Prologue: Returned but not home.
The hurricane of biblical proportions raged across the southern U.S. wreaking havoc everywhere. Yet on the edge of the storm a singular being trudged. Undistinguishable at first, upon closer inspection it was revealed to be a man. His cloak billowing in the wind he moved with a weary step to an unknown destination. He cared not for the storm. Ignoring blasts of wind and lightning bolts the man continued his unfaltering trek. The open wounds that littered his body drained him more than the storm ever could. Turning off the ravaged streets he turned to continue down a row of houses looking for his target. He found it half way down the street. Staggering up the steps he uttered two words before slumping unconscious against the door.
"I'm back."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
He awoke to the sound of screams. Reacting on pure instinct the man reached for his waist only to find his weapon missing. Opening his eyes he saw someone he never expected to see again. His sister was standing over him screaming in horror. Obviously she did not recognize him. Pushing himself away from the blood encrusted wall he staggered to his feet. Ignoring the now babbling female he lumbered into the house and once again collapsed onto the floor reopening most of his wounds.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The next thing he remembered was hushed voices nearby. Slowly shifting his muscles he found that he had been stripped and his wounds bandaged. Oddly enough he also felt something going in and out of his wrist. *Must be an IV* he thought before settling down to try and sort out the voices.
". daughter found him on our doorstep like that." Obviously his father.
"Just like this Mr. Tetlow?" The doctor.
"Yes Dr. Kurt but he woke up to her screams and staggered inside before collapsing again." A female voice possibly his mother's.
"He was actually conscious with these wounds?! And moving!"
"Yes."
"My gods who is he! I haven't seen wounds this bad since that ten car pile up. And all on one man! The pain alone should have rendered him unconscious if not outright kill him," He had no idea what the doctor was blabbering about. As far as he could remember he had only been impaled three times.
"I know Doctor, and as far as we can tell he was out in the storm as well." "I really hope this man recovers. He must have an amazing story to tell." The doctor didn't know how right he was.
"And you say he was in armor and other medieval clothes?" The doctor asked.
"Yes he was, with sword and everything. We tried to remove as much of it as possible before the ambulance arrived but we were only able to get off was some of his armor. The paramedics had to cut the rest off because he would have been too heavy to carry." His father explained. Now they just went too far for the man.
"Like .frell. you did! I spent . too much . time on that . armor." He hissed sitting up. Looking down he ripped the IV out of his wrist and swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed. He pinned the three in the room with a glare.
"Y..you're awake!" the doctor stuttered. None of them made any move to approach him.
"Yes." The man croaked trying to force recognizable words out of his scratchy throat. "And you better have not have ruined my armor."
"They didn't ruin it; they just cut the straps holding it in place." The father quickly explained. The man lightened his scowl just a little before trying to stand. He had barely regained his feet when he stumbled and fell to his knees. The doctor lost his fear to fury and rushed to the man.
"What in the blazes do you think you're doing!" he yelled as he helped the man back to the bed.
"Let go healer! I have an obligation to fulfill that can not be done here." The man growled trying to stand again.
"You imbecile I can't let you leave in this state. You should not even be conscious after the injuries you had. We had to spend five hours in surgery sewing your body back together. You've lost over half the blood in your body and you need rest!" He howled at the man as he forced him back into the bed.
"So?" The man demanded his scowl deepening. "My obligations do not wait for me. I must go."
"You will not leave this bed for at least a week even if we have to strap you down to it!" The man picked the doctor up by the throat, an impressive feat considering the doctor was not a small man.
"I will leave this place even if I must break you first healer, now stand aside!" He growled shaking the poor doctor. He sat the doctor back down on the ground before rising again and this time staying up. Shuffling towards the door with one hand on the wall he cursed his weakened state.
"Hello mother, father." He muttered before exiting the room. The hallway outside was packed with people injured in the storm and he was having a hard time making his way to the elevator at the end of the hall. Every so often a nurse would approach him to send him back to his room but a sharp scowl sent them on their way. Entering the elevator he pushed the button for the parking lot and slumped against the wall. His body was much weaker than he remembered. His wounds must have been worse than he realized. *No matter, I will retrieve my armor and find a portal back.*
The elevator opened to the lobby. It was filled with people waiting to get medical attention and other personnel rushing back and forth. None of them paid much attention to him. He was halfway to the entrance when that changed though. The paramedics resting next to the coffee machine eyes bugged out when they finally noticed him. They were the same ones that had brought him in. Hurriedly they tried to catch him at the door. Getting there moments before him they blocked his way. The man growled.
"Out of my way healers." He ordered.
"Man you look like shit." The first one said.
"Yeah you need to go back upstairs and rest." Seconded the second. The man just gnashed his teeth and belted them both in the stomach. The paramedics dropped to the floor in agony while the man staggered over them and out the door. He stumbled through the parking lot towards his house. Wavering as exhaustion washed over him he collapsed on the closest car to catch his breath.
It wasn't until moments later that he realized that he was not alone. Whirling around, he threw himself off balance and sunk to the ground. Glaring up he spotted his parents with inscrutinable expressions gazing down on him.
"What?!" He growled.
"Are you really Eric?" his mom asked.
"Yes." The man sighed dropping his head. And he wept. He wept for everything and nothing at all. Time and space ceased to exist for him. All he knew was agony. That is until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Lets go home son."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Eric awoke in his room feeling much better. His body was healing fast, much faster than a normal human's, and he was anxious to get going. He decided to go inspect his equipment. It was only 5:00 in the morning and no one else was up. All his stuff had been piled in the middle of the living room. Eric rummaged through the pile sorting it. Happily Eric noted that all his armor was present as well as his some of his swords and throwing knives. Looking over the armor he growled over the way they had 'removed' the breastplate. It looked like the clasps had been cut with bolt cutters. Sighing in exasperation he checked over the rest of the breastplate for other things to repair while he was fixing the clasps. There were numerous dents and holes, mainly from where he had been impaled, that had to be fixed. Oddly enough the crest was still intact. The gleaming 'WTF' brought a small smile to his face.
A small sound made him whirl around. At the entrance to the room were his little brother and sister with terrified looks on their faces. Dropping the breastplate with his other armor he smiled to try to look less threatening. It was probably a wasted effort given the fact his scarred torso made for an imposing sight. Rummaging around in the laundry he quickly donned a T-shirt and sat down on the floor. Keeping his smile up he beckoned to for his siblings to approach. They timidly walked over and sat across from him. They warily regarded him before his little brother got up enough courage to speak.
"Are you Eric?" He stuttered. But before Eric could answer his little sister interrupted.
"Of course he isn't Em. Eric is 17. He looks like he's 60." She berated Em.
"I'm only 33 Sarah. And yes Em I am Eric." Eric grimaced, he didn't look that old did he?
"Then why is your hair turning gray?" Em asked.
"Yeah Eric?"
"My hair is turning gray because of the life I live." Eric sighed.
"I still don't believe your Eric?" Sarah accused.
"Sarah Alegria Tetlow!" Eric snapped causing Sarah to instinctively sit up straighter. "Still don't believe me SeiSei?" Eric smirked.
"Eric!" the two kids shouted before tackling him in a hug.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm glad to see you guys too." Eric smiled. "That includes you to Elizabeth." Called to his other sister in the doorway. She just stood there in horror.
"Eric .. is that really you?" She asked in fear.
"Yeah it is. Why are you so scared?" Eric asked concerned.
"You . you should be dead. I saw you yesterday! You were bleeding all over the place! There were holes going through you I could put my hand through!" She screamed
"Oh you mean these?" Eric asked lifting his shirt to reveal where the doctors had sewed up the holes. His siblings collective jaws dropped at the sheer amount of scars running across his torso.
"Wow, Eric! How did you get so many scars?" Em asked awed.
"Battle. Come and sit. I'll tell you all about it." Eric chuckled, beckoning to his parents and sister to join them.
"It all started a year ago for you, but for me it has been seventeen years..."
The hurricane of biblical proportions raged across the southern U.S. wreaking havoc everywhere. Yet on the edge of the storm a singular being trudged. Undistinguishable at first, upon closer inspection it was revealed to be a man. His cloak billowing in the wind he moved with a weary step to an unknown destination. He cared not for the storm. Ignoring blasts of wind and lightning bolts the man continued his unfaltering trek. The open wounds that littered his body drained him more than the storm ever could. Turning off the ravaged streets he turned to continue down a row of houses looking for his target. He found it half way down the street. Staggering up the steps he uttered two words before slumping unconscious against the door.
"I'm back."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
He awoke to the sound of screams. Reacting on pure instinct the man reached for his waist only to find his weapon missing. Opening his eyes he saw someone he never expected to see again. His sister was standing over him screaming in horror. Obviously she did not recognize him. Pushing himself away from the blood encrusted wall he staggered to his feet. Ignoring the now babbling female he lumbered into the house and once again collapsed onto the floor reopening most of his wounds.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The next thing he remembered was hushed voices nearby. Slowly shifting his muscles he found that he had been stripped and his wounds bandaged. Oddly enough he also felt something going in and out of his wrist. *Must be an IV* he thought before settling down to try and sort out the voices.
". daughter found him on our doorstep like that." Obviously his father.
"Just like this Mr. Tetlow?" The doctor.
"Yes Dr. Kurt but he woke up to her screams and staggered inside before collapsing again." A female voice possibly his mother's.
"He was actually conscious with these wounds?! And moving!"
"Yes."
"My gods who is he! I haven't seen wounds this bad since that ten car pile up. And all on one man! The pain alone should have rendered him unconscious if not outright kill him," He had no idea what the doctor was blabbering about. As far as he could remember he had only been impaled three times.
"I know Doctor, and as far as we can tell he was out in the storm as well." "I really hope this man recovers. He must have an amazing story to tell." The doctor didn't know how right he was.
"And you say he was in armor and other medieval clothes?" The doctor asked.
"Yes he was, with sword and everything. We tried to remove as much of it as possible before the ambulance arrived but we were only able to get off was some of his armor. The paramedics had to cut the rest off because he would have been too heavy to carry." His father explained. Now they just went too far for the man.
"Like .frell. you did! I spent . too much . time on that . armor." He hissed sitting up. Looking down he ripped the IV out of his wrist and swung his legs over the side of the hospital bed. He pinned the three in the room with a glare.
"Y..you're awake!" the doctor stuttered. None of them made any move to approach him.
"Yes." The man croaked trying to force recognizable words out of his scratchy throat. "And you better have not have ruined my armor."
"They didn't ruin it; they just cut the straps holding it in place." The father quickly explained. The man lightened his scowl just a little before trying to stand. He had barely regained his feet when he stumbled and fell to his knees. The doctor lost his fear to fury and rushed to the man.
"What in the blazes do you think you're doing!" he yelled as he helped the man back to the bed.
"Let go healer! I have an obligation to fulfill that can not be done here." The man growled trying to stand again.
"You imbecile I can't let you leave in this state. You should not even be conscious after the injuries you had. We had to spend five hours in surgery sewing your body back together. You've lost over half the blood in your body and you need rest!" He howled at the man as he forced him back into the bed.
"So?" The man demanded his scowl deepening. "My obligations do not wait for me. I must go."
"You will not leave this bed for at least a week even if we have to strap you down to it!" The man picked the doctor up by the throat, an impressive feat considering the doctor was not a small man.
"I will leave this place even if I must break you first healer, now stand aside!" He growled shaking the poor doctor. He sat the doctor back down on the ground before rising again and this time staying up. Shuffling towards the door with one hand on the wall he cursed his weakened state.
"Hello mother, father." He muttered before exiting the room. The hallway outside was packed with people injured in the storm and he was having a hard time making his way to the elevator at the end of the hall. Every so often a nurse would approach him to send him back to his room but a sharp scowl sent them on their way. Entering the elevator he pushed the button for the parking lot and slumped against the wall. His body was much weaker than he remembered. His wounds must have been worse than he realized. *No matter, I will retrieve my armor and find a portal back.*
The elevator opened to the lobby. It was filled with people waiting to get medical attention and other personnel rushing back and forth. None of them paid much attention to him. He was halfway to the entrance when that changed though. The paramedics resting next to the coffee machine eyes bugged out when they finally noticed him. They were the same ones that had brought him in. Hurriedly they tried to catch him at the door. Getting there moments before him they blocked his way. The man growled.
"Out of my way healers." He ordered.
"Man you look like shit." The first one said.
"Yeah you need to go back upstairs and rest." Seconded the second. The man just gnashed his teeth and belted them both in the stomach. The paramedics dropped to the floor in agony while the man staggered over them and out the door. He stumbled through the parking lot towards his house. Wavering as exhaustion washed over him he collapsed on the closest car to catch his breath.
It wasn't until moments later that he realized that he was not alone. Whirling around, he threw himself off balance and sunk to the ground. Glaring up he spotted his parents with inscrutinable expressions gazing down on him.
"What?!" He growled.
"Are you really Eric?" his mom asked.
"Yes." The man sighed dropping his head. And he wept. He wept for everything and nothing at all. Time and space ceased to exist for him. All he knew was agony. That is until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Lets go home son."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Eric awoke in his room feeling much better. His body was healing fast, much faster than a normal human's, and he was anxious to get going. He decided to go inspect his equipment. It was only 5:00 in the morning and no one else was up. All his stuff had been piled in the middle of the living room. Eric rummaged through the pile sorting it. Happily Eric noted that all his armor was present as well as his some of his swords and throwing knives. Looking over the armor he growled over the way they had 'removed' the breastplate. It looked like the clasps had been cut with bolt cutters. Sighing in exasperation he checked over the rest of the breastplate for other things to repair while he was fixing the clasps. There were numerous dents and holes, mainly from where he had been impaled, that had to be fixed. Oddly enough the crest was still intact. The gleaming 'WTF' brought a small smile to his face.
A small sound made him whirl around. At the entrance to the room were his little brother and sister with terrified looks on their faces. Dropping the breastplate with his other armor he smiled to try to look less threatening. It was probably a wasted effort given the fact his scarred torso made for an imposing sight. Rummaging around in the laundry he quickly donned a T-shirt and sat down on the floor. Keeping his smile up he beckoned to for his siblings to approach. They timidly walked over and sat across from him. They warily regarded him before his little brother got up enough courage to speak.
"Are you Eric?" He stuttered. But before Eric could answer his little sister interrupted.
"Of course he isn't Em. Eric is 17. He looks like he's 60." She berated Em.
"I'm only 33 Sarah. And yes Em I am Eric." Eric grimaced, he didn't look that old did he?
"Then why is your hair turning gray?" Em asked.
"Yeah Eric?"
"My hair is turning gray because of the life I live." Eric sighed.
"I still don't believe your Eric?" Sarah accused.
"Sarah Alegria Tetlow!" Eric snapped causing Sarah to instinctively sit up straighter. "Still don't believe me SeiSei?" Eric smirked.
"Eric!" the two kids shouted before tackling him in a hug.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm glad to see you guys too." Eric smiled. "That includes you to Elizabeth." Called to his other sister in the doorway. She just stood there in horror.
"Eric .. is that really you?" She asked in fear.
"Yeah it is. Why are you so scared?" Eric asked concerned.
"You . you should be dead. I saw you yesterday! You were bleeding all over the place! There were holes going through you I could put my hand through!" She screamed
"Oh you mean these?" Eric asked lifting his shirt to reveal where the doctors had sewed up the holes. His siblings collective jaws dropped at the sheer amount of scars running across his torso.
"Wow, Eric! How did you get so many scars?" Em asked awed.
"Battle. Come and sit. I'll tell you all about it." Eric chuckled, beckoning to his parents and sister to join them.
"It all started a year ago for you, but for me it has been seventeen years..."
