Jaire paced back and forth in front of a solid stone wall as he looked around in confusion.

Did I take too long?

That morning, he had returned home and spent the next couple of hours packing and saying his goodbyes to his friends and family. Since he was not given a time frame, he stretched it out as much as he could before he arrived at the Academy's office building. There, they gave him directions on where to meet his guide, and thus he walked towards the destination point found inbetween Crafter's Lane and Old Town.

The alleyways leading to it were empty, and the only sounds he heard were the thrums of the nearby workshops. He had already been waiting for ten minutes, and was growing impatient. What do I do if no one shows up? Can I just go home? Damn it where is-

“GOOOOD MORNIN’!” A voice sung out from above. As he looked up, he saw a blond man standing atop the wall in a superhero pose. Despite that though, he wore ragged clothing filled with holes and patches. The only good thing about him was that he was clean shaven. The man then attempted to leap off, but tripped and fell with a heavy thud. A moment later, he rolled forward, spreading his arms wide as he yelled, “TA-DAH!”

Confused, Jaire weakly smiled in response. “Um...are you my guide?”

The man sprung up, “Sure am! Boy am I excited to- WAIT! You’re Jaire Nevize right?”

“Yeah?” He replied, unsure of what to think of the man.

“That’s a relief!” the guide said, “Really! We don’t get many recruits so sometimes we just see kids playing by the wall around here, and well, we just try to snatch ‘em up! Boy that’s led to some funny stories! Let me tell ya about this one time when me and my buddy went over by…”

From there, they walked southward along the wall, as the guide spoke without end. He jumped from point to point with such ease that Jaire never had a chance to comment or question. Soon, the surroundings buildings ended and the large farmland that covered most of the Southern region came into view. It was a wonderful sight, and he took in a deep breath of the rich aro-

“Oh god! What is that smell?!” He scrunched his nose against the horrid stench.

“Hmm? That’s just the manure, all of it stored in this area. But don’t worry, during the summer the draft picks up the fumes from Crafters Lane so it’s not always shit.*Pfft*. Literally!”

He grimaced as the guide laughed. “Oh c’mon that was funny! Bah! Kids these days. Anyways, it ain’t so bad inside, and ya get used to it eventually! And with that said...Welcome~ To~ Hell~!”

The guide leapt forward and gracefully somersaulted with a midair twist, landing on one knee with his arms spread, showcasing a gate upon the plain wall. “TA-DAH!!”

The double doored gate at his side was ready to collapse. One of the doors held by a single hinge, while the other was flat out missing, replaced by a large wooden plank hastily shoved in the muddy floor.

“Come on in!” The guide spoke as he opened the creaking gate.

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to-" He paused as he entered and looked around. The interior was a decrepit warzone. As far as he could see, wrecked buildings and debris littered the compound. Some had missing roofs and shattered walls, others were rotten and decaying. The ground was soggy mud, littered with heaps of debris and filth, with the exception of a single clean path forward, towards the center of the compound. At its end, a clearing surrounded an open campfire.

“Home sweet home!” The guide spoke proudly, “Alrighty then! First off! Call me Stix, like the river! I’m the second in command around here.”

“River?” Jaire questioned. As far as he knew, the only body of water around was the Dzivir River which ran parallel to Rivivera. There shouldn't be another river around any of the settlements, what is he talking about?

“Ya don’t know it? Ooh boy do I got a book for ya!” Styx happily replied. “Well anywho, let’s go meet the gang! See that fire up ahead? Before I grabbed ya I told the peeps to have a mighty feast prepared in your honor! They should be gathering as we speak, so come along now!”

Styx ran up ahead and Jaire followed behind, struggling to keep his various bags off the muddy floor.

“Styx?” Jaire called out.

“Yeah? What’s up?” Styx replied without looking back.

“What is all of this? Why are you guys hoarding all this junk???”

“Ahahaha! Hoarding he says! Good one!”

That...doesn’t answer...ugh forget it. Eventually he entered the clearing where a small group of people sat around the firepit. Well, time to meet the new crew I guess.

Starting from his left, Styx sat on a broken tire followed by a rather large man, a couple that sat together on a log, a skinnier guy that seemed to be around his own age, and ended with a fully cloaked person leaned upon a random piece of junk. Smaller than I expected...

Upon the fire a large pot was boiling, the rich sweet fragrance causing his mouth to salivate.

“Jaire! So glad for ya to join us! Come! Sit anywhere ya like!” Styx happily greeted and waved.

...you led me here... He shook the train of thoughts away as he dropped his belongings and sat between Styx and the clothed individual, donning a friendly smile as he looked around.

“What the fuck are you smiling at?” The female snarled, straightening off the man as she glared at him with piercing eyes.

The rude woman snarled again, and he helplessly looked to Styx for help. What did I do?!

“Now now,” Styx began as faced the woman, “he’s probably just happy a cutie like you could be found in our little gang. Probs wants to ask you out you little vixen.”

WHAT!? Horrified, his eyes went wide as he shook his head vigorously, but thankfully the woman had turned her hatred towards Styx. That’s not what I meant!!

“Alrighty then!” Styx spoke out, “All flirting aside, let’s give Jaire a big warm welcome! I say we start by introducing ourselves! Me first! I’m Styx, like the river! Hmm, I’m a Libra, I have many likes and dislikes, I live right around there, and I’m a lot of fun to be around if I do say so myself! *Snort* Which I do! Hahahaha!”

The man next to him joined in on the laughter, yet the rest of the group was silent, with the female rolling her eyes in annoyance. He said a lot...yet I learned nothing...and what’s a Libra?

“Next! Take it away numbuh 2!”

Styx kicked dirt at the person by his side, yet the man simply laughed. The man was almost double the size of the others, but in a bulbous way rather than muscular like the male counterpart of the couple. Despite the insult, his face was full of joy and bliss, yet Jaire still looked on in shock. A person out of shape was unheard of in Rivivera, a crime even, and one so large even more so. Yet here he was, sitting without a care in the world.

“Styx’s a real joker ain’t he?” The man spoke with a heavy accent, “Name’s Lucky, pleasure’s all mine. And I know what you are thinking but no, I am not fat, I am big boned. It runs in the family.” He shrugged with a jolly grin.

“Nobody runs in ya family!” Styx commented as Lucky laughed again.

...have you no pride?? This is...this is wrong...

“Tis’ true, tis’ true! We have mastered our craft for generations, a feat that requires our utmost dedication! There is no time for running! Should we be attacked during work, we stand our ground and fini-”

“Ya ya ya, you sacrifice yourself for food and whatnot. How noble.” Styx interjected while Lucky chuckled unabashedly. “Jaire, if you haven’t guessed by now, Lucky is our expert cook. He ain’t much of a fighter, or of a man, or anything really, but damn can he make a pile of dung taste oh so good!”

At that, Jaire looked to the pot. It bubbled as a goopy matter popped within, and his appetite suddenly waned, which only brought laughter to Styx and Lucky.

“I kid!” Styx laughed out, “We’d be long dead if we only ate shit! Ahahaha! Ah jeez, ya crack me up. So then! Next up is the ever lovely Psyma.”

“Ugh.” She groaned as she rolled her eyes.

“Oh come now, say something!”

“Fine. Piss me off and I’ll cut your fucking throat.” She snarled at Jaire, who could only strainly smile.

Well she’s lovely...wait...that name, why is that name so famili-...oh! He recalled a major incident that occurred a few years prior. A large quake had caused the destruction of the old gym, and within it, a former Academy student was caught. She yelled for hours while the townsfolk dug her out, and afterwards was disgraced for her attitude, earning the nickname ‘Psyma the Screama’ throughout the Academy. Is that really her though? No, it couldn’t be...but... “Are you-”

A burning fury emanated from her eyes, forcing his lungs shut while every muscle clenched in fear.

Oh shit. His mind raced as he began to shiver. Oh shit oh shit oh shi-

*pow*

“OW! The fuck!?” Psyma barked and turned to her partner. The man had bopped her on the head, and now sat stoically as she viciously attacked his arm. With her fury solely on the man, the pressure dissipate from Jaire’s body, and he shivered as he looked down to the floor. She was going to kill me...she was actually going to kill me...

“Please forgive Psyma,” The man spoke, “She means no harm, she is just awfully sensitive about her past, please try to understand.”

“Awwww, look what you did Verdok, she’s all mad now! You two kiss and make up! Come on now, kissy kissy kissy!”

“Ugh! Don’t say shit like that!”

The conversation continued but Jaire had tuned out, staring at the floor while his body shivered. Enough! With clenched teeth and a deep breath, he raised his head and peered around. Psyma had seemingly forgotten about him, instead focused on throwing handfuls of dirt at Styx, who playfully laughed as he shielded himself. The man, Verdok as Styx had called him, had returned to sipping his tea. The rest of the camp seemed rather calm as well, as though nothing had happened.

“Anywhooo!” Styx sung out, “Nothing to worry about Jaire! She’s quite nice once you get to know her! Promise!”

As Jaire met the smiling man’s eyes, he noticed Styx was bleeding from his temple, where a bruise was currently forming. Wha...did she...forget it, I don’t want to know.

“Well that leaves us with two left! Now I’m just gonna be honest here, they ain’t gonna talk so let’s just skip it and go straight the grub! I’m starving!”

Wait seriously? That’s rude...though I can see his point...that one over there seems to be too occupied with doodling and the other...is it just me or are they staring at me? No, it’s just my imagination...

The cloaked figure sat leaned towards Jaire. Their hood obscured their face in shadows, but even so Jaire could make out a cloak underneath it which effectively covered them. He couldn’t make out if it was a male or female, but their height did seem shorter than his own. As Styx approached the pot, the others did as well. Each held their own personal bowls, using it to scoop the slimy soup up as they chatted. The only two who hadn’t rose yet were Jaire himself and the cloaked figure beside him.

Okay they are definitely staring. “Um, hi.”

He smiled to the person, but received no response. The figure just sat there, staring. Are you really not going to say anything? CAN you say anything?

“C’mon Jaire! Stop flirting and get over here before it gets cold! Ghost you too!” Styx chipped in, as he beckoned him over. Ghost huh? Sure seems like it...damn that smells good...but...ugh my stomach... how bad can it be?