The Chosen Journals

March 9th- I figured I’d write this journal as a way to relieve stress. My job can get a bit hectic at times, to say the least. And, before you ask, I’m fine. You don’t get as far as I do by being careless. Anywho, allow me to explain a few things.

What if I told you that you are not alone? That, as you read this, you are surrounded. Not by hidden cameras or stealth ninja assassins or anything crazy like that. Rather, that you, and others, are constantly in the presence of beings whose origins predate humanity by several millennia. These beings are called “Ancients”. That’s not their actual name, though. Their real name is far harder to pronounce and spell (It’d take two weeks just for me to write it). Ancients are powerful shapeshifting beings that can take the form of pretty much anything you can think of. The guy next door, your dog, even the computer you are using right now could potentially be an Ancient in disguise.

That being said, there’s no need to get too worried. For the most part, Ancients want nothing to do with humanity. In fact, you could spend your entire life living among one or more Ancients and never know about it. There are exceptions, of course. Ancients that have become a threat to themselves and others. That’s where people like me come in.

I’m part of a group of humans known as “Chosen”. And, no, I have no idea what causes someone to become a Chosen. Maybe you’re born a Chosen, or maybe you have your abilities bestowed upon you at a certain point in life. Regardless, Chosen are the key to keeping the world safe from rogue Ancients for two reasons.

First, we Chosen are able to tell when something is an Ancient in disguise. Most people pass by Ancients without a second thought. But, we Chosen can tell when something is “off”. When something doesn’t look quite right. That’s how we know if it’s an Ancient or not.

Second, only a Chosen can slay an Ancient. Again, no idea why. A weapon wielded by a normal human may not do much damage to an Ancient, but a weapon wielded by a Chosen becomes lethal to them. You see, we Chosen are able to sense an Ancient’s “Core”. The Core is sort of like their brain or heart. It looks like this glowing orb-like thing that pulsates. Destroying the Core is the only way to kill an Ancient.

I must go now. Got work to do. Sounds like someone was just attacked by their dishwasher. I’ll tell more of my adventures as a Chosen some other time.

March 9th- Encountered a particularly nasty one at a retirement home. You’d think something taking the form of a pair of dentures would be funny. Well, it’s a lot less funny when it jumps down the throat of its victim and rips them apart from the inside-out. Not sure how the staff will explain that to said victim’s loved ones.

That Ancient was fast too. I borrowed an old guy’s cane to use as a weapon against it. Every time I thought I had a killing shot (the two front teeth were where the Core was located), it would quickly zip out of the way. I also got bitten several times. Lucky for me, that Ancient’s teeth weren’t very sharp but its jaws were quite strong. Had I not smashed its Core in, I’m sure it would’ve dove down my throat and chewed up my innards as well.

March 10th- The Ancient I had to hunt down this time took the form of a chair. It was slow moving but strong and very aggressive. I mean we’re talking about one nasty temper. Each “arm” was actually a head with one trying to coil around me and the other trying to bite. As you’ve probably guessed already, the legs of the chair were, well, legs. As for the seat, um, the less said about that the better. Let’s just say I feel sorry for anyone who tried to sit on that monstrosity.

It’s Core was in the back and it was determined to keep it there. For something that moved so slow, it was able to turn surprisingly fast. Each time I tried to get behind it, it would simply turn around and face me. Eventually, I opted to just burn the thing alive. I watched as it thrashed about while its Core was cooked alive along with the rest of it.

March 11th- Like I’ve stated in a previous entry, not all Ancients are evil. Most of them live peacefully amongst humanity. A few even will aid us Chosen against rogue members of their race. One in particular goes by the name of “Thac” (Pronounced “Tock”, in case you were wondering). His preferred form is that of a small plush dragon, though he will sometimes take the form of a businessman in his late 20s to early 30s.

That being said, however, I don’t recommend people work with Thac unless they are well-aware of what they are getting into. Thac appears to be more than the run-of-the-mill Ancients I’ve encountered in the past. He’s willing to aid humanity, but his motives and reasoning for doing so remain unknown. And, to be honest, he’s more interested in whatever benefits him the best. Of course, that doesn’t make him “evil”, per se. Just someone who can be dangerous if you’re not on his side.

There are other aspects of Thac that make me (and other Chosen) question whether or not he’s even an Ancient or...something else. For one thing, he appears to be capable of some form of magic (for lack of a better term). He is capable of disappearing and reappearing nearly anywhere he pleases. And, as I stated above, he’s able to transform into more than one form. Most Ancients I’ve encountered only have two forms, their disguised form and their true form. Perhaps Thac is simply more skilled than other Ancients we’ve encountered so far and his abilities reflect this aspect.

Another aspect of Thac that differs from other Ancients is the bizarre hourglass-shaped associated with him. Said symbol can be used to prevent Thac from entering rooms or even entire buildings. And, if necessary, it can also be used to seal and imprison Thac should he become a danger to others. I wouldn’t recommend attempting to slay him, however. As morally questionable as he can be, I’d rather Thac be an ally than an enemy.

March 12th- Went to a local bar-and-grill for dinner and to track down another rogue Ancient. Thac was with me for whatever reason. I had learned not to question why he chooses certain hunts over others. We had dinner. It was average, except for the waffle fries, which were surprisingly good given the standard bar food fare available.

Our informant was an Ancient that took the form of a television set. A news ticker scrolled across the bottom of the screen. Most people didn’t give it second notice as they were too busy chatting about their day or eating their meals. Thac and I were aware that the news ticker’s words were completely irrelevant to what the newscasters on the television were saying. Instead, they were describing the recent attack that had occurred.

The rogue Ancient took the form of a human being and was responsible for the disappearance of several people over the past week. It didn’t take long for us to track him down. His movements, mannerisms, and appearance were off. Enough for even a normal human to find something wrong with him, even if they didn’t realize just how wrong.

Thac and I confronted him in a parking lot outside the bar-and-grill. It didn’t take long for the rogue Ancient to shift into his true form. And, to say he was ugly would be an understatement. His ribcage and vertebrae had crawled out of his mouth with the ribs extending and forming long arachnid-like legs and the vertebrae forming the tail. The rest of the Ancients humanoid body swung back and forth at the end of the tail while he scurried about slashing at us with his front rib-legs.

After several long minutes of dodging rib-leg strikes and using whatever we could find as makeshift weapons to strike back, I was finally able to locate his Core. It was located in the Ancient’s left-arm of the humanoid body. Thac was gracious enough to distract the Ancient while I climbed up the vertebrae-tail and towards the arm. Unfortunately, the Ancient quickly noticed and began thrashing about trying to throw me off. During this, Thac had been impaled by the rib-legs and had to retreat to regenerate. It took all my effort to hold on for dear life. Using what little strength I had left, I managed to stab the Core with a broken bottle before falling to the ground. The Ancient thrashed about for a few moments longer before curling up and dying.

I really should thank Thac for helping me that day and remind him that it’s his turn to pay the next time we go out to eat.

''Written by Chelsea.adams.524 Content is available under CC BY-SA''