30 Days of Fiction: 19

Because he didn't know where he came from, who he was or how he had died, he was now a blank slate. He could name himself whatever he wanted and that would be his first challenge. For some reason, Jake came to mind, but that was too obvious and boring so he thought about all the great names that he could call himself. Ghengis Khan, Martin Luther, Ragnar, Shakespear, Godzilla, but those were too obvious and lacked individuality. So maybe something more descriptive and creative, he thought. Maybe Gluten Master, Knee Slapper, Green Monkey, or Magical Martian? No, none of that would do and he felt that he was wasting time. He just needed to pick one and move on.

He thought for a moment and finally decided to go with George. That's fine, he thought and now onto gender. He could be female or male but it made little difference so he went with male; George is a male name and he was male and so why not, he thought. Next, he had to choose what he would enter the world with and who he wanted to become in the end. He could be a strong man, a dancing fencer, a sorcerer, a healer or a myriad of other choices but in his heart, he knew who he wanted to be in this life. He would be the strongest warrior this land had ever seen and he would take on his foes like a thunderous hammer striking through them to the earth itself. No one would stand in his way for long. Also, he had a ring that gave him 10% more life. He finished calibrating his reincarnation parameters and was born again.   

He stood in a dark and desolate graveyard holding a short ax in his right hand and a wooden shield in the other. The world was in ruin, decaying for what must have been centuries. Even the trees and grasses looked sad and how could they not be as the sun did not make it far into this area. George moved forward quickly, excited to find out more about what this land had to offer and as he turned the first corner he saw a strange looking man standing still and holding a dagger. Maybe he knows what is happening, George thought and started toward the man but just then the man lunged at George with the dagger slicing his chest. 

"What the fuck!" George exclaimed and took a quick step back just as the psychotic villager began to flail madly striking him another time. 

George was next to death but managed to find his will and swung his ax hard at the man. The remnant of what used to be a man lay on the ground before him in a sad pile face down in the mud. Feeling weaker and wearier George looked up to see another strange man sitting against a broken fountain. Inside the fountain's fractured basin an orb of white light could be seen. I wonder what that is, he thought as he moved forward. When he was about 10 yards from the enticing light the villager stood up and without hesitation began running at him dagger first. This time George held out his shield and blocked the first strike and as he let his shield down the man hesitated and then flailed unexpectedly striking him in the face and chest and he fell to his knees in agony. He had just started but just as fast as he was born he had died and the world faded into darkness. 

YOU DIED, he thought as he stood next to the grave he had started from in the damp cemetery a few minutes earlier. He started forward resolute not to die again and happy that he had another chance. He turned the same first corner as before and the man that he had killed before was resurrected and stood there again with his dagger in hand. This time he walked slowly forward with his shield up and as the man lunged forward to attack him he blocked strike after strike until the man stopped and he swung his ax once more vanquishing the undead madman. He hadn't noticed before but as the man died he felt his pocket become slightly heavier and when felt into his pocket he found a small glass jar. The jar contained a small amount of what looked like glowing white smoke resting at the bottom. Curious, he thought and put the jar back into his pocket. 

He moved forward but this time he was ready for the next undead man and struck him down as swiftly as the first but this time there was a green and red stain on the ground where he had died before. Stepping over it he could feel the weight in his pocket slightly increase and when he looked again at the jar he saw that there was a little bit more smoke then there was before. He put the jar back and stepped forward toward the basin in front of him. In the basin was a mysterious light that blinded him from seeing what the basin contained. With trepidation, he reached his hand into the basin and beneath the piercing light he felt a small glass item and as he pulled his hand out the light disappeared revealing a glass flask containing a glowing blue liquid. 

George opened the lid of the flask and drank its contents but there was no effect. It had no smell or taste and seemed to do nothing so he put the flask into his other pocket. As he did he felt that another item was already in that pocket and when he pulled that item out he saw that it was another glass flask. This time it was full of a glowing golden liquid and when he drank from it he felt slightly better and it had a sweet nourishing taste. Not knowing better he drank took three gulps and put it back into his pocket feeling vigorous and energized.

He had walked only a short distance before he heard the rasping barks of a large creature. He braced himself and watched as a white wolf rounded the corner with the speed of a greyhound. It bared its teeth and sprung forward smashing its massive white head into George's shield. He swung his ax reflexively but hit only air. The beast had jumped back swiftly and then sprung forward again, this time sinking its teeth into George's side taking out a sizable chunk. He swung again, even harder, hitting the wolf in the face and knocking it back several feet. As it struggled to get to its feet George rummaged in his pocket and pulled out the flask with the golden liquid but when he looked the container had little more than a few drops. He realized he had no more life juice and was attacked by the wolf again and as he fell to his knees once more he thought about how he might try it next time.