Assault on the Dark Spire part 2

         The Necromancer stood up as blood gushed from his wounds. The Ancient dark magic staff had expended all of its energy, but the evil staff had a mind of its own and was determined to retake as much energy as it could. The staff began to absorb the dark power of the Haunted forest, the cursed clearing, the undead minions and the Necromancer himself. Dark energy swirled around the Necromancer but he refused to give up the staff even though it was killing him. He held it tight against his body as the dark energy stripped the flesh and organs from his bones. The undead minions all collapsed to the ground and their souls were released into the air. The demons of the Haunted forest fled from this realm as they feared their energy would be drained from the mad Staff’s power.

            The Mayor could barely stand and had to watch the madness unfold as he struggled to his feet. When the energy and flashing light faded the Necromancer stood before the Mayor as a skeleton. The Skeleton was fused with the power of the staff. The Staff held his magic, his life force and his soul and the Necromancer held the Staff. It was even more important to him now than it had ever been.

            The mayor couldn’t fight and even if he could he didn’t know how to kill a skeleton wizard with so much power. The Mayor stood up defiantly. He didn’t think he could win, but he had to try. He had to fight, even with his last breath. “Foolish Mortal. I have been reborn. I am the most powerful undead wizard of all time. I have been reborn as a Lich and my power surpasses all. I have power over death itself!!” The Lich Shouted. At that moment Death appeared. The Grim reaper wore a black cloak and carried a scythe, he floated in front of the Lich and his cloak seemed to fade into the shadows. “As a mortal you tried to bend the laws of life and death to your will, you twisted the laws of reality to match your selfish desires. I cannot take mortals before their time so I had to sit and watch as you sinned against nature. But you are no longer mortal, you are an abomination that claims to have powers over me. Alright then Abomination, do your worst” Death said, its voice came from the air and not its skeletal mouth. Each word that Death spoke echoed and sent chills down The Mayor’s spine.

            The Lich wasted no time and held out his staff sending his strongest spell at the Grim Reaper “Lord of Death, you shall bow to me!” Shouted the Lich as the magic of the staff blasted the Grim Reaper and surrounded him. Death spun his scythe through the air and the magic spell dissipated. “Fool” Death said then in a blink was next to the Lich, then in another blink the Grim Reaper had slashed his Scythe through the Lich.

            The Lich was thrown back and damaged but was not destroyed. His life force was safe within the Staff. The Lich was quite possibly immortal, but he was not stronger than Death itself. The Grim Reaper summoned a dark portal below the Lich. Shadowy hands rose up from the portal and grabbed onto the Lich, dragging him down into the ground. The Lich screamed as the shadow hands pulled him into his dark prison deep down into the earth. The ground shook and the Lich slowly disappeared underground.

            “Thank so much” the Mayor said as his voice quaked with fear. He knew Death was a natural force and not a villain like the Lich, but it was still terrifying to be in its presence. Death nodded to the Mayor “You have also contributed to this victory young Mayor. You and John Baines” Said Death. “What will happen to the Necromancer? Or the Lich or whatever he calls himself” Asked the Mayor “He will be sealed underground for eternity. But I fear he will regain his power one day and return. He will return but will need to use all of his energy to do so. Only then will he be able to be destroyed once and for all. So I hope that there will be mortals as brave as you when that happens” Death explained.

            “I want to be there when he comes back. I will do anything to make sure the Necromancer doesn’t come back to destroy the world” The Mayor said. The Grim Reaper was surprised “it is within my power to do this but there is a price. You will be immortal, free from dying of old age, but you can still be killed by other means. Also you will only be immortal while standing on these Hallowed grounds. You may leave the forest to see your family, but as you reach the end of your life you must never leave the forest or you will die the second your foot touches the outside world” Death explained.

            The Mayor was overjoyed to have a chance to protect his people and the people of the world. “Thank you so much for this chance, I will not let it go to waste. I promise. But these grounds are not hallowed or holy, are they?” Asked the Mayor. “Yes, this was once the burial site of many heroes of the ages. This was the site for the heroes of not just the Autumn Forest but of many lands as well. The Necromancer corrupted that energy and turned it to dark energy. The land and forest will be forever scarred, the Haunted forest will be free from demons but the spirits and creatures of the night still lurk within. The land will remain blackened and twisted but the dark energy has been removed and sealed within the staff. This land is once again a holy land, the burial site of heroes and many dead who lost their lives to the Necromancer” Death Explained.

            “Speaking of Heroes” Death said. Then appeared next to John’s body. “Arise John Baines, you have not left his world yet” Death said. The mayor watched a ghost of John appear and step back into his body. John’s eyes opened and he slowly stood up. “John you have done well. I know you have heard what the Mayor has asked of me. I ask you now, do you wish to join him in guarding this land or will you move on to the afterlife?” Asked Death.

            “I wanted to be free for so long. Now I am free from the Necromancer’s curse and I feel as though a weight has been lifted. I would very much like to go to the afterlife, but I cannot rest as long as the threat of the Lich is still present” John said. “Very well John. I will make you immortal as long as you stay within this land. Magical weapons and spells can still kill you but you have nothing to fear from mortal weapons. Since you have already used up your lifespan you cannot ever leave this forest and if you do, you will die. When you and the Mayor die you will go to afterlife and welcomed as heroes” Death explained. John and the Mayor nodded to show they understood.

            “Before I leave, I will bestow one more gift” Said Death. The Grim Reaper floated over to the ground where the Lich was buried and stuck his finger into the ground, pulled it out then dropped a small seed into the earth and buried it. “This plant will sap the Lich’s power, delaying his return and making him more vulnerable. The plant will grow over the years and it will transform the dark magic of the Lich and the land into the holy energy this land once had. After a time the land might actually recover and become a place of beauty again. What the plant grows into is entirely up to you. It will take any form you wish. But protect it with your lives” Death said. Then before John or the Mayor could say anything, the Grim Reaper vanished.

            John walked over to the seed and looked down at it. “It can grow to anything? What should we grow it into?” Asked John. “I have always been fond of Halloween, the people in the Autumn forest never get into it as much as I do. Maybe we can grow it into a symbol of our victor, a symbol of a new holy land of the dead, a symbol for Halloween. What do you think, John?” The Mayor asked. “It sounds like you want to grow a Jack-o-lantern” John said with a sigh then smiled. His smile was determined but a little frightening “If we are going to live in this hallowed end of the world and grow a Jack-o-lantern as a symbol, then I guess you can call me Jack” Said Jack, his broad smile and wide eyes combined with the scars on his face really did make him look like a pumpkin that was carved on Halloween.

“Alright Jack, consider this your new life. And if we are going to start a new life and actually have to live here, we might as well make it more comfortable” the Mayor said. “What like build a house?” Asked Jack. “No, we build a town” Replied the Mayor.      

Assault on the Dark Spire part 1

            Permanent night blanketed Haunted forest, the trees were black like burnt wood, the branches were bare and instead of sap, they had green slime oozing from any opening. The haunted forest was very large and deep within the forest was a large clearing. The ground was full of rocks and gray dirt. Nothing grew in the Haunted forest and the clearing looked even more barren. The only thing in the clearing was the Necromancer, his evil minions and the Dark spire that stood at the center of it all. The feeling of dread would wash over all who looked upon the spire.

 John Bones and the Mayor of honeydew village finally reached the Necromancers spire within the Haunted forest. John stepped out from the black and twisted trees into a clearing of gray, dead soil and stepped into a gloomy green mist that lingered through the air.  The mayor followed John into the clearing and looked up at the evil spire that loomed over them.

            John was technically a minion of the Necromancer but the Mayor was an intruder to the land and soon alerted the other minions. As soon as the Mayor stepped foot into the clearing the ground began to shake. Undead minions crawled up from the ground, ghouls, skeletons and zombies clawed their way from the earth with their skeletal hands. Eerie howling could be heard in the air, distant and echoed. John unsheathed his sword and walked forward on the uneasy ground.  Undead that guard the spire shambled forward toward John and new undead continued to rise up from the earth. The Mayor held up his broad sword as he prepared to fight. His sword was made of silver and blessed by a priest. He had it forged so that he could slay the Necromancer.

            The Mayor was brave and determined but his resolve wavered in the face of so many enemies. John saw this “Do not waiver, victory is at hand!” John said then charged forward to meet the enemy. John ran as fast as he could, his feet slammed against the ground, if he had a heartbeat it would have been pounding out of his chest. Most of the undead were nothing more than skeletons and walking suits of armor, but some had partial human faces, newer undead still seemed like people. This made John think of himself, how he was no better than these shambling undead. He began to wonder how he retained so much of his independence when the others were mindless even when the Necromancer wasn’t present. John began to doubt himself and his mind became clouded.

            “John!” Shouted the Mayor. John looked up and realized he had reached the undead horde but was so distracted that he didn’t keep his guard up. An armored skeleton brought a sword down and slashed Johns arm. John escaped with only a cut on his arm thanks to the warning from the Mayor. John’s arm began to feel pain and green blood oozed from his wound. John realized that all of the undead must carry cursed blades. Which meant any undead carrying a blade of any kind could permanently kill John. John’s first thought was “That could be a way out” If he had a way to die then he would no longer be bound to his undead body and maybe he would find peace. This thought was quickly pushed out. If John died now he wouldn’t be able to take his revenge out on the Necromancer. Many would suffer at the hands of the dark wizard if he wasn’t stopped. John knew that he wouldn’t be able to face Captain Mohardy in the afterlife if John took the easy way out.

            The Mayor slashed undead as he ran forward to meet up with John. There were so many zombies, skeletons and undead knights that he couldn’t stand and fight each one without being overwhelmed. “We need to run to the spire” The Mayor called ahead.

            John was fighting two Skeleton knights, both with jagged broad swords and covered in armor. John found it difficult to dodge the attacks and find the weak points in his opponent’s armor. John ducked one sword slash then stabbed his sword upward as he stood back up. His sword stabbed into the helmet slots of the first undead knight. John pulled his sword out and the undead knight crumbled to the ground. The second knight swung it’s sword at John but just then the Mayor ran up and cut the skeletons head off. He slashed and perfectly hit the space between the Skeletons chest armor and the bottom of the helmet.

            John and the Mayor ran forward and reached the Spire gates. John touched the gate and the door opened. The tower reacted to dark magic and John used his curse to their advantage. John and the Mayor ran into the spire and closed the door behind them. The undead didn’t understand how to open the door and just stood next to the spire with vacant expressions.

            John and the Mayor ran up the stairs as fast as they could. The twisting staircase seemed to go on for miles. John did not tire but the Mayor was starting to fatigue. He was a muscular man and very fit but he had been running since they stepped foot in the clearing and now they had to run to the top of a giant spire. “Keep going, I will catch up” The Mayor said as he slowed. John continued to run forward. He knew he couldn’t face the Necromancer alone, but he couldn’t wait either. He was too determined to seek revenge and couldn’t bear waiting another moment.

            John reached the top of the spire and kicked open the door. The Necromancer turned with surprise but then smiled when he saw whom it was. “Ah my lovely Jack pumpkin head, pumpkin Jack. Jack-o-lantern Jack…well you get the idea. Your face is a disaster and that’s coming from a Necromancer who has seen all kinds of faces” The Necromancer said with a cocky smile. The Necromancer wore all black robes with a small symbol on his chest. The symbol was dark purple and looked like an eye with a cross through it. The Necromancer had long black hair and a trimmed goatee. He looked young for such a powerful wizard, late forties at most.

            The Necromancer lifted his hand up and stopped John just as he tried to pull his sword. “This is getting tiresome. I noticed you caused quite a disturbance on the ground. It was amusing but now it has become bothersome” Said the Necromancer. He closed his hand into a fist and John felt shooting pain through his body and crumpled to the ground. The Necromancer smiled but his victory was short lived as an axe came hurling through the air and hit the Necromancer in the chest. His eyes went wide and he stumbled backward. “W-who was that?” He muttered as blood dripped from his mouth. He pulled the axe from his chest and threw it to the ground. The Mayor stood in the doorway behind John. The Mayor was brandishing his silver sword and had a row of hand axes strapped to his belt. With the Necromancer distracted John was able to rise up and took his opportunity to strike.

            The Necromancer tried to stop John but was stabbed through the chest before he could react.  John pulled his sword out and glared at the Necromancer as he fell to the ground. “That was for the tradewind, its crew and anyone else you killed” John said.

            The Necromancer began to laugh and then stood back up. “I cannot be killed so easily” He said. Then held his hand out to summon the source of his powers, a magical staff of the undead. This ancient artifact boosted the Necromancers power from his average dark magic abilities to the skill of a one hundred year old wizard.

            The Necromancer shot a beam of dark energy from his staff. The beam cooked the air as it shot forward at the Mayor. John jumped in front of the blast and was struck in the chest. Green energy burst from John’s eyes and mouth then he went limp and hit the ground. The Mayor threw another axe then charged forward. The Necromancer blasted the axe mid air and then turned and shot at the Mayor again, but the Mayor was gone. “Where have you gone coward?” Shouted the evil wizard. The Mayor did not hid or run away but instead jumped straight into the air. The Mayor came down with his sword pointed at the Necromancer’s head. The Dark wizard held up his staff as a reflex to defend against the strike. The Mayor’s sword slashed and broke the ancient staff, releasing all of the magical energy at once. Dark energy exploded from the staff sending The Necromancer, the Mayor and John’s body to the ground below. The top of the spire was destroyed and it was a miracle that the Mayor even survived.

Death and Bones part 2

This is the continued story of John Baines. He was the character from last years stories "Tradewind embarks"

http://sjmstories.blogspot.com/2013/09/tradewind-embarks.html

And "Death and Bones part 1" http://sjmstories.blogspot.com/2013/10/death-and-bones-1-of-2.html

if you haven't read them yet, I suggest you read them to catch up with the story line.

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 John Bones, formerly John Baines, walked the desolate cursed land. A shadowy serpent had attacked his ship, the Tradewind, and all of his friends died in the wreck. John had died but was resurrected by the dark energy that flowed through the land. Almost fifty years had passed between the time the Tradewind sank and he woke up as an undead sailor. John didn’t even know where he was but had a strange sense that he knew where he was going. He felt like he was being pulled inland by an invisible force.

            John saw a large black spire in the distance. The spire towered over the cursed trees and the forest and John felt drawn to it. “That tower is an abomination. It an affront to me” Said the voice of Death, who was still following John. “Just take me already! I want to avenge my fallen brothers but being in this cursed state is a torment I cannot handle” John told Death. “If I could I would have years ago. The master of that tower is a necromancer who has cursed the land. He seeks to rule this land and all lands with his power over the dead. He traps souls in their bodies before they can pass on. Needless to say I am not pleased with him at all” Said the voice of Death.

            John mindlessly walked toward the spire and Death’s words fell away. John reached the great gate of the spire and the doors opened for him. John navigated through the spire as if he knew where to go. He reached the center room and began to walk up a spiral staircase that went all the way to the top of the tower. John walked up the stairs with ease, he didn’t feel tired or out of breath, he felt as though he could have walked forever. Finally John reached the top and opened a door that led back outside. John walked through the door and saw the Necromancer standing on a balcony watching the cursed land below. “Ahh my newest minion” The Necromancer said as he turned around. “My magic brought you here, as it does with all who die in my lands. Now let me take a look at you” Said the Necromancer. He looked hard at John and then began to smile. “you face looks just like a Jack-o-lantern. Did someone carve your face before you died?” The Necromancer said as he barely contained his laughter. “I will call you Jack, pumpkin Jack” Said the Necromancer. “My name is J-“ John began to say but the Necromancer lifted a finger and John lost the ability to speak. “J-is for Jack. As in Pumpkin Jack. The only way this would be more fitting is if…well I suppose your eyes DO glow” The Necromancer said then began to laugh.

            John reached for his sword as the rage boiled up inside. This dark wizard was responsible. The shadow creature that sank the Tradewind, John being reborn as an undead monster and probably the skeleton attack in the autumn forest were all linked to this evil man. On top of his sins, he dared to mock John in Death. John Bones pulled his sword from its holster and slashed at the Necromancer. The evil wizard was busy laughing and didn’t see his new subject reach for his sword. John’s blade was stopped at the very last second before it killed the Necromancer. John stood paralyzed, holding his sword against the Necromancers bleeding through. The sword cut the skin but did not do any serious damage. The Necromancer was no longer laughing, he had an awful scowl on his face as he held his hand up. The Necromancer held John in place with a wave of his hand. With another wave his hand the Necromancer sent John flying off the Spire.

            John was launched from the tower as if thrown by a large invisible hand. Fear and adrenaline pumped through John as he fell. He had been thrown from such a height he knew this was his end. Then just before John hit the ground he remembered he couldn’t die and met the ground with a sense of boredom and annoyance. “If that Necromancer can control my every action how am I supposed to get revenge?” John asked as his body lay sprawled out on the hard black dirt. “You find someone who is alive who also wants the Necromancer to die. This wont be difficult, his evil magic has been plaguing the lands for many years and all would like to see an end to his reign of terror. This desolate place used to be part of the Autumn land before the Necromancer arrived and began practicing his evil sorcery” Death explained.

            “Then I will leave and find a group of humans to help me!” John said as he was empowered by a new sense of hope. “You cannot leave the borders of the cursed land unless the Necromancer allows you to leave. Which he wont, not after you tried to kill him” Death explained. “Fine I will go to the edge of the land. I will do everything I can!” John said as he shambled along. His legs slowly snapped back into place and his broken arms straightened out. His body returned to its normal state as if he had never been thrown off of a spire.

            The cursed land stretched out for miles. The spire had a clearing around it, but anything beyond that clearing was thick with cursed dark trees. “This is the Haunted land. The necromancer’s evil tainted this autumn forest beyond repair. The dark magic has attracted so many demons and spirits it is now home to creatures worse than even the Necromancer. Luckily for you, you cannot die” Death told John as John entered the dense Haunted Forest.

            The Haunted forest lived up to its name, besides John there were many undead creatures wandering about. Mindless zombies, ghosts and nightmarish demons inhabited the forest. When dark magic infects a whole land it attracts other dark creatures. Most of the monsters in the Haunted forest didn’t even follow the Necromancer, they were just drawn to the darkness. The forest was filled with dead trees with black bark and no leaves. Some of the trees even had greenish ooze instead of sap. John shuddered to think what would come out if he chopped one of the trees down.

            While John was walking through the forest he heard roars and rustling in the trees ahead. He ran forward and saw a short muscular man fighting shadow beast with glowing orange eyes. John felt his rage grow when he saw the beast because he knew it was another servant of the Necromancer. John pulled his sword from its sheath and charged forward, slashing the head off of the shadow creature. The undead magic that kept John alive was also infused within his blade, the magic in his blade was able to kill minions of the Necromancer for good. John discovered his new ability when he slashed the shadow creature’s head off and it melted into the ground. Usually slashing any part of a shadow creature, even the head did little more than slow it down.

            The muscular man was relieved that the evil shadow was gone but turned his blade on John when he noticed John had glowing orange eyes. “I come in peace. I am cursed like this land but I do not protect the Necromancer” John said as he put his hands in the air. John couldn’t die so he wasn’t worried about fighting, but he did need the help of a mortal to slay the Necromancer.

            “Who are you if not a minion of the dark wizard?” Said the Muscular man. “I am John Baines…I was John Baines. I don’t know what to call myself now. Bones, Pumpkin Jack, Jack o lantern, dead sailor guy” John rattled off the names casually with a tired sigh. It only took a moment for the man to realize why John would refer to himself as a Jack-o-lantern of a pumpkin. John had glowing eyes and a face that looked like it had been carved up for Halloween. “I am Finnious Malcolm Honeydew. You can call me Malcolm, or just Mayor is fine” said the Muscular man. “Why Mayor?” asked John. “I used to be the Mayor of Honeyside, the port town in the autumn forest. When the Necromancer attacked Honeyside the villagers and I fought back, after we learned that the Necromancer’s skeletons couldn’t be killed we escaped the town for our lives and built a new town called Honeydew. I am the Mayor of Honeydew” the Mayor explained.

            “I was in Honeyside before I died, that was years ago. I am sorry, it looked like a beautiful place. If you have a new town, why risk the dangers of these woods?” Asked John. “I can’t sit around getting fat as the Mayor, not while that Necromancer is still alive. Until he is destroyed no one will be truly safe” Replied Mayor. “I want to see the Necromancer dead as well, but he can control me whenever he wants. So I need help to break his spell over me so I can kill him” John explained.

            “If I can find the source of the Necromancers power, maybe I can take it out and then you would be free” Explained the Mayor. “Good, I am glad I ran into you. Maybe together we actually have a chance to stop this maniac” John said

            John and Mayor made their way through the Haunted Forest back toward the Necromancer’s spire. John sought revenge and freedom while Mayor Honeydew risked his life for the good of the autumn forest and all that lived there.

Clash of Reality part 4 - Halloween event

The night air felt cool and refreshing, the streetlights were on and Jack-o-Lanterns decorated almost every yard in the neighborhood. Jacob walked down the quiet street. It was the perfect time for a walk, the Jack-o-lanterns were still lit and the porch lights were on, but there was no one to bother him because everyone was settling down for the night. A breeze rolled in and autumn leaves rushed over Jake. He took a breath in and smiled. “If only Sarah was here with me” Jake said with a sigh.

            Jake had only seen Sarah twice that year. They met for the first time in the summer and once again in the beginning of the Fall. They both loved Halloween and Jake wished he could be with her on that day. Luckily the online game they played together had a Halloween event for the whole week before Halloween. When they played online together, explored the huge virtual world and talked all night through chat, it was almost like they were spending time together in real life.

            Jake’s cell phone beeped, he clicked it on and saw Sarah had sent him a picture. The title was “Halloween Costume” the picture was Sarah in her room with a goofy grin on her face wearing a costume that looked like her character from the game. She looked like a warrior with a sword and shield, light armor and a red cloak. The armor wasn’t metal but she got it to look like metal somehow and the cloak looked just like the cloak Jake had won for her in the game. Jake was amazed by her costume making abilities.

            As he stared at her picture with a goofy smile of his own he received another text. “We should both dress like our characters” – Sarah. Jake replied “Sounds great!” He sent the message but then remembered he didn’t know how to sew or make costumes of any kind.

            Later that night Jake logged into his game to meet up with Sarah. Sarah’s character Ayla was already there waiting when Jake signed in with his character SoulShadow. “How’s the costume coming along?” Asked Ayla with a wink. “I don’t know how to make costumes. I do have costume swords though!” Soul replied. “don’t worry about it. Lets just enjoy the game tonight” said Ayla.

            During the week of Halloween every major city in the game had a spooky celebration with games and prizes. One of the cities had a forest on the outskirts and while it was normally a bright and cheerful place, in October it became a spooky forest filled with Halloween monsters. Fairy Grove was now Pumpkin Grove and was a favorite hunting spot for players who wanted to fight rare monsters and get Halloween weapons and armor.

            “We are almost strong enough to go into the center of the forest! I remember last year we had to stay on the outer edge and fought pumplings” Ayla said with a chuckle. Jake remembered last year. Getting so over confident about killing a pumpling that he charged right into the center of the forest and was instantly killed by a monster before he even saw it coming. He had grown stronger and even killed a border guardian during the summer, so he was confident in his skills.

            Soul pulled his two swords from their sheaths, one sword burned brightly with flames and the other froze the surrounding air. His swords Frost and Ember were his most prized possessions in the game. Ayla readied her sword and shield and the two charged in. Pumplings were just living pumpkins with vines sprouting from the tops. The Pumplings could walk using the vines like spider legs and would also attack with vines. Ayla charged forward as living pumpkins smashed against her shield and exploded. Soul Shadow held his swords out slashing anything that approached from the sides.

            As they traveled deeper into the forest they saw living trees, ghosts, goblins with carved pumpkins for helmets and slightly larger pumpkin monsters. Soul had seen all of these monsters before and rushed on through. He wanted to fight the boss of the forest, The Halloween Border Guardian. Guarding the border from this world, to the next. Only a few players had ever beat the Halloween Guardian and those who did said the secret world he guarded was amazing.

            Ayla and Soul rushed toward the center of the forest, excited to see the Halloween Border Guardian. The deeper they went into the forest the more menacing the trees looked. The bark was black and the gnarled roots stuck up from the ground. the bare, jagged branches stretched up high in the air and twisted together to block out the sun. Soul felt like he had entered a cave made of black bark and wood. The two heroes came upon a clearing with a large black door in the center standing upright but not connected to anything. “This must be the center of the forest!” Ayla said with excitement. There weren’t any monsters around and the door seemed unguarded. “Ok, well this is obviously a trap. Lets slowly approach the door and watch out for danger” Soul said. “I have a better idea” Ayla replied.

            Ayla reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle that contained electricity. She threw the magical bottle and it shattered next to the door. Electricity burst out from the bottle and stuck everything within ten feet of the broken bottle. Nothing was within ten feet of the door so only the door was shocked. Then something shimmered in the air and electricity shot forward and struck the target. A loud roar echoed through the forest.

            The Halloween Guardian appeared before the Soul and Ayla. He was hidden and waiting to attack from the shadows, but the shock bottle forced him out of hiding. The guardian was eleven feet tall, had broad shoulders, long black jacket and thick sturdy boots. The guardian’s head was a fiery Jack-o-lantern that could move to form facial expressions. Fire poured from the eyes and mouth when the Guardian roared. The Halloween Guardian carried a scythe on his back and it was easily fifteen feet long. The reach of his weapon was incredible. The reach of the scythe combined with his invisibility was the reason many players never saw the forest Boss before they died.

            The Boss brought his scythe into the air and began cackling insanely. Flames burst from his eyes and mouth as he laughed. Ayla and Soul looked determined. The Pumpkin boss held the scythe tight in its thick leather glove clad hands. He swung with enough force to slice a forest or person in half. Soul went to dodge but Ayla charged forward. “What are you doing?” Soul shouted. “Only one way to know if we are strong enough to fight him” She replied as her shield collided with the scythe. Ayla was pushed back several feet but her shield held and eventually stopped the attack. Soul was amazed but realized now was his chance to attack.

            Soul moved quickly over the battlefield and stabbed his swords upward into the Halloween Guardians chest. Frost and Ember froze and burned at the Guardians stab wounds. The Halloween Guardian used his left hand to swat Soul away. Soul went flying and hit a tree. The Halloween Guardian started to turn invisible, his legs vanished and he began to float on a ghostly tail. He flew at Soul with his Scythe drawn back. The Guardian looked like specter with a Jack-o-lantern for a head. His eyes burned bright with fire and flames shot from his mouth.

            Soul rolled to dodge the flames then used Frost to slash at any remaining flames he couldn’t escape in time. The icy aura of Souls sword extinguished flames on impact. The Guardian swung his giant scythe while Soul was distracted with the flames. The Guardian stopped mid swing though because Ayla had stabbed him in the back with her sword. She held up her shield and blocked as the Guardian breathed fired down on Ayla. Soul ran straight, jumped into the air and then slashed the air with both swords. Fire and ice magic formed in the air and flew straight at the Guardians pumpkin head. The fire and ice attack ruptured the Guardian’s head and flames began to burst from the damaged areas.

            Ayla and Soul used this chance to frantically slash and stab at the Guardian. Soon the Guardian let out a howl and vanished from sight.

            Soul and Ayla smiled as they looked at the door the Halloween Border Guardian was guarding.  “after you!” Soul said with a smile then gestured to the door. Ayla walked forward and opened the door. Both heroes were transported to a Halloween world.

            The world was a full Halloween version of their game. All the cities were even not only decorated for Halloween but many structures looked haunted, old or abandoned. The beach area of the game had skeleton pirates, every forest had living trees and Pumplings, the mountain area was filled with undead trolls and pumpkin headed golems and just a few of the friendly towns in the game that players used to restock items and rest were now full of zombie versions of all of the towns people.

            “I don’t know how this could get any better!” Soul said. “Did you check your mail today? I sent you something” Ayla told Soul. “…your real life mail, not in game mail” She added as Soul looked in a post box for mail.

            Jacob jumped up from his computer chair and ran to the door. There was a large package waiting for him. He opened it and inside was a lovely note from Sarah and a Halloween costume. The note said that Sarah had made Jacob a costume so he could dress as Soul for Halloween. The box contained everything Jacob would need for his costume, except for the swords, which Jake already had.

            Jacob put the costume on and took a picture. He sent it to Ayla with the text “Happy Halloween”

Where my Dreams take me - part 6 The New Day

Jack stepped through the charred doorway of his former Boss’ office. The office was untouched by flames and was just as flashy and awful as Jack remembered. “Jack my boy, such wonderful new powers you have. I think we can work out a deal. You keep working for me and I will forgive you for killing all of my guards” The Boss said calmly.

            Jack smiled, he grinned ear to ear as he walked forward slowly. “Deals? We are making deals now?” Asked Jack, his smile still wide and frightening. He slowly sat down on a crimson leather chair across from the Boss. Jack leaned over the Boss’ desk and looked him in the eye. “You will forgive me? Forgive me? FORGIVE ME?!” Jack said his voice jumped into a shout toward the end. Jack cleared his throat and brushed his hair back. “You should be begging me to spare your life and you sit here making deals? You should be asking ME to forgive YOU!” Jack said, his voice jumping as he barely contained his anger. “I would never make a deal with you, but I did make a deal with someone else. Someone who wants you dead just as much as I do” Jack said as he looked the Boss right into his beady dark brown eyes. “Who would have the nerve to send you after me? And while I am asking questions, where did you get that magic?” The Boss asked. He didn’t move from his chair, but he was slowly becoming uncomfortable.

            Death slowly appeared into view behind Jack. A floating cloaked skeleton holding a scythe appeared as a response to the Boss’ question. Then a second later Death was gone. Jack didn’t see Death but he assumed the Boss did by his changed expression. All of the color drained out of the Boss’ face when he saw the Grim Reaper.

            Jack stood up and lifted his hammer to strike but the Boss acted quickly and shot Jack point blank with his shotgun. Jack froze and his eyes went wide. He had come so far only to let his guard down for a second and to get killed by the same person and the same gun that killed Isabelle. Everything seemed to slow as Jack looked down to check for damage. As he looked down he saw the Boss was horrified instead of pleased. Green flames spilled out of Jack’s chest and stomach. The flames covered his torso instead of blood. Magical flames moved across Jack’s skin but instead of burning him, they were healing the skin. The flames that dripped to the ground burned a hole in the floor.

            Jack looked at the Boss and smiled “Death sends his regards” then launched forward and grabbed the Boss by the throat. Green flames burned brightly in Jack’s eyes as rage filled his body. Jack lifted the Boss up by his throat and hurled him through the back wall. As the Boss’ body soared through the air like a rag doll Jack lifted his hammer and then flung it forward. The hammer flew straight out and hit the Boss, then engulfed the Boss in flames. The Hammer and the Boss’ body dropped to the ground with a thud. Jack couldn’t see where the Boss landed because it was dark and also his body was sent out past the city limits.

            Jack jumped out through the hole in the wall down three floors and hit the ground. Jack landed on his feet and took off running. This part of Dark city was the section unlucky enough to be built on the edge of the Haunted Forest. Jack approached the forest, which was swarming with spirits and weird glowing eyes that looked on from every shadow. Jack didn’t want to go anywhere near that place. “Halloween night is almost upon us Jack. Halloween is when the Haunted forest grows restless and the spirits become visible and the monsters more aggressive” Death whispered. The Haunted forest was always dangerous, but the development of Dark city riled up the inhabitants of the forest and with Halloween approaching the spirits were even more restless.

            The boss was standing on the edge of the Haunted forest, too afraid to run into the forest to escape Jack, but too afraid of Jack to distance himself from the forest. Jack approached “Not dead yet? Good, more fun for me” Jack said as he walked closer, his hammer burned brightly as Jack approached. Jack lifted his hammer off the ground and held it up with one hand. “J-Jack please, I can bring her back! I can help you. Don’t kill me” The Boss said his human skin dripped from his face revealing red demon skin. Small yellow horns poked out from under his black hat and his eyes glowed yellow. Jack sneered and shot another blast of fire at the Boss.

            The flames burned the Boss’ clothes and melted away his human disguise.

The Boss stood five feet five and was now in his true form. He was still overweight but his skin was scaly and red, his mouth was a large gaping maw and his eyes burned bright like fire. “Disgusting” Jack muttered. The Boss pulled a black gem from his torn suit pocket. He smiled and held it up. “I saved this gem for supernatural opponents, it cancels magic. Since magic is holding you together right now, prepare to be torn apart. The Gem shot out a blast of energy at Jack. Jack threw his hammer at the blast and jumped out of the way. The Hammer and the dark blast collided and caused an explosion. Black, red and green flames shot over Jack’s head as he lay flat on the grass. The Boss was blasted backward into the Haunted forest.

            “He’s going to escape!” Jack shouted. “No, he is not” Death replied. The glowing eyes went out and the spirits that floated around the trees rushed into the forest. Everything that Haunted that forest seemed to move in on the Boss as soon as he landed. Screams echoed out of the forest accompanied by the sounds of bones breaking and meat being torn.

            It was over, Jack had his revenge, and the Boss was dead. Death appeared in front of Jack in the form of a young woman. She was very pale and slender, she wore all black and had long black hair that flowed into her black dress. She walked toward Jack and smiled “You have done well” She said with a kind smile. Death knelt down and picked up the Hammer with ease. “The stories this hammer could tell…” She said as her voice drifted off. Death stared at the hammer as if it was telling her all of its amazing stories.

            “What do I do now?” Asked Jack as he lifted himself up. “I want a peaceful life, I want to be done with this nightmare. Am I even human anymore? What was that green fire inside of me?” Jack added. Death sighed “The hammer’s magic kept you alive. MY hammer kept you alive. Now that you have given it to me, you are as mortal and human as before. Now you can go build your life. It is yours for the taking. Do as you wish with this freedom. The mountaintop, the autumn forest, maple town and even a black cat all wait for you in your future. The traveling and building is up to you” Death explained. “Thank you, Jack” Death added with a smile then vanished from sight.

            Jack felt sore, tired and hungry. Before he left Dark city forever he decided to pay a visit to Old Carl and see if he could make him some food for old times sake.

            Jack stumbled as he walked back into the city, leaving the sights and sounds of the Haunted Forest behind him. As he approached the city he saw a black cat with green eyes. It was just a kitten, it was lost and alone and rummaging through a garbage can for food. Jack walked up to the cat and put his hand out to pet it. Despite living on the street, the cat was friendly and trusting enough to let Jack pet him. Jack saw an old can of pumpkin puree in the garbage and smiled at the dirty logo of a pumpkin patch. The black cat bit down on the can but then reared its head back when it realized the can wasn’t edible.

            “Would you like to come with me? I’m homeless too” Jack told the cat. The cat mewed and began to purr. “Have you ever been to the mountains? I hear they are lovely this time of year” Jack said as he picked up his new cat and placed it on his shoulders. “I am going to call you Karu, if that’s alright” Jack said. Karu meowed.

            Jack and Karu walked through Dark city, toward the Lousy Dame bar. The rain had stopped, the sun was rising and Jack had a brand new life ahead of him.

Where my Dreams take me - part 5 Assault on the Organization

            Jack stood at the ground floor of the Organization’s base of operations. He decided to take the stairs up to each floor because he knew the elevators could be switched off and even unlatched. This was a defense that the Boss used to kill intruders stupid enough to trap themselves in a metal box when attacking a criminal organization.

            “Jack, I have another deal for you” Death said as Jack headed for the stairs. “I don’t want to make a habit of making deals with Death” Jack replied then stopped walking so that Death had his full attention. “I can enhance your weapon. Your killing hammer has seen so much death, it would be very easy for me to augment it with more power. Having extra power would ensure your victory to be sure. The deal is, I imbue your hammer with magic and when you have had your revenge, you give the hammer to me” Death said in a calm voice. “If I am going to retire why would I need my hammer? Its win-win again for me” Jack said. Then paused. Part of him didn’t want to give up his precious weapon for anything. Even though getting rid of it would shut the book on his old life, he still didn’t want to give up his hammer. He had the hammer since he was a teen, he carried it every single day of his life for the past fifteen years. If anyone came looking for Jack he wouldn’t have his hammer to defend himself with. Making his hammer stronger would make it easier to get revenge with less chance of dying, and giving up the hammer would truly mean he was done with his old life, he would be able to move on completely. He could think of his time in Dark city as a bad nightmare that he finally woke up from.

            “Why would you want this hammer? You aren’t trying to do me any favors” Asked Jack. “No, our deals are not meant to help you at all. I am getting something out of every deal. That doesn’t mean it has to negatively affect you though. As for why I want the hammer, lets just say it will be more valuable to me. I collect rare things. My favorite thing to collect are items that have killed large numbers of people, the dark aura on the weapon is stronger if it kills strong enemies. I see many things that you cannot. A hammer that has killed many, that becomes enchanted only to slay more humans and a demon is incredibly valuable to me. You wouldn’t even understand its true worth at that point. So, do we have a deal?” Death asked.

            Jack hesitated, Death answered the question but Jack didn’t feel comfortable giving up the last piece of his past. The hammer linked him to his past, both the good and the bad. It made him remember the awful things he did, but also let him remember Isabelle and the good times. Jack needed to survive this last fight though and agreed to the deal. “Yes, fine. You can have the hammer when this is over. After everyone is dead. The boss, Galore and anyone who was there the night Isabelle died.” Jack said. “Agreed!” Death replied.

            Without any more delay Jack rushed up the stairs. His heart was pounding, he felt like he was being pulled into the underworld with every step. Making deals with Death, challenging a demon to do battle, attacking his old place of employment. It was all a bit much for Jack to handle. Well except for the attacking the former place of employment, Jack was enjoying that.

            Jack reached the second floor and kicked open the door, he lifted his hammer up and green flames engulfed Jack’s weapon. Jack slammed his hammer down onto the ground and flames spread out along the floor burning up everything in its path. Guards, guns, tacky furniture, it was all consumed by the hammer’s magical flames. Death never explained how to use the Hammer’s magic and never even made of show of enchanting it, yet Jack somehow knew how to fight with his newly enchanted hammer.

“Satisfied with the results?” Asked Death. “Very” Jack replied with an evil grin.

With the second floor cleared out Jack could move onto the final floor where his Boss always sat. Jack was glad the Organization was located in a factory and not a skyscraper. Jack ran up the stairs to the third floor and blasted the door apart with his magical green flames. Galore Riggs and a group of guards stood waiting. Everyone had their guns drawn and Galore had an assault rifle. “Sorry Jack, I can’t let you go” Galore said. “The Boss is a demon, Galore. He killed Isabelle and he holds you like a prisoner. He holds us all. The only people who are happy in the Organization are the ones who never get tired of the killing, the drugs and the stealing. The rest of us, we die off. Galore, this is your last chance to change sides.” Jack said, being strangely diplomatic.

Galore laughed “You might be right Jack, but I am the one with the guns and the backup. You have one chance to give up. I am not backing down” Galore replied.

“I gave you a chance, I am actually glad you didn’t take it. You might not have killed Isabelle, but you did stop me from killing the Boss. You wont be stopping me this time” Jack replied as he lifted his hammer above his head. Bright green flames swirled around the head of Jack’s hammer as he lifted it into the air. Galore aimed his assault rifle at Jack and went to pull the trigger when one of the guards spoke up. “Uh, does that deal count for me too?

            Jack and Galore both let out an annoyed sigh at the same time. “Yeah, sure. Anyone who doesn’t want to die protecting the Boss and also wasn’t in the room on the night Isabelle died, can leave” Jack said as he held his hammer ready to strike. Four guards quietly left the room and shut the door behind them. When Jack heard the door click shut he swung his hammer in an arc, which made a flame shield. Galore and his remaining guards unleashed a flurry of bullets. Everything near or behind Jack was torn to shreds. When the dust settled Jack was standing unscathed. “Second thoughts?” Said Jack with a smile. One guard raised his hand but then was promptly shot by Galore.

            “You are a dead man, I don’t care if I have to take you apart with my bare hands” Galore said his voice full of rage. Galore began to unload another clip from his assault rifle as he walked toward Jack. He was determined to hit Jack at least once. Jack outstretched his hand and then turned his hand up with his palm facing Galore. Jack’s hammer began to spin in the air in front of Jack’s palm. The flames from the spinning hammer burned the floor and surrounding area. The hammer spun so fast it was actually blocking Galore’s bullets. Jack closed his hand into a fist and his hammer shot forward and struck Galore. The hammer hit Galore in the face, shattering his skull on impact, the hammer continued to fly forward and smashed open the metal door to the Boss’ office.

            Galore’s body slumped to the ground and the remaining guards tried to run for the exit. Jack’s hammer flew back to his hand. Then Jack spun his hammer around to make another fire shield but this time Jack took a deep breath in and then breathed out with all of his might. Jack’s breath blew through the flames causing a green flamethrower effect. Jack rotated in a circle torching everything and everyone in the room with his green fire breath. There were no survivors.