The sunlight shone down upon me, the goddam blinding sun is too damn bright.
I got up from the bed, it's hot very hot.
I get up, sweat covering the bed, next time I shouldn't use the thick blankets to sleep in next time.
I walk out of the room, everything packed and ready to go. As I walk downstairs to the tavern's main floor I instantly spot Tron sleeping in the booth. I walk over to him and nudge him a bit, he woke up, slowly blinking his eyes.
"Mmm... What's up kid?" he spoke, he slowly started to stretch his arms
"It's morning, we're about to leave soon" I spoke.
He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
Behind us footsteps were approaching.
"Mornin, Rose and Angel" Tron spoke.
The duo went next to my side, Rose was energetic, bouncing around with excitement compared to the tired Tron who looks like he was going back to sleep again.
"We should get the show on the road, we should be there in a few hours!" Rose spoke with enthusiasm.
Tron tried to get up, stretching his legs.
"alright let us go then" he spoke.
We walk through Redwood, the children play on the streets while the adults chat to each other. The streets bustling with noises, Street vendors trying to promote their wares while the pets barked, and the noises of the steps run around us but it grew noticeably quiet.
I looked around and notice that the sun somehow grew dimmer, the skies grew darker around us, and fog starts settling in. Not before long all of the villagers started to panic as they ran and tried to hide.
Rose gasped, Tron looked tired while Hera look uncertain as for I? I was batshit scared.
The slow fog started to cover up any remaining daylight, when there was nothing but darkness surrounding us I heard the screams.
I smelled copper and heard the ripping and tearing of something to which I'm thankful for the darkness blinding my vision.
"Let us go!" I heard someone say but I couldn't tell who it was, the sounds around us felt like we were trying to speak underwater.
My armed was grabbed and then we were running and running away from whatever is happening. During the run, I strained my eyes to see what is in front of me but it is hard eventually it came to bite me in the ass as I tripped on something wet.
At that moment a scream was caught in my throat, and I felt my skull make contact with the hard stone ground.
All around me is darkness... am I dead? where am?
"Why are you such a scaredy cat James?" a distant voice spoke out in the vast darkness
I looked around yet I cannot see, I try and tear away this eternal abyss of pitch black away but it is no use.
"Yeah James you get scared at nothing!" another voice rang out, with this a sort of distant grey light pour out in the corner
I tried to get to it, ran, crawled, and stumbled but eventually was there and broke through to the safety of Light embrace. I was back home, back at the last order.
The cold streets, it was raining, always raining at times like these. I look across and spot those brats... the ones who made my life hell during my childhood. Auguste and Max, some snobbish high class who decided that they have nothing better to do but bully me before, during, and after school.
After my parents left they took it up even more and waited for me at the orphanage, which we are at right now.
I looked down, a sight for sore eyes... I was a fat ass and short even at 9, I guessed that's why I decided to lose weight due to their insults, why need a gym when you got bullies.
"just leave me alone!" the younger me pleaded, he was soaked in the rain.
The boys didn't take kindly to this and one of them lifted him by his collar and said with a threatening voice
"You don't order us around orphan boy!" he spat out before he raised his arm for a punch.
SCREEEEEEEEEECH
A deafening noise rang out that pierced the drumming of the rain, the two boys unfazed by it while I the young James was holding his ears terrified of it.
"You're still scared of that? maybe we should find it then? the screaming man?" he spoke up trying to scare me even more.
The screaming man was an urban legend to scare children into being good, It makes that noise whenever it found its victims but Eventually, I grew out of it that Urban legend phase. Still, it was uncomfortable to listen to, the grinding metallic scream of whatever that is.
SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH
SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH SCREEEEEEEECH
Multiple noises but it seemed that it wasn't from here judging how it didn't change my younger self-expression hadn't changed, I looked around to see that this world was slowly fading back to the same darkness from before, I looked back to see that myself and the two bullies were gone. Not before long I was now surrounded by the same vast darkness that once surrounded me.
I stayed there for god knows how long but a strange light started to shine through, the cracks were showing as I slowly but surely made my way there.
I slowly opened my eyes, somehow it was still fucking dark but also bright, I looked around but the pain on my head stung whenever I made any Rash movements.
We were still on the streets, the familiar scent of copper filled the air, and there was a torch-lit nearby. I hear noises but it's hard to figure out, I strain my ears to listen.
"There's one on your left!" someone shouted before the same Scream from earlier that plagued my mind earlier. A sharp thump sounded that cut it off mid-scream.
I slowly tried to get up, raising my upper body from the ground, once I did I was able to see all around me. Tron is on his knee while clutching his stomach, Rose was between the two of us, her greatsword drawn and stained with blackish liquid. Her once impenetrable armor was now decorated with cracks and chips, her helmet was also on the verge of breaking as the left side was decimated with claw marks on it.
Hera was behind us dealing with whatever was in that mist.
Barely standing Rose instinctively swung her blade at me only stopping a few centimeters from my neck, I almost fainted and screamed in high pitch voice.
"Shit James, don't do that, almost took off your head" she sighed
Another scream emerges and a creature that is over 8 feet tall, body emaciated and gaunt with long sinewy limbs that end in long razor-sharp claws. The skin is pale and translucent, their eyes glow with luminescent light that glows through the fog allowing them to see. Their jaws elongated and with an underbite showing their blade-like teeth.
The creature flings itself towards me and I thought I would die but...but luckily Rose threw me back and slammed her greatsword against the skull of the creature into the ground. The amount of strength resulted in the creature's head exploding like a tomato, the black blood decorated the streets while also having some blood splatter on me.
Tron was fishing something out of his pouch looking for something muttering curses under his breath before his expression lightened and pulled out a small red vial. Taking out the cork he poured it on his wound, in a few moments the large gash that was there slowly repaired itself.
"Alright Rose, Hera are you ready to try this again?" he spoke to which Both of them nodded.
He then sat on his knees while chanting a few words, the air around us was slowly circulating before picking up traction, and to this large amounts of screams rang out, whatever he was doing pissed off the fucks here.
a couple of them jumped out and lunged towards us, they were swiftly dealt with by Rose and Hera, feeling like I need to help out I pulled out the T sword and got ready for any of them to lunge out from the darkness.
click...
One of them charged out from my left, and without thinking I swung downwards as soon as it has gotten close, I had taken half of his head including his arm leaving it to instantly fall with gurgling from its throat.
clack...
Another one from my right, I pull out my firearm and shot a beam between its eyes, and the creature fell back from the force of the blast.
click...
Another lunged itself in front of me pull me down to the ground, its mouth filled with razorblade teeth inches away from my face the only thing that prevented it was my leg distancing us away. My sword was out of reach when I fell, I pulled out my broken stick and pointed it close to the skin, a spoke a few words before the creature's paper-like skin was now alight with fire. I kicked it away once its focus was on the fire, the creature wasn't able to as it spread towards its entire body until it became a living campfire before dying.
clack...
Just then, I noticed distant footsteps approaching us.
clack...
click...
clack...
a tall humanoid figure with tattered black robes that meld seamlessly with the swirling dark fog around us, Its face was obscured with a featureless mask that emanates an unsettling amount of power. A slow and groaning sound emitted from him
"Ah James, a man marked for a fate by the great divine, I Morwen the Shadowveil is but a servant, A herald to the God of Darkness and Destiny Baros"
I sighed, "Why does he want to kill me?" I questioned.
"You are in the way of Baros and his grand design and are a threat to bring ruin to it, so I am here to sever this thread that dares to taint the entire web" he explained.
I pulled out my sidearm and shot a blast at him tired of this shit. At that moment he disappeared into the fog, Hera slowly got close to me with her blade ready for an attack.
I haven't noticed but the fog around us was getting darker as well as thicker, it was getting hard to breathe.
click...
Behind me a footstep rang out in the quiet silence, I quickly turned around and shot out a few blasts into that direction, the holes in the fog that the shots made were instantly filled in.
At that moment four dark tendrils emerged from it and wrapped my arm in a snare, I then heard multiple footsteps approaching. Multiple of the creatures from earlier Lunged at me as I was snared.
Hera made a light swing in Infront of her with her sword it easily burnt the monster's papery skin. More footsteps were approaching as the tendril started to slowly pull me into the swallowing dark fog. I pointed my blaster towards where the tendrils were at and start shooting.
click!... clack!.. click!... clack!...
the tendrils loosened as the footstep ran off. One of the monsters lunged at Rose to which it go a good slash at the armor before being split in half, Tron was still chanting, and his eyes were glowing a bright blue hue.
The shadow veil lunged out toward me letting out a shriek that sounded otherworldly, a chilling cacophony that reverberates into the air. The sound is a symphony of terror, piercing the sound of silence and sending chills down my spine. I visibly shake and couldn't move in time as I was stuck in place. A blade that manifested from his hand was aimed toward my neck. As I thought the blade would pierce my throat and leave me as good as dead Hera who wasn't affected by the scream charged in and tackled him into the ground next to me.
Hera started to restrain him but the slippery fuck turn into a cloud of smoke when she got him pinned.
"Oh a celestial sentinel who graces us with her Presence oh do tell me why does a light bringer like thyself dare guard a feeble mortal like himself from the inevitable embrace of death?" he questions with a hiss, his voice echoing across the fog.
She looks around, trying to find his voice
"I am his Guardian I will protect him from bastards like you! now show yourself coward!" she yelled in anger
"How noble, how utterly predictable. You are foolishly blinded by the lies of your Master to see the truth hidden behind the blinding light" his echo reverberated in the dark fog around us.
More shrieks rang out before multiple of those creatures lunged themselves at terrifying speeds. Multiple tendrils launch out of the air, one of them gashing a large cut on my cheek.
I stumble back in pain clutching the fresh new wound, I shot at one of the tendrils but was tackled down onto the ground once more by the pale creatures of the fog. I shot into it many times blasting a hole through its stomach, black blood pours down onto my chest, and I move it away before another one takes its place.
Before long another set of teeth was biting down upon my leg, the sharp pain was indescribable as I feel each of its jagged teeth hit parts of my flesh. Rose quickly dealt with it by throwing her great sword at the biting fog monster and skewing the left side of its body into the ground, I managed to sink my fingers into the other one's eyes which were trying to take out my neck.
I managed to get up, my leg was messed up, and blood seeping out of my pants, I aimed my blaster and started to shoot at the area where the tendrils were, the holes the shots made gave me enough sight to see where he was at, I then made multiple shots into where he was standing before I heard screaming and footsteps running off.
"Almost done!" Tron spoke, sweat pouring down his face as his eyes were fully glowing.
Hera was dealing with multiple of the creatures before getting overwhelmed by the creatures, her once pure white wings were now covered in bite marks as golden blood drips down, and Rose's armor was at the point of being reduced to almost scrap as for Tron his veins were bulging as the fog he inhaled was making it a struggle to perform his magic.
Another shriek as the dark tendrils wrapped themselves around my left arm restraining my gun, but luckily the T sword was on my right. As I was being pulled I switched the settings from moderate damage to max damage, the sword struggling to hold it as it increased its size to almost a 7-story building. The light of it showed through the fog and I was able to see what was in front of me, I see his shape and I swung down to where he was. The sheer size was impossible to dodge and for him seeing this he tried to block but was overwhelmed by the amount of force of the sword.
It created a small explosion of blue energy before clearing the fog around it temporarily, he was laying down with half of his body almost split in half. He gets up, his mask was crumbling down, showing the bottom half of his face. He smiles showing his black void of a mouth.
"It seems that more force is required... I shall shed this form of mine and show you true power," he spoke shakily.
I heard wet tearing, fog swirling around us, and his shrieking silences everything around us. His once humanoid body rips apart to show a terrifying mass of dark tentacles. He shrieks once more and pulls himself closer to me.
His body clearly shows madness and despair.
"Now Behold foolish mortal true despair, now offer yourself to the Baros the God of Darkness and Destiny"
_________________________________
Short Tales
The forgotten king II
Hello, my name isn't important but I must tell my tale of how I was one of the rare few who survived the encounter with the forgotten king.
It started when I was a gold rank adventurer, me and a group of 12 were tasked with going through the ruins of a lost ruins and collecting artifacts and treasures that was once lost long ago. Looking back at it now, It was clear that they knew about that demon and still sent us to our deaths.
The trek there was treacherous as it was in hostile territory, orcs and other clans fought for control there. I won't tell where it was so I can prevent others from meeting the same fate as my friends.
It was high up in some mountains as the ruins was built there, when we go there it look like monstrosities of debris and great structures laid around making it look like another mountain. There was an entrance somehow but small, still we made our way in carefully so we wouldn't bring down the entire structure upon us.
We eventually got into a hallway, there was tattered red carpet made with intricate designs, paintings with a family but It was far too damaged to make out details. We collected pieces of treasure and little trinkets of old.
We stopped Infront of a massive door, the red crimson door with small gold plantings, the group tore the gold from the doors but one of them stupidly broke the door and fell inwards down a small slope.
He fell down 6 feet, we jumped down, the original flooring collapsed during whatever happened there. The entire space there was massive, most likely a ballroom. Parts of the ceiling has been breached as rocks and debris pokes through, dust cakes the floor. We should've left, we should've left after smelling death and decay in that room...
A figure was in the middle of the room, sitting down on a broken chair, long white hair that looks rugged and untamed, a red robe that flow down to his feet and a broken crown rested upon his clumped hair. He took notice of us right away, and stood up showing his entire body, He was massive easily over seven feet. A gauntlet on his left arm and his right arm was showing his pale skin, the most notable was a blade sticking out of his chest, piercing his expensive tailored suit. His pale skin, god... you could see the veins his black veins, his eyes were pure darkness like the abyss staring through you.
He didn't even spoke word before he started to pick off my party, In an instant I head a sickening sound of something breaking, the sound of something soft being squished. I looked behind me and he somehow teleported, his fist made contact with our groups tank, he clearly pierced through enchanted metal and flesh like it was butter, the fragments of skull and brain was everywhere, his eye ball landed on my shoulder, god...
Right after he managed to grab hold of our archer before ripping out their throat, our assassin managed to slit the bastards throat but it did nothing but his blood covered his hand to which its melted through his flesh, this bastard blood was acid. He then grabbed ahold of the assassin head with both of his hands on each side and POPPED! it like it nothing.
Before then two of our heavy hitters managed to hold him long enough for the mage to conjure up a high level spell to injure the monster, but something happened before hit, a massive barrier appeared around and tanked the spell like it was nothing. This bastard has artifacts, his entire body had some sort of artifact for any situation.
One our swordman managed to cut off his right hand, but before long veins were bulging and hot steam was coming out of his wound before regrowing a new hand, this... this guy he could just regenerate.
It didn't take long after that, most of my team was dead and I ran like the coward I am, the adventurers guild, you know what they said?
"Did you get the treasure?" they asked, I left after that, I quit being an adventurer and I made bloody sure that I was across the goddamn continent from that monster.
So this is a warning to you, stay away from that Demon.