Rise Of The Forgotten: Paths Cross

CHAPTER THREE, THE MAN IN RED

Diomede walked, with each step he took he found it harder to leave the place he called home for so long. He slowly became angry at himself for letting his guard down and allowing even the slightest bit of happiness and comfort to seep into his heart. The wind overtook him along the road, he knew who rode this wind. A figure wearing a red trench coat ornate with gold trim and dark obsidian shoulder bracers touched down behind Diomede, emanating the conductor of an orchestra. "So more innocents have died due to your curse," He said in a cheerful tone, "Or so you think young Diomede". Diomede unwrapped his hands from his fur cloak, attempting to grab the man. The man floated out of reach over Diomede's head. " What do you want from me now?" Diomede shouted with an enraged growing tone. The man stopped with his hand gestures and turned to Diomede. " What I want is nothing you have to offer, nor anything you would be able to get me either." Diomede turned to the man, "Then why do I see you before me for the first time in twelve years Diego." With a smile, Diego made a square shape with his hands and looked through it at Diomede, " The box I gave you came back to my home and I was curious as to why that was". Diomede crossed his arms and said in an exhausted tone," Sigh, of course, it did". Diego placed his hands behind his back, smiled hugely, and nodded gesturing behind Diomede. Before Diomede could turn, Diomede was hit on his right side, breaking his right arm, and knocked into a tree. The tree fell on top of him, and the sound of his ribs snapping under the pressure echoed. Diego appearing beside the felled tree, pointed out," My oh my, you are very rusty young Diomede". Diego pulled back one of the branches and revealed Diomede's face, blood ran down his mouth and noise. " You do remember how to stand up, don't you?" Diego jokingly said as he let go of the branch that swung back and whacked Diomede in the face. Diomede tried to push the tree off him but his right arm was pinned behind him and was beginning to heal incorrectly. The ground began to rumble, and a large shadow looped over Diomede. It was a Gultonk, a large and dangerous monster that stood over ten feet tall, it had the strength of twenty men. The Gultonk had black and brown teeth twisting out of its mouth. it smelled of rotten meat and wore animal skins crudely wrapped around its waist and chest with skulls of many varieties holding the skins in place. It wielded a large lamp post with metal crudely bent around it. The Gultonk swung its weapon at Diego, missing him as he ballet leapt over the large monster, Diego landed behind him. "Oh, now why did you go and do that?" Diego said in a playful pouting manner. Diomede, still attempting to push the tree off himself, raised his left hand and blasted the Gultonk in the back of the head with the same force energy he used the day before. The Gultonk let out a roar and turned to Diomede grabbed at the tree and lifted it above its head. Diomede quickly rolled to the left of the Gultonk and leaped up into a running dash. Diomede's right arm was bent behind him and had healed incorrectly. Diego let out a laugh and called out to Diomede, " Why are you running? It is only a Gultonk from the southern hills after all". Diego's laugh faded as Diomede ran through the forest until he found a small stream. He stopped and sat beside it, drank only a small amount before he turned to his arm. He stood up and made his way over to a tree, he attempted to raise his arm but he could only get it parallel to his waist. He placed what he could in between two sturdy branches and began to break his arm back into the correct position. His entire arm was filled with the fire of pain, his joints screamed out with what felt like needles. He was able to get his arm back into the correct position and remove it from the tree's branches. He looked at the tree now resembled how his arm was. He apologized to the tree and sat beside it. He could feel his arm pulling itself back together, the numbing pain began to fade and the feeling returned to normal. Diomede closed his eyes in relief and thought to himself, "Alright, rest for a moment and then start back up to Umar".

Hours passed as Diomede sat by the tree he had used to fix his arm. Diomede opened his eyes to a young doe staring at him. He did not move, only watched as the young doe slowly moved around him pushing past the small patches of overgrown grass. The Doe never took her eyes off Diomede and every so often stopped and stood just as still as he was, moments passed and she moved ever so slowly. Diomede, seeing that the dawn was approaching, began to move; not fast or suddenly but enough to have caused the Doe to stop moving. He stood tall towering over the Doe, he spoke in a soft calm voice, " I do not wish to cause any trouble or harm anyone that may be near ''. The Doe started to walk over to Diomede, He raised his arm as she drew closer. The Doe sniffed his hand and paused for a moment. As he reached out to pet the young doe, She bit him. The Doe bit down harder and harder, Diomede did not pull back nor did he react in anger or let out a single sound; he let her continue to bite him. Minutes passed, and Diomede finally opened his mouth and asked, "How long are you going to keep biting down on my hand, Dafeena?" The Doe's eyes widened and changed to a light pink shade. As Dafeena let go of Diomede's hand, she stood up and a flash of light bursted from her. Her form changed into that of a Galilain woman. With long white hair reaching to the ground, dressed in light blue robes, ornate with silver armbands, necklaces, and a thin crown. Dafeena began to giggle, she pointed to Diomede and in a cheerful voice, " It's been a long time Diomede''. What brings a cursed one such as yourself to one of my forests?" Diomede was surprised by this, "What do you mean one of your forests?" " I'm nowhere near the western Forests." Dafeena, trying to hold back her laughter, replied, " I have been taking territories for the last four years," "This little forest is a recently acquired gift from the now-dead fairy knight." Diomede, shocked by this news, asks in a deep serious tone, " Is the village 10 miles that way" pointing in the direction he came from, " part of your territory?" She stopped laughing, she looked at Diomede with an emotionless expression, "Yes it is, and before you ask I am fully aware of what has happened to the village there." The silence between them filled the air, and the tension became well-known throughout the forest, so much so the crickets that had been singing had stopped. Dafeena walked over to Diomede and placed her hands on his face, with a loving voice she whispered to him, " I am sorry for what has befallen the family you were living with, but you know we lower gods are forbidden to interfere with the decree of a god above-". Before she could finish her sentence Diomede grabbed her by the throat and began to squeeze. "You knew they were coming and you didn't send a single warning to me after I sacrificed for you bastard GODS!" Dafeena tried to pull Diomede's hands off her throat, but his rage grew more and more and she was unable to. Diomede's eyes turned bright orange and his size seemed to be growing and fear filled Dafeena. A hand from the shadows reached out and pushed Diomede from Dafeena, sending him back ten yards. Dafeena fell, but before she touched the ground she was caught by Diego. In his arms, she rubbed her throat, and the bruising around her neck began to fade. "Are you alright little Galilain Goddess?" She looked at Diego and replied, " Yes, I forgot how strong he was." "It was foolish to get that close to him." In a playful tone Diego told her. "Yes it was, don't you know you shouldn't go near scary monsters like him, it seems even gods learn lessons every day too." He set her down to the position she was in before being grabbed. Dafeena sniffed the air, and her gaze locked onto Diego. "What is that smell?" She asked. Diego bowed, "Apologize my dear, the smell would be that of an adult gultonk's insides." Dafeena pinched her nose, and flicked her finger toward Diego. A small gust of wind blew over him and the smell faded. Diego sniffed the air, "Strawberries?" he asked. Dafeena gave no reply. Diomede walked out from the shadows of the dark forest, "I am sorry for losing my temper, I should not have laid my hands upon you in such a way, I will endure any form of punishment you see fit." Diomede kneeled before her, She looked with an unamused glare at him, she said in a stern voice, "There is no punishment more fitting for you than the one you live with." "But I am not angry with you," she stated in a now more caring voice; " I am sorry for the innocents that were lost but there is more to this than you know." Diomede looked up to her and rose to his feet. She began to walk into the shadows of the forest turning to Diomede, " You were right to go in the direction of Umar but your path will not lead you to the capital but the lands you told yourself you would never return to." Diomede let out a defeated sigh. In moments Dafeena was gone and Diomede and Diego were left. Diomede began back toward the road, Diego smiled and lifted into the air, not a single word was spoken between them and the songs of the crickets began their songs again.