Future DLC Prologue

## Prologue 1

**December 10, x+19**

The girl poked at the cinders of what was left of her fire with a stick. Scowling, she tossed the twig aside and rubbed her hands together, abandoning the idea of a fire altogether.

She hated the cold. If she had the power, she would reduce the entire mountain range to rubble and probably destroy the city hiding underneath. It was petty, granted, but at this point traveling to New Waydrn was more hassle than it was actually worth.

She blew a bit of fire out from her mouth, but it quickly fizzled out from the blizzard that surrounded her. “Urghhh…” she groaned, aloud, standing up. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see even a foot in front of her, but the blizzard was making it hard for her. Luckily, she knew exactly where she was going and after she had taken only two steps forward, she paused. Kicking aside a large rock, she peered down the secret hole that had appeared in front of her. Without a moment’s hesitation, she jumped down and landed in a tunnel. She picked up a twig from the ground and blew some more flame on it, lighting it up, creating a makeshift torch. For a second, she played around with the idea of making camp in the tunnel, but the low growls she was hearing echo throughout the tunnel made her think otherwise. Instead, she began to walk forward, holding her torch high in the air, and keeping her sharp ears listening for any Terrors that would try to attack her.

As the girl walked, she pulled her scarf over her mouth and patted the snow off her ragged coat and clothes underneath. A useless gesture in such an ugly city as New Waydrn, but at the same time she liked make herself somewhat decent when compared side-to-side with the apes-!

She froze mid-step. Her ears perked up hearing a Terror shambling towards her from the other end of the tunnel. She kept quiet, constantly reassuring herself about her safety in her mind. The Terror staggered forward in the light that her torch emitted and her nose wrinkled in disgust, the putrid smell emanating from the rotting body hitting her heightened senses hard.

She was frozen as the Terror continued to move forward, its feet dragging dried blood across the floor as it moved. As it got closer the smell only got more powerful and it took all of her energy to not puke. At that point she started holding her breath trying not to breathe in the terrible smell. Her eyes followed the monster as it made another giant step forward and at that point it was right next to her. She could see the rotten clothes over its green skin, its vacant eyes looking at the ground.

The Terror paused and looked directly at her.

The girl bit back a scream as the Terror moved its head towards her own, it's gaping maw widening as it placed it right next to her ear. It couldn’t see her, its eyes having rotted away ages ago leaving only two gaping holes in its place. She could hear it breathing in her ear as it growled something that she couldn’t decipher. It moved away and shuffled away from the girl, quickly disappearing into the shadows.

She released a breath that she had been holding in for gods how long. She knew she wouldn't have died if the Terror had actually attacked her but it was the pain that scared her the most. She hated it.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something gleaming on the ground. After making sure nothing else would sneak up on her, she knelt down and scooped it up. “A wedding ring?” she mumbled aloud, bringing the object closer to her eye. It was clearly a diamond ring with some sort of engraving on it that had faded away.

It wasn’t a stretch to say it came from the Terror she had just encountered. Probably something the Terror had unconsciously kept on itself after it had died. She didn’t care if the Terror was married or even had children. Her first thought was that she could use the ring to buy herself a meal when she got into the city. The very thought of finally eating something warm made her stomach rumble.

She slipped the ring into her pocket and continued down the tunnel. If was only a few minutes before she paused halfway through and looked up. A metal ladder ran along the walls to her right leading up to a small grate. She climbed up with no hesitation and lifted the grate with little difficultly. The girl scanned the area she now found herself in and, after determining no one was out, climbed out.

It was a small alleyway that housed nothing more than garbage and rats. The walls and ground were covered in grim and blood, if the girl’s nose was to be trusted. It led to a larger street, where the girl could see a small inn. Dusting herself off again, she left the alleyway and threw open to the door to the inn.

It was empty. Only the bartender and two soldiers from what she assumed to be New Wadryn’s army were inside, with the two customers sitting in a table near the back, a woman and older man.

Dimly lit and empty. Just what she needed.

She took a seat near the entrance if only to torment the bartender. It seemed to work, as the large guy stomped over to her table and slapped down a menu. “You have any money?” he asked, gruffly.

“No,” she admitted. “But I do have this.” She placed the ring on the table and looked at the bartender expectantly.

He snorted and grabbed the ring, inspecting it for a moment. “Good enough,” he grunted, moving back towards the kitchen without bothering taking her order.

The girl leaned back in her chair enjoying the silence for once. It had taken her a long time to get to New Wadryn, so any amount of peace was very much appreciated.

“Report,” the black-haired teen ordered the man. She was clearly some sort of soldier if the weapons attached to her back were any indication. The man on the other hand was dressed in civilian clothes, nervously tapping the table with a spoon.

“The experiments have not been going well, Mukuro” he answered. “Cyrus has been trying to use willing people so far.”

“And…?”

The man shook his head. “It’s all the same. The tunnels are filled with Terrors. They’re planning on trying unwilling participants after they use the next group.”

“Who are…?” Mukuro raised an eyebrow.

“Those DTF kids,” he answered. “Given how hated their parents around these parts, Cyrus thought they might have some incentive for going through with whatever he says.” He leaned in to whisper into Mukuro’s ear. “They’re doing it at the start of the New Year. Prepare an army, before then.”

Mukuro nodded, before a thin smile stretched across her face. “You’re a Draman aren’t you?” she asked.

The man nodded.

“So why help a rival country? Kibou is one of reasons your country fell to Alola after all.” Mukuro’s smile grew wider. It seemed like she was enjoying this line of questioning.

“Drama is dead,” the man replied. “Everyone in this sham of a city is just living in the past, believing every single word that Cyrus and The General feeds them.” He narrowed his eyes. “A refuge for Drama people does not exist. This entire city is nothing more than Cyrus’s personal laboratory.” He gestured to her. "The fact that you're here says everything after all."

Mukuro, to her credit, didn’t seem too interested anymore. “Well, you’ll be greeted as a hero in Kibou,” she said, sliding the man a large stack of money.

The bartender suddenly slammed down a bowl of grey mush in front of the girl, who had been listening at Mukuro's conversation intently. She raised an eyebrow, glancing down at the food she had been given. “What is this?” she asked.

“Oatmeal.”

The girl narrowed her eyes. “I expected something better,” she pointed out. "That ring is much more than you'd ever earn in a year."

The large man rolled his eyes. “This isn’t some fancy restaurant kid. You get what you get.”

“Then I’ll take my business elsewhere.” She extended her hand. “I would like my payment for the meal back.”

“No.”

“No?” The girl repeated. At this point both Mukuro and her spy had started to watch the exchange. She glanced at the two. “Then I guess I’ll just inform the town of what those two were talking-Urk!” The bartender suddenly lifted her into the air by the scruff of her neck. “What are you doing?!” she demanded, struggling against the guy's grip.

Without bothering to answer her, the bartender wrapped his hands around the girl’s neck and began to squeeze. The girl, realizing what he was doing, began to claw at his hands without much success.

For a second, he relaxed his grip. “Well?” he asked, expecting an answer.

The girl sneered. “Hmph! Don't you dare try and threaten me-!”

*Crack!*

The girl’s body went limp, her arms falling to her sides and head rolling lazily to the side, her eyes blank. The bartender glanced at the two in the back. “Is that good enough for you?”

Mukuro nodded. “Throw her in the back.”

The bartender picked up the girl and threw her over his shoulder. He kicked opened a door in the back where a large pile of trash was lumped in the back of an alley. He tossed her on the pile and scowled. “The crows will be here to pick you apart tomorrow,” he said, shutting the door with surprising force, leaving her body lying there alone.

A few moments passed with nothing happening. The entire city of New Wadryn had gone quiet, the streets empty and building gone dark.

All of a sudden, she stood up. The girl, who should’ve been dead, massaged her neck. “This’ll take some time to heal,” she said aloud.

At least that’s what she intended to say. Instead what came out of her mouth were several coughs and a splatter of blood. Wincing slightly, she touched her neck and rolled her eyes. She staggered out of the alleyway and glanced around the streets. Her stomach rumbled again and she placed a hand on it.

Maybe she could ask those kids who were about to die. Any sort of food or health supplies would be nice, even if she had to lower herself to ask a group that had ruined the continent.