The Grey Chronicles Part One: New Declaration of An Old War

Chapter 29: Suffer Unto the Shepherd of Fire.

Calx Urbs complex, the surface of Satus Pyrotus Six, June of 7434 AL.

The flames that surrounded Briarios did not harm him. The blackness of his skin was not caused by burns, but by the oily liquid that filled his veins. The shackles holding him melted and the post turned to ashes. His eyes glowed golden, and the flames grew larger as he screamed louder, bending and twisting into five columns of hellfire. Heat radiated from his body as if he were the center of a sun, increasing with every flare of anger and hatred he released through his screams. The columns of flame took the shape of limbs, forming a pair of legs and arms attached to a massive torso. The last part to take form was the head, in the shape of a massive wolf. The body blazed and turned bright green, a warrior's avatar of hellfire wrapping around Briarios like a shroud.

With one final scream, Briarios released every ounce of hatred and despair burning inside of him. The flames seemed to be fed by his anger, making his avatar grow until it was nearly ten meters tall. He sat in the chest of the massive god-like figure, controlling its movements with his own. He roared, and the avatar roared with him. He brought his hand up above his shoulder, and the arm of the avatar rose as well. Briarios locked his fiery gaze on Marco, and a strand of fire fell from the avatar's hand. He began spinning his hand above his head, making the blazing whip spin with it. Marco was glued to the spot, fear and awe paralyzing him. His bird-like parasites swarmed towards the avatar, leaping and pouncing at the man in the center of the wolf-headed warrior. With his free hand Briarios swatted several of them out of the air, throwing them across the courtyard where they smashed into the wall, their skin blistered and charred. Those that succeeded in reaching the avatar clung to it for a moment, clawing at the man inside as their skin and flesh melted and their bodies turned to ash.

With an ear-shattering cry, Briarios brought his hand forward, his avatar lashing the whip and wrapping it around the murderer cowering in front of him. Devon screamed as the whip bound his arms to his sides. The flames licked at his torso, melting his clothes to his skin, his skin to his bones, and turning his bones to splinters. The screams stopped as suddenly as they started, and with a jerk of his wrist Briarios' avatar ripped Marco in two.

The Stonehaaryn soldiers turned and ran, trying to escape the fiery horror. The avatar's hand came back again, then thrashed the whip at the running men. The whip slashed through the air, ripping across the backs of the soldiers. Their armor melted on contact, the hot metal burning onto their skin and through their flesh into their lungs and hearts. The men fell, and bullets ripped through the avatar as the turrets on the walls reacted.

Salem watched as Briarios made his first change, horrified at what his son would do. The shackles on his post were softened by the heat of the avatar, and Salem was able to bend them enough to slip his hands through. He had tried to hide it, he had tried to keep Briarios from realizing he was a Shepherd of Fire.

The Gods favored the Machinae for their devotion, their bravery, and their prowess in battle. At the beginning of the Machinae reign over the Sol system, Hircine commanded the other Gods to help him create a gift for their subjects as a reward for their faithfulness and ferocity. Hekaton gave hatred, Rancoir gave invulnerability, and Sarandha gave despair. Hircine took their gifts and sculpted a body of hellfire, creating the avatar. He placed the other gifts inside the avatar and gifted it to the Machinae High King. The High King became immune to the effects of fire, with the power to summon the avatar to lead his men into battle and protect his people from the monsters that had escaped the wrath of the Gods before their ascension. The avatar was similar to the Hebrew golems; it was made to protect the Machinae people if there ever was a foe they could not defeat alone. The avatar was powered by the King's hatred and fed on the pain and despair of his victims. The King became known as the Shepherd of Fire, a name given by the Gods. The story was commonly called a legend, and it was believed that the power had died with the first King to wield it. Salem knew better; the gift of the Shepherd of Fire was passed on in the royal family, given to the eldest child of each generation like a genetic disease. While Salem wasn't a devout believer in any Gods, the gift was the only indisputable proof of the existence of a higher power; something had given them that unnatural power, though he wasn't sure it was fully holy. Salem felt it was more of a curse than anything; he was already beloved by his subjects, he didn't want to be worshipped as well. He hadn't used his avatar in almost two centuries, but now he had no choice. No one else could possibly calm Briarios down.