BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZ-CRACK!
Letting out a small groan, Sam rolled out of the bed, landing onto the floor with a heavy thud. Fluttering his eyes open, he saw the ceiling of his bedroom turn and twist, like that of a kaleidoscope.
"Gods, my head hurts," he groaned,rubbing his forehead. Note to self; don’t drink three bottles of RoseWine. As the throbbing in his head started to subside, he got up to his feet before stumbling out of his room. Making his way into the bathroom, he turned his gaze towards the mirror. Molten gold eyes looked back at him, peeking behind strands of gleaming silver. Pushing his hair out of his face, he saw glowing veins line his body, like channels marked by molten rock.
'Just what I needed to see,' he thought, a scowl growing on his face. Closing his eyes, he quickly brought a familiar image up to mind. A more normal image. One much more…human.
Opening his eyes, he turned his gaze back towards the mirror. Eyes of dulled yellow looked back at him, accompanied by hair the color of rusted steel. Gone were the veins of glowing amber, instead replaced by a tattoo of an ivory serpent wrapping his body. Light scars and markings littered his body, roughening out skin that was once like polished metal.
‘Better,’ he thought, a small smile on his face before he went about his routine, shedding his clothing. As he went through the same old movements, he felt a small song come to mind. It was a common tune at the pubs, one known by most people. However, something about it just felt…nice. Nice to the ears, nice on the mind, nice to the soul.
Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walked out of the bathroom, his footsteps serving as the drumbeat and his voice, the acoustics. Making his way into his bedroom, his song was suddenly cut short as a familiar sound echoed through.
Odd, not many call him. Must be work related.
"Hey, David, what's up?" Sam asked, curiosity in his voice. Not every day he'd get an early call into work.
"Something happened last night," David answered, his voice seemingly shaking. What it was, it must've been serious.
“Are any Seekers at the scene?” Sam questioned, his brow furrowing. They would know how to deal with things, being the investigators.
“Yeah, but nothing they could find. Seems like serious occult work,” David stated.
Letting out a small breath, Sam ran what David said through his mind. An occult incident in general is rare. Occult incidents that Seekers can't deal with?
Whole new beast.
"I'll be there in a bit," Sam said, his voice sharp before ending the call. Tossing his PDA onto his bed, he quickly started to get himself ready. Changing into his field outfit, he put together his armor over his clothing, hardened leather over softened cloth. Walking over to his desk, he opened one of the drawers to two familiar items. One was a black face mask, made of cured leather and hardened hide. The other item, a gauntlet made of both furs and metals.
Grabbing the mask first, he gingerly slid it over his mouth, making sure it fit snugly as before. Once it did, he then grabbed the gauntlet and slid it on, his forearm getting wrapped in a familiar heat.
Bringing his armored palm in front of him, he closed his eyes, remembering the words hammered into him.
Split the trees, the tides, the world.
Show the path lit by colorless flame.
Bring me to the Mark I seek.
Opening his eyes, he was met with what seemed like a rip in reality. As tall and wide as he was, the air around seemingly rippled and shifted, as if trying to avoid it like the plague.
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Stepping into the rift, he was met with a familiar sight. Walls of gleaming metals, as if littered with stars. A floor of clear ice, showing complete blackness underneath his boots.
Slowly stepping forward, he saw a bulb above him start to flicker. Another step, and it came to life.
As he continued walking forward, he silently counted the lights before stopping. Turning towards one of the walls, he then stepped forward, causing it to crack. Putting his hand on the cracked wall, it quickly gave way, crumbling like sand. Stepping forward, he found himself in an alleyway, a heavy chill hanging in the air.
He’s close.
Walking out of the alley, he made his way down the streets, following the nipping cold. Slowly, the chill started to bite into his body. Turning the corner, he found the source of the chill. A building surrounded by teams of Seekers, Wardens, and Gravemakers.
‘And to think that they need my help,’ he thought, a small frown on his face.
Walking over to the scene, he watched as the Wardens stepped aside, clearly told that he’d be around. As he made his way around the scene, his eyes landed on a familiar bed of auburn hair.
Gotcha.
“Yo, David! I’m here!” Sam suddenly exclaimed, causing the people around him to jump. The auburn haired man flinched before turning towards him, copper eyes meeting dulled gold.
"How did you get here so fast?" David asked, surprise in his voice as he walked over to him.
"Just a trick I know. Anyways, you mind giving the rundown?" Sam asked, glancing around. He counted at least half a dozen Seeker squadrons nearby.
Letting out a small sigh, David then started to explain the situation to him. As he listened to what was being told, he found a few things…odd:
1. There was no security footage of anyone being killed. Every camera was either met with static or was simply looking away.
2. The bodies had various types of wounds. Chunks of flesh ripped off by shotgun blasts and heads caved in by what seemed like hammers. However, nothing even resembling the residue of those weapons. No craters of warhammer strikes, no traces of gunpowder. Nothing.
‘Well, this’ll be interesting,’ Sam thought, furrowing his brow.
And to think he was gonna go hunting.
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As Jake stepped off of the train, he made his way over to the portals, weaving through the people around him. As he got closer to the hub, he felt everything change. A slightly more intense glow of the lights, the faint scent of blood and snow, the air becoming like glass. Turning his gaze towards each rift, his eyes paused on one in particular. A colorless light seemed to bleed from it, one that felt…oddly familiar. Stepping towards that light, he suddenly found himself somewhere else.
'Odd,' Jake thought as he looked around. Gone were the cement floors and walls, replaced with rustic brick and cobblestone. It was like he was inside some kind of keep. As he started to walk around, he was met with various pieces of art, from paintings to small statues.
‘Strange,’ he thought before shrugging. Eh, it’s not like it concerns him.
Finding himself in front of a wooden door, he pushed against it, the wood creaking against him. As the door swung open, he was met with a massive view. Fields of verdant green stood in front of him, going as far as he could see. Littered with stones and trees, it was as if he was standing in front of a painting.
Time to get to work.
As he started to explore the area around the keep, he had to admit that something about it felt…scenic. From the tall grass to the clear sky, it was as if he was inside of a trailer. As he was watching the flowing of the trees, something suddenly caught his attention. A rustling in the leaves, a flash of differing shades.
Suddenly, he felt the world slow to a crawl. The world seemed to turn a shade of gray as the leaves seemed to pause in the middle of the air. Pulling out his pistol, he pointed it towards the area he saw before pulling the trigger. As the world regained color, he saw a corpse fall out of the tree canopy, hitting the ground with a light thud. Walking over to the dead creature, he was able to get a closer look at it. A creature resembling a beetle, it was the size of a house cat, with both chitin plates interwoven like scales.
‘An Oak Beetle, huh,’ he thought, tilting his head. He has heard of them, but mainly just in the occasional scrap of lore. There weren’t even any pieces of concept art, only a name.
Putting his hand on the fresh corpse, he closed his eyes as a warmth started to wrap his arm. Suddenly, he felt a word come to his mind, one of the smiths and craftsmen.
Reforge.
Suddenly, he felt the image of the corpse of the oak beetle come to his mind, consumed by flame. Silently separating pieces of the flame apart, he was met with two colorless lights, like that of twin sun.
Opening his eyes, he found the carcass gone, with two things in its space. One was like a gem, reflecting against the sunlight like glass. The other, meanwhile, was a brown cylinder, looking like that of a stick. Pocketing both of the items, he got up from his spot before continuing on his trek.
He had all day, after all.