This story is from my original thoughts. The characters within this story are not real people. Keep in mind that these characters and thoughts have been influenced by other material. All characters involved sexually are of age and are legal adults. Please enjoy!
***
My name is Cain. I am currently twenty-one years old. The day is the sixth of Frostfall and it has been forty-six years since Emperor Titus conquered all of the known world. I suppose my story starts a few years back when I was innocent and only a child. Back then I lived in a big city called Stone Springs and was the son of a well known blacksmith.
Chapter One.
I woke up to the loud ringing bells of the cathedral. The Cathedral of Hanneth to be exact. Hanneth was one of the minor deities; she was the goddess of Wind and one of the few that don't interact with us mortals. Since I'm on the subject of divinity, I should explain the religion of Pandorus (My native country). There are many "gods and goddesses" that exist. They are superior beings that were gifted with immortality and immense knowledge and strength. There are multiple shrines that are dedicated to each god and goddess. We humans like to pick one god or goddess to be our patron. So who did I choose? It was a hard choice but I picked Fettel, the god of Deception and Stealth, which I guess goes hand in hand.
I sat up and stretched my arms and yawned loudly. After a few minutes of continuously yawning and trying to stay awake, I stood up as I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes, and walked over to the window. I watched the few people who were crazy enough to be up at this hour. Most of the people who made up the crowd were miners who were headed towards the famous 'Stone Springs', which was just a giant stone quarry and the cities namesake. I walked over to the small mirror that hung right beside the door, and ran my fingers through my hair trying to comb it the best I could. I guess I looked pretty normal. I wasn't beautiful and well groomed like the wealthy upper class, but I wasn't dirty and ill looking. The only thing that was different were my gray eyes, since most of the people that lived in Pandorus were dark haired and dark eyed.
Stone Springs was the cleanest place compared to all the other major cities of Pandorus. It was wealthy and had; running water, good plumbing, and brick streets. I lived in a humble house made of stone and brick with a thatched roof. Right beside the house was a small pit of fire with bricks stacked around it too contain the flames. This was where my father worked. Beside the forge was a black anvil, a grinding stone, and a workbench. The forge was always lit because my father said that it would be too long and difficult to get the forge back to how hot it was to begin with.
I got dressed into my usual garments and descended the stair case to where our kitchen was located. My mother and father weren't at the table so I grabbed a piece of bread and walked over to the outside door. An ax rested up against the frame of the door. It had been recently sharpened and was in a fantastic condition even though it was probably a decade old. I grabbed the ax with my other hand and rested it on my shoulder. I opened the door and headed down the brick streets to the gate, ready to start my day.
By the time I had reached the iron gate of Stone Springs, I had finished the bread. The group of guards that protected the gate waved at me and one of them said, "Starting early Mr. Cain?"
The guards of Stone Springs wore matching chainmail with the city's emblem painted on their chests and shields. Most guards had swords, but others could use war axes or greatswords. The all wore helmets that covered most of their heads except a cross in the front which showed their eyes and mouths.
"Yeah, my father was complaining about how I didn't bring in enough wood yesterday." I explained to the guard.
"Hell, I wish you were my son!" Another guard said, "You do more work than most boys your age!"
I chuckled, "Tell me about it."
The same guard continued, "I'm sorry to ask, son, but could you bring in a little extra for me and my family? The nights are growing colder and my wife is complaining about the children not being warm enough."
I answered, "No problem, sir."
"Good man!" One said with a chuckle.
They opened the gate and I walked out of the safe walls of Stone Springs. The woods where I chopped down trees wasn't far away from the gates but I still looked over my shoulder once in awhile. I was a pretty big guy from all the labor but anyone out on the roads had to be cautious. The crime inside the walls was almost unheard of, but outside the walls was a totally different thing. Bandits and raiders were scattered all across the countryside. There was also a rumor about a rebellion roaming the country and pillaging small outposts and farms. The point is, is that you need to travel in bigger numbers otherwise you are going to run into trouble.
I walked into the woods and found the clearing that I made. There were more than a dozen stumps from where I had cut down the trees. I eyed my next target, which was a maple tree that was medium sized, and swung my ax.
'Whack, whack, whack!' The rhythm of my swings would help me keep my mind off of the labor, and shortly after I started I drifted off into a daydream.
***
It was early evening when I stopped cutting wood and loaded it onto a small wagon. My hands were blistered and my clothes stuck to my sweaty body. I took my gourd that was filled with water and lapped up the rest of the cool liquid. I picked up the wagon and started to pull it down the road. Honestly, I loved to work. I had a lot of time to think when I cut wood. It also relieved some stress. I would usually fantasize about all the women in Stone Springs but one of the women stuck out from the rest. Oh, Mrs. Havish. She was the baker's wife and you see, she would always wear these low cut dresses with a corset that pushed up those plump tits. I would daydream about titty fucking her everyday. I would do anything to get that beauty alone with me in my room.
I was almost to the gate when I saw something step out of the woods. It was dark and looked like a shadow of a man but there was no one around other than me. I stopped and put the cart down. I squinted and tried to focus on the shadow but it became transparent whenever I looked directly at it.
Then a whisper of a voice, almost like a snake's hiss, said, "Those are naughty, naughty thoughts, boy."
I was speechless. How did he know what I was thinking about? Only a Divine could do something like that...
"That's exactly what I am, Cain." The shadow hissed.
A shiver went up my spine and the hairs on my neck stood up when he said my name. "W-Who are you?" I stammered, frightened beyond belief.
"I... Am...Fettel!" The shadow exclaimed, "Who else would you expect, Cain!? But your own patron god has come to talk to you."
Now, I was just confused. Truthfully, I didn't really believe in the Divines... I didn't know what to do so I knelt down and bowed my head. I was scared about what he might do, but I said, "Lord Fettel, I am just a worker boy."
"No! No, my son, you are far more than that. You will soon discover your true self. Look, son, I have come to give you a few gifts." Fettel said.
"My Lord, I don't deserve any gifts. I don't even pray to the gods!" I said humbly.
"Cain. You deserve it. You are one of my favorite mortals." Fettel said, "Besides, I don't even listen to most of those prayers. Its always, 'Oh, Lord Fettel! Please get me a new horse! I will kill three rabbits for you!' Or 'Master Fettel, help me last longer in bed!' Its sickening to listen to mortals gripe and ask for everything..."
I didn't know what to say to that, but to have a god's favor was very rare.
"Anyways, these gifts come with a small price." Fettel warned.
"... What is the cost?" I asked hesitantly.
"A tad bit of pain, but you're a big guy. Anyways, here are your gifts." Fettle said as two objects materialized out of the air. They both floated towards me. One was a cruel looking dagger with some sort of ancient ruins engraved on the sheath, and the other was a amulet connected to a black chain. The amulet looked like a small skull and it had a bird feather attached to it.
I took both of the gifts out of the air and examined them.
"Put the necklace on!" He said giddily.
There had been myths about the Divines tricking mortals into selling their souls and whatnot but I thought it was rubbish. I nodded and put on the necklace. It felt cold as ice against my skin for a few seconds, but warmed eventually.
"Tie the dagger to your belt" he said, still excited.
I did as he asked. The dagger seemed to weigh like nothing once it was strapped to my belt. I pulled the dagger from the sheath and examined the blade. The craftsmanship was amazing, it was dark as night and had a slight curve and had a few inches of evil looking serration on the spine of the blade. The knife also let off reddish smoke that curled off of it. I just stood there gapping at it and almost became mesmerized by it.
"Cool, huh!" Fettel said and I nodded in agreement. He continued, "This last gift is the one that's gonna hurt."
I managed to pull my gaze off of the knife and looked at him and said, "Wait, wha-"
That's when I felt it. I instantly fell to the ground and felt the burning pain throbbing through my arm. It felt like someone had poured lava over my left forearm.
"Ahhh!!" I yelped, trying to withstand the pain. My vision got fuzzy and eventually I could only see black and white. I tried to swallow but my mouth was too dry.
"Woah! Easy, son!" Fettel said while he laughed, "It's almost over."
My vision became clear and the pain was numbed but my arm still ached. I looked down at my arm and there were characters branded into it. There was also some tribal design that decorated it. I looked down at the sheath of the knife and the characters matched the ones on my arm.
"What does it say?" I asked Fettel.
Fettel said eerily, "Shadow Warrior. An old accolade of mine."
I thought about that a little before Fettel said, " Pretty sweet brand, huh? Its my mark so if anyone asks just tell them that. I must go now, Cain. I'll talk to you later, OK?"
I nodded, still trying to wrap my mind around what happened. Fettel turned around and started for the woods when I said, "T-Thank you, Lord Fettel."
With that he vanished. I felt like standing there forever just trying to think about the encounter, but my parents would probably be worried if I stayed out too late. I looked down at the designs burnt into my arm before I picked the cart back up and pulled it into the town. I stopped when I saw the guard that had asked for the firewood.
"Long shift, huh?" I said to the guard.
He chuckled, "By the Divines, it has been a long day!"
"I know exactly what you are talking about. Do you want me to bring the wood to your house?" I asked.
"Nah, I might just stop by and buy some from your family. I bad for making you do extra" He explained.
