I'm back! Sorry for the long wait, I've been super busy, with school, sports and the like. I won't be posting as frequently, and I'll be focusing on other stories as well, so don't be shy, check them out! ... Please. On the bright side, I might get my own cover designer!
Sidenote: Samson is a bible character with incompatible strength, and whose only weakness is his hair and untrustworthy women.
...
Same.
Anyways, enjoy!
I knelt at the altar, the ruins of the old cathedral rose around me. Moss now hung on the walls, and the entire roof was missing. Now, only the walls, stain glassed Windows and altars remained. Outside the birds of the jungle sang, and the wind rustles through the trees.
I knelt my head in prayer, a rosary tied around my hand held to my forehead in prayer. My hair ran down my face and down to my shoulder.
Suddenly I heard a slight rustling in the distance, followed by the small footsteps. I rose, walking out of the ruins to the edge of the clearing. The tropical forest spread out in front of me, and through the foliage I could see shapes walking through. What appeared to be three young men walked through into the clearing. I could now see that one had blonde hair while the other two had black hair. They all paused, glaring at me.
"Who are you?" The one with black hair asked. "What are you doing so far from a village?"
"I should be asking that. You three aren't from here, are you?"
"Same can be said for you." Said one of his friends.
"Well, if you are unwilling to inform me, then I will simply take my leave." I turned, only to hear a shink near my feet. Looking down, a sword lay planted right in front of me, stabbed halfway into the dirt. I turned my head to see the one with blonde hair's hand outstretched.
"Not so fast. You're not Greek, are you." I turned to him and held up my hand, showing the wooden rosary. "I thought so. So we'll ask again. Who are you?"
"Call me Samson." I said, turning back around and walking away. I heard the slight rustling of footsteps approaching, and I already knew how this was going to end.
"I wouldn't walk away from-" I cut him off mid-sentence the minute he grabbed my shoulder. I whipped around and palmed him in the center of his chest. Blondie fell back a couple of feet, struggling to stay on his feet.
"You are all the same." I muttered.
"What did you just say?" Said another one with the long black hair.
"Greeks. Always jumping to a problem." I said.
"That's racist." Muttered the blonde hair one. "So I'll ask you again, what are you?"
"They call me Samson." I repeated
'Not your name, what are you? A Deity, Object? You don't have the look of a Hero." Muttered the black haired one on the left.
"I don't?" I said, looking down at my hands. "So I guess that makes you some Heroes?"
"The name's Hercules, if you can even recognize it. This is Perseus and Theseus." The other two nodded to me, and I returned the gesture. Greek heroes in India? Strange.
"So what brings you to India? You must have come here for a reason."
"We're looking for an object. Fleece. Seen it anywhere?"
"Fleece?" I asked as the other two looked around.
"A healing Object. We're investigating some missing Deities, and we found one injured. We need her help."
"Is that so? What happened that you need a healer?"
"A Deity became wounded in a hunt. She's not recovering." Said who I'm guessing was Perseus.
"So you believe the Fleece with save her?"
"Why shouldn't it?"
"If a Deity became so injured that they can't be healed, what makes you think that they can be healed?" The three looked to each other. "In my opinion, it'd be best to let them die. No sense in suffering if they can come back." I muttered.
"Although that might be true, it's not just that. This Deity knows the location of several Greek Heroes. That is our original quest."
"Well, I may not know the location of a Fleece or Greek Heroes, but I will tell you this. This forest has changed recently. It is more alive, more wild, and has gone completely primal. You will see monsters you wouldn't even be able to imagine, or forget."
"The forest changed, eh? Maybe that's the Fleece working it's magic. Thanks for your help. Do you know where the center of the woods are?" I pointed them in the right direction.
"Well then, we'll be off. Oh, and a warning." Hercules turned around. "Beware of the Index." I nodded, not comprehending what he said. They voiced their thanks and departed just as quickly as they had arrived, leaving me once again alone. Sighing, I walked the opposite direction, into the true heart of the jungle.
After what seemed like an eternity of walking, I reached a wall of trees, so thick and near each other that trying to squeeze through would be impossible. However, if I looked for a certain mark…
There.
A tree with the mark of a ram's head. I walked through, and the tree faded into an illusion, and the clearing opened up. There was a pond, or rather a small lake, with an island in the center. And at the center sat a girl with golden brown hair.
"Are they gone?" She said, keeping her hazel eyes trained to the sky.
"Yes. They came looking for you, but I misguided them."
"Good."
"They mentioned something about an injured Deity. Said that he or she isn't healing." I looked to her face for a reaction, noticing only a slight wince. "Know anything about it?"
"Seems like Athena had a rough scrape. For the goddess of wisdom, she sure is pretty idiotic."
"Will you help her?"
"... They are not after me for my ability."
"What do you mean?"
"They just want to use me. That's all they've done." She muttered, finally casting her eyes down towards me.
"You said you came to me for help. They said the same. Do you remember what I said to you the day you came to me?" I said, crossing my arms. She shook her head, her expression unchanging. "I said I'll do good by you, so you'll do good by someone else. I meant that, Fleece." She looked away. I turned and started to walk back out of the clearing. I was about to cross through the illusion when I heard soft padding behind me. I turned just in time to see a wrinkled gray hand reach for my face. I buckled my knees slightly and the hand sailed over my head, as well as the rest of the gorilla.
I turned to see the beast bare his fangs at me. It swung I it's left arm, and I blocked it with my right, palming it in the chest. Then I swung behind it, grabbing it's arm and flipping it over. It crashed to the ground with a grunt.
"Fleece!" I yelled turning to the small island, only to find she was gone. I turned back to see the gorilla stamping the ground and hitting its fist to the floor. It charged again, but I swung behind it, wrapping one arm around it's neck and the other around its right arm. Tripping it with a flick of my foot, I landed below it, putting it in a strangle hold. I waited as it fainted, letting go only when it's arms went slack and the snarling stopped. Standing up, I pushed the beast to the side, scanning the clearing.
"Fleece!" I snarled, trying to find where she went. The soft grass concealed footsteps, making it all the more harder if I had to track her.
"Big mistake Samson." I heard behind me. I turned just in time to see a hand reaching for my face. I ducked, then realize that he wasn't trying to aim for my face.
He was aiming for my hair.