Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Underwild

This is an urban fantasy concept that I had an idea for. I'm hitting the three thousand word ceiling; if I can break through preliminary writer's block this may go somewhere at some point. Comment if you like it.



            There wasn’t much to the note; just a few lines, etched in a spiking, arcane script. Martin put his backpack back on the couch, looking over the note.

            For answers, come to the Meeting Oak in the Rochester Atrium at midnight. All will be revealed.
       
        Martin frowned as he read it. Why would he want answers? More importantly, who would think that they have answers about his life? It’s not like it was a particularly complicated life, or even a particularly complicated existence. At times it was even…boring. Boring parents, boring job, boring major, boring degree. The school was the only thing that kept him from going crazy: a university the size of a small city always had something to do. Martin checked his schedule. It was an off night: he was going to hang out with some friends after studying a bit for a test in Civ. Why not? Might as well see who it is and what they want.

            Blackburn University was one of the largest, oldest, and most technologically advanced universities in the northern hemisphere. Located in what was once Boston, and was now the province of Greater Eastfall, its grey brick and black granite buildings were iconic and ancient. Massive pillars struck reverence for the several massive libraries they supported, august lecture halls of mahogany and black oak turned stone buildings into warrens for the learned. Jet metros ran between the buildings, sleek silver pods on shining black rails running to and from classes across the massive campus. Snow was coming to the northern university, and frost etched the paving stones like lace as Martin walked toward the Rochester Atrium.
            The doors were unlocked, and he stepped into the gloom of the maze-like artificial forest. The air was cool and damp as he made his way through the paths and around the many trees and walls toward the massive oak that stretched toward the high glass ceiling. When Martin reached it, he paused and looked around. Should he have brought a weapon? Would it be dangerous? He didn’t know.
            There was a pop, a small explosion of light, and Martin jumped backwards in surprise. Where no one had been only milliseconds early, a man stood. He wore a black leather jacket with a thick fabric hood, black fingerless driving gloves, black cargo jeans and, oddly, blue Puma running shoes.
            “I knew he’d come.” The man didn’t speak to Martin. Before Martin had time to wonder who the stranger was addressing, there was another pop, and another figure appeared.
            This one was very different. His face was angular, unhuman. Huge eyes glowed a deep violet in a dark face, and a feathery crest decorated the top of the creature’s head. On the creature’s back a strange, one-bladed sword was hung. He wore no clothes, and his body resembled that of a human, save for a fine grey hair across it. He was heavily muscled, and indigo tattoos covered his right shoulder and pectoral. He wore a broad loincloth of some kind of interlocking metal pieces that fit together almost seamlessly. The creature surveyed Martin with a kind of condescending interest. Martin didn’t know how to react.
            “Good…evening.” He said at last. He wasn’t dreaming, but what on earth was this? Some kind of elaborate prank?
            “Who are you guys?” He asked.
            “I am Lock Barosso, and this is Carus. We’ve been sent to bring you some good news.”
            “…worst news you’ve ever heard…” Carus mumbled, spitefully. Lock ignored him.
            “You’re going to want to sit down.”
            “I should have already been sitting.” Martin said, weakly.
            “Why bombard him with sudden information, Lock?” Carus snapped. “Give the boy a moment. I’m sure my presence wasn’t soporific.”
            Martin sat down on the stone base surrounding the oak tree, staring at the two.
            “You left the note in my backpack?”
            “Indeed. You needed to be informed.” Lock had a strange smile.
            “Of what?”
            “Well, not to sound melodramatic, you have a destiny that has yet to be fulfilled.”
            “And…”
            “We have an offer to make you.”
            “He has an offer to make you.” Carus murmured.
            “Wait.” Martin held up his hand. “First, let me ask you some questions.”
            “We don’t have much time, Lock.”
            “And we won’t if we…” Lock glanced at Martin. He smiled genially. “Proceed.”
            “Who are you?”
            “I am of an order known as the Bellmakers.”
            “Are you human?”
            “Not hardly.”
            “What are you?”
            “I am charged with protecting mankind.”
            “What are you?” Martin asked Carus.
            “I am a Suloc Paladin.”
            “Suloc?”
            “It’s a race. Can you get on with this?” Carus drummed his fingers against the stone. Martin saw that each slender finger was tipped in some kind of strange metal.
            “One more question. Why me?”
            “I was getting to that.” Lock said. “Follow us.”
            They took Martin through the winding paths and out the other side of the Rochester atrium. The university was dark and eerie, save for the phosphor lights glowing on the buildings and set into the pavement. Martin followed the pair across the deserted campus to the side of one of the main faculty buildings. The massive arches jutted out overhead as they stepped into the shadow. Lock took a strange stone pendant out of his pocket and ran it over the grey bricks. One of them lit up a dark blue, and he placed his hand on the brick. There was a sudden shift, and the panel of sidewalk they stood on dropped suddenly.
            Martin gasped and dropped to his knees as the concrete panel grated to a halt in a tunnel. Carus and Lock began walking, and as Martin followed them the panel slid back into place. What am I doing? Martin thought. This has to be the weirdest night I’ve had.
            They entered a small, circular room with a phosphor light glowing in the center of the room. A few chairs were scattered about.
            “Is this some kind of secret meeting room?” Martin asked. “Where the Bellmakers and Suloc can gather and perform eldritch rites in the dead of night and….” He paused, “drink Starbucks?” He kicked the container.
            Lock and Carus stared at him, mouths slightly open.
            “What?”
            “This is a break room for the maintenance employees of the university.”
            “Oh.”
            “Are you sure he’s the right one—“ Carus started.
            “Yes.” Lock said, sharply. “There’s no time to choose another.”
            “Okay, let’s get started.” Lock sat on the round central table. “I lied, this room is a secret meeting place. We don’t have much time to explain all this, so I’m going to go quickly. If you accept, your life is going to fundamentally change. If you don’t accept, you’ll never hear from us again, and you’ll only remember this entire sequence as a dream. Unfortunately, the consequences might be pretty dire, but we’re going to have to deal with that.”
            “Get on with it.” Carus snapped.
            “Fine.” Lock hurled a wounded look at the Suloc. “As you know, we are allies. We work together to protect humankind from a greater evil than you’ve ever even dreamed of. We stay in the background, protecting and serving, while you go about your daily lives. Unfortunately, all that has to change.”
            “Have you heard of Dracula?”
            “Yeah, the vampire?”
            “Sort of. Vlad the Impaler was a Transylvanian ruler who terrorized his people, killed quite a few of them, subjugated other lords, that sort of thing, until his people rose against him and killed him.”
            “Right, I’ve heard that.”
            “Well, what you don’t know is that Vlad the Impaler wasn’t human, and he didn’t die.”
            “And he didn’t do all that Twilight crap either. Blood sucking and wall climbing and whatever.” Carus interjected bitterly.
            “Right.” Lock sent Carus a “shut-up” glance. “He was a Morius. They’ve hated humanity since creation, and have exercised every bit of their power to destroy as much humanity as possible, or in the least, crush the parts of it that matter. The greatest villains that you’ve read about, were in fact Moriatic. Hitler, Stalin, Stonewall Jackson, Attila the Hun, Caligula, Nero, Draco, Rameses II. In fact, the only human oppressor was Machiavelli.”
            “And the only one to write a book on how to do it.” Carus examined his fingernails.
            “Vlad the Impaler is the High King of the Morius, and he is preparing to launch his greatest attack yet. The danger has never been greater for Blackburn University. The Morius are waiting to launch a full scale attack against the university and completely obliterate it in a way that you can’t comprehend.”
            “How?” Martin asked. “I’ve never heard of anywhere being just obliterated. That would cause a stir.”
            “Once every twenty-one years they gain enough strength two weeks before the new year to break free of their realm and cause havoc for twenty-four hours. This year, they’ve gained enough power to completely rip the university free of its anchor in this dimension and hurl it into another dimension, where it’ll be destroyed, students and all.”
            “So the entire University will disappear?”
            “Worse than that. Anything associated with it will be completely erased. Books, newspapers, memories, roads, signs. The entire fabric of your reality will shift, and fifty thousand students and faculty and two square miles of campus will be completely destroyed without a trace in memory or land.”
            Martin shuddered, feeling suddenly ill. “But why me?”
            “You’ve heard of Erik the Red?”
            “He discovered North America.”
            “He was of the race that you are,” Carus said, “the Aelis. You are an ancient race, but each of you is born without knowledge of your destiny. You are destined to rise up and protect those around you from the Morius.”
            “There’s only one of me?”
            “At least in this province.” Lock looked at Martin closely. “You need to help us. Without your strength, we will never be able to destroy Vlad, and without his death, mankind will continue to suffer under the attacks of this invisible foe.”
            “Have there been other places that have been attacked by the Morius?” Martin asked. The room seemed to be getting colder.
            “Have you heard of Roanoke? The lost colony that first came to America?” Carus asked.
            “Yeah, they couldn’t find it.”
            “That was a botched job by the Morius you call Draco. Same with Atlantis. They destroyed the place, but the memory wipes and deaths didn’t match up right, and some rumors still exist. More important targets have been struck. El Dorado was a target that was partially destroyed, and the fountain of youth was a relic, but among recent strikes were the town of Oakhaven, Iowa; Endridge University; and Helmsedge Scotland.”
            “I’ve never heard of those places.”
            “Of course you haven’t. They did a more thorough job.”
            “They sent Attila.” Carus mumbled. A sudden sound made the creature bolt upright.
            “We don’t have much time.” He warned Lock. Lock looked grim.
            “If you do help us, you’ll save your University, and the deeds accomplished in one dimension do not go unnoticed in another. You’d be revered by those who have no idea why they feel the respect for you that they do. You’d have all the wealth, power and influence you could ask for. The date that the attack will commence is only a month away. If you agree, come to the oak tomorrow at midnight, and we’ll begin the training necessary.”
            There was a clatter down the tunnel, and Carus whipped his sword out.
            “Now, Lock.”
            “Remember, they cannot harm you until you decide to, but if you do, know that we’ll be protecting you.”
            An unearthly moan drifted down the tunnel, and heavy footsteps scraped. Lock made an arcane gesture, and Martin was in his dorm room. 





2

           
            The day floated past like ink in a current. Beyond the walls of the classroom he knew that there were adventures to be had, glory to be won, and battles to be fought. Matrix-like, he knew that if he decided to take the challenge, life would never be the same. What about the things that he loved about normal life? Hot pizza on a cold day, the curve of a beautiful woman’s face, a smile from a friend, a lazy afternoon. Would he be able to enjoy them as well? Lock’s words kept echoing through his head: …they’ve gained enough power to completely rip the university free of its anchor in this dimension… What kind of enjoyment could he possibly have when even if he escaped, he would know that he abandoned thousands of people to their doom? By his last class, his mind was made up.
            Lock and Carus didn’t bother using the same appearing trick they had the night before; instead standing and waiting for him as he approached them that night.
            “So you decided to accept?” Lock asked.
            “Bring it on.” Martin took a deep breath.
            “Very well. This must be done soon.” Lock said. “Carus, keep an eye out.”
            Reaching into his pocket, Lock procured a ring. It was a simple band of black metal with an iridescent sheen, four tiny sapphires set in it. Martin took it, surprised at how heavy it was.
            “When you put this ring on, you are going to awaken the Aelis in your blood, meaning that you will permanently see the brother dimension of your own; the dimension that the Morius live in. You will straddle both dimensions, and jump from one to the other to defend your race. Your tutelage will begin immediately afterwards. Put it on your left middle finger.”
            Tentatively, Martin slid the ring onto his finger. There was a sudden rush of ice through his body, and he shivered. His vision flashed black and red and gray and a howling noise thundered in his ears. As quickly as it had come, it all stopped. Martin looked around him. Colors seemed more vivid, and sounds were sharper. He felt quicker, more agile, more powerful.
            “Selocta.” Carus warned. Lock turned, black as shadow. Martin stared where Carus was looking. A hideous creature crept through the trimmed bushes that made up the undergrowth of the atrium. Lock grimaced.
            “As the day grows near the Morius will send their minions to cause havoc in the world of men. The more chaotic a place, the more chance of total annihilation they have.” The creature gave a low moan. Wolflike, it trotted on all fours, a huge mouth dripping with razor-sharp fangs. Without warning, it lunged, crossing twenty feet or more with a single bound. Carus moved first, striking with an armored glove. The blow struck the flying monster across the face with a  heavy crunch. It spun, moonlight gleaming on the bone-white fur. Carus spun his unsheathed sword in a fencing grip as Lock pulled a pistol crossbow from his jacket as Martin backpedaled. The selocta lunged again, teeth snapping down on Carus’ arm as the latter plunged the blade into the creature. Its scream was muffled through the meat of Carus’ arm as the Suloc yanked the blade free, dripping orange blood. Lock jammed the crossbow under the selocta’s jaw and pulled the trigger. The shining head of the bolt punched through the creature’s skull as it writhed, and dropped off of the Suloc’s arm.
            Carus stumbled backwards, clutching his arm. Lock crossed to his friend and sat next to him. He waved his hand over the wound and muttered a word. The skin and muscle knit together instantly, and a second later all that was left was the blood smeared on the Suloc's skin.