He was alone in the dark, unable to see anything in front of him. His mind felt empty...hollow... He could not feel anything, but what was feeling? What was the mind? These things he did not know, nor did he have any desire or need to know.
He chose not to move for there was no purpose to do so. Sitting there for eons in the void all alone, not moving, not seeing, not thinking, and not feeling anything. This would have made anyone go mad, but he did not, for it was impossible for him to do so. This was how it would always be, for all of eternity.
But then... There was fire... And with it came strange things.
He started feeling cold, and then warm.
He then could feel the ground below them and his mind began to feel being filled with something.
For the first time, he opened his eyes to see light, a large and great flame near him producing it. Then he felt it in his hands... a flame. It felt comforting in his hands, it felt powerful and almost seemed to resonate with him. Like it was meant for him.
Slowly he rose, his gaze not parting from the flame in his hands before holding it close. When he held it next to his chest it went inside of him. His body began to be flooded with strength, his pitch-black wrinkly skin becoming smooth.
He felt complete now, save for one thing... He was still alone.
Maybe if he left this place, he could find someone. He could only hope that he would fine someone.
Step by step he wandered in the barely lit cave, many times falling and tripping. But No matter how long he kept going he never got anywhere, until he almost tripped over something.
He stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance to see a small humanoid creature grabbing onto his leg with its fragile-looking hands. It stared at him with its empty eyes and shallow face, groaning in agony.
They looked so...so... pitiful.
He was so tired of being alone. Maybe, if he helped them, they would come with him. But how would he do that?
That flame he put in himself made him as he is now, maybe he could give it too then? Slowly he put his hand on his chest, his hand somehow going inside grabbing onto the flame.
The creature's eyes seemed to widen as he pulled out the flame, but now what was he to do? Maybe he could try something else? With a shaky hand, he took out a tiny fragment of it. The creature immediately let go of his leg and desperately tried to reach out to the flame, like a hungry animal.
Complying to the creature's silent request, he placed it into Its hands. They held it close to themselves, the tiny fragment entering their chest. He watched as the creature's body changed just like him, but when the transformation was over, he didn't look exactly like him as they rose from the ground.
None of them said a word, both placing a hand on each other's faces as if to make sure that what was happening was real. Both retracted their hands and stood there staring at each other.
The new pigmy looked around for something until spotting a colorful red stone. It placed it into his hands as if it was paying him back for what he did. "F..fr..Friend..." Slowly muttered the pigmy, forming its first words.
He could not help but to feel content at what he had done, he had a friend now. He looked down at the stone in his hands and smiled.
He would cherish this gift forever.
...
...
...
Gael's eyes shot open, breathing heavily. What had he just witnessed?
Was that a dream? No, it was too vivid.
Perhaps another memory? But then of who's?
He sat there and continued to wonder what that vision was until a voice spoke up, "It does not matter, now get up!" Seems the voices wouldn't leave him alone entirely.
Gael stood up, grabbed his equipment and headed to the exit of the cave. He looked back at the dim bonfire, a small sense of nostalgia of his days as a young undead coming upon him. "Hogwash, why should I feel such for those wretched days?" Muttered Gael, shaking himself out of the nostalgia. Those days were gone, and besides those were the worst days of his life. A bit of him wishing he could remember the days before being undead before he became less than nothing.
Finally, he made to the exit of the cave with sunlight beaming down on him. Gael did not know where to go for certain, but for now, he would start with what he knew. Using the sun as a guide he went north in hope of finding a caravan.
Just like every other one of his trips, he spent hours walking in the lifeless desert. Eventually, he came upon a destroyed caravan with its dead members strung about all the ground. "Strange I do not remember the mamono ever killi-" Geal could feel his foot crushing something.
He looked down to the barely recognizable corpse of the Pharoah. Gael could only recognize it by the jewelry on it that the Pharoah had on. If that is true, then he was back at the caravan from that day.
"Hmm, now that I think about it, I might find something of use here" Thought Gael aloud. He started the process pillaging the rotting half-eaten corpses.
Gael could not find anything of use on them, that is until he searched one in purple garments. A Small yet heavily detailed map, it was even colored in making it easier for him to know his location.
There was but one problem though. It was not in a tongue he could read, making it rather difficult with the fact that there were multiple desert-looking regions on the map. Gael rolled up the map and put it into one of his small pouches on his belt. Before leaving in search of any landmarks on the map, he began to search through the chests of the caravan off the corpses of the animals.
Spices, herbs, clothing, jewelry, worthless money, and even some materials that could be used for building were found but nothing out of ordinary or equipment he could use. Gael searched through every chest, but just like the corpses, he found nothing. He went to the last chest at the very back and opened it. At first, it was just clothing until he went to the bottom. At the bottom, he found something of use.
A crossbow with its bolts, and a strange book next to it, but he did not bother picking that up. "Finally, something that I can use with no trouble." When he had first awoken in this world, he used his crossbow a great deal, but for some reason, crossbows seem to be a rarity in this world. Therefore, he had to use his sparingly.
Gael picked up the bolts and removed main the bolt loaded into the crossbow, putting them into one of his satchels. With nothing else to search for Gael began his next goal, to find a landmark that is on the map.
(-)
Druella stared at their map of Lescatie, looking for any blind spots in which to easily conquer the city. They had just formed camp and started their plans to attack Lescatie, but now things were starting to look as though it would be a far more difficult task then she initially thought. Due to a sudden new wave of caravans, merchants, and travelers arriving at Lescatie much sooner than normal, Lescaties economy was booming. For once the corrupt nobles had enough spare change to afford to have the defenses reinforced and improved.
Also, with it came greater security and more soldiers in their garrisons which made it harder for their kunoichi to get it. This also meant she would need to secure more mamono for her own army.
Druella groaned and sat down. "How in the world did this happened?" Spoke Druella to herself, "The only way they could have gotten here is through Lahara desert but that can't be right. The Pharoah there was dealing with anyone going that path. I even sent some people to help her before arriving here"
"Is everything well your highness?" Came the voice of one of her orc commanders who had just entered the tent.
"Oh. I am fine Dalhu, thank you." Replied Druella
The orc commander walked over and placed her hand on Druella's shoulder, "Something is bothering you, your highness. I have seen similar looks with some of those underneath me."
"It's just one little thing that's bothering me really." Dalhu gave a curious look. "For some reason, Lescatie overall has grown significantly in wealth and power, the only tangible reason I can think of is that merchants and the like are going through Lahara, increasing its prosperity. But that cannot be."
"Did you not send some of your kunoichis to the Pharoah a while back?"
"Yes, I did..." Druelle thought for a moment or two before looking at Dalhu, "Did any of them return to us?"
"Only two, your highness. They had come to as about a week ago"
Druella stood up, "Then please bring them to me at once"
"Yes, your highness."
A few minutes later two kunoichis entered the tent. Dalhu was not with them as she most likely was doing her duties elsewhere. "May I have your names?" Spoke Druella.
"Yami," spoke one, bowing after saying their name.
"Yuri," spoke the other, also bowing after speaking.
"Rise," commanded Druella, both then standing up at attention, "Now from what I have gathered, you two were some of the kunoichis I sent to the Pharoah of Lahara desert correct?"
"Correct your highness," spoke Yuri. Druella noted however that the kunoichi Yami seemed to almost wince at the thought.
Druella looked at Yami, wondering why she reacted so at her question. "May I ask, did your master have any problems she needed your assistance with?"
Yami did not say anything, leaving Yuri to be the one to reply. "Save for the usual assassination, yes."
"Then, may I ask as to what?"
"We had been hearing reports of a unique individual who was preventing the Pharoah from taking any travellers." Spoke Yuri
Druella was now very curious. "What sort of individual?"
Yami finally spoke up, " A Red-Hooded Beast, your highness"
Druella turned her attention to Yami and walked in front of her, "What do you know of him."
"Other than that, we should not bother with him, no."
"Hmm, very well, if that is the case then I have no choice. Yuri, I will be sending you two alongside other kunoichis to tell me more of this 'Red-Hooded Beast'."
Then Yami said something Druella was not expecting, "We will not go your highness."
Druella was dumbfounded for a moment before regaining her composure, "That may be so for you, but Yuri must decide for herself. In fact, Yuri, I will leave you as the one in charge of the operation."
Yami was about to interject but Yuri stopped, "Sister, I will be fine." Yami said nothing else as she stood there in silence.
"Very good Yuri, now go and get some of your fellow Kunoichi's and be off." Yuri simply bowed and left to do as she was commanded. Yami, however, stood there, giving Druella a death glare.
"I hope you realize you have sent my sister to her death." Spoke Yami sharply before leaving, not even bothering to bow. That was a first for Druella and from a kunoichi no less.
What happened to her to have caused such a reaction? This was a question Druella hoped to have answered soon.
(-)
"So! What did you find?" Chirped up Thea, startling Etail as he was making his way to the palace.
Etail recomposed himself and cleared his throat, "Well so far it seems to be all about some sort of slave knight but that's about it so far."
"Nothing else?" Questioned Thea as they both made it to the gates of the palace with two guards in front of them.
Etail showed his pass to the guards who then Opened the gate for him. Thea paid no attention to the guards and kept following him until she was stopped, "Pass." commanded one of the guards
"O-Oh sorry about that." Thea searched through her pockets and pulled out her pass, "Here you go." Thea scratched the back of her head
The guard looked at the pass and simply nodded to the other guard, who then allowed her to follow Etail. Thea then continued her conversation, "No really, was there anything else of interest?"
Etail made a quick glance at Thea, "Well yeah, seems like whatever was recorded is far older than anything from our recorded history."
"Wait what!?"
"Yeah, I know." Replied Etail simply, not saying anything else as Thea then kept pestering him with questions. They went to the back of the palace where the back entrance old royal archive was. They went in through its old creaky doors and headed straight towards an opening near a bookshelf which was where the entrance to the site was.
Down the stairs they went, the old torches having been relit since their first discovery of the place. They then made it to the main room, the entrances to the vault and the laboratory now visible compared to back when they found the room in its initial state.
Thea sped up and got in front of Etail, "Hey, before you go back to the vault to keep studying those texts, want to go to that laboratory with me?"
Etail pondered that. If he didn't go, she would keep pestering him. If he did go there wouldn't really be anything of interest, probably an excuse for her to keep asking him questions. Now that he thought about it, it would probably be less annoying to just tag along so she didn't keep asking him the same thing over and over again. "Fine, I'll tag along."
"You will, YES- I mean, let's go!" Thea grabbed him by the hand and dragged him to the laboratory.
The room was filled with equipment, notes and people. all of the people seemed to be grouped up at the window. One of them turned to look who came in, "Oh It's you two. Get over here!"
Thea and Etail hurried over to the window where everyone else was and looked to see what the commotion was about. Through the window, they could see many of the runes changing shape and color, before fading entirely. Eventually, only a small handful of runes were left in the cell.
"Hey look! The bug is about to say something!" Yelled one of the men, pointing at the giant bug creature.
It looked up and stared for a few moments, before opening its mouth to talk. It's voice even clearer than the first time it spoke.
"One was a painter, responsible for creating a safe-haven of a world."
"She had desired to create a perfect world, but was unable to"
"Only through the blood of the dark did she, at last, create such a world"
"Fear not the dark my friend."
"And let the feast begin."