Frank walked through the forested area, noticing how vibrant everything seemed to be. Wherever this place was, it certainly wasn't in the United States, that's for sure. He found himself in a nearby open space, he still hasn't found his campsite, or any signs of a crater being made, but he figured now was as good of a time as any to see what the watch on his wrist can do, before he accidentally sets it off doing something radically stupid.
Frank rolled up his sleeve and examined the device carefully. He carefully applied pressure to the button, watching as the device clicked the core up with a mechanical click. The hourglass dial began to invert itself, becoming a diamond. Before he could question if he ended up breaking the watch already, a black silhouette soon revealed itself. It was an icon of what looked like a tall, burly, yet somewhat thin tree-like creature that stood like a man. Its head had three jutting protrusions on its head, but aside from that, that was all Frank could recognize from one silhouette.
Frank looked around, wondering if there was anybody else within his general vicinity, but considering he hasn't seen anyone or anything for the past couple miles that he's walked for the past few hours, he's convinced that it'll be a while before he finds civilization again. For the time being, he was still alone, and that meant a number of things to him. One of those things, was that he could figure out this weird watch without interruption.
Frank put his right index finger on top of the core, his eyes widening in anticipation as he pushed the core down. In a burst of purple light, Frank Decade had been transformed. It was a strange feeling, and that's putting it mildly. He felt strange, but at the same time, what he was feeling was indescribable.
The alien he turned into was this earthy greenish-brown vegetal humanoid creature, made out of what looked like wood, moss, muck and flowers, but seemed to reek of pure methane. His hair grew out, jutting into three petal-like protrusions that covered his entire head area. Most of it was this deep shade of rose, while a large yellow petal jutted out from the middle of his forehead, contrasting nicely with the presence of muck and methane. His body was vaguely humanoid, slightly more robust than his human form, and he was a pretty fit guy already, but the only odd thing he had to note was the tree stump feet this creature had. His eyes snapped open, burning with a bright orange hue, and the device's emblem was now formed into a badge, one that was located on the center of his waistline, no longer was the hourglass colored purple, but now replaced with a bright white color.
Frank looked himself over, this was the strangest and wildest thing he's ever experienced, and yet, this felt right. He couldn't explain it even if he wanted to, but something about this watch, now that he has experienced what it has done to him, it just felt... natural, ironically enough. "Maybe I made the right choice living in the woods... otherwise, I would've missed out on this fancy space watch!" His voice was low, nasally and gruff. "So... what exactly can this one do?" Frank questioned.
Before the transformed Frank could try anything, several arrows flew out past the tree line, some whizzed by and got stuck in a nearby tree, while a couple got stuck in his body, but that seemed to tickle him more than actually cause him bodily harm. Frank looked in the direction of where the arrows came from, seeing quite the odd sight adjacent from him. Under the shade that the trees provided, there were skeletons armed with bows and arrows. Along with them were a couple of unsettlingly large spiders, roughly around the size of a full grown dog, and some sort of armless four-legged green creature that had a permanent frown on its face.
The transformed Frank blinked his eyes, even smacking himself to see if he was dreaming, but of course, this was in fact, reality. "Okay, something tells me I'm not in Oklahoma anymore... where's a yellow brick road when you need one?" Frank pulled the arrows out of his body and snapped them into pieces. Though Frank's new body didn't have a mouth, he was scowling at these monsters. "Let's see how you like getting sniped, boney!" Frank remarked, thrusting his hands forward.
Much to Frank's initial shock and surprise, and to the shock of the monsters that instigated this fight, a stream of fire shot from Frank's hands, setting a couple trees on fire, as well as setting fire to a few of the monsters. A few skeletons collapsed into piles of bones because of the damage they took, very few spiders skittered away to avoid the flames while others got burnt to a crisp, and that odd four legged creature seemed to spontaneously combust upon initial contact with the fire itself, uprooting a couple of the trees from the ground from its initial detonation.
Frank looked down at his hands as the fire stopped, simultaneously surprised and excited at what power he had. Before he could celebrate prematurely, more monsters ended up coming out of the woods. "Oh, so you want some too? Fine, then! Let ol' Frank teach ya how to kick it with the big boys! Come get some!" Frank exclaimed.
[Phoenix Drop]
Somewhere much further ahead, a village in ruin and disorder are none-the-wiser to the battle between beasts. This village seemed to be thrown into straight oblivion, with how disorderly everything was. Villagers and guards swimming in the local well, ravenous undead monsters attacking people who are sleeping in the streets, the lack of structure and proper crop growth, barely any livestock, it looked like less of a village and more like a madhouse.
This village and its people seem almost doomed, even with two of its most capable guards trying to remedy the situation, it's clear that something has to be done. Nothing has been the same since the tragedy that befell their leader.
One of these guards was a young man, tanned skin, black eyes, clad in chainmail and metal plates. The other guard was clearly more experienced, judging by their attire and armor alone. Refined steel honed and shaped into a strong set of armor befitting for a high-class guard, draped in a sleeveless white tunic with traces of gold, and branded with a large black cross. Their helmet made it impossible to tell what this guard looked like, but it was obvious that they knew what they were doing.
These two guards seemed to be having an important, yet very heated discussion. "I'm telling you, Garroth, this can't go on! Our guards keep falling into the well, getting drunk on the job and performing poorly, monsters are taking our village one night at a time, picking off whoever is unfortunate enough to still be out after dark, the crops aren't growing like they are supposed to, and everyone is calling our leadership into question, no doubt because of how much our old Lord sucked at his job..." Zenix went silent, a look of regret in his eyes could be seen for a second, before he composed himself. "As if the death of our Lord wasn't already a knife to the throat in our development. We can't even ask the other villages for aid, because we have no connections to go off of!" The young man remarked, concern and conviction strongly laced in his words.
The older guard, Garroth, simply nodded his head. "Zenix, I ask that you must keep calm... I am aware of how things have been taking a turn for the worst... we weren't even made aware again until yesterday, thank Irene," The young man, Zenix, crossed his arms. "We need to take this time to do as much as we can. I'm not sure how long we'll be aware for before we become like everyone else, but we have to make the most of this, and arguing is not going to get anything done." Garroth explained.
Zenix sighed, his head hung low as he broke eye contact with Garroth. "I-I know, I'm sorry... I just- I- I wish we could've been there sooner, to save any of them..." Zenix balled his hands into fists, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything with them. "What's first on the agenda, Garroth? How are we going to restore Phoenix Drop, and its people's faith?" Zenix asked.
Garroth pointed a finger at everything in the village. "We have to make Phoenix Drop safe, sustainable and livable again. Between the two of us, we could get this done if we act now." Garroth stated.
Zenix groaned. "How do we do that exactly? We'd have to establish a farm with proper crops. The soil has lost its nutrients, for crying out loud, what are we-" The sound of a twig snapping caused Zenix's words to be stuck in his throat. The two guards immediately drew their blades, looking around cautiously. "You heard that, right, Garroth?" Zenix asked.
Garroth nodded his head, gripping his blade tightly. Behind the two guards was another figure, a figure dressed in a dark cloak and a green tunic. A gray scarf covered the bottom part of his face, yet some brown hair, a green eye and some fair skin could be seen. The figure quickly moved away from the village of Phoenix Drop, and took note of the various monsters in the area migrating towards the sounds of combat.
Back in the clearing, the figure was watching from the top of a tree, watching as some kind of bipedal tree shooting fire from its hands was making light work of various monsters that seemed drawn to its very presence. By the looks of how many fallen monsters had been decimated by this new beast, and the lack of fire spreading through the forest, they've been fighting for a few minutes now, eight minutes was the best approximation.
Frank wrestled with a tall, scrawny black creature that screeched in his face, its purple eyes were mesmerizing, but it was also agitating to know that it was being looked upon. Frank shoved his hand into the creature's head and shot numerous fireballs inside its mouth. The creature screeched, fire and smoke pouring out of its maw before finally collapsing to the ground while its head burned down to the bone. "This is why you don't play with fire, you'll get burned. So, who else wants a taste of Swampfire?" Frank figured he'd give this new form of his a new name. Rather than just calling himself Frank, he's dubbed this form Swampfire, mainly because of its terrible swampy smell, and its ability to manipulate fire. The various monsters soon realized they were a bit out of their depth, and began to leave. Swampfire chuckled and pumped his fist into the air. "That's right, don't mess with Mother Nature's favorite pyromaniac, ya freaky creatures!" Swampfire exclaimed triumphantly.
Swampfire looked around, noticing just how much destruction he's laid in his wake. He's surprised, impressed, and a bit nervous. "Ah... oh boy. Well, this got a bit out of hand," Swampfire looked up, finally taking notice of the figure who spectated the entire fight. "Oh! Uh, hey you, up there! Don't mind the bodies, they attacked me first! It's all self-defense!... kinda." Swampfire shouted.
The figure got up and walked away, which confused Swampfire for a moment. "W-Wait up! I swear, it was just self defense!" Swampfire ran forward, picking up a couple of bones from Skeletons and some weird orbs from those tall black lanky monsters. As he ran after the figure, the badge ended up flashing red and emitted a strange symphony of beeping noises, like it was powering down. In a flash of red light, Frank was transformed back into his normal self, with the device on his wrist now sporting a red color, rather than the purple it had when he used it minutes ago. "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you! I actually need directions!" Frank called out, running as fast as he can without losing sight of the figure.
The chase went on for a good couple of hours, the sun had set and the monsters started to come out again. The figure leapt from treetop to treetop, moving and bounding ahead without any mistake in their movements, like some sort of ninja. Frank, on the other hand, was getting very tired, dehydrated and very hungry. Frank stopped to catch his breath, even resorting to swallowing what little saliva he had in his mouth to keep his throat moist. Frank looked up to see if he could find the figure again, but of course, the figure was gone, much to Frank's chagrin.
Frank stomped on the ground in frustration. "Damn it, the only person I've been able to find for the past few hours and they run away from me! I just want directions to the nearest bus stop, come on!" Frank looked around, wondering which direction he should go now. Trying to find that unknown person is like a game of cat and mouse, and unfortunately, Frank knew he was the cat in this situation, he wasn't gonna find that guy again even if he tried. "Great... where do I go now?" Frank wondered.
"Zenix, I told you already! We're done discussing this matter until further notice!" A voice called out.
"You might be done with this topic, Garroth, but I'm not! We need a new Lord!" Another voice called out.
Frank's eyes widened, a sense of hope pulsed through his body. 'Finally, more people! Maybe they can help me out.' Frank thought.
Without a moment of hesitation, Frank ran to the right, following the voices intently. The two voices sounded like they were having an argument. Frank wondered just what exactly was going on, and where was it he was about to end up, but by this point, it's better than trying to survive in the woods, especially if there are just tons of monsters out and about.
He pushed through the foliage and came across a tree. From where he was standing, he saw a small wheat farm, as well as Zenix and Garroth having another argument. "Garroth, for the love of Irene, open your eyes! Our Lord is dead and the village is in chaos! You are the most capable person I, and anyone in Phoenix Drop will ever know that you are qualified to step up and take on the role!" Zenix yelled, clearly frustrated.
Garroth groaned. "Zenix, I am not qualified to become a Lord! I am a guard, not a political figure. I'm sure there's someone else who is qualified to be the new Lord of Phoenix Drop!" Garroth argued.
Zenix growled. "Yeah? Like who, Dale!? I mean no disrespect, he's a good guard, but all he knows is to swing a sword, pick up a pint of ale, and sing sea shanties while nearly drowning in the village's ONLY water supply most nights! If he's the next lord of Phoenix Drop, then I'm the King of O'Khasis!" Zenix berated.
Garroth gripped his sword tightly. "Zenix, even if I were to become the lord of Phoenix Drop, you said it yourself. These fine people have begun to question if we are even capable of leading the guards properly, how could I become lord if they already begin to question the very guards who risk their lives? They won't listen to us now, and they won't listen at all if I become Lord... especially after how horrible the last Lord was," Frank wasn't sure what was going on, but he could feel the tension in the air, it was so thick, he could take a bite out of the atmosphere and be full for the night. "Zenix, let's face the facts... it'll take a miracle, a sign that Lady Irene has not abandoned, forgotten or forsaken us, for Phoenix Drop to be made prosperous again." Garroth stated, feeling dejected and hopeless.
Frank was... well, he didn't know what to feel. He felt bad about how these people were basically on the brink of destitution, some even sounded homeless and lost, but Frank wasn't sure if he could help them. 'Sheesh... these people might need more help than I do! Fuck looking for the bus stop, these people need serious help,' Frank felt his stomach growl, he needed to eat. 'Well... maybe I can stay here and help for a bit, just till I can get something to eat.' Frank thought.
Frank slowly came out of hiding, and tried to casually approach the two well armed individuals. "Uh... hello, gentlemen! I couldn't help but overhear your situation. I hope you don't mind strangers, I'm in need of a place to stay. I'm willing to help in any way I can, so long as I can have a bit of spending money for food," Frank offered his hand for a handshake, wondering if either of them would take it. "How's about a proper introduction. My name's Frank Decade, and I'd like to offer my services to help your town, if you'll have me." Frank offered.
Zenix was on his guard, his blade brandished as if prepared for a fight, but Garroth stepped forward and shook Frank's hands. "I suppose Lady Irene was listening, after all. Any help we can get is good. Mister Decade, I am Garroth the Guard, and the young man who has his blade readied is my apprentice, Zenix," Zenix didn't respond, but he did sheathe his sword. "I hope you're good with your hands, sir, we're in dire need of rebuilding." Garroth introduced.
Frank smiled and nodded his head. "I took a lot of metal and woodshop back in highschool, and I've worked the grill for the last thirteen years of my life, so I'd guess that I'm as qualified as anyone else would be, to be honest," Garroth saw something in Frank's purple eyes, something that reminded him of better days. "So, mister Garroth, what'd you have in mind for my first task?" Frank questioned.
Frank was shown the small and disorderly village of Phoenix Drop. It was rather small, despite how relatively large their population was, but it was clear this place was in some dire need of renovating and restructuring. The only thing Frank found concerning was the fact that numerous villagers were soaking in the well in the center of town. "I... I don't even know how to describe how unsanitary this is, that's just gross," Frank looked towards Zenix, who seemed to share Frank's opinion on using the well as a public bathing spot. "So... what exactly is it you want me to do first, exactly?" Frank questioned, seeming uncertain.
Zenix gestured to the various villagers and guards stuck in the well. "We need a new source of clean water, and we also need to get everyone in the well put up in some proper housing. That old well is riddled with the germs, filth and spilt alcoholic beverages Dale keeps chugging down like there's no tomorrow. So, if you can take a couple of these tools and go find a spot for a new well to be constructed, maybe carve out the foundation," Frank was handed a set of wooden tools by Garroth. "It'll make things easier to get rid of the contaminated water, demolish the old well, and relocate villagers to the safe interiors of their homes. But, for now, we need to protect the village from the monsters." Zenix explained.
Frank sighed. "Well, I got some experience in that regard. It's for the good of the people, and they need a hero." Frank stated.
Garroth and Zenix were a bit intrigued by Frank's choice of words, but regardless, they both brandished their blades, while Frank noticed that his watch was glowing purple again, likely indicating that he could turn into that Swampfire guy again. Frank thought about the situation for a moment, and remembered he still had his hunting knife. He unsheathed it and ready himself for a fight, but did keep his new watch in mind, deciding to use it as a last resort.
Without a moment to think of a strategy or a plan, the monsters came out of the shadows, barely illuminated by the torches amidst the cover of dark. The few villagers tried to run and hide somewhere safe, but the monsters were crawling everywhere. "It's now or never, protect the village!" Garroth ordered.
Garroth and Zenix split up and took the fight to the monsters, in hopes of slowing them down while Frank protected the well full of people.
Frank kept a tight grip on his knife and swung it at some sort of zombie creature, dressed in tattered and ripped clothes, its bulging black eyes seeming so soulless as it falls to the ground. Frank looked to the right, noticing two more of those exploding four legged creatures. Frank swiped at them, dealing a substantial amount of damage, but heard them hissing, flickering with a white light. Out of instinct, Frank shoved both of the creatures down the hill, watching them both blow up and scatter dirt and debris everywhere. Thankfully, no one seemed to be hurt in the blast, but it was becoming rather obvious that some of these creatures are very vicious and dangerous.
Frank sliced, kicked, punched and shoved at the monsters encroaching closer, even pulling out one of the bones he collected from the skeletons and jammed it into the head of one of those purple eyed creatures, seeing them teleport about in a pained frenzy, before finally collapsing dead onto the wooden pathway had caught Frank off guard, but it's obvious that this world was already quite the dangerous place before he showed up, so he intended to meet its primal ire with his own will to survive, and to do all that he can to help.
Frank sheathed his knife and looked to the device on his wrist, getting an idea.
Garroth was cutting through tons of monsters, disarming, dismembering and decapitating a few, even causing a few of the monsters to start fighting amongst themselves, all while he lead some of the villagers to some of the homes nearby to keep them safe. One villager in particular, a blonde woman dressed in a gray free flowing dress shirt and leggings stopped him for the moment. "Thank you, Garroth!" The woman thanked.
Garroth nodded his head. "You're very welcome, miss Molly. Please, for your safety, stay inside, and don't let the monsters in!" Garroth cautioned.
The guard ran from the small home and towards another small horde of monsters, fighting them off the best he could. The night was quite the arduous and life-threatening time of day, but Garroth was equipped to fight like his life depended on it, and in his case, it was the village that depended on him.
A zombie came up behind Garroth, but before it could attack, an arrow pierced the undead creature's face, ripping an eye out of its socket as the undead monster collapsed dead on the ground. Garroth sliced away at a huge spider before turning around, seeing a guard dressed in blue cloth over his chainmail armor, clearly drunk as a skunk, with a bow and arrow in his hands. "Soomeone call ferr a hero? Hehehahah!~" the guard laughed out heartily, his speech mildly slurred.
Garroth nodded his head, approaching the guard. "Dale, even despite your inebriated state at a time like this, you're a solid guard, through and through. Thank you for having my back," Dale smiled in a goofy manner, but Garroth was thankful and appreciative, despite the circumstances. "I'd applaud you, but the fight's not over yet. Go sober up and stay hidden, keep your weapon ready, I'll come find you when the sun comes up." Garroth ordered.
Dale saluted to Garroth, but before he could even move another step, he passed out onto the grass, snoring in bliss.
Garroth turned around and stabbed another zombie, then kicked it to the ground. Zenix soon joined Garroth's side, rushing down the hill with his sword ready. "These beasts aren't relenting, they probably know we're outmanned!" Zenix remarked.
The two guards stayed together, all while more monsters continued to try and surround them. Garroth swung his blade, while Zenix tried to use the bow Dale had. he fired an arrow, but it ricocheted back and nearly nailed him in the foot. "They probably found out you've been shirking your archery practice." Garroth stated.
Zenix scoffed and tossed the bow aside, readying his blade as the monsters closed in. "Garroth, if this is our last stand... it was an honor fighting alongside you." Zenix stated proudly.
Garroth nodded his head. "As it was my honor to make you my apprentice, but we'll get through this. I know we will, but if we don't," Garroth picked up the bow and arrow, readying an arrow to fire. "...may Irene be Phoenix Drop's last hope." Garroth spoke gravely.
Garroth lined up the shot, aiming at one of the zombies coming their way. Before Garroth could take the shot, heavy footsteps could be heard above them. The hordes of monsters looked up, beholding the sight of the large creature that now towered above them. Garroth and Zenix slowly turned around and looked up, the both of them were shocked and astonished by what they saw. "Someone call for a hero? Well you got one!" A new voice called out, booming with power.
"Dear Irene..." Garroth muttered.
"What in the hell!?" Zenix exclaimed.
The creature in question was a very large bipedal dinosaur, covered in light blue-gray scales, dressed up in a black and white suit with white shoulder pads. The device's hourglass emblem was located on the creature's left pectoral. The monsters were very confused, but Garroth and Zenix simply stepped aside.
The dinosaur-like being cracked his knuckles and smirked, showing off a few sharp teeth. "Alright you freaks, say hello to Humungousaur!" Humungousaur introduced.
The dinosaur creature took a deep breath and let out a guttural bellowing roar. The numerous monsters seemed to get the message, immediately fleeing back into the woods, far from the village they attempted to raid. Where very few stayed to keep fighting, they were quickly dealt with when Humungousaur leapt down and swatted them back with his tail. Garroth snapped out of his initial shock, finally deciding to aim the bow and arrow at one of the large spiders, ripping off one of its legs with the arrow. Before the spider could attack, Zenix charged in and impaled the insect on his blade. As the monsters fled, Humungousaur simply laughed and grabbed a nearby tree, chucking it as hard as he could, crushing various different monsters beneath the lumber.
Once again, Phoenix Drop has been saved, as were its people, but now the issue came in the form of Humungousaur himself. Zenix charged forward and tried to strike Humungousaur in the foot, but Garroth rushed in and pulled him back. "Garroth, that thing is a monster! We have to take it out, or it'll destroy the village!" Zenix exclaimed, struggling to get out of Garroth's grasp.
"Do not engage. Yes, Zenix, this thing is a monster, but it did help us defend Phoenix Drop. Perhaps there's something to learn from it." Garroth advised.
Before anything else could be done, the alien's badge began to flash red and time out. In a sudden burst of red light, Frank was returned to his normal form. "Told you I was here to help. I'm sorry for not mentioning my... "gift" sooner, I know this probably makes me look like some kind of two-faced snake, or a demon with many faces, and that's understandable," The two guards watched as Frank approached them, gesturing his wrists to them. "But, in my defense, these abilities are very new to me, like... maybe a day or so ago kind of new. If you don't trust me, then cuff me and have me restrained for the time being. It wouldn't be the first time I got cuffed for trying to help." Frank stated.
While Zenix seemed willing to try and restrain the newcomer, Garroth could tell that this individual, despite how strange he clearly was, from his attire to his abilities, had no ill will or criminal intent. Something about him just radiated with a sense of deja vu, and the guard couldn't ascertain as to why.
Garroth pulled Zenix back up the hill towards the well. "We wish you luck with creating a new well, and you have our thanks for assisting in Phoenix Drop's protection, Sir Frank. I'm sure those in Phoenix Drop will get used to your unique eccentricities... After you're done, we'll discuss your next job." Garroth stated.
Frank wasn't exactly sure if he liked being called Sir, but he was glad to help out. He also understood why that Zenix guy tried to attack him when he was in alien form, this place has clearly been having constant monster problems. Frank looked up at the night sky, seeing how the moon was full, it looked beautiful, but he couldn't stand around all night looking at the sky. No, he needed to get to work, and those two guards gave him the tools to do the job, so he had his work cut out for him.
From a slight distance away, the same unknown figure continues to keep an eye on the new arrival, keeping to the shadows. He was impressed by how he managed to scare away such an enormous horde of monsters, but it shouldn't've been so surprising. If he could fend off wave after wave of monsters hours after he ended up in a world that wasn't his own, and not even being aware of what kind of device is even strapped to him... it was amusing and impressive, but that just seemed to worry the figure even more.
The figure keeps himself hidden amongst the trees, watching as the newcomer tries to chop down a couple trees, only to then be rightfully baffled by how the tree continued to stand, despite the large hunk of oak being taken out.
Regardless of who this individual was, how he ended up with such a powerful device, and where he could've possibly come from... he's here now, and he might just be Phoenix Drop's last and only hope.