The Evolution of Darkness
~*Prologue*~
April 14th, 110 PA
It was cold. And wet. It was raining, too. Put all of these things together, and you end up with a bad day. If you were Robert Makkins, it would be a REALLY bad day. Why? Because poor Robert was scheduled for guard duty. So there he was, standing outside in the rain, while the other guards chatted half-heartedly around him, waiting for his shift to end.
"Damn, I HATE guard duty in the rain!" said one of his companions. "This has to be the worst job we could possibly get in this town!"
"Cheer up, mate, it could be worse," joked another. "After all, it could be snowing."
"At least we have the pleasure of roughing up some of the blokes who try to get in here," said the third, and last, guard. "It�s always fun to see how gullible they are. Remember the one who actually believed that there was a 5000 credit charge for entry?"
The first guard laughed. "Yeah, that was a good one. What about that Juicer who we strip-searched, right as the Ladies Club walked by?
They all laughed at that, except for Robert, who just sat and stared at the horizon.
The third guard walked up to him. "Hey Rob, why so glum? You're spoiling the party!"
Robert grunted. "All I'm here for is to do my job," he said. "When my shift is up, I'm going right back home to my wife and kids."
You should be glad you still have a wife," said the second. "Mine died last week. Doctor said it was some kinda magical disease or something. Damn magic users."
All four nodded in agreement. While they were hardly proper CS citizens, they did still share the same anti-supernatural sentiments as their distant allies in Chi-Town. This border town had seen more than its share of magic, and the exposure only lessened their opinion of non-humans and the supernatural.
The silence continued for a few minutes before it was interrupted by footsteps. Robert slowly raised his head, and examined the approaching figure. At first it appeared to be a man, about six feet tall, dressed in black and white armor. His armor was not the standard environmental type that most wore; in fact, Robert had never seen that design before. Though not bearing the Death Head emblem, the color scheme was rather similar to the more modern Coalition armor. The helmet was open at the front, revealing the face beneath. Robert could see a small amount of black hair sticking out from under the helmet. *I hope he doesn't cause any trouble.* thought Robert.
The first guard looked a little nervous. "Hey guys, did you see his sword? That thing is a big as he is."
"Yeah," said the third. "I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that meat cleaver. Let's just hope he's only passing through."
Finally, the figure reached the gate, continuing his slow, casual stride until he was facing the guards. Stopping about ten feet away from the group, he simply waited, not saying a word. The men looked at each other nervously, hoping that someone else would volunteer to approach the visitor. Eventually, Robert gave in, and walked quickly up to where the man was standing. He had an amused look on his face, though Robert didn't know why. *Probably enjoying our fear,* he thought. *Oh well. I'll put on my best face, try to get rid of him, and then go home. Can't let him know he's getting to me.* Almost as if reading his thoughts, the man gave him a wide grin. Robert swallowed slowly. *Can't let him get to me, can't let him know I'm scared.*
After a few moments, the man spoke up. "Well?"
"Well what?" Robert was still frightened, but he was also puzzled. *What does he want with us,* he thought. Deep in the back of his mind, a voice answered. [He wants your blood,] it said. [He wants to hear you scream, to bring you to new levels of pain and suffering, to kill you slowly while your family looks on in horror.] Robert quickly shut out that train of thought. He was sweating now, despite the cold and the rain. *I just have to get this over with, and then everything will be alright.*
"Aren't you going to ask me the questions?"
"What questions?" *Stay cool Robert, just stay cool.*
"You know, the standard guard questions. Where did you come from, where are you going, staying here or passing through, name, that sort of thing."
"Alright, fine then. Where did you come from?" *Everything will be fine, just ask the questions, and he'll go away.*
"Everywhere. Nowhere. I've been wandering for a long time."
"That's good, I guess. Where are you going?" *Just a little longer, and I can see my wife.*
"Nowhere in particular. I'll wander some more, since I don't plan on settling down any time soon. Country life is no life for a warrior."
"A warrior, huh? Should've guessed, that sword gives it away." *A warrior, oh no, the warriors are always the troublemakers.*
"Cool, isn't it? I got it real cheap, too. The corpse I took it off of wasn't very happy, though."
"Um, no I don't suppose he would be. Er, I suppose I should ask you the next question." *You're losing it Robert you're breaking down.*
"Are you sure you're up to it? You look a little pale."
"No! Yes! I'm fine, really!" *You're almost done just two more questions and you can go home and play with the kids.*
"If you say so. Anyway, where were we? The third question, I think."
"What? Oh, right. So, are you passing through, or staying here?" *Little Timmy and his big sister Mary they're such cute kids I love them so much.*
"A little of both. I'll be staying here overnight, but I'll be gone by morning."
"Well, on behalf of the folks here, I welcome you to Dorlen Valley. I hope you enjoy your stay here." *And my wife Eliza I can still remember the day we first met God I love her so.*
"Thank you. I'm quite certain I'll have a good time here."
"Now, if you'll just check your weapons in with us, we'll let you in. Oh, by the way, what's your name?" *Almost done almost done almost done.*
The man grinned wider, and got a twinkle in his eye. "My name is Lucifer. Lucifer Ragnarok."
Robert's eyes widened in surprise, and before he could react the blade was off the man's back and sweeping down towards him. *Oh God please let Eliza be alright!*
Yes, it was indeed a very, very bad day for Robert Makkins.
To be continued...
EoD_Prologue.php -- Revised: March 24, 2007.
