(Some warnings before reading:
1. Its kinda long.
2. I don't own the images used in this post.
That's all. Hope y'all enjoy!)
Sammie stood in front of the large wooden gate doors that led into the kingdom hidden within one of the largest forests in the planet. Orange electricity sparked all around his body; and behind him was a trail that was burned into the grass as if something moving at an incredible speed had slid to a halt. Sammie raised his fist and hurriedly slammed it into the giant gates before him.
"Hello!? Hello, is anyone there!? I need to be let in, please! I have an urgent message that needs to be heard by the king as soon as possible!" Sammie shouted at the gates. Hoping that anyone was nearby to hear him. The relationship between the hidden kingdom in the forest and the outside world was incredibly rocky. The kingdom would rather all outsiders cease existence than lift a finger to help them. However, the situation at hand was one that demanded full cooperation from any powerful entities, and Sammie was hoping that the threat of planetary annihilation would force the ruler of the kingdom to action.
After waiting for what Sammie felt was the longest minute of his entire life, he struck the large wooden gate door with a punch so hard that splinters were flung from the gate and the large door was pushed open slightly. "YOU'RE TAKING TOO LONG TO RESPOND. IM STARTING TO FREAK OUT OVER HERE. I WILL FORCE MY WAY IN IF YOU DONT WANT TO HELP ME VOLUNTARILY!" Sammie shouted as loud as he could in hopes that someone would listen this time.
Then, Sammie finally heard something. The sound of many footsteps hitting the floor and stopping suddenly. When he looked up, Sammie could see that there were at least twenty people lined up at the top of the large gates, weapons in hand. These weapons weren't just your run of the mill weapons. They were sleek and glossy. Light shining off of every weapon as if they were either constantly maintenanced or never used. Sammie noticed that there were a few individuals that had staffs with an orb floating above the tip that was being encircled by multiple smaller orbs. Magic s. If he got into an altercation, then they'd have to be taken care of first. "Please, listen! I need to speak to someone in charge! I need to speak to the king--...or emperor, I dunno what y'all call this dude. God-Emperor or something-" Sammies voice trailed off when he noticed a lone figure, clad in lavish iron armor that glistened brightly with a purple hue in the sunlight that penetrated through the trees. The armor had gold lining that ran around it like cracks in broken glass. They held a large hulking mass of metal that had the same golden cracks. Its shape makes it look like it's supposed to be a greatsword, but with its mass, it may as well just be a glorified giant iron ore. This person seemed important.
"By order of the Emperors chosen successor you are to follow closely behind me without retaliation and posthaste. " The man clad in armor swiftly turned on his heel and began making his way through the gates. Sammie hadn't realized it before, but this dude was huge. Sammie was five-ten, and he was at least just below this guy's chest. Not only that, but when Sammie walked through the gate, the guy shut it with one hand. He didn't even struggle in the slightest. Didn't even grunt. Once they were on the other side of the gate, Sammie saw one guy dressed in low-garb. Coat full of holes. Staring at the gate door that Sammie punched as he scratched his head. Sammie lowered his head in embarrassment and followed closely behind the hulking guy in armor. The only solace from his feelings of high-alarm mixed with high-anxiety and now embarrassment was that he was finally making progress into the kingdom. His eyes scanned all around him, taking in all the sights as he tried to calm himself when it clicked in his head.
"Waitaminute- successor to the emperor? I need to speak to THE EMPEROR. The reason as to why I'm here has to be heard by someone with authority that can be used NOW not whenever the emperor chooses to hand over control to the new guy." Sammie said to the hulking guy in armor. He may as well have been speaking to a slab of iron with fancy gold trimmings. The only response that Sammie received was silence. At least they were moving fairly quickly. Sammie looked ahead and saw that the brick road ahead of them was clear of any and all obstructions. Actually, there wasn't even a single civilian in sight. The only people that Sammie saw were people dressed up in sleek silver battle armor. Each of them had a weapon in hand; and when Sammie thought that he finally saw a civilian through a window, it was abruptly shut.
Then empire that Sammie was in holds the title of largest and longest living empire in the world. The populace is mainly human-variant with a healthy mix of those that maybe could be deemed human if you squinted really hard to the point you closed your eyes. The ruling populace is the high elves. The high elves began the empire around the time of the battle of the stars. It was formed when the Emperor back then teamed up with an unassuming warrior in order to fight back against the great rip. Back then, the empire was actually very welcoming to the outside world. That was until their at-the-time emperor left with the unassuming warrior at the end of the battle and never returned. It was then that the populace assumed that the unassuming warrior had killed their emperor and left them rulerless. The kingdom went into chaos, the warriors name being dragged through the mud, and curses were flung at him at the drop of a hat. They've kept that grudge up until the current day. Even having it spread towards those who looked like the warrior all those years ago. Which, sadly, was the entirety of the dominant population on the planet. Humans. The kingdom had been rules by the Emperors younger brother ever since his disappearance. His brother, even before his older brother vanished, had already had a searing hatred towards the outside world. Seeing the outsiders as lesser than those he ruled over. That hatred only spread and festered as the years had gone by. Since then, the kingdom had grown from the small city into a beautiful jaw-dropping empire that managed to beautifully combine modern technology with magic. They had even managed to go leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the world in almost every aspect. Their kingdom, though hidden in the world's largest forest, is a mixture of medieval architecture with modern technology integrated within it as well as magical elements. The entire kingdom had an intricate layout with winding corridors, spiral staircases, and Gothic roofs that reached just above the worlds tallest treeline. The building where the important people reside; like the emperor, the emperors court, etc. Was the tallest in the kingdom, as well as the most guarded, obviously. The front gates were giant in stature. Standing at a hulking and beefy twenty feet tall and was made from soli-light; which is exactly as it sounds. Solidified light. However, this form of soli-light was enforced with a protection spell of electricity that can cause a surge of an absurd amount of voltage that is controlled by what touches the gate. The hinges that the soli-light was coming out of were made by that sleek silver metal that was attached to what seemed to a normal Gothic themed fence that was also protected by the same spell as the soli-light gate, yet it was less obvious as they didn't have as powerful a version of the spell, therefore it didn't have bright blue currents running across every inch of it. This was so that way it wouldn't harm the normal populace, but would instead offer a slight shock that would cause mild discomfort; and Sammie, along with the hulking guy clad in iron armor, found themselves standing right before the gate. Sammie saw his iron-clad guide make a gesture with his hands. As he did this two hulking suites of armor, easily nine feet tall, seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Their armor looked like Sammies guid, but easily much more heavy set; clearly weighed tons. Yet still, their footsteps were incredibly silent, and their movement didn't give them away either. To Sammies surprise, when he looked up at these hulking masses of armor, he could see eyes behind their thick metal helmets, showing that there exists a type of being that could fully sill out this suit of armor which brought awe to Sammie. He looked at the rest of the hulking two hulking masses and noticed a symbol on their shoulders. They both had the symbol of a shield, and in the center was a fist. The two hulking masses nodded at Sammies guide, looking down at the both of them as they both stepped aside to allow age. The soli-light gate opened just like a normal gate would, and Sammie and his guide walked through, the gate shutting behind them , and the two hulking beings vanishing from sight without a sound. After just a few more minutes of walking, Sammie and his guide found themselves before the Emperors throne. Sammies guide takes a knee and bows his head deeply in reverence. Sammie, feeling awkward but still processing everything he saw along with feeling the strong sense of urgency, just did an awkward half bow and stood there. Almost like his body was overloaded, Sammie stood completely still.
"Tell me, young-bug. Why do you dare to invade my peaceful kingdom? Harming my most precious of gates and alarming my men. Scum like you would usually be put to death or killed at the gates. However, I've decided to grant you a modicum of my mercy. Bow in thanks and state clearly why you're here." The man sitting in the throne, the Emperors chosen as stated earlier, raised his hand and waved it in a shooing motion which caused Sammies guide to nod and slink away into the darkness of the throne room.
Sammie examined the man in the throne. Even if he wasn't the emperor himself, he still seemed to hold power over the subjects and exuded an aura that gave off the strong stench of hubris. This made Sammie feel angry just being in the Emperors chosen presence. Add on how he's speaking to Sammie, and Sammie knew this wasn't going to be fun. Sammie bowd like he was asked and began to speak.
"As I'm sure you're already aware, there's a great threat that's coming to the world. A threat that isn't just a threat to the outside world, but to your world as well." It's was obvious that Sammie was slowly losing his temper. Being forced to be mindful around a being who could care less about you was plucking at Sammies string of sanity. The only thing helping through the interaction was the fact that Sammie hadn't looked up from the floor.
"Of course I am aware of this threat -" The Emperors chosen made a gesture with his hand, and an elf came from the shadows from behind the throne. The emperor waved the elf close to his ear, and they began whispering to each other. The interaction between the two took only a few seconds before the Emperors chosen began speaking to Sammie again. "I'm also sure that the horribly loud sound earlier had to do with this threat you speak of. What of it? My kingdom will survive just as it has for all these years. Without the help of the outside world. Your kind would only do more harm than good."
"With all due respect, your highness. I'm not here to offer you help. I'm here to ask for your help. Your kingdom has the best there is in magic and technology. You've gotten breakthrough after breakthrough in advancements, and I'm here, on behalf of the outside world, the ask for your assistance in protecting the outside world. Of course, we wouldn't just be waiting around as you do all the work. On behalf of the outside world, I say that we combine all of our resources so that way we may survive this ordeal together."
Then Emperors chosen adjusted himself in his chair as he scoffed at Sammie. "We don't want your help, nor are we interested in assisting your kind. You can all die off, and when you do, WE will take what is rightfully ours."
Sammies face distorted into a look of anger for a second before returning back into a look of neutrality. He looked up at the Emperors chosen. If Sammies eyes were daggers, they'd be piercing through the Emperors head. The Emperors chosen looked back down at Sammie with a look that seemed to be reveling in the way Sammie was. The emperor was taking joy in watching Sammie become agitated.
"If you don't help us, then not only will there not be an outside world for you to take for yourself but there won't be a kingdom for you to rule over either. There will be nothing. Only suffering for those unfortunate enough to survive. I IMPLORE that you take my offer because clearly you don't understand what kind of threat we're under with the way you're talking."
"You would dare insult me? While I show you mercy by letting you breathe, and in my presence as well. Of course, I know what threat looms over the outside. We, however, have the means to survive, then thrive, then take what is ours. You and your insect kind can all go to hell -"
In a suddenly flurry of motion, Sammie was standing before the Emperors chosen. His hand right hand just about to wrap around the Emperors neck, but stopped just inches away. As it turns out, those hulking masses from the gates are much faster than they look. One had grabbed Sammie by the back of his head, hand big enough to almost fully wrap around his head; only leaving space for him to see, speak, and breathe. The other held a great blade in front of Sammie. If he was able to continue forward, he would have split his head in half horizontally. The emperor had a look of shock on his face for a second before composing himself. The Emperors chosen had never seen a human move like that. It was as if Sammie was about to attack in the blink of an eye. He had heard of only one being that could move as fast as that, and that was many years ago when the previous emperor was in power. The Emperors chosen adjusted himself in his chair, a pause taking over the room as he thought for a few moments.
"It would seem that I had been underestimating you. As it turns out, you may not be just any little insect. You were scanned when you walked through the soli-light gates; and we couldn't help but notice something...disturbing. According to our records, you have a certain...LIGHT, shall we say, within you that's too closely similar to that warrior all those years ago -" The Emperors successor waved his hand and the two behemoths brought Sammie down to a kneel before the throne. "I will no longer be wasting my time with you. You will be tossed into the fighting pits to fight until you die. Take him away." His highness shooed towards Sammie, which then prompted the two behemoths to drag Sammie away, kicking and screaming.
"YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO ME. YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH US OR ELSE WE'RE ALL DOOMED YOU WILL HAVE KILLED US ALL. DO YOU HEAR ME!?"
In almost no time flat; Sammie was forced into an arena to fight for the enjoyment of the people. They put him up against some of the most outlandish enemies he'd fought, along with some closer to what he's used to. With each fight that was fought, Sammie felt himself becoming more and more angry. The only thing that's holding back from blowing a casket is that he doesn't want to make anyone scared, therefore not having any backing from the citizens when everything goes down. He needs their cooperation. The thought of him easily being able to escape and get things done by force was almost driving him insane. That was until someone visited Sammie when he was preparing for another fight. A figure walked in through the door. They would've been concealed by shadows if their armor hadn't been made of the shiniest type of metal that shined with the smallest hint of light. The golden cracks really pop in the dark.
"Why are you here, mister guide." Sammie spoke with heavy tones of sarcasm in his voice. His patience growing incredibly thin the more time he wastes there.
"I don't agree with the way the Emperors' successor is running things. Nor do I like the way he trapped you down here without a fair court. I understand that the sight of me may nager you, but I've come to tell you that I believe you and that I've talked to the Emperors successor and I have arranged for you and I to fight for your freedom. Now, it won't be as simple as actually being free, but you'll be provided for generously as my steward."
"Are you fuckin' kidding me? A STEWARD? And I would be happy that SOMEONE HAS SENSE HAD THEY NOT JUST STAYED SILENT AND WATCHED ME GET EMBARRASSED LIKE THAT. Where's YOUR sense of freedom. You're your own person. It was pathetic just knowing you could've piped up but didn't."
"Believe you me, I understand. Right now, though, this is the only deal you have. The only reason that the Emperors successor had allowed this to happen is because he fully expects me to kill you. This fight is happening. Unfortunately, whether you like it or not." The man clad in armor walked out of the room. The door shutting and locking behind him. Sammie was left to sulk.
It took almost no time at all for the entrance to the arena to open, and Sammie walked through. Just as he was told, this fight was with the man who walked him through the kingdom and to the Emperors chosen. Sammie looked up and saw that the Emperors chosen had saved a seat for himself and to his direct right was the true emperor himself. He seemed frail, skinny, and weak. Yet still, when the true Emperor looked at Sammie, all that filled his gaze was a burning hatred for his kind. It made Sammie feel as if the sack of bones would come to life and assault him itself.
The Emperors chosen had looked to the true emperor, then down into the arena. He raised his hand straight into the air, and then his arm came down like and are. As this happened, a loud horn was blown that rattled the entire stadium. Sammie hadn't noticed it before, but this stadium was huge. Able to house thousands upon thousands of people with an arena the size at least two soccer fields.
silence filled the Arena as the two fighters stared at each other. The only sound was the occasional gust of wind. Sammie clenched and unclenched his fists, and the iron clad knight settled in his stance.
"I won't hold back just because you're trying to help me."
"I understand. "
They both lowered their stance. The knight to guard as he held out his great sword in front of him, and Sammie to pounce. The knight blinked, and then suddenly Sammie was directly in front of him. Having covered the space between them in the literal blink of an eye. Sammie pulled his fist back so far that when the knight swung to stop his advance,the greatsword swung straight past. Sammies fist collided with the knights chest so hard that a sonic boom emanated from the impact. The dirt beneath them being flung in every which way as the knight was flung back. In reaction, the knight jammed his greatsword into the ground to slow his pusheback. Once the knight had his feet on the ground, he looked up to counter, but Sammies fist had already collided against the knights helmet. This time, the knight was able to tank the hit. However, his helmet was broken upon collision. The knight flung his head back as he threw off his helmet. Revealing that he's an elf, and not just any elf, but a high elf. His skin was as white as snow. His eyes as green as the freshest grass. His hair was short, but curly. It was raven black.
"How is it that you're moving so impossibly fast!? Are you not human?" The knight said as he stood up using his greatsword to help push himself up off the ground. That punch to the face really rattled his brain. "Not only that, but how is it that you just broke a helmet that was made from the most indestructible metal in magic... you are no mere human." The knight looked Sammie up and down; trying to see if there were any tells that could give him a hint of what he was.
"I am human. As human as any other person you'd find out in the world. Only difference is that I met someone who helped me out a ton. Also, if you think that me breaking that is a feat, then you'd be floored to meet who I'm talking about. He'd prolly move that armor of yours around like a wet paper towel." Sammie closed the distance again and went in to strike the knight in the face again. This time, the attack should end the fight by knockout. However, the knight suddenly moved at the last second. His hand shooting up to grab Sammies outstretched arm and using the momentum to throw Sammie against the arena wall hard enough that cracks shot out in different directions with the collision. Sammie fell forward to one knee, his back arched inwards as his face contorted in a look of pure pain as he tried to rub his back. The pain feeling like someone SLAPPED him in the back incredibly hard. Sammie looked up at the knight, his face winced in pain.
"-I...I feel bad for you. You can't act on your own thoughts...and FEELINGS-" Sammie attempted to stand up but fell back down to one knee. "This whole kingdom shit fell apart for a reason in the outside world." He stood back up in a readied stance. He was about to try to blitz the knight again, but before he could, there was a loud sound that threatened to burst the ear drums of everyone the sound assaulted. It sounded like an explosion. "-no....NO-" Sammie turned his gaze to the emperor and his chosen. He raised his hands and fell to both of his knees. This time pleading with them. "PLEASE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING. YOU HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT I HAVE TO SAY OR ELSE WE'RE FUCKING SCREWED!"
The arena that was filled with cheering and roaring sounds of a large audience until a few seconds ago began to sound off with demeaning shouts towards Sammie. They all booed at him and were demanding that the knight kill him while his attention was elsewhere. The emperor and his chosen looked at the knight, then at each other, giving each other a small nod before looking back at the knight. The emperors successor raised his hand and gestured for the knight to kill Sammie. Sammie turned to the knight with a feral look. Sammie was stressed beyond words he couldn't even say anything to the knight. Only stared at him as the crowd kept shouting their displeasure that the entertainment stopped.
"Please--" Sammie said towards the knight. Bis voice trembling in fear. He didn't want to die, but he also didn't want to kill. He also knew that what he's doing now could mean life or death for billions outside of the forest kingdom. He was at battle with himself.
The knight looked at Sammie. His face was downcast. This entire thing was a stain on his honor. The knight was hoping for a different outcome. Now it's all turning out like this. No fight for freedom, no honor in this fight, and no civility. He was beginning to become disgusted in himself. The knight began taking off his chest piece. "I'm...I'm sorry, young one. In an attempt to keep our honor intact... I will grace you with my most powerful ability. I pray...that you find peace in knowing that your will aligned with mine... even if for a moment." The man's chest piece fell to the ground with a mighty thud. Under the chest piece, on the knights upper body portion of the black full-body under-suit, was a grand symbol that swirled into his the center of his chest. "My name....is Sir Alebastor." The man outstretched his arms as the swirl on his chest began to glow with pure magic power.
Sammie couldn't move. He was frozen. It was as if his body had been taken control of by someone else. Sammies breath began to escalate as he felt the air pressure around him change drastically as Alebastors symbol kept gaining even more power.
"Goodbye." As Alebastor said these words, a blinding beam of raw magical light was ejected from his chest almost instantly. A sonic boom resounded from him and rang throughout the stadium. The force of the sonic boom caused everyone to be thrown back in their seats. Some even fall over completely, hurting themselves. Anything that wasn't bolted down was flung about like paperweights and everything that was rattled in place as if threatening to become a projectile at any second. Not only that, but everyone was forced to look away because of the blinding light that was emitted from this monstrous attack.
The Emperors succesor stood at the edge of the platform that seated the Emperor and himself. The old emperor was made to look like the rest of the people as he huddled away from the attack. The emperor peaked from behind his cover to see his successor standing proudly, arms crossed, and unmoving from to the attack. The old emperor smiled widely. This was the man who was going to lead the kingdom to do great things. This was the man who would expand the kingdoms territories to the outside war. This was the man who would wage war against the outside world.
Back down in the arena; Alebastor is still firing his beam at full blast where Sammie once stood. The beam, slamming into the wall of the arena, kept gaining strength the longer it was fired. Threatening to puncture through the thick arena walls as if it were a knife stabbing through paper. Then, a hand burst forth from Alebastors beam. The hand was burnt and badly damaged from his beam. The hand grabbed onto Alabastors' shoulder and tightened its grip until Alabastor began cringing in pain. Then, the arm began pulling. Alebastor fell to his knees and cried out in pain. As he did, another hand came from the beam and grabbed onto his other shoulder just as tightly as the first one. Alebastor opened his eyes and beheld Sammie through his bright blue beam. Sammie looked monstrous. Almost inhuman. His wide eyes were missing their pupils, giving way to only a bright white light. On his chest was a big bright star that was pulsing rapibly as if it were an organ. At the most barebones; Sammie is just a young boy trying to help his older brother, and he didn't want to let Cosmo down. He didn't want to burden Cosmo any more than he already is. If Cosmo can carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, then Sammie can do that too. Whatever it took to lessen the load upon Cosmos shoulders, Sammie would take it. Sammie released his right hand from Alabastors' shoulder and cocked it back. Then, with an explosion of sound, Sammies fist made with Alabastors face, which sent Alabastor further into the ground, causing a small crater to form beneath him.
Alabastor recovered quickly, though dazed, he still forced himself to stand and face Sammie again. He gave Sammie a once over, and that's all it took for Alabastor to relax his shoulders. "My god...."
"What is it? What's going on?" The Emperors successor shouted in sheer confusion. Murmurs began coming from the crowd as everyone regained their composure and looked down at the arena. Whispers were filling the air as they waited on Alabastors' response.
"My lord....the boy...isn't conscious -" Alabastor lowered his head in grief. Was the boy unconscious when he was fighting against his beam? Did he stop Alabastor out of his sheer willpower? Alabastor took a step back. Shame filling every ounce of his body as he once again beheld Sammies unconscious body still standing tall in the position that he took to attack Alabastor. His fist still raised into the air.
Suddenly, there were loud explosive sounds that burst from seemingly all around the arena, no, the entire forest. Something was happening out there, and Alabastor looked at the Emperors successor. "Very well. Leave the boy where he is. The show is over. EVERYONE SHELTER IN YOUR HOMES. I'm sure this will be over in no time at all." Everyone began making their way out of the arena. Except for Alabastor, who was getting a sinking feeling in his gust that only kept worsening as the explosive sounds continued. "What...what have we done -"
Sammie failed to enlist the forest empires' help.
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