The sun is rising. 

Today is going to be dry...

Living inside the barriers of this world isn't as terrible as strangers and "tourists" thinks it is.

These scavengers may be living near the greatest catastrophe humanity has ever faced, but the thought no longer stops the people from crossing the barriers nowadays. They have its terror in front of them and it has been like this for decades. In essence, yes this side of the continent is dangerous...but in a more peaceful way, it is the embodiment of everything North America lost in terms of history, culture and, above all, significance with the rest of the planet.

In 2067, the only ones that crosses the doors of this massive 30 feet steel barricade are warriors, merchants and explorers who are not afraid of the immense danger that is waiting for them below. Adventurers at heart couldn't be scared to dive inside these walls, even if they have been erected to protect humanity from falling into the madness that the bottomless pit represents. 

Still, for anyone ready to discover a whole new world and for those hopeful to step underground and acquire treasures of unknown rarity and prestige, this is the most unfavorable place they could chose.

In the lands surrounding the pit sits a wild deserted area chock-full of sand and boulders sitting around, waiting to be swallowed by mother nature into its depths. The hot wind blowing on the particles makes the heat feel drab and opressive. Many perished due to overexposure to blazing temperatures and the road to go down is far from being short.

Few daring souls were forgiven by the sands over the years and if you are not prepared adequately, your fate will be no different. The world around the creatures here turns into an emptiness of rhythm and a waste of life: Many clear signs of old monuments and skyscrapers in ruins can be found. Many buildings dissolved to radioactive dust and remnants of vegetation that once thrived in a healthier environment can be observed here. You get to comprehend as soon as you step in the road to the dark destination that this has been left untouched for many years and for a good reason...or rather, almost untouched.

After getting to the boundless roads of the now eradicated city of Manhattan, the travelers now need to pass through that village... The village of Gallows.

A strange slump it is, Gallows was once one of the multiple homes for blacksmiths that saw a ginormous resurgence in the market after the devastating post-apocalyptic divide of the United States. Many of them found multiple cities as a hot spot to grow armour shops and overall the necessary equipment to survive extreme conditions and radioactive poisoning. Some of them even rose above the status quo and printed their legacy as "saviors of america" in such a short period of time.

However, the resurgence was recent and rapid...far too rapid in fact. The market was volatile and only a select few families of blacksmiths made it through the harsh competition.

Gallows is now but a small, abandoned dump, deserted years ago and barebones in many regards. Buildings have turned into shells of their former selves, breaking down in piles of rubble, to the point of it all being demoralising. Gallows is the closest base to the Bottomless pit, about 3.5 kilometers away and with the best chances to re-supply before the descent. Seeing it abandoned like this reminds all trespassers that all previous efforts to research the pit fell apart.

...Until recently.

Around 40 days ago, one of the two remaining blacksmiths on sight died. A father... A father that contributed to many of his family's early success and was heavily affected by the downfall of the village. He considered this place his own after all and he put the blame on himself for the suffering caused. He left with a bittersweet smile on his face, shedding one last tear with his only son, the last remaining Yundath member inside the barrier... Zephyr.

Zephyr is planning something of high scale for months now. He is walking around the debris of his home wondering if everything is ready; a towering gallon of water he had to harvest from the forest, mostly for drinking and bathing himself; food of all kinds; climbing equipment; different sets of clothes just in case, without forgetting the trusty torch blade his father made some time ago, before passing away.

Holding the weapon in his hands simply makes the young man bitter and remorseful, shameful even.

Zephyr needs to keep himself composed however, so he puts back the sword in its sheath and moves on, finishing the other steps.

The short young man already prepared most of the baggages for the trip and safely placed all of it near the drop zone earlier... 

He is ready to dive into the bottomless pit.

Well, what would you know, running has its loads of disadvantages, especially when you don't have the stamina waiting to be disposed of.

Dr. Riley has been out of breath for quite some time. As of now, his speed dramatically decreased and he's on the verge of fainting. The adrenaline is keeping him on course, but his bones are going to snap anytime if he keeps running like this. Him and his little creatures are all dashing towards their destination, passing by the ruins of skyscrapers and other relics of the past.

On one of these buildings...rest the assassin.

He has indeed survived the crushing defeat and keeps marching forward, although his left leg is telling a different story. He can feel pain when he puts too much pressure onto it, probably a result of a sudden crack he felt in his ankle when he dodged the barrage of trees. Despite this, he still proves to be a challenge to evade. He his skipping a beat, but the bounty hunter's training makes so that his stunts are altered enough to use the good leg as much as possible. He barely lost agility, which means he can still climb his way to decently sized chucks of buildings without too much sweat.

His target on the other hand clearly lost all of his gas. The scientist's prediction came true, to his dismay, and now he must escape his fate once again. This is brutal for the doctor's physique and mental. Riley and his minions didn't even have the time to cross the barrier that the bastard was back at the chase again, jumping over the barrier like a superhuman being even with the new injury. Without Riley's booster pads, it would have been absurd for the scientist to find a way out of this situation.

For doc, this hunter is simply a product of deranged perfection: a man so skilled and so sharp he can withstand and destroy any obstacles in his path. The fact that he's berserking his way to the doctor for a pay check is a solid conclusion to his hypothesis: Assassins are wastes of talent. Imagining what this man could do if he used all these abilities for the betterment of his community, instead of chasing down cash and selfish greed, adds to the doctor's depression.

The two are playing cat and mouse to the abandoned Gallows Village and their only spectator, the young and stern Zephyr, is too preoccupied by his own trip down the damned pit to see a lunatic, three small creatures and a trained killer running like maniacs to the same direction as him. In fact, the young blacksmith is already packing the last of his bags. He carries pickaxes, ropes and even more food and water supplies. Zephyr is walking at a slow pace.

It's at about halfway there that he realizes he's being followed by the gang. Of all the weirdoes he's presented with, only one of them manages to strike Zephyr on the spot as...immensely peculiar.

It almost feels like the boy...saw the assassin's armour somewhere....

Right! A relative from his father made armour exactly like this. It couldn't be true that someone out of the Yundath chain would have access to this specific armour! Unless they started selling it to a less-than-ideal crowd or in some kind of blackmarket...

Zephyr doesn't place too much of his attention on this fact, as the bounty hunter is so focused on getting his prey, he simply passes by the kid without saying a word. Knowing that whatever is going only gives him unnecessary goosebumps before the descent, Zephyr starts walking a bit faster, in the hopes of stopping what's happening before it escalates too fast.