It all started at 9:44 PM on a Friday. The date was November 9, 2021 on a cloudy night in Manhattan, as scientists in a lab I had no idea existed till sometime later when shit went crazy, worked on a portal to go places where humans have yet to explore. I don't have much info on the subject, but the person who started all of this was a man named Dr. Minroo, who died after his experiment gave us hell. The portal was meant for humans to pass through and make us go to habitable worlds, only problem is, it opened to a dimension very different to ours. Instead of humans being the first to pass through, something far different did.
A being known as the storm king passed through asking if he can take over the country, but we refused. Because of our refusal, he sends forth his armies, trashing the entire lab, bringing out all of his forces. His minions are the worst; big tall creatures with bulky armor that takes a lot of bullets to break through it, depending on which guns you use. During my first fight with them a week after they arrived, it was some hell I haven't seen in a long time since I fought in Iraq. Men were pulled apart like dolls, some scewered with those spears, and some being eaten to the bone.
When it happened, I was all the way at home with my parents, visiting for the month. My parents turned the TV channel on the news, where it showed the devastation as the storm king points, making his soldiers charge and attack. Beside him was this furry horse girl. I believe she must've been a unicorn or something, but her horn looks as though it was chipped off. She wore black armor similar to the creatures with an insignia of the storm king on her chest. On her left eye, is a scar as though she was clawed by those things at some point in her life.
I then get a call, making my visit shorter, as I get on a plane heading to base camp over in Texas, giving us details of what our enemy is and his soldiers. For the past few days, they made us work out hard, making every man and myself sweat bullets, trying to get us in the best of shape. We then fly out towards Manhattan, seeing devastation around the city as there were flames, along with large flags laid down on buildings showing the storm king's insignia, along with four around the empire state building, which is most likely where he thinks of it as his castle. Our mission was to get info on the enemy and figure out his next move. I was armed to the teeth, with a knife in my pocket, a pistol attached to thigh, and holding tightly to my braton.
My commander made us circle around the perimeter, using our binoculars to scope things out. Things were going good, but from behind me, two of my comrades John and Angelo were killed by that horse woman from the TV, having their bodies bloodied and full of stab wounds. I aim my gun at her, but she smacked it away with the end of her spear. Before I could grab my pistol, she brings the head of her spear towards my chest. Never was I so terrified in my life and I could see my life flashing before my eyes as this horse woman stares at me with her mane and tail flowing from the wind. Her broken horn crackles like a broken light.
Before she could deliver the final blow, shots were being fired from my left, seeing soldiers shooting at the creatures with all they got. One by one, they are being slaughtered and a few being eaten.
"Your life is spared," she said, pulling away her spear. "The next time we meet, I shall kill you."
She ran off towards the fight, making me flee away. I ran as far as my legs could take me, hearing the distant screams of my comrades being killed. I ran far from the city, walking into a house, calling for a pick up, and the mission ending up being a failure. As I waited for help to arrive, I sit on the couch, terrified and cowardly. Never have I felt so terrified in my life. I've killed people, but never have I been so close to death until that night.
I get back to base camp, telling them about what happened during the mission and my encounter with the horse woman. The only info before one of my comrades died was that storm king is planning at some point to fly across the atlantic ocean to attack Africa, expanding his dominion across the world. I was to stay with my family for the time being, having quite the night terrors of that horse woman that nearly killed me. I wake up screaming, shaking and sweating. I seem to not get her out of my head, making myself worry about my mental health. But as they say, "if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself."
I then snapped. Wanting to get this horse woman out of my mind, I leave my parent’s house, flying back to the army and wanting to stop the storm king and I won’t take no for an answer. I had bloodlust over my mind. All my comrades screams of agony drilled into my skull come here and there, begging me to kill him and her. I couldn’t take it anymore. I want to put an end to this stupid reign of tyranny that the storm king has created!
It is dawn, 19th of November, as fly on an F/A-18 hornet, beside ten others as I am dead focus on bringing down any zeppelin I see.
“Hey!” Called out one of he pilots. “You ready for this, Anthony?”
“You kidding?” I replied. “I was fucking born to kill. I’m gonna make these bastards pay for what they did to my comrades.”
“What happened, exactly?” Asked Samantha, a female pilot I meet here and there when I started joining. “How did you survive?”
It was hard to even think about. I have to answer, but my throat felt like it was being choked.
“You see... I-“
“No need to tell us,” said the male pilot. “Samantha, he’s seen some shit. He saw many of our friends killed. He’s lucky to even be alive.”
It’s not luck that made me live, it was my cowardice. If I told the truth, I end up in deep shit. I was just to terrified to even shoot my weapon or even go back to grab it. I was in such utter terror that I nearly died.
“The next time we meet, bitch,” I think to myself. “I’m gonna be the one to kill you.”
We fly for the past fifteen minutes until the sensors began picking up three object five meters away. I sneer, the blood boiling inside of me. I grab my stick with a firm grip, prepping for missiles.
"Let's give you bastards what you deserve!" I thought, as my heart beats in a quick pace. "For my comrades! For my country! For the world!"
As the clouds clear away, a faint outline of a zeppelin appears. As the closer I get, the zeppelin itself looks like part ship as well, which is unusual. I look down, noticing ten holes opening in a row, pulling out heads of cannons.
"Guys!" I shouted. "Evade! Evade!"
As the team starts evading, ten balls of steel shoot from the canons, aiming towards us as I fly upward, the others scatter. I lock onto the target of the zeppelin-ship, firing a missile towards it, colliding against it as a puff of smoke is shown.
"Direct hit!" I shout, hearing more missiles shooting at the zeppelin.
I make a turn, watching the zeppelin with malice taking over me, wanting everyone on-board to perish. Cannons shoot off from the opposite side towards me and Samantha's plane. One ball aiming towards me, making my plane duck down, feeling something near the end get grazed. I look towards a ball heading fast towards Samantha, making the malice pull away as I fear once again the possible death coming towards another.
"Samantha!" I shouted, "Look out!"
Before she could reply, a ball collides with her plane, making it explode. Debris and smoke fall down to the water, making the hate in me burn as I focus on destroying the zeppelin-ship. I aim another missile, gritting my teeth.
"You'll pay for that!" I shout at the top of my lungs. "You bastards!!!"
The missile aims down towards the cannons, making me curve right, flying away. I hear audible explosions, making me chuckle under my breath, then let out a laughter that I haven't let out in a while. My laugh gets cut off short, as another zeppelin-ship pulls up in front of me, making me skip a beat of my heart. I turn around, a few meters too close from colliding against me, as I stare at the zeppelin-ship falling down, with smoke coming from within from my shot.
"One down, guys!" I said, making a turn to my right. "Anyone still around? Does-"
Screams were coming all around me, hearing multiple screams, making me panic. Memories of Manhattan come back as I think of all the soldiers who have died. I began to shake, breathing heavily, sweating. The sound of a blast brings me back to reality, as I look around looking for where the ball is coming. Looking down to my sensor as a fast object is very close indeed, heading to my left wing. I quickly try to make a right turn, until the ball smashes the wing, making my plane spin.
"Mayday! Mayday!" I shout to a radio beside me. "I'm hit! Man down!"
I buckle myself up to the chair, pressing a button on an armrest, ejecting me out of the falling aircraft. I press a button on my right buckle, as a parachute comes out, making my landing a lot safer as my plane crashes into the sea, disappearing behind me as a fog comes around me. I hold my seatbelt tightly, as I'm unsure of where I'm landing. Slowly, I began to see a tree, making me panic to lean to a side, but instead, my left leg gets smacked by the trunk, making me grunt in pain. It throbbed, as more and more trees show, making me land down between two, landing in some branches. Twigs snap and some screeching of birds fly off.
I look around, seeing jungle as far as I could see with fog blocking at least a mile away around me. I reach down for my knife, cutting away the belts, releasing me as I jump down a few feet. I load up my pistol, which I always carry around with me during missions just in case my other is unloaded or missing. I cock it, walking the jungle north, though I'm sure I may not be heading north. The thick fog around made it hard for me to see through, but it could clear until near noon perhaps. I pull up my watch, cracked a bit, but reading 7:55 AM.
"Those bastards sure are fucking crafty," I said to myself, snapping on some sticks from beneath my feet. "I won't stop until I rid every one of you. And that storm king as well."
I walked... and walked... and walked, for what seemed like a long time. The fog begins to disappear, showing ahead much clear than ever. Sweat beams down from my brow, dripping down onto the floor. I reach into one of my pockets, pulling out a water bottle, taking a small sip, saving it until help arrives. Well... I should say if help arrives. I pull up my watch, reading 8:53 AM.
"Near an hour and still-"
I get cutoff, hearing the sounds of waves crashing. A smile came onto my face, as I quickly rush forward, hoping I can get someone's attention and get me off this God-foresaken island.
When I walk out, I was surprised that somehow, far from where I landed, the zeppelin ship from which I shot down lands on the beach, ablaze. I hold my pistol tightly, walking steadily towards it, heart beating in my chest. I walk around, keeping my guard up in case anything appeared, but as I walk towards the front, nothing has come out and attacked. I let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from my brow as I walk away from the destroyed vessel. I then pause, noticing some hoof tracks down on the wet sand, along with a small trail of blood droplets aside. A thought came to me, as I follow them, chuckling tiredly.
"Heh... hehe... hehehe... I got you! You're... done for!" I said loudly, pointing my pistol forward.
I jump out from behind two large boulders, aiming to what looks exactly like the horse woman from behind, passed out on the sand, blood leaking down from a small gash down her shoulder of chipped armor. I walk up, standing in front of her, aiming my pistol towards her head, smirking.
"'Next time we meet, I'll kill you', my ass!" I shouted to her. "Bitch, you're the one who's about to die!"
I stare at her, my gun aiming right at her, but for some reason, my hand doesn't want me to pull the trigger. I grit my teeth, wanting to pull the trigger so badly, but for whatever reason, my body rejects that reflex.
"Tch!" I put my gun down, looking down at her with anger. I put my gun back in my pocket and drag her near the jungle, leaning her against a tree trunk. I quickly grab some vines, thick ones as I go back to her, tying her arms back around the trunk of the tree. Once tied, I sit across from her on a rock, looking at her intently.
"Perhaps I should ask about her leader," I thought. "Perhaps keeping her alive is a good thing and once done, she's useless to me and for the rest of the world. I don't know why I couldn't shoot you, but I'll let you live a little more before sending you to the fucking afterlife."
Author's Note
I know, not much of Tempest Shadow in this chapter, but there will be more of her in the next. Stay tuned
