The Fall of Conspirators

Cold wind blew in from the north and clashed with the warm air settling over the land below. It was the beginning of fall, the start of festivals, harvests and feasts. It was the time for thinking back on the year and preparing for winter. The beautiful fall scenery mixed with the chilly air and the cozy fires burning brightly in fireplaces.

This season was loved by many and tolerated by others. The villagers across the land lived their daily lives while enjoying the small pleasures of life.

Under the King’s rule most of the land prospered but there were forces at work which would undermine the King's progress. Many of the nobles and lords preferred laws that favored the few over the many. Several of these high ranking generals and lesser lords conspired to seize power for themselves. 

The world carried on unaware of the brewing battle and grasp for power. The delicate light of day shone brightly through the newly yellow and orange changing leaves of Fall. Far from the delicate light and tucked away in a dark room where men hunched over a table, plotting their dark design.

That autumn was important for the kingdom, but very few knew it. That autumn was the time for preparation for the winter, when the King’s soldiers would be spread out and hindered by the snow. When the lesser lords and generals could use snow and cold as a reason to spend longer days and nights at the castle.

In the small fort, located on the eastern side of the kingdom, in a small room sat several of the conspirators.  A tall knight dressed in black armor stepped into the room from a darkened doorway. The knight wasn’t wearing the traditional kingdom seal and the armor wasn't made from any distinguishable metal. Since it was a military fort seeing a knight wasn’t cause for alarm.
“What are you doing soldier? This is a private meeting” said the captain at the table. Captain Humford wore the blue, white and yellow kingdom colors, decorative armor, no helmet and had a large mustache. Anyone would assume he was important just by looking at him. The others at the table were lords of the surrounding lands and villages. They wore clothes made of fine silk and cloth and fancy hats with feathers sticking from the brim. They owned armor but felt safe enough to not wear it on this occasion. 

The black armored knight spoke, the voice echoed strangely from the slots in the helmet. “The chief advisor to the king suspects treachery and I was sent to handle the situation”
 The captain felt a twinge of nervousness shoot through him but he covered it up with anger. “I am a captain in the kings army, how dare you! You will be hanged, drawn and quartered for this! I’ll see to it personally! I will speak to the advisor and remind him of his place!” Shouted Captain Humford, his face growing red as he slammed his hand against the table. The nobles sat in their place, didn’t move and tried to put on a strong face to show they were upset by this ‘outrage’ as well but the nervousness in their eyes gave them away.

“I am not part of your kingdom and do not fear you judgment. None of you will be alive to pass your judgments anyway” Said the Black Knight. This made the lords cower and the captain stand up with his sword drawn.

The dark knight charged forward, holding a large sword with two hands. The captain flipped the table to block the knight then stabbed his sword over the table.
The knight stopped sharply then brought up the two handed sword blocking the strike from the captain’s sword.
“I am The Vanguard, slayer of men and the demon of the mountain pass. Struggling will just make this more painful for you” Said the knight, speaking through a deep voice and guttural breath.

This declaration terrified one of the lords, who had heard of the Vanguard before and the fearsome tales of his journey. The three lords stood up sharply when the table was flipped and after hearing the Vanguard’s threats, two of them drew their swords while the third ran for the door.

With supernatural speed and strength, the Vanguard crouched down, turned sideways and launched the two handed sword through the air. The sword spun sideways like a spinning buzz saw. It struck the fleeing noble in the back, went through his chest and pinned him to the wall.
The other two nobles and the captain all attacked at once, knowing this was their chance to outnumber and kill the weaponless knight.

The Vanguard raised its metal gauntlets to block the sword strikes, while moving backward toward the sword sticking out of the dead noble.
The Captain and the first noble were blocked by the gauntlets but the second noble was at enough of an angel that the sword went passed the gauntlet and struck the Vanguard in the side, between the gaps in the armor.

Blood trickled from the gap in the armor and marked the nobles sword. “So the Shadow Knight CAN bleed” Gloated the second noble.
The Vanguard stopped moving toward the sword and instead lunged at the noble. Red glaring eyes burned through the darkened slots in the Vanguard’s helmet. The Vanguard grabbed the second noble with its metal gauntlet clad hands. The Vanguard clenched both hands around the coward's neck, sinking the razor sharp fingers of the gauntlet deep into his throat. “That wound is nothing compared to the devastation you and your companions will feel. I will paint this room with your blood as a warming to any who strike at me with their blades!” Roared the Vanguard. The second noble only heard half of the threat before he passed out from blood and oxygen loss.

The other two men were struck with fear from this display. “Let us live, I will give you any amount. I can double whatever you are being paid” cried the remaining noble. The Captain scowled at the noble. “Show some backbone!” 

“I do not bend my will to weakness” said the Vanguard as it moved toward the sword. The captain ran to the side of the room so the Vanguard would have to split its attention between the Captain and the two nobles.
The Vanguard ripped the two handed sword from the dead noble and in one motion swung it at the captain. The blood of the dead noble flew off the blade then splattered the Captain’s face seconds before the Vanguards' sword cleaved the captains head from his shoulders. The captains blood then splattered against the stone wall behind him.

The headless captain toppled to the ground while the spineless noble stood shivering. “It was General Durms idea, we all just followed him. Please spare me” Said the noble. “It might have been his plan, but you followed it and you would have happily claimed any reward for doing so” replied the Vanguard.
The Vanguard walked slowly toward the noble, the two handed sword dragging along the ground and dripping with blood. “Even if your king pardoned you this moment, I would still kill you. Weakness and treachery needs to be punished. You will be punished”

Outside the sun shone brightly, the birds chirped and the trees swayed in the gentle breeze of the day. The cold hard wind of winter had not arrived for most but for the conspirators of the eastern fort, winter had already fallen on their lives and they would not see another spring. The sinister winter plan had not been halted, only slowed.

News would spread among the nobles and generals of the grizzly murder of Captain Humford and the three nobles. If the King’s advisor and the Vanguard hoped to stop the plot against the king they would have to work fast and could now expect heavier security around the heads of this scheme.

The Crimson Hand

It was a dark moonless night, the stars sparkled in the sky, wood smoke plumed from chimneys and the cold air of the night left a delicate layer of frost on every surface not sheltered by a roof or heat.

The Dragon Roots Inn was a quiet inn and tavern on the edge of town, they served travelers with a place to spend the night and provided the townsfolk with a place to drink and relax. The doors of the inn opened and two cloaked figures entered. They were both bundled up in layers of clothes, two genderless lumps of clothes and cloaks walked through the tavern and ambled up to the bar before sitting down. The two slowly unraveled layers of clothes from their bodies.

“what can I get fer ya?” asked the bartender as he relaxed both palms across the top of the bar. “One order of whatever stew you have cooking, two pints of ale and some bread. We also need a room” Said the cloaked figure on the right. The one who spoke had a soft feminine voice, it sounded like velvet on the ears or a relaxing breeze on the ocean. The bartender was taken back by the cloaked figures voice and wished he could hear the food order again so he could re-experience it. The bartender snapped out of his daze in a second, smiled and then walked off to the kitchen.

The Dragon Roots Inn had an exterior of stone and wood with a strong foundation. The interior had a softer appearance of wood flooring, rugs, lanterns giving off a soft light and a roaring hearth in the back with the tables and chairs. The floor was made of walnut and the tables and chairs were made of maple. Someone in the corner played soft music on a loot and the patrons of the tavern were mostly quiet, either too drunk or sleepy to cause much of a ruckus.

By the time the food and drink arrived the two figures had removed most of their extra clothing and placed them in neat piles next to their chairs. The cloaked figure on the right with the soothing voice was a woman with pale skin, bright green eyes and red hair. She kept her cloak on with her hood covering most of her hair but her face, neck and a single tunic was visible. She wore warm pants and sturdy boots and chose to keep her leather gloves on. She picked up her pint of ale and quickly drank down half of it before setting it back on the bar and turning to her stew.

The second figure was a man with paper white skin and pale brown eyes. There was a slightly glow of green in his eyes but most people blamed the lighting when they saw it. The man had removed a few layers but his skin was all covered except the area of his face between the top of his forehead to the bridge of his nose. Black hair could be seen on his hairline on the sides of his head but otherwise he was covered. The male figure didn’t drink or eat, he rested his arms against the bar and looked around the tavern as if to keep watch while the woman ate.

The tavern was quiet for a moment but then another strange visitor arrived. The door slammed open and a man wearing metal chest armor and a cloak walked in. this person was a Wolf-kin, a humanoid wolf species. Wolf-kin had better sense of hearing and smell than humans as well as slightly better reflexes and worse impulse control. They had bodies like humans but were mostly covered in fur, had wolf like heads with shorter snouts than wolves, their ears sat on the corners of their head, lower than a wolf but higher than a humans. Some wolf-kin had sharp claws instead of finger nails, some had fingernails like humans. This Wolf-kin had sharp claws. He walked into the tavern with frost still melting off of his cloak and fur, unfazed by the cold. “It smells like death in here” Growled the wolfman.

The bartender looked worried but tried to act calm. Any patrons who were conscious either went up to their rooms or left the tavern entirely. The only people besides the wolf were the cloaked figures and the bartender. The woman continued to eat and drink. She finished her own ale and started on the ale placed in front of the man. The man never looked back at the wolf but his head was raised in alert. The man stared dead eyed at the shelves behind the bar as he listened to the wolfman walk forward.

The wolfman sat right next to the woman eating and rested his weight on the bar. “I’m looking for someone. A woman who has a price on her head” Said the wolfman in a deep grizzly voice. “We’ve had plenty of women come and go all week” The tavern keeper nervously explained. “This one has cruel green eyes, she has magic, delicate frame, red hair” The wolfman continued as if the bartender never spoke.

The man in the cloak stood up and walked up to the wolfman “Listen, sir. There is clearly no one else here. So why not move along. You are making me on edge” Said the cloaked man, his voice was listless and dull. The wolfman looked at the cloaked figure. “are you the guard of this tavern?” Asked the Wolfman as he stood up. “Sir, there’s no need for any trouble” Said the tavern keeper. “Stop calling me sir. My name is Feroes and I’m no ‘sir’. Not everyone who wears armor is a knight” Growled Feroes the wolfman.

The cloaked figure stood unmoving with bored eyes. “I am not a guard and unless you intend to cause trouble, there wont be any need for a guard” Replied the man. Feroes stepped closer so that his short snout was almost touching the man’s covered nose. “I am looking to collect on this witches head and make big bag of gold when I do. I will cause as much trouble as I want until I find this woman” Snarled the Feroes the wolf.

In one quick motion the man moved his arms forward and shoved Feroes. The force of the shove knocked the sturdy wolfman off balance. He fell backwards and landed on a table, crushing the table under his weight. “Now leave, or I will make enough trouble for the both of us” threatened the cloaked man in his normal bored tone.

Feroes we shocked that he was taken by surprise like that. He had very quick reflexes and was sturdy enough to take a shove. By his own logic he should have been able to stop the shove and if he didn’t, he certainly shouldn’t have fallen backward with such force. Feroes blamed this as a fluke and decided not to drink so much before going on a hunt. “You are a deadman” Feroes growled. The cloaked man sighed. “Just finish him quick, honey. I’m tired and want to go to bed” Said the woman in the cloak, who was still eating.

            The cloaked man sidestepped Feroes’ attack but was over confident and wasn’t prepared for a follow up attack. The agile wolfman missed his lung but then swiped his claws upward slashing the cloaked man’s face. the man’s face was revealed, this shocked the bartender and Feroes but annoyed the cloaked woman. The cloaked man had been hiding a jaw and part of his face that was completely bone. A faint green glow could be seen behind his collar as if he had a light in his chest. The man sighed which was just a noise created to show annoyance but no actual breath was expelled. The man didn’t have a throat or lungs. He was a walking, thinking, animated skeleton with pieces of flesh, eyes and hair for appearance. “what are you?!” Yelled Feroes, who now understood why the Tavern smelled so strongly of death.

            “I am the specter of Rumford J Gould, and YOU have spent to long disrupting my quiet evening” Proclaimed Rumford who ripped open his shirt to reveal a bare ribcage and a large, floating, green flame taking up most of the room in his chest. The flame pulsed and sent green flames up into Rumford’s head and shot out of his mouth. Rumford spewed spectral flames, which engulfed the wolfman before he could get away. The fire quickly died down to reveal that the bar was unharmed but Feroes was on the floor severely injured. “My flames only burn the living because it only looks like fire, its more of a death magic that only hurts living things” Rumford explained to the terrified bartender. The bartended nodded and muttered “thanks for not burning the bar” through trembling lips and a shocked expression.

            Rumford gave a jovial wave to the Bartender and his eyes moved like he was smiling. Since he didn’t have skin on his mouth he couldn’t actually smile. Then his eyes turned serious as he marched over to Feroes. Rumford’s heavy leather boots clunked against the wood flooring as he approached. Feroes looked up and started to speak but could barely move. “People call me a monster. They call ME a monster. You are the monster here” Feroes uttered in a weak voice. “If you think I’m scary, you should see my wife” Rumford replied while towering over the fallen wolfman. The woman in the cloak stood up, turned around and walked up to Feroes.

            “You were hunting me. I’m not a necromancer or a wizard, but yes it was me you were looking for. Tell the other bounty hunters that I just want to live in peace and am not worth the trouble. I will make sure I am not worth the trouble” She threatened as she removed the warm winter glove on her right hand. Her skin on her forearm, wrist and hand were covered in glowing crimson markings. They were an ancient language no longer remembered and were etched permanently into her skin. “They call me the Crimson hand, and though I don’t like the name, I will use it to strike fear into anyone who comes after me” Crimson hand said as she thrust her hand forward. Her hand went through Feroes’ arm without breaking the skin, then she grabbed down onto the bone in his arm. Feroes screamed in pain. the grip felt like burning but if you set every nerve in that area on fire.

            Crimson let go of Feroe’s arm and retracted her hand. “I could do that to your heart, your brain, I could even pull your soul right out of your body and bind you permanently to that chair!” She said pointing to one of the tavern chairs. Her voice went from a delicate lovely tone to the voice of a deadly killer. Crimson’s smile returned, she then turned around and walked up the tavern stairs. “Rumford darling, be a dear and pay the Tavernkeeper for any trouble we caused as well as anything we still owe for the bed and food. I will be upstairs” She called to her husband.

            “I’ll be up in a bit honey” Rumford called back. Then he turned to Feroes “You can leave whenever you have the strength. I suggest you tell everyone what happened unless you want to be turned into a haunted bar stool” Rumford let out a strange laugh then walked off. He paid the Barkeep who was hiding behind the bar, gathered up the clothes that he and Crimson left on the floor then went up the stairs to bed. He wrapped his body back up in clothes and his cloak so the light of his green flame wouldn’t keep his wife awake.

            Feroes and caught the bartender looking at him before shrinking back down behind the bar. Feroes was eventually able to hobble out into the cold. He left the village and when he returned to the capital’s bounty office, he had a very important story to tell the other bounty hunters.

Joseph and Jaye save Autumn part 3 of 4

            Night had settled over the Autumn lands and our two (sort of) heroes were resting under the stars to prepare for their battle with Ignitious. The cool air of the night blew through the forest making the grass sway and dance. Joseph and Jaye slept on their backs, wrapped in blankets as they stared up at the night sky. Their bodies left person shaped impressions in the grass.

            Joseph was slowly drifting off to sleep when he heard a soft crunching noise that resembled the sound of someone eating nuts or chips. Jaye was wrapped up tightly in blankets, he was most immobile from the blankets being wrapped so tightly but he had one free hand to sneak round candies into his mouth. The candies had a semi-hard crunch shell that tasted like a sweet biscuit or cookie and on the inside was sweet goo that tasted like maple syrup. Jaye would wiggle his arm through his blankets, grab a few candies from a pouch that he had tucked into his blankets and then slowly roll each candy into his mouth. The night was so quiet and peaceful that the muffled crunching of candies could easily be heard. Joseph grumbled to himself then slowly drifted off to sleep as he listened to the soft sound of crunching.

            Joseph dreamed of a dark battle between heroes and villains. Three people wielding weapons stood ready to fight as they stared up at the sky at an insane wizard casting spells down at the ground below. Skeletons huddled in fear around the battlefield a giant laughing pumpkin sat in the distance. The air was cold, the only light in the sky was a sliver of a moon and the twinkling stars. Pine and maple trees surrounded the group, all of the trees were devoid of life yet seemed to grow anyway. The dark gray husks of trees grew into twisted shapes to the point that they barely resembled their former selves.

            Morning arrived on the backs of a peaceful breeze, a gentle autumn mist and the sound of chirping birds. The two friends were curled up deep into their blankets and were so sound asleep that Ignitious himself could have walked up and kicked them several times without much notice. Joseph woke up first, his head groggy and stomach sour. He felt a sense of unease and as he tried to recall his half forgotten nightmare. Jaye woke up pretty easily and was eating again. He had stashed a box of donuts in his backpack and had eaten most of the donuts before offering one to Joseph.

The Jaye and Joseph packed up their little camp and set off deeper into the forest toward the little cottage they spotted when they first arrived. The two friends had been following a dirt path through the forest. Along the path the trees were sparse but if they walked off in any direction they would have quickly ended up in thick forest and been lost in minutes.

            The dirt road branched off into a split, the full sized dirt path went one way and the smaller cobblestone path led to the cabin. The friends walked along the nicer but smaller path until they reached the cottage in the woods. Wood smoke puffed from the chimney above and the smell of burning wood mixed nicely with the cool air. Joseph knocked a few times on the large wooden door, which had small, stenciled leaves painted on to give the appearance of falling leaves.

            The door slowly opened, a hunched and hobbled figure greeted the friends. “Joseph and Jaye! I knew you would make it. I am glad the wisps found you” Said the stranger. The man was tall and thin, he wore rural styled clothes, and had all of his skin covered by his warm clothing, farmer gloves and shin high boots. The strangers head was a burning flame and his face was glowing yellow energy. He was smiling ‘brightly’ at the friends. “Its me, patches!” Said Patches weakly.

            The two friends gasped. “what happened to you?” Joseph asked. Patches waved for the friends to come inside then limped to a chair and sat down. “those elemental brothers! They swear I owed them part of the autumn forest. They say I lost a bet, but I would never gamble the forest away. You both know I can fight when I need to, but they took me by surprise and they attacked me together. Then they smashed my pumpkin head and left me to watch as they carved up my forest for themselves!” Patches explained, his weak voice was stirred up with anger but he didn’t seem to have the energy to get any louder. Patches was always a lively spirit who danced and flew in with the Autumn wind at his back. Joseph didn’t know how, but the fire and ice brothers must have seriously injured him. Patches was a spirit made of straw with a pumpkin head. His soul and ‘brain’ were made of magical flames. Patches having his pumpkin head smashed would be like breaking open a human skull and leaving the brain and eyes intact. A human wouldn’t survive that but spirits were sturdier than most humans.

            “Is there anything you can do to help us fight Ignitious? We beat Glacious with the help of that warming drink, but we don’t have anything that protects us from fire” Jaye asked. “No, all the treasures I had were sent with the wisps. I am sure you will figure something out. Wind wont defeat him but it should be enough to deflect his fire attacks” Patches replied with a heavy sigh.

            Joseph was sitting across the room in a comfortable country style armchair. His face looked serious. He was normally a cheerful person but he felt that Glacious and Ignitious had gone too far. The renegade spirits not only threatened his favorite time of the year but severely injured one of Joseph’s friends. The injustice of it all boiled in his guts. Joseph realized he was grinding his teeth and was giving a lampshade the death eye. He quickly faked a smile and tried to ease his tension.

            Jaye knew something was off about Joseph and he also knew that they couldn’t stay and chat while Ignitious was out there burning down the forest “Hey buddy, you wanna get going?” Jaye used his softest voice while addressing Joseph. “Oh, yeah of course. Lets kick it” Joseph replied trying to sound cheerful but failing. His act fooled no one but the others ignored it for now. Patches smiled and waved at the two as they left “be careful! Also don’t worry about me, I will recover from this, just make sure you stop Ignitious” Patches called after them hoping to ease their worries. The truth was he would probably recover, he was a tough spirit, but he also had never been this severely injured before.

            Joseph marched ahead, his eyes set forward and his mind ready for battle. Jaye followed closely as he gripped the claw hammer that rested in his jacket. He wondered if he should be more worried about Joseph or worried about Ignitious when Joseph finds him. As the friends traveled back along the dirt path they felt warmer. The cool air turned to a warm breeze and the friends had to remove their coats and roll up their sleeves. It felt like a summer day in the autumn forest and this only added heat to the fire in Josephs guts.

The battle with Ignitious was ahead and the two were ready to end this adventure.

Autumn Train

It was the end of summer, the night brought a temporary break from the heat. The crickets chirped and the humidity of the day still lingered in the air. I always loved going for long walks around my old apartment building but in the summer, I delayed my walks till night.

 

            The city streets were empty in my part of the neighborhood. I lived in a historic district of the city, it was quiet, affordable and I was still close to the store if I needed anything. Behind my apartment were old train tracks and every night I would hear the train rush by and shook my apartment as it went. My apartment wouldn’t so much shake as gently rumble, it was more soothing than it sounds.

 

            I always loved trains and the sound of trains in the distance relaxed me, so on this particular night I left my usual walking route and headed for the train tracks. I wanted to see the train up close for some time and that night was a perfect night to finally see it in all of its fury and speed.

 

            I walked off the sidewalk and down a grassy hill, the warm summer air stuck to me like wet clothes. The closer I walked toward the train tracks the cooler the air became. Walking away from the concrete and tall buildings afforded me the chance to feel a cool breeze of a changing season. I knew I was silly to hope for Fall weather so soon, but that didn’t stop me from quietly wishing it to myself.

 

            I heard the train approaching in the distance but didn’t see it or the lights. I ran closer to the train tracks, running through wild grass that reached my shins, it was damp and scratchy. A chest high wooden fence stood between the tracks and me. Knowing I couldn’t go further without risking my life, I held onto the wooden fence posts and leaned my body forward in anticipation of seeing the train rush past me.

 

            I heard the sound of a trains horn and the sound of it barreling down the tracks but I couldn’t see anything. The sound grew closer and closer till finally it sounded like it was right in front of me. I saw a blinding light flash then an enormous train barreled passed me.  It was twice as big as any train I had ever seen, it barely fit on the tracks. It was made of black metal with orange stripes across the side, it had an old fashioned look to it, like it had been made a hundred years ago. There was one big light on the front and steam poured from the front of it. It dragged a long trail of cargo carts, all of them were wooden boxcars with green, orange or black paint and some weren’t pained at all.

 

            The rush of the train kicked up a cold breeze that blew through the field. The blast of cool air felt like a winter wind had blown through me. I shivered and stepped back. I convinced myself that the wind was from the train’s movement and the only reason it felt so cold was because I was used to the summer heat, but when I turned around I saw the grass around me was covered in frost.

 

            The frost quickly melted from the grass and as it did I turned back to the train just in time to see the last car and caboose fly by. Another winter wind was kicked up and blew through the field.

The train disappeared into the night and left no trace that it had ever been there. The only thing that remained was the cool air that pushed back the heat and the memories I would always have of the mysterious train from that night.