It had been a long time since Cari went over the deep end. A very long time. One that I had never seen, and one I was there to prevent since the day I joined her as food and eyes. I was to be her life companion. But then she had Ant. He was our world.
I don’t know when things changed or when she knew. Five years ago when Ant ran away to find himself I asked Cari to release me so that I might follow him — protect him. She wasn’t surprised — she smiled in that way she had. It scared those who didn’t know her, but it didn’t scare me. I knew her better than anyone, and apparently she knew me better than anyone including myself.
“It has been done, the moment he stormed out. I knew you’d follow. But he won’t bind you.”
The words echoed in my mind every time we took on danger. And this had been no different — except that this time we didn’t get there in time and the stake plunged through her heart and the young man burnt with flames that didn’t touch him. Ant lunged for her assailant when the boy fell from his hiding spot behind the metal bin.
The boy clutched at his throat, blood dripping from between his fingers. The young man was there immediately, the fire slipped from around him and he knelt down pulling a pen from his pocket and stabbed it in his neck.
I reached for Ant and pressed him to calm down. I had done it a thousand times with his mother who know lay at our feet lifeless and dead. Ant fell to his knees staring at the boy who was sobbing against the young man’s chest that glowed a soft amber underneath the t-shirt he wore.
“Jesus, fucking Christ, why did you have to do that?” Ant said.
“She was hungry and in temporal rage.” I looked at the young man comforting the boy while he waited for the paramedics to arrive. “Wasn’t she?” I said to him.
He looked up. “Looked that way. Hunger wasn’t the only thing I saw in her eyes. I’m sorry about this.”
Ant spoke softly. “She tried to kill a kid?”
“Tried yes.” He said.
“Then it’s her fault.” Ant said. “Why am I not burning?”
The man smirked, “There is no sun in Arcadis. Is there sun where you come from?”
“Where are we? Arcadis? Where’s that?” I asked.
“Earth #45. Cloud blotted city scape of vampires, right? You have drifters though — RHI?”
“You know a lot.” Ant growled.
“Part of my job. Mostly a desk job when the city isn’t manifesting echoes like crazy.”
“You can obviously drift.”
He smirked. “I can’t bind to an anchor, so can’t drift.”
“But you drift anyway?” I laughed.
“Not on duty.”
The paramedics arrived and another man in a gray jumpsuit walked towards them. “Nox?” The other man turned to the voice.
Ryan Elliot is a Intelligent Former Chevalier Warrior with a PhD who Slays Monsters and is an Anchor from Purple Shift #45
Effort: 1
Armor: 0
Recovery:
□ □ □ □
Damage:
□ □
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Speed: (1)
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Intellect:
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
XP:
■
Abilities: calm, bond, mental link with drifter, create anchor
Weapons: unarmed 2 – eased, long sword 4, blaster 4 long range
Cypher System disclaimer and Open Game License
Numenera, the Cypher System, No Thank You, Evil!, Invisible Sun, and their respective logos are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. All Monte Cook Games characters and character names, and the distinctive likenesses thereof, are trademarks of Monte Cook Games, LLC. Content derived from Monte Cook Games publications is © 2013-2022 Monte Cook Games, LLC.
The Mind of Nox 