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grimmpublications · 5 years ago

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A Story For Me

Notice before reading: This is just a story to help me work through writer’s block and to just allow my imagination to flow. No planning or anything just raw creative ideas! So as always, I hope you enjoy and feel free to leave constructive criticism, or just criticism, or whatever floats yo hypothetical boat! (Leo)Chapter 1: The Journey Begins My eyes travel over the area below me, my arm wrapped around the trunk of a massive tree, the tree purchasing me an unrivaled view of my island and the shining sea that surrounds it. The island jutted with cascades of forested hills with life teeming. Even from the height I’m at I can hear the life of the jungle raging about. Not many people, from any clan, will travel as far into the forest as I am, especially climbing this tree, but I quickly fell in love with the view a few years ago and despite the legends of the curse on this tree. I come here when I need to think, and oh boy did I have some stuff to mull over. I see smoke rise in different clearings in the jungle, each belonging to a clan of the island, one of them being my clan, the Treaor. A clan of craftsmen and hunters, our knowledge of the land and seas making us a vital part of the community on the island. It’s as my eyes scan over the area where my village sits that my half-brother’s letter comes to the forefront of my thought. The letter came early in the morning last week, I was in the middle of my first training session for the day, doing sprints in the sand of the beach near my village. A large bird swoops down near me, launching a leather bag at me. I barely manage to spot the bag in time to catch it and then the giant bird rockets back the way it came. I open the main bag of the satchel to reveal multiple items, the first being an envelope with my name written on it in golden ink. I raise an eyebrow as I open the envelope. “Leo, It’s been a long time since we’ve talked, I hope all is well. Since we last talked I’ve secured a spot in a high-profile guild in Leonos, life has been a blur since I joined two years ago, doing jobs that would blow your hair back, learning skills I’d never even dreamed of, and now we have a job that has a payout that could let us live like kings. You turn sixteen tomorrow, so as my gift to my younger brother, I offer you your first bounty. Inside the satchel is all the information you need to know about this job. I can’t wait to see how strong you’ve become. Sincerely, Tyren The Wild” I couldn’t help but beam as I run my finger over the fancy handwriting of my brother’s name. “Tyren The Wild?” I just had to chuckle at the name. My brother hadn’t lied when he said all the information would be in that satchel. Inside the satchel was instructions on finding his guildhall and then a coinpurse with more gold than I’d earned my whole life. My ship was set to sail today. On my birthday, I’d get the thing I’d wanted my whole life. A chance to be a hero. I know it sounds like a tired cliche but I can’t help it, all the stories I heard as a kid are to blame. This is my dream but as the hour came closer, I felt my heart twinge with angst and fear. So with a breath I bound down the branches of the tree faster than most monkeys in the jungle could. I get to the base of the tree and begin jogging through the jungle, using my flexibility and agility as I weave around the thick groupings of trees and vegetation. The wildlife is active in this jungle, the jungle’s extreme rate of growth providing all the resources the ecosystem could possibly need, leaving the clans with plenty of game to hunt. The animals in this jungle know me, not like we can chit-chat or anything but my footfalls and scent are no stranger to them so they usually leave me be, even the predators. I make it to the beach outside my village, the sun now beginning it’s descent to the other side of the planet by the time my feet sink into the warm sand. I loved the sunset here, the way the sun was reflected onto the ocean like a daily tattoo; the way the clouds exploded with orange and pink. I close my eyes as I call out to the sea with my thoughts. “Hey Epi, it’s me.” I think as I allow the tide to cover the tops of my feet. I can see the world darken outside of my closed eyes and sound of a storm rages before me. When I open my eyes a head the size of a mountain sits in the shallow water. “Leo” the being says in a fond tone “You called?” I smile as I lay my hand on the rocky skin of Epieolago, the embodiment of storms and the sea “Aye, I received a letter from Tyren yesterday. An invitation to begin my adventure.” “Starting to feel doubt?” Epi asks, his voice rumbling the ground beneath my feet. I nod my head as my eyes watch lightning crackle across the clouds above me “A little bit” Rocks grind as I watch Epi form himself into a man, a handsome one at that with peppered gray and black hair that is swept back and a well-groomed goatee. Epi lays his hand on my shoulder “Remember the day we met?” I chuckle as I nod my head “How could I not? I almost died that day!” Epi smiles at me as he continues “You risked your life for a creature of the sea without a moment of hesitation. Took on the task of saving a life that was far out of your reach. I usually would allow fate to run its course but something about the tenacity at which you fought your fate inspired me.” He pushes one finger into my chest “Remember that feeling of tenacity, Leondris” Epi’s eyes illuminate with crackles of energy “It’ll propel you to glory” I nod my head with a smile as I open my arms for a hug “Thanks, Epi” Epi smiles as he embraces his friend. As Leo tries to release Epi from the hug, Epi holds him there and says under his breath in a tone that sounded like a raging storm in my ears, each word like rolling thunder “Leondris Vale, I declare you as my champion.” My knee nearly buckles from the pain that flares on the nape of my neck, I feel Epi brace me as he holds me up. I take a deep breath as I steady myself “What did you just do?!”I ask, the pain launching me into a panic.Epi nods his head “I know it hurt like hell, but I thought it’d hurt less if I surprised you with it” “What’s it?” I ask with a grimace as I rub my neck and feel the outline of a scar on my neck, the design complex. “Making it official.” Epi says casually, looking to the side to conceal his smile as I erupt in curiosity “What’s official!?” Epi’s smile vanishes as he extends his hand out for me to shake “You’re officially my champion, The Champion of the Storm” “What does that mean?” I ask, the name sounding awesome but the meaning is lost on me. “It’s your job to figure that out. I’ve never anointed a champion. You’re the first.” Epi says in a serious tone. The words were heavy, but they excited me “I know what I need to do.” I say with certainty as I place my hand over my heart “I’ll make you proud, sir” “I know you will, kid” Epi looks behind him as he walks into the raging sea “Make them remember your name” he says as a giant wave crashes over him and then my eyes snap open as moonlight greets them.I wiggle my feet as they’d been in the same place for a couple of hours at least. Time gets weird when talking with Epi. Tyren had arranged for a fisherman from the Leovin tribe to ferry me to Hongrund and from there another fishing vessel was secured to take me the rest of the way to Leonos.” “Leondris,” a raspy voice says from the shore as I come to a stop from the jog I’d been on to get to the meeting place specified in the satchel. I could barely see the old man “Get on, I’ve waited long enough for ye!” I nod my head with an apologetic smile “Sorry, old timer!” I say as I throw myself over the side of the boat and find a seat. The wind picks up as soon as the old man climbs onto the boat and unloads the sails. A last push from Epi as I begin my journey. I only had three things, my bag which held all the things I hold dear to me and the supplies I’d need to get to Leonos. Then there’s my sword and shield. My two greatest possessions. The second gift I’d received from Epi. The shield was made from one of the many scales that covers the rocky terrain of his back. The scale was dark brown and was rimmed with shining steel. The longsword was made from an odd metal that I’ve still never been given a name for but the metal shines like steel but the metal has an illuminating blue hue to it. The handle is made from his scales as well but the cross guard is made from the same strange metal but at each end are two blue gems that the metal entangles around. “Someone really wanted your company” The old man says as he rests his hand on the steering column of the boat “paid me a years salary just for this nighttime cruise.”Judging from the gold in the coinpurse, I’d say that his years salary didn’t mean much to Tyren’s wealth. (Tyren)Chapter 2: For the Legacy “Gather!” A booming voice echoes through the old brick halls of the guildhall, and immediately after the shout, you can hear the numerous pairs of feet trampling down the stairs. I move down the stairs slowly, allowing the more energetic members to brush past me on the stairs as they pine for seats closer to the front. As the last of the members file into the room and clamber into their chairs as they stare at the guild leaders. Each of the four men known far and wide for their acts of bravery and skill but have since aged past their prime but their knowledge acts as a whetstone for the generations to follow them. I stand at the back of the room as I listen to the leaders’ debrief. “Good afternoon” Vexlan Worth, the eldest of the Sentinels (the leaders) says in his gruff voice “We’ve received an urgent request from the Viscount of Holmsan, apparently the entire region has been plagued by the undead and other creatures, after only a week of the attacks two hundred townsmen have been found dead.” The members listen intently, I spaced in and out of the debrief, considering I was the scout that obtained this information and was the liaison between the guild and Holmsan. “Tyren is the agent that picked the job up for us and did all the preemptive surveillance” Vexlan explains as he waves me up silently to the front of the group “Explain your findings, kid” I nod my head as he pats me on the back “Alright guys, I scouted the entire region for two weeks and in that time I saw more chaos than you can imagine but have sourced all of it to a single location.”A flurry of hands raise before me and I pick the closest hand “Yes?” “Have you sourced this problem as a magical, mystic, or human threat?” The man aks promptly. “Seems to be magical or mystic, but have contracted a mage from Genova to accompany the first regiment of soldiers to do a more comprehensive investigation.” I look around the group as I continue to answer questions. “Ya did good” Vexlan’s deep voice says as he speeds up to walk next to me as I make my way towards the dining hall. I raise an eyebrow as I slowly grab a cigarette from a pocket on my leather jerkin “Did good?” “On debriefing the boys” He points to the War Room “They seemed excited and ready for the job” I nod my head, agreeing with him about the men. They seemed fired up for this mission but considering the steep price the rich mining town was willing to pay certainly helped overall motivations. “Thanks, Vex” Vexlan waves away the thank you “No need, kid” He meets eyes with me “Meet me in my office once you’ve eaten” Vex doesn’t wait for a reply before walking away towards the spiral staircase that leads to his office. “Tyren!” A deep voice booms from within the dining hall, the voice belonging to a large man sitting at the back of the dining hall with one other person. The owner of the voice is named Gerran Striden, a hulking man with a face that used to be kind but after numerous daring battles his face is scarred and looks tough but his spirit hasn’t been scarred as I take a seat beside him. “Good scouting out there!” Gerran laughs as one huge hand pats me on the back “You practically did the whole mission before coming back!” He winks to the other person at the table whose name is Yuveri Tallow, a monk from the distant lands of Hiotian “We practically just have to kick down the door and say hello!” Gerran laughs which catches the attention of every member in the dining hall. Yuveri laughs heartily “Gerran is one for exaggeration,” he begins “but he isn’t exaggerating about this; good job Tyren” Yuveri puts his palms together and bows his head before me. I return the gesture as I grab a plate from the middle of the table. “Scouting is the easy part” I say simply as I grab food from the numerous dishes piled with steaming hot food. The doors leading to Vexlan’s office were massive, standing at fifteen feet tall and twelve feet across but a smaller door was carved into the left door. The door was open as I enter the office which was a room with a ceiling that rose way above me head and countless shelves of books wrapped around the room. A stack of paper hid Vexlan at his desk but he spoke once I entered. “Shut the door, would you?” I nod as I turn around to shut the smaller door behind me.“Thanks for coming” Vexlan begins “I’d rather not beat around the bush, I’d like you to be the next Sentinel” The words hit me like a morning star “Excuse me?” Vexlan laughs heartily “I’ve conferred with the others and they all agree. If you’d like, we invite you to be the fifth sentinel.” I nod my head, my heart knowing the answer before my mind did as the words leave my lips without a thought “It’d be an honor.” Vexlan beams and extends his hand “As in tradition, once you’ve returned from your legacy mission, we’ll announce your position.” I nod my head, realizing the newly founded importance of this mission. “My legacy mission?” I think to myself as Vexlan continues to speak, my mind swept away to visions of grandeur. “This mission is yours to run as you see fit.” Vexlan says, the words snapping me from my fantastical reverie. “Yessir!” The first thing I have to do is assemble a team to handle the important parts of the mission. Gerran and Yuveri were for sure going on that team but the rest was a mystery until I realize something. “It’s Leo’s birthday tomorrow…” And then the next member of the team became obvious “I wonder how much stronger he’s gotten” I think to myself as I walk to my room, reminiscing about the sparring session we had the day I left to seek out my fortune. He’d wiped the floor with me.” I sit as my desk as I begin writing a letter. Using the expensive, fancy ink I’d purchased after my first job in the guild. “Leo,” The letter begins.

(Wailes)Chapter 3: An Odd Job

“Wailes!” A voice yells at me suddenly, ripping me away from the intriguing passage about multi-layered weapon enchantment. “What?!” I shout reply.

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for ten minutes, mate.” The young man points up “The man upstairs wants to see you.”

I roll my eyes as I place a Gearwind Eagle’s feather onto the page I was reading as I close the book and stand to my feet, straightening my dark blue robes with my free hand as I make my way to the staircase. This entire building was built into a massive tree that has deep and mysterious magical properties and the steps leading to the Dean’s office were no different, carved straight from the tree, the stairs crude as they spiral towards a wooden orb that’s suspended by roots. The doorway is circular and the door rolls to the right as I approach, revealing a well lit study with looming bookcases.

“Wailes, over here!” A small voice says within a dome of floating, orbiting books, the pages flipping, as I see between the gaps in the book, the Dean’s eyes moving like quicksilver as he absorbs hours of information in minutes.

“Dean Yorif” I say in a small bow, one of the only practitioners in this place that is strong enough to earn my respect.

“Interrupt your studying, did I?” The Dean asks with a smile as he continues to read the orbiting books

“Not at all, sir” I lie

“Oh come now, I can see the look on your face, it’s the same face I make when I’m interrupted!” the dean laughs as the books all close in unison and float to their spots on the shelves.

I nod my head in admission as I go to take a seat in a chair sitting in front of his desk. Dean Yorif is small in stature, standing only a several inches taller than a dwarf but his wisdom makes up for the lack in size. Yorif pulls himself into his chair as he rests his hand on his desk. The desk not designed for him but a gift from the Dean before him so he looked even smaller in contrast to the large desk.

“I’ve received a job from another guild.” Yorif says simply, waiting for intrigue to show on my features. My features are as stone as he rolls his eyes and continues “The guild being the Goldmeyer’s Warriors Guild”

“Goldmeyer’s?” That name catching my interest. That’s no ordinary guild, but one of the most renowned guilds in history. Responsible for ending wars and killing demon lords and distinctly keep their contracts to themselves.

“Why are they outsourcing?” I immediately ask

Dean Yorif smiles as a fisherman would after successfully hooking a fish and begins to reel me in “There wizards were useless when they attempted to investigate and decode the spellwork. So they figured we would have the knowledge necessary.”

“This is a pretty important job” I say with a raised eyebrow, wondering if this conversation is going where I hoped it was.

“Yes, I referred you for the job.” Yorif could see the question before I had time to ask, the wrinkles around his eyes sometimes masking his razor sharp eyes.

Yorif hands over a folder, containing the information on the job as he strokes the extravagant, white mustache that cascades down each corner of his mouth, passing his jawline.

“These are signs of-” Dean Yorif raises a hand before I finish speaking, nodding his head grimly. “That’s why I’ve chosen you, Wailes” He interlaces his fingers as he stares at me with proud eyes “You’ve studied them more extensively than anyone I know.”

I nod my head as I storm up from my seat and as I leave his study I say over my shoulder “I’ve got some research to do!”

Yorif chuckles as he waves a hand and the door rolls back into place as I leave his office.

I immediately began rolling through my archive-like thoughts, my mind recollecting all of the research I’d done over the years. I push past multiple other students as I make my way to the restricted section of the West side library. Only two other mages had access to this section and allowed me the solitude I’d need for the research I’m about to conduct. I have to be ready and in Leonos in two days, so that leaves a day of research and a day by air to make it to Leonos. My eyes and attention tear into the pages of the books within the restricted section as I begin my hastened research.

#story time #off the top of my head #off the dome #tumblr writers #literature #imagination #exercise #thanks for reading #hope you enjoy #writing community

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grimmpublications · 5 years ago

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Men of The North

Chapter 1: A Colorless Existence

The air in front of my face turns into a thick mist as the heat from my breath grapples with the unrelenting cold that ambushes my village. Even with my furs bundled around me, the cold finding small gaps in my thermic armor as it slithers in to sink deep in my bones. I’m no stranger to the cold or to the frost but even as I stand here and squint against the intense snowfall that hasn’t ceased in over a week I feel as I did when I was a young man and first encountering a true winter. I shuffle from foot to foot with a grimace as I await to see a minuscule bobbing light in the distance that’d alert me of the messenger that was supposed to arrive. I uncork a water skin and take a deep drought and feel the warmth of ale travel down my throat, my grimace growing as I had little more than a quarter of a water skin left.

“What importance does that messenger carry upon the haunches of his horse?” I ask myself slowly as I try to occupy my time, theorizing what message would arrive. I believe, or rather hoped that the messenger would carry a promise of battle. It had been more than two years since his or any of the surrounding villages had taken part in a raid campaign. A little bloodshed would go a long way this grueling winter season. It was amidst my reverie of potential future combat that I see the smallest flicker or movement amongst the fury of the blizzard. I cup my hands around my eyes to block snowfall as much as I could as I watch a small blip of light bob up and down within the storm. With my hand resting on my sword that is holstered at my side. After a couple of minutes I hear a familiar voice scrambling over the noise of the whipping wind.

“It’s Jrogmund!” The voice booms from the other side of the gate.

I grunt as go about pulling open the large wooden gates barring him from the interior of the town, snowy gusts of wind lashing through the small opening as Jrogmund enters the town and without a single word with me, rides past with haste.

I nod my head with a small smile as I strain lightly as I push the gate closed once more, the wind objecting to its rejection into the city. With a tired sigh, I lift up my battle-ax that’s leaning against the log that I had been sitting on for the hours I waited for the messenger to arrive. As any true Northman, the feeling of my weapon in my hands bringing a smile to my face as I make my way back home.

The door to my home swings open, the hearth still holding coals that are slightly alive with the life of fire, with a stick sitting near the hearth I stir the coals and place more firewood on top and watch as the flames slowly gnaw away at the firewood. I sit down on the edge of my bed as I clasp my hands over my face, the flakes of snow hiding amongst the hair in my beard melt against my hands I try and silence the deafening thoughts that begin circling me. “Welcome home, love” a voice echoes into my ears and I feel soft hands lay over mine as my head is lifted up “Tough day?” my wife says with an empathetic smile.

I nod my head, feeling a knot beginning to tie within my throat as my eyes lock with hers, her blue eyes shining against the light fire and her blonde hair cascading down past her shoulders. My hands lower within hers and as her empathetic smile deepens she leans in for a kiss. My heart soars as I lean forward to kiss her. Then the cold of the present sweeps away the warmth of the past as I reopen my eyes to an empty home. My head dips as my fingers run through my tangled brown hair. It was the first real epiphany after my wife’s disappearance, how cold and colorless life can become. It was a surreal experience as I watched the color and warmth from my home disappear just as quickly and mysteriously as my wife. I shake my head, ashamed of the weakness I was displaying, so with a breath I lay back in my bed as I allow my eyes to close. I knew that sleep wouldn’t find me on this night.

“Hard work is an ailment for a broken spirit” were the first words to leave Ghaled’s mouth, the eldest warrior in the village, when everything in my life fell apart. The man’s words were truer than any shaman’s story, adding to the work of maintaining my farm I added the job of helping on the docks. The arduous labor kept my mind distant from the troubles of reality and benefited the others in the village. I take a small breath as I continue to wrangle in another net, hoping for a series of good catches as the waters have seemed to be barren the past couple of weeks. As had become a trend as I pull the last net in from the water I only see a single cod flopping within the net, the fish an adolescent and a small adolescent at that. I shake my head disappointedly as I throw the fish into the practically empty basket next to me.

“Something is better than nothing.” A weathered elderly man says just at my back,

I turn to see Dag striding up behind me as he examines the contents of my basket “No lie there, but not sure three will feed much.”

“We’ll make due,” Dag says with a care-free shrug “We always do”

I nod my head as he accompanies me further down the docks to check on the traps at the southern end of the dock “We are a resilient bunch, aren’t we?” I say with a chuckle as I pull loose the first couple of traps laid on the bottom side of the docks.

I ask with an ushered voice as I pull loose two traps with nothing more than algae swept between the knots in the net “You find out what the messenger had to say to the drott?”

Dag laughs awkwardly “My ears may still have some listening left to do” Dag finishes with a shrug as he goes about assisting me with pulling up the other traps “An old warrior rarely is cut in on the royal secrets.”

I nod understandingly “I figured as much, was just curious” I say simply, pulling loose yet another empty trap “The messenger rode in like Hell was on his heels.”

Dag shrugs his shoulders, knowing that he’d never been one for gossip, even at his older age “As a messenger should ride.”

It was as Dag went further into the stories of how his era of men were, my mind drifted far from his words as I stand at the edge of the last dock and stare off at the opposite bank where I thought a flicker of movement had crossed my vision. One of my eyebrow raises at the ominous feeling that migrated into my being, my hazel eyes scanning the forest line just beyond the other side of the river. My attention was about to return to Dag’s rambling when I see something standing just within the treeline. Many of the details of the figures were hard to make out from the distance, but despite the distance I could see that whatever was over there stood on two legs. Our gazes locked after a moment of my stare. I can’t explain the feeling but my whole body locked as our gazes met. I wanted to roar a warning to Dag, to anyone but as I stand at the edge of the dock it feels as if a powerful, invisible grip was latched around my throat. Slowly the person’s hand raises into the air, once his arm is parallel, the creature motions me towards it. I want to protest physically or verbally but the moment the thing, I refuse to call it a person at this point, motions me forward I begin taking steps towards the water. Even though I couldn’t see any of the small details of the creature, yet as one of my feet hovers over the edge of the dock I can feel a smile grow across the creature’s face.

“Whoa!” I feel a surprisingly strong grip on my shoulder as I’m pulled onto my backside and suddenly the world comes washing back over me in a heap of sound, color, and deep breaths “You alright, Umbercht?” I hear Dag’s voice as he pulls me back to my feet and I try and wrestle sanity back into focus.

I nod my head as my eyes scan the area across the river in a panic “Yeah…” The figure now gone, but the lingering feeling it gave still hovering over my shoulder “I think so”

Dag stares at me with a worried expression “Well, alright..” Dag’s eyes scanning me carefully before saying with as much respect and care he could “I think you should head home and try to get some rest.”

The advice wasn’t unwarranted, I knew how I must look but I know more than anyone that being alone in that home is the last thing I needed so I just nod, trying to mask my true feelings.

Dag insisted that he finish the work on the docks but knowing the torment of my lifeless home awaits, I ignore his suggestions and finish the work on the docks. Even after all the nets were pulled and the boats waxed I find myself straying towards the edge of town instead of home. My feet stopped at the forest line, for the first time in my life I found my heart racing at the idea of entering the forest, despite it being one of my favorite places. The strange encounter with that thing still resting on my shoulders. I hear the sound of laughter coming from the drinking hall near the edge of town and that’s the motivation I needed to step forward into the forest.

It’s as though I stepped through a portal as I enter the forest, small beams of sunlight dancing through the gaps in the leaves of the trees and bouncing across the and the sound of nature growing to a peak once within the thicket of brush and trees. The soft singing from the birds perched above me instantly causes tingles to roam down my back as tension falls away. I have always loved forests but after recent events my love for them only deepened. The wall of trees and brush surrounding me seemed to drape a curtain over the rest of the world. I walk through the brush with light steps as I go about checking the traps I had placed the day before, hoping for at least one success. I smile as I see an exhausted rabbit struggling within one of my traps. I rush to the trap, not wanting the creature to have to suffer more than it already has. I smile at the effectiveness of my trap as I unsheathe my knife to cut the rope of the snare trap, the trap having tightened around the hind legs of the rabbit. My whole body freezes as I place my hand on top of the rabbit to stop the frantic movement of the creature; it’s when my hand touches the creature that I feel how cold its skin is against my hand. I stare at the rabbit for a short moment as I feel the ice-cold body of the rabbit, then with a shrug I pick up the rabbit and quickly slit the throat as I allow the blood to let out. It’s as the blood drips from my kill that my stomach turns over. The blood dripping onto the ground is dark red, the color only distinguishable from black when sunlight passes through it. I drop the carcass with haste as I go about gutting the creature. I slowly cut the stomach open and the moment the incision is made, maggots spilled through the cut and onto my hands. Vomit creeps up my throat as my hands recoil away from the body. I shake my head in disbelief as I go back to the corpse and with a deep breath, begin scooping out the contents of the rabbit. After a pile of maggots sits on the ground I finally reach the guts of the creature and as I pull them out I see that the organs are as close to black as they can get and a good portion of each organ was covered in a strange decay that seemed to eat holes through the tissue. “What is going on?” I ask myself in a hushed whisper, unsure if I really did want to know what is going on.

“Umbercht?” The voice spills from the trees behind me, the voice sounded truly terrified. I whirl around quickly and see a young worker by the name of Aiden staring at me with wide eyes “What are you doing?”

I nod my head understandingly, knowing that upon first glance it would look like a real problem of sanity. “I know it doesn’t look good, but come see this” I say with a worried tone as I look down at the rabbit to begin showing him the strange findings and then I truly do freeze in place as sitting before me are torn apart organs and a rabbit that could no longer be recognized as such as the rest of the carcass is pulled apart into bloody scraps. Worst part about all of this, that the remains looked as normal as they could given the current circumstances. No decaying organs, no wriggling maggots, just a torn apart rabbit and a man covered in blood…

Aiden backs away slowly, nodding his head cautiously as I stand to my feet. I put up a defensive hand as I sense the fear in Aiden grow.

“Aiden--” I begin, but the moment his name leaves my lips he turns on his heels and darts off in the direction of our town. Once the sound of the boys footfalls fade away to silence, I collapse onto my back side and begin running my fingers through my hair as I grapple with the events that just transpired and of the consequences to follow.

The knocking came thundering into my home, snatching me away from whatever nightmare had been tormenting my sleep. Consciousness slowly replaced the grogginess sitting as a veil over me. I stumble over to the door. Once the door swings open I see a snow-covered Erik Audur, the chief of my village. Erik had a grimace on his face as he steps past me into my home, a frown growing to dominate his features once entering.

“You’ve let things fall apart here, Umbercht.” Erik’s stone-cut voice says simply as he examines my home more closely, a finger running across the surface of my table, a film of dust quickly building onto his finger “Your wife would beat you to a pulp if she saw the place like this.”

The mention of her stabbed me at my core and if it were any other person saying such a thing, I would have belted them into the next life but I owe Erik more than I can ever repay; so I numbly bow my head, knowing that he wasn’t wrong. Once I lift my head I see Erik standing before me with a sympathetic look. I turn away from him as he places a hand on my shoulder “Aiden came to Leland last night” his tone told me what Aiden had to say.

I begin to explain until he silences me with the raising of one of his hands “Umbercht, I know sorrow better than most” Erik says slowly as he grabs my coat from the chair it was hanging on and tosses it into my arms “Come with me.”

“Once your wife disappeared, I was scared that you’d get this way” Erik says thoughtfully as he leads me to the backside of his home, the forest sitting just beyond his property “People like us,” Erik begins, stopping for a moment as he arranges his words in his mind “We don’t handle loss the way others do. No, loss hits us straight into our being, cuts us deeper than the sharpest blade.” Erik’s words flowing as he delves into his thoughts. Snow began falling heavily, our vision quickly becoming restricted.

“Not many know this, but my first child wasn’t Raila” Erik says suddenly, the news hitting me like a brick “No, my first child was a boy” The words seemed to have sprung memories as an expression that was stuck between a grimace and a smile sits on his face “Before I met my wife, I had bore a child with a simple girl from a small property to the east.” Erik pushes his way through a thicker part of the brush and once we emerged from the other side of the brush we find ourselves in a clearing in the forest with seven standing stones placed in a ring around the clearing. I can’t tell if I’m slipping further into insanity or if the slight buzz of energy I felt upon entering the clearing was real. I barely manage to avoid getting my nose busted open as I catch a sword that Erik threw.

I see him grab a second sword out of the bag that was slung around his shoulders.

“Take off your coat and shirt.” Erik says with a simple tone, as if his request weren’t strange at all.

The request is strange, but I trust this man with my life so I do as he says without question, the cold air and flakes of snow instantly cutting down to the bone. Erik also removes his coat and shirt, revealing a scarred and muscular body that can only be attained through years of battle. I resist the urge to shiver as I see Erik handle the cold as if it were just a summer morning.

“Embrace it” Erik says with a small smile as he unsheathes his sword and gives it a twirl to test the weight against his hand “The cold will help.”

I have no idea how that would make any sense but I nod my head, willing to try anything at this point.

I open my mouth to ask a question as I also unsheathe my sword, but Erik is in my face before the words can leave my lips and I feel the cold of the snow on my back as I narrowly avoid getting my face split open by rolling backwards. I have no time to contemplate the cold or why my chieftain would be attacking me, I only have time to defend. My sword bounces around my grip as the weight of Erik’s attacks rattle the entire weapon on each strike. A look of a predator has covered Erik’s features as he pursues me. I dodge and weave as he pushes me to edge of the clearing, trying to corner me against one of the standing stones. Our blades clash once more and as we both push against each other as our blades lock together. I feel Erik quickly overpowering me as my feet begin to slide backwards. A molten-hot flame bubbles in my stomach as a roar jumps from me as I collapse the lock on our swords and drive my head forward in a headbutt. I feel Erik’s nose bust against my forehead. I expect him to take a step backwards from the strike but it only drives Erik forward who begins swinging with less discipline, the discipline being replaced by brute strength and intensity. I couldn’t tell if it was the constant attacks I’d been blocking or the cold but my hands were numb at this point as I try to stave Erik off. Erik bellows as he raises his sword over his head and with both hands drives the blade down. I knew that even if I used all my strength, there’s no way that I could block the attack with my body as numb and weak as it is so instead I bound backwards. The loose snowfall beneath my feet forsake me as I fall backwards onto my rear end. I roll backwards to try and get to my feet but before I could make it back up my head is whipped to the side as Erik’s boot connects with the side of my head. My head rings louder than any bell as I try to recollect myself but before I could even lift myself off my back Erik hops on top of me and presses the tip of his sword into my neck. I thought that my days might be numbered as Erik’s face goes red as he roars at me, pressing his sword a little deeper into my neck. I can’t tell you what caused me to do so but it leapt out of my mouth as I return his roar and push my neck a little further into the sword-point, my mind swept away in the storm of emotion. Erik’s face then contorts to a large, beaming smile as he takes his sword away and offers a hand to me. Erik pulls me to my feet. I stare into his eyes for a short moment, both of us were beaten and bloody. I couldn’t help it and neither could he as we both burst into laughter.

“The boy I had.” Erik says suddenly as he passes me a skin filled with mead “He would’ve been a legend”. I drape my coat over my shoulders as I take a seat in the snow next to Erik, taking a sip of the mead, the mead feels like liquid fire as it warms my body. I nod my head as I wait for him to continue, if he even wanted to.

“But there was something terribly wrong with the boy.” he says with a grimace, his eyes becoming glazed with distance as he relives the memory “He would kill anything that moved, attacking his mother often and even trying to take my life on a couple occasions.” Erik’s grimace turns into a small smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth “But he became more vile as the years rolled on” Erik snatches the mead from me as he takes a long draught from it before continuing “He would have visions of the future, of terrible creatures and began to mutter about ways to ‘fix’ the world he lived in”. Silence built after that as we both stared into the tree line as the snowfall began to intensify until he finally bows his head “But after seeing what he did to his mother,” his head shaking as he speaks “I had to put him down before he became too much of a problem.” Erik’s head raises to see glazed eyes as he tries to hold back his tears, raising his hands into a choking motion “I strangled the life from him, his last moments were filled with my rage.” Erik pauses once more, the story having my mind reeling.

“Afterward, I was crippled by guilt and grief. It broke me” Erik turns to face me as he speaks, the point of story now dawning on me “I became a very bitter man, a violent man. I drank myself belligerent every day and would lash out for the most trivial reasons; I was on a path of destruction” Erik motions around him “Then one day, after a particularly violent outburst, Leland located a shaman who claimed he could quell the doom within me. The shaman created this place and took me here without a warning of what would come.” Erik flashed a smile at me as he continues “The shaman attacked me before I had a chance to even know what was happening. I initially thought the shaman was trying to usurp my rule. We fought viciously, as violent as cornered beasts” His hand runs over a few gruesome scars on his arms “But when the fighting ended, the storm inside of me seemed to be calmed.” Erik takes a deep breath “What I’m trying to say is that this place saved my life and if you ever need to use it, come to me.”

Chapter 2: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

My eyes open to the sound of birds chirping just outside my home, the open windows allowing the symphony to dance in easily. I sit up against the furs on my bed, the gentle sunlight feeling incredible as I stretch, wringing the stiffness of sleep from my body. I look around the home and see it for what it has become over the last few weeks. The entire place was trashed, had I been living amongst this mess? I shake my head in dismay as I climb out of bed to find a long-sleeved shirt to slip on as I go about cleaning up the mess my grief made. As the straw bristles of my broom run along the stone floor I realize how consumed with rage I had been. The scariest feature of this rage is that I don’t remember participating. It takes about half of an hour to finish cleaning up all the broken dishes and other items off of the ground and collect clothes to take to the river to wash.

Life had become so muffled and I hadn’t noticed. As I hear the ambiance of nature around me, my feet stopped almost of their own volition as my eyes close for a long moment, allowing the rare and mild weather to seep into my memory. I open my eyes once more as I step forward towards the forest to reach the part of the river I like to do laundry at. My boots crunch against the snow as I make my way down a bank. I lay down my wash basket and then go about dipping my clothes into the ice-cold water and pressing them against the washboard. It’s as I press an article of clothing against the washboard that the sounds of birds chirping began to clang in my ears. As I dunk another article of clothing into the water and pull it out to begin washing that the chirping becomes even louder, the noise bouncing around in my mind. I shake my head with a frown as I continue to press against the washboard.

Louder. It keeps getting louder until I find myself unable to focus on my task as my body feels disoriented from the noise. I step up to stumble away from the wash basket, my knees tempting to buckle as I press my hands over my ears. The noise doesn’t relent even at my desperate clasp on my ears, my eyes scan the area dizzily before I spot the rocks sitting on the ground. I scramble down to grab a handful and begin throwing them wildly at the tops of the trees. “Shut up, damn it!” I roar, as my eardrums tempt to pop under the duress. I continue to throw rocks wildly, snow and clumps of dirt flying around me as I desperately try to stop the birds relentless torment. My violent attempts to stop them are all in vain, I begin to slam my fists against the ground. My teeth gritted as I feel my mind slipping from the excruciating pain in my ears. Doing anything to try and stop this. And then silence. The chirping stops and then the only sound I could hear is the sound of my heartbeat slamming in my ears. I collapse onto my back, a frown dominating my features as my fantasy of recovery starting to become a distant joke.

The joke only became more apparent as I enter town to do work in the docks as I do every morning and I immediately cross paths with Aiden. The young man avoids eye contact with me and tries his best to appear completely focused on pulling out the nets. I couldn’t blame him. I would be scared too. Hell, I’m probably more frightened than he is. “Hard work is the ailment for a broken spirit” I mutter under my breath, almost as a mantra as I go to helping Aiden with the nets. The nets actually had some good catches in them this morning, causing a small ember of happiness to burn.

“Are you alright?” I suddenly hear Aiden’s voice from my side as I see him grab the other line to help with the larger net.

I look up, the boy’s literally shaking as he asks. I nod my head wearily “I am just trying to work through my grief” I meet eyes with him as I throw the fish into the lidded basket at my side “I am sorry for scaring ye, Aiden”

Aiden relaxes as he pats me on the shoulder “Don’t get ahead of yourself, I just don’t want to be the one that has to put you down” Aiden smiles, trying to make light of the incident.

I return a smile as I nodded my head “I’d better be careful around you then, aye?”

There are few things that can get a Northman to stop amidst labor but the deep groan of the gathering horn was among that small list. The moment we hear the horn signal we speed walk to the Chieftain’s home. Erik stands at the front of his home, on the porch where he can oversee most of us that have gathered around. “This winter has been harsh.” Erik bellows, his words reaching even the people at the back of the crowd and his eyes meet with mine as he speaks “It has stolen from us, injured us” Erik raises his arms, even under his furs you can see the curves of his muscled arms “But the Gods have made us a strong people and when winter hits us”

“We only become stronger!” the crowd roars out, knowing this speech well.

The crowd’s eagerness feeds Erik’s as he smiles viciously “Aye!’ his eyes wild with excitement as were ours as he bellows “We’ll take the hatred of the winter and shove it down the gullets of our enemies!”

“The southerners will shudder!” the crowd around me bellows, their calls loud and passionate and if any chorus could reach the divine, it’d be ours.

“The southerners will shudder!” the crowd continues to bellow as they amp themselves up for raiding season.

I raise an eyebrow as I hear a knock on my door. I stride over to my door and open as the snow-peppered winds tear through the night. Erik is covered with snow as he stands at my door “Come in,” I say immediately as I usher Erik into my home. Erik smiles as he looks around the place “You’ve cleaned up the place”

I nod my head, now embarrassed that my Chieftain saw the place in that state. Erik immediately waves away my embarrassment “Trivial things go to the wind once grief gets its grips on ye” Erik takes a seat at one of the benches at my table. I pour a horn of ale as I take a seat across from him and take a deep gulp before passing it to him.

Erik nods with appreciation as he takes it in his hand and takes a long draught.

“What brings you here?” I ask, worried that he didn’t want me to go on the raiding campaign.

“Wanted to check up on you before we head out.” Erik says as he eyes me closely “Wanted to know that you’re ready”

I nod my head confidently “There’s nothing that could stop me from getting on that ship” my tone passionate as I continue “I think getting away from here for a while will be good for me, anyhow”

Erik nods his head, having considered that as well then flashes a smile and offers a hand “That’s what I was hoping to hear.” I grasp his arm in mine as I give him a confident nod. We spoke of less serious matters for an hour or so before I walked him out. Only a couple of minutes had passed when another knock echoes from my door. I step out of bed as I open the door, figuring Erik had forgotten to mention something but no one was there. Only the howling wind and snow greeted me as I open the door. I shudder as the snow whips against my bare chest as I lean out of my threshold to try and see if someone was leaning against the side or if someone had run off. Still nothing but wind and snow. I step back inside and close the door, rubbing warmth back into my arms as I step closer to the hearth.

Knock, knock. Another echo of a knock hits my back before I even get to the warmth of the fire. I feel anger bubble in my stomach as I storm over to the door and tear it open. No one to be seen. Then I hear the faintest sound of laughter within the storm outside. I grind my teeth together as I ignore the nip of the cold against my skin as I charge outside to catch the damned trickster. The wind was whipping against me, even with my large size the wind so strong that I had to step forward. As quiet as a whisper but the implication rang as loud as a ten-foot bell, the sound of laughter coming within my home. I whirl around and charge towards my door when I see it shut before I get to it. The laughter hits a climax as I slam my fists against my door. “I’m gon’ rip ye damned heads off!” I yell to the multiple voices of laughter as I feel my door give and as I go for one last charge with my shoulder, the door opens and I fall through. I pull myself to my feet and the door creaks closed behind me and the energy in the air caused all the hairs on my body to stand and chills continuously travelling down my back and into my arms.

The figure stands at the front of my home, in front of the fire of the hearth. The creature stood taller than even I. It’s head would be scraping the top of the ten foot ceiling if it’s head weren’t drooped as it looks at the fire in silence. Every time my eyes try to focus on the appearance of the figure my mouth would fill with the taste of copper. I could feel my body shaking. The figure was definitely humanoid, but the grayish silhouette was thin and it’s limbs gangly, it’s fingers nearly touching the floor. “Northmen fear naught” My mind echoes the lessons of my father. I step forward, my eyes spotting my sword that’s leaning against my bed, just a few feet from the figure. I begin to plan my attack. Another step forward, I can do this. It’s body slowly begins to turn, as it’s body rotates towards me, a feeling of nausea grows to conquer me. It’s that thing from the day before at the docks. The waving creature. “Get out!” My voice booms as I point towards my door, my whole body quivering under the moment.

The creature had no face but as the creature looks at me, features begin to grow on the creature’s face, seeming to be pressed up against the skin as if a person were trapped inside. The features had no definition just an outline of human features but even with such strange features as I eye my sword once more it’s lips twitch into what had to be a smile. My legs won’t move. I use every bit of might my frozen body can emit but no movement happens, save that of the increase in heartbeats as the creature takes slow steps towards me. The flames of the hearth begin to flicker in and out with each step of the creature. Everytime the flames emit light, the creature is inched closer.

“GET OUT!” My voice tempts to disappear forever as my throat tears from the desperate scream as the creature somehow keeps me locked in place, prowling to stand face to face, it’s body stooped low as it’s hands start to run across my skin and then the flame flickers out. I feel its hands on me, its clammy skin running along mine. I couldn’t even vomit from the smell of sulfur and decay. I’m surprised my eyes retained their ability to see as white flashes of light begin to emit from small orbs of light that surround us. The creature’s face directly in front of mine as the lights strobe. The creature’s smile hasn’t wavered as it continues to stare at me. It presses its face closer to mine, its cold, clammy flesh touching my nose now. My vision begins to tunnel vision into absolute white as the lights continue to strobe.

My eyes snapped open to the sound of intense knocking “Umbercht, let’s go!” I hear multiple voices yell. I shake my head, no time for thoughts on troubling dreams because it’s raiding season! I take no time to think and grab all of the gear I’d prepared last night and then throw on my furs, grabbing my sword and ax as I step out into the snow-swept morning. Spirits were high and you could feel it the moment I left my home as a man drapes his arm over my shoulder as we walk towards the gates of the city to get ready to travel to the neighboring village of Reylling. “To the gods above and below, it will sound as a bear’s bellow when the Northmen come to your shores, rest assured!” The drunken warrior sings as he shoves a waterskin into my chest. The ale was warm as it went down as I smile chimed in with the singing as we begin to load the carts with bags. After an hour of preparation all the carts were loaded and we were on our way to Reylling. As i walk beside a cart being pulled. I pull out my yew comb as I go about untangling the mess that is my hair. As I finish combing my hair and go to put the comb away I stop to appreciate the craftsmanship, the intricate design of runes and the detail of the two dragon heads carved at the top.

I see another waterskin pushed into my chest and I look up to see a bearded man with tattoos from the top of his head that go down further into his furs. Olfson Fhore, a good man. He watches me staring at the gift I’d received from my wife. “Let’s do her memory honor this campaign.” he says as I take a swig of his ale and give him a small smile. Olfson pats me on the back as we see the smoke billowing from the top of a hill, signaling our arrival to Reylling.

#writer #aspiring author #short story #maybe a #creepypasta #that good good #hope you enjoy #fantasy #books and libraries #vikings #writing

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