Description:
Undre the dark grey sky, just on the edge of the city and next to a barren wasteland, lies a large clearing, the shape of a ragged circle. It is fortified with large slabs of metal and wooden poles, surrounded by brambles acting as barbed wire. You can see twenty two Streeters inhabiting this place, each with their own little shelter around the edge of the circle. Large tents attatched to the walls of this camp contain belongings of the company, like building materials and weapons.
This is The Inside, the safest place a Streeter could possibly be.
Message:
"Pieces, Sir?"
"No." The man buries himself deeper into his coat, eager to get away form you.
"Excuse me, Madam-"
"Go away!"
"Hello-"
"Leave me alone, street rat!"
You've been at this for hours, with little success. Since dawn, you have gained three copper pieces, which would get you next to nothing. Sighing, you lean against the wall behind you, turning your eyes to the sky. You jump with a start, as you see the sun will disappear behind the houses in no more than ten minutes. That's when the Skull Crushers come to terrorize the streets until the early hours before dawn. The name says it all. Blunt, stupid, but still dangerous to be around, which is why you are now walking at a very fast pace towards your 'home', a little shelter made of wood and cloth, that no one but you would ever find, thanks to the alleyway it is situated in, obscured by a pile of boxes and two walls. You turn a corner, and crash into something that could have been carved from stone. A large meaty hand grabs your neck and pins you against a wall. The Skull Crushers are early today. You cry out. The man laughs.
"You're pathetic!" he snarls into your ear, and throws you to the ground behind him. He pins your face into the mud with his foot so you can't breathe, and laughs.
"Easy meat tonight, boys!" he cheers, and the gang laughs a cruel laugh.
"Leave the kid alone!" A girl's voice sounds from behind them.
Oh no.
"Well, well, well. what do we have here?" The foot is removed from your head, and you pull yourself up, gasping for breath. You drag yourself away while the Skull Crushers are distracted by the prospect of 'new meat'.
"Shutup, you thick-skulled moron."
"Girl, didn't your parents ever teach you manners?"
"Streeters don't have manners."
"Streeter?"
"Yes."
"OK, then, Streeter, why should we let the rat go for you?" the leader asks.
"Because if you don't, we'll call on the powers of the porthole to devour your mind slowly, and painfully."
You give a start. There are no such things as portholes! They're just myth! You look back at the gathering in the now deserted street.
"Portal, you say?"
"Yes."
"Well, Streeter, I-I wouldn't want to, you know, hold you up for, er, whatever you're doing, so me and the gang will, um, be... be on our way." With that, the whole gang bolts down the street, slipping as they go. The girl makes her way over to you.
"Hey kid. You on a suicide mission or something, picking a fight with the Skull Crushers?"
You shake your head, lost for words.
"Come on, I'll take you to The Inside." The girl helps you up, and leads you towards the edge of the city. About ten minutes of slow progress later, you can see a circle of lights up ahead. You look closer, and a circular camp comes into view. As you and the girl make your way to the entrance of this huge camp, you see movement inside. They must be Streeters. Little shelters are dotted around the edge of this camp, and larger tents attatched to the walls of the camp are filled with weapons, metal, cloth and wood.
You enter the camp, and all the Streeters stop what they are doing and look at you. You feel suddenly very self-conscious.
"Welcome," the girl said, "to The Inside."
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