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.

The Crimson Hand on Halloween part 1 of 2

 

“Travels beware, if you visit Hallows End on Halloween, don’t journey any deeper into the Haunted forest. If you go any deeper into the forest you will find only Death” – Wisdom from the Autumn Forest residence.

            The clock struck midnight and Halloween had arrived. The entrance to the Haunted Forest would be revealed and any who dared travel the path would find Hallows End. Samantha and Rumford stood in front of the forest as flickers of light began to dance at the edge of the forest. Blue wisps danced and spun around the large, dead husks of trees. The air trembled, the moon shone down brighter and the trees began to move. The husks uprooted themselves and crawled backward with unnatural motion. A path was made, stretching on into the darkness. Samantha and Rumford had seen the Haunted woods path open many times.

            The moment stood in time, drawn and framed like an art show of memories. The hundredth time that Samantha and Rumford watched the Haunted Forest open on Halloween night, one hundred Halloweens together. Ninety of those Halloweens we spent looking for revenge, but the ten good years they had together were the best years they had in the entirety of their unnaturally long lifespan.

            The couple entered the Haunted Forest, the full moon hung over head and as Samantha entered the forest for the hundredth time she looked up and saw the moon had a large grinning face. This unpleasant smile was only visible for a second before the pair entered the forest. The forest was thick with tangled husk like branches, which blocked out the sky and obscured the sight of any smiling moon. Samantha decided to not read into this as an ill omen and continued walking. Blue spirit wisps danced around the trees lighting the way to Hallows End. If Samantha didn’t know better she might be fooled into thinking the wisps were friendly or happy. The truth was the spirits of the forest wanted to seem friendly on Halloween so visitors would leave the path. The only safety assured was on the path, leaving the path for any reason was almost certain death.

            As Rumford walked along he pulled his cloak tightly around his chest. He didn’t like being reminded that the green flame in his chest was just his wisp bound to his body and without Samantha’s crimson hand, Rumford would have been a dancing wisp like the ones in the forest. Samantha tucked herself under Rumford’s arm, showing a strange level of affection that she had not shown in almost eighty years. “I love you Rumford” Samantha cooed. Rumford stopped walking. He might have been a literal heartless monster but his soul could still feel and her sudden warmth made him pause. “I love you too, Samantha” He muttered back, then quickly added “This isn’t the end for us, you know that right?” Samantha smiled “I know. We will get revenge. I just realized that I’ve been on such a tireless hunt for your killer that I forgot to appreciate that I still have you around in some capacity” Samantha replied, her voice filled with sorrow. “I know what you mean. When you don’t age its easy to let decades fly by without even holding hands. I’m not even a person anymore” Rumford replied. Samantha looked sad and held Rumford tighter and the two continued to walk.

            The darkness of the path gave way to warm flickering lights in the distance. Hallows End was just ahead and set to accept visitors. The town of monsters was a sight to behold, creatures of different sizes lived and worked in harmony, the houses were built by the residence and made to fit the needs of the occupant. Some homes were one giant room and made of fire resistant wood, some looked like more traditional multi-room, average sized homes and some were small with hundreds of rooms. Mouse sized creatures lived in apartments in one of the first ever apartment buildings. There was a tavern near the center of town that was shaped like a giant pumpkin and painted orange, adorned with colorful lights and streamers for the upcoming festival. The entrance of town had a giant wooden sign that read “Welcome to Hallows End” the letters were written in red paint but the color could be confused for blood. The monsters in the town painted the buildings with orange, red, purple, lime green and black paint and some of the fancier buildings had designs of black roses, bones, or haunted trees. The home of Yarkov the giant had a picture of a dog on it, Yarkov loved dogs but never found one so deep in the forest.

           

            Samantha and Rumford had been to the town many times in the past hundred years and every year the town added a new structure, it could have been a new house, a shop, a bench, a statue or even planted some new trees. The town was ever changing, which was part of its charm. This year Samantha and Rumford arrived with a mission, it wasn’t a year of festivals, study or vacation, it was a year of revenge. Samantha marched toward the center of town with purpose and navigated the town with the familiarity of a resident of Hallows End. At the center of town was a giant Jack-O-Lantern with a smiling face, sharp features and a flame burning brightly inside it. The pumpkin was a real pumpkin but it never wilted or died, the flame was real but it never burned out. The Hallows End pumpkin grew from a seed dropped by a necromancer and when the pumpkin grew it absorbed all the magic of the surrounding area. This magical Jack-O-Lantern had been a source of magic, protection, light and pride for the inhabitants of Hallows End.

            Samantha reached into her back and pulled out the ancient stone pumpkin that she bought of the ship captain in Mist Harbor. The air shifted and the wind began to pick up. Fallen leaves rustled against the dark gray stone of the towns square and the residence all felt a change. Samantha hadn’t done anything yet but the town was already reacting to the stones power. The stone began to glow and would get brighter the closer it was to the Hallows End pumpkin.

            Rumford and Samantha looked at each other one final time before touching the stone against the pumpkin. The stone reacted to the stored magic of Hallows End and was lifted out of Samantha’s hand. The stone slammed down into the ground and melted into the black and gray stone floor beneath them. Samantha started to see the face of Rumford’s murderer flash in her eyes. Then it was all she could think about, soon it was all she could see with her eyes. The world spun, the night sky sank into the ocean, the Haunted Forest trees melted away and soon all was dark. Emptiness replaced reality as Samantha drifted off into the endless void.

            It was ninety years ago when Rumford lost his life. Samantha and Rumford had been married for nine years, they enjoyed traveling, going to Hallows End for parties, Rumford enjoyed studying monsters and Samantha started to see the appeal of it as well. The two didn’t own a house and they never settled into a single town. Rumford was used to traveling as a scholar and Samantha made up her mind many years ago that she wanted to travel the world.

            One day in the village of New Leaf, Samantha and Rumford were having lunch under a tall maple tree. They had been visiting the outer lands, places that experienced all four seasons throughout the year instead of just one. It was Fall in these lands and the colors of the turning maple made Samantha feel at home.

As the two ate they started hearing screams coming from the other side of the village. Samantha stood up but Rumford grabbed her arm “Honey, what could we possibly do to help?” Rumford asked. From his viewpoint, he was an outsider and lacked any special ability to help anyone. He also was terrified at the mere thought of Samantha being harmed in any way.

            “Coward, we have to help!” Samantha chided as she pulled her arm away, then ran off to help the villagers. Rumford hung his head as he got up to run after his wife. Rumford was cowardly when it came to fighting and any kind of serious danger and wished that Samantha was a little smarter about the dangers of the land.

           

            When the two arrived they saw that bandits had begun to raid the town. These men and women were dressed in skulls and wore purple bandanas. They were the most organized and aggressive group of bandits that Samantha had ever seen. The bandit lord, who went by the name Joroth, was the meanest of the group, he wore a helmet made of broken bones and carried a large two handed axe with jagged and bloodied edges. The bandits called themselves the “Sweeping Death” and weren’t interested in survivors.

            Samantha wasn’t a warrior but she knew how to use a sword and a bow. She snuck through the village with Rumford behind her. The two easily evaded the mob of bandits and found Joroth.  The bandit king was drinking wine straight out of the cask. His two massive hands wrapped around the barrel like gorilla mitts as he lifted the cask and drank. Wine poured out of an axe shaped hole in the top.

            Samantha drew her bow, her delicate red hair blew in the breeze, her long hair would give her an indication of the winds direction allowing for a better shot. Samantha fired the arrow and it found its mark straight into the bandit leaders chest. Joroth dropped his wine and stumbled backward but stayed on his feet. “Find the lil’shits that did this” He uttered. The bandits swarmed the area, it wouldn’t be long before Samantha was caught. Thinking fast she grabbed Rumford’s hand and the two of them ran, heading for the edge of town. Just as the two were about to reach the edge of town they ran into one of the bandits.

            Without hesitation Samantha drew her sword and lunged, stabbing the bandit through the lungs before he could call for help. “ok lets leave, please” Rumford pleaded. Before they could get away a giant axe came twirling past them and hit a tree, splitting the tree in half. “I’m not letting a single soul escape” Yelled the bandit leader. Joroth had caught up with them and was now charging forward. Samantha readied her sword and lunged just as Joroth was close. The experienced bandit leader sidestepped the sword attack, grabbed Samantha’s hand and cuffed her across the face. Samantha was sent backwards from the force of the attack.

            Rumford found his courage at this moment, he took off his baggy cloak and grabbed the sword Samantha dropped. The scholar charged with his sword, stabbing the bandit leader in the side. This did not kill Joroth, who seemed to have supernatural strength. Joroth roared and punched Rumford. He grabbed the sword that Rumford dropped and walked towards the fallen scholar. “No survivors” The bandit muttered insanely. Instead of running away, which is what he wanted to do, Rumford stayed to fight. He couldn’t risk Samantha being killed because he was a coward. Rumford reached into his bag and pulled out a flame crystal. This magical artifact was so rare that scholars refused to use them, in case the crystal was ever damaged.

            Rumford decided that protecting his wife was more important than any rare artifact. He lifted the crystal and hurled the fire gem at the Bandit leader. The crystal exploded and engulfed the bandit in flames. The explosion was bigger than Rumford anticipated and was also swallowed by the flames. The burned and half dead bandit continued to charge forward and stabbed Rumford through the heart. The bandit collapsed to the ground as did Rumford.

            Though Joroth appeared very dead, he was not. He held a mystical artifact that always kept him on the verge of death but could never die.

            Samantha opened her eyes in present day. The Hallows End Magic had worked. The Crimson Hand and her undead lover had finally found the crypt of Joroth the undying.

            The two stood underground in the crypt made to house the most vicious man in the land. Lights flickered on and the ground rumbled. Joroth the undying rose from his giant coffin like a lumbering beast. His skin was missing in pieces and the skin he did have was still blacked from Rumford’s fire bomb. The time had arrived, time to kill Joroth the Undying.

((Side note, The details explaining how Rumford was brought back to life and Samantha’s Crimson hand will be explained in Crimson hand Origin 2. for now, I want to finish this Halloween themed story before finishing back story))

Crimson Hand Origin

Rain fell from the sky, beating the ground like fingers tapping on a drum. Samantha and Rumford Gould had left Mist Harbor but the rain followed them. “No one enjoys our company as much as the rain” Rumford joked.

A chilled breeze blew through and rustled their cloaks. Samantha wore her cloak with her hood up and her black leather gloves. She wore a sleeveless tunic and black pants. She wasn’t bothered by the chill in the air but had to keep her appearance and her hand covered at all times. Rumford looked like he was preparing for a blizzard with all of his layers of clothes. He wore enough clothes to cover any trace of bone or hint of green glow from the flame in his chest. The only spots visible were his eyes and the skin around the eyes. Rumford didn’t feel hot or cold, he didn’t get tired or need to eat or drink, so he carried all the extra clothes, watched over Samantha when she slept and remained covered as often as possible.

The two approached the Autumn Forest, the forest of autumn colors, honey, apples and maple. The air was always cooler there but it never snowed. Leaves fell from the trees and blew in the breeze but the trees were never bare. The Autumn Forest was a beautiful sight for most but not for Samantha.

Samantha was born in the small village of Honeydew, her life was quiet, peaceful and boring. Every day was greeted with beautiful fall colors and a cool breeze to temper the midday sun.

            When Samantha turned nineteen, she decided to leave her village in search of adventure. Her journey started on a clear and sunny day when the sky was a bright blue and the air was crisp. She was a spunky youth with a sharp tongue, a warming smile and plans for adventure. She knew how to plant and harvest crops and orchards, she could chop wood, hunt and ride horses. Samantha was prepared for the long road ahead and understood that life wouldn’t always be fair or kind outside of her village.

            The sunlight danced through the swaying leave of the forest and speckled the ground in golden rays. Samantha’s horse trotted along the well-treaded path from the Autumn Forest to Bright Harbor. Samantha spotted a dark haired traveler on the path. He had olive skin, black hair, brown eyes and wore layers of robes. Samantha rode up next to the man as he walked along the dirt road, his robes kicking up dust as he went. “I rarely see travelers on these roads” Samantha called to the man. The robed man flinched in surprise as he turned quickly. “H-hello. Yes, I’m traveling” The man said nervously. Samantha gave a suspicious look at the nervous man. “Is everything alright?” Samantha asked as she slowed down. The man’s face started to relax “Yes, thank you. I just need to get to Hallows End before the Halloween festival is over.

            “You are going the wrong way for that. If you want, I can take you” Samantha said. She planned on going to Bright Harbor but a spooky town of monsters all celebrating at once could be fun as well. “My name is Samantha, whats your name?” Samantha asked as she helped the man onto the horse. “Rumford” Replied the man with a big smile.

            Hallows End was a town deep in the Haunted Forest, a forest so dangerous that no one had ever returned from the forest once they entered it. Once a year the forest would magically open into a straight path leading to Hallows End. The bravest residence of the Autumn Forest and some tourists would go to Hallows End every year to celebrate Halloween. While the Haunted Forest was extremely dangerous, the town of Hallows End was one of the safest places in the world. Large monsters kept the peace and the town was founded on peace with all who enter as friends.

            Samantha knew where the path would open and knew when it would open. She road her horse to the entrance of the Haunted forest on the night before Halloween. The two arrived at the edge of the forest and set up a small camp. There was a visible line where the curse of the Haunted forest ended and the start of the healthy Autumn Forest began. there was no noticeable entrance of any kind but Rumford was an outsider and had to trust Samantha knew what she was doing.

            Rumford was slow to open up, he huddled into his robes like a turtle in his shell but as the night went on he loosened up. Samantha turned on her charms, she was witty and sarcastic and this connected with Rumford’s dry sense of humor and love of sarcasm. The difference was Samantha seemed fearless and Rumford was more timid.

            The cool night air blew through the Autumn Forest and swept over Samantha’s camp. The wind made the flames dance. The fire danced to the song of the wind, spreading light and heat out into the cold dark night, the flames spat little embers up into the air like a dancer throwing confetti. The embers popped and sizzled before burning out and drifting down to the earth as harmless ash. Rumford shyly laughed and smiled as Samantha told stories about the Autumn Forest and her small adventures she had so far. Rumford couldn’t take his eyes off the red haired woman from the Autumn forest. He stared at her pale face through the crackling flames, her green eyes were fierce and pushed back the darkness of night just as much as the roaring flames did. He saw a heroic woman who just started her journey, a conqueror of lands and a force to be reckoned with.

            Samantha tried her best to tell her boring stories to pass the time, she looked at her new traveling companion and realized that there was a cute and funny guy hidden in that pile of hair and robes. Samantha didn’t think her stories were very interesting but Rumford hung on her every word. Stories of scaring bears away from the fish she just caught, or shooting an arrow at a bandit who tried to run off with and old ladies money. These weren’t big battles between wizards and demons but a shut in like Rumford was enthralled.

            “So enough about my stories, what about you?” Samantha asked, as the light from the campfire glinted in her eyes.  “I study monsters, supernatural events and magic. I wanted to study Hallows end for the longest time but had to wait till the right time when the path opened. I also had to wait till the head scholar approved of my journey” Rumford explained. “So…” Samantha muttered but trailed off as she chose her next words. “what you are saying is, while everyone is partying on Halloween you are using it as a chance to study?” Samantha asked with a sly smile. “Yes” Rumford replied innocently. “NERD!” Samantha shouted then burst into laughter. She playfully threw her pillow at him and continued to laugh. This kind of remark would usually annoy Rumford but somehow when the words came from Samantha he didn’t mind at all. He smiled and felt embarrassed but also happy that something he did made her laugh.

            The two met on that day, the night before Halloween, one hundred years ago. Present day, Samantha and Rumford Gould, husband and wife, Crimson hand and Ghoulish bodyguard, road to the entrance of the Haunted forest. Rumford turned to his wife as the approached “Remember when we first met? All I wanted to do was study monsters” Rumford joked. “NERD!” Samantha shouted with a big smile then punched Rumford’s arm. She heard the sound of his shoulder bone crack as the joint popped out of place. The air went dead and the two were silent. “Its fine, I’ll fix it later. Ya know, I used to love monsters and now I AM one” Rumford tried to joke. Samantha winced and looked like she was going to cry. “You will never be a monster to me” Samantha said, looking Rumford in the eyes. Rumford had a flash back to that first night they met. The dark of night, the cold wind, Samantha’s pale beautiful face and her tender look, it was all just like that night, so much so that he could imagine the flames crackling and he could see the flaming glint in her eyes.

            “We will get revenge” Samantha said. Her whispered voice floated away like a hushed wind.