DecayingAt0m

You’ve just arrived in a swampy, dim town. As you look around, your gaze is met with shacks and cabins. It smells of rotted wood and wet moss. You duck and step into a tattered tent, illuminated by a series of candles suspended in the air. At the back of the tent, an old hag raises her head, “What brings you to this dingy town? she begins, then pauses to study your face—”Ah, it’s you. I’ve been expecting you. Sit,” she gestures at a cushion, “Tell me your story.” ((How do you respond?)) *Looking around with an almost dazed look of how he came to be here, Cassian gaze finally settled on the hag tilting his head ever so slightly.* "A new purpose I suppose.." *His words trailed off for what seemed like an eternity, before snapping back to the present.* "Sorry did you say you were expecting me? I don't understand what you mean?" *As he spoke a strange trance like state took a hold of Cassian as if his life was not only playing in his mind like moving paintings but also as if the the Hag could see it as vividly as if they were there themselves.* *As the cover of darkness eclipsed the sky, the Reyes household erupted with the wails of two new-born infants as Antonio and Maria had been blessed with twins. The eldest, a daughter named Lucia and a few short minutes later a son named Cassian, although there were only a few moments between them, Lucia never allowed Cassian to forget that she was the oldest. As children, whatever conflicts amounted between them, Cassian never forgot that Lucia was his sister and that it was his duty to protect her. They spent many days chasing each other around the house, fields and meadows pretending that they were great and mighty warriors hunting a monstrous beast. Regardless of the adversities they faced, the duo and their love for each other prevailed and their parents could not have been more proud of them. But little did they know, as many things in life, they were prone to change. As teenagers, Lucia developed introverted tendencies and leaned more towards academia, in contrast, Cassian desperately struggled to find his niché. From a culmination of poor choices, lapses in judgement, and the wrong group of friends, Cassian often ended up on the wrong side of the law. Leaving his father and mother with no other option than to financially emancipate him from the guardsman, his sister Lucia only adding insult to injury by interjecting with a snide comment and mocking him about his poor life choices whenever an opportunity presented itself. Cassian’s nomadic lifestyle followed him into adulthood, he struggled to find his meaning and purpose in life until one serendipitous encounter with a platoon of soldiers who visited the town to resupply their stock inventory. Cassian’s interest was immediately peaked by the army of soldiers invigorated with the sense of restless energy that was pivotal for the impending warzone that they were soon to be faced with. He frequented the soldiers with questions about places they’ve been, challenges they’ve faced, things they’ve seen. After several moments of persistent and unrelenting questioning, one soldier finally addressed Cassian, “If you’re so keen on our stories, we could always use another body in the ranks. Go and speak to our Commanding Officer over there!” He exclaimed while gesturing to his left. After a lengthy conversation with the Commanding Officer, Cassian came to the realisation that he may never find his true purpose in his hometown, but out there he had the freedom to discover who he was meant to be. He rushed to collect his belongings from his family home and informed his parents and sister of his decision. His family were inconsolable for the first hour after Cassian broke the news to them, they pleaded for him to reconsider and were begging for him not to leave. They knew their family wouldn’t feel complete without their son, and in spite of Cassian and Lucia’s strained relationship, she felt like she would be losing a part of herself if her little brother left. However, Cassian reassured his family that this was a choice he had to make and within the hour he had packed up his things and left the family household for the foreseeable future. He arrived at the training camp and immediately Cassian was being interrogated about his future career and what regiment he saw himself being the most suited to. The Officer mentioned that the Infantry were always in need of more ‘bodies’, however, he suggested that Cassian could be of more use in a more specialised area as the Skirmishers were in need of fresh blood. While this would take a significant amount of dedication, the skills acquired were formidable and well respected among the army and wider community. Cassian was eager to seize the opportunity to procure the skills that could take him far in life as opposed to being another statistic in the army’s death toll. The gruelling training was both mentally and physically exhausting, he was taught to use a wide awry of tools and weaponry, utilising his environment to help turn the tide of battle, as well as the art of Guerrilla warfare. All of the tools and training would aid his survival in any upcoming conflicts. As the years went by, there was nothing much that Cassian feared. He was at the top of his game but all of that changed when he was captured. He was detained as a prisoner for a crime he did not commit for over a year and a half, during the first few months he had had faith that the truth would come out and be freed, but as time went by and the months grew longer, he realised that hope was futile and that no one was coming to set the record straight. He felt betrayed and had never felt more alone in his life. When Cassian was freed and eventually returned to his regiment. They welcomed him with open arms. They offered Cassian a choice: his right to be a free civilian or to return to service. The feeling of betrayal was too strong, Cassian felt that he had always had their backs, but they failed him when he needed them the most, so he took his leave. Utilising his skills and training, he earned his gold doing things like hunting, however, bounty hunting was by far his greatest source of income. All of this changed when he searched for stable income and a fresh start in a new land.*