The Memory Collector

Raman Mandavia

Chapter 1: Muninn Samna

Ahhhh.....

Finally, another one. Fresh. New. It could even be considered rare. It had taken much time to track down. To hunt. To even discover. And then, more to extract and obtain it. But now, I had it.

A memory.

But, strangely, I felt that I was not yet ready. It was not yet ready. There were some loose ends to be met. I didn't know what they were or why it was needed, but I knew I simply couldn't yet use it.

Devour it.

My large, muscular body sprouted its wings, and I kicked up into the air, beating away the air around. I left the corpse to rot and mind to die. It didn't matter to me, and it never will.

I flew incredibly high up, through the clouds which locked this realm in darkness, up into a deeper shadow. Here, the lightning truly struck. Down below, it was simply an illusion of the truth of things. The clouds beneath were just that. Clouds. Weak and pathetic. Specters of what was above. Those which are here are different. They are strong. They lock energy within and deafeningly release it, with a strength to match the most punishing quake of destruction. They are not composed of water, but rather energy. It is beautiful in a twisted way, but no human can hear the resonating boom of the thunder up above and survive.

The jagged, fanged mountains cut through the clouds, protruding from below like the teeth of some enormous creature, who is infinitely larger than I. Far larger, but not as dangerous. The mountains offered a connection--the only connection--with the world below. The Teeth of Narros, as they are called up here. Down below, they are simply mountains, as the inhabitants below cannot view above their clouds, and can never see the tips of the Teeth, even on the clearest day. The Teeth of Narros struck fear into many beings throughout the realm below and this one above, simply because of their appearance. Pitiful.

But, the mountains hid much, so I understood the fear. As pious and foolish as it was.

I flew on, towards the Teeth. I resided within, for I knew what the Teeth of Narros hid, and knew very well how to deal with its contents. It was as much a home to me as any land I knew.

In fact, I was feared and respected almost as much, if not more so, than the Teeth themselves. It is an infamous reputation I have no feeling or concern towards. I wouldn't care if I was loathed or pestered, or even insulted among beings. My solitude is enough.



Memories are a necessity for my survival. I am weak without them. They are my source of strength. I can survive off of hunts for beasts and meat, but those are weak. They are weak of spirit, and reek of a pathetically timid and yearning existence. An existence based entirely on instinct cannot develop a strong spirit, and it is revolting in almost every way.

Memories are much stronger, when removed from the host. They are strong in spirit, and reinforce my soul as well as my body, which requires spiritual essence and nothing else. All else that comes along is simply a bonus. Memories, at least the ones I harvest, are sane, strong, and aggressive. They are filled with an energy unlike any other, which ravage the body and soul of those they do not belong to, because they are an extension of the soul and mind of the original host. I am a special creature. I am a creature of soul and spirit, my body a manifestation of my will. Because of my harvests and the power I already hold, which is the ability to consume memories, I have a wide array of skills, and I am able to manipulate my surroundings to some extent. I can twist the lightning in the direction I wish, and even summon it if the sky above is adequate. I can travel between realms through the use of specific types memories. I can manipulate different elements and the earth around me. I can even alter the minds of others, if they are weak of will and soul. My powers extend even beyond that at optimal conditions of my soul and mind, after a fine reaping.

Unsurprisingly, I am the last of my kind. In truth, I am likely the only one who has ever existed. I am called "Muninn Samna". A strange, but fitting name, as I have learned to understand it and accept it. I had no mother or father, and I was never named. I never needed it, and I still do not. The titled realm of other beings means nothing to me. I have no acquaintance among the realms, nor do I have an accomplice or ally.

Names are a defining aspect for many creatures with thought, yet they define nothing but the preferences and needs of alliance and battle among all.



The Teeth of Narros were quite a distance from where I arose, so it took time to reach them. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed around, strangely frequent. More so than usual, for sure. I paid no heed. It never matters, how often lightning strikes and thunder booms. It exists, and that is all that should be considered. Alas, many in the abundant realms attempt to figure out what causes shifts in the sky and other events across realms. Fools. They don't know where to start or how it will end. Futile attempts. There is no need for this knowledge. It will assist no one.

Soon the Teeth were close, and I touched down, my wings folding back into their place on my back. I trudged forward, the memory still in hand. Its power radiated, like a strong flame, and the urge to devour it was difficult to resist. Still, I knew I must wait. This one was definitely special, and must be savored.

The Teeth of Narros are unforgiving, with rough terrain and no simple way through them. They also restricted flying. Any winged creature is captured by one of the mountains' most threatening beasts, and never seen afterwards. I have never seen this beast myself, and would much like to challenge it.

Other residents of the Teeth are also strong, but not very much. All of the creatures here are dangerous, especially to normal passersby, but most prove weak and easy to deal with for me.

I continued onward, towards my cave in the mountains, which was only a few minutes as the crow flies, but on foot, it was a far greater time. Time wasted.

One of the beasts within the mountains growled. I recognized the growl. This very same creature had been prowling close to my cave, attempting to steal my stores of meat for its desperate situation. Meat was its main diet, much unlike mine, but very much like the other creatures among the Teeth.

This creature is thin and long, but very small in comparison to my hulking frame. Its limbs are long, and each ended in eight long and taloned fingers. It also has a short tail with a serrated blade attached for tougher prey. Its teeth and talons are supposedly unbreakable, and a single eye resides where a human nose would be. The mouth is lopsided and crosses the forehead. Even though this creature would normally be intimidating to look at, to me it was like a house pet.

This creature appeared from behind one of the rocks, stalking me as if I were its prey. In a blink, it lunged, easily closing the distance in total silence. A giant bolt of lightning flashed right above, and the ear splitting crackle of energy and the deafening boom followed straight afterwards. I only had one hand to combat this beast with, but it would be more than sufficient. No need to waste any of my talents on this insignificant attacker.

I raised my free right arm, and caught the creature, using my lower arm as a cushion, and I grappled it with my hand, my claws digging deep into its skin. My enemy let out a howl of pain, but try as it could, it wouldn't escape. It was simple and quick, and quite boring. I felt no remorse as I opened mouth and sucked in the creature's spirit energy through my mouth. The task was quickly done, and the creature's corpse dropped to the ground.

Its spirit was weak; extremely weak, actually. It was a beast who ran purely off of primal instinct. It didn't think, so therefore, its spirit was weak, and it had no memories. This was the way thousands of different creatures survived throughout these lands. It is a pitiful existence. One I did not envy, and I doubt any other more "sane" being did.

I continued onward, without interference, and soon was very close to my residence. I could finally take a rest, as the memory I held would supply enough power to survive substantially long without weakening in the slightest. It is a strangely satisfying feeling; having the luxury of relaxation when your tasks are a rigorous and plentiful as mine--and most simply for survival--is much more than a divine gift.

My cave was in sight, and the memory as fresh as ever, when a blade of lightning sliced through the sky. It was almost straight, and was the eeriest bolt I had seen in all my time. The lightning was red as blood, and it struck the mountainside a few paces ahead of me. Smoke shrouded most visibility. Undaunted, I continued onwards. I knew the location of my home by heart, and could easily reach it.

Then, the memory I held brightened, the teal hue becoming easily visible, although it was normally sparse. The memory vibrated, and I was surprised by its strange and sudden reaction. Memories I had collected before had done this, but only in the presence of other ownerless memories.

Before I could think of any solution to this unusual occurrence, there was a metallic click ahead of me, through the smoke. Then there was the sound of metal striking stone. It continued, sounding more and more like footsteps every passing step. And it was approaching me.

I had never before experienced anything of this nature, throughout the many realms I had traveled. A metallic beast? That was what it seemed to be.

I held no fear, only more surprise, for the memory became brighter and vibrated with more force as the creature neared. I held my ground. Not out of fear or shock, but of a longing for a new encounter and a challenging challenger. My battles with various beings throughout realms had been mostly simple. Of course there was the occasional challenge, but it never came to me. It was always I to it.

Obtaining this memory had given me one of the toughest battles I had ever fought. The owner of it, the one who I obtained it from, was a wanderer of very low stature, almost matching mine. Finding someone almost as infamous as I was a surprise in itself, but I was especially impressed and amazed at the combat prowess of the wanderer. I even felt some regret for having to kill him, as he was a valuable asset in the world. Humans such as him showed promise for the rest of the race. I was eager to devour this memory as soon as I obtained it. The human and I shared a deep respect for one another, so we had fought fairly. It is a hard earned memory. A difficult battle.

This one may beat it, at least in strangeness, from what I saw ahead.

It was a mechanical beast. It was a strange contraption, a mesh of gears and metals, all of which I had seen, but never arranged the way they were. They seemed to be crushed together and moving at once, in synchronization with one another, and the metals were all dark, providing plating and armor, and creating the structure of the creature. It was humanoid in shape, slightly smaller than I, and its body was surprisingly thin, comprising of very thin arms and five spindly fingers on each hand and slightly thicker legs, with boot-like feet. There were joints at the elbows, knees, shoulders, hip, thigh, and neck to allow movement, and a spine was prominent and spiked, sticking out. The machine's head was a simple helmet, with slits which worked as eyes, and a pointed shape. The joints were visible, as were the gears. Thousands of gears. But there was one very strange feature to the black, obsidian machine. There was a small compartment at the center of the chest.

Inside, was a trapped memory.

The memory was shining as brightly as the one in hand, and was visibly vibrating, even from my position. The memory created a stark contrast to the obsidian metal of the mechanical beast itself.

Confusion overtook me. A machine, arranged as a humanoid, powered by a memory? Absurd!!! But here it was, standing before me, and I couldn't deny it. How it held the memory was a major part of my confusion. I was the only living being able to contain and harness free memories.

Then a realization hit me, as obvious as it was. This was not a living being. It was machine. No life whatsoever lay with it.

I also realized that this creature obviously wished to combat me. It had been sent to me in an unnecessarily dramatic fashion, one which I found insulted the machine and me quite directly. No matter. I do not run from a fight, and I wasn't about to start now, even if my left arm is unusable in combat. My rest would have to wait. Too bad.

The machination slowly turned its head to look directly at me. The gears spun faster, whining loudly. The machine brought up its arms and reared back, in a taunting fashion. I chuckled, the gesture futile. Then, in a flash, the machine charged. The sudden change in movement was surprising, but didn't instill any sort of emotion in me.

The mechanism prepared a punch as it ran, but I sidestepped and it barreled past. It took it time to recover. I had found its weakness. It recovered, charging again, this time with more care, which was evident. This time, I didn't sidestep.

As it neared, I lifted my foot and rammed it into the mechanical creature's knee. It broke easily, the gears shifting position and collapsing. The machine fell along with its leg, halting it a few steps from me. Simple.

I thought too soon.

Right before my eyes, the machine's gears rearranged themselves, moving back into position. In seconds, the machine was back on its feet.

The work of the memory? Likely. Memories can have a wide range of effects, secrets, and abilities. The simple solution would be to simply tear the memory out of the machine, but I knew that was impossible. The core was specifically designed to hold the memory within. It wouldn't be broken so easily.

Nonetheless, I tried. As soon as the creature rose, I thrust my hand towards the core. It didn't even reach it. Some sort of field surrounded the core, pushing my hand away. Just as I had expected. I would need to fight the old fashioned way, which made a smile tug at the corners of my mouth. The thought of fighting with one hand was an entertaining one. Especially against a mechanical creature like this.

It threw a punch at me but I blocked it, and sent one of my own flying. Too late, I realized what would happen.

My fist connected and there was a loud clang. The machine was sent reeling, but I was not in the best condition either. My fist especially.

The machine's head spun in circles and readjusted, straightening itself. It was quite comical. I didn't give it the luxury of recovering. I walked up to it and stomped on the mechanical beast's knee once again. As it was recovering, I stomped on the other to observe. My assumption was correct. It could only repair one part at a time. The memory was not very strong, or it had been overused. I backed off to let the machine recover, and as soon as it ran again, I elevated the earth in front of it and it tripped over.

It was obviously not very smart. So much for a challenge....

Then, I bent a bolt of lightning nearby to strike the machine. That ended it. The machine completely shut down, the gears stopping.

To my astonishment, the memory disappeared. I had never seen a memory disappear so quickly. It usually took days. At least one. The memory in hand stopped vibrating, and went back to its regular color, the teal hue paling and returning to its normal, sparse form.

Confused, I disregarded the event. I would think on it another time. I hoped I would remember another time. This was major, but I don't care much for what goes on around me.

Continuing onward, I reached my cave in mere minutes. It was as it always is: empty, and free of the nuisance of other creatures. Inside, I found the meats untouched, at the far end as they always were. Otherwise, the cave was completely barren.

The ceiling of the cave was high up above me, as the cave itself led underground, and my residence within was at the very end, deep under the surface I had traversed earlier. The cave's end was not very spacious, but the space was unneeded. Although, if I ever needed additional space, the cave had multiple tunnels leading to different ends. I had checked the tunnels long ago, and do so every now and then, so I of all knew that they were always empty.

The solitude was something I enjoyed very much. The peace. The booming shouts of thunder could not reach me here, as the cave was too far down, and its walls far too thick. Few sounds from outside entered this deep.

Finally, after so much time, hunting and traveling, I settled down onto the ground, sitting cross-legged, and looked at the memory. I took it with both hands, turning it around, examining it. It looked just like any other, as it was impossible for memories to look any different from one another on the outside. Even so, I knew this memory was strong. Very strong. And, strangely, it felt rare, which I have never experienced before.

I was ready. The peace here was optimal for such a fresh, strong memory, one such as this.

I opened my mouth and, holding the memory in my right hand, raised it to an even level with my face. Then, slowly, I sucked in the memory and its contents.

My vision clouded and my hearing turned away. I quickly lost all of my senses, as was the standard whenever I devoured a memory. Soon everything was black, and nothing could be felt, seen, heard, or even perceived. I was in an endless void.

Then, my senses slowly returned, and I was set in another's shoes; those of the wanderer. Then, I lost even my mind and thoughts, and it began.

Chapter 2: The Wanderer's Memory

Standing at Erylius' border, I survey the land.

It is strange and alien. Blood flows as small streams, dark and in stark contrast with the otherwise barren brown plain. Even the plants here are strange. Drained and filled with death they seem, some tall but bowing, watching for intruders and waiting for a feast of flesh. Their dreadful want aura could be felt even at the border. Then there are other plants, some small and bushy, some grass of grey, and some grass of various other disturbing colors. There were no trees, for I cannot consider the leaning weeds to be tree, for they are bare. Other than the streams of blood, the land is flat and stretches far. No life, apart from the plants, can be seen by my eyes.
I cannot see what I came for. The fortress does not seem to be here. I must have gone astray.

No, no. This is Erylius, for no other land is said to have this environment. And I have wandered for too long and too far to turn back with nothing. On top of all that, I met a traveler earlier, whom I asked if he knew anything of Erylius. He had said, "Aye, Erylius lies far west from here. You'll surely be able to tell of it by its strange plain."

So this was Erylius, as it must be. But I cannot see the fortress of Anghin. It should be impossible to miss, as it is grand and this land is but a plain. But I cannot see even a trace that it is or ever has been here.

Ah!

I had just realized that Anghin could be hidden, shrouded with ancient magic.

Ancient magic was known to me, and I know of very few spells of concealment, ancient or nay, that can completely remove a structure or land by transporting or trapping it elsewhere, keeping it from the unwanted, while keeping it in its original location for the comfort of its master. Even less of there spells had ever been experienced, and none by me. I know not of how they function, and I do not know the spells themselves. It is in my deepest doubt that Anghin possesses any of these spells. Therefore, Anghin must be hidden simply.

And simple spells can be broken easily. Especially by me.

A smile began to form, and I knew what I had to do.

Wait.

Suddenly, there was a sound in the tall weeds to my left. It was like a heavy footfall. And it was heading in my direction. What is it?

I drew my greatsword, which is always sheathed on my back, and steeled myself for a possible battle. I took a stance, facing the thicket of weeds, and propped up my blade with two hands.

There was a growl, and the weeds burst away. Out came a strange humanoid creature, the likes of which I have never seen. Being a wanderer, that is a rare feeling.

It is the height of an average man, though smaller than me, and it has no ears, mouth, or even nose. It has just three eyes on its head, set in a row, and its head is contorted and twisted, uneven in some places. It has not a shred of fur or hair, and wears light travel garments, with a sheath and sword in its hands. Its color of body was a pale blue, and it has some tears in its clothing.

The little beastie, whom I call a Triole, charged at me after emerging from the weeds, but it made no cry as it ran. I stand firm and wait. Once the Triole closes the distance, it immediately swings its blade at my stomach. No hesitation. Its only thought is to kill. I step back, and it swings again, this time attacking first by sweeping the sheath, and then swiping with its sword. I parry the blade with my own, and kick away the sheath.

No! I should not have done that. Now I can no longer move my left leg.

I glower at the Triole, kneeling now. I am smaller than it now. It cleaves at my head with its sword, but I parry again, and this time I attack the Triole, flicking my wrist. My greatsword turns in my hand, throwing back the Triole's blade, and then I push my sword forward, and the Triole raises his sheath to block, but my blade slices through the sheath with ease. The eyes of the Triole widen, and it jumps back, but not fast enough. A wound has opened up across its chest, where my blade had swept. Black blood seeps from within.

The Triole looks down at its wound and then back up at me. Peculiar creature. Then it throws its broken sheath into the weeds and charges once again. My left leg is still petrified, and I cannot raise my body yet. I stab my blade into the ground. I will use magic, as I am at a disadvantage at the moment. Any magic will do.

I direct both my palms at the ground, and use the first spell which comes to mind.

"Staga! Drav!" I quickly chant, and the ground around bursts with death and decay. It becomes even darker and dead than it was before, blackening, in a small circle around me. This will work just fine. The spell will work as it should on the Triole. It does not look very strong.

The insolent creature didn't notice a thing.

The Triole charged right into the circle of death, and its skin began to blacken and crumble away. Its eyes seemed to pop out as the last of its skin crumbled to the ground and it turned to black dust.

Immediately after the Triole dies, I regain the senses of my leg. It seems to be a consciously maintained kind of magic. I then remove my blade from the earth, and replace it on my back.

The Triole must be one of the native creatures to Erylius. There will likely be more, and they know this land far better than I, so I likely will not notice them until they are upon me, like it was with this one. I wonder what other creatures inhabit this land. I have never heard of its inhabitants. Only legends of Anghin, of which I was here.

Now then, it is time to reveal Anghin. There are many spells I can use to achieve my ends, though I think I shall use Skyfall, as it will break most magics through raw power.

Smiling yet again, I say, "Fratyoue!" as I thrust downwards with my right hand and take a stance, my body turned, my head looking down, an arm behind, and my legs split.

The sky then crackles, and the afternoon clouds part to reveal the darkness above. Then, the sky tears, as the realm itself is being ripped apart. The deafening sound of a tear rends the air, and an electrical, purple-blue stream of energy erupts down from the gap. It flows towards the ground right below, a moderate distance from me. It is like a beam, and I look up as the gap in the realm closes far above and the ground quakes with the force of the Skyfall being released. The electrical energy from another world crashes into the ground with the force of millions of trees of lightning. The beam bursts a blink after it strikes the land of Erylius, exploding outwards with no sound, but a force which multiplies the quaking of the land tenfold and sends the craven and desolate plants and chunks of land flying in all directions. A beautiful sight, which even now put me in utter awe.

I see some Trioles which are sent flying in the distance. A comical scene, as all are flailing maniacally and some are even burning with blue flames and crackling with electricity. Some pass me, and I chuckle.

Mere seconds after the explosion, as the remaining energy begins to dissipate all around, the air far off in the distance starts vibrate. It shakes, and begins to darken with black.

The shroud has been lifted.

My spell worked perfectly. Anghin lay ahead, although it would take a considerable walk. I'm quite happy with myself, and I'm excited to finally see it. It had taken much time, studying and gathering information, but I discovered Anghin was in Erylius, a land few knew of and the few who knew did not speak of often. It had amounted to something which is yet to be seen.

Ahhh..... Anghin. Incredible. A sight to behold, the likes of which I have never seen before, throughout all my travels..

Nothing could be grander.

         ?          "Munnin Samna" means "Memory Collect" or "Memory Collector" in Old Norse.