The Forgotten One
Our tale begins in a dark and eerie ruins from a civilization long past its prime. In the ruins under the surface of the world is filled with rooms that were once white pristine and sterile but are now dark and covered in dust of the ages. The entrance is in the side of an inconspicuous hill in the middle of a forest larger than any known to the modern society of 2021. The trees that make up the forest would put even the oldest of redwoods to shame.
After entering the door inside the hill you’d be faced with stairs that lead several stories below the earth. After reaching the bottom you would see rows upon rows of large cylindrical capsules the size of a human. These have been found time and again by many inhabitants of this world but nothing has ever been found out as to what they are or where they came from. To them they were oddities that could be potentially harmful to those how meddled with that which they didn’t understand.
And so it was left for thousands of years. Every few thousands of years they would be unearthed only to be left in fear of the unknown by those that found them. After a while many just began to tell their children and their children’s children that such places were unlucky and filled with evil monstrosities that wait for those foolish enough to enter. Attempting to keep those they loved safe from the eerily quiet tomb of sorts.
Many heeded their parents and grandparents warnings but not all. However those that went searching never found anything to change the way their societies approached such areas. And so they also abandoned these places. Never suspecting what they really were as they had never even grasped what these canisters could hold.
But one fateful day a young girl came running into this abandoned ruin in search of shelter from those who sought to do her harm. Hoping that they would give up upon realizing where she went or even not believing that she would be dumb enough to go into the ruins to begin with.
She ran as fast as she dared down the carved stone stairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs she heard the shouts of those pursuing her. “She’s down here lads. Finally now we can get paid.” Said a husky voice
“Is it alright to have some fun before we hand her over Marcus?” said a nasally and high pitched voice.
“No Ben you can’t. I’m not sure why your father sent you out here with us but it’s not to harm, maim, or break the very target he sent me and my boys to find. Besides she’s just a kid.” Replies the same husky voice with disgust.
“Oh what difference does it make if I play with her now instead of after my father has played his politics with her?” Replied the nasally voiced man
The girl scared out of her mind continued to run into the middle of the canisters trying to find a suitable place to hide before the men found her. She ran all the way to the back of the room. It took her the same amount of time to make it to the back of the room and hide behind a metal canister as it took for several men to reach the room from the stairs. With torches raised they fanned out and began the search which would inevitably lead to her being found.
In despair the girl grabbed at the side of the canister in anguish and desperation and silently prayed for the gods to help her in any way they could. To somehow send a champion to rescue her from these men. She cried silently and awaited her fate.
Unbeknownst to her and the men currently looking for her the canister she hid behind slowly began to hum with electricity as it began its start-up sequence. There were no lights as the canister barely had enough power for what it needed to do so it spent it all with awakening the inhabitant inside of it. The men had spotted her at this point and began to call for the rest as the man known as Ben began to laugh with glee.
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“Oh finally we found you I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have a rather boring ride back to my father little girl.” His face covered in a lecherous smile.
But just before she gave herself over completely to the feeling of despair they all heard a sound that chilled their blood as none had ever recorded hearing any noise save for their own in one of these ruins. It was the sound of metal sliding over metal as the canister that the girl hid behind slowly crept open. All the men took quick steps back and drew their weapons acknowledging the danger that was spoken of these places since long before their birth. As they stepped back a form fell from the canister and landed on the floor in a heap.
No one moved waiting to see what had happened. As minutes passed they slowly relaxed but never sheathing their weapons. Ben quickly grew irritated by the fear shown on the men’s faces surrounding him. He quickly strode up and impaled the form. After nothing happened he smirked at the others. “You cowards. Now hurry up and bring her I’ve grown tired of gallivanting through these gods forsaken woods.”
As the men moved to obey and looking away from the form they heard Ben scream in pain and fear. They all looked to him and saw he was on his ass with one hand covering the stump of his right shoulder where his right arm should have been. They couldn’t understand what had happened but after a few seconds realized that he was missing his entire sword arm. They quickly fell back to him and looked to where he was starring in fear. Where the crumpled form once was stood a man that was a fully nude six foot tall and had pitch black hair with red eyes as if they were comprised solely of blood.
In his right hand was the arm of Ben still grasping the sword that he’d pierced through the black haired man’s abdomen. He slowly drew the arm and with it the sword that was still very much in its grasp out and away from his body. The man and little girl watch in horror and awe as the man pulled the sword fully from his body. They then watched as the hole that went through him slowly closed as blood only leaked out until it was fully closed.
He then looked from his body to the group of men still brandishing their swords and slowly narrowed his eyes towards them. Time seemed to halt completely as the two parties who had originally trespassed waited to see what the monster would do. After what felt like a lifetime for the girl she slowly began to have hope as she and the group of men who at this point were terrified heard something from the man.
It wasn’t in a language any of them understood but there was an inflection at the end as if he had asked the men a question. After not receiving an answer he threw the arm and sword down which scared the girl into letting out a quiet yelp. The monster turned to look at her. The eyes which had terrified the men also had the same effect on her for but a moment then they seemed to soften.
While the monster was temporarily distracted the men decided to strike with two of them lopping off his arms and finally a third decapitated the man. Their swords completely passed through his flesh and bones albeit with much more resistance than they believed was possible. As his arms fell with the force of gravity his head had remained on top of his neck and torso. His body did fall to its knees however. This caused the men to relax and laugh at the situation. At how daunting of a foe he seemed to be but turned out to be the opposite.
While congratulating one another and attempting to stem the flow of blood from the man named Ben. They heard and turned to see the body of the man fall next to his arms. After seeing it’s wasn’t another monster awakening they continued to help Ben. But then froze again as they heard that same language the monster spoke to them before.
They turned in fear and were right to be afraid. The man’s head was looking up and the child still partially hidden behind his capsule. He seemed to be speaking to her in a calming tone. Then after speaking to her he began to rise. With both arms once again resting where they should. He turned to face the men who’d assaulted him. He gave them one quick look over and roared at them the way a beast of immense power would roar at those who had just annoyed it for the final time.