The Diary of a Guildless Rebel
{Hey friends! I'm gonna start trying out different stories/fics. I want to get more practice in writing and try to make/consume/be consumed by more MtG content since it's near and dear to my heart. Here's the first one I've had swirling around in my head for a while!Please read and enjoy! Positive and constructive feedback is always greatly appreciated!!}
10,067 Z.C., 19th District,
Today I watched him take down an entire Boros patrol in a matter of seconds-with his bare hands! Roki and I wouldn't leave him alone during our whole trip through a long stretch of recently acquired Gruul turf. We begged him for combat tips, or any bit of wisdom he would share but he just stayed silent.
It got dark halfway through, and much to our protest, Roki convinced us to set up camp for the night squatting in an abandoned Simic laboratory. While we waited for the campfire to warm up dinner, I asked Okarwa as many questions as I could. Where did he learn to fight like that? Where did his scars come from? What was his home like, and did he miss it?
He remained elusive, trying to dodge the questions. It was a feat just to get his name, Okarwa. He wasn't hiding something, nor did I feel him to be untrustworthy. It was almost as if he wanted to answer, but for some reason he censored himself. He was in pain, but not from his body, or mind. I could feel it in his heart.
We have been travelling together for four days now, so I asked him where he was going after the rest of us made it to the Undercities forge district. He just stared blankly into his tea and shrugged. I almost felt bad for him.
We have our cause, and our dedications. We fight to make sure that everyone in our city is free of their own accord. We resist to show the Guildless there is hope and there is life beyond the all encompassing stranglehold of the guilds. And even if no one helps us, even if we lose our possessions, our friends and family, we never lose our hope. We run today, to fight tomorrow.
But him, he runs from something deeper. Something he might not ever be able to outrun. It brings me hope, and makes our cause seem winnable. Almost.
I made sure to cover our tracks, and place some runes around the perimeter of the ruined laboratory. Hopefully no Gruul beasts or beast masters wonders into our home of rubble. Although, I relish the thought of Okarwa slugging a centaur and sending him halfway across the district. Maybe tomorrow Roki and I can cheer him up, get him a blade. It's the least we could do to show appreciation. Plus, we might be able to some get answers, and set the others at ease. Better get some rest.
10, 067 Z.C., 19th District,
I couldn't do anything. I was useless, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. We barely had time to react to the sound of thundering hooves before a ragebeast blasted through some ruins ahead of us. The group in front of us was lost in the thrashing wreckage of dust and stone. I did the only thing I could do. I threw down more runes and called for my squad to regroup with me. Inside the runes, we would be invisible to the beast. Run today, fight tomorrow, right?
I shouted for the squads behind us to run, not sure if they would hear me over the sound of crushing rock. A small boy, maybe 13, fainted at my feet. Instinctively, I hoisted him up on my shoulder, and breathed in a mouthful of dust as someone ran right past my runes. I didn't want to watch someone else die, but I couldn't help but look to see what fool was running the wrong way.
It was Okarwa. He bounded towards the beast, head on and bellowing a war cry. In one leap he landed on the beasts front left shoulder with a vice grip. The dust had completely consumed the two as I gathered the rest of the group and pushed them to start running away.
We sprinted, not caring about what ground we were losing in our journey. Our only instinct was to survive. I started tossing runes on the corners of buildings, and intersections of alleyways trying anything to make sure that the beast couldn't follow us. A deafening howl pierced my ears, and I almost dropped the boy draped on my shoulders.
I fell to one knee as I felt the exhaustion of my spell casting catch up with me. I turned away from the rage beast, and covered the boy with my body just as a spray of rubble pelted the plate mail on my back. I could see the corners of my eyes going dark. Sweat dripped from my face onto cobblestone. I steadied my breathing. People need me. Need us. We can't lose here.
I lifted the boy back onto my shoulder and started to run, or at least what would pass for running in this situation. The very earth seemed to be splitting apart, and my knees felt like mud. I could see the others hiding under rubble, and in abandoned ruins. I knew they couldn't hear my voice screaming for them to run. I knew they couldn't hear anything. Fear is a powerful, powerful weapon.
Another skull shattering howl sent me back to my knees, and I felt my lungs failing to take in enough clean air. I let the boy down again, and turned around to see something I would never have thought to seen in this life or the next.
Okarwa stood at the edge of a crater. A whining ragebeast writhed under mounds of rubble, one of its eyes missing. Okarwa lept to the top of the mound, and jumped back down towards the exposed neck of the beast, his fists balled together arching over his head. A sickening crunch echoed through the ruins. Then he collapsed.
The boy stirred and tried to stand, but I held him down. I pointed to the only mostly intact building that I saw, and then let him up as he scurried to the building.
I collapsed to the floor, and tried to catch my breath in the settling dust. I tore off my plate mail, letting it fall away with the rest of the wreckage and tried to jog to where Okarwa and the dead beast lay.
I desperately fought the urge to vomit at the sight of my friends, brothers and sisters, bloodied bruised and unmoving. I fell to my hands knees, panting over Okarwa. His chest heaved, and that was enough for me. I grabbed his body, which was much, much heavier than the boys, and slumped him across my back. I roared to my feet, and stumbled down the alley.
And that's it. That's all I remember. The next thing I know, I'm waking up in a camp listening to Roki sharpen his sword on a whetstone. It hurts to breathe-heck it hurts to write. Roki told me not to talk or move until he found a healer who could help, but I couldn't risk losing this tale.
I think I might die if I keep writing though. I need to take a nap, just for a while.
10,067 Z.C. 19th District,
I don't feel much better, but apparently I was well enough for Roki to hug. He cried for a minute, unable to make words. I got him to calm down and start giving me details about what happened. I wanted nothing more than to fill in the blanks, after pouring over what I wrote yesterday.
Roki said his squadron in the rear guard managed to gather 3 other brave souls that he led towards the scene in an attempt to rescue any survivors. He told me we lost too many that day. That we couldn't mobilize anymore. He scattered the rest of the squadrons into the city until further notice. I must have cried all the tears I had left in me.
I asked Roki if they held a service yet. For those who lost their life. He said when I can walk, that I should see for myself. He pointed out of the destroyed window that we now used as the entrance to our small encampment. I heard lots of moving around, but it looked like everyone was inside the camp.
Much to Riki's protest I rolled off the matted cloth I was laid on, and slowly got to my hands and knees, and then my feet. Annoyed, Roki got under my arm, and placed his own around my waist. He walked me to the window, to another sight that I would have died before dreaming to see.
Okarwa solemnly sifted through rubble and destroyed stone buildings. He tossed loose rocks and boulders away, until he lifted a body across his shoulder. A woman, her body limp and lifeless, was pulled from the stone and draped over his shoulder. He walked off the pile of rubble, and laid her down on some soft earth. He started to pile crushed sandstone over her body until she was concealed. I watched, fresh tears welling in my eyes, as he traced a glyph into the dust above her final resting place. He held his head down for a moment, before returning to the pile where he plucked her body.
I choked up, coughing up blood, and wincing in pain of both flesh and mind. Roki quickly laid me back down, barking orders as he ran outside. An old vedalken woman with pale blue skin sat beside me, and lifted my head to reach a cup of water she held. She set down the water and her hands glowed a dim white as she passed them over my amdomen.
"It's his lung. It needs to be drained again." She said to Roki now enetering the room with Okarwa.
"Please, I know you've done so much--" Roki was caught off by Okarwa who raised a hand in protest. He dropped to both knees and held both of his hands over my abdomen. A bright golden light filled the entire building, and I felt a searing pain shoot through my whole body. I fought back the screams, and squeezed the rubbery blue hand the vedalken held out.
Okarwa stood back up and spoke again since the night we all shared tea. "Let him rest. He will need all his strength if we're all to make it out of these ruins." Roki fetched a discarded a tunic turned blanket and draped me from the neck down. I reached for my pack, to try and grab my journal, but the Veldalken easily countered my motion with her long arms.
Okarwa furrowed his brow. "No, no, he must write." The vedalken stared at Okarwa in confusion. "Nothing is more important. Your people will know of your courage. He must tell your story." Okarwa headed for the exit once more, this time interrupted by Roki.
"He must tell our story."
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