It’s an overnight sailing to begin with, and now the journey has been delayed further, a crackly voice over the loud speaker explains, “We are experiencing some mechanical issues, there is no need for alarm, but it will take some time to resolve the problem. Passengers, please make yourselves comfortable.”
You’re standing on the outside deck, the smell of diesel and rusting metal hangs in the still night air. A smaller ferry barely disturbs the smothering darkness as it drifts by on a different route. You are aboard a large older vessel, once the crown jewel of the largest passenger ferry fleet in the world, but long since replaced by bigger and better ships and now really showing her age. There must be something to do around here, time to explore. You head inside through the heavy doors, a few steps in on the left there are stairwells on either side of an elevator. There are bound to be restricted access areas, or maybe even whole floors which are off limits... Or at least tricky to find. You press the button to call the elevator, and the doors open promptly. Stepping inside and closing the doors, it seems to be a service elevator, pipes and wires are exposed or visible behind metal caging, and the control panel is simplistic, The main buttons of importance in this elevator control panel are: the red stop button, and the open doors button. with these two buttons anywhere the elevator goes should be accessible. The elevator starts to move, it feels quicker than you expected. Suddenly you press the stop button, attempting to stop between floors to reach hidden areas, the elevator lurches to a stop. Opening the doors, you find yourself definitely between floors. The only place to go is the floor above you, it’s a bit of a jump, you scrabble up, then squeeze through the small opening. Getting to your feet you look around, your head spins for a second. You’re up facing the aft of the ship, there’s a dinning hall to the left, quite fancy and many people are sitting politely, eating dinner, and conversing. To the right, just beyond a staircase leading to a lower floor, there are the doors to the outside deck. Turning around to face the elevator your world keeps turning. Losing balancing you fall face down. The world goes black.
Looking up from the floor you see someone is here to help, you recognize this woman and known her to be trained to help in emergency medical situations. Your vision is blurry and your head's still spinning. You are unable to coordinate physical movement, you are experiencing involuntary muscle contractions alternating with paralysis. You are unintentionally fighting the aid by trying to co-operate, but muscles are unresponsive and uncontrollable.
Black.
The first responder is coming through the doors from the outside deck, she is with another recognizable person, a family friend, someone here to help keep you clam, although they are reluctant to be involved.
Black
Breathing bottled oxygen through a tube, blanket is smothering and hot, heavy and itchy. You thrash in an attempt to remove the blanket…
“It’s okay you don’t have to keep the blanket on them.” instructs a female voice.
“Are you sure?” responds a reluctant male voice, “I thought you were supposed to give them a blanket.”
The blanket remains off.
Clam and dark.
Waking again to uncomfortable heat, you are still laying facedown, your face against a heater and cold air is being blown on your feet. Lifting your aching head you find there is no one is around. The dinning hall is empty and dark, the familiar faces providing aid are nowhere to be see. Outside the smothering darkness pushes inward still and silent, dark.
____________________________________________________________
You are awoken by the sound of your crew making preparations for an immediate emergency return home. It is dark in your captains quarters, the only source of light is the glowing streams of dust pushing through cracks in the wood cabin. Your bed is comfortable and large, fit for the king of giants. The familiar sounds of oars, sails, and waves slapping against the wooden hull are joined by the alarming sounds of concerned voices of your crew. You have been on a raiding mission for several weeks, it is not uncommon for the king of giants to personally lead voyages such as these. Back home, fortifications of the castle of the cliff are already underway. Your kingdom is organized and well trained, they have begun the necessary preparations without having to wake you. Your sleep has been long, had you fallen ill, were you poisoned? Its unclear and there is no time to dwell on thoughts of the past, it is time to prepare for battle, the kingdom of the giants must be protected. No sooner are you on your feet than one of your crew comes bursting through the doors of your cabin. “sire, we must immediately return to the keep, there is no time to explain further.” he is short for a giant, but you’re the king of giants, most giants seem short to you.
“very good,” you say calmly, “I will prepare myself for battle and be on deck shortly to take command. dismissed.”
He sounds concerned, “but, my liege, are you-? I mean in your-”
“DISMISSED!” you cut him off abruptly, his concern is irrational, he underestimates your strength. “Leave me!” you command.
Standing on the open deck, armed for battle, the salt air in your face, you stare intensely out over the dark waves. Someone comes to your side and says something, but you are not listening, your mind is preparing for battle, you are deep in a warriors trance, filling with power and strength, senses razor sharp, focus narrowing to a needle point.
As you near your home port you pass the island where the stone angles are isolated. in their cave on the small island the weeping angles gather. Perhaps they are the threat to your kingdom. They have been exiled to their island for many years without incident, but it is possible they have found a way to free themselves from the prison, it is a fear you've had for as many years as they've been stuck there.
Giants leap from the ship to the dock and race to shore even before the crew finish securing the vessel. Fleeing through the valley beneath the cliff and up the steep and narrow path on the right, your crew retreats to the fortified castle. You are last to leave the ship, as captain and king it is your duty. Your follow your kin through the valley and up the steep and narrow path that leads to the castle on the cliff. The wall that surrounds the city and castle stands where the cliff plateaus, a short distance back from the edge. An easily defended position. The narrow path, a natural choke point, is the only way to get a large force to the gates, and the only other way to reach the wall is to scale the cliff.
As you reach the gates, the others are all behind the wall barring the doors. It is natural for the king of giants to be the one standing between an on coming horde and the gates to his kingdom.
The battle begins, a mass of attackers flows up the narrow path meeting you in battle on the cliff face. Your back against the wall of your kingdom you swing two giant hammers launching groups of attackers off the cliff with each mighty blow. The attacking army is comprised of many different races. Some of the soldiers are giants like you, others are humans, some may even be goblins, or orcs, it‘s no difference to you, they all will face the furry of your hammers.
The rain pours down from the black sky, and the horde keeps coming, some are even scaling the cliff face. Your stag, a faithful companion, has emerge from the castle and is standing by your side. As the battle rages on, you feel the feminine guardian with you, impeding the progress of your combatants. You continue to smash your opponents, launching them from the cliff. The rain pours and lightning splits the sky. You swell with power and strength as you wield your hammers with the strength of a god. Lightning strikes as you land blows. Your assailants have no strength compared to you. Your stag remains still and grounded, unwavering in the face of this onslaught. The feminine force a steady flow, like a river pushing downward against the horde that’s moving up the narrow path. Your entire being absorbed in the fight, you are an army of one demolishing all that dare near the gates.
The battle has raged long, you have sent countless enemies to their death. Bodies crippled by your hammers pile at the bottom of the cliff.. The enemies are fewer but still determined. your strength begins to wane. It is increasingly difficult to send attackers off the cliff in a single blow. You begin to feel how heavy your hammers really are. Still, your strength is divinely endowed, defeat is impossible. You smash a shield maiden hard in the breast plate, she is sent sprawling, but she is not knocked from the cliff.
From the right a giant charges. He is a large giant, even compared to the king of giants. You block his attack with your mighty hammers, side stepping his charge you send him off balance towards the edge of the cliff. Bounding toward him, swinging your immensely heavy hammers with much less force than you had anticipated, you strike him weakly, yet he is still off balance, and it’s enough to send the giant off the edge of the cliff.
Looking to your left you see the shield maiden getting to her feet. You grab her. Perhaps she is worthy of bearing your children, she has survived you in battle, her armour is strong. Lifting her into the air and dangling her over the edge you bellow, insane with power and blood lust, “bear my children and they will rule the world, or I can throw you to your death. The choice is yours, but you must want what you choose. I will know if you are lying and I will throw you to your death if you do.” despite your threat, you are convinced she will accept your offer to have your children, you are endowed with the strength of the gods, your children will rule the world, how could anyone, even an enemy, deny the king of giants. “What is your choice?” you demand.
Her answer stuns you. You drop to your knees deflated, unsure if you dropped her from the edge or not. You feel shame and rejection, disillusionment, and sorrow. The darkness begins to lift, your needle point focus of battle begins to widen. The illusion starts to dissolve. The members of your council emerge from behind the wall. You know before they tell you, the battle you just fought has been all in your mind.
“its true we fortified the castle,” explains one of your more vocal advisors, “but those measures were taken to protect the kingdom from you, sire. Your behaviour became irrational and dangerous while we were at sea, we had to keep you sedated as long as we could while we returned to port. You put a lot of people in danger.”
You know this to be true, you regret endangering your kingdom.
Out of nowhere a different advisor leaps at you kicking and screaming. The other advisors rush into to pull him off of you.
“Forgive him,” encourages the vocal one, “his actions are understandable, you jeopardized the safety of his family.”
You do not blame him for attacking you, you would do the same in his position.
“We even had to engage the bull lock to prevent you from entering the city.” continues the vocal advisor. This lock secures the main gates, it’s shaped like a bull’s head with rotating horns that engage the locking mechanism, and it is also your name sake, Bullock the king of giants.
Your thoughts turn to the illusionary battle that just raged in your mind. The enemies you ruthlessly demolished were shadows of yourself, the shield maiden was a reflection of you.
the end
No comments:
Post a Comment