The Crimson Hand on Halloween part 2

            Rumford and Samantha Gould had reached the hidden crypt of Joroth the Undying. The man who had died so many times that the only thing keeping him together is a powerful artifact. Rumford is kept bound to his skeleton through Samantha’s magic and Samantha is a mortal who can die but also doesn’t seem to age.

Three false immortals facing off in a crypt on Halloween night.

            Joroth wasted no time in charging forward, holding his jagged axe in his hands as he did. The bandit lord was decorated in his armor, his purple bandana was tied around his chest piece, his leather pants had mostly rotted away along with any muscle or skin. The bandit slashed his axe downward. Samantha and Rumford quickly dodged as the axe buried itself into the stone flooring. Rumford changed into his specter form, taking on the appearance of a shadow as he floated through the air. He lunged at Joroth, skeleton arms emerging from Rumford’s shadow cloak. The skeleton arms grabbed a hold of the axe and tried to wrestle it free from Joroth’s grasp.

            Samantha moved in while Joroth was distracted and punched with her crimson hand, the glowing crimson glyphs on her hand pulsed with energy, delivering searing pain with each punch. Joroth could still feel pain and shouted and recoiled from the supernatural burns. Rumford grabbed the axe out of the bandit’s hand and floated above him with it. Rumford swung the giant axe, slashing Joroth across the back. Samantha attempted to rip Joroth’s soul from his body, hoping to bypass the undying magic of the relic. Samantha reached into the bandit leader’s body and grabbed a hold of his spirit but when she pulled back his spirit wouldn’t budge. The bandit screamed in pain but was able to muster enough strength to grab Samantha’s arm. The glyphs on her arm burned Joroth as he touched them but he did not relent. Joroth squeezed Samantha’s arm with all of his might. Samantha felt the bones in her arm break. She screamed and jumped backward.

            Joroth stood up and charged at Samantha while she was cradling her broken arm. He slammed his weight into her, sending her flying into the wall of the cave. Rumford flew forward and slashed with Joroth’s axe. the axe spun in circles slashing multiple times as it went. Joroth was covered in broken pieces of armor, necklaces and trinkets, so Rumford didn’t know which small, mundane looking object was the source of his power so he continued to slash wildly.

            Samantha pulled a sword from her belt. It was her sword that Joroth used to kill Rumford. Not only was it her sword that was used but if Samantha didn’t try to be heroic and save the town, Rumford wouldn’t have been killed. Samantha run at Joroth, rage building in her eyes and pain searing from her broken arm. Rumford moved like a shadow, slashing Joroth at any opportunity he could. Joroth was distracted for the moment and didn’t see Samantha’s approach.

            Samantha ran past Joroth and stabbed her sword at Rumford. The specter was immortal but reflexes kicked in and he blocked with Joroth’s axe. Samantha’s sword pierced the head of Joroth’s axe. the jagged weapon cracked, Joroth looked in disbelief. The weapon then broke, releasing stored magic into the air. The mighty bandit lord scrambled to pick up the axe fragments but it was too late. Joroth’s hands began to crumble, then his body and his head. The undying axe was destroyed and its wielder went with it. Samantha realized that the axe was his most prized possession and a simple minded creature like Joroth would proudly display his power instead of hiding its source.

            The enemy had been defeated, Samantha and Rumford had their revenge and now stood with smiles as their long quest finally came to an end. “I think I know the answer, but what do we do next?” Rumford asked. “We find a way to restore you, or a way for us both to pass on to the next life peacefully and together” Samantha replied, the determination still bright in her eyes. Rumford let out an echoed laugh. “I like that plan, but I meant how do we get out of here”

            There was a door to the crypt but it was sealed and meant to keep Joroth locked in. After several hours of attacks from Rumford’s super natural powers and Samantha’s searing Crimson Hand, the door finally gave way. The two broke through a small piece of door and ventured above ground. The night air kissed their skin as the bright full moon illuminated the land. Clouds drifted over head and fog lingered along the ground. They stood in a graveyard, which was strangely beautiful that night. Once Joroth was finally dead, Samantha felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she began to see beauty in the world.

            A half a land away, Hallows end celebrated Halloween long into the night. Drinks filled mugs, fireworks filled the sky and Jack-O-lanterns laughed into the night. Samantha and Rumford rested among the tombstones. They cuddled and held each other as they did when Rumford was alive. “I’m sorry I was so distant for all these years” Samantha said. Rumford ran his skeletal hand across her face “I understand that looking at me reminds you of what you lost. I know I am technically trapped in my own body and bound to serve you through dark magic, but even if you freed me right now and set my soul free, I would still follow you like nothing changed. I want to haunt you forever” Rumford said, trying his best to be romantic but then realized that his words could be considered creepy. Samantha laughed “You always followed me around like a stray pup, I expect it will always be like that. If we are like this for another hundred years, I will feel blessed to have another hundred years with my adorable skeleton pup” Samantha said sweetly as she ran her delicate fingers along Rumford’s shoulder bone.

            The adventures of the crimson hand were not over but this chapter of revenge is finished. Happy Halloween.

Forest Island Dark premonition

            Rain lashed against the land as thunder boomed in the sky. A giant, rounded hulking shadow reached out for Nathaniel. Nathaniel fired arrows into the giant beast but nothing could slay the creature. The giant shadow monster was fifteen feet tall, ten feet wide with large stumpy legs and long arms, powerfully strong hands and stumpy fingers. This shadowman was almost entirely without feature, like the rest of the shadows, except this shadow had a large gaping mouth where a face should be. The mouth was filled with multiple rows of teeth and a large, human like tongue. Nathaniel screamed as he was lifted into the air. Thunder cracked the sky and lighting struck the ground. The booming storm drowned out the cries for help. All of the Bear Forces had been carried through the portal and Pubbles the bear was missing.

            Nathaniel struggled against the mighty grip of the beast as he was lifted helplessly into the air. He could only watch in horror as he was brought closer to the gaping open mouth. The giant shadow creature stuffed Nathaniel into its mouth and bit down. A bolt of lighting struck the ground and the booms drowned out the screams. Then only silence remained. The creature lumbered back into the dark portal, which was now a twenty-foot tall portal. The portal closed, the Forest Island was lost.

            Nathaniel awoke from his nightmare, drenched in sweat. The fourth night had arrived and it had been raining all day. Nathaniel was shaking as he stood. The dream felt real and he worried that it was a vision of the future. He knew he couldn’t tell anyone of his dream or he would risk demoralizing his troops.

            As Nathaniel shook the nightmare from his thoughts, a soldier appeared in the doorway to his room. “Es’cuse me sir” said a female soldier. She had red hair, was dressed in her full armor and was equipped with a mace and shield. “It’s night and the men are anxious to march” Reported the mace wielding soldier. Nathaniel had slept later than he wanted. He nodded to the soldier then hastily prepared for battle.

            Nathaniel grabbed a piece of bread with honey on it as he ran toward his group of soldiers awaiting his arrival. Nathaniel ate his meager breakfast as he ran. Pubbles the bear met Nathaniel and the two of them made their to the group.

            The group cheered when they saw their leader finally arrive. “Alright soldiers, are you ready to spend another night saving the village?” Nathaniel shouted with a smile. The soldiers cheered. Moral was high and Nathaniel hoped their enthusiasm would distract him from his lingering thoughts of his nightmare.

            The Bear forces arrived just as the portal was opening. The portal didn’t look any bigger than normal which made Nathaniel feel calmer. Soon, shadowmen poured out of the shimmering purple portal. These shadowmen were slightly larger than normal, just under five feet tall, they could strike with harder force and didn’t always die in one strike. The Bear forces engaged the enemy head on. The first wave of shadowmen crashed against the shields of the frontline knights then broke like waves on rocks against the weapons and strength the of Bear lord forces.

            Pubbles the bear launched into the group of shadowmen and began mauling anyone in sight. The roar of the bear mixed with the loud thumping sound of the bear’s powerful claws against the heads of the shadowmen. The group of shadows that surrounded Pubbles was dispatched in minutes.

            Nathaniel fired his arrows with precision and speed. As he picked off the shadow creatures he thought about how all of this fighting would improve his skills as an archer and a fighter in general. A shadowman snuck up on Nathaniel and grabbed his bow, but before the shadow could make off with the champion’s bow, The Bear lord moved like lighting and grabbed a dagger from his boot then plunged it into the shadowman’s head.

            The bow dropped to the floor and Nathaniel retrieved it. He took several steps back to avoid another flanking attempt.

            The fourth night went smoothly enough. Only a dagger and a pair of boots were stolen that night. Sir Richard the knight killed twenty shadowmen in one night and the mace wielding soldier from earlier that day had hit a shadowman so hard that it flew several feet and slammed into a second shadowman, killing both.

            The moral of the men stayed high, they felt strong and capable and knew that reinforcements were on their way. That sentiment was reinforced when the Bear Lord’s scout returned early and confirmed that the Stag lord and the Dog lord were marching on their way to the portal to put a final stop to these shadow beasts. They would arrive on the sixth night and would bring the full force and fury of the Forest King’s army.

Standing against the rain

            I stand in the pouring rain, staring ahead, stern faced and shoulders tensed. I leave my hands relaxed to give the impression that I am just as relaxed. I put little effort into my relaxed disguise as my eyes cut holes in anything I look at.

           

            The world is frequently chaotic and on fire, but today the world is pouring rain and the cobblestone beneath my feet falls away all around me. I see windows with warm yellow light emitting from them, inside the windows people are laughing, smiling and having conversations while other windows have people with calm faces and relaxed shoulders. No one can see me from their windows and no one bothers to look out into the rain.

            In my mind I am brandishing a crowbar and have broken those smug windows with their warm glow pouring out of them. I have also broken the smiling faces of the ones sitting comfortably inside. Back in reality I do nothing but stare while life pushes on and the people in the windows live their lives, never noticing my existence or caring to see it.

            Some people stand alone and invisible and those people have to stand the strongest. Occasionally a traveler might see me and help prop me up before walking off into the night but ultimately we are alone in this world.

            There are times I feel guilty for even thinking about how lonely I am or how bad it feels to struggle with little or no support. The reality is that all humans are alone and the human race is a race of insecure and highly intelligent animals who shriek into the darkness and pretend everything is fine. There are varying degrees of shrieking in the darkness but the Grim Reaper comes for us all sooner or later and when shadow of death looms over you, that is when you will truly find out that money, lovers and “yes men” cannot save you.

             The only certainty in life is death and taxes but death can’t be avoided.

I do not fear death, I have experienced pain in life and unless I am cast into the fiery pits of hell, I know death couldn’t be any worse than life. I will embrace a new life, an afterlife or the sweet release of oblivion. If there is no heaven then I will not have a consciousness to be bothered by it. The lights go out, the curtain falls and that’s all she wrote.

            I do like to think there is more than this life but I am not in a hurry to find out. I would like to experience the bliss of heaven but living on earth the way I have, it is easier to believe in a hell than believe in a heaven. Still all the same, I believe in heaven despite everything.

            So I endure the rain and the darkness, I take comfort in the little things and I curb my rage against others, even those who capitalize on the misfortune of others. Any time my mind decides that the only solution is violence, that is when I do nothing at all. I know that any action I took at that point would lead to something I might regret, or worse, something I would enjoy too much.

Specter of the Forest

The forest was dark and thick with pine trees, each tree heavy with branches and pine needles. The blackness of night and the branches of the trees kept any light from entering the deep forest. Any creature that didn’t posses significant night vision would be left uselessly stumbling around in pitch black darkness of the inner forest. The moon was full and glowing brightly but only the birds that lived in the forest canopy could witness its beauty.

 

Something stirred deep in the forest, forest creatures scattered as it quickly moved through the dense woods. Despite the speed of the movement, the creature was making very little noise. The creature moved like a specter, as it would have to float and pass through solid trees to move so quickly and silently. The movement had direction and purpose. The creature was rushing to meet intruders who carelessly entered the forest uninvited. 

 

Loud stomping boots marched through the outer edge of the forest, moonbeams could still be seen through the trees and the woods were not so dense that a group of men could not march. These men were soldiers sent to find the specter of the woods, who they believed was a fugitive of the kingdom and not a ghost or spirit of any kind. The men marched deeper into the forest with their swords and armor. The soldiers carried attack dogs and metal spheres packed with gunpowder. These bombs would put the odds in their favor as many people and even kingdoms did not have access to gunpowder.

 

The forest grew darker as the soldiers traveled deeper into the woods. Since the soldiers didn’t have night vision they lit torches to light their way, this let them navigate the forest but it also made them stand out. Even one torch would be a great glowing beacon in such a dark forest, but ten men all carried torches and their presence was known to every living creature for miles.

 

            The captain of the soldiers stopped abruptly jolting all the men as they were also forced to stop. The captain, named Charles Godwyn, swung his torch around as he scanned the darkness for movement. A noise caught his attention but had escaped the notice of the other nine members of the group. The other soldiers looked in every direction to help the captain locate the noise. “It was probably a small animal or a bird” Said one of the soldiers. “It sounded like something took off from the ground, jumped or flew with such force that it disturbed the ground below it. So unless it was a giant owl or a jumping bear, then I think we are close to our fugitive” Explained the captain in a calm and quiet voice. “Are jumping bears real?” Asked one of the soldiers, sounding nervous. Charles smacked the soldier in the head and sighed “No, jumping bears aren’t real. Now focus. The fugitive must have a light source in order to travel at night” replied Charles the captain.

 

            Something rustled in the branches above the soldiers. Two of the soldiers in the back of the group fired an arrow up into the trees. The arrows both shot straight but only hit trees. The distinct noise of an arrow plunging into a tree made the captain sigh. The branches shook again but this time a small sack of powder was thrown to the ground from the tree tops.

 

The sack broke open on the floor and the powder turned to dust. The dust floated into the air and was pushed up higher and spread around as the soldiers tried to move away from it as quickly as they could. The movement and scuffling of feet from ten men forced the dust into the air and caused them to inhale some of it. The soldiers all stood and looked around. The powder didn’t explode or ignite, it appeared to be nothing more than a bag of dirt or sand. “Ten soldiers all distracted and surprised by a bag of sand” Charles said with another heavy sigh. He included himself in the number of men that were distracted, he was equally disappointed in himself. The soldiers had been carrying gunpowder bombs all day and were all aware of how dangerous the bombs could be, so when a porch of powder landed at their feet they reacted as if trying to escape a blast.

 

 

Glowing yellow eyes appeared from the darkness. The eyes looked down at the soldiers from above. Some kind of creature was staring at them while perched ten feet in the air on a tree branch. The forest canopy went up twenty feet or more, which left plenty of places to hide for anything that knew how to climb trees and leap across branches.

 

The captain gave a signal to the archers in the back and they each fired an arrow. Both arrows headed straight at the eyes but instead of hitting anything, the arrows passed through the glowing eyes and struck a tree with a loud thud. The eyes faded away as laughter began to echo through the forest. The laughter was maniacal and disturbing, the soldiers couldn’t tell if it was the laugh of a human or a hyena. Yellow eyes slowly faded into view on another tree branch but this time the eyes moved and appeared as though there were a creature walking along the branch. The eyes were higher up as well. The first set of eyes were low like a hunching human or an animal, the second pair of eyes would belong to someone standing between five and six feet tall. As the creature moved the glowing eyes left a trail of yellow light.

 

The men began to panic and one of them lit a bomb and threw it. Charles saw this and shouted “NO!” but it was too late, the bomb was air born. The bomb struck the tree and exploded. The sound of the explosion echoed through the otherwise silent forest for miles. The shockwave knocked the soldiers back and the blast destroyed several branches and ripped a chunk out of three surrounding trees. The soldiers were so close to the blast that chunks of wood pelted their armor and the light from the explosion temporarily blinded them.

 

When Charles came to his senses he noticed blood on his face and a dent in the side of his helmet caused by a flying high velocity chunk of wood. His men were slowly recovering and some were barely getting back on their feet. Charles walked over to check on his soldiers and saw one of them was dead. While all of the soldiers had been knocked back by the explosion or by chunks of wood one of the soldiers had been noticeably stabbed in the neck multiple times. The assailant would have had to strike precisely into the small gab between the helmet and the chest armor, which meant that if the creature or person they were tracking had killed a soldier they would have had to jump from the tree branches, escape the explosion, get next to a soldier, stab him on a very precise spot several times and leave before anyone noticed.

 

The soldiers grew more nervous at the skill of the criminal they were tracking. Then they heard its voice. “You were fools to come after me and bigger fools to track me at night!” the voice echoed through forest. “You are a wanted fugitive! You killed the prince of Gahlor and fled from justice. You have been credited to be agile and quick but no human could navigate through the dark forest as you have done this night. So if you are indeed Katharine Dohl then you need to come with us for the murder of the prince and now an imperial soldier!” Captain Charles called back. The voice laughed again, the laugh chilled their bones but the soldiers stood firm. “I was Katharine until I was driven from the land. I believe you and I remember things differently. I am now a ghost, a specter of the woods. I am a queen spider and you are all in my web. Now flee before you are consumed by my hatred!” Yelled the voice of Katharine. Her voice was only vaguely female, Her voice sounded otherworldly and threatening. “We can’t leave, I don’t care if we have to blow up the whole forest! The Prince must be avenged!” yelled the Captain.

 

Suddenly bright yellow eyes appeared in front of Captain Charles. It was a females face, she looked sad but her glowing yellow eyes and pale face still made him nervous. She looked undead with her paper white skin and scars across her face. “I avenged the victims of the Prince. The Prince was a monster and does not deserve to be avenged” Said the haunting face of Katharine. “Katharine? What happened to you?” Asked Captain Charles as the ghostly face of someone he used to know shook him to the core.   “I am not Katharine anymore, I am Delirium Doll, the stitched together girl, the undead witch of Gahlor, the specter of the woods and I am your death” Delirium snarled then vanished into the darkness. Before Charles could react another soldier screamed and blood splashed across the captain’s armor. A second soldier had been killed, this time stabbed through the throat. 

 

Charles was horrified by how bloodthirsty Katharine had become, she used to be a sweet girl who lived in the town just outside the castle. She studied medicine and plants with her father and wanted to help people, not hurt them. Charles thought about what she had said, about the Prince having victims and about that strange name, Delirium Doll. She said she was like a doll stitched together also her last name sounded like Doll.

“But why delirium?” Charles muttered, then he realized, the powder was a poison, altering the perception of the soldiers. They were delirious and seeing ghostly faces and glowing eyes. Katharine was killing them off slowly while they threw bombs at illusions. She could have killed everyone by now if she wanted to.

 

            “Men, retreat! We’ve been poisoned, your sight has been altered!” Charles shouted. The men all turned  and began to quickly march back the way they came, holding their shields up while they went. The situation was more complex than Charles first thought and even if Captain Charles Godwyn wanted to capture Katharine, he wouldn’t be able to while being poisoned in a dark unfamiliar forest.

 

            Katharine watched the soldiers retreat from the safety of the tree branches. She decided to spare the soldiers, men who were just doing their jobs. She had proven her might and coated the soldiers with so much toxic dust that anyone who goes near them will see ghosts for days. That was enough revenge for one day.

 

            The night slowly faded to morning as the soldiers marched back to the castle. Katharine Dohl, the Delirium Doll retreated to her forest hide out and Captain Charles headed home with a heavy heart and a head full of Delirium dust.

The Halloween Carnival part 1

        The night air was crisp and cold, each gust of wind howled and the full moon hung in the sky as it stared down at the world below.  

            Deep in the haunted forest was the Halloween loving town of Hallows End. Anyone inside the borders of Hallows End would see monsters for their true nature. No ghost could stay invisible and no shape shifter could hide their identity. Villagers of other towns would come to Hallows End for a yearly Halloween party and anyone who knew the magic of the town would be unsettled to see that the moon had a menacing grimace and eyes that fixated on the earth at all times. Many decided to believe it was the magic of Halloween playing tricks, but the creatures of Hallows End knew that they looked upon the moons true face. 

            Charles Orchard, the owner of the Autumn Carnival made his way through the Haunted Forest. The Haunted Forest was full of wild spirits, screaming pumpkins and gray, leafless trees that oozed green slime when injured. Charles Orchard had determined eyes and strode through the dangerous forest with purpose in each step. The man wore a black suit with a bright orange shirt, black top hat with a black and orange striped band at the base of the hat and a purple leaf sticking out of the side of the hat. Charles walked with a cane decorated with a silver pumpkin for a handle.  

            Soon Charles reached a clearing that lead to the ever-popular Hallows End. It was a week before Halloween and the town was lit up with orange, yellow, red and purple lights, brightly lit signs, and lanterns with green flames and Jack-o-lanterns on every corner and by every house.  Charles took one step into Hallows End and his appearance immediately began to change. His clothes stayed the same but his skin turned black as coal and his form became less solid. Charles Orchard wasn’t a human from the Autumn forest, he was a shadow fiend from the Haunted forest. It was entirely possible that he was the only friendly shadow fiend in the world. He delighted in seeing others smile and laugh and if he grew rich from it, then it was even better. While other shadow fiends fed on terror and pain, Charles was nourished from being around happiness and good will. The love of the Autumn carnival and the fun from the rides was enough to feed Charles for an entire year. 

            Shadow fiends didn’t care about hurting humans but Charles didn’t want to see anyone suffer, so he came up with a plan. He would make a Halloween Carnival that would scare AND delight humans once a year. By creating scary rides on the edge of the Haunted forest, the human fear would feed the Shadow fiends and keep the humans safe all at the same time. He would also be able to get a second, smaller meal of happiness and good will each year. He would use this extra energy to strengthen his magic, making it easier to teleport and maintain his Autumn and Halloween Carnivals. 

            Charles smiled warmly as he saw that production was ahead of schedule. His almost featureless face curled into a smile that would send most running for the hills but it was hard to look warm and lovable when he was in his true shadow form. Villagers of Hallows End and even monsters from the Haunted Forest pitched in the help to build the Halloween Carnival. For the residence of Hallows End the carnival would spread more Halloween fun throughout the land, the spirits and wraiths of the Haunted Forest only saw the carnival as a means to be well fed every year. Regardless of motivation, Charles was happy to see so many people working together. 

            The Czars of Halloween stepped out from a pumpkin shaped tavern holding beer mugs. They were both smiling and their smiles widened when they saw Charles. “Charles my friend, how are you?” asked Nyx who was dressed in a black and orange suit, a long sword was strapped to his back, the pommel was in the shape of an angry looking Jack-o-lantern. Poe waved “Hey”. Poe wore a black and white suit and had a large scythe shaped axe strapped to his back. No one was expecting trouble but the Czars of Halloween were not only chill Halloween loving dudes but also the fierce protectors of Hallows End. 

            “Boys! Everything is going wonderfully! We almost have all of the rides ready and when the construction is complete I will be able to teleport everything on the human side of the Haunted Forest” Charles said excitedly.

            The Czars of Halloween were in their late twenties and were still mostly human, but were often referred to as boys by the older inhabitants of Hallows End. Some monsters, including Charles, were hundreds of years old. For the Czars be relatively young humans and still be so respected, was quite a feat.

            Days passed since that day and Halloween was right around the corner, the Halloween Carnival had been completed and all was ready for the grand opening.

            This Halloween day promised to be one that no one would forget any time soon.

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.

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.

Where my Dreams take me - part 4 (out of 6) Awake

            Jack sat in the ‘Lousy Dame” Bar. With his Chicken fingers and fries getting cold and his beer and whiskey getting warm. He remembered it all, his work as an enforcer for the Organization, the organized crime in Dark city, his meeting Isabelle, their happy moments together, the life and promise of a future and one shotgun blast that ruined it all. Jack couldn’t remember what he did after Isabelle was murdered. He remembered he lived in the mountains, led a peaceful life growing pumpkins and raising an stray cat but he couldn’t remember how he got there. Everything between that night his love died and waking up one morning in a cabin was a blur.

            Jack clutched his head tightly with his hands. He tried to imagine what he did. Did he run home and drunk, did he murder everyone in the Organization, did he move to the mountains right away and build a cabin from wood he chopped down himself? None of it seemed real, he couldn’t remember doing any of those things. Just as Jack was in the middle of his crisis a tall thin man walked into the bar. The man was dressed in all black and wore a black cloak over his shoulders. His hood was down and besides the cloak he was wearing modern clothing. “Jack, you need to wake up” said the man. Jack looked up and saw the man. the bar was empty, not even Old Carl was there. The place was quiet, no music, no clattering in the kitchen, only silence. “Who are you?” Jack asked slowly.

“Death” Replied Death. ‘Death’ was a tall, pale, thin man in his early thirties wearing modern clothes, with white hair and pale gray eyes. “Yeah, sure. As far as everyone tells me I am death, not you” Jack replied. The man smiled and closed his eyes, then vanished.

            It began to rain again outside. Not the harsh pouring rain from before, but the light misty rain that somehow makes everything look nicer. Even Dark city at night seemed a little friendlier with this rain. Gentle rain pattered against the window. Mist drifted through the air. All was still and quiet except for the rain outside. Jack sat in silence as he listened to the rain outside. The quiet drops rhythmically hitting the street as the light of the city reflected off of the mist in the air.

            “What did you do that night?” Death asked. Its voice echoed through the room. Jack felt a pull on his heart as he started to remember. “I went back to the apartment. I was filled with rage and pain, I didn’t know what to do with myself so I drank until I passed out” Jack replied as his eyes began to tear up. “Then what?” Asked the voice again. “I kept doing that. I didn’t go to work and I barely left the apartment. No one came looking for me and I was too broken up to get revenge” Jack replied.  “Then one night you went Isabelle’s grave stone. You were drunk, you cried and you fell asleep. Then you dreamed of a happy life away from pain and suffering. You blocked out the pain and moved to a mountain top. That is where you are now, asleep in a graveyard. All of your memories of Dark city are real. But you never did move away, you stayed in the city you grew to hate and you let it grind you down. Maple town, the autumn forest and even that black cat all exist in real life. I gave you that dream. You dreams were just painful memories until I planted fiction into them. To give you hope. You can live that dream, peace and quiet far away from this Dark city. I can help you…but you must help me” Death said, its voice soft and reassuring at first but grew darker as it spoke.

            Jack woke up in a graveyard. He took a deep breath in and began to move. Gentle rain drifted down onto the graveyard, it was still night. Jack had tears in his eyes and his clothes were drenched from falling asleep in the rain. He remembered every second of his dream and the last words he heard from the voice of death. “What do you need me to do?” Jack asked in a shaky voice. “Kill” Said the voice of Death. Jack showed an evil smile and then lifted himself up. He looked down and realized he was leaning on Isabelle’s gravestone for support. “You are always helping me” Jack said allowing himself one last moment of sadness.

            Jack wore a green trench coat with the buckles undone, a gray long sleeve shirt, black jeans, black combat boots and black leather gloves. His dark brown hair was wet from the rain so Jack ran his hand through his hair to dry it. Jack’s hair was long and pushed back making him look like a maniac.  His green eyes shone bright with determination.  Jack picked up his hammer from the ground and held it in his hands. He was ready for revenge.

            Jack left the cemetery with a quick pace. He was headed downtown to the Boss’ main base of operations. As he walked down the street he kept noticing a face floating over his shoulder. It was the face of death, with a skeleton head and black holes for eyes. If you stared into the eyes of death you could lose your soul right there. Jack only saw this face in the corner of his eye and when he looked the face was gone. He knew Death was following him though. He couldn’t decide if that made him emboldened or nervous.

            “why are you helping me? You promise a future for me like in my dreams and the price is for me to kill the Organization boss and take revenge. That’s everything I want, what do you get out of this?” Jack asked as he continued his pace with his hammer held firmly in hand. The few people out on the street that night parted or crossed the street when they saw Jack walking through. “Your former boss is more than he seems. He is a devil who feeds off of the pain and suffering of men. I don’t get involved in the affairs of men but this needs my attention. Unfortunately if I wanted to fight him myself I would have to kill everyone around him. I am not allowed to take humans lives before their time. If their time runs out or another human cuts their time short, I take them then, not before” Death replied though its voice was calm, Jack felt a chill down his spine as Death spoke.

            “How am I supposed to fight a demon?” Asked Jack, wondering if he got in over his head. “Some demons are stronger than humans, some are not. Your boss is not. He is a lesser demon, with the strength of a human. He relies on guns and human weapons to fight. Do not let your guard down though. He might have a trick up his sleeve if cornered” Death replied.

            Jack walked quickly down the street as rain fell onto the city below. Thoughts of revenge, demons, death and Isabelle stole his focus. As he neared downtown he saw glowing orbs floating in the distance. Orange glowing orbs bobbed up and down by the edge of the city then floated off. Jack wanted to go follow them, they had a strange alluring nature. “Stop! You still need revenge, I cannot let you go dying now. Those lights lead people into the Haunted Forest every year. The closer it comes to Halloween the worse it gets” Death’s voice said. Jack stopped walking and shook his head. “I feel like I would know that. I did grow up here” Jack replied.

Jack’s memory was still fuzzy, probably because he was still drunk. Jack felt like he was still walking in a dream though. He was awake but he kept thinking back to his cabin in the mountains, it all seemed so real and the Dark city seemed like a bad nightmare that wouldn’t go away. “Will I ever see the cabin in the mountains again? Will I actually have that life?” Asked Jack. “Yes, rid the world of this demon you call ‘boss’ and I will make sure you get your cabin” Said Death.

Jack finally reached the base of operations for the Organization. It looked like an abandoned factory on the outside. Jack looked up at the top floor where he knew the Boss would be waiting. “Do I deserve a quiet life if I just keep killing? I would do anything for Isabelle but does killing in her name settle anything? Will it bring her back?” Jack said out loud. He wasn’t really asking anyone and knew she wouldn’t come back but he had grown tired of killing and yearned for the life of peace that he had in his dreams. “Your old boss is a demon. A literal demon and I choose you to kill him. If you walk away he will continue hurting people, making more victims and causing more pain. Your soul is stained from killing but that demon boss of yours raised you and put you on the path. So you are one of his victims just like all of the people you killed are victims of yours. I don’t need someone to think about this problem. I need a hammer, blunt crushing force. Now go!” Death explained. Death’s voice boomed when it said “Go”

Jack steeled his nerves. Now wasn’t the time for doubt or thoughts of warm beds and autumn days. Now was the time for revenge. Jack was an assassin, a hitman, an enforcer and all around psycho in his past life. Jack new it was time to bring that all back one last time. Jack kicked open the front door and broke off one of the door’s hinges.

Jack walked into main room, which looked like an empty factory, this was also part of the disguise. The main factory room was dark, the only light was from the street lights outside that came in through the large factory windows. The sound of rain echoed outside. the rain began to beat down harder, thousands of drops pelted the building and the strong winds shook the fragile windows.

Jack walked across the room to an old wooden door that looked like it led to an office or storage. The door opened and a guard wearing a suit and tie emerged from the doorway. He was sent to investigate the noise and found Jack standing before him.

The guard was shocked, he looked as if he had seen a ghost or maybe he was scared because he knew he was about to die. The guard saw Jack, standing tall with an insane grin and a fierce look of murder in his eyes. Jack had his hammer raised over his head and the guard pulled out a gun to shoot. Before a shot could be fired Jack slammed his hammer down onto the guards skull, smashing him into the cold concrete floor.

Jack walked into the base through the old wooden door. The inside of the base was all decked out with new furniture, metal doors, reinforced walls and stylish gold and marble statues. The first room had guards all with guns. Jack slammed his hammer down on the first guard that was by the door then threw his hammer at the guard across the room. A third guard drew his gun but Jack was able to grab a gun from the first guard and fire at the third. Jack’s hammer was lightweight enough that it could be thrown and swung quickly. Jack was an agile person and carried his hammer around ever day, so the crushing weight that it did have never slowed him down.

Jack had made it into the base of the Organization. His path for revenge wasn’t over yet. Jack readied himself for the battle ahead.

Clash of Reality part 2

            Soul Shadow stalked the Dark Forest as he hunted monsters. Shadow goblins ambled out from behind the trees. Soul drew two twin swords from his back. Frost and Ember, swords of fire and ice, forged in the heart of the dwarves mountains and enchanted by the arch Mage himself. Soul got the swords by killing the fire king and the ice king. Two kings, two kingdoms, each with their own powerful swords, and now Soul possessed both of them.

            Being a dark elf, Soul was both nimble and dexterous. He swung his swords with precision and speed, slicing at his enemies with deadly accuracy. Flames and frost trails followed after each swing of their perspective swords. Soul stepped forward to one of the Shadow goblins, he moved so fast he seemed as if he could teleport. Trails of fire and ice moved through the air over the goblin, then Soul sidestepped and moved onto the next enemy. The sword strikes were so fast the blades could rarely be seen and the goblins didn’t know they were dead till moments after Soul moved onto his next target. The battle looked more like a colorful dance routine or a martial arts demonstration than a battle. Once you realized that the goblins were dying you probably wouldn’t call it a battle anymore, it was a slaughter.

            Soul left the fight clean and the bodies behind him were left in pieces. Soul didn’t even bother looting half of the bodies, he had more important business. Soul reached the edge of the Dark forest and the beginning border of the autumn lands, a bright and beautiful place full of autumn trees and soft warm sunlight. At the border stood a swordsman enemy with a red cloak. The swordsman carried a large jagged black sword and wore a red cloak and a golden helmet. This design showed that he was a border guard between lands. Most players would take the long way around to avoid the legendary border guards, who were imbued with powers of the lands they protected. Soul went straight through them.

            Dark red eyes glowed ominously under the contrasting golden autumn helmet. The swordsman roared like a beast and swung its two handed jagged sword down at Soul. Soul moved forward with incredible speed. He sidestepped the first attack then countered with a flurry of strikes from Ember and Frost. The sword strikes slashed and broke through a thick maple tree, which was now standing in for the swordsman. Soul looked in disbelief. One of the dark trees from the Dark forest side of the border morphed into the swordsman. He could move freely through the trees, which made up for his slow movements. Soul crossed his swords and then thrust them forward. A ball of blue icy flames shot forward and struck the swordsman before he could warp to another tree. The ice slowed the swordsman down and the flames burned him, causing slow damage over time.

            Soul ran forward at twice the speed as normal, using a haste spell to make sure his next hit was successful. Being a dark elf Soul was proficient in Magic and swords, but his magic was nowhere near that of a mage or warlock.

Soul reached the swordsman, who was in mid swing to strike again. Before the jagged black sword could land a hit, Soul rammed his swords into the Border Guardian and pulled the swords upward, ripping two huge wounds into the creature. The guardian howled again then faded away.

            Soul stood and tried to catch his breath, the guardian faded away but his cloak remained. “Yes!” Soul cheered. This guardian would only drop one of his special items when defeated. This time Soul got exactly what he wanted.

            Soul gazed out at toward the Autumn lands, the honey colored sun, the cool breeze, the red and orange trees, it was all so beautiful. Then when Soul didn’t think the view could get any better, Ayla appeared in the distance. She was a high elf warrior, slender and beautiful, with bright red hair and fierce green eyes. When she saw Soul she started to run toward him and waved. “Soul!” She shouted. Soul walked toward her and gave an embarrassed smile. He wasn’t used to people getting so excited to see him.

            “I got this for you” He said as Ayla approached. Ayla’s smile widened as Soul gave her the red cloak of the Autumn forest Border Guardian. The cloak increased the wearer’s strength, which was great for a warrior class. Plus the red cloak matched her hair. Ayla hugged soul and put on the cloak. “Thank you so much! I can’t believe you took on a guardian by yourself” She said. “I-it was nothing” Soul replied. The two of them chatted for hours and even went out questing together. They made a good team, with Soul’s speed and use of support magic and Ayla’s strength and defense, they could take on anything the world had to offer.

            Jacob sighed as he stretched at his computer. It was another successful night and he was happy that his gift made Ayla so happy.

Soul: Hey Ayla…uh what is your real name? I’ve seen your face on video chat, but I never thought to ask you what your name is.

Ayla: ….Sarah. I like Ayla better, it’s a name I actually got to choose.

Soul: Sarah, I like it. I’m Jacob. It seems silly that we are just learning this now.

Ayla: Its not silly Soul, I knew the name that you choose, it doesn’t matter to me what other people call you. Jacob is a fine name though. Don’t get me wrong. Also you can still call me Ayla. ;)

Soul: Thanks, Ayla.

            Real life has its perks, but for some the virtual life holds more value. When its blisteringly hot outside in real life, you are stuck inside and alone, wouldn’t it be better to spend the day in an autumn forest with someone you love?

Jacob looked outside. The heat from the pavement distorted the air outside of his window. In the background was the sound of his AC turned to full blast.

Soul: Hey Ayla, whats the weather like there?

Sarah looks out her window and grimaces as she looks on another scorching hot day. She smiles as she images that it is so hot a bird bursts into flames. She looks down at her freckled pale arm and frowns. She couldn’t handle the sun very well. Sarah went back to her computer and smiled.

Ayla: It another beautiful day in the Autumn forest, same for you right?

Soul:…haha, yeah. It sure is.

Empty House

            On a snowy night I sit at home. Alone again. The feeling of sadness and exhaustion washes over me as I look around at my ruined house. There was no grand fight, natural disaster or even a break in, this was destruction from a wounded man.

            Sadness and frustration filled my head and that led to anger. Anger led to rage and that led to destruction. I sit on the floor as sadness takes hold again. I feel like a dog chasing his tail, running in circles and never getting anywhere. I feel like I spend my days beating my head against the wall and when the pain is too much I explode and then start all over again. I do not know how to break this cycle, how to feel better. I know happiness is possible but it seems so far away.

            I dream of a happier day as I continue to run in circles. No one is forcing my life in any direction, I am doing this to myself. I continue the cycle of pain and then get angry when I get hurt. I realized I had a problem when I started spending most of my money replacing my cheap furniture on a regular basis.

            I don’t see any outside help, no one is trying to get into my life, and no one seems interested in helping me. They see me like they would see an old empty house. They take a look, they might even peek their head in the window, but no one goes inside. My life isn’t a shelter for the weak or a place to warm up. But if someone took the time to turn on some lights and maybe start a fire in the fireplace my empty house of a life might seem a little cozier.

            No one wants to put in the investment and so I am stuck doing it all myself. The only time I might get someone poking their head in the door is the few times I get a nice fire going for myself. They see the warmth and want to be apart of it, but if the fire goes out they leave as fast as they came.

            So sit on the kitchen floor of my actual house, staring into the living room at all of the broken furniture. Chairs I need to replace, a new couch I need to pay for. It will give me something to do, something to distract my mind for a little while.

            Until I find someone willing to help me rebuild my life or gain the energy to do it myself, I will continue to feel like an empty old house with broken furniture in the living room.

Tail of two cats

In the darkness of night two life forms were created. These beasts were born from the shadows and were created through their own sheer will. They were born because they willed themselves to be so. They started very small. The Shadow beasts looked like a small adorable ball of dark fur. One of the creatures was dark black with only the slightest of white markings. The other was black with other dark colors mixed in.

Into the night the creatures walked, their slow pace and tiny frame giving the illusion of innocence. These creatures were in fact adorable, but the mischief and evil intent could be seen in clearly in their bright yellow eyes.

            The tiny beasts stalked the streets. They lived and thrived in the human world. These creatures weren’t friends nor were they enemies. They both preferred being dominate but respected the others strength enough to work together for a time. during one of their nightly walks in the town, humans came and caught the black and brown create and took her away. Being so small at the time, there was nothing either of these shadowy female creatures could do.

            A year passed and the blackest of the two continued to live on the streets. She traveled among the local street cats for company and occasionally changed her form to look like them. One day a human truck rolled up and two humans got out. They had thick leather gloves and a cage. They came to wrangle the stray cats in the area. The darkest of shadow beasts had warmed up to the cats that kept her company. So as the humans approached. The beast charged forward as the alley cats slipped out behind a house.

            A struggle ensued, but the beast still wasn’t big enough to fight. So she inevitably lost and was thrown in the cage.

            The shadow beast woke up and was in a larger cage, in a building. Dogs, cats and other animals surrounded her. She was in an animal shelter. She roared in protest, but sadly she had spent too much time with cats and was still very small, so her roar was more of an adorable “mew”. This prompted a kindly human to come by and bring food.

 It might have been confined but this wasn’t so bad having free food and a safe place to sleep.

            Then one day a family arrived to adopt a cat. The shadowy monster did her best to look like a cat. She was smart enough to know this ‘adoption’ thing was her way out. Then once she was ‘adopted’ she could escape and travel back to her street.

            From there she was ‘adopted’ and taken to the human home. She was given the name “Gali” and was treated very nicely. After some time had passed Gali had become used to the perks of being a house cat. She just had to keep her form stable and catlike. She would get massages, food, water and comfortable things to sleep on. Life was bliss.

As the years went on, she stayed in cat form for so long, she forgot how to change back to her neutral form. The only thing that changed was her eye color. Since color wasn’t a physical thing and she couldn’t reach the mirror, her eyes would change from bright yellow to bright green and anything in between. This changed happened depending on her mood. The humans never were suspicious but they were aware of it. Luckily humans are dumb and don’t believe that some cats and animals are actually shadow creatures brought into this world through sheer force of will.

            Gali had many adventures during her time with the humans, but missed her rival at times. Little did she know that soon her shadowy sister would be coming over to stay.