7:25 AM

The 77th of Spring, 1551

Most of the cities in the Dunabad Republic or the D.R. as many liked to call it, were articles of living history. They were all built on top or around the giant megalithic structures of the Dunabad empire. The Duna of old had constructed most of their public buildings with enormous carved stones that have stood their ground through the ages. How the empire created such buildings was a mystery. When the continents of Barca, Yomanen, and Durge allied themselves and conquered the Duna mainland, the Duna who remained were so tight-lipped that they had burned all of their libraries and wouldn’t even recant their history to their children. The modern Duna knew just as little of their own origins as the people who had conquered them. Modern architecture in the DR was done with brick or cement. This style of buildings attempted to mimic that of the otherworldly Duna architecture. The modern D.R. Buildings surrounding the ancient structures looked like scaled down versions of their inspiration with rows and rows of windows added. 

Caster’s Landing was a very large city that lay on the coast of the D.R. Its landscape of pale polished stone was a thing of beauty. This beauty once reflected society, now it would seem that the beauty persists in spite of society. The streets of Caster’s Landing were unpredictable and degenerate as of late. Places where children used to play were now the camping grounds for those without homes. Drug use and crime haunted society, plaguing it from the inside. It wasn’t always like this. The Duna Republic was once a shining beacon for all life in Endymion, but now the gleaming society has been spoiled. The progress that once supported people of all classes was now in retrograde. Life in the cities was like meat left out for too long; the shape of it remains intact but the flesh itself has been replaced by discolored, foul smelling decay. The trust between people was shaken. Though the risks and dangers in Caster’s landing continued to swell out of control, life persisted still. Children must be educated. Mouths must be fed. Bills must be paid. Time is money and as of the year 1551, the better half of everyone was short on both. So, in spite of the evident risk; Damon, Demi and Isaac walked to school every day while the adults went to work. 

The trek was short, a mere Forty minutes from home if the pace was kept to a brisk walk. The trio would take the main roads from their neighborhood, Pike’s Quarter, to the market district, to Combine Academy. 15 minutes into today's walk had them entering the market district. The buildings there were nearly all from the time of old Dunabad. Merchants for any and everything the people of Caster’s Landing may need conglomerated there. Vendor’s tents lined up by the buildings and the structures themselves were home to business of all kinds. In the morning, most of the businesses were still setting themselves up. Roads between buildings were so  exceedingly wide to the point that even with the dense overpopulation in the city, one could walk through the market district relatively unimpeded. In fact, many of their buildings were so large that it seemed that it was built for a race of giants. It is said that it was because the Duna of old would entertain enormous gods in their cities though nobody truly knows, not even the Duna themselves. The many roads that came from the residential areas would intersect into the one large road at the market district entrance. Mana carts were 4 wheeled vehicles that were powered and controlled by its user’s mana. They were made of metal, had a very angular design, and drove relatively slow in the city. Although they could move fast the ride would be very unstable when hitting bumps and the vehicle was prone to tip on hard turns.  Most of the carts available to the public just looked like a black box with wheels and seats inside of them. Mana carts had 4 lanes in the middle and the pedestrians and vendors occupied the rest of the road. Rail systems that carried trains were placed in supported, elevated positions almost as high as the duna buildings of the market district. Caster’s Landing’s rail systems spanned the entire city. Enforcers in red uniforms would walk in pairs, sparsely patrolling the streets. They kept the peace in some cases but were known to cause a lot of their own problems. 

The market district was also where the homeless population was most saturated. Leather tents and groups of ragged clothed people littered the dark corners of the district. They were usually strung out and unresponsive, but every now and then some fight would break out or one of them would go into a yelling fit. They were society's blemishes and society let them fester.

The 3 three teens walked on the right side of the enormous road. They all wore hand-me-down backpacks and their black Combine Academy uniforms. 

“If you could be a girl for a day, what would be the first 3 things you do?” Demi asked the two boys. 

“Naked mirror time. Hit on Damon so I can laugh about it later. And then I’d fight Glen Dunbas so I could tell everyone I whooped his ass as both genders.” Isaac stated while quick-drawing his gun. Electrified sparks of his mana edged his movements. He made it look like he was just horsing around but after years of that fidgeting his movements were as fluid as water and as fast as lightning. Many have wondered what Isaac Atrisse could do with a real gun.

“I don’t think my family has done a good enough job healing your mind there, brother. What good is the Ryker treatment if its main recipient is Isaac, the leading expert in Dildo Launching Tech?” Damon laughed. 

“Oh yeah? What would you do, big guy? It better not be boring!” Isaac replied, his gun twirling effortlessly by his hip.  

“I don’t have 3 things off the top of my head… but I do have one.” Damon mused. His emerald eyes were unfocused, looking off into space as if he had transcended this world and could see beyond the confines of physical reality. 

Isaac and Demi leaned in as Damon built up the tension. 

“Well… What do you got?” Demi queried with curiosity. 

“I would pee standing up in front of the other girls to assert dominance. They’ve never seen some shit like that.” Damon announced with unwavering pride.

The three erupted in laughter. 

“I may only be a girl for a day, but Dunas be damned I’d be the best girl Caster's Landing has ever seen. Top of the food chain. Unmatched in feminine power. Looks like a woman, pees like a man.” Damon continued while attempting and failing to keep his expression heroic and forthcoming. 

“You’d either be the worst girl to ever live, or you’d have statues made in your honor. No in between!” Demi chortled.

“Okay Demi, what do you got? What would be the first 3 things you’d do as a man” Damon asked.

“Hmmm... Pee in an alley, pee in the ocean, and pee in a bucket while backing up so I could see how far it goes.” Demi announced.

“Like brother like sister I guess” Isaac commented, smiling from ear to ear.

“What can I say? Damon was on to something! How I see it, the best part of being a man is the ability to pee anywhere. So, there you have it!” Demi laughed.

“What do you think David’s top three would be?” Damon asked. David was the oldest sibling in the Ryker family. He left home to go to law school in the capital, Dawson’s Rest.

“He’d definitely give a non-answer. He’s been so serious lately. It's like he’s the second coming of your mom.” Isaac replied.

“He’s a man on a mission. You think he can do it? Get dad’s medical license back?” Demi queried. 

“Who knows? This was never as much of a legal issue as it is a political one. You can’t embezzle tax money under the guise of helping mentally damaged homeless people if you’ve got a family that can heal that shit like mending a bone.” Isaac explained with a grimace. “Why should the government have a say in who or how someone heals anyways. I thought this country was supposed to be free for everyone, it doesn’t really seem like it.”

“That’s quite the cold expression for such a warm soul” grated a voice to the right. Crow the Vagrant appeared from the crowd and walked alongside the trio. Crow was relatively young for a homeless Duna, looking to be in his early 30’s. His handsome face was hairless, as most Duna couldn’t grow facial hair, and blemished with scars; the most eye-catching of which was the deep vertical scar on the right side of his lips. He had lost enough flesh around the region that his upper canine tooth was always slightly visible. His tired eyes were a glowing blood red that made people’s skin crawl. Crow wore ragged baggy black clothes and unkempt long black hair. He looked like a prophet of the apocalypse. The kids didn’t know much about the man’s life or how he kept getting so many scars. Most people were too scared to ask and even if they did, it's not like they'd get an answer. The man had witnessed one of Isaac’s antics years ago. Isaac slipped a harmless paint bomb into an enforcer’s waist belt. The enforcer was hassling a street vendor for his paperwork then POOF his back was covered in pink paint. Crow approached Isaac and thanked him for the only laugh he had in years. Now whenever he sees the boy he makes sure to say hello.

Isaac’s face broke into a grin, “Well, well, well, I haven’t seen you in months”

“I can’t be everywhere at once. I have a life, you know” Crow replied in a dark tone. Everything sounded bad coming out of his mouth. 

“And what do you do in this life of yours?” Demi asked playfully.

“Oh you know, I’m a people watcher. I watch people. I can’t only watch the same 3 kids all the time, that would be a problem.  Also, the best part of being a homeless man is finding cool places to pee. I’ve been mapping out all the finest spots for golden desecration.” Crow said with a slight smile.

“Oh you’ve been around that long have you?” Asked Damon.

Crow paused, giving each of the kids a warm look unbefitting of his cold exterior. “Keep your chin up kids. Your family is a jewel here. Times might get hard but the people love you. Even the gangs try to leave your lot out of their messes. The kindness of the Rykers will not be easily forgotten.” 

“Thank you, Crow.” Isaac said locking eyes with the vagrant. 

“Thank you for the entertainment, kid.” The man replied while shifting his gaze ahead.

The four entered at the center of the market district. The enormous center had a fountain in the middle of it and was filled with wide open space. The central square also worked as an intersection. Straight ahead led to Combine Academy, to the left led to the community food center where the homeless were fed and to the right led to the Enforcer’s Office. Crow began to walk to the right.

“You all take care now.” his voice grated as he waved goodbye without looking.  

“Bye Crow!” The trio said in unison as they continued straight through the intersection.

“He might look like he smells bad but that guy’s fucking great.” Isaac exclaimed.

Damon chuckled under his breath and shook his head dismissively. 

“I’ve warmed up to him too. Remember how scared shitless we were the first time he walked up on us?” Demi added. 

“I remember you ducking behind Damon faster than I could blink an eye, and I can blink fucking fast.” Isaac teased.

“I remember you not being able to say a single word, Isaac. And you always have something to say.” Damon teased back.

“Could you blame me? He's the scariest looking vagabond in Caster’s Landing, and the first words that came out of that bag of gravel he calls a voice box was, ‘I’ve seen what you’ve done’.  If I wanted to shit my pants I’d just drink some milk, that always does the trick.” Isaac ranted with a smile. 

Isaac, Damon, and Demi continued down the road to school laughing like they always laugh.