Czars and the Dark secret of Hallows End

            The Czars of Halloween stood at the center of Hallows End. Their names were Poe and Nyx. Nyx was tall and slim, had brownish orange eyes, olive skin and short brown styled hair. Poe was slightly shorter and didn’t stand up quite as straight, but was also slim like Nyx. Poe had thin black hair, the front came down to his eyebrows and the back went down to the bottom of his neck. He had pale gray eyes and pale skin. Since it was almost Halloween the two were dressed up. Not in costumes, but dressed up for a party. Poe wore a black bowler hat with a white stripe in the middle, a white shirt, black vest, jacket pants and shoes. He also had a black bowtie with skeletons on it. Nyx wore a black shirt and jacket, orange vest, black pants and dark green orange shoes. He didn’t have a hat, but did have a long straight orange tie with little pumpkins on them.

            The two stood in the center of the city and marveled at the decorations and lights. “I love this place year round, but there is something about Halloween that really brings out the spirit” Poe said as he stared mesmerized by a pumpkin light that was blinking and changing colors. “Yeah” Nyx muttered back as he too seemed enthralled by the majesty of this rapidly color changing pumpkin.

            Hallows End was a small town, even after years of success and tourism. The buildings looked old fashioned and twisted, some even seemed stitched together like Frankenstein’s monster. Strings of orange and purple lights ran along the tops of the buildings and orange pumpkin lanterns were strung between buildings and over entrance ways  Jack-o-Lanterns were placed at every door and most doors had Halloween wreaths set up. Made of black sticks from the dark woods and tied together with festive ribbon. The great pumpkin stood at the center of town. It was a large Jack-o-Lantern that would mysteriously start to glow when Halloween began to approach. There was also a large fountain in the town, it was a stone statue of a skeleton drinking from a beer mug. It looked as if the skeleton was drinking and water would pour out through a hole in the back of his head, never even reaching the holes in his rib cage  Every Halloween the fountain water was drained, cleaned and the water was replaced with pumpkin ale. So party goers would line up behind the skeleton and put their mugs under the hole in his head as the ale literally passed right through the poor undead statue. It was customary to then say “Thanks for the drink and sorry about your luck”. This would be said with a tone of pity as if the town really was swiping beer from a skeleton that was so desperately trying to drink something.

The residences of Hallows End were out in the streets singing, drinking and setting up more decorations for the fast approaching Halloween day. It was Hallows eve and there was still much to be done. Poe and Nyx had regained their senses four hours later after being entranced by the pumpkin that flashed lights and changed color. The all Hallows eve party was about to start. This was the countdown to midnight, which made it Halloween. Then the next day everyone would have a different kind of party that was bigger than this one, to celebrate a happy Halloween and celebration of another good year past. For in Hallows end, the end of Halloween meant the end of the year.

Poe and Nyx walked to the bar Jack and Lanterns. They smoothed down the wrinkles in their clothes with their hands as they walked excitedly to the party. “So Hallows Eve you wear party clothes, what are we going to wear for tomorrow’s party?” Nyx asked. “Well since its Halloween people dress up as monsters and such. But since Hallows End is full of creatures already, lets all just try to dress as spooky and Gothic as we can” Poe replied. “I’m going to dress up as a nun!” Said a villager, who was clearly undead. He was some kind of bluish zombie person. Poe tried not to laugh. For once he didn't have a sarcastic comment for this one.

The night continued on and the Czars were the life of the party. Drinks were flowing and everyone was in a good mood. The skeleton fountain only poured out free drinks on Halloween, so on Hallows Eve everyone would have to buy their drinks from Jack or John lantern. A friendly mustached man came up to the counter. “what can I get you?” Asked the bartender. “Just a beer please” said Poe as the two stepped up to the bar.” The bartender gave Poe one of the best pumpkin beers in the bar. “Thanks John” Said Poe. The bartender smiled “you got it right this time” smiled John. “sure did, you don’t look so much like your brother. Some people just aren't as observant as I am” Poe replied. “We aren't actually brothers, but thanks” Said John with a smile, then walked off. “How did you know who it was? Jack and John look exactly the same. They might even be the same person” Nyx said. ‘I just guesses as usual and this time got it right” Poe replied casually.

“Whooooo!” cheered a very drunk Pumpkin Jack, the towns own Halloween enthusiast and violent psychopath. Jack stumbled over to the Czars, dragging his orange cloak behind him. “you guys throw the best parties” Said Jack with a big drunk smile. Nyx was about to reply, but was interrupted by a rumbling. The ground shook and the lights flickered. It was two minutes till midnight, but the shaking became so violent that no one noticed. “I didn't think we got earthquakes here” said Nyx as he hung onto the bar. John Lantern was flung over the bar. “We don’t” he said. Pumpkin Jack seemed pretty stable on his feet for once and had a determined look on his face.

The party guests all shuffled outside to see what was happening. Then at the center of town the ground began to break apart under the Great Pumpkin. Jack jumped and knocked it over, pushing it out of the way just as a hole opened on the spot it had been sitting. Screaming souls and green energy blasted out of the ground in a loud and violent scene. The earth stopped shaking and when the souls had all flown away all that was left was a hunched over man in a black cloak. Jack seemed to know who this was and pulled out his sword. He lunged forward but was stopped at the last moment. He stood there his sword seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall. “You pathetic residence of Hallows End cannot harm me. I have been locked away in your wretched cage for one thousand years. This whole time I have absorbed the power of this town. Feeding off of it as you threw your parties and celebrated like fools” Said the hunched over hooded man.

Everyone seemed clueless about what were happening, Everyone except Jack and the mayor. These two were apparently much older than they let on. Pumpkin Jack’s sword was flung off into the trees by a mysterious force, then he too was thrown away without any effort. “I am the Lich. This used to be my home. But then a group of hooligans attacked me and sealed me into a magical cage. Then built a town over the wreckage of my castle.” The Lich explained. “You were the terror of the autumn land, we did it to save everyone” Said the mayor who seemed to show up suddenly. The mayor was short and round, but had noticeable muscles under his layers of fat, looking like in his younger years he would have been insanely strong. The mayor also had a thick mustache and a black hat.

Suddenly all of the residence of Hallows End dropped to their knees, Powerless and helpless to the Lich’s magic, everyone except the Czars of Halloween. Since they were from the Autumn forest, the Lich didn't have power over them. The two Czars stepped up in front of the crowd. “Listen buddy. You might have owned this place once, but this is our town now” Poe said. “Well the mayor runs it, but we help!” Nyx added, but still tried to sound tough. Poe nodded in agreement. “Yes I suppose its more of the mayors town. But our wealth and social status, plus the fact that everyone here likes us, kind of makes this our town too” Poe replied, no longer looking at the Lich. “that’s true but we usually just throw parties so the actual ownership…” Replied Nyx, but he was cut off when the Lich shouted “ENOUGH!” the Lich’s yell shook the town and would have forced most people to their knees out of fear.

“Short response. You are going to have to leave” Poe said. The two Czars looked determined to protect their town and the Holiday they loved. The Lich began to laugh. “you don’t even have weapons or powers!” The Lich continued to laugh. The Mayor made a strained noise. Nyx looked down and realized the Mayor had come ready for a fight. Nyx laughed when he pictured the chubby little mayor swinging a sword. The mayor brought a sword and an axe. Nyx threw the axe to Poe. “Right, now we have weapons. Lets end this guy” Poe said.

The Lich chuckled and then slowly began to stand up straight. As the Lich moved the sound of bones snapping and popping could be heard. Finally the Lich stood up over six feet tall and the cloak fell off. The Lich stood as a giant skeleton, green and purple flames burned inside his skull and his bone hands glowed with magic. He wore black wizard boots, and ripped black pants. His spine bones were sharp and Jagged and his empty eye sockets glowed yellow. Then Poe noticed a hole in the back of the Lich’s head. “Doesn't he look like a larger meaner version of the statue?” Poe asked. “He is. The statue was made in honor of his defeat” Said the mayor as he struggled to move and talk.

            After hearing this the Lich became enraged. Green flames burst up all around him and he pointed a magical staff at the Czars. “this is the staff of souls. I will use it to enslave your souls and torments you for all of eternity. Your misery and torment will fuel my magic as I conquer this land” the Lich said then began to laugh. The laugh was cut short when Poe’s Axe struck the Lich in the head then bounced off and rolled back toward Poe. Poe ran up a little to retrieve his weapon as the Lich to put his head back on straight. The Lich now had an axe chop mark on the top of his skull. “Fine, if your in a rush to die” The Lich said. Then dark energy waves shot forth and hit the Czars and all of the citizens of Hallows End. Poe and Nyx clenched their teeth and tried to move despite the pain they now felt.

            The Lich spun his hand around and darkness rose up into the air, the starry night sky was blocked out by an unnatural evil magic. Now the sky looked like a swirling abyss of darkness and shadows. “Already starting to feel like home” The Lich said. Nyx stood up and rushed forward with his sword. “You can’t do this to our town!” He said then stabbed his sword into the Skeletons rib cage  “I don’t have muscle, flew or organs, stabbing wont do anything” The Lich laughed. His hands burst with green flames and he reached down to grab Nyx. At that moment Nyx turned his blade with all of his strength. This twisted the sword up and broke several bones in the Lich’s rib cage. The Lich recoiled and his hands lost their fire.

            The Lich rushed forward to attack Nyx before he got away. Right before The Lich got to Nyx another flying axe came sailing forward and hit the Skeleton Lich right in the chest, breaking the rest of his rib cage  The two regrouped and moved back to avoid direct attacks. The Lich stood up and used his staff of souls to heal his broken bones. Soon he was back to full strength. Poe grinned “thank you for showing us your weakness” Poe shouted to the Lich. Without the powerful soul magic, the Lich was just another skeleton.

            Nyx nodded to Poe then ran straight at the Lich again. The Lich looked ready, his skeleton hands glowed with a green death magic and one touch could wither a person to bones. The Lich shot blasts of shadow energy out at Nyx as he rushed forward. Nyx dodged those and got up right to the Lich. The Lich reached down and was going to grab Nyx before he could strike. Then Poe flanked the Lich from the side and slashed his axe down with all of his might. He slice the Lich’s arm off, the Lich turned and tried to attack Poe with his other arm but at that moment Nyx stabbed his blade into the Lich’s skeleton face. The sword went right through the evil wizards head and made a second hole, going straight through between the eyes and out the back of the head. This hole was above the original, made by Jack a thousand years ago, when Jack stabbed his pumpkin blade through the Lich’s mouth and out the back of his head where the spine met the skull.

            The Lich let out a loud shriek and dropped his staff. He staggered backward and the two Czars went after the staff. As it hit the ground they both slammed their weapons down onto it as hard as they could. The staff shattered and all of the trapped souls were released. Then the remaining magic mixed with The courage of the Czars and went into their weapons. Poe’s Axe became large and bent like a scythe. It was black with a skull at the top and a shiny silver blade at the end. Nyx’s sword became a straight long sword, with a pumpkin for the pommel and a black hilt with orange gems. The blade was also silver and looked a little like a pumpkin carving knife, but as a sword.  “The Carver” which Nyx now calls it is different than Jack’s pumpkin sword. Jack’s sword was jagged and the hilt was orange with a Jack-o-lantern face burned into the blade.

            The two Czars marveled at their new weapons almost as much as they marveled at the glowing color change pumpkin. Then they both turned and saw the Lich was still standing and trying to summon the last of his magic to attack again. Before the Lich could do anything. Poe and Nyx attacked, slashing their weapons down at him. Orange and black energy streamed from their combined weapons as the two struck the evil Lich. The attack was so strong the Lich exploded into dark energy and his bones turned to dust.

            Hallows End had been saved and the Czars had been rewarded with fancy new weapons. The citizens cheered as the Czars slowly walked back to the bar. “I need a drink” Poe said. “Me too” Nyx replied, sounding tired.

The two drank and then slept. The next day was Halloween. The darkness in the sky had disappeared, the hole in the center of town was filled, the Great pumpkin was placed back on its spot and any damage done to the town was now fixed.

            Poe and Nyx started getting ready for the big spooky Halloween party. They wore black robes, Nyx had a hollowed out Jack-o-lantern over his head and Poe had a skull mask. “So we let home, started new lives in Hallows End, became rich and powerful, threw the best parties, defeated a Lich, saved the town and gained powerful magic weapons. What should we do now?” Asked Nyx with a smile. “Now we celebrate Halloween” said Poe as he pulled his black hood over his head.