The tribal villages of the eastern plains had lived in peace and prosperity for many years yet throughout this time they had grown fat. Their leaders feeding off of the innocent townspeople’s labors and the villagers resorting to thievery and deceit to feed their families. After viewing how disappointing his young species had been, the god pferosus, the god of the plains decided to punish them for their crimes by sending his servant, the automaton Vulcan to wreak havoc upon the greedy, lying and thieving tribesmen.
When the automaton arrived in the plains it scanned around for nearby villages. It soon located the nearest village and began to march briskly towards it, priming the severe multitude of weaponry upon its titanium arms.
As it approached the village several of the villagers yelled causing a group of men with spears to march up to the machine and attempt to apprehend it. As the men attacked the machine a loud voice rang out across the plains seeming to reverberate through the ground and travel up your legs straight to your brain.
“I am the great god pferosus!” the voice said “I have sent my servant Vulcan to punish you, to rain fire and brimstone against you pathetic creatures.” the voice fell silent and suddenly the seemingly brave warriors were running, running to wards the shelter of the hills. But Vulcan wouldn’t let them.
As the pathetic villagers ran away Vulcan pointed his shining arm towards them summoning the power of the god pferosus causing a white hot jet of flame to rush out of his hand and spiral towards the fleeing villagers. There was and almighty BOOM and a flash of light brighter than the sun as the villagers lives were cruelly cut short by the ferocious flames that flew from Vulcan’s arm. As Vulcan pursued the remaining villagers a young villager who was known to think he was the strongest man on earth stepped towards him.
“Vulcan!” the villager screamed as he readied his spear “I am Ricardo the best and greatest.” With these words the villager threw his spear which promptly bounced off of the automaton in two halves. As the villager looked at the remains of his spear he barely had time to murmur “oh” before the great blast of flame from Vulcan’s arm flew towards him and burned him to a crisp.
One day later the automaton stepped away from the wreckage of the first village and began looking for more signs of life.
Far off in the great city of the plains the chief began preparing his men. As the men prepared one of the villagers daughters was silently praying to pferosus that her father would return alive. As she turned to leave the shrine a voice said behind her,” I heed your call.” The girl then turned herself around to see the god pferosus staring at her. For a god pferosus didn’t look like much, merely a middle-aged balding man with a large pot-belly, yet she couldn’t help being impressed that a god had heeded her call.
“What is your name.” the god boomed as he stood before her.
“My name is nimue” the girl said with a slight tremor in her voice “and I would like to know how to save my father from Vulcan and to stop Vulcan’s attack on this land.”
“OK” the god said. “You may stop Vulcan if you sacrifice yourself to me by leaping into the flames of his anger.”
“What” nimue said her mouth agape as the god shrunk and vanished leaving only the faint smell of grass for her to be sure he had actually been there.
And so nimue followed the soldiers to where Vulcan stood, several miles from the city, and hid as the chief began an inspection. A few minutes later the villagers charged their spears ready, at the beast. As the automaton prepared his weapon nimue flung herself before it. Vulcan’s gun fired and she prepared for the worst pain she would ever feel.
But it never came. As the flames washed over her nimue stood not a single burn hurting her as the coils of flame wrapped around her. When the blast finally finished nimue finally forced herself to open her eyes just in time to see Vulcan blow into a million pieces. But why wasn’t she dead, how was she alive.
A voice whispered in her ear as she thought this,” Because you showed courage.” As the startled villagers stared at her she merely watched them as the first snapped out of it and helped her out of the large crater she stood in.
“How could you…why aren’t you...gah.” the chief murmured as he watched the girl get lifted on the shoulders of his men and carried back to the city.
There was a large celebration in the city that night as the villagers praised nimue and drank to their now elongated lives. Nimue could have sworn she even saw pferosus somewhere in the crowd eating an entire buffalo all on his own. She was happy about her father yet also a little worried as, since they had got home she had shown signs of flame rippling around her fingers, yet that was for another day as right now she just wanted to rest…
By Mark Mitchell