Chronicles of The Omniverse Archived Tiranoth: Kahleann
Cameron gasped for air as he woke up from his long sleep. Adrenaline was flooding his veins as his body and mind burned out on the starting line, rearing to act on what just happened.
What had just happened? His last memory was being in an armoured humvee wearing full CADPAT, now he was sitting in the dark under a gothic bridge wearing a ragged tan coat and equally ragged sweatpants.
Slowly, noise started to come to him again. Voices above in a strange language, horses, and the odd car.
More memory came back, silent screaming, blood, and his legs.
Quickly Cameron rolled up "his" sweats, poking and prodding his legs to make sure they were real. He kept rolling until he came to a jagged scar just above his knee running around his leg like a crown of thorns. Around it there were numerous other scars much smaller and lighter, shrapnel.
He should be dead, so was this the afterlife? It didn't look like heaven...
Cameron stold up, placing his hand against the ancient looking cobble behind him for support. The bridge was colossal, nowhere near the scale that any sane person would build for a bridge of it's kind. Below there were hundreds of buildings, each in a similar gothic style.
Having stood up, Cameron could now see the gun and knife sitting where he just was. More importantly, they were his gun and knife, a glock-17 and survival knife. A cude painting of a yellow smiley face on the handle of each that he had created in Afghanistan marked them as such.
He took both, slipping them into the large pocket of his jacket before noticing the man who had stopped on the other side of the underpass to watch him. "Man" was a little generous, as he had nothing in the way of skin, and little flesh, atleast as far as his exposed face and arms went.
"Oh, shit!" Cameron said, stepping back quickly, and holding his hand over his pocket as the "man" continued to stare. Cameron backed into the cobble wall at the end of the underpass. Next to him was a staircase, which he quickly took.
Emerging out onto street level his heart dropped. There were dozens, if not hundreds of the undead creatures walking around, mingling between the human and demonic with nobody else noticing.
His neck was as itchy as hell now, tingles flowing through his body and tensing his muscles. He did the only thing reasonable at the moment and ran, sprinting through the crowd as quickly as he could with little idea of where he was going.
What had just happened? His last memory was being in an armoured humvee wearing full CADPAT, now he was sitting in the dark under a gothic bridge wearing a ragged tan coat and equally ragged sweatpants.
Slowly, noise started to come to him again. Voices above in a strange language, horses, and the odd car.
More memory came back, silent screaming, blood, and his legs.
Quickly Cameron rolled up "his" sweats, poking and prodding his legs to make sure they were real. He kept rolling until he came to a jagged scar just above his knee running around his leg like a crown of thorns. Around it there were numerous other scars much smaller and lighter, shrapnel.
He should be dead, so was this the afterlife? It didn't look like heaven...
Cameron stold up, placing his hand against the ancient looking cobble behind him for support. The bridge was colossal, nowhere near the scale that any sane person would build for a bridge of it's kind. Below there were hundreds of buildings, each in a similar gothic style.
Having stood up, Cameron could now see the gun and knife sitting where he just was. More importantly, they were his gun and knife, a glock-17 and survival knife. A cude painting of a yellow smiley face on the handle of each that he had created in Afghanistan marked them as such.
He took both, slipping them into the large pocket of his jacket before noticing the man who had stopped on the other side of the underpass to watch him. "Man" was a little generous, as he had nothing in the way of skin, and little flesh, atleast as far as his exposed face and arms went.
"Oh, shit!" Cameron said, stepping back quickly, and holding his hand over his pocket as the "man" continued to stare. Cameron backed into the cobble wall at the end of the underpass. Next to him was a staircase, which he quickly took.
Emerging out onto street level his heart dropped. There were dozens, if not hundreds of the undead creatures walking around, mingling between the human and demonic with nobody else noticing.
His neck was as itchy as hell now, tingles flowing through his body and tensing his muscles. He did the only thing reasonable at the moment and ran, sprinting through the crowd as quickly as he could with little idea of where he was going.
Many had noticed the figure sprinting up the staircase like a madman. Some of those had been eyes from above, which descended from the skyscrapers and clung behind buildings just out of the man's sight. They began to whisper among themselves, these dark beings, and soon began to disperse. They flew into a large building with a domed, glass ceiling and circled this room filled with leafless trees and brown grass.
Shortly after they entered, a blonde man with a pair of glasses, a messy blouse, and a vest ill-suited for him, walked in. He stripped off a pair of red gloves and stared at the creatures before him. "What?" he spat crankily.
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Several minutes later, the man was wandering the streets, lead only by the shadows above, looking for the reports of the panicked figure that had been spotted. The blonde man had a scowl on his face that said he was none too happy to be on the job.
When he rounded the corner up the long stairway, he spotted what he suspected was the man that caused all the chatter. He raised a hand, trying to get his attention. "Hey!" he called. "You there! Stop! Calm down!"
Shortly after they entered, a blonde man with a pair of glasses, a messy blouse, and a vest ill-suited for him, walked in. He stripped off a pair of red gloves and stared at the creatures before him. "What?" he spat crankily.
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Several minutes later, the man was wandering the streets, lead only by the shadows above, looking for the reports of the panicked figure that had been spotted. The blonde man had a scowl on his face that said he was none too happy to be on the job.
When he rounded the corner up the long stairway, he spotted what he suspected was the man that caused all the chatter. He raised a hand, trying to get his attention. "Hey!" he called. "You there! Stop! Calm down!"
Cameron slowed as he ran, not out of choice but exhaustion. Despite the constant stream of adrenaline pouring into his veins, and his body's relative health, the shock was getting to him. His heart felt like it was going to burst, and his head was spinning. All around him were unfamiliar races of beings ripped from horror, worn out spaces that looked as ancient as hell, and worn out faces with undead looking skin. Monsters, it was the only word that fit them. Eventually the fact that he was attracting attention but no action came to him, he was just a strange running man to all of these... things. Slowly, the world seemed to melt around him, the surreality of it all overpowering his senses.
His focus shot back up as a man shouted out. His hand touched on his gun again, making sure he still had it on him. Both were there, both felt ready, just incase. Cam shot a look over his shoulder, watching the crowd of monsters, most uninterested in him, before turning around and walking determinedly towards the man. If he knew something, if he knew anything, Cam would find out. He didn't care how he had to do it.
Breaking through the thin crowd, Cam stepped up to the man, standing over him but not by much. Cameron resisted the urge to grab the man and pull him aside, instead he simply leaned in to whisper loudly.
"What is this place? Where am I?" He demanded, his voice seething yet full of fear.
His focus shot back up as a man shouted out. His hand touched on his gun again, making sure he still had it on him. Both were there, both felt ready, just incase. Cam shot a look over his shoulder, watching the crowd of monsters, most uninterested in him, before turning around and walking determinedly towards the man. If he knew something, if he knew anything, Cam would find out. He didn't care how he had to do it.
Breaking through the thin crowd, Cam stepped up to the man, standing over him but not by much. Cameron resisted the urge to grab the man and pull him aside, instead he simply leaned in to whisper loudly.
"What is this place? Where am I?" He demanded, his voice seething yet full of fear.
"Calm down!" demanded the blonde man. "You are not in any danger. Do not focus on the ones around you. Just keep your eyes on me for a second. Follow me." He beckoned to the man, leading him to an alleyway that was all but abandoned. "This happens from time to time. People like you stumble into this place- Gods know why- and all the undeads panic and find someone with a heartbeat to calm them down." He took a sharp left, and soon they were going down a flight of stairs. "You are in the city of Tiranoth. It is, as you've noticed, a city for the undead. Don't be fooled by their appearance. All they do all day is read."
Cameron followed the man slowly, still not quite at touch with reality, and almost focusing too much on what he was saying and not where his own two feet were going. His heart was still racing as the adrenaline reflex refused to die down. He tried to follow the man's instructions, keeping his eyes on the man and off of everything around him, but his eyes were fighting him.
"Undead..? Undead. This must be purgatory then." Cameron reasoned aloud.
"Undead..? Undead. This must be purgatory then." Cameron reasoned aloud.
The blonde-haired man cracked a smirk.
"Not quite, but you're almost right. Tiranoth is in the living realm, even if no one acts like it. It is a peaceful city... most of the time." The man continued to speak as they rounded another corner and came to level ground. At the end of the alleyway, a cylindrical stone building with a glass dome sat in front of them. From its dark roof, several pairs of eyes stared at them.
The blonde man fiddled with a few keys before opening the dark-colored oak door that brought them to a humble, messy study.
"Have a seat," said the man, motioning toward one of the wooden chairs.
"Not quite, but you're almost right. Tiranoth is in the living realm, even if no one acts like it. It is a peaceful city... most of the time." The man continued to speak as they rounded another corner and came to level ground. At the end of the alleyway, a cylindrical stone building with a glass dome sat in front of them. From its dark roof, several pairs of eyes stared at them.
The blonde man fiddled with a few keys before opening the dark-colored oak door that brought them to a humble, messy study.
"Have a seat," said the man, motioning toward one of the wooden chairs.
Cameron followed, eyes still darting around to all of the strange world around him he was taking in for the first time. Incredible spires hidden by the horrible creatures around. As they stepped into the small study, Cameron could finally focus on one thing again.
He sat down slowly in the chair, not quite letting his guard down until the door was closed.
Defeated, he placed his head into his palms, holding back tears.
"...I'm sorry I just... The last thing I remember... Fuck."
He wiped his eyes with the ragged but not dirty sleeve of the coat he was wearing.
He sat down slowly in the chair, not quite letting his guard down until the door was closed.
Defeated, he placed his head into his palms, holding back tears.
"...I'm sorry I just... The last thing I remember... Fuck."
He wiped his eyes with the ragged but not dirty sleeve of the coat he was wearing.
A glass of water was set in front of Cameron. Sitting down, the blonde man stared at him hollowly.
"Take your time," he said. He slid his glasses off and proceeded to clean them with his shirt. "If anything, you have plenty of that. For the moment, anyway. The sooner you calm down, the sooner you'll find peace here."
"Take your time," he said. He slid his glasses off and proceeded to clean them with his shirt. "If anything, you have plenty of that. For the moment, anyway. The sooner you calm down, the sooner you'll find peace here."
"Cameron." The next portion filled in by itself. McArthur, Canadian Army Private, Aid team. "Just Cameron."
He waited a moment, listening to the muffled sounds of the outside and to the faint tick-tock of a pendulum clock.
"What do you do here then, why are you helping me?"
He waited a moment, listening to the muffled sounds of the outside and to the faint tick-tock of a pendulum clock.
"What do you do here then, why are you helping me?"
"Well," began the blonde man, folding his arms. "Living, breathing humans are a bit of an oddity in this city. As you observed, most of the people here don't even resemble humans. Though this is largely a peaceful city, there exist things that have ill wishes for those like you and me. Due to this, the MPP was formed- the Mortal Protection Program. Though I am not a member, I have a good friend who has asked me to assist those that happen to come my way. Soon, I will be giving the MPP a call so that they may assist you in ways I cannot."
"So there have been others like me before? Humans who... who died? We just wake up here for no reason? This can't be everyone if there are so few, why me? What did I do to get here? Who else is here?" Cameron rapid-fired questions at Tomas, his speech accelerating with each one.