Of Sinners & Saints

CAIN (EDITED)

Cain Magia had come to the continent of Sumaria way out in the warm east of Talamh. He was here to meet Abbasi "Madman" Madou and see if he truly did find the entrance to the fabled Abyss. He doubted he had, but nonetheless he would inquire.

Cain appeared on the outskirts of Bangui, right beside the main airport. Again, he felt bile creep up his throat. The joy of teleportation. A large plane was just touching down he could literally see the pilot in the cockpit as clear as the moon in the night sky. The sound of the jet engine was deafening, as the wind blew his hair and loose-fitting clothes.

Cain was slap bang in the centre of a shanty town. The impoverished shanties were made up of whatever material could be sourced; plywood, corrugated metal, sheets of plastic, and cardboard boxes. They had been built on top of one another and served as a stark reminder of the division between the rich and the poor in this region. He noticed the smell did not seem fresh either, he sensed death and not just a corpse but many. Jennifer be dammed. What on Talamh has happened?

He looked down and noticed he had sunk into the mud, just great. So, he trudged along as the wet earth squished under his leather boots. Each step his feet became wetter, but he did not complain. His eyes were focussed at the newly built city of Bangui in the distance that was precisely where Cain Magia meant to go. Rising skyscrapers of glass and stone mimicking some of the great modern cities in Talamh like Lijkzig in Breton or Verkudul in the Ishtarian Empire. Bangui was known as the shining city. Abbasi's very own capital, his greatest achievement by far.

Upon closer inspection, Cain noticed there were hardly any adults, none, in fact. The shanty town was home to hundreds of waifs, some ranging from the age of just a couple of months old to twelve. Abbasi believed that if you were old enough to hold a pen you were old enough to hold a gun. Every kid looked more depressed than the next, more so than normal. Heads were low and from what he could tell their eyes were puffy. Cain remembered seeing this shanty town when he and Hans Myrich paid a visit to Abbasi. Back then there were thousands of people living here adults and all. Where did everyone go?

As he walked around the shanty town, which was a bit like a maze within a maze, he witnessed these ill-fated kids drinking from a huge murky puddle, kind of like a mini lake. Some of the kids came over to him and were tugging on his clothes. The one word these kids were chanting quietly was "Messiah."

Finally, Cain had found a way out of the shantytown. When he cocked his head around, he noticed a group of kids were still following him. He shooed some of these kids away but when he did that even more came and eventually Cain just allowed them to follow him. These unfortunate kids still chanted "Messiah."

The closer Cain got to the city he noticed the kids were no longer following him. Why? He could not say. One by one these waifs dropped to the way side. Again, he sensed death. Then he could smell something wholly putrid, it was the scent of rotten carcasses, it was unmistakable and unwelcomingly overwhelming. Cain covered his hand over his mouth. He had smelled death before, but not like this, it turned his stomach I knots. At first, he noticed a body here and a body there, but the closer, he got to the "Shining City" the more bodies there were with flies buzzing around the deceased. Then he saw what appeared to be a knoll only this knoll was made up of dead men and women. Why there had to be a couple of hundred bodies piled up at least and that was a conservative figure. How did this happen? Who would do such a thing? A madman, no doubt. He figured.

Cain was now venturing into the city. He crossed the three-lane road and soon was navigating his way around. The streets were paved with gold, literally. The Shining City though was uncannily quiet. There was a curfew after eleven. The only people permitted to be on the streets were members of the Doodspan, certain workers and travellers who had been given a special ticket to be out after curfew.