#mtap jack

[ryllen]

mint teaching

[bronzeflower]

@alienducky i love the kids so much, and they really need more content. this was a lot of fun to draw!

[alienduckpond]

Warm drinks while stargazing

Alice carefully poured red tea into the small cup and pushed it across the stone they were sat on to Jack, pulling the empty one closer to fill for herself. He hummed happily as he lifted it to his lips to start blowing, the small wisps of steam curling in the air around his face.

She loved nights like this. No school tomorrow for Jack to get up early for, and she had saved enough of a buffer that she could afford to open the shop an hour or two late. Meaning they had all the time in the world to sit up here by the Church of the Light and look at the stars and make their own patterns and stories. 

Just like they did with their parents on their home’s roof all those years ago in Lucien.

She wrapped her hands around the cup and lifted it to her lips, sipping as Jack started to talk, pointing out stars and shapes and spinning a story she remembered being one of their father’s favourites.

She’d always hated how she couldn’t give him much in the way of things. But seeing how his face was lit up and he was talking with such excitement, she was incredibly glad that she could give him this at least.

@mtap-prompts

[emeraldbirdcollector]

Chapter 2 of Alice’s Tale (MTAP prompt, “Alice and Jack on their way to Portia”)

Part two, in which I have made up relationships which probably don’t exist in canon, but aren’t, I don’t think, directly contradicted either. (Sam says she has family in Portia at one point, but we don’t see who it is...but there’s only one person in Portia who really has any family resemblance to Sam and could conceivably be her family, so I ran with it.)

Finally, they made it through the gates, but it was a mile or so down the road before Remi spotted the Alliance flag. Thank Peach, they got too distracted with looting to pursue. Not that it did us a blessed bit of good, but at least there's a place we can regroup. He rode for the camp, and breathed out a great sigh of relief when he saw Captain Parker riding up and down, directing the flow of refugees and retreating Corps members with her usual firm hand. She was one of the few Corps leaders he trusted, and he was glad to see her in charge here.

“Remington!” she called out as he neared. “What's the situation?”

“Not good, Captain. We've got a rout on our hands, and they're rioting through the city.”

She shook her head. “Not good, not good at all. At least that'll keep 'em occupied a bit, maybe get them reckless and drunk. We've got reinforcements on their way from Atara. Too late for today, but if we can regroup before they do, and evacuate as many of the civilians as possible...”

Reinforcements. Finally, some good news. “Speaking of which. Found these two about to be taken to the slave markets in Duvos. Can we find 'em a place to go?”

“Parents?”

He shook his head. “Casualties.”

Her eyes softened. “Poor little mites. We've been directing refugees behind the lines, but...they're just kids. Here.” She tossed him a couple of ration bags. “There's a Church of the Light a few miles down the road. They find homes for orphans, don't they?”

“Might be a bit overwhelmed right now.”

“They might be. But it's the best we can hope for right now. I'm sorry, kids. There's not much I can do for you.”

Alice nodded, clearly trying to keep her chin up. Jack just stared at the horse's neck, unwilling or unable to move or talk.

“Be back by sunrise, Remington. As rested as you can be. We're going to need all the soldiers we can get.”

“Yes, ma'am.” He saluted, and spurred his horse further down the path, following the stream of refugees fleeing south.

They had ridden out of sight of the camp before Alice spoke up, hesitantly. “Thank you for doing all of this for us. We probably shouldn't be taking you from your duties...”

“Protecting civilians is my duty. I'm not going to leave two little kids to wander alone in this chaos if I can help it.”

“We don't even have anything to give you...”

“It's my job, I tell you.” He kept his voice even, but the anger came through nonetheless. “I don't ever want be the kind of Corps member who has to take bribes to do his job.”

“Pa said the Corps always took bribes.” Jack picked the worst moments to speak up, in Alice's opinion.

“Some do. I won't.” He took a breath, and smiled down at them. “But enough of that. Do you know where you'd like to go, given a chance? Have you ever seen places other than Lucien City?”

“Not really,” Alice bit her lip. “We never traveled much. Ma and Pa were too busy with the shop.”

“Where are you from?” Jack piped up. “You don't sound like you're from Lucien.”

“Good ear, kiddo. I'm not. I'm from Portia.”

“Where's Portia?”

“Far southeast of here, on the Eastern Sea, beyond Sandrock. The only real way to get there is by boat from Barnarock. But it's a lovely place, lots of countryside and forest, a clean fresh river full of tasty fish, even some mountains. Portia Town is pretty small, just a hundred or so people, but it's cozy and warm and everyone knows everyone else. It's spring, now, all the flowers will be blooming, and it's so peaceful and pretty...” He shook his head. “Sorry. I get homesick sometimes, especially in the middle of all of this.”

“It sounds so lovely...I understand why you miss it. I love flowers,” Alice said wistfully.  “I wish we could go there someday. It'd be nice to be somewhere where there isn't any danger at all...”

“Well, it is on the Peripheries, and there is a Collapsed Wasteland nearby, with some odd monsters in it. But the Civil Corps there is dedicated and they keep the town pretty safe. “

“Wow, a real wasteland? Have you ever been in it?” Jack perked up, forgetting his troubles for a bit, and Alice's heart filled with gratitude.

He chuckled, a warm rich sound. “Yes, as a matter of fact. See, there were these two younger kids – Sam's about your age, Alice, and Arlo's two years older – and they snuck in once after school, a couple of years ago, on a dare. Sam's not one to turn down a dare, and she got Arlo to go with her by telling him it would be good training for the Flying Pigs – he's wanted to try out for them ever since he was old enough to know who they were.”

“What happened to them?” Alice asked.

“Well, they got pinned down behind a rock in the middle of a field full of Slurpees...”

“What's a Slurpee?” Jack interrupted.

“It's a great blue creature, kinda like a big fuzzy lizard with a round clowny face – they're not that dangerous, but they can get you with a stream of nasty freezing liquid...stuff...if you don't know how to predict and dodge it. Anyway, I hadn't wanted to snitch on the kids to Mr. Isaac, our teacher, so I snuck in myself, but I had the good sense to bring a couple of weapons with me. Gave Arlo one of the swords, and Sam a dartgun – she always was better with ranged weapons – and we fought our way out. Didn't even get caught, and I've never told anyone till now. So if you do get to Portia, don't tell Mr. Isaac or Mayor Gale on me, all right?”

“I won't. On my honor,” Jack said solemnly, and Alice stifled a giggle.

“Sam sounds like she gets in trouble a lot,” she commented, hoping to hear more about a girl her own age, living in a safe and happy place.

Remington laughed out loud. “That she does, especially the time she beat up the mayor's son. But she got off easy for that one.”

“How come?”

“She beat him up because he'd been picking on his little sister Ginger, and the mayor dotes on his daughter. Ginger's a sweet girl, but she's kinda fragile – her mother died when she was born, she'd never been strong either, and it seems like Ginger takes after her. But her brother Gust thought of her as the one who killed his Mama, and he was pretty awful to her. Sam kicked his butt into next Tuesday, and he left both of 'em alone after that. Last I heard, he'd taken himself off to Atara to study architecture or something. Sam always did hate a bully. She's got a heart of gold, she really does, and she'll always look out for anyone who needs her help. You ought to look her up, if you do get to Portia. Her family are refugees from Lucien too.”

“Really?” Alice asked. “How did they get there?”

“Her Pa is in the Civil Corps, in the front lines a bit further west of here, and her Ma got tired of always being in the danger zones. So she left before Sam was born, and headed down to the coast with Sam's older sister, Carol. Sam's Pa came to visit sometimes, when he was on leave, and Sam was born a few years later, just before her Ma decided to move into Portia Town. But her Ma got the sweating pox, and she died when Sam was only four, so she was mostly raised by her sister, and Carol wasn't much more than a girl herself. So Sam kinda grew up wild. But like I said, she's got a good heart, and she's done all right. And now Carol's gotten married, and had triplets, and Sam babysits for her pretty regularly, so it all comes full circle.”

Jack looked up at his sister. “Are you gonna raise me, now, Alice?”

“Hopefully she won't have to,” Remington said. “The Church will find you a nice family to take you in.”

“But I'll stay with you, I promise. No matter what, I won't let them split us up.” Alice wrapped her arms around her brother and hugged him hard.

“You keep to that. You two stick together and care for each other, and everything will be OK.” Remington hoped the kids couldn't hear the way the words had to fight past the sudden tightness in his throat. He'd never had siblings by blood, but Sam and Arlo were as close as made no difference, and he suddenly missed them both terribly.

[wasabifree]

right:Toby is Civil Corps member. (His goggles is Arlo imitating） left:Jack is builder. (His teacher is Higgins.Will be an excellent builder)

[kiwi-mtap]

Wanted to draw the older versions of Dolly and Jack from my mtap fanfic! if you’re interested you can read it here: x

[brutal-llama]

It’s rough not knowing what to do with yourself when school is out, huh Jack? 

[blooskyplays]

I love Paulie’s quests XD

[bronzeflower623]

I kind of wish mtap had more with setting up other characters bc I love romantic rivals and I'd like to see more "canonical" pairings

[swanlike-elegance]

Jackie, come home...

So I thought it might be fun to marry Alice in my latest play through of My Time at Portia. I was especially looking forward to getting her and Jack out of their sad little apartment and into a decent house, not to mention the appeal of having a kid around the house who isn’t stuck as an eternal baby...

So I ran home after the wedding to make sure they each had a place programmed to sleep in, AND... turns out only Alice and I are options to sleep in that house. Yep... I guess this means that little Jackie is old enough to live out on his own in Alice’s old apartment.

I was genuinely shocked.

But remembering that you’re supposed to leave newborns alone at home all day in this game and nothing bad ever happens to them... I guess I really shouldn’t be so surprised. :/

Why don’t you wanna live with us, Jackieeee, huh? Are you a man now? Ya gonna strike out on your own with that lemonade stand idea of yours? Just come home, son. I’ll give you all the rainbow lemonade drinks you waaaaant. :(

Signed,

Virtually Rejected

[ryllen]

age up sketch

[mai-cakes]

Next set of pixel Portia villagers! heh heh heh heh Only a couple more to go ;)

Sonia, Django and Jack!

[alienduckpond]

Alice and Jack on their way to Portia

Jack carefully slipped off his seat and turned so he could climb back up on his knees, leaning his arms on the backrest so he could watch the scenery fly by through the bus’s window. They were finally far away enough from Atara that the neatly boxed off fields of boring coloured food crops had given way to wilderness, and it was breathtaking.

Giant fields of flowers in every colour imaginable filled his vision, stretching back as far as he could see and almost blinding him with how bright they all seemed. Reds, blues, yellows, and browns blurred together before him. And green. There was so, so much green! More than he’d ever seen before, maybe. At least since before...

He shut the thought away as he settled his cheek on his folded arms, watching a bird further back take off and fly up into the sky. Maybe he should wake Alice up. He was sure she’d love to see all the colour after the last few weeks. He’d seen how she’d perked up every time she’d seen something living amongst the dusty houses covered in soot back in Lucien, or hidden between the cramped together apartments with washing hanging from windows of Atara. How she’d stopped to stare longingly at the potted plants in the bland waiting rooms in depressing office buildings they’d visited to fill in the paperwork needed to get on this bus.

A soft snuffle next to him had him turning towards his sister even before he thought about it, but it was ok. She was still asleep. He carefully reached over and pulled the coat she was using as a blanket higher up her shoulder, smoothing a strand of hair from her face to tuck behind her ear as she muttered again. The little wrinkle between her eyebrows was back, and he could see the dark smudges under her eyes that had been there since… since they'd left Lucien, looked even worse without her glasses in the way. 

No. He’d let her sleep. She really needed it. She’d needed to rest for a while now, he knew, no matter what she told him. And besides, he told himself, settling down again and breathing slowly to enjoy the clean fresh air. Alice said this place they were going, Portia, was somewhere to the south. Next to the sea! And it had fields, and trees, and lots of space to run around in, and safe places for him to explore. And best of all, it was far, far away from Duvos, and all the problems they were causing.

She could see all the pretty flowers when they got there.

He’d make sure of it!

.

From a prompt by @mtap-prompts

[angelbvnnie]

Bunny ♡ She/Her ♡ Adult (25+) ♡ Autistic

Heya! ❥ I'm Bunny (I also go by the name Kit) and you've found your way onto my selfship blog! I'm generally a super friendly person and always happy to interact with other adult selfshippers out there. Feel free to message me anytime!

DNI - Do Not Interact If

♡ You're a racist, sexist, homophobe, transphobe or pedo/MAP.

♡ You're a minor. You MAY enter art raffles or reblog general sfw imagines, but if you follow me or attempt to directly interact with me I will insta-block you.

♡ You think adults shipping with aged-up adult versions of characters who are or were teens in the source material is somehow p*dophilia.

BYF - Before You Follow

♡ I don't want to engage in shipping discourse. I'm not a proshipper, but the world isn't black and white and both sides have some valid points. If that bothers you, feel free to block me.

♡ Some of my ships include aged-up/adult!AUs of canon characters. I don't think it's problematic to ship adult OCs with adult canon characters, even if they're from an AU. You can read more about my position on my carrd.

♡ It's fine if you don't want to interact with me for any reasons! I never want to make anyone uncomfortable!

♡ I don't feel comfortable sharing my main F/Os, I'm sorry!

My Ships / List of FOs

Main Ships ⤷ 🐇 [...] ♡ f/o: deku [bnha] ♡ info ⤷ ✨ [...] ♡ f/o: karamatsu [osomatsu-san] ♡ info ⤷ 🍜 [...] ♡ f/o: mys [mtap/s] ♡ info

Secondary Ships ⤷ 🌸 [...] ♡ f/o: all might [bnha] ♡ info ⤷ 📻 [stuck in the middle with you] ♡ f/o: jack [story of seasons] ♡ info ⤷ ☠️ [...] ♡ f/o: monkey d. luffy [one piece] ♡ info

Please keep in mind that I'm not comfortable sharing my main F/Os ♡

[notasiren21]

My Favorite Animated Characters:

(In no order)(shows/Games)

Boys:

1. Luka Couffaine (MLB)

2. Felix Hugo Fraldarius (Fe3h)

3. Zuko (ATLA)

4. Sylvain Jose Gautier (Fe3h)

5. Yuri Leclerc (Fe3h)

6. Deacon (Fallout 4)

7. Nick Valentine (Fallout 4)

8. Giyu Tomioka (Demon Slayer)

9. Naofumi Iwatani (TROTSH)

10. Lavernius Tucker (RvB)

11. Leonard L. Church (RvB)

12. Dexter Grif (RvB)

13. Dick Grayson (DC)

14. Craig Tucker (South Park)

15. Craig Tucker aged up fanart (South Park)

16. Jack Frost (RotG)

17. Mint (MTaP)

18. Chrome (Bofuri)

19. Tsukasa Mikogami (HSP)

20. Prince Eric (The Little Mermaid)

21. Seiya Ryuuguuin (OCH)

22. Mamoru Chiba (Sailor Moon Crystal)

23. Uncle Iroh (ATLA)

24. Souei (TTIGRAAS)

25. Nicole Ascart (MNLaaV)

26. Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)

27. Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)

28. Rodrigue Achille Fraldarius (Fe3h)

Girls:

1. Mercedes von Martritz (Fe3h)

2. Katara (ATLA)

3. Ringo Ohoshi (HSP)

4. Marinette Dupain-Cheng (MLB)

5. Juleka Couffaine (MLB)

6. Queen Elsa (Frozen)

7. Ariel (The Little Mermaid)

8. Raven (Teen Titans)

9. Hanajima Saki (Fruits Basket)

10. Ami Mizuno (Sailor Moon Crystal)

11. Toph (ATLA)

12. Suki (ATLA)

13. Rem (Re:Zero)

14. Naminé (Kingdom Hearts)

15. Alice (Alice in Wonderland)

16. Wendy Darling (Peter Pan)

17. Silvermist (Tinkerbell)

18. Frankie Stein (Monster High)

19. Robecca Steam (Monster High)

20. Nezuko Kamado (Demon Slayer)

21. Kagami Tsurugi (MLB)

Animals/Creatures:

1. Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)

2. Sass (MLB)

3. Plagg (MLB)

4. Tikki (MLB)

5. Stitch (Lilo & Stich)

6. Appa (ATLA)

7. Momo (ATLA)

8. Bulbasaur (Pokémon)

9. Cubone (Pokémon)

10. Dogmeat (Fallout 4)

11. Toothless (HTTYD)

12. Bolt (Bolt)

13. Mickey Mouse (Disney)

14. Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh)

15. Pooh (Winnie the Pooh)

16. Angel (Lilo & Stitch)

17. Cinnamoroll (Hello Kitty)

18. Luna (Sailor Crystal Moon)

19. Dumbo (Dumbo)

20. Sully (Monster’s Inc.)

21. Fraldarius Wirehair (Fe3h)

[emeraldbirdcollector]

MTAP prompt - Alice and Jack on their way to Portia

This got really dark, really fast. My apologies. Trigger warnings for parental death, blood, trauma, etc. It’s also not terribly polished - just posting the starter here in hopes of comments and suggestions. I do take criticism, if offered reasonably kindly and aimed at the writing, not personal insults. 

The Civil Corps in Lucien were not to be trusted. Not unless you could bribe them. They were the last line of defense against Duvos, and thus to be honored and respected. But they were also battle-roughened and underpaid, and liable to take what they felt they deserved, by force if necessary, from the local citizenry, and thus also to be avoided and dodged whenever possible. Alice had known that from infancy. Only on the day the war came to her doorstep did she find out there was another possibility.

There had been rumors for weeks, and her parents had not succeeded in keeping either fourteen-year-old Alice or her six-year-old brother Jack from hearing them. The Duvosian army was about to break through Lucien's defenses, and not even the valiant fighting men on the front lines had been able to stop them. Any minute now, the city was going to be overrun. Alice knew her parents were planning to escape, heard them talking at night about what was most important to pack, what they could carry, where they might stay.

“We should tell the children,” her mother said. “Give them at least a little warning. Alice is sensible, she'll cope.”

From her bedroom, Alice felt herself warmed by the praise. Sensible. That's what I am. I can keep my head and help us get through this.

“No. It'll be easier for them if it happens all at once, if we get it over with quickly without giving them time to remember what they'll miss. Alice might be old enough, but Jack's still small, and he doesn't understand yet.”

Alice looked over to where her little brother lay, nothing disturbing his slumber, not even bad dreams. His face, relaxed and innocent in sleep, was propped on one arm, the other dangling off his cot. Don't worry. I won't let anything hurt you, baby brother. I'll keep you safe. Whatever happens.

It was only the next morning when all hell broke loose. She and Jack had been out in the yard, taking down the apricots and apples that had been drying on racks in the sun, when the earth shook and the walls surrounding the great city, undermined by Duvosian explosives, crumbled to the ground. Their mother came running from the house, their father right behind her, each of them clutching a knapsack – no, Pa had two.

“Put all the apples you can in this one, and put it on,” he said to her, brisk and calm. “We need to move. The army will be through any second, and we have to run.”

She nodded, her mouth dry, and gathered up the last mound of apple rings in her arms, pouring them into the flour sack she carried and stuffing it into the knapsack as firmly as she could, willing it to fit. It did, just barely. She put on the knapsack, which was far heavier than she was used to, but she would not let her parents, or Jack, see her flinch. Her mother took her arm, her father scooping Jack onto his shoulders, and they ran.

Alice couldn't tell where they were going. Her father led them down alleyway after alleyway, around corners and through narrow passages, until she was completely lost, in an area of the city she had never seen before. It seemed like everyone had the same idea – people poured from their houses, crowding and pushing in every direction, and it was all Alice could do to hang on to her mother's hand and keep running. But she smelled smoke behind her, and heard screams that ripped through her like knives, and she kept going, running not towards anything but away, away from the screaming, away from the fire, away from the army, away away away...until there was nowhere to run.

Her father had chosen to take them away from the crowds through a narrow, dark alley, and it was the last mistake he ever made. From the darkness stepped three menacing figures – Duvosian soldiers, Alice thought, her mind suddenly frozen over with terror. She turned, only to see a few more blocking their escape route behind. A rough voice ordered from the shadows, “Kill the old folks, they ain't worth much, but take the kids alive. Kids always sell better. More trainable-like.”

Her father let Jack slip from his shoulders, placing the children between himself and his wife. Both parents drew knives, but they looked pitifully small against the Duvosian soldiers' swords. Nor did they do them any good. Alice covered Jack's eyes, shielding him as best she could against her body, but for the rest of her life, the image of her mother's head bouncing against the cobblestones, the sound of her father's scream, abruptly cut short, and the sudden rain of blood that spattered her hair and clothes, face and hands, would haunt her worst nightmares.

Nothing of the next few moments registered on her consciousness. Her fingers had to be pried loose from Jack's shoulders, and he broke his terrified silence in a wail as he was torn from her and thrown over a soldier's horse. Another grabbed her knapsack, ransacking it for anything worth stealing, and, finding nothing, tossed it contemptuously aside. The next minute she, too, was scooped up and thrown behind her brother, and felt rough hands tie her, wrists and ankles, to Jack and to the horse, holding both children upright but with no hope of movement. The largest of the Duvosians mounted up behind them, and spurred the horse, his comrades following.

Alice kept her eyes tightly closed, the unfamiliar movement of the horse beneath her combined with the visions repeating themselves over and over in her head and the smell of her parents' blood, making her sick. She concentrated everything she had on not throwing up, not letting go of Jack, letting everything else retreat to the back of her mind. Got to stay alive. Got to keep Jack alive. Just one more minute one more one more...

A sudden sound from the soldier behind her made her open her eyes, as he collapsed and fell backwards. The horse startled, and it was all that she could do to hold on for a moment, ropes or no, but when he settled, she looked down, and wished she hadn't. An arrow sprouted from his throat – Civil Corps colors, she noted absently, wondering if they were just going from one danger to another – and she looked up to find two more arrows striking their targets. Three of their captors were left mounted, however, and they wheeled to challenge the newcomer.

Apparently out of arrows, he drew his sword and charged. Alice had never seen a swordfight before, but even she could see that he fought like a lion, swift and sure. Three against one, it was, but one by one, the semi-trained thugs fell to his blade as it darted and wove, making gleaming patterns in the moonlight. A knight. A knight in shining armor.  

The last of their captors fell with an unromantic thud, and their rescuer dismounted, wiping his blade on the sparse grass by the road before sheathing it. He turned to the children, his hands surprisingly gentle as he undid the knots. “You kids all right?” 

Alice nodded, and Jack, looking at her, followed suit, though he was far too pale and far too quiet. “We are now. Thank you.” Surprisingly, her voice was clear and firm, though she was shaking inside.

He lifted them gently from the horse, one by one, and knelt next to them. Alice was surprised to see he wasn't much older than she was – perhaps eighteen or nineteen. He had the darker skin of a Sandrock native, and lighter hair, with paler streaks – tattoos? scars? birthmarks? she couldn't tell – outlining his cheekbones and down his chin, giving him a fierce, hawkish look. But his eyes were warm, dark golden-amber, kind. “You got parents? Somewhere to go?”

Alice looked at the blood on her shirt, and her voice broke. “Not...not anymore.” The sob escaped her throat before she could stop it, and she felt strong, gentle arms around her, holding her together as more of them tore from her, uncontrollable, unstoppable.

“Hey, hey now, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We'll get you someplace safe, you and your...brother?” She nodded, wiping her eyes. “We'll get you to safety, I promise.” He paused. “What are your names? Mine's Remington. My friends call me Remi.”

“I'm Alice. This is Jack.” It felt surreal, introducing herself as if she was still herself, still the same person she'd been yesterday.

“Come with me. I'll find you someplace.”

Remington knew that the Lucien Civil Corps was largely corrupt and incompetent, and he hated it. This wasn't the grand future he'd planned for himself when he'd left quiet Portia behind, looking for glory in the war against Duvos. Certainly not this Earthforsaken rout that could have been prevented if only the General had had the sense to realize that Duvos would bring in miners. Such a damned waste, he thought, his throat closing up as he thought of what he'd seen that day. Make Portia proud, Mayor Gale said when he saw me off...sorry, Mayor, there's no pride in this, none at all. He looked at the girl balanced in front of him on the horse, small and slender and fragile, but holding on to her little brother like a lifeline, determined to protect him. She can't be any older than little Sam back home. Come to think of it, Sam's family are refugees from Lucien, too, aren't they? I wonder if her Ma told her stories of fleeing the war like this...no wonder she's so damned determined to face down all the bullies in the world, even the ones who are twice her size. The thought of home, and the younger kids he'd been charged so often to look after, made him heartsick. Sam, Arlo, Ginger, I'm sorry, I'm not the hero you thought I was...but I'm damned well not going to let little kids be sold into slavery if I can help it.

He knew the city well, and more importantly, knew where the Duvos army was, having faced it down until the lines had broken in a frenzied rout, soldiers fleeing every which way. He had attempted to stand firm, and to rally his neighbors, but there was no point, no discipline left, and finally he had fled himself. Not proud of that. I should have gone down with the fighting, like so many others. But...then who would get these kids to safety? his practical side reminded him. Maybe there's still a purpose for me after all.

Now, it seemed that everyone was making for the South Gates, away from the rampaging Duvosian soldiers pouring in from the North. He kept his horse steady with a firm hand, but the smell of blood and the sights and sounds of panicked humans was making her uneasy. She had been trained for battle, but had never seen one. Nor had Remington, before this week, and he sympathized. I knew it was gonna be horrible, but...he held back the thought, lest he lose what little breakfast he had eaten that morning. Too many gone. Too many who ate that breakfast with me now feeding their blood to Mother Earth. Stefan, Janik, Richardis...and those were just the ones I saw. What's the point of spending so much time painstakingly reclaiming the past, fighting off the monsters, rebuilding things after the Cataclysm, if we just keep destroying all our gains over and over every time some damned Emperor gets greedy? That's what I'm supposed to be here for, to protect civilization, to protect people, dammit - and first chance I get, I failed. We all did. He looked down again at Alice and Jack, so small and yet so determined. But I won't fail you kids, not this time. I'll get you someplace safe if it kills me.