Reality Crisis

Enough time had passed, by now, that Leeloo worried Eric might be upset with how she'd disappeared. There were many reasons why her nights had not been free. She should have found the time to sneak out at least once since their relocation, but she hadn't. She hadn't found that time.

And so, at last, when the night was deep enough and the stars were in their right places, Leeloo finally did make that time tonight. The winter was still hearty and unashamed, but it had been worse before. She ventured out into the new settlement streets, ventured out into the dead suburban night, her frame swathed in layers that sealed in her warmth.

She couldn't count on finding Eric tonight, and they didn't have a wall or even a centralized place to meet. But she hoped, hoped, that she could find him all the same. And so her wandering around the streets began.

Eric had helped unload what supplies they had managed to hold on to for the duration of the travel. Each person was key in the survival of all of them, and Eric wasn't above any of them. He helped store what they could in the broken buildings, not surprised by the condition of the structures around them. Once everything was secure the Dark Avenger left the citizens and headed for the innermost part of the place itself. It seemed it would need a lot of work.

The crow soared high over the rooftops, managing to offer Eric a look at the land around them from its point of view. It wasn't too terrible a place, but there weren't residences for all of them to have one separate. Which meant that they would have to have room mates. Eric wasn't exactly opposed to the idea, but he wasn't a man that needed such things so he figured whomever it was that had the luck to land him as a roomie was in for a big surprise. Mostly the luxury of being able to inhabit one of these structures on their own.

They would need work, however.

Slowly the black avian drifted downward, coming to land on one of Eric's shoulders as he stood looking at one of the houses. It had a roof, which was good, but it seemed to be leaking. None of the houses seemed any bigger or any more well-built than the next, so Eric didn't bother with finding the nicest of the structures. Especially since he actually didn't need a physical residence. He couldn't help but think of Leeloo when he beheld the structure before him, the house that had fallen on her.

Pushing the thought from his mind Eric moved forward and walked into the structure to test the durability from the inside. If it fell he would survive, if it didn't then there was potential for more.

The entire group was halfway through their journey across the wilds when all hell broke loose, in a quite literal fashion. The temperature dropped quickly and snow started to fall at an alarming rate. On one end of the caravan, reality burst at the seams.

One of the trucks disappeared into the hole and the rest of the vehicles just barely stopped short. The ground started to vibrate and suddenly a loud roar could be heard nearby. A gigantic white mass moved from the direction of the hole in reality and started stomping around the caravan. Meanwhile, mounds of snow started forming into even more creatures that converged on the group and their supply trucks.

The largest of the creatures roared again, revealing a full set of snow-white teeth. The mounds of snow formed into dinosaurs that were about half the size of the largest dinosaur, ranging from the large Tyrannosaurus Rex formed out of snow to the smaller and faster Velociraptors.

A few screams rose up from the group below as people started to run in an attempt to avoid finding out if snow-dinosaurs could and would ingest them.

OOC: Just a little holiday crack!plot for you. Join in, create subthreads, and enjoy!

Eric had volunteered himself to drive one of the trucks carrying supplies. He didn't mind taking control of the vehicle, it had been a long time since he had found himself behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle of any type. And considering the fact that he didn't need to stop to sleep or eat was a bonus. He could continue to drive and drive....and he never had to stop if he didn't want to.

The truck was simple, the seats were covered in cloth worn to the barest of threads in some parts from constant use. The stuffing was beginning to peer through the wear, a signal of the age of the vehicle itself and proof of the memories it held at the hands of its owner. Whomever that had been. The steering wheel was basic but worn, divets in the leather created from a lifetime of hands and fingers, oils from the skin moisturizing the wheel itself. It was cracked in some places, and one of the gears for the signals was busted, but it had character.

It sort of reminded Eric of his first car, a beat up old Volvo that needed a new paint job desperately, and definitely needed a new clutch by the time he had finally gotten used to operating the manual transmission. He could faintly remember his parents scolding him, mostly his father, as they reminded him to take it easy on the clutch. He was only a kid back then. He had upgraded since then in his lifetime. Nothing fancy, but at least it was reliable but his car had none of the character qualities that this truck did.

The radio in the truck itself was busted and sitting on top of the dash was a faded Hawaiian dancer that swayed eagerly with the motion of the truck. Every time the truck dipped into a small rut in the road the dancer shook her grass-covered hips. Eric found that despite its condition it was one of the things that made this vehicle what it was.

What was missing was a passenger. Occasionally Eric caught himself offering the empty seat next to him a sideways glance. He would always make himself look forward again but he couldn't help but wish someone was occupying the seat. It made him miss Shelly, the rides he used to take her on in his car back in a time that seemed a different age completely. He missed Leeloo, too. He hadnt seen the fair-skinned beauty since before the dragon. He didn't blame her for getting caught up and when she was ready he knew she would find him. The bird was his only true company and at present it perched idly on the roof of the cab, watching for danger.

The sun eased into the horizon and the moon shimmered against the dark sky. Eric hummed softly, absently to himself. It eased the emptiness of the ride and in the back of his kind he could hear the ensemble playing, the rhythm held steady, the guitars in perfect harmony and his own voice...the depth it brought to the music itself. Another figment of a life that felt ages away. It was hard to let go. So he held on for a moment longer to his past life and continued to drive on into the night.

Eric wasn't leaving.

Not yet anyway.

Everyone had to be out first, and he would make sure there was nobody left lingering in the ruined city. He didn't do it for Belia. Nothing he did was for anyone but himself in a way. It was selfish but it had to be done. And he was leaving nobody to die or wither away into the nothingness.

When Belia made the announcement that they were leaving Eric wondered why she had waited so long to move the people. The signs had been there and yet the people were allowed to live on as normal. If you called this normal.

Eric could only wonder how everyone else was taking this. He was curious to know what Leeloo thought about the relocation. He hadnt seen his best friend in a few days which was too long. The bird had seen her, made sure she was alright, but he hadnt heard her voice or that laugh in far too long. He had to remedy that but for now he would wait.

He sat on the wall in the moonlight, the old familiar place of haunting that he was prone to using, and watched as the city prepared to depart. Usually it was quiet, now there was the murmur of distress and hurry on the lips of the cityborn. Who was going to protect them on their journey? They would have to rely on themselves, each other and more on the Chosen.

It seemed that this move almost was some sort of unspoken line drawn in the sand. You either protect those traveling or you let them die. There was really no choice in the matter and Eric had made his. He was saving them. All of them. And he would do as much as he could on his own if it came down to it. He could send the bird ahead to keep watch but it wouldn't do them any good if Netvore approached the group.

They would just have to do without him until everyone had evacuated die Festung for good.

All they could do now was wait. Wait to see what the future held and hope that they would all live to see the sun again come morning.

Being incapable of death meant that one could do many things. There were no limitations to what could be done and Eric seemed to be taking full advantage of that fact. Fighting a dragon proved that Eric pushed his ability to the extreme but it wasn't like he had extensive knowledge of exactly what it was he could do. However by pushing limits and testing boundaries he figured out just what he was capable of. And Eric knew that Leeloo probably believed in him more than he did in himself, which was warming. He didn't want to let her down and he wouldn't as long as he could help it.

The night had fallen over die Festung and the aftermath of the dragon was one to revel in. Eric was just glad the thing was gone. It was still laying where he had left it, a symbol of they predictable danger that lurked in the deepest realms of this world, but it served as a beacon as well. A signal that staked claim on die Festung. They would not be pushed around by any beast. Nothing would harm them as long as the Chosen could help it. Eric wasn't going to make himself available to Belia unless it was dire but at least she could rest a bit easier that night knowing her people were safe again. How long that would last he couldn't say, but it was something.

The crow soared overhead, the silent watchman. It flew in slow circles around the broken city to keep an eye out for anyone that may need help. Eric stood in the shadow of a building below patiently as the bird surveyed the sky.

Eric waited for Leeloo, to see if she would come. He wouldn't blame her if she didn't. He had kept her from Peter for quite a while and Eric had felt the bond they had kindled. Eric couldn't steal Leeloo away from that any more than he could something precious from someone that deserved it. What Leeloo did was her own business and Eric wouldn't stop her. Couldn't stop her, but he would respect her decisions and thus keep their friendship as close as he could to his heart.

Overhead the bird noticed a small glow coming from a building nearby. It seemed like a fire. It burned hot and bright against the night and curiously Eric stepped through the shadows. Now clean he moved with more determination to the source of the blaze. They didn't need a fire to get out of control here if it could be prevented, but he wouldn't take away someone's attempt at warmth, either.

He followed the bird and rounded a corner, the bright orange light dancing off of the crumbled bricks of the structure. He stopped to wait, to listen.

Long after the sun went down over that shivering, half-eaten settlement the first day after the breaking, Leeloo finally stopped... and sat... and closed her eyes (just for a little bit, just for a while). When she opened them again, it was to the brightness of the new morning, and the warmth of a jacket that was too large for her. She lifted her head and found Eric sitting close by her, one leg crooked, one stretched out, and his arm thrown casually over that raised knee. She sat up, rubbed at her eyes, and then gave him a big smile. "Morning," she said, her voice rough from sleep. She was tired, yet, tired and worn, but her friend was there, and it was clear he'd been there for a good portion of the night. She might not have needed the protection, but it'd been given without her asking, and she felt warmed by it. Friends were good.

There was much to do. Sometime later, she looked up and found that she'd managed to separate herself from Eric. She was certain he was still all right, but after seeing people disappear from existence before, she couldn't help the jump of her heart when she looked and he wasn't near. Concern for die Festung was beginning to worry her to distraction. She was glad to put in her hand here at Sanctuary, but she'd met many good people in die Festung, both Chosen and native alike. It didn't seem right that she wasn't there. But as fate would have it, Eric came stalking purposefully around the corner of the building where she'd been carefully salvaging, something strange in his eyes. The next hour, they were already well on their way back to die Festung.

She understood what they were about to do. She just didn't know how they were going to do it.

When exactly Eric became die Festung's personal body guard he wasn't quite sure. But things seemed to come back to him full circle. If it wasn't chasing away Netvore or harmful beasts from the walls it was....a dragon?

A dragon.

If he remembered correctly, Eric was sure it was supposed to be some kind of good-hearted Prince Charming or brave Knight that went to fight the dragon. Eric was neither of those. Not by a long stretch of the imagination. And why Belia had reached out to him to fight the dragon in her city he wasn't sure either. There were far more capable people in this world that could be utilized for slaying a dragon.

Eric didn't feel any ties to die Festung in the least. Sure he had a small apartment that Belia had kindly granted him upon first arrival but he never used it. It was now just an empty room void of everything but the jungle of dust bunnies. He did watch over the city from time to time, but not because Belia had asked. She hadnt. He wanted to.

But this was different. A dragon.

Eric looked up at the guard of Belia's that had approached him on the leader's behalf and nodded slowly at the man. "I'll do it," Eric said softy before looking away. His mind raced over every movie he had seen in his previous life, trying to recall exactly how one killed a dragon.

Eric wondered what Leeloo would make of all of this. Because if Eric did go fight the dragon there would be blood. Not his of course, but it would end badly for someone.

He had to find her and tell her. She had to know and she had to be safe at all costs.

Overhead the Crow soared to die Festung so that Eric could get a good look at his new opponent. There it was, perched happily upon the Chosen building in the middle of die Festung. The same building roof that Eric had dropped one of the City-born.

This was going to be one hell of a fight but Eric would be ready. And he wasn't doing it for Belia. Or die Festung. He was doing it for Leeloo. Always for her.

It wasn't really the car or the weapons that were valuable. There wasn't any gas for the car, only about three-fourths of a tank left, and the luxury vehicle wasn't made to work in broken world on terribly maintained roads. The weapons? They were okay if you had the skill or training to use them. Most people were really well armed.

No, the valuable stuff was her shampoo, her road snacks -- luxuries that were few and far in between. They were also things she could part with for trade. Until she met with Erik she was sleeping in her car. The leather seating was probably more comfortable than whatever they cobbled together in the "huts" anyway.

"Looks like we're camping," she said to the dog. As long as Bruce was safe, and by extension, the Hulk was asleep, then all was right with the world. She'd get some sleep, get a feel for the place and then...

Then there was an earthquake.

Scratch that. No good news. Everything sucks.

It wasn't just an earthquake. It was so much more than an earthquake. Where her car had been strategically parked was now a pile of rubble. The bumper of her blue car just visible. Lucky had made it out, living up to his name once again. Kate thought she heard barking, she couldn't be sure. Only that she was unable to move, would be lucky if she hadn't broken something and was probably about to loose consciousness.

Hopefully everyone else was alright.

Her side hurt. Thankfully, Kate Barton was unable to see why.

OOC: Only just slightly pre-event.

They'd left early, just as the sun warmed the cooling fall sky. Arm in arm at first, Leeloo and Eric headed out toward Sanctuary from the safety of the walls of die Festung. There would be more training today with Dinah, more to learn about each other and how they could best work together.

This time, she and he went more quietly, and there were no monsters to defeat during the journey. But there'd been quite a lot of talk, and Leeloo was smiling warmly by the time they entered Sanctuary.

It was mid-day, Leeloo was starving, but still grinning ear-to-ear. She'd just flopped down on the ground beside Eric to munch a sandwich and wait for their trainer. The day was beautiful.

The city of die Festung rested as it normally did, quiet and serene. The people that slept had no idea what waited for them in the shadows, they were too busy dreaming to realize that danger prowled the streets. Lucky for them this danger was on their side. Waiting and watching for anything that might get the inkling to disturb the peace of the evening. Even during the endless days the danger waited, lurking about the security of the wall to ensure that the bustling city born and Chosen stayed away from harm.

Eric settled against the wall, shoulder pressed against the hard stone as he waited. The sun was beginning to climb slowly through the sky, but it was still dark enough that Eric could be considered a mere shadow if one happened to look. A trick of the eye. But Leeloo would see him. She always did and the bird was never too far from where he was.

The crow perched atop the ledge of the wall itself and looked out into the now breaking day, it's keen eyes aware and watching. The ebony avian shuffled some on its perch, rustling the feathers on its breast and stretching its wings. The bird never tired. Like Eric it endured. It needed no sleep, no food and no company. Like its species it was highly intelligent, but always there was more unknown that lurked beneath the surface. Sometimes it talked to Eric and the man understood. Sometimes it tried to understand what Eric talked about, tried to figure out why he did some of the things that he did. The bird didn't know human nature, it was there to carry its burden. The great sadness.

With a caw the bird greeted the sun as it ascended slowly, and finally the avian seemed to settle.

Eric waited patiently. Leeloo was eager to meet Dinah, to train and to see the Sanctuary and Eric would take her. He knew she was capable of handling herself but that wouldn't stop him from fighting anything that even looked at her wrong. He hoped nothing chose to disturb their trek. For the sake of whatever it was that even would have the idea of bothering them. Not for themselves.

At his waist Eric had holsters with a gun settled into each, and a small blade was strapped to his back. These were what he used to fight Netvore and anything else that might creep up on the journey. The weapons were easy to handle and at this point Eric was more than seasoned in slaughtering the mindless zombie-like creatures. Sometimes he used his hands to kill them. Other times he used whatever weapons he could find or had on him. Part of him wished he was fast like Effie and Damon, the vampires he knew. But what he lacked in speed he made up for in strength, agility and being so deadly.

Eric hummed softly to himself. One of the songs he had written in an age that felt like a completely different lifetime. Technically it was, but the actual time period between then and now spanned only perhaps a little bit over a year. It seemed like an eternity. Like he had been a completely different person and perhaps he had been. His death had taught him many things he hadnt learned in his mortal life. Savoring the time you had with people was one of those things.

Some nights, Leeloo stayed in, instead of meeting with her friend in the dark night streets. They'd worked out a system, easy enough for the crow to see and translate. If there was something on the windowsill of her shared apartment by 10 p.m., she'd be out that night; and if not.... If not, Peter was probably not working late that night.

But tonight was not one of those nights. After the moon hit its zenith and started sliding down toward the trees again, Leeloo pocketed her key and headed downstairs. She'd gotten accustomed to walking at night, and she loved the cooler night air, the quiet of the streets, and the companionship of the strange man and his bird. They'd become very close to her.

She found him on a street corner not far from the Chosen building. With a big smile, she dropped in step with him and started walking. "I missed you last night," she said, the smile still full and bright. "What did you do?"

After receiving the good news from Enigma, Dinah thought it was best to stick around Sanctuary for a bit. She still felt a need to atone for her bout of indifference when the people of die Festung had needed help the most. There wasn't as much damage in Sanctuary, but she wandered around and found a few people in need of help. Small things, but she was trying.

She had other things on her mind too. She still hadn't found any answers about the possible future that she and Bruce had seen. And she felt like she'd been here for ages and still hadn't found a significant way to help this world with whatever was causing all of these disasters and moving it towards the potential end.

She felt like she was just spinning her wheels, putting out fires as they came along instead of being proactive and trying to do something. If the prophecy was right, she was supposed to be able to do something to help.

The walk helped to clear her head a bit, even if she didn't have any answers yet. She would just have to keep trying.

N-no, please...

The words seemed only to fall on deaf ears.

A breath, a plea, then silence.

Eric was tired of hearing this man beg for his life when that same man had taken the life of another. Someone that had also begged to be spared, another plea that had fallen on deaf ears. And yet this man...this man whom had done an unspeakable act was begging to be spared, to be given another chance for breath.

For Eric to not end his miserable existance as this man had another.

Eric's mind was full of the image:

A young boy lay curled in the street, strangled to death by his father for crying too loudly. The man had had enough of the wailing. They had been without food and while the people around tended to be giving, they didn't give to this man and his son so the pair went without. And finally the man, the father of this child had had enough. He had chosen the easy way out, to play God and steal the very breath from the lungs of this child in penance for being hungry and weak.

Now the man was begging for his life, and Eric was tired of hearing it.

"Is this a familiar story to you? Or do you need me to spell it out for you, letter by letter?" Eric inquired, hand wrapped tightly around the throat of the squirming city-born male. Eric stepped up to a ledge at the top of the Chosen building, the tallest building in the area that was intact. With no remorse on his face, or in his eyes, Eric held the murderous human over the side of the building. The man's feet dangled in mid-air and the man's fingers struggled to pry Eric's fingers from his throat.

"Feels terrible, doesn't it? To be strangled. To have your very life hanging on the next breath of air, unable to be sure if you're ever going to take in that sweet oxygen."

The man choked, his eyes wide as Eric spoke to him in such a calm manner.

Eric smiled at the man, the corners of his lips curled upwards in amusemment. "Did he struggle too? The boy? I bet he did as he looked at you while you took his life with your hands. A boy unable to fight back, to push you away from him. Is that what happened?"

The man shook his head, gasping as Eric's fingers tightened around his throat.

"Playing God is never a good decision. Especially when your victim isn't able to engage you in a fair fight." Of course, Eric was much stronger and faster than any mortal man, but he never had a say in the hand he'd been dealt by the bird. He only knew that this was part of that hand, that burden. He had been dealt the Ace of Spades, and now it was time to lay all of the cards on the table for the world to see.

"Any last words?"

The man gurgled, struggling to speak as the moon lifted higher in the sky. A cloud ensnared the moonlight within in for the briefest moment, a sign of foreboading should anyone think to steal the breath of another. Especially a child.

"No? Well, that's probably for the best."

It was then Eric released the man, closing his eyes as he listened to the choked scream as the man plummeted to the Earth. The smack that came after, as the man met the hard pavement below, the body being pulled to the planet with Gravity, was music to Eric's ears. The bird cawed into the night and the cloud pulled away from the moon so that it might once more offer it's light.

Eric peered over the ledge at the mangled, bloody corpse now laying at the foot of the Chosen buildling. He frowned, but turned and made his way down to where the body lay, utilizing the stairs that went from the roof to the first floor.

When Eric was at the fallen man's side, he leaned over and grasped one of the man's broken arms, dragging the corpse towards the crack in the ground. Without another thought, Eric tossed the man like a ragdoll into the crack, allowing the body to be swallowed by the Earth. Eric would leave the bloodstain as a warning. Nobody in the city was safe as long as they meant harm to each other.

That was a guarantee.

Eric then faded back into the night, hiding in the shadows of the moon as it shone over the wall to wait. To watch. To listen.

As Eric pushed through the doors of the hospital his mind swelled with a mixture of things and he was distracted for the first time in a long time. Not even the shrill caw of the bird against the silence of the night could pull him from his thoughts and Eric didn't seem to notice. Nor was he aware that the ebony avian had flown down to him and had landed on his shoulder to perch, despite the brush of feathers against his face.

Eric trudged like a shadow from the facility, making his way towards the fallen structure of house that had collapsed on Lee hours before. It seemed to mock him, that fallen shelter, the way it lay in ruin on the ground. Almost as if it was determined to ensnare the happy moments of his night and bury them deep within itself and to never return them.

The bird took to the air and methodically Eric began to excavate the remaining belongings of Lee's that he could salvage from the wreckage. Those things that were small, her clothes and any accessories she might've taken with her when she had left Peter's apartment, the trivial things that might mean nothing to her now but could have an impact on her later.

Shelly had always tried to get Eric to take value in the smaller things in life, things Eric found trivial and worthless until after his rebirth. Now Eric struggled to hold on to everything, every small feeling and memory, which was why Lee's pain continued to flow through him. He felt sick with it, plagued, but satisfied. He felt what she did, the pain of the betrayal, the pain of the aftermath of the house that had fallen on her...and Eric had sampled it, tried to take it and replace it with calm and hope and love. Eric hadnt even scratched the surface when it came to alleviating her pain, but she would heal and move on as most did. Eric was doomed to linger.

When the excavation for Lee's things was finished, Eric taking all that he could find, he went to wait for her at the wall. It would be a few hours yet before she would join him for their nightly palaver, and then he would give her the things from the house, but he couldn't help be tempted by the idea to seek out a Netvore and see just how much pain he had taken from her. Lee was strong, even in her pain Eric could feel her strength. He hoped it would prevail for her, and hold true no matter what other events might spring up.

And he hoped she could do what mattered, what was right if the time ever came for her to have to kill again. She had promised to end him if something set him against these people because he wouldn't stop. Not until all of their lives had been taken and the city lay in ruin, scorched by fire. One even more magnificent and dangerous than those set on Devil's Night. He hoped it would never resort to that, but this world was unpredictable and all Eric could do was sit and wait.

Which is exactly what he did. And she would find him because she knew exactly how to look.

It'd been nearly a week since the earthquake. The city was slowly standing up again, dusting itself off, and getting back to work. In the most damaged part of the city, there was still a lot of cleanup to do. That's where Leeloo stayed, hidden under dirt and dark locks and bruises, working side by side with the citizens of die Festung. She was fairly certain none of them had guessed that she had recently been a resident of the Chosen building. After all, that was the first building to be restored, after the hospital, and everyone assumed that the precious Chosen returned to where they were expected to live.

Leeloo remained in the abandoned house she'd picked out from deep within the worst of the damage. It'd served her well. The water was still running, and the doors still closed and locked. She didn't sleep much, but when she did, no one troubled her in this house -- not even when she woke up with dry and aching throat and knew she'd been screaming. It could be that she was too far away from others to have disturbed them. It could be that it wasn't so strange a thing to hear at night, in these parts. Either way, she was grateful for it.

And there was Eric.

Every night at the same time, she'd venture out into the darkness and find him. First, it was on the wall. The next night, he was waiting for her just inside the wall, so she didn't have to climb again. They walked through the city, talking in low voices about a great many things. She'd grown to trust the strange no-longer-a-man, and it helped that he wasn't human, not anymore. She liked his special bird, too. She liked seeing the world with eyes that weren't hers. When she didn't understand the core of what he was saying, he showed her in a way she didn't know was possible.

Leeloo thought she'd learned a great many things about humanity. Eric showed her she'd only touched on the surface -- then showed her what was underneath. She'd started smiling again, during their night wanderings.

After a long day clearly debris, Leeloo came home with her skin full of blossoming bruises and tiny cuts, and put herself in the bath. She'd nearly fallen asleep in the tepid water. The sleeplessness was catching up with her. But after the water'd gone cold, she got herself up and started dressing. There were a few hours yet before the stars were right and she could go find Eric again.

Running a hand through dark, wet hair, Leeloo walked into the main room of the house. There came a deep groan from somewhere behind her. She looked over her shoulder, frowned, and turned around. There was just enough time to register the sight -- a folding of the ceiling, a crack that ripped over her head and then split -- and then nothing.

The darkness was still.

Not a sound seemed to touch Eric's ears as he sat upon the wall that surrounded die Festung. In the days since the Earthquake that had cracked the very wall he was perching upon, Eric had dealt with much. Netvore's, monsters, beasts...trying to keep anything that meant harm out of the city and now....now there was finally a moment of peace.

He was a killer by nature. Before it was mostly humans. The killer of killers, they called him. Now he killed anything that even looked at the walls of the city the wrong way. He didn't do it for Belia, nor for the people that lived on the other side of the wall. He did it because maybe, just maybe he felt like redemption was the only way to be free of this awful existence.

The few people that Eric had contact with were tolerable, though he hadnt had a chance to really get to know anyone. It was probably safer that way, but even the loneliest of beings longed for contact. Eric wasnt sure that the killer in him could tolerate much contact for long, but the human part still lingered. It yearned for something more than passing conversation and a well-placed joke. He had the bird, that crow...the one that saved him...if you could call this being saved.

Eric remained silent as he sat, watching the line of trees for any sign of movement. He had replenished the ammunition in the guns at his hip, and the sword on his back glinted with light when he moved.

The crow flew over the city to watch the perimeter. Eric could see the length of wall, and yet he wasnt satisfied. He hated that bird. He wished sometimes that it would've just left him to rot in his grave instead of calling him back to the world where he didn't really belong. Without Shelly he was nothing. He meant nothing. And he burned for her.

Could he dream, Eric supposed he would've dreamed of her. She haunted his very being, calling him home though his mission was far from over. He had to get back, and biding his time was getting tedious.

But all he could do was sit. And wait.

There weren't a lot of earthquakes in Gotham but Bruce had been through enough explosions that when the earth started to move he threw himself under the heavy duty work table to ride it out. It felt different than anything that he'd ever been through. The earth didn't just jar and shake but it moved under him like a wave.

Things crashed to the floor of the cave and the eternal rushing sound of the water from the small river suddenly stopped. Just when he thought it was never going to end there was an enormous crack and a large rock fell from the roof and split into hundreds of shards that peppered the work table and cut open his forehead.

The silence after made Bruce's ears ring and he crawled out from under the desk wiping the blood off his face. He worried about the water not flowing anymore but while he was taking stock of the stability of the cave it started to trickle down the riverbed again and then must have shifted whatever was blocking it because a huge gush of water spilled over the bank before it settle down to its normal flow again.

Nothing seemed in danger of caving in so Bruce gathered his things and heading for the exit. Dinah was out somewhere and the most likely place she'd go would be Sanctuary. If it wasn't for the fact others could be hurt and in danger he'd assume she'd check the cave but if others were in trouble she would go there first. He wasn't thrilled at the idea of running into Bane again but Sanctuary was the closest settlement. If they had it in hand he'd move on to Die Festung to help.

The path was half collapsed in places and there were trees fallen over but he was still able to get to Sanctuary. It looked from the outside like it had weathered it better than he expected. Erik's unorthodox building methods were stronger than they looked.

Eric wandered between places, through the trees and over rocks and limbs without a real direction or purpose. He moved like a shadow as he crossed from one place to the next, feeling as if his whole existence up to that point was utterly useless. He want fulfilling his purpose, the reason why he was allowed to move freely around on the Earth again. Death had brought no solace, no peace for his pain and neither did his resurrection. He had the Crow to keep him company, but a bird could only be so much of a companion.

He missed his fiancée. The air he needed, the light of his life and the reason he'd died. He had never blamed her, it wasn't her fault. It was their fault. And they'd almost all paid for it too. He had one name left on his list and until he could find a way back to his own world, his own time, and make the wrong into a right he would never be happy. He would never be at peace and he would never really or truly be set free. His existence here meant nothing in terms of the bigger picture, but he was valuable in this realm and he knew it. He was quite aware the power he'd been granted, slowly having figured out some of what he could do. The Crow offered some insight, but most of it was rationalizing and having the time to think things over.

Eric approached the Sanctuary, a place he had been to a few times and seen more than a hundred. The Crow perched from his shoulder as he walked, boots crunching over the foliage. The air was warm and the sun shone bright, but he couldn't feel it. He preferred the rain, honestly. But it couldn't rain all the time, could it? With the sun, Eric could feel Shelly's warmth trying to shine down upon him, but he just couldn't feel it, no matter how earnest it was.

The Crow cawed loudly, almost in a warning, black frame shifting to better adjust itself on Eric's shoulder. He looked at the ground as he walked, entering the Sanctuary after a moment, relying on the eyes of the bird to see. His guns fit snug against his hips, nestled in the holsters, and there was a short sword strapped to his back. These were mainly for Netvore's, which Eric had an entertaining time killing when it was necessary.
He tried not to harm anyone or anything without a just reason. He was a killer, and there was a lot of metaphorical blood on his hands, but he wouldn't hurt anyone innocent. Not like he had been harmed already.

Eric stood amidst the people that dwelled in dieFestung. He usually didn't spend much time in the city itself, preferring to wander. It was easier to keep tabs on things going on in the other sections of the world when he was out wandering, as well as trying to find a way back home which had always been his primary mission. Since he didn't require sleep, or food of any kind Eric never really stepped foot in the apartment Belia was kind enough to offer when he'd first arrived. But he knew that everyone needed a place of solace, some small area to call their own so he had asked Belia for the smallest place in the complex that held the living area for the Chosen. Considering that he didn't require much space, nor would he really utilize it.

He stood next to the chosen building, eyes cast down at the ground as he leaned against the wall of the exterior of the holding itself. One could tell he was of the Chosen rank because he was armed. Two guns rested at his hips, one on each side and he'd managed to acquire a small blade which rested gently against his back. Mostly the blade was for the Netvores. He had such fun killing them out in the Wilds. He wasn't honestly any different than they were save for the lust for flesh. He had no cravings except for the one to get back. To complete his mission.

His eyes were closed. He was seeing what the Crow saw as it soared over the city. Belia's city. If only she knew just how powerful he was maybe she would find her people more valuable. But that wasn't for him to decide, nor was he going to be anyone's slave. He was a vital asset to anyone that needed his service and he was willing to help anyone that needed it. Most didn't approach him, and he didn't blame them. He was probably one of the most dangerous of the Chosen that resided in this city but he certainly wasn't going to advertise it. He didn't want to let on that he had value. That he was an asset. That the Crow could see, and therefore he knew more than he should.

It was his burden. And he would bear it.

Mostly he didn't hang around because of the unrest. He could feel it. And it didn't sit well with him, but this wasn't the only place that unrest was felt. The Crow could feel it too. It was present in all of the communities. He wasn't going to tell Belia, or anyone. He didn't trust many so easily. Damon, the vampire, he knew but didn't know well enough to trust. He didn't have friends in this world, and didn't need them. He was quite alright being on his own, taking things as they came. But he wasn't opposed to the idea either. He just wasn't sure that anyone would understand.

With a shrill caw the bird swooped to the Earth, landing on a balcony above where Eric stood. Eric smiled a little, and opened his eyes, lifting his head as he peered out at the street. These people had no idea what he had seen. Maybe that was for the best.