Chapter 2 - With Power Comes Change

"What is it you want! Why have you done all of this!" The sounds of a deep voice rang out, calling out in a closed tent of fur hide, bone, and dirt. The once homely, and large tent was now a mess of flesh, while blood ran along the sands of the ground below.

"Everything.." To the yells of a man who sat in a bone-covered chair, a deep young man's voice said back, his voice calm beyond belief as he twisted the spear in the man's shoulder that pinned him to the seat.

"Take it! you may have whatever you wish, just take it and leave this place!" The man pinned to the throne, spoke out in an angry voice, the fountain of blood coming from his shoulder made him groan as he looked into the young man's eyes.

"All you who wish to be free from this place, free of chains and unending mating, go." The young man said while leaning his body forward, his knife a blur as he stabbed into the old man's neck on the throne. Watching the shocked look on his face, his voice reaching the people still alive within this tent.

The flesh, blood, and body parts of the tribesmen littered the ground. The smell of metal from the amount of blood in the sand, gave a sickening sweeting to the young man as he turned. His bare chest, arms, and face were covered in the blood of his tribesmen, his eyes scanning the women, children, and old that were taken as slaves.

"Dear husband.. you are freeing us??" While in the world of his own thoughts, a woman stepped forward, her voice shaky but calm as she pushed a child behind herself. The older woman behind her embraced the child watching the woman step up to young man.

"You have never treated me as such, never wanting to lay with me, picking even my father over me. Do you think me blind, to who your child belongs to.." The young man turned his head to the woman, looking over her fair body as he spoke with no care held within it.

"Your father forced himself on me, as he has done to many in the village, Turoc is yours." the woman hearing his words, tried to deny them like the matter was out of her control.

"I should break your neck.." His words to her were not of understanding, or forgiveness, he only moved his hand to reach out to grab her neck. His strength easily lifted her from the ground as he started to squeeze.

"P-, plesh, please.. forgive me." The woman tried to say, her eyes red while saliva ran down the sides of her mouth. Her hand holding his wrist as she begged, reaching out to rub his chest as the light started to fade from her eyes.

"If you all believe this as your home, stay, the cold is coming, and there is food and firewood here. Your young sons will grow, hunt, and protect you. Hopefully they do a better job.." The young man said, his height towered over the people, his eyes looking at his younger brother Turoc who had a look of fear in his eyes, dropping the woman from his grip as he moved to the tents entrance.

"*Cough, your leaving us?! Thragg! Thragg!" The woman who had been dropped, coughing out a clump of spit as she yelled at the man's back, they were free, they could do as they please but without strong men to protect them, they would be taken as slaves by another tribe all the same.

"Stop your yelling, the blood and bear tribe will not come past the wasteland, the cold will slow them, and death will only wait for them if they cross it." Thragg spoke, his back moving into the light of the entrance, his words confusing to the people but they did not question them.

Thragg walked down the path of dirt through the village, looking at his hands once again covered in blood, his arm flexing as he felt something rush through his veins. It had been days since he killed the best warrior in the village, his father, and with it came changes. The cut leaving his guts hanging was now closed once he woke up by the lagoon he had drank from, not only that but his body was not in pain, and his height was no longer the short 5'feet he was before.

'This is a miracle, there is something special about that water. If it can change even me..' Thragg thought, his mouth in a low grin, reaching out his hand to pull a spear out of a body along his path. Yet he couldn't see the light of greed within his eyes as he looked at the women and children hiding from his gaze.

His steps brought him to the edge of the forest, his eyes looking past what little foliage there was left, his shadow elongated and twisted into something that was not him, but his eyes never saw this as the people looked on in horror. His trip was not long, and hunger never seemed to pain his stomach like before, there was only thirst, an unending thirst for the water at his feet

'More, drink..' His mind clouded, his eyes blurring while he dropped to his knees, the water seeming to be calling within his mind, bringing his hands down to cup it with care as he drank deeply.

[12 years later]

The cycle continued, round and round like the annoying clicks of a metronome unceasing in it's ticking. First it was his speed, traveling distances that would be unheard of to humans now in a day. Then his strength, hunting pray far outside his class of strength without a group. Then his mind, thinking outside what he knows as he made traps, pitfalls, unrefined metals for arrow tips, and the idea of bending people's wills with the act of belief. Still his thirst grew as his power did, until something would burst through his skin, wrapping his body and changing him forever.

'You have had your fill..' Those words still rang in his ear even now, the whispers of what he thought was the lagoon, but it was in fact coming from his own mind. The echo that pushed him to drink, the sweet voice that promised more power, and the very reason for what he was now.

"Ahh! *breathing heavy." From the darkness, his thoughts were pulled, hearing the cries of a man, the footsteps within the muddy wasteland beating as a man ran holding his chest, his legs moving weakly while the yells of crazed men followed closely behind.

"Ahh!" The man screamed out once more, a spear hitting him through the back of his leg, pushing through his flesh and bone. The pain of the spear caused him to fall, the black mud splashed over his skin while he found his footing. He stood with what strength he had, hopping on one leg, while he crawled with his hands.

"There's nowhere left to run Turoc, there was no need to hide them, the blood tribe will take in your people. As I promised before.." The man Turoc had his back pushed, his body pressed to the ground as he tried to struggle. His eyes widening slightly at a deep voice, one that beat against his ears.

The voice seemed to come from all around him, its strange tone carrying promises of a home for his tribe, while a man in a black bear cloak came from the shadows behind the man who had him pinned. Turoc took in the man above him, his eyes watching his black hair flow in the wind, his strong jaw, and sharp eyes looking down on him. The man was tall, muscular, and his voice carried authority that shook Turoc as he looked at the three long scars across the man's face.

"Gods, please.. help me." Turoc was in pain, weak, his body covered in wounds from battle, with no way out he called out to the gods he believed in as he wished to be delivered from this. feeling the spear be pushed into his leg more as he groaned in pain.

*xfs for ripping

The world was silent, the sounds of wind even stopping as the 3 scarred man looked down at Turoc, his lips in a smile as he watched him call out to the gods that did not exist. His ears moved slightly as he looked to his left, watching as a large white hand came from the darkness gripping one of his men's neck, while another gripped the top of the man's head as it was pulled off with no effort.

"Avoka." (Death) Turoc spoke, his eyes looking at the man fall dead not far away, his eyes looking into the darkness, filled with more fear then he had for the man standing over him.

"And what is this.." The three scarred man spoke, his voice more calm, curious, and lacking the distress of the rest of his men. His black eyes looking into the dark as he saw a strange symbol.

The symbol seemed to materialize in the background of the darkness, floating in the air as it glowed crimson. the world around the symbol a mess of Shadows, while a being with long white hair brought its face into the light. It's long arms hanging by its body, while him and the man looked into each other's eyes.