"There was a voice that thundered from the woods"
"Which called forth all the strong."
"These timberlands brought forth all the mightiest"
"And hosted the war of the gods."
"In the aftermath of the vast battle"
"The land now black and barren"
"The gods reconciled and seeked to rebuild"
"That beautiful forest they'd lost."
"And try as they would and try as they might"
"They'd fail to fix the ashes."
"The strong resolved to right their wrong"
"And waste not what remained"
"So where the trees stood"
"Once so tall, and green with leaves aplenty"
"The land erected towers"
"To touch the heavens above."
"And the gods would rise up"
"To find where they belonged."
"And in the wake of their ascension"
"Left a mighty city amongst the trees."
"Beneath the feet of the gods"
"Man stood in awe."
"The thunderous laughter rang out over the woodland"
"And there was peace."Blackburn, California.
A city in the middle of a vast forest, just along the coastline, a veritable island in a sea of of ocean and trees. A few hundred years old now, this city is said to be built upon the charred landscape following an isolated natural gas incident, the truth is lost even to the citizens it's been so long.
The year is 2300, advancements in technology are great but much of science fiction remains as such. Personal flying vehicles fill the skies, yet artificial intelligence remained the comedic work of college students. Nanomachines actively assist in day to day physical incidents, and yet certain diseases remain uncured. Public schools remain, the American dream is still holding strong.
With the enforced disassembly of all nuclear arms occuring 50 years ago, the world is in an eerie semblance of peace. Much like the Cold War, except reversed. Renewable energy resources have begun to be tapped. The governments control weather machines to fix any mistakes that may have been made. Modern archtecture has been streamlined to the point where a sturdy and stylish home can be prepared in a day.
Blackburn remains very reminiscent of the early twenty first century, with suburbs and brick buildings, roads and such. A lot of modern technology, while mass produced, is still quite expensive to this day, and the people have been rooted in tradition just as they have been in the city's youth. Thusly the city is a magnet for tourists, since it holds so much of old American tradition.
The city was undergoing a steady change into a more modern location ever since 20 years ago, however, about 15 years into the process, the arrival of a certain gang, known as the 'Black Hawks', began a local era of unease. The most notable effect was on the education in the public school nearest the gang's hideout, St. Mary High. Combined with the comparitively recent opening of the Private High School, Clearwater High, the areas were immediately divided into 2 distictly different areas, the Wealthy Area, and the Poor Area.
The unfavorable views on public education which Clearwater is infamous for lead the people to rally together, and they voted to fund the building of a new Public High School, outside of the Black Hawks' prime territory. Once this was finished roughly 5 years ago, the real estate market did the rest, and the city was divided into thirds, High Society, Middletown, and Low-Key City, the last of which held very little territory beyond a few alleyways and a school.
This put the town in a tentatively peaceful balance... Until the arrival of the final disturbing agent in the mix.
A mysterious new student arrived into town, attending St. Mary High School. Within the same week as his arrival one year ago, he usurped the throne of the Black Hawks as leader, using their Ochlocratic Hierarchy where the strong ruled over the weak, and thereafter renamed them 'The Vipers'. Since then, he's done nothing but raise hell for everyone. His power was unrivaled amongst anyone the world had seen in a very long time. Guns were nothing to him, the police were completely unable to handle him at all, even if they could take out a few gang members otherwise.
The Vipers have been performing all mannerism of organized criminal activities, and have been expanding their territory by quite a vast margin. What used to be a few blocks at best now eats up a legitimate third of Blackburn's property. The only thing stopping the gangsters from overtaking the entire town is the efforts of a single person.
A single person giving a single speech.
This speech was something nonsensical even. The excerpt above, is a full transcript of his words, which he declared from the top of town square's tallest building, announced for all to hear through some ungodly thundrous voice, which echoed all throughout town. They were never seen again, and yet somehow this speech has brought forth the inner power of a great many students.
The waves this prophetical babbling were real, regardless of the nonsense attribute.
Suddenly, the Viper's advancement into Middletown was halted by powerful students who were sick of the tyrany. These students, while unnamed in local myth, are the saviors of Blackburn. But even they are merely humans, and against a demon like the King of Vipers, they are but a nuisance. What they offer Blackburn is not necessarily salvation, but time.
Will the dissonance between the classes be purged, or will the Viper's venom seep into the remaining city, rotting it from within? Will the strong protect the weak, or rule over them as tyrants?
Will there be peace?
Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:15 pm