Wordcount: 383
Rating/Warnings: PG
Summary: Things are much too easy and Blue and Horn are getting creeped out.

NOTE: This is a very rough draft with no editing at all (per National Novel Wiriting Month rules) and is presented for amusement value only. Think of it as a periscope into my writing process rather than a coherent story!

There will most likely be spelling and grammatical errors afoot as well as flat out bad writing, info dumps, plot holes, contradictions/retcons, uneven characterization and pacing. These snippits are also posted out of order, so please refer to the Outline to figure out where it’s supposed to fit.

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Dues Ex Machina En Masse

There is nothing in the city that the City does not provide.

It’s quickly obvious to Blue from the walk out to the outer rings that she was not meant for human habitation. There is no soil for crops to grow, nor sun and rain to nourish them. There are no animals to eat, no bugs or birds to make swift work of carrion. Even the massive stone castles of his home had more life in them than the city does.

There is water in the fountains in the middle of the camps and random trees that grow out of the side of buildings that provide constant fruit without need for tending. There is running water and indoor plumbing and refrigerators and stoves… But these are in the camp only, outside there is nothing to hint that life exists in these small pockets.

The city is no more than a great emptiness contained in rooms and corridors grow and change without regard for maps or any obvious logic.

And yet she seems aware that they are here, and tries her best to care for them.

Every time they pause to rest they find troughs of fast flowing water that flows in and out of gaps in the city walls. Nathan and Sara seem to take the water for granted and Blue doesn’t have the vocabulary to ask. There’s nothing to indicate the age of the fountains, but Blue can’t shake the feeling that the water is pacing them.

There are houses out here as well, although they are less frequent and harder to find. Mostly there are empty shells that share floor plans, but no amenities. So there are beds and bathrooms and stoves and all the things that make no sense with no one out here to need them.

Horn is unnerved as well, but after the previous conversations he’s reluctant to start asking questions again. There are too many secrets here, too many things that don’t make sense that no one seems to wonder about.

With no sunrise or sunset to guide them the group simply naps when they grow tired. This suits Blue more than Horn, since he’s learned to grab sleep when he can. The elf, on the other hand, grows increasingly agitated as they approach the outer rings.