Stormborn

When the storm comes, don’t run for cover.

            The trees shook and the houses creaked on the small coastal village. Storms were a regular occurrence for the people who lived by the ocean, every year there were a number of storm that made everything shake and tremble and every year the village lasted.

            Joseph was a young man who had seen his share of storms but that night a storm blew in like nothing he had seen. The storm covered the sky in every direction, it stirred up the ocean all the way to the horizon, all of the animals fled hours before it every appeared and all that remained were humans who thought they could out last the end of the world.

            Thunder boomed like a shouting voice and lighting cracked like arrows from the gods striking the land. Joseph was in awe of it all. He cursed himself for not leaving when he had the chance. He had been hiding with the rest of the village but the longer the waiting the larger the storm grew. It grew larger and larger until it looked like it would swallow the world. By the time Joseph realized how bad it was, it was already too late to run and too severe a storm to hide.

            The wind whipped through the village like a giant ghostly hammer crashing into homes and trees. Trees that stood for hundreds of years broke by the sheer force of the storm. Joseph walked out into the storm as his family pleaded for him to stay. He had made peace with his end and if he was to die he would die standing and watching the destructive force of nature rather than die hiding in a basement.

            Joseph couldn’t actually stand up in the storm but his point still stood even if he couldn’t.

            Lighting sizzled through the clouds and the thunder was so loud it was deafening. Joseph had never seen such a spectacle and was satisfied with his decision. He clung to the edge of a broken house as the wind tore through. Then lighting struck one last time for Joseph and then only darkness.

            Death comes for us all, both the brave and the fearful.

 Some would prefer to hide, some would rather look death in the face.

            That was end of Joseph the man but the beginning of the Stormborn.

Jillian's Letter

Her hands quivered as she wrote. It was a stormy day, rain pattered against the window shutters as the trees shook and danced to the tune of the wind howling.

            She traveled the land, she saw amazing sights and killed scores of man, women and beast. She once stabbed a spear made of crystal into a demon lord erupting from an ancient stone. These were easy jobs by comparison to her task ahead. Jillian Cole had the chance to write a letter to the love of her life and could guarantee she would get the letter. The hardest decision was what to write.

            Jillian had lost her love once and worried so intensely that he second chance would slip through her fingers. “Hello, how are you? I’ve stopped killing. As much” Jillian scribbled the words down, scrunched her face at how awful it sounded, crumbled the paper and threw it out. She grabbed a new piece of paper, set it down and stared at it. The intimidation grew from this fresh piece of blank paper. This could be the final letter that gets sent or it could be a load of garbage that ends up in the ever-growing pile of reject ideas. Jillian really wished she could just prove herself by killing something.

            Day turned to evening, then evening dragged on into night. Jillian’s reject pile had grown and her sword arm was growing restless. “Maybe I could kill just one bandit, then right back to work on this letter. Killing DOES help people. If I save someone then its fine right?” Jillian said out loud to herself. Fighting gave her a sense of purpose and killing was a rush that she grew fond of. Jillian’s love left because she worried that Jillian killed too much and too frequently.

            “It’s either Me or the Vanguard” Jillian’s love said before she walked off. Jillian Cole WAS the Vanguard and found it impossible to choose, so the choice was made for her. Jillian could abandon the armor, take up another line of work and stop killing bad guys and monsters, but wondered if she would be the same person after that, would she still be herself?

            After hours of anguishing over each word, Jillian finally scrapped her current work, a full paper of apologies and excuses, fond wishes and lovely words. Jillian grabbed a new piece of paper and wrote her true feelings.

            “Hello my love. There’s not a day that goes by that I do not miss you. I miss the scent of your hair. The way you comforted me after battle and told me I would be amazing no matter if I had the armor or not.

 I understand why you left and I know now why I couldn’t make that decision myself.

I needed to tell you that even if you have moved on, that I still love you. I do not expect this letter to change your mind however. I am still the Vanguard. I cannot be anyone else. We cannot take a piece of a person and wish it to be the whole of them. I am the woman outside of the armor who smiles and jokes with you, but I am also the one inside the armor who fights endless battles. I hope that you are well. If you ever need me, please reach out. Goodbye for now. I hope to see you again soon”

Jillian finished writing the letter and put her pen down. She had written her honest feelings and that is all she could have done. She began to re-read the letter and a twinge of disapproval entered her mind. She wanted to change words and maybe even start over. Jillian slammed her fist down and declared “NO, It is finished” And the broke her pen in half and threw it on the pile of reject papers.

            The now finished letter was carefully folded with love, put into an envelope and sealed with wax. Jillian smiled to herself as walked over to a very frightened delivery man who was tied to a post in the cabin where she had been writing.

“So you know the woman I speak of, correct?” Jillian said in a tone that could sheer flesh. “Y-yes, of course, I’ve seen her many times while delivering l-lett…” The delivery man was cut short as Jillian nodded and shushed him. His whimpering upset her stomach and she needed him to do a job not tell his life story. “Alright. I will release you. Take this letter and make sure she gets it. Do NOT tell her that you were tied to a post. If you do tell her OR if you fail to deliver the letter all, you will see me again.” Jillian explained calmly. Then she gestured to her black Vanguard armor. “IF you do see me again I will be wearing that. And that armor will be the last thing you see" She hissed. "Now go!” She shouted.

            The delivery man took the letter, nodded several times and started to leave. “WAIT!" Jillian shouted. The poor delivery man froze and trembled. “Here is your pay. I am not an unfair woman” Jillian said softly as she poured a pile of gold coins into his trembling hands. It was enough gold for a weeks worth of deliveries. Which worked for him because he was only tied up for a day and a half.

            The storm had calmed and the deliveryman ran off into the night. Jillian felt giddy and nervous like a schoolgirl waiting to hear from her crush. It was a night of emotional growth for Jillian. “Now that the letter is sent, time to go back to work” Jillian said with a sly grin then began to adorn her black Vanguard armor. Out into the world there were monsters and bandits who were dead and didn’t even know it yet. Jillian needed to work off the stress from writing that letter and the outside world would feel it.

Rage against the calm

The rain and storm of the day swirled and howled against the order and comfort built by the humans below. Lights flickered in homes as the wind shook electricity poles. Windows rattled, rain battered against rooves and umbrellas were tossed around by the storm like cats tossed around a ball of tinfoil.

Greggory Smitt was preparing coffee when there was a knock on the door. Rain and mist shrouded the figure standing hunched outside the house. The figure wore a long coat and a brimmed hat. The collar of the coat was turned up to keep the rain off the neck. Greg opened to the door to reveal his next door neighbor, Henry Gearhart. Henry looked up with a warm smile. “Hellooo” He said as he leaned his “Os”.

            Everyone looked like ominous and suspicious figures while standing in the rain and the friendly neighbor was no exception. “Glad you could make it!” Greg exclaimed. Henry’s smile broadened as he stepped into the house. The home was warm and inviting. The front door led into the living room, then from the living room was a set of stairs to the second floor and in the back was the kitchen. The living room was decorated in earth tones with an emerald green recliner tucked away in the back by the television.

            Henry took off his brown loafers and proceeded into the living room. The smell of fresh coffee lingered in the air. The calm atmosphere of the home pushed back the raging storm outside.

            As Greggory led Henry through the living room, Henry noticed an old fashioned pistol hung on the wall. “Where did you get that?” Henry marveled. “It was my great grand father’s gun. Kept in the family and it still works too!” Greg said with pride. “Been getting much trouble on this part of town?” Henry joked. “No, nothing like that” Greg laughed.

            The two men walked into the kitchen, on the table was two cups of black coffee, a small bowl of sugar, a small carton box of creamer and spread across the table were papers. Henry stared at the papers as he removed his coat and hung it over the back of a kitchen chair. “Really glad you could help me with these taxes. Running my own business this last year has been a nightmare of paperwork” Greg said sheepishly. He didn’t like troubling his friends and neighbors for help but Henry was already thinking about the task at hand. “Oh no problem” Henry said with a smile and eyes that looked lost in thought. Henry snapped back to the present and sat down.

            As the two men sat down a knock was heard at the door. “I’ll get it” Greg said with a cheerful tone then walked briskly to the door. “I’ll just get to work” said Henry as he sorted through the papers. As Greg walked to the front door, Henry spotted the top of someone’s head move past the kitchen window. Henry stood up and walked to the window above the sink and looked down and around. The person was gone.

            Greg opened the door to reveal an ominous figure standing in the rain. “Hello, sir, can I trouble you for a minute” Asked the man in the coat. The man turned to Greg with a smile but the smile looked painted on. Cheerfulness was not this stranger’s default expression, which Greg discovered by noticing the deep frown lines on the man’s face. Greg was unnerved by the man but tried to remain polite. “I really am in the middle of something, sorry” Greg said hastily. The stranger stuck his foot against the door to keep it from closing. “It will only be a minute” said the man.

            As Greg spoke to the man at the front door, Henry heard the back door begin to open. Neither Greg or Henry were in very good shape but between the two of them, Henry had the natural strength and could have been an imposing figure if he wasn’t so lazy.

            Henry kept close to the wall and moved in on the door. The back door opened then a man in a dark coat entered the home. Henry hid behind the kitchen wall. A tree branch was pushed by the force of the wind outside and struck the side of the house. All four men were startled.

            The front door man jumped into the house, tackling Greg and slamming the door shut behind him. The man from the back door charged in. Henry panicked and saw an open door that appeared to be a closet. Henry charged from his hiding space and tackled the intruder into the closet. The intruder flew backward through the open door, which was the open door to the basement. The man was tackled then thrown down the stairs of the cellar, hitting each stair on his way down and landing on the concrete in a crumpled mess.

            Henry stood shocked for a minute but then ran to help Greg. Greg and the front door man were struggling and punching each other until Henry charged in and tackled the man. Greg scrambled to his feet and moved back into the living room while he watched Henry fight with the intruder. Everything was happening so fast that Greg didn’t have the mind to jump back in and help.

            As the two fought, the intruder wrestled in his coat for a weapon. The intruder pulled a knife from his coat and stabbed it down at Henry. The burly neighbor moved his head but the blade sliced his ear. The burglar tried again to stab Henry again. All of the grunting and struggling ended in a loud “Bang”.

            The intruder, who was on top of Henry, dropped his knife and clutched his side. Henry felt blood trickle onto his stomach. Greg stood there with a stern yet concerned face holding his great grandfather’s old pistol. “I told you it still worked”

The storm passed and the rain slowed to a trickle. The rage and chaos of the storm had tried to fight against the calm and serene atmosphere of the humans living below but the storm was gone and the houses remained.

Ambulance dragged away two injured burglars as police asked Greg and Henry a hundred questions. The calm air of Greg’s home was replaced with the feeling of rattled nerves and slowly calming adrenaline. As the police officers took pictures and wrapped up their investigation. A tired recruit in damp boots spotted the fresh coffee and in a hopeful voice asked “hey, can I have some coffee?”

The head officer scowled and Greg almost started to laugh. Instead of laughing, Greg just gestured to the coffee maker and said “help yourself”

Forest Island Eye of the Storm

The fifth night had arrived, thick fog hung in the air as the rain beat harder against the land. Bear Lord Nathaniel marched up to the portal with his soldiers. It was strangely familiar and the routine was comforting. Nathaniel and his group had fought against the shadowmen every night for almost a week and fighting became part of his routine. The soldiers stayed in high moral despite the rain, fog and constant threat of attack. The shadowmen never killed anyone but their numbers and size grew with each passing night, which made Nathaniel worry that the shadows would eventually try to escalate the attack beyond what the Bear forces could handle.

            The portal opened and shadowmen began to trickle out. The smallest wave since that one shadowman attacked by itself. The soldiers lazily killed the few shadows that charged forward. Nathaniel was feeling more cautious though as he remembered what happened last time.

            The small batch of shadowmen were killed and then only silence followed. Only the breathing of the soldiers, the trickle of a light rain and the gentle wind could be heard. This was unusual and outside of the routine that Nathaniel was used to.

 The portal began to shake and flicker, breaking the quiet and replacing it with the crackling and loud whip like noise that was made as the air around the portal bent and shook. Nathaniel and his soldiers stepped backward. No one knew what would happen next, so they watched the portal helplessly.

            The portal blinked out, disappearing from the air. Before the soldiers could cheer a larger portal opened as if the air was being torn open by a mysterious force. The air was torn apart leaving a giant twenty-foot tall portal. Nathaniel’s blood went cold. This portal was just like the one in his dream and that dream didn’t end happily.

            A large hand emerged from the portal, then feet and a body. It was a large fifteen-foot tall and ten foot wide shadow monster, featureless and made of the same black ooze as the others. This creature had a large mouth where its face should have been. The mouth was full of teeth and a giant, almost human like tongue. Regular sized shadowmen emerged from the portal behind the shadow Behemoth. The normal shadowmen were carrying swords and axes this. This raid of shadows didn’t look like they wanted to steal anything, but instead wanted to kill the soldiers who had been standing in their way for almost a week.

            “Concentrate all fire on the big one, don’t get close. Prepare yourselves, they mean to kill us this time!” Nathaniel shouted. The twenty soldiers prepared themselves for a bloody battle. The Knights charged in with their shields, blocking the swinging axes and swords of the newly equipped shadowmen. The Bear lord’s rear guards lunged forward with their spears impaling the first row of shadows that clashed against the knights’ shields. The knights then bashed with their shields and slashed with their swords. The fighting of the Bear forces was synchronized just like a machine built to kill.

            Arrows flew over the Knights’ heads and pelted the lumbering Behemoth as he slowly drew closer to the group of soldiers. Pubbles the bear guarded Nathaniel and used his massive claws to swat away any approaching shadowmen. Nathaniel fired arrow after arrow into the large nightmare creature, trying to find a weakness of some kind. Visions of his dream kept snaking their way into his mind, disrupting his focus. Nathaniel shook the thoughts from his head, it wasn’t the time to be distracted and one false step could lead to a very bitter end.

            Shadowmen fell and evaporated into the air as the Bear forces fought hard with everything they had. The front line shadows were slowly losing their numbers but the Behemoth continued to march forward with small deliberate strikes. The arrows wounded the beast, slowing its movements further and making black bile flow from its wounds. Each arrow that struck the Behemoth would leave a wound, become coated in bile, fall off and hit the ground, then the black arrow would morph into an unarmed, newly made shadowman.

            In five days the shadows had increased their power, numbers and forces quicker than any human army could. The shadows had only been stealing from a small village and it only took a single arrow to make a basic shadowman. Nathaniel didn’t want to think what would happen if the shadows had opened a portal in the center of the castle armory, or if they had been left alone for weeks picking off villages. This portal could potentially be a threat to the entire island and possibly the entire would.

            Nathaniel patted his bear Pubbles, and then jumped up on his back. The Behemoth and its forces were almost overwhelming the Bear Forces. Action had to be taken immediately. Nathaniel knew that even if he defeated the behemoth that night, there would be an even bigger army the next night, an army that even the Forest King reinforcements might not be able to handle.

            Nathaniel rode out into the army of swarming shadowmen. Pubbles trampled and crushed all the shadows in his wake. Nathaniel kept his arrows ready, shooting any shadowmen that posed a threat to his bear friend as they rode through the crowd of shadows.

            Nathaniel went straight to the front line with his Knights and shouted to his troops. “We must Assault the portal. Any who wish to risk their lives to save the island should follow me into the depths. All who wish to stay behind may do so and continue to guard the village” Nathaniel shouted.

            The soldiers all cheered back in agreement. All of the soldiers wanted to follow their king through the portal but five of them stayed behind to protect the village.

While one knight, three archers and a spearman formed a defensive line between the portal and the village, the Bear lord and his fifteen soldiers charged forward.

            Pubbles cleared a path with his mighty claws, Nathaniel fired quickly and accurately at the shadows surrounding them. The knights charged forward like tanks with their shield s out, knocking enemies to either side. Spearmen and archers kept the rest covered. The two Mace wielders in the group went to opposite sides and smashed through multiple shadows with each swings. The Bear forces were the strongest on the island and these twenty soldiers were only a small part of the large Bear army.

            Lightning cracked the sky and the rain poured down. Shadows were vanquished as quickly as they could pour out through the portal. The bear forces cut a swath through the sea of pulsating shadow. As they rode closer to the portal they approached the Behemoth who was standing between them and the portal.

            Nathaniel knew that his forces were quick enough to run passed the creature, but he only left five soldiers behind to protect the village. He needed to try and weaken or kill the beast before entering the portal. The Behemoth outstretched its arm to grab Nathaniel. Instead of panicking, the Bear Lord jumped from his stead and landed on the creatures wrist. The oozing flesh of the shadow held the weight of the man, but moved and squirmed under his feet. Nathaniel ran up the beasts arm, firing arrows into its mouth and at its body. When he reached the top of the head he pulled a dagger from his boot and began slashing at the top of the head with all of his might. The beast roared and tried to grab Nathaniel again, but the King was too fast and jumped off of the monster, landing back onto his bear, who was now behind the Behemoth.

            While the King was attacking the Behemoth, his soldiers were also slashing, stabbing and shooting at the beast as they ran by. Their attention had to stay on the mob though so as to not lose a shield or sword in the assault.

            “Onward to the portal! We will take the fight to the enemy and destroy it from the inside!” Nathaniel shouted. As they charged forward the portal started to shimmer and flicker, which were signs that it was about to close for another day. Nathaniel hoped that the portal closing meant that the shadow forces were used up for the night and that more weren’t waiting on the other side.

            The Bear forces charged the portal cutting down the few who still stood in their way. “Let us show these shadows the might of the Bear!” Nathaniel shouted. The soldiers cheered as they all jumped into the portal. Seconds later the portal snapped shut and disappeared into thin air.

            The Behemoth was weakened from the attacks and the portal closing seemed to drain what remain life it had left. The Behemoth fell, followed by the few remaining shadows. The Five remaining forces cheered for victory but quickly went silent as they were overcome with worry for their king. The grieving soldiers didn't know what to tell the other Forest Kings when they arrived on the six day with reinforcements.

Joseph Stephens and the final day part 2

Joseph Stephens walked through the city park, it was a beautiful day in the city of Ales. The sky was blue the grass freshly cut and vibrant green. at the center of the park was a pond, at the center of the lake was a large rock, on the rock sat a mermaid tanning herself in the warm September sun.


"this place is weird" Said Joseph Stephens. "weirder than being visited by the physical embodiment of seasons and weather?" Asked Jaye Williams. "No, no I suppose not" Replied Joseph. Joseph wore a green V-Neck shirt, jeans and brown shoes. Jaye had on his green hooded sweat shirt, with a yellow t-shirt under his hoodie, he had Jeans and black shoes with green and yellow stripes along the side.

The two friends walked through the park, they were in both stopped in their tracked when they saw the mouse lady. She was over five feet tall, long pink tail, gray fur, stood on two legs and wore a dress and bonnet. She was strange looking but not necassarily dangerous. The image of the mouse lady was burned into the minds of Joseph and Jaye. To look upon the mouse lady was to feel bugs crawling under your skin. there was something wrong with her, besides the obvious.

"I think we need to introduce this mouse lady to my claw hammer" Said Jaye. Joseph nodded "Shes out in public though, so lets approach slowly and see if we can avoid a huge fight around all the families. Jaye gave Joseph a weird look "since when did you care about keeping families safe? do you want to protect their teddy bears too?" Jaye asked as he laughed. "Diiiiick" Joseph said while he let out a loud sigh.

The two friends approached the mouse lady. She was sitting peacefully on a bend and had a basket next to her. She reached into her basket and pulled out a small pie. an eight year old girl was playing frizbee with her parents and the frizbee landed by the mouse lady. the little girl ran to retrieve it and as she did the mouse lady leaned in holding he tiny pie. "Wwoould youu like a piie?" cooned the mouse lady in a raspy hissing voice. The little girl was scared and couldnt move, the mother and father ran toward their child to check on her.

Joseph drew a dagger from his belt, the blade was jagged, the hilt was black and on the pommel there was a dark green gem. this was the dagger of the serpent. The magical green gem kept the blade coated in poison at all times. One stab with this mystical dagger and the mouse lady would be down for the count. Joseph was proud of his weapon collection, especially his serpent dagger, which he bought from a one eyed man who sailed the world and had boxes full of mystical items. Joseph bought one of the boxes and paid with gold coins and a wheel of cheese. the dagger was in the box he bought.

Jaye pulled out an old fashioned pirate pistol, a weapon he "borrowed" from Joseph's mystical item box. The two friends ran toward the mouse lady as quickly as they could but without drawing attention to themselves. The mouse lady drew in close to the child and smiled, revealing sharp and jagged teeth. "Come to my nest and I wiiill give you many more piies" The mouse lady's eyes flashed red as she spoke.

"stop!" Shouted the father of the child. "Begonne! she iiis miine now!" Hissed the mouse lady. Her shrill voice and broken mannerisms sent chills up Joseph's spine. The father tried to grab his daughter but the mouse lady slapped the father with her long tail. The father was knocked backward and Joseph ran in with his dagger ready for action.

Jaye pulled out his pirate pistol and fired a single shot. the mouse lady blocked with her tail and the bullet shot into her tail and the bullet wound burst into flames. the Mouse lady shrieked as she whipped her tail back and forth, fire buring from within the bullet wound in the center of her tail.

The child ran and so did the parents. Joseph jumped in close to the mouse lady and tried to stab her with the dagger but she charged forward and knocked Joseph to the ground. Jaye tried to fire another shot but was also knocked down by the rampaging mouse lady. The two friends got up as fast as they could but the mouse lady was fast. She was running on all four legs now and headed into the subway station.

The bright clear day began to fade and dark clouds rolled in. Rain poured from the sky and thunder rumbled in the distance. "Its raining again" Joseph announced. "I hadn't noticed" Jaye said sarcastically then smiled. "So we have to follow a rat into a subway? maybe she learned her lesson" Said Joseph, who didn't really like the idea of being in a confined area with a mouse monster. "Come on, it will be fun" Jaye said with a smile.

With some trepidation the friends entered the subway tunnel in search for the mouse lady.

The winds of Zephyr

It was a cool and breezy evening in a little port town. Fishermen were bringing in their haul for the day and taverns were stoking fires and preparing food and drink for a night of regular customers and travelers looking to rest. It was the perfect night to sit outside with a cup of coffee or mug of ale and watch the ocean.

            A little boy named Henry was out on the docks waiting for his father to come home when he spotted a strange ship in the horizon. The ship was as large as a navy battleship but instead of the kingdom seal, the flag was black with a bloody skull image. The dark ship marked the peaceful landscape as it sailed closer to shore. A dark storm was growing and following in the trail of the dreaded black flag ship. Henry knew the men on the ship were pirates and not the fun kind that go on adventures. Henry ran into the house to tell his father and word spread quickly of the approaching pirate ship.

            The pirate ship sailed so quickly toward the town that it looked as if Zephyr, the god of the winds was carrying them to shore. The town prepared what weapons they had and tried to fortify the docks. The town had been at peace for so long that they were not ready for a pirate invasion. The harder the townspeople worked the more they realized how unprepared they truly were. Within an hour the pirates were almost upon them and the dark storm was already overhead. Thunder boomed and the lighting crashed around. Visible bolts struck the water around the pirate ship as it approached. The townspeople were so overwhelmed by the attack and it hadn’t even happened yet. Surly the pirates were closer to demons than they were mortal men. The town would be reduced to ash and no one in the town would ever be heard from again, nor their bodies ever found.

            The dread ship was so close that the pirates could be seen from shore. The pirates weren’t cheering for blood with swords ready, they were fleeing the storm. Terror could be seen in the faces and eyes of all above deck, the storm was chasing them and refused to let up. a bolt of lighting shot down from the sky and struck the ship. A loud crack and bang were heard, sounding like an explosion. The sound of wood being bent and broken followed up next, then the screams of pirates as they fled into the water. Electricity poured from the clouds and crashed into the ship. The townspeople looked on in horror as they saw what they thought was the wrath of god. The electricity spread out along the breaking and splintering wood and resembled a giant hand.

            After ten minutes of lighting pounding the pirate ship and unrelenting strikes on the water, the storm began to calm and the skies cleared up. The storm vanished from the sky and that remained were dead pirates and broken ship pieces. The boy Henry spotted a man washed up on the shore and he was breathing. While the pirates wore black and red and were covered in weapons and tattoos, this man looked more like a sailor or a person that might live in that very town. He was pale and had black hair that came down to his eyes, he had a long navy blue coat that looked weather resistant, sturdy black boots and black workers gloves. The townspeople helped him onto dry land and he was take to the local tavern. It was agreed that he was most likely a prisoner of the pirates and that he could be trusted, but should still be watched.

            The man had twenty feet of chain stashed inside of his long coat, a large sharp hook, two stone jars engraved with mystical runes, various tiny bottles of herbs and exotic ingredients, a flintlock pistol, a pouch of gold coins and a small sailor’s knife.

The townspeople were a little startled by all of the strange items in the man’s coat, but they insisted on making him comfortable while he recovered from his injuries. They had many questions for him and figured that he would be less likely to answer them if he woke up in the local jailhouse.

            The man started to wake up, he found himself in a warm bed, near a crackling fire. The injured man has sparkling blue eyes like the sea after a storm. He tried to stand but felt too weak. The mayor of the village came into the house to greet the injured man. The mayor had a handlebar mustache, brown eyes and gray hair. “Hello, son. Can you speak? My name is mayor Gustav. Who are you?” Asked the Mayor. “My name is Isaac” Said the injured man before passing out.

            The mysterious Isaac survived being held by pirates and lived through a overwhelming storm that killed all the pirates aboard. The townspeople had so many questions and hoped that he had the answers.

Joseph Stephens and the Clover brawl part 2

            It was a quiet St. Patrick’s day evening, the grass was green the trees were starting to bloom and everyone was having a good time consuming low level poisons that tasted like bread and happiness. On the outskirts of town was a pub that the locals referred to as “The Clover”. Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams stood in the demolished bar as a whole group of magical and ‘roided out bros stared them down. Joseph and Jaye glowed with a golden light from the magical Irish stout they drank in the basement of the bar and they were ready to show these jerks not to mess with people who just want to mind their own business. Wizbro smiled from under his amber-crombi brand hood. Joseph ran forward with the fury of a guy who was picked on in high school and now has magical powers. Joseph swung at the Wizbro and midair Joseph’s arm turned to stone. The stone punch connected with Wizbro’s face. The stone fist shattered his good looks and the other bros quickly leaped on him and devoured him to gain his power. The Bros can smell weakness and hate the weakness in themselves as well as others, so they seek to destroy all who are considered ‘less’ than themselves. Also Wizbro was magical so eating his flesh could give people magic.

            RoidBro stepped up in his place, now surging with some small amount of magic stolen from Wizbro and veins filled with illegal drugs he charged at Joseph and punched Joseph so hard he flew backward, destroying a support beam and part of the wall as he went. “No one beats on him but me!” Jaye shouted, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a claw hammer engulfed in flames. “Flaaaame Hammar!” He shouted, hoping his catch phase would catch on. He then threw the hammer with all of his magical strength. it whirled through the air at Roidbro. Before it could hit, Roidbro caught it out of the air and began to laugh. His laughing was interrupted as the flames from the hammer spread out along his arm and then quickly covered his whole body in scorching flames. RoidBro slammed his palms on the ground causing a shockwave which extinguished the flames. RoidBro was too late though and his shockwave was his last act. Roidbro fell over and hit the ground with such force it shattered the floor under him and his body fell into the cellar.

            Several Bros charged Jaye at the same time, unaffected by another fellow council member’s death. “I am starting to think this group is more about picking fights than sticking together” Jaye said as the group rushed at him. Jaye jumped in the air causing wind to start spinning around his body, when he landed the wind was discharged and sent out rushing toward the group. Hurricane winds blasted back the bros and shattered all the windows in the building. Jill was taking cover behind the bar and when the hurricane winds blasted out the windows she went into the basement.

            Every time Joseph or Jaye took out a Bro there always seemed to be more to take their place. Joseph tried to focus his energy, all of his golden energy focused into his hands and he shot it into the air. He used all of his power but was still drunk. Joseph fell over from exhaustion and because he was a lightweight. As soon as he hit the floor a crack of thunder shook the sky. Rain began to pour down and a bolt of lighting shot down through the ceiling and struck a group of bros, blasting them to ashes. The bar caught fire from the lighting strike and the wind from the storm spread the fire over the wooden furniture. Jaye realized how serious it was getting and grabbed his friend. Jaye used the last of his energy to teleport both of them a twenty feet away from the bar and outside. Jaye then remembered Jill the bartender was still in bar. He started to run toward the bar when he saw a group of Bros charging in over the horizon like a vicious army of beasts. Then the redheaded bartended blasted out of the bar, glowing with energy and using wind magic to fly. She drank the rest of the Legendary Irish Stout and now surged with power. The bros were furious as they charged the bar. Jill the bartender charged up a ball of fire and then launched a stream of flames out from her hands. The bar, the army of bros and any grass in the area was consumed by flames as the flying bartended laughed hysterically.

            Time passed, the rains extinguished the flames and Jill, Jaye and Joseph had all sobered up and exhausted their magic. There was nothing left of the bar, just scorched ground and ash. Joseph had regained consciousness and was staring at the spot where the bar used to be. “We did the world a service getting rid of those bros” said Jill. “What will you do now? Asked Joseph. “Maybe the Owner will sell me the land cheap, I could start my own bar. Not a gimmicky bar, just something nice to call my own” Jill replied. “Can we get free drinks?” Jaye asked excitedly. “If you help me build it” Jill replied. “Well that’s a deal!” both Jaye and Joseph said at the same time.

            It was a cold, rainy night, St. Patricks day was almost over. Joseph could think of better ways to spend his day, but having a drunken magic fueled brawl while ridding the world of a dozen or more Bros is still pretty great.

Where my Dreams take me - part 2 Into the Rain

            It was another beautiful day on the Autumn Mountain. The sun was shining, the air was crisp and the birds chirping. Jack walked out of his cabin and stretched. He was wearing his warm coat over a long sleeve gray shirt. He had his normal black pants and brown work boots. Jack went to a tool shed behind his cabin to get an ax. It was a clear day, but Jack heard the rumbling of thunder in the distance and decided to chop some wood for his fire to stay warm on what might be a stormy night.

            Jack opened the wooden shed door, the old metal hinges creaked as it opened. The shed was big enough for Jack to stand straight and walk one step inside. Tools were hung up on the walls and his axe was on the floor with the handle leaning against the corner of the shed. When Jack leaned down to get the ax he spotted a large hammer resting in the other corner. It was the same size as Jack’s wood chopping axe, but it was shining like silver and the handle was made from the same shining metal as the head. The bottom of the handle had a black grip. Engraved just above the black handle were the initials “J.H”

            Jack stared at the hammer, it looked so familiar but he couldn’t remember where he had seen it. He went to touch it when he heard a clash of lighting sound over heard. The rain was getting closer and Jack had errands to do outside. Jack grabbed the ax and went back to the front yard.

           

            Karu was waiting in the front yard, she was playing with one of the pumpkin stems. When Jack yelled at her she bit down hard on the pumpkin then ran off into the house. Jack sighed. He inspected the pumpkin to find it hadn’t been pierced. Luckily Karu was small and her teeth weren’t that sharp.

            Jack began chopping wood in front of his house. He lined up the piece of wood on an old tree stump that he used as a chopping block then brought his axe down hard. Jack forced his axe downward but heard a man cry out. Jack saw a flash of a rainy day in a dark city, a man’s face cried out in horror as a hammer came down and crushed his head. Jack was horrified by this image and his body jerked. The ax missed the wood and chipped off a piece of stump. Jack dropped his axe and ran back to the tool shed. Dust shook from the walls as he pulled the doors open quickly. Jack grabbed the hammer to examine it closely.

            Jack saw another flash, like a memory. It was a man with long wild hair in a long dark coat standing in the rain. As the rain washed away the bloodfrom the concrete, the man smiled, it was a twisted grin. What little light there was in that Alley was reflected off of a bright shiny silver hammer. Jack remembered this happening. He could see it so clearly. The dead man looked familiar too. Jack felt like he had been close to the guy who was killed. Jack began to wonder if this was why he moved to the mountains to get away. Jack’s mind was fuzzy when he tried to remember that far back. He remembered he had been betrayed and then went on the run. Did he steal the silver hammer for himself?

            Jack left the shed holding the hammer. Light rain began to hit the ground. Jack walked out into the rain, lost in thought. When he looked up he saw a woman walking into the autumn forest. No one ever came up to his cabin, so this woman being here was strange. Jack saw another flash, an image of a woman’s face. She had light red hair and blue eyes, her skin was white like milk and her smile was warm like a roaring fire.

            “Isabelle” Jack muttered. He didn’t know how he knew that name but he knew she was important. He ran toward the forest. The rain began to pour down harder and harder. The sky was dark and stormy, the beautiful autumn trees swayed and creaked in the wind. The clouds formed a shadow over the forest making it hard to see. Jack went into the forest and didn’t look back. He held the metal hammer in both hands as he ran. The hammer was sturdy but surprisingly light.

            “Isabelle!” Jack shouted into the rain as he ran deeper into the forest.

Rain poured down from the treetops and Jack was soaked from running in the rain. After a few minutes of running Jack stopped. He was out of breath and he hadn’t seen Isabelle since she first entered the forest. Bright autumn leaves littered the ground, but seemed dark from the rain and clouds. The trees swayed as if the forest was alive and the rain continued to pour down. Thunder rumbled overhead and a second later lighting struck the forest with a loud crack. Jack saw one of the trees shatter and explode. The sound was so loud it was disorienting. Jack stumbled backward and tripped over an old tree root. He landed on his back and hit his head on the ground. Luckily the ground was soft from the rain. Jack stared up at the sky as rain continued to pour down on him, unrelenting, uncaring. Jack gripped the hammer and stood up. He was soaked and muddy and worst of all he wasn’t sure how to get back to his cabin. He wasn’t watching where he was going as he sprinted into the forest and the whole mountain was covered in trees.

            Tired, sore and feeling foolish Jack tried to make his way home. through the forest and into the rain.

The Harrowing Storm Part 2

Arthur didn’t share his fathers views on many things, but mainly their view on the locals were vastly different. If there really were monsters coming from the storms, he would be risking his life to save people that his father claimed were no better than apple trees. Arthur couldn’t remember a defining moment when he started to sympathize with the villagers, but he could remember throughout his life anytime his father put them down, Arthur would think “but they are still people”. Despite class difference and money, they were still all people. He might not have spent much time with them, but he would protect them to the best of his abilities.

            Over the years Arthur had trained with a skilled warrior and personal protector of the family, Sir Gunther. Gunther had fought in many battles for the kingdom, but now enjoyed a less stressful job as the Harrow’s guardian. Arthur remembered years of training with Gunther, as the old knight passed down all his wisdom to the young lord. Despite the land being a peaceful place, Lord Harrow thought his son should know how to fight, in case Arthur was ever attacked and didn’t have a guard near by.

            So trained for combat and mind set on protecting his people, he waited in the village till nightfall. The villagers were a little scared at first when they saw his stride into their village, covered in weapons but after he explained he was there to protect them, they invited him into their homes. He stayed with the village elder and had dinner with his family. During dinner they all talked and shared stories, Arthur learned more about the village that night than he had in the all the years living in the castle. Arthur felt reassured that he was doing the right thing and saw the gratitude for his protection in his peoples eyes.

            After the dinner the children went to bed and Arthur sat by the fireplace with the elder, waiting for the storm to come. “I can’t thank you enough for coming down here to protect us, please at least let me help you fight” Said the elder, who wasn’t so old that he couldn’t swing a sword. Still, someone had to lead the village and Arthur didn’t want to have to worry about him during the fight. The conversation grew more tense as the night went on, as both men waited for the storm to arrive, bringing the shadow monsters with them.

            Suddenly a crack of thunder was heard and lighting flashed through the sky. Arthur stood up and gathered his weapons. He waited by the door, staring out the window. Soon it began to rain, a light sprinkle of water soon turned into a downpour. Arthur wore extra layers and a blue cloak with his family’s royal symbol on it. He stepped into the rain and readied his weapons. He was ready for the rain, now he would be ready for a fight.  Clouds loomed overhead, rain soaked the earth and the thunder let out a deafening roar. If Arthur didn’t know better, he would assume he would be fighting the storm itself.  Then he spotted something creeping out of the darkness. Hidden by the cover of the night and the sound of the storm, small shadow creatures invaded the village.

            The creatures were like large monkeys in shape and besides their glowing eyes they lacked any real features. All of the villagers stayed in their homes and the creatures quickly spotted the only human around. The shadow creatures didn’t make sounds, no signals or squeals of delight over the thought of a meal, they just all crept closer. Lighting flashed and the area lit up for a split second and for that split second the creatures were gone. As if they only existed in the darkness, invisible or maybe nonexistent in the light.

            Arthur fired his crowsbow at one of the creatures before they could organize an attack. The crossbow bolt flew through the air and struck one of them in the head. The creature gestured like it was screaming, but only the distant crackle of thunder could be heard. The beast fell to the ground and its purple eyes faded into the night, the shadowy outline of a body following behind it. Relieved with the knowledge that these things could be killed, Arthur raised his sword and shield and charged into the group of them. He was surrounded on all sides, but if he lashed out and thinned the numbers on one side quick enough, he would be able to turn and fight the other side before they got to him. This would take speed and a great deal of luck.

            A group of the shadow apes jumped into the air attempting to land on Arthur, he countered by holding up his shield and butting them back while they were mid-air. He then put all his force into a long slice, cutting several of the creatures along the midsection. As he fought it seemed the creatures grew in number. It was too late to retreat and Arthur would see this to the end.

            Arthur slashed and hacked the shadow creatures, slicing their limbs off. Sometimes this would kill them, other times they would just grow new limbs. Their behavior was also unpredictable. At first they would rush at him, then they tried jumping on him, next they began jumping around and attacking randomly to confuse him. As he killed them, their strategies would get better. Also their claws were razor sharp and though he blocked most of their attacks, anytime they got one through his defenses, they would leave deep burning wounds. His shield was also starting to wear down as they seemed obsessed with jumping on it and slashing it with their claws. Arthur was wearing armor, but it didn’t cover ever inch of skin and if his shield broke the shadows would be able to strike him more often. Maybe they planned it, but Arthur didn’t want to give them credit or admit that they might be smart enough to plan things like that.

            Arthur moved around the battlefield and swung his sword like an old pro and he killed more shadows than he could count. He was feeling pretty confident about the battle, but then his shield finally broke. One of the shadow creatures threw another one and hit Arthurs shield with such force, the worn down thing shattered. Arthur grabbed a hand axe and threw it into the crowd of shadows, loud thunder rumbled, which happened every time he killed a shadow creature. The Rain poured down as hard as ever. Making him feel heavy and tired, but he continued on. Next he reached into his belt for his one handed war hammer. He could crush a skull with it, so he figured it would be enough to crush a shadow creature. He swung both weapons through the air, slicing and crushing anything that came near him. Arthur fought bravely and continued on but was loosing blood and getting tired from fighting for so long.

            His vision started to get blurring, but then he spotted lots of little lights appear. Candles being lit and movement could be seen through the rain and mist. Thunder roared and the purple eyes surrounding Arthur began to dwindle. It was the villagers, not all of them, but the ones who could fight. They carried axes, shovels, hammers and pitchforks. They watched as Arthur fought to protect them until they couldn’t bare to watch any longer. Since Arthur narrowed down the creatures numbers, the villagers had a real chance of winning, especially if they worked together. Thunder and lighting cracked and boomed. Then the cheer of humans filled the air “Git back to hell with ya!” cried the blacksmith swinging a giant hammer, crushing one of the shadows to bits.

            Arthur’s vision finally gave out and he collapsed. When he finally woke up, he was in a bed surrounded by smiling faces. “We won, you saved us” The elder said as he pushed his way through the group of people to see Arthur. “Thank you, M’lord” Arthur just smiled and fell back to sleep, he was too exhausted to stay awake for too long.

            It was true that the village was saved, the shadow creatures of the storm had been repelled and they never returned. Arthur returned to the castle with news of what he had done and what he had seen. He tried to encourage other nobles to look at their peasants as people to be respected. Lord Harrow wasn’t sure what to believe, but he did know that his son put a stop to the trouble in the village and for that was as proud as a father could be. As for the monsters, no one knows where the creatures came from but they do know if the creatures came back Arthur Harrow would protect them. Eventually Arthur inherited the land and kept it safe as he saw fit. He would tell the story and try to prepare his children in case the creatures ever came back. He would make sure all would know to be ready for the dangers of the Harrowing Storm.

The Harrowing Storm Part 1

Here is this weeks story, sorry its late. also there wasn't a story last week. I was sick...again. but a little thing like the hospital isn't going to stop me from writing the stories i love.

-----

In Castle Harrow, owned by Lord Harrow, was a young man named Arthur Harrow. The castle was built on land given to the Harrow family for their years of service to the king of the land. Young Arthur was a knight and at an early age completed his knight training two years faster than other noble children from the surrounding areas. Arthur was as charismatic as he was strong. This combination served well both as a fighter and as a noble. He often impressed his father’s friends with clever remarks or insight into the world. Though seeming wise and worldly, Arthur had never been in a real battle nor had he left the castle more than a few times. Usually he only left the castle to go to other castles with his father. All his learning was from books, royal messengers and castle gossip.

The kingdom thrived, as did the Harrow land. Besides the castle, the land had a very small village. The village was useful for farming, trading and being a buffer between travelers and the castle. Lord Harrow didn’t need to feel bad for turning away lost travelers from his castle when there was a perfectly good village just down the hill. Arthur had been taught to look after the village and in turn the village would provide a service to the castle. Since Arthur would one day take over the piece of land, he needed to know important things like managing a castle and dealing with advisors or the village elder. Though Lord Harrow looked after his people, it wasn’t because he was nicer than most nobles, it was simply because he had to protect his investments. His castle looked after the village in the way a gardener looks after a fruit orchard. So Arthur learned not to get too attached to any of the villagers, as it would be strange if a farmer was attached to an apple tree. Everything had its place.

One day, while talking with his father, a messenger brought word that a villager had died, they found the body in the forest torn apart by an animal. This was probably the work of wolves and this wasn’t the first time either. It was said that the poor fool went missing last night, but because of a storm that same night no one could go look for him until morning. Lord Harrow ordered any wolves or wild animals near the village be killed. In a situation like this villagers experienced with hunting would be paid by the Lord to kill the dangerous animals. Arthur thought the situation was a little strange, as he never heard of a wolf attacking someone during a storm, on top of that, no adult would go out into a dangerous forest at night, when a storm approached. The villagers knew better. Though this was all strange, it could just as easily been wolves, so he dismissed the thought from his mind.

As time passed the reports of dead villagers continued, there was even talk of the deaths being caused by a monster. Lord Harrow dismissed these claims, saying that just because the hunters couldn’t find and kill this wild beast they make up stories about a monster so as not to bruise their pride and peasants will believe anything. The deaths weren’t taken too seriously either, because on average a villager would go missing every couple weeks. Three or four missing peasants wasn’t call for alarm, especially in such a dangerous time. Arthur remembered his father say one time over lunch. “When I was a young lord, I remember when we would lose three or four peasants a week”

The trend continued though, it was always when it rained and always at night and the tale of the monster became more descriptive and talked about. Much more concerned than his father, Arthur went out to the village to talk to some locals. After a few minutes of villagers bowing and groveling when they saw Arthur, he was eventually able to get some answers out of them. As a side note, Arthur didn’t really enjoy the groveling peasants as much as his father did. After talking with everyone he could find, he learned that the stories matched up and some had even seen the beast, or rather beasts. Whenever it rained, shadow creatures that moved like apes came into the village. They were a little shorter than humans, but had glowing purple eyes. Purple eyes that would shine out of the mist and rain, then before you knew it, someone was being dragged into the forest to be devoured. It sounded like a nightmare, and unfortunately for the villagers, it was all too real.

Arthur returned to the castle and tried to persuade his father to send extra protection to the village when it rained. Even if it wasn’t the work of monsters, something was killing people. After being refused repeatedly by his father, Arthur took upon himself to investigate. There was going to be a big storm coming in three days, biggest it had been in a while. So Arthur gathered, weapons and some armor and tried to make a plan. He would wait that night in the village and see for himself what really was attacking the village, then he would put a stop to it. Arthur, fitted his armor with straps so he could carry a crossbow, two swords, a throwing axe and a shield, as well as dagger he kept in his boot. He would be ready to fight a bear, a pack of wolves or if need be, shadow monsters. The time had come to see what Arthur was made of and see if he could truly protect his land.