The Epic of Cassius Crossroads

By Enrique Prado

Two hundred years ago a Man in Amber held the world on his back, but in his time of need, humanity coward, and were then cursed. Monsters of unspeakable horror now roam the earth, man now mutated to resemble the beast of the earth have fled to the farthest reaches. But against all odds they have managed to rebuild.

In the land of Akumu Verde, the newest members of the Krahe Dragoons have been added to their ranks. Of them are Charles Crossroads, Roy, and Bawui, whose first assignment takes them to the edge of their homeland. Where what would have been a simple search and rescue, has now become a fight for their lives and sanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: May 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9781665560542

Enrique Prado

Who am I? I’ve called myself the true king of France, the worlds greatest actor, the artist formally know as the Mechanist, a Menace personified, The Copper Owl, and Shishen. I call myself these things because I aim to entertain, to bring tears to your eyes, to bring horror to your mind, and give you a world to escape to. I like many have been inspired by some of the greats, from westerns, sci-fi, Greek epics, and cosmic horror. These things have helped shape my world, a grand stage play, and now I am its director. So I hope you enjoy the show!

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© 2022 Enrique Prado. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in

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without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/25/2022

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6055-9 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6655-6054-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are

models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

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CONTENTS

Prologue

Chapter 1     The Krahe Dragoons

Chapter 2     The Job

Chapter 3     Kinski Castle

Chapter 4     Maskim

Chapter 5     Dontes

Chapter 6     The Phantasm Of Haydock Street

References And Easter Eggs

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PROLOGUE

As the Man in Amber walked past the corpses of his slain enemies, his robe turned scarlet by the blood that he had spilled, he sang to him self the hymn of angels.

Four years ago a strange man in an amber colored robe and faceless mask walked out of the forest, and greeted the people. He told many stories of fantastical locations, creatures, and ideas. One day he invited what was left of humanity to a city of his creation. The tyrants of the world were excited, for they would claim the city as theirs, but it wasn’t a city, it was a tomb. The Man in Amber had a plan to free humanity, he would kill the tyrants of the world, give back to the people what was theirs. It was just business for him, just a step towards a grander goal. A world of individuals, with no devils, no kings, and only one God. The death of all the odd entities in this world will soon be in his grasp.

As he stood above a great round chasm that laid in the center of Ashenveil, the blacken metal city of his creation. The robed figure stared at the sky and with thunderous conviction he yelled, I won. I beat you, me a mere man! This is the beginning of your end! The beginning of a world voided of luck! A world without you! Not charring who heard his words, but he then whispered to himself, Soon the next phase of my plans shall begin, and it’ll be curtains for you my nemesis. Soon the masses started gathering across the chasm, cheering and hollering for they were now free. He chuckled to himself, If anything, I brought happiness to these people, and I give thanks to you God for this moment. Like and actor in a play, the Man in amber took a bow to the peoples cheering, and then raised his arms to the sky and thanked God. But his moment of happiness was interrupted by cries and shrieking, for standing behind the man was a tall, skeleton-like creature, with glowing yellow eyes, and a bright red gem embedded in its chest.

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The man turned to see the creature but was too late to react, for the creature had struck him across the face, breaking his mask in two. His lower jaw now exposed, the people finally could see the mans face, and to their horror they saw the exposed teeth of a skinless man, who’s teeth were serrated like stake knives. The people screamed at both the sight of the mans face and the fact that more yellow eyes were appearing from the dark alleys within the city. The state of the people was more important to him, so he turned his to the beast so he could address the people, Don’t judge me! The man yelled. "For wasn’t it I who brought the word of God back to you! Wasn’t it the word that freed you of your shackles! It was the tyrants of this world who did this to me! I did what I did for your sake, and for my sake as well! Don’t fear this creature, for… His sentence was interrupted as the creature grabbed him and lifted him off the ground. The creature then plunged its bony fingers into the mans chest grabbing at his heart. In one last attempt to save himself, the Man in Amber gripped at the creature’s arm and attempted to draw its sword, but alas it was no use. For the creature had torn out the man’s heart, and threw his body into the great chasm. Were it then roared a horrid sound, like that of the screams of men who’s sanity’s were lost in the deepest recesses of the human mind.

Both the people and the creature watched as the man fell down the great chasm, a look of shock and sadness could be seen in his eyes as he disappeared in its misty depths. The creature then look at the horrified masses. As the creature began to roar once again the people began to scattered and flee for their lives. They would scream and yell as they ran from the horror they had just witnessed, only to get twisted and turned around in the gigantic city, running into even more horrors that lied within its many alley ways.

Soon a strange red fog began to engulf the city, blocking out sun and obscuring the peoples vision. Only the silhouettes of the people could be seen, as well as the silhouettes of the indescribable horrors. One was familiar to the people, ancient man eating machines who sleep like statues and speak like doctors. The others were more abstract, like a giggling serpent of immense size, or an aquatic beast of unknown origin, that walked like a man and flew like a bat. Yet the worst of them all were the skeleton creatures, because even the other horrors in the fog would coward away from them. Though the red fog itself proved to be the most horrifying thing for the people. Once someone had breathed in the strange mist, their body’s began a process of transformation. Most people would collapse and begin to violently convulse, tearing away at their cloths and begin gasping for air, and though the process started the same their transformations wouldn’t have the same results. Some would watch as their limbs began to elongate, quills would grow out of their spines, while some had their skin harden like scales. Others would have the unfortunate experience of seeing their loved ones skin melt off their skeletons, only to look at their own hands and see that they to were melting. Some were lucky in that their transformations were so sudden that they didn’t notice it happening as they ran. Others would grasp their necks, feeling strange wounds growing on their necks. Some would feel the agonizing pain of all their teeth falling from their mouths, as their jaws began to elongate and grow newer sharper teeth.

The people would spend days running, unaware of the time that had passed. For it all felt like one big evening. Eventually some would find boats and sail off into unknown waters. Others would take airships and attempt to escape the city’s skyline, only for most to be shot down by some unseen sentry. But most people escaped on foot, entering the very forest in which the horrors they just faced would eventually call home.

The red fog would eventually spread into the air and water, soon engulfing the world and mutating all of its inhabitants into bigger, more dangerous versions of themselves. Yet despite the world becoming full of man eaters, humanity managed to prosper. Escaping the brink of extinction, and becoming the new races of the world, changing their names from Human to Methuselah, due to their inability to age past their mid twenties. They would use the knowledge given to them by The Man in Amber, and would build their own city’s, community’s, cultures, and religions, offsets of the ones that were taught to them by the man. Some people let their new animistic tendencies take over them, becoming savage, feral, beasts who have abandoned all sense of reason and logic. But most would renounce their mutations and attempt to become better men than they once were.

And as the people of the world fled the city on land, sea, and air, they would discover things left behind by long lost societies, kept hidden from them by their former masters. Jungles of concrete with sky scraping monoliths, metal caves of tunnels full of treasures and dangers, an island surrounded by ivory towers housing a great castle, and structures of metal that emitted