What’s the first thing you see when a war is started?


    An item of power,


    A piece of paper with the words written in blood?


    Or is it the corpse of a politician, perhaps of royalty? Nay…


    It’s smoke...


    Smoke.


    The smoke that billows and billows into the sky endlessly, turning the fresh morning sunlight into a blanket of despair for all which it covers. A shining beacon high above them, cast out of their view by a pillar of destruction’s exhaust. It’s this smog that signals to those outside of the chaos… that something has arrived, and needless to say, it was not a favored advent.


    “What in Hereek?!” Armony’s eyes widened as the smoke entered vision, his feet dug into the dirt path as he ran up the hill, bearing witness to an event that wasn’t supposed to be witnessed by ANY of the outer tribes. Which became evident when his head peaked over the hill, and a star-like light appeared from within the smoke, a beam of light piercing a perfect hole through his hair, missing his head by inches.


    Eyes wide, Armony begins to fall back, quite literally, as Harize tugs on his arm, and throws him into cover alongside her. “Are you okay?!”


    The bird-woman scanned him up and down, lifting his arms as her wide eyes began to sharpen on his clothes, and his body. No wounds.


    Good.


    “We need to leave, there’s no bounty to be had there, just an inescapable plummet.” Harize’s talon-like hands clasped her head, and her beak as she spoke, her gaze tracing up to Armony with a worried gaze. One that seemed to fade into what looked like despair, mirroring the gloom which lofted over them so ominously. “Wh- what’s that look for Armony?”


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    He responded with a low giggle, his fingers digging into the dirt path they were pinned down to for cover. “Bounty?” Picking up the dirt in his fingertips, the boy allowed it to fall like sand in an hourglass, “What’s a bounty worth, when our home is destroyed?”


    “I.. uh- wel-”


    “Harize, you saved MY life, but how many others are making their way to Orcoa’i for this ‘thing.’ You can’t seriously tell me you’re going to jus-”


    “Stop it Armony, I know what you’re doing.” The usually crazed, scattered look that Harize gave was nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by a piercing gaze, and a stoic visage. “This is why the others left, understand that before I say my next words.”


    She cleared her throat.


    “Your father would be proud of you for something so recklessly heroic, BUT! I don’t want to die.” Harize gave him a wink, before pushing up into a crouch, and moving into the thin foliage. Small trees, and larger shrubs were scattered about, with large rocks filling most of the space towards the flame-ridden town. Waving him on, she moved with a calculated intensity about her, looking for the best path forward.


    Armony’s confident gaze softened at the mention of his father, his jaw clenched only once as he stood into a crouch, and followed suit. He trusted Harize’s instincts after all their time together, they’ve known one another since they were younglings, afterall, but his heart still pounded from the light from before. A pattering in his chest that was only just beginning to cease, until he heard a sound like shattering glass, as another beam was shot off towards the hill behind them.


    They were losing them for now, but considering how fast he was spotted beforehand, it wouldn’t be a surefire bet to just peek out once more. Thus they continued behind the rolling hills, weaving between cover until they found an opening that gave them a sliver of a view toward the two-hundred or so yards they had to cover to even get into the port-town. Even then, if they just so happened to make it without being turned to swiss-cheese, they’d then have to get past the wall that fortified one of many trade nexuses within Nillitacni.


    Orcoa’i was built to be a strong defense against invaders, especially being a port-town of the mostly nomadic, tent-hopping peoples of the upper strip. These lands hosted the majority of the populace in the shattered Atoll, yet given how expansive it is, towns are treated as cities, with cities being treated as whole new worlds. Yet now, that strength was being used as the weapon to infiltrate, and by an unknown people at that.