A Decaying World

Chapter 1 - The Echo's Story

"Hey there newbie if you're reading this then we all probably went ahead and got ourselves killed, even though the time we had was chaotic and short the rest of the team enjoyed it. You gave life to the team when our morale was crushed and all hope seemed lost but you salvaged what was left and made it work, I will never forget what you did for our team and I. It's been an honor knowing you agent, let's have a drink and talk again in the afterlife so don't get yourself killed so soon kid."  - Reika, The Queen of Reikgons, Leader of the First Agents

- Note to Jade from the First wave of Agents

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Reika sat there for a few minutes, staring into the flames of the campfire. She felt a strange sense of comfort from the warmth of the fire, even though she knew it was just a temporary reprieve from the bitter cold of the winter outside. She couldn't remember the last time she had sat around a campfire with others, or even spoken to anyone for that matter. She had been so focused on surviving that she had forgotten what it was like to be around people. The man playing the guitar continued to strum softly, the melancholic notes drifting through the air.

The Queen of Reikgons listened intently, feeling a strange sense of nostalgia wash over her. She couldn't quite place it, but the music was familiar to her in some way. After a while, the masked man spoke up. "You know, we could use someone like you. Someone who knows how to survive out here." The Reikgon Queen looked up, surprised. "What do you mean?" she asked. A blue haired man wielding a long blade chimed in. "We've been trying to make it to the outpost on the other side of the mountains, but we keep getting ambushed by the undead. We could use another pair of hands."

The Queen considered this for a moment. She had been on her own for so long that the thought of working with others seemed foreign to her. But something about the group sitting around the campfire seemed different. They were all survivors, just like herself, and they had all been through their fair share of hardships. She nodded slowly. "Alright. I'll help you get to the outpost." The blue haired man smiled gratefully and revealed his name, Satoru Ishikawa.

(If you know, you know. You know who you are. Mr. Sharuru)

The masked man playing the guitar, Delta, let out a relieved sigh. The group packed up their gear and set out into the snow-covered landscape. Reika fell into step behind the others, feeling a sense of camaraderie that she had thought was lost to her forever. They moved cautiously, staying alert for any signs of danger. The uncontrollable demons lurked around every corner, and the winter weather only made things more treacherous.

As they journeyed on, the Queen began to open up to the others. She shared stories of her struggles in the wilderness, and the group listened intently. They, in turn, shared their own stories of survival and loss. Days passed, and the group encountered countless obstacles along the way. But through it all, they stuck together, and the Queen felt a sense of purpose that she had never known before. They finally made it to the outpost, battered and bruised, but alive.

The group exchanged grateful looks as they settled into the relative safety of the outpost. The Queen felt a sense of accomplishment that she had never known before. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was part of something bigger than herself. As the snow continued to fall outside, Delta began to play again, the soft notes drifting through the air. The group sat around the campfire, sharing stories and enjoying each other's company.

The Queen smiled to herself as she listened to the music. It wasn't the guitar that had made her feel sad before. It was the memories that it had brought back. But now, surrounded by her new friends, she felt a sense of hope for the future. For the first time in a long time, she had a reason to keep fighting. Days turned into weeks, and the group settled into a routine at the outpost. They scavenged for supplies during the day and fortified their base at night.

Reika found herself growing closer to the Sledge Queen, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of warmth whenever she smiled at her. But the relative safety of the outpost couldn't last forever. One day, the group received a distress signal from another survivor outpost across the mountains. They were under attack by a massive horde of undead, and they needed help. The group didn't hesitate to answer the call for help. They geared up and set out into the snow once again, determined to lend a hand to their fellow survivors.

The journey was treacherous, but the Queen felt a sense of purpose that she had never known before. She knew that she was fighting not just for herself, but for the entire community of survivors. Finally, they arrived at the besieged outpost. The situation was even worse than they had anticipated. The undead horde was massive, uncontrollable, and the defenders were running low on supplies. The group sprang into action, battling the undead with all their might.

The 2 Queens felt a sense of exhilaration as they fought, their minds focused solely on survival. For the first time in a long time, they felt truly alive. After hours of intense fighting, the undead horde finally began to thin out. The survivors had held their ground, but they were exhausted and battered. The Queen and her companions rushed to help the defenders, bringing them much-needed supplies and medical aid.

As they worked, the Sledge Queen turned to Reika and smiled. "I'm proud of you," she said. "You've come a long way since we first met." The Reikgon Queen felt a sense of warmth spread through her at the Sledge Queen's words. She knew that she had changed since she first stumbled upon the campfire with the group. She was no longer just a lone survivor, struggling to survive in a harsh world. She was part of something bigger now, part of a community of survivors who relied on each other for support and protection. As the group sat by the campfire, lost in thought, she suddenly heard a strange noise. It sounded like something scraping against the frozen ground. She stood up and looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound.

And that's when she noticed it.

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BOOM

*YEAHH LET'S GOO

nice

nice

Neat - Luna

HAH! Cliff hanger on the second official chapter hehehe. Well, about 1000 words for the official second chapter of A Decaying World! 

Did you enjoy it?

-Talon