Prologue
February 7th 2018
10:15PM
Zyok Morzan and Coya Talanee are an average couple who have been together for some time. Zyok is a twenty year old who has been living with his parents. Recently his parents had to go on a ‘work’ related trip and they’d left Zyok to fend for himself. After two weeks he’d started looking around the city for any available subsidized housing. He’d found a two bedroom apartment of which he has the money to cover. But he’d decided to talk to Coya while they explore an abandoned factory they discovered two weeks before they started dating.
Zyok wears a pair of sweatpants, and a long sleeved T-shirt, as well as a pair of rain boots. Coya wears a pair of leggings which cover up to a short skirt. She also wears a long sleeved T-shirt, and rain boots.
Inside an opening they sight a few stray crates. They also find a door connected to an old elevator which leads to a basement where the system that once ran the factory is located. As they walk they notice a they kick up slight amounts of dust. In the corners of supports that hold up a second floor where massive crates were once stored. Zyok points out the crane system that used to move those crates. Though the clamps have rusted off the system that holds it.
“Factory line used to move cybernetic parts through that system. Actually would’ve been very cool to see.” Zyok opens.
Coya takes note of the softness in his voice as she looks around. She’d seen a lot of abandoned places but this factory is the most intact of anything she’s ever seen. Most places she’d seen that were intact were on the verge of falling apart or had black mold in them. It was because of this that she’d been reluctant to enter this place when she first found it.
Zyok is a bit of an explorer, and had taken interest in turning Science Fiction into Science Fact. It was because of this that he’d begun exploring places like this abandoned factory. He’d hoped it could give him the parts he needs in order to build something he’d been designing.
They stop at an opening in a wall which they used to enter the place. Slipping through it they walk out into a forest which is covered by a night sky which is lit by a full moon. A cool wind brushes gently against their skin.
They exchange a smile before walking along a path they’d created through the woods so they can reach the factory. As they walk they take note of the startling calmness that has overtaken the woods. Normally when they walk the woods are filled with the sounds of night animals.
Zyok jumps up grabbing a branch where he uses one foot to kick the branch off the tree. Upon landing on the ground he rolls with the branch in hand. He attempts to break the branch with his hands but finds himself unable to and nods to Coya.
Raising an eyebrow she inquires. “Why the branch?”
“Someone or something is out there. The woods wouldn’t be this quiet if there wasn’t… if we do run into anything then we’ll be ready to at least defend ourselves.” The man answers.
The two are startled by a rumble of thunder. Zyok drops the branch as heat flares onto his face. Coya can’t help but let out a light hearted laugh as they begin along the path. Though Zyok picks up the branch and brings it to rest on his right shoulder pointing out that he may be able to carve it into something. Jokingly Coya suggests turning it into a bird house. They continue along the path in the darkened woods until reaching an opening which leads into a park which is lit by a number of lamp poles.
They look to the sky after hearing another rumble of thunder. The couple takes note of the air. It has cooled down greatly. This means there will be rain soon. Zyok looks around trying to find an area they can take cove under.
After finding nothing he looks to Coya saying. “We can head for the old gas station on right side of the park.”
“Won’t your dad give you hell for getting home late?” She asks.
Shrugging Zyok answers. “He’ll give me hell if a go home soaked from rain too. It’s a lose lose for me.”
Zyok Morzan lives with an overly controlling family and chose to find a way out of the family when they left him to go on the ‘work’ trip.
“To be honest I decided to get home late… piss them off… and tell them I’m leaving. If everything goes to plan then I’m on my way to the apartment I go-” He’s cut off by the sound of a number of crashes, screams and explosions filling the city.
They run through the park as rain begins to fall. Upon reaching a street they sight a number of cars crashing into other cars and other vehicles. Injured people move to help those that crashed. Coya gasps in horror upon sighting a number of people with rotted skin who wear moth eaten and mildewing clothing limp towards people. Other rotted figures tear into the corpses of crash victims, or screaming people. Zyok steps forward raising the branch he’d grabbed earlier.
Coya finds understanding with why Zyok had been on edge when they left the factory. Zyok turns hitting a man with rotted skin and moth eaten mildewing clothing. To the horror of both of them the man staggers backwards before falling to the ground. The couple look closer to the man sighting that the man has blood on his mouth, and hands. Coya steps back screaming in fear as the man begins to stand. Zyok looks closer and finds a spot where the mans skull had caved in. The two step back as the man limps towards them.
“Are you alright?” Zyok questions in concern.
He jumps when sighting a number of figures limping from the park and from the streets. Coya screams and follows Zyok as he runs through the park avoiding limping figures. He pulls a flashlight from his pocket and turns it on as all the lights in the city begin to flicker.
Zyok raises the branch he holds and brings it down on the head of one of the limping figures. To his surprise the branch breaks over the figures head as its skull caves in. He drops the other half of the branch as they make their way into the woods. He turns the flashlight on as the rainfall becomes heavy. They both scream in fear as they fall through a set of old iron bars. Though to the surprise of Zyok Coya wraps her arms around him. He aims his flashlight down what looks to be a shaft only to sight nothing but darkness.
“I-it’s a l-long story. There are some things I haven’t told you.” Coya says as the two lower down the shaft.
Zyok takes note of the sound of flapping wings. Once they land on the ground Coya releases him. He turns to face her shining his flashlight on her revealing crimson red dragon like wings and a demonic tail.
With a nod the man says. “Guess that makes two of us… lets see if we can find out what the hell is going on.”
“You won’t find the answers you seek within the city… but within these ruins…… Zyok… I’ve been searching ruins as an adventurer for a while. During one adventure I stumbled across an artifact that turned half of my body into that of a succubus… I only learned that after paying the ruins a second visit when I discovered some… unnatural abilities.” Coya explains as she raises one hand revealing a flame cupped in it.
She throws the flame down a hallway. The flame reveals they are in an underground facility made of bedrock stone bricks. They walk into the tunnel with Zyok shining his flashlight around and Coya throwing flames down the hallway to give themselves a sense of direction.
As they walk Zyok looks to the walls noticing strange glyphs and he inquires. “Not trying to be a jackass or anything… but… could you tell me a more in depth story on what happened to you?”
“Why would I think you a jackass for wanting an in depth story? Have we not been a couple for the past three years?” The woman questions.
The ruins where I found the artifact had a mystical energy to it. The locals said that no one should enter the temple lest they would suffer a fate worse than death… the locals that lived near the ruins are extremely religious. When I returned to the home my family was living in I began to notice some… odd changes about myself… changes which at first my parents thought to be due to puberty… however they quickly learned otherwise when my body matured faster than it should have… My parents were also extremely religious… so when they figured out what was happening to me they and the people of the town threw me out and made sure I could never return.
I was heart broken. But I also knew that it was my fault. So I returned to the temple to learn about the artifact that was changing my body. When I returned to the ruins I found not the artifact… but a dying succubus. When I approached her she told me that half of her life force was in the artifact I made contact with, and that my body would be altered match the form of a succubus, but not to have the abilities of one.
After that I set out to discover ruins which could teach me spells without needing to speak words to use them. Eventually I would find interest in searching ruins.
However one ruins I would explore would tell of seven hells written on seven slates. When one slate is active it will have blood on the markings carved into it.
Zyok and Coya enter into blackness which appears to be a room. Coya spines herself once sending out a ring of fire which hits the corners of the room and surprisingly lighting a number of torches which reveals glyphs all over the walls. In the center of the room seven slates can be seen sitting on seven pedestals. The two walk towards the slates where Coya points out that one of the seven slates has blood that has filled in spots where strange markings are carved into it.
Zyok takes one look at the slate and says. “These are old… best estimation is that these slates were created in eleven sixty two.”
“About the same time the dark cults of that time told of many different ways the world would and of the demons that would take over the planet… The slate with blood in it reads ’the souls of the damned shall return to their long dead bodies and rise as an army of the dead which will cause chaos in the year twenty eighteen… the other seven will more than likely make things worse if used. We have to destroy them.” Coya responds as she looks to the other six slates.
Below Zyoks right arms elbow begins to take the shape of a blade and changes color and solidifies as a bedrockium blade. Coya takes a step back startled as the man proceeds to slash at stone slate next to the one with blood filling the carvings. To her surprise the slate shatters. Chills fill the room.
Zyok quickly gathers understanding and says. “We’re about to have some company after a few more slates are destroyed.”
“I can sense their presences in the moonlight further back the way we came. The more we destroy the further into the structure the become. I wonder what would happen if you destroy the already active slate.” The woman responds.
With a nod the man states. “Lets find out after we stop them from being able to make things worse.”
With that he runs past the other slates making sure to slash at them causing them to shatter. When the second breaks a number of agonized screams echo out. When the third breaks a number of pain filled demonic screams echo through the structure. As the other three break a number of rage filled demon howls echo through the structure. As Zyok runs for the active slate Coya raises her hands allowing red essence to surround them as she walks forward.
Coya looks back to Zyok giving him a wink before turning and balling a fist before taking a swing at one of many demons charging down the hallway. The moment her fist collides with crimson skin a red beam of energy shoots down the hallway. This vaporizes a number of demon heads. The red essence around her hands shapes into a katana an a shield which she uses to attack the entities charging down the hallways.
As this happens Zyok begins attacking the slate. Though the first seven attacks have no effect he continues attacking the slate. Slowly it begins to take hit after hit and begins taking marks. Marks turn into engravings which turns into cracks. With another hit the cracks glow with an evil red energy. Zyoks arms take on the shape of a shield which he uses to take the brunt of the explosion that follows suit.
Coya turns to the man in shock when the demons disappear. Though the two jump in shock and horror as the structure begins to shake.
Returning to fully normal form Zyok says. “My mutation allows me to shape my body into anything I want. I can break through everything but bedrockium…. And that's what this structure is made of.”
Without any other words the two sprint through the structure. As they run it quickly begins to fall apart around them. As moonlight comes into view they turn to one another with a nod. They skid to slip as water continues to rain into the structure. Upon reaching the opening Coya wraps her arms around Zyok and jumps using her wings to take flight. As she flies up the shaft she keeps her sight on a sky lit by a blood moon.
