Chapter 1:
Sudden Arrival
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"You've got to be kidding me," David moaned, blowing the hair out his eyes in exasperation as he sat up in his bed. "Again?"
The object of the young man's ire was a large stone pillar, carelessly tossed directly through his roof. The monolith glowed slightly, runic markings etched across it's surface shining a deep purple. Simultaneously yanking on a slim pair of blue jeans and hopping out of bed, he danced to the hole in the roof. After finally getting his pants on, David glared up out of the gap in his shingles at a retreating pair of leathery red and black wings.
"YOU PEOPLE NEED A BETTER MAIL SYSTEM!" He yelled after the fleeing impling, flinging a few choice curses into the night air as well. After blowing off some steam, he glanced at the slab of brimstone again. "Stupid friggin' underworld and it's gods' damned mail imps... hmmm..." His eyes scanned the runes quickly, his irked expression quickly shifting to one of deep thought.
"Curses, eternal darkness. Yada yada yada, help, doom, please send assistance, the Great Destroyer... wait, Great Destroyer?" The man's eyes halted over a particularly jagged rune, which appeared to be an upside down trident with flames along it's points. Suddenly, David sprung into action. In one swift motion, he had his favorite tight black shirt in hand and was headed for the front door. With a crisp snap of his fingers, the door flew open. With another snap, the rune slab flew through the doorway and the roof gathered itself in a storm of debris, surging back into it's original shape in the next moment. Throwing his shirt on, he pulled the door shut and took a deep breath of fresh fall air. He stood back, admiring his quaint, single story, suburb style house, surrounded by deep woods on all sides. Above it, a blood red full moon hovered, watching the scene quietly. Shaking his head, he turned away. The view in this direction was a stranger sight by far: the world ended in a massive cliff, falling off into the most nothing filled black abyss one could imagine. With a second deep breath, David waved his hand over the abyss and it rippled like water. Colored flowed over it's surface before it became still again, now depicting a familiar scene for the young man. Cobblestone buildings lit by lava flows, jagged obsidian spires topped by watchful gargoyles, and a gate through which a green filled pasture could be seen. A slight smile graced David's lips as he tossed the boulder over the edge with a twitch of his fingers, following it a moment later with a silent leap.
The air roared past his ears as he descended, accelerating until the wind howled as though tortured. Then, with a burst of air, David exploded into dark blue flames. The roar of the atmosphere speeding past dulled as he soared like a comet into the hazy depths of the world of the dead. The souls of mortals watched from far below, some falling to their knees or prostrating themselves as they recognized their god. Smirking, David decided to give them a show. With a flare of his arms, crystalline balls of light shot from his body, hardening and then falling to the ground. They cracked open to reveal delicate white lillies, which grew roots as they were born. A roar of approval rose up from his subjects, causing him to smile gently. Looking forward again, David flipped so that he was falling feet first as the flames dissipated. He alighted on one of the tall towers and turned to the pair of gargoyles stationed there.
"How now, Ricard, Julio?" The stone beasts bowed in greeting and Ricard replied first.
"We are well my lord, but the citadel is suffering. Some great monstrosity has cleaved into thine fortress to the chamber of judgement, where he now duels with the Impartial One." The pair bowed their heads in shame. "We wished to join the fight, but were injured." here he gestured to their legs, all four of which had large chunks removed. David's eyebrows met as his fury built. "Instead, the Impartial One sent an imp to thee and bid that we await thy arrival here."
The god placed a hand on the gargoyles' shoulders. "You have done well, my children. Wait here, I shall summon one of the Basilisk's brood to heal you.1 But now, I go to deal with this 'Great Destroyer' who so boldly challenges my domain." The two bowed in thanks and parted before him. With a parting nod, he bounded off the tower, soaring through the air towards a large black rotunda seated in the center of the fortress. Seized by a sudden fit of rage, David put on a burst of speed and smashed through the vaulted obsidian ceiling, crashing to the ground in a burst of rock and dust.
As the dust cleared, a gruesome scene was revealed. Gargoyles, cockatrice, centaurs and many more of David's army lay dead or dying around the chamber. In the center, a large figure cloaked in shadowy robes and wielding a massive hammer stood facing away from him: The Impartial One, judge of the Dead. As he watched, a blade sprouted from the Judge's chest and he stumbled back, then fell to his knees. David darted forward and caught him as he fell back. Beneath an ivory mask of impassiveness, the Judge's eyes were wide and frantic. He reached limply for the blade embedded in him, but halfway there his hand fell away, useless. The Judge's eyes locked onto David, gaining a far off look as his will to live faded.
"My apologies... m-my lord... I... I h-have failed." The god grabbed the Impartial One's hand and clasped it to his chest. David gulped down air and managed to speak.
"Loyal to the end, Sigmus. I will ensure a grand feast in Elysium awaits you. Go now, and rest."
"By your leave, then... my... lord..." The light faded from the Judge's eyes, and he was gone. David squeezed his hand one last time, then let it fall. As he stood, mocking laughter filled the room. A voice echoed from the shadows.
"Ah, so touching that after all these years, the Moon Prince still has his heart." Blue flames danced in his eyes as the god began to tremble with rage.
"Who DARES?" he growled. "WHO DARES?!?!" The mocking laugh resumed, and from the shadows of a pillar, a figure emerged. It was a small mortal, though he wore a burning sun on his tattered shirt and his hair and eyes were wreathed in flames.
"Looking for me, Prince?" David's curiosity overcame his fury for a moment as the perpetrator was revealed.
"Who are you?"
"Me?" The human replied, putting a hand on his chest in mock surprise. "Why I am no one, merely a servant. A blade, for my master's hand to wield." David grew tired of the theatrics quickly.
"And just who is your master, that he would bid you to come here and slay my children?" At this, the flames in the human's eyes grew brighter, and a voice that wasn't his echoed in the chamber.
"I think you know quite well who I am, Ir'Gave," The voice said, a smirk evident in his words. David's pupils shrunk to pinpricks as the voice gave a deep, booming laugh.
"No." The laughter continued, growing louder than anything a human could possibly emit.
"No, no, NO." A tinge of madness entered the laugh as it reached its crescendo.
"NO!" David shouted. The laughter stopped and the human looked on as the god of the moon began to glow. "That is enough." Now it was the human's turn to fear, as the Moon Prince grew another several feet and a massive silver greatsword appeared in his hand. He pointed it at the mortal, the giant blade slicing the air with a grace that belied its massive stature.
"For crimes against the underworld, its people and its god, I sentence you." The flames in the human's hair went out as he turned to flee.
"Eternal Punishment." The man screamed as David lunged forward, missing him by a hair's breadth and cleaving the wall in half. Stumbling, the mortal shot into the air in a ball of fire and rushed for the open sky above. With a cry of rage, David lobbed a ball of dark energy after him, which exploded and sent him careening out of the rotunda and high into the sky. He slammed into the massive expanse of rock that was the underworld's sky with a shout of pain. Turning quickly, the man placed his hand on the roof and unleashed a burst of green flame that ate up through the stone and dirt. Whimpering quietly, the man crawled into the hole before lurching into the air as a sputtering flame engulfed him again. The reprieve was short lived as David exploded into the tunnel a moment later, ran his greatsword through the man's chest and kept going, flying up and out of the hole and into a dense forest by the side of a cliff. The god spun in place and slammed the man into the cliff, still impaled on the silver blade. He hung there gasping for breath, though his eyes were hardened.
"You- haaaarrrggghh- are a fool, Moon Prince. You cannot stop the... gghhhhlory of the sun. My lord shall return, now that you are out of the way." David's eyes widened.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked quickly.
"Look around you, god. This is no longer your home." The Moon God's eyes finally left the dying man's and looked around. As far as he could see, there was nothing but trees and mountains. Far in the distance, something shimmered on a mountaintop. A hacking laughter brought his attention back to the dead man.
"I have done as I was bid. Even in the darkest pits of Tartarus, I shall know that I have won freedom for my master." David's eyes hardened again.
"No." The man spluttered.
"What? What do you mean no?!"
"You will have no afterlife. You will not resurrect. You have wronged too many already. I said eternal punishment. That is what you shall have." He dug into his shirt and removed a small amulet. He drew it in a circle, then thrust it into the man's chest, just under his heart.
"No, NO!" Finally the dying man began to struggle. "This isn't what was supposed to happen!!!" David yanked his hand out and the light of life immediately left the man's eyes. His body aged rapidly, then turned to dust and blew away. The locket glowed golden for a moment as David pocketed it. The god sighed and began to shrink as he calmed down. He patted the locket through the denim.
"Yeah, well..." he sighed again, "Fate's a bitch." And that's when the screaming started.
Author's Note
- Since gargoyles are creatures of stone, a basilisk's gaze is capable of regrowing their body parts. I've always liked mix-n-matching mythology. Tell me what you think of the interactions like this. They will have a good part in several of my stories.
Now, how's this for a hello? That's right, I'm back, and this time I'm prepared. I have several chapters already in their final stages, and I can promise a chapter a week right up until about the end of December. So, comment and tell me what you did or didn't like, and shoot me a thumb's up if you think I deserve one!
