James squinted and his pupils dilated as they took in more light. His head slowly tilted upwards craning his neck to see what stood infront of him.
He could only speak a few words. " What are you?"
"Why do i feel Ignazio's karma?" A deep and domineering voice rumbled into his ear drums. It was like the sound of heavy tribal mallets that beat on the chords of a harp.
James blinked for a few seconds as he heard his voice. James gazed around his cell.
Rattle. Rattle. Rusted Iron chains bound his feet and arms.
James quickly noticed the floor he was seated on was covered in a caked layer of coal. 'Isn't this a fire hazard'
The walls were also covered in a pale white dust, James sniffed his fingers and came to a conclusion. "Wood ash?"
Seeing that James had decided to ignore his presence, a hefty snort like an oil drum falling into a wood floor bellowed out from the figure's throat.
James internally had already blocked out what he was seeing. ' Yeah...that guy isn't real... but where is Ignazio? He was just infront of me.'
But then it spoke, this time directly to him. " Hmm. An aura of life? Uncommon but not special."
James was once again forced to reconcile what he was viewing. James was unsure of what to call this behemoth of a man. Infact, James was certain he was not standing infront of his cell mere moments ago.
'How did this guy get infront of me? He's massive. '
As to how a figure of his size and stature was able to maneuver so silently infront of him, James could only throw that to the back of his mind as he was addressed.
"Remind me of why this boy is in shackles?"
Even while craning his head upwards, James was required to physically nod his head to take in the complete structure of this man at this distance.
The figure stood well over seven feet and James was certain he weighed nearly eight-hundred pounds. However, there was not a single ripple of fat on his frame, he was built like a strong man. His relaxed forearms were at least forty-one inches in diameter at their apex, the veins that travelled across his body were like vinyl tubing underneath his skin. Just looking at it made James nauseous.
'I don't think any scientific advantage I have is competing with this' James lamented his own ignorance.
His legs were even thicker than his arms. He was nothing short of a titan in James' eyes.
He was dressed in the remains of what most resembled firefighter gear. He wore thick brown pants remodeled and sewn into shorts and a jacket padded with extra material that loosely draped over his shoulders like a cape.
His head was covered in a lush thick mane of red locks and his beard was knotted with wooden trinkets that seemed to have some meaning beyond James' scope of his comprehension at the moment.
The figure breathed slightly, the abdominal muscles on his stomach, stretched and bulged like metallic sheets. The external layer of his skin was a pale white, it was covered in ash. Etched into the ash were black tattoos and effigies depicting events.
Etched into the skin of his left upper arm was a depiction of him of him chopping down a tree. The base of the tree stopped at the elbow joint. and its leaves and branches stretched up past his arm into his shoulders. There was a shallow divot of him swinging a weapon into the base of the tree.
Along his waist, were images of him slaying a creature that seemed to be a large black creature headed by winding horns and a white skull. The last drawing depicting this battle ended at his navel and it was there it showed him splitting the base of the creatures Jaw into two.
The third and most detailed of them was resting on his left pectoral muscle, it was him him kneeling holding something close to his chest.
James stared at his shadow and sighed as it flickered in the light. 'Hmm, How do I get myself out of this?'
James observation only lasted a few seconds since he spoke. Before he could formulate a plan he heard another voice speak.
It was shallow and a bit congestive, but it did belong to a woman. " He was laying on the bank of the tearful river. He was the only thing our scouts were able to find after the Weeping Woman and the King Shuck had an altercation near the star fall."
James ears perked up hearing both of those names as his last conscious moments came to him. ' Yes, that's what happened. That woman, is that who they are referring to? Is the king Shuck the creature I felt ingrained in my mind when I heard that massive howl? '
James didn't need confirmation, he was fairly certain of his assessment. The voices continued to speak unbothered by his hearing of their conversation.
" Really?" The voice questioned, looking James up and down.
" Yes, Firekeeper Juraman. He was also wearing non-native clothing which means he's a fresh transmigrator."
" Hmmm. We don't have many survivors near the Kilin, much less those who wind up in the Silent Forest. " Firekeeper Juraman shifted his feet. The area beneath him seemed to compress as space was slowly removed from between the molecules.
" Well, he seems to have no trace of tainted karma. If he has no relation to any Elder's I'm not really interested, just do our due diligence and supply him with a weeks worth of food and water. "
" Yes sir." James watched a figure walk out from the darkness beyond the cell. She had soft features, her brown hair was shaved low and her face was sprinkled with freckles. She was in a crude leather outfit loosely resembling firegear with an insignia of a axe burned into the leather.
Juraman's eyes were a serene amber. They reflected and even seemed to enhance the essence of the trough of flames that acted as a barrier between the two. James locked eyes with him, the initial fear and shocked had swayed and there was a silent determination in his eyes.
'I wonder how much I'll have to change to become stronger than him? '
Juraman smirked as he turned away. " I like the scent in his eyes, smells like a carnivore." Juraman snorted perceivably inhaling gallons of air at a time.
His massive hulking frame walked off. James still could not fathom how his steps were so silent. James could see the ground beneath his feet compressing but other than light hiss of gas escaping from the coal he moved like air.
As he stepped away James caught a glimpse of a Jawbone strapped to his back. It was the top half of a skull laced with inch long serrated teeth, the eye socket was empty but James still felt a strange gravity, as if something was still looking at him through the hollow socket.
As Juraman disappeared, Uquin stepped towards James. " What is your name young man."
James was too engrossed in staring at Juraman's weapon to speak. Uquin followed his gaze.
" Oh, the wendigo's Jawbone. Yes it must be a frightening thing to look at." She said halfheartedly before the shackles fell from his hands.
Rattle. Rattle.