Myths of Power

Richard entered the Physician's building. The door had been rubbed thin by the sheer number of his patients. The hinges were barely holding on to the wood strapping that made up most of what was left. Scavenged pieces were attached where they could be to give it some more life. To Richards surprise, there was no noise as it opened.

"Hmm. I guess not everything was left to rot away." he thought.

It seemed as if the entire refuse of the city's population was either sleeping of dieing in his waiting area, which admittedly, took up most of the ground floor. People were shifting and moaning and Richard could smell the decay and death that was hanging, curtain-like, in the air.

A small frail girl wondered around the menagerie, handing out wet cloths to whoever needed them. Richard motion to her and she slowly worked through the maze of bodies.

She was thin, too thin for such a young girl, although her face had seen enough pain and torment for many lifetimes. Her blond hair hung limp from her scalp and her skin had a sickly yellowish complexion.

"You'll have to wait your turn sir..." Even though her voice was harsh and croaky, Richard could still hear a faint echo of the life that she once knew.

Richard reached into his cloak and pulled out a small box. He placed his hand on the girls should and handed it to her.

"Go tell him I have arrived and give him this..."

She gently caressed the box and looked up at Richard with a small excited smile. Her face bubbled over with suppressed emotion. Richard was sure he heard a slight girlish giggle as she ran up the ramshackle stairwell. The sudden change in her attitude did not go unnoticed by the others waiting in the near vicinity. Curiosity was peaked in a few, who managed to stand and make their way to Richard, trying to recognize in him what the child did.

Not wanting to draw too much attention, he pulled his hood past his face and slowly made his way closer to the stairs, when the girl bounded hallway down and started beckoning him to her.

"Come, come. He's been waiting for you." Her eyes seemed to be brighter and full of life.

Richard carefully climbed the stairs, taking care to miss the questionable ones. The second floor was quite brighter and, relatively speaking, much cleaner. In the corner, behind an examination table bound together with spit and hope, was the Physician.

"Coltan, where is..."

Coltan raised his uninjured hand. "He's fine Catherine, he's fine. Your friend from last night took him to the physician."

Catherine's face strained with worry. "I should go to him, help him..." She moved quickly to the door before Coltan grabbed her shoulder.

"What he has to do, he must do..alone, Catherine." He moved her to the bed and she sat down.

"I'm so confused! What happened last night? What happened to me?"

Coltan sat beside her. "I'm not sure if I could, or even should tell you. It's a complex thing and I'm not even..."

Catherine turned and held Coltan's injured hand. A slight twitch caused her to to let go. 

"Sorry. I NEED to know Coltan. With Richard off on his own thing, he's left me here all alone..." Tears start to well up in her eyes.

"Look child, I'm not...really...good with emotional people..." He nervously gave her back a half-pat.

"Here's what I know about your kind. You are creatures of the earth that are sustained by the earth. Beetles, worms, and other...things..." He shivered visibly. "Newly reborn rev's like you only have a small reserve and when you got upset, it almost got used up."

"So I could have...what...re-died?!"

"Not sure if you could call it that, but a bigger problem occurs when the reserves get used up beyond a certain point."

"Then what?"

"Wildlings. Uncontrollable, devastating, and damn near unstoppable."

They both sat silent for a few minutes.

"I don't remember anything like that..."

"Be glad about that. We got you up into the room and Richard performed a type of ceremony that transferred some of his reserve to you. It took a lot out of him."

She turn and stared at Coltan through her tears. "But he'll be alright though, right?"

He couldn't look at her. "I'm told that a rev's reserve can only be filled a certain number of times. Richard is VERY old. I don't think..."

Catherine stood up and slapped Coltan's face. "Don't you even DARE think such a thing..." Realizing her reaction, she turned away and sobbed in her hands.

Coltan stood up, rubbed his cheek and embraced her softly....