Nol, The Mythic One [Comic]

Insidious laughter filled the chamber as numerous things beyond naming expressed their love for violence, cheering on the victims that stood now in the center of the arena, ripping bits and pieces of one another to the floor with reckless abandon. Each creature within held a menacing appearance, but those who were forced to fight were the less formidable amongst their brethren. With each bone crunching blow the multi gender, multi layered voices would cry out in an almost lustful manner, savoring the smell of the red blood that pooled upon the mottled black blood of battles past. The struggle was coming to a climax when the larger of the red monstrosities grabbed the head of the smaller creature and with savage strength it would pull, the muscles of the others neck tearing and the bones fracturing when eventually the head would come off. With the head came the entrails, blood shooting up like a fountain and with it the demons came from the stands to drink, however one remained. There, nestled in its arms was a small child that looked more human than demonic. With yellowed and pointed teeth the creature would smile from ear to ear, red eyes glistening as a large hand gripped the head of the babe, one irregular finger stroking the child's forehead. "Nollll" it would whisper, talking to the child as the horde feasted upon the dead, the victor howling his ascendance as he proceeded to take the victor's head and toss away, beating his chest afterward. "Thisss is what is to become of youuu should you not succeeeed." With a maniacal laugh the demon would tuck the child away and leave the others to their task, grinning with the same ear to ear smile as he glided away.

---

"There is nothing here to save you Nolllll" the voice would whisper in the darkness, coming from no particular direction. "FATHERRR" the young child would scream back, angry that he could not see where he was. It was then that a searing pain would tear at his back, causing the young boy to scream out in agony. The only response given would be a low chuckle emanating once more without a direction. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH" Nol would yell, scared more than anything but slowly adjusting to the fear as the boy's father continued speaking, the same sinister whisper that was the loudest thing in this area. "You are nothing Noll....You cannot even see me...You would not last outside of this place..." The boy would begin to run, scared and annoyed at the same time, unwisely trying to find a way out. "AGHHahahahaha HAaaaa" The demon father would laugh as his fist nailed the child directly in the nose, causing Nol to fall on his rump. Tears would come to Nol's eyes as blood oozed from his nose. He would grit his teeth as his father continued speaking "What are you running from child? In this place there is NO RUNNING! You will die...and die again...and again..and be reborn, each time hurting more than the last! There is no PEACE IN DEATH BOY!" The demonic father would yell, his voice taking on another layer towards the end. Nol had no idea what his father was talking about, he had seldom left the darkness that his father had placed him in. He was afraid of his father, yes, but nothing could prepare him for the fear that was to come. "I sense it..you are naive..You think because Im your father that I'll protect you..that I won't kill you.."

With those words the air became laced with tension and horrible intentions. The room would suddenly ignite, revealing the malevolent form of Nol's father. He was a black creature, large and grotesque with large arms and legs layered with muscle yet his fingers were oddly narrow. His eyes were as red as blood and burned with intense madness. He had a name, but few new it, and those who did seldom used it. He was Erebos, a leader within this realm. Fire would surround them both as Erebos grabbed his son by the throat and hoisted him up so that they could gaze in to one another eyes. "Father....W-W-What are you doing?" Nol would manage to ask, his breathe being stolen from him. "In my attempt to harden you, I only softened you.. You must learn from experience...boy." Finality lacing his voice as his claws connected at the tips, an eerie clicking noise occurring as they formed a sort of drill. The tips would clink once more as Erebos decided on how he wanted to torture his son. Meanwhile Nol was beginning to fade, the lack of air causing it. With elongated limbs Erebos would hoist Nol high over his head. The father would open his mouth, his massive jaw dislocating in several places as he made room to eat the boy whole. Nol began to realize, fear plummeting to the pit of his stomach "Father..Father..noooo" he would plead but would only get the response of low laughter. "Learn pain my son." The demon would say as Nol began to thrash about, hitting Erebos's arms while his legs kicked about.

Nol's legs would be the first thing to go, Erebos's teeth grinding them to mince meat as his mouth moved in an almost circular motion. Nol's screams filled the air as he was slowly devoured, the flames in the room peaking in response as the screams gave Erebos an odd sense of joy, an almost lustful joy. Nol would continue to cry out as he felt the hot searing pain of hard tooth rubbing against his bone, tearing muscle bone and the ligaments being torn apart. Soon however Nol would pass out, the loss of blood causing the pain to be no more for the moment. The screaming would fade and all that was to be heard was the roar of the fire and the joyous "mm mm mms" of Erebos as he savored his meal. The flames would die out and the world would return to darkness. Erebos would lick his teeth clean of his son's blood and would fade in to the shadow.

Drifting in an infinite space, cold yet there was no temperature, a feeling rather than a reality. Time had ceased on one end, yet moved on another plain. There was sight, yet instead of light at the end there was only a morbid grey. Here, the middle ground between beginning and end one was forced to return to the realm of nightmares. A sea of souls that was fed and recycled, cleansed and eventually purged of its resources until restocked. Nol drifted on this plane of grey, circling and circling, round and round until all the fragments of his body filtered through the others and rejoined together upon his soul, thus rebuilding him and reinstating his presence in the place of the damned. However just because the body and soul were attached and put back together did not mean that the mind had been repaired. In this place it was obvious that many, mostly the weak, would rather opt for permanent death, but that was not an option for them. Sure, they could die and it would all end, but there were things at work that prohibited such things. These entities were known as "The Fishermen." The fishermen were creatures with elongated necks and wide faces, a plethora of eyes and purple in color. They had almost no muscle mass and were thin as could be. Their fingers were the most distinct feature, each finger being longer than a grown man. With these fingers they would stick them through the bodies that floated past until the finger protruded from the other side. It would hold them in place while the fisherman convinced the mind to come back with the soul and body.

---

Nol would awaken with a start, yelling in agony, still experiencing the pain that had robbed him of his life for the first time. He would sigh then, realizing that it had been but a dream, for it was still dark all around him and that was something he had known for as long as he could remember. Though as he felt secure a chill would run down his spine, realizing that something was amiss. There was an oozy feeling that he had failed to recognize at first, this would cause him to freak out. As a result Nol would reach out, only to find a water like substance beneath him and as he felt around his body he felt something within his chest. This would cause him to scream in alarm as he came back to the world of the living. His senses would return and soon he would regain his sight, then he would reagin his smell, both were not pleasing. Nol would see the face of the fisherman, and on top of that grotesque sight he would also witness the thousands of people next to him stuck in the same situation. Just as he wanted to get out of this place the fisherman would pull him up, out of the liquid and would place him upon the ground. With a quick jerk he would pull his finger out and in moments two creatures with wrist chains came and bound him. As he would restrained Nol would take notice of the other red creatures that surfaced from the waters. They would eye those weaker than themselves as food and would give the fishermen toothy grins. Yes, it was obvious that they had been here before. It was then that Nol realized what his father had said..that there was no solace in death, that this would happen over and over and he would be trapped in this hell forever. Just as his despair overwhelmed him the young boy would be put out of his misery, punched in the gut by one of the creatures and sent to rot until it was his turn in the slaughter.

---

The strong used the weak as sport. They knew that death did not exist and so they would entertain themselves by killing. "Nollll" a whisper would say, "You have madee itttt...my sonnn" and with that Nol would wake up, finding himself surrounded by demons, humanoids and other various things that survived in the plain. He would try to move but he could not, his arms chained up and the chains embedded in the ground. There was a purple light emanating from the front but Nol could not see its source. From that light Nol could tell that he was placed in a cave, but for what purpose he could not understand. He was supposed to be dead and yet here he was...wishing he was dead instead. It was then that a deep bass horn rang out and two of the prisoners were sent front and center of the group of prisoners. There the source of the purple light became known. A gargantuan black demon with yellow eyes and black wings that appeared to be made of stone would gaze down upon the two and with a booming voice would command them. "You will fight to the death...for my enjoyment.." then he would continue, but this time speaking to everyone "You all will fight!" it would yell, shaking the cavern with his voice. At the sound an unknown group would yowl their approval as those chained would share mixed feelings of excitement and despair. Nol was terrified, He didn't know how to fight, the first time he had tried he was eaten by his own father. Nol did not want to experience the same pain again ever, but at this rate it seemed inevitable. The two creatures would begin to fight one another while the large demon spoke "This is but a mercy that I give you, on the outside you weaklings would not survive for more than a second..and death would be your constant feeling.. Here you have a chance to not feel pain as often.." Nol was confused, he had never lived on the "outside" he did not know what he was talking about. The cavern would go ominously quiet for a few moments, save for those who whimpered and those who connived. That would all change when the two combatants began fighting which would result in roars of encouragement. All the while Nol would simply stare, dreading his turn for combat, knowing that death was coming again.

It was against any sane person's desires to want to continue on when faced with such certain defeat, but Nol was not an ordinary person. He wanted to look his fate in the eye and conquer it, yet his own weakness would not allow him to prevail no matter how many times he had faced death. Nol could barely even count how many times he had failed to survive, life on the outside was rough. Out of the control of his father, out of the "protection" of the false god who enslaved him in combat for all those years. Now Nol was faced with constant fighting, everyday was a struggle and every day was filled with the same fighting. One could not traverse more than a mile or so without witnessing some form of bloodshed. Nol would listen to the surrounding sounds, feeling out the creatures about him moving within the dense, fetid foliage, knowing from experience that while all seemed quiet that there was something lying in wait for him to make a mistake. As an eighteen year old, Nol had experienced much, with calloused fists and sheer force of will he had taught himself to fight. He was forced to learn or feel the pain of death over and over. Nol also learned that he had some latent innate ability within him to utterly destroy those who opposed him, yet he had yet to master it. Nol's eyes would narrow at the sudden movement in the distance, knowing that in his world things were not always what they seemed, especially at night with a thick fog about. This was not just a forest, but a place where dreams came to stroll. As Nol passed through the darkness he would hear the sounds of the forest, taking note of the faces in the trees and making sure to watch out so as to not wonder in to the wrong place. As he journeyed, looking for some place that would find him comfort Nol wondered if there was a place outside of this world that would allow him to experience other feelings..to know what it was like elsewhere. As a boy who had not experienced other feelings he felt frustrated with his reality. Nol would come to a clearing and would instantly find himself surrounded. Normally one would be unprepared but Nol was not so weak or naive anymore. There were signs that told of their approach. The hushed sound of the creatures that lurked within, the slight sound of movement, but the most obvious sign was the stench of death in the air. Standing in the moonlight, was a creature that stood much like a guerrilla and even looked like one also. Though instead of fur it possessed a thick hide and was hairless. It was also intensely muscular and was a dark purple in color. It had a plethora of horns upon its head, with one on its snout. As for eyes they were yellow and its grace through the dark suggested that it could also see very well within it. This was an advantage that the creature had over Nol, but Nol was not an idiot like most of the creatures here. He would stick to the clearing when in combat so that the moonlight could assist his vision. There would be a tension in the air, as if it were thick enough for one to simply reach out and touch, scooping it up in their palm like one scoops ice cream. "Nol." The creature would say to him in a deep voice "I have come to get my revenge!" he would continue, the anger evident in his voice. Nol would give a snort of derision, a snide look on his face "Yeah right..The last time you tried you ended up in a ditch." The creature would growl at him and would then proceed to give an earsplitting yowl that would shake the forest. "You're making my head hurt" Nol would say, annoyed now by the creature's call. "That's not all I'm going to make hurt, boy." The creature would reply, fangs exposed and eyes filled with a murderous lust. From the distance, several forms made their way to the location. Emerging now from the treeline would be numerous amounts of entities, most bearing different appearances. Nol recognized them all as they one by one made it in to the moonlight. They were people that he had bested in combat, it was obvious now that Naraga had been gathering people whom Nol had bested in order to unite them under ea common goal of defeating him. Nol would form a deranged smile on his face before laughing, and after laughing he would speak to them all, his voice loud in the night. "This is all pointless...even if I die I'll come back...and I'm sure I'll kill most of you before I go...sooo I don't really get it.." Naraga's nostrils would flare and with another loud roar would order the command of the attack.

---

The attack would commence, a cacophony of roars, yells, and harsh cries filling the air as monsters of all sizes rushed to the center of the clearing to attack the young boy who had humiliated them. As they closed in Nol would close his eyes, sighing at the sheer redundancy. "I'm so sick of this" he would mutter under his breath, genuinely exhausted from life. At the age of eighteen Nol experienced more than many people put together would ever experience in terms of physical pain. Like water Nol would flow among the swarm, dodging the first blow by sidestepping and adjusting the position of his body, causing the gnarled fist to pass him and hit another. Again and again as they tried to hit him they would simply miss, Nol to graceful and agile for them to even land anything, especially when all of them tried at once it was easy to trip them up on one another. At this Nol would start laughing, saying "Is this really it? I'm not even sweating.." When in his arrogance it would cause him to be struck in the face. The blow would jar him slightly, not expecting to be hit at that particular moment, he was caught off guard. A slight amount of blood would be leaking from his mouth, and with his left a hand Nol would wipe it form his mouth and wipe it upon his pants. "Wow, that actually hurt." he would say as he leaned back slightly, a punch whizzing past his face. As the arm extended Nol would step in to the guard and give the creature several quick blows to the gut, causing it to fall to the ground grasping its stomach. He would then spin, sending a kick in to the face of one who charged, thinking Nol unaware during the fist flurry. Nol's foot would catch the creature in the jaw with an audible "crack". As his leg was in the air one of teh creatures would grab it, biting in to his leg with ferocity. Nol would yell out in pain, hopping off of his free leg he would then kick the creature in the chest, causing it to let go and causing Nol to fall on his ass. This would result in a loss of air that would cause nol to lose sense of himself for a slight second, a second that woul be taken full advantage of. The creatures would see that Nol was placed upon his back and would attempt to put their weight upon him, slamming themselves on the ground at him. Nol wasn't quite ready but managed to lift his leg up and arms to support the weight that collapsed upon him, however before another was to join he would roll to the left, causing the creature to be placed upon the ground. Though an unfortunate creature would continue to jump and would land itself straight in the ground. During the roll Nol would try to stand up, using the momentum to allow it to happen, however as he stood up the wound on his left leg would cause him to stumble slightly and before he knew it Naraga's large and powerful fist would be aimed straight down the pipe, causing lights out syndrome.

There are things in this realm that even the strongest dare not disturb, but the fools in the night stirred them from their slumber upon trying to kill Nol. In their ignorance the wrath of those that slept was unleashed upon them, and those that were standing were silenced forever, death granted due to the complete deletion of their entire existence. There was a fire somewhere that Nol could not place until more of his senses returned to him. When slightly functional he realized that it was his head, the feeling similar to having a hot knife stuck in his head and then having the user of the knife mix it around a bit as if mixing some ingredients for some cookies. Nol would wanted to sit up, but was to disoriented shortly to make the attempt, his head injury causing not the sole reason. Nol would stare at the sky, eyes empty and would allow his senses to collect, feeling out the injuries dealt to his body. The burning had spread now, to his arms, legs, and his chest. Then it came to him in a flash, the entirety of his bodies condition all in an instant of flashes of subconscious memory. After being hit in the face and passing out for a moment those that were closest would hoist him up, and with savage grins upon their faces they would begin to slowly put torque on to Nol's appendages, breaking each one slowly and listening to him as he screamed, laughing at it. They were not merciful in the least, starting with the fingers, then moving to the toes, after that they would break the hand at the wrist and then the feet at the ankles. Despite his situation Nol was amused that now those who had sought to be cruel were now littered about him, corpses no longer to rise again. Nol was a broken man, the elbow shattered, the arms dislocated. It was a wonder that he was even alive now and even more of a wonder that he did not experience any pain. As he stared at the sky, waiting for his companion death to great him again an ominous shadow towered over him. The moon had gone, hidden behind clouds and the being in front of him appeared to be the darkness itself. There was nothing to be seen until its eyes opened, and a familiar red gazed down upon him. "Nol..my son.. It does no good to stir the elders.." he would say, referring to those that controlled the realm, the ones who eliminated Naraga and company. Nol's heart would sink, the memory of what happened the last time he had seen his father. He would try to speak, but couldn't., he hated being afraid after all he had been through but he could not help it. "You did well...but your arrogance cost you..You probably wouldn't have to deal with this right now..." Eerbos would cackle then, amused by the angles at which his son's bones stuck out. "I will help you my sonnn..It'sss time we went homee...." and with that Erebos would lift his arm high in the sky and bring it down with finality upon Nol's skull, ending the boy's life for yet another time, yet instead of ending up with the fishermen Nol would find his spirit journeying to the epicenter of the realm, a place known as "the red city."

---

Nol would rise, not knowing his location. All that he remembered was that he had seen is father, and that was enough to send him in to panic mode. A cold sweat would work its way down his spine, sending doubt and despair through him, and despite his many trials and tribulations Nol still felt a fear that he had not felt in years. One does not easily forget being eaten alive by ones own father. Nol would look around, noticing red stone all about him and the sounds of waves. Nol would rise from the stone slab he had been laid upon and would seek an exit to the room when his father suddenly appeared, forcing Nol back to the slab. "Stay my son...you are not yet ready for your destiny." Erebos would say, the typical wolfish grin and eerie glow in his eyes. Nol was apprehensive at first, but would lay back down, assuming that if his father wanted to harm him at the moment he would have done it already, though that was wishful thinking. "Where am I?" Nol would ask, the hint of his fear oozing out like a tasteful morsel to the ears of Erebos. "The Red City...The epicenter of our realm...the only true place where....order..existssss." Nol would rise once more, staring at his father's forbidding form "So..why am I here?" Nol would ask, slightly dazed by the reality that his father was there, speaking with him as if nothing had happened between them. "It would seem the elders favor you..the en dowers of creation...You are heralded as their champion..for whatever reason I am not sure.." a slow grin appearing on his face.. "They believe you capable of erasing those that oppose them..they believe you capable of being able to leave this realm..to do that you have to become the strongest in this realm...to stretch the ties that bind you here." Nol was shocked, unable to believe that someone would see him as the strongest there was.. He couldn't even best a few thug level demons that opposed him, and now these people wanted him to defeat things like his father and higher? It was madness, pure madness, but the more he thought about it he wondered when anything accomplished wasn't madness in this world..

---

Nol would have several months to hone his abilities in order to take on his most dangerous fight ever, and that would be the killing of his father. His power would grow to the point where nothing could contain him, Nol would become one of the greatest fighters in that realm and would transcend reality, being reborn in to another realm that was entirely more peaceful than the life he had known. He would defeat his father and all those who sought to put him in the place that they thought befit him. Nol would be known as "The Mythic One" in that realm and would be recognized as one of the most supreme beings that ever came in to existence. The man in that realm would be born as a boy in the other, having to adjust to a life without violence..or at least without as much violence.