Session 9 - Chapter 5: Blackout

Upon their return to Glasten's Landing, Sanctuary Inc. found the town bursting with life and color. The streets were alive with citizens who had transformed the city into a carnival of wonder. Booths spilled over with sweets, finely tailored attire, fireworks, and keepsakes unique to the region. Laughter and music mingled in the air as lines of locals gathered for games, contests, and activities. The festival was so dense that vehicles could no longer pass; the party traveled on foot instead, weaving their way through the crush of revelers until they came upon the town’s only intersection. It had been completely closed off, marked by a turnstile line and a curious black booth drawing a queue of eager participants. Fireworks painted the sky overhead, and the rhythm of music carried through the lantern-lit streets.   Yet one soul seemed untouched by the revelry: Petunia. Her hostel remained barren of color, and her attire mirrored that muted emptiness. She confessed she was keeping herself busy, ensuring that everyone else could enjoy the night’s festivities. Lux, however, pressed her to join them, though her only reply was a soft and unyielding, “I can’t.” Ildris the Keeper, unwilling to accept that answer, pinched his fingers together and pulled radiant golden glyphs from the air. The shimmering sigils streamed from his fingertips like ribbons, and with a flourish he bound Petunia to Lux for the night. When the party departed the hostel, the ceiling above them split open into a vast portal, as if some great presence from another world peered down with a watchful eye. Ildris used this same magic to help Gambit recover, allowing him to tether his spirit to Sanctuary Inc. with Kiiellien hosting him first, before Xhoya later took control.   In the heart of the festival, the black booth captured immediate attention. Citizens recognized the party as outsiders and graciously offered their places in line, ushering the group toward the front. Echo was the first to step inside. Within, dozens of screens blinked to life, forming the semblance of a face that loomed all around him. A beam of light scanned across the cyborg, darkening several of the screens, before a voice explained that he would not only design a custom firework, but become it. After confirming survival was guaranteed, Echo crafted his creation and chose its launch point. Moments later he shot skyward, bursting into a dazzling explosion of color. When he reappeared at the far end of town, his metallic frame was plastered with sequins, splashes of paint, and—most notably—a glittering brand emblazoned across his backside: JUICY.   The spectacle proved too tempting for the rest of the party. They leapt into line one after another, eager to experience the strange magic themselves, while Xhoya and Gambit strolled the vendor stalls. The pair discovered stacks of sweet pastries, which Xhoya devoured by the dozen, using her Brother’s arm to help Gambit steady himself as his strength returned.   Meanwhile, Kiiellien indulged in strong drink and persuaded Lux into staging an impromptu concert, at last debuting their much-anticipated duo act. Jaxion attempted to record the performance, though his shaky hands betrayed him, ending the video with a lingering shot of Echo’s bedazzled JUICY brand. With laughter, the group agreed to “leak” the recording, introducing Kiiellien as one of Lux’s closest companions. The video was promptly broadcast across Beaumont.   The night of festivities stretched on until exhaustion and alcohol dulled their joy. Polly Pocket was summoned to grant several party members the rest they needed, while Jaxion, Silas, and Lux collapsed in the hostel lobby. Echo, ever vigilant, stood watch. He observed his friends sleep while listening to the revelry outside slowly fade into silence.   Then, sometime after midnight, the crisp bursts of fireworks ceased. In their place came deep, guttural booms that rattled the building itself. Ever curious, Echo pulled back the blinds. What he saw was chilling, brilliant sterile light illuminating the night, followed by colossal fireballs clawing miles into the sky. Alarmed, he roused the others resting in the lobby. Together they watched as the first shockwave roared through Glasten’s Landing. All except Xhoya and Gambit, who remained undisturbed within Polly Pocket, rushed to the window to witness the bombardment. Confusion and fear seized them as Lux pulled out a phone and played a breaking news broadcast.  

The screen flickers on, a thin sheen of static buzzing faintly before resolving into the solemn face of the anchor. Their posture is rigid, hands folded tightly upon the desk, knuckles pale. The polished cadence of their voice carries the weight of trained professionalism, yet beneath each measured syllable lurks a tremor of disbelief, as though the words themselves were too heavy to be spoken aloud.
  “We come to you with breaking news of a scale that is without precedent in Beaumont's history. Shortly after the Finis celebrations concluded last night, an hour when most were returning home from fireworks and festivities, an event unlike any other unfolded across our world. Massive, coordinated explosions struck the nations of Pægor and Kiqueo simultaneously. Entire cities were leveled in a matter of moments. What began as bright flashes on the horizon has since revealed itself to be nothing less than a full-scale assault on a global scale.
  In Pægor, the cities of Lightgrand, Fort Mixin, Skowermound, Amberglass, Lastlight, Evocall Stronghold, Cambophol, Rubyscale, Ryot, Aethercourt, Linium, Neosteer, Leatherman's Stitch, Wendalee, and Skycaller's Reach were all hit at the same moment. Not hours apart, not minutes - but in unison.
  At that same hour, the nation of Kiqueo suffered an equal strike. The cities of Aluzón, Challie, Rena Dorada, Silverstream, Troan, Quelmárida, Firstlight, Dennue Font, Jogul's Fiction, Norg, and Wirtzenval were each reduced to ruin. Reports from those who live outside the blasts describe the devastation as ‘absolute.’ Entire skylines erased. Whole neighborhoods torn from Komana. Many are saying their neighboring towns are simply… gone. One survivor, choking through static on a rescue line, said: ‘There’s nothing left. Just nothing. Where the city was... it’s only ash now.’
  Casualty reports are, at this time, impossible to confirm with accuracy. But the scale, given the size of the cities struck and the fact that these attacks occurred in the heart of celebration, means that the loss of life is, without question, catastrophic. Early estimates suggest the death toll will reach into the tens of millions, with civilians making up nearly all of the victims.
  Authorities urge calm, though we cannot deny the truth: this is a moment that will define the course of history. Entire nations stand paralyzed, stunned by what has been unleashed upon them. We do not yet know who is responsible, nor what the next hours may bring. For now… for now, we mourn.
  Stay tuned as more information becomes available. This is…” the anchor’s voice falters, the mask of composure briefly slipping before they clear their throat, eyes glistening as they look away from the camera “…this is your emergency broadcast.”
  The screen fades to black, leaving only the low hum of dead air.

  The devastation was catastrophic. Kiqueo and Pægor had been struck in tandem with twenty-six other cities -many of them capitals- obliterated in moments. Entire metropolises were reduced to ash, and casualties were already expected to number in the tens of millions. The broadcast urged Beaus worldwide to remain indoors while emergency services scrambled to respond.   No nation or faction claimed responsibility. Every superpower had been struck, leaving none untouched. Silas urged a return to the safehouse, warning of the chaos to come. Ildris agreed, suggesting lockdowns would soon follow. Borders would become barriers of steel and suspicion, roads gridlocked, checkpoints entrenched. Jaxion counseled Lux to rest in the safety of Polly Pocket before the journey resumed. By the dead of night, Sanctuary Inc. departed westward. They cut through the underground speedway and raced south toward Ellisbeth, snow and ice clawing at their progress once they emerged from the hidden route. Back outside they glimpsed more fireballs burning across the horizon, even beyond Tho Strait. When they reached the safehouse they found only fitful rest with shadows of dread clinging to them like barbed hooks.   Morning brought no reprieve. Lux joined Xhoya and Gambit for breakfast, though the two were still oblivious to the horrors of the night before. Their ignorance was shattered once they emerged from Polly Pocket, where the living room telecaster droned with endless footage of smoldering ruins and grim speculation. Entire skylines lay in ruin, surrounding cities likewise annihilated. Still, no one had come forward to claim the assault. The Blackaxel Cartel, the Beaumont Royal Navy, and the Coalition, so often adversaries, were now seen working in unison to identify the culprits. A ticker crawled across the screen, announcing nationwide lockdowns spreading across borders like wildfire.   Speculation turned inward in the confines of the safehouse. Some wondered if The Gazelle could be behind such destruction, but the sheer scale was beyond even his grasp. Attention then shifted to Ildris. What of the Deremitru in his time? What of his magic? The Keeper explained that such zealots did not exist in his era by that name, though there were fanatics who sought to summon Blink’s fire to scour the world underground. They were remembered as those with their eyes closed. His own power, he revealed, was ancient, drawn directly from Monokomana itself, allowing him to commune with other Keepers across the world. The old zealots, he explained, had attempted to open the gates to hellfire countless times but had always been thwarted, sealed away in chambers that only Keepers could unseal. If they had returned, it could only be through the hand of an Avariel. In his age, the fanatics worshipped The Aspects as flawless and their word as absolute; if they still endured, then eons had twisted that faith into something even more fanatical and immovable.   Even so, Echo remained distrustful of the Beaumont Royal Navy’s account. He delved into the safehouse’s encrypted systems, combing through classified files. What he uncovered painted a troubling picture of Jaxion and his superior, Kael Vurn:  

• Kael Vurn’s records contained both a birth and death date with his death being recorded over 150 years ago.
 
• The BRN had no active missions to establish new bases in the East. Scorpion Pointe was old and sparsely occupied and no units were stationed beyond it.
 
• Jaxion’s missions, units, and even personnel files were nonexistent. He apparently was a ghost soldier.
 
• The Navy knew of a vault beneath Savior and documented futile tunnel attempts to reach it.
 
• Dr. Topip was listed among the BRN’s top ten terrorists, suspected as a double agent. His whereabouts were unknown.
 
• The Deremitru were not enemies but a neutral faction, considered useful as potential carriers for the cube or raw magic.
 
• The Gazelle was declared an enemy of the state. He had first appeared in Kiqueo as an arms dealer, his trail shadowed for over three decades. The BRN had deliberately leaked information to The Blackaxel Cartel, allowing them to engage him while the Navy remained detached. Evidence suggested The Gazelle had possessed the cube since the destruction of the Starfall, with strong implication that the artifact had been aboard the ship all along.
 
• The Foundry beneath Scorpion Pointe had labored for centuries to replicate the cube, without success.

  These revelations raised more questions than answers: about the Navy, The Gazelle, and the bombings themselves. With Xhoya and Gambit now included, Sanctuary Inc. pored over maps together, searching for patterns or meaning hidden within the list of cities that no longer stood.