The Plague Creeps In

While Rad spends the majority of its time scavenging in the desert for scraps that it can turn in for money, its free time is more often than not occupied by library visits. It enjoys learning new things that way, like traditions it didn’t know about, or any new findings about the original, “natural” Xeros. Mostly, it spends that time looking for ways to gain new and exciting traits without having to gain a Glitch Card first.

On this particular day, there is some sort of event going on in front of the library, lead by one of the familiar faces Rad has gotten to meet whenever it visits. As it turns out, and as is obvious from the mess of gourd shavings all around the tables and chairs, the library is organizing a free mask-making event. What’s a mask-making event for, Rad asks, and is told this – as the legend goes, these masks used to be made to ward off a plague, a Blight. Oh, well, now it’s intrigued.

And so Rad Red joins in, gathering an armful of materials and paints at random – it doesn’t exactly know what it’s doing, it’s never done this before, it doesn’t know what it’s doing, it’s just carving dots into the face to make freckles, and then, on one of the freckles, its hand slips. The carved line is long, and curved, and.. looks a tiny bit like a small eye. Rad squints. That would be cool, actually, right? It has always wanted extra eyes. Maybe ones that glow in the dark… or ones with different colors from its normal eyes…

It works quicker, with more direction, after that, adding extra colors and crimson feathers that more or less match its fur, shaping out big teeth on the bottom of the mask.

The mask looks lovely, it is told when it’s done. It runs off into the crowds of folks with similar masks, wearing its own proudly alongside them.

As it walks, Rad catches a glimpse of itself in the dark display window of a store.

A completely different, stranger, wilder creature looks back at it.

Under the mask, Rad Red smiles with glee.