looks of a church of some sort and some people shuffling about. They all looked sadly hopeful; sinful yet faithful. The aromas here were light and sweet, and so far Kyi did not smell any death or blood. She swallowed nervously and started walking down the slope. The ends of her pants were tinged with water, and now flying dust clung to it, making her ankles itch irritably.

A kind-looking little boy in raggedy clothing stepped up to her, “Hello, miss. You don’t look very dead.”
“Should I?”
The boy tilted his head to the side. “I don’t know. This is Purgatory, I’d figure you would be just to get in here. Wouldn’t ya think?”
“Maybe. But now that there’s that portal over there—”

“What portal?” The boy blinked, putting his head upright again.

“Er, never mind.” Kyi coughed lightly and brushed past the boy, who gazed at her with confusion as she walked off.

Another person glided up to her, this time a man in robes. “Welcome. I am the priest here, that’s my church over there.” He waved his hand gently behind him, vaguely pointing to the church. He smiled brightly, “With faith and hope we can get you into Heaven.”
Kyi was unsure how to take this, or how to reply. “I’m not really dead, you know.” She coughed again, “I went through that portal.” The priest nodded. “Have you seen any people come through there?”
“Why, yes, I have. They all traveled down into the lower levels. I know nothing of where they are now. You’re welcome to go, but I warn you.” He continued smiling, which seemed to creep Kyi out.

“Thanks. Maybe I’ll see you after coming back up.”
“Be careful, miss. We all hope to see you come back up.” As Kyi walked away from him, he turned to watch her, still smiling. Eventually he trailed off in the other direction, heading over to his church and fellow people. A few more people bid Kyi a hello, a good luck, a “faith and hope can bring you back to Heaven”, and other such greetings. She felt that she was in a hurry, although she had no reason to be, and simply smiled to the people and continued to stroll. With in a matter of minutes she reached a rusty, iron gate with a dead Minotaur-looking creature beside it. A bit disgusted by the stench, Kyi hurried her step again and ceased to slow down until the stench left her nostrils.

She was now trekking through a forest, one of which that reminded Kyi of autumn. Leaves scattered the ground endlessly, all hues of yellow, orange, brown and red. The trees were half-bare and half-green, most of their bark peeling. It smelled much better here, although there were few pretty flowers, or any flowers at all. Most of the plants were weed-like plants—the occasional dandelion in the stage of being able to blow them and make a supposed wish; and tiny green buds, some already bloomed into a white-pedaled nothing.

Glancing around at her surroundings, Kyi’s step slowed. She took in a deep breath, breathing in all of the different smells. There was a chance, now, she realized, of finding someone she may have to fight. It was probably best if she took a quick eat, and not a smoke this time. Keeping her eyes on the trees, Kyi reached down into one of her pockets and took out her tiny peach. She took a juicy bite out of the light pink-colored fruit, then took another, and another, until she finished it with rapid unneeded haste. Licking the leftover juice and peach skin from her lips, Kyi came to a wall. There was a makeshift, arched door in part of it. She peeked her head through, and before her there were six other walls, luscious green hills set in the middle.

Limbo, she thought. That was the so-called name of the first level of Hell. Could she really be in Hell? It seemed like it, so far. What with Purgatory and all. She stepped in, her curiosity still lingering tenderly.

(Continued in Limbo)

[Jack]

(Kyi\\Finch)
Just because of the softness of the grass, Kyi wished she was tired so she could force herself to lie down and take a nap here. The people here were huddled against the walls, some looking scared and staring at her fearfully. Others slept underneath brushes and reeds, or talked and relaxed. There was an odd feeling about this place, but it was still welcoming. No one spoke to her here, and Kyi guessed they had already seen a few people pass through here, and go down into the lower levels, as the Priest had said. The seven walls connected to a castle, looming overhead. She took no real notice, though, and instead decided to check her weapons. Only now had she realized that her jacket was tied around her waist, holding her guns in the closed, inward pockets. She untied it, opened the pockets and took out the two pistols. They were both already loaded, leaving the pockets that usually held the 10 bullets empty.

Test? She placed her finger on the trigger, aiming the gun slightly up and at one of the walls. The people glanced at her and watched her nervously. She shrugged to herself then pulled, a chipping sound only seconds after. The wall she had aimed at now lost a chunk of concrete, and began to fall. Kyi bit her lip, hoping the people below it would move. They started to move quickly, but the chunk was too fast for one of them. It came crashing down at a high speed, chipping into tinier pieces as it fell, then landed on the person’s neck and shoulder. He screamed and fell to the ground, gripping his wound. The others then quickly reacted and huddled around him. nuts. Kyi stared and hastily gathered up her things, putting her jacket on and pocketing her two guns. The gate to the next level—at least she assumed it went to the next level—was a few walls away. Before checking to see if the people were going to get mad at her, she started rushing over to the gate.

“You!” One of the people called from behind. She instantly stopped in her tracks, and turned around slowly. “What’d you do that for?”
“I was.. testing it.” Kyi stared at him stupidly. “Honestly, I was.”
“Well, you come over here and help us. Our Lord’s not here, neither is her replacement. We ain’t gonna make you the new Lord, but you could at least help this guy.”
“Uh, why?” The man stared at her, surprised.

“Because you are the fault of his injury! You seem rather well-equipped yourself, anyway.” He then grabbed at her wrist and dragged her over to the wall she had shot. Roughly he shoved her over to the injured man.

“I didn’t mean to have that wall hit you, sir. Sorry,” Kyi apologized, a little insincere. These people are dead, how can they get hurt? She glanced back at the man who had brought her here, then kneeled down. The chunk of wall had already been taken off the man, and he wasn’t bleeding too badly. He was more dirty and bruised than anything else. “I don’t really have any medicine.” Kyi turned to face the other man.

“Clean ‘im up anyway!” Kyi rolled her eyes just a bit, then turned back to the injured. She took out her white cloth and dabbed and dusted at his wound. Once the dirt was all gone, she shook out her cloth and spat on it. “I haven’t got any water.” She said, just to note why she had spat. After scrunching up the cloth she lowered it down onto the wound and pressed on it. More blood trickled out, but the cloth soaked it up instantly. She took off the earlier blood, and tried to leave the already dry blood alone. “That’s all I can really do, sir.” Kyi turned back to the man.

“That’s fine. Fine.” He reached down and helped her up. Everyone then pushed closer to the injured man, forcefully shoving Kyi out of the little circle. She tilted her head at the people, then headed back to the portal. Are they just like that ‘cause they’re dead? Kyi started to try and remember things she had heard about Hell. She never really took in to religions, but people still mentioned things to her. Each level had some sort of lord that was appointed by Satan, somebody told her once. Each lord got a set of extraordinary powers, but still not as great as Satan’s. They had control of the people in their levels, complete and utter control. Kyi guessed this just made things easier for Satan to watch over. Could Satan be that bad of a guy? She stepped through the gate, getting a bit tired of the repetition.

(Continued in level 2)

NRP: Sorry about the shortness.