*Date: December 21, 2011*
*Location: Ravensfall, Alaska*
When you're reincarnated into another world, usually you'd expect a cheat to come alongside it, you know, something to help you survive a possibly hostile environment or something like that at least. Especially when you find yourself in the grimdark world of Worm, you'd expect something like a system, some special power to help you survive the odds and overall shitiness of the world.
I mean, what with the various criminal gangs who run around, especially in Brockton Bay, the Slaughterhouse Nine, teh secret organization Cauldron, the Endbringers, and Scion/the Warrior Entity itself, ready to enact the apocalypse at any given moment, who's also suffering from depression ever since its partner's death or something close to that kind of relationship anyway.
So what's a powerless normal human born, raised, and currently working his ass off in the backwoods of Alaska doing? Well, I exercise daily, study basic martial arts, not the showy kind, but rather the more practical stuff you can use in a street brawl or something, which gives you better odds in the long run if you come across a random Parahuman, one who's classified as a villain at least. However, woudl it be a smart idea to fight one? Oh no, it would be the exact opposite of smart, as no matter what, even if they were a tinkerer, they would still have a leg up on you in one form or another.
Still it was better then nothing, but hey I got my pilots license...kind of, not really airlines quality but more like one that as good enough to run supplies in and out of town, heck that was basically all we did, we fished all year around as we were essentially by the ocean, even if it was a bit of a track. That's where I came in; I helped deliver items in and out of town, ensuring everything was running smoothly. Pretty good work, always loved the view whenever I flew, just seeing the world from the clouds...even with the threat of the Simurgh, it was always so breathtaking.
The bright blue skies, the white clouds, and the bird flocks flying across the state are constant. Even then, that wasn't anything compared to the night, the moon hanging in the sky, and the stars twinkling in the sky; it's always so amazing to see, in all honesty, in my last life, I was afraid of flying and heights. That kind of changed after I died, though, I mean, no matter what, when you remember dying and taking your last breath, everything else...kind of seems smaller and less scary.
In fact, the town was pretty much my favorite view whenever I was flying, and speaking of which, the town itself was beautiful. The buildings and houses were designed with a lot of care in mind, alongside proper heating and long-term housing in mind, and the color schemes were pretty nice as well, not the brightest town on the map, but it had its own beauty all the same.
Combined that with the amazing view of the sea, and well, you got a nice Oceantown. The kind of place you'd see a ton of tourists, if it wasn't for the cold itself. Kind of nice though, always hated summers and the heat it brought with even if the cold was a bit...unbearable at times, and the local wildlife were a bit more aggressive than you'd think animals living so close to a human town, but hey, every town has its charms.
It was also where my parents were buried, or at least where their tombstones were, seeing as how...how we couldn't find the bodies. My parents in this life were Johnathan and Evelyn Samuel. My uncle said they named me Briar for some odd reason; he said that it was after the man who saved my father's life, or at least a close equivalent of it. Still trying to figure out what he meant by that, but either way it was nice to be close by, to see the town they loved, and well, the one that captured my heart.
With the added benefit of being far away from Parahumans and a low chance of attracting Leveithan's attention, at least most of us hoped so.
I sighed as I flew over the sea, bringing in the next haul from the good old USA, mostly medical supplies, some fruits and veggies that hopefully didn't go bad in transport, alongside a few more items some people around town were asking for. Mostly, the kids are asking for an Eidolon or Alexandria action figure, which...knowing what I know about them is a little weird since...well, they weren't villains but not necessarily heroes either, not in the traditional sense at the very least.
Their hearts were in the right place, or at least around the area, as there are several things wrong with their plan, but whatever not my place to judge. Either way, as I began flying closer to the landing sight, or well, the place I usually landed at, I saw something...odd, black storm clouds, now don't get me wrong, we got plenty of snowstorms and stuff like it up here, but this was a full-blown lightning storm, how did I know.
Well, the series of blue/yellow flashes was the first clue, the next being the massive forest fire underneath me.
"What the fuck?" I said to myself as I now had a confused expression on my face.
Because I was sure to make sure to check the weather forecast before I left, and this was definitely something someone would've reported...unless.
"Unless a parahuman is involved..." I said, trailing off before regaining my composure.
Immediately, I doubled-timed it, even knowing how dangerous it was to be flying erratically in a storm like this. I put on my headset immediately, turning it on, trying my best to get the attention of anyone who was listening.
"Control, Control, this is Briar Samuel, repeat this pilot Briar Samuel requesting information for what the hell is happening down there?"
All I got in return was static, nothing more and nothing less, which was haunting to hear as I kept on seeing the fire spread, and no sign of the storm dying down. Although that didn't last long, as the effects of the storm were becoming apparent, my plane continued shaking. I had to do everything possible to keep control of the plane, as I activated the landing gears, while also bracing myself for a crash landing, hoping I wasn't too injured in the crash, nor too close to the fire, if I did crash that is.
As I got closer to the ground, I was able to get a glimpse of the town itself, and my eyes widened in horror, seeing the destruction, the charred bodies. My plane then hit the ground, still going at high speeds, as I quickly regained control, only coming to a stop as I slid off the now destroyed runway, my plane ramming into a tall burning pine tree.
I shook violently as we came to a sudden stop, my heart pounding, my head spinning, and my emotions going into overdrive. Both from the information that potentially all my loved ones are dead, and the place I was born and raised in, was razed to the ground.
I-I just sat there, gripping the wheel, my hands shaking alongside teh rest of my body as tears started to trickle down my face. I let go of the wheel slowly, grabbing my face and gripping it tightly, unable to move and unsure of what I should do next.
"FUCK, fuck, fuck, fuck!" I just kept on screaming over and over, the only thing I was able to say right then and there.
I-I just broke there, my anger and sadness overwhelming me to the point where I didn't know what to do next.
"Of course, of course, this fucking world couldn't let one person be happy! No, it had to screw over everyone regardless of who they are!"
Slowly, I got up from the seat, still shaking but determined to see just what the hell happened and who caused it. Walking through the cockpit, I pressed a few buttons to open a door and grabbed my coat, getting ready to brace the cold, lightning, and fire, all to see just what the hell happened.
Stepping outside, I felt my foot sink in immediately as I heard teh crunch of ash and snow, seeing it fall all around me as storm clouds raged above me. I ignored it, though, and kept on walking toward town, doing my best to ignore the cold. Walking through the forest, I saw more signs of the destruction caused by whoever did this: the dead animals, some charred, others...left for dead, and some...some still breathing, and as I stood over a dying reindeer, its eyes begging for death as each breath sent a jolt of pain through it.
Grabbing a large rock nearby, I stood over the dying animal, its breath ragged and pained. Its eyes were large and wide, with tears flowing down its face as I looked over to the other half of its body, charred to a crisp, with some of its organs revealing themselves, also blackened and crisped.
Standing over it, I slammed it down on its head over and over again, trying to give it a quick death, hearing its painful cries echo throughout the forest. Each time I struck, lightning flashed across the sky. Eventually I dropped teh rock, seeing the bloody mess I made of the deer's face, its suffering now over, and I hoped that I killed it quickly enough, to not have caused it more suffering.
Either way, once that was done, I continued my way into town, passing by downed pine trees, animals fleeing, and...the corpses of children. I nearly vomited at the sight of it and went behind a tree to do so, spilling chunks all over it. Unable to contain my own sadness, I slumped down next to it and just cried. I buried my face into my knees, not wanting to see the outside world, still unsure if this was the correct path to take.
I dug through my pockets, grabbing two things: the first was a locket, and the next was a piece of rock with an upside-down Y carved into it, with another line down between the middle. The locket had a picture of me when I was a baby and my parents. That and behind that, my uncle and I, when I got my pilot's license, I remember him being so proud of me that day, saying, "flying's always been in our blood," or something like that.
I honestly don't remember much beyond the crowd of people congratulating me, and the kids begging to get stuff for them that they couldn't hear. Before, in my last life, I was...never much of a people person, more of a loner than anything, I didn't like spending too much time with people and preferred doing my own thing. This life, though, I don't know why, but I found myself...more connected to people, part of it probably had something to do with teh fact I lived in a small town, but that wasn't the full picture.
No, it was more than that, I was...happy here, I was happy to be part of this community for some reason. Now, though, everyone I knew and loved was dead because of some Slaughterhouse 9 fan. Wiped off the face of the Earth alongside the rest of the town, and no one would know we were gone. Or at least no one woudl remember the lives lost here, the people who lived and worked here.
The only one would is-is-is me, and well, I was probably going to die very soon if the Cape who caused this was still around. Even then, I had no way of getting out of here, my plane was completly trashed and even then it needed to be refueled to take off again.
Either way, I needed to know, I needed to know the face of the bastard who did all this to us, to this town. To know the name and face of the person who wiped off an entire town, snuffed out the lives of so many people for their own sick amusement. Slowly getting up, I made sure to remember where the bodies were, wanting to bury them if I ever got the chance to do so.
Walking for a bit longer, I was able to see the smoke coming from the buildings, and saw the burning town with bodies scattered all over, each of them running away from the being who did all this. Some leaned out of the window, probably wanting to see what was happening, but getting caught off guard.
Then I saw them, as I approached the center of the town, I saw the man, no the thing who did all this. It was a tall, imposing, muscular figure wearing a long brown robe, medium-length white hair with a golden crown on his head, and sparks of lightning coming off of him.
I took a few steps forward, grabbing a crowbar from a nearby corpse. I didn't know why he had it, but I didn't care, and slowly snuck up on them. Gripping the rock I was carrying in my pocket, I suddenly felt an urge to put it on for some reason, and did so, unsure of the reason why I wanted to, but for some reason feeling like it was something I had to do, that I needed to do so.
As I approached him from behind, sometimes he would lift his hand into the air, summoning another bolt of lightning and destroying another part of town, raining down destruction like he was some kind of god. Every time he turned his face slightly, I prayed he didn't see me, but I saw him every time. I saw his short white beard and cruel smile crease across his face as he rampaged.
How he didn't see me, I had no idea, but I just thanked whatever God was giving me this opportunity to avenge the people of this town, and the chance to take this monster down. Each step, I just prayed teh snow didn't make a crunching sound or anything like that, praying that I was going to take this arrogant monster out and survive long enough to...to get someone out here to help bury the bodies.
I was about three feet from him, ready to swing down, when he turned around, fully facing me with that sadistic smile still on his face. He then spoke with a deep, commanding/booming voice, one that demanded respect and reverence.
"So...you are the little man flying the metal bird around MY SKY!" he screamed, his voice booming like thunder.
"How arrogant do you have to be to think you could fly safely without praying for my permission, and to think you could strike down a god with a puny mortal instrument."
"Go ahead, mortal, try and strike down Perun, king of those you call Slavic gods, try and brave my storm."
I didn't know why he was giving me this opportunity, nor why he was arrogant enough to think himself a god, but it didn't matter. I raised my crowbar up, swinging it down as tears fell out of my face still, and I screamed, screamed with all the fury and rage of the townspeople, of the lives lost and destroyed because of this-this monster.
Then something...something odd happened, the small rock I had around my neck started to glow... no, not glow, instead it emitted pure black, spreading across my arms to my crowbear. I didn't know what the hell was happening, but looking at the face of Perun, I could tell he was surprised too as I struck his face. Sticking the claw of the crowbar into his eye and really digging into his flesh.
He screamed out and pushed me away, burning my chest as he did so, forcing me onto the ground as I started to breathe heavily, looking down at my chest as my coat now had a hole in it, and slightly burnt skin that hurt like hell.
"You little shit, you think you can destroy a storm, destroy a god who commands the very elements!"
"I am Perun, he who commands the skies, the storms themselves, and slayer of the beast of the underworld!"
"Beings you would quiver at the sight of!"
However, instead of attacking me straight away, he was grabbing the crowbar, slowly ripping it out of his face, probably going to take some flesh with it. I smiled, seeing my chance, grabbed a piece of nearby shattered glass, and charged forward, still feeling the strange energy from before. As he finally ripped it out of his head, I stabbed him right in teh other eye, causing him to both drop the crowbar and scream in pain once more.
Taking my chance, I began wailing on him, not giving him a chance to retaliate, and just beating the shit out of him. Eventually, though he grabbed the crowbar with one hand and his smile was no longer on his face, no, it was replaced by cold anger. The strange energy clearly was affecting him, as his face and body were now littered with scars and maybe a few bruises.
"You...You little shit, never in all my years of existence have I been so humiliated by a mere mortal."
"I am going to enjoy burning you to a cri-" before he could finish his sentence, I kneed him square in the junk, not giving him a chance to shoot out another lightning bolt.
His face immediately scrunched up as he let go, falling to the ground, probably not used to this kind of pain. I didn't care, though. I simply raised the crowbar into the air and slammed it down on the back of his head, forcing him down to the ground. I kept doing it over and over, even as he shot lightning bolts at me, I kept on doing it, ignoring the pain and powering through.
Eventually, his head was reduced to a fine paste, and I dropped the crowbar, taking a look at my own charred body, and fell to my knees. I looked up to the sky one last time before death greeted me in its warm embrace. I saw the black clouds slowly depart and allow the sun to shine down on us once more. I smiled warmly, hoping that if there was an afterlife or something beyond reincarnation, a place where weary souls can rest, even for a little bit, I hoped they were there.
and I fell forward, slumping onto Perun's body.