Looter

Life inside the sheltered communities is not what anyone would call safe, especially outside Risenhall. But it beats the no-man's-land that was the world any day. Out there, a painful death is only for the luckiest. And yet, some people cannot resist the call of the open space, suffocating inside the buried bunkers. These people, feared and respected, survival experts dwindling in numbers, are the looters.

Death at every corner

Before I met anyone, I have already lived for months by myself in the mountains. Apparently, that's enough to make me a veteran looter, one of the oldest alive. I thought I would fit with the rest of them, finally not having to fear for my life at every heartbeat. But I was too far gone, unable to live in a community anymore. So I became one of the badland wanderers, with proper gear this time. It's the best compromise, I might have killed someone had I stayed there.

— Alaric, veteran looter

The world as we knew it vanished, figuratively and physically. Maps have to be redrawn, the ruins of a sprawling megacity can spread where an ocean stretched yesterday, and chasms were dug in the middle of mountains. Basic survival knowledge is of little use, too. There is barely any wildlife, streams are soiled by an otherworldly poison, and no edible crop grows. The only viable resources are scraps of the life before, canned food and snacks snatched from skyscrapers in the middle of nowhere.

Looters are nomadic by nature, for staying too long in one place is so dangerous nobody ever made a full list. The main reason, beside escaping the roaming fiends, is the scarcity of resources. Except the few malls that have not been completely ransacked or the treasured warehouses, there is no place with enough food to sustain anyone for more than a few days.

They are stealth experts, clad in camouflage gear and light-footed. Despite their excellent condition, only a few of them actually know how to throw punches, but what use is to know how to fight when the only answer is flight? Unfortunately, fiends and monsters are just one of the deaths that awaits them in the badlands. Corrupted by the infernal realm, nature and even the law of physics are hell-bent on getting the kill, and death traps are just as common as predators. To be a looter is to know how to avoid or escape danger first, and knowing where to find the loot only comes second.

The loot

In the ruins of a modern civilisation, there is no end to stuff to scavenge. Relics of the past, precious metals and invaluable electronic devices are now worthless. Looters only have an eye for food and the occasional weapon, or supplies that they can trade to communities. Clothes and drug are the highest demand, but also the rarest. The cheap fabric is almost completely ripped apart or eaten by insects, and medicine was the most raided supply in the early days, as well as the most perishable one.

A deserted campfire. What happened to the looter? by Rumengol via Midourney

Demons

I'm sure they don't kill us all on purpose. We never actually escape their gaze, but if they got rid of us it would spoil the fun. You know, these areas that are strangely lush with food and even parts? That's their hunting grounds, they lure us in and play safari. Just one or two each time, to not scare us away. This is just sick. I'm still going, even if I'm about to throw up I still have to eat, and I have a family who counts on me. At the end of the day, it's a matter of luck. You're still in, kid?

— Savannah, veteran looter to a newbie

While they are far fewer than the monsters, demons are the ultimate threats in these lands. Not only have they outstanding physical capabilities, but they also possess supernatural powers and devilish intelligence. All looters know that their lives don't really belong to them. Their own prowess help them survive fiends and traps, but faced with a demon, their fate lies in the creature's hand. They tend to avoid Helldoms though, it's best not to tempt the devil.

Looter's superstition: fear is the killer

While looters are afraid of many things and perform a lot of rituals some would deem ridiculous, their superstition dictates the opposite when it comes to demons. Since they have no choice in the matter of their lives any way, it is believed that putting on a brave face and throwing witty punchlines at demons will amuse them, sometimes enough to let the person escape to live another day. They get however easily bored with criers and scared people, something you never want to make a demon feel.

Superstition

Certitudes are a thing of the past. Even the idea that god is dead is not a fact since the advent of Risenhall. To survive, looters have developed a wide set of superstition and empirical rules that seemed to work well-enough to be reported and shared. The most widespread is that as you linger, your aura grows stronger and stronger, until fiends and lesser demons are able to sense it from afar and jump on your location. Thus, crossing the same door for six days straight is considered not only bad luck, but a death wish. When they join a community, they never stay longer than five days, even though this rule doesn't seem to affect anyone else.

The looter's code

There is no law outside, no rule. Another looter could jump and kill another one without anyone knowing, or caring. Yet, distrust and paranoia would only put them all in danger, adding an unnecessary threat to the numerous they already have to face. Pioneer, one of the first historical looter, put together a code of a few rules, guidelines that looters must respect when interacting with each others. It may only be enforced by superstition, but it works when all known offenders met brutal ends shortly after their infringement.

1. First come, first served: Dibs rules.
2. Sharing is caring.
3. Another's property is off-limits.
4. Help if you can.
5. Don't be a hero.

Over time, more rules have been added and the first guidelines have been more formerly defined, but the first five rules are the keystone principles of every looter. They are not to betray each others and should support another looter, but never as the expense of their own security. The outside is selfish and lonely, they all know it.

Secret of survival

Skills are not enough to survive in a world where everything wants to kill you. Most looters have an ace up their sleeve, at least if they manage to live long enough to be considered veterans. Though it is a secret they would rather die than share, they are either contractors, corrupt or ascended.

Contractors are people who made deals with demons in exchange for a part of their power. It always comes with a price, which commands the person to forsake their humanity. It is most often an amount of monthly human sacrifice, but some demons can be very imaginative.

Corrupt becomes the one who drinks from a soiled stream and survives. The infernal poison is usually deadly, but a few chosen ones can bear the corruption and become twisted versions of themselves, physically enhanced but with half their body and mind turned fiendish.

Ascended are the rarest ones, those who didn't have to make a terrible trade. Their power comes from the essence of a hellborn they felled and absorbed. The stronger the creature, the higher the ascended, though most gain their essence from the meekest denizens of hell, surviving the encounter by sheer luck.

Yes, even this one

In the sheltered communities, looters are both feared and respected. On one side, they are the ones who dare to brave the outside, bringing back well-needed food and other supplies. On the other, they are viewed as a bunch of thugs with little consideration for human life including their own, who put the whole group at risk. Indeed, the survivors stay alive by staying hidden, out of sight of the monsters. Welcoming a looter is always a risk, as they could make the hidden place noticed or worse, reveal its location to a demon under torture.

Thus, it is forbidden for looters to have maps indicating the communities they know, everything must be kept in their head. Furthermore, some demons like to impersonate humans to infiltrate groups and destroy them from the inside. Not that they need to do so, but they thrive on the chaos and paranoia. Thus, looters are subjected to a severe screening before being allowed inside the communities, a moment full of tension and animosity until proven cleared. Many looters have been killed by accident in these situations, murders shrugged off as a security necessity.

Tools of the trade

Looters often look alike, in the eyes of the sheltered. They dress in camo gear, with dark pants, a grey jacket, baseball cap and scarf to hide their face so that only their eyes are visible. When they don't wear glasses in addition. A pair of gloves, good running shoes and a solid backpack complete the outfit that reminds the oldest one of the black bloc rioters.

Snacks can be suspiciously numerous in osme places by Rumengol via MidJourney

In their bags is just the necessary for survival. A flask or two, a blanket, a briquet and whatever food they managed to scavenge. Some carry sentimental items, usually belongings of a dead relative, but they learn to detach themselves from the non-essential with time. They do like to customize their clothings, however, using stickers and patches found in the ruins.

Looter's superstition: nicknames

No looter uses their real name outside the communities, so much so that most have forgotten it. They believe that even thinking about their true identity exposes them to all sorts of mind manipulation. It is bad luck to choose another real name either, because it might belong to a dead person. So they take on a common name, and never reuse them. Taking on the nickname of a dead looter is so blasphemous that the consequences are said to be felt physically. They often, however, abandon a name to pick up a new one. Friendship don't last anyway, nobody probably remembers the old one.