Hello and welcome to my first published story on this site. Please feel free to comment on my work and do understand that I'm still growing into my way of writing. I truly think you will enjoy this but of course I am a little biased. Well, without any further a do, enjoy the story of magic and monsters that is Maicoh.
Ch.1 Arrival in the Desert
Location: Unknown Date: Unknown
The scorching sun beat down upon all in the desert without prejudice. If you were lucky you would find shelter and travel only at night but one young man was not so lucky. He lay face down in the sand as he stirred into consciousness. He felt the sand beneath his hands and the heat against his back. As he sat up he was thankful for the seals and filters in his helmet that kept the sand out of his mouth. At first he thought he was on the beach outside of Athens but when he stood and gazed at his surroundings he was worried. All he saw was sand for as far as the eye could see. There were no sounds of water or any signs of animals anywhere nearby.
He looked down at the data-pad that was attached to the underside of his left forearm. It didn't tell him where he was which shocked him. His data-pad was state of the art military technology that was originally used to help archaeologists map ruins and find their way back to their camps. So long as anyone who used them was able to connect to a satellite, which it did automatically, they'd never be lost.
It's okay, Ryder. He thought to himself. It's possible you stepped through a portal and the magic fucked with the sat-link. He pulled the pack he carried off his back and pulled out a small device. It unfolded in his hands to reveal a small drone. He would have preferred to use magic for scouting but he wouldn't know if there was an enemy nearby who would detect him. With that in mind he followed standard protocol for any Maicoh soldier that found themselves in unknown territory. Use the tech to find shelter. With the drone flying away, Ryder took this opportunity to check his supplies.
One extra canteen, four protein bars, and 3 MREs. He sighed. While it would be helpful in keeping him alive it wasn't enough if he was going to be stuck in this desert for a few days. Thankfully his med-kit was fully stocked with a few small packs of water purifying tablets. If he could find a source of water before he ran out in his canteens he should be able to survive. Rationing would be key otherwise.
Ryder directed his attention to his equipment next. He had twelve magazines with a twenty round limit for his twin Ruger 57 pistols and five magazines with a capacity of ten rounds for his Alexander Arms 50 Beowulf rifle. It wasn't as much as he would have preferred but it would do if need be. He checked to make sure he still had his Mithril Bowie knife and his tomahawk. He sighed in relief when he felt them in their sheaths.
Glancing down at his data-pad once more, he noticed that the drone had found what appeared to be a large village. Judging by the map it was going to be a two day trek west. Ryder pulled out a compass to verify that his data-pads electronic compass was in fact correct.
West it is then. He thought. He knew he just needed to get out of the open. Once in relative safety he could contact his team and ask for a pickup from whatever godforsaken desert he was in. The fact that all he heard from his comms was static began to concern him though. After a few minutes of the static, Ryder couldn't take it anymore. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through his music until he found something to listen to.
He became thankful for the techies that had made his gear and not for the first nor the last time. If it wasn't for them the heat alone would be a killer. After all they had made sure to enchant it with temperature control that was powered by a single gemstone that was filled with Mana. Sadly it would only last for twenty four hours but that was still better than suffering from heatstroke. He knew he could only last for a few hours before passing out. After all he was dressed in all black with armor plating fitted to the fabric. Though he still pulled off his dragon-leather jacket and strapped it to his pack.
As he wandered he couldn't help but wonder how his sister was doing. He hoped that she was alive and healing in the infirmary on the Olympus instead of becoming yet another casualty in his short life. She was his one spark of hope in the world he lived in. While they shared the same father their mother's were completely different. For one thing, his mother was Morrigan, the goddess of Death and War in ancient Celtic legends while her mother was an Elven warrior. He remembered the people back home in Ireland questioning how they were related. But once they met their dad those people understood.
He never thought he'd ever miss those green, rolling hills and the peaceful forests of the Emerald Isle so much. Though after walking this accursed desert for six hours straight without a single sighting of anything green really made him homesick. Thankfully the sun was setting and the cold desert night would set in. He figured he'd journey a few more hours and then make camp for the night.
As he journeyed he had caught sight of a few creatures in the distance. At first he thought he was experiencing a mirage but once he focused on it with the binocular vision in his helmet he realized that they were in fact not a mirage. What he saw was unsettling, creatures of the darkest black with what appeared to be bone armor plates. He noticed some red marking on them but he couldn't tell what they were from where he was. He didn't like the look of them one bit. They reminded him of the Grimm from RWBY. Thankfully they were a few hundred meters out and hadn't noticed him yet.
He decided to continue on his trek and not provoke them. He tried to focus on his surroundings but his mind kept going back to those creatures. Something wasn't right here. He knew this. He had been trained to be able to fight every monster and demon known on earth. These dark creatures though, they were new and unknown to him. He didn't like that one bit.
After finding a cave, Ryder decided to make camp for the night. He removed his helmet and leaned against the back wall. He turned it around and dusted the dirt and sand off of the skull. Staring deep into its eyes he remembered the day he had received this gift.
Olympia, Greece. Four years earlier
"For dedication to the mission, even when his superiors thought it was a lost cause, and for saving countless lives of Imperial citizens. I award Staff Sergeant Sylvan Ryder the highest honor given to any soldier in this empire, The Laurel Crown of Victory and Honor." Nike, the Goddess of Victory, said to the crowd of thousands that had gathered for the award ceremony. She placed the green and gold crown upon Ryder's brow. He stood at attention as she smiled at him. He knew that normally grand gestures such as this weren't done for someone like him. All he did was his duty, for he had no intentions of doing it for honor or glory.
He had saved the people in that small Cretan village because it would stop the Enemy's army from growing any larger. It was for selfish reasons and nothing more. But with how this latest Necro War was going, he also knew that the people needed a reason to believe in victory. So, here he was in the city of Olympia, the heart of the Olympic Games. A city made of marble and stone with statues of the gods, heroes, and victors.
He leveled his bottle green eyes upon the goddess that stood before him and asked one question. "There won't be any statues made of me, right?" She blinked her own golden eyes for a moment and then let out a laugh that was loud and boisterous yet harmoniously beautiful. As she shook her head, Ryder couldn't help but feel at ease for the first time in awhile. Her golden hair came to rest on her shoulders as she smiled warmly at him.
"You're the first mortal to make me laugh in a long time, kid." She said. Ryder took the compliment for what it was. After all, the gods weren't ones to give compliments and not mean it. They could afford to be blunt about their feelings of things. After all not many could challenge them if they got upset with the gods. She turned him around to face the multitudes of faces in the crowd. He saw Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, Humans, and so many different types of Demihumans. All were there because he was now their Hero.
He knew he was going to hate the worship that some would come with the title of hero. The request for photos and autographs would become overwhelming. Thankfully they didn't know about him being part of the special Necro Hunters force known as Maicoh. All the fan mail would be handled by the Irish branch of the Olympian Imperial Army, which made him feel even better.
"Do you want to give a speech?" Nike asked. Ryder shook his head. He had always been a man of few words and more times than not speeches needed more than a few words. She nodded in understanding.
"Feel free to step off the stage with me then." She said as she began to walk away. Ryder followed her and couldn't help but admire her grace. Anyone who could wear a toga in this modern age with such confidence and grace deserves admiration. As he entered the back area he was tackled by a, slightly smaller than him, ball of energy.
"Hi, Ellie." Ryder grunted. He looked down and saw the beaming face of his little sister. She was a young woman of thirteen with sapphire blue eyes. Her warm blonde hair was cut short and messy, which contradicted her otherwise pristine appearance. She wore the same style of service uniform as Ryder himself. Though the black and grey color scheme didn't go so well with her lighter complexion. She had always complained about how pale it made her look otherwise it fit well on her elven frame.
Ellie could always make him feel better and he needed to after the anxiety of being in front of so many people. The only thing that saddened him was that she had to see the same Hell that he had too. She could have been an artist or anything else for that matter. But, like him her heritage had dictated her to the path of the soldier.
"Ellie, get off your brother." A slightly gruff voice said. Ryder glanced in the direction of the voice and smiled as he saw his father, William. He towered over both of his kids at 195 centimeters. Ryder had always likened him to a mountain lion growing up with his lean yet strong build. His jet black hair contrasted with Ryder's own Raven hair with silver streaks. Like his son, William kept his hair short for militaristic reasons. While his daughter had complained about the colors of their SU's, William had never had a reason to. His Navajo blood had made his complexion actually be complemented by the darker colors.
He had on one of the biggest grins Ryder had ever seen him wear. William had always worn such a grin when one of his kids did something that just made him so proud of them. Neither of them ever had to question whether William loved them or not. After all he was from the Navajo tribe and family was everything to any tribe in America.
Ellie stood and helped her brother stand back up. Right as they were stable, they were both pulled into the biggest bear hugs they had ever experienced from their father.
"I am so proud of both of you." William said. His children were surprised by the sudden affection but soon relaxed and returned the hug. They pulled away and William couldn't help but shake his head.
"Only fourteen and already seen as a hero." As William said this Ryder couldn't help but look down at his boots in shame. William just looked at him curiously and waited for his son to speak.
"I only did what I did to prevent that village from becoming a part of the undead hordes." Ryder said with shame in his voice. William put a hand on his shoulder and just smiled at him.
"I know why you did it, son," William began. "The reason behind the action is not important. The action itself speaks more about who you are and who you will become than the reason." Ryder looked up at his father and for the first time in years with tears in his eyes. These were not tears of sadness or pain but ones of relief. Ryder had been so worried that his father would be ashamed of him that he hadn't expected to hear such kind words from him. He was pulled into another embrace by his father.
"May I have a few words with my son, William?" A soft voice asked. William and Ryder turned and were surprised to see the intimidating beauty that was walking towards them. Ryder's shock turned into a scowl as he looked at the raven haired woman before him. Her eyes were shining like green flames that danced in the breeze. Her pale features contrasted deeply against her black jacket and grey shirt. Ryder knew that every man was staring at her as she walked towards them in her skin tight jeans and boots.
"What do you want, Mother." Ryder asked coldly. She may have been his mother but she was never around when he needed her the most. She looked into his eyes and saw the anger dwelling within. The thought that her own son was angry with her was to be expected though that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.
"I wanted to talk to you." She answered. She glanced at William and asked, silently, for some privacy. He nodded and turned to Ellie.
"Let's give them some privacy, Ellie." William said. Ellie glanced to her brother with a worried look on her face. She could tell that he was upset with his mother for some reason and felt that she should stay to support him if need be. He looked at her and nodded towards their father. Once they were out of earshot, even for an Elf, Morrigan smiled warmly at her son.
"You've grown into a strong young man, Sylvan." She said. Ryder glared at her as she said this.
"First," He began. "The name is Ryder not Sylvan. I've always hated that name." Morrigan looked hurt at his words. She had always loved the name she had chosen for him. It meant silver, and to her, even though she had to watch from a distance as he grew up, he had been her silver lining.
"Second," He continued. "You come here and expect me to just break down and hug you while calling you mom after you've been absent in my life for over four years!?" The hostility in his voice shocked everyone around them. They had known Ryder to be quiet and soft spoken, not angry and hostile. Morrigan looked crestfallen at his words.
"You know I had no…"
"What?!" Ryder yelled. "No choice but to abandon your own son when he needed you the most?! No choice but to let him wallow in misery and suffer from the nightmares of his actions?!" Morrigan couldn't help but to just stand there as her son yelled at her. He was right. She hadn't been there in his darkest hour. She hated it but the rules surrounding his existence were harsh if not unjust. She looked up, grabbed a hold of him, and pulled him into the first motherly embrace he had received from her since he was child.
"I'm sorry, son." She said as she held him tightly. "I never wanted to leave you, but the other gods feared your power would become if I helped raise you, so they put restrictions on me to prevent it." She pulled away and looked at him with warm loving eyes and saw the pain in his own. She wanted to reset the clock and tell her brethren where they could shove it. For here was her child, hurting and angry, because of their rules.
"I swear to you that I won't make you feel abandoned again." She said. Ryder looked at her stunned at her words. She saw just a glimmer of hope in his green eyes and that alone solidified her resolve.
Damn the consequences! She thought. This is my son and I will train him to be able to fight like me! She knew the gods would attempt to hinder her from keeping this promise but she truly didn't care. For the first time in the short life of her son she was going to do something right and this felt like it was right. But, first she needed to give him the gift she had ordered specially for him.
"Ryder," She began as she pulled away. "I had something made for you." She summoned a small magic portal and pulled out a box.
"I was originally going to give this to you on your fourteenth birthday, but now is just as good a time as any." She handed him the box and he opened it carefully. He knew that anything that a god or goddess gave to someone should be handled with care. It could be deadly or just extremely powerful. What he saw when he looked inside was not what he had expected.
"It's a helmet." He said aloud. He looked up at her while wearing a puzzled expression.
"It's not just any helmet," She began to explain. "It is a powerful item crafted by Hephaestus himself. This helmet can shift with its wearer and take on a form of their choosing. It was made with you in mind and what you're tasked to do." Ryder looked at it far more carefully but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Morrigan rolled her eyes at her son's cautiousness.
"Put your will to it." She said. "Imagine it as something else entirely and make it so." Ryder decided to trust her this once and willed the helmet to look like a blackened skull. Morrigan smiled and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Very good," She said. "And now your training can truly begin."
Present
Ryder smiled as he remembered that day of mixed feelings. It was the last simple day he had ever experienced. Shortly after his father had disappeared on a mission for Maicoh. He and his sister were put in command of a new spec ops unit that specialized in infiltration and intelligence. His life of just being a soldier under the command of General Tatsuo had ended when she had promoted him to Lieutenant Commander two years later. His mother had even trained him and honed his skills with magic and combat.
Now he was in some unknown desert with creatures he's never seen before. God, how he wished to be back home with a hot meal and a good book. He checked the Mana Gauge for his suit and sighed.
Only four hours left. He thought. It'll get me through the night but not through the day. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. This meant that he'd have to spend most of the day without the armor and in the burning son. He dug into his pack just to make sure he had something that wasn't so damn tight to wear in this heat. Sure, his suit was designed to take a beating and keep his internal temp regulated, but without that damn crystal he was screwed.
Thank God! Ryder thought in relief. A grey T-shirt! This will have to do. Though I'd rather not be wearing my black pants in this heat. With his mind slightly at ease, Ryder decided to eat an MRE and call it a night. A few hours of sleep was always better than none. As he laid down he looked up to the night sky and tried to find some constellations he knew to put his mind at ease. This had always helped him fall asleep in the wilderness. As sleep began to claim him he started awake in complete shock.
"I'M NOT ON EARTH!?" He yelled. None of the constellations were ones he recognized. There was no Big or Little Dipper, no Orion, Hercules, or even the Zodiac stars. He began to panic.
Great not only am I somewhere I don't know but I'm on a planet I don't know! He started to take deep breaths to calm down. There had to be an explanation as to why he wasn't on Earth anymore. Hopefully there was a way back as well. As soon as he could he was going to send a drone through that portal when he found it and get back.
Sleep evaded him the rest of the night after his realization. Dawn came and with it the heat. Ryder groggily changed out of his depleted suit. He knew he could always recharge it but he couldn't risk it. Especially now that he knew he wasn't on Earth. He didn't know if his mana would recharge or if something would cause him to need it. With that in mind Ryder popped a caffeine pill and started moving. He had just a glimmer of hope in the back of his mind that this village was friendly and that he could find a way to communicate with them.
He continued for hours with the sun beating down upon him. Sadly he wasn't wearing his helmet to help with the sand and the ultraviolet rays from assaulting his olive tanned skin. He knew that he was going to have a serious sunburn once he was out of the desert. He just hoped that he could keep up his willpower to not drink the rest of the water he had. If he was smart he could just make it to the village with what water he had.
A few more hours passed and he began to think that the sun was working with his sleep deprivation to make him see things. He shook his head clear and looked through the scope of his rifle and realized that he wasn't seeing things. There was someone wearing fur in the desert.
Can't be. He thought to himself. No one would ever wear fur in this heat. With that in mind, Ryder continued walking. As he got closer to the person something in him told him that something wasn't right. He was now about a hundred meters from them and it turned to look at him. All Ryder saw was a Native American looking man who was wearing the skin of a coyote. The man smiled a wolfish grin that showed his sharpened teeth.
"A NAALDLOOSHII!?" He yelled as he began to run in the opposite direction. He may have been trained to fight such creatures but that didn't mean he wasn't terrified of what was, essentially, the boogie man of the Navajo tribe. He could sense that it was chasing him now but something else was now nagging at him. Then he heard it. The howl of coyotes. He glanced in the direction and saw not coyotes but something worse. In their place were black coyote-like creatures with red and yellow eyes that wore a white bone like mask with red markings. He dove behind a sand dune and slid to the bottom but instead of running away anymore he turned to face them. As these monsters came over the top of the dune he began squeezing off rounds from his rifle. They dropped like flies as he fired upon them but more kept coming.
They definitely only look like coyotes. Ryder thought as he swapped mags. He began to wonder if he was going to have enough ammo to take them down as more kept coming down the dune. He began to fall back to a more defensible location. As he ran he fired on them taking out more of the dark creatures.
Is there no end to these things?! He began to wonder. He noticed out of the corner of his eye a large stone outcropping. He turned towards it and ran. Just before he reached them he ran out of ammo for his rifle. He scrambled up one of the stones and yanked out his pistols. From there he went to work clearing them out. He noticed the Skinwalker taking up the rear like it was egging the others on. He didn't like that one bit but had his hands full with the small fries. He was down to two magazines for his pistols plus two half mags in them already when he'd finally dropped them to a more manageable point. The Walker was closer now and Ryder took this chance to put a round right through it's skull. The round fired and hit its mark, but the Walker just stood there like it had gotten struck by a pebble. It was in that moment that it revealed its true self. The skin shimmered like a heatwave on the road and then disappeared. Standing where the man once stood was a creature from Ryder's own nightmares. It towered over Ryder's own one hundred and seventy-five centimeters by at least a hundred.
The headdress was now a full face resembling a coyote but with the same bone mask as the others though it had more markings. It walked on both two legs and four like the Lycans he knew back on Earth. It looked right at him and all Ryder could think was, Great, I'm on the menu for lunch. For a second he thought he was done for and that he'd never see his friends and family again when he heard a sound that was music to his ears. It was a howl that normally instilled fear, but filled Ryder with a sense of relief.
It was the howl of a Hellhound brought from the deepest depths of Hell itself.
Out of nowhere a large black dog came barreling into the fight taking on the dark coyotes, leaving Ryder to deal with the big guy. Ryder smiled as he holstered his pistols and pulled out his knife and axe. The Walker charged at him and swung one of its enormous claws. Ryder lept over and chopped at its shoulder with his axe. Landing, he slid to a stop on the sand as the boulder he'd been standing on was smashed into chunks. His initial fear of the beast had finally abated at the sight of the wound he inflicted.
Good, If it can be hurt then it can be killed. Ryder thought. He charged the monster and dove between its legs as it swung again. As he dove he slashed at its right ankle with his knife and used the momentum to spin and chop at the slashed leg. The creature stumbled as it's back paw was severed. Ryder stood with bleak determination on his face as the creature was unsteady on its remaining limbs. The beast glared at him and howled so loud that Ryder had to cover his ears just to stem the pain. In that moment of distraction Ryder was struck by the beast and sent flying. He crashed against one of the other boulders and felt three ribs and at least five of his vertebral bones fracture. Laying in a heap he was unable to breathe let alone move.
The Beast came towards Ryder as he tried to move. The beast snarled at him and was about to finish him off when the Hellhound slammed into it. It became a battle of fur and teeth as Ryder reached towards the mana pool in his mind. As he touched it he felt a spark of liquid ice surge through his veins. He willed it to heal his broken body but focused it on the more severe areas. If he used too much it would kill him and the fight for his survival would be for nought.
As he struggled to his feet, he checked his mana gauge and saw that he had enough for one major spell or two small ones. He could work with that. Looking back to the fight of beasts he saw that the hellhound was losing but only just. Ryder picked up his knife and set it ablaze with his magic. An unnatural flame, with a sickly green iridescent glow, Balefire a flame from ancient times; this fire was seen as the flames of evil. It was cold as ice to the touch yet burned. Only magic could extinguish the sickly flame yet the burns would never heal. As such it was forbidden to use this magic on the living but in this moment Ryder just didn't give a fuck.
Ryder leapt onto the back of the Skinwalker and thrust his blade into its left shoulder. The Beast howled in pain and rage as it attempted to shake off Ryder. Ryder held on for dear life as he repeatedly thrust his blade into the monster. The hellhound, snapping at the creature's throat was swatted away. The yelp Ryder heard enraged him. He gazed at the hound in worry. He watched as it tried to stand back up but slumped down. He knew it'd be fine because Hellhounds had extraordinary healing abilities.
Ryder drew one of his pistols and unloaded into the base of the creature's skull. For some reason unknown to him the bullets couldn't penetrate the bone but he did know that both Mithril and magic hurt this beast severely. He holstered his firearm and gripped tightly to the creature's oily black fur, with his hold reaffirmed he ripped his knife out of the beast's shoulder and thrust it into the exposed bone around its neck. He called upon his magic once more to ignite his blade and twisted the knife. This action severed the creatures spine yet Ryder wasn't done. Instead of letting the magic go he drew further and let the flames envelope the creature. Ryder could only imagine the pain it was feeling as he leapt off its back.
He continued to watch as the monster burned to dust. The hellhound walked up to the still burning skull and pulled the mask out of the fire. He strode over to Ryder and dropped the mask at his feet. Ryder smiled at the hound as he picked up the mask.
"Good work, Balian." He said while scratching the hound's head. As his adrenaline faded taking two steps towards the village, his knees gave out and buckled, dropping him into a heap. The last thing he remembered before darkness took him was the sight of his own blood in the sand.
Phew! That's done now. As you can undoubtedly tell, this story is going to be a bit serious but it will have it's moments of comic relief and a bit of slice of life, as we anime junkies call it, throughout. I hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter. Oh! if you're wondering how the skull mask survived instead of dissolving like the rest of the Grimm, I'll just say this, Magic Bitches! Seriously, Balefire is some serious shit that no one truly understands so, it is within the realm of possibilities that it could prevent to skull from burning. Plan on releasing the next chapter in a week or two.