1125AM MSK Time - May 10TH - 1969 - Moscow - Kremlin

“What’s with this lack of information gathered! I am spending money on this project, yet you’ve found nothing new for nearly two months!” Leonid Brezhnev, the current leader of the USSR, shouts at Yakovich.

“Well, I have been restricted by others in the party from conducting my research further, if perhaps I receive more funding and I am not-” Yakovich says before he’s cut off.

“Alright, just shut it! I’ll permit you to use animals, humans, anything for your experiments! But you have a week to give me some sort of new information, or you and your research will be finished!”

Yakovich, not knowing what to say, simply left and returned to the hotel he’s currently residing in.

When he returns to his hotel room and places down his hat on a stand. In a fit of rage, he grabs the stand where he just put his hat on and threw it across the room. Anger gripped him as he trashes his room, he couldn’t believe what he was told.

“That old shit! I’ll fucking show him progress If he wants progress!” He thinks to himself. He wanted to shout, but he couldn’t do that. Every room Is rigged to listen to each occupant, so If he does shout what he’s thinking, he'll certainly be arrested.

He looks around the largely trashed room he’s created, he simply picks up his hat from the floor, cleans it, and puts it on. He then goes to the part of the room that was still relatively safe from his fit of rage and begins to dial someone on a phone.

0100PM MSK Time - May 10TH - 1969 - The Russian Far East - Soviet Research Base

A helicopter, or more specifically a Mil Mi-10, flies over the base before landing on a helicopter pad. Once It lands Yakovich steps out and Immediately steps Into the base.

He reaches the observation deck where a dozen scientists are currently observing Experminatations.

“Well Gentlemen, how’s It going so far?” Yakovich says as he grabs onto one of the men’s shoulders.

“Ah, well It’s been going down the shitter sir, but do you have good news?”

“Well, we have no restrictions on what we can do, but we have a week to bring some new information or we'll be out of a job if you know what I mean.”

The men all froze for a second, before continuing what they were doing. Now that they have no restrictions on what they can do, they can now use humans on the large hole they now call 'Foraminis'.

Some men stepped Into the room with hazmat suits. Each of them was hesitant, none of them wanted to approach Formaninis after being told what they needed to do.

One man stepped closer to It as another clipped a large rope onto the back of his suit and tied the end of the rope on a hook embedded on the wall. The two men hold onto part of the rope as the other man slowly walks up to Foraminis.

Yacovich watches the man, and soon grows Inpatient, and yells at the man to hurry it up. In response, the man walks faster, but not by very much.

The man soon only stands a few inches away from Formaninis, he turns around and looks at the other two holding onto the rope, they both give him a thumbs up. Surprisingly, the thumbs up from them must have given him some encouragement because he proceeds to jump down Formaninis.

But, due to Formaninis’ proportions on gravity, the rope immediately begins to burn the two men’s hands as it goes down Formaninis, causing them to let go of the rope.

The rope continues to reduce in length, until it finally stops, possibly just a few short feet before depleting completely.

The researchers and Yakovick in the observation deck were rather confused about what just happened. Yakovich, thinking that it has failed, simply sighed and proceeded to leave the observation room. But before he could leave he heard gasps from the men, as a result, he came back to the observation deck.

Once making it back and looking into the room, he could see that man that had gone down Formaninis back while the other two men drag him away from it.

With this site, a grin appeared on Yakovich’s face.

0730AM NW Time - Third Spring Rise, Sixteenth day - 0789 - Infirmi Kingdom - Great Plains

The sun rises over the horizon, as the warm sun hits the grassy plains. On a rough, rigid dirt road, a horse walks down it, with Its rider on its back, a knight. The knight Is adorned in heavy metal armor, fitted with a sword and shield by his side.

As his horse walks down the dirt road, the knight can see the outlines of a small village. He pats the side of the horse, causing it to start going faster towards the village.

Upon racing to the outskirts of the village, the knight dismounts from his horse and approaches the guard at the front of the village. He proceeds to take off his helmet, revealing short blonde hair, and a germanic face.

“Well look who it is, the fat bastard Octavius! Here you are guarding a village, and just a year ago you were boasting how you’ll be the King’s guard!” The knight says as he approaches the guard.

Octavius, a friend of the young blonde haired man gained the nickname, due to his large stature, and overweight body. Behind the mix of leather, and chainmail he wore as armor, was a man well into his thirties, with long, blonde and brown hair, a short beard that matches the color of his hair, his eyes blue, and his face, complete with scars.

“Well, don’t blame me, blame my commanding officer, plus aren’t you a mail boy now, Coltone?”

“Ha! Well, at least I’m not stuck here guarding a village for a year! So, how have you been as of recent?”

“Well, nothing too crazy, other than chasing dogs with stolen food, and occasional troublemakers, not much. But I’ve heard that more Aulid’s have been showing up more frequently.”

“Wait, what? I thought there’s no one at war right now, so why would they be showing up?”

“No one’s sure, heck no one’s even sure what they even are, they’re like a disk In the air, and if you get too close you’ll mysteriously die.”

They both continue talking, but a sudden group of children Interrupts them.

“You lot again? Geez, children are a troublesome bunch,” Octavius says as he kneels beside the children.

He outstretches his hand, and out of thin air, a small bright flame appears. The flame proceeds to fly around the children before flying off and the children run after it.

“You can use magic now? Never would have thought you had the patience to learn such a thing.”

“Well It’s basic, can’t harm anyone, and an old man coming through one day taught me, he was quite the pleasant fellow.”

“Ha! Do you think the King will even allow us to use magic one day?”

“I doubt it, magic can only be used by the Royal Family, and those who the King chooses personally, hell, If a royal knight finds out I can do that I’ll be hanged.”

“Damn, well, I should get going, being a messenger for my lord is a busy business.”

“Well good luck and you mind investigating those Aulid’s for me? I’d do it myself, but I can’t leave my post.”

Coltone simply nods and he and Octavius hug, before Coltone puts back on his helmet and gets back on his horse. He then rides out once again Into the vast great plains.

0210 NW Time - Third Spring Rise, Twentieth day - 0789 - Infirmi Kingdom - Miserabilis Region

Coltone runs Into the City of Infirum controlled by the local lord. Upon reaching the gate of the city, he hopped from his horse and headed Inside holding his horse’s reins as he walks In the city.

Upon reaching Lord’s manor, he leaves his horse at a stable and enters the manor. He walks through the heavily decorated hallways of the manor as servants walk around, doing their jobs.

Upon reaching the Lord’s office door, he leaves his sword to a guard beside the door and enters.

“My lord, I’ve come back from the small Village of Tarot, and I’ve received the letter from their elder as you requested.”

The Lord, Winifred Elsmere, looks up from his paper and takes the letter from Coltone’s hand, revealing a 30 -year-old man with sleek black hair, wearing glasses. “Thank you Coltone, since you’re here do you mind doing me a favor?”

“Of course my Lord, what do you wish for me to do?”

“A week ago, I sent a knight to Investigate the woods nearby after people had reported seeing strange figures. But he still hasn’t returned even after a week of being gone, and I fear he may be dead. I want you to go Into the woods, and if you find his body, there should be a pendant around his neck, take it and bring it back for me, I’d like to give it back to his family.”

With this, Coltone saluted by bowing. “It shall be done, my Lord.”

Coltone leaves the room and retrieves his sword from the guard. He soon gets back onto his horse, before riding off Into the nearby forest.

After some hours of riding his horse, he reaches the border that separates the Grassy plain fields of the Miserabilis Region and the dark woods. He ties his horse to a small tree, the reason is that the terrain in the woods is too rough for a horse to walk, and the trees are large and all bunched up, making it too narrow for a horse to go through.

He walks down the narrow and dark woods. “Well, I can certainly see why the locals call this place the ‘Dark Forest.’ Due to the large trees all bundled up close together, it makes light from the sun nearly Impossible to reach the forest floor."

As he walks down the narrow pathways of the forest, he finds a body, and upon further inspection, it is the knight Elsmere had sent. He grabbed the pendant from his neck but checked his body to see how he had died.

“Strange… no slashes on the body, no obvious bashes on his body… wait, what’s this strange hole on his body…”

He had found a strange hole where his heart is located, a clean hole too, something an arrow couldn’t do, and It’s too small for a dagger to have done it.

As he stands preparing to leave, he spots another body nearby. “Well, it seems that another unfortunate soul is also here…”

As he examined the man, he realized he doesn’t look like he’s from the Infirmi Kingdom. His clothing as well confused him, rather than the average heavy Iron armor many wear, he’s wearing a strange cloth he’s never seen before. The gear he wears resembles much of the natural color of the fauna of the woods, and he seems to wear a blue and white shirt, along with a red hat on his head.

As he examines the strange man’s corpse, he finds a strange item beside his hand. It looks extremely strange to him, he’s not even sure what it even closely resembles. “It seems to have a pulley system, similar to a crossbow, but I’ve never seen something like this.”

He picks up the strange item from the ground, and accidentally triggers the pulley system, causing a loud boom to come from it and causing him to fall back onto the ground. As he just recollects what had just happened, he can see a bit of smoke coming from a tree In front of him.

Upon closer inspection, he can see a small clean hole, similar to the one on the body of the Knight. “Perhaps an altercation…? If so, who the hell is this man?”

He goes back to the strange man’s body, before finding a pendant on his neck, a red hammer, and a sickle. “Hammer and sickle, a strange combination to put on a pendant…”

As he examines the pendant, he hears footsteps behind him, as he turns around he can see a group of goblins slowly approaching him. They are ugly as you imagine, being only as tall as a human child, with dark green skin, a large nose, pointy ears, large heads, and a grotesque face, they are often described as the most disgusting creatures in existence.

“Never did I think I’d see monsters here, but I suppose I should have expected that,” He says as he pulls out his sword and shield. “But I shall cut you apart in the name of the Gods!”

The goblins begin to charge him with nothing more than simple clubs. One jumps from a tree preparing to bash Coltone with a club, but he easily blocks it with his shield and pushes the goblin away. Another attempt to attack him from behind, but he swiftly slashes its head off his sword before stabbing another in the head.

After killing the handful of goblins, he soon walks out of the first, and back onto his horse.

1125 NW Time - Third Spring Rise, Twentieth day - 0789 - Infirmi Kingdom - Miserabilis Region

As Coltone rides back to the city on the rough dirt road, he soon sees something in the air. He looks into the sky and sees pillars of smoke rising from where the city is. Without hesitation, he had his horse rapidly run to the gate of the city.

Upon reaching the city gates the color of red and the heat of fire engulf around him as he rides into the city.

“Quickly my stead, I need to get to the Lord’s manor!” He says as he pats the side of the horse. The horse whips past destroyed homes, and corpses of dead civilians.

Upon reaching the Lord’s manor, he sees one half engulfed in flame and parts of it destroyed.

Coltone dismounts his stead and runs into the manor, ignoring the various corpses of maids and servants. Upon reaching the office room, he couldn’t find the Lord anywhere but found papers detailing something, but before he could read the papers, he heard men shouting in an unknown language. Coltone grabs the papers and runs out of the room and down the same path he came from.

As he runs down the hallway, he hears two people behind him, before he could even look back, large booms and soon cracks erupt in the hallway. Once it stops he looks back while he continues to run, and sees two men wearing similar outfits to the strange body he had found earlier, holding strange objects.

Before he knew it, flashes of light emerge from the strange objects, and he feels a sudden pain in his left arm. When he looks down at the part of his arm not covered by his armor, he can see a hole in it with blood oozing out. He then finds a destroyed wall at a corner and he hears even more shouting from the opposite hallway. With no choice, he jumps into a large bush, that sadly doesn't break his fall all the way, and shatters a bone in his left leg.

Upon limping back on his horse, he gets on and rides back to the city gates. As he rides to the gate, he comes across a strange large metal-looking box, with a pole in the front. He soon rides away from the strange thing, but it gives chase.

Before he’s able to even wonder what it is, he sees a ball of fire erupt from the pole, and an explosion rocked his body as a home nearby exploded, and the sudden explosion nearly caused him to fall off his horse, but he managed to stay on.

For a moment, he saw a star, with a hammer and sickle in the star on the side of the moving metal box, similar to the pendant he had found earlier.

Despite the situation looking grim, he manages to escape the strange thing and out into the grassy plains, leaving with fear, confusion, questions, an unusable left leg, an unusable left arm, and with nothing more than his life.