Fantasy RPG - The Virus

"Whatever you are, it can't be that bad," Val argued.

"It is."

"I don't believe it," Serin jumped in. "Nothing could be so horrible as to be called a monster. What are you?"

"Nothing, stop asking!" Hidena snapped angrily.

*SSorry, it's kinda short.*

"All you are doing by not saying what you are is keeping us from being able to trust you." Serin snapped back. She calmed her voice. "Nothing you are can make us hate you, we are all different and that is how life is."

"You say that, but just wait. And I don't need to be trusted. I've got me."

"Just please tell us. We wanna help." Serin said.

Hidena wanted to bolt. To run and never look back. She knew Goblins were hated when they had been existed. They were murderers and theives. The killed young and old. They killed all. It was horrible.

Tigra

I smirked inwardly. I had the chance to get my own back for her comment on my own race but then... Something about her nervous, determined expression stopped me from saying what I was thinking out loud. I was thinking she had to be part goblin. There was no explanation right? She called herself a monster because Goblins were known for their gruesome, nasty behaviour, then there was the short temper, dark features and something about her complexion wasn't quite right. I needed her help though and I wasn't going to get that through revealing a secret she clearly wanted to keep.
"So where do you think the aliens have their base on Earth?" I asked, changing the subject. Hidena looked at me in surprise and for a moment, there was a flicker of gratitude and then it was replaced by a natural sneer.
"Somewhere hard to find I should think," Hidena declared.
"Well I'm going to find it," I assured her.

"And I'm going with," Val said determinedly. Tigra turned and stared at her. "If that's ok with you," Val added quickly.

"Sure, that's fine," Tigra replied. "JUst as long as you don't get in the way."

"Oh, I won't."

"Why do you want to find the cure?" Serin asked.

"I want to stop the disease from finishing off my mother's village. It has already taken my father;" val explained. "What about you guys?"

Tigra

"I suppose I'll help," Hidena decided.
"Well I don't exactly have anything else to do," Serin sighed.
"Thanks. I appreciate the help."
"So you want the cure because..." Val prompted.
"For some reason the virus had no effect on me or my sister but my parents and brother have it and I wont let them die." The others nodded in understanding.
"But which way do we go?" Serin asked.
"Let's try North first," Val suggested.
"But we've been heading South for the last hour," Hidena protested irritably, "Wouldn't it make more sense to keep going seenas it's just as likely to be this way as any other?"
"Actually, I was hoping we could follow the path of the virus. Some machine must be emmitting it into our atmosphere and it's clearly stronger in this area because no one has died in my village. I came from the East so that suggests we should head West, right?"

"Don't ask me. I am horrible with directions." Hidena said looking at her feet.

"Yes, that would make sense." Val said.

"Heck, I don't even know why I'm here." Hidena said after a long silence of walking.

"You don't have any family or friends that have suffered?" Tigra asked.

"Got no friends. Family was all murdered."

"I'm so sorry." Serin said and touched her shoulder.

Hidena shook the hand off. "Why?" She was suprised then remembered she hadn't told them. "I mean...It's prolly better of that way."

"You're happy your family is dead?"

"There you go again. Getting into my buisness!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry." Serin cowered back.

"Look Serin, don't ever be sorry. It's a weakness. Being sorry can kill people. Trust me I know." Hidena turned to Tigra. "I'm coming with you because I don't like having the smell of charred corpses from the burning piles in my nose."

Tigra nodded. "That seems like a reasonable cause."

Tigra

"That seems like a reasonable cause," I murmered, adding the scraps of information to my presumptions. After than, an awkward silence decsended, as it often does between people who are aquainted but have failed to find a common ground on which to stand.
"Should we stop in the next village and see how far the disease has advanced there?" Val wondered.
"I'd rather not go too close," Serin declined and, after a moment's hesitation, Hidena actually nodded in agreement.
"Then we smell it out," I decided.

"WHat do you mean 'smell it out'?" Serin asked.

*Sorry. I'm tired and can't think if what to put. lol*

That's okay.

Tigra

"Well you guessed my species correctly and Tigers have a rather acute sense of smell," I replied.
"I've never seen a shapeshifter transform," Hidena murmered to herself.
"Well it's not a pretty sight," I replied, "so you might want to look away."

Of course, none of them heeded my warning so, with a deep sigh, I concentrated on the change. My skin rippled, stretching itself as my arms shrank and my bones twisted into different shapes. Fur began to sprout from my flesh, itchy clumps of orange and black and then the claws pierced through my fingers and toes and my teeth extended into huge, aching canines. Only when the transformation was complete did the pain cease and then I couldn't resist swishing my tail in the dust and pricking up my ears.

Reluctantly I lowered my head and sniffed the air. The acrid stench of death and decay hung amongst the particles of dust and, for a moment, I was overwhelmed with the pure agony and horror of it. Then I was able to discern where the smell was strongest and I found a new scent in the air. The disease? The foul element that was poluting our planet?

Tigra began to bound forward, sniffing the ground here and the air there.

"What's she doing?" Serin muttered as the other girls followed close behind.

"Sniffing out the disease," Val asnwered simply.

"How much will this actually help?" Hidena chimed in.

"I don't know, but it's worth a shot."

Tigra

"That way!" I decided with a final sniff. The scent was strong, overwhelmingly so and yet it was old. It was as if the disease grew worse with time, grew stronger as it fermented; just like alcohol. That would certainly help to pin-point the source.
"Are you sure?" Serin asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Good enough for me. Let's head over there," Hidena decided and with a nod from Val, the decision was unanimous.

"When are we going to stop for dinner?" Val queried about an hour later. I paused and padded back to her, baring my teeth in a smile.
"Whenever you want," I replied.
"Now that is just creepy," Serin objected. "Never discuss dinner plans with a tiger."
"I think a meal sounds good but I doubt there are many people alive over there," Hidena pointed out.

"Well if you're a cannibal then you've got a feast waiting." Hidena mumbled. They looked at her afraid. "What? I'm not a cannibal. Jeeze!" She walked off and sat under a tree. She grabbed an apple and took a bite into it.

"You might not want to eat that. It could be diseased." Val said. Hidena laughed and took another bite.

"I hope it is. Then I can rid myself of this trash heap you people call earth." Hidena said while chewing. She finished, but no one would eat from the tree. They walked farther into town.

Tigra

We passed many bodies as we wandered through the town and most lay discarded in the streets as if the disease had hit fast and there had been no time to bury the first dead. A putrid stench hung in the air, intermingling with the smell of the virus. It was the smell of death.

"Nice knecklace," Hidena noted, lifting a golden chain that hung around a woman's corpse.
"Leave that there!" Serin exclaimed, "It's not yours."
"Yeah and the disease might be passed on by touch," Val added.

"I think it's passed through the particles in the air and we have a high resistance to it but they're right. No sense in taking any chances," I agreed. I actually doubted very much that the disease could be passed by touch but I felt more than uncomfortable about looting bodies. Hidena shrugged and took the necklace anyway, placing it in her pocket.

"So where exactly are we going to find food here?" Serin asked.
"We could try the houses," Hidena suggested.
"No chance! Let's look for a restaurant or a bakery," Val objected with a slight shudder.
"This way," I suggested, picking up a faint scent of food.

Siren folllowed to a bakary and they quickly gathered up food and ate it.

"Why did you take the necklace?" Siren asked Hidena.

"She wasn't gonna use it any more." She replied.

"But it wasn't yours, it could've been very speacial to her." Siren sighed, "But sut yourself."