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.

Mist Harbor

            Halloween was fast approaching, it was the day when people celebrated with costumes, tricks and treats. It was when the barrier between the world of the living and the dead was weakest and it was also the day when Samantha Gould’s husband, Rumford, was killed.

            Samantha ‘The Crimson Hand” walked briskly, her black, hard soled boots clacked against the cobblestone path. The sounds of her footsteps echoed through the alleyways of the dreary city of Mist Harbor. Fallen leaves gathered along the gutters and in alleys. There was little sound in the city that night except for footsteps, distant conversation, the sound of dried leaves being crunched underfoot and the scraping sound they made when the wind blew them across the stone walkways.

            Light rain drizzled over the city, trickling over anything that wasn’t covered by rooftops or tree branches. Mist harbor had several spots in the city spaced out for planting trees and while the population stagnated the tree growth boomed. Tall trees dotted the city landscape, with leaves of bright orange and yellow. With each breeze the branches would shake loose a few warm colored leaves. The leaves danced as they drifted slowly to the ground. Clusters of leaves floated through the air like autumn snow, while the gentle rain pattered the ground. The citizens of Mist Harbor missed the delicate balance of earth, wind, and water, as most of them were indoors getting warm or asleep.

            Samantha wore a long black cloak with her hood up, black leather gloves, a deep red shirt and black pants. Her green eyes shone brightly through the darkness in a supernatural way. She walked with purpose through the run down alleys but with every step forward a stranger took two steps towards her. The stranger moved quickly with menacing intentions. The dark and foggy back streets of the city were the perfect place for criminal activity and anyone could lose their life if they weren’t careful.

            Soon the stranger was right behind Samantha when he drew a dagger. He stabbed his dagger forward but his hand stopped an inch from her back. A glowing green eye peered behind the stranger. “You should be more careful with sharp edges” growled a menacing voice from the shadows. The attacker screamed, followed by crunching sounds and blood spilling out into the gutters and drains. “You are getting slow” Samantha chided, continuing to walk without missing a step. “Sorry my love, I guess I am getting old” Replied the voice, this time the voice was soothing and sweet. 

            Samantha made her way to the docks just as a large cargo ship arrived. She stood there patiently and unflinching as cold wind blew in from the sea. The ship’s captain waved when he saw Samantha. The gruff old man smiled at her and she returned with a slow nod. The crew unloaded crates of pumpkins, ale, wheat and lumber as the captain met with Samantha. 

            “It wasn’t an easy find, but we found it” Said the captain of the cargo ship. “You don’t need to give me the hard sell, I know it is rare and I know you have it. So how much do you want for it?” Samantha asked impatiently. The captain smiled, the corner of his lips moving the hairs in his bushy beard. “Well I-“ The captain began to say but stopped. He looked behind Samantha and saw a figure standing just outside the docks, covered by the shadow of a building. The figure was medium height, dressed in a cloak and had glowing green eyes and a ghoulish face of half bone and half skin. The captain had to look twice to make sure he saw it correctly. The dark of night clouded the vision and when the captain looked again, the figure was gone. “I-I’ll take whatever you think is fair” Said the captain, who no longer wanted to stay in this port.

            “Captain, the men are requesting shore leave” Said the first mate of the ship. The captain turned to the first mate and with a pale face “Like HEL- I mean, no. We have a schedule to keep. Tell’em that we will stay at the next port and the first round is on me” Replied the captain.

            Samantha paid the captain what she thought was fair and received a large heavy pouch. The captain hurried off to his ship and as soon as the rest of the cargo was unloaded and paid for, he set sail for the next port. Samantha gave a devilish smile “You just enjoy scaring people, don’t you” She said to the air. “I get bored being just a shadow sometimes” Replied a voice, carried on the wind.

Samantha was usually reserved and quick to smirk or say something sarcastic but her lover’s words stabbed at her heart. Rumford was being playful but there was truth in his words. Samantha often claimed she didn’t have a heart and when people used to tell her that Rumford was too good for her, she would agree.

            Samantha was dwelling on the past as her hands opened the large pouch that the ship’s
captain gave her. Inside the pouch was a round, pumpkin shaped, stone. It was the size of  a babies head and about as heavy as a baby head made of solid stone. The stone had a Jack-O-lantern face on the front. This wasn’t any generic Jack-O-Lantern face, it was the twisted and pointed face of the Hallows End Jack O Lantern. In the town of Halloween and monsters was a Jack-O-Lantern that was larger than a horse. It looked like a pumpkin but never wilted and always had a flame burning brightly at its core. This small stone pumpkin was the key to the center of Hallows End.

            Samantha and Rumford Gould knew they would have to return to Hallows End one day and it was this Halloween when Samantha would finally deliver vengeance to the one who murdered Rumford.

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.

Halloween Comes for Ignitous

In the spirit world there were four major lands, each based on a season experienced on earth. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall all had lands with their own climate, forests and other terrain. In the land of summer on the eastern edge of the searing desert was the summer forest. The summer forest was a brisk ninety to a hundred degrees, then going outward toward the desert the temperature went up until finally reaching the volcano lands, where the air was hot enough to burn human hair.

            The spirits and warm weather animals played and enjoyed their warm days while Autumn arrived for the people on Earth. The warm weather was slowly cooling in the summer forest, causing the inhabitants to panic. A dark shadow swooped over the land like a hawk looking for prey. These disturbances alerted the attention of July, the ruler of Summer land. She was a large woman who loved parties, attention and summer heat. She was popular among her own people but had a tendency for sticking around on earth longer than many humans would like. Her overstaying her welcome would cut into the Fall season. This year she behaved herself and was in the summer lands with her people.

            The large shadow was joined by smaller shadows and the cold air began to pour in from above. The sky darkened as glowing white ghosts and wisps descended into the forest. Maniacal laughter echoed through the trees and pumpkin headed plant creatures sprang up from the ground. Spirits of Halloween had arrived in the summer lands and were searching for someone. Floating Jack-o-lanterns with glowing eyes scanned through the now darkened forest as bats and hawks flew above the treetops. The summer forest was in a panic.

            The spirits of Autumn and Halloween had come for Ignitious the flame spirit, who, with his brother Glacious, attacked the Autumn Forest and severely injured the leader Patches. Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams chased to two brothers out of the Autumn forest but the spirits of Halloween wanted revenge on the brothers for their disrespect for the natural order of the seasons.

            Ignitious was mostly recovered from his injuries thanks to the heat of the Summer Lands. The Halloween spirits had already spotted before he figured out that he was the target of this attack. The bright flames that made up Ignitious’ body was easy to spot in the now darkened sky and before he could escape he was set upon by bats and pumpkin monsters. The flame spirit sent out a wave of flames, sweeping up the bats in the flames and making the monsters run for cover. The trees of the Summer Forest were heat and flame proof, so any fire that hit the green leafy trees quickly went out. Ignitious wasn’t a spirit of the summer lands and didn’t really care about the forest, so even if the trees weren’t fire proof he still would have used his fire powers without restraint.

            Ignitious took off flying like a fireball, he was headed for the volcano where his powers would be strongest. He shot through the forest with ease and entered the searing desert. The large shadow from the sky descended down and landed in front of Ignitious before the spirit could go any further. Ignitious collided with the shadow causing a fiery explosion. When the flames died down the shadow still stood. Bats fluttered away and shadow creatures melted off the figure and escaped into the ground, revealing Patches, the spirit of Autumn and the leader of the Autumn Lands. “Did you really think you could surprise attack me like a coward, attack my lands, claim my forest for yourself and I wouldn’t do anything about it? Just because Joseph and Jaye kicked you out of my forest doesn’t mean there wont be consequences!” Patches’ voice boomed as flames erupted out of his pumpkin head and dark magic jumped from his body like electrical sparks from a power line.

            “I beat you once before, do you really think you can take me this time?” Ignitious said with a fiery smile. “You had your brother to help you and you attacked me when my back was turned. In a fair fight you wouldn’t last a minute. I am the king of Autumn and Halloween, you are rogue elemental spirit” Patches shouted as he walked towards Ignitious. Patches was tall and thin with a body made of hay, roots and flames with a large pumpkin head on his shoulders and a carved face that moved like a human face. While the two spirits prepared to fight the invading spirits of Halloween and Autumn made a circle around the two, so that Ignitious couldn’t run away from this. Cold air blew through the desert as the night sky and full moon loomed over head for the first time ever in this land.

            Ignitious spun around bringing flames up from the ground and carrying them with him as he charged towards Patches. The King of Fall didn’t flinch at the flames and easily side stepped the attack. Patches was quicker than he looked and was determined to show this menace why he shouldn’t mess with the Autumn Lands. Patches melted into the ground like a shadow and shot forward with lighting speed, then before Ignitious could realize that Patches was gone, the shadow of Patches sprang up from the ground in the form of a giant shadowy wolf head with blazing red eyes. The shadow wolf head chomped down on Ignitious and shook the spirit like a dog shaking a piece of meat. Ignitious sent flame bursts out from his body in an attempt to break the shadow wolf’s grip but the flames had no effect. When Patches decided he was done he slammed Ignitious into the ground, then the shadow wolf head formed back into the pumpkin headed spirit.

            Ignitious charged condensed flames into his hand, making a fireball hotter and stronger than his normal steel melting flames. The flame spirit launched his powerful ball of flames. Patches, who didn’t have bones or a spine, bent himself in half to avoid the fireball. Flames shot across his back as he narrowly dodged the attack. While Patches was still bent in half he charged forward, his pumpkin head growing larger and his mouth growing wider the closer he got to Ignitious. Shadows rose up from the ground and whooshed forward like wind, wrapping around Ignitious. Patches came within inches of the flame spirit then contracted his pumpkin head and ‘breathed’ out dark magic flames from his mouth. Dark flames engulfed the flame spirit, damaging the fire elemental while remaining harmless to any of the Halloween spirits caught in the blast.

            Ignitious dropped to the ground as purple mist streamed from his head like steam. The group of Halloween spirits parted on two sides, on the right side a group of Autumn spirits dragged a large wooden crate into the fighting circle and on the left the ruler of the Summer Lands, July emerged onto the scene.

            “What is going on here?!” July shouted. “Ignitious and his brother attacked me, beat me almost to death and tried to claim my forest as their own. This is my payback” Patches explained. The Halloween spirits all called out and shouted in agreement. July stared at Patched with a furious look but switched her heated gaze down to Ignitious. “You said you needed to rest in my lands because you were injured from a fight, you never told me you tried to upset the balance of the seasons and attacked a king! What happens when you recover? Were you going to attack him again? What about attack me and claim my Summer Forest? Or were you going to go pick on the Spring bunny?” July shouted in outrage.

            “I’m not your subject you old crone! I don’t owe any of you anything! When I recover I am going to gather my gang of flame spirits, some dragons and anyone else who will follow me and make you all pay!” Ignitious spat. “OH no you wont!” July shouted grabbing Ignitious by the neck with a powerful grip and slamming him to the ground. She then threw all her weight down onto the flame elemental, sitting on him so he couldn’t escape. The Halloween spirits sniggered at the sight of the feared flame elemental being sat on by the mighty Summer Spirit.

            “I figured the brothers would try to attack again, so I made these crates to transport the two of them. I will keep them somewhere safe until they agree to not attack anyone. Ignitious will be riding in a crate made of summer wood and Glacious…” Patches trailed off as he gestured to a second box being dragged up. The second crate was made of a pale wood and was covered in frost. The autumn spirit dragging the crate opened it revealing Glacious trapped inside. “I found him in the Winter forest and figured the trees of Winter could hold him as well as anything” Patches added.

            July used her firm grip to pull Ignitious out from under her and threw him into the large box made of summer wood. “I am glad to see you taking care of things, but next time you should tell me ahead of time before you invade my forest” July said sternly.

            Patches apologized to July and explained that he didn’t know ahead of time if she was in on the attack or not. The two crates were then hauled off by Halloween creatures, Patches apologized again, bowed like a gentleman then opened a portal made of autumn leaves and swirling wind. The group of autumn spirits, Halloween spirits and Patches all left the Summer lands. Then the moment the portal closed the night sky turned to a bright summer day, the air warmed up and environment quickly returned to normal.

            Ignitious and Glacious learned a lesson that most spirits already knew, don’t disrupt the natural balance of weather and seasons and sure as hell don’t mess with the King of Halloween.

October thoughts and feelings

Sit back and relax with your favorite hot beverage, forget the world, forget the summer and the winter, you are safe now.

            Rain trickled down from the overcast sky, fog floated peacefully over the land, a gentle breeze carried smells of wood smoke and baked goods. Up on the grassy hill sat a small bakery, the bakers moved quickly, unhindered by the sleepy haze of the day. The Autumn festival was fast approaching and the “Maple Hill” bakery was tasked with contributing pumpkin and maple related baked goods.

            The fog drifted down the hillside toward the heart of the town where the smell of fresh ground coffee, rain and freshly raked leaves all mixed into the air. Carts, wagons and old fashioned cars chugged along the road as pedestrians walked up and down the sidewalk. The people wore warm coats and scarves, they looked up at the shop windows as they passed by and sipped their hot coffee. The shops were bustling with Fall colors and treats of the season. The rain continued into the night, the people filed out of the shops and all headed to their homes. Warm lights began to glow from lanterns, street lamps and shop windows. The gentle rain speckled the shop windows and the raindrops reflected the light from inside the dimly lit stores.

            Night settled over the town and the sounds of owls in the distant forest, the light tapping of rain on the rooftops and the crackling of a wood fire could be heard in the town. Lights in the distance bobbed and shook as they traveled down the road leading out of the town. Fog cleared away to reveal the lights were lamps attached to a horse drawn carriage. The carriage was black and glistening with rain water, the carriage driver wore a long heavy coat, black leather cloves, boots and a wide brimmed hat. He sank down into his coat, pushing his neck more into his collar, like a bird pushing their head into their feathery body to stay warm. The horse was chestnut brown with a white diamond shape on its head. It had plane black leather straps attaching it to the carriage and overall was a healthy horse that wasn’t bothered by rain or chilly winds.

            The carriage rode out of the town and along the countryside. The road twisted along through a path that cut through wild country. To the right of the path was a slope leading down to a valley and a large field of green grass turning yellowish for the season. The sun began to rise over the field, its golden rays shining down and reflecting against the mist and the morning dew. The grass swayed gently in the breeze and the rain gave way to sun. The sunlight made the world sparkle and shine but since it was Fall the air stayed cool and pleasant. The morning air was fresh and clean, it awoke the spirit and invigorated the mind.

            Along the same country road, while the grassy field shined bright with swaying golden grass on the right, to the left was the base of a sturdy and ancient hillside. The hill stood overlooking the town and the surrounding forest. Old stone relics littered the cliff peaks, old stones from another age. The trees that lined the hillside were bright with autumn colors. The cool air had arrived and made the trees blush red and ignite with orange and yellow. This hill was almost the size of a mountain and was too big for anyone to live on but the sturdiest among the village would climb the hill and marvel at the view below. Standing on the top of the hill would let someone see the autumn forests and valleys for miles. An ocean of auburn, ochre and amber, colors of the fall all swaying and dancing like a field on fire. Surrounded by stone relics and staring at an amazing view, someone might wonder if the ancient people believed their hill was the highest or most important point in their small world.

            The world goes on though and while we all hate to leave the hillside and the sleepy town, we all must continue. Time flows like a river, taking us past many sights and experiences, we can only hope to truly enjoy these experiences while the sights are still visible. The road, not the river, takes us further into the world. This is when things get darker and maybe slightly more fun.

            The road twisted and turned, it flowed past a small village. This village is where the carriage driver stopped, but this is not where we will stop. The road took us further down into the forest, a forest of dark green pines, mossy oaks and sleeping beasts. The afternoon light was barely visible through the thick canopy of treetops. The fog was heavier and the sound of roaming creatures could be heard. The forest was dark and full of terrors but it was still day and the creatures of the night were asleep, dreaming of their next kill. The forest stretched on but in the distance was a glowing orange light, dull but distinct. The light was alluring and so it was followed. The light became clearer and more lights joined in. All the lights were floating in the air like spirits in the afterlife.

            The lights seemed to float in the darkness until it was revealed they were orange pumpkin lights hung from a solitary maple tree. A bright orange and red maple tree adorned with large pumpkin shaped lights. Each light had a tiny flame burning inside. The flames caste pumpkin shaped shadows out into the forest. At the base of the tree was a stone gargoyle with a wildly uncomfortable smile and its arms pointing to the right. To the right was a path leading out of the thick pine tree forest. The haze of the forest parted near the exit of the forest and the path led out toward a lively city full of bright orange, purple and green lights, dark colors and decorated with Jack-O-Lanterns. The city was full of carriages, old cars and people. The people wore black cloaks, gothic dresses, and bright green or orange with strange hats. Overall they seemed a little odd.

            The night fell over the city giving emphasis on the darkness of the city and the brightness of the lights. The warmth felt in the homes and cafes pushed back the creeping cold of the approaching season. This city was full of magic and mystery. It was they type of city where adventure or certain death could be waiting in alleys and pathways. From that point the path stretched on but we will go no further.

            It is not time to tell the story of the places beyond and the time has already passed for stories of what came first. This was not a story of villains or heroes, it was a story of a land and the sights inside of it. It was a story of nature, humanity, and pizza burps.

Crescent Farms

Mist lingered through the night air, light rain pattered onto the farmer’s wooden roof and the crescent moon cast dim light down on the wheat field below.

Robert lived and worked on his farm miles from town. He was relaxing in his comfortable, blue chair after a hard day of work. Robert looked up from the book he was reading when he heard a “thumping” sound coming from his field. “Thump thump” the sound was steady and unlike any sound Robert was used to. “Thump thump” continued the sound making it hard to ignore.

Robert stood up from his seat, closed his book, set it on his wood end table and walked toward the door. He opened his door and peered outside. “Thump thump” continued the noise. The sound was louder now and clearer with the door open.

Robert followed the thumping sound and was led into his wheat field. It was Autumn and his wheat was tall and almost ready for harvest. The sound was always the same “thump thump” then silence for several seconds, before it happened again “thump thump”

Robert walked to the middle of his wheat field where he found a glowing orange light. “thump thump” went the noise, and the light pulsed with the beat of the thumping. Robert walked carefully up to the light and found a large pumpkin in the middle of his field. He stared at the pumpkin and waited. “thump thump” went the sound and the pumpkin pulsed with light in sync with the sound.

Robert decided to leave, glowing pumpkins and strange noises couldn’t lead to anything good. Before Robert could leave he heard the loudest thumping yet. A ghostly figure with a shovel slammed his shovel into the dirt “thump thump” echoed the ghostly shovel “Wheat?! We need PUMPKINS!” Yelled the ghost. His voice was shrill and turned Robert’s blood cold.

The giant pumpkin burned with a bright orange light as a fiery Jack-O-Lantern face appeared on it. The ghost flew straight at Robert and brought his shovel down on the poor farmer. “thump thump”

One week later the whole town was surprised by the mysterious disappearance of the farmer and newly grown pumpkin patch on his property.

Happy October!

Joseph and Jaye save Autumn part 4 of 4

When Joseph Stephens and Jaye Williams arrived to the source of the heat they found Ignitious laying on a beach chair and a giant fire ball, which he conjured, was floating in the sky above the trees acting like a second sun. “I was expecting a forest on fire, not a flame elemental enjoying an extended summer” Jaye joked. “Both are equally bad. This isn’t the summer land, this is the Autumn land” Joseph said with a low growl. “Ok big guy, lets ease off on the demon juice. We just gotta whack this guy a couple of times with the ol’claw hammer and we can go back to drinking coffee in the cold breeze like a couple of weirdos” Jaye said as he patted Josephs arm. Joseph turned to Jaye with a sad but sincere smile “Yeah, I am just getting a little worked up. It will be ok” Joseph said, nodding several times as if to try and convince himself.

            Ignitious spotted the two friends walking up. Jaye had his pumpkin sword drawn and Joseph had his magic staff ready. The humanoid fire spirit let out a quick laugh at the sight of the two. Tiny flames spit out from his mouth when he laughed. Ignitious’ laugh caused Joseph’s anger to burn hotter. “This isn’t a laughing matter. You are about to be destroyed. We spared your brother, you wont be spared, not after we saw what you two did to Patches” Joseph shouted with his teeth gritted. Before Ignitious could reply a ten foot tall whirlwind was launched from Joseph’s staff. The whirlwind tore a path through the ground and struck the flame elemental before he could get out of his beach chair.

            The whirlwind shook in the place where Ignitious previously sat. Flames erupted from the whirlwind in every direction until the whirlwind was dispelled, leaving a very angry flame spirit in its place. Ignitious had flames raging all over his body, with his core form made from a searing magma substance. “I was just going to make this into a second summer forest because I felt bad for old Patches but since you attacked me so rudely, I am going to burn this forest down to ASH!” Ignitious shouted then shot straight at Joseph with incredible speed and force. Jaye saw Ignitious lunge across the battlefield and barely had enough time to summon his golden leaf. The leaf created a wind barrier just a split second before the giant fireball that was Ignitious hit Joseph. The flame spirit was repelled by the windshield and sent backward but the force of his attack shut down the shield and made Jaye stumble backward slightly. All of the magical items they had, took their energy to use and Jaye was already feeling tired from repelling such a large attack.

            The two friends prepared to attack but Ignitious was relentless and went into another attack. Jaye spotted a large hollowed out log, it was large, sturdy and looked like it had been there for a hundred years. “Follow me!” Jaye shouted as he ran for cover. Joseph ran right behind Jaye. Ignitious was fast and was quickly gaining on the two. The flame spirit turned into a fireball and launched himself forward. The two friends jumped into the hollow log just in time. Ignitious sped by the log and hit a tree ten feet away. “Your luck will not last!” Shouted the angry spirit. “This log is pretty great! Maybe we could just camp here until Ignitious leaves” Jaye joked. Joseph half smiled.

            Ignitious was tired of his enemy surviving his attacks and decided to go all out. “You dared to bring out my wrath, now try and survive it” Ignitious shouted. He stretched his arms up into the air and summoned flames. Fire floated in the air above Ignitious, the collection of fire was bigger than Ignitious himself. “Your father was a matchstick!” Shouted Jaye, who was poking his head out of the log. “and your mother was an easy bake oven” Joseph shouted, still in the log.

            “Enough!” Ignitious shouted as he shot all of his summoned flames at the two. The intense fire it the ancient log, fire burst out in every direction upon contact with the log. The surrounding area was burned and turned to ash but somehow the log stood, old, stubborn and sturdy. “The log protected us!” Joseph said in amazement. “The log provides!” Jaye cheered. The giant log was blackened and smoking but it protected the friends.

            Ignitious was furious but couldn’t summon another attack right away without injuring himself. “Hey, he’s outta juice!” Jaye cheered. “Right! Then lets smoke this turkey!” Joseph said with a determined expression. Jaye pulled his claw hammer from his jacket, used his magic pumpkin to cover him in armor and then charged out from the safety of the log. Joseph took a swig from the warm liquid in the water flask, because it tasted good, then charged out holding his magic staff.

            Ignitious saw the two charging and tried to throw a few flame attacks. The half hearted attacks were easily dodged and the friends were left unhindered. “I’ve been waiting for this! Clawww Hammar!” Jaye brought his hammer down and struck the fire elemental in the chest, knocking him back. Joseph followed behind then summoned earth tremors and whirlwinds from his staff. Joseph’s anger still boiled inside of him and he was determined to bring down Ignitious down, even if it meant killing him.

            The ground shook around Ignitious, the whirlwind pulled loose rocks from the ground as it went and the multiple whirlwinds filled with rocks and stones hit Ignitious. Ignitious was wounded but still standing. He charged up a fireball and threw it at Joseph.

            Joseph hadn’t let up his attack at this point and continued to charge forward casting magic. Jaye jumped and knocked Joseph out of the way of the incoming fireball. “You aren’t suddenly fire proof are you?” Jaye asked with a smile “No” Joseph replied shortly then stood up and began charging his energy into his magic staff. Joseph was determined but also blinded by his singular goal to defeat Ignitious.

            Joseph’s anger had been building for a long time, every time July the fat spirit of summer, Old Man Winter or any other troublesome spirit tried to disrupt the Fall. Joseph didn’t try to invade summer land to make the season shorter, he didn’t go out of his way to fight Winter so Autumn lasted longer. Joseph was peaceful and waited all year for his favorite season and yet someone had to try and stop him from enjoying it. He suffered through summer, getting heat stroke, heat sickness, headaches, dizziness, sweating through his shirts, and yet he suffered through it without trying to conquer anything. Ignitious treated Patches worse than anyone yet and the attack from the Fire and Ice brothers was the final straw.

            Joseph had been charging magic into his staff then unleashed it on Ignitious. A giant wall of stone rose up from the ground then rushed forward like a tidal wave, whirlwinds flew at Ignitious, each whirlwind was bigger than usual and streaked with lighting. Electricity flashed and sparked through the air. The rock tidal wave, the electrical mega whirlwinds and just pure bolts of lighting blasted forward at super speeds. Ignitious was fast but he couldn’t manage to escape this onslaught in time. All of the magic attacks struck Ignitious. The flame elemental shook and convulsed in place, the flames that made up his outer body pulsed and flared out in every direction at random intervals. When the attacks died down Ignitious was left with only his core magma form and was more vulnerable now, like Glacious in his cracked solid ice form.

            Joseph had spent most of his energy with those attacks and now gasped to catch his breath. Ignitious was defeated and fell to his knees “Alright, I give up. I won’t bother Patches or his land again” Ignitious said, his voice was weak and hollow. “No forgiveness, he wont get mercy” Joseph said between breaths. Jaye winced “We’ll spare him like we spared Glacious. Let me handle this” Jaye said to a barely standing Joseph.

            “We spared your brother and we will spare you. Whatever grudge or debt you think you have between patches, is over. Enough fighting, try to do something useful for a change” Jaye told Ignitious then shook his claw hammer menacingly at the wounded flame spirit.

            Ignitious vanished in a ball of flame leaving a small scorch mark on the grass where he knelt. Jaye turned to Joseph “Glad that is settled. Now you need to relax with all of that ‘no mercy’ crap. Lets drink some tea or something and calm down. We should probably check on Patches as well” Jaye shrugged then walked over to collect his injured friend.

            The two friends saved Autumn land and thus had saved the season itself. When they reached Patches hut they found the Autumn spirit sleeping soundly with a small sprout budding from his torso. This sprout would grow into a new pumpkin head, returning Patches to his former glory. Joseph was starting to calm down now that autumn was saved. The friends didn’t get a reward for their help but they did get to keep their new weapons, at least until Patches remembered that they were missing.

            The real reward was a new autumn day on the horizon, the exciting frights of Halloween, the chilly Fall mornings, the harvest of food and the time to reflect.

            Joseph and Jaye never made it home though, before they could reach the portal to home, they were whisked away onto another adventure. But that is another story for another time.    

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.

Joseph and Jaye save Autumn part 2 of 4

Joseph and Jaye stepped through the spirit gate that was placed before them. Both friends pushed open the little gate door and walked through only to find that they hadn’t been transported anywhere, they were still in the field. The spirit giggled in a squeaky voice. “Just a joke guys, ok ok. Here you go” said the spirit who then snapped its fingers and the two friends were whisked away to the spirit world. Joseph felt like he was riding a roller coaster through an endless number of loops. Joseph then felt like he was free falling at one point, gaining speed as he hurtled toward the ground like an meteor.

Two green streaks of light flashed across the sky over the autumn land deep in the spirit world.  The two green meteors crashed hard into the ground below, shaking the surrounding area. Joseph and Jaye shakily climbed out of the crater they created. Joseph didn’t know how he survived the fall but was glad the ride was over.

The autumn land was beautiful. Golden sunlight lit up the forest, each tree had various colors of autumn. Different shades of orange, red, and yellow, every shade from bight shining color all the way to the deep rust color the trees get at the end of Fall.

The grass that spread over the land was different shades as well, deep green, pale green and yellowish. In front of the friends was a stream that sparkled with reflective sunlight, the water looked cool and fresh. The air was chilly but not overly cold. The smell of wood smoke lingered in the air and a cute little cabin sat in the distance. 

“I thought this place was under attack?” Joseph said. “Maybe they took a break from destruction to get a coffee” Jaye suggested. “Or the spirit sent us to one of the few remaining locations in the autumn land that haven’t been destroyed yet” Joseph said. “OR! The spirit was lying about destruction and the special relics he gave us are just junk he found” Jaye said with a sly grin.

Joseph held his staff out in front of him, pointed it at the water and focused on trying to use it. A burst of wind shot from the top of the wooden staff shaking the little autumn leaves that grew from the top of it. The wind rushed forward several feet and stirred up the water before disappearing into the air. Then the staff let out a little burst of flame, small and mostly harmless. “Ok, so I have to work on this. At least we know the staff is real” Joseph said proudly.

The two friends began to talk through the autumn forest, listening and watching for any signs of fighting or destruction. Clouds began to form, blocking out the sunlight. Rain started to fall on the land transforming the bright and colorful forest into a sleepy rainy forest. The friends could hear the sound of rain hitting the trees and splashing into the river. Their hair and coats were damp from the rain. The air felt a bit chillier and Joseph wished he had brought a heavier coat.

The rain continued and the friends were getting cold. “Hey how about a swig of that flask we got?” Asked Jaye Williams. “You are always looking to eat or drink something! But yeah, it might warm us up” said Joseph. Joseph opened the leather water skin and took a small sip then handed it to Jaye who took a sip and gave it back. The liquid tasted like hot chocolate or coffee, or a mix of the two with some kind of Fall spice in it. Whatever it was, it tasted good and the two immediately felt warmer.

The air continued getting colder as the friends pressed on and soon each breath was visible. Joseph spotted frost on the tops of the trees and some of the Fall trees even looked like they were dying from sudden frost shock. “Get ready, this can’t be natural to this area” Joseph said. Jaye nodded and pulled out the pumpkin and concentrated. The hand sized pumpkin transformed into a large one-handed sword. The blade was jagged and curved like a cutlass, the handle was black with a leather grip and the hilt was made of an orange metal and had little pumpkin shapes at each end of it. The pommel of the sword was also a pumpkin shape. “Whoa! I wonder if I would offend anyone if I carved a pumpkin with a pumpkin sword” Jaye said with a quizzical look. “Focus” Joseph replied.

The air was icy cold and each breath in felt like tiny daggers in their lungs. Two trees collapsed on each other, then an icy figure approached from behind the trees. “If the Patches just came out to settle his debt, we wouldn’t have a problem!”  Yelled Glacious the ice spirit. “Hey! Stop destroying the forest! Some of us love autumn. Take your grudge somewhere else!” shouted Joseph as he aimed his staff. The rain continued but all of the rain falling in the radius around Glacious was turned to snow. Snow and rain littered the soon to be battlefield as the two friends held their weapons out, ready to fight. 

“The coward sent fighters in his place?” Glacious howled, his voice was loud and furious like a blowing winter wind that shakes the house and slams the shutters. Before another word could be exchanged Glacious put out both of his hands and launched a beam of frozen energy.

Jaye held out the golden maple leaf, which conjured a shield around the two friends. The shield was translucent and made of rushing wind. The winter blast hit the shield. Part of the blast was absorbed into the shield but the rest of it went right through and hit the two friends. “You cannot stop the fury of winter with wind. Whoever sent you, has sent you to your death” Bellowed Glacious as he marched closer to the friends.

Joseph and Jaye crumpled to the ground from the shock of the ice blast. Their skin felt like it was burning and their hearts raced. “I’m glad we took a sip of that flask before. Otherwise this might feel worse” Jaye said as he struggled to stand. “Maybe a little more will help!” Joseph added as he tried to regain his balance. Joseph pulled the flask from his bag and took a big gulp, then handed it to Jaye who also took a large gulp. 

The feeling of cold and the threat of frost melted away. The air felt like a pleasant Fall day and the snow falling around them felt no colder than tap water. “alright, now that we are warmed up, lets give Glacious a little warmth” Said Joseph as he pointed his staff at Glacious and let loose a flame blast with all of his might. A flamethrower like flame erupted from the staff scorching everything in its path and engulfing Glacious.

The flames died down and Glacious was still standing. He had an icy wind shield flowing around him but he looked injured from the fire. The ground was scorched in the wake of the flame attack.

“My turn” Jaye said as he charged forward. Glacious let loose another arctic blast. The freezing air did nothing more than make Jaye feel a little cold and the wind wasn’t enough to do anything but slow him down. Glacious gave a smug grin assuming Jaye had died in the usually fatal arctic blast. When the wind and ice died down, Glacious saw Jaye charging forward unhindered. Jaye slashed with his sword like a maniac. Each cut from the sword left these glowing blue wounds on Glacious. Since the sword was enchanted and not a physical weapon it could harm spirits. Jaye didn’t know any of this, he just wanted to slash someone with his new sword.

Glacious realized his cold powers wouldn’t be enough this time, so he formed sharp icicles all along his arms and shoulders then swung his icicle covered arm at Jaye. Jaye Williams jumped back, his sword disappeared from his hand and transformed into armor. The enchanted pumpkin could sense its owners intentions and could transform back and forth in a moments notice. Jaye was hit full force by the strength of Glacious and his dagger like icicles. The attack sent Jaye flying but the armor protected him from being impaled. The armor was orange and black with a little smiling pumpkin face on the belt buckle.

Jaye slowly got back to his feet. As Joseph charged forward with his staff he launched earth tremors under Glacious’ feet causing the spirit to stumble. Then while he was off balance Joseph launched a whirlwind from his staff then followed it up with a flame burst. The flames engulfed the whirlwind and flew straight at Glacious. The icy spirit didn’t have time to react, once the tremors died down he looked up to see a flaming whirlwind come straight at him. The wind hit Glacious and whirled around him for several seconds inflicting massive fire damage against him.

Joseph Stephens collapsed from exhaustion. The staff had drained his energy and he was out of the fight. Jaye stood between Joseph and Glacious. The ice spirit was severely injured and looked like a human ice sculpture. He was more solid than before and lost his appearance of being a being of floating ice and snow. 

“Give up! You can’t attack me without being impaled on my spikes and your friend is down” Glacious yelled, his voice strained light a dying wind. “I brought something with me. Something I keep around for when I need to wreck fools. It’s the weapon that hurt the spirit of winter itself, the kingslayer, the one and only, CLAW HAMMAH!” Jaye yelled. He pulled an ordinary looking claw hammer from the inside pocket of his jacket and lunged at Glacious. 

Glacious turned both arms into spikes and stabbed them out at Jaye. Jaye swung down at the ice spikes and shattered them with his majestic hammer that he bought on sale at Tuscany Sam’s hardware depot. The hammer shattered the spikes. Then Jaye swung again, this time the hammer striking Glacious on the head. The attack sent cracks through Glacious and caused him to fall backward. The spirit hit the ground, his blue aura began to fade and his brittle icy body looked like it was one strike away from shattering completely. “I give! I will never bother you or Patches ever again” Glacious pleaded.

Jaye’s eyes went dark as he stood ominously over the fallen ice spirit. Jaye’s shadow was cast over Glacious as Jaye spoke with a deep grumbling voice “There will be no mercy for those who oppose Autumn” Jaye said as he lifted the claw hammer above his head. Glacious prepared for oblivion but then nothing happened. “Juuuust kidding, Boyo!” Jaye said with a goofy grin. “HA! I took a picture of your stupid face with my phone. Now get outta here or I’ll show everyone how much of a big cry baby you are!” Jaye said then walked off to check on Joseph. Glacious was stunned by the turn of events. He had never met anyone like Jaye Williams before nor anyone as strong and dedicated as Joseph Stephens. Then a single frozen tear slid down Glacious’ face. “I’m not a cry baby” he said in a pouting voice.

The day one won and Glacious was defeated. As the ice spirit disappeared, escaping back to the winter lands, Joseph was slowly waking up. “I have to be more careful with this staff, it knocked me out” Joseph said. “Thaaaats what she said” Said Jaye. Joseph grimaced at Jaye before letting out a small smile. 

The air grew warmer and went from winter winds back to a pleasant Fall day. The two friends knew they had to fight Ignitious next but decided they should rest first. They set up a small camp where they could regain their strength, eat and prepare for the next fight. The day had turned to night, the rain had stopped and a cool breeze lingered in the air. The autumn trees swayed in the breeze and the falling leaves danced in the air as they drifted slowly to the ground.

Joseph and Jaye save Autumn part 1 of 4

            Joseph Stephens sat on a large rock in the middle of a field. The field was covered in green grass that was slowly changing shade from the cold autumn air. The wind blew through the field, shaking the grass and mess up Joseph’s hair.

            Jaye Williams walked through the field wearing a thick fall jacket that was gun metal gray and had too many pockets. He made his way to the rock where Joseph sat. the last few rays of sunlight shone down on the field as the day gave way to night. The air was crisp and the lingering smell of wood smoke wafted through the air.

            Joseph wore a slick rain proof green jacket and sported a pile of messy brown hair on his head, bushy eyebrows and brown eyes that showed ages of experience. “Hey Poncho man Jones” Said Jaye as he approached. Joseph’s contemplative look faded into a grin “What IS up, Jim Jams the Jam man?” Joseph shouted into the air without turning to greet his friend.

            Jaye laughed then sat down on the rock next to Joseph. The two friends sat back to back on the rock. “So why are we here?” Jaye asked, trying to shout over the increasingly loud wind that blew past them. “Usually weird stuff finds me when I try to live a normal life. THIS time, we are out to find something weird first. Then we can get more normal life stuff done without the distraction. Make sense?” Joseph explained, shouting into the wind and still face away from Jaye. “No it doesn’t, but I like the part where we find weird stuff. I got a few ideas already. Eheheheh” Jaye said with an alarmingly evil chuckle. Jaye patted the breast of his coat. Hidden away in the inside pocket of his coat was a surprise that he kept with him in case of emergencies or weird events, or when he was bored.

            The two friends talked by facing away from each other and shouting into the wind, this strained their voices and hurt their throats. But instead of turning around and trying to save their voices, they ignorantly continued shouting like apes.

            As the two baboons howled into the wind a streak of light was seen flashing across the sky. It was a bright green light and only was visible for a second. Then a few seconds later the light was seen again but closer. The light grew closer and closer until the two friends realized the source of light was hurling towards them like a meteor from space.

            Though they weren’t smart enough to save their voices, they were smart enough to move away from the impact zone of the green light meteor. The light shot straight at them. The two friends ran for cover and escaped just in time to watch a blast of green light hit the rock they were sitting on and explode into rubble.

            The ground shook and a large locked treasure box rose up from the crater made by the green light. Green wisps burst from the ground and surrounded the treasure chest. They wisps carried the chest to solid ground then dropped it with a loud thud. Then the wisps swirled around like a mini tornado until they formed a human shaped creature made of green light.

“I’ve seen weirder” Jaye said casually. “No way yo-“ Joseph started to say, then remembered that they both had seen weirder things in the past. The two friends stood up from behind the mound of dirt they were hiding behind and approached the green light being. “I got a letter telling me to come here, it was signed a ‘friend’. Is that your doing?” Joseph asked.

“Why didn’t you tell me about the letter?” Jaye asked faking a sad expression. “Would it have changed your decision to come to the field?” Joseph asked. “No, probably not. I didn’t have anything going on and my favorite show “baby clubbers” isn’t on till tomorrow night” Jaye replied.

The green being spoke, its voice was soft and quiet. It sounded completely harmless and a little silly. “Listen you guys, I’m very serious about what I am about to tell you. Like really really serious. So listen” said the Green light being in his silly little voice. Jaye and Joseph tried not to laugh.

“I sent you the letter because the spirit of autumn is being attacked in his own land. In the spirit world we all have a little kingdom of our own design, its really really cool you guys. Anyway the elemental brothers Ignitious and Glacious are wreaking havoc in the autumn lands. They are spirits of fire and ice and I guess they got into a fight with the spirit of autumn over a card game or something” the green spirit explained.

“I don’t normally like helping but I see you have a treasure chest. Maybe you could use that to bribe us with?” Jaye said bluntly in his best attempt to be subtle. He failed at subtly. “Y-yeah man, totally. I was actually already going to give you the stuff in the chest. Just slow your respective rolls, if you please” said the green spirit, its tiny voice trying to sound serious but worked as well as if a kitten tries to act tough.

“Since the autumn lands are in huge disarray I took several of the Fall relics and brought them here so they wouldn’t be destroyed” Explained the green spirit. The humanoid green light pointed at the treasure chest, its hand broke off from the writst, turned into a green light wisp and went into the keyhole of the lock. The lock broke open and the treasure chest creaked as the lid was floated open by the wisp which was now in a hand shape again. “Still not the weirdest thing” Jaye muttered.

Joseph ran over to the treasure chest and looked inside. The relics of the autumn land included the following: A golden maple leaf the size of a catchers mitt, a pumpkin the size of a base ball, a staff made from the branch of an oak tree with orange, red and yellow leaves decorating the top of the staff, and last was a leather water skin filled with warm liquid. Joseph gathered all of the items into a large sack and walked to the green spirit. “This is great, but what does this stuff do?” asked Joseph.

The spirit replied in a very excited soft little voice. “The golden leaf can create a temporary shield of wind that can block most physical objects. Anything that can be swept away but a rushing hurricane wind will be repelled by this wind shield. The staff can shoot fire, send out controlled bursts of earthquakes and send out blasts of wind that can send spirits and creatures flying. Both the leaf and the staff will tire you out to use. They are magic and drain your energy. So don’t use them all the time or you will be too tired and warn out to fight. The Pumpkin doesn’t consume your energy but it can turn into armor or a weapon at will and the Water skin has a hot beverage that keeps you warm against even the harshest cold” The green spirit explained.

“Dibs on the destruction staff!” Jaye shouted. “NO!” Joseph shouted back in alarm. He didn’t want to think what would happen if Jaye got something that could shoot flames. He would probably burn down the forest then exhaust himself and collapse before they even found the elemental brothers.

After several games of rock-paper-scissors and much arguing, Joseph ended up with the Staff and the flask and Jaye took the pumpkin and leaf. With their equipment settled and the two ready for adventure the green spirit opened a gateway to the spirit world. A literal metal gate appeared out of thin air. The metal was polished steel and the gate was about three feet tall and had a swinging door. It looked like a little steel garden fence. “This is it? To the spirit world?” Joseph asked hesitantly. “Of course!” Said the spirit in a pouty voice “Come ON guys this is serious business. Like super serious you guys!” The spirit added.

The two friends tried not to laugh as they delicately opened the swinging gate door and stepped through it. Adventure, battle and autumn scenery lay ahead of the two friends. All they would have to do is fight and stop two ancient elemental spirits set on destroying everything. Luckily they have a small pumpkin and a leaf.