Let me start at a period where humans were discovering the existence of Gods and worshiping me like I actually cared…

A couple hundred years ago, there was a small village with no real name or distinguishing features from any other village in the surrounded area. It was located at the base of a mountain protected by what they thought was their protector. They believed this being came from the very heavens to keep them from pillagers and those who threatened their way of life. The being, in the basic sense, was everything not what they thought he was. Since the beginning of time itself, he dwelled in the highest point on the mountain, maintaining the peace between neighboring villages only because he had nothing better to do with his time.

There was no such thing as “kind” and “good” in his character at all.

When he wasn’t sending lightning bolts to the far east to roast unsuspected humans alive, he was causing strife between foreign countries or having a laugh at others misfortunes because there was nothing better for him to do on a worthless rock with its even more worthless occupants.

He found it almost amusing, and a bit misguided, the humans thought of him as such a wonderful being and came up with a clever idea to fool around with them until they became a nuisance. It didn’t matte rot h

In return for his protection, he proclaimed the village he guarded that they must provide him with a human sacrifice every new moon. He never specified gender or age, just that they had to be healthy enough to trek the mountain side without trouble and bring him something rare or precious they couldn’t part with (he made it clear he did not want them to bring another person with them. It had to be material). It wasn’t that he really needed one to begin with; just after living as long as he had, he thought a bit of entertainment in his life would relieve him for a moment.

And watching humans become frightened the way they did whenever the time came to send someone up was downright hilarious to watch.

Therefore, after his proclamation, with every passing new moon the leader of the village, no matter what generation, commanded that a virgin girl sacrificed. Even though with each new leader, he or she knew it was wrong but they could not risk the endangerment of the entire village for the sake of one sacrifice. He hadn’t really expected them to do it to begin with so when random humans started appearing in the cave on the nights of the new moon, he denied most of them he promptly told them to buzz off. Nonetheless, for years, this ritual cycle was never broken and he had grown used to it.

That was, until the old leader died and replaced by his arrogant grandson who was the most arrogant sake of existence he had ever seen

The grandson's name was Avery. He was the strongest warrior in the village. Standing at a height of 6"11' with wild red hair and green eyes, his good looks would mask the fact he was an evil son of a bitch. The son hated The Protector with a strong, deep burning loathing. He thought a being ruling over their life was more despicable than anything he had ever known in his life. It made no sense that they had to send him one of their own when all he did was sit in his cave like a hermit and watch as they struggled to live. He ordered the villagers to stop giving sacrifices to what he called a demon, knowing it would displease The Protector. Of course, if the villagers were to defy him, they would die immediately.

In order to protect themselves facing their own leader’s wrath, they stopped sending their people to the mountain.

Over the years, the one that watched over them had become used to someone coming to spend an hour with him. It didn’t matter that he had started the whole thing on a whim, they were taking his way his only source of entertainment and it pissed him off that a filthy ant beneath someone of his ability would so arrogantly try and stand up to him. He was outraged, demanding his sacrifice or they would suffer consequence worse than death. He promised them that if they did not fulfill their part of the contract by next new moon, than he would make sure they suffered painfully, slowly and without mercy.

When the time the new moon came and passed, with no sacrifice in sight, their Protector became their Destroyer.

With a snap of this finger, he caused quakes that shook the earth with such a tremendous force; the homes and farmlands of the village became buried beneath rocks that broke from the mountains side.

Winds blew out of proportion and the sky turned a deep crimson red, as deadly black lightning struck out towards the villagers with such accuracy, causing everything to catch fire and burn. It spread throughout the lands, burning whatever else was in its path. It killed their forests, destroyed the rest of the surviving crops and laid waste to whatever was left of the quakes.

The villagers were at a loss. They could not defy their leader, nor could they suffer the pain far worse than death from their Protector if he continued to punish them. "What are we to do, our lord?” The villagers asked in despair. They couldn’t last much longer if they didn’t do something to please him.

Avery had glared at them from atop his self-proclaimed throne; eyes alight with unwavering determination as he screamed at them with vigor. "We will not do a damn thing. Let that beast do as he wishes. He will not break this village's spirit!"

Unable to think of any ideas that could further induce the powerful beings wrath, the villagers turned their back on their leader and sent word to the capital for help.

Weeks later, when only barely fifty villagers remained because food was scarce and many died from illness, helped arrived.

He came riding in on a white horse trailed by an army that rivaled even the Emperor’s; majestic and pure like the clouds that once drifted across the blue skies. His raven hair was pulled back and away from blue-grey eyes. He wore nothing but robes that looked as if it was made from the finest of colored silks, tightened in areas where they wouldn’t catch on anything but loose enough that he wouldn’t suffocate in the heat. Around his neck dangled a medallion that looked as if it coast hundreds of thousands; gold and rounded with an engraving of the Queen’s Lace in silver.

From his looks alone, the villagers knew he was the answer to their prayers. His entire presence screamed authority and elegance in battle and in the palace. Attached to the leader’s waist was the sword, the Crescent Blade. The blade that was known for it’s lightness and ability to pierce even the toughest armor. The young lord stopped before an elderly man and dismounted from his steed.

“My name is Shane Rozenkratz. I was sent her by my father, King Rozenkratz to alivtae you of a demon?” He spoke, his voice light but soft as he looked each villager in their eyes. “What is the problem?”

“There is a God at the top of the mountain that had protected us for many centuries,” the cloest person said. “But ever since Avery, the new village chief, forbade us from sending a sacrifice to him the God had turned against us. He killed our crops, burned our village to the ground and killed many of us. This village was brimming with life but now…we struggle every day in fear that he will finally stop taunting us and end our lives…”

“I see…why not move?” Shane asked in return.

That earned him an uncomfortable silence.

“We tried,” a woman said pitifully. “Every time we ended up back here…”

The young lord made a thoughtful noise before turning to his army. “Men, tend to the villagers and see who needs any medical care and address it. I will go see for myself what this God is capable of and stop him if I need too.”

He turned back to the people, their eyes suddenly filled with lifght as they looked at him in awe. “I will do all that I can to let him see reason but if nothing can be done to stop him from terrorizing you then I will have no choice but to wage battle with him. Heed my words and be gone before then. I fear that by the way you describe him, he is a fearsome God. I will put an end to him once and for all if it comes to it but I will try to avoid it as best I can.”

Taking heed, to his words, what little of the villagers were left, quietly made their way out of the soon to be battle grounds to safer grounds. Avery, of course, stayed where he was. He waited years to finally take control of the village his old man ran for years and he wasn't about to leave it and all its glory to in the hands of a mere child. He glared at the lord who had dared go against his words for the village to be left alone.

"Be gone my lord!" He snarled. "This God doesn't scare me and I will not be told to leave!”

“And I do not want to waste my time talking to an uneducated child,” Shane snapped back, glaring at the red head with heated eyes.

Avery's eyes narrowed at that. "Excuse me?"

He turned to face him fully, his eyes burning. Gone was his soft expression but instead, a look of aggravation and anger. “Leave. If you want to be a good leader, you choose when to stand down. NOW is not the time to have a tantrum because you were too bullheaded and got your village deep in a hole you could not bury them out of. So, take your attitude and stuff it up your egotistical ass while I go solve a problem you, as the leader of these people, caused.”

He wasn’t usually this cold towards people he helped, but after the death of his sister a few weeks ago and then being immediately sent off to deal with a supernatural phenomenon was not putting him in a good mood. Didn’t help that he was two seconds away from keeling over because someone in his squad, who he promptly dismissed, nearly got him killed on the way over.

Shane had bigger things to worry about than someone's own arrogance and the fact he had the gall to stand there and act high and mighty was pushing his patience.

Avery huffed, but didn’t say anything else as he was led away by a man in full silver armor. Another solider approached the leader with caution, having witnessed the display.

“What do you plan to do exactly my lord?” he asked.

Shane turned back to the mountain, already noticing the blackened skies starting to turn an almost blood red. “To talk,” he said simply.

The man gave his leader a odd look before chuckiling. “And if that doesn’t work?”

“Then we fight.”

Not like Shane had anything to loose.

To be Continued...