"I never could have imagined men would learn to use metal in such ways! And in such vast quantities! They are indeed clever beasts." Then he grew somber, and she wondered what caused her father to think darkly. Then he told her. "But myself and the others could never have imagined the Topheths of the old world either." She frowned.
"Topheths, father?" He shook his head.
"Dark places of worship where those of so called 'noble' blood sacrificed living children to bless their streets, the foundations of houses, and the outside protective walls. They burned them alive, most often the children of slaves, until the blessings they sought were not provided. Then they burned their own children. Dark and evil are the hearts of men, child. Always be wary of them. Even females. They too were at those ceremonies willingly." She sighed sadly.
"Things have not changed much then, have they? I thought women were not as they once were, but it seems I was wrong." Atlas nodded.
"They just worship different gods, daughter." He turned and looked at her. "I can not keep calling you that! What is your name, child?" She smiled.
"I am far from a child, father, but I am still known by the name my mother gave to me, just shortened. Hannariikka, Rikki to those who know me in this time." He smiled wide.
"That has your mother's fingers all over it. The name of her mother and her own made into one. The first child, if male, took his father's name along with his great father's name. The girl took her mother and great mother's name." He frowned as he watched an unkempt man beg at the doorway to a bar. "Beggars still exist with all these riches all around?" She nodded.
"Times have not changed, father. Some work, some don't. Some work very hard, and others not at all. Look at his hands." He frowned.
"His knuckles are twisted."
"He has a disease that prevents him from using his own strength to work. Probably had a bad turn one day, and things went to hell for him. We could help him, but there are tens of thousands of people with similar stories in every city of the world. We can't help them all." Her father nodded.
"I helped none of them. Their families abandoned them, and that was on them, not on me. I would throw them a coin or two when I had it, but other then that, I could do nothing for them." She realized that her father's version of help was quite a bit different then society's version of the word.
As they walked towards the door, the old beggar turned towards them, and her father stopped. There was something about the man that made him take a second look, so she did as well.
"Sir, do you have a few dollars for food?" Her father blinked.
"What happened to you, old man?" He asked softly, and she saw something she thought she would never see in this hard city. Tears. Tears slowly rolled down the old man's face. "What is wrong?" The old man lifted his hands.
"Can't work anymore. No use to anyone." Her father nodded.
"I see. Let me see your hands please." He held them out, and Atlas looked at them. "They were broken. Who did this to you?" The man looked left and right out of fear. "No one will touch you while I stand here." He lowered his eyes.
"I had a debt to a collector. I was working hard to pay it back, but got sick. This is what they did to me. Took everything. My family. My hands. My ability to work. Now I beg for enough to eat, but the winter fast approaches. In this city, a man with no roof over his head is as good as dead." Her father thought about his words to his daughter just a moment ago, and shook his head.
"What kind of work did you do?"
"I worked with masonry." Atlas began to smile. "Stone in particular. I loved the stone. You could shape it, chip it, break it along a line to make blocks, or use it for a foundation stronger then concrete. Stone is a beautiful thing." He started to laugh lightly.
"That it is. I'm something of a mason myself." She began to smile in response to his small joke when he turned towards her. "Is there a place he can exchange this for coin?" He held out a coin made of gold, and her eyes went wide.
"Father, is that.....Not in this city." She took out a clip and fumbled with some bills. "Here, give him this instead. That coin will fetch a large amount, but it will mark him for questions he can't answer." He nodded slightly, and put the coin in her hand. She knew what that meant. It was fair exchange.
"This is for a fellow mason. Make sure no one sees you with it." The man shrank back in fear, but the fear was not of Atlas. It was of some patrons who came out of the bar. He looked back to his daughter and returned the money. "Take the mason out of here. I'll handle the consequences." Then he smiled, and one just for her. "Don't worry. I can find you anywhere now that I know you live." The consequences. She sighed and put her arm about the old man.
"Do not worry, or fear." She said in the old man's ear, though the fear grew.
"They broke my hands for a few dollars, and they'll kill him for less! They saw much more then that in his hand!" She smiled.
"But now they have to deal with the consequences of angering my father. Come. I have friends all over this city, and we don't need to be here when the heads start to roll." She shivered. The look in her father's eyes told her that there would indeed be a few heads no longer attached to their bodies before the night ended.
One thing people need to learn is never to stand in the way of a Titan. They can't resist the tide. All that will happen is they will be swept away.
A small gang filed out of the bar, with a large man leading the way. It was obvious to Atlas that this was their enforcer, but he had no fear of men, or their weapons.
"Hey, the boss said that no one was to help that beggar until he paid his bills!" Atlas grinned, and for some reason, the enforcer felt a chill go down his spine. Not only was Atlas taller then him, but his frame hid far more muscle, and power. The enforcer could feel something in the air, and as he looked at his comrades beside him, he could tell that they could feel it too.
"I know not your 'boss'. He is not my lord, or patron. Leave peacefully or..." The enforcer swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Or what?" He asked quietly. Atlas grinned again.
"Or die."
The archaeologist looked out the window and shivered.
"The skies have been wracked with lightning these last few days, but there is no disturbance to cause it." His patron, Riikki smiled softly from her chair.
"Not true. My father is out there." She looked at the mason as he gingerly bit into some fresh bread. His fingers could barely grasp the bread for the pain in his hands. "When did they break your hands?" the old man looked cautiously at her.
"Three months ago, I think? It didn't take long for the vultures to swoop in when they knew the Collector was not pleased with me. He offers a sort of protection for those who pay their debts, until their debt is paid. When its paid, anyone else who you owe will come to collect, but wait patiently while his debt is being paid off." She frowned.
"He's got a title?" He nodded. "I take it he has more men then we saw?" He nodded again. "How many?"
"Three times that many. He pays them well, and takes care of his friends, but is a vicious enemy. That bar is his hangout." That was when a tremendous flare of lightning struck deep into the city. She smiled.
"I am going to assume something here, but I believe he won't be hanging out there anymore. If he's lucky, he's dead. If he's unlucky, father will find him." Then two more bolts followed the first, each more powerful then the last. "It seems like Atlas is angry."
The enforcer stood there dumbfounded. When he didn't move out of the way, a massive hand grabbed the first of his men and crushed his head like it was only a grape.
"Don't just stand there! Weapons!" His boss called out. The enforcer quickly obeyed, but even as his baton smashed into the face of the man who faced him, he knew that it wouldn't be enough. Sure enough, he was correct. The man didn't budge. He didn't flinch. And he didn't grunt in pain. He looked at the baton and saw the damage. To the baton.
"Fuck me." He said quietly as that massive hand reached out for him.
"I don't know what kind of monster you are, but you are not bulletproof!" The gangster took out his pistol and aimed it straight for the largest target he's ever faced. It was such a clean shot, he couldn't help but smile as he squeezed the trigger. The bullet would hit him square in the chest, impact and destroy his heart. No man could stand after a shot like that.
His eyes went wide as the man mountain moved towards him. No blood. No bullet wound.
"Not possible." He said softly, then shouted at him. "Not possible!" He unloaded the gun at the advancing monster, and realized that the person he faced was indeed a monster. He had only one chance. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Collector had to run for his life. Behind him, he heard one of the most frightening things in his life. A voice that spoke from the abyss itself.
"You can never run fast enough to get away from me!" He turned back for only the briefest of seconds and saw inhuman eyes flash brightly.
"A demon! I've pissed off a demon!" He ran out the back door, latched it with a steel bar, and ran through the back alley. Its been years since he's needed to use this way to escape, so he was surprised to find the alley bricked up.
"No." He grew angry. "No fucking way!" He's made the one mistake someone in his position can never afford to make.
He grew complacent.
"No where left to run, little bug! You should have left the old mason alone, and I would not have interfered in your business! But now.....you've interfered with mine!" The monster approached, and to his frightened eyes, the beast grew taller, and turned to living stone.
"Time to feel the judgement of a Titan, little bug! Time to burn!" As the stone monster laughed, the heavens opened up, and brought down enough energy to fry his brain and body to a crisp. Atlas continued to laugh, and let two more lightning bolts strike, just to add insult to injury.
"Death is the only price for sin. Now let the rains of heaven wash away your stench forever." Turning away, and becoming a man once more, Atlas reveled in the power of the rain to wash away the stains of blood upon his hands.
He walked towards the beacon that belonged to his daughter, a wide smile on his lips.
"You've been awake all along, daughter, but the rest of our family still sleeps. Its time to wake them up." He was a Titan, and those with the power were the ones who decided what was a sin, and what was not.
The day of the gods was long since over, but the Dawn of the Titans was at hand.
As they walked towards the door, the old beggar turned towards them, and her father stopped. There was something about the man that made him take a second look, so she did as well.
"Sir, do you have a few dollars for food?" Her father blinked.
"What happened to you, old man?" He asked softly, and she saw something she thought she would never see in this hard city. Tears. Tears slowly rolled down the old man's face. "What is wrong?" The old man lifted his hands.
"Can't work anymore. No use to anyone." Her father nodded.
"I see. Let me see your hands please." He held them out, and Atlas looked at them. "They were broken. Who did this to you?" The man looked left and right out of fear. "No one will touch you while I stand here." He lowered his eyes.
"I had a debt to a collector. I was working hard to pay it back, but got sick. This is what they did to me. Took everything. My family. My hands. My ability to work. Now I beg for enough to eat, but the winter fast approaches. In this city, a man with no roof over his head is as good as dead." Her father thought about his words to his daughter just a moment ago, and shook his head.
"What kind of work did you do?"
"I worked with masonry." Atlas began to smile. "Stone in particular. I loved the stone. You could shape it, chip it, break it along a line to make blocks, or use it for a foundation stronger then concrete. Stone is a beautiful thing." He started to laugh lightly.
"That it is. I'm something of a mason myself." She began to smile in response to his small joke when he turned towards her. "Is there a place he can exchange this for coin?" He held out a coin made of gold, and her eyes went wide.
"Father, is that.....Not in this city." She took out a clip and fumbled with some bills. "Here, give him this instead. That coin will fetch a large amount, but it will mark him for questions he can't answer." He nodded slightly, and put the coin in her hand. She knew what that meant. It was fair exchange.
"This is for a fellow mason. Make sure no one sees you with it." The man shrank back in fear, but the fear was not of Atlas. It was of some patrons who came out of the bar. He looked back to his daughter and returned the money. "Take the mason out of here. I'll handle the consequences." Then he smiled, and one just for her. "Don't worry. I can find you anywhere now that I know you live." The consequences. She sighed and put her arm about the old man.
"Do not worry, or fear." She said in the old man's ear, though the fear grew.
"They broke my hands for a few dollars, and they'll kill him for less! They saw much more then that in his hand!" She smiled.
"But now they have to deal with the consequences of angering my father. Come. I have friends all over this city, and we don't need to be here when the heads start to roll." She shivered. The look in her father's eyes told her that there would indeed be a few heads no longer attached to their bodies before the night ended.
One thing people need to learn is never to stand in the way of a Titan. They can't resist the tide. All that will happen is they will be swept away.
A small gang filed out of the bar, with a large man leading the way. It was obvious to Atlas that this was their enforcer, but he had no fear of men, or their weapons.
"Hey, the boss said that no one was to help that beggar until he paid his bills!" Atlas grinned, and for some reason, the enforcer felt a chill go down his spine. Not only was Atlas taller then him, but his frame hid far more muscle, and power. The enforcer could feel something in the air, and as he looked at his comrades beside him, he could tell that they could feel it too.
"I know not your 'boss'. He is not my lord, or patron. Leave peacefully or..." The enforcer swallowed a lump in his throat.
"Or what?" He asked quietly. Atlas grinned again.
"Or die."
The archaeologist looked out the window and shivered.
"The skies have been wracked with lightning these last few days, but there is no disturbance to cause it." His patron, Riikki smiled softly from her chair.
"Not true. My father is out there." She looked at the mason as he gingerly bit into some fresh bread. His fingers could barely grasp the bread for the pain in his hands. "When did they break your hands?" the old man looked cautiously at her.
"Three months ago, I think? It didn't take long for the vultures to swoop in when they knew the Collector was not pleased with me. He offers a sort of protection for those who pay their debts, until their debt is paid. When its paid, anyone else who you owe will come to collect, but wait patiently while his debt is being paid off." She frowned.
"He's got a title?" He nodded. "I take it he has more men then we saw?" He nodded again. "How many?"
"Three times that many. He pays them well, and takes care of his friends, but is a vicious enemy. That bar is his hangout." That was when a tremendous flare of lightning struck deep into the city. She smiled.
"I am going to assume something here, but I believe he won't be hanging out there anymore. If he's lucky, he's dead. If he's unlucky, father will find him." Then two more bolts followed the first, each more powerful then the last. "It seems like Atlas is angry."
The enforcer stood there dumbfounded. When he didn't move out of the way, a massive hand grabbed the first of his men and crushed his head like it was only a grape.
"Don't just stand there! Weapons!" His boss called out. The enforcer quickly obeyed, but even as his baton smashed into the face of the man who faced him, he knew that it wouldn't be enough. Sure enough, he was correct. The man didn't budge. He didn't flinch. And he didn't grunt in pain. He looked at the baton and saw the damage. To the baton.
"Fuck me." He said quietly as that massive hand reached out for him.
"I don't know what kind of monster you are, but you are not bulletproof!" The gangster took out his pistol and aimed it straight for the largest target he's ever faced. It was such a clean shot, he couldn't help but smile as he squeezed the trigger. The bullet would hit him square in the chest, impact and destroy his heart. No man could stand after a shot like that.
His eyes went wide as the man mountain moved towards him. No blood. No bullet wound.
"Not possible." He said softly, then shouted at him. "Not possible!" He unloaded the gun at the advancing monster, and realized that the person he faced was indeed a monster. He had only one chance. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Collector had to run for his life. Behind him, he heard one of the most frightening things in his life. A voice that spoke from the abyss itself.
"You can never run fast enough to get away from me!" He turned back for only the briefest of seconds and saw inhuman eyes flash brightly.
"A demon! I've pissed off a demon!" He ran out the back door, latched it with a steel bar, and ran through the back alley. Its been years since he's needed to use this way to escape, so he was surprised to find the alley bricked up.
"No." He grew angry. "No fucking way!" He's made the one mistake someone in his position can never afford to make.
He grew complacent.
"No where left to run, little bug! You should have left the old mason alone, and I would not have interfered in your business! But now.....you've interfered with mine!" The monster approached, and to his frightened eyes, the beast grew taller, and turned to living stone.
"Time to feel the judgement of a Titan, little bug! Time to burn!" As the stone monster laughed, the heavens opened up, and brought down enough energy to fry his brain and body to a crisp. Atlas continued to laugh, and let two more lightning bolts strike, just to add insult to injury.
"Death is the only price for sin. Now let the rains of heaven wash away your stench forever." Turning away, and becoming a man once more, Atlas reveled in the power of the rain to wash away the stains of blood upon his hands.
He walked towards the beacon that belonged to his daughter, a wide smile on his lips.
"You've been awake all along, daughter, but the rest of our family still sleeps. Its time to wake them up." He was a Titan, and those with the power were the ones who decided what was a sin, and what was not.
The day of the gods was long since over, but the Dawn of the Titans was at hand.
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