It’s not here either. She pondered. And yet I sensed its aura at this location.
Kanzen didn’t like mysteries. Mysteries were complicated, she liked to keep her life simple.
She sat atop the still searing hot corpse of an ancient Dragon amidst a field of bodies. The scores of mutilated dead still steamed in the frosty morning air, the pools of spilt blood reflecting the burning ash skies of the Crater Lands.
Crawling through the mangled remains of the army that attacked her were jet-black goblins, searching for her prize and taking the occasional bite from the macabre buffet of fresh meat littering the ground. One approached her cautiously.
“It not here.” The hideous creature informed her, confirming what she already knew. She stood, not bothering to demean herself by responding to her impish lackey, and slowly dismounted the house sized corpse.
The goblin’s large snout, floppy ears, and sharp scraggly teeth combined with his short stature to produce a truly hilarious looking creature. Few that saw these vicious scavengers at work laughed however when they witnessed them attacking their prey like a swarm of rabid land piranhas. The wretched monsters’ mistress however, could not possibly be more different.
Kanzen stood over seven feet tall, her figure statuesque, her form perfect. Her features had a precise symmetry and glorious proportion that no mortal woman could ever hope to match and her beauty was such that no man could conceive of it, even in his wildest fantasies. Silver hair poured down her back all the way to her waist. It had a color and life that only her eyes, of all the gorgeous things in the world, could match.
She raised her head to the burnt sky, as if basking in its hellish glow. Reminds me of home. She thought.
Kanzen was a Demon Lord, one of the strongest in the infinite Hells that circled beneath the physical plane. So powerful was she that even the gods were wary of approaching her without a legion of powerful monsters backing them up. She was the Princess of her clan, the Jaaku, a noble bloodline that dated back to the creation of the universe and, with the exception of her father, was the most potent of the spirits to ever inhabit her home dimension of Kilk’Ill. An impressive title, considering the power of the legendary beasts that spawned there.
Princess Kanzen had left the realms of Gods and Demons to find something of great importance but no matter what she did it seemed to elude her. As she stood feeling the icy wind of morning caress her alabaster skin she made a point of stifling her anger and focusing on what to do next. Even the sorcerous goblins seem unable to find it. She mused. She had hired the foul pests because of their legendary tracking skills but even their sharp, magic detecting noses had failed her.
“Annoying isn’t it?” A voice said, interrupting her thoughts.
She slowly opened her eyes and gazed upon the figure before her. It was a young man, Human, at least in form. He was pale and clad in voluminous black robes, with a large mane of dark curly hair that’s length nearly matched that of Kanzen’s own.
“You can’t find the Lance no matter where you search.” He stated, a hint of a smirk touching his lips.
She studied him for a long moment. “It’s dangerous to sneak up on me.” She cautioned. This declaration was not made as a threat, but as a simple statement of fact.
His eyes traveled her body. Only the thinnest of white silks covered Kanzen’s nakedness, and these seemed to blow about as if on an invisible wind revealing tantalizing hints of the flesh beneath. Eventually his gazed returned to her face. “I know where it is.” He informed her. “Or more accurately, how it can be found.” A hint of glee touched his tone, nearly imperceptible to the human ear but as obvious as a volcano to Kanzen.
The search for the Lance of Olympus, the weapon of a God, had long been an obsession of Kanzen’s and the reason she had come to this pathetic little world. Said to contain the essence of the slain God Artemis it would be the perfect weapon in her war against the Heavens and now, conveniently, a man stood before her offering her the prize so had sought for months.
“I’m listening.” She replied.
“I’ll want something in return.” He informed her, his tone serious.
She gave a slight nod. “Speak.”
“An Ogre Mage, by the name of Oni’Iya, guards the location of the Lance with his illusions. I can lead you to him.” He imparted, grinning as he revealed this secret.
She stood staring at him expectantly. Realizing that was as much of a go ahead as he would get, he frowned, put off. Clearly he had been expecting at least some questions as to how he had received such hidden knowledge. Finally he turned and waved for her to follow.
Traveling through the Crater Lands was a confusing and sometimes even sanity shattering experience, time and distance didn’t mean as much in the magic saturated landscape as it did in the mundane world and only Demons and beings with magic talent could avoid getting hopelessly lost. Add the fact that Lands were mostly heat-baked deserts, shattered stone and twisted black shrubs all covered in swirling red dust, and you had a place few life forms could survive.
The pair and their trailing goblin brigade marched for many days toward the mountains of the inner impact range, through burning days and freezing nights. They spoke little and rested never, for she and her magical minions had none of the weaknesses that would cause mortals to take a break in their journey.
As they traveled Kanzen played with the diamond pendant she wore around her neck, pondering her new traveling companion. He’s Human. She realized early on in their trek. Magic about him, but not very strong. She observed. She watched him as day after day passed and saw that the lustful stares he gave her grew in number rather than decreased, as though he was anticipating something.
Certain things don’t fit. She considered. He never tires, and he appeared before me out of thin air… She paused. Ah.
Kanzen had been alive for centuries and had rubbed shoulders with some of the cleverest and most subtle beings in the universe. The Ogre’s simple trap was easy to see once she put the facts together. Using an illusion to lure me to his lair… To what? Devour me? That was the only mystery left in this clever little scenario. He even used himself for bait. She chuckled to herself.
Hearing her soft laugh her companion looked over his shoulder at her, a curious expression on his face. “Let me in on the joke?” He asked.
“You’ll know soon enough.” She informed him, her tone neutral. When I shred the flesh from your true body’s bones. She added mentally.
He slowed his pace to match hers so that he was no longer directly leading but walking beside her instead. “You know…” He began.
She turned her face to look at him.
“I had a very specific reward in mind when I offered to help you… But now that we have spent so much time together I think I might choose to take a different prize instead.” He said leering.
She kept her face blank, but projected an aura that said ‘Go ahead, try and touch me, see what happens.’
He chuckled and increased his pace, taking the lead once more.
“I must say, you seem to have the lusts of an Ogre.” She deadpanned to his back. He stiffened momentarily. And there’s my proof. She thought.
They traveled in silence for several more days until at last they stood before a towering mountain.
“He is within.” The boy informed her, pointing at a solid cliff face.
“An illusion.” She stated, no question in her voice.
He nodded. “I’ll wait for you out here.” He said.
Kanzen started toward the wall, ignoring the boy. She felt a slight tingle as she passed through the illusion to find herself in the entrance of a large disease ridden cave. Her goblin horde recoiled at the stench but she walked on without complaint, leaving them behind. The floor was covered in viscous brown goo and putrid slime coated the walls. Insects and vermin milled about everywhere. She stepped on their crunchy bodies as she continued her journey into the heart of the pestilent mountain.
She found Oni’Iya deep underground, in a cavern that had never been seen by Human eyes and she was impressed, truly, by his monumental foulness.
Oni’Iya was an Ogre King, though his mutated form was even more disgusting than that of the majority of his brethren. His leathery skin had formed into snake-like scales and was an unhealthy putrid brown. Gigantic talons extended from the shredded meat of his hands, as long as lances and far more deadly. He was bipedal in form, his shape vaguely man like, though he would never be mistaken for something so clean. At thirty feet tall and weighting over twenty tons, he towered even over his fellow Ogres, but what truly separated him from the rest of his species was his head.
Massive antlers framed a rotting face with wagon wheel sized lidless eyes that stared in milky malevolence at the world around him. Stranger still was his skull, which was open at the top, exposing his blue veined brain to the air.
He was currently snoring loudly, his tongue hanging from his mouth like a dog as he slept, unaware of his silent observer.
Not even awake to greet me? She marveled. Does his arrogance extend so far? She walked slowly up to the sleeping Ogre’s head. “WAKE UP!” She roared, her voice somehow retaining its seductively feminine allure despite the animalistic overtones of her bellow.
The Ogre sprang to his feet so quickly that his antlers slammed against the cavern roof, dislodging a number of stalactites, which crashed noisily to the floor. “WHO DARES?!” He roared back, matching Kanzen’s volume and adding a great deal of rage. He swung his head back and forth, looking for the intruder.
“Down here.” Kanzen said, in a normal volume.
Oni’Iya’s cataract eyes traveled down to his miniature invader. “What? He asked incredulously, to no one in particular.
“I’m looking for something.” She informed the Ogre King. “And I hear you know where it is.”
Oni’Iya lunged forward to snap Kanzen up in one bite, all he got, however, was a mouthful of shattered stone. He spat the rocks out and glanced around to find where Kanzen had hidden.
“Up here.” Kanzen called calmly from his right shoulder, startling him. He slashed at her, tearing deep groves in his own neck that rained rotten flesh down to the cavern floor near to where she now stood.
He looked down once more. “Your fast.” He observed, and took a deep wheezing breath, seeming to reign in his anger.
Controlling his rage? An impressive feat for an Ogre. Kanzen thought. I should be careful with this one.
“You seek the Lance.” The Ogre said, more statement then question.
Kanzen nodded slowly.
“I won’t help you.” Oni’Iya said simply.
Kanzen stared at him for a long moment. “But you are its guardian?” She inquired.
He gave a sinister coughing laugh. “Recruited by Zeus himself to watch over the resting place of his beloved daughter.” He acknowledged.
“Give it to me and I won’t destroy you.” She offered.
The Ogre King began to laugh once more then suddenly flinched back as she shot him a deadly glance.
“Zeus is dead.” She informed him. “He cannot harm you if you break his trust. I on the other hand…”
He reared up. “You threaten me?” He boomed. “I, who has slain armies! Who has wrestled Dragons! Who-“
Her charge was a barely perceptible blur. She tore through his left shoulder, her claws severing his arm in a shower of black blood and yellow bile. His limb struck the ground with a meaty thud as he howled in agony. He collapsed forward, barely arresting his fall with his remaining hand.
She returned to where she originally stood, untouched by his gore except for her left hand, which dripped with his foul liquids.
“Tell me what I want to know.” She commanded him. “Or I take your other arm.”
His howls slowly faded into a pained pant. “Alright!” He cried. “I’ll tell you! It’s in the Demonheart Citadel, at the center of the Crater…”
“Impossible.” She replied. “That’s were I started my journey, months ago, I would have detected it.” She cracked her knuckles. “Your lie will cost you another limb.”
“WAIT!” He shrieked. “You didn’t detect it because-“ He huffed and puffed. “-I use my psychic powers to disperse the Divine aura, creating duplicate auras across the land. I will drop my illusion, you’ll find it for sure! Just let me live!”
A wave of irritation passed through Kanzen. Fake auras. She thought. That’s what I have been chasing all this time. “One final question.” She asked. “What did you hope to gain by luring me here?”
Oni’Iya hesitated, looked confused. “Lure you? What are you talking about?”
Kanzen leapt forward, slicing into his chest. Though her claws only struck a small portion of his ribs the magic behind them shredded his entire torso, splattering blood, bone and organs all over the cavern.
“Obstinate till the end.” She commented as she touched down. The Ogre’s severed head struck the ground nearby, the light fading from its eyes. Demonheart Citadel. Kanzen mused. Right under my nose all along. Her anger faded as she realized that the Lance would soon be hers.
“He wasn’t lying you know.” A voice called from behind her. She turned to see that her curly haired companion had followed her.
Not an illusion? She questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“I’ll take my reward now.” He said. Something about him had changed, he stood straighter and spoke in a far stronger and more commanding tone, no longer slimy and mocking.
“Your reward…” She mused.
“I led you to the Lance’s location, did I not?” He challenged.
“Yes.” She acknowledged, mulling over whether or not to kill him. “And what would you have as your reward?” She asked.
He pointed at her chest. “Your diamond pendant.” He replied.
She lifted her hand and began rolling the pendant between her fingers. She stared at the floor, thinking. “Do you know how I got this?” She questioned.
“Torn from the forehead of the Archangel Uriel when you first arrived in this world.” He answered.
“One of the hardest fights of my long existence.” She nodded in reply, remembering the titanic battle.
“Sentimental value aside, it’s magic is useless to you.” He told her.
In truth, though Kanzen knew the pendant contained powerful sorcery, she didn’t know what, if anything, it did. By the way this Human wanted it though, it must have had a power significant enough to risk everything for, as he had in coming to her. Too precious to lose. She concluded. “I’m afraid I can’t let it go.” She said, in as close to a diplomatic tone as she was capable.
“That’s ok.” He replied in a friendly tone, then his expression darkened. “I don’t need your permission!” He snarled.
Kanzen shrieked as powerful magic tore through her being. Ethereal chains of force appeared out of the air and enwrapped her body, tying her legs together and jerking her arms out and back painfully.
The boy watched her struggle to free herself for a few moments before smiling. “I wasn’t sure that would work.” He admitted. “Creating an entrapping spell for a Demon as strong as you takes weeks of effort to get every nuance right.” He grinned. “Lucky for me I got to spend so much time traveling with you.”
Kanzen was unable to speak to reply so she glared daggers at him instead.
“Convincing you I was part of the Ogre’s plan caused you to drop your guard didn’t it?” He smirked. “That’s the problem with you old ones, your convinced everyone less experienced than you are only capable of the most obvious ploys. I played you.” He said with obvious satisfaction.
Kanzen focused her energies, weakening the spell slightly. “Who are you?” She growled.
“I am no one really, just a humble dreamer.” The boy introduced himself with a bow. “And I’m a Demon, like yourself, though my power pales in comparison to yours.” He admitted as he slowly strode up to her and unclasped her necklace, putting her pendant in his pocket. He then drew a small dagger, made of black volcanic rock and pressed the flat of the blade up against her cheek, its point a centimeter from her eye. “This is an interesting knife.” He informed her. “It’s called Togatta, and any wound it inflicts will never heal.” He drew it down her face, slicing her cheek open.
She snarled wordlessly in response.
Reaching inside his dark robe the boy pulled out a small vial and unstopped it. He held it up to her chin, collecting the blood that poured down. “The blood of a Demon Lord has powerful mystical properties.” He informed her. After filling the vial he closed it and dropped it into a pocket. He then move to the fallen Ogre’s head and began slicing into its brain. “As does a psychic creature’s brain.” He commented.
Kanzen was quickly nullifying the energy of the boy's binding spell and would be free in moments. Her anticipation of cutting the sorcerer to pieces was like a physical pressure in her muscles. His agony will be delicious. She thought. She could already taste his blood on her lips and her vision was fading to red.
“You might be surprised to learn that I’m not actually attracted to you.” He revealed. “That was just a cover for the Ogre ploy. Although… It might be fun to violate you now that your all tied up.” He said snickering over his shoulder and waving his blade in a sinister manner.
“I WILL END YOU!” She shrieked, her human teeth elongating into fangs and her silver eyes turning blood red. The chains shook, she was almost free.
The boy stood, his robes covered in gore, holding a jar with bits of brain in it. “I should probably just slit your throat now, while your helpless.” He said with a mocking grin. “But I think you can be of further use to me. Seek me out in the human kingdom of Al'Lamar, should you want your revenge.” At that a pillar of darkness appeared at his feet and engulfed him, whisking him away.
An instant later Kanzen escaped her bindings. She shattered the chains, sending links flinging about that quickly vanished into thin air. She stood snarling, rage pouring through her veins like molten lava, her anger far beyond that of what a mortal could ever experience. “Boy…” She hissed. Visions of destruction dancing before her eyes. “I’m coming for your blood!”
The first thing you are aware of is a voice; rich, deep and pained. A man's voice laced through with stress and fear. It reminds you of the voice of a soldier heading off to certain death in war and urgently telling his family of the intense love he has for them, as if forgetting to speak even a single thing in his heart is a disaster, for there will never be an opportunity again.
But what is he saying? Like a man shouting a warning in a vicious thunderstorm his voice is largely drowned out, though by what, you are unsure.
A few words: "Please...not too late...survive!...the Seal...destroy ...can't die!
Like a disturbing dream the voice fades away and you are lost in a eternal moment, feeling a level of joy and comfort unfamiliar in mortal life as though you were wrapped in a wonderful blanket made from a mother's love; safe, pleasurable, timelessly immortal and above all warm, not a physical sensation as such but the warmth of being held in the arms of someone who loves you unconditionally and will do anything to protect you.
Awareness of body follows, and scent; the smell of plant life and unspoiled nature. The smell of playing in the woods when you were small, happy and exploring the world for the first time; That's it! The loamy smell of childhood adventure! That oft forgotten childhood feeling of hope and wonder, before the world had taken your innocence and gave you a taste of bitterness, when magic was real, and the endless dome of stars over your head contained a million worlds with a billion heroic stories just waiting to be discovered.
Your senses swim into awareness. You're lying in a soft, flowery meadow surrounded by an ancient forest of deciduous trees, proud old fellows with branches that reach for the sky in celebration of the glorious golden sun and its life giving rays while bound to mother earth with thick, healthy trunks, knotted and whorled in beautiful organic patterns.
As you awaken fully you realize something is different about your body, nay, your entire existence and additionally a number of other strange beings surround you, appearing to awaken as well.
Wait...what is going on here?
“Spare me!” The knight cried, sinking to his knees amidst the shredded remains of his Order, his courage shattered.
Kanzen walked slowly past the warrior, ignoring him completely. She had no use for cowards.
The boy who cut me. She thought. Cut me! She turned over his image in her mind and licked her lips as if tasting his flavor. The damage to her cheek was now just a thin red line, closed by her magic but still there, impossible to heal. It still leaked drops of blood when she was enraged, as it did now.
Kanzen was a master sorceress, and although divination was not her specialty she knew several powerful scrying spells that would reveal to her pretty much anything she wanted to know. She had tried them all though and turned up nothing about the boy.
Perhaps I underestimated his sorcerous skills. She thought. He’s blocked all my magic.
She was leaving the border of the Crater Lands, traveling into the mortal world beyond to invade the human kingdom of Al'Lamar. Kanzen had now mastered her rage almost completely, her face and body language betraying none of the wrath she held within. Her aura, however, spoke a different truth and its murderous intensity drew Demons from all over the Lands to join in the slaughter of those who stood in her way.
These Demons mostly took the form of animals, as many lesser Demons did. Swollen all out of proportion and with a hellish cast to their features they looked like beings from a child’s nightmare, which they were, after a fashion. Wasps, snakes, crows, and a mountain of other sinister animal types formed a hellish tableau that filled the air with chomping, hissing and screeching noises. They flowed around her, a tide of destruction that tore into the mortal army that had hastily formed to stop Kanzen’s advance.
She cared nothing for this Demonic trash. She didn’t need them, no mortal army, no matter how large, could stop her.
The largest of her goblin followers approached her.
“Mistress, you tear much flesh today, why you not happy?” He wore a looted helmet and carried the remains a shattered spear, which made him look even stupider than normal.
“Ak’Gak.” She called to him, holding out her talons toward him, palm down.
He nervously approached her, clearly expecting her to disembowel him. She patted his armored head instead.
“This boy is a clever one, he openly offers me another trap, knowing I will accept… Because he knows me.” She realized the truth of her words even as she spoke them.
“He know you. You not know him?” Ak’Gak asked cautiously, divining the truth of the situation with his gobliny wisdom.
“Mmm.” She replied after a moment. “He wore the flesh of a Human.” She stated, mulling over the possible origins of her underhanded nemesis.
“He possess Human?” Ak’Gak questioned, his face scrunching up as he considered the mystery.
Suddenly a figure shredded his way though the clouds of Demons surrounding Kanzen, flinging Hellspawned corpses in all directions.
“A Demon Slayer.” Kanzen commented to herself, as she gazed upon the new arrival. He carried a massive Rune Axe and wore dark ensorcelled armor, the gory remains of his many kills coating his body.
“PRINCESS KANZEN!” he roared.
“Yes?” She asked calmly, not in the least bit intimidated by this unholy vision of a frightening butcher.
“YOU KILLED MY BROTHERS!” The huge man declared, spit flying from his bearded mouth as he raised his axe in challenge.
Ak’Gak shrieked in terror and fled back to the relative safety of his goblin cohorts.
The man was even taller than Kanzen and ridiculously muscular. He had long red hair that was plaited into many braids and bright green eyes that burned with righteous fury.
“FOR JUSTICE!” He cried as he charged her. His axe, which was glowing with a wholesome white aura, flare brighter than the sun as it detected a powerful Demon in need of Exorcism. The man brought the axe down in a heavy double-handed strike.
Kanzen suddenly appeared directly in front of the charging behemoth, inside the axe’s slashing arc. She seized the haft with her left hand and halted his attack completely, bringing the Slayer’s charge up short. He recoiled as his forward momentum was abruptly arrested and thrown back.
“W-What?” The Slayer asked, startled. He threw himself at her, straining with all his might to force the axe down and cut Kanzen in half. His tree trunk thick arms shook with effort and veins pulsed in his forehead.
Kanzen stood calmly before the frothing berserker, holding his weapon at bay effortlessly. “Hmmm, perhaps you can help me with something?” She asked her would-be slayer.
“I’ve heard your Order has encyclopedic knowledge of all things demonic, perhaps you can help me discover the origins of a particular Demon I’m searching for.” She began to slowly force the axe back, the movement seeming almost gentle.
Fear entered the warrior’s eyes. Perhaps he is reconsidering his need to avenge these brothers he spoke of. Kanzen mused idly. She took her right hand and placed it on his armored shoulder, pushing him down onto his knees, while her left tore the axe from his grip and hurled it away.
“Tell me you’ll help and I’ll let you live.” She promised.
“DIE!” He roared, slamming his gauntlet into her face. There was a sharp crack as his knuckles broke under the force of his own blow. Kanzen’s face however, was unmoved and unharmed. She grabbed the offending arm and bent it back with a sharp twist, breaking the warrior’s wrist. He bellowed in pain.
“I can see you would rather die than help me.” Kanzen commented.
“Still, I have a feeling you know the answer to my inquiry. Well, there is more than one way to skin a Human.” Kanzen’s perfect human teeth began to elongate into fangs, her eyes turning crimson and her grin growing impossibly wide. She tore into the Slayer’s head with a vicious bite, shattering skull and scooping out brains. She chewed thoughtfully as she let the warrior’s corpse toppled over backwards, spraying arterial blood from the red ruin of his face.
Thoughts, images, memories, knowledge, all these were hers as she devoured the psychic essence of her victim. She knew now where she could find her answers. Though the Slayer knew nothing of the boy directly there was one being he knew who would know the truth. He lived surprisingly far away. Still, she could reach him in less than a day if she flew, but no, she wanted to take her time and count the many ways she would torture the boy when she finally caught him. He was her goal now, even the magnificent Lance could wait until she had offended his body as deeply as she felt he had offended hers.
Ak’Gak moved toward her, purposefully making a great deal of noise so that he didn’t accidentally startle her into murdering him.
“That man know you…” He whispered. “Everyone know you!” He realized. “Maybe boy know you cause you famous!”
The mortal army was making significant headway in cutting through the swarms of Demons and as Kanzen’s anger faded, a result of her discovering where her nemesis could be found, they began to break and flee, her Demonic aura no longer holding them together. The shining white armor of Crusaders and the multicolored flares of a Mage’s magic painted a heroic picture against the retreating Hellspawn, a perfect vision of Mankind’s victory over the proverbial, and literal, darkness.
“The Count lies in the opposite direction.” Kanzen said, turning and walking back the way she had come.
“Boy gonna get it now!” Ak’Gak cheered, as he felt his mistress’s aura change from rage filled to blissful anticipation.
A small smile crept across Kanzen’s face as she and her goblin horde made their way into the burning fields of the Crater Lands once more.
Well, that is something you don't see every day. Ruskarl admitted to himself as he leaned back against an old oak tree.
Well, unless your luck is as craptastic as mine. He thought, remembering his previous meeting.
Concealed under the heavy shade of the lonely forest's thick canopy of leaves and branches he stared out into the far, sunlit meadow at the strange beings appearing to awaken from a heavy slumber.
He lit a cigarette as he watched them slowly come to wakefulness.
Part of him wanted to run, for the diverse group of beings certainly seemed like they had real strength about them, even in repose. If they were hostile when awake he was in real trouble.
I'm not even bloody sure if I care. He realized, startled to learn that even his prized sense of humor and the unflappable spirit for which he was known were starting to cave into despair.
He had been through too much.
His fine clothes were ripped and stained with dried blood and sick from trying to save his friend's life, his golden embroidered vest ruined with the vital fluids of people he held dear. Even his normally perfectly styled red hair seemed limp and depressed.
Just a week prior his adventuring band had been leaving Al'Lamar atop a wagon loaded with treasure, payment from the realm's cruel prince for many 'delicate matters' handled.
Roderick, with his overly polished plate and his always ready smile, had been the first to die. Concentrating on driving the wagon and bantering with his fellows about how they would spend their new found wealth, he fell prey to the lightning fast strike that came like a diving falcon from above.
His neck severed to the spine, the blood spray coating the horses in front of him and causing them to panic and bolt at the heat and smell of the spilled vitae.
Ruskarl could still remember with perfect clarity the way Roderick's body somehow stayed upright in his seat and how his almost severed head had flipped backward on his neck as the horses ran, reminiscent of the lid of a treasure chest being flung open suddenly by a Dwarf in the throes of gold lust, too excited to check for traps.
Roderick's easy smile was still plastered on his dead face. "No treasure in here!" His glassy eyes seemed to project in Ruskarl's fearful mind. "Just bloody meat no longer of any use!"
In the sudden upset he and the sword woman nicknamed 'Bunny' were on their feet with their blades drawn, easily balancing on the violently rocking wagon and looking for the threat. Ruskarl with his short sword and Bunny with her great katana.
Emerial, their wizard, lost her balance and tumbled off the back of the speeding wagon, but before they could even think to help her Lolova, the stoic cleric of Sarenrae, in the midst of calmly and professionally weaving a divine spell of protection amidst the attack, was impaled through the back with...
Ruskarl noticed that his hand was shaking when he reached for the cigarette in his mouth and he paused his thoughts, shook his head as if to throw the traumatic memories out of his mind, and refocused on what he was doing.
My makeshift medicine has calmed Bunny but she's really not going to make it.
He blew a shaky, malformed smoke ring.
These beings, assuming they are creatures of weal, could save her perhaps.
He should have rushed over to them and shook them fully awake, begging them to help and hoping against hope that they were creatures of good heart.
Instead he stood quietly, tired and afraid. He knew Bunny would last at least till the next morning in their hiding place.
He took a long drag.
There was plenty of time to finish his cigarette before he was killed by the stirring strangers.
Maybe even enough time for another.
Bage stirs from his strange dreamlike state and slowly sits up as the renewed feelings of the past begin to settle within. He felt full of energy and wanderlust, like a little child with a new toy.
What in the world happened? Bage wonders as he realizes that he's sitting in a forest. An old forest, the kind that screamed adventure and-
Wait. What is this? What is THIS!? Bage looks down at himself, his suddenly muscular hands tracing the outline of his alien outfit. And it wasn't just his hands. His whole body was now rippling in muscles, past that of even those cheap b-rated movies. And to top it all off, his clothing was none other than saiyan armor from Dragon Ball Z. And it felt real.
Normally, Bage felt like he would have been aggravated at the sudden change, but with his renewed childlike instinct, all he could mutter was, "If this is a prank... Ah, forget it. Best. Prank. Ever!"
He felt awesome, so-
A strange sense makes him look back to see a man standing there, watching him. And he wasn't alone. Surrounding Bage, he noticed a number of other creatures starting to stir from a slumber, each giving off a strange sense. And why was half his vision- Is this a scouter? Bage questions, touching the realistic piece of equipment on his head.
"What in the world is going on here?" Bage asks, directing his inquiry toward the man watching over them.
|
Alyssa shrugs as light fills her eyes. Mhm. Not another day, please, I don't want to teach, just let it be- she bolts upright, suddenly aware.
No- no- no! What's going on? Where.... how? Thoughts swarm around her head like bloodflies, sucking on the marrow of her reality.
I'm dead. I have to be dead. I- I don't understand. What's going on?
She looks around, seeing around her a meadow, not dissimilar to something she might have seen in her hometown of New Haven, CT, yet she is instinctively aware that this is not Connecticut. She grabs at the grass beside her, giving it a firm tug.
The grass feels real. Very real. She scrambles a few paces on her knees, grabbing at a flower growing on the ground. She sniffs it. Seems real, but I don't know the flower- if only Dr. Horneater was here! She sits back up in a flash, hands over eyes, as the tears start flowing.
How is this possible? I... I can't..... She starts rocking back and forth.
This is not happening this is not happening this is not happening this is not happening.....
She hears a voice speak, it seems far away, but she does open her eyes.
"Best. Prank. Ever!" she hears.
No, no, not a prank. This is Hell. This is how it begins. Eternal damnation and all the things Mom always said- it's all true. Coming for me now. With an enthusiastic, if muscular man...
In her distraction, she's oblivious to the stranger in the woods. She does, however, notice the bodies on the ground beside her, and she begins to check them for vitals, trying her best to awaken them.
Joseph's eyes flutter for a moment, squinting as the bright light shines down on his face. Despite all his memories leading up to this moment telling him he should either be extremely nauseous or dead, he feels great. He raises his arm up to his head to feel for the gash but finds nothing.
God... How long was I out? he wonders.
As his eyes finally adjust to the light level it dawns on him... It's the sun. He's outside. Now that his senses are about him he realizes that its not even a hospital bed that he's lying on, but a bed of soft grass. He's not wearing a gown, but a set of strange, if comfortable clothes that look like something a character from a fantasy movie would wear. Siting up Joseph looks around.
Joseph manages only to see many other forms rolling in the grass two of which have risin much like him. Taking a knee he pulls himself up off the ground and makes his way towards the female figure that seems to be leaning over the others. He stretches as moves towards her only too find that he truly feels completely fine, not even any stiffness from a long time spent immobile. "Excuse me, miss, do you know whats going on??" He asks from a good ways away in a soft voice, hoping not to startle her should she be doing something important.
The stranger seems to be enjoying a long drag on his cigarette and not in any hurry, so Bage turns to the other two that are now up. Though he hasn't seen himself fully yet without a mirror, the two standing up appear to be a normal man and woman. Out of all the creatures here, the sense emanating from them was the smallest.
"Excuse me, miss, do you know what's going on?"
"Do you have no idea either?" Bage asks, trying to get a grasp of what was going on. "All I remember was that I was hit by a car, took a trip through Candyland, and woke up here."
Strange visions and memories, half-remembered, once-known, people prostrated before ancient altars, a vast corpse radiating with divine energy. Countless flashes of things long forgotten, before...light. Grass, trees, the sky, figures lurking in the distance. And so, the Vulture King awakens. A great vulture cranes his neck and stretches his wings, bedecked with strange talismans of hide and bone. He lets out a screech, mighty, and as one hears it they feel a primal pull, like the feeling one gets when they are being watched by a predatory beast. With that, he speaks, strangely, in a rumbling voice, "This...is...different. It has been, long...since I last felt earth beneath by claws. Who are you all? Worshippers? Warriors? Or perhaps strangers? And where have we wound up? This place beyond the veil of life, death, and that which lies beyond."
Okay, so...that wasn't stuffed. Well then.
"You can talk," Bage comments, stating the very obvious. If a bird larger than him was now talking to them, either this was indeed a fantasy world, or he must really be on something. "It seems we're all a bit confused here. So...what are you, exactly?"
Joseph, up to the point of the vulture he had thought to be some sort of art peace standing and speaking, had been able to rationalize nearly everything that happened. At this site he goes slackjawed and gazes at the creature before him.
Is this a dream? No, it's to clear, all the details are to pristine. Maybe... Maybe this is how it is when you die...
Joseph thinks back too his the push his friend had given him before storming out. He remembers waking up a short while later, shivering in a pool of his own hemophilic blood before fading again. It is. Unlikely that he was saved, now that he thinks about it.
After this all passes through Joseph's mind he decides that dwelling on the matter in such a way is unhealthy, facing his situation, be it a dying vision or his new reality, was the best path forward. Gathering his wits, he responds to the vulture.
"S-stranger I'd suppose. Honestly, I'm pretty sure I'm dead or dying and all this is some sort of final dream. What of you Mister vulture, Mister..." Joseph pauses for a moment when he looks at Bage, clearly unsure how to address him compared to the giant talking vulture.
"Bah-gae," Bage says clearly. "I think I may have died as well, but this is certainly not the picture I had of heaven nor hell. What may I call you?"
Falling..Falling..
The being, once known as Joe Zaidel, kicks himself awake, as if he woke from a dream of falling, but that wasn't a dream, No. He died. Didn't he? Falling out of a 10 story building often does that. He was dead. Was.
He reached for his heart to feel his heartbeat, only to find some kind of..chainmail in the way. His hand move below the light armor and was doubly surprised. 1. He had a very strong heartbeat. 2. He felt through his chest to feel hard muscle, not fat. His eyes hurt. For some reason, he remembered a movie where the hero eyes hurt.
"Why do my eyes hurt?"
"Because you've never used them before."
His vision was blurry. He slowly got to his feet. His weight shifted as he could feel something was on his back. A backpack? He took a deep breathe. It felt amazing! No hint of asthma! It was gone! He could hear others talking. Vision clearing. Looking down, he saw..
"Holy s#!t!
Somehow his mind had changed bodies. Gone was the mid 40s body of a 3rd shift auditor, replaced by the most ripped dude Joe had ever seen.
He made a muscle with his arm. It swelled 4 times it's size.
"I'm He-man! I'm f#<king He-man!!
Sure enough, Joe was now wearing some light armor under his clothes, which looked like renaissance garb. Reaching back to feel his backpack, he got poked by a golden crossbow. What the Hell?!
And he had an honest-to-God-longsword in a scabbard on his hip.
He drew it slowly out of it's scabbard. It too as golden, at least the blade was. There was some writting on the blade. At first it looked like Enocian, but then the words made sense: Defender.
The warrior lifted his blade above his head and shouted, "I..Have..THE POWER!" Nothing happened.
Looking around, he noticed he was surrounded by some strange people and..creatures apparently.
Did you say you just died too?" The warrior said in a slightly weak voice.
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"Excuse me, miss, do you know whats going on??"
She starts when a soft voice reaches out to her, though her nerves calm enough to answer- until the giant bird also begins to speak.
"H-Help me get-" she begins, then stops, shuffles around, and begins racing backwards on hands and knees, desperate to be apart.
"This is a dream, this is Hell, this is..... I, I don't know! Oh, God, I- I- I ki.... I kill.... I...."
She descends back into weeping, tears falling freely, unrestrained, down onto the ground beside her.
"Help me," she exclaims to the universe, hoping someone, anyone, will have an answer.
Bage blinks in surprise when the woman suddenly starts panicking. But if he thought about it rationally, shouldn't he be scared as well?
"Calm down," Bage calls to the retreating figure. "I don't think anyone's going to hurt anyone here. Well, at least I don't plan to." Bage starts to move toward her as reassurance, then stops as he remembers that he is no longer the wimpy man he once was. Even I would be afraid of me if I saw someone like this before now.
Without thinking, Zaidel runs over to knees down next to the panicked woman and tries to calm her down.
"It's okay. It's okay", the big warrior spoke in a softer tone.
"Let me see if I got anything in my backpack that will help." Zaidel then began to rummage through his backpack, only to find a very light silvery shield on the front strapped to it. "Huh. A nice shield. Feels super light, though".
Getting sidetracked, Zaidel continues his search for something to help the young lady.
The young Asian man began to stir as Alyssa began shouting. Looking around, he doesn't seem to react to finding himself in a forest. Instead, he springs up and then moves next to Alyssa and pats her on the head, saying "It'll be okay miss. Everything will be fine."
The young man, who was arguably one of the cutest males that had ever set foot on the face of any planet, smiled gently at Alyssa as he talked.
"Besides" he said without turning his head, "I'm sure he is waiting to explain what is going on, aren't you?"
Zaidel digs through his backpack..which is actually a cloth bag. As he looks in, he finds it's unbelievably larger on the inside.
"Oh my God! This is a bag of holding! And actually bag of holding!"
Remembering the girl, Zaidel gets back to the task at hand. After digging through a small garage amount of stuff, the big warrior finds a canteen.
Zaidel offers it to the panicked woman. "Here. Drink this."
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Joseph looks at the five others presently surrounding him and begins too feel a sense of being out of his league. The muscles, the talons, the opposit sex. It all works together in quick succession to force the man too take a step or two away from it all and simply sit in the grass.
Deep breaths... He thinks to himself, slowly and consciously drawing air in only to exhale it after a few moments. The action occupys his mind and allow's him too begin processing all that's happening.
Everything's so crazy all of a sudden. Woke up in the middle of a forest after DEFINITLY bleeding too death surrounded by muscle men, talking animals and a woman that seems to be taking this way harder than I am... He looks around at the remaining forms. More to come too it seems.
The bird seems strange and dangerous, I'll keep my distance.
Joseph scoots a few feet away from the Vulture king.
The Bage guy seems fine, normal enough. A bit intimidating if nothing else.
Hercules seems to know a lot, it scares me. Might be worth getting in good with though.
The girl seems in the same boat as me. If we're all in the same boat then us two seem to have gotten the short end of the stick.
Most recent arrival seems suspicious, cute, but he seems way too quick to get used to this.
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Alyssa attempts to calm down as several of the dead people reach out to assure her.
"Thanks, I'm fine," she says as they gather around. She's not at all fine, but just trying to move past her outburst. She takes a quick drink of the canteen offered to her.
"Thanks," she says to the man, handing him back his drink.
"Does anyone know where we are? How we got here? There's got to be some explanation for this." She looks around expectantly at the various people and creatures arranged before her.
"I'm guessing that we're not in Shinjuku, although this could be some elaborate cosplay spectacle that I've never heard of before. How long have you all studied Japanese? Your accent is impeccable."
The young Japanese teenager is wearing the same clothes he was apparently wearing before hand, as he has not reacted to his wardrobe changes at all. His outfit consists of cargo shorts, Converse All-Stars, and a thin zip-up hoodie over what appears to be a t-shirt.
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Oh my God, this kid thinks we're speaking Japanese! In Tokyo! I'm not speaking Japanese..... I've never studied Japanese. I don't think. This is too weird.
She looks back at the kid. He's just a kid; I don't want to scare him. But, he's bound to find out anyways. He's already seen me freak out. Best just to level with him, and hope he's ok. If any of us are ok.
She shrugs off her indecisions, and says hesitantly. "I don't think we're speaking Japanese, young one. I don't know how, or why, but we understand each other, and that's what matters. We're going to be ok. We're going to figure this out.
My name is Alyssa. What's yours?" She reaches out to embrace him, if so needed.
I hope I did the right thing, here. Now, to whom was I saying that to- him, or me?
The Vulture King chuckles, an odd sound coming from a giant bird, "What am I? In truth, it is something I have never truly known. I, at least I believe, am a god, though not one as mighty as some. My worship began on Earth, during a time when the world was cold and humanity was sparse. I remember my first shaman, a man named Tulstei. A good man, wished the best for his people. I, as a result, suppose I do as well. I believe that ancient time has passed though. My altars shattered, my priests long dead." He looks up at the sky, studying the sun and clouds before saying, "This place, it is not Earth. The air is...different. Nature does not...vibrate as I once felt it on Earth."
"Well, I have a theory", the big warrior chimes in, still digging through his bag of holding, Ooo! A tent! Oh, sorry."
Looking up, seeing expectant faces, he continues.
"We all more of less died right? I think you guys are in my Heaven. Hear me out! I've been playing Dungeon and Dragons and Pathfinder for decades now. This all looks like something I'd enjoy: getting to play a hero in a new body, saving the day, forever."
The warrior pulls out a small mirror from the bag. "Yes! Now we can see what we look like!"
Zaidel holds the mirror up to his face.
"Amazing. I look like..how I looked in my 20s! I guess that's why my voice sounds the same. But in the best shape I've never been. Wow!"
The big warrior then begins to pass the mirror around.
"Your theory may have some credence, although this Heaven you speak of, well let us say my followers never believed in such. It is quite auspicious, being reborn in our ideal forms. Let me try something." The Vulture King closes his eyes and begins to change into a different form. Feathers retract into his skin and claws shrink into feet. The hide tokens shift their form becoming simple animal pelt clothes. After a few seconds, his form is revealed, a tall man, with a wide, strong nose and skin tanned from a life outdoors. He says in a voice that sounds far more human, tinged with an accent unlike any you have heard before, "Well, I never would have thought that what I once considered heresy would come to be useful. A rogue sect of mine thought I may have been human, which I was greatly offended by. But now, I can change my form to reflect that. This new world, it does not cease to amaze me. Perhaps you are right...He-Man? A strange name, but if you introduce yourself perhaps I should as well. I have been known by many names, Urubutstin, Nasr, the Torturer of Prometheus. I prefer though, to use the name Tulstei gave me eons ago at ancient Portasar, the Vulture King. And who, may I ask, are all of you?"
Bage accepts the mirror from He-Man and looks at his face. Completely different. It was like he was looking at the face of a complete stranger. And his hair was now a dark blue and flowed down his back in a spiky, saiyan style.
Passing the mirror on, Bage replies, "I'm Bage, a human. Or was, at least. I'm not sure about this D&D theory, though. Sounds more like a bad self-insert to me. We do seem to be in a fantasy world of some kind, though. I would say we were summoned, but that would leave only one to do the summoning." Bage points out the smoker who still hasn't spoken. "He's just been standing there since I awoke, so he very well be the person to have brought us here."
Ruskarl dropped his cigarette and stepped on it.
A weird bunch but maybe innocuous. He thought, leaving his tree behind and approaching them, preparing to answer the one whom had called out to him.
They may be Bunny's last chance.
Suddenly something struck him in the back of the head, and his vision exploded into light. He stumbled forward a few steps and half drew his short sword before a well of blackness rushed up to meet him and he lost consciousness.
As the redheaded man fell he revealed a slightly built figure behind him, appearing as if from nowhere.
He appeared to be a boy in his late teens, with handsome if slightly feminine features and long black curly locks that fell all the way to his waist. His big eyes, though heavily lidded as if half asleep, where accentuated with purple eye shadow and his cheeks had a hint of blush. His form was wrapped with voluminous, shapeless black robes and he carried a sap in one hand, the device he had just used to strike the cigarette smoking man.
"Sorry red, I have business with these people and I'm not a fan of witnesses, but aside for the headache you should wake up fine."
"Now." He said, turning to the group. "I'm not sure who you people are but you have something of mine, what say we sit down and have a conversation, yes?"
'Witenesses', eh? Flowing black robes and tasteless eye paint. Don't trust him one bit, especially not after he so quickly knocked that man out. So danger finds us rather quickly.
While they outnumbered the man, Bage was unsure of his own strength, let alone all the others. "Rather impolite to knock our host. What could we possibly have of yours?" Bage asks roughly.
The Asian man bows when asked his name and says "My name is Matsuhiko Kei, but you can call me Kei."
When the man is sapped and the younger man appears and makes his statement, Kei will listen intently then say "But aren't you the bad guy?"'
While they outnumbered the man, Bage was unsure of his own strength, let alone all the others. "Rather impolite to knock our host. What could we possibly have of yours?" Bage asks roughly.
The boy approached until he stood at the edge of the meadow, tossing aside the sap to show that he meant no harm.
"Host? He replied, glancing at the fallen redhead.
"A stray more likely."
He sat on a fallen log, making himself comfortable.
"Not sure what happened exactly, but my extensive, and expensive, ritual to break barriers and wards and retrieve an artifact seems to have been caught up in some kind of sorcerous cluster f!&$."
He let out a long, exasperated breath.
"Somehow the artifact got bound to you lot, and I want what I worked for."
The Asian man bows when asked his name and says "My name is Matsuhiko Kei, but you can call me Kei."
When the man is sapped and the younger man appears and makes his statement, Kei will listen intently then say "But aren't you the bad guy?"'
"Definitely." The Boy replied with a smile. "But how much of a villain I am to you lot depends on how much trouble you're going to give me. If you cooperate, not only could this be painless but it could be for both our benefits, I'm willing to compensate you for your troubles."
Joseph looks at the dark haired boy in confusion and fear, this had become far too serious far too quickly for his taste. "I-I don't get any of this, but if we just give it too you will you leave us alone?" Joseph says as he puts his hands into the air.
Joseph looks at the dark haired boy in confusion and fear, this had become far too serious far too quickly for his taste. "I-I don't get any of this, but if we just give it too you will you leave us alone?" Joseph says as he puts his hands into the air.
"Absolutely, give it to me and you will never see me again." The boy replies with a nod.
"And then you can get back to..." He looks speculatively at the group, standing or lying about the meadow. "Whatever it is you are doing, in peace."
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Alyssa accepts the mirror from Bage, looking herself over.
I'm beautiful," she observes. [i]My hair, my skin- flawless. Eyelashes, lips, this- this is a dream.
Alyssa's momentary examination stops at the sudden appearance of the stranger, suddenly alert.
I don't know what's going on, but no one's going to hurt a kid. The muscular men seem friendly enough, and the bird who claims to be a God. None of this is real. I survived, somehow, and woke up with a bunch of crazy people. Shared hallucinations and the like. Still, my hallucinations will threaten no one.
She steps in front of the boy, interposing herself between the stranger and the kid. "First, you tell us what's going on. Where are we? How did we get here? Then we will talk about what we can do for you." She pauses, hoping the fear in her in her mind isn't coming through in her voice.
She takes a deep breath. "We promise we will be no trouble," she concedes.
She steps in front of the boy, interposing herself between the stranger and the kid. "First, you tell us what's going on. Where are we? How did we get here? Then we will talk about what we can do for you." She pauses, hoping the fear in her in her mind isn't coming through in her voice.
She takes a deep breath. "We promise we will be no trouble," she concedes.
It's the boy's turn to look genuinely confused.
"You don't know where you are?" He inquires.
"No, I do not. And, as an American citizen, I have the right to- to know where I am," she trembles at the last.
Still looking confused the boy replies. "You are about fifty miles southwest of the border of the Kingdom of Al'Lamar, in the outskirts of Everlast, the forest we are standing in."
"I am not familiar with the Kingdom of American, where is that?" He continues.
Joseph, listening to the conversation between Alyssa and the man continuasly gets more and more confused. "Ooo-oh-oh... This just gets worse and worse. Joseph stands and marches forward beside Alyssa in front of the young man.""Look, as far as I can tell, I died. Bleed out on the floor after hitting my head, then I woke up here. WHAT HAPPENED!" Joseph clasps his hands in a pleading motion at the final part.
Joseph, listening to the conversation between Alyssa and the man continuasly gets more and more confused. "Ooo-oh-oh... This just gets worse and worse. Joseph stands and marches forward beside Alyssa in front of the young man. "Look, as far as I can tell, I died. Bleed out on the floor after hitting my head, then I woke up here. WHAT HAPPENED!" Joseph clasps his hands in a pleading motion at the final part.
The boy actually looks sincerely concerned for Joseph's well being.
"Well, I'm not sure, tell me more and maybe I can figure it out." He says.
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Alyssa nods appreciatively as the man comes to stand beside her.
It's good to know I'm not alone in this, hallucination or not. If only I'd known someone in real life like that.
"Please, just tell us how we arrived here, and what we need to do to get home. We don't mean any trouble. We're lost and confused, but if you can get us home, or at least in the right direction, we'll do our best to cooperate."
She pauses as the boy shows genuine concern over her companion's plight.
And my plight,she thinks silently to herself.
"So where not in Heaven?" The big warrior questioned.
"Please, just tell us how we arrived here, and what we need to do to get home. We don't mean any trouble. We're lost and confused, but if you can get us home, or at least in the right direction, we'll do our best to cooperate."
She pauses as the boy shows genuine concern over her companion's plight.
"Honestly I don't know." The boy replies.
"But I'll tell you what, give me my artifact and I'll do my best to find out."
"Well..what is this artifact?"
"So we're not in Heaven?" The big warrior questioned.
The boy looks over to him. "No, this is the Material Plane, though with the right spell you can go to Heaven if you'd like."
"Well..what is this artifact?"
"Nothing terribly special, just a key that can open any door." The boy informed him, shrugging.
"Alright then! Who has it?" Joseph turns on his heels looking at the others as he pulls out the pockets he can find on his outfit.
"Alright then! Who has it?" Joseph turns on his heels looking at the others as he pulls out the pockets he can find on his outfit.
"There is a planar tether connected to each of you that leads to the artifact. All I need is for one of you to sit quietly while I enact a ritual that will take eight hours and will retrieve the artifact, it's harmless and painless and then I will be in your debt." The boy informs Joseph, looking quite pleased that his recovery of the artifact is turning out to be so painless.
Joseph immediatly takes a seat, clearly displeased at how long it will take. "On with it then! Oh, but someone should take care of the poor guy that you clubbed... Why'd you do that again?" Joseph turns and gives the man a suspicious glance.