2118, August the 16th
Death, Everyone fears that which has no defined form and death is the ultimate example of this. Death comes in a countless variety of ways be it through battle, illness, suicide, sacrifice, But as it has inflicted terror in some, it has inspired fascination in others. The end to everything, And yet at the same time, The beginning.
As he knelt upon the mountain of corpses, Wilhelm panted raggedly, wheezing as blood dripped down from his eyes, lips, even his ears. Blood poured out of the numerous wounds across his body, The Hail Mary of the allied armies was an attack with Ancient Silver weapons. Looking up weakly as the forces of Odin returned to Valhalla until only one Valkyrie remained, One in the form of a small girl with pale white skin and dazzlingly blonde hair like that of pure gold. Bright eyes that seemed to hold a galaxy in each of them.
As she began walking towards Wil, the three albino crows returned, gliding down from the heavens until they perched on both of his shoulders and one on his lap. The three pressed against his body in a nurturing way. As the young Valkyrie stood before the man, she smiled as she reached out and caressed his cheek tenderly.
At the same time from the base of the mountain a pale blue fire erupted and from the inferno crawled out a massive triple-headed dog, Cerberus, The gatekeeper to the Underworld in Greek mythology, It resembled a huge Doberman pincher with three heads and a long tail that was a black serpent. The beast had its tail and heads low as it climbed the mountain and lay down behind Wilhelm, and wrapping around his body, letting the tired warrior rest back against the warm body.
And as the sun rose its color turned as red as blood, its light spilling over the treeline and into the man's eyes just before a vast dark oak tree sprouted from the blood-soaked ground. It's leaves as red as the blood that fed it, Casting its shadow over Wilhelm to keep him out of the harsh light. It was a darkly beautiful scene as these omens of death all gathered around this one man, The man who had lived four lives in such a short amount of time,
A man who had earned the respect of not one, but three pantheons of gods, and the respect of Nature itself. While most would be forced to accept their death with a little time to come to terms, The harbingers waited for the warrior to draw his final breath, staying with him silently and putting aside the hatred for one another rather than bickering over who would get custody over his soul this time. The three messengers of death stayed close to the warrior as his body grew colder, his eyes growing dull as he let out one ragged breath before everything went dark.
When he next opened his eyes, he was greeted with the now familiar expanse of space overlooking the earth. He welcomed the sight of a beautiful goddess whose face was twisted with tears as the life of one of the humans she had grown to care so much for hung in the balance.
His body reverting to its true form, That of a young man standing at six foot eight inches, his dark brown hair combed back with a long braid coming down from the left temple. His jaw covered with a bushy beard that was finely combed with three small silver beads woven into them, The Nordic rune of fire, A Celtic Triskele, And a wolves skull. His left ear pierced with a golden ring that held a small dangling black spinel cut in the shape of a feather.
His dark brown eye was tired, filled with a deep sadness and yet a growing fire, the right covered with a black leather eyepatch. He was quite fit and had a fighter's physique; His right arm was a prosthetic made of carbon fiber while the left was covered in numerous tattoos of Nordic design, He was currently wearing nothing but a pair of black silk boxers which exposed a body covered in scars and a growing collection of tattoos. If someone were to see him at the beach they would not think of him as a calm and collected person but a violent biker who would sooner throw a punch than help rescue a kitten from a tree.
With a deep, ragged breath the man collected himself and gave a broad smile, showing a full set of perfect white teeth as a small amount of blood began dripping from his nose." Well then my dear goddess, What is in store for me now?"
2117, August the 16th
Wils right eye opened slowly to be met with the sight of a rocky ceiling, As he tried to sit up he howled in pain as the wounds he had received were now sealed up and scabbed over for the most part. But before he could move too much something bright white filled the vision of his right eye, Right before a stinging pain drew a yelp from him. He had just been slapped back down to the bed!
Growling lightly he turned his head only to be slapped again though now he was met with a weight on both of his arms and his chest, and as his eye focused again, he was met with the sight of a young woman with blood red eyes, pitch black hair, and snow white skin. She was clearly furious with him, but her beauty had him speechless as he took in everything he could about her, from the feeling of her soft skin on his own to the intricate top and kilt made of ravens feathers and leather.
While he didn't quite understand what she was saying he caught a few select words that let him know that this young woman was speaking Scottish Gaelic, Something he could hear his grandfather Atticus using when they would go visit him during the summers of his youth. Regretting not taking the classes offered to him he decided to lay back and wait, stopping his resistance as he looked up into the girl's eyes. Trying to speak only to let out a guttural growling sound. His frustration was evident to her.
After he went still the girl nodded lightly, but she stayed on top of him as she grabbed a small wooden bowl and pressed it to his lips to make him drink it, The smell made him flinch which resulted in her grabbing a thick handful of his hair to hold him still. He despised the smell but he knew what this was an herbal tonic much like his mother and Lily would make. A combination of herbs to help reduce pain and infection. It didn't mean he had to like it, however.
Forcing himself to drink it all Wil panted breathlessly once the bowl was removed from his lips, the mixture of herbs and berries were boiled into a tea and were known to have potent antibacterial and antiviral properties and though he could not identify every herb he had been given. He was left with the aftertaste of sage and blackberries, A taste that reminded him of his childhood from when his grandmother would make cough syrup.
As his breathing returned to normal Wil looked up to the young woman who was still straddling his chest, grunting with obvious annoyance as he shifted a bit in an attempt to make her move only served to make her dig her knees into his palms, he could see that she was just as annoyed as himself. Though exactly why he could not tell, Despite this he kept struggling against her, only wanting the weight off of his body.
Soon he growled and kicked up with his legs, causing the wound on his side to rip open somewhat his legs soon wrapped around her upper body, Pulling back down with his legs he slammed the girl down onto the bed. Managing to reverse their positions he now sat over her as she was now pinned below him on her back with her legs pressed up towards her shoulders. Panting lightly his head spun from the sudden movement and the pain of his wounds beginning to open again. But the girl merely looked surprised that he had managed this much, reaching up she carefully wiped away some blood that had started to drip from the ragged scar covering his left eye.
However, at the same time, there was a soft red glow in the palm of her hand right before a sharp pain shot through his head, and he blacked out once again. He entered a dream, a memory in truth, One of his first days in high school. The same day he met Rubie and Perry, The twin children of the leader of their cities largest motorcycle club. They were beautiful people, nearly the ideal for what boys and girls their age lusted after.
Rubie had naturally full lips that would draw one's eyes in before she ever spoke, Her voice was a thing of beauty, like something one would expect a siren to have, soft and low as though her every word could barely contain a moan. Her figure was a flawless hourglass with firm DD breasts, a narrow waist, and a perfect set of wide child bearing hips. Her butt was plump and firm that jiggled just slightly with every step. She was well toned all over, showing love for fitness, her skin like honey, well tanned from plenty of time outside in the sunlight, Her hair reached down to her lower back was as black as the night sky while her eyes were a vibrant green. She stood at an astonishing 5'11 despite only being fifteen years old.
Perry, on the other hand, stood at 6'2 and two hundred and thirty pounds, and like his sister he was well toned, His body was the ideal for the football team, thickly muscled calves and thighs, a barrel-like a chest and broad shoulders. His hair was cut in a short undercut; the sides shaved clean with the top staying at three inches, He kept his face clean-shaven which showed a strong jawline. Like his sister his eyes and hair were just the same regarding color, His voice was as smooth as silk, a fact he would be exploiting.
When he first saw the two Rubie was wearing a pair of tight fitting low cut jeans, black leather boots with heels, a tight black crop top, and a red and black striped hoodie that was left unzipped. A pair of golden earrings in both ears one over the other, and a black leather choker with a Ruby pendant around her neck. Perry was wearing a pair of skate shoes, well-worn jeans, and a sleeveless shirt to show off his arms. They were with a small group of friends who were dressed very similar to themselves.
When he was younger, Adam did all he could to avoid their type, the popular children who stood out no matter where they went. Something he would have stuck to until the group surrounded Alice and Lily afterschool. He would later find out that Perry had taken a liking to the girls as even back then they had a very athletic build with flawlessly smooth skin that was as white as snow. It was a scene that he knew too well, after all, every new year the two were swarmed by guys who wanted to try and date them, though they would swiftly brush them off and go on about their day.
This time, however, the guys were not taking No for an answer, As he had none of the same classes as the girls did in the afternoon, he had been waiting for them in the parking lot as they had discussed. But when they didn't show up he went looking for them only to find them out behind the gym where they boys of the group had crowded them up to the wall, and wouldn't let them leave, Rubie and her friend were sitting nearby laughing about it all the while.
When he first entered high-school Adam was a behemoth of a child, standing at six foot six inches and weighing three hundred pounds. He had a mop of thick dark brown hair that reached down to his chin, and a short beard that was only patchy near the tops of his cheeks, having been told by his father and both grandfathers to let it grow out in line with their traditions. His voice was a deep, gravelly baritone like something you would expect to hear from a soldier used to shouting over the battle. On this day he wore a pair of black combat boots as it was the only thing they could find to fit his size fifteen feet. A pair of black slacks. And a brown hoodie that was loose on him. He had a single golden ring in his left ear and a copper bangle on his left wrist, and a leather cuff on his right that was embossed with a Triskele in the form of three interconnected crows.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
He could vividly remember this as the first time he had ever been in a real fight, the first time he had drawn blood, And the first time anyone had ever seen his fury and how deep it ran. What was said was a blur, but the events still came to mind. He had tried to ask politely for them to leave his friends alone, the two crying as they saw him, knowing he was not violent by nature. Always having been a timid boy, a Gentle Giant if you would. But when he asked them to stop all that happened was laughing as one of the boys punched Adam in the nose, dropping him in shock. His forelocks and beard were instantly matted as the blood poured out. He could remember the sight of his thick blood covering his hand as he pulled it away, the taste of iron in his mouth and the smell of it.
When he stood up again, the boy punched him again, this time in the right cheek. Though it was like hitting a stone wall, the blood made his hair stick to his cheeks and showed his dark brown eyes, as sharp like a hawk and the hate was evident in them. Grabbing the boys collar Adam pulled him close and slammed his forehead into the kid's nose before shoving him aside, A deep growl slipping from is throat as he seemed to get larger. Now standing up straight for the first time before he swung his large fist and punched the next boy to step forward, hitting him square in the mouth with a sickening crunch as he broke out the boys two front teeth, the jagged stumps cutting through the boy's lips and into Adams' knuckles.
As their friend began to vomit from the pain the remaining two both attacked him at once, Perry and the boy whose face continued to be a blur worked together; the kid grabbed Adam from behind while Perry went to punch Adam. As he was grabbed from behind Adam turned and slammed himself as hard as possible against the building, a sickening crack sounded as the kids head slammed back against the building resulting in a fracture. This left just Adam and Perry and would be the start of a rivalry between the two.
Perry pulled a knife from his pocket and lunged at Adam, catching him in the shoulder which resulted in a howl of pain. But with the adrenaline running through him Adam didn't stop, He kicked out and caught Perry's right knee, shattering it and making him drop to the ground while leaving the knife in Adam. Without hesitation Adam fell upon the boy, pinning Perry's arms down as he pummeled him, Adam would likely not have stopped if it weren't for Rubie who tackled him, stunning both him and the other three girls as she pinned his arms above his head and kissed him. The taste of blood being forgotten as the taste lavender and rose along with her tongue slipped past his teeth and twisted with his own. She held the kiss until he was left breathless, at the same time he came crashing down from his rage.
All of the pain hitting him at once left him unable to move as Rubie got off of him with a smirk, She apologized to Alice and Lily before her, and her friend left the group before the EMTs and police could arrive. Adam was left wondering why this memory was returning to him when the scene suddenly shifted. Gone was the world he knew and instead he found himself in the idyllic hills of Scottland, like those seen on postcards. There was a small village on one of the knolls, and in the center, a pole was erected, Lashed to the pole was a young girl who could be no more than five years old. She had been stripped naked and covered with many lashes from a whip, Her black hair matted with blood from the beatings she had received.
Tears streamed from her brilliant red eyes as she struggled still against the bindings that held her in place, All the while men and women, boy and girl alike took turns adding an armful of sticks and twigs, or even logs to the pile at her feet, each spitting on her in turn. As he watched the scene, Adam could make out a large seemingly new building made of stone behind them all, And at the top sat the most hated religious icon in history, The Christian cross. Everything began falling into place for him now.
While the timeline was completely different than his worlds, in this world the Christians had already started wiping all other religions from the earth, converting those who did not want to die while absorbing their religions into their own. It was a fact that the Christians had killed more than any other religion through not only the crusades on Jerusalem, the conversion and absorption of other faiths, the complete genocide of some cultures. But also through the total halt to scientific advancements that could have saved millions during the dark ages when the plague came.
And of course, he now was forced to watch one of the most famous things the supposed "Good" Christians did, Burning a perceived witch at stake. The little girl had likely been persecuted for something such as following the old ways, having an odd feature, or simply someone didn't like her and started rumors. The poor girl screeched in pain as hot pitch was tossed over herself and the wooden pile that now reached her knees. All the while a brown-robed monk began preaching before throwing the torch in his hand onto the mound of wood and igniting the blaze and the girl.
But rather than burning as the monk had expected the weather of the bright sunny day rapidly changed, the skies darkened as black storm clouds formed and a heavy rain began to fall, dousing the flames before any more damage could be done to the girl. At the same time the clouds parted as three albino crows flew down from the heavens, but before they could land the crows turned into women, A beautiful young lady just entering adulthood, A woman in her prime, and a graceful crone nearing her end. It was The Morrigan, The Celtics goddess of among other things, Fertility, War, And Death
the three made their way to the girl and cut her bonds, the mother taking her into her arms and holding her caringly as the crone raised her staff and pointed it out and waved it at the crowd. "Ye all have forgotten who you are it seems, Forgotten your spines and your ways. For this, I curse all of you from this day forth that not another child will be born to your bloodlines, Any man who tries to lay with one of these women here shall be unable to raise his sword, while any male here will simply be unable to raise his sword. Even if you seek outside of this village, this curse will hold..." With a sudden flash, the wounds of the young girl vanished, her frail body shrinking and turning into a small crow before the four disappeared.
It was at this time that his eye flew open and a deep gasp tore from his lungs. His body was stiff, and he could not move, his mouth was dry as though he had dust in his mouth, His eye found the young woman who had been taking care of him laying on top of him, staring down into his eyes with confusion and wonder. As he looked into her dark blood red eyes, he realized that she was the girl from the scene he had seen. Her voice was wispy and soft as she placed her arms on either side of his head and carefully pushed herself up."Just what are you...."
The surprise was evident on Wilhelms' face as he could understand her, At the same time when she pushed off of his chest he could see his wounds were now healed, his flesh no longer scabbed over but thoroughly scarred. He had been forced to dream for an untold amount of time while his body recovered. Confused he tried to speak only for a guttural growl to come out, Frustrated he closed his eye to allow him to make out the faint timer dictating his rescue, Still another month to go. He opened his eye once more and tried speaking again only for the girl to push a finger to his lips before she took a small wooden bowl and poured a liquid into his mouth, cringing instantly until her found that it was fresh spring water and he began to swallow every drop he could.
Once the bowl was empty, Wil gasped once more for breath, licking his slightly cracked lips before he tried again."Th...anks..." It was faint and sounded like gravel, but it was indeed his voice. This made him grin faintly as he could at least speak a little bit now. And as the water spread throughout his body he could feel his arms and legs beginning to respond to him once again. As a result, he sat up which made the young girl drop into his lap with a solid thud, at the same time her hands rested on his shoulders, grabbing them softly. "Always in a hurry aren't you?"
Wil tilted his head slightly in confusion but shook his head." N..not.. hur..ry." Still agitated by how everything he wanted to say was twisted to be simple and broken." Con...fused...you.to...comfort....able." Though she clearly understood his complaint she purposefully wiggled in his lap to get more comfortable. Seeing the way she was behaving made him wonder if she was the girl from his dream. It was far from what one would expect a child who had suffered so much to become.
As he was thinking this, the girl leaned in far too close, the concept of personal space was clearly not in her vocabulary. Before he could say anything, she had moved her face down into the crook of his neck, taking in his scent before she pulled back and got up."Come on, you can bathe yourself now, and you need it..." nodding Wil stood up only to find that his fur robe was nowhere to be seen, and unfortunately his hostess was already out of the small chamber they were inside of.
With a bit of a groan, Wil hurried after her, always turning a corner at the same time he did as though he were in a horror movie catching a glimpse of a wraith. Soon he found himself in a warm fire-lit chamber that had a natural hot spring, she was already inside of the spring and floating lazily, her clothes strewn about the entrance way to the chamber. He sighed once more before he joined her, slipping into the water, wincing as the hot water washed over his scars.
Groaning softly he leaned back and began floating in the water and letting his hair float out around him; he could feel the oils washing out of his hair and around his body, shivering he reached up and began scrubbing his scalp roughly to clean the dirt from his hair thoroughly. Soon he had to use his thumbnail to clean the dirt out from under each nail before chewing his nails short, Wilhelm shivered when the girl suddenly ran a hand along the left side of his body that was now scared. He looked down at her body and saw not a single scar, not even something as simple as having walked with a sharp stick.
As she ran her fingers along his scars, Wil could see the confusion in her eyes. Sighing softly he splashed her in the face with a little bit of water before drifting just out of her reach and smirking softly as she pouted for a moment. But before he could do anything she stood up and jumped on top of him, her elbow slamming into his stomach as she shoved him under the water. Coughing Wil grabbed her legs and pulling her down with him before he went up for air, coughing up the water had gone into his lungs.
Before the girl could come back up Wil pulled himself out of thew water and laid on the ledge where he had stepped in from, He was so tired, his body weak from the forced sleep she had kept him in for the past two months. He had lost more weight, and along with it his strength and energy, he could already feel the pangs of hunger clawing at his stomach, and it was evident he would not last too long if he did not eat something solid. Though this may have all been in his head given the way his hostess rolled her eyes when she saw him.
Pulling herself from the water, she kicked him in the butt as she walked by."Come along pup; I have stew cooking..." Groaning Wil stood up and stumbled after her, shivering as the girl bent over to grab her clothes, exposing everything to him, Truthfully he wondered why she bothered with the clothes if she had no problem with being seen naked. But as she grabbed her clothes she grabbed his robe from a small seat and threw it to him; it had been cleaned and folded until now. Catching the robe, he pulled it on and shivered as a rush of heat ran up his spine pulling an almost lustful groan from his throat.
As the sound left his throat he pulled the hood up and looked to the ground, not wanting to see the look of amusement on the girls face, He would not realize it for a while, but he had just found his answer as to why she wore the clothes made of crow feathers. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her back through the winding caverns to the room he had been sleeping in, and then beyond it to a wide open cavern that opened up to the outside world, the moon and stars shining brightly.
She took him over to a small cauldron that was sitting over a fire, After removing a wooden lid, he was shown a stew made with potatoes, sage, venison, and from what he could guess was goats milk. However, the rich scent made his mouth begin to water instantly, some drool slipping from his lips and down his chin as he watched her get him a bowl and a spoon. Though as she handed him the bowl, he began slurping right from it, drinking down the hot gravy like liquid of the stew as fast as he could
As he finished the first bowl she held out the second one without being asked, taking it, he finished it just as quickly, but he felt himself getting full quickly now. Finishing the second bowl of stew, he licked his lips but came to a realization that there was an important detail he had yet to discover." My name Wilhelm. What your's?" Hearing him ask her name the girl smiled happily, licking her spoon clean before she answered him."My name is Samantha."