Chương 31: Memories of Earth

Ch. 31 - Memories of Earth It's hard to accurately paint a picture for just how bad it got for Earth when the Cataclysm struck. Volcanos erupted all around the world, causing a devastating loss of life. Then the skies darkened, and ash covered the land. What little sunlight made it through the atmosphere was weak and devoid of warmth. Crops failed, and the countries that relied upon international trade routes to feed their people starved. Famine and disease were rampant.

Entire cities emptied, and people had to face truly dreadful choices in order to survive. By the time some semblance of order had been re-established, the population had crashed by a third. It was the most catastrophic event ever to occur to our species. Would that it had just been chance. - from the writings of Steadholder Eckhart Wyatt let out an explosive breath as he dropped a heavy piece of fallen masonry onto the pile outside.

He'd been cleaning up the interior of the farmhouse, hauling out rubble, timber, and roof shingles for almost an hour. The timber he was stacking neatly against a wall inside, but everything else was going onto the growing pile. It had been quite a while since Wyatt had done this kind of manual labour, and his muscles were burning. He relished it though. Wyatt had always found it easier to think while he was doing something physical.

The inside of the building looked far neater now, although there was still rubble and stone remaining that was simply too big for him to shift by himself. Because it was building material, it tended to be flat on one side as well, so Wyatt couldn't even roll them. He'd got most of the manageable pieces out though — even some of the larger pieces that he really shouldn't have attempted solo. But then, he'd wanted to distract himself. Besides, he figured he could always use a healing potion if he hurt himself.

'This isn't how I thought you'd spend today.' Wyatt turned his head, glancing back at Kit who was sitting on the grass in the sun. She'd been silent since they arrived back at the farmhouse, but Wyatt had felt her eyes on him the entire time. Wyatt shrugged, turning back to his task.

"I'm not going to do this all day. I just … wanted to get it out of the way before I did anything fun. You know, chores first. Then play." Kit tilted her head to one side, her tail twitching about in the grass.' Chores.'

"Yep, that's right. Then play." Kit stared hard at him, as though she was debating internally. Then the fox sighed. She shook herself, getting to her feet.' Wyatt, is there anything you wish to talk about. You feel … upset.' Wyatt ceased hauling some of the smaller pieces of rubble into a neater pile, straightened up, and turned to face Kit directly. He lifted an eyebrow at the fox.

"I 'feel' upset?"

'Yes, that's right' Wyatt mused that over in his head. He wasn't sure how to take it, that Kit could sense his emotions. He walked inside to one of the few remaining pieces of masonry, and readied himself to lift it. He squatted down, keeping his back as straight as he could, and heaved it up against his chest. Wyatt's arms were trembling, and he could only manage short steps, but he managed to get it outside onto the heap with the others. Wyatt panted.

Leaning against the pile as he waited for the spots to stop dancing in his vision. He shook his head, sweat splattering down onto the grass.

"I'm not upset, Kit. Not exactly."

'Mmm. You know, you're liable to get some kind of manual labour class if you do that much longer.' Wyatt shot Kit a quick glance, but she was just watching him calmly. He gave her a faint smile.

"Really? That would be useful." Kit settled back down on the grass, resting her head on her paws.

'You have too many classes as is, Wyatt.' Wyatt shrugged again, eyeing the interior of the farmhouse speculatively. There were a few more pieces that he thought he might be able to move, but he didn't relish the attempt.

"It doesn't matter though, right? I thought you could merge classes."

'You can. But to hit the threshold for multiple classes is beyond most people.' Wyatt paused. He scratched at his head, thinking it over.

"I don't know about that, Kit. I'm levelling pretty fast I think." Kit flicked her ears forwards in interest.

'What are your classes and levels?'

"I have three now. [Survivalist Level 11], [Forager Level 7], and [Grower Level 2]. So it shouldn't take long for them to merge, right? I just have to get them to level twenty. It's only been a few weeks." Kit gave him a hard stare, then muttered something to herself under her breath. She sighed.' That is … quite fast, Wyatt, but it tracks. There are two ways to level fast; necessity and passion. And sometimes a class can merge at level fifteen. But not every class can do so.' Wyatt folded his arms.

"They don't? Why not? It seems pretty intuitive to me. Like something is out there listening or watching. I've been thinking about it since I first got a class — I started out with multiple levels in both [Survivalist] and [Forager]. I didn't start at level one. There's something keeping track. I mean, it let me turn down a few classes." Kit's eyes widened in surprise.' You turned down a class?'

"Is that so strange? What, do people not do that?"

'It's not exactly unheard of, but it mostly occurs due to situations involving high status. Like nobles not wanting a 'lower' class tainting a member of their family. But I'm mostly surprised that you turned a class down, Wyatt. Since you've collected so many so quickly. What did you turn down?' Wyatt rubbed at his chin, thinking. It felt strangely intimate, sharing details about his class and levels. It was an odd sensation, and he wasn't sure he would do it at all for anyone other than Kit.

"Well … you remember Sam, Anders, and the others?" Kit's ears flattened a little, but her voice remained even. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

'Vaguely. My memories of that time are still a little hazy.'

"Yeah, well — they all got the [Soldier] class first up when we all started to level. I was the only one that didn't. It just wasn't something that interested me, so I refused it every time it was offered." Kit gave him a wry look.

'I have to admit I find it difficult to envision you as a soldier.' Wyatt grinned at her.

"Right? Although I admit I was a bit jealous — they all got Skills like [Lesser Strength] and [Lesser Stamina]. I wouldn't mind having that right now." Wyatt stretched, knuckling at his lower back to release some tension in his muscles. He felt something pop, and sighed in relief.

'If you did end up getting the [Labourer] class, you might get one of those. Those Skills aren't just restricted to martial classes. It's actually more common to get them in a more menial role.' Wyatt laughed softly.

"Fingers crossed then!" Wyatt surveyed the pile he'd made. There really wasn't much more he could do unaided. Kit got up and agilely climbed up to the top of the heap, draping herself across a flat bit of stone. She looked at Wyatt, seeming pleased that their eyes were on the same level.

'Why exactly didn't you want the [Soldier] class?' Wyatt considered that. Kit didn't sound judgemental, just curious. Interested. He realised he'd never explicitly told her why he'd come to this world. Just bits and pieces of the whole.

"You know, pretty much everyone that volunteered to cross through the portal, to take that leap of faith that it actually led somewhere, did so thinking that they were going to save the world. Earth, that is. It was like a mission to them, a calling. And those in charge … let's just say that I didn't agree with their mindset."

'Ah. Conquerer's mentality?' Wyatt let out a short, slightly bitter, laugh.

"You could say that. They went on and on about it. How everyone and everything was to be considered an enemy combatant. And that was back when we'd not met a single native inhabitant! And that mentality only got worse when the portal closed." Kit leant forward slightly, her front paws hanging over the edge of the masonry she was laying on.

'I remember you saying it was closed. By those 'Sidhe' you mentioned?' Wyatt shrugged at the silver fox.

"Maybe. Like I said before, I don't know much about them. But they were the ones that let us open the portal to begin with, I'm sure of that much. Anyway, it was only supposed to be down for a short while, maybe a few days. I remember officers assuring us of that so nobody would start a panic. But then it was closed for months."

'And they couldn't open it again?' Wyatt shook his head.

"No, not from this side. I doubt anyone even had an inkling of how it worked — we had no sign that magic was real at that point. But it may have opened again by now, I guess. It's been weeks since I left." Wyatt walked back into the entrance way of the farmhouse, and absently kicked at some of the dirt on the floor. It was much neater now, the space seeming more open and inviting.

Wyatt idly wished he had a broom however; the floor appeared to be large, grey flagstones, but they were mostly covered by a layer of detritus. He sighed, brushing his hands off on his pants, and walked back out into the sun.

"But anyway, the [Soldier] class. I didn't come through the portal to fight, or to save the Earth. Maybe that makes me a horrible and selfish person — I don't know. I just wanted a fresh start. A place to call my own. To live, without having to struggle. But even so, it's not like I would have just wandered off and abandoned everyone. I really thought we could make a kind of paradise in the valley we'd landed in — though it did seem to be full of strange animals — monsters, I guess.

But then I got lost in the forest, met you, and then got separated from everyone."

'And it weighs on you?' Wyatt paused, looking around him at the green fields, the clear sky overhead, the glitter of water as the stream flowed in the distance.

"Yes. No. Well … perhaps. Samantha, at the very least. But looking at where I am right now, where we are, I just …" Wyatt smiled faintly to himself as he gazed at the pristine land surrounding him. Then his smiled faded.

"Kit, I know you didn't really understand where I was coming from. About the Goblins, I mean. But … where I grew up, before I went to live with my Grandparents, it was bad. Really bad. I was too young to appreciate it all, but entire towns were wiped out, people turning on each other — killing — all for just one more day of food. And how were you supposed to judge them? It wasn't done out of malice, they were just trying to keep their families alive. There wasn't enough to go round for everyone.

And even after things settled down you still had to be careful. Some people got a taste for it I guess. Killing. It became their go-to response." Kit watched Wyatt silently, her tail swishing gently about as she listened.

"So I've seen people starve, Kit. Seen what it makes them do. Every-day, ordinary people. I've been hungry, I've struggled to find enough to eat. And it can make you hard — I've seen that. But the people that lasted, the people that rebuilt — they held onto something more. You had to. Otherwise, what would be the point?" The silver fox took that in, thinking. Then she sighed.

'I can perhaps admire your altruism, Wyatt. However, what you are up against is the accepted world view that has existed for millennia.' Wyatt shook his head, dashing his hand through the air. He frowned.

"I'm not trying to change anything, Kit. It's not altruism! I'm not going to start leading a crusade, or try to change people's opinions. It's just … I don't want to be responsible for the slaughter of a group of beings that can talk, think, or reason. And that's the only outcome here." Wyatt sighed, worried that he wasn't explaining himself to her properly.

"You know, the neighbouring farm that bordered on my Grandparent's property — I wasn't ever allowed to go near it alone. We knew the family, the Burke's, well enough — they were a large family with a lot of mouths to feed. They kept everyone together though, no matter what they faced. But they struggled, more than most. I remember my Gramps and Grandmother were always polite to them whenever they met. And they never said a bad word about them. But …" Wyatt sighed again.

He took out his water-skin and wet his mouth, swallowing the cool liquid as he remembered.

"… we were fairly certain the whole lot of them were cannibals. Or had been cannibals, at the very least." Kits ears flicked back in shock, and she sounded very careful as she spoke.

'It sounds like a family to keep your distance from.'

"Mmhmm. But times were hard when I first went to live there — and it's probably not exactly the situation you are envisioning. There were roving bands of, raiders I guess you'd call them, all over at the time. They'd steal whatever they wanted, sometimes killing to do so. There was a small group in our area that had been getting increasingly problematic. They hadn't hurt anyone yet, but you could tell it was only a matter of time."

'No one did anything about them?' Wyatt shrugged.

"There was no one around to help out. The raiders usually hit isolated properties. I remember sitting up with my Grandparents every night one week. Taking turns standing watch, waiting for them to strike. They'd hit the Burke property three times already, so Gramps figured it was only a matter of time."

'Did they attack your home?'

"Nope. You see, we heard sounds of fighting late one night. Screams, coming from the Burke property. Gramps wanted to go over to help, but my Grandmother wouldn't let him. I think that if I hadn't have been there they would have both gone. But Gramps went over at first light. I still can see his face when he came back." Wyatt was silent for a few beats, remembering his Grandfather.

"He said that there was damage to the property, but not as much as he'd feared. Most of the Burke's were injured, and still wearing blood-stained clothing. But they all insisted they were fine. That nothing had happened. But … their smokehouse was full and running. And not a one of their few remaining animals was missing." Kit shivered slightly, looking uncomfortable. Like laying out in the sun was inappropriate for what she was hearing.

'But once, in self-defence …' Wyatt gave Kit a grimacing smile.

"Like killing, people can get a taste for a lot of things. The Burke's started hunting at night, became renowned for it. And there wasn't a lot of game around in our area — I should know. But we stopped having so much trouble with raiders. And their smokehouse was always going …" Wyatt trailed off, then took a deep breath.

"And the Burke's were always friendly. They always helped out the community, always leant a hand whenever it was needed. But they never offered anyone any food, no matter how much they had. And my Grandparents were always pleasant to them — I remember that clearly. I guess they knew that sometimes you had to make hard choices." Kit stared at Wyatt for a long moment.

'I didn't realise that your world was so … harsh.'

"It didn't use to be, from what my Grandparents said. But I guess that once you lose your footing it's sometimes hard to arrest your fall. And that's why I came to this world, Kit. I was sick of the violence and the struggle. Once I was on my own, there was nothing holding me there anymore. I know that violence is sometimes necessary. And I hope that I won't ever hesitate if it comes to it. But for me … I just want to carve out my own place.

A home where I don't have to be beholden to anyone else — no matter what history says. Somewhere I can make my own path, my own decisions." Wyatt stared out over the land, seeing what could be. He nodded resolutely.

"I will build it myself, no matter what." The moment passed, and Wyatt laughed softly, a little embarrassed. He rubbed at the back of his head, giving Kit a rueful look.

"Man, that sounded pretentious, didn't it?" Kit was eyeing him strangely, and there wasn't an ounce of amusement in her gaze. She slowly nodded at him.

'No. Not really.' Wyatt took a deep breath, then let it out explosively. He clapped his hands together, the sound ringing out and dispelling the mood.

"Right! Chores and maudlin chats are over. Now it's time to play around, sort out our dinner, then more fun." Kit had jumped when Wyatt had clapped, but now her tail twitched in burgeoning amusement.

'And what exactly constitutes 'play'?' Wyatt raised his eyebrows at her, grinning. He pulled his shovel out of his bag of holding.

"I've got a new Skill I want to mess around with. And maybe try a few experiments as well." Kit jumped off of her perch, her jaw open in a silent laugh.

'I'm more interested in the dinner part of all that, but I suppose I could suffer to watch you ape around.' Wyatt's grin widened.

"Glad to have you, Kit."