A hooded figure stood in the center of a large forest that stretched for miles in all directions. In front of him stood two black pillars about 9 feet tall between them lay the entrance of an ancient tomb the runes inscribed on them lost knowledge to all of this current age. The figure waved his gloved hand and the pillars let loose a green glow from the inscribed patterns before fading back in nothing.

The figure lowered his hand and whispered "awaken show me what you plan to do."

Grabbing his cloak he let it flutter in behind him as he marched away. A dark aura could faintly be felt, by any who could use even the smallest amount of magic in the area.

The mysterious figure turned around and slowly faded into the forest leaving no hint that he was ever there.

...

In a small clearing several miles from the tomb a rabble of men all stood in a circle they were armed lightly with hardened leather. Among them was a man known in the area as Oleg. He was considered an cowardly grave robber who was a former soldier for the empire that controlled the area known as Zearia.

"Hey...hey Oleg listen up." A tall man who was the defacto leader of the group looked at Oleg with narrow eyes.

"Yeah? What do you want?" The whole group looked at him with annoyance.

Oleg rolled his eyes as he twirled his sword on the ground "listen guys this tomb hasn't been opened and should be brimming full of loot for us. This is the furthest humanity has reached in many tens of thousands of years. That is all the information I could muster."

"Alright well if that is all you can give us let’s be off and get rich of this tomb.”

“Boss, don’t you think there's a reason Choord hasn’t opened up this tomb yet? Maybe we shouldn’t go in could be cursed.”

Everyone’s eyes rolled as the timid man stuttered allowing the words to come out slowly. Even Oleg who was often considered quite cowardly sighed.

“Listen Benji you need to grow a pair and also learn to use your brain. Does a newly established Kingdom that is barely a level 10 vassal Kingdom have the time to spare men to explore some old abandoned ruins yet?”

“Ahhh….No?”

A hand flew from behind him and sent a loud slap to the back of his head.

“Exactly. So why don’t you just shut your mouth and not learn to listen and think before you speak.”

“Now guys let's go get rich.”

The entire group cheered as one as they left the clearing heading in the tombs direction.

…

A sound echoed into a empty room filled with cobwebs and dust. The air was so stale and old this deep into the tomb that the noises stuck in the air for long periods of time. A single whisper seemed to have traveled this deep into the tombs which shouldn’t have any movement beyond the occasional scuttling of a rat.

Yet, after so long a single phrase seemed cling abnormally long in the air even despite the thick damp air.

“Awaken.”

The whisper was deep and profound oozing with powerful ancient magic that was even older than the world itself. That is all he needed to hear and his mind began to stir from his long slumber. His body didn’t have the energy to lift himself up yet, but he could feel his soul beginning to strengthen.

*Boom*

A deep noise burst throughout the tomb.

‘Was it that noise that woke me?’ he thought as he waited for his strength to return.

*BOOM*

This time it was clearly coming from the entrance of the tomb clearly someone was trying to come in and disturb the slumbering process. ‘All those who trespass must die’ he thought to himself.

At that moment his finger moved and a moment of sadistic happiness entered his mind a single word encapsulated his feelings.

“Finally” his word became audible for the first time.

…

Oleg stayed near the rear of the company as they descended deeper into the immense tomb it didn’t to have an end in sight their torches flickered off the black stone walls ancient writings engraved onto the walls gave him a slightly uneasiness as they continued down.

“The main chamber shouldn’t be too much further if this tomb is anything like other ones I’ve pilfered before.”

“Good the sooner we finish the better” said the cowardly Benji.

“Shut up Benji” two eyes coming from a large man glared down on him from behind “Sick of you being a pansy one more word and I kick your teeth in...got it?”

“Annoying little prick” he whispered just loud enough for Benji to here making Benji’s head hang ever so slightly.”

After descending slowly they finally came to what appeared to be a throne room.

“Odd to put a throne in a tomb huh guys” said Oleg nonchalantly not thinking too much of it.

“Ha” laughed the big man “who cares let's just spread out and take what we can.”

Before long the company of twenty men started to search the chamber upon the throne was a ancient terrifying piece of armor the helmet shaped ever so slightly like a skull with spikes ending at the top giving it a natural metal crown on the top ending in five spikes the rest of the body was of similar likeness mirroring a haunting visage of death itself the armor a dark gray tint. Oleg stood near the entrance looking for other possibly hidden passages.

Benji approached the throne the previous cowardness in his face replaced with greed as he looked at the ancient armor. Sticking his face in front of the helm he grinned “This guy must have thought his precious tomb would never be entered by the likes of us. Probably looked down on commoners like us.”

“Yeah who would have thought” echoed several of the robbers.

Benji’s looked at the strange weapon propped against the throne besides the armor.

“Boss what is this weapon?” he looked at the dust covered weapon with curiosity.

The Boss approached looking at the weapon “ahh it is an ancient weapon used several thousand years ago, by the far eastern empires of old a naginata I believe it was called or a sword spear” he smiled looking at it “should fetch a good price from a prince looking for an ancient weapon to claim as his own.”

Oleg smiled as that weapon alone along with the armor would make this trip very profitable already.

Benji reached out his hand to grab the helm with his oily fingers “you're mine” he said to himself aloud.

It was at this moment that something happened none of the men expected the gauntlet of the armor burst forth grabbing Benji, by the throat. The eyes of the helm lit up with a blue orbs from within. The next moment happened in slow motion as the gauntlet squeezed on the struggling Benji slowly.

“AAAKKKGGGGUU” Benji tried to yell out, but the grip of the armored being just squeezed tighter.

Before anyone could even draw their swords a sickening crack could be heard signifying Benji’s neck had been crushed, but to everyone's horror the being did not stop it continued to squeeze until blood shot out of all of Benji’s facial cavities onto the being coving it in a large amount of blood giving it a demonic aura.

The Boss yelled and they all drew swords to fight the terrifying being, but unbeknownst to the company Oleg had already started running down the corridor leading out.

...

"Shit!"

*thak *thak

*thak

The leather boots slapped across the stone floor of the underground tomb. A pale faced man ran desperately to escape. His entire party had turned to try and fight off the nightmare that was chasing them. Oleg was not one that was that brave. He had joined this damned expedition for a easy tomb robbery that they had discovered in the forgotten lands of Alaur.

'Stupid!'

Of all the abandoned ruins in the world and tombs they choose one with a nightmare in it. This wasn't what he had signed up for. Oleg was not an honorable warrior and it often bothered him, but he valued his life more than honor and far more than his comrades.

Running down the corridors Oleg saw it split three directions seemingly endless.

'Shit!'

He screamed in his head.

'Which way did we take?'

Screams echoed from not far from where Oleg stood. The sound of people gurgling on their own blood made his stomach churn.

'What have we awoken?!'

He thought trying to decide which corridor to run down.

'...'

'Left is the best.'

It was a gamble, but one worth taking. Oleg sprinted down the left corridor his torch lighting less than 12 feet either direction. He was a bulky man with a long ago receding hairline.

The screams got ever closer.

'Why did those morons run down this way also!'

Oleg ran faster than he had ever run before. The corridor came to an end opening up to a large arena like place with a stone throne on the other side. Runic marking were carved into the stone pillars that circled the arena.

His eyes scanned for an exit. If he could get to the forest outside of this blasted tomb he could escape. His eyes darted back and forth searching for anything that could be used to escape or at the minimum hide.

Panic overcame him as he realized their was none.

The screams were less than one hundred feet behind him.

With no options Oleg decided to wedge himself between a crevice in two pillars.

Sweat dripped down his nose as he prayed a silent prayer to the Gods.

Oleg felt a chilling presence enter the arena. The entire area began to drop in temperature ever so slowly. Oleg stopped his body from shivering as best as he could. He leaned forward peering beyond the crevice.

*dak

*dak

Into his vision came the nightmare that had slain all his comrades. What laid before him was a being made of only metal armor. His helm was shaped like an elongated skull its body had a ribcage like armor and claw-like gauntlets and metal boots. Its pauldrons were small about half the size of its helm all this was connected by chainmail. Besides the gore and sinew that dripped from its clawed gauntlets. What confused Oleg was no mortal body was within the armor. All that made it look like anything but a normal armor was a pair of glowing mist that poured forth from the metallic skull.

Oleg shuddered as he backed away from the crevices opening. As he moved his foot back to turn back he knocked a stone to the ground. The noise though small seemed deafening to Oleg his heart stopped the slow consistent thumping felt like it was going to burst thru his chest.

The nightmarish creature's head snapped towards Oleg he could feel the eyes focusing on him even though most mortals wouldn't have been able to exactly pinpoint his location. Oleg felt his friends down below shoot up into his stomach as he realized it had seen him.

Just as Oleg was about to back away further into his hiding place a clawed gauntlet burst into the crevice grabbing him by the throat. He let out yelp like a wounded dog.

The nightmare ripped Oleg from his hiding place and threw him to the ground nearly fifteen feet from the hiding place.

Although Oleg was a coward he wasn’t weak in combat he immediately drew his short sword as he slide on one hand away from the nightmare. His courage after hearing what happened to his fellow plunderers was already shaken.

The nightmare in armor turned slowly taking one step towards him. It's presence seemed to grow with each step. Larger and larger it's aura pressure continually increasing.

'Perhaps it could be reasoned with?'

"Pl--please spare me!" Oleg stuttered in desperation he put his forehead to the ground in submission. He knew he was grasping at straws trying to reason with this incarnation of evil.

The being stopped in front of him and halted.

Oleg didn't know what to say, but he couldn't worry about that right now.

"Oh. Great! Ruler! Of this place I humbly ask you to allow me to be of service to you."

Oleg got on his knees slowly dropping his sword. The metal scrapped and clanged against the dark stone flooring. Leaving a high pitched noise the resounded for several moments.

Before him the armor looked down at him without any sign of movement.

The silence stood for several moments before a haunting voice sounded out from the terrifying presence before him.

"And what can a mere mortal do for me?"

The words were slightly shocking to Oleg who didn't expect a response.

"Milord... this foolish mortal who awoke you and sought to plunder your tomb. We sought to explore your tomb in the newly founded vassal kingdom of Choord under the Zearia empire. I can give you valuable information about Zearia."

Oleg paused to see if the being reacted to this. It stood by unfazed.

"Sure-surely if milord wanted to keep future intruders out of your realm you'd need me to go and tell the new kingdom that there is nothing here to see."

The nightmare lowered down to Oleg.

"You will serve me mortal. Come with me."

Oleg's throat involuntarily swallowed as he stood up his legs shaking.

"As you wish Lord! I am here to serve!"

He grabbed his short sword and sheathed it. It's presence while he felt like it wouldn't help him gave him some comfort.

His new nightmarish Lord walked back into the depths of the tomb and Oleg legs felt weak, but he took a deep breath and followed.