Veera raised a hand to her brow, searching the sky for nothing in particular. In her other hand a wooden bucket rocked slightly, sloshing its watery contents. The young Cauthan sighed deeply. This was her tenth trip up the riverbank to her modest field and barely half of it had been watered. Before irrigating the patch below her, she lowered her gaze to survey the small plot of land she’d been able to maintain after her father’s disappearance. The gods had been kind this year. Felen, lord of the sky, had seen fit to not drown her crops, nor let them wither and die. “Well,” she spoke softly to herself. “Maybe this year there will be enough. I suppose thanks are in order, Felen.” Her mind was involuntarily cast back to the previous winter, when her second harvest had failed and her stores had expired. Seeking aid from the priestess of Meylith had brought her great shame, but it had kept her alive. “Yes, for whatever that’s worth. Not like they could think any less of me.” She spat, tipping her bucket to moisten the soil that held her crop of dato. She’d be bored of them before long, but the root vegetables were hearty and packed with nutrients that other more specialized crops lacked. With her bucket empty, she turned back towards the river. She was just stepping over the knee high rock wall that marked her modest farm when the ears on top of her head perked up and twitched. “What is that?”

A low rumbling growl had reached her ears and it was growing by the second. It sounded nothing like an Ursae, the largest predator Veera knew of, but it was clearly being made by something large. Even stranger, the sound seemed to be coming from above her. Tilting her head back to the sky, it became immediately apparent what was creating the unnatural noise; the only thing out of place in an otherwise peaceful blue tapestry. “Oh gods, what is that?!” Veera whispered under her breath, immediately taking what little shelter she could, crouching at her farm’s wall. A small rock was hurtling towards the ground in the direction of her village and making an extraordinary racket while doing so. As the growl turned to a dull roar, Veera flattened her ears again her head in an attempt to block the overwhelming sound. The Cauthan had exceptional hearing, something Veera was usually thankful for, but now all she could do was press her hands over her ears and watch in awe as the rock came closer. That was until the rock seemed to spit fire from its sides, a process that directed it straight at her. With a terrified scream, Veera hit the dirt, flattening herself as best she could against the stones and earth. The noise was all around her; it felt like her whole body was being shaken to pieces. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.

An unnatural silence fell over the area, as if every living being nearby had done as Veera had. Slowly, she stood and brushed herself off, surveying the area. The rock, which she could barely see, was shaped with hard lines and angles and had crashed a few hundred feet from the far border of her farm amongst the tall grasses that stretched far to the west. Curiosity overriding her fear, Veera began walking along the wall, turning right and continuing along, drawing closer to the still inert object with each step. Some Cauthan believed the gods directly intervened in the lives of mortals, sheparding their faithful and smiting the unworthy. Veera wasn’t sure if she believed that, but the sight before her was giving her second thoughts. The grass around the impact site had been obliterated or incinerated, forming a hellish clearing of earth and smoke.

Veera left the ‘safety’ of her wall and walked toward the object, feeling the grass brushing against her lower legs. She could now make out some vaguely cone shaped objects on top, but they appeared to have been damaged and twisted. Her fur bristled as her species’ most basic instincts began to overwhelm her. “Could it be an aspect of Kel, Lord of Death? I hope not.” Veera spoke aloud in an attempt to focus her thoughts and calm her nerves. “Maybe Tyrdus the Smith? His most devout work with metal…at least, I think that’s metal. I’ve never seen so much of it in one place.” Veera wondered as she reached the edge of the burnt grass. Unsure how to proceed, she began walking around it instead as the smoke cleared. The object had four sides that appeared mostly identical. There was some difference in contouring depending on which side she was looking at, but she couldn’t make out a ‘front’ or ‘back’. It was taller than her by almost half a body length and each side seemed about as wide as her full arm span, perhaps wider. “Is this some sort of test? What am I supposed to do?” She wondered, arriving back where she started. “They must have heard this thing’s arrival in the village. Surely they’ll send someone.” Maybe she wouldn’t have to interact with the object. A guard would come, or perhaps one of the hunters, and Veera wouldn’t have to do anything at all. But was that right? What if this thing was from the gods? What if it was meant for her, a trial of some sort? It had landed out here after all, far from her village. What would happen if she denied this test? Would she starve again? Would she lose another loved one? Would the icy grip of winter finally claim her this year? “I can’t take that chance.” She muttered, steeling herself. Mustering her courage, Veera stepped into the ring. A few more paces and she stood before the object, lost in its shadow. “You can do this Veera.” She reached out and felt a warm, rough surface beneath her finger pads.

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“Oh I knew this was a bad idea!” Veera exclaimed as the object seemed to come to life at her touch. Strange lights and noises emanated from it. A hissing noise drew her attention to the right, and she noticed that side of the object moving outward before it suddenly dropped to the ground with a loud bang, forming a ramp of sorts. The shock of the event caused Veera to stumble and trip backwards. Propping herself up using her elbows, Veera looked at the object again and froze; eyes wide and mouth open in horror. The inside of the object, which was clearly a giant egg of some sort, was glowing a dark red. But it was what stepped out of it that made her blood to run cold.

The thing standing before her was tall, perhaps taller than any of her tribe, even the mightiest warriors. It was standing on two legs, and had two arms like her, but the similarities seemed to end there. The being had no fur or feathers; instead its skin seemed to be made of metal, much like its pod. Unlike the pod though, it was a smooth bright white, with blue geometric markings along the left arm, shoulder, and part of its torso. Its limbs were broad, much thicker than any Cauthan’s. On its back, Veera could make out what looked to be the handle of a sword, accompanied by the broad shell of a shield. She noticed a strange black metallic object fastened to the being’s hip. Another one, larger and longer, was held in its left hand. Veera wasn’t sure, but they appeared to be weapons as well. Whatever this thing was, it had appeared before her armed and armored to the teeth. She was powerless to stop the strangled cry that escaped her throat and unfortunately caused the being to turn its attention to her.

The being’s face was something Veera knew would visit her in her nightmares, if she survived to sleep again. Like the rest of its body, its head was white and blocky. It had some sort of narrow cylinder attached to the left side. It was the thing’s eyes that held her gaze though. There were no pupils, no irises, no anything; just soulless black rectangles staring at her, narrower near where the nose should have been, growing slightly towards the sides of its face. It didn’t even have a mouth! She wanted to run, wanted to scream, wanted to do anything, but Veera couldn’t seem to make her body obey her mind. There was no doubt about it. Whatever this thing was, it was sent by Kel. It was sent to kill her. For what, she wasn’t sure, but what else could it be? She closed her eyes. Mom, dad, I guess I’ll be seeing you again sooner than I thought.

“Well, shit.”

Veera’s eyes flew open. The thing was speaking.