Xini dove behind cover, bullets bursting through the wall behind him. Dust and debris rained down upon him as he did his best to stay behind cover.
“How the hell did they know we were here sarg?!” The soldier next to him yelled at him, barely audible over the resounding gunfire.
“Fuck if i know!” Xini roared back.
The vibration of his sat-phone soon drew his attention, grabbing it he held it to his ear.
Bzzt. “Seargent Gruwes! move your squad back behind the buildings south of your position. We have set up in the nearby buildings and will cover! Over!” The man giving the orders was his lieutenant, John Gray. All in all a respectable man and a hell of a lieutenant. Nothing but the best of the best in FOX.
“Acknowledged! Over!”
Barely had he finished the message before a burst of heavy arms fire was sent in the direction of the assailing troops. Giving them a much needed respite .
“Fox-two! Move to the south buildings!” He roared to his men. He and the other four men currently under his command raced to the wall, diving out of the broken windows, sprinting behind the building where the rest of their troops were throwing down covering fire.
Tffwack, “Fuck!” Romirez went down with a bullet in his leg, Xini turned around grabbed under the arm, just as Statten came in from the other side and did the same, they helped the wounded Romirez run for cover. Just before they got there a bullet pierced Xini's lower abdomen and he roared in pain. Collapsing with Romirez behind cover.
“Medic!” Statten screamed to the men above him.
The medic came rushing down the stairs already ripping open his backpack for bandages, he glanced quickly over the two wounded men and then started work on Romirez's leg. The wound looked bad, Xini was pretty sure that the bullet had pierced one of the arteries in his leg.
“Statten , Bonvies!” Xini yelled.
“Sir!”
“Get topside! Help them lay down cover and get me the lieutenant!”
“Yes sir!”
The two of them rushed up the stairs, moments later the lieutenant came rushing down. Stubbled face and piercing blue eyes, the man rushed over.
“Gruwes, report!”
“We ran into an ambush sir, the bastards knew exactly were we would hit them. They are calling over more reinforcements as we speak, you need to get out!” Another volley of bullets forced them to duck for cover, the bullets smashed through the wall like it wasn't even there.
The lieutenant stared at him, furious.
“You mean WE sergeant!”
“You will have to leave us behind Luitenenant.” Romirez groaned from the side. “You know the code, if there is no one to buy you time the whole squad's done!”
“We don't have a choice here, John.” Xini said smiling to his old friend.
Xini could practically see the gears in the LT's head spinning searching for any other options. Xini already knew there were none to be found. With them being outnumbered at least five to one, with even heavier armed reinforcements incoming, they wouldn't stand a chance.
John cursed violently, then turned away grabbing the radio. “Squad move back to the edge of the village. Keep the formation tight and move fast! Over.”
“Acknowledged! Over!”
John gave his friend one last look, with a short nod he ran out the back of the building. Not a man for long goodbyes, he had accepted their decision. The medic finished a quick bandaging of Xini's wound and then saluted him, face grim. Xini grinned back at the man and saluted. They were soldiers, they did what had to be done, period. That was the way Xini saw it.
Xini checked his rifle, flipping the switch to automatic. He took the pistol out of its holster and put it on the window ledge to the side. He groaned and pushed himself up against a pillar in the far side of the room and pointed his gun at the door. Romirez pushed himself to do the same on the other side of the room. Once the man hopped up on his good remaining leg he tossed Xini a grenade.
Catching the grenade Xini put it behind his vest. Romirez looked over and grinned at him. “Don't wanna be caught alive now do we, lets give them a taste of their own medicine!”
Xini grinned but didn't have time to respond, their enemies were already rushing from the building across from theirs, Xini and Romirez opened fire, expertly shooting in short bursts. Each bullet finding their targets. His heart pounded away in his head, blood flowing through his ears the beat almost reverberating through his body. Heart aflame but the head icecold. Calm and collected they picked of any enemy in their sights.
Bullets buried themselves in the pillar he had taken cover behind. Ducking back behind the pillar he stood there with heavy breath, a glance to the side showed Romirez in a similar position. Xini shot a quick glance outside and saw something that made his breath stop.
“RPG!” Xini roared, diving to the farside of the room.
Almost in slow motion he saw the grenade flying towards their house, it hit the wall at the front of the house and exploded in a cacophony of sound, debris shot through-out the room. Romirez went down, Dark garbed men rushed into the house short after, they quickly surrounded both Romirez and Xini. Screaming at them with a language he didn't understand they pointed their guns in his face.
“THE FOX NEVER SLEEPS!” Romirez roared, pulling the pin out of the grenade he had hidden.
“THE FOX NEVER DIES!” Xini roared in answer, pulling his own pin. The only thing he heard after, was the explosion of the grenade as they took down the building with them.
Then Xini found himself in a log cottage, confused he sat up finding himself on a bed that was a few sizes to large.
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“Oh! You're up!” A deep rumbling voice said.
Looking around Xini saw a man sitting at a wooden table, the image of a lumberjack immediately came to mind. Thick curled beard, arms the size of tree trunks, a jovial face, even the ax sitting next to him at the table fit the image.
He grinned “Congratulations on your promotion!”
“Promotion? Where am i?”
“Long story short you died, and reincarnated as a god, of sorts at least.”
Xini scratched his chin, “Well i know i died, no way i survived that. But a god?”
“Taking this rather well aren't you!” The giant of a man said happily, he pointed to a chair on the other side of the table. Xini sat down.
“Well, stressing about it wont do me any good.” Xini said shrugging.
“Good attitude, Good!” The man said laughing. “Woman! Bring us some food!”
“Was already working on it dear.” A soothing voice came from another room. “Also call me woman one more time and you will be sleeping outside.”
The large man look down abashed and scratched his chin. “Sorry dear..”
Xini burst out laughing at the display, he liked the both of them already. They really made the house feel like a home. The only thing missing was some kids and an overly large dog. Looking at the man he wouldn't be surprised if he had Cereberus on a chain outside.
He peeked out the window just to be sure. But saw no three headed dogs. His attention was brought back when he smelt something, he looked over and saw a beautiful woman walk in, with a long auburn braid, forest green eyes, she was also surprisingly small, especially compared to the giant of a man that was supposedly her husband.
What really caught his attention however was the plate she was carrying, There was a plate with a delicious looking pasta and meatball combination. The smell was simply divine, when she put the plate in front of him he noticed something else. The size of the dish was gargantuan, she was probably used to cooking for that tree she called her husband. She also put a dish in front of the lumberjack and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek.
The man grinned contently and dug into the food, he ravenously started shoveling the food in his mouth. Xini had a taste and was soon joining the man in his fervor. Within the shortest moments both of the plates had been emptied, He was actually surprised he had been able to finish the dish. It was beyond what one could call large.
The large man laughed, the sound resembling that of an avalanche or a rolling boulder. “Everyone eats an impressive amount when they arrive for the first time!” He then blinked in surprise. “I just realized i haven't even introduced myself yet! My name is Jack, i became a god a long time ago. People can become gods when they do something rather impressive or noteworthy. For me it was chopping down the largest tree men had ever laid their eyes on!” Another rumbling laugh. “That puny beanstalk was no match for me!”
Xini shook his head at the realization. “I'm Xini , a pleasure”
Jack nodded and grinned. “And this ethereal beauty is my wife, Amelia Earhart.” Another name that rang a bell, the first woman to fly around the world or something. “It's a bit hard to keep her tied to a place, but she is worth the effort!” Jack said with a wink and a big grin.
Amelia smiled lovingly, but still smacked her husband upside the head. Only making him laugh all the harder. Xini smiled at the couple.
“Well judging by your look i'd guess you were a soldier?” Jack said turning serious.
Xini nodded, truth be told it was hard to see him as anything else. Tall, short cropped military style hair, scar across the left side of his face covered up slightly by a rather large curly beard. That accompanied by a body that was trained as close to perfection as he could manage. The perfect balance between speed, power, flexibility and endurance.
“Well you lived and died in a way that, whoever is up there, thought was noteworthy. Now although we are gods, it is not nearly like what you imagine. Gods in this world are a dime a dozen. The thing that makes us gods, is a bit peculiar. We can bring people into our Clan.”
The way Jack said the word Clan, sounded like it was more important than one would initially think. Xini nodded for Jack to continue.
“These people will be bound by a mark, a tattoo of sorts that can be placed on their body by you. It can naturally only be done with consent of both parties. The people in your clan can then develop their bodies and minds in ways that would normally be impossible. They go into dungeons, labyrinths or towers. When they level up and become stronger, you will also grow in power. “
Xini raised his eyebrows at that, it seemed like those game mechanics he had played as a kid. Actual people growing in level was something that he would have to get used to however.
“How about the people that die and aren't seen as noteworthy?”
“Excellent question! They become the new inhabitants of the world, although i said that gods are a dime a dozen that might not have been entirely accurate. There is about one god for every 10.000 other citizens. Maybe even in the 100.000 , honestly i'm not that sure because as a god myself i meet more gods than one would normally. There are also a few different degrees in how people arrive here. The starting 'level' for lack of a better word is dependent on how one has lived their life.”
“For example a soldier would receive higher level than a stay at home dad. An elite soldier would be given an even higher level still. Scientists or other comparable intellectuals would also receive a higher level. As perhaps a good thief, or even a serial killer.”
“So this world is just as individualistic as the one i just came from.” Xini concluded.
“Exactly! Keeps thing interesting, the people here can die just like in the old world. Although gods cannot die of old age, Clansmen that reach a certain level will also stop aging. There are an infinite amount of people that you can make let into your clan. But they reflect you, so you should be careful of who you let in.”
“How about that mark you told me about, what is mine?”
“Well first of all you are given a name, by which you will be known, a nickname of sorts. You can tell other gods or your Clansmen your own name, but the name you will hear on the streets will somehow still end up being that nickname, no one knows how it works. My title is for instance the The Lumber Jack. A bit stupid if u ask me but could be worse. Yours is Old Fox.” He said grinning at him.
Xini raised his eyebrows in amusement. Old Fox was fitting to his old lifestyle, the men in his team called him the Ol' sarge. The unit had nicknamed itself Fox, so he could see where the nickname had come from. In actuality the name was FOKS short for Forward Operating Kill Service, a stupid name for sure, which is why they went with Fox.
Jack saw the amusement and smiled, he then shrugged “As for your mark, no one knows what it is till you find yourself your first Clansmen.”
“ How about a home, can i find a job myself?”
“Nope! Unless you are a craftsman, some gods sell weapons they have made, or ale or some divine wine or another. Most of us however are dependent on our clansmen, a part of what they make will go into our coffers, money you can then use to build yourself a manor for you and your clan, or a village or even a castle! It all depends on the kind of guy you are. Me personally? Me and my people have built ourselves a nice little village out in the stints, right here actually. My house is somewhat on the edge.”
Xini started to get the bigger picture, it was a lot of information to be dumped onto him at once. Finding his own Clansmen was going to be interesting. He figured he might even end up with his own soldier squad again.
“So where do i go to find my first Clansmen?”
“That's the spirit! We are heading to the city in the afternoon, first thing's first we will have to get you registered in the Hall of the Gods. Alot of bureaucratic mumbojumbo, even in life after death there is a bloody government.” Jack grumbled
Xini laughed at the annoyed look on Jack's face, trying to picture what a government full of gods would be like. Then he started wondering what a city made by gods would actually look like.
I wonder if the city would float.
Jack stood up and wanted to show him the rest of the village, most of the village was made from logs that they had chopped themselves, there were perhaps 60 log cabins around the clearing in the forest. Separated by a river that ran straight through the middle, women and children could be seen running around doing chores or playing. Here and there you could see a man.
I suppose that means that the wife is the adventurer in that case and her husband is the one that stays at home and watches the kids. A bit stereotypical but i guess it fits.
“Peaceful little place you got yourselves” Xini remarked
“Its peaceful now yea, you should have seen the shitstorm we went through to create this place and keep it safe. Adventurers may mainly go into dungeons to earn their keep with beast cores, but there are still plenty of the things running around here on the surface. We had to set up a whole magical protection circle around the village to keep them away. Cost me a pretty penny that.”
Xini looked around to see if he could see this 'magical protection circle'. Instead of being able to see it, the more accurate description would be that he 'felt' the magic, he could feelsee the glow of the magical protection around the village. It was one of the strangest feelings he had ever had, its kind of how you could smell, but would be unable to explain that to another person.
Jack saw the emotions battling on Xini's face, he laughed and gave him a pat on the back. “It seems like your one of the few with a talent for magic, what you are 'seeing' right now would be the magical protection circle. No-one can see it except those gifted with mage-sight, i'm a bit surprised to be honest, mages usually tend to be scholarly fellas. Your a soldier to the core you are, bit surprised you have it to be honest.”
The pair walked out of the village and into the forest, Xini saw a few creatures scurry around the edges of his vision. They were hesitant in coming closer, he guessed the creatures feared Jack. Suddenly he stopped staring in the distance, was that a human sized squirrel?! He squinted his eyes to try and see clearer, did that squirrel have a deer in its jaws?! He stared at the scene in front of him in amazement, now looking around he saw that a bare few of the creatures were even recognizable.
He saw something that seemed to be a dog-rabbit hybrid, having a dogs head and front paws, but strong rabbit hind paws and the fluffy long ears hanging beside its head. Or what seemed to be a bear covered in scales instead of fur, and in that pond was a bloody turtle duck.
I shit you not, its an actual duck inside a turtle shell.
The walk to the city turned out to be more interesting than he had anticipated, he was so caught up in the fauna that he only later noticed that the flora was also completely different to what he was used to. He was pretty sure that tree over there had moved a few feet, and that bush had all the colors of the rainbow, in the same order as any rainbow as well.
Here i thought i'd have seen enough to never be surprised again, seems this world is a tad different.
Soon enough they reached the edge of the forest, and before him was yet another thing that caused his jaw to drop. The so called city was nothing like he had expected. It was a humongous tower, reaching so far into the sky that he couldn't even see the top, he looked to the base of the tower and saw how far away they still were, it dwarfed a mountain that was in front of it. It must be at least dozens of kilometers in diameter, and far higher than it was wide. That would have never been possible back on earth, it would have left the atmosphere.
Maybe this planet was so big that the atmosphere was further from the surface as well, but just how big would this planet have to be then. Everything he had been taught could be thrown out of the window, this planet did not adhere to the laws of logic.
With a grin, Xini set his first step towards the city.