《Quantum Rip: Welcome to Ethos》After (Part 2 - Ven)
Advertisement
'Then again…' Ven doubted for a moment. Her entire belief in science had been rocked due to the accident, a pulsar being able to support life made her doubt herself even more.
She had been brought here because what they knew was wrong. The way they believed everything worked… Was wrong.
'No, believe. That is all I can do… And hope…' Her thoughts returned to her children as she cleared her mind of doubts. Pushing through the pain and tiredness in hopes to find a water source.
She knew that doubts would do her no good, that it would be even worse than worrying about her children. So, she allowed the latter to keep her mind occupied as she followed the moss on the trees.
Recalling what she had read, long ago, she tried her best to not follow the false moss.
Ignoring all that grew near the ground, she looked for moss higher up. Choosing her waist as the cutoff height. While this would do little for direction, it should hopefully lead her to water. Or a place where she might be able to gather it through some tricks.
As she walked she let the ferns flow against her, instead of constantly trying to part them. This enabled her hands to be free, however, it also meant she could no longer see the ground.
Trusting in her boots and clothes, she started taking out all the items she had on her. Like her watch, all the other things she had on her were also not working. As she took the things out, she found something strange when looking at a pen.
Unlike all the other things, a pen was still a pen. It still worked similarly to all the other pens in history. The design and mechanisms had been changed, but there was still ink stored in a container.
Advertisement
And this container was leaking. Not much, in fact the ink was not even dripping down. However, the dark spot informed her that there was a hole. That the surface of the container was damaged.
Using nearby ferns to scrub it clean, removing the ink that had filled the hole and a small area around it. She found a pin-sized hole. Now green, but also much clearer to see.
'No wonder everything isn't working. Any damage to the inside would completely destroy them, and seeing as the container was inside the pen, I would say my watch is beyond repair.'
She sighed realizing this. The watch would have been a lifesaver if it still worked. It could inform her of her condition, track the areas she had been in, and even find the others if they were on the planet.
Like phones (from the 21st), the watches could call and message others. However, unlike phones, it was not reliant on a signal. If someone was in your contact list, and you in theirs, then the watches could be connected directly.
Phones had slowly been abandoned with the increase in technology. Now only tablets and watches remained. The former for if you wanted to use applications or play games, the latter for all the other things phones used to do.
Unlike phones, the watches would not connect through a network. Instead, they would use a network to find each other and then create a stable direct connection.
Generally, when exploring new planets and moons this method of direct connection did not work well. With no network to piggyback on to find the other, the watch has to use far more energy to find another. Hence a different system was created.
This method was generally only used on the first few days when they had no knowledge of the area other than their scans and observations from space.
Advertisement
The method was that each watch would generate a constant signal. Covering a few kilometers. Allowing everyone to know when they were closing in on someone else, and share their findings or discuss the next move.
Sighing at the lost opportunities, Ven continued her trek. Stopping and ducking down into the cover of the local ferns as she heard a scream pierce the silence of the forest.
It was clearly not an animal's screams, making her shiver. While she had no idea what the shouted words meant, the pain in the voice was clear.
As she stayed still, covered by the ferns, Ven listened. The screams slowly turned softer, causing her to shiver even more. She knew the smartest thing would be to stay still. However, she needed to find out what was going on.
Not knowing what was being screamed made it hard for her to figure out what was going. However, she felt confident it was not anything good. Her imagination ran wild as she inched closer to the screams.
She made sure to stay low. As she moved she found that the area ahead cleared up, with a path appearing before her. The sights on the path made her nearly lose her breakfast.
'Oh gods… NO!' Ven wanted to shout, she wanted to help. Instead, she froze in place as she looked on at the massacre.
At a woman and her friends being brutally pulled from a tipped carriage. The soldiers of the carriage were all dead or dying. Littering the surroundings as those still drawing breath crawled with daggers in their hands. Hoping to kill one more bastard.
Ven failed to bring herself to move, frozen in fear as she watched the women's clothes be torn apart and their bodies ravaged. She felt intense hatred build up in her, but it was overshadowed by fear which kept her well hidden in the ferns.
She stayed in that dense vegetation, close to the ground, listening to the screams of pain and anger. Unable to move, digging her head into the ground to stop herself from watching any longer.
After an unknown amount of time the screams grew softer and softer… Until finally they ended with the death of the girls. Then came footsteps which passed by Ven who stayed frozen in place. Shivers running up her spine as she feared being discovered.
She did not move for an hour after the bandits had left. Only then did she shakenly stand up from her position and run towards the carriage. Hoping to find someone still breathing.
She quickly regretted doing so as she failed in keeping her composure. Falling to her knees she vomited as she looked at the expressions of despair frozen in the women's faces,
'Fuck! I need to get out of here.' Ven thought as soon as she lost the last contents of her stomach.
Not delaying for a second, she started running back into the forest. Not caring for direction, she only ensured her back was towards the direction the bandits had left in.
She kept running until she could not go on anymore. Falling down in exhaustion, she pummeled the ground in frustration.
"Fuck! Fuck whoever brought me here!" She shouted in desperation, as all her hopes were shattered and her apprehensions confirmed. This world one of barbarism, her last bit of hope dashed.
All that was left was cold despair.
A wish to go back. A wish that this was but a dream.
Advertisement
- In Serial12 Chapters
Kingdom of the Dead
Follow the apocalyptic story of Daniel Karstein, Lord Protector of the Kingdom of the Dead. A story of survival, epic fights against unfair odds and the rise of a kingdom! The story will contain: kingdom building, minor xianxia content,drama and of course: zombies.
8 181 - In Serial9 Chapters
Kingdom of Ice
"170 years ago, in a world where humans have evolved such that they could live on the ocean floor, and form cities there, Commandant Franklin led a hunting party on a reconaissance expedition north, traveling from the outer edge of the Indian Ocean, all the way to the High Arctic. His goal: to find the fabled Northwest Passages for the Vicegerent of Tridention, and establish business with underwater arctic cities there. But the expedition went awry, and they never returned. Everyone in the party was presumed dead. Until now. When two of the hunters from that same expedition find their way back to Tridention after all these years, Watson, a retired commandant for one of Tridention's thirty-five hunting parties, agrees to help those hunters form a ragtag party of their own, against their leadership's wishes, and travel all the way back to the same Northwest Passages to recover the rest of the hunting expedition. The hope is that their commandant, and other hunters, are somehow still alive and can be brought back home safely. "
8 82 - In Serial13 Chapters
The house of Enki Book 1 of, The Meridian Controls
On Meridian when and where you're born is everything. Minute, hour, day, week, month, year; they all matter. Being born under the House of Zabi might bring physical strength, while being born with a Bakara Control can give you the power to speak to the dead. Of the twelve gods, one is avoided at all costs, The Dream God Enki. For Soren, people's fear of Enki has always been a Shadow over her. After all, every single control she has is under The Dream God. Soren can't understand what everyone's so scared of. If her Controls were so dangerous, surely she'd of known by now. Yet when Soren's brother goes missing, those very controls begin pushing her towards her destiny. Whether she’s ready or not. Regular chapter updates every Monday and Friday for the foreseeable future. Please rate and review and let me know how I can improve, thanks!
8 127 - In Serial16 Chapters
The wisher
In a black world, that gives a feeling of emptiness, stood a man. After killing the final boss in the game. The world around him went black, and a girl came out of nowhere.she was like an angel. White-eyes, hair, and skin.She looked at the man with eyes devoted of feelings and asked him ""what's your wish?"".the man lowered his head and began to think.Thinking about his life, about how his parents died in the war and he never felt their love, how he was an outcast that no one wanted to get close to, throughout his life, he felt lonely.The only exception to his loneliness was his friend. he never met her in person. she was lively. he liked her if he was more honest with himself, he loved her. He already knew what he wanted as a wish, But she will hate him for that, he was sure of it.He looked up, straight at the eyes of the girl and said ""any wish?"".She answered with a nod.After a moment of silence, the man said with a hint of anticipation “then... Make this world and the real world into one. I want this kind of life to become reality. Give me a chance to live in the real world.""
8 168 - In Serial22 Chapters
The Alphas Baby (undergoing major editing)
Penelope Rivera is a nice quiet girl who has respect for everyone and everything but what happens when she finds her mate and new alpha River Vermont who is engaged to Jennifer his lovely high school sweet heart.So river rejects Penelope on her birthday and on Penelope's birthday she ends up pregnant and he rejects her and he never knew she was pregnant until his beta, Marcus informs him and months later she comes back and he starts to develop feelings for her what will happen then and what happens when Penelope has a dark past she didn't even know she had?
8 170 - In Serial6 Chapters
I guess I'm part of the family Madrigal (Bruno X reader)
Technically the whole movie with the twist of you being there and also being Bruno's wife => who helps Mirabel along the way but it's not the complete same i have added some stuff
8 139