4. THE IMMORTAL GERMANIC WARRIOR
Ah, the weather is nice today. Waiting for the next one to arrive is very exhausting. I've been residing next to this statue for the past ten years. It should happen this year or early next year if I'm timing it right. I wonder if this one will do better than me. There is too much sorrow in these old bones. At least the voices in my head have stopped talking. I never got used to that anyways.
My loved ones have come and gone many times during my time. The death toll by my hands haunts my memories. There are so many regrets that I wish I could take back. This peaceful time I have been through might be the worst. Just me and my memories. Seeing my people butchered and forced into slavery by those damn redcoats is still the worst. I’m the one that lost. Never in all my lifetimes did I think I would lose. I found my rhythm after the first couple of hundred of years. Nothing could stop me. I considered myself Thor or Odin. Standing next to giants, but as they appeared, that quickly changed. Oh, the return of unpleasant memories. I glance at the orb-wielding bird, then up. This place is too peaceful. I long for those ominous clouds to arrive and lift me from my curse.
Thinking back on everything I've been through in the past is making me feel depressed again; I need to divert my attention. Might as well travel to town and check on the boy. While slipping my cloak over my head, I look around my hut. It's not fancy. I've lived in both palaces and gutters. You learn to sleep wherever you need to. My hand grabs a small rare book, just in case. After hiking through the woods and walking for half the day, I arrived in a little town.
The red cloaks have already taken this one over. They roam around with their swords out, threatening anyone who refuses to give them what they want. They've already fought and taken everything from me. The only reason for my existence is to ensure that the boy does not die. Checking on him and making sure he stays out of trouble is all I have left. It is getting late. Soon darkness approaches. He is always at the tavern at this time, so I make my way in and wait in the corner. While ordering an ale, I spot him at the bar flirting with a girl and telling her dirty jokes. Stupid boy. He will learn, though. While nursing an ale and watching him look like a fool and flirt with anything that moves, darkness descends, that's when the beat of new life happens.
Everyone for miles hears a crash. It's here; I smile for the first time in fifty years. The tavern empties as everyone rushes out. It's finally here. My heart lightens as my time draws near. I see the boy come back in by himself, looking inside his cup that is now empty. He looks around the room. There is no one else except him and me.
He finally notices me. The dolt. He sees what he wants to see. A man wearing a cloak while nursing a beer. Without revealing my face, I call to him. “Come here, son.” He looks startled, like he's about to run. Then he recognizes me as one-arm.
"What can I do for you, sir?" Because I am lacking and always wearing a clock everyone in town knows me as One-Arm. I've been watching this one since he was a boy. Now he is a man who supports his mother and father on their farm. I glance into the boy's innocent eyes. It's time for his fate to alter. While approaching me, I tell him a little of his future.
"For the next day, Thor will beat his powerful drums and unleash lightning because he is dissatisfied with the way of the world. When he's finished, there will be a clear sky outside, with no clouds obscuring the sun. He is informing us that he has given a treasure upon this land to rid us of the red cloaks. If one is strong and courageous enough, he can become like Odin himself. The gods have sent me a message. Tell the bravest person in town to find my treasure and drive the red cloaks back home."
The boy has stars in his eyes. His naive nature almost makes me want to laugh. Bravest in town, hahahahahaha…
"The gods picked me to tell you because they know I will not seek the treasure for personal gain; I only have one arm." He is actually shivering with excitement.
"Once Thor has made his final stroke and the sky is illuminated by the sun, proceed to the eerie forests in the west. Nothing will touch you there. The spirits know you're on a quest for the gods. They won't touch you. I tell him again, slowly.
So I might have killed a few folks who ventured into those woods. To make it appear haunted. It's a drop in the well of my soul. My hands are already tainted with the blood of my adversaries and innocents.
"Once you go through the woods, you will see a man in strange clothing near a statue." The gods have decreed that he be a messenger. You are to give him this book and instruct him not to lose it. This is his destiny. Make sure to point him towards the forest so he understands which way to go next. After you've given him the book, head towards the statue of a bird. It is a magnificent statue that appears to be of the living. If you reach out to the orb, it will grant you abilities beyond your wildest imagination." I place the book on the table and stare into his eyes, confirming that he understands what I've stated. He nods repeatedly. He's nearly shivering from what I told him.
"I will do as you say, old one arm. I will strictly adhere to the gods' will."
I give him a nod. Odin, please keep an eye out for this imbecile. I turn and go towards the door, giving him one last look. He's staring at an old, fading book. He would be unable to read it, even if he attempted.
I stroll through the woods and return to my hut. Thor is making music for my ears the entire way home. While looking off the cliff next to my hut, I gaze at the tranquil ocean. It's so beautiful to see Thor pound his huge hammer and make pretty lights. The strikes are gradually falling down to a lovely crescendo. I see the most amazing show of white light strike the ocean till the statue illuminates. The colors are beautifully shown. This signifies that my adventure is coming to an end. The colors are beautiful. My previous wife would have adored it. She was a simple artist. She would have liked to paint this. Oh, the memories haunt me so.
Finally, the dazzling lights wrap around the statue in a lovely pattern. It starts small and grows. Then a behemoth emerges and falls to his knees. He's youthful with fair, light blonde hair. It is cropped short, similar to how the redcoats wear it. His face is almost lovely, like a girl's, and he appears to have a baby face that has never seen combat. He is very tall but lanky. He needs some meat on his bones. However, he is dressed very strangely. The eyes, however, are what drew me in. His eyes are filled with venom. Something terrible has happened. If he is not careful, hatred will follow him throughout time itself.
There is so much I want to tell him, but I'm also ready for it to be over. I've already considered the torch passed. They will not let him be. They'll come at him now, not me. Okay, boy, let us get this over with.
(Leif Blackstone)
Are my eyes even open? All I can see is white. My eyes blink a few times to clear them. It’s hazy at first, but then I notice a man with one arm in a dirty brown tunic sitting next to a shack, staring at me. Then it strikes me. Mark and Wade.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
My fists begin pounding the ground. When I think of the dark knight, rage rises within me. It is not fair. Life is too cruel. I cry for the first time since I was a child. Sadness becomes my only friend. Mixed emotions hit me and I remember some of my best memories. Mark and his kids are playing together. Wade is teaching me how to fish for the first time. It is not fair. I spent the next ten minutes sobbing and banging the ground while the one-armed man sat and stared at me.
"What the hell are you looking at?" He says nothing. Just stares. I need something to hit. A target to vent my rage on. He seems to be the only person here.
"I say it again." "What the HELL are you staring at, you helpless one-armed-man?" He doesn't say anything and appears to have no idea what I'm saying.
“If you don't respond, I'm about to kick your ass, dude.”
“Dude,” he says, all drawn out like he's testing it out.
Shit, he has no idea what I am even saying.
I point at myself: “USA.”
He points at me. “USA.”
“Yes, I'm from the USA.”
He points at me again and says, “USA.”
This is going nowhere.
“Where are we and what's your name?”
He points again at me, “USA.”
“Shit.”
This is going to be a pain. So I need to figure out how to get back to the institute, buy tons of firepower, and blow that insane knight to kingdom come. He recently became my life's mission. It is too depressing to think about what happened to Mark and Wade. There's no way I can make it there in time to help them. In my heart, I know they're dead. That evil knight will get what's coming to him. The one-armed man rises up. He gestures to his hut and speaks in a language I don't understand. Then he gestures at the statue, then to the woods.
The statue is really colorful and beautiful. My new one-armed friend walks to the edge of the cliff. He says some more things in his language that I don't understand. Then, with a huge boom, he exclaims at the top of his voice.
"MORS ROMAM."
He gestures in my direction while hammering his one arm on his chest. He gives me a wink before plunging into the ocean from the cliff. I dash to the edge in hope of helping somehow, but there is no sign of his body. Did he simply end his own life? For a long time, I watched the waves crash, hoping to get a glimpse of him. The ocean has him now. What’s the meaning behind Mors Romam? (It would take me a long time to learn that it meant Rome's death. I also failed to notice the pain in his eyes because I was too preoccupied with my own hurt.)
Observing my surroundings, I begin to pose a number of open-ended questions to myself.
What motivated that one-armed man to commit suicide?
Did he really have such a miserable life?
Was I transported somewhere else by the statue?
This doesn’t make any sense, neither does Mark or Wade's death. Am I still asleep in my bed? As I look around, I notice a large rock. This is a really stupid idea. Man, I really hope this is just a dream. While picking up the big rock, I drop it right on my left foot. There's a loud crunch, followed by pain.
“Mother trucker.” While hopping around on one foot. I now see the flaw in that plan. Well, not a dream. What other stupid plan can I come up with? Looking around, all I see is a dark forest, a statue of a blue bird, and a small hut with straw roofing.
Looking at the modest hut, it appears to be a decent place to start. Much better than some sinister looking forest. So the hut doesn’t have anything but a green hooded cloak, some garments, and a strange-looking old sword.
The sword looks very polished and shiny. While gazing at the sword, I notice a nick on the side of the blade. Should have learned more about swords when I was back home. There's nothing here for me. Now do I want to go native and use his clothes or keep mine? A one-piece green jumpsuit should be better than those. They kind of smell, and I don’t even know if they will fit. While looking at the small bed he has made for himself, I decide to get some sleep. I'm dead tired on my feet. Lying down, I instantly pass out.
The worst part was having to wake up from the cold ground. At first, I'm trying to remember where I am. Then my thoughts remember Mark and Wade. It is still too fresh. Let's get my mind off of my difficulties and explore what else there is. After leaving the hut without collecting the sword or garments, I take one final look at the statue. When my hand makes contact with the orb, nothing happens, which is strange. In my mind, I was hoping for a return to the institute. My guess is it's only a one-way ticket.
Well, I might as well attempt the eerie woods. When I observe some movement coming from the forest, I start walking towards it. A young guy walks out. This person seems really familiar.
My voice greets him in a warm tone, "Hello, have we met before? He smiles and runs up to me, carrying something in wrapped cloths. He begins jabbering and pointing to the skies, then to the woods, with a big smile on his face.
He appears to be my age, but he is quite dirty and wears little clothing. Half of his face looks like he's been playing in the dirt. Wow, I must have landed in a poor region.
"Sorry friend, I cannot understand you." I say to him, extending my words. He cocks his head to one side, losing his smile.
He starts pointing towards the skies and saying, “Udin Udin.”
It takes me a second to figure out what he is saying. “Do you mean Odin?” He cocks his head again.
I pretend to ride a horse with one hand over my eye. I then raise two fingers and make bird-flapping motions with my hands. All I know about Odin is that he rode a horse with two ravens and had only one eye.
The guy starts jumping up again and pointing at me.
“Udin, Udin.”
Then he gestures toward the object he is holding. When he opens it, he finds a book wrapped in leather. It appears to be rather old. He gestures toward me, the book, and then the sky.
“Udin,” he says with a smile.
I think I missed something there. Does he want me to worship Odin?
“No, sorry, I'm not going to convert to your religion, buddy.”
He smiles, then points at the book, then again at me.
“No, no, I am very sorry, but I have a plane or a boat to catch. I have to get back to the states.
He just stares at me with a big goofy smile like he has solved the greatest mystery. He keeps patting the book.
“Whatever, dude, I will take your dumb book.”
He hands me the book.While opening it, I flip to a random page. Wow, and that's hieroglyphics. Great, he's attempting to assign me homework.
After waving at me, the man moves in the direction of the statue. Hold on, I think I know where I saw him. He looks exactly like the guy who jumped off the cliff, except he has two arms and he is a lot dirtier. His hair is also shorter. Yes, and the man who jumped off looked a little more aged, but aside from that, they are identical. It's probably his older brother, uncle, or some other relative. "Hey, I regret to inform you that your relative passed away. He leaped from the edge. I make a motion of someone jumping from a cliff. He gives me a weird look. He points to the heavens after saying something in his native tongue.
He approaches the statue and lets out a wolf-like howl as loud as he can. Before he touches the monument, he waves to me one more time. The next bit becomes slightly confusing. He seems to be drawn inside the statue. The bird statue then turns to marble and loses its hue. The final component to lose color is the orb.
What the hell is going on? I'm a believer in the unknown. Do I believe there are aliens out there?
Yes!
Do I think they are little green men who do weird stuff to cows?
No!
This is putting my imagination to the test. I think I'm about to have a breakdown right now. Most likely getting electrocuted while drooling in a padded chamber. Standing here will not provide answers to any of these questions. Mark used to say you need a plan. My feet move towards the statue. With eagerness, my finger presses the orb in hope one final time. Nothing happens except a gust of wind blows around me. Well, that was a bust.
“Listen, statue, you will return me back to where I come from.”
Another gust of wind blows by me.
Well, I had to try.
The book appears to be quite small and valuable. Considering how poor everyone looks in this place, I’m probably going to get robbed while carrying it. So while standing next to the statue, I think like a pirate and take twelve steps to the left. It dawns on me then that I have no digging equipment. I go to retrieve the sword from the hut, marking my location with the book.
After digging up the ground a little ways, I wrap the book in the cloth and bury it. Well, I guess the only move I have left is checking out the creepy forest. Anything is better than sitting here and whining about my situation. With sword in hand and the clothes from the one-armed man, I enter the forest.