Water, there was water all around him. The God Slayer awoke to a rushing flood of stinking putrid water. Swamp water, gushing forth through a wall of his tomb. It came from the swamp above, the land of the Covenant of Tribes. He had been placed here, so long ago that this land had been rolling plains upon his imprisonment, not wretched swamp. The change itself was startling, shocking, angering. He had not realized that he’d been placed into his slumber, he only knew that one moment he’d felt the glowing hot nails shoved into his jaw, the next he was in frigid water up to his chin. This sudden change of events brought rage upon that sent the male into a frenzy of violent motions.
With total ignorance to any pain he felt, the God Slayer began to rip apart the wall of his tomb, rending the stones apart. Any normal man would have bruised and bleeding arms and hands from this rough work, he had neither. Stone after stone was thrown aside, his cries of rage stifled behind the mask. He could not open his mouth, not with those nails keeping his mandible in place. This only served to further his anger, his frenzied efforts to free himself from this tomb. Little did he know, the exit was a mere five paces behind him.
After quite some digging, smashing, bashing, and infuriated kicking, the man had dug himself free of his tomb. He had broken from the entombment chamber and into the ceremonial storage chamber. That which held all his worldly possessions at time of imprisonment. Most of them were ruined, rotted from time or destroyed by the swamp water. Three items caught his attention, high on an alter they were safe from the ravages of water. A sword, a shield, and armor. Wading through the swamp water Marduk approached these items, looking at each in turn. He’d only be able to carry two from this place, and he chose the armor and the blade. Lifting these items, their weight together was enough to strain the mighty warrior as he once more waded through the water. There was a passage in sight, one which was allowing the swamp water access to this chamber. That passage had been damaged by time and seismic activities, until one section of the wall collapsed. This not only allowed water it, but allowed Marduk out.
After squirming through a layer of mud and scum the warrior reached the surface, although that would be hard to tell. The air was rank with disease and insects, the sky was darkened, and stagnant water was all around. This was truly a Hell on Earth as he saw it. Not knowing that he’d been asleep for many hundreds of years Marduk could only assume that some hostile force had invaded while he was kept prisoner, and desecrated his land. Revenge, the word burned in his mind. Revenge on the people who had done this. But first, he’d need his gear. Laying the sword down on a log near him, the warrior carefully dressed himself in his armor, slinging his weapon onto his back in its traditional position. With the blade secured there he began to move through the swamp, searching, searching for the ones who lived here.
***
Several days passed, the warrior was growing hungry. Malnourished and enraged he stumbled at last across the denizens of this swamp. The pygmies of the Covenant, those poor unfortunates who just happened to be in his path. A group of them, not an army, but not a small group either. Marduk cared not. His blade was drawn free of its sheath the moment he saw them. The shining sword flashed through the air toward the nearest of the little creatures, striking with the benefit of surprise. This little beast would be the first to perish at the blade of the God Slayer.
Should the Pygmy somehow avoid the strike, it would be followed up by two more rapid slashes each aimed to either kill the little beast, or send it scrambling back to its companions. Once the first pygmy was either dead, or falling back, the God Slayer attempted to open his mouth and use his most deadly weapon. This attempt was frustrated by the mask which was still nailed to his face, preventing him from using the BanSidhe Cry. Startled, Marduk stepped back for a moment, his blade held in a defensive position lest the pygmies attack rather then flee. This was a startling new development. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t open his mouth, he couldn’t use his best weapon. He was severely handicapped, he’d have to rely on his skill with a sword to win this battle. And although his skill was considerable, it would be hard for him to fend off large numbers of enemies by himself, without his special ability.
So found the God Slayer, angry, confused, and alone. Unknowing of the years he’d spent in slumber, released on a world with no friendly faces. He was enemy to all, just as all were enemy to he. His power was locked away, and he could not use his primary mode of defense. Quite a predicament he was in, one which could very easily kill him
_________________ In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
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