Nathanial

‘’Nathanial.’’

A voice whispers to the broken thing dying too slowly for its own liking.

‘’Come to me,’’ the soothing whisper entices.

Nathanial Ark finds himself floating through darkness, then light then a place where visibility has a different meaning.

Is this death? He asks himself, grateful to no longer feel pain as he arrives disembodied before a glorious light of unknowable dimensions.

‘’Child, you are at a crossroads.’’

‘’Am I dead?’’

‘’Your body is very nearly so but the spirit is the wellspring of life that is part of the divine creator, it can never truly die.’’

So I’m dead then. The realisation washes over him without inducing emotion.

‘’What now?’’

‘’Your world is changing, many mortal beings of your world are dying en mass as a result. Some like you, when close to death find themselves called to this realm of spirit and dream to choose the path on which their souls next embark. Cross the veil unknowable to living beings of flesh continuing the path through death or take another way.’’

Death or another way. ‘’Another way?’’

‘’You have garnered the attention of several deities that would vie for your devotion,’’ gods of his world.

New gods and the old make their presence known within the dreamscape of light and intent that is the living dream Nathanial finds to be his new reality. He knows them. Their natures, aspects and requirements of each and every single one of these awesome broken beings he knows with perfect understanding gives him the peace of an informed choice.

‘’Why am I offered this choice?’’

‘’The cries of grief from the lower worlds have reached the heavenly planes and the heavens have decreed it so. Many at the brink of death are offered this choice if there are gods that would have them as their followers.

‘’What happens when I choose a god?’’

‘’That is between you and your god, but know that you don’t have to make this choice. You can disregard all this and let your soul pass on in the natural cycle of events.’’

‘’And die.’’

‘’Yes Nathanial, and die.’’

Being here like this, free from craving, pain thirst and fatigue, it would be so easy to die. Yet still, I cling to life? Why? He asks himself yet finds no immediate answer within.

I value my life, I value my life more than I do everyone else's yet I’ve never done anything particularly interesting with it. Without question I want to live, but why?

He searches himself, many possible answers flipping within him yet none with the weight of depth to satisfy him.

I guess I’ll find out as I live.

Two lights bloom brighter as he makes the choice without speaking.

Astraea, the goddess of innocence, purity, peace. An innocent maiden, a stern mother, a patient grandmother and more all wrapped in one being. A goddess of peace because she knows the horrors of war firsthand, a veteran that retains her innocence and that draws him to her.

Mortala, the god fighting its inner serpent in a perpetual struggle for dominance. Violent in defence of itself, having experienced a true spiritual death because of its inner serpent, which is now its mortal enemy yet a part of its nature.

The two deities are chosen, the two agree not to compete for the mortal’s devotion but to share it. The two lights bloom within Nathanial Ark and he knows a bit more of his new gods, he knows how to pray to them and tap into their power, he knows their expectations and slowly he wakes to a healed body.

*

I slowly come to, groggy with the fading awareness of a dream slipping between my mind's grasp. Breath comes easily as the memory of where I am and what has happened wakes me to careful alertness of my surroundings.

I get up slowly.

My body well-rested and fully restored as far as I can tell by touching myself. I make a sign of silent devotion to my new god Mortala, feeling something coming over me giving me inner strength and renewed resolve just after finishing the hand sign to Mortala.

I bow, ‘’Astraea mother of purity I thank you for restoring me and blessing me with your favour.’’ I show devotion to both my gods feeling a previously unknown power fill me bringing with it peace and subtle awareness of the world I previously lacked.

The death-dealer previously hunting me is nowhere to be seen which I’m thankful for. Power fills me, spiritual power through which I was healed and worries eased, but it's not the type of power I could knock an enemy over the head with as far as I can tell.

Quickly I continue forward to get out of the open, there is no telling the dangers still lurking around this place of blood and death.

In no time I’m out of the open plain scrambling down a rocky hill, hiding, I made it out of the forest swarming with death dealers. I take a moment to close my eyes thinking of the state of the world that has changed drastically in so short a time. It’s all been like a dream, the entire western frontier of the kingdom devastated in a matter of ten-days. The quick assembly of a host large enough to face the invaders.

The beings that came to Helia, Bantu-jin, and everything that came after. I’ll never forget that power, a being single-handedly stopping planar spells. Fighting with powers so mightily destructive that all I could do, all anyone could do was cower and hide as half the sky from horizon to horizon churned and burned. Now gods I’ve previously never heard of have restored me back to life from death's door, it’s all crazy.

I bolt upright pulling my gladius as three arrows punch into the soil around me one after the other. In the distance is a ragged man lowering his aim, around me are three dead desert rattles. Snakes that would have been sure death for me unless the goddess showed me favour again.

An ally?

I sheath my blade and step closer, a human at the very least. One who may have just saved my life.

‘’Well met friend, I thank you for the assistance.’’

‘’Shut up and run,’’ he takes off to the left.

Run? Run from what, I don’t even know you.

‘’Hgmhhm!’’

That god's forsaken languages puts all other thoughts from my head and I sprint to catch up, another death-dealing otherworldly man-child on my trail.

The death dealer gains on us quicker than the last one that caught me, the one to nearly kill me. I push more strength into my legs gaining an ounce more of speed outpacing the archer next to me.

He indicates we split up points me right at an intersecting path and turns left through the canyon as I follow his instruction. I push, I’ll make myself the more challenging to catch and hopefully evade the death dealers attention.

The ground inclines in a sharp slope forcing me to slow, gazing behind. Shit, the fucker isn’t far behind me!

I throw myself rolling over the slope coming up in a dusty run that has me tumbling at speed.

I can’t die again, I can’t die I just can’t. Astraea, godess of peace give me strength to avoid this fight.

All my strength is in my legs, determination renewing my energy in a way I’ve never experienced before; I give running my all. Holding back nothing without fear I’ll burn out as I feel the spirit of Astraea healing away fatigue.

‘’Hngmhg hjgnmdf,’’ gleeful gibberish sounds too close behind me.

I’m not bloody dying again fuck that!

I draw as I twist in a jump cutting the air.

[RHAAA!]

I missed!

The death-dealer leans back with teeth bared in a triumphant snarl as my blade parts the air an inch from its neck.

Shit!

[Vooo-Kra Tlafff.]

[Doink.]

An arrow wobbles from the death-dealer’s left eye having snapped its head to the side.

I land hard stabbing harder into tough flesh.

[Tchffff.]

My blade enters between the ribs with all the strength I can master at this angle.

[Bam!]

I’m swatted away in a backhand that rings every bell.

I come to consciousness a momement later, the death-dealer on its knees with six more arrows centres within its chest.

I’m hurt but I’m fine, that fucker is somehow still alive.

‘’Leave it, run!’’ My saviour says again.

Grrrr, I deserve that kill but I don’t hesitate to limp after the archer this time. Picking the dropped gladius as I pass.

‘’Peace upon this place through Astraea’s will and name,’’ an enchantment blooms around us leaving me dizzy but at ease under a feeling of safety. I can't believe that worked.

‘’I’m Nate.’’

I say as we settle down within the dark outcrop too small for the big fuckers to enter.

‘’Texas.’’

It’s dark, the night unnaturally quiet until the wind creates ghostly wails as it passed through the canyons.

‘’How are you still alive Tex?’’

‘’I’m good at running, you?’’

Funny, that’s how I’ve kept alive. ‘’Same I guess.’’

...

The silence is heavy like a curtain draped upon the night.

‘’Everything is fucked up Tex.’’

*Snort.

‘’Like I don’t know that,’’ he sounds both amused and angry. I can’t see his face through the gloom we’ve tucked ourselves into.

...

‘’I don’t usually talk so much but you’re the first person I’ve seen alive in days. Where are you from?’’

‘’No-where that still exists. You?’’ he asks shifting about stretching out his legs. He seems reluctant to talk but also feels the silence and the need to break it I imagine.

‘’Yeah, same. I used to be a soldier from Helia, now I don’t know if it still even exists. Likely not, not from the little I saw as I ran.’’

‘’Helia, I’ve never heard of it. But then again I’ve never been this far from home before.’’

‘’Never heard of Helia? It’s the largest city this side of Rabat.’’

‘’Rabat? I’ve never heard of Rabat.’’

‘’Never heard of Rabat! Where do you think you are?’’

‘’I’m in the middle of nowhere with a nobody asking my nonsensical questions. Leave me be soldier of Rabat, I have my own troubles to contend with.’’

Doesn’t know Rabat, how could that be? We don’t have people this old so uneducated that they don’t know the name of their own kingdom, not unless he’s touched in the head.

‘’What kingdom are you from?’’

Tex sighs tiredly, ''don’t you understand a need for silence? Leave me be or else I leave you be to find my own peace elsewhere.’’

‘’Peace, there is no peace to be had anywhere. Go then, look for your peace. You won’t survive a day without me.’’

‘’Nor would you without me.’’

‘’Don’t you know? I have the gods on my side now, I have better chances out here alone than you,’’ this guy doesn't even know me and he's stepping all over me.

‘’Yet already I have saved your life how many times? Your gods are fickle and not very good for much.’’

‘’I am alive, I can feel things you are obviously blind to. I think my gods are off to a good start.’’

I would have a hard time surviving without him as he would without me, this has been establish in our struggle to stay alive to get as far as we have. Without me as a distraction he wouldn't have gotten that death-dealer, nor would i have survived it probably.

‘’Why are we even talking about this? I don’t care for your gods nor do I care for you or your questions.’’

‘’I just don’t understand how a grown man wouldn’t know the largest western city in the kingdom nor the name of the land he is in itself.’’

‘’I grew up in the Myrkwood far from human kingdoms and the likes. The closest settlements around were those of beast-men and elves, Hangari a month or more away through the woods is the closest human kingdom I know. I’ve been running for as long as I can remember, ever since...

‘’I have been running a long time chased by phantoms that haunt my dreams. I cannot kill them hide from them nor escape them for very long before again they are on my trail and again I have to run. You are the 3rd person I have come across alive in a very long time, I’m tired and hungry and would long have given myself to death if it weren’t for the horror of the death that chases me.’’

...

What can I say to that?

Myrkwood, I’ve never heard of a Myrkwood. Hangari? Where does this guy come from?

*

Sachihiro

Blackness takes me warping twisting stretching me beyond reasoning. Distance stars sparkle with light within the nothingness of black.

I roll in a landing spring into the air dizzy with the juxtaposition of suddenly finding so much bombarding my senses.

Thump. [PFFfff]

I don’t see what hits me but I crumble into the hit absorbing and dispersing its force in a puff of exploding mist on the other side of my torso.

I’m elsewhere than I was before.

I land again in a tumbling roll getting to my feet bleeding off the momentum of the hit with backward steps. The soil is soft, my feet digging into it creating a cloud of disturbed soil. Sun rays filter through the dust in a beautiful collage of colour, dirt has never been so beautiful to behold. Stopping the reverse with a firm step my foot digs deep into the soil arresting movement.

Heart pounding.

I can’t believe how dumb it was jumping into the Draug's portal, I can’t believe it worked, I can’t believe I’m seeing colour with my own eyes. Light from the sun!

I take everything in as quickly as possible, realising I’m under threat even as I saviour my first breath of fresh air.

*Deep breath. AHHHH..., that feels nice.

Two guys on my left running away fast but strategically as though chased by arrows, the big guy on my right is pissed. He's about to attack, ahh, he kicked me as I was landing. Packed a hell of a pound in that kick as well. No visible weapons on him, no mana signature and jusding by physique definetly a brawler.

I take an open stance, breathing in sequence pooling chakra through centre just so, opening the fingers in catching origami lotus flower. A unique mixture of my centre chakras flows through my arm creating a film of energy over the palm concentrated at fingertips.

Physicallly and mentally I ready the chakra release I know best. The ground explodes in a cloud of soil, the large naked ram of flesh flies at me fast.

Let go, be free, flow.

Turning in a spin I use his momentum twisting him around easily, turning him around and over to fly upside down and backwards to crash into an outcropping rock shattering it.

Shit, he must be heavy to hit that hard. I feel the rocks crumble loudly under my feet.

Finish this quick. Having launched after him I arrive as he stands, dodging underarm as he swings. Phthartic.

The effect of the spirit and chakra combined punch has immediate and outstanding effect. A strangled gurgle alerts me before my awareness shows me the bloody guts being projectile puked out.

I have another in me easy, with Phthartic I punch up. I feel and hear his chin shatter in a mess of meaty bone, half his face destroyed as the chakra ability completely bypasses all defence to explode within the unfortunate sod crumbling at my feet.

The two runners have stopped to gawk.

I’m naked. In my haste I left everything behind, I jump into the portal without even putting on the skinsuit clothes or armour. Looking around I grab the kilt from the half-naked rhino of a man at my feet pulling it off roughly. He squeals ineffectively but a foot to his chest makes pulling it off an easier process.

You shouldn’t have attacked me asshole.

I activate the orb Draug gave me as I summon it from storage. A connection quickly establishing with traces of my mana and spirit-energy acting as an identifier.

So many points!?

All the information I previously bought access to through the servant orb is here plus an extra 1000 library points I previously didn’t have, likely for ‘completing’ the mission for a total of 1050 library points. All things considered, I’m rich.

The kilt is a bit baggy but adjustable, surprisingly soft and well made with an opening each leg goes into.

Checking the map in relation to my position as I allow the orb assess to my location confirms for me that yes, I am indeed on Pangaea. Finally!

*Deep breathe.

I take everything in. The rocky dusty vista stretching from here to the horizon, the clouds in their beautiful bloated forms, the sky in its clear depthlessness. The sound here is much louder, coming in from all directions indicative of the many life forms easily found on the surface world.

*Deep breathe.

Ahhhh... the surface, so bright, so beautiful.

I need to make sure I’m where I think I am. I find the minds of both men open and easily accessible sending to them in Common from across the distance.

''You there, where is this place?''

They startle at the same time, look at each other and bolt.

*Snort.

A reasonable reaction I guess.

Closing my eyes I focus on the intangible threads of spirit connected to me by forces of nature beyond my comprehension. There, in that direction one of my children is.

I jog forward with a bounce in my step.

Soon. I'll be home soon.