《Here there be Legends》


 The end of the First

    In a large hall, suffocated by the necessity for perfect manners and etiquette, stood a solitary chair. Upon that chair sat a great warrior. A king and conqueror of the known world.


    If you had heard his legend, you may have heard he was a scar covered giant of a man covered in muscles of steel and bones stronger than adamantite but the bards jest with such words that double as flattery and to add extra amazement to the visage of a hero. In reality the man was smaller but still large, strong but not unnaturally so and calm, without the fire seen in the stories. He also held only a few scars. Each one caused by a master in their field opposed to his rule. Not one had threatened his life. If you knew the man as I did you would know that that chair was the last place he wanted to be. It was, however a place he had to sit.


    He was good at managing the affairs of his country and skilled in verbal sparring, though not as much as he was good with a real spar. The man could not afford to lose that seat to a man driven by greed rather than kindness even if it left him as a husk of the man that had struggled from slavery to the ruler of the known world with none of the drive he had once possessed.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I am honoured to have lived as a servant to such a man.


    I am the best in the world at that job. I have heard the confides of my master and know this is the end of his journey in this world. He has chosen his successor and created the system that may preserve that era of prosperity for longer than any mortal may live.


    I remembered my last moments with him:


    ¡°Marrius,¡± his voice boomed despite being unable to raise above the volume of a whisper. ¡°you want me to marry you my lord¡± I joked as I always did knowing that was how he would want me to talk to him in such a serious and private setting. His eyebrow twitched with his body unable to produce the energy for laughter. ¡°I would like to see once more where I was born and die where I promised I would die.¡± By the time he had finished the request the preparations were already long complete. I had made sure of that. I never needed to reply. He knew I was waiting for him to say that.


    It was exactly two days 3 hours and 28 minutes until the old king succumbed to his illness and died. Sitting on the hilltop where he had fought the battle that had cost him his wife.


    This was only the first of many legends I had followed and watched slowly fade but it was the story I most loved.


    This is the curse of immortality!

 Origin

    My greatest friend may posses the first of the legends I have witnessed he is by no means a beginning for my own story. The legends never truely occur at the start of everything and alas even I do not go back that far. Perhaps I do. Iam not aware of my creation after all.


    Although I do not know the true start of myself my earliest memory is of pain. A pain I would later atribute to burning. I do not know how long I remained in this state for time is a concept I did not posses at the time but I do know it ended with the sight of the sea; of a great body of water that spanned the horrizons and shimmered in the light of the moon. I was sat upon a jagged black rock, naked and dumb as a babe but with none of the spark or desire to act. The cycle of freezing blue moonlight and burning sun swirled around my head. In all the centuries I likely spent on that rock, I only moved twice: once when the rock collapsed beneath me, and again when lava touched my skin. by the third time I moved the rock was no longer a rock, it was an island.


    small plants grew and fish like creatures aproached the shore. I once witnessed one of the creatures attack another. The attacker left with injuries but consumed it''s prey. I had observed many deaths by this time and many cases of a creature consuming something. However, it was only when I had obsurved a creature sustain such injury for so small a prize as this that I began for the first time to wonder. "What is it like to eat?" I would consider this a pivotal point as with only such a simple thought I gained something I have not lost to this day. I gained a motivation, an emotion and a goal of sorts.


    I squirmed to the shore, as such squirming had been the only form of movement I had observed or performed myself, and bit some sponge from the ocean and some scrub from the land. The action lit a hunger in me I never knew I possesed and after a long time spent grabbing grass I was finally satisfied. For the first time in my long life I felt full and as though something had been acomplished. For many more years I scoured that island, eating and living. I learned to walk and grab but my actions would be foreign from how you would consider a person to move. To me there was no difference between walking tall and on all fours so I would stumble about in both states. I would also tumble down hills as that was faster than my crude walking. Eventually, the plants on my island became fewer and fewer and the sea life less frequent and I began considered leaving. I was starving it was the first time I had considered anything beyond this island to exist. I knew, however, that the sealife left and travelled elsewhere and resolved to follow them. The next time I saw something travel from the shore I walked into the water and began to swim.


    The creature was lost before long and I was too far from my island and too lost in the flowing water to return. I swam until I could swim no more and floated until I did not have the breath left to float. I sank beneath the waves and all went black. I would have remained asleep until waking did not cause my immediate return to unconciousness. I cannot say how long that would have been. I know I awoke on a soft bed of sand. It was the most comfortable material I had ever rested upon and were it not for my resolutre quest for food I may well have settled back into my eternal despondancy I had sat with from my begining.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Beyond the beach was a large number of trees growing from a dark soil. I saw the green and walked towards it. I could not reach the leaves of the tree. I groaned and grabbed a scrub from the ground and ate. It was not long before I was covered in sludge and lost in the forested swamp, sweat covering my body and shaking off insects. Suddenly a sharp pain assulted my leg as mud splashed over my upper body. A long creature with four stubby legs and a long jaw had claimed my leg and was pulling on it. Soon I was under the swamp in the crocodile''s jaws and spinning. My leg was torn from my body but I escaped. It was weeks before I healed and for the first time I wished for revenge. I never saw the crocodile again.


    Over my time in the swamp I learned how to hunt, catch fish and move through water easily enough. I learned how to free myself of leaches and recognise the areas of swamp that are dangerous. I also learned to recognise seasons, time was now measurable for me. After a very long time I knew my place in that swamp. I was strong but not at the top. I felt like moving on. I moved to the edge of the biome and gazed over the entirely different woodland beyond. With a deep breath I left my home behind. I wandered around my new home and saw far greater creatures than I had before. there were creatures with huge horns and shields of bone on their head, lizards with great spine ridges and huge animals with necks that seemed to touch the sky. I climbed trees to see the world more clearly and soon saw the crocodiles of the forest. They were huge monsters that walked upright and used group tacktics to take down prey. I resolved to avoid them and kept to the trees where I could.


    One day I was grabbed in the maw of one of these preditory giants and brought back to their nest. Young preditors waited expectantly as I was dropped into the nest. Countless times I tried to escape, any time I was whole enough to move. Every time I was dragged back and comsumed once more. Over generations of these creatures I watched and learned. I learned how to walk on two legs efficiently when I had legs and how to comunicate with others. I learned how to empathise, comfort the sad and desguise my pain. Sometimes a creature would empathise with me but they were always in the minority and playing on such kindness would enevitably lead to the death of my ally at the hands of their siblings.


    I kept this pack of creatures alive when food was short and healthier than their rivals when food was apleanty through the gift of my flesh. I wish I could choose not to. Those that benefited from my presence the most were always the meanist. Over the years of regeneration, consumption and observation I began to wonder if there were any more out there like myself. A new purpouse sprung to mind. I didn''t want to be alone in my suffering or in my times of comfort.


    I have learned over my life that no matter how stallwart a prison nothing can trap me forever. whether it is the relentless push of time or something far more dramatic I will always someday leave. The prison of teeth and bipedal preditors ended dramatically when, in the middle of the day, the sky turned black and the world became painted in blood red and grey.

 Extinction

    Within moments the pack was in panic. The young huddled to me and their parents whilst the old stood guard. A young male that was close to leaving the nest simply ran from the cloud. I knew this would lead to my chance. I just needed to wait. An hour later ash fell from the sky and the pack calmed down. Eventually the adults went hunting and normalacy returned despite the healthy dose of paranoia throughout the group. I was eaten more than usual but over time I notaced the plants wilting under the coats of ash and that the animals caught were becoming thinner and thinner. It would not be long before I could escape this hell. I would enter the dying world with new purpouse. To be comfortable, fed and to find others like myself.


    I began to walk. I moved slowly, scrounging for roots and chasing small prey where possible. I ensured I had good rest as the ash, for all it¡¯s destruction feels soft like sand. Over time larger debris fell. I soon realised that seeking cover was necessary to avoid being crushed. The largest animal I saw came up to my waist. If anything survives this hell I am sure I will never be so overwhelmed as I was by the pack.


    After a very long time I entered a mountain range with great spires of rock touching the blood read ceiling of the world. I began to climb. I had a strange desire to see the sky once more. Eventually, as I climbed the ash became thicker until it filled my lungs and stomach. I felt terrible as I pushed onward. Soon the ash cleared and I stood at the peak of the mountain gazing into the setting sun. There were some shrubs here. I could see more food than I had had in the last week. I sat down, plucked some berries and watched the ash slowly fall as the sky spun with shimmering lights and a brilliant blue.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I lay idle until finally, the ash had long settled and plants which had been dormant for so long began to regrow. The walk down the mountain was far easier than the journey up. Slipping meant falling closer to the goal rather than away from it and the ash cloud had gone.


    At the base of the mountain I grabbed some plants and continued on my journey. If any of my kind exists I am sure they would have survived. I did. As I walked I noticed something strange. It was getting colder. Each day was shorter and colder than the one before. The white stuff on the mountains was becoming more common and extending closer to the ground. Eventually it began to snow. The white stung my bare skin. Especially my feet and hands. I endured for the few days this lasted and continued walking. Fortunately, the days got longer again but it never returned to being warm. Soon snow and ice became commonplace and the world seemed so different from before. It was beautiful. Eventually I experienced a day that lasted longer than a rotation of the sun. The cold hurt here. My feet became black and had to be smashed on a rock to regenerate. I couldn¡¯t take it anymore. I turned around and walked back the way I came. Far sooner than before I saw mountains. I entered their peaks And strolled across the ice between two great glaciers. A resounding crack filled the air and the ground fell away beneath me. Scrambling at the ice I cried and fell. Plummeting through blue I hit the ground before rapids snatched me from the ice. I spun, helpless in the water until all went black once more.


    It seems fate hates me for my immortality.

 Ice and the dark.

    I had awoken to darkness. Not like the dark of the night but an impenetrable barrier to sight. It is cold here. The water constantly steals heat and the bare stone offers no comfort. Time seems of no consequence in this eternal darkness. Perhaps my people hid from dangers in these caves. Hunger drives me to move. I stand and follow the water to the path I took to get here. I cannot however climb the rocks or fight the surge of water from the gap. I begin to feel my way across the room and find gaps wherever I can reach. Some of the caves are too shallow or small for me but some I am willing to explore. I keep the rush of water at my back to navigate and wander into the dark.


    Eventually, realising there was nothing close to the stream I picked the widest path and took a step beyond the last point I could hear the rush of water. Enshrouded by darkness as silence I strolled forward into the unknown and stubbed my toe.


    Eventually, I learned to find my path without sight. I could make sounds that echo to reveal the rocks in the cave and feel the change in the rock beneath my feet to avoid obstacles. I learned to move silently when I desired. The silence seemed almost sacred here. It was during my time in silence that I heard the sounds of scuttling. I sprang forward. Life meant food. I was starving. I caught the insect that broke the silence and bit it. Immediately I realised something was wrong. I froze mid bite and toppled to the floor. This was not the first time I had been unable to move but the first time it had occurred so suddenly with no apparent cause.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    after some time I felt the paralysis wear off. I moved around and thought about what to do next. The creature had to have come from somewhere and for the first time since falling into these caves I had hope. I began searching, paying no mind to subtly or caution. Then hours later I calmed down and nursed my rapidly healing injuries. I sat down against a wall and felt something soft. After feeling it I remembered the smell and feel of this wall from long ago during my time in the forest. The wall was made of rotting wood. I stopped and slammed into the wall which creaked revealing a sliver of light. Now desperate, I scratched at the wood until my nails fell from my fingers and my battered limbs broke through to reveal air on the other side. I pulled myself through and collapsed on the soft wood gazing at the carpet of stars through the hole high above me. Smiling, I slept.


    When I awoke I noticed dark shapes flying around my head. I grabbed one and ate it. I caught another, and another. Finally satisfied I tried to climb to the hole. Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t accomplish the climb. Unable to bare leaving this safe haven I tried everything to escape but could not. A set of seasons passed and I noticed something. The hole was getting bigger and the soft material beneath my feet was becoming more common.


    I would escape eventually. All I needed to do was wait. I practiced hunting and seeing without sight whilst I waited until decades later the ground shook and the last barrier to my escape fell. I was free once more.


    I let my gaze wander. I was at the base of a mountain with a mix of grassland and wood as far as the eye could see. Far off in the distance I saw a group of large creatures I couldn¡¯t recognise. It was time to search once more.

 The tribe.

    With eyes squinted against the sun I walked into the plain.The trees were strange and flowers far more abundant than I remembered. As I approached the animals I noticed they possessed fur, like the creature I had killed in the ash and the bats but entirely unlike the scaled creatures that dominated the swamp and forest I had inhabited before. Perhaps this was merely a feature of these plains. I tried to hunt the creatures but they bolted and I gained nothing but a bruise.


    After several failed attempts I plucked some berries and ate them. The berries tasted great so despite everything I was thoroughly satisfied.


    I later saw something hunt the hooved creatures. It was large but not much larger than myself I didn¡¯t even notice it until now but it was fast and powerful. I followed it. It is never a good idea to ignore such a dangerous predator.


    After a short walk I noticed several of the predators sitting under a tree with an especially large male in the centre.


    I immediately shivered in fear at the memory of what a pack of predictors can do to me but stopped as I noticed the last remains of previous meals were left at the edge of the group, unattended. I sighed in relief and continued watching.


    The pack operated on a simple hierarchy. The large male got first dibs on everything and the cubs got the scraps. The females were responsible for gathering the food and only ever mated with the pack leader.


    I soon realised the predators were far more brutal than I thought. A younger and stronger male entered the pack and roared at the large male. After roaring the two creatures flew at each other with a violent clash of claws and teeth. The younger male won. All cubs were either murdered or chased from the pack whilst their brethren fell to the claws of the new alpha. Without hesitation I left. I had seen and experienced worse but usually with or from smaller, less peaceful creatures. The duality between the lazy but majestic social creatures and the kin killers was harrowing.


    I eventually rose from thought as evening approached. I had watched the lions for days and needed to put it out of my mind.


    That moment I noticed a thin column of smoke in the distance. It was either the start of a forest fire I should try to prevent or something new. Either way I would spend the time to find out. I increased my pace with the direction clearly in my mind. The night didn¡¯t hinder me as I approached and saw a pile of burning wood besides a cave covered by a hide door. A carcass hung over the flame. I had found a hunter that used fire. I entered the cave and noticed the figures of creatures like myself inside. I had achieved my goal but immediately remembered the lions. I was a strange male and they were predators like me, but living in a pack. It was best if I merely observed for now.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The people communicated with a mix of strange sounds and body language. The group seems split somewhat into smaller groups, each consisting of one man and usually one woman with children. The presence of more than one male living together calmed me but not enough. There were still those clearly treated as alphas and those clearly not.


    I had found another set of berries so ate and kept out of sight for another two days as the people wandered, collecting foods and hunting during the journey. It was not long before the tribe reached a small valley with a lake in the centre. There were caves along the edge of the lake and the tribe settled in one. The next day the tribe didn¡¯t move on. They were waiting for something. A few members of the tribe left to hunt as others set up a fire and layered furs in the caves. I moved around more than usual, emboldened by the presence of bushes above the caves. Eventually I heard a small crack and turned towards it. A female hunter was only a metre or two away facing perpendicular to me. I hadn¡¯t noticed her due to the foliage. In a small panic I hopped back and her head turned. She looked shocked and loudly made a series of sounds whilst tightening the grip on her spear. I knew the sounds were a request for a response but not which response would be appropriate so I remained silent whilst making no hostile movements. I then ate a berry. The female then looked to my hands and the berries I had there. She suddenly looked alarmed and tried to take the berries away from me.


    I wouldn¡¯t let her have them they were mine. I was taller but weaker than the woman in front of me. I couldn¡¯t outrun her. Eventually, I managed to stuff the rest of the berries in my mouth and swallow. The moment I did so she stopped and screamed intelligible sounds at me before sobbing. I simply couldn¡¯t understand this creature. Against my best judgement I sat down and comforted the girl as well as I knew how. Eventually she looked up at me and I smiled. She was looking at me in shock. As though she believed I couldn¡¯t still exist. After a minute or two another hunter approached and saw us before looking surprised and walking away. I don¡¯t think the woman noticed. Throughout this it seemed the world was fading away and I fell asleep.


    I guess the berries may have been poisonous. I awoke to panicked conversation and shouting. A wrinkled woman leans over me before proclaiming something. A large man in bright dress violently surges in and grabs me by the collar, ignoring the protests of the women around him. I am dragged out as my mind clears. The man indicates to a sharp tool and makes a proclamation to all present. Out of fear I take a knife and prepare for a fight. The man grins and picks up his own knife. He is strong but I have fought stronger and it is clear no one will interrupt. The old lady speaks and the man lunges at me. I dodge to the side and strike him on the head with my fist. Shocked the man steps back and I strike myself. He slams the knife into my side as I slice a gash in his arm. I could move fine but his defence was gone now. He stabbed me again and I returned with a slice to his head. He collapsed dead and I was shocked. These creatures were like me in form but certainly not in nature. The man had died. I could not.


    With my wounds visibly healing the old woman spoke again and took me to a different tent to before. The knife was taken from me. This time I was left alone.