Cloud

Prologue - The Apex Predator

A man is walking through the forest alone, his purpose is unclear, he only knows that the city awaits him several miles ahead. He has a lean, yet muscular build, but his appearance was concealed by the equipment he carries and the dirt that traced his complexion. On his back, he dons a great sword, ready to be drawn in a moment's notice. The equipment which he wears has a dark appearance, suitable for concealment in darker settings, and a hood that conceals his facial features. Along his waist, a dagger is sheathed, as well as a pouch and canteen, essential tools for his grander scheme of survival. He had been travelling for almost a week now, and his destination was just ahead, or so it seemed, for he had business that was still yet to be concluded in his journey. He is seeking a place of belonging, however, he is not lost, for he has no place to go. All places which he called home prior, seemed to fall apart before his eyes. Whether it be because of his unconventional antics or just his run of the luck, he suffered great loss, he was a wanderer. He came from the south, heading to the north in search of a new source of food and lodging. From his perspective, up until this moment, nothing was unusual. Within the forest, there lied a town, the name of which was unknown to the wanderer due to its obscurity, however it has clearly seen better days. The town was on fire, scorched corpses assuming the position of those that were fleeing were sprawled among the huts and the well that dotted the premises of the town. He approached the uneventful entrance to this town to see an enflamed ground and feel the unusually high temperature that signified that he was approaching. Upon entering, besides the high temperature, scorched ground, and unrecognizable corpses that dotted the environment, nothing else was unusual. He approached the well and began to draw water, for he would need it to finish the rest of his journey. He filled his canteen and searched the huts for food, though all he could find were scraps. "Another ransacked town," he thought to himself before taking what few pieces of bread and carrots he could find before taking his leave.

Without taking further note of the obscure details of the town, he continued his journey through the forest, he avoided the trails because of those who may travel in groups to pray on the few. He came upon an elevated hill, which allowed for a view of the surrounding area, as it was nearing dusk, he was able to note light pollution from the city several miles ahead of where he was standing. A cool breeze swept across the pines of the forest below, which left a feeling of relief that the man could not remark as being anything other than pleasant in the forty pounds of equipment he was carrying during his several mile journey. He wiped the sweat from his brow and began looking for a suitable place to camp for the night. An elevated place, such as the one he found himself in, would not be acceptable because of the high chances of being spotted by robbers or bandits, such as the ones he suspected to have ransacked the previously explored village. He found a place, surrounded by trees, though it was close to a trail, which concealed his location and allowed for rest.

In the early hours of the morning, while it was still dark, he heard voices coming from the direction of the trail, which sounded assertive and vicious. He immediately clenched his great sword, preparing for a potential battle. As he approached the group he heard, he saw a prisoner tied to a large pine tree and a massive bonfire which illuminated the surrounding area. Despite taking extra care to conceal the sound of his footsteps, he was unable to hide his presence from those that were at the site, and attention was drawn to him before he could get closer to the unknown group. "Wake up, you lazy shits! There's someone in the forest, post your defenses!" he heard from the distance. The man who he assumed gave the order came into view as he adjusted his current position, he wielded a crossbow that was fixed in the general direction of where he was previously positioned, although its aim was slightly canted to the left. "Come out of hiding, or we'll skin you alive!" the man shouted. The man stood his ground, as he knew it would be foolish to reveal his position to a group that clearly outnumbered him. Despite this, he hesitates and shouts at them "Who are you, and why do you hold prisoners!?" The reason for his caution was justified by the village he previously saw ransacked and the fact they were holding a prisoner. "If you won't show yourself, then you're less of a risk to us dead!" he shouted as he trained the sights of his crossbow in the direction of the voice and fired off a shot into the void-like darkness of the night. The swordsman watched the bolt trail past his position and heard it hit a tree several yards beyond where he was standing. He knew at this moment that the group he stumbled across was likely a band of raiders.

Immediately following the attack two more arrived at the scene, they were quickly ordered to pursue the swordsman in the forest. "The man in the forest, I want his ass dead, bring him back to the camp once you get him!" exclaimed the man who was originally posting guard. "Who said you were in charge, asswipe!" retorted one of the men. As this argument ensued, the swordsman saw the opening, and began rapidly approaching the camp with his weapon at the ready. His movements were unusual, they made no noise and moved at speeds that no ordinary human should be able to comprehend, let alone perform. Before the original bandit could reply, a blade came through the torso of the man who had not spoken yet followed by a heavy, dark boot kicking his body forward and the blade being pulled back out of his body. A feeling of shock grew among the survivors as the swordsman pulled his blade back behind his neck and charged at the bandit with the crossbow, swinging it with perfect form and decapitating him with seemingly minimal effort. As this was happening, another nameless bandit was rapidly approaching the site of the incident with his blade at the ready, he witnessed the initial attack happen and the skill with which it was conducted. It sent a chill down his spine, and he dropped his weapon. After dispatching the second bandit, the third bandit, with his sword already drawn, attempted to swing at the swordsman, only to miss him as he narrowly dodges the blade and twisted around to strike at his back. He successfully lands the blow and leaves the bandit in two pieces. As he recovered from landing the blow, he looked up to see the final bandit unarmed. The final bandit, upon looking into the eyes of the swordsman, did not see a man, he saw the stature of an apex predator, his glare was ferocious and filled with naught but the intent to kill, it was enough to send him fleeing. "He's just like me, nowhere to return," he thought to himself as he decided to spare his life.

Now that the threat posed by the bandits seemed to have been dissipated, he sheathed his sword and approached the bounded prisoner. Upon closer inspection, the prisoner was a female, who was stripped of her clothes, unconscious, and hunched over the ropes which bounded her. She had red hair and a slim physique, although it was too dark to make out any more details about her appearance. Using a dagger, he cut the rope, which flew in opposing directions as the pressure from the knot was relieved. He took one of the bedrolls the bandits were using and wrapped it around her. After which he put the prisoner over his shoulder and began making his way back to his campsite. Upon arriving back to his camp, he began prepping to get what little sleep he could before the sun rose. After setting out his bedroll, he laid down and thoughts of what brought him to this moment began flooding his mind.